#SO THE FACT THAT IT'S AKIHIKO LOCKING HIMSELF OUT

[queen-ofsunflowers]

Akikoto for bliss 1,4,16,22,23,30,34,39

OTP Asks - Domestic Bliss Edition!

I'm assuming that this is Akihiko and Kotone. Please let me know if I'm wrong, because if so, I'll redo the answers. Either way, here we go!

1. Who’s more likely to put the milk back in the fridge empty?

I can see both of them doing this, but out of the two of them, it's more so Akihiko who leaves it in the fridge more often than Kotone does. When she finds it, she just sighs in disappointment and disposes of the empty container.

4. Do they wash their clothes in the same load or separately?

They find it easier to wash their clothes in separate loads. Akihiko just throws in everything all at once, while Kotone actually takes the time to separate things and wash them according to the instructions like she was taught.

16. Who’s more likely to go over-the-top with decorating for holidays?

It is absolutely Kotone. She goes crazy decorating for the holidays. I'm talking like... she takes an entire day off just to do it. She's having fun with it, and it makes her happy, so Akihiko usually just lets her do her thing.

22. Which partner is the one that forgets to hang up their towel?

Akihiko. He'll leave it on the bathroom floor or on the bedroom floor. Kotone usually just throws it in with the laundry when she finds it and forgets to tell him.

23. Which partner writes love notes in the steam on the mirror?

Kotone! It's usually just little messages for Akihiko from the shower she took last night or if she has to take off for work before him. She's just sweet like that.

30. Who forgets there’s wet laundry in the washing machine and leaves it till it smells funky?

Again, Kotone. It's not her fault that she gets distracted by something else that she forgets that it's in there. It's usually a good idea to remind her that she has wet laundry that needs to be dried before it starts getting to the funky state.

34. How do they divide the chores up? Does each person stick to their agreed job?

When they moved in together, the pair of them sat down and split up the chores based on what they knew they could do and what they were good at doing. They usually tend to stick to their agreed chores, but there are instances where they'll receive a text or call from the other asking if they could do one of their chores for them. Usually, it's because they're sick or busy with work and won't be home until late. The asker usually picks up dinner as compensation.

39. Who’s more likely to lock themselves out?

Akihiko. He broke down the door once because he couldn't get back in, and after both getting his ear pulled by his girlfriend and going through the hassle of replacing the door, he has confined himself to waiting outside until Kotone gets home, or he remembers that there's a spare key in under the mat. Usually it's the former.

[envihellbender]

Coffee shop AU with an abusive creepy boss who’s fat

Rating: Mature themes

Fandom: Persona 3

Characters: Shinjiro Aragaki, Akihiko Sanada, Junpei Iori, Yukari Takeba, Makoto Yuki, Mitsuri Kirijo (briefly), Shuji Ikutsuki (briefly)

Content: Coffee shop AU, References to Angst, also slight hint at weight gain kink at the end because of who I am as a person

Summary: The end of the day at the Fall Coffee shop.

—

The Fall coffee shop had finally closed for the evening, the five members of staff who’d been working since the morning were all at different stages of their exhaustion. Yukari who was flipping the sign from open to closed and locking the door was on her feet but her eyes were half lidded. She went over to the table where Makoto and Junpei were sat, Makoto was doodling in his sketchbook. He’d been quiet since after his evening break. He didn’t speak much when he was tired, he was happy just being with everyone. Junpei was tapping his feet and fidgeting like he was desperate to get back to work. At the counter was Akihiko who was dividing the money that filled the large repurposed sweet jar that had a piece of paper sellotaped to the front that said “TIPS” in black felt tip pen. Behind the counter was Shinjiro who was busying himself by cleaning up the equipment, he was easily the best one at cooking and making coffee but he didn’t handle customers directly very well.

“Great night for tips,” Akihiko said happily as he divided the contents of the tip jar into five neat piles. “50,179¥, between us thats 10,035¥ each.”

“Hell yeah! Let’s go par-taaaay,” Junpei responded emphatically punching into the air, his energy caused both Yukari and Makoto on either side of him to jump in alarm.

“No way,” Yukari responded rubbing the back of her neck. “Besides, I did way more work than Junpei I should get more than him.”

“Hey! I did plenty whilst you were taking forever chatting with half the customers.”

“Yeah which is why we got so many tips!”

“Nah, it was because of my hilarious jokes with each coffee delivery.”

“I think it was Shinji’s coffee and food,” Akihiko said conversationally, an adoring look in his eye as he couldn’t look away from Shinjiro who was cleaning out the coffee machine, not getting involved.

“What do you think Makoto?” Junpei pressed, turning to the young man sat next to him. He nudged him with his elbow. He was miles away, daydreaming and doodling rather than listening to anyone. “Who’s responsible for the tips?”

“Erm, all of us, I guess,” Makoto shrugged, he glanced up at everyone before returning to his sketchbook. He’d wanted to listen to music but he’d been trying to bond with everyone more.

“Very diplomatic of you,” Akihiko said approvingly.

“Anyway, let’s at least go out for something. Karaoke? Ramen?” Junpei pushed.

“Nah, I’m beat,” Yukari replied, as she yawned and stretched.

“Shinjiro? Akihiko?” Junpei asked, swinging his legs beneath the table.

“Sorry we erm… have plans,” Akihiko said awkwardly, looking away.

“What kinda plans? Can we tag along?” Junpei asked obliviously.

“Pretty sure they want some alone time,” Yukari said, kicking Junpei’s shin.

“What? Like- ohh.” Junpei huffed and folded his arms. “You gonna come out Makoto?”

“Maybe we can watch a movie and order some food in,” he shrugged.

“Fiiiiiine,” Junpei relented with a buff.

“Oh! That sounds fun. I’ll join you,” Yukari said happily, a new burst of joy and energy after a long day.

“Yes! Party-”

“No. No partying.”

“Fine. What about you two? Wanna watch a movie?”

“We’re gonna watch a movie in my room,” Shinjiro said quickly to cover the fact that Akihiko was blushing a deep red and became fascinated with his feet.

“What? Why? We can- ouch!” Junpei yelped as Yukari pinched him.

“Use your brain, idiot,” Yukari whispered.

“Ohhh, that sort of movie.”

“What- no it’s not- we just-” Akihiko spluttered, Shinjiro gave a small laugh with a knowing smirk on his lips. It was small but unmissable for anyone who glanced towards him. “Oh, by the way, Mitsuri said that someone else is moving into the dorm so we have another employee joining.”

“Tell them to run, so they don’t get fucked over,” Shinjiro grumbled not looking at anyone.

“Shinji,” Akihiko said sternly, his tone and stare did enough to scold him.

“Fucked over?” Yukari asked, her head tilted. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing. He doesn’t mean anything,” Akihiko said firmly as he stared at Shinjiro, shutting down the conversation. The two of them shared a knowing look. The younger three were still quite new, they didn’t know what Chairman Ikutsuki was capable of yet. Akihiko seemed confident they’d never know, that Ikutsuki had his favourites and he wouldn’t stray to the others. Shinjiro wasn’t quite so sure.

“I mean… Yeah, nothing,” Shinjiro confirmed cagily. “When we do well on tips we have a pretty good deal, just when we don’t it feels a bit like slavery.”

“I mean, we don’t have to pay rent or bills. It’s right next to campus,” Yukari pointed out, visibly confused.

“I guess now that Shinji isn’t at university it doesn’t have the same benefit,” Akihiko shrugged, a slight jab to Shinjiro’s pride in an attempt to make excuses for him and keep him quiet.

“I guess so,” Shinjiro reluctantly admitted.

“Hey, Shinji, won’t the Chairman pay your tuition too? How come you’re not studying anymore?” Junpei asked cluelessly.

“I think it’s time we turned in,” Akihiko answered, saving Shinjiro the need to. He yawned and stretched, he unfastened his apron and hung it up on the designated hooks next to the couple tee.

“Right, yeah, movie then sleep, night everyone,” Shinjiro mumbled. He didn’t bother to hang his apron up, instead throwing it over the counter and reaching out to hold Akihiko’s hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

“Night,” Akihiko said over his shoulder. Yukari, Junpei, and Makoto responded in kind, they got to their feet, ready to go upstairs to watch a movie together in the lounge. Four floors above them sat Chairman Ikutsuki, he sat in his mass of adipose, rubbing his gut and looking at his wall of screens, each one showing a camera that was attached to a different room in the dorms - from the coffee shop to the bedrooms. Mitsuri was giving him a run down of the day from a business standpoint, but Ikutsuki was too busy focusing on Akihiko’s bedroom. He watched as he saw Shinjiro wrap his arms around Akihiko’s waist and kissed his neck. Ikutsuki began rubbing his bottom stomach roll in preparation for what was about to come.

[callmearcturus]

i am sick as fucking hell today so here's my ranking of S-Links so far

caveats: Aigis STILL hasn't fucking unlocked, i'm only halfway thru mitsuru's, and one-third thru yukari's.

Best to Worst:

The Magician, Junpei: I am still flabbergasted at how fucking good his arc is. The fact that in the penultimate slink scene he recognizes the specific way he's been disrespectful to you and meaningfully apologizes for it is not remotely what I expected out of him. Also I somehow got spoiled very early that he wasn't a romance option, and (I can't believe I'm making this comparison) just like Dorian in Dragon Age: Inquisition, it made it feel fun and safe to play-flirt and joke with him, safe in the knowledge it wouldn't go awry. Junpei is my fucking bro, my ride or die.

The Star, Akihiko: Predictable since I am currently evaluating his entire romance against my other favorite romances in video games (I don't think he beats Garrus and The Transistor, but he's top five). Slowly unraveling this boy is delightful, and honestly the way he turns as you get to know him better is very marked and obvious. He goes from relying on his one hyperfixation to communicate, to opening up and sometimes being genuinely so fucking smooth and romantic, it threw me for a loop. Least neurotypical person in the cast.

The Hermit, Saori: From the moment she said a Bad Word I was in love. I like how... careful you have to be with her, how she is very aware of her faults, of the fact she's a doormat, and the reasons she has become that way. Saying goodbye to her was genuinely very fucking sad and I miss her. Would dump Akihiko for her if I could. (Tho even more I want them to meet, could you IMAGINE.)

The Priestess, Fuuka: I love this girl so fucking much. The steel core of her underneath of the self-doubt is wonderful to see. Also the specific way she sucks at cooking and almost locks up from the failure tracks as very real. It does suck to rope someone else into helping you with something and then seeing how good that person is at the thing. Also her slink is so close to a romance, I'm mad about it. LEMME DATE HER.

The Moon, Shinjiro: Ah, the urge to help people vs the urge to be a bitch. Who can't relate to that. Especially given the inevitable end of his arc, the specific way Shinjiro is trying to keep people from relying on him or expecting anything from him... hitting facefirst into the wall of how goddamn fucking reliable he is, it's great. Glad I maxed this one out.

The Tower, Mutatsu: I really like that you're basically therapizing this old monk just by.... being a mirror to reflect his questions back at him. You do very little to help him honestly, you just exist nearby and thus inspire him to challenge himself and better himself. He just needed someone to talk to! Also its funny to imagine FemPC just hanging out in his booth for a few weeks. What a duo.

The Sun, Akinari: Did NOT like this one at first, but wow the actual final thought of it, the idea that.... death is inevitable, and you will never know your purpose, and you will never see your purpose, but you do have purpose. That was surprisingly affecting. Also WAS HE A GHOST THE WHOLE TIME? WHAT WAS WITH THAT? Wacky.

The Chariot, Rio: Oh Rio, I wish I could rank you higher, girl. I really like Rio and think she's actually an incredible example of the Chariot, but in the way I enjoyed being careful with Saori, there were times I wanted to smack Rio upside the head. Because she's making progress, she's getting there, but it's almost entirely without you. You're there to support her and that's great but you cannot fucking challenge her at all ever or she'll get upset. Just frustrating.

The Devil, Tanaka: This one was so fucking weird but enjoyable? But there's no depth here. It's just weird and fun!

Strength, Koromaru: I'm not a dog person but this is a good dog. Also while I didn't vibe with the plot around Koromaru, the way he incited conversation with other characters was great.

Justice, Ken: I'm about... 4 or 5 into this one? And the point seems to be "ah, the trauma of growing up too fast." Which yep. That's a thing. Wish this slink wasn't like pulling teeth.

The Emperor, Hidetoshi: I'm bored to tears and I'm never gonna finish this one. Hidetoshi is a tool, I'm not interested.

The Hierophant, the Old Couple: this one is straight up poorly written. It's just so fucking poorly written I don't know if something went seriously awry in localization or if it was just that bad. I maxed it out and I regret it.

The Hanged Man, Maiko: HEY YO WHAT WAS UP WITH HER DAD HITTING HER AND THE "BEST" OPTION BEING "That's mean!" OH BITCH IS IT MEAN TO HIT A CHILD? OH DANG I HAD NO IDEA.

Temperance, Bebe: The degree to which I failed out of this slink cannot be overstated. When Bebe calls me, I turn him down every time even if I have NOTHING else to do that day. This slink feels offensive to like five different groups of people. Nope. Not doing it. Bye.

I thiiiiiiink that's all the ones I have an opinion on. /jazzhands

Say What About:

Yukari: I bounced off her early because she gave me huge Best Friend Who Quietly Hates You vibes. She gets great development in the main story tho so I'm working on hers.

Aigis: Hasn't unlocked.

Mitsuru: IT TOOK ME UNTIL FUCKING, WHAT, NOVEMBER TO GRIND ACADEMICS? OH MY GODDDDD the stat threshold for her is literally just to fucking high.

Ryoji: Gave me the creeps so I fully skipped everything after the mandatory unlock!!!! Don't like him!

[twilightknight17]

Yesterday on P3R: like three hours in Tartarus, Secret Meetings, and spending more time with Koromaru than anyone else.

I have made it to floor 100! It was like floor 109 by the time I left, but I was very proud. And kind of surprised that there was nothing weird on floor 100. But hey, bringing Koromaru along is reward enough.

Also did a bunch more persona fusions, so I’ve got a new fusion spell. All of my fusion spells so far other than Orpheus’s are Frosts. It’s very silly. XD

He’s so big. XD

Anyway, it’s been like 3 hours, everyone is low on stamina, time to head back and get back into the social link grind.

...are you serious??? We were literally there ALL NIGHT, when did someone wander in???? Ffs. X’D

Oh well. Later. Right now we’re going out for ramen with my rival track bro. Apparently every single restaurant in the mall lets him eat for free.

Dude, seriously, what the heck? Although… I’m getting some vibes that this guy probably doesn’t have a great home situation. So it’s probably a good thing that he’s at least getting regular meals. There really are good people in this city.

Junpei is off hanging out at the mall, and has noticed someone new and interesting! There’s a girl sketching, and she basically brushes him off and tells him to move out of the way when he goes to see how she’s doing.

She wasn’t with Takaya and Jin when they locked us in the military base, so poor Junpei has no way of knowing that this is one of Strega’s members. :/ He has a point about her outfit, though. Even Mitsuru was complaining about how hot it is today.

I arrived home to find Aigis engaged in a stern discussion with Koromaru about how he is not allowed to take himself on walks. Apparently Akihiko was supposed to take him, and has not returned home yet, so because Aigis ALSO can’t go out without supervision yet, it falls to me to take him.

Which is not a hardship at all because he is the bestest boy.

However, on our walk, we ran into Takaya, who is just�� openly wandering around without a shirt and carrying a gun even during normal hours. Koromaru doesn’t like him instinctively, but he says he just wants to talk, so we head up to the shrine. He wants information.

It’d be a lot more fair if you’d get your hand off your gun. I know that one is real.

But, he says I can ask him a question first.

Well… they don’t really seem to have some grand goal in mind. And they’re getting in our way because they don’t want us to destroy Tartarus and the Dark Hour. So…

Hahaha, very funn-- Okay, actually, he’s joking, but it would be funnier if it was true and only Minato thought he was shirtless.

Basically, he wants to know why we’re so determined to throw away our powers. He says that if it’s because of the shadows, that’s the wrong way to look at it. He explicitly compares shadows killing people to car accidents. Plenty of people die in car accidents every year, but we’re not trying to destroy cars.

(Which is a half-valid point if you ignore the fact that the Dark Hour only exists because of mad scientists, and also some of those people who die during the Dark Hour are because of Takaya shooting them.)

...funny you should say that, since out of everyone in SEES, Mina is the least likely to care about anything, at least in the beginning.

Not wrong, technically. Like, yeah. You don’t have to help. But you’re also not the sole arbiters of what to do about everything, and your opinion would probably have more weight if you hadn’t already locked us in an underground facility to starve to death.

He does note how special Minato’s power is compared to everyone else. He really doesn’t get why Mina, specifically, would want to give all of that up.

……it’s not the blessing you think it is, my dude.

Anyway, he hands off a piece of paper with some info as repayment for helping him out before, and heads out. He really did just want to talk, which is… refreshing. Like, Strega is not a bunch of indiscriminate madmen. We’re still going to be enemies, but they’re not monsters.

“Test subjects”, huh? So Grandpa Kirijo was into human experimentation, too. Great.

Fuck it, I’m going home to brush Koromaru.

He’s soft and shiny~ But we can’t stay here all night, sadly. Time to stop, boy.

...okay, fine, a little longer.

The bookstore isn’t ready to rank up yet, so I head out again with Mamoru. I’m learning a lot more about his family situation.

I’m assuming he’s pushing himself so hard because he wants a scholarship. I get the vibe that the family doesn’t have much money. And unfortunately, his father is dead. Which, dude, I’m so sorry. That’s terrib--

…………okay I might be going to hell because I snorted a little bit. It’s just so abrupt. A cliff? Where are there cliffs?? X’’’’D I’m still sorry for your loss but omg.

Having Koromaru in the dorm means you can pet him and shake paws. 10/10, no notes.

And I opted to spend the next day with him, because he likes to chill out front and people-watch.

An old man who used to be friends with the priest came by, and he told us that Koromaru had been taken in by someone else once before, but he always kept going back to the shrine. Now that he’s staying with us, it’s because he’s chosen to be here. We’re his family now.

He makes us promise to take care of each other, and… I can do that. For sure.

[caramialunaestelle]

@epitomees sent angst:

An apology wouldn't make up for anything now. Should this situation have been avoided, he would expect an earful from Mitsuru and then some. A thorough scolding for acting so reckless, for endangering himself and Ken's life, and above all making everyone else worry. Yet despite the harsh tongue lashing, it was spoken out of genuine care and concern. That was how Mitsuru always showed her compassion. What was done, though, couldn't be taken back. A life lost for another life spared. In the end, Shinjiro knew it had to be him instead of anyone else. His path of destruction led up to this very moment, seeing anguished faces and teary eyes loom above him. He recognized Mitsuru's long, crimson locks almost immediately, and despite the dark night drowning out everyone's figures her eyes managed to pierce through the dense miasma. "...you'll be okay..." His weak smile lasted a moment before harsh coughs racked in his throat. A bout of blood spilled from his mouth trailing down his cheek, dripping in a rhythmic pattern on the asphalt. He wanted to focus on Mitsuru for these precious last seconds. "...you're strong...the strongest -HNK-...the strongest woman I know..." He felt himself fade fast. One last action prompted him to take her hand in his own. It was so warm, and his felt so cold. "...don't...give up now..." He went limp. The blood kept pouring out.

Unprompted Asks || Always Accepting (even if they make me sob)

Mitsuru always felt like she was three steps behind him and Akihiko. They were always running ahead in Tartarus, leaving her chasing after them and reaching out in a desperate attempt to get closer. To be the friend they all said they were.

So of course she was too late when they finally caught up to Ken and Shinjiro. As Akihiko slid down to hold Shinjiro close, she knelt down on his other side, leaning over him and shouting for someone to notify her father and Ikutsuki that they needed medical help immediately. She placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder, tears welling up in her eyes as she noticed Akihiko was shaking.

At the sound of Shinjiro's voice, Mitsuru's gaze moved to his face, noticing the blood trickling from his lips. At first, his words didn't even reach her ears, the whole world was muffled as she tried to process the fact that there was an actual gunshot in his chest right now. But then he directly addressed her.

"The strongest woman I know."

The words played over and over in her head as she leaned in again, the tears threatening to spill over as she gently tried to wipe the blood away from his chin. Instead, she merely spread it across his cheek, a small pathetic sob leaving her as she realized she'd only made more of a mess.

"D-Don't... You'll be fine," She protested.

She already knew it was too late. By the time any medical team would arrive he'd be long gone. Mitsuru was always too late, always falling behind him.

She noticed droplets falling onto his chest. Her tears were finally starting to fall.

[unrealization]

“Akihiko-senpai? I have a question to ask you, and please don’t judge me yet.” She locked her fingers together, wondering why she felt nervous. It was Akihiko. He wasn’t scary at all. “I want to learn how to fight. Or, at least, throw a punch.”

@tacitusauxilium

What brought this on? Never mind the fact Yamagishi's persona wasn't suited for combat, he generally didn't see her as the type who would be interested in fighting. He couldn't help but wonder, but she hadn't approached him with an explanation. She came with a request for help, and that was good enough for him.

He rose from his seat, shooting her a confident smirk.

"You've come to the right place."

She was significantly shorter than both him, and the guys he was used to training, so he would have to adjust a bit. He raised his hands up in a fighting stance.

"So, first things first, watch me."

He threw a couple of quick jabs at the air in front of him, then repeated the motion much slower so she could follow.

"When you're throwing a punch, you want to swing close to your body. You want your arms to do the work, not your wrists. Also, see how I twist my arm inward as I throw the punch? that throws a lot more power into it and keeps you from breaking your wrist."

He broke from his stance, eying his teammate up. She looked nervous. That was normal, but he also felt a bit nervous himself. That was more strange. Maybe it was just the fact her request had come out of nowhere. He could understand. There was nothing worse in this world than feeling to weak to act when you needed to.

"Okay, now. Hit me as hard as you can. I want to see what we're working with here."

[shadowmaat]

the anime wife debacle

I reblogged something earlier about a Japanese man who lost access to his virtual wife because the company that developed the service that allowed him to do it shut down. I was on mobile and didn’t have the time to investigate further, but thought it was a good, if unusual, example of the dangers in relying on tech that will eventually become obsolete (see also: bionic eyes, pacemakers, and sure, digital libraries).

Now that I’m home I’m taking a closer look and there’s a hornet’s nest in the notes because the man (38) married an anime character who’s only 16. This is, of course, leading to a lot of Puritanical wrath from the usual suspects.

Do I think marrying a fictional character is weird? Yes. Do I find it unsettling that the character is 16? Sorta. But, y’know, she’s a fictional character, not a real person. There’s a whoooole lot to unpack here, honestly.

First of all, if I’m understanding the wiki page correctly, the age of consent in Japan is 13, so even if Hatsune Miku was a real person (which she’s not) he’d be fine. Consent is irrelevant because, once again, she’s a computer-generated approximation of a FICTIONAL CHARACTER. Do you need consent from the Hulk in order to get railed by a Hulk-themed dildo? No. The age gap thing might seem weird, but since no real people are being hurt then what this dude does with a computer program isn’t anyone’s business.

Second, from what I can gather, Akihiko was suffering severe depression and social anxiety and turned to this fictional character to help him recover from that. I’m not gonna sneeze at the innocuous, non-violent tools someone uses to help them cope with the world.

Third, while everyone (or at least Westerners) are obsessed with the sexual angle, while that MAY have been part of it (the articles I read didn’t mention it) the bigger part seems to be more about having someone in his life who would be supportive and non-judgmental. Someone he could unburden himself to without fear or shame. Someone who could provide happy distractions from the stresses in his life.

The term used in an article by Entepreneur is “Fictosexual,” which means (surprise) sexual attraction to fictional characters. It is, in fact, an umbrella term that covers a wide range of specifics. Kinda fascinating reading.

ANYWAY. Point is that the dude is in the clear as far as his fictional hologram wife goes. The problem I originally meant to address is that Akihiko losing the ability to interact with his wife is another example of why we need to start building protections (laws, backups, etc) for ourselves and our purchases. Tech companies in particular tend to be very bloodthirsty and proprietary. Even something relatively simple like your phone’s OS no longer being supported can be an issue- particularly if you don’t have money for an upgrade. It can cause a lot of grief when it’s something like a smart refrigerator that locks up or shuts off when it can’t update. And it’s downright deadly when you’re talking about pacemakers or other lifesaving tech. What if the company goes out of business? What if they decide to no longer support the software that keeps you alive? What if they get hacked? Is the VNS that helps prevent you having seizures password protected?

Sure, it’s easy to look at Akihiko and think he’s “weird” or “creepy,” but this kinda stuff will get more common in the future and I really hope we have laws in place to protect us by then. It won’t just be hologram spouses, either. It’ll be robo-pets (for fun or aiding those with disabilities), digital assistants, therapy tools, you name it. Peeps with legal and technical knowledge better be working on this. Hell, just look at all the animators who’ve lost entire bodies of work because HBO decided to save a few bucks and hit delete.

Someone needs to start looking out for us because the corporations sure as fuck won’t.

[dxfiedfxte-a]

Minato’s 25th Birthday || No Longer Accepting (because I’m slow AF OTL)

@tantalizingmuses​​ sent:  There were three gifts, each wrapped decently well from their receivers, awaiting Minato inside of his apartment. Of course, the names Akihiko, Shinjiro, and Junpei were shown as the givers and each had gone out and gotten something for him. Akihiko's gift was filled with a yearly membership to a local gym, just so he could keep himself in shape, as well as a monthly membership to try different types of protein. Because it's Akihiko. Shinjiro's present was simple: a cookbook, that when flipped at the end, has a handful of empty pages so he could write down anything he made and how it was made, as well as a flip notebook of all the recipes he made in the dorm with and without Fuuka.

And Junpei's surprise... ...also contained a gift from Chidori . Inside was a drawing of Minato when he was on his paranormal activity show, focused on the fierceness of his eyes, but the tenderness and softness of his face. Junpei's own gift was a bit more...personal. They were front row seats to Minato's favorite band, including VIP access and photos and autographs, the works! It was a gift for the both of them, not until the end of the year however, but totally worth the wait.

After a day full of mostly interviews, Minato got home just after six pm. The people at the television network backed by his agent, made sure that he didn’t have a lot of work on his birthday, as each of his previous birthdays he had an investigation to do before being able to relax and actually enjoy his birthday for a change, though he wasn’t exactly sure what he’d do. Most birthdays, he’d just sit in his hotel room, order a lot of room service and maybe have a cup of sake or two. He wasn’t really much of a drinker, but he did occasionally enjoy a cold brewsky on special occasions, just not as much as people think someone with fame and fortune would drink.

Unlocking the door with a click, he enters his luxury apartment closing the door behind him and locking it. Hanging up his jacket on the coat rack, Minato is met with a large package with his name on it. 

[{ 🦋 }] - “Huh? What’s this?”

Curious, he cuts it open the box with a box cutter knife and the first thing he spots is three giftboxes with the senders names being three of his old friends from high school, including his best friend Junpei. The first one he opened was the gift from Akihiko, inside the box was a gym membership and a subscription to try other kinds of protein-infused products -- of course it was, what did he really expect from someone like Akihiko anyway. 

[{ 🦋 }] - “..I probably should have expected something like this from Akihiko-San..”

While he did appreciate it, he didn’t think he’d really have time to go to the gym, but maybe he’d use it a few times since he did spent his money on it, though the time spent there would be limited due to his fluxuating work schedule, especially since his career involved traveling all over the world. Moving onto the second gift from Shinjiro which was a cookbook. Taking a quick skim through the book, he flipped through the pages of many recipe’s to find that near the end of the book, there was several blank which he knew was for writing down other recipes, something that he’d definitely make use of.

[{ 🦋 }] - “Whoa! What’s this?”

Turning his attention to the final gift from his best friend, he was surprised to see a second gift in the box next to Junpei’s. Right from the first glance of the other gift, he knew immediately from Chidori considering that it was a very detailed sketch of him, from the looks of the drawing, it was him during one of his investigations. Minato wasn’t expecting to have a gift from her in there, but the fact that she had taken time out of her day just to send him draw him and send it, he appreciated it. The bluenette investigator had received lots of fan art from his fans which were all amazing pieces in their own, but Chidori’s sketch easily stood out from the others with all the details she put into her drawings, he’d have to include her name in his thank you card along with Junpei’s.

Next to the sketch was a card inside an envelope, opening the seal, he read the card’s wording and read the comments added by Junpei wishing him a happy birthday and sending Chidori’s regards as well. Just below Junpei’s writing, were front row tickets to The Gazette’s show at the Tokyo dome, because the band was doing a world tour, the scheduled show wasn’t until the end of the year, but he knew that the wait for be very much worth it.

[{ 🦋 }] - “I better make sure I thank them all for these.” He says to himself, a smile on his face as he thought about his friends and how they took the time to think about him, even though everyone was busy with their own lives, they sent him gifts, and he was very thankful. Hopefully, everyone would be able to have a proper reunion very soon.

[shadowtarot]

CHM: The next day comes and Akihiko goes to talk to Zenkichi about his case over the summer.

Chariot’s Mystery Part 14

Awaking in the hotel provided to him by the Police Force in Iwaitodai, Zenkichi’s greeted with a missed call from Akihiko. “Seems I slept through that one...” Hasegawa sighs, checking the voicemail left by Akihiko. 

“Seems you must still be asleep. Well, I need to go over something that might help with our understanding of the case more. Once you hear this message, call me back ASAP.” “What could that be I wonder?” 

Calling Akihiko back the two make plans to meet up in area not too far from Paulownia Mall.

It’s still early hours and not many people have opened their stores just yet. A nearby tree is where Akihiko can be spotted, flipping through the empty pages of a small notepad.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I’m still learning my way around this city.” Zenkichi rubs the back of his neck. “Not a problem. Honestly, I should have just waited for you outside the hotel, so it’s my fault.” Akihiko responds.

A slight breeze blows as the two stand and chat. Zenkichi notices the notepad before speaking again. “So what was it you wanted to know? From the way you made it sound in the voicemail, it seemed like you could only get the information from me.” The inspector folds his arms as he talks. “It’s in regards to the last case you were assigned to. Over the summer, there was a massive Change of Heart epidemic happening in several major cities in Japan. From what I understood, during that case you were assigned to get aide and intel from the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, prime suspects in the case correct?” Akihiko’s tone sounds serious as he speaks. “...that is the case, yes.” Zenkichi gets a bad feeling in his gut about what the next question he’s gonna be asked is. “Since the problem ended up being solved, you must have been in direct interaction with the group right? Was anything done by the group dissimilar with what’s going on now?”  This question felt like a trap, and Zenkichi knew his next choice of words had to be careful. He was apart of the group himself after all, and being in the lion’s den for Kirijo meant even someone in the Police might leak important information back. “Unfortunately I never saw how they pulled off their Changes of Heart myself, nor would they give me a clear cut answer on how exactly it works. All I’m aware of is that all the group is able to do is change hearts, not cause what’s currently going on.”  Zenkichi’s tone is just as serious as his last few responses, though as he replies, he examines Akihiko to see if he can gauge how he reacts to what he’s saying. “Hm...so you’re saying that your interactions with them were only surface level? Can you at least say if their basic methods were supernatural or not?” The notebook is closed, despite Akihiko not having written a single thing in it since the conversation began. He’d have no need to ask about the fact the acts were supernatural if this was just for the investigation. According to the kids, the Psychotic Breakdowns were written off as mental health issues publicly to cover up the existence of the Metaverse. If supernatural cases were cause for arrest, Ichinose would be behind bars. This is defiantly a tra-

Footsteps rush over to Zenkichi and Akihiko’s location. It’s Dr. Maruki holding a file of documents. He’s slightly out of breath as he reaches them “S-Sorry Inspector Hasegawa, I think I found those documents you wanted to review!”  “Oh right!” Thank god he tagged along...

Akihiko raises an eyebrow at the new face. “And who might this be?”

“This is Dr. Maruki, he’s a researcher for Cognitive Psience, given the odd nature of these instances, I was asked to recruit him to help figure out what’s happening currently. It’s only a hunch so far, but it might lead us in the right direction.” Zenkichi explains, still calm and collected. “First I’ve ever heard of the field myself, but then again I’m not too familiar with all these new studies.” Akihiko shrugs. “Sorry that my previous case led to a dead end for you, I really can’t speak on a subject I was kept out of the loop on. If I do learn something from these documents I’ll contact you again.” Zenkichi then waves off as he and Maruki head on.

Once they’re good and clear of Akihiko’s sight, they both relax a bit. “That was a close call there...” Maruki sighs. “We already know the cause theoretically, but with no access point we can’t investigate.” Zenkichi takes out his smartphone and examines it. “Last time the Metaverse was active, it was through EMMA.” Takuto takes out his own smartphone as well. “And before that, it was a mysterious app called the MetaNav. It seems that whenever the Metaverse opens to certain people, it’s via smart devices.” “Two’s a coincidence, three’s a pattern.” Zekichi points out, locking his cellphone before putting it back in his pocket. “But if it’s actually happening again, then it should be some sort of new application acting as a waypoint right?” “If we’re calling it a pattern then yes. Though if it’s an unexplained anomaly or another cooperation trying to create a new form of EMMA-like control, that’s the major question here.” Maruki rubs the back of his head. Meanwhile, on the street outside of the nearest Wild Duck Burger, Ryuji’s waiting for the light to change at the crosswalk. “Geez...the lights here are a lot slower than the ones back in Tokyo.” He takes out his phone to send a quick message to the group, but ends up grabbing it weird, causing it to fall out of his hands and onto the ground. “Shit!” Ryuji exclaims quietly as he quickly picks it back up. He does a once over on the device, making sure nothing cracked or bent in the impact. That’s when he notices a strange symbol flickering on his phone. “What the-”  It can’t seem to keep it’s icon straight, swapping between three app logos that had all since left Ryuji’s Phone: The Meta Nav, The Corrupted Version Caused by Maruki, and EMMA. “Is this a virus?” Ryuji debates tapping the flickering app....

[ereri-lost-and-found]

Any docs that involve Eren meeting levi through video games? I’ve tried looking them up but I only saw one that wasn’t it.

Hi, Anon

You’re in luck. We’ve made you a masterlist of all the gaming fics we could find~We weren’t able to tag everything due to the tag limit. Sorry folks.

A Tenuous Third Space by artenon

(Rated T, 13 733 words, multichapter, complete)

In which Attack on Titan is the MMORPG they all play, and Eren meets Levi online.

LifeLine by DanDeeLion

(Rated M,71 947 words, multichapter, ongoing)Take note of all tags before reading.

There were no save points once the simulation began. And the characters could only move from the start of the program and up until the timer runs out.

For Levi, it had only been another game on beta testing. Project LifeLine. A game that tested the revolutionary immersion gear that would soon change the military simulation training program, Levi and a few other testers were the first to try it out. As the project remains on the prototype, Levi felt an odd sense of deja vu the simulations of fictional survival with his character.

When one mission, led Levi to unlock a new character, a soldier named Eren, everything Levi knew about the game and the program drastically changes..

Sword Art Online by erentitanjaeger

(Rated E, 87 236 words, multichapter, complete)

When something seems too good to be true, that’s because it usually is. Within three hours of the game’s start, the creator of the entire endorsement, Akihiko Kayaba, summoned all ten thousand players into the town square of the first floor. Some people were already complaining about the lack of the ‘log out’ feature. I thought it was just some sort of bug, I didn’t think anything of it when I noticed it myself.

Burning Embers by ItsJaegerTrash

(Rated T, 8183, multichapter, complete)

Eren Jaeger is an artist, a dreaming boy hoping to work as a concept artist for video games when he graduates. After all, he’s not quite cut out for the more technical side of his passion.

On the other hand, is Levi Ackerman. A full time streamer, and professional gamer, is always running numbers, perks, and stats in his head to make his characters as strong as he can.

Thanks to one Hanji Zoe maybe, just maybe, they’ll find find their “Player 2”.

Press Play by knownopain

(Rated E, 25 266 words, multichapter, ongoing, TW rape/non-con)Take note of all tags before reading.

Eren Jaeger is your stereotypical 18 year old. Living in his dad’s basement, doing nothing and playing video games for the majority of the day. You know how people are always complaining about how video games ruin people’s lives? Well, for some, they can be the start of a whole new one.

On one fateful afternoon, a stranger with the username “HumanitysStrongest” and a French accent shows up, and Eren is pretty creeped out by him at first.

Eren and the stranger who happens to be called Levi begin to form a strong bond. Video chats all night, xBox Live parties and regular guy stuff. One day, though, they become more than good friends. Eren’s father finds out about their relationship, and kicks Eren out. Levi offers to pay for a plane ticket to France for Eren, and he accepts it. But, will everything go as planned?

Exposed (Semi-Hiatus) by littlecrim

(Rated E,15 575 words, multichapter, ongoing) 

Eren was one of those fresh graduates who luckily managed to land their first job with their bachelor’s degree and it was only a matter of time before his mid-life crisis would come and bitch slap him right in the face. He was even addicted to an MMORPG and the fact that he was neglecting his social life wasn’t going to make it any easier.

Anime-Expo is nearing and Eren might have asked to meet up with a stranger. What’s the worst thing that could happen?

R e s t a r t by RawrForRiku

(Rated M, 16 029 words, multichapter, ongoing) 

A new, insanely popular video game has just been released called Attack On Titan. Hanji leaves no room for objections from Levi, and so he’s dragged into this virtual gruesome world full of violence, death, and gore. His favorites all in one.

But when a glitch in the game brings along a sequence of strange events and a pair of unforgettable eyes, everything Levi thought he knew about gaming turns to ash and he’s afraid to face the unsettling truth behind this alluring video game character named Eren.

Attack Online by ReaderWriterPoet

(Rated M,9311 words, multichapter, ongoing) 

A Sword Art Online story with Attack on Titan characters. Eren and Armin log in with Mikasa on day one of the Sword Art Online launch. With Mikasa logging out before Kayaba locks down the game, Eren and Armin are left to fend for themselves. Eren as a beta tester, vows to protect his friend Armin and finish the game to return to the real world. Levi a gamer with a small underground following quickly becomes one of the highest ranked players in SAO, a founding member of the Scouting Legion, sworn to push forward and clear the game.

Souleater and CaptainLevi, AFK by SeranaKaidou

(Rated M, 5128 words, multichapter, complete)

Levi is a famed videogame streamer/gamer. He’s #1 in the most popular MMO game, Soul Dungeon, until a mysterious anonymous player nicknamed Souleater comes and unseats him. Levi becomes obsessed with finding the brat who ruined his reputation, but what happens when he actually does find him?

Subscribed by snakemittens

(Rated E, 62 618 words, multichapter, complete)

Eren Jeager, an up and coming gamer on YouTube, is invited to attend SurveyCon. There, he plans to meet up with online friends and even get a chance to be in the same room with his idol, Levi.

Levi is a YouTube gaming star and is coming out with his own video game, Attack on Titan. The company he works for decides to feature his video game at a brand new convention called SurveyCon. They invite plenty of online gamers to participate in the convention including a spritely young gamer with a channel called ‘HumanitysHope’.

you’re my favorite play(er) by Take_Me_To_My_Fragile_Dreams for Themoonshalldie

(Rated E, 2540 words, oneshot, complete)

On his twenty fourth birthday Eren’s friends gift him with The Darkland, the most popular sex game on the market. The embarrassment it causes makes Eren less than thankful, however, that might all change when he comes across a particularly interesting player named Levi.

Log On by Windwolf0097

(Rated E, 54 257 words, multichapter, discontinued)

Eren is a dedicated gamer, and he prides himself on his ascent from Bronze League Hero to a competitive player. What will he do, however, when a chance encounter with one of the world’s top gamers flips his life entirely? How is he supposed to balance a busy college life with his newfound gaming highlife? Unfortunately for him, there are no walkthroughs on what to do when you fall for someone thousands of miles away from you.

YeagerMuffinz by ZWorld 

(Rated E, 67 738 words, multichapter, ongoing)

Levi Ackerman never expected to find the love of his life through a simple online game.

[tacitusauxilium]

A continuation of THIS Drabble I received:

Fuuka/Shinjiro feels because I CANNOT LEAVE THAT ON A CLIFF HANGER.

After having a day or two to have her emotions and feelings settled down, Fuuka hesitantly texted Shinjiro. She knew she had to talk to him because if she didn’t, Marie might possibly push her back to his apartment and keep the shenanigans going. Luckily, his apartment wasn’t too far away—just a train ride and in just a few minutes she was at his door.

She knew he would be expecting her, and yet she was terrified. Fuuka knew what was going to happen—she could already see it happening. Before she could knock, the door swung open to Shinjiro eyeing his girlfriend. Fuuka, while she only saw him just a few days ago, showed worry in her eyes as she could see the weight loss he was going through. Compared to what he looked like last year to now: it was evident that he wasn’t going to last.

And that terrified Fuuka to death.

So, after a few awkward moments, and Fuuka just trying her hardest to resist kissing his cheek, she took a step forward. “May I come in? I’d like to talk to you.”

Shinjiro moved out of her way, gesturing her in with his arm, as she walked in carefully and waited for him to close the door. “Did you want something to drink?” Shinjiro slowly asked, knowing that was the least he could ask her. He could feel the tension was already squeezing his throat tightly.

Fuuka shook her head, keeping herself standing right beside him. She gripped the handle of her messenger bag. “I will try to be quick. Because, the faster I say this, the faster I can leave.” She leaned against the wall that lead towards the kitchen—everything was oddly organized and yet, she felt like it was missing something: life. A reason to live.

Even after she had rehearsed her words while laying in bed last night, she felt herself getting anxious all of a sudden. So, to cut the tension with a knife, Shinjiro crosses his arms and spoke first: “You are breaking up with me.”

Those words were like the axe that Shinjiro used in battle and cut her in half. She lowered her head and knew she had to speak or Shinjiro would over power her. “Yes. I am. A-and...I have had a hard time coming to terms with you a-accepting death.” She began, her heart already aching and her voice shaking, itching for tears to fall out. Shinjiro made sure tissues were near by—it seemed that he was always alert and prepared for everything.

“I-I know it’s your body. I have no right in saying what you should do or not do with it. But,” she looked up at him, their eyes pained with realization, “g-god, Shinjiro, I just wanted someone to love. A-and I loved you too much to l-let you go.”

Shinjiro felt his eyes softening, knowing that Akihiko and Mitsuru would already accepting of the fact—granted, Mitsuru was quicker than Akihiko was, but he knew Fuuka would take longer than Akihiko. He closed his eyes, waiting for the slap. And yet, it never came.

Fuuka sniffed her nose, tears slowly falling from her eyes and cascading down her cheek and on to the floor below. “I-I have wanted s-someone to fill the emptiness inside of my soul. Someone wh-who would love me and show me that I have a-a place to belong—and I ached for that feeling. I know that it took me a good month or two to finally get over Minato’s death. Because you were there with me. A-and...”

She looked up at him, a bit relieved she didn’t wear make up today, and wiped the tears away from her eyes. “How d-dare you make me fall in love with you! Why did you h-have to be so damn kind—!” Fuuka moved towards Shinjiro, her hands balling up into fists, as she weakly beat her hand on his chest—her right and then her left. “—wh-why did you have to show me p-pure kindness? Wh-why did you toy with my feelings?!”

Shinjiro knew the punches were going to come out, but she wasn’t giving it her all. She wasn’t putting force behind those punches. And he knew she could give someone a hell of a good punch—he believed Akihiko taught her what to do with a punch, and that was a big mistake. The sobs were loud, painful, and miserable for Shinjiro. It was like he was being shot all over again.

“Was I a toy to you?”

Shinjiro watched as Fuuka’s hands stopped pounding his chest as she kept her head down. He was a bit speechless as he knew she meant sexually as well. He sighed and shook his head. “Fuuka,” he had to word his words carefully or this would be disastrous, “I know that you enjoyed the sex as much as I did. But, I would never use you like that.”

Fuuka felt herself cooling down a little, but tears still fell from her eyes. Shinjiro continued slowly. “This might sound selfish on my part, but I wanted to be sure that I prepared you for your next lover—male or female. I know that I could never give you the satisfaction of having and raising a family. I wanted to make sure you were...”

Shinjiro let out a “fuck” from his lips as he felt himself holding back tears himself. He bit his lip and couldn’t leave Fuuka hanging. “I might be your first, but I wanted to make sure you were able to keep your next boyfriend satisfied and happy. Because I know you did one hell of a job being the best girlfriend for me—helping me from my bed, making me food, watching over me—and you should never, EVER think of yourself as a failure.”

And that was when Fuuka pulled Shinjiro into one of the tightest hugs she could ever give to him. The sob she was holding back came out tenfold as she could feel her body shaking. She was beginning to wonder if Marie legit talked to Shinjiro before she could—if that was the case, she’d be pissed, but a bit thankful that she could easily start this confrontation off. But, the fact that Shinjiro was going all out, to just simply prepare her for the future, where he wasn’t going to see her get married and have kids—it ached her heart. It felt like something was squeezing her heart.

“You know I was damaged goods the moment I lost control of Castor all those years ago.” Shinjiro mentioned as Fuuka looked up at him. God, her face was an absolute wreck. He reached down, wiping her tears away with the tip of his thumb, and sighed softly. “Marie has mentioned to you those words, right? She is right, and you need to accept that, Fuuka.” Fuuka nodded. “You have everyone here to help you move on.”

“I-I know,” Fuuka whispered as she just stared up at him, “I’ve...gotten stronger, right?”

Shinjiro chuckled as he poked her cheek. “Put more ‘emph’ begins your punches and ‘maybe’ you will be on par with Iori.”

“Oh, I have to be stronger than Junpei!”

“You are a bit stronger than Takeba, though.”

“Oooo—don’t tell her that!”

A laugh escaped their lips as it felt like they were back in high school, before their relationship really grew into something. But, it seemed to went down hill the moment Shinjiro’s prognosis was brought up. Shinjiro was always prepared for anything—always, and he always got that habit from Fuuka. And yet, this was something she couldn’t grasp for a while.

“Fuuka.”

Shinjiro’s spoke her name, filled with sorrow and sadness, as he carefully pulled her away from his chest. He craved the warmth, the smile she gave—and the laugh!—but knew he couldn’t get attached. Not again. He just started to burn bridges and this was one of his last ones.

“Shinjiro.”

“Can I kiss you? Just... one last time?”

She wasn’t expecting that. Out of all the arguments they had, the tears she’d, and the slaps thrown in Shinjiro’s face—this made her almost shy away immediately. Of course, Fuuka wouldn’t object to something like this. Why would she? She still loved him, romantically, and didn’t care. She would do anything for him, even if he never returned the feeling back.

It’s funny. She was used to unrequited love with Junpei, and then Minato dying before they could advance their relationship further, and now...with Shinjiro, she thought her luck would turn out to be good. And after all of this, bad luck seemed to fucked her more.

“Please.” Fuuka begged silently as she knew this was going to be the last time they kissed. She knew the moment Shinjiro gently pushed her up against the wall, her bag falling to the ground, as she felt herself getting nervous once again. But, the uneasiness washed away the moment their lips locked. Her fingers running through his hair; his fingers removed the hair tie to her braid, as Fuuka could feel her hair cascading down her shoulders.

They both knew they should stop. That they would both fall in love once more and again. But, they were human and they both made another mistake of kissing each other. She felt his hands going up her dress, as Fuuka joined in as she reached for his beanie, gripped it and tossed it aside. They haven’t been intimate in months. Shinjiro was searching for the life he was craving to live for inside of Fuuka, whereas Fuuka was just trying to push the life inside of him.

One way or another, it ended with Fuuka on his couch and Shinjiro on top of her. The only noises filling up the room was their lips softly smacking against one another. It was like Fuuka was in a dream where Shinjiro was healthy, that this was the chance to make a family—and yet, Shinjiro eyed Fuuka with sorrowfilled eyes.

I shouldn’t lead her on like this.

He silently thought as he moved his body up and away from her. Fuuka’s ankles were already wrapped around his waist, haphazardly, as she stopped trying to reach out for him. The silence between them both was deafening. Fuuka took a moment to observe her surroundings, and realizing that Shinjiro had his shirt off—and her heart dropped. She could see how much weight he lost, almost close to the point she could see his ribs. Fuuka felt like this was a slap to her face. She felt tears stinging her eyes again, covering her eyes with one of her arms.

“Fuuka. We need to stop. The passion is there, but the love isn’t.” He stated as Fuuka began nodding. He got up slowly, once he removed her ankles from his waist, and turned to reach for his sweatshirt. He looked like a damned skeleton, who hasn’t eaten in weeks. Shinjiro wouldn’t admit it, but Fuuka’s cooking was better than his currently. He felt his shoulders sinking as he looked at Fuuka and her half naked body.

Her dress was laying on the ottoman he bought with his own money, her hair was a mess, her body laced with hickeys, her tights sliding off of her hips, and yet—he hated that he couldn’t love her like she loved him. Shinjiro felt sick to his stomach. “I’m going...to go shower. Stay here as long as you need—leave when you are ready.” He uttered, holding his turtleneck shirt over his shoulder and walked towards the bathroom, leaving Fuuka alone to digest everything that happened.

It took until Shinjiro started the shower where Fuuka began to reach for her bag, knowing her phone has to be there. She knew if she messaged Marie right now, and told her where she was, she probably will get slapped or yelled at. But, nothing could compare to the pain she saw Shinjiro in. Fuuka remembered something that Marie told her, after she told her she was a goddess. And now, she wanted to see if she could actually grant her the most selfish wish to ask for.

Luckily, she picked up on the first ring:

“Marie? It’s Fuuka. Can you come get me? I...I am at Shinjiro’s. And...I NEED you to do something for me.”

[dlamp-dictator]

Allen Rambles about Cross Tag Battle

So I already did an Under Night In-Birth Rambling a few months, and I don’t feel like retreading that game again for the sake of another half-baked Rambling like the Persona 4 Arena one. No, I’ll talk a bit more about Under Night In-Birth and it’s Light Novel elements another day when I actually have the drive to do so. Instead, I’ll  jump straight into talking about about Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, namely, expanding on my initial thoughts of it. 

I had a chance to play the beta of the game when it was available, had a lot of fun playing it, and left it feeling confident this game could sell well, but a bit uneasy as well. 

But first before I get to explaining that...

The DLC Issue

It wouldn’t be my Rambling unless I got out of the elephants in the room straight away, now would it? 

So... that DLC, huh?

I’m not gonna’ bother defending this, but I’ll say this much in its defense. The season pass and the game is about 70 US dollars all together. That’s 50 bucks for the game 1 dollar for every extra character. That’s not a bad deal on paper. Let’s be real here, Dragon Ball FighterZ has more expensive DLC than this and much more expensive season pass combo pack, Blazblue Central Fiction had more expensive DLC than this, and several other fighting games have done worse practices. Dead of Alive has cosmetics that total up to hundred of dollars. From what I’ve seen and played Street Fighter 5 has a handful of costumes can only be purchased with cash rather than the in game fight money, among a few other practices I’m not cool with. And we can probably go on and on about EA’s DLC practices. Worse has been done, and if an extra 20 buck for 20 more characters on an already decent rooster seems bad to you, then... well I think you haven’t been playing fighting games that long to not see this coming.

However, that’s on paper. In context, this is just flat out shady and I’d even say exploitative.

I’m not going to pretend that what Arc System Works is doing is okay. Let’s be real here, a lot of the assets we’re seeing are being ripped and reused from each character’s respective game save for some new animations, the gameplay itself is very simplified, and the fact that they announced such a large amount of DLC before the game was even released is already shady business. I hate it when companies do that, and Arc System Works shouldn’t get a pass for it either. 

Not to mention the fact that a portion of their EVO line up is DLC characters. That just kills me a little. I’ll admit that I have a negative opinion of the FGC and competitive fighting game community as a whole, and I’ve already talked about my opinion of EVO in the past, but I really don’t think this game deserves to be in the EVO line up when it only has a little over half its full cast in the game for competitive play, with about a fifth of that cast being DLC. That means you need to shell out at least 6 extra dollars just to have an idea of certain match ups and playstyles, or worse, play your main. That’s no where near fair on a competitive level, that’s a scam and I hope someone more familiar with the competitive side of the fighting game community calls Arc System Works out on it. If your main is locked behind a paywall then you have a right to be angry and even go as far as to boycott this game for this kind of practice. 

I’m not happy with the idea of paying to just to play as Orie and Naoto, but as I’ve said, worse has been done in the gaming world. If you aren’t buying this game for the reasons I mentioned, then I respect you’re opinion. However, I’ll also ask you to at least try and get this game on sale otherwise, as there is a good fighting game here, just one that needs to shake off a bad first impression. 

Ah, and speaking of the game...

This Game is Simple

Like I said, I took some time to play the Beta, and I have to say this game is a little too simple for my liking. Not that I’m some genius fighting game player that could tell you all the frame data and hitbox nonsense, but I feel like I’m grasping this game’s controls a little too fast for someone of my skill level. 

Let me explain. 

In the majority of fighting games I play I usually maintain a 10%-20% win rate, so I usually win 1 out of 10 matches. For a casual fighting game player that’s not bad considering I’m usually fighting competitive players, but with Cross Tag Battle I left the beta with a 50% win rate. That’s... quite a jump, but I don’t think that’s due to my skill, but how simple it is for someone that’s familiar with fighting game mechanics to understand the system. Now I’m also keeping in mind that everyone was learning the ins and outs of this game along with me during the beta, but this still.

This simplicity isn’t a bad thing. It works in the game’s favor and makes it much easier to grasp how all these characters works, which is needed for a tag-team style game, but it is something that makes me wonder how long this game will be popular. This game has two auto combos, for every character, and all the characters that aren’t from RWBY have a diluted moveset of their original game. It feels like you know everything about a character in about an hour of practice.

I had similar feelings about Dragonball FighterZ, all the character felt too similar to each other outside of some special moves. Cross Tag isn’t as simple and not all characters feel the same, but one of the big appeals of a fighting game is being about to learn a character for months and still find new techniques and strategies with them. Cross Tag Battle doesn’t feel like a game I’ll be able to do that in.

 Again, that’s not a bad thing, but it’s just something that has me wondering about the direction fighting games are taking... or maybe this is just a product of team-based fighters. That simplicity might be needed for the sake of everything meshing well. I mean, if Ragna could do all his rushdown stuff and have an assist to reset combos he’d be a nightmare to fight against. And Nu... don’t get me started on Nu.

 But then again, Skullgirls has a good balance of complexity, and the potential for 3-on-3 combat. All their characters feel and play in very unique ways too, so maybe my worries are founded in some ways...

But speaking of...

How Characters Play/Feel

Like I said, this game is very simple. These characters only play slightly like their original games. I've only played with a few people, namely my mains, but Yosuke doesn’t feel like the Yosuke P4A with his 48 mix-up tools, Linne and Hyde feel like themselves, but with less combo options than in their original game. Sadly, none of my Blazblue mains are in the current roster, so I can’t say much about them, but Ragna feels like a watered down version of himself at the very least. I think that goes for most of the cast. They all feel very watered down. This isn’t bad, it’s just different, and I’m not sure how I feel about that yet. 

I’m excited to know I’ll have Orie and eventually Izayoi in the game to play with, but I’ve seen gameplay of Orie, and she doesn’t play the way I play her in UNIEST. I get the feeling a lot of people are going to be playing around with the cast for the wrong reasons.

That said though...

The RWBY Characters

The RWBY characters play the best too me, but that should be obvious. They were made with this game in mind from the ground up. As such their combo animations are smoother than the rest of the cast, their sprites are a little nicer, and I can really see a lot of love went into make them feel and play like how they are in the show. The references and callbacks are great as someone that’s a fan of show, and I honestly think their voice acting improved a little in this game... then again, I’ve been hearing their voices for a few years now so I might just be a bit numb to how they’re directed in their series, but I’m surprised how well they mesh with the overall cast. I can see the shipping possibilities and fanfics already. I’m definitely going to have Blake in one of my presets when the game comes out, probably pair her up with Linne or Hyde.

Speaking of voice acting...

The English Dub

Thank God we have a dub again. It’s great to hear Patrick Seitz as Ragna again, and the rest of the cast as well. The Under Night In-Birh cast sounds great too, my favorites being Linne and Gordeau. Seriously, the UNIEST cast sounds great and their voice actors really capture their character well from what I’ve heard so far. It really makes me wish we got a dub for that game so those overlong light novel portions didn’t feel as long. 

I did little blurbs about voice actors when Elsword and Persona 5 voice actors were announced, and I’ll definitely do the same kind of blurb for Under Night In-Birth once all the voice actors are known. This game gives me hope that the next Guilty Gear will have a dub and then I can finally care about the story again.

But moving on...

The Roster (AKA Allen Gloats About Being Right)

So we know the full rooster of the game thanks to data miners (the buzzkills), and it looks like I can safely, confidently, and haughtily state that I was right with a few of my calls when I made my speculations. For the sake of maximum gloating I’ll give you all the breakdown from my Rambling on the matter.

Charge Characters

Mitsuru 

Kagura

Vatista 

Puppet Characters 

Carl

Relius 

Chaos 

Ken

Required By Popularity

Tsubaki

Adachi

Yuzuriha

Required by Tier List

Izanami

Margret/Elizabeth

Seth/Merkava

ArcSys’s Persona OCs

Labrys

Sho

Looking back, I wish I stated Nine instead of Izanami, but Izanamis were kicking my ass by the time I wrote up my speculation and I was very salty about that. I also wish I added Mika into my curve ball list instead of my wishlist, but... well, I can’t predict everything. Speaking of that wishlist, a few people made it like Izayoi, Hakumen, and Akihiko, but that was my personal wishlist and not a speculation, so I won’t count those.

Anyway, I got 5/14 right. I’d consider that pretty good for pure speculation.

My Hopes

I’m just gonna’ list these down, as now we’re getting into my unorganized thoughts.

A simple, fanservice-y story mode. Like I originally said, this game is Arc System Works fanservice incarnate. Frankly, trying to tell a serious story with all these properties, while possible, will just be a giant mess, especially trying to deal with all the quantum mechanical, timeline jumping, dimension hopping nonsense of Blazblue, so I really hope this story will be more like Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s Subspace Emissary where the story is simple and more fanservice for fans of all these series and just see everyone interacting with some fights in between. From what we’ve seen of certain cutscenes CGs being released this just might be the case.

Free DLC. I already bought the Season Pass because I’m a degenerate, but I really hope this game does what Skullgirls did and have all their character packs free on at least the first day of their releases. I have major issues with this kind of business practice and completely understand if you guys don’t buy this game because of it. I’m hoping Arc System Works will realize this and make all the packs be free for at least their day-one release to try and dowse the flames a little. And hey, the first pack and the rest of the RWBY team is free for the first while, so I think that’s exactly what their doing.

...

...

... 

I’m gonna’ feel like a chump for waste twenty buck if that’s the case, but hey, I do like the series.

A Good Single Player Experience. I know it’s a fighting game and all, but I hope it’ll have something that’ll make this game fun three years from now when the online community is dead. Something BBCP’s Abyss Mode (because CF’s is garbage) or Persona 4 Arena Ultimax’s Golden Arena Mode. Something like that. I doubt that’ll happen, but it’s a hope for a reason.

Overall, despite my mixed feelings, I hope the best for this game. And as we count down to the final days before release, I hope you all enjoy this game as much as I will.

Unless you roll out with Team UNGA. If you do, then fuck you, fuck your family, fuck your house cat, and everything you stand for.

[theoneprecioustome]

Aikoto through the musicals

Since I’ve talked so much about the movies in the past, it felt only fair to talk about the musicals a little bit, too.

The way the musicals handled Aikoto (or SakuAi / AiKuya, I suppose) is pretty interesting. I was on the fence about it at first, mostly because I had no idea where the musicals were going with them. But after knowing that they actually did justice to the ending, I can safely say that I feel Aikoto was handled with a lot of care.

What’s more, in retrospective, the pacing of their development actually felt a lot like the game to me. Remarkably so.

Spoilers for the musicals (and lots of talking and images) below!

In the second musical, Sakuya was awestruck when he saw Aigis and it was pretty obvious he felt drawn to her; that he felt a certain familiarity in her, something special -  “precious” as he himself put it. There was a connection there and their song put it best: they felt the other was precious from the moment they laid eyes on each other, and their locked hearts were thereafter “open” and “overflowing”. Seriously, their song is fantastic and it describes Aikoto so, so well. The fact that they reach out for the other while singing only makes it more poignant.

The thing is that, at that point Sakuya had no idea what to make of Aigis and what she made him feel (another thing he mentions in his part of their song: “I don’t know  you, I have yet to know the first thing about you. Tell me your secret. Because I’m sure that from now on…”). So in a way, I felt he was being cautious around her and trying not to get too close.

...That all flew to the wind whenever Aigis was in danger, though.

Since Aigis’s introduction, Sakuya was always the first to react and run to Aigis whenever she was in danger. She was even the first person he instinctively checked on when the group got attacked.

He protected her just as much as Aigis protected him, and it’s fantastic that the musicals chose to show this without making a big fuss over of it. It was meant to feel natural; instinctive. If you ask me, the fourth musical only proved this running trend, because when Aigis got taken down by Ryoji, Mitsuru made a point about reassuring Sakuya that she would take care of Aigis so that he would finish pulling himself together.

Back to Sakuya’s mentality regarding Aigis during the second musical, though. The final scene of the musical showed it the best, I think. Even when the curtains were about to drop, Sakuya shared one last look with Aigis before leaving the stage.

At that point in the timeline, he was curious about her but very confused. And that made him guarded.

Then comes the third musical, and both things remain true: Sakuya’s always caring for Aigis, be it when she’s in danger or when she needs help putting up a costume.

But there’s still a sense of caution there in their normal day to day scenes. Which is normal because this musical merely covers one month, and their characters were not the focus. So they take a backseat and we only get glimpses of their bond here and there; very much like in the real game.

By the time the fourth musical rolls around though, there’s been a change. It’s like Sakuya has fully come to accept Aigis now, and it’s impossible to tell if Aigis is wherever Sakuya is or if it’s actually the other way around. They come together, they leave together, they react in sync, and they are also extremely touchy-feely in a way they aren’t with anyone else.

And there’s also the music. Much like in the movies, they have their own background song, Touch my Heartstrings, and it plays whenever they have an important moment together. This above all really shows how much care was put into them and their interactions. Not to mention that since Aigis’s introduction, she is always the one sharing lines with Sakuya during the group songs (a blessing because Zaq’s and Shoutan’s voices blend amazingly well together).

All in all, it reminds me of the game. The Aikoto starts with a bang and then it steps out of the spotlight. It remains constant, quiet and sweet in the background until November, where it kicks up and doesn’t stop growing until the very end of the game.

Which of course, brings me to the last musical.

To begin with, it was very sweet that they took a page out of the movies and made Sakuya go visit Aigis at the laboratory. But the movies weren’t the only thing they took a page out of; the games and the drama CD were very much present, too. Just like in those, Sakuya was very sweet and alert when it came to Aigis’s developing emotions and any questions she may have, and made sure to reassure her that she is just like a human. The moment when Aigis’s persona evolves is a highlight; during her song she even tells him “Because I met you, I found my heart.” Too good, too pure.

They also made sure to include their first rooftop scene. Just like in the game, before the final battle, everyone gets paired up so they share their final moments with another character important to them (in this case, we have Aigis and Makoto, Chidori and Junpei and Mitsuru and Akihiko.)

During their scene, Sakuya shares his perspective about life with Aigis (he evens explains ”Memento Mori” to her) and helps her come to terms with her own. There’s also a little from PQ in there. When Aigis tells him that she does not yet understand what it means to live, but that she wants to understand, Sakuya tells them they would search for the meaning. Together.

But there was one important change that really stood out to me. As you may remember, during their first rooftop scene, Aigis was meant to tell him that the reason she wanted to stay by his side had nothing to do with Death. In other words, she was supposed to more or less confess without actually understanding what she was confessing in the first place.

Well, the musicals took that out of their first rooftop scene and focused on Aigis’s wish to protect everyone and to live together with everyone. Aigis’s feelings for Sakuya got moved somewhere else. Can you guess where?

That’s right. To Aigis’s speech before Sakuya passes away.

I found that very touching, because by that point in time Aigis does understand her feelings–and it only makes her words even more powerful.

And you know what made it even more powerful? That Sakuya outright reaches out to cup her cheek when she confesses with this look on his face and then we cut to Memories of You.

And I say that he’s cupping her cheek rather than wiping her tears away because Aigis isn’t actually crying yet by that point. And in the female version of the musical, this is followed by a head-pat.

I could honestly go on forever about the way the musical handled the rooftop scene. It was perfect. It was true to the game while still giving its own touch, and I really loved it.

But my favorite part has got to be how they made sure to sync the lyrics to Aikoto. The fact that Aigis and Sakuya turn to look at each other when Aigis sings him the line “Love through all eternity” is just everything.

(Interestingly enough, this little detail actually doesn’t happen in Kotone’s version of the musical.)

And them turning to smile at each other when we hear “I’ll never leave you”?

No words.

I also love that they made Aigis serenade him Memories of You. That they gave them this moment before everyone else joins in, because to me this song will always be about her feelings and her promise to him and this shows the Musical Team sees it the same way.

But, honestly? I feel like they pretty much got all the Aikoto themes down to a tee. And that’s what I love the most about the entire thing.

They not only made sure to portray their instinctive connection, how they protect each other and help each other grow; they also made sure to portray their mutuality through little details like these and everything else I mentioned though the post. Hell, they even grabbed the “Fate” theme that Arena spelled out and brought it up during their final moments together, having Sakuya appear on stage with Aigis right as Aigis wondered if “it was fate” that her heart was now in motion.

I’m just... extremely thankful that they were this kind to them. It’s like they grabbed everything I’ve always associated and loved about them and put it in motion. 

If you’ve read this far, what about you? Did you enjoy the musical’s version of Aikoto, too? :D

[downtomyunderoos]

surprise training

// akihiko sanada (downtomyunderoos) & junpei iori (strikeoutslugger)

1. Junpei --

The energetic male doesn’t complain for a few moments as the weight of his older friend was suddenly applied in full force to his backside. Junpei struggled momentarily. Akihiko was heavier than he looked. Was that how heavy muscle-head protein addicts were? He wouldn’t say that out loud of course.

“Y-Yo… Dude? What… Gives?” His legs were slightly shaky. Wasn’t it his job to jump on Akihiko?

2. Akihiko --

“Don’t tell me you’re this weak!” Akihiko chuckled while grunting and shifting — until his legs locked comfortably around him. “Surprise training. Five laps. And I’m being generous.”

His long, enthusiastic legs attempted kicking, flailing — as though Junpei carried a giant toddler. “What’re you waiting for, Iori?! Chop chop!”

3. Junpei --

“One of these days dude, one of these days…” Junpei muttered under his breath, legs still shaking a bit at the sudden physical burden. He took a few steps forward, a couple more than he’d initially expected, then craned his head to talk to the older male that had seemingly made himself comfortable on his back. “O-Okay, you really can’t be serious! C-C’mon man this’s impossible! You probably weight more’n me anyway! This is totally unfair. You’re gonna kill me at this rate! And nobody wants a dead Junpei Iori!”

4. Akihiko --

“I’m not going to kill you.” Akihiko scoffs warm air into Junpei’s neck and swiftly smacks him a couple times on the shoulder in an encouraging manner but also in jest. “I didn’t know Junpei Iori was a quitter.”

5. Junpei --

“Certainly seems like it…” Junpei was still clearly more than slightly irritated. He would have dropped him right then and there, if it weren’t for the ‘quitter’ comment. This immediately got Junpei’s blood pumping, his temper flaring a bit. He had become re-energized just like that.

“Hey! Junpei Iori ain’t no quitter, dude! Maybe you took one too many punches to the skull, but nobody questions Junpei Iori on his lack of quittin’!” And with that, Junpei immediately strides forward with newfound energy. His legs were still shaking, though he was somehow finding success through all of this.

6. Akihiko --

That was more like it!!!

Akihiko disregarded Junpei’s one comment based on the fact his tactic was, you know, successful! As his underclassman’s legs shook, Akihiko’s jounced at his sides, while they (or rather, Junpei) carried on.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going, after all!” he egged on, so eager to train the other. For all Akihiko knew he was putting all his eggs in one basket, but he couldn’t help but have faith. Not only because they were merely training– but actually Akihiko managed nabbing someone!

[despairingvacation]

It had been a quiet and steady first few days of the vacation. Ever since everyone had arrived, everyone had been doing their own things according to their own personal plans. Some of them had gone out of their way to meet the others on vacation with them, some decided to do things on their own - some must’ve been stuck up in their hotel rooms and only come out when nobody else was out.

The day had started of rather silent. That must’ve been because it was 6 AM, however. Barely anybody was up, and if they were, they were getting ready to head out and start their day. The sun’s beams made it’s way through the windows of the hotel, as the monitor’s located in everyone’s room turned to static as it turned on. With a loud screech, loud enough to wake even the deepest of sleepers, the televisions soon showed an image of… complete black?

“GOOOOOOD MORNIN’ EVERYONE. . .” A voice, unfamiliar to everyone on the island, blasted through the speakers located in everyone’s rooms. Everyone turned their attention to their televisions, some just waking up with a small, tired groan leaving their lips.

“HOPE YOU DIDN’T HAVE PLANS FOR THE MORNIN’, CAUSE THEY’RE CANCELLED! EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO COME TO THE LOBBY FOR AN IMPORTANT MEETING.” A pause.

“AND YOU ALL BETTER BE THERE! IF NOT, WE’RE GONNA MAKE SURE YOU’RE THERE!”

Just like that, the sound of the monitors turning off filled the room. It took a little while of processing what had just happened for doors to begin opening, and the attendees to shuffle out of their room and into the lobby.

The first ones to arrive in the lobby, just twenty minutes after the initial announcement, were Lion, Justin, Clive, Yukiko, Marie, Goro, and Akihiko. Some of them must’ve already been up by the time the announcement had gone off anyways - or they were quick to follow instruction, curious about what the big deal was. Although Justin had attempted to keep the group vocal and talking with each other, his attempts all came to a halt when he realized that everyone must’ve been too tired or had no energy to converse with everyone else.

The next to stumble in were Bendy, Suki, Noah, Takumi, Tougou, and Daiki. As the group seemed to grow bigger, it was starting to get more lively. Mumbled “good morning”’s left everyone’s lips, as the remainder of the attendees began to pile into the room. Lear, Wataru, Totoko, Peacock, and Celica followed suit. Peacock threw herself onto the closest couch, as Totoko dragged Celica over towards where Suki and Daiki were. As everyone was getting acquainted with everyone being in the same room, Tohru found himself wandering into the room. His hair still messy, yawning into his hand, and clothes that seemed to be thrown on last minute all but pointed to the fact that Tohru must’ve slept in just a little bit longer.

As everyone got used to eachother and talked about what their plans were for later on in the day, the sound of someone clearing through made everyone stop and turn their heads towards the sound. Many muttered “Was that you?” to the people next to them, only to receive a no answer in response.

“No, that was me!” 

Before anyone can even process what’s going on, a large black and white bear emerges from the front desk of the lobby and jumps up on the desk. Spinning in place, the bear strikes a pose and looks as the crowd before him looks in awe and confusion. “Gooooood mornin’, everyone!” He shouts, as loud as he can to the dismay of some of the attendees. 

“Woah, is that a talking teddy bear!?” 

“What’s the deal?”

“Is this some kind of prank?”

Almost everyone began to speak under their breath, while some got closer to where the bear stood to get a better look at him. The bear seemed to visibly get annoyed as everyone spoke before him before he could even get the chance to say anything. “STOP TALKING!” He yells, flailing his arms above his head. To his pleasure, everyone immediately stopped talking and watched him curiously.

“Now...where was I, ah, right!” The bear jumps from one side of the desk to the other and puts his hands on his hips. “I hope none of ‘ya thought that you’d be on this vacation without any kind’ve supervision. How messed up would it be if Hopes Peak sent all of you without some kind of guardian watching over all of you to make sure you don’t try and hurt others!” 

Upon hearing the proclamation, Justin and Uta turn to glance at eachother in silence and confusion. “...Excuse me, but isn’t that why Uta and I are here?” Justin speaks up only after raising his hand, causing the bear to turn his attention over to the pair. “We’re teachers, anyways! I thought that--”

“Shush!” The bear is quick to silence Justin before he can finish his thought. “You didn’t seriously think that just because you were a teacher meant you were going to be watching over everyone! No, you two are on vacation just as much as everyone else is. I’m Monokuma,” It’s almost as if with every word he speaks, he sparkles in excitement for...something. “I’M your trip supervisor!” 

Monokuma’s  announcement doesn’t go without a reaction. Murmurs of confusion and even some outbursts of annoyance rose from the crowd in front of the mechanical bear, and he couldn’t help but to laugh. Choosing to ignore everyone’s questions-- (How could a teddy bear be our supervisor!? Who’s controlling you? Are you one of the supervisors for Hopes Peak? Are we going home?) Monokuma throws his arms up to the side before he continues to speak.

“But I gotta be honest, watching all of you do nothing but have fun is soooo boring.” 

“...Then why don’t you go and find your own way to have fun?” Takumi speaks up, raising a brow as he narrows his eyes towards Monokuma. Takumi’s eyes immediately make eye contact with the bear, and although he can’t help but glare, he feels a little bit of unease rising in his gut as he glances away.

“Oh, but I have. Y’see,” Monokuma covers his mouth and chuckles into them. 

“Upupu...”

“You’re not on a vacation.” 

The crowd in front of him grows silent. 

“That boat that dropped you off earlier? It’s not gonna come back. It crashed on it’s way back home- sunk to the bottom of the ocean! Gone! Destroyed! You’re not gonna be able to leave this island no matter how hard you try!” 

“...But then how will we get home?” Peacock blinks, tilting her head to the side curiously as she listens to him talk. Nevermind the fact that he just said that they’re not actually on vacation and there’s the fact that something in his voice sounds extremely sinister. 

“That’s where the fun begins.” Monokuma chuckles, jumping up onto the desk again before turning his attention back over to the crowd before him. “Y’see, none of you are getting out of here unless one of you can successfully kill someone without getting caught.” 

Monokuma is met with silence upon his announcement. His eyes scan the people in front of him, waiting for a reaction, before the loud laugh of a little devil captures his attention. He turns his attention over towards Bendy, who’s holding his stomach in a fit of laughter.

“Kill!? ‘Ya gotta be kiddin’ me, none’ve us here are gonna be killin’ anybody!” Bendy speaks through his laughter.

“Yeah, Bendy’s right! ‘Ya can’t tell us ‘ta kill each other without givin’ us a motive! Besides, didn’t'cha just say that you were a supervisor to make sure we don’t hurt eachother?” Peacock responds along with Bendy, causing the two toons to glance at each other and nod. 

“You didn’t seriously think that I care if you hurt eachother? Upupu, that’s funny! There might not be any reason for you to kill right now. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a reason somewhere down the road.” Monokuma simply states, turning on his heel as he jumps off the desk. 

“You’re all a lively bunch, aren’t you? I’m sure that not all of you are gonna be getting along. And even if you did, wouldn’t it be something if you woke up one day and found out that your best friend on this island was dead, just like that!?” 

Everybody’s silent, unsure of what to make of the news being presented to them. Kill...? Surely, this had to be some kind of a joke. Catching up on their silence, Monokuma peeks his head over the edge of the desk and chuckles as he looks at the sea of dumbfounded faces. “I’m expecting a dead body to be popping up soon. If you don’t, you’ll regret it!”

And just like that, before anybody could even retort and say anything in return, the bear vanishes into thin air. Leaving the attendees to themselves, muttering under their breathes.

Killing...

...He wasn’t serious, right? 

>>>>> PROLOGUE: END. 

>>>>> CHAPTER ONE: START.

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW LIFE OF MUTUAL KILLING. 

As of this drabble being posted, the prologue is now over! Starters for the prologue are no longer allowed to be written, however, you are allowed to continue previous prologue threads if you so wish to.

Still reading up to this point? Then, hello! Chapter one of Despairing Vacation has officially begun! 

As of this post, your character now has their student ID on hand. Their Student ID grants them access to the alcohol cabinet in the dining room in the hotel and other various locked areas that they previously couldn’t get into, except for gate separating them from the rest of the island. 

A new page on the blog has been added! The student ID page will tell you the rules that can be found inside of the ID and other things your ID can do. 

Chapter one has begun, yes, but that doesn’t mean that the killing will begin yet. Until next Sunday, on the 17th, when the first motive will be posted. For now, it’s free time. 

Make sure to be tagging your posts for chapter one accordingly so it can be easier to keep track of on your blog! 

Have you read this far? Then congrats! That’s all that needs to be said. Once this post has been posted, chapter one has officially begun, and you are more than welcome to create starters and plot with others. Have fun! 

[karl1n-fanfiction-librarys]

Chapter 3: Gunshots

Pairing: Asami/Akihito

Contains: mature language

Summary: Akihito gets pregnant, what will happen?

Disclaimer: I don't own the viewfinder series Yamane Ayano does.

04/20 11:23 Sunday

Akihito turned around in the bed, he was trying to find a comfortable position but couldn't find it. He decided to go and get something to eat for his rumbling stomach. When he got up from the bed he felt the familiar pain in his lower back "Asshole" he mumbled grabbing Asami's robe and making his way to the kitchen. He was in a grumpy mood and needed to have an extensive breakfast. Aki opened the refrigerator and grabbed the mayonnaise, ham, lettuce, cucumber and orange juice.

He placed everything on the table and made himself a monster sandwich, he didn't need to work today so there was no need to rush things. He went to the living room with his food and placed himself in Asami's big comfortable chair. He grabbed the remote, a notebook and a pen. He pressed the 'on' button and the TV went on. Aki took a bite and opened the notebook. He wrote down 7 names:

Girl:

-Ayame

-Aoi

-Ryoko

Boy:

-Akio

-Akihiko

-Ryoichi

-Ryozo

He liked all of the names and couldn't chose, Aki disliked Ryozo the most of all the names, but it sounded cute together with Ryoko. He wished he knew the genders of his 4 baby's it would make picking so much easier.

Should he call Asami? He was the dad after all. Now that he thought about it maybe Asami had already chosen some names, it wouldn't be the first time that he didn't ask Akihito's opinion and did something on his own. He decided it would be best to call the damn bastard. Aki grabbed his phone and pressed the first button, Asami's private number was on speed dial. He needed to call 3 times before the asshole finally picked up "What is it pet?" Akihito felt rage boil up inside of him "PET?! I AM NOT A PET ASSHOLE! HERE I WAS THINKING OF ASKING YOU FOR ADVISE, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS SO STUPID! BYE!" He was just planning to hang up when Asami spoke "What is wrong Akihito?" He could hear the worry in the man's voice, he immediately calmed down "Uhm well… I wanted to talk to you about names…" "Names? What do you mean?" "I mean baby names, I can't chose."

"We will talk about this later okay?" "No NOT okay! WHY CAN'T WE SPEAK ABOUT THIS NOW?! AM I NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO STOP WORKING FOR 5 MINUTES?! I HATE YOU!" Akihito was just planning to throw the phone agains't the wall when he heard gunshots through the speaker…

Akihito stared at the phone shocked, he kept staring at it for a couple of seconds until he heard another shot. "ASAMI?!" No answer… "ASAMI WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Again no answer, Akihito started to panic. What if Asami was injured? He didn't want to see him injured again, it would be his foult he was distracting him. What if Asami was killed?! He started sobbing when he thought about that. If, If Asami died then his last words to him would be that he hated him! Akihito's blood pressure started to rise, he felt a sharp pain in his stommic.

He started to feel dizzy, the painfull feeling in his stommic getting worse. A sudden burst of pain made fall to the floor clutching his stommic.

04/20 11:56 Sunday

At the same time the front door opened and Asami quickly ran to the living room followed by his two bodyguards. "Akihito" Asami quickly kneeled next to the kid lying on the floor surrounded by glass, Akihito had knocked over a big vase in his fall. "Akihito what did you do?!" He had hurried home after the shoot out, the kid had screamed hysterically on the phone.

He grabbed Akihito and carried him to the car, princess style. "To the hospital" his driver imidiatly started the car and drove in the appointed direction. The man had worked for Asami for over 10 years and even if you couldn't see it he knew his boss was worried.

The kid was having trouble breathing and he had lost consciousness just after Asami had found him. He was crying in his sleep and whining "sssh Akihito ssh…. It's okay"

They arrived at the hospital and Asami quickly carried Aki to the ICU, a doctor came running to him. He had already informed the hospital of their visit. The doctor told him to wait in the waiting room and that he would be told when there was news.

04/20 12:37 Sunday

Asami sat down in the room for about 10 minutes before getting annoyed and walking towards the doors where Akihito had gone threw ten minutes earlier. He opened them ignoring the nurse trying to stop him. He made a mental note that he had to tighten the security.

The doctor he had spoken with before came towards him "Asami-sama what are you doing here?" the man spoke with fright obviously hearable in his voice. "How is Akihito?" he was quite a patient man but anything to do with his lover made him worry, "We just finished examenating him.' "and?" Asami asked raising a eyebrow "well, his blood pressure was too high…." "Are the babies okay?" "Yes, as of now they seem to be fine, a incident like this shouldn't happen again. He will not have as much luck as now. There was no major damage because he had help this fast, if it was later the babies might not have survived."

"So I can see Akihito?"

"Well, he needs rest and he is still unconscious. The most important matter right now is waking up. He might be confused when he wakes up, I doubt he will remember the incident he was in shock after all." "You should be very careful with what you say to him, he can't have any more stress. He needs absolute rest."

"And the wounds on his arms?"

"We removed the pieces of glass, but some of the cuts where very deep so he shouldn't use his arms for a while."

"When can I take him home?"

"I don't know yet, it al depends on how fast he will recover."

Asami growled "I see, where is he now?"

"At the end of the hall the door on the left. He has a private room like you wanted Asami-sama."

Asami turned around and walked to Aki's room. He entered without making any sound and softly sat down on the chair next to Aki. He brushed some stay locks out of the kid's eyes. His lover looked awfull, as if he was on deaths door; the pale skin, bandaged arms, the heart monitor and the IV dripping fluid into the kid's veins. The entire sight was heartbreaking for Asami.

He was a man that never admitted that he made a mistake, simply because of the fact that he never made mistakes. But this time he did admit his mistake; he had been stupid enough to talk with Akihito on the phone while working. It was a silly mistake; he had known that there was a big chance of the deal going wrong. If he hadn't picked up than the kid wouldn't be in this state.

A soft noise coming from Akihito's mouth made Asami snap out of his thoughts. "Akihito?" He bended so his ear was in front of Aki's mouth

"A...sa….mi…."

"Hey how are you feeling?"

Akihito didn't answer, he just stared at Asami with his big hazel eyes.

"Akihito?"

"…"

"Akihito? Can you hear me?"

"…"

Asami was starting to get worried. Why wasn't he answering? He was just planning to get a nurse when he saw that Akihito was crying.

"Akihito what's wrong? Are you in pain?"

Aki shook his head "Asami, I am… I am sorry *sob* I really didn't want to hurt them *sob* I am sorry." Asami quietly cursed, Akihito wasn't supposed to remember. He softly whipped Akihito's tears away.

"Shh… It's okay Akihito, the babies are fine, relax." He gentaly placed a kiss on top of Akihito's head. "I am going to get the doctor, do you think you will be okay?" Aki nodded "You will be back soon right?" Asami could hear the fright in his lover's voice "I will be right back"