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jeankluv · 8 months ago

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Birdie - Satoru Gojo | Chapter 16

words: 4k

summary: While everyone adored him, you stood apart in your feelings. It wouldn't be accurate to say you hated him, as " hate " was a strong word, rather, you harbored a profound dislike towards him. The problem was he knew that and his irritating presence seemed to persistently cling to you whenever he crossed your paths.

Now, you found yourself paired with him for your semester project, and the thought made you wish to hurl yourself out of the third-floor window. Three months of working alongside him loomed ahead. Adding to the discomfort, you were currently under the scrutiny of hundreds of eyes, each gaze feeling like a murder attempt. It seemed everyone coveted the opportunity to collaborate with Gojo Satoru, except for you.

ac: _a3aem

tags: modern au, college au, fem!reader, academic rivals, he fell first, fluff, old money Gojo Satoru, abusive parents, slight slow burn, Satoru is a softy, secondary couple (Geto Suguru x oc), a bit of angst, no use of y/n, hurt/comfort, eventual smut, Gojo plays basketball, Gojo needs a hug

notes: this chapter will be focus on Birdie, there won’t be much Gojo & Birdie (sorry) I hope you enjoy it.

Jujutsu Kaisen materialist | ao3

materialist | previous chapter | next chapter

You looked in the mirror and bit your lip. That dress wasn't appropriate either, in fact none of the dresses she owned were appropriate for a charity gala full of rich people.

“Not this one either.” You sighed, taking off your suspenders.

“I think it’s good.” Kyoko said from your bed, as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Kyoko, I can't appear at a charity gala, full of rich people and knowing that Satoru's parents and grandparents are there with an openness that reaches me here.” You pointed to your hip.

“You would attract attention, that's for sure.” You rolled your eyes and took off your dress completely.

“Ugh, this is so stressful.” You threw yourself to the bed. “The gala is in two days, I don’t have anything.”

“Why did you accept?” You looked at Kyoko. “That sounded a bit rude, but what I meant was that, you always hated fancy places and I was surprised when you told me you were going.”

“I want to support Satoru.” You sat down and took the shirt that was on the floor. “This is important for him and… I want to be there for him.”

“Oh…” Kyoko smiled. “Aren’t you the cutest?” She pinched your cheeks. “But why don’t you talk with Sato…”

“No, I’m not asking him to buy something for the gala. I don’t want that.” You sighed.

“Okay, okay.” And she smiled. “Wait, I might know some who might be able to help you.”

“Who?” You looked at her.

“Shoko’s girlfriend.” She smiled and started texting on her phone.

“Shoko has a girlfriend?” You said surprised.

“Sometimes it surprises me how clueless you are, she told us, at the club, remember? We were in the couches with her and Yuki.” She said looking at you through her eyelashes and then a smile spread across her face.

You opened your mouth in a shaped O and remembered that moment. “Oh yeah I was probably elsewhere.”

You for sure where somewhere else, distracted watching Satoru as he talked with that girl, that later you found out her name was MeiMei.

“Shoko told me to go to her apartment after you finish your work, Utahime will help you.”

“Kyoko, I don't know if…”

“Let yourself be pampered and take care of yourself a little.” You looked down and sighed. “You're going to leave Satoru speechless at that gala.”

You hoped so, but you also hoped that eyes wouldn't land on you. You didn't want to have to endure an awkward question session all night. But you knew that if Satoru was with you that wouldn't happen.

You and Kyoko got ready to go to class, that day you only had one class and unfortunately for you, it wasn't with Satoru. It was hard to believe, before you avoided Satoru Gojo like the plague and now you longed to spend even a few minutes with him.

But that day was not going to be like that and you would have to limit yourself to calls and messages. Satoru was busy with his basketball practices and you were busy at work.

You and Kyoko got ready for class, gathered your materials and left together. You only had one class today and unfortunately for you, it wasn't with Satoru. It was hard to believe how much everything had changed in just a few months, before you avoided Satoru Gojo like the plague, but now you longed to spend even a few minutes with him. But that day was not going to be like that and you would have to limit yourself to calls and messages.

The walk to class felt longer than usual. Your thoughts drifted to Satoru, imagining his smile, his teasing words, and the warmth of his presence. The more you thought about him, the more you missed him, and it seemed like Kyoko noticed your distraction.

"It looks like you're going to be punished." Kyoko leaned towards you, a knowing smile on his lips.

You sighed, trying to push away the longing. "It's just that today Satoru and I won't see each other."

Kyoko laughed softly. "You sound like a puppy in love."

"Maybe I am." You admitted, laughing. “But I can’t help it.”

“Who would have thought I would see you so cloying and romantic.” Kyoko laughs leaving the subway.

You shrugged and didn't think much of it. Maybe if it was true that you were different from your usual way of being, it used to be difficult for you to show your feelings, but now with Satoru it was easy for you and it was something you wanted to do, you wanted to feel the serotonin in your body, the beating of your heart and the blood. of your body to rest on your cheeks.

Maybe you had changed or maybe that part of you had always been there and now your relationship with Satoru had brought it out. But one way or another, what mattered to you was that you liked that new version of yourself that was being drawn, and you wanted it to grow and open up more.

No matter how hard you tried all morning, your thoughts were not completely on the class and from time to time they wandered and you ended up thinking about Satoru. You wanted to ask Kyoko if she had felt that way when she started dating Suguru but it seemed like a silly question to you, so you kept it to yourself.

With the day's classes already finished you went with Kyoko to eat in the cafeteria, that day you would eat there instead of at work. Like most times, the cafeteria was packed, but luckily you managed to seat us at a table.

“Kyoko about the dress…”

“You need to relax.” She said. “Utahime is really nice and she is willing to help you. She is also excited to meet the girl that is willing to date Satoru.” You looked at her confused. “They have a friendly beef.” You nodded. “But don’t be jealous.”

You gasped offended. “I’m not that type!”

“Sure…” She smirked. “You want to remember that time when you saw a girl with Satoru and you came here all angry?”

“I… that’s not.”

It was then when Kyoko's smile became bigger and you look at her with a strange expression on your face. When you were about to ask her about that expression on her face, you felt a hand land under your chin and lift it, causing your head to look up. But that's when you met it, the one that turned into your favorite color. Those blue eyes smiled at you from above.

“Sato…” You were unable to finish the sentence, Satoru had brought your lips together in a kiss.

You enjoyed the kiss forgetting completely about the fact that you were in the cafeteria and that with that kiss everyone was finding out about the both of you. Satoru separated from you and through your eyelashes you saw the smile that appeared on his lips.

“I needed to see you…” He whispered against your lips. “Even if it was just for 5 minutes.”

You looked down, embarrassed by his words. “Satoru…”

“What?” He sat down next to you. “Can’t I say I missed my girlfriend and I needed to see her so badly?”

You bite your lip and shyly smiled. “Stop…”

“No way…” He whispered and kissed your cheek.

“Is it true you only have five minutes?” You looked at him.

He nodded. “As soon as Coach Yaga told us that training was over, I rushed out here.” You looked him up and down and knew he read your mind. “I took a shower.” Then he turned to look at Kyoko. “Hi Kyoko, Suguru will be here later.”

“Yeah I know, we are going out later.” She smiled.

“So you have to leave?” You tilted your head.

“Yeah I have a class now.” He pouted. “I will see you after work.”

“Sorry.” Kyoko spoke before you could say anything to Satoru. “But your girlfriend will have girls night today.”

“Oh.” He opened his mouth surprised.

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” You told him.

Satoru shook his head, not giving a lot of importance to it. “Don’t worry.” He got closer to you. “This weekend and the next one will be full for just us.”

“I will talk to Haibara today, to change our shifts this Saturday.”

Satoru smiled. “Okay.” He kissed your lips and stood back up. “I have to leave.” He looked at you one more time. “I will see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” You smiled and waved goodbye at him.

You watched as Satoru walked between the tables of the cafeteria and how he said hello to people there. It was a remark of his popularity, after all he was the star of the basketball team and now your boyfriend. Which had caused the people around you to start gossiping.

You knew that moment would come sooner or later, after all people liked to talk and gossip, and it was a gossip about Satoru Gojo, obviously they were going to talk. You didn't care, you had never cared what they said about you. At least not until Satoru told you that you shouldn't take it so lightly when people who didn't know you spoke badly about you.

“Do you think she is with him because of his family money?” A person behind you spoke.

“No idea.” Another one spoke. “The Gojo clan is really powerful and has a lot of money.”

“Yeah… but I heard that Satoru Gojo is a bit of a player.” Another voice spoke and your blood started to run faster. “I heard he even hooked up with a teacher.”

You hit the table hard and turned to look at those people who had such long tongues. “Don't you think you are polluting this public space too much with all the dead cells that you are expelling through your mouth?” The three of them looked at you in surprise and you could hear Kyoko calling you. “If you don't know how to say anything but lies to satisfy your boredom, you'd better keep them damn closed.” You glared at them.

You felt eyes fall on you as you became the center of unwanted attention. Whispers of amusement and surprise ran through the cafeteria, but you didn't care. You were tired of the gossip and unfounded rumors, and it was about time someone reported them.

One of the three, a girl with a surprised expression, opened her mouth as if to retaliate, but no words came out. She exchanged a look with the other two and they all stood up, clearly nervous, before hastily leaving the table. You watched them leave, a feeling of satisfaction bubbling within you.

Kyoko, eyes wide with a mixture of admiration and disbelief expeto. "Wow, that was... something." She gasped.

You took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline rush through your veins. “I didn't want to keep listening to them talk bad about Satoru.” You sentenced.

Kyoko smiled at you. “You care about him.”

You looked at her. “Of course I do, he is my boyfriend and I’m defending him.” You said. “The same way he did with me.”

Kyoko laughed. “You are both so cute. I could die.”

“Geez Kyoko stop!” You covered your face.

“Oh but you two are adorable.” She said. “But anyway, what I was telling you earlier, before your cute little boyfriend came, I will go for you after your shift and we will go together to Utahime’s apartment, Shoko will already be there.”

“Kyoko, I… I still don’t know.” You hesitated. “Isn’t this too much?”

She shook her head. “No.” She said firmly. “Please let us pamper you a little.”

“I think you do that more than enough.” You replied.

“Because we love you.” She said and you felt how the words sank on your chest.

You looked down. “Thank you.” Looking back at her, you smiled. “I need to leave.”

“Did you just get emotional?” She said in a silly tone.

“No I didn’t.” You obviously did. “Look, your boyfriend is coming.” You said pointing at Suguru who was coming your way.

“Oh.” She smiled warmly. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He approached her and kissed her cheek.

“Well, now you two are together, I will leave for work.” You stood back up.

“I will be waiting for you to go to Utahime’s apartment.” Kyoko shouted from the table.

As you walked across campus, heading to the bus stop to go to work, you couldn't help but look at the windows of your faculty building. You were looking for white hair that would always stand out from the crowd. When you finally saw him, your heart skipped a beat and a smile spread across your face.

You took out your phone and this time you were the one who wrote a message to Satoru.

You to Satoru ✨

Hey, I see you

Guess who is watching you from the outside this time?

You pressed send and watched as he checked his phone. You saw the familiar smile appear on his face as he read your message. Within moments, his phone vibrated with his response.

Satoru ✨

Oh look who is the stalker now 😂

If I open the window, we could be like Romeo and Juliet.

You chuckled and typed quickly knowing that Satoru didn’t know what shame meant and he was probably able to do it.

You to Satoru ✨

Please don’t

I need to leave, I will see you 💋

You looked back up and saw how he turned his face from the phone and sent you a flying kiss. You looked in both directions, embarrassed. You really needed to get used to Satoru’s extrovert self.

With a blushing but happy smile, you waved your hand goodbye to him. You turned on your heel and walked towards the bus to go to work. The tour was once again the usual one, with the music from your playlist playing in your headphones and your mind wandering between the night that awaited you and the charity gala where you would accompany Satoru.

In what seemed like a sigh you arrived at your work, finding yourself surprised that Haibara was not there.

“Oh!” A younger girl greeted you by name and you looked at her strangely. “Sorry I didn't introduce myself, I'm Mina, Yu's little sister.”

You opened your eyes surprised. “Oh Haibara has told me a lot about you.”

She laughed softly. "Oh really? I hope for good things.”

You nodded. “And Haibara?”

“He is sick, last night he stayed up all night playing video games and today he had a headache.”

You nodded. “Have you been here all morning?”

“No, my grandmother was here and I'm came after class.” She smiled.

You bit your lip thoughtfully, you should talk to Haibara as soon as possible, to ask her for the schedule change for Saturday.

“Is there a problem?” She took you out of your thoughts.

“Oh… I just needed to talk to Haibara to change our shifts for this Saturday.”

“I will call him.” She took her phone out.

“No, don't worry.” She shook her head and called her brother.

“Yu!! Yeah I’m here with…” Mina started talking with his brother.

The scene reminded you of that time when Haibara also called her grandmother so you could go to the basketball game. In fact, the energy of Haibara and her sister were similar, both seemed to have explosive energy and an outgoing personality, capable of spreading it to those around them.

“Yu told me that there is no problem.” Mina granted you a warm smile.

“Thank you so much Mina.” You thanked her.

“Oh please don’t thank me.” She shook her head. “My family is really happy with how you work and how nice you are, so it’s the least we could do.” She turned to look at the clock on the wall and then back to you. “I have to leave. It was nice meeting you.”

You farewelled her and you started working as you normally did, clients came and went. And you put on your best smile and were as kind as possible with everyone. By the time you realized it, the sun had set on the horizon and the streets of that neighborhood were illuminated by bright streetlights.

Your face lit up when the store bell rang and Kyoko entered through the door with a smile. And came to the counter.

“Hello.” She wildly smiled.

“Hi.” You said back with a smile also drawn on your face. “I need to change and we can go.”

“Perfect!” She smiled. “By the way, next weekend you told me you are planning on taking Satoru to Kamakura, right?” Kyoko followed you to the changing room.

You didn’t mind her being there. “Yeah, I want him to know where I was raised and everything.” Kyoko nodded but you could tell something was bothering her mind. “Spilled out Kyoko.”

Kyoko sighed and finally spoke about what was going on in her mind. “It’s just that I’m worried about you.” You looked at her with a wondering look. “When we went there last year, remember who we met right?”

You bite your lip remembering last summer when you, as you wanted to do now, wanted to show Kyoko your hometown, the landscapes with the flowers blooming, the people there, the temples, the train that passes by the coast and allows you to see the sea. But in one snap got ruined.

“Nothing will happen.” You smiled at her. “Satoru will be with me, it’s okay.” Kyoko twisted her lips and nodded, not very sure of that smile you were giving her.

“Utahime apartment is a bit far.” Kyoko mentioned that you were putting your shoes on. “We could take a taxi.” She suggested.

“It’s fine by me.” You stood up.

Making sure that everything was neat, turned off and in order, you closed the store and together with Kyoko you walked to the main street to get a taxi. During the trip they both had a pleasant conversation from time to time, diverting to talk about their boyfriends. You couldn't help but laugh like schoolgirls when talking about them, you were really at a point where you both felt capable of anything, not only because you were in love but because you felt full and happy with yourself.

When the taxi stopped at your destination, you got out of the car and your body almost froze when you saw the residential neighborhood where you were. Utahime's family, like Satoru's, must have had money, but it was not surprising, Kyoko had mentioned to you that Utahime would also attend the charity gala, so you assumed that her family must have a high economic status.

The speed of the elevator as you went up to one of the elevated floors made your stomach turn slightly and you had to close your eyes to make it go away. Kyoko walked determinedly almost as if she knew where to walk, while she held your hand, giving you a security that you didn't know you needed.

She stood in front of one and rang the bell, a few seconds later the door opened, showing a beautiful girl with dark hair with bangs, big brown eyes and what looked like a scar on her face. She looked at you and a wide smile spread across her face.

“So you are the girl that had Satoru Gojo down on his knees?” A girl with black hair and a scar crossing her face, smiled at you. You guessed that it was Utahime, based on the description Kyoko gave you earlier.

“Yeah, that’s probably me but I think that’s a bit exaggerated.” You chuckled.

“Oh believe Uta, he is down on your knees for you.” Shoko appeared behind Utahime.

“It’s good to meet you Utahime and to see you again Shoko.” You greeted both of them.

Utahime smiled at you wildly and welcomed you to her apartment. “You are also going to that gala right?”

“Yeah.” You looked around the room and saw how her apartment was decorated elegantly, with a cozy style that welcomed you. “I'm going as Satoru's plus one.” You smiled, looking back at Utahime.

“That’s good. I will be there too.” She smiled. “So if you need a break from the Gojo clan or the old boring people, I will be there.” She winked.

Those words gave you a comforting relief that you had been trying to ignore since you had accepted or rather told Satoru that you would go with him to the gala. The idea of meeting the Gojo clan overwhelmed you, you knew the clan, who in Japan did not know? And introducing yourself to them made your legs tremble as if they were jelly. But you didn't want to cower, you wanted to present yourself in that place as the confident person you were and you weren't going to lower your gaze.

“That makes me feel more relax.”

“Now.” She clapped her hands with a smile. “Take a seat.” She told Kyoko and Shoko, for them to look at you. “And you.” She pointed at you. “Come with me.” She grabbed your hand and guided you to what you guessed was her bedroom.

It was big, bigger than your whole living room and kitchen combined. It wasn’t surprising, she was going to the same gala as the Gojo clan, so probably her family had the money.

“So…” Utahime turned to look at you. “I have some ideas in mind, I think there are a couple of dresses that could make you look spectacular. But is there something you want?”

“I just don’t want to stand out too much.” You mentioned.

Utahime shook her head and smirked. “Unfortunately that will be impossible.” You looked at her. “First of all, you are stunningly beautiful, everyone would be looking at you and secondly, you are going as Satoru Gojo’s plus one, everyone will be laying their eyes on you.”

You swallowed and took a deep breath, Utahime noticing your distress sat down next to you and held your hand searching to calm down.

“It’s okay.” She smiled. “I know it will be a lot for you but…” She sighed. “I know how he is and I’m sure, like 200% sure he will make sure you are completely comfortable.”

You smiled, feeling a bit more relaxed after hearing her comforting words. “Thank you Utahime.” She shook her head, resting importance to the matter. “And yeah… I have an idea of what I would like to wear.” You slightly smiled.

“Tell me.” She said with her eyes shining with excitement.

“I would like to wear blue.”

“Blue?” She thought. “Okay, but why that colour?”

With a shy smile you said. “I want it to match Satoru’s eyes.”

Utahime smiled widely. “God, not only is Satoru at your feet, you're also fucked by him.”

You shrugged your shoulders. "I guess so."

She stood up and smiled at you. “I think…” She walked to her wardrobe. “I have the perfect dress for you.”

Utahime disappeared from your sight and you let out the air accumulated in your chest. Even though Utahime's words had been comforting and relieving, the knot that was forming in your stomach was there. You told yourself that you were doing it for Satoru, that as his partner and knowing his situation with his parents, you wanted to support him, like he did.

But you also wanted to prove to everyone present that even if you didn't come from one of those gold-plated families, you were worthy of them there, to hold your head high and walk at the same pace as Satoru Gojo.

“Here.” You heard Utahime’s voice and turned to look at her.

Your eyes and mouth opened slightly and you felt your heart stop beating momentarily. Utahime was holding a beautiful dress that was capable of taking your breath away just by looking at it.

“Utahime.” You swallowed, trying to find the words. “I don’t think I can wear that dress.”

“Yes you can.” She approached you. “I designed this dress and made it but never found anyone that could give it justice, but now, I know you can.” She looked at you with shiny eyes. “I know you will look absolutely beautiful in it.”

Your heart raced, imagining yourself in that dress that looked so delicate and beautiful before your eyes.

final note: finally I made Utahime and Birdie meet, I really wanted them to meet 🤗

— comment if you want to be tagged

🏷️:@lavender-hvze , @crybabytoru , @sanriosatoru , @norvacaine , @sadmonke , @faetoraa , @hexipessimistic , @gojoful , @kitzusune , @sh0jun , @manyno , @ropickle , @anniegojo , @milk3evee , @crunchypotatoooooooooo , @catobsessedlady , @zoeyflower , @starlostwish , @tinydonkeysforlife , @mimisq11341 , @n1vi , @olanii1019 , @vtrulvamp

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keelt9 · 6 months ago

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Chapter 2

Masterlist

Mom keeps talking about how happy she is that we finally spend time together after so many years, just like the old times.

She grabs my face. “Now the 9 years of difference are almost imperceptible.”

“Mom! I don't look that old!” Lewis choked with his fruit.

“You wish you looked like this at my age.” He sat straight. I was about to speak but mom interrupted us.

“Keep eating, keep eating.”

This week I'll be at our parents house, so Lewis can have a few days off from me.

A Wednesday night mom entered the kitchen where Jewel keeps at my side.

“How is the project going?” I'm buried in papers, madeleines and tea.

I scoff and take my glasses. “Good? I don't know, I never imagined this amount of responsibility.”

Mom serves a cup of tea, and sits next to me. “He said you're doing pretty well.” I scoff and watch the papers and empty pens, picking up all the things so we can talk calmly.

“Next is?” I pat Jewel and gave her a piece of carrot which reject at the second bite. Lewis and his idea about trying to become her vegetarian, it's useless.

“Miami.”

I’m melting like ice, if I thought the first day we arrived was hot I was clearly short about how hot the day of the race is.

“How much weight will he lose?” I asked the doctor who weighs Lewis and George.

“Between 4 or 5 kilos.” I opened my eyes. “Maybe 6.”

“SIX?! Oh my word!” Lewis laughed and set properly his race suit one more time. “Drive safe, all right?” He nods and kisses my cheek.

I walk to the hospitality area, 50 minutes until the race begins although I see Checo chatting with Yuki, a casual talk in the way both are laughing. This time Red Bull is in front of Mclaren and Mercedes next to them.

Checo saw me and waved his hand, so I walked closer to greet him properly.

“Hi. Yuki have you met Y/N?” Yuki made a small bow and I did the same. “She is Lewis sister.”

Yuki opened his eyes, like he just knew a big secret.

“How are you?” Checo asks me, I move my hand trying to have a fresh breeze of air.

“Melting, but I'm fine.” Both giggle.

Yuki is the first young driver I officially met, beside George of course. “It's your first time in the paddock?”

Checo saw me with pressed lips. “Kind of.” It’s a half honest answer. “I'm dying to be in Japan, that definitely will be my first time.”

Yuki smiles as we get involved in a deep talk about food and places I should visit in the few days we'll be there.

“It’s hot, definitely hot.” We turn around and see Max walking right to us. “Morning Yuki, Y/N.”

I don't want to be rude with Yuki so I cut the conversation as friendly as I can. “I count on you for that, all right?”

Yuki nodded and I said goodbye to them bumping fists with Checo.

“What did I say this time?” Max says it almost right to my face. Checo laughs and pat his teammate back.

“You’re on the darkside, mate.” Max bluffs but raises his voice as I walk away.

“FINE! IT DOESN'T MATTER!” I roll my eyes when I enter the hospitality building.

A tricky race, Lewis fought until the last lap but just reached the sixth position. It hasn't been his weeks and he knows it by the way he goes down this car and walks slowly to the garage.

This time I took a risk and waited for him at the back of the garage, even here I could hear the noise of camera shots, reporters and all the talks from the mechanics.

Lewis was surprised I was there. “Hey.” I smile and give him a small push, making just the faith of a smile appear on his face.

“You get back, don’t pressure yourself too much.” He just nods and keeps walking to change his clothes, definitely mad about his performance.

By the time we arrived at the hotel Lewis put on his best facade during the day and tried to fool us but the one who knew him, saw something was going on.

“What do you want for dinner?” He asked me as we left the paddock.

“Actually, I prefer rest, tomorrow I have an early flight and I still have things to work on.” I’m hungry but I know he always chooses to make me company when actually he's dying from a proper rest.

Lewis is about to complain but I grab his hand on the SUV. “It’s ok, I eat a lot in the hospitality and I always can order room service.” He laid back in the seat. “Just rest, all right?”

I don't lie, I kept working on some drawings until my stomach started to growl, but I needed fresh air, so I took my purse and phone and went out for dinner.

After a quick research online I found myself waiting on a food truck for a burrito and a lemonade, with the ocean at my back and a humid ambient.

“Here you have. Enjoy your food.” A young woman gave me my order, I thanked her sitting in one of the benches they have.

It’s a peaceful night of course with a Grand Prix this morning, you can hear from time to time chattings about the drivers, the race and the results.

“I'm telling you, it was insane!” A man is walking hand in hand with a girl, who is thrilled as him, for the way she makes little jumps and talks with her hands.

“It will be out of this world, be this close to a car.” She narrows the distance of her fingers.

I scoff as I clean my fingers after finishing my dinner, even in the most random place people agree with Max.

I go back walking to the hotel, just a 20 minute walk; I need to do the last adjustment before I leave. I was talking with the receptionist when loud laughs and mumblings distract me.

Carlos, Charles, Lando, George and Max enter the hotel making the few people still up late at night and staff members look at them.

“Miss?” The receptions remind me of what we were talking about.

I asked her to please wake me up at 4 am, and disobey Lewis' order, they don’t wake him up. I take full responsibility for him not getting upset leaving a handwritten note.

“Sorry.” I ended up writing the note and gave it to her. “Thank you so much.” The girl smiles at me before I take my phone and walk, seeing the photos of Nicola with the kids and Roscoe.

Until I almost hit my face with the floor of the lobby.

“Don’t worry, nothing is going to happen to you tonight.” I didn’t even notice the fast reaction of Max grabbing my left arm.

The half twisted smile and the fact he's holding too to a chair, make me take my arm from his hand.

“I'm fine, thanks.” Max stares at Charles who has a red face almost like a tomato, sitting in the chair.

“Long legs, you almost make a girl fall, that's rude.” I refuse to get involved in this so I start to walk to the elevator.

“Wait, I'll take you to your room.” Max panicked and corrected himself. “To the door of your room, not inside of your room, at the frame of your door.”

I bluff, he's definitely drunk and the only one staying alone there; Charles, is talking with a girl who is coming for him.

I want to leave him there, I truly want to, but the half closed eyes and the fact he believes he is the savior when I easily could get in trouble, makes me doubt.

I clicked the bottom for the elevator but he sits on the chair.

“Goodness gracious.” I whisper to myself before walking back and pull him to the elevator.

He looks at me with his eyes as open as possible, still I didn't even say a word.

The 10 floors seem eternal as the elevator goes up, I keep tipping the floor with my feet as it could make it go faster, getting distracted when I feel Max is sliding.

I complain internally about dad always teaching us help every time you can. I grabbed his arm and put it around me, at least he could lean on me.

“Which one is your floor?” The smell of whisky is perceptible.

“What? No, no, I'll take you. You're the one who almost got hurt.” I clicked my tongue; discussing with him is harder, now, being drunk could be a pain.

“Ok, at least you should tell me, just in case I need more help.” My words are pure irony.

He sighs and a rumble laugh comes out of him along with a. “Smart girl.”

My giggle is an honest one. “Yes, I know.”

When we reach the 12th floor Max keeps mumbling things about the race, the night and why he “thinks” he’s probably drunk.

“Ok, which one is yours?” I practically dragged him out of the elevator begging no one else where in the hallway.

He splits and leans on the wall. “No, no, no. You first.” He highcough, still I know I have to be patient.

“Why don’t we go to your room, calm and then you could leave on mine? If you throw up, at least I prefer to be in your room.” He scoffs but nods.

“Omg, Max?” I feel my blood turn cold when I hear another voice. “I thought you would say any drinks tonight.” A man runs to him and holding him avoids him crashing on the floor.

“It was the plan, just…” He plays with his fingers before grabbing the man shirt. “A few.”

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to your room.” But Max splits and points to me.

“No, we almost made this young girl fall, I must leave her in her room safe.” Finally the man noticed my existence and smiled in an apologetic way.

“I’m sorry, but one of the girls called to the reception about Max making a scene in the lobby but when I arrived he was already gone.” The man extended his hand. “I’m Harry, teammate of Max.”

I take his hand. “Y/N Hamilton.” He blinked rapidly.

“Y/N Ham… Hamilton. Lewis sister?” He mumbled, still Max answered for me.

“His little sister, to be more clear.” Harry threw lethal eyes to him.

“You made Lewis little sister carry you up here in these conditions?” Max nods slowly and makes me smile. “Oh, right, I almost forgot, almost made her fall.”

“Fuck yeah.” Max answers and walks where I still was standing.

“No, no, let’s go Max, you need to lay down.” Harry tries to grab him but he already has his arm around my shoulders holding me tight.

It’s obvious he won’t let go of his nonsense of leaving in my room.

“Hey Max, let’s do what I propose, all right? Then you could leave in my room.” In his condition, as soon as he touches his bed he falls asleep. Harry watches us unsure however follows us until his room.

Inside I walked with him to his bed as Harry closed the door and ordered a strong coffee to his room. When we reached the border of his bed I carefully made him sit but he fell backwards and closed his eyes, like I predicted.

I was about to leave him when he spoke, turning to his left side. “Y/N, you’re pretty strong you know that?”

His words left me surprised with a strange sensation of pride. Harry enters and apologizes one more time, saying he takes care of him.

“Thanks Y/N. Most of the people will leave him, making sure they win a good post on their feeds.” I nod before walking out of the room, this time after 20 minutes I arrive at my room.

By the time I was about to get in the plane, I received a text from Lewis complaining that I must wait for him to at least he take me to the airport but I calmed him down saying I take one of his boys to do that.

“Try to have fun, ok?” I keep reading his text before entering the house.

After my no-wedding I barely see my friends, I feel so ashamed and embarrassed even though there were just a few ones who used it all the “momentum” against me. This is the first time I came to a birthday party fully convinced.

“It's nice you came Y/N, thanks.” Thomas hugs me after I finally get the chance to talk to him, he’s the birthday boy.

“Oh my, look who’s here!” The voice of Hanna or I must say the scream makes Thomas sigh and I tense my whole body.

“I’m sorry but even if I tried, she always is in the wrong moment.”

I take a deep breath before facing one more time my “best friend” who tactfully reminded me after and during 5 months of my broken heart.

“Go, I can deal with her.” Thomas is about to speak but it's his birthday, the last thing he needs is stress on his day. “I’m fine.”

Thomas nods and walks away as Hanna comes closer, a drink in her hand and poison accumulation in her mouth.

“My girl, it’s been what? 9 or 10 months since we saw you?” Both of us know the last time she saw me it’s the day after my wedding. “And you barely reply to my texts.”

“Yes, I've been kind of bussy.” I play with the ice of my drink to avoid making eye contact.

Hanna fake a compressive smile, predicting something she will say. “I can imagine after a failure like an almost wedding, there are a thousand things to do.”

Even now she gets under my skin so easily.

“I sent you the invitation for my party but you didn't reply or anything like that.” She takes a sip of her drink.

“You know, it's the 21st century, when something is unwanted, hateful or something like that the mail goes right to the spam.” I turn around to see Mika challenge her.

Mika is a friend from the college who Hanna always told me it’s a witch, I guess it was her reflection in the mirror.

“Mika, nice to see you.” Hanna said, trying to kill her with her eyes.

“I love to say the same but…” Mika eats his olive and smiles. “It’s stressful to see you.”

Hanna scoffs but I learn something about Mika all the months she helps me pack and making sure I barely see people who were enjoying seeing me that hurt, she doesn’t leave a prayer alive.

“But hey! Don’t worry, I’m not the only one who thinks the same here.” Hanna takes a deep breath before leaving us.

I take out all the air I’ve counted and smile at Mika. “Thanks.”

She smiles. “She’s been hunting you since she arrived, I was at the backyard with the food but Thomas gives heads up.” She takes the last sip of his martini. “Nevermind her, let’s party all night.”

I spent the night talking with friends, drinking and enjoying the night dancing, until the clock marked 2:37 am, and my legs screamed for rest.

I say goodbye to everyone leaving Thomas and Mika at the end. “Thank you for inviting me.” I hug Thomas at his door.

“Thanks for coming, hey, when you’re in town give us a call, any plan could come out.” He smiles at me.

“And if you need something for the refuge, we love to help.” Mika said, almost dragging her words.

I was about to get in the cap when unlucky Hanna realized I was about to leave.

“Y/N make sure at least just pass another 4 months until we see you again.” The bloody wink makes my blood boil.

The next morning I was received in the kitchen with an aspirin, and a black coffee.

“Long, funny night?” Dad smiles at me with a newspaper in his hands.

I cover my eyes with a napkin. “How can people do this every weekend?”

Dad chuckles and I hear the slow but heavy steps in the wood floor along the gasp, Roscoe is coming.

“Hi, baby.” I carness his head as he closes his eyes. “Wait a little bit more and you’ll be with me.”

After the race in Italy, I already talked with Lewis about taking Roscoe a week earlier before the race in Monaco, a little help and a needed backup for the team.

“Me?” Dad asks standing to prepare the breakfast, I roll my eyes and clarify.

“Us, you’ll be with us.” I sat on the floor and gave a kiss to him. “Let’s keep a secret, I'm your favorite.”

I arrived the night before the race, I had two visit schedules for seeing apartments and made it impossible for me to leave until the night; that’s why I don’t see my brother until early morning, indeed early morning.

“Morning.” I appeared at the restaurant of the hotel where he and Bottas were having breakfast before getting ready to go to the paddock.

“Oh, hi, I thought I’ll see you in the paddock.” I kiss his cheek before giving a hug to Bottas.

“I’m hungry.” I joke as I sit with them, Bottas giggles and calls for the waitress.

“Something doesn't change.” We looked at him with curious eyes. “For winning something with his young lady, food is a shortcut.”

Lewis laughs nodding incessantly. “I couldn't agree more.”

Arriving at the paddock when the drivers are doing the same, is total chaos, people, reporters and cameras all over the place, it’s like an obstacle race.

I walked to the Mercedes hospital next to Red Bull and in front of Ferrari, my eyes were stuck on my phone, when I felt someone soft touch.

I lift my eyes and I recognize the girl in front of me, the same that picked up Chalres. “Hi.”

“Hi, I’m Alexandra, Charles' girlfriend.” I nod, but don’t say another word. “I want to apologize for leaving you alone the other night.”

Oh I got it. “Oh, no worries, it’s ok.” I smile honestly as I put my hand on her arm.

“I hope someone went fast to help you, I tried to go back but Charles was a little bit of a troublemaker that night.” Well, at least I wasn’t the only one with that situation.

I laughed and shook my head. “You’re the one who called to pick him?” Alexandra nods. “Thank you, and yeah, someone help me.”

“Great! I think I'm seeing you around right?” I realized I didn't introduce myself.

“We could say that, I’m Lewis sister, Y/N.” She smiles but we were interrupted by Charles, who has an embarrassed expression.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” He giggles and covers his face with his hands. “I’m so embarrassed with you.”

Alexandra giggles, it's obvious the love in her eyes. “When Alex told me what happened…” He sighs. “I’m sorry.”

I shake my head, containing the laugh. “It’s ok, don’t worry, I understand, great race.”

“Max wasn't that drunk.” Alexandra plays with him, making him raise his eyebrow. “She’s in fact Lewis sister.”

“Oh, he's definitely going to throw up this time.” Charles noticed the confusion on my face. “When Aelx told us what happened, Max said he had blurry memories of you helping him but we thought it’s the hangover, clearly it’s not.”

“Talking about the king of Rome.” Alexndra points to Max who’s coming out of Red Bull hospitality.

When I turn around I see a red Max walking… dragging his feets to us, the blue t-shirt just makes the redness intensify.

“Am, Y/N?” Rosa calls me to appear at the door. “Your brother is looking for you.” I nod but the fact I don’t move makes her say one more thing. “Like, now.”

I open my eyes and before Max reaches us I apologize to them and wish Charles a good race, running inside as she holds the door for me.

“Making friends?” She smiles at me as I walk inside and put an arm around me.

#f1 #f1 imagine #formula 1 #max verstappen #max verstappen x reader #f1 x reader #f1 fanfic #f1 x female reader #max verstappen imagine #lewis hamilton #mercedes #sir lewis hamilton

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snowyyyw · 10 months ago

Text

Getting Along? [Part 2]

Hey! Sorry for the long wait guys! Honestly I didn't think the first part to get so much reader so thank you so much!

Part 1

After the so called "tour" with suho. We come back to classroom.

"I like that book too!" I say while sitting back my seat.

"It's a nice book" Suho said while he sat back to his seat too. We continue talking until a girl comes next to me, and Suho leaves because a teacher calls him.

"How can you manage to talk whit him?!" I look the girl whit a Suprized look

"What you mean?" I asked looking at her and her 2 friend I suppose.

"He doesn't talk to anyone like that! You are amazing! I'm Su-ah btw" she said whit a warm smile

"Idk.. We have some things in common ig" I said as I look at away for a second and than her

"And I'm Itō Yuki nice to meet you Su-ah and?.. "

"Jeakyoung" She said whit a smile on her face

"Nice to meet you than?" I say as I smile as well and from here we just talked a lot.. I mean a lot like we always come up whit new subjects so we never run out of subjects.

It was end of the school day and I let out a sigh out of relief as I pack my bag and wear my headphones again for some comfort but it didn't last long until Su-ah come jumping towards me and jump on my back.

"Yuki! Let's go and spend girl time together!" Her voice was evident like a little toodler so I couldn't say no to her.

We spend all our time in arcade and in an karaoke shop and had a lot of fun. At least I had so much fun. I start to walk to the bus stop while texting my dad that I'm on my way.

"What a girl like you doing here. Heh?" A boy said from behind Yuki but she didn't even turn to look at him and ignore him while walking

"Oi! I'm telling you" this time the boy grab her arm and make her turn around

"Leave me alone" Yuki said in a rather calm voice as she pulled her arm to herself and tried to walk away again but she was phused to the wall

"You think you can get away this easily?" The boy said as he take her between him and the wall.

"She said she doesn't want it right?" A similar voice spoke but Yuki didn't see the face clearly because of how dark it is.

"What you gonna do if I don't?" The man said as he backed away from Yuki and go towards the voice. Yuki was backing away from the spot she was standing slowly but steady until she heard a punch and a groan and followed by the guy hitting the floor. Now she was scared like hell.

"I swear I don't have money! And I'm actually!-" Her rambling lasted until she saw Seo-jun's face trough the light.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he pretended like he didn't care. Yuki blinked in disbelief as she remember about the apology.

"Why are you here?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Wow not even a 'thank you'?" Seo-jun asked as he rolled his eyes

"Not even in your dreams" Yuki said as she turn around and start to walk to the bus stop she meant to be there by now

"Your always this rude or what?" He asked as he followed the shorter girl not far behind.

"Why are you following me? Go home"

"Following you?" Seo-jun asked and laughed after as he walked faster and get next to his motorcycle. This made Yuki blushed out of embarrassment and turn her head to the side so he couldn't see her face.

"Hop on" Seo-jun say as he trow the girl a helmen.

"I'm not ridding that thing and whit you? No thanks" She said as she tried to give him the helment back but couldn't succeed.

"No is not an awnser. Now hop on" After that she gave up and wear the helment as she sit behind and hold onto the back of the motorcycle. Seo-jun started it first he so flowly but after seeing how Yuki was unbothered he fasten out of nowhere and making the girl hold onto his shoulders.

"Han Seo-jun!"

#x reader #true beauty #han seojun x reader #han seojun #true beauty x reader #hwang in yeop #fluff

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libraryofloveletters · 2 years ago

Note

yuki x chef reader for your 6k celebration :) you can take it whichever direction you'd like

whoever sent this, I’m smooching you 🫶🏽 // all photos are from pinterest and/or instagram

sous chef

youruser

liked by pierregasly, yukitsunoda0511 and 23,959 others

youruser: special guest in the house today 💚 thank you yukitsunoda0511 for stopping by!

tagged: yukitsunoda0511

view 149 comments

yukitsunoda0511: thank you for having me 💚

↪️youruser: come back anytime!

pierregasly: wasn’t invited, wasn’t brought back anything 🙄 this is rude

↪️youruser: yukitsunoda0511 please bring him next time

—

yukitsunoda0511

liked by youruser, pierregasly, nyckdevries and 302,294 others

yukitsunoda0511: food was too good, had to go back 👍🏻

tagged: youruser

view 1,029 comments

youruser: always a pleasure having you

↪️yukitsunoda0511: your food is amazing, I’ll come back anytime you’ll have me

↪️youruser: doors opened anytime you’re not racing 🫶🏽

yukifan101: are they flirting on main ??! 👀

pierregasly: can I come too youruser 🥹

↪️youruser: yes you can 🤣

—

youruser

liked by charles_leclerc, pierregasly, f1 and 49,394 others

youruser: my forever sous chef 🫶🏽

tagged: yukitsunoda0511

view 204 comments

yukitsunoda0511: ❤️❤️

at22yt: it just makes sense that yukis dating a chef 😭

pierregasly: hoping I get invited to this one!

↪️youruser: you’re first on the list

↪️yukitsunoda0511: that’s true

nyckdevries: congrats yuki and yn! ❤️ wishing you two nothing by the best!

pierregasly: did he ever help you cook ?

↪️youruser: he was more help away from the kitchen

#anj’s 6k aus #yuki tsunoda #yuki tsunoda x reader #yuki tsunoda x you #yuki tsunoda x y/n #f1 instagram au #f1 social media au

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astonmartingf · 11 months ago

Text

REAL LIFE RELATIONS — THE FIRST

mick schumacher x reader x liam lawson

series summary— the world of motorsports is vast, yet it is also very limiting. like an intricate web of relationships, connections can get you everywhere, and underneath the pinnacle of motorsports are the secrets waiting to be unfolded.

CHAPTER ONE — BABY IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

news catches to your parents while you spend time with them during the break, and new rumors begin at the start of the season

warnings: daddy issues, reader has nervous breakdown, even more conspiracy theories

previous ★ masterlist ★ next

“I’m surprised you found your way back home.”

Your father’s voice is cold and distant as you enter the front door, no bother sneaking around your own house. After your late night trip to a taco truck and two orders of fries, you decided to stay over at Yuki's, a place you both shared together when you wanted to get away from your own house.

Entering the living room, you catch your father at the dining table, in his pajamas, glasses adorned on his face with his hair unkempt, a cup of black coffee on one hand and scrolling through his iPad on the other.

Old you would’ve caused a ruckus by now, shouting in the early mornings causing your father to reply in the same fashion. One thing you learned late, is that you are your father’s daughter, no matter how you may act around each other, you’re both made from the same pieces of string. There’s no denying that, not at least to you.

The best way to avert the situation is to play it cool and keep calm, walking past him making your way in the kitchen. You situate yourself on the kitchen island making your own breakfast, the same butter and honey on pumpernickel toast since you came home from college. It became a comfort food, reminding you of home, rather, your father.

“I slept at Yuki’s, I planned things with him way before the dinner and I was running late, it’s rude to be late at plans.” Your father scoffs, nodding his head slowly. Your face falls flat. You’ve seen that expression before, disappointment, doubt, suspicion. Your appetite weans off as you drop the toast back on the plate, avoiding his gaze.

“I see… Care to explain this then?”

Raising your head, eyes following the screen of your father’s iPad— a news article of you, well Mick’s but you could see yourself in the blurry pictures. You sit frozen, trying to gain composure, hiding your own nervousness to your father. There hasn’t been a close call like this, not in the last five years at least.

Your eyes wander, rereading every paragraph double-checking, triple checking if your name is mentioned. The thought leaves your mouth dry as your hands begin to shake under the table, eyes flickering through the screen. Taking slow and deep breaths, you avoid your father’s eyes. Knowing for sure he’ll have another outburst- this time it was truly your fault.

Your father cares too much about you to not let this slide, he always put your privacy above everything else, to the point where you began to think if he wasn’t proud of you, or if he didn’t want to be associated with you.

It didn’t matter what you did, he always let you do whatever you want, as long as you're careful around the public. Your identity, a mystery to everyone, maybe it’s why you didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, maybe that’s also why you’re always with Mick or Yuki, you can be yourself around them.

Your perception of your own father confuses you sometimes, he would do all these contradictory things, like Pavlov’s dog you’d learn when to react to his affection, and when to keep distance. He’s always controlling what and what not to do, act, say, at some point you find yourself an extension of your father and not yourself.

It was whiplash, one second he’s singing you praises, the next he’s looking at you like the piece of shit under his shoes. Nonetheless, you’d learn to understand that it was all for your safety, as much as you loathe him, he’s your father.

There are things that can’t change.

“Of all the people… Mick? God YN, when will you stop acting out everytime things don’t go your way and grow up-”

“Stop it this instant.” You glance at your stepmother and step sibling as they walk into the kitchen. You stay frozen in your seat, hands trembling as tears slowly pool on the corners of your eyes. You look at her through your blurry eyes, desperate to leave, you didn’t want her to see you like this.

Especially your stepmother, but things don’t ever go your way, as much as you want to leave, your legs are stuck on your seat. Your heartbeat dampening the sound of whatever your father might be talking about, it only dawned then the gravity of your mistake. Not being with Mick, but the mistake of being seen.

You learned to live for so long away from the camera, you got used to not being seen. Sure you went on races but it was easier to control variables in the paddock. Seeing yourself on the front pages of a local newspaper-

“YN-” Standing on instinct, you face your stepmother, “if you want, you can leave.”

Wasting no time, you burst through the door- leaving your bag, you had nothing but it didn’t matter now. You walk around avoiding the main streets to the nearest park in the area, feeling grateful how you chose to sleep at Yuki’s last night. It was still early enough, not a lot of people your age, mostly elders and their breed dogs walking around the park.

You don’t know how long you spent adorning the lake, it could’ve been minutes or hours— not that it mattered, you’re enjoying the solitary time. From the corner of your eye, you catch a familiar figure, a blondie panting as he points in your direction. “You’re hard to find you know.”

Watching him sit down beside you, he pants catching his breath before situating his head on your lap, lying down on the grass. “I know what you’re thinking… but you need to wait until I catch my breath… I’m— I'm not letting you leave this time.”

Instinctively, you move your hands at the stray hairs sticking on Mick’s face. Wiping the sweat off his face using the sleeves of your sweater, observing his face, the sweat dripping off his forehead as he catches himself in labored breaths, eyes closed. Smiling to yourself, you relax in his presence, leaning back on the heel of your palms copying his actions.

Closing your eyes, you feel the cold air rushing through your face, the warm sunlight peeking through the branches of the tree, shining light on both you and Mick. Your breaths, slow and steady, taking in every moment, when you open them, you watch Mick’s intently gaze upon you.

“How’d you find me?”

Mick smiles before showing you his phone, a message from your stepmother saying you left. You roll your eyes hiding the laughter growing in your smile. “Of course she told you…”

“Who else if not me?” Mick shrugged, clearly not caring if your stepmother called him early in the morning, or late at night.

“If it’s you, of course I’ll come. I’m always one call away YN, for you especially.”

His statement earned a scrunch from your nose, cringing at his cheesy lines, “Even while you’re racing?”

This time it was him who grimaced at your statement, “Okay don’t play smart with me, if I could answer my phone during races, why not. But you know what I mean YN.”

You sit still in silence at his answer, playful or not, you knew Mick was sincere with his words, there are few people who you trust with all your life— Mick was one of them.

Which made it even scarier to you as you continue playing around with fire like this. Moments like these are a wake-up call to the burning fire already spreading out in your mind. Moments like these which make you think if you'd been a normal person, maybe your chances with Mick might be better.

Unlucky are you.

Pushing blondie away from your lap, you stretch your legs ready to leave. The blonde senses this and follows through your actions, timing his movements with yours, making sure he’s steps behind you leaving you space. It only frustrated you more, knowing how observant he is—

He who knows your quirks and the little things you do, your mannerisms, what you like and don’t like, he’s constantly there, showing up. Slowly picking up the mess you leave every single time you fuss or mess up, always the first one you call and talk to, always the one you look forward to seeing.

He’s always there.

And it hurts more knowing that one day, he might get up and leave— off with someone better, someone normal. Someone who isn’t you. And you’ll be left alone, still used to him, still looking forward to him, still you’ll be waiting for him.

“How does it feel to have offers left and right?” You bump your shoulders against Yuki as you walk around the Bahrain International Circuit with him. Your friend scoffs, looking back at you, “You mean to ask that to yourself?”

You press your lip into a thin line, hiding the smile growing from your lips slowly feeling bashful at his words. “My offers are yours Yuki, you know I won’t leave without you. I’ve been training to be your race strategist since forever, I think I’d rather be with you.”

“I heard from Helmut they’re interested in taking in a new race strategist for a second driver.” Your eyes widen slowly walking closer to Yuki, head glued beside him.

“A second driver for Tauri? Are they replacing you?” You shake his arm, whispering right by his ear.

Yuki scoffs, pushing your head to the side, “It’s for Red Bull, apparently they’re looking for a second driver for the next season.”

Raising your brows, you pull Yuki to the side of the track letting other members of the team walk first. Looking left and right, you check for other staff in the track doing their own session. Once the coast is clear you bring Yuki closer to you, “Where’d you get that? The season has yet to start, why are they looking for a second driver?”

Yuki shrugs his shoulders, “I have no idea, Helmut was asking about you since Newey wants to talk to you about something, I haven’t got a clue.”

You both continue walking, but your head is still stuck on the conversation earlier. How could Yuki know about that? You knew Helmut’s preference towards Yuki, he sang him with praises, which automatically puts Helmut in your good books. But is their relationship even that close to sharing information?

Apparently it is, but you can’t stop thinking about it, especially since Newey and Helmut asked for you— Yuki’s race strategist. Why would they want to talk to you? Unless…

“YUKI! Oh my gosh! Why didn’t you tell me sooner!” You pinch his arms, jumping in the middle of the track leaving the Japanese confused with your sudden outburst.

“You’re getting the Red Bull seat aren’t you?” You exclaim in full confidence, albeit a little loud for your own preference, it seems like no one noticed your scandalous statement as everyone continued walking along the track.

This time it was Yuki’s turn to burst out laughing, “Where are you getting those ideas from, like you said it’s the beginning of the season. I thought I heard crazy shit, but here you are spouting crazy nonsense.”

You deadpan, slapping Yuki’s arm— “Think about it, why would they ask to talk to me? A race strategist? Obviously this is about you. Yuki, I swear you’re getting this seat.”

Yuki nods along, not fully convinced, “Okay, let’s say they’ll be talking to you but they may just poach you away from me, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

The more you think about it, the more you feel upset about it. “I don’t want to be separated from you. I’d rather stay in Tauri than move up.”

Yuki raises his brows, patting your shoulders, “As much as I admire what you’re planning for us, it’s not as bad as you think. We still have a whole season in front of us, let’s leave those thoughts for later and focus on what we have now.”

Gasping, you throw a hand in front of your mouth, fake crying, “When did you get so mature Yuki? I can’t believe we’re already acting like serious adults, thinking about our career perspectives.”

Earning a groan from Yuki as he shakes his head in disbelief, “Like I said, forget what I said and let’s focus on the upcoming season. Also, don’t you dare tell anyone about it, and expect a call sometime now. I haven’t told anyone as well.”

“Not even Pierre?”

Yuki shakes his head left and right, leaving you flabbergasted, “This is serious, serious isn’t it? Why would you tell me something like that? Who am I going to talk to about it?”

“No one. Not even…” Yuki raises his eyebrows hinting on the person he’s implying.

Another gasp escapes your lips, “HECK NO! Especially not blondie, if he knew, then he’s contractually allowed to tell you know who…” you trail as your thoughts eat you alive.

Yuki twists your body, making you face him as he grabs both your arms, “Which is why I beg of you, don’t tell anyone. I know we already talk way too much, but you can only talk to me about it okay? And maybe Liam…”

Your face morphs into a blank expression, eyes dilating at Yuki’s deliberation, “I happen to tell him… but that’s aside the matter. Do not tell any other driver, promise me.”

You gulp at the seriousness, usually these rumors fly around the paddock all-season round but I guess this was something that will actually come to fruition in the upcoming future since they’re keeping it hush hush. You nod your head, afraid to speak anything out into existence.

What’s not adding up is how Yuki knew, at first you thought it was Gasly who told Yuki who told you. But this— this was from Helmut directly to Yuki and then to you.

How you got involved into all this is shocking, even to you. By now Yuki is probably regretting telling you, but you admire his honesty in telling you beforehand rather than getting blindsided by Helmut and Newey calling you to the main office. Suppose you knew about both teams picking drivers from the same pool, but staff?

It’s all too coincidental that they asked for you, even as Yuki’s race engineer they could’ve just gotten someone in Red Bull to replace you, if it’s Yuki they want. Especially with your personal circumstances, a secret daughter of an F1 Team Principal, people in the smaller circles of the grid knew who your father is.

You don’t want to jeopardize what you built for yourself all these years. But like what Yuki said, it’ll be another problem in the future. Maybe then you’d have the answers to your questions. Especially when you know how he isn’t your true father.

For now it’ll be better to keep your head down on the low, and focus on Yuki— because at the end of the day, it’ll be just you two. Just then your phone pings, receiving a message from a person you haven’t heard in a long time.

amgf ★ superstars @woozarts @minkyungseokie @iienstein @eugene-emt-roe @laura-naruto-fan1998

#f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fic #f1 fluff #f1 angst #mick schumacher x reader #mick schumacher imagine #mick schumacher fic #liam lawson x reader #liam lawson imagine #liam lawson fic

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essayist-unexpectedly · 5 months ago

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Mafuyu and Ugetsu: Friendly Foils

Within Given, an unexpected - yet sweet - friendship forms between Mafuyu Sato and Ugetsu Murata. While their friendship may have been unconventional at first, the duo manage to bring out the best in each other, while also highlighting some of the worst - at least in terms of their relationships as well as their reactions to love and heartbreak. After all, it is with each other that they are able to find someone who resonates with their pain and heartbreak, and it is because of each other that they are able to realize how they need to move forward. Within the broken shards of each other, Mafuyu and Ugetsu manage to find themselves, and repair what they thought was broken, all while being the perfect foils.

The friendship between Mafuyu and Ugetsu both makes perfect sense, and also no sense at all. These reasons are all what lead to them being such beautiful foils. From their personalities, their talent with music, issues when it comes to communication, and how they handle their respective relationships - which may not sound true, but when looking at it through the lens of them being foils, can be seen. Also, shoutout to the author of Given for making the foils friends instead of enemies or something, thank you Natsuki Kizu, you beautiful soul.

One of the most common ways to identify foils is through their personalities. Foils will often have similar - if not the same - personalities as each other but with opposite emphasis, as the protagonist's traits will be made good based on the foils’. In a few ways, Mafuyu and Ugetsu have mirroring personalities. They are both awkward, antisocial, and blunt to list a few. One of the big ways they differ is that Ugetsu seems to mask some of these traits, often appearing a lot more socially adjusted than Mafuyu has ever had to be. That does not change the existence of these traits though. Ugetsu outright admits that he has no friends to Mafuyu, he doesn’t seem to really interact with many people - the main ones being Akihiko, Mafuyu, random hook-ups, and whoever he’s performing with. Not too much evidence of there being an otherwise thriving social life for him. Ugetsu being blunt is also pretty evident, even if it’s not the nicest. He’s always honest about music though, as well as what he thinks of people and situations. None of these traits are portrayed in the most kind way though. Rather his antisocial personality can be seen as part of what led to his toxic relationship with Akihiko. His bluntness is outright rude quite often, which pushes people away, and really, that does seem to be his plan to some degree, but it’s still a negative way to give out this trait.

In comparison, Mafuyu has all of these traits but seems to be shown in a better light - as though they’re part of his charm more than why he’s problematic. Mafuyu is antisocial. In the past he appeared to have three friends (Yuki, Hiiragi, and Shizusumi), and now he seems to have upgraded to a grand total of six (Uenoyama, Hiiragi, Shizusumi, Akihiko, Haruki, and Ugetsu). Yes, Mafuyu does appear to be more social at the ending at their graduation, as well as in the 10 year mix, but for the majority of the manga he isn’t someone who socialises too much. In terms of being awkward, Mafuyu is bad at connection. He doesn’t always manage to say what he means to and he can be a little stiff in terms of interaction. Finally, Mafuyu can also be blunt - when he does speak, he speaks his mind. He is nervous enough that it overloads anything but the need to get the words out, making him blunt. Again, all of these are traits that the duo share, the difference is simply how they appear with the character. Mafuyu is shown in the light that he should be, especially with his history, as a teenager who doesn’t know how to properly connect because of past trauma. In comparison, Ugetsu is shown to use these traits as a defence and a weapon, which isn’t too bad, but it also makes him quite negative as the reader isn’t given as much information as to why Ugetsu is this way.

Another similarity between them is their talent for music. Both Ugetsu and Mafuyu are often regarded as prodigies with their music. Ugetsu is a famous violinist, regarded for his high level playing in spite of his young age. Mafuyu is part of the up and coming band Given, being their lyricist and singer, as well as playing rhythm guitar. Between Akihiko’s perspective as well as Ugetsu’s own perspective and career, it’s easy to tell that Ugetsu is indeed an amazing musician. According to Akihiko, Ugetsu is the first prodigy that he had ever met. This conclusion was reached after the two of them had competed against each other and Ugetsu took first place - which he had been doing in competitions across not only Japan, but also other countries. This skill only grew with time, as Ugetsu is now a concert violinist who is known around the world for his beautiful performances. Thus, Ugetsu earns and maintains his being a prodigy with his violin, allowing for the budding talent of Mafuyu to reflect this role.

Meanwhile Mafuyu only just started learning guitar and doesn’t exactly shine with it, there is no denying that his true potential flares when he is singing - and within his lyrics. In spite of only recently starting to do music, Mafuyu shows an immense inclination towards singing, songwriting, and is able to come up with melodies - as it is him who was known to hum the melody for Fuyu No Hanashi before Uenoyama fully fleshed it out. At that, it’s no recent thing, as in the ‘To the Sea’ short, Mafuyu asks Yuki what he’s humming, to which Yuki replies that it was the song that Mafuyu himself would constantly hum. From this, it could be seen as Mafuyu having a talent for music for a while now, and when he joined Given, he was finally given a place and chance to grow as a musician. It is with his growth that Mafuyu is called a prodigy, even earning the nickname “the kid with the song” by his fellow prodigy, Ugetsu. To make this less of them being parallels and getting more into foil territory, one could see how their being prodigies affects those around them. Mafuyu being an amazing lyricist and singer is definitely a positive thing. Once he joins Given and becomes their singer, the band is able to move further with their music instead of being just an instrumental band. That��s not to say being an instrumental band is bad, it never is in any genre of music, but having a singer is something that the other members clearly end up appreciating, and Mafuyu is seen as an amazing addition who furthers the bands talent. On the other hand, Ugetsu’s prodigal talent isn’t always given the same light - especially not with Akihiko’s story. Ugetsu’s prodigy status is part of why Akihiko lost his drive for violin, he thought he would never live up to the other’s talent. Even the phrasing when it came to describing Ugetsu’s winning streak was “From abroad, a genius has arrived - securing consecutive wins, as if to tear apart and destroy the dreams of this talented junior” (Given volume 4). This quote completely shows not only Ugetsu how immensely talented he was at that age, but also how Akihiko thought of him as someone who could just crush the dreams of any other aspiring violinists. The prodigy status that Ugetsu has undoubtedly earned is portrayed in a negative light to destroy soloists, unlike how Mafuyu’s is more of a guiding light for the band.

The next way that the two are definitely foils is their relationships - specifically their romantic relationships. Both Mafuyu and Ugetsu are people who struggle to communicate and find themselves tangled up in their pasts when it comes to relationships. With Ugetsu, this means that he doesn’t know how to properly communicate an ending to him and Akihiko, in spite of knowing that they’re terrible for each other, which goes hand in hand with his holding onto the past by staying with Akihiko out of not wanting to be alone. For Mafuyu, this is very much the same, he is unable to communicate properly with Uenoyama at times, which in part comes from his previous relationship with Yuki. The main difference here comes with the fact that Uenoyama and Mafuyu are able to work through this and learn, whereas Ugetsu and Akihiko had absolutely no hope of fixing their problems. For Ugetsu and Akihiko, their relationship is just purely toxic on both ends. The two know that they’re awful for each other - with Ugetsu keeping Akihiko physically close, but not emotionally connecting, and Akihiko constantly staying, refusing to leave when Ugetsu pushes - but neither want to let go of the first person who they connected to. With Ugetsu and Akihiko, their communication is awful because they don’t actually want to talk about their issues, as that means they would have to acknowledge that they’re terrible together. Ugetsu is afraid of being alone, afraid of having the one consistent person within his life leave because he would be happier elsewhere. Basically, Ugetsu and Akihiko had a push (Ugetsu) and pull (Akihiko) relationship where they were too focused on their past connection to want to communicate how they were hurting each other, which is what resulted in their breakup. The two were not a sustainable relationship, whereas Uenoyama and Mafuyu face similar issues, but still come out on top.

Mafuyu and Uenoyama are both teens who heavily struggle to communicate with each other, it’s an issue that leads to them both feeling insecure and even abandoned at times within their relationship. On Mafuyu’s end, the inability to communicate can be seen as being rooted in his past with Yuki - who grew up with him and could usually understand him even without too much verbal communication. It is after Yuki’s death though that Mafuyu retreats into himself, and struggles with connecting to other people, until he meets Uenoyama, who manages to connect to him through music. The two struggle from the beginning with their communication, but that’s fine, they’re still teenagers and they manage to work through it - sometimes alone, sometimes with the push of other people. Really, it doesn’t matter how the two work through their issues, what matters is that fact that Uenoyama and Mafuyu do want to communicate and figure out how to move forward, if they didn’t want to fix things, then they likely wouldn’t have communicated even when pushed to do so, or else the outcome of their talks wouldn’t have been that they are continuing to date. Mafuyu and Uenoyama positively contrast Ugetsu and Akihiko thanks to them being more willing to communicate and acknowledge the issues that are coming up in their relationship. The way that their relationships turn out by the end of the manga is a great show of Ugetsu and Mafuyu being foils, with Ugetsu’s ending and Mafuyu’s finding a way to continue. Luckily, this part being a foil doesn’t mean that Ugetsu is left unhappy after the ending of him and Akihiko, like he is still allowed to be happy, which may slightly lessen him being a foil as typically a foil doesn’t get the happiest ending, but both Ugetsu and Mafuyu get to be happy, even if it’s thanks to their relationship statuses being opposites.

The final way that they are foils is within how music and relationships work for the two of them. After all, Ugetsu and Akihiko failed because of music - namely Akihiko’s self doubt and loss of passion for violin being paired with Ugetsu’s pride and inability to value a romantic relationship over his career as a concert violinist. Meanwhile, Mafuyu and Uenoyama were only able to succeed because they have music, they communicate within music and through music, pushing and pulling each other as they manage to say what they need to either through or because of music. This point is really an accumulation of the prodigy point as well as the relationship point, but it’s still very interesting and deserves its own spotlight. Music is the direct breaking point for Ugetsu’s relationship, while being what keeps Mafuyu’s relationship perfectly together. So, just to preface the Ugetsu and Akihiko section of this point - Ugetsu is not at fault for choosing his career over romance, there isn’t a problem with someone valuing and pursuing a career and fame over a romantic relationship. That isn’t the issue on Ugetsu’s end, rather the issue is that it causes him to be a toxic partner, as he and Akihiko were focused and wanting different things within their relationship. Music drives Akihiko and Ugetsu apart though, due to the fact that Akihiko seemed to want more that Ugetsu could give because of his pursuing a career as a violinist that travels internationally. Again, that really pairs with their push and pull dynamic, but the next part is how music affected them both within their relationship. Akihiko ended up losing his passion for violin when he was around Ugetsu, doubting his own skill because of how amazing the other was. This also gets paired with Ugetsu being a prideful character, this is a man who has been praised and not only knows, but owns how good he is. The pride contrasted with the self doubt made Ugetsu and Akihiko awful for each other as well, as Ugetsu would make comments that tried to tell Akihiko that he should have more confidence in his music, however they always came off wrong, sounding harsh - which only beat down Akihiko more. Music drove Ugetsu and Akihiko apart due to their own flaws and how those flaws would affect the other - oftentimes with Ugetsu as the offender between the two. Another note, this isn’t to say Ugetsu is the only one at fault, Akihiko knew that he and Ugetsu were bad for each other and he saw that they wanted different things in life but wouldn’t walk away, in spite of knowing it would be better for him. Their relationship was built on Akihiko’s admiration and self doubt paired with Ugetsu’s want for love and praise, with all of those emotions and wants surrounding music. Not only is music what made them toxic, but Akihiko and Ugetsu ended their relationship for the final time after Akihiko realised he loved music still and Ugetsu came to another one of Given’s concerts where he could see Akihiko and Haruki interacting, seeing how much Akihiko cared for Haruki. Their relationship starts with a violin competition and ends with a concert - not an orchestra (that would make a very different feeling), but a concert and I honestly cannot think of anything more beautiful than that. But the important thing in terms of foils here is how while music drives apart Akihiko and Ugetsu, it is what connects and completes Uenoyama and Mafuyu.

To put it frankly, there would be no story without music as the string that weaves together Mafuyu and Uenoyama. The two would never have met or at least not have actually connected if it weren’t for Mafuyu asking Uenoyama to teach him how to play the guitar. That day on the stairwell is the reason that the story exists, as Mafuyu reaches out and Uenoyama - albeit reluctantly - meets him in the middle, as he fixes and later agrees to teach the other guitar. This connection through music doesn’t only appear at the beginning, it stays a running theme throughout the series. Mafuyu is best at communicating when he is able to sing what he feels, Uenoyama can always understand what Mafuyu is saying when he sings. This is seen as going both ways even, as at the end of the series, Uenoyama manages to connect with Mafuyu even more after he plays with SYH. The two not only connect, but also find completion within music and each other. Mafuyu finds a passion for music, which he was said or at least implied to have not liked due to it coming between him and Yuki, as well as finding a voice and a way to heal. Uenoyama’s passion reignites when he plays for and with Mafuyu, lessening his burnt out gifted kid position in the band, he also discovers his sexuality thanks to Mafuyu, which wouldn’t have happened had they not played together in Given. It is within music that Mafuyu and Uenoyama are best at communicating with each other, they connect, and they complete each other as they realise that they want to play together, want to make a life with each other and music. Again, this is just such a beautiful way to make music and it impacts a foil between Mafuyu and Ugetsu, they are so different as music brings together and tears apart their relationships.

Overall, Ugetsu and Mafuyu manage to be wonderfully crafted foils. They have so many parallels but they’re portrayed in such conflicting ways, it’s amazing to see and think about the thought that went into them. Yet, the two are portrayed as great friends as well, with Mafuyu being a confidant for Ugetsu, who does his best to support him in turn. They also praise each others music - Mafuyu being one of the people who congratulates Ugetsu when he sees he’s doing well (also being the only person who Ugetsu immediately replies to), while Ugetsu full on encourages Mafuyu to stick with music, knowing how good the younger is. The two started out a little more accidental and awkward as a duo, but they do indeed get along swimmingly, and it’s just really refreshing to see the two together. They aren’t people who connect easily, they aren’t amazing at communication, and they hurt people they love as much as they try not to. But it doesn’t make them bad people, as seen throughout the whole manga with Mafuyu, and understood with Ugetsu as his story unfolds. They’re foils, showing off the worst traits, but also bringing out some of the better once paired with each other. Loyal and steadfast, Mafuyu and Ugetsu manage to show the beauty of friendly foils.

#Spence does Essays (Given Edition)#given #essay #mafuyu sato #ugetsu murata #uenoyama ritsuka #kaji akihiko #analysis #given manga #given anime #Mafuyu and Ugetsu are foils #and I love them for it #longest one yet y'all (over 3000 words)

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cure-papaya · 5 months ago

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“When you think of those fantasies of Iroha…” He paused, unsure how to put this in the correct way. “Do you ever, uh, wonder if maybe you're… projecting a little?“

what it says on the tin (though it's just mayu and satoru hanging out and talking about iroha)

“Gosh just imagine Iroha's soft hands and gentle smile as she brings me into her embrace, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. It could be- No, it has to be love! I can see it now,” Mayu cooed as she ran a brush through Yuki's fur. The cat was out like a light after getting to play with a new toy that her owner had gotten her earlier that day. Which may have had a dash too much catnip in it.

“Mayu?” Satoru poked his head around to the girl who seemed so enthralled by her fantasy and was maybe brushing a little too fast.

It wasn't often the two of them spent time alone. Iroha often acted as the glue which kept the two of them from being more than just mere acquaintances. Aside from, of course, the other glaring reason which Satoru begrudgingly acknowledged. Mayu, perceptive as ever, had somehow been the only one to pick up on Satoru's feelings for his childhood friend. He had tried to make it as subtle as he possibly could and up until recently he was convinced he'd take the secret to his grave.

That was until Mayu entered the picture. He hadn't had any strong opinions when they had first met. She seemed shy and easily flustered around his crush yes, but he always figured that's how she was with any positive social interaction. The rush of dopamine making her brain short circuit. But this, this gave him a moment's pause.

“When you think of those fantasies of Iroha…” He paused, unsure how to put this in the correct way. “Do you ever, uh, wonder if maybe you're… projecting a little?“ Satoru's voice had trailed off to a whisper and at this point Mayu had stopped brushing altogether.

“I…”

“Augh, I'm sorry! Forget I said anything it was rude of me to speculate about that,”

“It's ok, It's ok! I just um-“ Mayu began to trip over her words as the two of them began to stumble through the conversation, anxiety reaching critical levels that caused Yuki to stir in her sleep.

“I mean I'm cool with that kind of thing if so.”

“Really? I just don't want you to think I'm any kind of competition! I know she only likes me as a friend. I don't want to bother her…” There was a pause after this as the two realized the deja vu that sentiment stirred in them.

Satoru felt it settle like a pit in his stomach the size of the mirror stone. How were they supposed to continue with what they were initially planning? Mayu's idea was to help him confess to Iroha but how could now when he knew how she felt?

“Mayu? Would you uh, want to try doing makeup on me?” Satoru asked. In all honesty he had doubts this would work at all but it seemed to at least bring her back to earth.

“Oh, Satoru you don't have to-”

“I want to! I- I mean I've always been curious to at least get my nails done. But it's not like something I've really thought about a lot or anything,” Satoru finished.

...

It didn't take long for Mayu to get to work after that and in her locked in trance it seemed she completely distract herself from the conversation before. Satoru silently thanked himself from remembering that little quirk of hers as she began to apply his blush. She went through the process in such a methodical and streamlined way Satoru could barely wrap his head around it. She seemed to do it so effortlessly and there was something in the back of his mind that wished it came to him to.

When Mayu had finally finished the sun had descended far enough to cast the entire room in a vibrant orange glow. As she slowly came out of her trance she seemed to have been taken aback as she moved a locke of hair out of her friend's face. Both were lucky the low light of the sunset hid each other's blush.

“Wow, I-” Satoru started. “Thank you for doing this Mayu, if anything I think Iroha would be missing out for not dating a girl like you.”

#exquisite creation #precure #pretty cure #wonderful precure #satoiromayu #mayu nekoyashiki #satoru toyama #iroha inukai #it's just over 700 words btw #fic #WHEW haven't written prose in a hot minute

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galacticstationsblog · 4 months ago

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A Playful Land book 3 rewrite with My ocs

Night had fully fallen over Playful Land, casting a soft, dreamlike glow across the park’s attractions. The group of NRC scholars stood in the quiet plaza, the gentle lighting from colorful lamp posts casting a warm glow on their tired, smiling faces. They looked worn out but content, basking in the thrill of a day spent exploring the park.

“Whew… What. A. Day!”Ace exclaimed, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his shoulders. His face was flushed with exhilaration and just a touch of exhaustion.

“I can’t believe it’s this dark already. We really played from sunup to sunset! The rollercoaster you mentioned, and that pool hall Ortho recommended—they were both super fun!” Kalim chimed in, eyes wide with lingering excitement as he recalled the day’s highlights.

Ortho nodded, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light as he shared his own favorite moments. “I was surprised at how fascinating the Seafloor Stroll was! It was also amazing riding the Ferris wheel with you and Yuki too!”

One by one, the group shared their joy, recounting favorite moments from the day. Even those who had initially been skeptical of the trip admitted they’d had a fantastic time. However, as the energy began to settle, a few students mentioned they were ready to head back, fatigue finally overtaking their excitement.

“Aww, are we leavin’ already? I wanted to play some more…” Grim whined, his ears drooping as his tail flicked in disappointment.

Ace shook his head, though he couldn’t help but grin at Grim’s enthusiasm. “I get it, but we REALLY gotta get back. If I’m not back at my dorm before lights-out, no amount of covering from Trey and Cater is gonna save me.” Despite his words, there was a lighthearted glint in his eye. Kneeling down, he gave Grim a reassuring smile. “If you haven’t had enough, we can always come back tomorrow.”

Grim’s face immediately brightened, his ears perking up as he grinned from ear to ear. “Ooh! I like the sound of that. I’m in!”

“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Yuki murmured, a soft smile on their face.

“Right? We can just ask Fellow for more tickets, and… Uh… say, where is Fellow, anyway?” Ace asked, glancing around the now-empty plaza.

“I haven’t seen him since the show ended. How about the rest of you?” Ortho’s face held a slight frown as he scanned the area.

“Ditto. Haven’t seen him or Gidel,” Leona added, crossing his arms as he looked around with a slight hint of suspicion.

Lilia raised an eyebrow, looking thoughtful. “It would be rude to leave without thanking Fellow for his generous hospitality. Let’s all look for him, shall we?”

The group began to disperse in search of the elusive fox-like man who had orchestrated their magical day. But as they spread out, Via quietly approached Yuki and Grim, tapping Yuki’s shoulder and Grim’s hat to catch their attention.

“Hey, before we look for Fellow, there’s something I want to show you two. It’s… work-related,” she said with a mysterious glint in her eye, gesturing to a nearby tent. Her tone was calm, but her choice of words made Yuki and Grim exchange a quick, knowing glance. “Work-related” was code for—possibly something linked to the strange occurrences they’d encountered in the past, or perhaps information that could unlock some secrets.

Grim, intrigued, bolted over to Via without a second thought, his excitement barely contained. Yuki hesitated, glancing at the others. But with a deep breath, they slipped away, joining Via and Grim as they entered the tent. besides They did promise to keep Via’s “other job” a secret, it's not like anything bad would happen if They separated from the group for a while.

Inside, the atmosphere was both whimsical and eerie. Colorful boxes stacked high around them, while puppets of all shapes and sizes seemed to stare down from every angle. Some puppets resemble humans, others animals, and a few even took on the forms of mythical creatures. They appeared frozen mid-performance, as though waiting for an unseen puppeteer to bring them to life. Grim’s curiosity got the better of him, and he hopped onto one of the boxes, pawing at the nearest puppet with wide eyes.

Yuki, however, noticed a box filled to the brim with tickets that looked identical to the ones they’d been given at the start of the day.

“Hey, those look like the tickets that Fellow guy gave us—the ones that gave us unlimited access to the park!” Grim peered over Yuki’s shoulder, his tone a mix of excitement and confusion.

“I thought Fellow said these were limited…” Yuki murmured, frowning as they rifled through the box. Each ticket was marked the same as theirs—unlimited access—but there wasn’t a single “regular” ticket among them.

“Is this what you wanted to show us, Via?” Grim asked, sounding slightly disappointed it wasn’t a discovery involving food. But when he received no response, he and Yuki turned to find Via peeking through a slit in the tent’s curtain, her expression serious and her gaze intense.

“What are you looking at—” Yuki began, but a sudden, loud noise cut them off, causing them to jump. The sound reverberated from outside the tent, sharp and metallic, like something heavy slamming into a wall. Grim’s fur puffed up as he clung to Yuki.

“MRAH?! WHAT WAS THAT?!?” he shrieked.

Heart racing, Yuki scooped Grim into their arms and hurried to Via’s side. Crouching down, they peered out of the tent, their eyes adjusting to the dimly lit scene outside.

At the entrance to the plaza, Jade and Lilia were furiously blasting spells at a massive metal door that had somehow appeared, blocking their exit. Heavy, intimidating locks and chains crisscrossed the doorway, sealing it shut. The locks glowed faintly, suggesting some sort of enchanted barrier.

Via’s eyes narrowed as she whispered to Yuki, her voice barely audible, “Looks like we might be staying longer than planned…”

…

As the enchanted blasts collided with the metal door, sparks erupted and the chains rattled violently, filling the air with sharp, metallic clangs that echoed through the quiet plaza. Ace stood a few paces back, watching in shock as Jade and Lilia took turns blasting the door without a hint of hesitation.

“Guys, come on! No need to go that far!” he shouted, his eyes wide as he watched another magical explosion strike the heavy barrier, sending a ripple of energy through the air.

Lilia looked over his shoulder at Ace, still smiling as if they were in the middle of a friendly sparring match. “Don’t be silly. When you sense danger, you should act immediately. That’s the key to survival.” Without missing a beat, he turned back to the door and fired off another blast, the vivid green light of his magic illuminating his face.

Jade chuckled, his usually calm demeanor replaced with a wicked glint in his eyes. “I’m not a fan of brute force myself, but sometimes sacrifices must be made.” He raised his hand, his magic coiling into a blue glow before he sent it forward in a powerful surge, causing another resounding crash against the barrier.

“As loath as I am to resort to this,” Lilia added, his tone unusually serious yet unmistakably amused, “it’s the only way to ensure we return to school in a timely manner!” With that, he unleashed a larger blast, the magic twisting and spiraling as it struck the door with a thunderous impact. The door shuddered, yet the chains held tight, refusing to budge.

Vil, who had been watching the chaos with arms crossed and a slight frown, sighed and shook his head. “Please, you two are both having a field day, and you know it. Don’t come crying to us when the park sends you the repair bill.”

Ace groaned, his hand running through his hair as he took in the chaos. “This is getting out of hand… Are you doing alright, Yuki—”

But as he turned, his voice faltered. Yuki wasn’t by his side. He glanced around, expecting to spot them just a few steps away, but Yuki was nowhere in sight. Grim, too, was missing, as was Via. Ace’s heart skipped a beat, a strange sense of dread creeping in as he scanned the group, trying to recall the last time he’d seen them.

“Wait… Where’s Yuki? And Grim? And…Via” His voice trailed off as the realization hit him fully, the chill of worry settling over him.

The sudden realization that Yuki, Grim, and Via were missing sent a ripple of tension through the group, concern etched on their faces.

“What do you mean they’re not here? They were just with us,” Carter said, his brow furrowing.

“They might have just wandered off,” Trey suggested, trying to keep his tone calm, though a flicker of worry passed over his face. “Maybe they went to use the restroom or something.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Kalim agreed, trying to sound cheerful, but his gaze darted anxiously around the eerily quiet amusement park. “They’ll be back any minute!”

“Or maybe they got lost?” Floyd offered with a smirk, though even his usual playful demeanor seemed subdued. “You know how those three can be.”

“Don’t joke about that!” Jack snapped, his voice edged with concern. “What if something really happened to them?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Vil interjected sharply, his expression stern. “They could just be delayed. We can’t lose our heads over this.”

“But what if they didn’t take the right path?” Ortho added, his usually calm voice tinged with worry. “They could be wandering around, looking for us.”

“Or maybe Grim got distracted by something shiny, and Yuki and Via had to chase after him,” Leona muttered, crossing his arms, though his usual sarcasm held a hint of worry.

Before they could speculate further, a loud explosion echoed behind them, followed by the clatter of metal as a heavy lock fell to the ground.

“Whew… That’s one lock busted,” Lilia announced, straightening up as he caught his breath.

“These locks are incredibly sturdy,” Jade added, examining one closely. “Are they made from some kind of anti-magic material?”

Just then, his body suddenly went stiff, his expression frozen mid-sentence. Lilia slumped over next to him, both of them clutching their faces as they groaned in pain. The rest of the group hurried over, concern etched on their faces.

“Jade, Lilia, are you okay?” Ace asked, his voice laced with alarm. “You both look like you’re in a lot of pain…”

As they got closer, the group noticed something strange—a half-mask, resembling twisted wood, had appeared on each of their faces.

“Ugh. What’s up with your face, Jade?” Floyd remarked, sounding half-annoyed, half-concerned. “You’ve got some kinda weird branch stuck to it.”

“You do too, Lilia!” Cater exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Ace crossed his arms, trying to mask his worry with a smirk. “All right, come on, you two—where’d you get those things? I was worried when you both started groaning, but let me guess: you’re just trying to give us a good scare, aren’t you?”

“Oooh! So that’s what’s going on!” Kalim grinned, relief flooding his face. “You had me going for a second! That’s a neat accessory. Can I try it on—?”

“I can’t move!” Jade’s voice came out strained, panic edging his usually calm tone. His body seemed completely rigid.

“Nor can I!” Lilia managed through gritted teeth. “It’s as if… my body isn’t my own.”

The group’s casual amusement vanished, replaced by a collective wave of alarm.

“WHAT?!” The realization struck them all, deepening their concern and confusion. First, the once-busy amusement park had become a ghost town; now, locks barred the exits, and their friends were frozen in place with strange, immovable masks.

“Okay, enough with the jokes. I’m taking that ridiculous thing off you,” Leona said, his patience finally snapping as he reached out toward Lilia’s mask.

“Wait!” Ortho stepped forward, his face serious as he scanned the masks with a soft whirring noise. “I just ran a scan… That wood isn’t just affixed to their skin. It’s actually rooted in their faces. If you try to pull it off, you could seriously hurt them!”

“What do you mean ‘rooted’ in their faces?” Leona demanded, his voice sharp as he withdrew his hand.

Before they could fully process this, the sound of footsteps echoed from the nearby walkway. Two figures stepped into view: a tall beastman with a cunning glint in his eyes, and a shorter, broad-shouldered beastman following close behind. It was none other than Fellow Honest, the notorious manager of Playful Land, and his loyal assistant, Gidel.

“My, my,” Fellow greeted them with a sly smile, crossing his arms as he looked them over. “So this is where you young scholars scuttled off to.”

The group looked at him with a mix of hope and suspicion. Despite his unsettling demeanor, he was an authority figure here. Maybe he could help.

“Ah, Fellow! You came at a good time,” Kalim said quickly, his voice filled with worry. “Can you help us? Jade and Lilia are in serious trouble! They’ve got this weird wood growing out of their faces, and we can’t pull it off!”

“Oh dear. How terrible!” Fellow said with an exaggerated frown. He turned to Gidel and snapped his fingers. “Quick, Gidel! The notebook!”

Gidel nodded and produced a notebook, stepping over to inspect Jade and Lilia while scribbling down notes. The two beastmen examined the masks with exaggerated concern.

“…Hmm,” Fellow finally said, tilting his head thoughtfully. “Just as I thought. I’m afraid it’s too late.”

The group’s eyes widened, panic rising. “Too late?” Cater echoed, his voice shaking. “What do you mean, ‘too late’?!”

Kalim took a step forward, desperation in his eyes. “Don’t say that! Please, you have to help them!”

Fellow’s face twisted into a sneer, his faux-concern fading as he spoke in a darker, more mocking tone. “Do I, now? But I thought you all were having a splendid time here in Playful Land. Skipping school, ignoring the warnings of those around you…” He leaned in, his eyes glinting maliciously. “And only now that you’re in trouble, you start having second thoughts?”

His words sent a chill through the group. The friendly amusement park manager they’d met was gone, replaced by someone cruel and twisted.

“…It’s too late for that, you little twerps!” Fellow snapped, his smile stretching into a sinister grin.

The group’s expressions shifted to shock, a creeping horror settling over them as the truth began to dawn.

…

Hidden in the shadows, Via, Grim, and Yuki watched the tense scene unfold as Fellow Honest sneered at the group, the sinister glint in his eyes revealing his true intentions.

“So I was right… he really is a wolf in sheep’s clothing…” Via muttered, her voice low as she took in the scene. “…Well, a fox in sheep’s clothing, but you get the point.”

Beside her, Grim’s eyes blazed with indignation. “You mean to tell me this whole time Fellow had played us?! Grrr, that jerk! How dare he make a fool out of the great Grim!” he huffed, his fur bristling with fury as his tail lashed back and forth.

Yuki, who had been silent, looked down, the weight of realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. “I can’t believe it… we fell for a trap… an obvious one, at that.” She bit her lip, feeling a surge of shame. The signs had been there all along—Fellow’s smooth-talking, the strangely empty park, the odd rules… How had she missed it? She should have been more cautious, more aware.

Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted when she felt a gentle pat on her head. She glanced up to see Via giving her an encouraging smile.

“Hey, you shouldn’t blame yourself, Yuki,” Via said softly. “After everything you’ve been through back at school, an offer like this—a day at an amusement park, free of charge—anyone would be tempted. Even I couldn’t resist.” She gave a small, rueful laugh. “Besides, who wouldn’t jump at the chance to enjoy a place like this without having to pay for anything?”

Yuki managed a small smile in return, but the nagging guilt didn’t completely leave her. Her gaze shifted back to the group just in time to see the gang running off while being chased by Puppets dress as policemen,

“Seems like now it’s the best time to reunite with the group” Via States as she walk off to the other side of the tent, Pulling out her wand like brush to create a door that could hopefully lead them to where the other could be hiding while Grim and Yuki followed behind, But suddenly Via stops in her tracks and looks at Yuki and Grim.

“If they ask for our whereabouts…just say we got pulled away by a group of puppets but managed to escape..” Via suggested Causing both The Prefect and Cat to Nod as the continued their way to head back to the group

…

The group huddled in the dim alley, panting from their desperate escape from the relentless puppet police.

“I… I think we’re finally rid of them,” Carter gasped, leaning against the wall to catch his breath.

“Geez Louise, those puppets just wouldn’t let up…! We kept shaking them off, and they just kept coming back,” Ace complained, wiping sweat from his brow. He turned to Ortho, suspicion edging his voice. “Those were all the puppets that we saw working here, huh?”

Ortho nodded, looking equally rattled. “Yeah. They turned aggressive so suddenly…”

Suddenly, a shrill, blood-curdling scream echoed through the park, startling the group. Peeking out from the alley, they saw a horrifying sight—people being chased down by puppets or, even worse, transforming into puppets themselves as they begged and pleaded to go home.

“It’s the other visitors,” Ortho said, his voice shaking. “Their bodies are being covered in wood… They’re turning into puppets!”

Jack’s eyes widened. “That would explain why the park seemed so empty…”

Leona scowled, crossing his arms. “Looks like they’ve already turned everyone else into puppets and hauled ’em off.”

Ace’s stomach twisted as a chilling thought struck him, one he couldn’t ignore. His voice wavered as he turned to the others. “Guys… you don’t think Yuki and the others… were…”

But before his dreadful thought could fully take shape, a familiar voice cut through the tension.

“Oh, thank the Seven, I found you guys!” Via called from the end of the alley, stepping out from what looked like a door drawn onto the wall. Relief flooded her face as she waved, and behind her, Yuki and Grim followed.

The group spun around at the sound of Via’s voice, each expression morphing from shock to relief as they took in the sight of their friends, safe and sound.

“You guys!” Ace blurted, his voice tinged with both exasperation and relief. “Where have you been? We thought—”

“We thought you were turned into puppets too,” Jack finished, his usual cool demeanor slipping just a little as he gave them a quick once-over, ensuring they were truly unharmed.

Grim puffed out his chest, brushing off the concern with a dramatic huff. “Hah! As if some wooden goons could catch the great Grim! We just had a… minor detour.” He cast a sideways glance at Via, who simply smiled and nodded as if to confirm his story.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Via said, quickly filling in the blanks. “We got pulled aside by a group of those puppet police. But we managed to escape before things got out of hand.”

Ace narrowed his eyes, not entirely convinced. “And you just happened to find a door that led right to us?”

Via grinned and tapped her wand-like brush. “Let’s just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Now’s not the time to question good luck, right?”

Leona scoffed, folding his arms. “Whatever. We don’t have time for explanations anyway.” His gaze shifted to the chaos unfolding around them as more screams echoed through the park. “This whole place is falling apart. We need to get out of here before we’re next.”

“Yeah, but there’s not much we can do, especially without a phone signal…” Carter sighed, glancing down at the phone in his hand, the screen stubbornly displaying ‘No Service.’

“I wish we could contact the school. Getting caught cutting class is definitely the least of our concerns now!” Ace chimed in, his frustration palpable as he fumbled with his own phone, hoping for a miracle that never came.

“Okay, I can try hacking into the park’s network,” Ortho offered, his brows furrowed in concentration. He closed his eyes as virtually screens appeared around him, begging the process of entering through the network. For a moment, the group held their breath, but then—

A loud alarm blared through the park, causing everyone to jump. Ortho’s eyes snapped open, bewildered. “Huh? I failed to get in? ME?” He glared at the virtual screen as if it were the source of his betrayal. He tried again, but each attempt was met with an error message that only seemed to grow more frequent and frantic. “This is weird. I keep getting kicked off. It’s like there’s a powerful jammer set up somewhere in this park.”

“Ah, geez… That means we can’t get through to anyone on the outside!” Jack exclaimed, his voice rising in panic.

“Tch. Guess they’ve covered their bases to ensure no inconvenient intel makes it out of here,” Leona added, crossing his arms tightly across his chest, his expression darkening.

“So uh, I’ve got some other bad news on top of the whole communication thing,” Floyd said, his tone grave as he joined the group. “There were seabirds flying around earlier today, but now there ain’t any. I think the park’s on the move.”

“Huh?” The entire group echoed, disbelief spreading across their faces.

“I’ll go look over the wall with Leona and Via. You boys wait here—and stay hidden,” Floyd instructed, his expression resolute.

Leona and Via nodded in agreement, and together, the three of them approached the tall, barricaded wall that surrounded the amusement park. They climbed up to get a better view of what lay beyond, and as they peered over the edge, their hearts sank at the sight that greeted them.

The port of Sage Island was no longer visible. Instead, a vast, unsettling expanse of water stretched out before them, churning ominously beneath a murky sky. No land in sight, only the eerie solitude of the ocean.

“Bad news, all right,” Leona muttered, shaking his head in disbelief as he climbed back down. “Floyd called it. The playful land’s present location is… in the middle of the ocean.”

“The middle of the ocean?!” Ortho and Jack exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with shock.

“Yeah, there’s no sign of land, which can only mean that the park is currently at a Nemo point…” Via explained, tugging nervously at the ribbons of her attire, her eyes wide with worry.

“The park may have departed Sage’s Island the instant we set foot through the gate,” Vil added, his voice steady but laced with urgency.

“Seriously?! We’ve been totally played!” Ace shouted, his frustration boiling over as he ran a hand through his hair.

“That’s what I said!!” Grim chimed in angrily, his fur bristling at the revelation.

“By the time visitors realize something’s wrong, they’ve been cut off from the outside world. The park’s long gone, and the only thing the rest of the world sees are all the fun pictures and posts about it…” Ace continued, his mind racing as he began to piece everything together. “No wonder people call this place illusionary!”

“It’s a trap disguised as a fun getaway…” Yuki added, her voice trembling slightly as she looked around nervously, the enormity of their predicament sinking in.

“Considering how slick this whole setup is, whoever’s the mastermind behind it must be an old hand at this,” Trey remarked, his brow furrowing in thought. “What do we do now?”

A heavy silence fell over the group as they processed the gravity of their situation. The laughter and joy that once filled the park now felt like a distant memory, replaced by an unsettling atmosphere thick with tension. They were in a race against time, trapped in a place designed to lure them in and keep them away from the outside world. Each of them could feel the weight of their choices pressing down on them, urging them to act before it was too late.

The sudden crackle of static filled the air, silencing the chatter and hustle of the bustling theme park. Overhead, the PA system came alive with a loud hum, and an all-too-familiar voice echoed through the park. The group of students froze in their tracks, listening as the voice began to speak.

“May we have your attention, please? This is a lost child announcement!”

“That voice… Fellow?!” Kalim’s eyes widened as he recognized the mocking tone, his finger pointing up toward the speakers in disbelief.

“It’s coming from the PA. He must be broadcasting it across the whole park,” Jack growled, his fur bristling as he clenched his fists.

Fellow’s voice resumed, dripping with mockery, “Paging the simpleton students from Night Raven College. Attention, simpleton students…”

A pause followed, long enough for them to feel a surge of irritation rising. Then, in a singsong voice, Fellow continued, “Your friends are waiting for youuu! ‘Oh, I’m so lonely! Oh, I’m so scared!’ They’re crying ever so pitifully as they wait for you to come get them! I can assure you, it’s quite obnoxious to listen to, so come get them soooon! Ha ha ha ha ha!” His laughter filled the air, sharp and cruel, and it only fueled the anger simmering among the group.

The group exchanged glances, each face reflecting the same mix of annoyance and frustration.

“Ahem… Anyway, you precious little darlings have nowhere to run or hide as long as you’re our guest in Playful Land,” Fellow’s voice continued, his tone shifting into something coldly mocking. “You can make this a lot easier on yourselves by giving up this pointless show of resistance and turning yourselves in quietly. This has been a public service announcement courtesy of the friendly Fellow Honest. I hope you continue to enjoy your time in Playful Land. Hah hahahahahaha…!”

With one final laugh, the announcement ended, leaving the group in heavy silence, the mocking echo of his laughter still hanging in the air.

That jerk…

Jack clenched his teeth, his fist raised as he growled out, “He’s going out of his way to get under our skin!”

“Was that entire speech just his way of taunting us? The nerve!” Vil’s voice was laced with irritation, his eyes narrowing in disgust.

“I wish I could put the squeeze on botha those guys right now…” Floyd’s smile twisted into something dark and threatening, his gaze unfocused as if imagining the ways he could make them pay.

Ortho, eyes glowing with determination, suddenly piped up, “And I wish I could fry them with my beam!”

Before anyone could respond, Kalim raised a hand, looking troubled. “But, but… I don’t get it…” His brows knitted together with genuine concern. “Why does Fellow want to turn us into puppets?”

Ace rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “Who knows? Sitting around and overthinking isn’t going to help us.” His gaze sharpened, his tone snapping with resolve. “Right now, we’ve got one job, right?”

Kalim’s face lit up, clearly inspired. “Ah… yeah, you’re totally right!” A determined smile spread across his face. “Let’s go see Fellow and talk him out of this!”

“NOT THAT!” Ace’s shout rang out as he stared at Kalim with an expression that screamed, Are you for real right now?!

Via stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Kalim’s shoulder, a comforting yet serious look on her face. “I’m sure under normal circumstances, talking sense into someone might work, but considering the threat of our situation… peace is not an option right now.”

“Via’s right,” Ace said, rolling his eyes. “Besides, if we tried to talk it out, he’d just capture us and go on gloating about what stupid twerps we are, ‘Ha ha ha,’ so on and so forth.” A mischievous smirk crept onto Ace’s face. “What I MEANT was…” His grin grew wider, dark with intent. “We find Fellow and give him a royal beatdown.”

“What?! A beatdown?!” Kalim’s eyes went wide, looking at Ace with shock.

“Yeah. We beat him up until he swears to take us back to Sage’s Island.” Ace’s grin didn’t waver, his eyes flashing with a mischievous glint.

Trey let out a sigh, though he couldn’t help a small smile. “I had a feeling that was your angle.” But his face grew serious as he looked at Ace. “Are you sure, though? We could theoretically use flight magic to escape. From a group safety standpoint, it might be smarter to explore ways to get out…”

Ortho shook his head, his expression grave. “Fellow’s an extremely thorough con artist. I’d bet he’s already got some plan if we try to escape by air. He might have traps set up overhead.” His gaze shifted to Grim, who was clutching a half-empty popcorn bucket. “Grim, could I borrow that popcorn bucket you’re carrying?”

“Mrah!?! But I’m not done with it yet!” Grim held the bucket close, looking horrified.

Ortho sighed, and Yuki gave Grim a small nudge, her expression slightly annoyed. “…We’re in a dire situation here. Please, just give him the bucket.”

With a grumble, Grim cast a mournful look at his beloved snack, then reluctantly handed it over. Ortho took the bucket, then without hesitation, flung it high into the air. In a flash, the bucket exploded into a burst of sparks, sending popcorn debris raining down as the group gaped in shock.

“MY POPCORN!” Grim shrieked, his little paws reaching toward the remnants of his treat. He tried to lunge forward, but Via and Yuki held him back as he sobbed into Yuki’s shoulder. She gently patted him, trying to soothe his outrage.

“We’ll get you more popcorn later, Grim, I promise,” Via said, her tone gentle, though her eyes glinting with frustration at the situation.

Ortho looked around at the group, expression steely. “See? I knew it. A ship this large going unnoticed for so long doesn’t make sense. There could be some kind of cognitive interference magic at play… Which means if we leave, it could be nearly impossible to find our way back here. We might never see Lilia or Jade again.”

A heavy silence settled over the group, the weight of their situation pressing down on them.

“But more to the point—that guy trashed us,” Ortho added, his eyes hardening. “Why would we run away without challenging him? That would be like admitting defeat. I’d never do that!”

“Yeah, huh? I ain’t about to turn tail and run from some small fry like that fox fish,” Floyd said with a wicked grin.

“Heh, you have a point,” Vil agreed, a faint smirk crossing his face. “We should make him rue the day he chose to mess with us.”

“The last thing I need is for some twisted magic to turn me into a wooden doll…” Leona muttered, his sharp gaze calculating. “But seeing as he’s holding others hostage, he might not be able to turn people into puppets at will. So let’s be cautious here—then nail that fox. That’s probably the best play.”

“Yessir. He’s got some payback coming,” Jack stated, his eyes burning with determination.

Cater nodded, chuckling nervously. “Hoo boy… sounds like you’re all in on this. Guess we’d better buckle down.”

“Good grief…” Trey murmured, adjusting his glasses as he regarded the group with a resigned expression. “If you’re all aware of the danger and willing to go forward anyway, I won’t stop you. And honestly? I’m not too fond of backing down from a fight either.”

Via, usually calm and collected, flashed a slightly wicked smile. “I may be a nurse, but I can make an exception and turn the other cheek.”

“So we’re gonna give Fellow a royal beatdown, huh…” Kalim’s brow furrowed, his voice wavering slightly as uncertainty flickered in his eyes. “Hmm… I still don’t get it, but that’s the best way to rescue Lilia and Jade… right?”

“Yeah,” Ortho replied, his tone steady and reassuring. “If we want to make sure everyone gets out safe and sound, this is the optimal choice.” He stood tall, radiating confidence despite the looming threat they faced.

“Safe and sound, huh…” Kalim muttered, his mind racing as he contemplated the weight of their mission. After a moment of deep thought, he nodded, determination replacing his doubt. “Okay, I’m in! I’ll do my part too! Who knows? Maybe Fellow will see the errors of his ways before things come to a head!”

“If only,” Carter sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly. “That would be the best outcome by far, easily, for real…” He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression a mix of hope and resignation.

“All right. For starters, I guess we’d better go find that jerk,” Ace declared, his voice ringing with a newfound urgency.

“Yeah,” Ortho chimed in, his eyes darting around as he gathered his thoughts. “All the other visitors were loaded into a large wooden crate near the gate. Considering Fellow’s announcement, we can assume Lilia and Jade are in the same place as him.” His tone grew serious, emphasizing the need for action.

“Sounds like we’ve got a goal—” But just as Jack was about to continue, his sharp eyes caught movement from the corner. He turned, and his heart sank as he saw a group of puppet soldiers, their wooden bodies creaking with each synchronized step as they advanced toward them.

“ChiLDrEN LOcATED! BrINg tHem tO FeLLOW!" The puppets shouted in unison, their voices a chilling blend of mechanical and eerie cheerfulness.

“It’s the puppets again!” Jack exclaimed, shock evident on his face. His fists clenched tightly, adrenaline surging through him as he braced himself for confrontation.

“Oh, for the love of… Way to ruin our momentum!” Ace groaned, frustration bubbling to the surface. He glanced around at the group, knowing they needed to stay focused despite the interruption.

“I’m sick and tired of you guys! GRAWR!” Jack growled, his fierce determination igniting as he lunged toward the puppets, ready to unleash his pent-up energy and anger upon them. The muscles in his arms coiled like springs, ready to strike.

“Ace, get back! We’ll take them out!” Trey shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos as he pulled out his wand.

“Wait, guys I don't think it’s a good idea—!” Via tried to warn them, but it was too late. Trey and Jack launched their magical attacks with precision, obliterating the puppet soldiers in a spectacular display of power. The remnants of the puppets scattered like confetti, and the rest of the group erupted into cheers.

“Got ’em! Those puppets didn’t stand a chance against your magic,” Ortho praised, his voice bright with excitement.

“Hah! Not gonna be doing much attacking now that they’re blown to bits, huh?” Jack taunted, a cocky grin spreading across his face. But suddenly, an unsettling sensation washed over him. His muscles stiffened, and he gasped, “…Hrk?!” Before he could react, his body went limp, and he collapsed to the floor, the fight abruptly leaving him.

“Jack?!” Trey shouted in shock, rushing to his friend’s side. But as he knelt down, he felt a similar stiffness creeping through his own limbs. “Oh no! Is this what I think it is…? Grk!” He didn’t have time to finish his thought before he, too, went slack, the world around him blurring as he succumbed to the mysterious force.

Both Jack and Trey now wore wooden masks, their expressions frozen in a mix of shock and confusion.

“Right, I can’t move…” Trey exclaimed, his voice strained as he struggled against the sudden paralysis.

“The others weren’t kidding… My body doesn’t feel like MINE,” Jack added, panic creeping into his voice as he tried to comprehend their dire situation.

“Jack?! Trey?!” Ace called out, his shock morphing into fear as he rushed toward them, his heart pounding.

“They’ve started to turn into puppets!” Kalim shouted, dread pooling in his stomach.

“AtTaCKinG park eMpLOYEEs IS aN EgrEGiOus viOLAtiON OF paRK RULeS! It’s pUppeTdOm FoR ALl bad chILdRen cOmmIttinG mIsdEeDs in PlAyful LAnD!” they chimed in unison, their wooden features gleaming ominously.

“Bad children…?” Ortho and Yuki echoed in confusion, their brows furrowed as they exchanged glances.

“Blast… I’ll at least stall ’em before I go full puppet! HRAAAGH!” Jack yelled, summoning every ounce of strength he had left. He strained against the invisible bonds holding him in place, but it felt as if he were trying to push a boulder up a mountain.

“Rgh… We can’t move. All of you, get out of here, quick!” Trey exclaimed, his voice low but urgent, his eyes darting around for any possible escape route.

“No way! We can’t just abandon you guys!” Kalim replied, a worried yet determined expression on his face, as if he could somehow will his friends to regain their strength.

“You wouldn’t be abandoning us. Look—getting to Fellow's is the ultimate goal, right?” Trey stated, offering a reassuring smile that belied the seriousness of their situation. “The two of us are just gonna reach him first, is all. We’ll be waiting for you.”

“Trey…” Ace looked at his vice housewarden, torn between worry and resolve. “We’ll come for you, okay? Count on it.”

“No fair, Trey! You’re not allowed to act all brave and tough and cool! It’s hitting me square in the feels!” Carter teased, his voice lighthearted but underscored by genuine concern.

“Cut it out; you’re embarrassing me,” Trey jokes, trying to lighten the mood despite the heavy weight of their predicament.

“Tch. Can’t believe I didn’t make it any farther than this… Sorry, Leona,” Jack said, his ears drooping in shame. “Guess I’ll be heading to Fellow ahead of the rest of you. I’ll come up with a way to sock him now.” His expression hardened with determination, refusing to let fear dictate his actions.

“Hey, don’t do anything stupid,” Leona warned, his voice steady but laced with concern. “You don’t know what small-time guys like that could pull when they snap. Just sit tight and be patient; there’s no way you can mess that up, right?” He teased, a flicker of a smirk crossing his face, trying to bolster Jack’s spirit.

“Hmph. Don’t patronize me,” Jack grumbled, but a small smile crept onto his face despite the circumstances. “As for the rest of you… Be careful!”

Suddenly, a loud alarm began blaring, filling the air with an urgent, high-pitched warning.

“Rgh… Here we are, housewardens, walking away from students in trouble!” Vil exclaimed, frustration and disappointment evident on his face, feeling the sting of helplessness.

“There’s nothing we can do right now, but we won’t let their sacrifice be in vain,” Via explained to Vil, her tone soothing as she tried to comfort him.

“First things first: we gotta scram before the alerts bring more puppets! Via, do you still have enough energy to make another door?” Ace asked, urgency sharpening his voice as he turned his attention to the school nurse.

“Absolutely!” Via responded, determination igniting in her eyes. She quickly used her unique magic to paint a vibrant door on the wall, her brush strokes alive with energy. With a flourish, she placed her hand on the painted doorknob and swung the door open, signaling for the others to head inside quickly.

“Guys… I’m sorry,” Kalim said, his voice heavy with regret as he glanced back at his friends, his heart aching. But he took a deep breath and joined the rest of the group, bolstered by their resolve.

“Yuki, come on!” Ace called out, gripping Yuki’s hand tightly and pulling them along, while Yuki cradled the weeping Grim, who was still mourning the loss of his popcorn, his tiny body shaking with sobs.

As they rushed through the door, the weight of uncertainty and fear hung in the air, but they were united in their mission.

The door opened quietly, and Vil poked his head out, scanning the new area. He carefully examined every corner, watching for signs of any pursuing puppets or traps. After a moment, he glanced back at the group and gestured for them to follow.

“Pursuing forces are thinner in this area. Let’s hide and wait it out,” Vil suggested, his voice low but steady as the others exited through the painted door.

They ducked behind a cluster of oversized, cartoonish shrubs, catching their breath. For a few moments, the only sound was their heavy breathing, as each of them tried to process everything that had just happened. The weight of leaving Jack and Trey behind hung heavily over them.

Floyd, always quick to break the silence, eyed Leona with a curious look. “What’s wrong, Sea Lion?” he asked, smirking. “You’re all quiet and broody-lookin’ over there.”

Leona shot him a brief glare. “This is how I always look,” he retorted with a dismissive wave, but then he sighed, revealing a hint of the frustration underneath. “But I was just thinkin’. About why people are turning into puppets now. It’s weird.”

“That’s been bugging me too,” Ace jumped in, rubbing the back of his head. “At first, I thought maybe it just took a while for Playful Land’s magic to kick in. Like… you had to spend a whole day at the park before it got to you.” He glanced around, his expression puzzled. “Except none of us have been here any longer than the others. And the timing of it happening to Jack and Trey was just way too convenient.”

“True,” Cater added, nodding as he recalled the moment they were captured. “The magic got them both at once, the second they fought the puppets. Like it was waiting for them to do something.”

“The puppets…” Ortho mumbled, looking down thoughtfully as he replayed the encounter in his mind. His eyes lit up as he remembered something. “What was it they said? ‘It’s puppetdom for all bad children committing misdeeds,’ right? I thought they were just trying to scare us, but what if…”

“What if that’s the actual punishment when you break the rules of Playful Land?” Yuki said, piecing it together as they handed a now-calmed Grim over to Via, who took him with a comforting pat on the back.

“You actually turn into a puppet when you do bad things here?” Ace exclaimed, the realization hitting him with a mix of horror and fascination.

“If that’s it, then all we have to do is avoid doing misdeeds!” Kalim suggested, his voice brightening with relief. “We could be okay if we just, you know… keep our noses clean.”

“That’d make sense. Maybe we can get outta this easier than we thought.” Ace grinned, his hope rekindled by the idea of a simple solution.

“Yeah, huh? That’s a relief!” Kalim beamed, feeling the tension lift, even if only a little. “But… what counts as a misdeed, exactly?” He looked around at the group, his expression clouded by confusion, as he realized the situation was more complicated than it seemed.

The rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances, the same question clearly on everyone’s mind. Each of them had their own guesses, but none seemed entirely sure. Could it be as simple as fighting? Was sneaking around, lying, or even talking back to the puppets considered a misdeed here? The thought gnawed at them.

Watching the group, both Yuki and Via found themselves struggling to keep their composure. They shared a quick, exasperated look, each silently summoning all their patience.

‘Great Seven give me strength not to end it all right now,’ Via thought, stifling an inward groan.

Did I wrote a rewrite fic where Yuu and grim have a more interactive role in the playful land event cause I was salty that Yuu didn’t do much…yes yes I did Don’t think to much of this fan fic it’s just self indulgent, I do apologize if it’s cringy :,V

#galatics art #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twst #twst mc #twst oc #twst yuu #twst sona #twst event #playful land event #fellow honest #twst gidel #ernesto foulworth #twst gino

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jinnaizaemon · 16 days ago

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On old Japanese naming conventions, and how Nintama plays with them.

I thought it’d be fun to write about this because I’ve seen people wondering about it, for OC purposes and what not.

Just prefacing this to say again that I’m just a nerd online and this is certainly not academic paper or anything. I welcome you to use the notions introduced in this post to do your own research!

Nintama plays a lot with history, being crazy accurate at times and completely ignoring historical accuracy when it's convenient lol. Let's look into it under the cut because it got a bit long.

The Meiji era (1868-1912) is characterized by significant modernization and westernization in Japan. It was during this period that the civil code established the modern format for Japanese names, such as for example, Yamada (family name) Tarou (given name). This format is straightforward and aligns with the naming conventions of the Western world.

It's also easier to follow for modern audience, so this is the format most Nintama characters follow for their names. A lot of them still are constructed in a way that give them a distinct period-setting vibe, though!

However, things were actually a biiiiit more complicated before the Meiji era.

It’s medieval Japan which is of interest to us, but of course, naming conventions and habits evolved throughout Japan’s history. Names were not simply divided into “family names” and “given names”; rather, they were classified into multiple categories, such as clan names, titles, real or taboo names, childhood names, inherited names, nicknames for every day uses… These categories depended on a person’s social status, gender, occupation, etc. Someone could have as many as ten different names at a given time!

In short, the name used at a specific moment depends on the situation and the people involved.

Formal names were reserved for nobles, while commoners used place names, occupations, or other identifiers as a “surname” for convenience.

Instead of inheriting a family name and being given a first name at birth, one might get new names throughout their life, with some even receiving a posthumous name.

Names were not just a way to designate people or things; they were once seen as sacred and taboo. Revealing one’s “real” name to someone meant giving them power over you, so it was reserved for intimate or special occasions, such as when a vassal shared his name with his master.

Today, remnants of this practice still exist in the Japanese language. Addressing someone by their first name when you are not close to them can be considered rude, and in some situations, people are still addressed by their status rather than by name.

Let’s look at how people were named in medieval Japan, and what meaning some names carry… all through a Nintama lens of course.

Female names

If men can use many names during their life, generally women would always use the same name they were given during childhood. Female artists and writers could use nicknames.

Nowadays, the suffix -ko denotes a female name. In Nintama, when a character crossdresses, their female persona often reuses the first kanji of their name followed by -ko in an effort to feminize it. Denzou becomes Denko, Hansuke Hanko, etc. This is an anachronism, before modern times not only -ko wasn’t an exclusively feminine suffix, it was even rarely used for women.

Female names were often written in kana (the phonetic alphabet) rather than kanji (Chinese characters), they were often picked for aesthetic purposes and often related to nature : names of seasons, plants, elements, etc.

Common feminine suffixes for female names would be -shi, -e, -yo, -mi, -no…

-hime is an honorific suffix meaning “princess” but is used for noble ladies.

o- is another honorific for noble girls, this time a prefix.

Let’s look at some Nintama girls:

Yuki, written in the feminine kana. It means snow.

Tomomi, also in kana. Because her name is written phonetically, the meaning is unclear. The tomo part could refer to 友 tomo, friend, 巴 tomoe, the comma shaped heraldic emblem, 智 chi, wisdom… -mi means “beautiful”.

Shige, also in kana. It could refers to 志げ shige, good will, 紫華 shige, purple flower, or 茂 shige, overgrown, luxurious. She is often called with the honorific Oshige.

Yamamoto Shina Her family name, Yamamoto 山本, means “the foot of the mountain”, and likely refers to where she comes from. Shina シナ is written in kana, and may refer to the Japanese linden.

Kitaishi Teruyo Interestingly, her name is spelled in Kanji this time. Is it an alias? 北石 kitaishi means “north stone”, and 照代 teruyo “illuminated time/era”. But really, her name is a pun on the phrase 期待してるよ kitai shiteru yo, “We have high expectations of you”. Oof…

Family names

Only court nobles and the samurai class had actual family names, but commoners came to use substitute surnames out of convenience. Commoners also took their place of birth or residence as substitutes for surnames, making it sometimes almost indistinguishable as actual family names from nobles. Nowadays, many family names are derivated from famous clans names : the most common family name, Satou 佐藤, came to be when people borrowed the fancy 藤 fuji/tou character from the 藤原 Fujiwara clan!

In Nintama, Saitou (斉藤) Takamaru or Katou (加藤) Danzou could have gotten their family names from a certain connection to the Fujiwara, too. Whether that connection is real or they had a parent who just thought it'd be cool to claim to be related is a mystery though…

Big clans names are often topographical in nature, based on the area they came from. In Nintama, most characters are purposedly named after places, but probably not all names are supposed to be topographical in universe (does this make sense… as in the places might not have had this name back then?).

Others, like Minamoto or Taira, come from names bestowed by the Emperor to children who wouldn’t take the throne, making them ones of the major clans in Japanese History (along with the Fujiwara clan which I mentioned earlier and the Tachibana clan, which sounds similar to Senzou's family name but is spelled differently.)

I mentioned Yamamoto earlier, but other topographical names you can find in Nintama includes 木下 Kinoshita (under the tree), 浜 Hama (seashore), 竹谷 Takeya (bamboo valley)... While not a standard name, the lord of Tasogaredoki Castle is named Tasogaredoki Jinbei, after his domain, making it another topographical name. This is the case for most lords in the series.

Torawaka is from an actual clan, making Satake an actual family name.

Business owners could use their store name as a surname too. In Nintama, Shouzaemon’s family are charcoal sellers, and his family name being 黒木 kuroki, rough lumber, we can assume it comes from their occupation.

Some other names are simply auspicious: 福富 Fukutomi (blessed with fortune), 今福 Imafuku (current fortune).

屋 -ya is a suffix used for shops and businesses, so names with this ending can suggest this origin, like Tsugiya.

寺 -ji means “shrine” (for Shinto), like in Zenpouji. 寺 -dera means “temple” (for Buddhism), like in Inadera.

“no” is a particle meaning “of”. It implies belonging to a clan or a place : Taira no Takiyashamaru: Takiyashamaru of the Taira, Settsu no Kirimaru: Kirimaru of Settsu (Settsu being the province he was born in.)

Finally, some names are just… punny, because this is Nintama lol.

Haniwa is spelled 羽丹羽 haniwa with kanji meaning “rust colored feathers”, but they are used purely for phonetic purposes : it sounds exactly like haniwa, clay statues from the Kofun period (his first name, Sekito, is spelled with kanji meaning “stone statue”).

Personal names

幼名 youmei, or childhood name, is the name given to a male child at birth. Common suffix for childhood names are -waka (young), -o (male), -maru or -maro (“round”, it sounds affectionate and cute) Torawaka means young tiger! cute! A lot of members of the Hyougo crew have “maru” in their names, probably because -maru is a suffix used for ship names.

輩行名, haikoumei. It reflects the order in which children were born within a family. It’s also the name commonly used between family and friends.

1st born son: Ichirou / Tarou 2nd: Jirou 3rd: Saburou 4th: Shirou 5th: Gorou 6th: Rokurou 7th: Shichirou 8th: Hachirou 9th: Kuurou 10th: Juurou.

Additionally, prefixes or suffixes were added to distinguish between, I imagine, many many Tarous out there lol, in order to avoid confusion.

Some nintama examples includes: 乱太郎 Rantarou (war-first son), 文次郎 Monjirou (literature-second son), 留三郎 Tomesaburou (halted/staying-third son), 彦四郎 Hikoshirou (boy-fourth son), 喜八郎 Kihachirou (delight-eighth son)

At least 8 ayabes out there… scary.

When a boy comes of age (between 12-20 years old), he is given a new name, or multiple names to signify his entrance into manhood:

烏帽子名 eboshina is the name noble and samurai men receive during their genpuku, or coming of age ceremony. It’s often given by a godfather of sorts called 烏帽子親 eboshi-oya (lit. eboshi parent, the person who crowns the new adult with a eboshi hat, signifying his passage into adulthood), and this godfather will often choose a name containing at least a kanji from his own name. This name can be temporary, as men will either receive a title or choose a formal name for themselves later in adulthood. In Nintama, Kousaka’s given name is 陣内左衛門 Jinnaizaemon, with the same 陣内 jinnai as in Yamamoto Jinnai, meaning it’s a name he received from Yamamoto during his coming of age ceremony.

In the manga, when Sonnamon introduces himself, Zatto is initially surprised and says "Since when have you been using that name?", implying he's been named "Sonnamon" pretty recently. Sonnamon explains the origin of his own name, but let me talk about Zatto's given name, Konnamon, too. It's spelled 昆奈門 konnamon, with characters that were chosen for phonetics rather than meaning. I'll go back to the punny nature of his and Sonnamon's names later. 昆 kon is "elder, descendant", 奈 na refers to the chinese quince, and 門 mon is "gate", and is a common name suffix which gives a very period vibe to names (I'll develop this later, but it's a common name ending with Nintama characters). Maybe the "kon" part is inherited in his family. Sonnamon's name 尊奈門 sonnamon uses similar "na" and "mon" kanji, with the first one swapped for 尊 son, "noble", used as an honorific prefix of address, but is also the first character in the word 尊敬 sonkei, "respect, esteem". In Sonnamon's own word: "My eboshioya gave me this name during my coming of age ceremony, so that I always pay respect to the Team Leader[Zatto]."

Formal name

実名 jitsumei the formal, “real” and final name of an adult man, used by samurai to sign documents and wages war.

And.. that’s it. Or is it? There are more types of names out there ; the name one adopts when entering religion, when performing as an artist, when writing literature, the name ones received after death… There are many other types of names out there but let’s keep this Nintama-related lol.

People outside of the court/military nobles(samurai), ronin, commoners, etc did not receive a formal name and kept using a personal nickname they either gave themselves or received from someone else.

After the Kamakura period, personal names which don’t use the birth order came into use. People began using military titles as common names, even if they hadn't held any official position, and these titles became simple name components. Here are common ones, with the spelling in which they appear in Nintama:

兵衛 -bei, “guard soldier” like Sakubei, Shirobei. (funnily, Shinbei’s name is spelled in the phonetic alphabet.)

兵 hei, soldier, like Magohei, Heisuke, Heidayuu.

ヱ門 -emon, “guard” like Mikiemon.

右ヱ門 -emon, “the right guard” like Kanemon.

左ヱ門 -zaemon, “the left guard” like Hachizaemon, Shouzaemon, Jinnaizaemon (he’s the left guard because Zatto-sama is blind in his left eye… do you understand?! do you understand??!!! Uuoougouhghh…)

之丞 -nojou, “magistrate”, like (Andou) Natsunojou.

助 -suke, “vice-governor of a province” like Hansuke, Heisuke, Sannosuke.

之助 -nosuke, same, like (Ooki) Masanosuke.

之介 -nosuke same but with a different spelling, like (Hanabusa) Makinosuke, (Demo) Shikanosuke.

Additionally, here are some more common name suffixes that you can find in Nintama:

太 -ta “plump, great” like Kisanta, Heita, Koheita.

蔵 -zou “to store, to possess” like Fushikizou, Danzou, Raizou, Senzou, Denzou.

吉 -kichi “good luck”, like Sakichi, Rikichi.

作 -saku “a work of art”, like Kyuusaku, Sakubei, Isaku, Shuusaku, Yuusaku.

While absolutely not a standard japanese suffix for names, a number of characters from Dokutake uses 鬼 -ki, meaning oni, the ogres/demons of japanese folklore. Like Fuuki, Raiki, Uki, Fubuki, Ibuki, Shibuki, Yamabuki, and Tenki.

I mentioned Kitaishi Teruyo’s name being a pun earlier, here are some more punny names:

Demo Shikanosuke: He has a lovely name if you take each kanji meaning separately. His name uses the same 茂 as Oshige-chan, so it means “overgrown, luxurious”. 鹿 shika means deer, and “nosuke” is that boyish name ending we mentioned earlier. But it’s actually a pun on the expression でもしか demoshika, lit. “but only”, refers to someone applying for a job not out of passion, but only because it’s easy and convenient.

Fuwa Raizou: A pun on the similar sounding, 4 kanji compound sentence 付和雷同 fuwaraidou, “to follow someone else blindly without thinking”

Konnamon and Sonnamon have that -mon ending which makes them sound like period setting names, but they are actually puns on こんなもん konnamon “something like this”, and そんなもん sonnamon “that’s how it is”. Additionally, Sonnamon's family name, Moroizumi, is spelled 諸泉, with each kanji meaning 諸 moro "many", and 泉 izumi "springs/fountains", making it an auspicious name evoking abundance. These characters can also be read respectively "sho" and "sen", which is why in universe his name is often mistaken for Shosen Sonnamon. And put together, しょせんそんなもん shosensonnamon mean "that's how it is, after all", or "it is how it is", which is.. a lot less auspicious. Zatto's family name is spelled 雑渡 zatto, with each kanji meaning 雑 zatsu "rough, miscellaneous", 渡 to, to pass over. It sounds similar to ざっと zatto, meaning "approximately, more or less, kinda". So put together, his name sounds like ざっとこんなもん zattokonnamon, "kinda like this", "roughly speaking".

Okay! now that's it for now. I know I didn't cover every character, but I hope this was an interesting read still. Pre-Meiji name usage can be confusing, and I tried to be as clear as possible, so I hope this was easy to understand. Thank you for reading this far!

#nintama #nintama rantarou #op #meta

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