#and i think he intends to take nagisas place

[asbestieos]

idk how to explain it . the concept of baby himeru and baby nagisa knowing each other through the priest. theres only one eay to show tm vision anr its writing it out

[mamadarama]

IM SO SORRY IKEEP ACCIDNENTANLY UNFOLLOWIGN U BC THE ASK BUTTON IS NEXT TO IT 😭😭😭 i love ur content so MUCH i would NEVER unfollow on purpose omgg 😭

also anyways imjust wonderign , have u ever thought abt what would happen if yumenosaki didnt exisr inthe first place ???? like. what if they all jsut go live normal lives. or maybe if any of the major events in tthe storyline never happened. cause youre so amazing at analyzing stuff so id realllyyyyy like 2 hear ur thoughts <333 THAMKYOU!!!!! have a nice day :DD

OHH LOL OK i was like hey didnt this person follow me the other day? ive done that before too

i have thought abt that!!! i think some of them would still end up being idol adjacent? also a lot of characters grew up in the same area so they might end up going to the same school or smth anyways so theyd still know each other.

wataru is a stage/movie actor and eichi buys vip seats to all his shows until he notices him . kanata and kaoru are both marine biologists. madara is still exiled and starts traveling doing god knows what, but comes home to japan sooner than he wouldve if eichi didnt stall him during the war. in japan he continues to do god knows what. odd jobs and the like. chiaki and kanata still meet and kanata is saved from the cult. chiaki might go on to become a professional basketball player? izumi and makoto dont have a falling out bc the war never caused leo to break down, so izumi doesnt get paranoid for makotos safety. both of them along with arashi are models and leo is still a composer. arashi would also be a divorce attorney purely on the basis that i think she would be really good at it. rei retains most of his 2nd yr personality and simply mellows out a little instead of acting like an old man, and his friendship with keito wouldnt fall apart. keito is a mangaka and a teacher. hes trying to keep those identities separate but who knows how long thatll last. koga and rei still form deadmanz but keito wouldnt join. instead theyd be a duo unit until koga invites adonis to join, and this time adonis actually gets the chance to since deadmanz wont disband before koga can invite him. kaoru might join later, but its more of a hobby and his primary goal is still taking over and carrying on his mothers research. he works at kanatas aquarium. adonis is a park ranger. i think souma would be a teacher. either biology or a weapons class, or both. kuro and shu are both fashion designers but kuro would specialize in costumes and shu would do mostly high fashion lines for runways. kuro also does wrestling, he intended for it to be just a hobby but he ended up being a fan favorite so now hes better known for that than he is for his costume work. mika is shus apprentice still. hiyori is dawdling and unsure of what he wants to do, but in the meantime hes busying himself with making youtube videos (think jenna marbles). he still meets jun in school. jun is a streamer but he also has a fitness blog and works part time as a personal trainer. pretty average life but with the added bonus that he lives with hiyori, so he doesnt have to worry about money as much. nagisa is a geologist and historian. he works at a museum, thats about it. he still stayed with hiyori until he was adopted by his current family. ibara is the ceo of some company. yuzuru is toris butler still and tori is learning what he needs to do as his family's heir. tsukasa is doing the same. yuzuru and ibara dont meet again after ibara leaves the military facility. ritsu is a professional pianist, hes known for theming his performances around his vampire thing and playing creepy organ music, except on a piano. mao is a freelance photographer and a tutor. makoto continues to be a model, but also does gamedev and photography on the side. he also streams with jun and natsume and has a radio show with the rest of trickstar. anzu would still get transferred to whatever all boys school trickstar is going to, but instead of being trickstars producer shes just part of their friend group and theres no war. switch exists as a magic act, performing at events and whatnot. tsumugi also has his own fortune telling business and works as a librarian, and sora is a competitive gymnast. hajime is a botanist and works for the city managing public gardens. mitsuru became an olympic athlete. when nazuna graduated he went to college to do ...whatever it is hes doing. since there was no unit keeping them together, he was able to just stop talking to shu and they eventually drifted apart painlessly. tomoya and hokuto are actors. subaru is a solo idol. the twins street performances took off and they became a well known acrobatic duo. shinobu is a radio host and has a podcast where he talks about anime. tetora is a competitive martial artist. midori happily works as a vegetable farmer with his family.

rinne and niki live the same way they did before becoming idols, except niki has a cooking show. tsukasa secretly helps kohaku escape from his family and silently passes his allowance over to kohaku so he can live somewhere safe. as soon as he can he gets back into contact with aira. he lives alone like niki did when he was 14 and spends a lot of time in the library trying to homeschool himself. aira is still an idol fanatic but doesnt become an idol. hiiro goes to look for rinne, but rinne refuses to leave and hiiro goes home after making rinne promise hell still visit home sometimes. hiiro takes rinnes place as the next monarch. tatsumi and kaname still go to the same school but kaname never has the accident, so oremeru never abandons his identity and has no reason to hate tatsumi. tatsumi is learning to be a priest from his dad and will eventually take over as the pastor at his family's church. since es was never built on the same land as the ayase's bunker, mayoi would stay underground for longer. if he left at some point hed be a visual artist and submit his work to galleries. he probably wouldnt meet the rest of alkaloid, at least not right away.

so thats what i think would happen, more or less.

[coffee-lo-vers]

Summary:

This is a story I wrote because I feel like Kaede was forgiven very easily with her identity, so I put some scenarios where her "true identity" is revealed. If you don't like the ship Yukikae don't read, thanks :).

Notes:

English is not my first language, so please excuse the grammatical errors, if you like to read it in Spanish it is on my profile with the same name.

"Okay? You will obey your father, right?"

Kaede gets goosebumps listening to Takaoka, she has a bad feeling.

"Well I…" she looks up, smiling politely. "I don't want to. I'd rather have classes with Karasuma-sensei."

Takaoka raises his arm, intending to slap Kanzaki.

Kaede can see the action in slow motion and tells herself not to interfere, but a small voice begs her to intervene, reminding her of how Kanzaki had let her guard down slightly with her telling her about her parents, Kanzaki will obviously get in trouble if his parents notice the blow. His head starts to ache and he feels a strong anger surge as the tentacles warn him that his identity could be exposed.

In the end the little voice wins, her body moving before her mind thinks of the consequences.

He steps between them, pushing Kanzaki aside.

And the hand falls on her, untying her hair.

Kaede subconsciously grinds her teeth, to keep from biting her tongue.

Duck your head when you hit the ground hard and tuck your arms in to avoid putting too much pressure on your back and damaging your spine.

His jaw throbs in pain, but compared to his father Takaoka's punch is nothing special.

She wanted to destroy Takaoka's method of education, she feels how anger turns that desire into a need, the tentacles try to stop her, but the only thing they do is make her angrier, and if the blow had already intervened, then why not return it?

At the thought, he giggles a couple of times, feeling the thrill of humiliating Takaoka.

He stands up, smiling slightly showing his teeth.

"Is that the best you've got, sensei?~" She sneers, as Class E rushes towards her in concern. "Try hitting me harder next time, maybe it might hurt~." She says as she tilts her head to the side, her short hair slightly covering one of her eyes, the tentacles trying to stop the bloodlust, but a little leaks out scaring Takaoka, as Kaede never let her out.

Takaoka seems shocked by Kaede's smile. He clearly did not expect her to take Kanzaki's blow instead. On the other hand, she had already found out what Takaoka's philosophy was, it revolved around the fact that the students were afraid of him, but seeing a student receive a blow from another of her own free will makes the others realize that they can reveal themselves and take care of each other.

Takaoka then raises his hand, intending to beat up Kaede, but Isogai and Maehara won't let him, grabbing his arms and twisting them behind him. While he's stuck, Kanzaki, Nagisa, and Sugino go to Kaede, while Okuda goes to the classroom to see if he can find Koro-sensei and the medicine cabinet.

"Stop, Takaoka!" Karasuma runs towards him, seeing Isogai and Maehara let go.

"Are you ok?" Karasuma-sensei inspected his wound, "Is there any pain in your neck?"

"No, I'm fine Karasuma-sensei." Kaede forces a natural smile, despite the pain.

"Thank you, Kaede." Kanzaki smiled softly, placing the ice pack on her cheek that Okuda had brought just then.

Seeing that smile, Kaede feels her breath catch in her throat, her heart races and she feels that a blush will come to light if she doesn't stay calm. However, at the last moment he manages to calm down.

"It was nothing, what kind of friend would I be if I let you get hit in front of my eyes?" He says while shrugging.

"Wow, remind me never to make you mad Kayano" Sugino says.

"Yes, I could never imagine you like this" Nagisa says astonished and Okuda nods at what he said.

Kaede just smiled nervously realizing that the weak girl facade had gone down the drain. The tentacles hissed in anger, and Kaede winced mentally, imagining how unbearable the tentacles would be for at least a week.

Notes:

Kaede's father is not mentioned, but he has not been present in her life, especially after Aguri. So I decided to put him as a puncher, just for the sake of the scene.

[aeoki]

SS Finals - Crown: Chapter 11

Location: ES Dome White Team Waiting Room Characters: Yuzuru & Ibara

Yuzuru: There is no point getting angry at me. The reason you and your team are losing is because of the “oracles”...

How about you run around and tell the others to stop following it?

Ibara: I did! I told them over and over!

But the members of the “White Team” are far too free and uncontrolled – I didn’t even know where any of them were until right before the first round started. And just when I thought I had finally found them all, they wouldn’t even listen to me!

Yuzuru: Hmm. I suppose following the “oracles” would work most in their favour.

If they put on a spectacular performance during “SS”, then they’ll most certainly gain new fans.

Even if they end up being a poor loser, they can simply blame it on the “oracles”.

Ibara: It’s not about being a poor loser – it’s the truth! If they did, then the entire responsibility falls on the “General Leader” – on “Eden”!

Our reputation will fall miserably to the ground! I don’t care what happens to the others, but that’s the one thing I cannot let happen!

Yuzuru: For you, that is. Well, it’s not a big deal – You’ve already achieved the great feat of being last year’s “SS” runner-ups.

Why not let the other idols bear the crown this time?

Ibara: It feels like I’ve been robbed! Or rather, they’re currently robbing me of it!

Yuzuru: Hmm… But I still cannot understand. Why is Nagisa Ran-senpai doing all these strange things?

I don’t think it’s simply because he’s gone mad.

Ibara: It’s scary to think there is a possibility that he’s lost his mind!

It seems His Excellency has found something in that secret temple during the Qualifying Rounds…

And he’s been strange ever since. He gets absent-minded no matter what I say to him and has started doing whatever he wanted, ignoring my orders.

Yuzuru: What has he found?

Ibara: I wouldn’t be in this pickle if I knew the answer to that! His Excellency destroyed all traces after being holed up in that temple alone!

He muttered “That Akehoshi’s” diary or something, but it’s all just hearsay… I don’t know if it’s real or not.

The area where the temple was located is also just a vacant plot of land now. The documents and things His Excellency saw have all vanished.

I don’t know where they currently are at the very least. I swear I’m not lying to you.

Yuzuru: Hmm. You tend to put on a bold front when you’re with me, but if you’ve mentioned your powerlessness, then you must be telling the truth.

I’m sure you’d normally lie and say something like, “Everything is in the palm of my hand!”

Ibara: …………

Yuzuru: …Very well. It appears you truly know nothing, so I shall ask someone else. I don’t intend on stopping until I have safely rescued the Young Master.

Fortunately, we have a bit of time. The third, fourth and fifth round…

We, the “General Leaders”, will put on a special performance last, clashing with one another as we bring the Finals to an end.

I am free to act as I please until then. Next, I shall capture Nagisa Ran-sama or Hiyori Tomoe-sama and make them spit the truth out.

Ibara: Would you like some help with that? I’d also like to learn the truth!

Yuzuru: If you were to lay a finger on those within your inner circle, then you’ll surely lose your place of belonging that you went through so much trouble to obtain.

I could not be your home. So I won’t take the place you found away from you.

Ibara: …How sweet of you. That part of you has never changed, Instructor.

I shall give you a warning out of respect for our bond: I understand that this Young Master is someone important to you, but don’t do anything reckless.

The current situation cannot be resolved with the fists of a single individual.

Everything of this industry – no, the history of this world that has piled up – has bared its fangs. Act irresponsibly and you’ll lose your life right then and there.

Yuzuru: Even so, I’m sure each and every person in those histories would have done everything in their power.

I, too, would like to do that. Even if it means I’ll be dancing in the palm of someone’s hand, I will do my very best sincerely and earnestly as a human being.

Ibara: …I feel the same way, Yuzuru.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[kowaindar0u]

Yuichi's eyebrows furrow a little in thought. He only really has two fellow saniwa to refer to, but it seems like maybe it's not uncommon that some are "found" purely by accident. Either that, or he and Saseki are both outliers.

He refocuses his gaze, watching Saseki with some mild mix of concern and curiosity. Yuichi isn't quite sure how to read him sometimes-- he seemed to speak freely about these parts of his past, but he thinks perhaps it might weigh on him? Or, perhaps it's simply his recollection.

"Ah... A good choice," Yuichi says simply, a fond smile making its way onto his face. There is really no wrong answer when it comes to a starter sword, after all.

Then Saseki turns his own question back to him. He should have expected this, really-- it's only natural to swap stories, and he did inquire first. Still, he hadn't shared this with anyone-- not even his touken danshi. Whenever asked, he usually just gave vague answers that didn't really explain the story. But... Well. Maybe it's not so bad to share.

"Kashuu Kiyomitsu was my first sword here at the honmaru, as saniwa," he starts. "But the first touken danshi I encountered was Nikkari Aoe." He looks to his hands, fidgeting with the hem of his sleeve. "Just don't laugh--though, I couldn't blame you if you did. It's kind of pathetic."

He even chuckles a little himself, but it's more awkward than anything.

"I was... I was in a really bad place. Mentally, I mean. I had been for a long time. But... At some point I started hearing, just... things, all the time. I know now that that was my...spiritual sensitivity starting to show itself, you know? But I... really thought I was going insane. It was so overwhelming..."

He sighs. This is so... Ugh. Part of him really does want to share. Maybe it would be okay to have someone close to him know how he came to be where he is now. But it's not easy-- he's always been kind of a private person, and this... Well, he's not looking to be a sob story.

"It got to where I couldn't take it anymore, so... I went to the pier near my apartment and... Fully intended to do what I thought needed to be done there. But... Well, again, now I know that the spot I was in was close to some kind of bend in one of the space-time pathways in that area, and it seems it cracked or ripped somehow, and I saw it. I was so sure I just have just been hallucinating, but I... I don't know. I didn't really have anything to lose so... I decided to try and go for it. I jumped, and I made it in, but I had just barely turned around when I saw a green-haired man on a boat speeding toward me. That's the last thing I remembered when I woke up."

Yuichi finally looks up again, smiling a little now.

"I woke up and Nikkari was there, and shortly after I met his saniwa, Nagisa. I recuperated at her honmaru for a couple of days while she tried to explain some things to me without giving too much away. I don't think I understood anything she said. I was pretty sure I was dead, or dreaming, or something anyway. I think she reported me to the government, and..." He shrugs, sheepishly rubbing at his temple with one hand, and lowering it again once he realizes how unsteady it is.

"Well, here I am."

"No…I doubt they know of my existence, until that one night when I had strayed too far through the bamboo forest in Arashiyama…there was a…certain hidden pocket where I stumbled in…"

His eyes seemed hazy this time, as if the memories were playing through his vision. "I heard…clashing of swords…of men in battle…sparks of metal flying in the air as I made through the pocket…and then...there were petals all around me..." He trailed off again, the grew quiet as the vision played through his mind again.

Head tilted slowly to one side, Saseki murmured rather softly, but still audible enough for Yuichi to hear. "The petals didn't let up as I went through, and the next thing I know, I was far, far away from where I should be. That was when the Government's emissary in my province properly summoned me."

Saseki shuddered, as if 'waking up' from his brief haze. He ate up the tail end of his taiyaki before washing it down with his tea, then sighed. "Though, to be fair, I had no idea of my...uh, inclination towards the Shinsengumi toudan, much less towards our one lone Tosa Imperialist sword at that time. But something told me I would fare better if Mutsunokami was to be my first and oldest."

Then he turned to Yuichi. "If you don't mind sharing with me, I'd like to know your side of the story too."

[agwic]

a ranking of trans representation in weeb shit

I was thinking about trans representation in weeb shit so I figured I might as well just rank all of them, from best to worst. this will obviously only include stuff I've seen.

umineko: read umineko(I have another, incredibgly spoilerific post on this here)

ciconia: it's trying, and might end up better than umineko, but only 1/4 of is out and I've read like half of that but I don't think it's gonna come up more after this point in phase 1. but it has so much potential, and has already discussed a lot more than a lot of these, so I feel like second place is where it can be.

zombieland saga: has a trans character who is part of the main idol group, she is never misgendered, and the struggle of dysphoria is at least somewhat addressed, so overall it does nothing wrong and a lot of things right.

punch line: to be fair it's revealed by someone shouting "he's a girl" but otherwise handled with a lot more tact that is expected in anime. also, he's a trans guy, which makes it cooler. for anyone who has now looked up the synopsis of this anime, no I will not take further questions for why this is so high up in my rankings. however, I will confirm that it was solidly good, and I don't regret watching it.

assassination classroom: nagisa shiota was not written as a trans guy. he was not intended to be a trans guy. however, if you interpret him as a trans guy, his story both makes a lot more sense and is more compelling, and also gives free representation. therefore, I will interpret nagisa shiota as a trans guy and no one can stop me.

wonder egg priority: on the one hand, the most direct adressal of the consequences of transphobia I've seen in weeb shit. on the other hand, this is fully caught up in the thematic disaster that wonder egg priority is, with the accidental gender essentialism combining with showing a bunch of cis girls, and then one trans guy, having, uh, problematic implications. but like, as a standalone episode(which it probably wouldn't make sense as but whatever), this would be a lot higher up, probably in second place. maybe even first, since transphobia is probably a bigger issue for most trans people than dysphoria. also I'm pretty sure this and zombieland saga(and maybe ciconia) were the only of these where the author knew what trans people were and went in with the intention of writing one. though, to be clear, I do not recommend watching this anime.

re:zero: okay we're getting into the zone where the trans representation is solidly bad. now, ferris is a trans girl. I have read the relevant lines in japanese, and her "lol I'm a boy nyaa" shtick is clearly a joke, whereas the lines where she implies she feels gender dysphoria are not jokes. the issue is, she was not written as a trans character. she was written as a boy who wants to be a girl. and, like, ferris has been written as a character who is fine being referred to as a boy, but like, she's also fine being referred to as a girl. and she is also just so extremely trans. like at the least trans, she is a femboy who is incredibly personally invested in her identity as such and refuses to wear masculine clothes, which uh, is valid I suppose. I'm still using she/her pronouns to refer to her because I've gotten used to it and it isn't like japanese has gendered third person pronouns in common usage so whatever.

steins;gate: okay so to be fair I have not finished steins;gate. additionally, whether ruka is actually trans is up in the air, much like ferris, but like most people who consider ferris trans also consider ruka trans so they're probably right. and if they are right, then introducing her by having okarin repeatedly state that she's a guy is like the worst possible thing to do. also I think that ruka is the one who started the whole thing of responding to "is [character name] trans" with "no, [character name] is [character name]" which is the most obnoxious and unhelpful response imaginable and has been used for all the above examples, so even if ruka isn't actually trans, steins;gate deserves this spot for introducing that deflection tactic.

intentionally not included: ranma 1/2. ranma is a man who is sometimes trapped in a woman's body for short periods of time. this really isn't comparable to the experience of trans guys. really all it is is wish fulfillment for trans girls. except it's only barely that since while in a girl's body ranma spends all his time searching for hot water to turn back. so like, ranma 1/2 is a pretty trans show, but you can't really point to any one character and be like "that's the trans one". actually, ranma's childhood friend who he thought was a guy but was actually a girl is probably the transest character. I know about this character because I, like most weeb trans girls, watched way too much of this show for the aforementioned wish fulfillment. 97 episodes to be precise. there are so many better things I could have done with my time.

[fencer-x]

Hi ! For the Final Stroke part 2 , I saw in a post, that someone said that Haru said he wanted to swim with rin until the end of his life. Is it true ? I would be very happy if so ! Because this account has advance info on the movie too :) And do Rin and Haru follow the same voice at the end ? Can we say that they are canon, or at least the most hot of the other ships ? I'm a little confused with makoto's 'suki', but I know the movie is full of rin and haru so hope you answer me <3

Thank you ♥️

I don't believe Haru ever explicitly says that. Perhaps they're extrapolating from Haru's imagined conversation with Rin--how he wanted their conversation at the end of FS1 to go--where he says "I want to swim in the lane next to yours at the next tournament!" and Rin responds "I want to walk along the same path as you going forward!" Rin's can be considered to reference a shared future together (and because this is Haru's fantasy, this is something he explicitly wanted to hear) lasting longer than just the next tournament.

"And do Rin and Haru follow the same voice at the end ?"

Are you asking if they're following the same path at the end? (if not, sorry XD please ask again) It's unclear if Haru has become a professional swimmer--he's balked at the notion in the past, and Rin's (and to a lesser degree Ikuya's) decision to go pro probably made him hesitate even more.

However, several things should be considered:

(1) He seems to have dropped out of school to focus on his rehabilitation, so he isn't swimming with his school team.

(2) He's been competing internationally, but not necessarily in FINA competitions, as he prepares to make his formal reentry into the swimming arena.

(3) He initially balked at the idea because he didn't want to 'be Rin', convinced that his approach to swimming was not the same as Rin's. Throughout FS2, though, he comes to accept that the person he is now isn't the same as he was before, he's matured, and he is no longer scared of 'becoming ordinary' once he hits 20, determined to wait longer (which is Haru for 'I'm going to keep swimming competitively and making a name for myself').

To me, the above suggest that he's either gone professional like Rin and Ikuya or is heading there, because he has no intention of giving up competitive swimming now. Swimming at so many international tournaments, without the support of a school team, makes it seem to me like he's taking that next step, standing alongside Rin and Ikuya and Albert.

Are they 'canon'? No, absolutely not. None of the ships are (no one gets paired off, not even the girls, which I love! Everyone's still free [no pun intended] to ship what they want or imagine the characters' futures how they like).

But Haru and Rin will be much more 'together' now than they ever have been before, and Haru is finally where he said he wanted to be: swimming in the lane next to Rin, which we have seen is a place that lets him swim his fastest and most freely without pain. We can probably presume that there were some conversations had to this effect that we didn't see during the brief few months' timeskip, where Rin almost certainly said the words that Haru wanted to hear in that initial fight they had in FS1: that he wanted to walk the same path as Haru going forward.

I personally can't think of a better way it could have ended for them, as they're going to be together forever now, essentially :)

As for the Makoto stuff, Makoto never said 'suki' to Haru. As a child (probably age 10 or so), he repeated Nagisa's 'suki' to himself when suggested he be open with his thoughts and feelings if he liked Haru, but that was in the context of, "He's not just a random kid, he's someone you're fond of, your best friend, so you shouldn't treat him like you treat everyone else--be more open with him and tell him what you're feeling, that you're worried about him." It wasn't a romantic 'suki' explicitly (though I won't blame any shippers for reading it as such). I went into this in detail here. I don't think it's all that confusing really -- Makoto was remembering the first time he was taught by someone that he needs to TELL Haru the things he's feeling instead of assuming they're understood implicitly (which is funny cause Haru has the same problem XD). He did say he loved Haru's swimming, but I don't think anyone's going to argue that's romantic in itself ^^;

[kym2020]

Shuffle × The Numbing Noir Neige

Epilogue②

Kohaku Oukawa

『Is this...how I would die?』

Mayoi Ayase

『¹"Gravekeeper Reaper". Come on, what's happening, why did you suddenly call me?』

『Calling me to the outskirts of the town. Why not talk to me inside the church.』

Nagisa Ran

『I can't do that. You should tell me the whole story.』

Mayoi Ayase

『eh...?』

Nagisa Ran

『Let's not beat around the bush. A rule violator like you can't be called a grim reaper.』

『That's why you need to be punished.』

Mayoi Ayase

『What are you talking about? I don't understand what your saying...?』

Nagisa Ran

『Yes. You've been obsessed with collections for a long time, so you completely forgot.』

『You have violated the rules more than once. Above all, the interception to the target is not delightful.』

『Don't you remember taking the target of "Eternal Reaper"?』

Mayoi Ayase

『Well, when? Did I do it....?』

Nagisa Ran

『You forgot it again. I'm surprised because you believe in eternity like that. As I said that you should not be forgiven for the second violation.』

『This is a graveyard. You haven't forgotten that I'm one of the Grim Reapers, right?』

Mayoi Ayase

『No way! There shouldn't have been a graveyard in such a place...!』

Nagisa Ran

『Yes. A little while ago, the village graveyard had been moved.』

『That is to say, this is my area.』

Mayoi Ayase

『…So that's it. "Gravekeeper Reaper" does something interesting, right?』

『Ufufufufu. Does that mean that fighting is inevitable?』

『It can't be helped, then I should also freeze you inside an ice so that you can't speak...』

*thud 『Uh!』

Nagisa Ran

『I'm sorry, but I don't have enough time to talk to you. So I'll have you sleep in one of the tombstone.』

Mayoi Ayase

『And sink deep...! Yeah, the ground has the will to drag you in!』

Nagisa Ran

『Everything returns to the soil and becomes a new source of life.』

『That is the eternity I want. And is the true value of death.』

『Oops. You can't talk to the dead, right?』

Kohaku Oukawa

『Hardy. He was a "God of death" huh.』

『In addition. I can't say that the winter happened because of me.』

『I don't want to believe in that fate.』

『However. If my presence is afflicting everyone in the village. Then I'm―』

『*cough...!』

『My heart is still aching...Maybe because of the guy I met at the church...』

Rei Sakuma

『How are you? Young boy』

Kohaku Oukawa

『Hardy, why didn't you show up till now here in front of me?』

Rei Sakuma

『Actually, I didn't intended to do that. But there was no will for you.』

『I told you the truth to be hated by you. That evoked of your reaction is what I wanted.』

『But I made a wrong choice.』

『Let's talk about what to do together.』

『For the memories of my encounter with you, let's say goodbye to eternity and welcome the arrival of new spring while the flowers are blooming. Let's decide from here now.』

Kohaku Oukawa

『That's it, Hardy.』

『If it were you, I was thinking that you could kill me.』

『Look at this village. This view from the hilltop is so cold and lonely, and I thought I would live buried in such an everyday life.』

『But because someone appear in front of me, that changed the days I thought would last forever.』

『You gave me the warmth of spring in my cold winter life, so I can die here without regret anymore.』

Rei Sakuma

『It's a great decision.』

Kohaku Oukawa

『Ah. If that's my destiny, I'll obey it without any hesitation.』

Rei Sakuma

『All right. I'll kill you now so that you can sleep without feeling any pain anymore.』

『I will see you until your last moment inside the church where we met that day.』

At the Church:

Rei Sakuma

『Then by the power of the "Reaper of Condemnation". Please give this person a peaceful death.』

Kohaku Oukawa

『..........』

『It's such a strange feeling. It feels lighter and warmer.』

『Is this...how I would die?』

Rei Sakuma

『…Forgive me. For this is the destiny carved for you.』

Kohaku Oukawa

『Yeah, that's good. Finally, I realized what was important to me.』

Rei Sakuma

『..........?』

Kohaku Oukawa

『You often wondered what eternity is.』

『You didn't know if your job as a grim reaper was right, right?.』

『But what about your memories? It will never disappears inside you. No matter who says it, it's eternal to you.』

『I'm glad I made friends with you. Thank you, Hardy.』

『Goodbye…』

Rei Sakuma

『...tch!』

『Goodbye, my dear friend.』

『I will definitely remember you on the upcoming spring. To commemorate the time I spent with you forever.』

『That's my answer...』

←previous 𑁍 next→

[1] so in WIKI it's called Gravekeeper Reaper so I decide to put it as it is...

I cried at this scene screw AKIRA for helping the writer...T_T

I'll put the part 2 later, it's too long and I want to divide the acting and their reaction after it...

[nagisa-shiota-worthy-shit]

Tinder Matches

Karmagisa Week 2021, day 1 prompt: Matching  wordcount: 1600

----------------------------------------------------------------

The fact that Nagisa had a tinder account wasn’t something he really shared with anyone. At the time, he’d created it as a joke, a way of amusing his friend’s stupid suggestion. According to Kayano, it truly could be the solution to his lack of experience in the love life department. Nagisa hadn’t been too sure about that. He was more than aware of the application’s status and, no, he wasn’t really interested in finding people to just have sex with. 

Yet, somehow, he still found himself swiping through people on the app one night. He was alone in his room, a little bored, and perhaps even a little too tired after a day’s worth of teaching. None of the people he came across really interested him much, although he had to admit that he’d probably give them a shot if he saw them in real life, just because he wanted to believe in the best in people. 

This app, however, gave little to no information on someone’s personality. Then again, some people were very clear about looking for someone rich to provide for them, which Nagisa guessed his teacher’s salary wasn’t exactly right for, and he supposed that also said something about their personality and what they were like in a relationship. Nothing Nagisa really wished to deal with. 

After swiping left on complete strangers in fear of one secretly being a stalker, murderer, or just having horrible table manners, he suddenly stopped when a familiar face popped up on his screen. the red hair, the golden eyes, that all too familiar smirk. Nagisa recognized exactly who he was seeing, yet somehow couldn't exactly process the idea. it just didn't seem entirely right. 

Someone like Karma wouldn't need to use tinder, right? 

He found himself staring at the title picture for a while before he realized he could scroll through and see more. it wasn't like he didn't know what karma looked like... but... he sure was curious about what karma was putting out there. 

It didn't appear to be all that special at first. A selfie in a casual outfit, a picture of him at a bar with people Nagisa didn't recognize, a traveling picture, but the last picture was something else. This picture appeared professionally taken, or at the very least it wasn't a selfie and the picture was set up. Karma was posing in it, after all. Posing in a suit, the jacket in his hand, thrown over his shoulder as he glanced at the camera with those devilish eyes. Nagisa was nothing but taken back by it. 

He shouldn't be staring, should he? This was his close friend and fellow assassin graduate, the staring was just weird. Yet, somehow, he couldn't look away from the picture and thought back to when he’d first met Karma, so many years ago now. He’d felt the same sense of awe back then. Karma was just so perfect, how couldn’t he. This picture, him as an adult looking like a literal model, was like a visual representation of everything Nagisa used to feel Karma was. 

The sudden noise of the train passing near his apartment woke him up from his state. suddenly turning very red, he frantically moved his hands and went to swipe left, except his phone nearly fell out of his hands in the process. He caught it, hands all over the screen and, through his own fingers, he could see Karma being swiped right. 

no. no nonono. please go back

Nagisa fumbled with his phone, hoping to undo his actions, but before he could do anything, a message popped up on the screen. He was surprised by it to say the least. 

‘you've got a match’

A match. He matched. but that meant... Karma had swiped right on him as well?! why would he- probably as a joke. he probably came across nagisa and thought it was funny, right? Nagisa had to assume that was the truth, although deep in his mind a thought echoed around saying the exact opposite. Maybe he wanted it to not be a joke.

After panicking for a hot minute, his phone made a ping sound, indicating he’d gotten a message. He was too scared to look. Somehow, before even opening the message, he could already sense who it was from. Sure enough, once he finally did gather the courage to check the notification, his fears were proven right. This was the worst situation. 

Karma: well well well, didnt take you as the tinder type

He considered ignoring it. What was that called again? Ghosting? Yes, he could ghost Karma. If he didn’t respond to the message, perhaps nothing else unfavourable would be happening. Well, Karma would probably mention it to him the next time they spoke in real life. That would probably be even worse. It wasn’t like he could ignore Karma for the rest of his life. It wasn’t like he wanted to. 

Nagisa: i'm not

Karma: yet here you are.

Karma: swiping right on me ;)

The cockiness almost oozed out of the message. Nagisa was left frowning at his phone. The main thought going through his mind was that Karma was probably enjoying this. He was a sadist like that. He was having fun while Nagisa wanted to bury himself as deep underground as possible. 

Nagisa: you swiped right first! 

Nagisa: mine was an accident

Nagisa: I was surprised to see you on here and my phone dropped

Karma: ah, so you wouldn't swipe right on me :( am I too ugly?

Nagisa felt his face grow hot. He probably shouldn't look at his reflection if he wanted to save himself from the image of his head being a tomato. He didn't think karma was ugly. quite the opposite, actually. Not that he could say that. That would be weird. So, he tried to find some middle ground answer, not calling karma ugly or the opposite of that. 

Nagisa: I never said that, I just didn't intend to swipe right on someone i'm already friends with. 

There, no way that could be taken wrong. He considered sending an additional message, clarifying just how dropping his phone led to the swiping right, but decided against it. It would sound just a little too defensive. 

Karma: well,its nice this gives us a chance to talk again anyways. appears youve been too busy to answrr my texts. 

An awkward laugh escaped Nagisa as he looked away from his phone, forgetting Karma couldn't actually see his reaction. There was no reason to avoid eye contact when there was no eye contact to begin with. Still, he shared the sentiment. He kind of had forgotten to keep contact with people lately. 

He blamed the new workplace. After finishing his days as a trainee, the new school he worked at was surprisingly more demanding. He always knew being a full time teacher was a lot of work, especially now that there was no one to keep an eye on him and remind him of certain teaching specifics of the school he taught at. Of course, the work was rewarding enough for him to barely think about his loss of contacts. He had a habit of treating those too loosely anyways. 

Nagisa: ive just been working

Karma: workaholic

Nagisa: you literally have more work hours than me

Karma: and somehow you still spend as much time working as me. 

The conversation went on like that for a bit, them going back and forth at each other. Overall, it wasn't a bad time. Nagisa kind of forgot about the actual use of the app, and the fact that he could just DM Karma on line whenever he wanted to, until Karma managed to bring back the conversation to it. 

Karma: you know, usually when people match, they try to meet up for a date

Of course Nagisa was aware that that's what the app was for, it was sort of the reason he’d gotten it as well. However, he didn't think anything would lead anywhere for him, let alone with karma. surely karma wasn't being serious. it would be weird to go on a date with your friend. 

and still, Nagisa endulged him, being so stupid as to ask further. 

Nagisa: where do people even go on tinder dates?

Karma: anywhere they want to, usually just for drinks, easy way to lead them home a little tipsy afterwards

Nagisa: okay that sounds creepy

Karma: if that's not your style I could always take you out for dinner. 

Karma: There's this new sushi restaurant near my place, looks like something you'd love. 

somehow, he actually considered it. On any other day, that would sound insane to nagisa. Since when would he consider dating karma? Wait, not dating, going on a date with Karma. There was a difference. Sushi did sound great, and so did Karma's company. He supposed he hadn't really been out like that in a while. date or not. 

Karma: i can even pick you up, very romantic 

The word hit Nagisa a little hard. Romantic. What would that entail? Would they sit opposite of each other, send cute glances, maybe even hold hands beside the table? He wanted his mind to hate the idea of that, doing those things with his friend, ruining the relationship they already had. But, he also wanted to give in, say yes, and see where things would lead. At the very least, he'd have a fun night with good food. 

Nagisa: you have a day in mind?

Karma: how's Saturday?

Nagisa: Saturday's fine

Karma: it's a date!

[leaderoffestivals]

Secret Service: GLOBALISM Chapter 7

Ibara: —GODDAMN!

Season: Winter Author:  Akira Characters: Kohaku, Hiyori, Jun, Ibara Proofed by: gigi (EN)

<Half an hour later> 

Hiyori: Thank you for waiting! Now that we’ve got enough usable footage for the programme, we're free to move on from here!

The cameras aren’t recording anymore, so Kohaku-kun can now speak and move about as freely as he pleases!

Kohaku: Good work... Well then, please start explaining everything that’s been going on to me.

Hiyori: Yup! Let's walk as we talk. It's a good time and we've worked plenty, so I’m famished now! Let’s look for a place that serves some delicious local cuisine!

Jun: Ehhh~, you really don't have to go out of your way to eat the local food. Everything’s the same once it goes into your stomach, don'tcha think~?

Hiyori: No, no, no! Sampling all the different foods at various restaurants is the best part of a trip! And if we can get some good footage, we can start the cameras rolling again, right?

Jun: Well, if you're gonna eat something for the show, I guess you can’t get by with some plain old rice balls from a convenience store, huh~?

Kohaku: By the way... About those underground idols from Kyushu, the ones with the scary faces... Is everything gonna be alright if we leave ‘em alone?

Why are they trailing behind us while keeping a wary distance away this whole time? 

Hiyori: Hahaha! I was hoping Kohaku-kun would introduce us so that all of us will be able to get along better with each other! Those guys are fellow members of Double Face with you, right~? ♪

Kohaku: To be honest, I haven’t the foggiest idea who any of them are.

Hiyori: Is that so? I thought I heard that Madara-kun was  the one who gathered the group so that all of you could participate in the qualifying round together—

But now that I think about it, Madara-kun carried out a guerrilla live performance as MaM right here in Shikoku.

What’s that all about, I wonder? Is he intending to participate in SS or not?

Jun: U~rmmm. All the info we’ve got is all over the place—there doesn’t seem to be a single thread to tie it all together.

Kohaku: That's right. I'm sure a bunch of stuff will be made clear once we get a hold of Madara-han himself and figure out what he’s been up to.

Hiyori: And that's exactly what this travel show, "Paradise on Earth," is for!

Madara-kun and Ibara will surely respond somehow once they see this programme broadcasted nationwide.

Kohaku: Haha…  You're right, if we air a show that catches Madara-han’s eye, we might have a shot at catching that guy—

Just like how both the local idols in Kyushu and I reacted to Madara-han's guerrilla live.

Hiyori: Yup! We’re taking a page out of Madara-kun’s book. When he finds out about this other group going around actively claiming to be Double Face, he probably won't be able to turn a blind eye to any of this.

Kohaku: That's true. If I had seen this travel show from Osaka and not known what was going on, I definitely would’ve flown over in a jiffy to figure out what the situation was.

At the very least, I would have tried to get in touch with Eve who appeared on the same show, through HoldHands, or by some other method somehow.

Hiyori: Yup, yup! And Ibara and Nagisa-kun, who’re probably working with Madara-kun, will react in the same way!

If they find out we’re here in Shikoku instead of waiting back at the inn in Kyushu, they’ll send us a message at the very least.

Either way, they're going to take some action. All we have to do is wait for them to reach out and contact us directly!

And as a bonus, we all get to go on a fun trip! Isn’t this so much more meaningful than being cooped up in that stuffy old inn all the time? ♪

We can't turn down requests for help from other units because of the secret order that Nagisa-kun seems to have been given—

Jun: Yep. We’d been waiting at the inn all this time so that we’d immediately be able to move if that kind of request came our way…

Hiyori: However, now that we’re already working on a unit’s request for help, we’re free to turn down other requests—

And if refusing the new request will go against the secret order, then we'll simply ask them to wait until we're done with this one!

Either way, we can move freely about while we're doing this travel show without worrying about breaking Nagisa-kun's secret order or ignoring requests for help!

Jun: Ohhh, I get it now. So, we’re pretending that Eden is responding to a request for help from Double Face by performing in this travel show. 

Hiyori: Yup! Ehhh? Didn't I explain all of that to you right at the beginning?

Jun: Some parts of it were mentioned in passing, but Ohii-san’s explanations are always lacking in details, as usual.

Hiyori: Everything worked out well in the end so it’s fine, isn’t it? All you dummies should just shut up and follow me without needing to think about anything at all! Ahaha~! ♪

Jun: Ugh… I can’t refute that when it’s a fact that your methods actually work most of the time!

Kohaku: Haha. Even though the way you do things is exactly the same as Madara-han and Rinne-han, why is it that I just can’t hate Hiyori-han the same way?

Hiyori: That’s because I’m beloved by all, of course! In all of heaven and earth, I alone am the exalted one! (1)

Ibara: Jun! Your Highness…! 

Kohaku: …!

Jun: UWAH—talk about a surprise! You—you sure made an appearance a lot sooner than I thought you would, didn’t you, Ibara?

Hiyori: Fufu~n ♪ You see, you see, I was right! If you broadcast a program of interest on live TV, you'll be able to catch Ibara and Madara-kun’s attention— 

Kohaku: Ummm, but I still don’t see Madara-han around anywhere? Vice-Prez-han, weren’t you together with that idiot of mine—

Ibara: —GODDAMN!

Jun: My catchphrase was stolen, just like that?!

Hiyori: Ahaha! It’s like picking up the same speech patterns when you become close with your friends, or like when a buzzword is coined among family members!

Ibara: This is not a time to be standing around relaxing!  Your Highness Hiyori, and Jun too; you must leave this place at once! It’s not safe in Shikoku.....!

Hiyori: Shikoku isn’t a dangerous place at all, is it? We’re at Shikoku Airport right now, so you can’t go around saying such things, Ibara, not even as a joke!

Ibara: … I don’t know why you’re here, Oukawa-shi. However, you're going to have to stay, please. I have some questions for you.

Kohaku: Er, wait a minute, lemme explain, Vice-Prez-han. I-I’m here searchin’ for Madara-han—

Ibara: Yes, it's about that Mikejima-shi! He is the issue here!

He’s gone and betrayed ME...! He's teamed up with my great-uncle behind the scenes—scheming and plotting—all to use this SS to get ahead!

Kohaku: …?

(To be continued)

---------------------------------------------------------

Translator’s Notes:

Hiyori says “天上天下唯我独尊” which is usually used by someone who’s bragging they have high status /seniority /temperament /qualities that other mortals can hardly match. 

Previous | Next 

[nagisasstunningpersonality]

The Things About Ass Class That I Don’t Like

The handling of cross dressing/feminisation 

(this turned a lot longer than I intended actually so I guess I’ll post this on its own for now - there’s a TLDR at the end) 

Starting with the most controversial one. Actually, I don’t have the biggest issue with cross dressing itself being in the series. Given the context of Ass Class being the kind of semi serious comedic series it is, and also just... social/trope context. It’s not entirely out of place. But it’s not really my place to state whether cross dressing jokes are okay or not as it is - make no mistake, I’m not trying to argue those kind of jokes are okay in the first place, but it vaguely doesn’t seem out of place to me in this kind of anime. 

Two issues. 

1) It’s not just a three second gag every now and then. I don’t think it would be as much of an issue in the fandom if, say, the extent of the jokes were the same as that time Korosensei painted Karma’s nails/put him in a heart apron. It’s not as severe, but those are still a form of feminisation. The Nagisa jokes are very drawn out, important parts of episodes in cases. 

See the difference between Nagisa exclaiming “you thought I was a girl?!” in the water, vs the entire island arc scene? It would have been a little more okay if the comedy had just stuck to light fun poking. 

2) It was evidently decided that cross dressing wasn’t just going to be a joke. Hear me out here, but this actually could have been a great thing. Japanese society as a whole is very uh... by the rules, so Matsui kind of lightly speaking out about, most obviously, the flaws of the education system has always impressed me. Him maybe trying to say crossdressing jokes aren’t the best? Considering what Ass Class is? 

What we could have had was an exploration, and a real kind of social statement that ‘hey this trope is kind of bad, actually. You don’t know who it might upset’. And we semi got it? I honestly think the intent - if that was Matsui’s intent is really great. Showing that an innocent joke can really have an affect on a person as they might have a crazy home life nobody knows about. 

Ass Class, I’ll put it bluntly, is too short. That’s my explanation for most of these points, actually. Too much was attempted in too little time. Not to mention that Hiromi is kind of cartoonishly evil at points (i.e. knocking out her son and almost burning down the building???), where making her clearly mentally unstable kind of takes away from her abuse, as I see it. 

In making Nagisa’s appearance forced, there was a chance for real character depth and commentary. We got it in a way that... yeah, it’s definitely there, but it’s not expanded enough on and kind of pushed aside whenever it’s convenient. He never completely committed to it. 

Notably I think the scene most people have an issue with is Nakamura’s apology. This could have been brilliant, an admission that it was wrong. However it was kind of cheapened by immediately dressing Nagisa in a skirt again and trying to sell him to Yuuji. As much as I love Yuuji, it’s very understandable why so many people don’t like that scene. Again, they couldn’t QUITE commit to an actual call out and that’s a shame. 

I do think though we also have to remember that this is literally a shounen jump comedy manga with an octopus teacher. It has a lot of heart snuck into it, but it’s not going to be the same as some great socio-political piece of literature. 

I also think that it’s not necessarily right to assume that Nagisa didn’t mean it when he said he was okay with Nakamura and Karma doing it. Actually, looking at the DIRECT Japanese, it’s actually a little different to what the official translation says? Looking at the manga, which is the most direct form of Matsui’s words. It’s also WAY less of a scene there, literally just a couple of panels thrown in. 

Nagisa specifically says “全然！中村さんやカルマ君にいじられる分には” - in case someone else wants to cross check it. The official English translation is “Not at all! I don’t mind being teased by you and Karma!” And it’s not exactly wrong, to the extent I wouldn’t bother re-translating it. However! A big thing that’s missed out though is the や (ya). It’s basically being translated as “and” here, but it doesn’t mean that in a binary sense. If you’re listing two objects in Japanese, you use ‘to’, ‘ya’ implies there’s other things. Therefore I think I slightly more accurate to meaning translation would have been “I don’t mind being teased by you, Karma, and the others”. It’s not clear who Nagisa actually means with ‘ya’, but I’d assume probably 3E as a group. His friends. I think he picks out Karma specifically since he does it the most beside Nakamura. So I don’t think they were being given specific special permission. 

I’m also not sure about claims that he’s just saying it out of pressure. I mean, if that’s your interpretation then I can’t stop you. But my personal opinion is that yeah, he doesn’t mind his friends teasing him really, but he doesn’t want them to go too far with it, or make him act like a girl outside of their setting. I’m not saying that makes teasing after the fact necessarily okay either, though I do think it’s noticeably toned down for sure. I also disagree with the argument that Karma’s this horrible abusive guy for making jokes here and there - doing a lot less than Nakamura in my opinion. I mean, Karma isn’t meant to be a super nice ikemen character, but I don’t think it goes as far as a lot of people think it foes. 

I don’t think the general fact that there’s a lot of fem nagisa art and fics in this fandom helps matters. But that’s not exactly a series issue. 

Regardless, though, it’s just a missed opportunity. And I think that if Matsui was set on putting it in, he should have gone all the way with it. It’s not like, necessary to the series in anyway. Hiromi could have been abusive enough without the whole gender thing. 

On the other hand, I do think it was handled a little better with Kataoka - and to a lesser extent Okuda. She’s meant to be boyish, and it’s a joke at times, but it’s never cruel and she’s not uncomfortable enough for so long that it massively effects the audience. She’s also very clearly struggling more with what it means to be a girl, rather than just physically being one. I do wish we’d have more of a resolution for this, though, since it would have been a very interesting and subtle point. 

I don’t think these kind of narrative messages should be right there on the surface, but they’re kind of so deep within ass class I’m never sure if it’s a reach or not. 

Anyway TLDR: Ass Class tried to pick off more than it could chew, and the intent of its messages with regards to this subject are kind of confusing.

[otomescriptdoctor]

Masking - Chapter 4

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27939147/chapters/68499806 Kei’s voice breaks your concentration. “I couldn’t help but overhear some of the things you were saying. I was a bit surprised at the breadth of your knowledge.” Your throat is almost painfully dry, being so affected by his scent just being everywhere around you.

Just have to keep calm, you tell yourself. You turn around to face him, saying, “What a lovely place.” Your eyes flit to a keypad on this side of the door, including a motion sensor. The lock must have been automatic. That’s a rather serious setup, and you realize that you likely have no escape route here. This is the top floor after all. And you’re not exactly equipped to break out of plate glass windows and rappel down a building. This means you’re at Kei’s mercy. Shit. Shit. Shit.

It takes everything to keep your face a neutral slate, and you watch him as he goes to casually grab a glass from his cabinet, filling it with water and taking a drink. Kei watches you in turn, with amusement. You know your face hasn’t broken out in panic, but wonder if perhaps he’s figured it out some other way.

“You can’t be too careful about security in my line of work. Sorry to scare you.” He almost sounded apologetic. Almost.

“Scare me? You’re… not going to lock me up in here, are you?” Fear creeps into your voice, despite your best efforts.

Kei laughs, “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“This is a lot of space for just one person.”

“Well, I invite my close friends, Kazuomi and Yuzu, sometimes. But...I don’t often have women over.”

“You know, no one believes men when they say things like that.” You keep walking around the lounge, looking for any other paths of escape. Kei laughs, “You’re surprisingly...Actually, nevermind, it’s not that much of a surprise.” His piercing, darkened gaze grips you. “You’re tough.”

You daintily sit down on the large sofa, and watch Kei for a while instead. He returns to the kitchen area, and grabs two small glasses, a tall green bottle, and brings over a tray with an odd spoon and a sugar bowl.

Kei sighs, as he sets the tray down on the coffee table and sits on the adjacent loveseat. He loosens his scarf just a bit, and runs his hands through his hair.

“I wish I could hire a full staff for afternoon tea, but… with so many people discussing possible investments, I can’t hire just anyone. It’s all about...trust.”

This was not what you’d expected. “I’m sure,” you offer sympathetically.

“I’m always understaffed when I host afternoon tea outside of England. You ended up helping me out this time around, but I really ought to come up with a better solution.”

He picks up the unfamiliar deep green bottle. You’ve never seen this before.

“What’s this?” you ask.

“Absinthe. It’s an anise-flavored spirit. It’s very well known in Europe. It has a distinctive taste. People either like it or they hate it.” He continues, in a lower tone, as he swirls the liquid in the bottle meditatively, “I chose it for you because you have piqued my curiosity. To tell you the truth, I only bring out the absinthe if I’m with someone I’m certain will enjoy it.”

Anise-flavored? Oh, the madeleines were anise-flavored, weren’t they, you think. Licorice is a very polarizing flavor. That explains why the bottle is nearly full, then. Your heart flutters at his gesture, even knowing it’s likely a ploy just to make you feel special.

“There’s something very appealing about a man who can sate a woman’s curiosity.”

You’ve never had absinthe before. You remember hearing about it when studying abroad. The green fairy. Rumored to be hallucinogenic, but it’s probably just a strong liquor. Made with wormwood, you think. You don’t typically accept drinks from targets while on the job, and there’s no telling what he could slip in there. ‘Never accept drinks from the bad guy,’ that’s literally secret agent 101.

Alpha wouldn’t do that to us.

Kei places the curious spoon on his glass. It’s shaped like a leaf, and perforated with tiny holes.

“And what’s that?” Curiosity is getting the better of you tonight. “Les cuilleries, an absinthe spoon essentially. You use it when drinking absinthe for the preparation. You place a cube of sugar on the spoon and pour the absinthe over it.” He cracks open the lid and the licorice-y scent wafts out, intermingling with his natural Alpha scent. He pours a little absinthe into both glasses. He opens the pewter sugar bowl, and delicately uses the tongs to dip a sugar cube into the green liquid before setting it on top of the pierced area of the spoon. Then he strikes a match to light it on fire. You both watch the flame flicker and caramelize the sugar for a few moments before he dips the spoon into the absinthe and swirls it, starting a controlled burn inside the glass. He repeats this process for your glass. His eyes are so dark, with the flames twinkling like small torches in a deep dark cavern. Threatening to swallow you whole. He then pours ice cold water carefully into both glasses to extinguish the flame and cause it to cloud over.

“So, this is how you’re supposed to drink absinthe?” you ask.

“Well, I’m being a bit showy about it, but I like to play with fire, a little. I find it makes quite the impression, don’t you?”

The flames could also have been seen as a little romantic, but you want to perish that intrusive thought. Kei is a little too much of a smooth operator, you realize.

“Absinthe has been called ‘forbidden nectar’, ‘the devil’s drink’, and--”

“La fée verte,” you offer a little too quickly. Oops.

“The green fairy, yes. But I thought you’ve never had Absinthe?”

“I’ve never seen it before in the flesh, but I’ve at least heard of it.”

Kei continues on his lecture, “Well, it has had a long history with connections to a number of cultures. Medieval Europe, ancient Greece, the middle east...” His voice trails off as you both realize you’re staring at each other. You look away and he clears his throat, continuing, “Absinthe preparation had been poisonous due to adulterants like copper sulfate, or antimony, and was rumored to cause hallucinations so it was banned for a time. That’s how this infamous liquor earned its nicknames, but the modern day product is perfectly safe.”

Sensing my unease at him being so close, with his scent growing stronger, he softens his tone. “It’s captured the likes of Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec among its fair share of hearts… making it the perfect drink for you.”

“Just who is capturing whom?” you murmur softly. Oh no, that was out loud.

He just smiles, and offers you a glass.

“We won’t find out until after we drink.”

You take the glass of green liquid, gone somewhat milky with the swirled, burnt sugar.

“I hope you like it.”

He sips at his glass and watches you. You bring the glass up to your nose to sniff at the interesting olfactory bouquet.

“It smells very strongly of licorice, I can see how this is an acquired taste.” You make no move to drink, however.

Kei leans forward in his seat, grinning. “Well...why don’t you tell me a little about yourself, Nagisa Mikami? Or...would you prefer I called you by another name?”

Your heart hammers away ominously in your chest. Your mind empties itself, trying to think of what to do. You think of the cyanide capsule in your clutch. You foolishly thought you were holding your ground with this unreadable man, but now you’re the one caught in the honey trap. You curse at yourself for not being able to resist your own biology. You don’t dare let this show on your face.

Kei notices your loss for words, and his grin becomes a triumphant smirk. You’re not sure if it’s just his face, or the affect his scent is having on you, but you find it dangerously alluring. Just the notion sends a chill racing down your spine. You’re intent on calmly meeting his gaze directly, even as you’re feeling like your heart might stop at any moment.

So he thinks you’re possibly using a fake name. Still have no reason to give him the satisfaction of being right. You allow your face to settle into a sultry sneer, “Another name? Whatever do you mean? Is that absinthe getting to you already?” You giggle before continuing, “Do you have me confused for another woman? I thought you were better than that.” You pointedly cross your legs, intending to take back control of this situation by using your Omega’s desire to appeal to his Alpha, exuding an unflappable, purposeful confidence.

“Drunk? Maybe.”

He sips a little more of his drink before leaning toward you.

“But I think I was right to seek you out. You’re perfect.”

His cool fingers reach out toward your cheek. His elegant fingers are perfectly manicured, and make contact with your skin, drawing away some of the heat flushing there.

Alpha is curious about us.

“So, what name will I call you by?” His hand cups the side of your face. You’re already feeling that uncomfortable dampness that you thought was over for this month.

“Nagisa Mikami is just fine. Why are you so eager to give me a nickname already?”

Kei continues to smile, touching his forehead to yours. “James Bond...MI6...The Secret Intelligence Service...England is obsessed with spies. So when a beautiful woman -- an unmated omega, no less -- appears in front of me, out of nowhere...” He flicks his eyes’ focus into yours. “I have got to assume she is either a spy or an assassin.”

You protest, “Are those the only two options, then? That’s not terribly creative. That doesn’t sound like the educated, intelligent Kei I met downstairs.”

“You think you know me pretty well, hmm?” Kei regards you with fascination twinkling in his eyes.

You continue, “If you were trying to hide your intelligence, you really messed that up for yourself with the way you were talking at afternoon tea.” You’re flying by the seat of your pants, scrambling through anything that might be used to bolster your confidence. It looks bad at the moment. You feel like your own bravado might have finally failed you this time when thinking about getting alone with an Alpha who affected you this deeply. You regret not handing this off and removing yourself from this mission sooner.

But, Kei must have known this would happen. Curiosity killed the cat, and you were very curious. Maybe, just maybe you can simply charm your way out of this.

“Last I checked, James Bond is fictional.”

“I know, but 007 jokes aside...I’m on an unofficial visit to Japan. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the government took the precaution of putting me under surveillance. The British government takes those kinds of measures when other countries’ diplomats start acting strangely.”

What a fortuitous turn! At least he doesn’t know where you’re from. “You mean...You think I’m a spy sent by the government?”

“Or maybe an assassin,” his smile is cold, and his face settles once again into a sharp glare as his grip tightens into your hair.

The crushing anxiety you were feeling at being caught in a trap evaporates. Maybe you can salvage this. He still essentially knows nothing. Not your real name, not your agency. He may be moving me into check, but he hasn’t clinched the checkmate yet. You refocus your alias in your mind. He should believe you are a government spy, cleverly caught out by him. This is your last chance to catch him unguarded.

You speak, but with the air of neither confirming nor denying his suspicions. “You must like spy movies. I do too, but it’s important to distinguish fiction from reality. If what you’re suggesting is true, Kei...Why not shoot me dead right now?”

“That kind of thing happens in movies all the time… I’m not a huge fan of guns, though.” He releases his hold on your hair, trailing his fingers downward until they rest on your neck, his elegant fingers on both sides of your throat. Your heart is racing again. His hand is large enough to crush your windpipe.

Kei moves his head close to your ear. “If all you want to do is watch me, I don’t mind. You can watch me all you like.” His voice somehow reminds you of some lovers’ pillow talk. But that may just be your Omega reacting.

“What...what do you mean?” That comes out a little breathier than you expected.

“In exchange...I’d like for you to be my accomplice.”

Something tells you this isn’t just picking up the slack on his afternoon tea duties.

“I’ll tell you more once you’ve signed a contract. You don’t have to worry. It won’t be anything illegal.” You look at him curiously, but he continues, “There’s something I need to take care of, and I could use the talents of a capable woman like yourself.”

You think, this could work out well, you’d definitely find out why he’s in Japan. And he wouldn’t think to look further to find out your real identity. That’s a risk you’re willing to take to get out of this. May as well play a little though, flirting is the fun part, after all.

“And if I refuse?”

Kei frowns a little, furrowing his brow. “That would be a problem. I hadn’t considered that possibility. What should I do if you tell me no…?” You feel his grip on your neck pressing ever so slightly into your skin. No one ever said Alphas were normal.

“...Fine, I’ll indulge your little fantasy. After what’s happened today, it would probably even be educational.” You make a big show out of being ‘found out,’ lowering your eyes in resignation. You submissively meet his gaze again to look at his triumphant expression. At last, his hand pulls away from your neck.

“Well then, it’s a deal. Let’s drink on it.” Kei pushes your glass of absinthe towards you.

You reach for it, bringing it up to your lips; aware of Kei’s steady gaze trained on you the whole time.

“You actually have to drink this time. No pretending like you did last time.”

Guilty. You steel your nerves. Is there still some way to avoid drinking with him? If the final nail in your coffin before was your refusal to drink, maybe you should refuse again? As long as I can keep him on his toes, I can regain the advantage. “You want me to drink something this strong all alone with a man I just met…? I’d have to have a death wish.” You craft your expression into something innocent.

Kei smiles at you, cheerful in reply, “We’re no longer two people you ‘just met.’ If you’re going to be my accomplice, you’ve got to trust me.” He picks up the glass, pressing it into your hand. He then grazes his fingers along your lip, to show you he is watching this very closely.

You take a single sip of the absinthe. Licorice flavor is awash over your taste buds, and you hesitate to swallow. Kei’s fingers trail back down your face, along your neck as you involuntarily swallow. You feel a trickle of the cocktail dripping out of the corner of your mouth. That sneak is looking so smug, and self satisfied. You’re wondering how you ever thought he looked like a fairy tale prince.

“What do you think of the flavor?”

“It’s.. a lot to take. Like you, in a way. You and the way you do things.”

Kei lowers his voice once again and brings his face into your neck, breathing deeply, “I’ve just been captivated by your beauty, that’s all. The way your veins show ever so slightly under your delicate skin… makes me want to kiss them.” You feel his lips move downwards along those very spots and you shudder. Controlling someone like this is playing with fire, you think.

He moans into your neck, “Mmm, yes I definitely like you better without the mask. I want to see all of the different sides of you.” His voice tickles your rapidly heating skin.

Alpha wants us.

“...You just might get the chance. If you play your cards right, that is.” When did your voice become so breathy? Your throat is so dry.

Kei pulls his face up to look back into your eyes in response, “Sounds like a challenge has been issued. I’ll have you show you what I’m made of.” He punctuates his comment by licking the remaining absinthe from your lips. His tongue sends arcs of pleasure thrilling through your every breath.

You’re frozen, staring at Kei. He leans back, smiling.

“Well then, I suppose it’s now my turn…” Kei picks up his glass and knocks back the whole thing in one go.

“That seals our deal.”

“If you say so.” You feel your confident Nagisa mask slipping. What was that feeling? Logically this is still going your way but… as you look at his confident smirk, worry starts melting into an impending sense of anxiety and doom.

[aeoki]

SS Finals - Epilogue 5

Location: SS Stage (Eden) Characters: Hiyori, Jun, Nagisa & Ibara

Hiyori: Hehe. Besides, you couldn’t forgive yourself after going astray and tried to shoulder all of the responsibility yourself, right, Nagisa-kun?

You chose to fight outside of the law and made it so that you’d face a “divine punishment” that’s fitting for your sins.

Jun: What do you mean?

Hiyori: Everyone probably thought it was quite strange, but remember what was written in the “oracles”.

Those existed to ultimately point all the fingers at Nagisa-kun.

The “White Team” would be defeated after losing round after round. Who’s responsible for that? Why, that would be us, who handed the “oracles” out and forced the others to comply in accordance with them.

Nagisa: …Not us. Just me. I had intended on taking responsibility for it all from the beginning.

…That’s why I issued the “oracles” in my own name and not in “Eden’s”.

…I lost my mind and did that all on my own. And it placed everyone in a tough spot because of that.

…That was my plan.

…I am the one responsible for the “White Team’s” defeat and everyone will blame me for it. They’ll criticise, curse and throw rocks at me.

…It’s a fitting punishment for someone like me who went astray. I’m certain my incompetence would have been exposed to the world, so I wouldn’t be able to continue being an idol anymore.

Hiyori: If that’s what you think, then why did you hand the “oracles” to me that one time?

Jun: Yeah. The “oracles” ultimately ended up being something that was created in both of your names.

Ohii-san added a lot of stuff to those “oracles” and even signed it off himself.

Hiyori: Of course I would! We’ve lived this long together, so naturally, we’ll die together as well!

Nagisa: …If I said it was a momentary lapse of judgement, would you be angry with me?

…I, too, was afraid of being alone. I didn’t want to return to oblivion once more.

…I was foolish and weak and dragged you into it. I fell further and further, suffering the consequences of my own actions, while clinging onto you, who is so kind-hearted.

…But I snapped back to my senses afterwards and realised that I was simply relying on you.

…That’s why I asked Sakuma-kun to distribute the “oracles”.

…He’s very perceptive, so I had a feeling that he would understand even if I didn’t ask him to.

…The “oracles” is something I issued on my own accord and it has nothing to do with Hiyori-kun.

…That’s what I asked him to stress when I gave them to him.

…Everyone will believe it if it’s Sakuma-kun’s words.

…He is held in high regard, unlike me.

Ibara: I think you just don’t actually know your own worth. Besides, you’d also be looking down on His Highness, who is prepared to go to hell with you.

His decision is certainly not worth praising, but it would be extremely inhuman of you to trample over that.

Jun: Yeah. Ohii-san may be old-fashioned to think that you two are in the same boat, but it’s cruel to pretend his determination “never even existed”.

Nagisa: …Yeah. That would probably be the biggest sin I committed this time.

…I’m always relying on Hiyori-kun – It’s pathetic.

…The “oracles” became even more perfect after Hiyori-kun revised them.

…It made it so that I was the one responsible, so each person could act comfortably. The hidden message and the contents turned into something coherent and comprehensible.

Hiyori: Those intentions weren’t clear in the draft you wrote after all, Nagisa-kun.

They’d probably be confused and suspicious… Which might have the opposite effect and cause everyone to suspect everything and no one would follow the “oracles”.

That’s why I decided to revise them.

It seems Sakuma-kun agreed to Nagisa-kun’s request and told everyone to ignore the parts I had added, though.

I chose not to erase his parts. So everyone who read my perfect writing would be able to understand our intentions perfectly.

Nagisa: …Right. Thank you. My plan worked and I was able to defeat my detested “enemy”, thanks to your help.

Hiyori: It’s wrong to think you could have won all by yourself in the first place, you know! Why do you think units and teams exist?

They exist in order to help overcome walls you can’t climb over by yourself, right?

I never liked Eichi-kun’s method of doing things, but it doesn’t mean the results he produces are worthless!

The power that allows us idols to move forward definitely exists there.

Nagisa: …Yeah. This is everyone’s victory. We were able to secure our future at the end of the tightrope.

…In reality, I had come up with several plans, but thanks to everyone, I think we were able to reach the most appropriate ending.

…”Priest’s” goal was to obtain the splendour of days past. Everything he did was for his own interests and to acquire glory.

…At the same time, taking the place of Subaru-kun’s father, who he detested, envied and admired more than anyone else, was essential.

…That was what I was able to surmise. But I cannot lure him out with such superficial bait.

…He is a mysterious man akin to an apparition that was never exterminated. No one would have so much trouble if he could be defeated so easily.

…So I laid out the table and made sure I was thorough in my preparations.

…I was able to predict several patterns where he would appear. First, he would use the position of the “Support Idol” to replace Touri-kun who had collapsed.

…But I wanted to avoid this if possible. “Priest” is “Lucifer”, the “Support Idol” for us – the “White Team”. It seems he used his own power to obtain that position.

…But Touri-kun is part of the “Red Team”. “Lucifer” doesn’t have the right to appear in Touri-kun’s place.

…So in that case, it was possible that in the worst-case scenario, he would kill Seiya Hidaka-sensei, the “Support Idol” for the “Red Team”, in order to replace him.

…”Priest” can transform into anyone. He tried to stand at the top of the industry to obtain glory, so transforming into Seiya Hidaka-sensei would have been appropriate.

…Of course, transforming into Subaru-kun’s father would be the best option, though.

…Seiya Hidaka-sensei is the last super idol that’s active and his position is more than attractive.

…Kill him, take his place and gain fame.

…He could have also chosen to make a public appearance as Subaru-kun’s father – the thing Sensei was always trying to safeguard – whenever he liked.

Jun: Ohh~... Come to think of it, Hidaka-sensei did mention that he might be assassinated or something like that. I thought he was just joking.

Nagisa: …Sensei is very good with his calculations, so maybe that’s how he reached that conclusion. He is unfathomable.

…One could even say he almost has the ability to predict the future. I’ve heard he can read the future by analysing the components of this world and calculating those movements.

…That’s a miracle impossible for humans. But Sensei can do something very similar to that.

…He is the last active super idol. Just as I had thought, he is the one closest to God in this current era.

Jun: Haha. In the opposite sense, it seems Hokuto Hidaka-san also has quite a troublesome father.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[giantchasm]

some thoughts about the most recent preview of koroq

i..i saw the most recent preview, and i’ve been thinking about it for a few days! before i make this post i should really admit that i have NOT actually read koroq, but as someone who’s been keeping up on the summaries and someone generally interested in the metanarrative of assclass i figured i’d throw a few ideas/concepts/analysises out there because this chapter has raised some really interesting questions in my mind.

so from what i’ve gotten of his backstory in the koroq au, korosensei was once a great (human) hero who defeated the previous big bad. equally as goofy as the korosensei we know and love today, he was a... big dork. but when he defeated the big bad his sword was cursed and implanted tentacles in him, designating him to become the next big bad. the only reason he awoke before his personality had changed was his bug, and he decided to train students to defeat him when he inevitably went apeshit. (correct me if i’m wrong, here)

this is generally a pretty neat way to handle his... everything in a fantasy au, and it’s brought up some ideas/theories of mine, which i’ll detail under the cut

-i’m genuinely hoping they don’t just drop this korosensei turning evil plot thread, or play it as a one off gag. more than anything i’d actually be fascinated to see if they did a reversal of his arc in the actual assclass, and have the monster korosensei is becoming take the personality of the reaper. seeing as how hero!korosensei was the same big goofball we knew, i’d love to see the reappearance of the cold, calculating reaper’s personality if korosensei degenerates in this au. now that we’ve seen goofy human korosensei give me evil assassin octopus korosensei.

-as everyone knows, (and as i’ve heard a few people upset about), no-one from korosensei’s actual canon backstory has appeared yet. but i’m not sure i’d count them out yet. for one, i can see 2.0 taking up a role where he attempts to become the next big bad for some reason or another (perhaps believing thats the only role he can fulfill in life), and purposefully trying to off korosensei with the cursed sword. similarly, i would genuinely not be surprised if y*nagisawa was the source of the curse in the first place, and has something to gain from keeping the big bad cycle working. i... do not know where aguri would fit into all of this (part of kayano’s backstory? helpful to getting through to korosensei? part of his reverse-character-development in a shocking development? anything works) but if she doesn’t appear i WILL go apeshit considering how poorly canon itself has already treated her role in the story.

-and most importantly: what the hell does anyone intend to do about this curse!? i STRONGLY doubt korosensei would want any of his students to. like. become evil and destroy a bunch of shit. so im interested to see if they’ll be looking into a way to break the curse before they kill off korosensei, or if korosensei will attempt to end his life without getting any of the students harmed in the crossfire (which. still raises the question of what the curse would do if the big bad offed themselves. because i have no idea. would it spawn a new big bad?). and, of course, the question of why the sword reacted most to nagisa. as we know, in canon, nagisa is the one to kill korosensei. will he do this in koroq too? will nagisa inherit the curse? if so, i’m interested to see if the koroq au will go down the path of assassin!nagisa that canon nagisa decided not to. 

all in all a very interesting chapter that raises a LOT of interesting questions. and if this one off joke manga ends up boiling all of this down to a one off joke i will admittedly not be surprised, but in the meantime it’s fun to throw darker/more meta ideas out there.

[your-dr-imagines]

Loved the latest warriors of hope ask, can we also get them all together?

I love these kids so much! I’m happy I got to do them all together! I want to write more WoH wow.

~ Mod Hajime

DR:AE Spoilers Below

Warriors of Hope Saved by Ultimate Caretaker!Reader

- You met the Warriors of Hope one at a time. You came across the majority of them after their “execution”.

- You found Masaru on the outskirts of town, a bit beat-up with a bruised arm and cuts along his legs and arms. In his tired state, he didn’t hesitate much when you brought him in to take care of you.

- You found Jataro rather immediately, seeing him surrounded by a small group of the Monokuma Kids. When you showed true concern for him, he happily joined you.

- You met Nagisa next, seeing him limping around with a hurt leg. He joined you rather immediately when you offered to help him get patched up.

- You found Kotoko after the main attacks ended. She was out on the street, seemingly looking for the three boys that were with you. She didn’t even need to be asked to join you four. She had been searching for them and she was no longer thought all adults were demons.

- You managed to agree on a place to set up as a base. The only problem at that point was getting all the way across the city to the building.

- Your travel was smooth at first. The majority of the Monokuma Kids had stopped their attacks, instead hiding from the adults.

- Your biggest problem popped up only a couple of blocks away from your destination. A group of adults still hellbent on revenge spotted the five of you and recognized the children as the ones that started this mess.

- They were quick to attack and slow to try and reason with you.

- You didn’t hesitate to shove the four of them behind you, standing your ground. It was your job to take care of children. That included the four with you.

- You simply stared at the four adults as they yelled at you to move out of the way. You gave a stiff shake of your head. That wasn’t going to happen.

- You endured it the best you could as you felt the start to hit you with whatever they had intended on attacking the children with.

- The Warriors of Hope yelled out as you pushed them back away from you and towards the building you were headed for.

- You endured the attacks for a couple of minutes until Monokuma Kids could be seen telling a couple of Monokumas to scare the adults off.

- As they ran off, you finally let yourself collapse to the ground, your breathing heavy. You could feel a broken arm without a doubt, as well as bruising and cuts that would easily worsen over time.

- As you heard footsteps, you quickly looked up, your eyes widening as you saw that the four children hadn’t left.

- Before you can get a word out, they rush over to you, carefully but strongly hugging you. They were more than thankful for your actions.

- “Don’t thank me. This is what I do. I care about you guys.”

- They help you stand and walk the remaining of the trip.

- They help take care of you, returning the favor for everything that you had done for them.

- They love you a lot. In a world where they used to think adults were demons, you were practically an angel.

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 089

Episode: Futari wa Precure Max Heart 39 - “Go All Out Out! The Youth Lacrosse Finals!!” Date watched: 28 October 2018 Original air date: 27 November 2005 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/0Y1Lywz

that’s it, that’s the review

bonus quip: this looks like the setup for a Dokidoki monster

Okay no I can’t just leave it at that, because hot damn is this another really good episode. I’d say the 30s of Max Heart have been a tad better overall than the 30s of FW, though that may be due to them skipping a couple of weeks earlier in the season, putting the 30s of MH a little closer to the endgame while in FW it was largely filler. Anyway, regardless of why, this is a good episode. Let’s break it down.

It’s the lacrosse finals, and once again it’s going to be Verone vs. Otagaku Girls Jr. High. While Verone’s practice involves Nagisa positively reinforcing the team and just encouraging them to have fun, we cut to Otagaku’s practice and they’re being drilled like the military. The captain, Nagasawa, is going over formations rigorously and chastising players for being a few seconds early or a few inches out of position. Essentially she’s hyperfocused on perfection and chasing victory over enjoyment, because she knows Verone is a strong opponent. One day, Nagasawa waits outside of Verone in order to formally introduce herself to Nagisa before they meet on the field. She recognizes that it will be the last game that both of them play as middle schoolers, and tells Nagisa about the perfect team she’s created. She attempts to take her leave after wishing Verone good luck in the match but Nagisa decides, in true Nagisa fashion, to invite her out to Akane’s place to eat takoyaki. While they eat, Shiho, Rina, Hikari, and Honoka all comment on how Nagisa’s easygoing nature tends to surprise people, and clearly Nagasawa is taken aback by this display of friendliness. As they all talk, Nagisa opens up about why she started playing and why she continues, urging the rival captain to do the same. Honoka makes a remark about Nagisa being happiest when she’s playing lacrosse, which Nagisa responds to by saying it’s because she loves lacrosse. Nagasawa seems a little surprised by this response, as if it’s not something she’s really considered before.

At the game, the difference between the two teams is clear before they even start the match. Otagaku is interested in a no-nonsense victory while Verone is all about playing their best and enjoying this final game, whatever the outcome. When the starting whistle blows, Verone gets the ball but Otagaku intercepts a pass and cleverly maneuvers into a quick goal. While Nagisa encourages her team to keep on going and do their best because it’s still early, Nagasawa criticizes her players for being slightly out of position or off on their timing. The next play, Shiho winds up with the ball, blocked on both sides and unable to pass (her specialty). Nagisa encourages her to just go for it so she shoots..... and flounders... but by a stroke of luck the ball bounces around the goal and the goalie accidentally knocks it in. The look on Nagasawa’s face is golden.

As the match continues, Nagisa scores a goal, putting Verone one up on Otagaku, and then the end the half at 3-2 Verone. While the Verone team laugh and revel, Nagasawa wonders how they can be so jovial. Then she flashes back to her conversation with Nagisa as she remembers the remark about loving lacrosse and realizes that she stopped loving it herself along the way. That’s when she has her little revelation (at the top) that she’s focusing too much on winning, and for the first time she gives her team some slack and positive reinforcement. This is clearly not something they’re used to but they take it well. Going into the second half, Otagaku’s playing style has livened up and Honoka, Hikari, Seekun, and Happynen all notice. They score a goal. Nagisa goes to take a shot of her own and then..... well, what always happens in lacrosse episodes? The match is interrupted. This time it’s Circulas who drags them into an alternate dimension. He insists that darkness will devour them and they’ll submit to the Dark King’s will, they fire back that they have free will, their own desires, and that their personal happiness is the most important thing to them. He sics a giant zakenna on them made from the stadium lights, armed with a crosse and able to throw them around. It’s a pretty good fight, they come out on top with Extreme Luminario and then return to the game. It’s tied 4-4 when Nagisa gets back and there’s seconds to spare as she shoots at the goal. The ball ricochets around before making it in as Nagisa falls on her face and time runs out. Verone has won! Nagasawa immediately thanks Nagisa for a fantastic match, in the process reminding her what she loved about lacrosse to begin with, and hopes that they can meet again in high school. Happynen makes a speech about how everybody was pursuing their happiness and he’s seen enough, and returns to the Chairect, bringing the number of sealed Heartiels to 9, and that concludes it.

Oh also the last few episodes, Hikari and Hikaru have both been thinking intently about their encounter in Kyoto. There’s not much to say about that, but it seemed worth bringing up in case it pays off in the next few episodes. It’s implied they might be able to connect thoughts with each other, but this is unclear.

I have two minor criticisms about this episode and then I’ll get into the analysis of what makes it good. First is a plot-ish criticism. I’m flashing back to the first season when the villains would have to lure the girls away from the lacrosse field instead of just transporting them to another place or dimension. I liked that, it allowed the villains to be a little more clever in their approach (even if Regine was the tallest middle school lacrosse player ever) and was a bit more diverse than BOOM you’re in a dark lacrosse field now something like 5 times this series. It doesn’t ruin the show or anything though. The second is an animation criticism, and really it’s not even that, more of an observation. There’s a shot where the three heroines are standing in a circle and espousing their values to Circulas, and the camera is intended to circle around them. Instead what they do is slide a large model of the closest girl across the frame with mid-size models of the other two, and they keep switching who’s in front. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow to support what I’m saying. I realize animating rotation is really hard, even The Lion King had difficulty with that famous shot where the camera circles from behind Simba and Mufasa to infront of them, so I can’t fault a low budget anime for not doing what even a well-funded Disney movie couldn’t, but it stood out because they kept repeating the shot so I’m pointing it out.

Onto the good stuff. Nagasawa is an interesting character. She could almost be Nagisa if her circumstances were different, but she gets caught up in victory over fun. Her methods work, her team is top notch, but as she realizes at the halfway point, a little positive reinforcement goes a long way. Fortunately her team trusted in her enough up to that point. It’d be easy to hate her, but you can’t. She’s another captain who has a method that works and her team respects her leadership. Before the end of the match she remembers to have fun with it, too. I’m glad they took the time to flesh out one of Nagisa’s opponents like this. It is Nagisa’s last senior lacrosse game and that’s a bit sad, but it’s time to move on. I might have more thoughts to share in the morning, we’ll see. For now, I’ll end it here.

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 Areinai White Precure Word Ways: 1 “Mou, Nagisa ttara”

Next time: Ryouta gets a sports episode too. I didn’t know he played a sport.