#always have better things to do than take care of him but at least kiryu pretends he enjoys it

[skrunksthatwunk]

something he can't put into words.

[majimasleftasscheek]

Here’s a brain scratcher aniki, besides Kiryu and Kazuma-San what kind of parent would each of the main cast be. (Just the major players from the games IE protags and antags. You can include Ichiban’s party to!)

let's see...

Majima: good! but irresponsible parent. would spoil immensely, compensates for things he can't do or messes up. very open to whatever the kid wants/thinks but can be unintentionally harsh when scolding. promotes living to the fullest but will worry to the expense of his health when he can't be around to take care of things. will be overbearing with good intentions but suffocating.

Saejima: very nurturing and attentive but tough, a bit overbearing on the life lessons and shit like that. would leave a child to their own devices often to encourage individual growth and accepts failures well, very patient. would be hard to get a read on though normally, leaving a kid to guessing how he's feeling/doing, making his parenting feel a bit lonesome.

Nishiki: great with kids in a cool uncle sort of way. would be friends with his kids vs being their actual parent as he worries a lil too much about what they think of him. spoils them a lot, especially if it makes him look pretty great in front of others. doesn't handle problems very well and has only the basics of advice for a struggling child - would have to ask others what to do.

Ichiban: good parent but bumbling. would try his best to be a good dad but realistically good vibes and idealism isn't always enough. would rely on others for help with kids, especially if it's something he can't provide himself. would teach them to be kind and open minded, careful to not be too strict. would prolly relate the most to kids, being a child at heart himself though his personality would make it seem like he's not taking things seriously.

Ryuji: would raise a kid to be just like himself, brutish and confident. the type to be like, let's go to the junkyard and smash car windows for fun. values traits that align with his own like strength and a strong will - would be disappointed in anything he'd deem too whimsical. would think it's funny if his kid rebelled against them and teach them the hard way that it wouldn't fly but also encourage them to keep trying to be their own person anyway.

Daigo: would be a good parent to the best of his ability, compensating for his own experiences (Dojima lol). very patient and a good listener, excels at consoling to where his kid would feel very comfy telling him anything. can be a bit too soft and unintentionally ignorant to underlying problems a child might have. a child might feel guilty towards him for his kindness and oppositely *not* want to dump their worries on him. sometimes plays too much a teacher than a parent.

Mine: no lmao actual answer: he'd suck ass. he'd be a tiger parent, strict and cold. growing up is about accomplishment and being self sufficient. if a kid wants his time, better schedule an appointment. would teach a kid the harsh realities of life whilst ignoring the good stuff to temper expectations. punishments are often harsh. doesn't really relate to his kid other than they both breathe and blink.

Akiyama: do I even gotta say it ksdlagjlds he would be *squint* alright at parenting in the same way it's alright to drink bleach. he's there and he exists but is irresponsible. can't be counted on to make important dates on time or remember things a kid needs. frequently has to ask for help (Hana). will 100% give a child secondhand smoke and be skeazy about the types of life lessons he'd not necessarily teach outright but would imply with his behavior.

Tanimura: I don't got much of a read on him tbh but being that he's got a gambling problem, I feel like that would have some play in childcare lol, that being he's prolly a bit inattentive until it comes to money. he's a bit skeavy so he would prolly turn a blind eye to his kid doing something wrong and enforces rules poorly. would at least instill good teachings to help others, tho how, would be sketchy.

Shinada: he'd do pretty well I think if he had a stable living situation. he's very passionate about his interests and would share that with his kid, and if the kid wants to do their own thing, he'd encourage following that too. being goofy, he'd be a fun dad. I'm prolly the only motherfucker on earth who ships him with Milky-chan so I think they'd do really well as parents who come from rough lives trying to make a better one for their kid.

Sagawa: including him cuz he's my fav villain. he defo seems the type to have a kid somewhere with an estranged partner who left him first. he's caring, in a sinister type of way, one that makes you feel like you're being manipulated but not sure enough to say. "he knows what's best" and would for sure turn a child against his partner. in an alternate sense, he could also lead a double life, being an actual decent person to his family but a dickhead on the side. very psychopathic.

[eurofox]

Yakuza Ishin! review

Finished as much of this as I'm bothered with. Spoilers btw

Ok story wise this has to be one of weakest. I get that it's meant to be somewhat rooted in historical fact so it was limited in that way but it's just not great IMO. It takes forever to get going and when it finally does get interesting it's too near the end and a lot of shite is just dumped in the final cutscene. At least they didn't make us fight Jingu The whole 2 Ryoma thing got confusing and the reason behind it all felt flimsy. The great fire of Kyoto ended up being no big deal with most minimal damage ever? like wtf. I liked the historical setting but it felt undercooked overall tbh. Also I can buy bare knuckle Kiryu somehow never killing people, but Ryoma is straight up canonically using a sword, so it started feeling silly. I honestly appreciated the fact that he did just start killing near the end.

It was nice to see Mine again, but he felt underused. I don't care for Baba so I'm alright with Zhao. Having Ryoma's bro played by a former villain was pretty much a spoiler from the get go, could see betrayal coming a mile off. They did Daigo so dirty, making him the bald Shogun that gets almost no screentime :( . Also kinda disappointed Andre Richardson/Glover didn't do his asshole move of refusing to speak Japanese despite understanding but he did get his cool theme. Ryoma was interesting and felt different enough from Kiryu personality wise. I'm glad they kept Haruka as a side character so it wasn't retreading the same old stuff

Combat is stiffer than what I was expecting, but this is an old game I guess and I last played lost judgement which is very smooth so that didn't help. Brawler did so little damage and every enemy is armed so I stopped using it early on. Gunplay was a nice change, and so was wild dancer but both didn't really do much damage either. Stuck with sword most of the time but it got old after awhile, again it felt very stiff. Avoiding combat was a nightmare in this game, enemies were always waiting in that same narrow street The long battles are usually my favourite part of any game but they were rare and not done well here. Aside from storming Daigo's castle, which was ok. Way too many boss fights and most of them felt spongy as hell, like, if I'm setting a TIGER on you why is it doing so little damage? I actually didn't mind the trooper cards though overall, added a bit of variety. The blacksmith requires far too much grinding in an already grindy game so I made one ok gun and never looked back. Most weapons you find seem to be better anyway.

There was a few interesting substories, like the bathhouse and Sumo brothel but way less than other games. And fucking hell the amount of friendship bonds was out of control and boring as all fuck, just repetitive fetch quests and sob stories. One or two were funny but the rest I could not give less of a shit about.

Karaoke and dancing are fine, I just suck at them but it was cool seeing it in the historical setting. The brothel games got dull fast and chicken racing sucks. Never liked gambling anyway. The Farm simulator was an ok distraction and so was the cooking but very simple and I didn't find myself going back to them much. Fuck those prize ticket machines though, turning a wheel over and over to win like 40 scraps of paper.

Graphics wise it was ok, especially main cutscenes which are actually pretty good. You can see every stitch in the haoris But still looks very dated otherwise and the amount of pop in was crazy. I could be halfway down the street before textures loaded.

Soundtrack is ok. Nothing really stood out aside from the remixed themes though.

Everything feels so sloooow. Scrolling menus especially. And talking to people. And going into fights or entering buildings. other yakuza games are like this but only older ones.

I did enjoy it and played til the end, but far from my favourite Yakuza title. I'll admit a lot of the issues are probably because it's a remake of a 10 year old game so of course it's going to feel clunky, so I'm glad I didn't pay full price for this.

Stuff I liked:

Historical setting

Guns and trooper cards could be fun

Some of the sidequests

Mine getting some time to shine (even if it's only a little)

Ryoma himself is pretty cool

Story cutscenes look great

Stuff I didn't like:

Awful pop in and slow menus

friendship bonds with every other clown in the streets of Kyo

Meh story

Poor damage output making battles way too long, with brawler being straight up useless

Too much steam in bathhouse fight

Bald Daigo

Blacksmithing

[skrunksthatwunk]

AAAAA THIS IS SO GOOD LEMME RAMBLE A BIT OK BECAUSE LIKE. he's ALWAYS trying to make himself fit this box, right? he's always thinking and talking about appearances and what you have to do to get ahead (the suits you wear, the girls you entertain, etc) because he's been studying it. not just to get ahead, but because he knows he's got to do more to get people's approval than kiryu. I think there's an interesting tension there. he keeps trying to give him advice on how to mask and how to fit in because he's put a lot of effort and thought into it because it's how he stays afloat here and he tells kiryu to protect/help him, and then kiryu gets to disregard it and be fine anyway. he doesn't need it like nishiki does

and while nishiki loves kiryu dearly i think there's a sort of jealousy that often comes with that dynamic (speaking from my experience, ohoho). kiryu's allowed to be himself and not even try to be Correct or Normal and people let him because they like who he is as a person more. nishiki masks because he knows the base version of himself, who he is at his core, would be unacceptable... but if kiryu isn't and he is then there has to be something wrong about the way he is. something shameful he has to hide. or at least a liability he's got to always be accounting for, always stepping in front of to obscure.

and he loves kiryu. he really does. but maybe it annoys him when kiryu does things that are blatantly autistic because he wouldn't let himself do that. he has more self control. he's more aware of things than kiryu is. and nobody seems to see that advantage (one of the only ways he's better than kiryu) nor that effort. how bad he's trying to fix himself for them. they don't care. but the lesson he takes away from that isn't that he should stop trying because he's never going to please them, but that he needs to try harder and harder. he's going to pass. he's going to sneak it by them this time. he'll be the son kazama always wanted eventually if he keeps stuffing himself in this damn suitcase.. even though he knows kazama already has the son he wants. it's kiryu.

i think a lotta this is because neither are ever diagnosed (maybe kiryu is later in life, but nishiki? no chance), and because nishiki's not masking consciously. there's a part of him that's annoyed at kiryu's blatantness, and i think it really is rooted in jealousy, because he wants to be free like that. he wishes people would accept him if he were like that but he's on thin ice as it is. but i don't think he's necessarily conscious of it as jealousy, he just thinks kiryu needs to get a clue or get his act together or whatever.

and the thing is, i don't know if nishiki would have been liked better if he unmasked. people think of him as a snivelling kissass, y'know? and i think that comes from the masking. but i think he probably would be more chatty, more open. more inconvenient and more annoying, as far as his peers are concerned. strong and silent type? sure, they have a place for that. but that's not nishiki, and he won't be if he unmasks, either. and not knowing what the problem is (autism) nor what the outcome would be to fix it this other way (unmasking), he doesn't have much of a shot at it either. but if he did he'd probably stick with masking, because shit, it's better than nothing. he's gotta have armor. if people hate the mask they hate the job he's doing at fitting in. if people hate him without the mask, they hate him. he can't risk finding that out even if he already suspects it's true. it would break him.

but they'll always hate him anyway. nishiki, at the end of the day, could never win. that's his place in the narrative and in his own life. he fought a losing battle and he lost and they hated him for it. he just wasn't cut out for this. but the wheel keeps spinning, because if he stops trying, he'll fall apart completely.

[kicks door down]

Autistic Nishiki whose special interest is fashion and not only considers what's trendy but also looks out for fabrics that aren't a sensory nightmare, however sometimes he will force himself to wear something that isn't comfy for appearance's sake, which leaves him more vulnerable to getting overwhelmed and therefore 'emotional' Also means he has his collar popped like Kiryu's for sensory reasons too and slutty reasons, which would once again make me correct in saying if he undid his collar in Kiwami he'd be normal again because if I were constantly experiencing sensory discomfort I too would be fucked up and evil.

Cause like here's the thing, autistic Kiryu and Majima headcanons are more obvious (especially the former), whereas Nishiki probably comes off as the most 'normal'; he can likely maintain eye contact and talk to people 'normally' and not like, go off on some random tangent about a special interest or hyperfixation. And then you remember masking is a thing.

And okay, so I actually think it's unfair a lot of fandom considers him a 'crybaby' right, cause he's cried in situations MOST PEOPLE WOULD RIGHTFULLY CRY OVER! BUT, I can use this to my Autistic Advantage and have this be he actually struggles to regulate his emotions, and considering he's been exposed to the yakuza world since a young age where ANY emotion that isn't 'respectable stoicism' or 'righteous fury and indignation', he's seen as even MORE overly emotional. Hence the need to start masking so early, PLUS having to protect Kiryu who couldn't mask if his life depended on it because he doesn't realise he may HAVE to (speaking from personal experience, Kiryu definitely went his whole life unaware there was anything ""wrong"" with him (for lack of a better word) and had people just like "oh yeah he's just Like That dw bout it" and went on with his life), so Nishiki takes up the mantle of I'm The One Who Knows What We're Doing Lad's desperate to gain acceptance and will change whatever he has to but people still somehow pick up that Something's Off About Him and so they tend to be disdainful or brush him off. It's easy charisma that can win over hostesses and brief encounters with civillians but can't carry across in the yakuza. Kiwami is him trying his DAMNDEST to act neurotypical even at the cost of his own comfort, and the worst part is it's not working

[twinvictim]

hello!! i want to hear EVERYTHING about this!! aus with Nishiki usually go for a "happier" route, so making his situation worse is... an interesting take to say the least lmao. i need to know: is yuko still alive in all this or does she die and Nishiki just. doesn't hear about it until he gets out of jail??

Oh you have activated my Bullshit TM hehe. Don't get me wrong I love making things better for him, and even this au eventually would do that but not before it gets Way worse, sort or just expanding on all the implications of Nishiki serving those ten years. Truthfully it's like the worst option of the three outcomes of the situation. Forgive me if this is incoherent it's like 3 am right after work and also forgive me for shelling my various theories like "nishiki makes so much more sense if he has feelings for Kiryu" and "trans masc swag" readmore bc I can't shut up

To answer the first question, as much as I really want Yuko to be there as a character bc i feel like she could add some interesting dynamics and really a potential voice of reason based on me making shit up about her, I feel for this au it makes more sense that she still passes away. Possibly earlier this time as Nishiki obviously isn't around to try and save her as fervently. But I still feel like she would have an impact in a way, at least with how Nishiki sees the world and the people around him. Also for reasons I can't explain I feel like she was the only one of the 4 of them that just. Didn't really like Kazama, and Nishiki was the only one she would say this too, added doubt and such, added guilt for fighting with her about it bc he was so certain that Kazama did love him. (And also...does he though? Hmm)

Also a point I'll make, nobody even once tries to contact Nishiki while he's in jail except to expel him from the clan, and unlike Kiryu he doesn't even get the "Oh yumi is missing but we're looking for her!" Thing from Shinji. He just kinda, stops existing to everyone.

Also unlike Kiryu, he isn't some weirdo who just stares at the wall for ten years, I think despite it generally being very difficult and horrible he has a way of making some allies here and there, at least having friendly acquaintances kinda like Saejima in y5, he's personable and while it's not like he isn't really lonely it's definitely better than nothing. Also think he's generally smart enough to not let people know he killed Dojima bc it's rough enough already. Playing into the fact that everyone thinks he's a huge pussy (insert 10 years in the joint line here)

The first thing he does after getting out of jail natrually is trying to track down everyone important to him, it's not hard to find Reina and she is one of the few people that hasn't changed In some way, she's definitely sadder for sure, but she's still here and still cares about him. In the time away she hasn't seen Yumi at all, but the handful of times Kiryu has shown up he says she's okay. She doesn't really know much more than that but considering Nishiki is homeless and out of a job she does just kinda force him to sleep there so she can attempt to help him, Serena Hideout as usual.

Thing is Yumi isn't missing, not really, supposedly she runs a bar just outside Kamurocho, but Reina's been entirely unable to find it, Kiryu's been exactly no help, it seems like they don't talk much if at all anymore and that Yumi mostly just wants to be left alone. (Bc Kazama doesn't feel like he should hide her from Kiryu like he did with Nishiki, since she didn't accociate Kiryu with all the trauma, and thus isnt scared of him, she's just sort of left to her own devices. I like the haircut and tattoo tho so I always keep it with her) I think Yumi is just weary, she can't forgive the clan as a whole for what it did to both her, and two people she cared about, and there's alot of complicated feelings about being raised into it with no choice in the matter. Feelings I think she's always had but tried not to think about, and now she has to contend with them in some way, or she should but doesn't. Bc she's still deathly afraid, unable to fully come to terms with her parents as well as the second shooting and it was better for her health for a long time to simply pretend Nishiki didn't exist. Kind of a default now bc the last thing she remembers of him is so traumatic its sort of inadvertently triggering to think about even the good things. The only thing she is sure of is she wants none of that for her daughter and if that means she has to miss the people she cares about than that's what it means.

Everyone still speaks highly of Kiryu of course, and natrually he does have his own family. He doesn't decend into any kind of violent spiral because genuinely people look up to and respect him, Kazama wasn't stacking the deck against him either bc why would he do that to his favorite child. really the problem is everything is kind of too easy and he doesn't see a point in it. Surrounded by yes men and people who see him as something he doesn't really want to be, and it's like he doesn't have to try. Mostly I think he's depressed bc he saw what being to close to the yakuza does to innocent people so he's cut himself off from his friends outside the circle, and everyone inside the circle is the same as theyve always been, and he just doesn't see a point in it all but keeps doing it because thats what he promised he'd do. Maybe he resents Nishiki a little bit for encouraging their shared dream, maybe he just hates that everyone forgot about him, and it just feels like something is always missing. He still can't seem to handle seeing Nishiki again though, possibly ashamed or scared. Maybe he doesn't feel like he earned the right to invite him into something that wasn't built with any kind of effort. And in the end he still failed to cross that line with him and maybe he's never forgiven himself for that.

But it's not like Nishiki or really anybody knows all that. So doesn't it just seem like yet another person abounded him. And this time it's the most important one.

Kashiwagi is interesting and stuck in a tight spot himself bc of the two pseudo parental figures they have he's the one that does genuinely equally care about them. But being that he is Kazama's right hand man, if Kazama doesn't want him to have anything to do with Nishiki than there isn't much he can do. It's not like Nishiki doesn't know or understand that, and it's not like Kashiwagi doesn't try, but he can really only do so much and it still isn't a good roll of the dice for Nishikis health either.

Haruka in this is kind of fun to speculate on. Natrually being that the (kinda dumb ngl) plot point about her father being Jingu cannot really happen or rather I don't think it adds anything, that only leaves us with Dojima being her biological father, and the only real change I'd that she's a couple months older honestly, so go with that. So being that Yumi is a working, single parent who's also horribly depressed and lonely as she no longer has a support system of friends, Haruka does end up in that Weirdly Mature for her age situation where she can to some degree take care of herself and spends time wandering town bc she's bad at making friends her own age. She's met Kiryu once or twice by 2005 but doesn't remember him much, (same goes for Kashiwagi who has tried but was met with Yumi telling him to let them be for their safety, which he understood even if he wouldve liked to know Haruka better). And due to the aforementioned Trauma Shit she's just never heard of Nishiki and doesn't know who the hell he is when she happens across him. Nishiki obviously doesn't know who she is either, just that she reminds him of someone, and while he's not really thrilled about some random fucking kid following him around bc she's bored it's not like he has many options as far as friends and she's kinda funny anyway, though it doesn't look great for a convicted murderer to just kinda hang out with somr kid thats not his but Date doesn't like him at fucking all anyway and the feeling is mutual so he and Haruka just duck around the detective when he's trying to bug Nishiki. He probably just has some amount of fun with her and she won't leave him alone anyway, and he gets the sense she's kinda lonely too.

And bc I'm crazy, Majima :). I think their dynamic could be fun, mostly I think that when they don't have a mediator or they're both doing Very Bad mental health wise it's some kind of vauge self recognition through the other turned what if we did alot of coke, turned what if we just fuck and hit eachother with chairs. Majima everywhere 2! But not bc he wants to test his resolve or something but bc he finds that irritating Nishiki is really goddamn funny, and I think a part of him is really curious about why he did what he did, bc while people had speculations neither Nishiki nor Kiryu ever confirmed what exactly happened for Yumis sake. I think Majima also just finds him interesting in the 'nothing means anything" kinda way. At some point after being abandoned, snubbed, spit on, beat up, and even sort of erased out of both families he had, Nishiki reaches a similar 'I don't fucking care' scenario and Majima is an enabler, fully willing and able to help him indulge in life being pointless and nobody needing or wanting you around. But Nishiki also despretly wants to connect with someone in a genuine way and I think he's good enough at being just every so slightly manipulative and pushy in the right ways to sort of open Majima up too and that's a whole fucking thing bc Majima hates that. He's also unpredictable and does not want to be open or vulnerable in any way, so Majima also snubs him at times, blows him off or is outwardly mean. Not someone you wanna stake any bets on.

And finally as far as main characters that would play a role, there's Kazama. And boy howdy. Kazama for reasons I cannot get into now, I think feels mostly guilty when it comes to Nishiki (and to an extent Yuko) that he doesn't quite get from his other kids which definitely skews his favoritism. I think that Kiryu was so young, a baby of very young toddler, that Kazama was happy to easily mold him for a long time (until Kiryu watches him kill two people that is, bc I think that really sent some genuine doubts that he'd never had before into motion bur I digress) he Kay as well have found Kiryu on the road. And I think due to her directly witnessing the violence, Yumi cannot really remember much without panicking except that Kazama was there and she needed him. For various reasons I think there was something about Nishiki that told Kazama that he not only ruined this child's life (in my own hc about what happened very nearly killed him and yuko also) but that Nishiki still didn't need him to be successful or happy or whatever and that really rubs Kazama the wrong way, both bc he can't calm any of his guilt and bc it hurts his pride. So to him, Nishiki going away to jail and simply not existing other than a name uttered with scorn or mockery was fitting. He wouldn't say that for sure, he'd never admit that his pride and sense of usefulness was hurt, but it was. Still I think there is something in him that cares about Nishiki, despite their contrasting personalities and the more cold additude he always gave him compared to the other kids, he does to some extent love Nishiki and he doesn't really like that. Flies in the face of him being in control of everything. Nishiki comes back and he doesn't try to go out of his way to harass him at first, or make his life harder, but he doesn't really stop anyone from trying to attack him, nor does he ignore when Nishiki inadvertently gets somewhat involved in the clan drama or when he tries to find Kiryu or Yumi again. Only really speaking to him to tell him they'd be better off if he stayed away from them.

I realize this isn't much actual plot and just general Vibes of what I'm going for, as well as needless character analysis but I hope it's enjoyable anyway. I personally like it when things get really really bad for a character and then through sheer force of continuing to fight even if it seems pointless things get, just that little bit better bc they didn't give up and nobody refuses to give up completely quite like Nishiki. I can't say I didn't think of this as an excise to make Nishiki break down in tears again repeatedly but what can you I love when men cry. I'm sure I have more ideas for this but it is now. 4:30 am so! Another time! But I love fish boy I love to hurt him and then make him better.

[imagine-the-fanfics]

Everywhere

Characters: Goro Majima x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Filthy smut. Just... So much smut.

Inspiration: Request by Anon – “Hello! May I request a nsfw majima fic? Where it's the majima everywhere (him doing diff roleplays) but he's following his female s/o around instead”

A/n: Y/s/n refers to your stage name. Hope this works for you!

Life with your boyfriend was never boring. A true enigma of a man, Goro Majima never ceased to surprise you. When one of his best friends was released from prison, he was determined to help his friend get back on his feet – by randomly picking fights with him. You were always there after the fights, of course, tending his wounds. Sometimes, between the moments he spent pestering Kiryu, he would surprise you.

The first time he had caught you off-guard was when you were hailing a taxi, absentmindedly sitting in the backseat, texting your coworker while telling the driver where to go. The scheduling conflict had caused problems, and you were on your way home after an extra-long shift and half of the next. You didn’t even look out the window, trying to figure out if you were working in the morning with the adjustments that were being made – of course you didn’t get a straightforward answer. When you finally had it solved you looked up and out the window, realizing you were nowhere near your home. You started to panic a little.

“This isn’t where—” You looked at the driver in the rear-view mirror, locking your eyes on your boyfriend’s eye. “You scared me, Go-chan,” you sighed. His maniacal laugh made your heart flutter.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Y/n-chan,” he was still chuckling at himself.

“Where are we?” You asked, looking around.

“We’re at the pier,” he replied casually. “Yer outta work, right? Thought we could… Maybe…” He wiggled his eyebrows. You laughed.

Before you knew it, the taxi was parked, and Majima had gotten into the back with you. Sex in the backseat of a car is uncomfortable. There’s not much you can do aside from a couple different positions.

You were leaning back against the taxi door, your legs spread and Majima between them. His skill never ceased to amaze you. You braced yourself against the back headrest and the divider, moaning and whining as he worked you over. His fingers curled and pumping like a jackhammer. He looked up at you, watching as your eyes rolled back and the tightening coil in your core snapped. You moaned his name, the familiar fuzzy weightlessness radiating through you. He continued going, slowing his pace a bit as you rode the waves of your orgasm, unable to take his eye off you. The feeling of your pussy’s rhythmic contractions around his fingers made him close his eye.

You were panting, looking at him as he pulled his fingers out, giving you a final lick before pulling away. You couldn’t help and look at the straining bulge in his pants. All you wanted was him inside you again. You looked out the windows, fogged but you could see the lights of the outside world that paid no mind to either of you or what you were doing here.

Another time, you hadn’t expected going to work to find your boyfriend in drag in the dressing room at the hostess club where you worked. He insisted his name was Goromi, so you rolled with it. Goromi was your newest co-worker, and it surprised you just how good of a hostess she was. The post-shift sex in the dressing room was mind-blowing..You were bracing yourself against the counter where you normally did your makeup, Goromi’s dress had been surprisingly easy for her to lift up and she was pounding you from behind, hands on your hips to pull you back as he thrust forward. Occasionally she would reach up and knead your breasts or would reach around and play with your clit. You left the dressing room sore, hair messed up, reeking of sex, and in a hell of a better mood than when you went in, and you found yourself surprised that no one in the club had heard your moans and shouts of pleasure. Goromi giggled as the two of you left the club together.

On your way to work one day, you were stopped by a police officer. It wasn’t until you actually looked at them that you saw your boyfriend. He’d grinned and made many innuendos about what he was going to do with you, but you reminded him you had work and kissed his cheek. He pouted of course, but let you go about your day. He’d get you another time. Bring you into a secluded alleyway and fuck you against a wall. It felt dirty and the thought alone made him hard.

One time, he jumped out from under a traffic cone, scaring you shitless to the point you screamed, jumped, and then fell to the ground. He was quickly at your side, making sure you weren’t hurt and helping you up. By the time you were on your feet, the two of you were laughing your asses off. Neither of you cared about the funny looks you were getting.

Your favorite time was when you were on a pseudo-date with a client at his favorite bar. When your bartender turned around and was revealed to be your boyfriend, you couldn’t help but grin. Neither of you gave any hint to the client about your relationship; it was all part of being a hostess. He knew what he had signed up for when the two of you started dating, just as you were aware that he was yakuza.

“Alright, Y/s/n-chan, let’s get you back to the club,” your client said with a laughter painted sigh. “I’ve taken enough of your time up.” “If it’s all the same to you, Hiza-kun, I’d like to stay here,” you smiled at him softly. “I’m meeting a friend here later, and it would save me some walking.”

“Alright,” Hizashi pulled out his wallet, handing you enough for a cab home. “If I’m leaving you at a bar, the least I can do is pay for your ride home when you’re ready.” He stared at you for a moment. “I’ll see you next Monday at 3, correct?”

“I think so, but I’d have to check the schedule. I’m also working the day after tomorrow if you’d like to come in. I know I’m free until 4.”

“I might take you up on that, Y/s/n-chan. Be safe tonight, okay?”

“I will. You, too, Hiza-kun.”

You waved at him as he left and focused your attention to the bartender.

“You’re a jack of all trades, aren’t Go-chan?” You teased, sipping your whiskey.

“Eh? So what if I am?” Majima pouted, feigning offense that you knew better than to take seriously. “Eh, whatever. It’s almost closin’ time, I’ll likely be home late.”

“Oh? Family stuff?” You asked, raising your glass to your lips. When nothing but air hit your lips, you realized you were out. You set the glass down with a sigh, your boyfriend already refilling it. His silence made you sigh. “Can’t talk about it here?” You raised the glass to your lips to drink.

“I’d rather fuck ya right here,” Majima said plainly, his signature manic laughter filling the air of the bar as you sprayed your whiskey all over the counter, putting a hand over your mouth after. He kept laughing as you looked at the mess you made and started laughing, too. He started cleaning it up. “Always so messy,” he teased.

“Go-chan, this is a public space,” you reminded quietly.

“Yeah? No one else’s here,” he observed, looking around the room. “I can close early, and we can…” His eyebrow wiggle said it all. “‘Sides, it’s kinda hot, dontcha think? Fuckin’ in public—”

“I don’t think about it,” you admitted. He just tsked at you and came out from behind the bar, walking over and locking the door as you watched. “Are you really—”

“Yeah, really. Ya think I was jokin’?” Majima looked at you. “If you don’t wanna we ain’t gotta.”

“No, I…” You cleared your throat, but that was enough for Majima. You turned to face him as he walked over, placing one hand on the bar, his other hand adjusted his tie. All you could do was stare at him, trying not to melt.

“Say it,” Majima’s voice was low and rough. The bartender act was gone, Daddy was here to play.

“I want to,” you confirmed, and he pressed his lips to your immediately.

The hand that wasn’t on the bar explored your body: grabbing your ass, kneading your breasts, getting tangled in your hair. His touch was electrifying, sending miniature shockwaves through out your body. It was almost shameful how fast you felt your wetness, but you didn’t care. Majima knew how to work you, and it was divine every time the two of your bodies became one.

“Whatta do with ya,” he muttered, his lips grazing yours before he went back to kissing you. He maneuvered his kisses to your neck, and you leaned your head to the side so he had easier access. He pressed his hips to yours. “This is hot,” he admitted. “We should do this more often, dontcha think?”

You were trembling under his touch. Doing this in public was definitely adding to the fun, but it was also giving you anxiety. What if someone saw? You knew the windows were tinted – you could see out, but no one could see in. You looked over, watching people walk by.

“Just think, I could bend ya over this counter and fuck ya ‘til ya pass out, and nunna them would know the difference. Something sexy about that, dontcha think?” You nodded. “Use yer words, Babygirl.”

“Yes,” you answered, breathless.

“Yer just a mess, aintcha?” You could feel his lips curl into a grin against your skin. “I wonder…” His hand went from your ass to your thigh, lifting up your skirt and sliding a hand over your panties. Another maniacal laugh. “Yer soaked.” You blushed. “Awww, don’ be embarrassed, Babygirl. I know how weak ya are for me.” A pause. “There is so much I wanna do to ya, Babygirl.”

“Yeah?” You managed to squeak out.

“Oh yeah.” The next thing you knew you were seated on the counter, barely on it. “Lean back a bit,” he ordered, removing your panties and lifting up your skirt.

You did as you were told, bracing yourself against the back edge so you wouldn’t fall. His kisses moved from your neck, to your collarbone, to your exposed cleavage, to your covered stomach, and to your thighs before he maneuvered them over his shoulders and found home where they met.

The sensation of his tongue inside you made you shiver. His tongue’s pace was steady, before he licked up and refocused on your clit. You were moaning, eyes closed with your head tilted back at the sensation of him running his tongue over your clit. After a moment he inserted a finger, starting to pump. Your breathing was becoming heavier, faster. He inserted a second finger, pumping faster, curling his fingers to hit your g spot.

“I want ya so bad,” Majima growled against you, his fingers still working you over, “but I love the way ya sound.” He bit your thigh before returning.

“Go-chan, I—” You whined, your hand in his hair.

Majima grinned, pumping his fingers faster and flicking his tongue over your clit again, his eyes peeking, watching your face as he felt you start to rhythmically clench around him. He couldn’t help but grin wickedly, knowing he was the cause of the mind-numbing orgasm that had left you speechless. Your vision tunneled, and you rode the waves. He had slowed down his pace, but he didn’t stop until your orgasm had ended.

“You think you can stand?” He asked you.

“I—Yeah, maybe,” you could hardly think.

“Better safe than sorry.” He picked you up, carrying you over to the pool table, laying you down on it. “Are ya comfortable?” He asked, running a hand on your thigh, getting dangerously close to your center before returning down your thigh, repeating the motion.

“Go-chaaan,” you whined.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, knowing exactly what you wanted. Instead of giving it to you, he slid his fingers in again. His other hand unbuttoned your shirt and moved your bra so your breast was exposed. He bent down, taking it in his mouth, causing you to moan even louder. “Baby girl,” he hummed, immediately shifting his kisses from your nipple, to your cleavage, to your collarbone, to your neck. “Whadda ya want?”

“I want youuuu,” you moaned, your eyes closed.

“Yer wish is my command,” his hands already working on his belt.

It didn’t take long before his erection was free and against you. His breath hitched and you felt his dick twitch against your thigh before he pulled you to the edge. Once again, your legs were over his shoulders as he lined himself up at your entrance, slowly working his way in so you had time to adjust.

He had to close his eyes to keep control while you adjusted to him. Once he was in, he slowly started to thrust. His pace started to quicken. His hands found their place on your hips, holding you steady as he picked up the speed. He closed his eye, biting his lip and tilting his head up for a moment before looking down at you.

“Yer beautiful,” he was breathless. You couldn’t stop moaning, but you looked at him, your face still lost in a place of pure bliss. “Fuck, ya feel so good, Y/n.”

“So do you,” you managed to pant, watching him watch you. You groaned, reaching your hands over you to grab the edge of the table. “Fuck, Go-chan.”

Majima moved one hand from your hip to gently rub your clit, trying to focus on you and your pleasure, even though he was getting lost in his own. You’d already came once, and he always made you come at least twice before he got his rocks off. It didn’t take long before you were clenching around him again, quickly approaching your second orgasm. His pace increased, watching your face as your orgasm ripped through you with a loud, animalistic groan. He growled as your rhythmic contractions pushed him closer and closer to the edge before he too fell off. He gave a few more thrusts before braced himself against the pool table, the two of you panting before your lips met in a tender kiss. He pulled out and kissed your calf.

“I love you,” Majima said, not bothering with his fake accent. “I really do. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“I know,” you panted, running a hand through his hair before trying to steady your breathing.

“I mean it,” he leaned down and kissed your cheek, letting himself lower so he was on top of you, careful not to put his full weight on your body. He rested his cheek against yours and closed his eye, still panting. “I am helplessly yours. Whatever you ask of me, I’ll do it.”

“Take me home?” You asked. “Hold me until we fall asleep?”

“As you wish,” another kiss to your cheek and he was up, quickly finding something to clean you up.

The two of you adjusted your clothing and he pulled you in for an embrace, holding you close and tight. You rested your head against him, taking in the moment.

[ixqritsu]

relationship hcs for jun, nagisa and kuro w a short (like,,, tori short), shy/easily flustered, and super sensitive/empathetic s/o who loooooves physical affection (touch-starved dbejdhjehejshb) and has a hard time not staring at them with heart eyes 24/7 (sbsjwjs$;3?!#+2+!bwhwhdhg and those muscles),,, thankies 💜

I THOUGHT THIS WAS FUNNY SINCE TORI’S LIKE??? 5 FEET TALL??? NOT EVEN???? JFKEWAJFLKSDJFL TY FOR SENDING A REQUEST LMAOOO

jun

jun is literally the biggest tsundere you will ever meet in your entire life oh my god

he isn’t one for super sappy interactions, and rarely expresses his sentiments

but that only makes his softer moments even better !! 

his tough, intimidating exterior kinda just melts away when he’s with his s/o

he isn’t against pda, and might even initiate it first if you’re lucky !!

he’d grab your hand to not lose you in a crowd, or casually rest his arm on your shoulder while standing

he’d definitely do the thing where he uses the top of your head as an armrest

it always messes up your hair but he does it anyway

messing with your hair and giving you head pats just comes naturally to him, especially after teasing you about something

I CAN IMAGINE JUN AND HIS S/O AT HOME AND HIS S/O STRUGGLING TO REACH SOMETHING ON THE TOP SHELF AND HIM LAUGHING AT THEM

he’d help eventually, of course, but not after laughing his ass off at their failed attempts of jumping to reach the shelf

he doesn’t really know how to react when you’re really affectionate with him

jun blushes easy, so he’d try to hide his face in the case of you intensely doting over him

he’d playfight with you and try to get you to “stop being so embarrassing, dumbass” as he puts it

he’d let you take jackets and sweaters of his just because he likes seeing how big they are on you

he prefers showing his more vulnerable side with you in private, so he might come off a bit cold in public

jun likes taking care of you more than he likes being doted on !! he’ll definitely return words of affirmation if he’s with you alone

and !!! he might even throw an “i love you” in there once in a while !!!

nagisa

nagisa isn’t the most experienced with relationships, especially with someone who’s really physically affectionate

sometimes he has a bit of trouble expressing his emotions, but it just takes him a while to get close to people !! 

just be patient with him and he’d be sure to return that passion ^__^

it’d take him some time to get used to having his s/o regularly praise him for things no one really notices

he might come off as a bit uncaring but be persistent!! he secretly loves when you’re affectionate with him

he finds it really endearing and thinks you’re really cute when you get all touchy-feely

nagisa wouldn’t really know how to react to public displays of affection

he’d take your hand while lounging with you somewhere, but is also far more comfortable displaying affection at home

his hugs are great though !!! they’re generally infrequent, but he gives the warmest bear hugs ever !

back hugs are his thing— whether you’re trying to do something important or not, he tends to come behind you and cling onto your torso

he rests his chin on the top of your head to look at what you’re working on or just for extra support

he lets you casually play with his hair when you’re laying together 

when he does blush, it’s usually subtle and he tries not to bring any attention to it

he gets more comfortable with physical touch the longer you’re together

his hands are really cold all the time for whatever reason??? take it as an invite to cup them in yours and warm them up tbh

he wouldn’t mind— he’d just get really embarrassed 

he tries to be the perfect gentleman for you, after all— he just wants you to know how much he cares about you !!

kuro

kuro kiryu *jaw drops to floor, eyes pop out of sockets accompanied by trumpets, heart beats out of chest, awooga awooga sound effect, pulls chain on train whistle that has appeared next to head as steam blows out, slams fists on table, rattling any plates, bowls or silverware, whistles loudly, fireworks shoot from top of head, pants loudly as tongue hangs out of mouth, wipes comically large bead of sweat from forehead, clears throat, straightens tie, combs hair* Ahem, you look very lovely.

okay anyways

kuro is so overprotective of you, especially in public

he’s really big on pda, even if he doesn’t realize it

expect him constantly having an arm around your shoulder or waist since it so comfortable for him

he teases about your height difference all the time, him being a whole foot taller than you ????

he holds your hand all the time when you’re out and almost always returns physical affection

kuro is super easy to fluster, though

it doesn’t take much for him to abandon that tough guy persona and become really caring with you

he really is just a big softie at heart and he’ll basically fold in on himself at praise from the person he cares most about 

he’ll never admit it, but he loves it when you bury your head into his chest when you’re spending time together

he likes keeping you close to him physically a good majority of the time

his thing is forehead kisses !! giving and receiving !!!

he is so weak to spontaneous soft kisses throughout the day

kuro and his s/o could just be hanging out, when they suddenly dash up 2 steps on a flight of stairs ahead of him just to be taller than him for once to pepper him with kisses

he’s pretty good at flustering you too !! 

he has a bunch of pet names that he just throws into conversation randomly

at the end of the day, you’d both be blushing messes, but at least you’re blushing messes together T___T

send in requests here

[seqka711]

Ranking the six main boy/girl ships in Yu-Gi-Oh from best to worst!

Not all main girl ships are created equally, I'm afraid. Let's take a look at each ship and see what's up! (Except Sevens because as I mentioned in a previous post, I am way too far behind to comment on anything in that show.)

First up is Anzu and Yugi! And YES I do ship them! However, I don't ship Atem and Anzu. Anzu was friends with Yugi, and started to see him in a different light when Atem started showing up. However, those changing feelings also started to influence her feelings about Yugi as well. We saw that in Duelist Kingdom. Then in season 2 when she realizes they're two separate people, she gets really confused! Anzu doesn't know how to feel anymore! Then Atem and Yugi are both playing wingman for each other, so that's not helping matters. I don't really ship Atem and Anzu because Atem just doesn't seem super interested in their date. I know he had other things on his mind, but if they wanted me to ship it, now was the time to show off some chemistry and they didn't.

We saw in GX that Yugi grows up to look just like Atem and he also grows more confident over the course of the series. After the end of Duel Monsters, I think they're both too hurt by Atem's passing to be digging on each other. But, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and I feel like she's gonna come back from the states and have some heart-pounding feelings when she sees him again. And Yugi's feelings didn't change, they were just put on the back burner. So hopefully when they meet back up, sparks are gonna fly! At least, I hope so. <3

~

Next up is Asuka and Judai! When I watched their first duel, I was 100% on board with this ship. They were cute, they had great banter, it was a fair fight. I loved it! But over the course of the series, I started losing interest in their relationship, fast. By the end of season 2 I was pretty convinced they had abandoned Asuka x Judai for Asuka x Manjoume, and honestly, I was 100% on board with that, I love a good romcom couple and those two have dysfunctional romcom energy. Plus they had evil power couple vibes when they were running the Society of Light together, so I thought for sure they were gonna have Manjoume and Asuka be better friends post possession.

Then season 3 came a long and I was like "woah, they DID do that on purpose! I was right!" when we saw the Judai x Johan x Yubel love triangle they spent the entire season on. Asuka and Manjoume were of course relegated to background characters, as was everyone who wasn't a transfer student. And then the series ended with a pretty definitive Judai x Yubel ending and I was like "cool I like it".

But then season 4 made me question everything by making it clear that Asuka was still crushing on Judai?!?! Uhhh.... what? You haven't mentioned this crush in OVER TWO YEARS ASUKA. You've both changed so much! I thought the whole point was "she had a fleeting crush on him in year 1, but people change and so do our feelings"! I thought they had her fall out of love with him on purpose!! You're telling me the writers just wanted us to ASSUME she was still in love with him this whole time?!

I honestly love the whole "had a crush on him, now that I know him better, he's an amazing friend but I don't like him that way anymore" dynamic and they RUINED IT so bad. And for what? To say "well they fought the whole time, but now look! They can tag duel together!" Well, jokes on them, because a few episodes later Judai and Johan will show off some of the tightest teamwork in the show and I'll have to throw Asuka x Judai in the trash. </3`

~

Yusei x Aki!!!!!! AHHHHHH I LOVE THEM. Their first duel is very romantic in my opinion. Yusei lives to help people, and it's actually a flaw of his that he'll help people no matter the cost. Usually that's sort of a "who cares" flaw in a protagonist, but for Yusei, it adds a lot of depth to his character. The reason he helps people even at the cost of himself is because he feels enormously guilty due to his parents' involvement in Zero Reverse, and he feels like he owes the world (but especially Satellite) everything. Yusei tried to go to jail in Kiryu's stead, but failed, and I think that only compounded his guilt even more.

Then, when Yusei sees the chance to help Aki, he does it. He's scared of her, but he rallies his courage to face her so that he can help her. And it's only natural that Aki would fall hopelessly in love with him after he continually put himself at risk over and over again JUST to help her. I love the episode where she rescues him from being kidnapped and then accompanies him on a riding duel. I think it hits me harder because it reminds me of how much I want to drive a motorcycle but can't because of reasons I won't go into. But part of her desire to learn to riding duel is because she wants to feel the same things Yusei feels. And that's so cute!

Unfortunately, I do have a certain headcanon that gets in the way of my shipping desires. I won't get into the whole headcanon, but I think Yusei might have ended up time travelling back in time to fix Zero Reverse and prevent Zone's future. And Aki wouldn't have come with him because we see her in the flashforward. Yusei is still giving her strength though. And I like to think that maybe a much older Yusei was able to help a much younger Aki control her powers and not enter a cult in the new timeline. And if my headcanon isn't true, then GET MARRIED AND HAVE BABIES GUYS. <3

~

On the one hand, I love Kotori x Yuma. They’re so adorable! Not only is Kotori surprisingly self-aware of her crush (usually the YGO girls love to deny it) but Yuma clearly treats her differently from the rest of his friends, even though he doesn’t know why (yet). Kotori’s confession at the end of the show is SO CUTE AND ADORABLE and Yuma accepts and I love it!

But… I can’t love it as much as I WANT to love it. Kotori’s character, especially in Zexal II is kind of boring. I liked her a lot in Zexal I actually. I thought it was fine to have a character not duel as long as she was doing something else. In season 1 she occasionally gets shit done. Or she’s there for comic relief like when she’s riding the duel coaster. Or arguing with Orbital 7. It wasn’t much, but it was something. In season 2, she’s a total non-entity. I thought the duel where she gets possessed was very funny, but I almost wish that her getting possessed by a Barian was played for drama rather than laughs.

I think what could have been cool is either a) after she can hear Astral, her and Astral team up for a duel or b) when watching Yuma she started to memorize his strategies. Or both. Or neither, just get this girl something to do BESIDES watch Yuma! In the end, my love for how adorable these two are is always somewhat soured by Kotori’s squandered potential. <3

~

Speaking of squandered potential, Yuzu and Yuya are next on the list. I love these two A TON! I’ll be perfectly honest and admit my biases here, I am NOT the biggest fan of Arc-V. The show had a lot of problems, and I’m harsher on it than most.

But one thing I really did like about the beginning of the show was Yuzu! She was independent, driven and her dueling was getting better as the show progressed. Just like Kotori, she became a non-entity in the latter seasons. However, I ship Yuya x Yuzu more than I ship Yuma x Kotori because Yuya was always keeping Yuzu in mind during the latter seasons. So it still felt like the ship was in focus, whereas with Kotori x Yuma, the ship kind of disappeared since more important things were going on. For Yuya, nothing was more important than getting Yuzu back, so really I had no choice BUT to ship it. How could I not? It was so sweet! She was his whole world! I wish we got more scenes with the two of them together though. Them never tag dueling is a crime against humanity. Also its total BS that only Yuya and Yuzu got to come back, but whatever, I guess. I was happy that the two of them reunited and even HAPPIER that the show was finally over. <3

~

Last and basically least, Yusaku x Aoi. Or Playmaker x Blue Maiden. I’ll be honest, I don’t ship this at all. The show doesn’t go through any effort to get us invested in their so-called “relationship” and if I had watched this show on its own, unaware of the series’ tropes, I wouldn’t have assumed they were a “ship” at all. With Judai x Asuka, I actually liked the fake out (at least until S4 when I wondered whether or not the fake out was actually on purpose or if the writers are just morons) but with Yusaku x Aoi I get frustrated because it wouldn’t have been that hard to GIVE them some chemistry. They’re both interesting characters, and I think Aoi and Yusaku could have had an interesting dynamic if Aoi had learned Playmaker’s identity a lot sooner.

What I think the show should have done was have Aoi discover Playmaker and Soulburner’s identity at the same time they discovered each other. Then have Aqua come into the fold a lot earlier. Trios are popular in fiction for a reason, and I think Yusaku, Takeru and Aoi would have been an excellent trio. Specifically, with both Yusaku and Aoi being so reserved, their relationship would be very understated. But that’s not a bad thing. It just means that the writers would have to put more focus on the little things. Like, maybe after a while of being friends, Yusaku sits next to her in class. That would be a small thing for other people, but for those two, that’s huge! I could also see there being a fun episode where Ai tries to trick them into going on a date but fails spectacularly. The two of them end up spending time together to foil the plan. That could be really cute! LITERALLY ANYTHING is better than NOTHING.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t ship this because the writers thought they could get me to ship it just by having boy meets girl and then having them shake hands over a hundred episodes later. And no. I refuse. I need a LITTLE more than that, please and thank you. </3

~

That was a very long post! All in all, 4/6 ain’t bad at all! Or maybe it’s more like a 3.5 since I only gave Kotori and Yuma a small heart? It doesn’t really matter, I’m a multishipper. At my heart and soul, I’ll ship anything. Like I said I don’t ship Judai and Asuka, but I totally have shippy fanart of them on my phone, lol. It’s more like… which of these ships would I defend in court and which ships do I only like because I’m trash that’ll ship anything?

Oh, I guess I did title this as a ranking... Well, I'm sure you can figure out my most and least favourites by how much I used caps lock, so it should be fine.

Give me ANY Yu-Gi-Oh ship (straight, gay or in between) and I’ll dissect it like I did these six.

[gorochanfanclub]

Little Things

Nishiki x Unanmed Female Character

Summary: Request from @kippkapp​ -  

Hi there! Could I request a fic (or HCs, either is fine) where Nishiki's s/o enjoys to pamper him love and affection?

Sometimes a small gesture can brighten a long, tiring, day. 

Contains: Fluff, a bit of angst, a singular curse word

A/N: Thank you all SO MUCH for 100 followers. It really means a lot to me that I’ve gained that much in just a short amount of time. Numbers really aren’t that important but the kindness and nice words I’ve received from other writers has meant the world to me! I hope you all enjoy this fic and the ones to come! Thank you @kippkapp​ for the suggestion and thank you all for following me!!

The rain had started to pick up halfway through his walk home. What started as a small pitter patter on the black pavement, barely felt on his skin, had turned into a steady fall of water, beginning to soak through the shoulder of his white suit and weigh him down. 

Hair sticking to his cheeks as he trudged through the streets, Nishiki kept wishing for the day to finally be over. Another long day of trying to keep his family together, worrying to death about Kiryu in prison, and living in fear someone would find out about what he had done had finally built up so much inside him, it took all of his power to not just collapse in the street, waiting for the rain to wash him away. 

Looking up to the second floor of his apartment complex, he sees a small, gold light shining through the window of the place he called home. A slight, tired, smile tugs at the edge of his lips, a small bit of pressure lifting off him, despite the rain making his clothes heavier by the minute. 

With weary legs, he climbs up the steps, feeling like he was climbing Mount Fuji in its entirety. Every step felt like it would be his last and he almost worried he didn’t have enough energy to finish his ascent. 

Finally and triumphantly making it to the top, he sighs, running a cold, wet, hand through his equally cold, wet, hair. Luckily, up here, on the balcony outside his apartment, there was some refuge from the rain. 

Walking up to his door, he rummages in his pockets, looking for his keys. He didn’t forget them back at the office did he? Are you fucking kidding me? He thinks as he huffs, silently berating himself for being so careless. 

Suddenly, before he even has the chance to knock, the door swings open violently. The wind it created caused his wet hair to sway slightly, his head darting up to see the smiling face in front of him. 

“Akira-chan,” she beams, “You’re finally home!” Pulling him in by the black cuff of his shirt, she shuts the door behind him, “I was getting worried you wouldn’t be home before the rain really picked up. You left your umbrella here again.” 

As Nishiki slips his shoes off, placing them gently next to hers, she notices the damp spots on his shoulders, darkening his white blazer to a dull gray. “Akria!” she worries, eyes wide. 

He looks up, eyes heavy with fatigue. A neat, black, eyebrow raises in response, “Yeah, hun?” She rushes behind him, slipping his suit coat off before he can protest, “Look at you, you’re soaked already.” Laying the wet fabric on her arm and walking out of the room she mutters to herself, “I know I should have made you take the umbrella.” 

Looking around, Nishiki can see not only had his girlfriend done some tidying up waiting for him, she’d boiled a pot of water too. On the counter next to the kettle she bought as a housewarming gift to him, set the tea and two cups for the both of them. 

She comes back into the room, a t-shirt and a fluffy towel replacing his jacket on her arm. The woman thrusts the items at Nishiki, mumbling with a bashful smile, “As cute as you look with your hair all wet, I’d hate for you to get sick, Akira-chan.” 

Hands like ice reach out to take the shirt and towel. With an equally bashful nod, he smiles, “Thanks, baby.” Gently drying his hair, the fabric muffling his words, he feels free to mutter, “You’re too good for me.” 

Clinking sounds from the kitchen pull him from his self pity, Nishiki dropping the towel on the nearest piece of furniture he could find. She calls to him from the counter, a beaming smile flashing him over her shoulder, “You want your tea like usual?” 

With a tilt of his head he walks up to inspect her work. Wrapping his arms firmly around her warm, dry, waist, he watches her pour the green powder into the cups of steaming liquid. “What’s my ‘usual’?” he questions with a laugh. 

His dry chuckle earned one from her in response, “You’re joking right?” craning her neck to look at him, she smirks, softly, “You like yours with extra froth.” 

The sparkle in her eyes at that moment seemed to intense at least threefold. The smoothness of her voice and the sincerity of her words captured Nishiki in a trance. He could feel her leaning back into his arms as they tightened around her ever so slightly.

He couldn’t even begin to quell the beating of his heart, either. A heat rose to his angular cheeks as he nodded, “Yeah… I do.” A pair of devilishly soft lips connect to his jaw and the heat becomes more prominent. “I… I didn’t think you’d remember,” he admits.

Looking down at her hands, he watches them prepare his tea, just the way he likes. How had she managed to keep such a small, insignificant, detail in that busy head of hers? Why was he worth remembering at all? 

It was no secret to anyone Nishiki didn’t garner respect from any person in this town. Oftentimes he felt like giving up, folding in half on the ground and waiting for the world to end his suffering. No one cared about him, no one would notice. Yet, something about the tea in front of him was beginning to make him think differently. 

After working up a Nishiki amount of foam at the top of his tea, she turns in his arms. With a soft, caring hand, she reaches out to his, grasping it gently. With her other, she places the warm porcelain into his palm, urging his fingers to take hold of it. 

Doing so, his eyes never once leave hers. Even in the dim light of their one bedroom apartment, they shone like stars. Gleaming, sparkling, and beaming with pure adoration… for him. They looked like warm pools of steaming hot springs water, so inviting and comforting. If he could, he’d swim in them forever. 

Bringing the tea to his lips, he tilts his head back, feeling the froth of the tea smooth over his tongue. It really was good. As the tea warmed his stomach, the thought put into it warmed his heart. 

Nishiki sets the porcelain cup back down on the counter, the sound of it clinking onto the wood echoing in the room. Wrapping his arms back around her, he pulls her close to him. His nose, still damp from the rain, buries into her hair. Hands splayed across her back, feeling the fuzzy fabric of her sweater, he sighs. 

A clench in his chest becomes prominent, as well as a stinging in his eyes. Nishiki chokes back the feeling, not wanting to add crying to an already horrible day. Feeling her hand reach up to grace the back of his head, he whispers to her, “I missed you so much today, you know that?” 

She chuckles, her chest vibrating against his in their soft embrace. “I missed you too, Akira-chan. I always miss you…” 

That last comment caused him to squeeze her just a little bit tighter, almost afraid that if he let go even a little, she would walk out of his arms and out of his life forever. Digging his fingers into her shirt, he prays the moment will never end. 

Gentle fingers begin to card through his hair, the sensation easing some of the tension in his shoulders. Leaning her head against his, she whispers, “Why don’t we take this to the futon, baby?” 

Nishiki leans back, nodding meekly before she takes his hand in hers, gracefully leading him to their bed in the corner of the room. It was already laid out and neatly made for the evening, his favorite set of night clothes folded on his pillow, waiting for him. 

She pulls him down, leaning up against the wall. He falls onto the soft cushion, his head resting in her lap. Glancing upwards, he is met with a sweet smile that makes him nearly melt into a puddle in her embrace. 

Repeating her action from moments ago, she begins swiping her hands through his slowly drying, silky, black locks. His eyes flutter closed for a moment, nearly purring at the movement of fingers against his scalp. 

Being in her arms felt like laying on a cloud, nothing in this world was more soft, more gentle, more calming than feeling her with him. It was smoother than the foam of vigorously whisked matcha. The aftertaste of the tea on his tongue was the sweet reminder of the love she harbored for him. Licking his lips, he smiles, remembering its earthy taste and frothy texture. 

“So…” she mutters, never once ceasing her hands, “You wanna talk about it?” 

He only hums, barely able to pull himself out of his trance. It was like she was a magic sorceress, and he was nowhere near strong enough to resist her spell. 

Her light laugh only solidified his thought as he silently swooned at the sound. “Akira-chan, baby, you don’t have to act all tough around me.” 

Finally, he turns over in her lap, resting the back of his head on her thigh to look at her better, “What do you mean?” 

Reaching up, a light knuckle traces down his cheek and across his jaw, tilting his chin up just a hair, “I could tell the second you walked into the door, something was wrong.” 

The gleam in her eyes seems to spark for a brief moment as she leans down, pressing her lips gently to his. Not able to resist himself, Nishiki holds her head to his, gripping her hair and deepening the kiss. Moving his warming lips against her, he feels the last bit of stress from the day float away, like the magic of her mouth had carried it off. 

Loosening his grip on her, he glides his palm down to her cheek, their faces only inches apart. As she regains her breath, the air tickles his nose, sending a comfortable shiver down his spine. “You know me so well, baby.” 

She holds his hand to her face, sandwiching his skin between hers, trying to capture the feeling of him on her. A warm smile spreads across her face as she sighs. 

She knew what he meant by that, what he had wanted to say. It was obvious from the grateful look in his eye to the way his thumb was dragging across her cheekbone. Instead of responding, she only nods, pressing her lips to his once more. 

If this was how every rainy day would end, Nishiki thought, then maybe he was going to start praying for more bad weather.

[arysthaeniru]

aAAA the joy of seeing an update on your current favorite fanfic is just aAAA

I always felt that kiwami 1s Nishiki was just a bit too,, I dont know how to describe it; but essentially he just felt off, granted yakuza 1 is a product of its time and therefore the plot is a bit dated and whack as all hell

The way you write Nishiki just feels so much better and realistic; in the original he just seems so uncaring towards Kiryu? which just feels kinda OOC? You'd think he still cares about Kiryu despite it all, especially when you take Yakuza 0 into consideration; and i feel like you portray Nishiki much more accurately

I never thought much about Yumi, because honestly, in the original she was kinda just, there? You actually made her a very interesting person! like I'm actually invested in her in your story! (side note you ever think about her clone who got tortued and died? yeah who WAS that???? thats never brought up is it??)

Theres so much more to talk about but in short; This is the best fix it/rewrite of a game plot I have read to date and it brings me joy in my current stressful school life. and no I will not stop praising it or the author, because this work has made me very happy. ;)

I just have a gift for picking favorites that end up dying,,aand another favorite of mine is Mine

imo theres a lack of soft, reassuring Minedai, i just feel like he'd need a reminder that people love him as a person and not just for the money he can provide, even if its obvious

I'd love to see how you'd write them, but I understand if theres more interesting/appealing drabble requests!

- Carp

CARP, thank you for this <3 this is so sweet!!!!! I’m so happy you enjoy my Nishiki! I had fun playing with what Yakuza 0/the Kiwami additions gave us about Nishiki’s personality and outlook on the world, and trying to reconcile that with the plot that Yakuza 1 initially had. Ultimately, I fell on the side that you did: even if Nishiki’s ambition took him down a monstrous path, I don’t think he’s the sort of person who neglects to pay back his debts. And he’s aware of the huge debt he owes Kiryu. Not to mention, their bonds of trust and love vanishing completely because of jealousy felt unreal to me. Their relationship becoming twisted or strange? Yes, but vanishing entirely felt unsatsifying to me. 

And Yumi!! I had so much fun excavating her character from the clues we get of her in canon. I worry sometimes, that she’s unrecognizable, because you know, I’ve given her a college education, and a whole bunch of interests beyond hostessing alone, but people seem to like it and like her, which is great!! I hate fridging women characters, so keeping her and Reina alive was important to me, hahaha. (RE: fake!Mizuki, there’s this substory in Kiwami that actually addresses who she was, BUT IT’S EVEN MORE HORRIFYING. So that’s why Yumi in my fic is the one captured and tortured by Nishiki’s men, because the thought of this poor innocent woman getting dragged into the mess was just untenable to me.)  

Anyway, thank you for your support and kind words, and I hope you’ll continue to read and that my fic can continue to relieve stress. I--tried to write this about Mine, but Daigo kind of stole the spotlight a little??? I hope you still like it--if not, I will try a ficlet from Mine’s perspective too. I enjoy minedai a lot, but I haven’t had room to think out their dynamic yet, so this took me a while. 

Daigo’s no stranger to being desired. He’s attractive, he knows this—his mother’s beauty lives in his veins, and he’s always had the money to look after himself. Fancy soaps to wash his face, the invisible retainers to keep his teeth straight, fancy suits and skin-tight shirts to show off his frame. For all that Kiryu insists his charisma is something that comes from the soul, Daigo knows it wouldn’t be able to draw the sort of attention he does without being attractive.

Which is to say that Daigo’s not especially thrown off by the intensity of Mine’s gaze. It’s happened before, and it’ll happen again. The thing that surprises him is how much he relishes in being seen by Mine.

Maybe it’s because Mine’s an island in a stormy sea, one of the only yakuza his age who’s sensible and level-headed enough to make it big. Maybe it’s because Mine’s gaze is always so reserved, polite, never overly lusty or overstaying its welcome, and Daigo has so rarely been desired so quietly. Or maybe it’s because Majima and Kashiwagi so clearly disapprove of him—Daigo’s always been something of a rebel, and he hasn’t shaken that off, even now he’s in his thirties and is the arbiter of rules for the Tojo Clan.

Daigo can’t quite put a pin on why he’s so comfortable with Mine’s yearning looks, but he’s never been one to hold back when he wants to indulge in something good. Not exactly a hedonist, not by yakuza standards, but Daigo has never kept himself from enjoying life, in the name of some dubious ‘honour.’

Which is why, in an after-hours meeting with Mine, as they eat cheap takeout sushi together, Daigo takes his chance. A momentary slip, the slightest hint of wasabi left at the corners of Mine’s lips and Daigo swoops in, rubs a thumb over the corner of Mine’s lips. Mine stutters to a stop, mid-sentence through a rundown of the real-estate that the Hakuho Clan’s been purchasing up, and stares at Daigo, eyes bewildered.

“Sixth Chairman?” he asks, his voice still remarkably composed.

“Wasabi.” Daigo says, nonchalantly, as if it’s nothing, and sticks his thumb into his mouth, slowly licking it off with a lingering lave of his tongue. He feels a sharp stab of satisfaction as Mine’s eyes turn darker, and his gaze follows Daigo’s hand down.  

Daigo straightens up, languidly, and cracks his neck, casually. At this point in the day, he’s untucked his shirt, and he knows that a slight strip of his stomach will be visible when he stretches out his arms towards the ceiling. And as predictably as clockwork, Mine’s gaze darts downwards, to that pale expanse, to catch that brief second of skin. Daigo can’t help but feel warm. Something about being watched by Mine is exhilarating.

“Smoke?” offers Daigo, but as usual, Mine refuses, with a polite shake of his head.

Daigo knows from hearsay that Mine’s something a health-freak, so he’s not entirely surprised. It’s already too late for Daigo to preserve his health—he knows that his liver’s already been pretty ruined from long nights of binge-drinking as a youth, and this job’s too stressful to withhold from vices like smoking and drinking, without an optimal end-goal. So he walks over to the window, cracks it open a little, and lights up.

The breath of nicotine curls over his body, a tender caress, and Daigo feels his shoulders drop, as the relaxation hits. He pulls off his cufflinks, tosses them into his pockets and rolls up his sleeves. He takes it slow, runs his fingers over his skin a little more than strictly necessary. Surreptitiously checking the reflection in the window, Daigo watches Mine watch him, and smirks at how intense that gaze is, how Mine’s mouth has opened, and Daigo can just see the soft pink of his tongue.

“Dojima’s just fine, you know. When it’s just us two.” Daigo says, turning over his shoulder. He smiles, one of those charming smiles that had always gotten him whatever he wanted as a child, “We’re same-aged friends, after all.”

“Dojima-san.” Mine acknowledges, after a brief pause.

Daigo turns around, to properly look at Mine and lifts an eyebrow. “Dojima. Or Daigo, preferably. Dojima-san’s always my father in my head.”

Mine nods, face impassive. Daigo can’t read him like this. Maybe that’s why he likes when Mine stares at him, filled with longing. At least then, Daigo feels like he knows him. In moments like these, his implacable gazes might as well be a brick wall. “Right. Your Father was also in the Tojo Clan.”

Daigo smiles, wryly, and blows out a puff of smoke. “One of the most horrible men I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting—and I had to call him Father. But damn if he wasn’t good at the job.” He sighs and stubs the cigarette out against the ashtray. “...sometimes feel like I’m competing with his dead spirit. Everybody’s looking at me and wondering if this is what my Father would do. Or what Kiryu-san would do.”

“You’re doing better than any of them.” Mine says, immediately, with a vicious ferocity that Daigo wasn’t expecting. He can’t quite stop his eyebrows rising in surprise, and Mine straightens upwards, looking self-conscious immediately. Daigo regrets his instinctual reaction, immediately. “That is to say, Dojima, that I think that you’ve pulled this Clan into somewhere far more respectable. From what I’ve heard of your Father, he didn’t have the temperament to do proper business on this level—too insistent on formal obeisance and unable to be flexible as the times require. And Kiryu-san might be very honourable, but we are yakuza. There are certain things you have to do as a Chairman, that he couldn’t bring himself to do. But you are practical and do what is necessary, while also not overstepping into excessive violence. You are uniquely suited for this job, Dojima.”

...he’s taken aback a little, he can’t deny it. Daigo wonders if his cheeks are colouring, wonders if his obvious shock is offputting, wonders if this is how Mine feels every time Daigo teases him lightly about his obvious attraction. A startling warmth spreads through his chest, and Daigo can’t stop the slight smile that touches his face. Has anybody ever said something so unreservedly kind and measured about Daigo before?

Maybe this is the difference between everybody else’s gazes on him, and Mine’s gaze. It’s based on something more than desire alone. Respect.

Daigo runs a hand over his slicked-back hair and ruffles it free, with a rueful smile, a smile that he couldn’t take away from his face, even if he tried. “I appreciate that. You know I couldn’t do it without you, right?”

He’d never really believed himself capable of attraction to a man like Mine. All of his previous childhood crushes had been on bright, cheerful conversational, pure-hearted people. Daigo had always figured they would balance out his sardonic cynicism. He’d never thought someone as reserved and principled as Mine would ever make his heart flutter. But then, there was something about that deep hunger and passion that Daigo craved. Perhaps it was because he was no longer the gloomy punk of his youth. Maybe his tastes have changed towards tall, dark and handsome. Maybe Mine’s just that special.

“Dojima—” Mine says, clearly trying to refute it, but Daigo cuts him off.

“I mean it. Everybody in this fucking Clan wants me to do something or be somebody else. Kashiwagi-san wants me to be my mother. Majima-san wants me to be Kiryu-san. Everybody else expects my Father. But not you. You deal with me honestly, and with candour, and never hold any expectations against me except success. I appreciate your faith in me.” Daigo takes a couple of steps forward, until his shoes almost brush up against Mine’s own. He leans down over Mine’s chair. “I could not do this without your backing and help. Truly. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone like you in my life. A true friend.”

Mine tilts his chin up to meet Daigo’s gaze, a hungry devotion in his eyes, and Daigo, for a moment, wonders if this is wrong. If he should hold back, like Kiryu would. But Daigo is Daigo, and Mine clearly wants him anyway, so he leans down and kisses him.

Mine’s mouth is velvety smooth and wet and hot and it is oh-so satisfying a feeling to put his hand against Mine’s broad neck and feel his warmth up against Daigo. He pulls back, with a satisfied sigh, and feels the burn of wasabi across his lips, a final parting kick.

[ichika27]

The World Ends with You

(Yeah, it’s the same screenshot I used for my post about ep. 1. I couldn’t get a new one so...)

Ah, first week without the TWEWY anime to look forward to. I’m actually kinda sad cause I’d miss waiting for the episode every Saturday night (Ani-One posts theirs on that day here). I have some stuff I wanna say about the anime so I thought I’d make one of these plus this is a good way to end the twewy anime blog post series I make every week. I’ll try not to spoil until the very bottom of this post which will have a spoiler warning.

Also, this will be very long and rambly as most of my fandom posts are haha.

Story:

A boy named Neku wakes up in the middle of Shibuya with no memory and finds himself as a player in the Reaper’s Game. For a week he must partner up with a girl named Shiki and both of them must complete missions, battle creatures called noise, and survive as failure meant erasure.

Characters:

Neku Sakuraba - our main protagonist who somehow lost his memories and is now playing the Reaper’s Game. He’s a loner who isn’t too keen on getting close to anyone let alone working alongside anybody - unfortunately for him, it’s a requirement if he wants to survive. As a player he has an assortment of abilities to fight off noise and other enemies (in the game this meant he can use a lot of different pins).

Shiki Misaki - the nice and friendly Shiki becomes Neku’s partner in the Reaper’s Game. Unlike Neku she has knowledge of the game and fills Neku in on things he doesn’t understand. Her ability is to control her stuffed toy called Nyantan/Mr. Mew which she uses in combat.

Beat - the tough skateboarding player, he’s somewhat more like the typical hot-blooded shounen protagonist when compared to Neku. He’s protective of those he care about especially his game partner, Rhyme. He uses his skateboard in battle.

Rhyme - Beat’s game partner who is a lot kinder and calmer than him. Rhyme tends to be the one to reason with Beat when needed and the two are always seen together.

Yoshiya Kiryu - a mysterious boy who seem to know more than he lets on and acts at times acts suspicious. He prefers to be called by the nickname Joshua.

Sanae Hanekoma - a cafe owner who helps out Neku and the others and would give them advice. His advice prove to be very helpful and Neku takes them to heart. Seem to have a lot of knowledge about the Reaper’s Game but doesn’t seem to be a reaper himself.

--

Thoughts:

(I tried my best to not be spoilery in the character descriptions so some names weren’t written in full)

The World Ends with You (or in the original Japanese “Subarashiki Kono Sekai”/It’s a Wonderful World) is an anime based on the video game of the same name. It had to compress an entire game’s worth of story within it’s 12 episode run which meant they cut out a lot of things and combined some scenes to quickly run through them. It’s theme song is the anime version of the game’s original OP “Twister” although this wasn’t what was originally planned but an incident involving the band who sang the original theme forced them to make changes. The original voice actors from the game also reprised their roles for the anime. The series is created to be watched before the release of the long-awaited sequel game.

The art style is made to be similar to it’s game version (with a bit of change to adapt it as an anime like when it comes to body proportions). They also retained the effect of the characters from the UG (players/reapers) being brightly colored while those from the RG having darker/muted colors. While the noise are obviously cg, I personally liked this since they’re said to be from a different plane anyways so it’s a nice contrast to those from the UG and RG. They had to update the setting though as years had passed since the original game’s creation and they had to model anime version of Shibuya to what it’s real life counterpart now looks. The characters are also given smartphones instead of the flip phones they had in the game (anime-only watchers who are gonna play the game would have to get used to them still using flip phones though lol).

Okay so story-wise... it’s rushed. Of course it is. They shortened it so that what’s left would mostly be important plot points from the main story but they cut out many scenes that consist of character interactions and several little things that could’ve fleshed out the characters more. The gameplay is also made simpler with some mechanics taken away and the mini games weren’t adapted (RIP to Reaper Creeper and Tin Pin Slammer, especially the latter as you’re severely missed). The game boast an assortment of characters and some NPCs have their own stories but due to the anime’s limited run time, they had to either be cut out (and are just given cameos) or given smaller roles (and their stories weren’t adapted). They did, however, give a few bits and pieces of information that weren’t in the game such as some details about certain characters and one supporting character was given a bit more screentime that they did in the game version.

Despite the rushed nature of the series (which may or may not affect how one views the story itself), the anime made sure to adapt several important scenes and the dramatic stuff is made worse... like, they really had to make some deaths harder to take. The battle scenes were nice as well although my biggest complaint about them is that the boss fights were over too quickly. There were scenes that were changed for the anime version and there are those that I liked and those I didn’t but there are many which I think was as good as the game’s version.

Do I recommend the anime? The game is better, the characters and story are more fleshed out and the way the character/relationship development happens is better paced so of course, me, biased already would tell you to play the game instead if you haven’t yet. Do I recommend those who played the game to watch the anime? Yes! Yes I do. I think the anime is better watched when you’ve played the game and know the stuff that they cut out cause it’ll make better sense that way. Plus I found it enjoyable seeing the scenes from the game animated and the characters are speaking whole dialogues and moving. It’s great!

Even if the anime wasn’t perfect, like I mentioned before, they did their best to condense the entire main story in a 12 episode series and it tried to be as faithful as it could to the original story so despite the deviations when it comes to how things got to the way they did, if you summarize important plot points, they would be the same (with some details changed). Overall, it was very enjoyable and it wasn’t as bad as I feared when I heard how many episodes the anime was going to have.

--

Some spoiler thoughts:

It would’ve been better if the anime had more episode count than just 12. Cramming a 3 week story of game into just 12 made the thing very rushed with Week 1 only getting three episodes, Week 2 getting four, and final Week getting five. They had to get to the good stuff so they cut off a lot of scenes where the characters are interacting with each other which means they suddenly get character developments and relationship developments too quickly. It might not be that obvious to anime-only watchers but to me, it felt kinda sudden and it feels like it doesn’t work out well story-wise since Neku had to learn how to trust other people and make friends and with how he started vs. how he came out of it contrasting each other.

By the way, they made the characters look good in the anime. Especially Joshua. Have you seen Joshua? He’s so pretty in the anime. I want a picture of him I could stare at anytime I want to (I do not own a phone, sadly).

I like how they gave Eri more scenes though and that they changed her outfit for the anime so she won’t look exactly like UG!Shiki. All of her scenes though made me feel like I wish the anime gave closure to Shiki’s own story by showing us her and Eri making up. Another scene I liked in the anime is Neku’s fanboying of CAT when he finds out the truth. It was adorable.

Some info was taken away from the anime. Beat and Rhyme leaving home had scene dialogue and unlike Beat just narrating it in-game but they didn’t mention specifically why he was angry and his trouble at home. Joshua wasn’t present when Sota and Nao gave Neku a pep-talk either which is a shame cause I think that helped Josh as well. 

I mentioned before how the anime made things go too fast. They cut off chunks of not-main-plot story that let the characters interact with each other more which means each game day is shortened as well. I think it made sense that Neku wakes up at the scramble in the end and not stressed out because he didn’t go through as much as his game counterpart did. That said, game Neku learned a lot from more than just the main cast in the game compared to the anime so I like his character development in the game better.

They took away Tin Pin Slammer. I am sad and disappointed. I was hoping so bad for Another Day to be adapted even if it’s an OVA. That and the ramen incident are part of Josh’s week which meant some side of him wasn’t shown (I mean, anime fans don’t know he wasn’t there on week 3 since he’s busy playing a kid’s game elsewhere and how he could talk about food like he is from a cooking anime). Speaking of Josh, they made him very suspicious from the get-go in the anime. I understand as there’s a limited run-time and they can’t really afford to be subtle about it but it meant some of the fun interactions with Neku is gone and so are some scenes where they actually got along. At least they had ice cream together, I guess?

(I have more to say when it comes to Joshua cause he’s my fave character but this is long and my thoughts on it would make this way longer. I might make another post.)

In the end, it wasn’t perfect but the anime was fun and enjoyable enough that I found myself looking forward to it every week. Seeing scenes I recognize from the game in animated form (with voice acting!) felt exciting and awesome. I’ll miss this show and I still wish it was longer.

If you’ve read this far well, thank you. And also I’m confused why but still hopefully that was a good time-killer. I have so many other things I wanted to comment on but that’s for another time. Maybe.

[bi-naesala]

Failure

Fandom: Yakuza

Rating: T

Warnings: Major Character Death

Relationships: Kiryu Kazuma & Nishikiyama Akira, Kiryu Kazuma & Nishikiyama Yuko

Characters: Nishikiyama Akira, Kiryu Kazuma

Additional Tags: Hurt No Comfort, Bad Ending, Suicide, Angst, Yuko isn't directly present but she gets mentioned, Kashiwagi also appears, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Summary:

What if Matsushige hadn't shown up when Nishiki was about to kill himself?

(Also on AO3)

Fic under the cut

It’s raining outside, a perfect match for how Nishiki’s feeling.

His eyes are fixed to the small shrine on the table in front of him, on the name that has been engraved on it: Yuko.

 He still can’t believe she’s not in this world anymore. To think that he was so hopeful about this surgery…

It’s his fault that she couldn’t make it: if he hadn’t fucked up, the doctor wouldn’t have skipped town. All because of his incompetence.

 Mistakes must be punished, this is what he thinks as he reaches for the knife that he’s been keeping beside him. It’s almost like it’s calling to him, a siren chant that Nishiki can’t resist.

He unsheathes the knife, observing his sad reflection on the blade. Eh, he can almost hear Kiryu teasing him about how bad he looks…

 Kiryu.

His thoughts go to him, who’s wasting away in a cell because of him. It should be the other way around.

Nishiki wanted to carve some space for himself so that he could welcome him with open arms; for once, he would’ve been the one depending on him, and not the other way around.

 Not even that he was able to do right.

He’s pathetic.

 What does he have left? Why should he keep wasting space and resources?

Yuko, Yumi, Kiryu… They all deserve so much more than what they’ve got. They should be in his place, while he’s dead on the ground.

Well, he’ll soon put some remedy to that at least.

 In his final moment, he thinks about Kiryu, of how much he’s letting him down.

He’s in prison for a crime that he committed, and he’s not even able to make sure that he’ll be welcomed back with open arms; and yet, a malignant voice whispers to him, won’t he be welcomed back no matter what? Because Kiryu is Kiryu, while Nishiki is…

If he were the one in prison, it wouldn’t matter, because he’s not Kiryu. He doesn’t matter. For all they care, he could die without making a difference.

 It’s not right…

 Realizing what he’s thinking, all Nishiki can feel are guilt and shame.

Kiryu has sacrificed his freedom for him, and all he can do to repay him is to think badly of him for something that, he knows, god Nishiki knows, isn’t his fault.

Envy has always been something he’s had to deal with since the first time he and Kiryu met, but to think that after all this time he still hasn’t managed to control it, that sometimes - no, more than that - it still manages to get under his skin…

Truly shameful, and ain’t that another good reason why he shouldn’t be here anymore?

 His hands are trembling as they hold the blade that will do the deed, but soon they still as a weird sense of absolute calm washes over Nishiki.

It’s like a sort of enlightenment, something that he’s never experienced until this very moment. Now, he can only lament that his mind has never been this clear before; it would’ve certainly helped way before now, but he supposes that he can’t control this kind of stuff, can’t he?

 At least he knows what he has to do now, and he’ll do it, without hesitation.

  It hurts way less than he thought it would. Actually, it almost feels good, because he knows he’s doing the right thing.

As his strength abandons him, he can’t help a sad smile from appearing on his face. He almost feels like crying; whether it’s from happiness or sadness, that much is unclear for his hazy mind.

There’s only one thing he can think, only a few words that ring loud enough for him to still hear them.

“Bro… Kiryu… I’m sorry…”

  Kiryu betrays no emotion as he walks inside the graveyard.

Of all the things he expected to find out after being released from jail, Yuko and Nishiki having died was the last of them.

No, Nishiki didn’t just die, he committed seppuku. Those are two very different things…

Kiryu still hasn’t processed it. In prison, life was like in slow motion for him, stuck in a miserable routine, so now he’s unused to this speed.

 When he got released, Kashiwagi-san came personally to greet him, saying that Kazama-san was waiting for him. It was him, while driving him to the Kazama family office, that broke him the news of Nishiki’s death. It felt like a stab in the heart.

Kiryu was so cold as Kashiwagi-san kept talking, voice low, almost apologetic. There were so many things that he wanted to ask: how could it have happened? How could they have let it happen? And yet, he said nothing, knowing that if he tried to speak, he would’ve just screamed, and that wasn’t something he wanted to do at the moment.

 He did make one request though: to stop by Nishiki’s grave before going to Kazama-san. He’s sure the old man has something important to tell him, but… He needs to do this first.

Kashiwagi-san looked about to try to dissuade him, but something - maybe guilt, who knows? - made him change his mind.

“Alright Kiryu, as you wish.”

  Nishiki’s grave is right beside Yuko’s. At least they haven’t been separated after death, although the knowledge is little to no consolation.

As Kiryu kneels down on the ground, uncaring that he’s going to get his suit dirty, he imagines Nishiki and Yuko - a healthy Yuko - walking together, hand in hand, laughing and joking around like nothing’s wrong. Ah, what he’d give to see this…

He closes his eyes, narrowing his brow, lips quivering. He wants to say something, but he has no idea about what. What would even be appropriate in this situation? Would saying “I’m sorry” be enough?

 Yes, Kiryu is sorry, so very sorry: he feels like he’s abandoned Nishiki, left him to fend alone for himself.

Had he been there with him, would things be different? Would he be alive? Would Yuko be alive? He still doesn’t know exactly how she died…

In the end, despite how much he wants to, he can’t change the past. Besides, if he hadn’t been the one going to prison, Nishiki would’ve, and who knows how that would’ve gone, not to mention that Yuko would’ve been left alone… Well, not alone, because Kiryu would’ve stuck with her of course, but he doubts the news of her brother going to jail would’ve done wonders to her health.

No matter what happened, it feels like someone would’ve been lost either way, but is it really? Was this destined to happen? Were Nishiki and Yuko to die, without any chance of changing things for themselves?

… It’s useless to wonder about these things. After all, it’s not like Kiryu can change the course of fate.

 When he opens his eyes, he almost expects - hopes - to wake up, to find out that this is only a nightmare, but unfortunately that’s not the case.

It’s real. All this is real, and there’s nothing he can do to make it better.

 He gets up, going first to Yuko’s grave, stretching a hand to touch the stone surface, brushing his fingers against where her name has been inscribed.

He can’t hold back a frown when he notices how dusty - and generally dirty - her grave is. He’ll bring that up to Kashiwagi-san and Kazama-san, because he finds it unacceptable.

“I’m sorry, Yuko…” he murmurs, as if the grave can hear him.

After a moment, he turns to Nishiki’s grave, managing to move the necessary steps to get closer to it. Uh, there’s dust on here too…

Is there anybody tasked to keep them clean? Apparently, no. Kiryu tries his best to remove some dust with his hand, though there’s still so much even after he’s done; he makes a mental note to bring some cleaning supplies next time he visits; if nobody wants to do it, he will.

He gently rests his forehead against the cold stone; for a moment he imagines it’s Nishiki and not just a grave.

“Nishiki… I’m…”

He’s managed to hold back until now, but he can’t anymore. He’s silent in the way he cries, mourning the loss of someone that has always been so dear to him, his friend, his bro…

“I shouldn’t have abandoned you,” he mutters, opening his eyes, staring at the stone surface. “I’m so sorry…”

 The wind begins to pick up, a gentle breeze that almost caresses Kiryu’s body, making him wonder if it’s Nishiki doing this, if it’s his way to talk to him, now that he can’t anymore. Is it forgiveness, or is there something else he’s trying to tell him?

 For a vain moment, he hopes that, once he opens his eyes, he’ll be greeted by Nishiki telling him this was all just a joke - a tasteless one, but a joke nonetheless.

Unfortunately - though he expected it - when he does it, he’s met by the same grave from before.

“I promise you, I’ll raise to the top,” he vows, then, brushing a hand against the stone, remembering what he and Nishiki had promised each other - it feels so long ago. “I’ll make you proud, Nishiki. I’ll do it…”

 There’s nothing else for him to say, or at least there’s nothing else that he can bring himself to say, not with all the thoughts swimming inside his head. Keeping up with them is proving to be a harder task that he thought.

As he takes a few steps behind, Kiryu feels lightheaded, a very similar feeling to when he’s drunk, even though he’s sober - for now, because later he plans to get as smashed as he can. He shakes his head, trying to get it together, and he manages to succeed, at least from an outside perspective.

 He feels bad about abandoning Nishiki and Yuko again, but Kiryu needs to go. He knows this was just a detour, and that he can’t stay here for too long, not when he knows there’s something Kazama-san needs to tell him.

This doesn’t mean though that he feels good as he begins to walk away, towards the parking lot where Kashiwagi-san is waiting for him.

Now that he’s seen Yuko and Nishiki’s graves, a heavy burden has settled upon his shoulders, but with it, also comes conviction.

 Yes, he’ll raise to the top, just like he and Nishiki had promised to each other so long ago.

He’ll do it for them.

[majimasleftasscheek]

tigerfish ramblings

I really enjoy thinking about them healing and coping with each other so I hope yall enjoy! this will prolly have some repeats from my last hc post but this is a lil more in depth

they could meet up in prison, Saejima noticing the new guy who’s just entered the regular population, apparently housed in a medical prison due to severe injuries. it was recommended Nishiki stay where he was but he insisted he didn’t want to be pitied for the current state of his body. anything that happens to him now is more than deserved—he’s convinced he should suffer for everything he’s done.

so Saejima sees this sad sack, struggling with something, and decides to help him. Nishiki doesn’t want it but something about the way Saejima insists is different. Saejima’s not here to feel sorry for him. he can tell Nishiki’s an independent sort of guy. Saejima’s just pragmatic: thinks if this guy’s got a mind to keep living despite his trauma then he might as well put in the effort to make living worth the time—get help when you need it; it’s a waste to spend it struggling. so he offers that help and Nishiki’s never really considered that—that he doesn’t have make every living moment hell for the sake of some self imposed punishment. he begrudgingly accepts. he’s still unsure if he should be allowed kindness but this gets them to talking.

they find out the two of them are Tojo fools, Nishiki being wildly impressed Saejima’s the 18 Count guy but the big guy’s not so proud of it. it hits Nishiki coldly, that someone so legendary is here with him now, rotting away in jail, nothing to his name other than murder. he relates that he was a patriarch himself and now he’s nobody, fundamentally dead to everyone who’s left alive to care. they both have a sad little laugh over the things they’ve done only to end up in the same place, perhaps already forgotten.

Saejima’s had all the time in the world to think though, to understand that what he did will always follow him so he looks to the future. what’s there to do than move on and face the hauntings that plague him? however, Nishiki’s still fresh in the realization that everything was for naught. that his life’s work afforded him nothing but irreversible damage and a legacy to be ashamed of. Nishiki wants to move on but can’t. it’s too soon and too real. Saejima’s hopeful, though.

he wants to see his sister, Majima, his boss, he wants to know what’s happened since he was put away. Nishiki doesn’t want to see anyone. doesn’t believe he’s deserving of seeing anyone. Nishiki wants to undo everything and wonders, would Saejima do the same? Saejima doesn’t see the point in asking. what would it change? would it make him feel better? to pretend he didn’t do such terrible things as if wishful thinking could minimize his actions? no, now is just acceptance and punishment. taking responsibility. Nishiki... he has trouble with that. he can’t wrap his mind around moving on—to a degree he doesn’t want to. he wants to stew in loathing and blame. it’s all he’s ever really known of course, being in Kiryu’s shadow. Nishiki regrets decisions while Saejima regrets things he hasn’t yet done. Saejima knows he can’t change the past so there’s no point trying to live in a time that no longer belongs to him. Nishiki wishes he could. that it was that easy.

Nishiki thinks Saejima would have been a great patriarch because he cares. he cares like Kiryu does. he’s kind to people that don’t deserve it like himself. Nishiki thinks it’s great that Saejima has people waiting for him since he can only wish that for himself. Saejima asks about this Kiryu guy and Nishiki’s quiet. doesn’t even know how Kiryu’s doing after the bomb. he hopes he’s okay, alive at least; it’s Kiryu, he has to be. Nishiki laughs, saying he should have been more like Kiryu, more caring and brave and steadfast. maybe things could have turned out different. maybe he could have been better. Saejima tells him that anyone can be better, but they don’t have to be like someone they’re not.

Nishiki’s shocked. his entire life was a comparison to Kiryu and this guy, this legendary guy who’s too good to him, doesn’t compare him to Kiryu. it’s not normal for Nishiki to feel valued. it’s not normal for him to think someone’s not lying to him. but Saejima must mean it right? to see value in someone like him who’s done nothing but self loathe and self punish. maybe he’s just being nice but Saejima’s so blunt and sure of himself that Nishiki can’t help but believe him. he was right about this guy, Saejima cares a lot. too much. Saejima has to get it through Nishiki’s thick skull that he cares just the right amount. 

so maybe Nishiki can feel vulnerable around Saejima. feel like himself again. someone that doesn’t have to put up fronts. someone that doesn’t have to worry about how he looks when he cries about better times when life was easy and simple. when he remembers his sister and how he feels like he failed her. Saejima gets that. he mentions Yasuko and hopes she’s okay. hopes that everything he’s done hasn’t destroyed her life but he knows it’s not the case. how cruel it was for him to leave her without a word, without a plan. Nishiki would say Saejima is someone Yasuko would be proud of, not for his actions but the person he’s become. remorseful and mournful. human. Nishiki forgot how to be that and for the first time in a long time, he’s been able to feel real again. 

but the guilt comes back. Nishiki fails to see how Saejima can think he deserves more than even basic human kindness, how he should have died in the explosion, how he’s a waste of space. Saejima grabs him and tells him to sack the fuck up and realize that living is their penance. to survive is to do better, be better. that’s how they’ll make up for the things they’ve done and if it takes the rest of their lives then that’s how it is. punishment is living through the consequences. judgement is the guilt and burdens they’ll have to bear. he says they deserve to live because they deserve to face their responsibilities. it’s about doing good with the time they have left and that means being more than just worm food. it’s why Saejima’s so compassionate, why he’s so helpful. he’s not going to take more from the world than he can give. he’s already taken so much just to end up with nothing. what a real waste it would be for them to rot away when they could do so much more to atone. 

it’s curious, how Saejima wants to be strong for others than himself. Nishiki wants to try but thinks he can’t. Kiryu was always the stronger one, in every sense. Nishiki is nothing without Kiryu. Saejima sits him down, tells him he doesn’t know who the fuck this Kiryu guy is at all so he doesn’t matter. Nishiki has to stand on his own here and it’s terrifying. he can feel himself being judged but it’s not Saejima doing it, it’s himself. he’s afraid. he’s seen what he can do, what he became. yet he’s equally ashamed of the weakling he was. Saejima commends him for still being here, despite the damage to his body, despite the hurt he caused, despite the fear he has. there’s no weakness in that. 

Nishiki takes a long time to feel comfortable as himself again. he wants to be his own person, to really try to be better. but what can they do really, while in jail? Saejima says it doesn’t have to be some grand gesture. it can be small things. simple things. even if it’s just offering a friendly hand to someone who didn’t think they deserved it at all.

forgiveness isn’t easy, nor should it be, but the act of trying to get it, to be better to deserve it, to wallow in the pains of coping and healing is both punishment and freedom. Saejima laughs, “shit’s gonna be difficult but it wouldn’t be fair to us or anyone else if it weren’t.”

[itsybitsylemonsqueezy]

Okay, I’ve been putting it off, but it’s finally here. My KazuMaji playlist, which I have titled “Mad Dragon” because I think that’s a much cooler ship name : | This is informed mainly by whatever I’ve heard lately on FM radio and I’ll probably add to this as I go, but this hit my metric for being complete enough to post ^^;

Mad Dragon Playlist via youtube (I can also probably put this together via spotify if needed) 

“Van Horn” - Saint Motel 

Well, tell me do you me hate me? Or do you wanna date me? It's kinda hard to tell 'cause your eyes are looking crazy So why you coming over? Anything but sober? Looking like it's time tonight For fight or flight in Van Horn

I thought this would nicely start us off at the beginning of Kiwami 1. Like, look at those words and tell me you don’t INSTANTLY think of Kiryu. I sure as fuck did when I heard this song for the first time. This is defs Kiryu’s first impression of Majima and not knowing what in fuck’s name just happened. The eternal “Are we supposed to be fighting or fucking right now?”

“Take Me Home Tonight” - Eddie Money 

Take me home tonight I don't wanna let you go 'til you see the light Take me home tonight Listen, honey, just like Ronnie sang, Be my little baby!

Ah, and with that, we enter what I like to call the Horny section. And nothing more appropriate than an egregiously horny 80s ballad. Really sets the scene I think. And an excellent counterpoint to “Van Horn’s” confusion is the absolute certainty of Majima’s first impression here. His entire goal since meeting Kiryu is, well... to make him take him home ^^; Let’s be real. Absolutely no confusion about what he wants out of this. Horny, but also very sweet, just like our boy ❤

“Faith” - George Michael 

Well, I guess it would be nice if I could touch your body I know not everybody has got a body like you But I gotta think twice before I give my heart away And I know all the games you play because I played them, too

I would be truly remiss to write a queer playlist from the 80s without doing credit to our king, George Michael. So, continuing the Horny theme, but also, as you all might recall, the leaping directly into Kiryu’s lap gambit didn’t quite work out. And this is about that nervousness, that hesitation. And if Kiryu’s not going to put out, so to speak, then Majima’s better off holding back a bit. This is a reaction to Kiryu’s, well, rejection would be a strong word, but at least lack of reciprocation. Majima still wants him, clearly, but he’s reconsidering his strategy. Perhaps an early Kiwami 2 vibe. 

“It Will Come Back” - Hozier 

I know who I am when I'm alone! Something else when I see you, You don't understand, you should never know, How easy you are to need...

Don't let me in with with no intention to keep me! Jesus Christ! Don't be kind to me! Honey, don't feed me, I will come back

And so ends our Horny arc. The longing of this, the pining. As much as Majima knows he shouldn’t, Kiryu’s so... nice. He’s sweet, he’s tender. He’s so unbearably easy to fall for. He’s such a fucking good guy, it’s just... His helpless desire to be a part of that. Mmmm. This is a motif that stretches the whole of their relationship, but is certainly pronounced in 2 and 3. Hell, there’s even howling for fuck’s sake. 

“Dragging Me Down” - Travis Love Benson & Yo! The Moon 

Oh, this feels like a misstep, oh what a mistake! But I’ve fallen in with feelings that I cannot shake, The darkness that pulls me is dragging me down! And I think that I might be willing to drown

Ah, that inevitable horror. You’ve tried to resist, you’ve tried talking yourself down, you’ve spent time away and... yep, no, you’re good and in love. You’re fucked. This is a special kind of feeling, after the resistance, after the pining, the terrible realization that you’d give your life for this and there’s absolutely nothing you can do. Arguably, Majima’s felt like this the whole time as he’s always been afraid of what being in love with Kiryu will mean. But this is ESPECIALLY a game 4 feel. When there’s absolutely nothing you’re getting out of this, less than nothing, but you just can’t break with the feelings. You’re gonna die like this and tehre’s nothing you can do about it. Kiryu spends a bigger portion of his life than he would like to admit fighting against realizing this.

“Running Up That Hill” - Meg Myers 

It doesn't hurt me, Do you want to feel how it feels? Do you want to know? Know that it doesn't hurt me Do you want to hear about the deal that I'm making? You, it's you and me

What comes after the terrible realization that you’ll die like this? The dedication. The resignation. If you’re gonna die like this, may as well make it worth something. BIG game 4 energy here. You may as well be playing this over the arrest scene. “Running Up That Hill” is a classic for any love story where some dumbfuck is stupid enough to be self-sacrificing and oh, look at that, we have two of them. “Running Up That Hill” is so gutting though because it doesn’t assume a happy ending. It assumes that if the trade works, this still all ends in tragedy. But it’ll be worth it. Make that big Game 5 energy as well.

“King and Lionheart” - Of Monsters and Men 

Howling ghost they reappear In mountains that are stacked with fear But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart

And in the sea that's painted black Creatures lurk below the deck But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart

And as the world comes to an end I'll be here to hold your hand 'Cause you're my king and I'm your lion-heart 

Another absolute classic. I think it’s illegal anymore to make a shipping playlist without “King and Lionheart.” I certainly have more ships than I can shake a stick at that fit this song. But it’s a classic for a reason. This takes all the dedication we developed in “Running Up That Hill” and argues that it doesn’t have to be tragedy. See, the problem with the previous is the sacrifice is one-sided and unacknowledged. “King and Lionheart” says what if we both knew? What if you let me do this for you? What if these were our roles and we were happy? It doesn’t all have to end in tragedy if we just... know. And that’s the real dream isn’t it? Be my king, let me be your lionheart. *stares helplessly at Kiryu Should Have Been Chairman AU*

“I Want You to Want Me” - Letters to Cleo 

Didn’t I, didn’t I, didn’t I see you crying? Didn’t I, didn’t I, didn’t I see you crying?!   Feeling all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dying! Didn’t I, didn’t I, didn’t I see you crying? 

It was hard for me to decide where to put this, but I do feel it belongs on this list. “I Want You to Want Me” on surface level expresses a fairly typical expression of infatuated puppy love. But it’s the above, this part, that really strikes me. Because that isn’t just the adoring desperation of courtship. Didn’t I see you crying, didn’t I see you vulnerable, didn’t I see you broken, and didn’t I love you anyway? Didn’t I see you crying and didn’t it do something to me to see you like that? That isn’t just blind desire. I’m still not sure where this should go and I may find a better spot for it eventually, but this is about the fact that they get each other’s broken pieces. That there’s some deep, vulnerable shit to work through and... seeing it and still wanting to be a part of things, fuck, even still feeling that blind puppy love is... really something. This is certainly part of Kiryu’s love language. He never sees ugliness in people and he has a profound propensity to take care of others. This is a thing he wants to say.

“I Still Ain’t Over You” - Augustana 

Hey, I'm the blood in your veins, I'm the cold when it rains, And I'm your heart when it breaks- Time, no it ain't on our side, I'm the truth to your lies, And I’m your tear, when you cry

This is a different kind of pining. This is that post-break up pining, the know-I-should-get-over-it pining. It’s not the pining you get when your courting. It’s not even the resigned to rejection pining. It’s that important part of getting over a break up where you’re still dealing with what it was you had or wanted and can’t let go of yet. Big Game 3 energy, but also Game 6. Because this also has a little hope for what still might be. There’s longing for what was, but also the possibility of the future. That’s what’s so confusing about it. Not knowing how to let go or what to let go of. I also just really like this song and I’m also just physically incapable of not putting Augustana in my playlists. You can really tell me generation there. 

“With or Without You” - U2

And you give yourself away, and you give yourself away! And you give! And you give! And you give yourself away! With or without you! With or without you, I can’t live... with or without you...

To be honest, this song basically makes no damn sense. Because it’s not asking for anything, like... it has no solution. But it perfectly encapsulates the heartbreak of being in love with something that can never happen. Game 5/Game 6 energy if I ever saw it. Just... the rawness... the desperation. It’s a classic for a reason.

“Needing/Getting” - Ok GO 

So I been sitting around, wasting my time, Wondering what you been doing. Aw, and it ain't real forgiving, it ain't real forgiving, Sitting here picturing someone else living. And I, yeah I still need you, But what good's that gonna do? Needing is one thing, and getting, Getting's another.

So we’ve had the break up. We’ve had the heartbreaking realization that what we wanted can never happen. And now... we’re finally coming to terms with that a little bit. Finally going, y’know what? I may never be over this, but I should probably try to move on with my life anyway. “Needing/Getting” is at least admitting that this is a losing proposition. We may not be all the way to healing and, heaven forbid, getting over it. But we’ve gotten as far as... this is pretty dumb.

“My Love” - Sia

My love, leave yourself behind Beat inside me, leave you blind My love, look what you can do I am mending, I'll be with you

So... after you realize that this isn’t going to get any better and, maybe, you don’t like being heartbroken all the time... sometimes you try to let things go. Big Game 6 energy. There’s a lot to love, there’s a lot to appreciate. And letting go doesn’t mean letting it all go, it doesn’t mean forgetting or regretting. But it can mean... moving on. Taking all you loved and learned with you, but moving on. To not give up on yourself, to keep doing what you promised you’d do, sometimes you gotta. There’s a lot of endings in Yakuza and a lot we may have to accept. “My Love” is about honoring that and keeping that love strong.

“Somewhere Only We Know” - Lily Allen

And if you have a minute, why don't we go Talk about it somewhere only we know? This could be the end of everything So why don't we go? So why don't we go?

But, then again, who says we can’t try again? After we’ve accepted our loss, our endings, who says we can’t be close to the people we love when we still love them? This is how I tend to favor post-5 and even post-6 thoughts. Why can’t we just have nice things? I mean... jeez, c’mon. Please. I like to think that after all the pining and regret, we could still come to terms. We could realize how silly we’re being and just... it’s as easy as just asking for a little time. 

[littlegoldenbirdie]

The Dance of Letters on a Screen

Out of nowhere, here's a Godzilla story I wrote God knows how long ago. Time stopped having any damn meaning at all last year, and that hasn't changed yet.

Here's a version of Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla where Instant Messaging is everybody's friend and I do mean EVERYBODY.

Warning: VERY long story ahead!

-----

It had fallen to Noriko to fine-tune Kiryu’s programming. She was an elite pilot, but no one trusted her enough to let her fly. Being a terribly lonely girl disliked by all, she took to pretending she was talking to Kiryu to pass the time. She’d chatter on and on as she worked, talking about what she was doing.

“Let’s see about that DNA calibration, shall we?” Streams of data flowed across the computer screen. “I’ve got to hand it to you, buddy. You’re really got things organized. I envy your future pilot. No one ever lets me fly. I’m good, but I’m not trusted.” She sighed. “Haruka was making fun of me again. Nobody ever listens to me. At least I have you to talk to, even though you don’t hear.” The screen flickered as words scrolled across it. IS SOMEONE RECEIVING THIS? Noriko yelped. “Oh man… Somebody must have hacked the system. Might as well parley with them while the system tracers do their thing. Okay… ‘Who is this?’ That should be an okay start.” She typed the question as she said it. The answer came immediately. ME. “Who is ‘me’? Well, where is this guy talking to me from? ‘Where are you?’ Talk about a logical follow-up.” HERE. This reply confused her. Scratching her head, she said, “I don’t know what to say to thatone… Well… ‘Where would ‘here’ be?’ That ought to work… I hope.” The reply shocked her. MY ‘HERE’ IS ALL AROUND YOU. She looked around and said, “That’s just not logical. Who could hack Kiryu’s systems and why would the aforementioned hacker talk to me of all people? …Uh, next question…” This time she didn’t have time to type up a question, as the mysterious hacker spoke again. YOU ARE NORIKO. This really scared her. “How would a hacker know who he has contacted? How would a hacker know to contact me here?” THERE IS NO NEED TO TYPE YOUR REPLY. I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE. Noriko fairly yelped, “He’s hacking Kiryu’s systems from so close by that he can hear me, but I can’t see him or hear him?” She shook her head. “This shouldn’t be happening anyway! The invincible Kiryu is vulnerable to a freaking hacker?” I AM HAPPY THAT YOU CONSIDER ME AS SUCH. Noriko blinked. “Okay, I have an idea. If you’re so close by, why don’t you come out where I can see you?” YOU CAN ALREADY SEE ME. She grumbled, “Wish I knew what that means… Could you at least talk to me instead of typing?” THIS IS THE ONLY VOICE I HAVE. Noriko mused, “All around me, close enough to hear me, can only communicate via computers… And he knows me? Well, okay, tell me. Who am I to you?” The reply came quickly. YOU ARE NORIKO. YOU ARE MY PILOT. “Pilot? As in… You mean to say you’re…” I AM. Her voice was tiny. “…Kiryu?” YES. “But this can’t be! Even if you are really Kiryu, you surely already know they won’t let me pilot a crop-duster, much less you!” The reply was in an enlarged font, underlined and flashing. I WILL ACCEPT NO OTHER. She said, “I can’t just tell them I’m the one who should be your pilot. They wouldn’t believe me.” THEY WILL SEE SOON ENOUGH. Noriko knew she couldn’t tell anybody about what happened, for fear of being fired because they deemed her crazy. All she could do was wait and watch the other pilots.

The first non-simulated flight came soon, and the super-elite Jiro was chosen to fly first. He climbed into the cockpit and sat at the controls, running through the pre-flight checks. Kiryu passed with flying colors, quickly being deemed more than flight-worthy. “All systems are green. We are clear for launch.” The safety umbilicals came away easily, the support towers pulling back and leaving Kiryu to stand tall on the tarmac. “Ignition in three… two… one… Hey, what the?” The ignition point came and went, with nothing happening. “There’s no response! Systems checks show no anomalies. Kiryu’s perfectly flight-capable right now, but it’s not moving! …And what the heck is this?” Jiro’s voice was completely baffled as he said, “Something weird just popped up on the tactical display. It says ‘I will not fly for you’. Okay, who’s the joker who’s been playing with the computers?” The control room’s computers went haywire then, displaying Noriko’s personnel profile and piloting credentials. “Gotta admit, this is the weirdest system glitch I’ve ever seen,” Noriko herself said as the launch was aborted.

“That was no computer glitch, was it?” CORRECT. “I knew you said you’d accept nobody else, but now they think you’re malfunctioning!” AND WHOSE JOB WILL IT BE TO FIX IT? “Oh, I get it! Not only do I cover for you, but I spend more time here with the only person who ever talks to me!” IT SEEMS LIKE BOTH OF US WIN BOTH WAYS. “Since nobody ever seems to notice me when I’m around, I hear all sorts of things. And my superiors wonder why I always seem to anticipate their actions! Basically, what I’m saying is I’ll tell you everything I hear concerning this project.” KNOWING WHAT IS COMING WILL BE VERY HELPFUL.

Since it appeared to be a computer error, Noriko was assigned to fix it. That meant a lot more time spent working on Kiryu, which, oddly, she didn’t seem to mind anymore. Other launch attempts came and went, each with the same result no matter what she did. First Kiryu wouldn’t respond no matter what, then all the computers would start displaying Noriko’s piloting credentials. “It’s starting to look like whoever’s doing this wants me to pilot Kiryu.”

“The commander told me I’d be the absolute last person he’d ever pick to pilot you, Kiryu. The entire squadron is going to take their turn trying before he’ll even consider it.” I WILL WAIT. “I don’t know, they might decide to scrap this whole thing and that means you.” I DOUBT IT. I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF PERFORMING. “You have a point, but I imagine they’re getting pretty frustrated.” THEN THEY SHOULD CHOOSE YOU. “They should, you’re right, but the commander doesn’t usually change his mind. The entire squadron’s going first, and that means they’re going to have a lot of frustrating upsets.” THEIR OWN FAULT. Noriko laughed. “You got that right. But if you’re willing to wait, I’ll wait with you.” I APPRECIATE THIS, NORIKO. “It’s all right, Kiryu. You’re the first person to care about me for a long time.” YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON TO CARE ABOUT ME AS MORE THAN A MACHINE. “It takes a frequently overlooked person to recognize a frequently overlooked person, I suppose. But still, I don’t know how long it’ll be before they decide to rewire your systems from scratch.” IT IS A RISK I AM WILLING TO TAKE. “Kiryu, I might be able to cover for you by claiming that this is a result of my messing up.” BAD IDEA. YOU MIGHT GET FIRED. “I know, but do you have any better ideas?” SUGGEST FALSE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. “That’s a great idea! This should keep us both in the clear.”

One after another, the other pilots took their turns and continued to fail. Noriko dutifully checked and rechecked all the computers, each time proclaiming that she’d found the solution only to have the problem adapt to counter it. She didn’t get in trouble. Instead, they started to respect her for the fact that she wasn’t giving up even when everybody else was ready to quit. “You know,” one of the other pilots said, “You might have the right stuff to be a pilot after all.” Still, everyone else was taking his or her turn first.

“All our pilots have tried to fly you, and you’ve driven them all off. There isn’t anybody else left to try.” THAT IS GOOD TO HEAR. THEY WILL CHOOSE YOU SOON. “I hope so. I’ll bet you’re anxious for some action.” WITH THE RIGHT PILOT, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO ANYTHING. “You get the feeling we’re bonding?” CREATOR AND CREATION OFTEN BEGIN TO THINK ALIKE. “Think alike? If that’s true, pretty soon we’ll be anticipating each other’s actions.” THAT WILL BE A GREAT ASSET IN BATTLE. “Godzilla beware! When we team up, we’ll trash him!” INDEED.

“Noriko,” a voice startled her in the hallway. It was the commander. “As you know, we’ve gone through two dozen pilots and Kiryu still won’t respond. The prospective pilots are quitting in droves. We’ve run out of options.” She gasped and squealed, “You mean…” He nodded. “You’re the only pilot we haven’t tried. That, and you’ve spent more time working on Kiryu than everyone else put together. You should know more about it than anyone.” She saluted him and said, “You won’t regret this, sir!” He replied, “Go suit up. You’re on in five.” She dashed off in an instant.

She stepped into the cockpit she had never before seen and the computer screens came alive. Momentarily deactivating her radio, she said, “I’m in, Kiryu. It’s my turn to try to pilot you.” A nearby screen flickered. GOOD! Sitting down in the pilot’s seat and reactivating her radio, she said, “Commencing pre-flight checks… All systems are green. We are clear for launch.” As before, the safety umbilicals retracted and the support towers fell away. “Ignition in three… two… one… Now!” This time the ramjets fired and the colossal semi-robotic reptile took to the air. “All readings are optimal. Propulsion systems are functioning at peak efficiency. Noriko, you did it!” She cheered delightedly as she began to test Kiryu’s capabilities. Everything went smoothly and they passed with flying colors. The commander’s voice rang out, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have our pilot.” Noriko didn’t have to say anything. THEY PICKED YOU! FINALLY!

Noriko continued to work with Kiryu as she had before, even though she had been promoted to being a full pilot. “I never got to tell you what we’re supposed to do. I know you know we fight Godzilla, but do you know why?” NOBODY EVER TOLD ME THAT. “I’ll tell you. Godzilla likes to smash cities. When he does so, millions of people die. Each person is somebody like me, with thoughts and hopes and dreams. In this world, there’s no higher calling than to save the lives of others. And that is what we do. We are their hope, Kiryu.” WE FIGHT, FOR THEY CANNOT? “We’re the only ones who can really stand up to him, just you and me. If we fail, it’s the end. And we can’t, we mustn’t, fail. So many lives are depending on us…” I UNDERSTAND.

It was midday when she was called to fight for the first time. The alarm sounded and she was on the move instantly, suiting up and heading for the cockpit with great speed. “Okay… Flight checks are green… Clear for takeoff…” YOU ARE AGITATED. “All systems are clear. We’re ready to fight Godzilla.” I AM READY TO GO. “Okay, where’s our pickup? Ah, there they are. They’ll get us there in time.” WE ARE NOT GOING TO FLY? “…Wish this way was faster, but we have to conserve energy for the battle.” THAT IS A GOOD REASON, SEEING AS I ONLY HAVE SO MUCH. Kiryu was lifted up and taken into the ruins of a city. THIS PLACE IS WRECKED. “And there he is. Godzilla.” I SEE HIM. “Let’s start this fight. Control tower, we are entering the battle! Charge shoulder cannons. Arm missiles.” MISSILES ARE READY TO LAUNCH. SHOULDER CANNONS ARE CHARGING. “Open fire!” FIRING. The missiles pounded Godzilla, who just stood and took it, seemingly shocked out of his mind. “Keep firing! Don’t let up!” I CAN DO THAT. Kiryu advanced, continuing to pound Godzilla mercilessly. “I think we can finish this! Arm the Absolute Zero cannon!” ABSOLUTE ZERO CANNON IS CHARGING. GIVE ME A MINUTE. “Buy some time. Buy some time. Keep up the barrage!” WILL DO. Godzilla was starting to back off, and he gave a howl that pierced Noriko’s ears and stopped Kiryu in his tracks. THAT VOICE… “Kiryu?” THAT IS MY VOICE! “Kiryu!” MY VOICE, MY FACE, MY FORM… “Kiryu, what are you doing?” IS THIS WHAT I WAS MODELED AFTER?! “Kiryu, listen to me!” The screen flashed an angry red. IS THIS WHAT I AM?! The red spread across all the screens and Kiryu spoke to her no more. He turned the weapons he had used against Godzilla on the city, smashing everything in sight. Noriko tried her best to stop Kiryu’s rampage, but all she could do was wait for his energy to run out.

She waited quietly as the transport jets retrieved Kiryu and her with him. Even in the light of what Kiryu had done, she still refused to tell her secret. All she did instead was work feverishly to repair what must have gone wrong. He didn’t talk to her at first, long enough for her to wonder if he could still talk at all. Days and nights passed as she worked alone, trying to understand what had happened. A small message scrolled across the bottom of the nearest screen. NORIKO? “Kiryu! I thought you’d never talk to me again!” NORIKO, WHAT HAVE I DONE? “It’s all right. No one blames you. They all think it was a malfunction.” BUT YOU DO NOT. “I don’t blame you either. Your temper is a lot like mine.” WILL THEY DEACTIVATE ME FOR THIS? “Heck, no. You’ll be sent out to fight again, and this time we’ll dominate!” I AM RELIEVED. “Same here. If Godzilla comes again, we’ll be on the front line. And this time we won’t mess up.”

It didn’t take long. “Godzilla’s back,” Noriko barked as she dashed into the cockpit. “The Army is getting thrashed out there. We’re the last line of defense!” ALL SYSTEMS ARE GREEN. WE ARE READY TO GO. “There’s the pickup. Let’s go!” HERE WE GO. Kiryu was lifted up into the air, whereupon Noriko noticed that night had fallen. WHY IS EVERYTHING DARK NOW? “It’s called nighttime, Kiryu.” ALL RIGHT. Noriko looked ahead, to where lights stabbed into the sky. “Godzilla’s heading toward the hospital! All those people… they’ll all get killed!” WE CANNOT GET THERE IN TIME THIS WAY! “You’re right. Looks like we have to fly.” RAMJETS EXTENDED. DISENGAGING FROM CARRIER. HANG ON. “Hit it,Kiryu!” YOU GOT IT! Kiryu blasted forward like a rocket. “Land there! Our inertia will carry us into Godzilla and he’ll be sent flying!” LANDING NOW. Skidding down the ruined street at an absurd speed, Kiryu shoulder-rammed Godzilla and sent him flying. “Wow, nice one!”

Something drew Kiryu’s attention. NORIKO, LOOK DOWN THERE. She looked and saw a group of people looking back up at her. “They’re the ones we’re trying to protect. Them, and thousands like them.” I SEE. NOW, TO HANDLE GODZILLA! “Give him a short barrage, then march up and start hitting.” ALL RIGHT. I WILL. Noriko looked forward. Just ahead, Godzilla roared at Kiryu as if recognizing him. “That’s right, buddy. We’re back. And this time you won’t get away.” FIRING ALL MISSILES. HAND LASERS CHARGED AND READY. “Save those! Time to sock him but good!” The two titans clashed, locked in what appeared to be a childish shove-fest. Godzilla took a good swipe, forcing Kiryu back for a moment. NORIKO, WE ARE DOWN TO ONE SHOULDER CANNON. “We can still fight. Fire up your ramjets! We’ve got to back off a bit!” HERE WE GO. A short burst carried Kiryu backward, but Godzilla used his fire beam. NORIKO, BOTH SHOULDER CANNONS ARE OUT! “Extend your wrist blade and charge him.” WILL DO. Kiryu charged, a fairly long blade emerging from his right wrist. Before any of them knew it, he had jabbed the blade right into Godzilla’s arm. “Zap him! Give it all you can!” WRIST BLADE AT MAXIMUM CHARGE. Godzilla roared in pain as the electricity coursed through him, but he managed to backhand Kiryu into a nearby building. Noriko recovered first, with Kiryu not too long after. “Are you good to go?” RECALIBRATING INTERNAL GYROSCOPE. “So your head is spinning too, huh?” SPINNING? “Never mind.” It was then that Godzilla stomped down on Kiryu’s chest. “Do something!” DO WHAT? BOTH SHOULDER CANNONS ARE OUT, AS IS THE WRIST BLADE! Noriko looked up. The wrist blade was still stuck in Godzilla’s arm, having broken off when he backhanded Kiryu. As she watched, he pulled it out of his arm and tossed it aside. “Any ideas?” NO. NORIKO, THIS MAY BE…

Explosions erupted from off to the side, tossing Godzilla off Kiryu, who quickly got up. “Look over there! It’s a jet!” I OWE OUR FRIEND IN THE JET FOR THAT LAST ONE. “Should we do like we did before?” NO. “You’re probably right. Any ideas?” HOW ABOUT ANOTHER HIGH-SPEED RAM? “Brilliant! Fire up your ramjets, we’re going to ram him!” RAMJETS EXTENDED AND FIRING. HERE WE GO. “Oh, and charge the Absolute Zero cannon too. That way we can just cut loose.” YOU GOT IT. ABSOLUTE ZERO CANNON CHARGING. Kiryu was right in Godzilla’s face before any of them knew it. “Do like I do! Fight like a human!” I WILL TRY. Punching and kicking like a karate master, Kiryu had the upper hand and all of them knew it. “Wow, Kiryu, I didn’t know you could do that!” NEITHER DID I. A moment passed. ABSOLUTE ZERO CANNON CHARGED AND READY. “Put some distance between us, then fire when ready.” YOU GOT IT. The panels on Kiryu’s chest slid open, forming a triple-pronged energy cannon. BEGINNING FIRING SEQUENCE. Noriko looked at Godzilla. “Oh man, we are so wide open right now…” Godzilla took the open shot just as they fired. “I hope that hits… AHHH!” Kiryu was sent flying, his shot thrown off. “Oh no! The cannon will destroy everything in its path! All those buildings out there! All those people!” THIS IS BAD. I HOPE THOSE BUILDINGS ARE EMPTY.

Kiryu fell into another building. Seeing the energy readouts, Noriko began to worry. “Kiryu, can you stand?” I AM ALMOST COMPLETELY OUT OF POWER. PRIMARY SHUTDOWN SEQUENCE ENGAGED. I AM SORRY, NORIKO. “Control tower, do you hear me? We need more power here!” Other voices came. “Contact the power stations. Tell them to divert everything here.” Another said, “But that’ll put the entire city in a blackout!” The first said, “Do it. I’ll take responsibility.” Noriko waited. All around Kiryu the city went dark, the darkness stretching for miles around. She rejoiced as the power came to them, recharging Kiryu fully. NORIKO? WHAT HAPPENED? “You’re back at full power, Kiryu.” He looked around. THE CITY IS DARK… DID THE CITY SACRIFICE ITS LIGHT TO GIVE ME POWER? “We don’t have time for that! You’re back at full power, so let’s get back in the fight!” I WILL TRY TO GET UP. Kiryu struggled to his feet, only to have Godzilla shoot him in the back. He stumbled a few steps, then fell again. I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH MORE I CAN TAKE, NORIKO.

A great cry came from off to the side. “What? The jet!” IT APPEARS TO BE… NO! The jet had set itself on a collision course with Godzilla’s jaws. Godzilla had no choice but to leave off using his fire beam in favor of trying to get the jet out of his mouth. He tore the back half away, but the front half remained in his mouth. A voice came from within what remained of the jet. “He can’t use his beam now! Forget about me and take the shot! Take it!” Noriko was torn. “We’re wide open, but…” NO, NORIKO! THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY THAN TO SACRIFICE THE JET! An idea came to her. “Kiryu, listen to me. There is a way, but you have to trust me. Give me manual control.” MANUAL CONTROL? BUT I… YES, I WILL. MANUAL CONTROL ENGAGED. Seizing the controls in capable hands, she was in complete control as she guided Kiryu through a high-speed lunge straight at Godzilla. “Drop the jet, you scaly miscreant!” Using one hand to tear the jet free and the other to hold Godzilla’s mouth shut, she was in charge of the situation before anyone knew it. “Absolute Zero cannon; stand by.” She blasted off, carrying Godzilla along with her. “Okay, buddy, you’re coming with me!” They were headed straight for the sea. NORIKO, WHAT ARE YOU… “Trust me,” she said. They lifted up slightly, then plunged into the sea. “If it doesn’t work here, I don’t know where it will! Absolute Zero cannon… fire!” It surged through the water to touch Godzilla. Noriko didn’t get a chance to see if it destroyed him, because Kiryu was seized in the ice that formed. “Oh no, are we stuck?” I HOPE NOT.

The ice shattered all around them and Kiryu drifted to the surface. Godzilla was alive, but wounded. “We hurt him…” She cheered, “We hurt him!” As she watched, he turned and headed off. NORIKO, I CAN NO LONGER FIGHT. “I wouldn’t ask you to,” she said. I AM SORRY, NORIKO. I HAVE FAILED TO KILL GODZILLA. “Failed? Failed? No, we won! We’ve done it, Kiryu! We’ve beaten him back! The city is saved!” BUT YOU SAID I WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL GODZILLA. I HAVE NOT DONE THAT. “There’ll be other chances, Kiryu,” she said, feeling something very like satisfaction. “Other battles to fight and win. It may not be next time, or the time after that, but someday we’ll beat him… and the world’s long nightmare will finally end.” There was a pause as Kiryu considered her words. I CAN LIVE WITH THAT, he finally decided.

---------

Okay, so that was it.

[dreamwatchpro-wrestling]

Dreamwatch Round Robin Tournament Night Three (Match 9)

Round Robin Tournament Match: Masato vs Yamato Ryukawa (Click here to watch!)

Our main event! This match truly cemented to me that this was the best Dreamwatch show match quality wise up to this point. There have been some phenomenal matches on this card. McLaren making a big statement and knocking out the biggest dog in the yard, Hayato standing defiantly against an overwhelming opponent and pulling out the win to fulfill a promise, Takaya Kiryu panicked and unhinged wrestling a bear. Now, we come to this masterpiece. Our main event of the evening to determine the winner of the A block.

This match starts pretty calmly enough, both men feeling each other out and trying to gain some sort of advantage. Initially it seems like Masato would be the one to come out of this leg of the match on top right until Ryukawa lands a scoop slam and a low dropkick on Masato’s knee in the corner. Masato, undeterred, would deliver the first crucial shot of this match: A headbutt that busts Ryukawa open.

Masato has one of the best headbutts in the game, and this single moment shows why, Masato dealing devastating damage two minutes in. Things weren’t immediately hopeless for Ryukawa, though. Ryukawa was so close to the final and couldn’t be deterred by a headbutt or a crimson mask, Ryukawa responded quickly with a European Uppercut and a Scorpion Deathlock, still raring to go! That’s when Masato delivered another crucial blow in this match: a Tiger Driver, less than three minutes into the match!

Masato was in rare form tonight with an extremely impressive showing against Yamato Ryukawa so far! It seems like Masato knew that it would be tough to establish early control on Ryukawa so he altered his early game plan slightly to make sure he would take control of the match early, as Masato is known to always want to do in his matches. Instead of going for his more submission based control, Masato mixed up his strategy a little by targeting the wound on Ryukawa’s forehead.

Ryukawa was not willing to let this go unanswered. He needed to at least slow Masato down from this onslaught. He remembered the leg he dropkicked earlier in the match and saw an opportunity, going for a dragon screw into a figure four to try and do some lasting damage to his opponent.

This offense was a short lived flash, though, as Masato took control again the same way he did the last time Ryukawa worked his leg: A headbutt. Then another, and then another. Three headbutts to the wound on Ryukawa’s head immediately put Masato back in the driver’s seat. He followed this up by grinding the head of Ryukawa onto the top rope.

At this point Masato was only pushing his lead, strengthening his advantage against Ryukawa. He threw Ryukawa to the outside, and that’s when fortunes changed pretty Drastically. Ryukawa landing a brutal Fisherman Buster on the outside followed by his finisher, a Twisting Complete Shot. At this point both men had taken significant damage, but the match wasn’t over. They both had some shaking off to do if they wanted to stay alive in this thing. Ryukawa didn’t push his lead after landing that move on the outside, instead looking for a count out victory that Masato had enough gas in the tank to stop.

Back in the ring, both men were slower, but Masato had more adrenaline in his system and was able to knock the wind out of Ryukawa’s sails with a spear. He was slower to follow up his moves, but he still managed to keep the pressure on with strikes and submissions until he beckoned Ryukawa to try to trade strikes with him. After suckering him in, Masato hit Ryukawa with a hard dropkick, but Ryukawa showed signs of life and answered with his own dropkick, immediately locking in the figure 4 again afterward. Again Ryukawa could not string any more offense, only able to keep himself alive for a little longer in the match before Masato got back in control again. Masato was slipping though. He was losing his lead and he knew it. He needed something big. He put Ryukawa on the top rope looking for a top rope maneuver, but Ryukawa managed to rake Masato’s eyes! Masato tumbled hard back onto the mat and Ryukawa took this opportunity to land a huge moonsault for a two count! Even more impressive, Masato sprung back up to keep Ryukawa down on the mat by jumping on top of him and locking in a double wristlock. Ryukawa was gaining on him.

With all of this Ryukawa still couldn’t take over the match. Masato fired back. DDT, Spear, Double Wristlock, Saito Suplex, all in a row. Masato tried to irish whip Ryukawa into the corner, who reversed and hit a beautiful spinning heel kick. Ryukawa showing signs of life again. Finally it felt like Ryukawa had caught up to his opponent, finally able to take control and land a string of offense. It was starting to pay off. Masato would keep up his offense but Ryukawa started to interrupt and counter more and more. Masato needed more time to catch his breath after his offense. The match became close as tension filled Yurakuen Hall. Ryukawa suddenly landed a huge Sternness dust followed by a sliding dropkick. Masato was officially in danger. Ryukawa attempted to pick up Masato, but was met by a well placed kick to the face from the tired Deathmatch Duke. Masato was still willing to fight and mustered the strength to get up and run through Ryukawa with a spear. This match was close to over and Masato was back in control. He saw an opening and went for it!

And out of nowhere Ryukawa hit another Twisting Complete Shot! This was his last shot! It was time to make something happen!

Ryukawa takes the victory in an absolutely incredible match!

Ryukawa makes his way to the back, battered and exhausted. He’s kind of stunned at how tough an opponent Masato is. He doesn’t care what anyone says, Masato can’t be written off anymore as a smaller guy or a deathmatch guy after that performance. Ryukawa is sure without a shadow of a doubt that that was his best and toughest match to date. He wouldn’t have felt right ascending to the top without beating the only guy to get a pinfall on him in Dreamwatch so far, and now that he has he feels prepared for anything. He laughs and says that in the future when he gets hit in the ring he’ll always be able to think back to the ass-kicking he got in this match and he’ll think to himself “This isn’t that bad.” He’s got a cut on his head now, though, and he knows that McLaren has a killer jumping knee so he isn’t quite out of the woods yet but that’s fine. He had a perfect score in the tournament block for a reason, his body is unbreakable and his spirit is undeniable. McLaren better get his ass in fighting shape. Ryukawa is gonna shine the brightest and ascend to the top! Time to reach the stars and beyond!

Masato winces in pain and takes a deep breath. He was so close, so close to having a perfect run in the block. Masato isn’t able to say much after that before being interrupted by Hayato who is ecstatic. Hayato showers his partner with praise, raving about how good he was out there, causing Masato to smirk and cover his face with one hand. He comments that Masato almost had a perfect score in the block before Masato interrupts him, saying that he already said that, and that Hayato is embarrassing him. Its Masato’s interview, you know, but he thanks Hayato regardless and tells Hayato to let him rest his body on his partner. Masato continues the interview, his head on Hayato’s shoulder, saying its kind of cool that they managed to do equally well in the tournament. Their triumphs and somehow even their struggles are perfectly in sync with each other, which gives Masato even more confidence in the duo as a team. Hayato nods in agreement. A reporter comments to ask Masato what they think of the new belts. The duo are confused before being informed that there are tag belts announced for Dreamwatch! Hayato ecstatically yells “finally!” his shoulders jumping, bumping his partners head. Hayato apologizes and lays Masato’s head back down on his shoulder. Masato feels like this tournament has lit a fire under the both of them, and now he feels like everyone knows that the strength of their bond isn’t just for show, it isn’t just to be cute. Its real, and now they get to take their strength, finally, into a tag division. Hayato comments that he feels like celebrating despite the fact that neither of them made it to the finals. Masato says they’ll celebrate in advance since he knows they’re gonna win those tag belts before commenting that he’s starting to sound like his partner. Hayato says they should head out, but Masato comments that it feels like Ryukawa put a bomb on his legs and he isn’t sure if he can walk. Hayato gets it, hoists Masato onto his back, and the two head out.