#THOSE LETTERS REACHED NEZUMI

[harisutheforestprincess]

What’s the meaning behind acting for Nezumi?

Usually, this question answers are simply about it being a safe place for him or a morally correct way to earn money. All of it is true, yet there is a why? underneath it. Out of all the things Nezumi could do, as work or profession, because he has the mental and physical ability, he chooses to be an actor.

It's never stated in the novels, but I believe among all those books in the bunker there must be An actor's work by Konstantin Stanislavski, considering it as a fundamental book, almost a classic, to whoever decides to start in performing arts.

For Nezumi, this book must have been more than a technique or method. It gave him tools to gain control over his entire set of emotions and still be able to express, yes, emotions. He has the dominion of his body and his mind.

Stanislavski created an acting system based on the idea an actor should place the character's circumstances differently than the actor's circumstances since they are divergent roles, to draw a line between what's the character experiencing through your body and what's your body's real experience. It sounds weird and tricky, but it's all about not becoming the role you're interpreting for the sake of your psychological health. There's when comes the Magic if.

Magic If it's all about imagination. You could start asking yourself questions like how does this character experience heartbreak? where is the pain coming from? is he loud about it or the opposite? and many more questions that give you an approach to how the character would solve a given situation. These elements belong only to the character circumstances found on the script, even when they resonate with you -the actor. It's at the end: a fictional world. To achieve this, Stanislavski gave a step-by-step system, so the actor can provoke an organic response in a performance and make the lie become the truth for the spectators, and not himself.

To be more specific, Stanislavski calls this experience "I am being". I am being Ophelia, but I am not Ophelia. Can spot the difference? You identify with the character, but you do not believe you are the character. The last one would be a case for the nearest psychologist.

We see Nezumi going in and out of character many times through the novels. He asks himself questions like "what was my line?" or excuses himself with phrases like "I was trying to remember my line"; he also theatrically quotes books and poems, and corrects Shion for not expressing the right emotion when reading.

Emotions become a tool Nezumi uses as he pleases when given a situation. It doesn't matter how awful that situation might be, as an example, when he goes into character to extract information from an important No. 6 citizen. Later, he's even able to torture this man. However, when Shion asks him to stop, he's able to easily let go. He is being a role, but that's not who Nezumi is. It's the Magic If in its most pure way.

I know Nezumi has no idea who he truly is, but that's a different topic.

When Nezumi is on stage, he can experience pain, love, tears, and laughter. It's through the roles he's found on every letter of a book, he's able to connect with people. Whether if this is for his survival or his benefit that's the least of importance.

He is telling a story he knows could be true, because he recognizes everything is possible in the real world, just like everything happens in a book.

"Like all of these―" Nezumi slowly looked about his room. "―these thousand of stories here, you taught me that sometimes we encounter the most unexpected things." ― Atsuko Asano, No.6, Volume 1.

Nezumi has experienced from the inner of his loins the life of many, and, I believe, it's that what helped him to cope with an awful place like West Block, probably helped him to cope with his trauma too. So acting is, indeed, a safe place for him because it's some sort of therapy. Nezumi could approach stories that are similar to his without the need of setting himself on fire every time.

Nezumi steps to the stage and he could open his heart and talk about his past, his pain, his hurt, and his hate, and still..., spectators would not have a clue.

Nezumi steps to the stage and he could be faithful to the words he spills and free himself just a little from his burden, and still..., the scrutinizing eyes are meters of distance from him.

He could be vulnerable, put his guard down, and people would think it's just a role. They could start analyzing what they hear and discuss between them what he is talking about, but they will never reach Nezumi to have a face to face talk. Nezumi's emotions will reach people, but the people's emotions won't reach him, so it will never be intimate. Because performing brings an ambiguity whether what you see is real or not. Intimacy has no place for ambiguity.

Nezumi would never talk out loud about how he truly feels, but he knows he has the choice. The stage is his. He rehearses and explores and decides what fits or not. Only then, he shares.

Acting is what Nezumi is more comfortable with. It's on stage where he savors real control because everything is inside the words printed on paper, and it's the control that makes Nezumi feel more at ease because there's not a thing that could escape from his hands and cause him harm.

The meaning behind acting for Nezumi is that, for sure, it's a safe place. The only safe place he gets during 11 years of his life. A place that's not attached to a person or a city, but attached to his body and mind. As long as he is alive, no one can take it away from him.

[no6secretsanta]

Happy holidays everyone! This Secret Santa has been great and to you, lovely @halcyon-conservatory, I gift you this piece of reunion. After the angst reunion fic I’ve written for this event, this is a bit of a more light-hearted(?) take on NezuShi reunion so I do hope you enjoy all 3k words of it. Without further ado, enjoy your gift! - @whims-of-insane-fandoms 

Write happy endings, not tragedies 

Shion was walking through the park, humming to himself as he watched some of the petals from the flowers dance in the wind. The wind even tousled his shoulder length hair. He was lucky that his ribbon helped keep his hair out of his face. He extended his hand to catch a pink petal before he blew it away.

Spring was in full swing, and it made the city look beautiful. It was even more so than three years ago when many gardens and parks were constructed to help the environment following the fall of the wall and the old government. There were more in the edges of the city and where West Block used to be.

The park he was in had a large garden that was by his home where the wall once stood. It was the closest one to his new home and, by extension, Nezumi’s home. He hadn’t told his mom that was one of the reasons he decided to live where the wall used to be. 

The other reason was because a lot of people hadn’t wanted to live there out of fear that the land was cursed. As years passed, people realized that there was no curse, and it was safe to live here. Inukashi had been tempted to move for just a second but replied that they preferred their home and that it was better for the dogs. That’s how things had been for at least three years.

Three years.

It had been at least three years since the day Safu died, since the walls came down, since Nezumi left.

Shion had continued on with life after the day that everything in the world changed. He couldn’t mope around too much about losing the love of his life and his best friend in one day. He had to keep on moving forward.

Well, at least that was what he had to do because stopping meant thinking about what he had lost.

The truth was that he had felt like there was a hole in his heart, one that hadn’t been healed in these three years. He could only be that honest to his mom. His mom seemed to understand everything when they found each other that day three years ago. 

She had said nothing as she held him in her arms, and they had cried together. When he told her about everything that happened, she offered her unconditional love and support to him to help, even knowing that she might not have the impact she could hope for.

Her support and understanding helped ease the pain, but it could never erase it.

Losing Safu would always leave a hole in his heart. She was his best friend for years, his close childhood friend that he had loved dearly. He couldn’t really continue living as if that loss didn’t hurt. Leaving her behind still hurt him, no matter how many years passed since that day. He could never get Safu back. He could never see her again. At least there was a chance he could see Nezumi again. 

Nezumi.

Nezumi was a different kind of hurt, even if it also produced a hole in his heart like Safu’s death did. He loved Nezumi but the love he felt for him had been different than the one he had possessed for Safu. The loss of those two loves in one day would have left him a wreck if it had not been for Nezumi’s promise before he left.

Reunion will come, Nezumi had promised. 

He just didn’t say how long it would be until then.

No letters, no phone calls, no attempt to contact him. No one had spoken of a young man matching Nezumi’s appearance in three years. Shion tried to pretend it didn’t hurt. After all, Nezumi didn’t contact him for at least four years the first time they were separated. The main difference between those two gaps was that Nezumi stayed away because he was a fugitive and because of the government. Nothing like that could impede them now yet he still hadn’t come back.

Waiting made him restless. Shion wondered, in his darkest moments, if Nezumi would ever come back. Would he just be another memory of a loved one that he had lost like Safu? Even worse, would he come to forget that unforgettable face, the face of the person he loved? Would the only times he could see Nezumi be when he fell asleep and dreamt of him? He hoped that was not the case because he could hardly handle the thought.

For Shion to keep going and not be overwhelmed by those fears and sorrows, he had to temporarily leave the cage that was his mind on occasion. 

Shion paused in his walk, moving his hair from his face as he sat down in a bench. This park was the place where he went to clear his mind and also where he got inspiration to write in his spare time. He took out his journal and a pen, jotting down ideas as he hummed.

He didn’t know exactly when he decided writing, just that it was a good way for his voice to be heard in the aftermath of his loss. 

He didn’t write about the truth of No. 6 like so many people wanted him to when they somehow discovered his involvement in the collapse of the government. Instead, he wrote about his experiences with Nezumi, Safu, his mom, Inukashi, Rikigia and all that he had lived through. He wrote his story and, somehow, that captivated people more than the lie they had lived. 

His writing helped him deal with the losses he had to suffer because it helped him say things he could never say aloud. Rikigia and Inukashi thought that writing down everything would heal him from all the hurt. Only his mom knew that it only helped him ease it, just like everything else did. No hurt could just be magically erased.

Writing became almost second nature and, before he knew it, Shion was an author with a small following. He published his works on one of the newer websites done during the reconstruction, a way to offer people entertainment during such a hard time. 

His most beloved story was the tragedy of a god of death loving a god of life that were doomed due to being opposite forces. As of now, that story had ended with the two of them being separate with little hope of a reunion for the sake of humanity’s continued existence and their own heavenly duties.

It was a poorly written reflection of his promise with Nezumi and their prolonged separation. That didn’t stop people from sending him emails hoping to sway him that the two deities should be together, humanity be damned. 

You can’t keep lovers apart, one fan wrote in a tearful email, you have to let them have their happy ending.

Shion felt the same, even if the writer in charge of his own story hadn’t seemed to catch the same message. Otherwise, Shion and Nezumi could be together now instead of spending three years hoping that he could see Nezumi again.

Shion felt the wind pick up. He kept a tight hold on his journal and pen before he noticed his his hair ribbon begin to fly away. He tried to reach it, but it slipped through his fingers and caused him to drop his pen. 

“Damn!” Shion cursed. 

He picked up his pen and immediately put it in his pockets alongside his small journal. He turned his attention back to the ribbon that had landed on a patch of flowers in front of him.

As he stood up to grab it, the wind blew hard again, making petals cover his line of vision and sending his ribbon flying again. He turned around, trying to catch sight of the ribbon. To his unfortunate luck, the wind suddenly made his hair get in his face. 

This had to be some kind of cruel prank from the world, Shion thought to himself as he tried to move his hair from his face only to have the wind seemingly pick up more. Heavy winds hadn’t even been reported for today!

Just as he mentally complained about his situation, Shion heard a familiar voice began to sing a very familiar song.

“The winds sweep away souls, and people snatch away hearts.”

Safu?

It couldn’t be Safu. Safu was dead, had been for three years. He was just hearing things in his mind. He tried to dwell on it before his ribbon smacked him right in the face. He groaned, not because it hurt, but because of this whole situation.

Even worse, just as he reached out to grab his ribbon, it flew from his hands and further into the garden. Shion groaned as he went chasing after it, mindful of the other people around him that were leaving because of the high winds. He wanted to do the same, but he had to catch his ribbon, his mom’s most recent gift. He didn’t want to lose it. 

“Nevertheless, I shall remain in this place and continue singing.”

The song seemed to become stronger as the wind picked up. Shion struggled to move his hair to see his runaway ribbon as he continued running. He was sure it was lost and was thinking of what to say to his mom when he could see someone in the distance grab it. 

The person was dressed in rather dark clothes. He couldn’t make out more of that person’s features, though, because the wind kept getting in his way.

“Thank you!” Shion shouted to be overheard over the wind, “You got my ribbon!”

The person turned to him but, again, Shion couldn’t see their face because of the wind. Seriously, what was wrong with the weather today? 

“Shion?”

“Please, somehow, send my song to where it must reach.”

That voice.

That familiar voice he could only hear in his dreams and memories.

Could it really be?

The mysterious wind began to die down, and Shion moved his hair just as the person that caught his ribbon outstretched his hand to give it to him. He hadn’t even realized they had gotten so close until now. Shion looked up and time seemed to stop just as the wind stopped completely.

It was as if his wishes had been granted.

“Please, somehow, receive and accept this song of mine.”

Standing before him was none other than Nezumi, the person he had been longing for these past three years. 

He looked almost the same as he had all those years ago. The same beautiful eyes and the same face greeted him. His hair was shorter than three years ago, just reaching his nape, but it was undoubtedly Nezumi. His clothes were obviously different with the exception of his scarf, but it was Nezumi.

Nezumi looked just as shocked to see him. Shion couldn’t blame him. His hair had grown longer since the last time they saw each other, and he’d grown at least two inches in the past three years. Even if those were the only differences, he was sure they shocked Nezumi as much as Nezumi’s small changes affected him. 

With the abandoned knapsack discarded on a flowerbed, Shion knew could only infer that Nezumi had just come back from his travels. They had met again by pure chance and Shion found himself thanking the winds for their sudden appearance and disappearance.

He was tongue-tied, staring at the boy he had been missing for three years. Nezumi’s hand was still outstretched, holding Shion’s ribbon. He was clearly just as tongue-tied as he was. What did you say to your loved one after not seeing each other for three years? 

“You look great, your hair is different.”

The two of them had spoken at the same time, awkwardly saying the first thing that came to their heads. Shion could feel himself turn red out of embarrassment that those were his first words to Nezumi after three years, and something in Nezumi’s mirrored expression showed he was having a similar ordeal.

Shion couldn’t help it.

He laughed.

He’d gone over this kind of scenario so many times and each one had been more dramatic than the next. He’d dreamt of the two of them kissing during their reunion, declaring their love for each other, and making promises to stay by each other’s side. 

Instead, the two of them had been reduced to awkward teenagers. Reality had set them up for a dramatic reunion with the wind but, alas, they had not been able to say such dramatic first words.

“What are you laughing about?” Nezumi said, speaking with a small smile and eyes filled with warmth. Shion found himself missing those small things about Nezumi.

“It’s just so good to see you.” Shion admitted, smiling through his laughter. 

Nezumi didn’t need to reply to that. Instead, he closed the gap between them and enveloped Shion in a hug. Shion felt his knees going weak for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Nezumi’s neck. He closed his eyes, not even caring if anyone saw them.

Nezumi was really here.

Nezumi had come back to him.

“I’m sorry I’m late.” Nezumi said as he tightened his hold on the hug.

“At least you came back.” Shion said, “You made me wait three years, but you came back.”

“I promised, didn’t I?” Nezumi laughed.

Shion pulled back to see Nezumi’s smiling face before pulling him closer. Shion closed his eyes as the two of them kissed, their first kiss since the goodbye kiss three years ago. That made his heart race faster and he hoped that Nezumi felt the same way he did.

Reunion had come after all and he couldn’t be happier.

As he pulled away, Nezumi placed his hair ribbon on his hands. Shion began to tie his hair back as Nezumi went to pick up his knapsack. When he came back, Shion’s hair was manageable and Nezumi looked very excited.

“That was quite the welcome home kiss, Shion.” Nezumi admitted with a grin that suddenly made Shion remember the way Nezumi was, “Have you been taking lessons while I was gone?”

“As if.” Shion replied, “You just forgot that I am a good kisser. The things you forget in three years, huh? Should’ve come back earlier so your memories wouldn’t be so skewed.” 

Nezumi rolled his eyes affectionately, reaching for something in his bag, “No, I remember you were bad at it. Don’t tell me you practiced on a pillow while I was gone.”

The thought made Shion want to both hit Nezumi with his knapsack for being so annoying and hug and kiss him for still being the Nezumi he had grown to love. Absence makes the heart grow fonder indeed. Even if Nezumi could be so Nezumi, Shion was just so glad to have him be there. 

“Remind me again about how great my goodnight kiss was compared to your goodbye kiss.” Shion teased.

“You’re a lost cause,” Nezumi said, grabbing a smaller bag and passing it to Shion.

Shion opened the bag and, inside, were several small trinkets. A small bottle filled with soft sand, a conch shell along with other small seashells, crystals and colorful stones, colorful bird feather and a letter addressed to him. 

“This is-.”

“The world is healing,” Nezumi answered, “I don’t know when it started but everything was fine and it was beautiful.”

Shion held a seashell in his hand, just imagining the places Nezumi had gone. A small part of him was sad that Nezumi had seen those sights without him but he was mostly happy for him. Who else could be so lucky to see the beautiful sights of this world?

“I’ll take you to see them, Shion.”

Shion looked up just as Nezumi kissed his cheek. Shion smiled again at Nezumi’s words, feeling his heart soar. This felt too good to be true, but he didn’t care. After waiting for so long, he had made to the moment he had been dreaming for.

“Let’s just focus on the small stuff first.” Shion said, grabbing Nezumi’s hand, “Tell me everything and I’ll tell you everything.”

“Everything? That’s a tall order.” 

Shion could see how happy Nezumi was and he felt the same amount of joy. The way the two of them stood together, it was as if the time they spent apart had never happened. The two of them fit together so well, like connecting pieces of a puzzle. He began walking and Nezumi followed without any prompting. The wind moved slightly, making the petals fly then fall when they was no wind.

“It’s not something that’s impossible do, right?” Shion questioned.

Nezumi smiled, the hair ruffling his hair and making him look more handsome than he remembered. Shion was filled with so much love and adoration over the person he was afraid he could never see again.

“I love you,” Shion admitted

He didn’t need verbal confirmation that Nezumi felt the same way. The way Nezumi looked at him and the way he tightened his grip on his hands told him everything he needed to know about his feelings.

“I love you,” Nezumi replied before looking at the distance with that loving smile, “Tell me, Shion, what have you done besides wait for me by the window?”

“For one, not much waiting by the window,” Shion replied, “I was writing.”

“Oh? About what?”

“A tragedy.”

“That’s so unromantic,” Nezumi deadpanned.

“Says the Hamlet lover.” Shion teased, “I think I might add to it to make it less of a tragedy after all.”

“Wait, keep it a tragedy. I want to read it.”

Shion laughed, “What about you? I didn’t think you would cut your own hair.”

“I didn’t. The person who did lived to regret it when they lost their cutting arm.”

“How do you run into trouble without me? I thought you said I attracted trouble?”

“You do.”

“Hey!”

As the two of them laughed and shared stories of what they had done in the past three years, they began to forget how long they had spent apart from the other. They had fulfilled their promise of reunion. They were happy as they walked their connected path without looking back.

Maybe they could have a happy ending instead of a tragedy after all.

[cryptid-writer]

New Theory:

All for One created Nezu.

Nezu states in the Anime and Manga that nobody knows what he is, so it's natural to assume that he's an amalgamation of sorts. Where else have we found amalgamations in My Hero Academia? The nomus.

Originally the origin of the nomus isn't known, until Hikoroshi reveals that the flying nomu had been one of Izuku's childhood bullies. At the time we see him during the stain arc he unrecognizable.

Now there are a multitude of theories on how nomus are made, during my observations they seem to be a mixture of animal-like and human traits. The process of creating nomu's could likely be taking a human and drastically modifying them with bio engineering, something that's generally looked down upon in the medical and animal ethnics world.

But AFO didn't just start from humans, he had to be sure of his processes and do multiple tests before the perfection of the nomu creating process. It's already be theorized and possibly confirmed that Kurogiri is a nomu, just not as far in the mutation process.

We've seen several instances of mutation processes all throughout multiple fandoms. One such instance, that is one of my favorites, is the Witcher series.

It's explained that Witchers are powerful because of the mutations they go through, Witchers are made specifically to be able to take down monsters and beasts that most of the human population cannot successfully do without manpower and knowledge.

Nomu's are created for a purpose, which is similar to the Witchers. However, Nomu's are more similar to the Kett from the Mass Effect series in the fact that the Kett are created for combat purposes. Once you reach a certain point in game, the Kett become more powerful, this showing that the game lore means that the Kett evolve.

For those who aren't aware, the Kett are created via mutations made to them. Sounds familiar.

So what does this have to do with Nezu?

What if Nezu was one of the original experiments, it makes sense to start with animals before moving to humans, and mice and rats are fairly easy to obtain.

All that's required is to try and put a quirk in one and modify their composition. All for One could've had several IQ quirks, it's possible that he could've been trying to create a nomu with the ability to think and act on its own.

This would've likely been before Tenko Shimura was ever even born, All For One needed a loyal pupil and what better way than to make one.

Obviously it reached the point where All for One could've thought Nezu was loyal to him, and Nezu used this to escape.

Nezu is also suspiciously close to Nomu, isn't it? The first and last letters stay the same, something that isn't common in Japanese names, now it's revealed that ultimately Nezu is a play of the Japanese word for rat(Nezumi) but Nezu can directly translate to Not Sleeping.

[fcarher]

  ↪ PROPMPTED       --------------     [read] your muse reads to my muse.      ACCEPTING  

           ＡＳＳＯＲＴＥＤ  ＷＯＲＤ  ＳＴＡＲＴＥＲ  ＰＲＯＭＰＴＳ

                                      THE GARDEN HAD BEEN FILLED with silence, save for the almost inaudible sounds of turning pages but that was about it; while it was nice to have nothing disturb the PRINCESS; the lack of noises had made her feel even more isolated. not even nezumi had really spoken a word since joining her within the DEAD garden; his presence felt like pressure; as if there was something to be expected from her; it reminded her of the HAWKEYES of her father. FINGERS had almost pierced through the pages of the small notebook which had been held within her grasp; the inked words on yellowed paper seemed to mix together; an AMALGAMATION of black letters that did not make sense. a BREATH taken; trying to calm those easily irritated nerves. she REALLY had to work on her emotions & to not let them spill out at any given second. 

                                    SUDDENLY SHE HEARD THE MALE’S voice; though, it was not a conversation he started; he recited the words of an old book, fairy tales being its contents. a SMALL smile crept on her lips as she would close her own with a SIMPLE movement; silver eyes met hers for a second, the JOY once displayed fading within the next second; she didn’t grant him the SATISFACTION of knowing that listening to someone reading made her quite happy. it was her IMMENSE pride that got in the way, ONE too many times. & yet, she’d stand from her current sitting position & walk over to the other; seating herself on a bench that was rather close. this TIME; her eyes had been closed, enjoying the change & the lack of silence, the same smile now INFECTING every nook & cranny of her face. words were TAKEN in like something she craved & as the story neared his end; she felt herself being distraught; while, they were still not CLOSER than before, yuna had liked such gestures.  QUICK hands reached out to another book that had lain around, carelessly even. ❛ can i... ❜ the cover had partially COVERED half of her face as would let her head tilt to the side; strands of her hair falling into her vision. ❛ ...read something to you, now ? ❜

@nezumi-vc-103221​

[pigeonsimba]

1 6 9 11 12 and 15 for in the shadow of no 6

1. What inspired you to write the fic this way? I’m not sure what this question wants to get at specifically, so I’ll answer the way I think is right. The idea of ItSoN6 was developed from a conversation between my sister and me, right after I read the entire No. 6 novel to her (yes, I read it to her out loud, that’s how desperate I was to have someone else read the novels). We were brainstorming, “what if Shion and Nezumi’s places were swapped? How would that look? Would the characters develop differently, or would they be the same? If the other characters from No. 6/West Block were also switched, what would they be doing?” And it grew from there; my sister aayemae was instrumental in helping the plot have structure and for bouncing ideas around (I’m a pantser when it comes to writing *cough*). Most of the chapters are from Nez’s POV, because I wanted to explore his internal struggle and FEELINGS, because we see only a few glimpses of those two things canonically.6. What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics? I’m going to go with the obvious answer and say it is so darn big! I laugh when I think of how I basically wrote a full length novel for a fanfic. But do I regret it? No. ItSoN6 is my love letter to the story and the fandom, and I’m really proud of what I accomplished. I also am going to say, I received a lot of compliments from readers who said 1) that they understood in ItSoN6 why Nezumi had to leave, whereas they weren’t as convinced in canon, 2) that I actually used Elyurias effectively. So if the readers felt those were worth mentioning, I consider them special and different!

9. Were there any alternate versions of this fic? No, not of the fic itself, but some of the chapters had different iterations. “The Wall” was from Nezumi’s POV for a hot sec and so was “Loaded.” There were also points where chapters were one and then I did some breaking up because the chapters were too long (the chapters are still too long, buuuut…).11. What do you like best about this fic? I love my dialogue. That is one thing I will allow myself to brag about; my narration is not always up to snuff, but my dialogue is usually solid. Apart from that, I really like how the characters are basically consistent with their canonical selves. My sister and I set out with the ask “would the characters still be the same if they grew up differently?” and by the time we reached the end we realized that yes, even if Shion grew up in West Block and Nezumi came from No. 6, they would still be motivated by the same things and react the way they always have. I was really excited about that because even though I was the one doing the writing, it still felt like I was experiencing the story all over again, as if I were in passenger seat reading along.12. What do you like least about this fic? When I reread the chapters, I always find things to pick at. How it’s too choppy here, or I should’ve used a different word there, or should I have cut that paragraph out altogether? The curse of the writer is always to be dissatisfied, no matter how proud you are of accomplishing a thing.15. What did you learn from writing this fic? I learned a lot about narration, internal reflection, and using subtleties to communicate mood. Before ItSoN6, I tried writing an original work and got more than 100pgs in before I realized it didn’t work. I didn’t feel anything from the story and I knew it would bore readers. When I look back at that writing, it is leagues behind what I wrote for ItSoN6, and I really think that writing ItSoN6 helped me grow leaps and bounds. It was the marriage of passion and pursuit that allowed me to play more with language and try to write realistically enough to invoke emotion in the reader. Also, I learned a whole lot about knife fighting and the experience was so much fun I wrote “Cat and Mouse” in like 5 seconds flat. So here’s to writing, because it makes you do research and from that you learn a whole lot.@voxiferous Thanks so much for asking!

[hjazysol]

@hopeaterart

Bandana: And done. That's all the paperwork done and accounted for. Now I can relax.

Daroach, breaks through a window.

Daroach: Wanosuke! My favourite busy bee!

Bandana: SAINO!? THIS BUILDINGS THIRTY STOREYS HIGH!?!? AND WHY'D YOU BREAK THE WINDOW!?

Daroach: That's not important that was all through talent baby. I've just come to drop off this letter from Aizawa.

Bandana: Oh! Thank you...I guess.

Daroach: Til we meet again (Breaks through a different window)

Bandana: WHY WOULD YOU BREAK A DIFFERENT WINDOW!?!?

Daroach, his voicing fading as he fell: Dramatic effect!

Bandana: (sigh) Let's see what this is shall we? (Opens letter) WHAT!?

-Later at U.A.-

Hizashi: Yo! Toshinori pass me a cup of Coffee would ya pal!?

Toshinori: Sure thing.

Hizashi: You're the best!

Aizawa: Keep it down, I'm trying to get in as much sleep possible before the students get here.

Toshinori: (Chuckles)...Huh?...Does anyone else hear loud, tiny footsteps?

Bandana, runs in slams the door unknowingly on Toshinori.

Bandana: YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT!?

Aizawa: ...Well your here early...

Bandana: With all due respect I love kids but I can't hold a conference infront of all those faces. (Thinks about it) AAH! THEY'D ALL LAUGH AT ME!!!

Aizawa: It'll be fine. You're one of the most loved people out in the world.

Bandana: Yeh. No thanks to the good for nothing media.

Aizawa: You got that right. So just stand at the pedestal and talk about hero work.

Bandana: Why me!? W-Why not Kaabi!? Or Jun!? Or even Susie!? I bet she'd love to do something like this! (Smiles nervously)

Aizawa: Because out of all of them you're the second favourite after Kaabi. Besides he taught the best class.

Bandana: Well I'll be pretty much teaching the whole school! Why can't Nezumi do it!?

Aizawa: You and I both know he's an undercover hero, no one really knows of his work... ... ...We really need to ask him how he avoids the media so well.

Bandana: Yeah we really do. I guess I'll do it then. Cya guys.

Leaves shutting the door behind him revealing an in pain Toshinori crushed against the wall. Hizashi just laughed at him & Aizawa simply sighed.

-Later still at U.A.-

Sekijiro: All right students we have a special guest here today, from the hero agency Star Allies. He's gonna be going through what true qualities a hero must have & how you as a people aspiring to be heroes can accomplish them.

-Backstage-

Bandana, prepping himself: Come on Wanosuke, you got this you're only gonna be talking infront of millions of students... ...All at once... ...And they definitely won't laugh... ...I've got it! Just imagine them in their underwear... ...WAIT NO THEY'RE KIDS YOU IDIOT THAT'S EXTREMLEY FREAKIN' PERVERTED!!!

Sekijiro: I will now let the hero Bandana take over.

Bandana: CRAP! IT'S TIME!! Just play it cool (Walks up to the pedestal) ... ... ... ..."Say something you coward!" S-S-So h-how is everyone? I-It's nice to be here...Uh..."Ok you got through the easy part now just go with the flow & this will be easy to." Seeing so many of you aspiring to become pros really does remind me of myself. It really does. "What kind of old grandpa line of dialogue was that!?" Each & everyone of you has the essence necessary to become extrodinary heroes. "Getting better." You each have your goals that you wish to achieve. And your path to becoming a hero extends your reach for said goal. "Damn am I still the same person right now!?" But no matter what your motivation you each have one goal you all wish to achieve. "What!? What!? What!? Oh right!" You each follow the same goal to keep the people in this world we care so much for safe. Fighting for the good of another civilian or at times even another hero is what keeps us all linked together. "(sigh)... ... ...Okay I want off this ride!" So again thank you all for having me it was a pleasure meeting you all. I hope to see some of you out on the field in due time. Cya. (Walks off back stage)

Sekijiro: Thank you for that excellent speech Bandana.

Bandana, whispers as he walks by: You have no idea how piss your pants terrified I was! (Shivers)

Sekijiro: You did good, no worries.

Bandana: Thanks now...If you excuse me...My face is going to meet with the floor for a bit. (Falls over and goes to sleep)

Sekijiro: ... ... ...He fell asleep?

[olympus-summit]

Bubbled Over || Elliott || Trial 6-3

As soon as his name was invoked, Elliott's casual sip on his second glass turned into a hearty chug, as he set it back on the tray with a clink, emptied of it's contents. His head was hurting and the alcohol had nothing to do with it. At periods, he attempted to open his mouth to speak and respond to the sudden accusations, but he found his words being suddenly barreled over by a rush of information at once.

Izar had opened the floodgates, and it was growing increasingly difficult to get a word in edge-wise. Oof. Ok. Just. Let them get it out first, then. He grabbed the third glass beside him, but before he could take a sip, one word did strike a particularly loud and unwanted chord in his ears from Izar's lips. 

"I am nOT a royal!"

His voice cracked. The amount of times he'd tried to make this distinction had grown more than a little bit tiring, but he still squirmed in place every time someone tried to call him that. There was a difference. A difference.

He paced his breathing for a moment, trying his utmost to keep composed, though tears still began to 

"Nobility. Nobles. I am-- ehm... was a noble, prior to my sentencing. I-I.... the crest for the Eires house is otters, not lions. A-And the crest for the royal family is a species of bird I highly doubt any of you would have heard of, g-given it's.... exclusive to Cremoria, and, ehm.... in general, the country adopted aquatic animals, u-usually mammals, bar the royal family."

Well. Once an ocean boy, always an ocean boy. ... Damned if he didn't want to look at the ocean again.

Ah goodness, what else was there to address? He trembled, grip tightening on the handle of the rapier at his hip. The one he'd ended up keeping, despite everything. Hooo...

"H-Handwriting, y-yes, it... didn't match any of the samples I currently have, I checked. Which would be..." He opened his iRis and flipped through a set of photos. "Myself, Mitsu, Leland, Sabine, Nezumi, Mina, Ev--- Nemesis?, and Hangyu.I believe I also took either Ryu or Nezumi's handwriting from a note in Setsuna's room, but I don't know which of them wrote it. I... Also have a few samples from the previous summit due to them vandalizing things around the sh-ship. It didn't match those, either. If... a-anyone brought the letters, I'm willing to show my own handwriting a-as a second eye, so to speak. The styles are visibly... very different."

There was... definitely one thing he felt the need to speak up about in a stronger defense, however, and it was the damn near constant verbal lashings people were giving Mina. Though Nemesis seemed to want to not argue, he was keen to bring her right back up.

"Th-that's enough. If you don't wish to argue about Mina, then leave her out of this. A-and do not bring up this bullshit about having evidence, because you were mistreating her from well before this information came to light, on the sole basis of the fact that the Fates and Monty seemed to get along with her. Yet you continue to tear down someone undeserving. Someone who quite possibly could have saved your life. Just... I... understand. I understand that harsh situations lead to strong reactions. That behavior and emotions from tense times aren't an indicator of your personality outside of this, but... could you set your pride aside and apologize to her? Please?"

He was at least passionate enough about this to slip in a swear, which he generally refrained from doing. Just... he was not happy with a lot of things that had gone down in the group chat for awhile now, in his absence especially, having read the backlog. Though he'd mostly abstained from taking  sides in the feuding factions, he finally did reach a tipping point where he was. Just. Not having it anymore. It took some time but he got there. He took a brief pause to wipe his face again.

He sighed, getting partway into his third glass. Due to his height and drinking habits, he wasn't exactly a lightweight, so in reality he was only just hitting the point of tipsy, if at all. He calculated exactly how much he was bringing. He knew himself enough to know how much he'd need.

"I-If... you're asking about the execution, I.... yes. I asked to take the place of the true culprit, whom I still won't name, before the trial even started. In... the case of a mistrial, at least. The.... condition was that I didn't tell you that was the case. ... I assume the condition is moot at this point, g-given I'm. Somehow standing right here. But, ehm... I.... did know, actually, that it would be me and no one else. I didn't.... expect it to drive such a wedge in the council, I'd... thought it was granting a mercy, truthfully..."

He paused again. Was that everything? He was.... pretty sure that was everything. Granted, so much was happening, there were things that could have slipped through.

".... Let me know if I missed any concerns. As... A f-final defense here, why would I select a format so intensely personal to me? .... D-Death sentences and trials and.... granted... these are mere bastardizations of trials, I suppose... the... legal system doesn't remotely operate in such a format, but it's... cl-close enough to personally set my own.... traumas off. Th-this has been... incredibly difficult to sit through... e-each time."

[writerofcreativity]

The Twelve Zodiac (Chapter 9)

(My postings will now be scheduled on Thursday, that will be the day I'll be posting each chapters instead of posting them on weeks and weekends. I will be doing the oneshots but probably will post them on a different day. I am sorry for those enjoying this fanfic, there's a lot of things going on in my life right now.

I want to make Sharyu a fighter because I think it would be very cool to see her fight.)

~~~

Five weeks had gone by and the twelve zodiac warriors are making excellent progress, there was no need to do any trust exercises anymore. Tsugiyoshi even proposed to send only three people if a Celestial Beasts appeared but if it's more then he will send half the team. Duodecuple agreed to that idea.

"As days passed by, I watched my teammates fought Celestial Beasts that comes in different shapes and sizes, they've successful killed them. Whenever Nezumi put me on a team to fight these creatures, I tried resorting to peace and avoid nonviolence but those things just ignored my words."

Misaki began to questioned herself why she accepted to be a part of this team in the first place, she was honored but the reason why she was accepted was because of her skills. Some of the wars she was willing to stop, didn't turned out the way she wanted.

"Sharyu nee-san."

She turned around and see Tsugiyoshi standing in the kitchen with her, she almost got scared because she didn't hear his footsteps.

"Is there something you need, Nezumi-kun?" She asked putting a smile on her face.

The teenage boy walked towards the fridge and opens it "for the last four weeks you haven't been your cheerful self. Every time I looked at your face, it looked like you're facing some sort of conflict. I am not expecting anything from you but say if you were assigned to kill a Celestial Beast, you will get yourself killed by talking to it. Those who you are with will also be killed and you will take that blame." He spoke harshly.

Those words stabbed her like knives "Nezumi-kun, what if some of the Celestial Beasts are not vicious as we thought they be? Maybe they are nice and trying to live with humans peacefully?" She spoke.

"If we're lucky. So far we met none." He said closed the fridge with a juice box in hand "I want to know why you became a pacifist. If there is a problem then it might be solved if you talked it out." He pulled a chair and sits on it.

Misaki agrees to tell her leader why she became a pacifist. This will be the first time she talks about her past to anyone.

~~~

It all started when Misaki completed her training with the three hermit monkeys that taught her mountain magic. She never even considered on using her powers to fight, she only wanted to bring peace to the world and stop conflicts that would take millions of lives.

Although, there was the time she used her powers and inflicted on someone else who also was gifted. First she tried talking to that person but they refused to cooperate and hurt more innocent people, she had to engaged to a fight. She repeatedly bashed that person's face and continued to do it even if it was a corpse.

Misaki realized the mistake and vowed to never used violence again. She cleaned the blood off her hands but it is still there, as a sign that she had used violence even though she she against it.

~~~

"The images of that caved in face haunts me. I had never thought I would go that far and ended up killing a human being." She finished her story. Just talking about made tears fall down from her face.

Tsugiyoshi didn't looked surprised to hear that a person like her could ever killed someone "you had no choice. You tried to do things peacefully but it failed, the only option for you to do was to used violence in order to defend yourself." He said.

"I don't want to use it. I kill peacefully." She removed her glasses to wipe away her tears.

"Then you should quit being a team member if you think that all you can do is using nonlethal actions against things that are trying to kill us and others who aren't involved. As I see it, you are a liability and everyone thinks that way but do not want to hurt your feelings." Tsugiyoshi walked out of the kitchen, leaving Misaki alone with her thoughts.

~~~

Usagi went inside a room that belongs to the Monkey, the door was unlocked, and he wanted to spend some time with his friend but she wasn't in there "Sharyu, are you in here?" He asked checked under her bed hoping to find her but didn't. He checked her closet, only to find clothes.

"Maybe she's not here..." As Usagi heads towards the door, he saw a note on top of a desk. Without thinking, he picks it up and reads it. After finishing the letter, he quickly runs out.

~~~

"The Hundred Paths of Nezumi-san?" Michio questioned.

Tsugiyoshi nodded "you asked for my ability and I've told you all." He said looking at his teammates who were curious.

"Can you use it to predict the future?" Ryoka curiously asked.

"It doesn't worked that way. It only show me possibilities and I can pick which one I want but the worse thing about using it is that it makes me very exhausted." He explained.

Others are impressed that a teenager like him possesses that kind of power "do you ever used it?" Kanae asked "I did when we had to fight those Celestial Beasts that interrupted our trust exercise. I don't use my ability that often because it always makes me tired." He answered.

"Nezumi!"

Everybody can hear the loud clacks that the high heels made when Usagi ran towards them, presenting the letter in front of his leader's face "it surprises me that you can run with those kind of shoes." Tsugiyoshi said takes the letter anyway and reads it out loud.

"Dear Nezumi, I had thought what you had said to me. I don't want to be a burden to you or anyone else. Please don't look for me, I'll be fine."

Navi looked at him "did you and her had a fight?" He asked "I wouldn't call it a fight. All I did was told her that she is a liability if she resumes fighting peacefully. That woman can get us all killed." Tsugiyoshi said without feelings in his voice.

"I agree that she is just a meddlesome monkey but she can be useful when she uses her brain." Toshiko spoke.

"She can't think about leaving. She still needs to pay me." Nagayuki said, not a surprise that he is thinking about money.

Tsugiyoshi then noticed that he is being looked at by his teammates "we are not going after her." He said "but why?" Usagi asked "because it's too much trouble." Tsugiyoshi yawned.

"Well, we have to go find her. This is just me talking, I think she brings this team together and is trying to get along with everyone who were total strangers." Navi said.

Tsugiyoshi groaned as he stands up "alright fine. That note has no information where she is and I doubt any of us knows where she might be. Dokku nii-san and Niwatori nee-san, you two will help find Sharyu nee-san." He said.

~~~

"Sharyu, it has been a long time since we've last saw each other."

Misaki has traveled to the mountains and once she reached her destination, she meets three monkeys who are wearing robes "it is good to be back. I want to train in order to control my powers. This time, I will be fighting." She said.

[no6secretsanta]

I had a fun time writing a Nezushi AU and playing with the idea of what their characters would be in a completely normal sort of environment. I’m hoping you enjoy this one-shot. Happy holidays @liebe-dear!

- @fairysdarkestnight

______________________________________________________________________________

Nezumi sat alone in a crowded cafe, tapping his fingers restlessly against the tabletop as outdated and overplayed Christmas music played through speakers placed behind the counter. Time was ticking by even slower than usual, and even his book wasn’t holding his attention the way it normally would. Macbeth was one of his favorites, and he hadn’t even finished the first act yet.

A hand reached out and pulled out the chair across from Nezumi, startling him from his book. “Hey sorry I’m late - it’s Eve, right?”

A mousey young man with unkempt brown hair sat across the table as Nezumi put his book to the side. “So. You’re Shion?”

Wild nodding. Damn the kid looks like he’s a bobblehead.

“So are you into theater at all?”

Shion shook his head. “No, I haven’t been able to see a show. I think theater is one of the greatest art forms of our time, but I’ve never even read a play.”

“Okay kid, thanks for coming out. Guess there wasn’t really a point in meeting up.” Nezumi pushed back his chair, picked up his book and turned to leave. But a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, halting Nezumi in his steps. “Please, give me just five minutes. I’ve heard your singing when I walk by the theater and I wanted to get to know you more. I’m drawn to you.”

Nezumi shook him off and placed a hand against Shion’s cheek. His voice pitched high, he crooned a few notes. “Be calm child. You don’t know me. You shouldn’t be using words such as that to someone you’ve never met. One might take that as a love confession.”

Large brown eyes looked up at the actor. “If I say I loved you, would that make you stay? Because I’ve seen you rehearsing. I’ve heard the passion in your voice as you recite your lines. And I love the person that I see who gives everything into a performance. That’s why when I saw your profile, I immediately swiped right.”

The kid’s crazy. I thought I’d kill some time and maybe get lucky using that infuriating app, but I never thought I’d run into a certified stalker.

Nezumi yanked his hand away, only to stare as a dark pink line seared across the other’s face. A pale cream was smeared across his hand. Lower quality than even the stage makeup some of the other college actors used in the community theater.

A deep flush was spread across Shion’s cheeks and he wouldn’t meet Nezumi’s eyes. “Hm. Well you just got more interesting.” Nezumi rubbed slightly against his cheek to wipe away more of the foundation to reveal a scar that curled around his face and down to his neck. Curious, Nezumi leaned in and could faintly see the outline of the scar curve down Shion’s neck and below his collared shirt where he hadn’t been skilled enough to hide the slightly raised edges. “So. How far does this go? Because if it’s a snake that winds itself around your body? Well that’s pretty damn sexy. And rather fitting for an actress who goes by Eve.”

And so Nezumi placed his book on the table, pulled out his chair, and ordered another cup of coffee. “So for starters you can call me Nezumi.”

______________________________________________________________________________

It wasn’t until about a month after they’d first met that Nezumi finally noticed that there was something off about Shion. They were sitting on the beat up couch in Nezumi’s studio apartment (an apartment that he was rather proud of, despite it being in the dangerous end of town and certainly a little more than run-down, but it was his) when Nezumi reached around to rest his arm across Shion’s shoulders.

The flinch was so noticeable that Nezumi couldn’t believe that Shion hadn’t launched himself off the couch. Again, the boy wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Is… is there something wrong? It’s not like we’re watching a scary movie or anything.”

No, they were watching one of those terrible made-for-TV-movies that was so sickeningly sweet that Nezumi wanted to puke at the thought of watching one, but Shion demanded that the movies were a Christmas staple.

“It’s… I just don’t feel like cuddling.”

“Shion. I will turn off this movie if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Nezumi didn’t think that it was something that he’d done (might’ve been a trigger but even though they’d only known each other a few weeks, Nezumi thought he had a pretty good idea of Shion would be comfortable with, and it wasn’t the first time they’d curled up on his couch together.)

“... I never told you how I got this scar.”

It was one of those topics that there wasn’t a good time to ask about. No matter how drawn to each other they felt (and Nezumi would have denied feeling any such attraction if asked) they still had only known each other a couple of weeks. And even if they’d discussed some deeper topics - Shion’s single mother, his best friend’s death, the fire that destroyed Nezumi’s home - the scar was one that neither wanted to touch.

“It… it was actually the reason my father left. I know I mentioned that my mother raised me, but when I was a kid I contracted a disease that left me sick for months. My dad… well he couldn’t take the stress of a sick child that none of the doctors could cure. They couldn’t even figure out what was wrong with me. So he left. Wrote a letter that he placed on my nightstand as he said goodbye. And I never saw him again.”

Nezumi opened his mouth to speak, but Shion shook his head as he still had more to tell. “I got better, but after that I was always just a little weaker than the other kids. So I focused more on learning what I could about the environment and medicine since that’s what interested me. And when I was 16, Safu died. And the stress from that brought back my disease from when I was a kid. Apparently I’d never fully recovered and it was just giving me milder symptoms for about ten years. But this time, it left me with a scar. And a few other changes.”

Shion turned his back on Nezumi and bent over, shoulders shaking slightly. No words were spoken between them, and Nezumi was hesitant to reach out to him. There was something unapproachable about his boyfriend in that moment, and he didn’t want to be the one to break the silence.

When Shion turned around, the red eyes that met Nezumi’s were full of hesitation and fear. “I wanted to tell you sooner. It felt like I was lying to you everytime we talked. The photos on my profile? Safu had taken them shortly before. And I’ve spent so much of my time hating my reflection and every memory that went with it that I didn’t want you to see me like that. You, whose singing got me out of bed every morning just for the chance to hear it. So I bought colored contacts and dyed my hair. But we made plans for today and my mom asked me to help out at the bakery in the morning. So I didn’t have time to dye my roots.”

“Dye your roots?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Nezumi wanted to shove them back in. Stupid. That’s something the airhead would ask.

“I’m not sure what exactly it was - Safu was more into medicine than I ever was - but yeah. My hair is originally brown. A little darker than this, but it was the best I could find on short notice. But when I got sick again, it turned my hair white.”

Nezumi blinked and sat there for a moment. Then, “So basically you’re saying you catfished me.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Three years to the day saw Nezumi and Shion sitting on that same beat up couch in their studio apartment, celebrating Shion’s acceptance into grad school. They hadn’t been an easy three years, but neither of them would change a thing. Because that year for Christmas, though neither of them knew it, they had both bought rings to propose.