#and thinking about kisa in Amber

[psychopomp-namine]

(kisa route) in a way, sissia vs gashadokuro really is as much a competition between kisa and chui as it is between present neji and past neji, and all of the things kisa, chui, and neji represent. quartz vs amber, transformation/collaboration vs raw talent, reaching for visions yet to be realized vs perfecting a vision. the "gear" and "gods and mortals" metaphors

the irony of chui "I'll die for theater, literally and figuratively" tanakamigi existing while neji is writing a play where the lead also "dies for theater", but chui and sissia are coming at it from completely different directions

like, to me, this is neji's finale as much as it is kisa's. quartz exists the way it does because neji transferred there and reshaped the class to make up for tsuki's absence. all of the plays they perform are a product of neji absorbing everyone around him, but every play is also a reflection of neji's thoughts on his classmates and his growth as a character and artist

just look at I Am Death and how his writing progressed to central nation of sissia. neji wrote takihime because he wanted chui to have hope that there is someone out there who can match his talents, that he wouldn't be lonely on the stage. but neji himself didn't really believe (at the time) that such a person exists. while he meant well, it's kind of a mean thing to write for chui, who is the kind of artist who will try to perfect the script over and over, always searching for takihime

sissia, on the other hand, was written for kisa. neji wrote all the things necessary to kisa, which includes having "warm and welcoming friends"

if chui met quartz!neji instead of amber!neji, he might have gotten a kinder script, one where gashadokuro doesn't get summoned by a takihime that acts as his mirror, but one where he is brought down to earth and warmly humanized by the people around him

all this is made all the more poignant during the scene when kisa saw chui practicing at the himehiko shrine and the player can make the choice for kisa to see chui as just another seventeen year old boy, reaching for his dreams like she is. in many ways, neji and kisa are probably the only people in univeil who take the time to see chui as just another fellow artist, human and growing and changing, while the rest of them (amber, univeil, tamasaka) are basically elevating him to god/demon status and distance themselves from ever connecting with him

[ririya-translates]

Jack Jeanne March/April 2025 News

Apologies if someone has already done a big news roundup post but I figured I'd write one for covering the fourth anniversary stuff and new book and manga releases.

This year's anniversary art took a very different direction from the formal styles from last year's with a more streetwear look. Official website here.

We got a livestream too with Yuka Terasaki (Kisa), Masumu Ono (Kasai), and Taichi Kusano (Mare) where they read some fan mail about things people like about JJ and which class they'd be in. The stream didn't reveal a lot of new news, although it does sound like Ishida and Towada are working on the sequel pretty much every day. Towada also posted this cute art before the stream on Bluesky.

On another stream Kisa's VA did with Gakuto Kajiwara (Shirota) she mentioned that she's only met with Ishida twice so far (and that he reminds her of Kenshi Yonezu??) so it sounds like probably a lot is going on in the planning and writing stage, but they're not at the recording stage yet. Also please watch this adorable clip of them singing Faded Color together.

As far as anniversary news, a lot of it was the expected things (mostly stuff that's hard to access outside of Japan) like Joysound karaoke collab, Gratte cafe collab, popup shops in Shibuya and Umeda with a little digital stamp collection game. I'm expecting merch to be sold online on Broccoli's store after the shops close at the end of March (requires a JP address so you will likely need a proxy shipping service outside of Japan). In addition to the acrylic stands and pins, there was a cute Tummy coffee tumbler and a sorta itabag-style tote with a window in it for showing off merch. They also announced a new drama CD coming out based on Towada's birthday stories (currently untranslated to my knowledge).

But the most exciting thing is that we're getting some new content! The first is a novel by Towada called 玉坂の光跡 or "Tamasaka's Trail of Light" which includes both the first anniversary novel "Happy Anniversary" (which used to be free but has sadly been cut to just a sample) and a new episode of 30k characters. It's a bit over 300 pages long which makes it slightly longer than the summer novel and Seven Winds. There's also some pre-order bonuses (art from Stella Worth and a visual board with a short story from Animate)

The second is a manga collection titled ジャックジャンヌ FOLIAGE ～アンバー・オニキス～ (Jack Jeanne FOLIAGE - Amber & Onyx) which has both Puppet and Parsley manga with some new art. If you want to check out the JP versions, I suggest trying to do so before April 17th as I'm unsure if they'll continue to be available for free after the commercial release.

But perhaps one of the most exciting things is that just today Ishida announced a new two-part manga one-shot published in Ultra Jump on April 18th. It's called "Duckweed" and will be focused on Minorikawa's first year after being picked to the be class lead's assistant and his challenges in managing all the Rhodonite girlies. Unlike the others, I do not expect this one to be posted officially online for free since it's being published.

For those who were maybe hoping for more sequel news, I do think the biggest thing we can take away from all this between the note at the end of Parsley, Kasai and Mare on the anniversary stream, and now a Minorikawa manga is that I get the strong sense the sequel will take place in the following year with Kisa as a second-year. I'm not sure how they will make this work with the graduated students, but that seems to be the direction all signs are indicating.

[inpursuitofadreamer]

WTF is up with Tanakamigi Chui

and why doesn’t he have a route?

spoilers for pretty much the whole game, but especially Kisa’s, Kisa’s bad ending, Kai’s, Mitsuki’s, and Neji’s routes.

As I got further in the game, I started to wonder why so many people in Jack Jeanne wished to keep Chui and Kisa apart. Separate from the common route’s general assertion that Kisa is an integral part of Quartz, and dismissing the true reason Chuza invites Kisa to Univeil revealed in her route. The 3rd year Quartz students in particular has a sense of apprehension about Chui and Kisa, but it was intangible, it felt a bit overprotective, until certain key points even outside of the bad ending.

The moment where Chuza tells Kisa, during a weekend hangout scene with him during her route, that she should be careful because she and Chui may be ‘drawn to each other’, I thought my hunch was right, and started to pay much closer attention to Chui as I replayed each route again.

Chui is asked to explain his attraction to Kisa several times, but the one that stood out to me the most is within Mitsuki’s route. What he is looking for, what he sees in Kisa, and how she is confirming she is who he needs.

He says some variation of this in every route:

The winter performance. What you sacrificed to stand on the Univeil stage was of the greatest value of all. It was far more important than life itself, putting yourself as close to death as possible. You know what I’m talking about. You sacrificed your right to remain on Univeil’s stage in order to continue to do so.

But in Mitsuki’s route he continues:

Your very breath on that stage made my soul tremble with glee… You are to live for me, just as I thought. You are the only one who can play Takihime in “I am Death”.

You have what I want more than anything in the world.

But here is the moment things come together. Where the game pays off something being set up entire common route, a chilling moment of ‘oh shit, he knows,’ in the best and worst ways possible. This moment recontextualizes the rest of the game.

Your body knows well that you can rise beyond all others simply by taking my hand. You know yourself. Your body is able to sense my very presence. You notice even a single glance from me. You cannot take your eyes off me when I stand before you.

I have seen them described as ‘soulmate-coded’. It does feel that way, with the understanding that this isn’t a good thing. The worst kind of soulmates who will destroy each other. This is what I think 3Q senses when they realize they need to keep Chui and Kisa apart.

In Kai’s route in particular, we see where Chui would lead her when he tells Kisa to play Takihime. He sees the darkness she hides behind her eyes that Fumi and Kai sense in Fumi’s route and identifies it correctly as grief. When Kisa pulls it to the surface and places it in Takihime’s hands, we listen to Chui breathe her in as her voice trembles and wavers over a prayer. It triggers something in both of them, Kisa loses her sense of self trying to face her brother, and Chui loses his motivation to perform “I am Death” after having momentarily experienced the connection he’d longed for. It is only when Kisa and Chui turn away from each other that they gain themselves back.

As an aside, wow is Yuka Terasaki’s performance in Jack Jeanne spectacular or what?! When I did Chui’s bad end, I was really hoping we’d get the full “I am Death” with Kisa as Takihime. I wanted to experience the whole of the performance, juxtaposing Chui’s deep, haunting moans with Kisa’s heartbroken cries. Couldn’t we at least get a CG with that scene in Kai’s route? The way I was so disappointed!

It is even more poignant, then, when Amber goes to Univeil theatre to practice in Mitsuki’s route, to find Mitsuki singing to Kisa. Chui notes that she didn’t notice him with a hint of loneliness. His response to Mitsuki and Kisa’s partnership in this moment, after hushing Kamiya for Kisa’s benefit… it hits a bit harder when you think of the moment he finds what he’s sought in Kai’s route and has to leave it behind.

Neji watches Chui’s “I am Death” backstage with Kisa in his route, being the only one who seems to look at this 17yr old as the human he is, and feels conflicted. It was Neji’s script and direction that set Chui on this path, regardless of having relinquished his responsibilities by moving to Quartz. Even so, Neji is a child too, possibly not even 18 himself or about to turn 19, but he still holds on to a sense of guilt for essentially abandoning Chui. Neji is likely the one person who actually cares about Chui the person, having in various routes commented on Chui’s solitude and lonliness, his pure love of theatre, his desire to perform with someone who is as talented and passionate about the stage as he is.

Knowing all this, Neji still tells Kisa, ‘I can’t give you to him.’

It’s framed as a soft, romantic moment where Neji once again shows Kisa the vulnerability he tries to hide with jokes and silly voices, while again hardening his resolve to protect her. But Neji shows he isn’t doing it only for her, as he explains what he wishes he could offer to Chui and how, in the current circumstances, he can only ‘show Chui his limits.’ The best thing Neji can do for Chui in this moment is to show him the importance of connection through example. Interesting, because the connection Neji has with Kisa was prompted by Chui going out of his way to push Kisa to not abandon Neji, when Chui himself is rejecting all connection being offered to him.

From Kisa’s route, the important 1/31 event:

Kisa: Why do you go so far to be alone? Tanakamigi, you look like… you’re in pain.

Kisa: Can’t you let yourself accept other people’s help sometimes?

Chui: …the stage would be soiled. Then no one would be able to witness the perfection of my many talents.

Chui: Standing on the stage is proof of my existence.

Later Kisa tells Neji that she saw Chui rehearsing.

Kisa: I felt a sense of dread while watching him. Like watching someone with an unimaginable burden…

Neji has a deep, innate understanding of what Chui seeks, it is a desire they share - something Chui has mentioned multiple times but doesn’t elaborate on. They almost speak in code, Neji is the only one who understands what the hell Chui is talking about when he keeps calling Kisa ‘the transparent vessel’. They talk about talent in the same way, as if it is all they are and the value of their existence is determined by it. Their sense of self worth is their talents itself, their determination of other’s value is based on the ruler they measure themselves by, creating a wall that prevents them from gaining what they desire most.

The move to Quartz is what essentially saves Neji, getting him out of an environment where the people around him only care about him because of his talent. It is noted several times that Neji works his ass off, but he is often spoken about in terms of talent instead of hard work - Mitsuki says it outright at one point: it is talent + hard work that = genius but people only talk about ‘talent’. Fumi and Kai both tell Kisa Neji has a hard time communicating, he doesn’t know what to say and when to say it, or what not to say, and he doesn’t attempt to make himself understood. Instead they call Neji a ‘genius and a talent’, further isolating him. By the members of Quartz humanizing him during their second year and throughout the common route, challenging him over and over until he learns to consider people as people (i.e. during the summer performance prep), and further befriending Kisa, Neji comes to the exact opposite conclusion as Chui.

Neji and Chui become mirror images in his route, which sets up Chui’s behavior and obsession in Kisa’s route. It would be harder to understand Chui’s madness and motivations without Neji’s extremes. Both of them are willing to rend flesh and spill blood for the stage, but so is Kisa.

Neji: Your ingenious eyes are constantly moving for the stage and for Quartz more than I expected! Should the stage be amiss, you are willing to spare your very flesh and blood!

Neji: You have what it takes to become one with Chui. Your affection and feelings towards Univeil’s performances is eerily clear and beautiful… Chui can elevate himself to a high dimension with someone like you who can burn their life for the stage.

This is what we see happen in Kisa’s bad end and in Kai’s route when Kisa interacts with Chui. This is what 3Q is afraid of. Chui wants to sacrifice them both to the stage. In Kisa’s route he explains that he performs with the goal of proving his own existence. He is only living, breathing, if he is performing. In Kisa we find the ‘soulmate’ who does the same.

To some extent Chui learns the same thing in each route, but in particular Neji’s, Kai’s and Kisa’s routes: the relationship between partners must be reciprocal.

That’s why Neji’s wishes for Kisa and attempting to keep Kisa and Chui apart makes even more sense in her own route, where Chui starts to lose his mind, saying he will take Amber’s blood and pour it into the vessel that is Kisa.

Neji: But I don’t want you to become one with someone else. I want you to be transparent forever without a blemish of color from others.

It would still be incredible to see the legendary performance of “I am Death” that only Kisa and Chui would be able to perform. It would be extremely interesting to see Kisa’s first year at Univeil as if she was placed in Amber. There is nothing more satisfying when Chui slaughters Kamiya and Momonashi over the ‘filth’ they spew anytime they catch sight of a Quartz student, after all, imagining Kisa starting in Amber with these two honed talents and her with no experience at all, but skyrocketing to stardom alongside Chui would satisfy the petty bones in my body. ‘Villian’ routes in otome are pretty common but I rarely find them satisfying, but I do think a Chui route would be great even though in the context of current Jack Jeanne’s Univeil it would be tragic.

But most of all, I would love to see Chui alongside the other 77th year students as 3rd years, taking care of his kids in Amber, and growing a healthy friendship with Minorikawa, Mitsuki, and Sugachi. Considering the reveal of his circumstances in Kisa’s route, I think he deserves that sort of peace.

[nejis-desk]

Jack Jeanne Complete Collection - Interview with Terasaki Yuka (Kisa’s Voice Actor) Translation

This short cast interview is from the Jack Jeanne Complete Collection art book!

Ishida: What were your impressions when you first saw the setting of Jack Jeanne?

Terasaki: It’s a story about teenagers putting on plays together that’s drawn by the creator of Tokyo Ghoul, Ishida Sui-sensei. That information alone was all it took for me to be interested. I’m sure a lot of other people thought the same.

Since it’s a story that takes place in a theatre school, I found the way it's like a game meets theatre to be unique. I also found the aspect that the shows are put on by an all male cast to be really intriguing.

—

Ishida: When you were voicing Tachibana Kisa, were there any aspects of your performance that you had to be careful about?

Terasaki: Kisa is a character herself, but she is also the stand in for everyone that’s playing the game. That’s why I stuck to the initial impression of the script as much as possible without adding too much of my own flair. I wanted her to be ‘transparent’ like Quartz.

In the romantic scenes especially, I want the player to have their heart racing over what Kisa’s love interest is saying and focus on them. So during those scenes I made sure to act out Kisa’s emotions more subtly. I’d like for those playing to be able to decide their own colours for Kisa, so I left some of her canvas blank. I remember I would go into the recording sessions keeping that in mind.

—

Ishida: Were there any particular challenges you faced while working on Jack Jeanne?

Terasaki: The singing. When I first listened to the songs with the temporary vocals I was like ‘I’m going to be singing this!?’ and my anxiety quickly turned into terror! I had to reconstruct the way I’d been singing up until then from scratch. It was very difficult and I was unsure about a lot of things, but now thanks to Jack Jeanne I love singing even more than I did before.

—

Ishida: Other than Kisa, are there any other characters that are your favourite or that you took a liking to?

Terasaki: Tachibana Tsuki… He’s Kisa’s older brother, but there’s still a lot of unsolved mysteries surrounding him. I can’t help but be curious about him. I’d love to read a novel or something about Tsuki-nii when he was a student at Univeil. I’d like to see Fumi-san and the other third years when they weren’t upperclassmen too.

—

Ishida: Quartz, Onyx, Rhodonite, Amber. If you were to enrol at Univeil, which class would you like to be assigned to?

Terasaki: The relationships between the seniors and juniors are wonderful in every class, however I think I’d have to pick Quartz. Since I don’t think you can join the other three unless you’re already particularly skilled at singing, dancing or acting. So I’d like to find my own way to express my individuality in Quartz!

—

Ishida: You have some experience with stage acting, so were there any scenes or moments in the game that you could relate to?

Terasaki: Jack Jeanne has a lot of different choices and branches in the story. You can choose different lines to say during the plays too, but no matter which one you choose the show will still reach its conclusion. If another actor changes something then you have to change with them, and if you change something, then they have to change with you. Even though every performance of a show is supposed to have the same programme and script and movements, you go into it with a fresh mind each day and there are slight differences between the shows.

There are things you sometimes only realise on opening day when you see the audience walking in, so I could relate to the sense of tension actually putting on a show brings. I’d love for the players to see how each character's dialogue changes with each option, so please play through the shows multiple times!

—

Ishida: Every show in the game is quite different thematically, which one (setting, musical composition, etc) did you like best? Also, were there any shows that you’d like to try starring in in real life?

Terasaki: All of the shows are very different and I love all of them, but the one that I felt the most accomplished and happily tired after was the autumn performance. During auditions, the selection of lines from it were full of passion and tension, so I remember being excited to record for the autumn performance.

As for which one I’d like to try in real life, it would be Sissia of the Central Nation. When I recorded my lines for the whole show in one session, I started arranging how the stage set would look like in my mind. I’d think ‘this line would definitely be delivered from the top of the set, and this line would be said from the audience to the stage’. I’d read the lines whilst imagining what the show would look like and the performance that I could picture the clearest was Sissia of the Central Nation. So I ended up really wishing I could see it in person.

[lycoryves]

things i will get on my hands and knees and beg for in jj2 (under cut, non-exhaustive and written while huffing 12 liters of pure copium and oops! all side characters)

-tanakamigi extended bad end from the one in the first game or epilogue-ish side route where he and kisa start really hitting it off after quartz beats amber in her ending

-minorikawa side route. for no other reason than i think he's a loser and i need to see more of him immediately (bonus points if they imply he used to have a little thing for tsukasa. just for me)

-kasai side route because he likes kisa so much please just give him a chance with her HE'S SO SERIOUS ABOUT HER

-since sugachi's va retired (even though he said he'd reprise the role and already has lol), sugachi is always out of town visiting kaido on the weekends to reduce the amount of voice lines. this is never elaborated on.

-momonashi and kamiya events. not even necessarily side stories or mini-routes like the first game just where kisa can run into them at the coffee shop or whatever.

-full otori route where everyone gives him shit for denying his feelings. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE ONE. CMON.

-unexplained eita/kamiya. they're dating now

-mare is revealed to be a STEM-inclined chess genius who used to breeze through university-level math classes and that's why he's got a more laid-back attitude. minorikawa knows this through tsukasa which is why they clash so much. minorikawa has to put his nose to the grindstone to still go ignored and mare feels called out by his pressure but they work it out on the remix and start seeing eye to eye and rhodonite becomes EXTREMELY competitive at the festivals again. tsukasa visits and he's SO happy with how they're doing he cries

-quartz script adapter!sou. he doesn't have neji's talent for writing (...yet) but he DOES have a knack for taking existing stories and picking them apart

-kisa doing her hair in her second year like mukai and ao trying not to have a crisis because "oh no my friend is so gallant and charming and talented." think susahao from dgs

-tanakamigi and amber doing something other than i am death. still weird stuff, but new. EVERY class experimenting and trying new stuff because clearly it worked for quartz (rhodonite taking a page out of onyx's book and doing a broadway show like wicked PLEASE,,, they'd love the double al jeanne setup and fiyero would be such a challenge for minorikawa but he'd eat down)

-TSUKI + TACHIBANA LORE. i don't need them to tell us what actually happened. i just want more information on the stuff that's implied about tsuki having to raise kisa and the fact the game starts with kisa hoping the knock on her door isn't a debt collector

-second year performance ft. sou, kamiya, yuki, and dante. sou's allowed to try his hand at writing the full script since it's a short show and it goes about as well as you'd expect with those three over his shoulder.

-jack ace!otori and jeanne!suzu because both of them would grow SO much from it

-live subtitles for the rhythm bits. please

-toichi nagayama cries at a romcom and we see his eyes open for the first time and he looks like this 🥺

[archaeren]

just an informal list of reasons to love Tanakamigi Chui

this is not my full essay but it's a quick list of reasons off the top of my head from someone who asked me on reddit

canonically the most “honest and straightforward” character in the game (Neji’s words, and they do hold true) I can’t stand being lied to, even about small things, and I don’t want Kisa to be lied to either. Chui does never and will never lie to her. He’ll straight up tell Kisa things that he’s definitely supposed to be keeping secret. He’s so honest, it’s actively uncomfortable for other people. He’s not trying to be mean, he’s not trying to be ‘brutally honest’, he’s just awkwardly honest and it’s cute and good and I love him for it. Man who doesn’t lie? So hot.

this is a man who will admit when he’s wrong. UNPROMPTED. do you all realize how rare this actually is? Nobody is expecting him to do this. It doesn't benefit him to do it. He just does it because he thinks it's the right thing to do. I feel like everybody expects him to be such a huge egotistical douche (especially after his little speech about how he feels nothing from Quartz's performances--and then it turns out that wasn't him being a dick, he apparently just sincerely feels that way) and then he will repeatedly UNPROMPTED come up to the members of Quartz to be like, “hey so I was wrong about x thing and I really learned a lot from watching you guys” and honestly this is so rare and not a thing guys tend to do in real life that this alone was enough to capture my heart. Seriously, first time I saw his reaction after the fall performance, I was like, "oh no it's over for me" A man who admits when he’s wrong!! Oh my god, he and Kisa would have such a healthy relationship between that and the not-lying thing. No mind games from this guy. Fuckin love to see it.

comes out swinging when it comes to defending Kisa There aren’t many scenes in the game where we have the opportunity to see how he reacts when he feels like Kisa is being insulted because it just doesn’t happen in front of him that often, but WHEN IT DOES oh man, he employs a few well-chosen words of COMPLETE AND UTTER OBLITERATION. You ain’t gonna insult the transparent vessel like that in front of Tanakamigi Chui, hell no! Even when it’s only that he feels like Amber’s win against Quartz wasn’t justified (try getting second place in the fall performance sometime lol, it's EXTREMELY worth it imo), he completely eviscerates his underclassmen over it. That's how you know he really cares about making sure the record is kept straight, because apparently there are only two things that matter to Tanakamigi Chui: Art, and Truth.

drinks his respect Kisa juice (post-winter play spoilers) it’s a consistent behavior for him across routes that he pursues Kisa pretty doggedly and seems like he won’t take ‘no’ for an answer—until you realize that he’ll only take Kisa’s ‘no’ for an answer. Anyone else tells him to back off, he’ll be like, “mmm nah, you don’t know what you’re talking about” but the moment Kisa tells him no or that he sees evidence that she’s not interested, he immediately backs off. He also continues to show respect for her after this, as a performer and rival, his respect is not conditional on her potential as a stage partner. (He also knows her secret after a certain point, but instead of using it against her to strong-arm her into getting his way like you might expect an antagonist to do, he’s basically like, “wow you really risked it all for the stage, that’s SO FUCKING BADASS and exactly what I’m looking for in a stage partner, please team up with me”) It’s really telling that his way of asking her to be his partner is always to offer her his hand, which is a recurring theme with them.

Chui and Kisa are straight-up soulmate-coded (Kisa route spoilers) this might be unintentional, but for some reason the game REALLY goes out of its way to drive home the point that they’re the only true equals for each other, that they’re the only ones who can fully bring out each other’s talent, that they’re so talent-compatible that it’s a little spooky, that Chui is desperately lonely without Kisa, that they can sense each other’s presence, that they’re both willing to give everything for the stage, and that they’re both hiding who they really are. (Chui is, in fact, the only one at Univeil who could actually personally understand Kisa's dilemma of hiding her identity to prevent expulsion--he's in a similar position for political reasons.) How else are we supposed to interpret all of that except that they’re meant to be together? (So why CAN’T they be??)

Chui would do more for Kisa than Chuza will (Kisa route spoilers) This is getting very much into Kisa route spoiler territory but Chui directly states that he doesn’t give a damn about Kisa’s gender, he just wants to perform with her. We can extrapolate from his behavior in Fumi’s route that he’s willing to go pretty far to ensure that can happen. In the power struggle between Chui and Chuza, I think it’s safe to assume that Chui would actually be WAY more ready to embrace relaxing the boys-only rule than Chuza is, just because all Chui actually cares about is getting the best talent, not in traditions or playing power games. Honestly I haven't the fainest idea why the game thinks we should support Chuza over Chui, and that's not even my Chui bias talking--in my experience, that's a pretty common sentiment in the fandom. XD

lbr, he’s damn fine that VOICE. those HANDS. his huge pretty eyes and long eyelashes. he’s so TALL and BENDY and AWKWARD and a DORK and I love it. he’s so GREY and his haircut is so STUPID and I just want to allow him to snuggle a soft pink creature (aka Kisa)

ahem. anyway.

[mozukumi]

What are your thoughts on each route of jack jeanne? Especially for mitsuki since you said you felt whelmed about it

This ask was an absolute treat to get! Thank you so much for asking, anon. I am always down to talk about Jack Jeanne. It went long, so details under the cut.

I'll go in the order that I played them in:

Kokuto Neji: When describing/liveblogging this guy to a friend who knew nothing about JJ, I kept calling him "my pet freak". Which is still a pretty accurate way to describe my thoughts on him. He is such a weirdo who will just say the most random shit, and it makes him such a unique LI . I really need to study this guy like a bug.

As for his route... I don't think it was amazingly done? I do want to give it props for how it handled the I Hate All Women plot - I think it was really cool that Neji was forced to confront that this woman who he built up in his mind all this time as the most evil person in the world was just... a person.

But it bugged me SO much that Neji constantly talked about how this was the ONLY play he could write, given his writers block. It was fine at first, but then I played other routes and realized he wrote the exact same fucking play even when he wasn't having this terrible writers block. I wish I could more eloquently explain just why this bothers me so much, but it REALLY does. It was supposed to be such a last resort for him, him basically exposing Kisa in order to make the show go on... and then he just does it in every timeline? Fuck offff.

Soshiro Yonaga: I had a lot of fun with this one. I'm always soft for childhood friends, and I think the dynamic was especially interesting here, since Sou was acting as our secret keeper. I appreciated all of his help in keeping our secret.

I liked the Christmas confession - as much as I love JJ, it can be kind of a nothingburger with romance at times. But I thought this one was handled well.

His route is one of the only times I could tolerate Amber Suddenly Appearing Constantly. I really did not like Amber in most routes, but I thought it was fun to see what Sou could have become. I think it's really funny that he goes yandere for like, one week, and then he's normal again.

Suzu Orimaki: my absolute favorite no doubt he is dvd normal he is my best boy THAT IS OOOOOMF!!!!!

His arc with Kisa just felt so natural. Ugh they are so sweet together and always working to make each other better. Also, he was totally having a bisexuality crisis right?

Their romance is far and away the most convincing and PRESENT to me, partially because there is no immediate confession. His route is all about PINING.

I also loved the focus on the 1st years in this route - it was such a treat getting to focus in on Onyx and Rhodonite. I only wish we got CGs for their performance instead of the 7th fucking I Am Death CG.

Also, I'm kind of obsessed with the Sou/Kyoji dynamic in this route. I kind of need them to have an insane rebound yaoi. Sou realizes Kisa is in love with Suzu, and wants to support them, but his own feelings... so he's spending more time with Kyoji, and slowly starts to realize... could love bloom again? (I'm getting off topic but ask me about my weird Sou/Kyoji The Principal Is Making Us Fake Date?!?! AU sometime if you'd like)

I think him twisting his ankle again was a bit of a lame plot contrivance, but I had so much fun I can barely even be upset.

Mitsuki Shirota: As you mentioned, this route Thoroughly Whelmed me.

I just... didn't feel much of anything from Mitsuki. It frustrated me so badly that we teased him having a troubled family dynamic in his first event, and then we just NEVER CIRCLE BACK to that. It's insane. They're like "hey do you want a story arc? nvm fuck you".

I also just didn't buy the emotional beat about "ohh you aren't changing in front of me... I guess you just don't trust me..." Like, even if Kisa was just a Cisgender Male, I'd think that was kind of presumptuous! Kisa acts like she did something so wrong here, but I don't think she did.

I loved that Kisa got to be a Jack in the Sissia performance, but it pissed me off that the play itself barely changed. And I guess making the character model not change could be some GNC slay, but I'd want them to actually discuss it if that was the case.

Also, his Christmas present to us was to just SING? SING THE SAME DUET WE HAD ALREADY SUNG LITERALLY YESTERDAY? You have to remember this is coming directly off of Suzu's route, which had his Christmas hand mirror come up so often.

Sarafumi Takashina: I liked him! When liveblogging his route to my friend, I keep on describing him as very "pleasant", which I think is an accurate summary. I think his route was competently done and very fun to play, but it also didn't make me scream and cry and go insane.

The Amber stuff was particularly annoying in this route, because they keep talking about how they need to win these awards or else Amber will be able to poach them. But... it's just such a bad example of gameplay and story segregation. Because YOU KNOW I HAVE BEEN GETTING PERFECT RANKS ON ALL THESE MINIGAMES! Quartz and Kisa have literally always been getting Gold prizes in every prior performance. The stakes just don't feel right.

Kai Mutsumi: obsessed the fact that instead of a cute Christmas date, in his route we just Get Hit By A Car.

I didn't liveblog much about his route, and it doesn't stick out much in my memory. Amber annoyed me again. I thought his stuff with the orphans was cute. I think his relationship to being a flower/vessel was interesting. I liked Kai as a character, but I didn't recall much about the romance.

Kisa Tachibana: The fact we get to have a nonbinary slay role is, naturally, pretty iconic, and I love that for Kisa.

The main plot of "ohhh Quartz is going to get shut down" bugged me, though. I think you can tell, but I really didn't care for any of the Amber plotline. I don't like having a class which is just Designated Evil. I don't like having a guy with grey skin insist that I should be with him. I don't like how the game just ignores the fact that I got Quartz nonstop Gold awards in the past 4 plays. And I hate the fact that I am supposed to believe that I Am Death is going to be a competent play WITHOUT A TAKIHIME?

I think the routes where they double-cast Takihime are also really stupid. I've done theater. I can tell you, anytime they do the two people as one role thing, it ALWAYS turns out tacky. But to just eliminate the role? Ugh. Shut upp. PERFORM SOMETHING NEW ALREADY!!! I just hate that so much of the drama of this route is surrounding the same damn play they've been seeing for the past year.

I also just... I loved having Kisa as a Jack Jeanne. But I kind of think it's a lame way to counter Amber's Tanakamigi-centric way of thinking, to make her a solo lead. I think it was stupid that Amber did a solo lead, and I think it's thematically a bit confused to make Quartz do it as well.

Also, I was expecting some closure on if our brother had got turned into a weasel. So I was a bit disappointed that nothing happened there.

Again, TYSM for the question!

[couldbebetterforsure]

Just finished both the Summer Performance and summer break in Jack Jeanne! This game continues to be a ton of fun! Also way more romantic than I originally thought! I know I said last time I prefer more romance in my otome than what I’ve been getting so far but there’s actually a really nice amount of romance (despite the fact Kisa hasn’t been revealed yet). Though I wonder if that’s just because it’s Suzu I’m going after or it’s a matter of my personal preference regarding the romance or something? Anyways I’m having a blast!

I really enjoyed Weekend Lesson, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as The Sleepless King but I got so caught up in it. That’s something I find so enjoyable about Jack Jeanne’s writing. That the writing for the story is already easy to get invested in and enjoyable, but the in universe plays are just as easy to get invested in! Like I wanna know how things work for Kisa and the boys but I also end up being eager to see how things turn out for their play characters and wanna know where their stories go too! Like in Weekend Lesson I got so into Hasekura and Ando’s relationship and was truly moved by their last dance in the play. And I loved seeing Kisa’s take on Mukai (which by the way my girl was FANTASTIC in her first ever Jack role, she earned that gold individual performance award) especially how she changed it last second and still managed to make it work. Also Louis was fun and I’m glad my boy Suzu got an award at last (still annoyed his role as the king in the last play wasn’t awarded though). Also like I said last time I really am seeing Sou getting slowly more frustrated at not being acknowledged or performing at the level Kisa and Suzu are. I think he just needs to get the right role to really shine so I’m hoping whatever the Fall Performance is will give him that.

Based on the instrumentals during the practices I thought Ms. Robin would be my favorite of the three songs but as it turns out We the Great Galleon came out of nowhere and planted itself in my brain. It’s sooooo catchy!!!! And no, I swear that’s not just my Suzu bias at work here 😂 (although once again my boy knocked it out of the park with those vocals) the song itself is really freakin’ good! I can’t wait for my copy of the Jack Jeanne vocal collection to come home! By the way I found out that earlier this year they also released a mini album that has the characters shuffle their roles for a couple songs. I listened to the previews for Fortune Color is Crystal and We the Great Galleon (avoided the others since I haven’t reached them in the game yet and I wanna go in blind) and loved them so much I ordered that album too (it was kinda expensive since it was apparently a limited release but I managed to snag a copy)! Ms. Robin was so pretty and I was so impressed by the song being completely in English, Mitsuki and Kisa did so well! Compass Line was simply gorgeous in both vocals and choreography (Kai and Fumi killed it) and would have easily been my number one if We the Great Galleon wasn’t the catchiest song ever!

Now that I’ve gotten more time to know the characters in Onyx and Rhodonite, I adore them! They’re so refreshing in that yeah they’re all super competitive and striving for the top in this famous theater school, but they’re all also such genuinely sweet people? And super funny I love seeing their antics! I don’t think I have a favorite among them, I sincerely enjoy whenever any of them pop up because they’re all so enjoyable as characters! Mare, Yuki, and Eita are so funny. Tsukasa has such a pleasant way of talking and poor Minorikawa eternally suffers. Ion is so funny and voiced by a favorite VA of mine. Kaido is such a surprising sweetie and Kasai is so interesting. Toichi and Dante are hilarious, and I like how mellow Sugachi is. All this makes me more and more curious to finally meet the members of Amber, we get such brief encounters and mentions of them they’re really building it up. Welp we’ll probably finally get them for the Fall Performance so I can’t wait to see how they’re like, especially compared to their freaky looking plays 😂

The summer break was nice, got to see some nice new backgrounds and classic summer fun! Also got to see my first year Quartz darlings growing as actors by learning about interpretations of roles! The scenes between Suzu and Kisa in both the test of courage and the hot springs managed to be as adorable as they were funny. And that kayak scene!!!! I really did pick the perfect boy, I love him so much!!!!

Anyways before I get to the Fall Performance I actually went and started the game over (yeah doesn’t that sound familiar 😅😅😅) because I learned that if you keep Kisa’s name as is instead of changing it her name will be voiced in the scenes. So I literally am speeding through so I can enjoy having Kisa’s name voiced in the playthrough. At least I get to see some new random events as I go through it all again! Hopefully I can speed through and get back to where I was tonight and then continue my playthrough tomorrow! ✌️

[kenkamishiro]

Jack Jeanne Playthrough Part 3 (April 5)

1 month later. April 5th in the VN. Kisa is at Univeil and excited she passed the entrance exam. She runs into her childhood friend Yonaga who's also been accepted. He's shocked that Kisa is attending too, but before she can explain Suzu joins them, introduces one each other.

Quartz's theme is "transparency" where many inexperienced performers who haven't specialized yet tend to go.

Onyx = Jacks whose forte is in dance.

Rhodonite = Jeannes who specialize in song.

Amber is where talented and unique students gather.

Suzu theorizes Kisa would be in Rhodonite because of her appearance, himself in Onyx because his physical abilities make him more suitable for dancing than singing or acting. Yonaga would like to be in Quartz.

Yonaga: Quartz...would be nice.

Suzu: I get what you mean!

Yonaga: Huh?

Suzu: Tbh I enrolled in Univeil cause I really admire Tachibana Tsuki, the legendary Jackace of Quartz!

Kisa: ...!

Suzu: That's why I wanna be in the same class as Tachibana Tsuki...come to think of it, your last names are the same.

Kisa: (If people find out I'm related to Tsuki-nii, it might make it even easier for them to discover my identity...! But it might be better than lying poorly...)

Kisa: It's true. It's the same (nonchalantly)

Yonaga: ......

Suzu: Maybe you guys are distant relatives!

Kisa: *nervous laughter*

Yonaga cuts in and says they should go check which class they're in. Kisa thanks Yonaga for the save. Their year is the 78th class of Univeil. All 3 are in Quartz.

Kisa gets called to the headmaster's office.

Chuuza congratulates her and informs her about her admission. The only ones who know that Kisa is a girl is him, Quartz's homeroom teacher Enishi Rokurou, and now Yonaga, Kisa's childhood friend. Chuuza is surprised that someone who knew about Kisa enrolled in the school.

But if anyone else finds out that she's a girl, expulsion. But since a lot of students are feminine, she won't have to go out of her way to act and dress like a boy. He reminds her to build trust with the rest of the students, and aim to become a lead and aim for the top.

Kisa arrives to Quartz's homeroom late.

??: Yes, yes, come right in.

Kisa: (The teacher...? But he's in a student uniform.)

??: You were called in quite loudly during the school announcements. Did you run into any issues on the first day? Theft, robbery, manslaughter, extortion, coercion, or a bank robbery, perhaps...?

(Please watch the clip of this scene. Can you tell he and Furuta share the same VA? 😄)

Fumi: No one like that would be in our school, Kuro.

??: But wouldn't be great to have such a plucky 1st year around, Fuumin! All the world's a stage!

Fumi: And, if the cops came?

??: I concede! Law is what keeps society together.

Kai: ...you two are bothering the 1st years.

Kisa finds a seat by Suzu and Yonaga.

Neji Kokuto (3rd year, 76th class of Univeil) welcomes the 1st year students to Univeil and Quartz. Class leader-slash-scriptwriter-slash-director-slash...all kinds of other things! He provides an info-dump about Univeil for us.

5 performances in total: Rookie, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Univeil Exhibitions. The Rookie Exhibition is where the 1st years take the lead roles, which is going to be held May 30th. Today is April 5th, so less than 2 months remain. Most viewers will watch over them warmly,  but others will be more strict, like journal reporters, critics and avid Univeil fans. Neji will write a script to allow even novices like them to shine on stage. Casting will be announced mid-April. Upper years are also participating and support the 1st years.

Neji: If you have any questions, all you need is to ask. I'm sure all our seniors here will be more than happy to help you.

??: What, no way.

Neji: With some exceptions of course! Mwahaha. Mikki's a 2nd year now, you can be a little nice to your juniors, hm?

??: ...

Kisa notes he looks cute like a doll. Shirota Mitsuki, noted for his singing. He catches Kisa staring at him, and she apologizes.

Neji asks if anyone has any questions. You're given 3 options: 1) How casting is determined, 2) Type of training to be done, 3) No questions.

Casting is based on Neji's subjective judgment. Everything from how they're doing in lessons, campus life, the way they walk, talk, physique, voice, facial expressions. Essentially based on his intuition, which he uses to find gemstones in the rough.

Training I'll explain later, there's gameplay related to it.

Neji finishes his spiel and passes it on to Quartz's homeroom teacher, Enishi. Pretty low energy. Lessons start tomorrow. Class is dismissed.

Suzu meets Kisa outside the Quartz dorms and asks if she's ready to introduce herself to the other students. He notes it's hard to find people since Univeil is so large. They chat for a bit, Suzu asks Kisa to call him by his first name, so Suzu-kun it is.

Inside Yonaga's dorm. He's finished unpacking, though he's still yet to put away his books (on theatre). He asks how Kisa got into Univeil, and she explains what happened. Yonaga says he'll help Kisa to make sure she stays at Univeil. He's glad that Kisa is here with him.

Yonaga: Kisa-chan, about Tsuki-kun...

Kisa: I can't get in touch with Tsuki-nii, but I'm sure he's doing fine wherever he is. 

Yonaga: I see. Yeah, I'm sure he is.

(Isn't that sketchy? Maybe he turned into that weasel with the moon on its belly lol)

Kisa begins her search for the Quartz students. At the Univeil courtyard, Kisa hears Mitsuki singing.

"Within this chest of mine I dance, the rhythm of possibilities"

Kisa: (I'd heard he was lauded for his singing, but he really has a beautiful voice...the lyrics paint the scene in my head.)

Mitsuki: ...could you not stare at me like that? It's uncomfortable.

Kisa: Oh, I'm sorry!

Mitsuki: Oh, you again. The 1st year who came in late.

Kisa: Yes. My name is Tachibana Kisa. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Mitsuki: Huh...you've got a face like a girl.

Kisa: Eh? Y-yes, I suppose so.

Mitsuki: A high-pitch voice. A delicate figure. And a Jeanne at that. At least be aware of your own features.

Kisa: I-I'm sorry.

He sighs and introduces himself. 2nd year, 77th class of Univeil. A Jeanne and a tresor (songstress/diva) of Quartz. VA is Kajiwara Gakuto (Asta). Kisa compliments him on his singing.

Mitsuki: So you were eavesdropping.

Kisa: I-I'm sorry.

Mitsuki: Well, not like I care either way. Later.

Kisa: He left...I guess he doesn't really like interacting with people. But his voice really was beautiful.

(If I had to describe Mitsuki's tone, it would be similar to Kenma, but a bit more antisocial lol)

Kisa finds Kai in the forest, seemingly concentrating on something. She decides to come back later, but Kai notices her.

Kai: ...? Quartz's 1st year?

Kisa: Yes! I'm Tachibana Kisa.

Kai: I see, you're...

Kisa: Yes!

(awkward silence between the two)

Kai: Mutsumi Kai, 76th class of Univeil. I'm a 3rd year.

Kisa: So I should call you Mutsumi-senpai!

Kai: Kai is fine. You can call me that around other people too.

Kisa: But...

Kai: ...

Kisa: ...(agrees)

Kai: ...

Kisa: T-then, I'll call you Kai-san!

Kai: Okay.

Kisa notes Kai is the Jackace of Quartz. And since Tsuki was also the Jackace, that means he must be talented too.

Kai: I'm a vessel meant to garnish the Aljeanne. Nothing more, nothing less.

Kisa is confused by his statement. Convo ends.

Kisa runs into Neji next in the hallways. He enters a room then promptly comes back out.

Neji: Welcome!

Kisa: Ah!

Neji: What're you doing in a place like this?

Kisa: I'm going around introducing myself to everyone in Quartz.

Neji invites her into his workroom where he writes his scripts and plans his staging. But he also performs on stage, any male or female role, from a shining prince/princess to old grannies/gramps.

He's currently working on the script for Quartz, but he won't reveal it just yet. Kisa asks if the other class leaders write the scripts like he does, but Neji is a special case, who screenwrites, directs and performs.

Neji: Once you get carried away, you can't see what's going on around you. What we do has no end to it. Acting, dancing, singing, they're fields that you can pursue for a lifetime. You could reach the stars, or merely end up as a master of none. No matter how much time,  it will never be enough. It's a terrifying world out there. That's why it's so engrossing. The stage is a colossal device. The Jacks and Jeannes make up the gears, and I am the craftsman who pieces them together. Let's create a fantastic stage together, Tachibana-kun!

Neji must continue writing, and wishes Kisa the best for the Rookie Exhibition. (Neji definitely talks the most out of the main cast lol. And fast too, talks a mile a minute and tone varies hugely)

Kisa finds Fumi standing languidly in the middle of the dance room, taking deep breaths before beginning to dance. A Japanese-style dance where his movements are gentle, beautiful and brilliant. He comments on Kisa staring intently at him, just like during the entrance exam.

Kisa is surprised that Fumi remembered, despite the number of applicants.

Fumi: I remember you and the red-haired guy well cause you two danced so terribly.

Kisa: Oh...

Fumi: I'm just kidding. Though the red-haired guy really did suck.

Kisa introduces herself, and Fumi pauses at hearing the name Tachibana. 3rd year Takashina Sarafumi, 76th class of Univeil, but he prefers being called Fumi, no senpai honorific attached. Kisa ends up calling him Fumi-san.

Fumi: Let's have fun, Kisa. (leaves)

Kisa: It's overwhelming seeing him up close. So that's the power of an Aljeanne.

Kisa goes to her room excited for her new life at Univeil and retires for the night for her 1st day of classes tomorrow.

＊＊＊

previous || next (to be updated)

[aflyingfishthatcannotfly]

Ok so I spend a lot of time thinking about what kind of plays Kisa would be doing in her second year if she was in Amber, and wanted to draw a poster for Phantom of the Paradise with Kisa as Pheonix and Chui as the phantom. Obviously he would be GREAT at the role of tortured artist pining from afar. You can see I didn't get very far, I wanted to include Kamiya and Momonashi too.

[psychopomp-namine]

the puppet oneshot really puts things into perspective bc neji transferring to quartz makes sense. that is a man who thrives in a chaotic environment. he needs interesting people to surround him and inspire him.

chui being so intimidatingly good at performing that he unintentionally creates a univeil purge that resulted in a dwindling amber (and even quartz) population would actually make neji leave even faster. chui being in amber and unintentionally creating an environment where everyone is either scared or quitting or failing to keep up with him, rather than bringing their own personalities and creativity to the table... it would only be a matter of time before that bores neji. there's only so much you can experiment with with only one lead actor

(plus amber considers neji a freak, which, fine, I don't think neji cares, but it's such a stark contrast to quartz who tolerate if not encourage neji's creativity. the year he transferred was still probably rough on quartz bc they also lost tsuki, so at that point I think they'd just be like, "🤷‍♀️ we don't really have any other ideas, might as well let this weirdo do his thing")

but it's also hilarious to me because chui is going all "gods and mortals" metaphor to neji and wants him to come back, and when you read that scene for the first time, you'd think that they've known each other for so long, but neji was only really classmates with chui for... less than half a year?

like. imagine if kisa left quartz after the summer performance and suzu was like, "but we were so good together!!!" but they've only been in two plays at this point. lol.

chui is out there thinking only neji can make Art™ with him while neji isn't even thinking about chui bc he's busy prying fumi and kai's brains for his script. it's also funny bc like... if chui had just made friends, neji might have stayed. not for chui's sake, but bc chui Being Human and having actual relationships meant that other amber actors also become Interesting Humans in neji's eyes. but he didn't do that bc nobody is worth it to him. meanwhile fumi is out there getting mad that tsuki is gone but at least he has People Skills and even if kai isn't on his Level™ yet at that point, fumi will at least try to make things work.

neji and fumi to each other: hey okay, you obviously have your hangups but you make this class challenging/interesting. insert spiderman pointing at each other meme

[ririya-translates]

Overjoyed I’m not experiencing the Jack Jeanne brainrot alone! The story exceeded all my expectations and the way each route builds on the others is perfection! There is going to be a huge hole in my heart when I’m finished with it. I meant to ask when you posted awhile back but you mentioned a Jack Jeanne manga and I think there’s also a tie-in novel? Do you know if they are the same story as the visual novel or different stories?

They are all a bit different! There are currently two books as well as the manga and they were all done by Ishida and Towada who were the primary creators of JJ so they were able to give more depth to the characters rather than a simple retelling of the game.

The manga short (75 p.) is called "Puppet". I don't think there's an EN translation currently, but you can find the JP original for free here. This is a completely separate story about an Amber student who enrolled at the same time as the Quartz third-years and what happened in Amber after Chuui arrived.

The first book is called ジャックジャンヌ ユニヴェール歌劇学校と月の道しるべ (Jack Jeanne: Univeil Drama School and the Guidance of the Moon) and it's full novel length (450 p.). I've only recently started reading it (JP sample chapter) but so far it has given a lot more insight into Kisa as a person and there are things that I've found so far in it that I was told were not mentioned in the game. This book goes up until the point of the Newcomer Performance.

The second book is much shorter (260 p.), simply titled ジャックジャンヌ ―夏劇― (Jack Jeanne: Summer Drama) and it has a series of short stories from the perspective of each of the main LIs (+ Otori) and the various things they did during summer vacation (sample chapter).

Hope that helps fill the void a little!

[alphacrone]

the sun shines and fights for your day (2122 words) by the_one_that_fell Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga), Fruits Basket Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kuragi Machi & Sohma Kisa, Kuragi Machi & Sohma Hiro, Kuragi Machi/Sohma Yuki, Sohma Hiro/Sohma Kisa TW: Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, Verbal Abuse, Slight Victim Blaming, Manga Spoilers

Summary: Machi didn’t get harassed or catcalled often. But that didn’t mean it never happened.

Or, Machi is rescued by the two youngest members of the Zodiac.

***

Machi didn’t get harassed or catcalled often. 

She chalked it up to her talent at being virtually invisible in public more than anything else. Her entire life, she had been quiet and dull and very good at ignoring men. But that didn’t mean it never happened. 

“I have a boyfriend,” she told the man blocking her path. She’d only run out to pick up some groceries before Yuki’s visit this afternoon, but this—admittedly tall —jackass was making it difficult. 

“Oh?” The guy smirked at her. “I don’t see him.” 

Machi bristled, but kept her expression neutral. “I don’t need a chaperone to run errands, do I?” 

“C’mon, smile a bit,” he told her, stepping closer. “You’re being rude. We’re just talking, aren’t we?” 

“Leave me alone,” Machi said, frustration leaking into her tone. Yuki had taught her a few self-defense moves before he graduated, but people were starting to notice as the guy in front of her grew louder. She couldn’t just kick him in the balls for being annoying. 

“Hey, I’m just being friendly,” the guy snapped, smile dropping. “Don’t you know how to make friends?”

“No,” Machi replied truthfully. She didn’t intentionally make friends; friends generally wormed their way into her life against her will. “Go away.” 

“You’re such a bitch,” the guy spat. “Bet you think you’re so much better than me, is that it? Get off your high horse, you stupid slut.”

“Okay.” Machi sighed. All she wanted was to get some ingredients for soumen. Why couldn’t this guy just leave her alone? He was starting to make her nervous; what if he followed her home? Steeling herself, Machi ducked around him, but he caught her arm and yanked her back.

“Hey!” He shouted, fingers digging roughly into the soft flesh of her upper arm. Machi let out a surprised yelp of pain. “Don’t walk away when I’m talking to yo- OOF. ”

Suddenly the hand was gone, and Machi turned to see the guy sprawled across the sidewalk, clutching at his stomach. Standing above him was a kid, probably middle school aged, who raised a fist in warning. 

“She didn’t wanna talk to you, you dumb bastard!” The kid shouted, his voice cracking almost comically. “Go jump in a lake!”

“C’mon.” A small, soft hand took Machi’s, and she looked down to see a young girl tugging at her to move. “Hiro’s got him distracted, let’s get away.” 

Machi nodded mutely and let the girl drag her down the street, away from the man and the boy who’d saved her. They ended up at the entrance to a busy park, and the girl let out a deep sigh of relief. She looked up at Machi with brilliant, amber eyes. Despite the difference in color, Machi was reminded of Yuki. 

“Are you okay?” The girl asked, nose scrunching in worry. She was cute in a way Machi didn’t know existed in real life. Was this some sort of child model? A tiny idol? A robot escaped from a laboratory? 

“Did your friend...headbutt that guy in the stomach?” Machi asked. Everything had happened so quickly that it was a blur, but she was certain the kid hadn’t come at them with his fists alone. 

“Aha, um...yes.” The girl looked down at her feet. “It’s a bad habit of his from- it’s a bad habit.” 

Machi felt her lips twitch upwards. “I don’t think it’s a bad habit to save people.”

The girl beamed up at her, clasping her hands together. “So, you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he? He was so scary.” 

“Ah, no, I’m fine,” Machi said, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Thanks.” 

“Oi! Kisa!” 

The boy was jogging towards them, face pulled into a deep scowl. To Machi’s relief, he didn’t have a scratch on him. 

“Hiro!” The girl—Kisa—waved him over. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Hiro said, scowl lessening as Kisa checked him over. When he caught sight of Machi, however, he huffed and pointed an accusatory finger at her. “You . Learn how to stand up for yourself! I can’t stand people who let themselves get walked all over. What if we hadn’t been there? You can’t expect others to fight your battles!” 

Machi quirked an eyebrow. Who did this little punk think he was, her father? It was almost funny, getting lectured by a child. She let her thoughts drift to Yuki as the kid rambled on. He’d be here in an hour and she still needed to pick up groceries. Neither of them could cook, even after lessons from Tohru, but they had fun trying. Sometimes Yuki would purposefully smear sauce across her cheek, just so he could lick it off. The bastard thought he was so smooth ...but Machi would be lying if she said it didn’t make her heart race. 

“Hiro!” Kisa shouted, disrupting Machi’s train of thought. “Stop it! If she’d hit that guy, he could’ve hurt her! You’re being mean. I’m...I’m disappointed in you.” 

Machi hid her laugh behind a cough as the boy’s face grew bright red. He was a piece of work, but Kisa seemed to have him wrapped around her finger. They very suddenly reminded her of Tohru and Kyo, and this time she couldn’t help but snort a little. 

“I-I-” Hiro bowed, first to Kisa, then Machi. “I’m sorry,” he said, head lowered. “I just got scared, seeing that guy grab you. I- I don’t like bullies.”

“It’s fine,” Machi said with a shrug. “I know a few self-defense moves, I guess I just froze. So, thank you. For interfering.” 

Hiro nodded, looking at Kisa sheepishly until she smiled at him. Machi really wasn’t sure if these two were dating or siblings or whatever, but the way they interacted made her feel warm inside. They clearly knew each other well. 

“I’m Kisa, by the way,” the girl said to introduce herself. “Kisa Sohma. And this is Hiro Sohma. Do you mind if we walk you home, just to make sure you get there safe?” 

“Soh...ma?” Machi’s brain short-circuited. 

“Ah, yeah. Sohma,” Kisa repeated with a smile. 

“Are you related to Yuki Sohma?” Machi asked slowly. Surely that was too much of a coincidence. But these kids were unnaturally pretty, and Kisa’s hair -

“Yes!” Kisa clapped her hands together. “He’s our relative. You know Yuki?”

“Uh, yeah. He’s my boyfriend.” 

Kisa’s mouth fell open. Hiro snorted. “That guy has a girlfriend ?” 

“Really?” Kisa asked, ignoring Hiro. “It’s so nice to meet you! Onee-chan mentioned Yuki was dating someone but I haven’t talked to him in a while so I never got to ask.” She paused, tilting her head to the side to look Machi up and down. “You’re pretty.” 

Despite herself, Machi felt her face heat up. “Um. My name is Machi Kuragi.” 

“You could do better,” Hiro said off-handedly. Kisa smacked his arm. 

“Yuki is nice, don’t say that,” she whispered. “Onee-chan, can we walk you home?” 

It seemed yet another person in Yuki’s life had already adopted her—first Tohru, then Ayame, and now Kisa. Machi couldn’t really complain, though. It was nice to have a family. 

“Uh, sure.” Machi decided she and Yuki could just go out to eat. Their cooking was pretty atrocious. “I’m just a couple blocks this way,” she said, jabbing her thumb in the direction of her apartment. 

Without warning, Kisa grabbed Machi’s hand again and took the lead, despite not knowing the way. Hiro trailed after them, mumbling about older women stealing his girlfriend, but he didn’t seem too angry. “If you’re dating Yuki,” Kisa said. “Does that mean you’re friends with Tohru?” 

Machi nodded. “We’re not close, but she’s easy to be friends with.”

“She’s the best, isn’t she?” Kisa asked, grinning from ear to ear. “I miss her a lot.” 

“She should dump Kyo,” Hiro butted in. “He’s such a loser. Then she could move back here.” 

“Hiro,” Kisa warned, her tone more playful than upset. “Don’t say that. Kyo isn’t too bad, and Onee-chan really loves him!” 

Hiro snorted derisively. “Tohru loves everyone. She can find someone here.” 

Kisa looked up at Machi with a conspiratorial glint in her eyes. “Hiro misses her too, he just won’t admit it.” 

“I don’t!” Hiro protested, but Kisa waved him off. 

“Do you go to school with Yuki?” Kisa asked. 

“I did,” Machi said. “I’m in my third year at Kaibara, but he and I were on the Student Council together last year.” 

“Oh! So you know Momiji and Haru?” 

“Yeah.” Momiji had transferred out this year, but they had been acquainted. Alternatively, she couldn’t get rid of Hatsuharu Sohma, who asked for “Yuki Updates” almost every day before class.

Machi had never been great at small talk, but her curt nature didn’t seem to faze Kisa. “I never get to see Momiji anymore, since he moved out of the compound. But I get to see Haru and Rin a lot!” 

They rounded the corner to Machi’s apartment, Kisa still rambling about people Machi didn’t know. Kisa stopped talking abruptly and began waving to someone in the distance. Machi glanced up to see Yuki standing outside her building, typing on his phone. 

“Yuki!” Kisa called. He looked up, noticed the three of them together, and waved, confusion visible on his face, even at this distance. 

They approached and Yuki reached out to kiss Machi’s cheek in greeting. Her face flushed, but the kids didn’t seem to notice. “Hey,” he said to her. “I see you met these two?” 

“A guy was harassing her, so we stepped in,” Hiro said coolly, arms folded across his chest. 

“He headbutted the guy,” Machi deadpanned. Yuki let out a surprised bark of laughter, covering his mouth with his hand. 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Yuki said, taking Machi’s hand. “Are you okay?” 

Machi nodded. “They insisted on making sure I got home safe.” 

Yuki smiled at his cousins. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “That was very kind of you, Kisa.” 

“Hey!” Hiro protested, but he was ignored as Yuki patted Kisa’s head. She smiled up at him, eyes darting to Machi. 

“I like your girlfriend,” Kisa told him. “Hold onto her, please.” 

Yuki laughed, and the sound warmed Machi’s heart. “I plan on it. As long as she’ll have me.” 

“Gross,” Hiro muttered. Machi turned to him, and bopped him lightly on the head with her fist. “Hey!” He shouted.

“Thanks,” she said. “For walking me home. And headbutting that guy.” 

Hiro’s cheeks turned pink and he shrugged dismissively. “Whatever. Guy deserved it.” 

“Can you two get home safely?” Yuki asked, grip tightening on Machi’s hand. They hadn’t seen each other properly in weeks, and she could tell he was antsy to get her alone. She bit back a smile. 

“Of course we can,” Hiro snapped. Kisa smiled at Yuki sweetly. 

“Yes,” she said. “Come visit us soon, okay? Haru misses you.” 

Yuki nodded. “Will do.”

Kisa waved to both of them as Hiro took her hand and started pulling her back down the street. As soon as they were out of sight, Yuki pressed a proper kiss to her mouth. Machi melted against him, the whirlwind of the past hour finally over. “Are all of your relatives weird? Are you the normal one in your family?” 

Yuki laughed against her lips, knocking their foreheads together. “You ask me that when Kakeru is your brother.” 

“That Hiro kid headbutted a guy twice his size in the gut,” Machi said. “And that’s pretty normal after meeting Momiji and Ayame.” 

“Have I introduced you to Kagura yet?” Yuki asked with a shit-eating grin. 

“Your family is weird ,” Machi said, pulling her boyfriend towards the entrance of her building.

Yuki let himself be pulled inside. “I’m very aware.” 

“Nice, though,” Machi admitted, cheeks growing warm as they climbed up to the second floor. “Your family’s pretty nice. The ones I’ve met.” 

The unspoken truth of Yuki’s parents hung between them, but it didn’t dampen the mood, They’d bared themselves to each other before, whispering the untold abuses of their parents where no one else could hear. Machi knew Yuki didn’t go to the family compound to visit because those who hurt him were still there. Yuki knew Machi would only meet with her father in public, where he couldn’t raise a hand against her. 

Yuki smiled at her. “They seemed to like you, Kisa and Hiro. Oh, speaking of, Ayame was asking about you yesterday…” 

Machi unlocked her door and pulled Yuki in behind her, still chattering about his brother and her brother and silly schemes they were brewing. She smiled at him, and felt her heart expand to let her new family grow just a little more. 

[raionmimi]

Do you have any oc's? I always love hearing about people's oc's

I do but I’ve been neglecting them these past few years

Honestly for the most part, I just use the same damn design and alter it to fit whatever series I want a persona in. Timeline and OC details under the cut, and fair warning I ended up talking a lot more than I had intended because I keep remembering stuff 

2000: Lumina

I once read a kid magazine in my school and it featured something with a sneak preview of the Sonic Shuffle game. I really liked the character’s name (Lumina) and always used it when I played games with my best friend (her character was Danny). We really were out there larping our raw ocs with each other

2008: Yumi

My best friend in high school insisted that I have a Japanese nickname like her (She is half Japanese but still a huge weeb. Her nickname was Kisa) and even had a list of names for me to choose from. I ended up picking Yumi from my head and to this day I have no idea where I actually got the name from. Our senpai, a Chinese girl nicknamed Yue, who helped me with my art told us the animals we represented best, so Kisa got a tiger, and I got both a bunny and a lion since Yue couldnt decide which was better for me. 

I made up “blion” and attached the name Yumi onto it. She became my persona and rapidly took on my chaotic gremlin personality. I decided Blions were a species that devours souls in order to heal/revive others, but it had to be an even balance otherwise the creature would die. When they’re weak, blions turn into a small rabbit with puffy chest fur like a mane (basically picture eevee tbh) with a long lion-like tail. The gem on the end of the tail is where the souls are stored.

2011: Torola Olébul

When we were all huge Homestucks, my friends and I decided to make fantrolls of ourselves so Yumi became repurposed into Torola. Same personality, so not much difference. I eventually redid her so she was nothing like me. She became extremely shy and basically Babey. She’s the ox/cow in my set of Chinese zodiac fantrolls (I have designs and personalities for all 12 but I’m not gonna post them here, I already wrote so much) She’s a sylph of heart, her weapon is pinwheelkind, her chat handle is apothecaryBovine, and her lusus is obviously a giant cow. She’s an amber blood troll (in between rust and bronze) who used to live with a teal blood and acted like a little messenger girl. After the teal blood was murdered by indigo bloods, Torola was forced to escape and live in the middle of a forest, where she was pretty much adopted by a herd of hoofbeasts. Torola has a dancestor Pazvea/The Actress(??) and Torola’s ancestor self is The Guardian. 

Torola is the predecessor to Coryla, which was a fuschiablood.This one is just one huge Little Mermaid reference because she falls in love with a man who doesn’t love her back since he goes for someone else

2015: Onyx

Onyx was a short lived OC compared to Yumi and Torola and I didn’t do a lot of art of her. She’s kind of like a spy/surveillance guard because her gem extends out like bat ears. The other gem on her head is actually fake but she has it there so she looks symmetrical. It stores data though, so it has an actual use and she can remove it. She has wings that fold up on her back, and she uses it to check out a location. Since she’s extremely bat-themed, she uses sonar to check for other gems and stuff.

I also made her companions Sunstone and Obsidian, which make Bloodstone. Sunstone is a very laidback gem that spoils Onyx rotten, so she thinks she can get away with everything. Obsidian is the brooding type that complains whenever Onyx causes mischief. Bloodstone is a bounty hunter that uses Onyx’s surveillance abilities to aid them. They used to live on Homeworld, but they eventually came to earth long before Steven dealt with the diamonds. They have never interacted or met with Steven himself though

2011/2017 or 18: Riya/Tau Kiniun

I once drew a raionmimi character because I was thinking “Hey what if Yue had said I was just a lion instead of a bunny.” I didnt think much of it at the time and only doodled her once. She was a literal black lion that turned into a black lion cub but like with a mane to represent her hair. Years later, I dont know what possessed me to revamp her, but I did. Since I wanted to get away from having fandom shipnames as urls, I decided to go with Raionmimi which is literally “Lion Ears” and used Riya/Tau as my new mascot.

OCs that werent in the chart because I forgot lmaoooo

2011: Euphoria

She’s the oc I had to make for an animation class. We were instructed to make a superhero character to animate on the computer and also with claymation. The art is super bad, but she was supposed to be a terrible hero because she had no intentions on saving anyone!! She’s actually a deity of life that’s come to earth because her brother, the deity of death, is causing problems. Whenever she stops his plans, people praise her for being a hero. It wasn’t her attention at all. She’s expressionless 99% of the time and doesn’t really care much about humanity. Ironically, her brother thinks humans are pretty neat. Her name is actually one of my favorite words of all time, and that’s why I used it for her!

2016: The Witches

I totally forgot about them until now, but I have a set of triplet ocs. I use them for D&D and Pathfinder sometimes. They’re little witch girls that run a potion shop. Euphoria (yes, I repurposed the name from my superhero oc), Celeste, and Cheshire! Hopefully you can kinda read my handwriting to get their personalities

2018: Socks and the succubi

One of my fave monster girl species have always been Succubi, so I made different sub-species of them! I think I may have posted them a long time ago, but I dont remember. Socks is also my mascot for my old lewd art tumblr blog that I abandoned eons ago because having side accounts takes up too much energy for me. I kinda want to make a webcomic about Socks but I haven’t gotten around to it. She’s a platonic succubus who feeds off of intimate energy, and she befriends an agender, asexual college student (I guess you could imagine Haruhi from Ouran)

[lycoryves]

totally forgot about that dialogue but it’s SO juicy that even tanakamigi, Infallible God Of The Stage, falls victim to the same weirdly objectifying attitude everyone else at univeil does (albeit to varying extents) by obsessing over kisa as like. an object. The Ultimate Transparent Vessel.

i think that’s why his ending is one of my favorites (aside from the fact it’s the only REALLY unique bad ending in the game). he comes around to a type of radical acceptance of kisa—not the actor, not the vessel, not the al jeanne, not the second tachibana, but Just Kisa—that clues you into the character development he’s been slowly undergoing (that pays off in the good ending where he cries and he’s like. damn. what an amazing person) and god now i’m just wishing we got a longer ending for him because seeing him get what he wants and then have to fight off the rest of amber’s neji-ism and amber!sou’s whatever-the-hell where they see her and her support, talent, and compassion as a prop or advantage while struggling to keep his own perceptions in check would’ve been good soup.

fingers crossed hard for an extended/alternative cut in the sequel like a certain secret character’s after ending in piofiore 1926 (and a little more content for kasai and minorikawa)

anyway. clearly normal about this game.

thinking about the fact that tanakamigi looks inhuman in almost all of his i am death cgs in every route but in his bad ending he looks like. just a normal kid looking at kisa. i’m gonna be SICK

[bipolarweeb]

Impulse Control

Got a little drabble for ya. I asked for prompts and @ohh-my-taehyung suggested a “Why did you dye your hair?” prompt. Thus, this little thing happened. It also combines a couple other prompts I’ve seen. Thanks for the idea!

Read it on AO3!

Prompt: Why did you dye your hair?

Pairing: Kyo x Tohru

If you’d like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on ko-fi!

~

Tohru walks into her home hearing splashing and cursing coming from the bathroom.

Intrigued, she places the bags of groceries in the kitchen before making her way down the hallway to the bathroom.

She walks in to find Kyo shirtless, kneeling over the bathtub, attempting to wrap his hair in a towel. Dark rivulets of water drip down his bare shoulders as he slowly stands up.

The white porcelain of the tub has dark streams of water making their way down to the drain, and Tohru looks around the rest of the bathroom to see several towels stained with what looks to be a dark dye. A plastic bottle filled about a quarter way with thick black liquid sits next to the sink.

Tohru feels herself trying to repress a laugh as she pieces together the scene in front of her.

“Kyo?” she asks, touching his shoulder as he twists the towel upright on his head.

He jumps as her fingers lightly graze his skin and he swiftly turns around, one hand poised and ready to punch, the other holding the towel on his head so it won’t fall in his face.

Seeing how serious her boyfriend is trying to look clad in only a pair of sweatpants, with a towel twisted up on his head and still 100% ready to fight makes Tohru giggle, though she tries to hide it behind her hand to spare Kyo his pride.

He mumbles out a quiet “I didn’t hear you come in.”

She places a hand on his arm and speaks after a moment. “I’m sorry for laughing, Kyo,” she starts, taking in a big breathe before grinning. “I just wasn’t expecting to walk into this when I came home. Now,” she gestures toward the towel on his head and the dyed-dark water dripping down his shoulders with a wave of her hand. “What are you doing?”

Kyo shakes his head, looking down at the tile grout as he quietly mumbles something. Tohru scrunches her eyebrows as she only picks up the words “trying to...”

“What is it, Kyo?”

He sighs before looking up her. “I’m trying to dye my hair.” He purses his lips.

Tohru nods. ”Okay...” That would explain the black dye splashed all over their bathroom. “Why are you trying to dye your hair?”

Kyo sighs before sitting down on the edge of the tub, facing her. “I just... wanted to see what it would look like, y’know?”

He looks away from her, and she knows he wants to say more, but knowing him he probably thinks it’s embarrassing. So she waits.

“My hair...” he starts again, “It’s always been orange because I was the cat, but for some reason I never tried dyeing a more muted color, so that’s what I’m trying to do.

“People have always made fun of the color of my hair, and the whole time I could never tell anyone it was because I was the cat; so many parts of me were influenced by a the cat spirit and for so long I felt I couldn’t do anything about it. Me, Haru, Kisa... we all got physical traits from our animals we couldn’t control. So I just wanted to try something different, something that didn’t make it so obvious I’m the—was—the cat,” he says with a shrug.

Tohru nods slowly. That part makes sense. But why... “Why did you decide to do it now?”

Kyo opens his mouth then closes it, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “Um... I was left unsupervised and you make up most of my impulse control?”

Tohru laughs loudly at this, and moves to sit beside him on the edge of the tub. She brings a hand up to his cheek and gives him a brief kiss on the lips while he blushes scarlet.

“Wh-What was that for?” he stammers.

Tohru smiles. “I just love you, silly.”

A soft look overcomes Kyo’s blushing face as he says, “I love you, too.”

Tohru grins and points at the towel on Kyo’s head. “Have you looked at it yet?”

Kyo shakes his head and brings a hand up to the towel. “Not yet. I’d just rinsed it when you got home,” he points to the towel. “Would you like to do the honors?”

Tohru giggles and nods her head, standing up and placing herself in front of Kyo.

She places her hands on his covered head. “Ready?”

He nods, and she unwinds the towel.

Her first thought is that it’s dark. When he looks up at her, clearly trying to gauge her reaction, her second thought is that the color actually seems to make his eyes burn even more like coals in a fire, their amber color smoldering against the newly dark backdrop of his hair.

“Well?” he asks, and maneuvers himself in front of the mirror. “Do I look too much like Hatori? Or Shigure?”

He runs a hand through his hair and looks back at Tohru.

She just smiles and reaches up to run her own fingers through it. “I don’t think so. I think it looks nice. It complements your eyes quite well.”

Kyo lets out a hmph sound, turning back to the mirror and threading his fingers through his hair. “I don’t think I like it as much as I thought I would.”

Tohru steps around him and hugs his side, looking at the two of them together through the mirror’s reflection.

“Well... you got temporary dye right?”

Kyo looks down at her, and presses his lips tightly together before minutely shaking his head.

“Damn rat’s gonna love this.”