#anyways heres some minatos

[mymp3]

some minatos

[crest-of-gautier]

i think it’s really funny that both of my blogs start with “cres.” is it annoying when i want to look at one blog and not the other? sometimes. but i think it’s hilarious, and life is better when you find many things to laugh at, me thinks.

[oh-no-its-bird]

Obkk ghost marriage fic where after kannabi bridge, the Uchiha decide Kakashi can keep the eye but only if he agrees to marry Obito's ghost in a traditional ghost marriage.

(This also means he officially joins the Uchiha clan. Maybe lean into how he knows very little ab his own clan history, so there's like some minor complexes playing off of that as he ultimately takes up the Uchiha name and traditions, effectively abandoning his own -> which could also play interestingly into his negative views of his father at that age. This also means he moves out of his clan compound and into the Uchiha district— which is actually really good for his mental health)

Kakashi doesn't argue, he sees it as the ultimate atonement actually. He's incredibly dutiful but especially so at that age. He'd take it dead fuckin seriously and be the best ghost bride possible. Instead of constantly going to the memorial stone he has like a proper shrine to honor him in the house where he leaves his favorite foods n stuff

Like little 13 year old widower Kakashi w Rin as his witness rip

I'm not the biggest Rin fan bc her canon characterization feels like that usual boring "girl crush turned martyr" (naruto misogony strikes again rip) and I've yet to find any interpretations that really strike me— with one exception.

I don't remember the fic, and Rin only showed up for part of it, but I remember being rlly taken by her in it. It highlighted her being as struck by Obito's death as Kakashi, with her an official mednin working overtime in the hospital as the war ramped up. Also it gave her a smoking habit!! I can appreciate a well played addiction to cope in text. Idk I just read it and kinda went "woah she suddenly feels like a real person to me"

But like, that for Rin here. She's working triple overtime in the hospital, day and night. The war is getting worse and worse and some nights she comes home w her gloves still stained in the blood of her patients from back to back surgeries where her patients died on the table. They have her listed for eye trauma specifically after her successful transplant for Kakashi, and she's proving to be invaluable for the patients w eye based kekkei genkkai. She wants to go into specifically researching and healing for eye bloodline limits, but is struggling to convince the clans to allow her access to that information.

Kakashi's new home is closer to the hospital that Rin's parents, and stuff w her parents is starting to get... tense. It hurts them, to see their daughter struggling like this. To see her coming home with dulled eyes and bloodied hands. To be waken by her nightmares and then not know how to comfort her.

Rin slowly starts staying over with Kakashi more and more and after a while she's just kind of fully moved in, but neither of them actually really talk about it

Let them be best friends w a kind of codependency on eachother that would be concerning if not for how it's very clearly keeping both of their heads afloat as days go on and things get worse.

Queerplatonic besties Rin and Kakashi sharing the same bed so when they wake up screaming they can help eachother go back to sleep easier. Rin likes it when Kakashi summons his ninken to sleep w them. They sleep easier w eachother bc they feel safer knowing they're there to have eachothers back, just like they would on the field

Anyways, Kakashi moves out of his clan compound and into the Uchiha's. He's neighbors with a little 6 year old Shisui and is kind of picked up by the scruff by a lot of Uchiha who have really weird complex feelings ab Obito's death (many of them feeling bad ab not having reached out before to him / seeing him die so young, and then projecting that onto Kakashi)

Kakashi and sometimes Rin kind of accidentally becoming a babysitter for Itachi both bc of proximity and bc Mikoto is friends with Kushina

On that note -> Minato does not really get the ghost marriage thing. He's civilian born, and the practice is really old and hasn't really been used since like, warring states era. So Minato is kind of weirded out and very "uhhh. Are you SURE this is what you wanna do?" But Kakashi seems set, and like, if it helps him cope???

He is however very supportive of getting Kakashi out of the fucking tomb of his father's house and into the much more populated and lively Uchiha clan compound

Minato makes Kakashi ANBU and designates him as his home guard specifically to keep him off the battlefield. He lowkey does the same to Rin (minus the ANBU part) positioning her in the hospital and making sure she's getting that good good mednin education. If pressed on why she doesn't go out as a field medic, he insists it's because she shows too much promise as a healer to risk— not now that they've lost Tsunade. If Rin can grow to be even half as good as she is, it'll be worth keeping her away from the fighting.

Neither Kakashi nor Rin feel very good about this decision (tho hypocritically, they agree w it when it comes to the other, bc ofc they do)

Rin doesn't die bc I say so and Obito does a comedy spit take when he inevitably learns he's legally married to Kakashi under the eyes of the Sage, Amaterasu and all.

[orcelito]

Ok HERE I AM AGAIN, with Sakura and Kakashi's unboxings!!!!

Unlike the boys, Sakura didn't come in pieces, tho her leg was a little bent. Warped maybe, like Sasuke's likely were, which can happen sometimes with figurines apparently.

I had to struggle a bit to get her foot in place And the stand, but I got it!!!! And she's so beautiful!!!!!! I think it's a little weird that they have the base attached to her butt, but I guess that's just what worked best with the pose. Still didn't stop me from going "And nowwwww I have to Stick this in her butt cheek😔"

She's still so beautiful though!!!! I love my girl!!!!!

And then Kakashi!!! Who also came in pieces lol. Tho nothing will be as comedic as half of Sasuke glaring up at the camera from the table.

He came together so nicely, just like Naruto. Barely had to struggle to get that kunai in his hand, and the sword on his back was No Problem!!!

And he is...... so beautiful.........🥺🥺🥺🥺 just look at those SHOULDERS...... they really did a service to us with this one fr

And here's the crew all together!!!! I'll have to figure out how I'm staging them when I get home next week, but that's a problem for later me. For now, I own all of team 7!!!!!!! And I'm rly happy!!!!!!!

Ok so I finally unboxed these fuckers

And yknow what I'm gonna take y'all through my unboxing journey with them. This is going to take at least 1 reblog lol, but I'll try putting it under some readmores

So starting out, I IMMEDIATELY lost my shit with Sasuke. I've always gotten figurines as already put together, so it surprised me so much I involuntarily laughed SO loud.

I just COULD NOT take him seriously!!!!!

But I got him!!! Yay!!!

He was so much trouble to put together (all the finicky little pieces, struggled to put his base on, struggled to fit the sheath into his ropes, his feet won't even fit into the holes of the base) that I was just like "Of course it'd be Sasuke that would give me this much trouble..."

Comparatively, Naruto was MUCH easier. He also came in two pieces, but no base to fiddle with

Just an easy one and done!!! He looks like an angry cheeto!!!!

But here he is with his boy ❤️

[tossawary]

Thinking about "You know what? Fuck you. *un-ennobles your family background*" AUs, due to the "Naruto" I've been reading and "Bleach" I've been watching. Like, taking the main character of any given story and removing their secret and powerful family backgrounds.

I like Minato and Kushina fine as characters, but I also think "Naruto" could have been just as if not more interesting if Naruto had just been some nobody kid, as the story initially presents Naruto to be. What if the Fourth Hokage had sealed the Kyuubi into some random orphan? Honestly, I think Naruto's shitty upbringing makes way less sense if he's the previous Hokage's kid, because Minato and Kushina both have all of these personal connections who really should have done something more and I've never been fully persuaded by the excuses the story gives for why not.

Naruto meeting an undead Minato can still be compelling if they're not related! Naruto could have grown up directly idealizing Minato as his hero only to find out that the Fourth Hokage kind of ruined his life. Kakashi and Naruto can still have an interesting personal connection by Naruto being the random orphan that Kakashi's beloved "nice" sensei fucked over to save the village.

And Naruto being some nobody kid would work really well contrasted against Sasuke's fancy Uchiha pedigree trying to choke the life out of Sasuke at every turn. Itachi and Obito both got fucked over by being Uchiha. Their ancestor Madara is straight-up the one ruining lives and trying to destroy the village. Naruto and Sasuke could be a great example of how the shinobi system screws over both orphan nobodies and the shinobi equivalent of nobility.

Now, there's a lot of directions that you could go in with an AU like this, because honestly, it could barely change the story at all. You only need a few tweaks here and there to make Naruto some orphan nobody again as he seemed to be at the start of the story. But you could also pull a wild Canon Divergence to really delve into the themes and plot threads of being demonized and discarded that the main story kind of dropped in favor of making Naruto the son of the Fourth Hokage and also the last son of the super special Uzumaki Clan.

(You can also make really interesting plots by properly delving into Naruto being the son of the Fourth Hokage and destroyed Uzumaki Clan, yet being demonized and nearly discarded as a child by the Leaf Village anyway, of course, because I don't know if I'd say the story fully delivered on the potential of those canon backstories either. But I personally think it's more fun to delve into Naruto potentially having no fancy pedigree whatsoever.)

[waitmyturtles]

I've Caught Up With Wandee Goodday, and here are some cons and pros (aka, am I ever burnt out on GMMTV)

HELLO. I'm back temporarily from my summer travels (before I travel again!). I was in Thailand! I should have brought a box of chappals to chuck at the GMMTV building for where Wandee Goodday has gone. Anyway, I need to process my thoughts on this show, so here we go. (And I apologize, I have NOT looked at the tag for this show, so I don't know if I'm repeating what other people are saying here.)

PROS

CONS

1) This show had so much brainrot potential! Remember the first, like, four episodes? Potential homophobia in multiple workplaces? Delicious bisexuality? Ace storylines??? Wandee's PUTZ deception and manipulation? Yak going along with it, why?? There was a lot going on here, a lot we could have chewed on.

I've been sitting on my historical review of Golf Tanwarin's The Eclipse for my Old GMMTV Challenge for about two months now because I can't get over how pissed I was that that show took some unnecessary, and frankly insensible, turns in part to showcase the damn center ship of First and Khao. I don't think Golf's WG has taken similar turns specifically to center the GreatInn ship, per se -- I just think the writing got messy and lazy right before WG's midpoint in general, and punched a lot of the excitement I had about the show right before I paused around episode 8.

Wandee Goodday is an EXCELLENT example of how Thailand's hourlong QL dramas could be made INCREDIBLY more impactful, by way of forced editing and clarity, if Thailand could follow Japan's suit by making 10- to 12-episode series with 30-minute episodes.

The Dr. Ter storyline was over before it actually, really ended, in, what episode was that, 9 or 10. It was over! Why drag it out? In Japan, that storyline would have been two episodes, mayyybe three, MAX. Shirasu Jin was barely in Kieta Hatsukoi for an episode before he was banished. Takeda Kouhei barely made it through two episodes of Minato's Laundromat 2 before he went bye bye! We don't need these middling dudes. There was enough happening with Dee and Yak to not need this Ter shit! Sorry, LOVE YOU PODD, but Ter was made irrelevant so early on, and then they actually had to work together on a huge case?! And NOW HE'S CHEESING ON TAEM? Like, no. We don't need this.

2) There's still a lot of confusion and conflict between Dee and Yak by last week's episode 11. Dee's got issues receiving love! This is big.

(By the way. Showing Dee ONE video of his parents cheesing on him as a newborn is NOT THE WAY to explain away future parental neglect as an older child. YIKES.)

I love that Yak wants to invest in Dee, and we do see Dee doing a lot of reciprocating there to Yak, but this parental neglect reveal, along with still not knowing enough about the back story of Dee's parents dying, is out of order and not helpful to me getting enough knowledge about Dee for me to feel a holistic sympathy towards him. This makes me wonder if romance is really Golf Tanwarin's bag: if Golf didn't have to focus so much on the DeeYak/YakDee romance, could we have gotten better emotional representations of these guys, gotten a better picture of WHO THEY ARE, before they got into each other? Maybe? I dunno.

3) Considering that homophobia in systems seems to be a theme that Golf is interested in, why did the show drop Yak's concern about being out vis à vis his boxing career? Showing up at the hospital early on, in front of Ter's people, was already a big risk that wasn't given consideration; and now Dee's gone ahead and put the big pre-match smooch on full display by episode 11! I know Yak's gone full tilt for Dee, but I think we needed to put a bow on Yak's early macro-level concerns about being out for that loop to be closed.

[I feel like I have similar concerns here about 23.5 as well, so I'd like GMMTV to know (REMEMBER BAD BUDDY????) that you can have romance and big social commentary in a show at the same time without sacrificing lovely, intimate moments. Neither 23.5 nor Wandee Goodday needed to scrap heavy emotional moments for social media memeable clickbait.]

TL;DR this show, this script, could have been so good, there was so much there by way of storylines.

ANY FUCKING WAY.

PROS

1)

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS SHOW WENT HERE WITH THOR. THIS IS DISSONANCE, THIS IS CONFUSING! THIS IS MAGNIFICENT.

And the follow-up scene with the FABULOUS Fluke Nattanon. Fucking Thor. He's so good. They're so wasted in this show!

2) Great Sapol and Inn Sarin. There's a con here: the elephant pants do nothing for Great's butt. But otherwise, Great, and Inn as well, are DELIGHTS. THEY ARE GOOD ACTORS. They are wasted on this script. I hope they never work together on a GMMTV show again. If they're ever paired again (which I hope they're NOT, down with the ships), I hope they can get cast in a big ol' queer lakorn, à la JamFilm, and escape the need for the meme moments.

The thing is, about Wandee Goodday, is that if you admit you're into the show FOR THE DUDES, then I get why this show is watchable (AND IT'S WHY I'M FINISHING IT, GODDAMNIT), because the actual intimate moments ARE lovely. They're just not coherent with everything that we should know about these guys by the end of a series, and that makes me sad.

Anyway, this show ends this week, and that's it! I wish GMMTV's shop had had the WG items in stock when I was there in person; fuck these shipping fees, I want the Phadetseuk shirt so bad! If I had known this would be a kind of light and fluffy watch, I would have set my expectations WAAAYYY differently, and I would have likely had a better time watching this. As it stands now, I'm better suited to enjoy the finale, so I'm glad I got these complaints out of my system, and I'll say sayonara to all these dudes in full ogle mode later this week.

[mixelation]

hahahaha what’s the most unhinged thing tori says about her everyone-thinks-he’s-fake-bf aka minato

(this is an async ask)

nah she makes up weird shit but people don't think she's lying. that's what making lying fun <3 what would be unbelievable is if she told people she was in some sort of situationship with a famous ninja. people believe her BECAUSE she's saying weird lies

i think it's fairly normal small talk for The Time and Place to ask women in their early 20s about if they're married yet, because what else would young women be doing? so tori will be like "well, i have a boyfriend, but we got separated when our village was burned down and he had to go down into fire country for work--" and whatever granny asked her about her love life will nod along sympathetically. and then tori will be like "i'm worried about him because he is so sweet and there's ninja down there and they're mean :( also he is a huge book nerd and i don't want him doing physical work, i think he'll injure himself. anyway can you give me advice on what to cook for him? here's all the vegetables that give him gas" and the granny walks away from the interaction like "what a nice young lady. i sure hope her boyfriend doesn't keel over from dehydration so they can get married"

the BEST interactions are when she can get people to be like "it's dangerous out there. you need someone who can protect you and you boyfriend sounds... well. have you considered perhaps dating someone like my nephew instead?" like tori wouldn't ACTUALLY sic minato and a rando innocent farm boy but oh my god it would be so funny if she did. please.

on the flip side i think she's been caught at least once looking at minato's bingo book page with a huge silly grin on her face and had to suffer through a tired old civilian explaining to her that even if he's handsome, he would kill her on sight. please look at his stats he is a very dangerous man!!

tori: oh, i am looking 👀

[cinnoasch]

Valentine's Day: SEES Edition

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! I didn't have time to make any for the girls but I might post some later! This was also my first-time writing Shinji so hopefully he's not too out of character. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2886

Minato Arisato

You sigh slightly, turning a box of chocolates over in your hands. You were definitely making this out to be more of a big deal than it was. The school day had ended and you were still sitting there in the classroom. Yukari and Junpei had already left to go back to the dorms and Minato had wandered off somewhere as per usual. 

You were planning to give this box of chocolates to Minato, just to show your appreciation for everything he’s done for SEES. But your nerves got the best of you. This morning, you had walked to school with him and when you tried to give him the box, you immediately went silent when he looked at you. And at lunchtime when you saw him in the hallway, you had turned on your heel when your eyes met. 

You lay your head on your desk sighing once again. “Darn it…”

“Who’s that for?”

Your head shoots up from your desk as you look to see Minato standing next to you. You didn’t even hear him come in.

“Minato! You’re still here. O-oh, um…” You stammer. You look away, tilting the box towards him. “...They’re for you, actually. Just as a thank you for everything you’ve done with SEES and all.”

“Oh. Thanks.” He takes the box and you let out a sigh of relief.

“ …you were really nervous, huh?”

You look at Minato, seeing a slight smirk on his face. “You noticed…?”

“Kinda hard not to. You avoided me all day.”

“Not my fault…”

He chuckles, “Thanks anyways. I appreciate it. Next year though, it’d be nice to see your face when you hand these to me.”

Your eyes widen and your face flushes as Minato grins. “Wanna head back to the dorms? We can share these.”

You laugh slightly as you stand up. “You’re really something sometimes… yeah, let’s head back.”

You follow Minato out of the classroom, the two of you chatting quietly. Maybe things didn’t go as planned, but in one way they worked out. Next year, you definitely would face him with a smile.

Junpei Iori

“Dude, did Y/N give you chocolates?” Junpei asks as he sits on the couch next to Minato. Akihiko was also present, sitting on the couch across from them.

“Yeah.” Minato replies, “Why?”

“I also got some too.” Akihiko adds, looking up from his boxing gloves. “What? They didn’t give you any?”

Junpei groans. “No… I mean Yuka-tan, Fuuka and Mitsuru-senpai gave me some, but that’s more of a teammate thing right? I dunno, I feel like Y/N and I are… more than that, or something.”

Neither Akihiko or Minato respond and Junpei groans again. “Oh c’mon, you guys have nothing to say?”

Minato shrugs. “Did you ask them out?”

“...no. I mean not yet at least.”

“There’s your answer then.”

“Dude, you're no help at all.” Junpei sighs, leaning his head back on the couch. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Maybe you just need to be patient. I don’t even think Y/N came back to the dorms yet.” Akihiko says.

“But the day’s almost over! …Okay, I’m going to look for them!”

Junpei gets up and heads out the door without another word. Meanwhile Mitsuru and Yukari enter the lounge from upstairs.

“He has a bit too much energy don’t you think? Should he really be worried about whether Y/N is giving him chocolates or not?” Yukari says with a sigh.

“Hey, let him be. He’s gotta put that energy to use somehow.” Akihiko replies.

Mitsuru sighs. “If only he’d have that amount of energy when it comes to his studies.”

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

“Huh? My package hasn’t arrived yet? But I got an email saying it arrived today…” You say to the mail carrier.

“I’m sorry. It was expected to arrive today, but due to unforeseen conditions, it’s been delayed.”

You sigh. “I see… Well, thank you then. Could you give me an estimated arrival date?”

“It should arrive in about 2 days.”

“Great… thank you again.”

You exit the post office sighing once again as you start walking back towards the monorail. Well, there went your plans for the rest of the day. You wanted to surprise a certain someone with a co-op game the two of you mentioned playing together a while ago. You should’ve known there was no way that the game would actually arrive on the day of. Sure, it could have been better planning on your part, but the whole thing had slipped your mind up until last week.

Suddenly you hear a familiar voice call your name.

“Y/N! Finally, I found you!”

You look up and see Junpei running towards you.

“Junpei? What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been looking for you. Damn, I had no idea where to look so I’ve been running around all over the place.”

“Oh, I was on my way back to the dorms anyways. Were you worried about me or something?”

He chuckles a bit nervously. “Uh, yeah something like that.” Then he looks behind you. “The post office, huh? Picking up something?”

“Ah, yeah I was, but it turns out it’s not here yet.” You smile slightly. “I meant to order it way earlier, but I forgot. Kind of silly of me to think that it would actually arrive today.”

“Was it something for Valentine’s Day?”

“Yeah actually… wait, why are you asking so many questions?”  

“N-no reason… Why are you getting so defensive?” 

You cross your arms, looking at Junpei with a smirk. “Ohh, I see. You were looking for me because you were expecting a Valentine’s Day gift, right?”

Junpei scoffs. “No, why would I be expecting something? Valentine’s isn’t even that big of a deal.”

“Uh-huh… so I guess you don’t want your gift when it arrives then.”

His face lights up. “Wait, you got me something? For real?”

“And here I thought you were worried about little ol’ me.”

“Hey, who says I wasn’t?”

You laugh. “I’m just teasing. I appreciate you coming to look for me, even if it was only to get your gift.”

“And if my gift is right in front of me?”

A beat of silence passes and Junpei laughs nervously. “That was lame, forget I said anything.”

“It was a little lame… but I don’t mind it.” You say, whispering the last part. “Anyways, let’s head back to the dorms.”

“Did you say something? Something along the lines of ‘ I don’t mind it’?”

You don’t say anything as you start to walk past him.

“Hey c’mon! I’m just playin’!”

Akihiko Sanada

“Hey guys,” You say walking downstairs into the lounge. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, hey Senpai.” Junpei says with a grin. He and Minato were sitting at the table with a large pile of small boxes in front of them. They were all wrapped nicely with ribbons. “We’re just going through Akihiko-senpai’s Valentine’s Day gifts.”

“Uh, isn’t that an invasion of privacy?” 

“Not necessarily. He gave us permission to look through them. You should’ve seen him when he came back to the dorms. He had no clue what to do with all of it. He said we could take some if we wanted. Man, getting all of this from girls and he just gives it away?”

“Well, it’s not like he’d eat it all anyway.” You say, then you look over at Minato. “I didn’t think you’d be taking some.”

Minato shrugs. “Free SP items, I’m not complaining.”

“Right…so where’d Akihiko head off to?”

“I think he said something about going for a run towards the shrine. He left not long ago so you could probably catch up to him.” Junpei replies. 

“Thanks, see you guys later.”

You set off towards the shrine hoping to find Akihiko. When you arrived, the sun was setting, the pink and orange hue gently enveloping the area. You spot Akihiko sitting on top of the jungle gym, looking at the sky.

“Hey there Mr. Popular.” You say walking up. “You look worn out.”

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Akihiko asks, a surprised look on his face.

“I heard from Minato and Junpei that you might be here. Mind if I join you?”

“Yeah, come on up.”

You climb up the jungle gym and Akihiko gives you a hand to lift you up. You sit next to him, looking up at the sky. “So, you had quite a day, huh? I saw Junpei and Minato with your gifts in  the lounge.”

Akihiko lets out a sigh. “Yeah. You wouldn't believe the amount of people in my classroom during lunch. Even the teacher had trouble getting them out of there.”

“Heh, I bet. I could hear those girls from down the hallway. ‘Sanada-senpai, these are for you!’ ‘Happy Valentine’s Day Sanada-san, please accept these!’ And so on and so forth.”

He hums in reply, chuckling slightly at your impression. Silence settles between the two of you as you continue to watch the sunset on the horizon. Then Akihiko speaks up.

“So, what brought you all the way over here? You weren't looking for me were you?”

“I was actually.” You say, handing two small boxes over. “You're probably tired of hearing this, but Happy Valentine's Day, Aki.” 

Akihiko freezes when he hears the nickname and his face flushes, his ears are tinted red. You laugh a bit when you see his expression. “Sorry, it slipped out. I must've picked it up from Shinjiro. I’ll be more careful.”

“N-no! I mean…” Akihiko clears his throat, taking the boxes. “It's fine. You can call me Aki… if you want.”

You smile. “Maybe I will. It's pretty funny to see you like this.”

“Hey, don't tease me.” He sighs. Then he starts to open one of the boxes. “Hm, dark chocolate?”

“Yeah, you don't like sweets that much right? I figured you might like it better than milk chocolate.”

Akihiko nods as he takes a piece out, popping it into his mouth. “It’s good. Not too sweet, and it has some bitterness to it. This is something I wouldn’t mind having every once in a while.”

“Good, cause I know how to make them.”

“You made these?”

“I asked Shinjiro for help… which is probably where I picked up calling you Aki.” You chuckle nervously. “If you want I can give you the recipe.”

“Hm, how about we make it together then? It’d probably be good for me to learn how to make something more complex anyways.”

“Sure. We can get Shinjiro to join in as well.”

“Heh, he’d probably just yell at me whenever I do something wrong.”

The two of you laugh as Akihiko goes to open the other box. He unwraps it, revealing a small keychain, a pair of boxing gloves to be exact. He looks at you, holding it up. “You got these for me?”

You nod. “I saw it at Paulownia Mall one day and you came to mind. Sorry, it’s a bit cheesy, isn’t it?”

Akihiko shakes his head, a small smile appears on his face. “No, I don’t think so at least. Hearing you say that you thought of me… it’s a nice feeling. I’ll have to put this on my bag so that way I can think of you when I see it.”

This time you freeze at Akihiko’s words, you can feel your face flush as you try to come up with a response. You weren’t even sure if he realized the effect of his words.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Your face got all red…  well it is getting a bit chilly, huh? Do you want to head back to the dorms?”

“Ah… yeah, let’s head back.” You say with a smile. You climb down the jungle gym and Akihiko follows you down.

“Hey actually,  how about we get some beef bowls? It’ll be the perfect thing to warm you up.”

“Okay,” You say, winking playfully before you take off running. “Last one there is paying!”

“H-hey! You got a head start, that’s cheating!” 

Shinjiro Aragaki

“Okay, and now we wait…” You mumble quietly, putting a tray of chocolates into the fridge.

You’re currently in the kitchen, attempting to make a batch of chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Well, before the end of the day that is. Yes, you were a bit late, but for good reasons. Shinjiro was always away from the dorms so you couldn’t really ask for his preferences in sweets. At this point, it wasn’t any secret who you were making these for since you had to ask the other SEES members for information. Interestingly enough, there was no one in the dorms so you figured they all had plans for today. 

You let out a sigh as you lean against the counter. To be honest, you weren’t exactly sure what led you to make chocolates for him. Maybe curiosity? Despite having been a part of the team  for a while, you barely knew anything about him. You weren’t the most stealthy person; so when you tried to follow Shinjiro once, he immediately caught you and told you to go back to the dorms. You did try to follow him again a few times after that, but of course failed. He didn’t seem much for conversation either so you never really talked to him, but you suppose you should have tried harder if you were really curious about him.

Just then the dorm doors open and you step out of the kitchen to see who it is.

“Oh, you’re back early today.” You say, seeing Shinjiro walk inside.

He looks up at you then averts his gaze. “Yeah.” He glances around. “...it’s quiet today. Guess you’re the only one here?”

“Mhm, looks like everyone has plans.”

Shinjiro stays quiet for a moment then looks at you again. “Are you making chocolate? I smelled it when I came in.”

You nod. “I’m just waiting for it to harden. Want to wait with me? I could use the company, and you could be my taste tester.”

He lets out a sigh, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. “I might as well. Not like I got anything better to do.”

“Perfect!”

You turn on your heel, walking back into the kitchen as Shinjiro joins you. Once he steps into the kitchen, his attention is drawn to the bowls on the counter. “You added filling?”

“Yeah, it’s dark chocolate so I figured it would be a nice contrast. You aren’t allergic to raspberries are you?”

“No.”

After that curt response, silence fills the space. Well, this was more awkward than you wanted it to be. Your gaze falls onto the bowls and you walk over, picking one up and bringing it to the sink.

“Uh, do you want to dry these after I wash them?”

Shinjiro only nods as he picks up a drying cloth and you start washing the bowls. It's only when you hand him a bowl to dry that he says something. 

“...So, I heard you've been asking about me.”

You freeze slightly, then you chuckle. “Yeah, I have. Let me guess… Junpei?”

“Yeah.” Shinjiro sighs. “Y’know, if you wanted to know about me… you could’ve just asked.”

“I know. I just didn’t want to bother you.”

“You could just say you were intimidated.”

“No-no! I wasn’t. I’m not…well, maybe a little, but I was only asking the other members for good reasons.” You say handing him the last bowl. You turn off the faucet and dry your hands. “Those chocolates in the fridge are for you.”

Shinjiro looks at you in surprise. “Me?

“Yeah, I guess you can consider them as… friendship chocolates? I was wondering what you liked in terms of sweets so I was asking around. I guess I went with raspberry filling since it's close to the color of your jacket.”

He looks at his jacket. “...I guess.” He sets the bowl down along with the towel and leans against the counter. “Well, next time, you can just ask me. We’re teammates right? You don’t have to be scared to ask me stuff. It’s not like I’ll bite or anything.”

You laugh a bit. “Right, I’ll keep that in mind.” Your gaze turns towards the clock and you walk towards the fridge. “I think they might be done now.”

You take the tray out and set it on the table, touching one of the chocolates to see if it’s solid. You nod happily and pick one up to give to Shinjiro. “Here!”

Instead of taking it with his hand, he leans his head down to pick it up with his mouth. You freeze once again when his gaze meets yours, then he raises his head, chewing the chocolate.

“Hm, not bad. This is your first time making it right?”

“O-oh, um yes.” You say, glancing away from him. 

“Next time, you should try to add more cocoa powder for the bitterness. You were going for dark chocolate, yeah?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure how much to add.”

You feel his hand fall on top of your head as he ruffles your hair. “We can make them together next time then. Don’t look so down.” 

You smile, “I look forward to it then.”

[dulcibella-dreams]

Tempest.

ﾟ ⋆ ﾟ⛆ ﾟ ⋆ ﾟ⛈ Makoto Yuki/Minato Arisato X GN reader

Synopsis: The weather is absolutely dismal, and you missed the train.

You could barely see.

The rain peltered the floor, creating a suffocating veil of gloomy mist. All you could do was speed walk through the monochromatic canvas. Soaked to the bone, your hair clung like wet silk to your skin, and you were pretty sure you accidentally ate some of your own rain-soaked strands. The day had started relatively sunnily, so you had no good reason to bring an umbrella. Oh, how you wished you had.

Holding the straps of your schoolbag like a lifeline, you rushed to the monorail's stop. Under the awning, you took a moment of respite to breathe. Your bag hit the ground, and you wrung out your dripping curtain of hair. Realising the weather had made you late, you checked the arrival and departure times. You almost fell to the floor and threw a tantrum when you saw the next train wouldn’t arrive for another hour. You hugged your own body, vehemently plunking down onto the bench. As your teeth chattered and water filtered out of the sides of your shoes, you envied the people who had arrived on time—probably at home with heaters and dry clothes right about now.

Your dreary thoughts were interrupted by footsteps. Someone quickly stepped into the stop, sheltering something in their jacket. Makoto! You definitely hadn’t expected him. He hadn’t realised you were the shivering person just yet, finger combing his drenched hair. You watched as he pulled out his MP3 player from underneath his jacket, while the book that couldn't fit in his bag lay drenched under his arm. Priorities, you supposed. As he turned, his eyes met yours, and they lit up in recognition. “Oh. Sorry, I didn’t see you,” he said. You waved it off as he sat down next to you. Moving in closer, you took the ink-stained workbook out of his hands, cringing at the ink blots on the pages. You closed it and put it in your own bag, having enough space. He gave you a silent look of gratitude.

“I didn’t see you when I left school, so I assumed you’d already gone,” you said sheepishly. You glanced at Makoto, who was adjusting his drenched hair. “If I’d known, I would’ve wanted to walk with you.” He turned toward you, a small smile playing on his lips. “We ended up together anyway, though. I suppose it worked out?”

Makoto carefully placed his MP3 player in his schoolbag. “When does the train come, anyways?” he asked. You almost groaned again. “in an hour...” you replied. He fiddled with his bangs, a soft sigh escaping him. He looked tired, but then again, he always did.

“If the rain settles down, we may as well walk…” he mused, though there seemed to be no sign of the weather calming. The sound of rain hitting the stop was almost deafening. “Unless we want to catch the meanest cold ever, I’d advise against it.” You’d rather sit here for hours than feel the rain seep into your scalp again. Makoto’s hair was even longer when wet. He was currently picking at the corner of his mouth, removing the hair that had found its way through his lips without invitation.

“Not like Mitsuru would let us skip school if we had a cold, anyways.” He mumbled.

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t she deem it ‘a danger to the student body’?” This made him laugh softly. It was a very gratifying sound, coming from a boy who usually remained expressionless. Though it warmed you up, it didn’t quite fix your waterlogged clothes. As the wind picked up, you heard the rumble of thunder. You were increasingly uneasy, watching the thin trees sway. You didn’t like storms. Suddenly, you felt the intense need to be indoors. You succeeded in suppressing your rising panic, though it didn’t go unnoticed.

“You alright?” Makoto tilted his head slightly, gauging you. You were going to shake your head and say ‘it’s fine,’ but something about his nature made it easy to open up. “I just…I really don’t like weather like this. It puts me on edge.”

Makoto looked at you for a quiet moment before reaching into his bag. Pulling out his music player, he offered his headphones to you. “…Do you want to listen with me?”

You sensed Makoto’s intention—to provide you with a distraction. It was…sweet. Absurdly so. It had been a while since someone had done something so considerate for you. Your cheeks felt warm. “Yeah, sure!” As the music played, you tried to lose yourself in its melody, separating each instrument from the beat. You started to feel less troubled.

But when your anxious mind coerced you to fix your gaze at the weather, his fingers found your face. Gently, he turned your gaze downward, and you watched as he took your hand in his. His touch radiated warmth, a stark contrast to your frozen skin. You reveled in his velvety hands, well-kept with strong, healthy nails. Makoto wasn’t accustomed to intimacy; his parents' passing had denied him such simple comforts. This had inevitably rendered him touch-starved. He understood that you sought solace in this connection— he enjoyed it just as much as you did, if not more.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the train finally arrived. As you both stood—muttering words like 'finally' and 'about time—he never released your hand. Looking into his eyes, that warm, fond feeling overtook you again.

"What would I do without you, Makoto?"

[still-breathing-au-p3r]

What's it like to be captain of the boxing team? You don't seem like the type to want that kind of responsibility.

Minato shrugs and nods. Sanada is probably the one he knows the least about when it comes to his club activities. He has the Student Council with Mitsuru and art club with Fuuka, and Yukari tells him about archery practice all the time. Junpei and Aigis don’t have anything to tell.

But Sanada almost never talks about the boxing team. All Minato really knows is that he chose boxing because he wanted to learn how to fight with his bare hands, and that he made hotpot for his teammates once.

Before Minato can question his life choices or lament the grave mistake he’s made in getting them started with their whole– whatever this is– any further, there’s a brisk, professional knock at the door. His senpais’ patter routine grinds to a screeching halt as everyone turns to look at the new guest. 

Well, not really a guest. It’s Aragaki’s doctor, looking just as serious as ever. 

“Pardon me,” he says. “I apologize for the interruption, but I have some things to discuss with Aragaki-kun and Kirijo-san.” Neither his expression nor his tone of voice give any indication about whether ‘some things’ are going to be positive or negative.

He turns his gaze to Minato and Sanada. “For the sake of patient confidentiality, I have to ask you both to leave the room.”

“I don’t mind ‘em being here,” Aragaki says. “They’ll hear it all from either me or Kirijo anyway, might as well cut out the extra step.”

“It's a hospital-wide policy, I’m afraid. Kirijo-san may be present because the Kirijo Group is acting as your de facto next of kin, but otherwise, anyone who isn’t a direct relative isn’t permitted to be in the room when discussing private medical information.

“As you said, however– you are allowed to relay as much as you like to whomever you like after the fact.”

“How long will it be?” Sanada asks.

“There’s quite a bit to go over. I don’t think we’ll be finished before visiting hours are over for the day.”

Sanada’s expression is crestfallen in a way that gives the distinct impression that he’s trying very hard not to look crestfallen. He nods and doesn’t argue with the doctor. He and Minato exchange their goodbyes with Aragaki and Mitsuru, and Mitsuru promises to pass along any and all relevant news as soon as she can.

And then there’s nothing left for Minato and Sanada to do but return to the dorms in lockstep, pretending very hard not to be anxious.

[crest-of-gautier]

pq posting before i go to bed! a shorter session (3 hours) but it was nice and i'm happy to say that i finished you in wonderland!

THIS WAS SO FUNNY... honestly i don't think i give enough credit to akihiko and mitsuru's dynamic they're literally so good i really enjoy how well they know each other but also they're like.. a constant in each other's life and i do enjoy their interactions a lot even if i never vocalize it...

wow yosuke, who would've thought that you two are partners, this guy literally introduced himself as your wife /s (i kinda regret naming souji yosuke wifey but im glad i wrote the y in lowercase bc otherwise i wouldn't be able to tell their dialogue apart 💀

and finally, yosuke <3

some more elaborate thoughts (aka speculation) under the cut because i learned my lesson from last time

ok unfortunately i can't say that im going to go AS INSANE as i did last time when i was spitballing in the tags for the second pq posting just because i feel like i aired out most of my "AAAA WHO IS ZEN AND REI??" there but.

i do have to say that i'm very glad i'm at the point where p3 and p4's casts are able to interact! i can't tell if it's because the writing feels like it shines a little bit better here rather than the solo casts (sometimes i roll my eyes at how junpei and akihiko are with some of the traits the writers play up), or if it's because i'm a guy who's very endeared by crossovers and interactions from characters who didn't exist in the original source material.

i had a lot of times where i was writing things down in my notes software during the crossover segments and im just?? really endeared and creatively inspired by it, to be honest. i really like this aspect of pq.

i think something that catches my interest with zen and rei at the moment is the difference in how they're.. regaining their memories. like... it's interesting to me that zen is able to get some of his memories back from the stuffed rabbit marked with "niko," but rei doesn't. i don't really know how much i can speculate off of this atm (i feel like this is something i'd get more info on when i progress through the second labyrinth, or it's something i'm missing out on because i can't use intertextuality to piece things together. i dont know shit about alice in wonderland.)

like it does make me think that maybe these two are like.. separate entities in that respect (rather than a shared one? but i could be wrong, and i welcome that!). but also there's something that makes my brain go "AAA" about how adamant zen is about wanting to protect rei despite not having any memories, because my brains like "WELL WHAT IF ZEN'S TRUE IDENTITIES AND MEMORIES ARE ACTUALLY THE OPPOSITE, AND DON'T WANT GOOD THINGS FOR REI." poorly phrased but like, it's about the irony, y'know.

i have no fucking clue what rei is supposed to be if we're going under the notion that they're two different things that have lost their memory (she is so head empty only food and its precious tbh). but like my brain just thinks that zen is just... going to end up being some awful incarnation or something like idk. there's something about persona characters with amnesia that make me raise my eyebrow... like just look at ryoji and marie and teddie...

and i guess as another thought on the matter, the way zen and rei work mechanically speaking does make me ponder a bit because like.. obviously, yeah, they can't equip a subpersona because they're... GESTURES. not persona users but FUCK, the way zen and rei have very distinct skillsets just make me wonder if those can allude to what they symbolize. like zen's skills are much more.. destructive and im just like (AIGIS VOICE) "YOU ARE DANGEROUS."

anyways. i am very much invested in the identities of zen and rei but i am also glad that the crossover stuff is here too because i think the sillies will keep me inspired... and also im just happy to see yosuke... i really like yosuke even if i forget that i do a lot of the time..

last thought, after seeing souji talk and move, i think i'd definitely want to look into p4 side... because um. 🥴 i'm really simple guy. i need more minato in my life. (everyone rolls their eyes. i'm predictable!) i want to see minato move and talk. i want to think about him. he's my boyfriend. he's my wife. he's my universe. im being so cringe about him but I DONT THINK THIS IS A SURPRISE TO ANYONE... i like him a lot (NO SHIT, LIZZ). but!!! idk if this'll be something that i watch or play, it depends on what the NG+ functionality in this game is like...

anyway gn!! thanks for reading my delusions im very much enjoying this game and im happy to be playin git.

[mayskalih]

My birthday is next week (cheers to me for surviving 30 years on this planet) so I thought of opening requests.

My very ambitious plan is to do 30 requests throughout the year, so be aware that it might take some time. But let's try anyway!

I accept requests for Naruto, One Piece, ATLA, JJK. I won't do: Obito, Minato, Madara, Geto, Kid, Franky, Chopper (I like the last two but I know I won't do them justice). 2 characters max per request. You can be specific with prompt or leave it up to me. SFW or suggestive only!

Requests open until Feb 18th. Once closed, I will select 30 and post here <3

[twig-tea]

I Owe an Apology to Cherry Magic Thailand

This is me righting a wrong. A few weeks ago I wrote this post in response to an ask about Thai BL including what Thai BLs airing at the time I was enjoying the most; I listed Cooking Crush and Dead Friend Forever, which was true. I didn't list Cherry Magic Thailand, and the reason for that is the timing of that post coinciding with the very unfortunate Cherry Magic Thailand episode 8 which was a filler episode that made some really unfortunate choices. None of those choices affected the relationship writing or character arcs of the main characters, but the conflict was poorly written--it didn't fit well in the narrative, it didn't even really make sense, and it didn't land the way it was clearly meant to--and I was afraid that the writers of the show would not realize the really interesting things they had done with the main characters in the Thai adaptation and how that would have to change the way the story progressed in order to be consistent, and so I was ready to watch this show go off the rails. But happily, I was wrong, and instead we got an excellent episode 9 and 10, so I am here to publicly tell you:

Watch Cherry Magic (Thai adaptation)!

The one episode 8 misstep is worth living through for the greatness that is happening in this series.

If you're familiar with the source material, here are a few things that I absolutely LOVE the Thai adaptation is doing (very light spoilers, I kept the big stuff out so that you could read and still be pleasantly surprised if you decide to watch the show):

The "magic" is used in fun and clever ways that keep the show funny, interesting, and fresh

Achi [the Thai Adachi] is more self-actualized and self-driven from the get-go, and is more willing to fight for the relationship

Karan [the Thai Kurosawa] is even more of a simp, and is less outwardly perfect than in the Japanese live action, and is also a little hornier (though not as much as the anime version lol)

Both Achi and Karan have stronger character arcs in the Thai adaptation than Adachi and Kurosawa did in the Japanese live-action

Jinta and Min [the Thai version of Tsuge and Minato] are also really great; they're hitting a lot of the same beats but at different times, which makes their progression feel stronger, and there is less of an emphasis on the age difference between them than in the Japanese live action

Min also gets an arc with Rock [Rokkaku] that gives him more depth than in the Japanese live action

We get more of Jinta and Achi's friendship than we did with Adachi and Tsuge

Pai [Fujisaki in the Japanese adaptation] is a fujoshi, which is from the original manga, but the show is still doing something really interesting with her as (I think?) a nod to Fujisaki in the Japanese live action being on the aro/ace spectrum

They have done a great job making the show feel Thai (e.g. including Thai cultural festivals, changing the scarf to an umbrella, adjusting the humour)

There is a kiss!

Anyway. I'm really enjoying it, and it's worth fighting past the annoyance of needing a VPN set to Thailand and waiting an extra day in order to access the show on VIU's website.

[tossawary]

Thinking about two (three?) different "Rin Lives" AUs for "Naruto" in very different styles.

The first (Option 1A) is, of course, the classic where Rin survives having the Sanbi sealed inside her instead of having Kakashi kill her (while Obito watches). I can't exactly call Zetsu's sinister plan here unreasonable, but it does still rely heavily on a bunch of relatively unpredictable elements.

With Obito as a hostage, Zetsu has relatively intimate information on Rin, Kakashi, and Minato, but by that point, it's like a year out of date. What if Rin, Kakashi, and Minato have all been significantly changed by Obito's apparent death and have adjusted their techniques and procedures? The plan relies on 1) neither of Namikaze Minato's students (who also know Uzumaki Kushina and Jiraiya of the Sannin) having sufficient sealing knowledge to hold out long enough for help to arrive, 2) the YELLOW FLASH to be fully distracted and occupied while this is happening, and 3) Rin dying in such a way that it looks like Kakashi's fault. (Also, 4) no other Kiri nin catching on and having issues with all of this.)

Again, it's not exactly unreasonable that all of these elements came together in a tragedy, but also still too reliant for my liking on all of these different moving pieces who could potentially pull out skills and escape plans that Zetsu hasn't foreseen. I'll need to reread that part to figure out why clones / genjutsu weren't just used to fool Obito, who wasn't exactly in a good state to resist that kind of manipulation. (Itachi used Tsukuyomi on Kakashi at least once. Obito is under severe physical, mental, and emotional strain and only awakened his Sharingan directly before his kidnapping. He's so vulnerable.)

Option 1B for this AU, a twist on the classic, is that nothing about this mission was real. The Sanbi was never put inside Rin. Zetsu or Madara fooled a vulnerable Obito with a trick / gaslighting, and Zetsu has been desperately struggling to kill Nohara Rin for years to get her out of the way before a grieving / vengeful Obito notices that Rin isn't actually dead. This AU probably takes place before Minato's death. Kakashi and Minato have caught on to some attempted murder mystery going on here and they are SO overprotective.

OPTION 2 for a "Rin Lives" AU is actually a "Rin gets resurrected" AU. Obito catches on earlier that Madara and Zetsu are full of shit, but Obito still isn't exactly sane after everything, so while Obito has Rinnegan superpowers in the middle of the final fight, he throws Madara and Zetsu's plan out the window and somehow uses a stolen / modified version of Orochimaru's Edo Tensai technique to bring Nohara Rin fully back from the dead. Obito says a big "FUCK YOU" to all of those long conspiracies and wastes all of that ultimate power on fully resurrecting some random nobody girl he loved as a young teenager.

So, it's like: "Your name is Nohara Rin and you are no longer dead. You were turned into a bomb and killed yourself when you were 14 to save your village, and now you've been resurrected as though you never died; you're not exactly 14 anymore after the dreamy time you spent watching the world of the living, but you are definitely not actually 31. It's weird.

"The teammate you once thought was dead was actually kidnapped by two different madmen and has spent the past 15 years with them molding his body and whispering in his ears, only to betray them anyway. His hands are covered in so much blood and he's started a war and it was all apparently a trick to bring you back. So everyone is looking at you, shocked, and confused, because you're not special. All of that? For you? For some random dead girl? They were ready for the world to end. Obito is looking at you, satisfied, expectant, like you're supposed to have any answers or any kind of comfort for him.

"Minato-Sensei is here too, undead in a different way, not alive again like you are (at least, like you think you are), and so is Kakashi, all grown up the hard way. They are looking at you like a miracle and also like you're breaking their hearts all over again. And oh, no, Uchiha Madara and Zetsu are very, VERY mad right now, there's no time for any of this, is there? You died in one war and it's right back into another."

[frayed-at-the-seams]

Favourite BLs with age gaps (4+ years).

Here’s some of my favourite bl dramas where the age gap between the couple is 4 or more years. I chose 4 or more years because there is always a different feel to those who are 4 or more years older. There’s a lot that can be done.

Anyway, here it is. Enjoy.

- Minato Shouji coin laundry.

This is one of my top favourite shows ever. It’s a comfort show for me, although I recall the age gap of characters being 9 years put me off at first. Still, I tried the show and I am so glad I did.

The main plot of this show is the age gap. The issues between the characters stem from the age gap. With Shin being 17 when they meet and Minato being 27. I felt that the drama handled the age gap very well.

With the character of Minato, he does not feel creepy for being with a teenager. His character finds Shin attractive and that is where it stops. He is very strict about nothing happening between them while Shin is underage despite all the flirting and seducing Shin tries. Minato absolutely refuses to see Shin in a sexual or romantic way until he is of age despite all the other characters choosing to see their relationship as romantic. Minato continues to treat Shin almost like a younger brother despite it all, even when he gets flustered.

I was very glad to find a show where despite being attracted to a younger person, the character kept to their morals and waited until the person was 18+. Even when Shin has turned 18, minato waits until he has graduated high school.

While I would normally hate a drama with such a big age gap for the usual sexualisation of a teenager, this show didn’t do that. Whenever it started to lean in that direction, minato shuts it down.

Even so the dynamics between the characters was gold and there was a real growth and development for them. (Less so in season2 but we don’t need to talk about that). Shin learned that although he wanted Minato, he grew to respect the boundaries Minato set. While Minato learned to let Shin dictate what he felt comfortable with while also maintaining though boundaries. Throughout all of this the show maintained a light and almost puppy love atmosphere, perhaps to offset such a large agar gap.

I won’t lie and say that there’s not negatives to this show. Such a large age gap between characters itself is problematic. But despite my initial misgivings I really loved this show. The ages and dynamics work well with their characters and the actors did a great job.

Available on Bilibili and KissKH.

- Old Fashion Cupcake

Despite this show only having five episodes, it has a unique atmosphere and really works well in terms of pacing and storyline. It is a comfort show with a simple but engaging plot and it explores a story normally overlooked in BL.

This show is about 39 Nozue who is a boss of a team in a company that he has been working in for over ten years. He is feeling his age and getting stuck into a rut. This frightens him as it is affecting his mental health. When lamenting about how carefree a couple of teenagers look to his coworker, Togawa, he mentions how he’s feeling. Togawa suggests doing things that teenage girls would do (basically as a metaphor of breaking out of their comfort zones and trying new things). This leads them to a series of dates with a lot of desserts and eventually to love.

This story was so enchanting and sweet. While the characters worked so well together. The fact that both were independent adults meant that the age gap never really came into play other than when Nozue was joking about his age. The antagonist being more Nozue’s fear of leaving his comfort zone than their age gap and work dynamics. Also, they had such great chemistry that you forget about all the negatives.

Available on KissKH and Viki.

- The Eighth Sense.

Another all time fave drama of mine.

This drama was beautiful. With a unique and indie filming style and story telling you got a real sense of the characters and the cinematic style really worked.

While the age gap between Jihyun (20) and Jaewon (24-26) being a minimum of about four years (they never explicitly state it but it is said that Jaewon is around four or more years older) the drama revolves around Jaewon’s mental health and how it affects him. The characters grow through their own personal growths and it is only with these changes that they can be together. Jihyun learns to find his confidence and grows to be a self assured young man who knows what he wants, while Jaewon learns to know when to be a people pleaser and when to set boundaries and fight for what he wants too.

The way mental health was portrayed in this drama was the part that drew me in the most. It was glorified, or brought in for just some angst before being forgotten. It was a real and persistent problem to Jaewon and despite going to therapy, he had bad days and good. It fuelled decisions that he may not have made if he wasn’t feeling so self destructive and low. Even with the happy ending of the drama, his bad mental health does not go away. It remains something that he still deal with but with far more support and in a less toxic environment. It was a realistic portrayal of how things like trauma and depression can follow someone. It may not hang over their heads like a looming storm, but they persist like an annoying strand of hair. You may not notice it at first, then something can remind you and all of a sudden it’s there.

This portrayal of mental health and its effect on a character was raw. The romance interwoven between it was sweet and lovely to watch. This show really captures the viewer, though due to its unique style some may say that it feel disjointed.

Still, this show is unique.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

- Love Tractor.

A city boy goes to a countryside village to clear up his grandfather’s will and meet a young man who falls head one heals for him.

This drama is very cute and has a real ‘back to basics’ atmosphere. SeonYul (27 if I remember correctly) is a city boy through and through. At first this return to the countryside and all its old fashioned ways disgusts him, yet as time passes he begins to love the community and the peace it brings him. While YeChan (20-23 if I recall) is utterly smitten with this new face and takes great joy in helping him learn countryside life.

Is the plot complicated? No. Are there cliche tropes? Yes. Is YeChan a bit of a himbo? Definitely. (He’s more than just a himbo but he has his moments and we love him for it).

Either way this drama is cute and wholesome with two guys falling in love in the countryside. The age gap is barely ever mentioned other than a few stray comments. It’s not much of a plot point and doesn’t pose a problem between the characters.

In all, while simple, this drama was refreshing and an easy watch.

Available on KissKH and Bilibili.

- History 2: Right or Wrong.

Where Shi Yi Jie, a divorced teacher in his thirties with an eight year old daughter meets Fei Sheng Zhe, a college student in his early twenties. What starts as a simple child care job for Sheng Zhe becomes more as he slowly rebuilds and joins the little family.

I am not going to lie, at first this age gap and the power dynamics put me off. Yi Jie is a teacher at Sheng Zhe’s college, while not his lecturer for long (for one class which Sheng Zhe only had for a semester) the power dynamics that are involved put me off. Yet when I started watching this drama I found that despite Yi Jie being the older one, Sheng Zhe is the one who takes the lead in everything. Yi Jie is a bit of a wreck of a man before Sheng Zhe turns up.

He’s a workaholic with bad habits who often misjudges time and is late to collect his daughter. As the drama progresses Sheng Zhe convinces Yi Jie to take better care of himself and enables the father and daughter to bond more. What could have been a toxic mess turns into a wholesome found family with the pair raising the daughter together.

Any age gap toxicity was made null simply by their characters. Sheng Zhe being mature enough to handle the issues that could arise and Yi Jie allowing him to take the lead.

It is a sweet drama that does not shy away from the difficulties of maintaining a job while being a single parent with a messy divorce. Another great show by History.

Available on Viki or on Bilibili.

- History 3: Make Our Days Count (Second couple).

While the main couple of this show are both the same age. The second couple, Sun Bo (18) and Zhi Gang (26-30 though his age is never explicitly stated) have an age gap of around 8-10 years.

Again, much like other shows the romance between this pairing is mostly pursued by the younger.

Sun Bo works at his cousin’s gym part time where he develops a crush on regular and small time business owner and openly gay man Zhi Gang. He doggedly pursues the older, to which Zhi Gang refuses due to age gap issues. As a character, he is jaded by his past relationships and does not believe that a young man still in high school would want him. Eventually Sun Bo wears him down and they get together. (But not without a sex scene in the gym first. Which definitely surprised me on the first watch). However, despite all the angst between them, while the main couple end in tragedy (I still cry) these two make it into a lasting and healthy relationship. In history 4; Close to You (set around five years after MODC) they even make a cameo and get married.

For a couple that had the potential to be toxic and unhealthy, they actually surprised me and I grew to love their dynamic. Sun Bo is all enthusiasm and ‘follow your heart’ while Zhi Gang is a bit too restrained. He has experienced the downsides and consequences that following your heart can lead, especially when it comes to gay relationships and homophobia. The plot follows Sun Bo as he encourages Zhi Gang to take a chance on him.

Despite my misgivings it was lovely to see this couple get together and develop as characters. I loved both couples in this show and both couples made me cry at various points.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

- You Make Me Dance.

This drama, though short is sweet and adorable. There is a movie version of it available as well.

The plot covers Song Shi On (20-23), a university student studying contemporary dance, who is in debt. He has no family to depend on and no friends. Jin Hong Seok (27-30) works as a debt collector and has to go and collect money from Shi On. Instead of collecting money, he instead helps Shi On practise for an audition where he can get paid the money to repay his debt. While doing this, they fall in love.

Despite the age gap and power dynamics that could come to play in this show, the romance is equal and actually very sweet. It is two people, one who gave up on their dream and one who is fighting for his, bonding and living together. It’s a very short drama but ultimately about finding kindred spirits and the age gap doesn’t pose a problem. It’s actually very easy to forget the age gap between them as each of the character’s experiences mean that they are almost on equal footing.

Wholesome and sweet.

Available on Viki and KissKH.

These are all I can think of so far. May add to this list later. Hope you enjoy.

[mixelation]

ummmm more parenthood 2, which is now titled "motherhood and other world-alerting endeavors"

i know i want to do a six year time skip, and also i want to keep the format of the first scene being naruto's POV, but im debating how i want to introduce what kushina has been up to. so..... idk, this might get rearranged

also i decided to kill hiruzen off last second so NO i do not know who hokage is!!!!

*****

“Um…” Naruto's dad said, looking around them. They were out in a forest, with trees skinnier than the ones Naruto was used to climbing around Konoha. There was the sound of birds, but no bustle of city life that Naruto was used to hearing when he went into the stretches of forest in Konoha. 

Minato’s grip on his hand tightened. “Dad?” Naruto asked. 

Minato grinned down at him, looking sheepish like he did whenever he was about to tell Naruto he’d accidentally burned part of dinner or that they had to go do boring work. 

“We might be a little lost,” Minato said. “Here, let’s take a water break, and I’ll figure out where we are.”

Naruto was pretty sure half the “water breaks” his dad made him take were just so Minato could figure out what to do next. During training, they occurred suspicious frequently after Naruto admitted he didn’t understand something about doing ninja stuff, and then his dad wouldn’t drink his own water and just frown into space like he was thinking really hard. 

Naruto took his water anyway. He was a little bit thirsty. His dad closed his eyes in concentration, which was new. 

When Minato didn’t immediately explain what was up, Naruto decided to make a game out of throwing his water canteen into the air and catching it. His first toss was really easy, so he threw it a little higher the second time. This one he fumbled a little but still caught. So then, he threw it as hard as he could, and it went sailing away from him. 

His dad snatched it out of the air. 

“Naruto, be careful with your things,” he said absentmindedly, tapping his chin in thought. 

Minato handed Naruto his water back, and Naruto rolled it in his hands. 

“My Hiraishin network,” Minato said slowly. “Is… still not right…”

“Hiraishin?” Naruto asked. Hiraishin was his dad's cool teleportation technique. Were they going to do it again?

“Remember how I put markers everywhere?” Minato asked, and Naruto nodded. “I can, um, sense where they all are. So, I know Konoha is two days south, but the network of markers is wrong for my Konoha, and it’s also wrong for your Konoha, and I think we’re in… Grass Country, for some reason.”

“Huh?” Naruto said. Basically all he understood was that his dad had messed up and stuck them in the wrong country. His dad didn’t seem panicked though, so Naruto wasn’t upset. 

Minato smiled down at him, and Naruto could basically see the gears in his head turning to try explaining it again to Naruto. His dad was kind of lousy at explanations the first time, but he always tried again and again until Naruto understood. Naruto liked that about him. 

But then, instead of explaining, Minato’s face suddenly went super serious. He scooped Naruto up into his arms, rotated, and threw a bunch of kunai into the trees. 

A woman jumped out of the trees. Naruto didn’t think his dad had been trying to hit her with the kunai at all, as she didn’t have to dodge or anything, and a bunch of the kunai went sailing into the branches of the trees. 

She had bright red hair tied up on top of her head, with a few strands down to frame her face. The red head hair made Naruto think of his mom, but this lady had a pointier chin and higher cheekbones, whereas Naruto’s mom had a round face like him. Her gray eyes went wide at the sight of the two of them. 

“What the fuck is this?” she swore. 

“Uh, hi!” Naruto’s dad greeted. “Umm, we’re just passing through… no need to fight or anything!”

The lady seemed really angry though, and she threw a kunai at them. Naruto wasn’t scared though, because his dad could dodge anything. And he did dodge— one second they were on the forest floor, and the next his dad was squatting in the tree branches behind the woman. 

Minato didn’t attack back. 

“Naruto, get on my back,” he murmured, and Naruto obediently crawled up and onto his back. 

The lady didn’t immediately jump up to attack them either. There were a bunch of gold chains on the ground when they’d been standing, and they disintegrated into dust as the woman whirled around. 

“You’re a decent copy, I guess,” the woman said. “Does this mean you idiots figured it out? Well, good job!”

She made the hand signal for release, and her face and hair changed shape. Her hair was only shoulder-length now, and her face rounder. Her eyes turned a darker shade of blue-gray. 

Then she leapt up, aiming a kick at them, and Minato absolutely did not dodge. 

xXx

Kushina was pissed. Instead of finding the normal team of Konoha-nin out to find her, she instead found some idiot pretending to be her late husband. As if that would work on her!

She and Kasumi were still trading off, going on these missions, and she was wearing Kasumi’s face just as she always did. She dropped it quickly. They must know it was really her, to send this despicable trick at her. 

Plus, she was going to kill him. The kid could go— why were they sending someone so little?— but this man was going to die. 

She wrapped his legs in chains, tying him to the tree branch he was squatting on and aimed a kick at his chest. She didn’t know how he had faked hiraishin, but she’d use this attack to monitor what he was doing without him being able to use the element of surprise. 

He didn’t dodge. His face had gone all pale and sweaty, his eyes wide with shock, and Kushina hit him dead in the stomach. He hunched over, and the the little boy looked up at her with big blue eyes, and Kushina wouldn’t hurt a kid that tiny, but she needed to steady her footing before she fell out of the trees, so she reached forward—

The man disappeared, leaving her chains behind. He reappeared two trees over, sticking himself to the trunk right over where one of his fake kunai had embedded in it. He was outright shaking as he doublechecked the little boy’s monkey-like grip on him. 

“W-wait, Kushina,” he started. “I’m… you…”

He hiccupped. 

Is this idiot crying? Kushina thought, eyes scanning the canopy for where else he’d tossed kunai. This was right out of Minato’s playbook, and also, how was he faking that? There was no point using her chains until she could figure that out.

“Dad?” the little kid asked, unafraid but clearly confused. 

An alarm went off in Kushina’s brain. The kid really did look like… except, no, this was a trick, another one of Konoha’s psychology ploys to make her come back. 

“Kushina,” the man said, and his voice sounded exactly like Minato, exactly the way he used to say her name.

She was, maybe, hyperventilating.  

“Stop it,” Kushina yelled. She grew her chains from the trees now, grabbing at the three pronged kunai. “He’s dead, you sicko! Just leave me alone!”

“No, no, let me explain,” the cruel fake spluttered. “Kushina, please—”

She grabbed at his arms and legs with her chains, and he teleported again, except she tossed all his marked kunai into a pile of the forest floor so she knew where he’d go. She dove at him, tangling him in chains again and aiming for his stupid fake face with her kunai. 

The fake Minato teleported about three inches back, right out of her chains, and grabbed at her wrists. He’d left the kid in the tree, clinging to a branch, and without the little boy to worry about, he fought her hand to hand. He didn’t seem to want to injure her, though, and Kushina had always been physically stronger than Minato, and this fight should have been hers, except her vision went completely blurry from tears. 

“Kushina,” the lookalike— the horrible mean trick— insisted, grasping her hands in his. “Kushina, listen to me.”

And then he recited his wedding vows to her, secret promises Minato had made to her in the privacy of their bedroom that weren’t for anyone else to hear. He said them with the same soft blue eyes he’d had the first time, the same wetness as tears welled in them, because Minato was a lot of things and one of those things was a crybaby. 

Kushina went limp in front of him. She did nothing to fight him as he spoke and held her hands with all the warmth they’d had when he’d held her for the first time, even though she knew this couldn’t be real. She didn’t deserve for this to be real. She stood there, frozen and useless as she’d been the day she lost him, listening to him explain time travel to her. She stared down at his hands. They were the same as before, the same size and shape and feel on her hands. 

And then she looked up, at the little boy now scaling down the side of the tree. The boy blinked back at her, with eyes as blue as the lookalike’s. His hair was the same as Minato, but his face… 

Kushina couldn’t breathe. 

“Dad, what’s going on?” the boy asked, jogging over to them. “Why does she look like mom?”

Mom, Kushina thought, sinking to her knees. 

“Hold on, Naruto,” the lookalike told the kid, and then he knelt down right with her in the underbrush. He re-explained time travel to the boy, slower and for a little kid’s mind, and Kushina barely processed anything he was saying because that was her son. 

“Kushina,” the lookalike interrupted her thoughts. His hand was firmly on her shoulder, holding her back. She’d reached for the boy. 

Kushina felt a brief flicker of anger. How dare anyone keep her from her son?

But he was right, wasn’t he? He was right the way Minato was always right when she worked herself up, a calm to her storm. Naruto was her son, but he didn’t know her. She couldn’t just grab for a child who didn’t know her. That could upset or confuse him. 

Kushina took a deep, shuddering breath. 

“Dad,” Naruto said, hopping from foot to foot nervously. “Is that… is she really…?”

Minato smiled at him, and it was like being able to breathe after six years of drowning. 

“That’s your mom, Naruto.”

Kushina could not just fling herself at a son who didn’t know her. But she straightened her back and threw her arms apart, letting him make the first move. If he didn’t want a hug, if he were shy or uncomfortable or afraid, she had to respect that, no matter how much she wanted to just hold her baby boy. She was going to love Naruto exactly how he needed to be loved. 

Naruto tackled her, his little arms flying around her shoulders. She wrapped her own arms around him, as tight as she dared, and his little legs went around her waist. She fell back on her butt with her energy, laughing. 

“You grew so big,” she laughed into his hair. 

“I’m six!” he said proudly into her shoulder, his face buried in the fabric of her shirt, his voice muffled and barely audible. “Going on seven!”

Kushina pulled him away, setting both her hands over Naruto’s cheeks. They were so pudgy, just like hers had been. Really, he had Minato’s hair, but the shape of his face was all hers. 

“Let me look at you,” Kushina said, drinking in the sight of him, finally letting her brain process what she’d seen before. Naruto’s eyes were the exact color of Minato’s, and his cheeks had cute little whiskers, just like Mito’s notes on the Kyuubi had said they would. He seemed a little small for six, but Minato had been a little pipsqueak until puberty too…. 

“Naruto,” Kushina said very gravely. “I can’t help it, you know. I love you.”

Naruto giggled, and she pulled him back against her chest for another hug. 

Minato hovered awkwardly over them, and Kushina didn’t know what to say to him, about this impossible miracle. She wanted, desperately, for him to wrap his arms around the both of them and tell her the last six years had just been a nightmare, and they could all go home to Konoha together. But she’d also read Tobirama’s theories on time travel. This wasn’t really her Minato or her Naruto. Naruto reacted like he’d never met her, but for all she knew, Minato and his Kushina had had years more together before something happened. 

She gave Naruto another little squeeze and looked up at Minato. He was crying too, even as he bent over them, because apparently every Minato was a giant pansy. 

“Um, sorry,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Are we being attacked right now?”

“Oh shit,” Kushina swore, on her feet in less than a second, Naruto still clutched in her arms. Right. Those guys. The guys she’d come out here to fight in the first place.  

“Mom said a bad word!” Naruto yelled, delighted. 

“Naruto, ignore that,” Kushina said, the words coming out of her mouth in a jumbled mess. Too many things were happening right now. She didn’t know how Minato would react to her being attacked by Konoha, or her explanation for it, and she didn’t want Naruto being exposed to violence so young—

Minato put himself between her and Naruto, back fully to her even with nearly seven years of distance, and Kushina felt the prick of tears at her eyes. He still trusted her. 

She wouldn’t make Minato fight Konoha-nin, and she wouldn’t let Naruto witness death before it was necessary. The second she had exact locations for her pursuers, she activated her bloodline limit with a twitch of her hand. Gold chains yanked them from the trees, wrestling them to the ground and pinning them down. There. Harmless and mostly unharmed. 

In front of her, Minato relaxed. 

“They’re Konoha?” he said, face swiveling around to look at her curiously. 

He didn’t look suspicious or upset. Just curious and a little confused. 

Kushina would have liked to break this to him more slowly, with more time to explain what had happened, and maybe not in front of Naruto. But she also wasn’t the type of person who backed down from tough conversations. 

“I left Konoha,” she said. Her voice sounded hollow in her own ears. “They disagreed with that.”

Minato frowned, and she could see fifty questions forming in his big brain. 

Before he could voice any of his questions, Naruto asked, “So this Konoha is evil too?”

Kushina stared down at him. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Minato pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your Konoha wasn’t evil, Naruto,” he said. 

“What do you mean?” Kushina repeated. Were this Minato and this Naruto from… different Konoha? How? Why was Naruto in an “evil” Konoha? He seemed okay, warm and solid in her arms, but she knew what Danzo had wanted to do to her, what any number of people might have done if Sarutobi’s protection had slipped—

“But they have to be evil if they’re fighting mom,” Naruto replied. “She’s a hero! You said!”

Kushina felt her bottom lip quiver. Her? A hero of Konoha? No way. 

Naruto pressed his cheek against her shoulder again, making some face up at Minato that she couldn’t see. Whatever Naruto’s expression, it made all of Minato’s serious attitude collapse in a little smile. 

“Okay,” Minato said, his eyes meeting Kushina’s. They’re as blue as Naruto’s. “What are you going to do with them?”

“I was…” Kushina’s hand went up, cupping the back of Naruto’s head. He was big enough to be in the Academy, so he was big enough to hear this, at least. “I was going to kill them.”

She met Minato’s eyes grimly. She had no idea what his context was, she realized, but he was wearing his Hokage cloak. She assumed he’d probably argue with her over this, but she wasn’t going to lie to him or pretend to be ashamed. She left Konoha for good reasons, and Konoha disagreed, and now every once in a while she had to kill Konoha-nin over it. 

Minato spun a kunai in his hand, and Kushina refused to look nervous about it. 

“Alright,” he said, smile broadening. “Naruto, you remember our conversation about this, right?”

Kushina watched, stunned, as Minato turned back around, to face the four ninja she’d caught. A second later, they were dead. No further questions asked; Kushina had said something, and Minato had gone along with her. 

“But…” Kushina started.

“I assume if you left, there’s something wrong in Konoha,” Minato said. The kunai disappeared, and he turned back to her. “Let me guess— Danzo?”

“No, I… I killed Danzo,” Kushina said flatly. 

To her surprise, Minato laughed.