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chrollogy · 9 months ago

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i. LETS GO TO SHIZUOKA!

miya atsumu x f!reader

── next: ii. Just me & you | series masterlist

synopsis: What better way to de-stress post-semester than going on a trip with your close friends? It’d be nothing but smooth sailing if you weren’t wedging some distance between you, and a certain blonde. Though, whether you liked it or not, the universe had its ways.

chapter content warning: college au, fluff, a hint of angst if you squint, atsumu might be a dumbass, mutual pining, requited unrequited love, forced proximity, slow burn, my poor depiction of japanese geography, reader can’t ride a bike for the sake of plot, not beta read, a little tame for now!

word count: 3.8k

notes: divider: cafekitsune. weeeee first chapter :> !!

‘You never really know when you’ve fallen in love. One day you just wake up and realise that it’s more than just shallow feelings.’

A phrase you’ve heard countless times growing up. You never really understood it well as a believer of love at first sight, thinking that the cliché ‘time slowing down as you see your lover before you’ was all there was to it to fully grasp the concept of love.

Kind of like in romantic movies where the camera dramatically pans around the main character after seeing their love interest—every person around you disappearing until all there was left were the two of you, heart racing a little too fast, the nervousness settling in—the whole shebang.

Unfortunately for you, it wasn’t as climactic as they ought to be in movies—not one soul magically disappeared until it was just the two of you, the time did not, in fact, slow down. If anything, your heart stuttered like crazy, threatening to leap from your rib cage and onto his hands as if they were its home. At least the movies got that one thing right.

It was down right frustrating leading up to the feelings you now had for none other than Miya Atsumu.

Some days were filled with fluttering heart beats, and dreamy sighs—tucking your chin on your palm at the blissful feeling of being infatuated with the blonde. As if on cloud nine, drifting along the feathery scenery atop a huge ivory cloud, cupid’s bow comfortably pierced right through your heart.

Other days were extremely unbearable, plagued with the ache of yearning, and unwanted jealousy—painfully digging your nails into your palm at the sight of someone else shamelessly flirting with Atsumu. It almost felt like a curse weighed upon you the day you were born, being smitten with a ladies’ man. On days like these, cupid’s bow uncomfortably dug into your heart like a painful itch—awkwardly poking out from your chest like an unconcealed badge saying, ‘Hey, look at me! I have a crush on someone who doesn’t even like me back. How stupid of me!’

Never mind that because the day it finally settled uncomfortably in your bones—that your feelings weren’t mere infatuation—you felt like you were in deep, deep shit. Absolutely fucked with a capital ‘F’ because suddenly the way Atsumu’s laugh sounded was like a sweet, sweet melody; an external stimuli to get your heart racing. The way his eyes crinkled, lashes kissing his cheeks as he laughed at a funny joke, oh, you were weak in the knees.

Your lovesick gaze unceremoniously bore into his handsome face, blissfully unaware of your raging feelings for him. You knew right then and there that love was what you felt for your close friend.

An uncharted territory that you swore to never step foot on, until now.

“You brought your passport?” Kita stared at the mini scarlet document resting between Atsumu’s slender fingers, brows raised with slight amusement. His expressionless question halted the quiet conversation amongst your group, all turning to look at the flustered blonde—his face now matching the colour of the passport in his hand.

“Y-yeah? Are we not supposed ta or somethin’?” Atsumu looked around at the growing amusement between his friends, except for Kita who only closed his eyes in defeat. The former looked over to you for help, honeyed eyes projecting a mix of slight panic and embarrassment, you could only look away in second hand embarrassment, cheeks heating from the eye contact.

“It’s a domestic flight, dumbass!” Osamu lightly smacked his twin on the back of his head, clicking his tongue at the lack of common sense. Before the two could even start their endless bickering, the line moved, signalling the group’s turn. Kita pulled the latter away with him to the check-in counter, saving everyone else’s ears being talked off with the twin’s petty arguments.

Winter break, a convenient time for you and your friends to get together and de-stress from the pressure of university. If anything, it was a purely spontaneous getaway trip to Shizuoka. The trip included a little pit stop to Tokyo for some much needed splurging—totally not your idea—before taking the train back down for Shizuoka.

It all started in the group chat with a lone screenshot from Suna, an on-going deal of inexpensive domestic flights from Hyōgo to Tokyo. There wasn’t even a message attached to the picture, just a wordless tactic in hopes to get the group together for an exciting winter ahead. First to see it was Atsumu, who immediately approved of the idea with an unnecessary amount of exclamation marks tied to his message. Then, it became a domino effect where the rest of the group voiced their interests, including yourself.

Next thing you knew, the five of you were holed up in the twin’s apartment—you and Kita sat on the chairs while the rest hovered behind, laptop on the table with a tab of the itinerary opened, and affordable accomodations in Shizuoka. With a quick transfer of funds from one bank account to another, you all looked forward to spending 4 days outside Hyōgo, 379 kilometres away from home.

Now, the five of you stood in the domestic terminal during the early hours of 7 AM, bound for Haneda Airport. Albeit, a bit sleepy, you were excited, deeming this trip as a little treat for making it through a rather tedious semester.

Sitting in between Suna and Kita, who respectively sat in the window and aisle seats, you took a moment to close your eyes as a muffled announcement from the pilot filled the speakers, the deep hum of the plane’s engines roaring as it moved up the runway, preparing for takeoff. Low murmurs of passengers, and the twin’s deep chatter behind you filled your ears like white noise, focusing on calming your racing heart.

You recounted a few minutes ago where Atsumu had opted to sit next to you, preferably on the window seat before Suna beat him to it, telling the latter that they had designated seats on their ticket, a teasing tongue poking out. ‘Like that matters.’ The blonde muttered, followed by a string of silent curses aimed at his friend before being ushered onto the next row behind by Osamu.

It was always like that with Atsumu and his spontaneity—he had no qualms sitting a row behind when you all had booked your tickets, even saying that he didn’t care wherever he sat as long as he landed in Tokyo in one piece. What drove him to change his mind was beyond your understanding.

Though, you’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t grasp onto that little hope of possibly sitting next to Atsumu for the whole flight. To your dismay, it dissipated the second you held onto it—all thanks to Suna Rintarou. Nonetheless, you would’ve felt awkward anyway, now that your heart weighed heavy with the burden of being hopelessly in love, and shamelessly pining.

You wouldn’t know how you would’ve acted during the span of 1 hour and 10 minutes; arms touching one another, albeit, covered in thick layers to fend off cold, and knees dangerously close—your cheeks heated at the thought. Sure, it was nothing intimate but that was Atsumu’s effect on you, and it absolutely drove you up the wall.

It wasn’t like this before, and you felt pathetic.

Gone were the days where you could hold a solid conversation with Atsumu without stuttering, and fidgeting like an idiot—where you were able to freely speak to him without any inhibitions weighing your shoulders. Come to think of it, the last time this probably happened was way back in second-year highschool. You were in second-year college now.

If you were being completely honest, you caught yourself unintentionally placing some distance between you and Atsumu, just a tad bit for the sake of your sanity. Could you really blame yourself? With the way he has been acting indifferent, it did some damage to your poor, poor heart—everyone had their limits and you were bound to reach yours soon enough. Especially with the coming days ahead, seeing him after you wake up, and before going to sleep. All in his glory.

Heavens above, have mercy on your heart.

Suna nudged you awake, head resting on his shoulder for the duration of the flight. You muttered a small apology as he let out a small groan, fingers digging into his padded jacket to massage the tense muscles of his shoulder. “We’re in Tokyo, sleepy head.” Atsumu prodded a finger at your head, poking his tongue out as you turned to face him, as if on cue, your heart beat picked up, only able to playfully roll your eyes in response.

Disembarking the plane, and claiming luggages proceeded without a hitch; thankfully, all your hard suitcases were still intact, and not shattered from the rough handling in the airport. After conveniently hailing a jumbo taxi, you were on your way to the heart of Tokyo. Naturally, Kita sat at the front passenger seat, having no trouble exchanging polite conversation with the driver. You and Osamu sat in the middle row while Atsumu and Suna were at the back.

You had to stop yourself from climbing to the back right after Atsumu did so, letting the brunette happily go instead, earning furrowed brows from the former—one that you tried your best to ignore.

The sound of wheels rolling along concrete filled your ears, along with the hustling and bustling of Central Tokyo as the group searched for the nearest luggage storage. A sea of bodies clad in layers of business casual outfits, men and women alike hastily walked to their destinations. The beloved city was adorned with Christmas lights and decorations, radiant hues of red, green, and gold standing out against the dark winter coats locals donned.

That was to be expected, the start of winter break being only a day after Christmas. It always cheered you up in every sense, seeing all sorts of novel decorations put your mind in a better place.

“Alright! Now that’s done, let’s get somethin’ ta eat.” Osamu locked the storage behind him, quickly tucking his hands back inside his trench coat, puffs of white fog leaving his lips with every word spoken. This earned a handful of hums from the rest, without a doubt there were no arguing when it came to eating food.

Atsumu fell into a step beside you, letting out an exaggerated noise as he shuddered from Tokyo’s early morning winter breeze.

“Hey. Seems like I haven’t talked ta ya in forever. Y’ avoidin’ me or somethin’?”

The blonde teased, all smiles with a tinge of crimson painted on his nose, and cheeks—from the cold, you presumed. The lack of seriousness in his tone put you at a slight ease, at least you didn’t have to start explaining why you were kind of avoiding him.

You shook your head, a genuine laugh leaving your lips as his honeyed eyes met your own, “Me? Never.” This earned a proud smile from your friend, chest puffing in absolute pride underneath the thick layers of winter fabrics.

“Good. I dunno what I’ll do if ya start avoidin’ me.”

His saccharine gaze lingered on your own a little too long for your sanity, all you could do was blink in response, mind flying off into the unknown as your heart picked up its pace yet again. Atsumu’s velvety stare was intense, it was like standing under the blazing sun on a scorching summer day, making you feel all sorts of emotions from A to Z.

Suddenly, the cerulean scarf around your neck felt a tad too restricting, the puffer jacket you wore became awfully warm, and the crisp morning air of Tokyo seemed too thin. Everything felt weird all of a sudden—your skin prickled under his honeyed eyes, getting lost in them as each slow second passed.

“Oi! Are you two coming or not?” Suna’s voice sharply sliced through the enchanting trance you and Atsumu were under, jolting you both back into reality. The rest of them were already far ahead looking into shops for a quick bite, indicating that somewhere down the line, the two of you had stopped walking just to stare into each other’s eyes. How embarrassing.

The latter cleared his throat, embarrassment settling in upon realising the situation at hand. He muttered a quick ‘Let’s go’ before starting a slow jog over to the rest of the group, acting like he didn’t just stare into your soul for god knows how many seconds. Slapping your cheeks, and letting out a puff of breath, you headed towards your friends, navigating through the crowded footpath and making sure not to accidentally bump into anyone.

The next few hours consisted of wisely spending money—per Kita’s words—in the heart of Tokyo. Despite endlessly complaining at first, the twins and Suna were soon sucked into the shopping fever.

Though, the four of you had to worry about your luggages back at the storage, resulting in only buying items that you desperately wanted, and essentials. This unfortunately led to almost being late to the scheduled Shinkansen you all had previously booked, the only option was to quickly run back to the luggage storage, and up the train station just in time before the train departed.

Everyone did their best to keep their heavy breathing in check, trying not to come off as rude to other passengers as well as saving yourselves from the embarrassment of unsolicited stares. You relaxed on the azure seat beneath, situated between the window and Kita—who sat in between you and Atsumu, the other two were on the next row over.

Your gaze turned to the large window beside you, overlooking the opposing platform as the engine of the Shinkansen quietly whirred, signalling the impending departure. Due to the non-rush hour at the quiet time of 1:57 PM, it wasn’t packed at all, only a few commuters coming in and out of the station to get on with their day-to-day routine.

As the Shinkansen slowly advanced to full speed, the outside view quickly turned into a mix of blurred hues; tall buildings decorating Central Tokyo gradually turned into greenery and suburban areas.

The afternoon sun peeked from the winter ivory clouds, seeping into the window to cast a radiant, warm glow upon the three of you. A subtle reflection of Atsumu’s peaceful profile projected on the glassy panel, allowing you to carefully trace each and every detail of his handsome features—the slope of his nose, flaxen strands framing his face, and those rosy pink lips you’ve always longed to touch with your own.

Tucking your chin atop a palm, you shamelessly stared at your friend’s reflection through the window—you watched as his honeyed eyes focused on the scenery before him, angling his head your way to get a good look of the view. Atsumu’s lips ever so slightly pursed with pure fascination, his Adam's apple bobbing with awe, you presumed with the speed of the Shinkansen.

Oh, how wrong you were.

“Staring a little hard, aren’t we?”

You were met with Kita’s warm gaze as you whipped your head around, albeit, rather quickly as if caught doing something you shouldn’t be. His stare held a hint of mischief—something that rarely ever occurred which caused your cheeks to shamelessly heat up. The man wasn’t even fully teasing you or anything—not that he normally did so—but it roused quite a reaction from you: fidgeting at the hem of your jacket, gaze avoiding Kita’s expectant ones, the slight part of your lips, not to mention the small stutter your heart did but you weren’t going to let him know.

Absolutely not.

On the other hand, Atsumu stared out the same window, albeit, not directly at the view outside but rather at the reflection of your side profile on the glassy panel as you animatedly explained yourself to Kita. He couldn’t hear what the two of you were talking about as he resorted to using earbuds a few moments ago, blocking out the white noise.

Atsumu let out a small chuckle—one that was drowned by the hum of the Shinkansen—as he admired you from the window, a subtle smile involuntarily forming at the look of your flustered state. How adorable. Naturally, his eyes drifted down to your plush lips as it moved with every spoken word; Atsumu could only fantasise the feeling of it against his own.

The blonde swiped his tongue across his bottom lip before letting out a small huff, and closing his eyes shut—stubbornly depriving himself of your beauty.

More than a few times in the past, Atsumu has caught himself shamelessly wandering along the borders of ‘friends’ and ‘lovers’, brazenly walking along the fine line that split the two territories—as a matter of fact, in his eyes, the line was so damn thin that it almost appeared blurry. Dangerously blurry. But Atsumu was a thrill seeker, and would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t want to venture out into the uncharted territory called ‘lovers’.

For as long as he could remember, Atsumu has been patiently sitting by this uncharted territory—endlessly waiting for the day where he’d finally be able to cross that line without any hesitation in his bones. It was delusional of him, really, because at the very back of his mind—carefully tucked and hidden—Atsumu knew he probably didn’t stand a chance. That one day, he’d helplessly watch another man effortlessly cross the line.

He could only hope that was him.

Fortunately, the rest of the train ride was peaceful until Mount Fuji came into view from the distance; the stratovolcano proudly stood in all its icy glory, looking over Shizuoka and Yamanashi—its snow-capped tip slightly peeking from a blanket of clouds. The five of you didn’t hesitate to pull out your phones to start taking photos of the famed mountain, all amazed by its conical form.

After a few more clicks of the symbolic Fujisan, with selfies here and there, the train finally arrived in Shizuoka Station—greeted by the city’s skyline surrounded by impressive sights of nature. Hauling your respective mini luggages, and shopping bags from Tokyo, the five of you, surprisingly, made it to the hotel—located in the heart of Shizuoka—only a stone’s throw from the train station.

Greeted with a homey view, the hotel’s vast foyer was warmly lit, decorated with artificial plants here and there along with lots of comfortable spaces to sit on. Faint jazz music filled the rather deserted place, footsteps along its marbled ivory floors echoing loudly. Kita, and Osamu made their way to the counter—the latter only trailing behind to inquire about amenities—whereas Suna beelined for the nearest toilet, leaving you and Atsumu on luggage duty.

Great.

The blonde unceremoniously plopped down next to you, cream-coloured couch groaning beneath his weight as he yawned, pairing it with a full body stretch. How cute. It reminded you of a cat stretching right after waking up, face scrunched and all. Atsumu sat way too close for your liking, the heat of his right side spilling onto your left—it wasn’t even a comfortable kind of warmth, no, it mirrored the intensity of a hot, sunny day. Despite the lack of skin contact, his touch lit your body with a searing blaze. You scratched at your neck, the familiar prickling sensation coming back for the nth time.

It was awfully quiet, the crisp winter air turning thick, and awkward as each slow second passed. All of a sudden, the wooden coffee table before you looked rather interesting, eyes tracing its natural surface pattern. It didn’t look this cool a few seconds ago. The faint jazz music still played from the hotel speakers, a mocking symbol of the lack of conversation between you and Atsumu.

The latter awkwardly cleared his throat, hand coming up to rub at his nape—a nervous habit he’s picked up, and you knew that too. He turned his mind upside down, and inside out to think of anything just to clear the somewhat awkward air between the two of you but his thoughts fell short. For the first time in a while, Atsumu was rendered speechless. When did it get like this?

“We should do a bike tour. I saw an ad for one outside just before we came in.”

Suna strode over to the two of you, hands snug inside his pockets. What a life saver. “I think it's like a 3-hour tour, though.” He muttered before pulling his phone out, mindlessly scrolling on it.

“Won’t it be snowy?” Osamu replied from behind, Kita trailing closely, room keys and a pamphlet in hand. “Shizuoka has very little snowfall. I think we’ll be fine.” The ivory-haired male interjected, earning a hum from Suna. Before the group could further discuss today’s plans, you spoke up,

“I can’t even ride a bike.”

“Ditto.” Atsumu groaned.

“Well. Technically, I can. Jus’ a bad experience from childhood. Haven’t gotten on one since then and not about ta start now.” The male beside you shrugged whereas his twin chuckled at the recollection. Must’ve been quite a memory for the two, you presumed.

You shook your head, reassuring the group, “Don’t mind me. I can rest up a bit while you all go out.” It wasn’t much of a big deal, anyway. Plus, a good 3-hour nap sounded like absolute heaven to you right now, especially after waking up early this morning. It was only the first day of the trip, and there were more planned activities ahead with the group so you didn’t mind.

The door to the hotel room opened up to a cosy, expansive suite inspired by traditional tearoom elements in Japanese-style—gasping at the intricate vases and traditional scrolls that decorated the room. The suite included two Tatami rooms—excluding the small kitchen, and living room—adorned with cosy futons. Overlooking the vast city of Shizuoka, it gave a sense of luxury amongst the homey vibes of the room.

A few shuffling here, and there, the group agreed to part ways for a bit, and reconvene for dinner—Suna, Kita, and Osamu headed for the bike tour whereas you and Atsumu stayed behind for a much needed peaceful rest.

If peaceful was even the word to describe it.

“We’ll see ya at dinner. Have fun.” Osamu shot his brother a look, one that made you stop in your tracks. A subtle smirk plastered all over the former’s face which looked just like the usual expression Atsumu always wore, it didn’t help how Osamu looked exactly like him.

What the hell?

A resounding thud reverberated throughout the walls as the door shut behind the silver-haired male. There was a slight pause, a heartbeat of silence before Atsumu turned to you, hands on his hips, mirroring the smirk his brother gave just a few seconds ago. You gulped, meeting his honeyed gaze.

“Looks like it’s just me and ya with three hours ta spare, huh?”

Three hours with Miya Atsumu. Alone. How convenient.

—

taglist (closed)

tags: @ushijimaschubbs @tsumudoll @starlitsawamura @littlemiyastars (kind reminder to turn your mentions on!)

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lewisvinga · 11 months ago

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stargirl interlude | yuki tsunoda x fem! reader

summary; yuki just wants y/n to come to a race, after all he just wants to see her shine

warnings; ?

word count; 350

taglist; @namgification @louvrepool @locelscs @thehufflepuffavenger1 @minkyungseokie @goldenmclaren @ollieshifts @lavisenri @graciewrote

note; this is a short lolll

‘born to die’ series masterlist.

masterlist !

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

“C’mon, why not? Just one race!” Yuki pleaded as he followed Y/n around their shared apartment with a pout on his lip.

“No, Yuki.” She huffed, wiping the messy countertop with a wet soapy towel. Her response made the Japanese driver groan with frustration, continuing to follow her as she wiped away every messy surface.

“Why not!”

“You know I don’t like those big crowds.”

“Liar! You don’t mind them especially when we went to Sanrio Puroland!”

“Yeah, but that was Hello Kitty world.”

“What if I just wanted my best girl with me?”

Y/n sighed as she set the damp towel down. A frown was evident on her lips. It was a sign that she was thinking. She had always been a shy person. She always hated any sort of attention. She knew that showing up to the paddock as Yuki’s girlfriend would certainly get her unwanted attention.

She sighs again, returning to the kitchen with Yuki hot on her trail. “It’s just,” She trailed off, “You know how much attention all the other girlfriends of the drivers get. I don’t like that. It makes me feel anxious. What if I smile weirdly at the camera? Or-or my outfit is horrible? Or-“

He quickly interrupted her by placing the palm of his hand over her mouth. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed up at his action. “You’re worrying like you aren’t the most gorgeous girl on this planet. Not to mention, your outfits are always amazing!” He exclaimed, moving his hands to rest on her waist.

“You always try to hide yourself but I just want to see you shine.” Yuki quietly says, causing her facial expression to soften. “‘Cause I know you’re a star. You’re my stargirl. Just want everyone else to see and know that too.”

Y/n couldn’t help but smile as she gently kissed his cheek. “Fine. You’ve convinced me.” She whispers, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, “But just so you know, I will be overthinking it and hating all the eyes on me.”

“Don’t you worry, You're going to shine like the stars, my Stargirl""

#formula one x reader #f1 x reader #f1 scenario #formula one scenarios #f1 imagine #formula one imagines #formula one imagine #f1 scenarios #yuki tsunoda scenarios #yuki tsunoda x reader #yuki tsunoda imagine

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shsl-hubris-guy · 9 months ago

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In-Depth Analysis On All The DR Characters Because What, Are You Gonna Try And Stop Me? Who Are You, My Mom? Yeah, I Didn't Think So- Part 2: Mondo Owada

So yeah, I decided to do Mondo's next. After all the material I ended up inadvertently collecting for him in my Taka analysis, it just made more sense to go ahead and get him out of the way, even if I'd rather go for my personal favorite characters first.

As noted previously, this analysis will only be using canon material. It'll primarily focus on the game and its english translation since that's what I'm most familiar with, but may also pull from the original Japanese, as well as the animation, stageplay, etc. If you aren't interested, just keep scrolling. Mondo fans, prepare some popcorn, and perhaps a tissue box since if you're anything like the Taka fans you may end up crying. You're welcome.

Part 1- Character Design

Mondo Owada is a delinquent character whose design pays homage to manga series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable, and is modeled after its protagonist, Josuke Hikashigata. Mondo sports a massive pompadour and a modified uniform that mimics Josuke's, and is the leader of a biker gang called the Crazy Diamonds, a direct reference to Josuke's Stand, Crazy Diamond.

Due to leading this biker gang, he was given the title of SHSL Gang Leader, or Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.

Part 2- Character Introduction

Most of Mondo's character introduction isn't actually from himself, but from the researching Makoto did prior to entering the school in-game. We know immediately that he's leader of the largest biker gang in Japan, and get a look into his public image via Makoto. Despite the fact that Mondo is being fairly chill with his greeting, Makoto remains terrified of him based off of reputation alone- "I'd better be careful around him. One wrong word and I could wake up at the bottom of the sea..."

However, we can quickly see that this reputation is built mainly on bravado, as when Monokuma first calls for the entrance ceremony, we can see Mondo begin to sweat, despite his claiming otherwise- "Well hell, it ain't like I'm scared or nothin'. Let's just get this over with!"

He continues to sweat throughout Monokuma's explanation of the communal life, attempting to cover it up by yelling at the bear to let them out. We get a brief look at his more protective nature, as he purposefully puts himself between Hiro and Monokuma in order to confront him. We also quickly learn just how easily provoked he is.

Despite this provocation, he's not completely swept up in his rage, as he's able to listen to Kyoko's warning of the bomb and follows her advice- to throw it away- without hesitation. So our first real impression of him is that he's a short-tempered and intimidating- but well-intentioned- protector of sorts. He's not completely brainless; he's considerate of his classmates and their safety even when putting himself at risk.

Part 3- Early Game Development

Mondo is an interesting case, as he's a character that almost immediately looks directly into the camera and tells the player directly what their main motivation is. The only other character in this series that's as transparent about their goals so early in is Sayaka, and even then the game makes you ask for that information.

He tells us, in no uncertain terms, that keeping promises is the #1 most important thing to him. He also tells us indirectly how highly he values his family and personal connections, holding his brother's word as law. These combined with his talent being that of a gang leader all suggest a pack leader mentality, which is immediately confirmed by his anger at Byakuya for trying to separate from the group- "Like hell I'm gonna let you run off and do whatever you want!"

Not only is this loss of control upsetting to him, but he's then immediately provoked and called insignificant by Byakuya, leading him to lash out at the closest person in an attempt to regain that hold of power- which just so happens to be Makoto. Not only is this response irrational and violent, but it knocks out Makoto for 10-11 hours. Mondo is a leader, yes, but he's a gang leader, and his bite does match his bark.

Mondo's aggressive and fairly single-minded nature is made apparent when he continuously tries to break down the hatch in the main hall. Not only does he attempt to bust it open with Sakura on the first day, but he then returns to the hatch with Leon the following day, despite the fact he already admitted there was probably no way to open it from inside, and continues to check into the following chapter. He sees one possible way out, and zeroes in on it, just in case.

The game continues to double down on the irrational, defensive aspects of his character when Monokuma appears again to present the first motive. He again confronts Monokuma directly- pretending as if he knows who's piloting the bear for a fact("We know who you are!")- and attempting to intimidate him into letting them go. Once again, this demonstrates both his desire to protect himself and his classmates, and his unwavering confidence in the intelligence of said classmates, as Chihiro was the one to suggest the mastermind being Genocide Jack based only off her gut feeling. He then proceeds to immediately turn around and make Makoto be the one to go find the motive instead of going himself, getting extremely angry when Makoto doesn't instantly do as he's told- "Hey... Hey hey hey hey hey... HEEEEEY!!! You see how passionately I'm begging you!? What's the big deal? Just check it out real quick!"

He then calms down the second Makoto agrees.

It creates a sort of duality with his character between his more protective nature and his need to exert control, something the game makes a point to call out.

Part 4- Relationships

Mondo develops a fair number of relationships across his time in the game, to varying levels of importance- some antagonistic, some exceedingly complex. We'll go from least to most important to the overarching story.

4.1- Celeste

Celeste and Mondo are written in directly opposing ways, as while they're both fairly short-tempered, Celeste is much better at hiding it. It's by this logic that throughout the early game, oftentimes when Mondo starts to get riled up by the rules of the school and/or their circumstances, it's Celeste who ends up deescalating before he can explode, maintaining a facade of calm where he can't.

4.2- Sakuraoi

While not very touched upon, Mondo does end up developing a mutual respect for Sakura and Hina. When the class splits up to investigate the school on the first day, he joins the two of them in trying to find a way to get back to the outside, and he and Sakura work together to try and bust open the hatch in the main hall.

Hina's the one that stops Mondo from attacking Byakuya in the library, and when Chihiro begins to cry over Mondo saying that 'women are naturally weak anyway', it's Hina who calls him out for 'screaming like a lunatic.'

His relationship with Taka is also directly contrasted to Sakura's with Hina by Sakura herself- "Friendship between men seems very simplistic. Nothing like what I'm used to with girls." "Yeah, for real..." It's an interesting comparison, considering both Sakura and Mondo end up dying and leaving the responsibility of failure on Hina and Taka.

4.3- Byakuya

Byakuya antagonizes Mondo more than once, first as they're splitting up to search the school, and again after the library opens. Both times he seems to take enjoyment from it, calling him unimportant more than once and refusing to even entertain the idea that he might die.

"So miniscule, so insignificant, they couldn't possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean."

"You know, I still just can't believe it..." "Believe what?" "That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long."

"You all need to try harder. If an opponent isn't going to give it their best, where's the fun for me?"

It's enough of a threat for Mondo to genuinely believe that he's dangerous and want to keep him bound so he can't attack (foreshadowing when Byakuya himself would go one to tie Chihiro up? Probably not but it's a neat connection)

He also goes on to fuck with Chihiro, both by mocking her fear and by purposefully tampering with (what he believed to be) the crime scene of her death. On both counts, this directly affects Mondo, calling him out for his bullying("Hey, shithead! You get off on bullying people that can't fight back?") and letting Byakuya pin the crime of killing Chihiro on himself in the trial.

However, despite all this, Mondo never gets the chance to give Byakuya his comeuppance for his words and actions.

4.4- Ishimondo (yeah these bitches gay)

Similarly to Byakuya, Taka starts in a more antagonistic position, directly opposing Mondo as the unofficial, self-designated 'leader' of the class and remaining insensitive to the feelings of his classmates.

Unlike Byakuya, there's no actual intent to harm here, and their banter remains more focused on their differing ideas on how to help their classmates than anything else. Still, as time continues to pass, Mondo's impatience combined with the recent losses from ch 1 starts to push him over the edge, getting angrier with the class's lack of urgency.

This impatience only leads him to butt heads with Taka more, who's trying to keep the class together and safe first and foremost. On top of that, Mondo's delinquency is directly opposed to Taka's disciplinary background, making it all too easy to see each other as foes. Despite the fact they consider themselves the better type of man to the other, they have similar views on how men are to face each other, leading to the sauna scene.

Both characters' strong-willed determination and stubbornness inadvertently puts them on the same path, attempting to use their physical abilities to prove himself a more worthy leader than the other. It's a simplistic way of deciding, but it's one they both wholeheartedly believe in, and this gives them the opportunity to connect with each other in a way they're unable to with anyone else in the class. Thus, the following morning, when asked about the contest, the two have formed an inseparable brotherhood and refuse to even acknowledge the contest, as having a winner would put them on different levels. Interestingly, Mondo shares the belief with Taka that men bond by being naked around each other("Guys gotta expose themselves to each other, ya know?"), suggesting that he removed his clothes in order for this 'brotherhood' to form.

4.5- Daiya

The first thing we learn about Mondo's older brother in-game is that he was the one who taught Mondo to always keep his promises, no matter the cost. The second thing we learn is that he fucking died. And until nearly the end of Mondo's run in the game, that's all we as an audience need to know. He had an older brother that taught him his core values and passed away, leaving Mondo to carry out his wishes. It's not until after the chapter 2 trial is said and done that we learn anything more about him through Mondo's secret: "That embarrassing memory, that secret he didn't want anyone to know... You know what he did? He killed his own brother!"

It's through Monokuma that we learn the truth of Mondo's history with his brother: Daiya was his only family growing up, and thus, became his role model, the man Mondo himself wanted to become. He respected Daiya and Daiya alone. He followed him everywhere, and together, they formed the Crazy Diamonds, which went from a local biker gang to one of the greatest in Japan. It was through his brother that he developed his biking talent, and acted as his right hand. But some of the gang didn't believe in Mondo or trust him the way Daiya did. As Daiya grew older and prepared to retire, rumors of nepotism circulated throughout the gang, saying that Mondo was nothing compared to Daiya, that he wasn't worthy to take over the gang.

"Daiya created the gang with his bare hands! Mondo's just along for the ride." "Can someone like that be our leader?" "All that'll do is make the gang look bad."

Any accomplishments Mondo had made within the gang didn't count to the gang, or to Mondo himself, because they were put next to the leader's achievements. He compared himself to Daiya as well, feeding into the rumors and developing a deep-rooted jealousy. He felt like he had to be the stronger man, had to prove himself to the gang, had to best his brother or he wouldn't be accepted. So he challenged him. He challenged Daiya, and lost all restraint on the road, charging forward with the desperation of a dead man. And it cost him his brother's life.

His brother made him promise not to let the gang go as he passed; Mondo became shackled by his honor to stay. He fully believes it was his fault Daiya died, and now not only is he indebted to stay with the gang, but can never admit blame for fear of tarnishing not only his own reputation, but tearing his brother's gang apart. His community demands unwavering macho leadership, and he can't afford to break character for even a second.

4.6- Chihiro (will be using mostly he/him due to discussing canon)

Mondo and Chihiro exist on 2 sides of the same coin- toxic masculinity. Both characters (canonically speaking here) are men, but are perceived totally differently, both by those around them and by themselves. And because of this design, when put into the high-stress scenario that they were, they were doomed to drive each other to ruin.

Even before chapter 2 starts, there are multiple instances of Mondo listening to Chihiro and respecting his words without doubt(his theory of Genocide Jack and asking his opinion on '11037'). We've also seen Mondo's confrontational and protective nature in action. So it's no surprise at all when he stands up to Byakuya on Chihiro's behalf when he clams up. And while this is done with good intentions, it only serves to make Chihiro feel weaker. Mondo is physically stronger- anyone can see that- and he's not afraid to mouth off to someone showing excitement at the killing game they were all forced into. So when asked if he's okay the following morning, he can't help but explain himself- he feels weak, and doesn't like having someone else stand up for him. For Mondo, this goes directly against his idea of strength, and can't comprehend why "she'd" possibly care.

With all of Mondo's toughness, he carries not just the expectations of a man, but the misogynist beliefs that often come with it. But regardless of that, he's immediately able to tell he fucked up("Hey, c'mon, don't cry... I-It's my fault, okay? I won't yell anymore...") as far as the narrative will allow him due to writer's bias*. He feels bad about this, genuinely, enough to offer Chihiro his promise as a man. It's enough of a gesture for Chihiro to trust him completely, believing in the man's promise he's emphasized as being the most important thing to him since the very beginning.

(*Writer's bias in this case means the author is also sexist to a degree. Mondo is very clearly meant to be a tough guy with good intentions but because the creator appears to agree with the sentiment that women are weaker on average, we as an audience are meant to take issue with the fact that he's yelling and not the sexist statement. Said bias is made pretty clear by the fact their 'weak boy' character is dressed like a woman to emphasize his weakness and be a 'gotcha', as well as the fact they later have Kyoko force Makoto to tear paper out of Hifumi's rigor mortis hand because Makoto's a boy and she's a girl, even though earlier in that same game she, still a girl, was allowed to examine Chihiro's corpse in enough detail to find her dick. Writer's biases can and does affect the final product, so it's always important to consider that when looking at a character's development to determine whether they're being shitty because they're supposed to be or if it's some fault with the creator themself inputting their biases into something that otherwise wouldn't develop in this way. This has been Critical Consumption of Media 101.)

When Chihiro's found dead, Mondo keeps his head hung, lamenting about the fact that Chihiro wanted to be stronger, and when Makoto points out Chihiro was a woman anyway, Mondo just dismisses it, contradicting his earlier statement.

He respects Chihiro's memory and refuses to speak poorly of him. And while at first glance this is all it appears to be, as the trial unfolds and we learn the truth about what happened to Chihiro, a dual meaning behind this reveals itself- another showcasing of his devotion to the promises he keeps and the desire to protect his friend, even in death.

Chihiro is physically weak; a strong wind could probably knock him over, and he's much more in-tune with his emotions than your average guy. He mourns the losses of Sayaka, "Junko", and Leon all deeply, and has a deep shame for not being able to defend himself against Byakuya. But despite all this, when tested by Monokuma's secrets motive, he doesn't crumble away. He thrives, taking that threat and turning it into motivation to push his limits. He has the self-awareness to know when to ask for help, and isn't swayed by the threat of death. He's physically weak, but is incredibly strong mentally and is able to conquer his fears and face the lie he created for himself. Unfortunately for him, living with this toxic idea of what masculinity is supposed to look like makes him believe the way to do this can only be found in becoming physically stronger, and dies without ever seeing the strength he already had.

Mondo, on the inverse, is extremely physically capable, even without trying. He's 187 cm of muscle, and is confrontational to a fault, only giving him more opportunities to show off that physical strength. But on the inside, he can't face the sins of his past, can't admit his faults, and can't comprehend how to make peace with himself. All this is exacerbated by the weight he carries of leading the gang his brother formed, unable to release that weight from his conscience.

"N-No matter what... I couldn't let the other gang members find out. If that happened, everything would've been ruined... Everything me and my brother worked to create... woulda been destroyed... His death... all the guilt I'd been carrying around... it all woulda been for nothing."

And when Monokuma tests his resolve, he completely crumbles. Unable to admit the truth to himself, he's faced with Chihiro, someone who has the mental capability he could only dream of. That primal fear of breaking the promise he made for his brother on his deathbed, combined with Chihiro's unwavering confidence as he happily chimes how unbothered Mondo must be, blocks out all rationale. He spirals, forgetting where he is and who he's talking to, trying to make the panic go away as he throws the dumbbell in his hand.

Chihiro and Mondo each have everything the other wants, and drive each other to death trying to get it.

Part 5- Chihiro's Trial

For most of the trial, Mondo doesn't appear suspicious at all. So much time is spent on Byakuya's suspicious behavior and his framing of Genocide Jack that you barely notice him. He fully appears to be trying to find Chihiro's killer and find justice for her, following Makoto's line of reasoning to find Byakuya as the killer- with the body's suspension and the subtle differences between Jack's methods of killing and the murder of Chihiro herself. He's all too eager to declare Byakuya as the killer- and though we can't know for sure, he may have genuinely believed it. After all, walking into the girls' locker room to find her body suspended and the message of 'Bloodlust' written on the walls certainly wasn't his doing. Unfortunately for him, that's all Byakuya did, and the conversation continues.

In the end, Mondo brings about his own execution. Even after slipping up with his words, the conversation is able to continue on, sfifting focus over to Chihiro's missing E-Handbook and what exactly happened to it. And when Mondo becomes cornered with Makoto's mention of the sauna, it's not Mondo who goes on the defensive; it's Taka. Mondo gives up; he lets his tough-guy persona go. He finally faces the truth; he's undoubtedly the one that ended Chihiro's life, no matter how he may have wanted to delude himself otherwise. He sees his bro defending him, and he accepts that he has to die. It's not beyond reason to say that Taka's insistence of his innocence was what pushed him to truly admit his guilt, both to the class and to himself. Up until this point, he'd still been trying to play it off and get away with it. But was it worth it to live and kill his bro, and everyone else, just to protect his pride? No. He admits to being the killer, straight up.

"Yeah. Yeah... I did it... I killed him."

"Go ahead, Monokuma. Get it over with... Ask for the goddamned verdict..."

Part 6- The Cage of Death

The first person that comments with some variation of OH MY GOD YOU'RE SO EVIL HOW COULD YOU PUT THE EXECUTION IN THIS gets a cookie. Anyways, the executions in these games are always thematic to the characters and are meant to send them into the worst possible despair in their final moments, so let's break this down.

The execution begins with Mondo forcefully strapped to his motorcycle by Monokuma, who's sporting the same pompadour as him. This may be representative of Mondo feeling confined to the biker gang by his guilt; he was never able to break free of the lie he created about that night. The pompadour is likely just Monokuma making fun of him for his hair again, as the thing that nearly killed him in the prologue.

The kanji written on the motorcycle reads 'Little Black Sambo,' a reference to a children's story of the same title. The entire execution is an inverse of this story as well. In the story, a boy named Sambo is surrounded by four hungry tigers, and gives up his clothes to avoid being eaten. The tigers are all conceited and argue over who's the best-dressed, chasing each other in circles until they churn themselves into butter. Sambo is then able to recollect his clothes and the butter, and his mother uses the butter to make pancakes. This story is well-known and beloved in Japan, but isn't in basically the entire rest of the world on account of the racist caricatures of the POC present in it.

Mondo's execution is a inversed version of the story(and also, because Mondo isn't blasian there's thankfully no directly racist art in it, just tigers). Rather than being the one to trick the tigers, he's the one who's full of pride, and so he's sent into a motorcycle cage and left to spin around and around, while the tigers dance on either side of him. He ends up being the one who's turned into butter, and Monokuma gets to enjoy a delicious plate of Mondocakes. It's meant to represent the downfall of Mondo's macho personality and how he sent himself into a spiral, but loses a lot of its meaning if you aren't familiar with the story.

Part 7- Jealousy

So, we've torn this character apart. We know what makes him tick, but why does that all matter? What was the point of his story? Simple- it's a cautionary tale. It's a warning against everything he stands for. Mondo, through all his faults, is NOT someone you're actually supposed to idealize or hold up as the epitome of manhood in the way that Chihiro does. Rather, he's a deconstruction of everything society views as 'manly', and a demonstration of why that line of thinking is inherently flawed. He's big and tough, he yells and cusses at the people around him, he doesn't have a handle on his own strength. He knocks a dude out for like, 10 hours straight because he was mad at someone else!!! That's not a healthy way to get your frustration out!!!

Simply put, your image and pride are not worth your mental health, and comparing yourself to the people around you not only tortures yourself, but can hurt those who you love. Mondo couldn't stop comparing his own faults to the strengths of others, and ended up pushing himself too hard trying to prove himself. Not only did he lose his brother over it, but he felt like he had to keep all his pain and regret locked up for the sake of an image they'd painted together. It pushed him up to the edge, and he never learned to cope with it in a way that was healthy. It only led to him lashing out more and more, and repeating history when he killed Chihiro. Your trauma can't be fixed by ignoring it or shoving it down; seek out help when you need it. It's okay to confide in your friends; they aren't your enemy, and they aren't making fun of you. That line of thinking will only push you over the edge.

Afterword

So yeah, this was longer than anticipated. Even after doing Taka's and creating a point of reference for myself, I still ended up surprised. I mean, Taka survived longer, so you'd think his would be longer, right? But no, Mondo is not only a very well-established character, but he has more important connections and a much more impactful storyline. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Mondo may be one of the easiest characters to understand from THH, considering how in-your-face they make him. And I respect that, even if his whole facade can be kind of annoying for me. I totally see why this guy is so popular among fans. Happy birthday Mondo!

Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed this one, and be sure to stick around! Sayaka's analysis is coming up next, and holy shit am I excited for this one.

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tainbocuailnge · 1 year ago

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I think there is a difference between the comic as a sequence of images with text and the comic as a comic. it's a subtle difference that an untrained eye might not see but the more one as artist draws comics the clearer this difference becomes, because one who first aspires to draw comics will soon find they are merely drawing sequences of images with text.

when people say an artist is clearly inspired by anime they often use "anime" to refer to japanese pop culture in general, but if you look more closely you can often tell it really is specifically anime rather than manga that inspired them, because the paneling and camera angles in their comics will read like a series of anime screenshots rather than a manga page. similarly, when I was a teenager really popular manga that had anime adaptions would sometimes get "animanga" reprints where they replaced the panels with the equivalent anime screenshots of the scene, and they often looked like dogshit because the very premise showed blatant disregard for why the original comic worked in the first place. these two examples are both about anime because i am a weeb but it applies outside that context too. a cartoon storyboard can be read as if it were a comic, but what it really is is a sequence of images with text that has yet to be refined into its actual intended format.

there are many artists who only employ the medium of comic because what they actually want to draw is a video, or a video game cutscene, but the only tool actually at their disposal is the ability to draw a series of images and add text to them so that is what they use. there is no shame or mistake in doing this, you have to make your art with the tools that you have available, and if the sequence of images with text is enough to convey the idea then it was the right tool for the job. but these are different mediums with different visual languages, languages which have a lot of overlap and can occasionally be used in each other's stead to achieve similar results (especially when drawing a fanart comic of a video game for example), but which are still ultimately different. the comic and the video and the cutscene are all different forms that a sequence of images with text can take but they are far from completely interchangeable.

there is a key difference in approach to the comic as a series of images roughly interchangeable with other forms of series of images like the video and the cutscene, and the comic as specifically the comic. this difference in approach is not always necessary to achieve results, an artist who wants to convey a scenario they came up with needs only the sequence of images with text to achieve this. but the difference between a comic with good writing and art, and a comic that is a good comic, is in whether it was treated as a comic rather than a sequence of images with text. I say this as an artist whose nearly every comic has been simply a sequence of images, because I just don't have the patience to refine it into a comic when I merely want to convey my idea rather than draw a comic. it takes a particular skill and insight that have to be developed and practised separately from the ability to draw well and the ability to write well in order to become good at making "the comic" as synthesis of the two.

it's hard to specifically point out the essence of this difference between the sequence of images and the comic because it's kind of a vibes thing honestly, and it depends on where and how the comic was meant to be published too. comics meant to have paper print editions have different constraints and requirements and frameworks to work with than webtoons meant to be read on slim mobile screens in a continuous scrolling format. a good traditional comic will consider not just how each individual panel looks but also the way each page as a whole looks, and how the pages look next to each other in a spread, and how it feels to turn the page towards the next spread. a good webtoon will consider the movement of scrolling down and how this affects the transition from one moment to another in its composition. time is time in videos and cutscenes but space is time in comics, and the space your have available determines how you can divide time across it. when you make a webcomic on your own website you have no constraints but the ones you set for yourself, and sometimes this leads to things like homestuck, which would not work in any other format than the one it created for itself.

the best comics are good because they tell their story and present their images specifically in the form of a comic, in a way that would not be possible if it were not specifically a comic. I think this is true for basically every medium, I'm just thinking about comics specifically lately, because even though I don't really consider myself a comic artist - because I usually draw sequences of images rather than comics - the thing my clients want to pay for is often still "a comic", and they don't know or care to tell the difference. it's a difference that, as established, is often fairly moot anyway, because as long as it successfully conveys your idea it's good enough. but it's precisely because the sequence of images is often good enough that the specific skill of the comic artist is often overlooked.

#anyway i love cuchulainn

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leafy-m · 1 year ago

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Because I'm autistic and because I love Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen, I page-by-page compared the recent Kodansha USA English release of volume 1 to its Japanese and fan-translated counterparts.

If you've read the official English translation, you may have noticed that some of the big Orufrey moments are.... a bit underwhelming, word-wise. You may have even noticed that the word "wine" is suspiciously missing from the final chapter's WillowGrape Wine recipe, in which wine is kind of an important and obvious factor in it! And you would be correct!

While most of this manga volume is pretty accurate to the original text, there is absolutely a concentrated effort to tone down the more tender Orufrey moments, as well as minimize the alcoholic nature of the final chapter's recipe and related contraptions.

And that's frustrating!

The entire draw of this manga spin-off is seeing these gay witch dads take care of each other and their four daughters in an idyllic countryside setting while also making yummy food that you the reader can try make too. Why is Kodansha USA trying to no-homo these gays?? (Is this a reflection of how bad things are in the USA now?) And while you might say, "But Jade! Qifrey and Olruggio are not actually dating in canon!" — and I would agree with you! But there is nothing straight about these mens' behavior in this comic, and if Qifrey is going to look in Olruggio's direction while tenderly saying his name in Nearly Every Chapter, I expect to read that in English, dammit!

So I'm activating my autism trap card and presenting ya'll with a thorough comparison of every mistranslated and omitted Orufrey or wine moment, complete with discussion and screenshots from the Japanese, fan-translated, and USA English versions. This post is ridiculously long and maxed Tumblr's 30-image limit so chapter 10's discussion is actually in a reblog (sob sob), so I'm putting it all under a cut (you're welcome), and you can be sure that I'll be doing this again if need be for the translated volumes releasing next year.

For now? Let's go.

CHAPTER 1: pg 10

Japanese: フフ...

Fan translated: Heh heh

English version: Ahh...

This is a small moment, but it's important because it's foreshadowing. Qifrey is "airing out" the kitchen, but what he's really doing is sending those delicious smells into Olruggio's room. He's trying to lure him into the kitchen! And that little フフ/heh heh panel is evidence that he's up to something. If you've noticed in the main series, whenever Qifrey is doing something shady or it has a double-meaning, the 'camera angle' focuses on this side of his face with the dark lens.

But the English version obfuscates this by changing フフ to "Ahh..." like, 'isn't that better,' even though it keeps the ellipsis thought bubble indicating that something is up. Why the mixed messaging?

CHAPTER 1: pg 13

Japanese: オルーギオ!

Fan translated: Orugio!

English version: Excellent!

This is the first of many moments where Qifrey will directly say Olruggio's name, and yet the English version will translate it to something else, or drop it entirely. And no, "there wasn't enough room" is not a valid excuse for most of these. Especially when Olruggio's name can (and often is) shortened to Olly.

Look at Olruggio's little smirk at making Qifrey beam happily like that. My God. Kodansha USA/translator Stephen Kohler, why would you take this from us.

CHAPTER 1: pg 14

Japanese: 二人共今日も一日　お疲れ様でした!

Fan translated: These two people are together tonight. Another day's work well done, you two!

English version: Here's to another long day... ...and a well-earned break!

The omnipresent narrator from the beginning of the chapter is back, and clearly highlighting that 'these two people' are together tonight. And yet the English version removes all that. It may be redundant since we can see they're together in the illustration, but the whole page has that type of text redundancy, like focusing on 'eating that first bite,' or how 'a laugh bubbles up' with Qifrey. And combined with all of the other later omissions, this becomes an obvious trend of targeting these specific types of moments.

Update: Thanks to Farlynthordens for additional insight on this Japanese phrase!:

二人共: (the) two of you [the "tomo" implies the narrator is talking "to" them rather than "about" them] futari-tomo means in a literal sense "(you) two people who are together", but in terms of actual usage/definition it's just identifying a specific pair of people who the speaker is talking to.

今日も一日お疲れ様でした: the rest of this can't really be separated. this whole phrase is meant to be like "good work for all the things you did over the course of this whole day". the fan translation seems to have not understood that the two text blocks were meant to be all one sentence. so if you put this all together, it's like "Good work for everything today, guys!"

Knowing this, I'll still keep it as part of the list because it does omit addressing the two of them in the English version, which follows that trend of minimizing these moments between them. But thank you for the clarity! 💕

CHAPTER 2: pg 28

Japanese:　料理も魔法器も相手のことを一番に考えるのは　君の美德だね　半分ずつだオルーギオ

Fan translated: Whether you're cooking or performing magic, you always think of others before yourself. It just goes to show your good character. We'll share it, Olruggio.

English version: I've always admired that about you. Whether in your work of in the kitchen... ...You always think of others' needs before your own. All right. Let's split it, then.

The English version has two mistranslations here. I'll start at the top. In it, Qifrey is observing how Olruggio puts others first, and then compliments how it shows his good character. The 'good character' bit is changed to "I've always admired that about you," which at first I thought was sweet! Points for Kohler. But now that I really look at it, there is still some shady translating happening here.

In writing and communicating, what is said last has the most importance. This is how people "bury the lede," by hiding important information in the early part of a speech or amid other sentences, and then distracting them with other stuff.

In that English version top panel, even though Qifrey is complimenting Olruggio, by having it be said first it makes the second speech bubble (and therefore Olruggio's flustered response) be about Qifrey remarking on Olruggio's own behavior, rather than Qifrey's nice compliment about his character. Which changes the meaning of what's going on here. Olly is not flustering because he puts others first, he's flustering because Qifrey is saying something really nice about him, right to his face!

And then of course, in the bottom panel, Qifrey saying Olruggio's name is once again removed.

And I have to say, this bothers me not just because of autistic AcCUraCY! needs, but because he is very specifically saying his name. They are the only people in the room, it's very clear who Qifrey is addressing, and yet here he is once again, putting that man's name in his mouth.

It is intentional.

It is heartfelt.

STOP REMOVING IT!

CHAPTER 3: pg 36 and 37

Japanese: (Olruggio): キーフリーそれいらないならこっちに..してくれ (Qifrey): オルーギオ　ひとつおねがい!

Fan translated: (Olruggio): Qifrey, if you won't be needing those, send them my way. (Qifrey): One pot please, Olruggio!

English version: (Olruggio): Mind if I grab those breadcrumbs from ya? I'm gonna use 'em as a binder for the patties. (Qifrey): Could you bring that pot over here for me?

This is a sweet segment because it shows how well Qifrey and Olruggio work in tandem in the kitchen. As someone who has repeatedly failed at working harmonically with others while making food, them being in sync in the kitchen is more fantastical than the actual magic.

And once again, Olruggio and Qifrey saying each other's names are removed. The Olruggio panel translation is also a bit misleading because (as you can see in the larger fan-translated photo), it's Qifrey who is controlling that wind spell! Olruggio is not "grabbing" the breadcrumbs from him, it's Qifrey who is sending them to him. It also lends to the back-and-forth of these moments because as soon as Olly's done with that pot, he gives it to Qifrey to use.

CHAPTER 3: pg 41

Japanese: ありがとうオルーギオ　行ってきます

Fan translated: Thank you, Olruggio. We'll see you later.

English version: Thank you, my friend. We'll be on our way now.

We're now at the part of the manga where Qifrey saying Olruggio's name is changed to "my friend" in the English version. Which is a phrase I'll admit I have some Daevabad baggage with, so idk, is this some platonic ray-beaming or is it code for tender feelings for that person you like but aren't ready to date yet because of trauma and societal complications? Is Stephen Kohler a Daevabad fan? So many unknowns. Still counting it as a wrong though.

CHAPTER 4: pg 56

Japanese: (Olruggio): ま... 眩しくて眠れやしない (Qifrey): がんばれ! オルーギオ

Fan translated: (Olruggio): Really... I can't sleep with all this shimmering... (Qifrey): Do your best! Olruggio.

English version: (Olruggio): Hmph. How's a man supposed to get some sleep with this thing sparklin' away over here? (Qifrey): Keep at it... ...my friend.

Qifrey literally made a bouquet of rose-shaped tarts for Olruggio to cheer up his room, so of course the English translation needs to tamp down that gayness by unnecessarily bringing up Olruggio's manhood when he complains about not being able to sleep from the tarts' sparkling. Even though this chapter's cover image is of Olruggio sitting in a field of flowers, pondering quietly as he holds one in his hand. Maybe later chapters will have Olruggio edited so he's sitting 5 feet away from Qifrey.

And again, Qifrey saying Olruggio's name in the bottom panel is changed to "my friend" in the English version.

CHAPTER 6: pg 95

Japanese: いい出来だろ? 家事の分担が大変だなんて思ってたらこんなものは作れねえぜ

Fan translated: Turned out pretty good, right? If I really thought sharing the housework was a pain, then I couldn't make something like this.

English version: Whaddya think? Not bad, huh? Sorry for leavin' you stuck with all the chores these last few days. I figure this is the least I can do.

Of all the mistranslations, this one bothers me the most. Olruggio is a wonderful malewife! He is constantly trying to help Qifrey out with the Atelier chores, in Kitchen and the main series. And yet the English translation changes the entire context of what these panels are saying.

The right panel is Olruggio proud of how good the soup tastes (it's even in a fancy bread bowl!), and yet the English translation downplays it by saying, 'Not bad, huh?'

Then the left panel, with it's sparkly background and close-up on Olly's face, goes further into how if he thought helping out with the housework was a pain, he wouldn't be capable of making stuff like this. Which is an understated way of saying that Qifrey can rely on him for things like this. (and he says it more outright in other chapters/the main series) But instead the English version is treating this soup like it's an apology for not helping out more. It's also really stupid because Olruggio was not making the soup as 'the least he could do' for Qifrey — he made it because he was hungry and wanted to eat it now! He literally admits this a few pages back!

Olruggio is not someone trying to do the bare minimum, he's someone trying to tell his control-freak of a friend that he wants to share in helping out. And the English version disappointingly misrepresents that here.

CHAPTER 10! Has several issues both Orufrey and wine related, and has several comparison segments. But because I maxed out Tumblr's 30-image limit, I can't include it here and so have to post it in a reblog. UGH. 😔

(Here is the link to the Chapter 10 comparison/discussion!)

In the meantime, image credits! The Japanese scans are from Comic-Days.com, the fan scanlations are thanks to Don't Quit Your Day Job, Robot Garden Scans, Brimhats/Nyaruhodou, and Kirbypoyopoyo, and the English version photos are from my own copy. And thank you AskeFinns for help with reading Chapter 2's kanji 💖

If chapters weren't mentioned, it's because I didn't notice anything significant enough to comment on. But if you know of something I missed, do let me know! And thanks for reading this far!

#Witch Hat Atelier #Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen #Witch Hat Kitchen #Orufrey #Olruggio #Qifrey #Kodansha USA #Jade talks WHA #my posts

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digitalmemoriez · 13 days ago

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✫･ﾟ*.2011･ﾟ✫*.

#2011 #flickr #digital archiving #digitalmemoriez #nostalgic #image archiving #alt #memo pad #japanese memo #japanese memo pad #sentimental circus #san x #san-x #mini memo pad #camera: Canon MP610 series #flickr finds #flickr archive #2010s

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blonndiec · 1 month ago

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Yuri Plisetsky Ice Prince 👑

This was illustration was intended to for the cover of a magazine -that you can find in the previous link, please go check it out if you want- mentioned at the closing of my one-shot 'Well, Good Luck! (Babe)' part of a series before and during the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics taking pace in 2026. Yuri is supposed to be 25 years, and prior to this, he had long hair and Coach Viktor had the idea to hard launch Yuri's new look and make some noise prior the Olympics. You could say this is only the photoshoot for the cover...

Viktor: Yura, you're so camera ready. Even your scowl looks amazing! Yuri: ...Ugh, I'm never leaving you in charge again. Viktor: But I'm your coach! It's my job to make you look good after a makeover montage.

Explanation of the creative process and chaos leading to this, below:

This idea sat on my Clip Studio Paint WIPS for a long time - I had all the sketch and line art done, though things in my art/creative process and style changed over the past 6 months. So between redoing part of it, base color and mostly rendering I worked non-stop on this for my last 5 days of holiday break.

And the layout design for the cover had been on my brain also, for months (which is here and you can go and give it some love if you want) and I had so processed already (the concept) that I spend an hour doing, at 3 am. all in Photoshop -though I really wanted to do it on InDesign for a full experience (for me) and maybe I will if I decide to print a copy on a nice paper for me-. Anyway, I wanted to share my creative process. If you read this far, thank you!

Edit: @ korruptbrekker’s tags made me think it would be good to mention my style inspiration and that indeed are Korean Manwhas. Specially the artists P (Under the Oak Tree), Spoon (Who Made Me A Princess and King The Land), Roal (Father, I Don’t Want This Marriage!) SUOL (Villains Are Destined to Die) and Cheong-Gwa (The Broken Ring.) But also I want to mix it with Japanese anime/manga style, so I’ll be exploring this style further 💖✨

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ranchstoryblog · 8 days ago

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64 Dreams: A Look at Harvest Moon 64's Japanese Pre-Release Coverage

Fresh off the releases of the original Bokujou Monogatari in '96 and the GameBoy demake in '97, the series was starting to make a bit of a name for itself by 1998. The popularity of the GameBoy port in particular, partially credited by Yasuhiro Wada to the revived interest of the GameBoy as a platform thanks to Pokémon, led to some amount of anticipation for the follow-up.

At that time, a Japanese gaming magazine called The 64Dream, which was later renamed Nintendo Dream, was aimed exclusively at Nintendo 64 owners to give them the latest in information on upcoming and currently available games. Several issues over the course of a year would feature updates and information on Bokujou Monogatari 2. It would be a lot of work to translate everything, though we still might go over the really interesting bits some day, but, for now, we'll go over a brief summary of each issue's coverage up until release.

October, 1998

To start off the coverage of Bokumono 2, Yasuhiro Wada, Setsuko Miyakoshi, and Tomomi Yamatate are participating in a Q&A with the magazine's staff and introducing elements that are new from the SNES game like the camera, backpack, automatically leveling up tools, sheep, etc. Things to do during Winter are also referenced, like mining and the event to help out with Green Ranch, as well as it being a highly requested feature to continue playing after the ending. It also references the Goddess Fountain being the one from the previous game, which I hadn't really considered but if you think about the general layout of both maps it makes sense. The heart level system is also revealed to have a name the development staff used, the "Bakubaku system," which was implemented because sneaking a peek at their diaries wasn't the best thing to do. Since it's referencing a heartbeat, I guess if they localized that name it'd be something like "ba-dump system"?

There's a few tidbits that are completely different from the final game, like being able to carry bugs in your backpack, as well as an affection system for wild animals. Neither are in the release version, with wild animals being able to just be picked up freely without befriending them, and neither bugs or animals being willing to be stuffed into your bag. The calendar of festivals and other notable events is also a bit different, with no races or swimming events present at all, along with the Spirit Festival being on the 29th instead of the 27th.

There's also few interesting details among the artwork, like Harris being blonde and the baby's outfit being brown instead of blue. The artwork of the girls is also distinct here, with most of them not being featured in any other promotional material or guidebooks. Ran and Marie's artwork appeared in the 15th anniversary art book, but Karen, Popuri, and Elly were oddly absent. Rare stuff.

November, 1998

This month, the magazine's editors are getting to play for the first time. Most of the article is just them experiencing stuff that's new after the SNES game firsthand. Things like rotating the camera, having a bag, carrying multiple tools, tools leveling up with use, things like that. Oddly, Karen doesn't seem to appear in the demo, though the vineyard and other characters do. The article ends with some fan art of Karen and Pete at the vineyard. There's also some fan art of all the girls in the fan art section.

There isn't a lot here that's different from the final game this month, but there is a screenshot of the library with a completely different layout from the final game.

December, 1998

Wow, right off the bat there's lots of little art differences here. Mayor Thomas is blonde, Marie has blue hair like her grandma, and so does Kent! Though with that light of a shade, maybe Kent's is supposed to look shaved. The artwork for the town's map is also a little off, featuring a layout that's not present in the final game, and a few details that would go missing as well, like a tree outside the bakery. Of course, several new elements would be in the final game that are also missing from this artwork, like shop signs. I also appreciate all the little figures of characters wandering around the map.

The text doesn't look like anything new or distinct, but it does mention that there's now a racetrack. Horse races weren't mentioned at all in previous months, so maybe this was a late addition they finally felt safe confirming. It also mentions Duke being Jeff's uncle, which is something I tend to forget is mentioned in-game, as well as Doga's appearance being compared to Yoda, and... I can see it.

There's also a featured fan art this month at the end of the article featuring Ran and Pete sitting together. In the magazine's fan-art dedicated page, there's artwork of Popuri and Elly, too! Not to mention plenty of non-Bokumono fan art featuring characters from Wonder Project J2, Pokémon, and Ocarina of Time.

January, 1999

The article this month opens with lamenting that the game didn't release in December and will be delayed until February. Since we're pretty close to release now, it doesn't look like there's too many differences from the final game at this point. Of note, however, is that the animals all seem 500-1000 G cheaper. I guess they were still adjusting game balance. The crops listing doesn't include strawberries either, and a note that the seed prices might be different in the released game, but those are all correct.

The fan art this month is Pete with a bunch of farm animals, including a pig! I guess they'll have to wait until GBC3 and Magical Melody for that though. There's also a small figure on the left side, maybe holding a paintbrush? An artist's self-portrait, maybe?

February, 1999

Finally, it's release month! The game has been consistently voted one of the most anticipated titles by readers, and Yasuhiro Wada is here to answer their questions.

The first interesting question is about the Nintendo 64 Transfer Pak, which Wada says wasn't possible to implement transferring cows and such due to technical reasons and the N64 game's development coming later. However, if the game was popular enough to release a Bokujou Monogatari 3 on the N64, he'd like to implement GameBoy gimmicks. Next, he's asked about the baby, and mentions that it will have different reactions based on where you take it, and that it will gradually change with level of affection. When asked about improving crop varieties, Wada replies that it's a secret. Maybe referencing the unlocking of Strawberries after getting a greenhouse? The page ends with a variety of fan art.

On the next page, a fan asks if there are multiple endings. Wada responds that there's really only one, but there's a ranking system in place. He also mentions that you can transfer your save to a Controller Pak and take it to a friend's house and compare your rankings with them, which is something North American fans missed out on when the rankings page feature was removed, along with several other things. Next is a question about catching and keeping bugs, which contrary to the mention in the October '98 issue, he says that leaving them in nature is for the best. The last question on the page asks about the girls from the original game appearing, which Wada says a few do in some way, and you should try to find out. Also that the same Harvest Sprites return. There's also artwork of all the 64 girls in cute winter outfits!

The last page is just basic gameplay questions, like how much money you start with and how to sheer sheep, with Wada going on to mention that taking care of animals is important and that there's a funeral scene for them now. The page closes again with more fan art.

More interestingly, the little boxed area on pages 22 and 23 features "requests" and general comments from fans. For page 22, the first of which is for co-op, which Wada says was an idea he also had, but to please bear with it as it wasn't possible, and there is a lot of content for one player in the game. Next, he's asked for the animals to make noises and have footstep sounds, which he says they do make animal sounds (mooing, clucking, etc) now, but don't have footstep sounds. Then he's asked about implementing a motorcycle or truck! Wada emphatically responds that nature is best.

Page 23's requests start with being able to freely design the house, which Wada also wants to do, but there are at least more extensions this time. Next, a player wants the hot springs to return, which Wada says might appear in this game as the player progresses. Another player comments that they hate natural disasters like typhoons, but Wada says they will be returning in this game, albeit less frequently. Someone asks to be able to make cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, which Wada says sounds great. Someone asks about the Hoe transforming into a tractor after it reaches level 4, which Wada brushes off as "too much," someone asking to put an N64 in the house, which Wada says sounds nice, but there's too many things in there already, and lastly someone comparing Wada's appearance to Yabe-san from the comedy duo "Ninety-Nine," which Wada disagrees and laughs at.

And that's it! Shortly after this magazine hit shelves, the game would finally release. There were several months of coverage afterward, which we'll probably go over, but that'll be for another time. A big thank you to ozidual of Gaming Alexandria for allowing us to use their scans. You can check out their full magazine scans on Archive.org.

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ellexplays · 2 months ago

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Becoming an Idol - Mods Index Becoming an Idol is a Let's Play series by Elle Plays (ellexplays) on YouTube

* = requires additional mod, please read the creators post for this info

main mods:

k-pop star mod

language barriers

choose your roommate

wonderful/wicked whims (18+)

control any sim

singing override

dancing override - (LOCKED)

episode 1:

sim nation travel*

garage & storage pack

moleskin journals

ink for yourself

photographic memory

full control camera

first impressions*

shop chef buffet

paired selfie overrides

episode 2:

sunrise alarm clock*

sunrise alarm clock recolors*

education school bundle

ballet barre

ui cheats extension

pink venom animation*

pink venom outfits

episode 3:

japanese vending machine

send sims to bed*

episode 5:

juicy tracksuit

suite life*

snowsuit

sports retail therapy

the one where they are friends*

bedroom black and pink

episode 6:

little miss drama

hype boy dance cover - (LOCKED)

this post will be updated as the series continues! last update: 2/6/25

#ts4 #the sims 4 #ts4 gameplay #ts4 mods #ts4 simblr #ts4 lets play #kpop

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ktjislove1119 · 9 months ago

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(〃ω〃) soul reuniting with his streamer bf

pairing : soul (p1harmony) x male reader

warnings: none :)) oh wait, reader is japanese - speaks japanese and a lil korean - but other than that theres no physical description being described so i hope it still is relatable (he had to b japanese for the plot ‼️)

rating : just fluffy pining and subtle (not so subtle) clingyness from shota <3 abrupt ending (?) a lil bit, sawrryyy

-> pt. 1 , maybe a short series because i feel this is just too cute + i feel like this was written rlly messy so pls excuse that and just look at how cute soul is pls.

wc : 4.1k+

the two of you met way before he even became a trainee and stayed close throughout his whole journey. being one of the few people he kept close from his hometown, he is always eager to talk to you and catch up — even if you guys are now very far from each other.

while he pursued his dream of becoming an idol, you were working towards your own, which was to become a popular streamer. with how oversaturated the market is, it took you quite a while to make a name for yourself. luckily, you had a strong support system in shota and the loved ones surrounding you. and all the hard work and effort you put into this dream eventually paid off, in two years time you were a well known name in the gaming community, not just in japan, but internationally.

shota liked tuning into your streams whenever he could, playing them around the dorm and watching them at full volume as he was entranced completely by you. the members wondered why he would be so invested in your streams, beginning to recognize your face from how often shota would watch, but did not know how deep your relationship with the boy was.

he kept his love life a secret from everyone, including the members, to play it safe. he was still young and even though he knew how much he loved you, he doubted he would be able to convince those around him how serious this relationship was for him and they’d just end up forcing a break up to happen between you two. he knew he could trust the members to not be completely doubtful of his relationship, but he still didn’t really see a rush in telling them.

meanwhile, since they thought that he was just watching some random dude streaming, they didn’t pester him about it, noticing that you were japanese and immediately marking it up to shota finding some sort of comfort to his homesickness.

“sho, guess what?”

he immediately made a face at the question, making you laugh at his suspicions.

“what?” he asked, wondering what had you so smiley. naturally, it made him smile in return, ear to ear with his eyes crinkling at the ends.

you didn’t say anything, instead showing him the plane ticket that was in your hand, as well as the passport that was accompanying it. he leaned forward to the phone screen, eyes comically blowing wide as he physically jumped into the air.

“oh my god!” he exclaimed in english, making his members snap their head in his direction at the sudden screech. he began giggling like a kid, running in place to physically get out all of his emotions of excitement and anticipation. “are you serious? are you really coming?!”

the members looked at each other in confusion, wondering if any of them could translate what he was saying from japanese to korean. then they watched in even more confusion with the way he threw himself into his room and shutting the door behind him rather excitedly.

“yep! my flight is in thirty minutes, i’ll be there in, hm, 3 or 4 hours?” you grinned, trying to be mindful of your volume as people were beginning to stare at you for your excited whispers to your phone.

“[name]! you’re really coming?!” he repeated again, throwing himself onto his bed and hugging one of the stuffed plushies you had bought him. “are you really coming?”

“yes, shota! why else would i be at the airport?” you laughed, spinning the camera around to show your surroundings, “i think i might have to hang up soon though, the people are starting to whisper about me,”

“no, no, stay on the phone until your plane leaves! promise, i’ll be quiet,” he pleads, looking at you with nothing but adoration and love, hugging the plushie tight as he imagined it were you instead. well, it would be in a couple of hours, which he found to be unbelievable.

“hm, ok, ok, until the plane leaves then,” you agree, nodding and internally cooing at how cute your boyfriend is, “what should we do when i get there?”

“eat! eat!” he chants, “then shopping? we have to get you some souvenirs. wait, how long are you going to be staying? do you already have a hotel? maybe the managers will let me have you stay in the dorm-”

his rambles continued on beyond that, the words leaving his lips before he could realize. but you simply let him go on, smiling at the animated expressions he was using while he talked and how audibly excited he was at your surprise visit.

“no, no, don’t, i already have a hotel booked, it should be pretty close to your dorm…if i was understanding the directions correctly when i booked,” you commented, crossing your fingers for shota to see, “my korean still isn’t the best, but i’ve been studying for a long time,”

“it’s probably better than mine,” he comforts, making you frown at his comment. he raises his hand in defense, swiftly apologizing for the slight self-deprecation.

“i’ll be there for about a month? i didn’t know your exact schedule, so i wanted to stay for a while in case it overlapped-”

“we already finished promoting for our recent song, so we don’t really have anything scheduled — besides morning and afternoon practices and lessons,” shota explained truthfully, grin widening as he realized he’d actually get to spend a lot of time with you.

“then, that’s perfe-”

you were cut off as there was an announcement made for you flight, making it known that boarding was beginning. shota frowned at the news, but reminded himself he’d finally get to see you in person in a few hours.

“i’ll see you soon, sho! promise the time will go by like this,” you snapped your fingers, making shota anxiously-excitedly toy with the soft fabric of the plushie.

“bye, i love you,” he says quickly, waving his hand towards the camera.

“i love you too, shota, i can’t wait to see you again!”

a blush is present on both of your faces at the farewell, but thankfully the camera doesn’t properly pick it up. you hang up after a couple seconds of waving bye, making shota turn onto his bed with a dreamlike look on his face.

in a split second, he’s turning over onto his stomach and making all sorts of noises into the thick mattress below him and ruining the neatness of his sheets as he flails around in bed. he thinks about how this would be the first time in about six years you two would see each other. and he gets all flustered at the idea, wondering how you have changed — how he’s changed and how you would react to it.

you’ve talked almost every single night since he’s left japan, but facetimes and phone calls can’t compare to the real thing. and he now feels nervous, butterflies in his stomach as he continues kicking into the bed.

“soul? what are you doing?” jongseob asked, peering into the room with a confused look on his face.

he stills in his actions, looking up from the pillow at his close friend and weakly replying, “boyfriend is coming.”

jongseob blinks several times before repeating what soul said, in a loud, shocked tone, “your what?!”

“boyfriend,” shota says, enunciating the syllables, “is coming. here. now.”

“what?! since when did you have a boyfriend?!”

“a what?!”

now the other members are barging into the room and surrounding soul, who’s still in a panic over how you’ll react to seeing him in person for the first time. keeho takes a seat next to him, placing both of his hands on his shoulders, “repeat what you told jongseob,”

getting tired of the entire interviewing process, shota speaks in a clear, definitive tone, “my boyfriend from japan is coming here, now. he’s on a flight, now!”

there’s silence that falls over everyone, taking in the words.

“well, that’s good, right?” keeho tries looking at the positive side, refusing to question shota further on why he never said anything about having a relationship, instead choosing to be comforting rather than demanding.

“no — well, yeah it is, it is! but what if he doesn’t like me anymore?” shota whispers, feeling himself grow more self conscious as he realizes what he had just said to his members.

“okay well, since we know nothing about him since it’s our first time hearing of him-” jiung slaps keeho on the back of the head, making the leader clear his throat and reword his sentence, “well, we don’t know much about him, but i’m sure him coming all the way here for you is a clear sign that he still likes you, shota,”

he remains silent, fiddling with the rings adorning his fingers. the others watch on, anxious and too shocked to really say anything else. so he shoots up from his bed, grabs his towel, and rushes to the bathroom to shower and freshen up, and also clear his thoughts.

in the newfound silence of the bedroom, they all look at each other.

“shota has a boyfriend?” intak repeats, still not believing the news, “why didn’t he tell us?”

keeho shrugs, that question being the main thing on his mind. he wonders if soul was burdening himself with such a secret for a long time and frowns as he thinks about how there might be more that he’s hiding.

“well, let’s not question him too much about it, if this guy is on a flight right now, that means that he’s gonna be here in a couple of hours. just, pretend that everything is normal, alright?” keeho advises them all, motioning for them to leave the room to give shota privacy when he gets out of the shower.

after the flight that was a little over three hours long, you finally touched ground in south korea. you felt both giddy and nervous over being reunited with your boyfriend after so long, but tried to not focus on the nerves too much. after going through airport security and securing your luggage, you opened an app on your phone, about to call for a taxi to take you to your hotel, but a shadow standing in front of you distracted you.

looking up in confusion, your furrowed brows became relaxed the moment you recognized who it was. it took a couple of seconds considering they were wearing a beanie that covered their hair and a mask.

but you could easily recognize shota’s eyes from a mile away.

he was standing in front of you with a bouqet of flowers proudly in front of him, as well as a plushie keychain of sorts also attached to the bouqet.

“sho-chan!” you cried out, pulling him into a hug immediately, which he reciprocated in a second. the flowers were crushed in between the both of your chests, but neither of you minded. he rocked the two of you back and forth, the mask on his face covering his grin, as he breathed in your scent. “why are you here? what if you get caught?”

“i needed to see you,” he whispered, still holding you so tight it was borderline suffocating. his arms were around your waist as his hands went up and down your back, fingers slightly digging into the fabric of your clothes. as if he were grabbing for you, trying to understand that you really were in front of him.

this wasn’t one of his dreams.

“i missed you so much,” you said, smiling into his chest as he kept running his hands up and down your back. you tried pulling away, but he was pretty adamant in keeping you against him. it took pinching his side with laughter before he could release you. and even then, he still had his arm around your shoulder to keep you close. “so, what are you do-”

“[name]-san! welcome to korea!”

it was a sudden exclamation of pretty off-sounding japanese. you looked behind shota and saw five heavily disguised individuals holding a sign reading the words they had just said, as well as one of them holding flowers.

“what is going on?” you ask, voice breaking into laughter at the awkward scene.

“my members, they wanted to come so that they could say hello to you,” shota explained quickly, “i just told them today, that you were my boyfriend, so i think they were really excited…they seem more excited than i do,”

you watched shota’s reaction carefully, to see if there was any hint of how they took the news, but he was just relaxed and embarrassed of their activities, not at all spiteful or hurt. so you simply smiled, taking his hand in yours and walking forward.

“thank you so much for the warm greeting,” you bow in thanks, taking the flowers from theo, and looking at each of them, “we can just speak in korean, by the way, no need for japanese,”

“yeah, they don’t speak it well anyway, so i doubt you’d be able to understand anything they said,” shota teases in his mother tongue, making you smack him on the chest as a way of scolding him for being so mischievous. but he only smiles wider, grabbing your hand in his and swinging it back and forth. “should we go?”

the rest of the members watch his comfortabilty with you, fond smiles on their faces, before nodding and agreeing that they should leave the airport before someone notices them. shota makes sure to stay close, holding you tight with a grin that he can’t wipe off of his face the entire time.

”so, [name], how did you and soul meet?” keeho asked, closing the door behind him as everyone was settled into the van. you sat at the window seat, shota next to you and jongseob on his other side. the remaining four were sitting in front of you, being able to look at you directly with the way the van’s seats were positioned.

“me and shota have known each other before he even came to korea for training,” you explained carefully, trying to keep the vocabulary simple so you didn’t confuse yourself, “childhood friends,”

“so when did you two starts dating?”

you look at shota, trying to remember the exact amount of time. he giggled quielty, deciding to answer, “i asked him to be my boyfriend a couple of months after our debut,”

the members tried fighting off the look of surprise on their faces, but it was hard when the news was so ground breaking. since debut, soul had been successful in keeping his relationship with you hidden.

“wait — hold on,” intak clapped his hands, pointing a finger at you with shock painted across his face. keeho smacked his pointing finger down in a second, glaring at the third youngest for his behavior, “i know you! i know your face!”

you became bashful, nodding your head at the man’s exclamation.

“wait, intak how do you know him?” jiung asked, confused even more, along with the rest of the members.

out of nowhere, theo was next to shout out, “oh! i know you too! this is crazy!” he said, looking at you and soul with wide eyes, “you never told us he was the one you always watch,”

“guys, what are you talking about?” keeho asked, making theo and intak both shout at the same time: “the streamer soul is always watching!”

shota covers his face in embarassment of his members’ antics while jiung, jongseob, and keeho all make sounds of realization.

“you’re so cool!” keeho says suddenly, also putting two and two together, “me and soul were watching you together one day, you’re really good at game. how did i not recognize you?” the last part was rhetorical, of course, but you simply shook your head in bashfulness.

“wait, this is so cool, soul’s dating him!” jongseob said, grinning ear to ear as he slaps shota’s shoulder several times. then he looks at you with a kind smile, “i watch your streams sometimes, you’re really cool!”

“huh? since when?” soul asked, hearing that piece of news for the first time.

“since i started playing honkai, he’s got good builds,” jongseob shrugs, looking at you with a kind smile, “wow, you look different in person, in a good way!”

shota rolls his eyes at jongseob’s compliment, but you thank him with a genuine smile and nod of your head.

“that’s really nice of you guys, i didn’t know shota would be watching it that frequently,” you said, feeling shy at the fact that these guys have probably all seen you look your worst on streams where you didn’t really care for your appearance.

”he watches you allll the time,” intak adds on, “always on his phone watching you!”

“and with no headphones, it’s at full volume too,” jiung says, briefly scowling at soul before sweetly smiling at you, “i guess he was just so proud that he wanted everyone in the dorm to know,”

shota waves his hand and makes noises to tell them to shut up, but their exposing of him doesn’t end there. they keep telling more and more about his behavior whenever he watched your streams, the entire car ride consisted of that while shota tried getting them to stop.

but you took each thing they said to you with a genuine smile and thankful nod. you were internally relieved that they were all very accepting and not even paying any mind to the fact that you and shota were both boys dating, just treating your relationship like any other — which you appreciated.

the entire car ride was light hearted and full of laughter, plus shota making embarrassed noises whenever they exposed him of his very down bad behavior that they were also piecing together. whenever shota would get particularly embarrassed, he’d hide into your shoulder and whine audibly enough to the point they also began teasing him for that.

finally, the van arrived to their dorm and they quickly explained, “let’s just eat dinner first before you go to your hotel room,” and they all seemed too excited to deny, since you thought that it would have been too burdensome. but with the way they were so eagerly guiding you to the building made you feel too welcomed to refuse.

“we tried cleaning up before you came, so if there’s any mess, please excuse it,” keeho says softly, looking a bit embarassed, but you just shake your head and tell him it was fine. shota is still lingering incredibly close, standing behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist.

“we bought a mix of korean and japanese food, so hopefully you find something you like,” jiung says, motioning for you to take a seat across from him and smiling excitedly at the sight of the food, “everything looks really delicious. i want to try the curry,”

“it smells very good, too,” you comment, the aroma of all the food surrounding you all. they all agreed with moans of pleasure, excited to finally dig in and soon, they were all grabbing their own pair of chopsticks and grabbing pieces of the food.

shota grabbed at least one piece of everything for you, excitedly watching you react to each thing you tasted. his dark eyes were seemingly permanently resting in a crescent position and his cheeks were always raised high due to his smile.

“is it yummy?” he asked after feeding you a spoonful of spicy tofu stew. you nodded with sounds of approval at the food, making the other member chuckle in agreement.

“here, try this one,” shota repeats, holding a piece of an unknown dish to your mouth. his hand is resting underneath it in case he needs to catch it. opening his mouth as he feeds you, eagerly awaiting your reaction once again.

he did this with every dish that was on the table, grinning happily and shaking your hands together every time you enjoyed it. jiung had to physically restrain himself from showing any sign of giddiness at how adorable the two of you were.

“so, what do you have planned while you’re in seoul?” keeho kindly asked.

soul was eagerly waiting for your response wanting to get any hint of anything that the two of you could be doing for the entire month you were together. trying to ignore his adorable eyes planted on you, you looked directly at keeho, “i have a lot of things i want to do and see, like the traditional villages and stuff, but also the other tourist spots…i’ve never been to korea before so i’ll be happy to see anything! i do have some stuff planned with shota, but, i can’t spoil them,”

the boys all nodded in understanding, looking pleased at the information.

“well, if you ever need anything, we’ll all be here for you,”

you thanked them for being so kind and that was the wrap up of your meal. shota was quick in pulling you away, the others not minding that he was skipping out on cleaning up since he was so visibly excited to be with you. he carried you into his shared room with jongseob by your waist, falling onto the mattress with a satisfied sigh.

despite not seeing you for so long, the level of comfortability was not at all forgotten. his awareness of his skin against yours was enough to make him crave it more, burying his head into your neck and tightening his hold around your waist. you laughed at the ticklish sensation, feeling his smile press against your skin.

you rolled over a couple of times until you were in a comfortable position. shota moved up to sit against the wall, letting you sit on his lap with your legs on either side of his, and resting his hands in yours, holding on tight.

“i can’t believe you’re really here,” he sighs, eyes blown wide as he takes the sight of you in, “i missed you so much, [name], you wouldn’t believe it,” his voice is quiet and soft, as if he wants these words to only exist in this moment alone.

his hand gently moves to rest on your cheek and your scared that he’d feel just how hot your skin was from the close proximity and his heartfelt words. but he can only smile at you so fondly, the cool feeling of his rings against your skin calming your racing heart (to an extent).

“always wanted to go back home to you,” he whispers, his other arm moving to wrap around your waist. he leans forward, making your chests meet at the sudden closeness, as well as vice grip around your middle half making you forcefully press against him.

“i missed you too, shota,” it’s soft, but he catches it and he smiles ear to ear at the confession.

“can i kiss you?”

it takes a couple of seconds to process what exactly he had said, but when it finally does click all you can manage is a nod. it’d be your first kiss together, but there wouldn’t be any more perfect of a time than now to have one. reunited after years of being apart, forcing a long distance relationship that you both knew would have sparse amounts of support.

his eyes are trained on yours, until he eventually flutters his eyes shut and leans in for the softest kiss in the world. he squeezes you closer, practically melting into you as he tries so hard to keep your lips on his for as long as possible.

when the two of you have to pull away, he’s already grinning ear to ear with a healthy blush on his face.

“i love you so much, [name],” he gently says.

it’s the easiest thing in the world to reply back, “i love you too, shota,”

┆pt. 2 would probably be more centered around how reader being a streamer acc impacts the plot lmao (like random ass ppl recognizing him on the street - which i think would b rlly funny)

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filmbyjy · 9 months ago

Text

MINESTREAM

SYPNOSIS > Wanting to start a new stream series with his best friends, Jay had a bright idea of playing some simple Minecraft with them. Everything was normal, until he realises there is another person in the call with them. He quickly learns that it was ni-ki’s older sister, (name). Watch how streaming a simple game of Minecraft can dig up some interesting feelings between the main leads.

THIRTY-EIGHT – FINALLY!!

a/n: pitchforks and torches are to your right, the boys are preparing a big fight. please join in to burn Kaito, (name)’s ex-boyfriend😁

italics are in Japanese

MASTERLIST | PREVIOUS | NEXT

the moment you hadn’t bothered to look at the ring camera for the front door, was the moment you had regretted not doing so. you had swung the door open and there.

the person you swore to never see again was dressed with a creepy smirk to his face. the corner of his lips as wide as it could be, his eyes bulging out of his eyes.

“princess, I’m back. did you miss me?” he says. it sends shivers down your spine as you hear his voice.

the pure shock on your face was evident. why was he here? what is his purpose of coming here all the way from Japan. but before you could even utter a word, you were pushed back as someone stands in front of you, shielding you from the man who ruined your life.

“back off fucker.” jay growls. Kaito bursts out laughing.

“this is what you settled for? what are you? you don’t look Japanese. my (name) would never date a non-japanese.” it was clear the air was tense. you hated it.

“why are you here.” you bluntly say. kaito tries to look over jay’s shoulder but he only moves to cover your face more. you were thankful he did so.

“to see you. is there any other reason to not see my girlfriend?” ah, he’s still delusional.

“ex-girlfriend. we ended a long time ago. we were 17 back then.”

“that’s not too long ago, princess.”

“don’t call me that.” you looked up at him. fire evident in your eyes. “never call me that ever again. you better leave while you still can.”

“or what? you got claws now to fight? back then you had heeseung to back you up.”

“she has me now. I won’t hesitate to hit you.” jay says. he holds the bat up.

Kaito laughs once more, “what are you Harley Quinn? just run back to your mom, pretty boy. there is no way you can fight.”

“oh he definitely can fight and so can I.” Yvette appears right behind Kaito. he doesn’t flinch, in fact he isn’t even bothered even the slightest.

“ah, the tom girl is here. I’m surprised you even moved here, are you that obsessed with Evan.”

there were question marks above jake’s head as he appears the hallway looking normal but clearly ready to fight if he had to. “who the fuck is Evan.”

“heeseung, that’s the name he went by in Japan.” Yvette says. she suddenly jumps and put Kaito on chokehold. she too had a bat but a metal one with spikes. as Kaito fights for his life, no one even bothered to help him. instead, they egged Yvette on.

“and here we have. the FUCKER who hurt my older sister.” ni-ki says as he records kaito’s face. the comments rolled in.

Kaito’s eyes widened. He can’t be recorded like this. His dad was a famous CEO of some huge company back in Japan. he turns around to hide away his face. Yvette obviously notices that and so she forces him to look at the camera. however, it isn’t working.

just then, heeseung comes in. “why hello there good old friend.” he says before whipping Kaito’s face to make him face the camera. it was almost like you could hear his neck snapping. “smile for the camera.”

heeseung sounded crazy, luckily Yvette loved crazy. Kaito fights the hold and somehow he gets out free from their grasp. he runs out of the penthouse, not even bothering to look back.

“COWARD!!” ni-ki yells. he turns back the camera to selfie mode. “you guys just witnessed my older sister’s ex-boyfriend who is a loser and also a son of a big CEO in Japan run away like a coward. thank you for watching, stay tune for more updates.” he shuts the live off.

jay turns to you, “are you okay?”

“yeah, just shaken up. I don’t know how he found our address.”

“don’t worry, we’ll ask our managers to tighten security around the penthouse.” jake says. lily emerges from jake’s room and suddenly Yvette is reminded as to why she’s here in the first place.

“Sim Jake!” Yvette yells.

“oh fuck. this isn’t over yet! IM SORRY FOR FUCKING YOUR YOUNGER SISTER!” jake runs. Yvette chases after him with her bat and Lily tries to stop her.

sunghoon coughs, “Heeseung hyung, do you wanna like chase after your girl and calm her down.”

Heeseung sighs, “on it…” Heeseung goes to chase after Yvette.

you looked down at your phone and realised a message pops up

‘it’s not over.’ - unknown number

“I don’t think he’s done yet.” you say. jay stares hard. a scary glint underlying in his gaze.

“I’ll kill that asshole with my bare hands.”

“what is this superhero, villain plot.” sunghoon says.

“I’m not a superhero but I do know that I will take every chance I get to save the woman I love.” jay confesses. ni-ki gasps.

“HE SAID IT!! FINALLY!!” ni-ki yells. sunghoon smacks ni-ki a couple of times, excited that jay finally confessed.

“I love you too.” you say.

“WHAT THE FUCK.” ni-ki yells once more. “MY ONEECHAN IS GONNA BE CUFFED!!”

Yvette pops her head in, “(name) is gonna be cuffed? WHAT DID I MISS?”

before you could open the mouth, jay places his hand on your waist and pulls you closer. Yvette gasps.

“mine.” jay says. you were flustered.

“yours.”

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