#Shibuya Special Ward

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

HOW TO WAKE UP "LOST IN TRANSLATION."

PIC INFO: Resolution at 1080×1919 -- Spotlight on Mei Pang, a.k.a., @meicrosoft in Shibuya City, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan, c. early 2024 (possibly late 2023), published 10 months ago.

Source: www.picuki.com/media/3243896546986528217.

[buttercupblu]

Satoru's Psyche|Teaser

"Now…would you say that human nature led me to this? Or am I a product of the cards I've been dealt?"

🗂️Patient File: Patient Gojo has been admitted to a specialized psychiatric hospital following a compulsive massacre and assault on the city of Shibuya|Causes/triggers that led to the patient’s mental decline and subsequent carnage in Shibuya are currently speculative; however, they are suspected to be linked to a prolonged period of confinement within a cube-like structure. Information regarding the mechanics of this structure and the patient’s history remain undisclosed to the ward and the public.  🩺Job Description: You are the only nurse in Tokyo—specifically assigned by an unknown secret society related to the patient—who is able to manage and care for patient Gojo. His violent and erratic behavior has left multitudes of staff members in shambles and disarray as he quickly disposed of them one after another. But for reasons unknown—a complete mystery to yourself as well—you have somehow managed to cross Gojo's barriers and earn his approval to be his one and only caretaker. Your duties include: daily routine patient care, observation and monitoring, therapy, adherence to protocol, and thorough documentation to be directly reported to the Director at the end of every shift. Be wary: Patient Gojo exhibits characteristics consistent with an extensive history of manipulation, obsessive behavior, and charismatic engagement. The patient's ability to charm and manipulate requires that staff be particularly cautious about their own psychological well-being. Exercise heightened emotional regulation and remain professional at all times to ensure that personal feelings do not affect judgment or quality of patient care. 📋Length of Admission (w.c): 10 unpredictable intervals 💊Intake Chart (tags): Patient is prone to: sporadic fits of violence; manipulation; flirtatious conduct, verbiage, and assault; over-obsessive tendencies; fluctuating attachment styles, narcissistic dialogue, and an insatiable compulsive urge to [REDACTED]. 🏥Orientation: August 14, 2024 [OUT NOW]

doctor's angel's note: - Check the acknowledgment box (like) - Forward your copy (reblog) to accept this position. - Sign below (comment) to subscribe to the patient's weekly updates (tag list). S/O: @blkkizzat for the teaser inspo|Check out their teaser of the juicy, delectable Yakuza!Toji x Reader story that I cannot wait to get my hands on, The Nursery

[yoga-onion]

Perfect Days 

A film I watched between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day was Wim Wenders “Parfect Days (’23)”. A story with no beginning and no end, with timeless images and music that made two or three rounds, I was unintentionally living in the film.

The film depicts the analogue daily life of a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, but before you know it, your heart is filled with ‘Oh, I know this person’ or some other very ordinary daily routine that emerges as a special scenary.

The film is set in downtown Tokyo, Asakusa, around Sumida and Shibuya wards, all purely tourist destinations, but this is the traditional Tokyo, the town of modest people in the Edo period. So both outsiders and insiders can fully identify with it.

It quietly depicts the most powerful strengths of the weak. Despite being in the unspoken battlefield of everyday life, he transcends it. He does not miss the sunlight through the trees or the joy. He never fights, and yet he lives unaffectedly, without giving in: ‘That's the kind of person I want to be’. It is reminding us of Kenji's masterpiece: ‘Against the rain, against the wind... never greedy, never angry, always quietly smiling...’

Am I the only one who saw true ‘Zen ideology’ and ‘ Emptiness’ in such a character?

Is Mr Wenders a reincarnation of Saigyo or Basho?

While I was thinking about this and that, the TV went on to the Hakone Ekiden marathon, a New Year's tradition, with a spectacular view of Mt Fuji and a sky reminiscent of Hokusai's ukiyo-e prints, and thought to myself that New Year in Japan is jolly good.

I had truly ‘Perfect Days’.

パーフェクト・デイズ

大晦日から元日にかけて、わたしが観たお正月映画は、ヴィム・ヴェンダース監督の『Parfect Days (‘23)』だ。始まりも終わりもないストーリー、タイムレスな映像と音楽に２周、３周しているうちに、思わず映画の中に住んでいた。

東京の公衆トイレ清掃員のアナログな日常を描いた作品で、「あ、こういう人知ってる」とか、ごく普通のあるあるの日常が、特別なイメージになって浮き出され、いつの間にか胸が一杯になっている。

映画の舞台は東京の下町、浅草、墨田区、渋谷区といった純粋な観光地だが、これこそが真の東京であり、江戸庶民の町である。だから、外の人間も内の人間も十分に共感できる。

弱者の最強なストレングスを静かに浮き彫りにする。日常という暗黙の戦場の中にいるにもかかわらず、彼はそれを超越している。決して戦わず、尚も屈することなく、淡々と生きている、「サウイフモノニ ワタシハナリタイ」。「雨ニモマケズ　風ニモマケズ…慾ハナク　決シテ瞋ラズ　イツモシヅカニワラッテヰル…」あの賢治の名作すら思わせる。

そんな人物像に真の「禅の思想」「空」を見たのは、わたしだけだろうか？

ヴェンダースさんはもしや、西行、または芭蕉の転生なのでしょうか？

そんなことをあれこれ考えていたら、テレビは正月恒例の箱根駅伝をを映し出していた。富士山の絶景と北��の浮世絵を思わせる空を見て、日本のお正月はいいなあ、と。

まさに「パーフェクト・デイズ」だった。

[assmaster-8000]

no because what if gojo satoru had found another special grade child. a child whom the jujutsu higher-ups wanted satoru to mentor because they'd be a useful trump card to the jujutsu society so naturally they'd want this child's talent to be honed till they potentially surpass satoru and be used. but satoru had seen too much of what this world had done to the person he'd love the most and he wouldn't ever be the one to subject another person to it like a tool. like a weapon. like a machine. so of course he takes them under his wing and gives them the guidance he never had, suguru never had. a 20 year old prodigy fresh with wounds of loss and grief taking in a child with greatness sitting on their head like a heavy crown cutting into their skin underneath his cape of power and blood stains. satoru is an enigma and even he himself doesn't know if it's because he wants to mold more strong jujutsu sorcerers who will change this world (because what greater irony than the child you wanted to utilize like a cold knife being the one to bring reform right to your door?), or if he wants to give them everything everyone else didn't have (please, he can't have someone follow in suguru's footsteps.), or if being number 1 was too tiring for him (but he doesn't know if it's selfish bringing them up to this blinding spotlight.)

years pass and he vehemently denies the higher ups control over his protégé, his student, his brat. he'll give them control and the means to break out of the shackles of this damned hierarchy. and even if satoru cannot outwardly say it, they're his child. as though he was there at their birth and has been ever since. his child and his best friend and he's their father and their best friend. it's either he sees too much of himself in them or too much of suguru because they're rising to the top fast and he's proud of them and so full of dangerous hope their wings aren't made of wax. (but he'll be there to catch them if they'll ever fall, of course!) they're so strong now. if he was blessed by the heavens and the earth then perhaps they were born of it because look at them go! giving the great gojo satoru a run for his money! not everyone can do that, you know? they're such a great student and person! isn't he such a great mentor?!

so he decides to have faith in them. bring them along with him to shibuya to deal with those reports of special grade curses he was being told about. this is how your teacher deals with these curses! better watch closely because you'll probably have to do it too! he has them positioned on the sidelines to ensure the civilians aren't hurt and if anything, to aid him because they're gonna be the strongest some day too so they can't be lazing a round on their ass all the time.

and they're doing so well until kenjaku comes along. satoru's breath stops and his heart rattles against the prison bars of his ribcage but it isn't the stupor of seeing his lost love that doomed him to the box. his special grade student lurches to -- what, attack kenjaku? pull satoru away? run? it didn't matter what. it was all a blur -- wards him and his body moves on an instinct that's even stronger that the compass needle pointing to suguru's body.

no, no.. that isn't suguru. it's his body and that's not him. somethings not right. but his student is right infront of him and that's them and he can't let anything bad happen to them now. flexing infront of his student can be saved for another day. but it's this mistake that ends up setting him right into kenjaku's trap and the box. the moment his gaze snaps to them and his body is torn between suguru infront of him and them kenjaku sees an opportunity and snaps it up like it's golden.

satoru doesn't even get the mere moment of chained freedom before he's fully trapped in the box. with the special grade student there, kenjaku needs to make it quick. make it count. he does. satoru is pulled into the box and satoru can't even say anything to his student. and he worries in his infinitesimal prison. satoru never usually worries unless if it's his leftovers have gone bad in the fridge.

they'll be alright.

they'll be alright.

they'll be alright, won't they?

they're strong.

they're capable.

they're smart.

he's raised them well they'll be okay they've got friends.

they'll do the right thing.

...

and when satoru finally exits the box he's sees faces changed. they tell him a lot about what they've been through, about what has changed since he's been gone, what changed about them.

he sees yuuji has been weathered with pain and a unique sense of hope.

he sees megumi has been puppeted with the strings of despair by sukuna.

he sees maki has faced the fiery trials and tribulations of this cruel world and bears it like her trophy.

he sees...

he sees nothing of his student. his special student. where are they? injured? somewhere off in the game? will they be back soon? time's a-running out, you know.

he sees the looks his students exchange and his heart drops. he knows. he knows. he knows what must've happened.

they're dead, aren't they?

and he's brought back to the time he carried riko's dead body in his arms and he was met with the disappearing suguru in the crowd and suguru slumped against the wall.

it's happened again.

they tell him they were a hero. that in satoru's absence, they did the heavy lifting and protected shibuya from the full-on destruction it would've suffered if not for them. that if not for them, the jujutsu world would've been left in even deeper disrepair. they saved some of their fellow sorcerers from certain death and suffering! they were the one to grapple with sukuna when he let all havoc ravage the city.

they paid with their life.

all because they were too worried about getting these normal civilians back home safe. about keeping their friends and mentors safe. and satoru wonders if there was someone else worrying about keeping them safe.

... atleast he didn't have to worry about them following in suguru's footsteps and the hatred of regular civilians. they were good of heart and soul. they were strong.

they did the right thing.

and satoru has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that the person he's raised for, what, 10 years? is dead. gone. deceased. that's just preposterous! he was there when they were a snobby little kid and he was there when they were going through that awkward phase and he was there when they were learning more and more as a teenager and where are they now?

sukuna asks him that. "where's that miniature personification of yours? hah, don't tell me they died the last i saw them. have the special grades of this era started to slack off?"

satoru has all the more reason to kill sukuna now. he has to show his students who are watching that he can do it.

even if they will no longer watch him do anything.

[milaisreading]

Good day! I wanna ask you please for scenario about manager spends free day with boys after u-20 match. This chapter when they go to the bowling, meet u-20 etc.

Author: Hope u like this and thank u for the request! Tried to incorporate the idea here as much as possible 🩷

Warnings ⚠️: none in particular. Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue lock belongs to:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

Shibuya Ward (Tokyo)...

Looking at herself one last time in the mirror, (Y/n) nodded her head and took her bag and ran out of her room to the main entrance of thr house. Today was the first day in months where she could relax for a bit and use up all the luxury the oilitside world provided. While she herself wasn't as restricted as the players were, she had certain rules to abide by as well. Some of them were only using the phone Blue Lock provided her, no internet unless she was told by Ego or Anri, no sweets or unhealthy food and similar things. In the past few days she indulged herself in them, as they will soon return to Blue Lock for a special announcement. (Y/n) already had some suspensions on what it was about, since Anri phoned her last night and gave some small details away.

'But for now... I will just relax.' (Y/n) sighed as she put on her shoes, just in time as her father walked out of the kitchen.

"Oh? Going already? Did you take everything?"

"Yes! Phone, wallet, disinfectant gel, wipes, the keys... everything is with me. Don't worry." (Y/n) said as her father nodded his head.

"Good, and keep your guard up. You never know how boys could be."

"Don't worry, dad. It's just Rin we are talking about, you worry too much sometimes." (Y/n) laughed in amusement as her father sighed, nodding his head.

"Yeah... a little bit, but you can't blame me. Just don't stay out for too long and call me in case you need something." Nodding her head, (Y/n) said her goodbyes and ran out of the apartment, hoping Rin's train didn't arrive yet.

'It's 8.15 right now... I need to hurry up since the train from Kamakura arrives at 8.45.' She thought, running down the street to the Shibuya station.

'Thank God it's close to my place.'

By the time (Y/n) had arrived it was 8.35 and the girl was sitting on a bench, looking through her phone. For the past few days every major news station was talking about the Blue Lock vs U-20 match, about the players, Ego and there were even articles that showed her and Anri, even talking about their roles for a bit. While (Y/n) herself was flattered by some of the words used and while the team never made her feel less important, she didn't think she did much. She was just there for her friends-

"Mom, it is her!"

"Rika, it's rude to point."

Looking up from her phone, (Y/n) saw a little girl grinning and pointing at her as the woman kept telling her to stop it.

"I am so sorry, but my daughter saw you at the Blue Lock game. You are their manager, (L/n)-san?" The woman asked nervously and (Y/n) nodded her head, getting up from her seat and walking over to them.

"Y-yes, I am. Did you enjoy the game? Both teams did a great job on the field." (Y/n) said.

'But my friends did a better one!' She thought to herself as the woman nodded her head.

"We did, your number 11 and 10 were quite something else. I never saw such strikers on our filed. My daughter here seems to be more fixated on you though." The woman admitted as the child hugged (Y/n)'s leg.

"Me? I really didn't do anything, but I am flattered." (Y/n) blushed a little and patted the girl's head.

"Not true, I really liked how you kept your cool and were on the call when needed. A lot of the girls in my class are looking forward to join some teams as managers." Rika admitted, fluttering the girl even more now.

"Really? I am happy in that case..."

'Weird... I expected this kind of attention on Rin and Isagi... not on me.'

They talked for a little bit and then the mother took Rika's hand, saying they have to be somewhere. Waving goodbye, (Y/n) sighed to herself, feeling some sort of joy that she had someone look up to her, even a little bit.

"There you are. Did you wait for too long?" Turning around, she saw Rin stopping in front of her and fixing his jacket.

"Not at all! How was the ride from Kamakura?" (Y/n) wondered as they started walking to the exit of the station.

"Crowded and loud at some points, but it's over now."

"I can only imagine, so what do you want to do now? Did you have breakfast? I know a good cafe just around the corner."

Rin nodded his head, as he indeed didn't eat anything out of nervousness, this was basically the first time he was alone like this with (Y/n). While she may just see it as a get together with him, to him it was more like a date.

"Sounds good, I am quite hungry... man it feels nice to eat the food I want and not to stick to Ego-san's food regime." Rin sighed as (Y/n) nodded along, already excited for the (f/f) at the cafe.

"I know! I still can't get over the fact how much chocolate I ate these days... I will miss it once we return~"

"So you are not resigning?" Rin suddenly asked,his heartbeat picking up a pace. (Y/n) raised her eyebrow at the question and shook her head.

"No, I really want to stay in Blue Lock as long as possible. It's weird actually... what a lot of people would view as a prison, really feels like a 2nd home... really couldn't imagine living without you guys now."

Rin felt his face turn a bright red and he coughed, the feeling of happiness bursting in his chest from those last words.

'I basically became irreplaceable to her. I am happy to get to spend the day with her alone... nobody to interrupt me or-'

"Hey! Rin! (Y/n)!" The boy groaned as he heard Chigiri's familiar voice and they both turned to look at the speedster and Bachira.

"Chigiri, Bachira you guys are here too?" (Y/n) grinned as the two stopped in front of them, taking a few deep breaths before speaking.

"We are on our way to meet up with Isagi. And you two? Wanna join us?" Rin was about to protest Bachira's idea but (Y/n) spoke up.

"We were on our way to eat something and... we had nothing planned. Maybe we can join and think of something to do together, the more the better, right?" (Y/n) said, looking at the younger Itoshi. Rin really wanted to say no, to refuse the idea as he wanted this day to be all about him and (Y/n). But as he looked between the two teammates and back at (Y/n), reluctantly nodding his head.

"Sure... sounds fun."

As if just waiting for the opportunity, Chigiri bolted and took (Y/n)'s hand to lead her to the cafe they would meet up with Isagi.

"I know you tried to spend the day alone with (Y/n)."

"What's it to you even?" Rin asked as he glared at Bachira, who just sent him a wicked grin.

"I am just warning you now... don't do that again. (Y/n) is too precious to be with a guy with brother issues." That struck a nerve, which was quite visible to Bachira and he laughed while walking in front of him.

"(Y/n) will pick me in the end anyways, you better get used to the idea." Bachira snickered, knowing he pissed the younger Itoshi off.

'That little bastard... like hell he will.'

"Man, and Teieri-san didn't say what this phase is even about?" Bachira pouted as he leaned his head against (Y/n)'s shoulder. Chigiri ignored the slight irritation he felt at that and spoke up too.

"Whatever it is, at least we will be in this together."

"True! It would be so weird with one of you guys missing, by the way when did Isagi say he will arrive?"

"He texted me saying he was on the way... that was like 30 minutes ago."

As the trio were chatting, Rin kept sending them cold stares from time to time. Well, they were more directed at Bachira and Chigiri, who stole the two spots next to (Y/n), so he was now forced to sit at the other side.

'Lucky bastards.'

"Huh? (Y/n) and Rin, you two are here too?" The group of 4 turned to look at Isagi, who had a mixture of confusion and delight on his face.

"Finally decided to show up, Lukewarm." Rin noted as the boy sat next to him, giving him a glare.

"Shut up, the traffic was bad. Anyways, how have you guys been? Feels nice to be outside."

Isagi's voice turned softer once he turned to look at (Y/n).

'Bachira get your head away from there!' The boy thought with a tight smile.

"Will anyone else join us?"

"I texted Nagi and told him where we will be. Hiori lives too far away so he couldn't meet up with us. Niko couldn't come and Kunigami had something to do today." Isagi explained to Chigiri as the group hear some loud noises nearby.

"Huh? Hey, the rest of the team is here too." (Y/n) said as she got up, making Bachira groan as he sat up straight.

"And they didn't call us? Rude." The yellow-eyed boy snickered as he ran to where the group was.

"It's not like we did either."

"At least we are together now." (Y/n) whispered to Chigiri as they followed Bachira, leaving Isagi and Rin alone.

"This is so annoying. I planned this day out for (Y/n) and I... not you lukewarms."

Isagi snapped his head to Rin and sent him a nasty look.

"Well I am happy it didn't work out for you... Poor (Y/n) would have suffered from the boredom. Also don't try to hard, (Y/n) might not show it too much, but it's clear that I am her favorite."

"What do you want to say with that, Isagi?" Rin challenged the smug boy.

"Nothing~"

'Damn this team.' Rin thought as he followed after Isagi. His cold look softening a little when he saw (Y/n) laugh at some joke Aryu said.

'At least she is happy... I think this won't be that bad.'

Later during the day the group went to an arcade where Nagi was waiting for them. While they were playing, (Y/n) and Aryu sneaked out to look at some of the stores nearby. But that moment was short lived, as 10 minutes later Otoya, Reo and Karasu joined them, having noticed the duo missing. And while Reo was trying to let him to buy her something, Aryu was getting scolded for 'stealing their time with the manager.'

"Not my fault you all have the fashion sense of a rat and (Y/n) rather does these things with me." Which earned him a wave of protests from Otoya and Karasu, saying they dressed rather well.

"The pizza here is very nice~ Why aren't you playing?" (Y/n) asked she took a bite from her slice, looking at Yukimiya in confusion.

"No reason, I like bowling more when watching. The pizza is good?" The boy asked, looking over her shoulder a few times.

"It is! It's good such a bowling alley has good food. I am still confused how you got the U-20 team into playing with you."

"Beats me. Isagi and Bachira sure find trouble sometimes." Yukimiya said, both watching as Rin scored a point for them.

"Go Rin!" The group cheered.

"Here! You can have my piece too." Yukimiya said, handing it to the reluctant girl.

"This is your thought. I can't-"

"Yes you can. I ate too much there past few days anyways." Yukimiya laughed nervously as he watched Baro scare one of the U-20 players away.

'Thank God she isn't paying attention to them." The brown-haired boy thought, smiling fondly at the girl.

"Did you get any rest since the game? It was quite stressful on everyone." (Y/n) asked, looking at the brown-haired boy.

"Sure, I slept a lot these past few days. I am all ready for whatever Ego-san has prepared now. And you?"

"Yeah, I can't wait till we are back at the headquarters. I missed the chaos a little."

(Y/n) said as Otoya and Karasu joined them.

'Whatever Ego-san had planned will sure be a mess... but a good one.' (Y/n) thought as the four started talking about their break while the rest were enjoying the small competition with the U-20 team.

[774]

番号の順番は、明治の東京15区時代以来の慣習で、千代田区を中心に「の」の字を書くようにして順番を定めるというものによる。 以下は、各23区の番号、市区町村コード、英語表記をまとめたものである。英語で特別区は「special wards」で表現されるが、各区は「city」と表現されるようになった。 番号 市区町村コード 特別区 city 01 13101 千代田区 Chiyoda 02 13102 中央区 Chuo 03 13103 港区 Minato 04 13104 新宿区 Shinjuku 05 13105 文京区 Bunkyo 06 13106 台東区 Taito 07 13107 墨田区 Sumida 08 13108 江東区 Koto 09 13109 品川区 Shinagawa 10 13110 目黒区 Meguro 11 13111 大田区 Ota 12 13112 世田谷区 Setagaya 13 13113 渋谷区 Shibuya 14 13114 中野区 Nakano 15 13115 杉並区 Suginami 16 13116 豊島区 Toshima 17 13117 北区 Kita 18 13118 荒川区 Arakawa 19 13119 板橋区 Itabashi 20 13120 練馬区 Nerima 21 13121 足立区 Adachi 22 13122 葛飾区 Katsushika 23 13123 江戸川区 Edogawa

東京特別区23区の番号について 解説/説明 - 知識 - シマウマ用語集

[aliensupersyn]

3b. Part 2: Gojo, Cursed Objects, and WW2

Overall thesis for this project: Godzilla and Mothra create the cultural context of creatives using powerful monsters (or kaiju) to disrupt Japanese bureaucracy and society, usually to make some larger criticism.

Manga spoilers below!

In a post-Godzilla Japan, the kaiju character, the monster, often challenges and disrupts the stability of the status quo. The disruption often exposes negative traits and limitations of those in power, criticizing the authority's abilities. The kaiju might act as a party separated from other warring factions; the kaiju might be integrated into one or more of the story's main factions; and finally, there can be more than one kaiju present, each with their own individual goals. In All-Out Attack, Godzilla appears first. To stop Godzilla from destroying Japan, the three gurdian deities must be summoned: Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. I argue that the kaiju narrative not only exists beyond cinema, but that Japanese creatives use certain specifications from older works to reimagine the classic plot of Gojira (1954).

As a kaiju, Gojo represents the eventual need to step beyond the limitations those in power place on an individual. Anything with more power than the self-preserving sovereign will be seen as a threat (Rika possesses Yuta, Yuji hosts Sukuna, and both are sentenced to death). Gojo's mastery of jujutsu, and his massacre of the Higher-Ups, demonstrates a scenario where a person can evolve beyond the system. Gege uses Gojo to argue that justice or an ideal fairness cannot be found in the self-preserving system, because it will always choose to neutralize or eliminate the possibility of something greater than itself, regardless of whether it be a force of good or bad. After Shibuya, the Higher-Ups sought to contain Gojo like they have Sukuna: trapped in a cursed object, and finally beholden to their unmerciful control.

Beyond the usual conventions of the kaiju narrative that I've discussed until now, there exists another important factor. The kaiju narrative must always place Japan under threat of destruction from a great power, usually by a monster. Absinthe makes the point that in the kaiju film narrative, Japan will almost always be the victim. He says that "In Gojira the monster destroys and shatters Tokyo but importantly stays and even in Mosura [(Mothra, 1961)] and Gamera [(1965)] there is this sense that the monster has taken over," emphasizing the importance for one or more of the kaiju to threaten Japan's freedom and sustentation. Demon City Shinjuku released in 1982, and was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri; the animated movie depicts Shinjuku, a special ward of Tokyo, being destroyed by Rebi Ra, then overrun by demons. During World War 2, the 1945 Tokyo air raids destroyed a vast majority of Shinjuku's infrastructure, but the railways and transit remained mostly intact. The enduring transit system aided in Shinjuku becoming the metropolitan area it exists as today.

Anime and manga overtly reference Shinjuku's dark history, often using it as a site where demons or misfortune strikes. Meta-textually, even when removed from its history as a victim of air raids, it exists near Tokyo. Placing misfortune within Shinjuku communicates the near collapse of Tokyo, Japan's heart. In Code Geass, the Britannian army destroyed Shinjuku via air raids. In the story's present, Shinjuku remains as a ruined ghetto in the now occupied Japan, which was renamed Area 11 after its defeat by Britannia. Moving past all the implications of Code Geass' story, I want to focus on Gege's use of Shinjuku as a battlefield within JJK. The final arc of JJK was titled "The Decisive Battle in the Uninhabited, Demon-Infested Shinjuku," effectively marking Shinjuku as a 'demon city.' "Demon-Infested Shinjuku" reads as a clever nod to Kawajiri, and also an important framing for the battle taking place between Sukuna and the remaining cast; everyone uses every skill they have as they participate in a clash of titans that tears the city apart. If he defeats the cast, Sukuna unleashes an unstoppable monster that will destroy Tokyo, then the rest of the world after.

In modern Japanese pop culture, Shinjuku serves as an example of a trope developed through repetition across titles. Not only does Shinjuku itself act as a trope to depict a losing battle against a stronger enemy (Gojo's defeat against Sukuna), but also as an interchangeable setting to convey an approximate danger looming over Tokyo, and more importantly, Japan. Like in All-Out Attack, the other monsters gather to defend Japan from Sukuna, the king. In both titles, the monsters do not fight to protect the Japanese government or care about it's infrastructure. The cast of monsters reduce parts of Tokyo to rubble in their fights; they must, to convey the threat that Japan faces in this awesome battle between kaiju. In All-Out Attack, the guardian deities' motivations were mostly unknown, except for a desire to kill Godzilla. In JJK's "Demon-Infested Shinjuku," the cast members come from all different walks of life, and have their own goals in mind, but they all agree that Sukuna needs to die for one reason or another.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, the kaiju takes many roles. Sukuna throws Japan's government into disarray with a devastating attack that wipes Shibuya off the face of the earth. Maki destroys an important pillar of jujutsu society's government. Gojo puts the final nail in the coffin and kills the bureaucratic powers. The kaijus act within and outside of the established government. The kaiju most importantly exposes the weakness of the setting's government, and in the case of anime and manga, the sovereign will almost always be a bureaucratic system.

Notes:

What's funny is that Yaga got the boot for simply being responsible for Gojo and Geto. They were MAD!

I think a vast majority of anime fans doubt the influence that World War 2 has on Japanese pop culture, and especially anime and manga.

Someone once mentioned to me somethin about Gege's interest in urban areas and infrastructure. I hope this person finds this update interesting!

Sukuna section(s) next!

[mayimkjs]

Trying to figure out Mikoto's moves through out MeMe

This is part 2 to my post about finding the train the Mikoto takes in Double. I highly recommend reading that first as that will provide some context to this post.

Since I have no proper place to put this, I'll put it here. I will not be trying to figure out what company he works at because it doesn't exist. In general, you aren't allowed to name drop an actual company in a story like this.

First, lets talk about how Tōkyo is set up. Tōkyo is a prefecture, not a city. It's officially referred to as Tōkyō-to (東京都), or Tōkyo Metropolis. The part that most people think of when they think about Tokyo, are the Special Wards. These are where the historical border of Tokyo City was in 1936 before it was abolished and turned into the prefecture that it is today on July 1st 1943. Some of the 35 wards that existed in 1936 merged into the 23 wards we have today. Then there are the cities, towns, villages and islands. On the mainland, this region of Tokyo is called the Tama Area.

Within the wards, there are 2 regions; Yamanote (山の手) and Shitamachi (下町). Yamanote contains upper-class areas west of the Imperial Palace. The specific wards in Yamanote are Shibuya, Shinjuku, Nakano, Suginami and Meguro. Shitamachi contains Chuo, Taito, Arakawa, Sumida, Koto, Edogawa, Katsushika ans Adachi. Chiyoda, Minato and Bunkyo are shared by the 2.

In Chiyoda,

Shitamachi has the Kanda area

Yamanote has the Kōjimachi Area

In Minato,

Shitamachi has Shinbashi, Higashi-Shinbashi and Nishi-Shinbashi

Yamanote has the Azabu and Akasaka Areas

In Bunkyo,

Shitamachi has Nezu and Sendagi

Yamanote has the rest of the Hongo Area and all of the Koishikawa Area

The 2 regions have vague definitions as they are defined more on culture than geography.

So now, let's talk about Mikoto. I believe that he never leaves Shibuya in MeMe. As we know, Mikoto preffers to bike instead of take the train. In total, Shibuya is 15.11 km2 or 5.83 sq mi big. So biking around the whole city would not be unimaginable.

By the texts in Double, we can assume that he's leaving to go to work. If we are going with this, that means that he would live in Harajuku.

The picture on his prisoner card is in Ebisu 3-Chome. A chōme is a district of a town. So 3-Chome would be the 3rd district. 3-Chome is the biggest residential area out of the 4 that Ebisu has, having about 4,700 residents as of January 1st 2023.

So here's what I think happened. Mikoto leaves home and takes the train to Ebisu on a day that he knows his victim will be out very late. There are plenty of nooks and carneys around the back of the station that he could dip into. So when the guy passed him, Mikoto got his attention then killed him. Mikoto was then able to walk back to Harajuku undetected by taking backroads that don't have street lights. Or he could have just taken the train back since it was probably towards the end of the service day.

[catncore]

for kingdom hearts muses there's some information to know about my hanekoma since he's only alluded to in Dream Drop Distance with the CAT mural. the implications of DDD are massive between him and joshua and i have a lot of feelings about them.

hanekoma is first and foremost, an angel, an observer from the true kingdom heart, but looking at him you wouldn't be able to tell. he's very good at hiding that fact and most people are none the wiser. while shibuya was lost to the realm of darkness and joshua was in the sleeping traverse town, he was in the waking traverse town and protecting his composers body so that way the city wouldn't be entirely lost and he didn't lose his closest person.

while in traverse town, he runs his cafe. he's got a couple different cafe's but theres only one in traverse down at current; located in the first district near Geppetto's house and across from the tavern. he isn't known to leave this shop unless absolutely necessary because the shop is heavily warded. if he steps outside the ward, heartless are instantly drawn to him because of the fact he's an angel and the light inside of him. if he leaves, he expects a fight so there better be a good reason.

his primary use is synthesis when friendship is unlocked with him. he's known to make unique items that tend to be above skill level with the moogles (to whom he is at war with). his special skill, beyond making coffee and giving advice about worldly affairs, is making key chains for new weapons. he is very, very skilled in that, but he won't tell you too much about why. maybe one day he'll tell you.

because he's an angel, he's got the ability to travel the worlds. he doesn't need to worry about travel via means of gummy ship. he's able to fly himself and in the event he isn't in traverse town; he's looking for leads on how to get shibuya restored. it won't be too terribly uncommon to find him randomly in a different world looking for information, or obtaining items of his own.

he loathes the following heartless: any and all purebred heartless, behemoths, hot rods, morning stars and angel star.

he's also got very strong feelings about yensid making children fight an adults war.

[lovedrunkheadcanons]

Chapter Contents

(Arranged Marriage Fic) Read on Ao3

Rated M

The evil that took place inside the New National Theater on July 8, 2014, would go down as possibly the most egregious act of domestic terrorism in modern Tokyo since the subway sarin attacks of 1995, where followers of the Aum Shinrikyo movement dispersed sarin bombs into five Tokyo Metro stations, killing 13 people and injuring thousands. By contrast, the theater’s death toll would be 50 times that amount, and when the night was through, a reported 663 people would be dead, 80 missing, and more than 1,000 left severely injured. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the seismic activity of the devastation could be felt from Shibuya all the way to the outer east wards of Edogawa and Tokyo Bay. Nearly ⅔ of the theater would be reduced to a crumbling ash heap, including the left side of Opera City Tower, and 158 neighboring buildings would have their windows completely shattered, destroying 74 vehicles, and causing an estimated ¥83 billion worth of damage. After conducting a full investigation, the NPA (National Police Agency) would accuse the Aum Shinrikyo movement of once again being responsible for the attack, stating the doomsday cult had detonated a bomb containing up to 3,000 tons of TNT, and were now evading police. Tokyo would be placed on lockdown until the suspects were apprehended. The whole city would undergo a state of mourning. 

Except that wasn't how it happened.

This would be a lie fabricated by the Japanese government to elude the public from knowing the truth. The truth that the attack was not of human making. That despite the whole of jujutsu society gathered in attendance, and the strongest protective spells safeguarding the perimeter, a special-grade curse managed to bypass security and seal the entire theater within its Domain, thus obliterating most of the building and killing the majority of guests and staff inside, resulting in a bloodsport of devastation and carnage.

Hannah didn’t know how much time had elapsed since the ceiling caved. She thought to have heard alarm bells blaring someplace but perhaps that was more in part to the faint ringing in her ears. The acrid smell of smoke and debris still lingered, though not as strong as before. She felt no pain. Had no trouble breathing. Actually, as strange as it seemed, she felt she was lying peacefully underneath a shaded canopy. Could this be Heaven, she thought. Interesting. For having been quashed to death by a collapsed concrete ceiling, Heaven felt surprisingly more…embracing than she imagined. Smelled nice. Warm. Had a heartbeat even.

“You okay?”

Hannah slowly peeled her eyes open to find her nose buried in Satoru’s shirt. He had used his Infinity as a buffer, shielding them from the impending rubble. She looked around, trying to collect her bearings, dazed from the noise and confusion. She had taken no serious hurt. Nothing felt broken or injured, no missing limbs. All indications she was very much alive and had not gone to Heaven. Blinking rapidly, she sat up in her husband’s arms, expecting to see a war zone: burning fire, ambulance lights, search and rescue parties frantically scouring for dead bodies beneath the wreckage. Instead she saw darkness. And like an open reservoir, the immediate past came flooding back to her in disorienting waves: People are dead. She took a sharp inhale, placing a convulsive hand to her mouth.

“Oh, God,” she whispered in a shaky, distracted voice she hardly recognized as her own. “It’s my fault.”

“What?” Satoru said, looking at her like she had gone looney.

“It’s my fault.”

“What’s your fault?”

“Everything!” she shrilled, almost hysterical. “T-The green lights, the demons I didn’t know weren’t actually demons, the curse, everything. The Sight showed me everything, but I was confused, I failed to make the connection, and now all those people are…those people are…”

She covered her face in her hands. Satoru had heard her cry before - at night from the other side of her bedroom - but this was different. This was how she cried, in earnest, when she was wide awake. She barely made a sound. It was eerily quiet, a long, drawn out pause with every quivering inhale as the sobs racked her body. She had taught herself to cry this way, he thought. Silent, so no one would know. It made his own heart break, and with tenderness he didn’t know he was capable of, he pulled her close to him.

“Shhh, it’s alright,” he soothed, resting his chin on her crown. “I’ve got you. Don’t cry.”

“I should have said something,” she blubbered into his shoulder. “They’re dead because of me.”

Satoru forced her to look at him then, cupping the back of her head and tilting it upwards. Their eyes met, face to face.

“I don’t want to hear those words come out of your mouth. Do you understand? Not ever.”

“But it’s true,” she sobbed. “I could’ve prevented this. I could’ve stopped it from happening. That’s the whole reason I’m here. If I can’t predict the future, what good am I?”

“That doesn’t make you responsible for their deaths, Hannah.” Satoru was the most serious he had ever been with her. “The curse did this, not you. It’s not your fault.” He emphasized each word with a mild shake of her shoulders. “You are not to blame.”

Hannah felt her husband's embrace tighten around her, face flush against his chest so she could hear the steady rhythm of his heart, drowning out any excess noise around them. His unique scent of coffee and vetiver was comforting. And like an infant being gently rocked to sleep, she felt her pulse abade and her breathing even out almost immediately. He kept rumbling soporific words in her hair, “You’re alright. Don’t cry,” as he swayed gently back and forth. Hannah closed her eyes and said nothing. The tears stopped flowing. They remained like that for a few minutes before Satoru stopped swaying and fished out his phone. She heard him repeatedly fiddle with the screen, pressing and tapping, yet no matter how many times he pushed the power button, the device wouldn’t turn on. He eventually gave up and placed the phone back in his pocket.

“Welp, should I tell you the good news first, or the bad news?”

Hannah looked up, sniffling. “There’s good news?”

“Okay, good news it is,” he chuckled, rubbing her arms up and down. “The good news is we’re not trapped inside an actual Domain. This Expansion is incomplete.”

She blinked. “Really? How do you know?”

Satoru adjusted his hold on her. “Domain Expansion is a cursed technique. Activating it requires unprecedented amounts of cursed energy. A normal person would die from the exposure, but you’re not dead, so <em>yay</em>. No real Domain.”

“Alright,” Hannah said, biting her lip. “And the bad news?”

“The bad news is while this Domain may be incomplete, you can’t just find the nearest exit and walk out. In theory you could try using jujutsu to break through. Only problem is it wouldn’t eliminate the source and leave you vulnerable to attack. Plus, if there are any survivors down here, recklessly breaking the Domain might unintentionally kill them.”

Her stomach dropped. “So, what you’re saying is we’ll have to go out there and exorcize…the…” Hannah couldn’t bring herself to finish. She didn’t want to. Here they were, imprisoned like two flies in a bottle, and their only means of ensuring everyone made it out alive was to eradicate the curse before it eradicated them.

“Yup.” Satoru dipped his chin. “Sounds about right.”

Hannah felt her resolve collapse like the ceiling. She whimpered and began shimming away, but Satoru wouldn’t let go.

“Hey, hey, hey.” He pulled her in for another hug. “Everything is gonna be fine, Hannah. Exorcizing the curse will be a piece of cake.”

“For you, maybe,” she said. “In case it slipped your notice, I’m not a sorcerer.”

“Exactly,” Satoru quibbed. “You have the easiest part. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the show.”

“The show?” She shot him an incredulous look. “Satoru, that thing just killed hundreds of innocent people and is now roaming around the place, looking to eat us.”

All right. She had a point.

“Fine,” he admitted. “But would you want to stay here by yourself and let me handle it on my own?” Hannah made no reply at that and pressed herself closer to him. He cradled her head and snickered. “Mmhm, thought so. Speaking of which, did you bring that knife I gave you?”

With quick, shaky hands Hannah disentangled herself from his embrace and unclasped the notch of her evening bag. She rummaged inside for a minute and took out a short handheld tantō. Irakusa was its name, or “Stinging Nettle,” due in large part to the leafy green silk wrapped around its hilt. Satoru had loaned it to her after training one morning. It was nothing special. The slender blade reached no farther than her forefinger, tip slanted like the point of a katana; a Cursed Tool; Japanese surgical steel; wicked sharp. He had told her to carry it with her in public at all times.

“Atta girl,” Satoru said, eyeing the tool. He then took her evening bag from her and hurriedly stuffed it in his pocket with his phone, glancing sparingly at the diamond cuffs on her wrist. Accessories would hinder her movement and attract unwanted attention. “Better hand me those too while you’re at it too. And the gloves.” Hannah did what she was asked, slipping off the jewelry and satin gloves for him to hoard inside his pockets, but she could keep the earrings. Fitting what he could inside, he reached forward and grabbed her ungloved hand. “Come on. Staying put won’t do us any — Wait, what are you…?”

She hadn’t surrendered the knife. Gojo could do nothing except watch her drag the small tactical blade up the side of her dress, embellishments and crystal beads haphazardly popping off as it sliced through the chiffon like an orange peel, revealing a smooth leg underneath.

“I can’t run in this,” she answered him, rotating her newly freed leg. “Now I can.”

Satoru released his breath. Seeing her turn the blade on herself had caused him to panic for a second, and he wasn’t quite sure how she knew where to cut with such limited lighting, but he had to say. The idea was pretty smart. That is, if you got over the fact she had just carved up a dress worth more than a Ferrari.

He stood guard and waited for her to complete the alterations, careful not to stare too long at her ungartered leg before taking her hand once more.

“Cool. Let’s go.”

“Hold on,” Hannah urged, pulling him back. “There’s something else I need to tell you.” She waited for Satoru to glance back over his shoulder to show he was listening. Hannah squeezed his hand. “The curse. I think it’s a finger bearer. One of Sukuna’s.”

She felt his arm tense up. “Sukuna? You sure?”

She nodded. “It looked almost identical to the one from the Louvre. Had the same markings too.”

Husband and wife stared at each other for a long, almost frightened moment. Satoru’s lips pressed together as he hummed contemplatively, mental gears turning, spinning, thinking. This was bound to complicate matters. If what Hannah said was correct, they weren’t dealing with your average, run-of-the-mill curse. They had to be careful, her more so than him.

“Keep a hold of that knife,” he said, and gave her hand a weak tug before taking the first step.

The Domain gave the impression they were traversing through the inner bowels of some giant worm cave. It was cold and damp. The walls looked wet and the ground was tumbled and dredged in connective tissue like mucosa. Their shoes made an unnatural squelching noise with each perilous step. Hannah imagined the two of them slowly being digested, wandering deeper and deeper inside the Domain, until every last cell in their bodies were reduced to thin soluble mush.

Her toes were blistering from the heels she wore. She thought of taking them off and going barefoot, but every so often they’d catch the dull shimmer of something sharp and metallic reflecting dully off the flesh covered ground like a rusted pipe or an old metal prong.

They eventually came across what looked to be, by all accounts, a colossal bone, obstructing their path like a fallen tree. There was enough space for them to climb over to the other side. Having a much taller physique, Satoru hoisted himself atop the fossilized trunk and reached down for Hannah to grab. “Up-ze-daizey,” he sang in English, pulling her up like a sack of feathers. Hannah found herself wondering more and more how he knew English slang so well and joined him atop the huge bone. He then slid off the other side, landing feet-first on the sodden ground with a loud squash and turned around, holding out his hands for her jump. He caught her by the waist as she fell.

“Watch yer step there, lil’ lady,” he twanged in an American accent as though tipping a cowboy hat. He was trying to get her to smile again like he did outside the theater, and it was somewhat working, though the feeling soon dissipated once they turned the next corner.

Hannah blanched at the sight of a wall - if one had the audacity to call it a wall - of blinking round eyeballs. Even in the dark she could make out the red veins branching inside the slimy white sclerae, pupils tracking their every movement. It was hard to guess how many there were. Fifty at least. Maybe twice that. They scuttled quietly towards them, the patter of little crab legs, silent, unspeaking, creeping ever closer. Hannah let out a tiny whimper the nearer they got and eventually Satoru, too, had had enough. He pulled Hannah behind him and glared menacingly at the queasy colony of eyeballs.

“What’re you looking at?” he sneered.

The Six Eyes stopped the tiny beasts dead in their tracks. In a mad scurrying rush, they retreated to the innermost corner of the “wall” where a long jagged hole crusted the isinglass surface like a gaping mouth, slurping them up one by one, until hundreds of hideous bloodshot eyes were staring at them inside that one hollow crack. She felt Satoru tug on her wrist. “C’mon, Hannah. They're not gonna get you.” She was glad when they moved out of their sight.

Satoru led them through intestinal tunnels that snaked and twisted. They tried using the flashlights on their phones again, but the devices were uncooperative. Hannah’s vision had adjusted better to the dark, though she couldn’t see much except her husband's gossamer white hair and the occasional flicker of his blue eyes. They hadn’t reached a dead end, or tripped over anything. There were no signs of the curse. It had her wondering.

“Um, Satoru?”

“Yeah?”

“How do you know where we’re going?”

“Where we’re going? Ha, that’s easy,” he chuckled. “I don’t.”

“No, I mean how can you see in front of you?”

“Oh.”

Hannah collided with him as he abruptly stopped and whipped around, bracing her by the arms so she wouldn’t plummet to the mushy ground.

“Oops, sorry,” he apologized.

Hannah looked at him, his frame towering more than a foot above her. “What’s wrong? Why did we stop?”

“Nothing. I’m just taking a second to answer your question is all.”

He must’ve found Hannah’s look amusing because his soft rumbling laughter echoed throughout the chilling darkness.

“Remember when I told you about my curse technique. About Infinity and the Limitless?”

“Yes, I remember,” she said. “You have the ability to repel and attract things. You showed me.”

“Right, but did I explain how the Six Eyes plays a role in that? What it is they actually do?”

She took a moment to mull it over. No, he hadn’t explained the connection. Fr. O’Malley mentioned the Six Eyes in vague terms, placing emphasis on the Limitless and the bloodshed between the Gojo and Zen’in families, but nothing more. Truthfully, Hannah had no idea what they were other than rare, beautiful colored eyes. What role did they play with the use of Infinity and the Limitless?

Satoru took both her hands and guided them upwards in the dark, gingerly prying the fingers open so they could cup his jawline. She saw him perfectly now, the lustrous pools of turquoise blue swirling down at her. The sky. She was holding the sky in her hands.

“The Six Eyes is an ocular jujutsu technique with many uses,” he began carefully. “Anyone in the Gojo family can inherit the Limitless, but it’s only those born with the Six Eyes who can harness its true power. Long story short, these eyes grant me the cognitive ability to see and process cursed energy in precise detail. I can see how it flows, differentiate between other types and use it to my advantage. That’s why I can repel and attract stuff. Because I’m able to distinguish cursed energies so precisely, it allows me to control and manipulate time and space.”

“Incredible,” Hannah said, brushing her thumbs along his cheek bones. “Your eyes can do all that?”

“Mmm, yeah, well sorta,” he said, tapping his forefingers against the sides of his noggin as he kept her hands on his face. “It’s mostly mental. My eyes work in tandem with my brain which is how I process everything; Kind of like how a super computer can sort copious amounts of data faster and more efficiently than normal computers. I can also identify things from great distances and see through solid objects.”  

“Solid objects?”

“Yup; concrete, steel, brick, you name it,” he said, candidly listing them off with ease. “Like Superman’s x-ray vision.”

A dismal laugh escaped Hannah’s lips. Leave it to Satoru to make a comic book reference. She lowered her hands from his face and began playing with his wrinkled shirt collar. The bow tie looped around his neck was gone. Her hands glided absentmindedly to a frayed thread unraveling near a button hole and twisted it around her finger. He could see through anything. Solid objects. X-ray vision. Superman…Anything… Anything. Hannah glanced down at the monstrous slit revealing her leg. The epiphany came to her like a bolt from the blue, as if everything she’d come to understand about the universe had suddenly been little more than an ill-conceived hoax and she’d been royally conned. Hannah couldn’t keep the words from spilling out, fingers relinquishing the shirt thread as though it were a live wire.

“Uh, hello? Earth to Hannah.” Satoru waved a hand in front of her pale stricken face. “You’re weirding me out, Princess — Quick, how many fingers am I holding up?”

“Can the Six Eyes see through clothing, Satoru?”

The question punctured him like a sword bayonet through the chest. Damn, this was it, he thought. This was karma; For every action, there was an equal and opposite reaction; eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth; that brutal second arrow hurling towards him at breakneck speed. A third. A fourth. Improbable to stop. All there was left to do now was accept defeat and collect his losses. Would it be right to tell her how he had memorized every mole on her skin; internally traced the ample curvature of her bosom, the tantalizing dip between her thighs he so badly wanted to explore with his steepled fingers? He had to swallow it down.

“Maybe.”

She pressed further.

“How often is ‘maybe?’”

Shit. Lie, Satoru. Tell her it was an accident. Tell her it happened once and you’ll never do it again. Go on, say it. Tell her.

“A couple times,” he confessed, feeling a dampness underneath his shirt. “When you’re alone.” Shut up, Satoru. Shut up. “In the bath.”

There was an awkward pause. Hannah looked down at her shoes with a vacant, inscrutable expression that terrified him for reasons he didn’t want to combat.

“In the bath,” she said. “I see.”

His chest panged with guilty remorse. Dammit, why did he have to open his big fat fucking mouth? He had planned on telling her, explain that nudity wasn’t anything to be self-conscious about, but now that plan had gone to shit. This was the worst possible moment to be having this discussion. He had to think of something, fast.

“Hannah,” he started, gingerly grabbing her by the shoulders. “Believe me, I wanted to tell you sooner, but —“

“You’ve seen me naked, Satoru.”  Her voice dropped a notch. “Without my knowing.”

“I know, I know, and I’m — ”

“There’s a certain word for that.”

“I know, yes, you’re right,” he continued. “You’re totally right, and I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. Most times the act is involuntary.”

Her eyes seemed to shift. A rare sort of fury he hadn’t seen her wear before, like he was confronted with a whole other person and not the sweet, patient Hannah he’d come to know and admire.

“Oh, so it’s involuntary to look at someone when they’re bathing? Men have no control over their actions? Is that what you're saying?”

“What!? No, of course not. I  — ”

“Your eyes have a mind of their own then?!”

“Hannah, that’s not — ”

“You don’t have the right, Satoru.” He could register the notes of betrayal and repressed anguish vying for supremacy in her voice. Her lip trembled, the strained, painful look of someone on the verge of crying again. “None of you have the...”

Fresh tears began cascading down her cheeks and Satoru felt like an important piece of him had crawled into a ditch and died. He had hurt her. She was crying because of something he did, on top of the fact they were tracking a curse that could attack at any moment, but Satoru knew she wasn’t crying because of him being a peeping Tom, no, it was so much more than that.

We’re kindred spirits, you and I.

All his life Satoru was forced to grapple with the unfair reality that he wasn't like normal kids. He could remember himself at five, accompanying Makoto (then his nanny) on the train ride home from preschool. He had to stay behind afterwards for sending a kid to the nurse’s office with a bloody nose - that’s what happened to dweebs who picked on him and called him names - and as last minute passengers were boarding the train, a hulking boulder of a man plodded his way up the boarding ramp and seated himself inside the jam packed coach. The baggy clothes hid the extent of his maladies, but Satoru saw every one.

The dude had a big ole wart sprouting between the sill of his nose. He stank of cheap liquor and urine, was at least a hundred pounds overweight, and his lungs were tarred black from years of heavy chain smoking. But the more pressing issue was the yellow, foamy puss festering out the tip of his limp phallus, indicating he had contracted some sort of STI. That was Satoru’s first real encounter with involuntary nudity. It came without warning. One second he was an innocent, happy-go-lucky kid with perfectly normal vision on his way home from school, and then suddenly, bam, everybody was huddled around him on the train, butt-naked and oblivious. He could see into their bodies: heart defibrillators, bone implants, tampons. That metaphor public speakers use whenever they get nervous, the one where they’re told to imagine the audience sitting in their underwear? Yeah, the Six Eyes took that analogy to new soaring heights, except nudity wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. No, not by a long shot.

For two years after that day, Satoru struggled with life debilitating headaches. His senses were off the charts. He could perceive infrared radiation and ultraviolet light, the full color spectrum thought only visible to arachnids and reptiles. He saw various cursed energies; blobs of red, pinks, and purples splattered every which way, the rarest being a black flash that glowed whenever someone executed the perfect punch, and as he previously mentioned, he could see through solid objects and zoom things in and out of focus: a stag beetle lumbering up the side of a oak tree from three kilometers above, or the microscopic chloroplasts stuffed inside a mulberry leaf like tiny green caviar. However, Satoru did try extra hard not to see through people’s clothing, mostly because it was weird and not always sexy (especially when it was someone he knew), although the structure of fabric was “permeable” in relation to steel and concrete. He often used the analogy of a soap bubble. Trying not to peek through fabric was like trying not to pop a soap bubble. Any loss of focus or slip of concentration, and the bubble would burst. Pop. Bye, bye, clothing.

He gained better control of it as time went on, learning to alternate the varying eyesights like you would a phoropter at a vision exam: infrared, ultraviolet, zoom in, zoom out. Can you see better through lense 1, Mr. Gojo? How bout 2? With added practice the switching became effortless, like breathing oxygen or memorizing the shortcuts on a calculator. It was more tolerable at night, which was why he stupidly left his glasses folded on his dresser, thinking he wouldn’t need them. Idiot. He could already feel the headache clambering up the base of his skull like a brain-sucking leech, and on top of that, he left the Bufferin tablets in the lining pocket of his tails, draped seamlessly along the folded theater seat. Due to his insanely high metabolism, he usually needed twice the recommended dose, but there was a time when no amount of ibuprofen was enough to kill the migraines, and he was taken out of school because of it.

His home education was relatively undemanding, if you set aside the hand lashings he so generously received for having recited the Classic of Filial Piety incorrectly (albeit, on purpose), but by and large he was given the best tutors, trainers, and physicians money could buy, yet for all the privilege and wealth, his spoiled upbringing was a painfully isolated one with almost no freedom. He tended to be rough with the visiting children and prone to bouts of anger, blindly punching his frustrations out on anyone who made fun of his hair, or called him a “freak.” And his family seldom helped in that department, touting him around like an expensive artifact, making it difficult for five year old Satoru to interpret whether he was genuinely loved, or propped up as some kind of rare collectors item; a bargaining chip used to tilt the power dynamic in the Gojo family’s favor after a stagnant 400 years. It was always “Six Eyes that” and “Six Eyes this” and “Here, sweetie, have another cookie.”

Satoru had been told all his life he was special, that the blood of Sugawara no Michizane flowed through his veins and he was destined for greatness. But all it did was make him resentful of the way it had taken over his life. Deep down he wanted people to stop treating him like a hamster on an exercise wheel, and more like a human being. Ask him how he felt for a change. Tell him he was doing a good fucking job and that the higher-ups could go hang themselves cause if he wasn’t the Six Eyes wielder then who was he really?

Hannah knew. Heck, she was one of the few people willing to try. Enough to where he could drop the cocky, jokester routine and be himself. Just him. Just Satoru. He couldn’t necessarily do the same with Shoko, or even his devoted housekeeper who he viewed more as a mother than his actual mother. He was a serious person in Hannah’s eyes, and he felt inclined to believe their friendship wasn’t based solely on the condition they were married. She didn’t treat him like a weapon or an incarnated deity, because she knew. She knew what it was like to have your life dictated by forces beyond your control, and better still, she hadn’t shown signs of being afraid of him since their handshake in the Starbucks. Things had been going so well.

Until the very moment he opened his big fucking mouth.

Nice going, Satoru. Let’s see you try and talk your way out of this one.

He rubbed his face with his hands, like he was washing without water, and blew a vexing sigh. “Look, you can yell at me all you want once we’re back home, but for now we need to stay…Hannah?”

Satoru looked to his side.

Hannah was nowhere to be found.

Chapter Contents

[noodleodoodleo]

The use of town in project SEKAI

Ok so this has been bugging me forever but what does "town" in project sekai actually mean. At first, I just laughed it off like 'haha they say town even though they live in Tokyo one of the biggest cities in the world' but the more I think about it the more it bugs me, is this a translation error? is there some weird nuance in the kanji they use? or does this have something to do with how Japanese cities work? So I went digging and from what I found it's all of the above, kinda.

First of all, I am not a Japanese native and I do not speak Japanese, so I am still not 100% sure about this matter but I'll just recount what I found from my research.

Now onto the first thing I researched could it have something to do with the way Japanese cities are structured? I don't know about cities in general but Tokyo is kinda weird, internationally, Tokyo is seen as a singular entity one big city but the thing is, it's not. Tokyo is more akin to a prefecture with many cities, towns and villages within it. Officially Tokyo isn't even called "Tokyo", it's "Tokyo-to" also translated as "Tokyo metropolis" (at least that's what the official government translates it as), but what difference does that make? Maybe that's just me as a non-native English speaker but I always thought that a metropolis only ever refers to a single big city but one Wikipedia search later reveals that it is not always a singular city but sometimes refers to a "conurbation", after clicking the link on that I found out that means multiple towns, cities, etc that have grown so much they merged into one continuous urban area (oh so that's where the word came from con-tinuous and urban so con-urban). So Tokyo is kinda like that many different cities, towns and villages that sorta merged. So problem solved right the usage of town is just literally one town in the Tokyo metropolis. Wrong, because we know for a fact that they are situated in Shibuya and that's a bit of a problem because Shibuya is a special ward, basically a municipality, which in turn is a small region with it's own local government see cities, towns and villages. Anyway special ward it's special because it's within the borders of where the ancient city of Tokyo was before it was abolished (I know right Tokyo was abolished?!) and well Shibuya is right in the middle of that area completely surrounded by other special wards so no way is there space for another separate town in there.

For an in-game reason as to why the town the people in the vbs story (oh yeah they only ever talk about the town in the vbs story) talk about couldn't be a separate town is the main story: Kohane goes to the cd store, which we know from the map is right by scramble crossing which, if you didn't know about Japanese landmarks, is right in the middle of Shibuya. And the store clerk redirected her to a different store that Kohane could walk to so, clearly, it wasn't far away and Shibuya is not a small area. And well she got lost and ended up on vivid street. That places vivid street and the "town" people talk about close to scramble crossing in the middle of Shibuya. Also, I forgot to mention the "town" people talk about refers to vivid street.

So that's a dead end, maybe it has something to do with the kanji? I know that Japanese is like super ambiguous and contextual while at the same time being hyperspecific so it being a Japanese thing might be a possibility. So I looked up the word for town and immediately there was a problem, Japanese has two words for town and you wanna know the best part? Both can be pronounced "machi" (you know like the song). So what's the difference... and well for one their Kanji one is "町" and the other is "街". So which one does project sekai use? It uses the second one. And apparently the difference is that the first one refers to smaller towns something bigger than a village and the second one refers to something even bigger but still smaller than a city like a village is smaller than 町 and that is smaller 街 and then the city. But can't be it right? If that is really all there is to it then why do they call vivid street that? So I dug deeper and thank god there's more to it than just one is bigger than the other. It turns out that 街, our machi, can also refer to a street or something like a downtown area. Think a few street that are pretty densely populated and referred to as one area, whereas 町 is used for like actual towns that have their own government and stuff. The reason why 町 is seen as smaller is probably because it would be less dense/more rural while 街 is literally just an area in a city see more people more densely populated and more urban. And in that context, the word makes so much sense when referring to vivid street.

The translation is a bit confusing but now that I've delved into this rabbit hole I can see that there really isn't a better translation (at least I couldn't think of one) but it's a bit confusing, especially to an audience that is made to believe that Tokyo is one single city, technically you could say that the special wards of Tokyo could probably just count as the city of Tokyo but that isn't true now is it. I still can't get over that fact like holy shit Tokyo isn't actually a thing.

But this changes literally nothing it might be some interesting trivia but yea have fun with this knowledge.

[uemurra]

Uemura Accounting Office

植村会計事務所 in Shibuya Ward, led by tax expert Takuma Uemura, specializes in IT businesses, startups, and affiliate marketing. Offering nationwide remote consultations, it supports ventures with reliable, professional advice tailored to their needs.

[paradise-in-k4]

File Two: An Unexpected High School’s Impromptu Study Circle for Aspiring Detectives & Magical Girls

Upon further examination into the anomaly that was rumored to be on the West Mountain, it seems that we’ve found a gap. A break in the barrier. A new source of news is coming to us straight from the outside world! It looks like the gap leads to a high school in a place where Sumireko is perhaps too familiar with. But what are you waiting for? Let’s see what happens! It’s not like this’ll be important for the Parallel Satellite Incident… or will it? I dunno, I’m not the one that can manipulate fate. That’s Remilia!

-Aya Shameimaru

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This blog’s already been a place where I can make lore, so I might as well drop it here. Besides, the blog’s multi-muse, multi-fandom, and I already have a place where you can interact with the characters I come up with right here. Overall, it’s probably better than starting a new blog and trying to gather people all over again.

———————————————

“File Two: An Unexpected High School’s Impromptu Study Circle for Aspiring Detectives & Magical Girls” is an original magical girl story that mixes the drama and slice of life stories of early adulthood in high school and the keen eyes of most rudimentary detective fiction, all propped on a backbone semi-template composed of a mix of hope and darkness that also formed a certain longstanding magical girl story called “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” in which this story could possibly even set in a universe where that and other series like Touhou all somehow co-exist as one universe.

Or at least, that’s what I’m going with at the start of this because of roaming interests while waiting for Magia Exedra to release globally sometime before the year ends. Most of this is gonna be rambling in the beginning as I throw bits and pieces of all of these aspects into this personal project, so not everything’s gonna be perfect from minute one.

This post is gonna be my master post on this story until situations need it moved elsewhere, but I know what I’m doing with this. So… yeah, just a heads up, there *might* be a few content advisories, which I’ll drop as needed the more I write on this. There aren’t any yet, but if they need any, I’ll add them here.

As more characters in this story get introduced, that’s more people that you get to see on this blog. Will some of Gensokyo’s muses get thrown into the outside world? Yes. Will some of these new characters get dropped into Gensokyo as pseudo-Touhou original characters? Possibly. Got questions? Ask away!

Everything associated with this project will be tagged as #file two on this blog.

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Original Characters

This list is not exhaustive, and more characters will be added later. Characters listed here can be discussed, so ask me anything you wanna know about them!

Haruka Tsukikaze

Yukari “Kit” Kamimaru - As Described By Jackson

Hinako Takahara

Kasami Suzuki

Hinaka Yomimara

Ren Kawasaki

Shion Moyomi

The Cameos

Other characters from already-existing series that are planned to potentially appear in this story for certain reasons. Links attached to names will go back to their respective character’s profiles, which I’ve written for them.

Sumireko Usami

Kosuzu Motoori

Satori Komeiji

Aya Shameimaru

Yukari Yakumo

The Factions

Groups of people that are either recurring or play a large part in the story. This list is not exhaustive, and many if not all of the factions listed here are intended to be fictional and composed of fictional characters.

The Governing Party of Shibuya

High School’s Cooking Club

High School Performing Arts Program

School Golf Team

Circle of Ophiuchus

The Settings

This story geographically takes place in the special ward of Shibuya in Tokyo, located in the Kantō Region of Japan. While this setting is set in a region that exists IRL, many other relevant smaller organizations and businesses listed are intended to be fictional.

Yoyogi Park

High School

Home Ed. Classroom

Explaining the Seeker System

How do some of the characters become magical detectives? Using some inspirations from existing magical girl series such as Puella and their characters, I built my own ideas on how this system works. Ask away if you’re confused or wanna know more about the terms I listed. I’ll link stuff here as details unfold.

Yoko

Nozomi

The Contract

Transformations

Questions

Seekers

Deniers

Culprits

Lies

Cases

Investigations

Interrogations

Scenes

Final Deduction

Apprehension

Mementos

FAQs

As questions about this series grow, they will be archived here over time. There’s nothing here yet.

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Story Posts

Prologue

Storm Outage

Haruka’s First Day

Yakumo Debtors

Back to the Cooking Club

Yukari’s Big Audition

Kasami’s Championship Match

Exam Season

The Big Night

[char1ottee]

Tokyo🗼

Tokyo, is the capital of Japan and one of the most populous cities in the world with a population of over 14 million residents as of 2023. The Tokyo metropolitan area, which includes Tokyo and nearby prefectures, is the world's most-populous metropolitan area with 40.8 million residents as of 2023, and is the second-largest metropolitan economy in the world after New York, with a 2023 gross metropolitan product estimated at US$2 trillion.

Located at the head of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo is part of the Kantō region on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. Tokyo serves as Japan's economic center and the seat of both the Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central 23 special wards (which formerly made up Tokyo City), various commuter towns and suburbs in its western area, and two outlying island chains known as the Tokyo Islands. Despite most of the world knowing Tokyo as a city, since 1943 its governing structure has been more akin to a prefecture, with an accompanying Governor and Assembly taking precedence over the smaller municipal governments which make up the metropolis.

Prior to the 17th century, Tokyo was predominantly a fishing village and was named Edo. In 1603, however, the city ascended to political prominence after being named the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. By the mid-18th century, Edo emerged as one of the world's most-populous cities with a population of over one million people. Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the imperial capital in Kyoto was moved to Edo, and the city was renamed Tokyo (lit. 'Eastern Capital'). In 1923, Tokyo was damaged substantially by the Great Kantō earthquake, and the city was later decimated by allied bombing raids during World War II in retaliation for Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Beginning in the mid-20th century, Tokyo underwent rapid reconstruction and expansion that contributed to the era's so-called Japanese economic miracle in which Japan's economy propelled to the second-largest in the world behind that of the United States. Tokyo is categorized as an Alpha+ city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and is part of an industrial region that includes Yokohama, Kawasaki, and Chiba. As of 2023, the city is home to 29 of the world's largest 500 companies listed in the annual Fortune Global 500.

In 2020, Tokyo ranked fourth on the Global Financial Centres Index behind New York City, London, and Shanghai. The city is home to the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree, and the world's largest underground floodwater diversion facility, the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel in Kasukabe, Saitama, a Tokyo suburb. The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, which opened in 1927, is the oldest underground metro line in East Asia. Tokyo is recognized as one of the world's most livable cities; it was ranked fourth in the world in Global Livability Ranking, published in 2021.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tokyo has hosted several major international events, including the 1964 Summer Olympics and 1964 Summer Paralympics, the 2020 Summer Olympics, and three G7 summits in 1979, 1986, and 1993. Tokyo is an international research and development hub and an academic center with several major universities, including the University of Tokyo. Tokyo Station is the central hub for the Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed railway network, and Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is the world's busiest train station. Notable special wards in Tokyo include Chiyoda, the site of the National Diet Building and the Tokyo Imperial Palace, Shinjuku, the city's administrative center, and Shibuya, a commercial, cultural, and business hub in the city.

[daisynik7]

my sweet daisy!!! how are you, i hope you’re well and had a marvelous weekend! spent eating delicous food, all warm and snuggly. also how is your mom, i hope she’s feeling better 🥺

also i’m not sure if you’ve watched the recent ep, 100/10 would not reccomend at all 🥰 we don’t talk about that, all i know is shibuya is a special ward (whatever that means) in Tokyo and no incident has ever happened there:) except maybe drunk people raging. 

anyways i’m sending you so much love going into this week, my gorgeous gorgeous wife is going to kick ass, and if not that’s okay too. i love you sm! 🫶🏼 

ahhhh snookums, thanks for stopping by as always! ♥️ my mom is doing better, thank you for asking! :) and yes, I indulged in lots of yummy food! I still feel a little comatose, kinda dreading going back to work tomorrow 😩

I didn't, and I may not go through with it at all! I'm still debating it honestly. not sure if it's worth the heartache/stress, but I think I owe it to him and to myself to watch how it plays out. it's only right, I think. and I agree, whatever happens in shibuya is the "bad ending", therefore, it isn't canon to me anymore hahaha.

also sending you my love, snuggles, and good vibes! I love you too, goddess! ✨

(also side note: I was at ranch 99/99 ranch yesterday (idk if you have this where you're at, but it's an asian grocery store), and I was very disappointed that they didn't have turtle chips! I've been on the lookout for that since we talked about it! 😩)

[peachsukii]

Read the first chapter below or on Ao3 / FF.N !

Chapter 1: Hurricane

A beautiful summer morning, rays of tangerine light poured into the living room of your apartment as you sleepily make your way to the kitchen, desperate for that first cup of coffee. The clock on the stove read 8:35AM - the latest you’ve overslept in the last month. It was another long night in the office, writing reports for your previous week’s hero patrols that you’d put off for far too long. You'd think someone else would be responsible for inputting notes into the agency's system, but no - anyone below rank 10 was tasked with entering in their own data. 

Criminal activity in the area had increased significantly within the last 3 months, calling heroes of all ranks out nonstop, especially lower ranked heroes. Was it annoying? Sure, being awoken in the middle of the night out of a dead sleep to go stop a small robbery at the local late-night supermarket wasn't ideal. Especially when you dreamed of dealing with bigger threats, akin to crime syndicates and large scale villain organizations. As a hero, you’re taught to tune out the small details and focus on what’s in front of you - keeping the citizens of your ward safe and sound, even if it's helping a granny cross the street in the middle of the afternoon.

The agency accepted you with open arms right out of UA High, over the moon to have a hero with a quirk like yours in their roster. Psionic energy manipulation was shockingly uncommon amongst the 80% of the population of quirk users. The kinetic hero, Y/H/N, ranked number 37 - high enough to earn respect from your peers and low enough to not have to worry about being followed by paparazzi and negotiating brand deals. Cities were full of billboards with ads sponsored by heroes, heavily focused on those in the top 10 for allure to their product. Deku and Dynamight’s athletic wear collaboration, Uravity’s mochi bites, Shouto’s fire and ice energy drinks - it was impossible to avoid. Did you wish you had the smallest bit of spotlight? Sometimes, but being able to walk the streets off-duty and not be bothered was a luxury you'd like to keep. On the counter, your phone buzzed and flashed awake, shaking you out of the sleepy stupor.

Incoming Call: Katsuki Bakugo 

A picture of you and Bakugo appeared on to the caller ID screen - one of your favorite pictures with him. It was from a concert in Shibuya you'd attended a few months back. His arm around your shoulder, pulling you close as he flipped off the camera, wearing his infamous toothy smirk as you leaned against him with a small peace sign and a warm smile. 

It's unfair how effortlessly attractive he was. Admittedly, you'd had a crush on him since high school and drank up every ounce of affection he threw your way over the years. Even though you've known him and Midoriya since childhood, your friendship didn't truly blossom until your first year in UA. Thanks to your tenacity and fighting spirit, he respected you after a long six months. That broke down his walls just enough to tolerate you and continue to be friends ever since. 

You, Midoriya, and Bakugo became three peas in pod, a strong bond established to last a lifetime. Post-UA life wasn’t as easy to see each other, but you made it work - trainings, missions, conflicting work schedules, and general life couldn’t get in between the three of you, even if it was just over texts, phone calls and late-night movie marathons. It helped that you all lived in Tokyo, at least. Midoriya, of course, was extremely special and essential to your life. He’s like the little brother you always wanted and a constant ray of sunshine, always there for whatever you need. There was just something different and special about your bond with Bakugo - a spark, without sounding cliche. And after all these years later, he's still your favorite person and one of your best friends. 

You wouldn't trade it for the world. Oh shit, I forgot we planned to go for a run this morning. You answer hesitantly, knowing full well you’re about to get an earful about being late. 

“Yo, Y/N, you plan on showin' up anytime soon?” There was shockingly no annoyance in his tone. “It’s almost 9.”

“Sorry Kat! I overslept. Had a long night writing reports in the office. I’ll be there in 10,” you say, not making any excuses. You hear a loud tch in response - ah, there’s the annoyance.

“I was about to bust down your door and give you a personal wake up call,” he teases, laughing to himself. “Get your ass to the park. See ya, lite-brite.” The line ended with a click. 

He'd never let that nickname go, one that followed you all the way back from high school. You'd grown used to it as he typically reserved it to get under your skin or light a fire under your ass. Most of the time? It worked - and you liked it.

Setting the coffee cup in the sink, you jog back into your room down the hallway and change into a clean set of workout clothes. You'd just gotten the PR package from Midoriya last week with his new sports wear collaboration with Bakugo, saving you time by not having to dig through your laundry pile. He would have scolded you for slacking on chores if he were to have woken you up in person, and then folded it himself to prove a point. He’d often harp on you for not keeping up with basic shit around your place, but in the same breath, start cleaning up for you - it was one of his love languages. 

The company they collaborated with nailed the designs perfectly. It was minimalistic, but still paid homage to their hero costumes. You grab Bakugo's set - a cropped black sleeveless hoodie with an orange 'X' across the front, a forest green band with a drawstring around the midsection, and an orange hood. The matching shorts were all black with a simple orange stripe down the sides. The neoprene material allowed for the set to breathe in any weather condition.

Thankfully, the park you were meeting him at was only a couple minute walk from your apartment building. Not long after pulling your hair into a ponytail, splashing your face with water and brushing your teeth, you're kicking on your sneakers by the door and shuffling out of the apartment. A few minutes to spare, you duck into the convenience store along the way, grabbing two sports drinks and a bag of his favorite spicy-flavored chips. God, you hated the taste of them and never understood why he liked them so much. Some part of you jokingly thought it fueled his already explosive personality, literally heating him up from the inside.

~

"You wear that on purpose?" Bakugo snickers over his phone as you skip toward him, pointing to your workout gear. 

"What can I say? It's comfortable. Happy to be a walking ad for the number four hero," you say, elbowing him in the arm. He rolls his eyes, snatching the sports drink you've outstretched to him and mutters a thanks. 

"You should model our next set," he pats you on the back. "You're the perfect fit." 

You scoff, waving a hand at him. "Yeah, like I'm model material."

"I literally just said you were, dumbass. Take a damn compliment!" 

He peers over your shoulder to see the chips in your bag. "Damn, you're really kissing up to me today. What's the occasion?" He's beaming over the attention you're showering him with - he'd never admit how much he loved it.

You shake your head playfully. "What, I can't spoil my favorite person?" 

Bakugo barks out a laugh while opening the sports drink and chugging half of it in one go. Again, it was stupid how attractive he was, no matter what he did. The summer breeze made his blonde locks dance lazily in the morning sun, a sheen on his flawless skin as some of the liquid spilled out of the corner of his mouth, trickling down his jawline. A sadistic part of you thought he did this shit on purpose to rile you up, testing the boundaries of your friendship. 

If only you had the nerve to just scream from the rooftops - Katsuki, I fucking love you.

“You good, Y/N?” He's waving a hand in front of your face. “Space case much?”

“Yeah! Sorry, apparently still waking up,” you apologize while stretching your arms over your head. “Let’s go!”

~

An hour later, you and Bakugo finish your run in the park, completely drenched in sweat. The two of you plop under a nearby tree in the shade, the humidity adding a layer of exhaustion to your depleted stamina. Lazily slouching over onto your shoulder, he steals the sports drink out of your hand and downs the rest of it himself with a satisfied hah. Somehow, you always forget that he smells like caramel and burnt sugar after a run, invading your senses with that sweet essence that you loved. His bangs stuck to the sweat on his forehead as he dropped his head back against the tree, eyes closed as he caught his breath. 

God, he’s so fucking beautiful, you think to yourself, almost afraid he'd somehow hear you.

"I'm free the rest of the day," he comments between shallow breaths, lazily opening one eye and elbowing your side. "Down for a movie day? Been awhile."

"Hell yeah. Junk food, too?" Your eyes light up with excitement.

"Like you gotta ask. I didn't run three fuckin' miles just to look good," he quips. "Cool if I shower at your place?"

That catches you off guard, sending a flutter of butterflies off in your stomach. Why the hell are you so riled up today? Sure, you've had a massive crush on your best friend for ages, but its usually not this intense. Must be the scent of his sweat deluding your thoughts...or maybe it’s the potential scene of watching him walk out into your living room, shirtless - excess water cascading down his hourglass figure, tracing his abs and settling into the hem of his sweatpants.

Stop it! Calm the fuck down.

"S-sure. I have a pair of your sweats, I think…maybe Izuku’s? It’s like you guys leave your shit at my place so I do your laundry for free." 

He shoves you jokingly, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Hah! Knew it was you who stole my favorite pair. I’ve got shit with me, no worries.”

Bakugo climbs to his feet, extending a hand back to you. “C’mon, I’m fucking starving and dying to do nothing the rest of the day.”

~

The sunset’s sorbet-colored afterglow flooded the living room as the fourth movie’s credits rolled on the TV screen, a faint warm breeze coming through the open balcony door. The two of you had settled in after your run, marathoning through a collection of films you'd be wanting to watch, surrounded by a buffet of comfort food - taiyaki, meat buns, spicy fried chicken bites, mabo tofu, yakitori, and a box full of various flavors of dango. The cashier at the convenience store must have thought you two were hosting an insane party with how much food you bought, cleaning out their entire hot foods section in minutes. 

Bakugo stretched out like a cat, his abs flexing as his black tank top moved up his midsection. It was impossible not to stare, especially when he wore cropped shirts, showing off his hard earned muscles. You found it ironic how you mentioned once - and only once - how crop tops on guys are attractive as hell, and a few weeks later? He had a handful of them that he’d rotate wearing during the summer, claiming he only wears them for “regulating his temperature for his quirk.” You knew that was a bold-faced lie, but never called him on it. Why would you risk making him change his mind when they looked so good on him? 

He let out a satisfactory groan, putting his feet up on the coffee table and hands behind his head. You stretch as well, throwing your feet in his lap like always. Bakugo looked comfortable, like he was at home. You were home to him.

“I got somethin’ on my face?” He jokes, lolling his head to face you. 

Lost in thought, you have no time to stop the words falling from your mouth.

“No, just admiring you.”

Bakugo quirks an eyebrow, surprised by your flattery. You see a faint pink blush begin to make it’s way across his cheeks, an extremely rare sight.

“Th-thanks,” is all he can muster to say in a low voice. 

 “Is that so weird to say? You’re gorgeous, Katsuki,” you blurt out, shocked by your own words. Where the hell is this coming from? You normally weren't so...forward. Not that you were lying in any capacity. You've complimented him plenty times before, why is now different? 

Right?

You pause, realizing you could be overwhelming him. He'd always been adamant on how much he hates when "fans" view him as just a sex object rather than respect him as a heroic figure. 

“I know you hate being objectified. I’m sorry -,”

“Don’t be, y’didn't.” 

The static of the TV hummed through the lull in your conversation, the credits of the last movie approaching the end of its sequence. You nervously fiddle with the hem of your shirt. Thank fuck he can't hear your thoughts.

Bakugo notices your nervous tick and grins. That damn shit-eating grin. 

"Relax, Y/N. I didn't say I didn't like it. Big difference between you and a fan girl sayin' shit like that." 

As he’s about to continue the conversation, both of your phones ring simultaneously. That’s weird…it’s 8:30PM on a Tuesday night. Neither of you were scheduled for patrol and all sectors had coverage from the last e-mail update. You pull your phone out to check the caller ID and sigh in annoyance. Incoming Call: AGENCY - EMERGENCY LINE

“The fuck?” Bakugo huffs, his brow furrowed in confusion. 

~

After 15 minutes, you're debriefed with a new mission, and strangely, you’re assigned with none other than Bakugo and Midoriya. This was extremely uncommon for heroes of top 10 rank to work with those below rank 25 and only happened when other top 10 heroes are too busy. Emergency calls were normally automated messages, but this was a personal conference call from the board of directors.

We are in need of Y/H/N to assist Dynamight and Deku’s mission to stake out a villain’s laboratory tonight in Sector 42. We’ve received reports of civilians going missing near the area over the last few weeks, specifically those with uncommon and rare quirks. There is a probability that hostages are being using for the development of a secret serum, to which is unknown at this time. Report to the agency by 11:30PM for further instruction.

Man, you were really looking forward to more time with Bakugo. Granted, you’ll still be with him, but now you’ll be stalking around for work, not stuffing your face on the couch together.

“Kat, I don’t know what it is, but I…I have a really weird feeling about this stake out,” you admit, unsure of where this anxiety is coming from. This isn’t the first time you’ve been assigned to a mission like this, and certainly won’t be the last, there was just something odd in the air surrounding this one. 

“Yeah. Go grab your suit, I’ll call Izuku to meet us here and we'll go over together,” Bakugo says hesitantly, already dialing Midoriya and bringing his phone to his ear. 

“Hey, yeah just got the call. Y/N and I are at her apartment, swing by and we'll go to the agency together.”

~

By 11:45PM, the three of you are suited up and stationed in Sector 42. The area was very…barren? It was confusing to you how people would wander out here and disappear. It was in the middle of nowhere, miles from the city limits, an open field surrounded by a spotty tree line. Something still felt off about this entire set up - a gut feeling, but it was enough to keep you on edge.

“Y/N?” Midoriya called to you, blinking with concern. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”

You rub your temple, desperately trying to push the feeling down. 

“Sorry, Izu. I’ve had a gut feeling something was wrong since the phone call.”

“What do you mean?” His interest is peaked, both out of curiosity and concern. 

“Can’t place it, but I feel it, too. Something’s not right,” Bakugo chimed in, surveying the field for any signs of…whatever the hell it was they’re looking for. An entrance to a lab? Masked minions abducting people? The agency was extremely vague in their details. That didn’t sit well with you, and Bakugo now, too. 

“You’re not wrong. This is an open area in the middle of nowhere. Why would anyone wander out here alone?” Midoriya muttered, continuing a conversation with his own thoughts aloud. “It's not a common road for travel, by foot or by vehicle. And how would the agency know what this villain is making without having the location of the lab in question?”

The abrupt sound of creaking metal echoed around you, a sense of danger spiking in your nerves. You place a hand on the shoulder of both Midoriya and Bakugo to halt them in their tracks.

“Did you hear that? It sounded like a door was opening…close by,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper. 

Whoosh!

You didn’t register there was another presence amongst you until the dart made contact with your skin. A warming sensation flowed through your right shoulder as you let out a cry, stumbling to your knee. What the fuck? Your hero suit was designed to prevent piercing damage to a degree, but this dart cut right through it. The dart resembled a syringe, automatically activating the injection mechanism as it pierced your skin.

“Y/N!” Midoriya shouted, immediately wrapping an arm around your waist to whisk you away from another potential attack. Bakugo whipped his head around, looking for any sign of where the dart came from. Was someone hiding, or was it a device hidden out of sight? Maybe in a nearby tree? That's not possible, these trees don't have enough leaves for coverage like that.

“Hold still, I’m going to pull it out,” Midoriya warned. You braced for the pain as he yanked the dart from your shoulder, tossing it out of reach. You wince, the sting slowly fading a few seconds later. “Are you feeling okay?”

Things were starting to feel fuzzy, the ache spreading rapidly through the rest of your body. Everything felt warm and cold simultaneously, as if your body was at war over what temperature to settle on. 

“I’m alright, just…dizzy,” you mumble, slurring as you attempt to reassure him.

Midoriya helps you to your feet, offering to let you use him as support. You wave a hand, muttering over and over again I’m fine, I’m fine. There’s a pulsing sensation starting to build in your shoulder, creeping its way through your right arm. It’s tingling, crawling - uncomfortable, but not painful. What the hell was in that dart? 

A flash of black invades your vision, throwing you off balance as things pixelate and sharpen repeatedly before completely disappearing. Things are spinning and your senses are dulling. You notice that you don’t hear Bakugo or Midoriya anymore…did they wander off? You should be able to hear explosions, gusts of wind, crackling energy - something.

A force knocks you on your back, slamming you to the ground. You don’t feel a damn thing, just a vague numbness as your body, what you presume, hits the ground. You can’t make out whatever, or whoever, it is that is attacking you. I still can’t hear anything! 

Can you speak? Can anyone hear you even if you could?

…Y…N! …Y/N!

A voice? It’s muffled, but you hear someone calling for you. Was that Midoriya?

“Let her go, jackass!”

Oh no, that’s Bakugo. 

His booming voice reverberates through your head, sending your thoughts whirling in a vortex more than they already were. A vision of the battlefield was starting coming into focus, hazy, but a semblance of scenery was making its way back to you. When did I get up from the ground? Didn't I get knocked down? 

The field before you was littered with debris.

…Branches and broken stumps of dead trees.

…Craters in the ground.

…are those broken pieces of Bakugo’s gauntlets? 

…patchy trails and puddles of blood soaking into the dirt.

The sights sent a chill up your spine - your gut instinct was right. 

To your right, Midoriya panted with force as he held onto his thigh, blood seeping through his suit and staining around the wound. He was close enough that you could see the detailing of his tendons exposed from the impact, frayed pieces of skin hanging from the damage. His hair was slicked back, matted with a mix of, what you think, is dirt and blood. The rest of his suit had a variety of slashes and cuts, the material tattered and torn all over his body.

To your left, Bakugo’s on the ground, battered and bruised as he’s struggling to get to his feet. His gauntlets were missing, along with the glove underneath on his right hand. His exposed forearm was beat red, what looked like hand prints blistering the area. Blood trickled from his forehead and pooled under his mask. He’s shouting again…you can’t quite make out what he’s saying as he’s extending his bare arm in your direction.

What the fuck happened?! 

Something inside you clicks abruptly, adrenaline surging, urging you to fight. It’s competing with the numbness in your muscles. How much damage have you taken if you can’t feel a damn thing?

Fuck. Come on, dammit. Move, fight - do something! Help them!

In your peripheral vision, a man appears beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder. You turn on your heel, ready to activate your quirk and blast this guy into oblivion. Your hand meets his clothed chest with a thump.

Nothing happens. 

Your quirk doesn’t activate.

Another swing, focusing all the energy you have into a concentrated blast.

Nothing.

Panic sets in as you study your hand, mortified that you’ve been rendered useless. Your mind is racing faster than you can keep up with. Is this the serum they talked about earlier? How long was I unconscious...was I even unconscious? 

And then it dawns on you - it’s a quirk suppressant. 

The serum they’re using to abduct people nullifies their quirks to make them a willing target.

The mystery man cups your chin, forcing you to look up at him. Your vision tunnels on his face, the rest of your body shutting back down. You feel your arms flop to their sides as your knees begin to buckle - the adrenaline being zapped from your muscles at his touch. 

“Good, it’s setting in. You’ll be a decent specimen. We’ve been waiting for a psionics user like you to add to our roster.”

A giant swirl of matter begins to manifest in front of you, a gentle force sucking you closer to it’s entry point. You can't help but think about how helpless you look in this moment, confused as hell that this scrawny man could take down three heroes with ease. You fucking hated the feeling, never wanting to be the damsel in distress. It pissed you off beyond belief.

“It’s time.” The man, in what you can now see is a white lab coat, turns you around to face the boys sprawled on the battlefield. “We’ll be going now.”

Every inch of your body is screaming run. But you can’t. You can’t move, paralyzed by all the conflicting effects of the serum running rampant through your veins. Your vision is dimming once more, your eyes threaten to close as Bakugo’s voice drags you back to reality. Your eyes snap open as he appears in front of you, digging his heels into the dirt. 

“Hey, wake up! I’m not letting you go!” 

He’s screaming at the top of his lungs, pleading for you to hear him as he clutches your forearm, attempting to pull you to him. You can’t feel it, but by the strain shown in his bicep, he’s using all of his strength to hold onto you. His eyes are full of panic, wide and bloodshot, crimson irises aflame.

"Let her fucking go!" he roars a second time. His hand is slipping down your forearm, now desperately gripping onto your hand. You attempt to grasp it to no avail, your strength failing you. You hear him let out an anxious grunt, struggling against the force of whatever is pulling you away behind you.

Time seems to slow as you lock eyes, an exchange of unspoken words between you two. A sense of dread begins to flood through your body as you see tears threatening to spill out of his eyes.

He's terrified. 

You remember a thought from earlier in the day, if only I could scream "I love you."

There will never be a perfect moment, never a time and place for you to say it. You have to create the moment yourself.

A steady breath escapes you, softly gazing at Bakugo as you see his fingers slipping through your own.

"Katsuki," you mouth, barely able to hear the sound of your own voice.

"I love you."

The last thing you see is Bakugo frantically scrambling toward you before darkness envelops your sight.

- - - BAKUGO POV - - -

Everything happened in the blink of a fucking eye.

Ambushed, both him and Midoriya were hazed with a mysterious smoke, rendering their quirks useless. His explosions fizzled out as he fought the onslaught of henchmen surrounding them, armed with various weapons. The two of them blitzed through a good number of them before quickly becoming overwhelmed - 25 on 2 wasn't ideal odds.

Their hero suits were ripped, equipment shattered as they were punched, kicked, stabbed at, battered, and thrown around.

"I don't need my fuckin' quirk to kick your asses!" Bakugo threatened as he swiped at a nameless henchmen, nailing a right hook to his jaw. Midoriya was holding his own behind him until he let out an agonizing yelp, falling to the ground audibly.

"Deku!" Bakugo called out, spinning in the direction of his cry as someone socked him from the left side. He skid onto the ground, particles of dirt trailing behind him.

Regaining his composure, he looked around to see that all of the henchmen had swiftly disappeared without a trace, as if they were never there in the first place. What the fuck?

He saw her body standing still, some man in a lab coat behind her. She resembled a lifeless puppet, the light from her eyes dim and limbs loosely at her sides. It looked as though she could collapse at any moment.

"Let her go, jackass!" Bakugo shouted, unable to get to his feet.

The unknown man gripped her shoulder as a large black mass appeared behind them. 

Is that a portal? That looks like Kurogiri's quirk from years ago, he thought to himself, willing every fiber of his being to get to his fucking feet.

He's able to muster enough strength get one knee off the ground, enough to launch in range of her and wildly grasp for her hand. 

“Hey, wake up! I’m not letting you go!” 

Bakugo doesn't realize he's screaming, he's acting on impulse and adrenaline - desperation to save her. His hand is slipping at an agonizingly slow pace, moving from forearm to her hand, hardly able to keep his hand clasped with hers. He's cursing internally, hoping that she can't see the terror in his eyes, the anxiety filling him to the brim. That's when he hears her speak, her voice hauntingly quiet.

"Katsuki, I love you."

His hand slips away, watching her disappear into the portal. It closes in an instant as he's hopelessly dashing to it, not noticing that Midoriya is charging from behind him. They briefly collide, stumbling from the impact before they both steady themselves. 

The silence surrounding them is deafening.

"Kacchan," Midoriya snivels, head hung low. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to help." His voice was breaking, clenching his fists at his side.

Bakugo stares at his hand, collapsing to his knees. He felt nauseous, the crippling realization churning in his stomach.

I love you.

Her voice ricocheted through his head, bouncing around as it tugged hard at his heartstrings. An overwhelming sensation of loss fills his heart, refusing to come to terms with the current reality. 

A brief memory flooded into Bakugo's mind, reminding him of a feeling he'd long shoved away. One night - years ago - at his brand new apartment in Tokyo, they'd been up all night talking after the long day of moving his shit into the place. It was 3AM, boxes piled everywhere as they laid in his bed, bullshitting the night away with random talks of life. She started a vulnerable conversation of mental health amongst heroes, ranging from her own family issues and medicated struggles as examples of not knowing what people deal with beneath the surface. He'd been listening, watching as she poured her heart out next to him, able to smile through it all. It was in that moment that struck him like lightning - he'd fallen madly and irrevocably in love with her. He had convinced himself there was no way she would have felt the same, forcing himself to suffocate that feeling for years.

And he was wrong.

Midoriya crouched down beside him as he's lost in the memory, a hand on his shoulder. 

"We'll find her, Kacchan, don't worry," he attempts to declare confidently as his own tears are staining his cheeks. "She's strong, she'll be -,"

"She said she loved me." Bakugo's facade was shattering before his eyes as he watched his best friend crumble onto the ground, clutching his chest. He couldn't control the wail that escaped him, tears pouring from his eyes like the downpour of a rainstorm. 

Midoriya pulled him close, Bakugo falling limply into him, curling into a ball as they sobbed together.

HOLLOW HEART

Pro-Hero Bakugo x f!reader

The dynamic duo of Dynamight and Deku are unstoppable, climbing the hero charts like they always dreamed of as kids. Their journeys were tough, but offered them the world - fame, fortune, protection of their family and friends, a comfortable hero life. The recent increase in crime around Tokyo kept their entire sector busy, sending heroes out non-stop, desperate to keep the statistics as low as possible to maintain a clean reputation. When a nearby sector is requesting assistance, the boys are tasked with a mission to inspect a villain's lair in a deserted area outside of the city. Reports have noted people going missing, specifically with rare quirks. With plenty of other heroes being unavailable, you're chosen to tag along with the duo for the night operation. Everything is going according to plan until the villain lands a surprise attack, resulting in the your kidnapping and whisking you away through a mysterious portal. It's been a month since your disappearance with no help of the hero agency. Bakugo and Midoriya take it into their own hands and are determined to get you back - no matter how long or what it takes.

Prepare for the heartbreaking journey of Bakugo battling with his feelings when it's too late...or is it? :)

- All Class 1A characters are 22/23 years old and pro heroes - Dynamight is 4th, Deku is 5th and Reader is 37th - Reader is female with she/her pronouns - Reader has an energy manipulation quirk - Reader's hero type is "The Kinetic Hero" (i.e. - "Explosion Hero," "Gravity Hero," etc.) - Bakugo's "nickname" for reader is Lite-Brite (a pun on her quirk)

Inspired by the song "Dreamstate" by Dayseeker! Always told me to keep you close, the feeling's fading when you're a ghost I dream of colors that light your face but real life showed me it takes away 'Cause every time I wake up I'm waiting for a miracle And maybe when the night comes, I'll find you in another world So how do I live in a dreamstate? When nothing is real when I'm awake The sun rises but I know I'm afraid I'm living in a dreamstate

Read chapter one on AO3 or FF.N.