#baseball is japan's most popular sport

[atwas-meme-ing]

I was today years old when I found out baseball is played in Japan.

[substantial-gains]

I know this character prompt sounds sort of cliché but...

Judo silver medalist tomboy recovering from a leg injury turned aspiring sumo champ, but she's actually serious and passionate about the sport?

I would naturally give her the cool senpai sort of vibe, considering she would be the president of the judo club back in her highschool days...

[imjustasimpxd]

Something Old, Something New

(Chapter One)

➬ Ken Sato x Fem reader

Summary : At first glance, Ken Sato seemed to have it all. With money, fame, and success surrounding his name, there was nothing he couldn’t get his hands on. They say money can buy happiness. That may be true to an extent, however, can money buy forgiveness? Unfortunately for Ken, no amount of money and influence can turn back time and change the past. No amount of bribery can erase the fact that he had chosen to abandon his wife in favor of pursuing his baseball career. That awful decision he made took place five years ago, when he was just starting out as a professional athlete. But now that he’s matured and had time to reflect on his actions, can he hope for a chance to rekindle his marriage? Or should he accept defeat and live with the consequences of letting the only woman he’s ever truly loved slip away from him?

Word count : around 2,500 words

Warnings : mentions of abandonment and neglect, arrogant Sato, sad reader, mentions of regret, angst

Author’s notes : comments and reblogs are appreciated!! I appreciate all feedback on my writing so that I can know what you guys liked and what you think I should improve on

Disclaimer : this is a work of fiction and should in no way, shape, or form, be taken seriously.

Side Note : This fic, and everything else I’ve written on my blog is mine and only mine. I work very hard on everything I write so do not, under any circumstances, modify, copy, or stela my work.

Ken Sato. Looks, wealth, talent, charisma, and confidence rolled into one good looking package. 

The mere mention of his name was enough to cause an uproar of fanatics screaming and shouting in excitement, as if they were a pack of wolves howling at the moon. 

Though he was mostly known for his impressive baseball career, being named one of the most eligible bachelors in sports didn’t hurt his credibility either. If anything, playing the part of the charming ladies’ man only increased his popularity, especially to any of his adoring fans that were women, which most of them were.

After becoming one the biggest celebrities in both Japan and American sports, there weren’t many people who were ignorant of a household name such as his. Every man wanted to be him, and every woman wanted to be with him. 

To the public eye, Ken Sato seemed to have it all. But looks can be deceiving, can’t they? Especially when it comes to a man who’s spent years hiding his true feelings behind a veil of humor and charisma. 

No one could know how much he was struggling to keep it all together, or the depths of the affliction eating away at his heart. He was Ken Sato after all, and Ken Sato wasn’t weak, he was a legend, and legends never died, they prevailed. So, he must too.

No matter how much the reporters hounded him, using every possible tactic they could think of to pry into his personal life, Kenji never gave them more than a shred of minuscule details. Feeding them like rats, giving them only the bare necessities to satisfy their hunger for a short while before they came crawling back, demanding more. 

He never let them know more than he wanted, more than he felt like sharing, and frankly, there was a plethora of details he didn’t feel like sharing. 

His reputation of perfection probably wouldn’t uphold itself that well if the media knew about all the things he was wrestling with. Between being a newfound parent to a kaiju infant by day and a masked vigilante known as Ultraman by night, Ken didn’t exactly fit the cookie cutter version of “having it all together.” 

And if that wasn’t enough, then the shame he harbored towards a decision he made almost five years ago would definitely topple the pedestal he comfortably built his identity on. 

The press loved gossip, and they’d fight tooth and nail for even the smallest scintilla of drama. Twisting innocent words and blowing frivolous details out of proportions was the job of reporters. So, imagine the headlines they’d make if those reporters found out any real insiders on the life of the world-famous baseball player. 

Imagine the sales they’d make if a journalist ever got ahold of the information about his past, the same past he’s been hiding away from during his time back in Japan.  

He’s thought about calling, maybe writing a letter to express some form of condolences, but what if word got out? What if the press found out about the woman he used to be married to, the same one he abandoned five years ago in order to pursue his baseball career. 

Forget his most recent batting record, a scandalous story such as that would make headlines from both sides of the Pacific Ocean, and then there really would be nowhere else for him to hide from his past, lest he fancied moving somewhere more remote and secluded. 

If that day came, if Ken Sato was exposed for the decisions he made before becoming famous, then his reputation might take some irreparable damage. 

That’s why he was so closed off towards reporters, towards his teammates, towards everyone. 

Never let anyone close to you and they can never betray you. That’s how Ken Sato lives. 

At least, how he did live, before a little reptilian creature crawled into his life, forcing him to realize there were things that mattered more than wealth and fame.

Before taking care of a kaiju infant became the priority in his life, Ken Sato had rooted his worth in the success of his career. So once that career took off, offering him all the success and affluence he could ever want, he began to realize just how little he really had. 

Despite the riches, the popularity, all of it felt meaningless with no one to share it with. He could’ve held a party with hundreds of guests, surrounding himself with countless people all desperate to please him. Nevertheless, none of it would fill the emptiness engulfing his heart; knowing that no one he interacted with would ever see him as more than a means to financial gain and an increase in social status. 

He had a world full of convenience and opportunities at his fingertips, and yet, he never felt more detached from reality. 

His family was complicated, his friends were more like business partners who benefitted from their relations to him, and the one person he had ever felt truly comfortable around probably hated him now, after being dismissed in favor of baseball. 

In the end, even in a room full of dedicated fans, Ken Sato felt alone. 

However, then that little kaiju infant came along, and everything started to get better. Caring for a child, though tiring at first, gave Kenji something to work towards; a purpose that mattered more than advertising for energy drinks or scoring another record breaking hit at home plate. 

Emi finally gave him the one thing he always wanted, the same thing he always pretended not to need: family. 

After that, baseball didn’t seem to matter as much as it used to, unless he was teaching it to Emi. And all the wealth he had acquired over the years didn’t hold the same value as before, unless he was spending it on his adopted daughter. His lifestyle remained the same, but his heart was in a different place, a more peaceful one. 

Winning championships were more rewarding when he had someone to win for, someone to celebrate with afterwards. And now that he’d repaired the relationship between him and his father, things were looking promising for his future. 

But there was still one more roadblock, one last regret preventing him from moving forward completely. 

You. The woman he’d been married to for a whole year, and, regretfully, the same woman who asked for a divorce due to his neglectful and inconsiderate disregard for her. 

He was young and immature back then, foolishly believing the pursuit of his baseball career was more important than maintaining a healthy marriage. He was arrogant, thinking that extravagant gifts and vacations would keep you happy and secure his role as a provider. 

But he was ignorant to think that being married to you meant he no longer had to earn your affection. All the money and gifts in the world couldn’t make up for the fact that he was never home, and that you were never his priority back then. 

Every morning he’d wake up early, well before you, just to attend practice. And every night he’d come home late, just after dinner, claiming he had needed to stay longer than normal to practice more. 

You’d set out a plate for him, but after his baseball career started taking off, he didn’t really have the time for things such as family dinners or game nights; or so he said. 

He’d usually come home and skip dinner, taking a shower or going to sleep instead. You didn’t necessarily blame him for that, it was only natural for him to be tired from practice. But as the days of barely seeing him turned into months, and he started traveling consistently for his games, you started to feel more like a stranger to him than his wife. He was your husband on paper, but, in the confines of your home, you barely knew how to keep a conversation with him anymore. If you were being honest, you didn’t even really know him that well anymore. 

At least, not as much as you used to. Things were different when you first got married, he wasn’t always so arrogant and inconsiderate. Instead, he was passionate and playful, always knowing how to make you laugh after crying. Even on your first date, he was romantic and charming, making you blush to yourself every time a compliment slipped past his lips. 

But I guess the honeymoon phase people always warn you about before marriage was real; at least, it was for you and Kenji. 

Once his baseball career started taking off, the fame must’ve gotten to his head, and he forgot about the one woman who had been supporting him from the sidelines all along. You had gone to every game, recorded all his winning homeruns, supported his career even though it meant holding off on pursuing yours. And yet, he repaid you with neglect, with a one-sided marriage.

You held on for a while, convinced that he would come around, that his behavior would change and he would reflect on his actions. But after the one-year anniversary of your marriage arrived and he wasn’t even in town to celebrate with you, that’s when you made your decision. You were done being a second choice. 

You got in contact with a lawyer, gathered divorce papers and waited with bated breath till he got home from his trip. And the moment he walked in the door, you practically shoved the papers in his face, all the emotions you’d kept bottled up for so long suddenly coming out in a volcanic eruption of shouting and sobbing. 

And surprisingly enough, he stayed quiet through the majority of it, just watching with a hollow stare as you unleashed all the frustration you’d been harboring towards him. And without a word, he took the papers from you and fished out a pen from his desk drawer, signing them in silence. 

Maybe he had realized from your onslaught of emotions that you were better off without him, that he was clearly causing you pain, and you’d be happier once he set you free of him. Or maybe he really was just that heartless and figured now was the perfect opportunity to get rid of you. Either way, your stomach seemed to twist into a knot at the way he so casually signed those divorce papers and handed them back to you. 

This was what you had wanted, wasn’t it? You’re the one who had gathered the papers in the first place, you should’ve been happy that he was finally ending it, finally setting you free. And yet, you felt yourself holding back tears at his lack of emotion. He didn’t try to argue, he didn’t plead with you to give him another chance like you had expected him too. He just admitted defeat, giving up on trying to fix your marriage and taking off for Japan two days later. 

He left, leaving you back in America while he returned to his home country to continue baseball there; abandoning his American team in the middle of their journey to the championships. 

He had given you an opportunity to move on, to become the person he always prevented you from being, and so you took it.

You cut all forms of communication, threw out everything of his that he didn’t take when he left, and moved into your own apartment. It was a fresh start, a clean slate, and you finally had the chance to chase after your dream career, just like he had been doing.  

So, you did, and you didn’t give up. You refused to, you owed this to yourself, and you weren’t going to waste any more time pouring effort into someone who didn’t appreciate it. 

So, you worked, tirelessly, anxiously, until the day came when your newest novel finally become a bestseller all around the nation, and you were officially titled a successful author. 

Now it was your turn, to stand in front of a crowd of adoring fans, to sign autographs and attend fan events. It almost reminded you of your ex-husband, how people used to scream his name and cheer for his success. But now they were cheering for you, supporting you like he hadn’t. You almost laughed at the irony of it all. Five years ago, you would’ve never imagined the life you’d made for yourself now, celebrating your fourth bestselling novel in a row and becoming a well-known author like you always dreamed of. 

And yet, looking back, none of this would’ve been possible had you not been set free from the restraints your marriage to Ken Sato had bound you to. Without him and the neglect he subjected you to, you wouldn’t have worked as hard as you did. So really, in a way, you had him to thank for how far you’ve come and all the success you’ve accomplished. Because if he never signed those papers five years ago, you would still be tied down to a one-sided marriage. 

But you weren’t, and thank God for that.

Now you had moved on, and so had he. 

Or so you thought. 

Little did you know, Ken Sato was on a mission, and not as Ultraman this time. After undergoing the change and maturity necessary to become a parent to a kaiju infant, Kenji realized he needed to make things right between the two of you. Even if it had been five years since he last saw you. 

He wasn’t looking to ask you to take him back and rekindle your marriage, though he wouldn’t have minded if that ended up happening. Instead, he simply wanted to apologize for his actions, for being such a crappy husband back then. He had reflected a lot on the subject of your marriage over the past couple years, but, he never reached out in fear of your reaction to seeing him again. 

Although, after avoiding it for long enough, and getting a lecture about taking responsibility from his dad, he finally decided to go through with it and booked a flight back to America. 

He was nervous to say the least, but he knew he couldn’t back out. Even if you screamed and yelled at him, he had to take accountability for his past actions and apologize for the pain he’d caused you, for pushing you to the back burner while he allowed baseball to take priority in his life. 

He’d made peace with himself and his father already, thanks to the help of his adoptive daughter. So now it was time to make peace with you. And as he watched the plane lift off the ground from his window seat, he held his breath, wondering how you would react to seeing him again after so many years. 

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Tags : @thebadbatch @rlc-gg

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[midnightshade]

GojoHime: Evidence and Discussion

Jujutsu Kaisen isn't a romance series. It's a horror action series that focuses more on platonic bonds and camaraderie between its characters. That being said, just as any shounen series, it has its fair share of ships, each with its own assortment of crumbs and small details.

GojoHime is a particularly interesting ship to look at. Being a massive fan of it myself,  it's fun to pick through the evidence that supports it. I'd like to share the evidence that I and many other GojoHime fans have found. I'll be starting with the smaller, weaker evidence first and working my way up to the strongest evidence.

Before I start in earnest, I want to clarify that this isn't made to attack any other ship. People can ship whatever they want, and no ship in the series is canon (aside from exceptions like Hakari and Kirara). I like GojoHime so I want to talk about it. That's really it.

With that out of the way, let's begin.

First, let's start with the evidence outside of the manga itself. This one isn't very compelling, but it is cute. In Japan, there is a chip brand called Bakauke. Bakauke has two mascots known as Borin and Barin, who are girlfriend and boyfriend. When Bakauke collabed with Jujutsu Kaisen, Utahime and Gojo were chosen to represent the Borin and Barin respectively, thus being depicted as girlfriend and boyfriend.

Moving on to evidence found within the actual manga, we see that on the splash page for Gojo and Utahime, the print behind them depicts arrows known as a Yagasuri pattern. In Japan, this is a symbol often used for weddings. It's meant for good luck because "a shot arrow does not return," and therefore, a married woman does not (or should not) return to her parents.

We also see depictions of them under an umbrella often used at weddings. Sharing an umbrella is also a common romantic trope in Japan.

Other smaller evidence exists in the form of their phone call. This consists a beeper code, where the number of their call spells out "I like you" in code, and another interesting detail is that Satoru calls Utahime from his recent contacts, implying that he calls her often.

Gojo and Utahime were made to be opposites. Aside from the obvious "opposites attract" trope, it creates a compelling visual story between them. Man and woman, strong and weak, modern and traditional, blue and red. Satoru hates alcohol and loves sweets while Utahime loves alcohol but hates sweets.

Gege said Gojo only puts down his Technique with people he trusts, which we see him do with Utahime. He trusts her enough to have to actively put his Technique back in place after she throws a teacup at him.

Moving on to some of the strongest and most convincing evidence, we have Waka Inoue, Utahime's very own technique, and Gege's past works.

Gojo had a picture of Waka Inoue as his background as a teenager. He clearly finds her attractive, as is common, considering she's a popular model, but the reason why this is important is that Inoue shares a lot of similarities with Utahime.

Both women have noticeable bangs, they're the same height (166cm), and they share a love for alcohol, karaoke, and sports, specifically baseball. Waka is described once as a "competitive crybaby who hates to lose," and as we see in the Anime, Gojo has a way of firing Utahime up and she is also prone to being a bit of a scaredy-cat and a crybaby. We also see her more competitive side come out during the baseball tournament between Kyoto and Tokyo.

Moving on to Utahime's Cursed Technique, as some Japanese fans have pointed out, Utahime's Soro Soro Kinku (Solo Forbidden Area) is based on a real love song about forbidden love with lyrics about a masked lover. The records from the singer, Akina Nakamori, are called Utahime records, and the singer even does Gojo's unlimited void hand sign during her live performances of her song, "Fin."

The most compelling bit of evidence for me is Gege's past works. Two of his three one-shot manga have characters who are very similar to Gojo and Utahime. The male protagonist is usually cocky and teases the female protagonist, while the female protagonist gets annoyed at his antics but is otherwise down to earth and kind.

In Nikai Bongai Barabarujura, the protagonist, Noroma, reminds me of teen Gojo in appearance and behavior. He is "the strongest" who teases Nodoka, the female protagonist, for being weak but has an obvious respect for her drive and inner strength.

In Kamishiro Sosa, we have a similar set-up as before. The male protagonist, Ganji, is very energetic and careless with the female protagonist, Rekko's, feelings, and is seen to have a very similar type of banter as Gojo and Utahime have.

Gege clearly likes that type of pairing, which isn't surprising given the bickering couple and rivals to lovers is a popular trope in romance. It's not unusual for Mangaka to reuse old ideas, and that seems to be what happened with Gojo and Utahime. Even their appearances share similarities.

As you can see, GojoHime has a lot of thought put into it, and it's very interesting to see the little details Gege has put into their dynamic. There's definitely a reason why so many adore this pairing, and I'm glad Gege has paid attention to that.

[rifki16]

Living with Him Episode Five Review

Picture Credit: Living with Him Twitter Promotional Account.

A very sour and delicious Funazushi

I have to first say that this episode brought up more questions than I have wanted it to answer. It’s not solely about the fact that the LA is different than the manga. I think there are some uncomfortable plot executions which I think can be done much better in a different manner. I want to bring up two themes in this essay.

The Camping Subplot

The episode actually started out with the anticipated camping scene. Side note: Do Japanese people prefer to go camping when they want to decompress? I’ve seen the camping subplot used in Cherry Magic LA film, and they said that it’s also present in Eternal Yesterday. Anyway, the camping scene was cute, and it seems like the two, boy-, friends were enjoying themselves immensely. I don’t know what the point of the subplot to be quite frank. I saw three potential character-supporting features of the subplot.

First, it established the popularity of Kazuhito. In the manga, we were only told that Kazuhito was popular. Ryo’s sister told Ryo about Kazuhito-san’s popularity. Yoshieri told Ryo that Kazuhito was the most popular guy in high school. However, the LA actually gave us real example of Kazuhito’s popularity. When the two, boy-, friends were trying to cook, the fire starter that Ryo brought actually malfunctioned. Kazuhito and Ryo at first were already preparing to just not eat I suppose. Then, a group of campers came along. Kazuhito then asked to borrow their fire starter, they had one and lent it to him. They then recognized Kazuhito because they often watched Koshien. I was confused at first, but it turned out that Koshien is the national Japanese high school baseball league? I’m surprised that Japanese people pay attention to baseball so much. Come to think of it, I don’t really know what their most beloved sport is, Canada has hockey, India has cricket, what does Japan have? Is it just plain old football too? After being recognized, Kazuhito politely thanked them and went back to Ryo. I think this scene is crucial because in the manga, the way that they broke up and reunited Kazuhito and Ryo again is by making Ryo so anxious of how Kazuhito’s popularity and immediate surrounding will react if Kazuhito-san actually dates a guy. I think making Kazuhito tangibly famous will make this internal decision-making process of Ryo even more believable.

Secondly, it established Ryo’s jealousy over anyone that encounters Kazuhito. I think this is a very normal way of Japanese drama works. Jealousy for them is a very inseparable part of being in love. If you’re not jealous, you’re not in love with a person. I mean, Western drama or dramedy also uses this trope, but they always try to subvert and be above the trope and eventually cope with the jealousy, try to live side-by-side with it. Not in Japan, you’re not. Being jealous is a must until a clear winner emerges. In the episode, Ryo realized that Kazuhito was getting recognized and something in his head lit up. Then, when Kazuhito went back to Ryo, he asked Kazuhito about the encounter and continued by asking whether he wanted to have eat and sit down with them. Kazuhito then answered that he just wanted to eat with Ryo, just the two of them. Ryo celebrated this win by denying Kazuhito polite counteroffer of whether he would like to eat with them. It’s just funny to be quite frank, his jealousy of anyone who comes in contact with Kazuhito. I mean, Ryo has not acknowledged to himself that he likes Kazuhito yet he wants him all to himself, love is strange that way. This has always been funny, even in episode two when Yoshieri, Kazuhito and Ryo were walking in the campus, then Yoshieri and Kazuhito were talking about their workplace as they were also coworkers in a restaurant. After long description of the restaurant, all Ryo could fixate on was the fact that Yoshieri and Kazuhito were coworkers, talk about jealousy-fueled selective focusing lol. Funny how Ryo’s jealousy still stays the same even when he thought he didn’t have a chance as he had previously thought that Kazuhito’s secret crush was on Yoshieri.

Thirdly, we saw another example of Kazuhito gatekeeping Ryo lol. When the other camper group arrived, Kazuhito was the one who volunteered to come to them instead of Ryo. When Ryo wanted to return the lighter, it was Kazuhito who eventually took the lighter and brought it to them. I suppose this behavior was also exhibited in episode two when Yoshieri wanted to ask for Ryo’s number, yet Kazuhito was insistent that Yoshieri must not pester Ryo. She is not, gurl. This is all before taking into account Haruna’s shipping cupid-arrowing behaviors.

The After-Work Drinking Party

Now, this is the crux of my argument. This subplot has been foretold even in episode four, Yoshieri brought up casually the invitation of the mandatory drinking party when Ryo was still zoning out after waking up next to Kazuhito. Let me tell you why this scene is very crucial to me as someone who read the manga. Kazuhito was supposed to be surrounded by his coworkers, of course being the most popular guy and all. One of the senior superiors was just casually asking Kazuhito whether he had any girlfriends? Then, he said no, and Yoshieri sort of told the senior superiors to just lay off Kazuhito and not ask him out as he had never been interested in doing so since high school. The senior superiors kept insisting and wanted to ask him out, which then prompted Kazuhito to say, that he already had someone in mind. That made the conversation changed their assumption about using her pronoun and using them pronoun. After rereading chapter seven, I also just realized that the superiors were telling Kazuhito to go out and fool around with one of the people in the table so that Kazuhito’s crush would eventually answer back. That led to Kazuhito eventually refusing to do so because he didn’t want to worry them. His reaction made everyone melted their hearts. Kazuhito then ran through the rain and arrived at his and Ryo’s apartment, which prompted the breakup scene between the two. While Kazuhito was in the drinking party, Ryo was supposed to finally realize his fondness to Kazuhito, which will make the breakup scene make sense.

This is done differently for the LA series.

Sure, during the drinking party Kazuhito was the star of the party, no surprise there. When one of the senior superiors asked Kazuhito about who his girlfriend is, she was drunk and portrayed not like a professional superior at all, seemed more like she was down so bad for Kazuhito.

Now, I’m not one to talk down about women’s and female sexuality. However, if the question was brought up and the senior superior asked Kazuhito in a casual manner like in the manga, it would have been seen like just a casual question that the readers, or viewers, don’t really need to be worried about. Even if Kazuhito had answered yes, it would have not meant anything to either party as it was just a polite banter between a superior and a subordinate.

In the LA, they made Yoshieri shocked with the confession that Kazuhito actually had a crush. Why? What was the reason? Yes, I know that Yoshieri never really got a verbal confirmation that Kazuhito actually already has a crush, as she said it herself in the episode. However, she knew even when she was dating that Kazuhito already had someone in mind. I suppose they made Yoshieri shocked so that they could have a scene of Yoshieri blessing and supporting Kazuhito’s pursuit of his crush’s love. What is the significance of the scene though? Was it just so when Ryo became spiralled with the anxiety of dating Kazuhito, Kazuhito could counter it by saying that even his ex actually blessed Ryo and Kazuhito pairing? Maybe the answer will reveal itself in future episodes.

Lastly, what really enraged me about this subplot’s differences with the manga was the fact that Ryo did not come to his senses and actually find out that he likes Kazuhito back. I think this was because that they want to redo the breakup scene all over. I noticed that the 6th episode is about some flashback scenes and maybe filler plot, before coming to the breakup episode on the 7th. In the manga, it was because that Ryo already noticed his fondness of Kazuhito that he thought to himself that he could not continue his feelings toward Kazuhito as it had no future.

I sincerely hope that they will not erase the core reason of why Kazuhito and Ryo break up, Ryo’s insecurities of dating a much more popular guy.

All in all, a still very good episode, the camping episode made me smile so hard. Watch it yall !

[slamdunkhcs]

the success of slam dunk

Something I often hear from others is that “Slam Dunk is underrated”. To an extent, this is true. The series isn’t very talked about among younger fans of manga, and newer sports series such as Haikyuu are mentioned more by younger fans. However, Slam Dunk is not underrated in the slightest. Its numbers of copies sold worldwide (170 million copies, making it the seventh best selling manga of all time) speaks for itself, but in this essay I want to break down both the numbers and impact that truly show Slam Dunk’s success.

During the time of the series' publishing in Shonen Jump, Japan had been going through an economic fall. The Japanese economy suffered a prolonged recession that followed the collapse of the economic success of the 80’s. Corporations had stopped hiring new employees in order to maintain their current ones. This meant that many people were out of work, and it led to high unemployment. While this doesn’t directly affect Inoue, it puts lots of pressure on his manga to do well. After all, if he couldn’t make something that sold, he was out of a job. He had also stated that his editors were against him making a basketball manga due to it being unknown in the country, yet he did it regardless — despite knowing that he could easily be out of a job and face the financial difficulties many others were facing throughout the 90’s.

Throughout the 90’s, basketball wasn't very known in Japan. The NBA was at its peak in popularity, but this popularity didn’t translate to Japan. Baseball and soccer were far more known sports in Japan, and so Inoue was faced with the task of introducing basketball to his readers. (He did a good job of this). Slam Dunk starts off more comedic and casual compared to an intense sports series, and this was done to appeal to a wider audience. In fact, some of the most popular chapters and episodes at the time had been the gym fight arc, which didn’t exactly have much to do with basketball. But as the series progressed, Inoue was faced with two choices; to continue with the writing structure that was selling, or to double down on the basketball aspect of the series and risk alienating and losing his audience.

But instead of backing down, Inoue decided to take the risk. The story became more and more basketball focused, but he didn’t alienate his audience. In fact, the story was becoming more and more popular. At the time, it contended with Dragon Ball Z, and at times was even outselling.

The apex of the series’ popularity had been towards the end of its serialization in 1995-1996, throughout the Shohoku vs Sannoh match. And then… it ended. Inoue’s editors wanted him to continue the series as it was one of the magazine’s best selling, but instead, he just left. A complete power move. The series had lots of material that could have been used to continue the series, such as what happened to Shohoku (particularly Sakuragi) after the Sannoh match, him getting the girl, him becoming an even better player. I think that Inoue knew the series could have been even bigger if he had continued, but I also believe that it ended where it needed to. If Slam Dunk had been dragged longer, it may have gotten stale, and it might not have been as beloved as it is right now. Additionally, Inoue’s other big titles such as Vagabond or REAL don’t have endings due to long hiatus, and it’s possible that Slam Dunk may have faced similar treatment.

Aside from its overall sales, another interesting metric that encapsulates Slam Dunk’s success is its sales per volume estimate.

Slam Dunk being second only to One Piece (the best selling manga of all time) highlights just how successful it is.

Additionally, here is a sales chart of the best selling manga in September 2022. The fact Slam Dunk places here despite being a series that has been completed for over 25 years speaks for itself.

The series is very impressive sales wise already, but another component on just how successful Slam Dunk is its cultural impact in Japan. I already stated Inoue was forced with the task of introducing basketball to Japan. And to say he introduced it to them would be an understatement; it can be said that Slam Dunk popularized the sport.

Around the 90’s, while basketball was at its peak in popularity due to the NBA, Japan didn’t pick up on this. Baseball and football were still far more popular. As I said before, Inoue was tasked to introduce basketball to his readers.

Introduced is an understatement, and Inoue’s story actually increased enrollment in basketball among Japanese youth. In fact, throughout 1990-1995, around one million Japanese high schoolers were playing basketball as an extracurricular. And when Slam Dunk ended its serialization, this number dropped again.

Additionally, when the NBA came to Japan during the time the series was being published, the stadiums for their games were packed. This adds onto just how much more popular basketball was getting in Japan. And even now, it can be said basketball is a much popular sport in Japan.

But he didn’t just introduce the game itself; he also showed the culture surrounded by basketball.

Basketball culture is another prominent thing shown in Slam Dunk, from the boys hooping in Jordans, the baggy clothes they wear, to the sneakerhead culture. Inoue bridged 90’s American culture to Japan, and he made it a thing among Japanese youth.

Something else I want to note is that Nike allowed for Inoue’s use of their products in the manga. On my initial read, this surprised me, since I figured that Nike would have copyrighted the series. However, the reason they allowed for Inoue’s display of their products was because it essentially advertised their products to the Japanese market. In fact, Jordan’s and Nike’s sneakers had a massive increase in Japanese sales throughout the series’ publication (particularly the shoes worn by Sakuragi and Rukawa). Additionally, Nike also had a collaboration with Inoue to make red Jordan’s with Slam Dunk’s panels.

The series wasn’t known in just Japan, but throughout other Asian countries such as South Korea, China, and The Philippines. And as a result, basketball got popularized in these countries as well. If you were to ask anyone from there from around the 80’s-90’s, it’d be difficult to not find a Slam Dunk reader.

Throughout all this, I firmly believe that Slam Dunk isn’t underrated. It is arguably one of the most influential mangas, and easily one of the most successful.

[deusvervewrites]

This was a head canon I made up while commenting on a fic. The origins of how the UA Sports Festival becoming extremely popular was the result of the HPSC taking advantage of All Might's rising popularity(due to his crusade against AFO) and giving UA a lot of money and cameras to give the public a bigger show that most would not need. The reason why I would think of this is that the HPSC would very likely do this and it would validate some ideas that some would have about the Sports Festival.

Sports did go on a decline due to Quirks literally changing the game, though the rate it did depends on the country and the likelihood of Quirks getting integrated into sports. I can see that the USA would be more likely to include Quirks into sports or even invent a new one given the love of violence while in Japan, the sports would be on the decline as they want strict adherence to the rules until recently. If that baseball short is anything, Quirks did integrate into sports but the degree of freedom depends on the country's Quirk usage laws.

Since Japan canonically did suffer a lot due to the Quirk apocalypse, that they had AFO ruling in the shadows, and as an island country, their issues and problems would be a lot more contain in their countries but at the cost of being harder to treat from the outside. When All Might came back to Japan and started to treat the problem, the HPSC took advantage of his good works and looked towards how to get more power from it.

In order for the UA Sports Festival to become more popular than the Olympics, it needed to have a lot of money, cameras and timing for it to become popular. The HPSC simply saw All Might's origin story and gave UA all of the money and supplies they needed as it would be "wonderful" entertainment for the masses as they recover from the fall of AFO's grip of Japan. This would explain how the Sports Festival became extremely popular in recent memory.

The reason why other countries wouldn't have some sort of extremely popular sport is that since the UA Sports Festival occur in May, it is the same time where a majority of the world's population(The North Americas and Europe) would end their school year on average and their sports are only beginning their seasons for the summer. The UA Sports Festivals just happens to occur just before these sport season are to start so a lot of people will be looking at the latest event in the year.

TLDR- blame the HPSC for the reason why the UA Sports Festival became extremely popular. All Might's work against AFO allowed for Japanese society to recover from AFO's dystopia and Japan perceives that the HPSC's dystopia as a lot better than before.

Intriguing

Consider also, the circuses half of Bread And Circuses

[lovedrunkheadcanons]

Chapter Contents

(Arranged Marriage Fic) Read on AO3

Rated M

Satoru was the one who suggested they attend a baseball game together. “Things have gotten pretty shitty around here,” were his exact words. “And I want a reason to make Utahime jealous.” Hannah was in no position to refuse. It was indeed a dark time for Japan. The theater had left a terrible gloom over the country. Sixteen days since the “terrorist bombing” and the public still did not know the truth behind the attack, believing Aum Shinrikyo responsible. Unreal, they thought. The mysterious disappearances of children, gas leaks blowing up schools, and now this? A terrorist attack leaving more than 600 dead. Holy crap, what was this world coming to?

So then. How did Tokyo remedy this depressing gloom, you might ask? Well, they sat down to enjoy a baseball game. That’s what. Yeah, show those terrorist devils that their doomsday plan was a failure. That they couldn’t upend this country’s way of life no matter how hard they tried. Sports offered a way back to normalcy, to heal. And what better way to heal other than baseball?

No, that was not hyperbole.

Other than the matsuri festivals celebrated at the end of the year, seldom was it socially acceptable for people to let their hair down and unwind from the eighty hour workweek and strict school system. So for many Japanese diehards, baseball was its own religion, its own art form, a means of escape where the impossible became possible and dreams of the most remarkable kind came true. Hard work. Perseverance. Athletic excellence. The team sport affectionately dubbed “America’s national pastime” could just as easily be “Japan’s national pastime.” There was no modern sport Japan loved and revered more than baseball. They practically lived and breathed it. Even football, the most popular sport on earth, couldn’t vie for Japan’s heart. This was bēsubōru country, baby, take your checkered soccer balls and kick them somewhere else.

Satoru had opted they go to a day game. The Yomiuri Giants were playing against the Hanshin Tigers, their arch rivals, and as expected the Dome was seated to the brim. Shaped like a humongous egg, Tokyo Dome could house well over 45,000, but the attendance that afternoon felt innumerous, as if the entire city, baseball and non-baseball fans alike, had taken off work to witness the spectacle.

Rival fans uniformed in either Yomiuri orange or Hanshin black and yellow waited behind concession stands, peddling headbands (hachimaki), baseball caps, colorful frying pans, drumsticks, and various other noisemakers. Cheerleaders and mascots danced their routines, waving to the crowd from the field as young “beer girls” in highlighter-yellow uniforms walked up and down the stadium aisles, carrying pony kegs on their backs to serve cold beer to the masses.

Hannah noticed then that she wasn’t wearing Tigers or Giants gear like the rest. Instead, Satoru had lent her one of his jerseys. Emblazoned in all caps on the front was the bold word “SEATTLE” with the eye of a compass centered in front of the “S,” which felt odd because Seattle was an American city. Was there a Japanese Seattle she didn’t know about? The player on the back read “ICHIRO 51,” and the fit was five sizes too big. She had to button it up to keep it from sliding off her shoulders.

Looking out at the field, Satoru had bought them good seats; not too high up, but not too close so Hannah could capture everything. They were sitting on the Tigers’ side. She took a bite out of her enormous hotdog that could easily feed two people and glanced at her husband sitting adjacent, sipping his soda through a straw, dark glasses hiding his eyes as he observed the buzzing atmosphere below. He had his baseball cap on backwards, monickering the Japanese flag.

Evidently, they were both pacifists at this game. Like her, Satoru had chosen not to wear Giants or Tigers gear, nor a Seattle jersey. Rather, his uniform showed two red birds perched on a baseball bat. “St. Louis Cardinals” stitched in retro cursive on the front with a patch on the sleeve cap stamped “2006 World Series Champions.” Her eyes landed on the name lettered on the back in cardinalate red. “TAGUCHI 99.”

“I watched Taguchi Sō play during the 2006 World Series as a teen,” Satoru said, catching her snooping as he slurped his soda. “Not many Japanese players make it to the MLB. Much less, the World Series. But the man did it twice. He’s the first Japanese to have won two World Series rings during his time in the States. An absolute legend.”

Hannah swallowed her mouthful of hotdog, listening intently. “Does that make him your favorite player?”

Satoru grinned and shook his head. “Nah, I don’t have a favorite player,” he chuckled. “Keeps things interesting that way.”

The game was already in full swing by that point and had transitioned to the top of the third. The two teams remained scoreless. Hannah watched as the Giants pitcher stood on the mound, got in his stance, and fully rotate his arm in spectacular motion to deliver his throw, a nasty two-seam fastball clocked at 92 mph, but the Tigers hitter standing in the “batter’s box” had a good eye and swung his wooden bat — CRACK!! — thus making solid contact. And like a shooting star the baseball ricocheted off the slender wooden stick and took flight, soaring higher and higher, beyond the left outfielder’s bandwidth. Now positively electric, half the stadium rose from their seats, thinking it would stay fair, but alas. The buffering wind veered the baseball away from the foul pole and sent it plummeting to the stands. A very distinct groan could be heard throughout the stadium as the Tigers hitter jogged from first base back to home, shaking his head in frustration. It’s not a home run, but a foul ball.

Hannah blinked, not having a clue what just happened and swallowed another biteful of hotdog.

“Honestly, I thought it would be more like cricket.”

Drinking his soda, Satoru froze mid-slurp to give her a blank stare. “You do realize you’ve just insulted both cricket and baseball fans with that sentence, right?”

Ah yes, that was another fundamental Hannah quickly learned. Baseball was not cricket, and cricket was not baseball. They were totally different sports and no fan dared commit sacrilege by conflating the two. However they were both admittedly complex, yet Satoru had done a good job giving her play-by-play as the game went on, making sure he covered all the basics. If she understood him correctly, the rules of baseball were as follows:

Baseball is a game played between two teams, whose goal it is to score more “runs” (points) than the other. After nine “innings” where each team has gotten nine chances to score runs, the team with the most points wins. If the score is tied, the game goes into extra innings. Now, in order to score a run, an offensive player must put the baseball in play by hitting it with a wooden bat; either with a full body swing, or holding the bat horizontally over “home plate” to tap the baseball gently which is called a bunt. If the hitter is successful and manages to hit the baseball and it stays fair, then he must run around and step on the three “bases” (cushions/also called the “bags”) that are evenly spaced like a diamond as fast as he can before running across home to score one run. If the hitter misses the oncoming “pitch” (throw), or he does not swing and the baseball is caught within the “strike zone” then it is labeled a strike against him. Alternatively, if he does not swing and the baseball is caught outside the strike zone, then it is labeled a ball. If a hitter gets three strikes, he is out. But if the hitter gets four balls before he gets three strikes, he is automatically awarded first base. If the batter hits the baseball, but it is caught midair by an opposing player on the field, then the batter is also out. Additionally, if the hitter is running around the bases and an opposing player “tags” him with the baseball in his glove (there are nine opposing players on a field), or steps on the base with the baseball in his glove…

You get the point.

As one might imagine, baseball could be very confusing. There were a lot of rules involved. That’s why it was advised to watch the sport in person. And while she was intimidated by it then, Hannah would eventually fall head over heels in love with baseball that season. In fact, nine times out of ten, the Gojo’s future date nights would be spent eating fried foods at baseball games and cheering on Hannah’s beloved Seibu Lions down at Belluna Stadium. And for their third wedding anniversary Satoru would fly them out to Los Angeles to watch Team Japan take on Team USA in the 2017 Baseball World Classic semifinals. Japan would not advance, sadly, nor retake the championship title for another six years, but Hannah would be cheering passionately throughout the entire game, start to finish; Scoffing when the umpires made the wrong call and leaping for joy when Kikuchi Ryosuke homered in the bottom of the sixth. But as of now, Hannah was a beginner, trying to learn the nuances between a “splitter” and a “cutter.” So far, the pitches looked identical.

For the rest of the game the foreign wife continued observing and listening. She had memorized the chants the fans were clapping to and liked the taiko drums and brass trumpets blaring from somewhere out in the stands. However, she still struggled to know when the baseball was fair and when it was foul. Satoru would lean along his armrest to explain. She could tell he was enjoying himself. His breath tickled her skin.

“See the white lines on either side of the baseball diamond, leading up to the foul poles?” Hannah saw the chalked white lines he was referring to and nodded. “The baseball is fair if it stays within those two lines. Anywhere else, it’s foul.”

“Except when it passes over third or first base?”

“Alright, now you’re getting it,” he nudged her affectionately with his elbow, “You’re catchin’ on quick, Princess. Soon you’ll be calling balls and strikes.”

Hannah smiled proudly at his praise and broke into jubilant applause as the Tigers hitter from earlier successfully hit the oncoming pitch yet again. This time the baseball was a line drive out to right field, staying fair. Her eyes followed the Tigers player as he raced around the diamond, stopping at third base before the Giants' baseman could tag him out. He’s safe, it’s a triple. The crowd yelled and cheered. Then the second hitter in the Tigers’ lineup stepped inside the batter’s box, looking to bring his teammate home from third. Their momentum would carry on for the remainder of the game.

By the end of nine innings, the Hanshin Tigers would defeat the fan favorite Yomiuri Giants: 6 - 2

After their baseball extravaganza, there was still quite a bit of daylight left and most venues were open. Satoru and Hannah decided to explore the area, and of course this meant visiting a garden. Koishikawa Kōraku-en (Garden for Taking Pleasure Later) was conveniently situated right next to the Dome. It would’ve been a cryin’ shame not to go.

Hannah was practically bouncing with excitement. Kōraku-en was one of the three most treasured gardens of Japan. What made it unique to the other two, however, was the blended harmony of Japanese and Chinese elements, which was inspired by a famous poem where the emperor could only rest easy once his people were taken care of; hence the garden for “taking pleasure later.” In the early weeks of spring it was a popular destination to photograph the pink sakura blossoms, and then the vibrant red maple and golden ginkgo leaves come autumn. Like the Gojo’s garden back home, Kōraku-en was centered around a resplendent lake with ducks and koi fish. Satoru and Hannah walked along the large moss-covered rocks and stepping stones, listening to the gentle waterfalls scattered here and there. The fiery azaleas bushes and hanging wisteria were still in bloom. With no June rain to sabotage the mood, walking the pathways made for a lovely summer stroll, and since it was a weekday, the crowds weren’t as heavy. They could hear the birds chirping way up in the trees, blocking out the car horns and sirens of Tokyo. The city felt as though it were miles away.

An hour later, Satoru and Hannah left the garden and stopped near a fancy looking vending machine to grab a quick treat, which was yet another quirk about Japan: The various kinds of vending machines. Want a healthy banana to snack on? There’s a vending machine for that. Need an umbrella on a rainy day? There’s a vending machine for that. Forgot to bring tampons with you to work? Yup, there’s a vending machine for that too. The Japanese were nothing if not resourceful.

Satoru’s vending unit of choice was the much beloved Okashi Gaku’s “Cake in a Can.”

The plastic canisters were see-through, but Hannah couldn't make up her mind on what flavor she wanted, so she allowed her husband to pick for her. She watched him swiftly dial the keypad, numbers 1 and 4, and pay for the cakes with his IC card he used for boarding the metro. Like a soda dispenser, two cans dropped to the bottom. Her husband bent down to retrieve them and handed her the pink one. “Almond Cherry Blossom” it read, while Satoru selected “Chocolate Sponge with Strawberries” for himself.

“Cheers,” he sang, holding up his plastic can. Hannah let out a small giggle and clanged her cake can to his.

“Cheers,” she responded back, and not forgetting her manners added a small, “Itadakimasu.”

They peeled back the aluminum lids simultaneously. Satoru didn’t waste time unwrapping his plastic spoon and dug in, but Hannah paused for a moment to examine the novelty confection. She gently poked the strawberry chips at the top and spooned out a dollop of white cream. She then brought it to her lips, taking her first bite.

“So?” she heard Satoru say. He had already finished half his can. “What do you think?”

Hannah chewed the melted strawberry chips. The first layer of cream was actually mochi mixed with red bean paste, giving it a truly Japanese flavor and on the sides were jellied sakura blossoms made of kanten. The almond cake wasn’t too sweet, nor too rich either. Just how she liked it. Delicious! Hannah gave a hum of approval, which enticed Satoru to coast over her.

“Here, I wanna taste.”

And that’s when things took a dramatic turn.

Every ligament in Hannah’s body came to a screeching halt as her husband leaned over and took a huge, relishing bite of the pre-scooped cake on her spoon. The very same spoon she had also used. He closed his mouth and withdrew the plastic between his lips slowly. Too slowly. Her heart seemed to skitter. No hesitation, he had eaten off her spoon. Gojo Satoru had just eaten off her spoon. Her. Plastic. Spoon. Did that imply, oh God, have they quite possibly shared…

…an indirect kiss?

“Meh, it’s alright I guess,” Satoru said, licking the cream off his lips, as though everything was normal. “Could use more mochi.”

She couldn’t believe it. The Japanese were known for being absurdly polite. They were soft spoken. Reserved. Perhaps a bit shy like herself and conscientious of how their peers perceived them when not inebriated or cheering at a baseball game. Individuality was often frowned upon. They even had a saying for it: The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. But Satoru? Satoru was a huge stubborn nail that refused to yield. He carried none of those polite mannerisms, tending to voice the quiet parts out loud. If he didn’t like you, he said so. If you were looking for his honest opinion, he gave it to you. Brash. Chatty. Arrogant. He was also teasingly sarcastic and coquettish, making it hard for Hannah to know when he was flirting and when he was being his generic obtuse self. Wait, is that what was happening? she thought. Was he flirting with her?

She couldn't help but notice how people, especially women, young and old, blushed when they passed them by on the street, whispering to their friends and giggling. Hannah knew what had them talking. How did a foreigner like her end up with a guy like that? Yes, even with the dark frames covering his eyes, Satoru was strikingly handsome in every breadth of the word. Snow white hair, turquoise blue eyes, and sculpted tall body, he was a magnet for attention.

Earlier when they were leaving the stadium, Hannah watched him stretch out, and as he raised his arms, his baseball jersey rolled up and her eyes focused on the deep grooves chiseled along his hip bones, the muscled abdominals, a happy trail of white hair lining down his naval, before he lowered his arms and the jersey fell back into place. Good lord. Her heart ratcheted in her ears and there was no avoiding the tingling sensation that ran along her scalp, down her neck, and around to the front. A strange warmth she couldn’t adequately describe pooled between her thighs, thrumming. She clenched her legs together and tried suppressing the horrendous flush from creeping up her cheeks, praying he didn’t notice. Merely thinking about it had her blushing again.

Much about their argument whilst inside the Domain had gone unsaid. Her virginity rang out like a distress signal. It still had her reeling, knowing he knew what she looked like without her clothes on. But if he had done it more than once, it meant he liked what he saw, no? Isn’t that what she wanted? They were bound to talk about it sooner or later. You're not a little girl anymore, Hannah. You’re married. Yet the bride felt there had been a glitch. Like some sort of hidden communication was going on between them that her grasp of the Japanese language, or any language, couldn’t translate.

“Yum, that really hit the spot,” Satoru said, eating the last of his chocolate strawberry cake. “Want me to finish yours?”

Hannah, suddenly not making eye contact, shoved the sakura cake can in his lap. He swiped it gleefully, but noted her odd behavior.

“You okay, Princess? Is something the matter?”

“N-No, nothing is the matter.”

“You sure? Your face is all splotchy. Could you be having an allergic reaction?”

“I promise you, I’m fine.”

Unconvinced, Satoru grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, her cheeks like cherry tomatoes. Hannah forced herself not to squirm as he brought the back of his hand up to her forehead.

“Hmm. It doesn’t feel like you have a fever,” he said, moving his back hand from her forehead down to her burning cheek. “Maybe you need to drink more fluids.”

More fluids. Right. Not the hormonal fluids swimming through her bloodstream. Nope. Definitely not those.

Hannah coughed and turned aside, encouraging him to let go, and quickly got to her feet, relieving the queasiness building in her stomach. “Really, I’m fine,” she wiped the sweat off her palms, “So, where to next?”

Satoru threw their empty cake cans away in the nearest recycling bin. He checked the time on his phone, 4:47 PM, nodded, and started walking towards an unknown destination. Hannah followed his lead and after a few short blocks realized he was guiding her towards the gate entrance of an amusement park. But right as they crossed the gates he turned himself around, slipped her a devilish wink that said “I’m up to no good,” and suavely, effortlessly, wove his calloused fingers with hers and clasped them together.

He brought her inside the park, holding her hand.

It was easy for the average person to forget how big Tokyo was. How big exactly? Well, big enough to fit a grand total of 23 amusement parks. That’s how big.

Satoru waited with Hannah as they stood in line for the Ferris wheel. Phase 1 and 2 of Operation: “Make Sure Wife Had Fun" had been a smashing success. He had taken the day off for it: No missions. No annoying higher-ups to play stupid politics with. No official documents to fill out. He had enjoyed a long overdue break. Finally! Now on to Phase 3.

They hadn’t changed out of their baseball attire. Hannah rarely wore her hair down, but today it was half-tied in a lavender ribbon. He had been enamored all day watching the glossy auburn locks swish around her waistline, brown, gold, and red. His Suzuki Ichiro jersey was way too large for her, but something inside him liked that. Looked a million times better on her than it ever did on him. Best of all, Hannah had smiled more in the last seven hours than she had in the three months they had known each other. And boy, did she have a beautiful smile. Absolutely radiant. The kind that could light up a whole room and make a grown man’s heart jolt into a full-on sprint. Verdant brown eyes. Petal soft lips. Those cute freckles dotting her nose. That ass in those jeans. Ugh, it just wasn’t fair.

This is my…friend I was talking to you about

Friend. A ripple of embarrassment shot through him at the memory, his pride feeling as though it were torn to shreds. He hadn’t forgotten the fact he’d been flatly friendzoned, and knowing he had made her cry because he chose to think with his dick and not his brain made the feeling worse. It was his fault. That’s really what this day was for. Satoru was going to make it up to her. Properly. He only hoped she wouldn’t reject his advances.

The Six Eyes wielder had been more, how would he put it, handsy than normal. (No, not that kind of handsy. Get your mind out of the gutter). More straightforward. Bolder. Testing to see how far she'd let him push the envelope before growing uncomfortable; touching her, giving sidelong glances, feigning ignorance, etc. He thought eating off her spoon made it blatantly obvious. Best piece of cake he’d ever had by the way, and her reaction had been adorable. Baby steps, Satoru. You can do this. Let her set the tone.

Hannah had made a hard pass on the roller coaster, but Satoru was able to persuade her into riding the log flume with him - she enjoyed that part - and more than once she let him snap a pic of her as they explored the park, choosing which attraction to ride next. They rested for a quick dinner and decided on a shooting gallery ride called “Gan Gun BATTLERS” where they wore 3D glasses while sitting on animatronic chairs, shooting various targets with ray guns. Satoru was especially proficient on that ride. The couple rode other stuff, but Hannah did not enjoy the haunted house one bit, and as Satoru expected she gripped the back of his jersey and kept her eyes closed the entire trek. He thought the special effects were rather lame, but liked her clinging to him, wanting his protection, so that was a win, right?

Their final ride for the evening was the huge Ferris wheel named “The Big-O” due to its centerless frame, an engineering feat at the time it was built. However, Satoru had other things on his mind than gigantic rotating wheels. For much of the day, he had been brushing his fingertips against hers in an effort to hook a finger and hold her hand. In theory they had already held hands before inside the Domain, but she had been too scared for it to hold any meaning. He had succeeded when they arrived. He kept trying to push his luck again as they waited in line. Everytime their fingers touched, his eyes would flick back to check her reaction. She refused to look at him, blushing, her cheeks tinted a pretty pink. So cute.

By the time they stood at the front of the line, his hand was prying apart her hina doll fingers to slide them through the openings. Her palm was soft. He worried he would scratch her with his calluses.

She hadn’t pulled away.

So neither did he.

Phase 3 was lookin’ good. Gojo-1, you’re clear for takeoff.

The attendant waved them inside the glass caged gondola and they cozied up next to each other, still holding hands. A couple seconds later, the attendant gave the thumbs up, and the ride cranked and whirred, slowly lifting the gondola forward away from the ground. Too cramped to fit his 6’2 height, Satoru crossed his legs along the empty seats. Hannah admonished him for it. “That’s not safe,” but he wasn’t concerned. The Ferris wheel could break down and collapse on top of them and he could walk out of there, carefree, with his hands behind his head.

The sun dipped below the horizon, transforming day into night. The gondola kept rising higher and higher till they reached the very top. They could see inside the Tokyo Dome and the roof of LaQua spa. Screams and laughter could be heard as people riding the roller coaster roared past them. The inside of the gondola was equipped with a karaoke machine. Anxious by their proximity and the fact they were too high up to go anywhere, Hannah scrolled through the digitalized playlist, pretending to be busy while averting eye contact, which greatly amused Satoru. Note that she had not let go of his hand. He peered out the glass window at the city, mouth curving into a frown. Damn. Thought it would be higher. Then his eyes caught the peak of Tokyo Tower blinking miles away in the distance. Aha, now that’s more like it.

Barely a second ticked by for the Six Eyes wielder to unclasp Hannah’s hand and pull her close, the momentum bringing her flush against his chest.

“Oof. Satoru, what in — ”

“Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents. We’re going places.”

“Places? L-Like where?”

“You’ll see,” he said, circling his arms around her. “Hope you're not afraid of heights.”

That was all the warning she got. The Jujutsu sorcerer kicked open the gondola's door, setting off the safety alarm, and in a heartbeat the Ferris wheel and amusement park became a blurring rush. Time and space sped rabidly, but it wasn’t nauseating like a carnival ride. Hannah instead felt weightless as though she were floating in a vacuum, until the cold, biting wind assailed her. They weren’t moving anymore. Satoru had warped them outside someplace, but where? Hannah blinked her eyes.

The married couple stared at each other for a fleeting moment, turquoise blue colliding with moss brown, before both of them diverted their gazes, and that’s when Hannah looked down and saw there wasn’t a floor. Or even the ground.

They were high up. Waayy high up.

Like three hundred meters high up.

With nothing underneath to catch them.

The panic was immediate. Satoru had his forearm wrapped around her lower back, keeping her aloft so that she could stand on his toes, but Hannah grabbed onto his torso as though she were a koala bear hugging a tree, afraid they would fall.

“Where the blazes are we?!” she cried.

She could hear the shrug in his voice. “Tokyo Tower.”

“What?!!”

“I took us to the top of Tokyo Tower.”

Hannah’s eyes saw the red and white latticed steel, illuminated in lights like the Eiffel, the same tower that was once the tallest structure in the world. Satoru wasn’t kidding. They really were at the top. The tippy top. He could’ve chosen to warp them inside the observation deck, but no. The more she looked down, the more Hannah thought her stomach would cave in on itself and forfeit her dinner. Her vision swayed.

“Satoru, I-I want down!” she whimpered.

“You’re perfectly safe, Hannah. I’m not gonna drop ya.”

“Get me DOWN!!!” she cried harder, tears ready to fall. Hannah rarely raised her voice, but her tone was obstinate. She didn’t care that he was the strongest. She wanted down that very instant.

Meanwhile Satoru was at a loss. He had meant the acrophobia comment as a joke. She had no issues riding the Ferris wheel, so he figured why not take his chances; Go big, or go home as they say. He hadn’t expected this to be her reaction (though looking back on it he probably should have). If he wanted to pull off Phase 3, he was going to have to redirect her fear.

Knowing she couldn’t escape or risk falling to her death, Hannah buried her face into her husband’s chest. It was getting cold, the breeze whipping all around them, her hair flying everywhere. She shivered and huddled closer to him for warmth.

Now on any given day Satoru would be over the moon for receiving a hug from Hannah, but there were two issues: One, she was terrified (and maybe a little angry with him). And two, her nipples had hardened from the night chill and were pressing into his chest through the baseball jersey, which had him visualizing other…things. Like those same pretty pink buds rubbing between his fingers and melting in his — Anyway, why did he bring her up here again? Oh, yeah. That’s right.

“Hannah.” He cradled her buried cheek and gingerly turned it to one side. “Look.”

Hanging onto him like her life depended on it, Hannah drew the courage to pull away from his shirt and open her eyes.

Her mouth parted.

More than three hundred meters below, the city had become a glittering firework. They could see everything, every street corner and alleyway; The trains, the humongous JumboTrons, the white and yellow taxis, skyscrapers looking like Lego pieces, the Sumida-gawa river slicing the capitol in half. They could see Tokyo Dome and the amusement park; The bright red Buddhist temple Sensō-ji in honor of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, next to the Shinto shrine Asakusa-jinja, and Niju Bridge meant for leading guests towards the Imperial Palace with Mount Fuji’s grandeur overseeing all. So much music and noise and color. This was what he wanted to show her.

“Wow,” she whispered, no longer worried about the height. “It's beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Satoru answered, but he wasn’t looking at the view. “It is.”

The ribbon that had tied back Hannah’s hair had unraveled, leaving the auburn tresses to blow where they may. The wind brought her scent to him. Lilies after a spring rain. He could see the green in her hazel eyes, transfixed by all the noise and color, the soft pillows of her lips filling him with unexplained longing. More beautiful than any person had permission to be.

Man, he had it bad.

Satoru had always prided himself on not taking anything, or anyone, too seriously. Then life threw him a wicked curveball he couldn’t avoid. Not that he’d want to avoid Hannah. She was like warm sunshine in this dark, twisted world. She cared about him in ways no one else had since high school and she didn't treat him like an alien from a different planet. She was kind and courageous and beautiful, and so, so smart. For heaven’s sake, she knew how to milk a cow and spoke multiple languages. Three whole months he’d been holding back on her. This woman who he purchased for four and a half billion yen, yet whose value was beyond price. He couldn’t recall the partners who came before. They were nothing more than bodies and faces and hands. The stars, the moon, the sky; they had nothing on this sweetheart in his arms.

He could already hear his subconscious mind warning him to take heed: “She is to be your companion in happiness and enjoyment, but not your companion in the next world.” “She is to be your companion in eating and drinking, but not your companion in experiencing the ripening of actions.” “She is to be your companion in pleasure, but not your companion in suffering.” Imperfect. Unreliable. Temporary. That is how a husband on the Path should view his wife. He’d have to let her go one day, whether it be eighty years, twenty years, or tomorrow. Getting attached would make things worse, but fuck it. That ship had already sailed. It was too late to turn back now.

Cause I don’t want to be your friend.

When Gojo Satoru was born, it was said that the balance of the world shifted, birthing the dawn of a new shining era, the likes of which no one could’ve imagined.

When Gojo Satoru fused Red and Blue to make Hollow Purple, there was nothing in existence strong enough to defeat him. He was invincible. The greatest. History in the making.

But when Gojo Satoru fell in love for the first time, both body and soul, that new shining universe, that invincibility, changed. You couldn’t hear it. It didn’t make a sound: The sky didn’t fall. The ocean didn’t dry up. The earth didn’t quake. A world record wasn’t broken. All it took was one glance, one touch, and suddenly life would never be the same. He had found a weakness, forever woven into the fabric of his heart. Resistance was futile.

Not wanting to fight the inevitable any longer, Gojo Satoru tilted his wife’s chin. Brushed back her long auburn hair. Closed his eyes.

And pressed his lips to hers.

Chapter Contents

[tetsunabouquet]

Aomine’s Future (Headcanon)

Now, I’m not going to ignore arguably the most popular KNB husbando out there! I hope you all enjoy and forgive me for the minor sidenote at the end. -Obviously he’s going to move to the US in the future, and I think he’s going to stay there for the rest of his life and not go back to Japan once his career at the NBA is over. -But, he will definitely still be into things from back home like idol culture. -Whilst he is interested in joining the police force after his career, I don’t think he will actually go through with that as devoting his time to making people abide the rules when he seems to hate them himself wouldn’t work out for him. That’s more of a young boy’s fantasy he will grow out off. -I can, however, see him finish his auto-biography and perhaps write a book or two more, but being a writer won’t be his main job after his NBA days. -He will probably work in the athletic world for the rest of his life, he’s a basketball junkie. Whether he becomes a coach, or a sports commentator, Aomine is not giving up on basketball. Ever. -Considering he’s going to Cleveland, and according to the internet, its actually really big in the beer industry, can I see Aomine rewatching his old matches with his fridge stocked with beer? Yes. He’s definitely that kind of guy. -He might own a few lame baseball caps. -Doesn’t settle down before 30. Perhaps not even before he hits his forties. -I can see him owning a dog or two as an adult. -He certainly has his own jacuzzi and a pool. Guy’s a bath-time fan. -He’ll definitely use that bubble bath of his to impress the women he takes home. -Would prefer girls who like beer over girls who don’t. -Over time, I can see him evolving from a big boob guy to a guy who loves a big boobs + large ass combo.  -I can imagine him trying to pick up good looking dweebs for one night stands using being a Japanese athlete to his advantage. (I can even imagine him actually having tried to pull the ‘I’m hot and Japanese’ on Alex but it wouldn’t work due to the age gap). -Unless Momoi were to start pursuing him, I feel like he’ll end up with an American girl. -If he goes on the route of marrying another celeb, then he’ll end up with a Japanese-American idol. No doubt about it. This man is a huge idol fan, and one that’s actually living in the US and could even teach him more about the country would be a big bonus for him. -If he goes on the route of marrying a normal American girl, I feel like he won’t go for an Asian girl but white or black, actually. I mean, I do think Aomine would be into some of black culture and a curvy black woman, but canonically he has only expressed interest in white women like Marilyn Monroe and Alex when it comes to foreign women so either of the two are on table. He’s definitely interested into an interracial relationship (which leads me to another one who I think is pro-interracial and my side-note).

  (the only other character we know is fan of an American actress, is Midorima as he likes Elizabeth Taylor. With him going to Boston and all, yes, I can see this guy being into British white girls, and likely north-west European white girls in general. This guy definitely would prefer the traditional old world over the new world, and the countries of this area are rich, influential and most of them are innovators in the medical technology field, etc. So I can see Midorima actually developping an interest in that region of Europe and considering moving to any of these countries after his NBA days. Also, did you know the Olympic gold medalist, the Flying Dutchman, Epke Zonderland, has also studied medicine? Just imagine these two handsome athletes working at the same hospital. I feel like there would be women who’d get sick/injured on purpose, just saying).

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

I've been getting into baseball recently, and it's got me thinking about the weird push for Americans to get into soccer. (I'm not imagining that, am I? The weird disdain you see for people who prefer football?)

A lot of people in college would tell me that soccer was the only sport worth caring about, because it's so popular worldwide. I always thought that was a funny argument. Like, why should it matter to me that I'm watching the same game as someone on a different continent? Isn't it kinda cooler if there's a wide variety of games worldwide?

Baseball is the biggest in the US, I'm sure, but it's also huge in countries like Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba... and that's really cool, I think! The fact that baseball resonates so much with the people there says something small, but interesting about both the sport and the culture and history of the area. And cricket is a big deal in India and Australia - it's not a sport I care about much, but I love how there are places where people do care. I just find stuff like that so cool, and it would really depress me to think that the only metric for how much a sport should matter is how many countries agree that it matters.

Not sure if this is anything you'd care about, sorry - just, booooo to globalism, I guess! Regional quirks are good for humanity!

So, first off, if you're just getting into baseball I'd enthusiastically recommend the PBS documentary Baseball by Ken Burns. I just started getting into baseball this year too (went to my first MLB game even) and it's a really great way to learn the history of the sport and why certain players and plays and teams and games are still talked about today.

Second, in America, soccer is the little known hipster Euro indie band of sports. It doesn't matter if it's good or not, it's just unpopular enough to be cool and it's foreign, so people who want to look down on American culture latch onto it. I don't really know why soccer never caught on in the US. It can't be because it's boring or slow, because baseball can also be boring and slow, at least before they implemented the pitch clock (which I think is the greatest change the game has even seen and I probably just made a lot of people very mad lol) and that's the third most popular sport in the country. It can't be because it isn't violent like football or hockey, because, again, baseball, and also basketball because basketball players are the literal softest athletes in the world when it comes to fouls and basketball is more popular than soccer. It can't be because there's too many white people--hockey--or too many non white people--basketball.

I dunno, I'm going off on a side quest here.

You're right, "the rest of the world likes this" is one of the stupidest reasons to like something. Hell, I vastly prefer the XFL over the NFL, and me and my husband are watching Slamball later on tonight. I've watched all kinds of combat sports, and things like Wipeout and American Ninja Warrior. I've watched pro wrestling and amateur wrestling. I've watched grappling fights. I've watched figure skating. Snowboarding. Sure, many of these I've only watched once or twice, but the sheer variety of sports that are out there, some regional, some not, is a great thing. You can always find something that appeals to you. Even if it's only you and a few other people watching. One of the great things about sports is its ability to connect a room full of complete strangers for a few hours. Whether that "room" is your living room, or a sports bar, or a backyard, or a stadium filled to capacity doesn't matter at all. As long as you're enjoying something and getting something out of it, that's all that matters. The "best" sport is impossible to determine with any objectivity. The most popular sport is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is what's fun to watch or play.

Besides, we all know the best sport is Blitzball anyway.

[velvetdaydream1]

okay but a spiderdeku fiction where Deku is Peter Parker, Ochako is Gwen Stacy, and Bakugou is MJ?? I already wrote chapter one! It's not the best written thing but oh well

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Chapter 1: Izuku Midoriya

Midoriya Izuku. He was a 1st year at the top school in Japan, UA. The school is best know for their incredible their academics. All their students go off to have high end jobs. Engineerings, Policemen, Scientists, Doctors, and some even go on to working in the government. The entrance exam is always called brutal, even by students that got in. Izuku's always dreamed of getting into that school. He planned on becoming a great scientist like the man he looked up to, Yagi Toshinori. The man made some amazing discoverys and worked with pretty high up agencies. Yagi was also known for creating books of his own. The man pretty much did whatever he put his kind too. A lot of people loved his one and only fictonal book about a hero named All Migh, which he based off himself. That became pretty popular. So yeah, Izuku aimed on going to the school he did, UA.

Izuku was a smart kid, always passed and had amazing grades in all his classes. He even had his own notebook full of his own theories and noted his own discoveries. He knew a lot about science and anatomy. He was just smarted when it came to those things and they interested him the most. He loved learning new things and discovering how things work and why they work that way. It was incredible. Though, middle school, people bullied him for it. They called him "weird" or made fun of him for being so nerdy and how lonely he was. Izuku didn't understand why, some of these people even use to be his friend. Like Bakugou Katsuki, who he calls Kacchan. Bakugou and Izuku were close as kids, yes, but once they hit middle school, everything changed.

Bakugou was popular. Bakugou was good at sports. Bakugou was one of the top student. He was so much better than Izuku. Well, thats what everyone thought and said, including some teachers. When they got older, Bakugou started getting more athletic and signed up for multiple sports. His favorite was soccer and baseball. So the boy did sports all year. People were amazed with how he worked his way around being on two teams for different sports sometimes, depending on what he wanted to play that year. He was taller, standing at 5'11 and was pretty muscular.

Izuku was nothing like him. He wasn't good at sports. Trust him, Bakugou, when still keeping up with his friendship with Izuku, tried getting Izuku to sign up but Izuku could not do it. He had horrible asthma and having glasses while doing this was just annoying. He was just a 5'5, skinny nerd. The only thing he had going for him was his grades. Eventually, when Bakugou gave up on him and joined in on the kids who bullied Izuku, he started competing with everything. He even started the whole "Deku" nickname. He grew a huge ego, thinking he was better than Izuku and everyone else. He started tormenting Izuku when he got a high grade than Bakugou so Izuku started getting some things wrong to go down a couple points. Not to the point he was barely passing, just enough to get Bakugou to stop. Bakugou would still comment, yes. The occasional "look, you got stupid" or "HA, i did better than you damn nerd," but nothing more than that.

Bakugou told Izuku not to apply to UA, but he did anyways which pissed Bakugou off. But Izuku didn't care. He would accomplish his dreams no matter how many times Bakugou and his little friends would tell him that he wouldn't. He would never be as good as some of the other big named people like Todoroki Enji, Yagi Toshinori, Usagiyama Rumi. But he could try. Besides it wasn't like he would be in the same class as Bakugou.

But he was wrong. They both ended up in cpass 1A. To his luck, Bakugou had barelt talked to him despite being sat sitting in front of Izuku. He would still call him Deku, but the name grew on him. Why? Uraraka Ochako is why.

She was one of the first people Izuku befriended. She was a short, blubby, brunette which the most beautiful eyes, Izuku thought. She changed the reason she likes the name Deku. So he let her call him that. Izuku befriended almost the whole class. Todoroki Shouto, Iida Tenya, and Uraraka Ochako were his closest friends. Ochako was close to all plus Ashido Mina and Asui Tsuyu. Izuku loved his class. He loved his teacher. He loved his friends. He loved who he was becoming.

Then he realized he grew feeling for his best friend Ochako. Everyone already knew Ochako had feelings for him, they were shocked it took Izuku almost all school year to realize his own feelings for her. He was very awkward about it. He would over think it too. Say things to cause them both to get flustered. Mina encouraged Ochako to confess and Kirishima and Shouto encouraged Izuku to confess too. They eventually confessed at the same time. They both smiled and blushed then became an official couple.

They were cute and sweet. They would study together and bring each other over to each other's home. Their parents adored them. Inko would always cook for Ochako, always her favorite and would even buy her mochi. Ochako's parents always made sure to mention something Izuku liked and listened whenever he would ramble on and on about it. That's what he could appreciate about the Urarakas. They listened to his rambles. They were such a kind family. And Ochako. He could and would go on about her beauty. He loved her pink cheeks, how she tap her tips on her fingers together when she's nervous, how she was passionate on becoming a doctor, her love for anything sweet, her favorite animals being dogs, her favorite colors being purple and pink, how non judmeental she is.

Ochako actually helped Izuku realized he was bisexual. The whole night was interesting. They were talking about past crushes and Ochako made him realized he definitely had a crush on Bakugou when he was younger. When it finally clicked that was what she was telling him it was, he just stared at her causing her to laugh. She didn't care though. He realized it and then moved on with his girlfriend.

Now, present time, they were starting their second year. It was the first day back. Izuku told his mom by after getting ready then rushed to Ochako's home to they could walk together. He saw her waiting. He ran over and when she saw him, a smile grew on her face.

"Deku!!!" She started waving.

"Hi, Ochako." He smiled as he reached her, he bent down and gave her a small peck on the lips.

She held his hand as they began to walk. "I'm so excited to see everyone again!" She said cheerfully.

He nodded. "Yeah, I got to see Iida and Todoroki over break but evergone else will be exciting."

"Yeah!!! Plus they finsihed the dorms so we can officially move in next week." She smiled. "It'll be nice to see tou everyday."

"Yeah. I can't wait for what this year will bring!"

They made it onto the school ground where they saw some members of their class. Denki immediately saw Izuku and rushed over to him.

"Hey man! I'm glad to see you again!" He said with a grin and threw his arm over his shoulder. "Glad to see you and your girl are still doing well."

Izuku and Ochako blushed, "Mhm, good to see you too." He said

"Did you make any progress with Jirou?" Ochako asked leaning over to face Denki.

He made a face. "I haven't exactly been brave enough to. What if she doesnt like me?"

"Don't worry, Denki! Maybe this year me and Deku can help you!" She smiled.

Denki formed a small smile on his face. "You guys would do that?"

"Of course, you're our friend after all, plus Ochako's friends with Jirou."

He trapped them both into a hug. "I own you guys so much!!!" Then he ran off.

Izuku looked down at his girlfriend, "You're a great person, you know." He kissed her forhead.

She giggled, "I'm only helping my friends."

"Yeah, getting into a relationship, that can change a person's life. Like how you changed mine, you're probably the most important thing to me."

Ochako softly smiled at her boyfriend. "You are to me too. That's why I'm never leaving you!!!" She tightly hugged him.

He started laughing and almost fell due to how hard she hugged him. "Yeah yeah, I'm glad you aren't."

They continued their walk into the school, making it to their class. Mina immediately pulled Ochako away from her side to caught up. Izuku watched his girlfriend laugh with her friends as he made his way to his seat. He accidentally bumped into someone, while not paying attention to where he was walking as he looked at Ochako.

He fell to the ground. "Ah- I'm so sorry-" He looked up to see who he ran into. Katsuki.

He hasn't talked to him for the longest time. The most they talked was for school work or if Kirishima decided to hang out with Izuku during class. Bakugou was always with Kirishima. It was odd to see, Bakugou following someone around. Though, he acted as if Kirishima was the one following him.

"Kacchan! I'm so sorry. I should been paying attention." Izuku's voice cracked a bit. Last time he bumped into him during middle school, Bakugou pushed him and yelled.

To his surprise, Bakugou reached his hand out. "You're fine, nerd. C'mon, get up before sensei comes in."

Izuku hesitated, but took his hand as Bakugou pulled him up. Bakugou didn't say anything else, just moved past him to take his seat. Izuku stood their a little surprise. He took his seat, staring at the back of Bakugou's head. Sure, it seemed dumb, but why did Bakugou do that one nice thing for him?

Aizawa had walked in, breaking him thoughts as he heard everyone running to their seats. He looked over to Ochako who was already looking at him, giving him a smile. He smiled back then turned his attention back onto their teacher.

"Welcome back class. Glad to see you're all here. We're going ahead and beginning with the assignments. You know how classes work, you'll see the other teachers later, however we have an assignment for me." Izuku looked over to Ochako who mouthed 'I hope its a group project so I can see you more,' he smiled and nodded. "You'll be spilt into groups of three. Before anyone says anything, yes that means they'll be one group with two, but we decided to have Shinso join that group since he is switching into this class later this school year. Anyways, this project is simply to see how well we all work together. Last year, you all filled out a sheet explaining what exactly you want your career path to be. This will be an exercise for that. We picked your groups out depending on what you want your career to be. Even if its something similar, you all wanted something different. So, for the past months there has been crimes happening that are all similar. We decided while the police figure out and actually take action, we want you all to come up with your own theories and figure out things you have spotted that could genuinely help the case. You come to me. Even if its something you spotted on the crime scene photos."

Izuku genuinely was excited about it. I mean, it was a weird assignment and it definitely seemed like this was a way if finding information the authorities don't know. Either way, it'll still be fun.

"Okay, here are your groups. Kaminari, Kirishima, and Shinso. Sato, Koda, Mineta. Sero, Todoroki, and Tokoyami. Ojiro, Hagakure, and Shoji. Ashido, Asui, and Aoyama. Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou. And the last group, Midoriya, Uraraka, and Bakugou. You'll have by end December to finish your assignments. You'll start working on them after school today. I'll leave you alone for you to work with your partners and figuring what you want to do and how to set up your stuff."

Everyone got up and went to their partners. Izuku was happy to work with Ochako, but he felt his stomach drop when he realized he had to work with Bakugou almost everyday. What if Bakugou made it hell for him and Ochako.

Bakugou turned around to face him. Izuku, expecting something rude to fall out from his mouth. But instead..

"So I gotta third wheel with you and cheeks?" The tone Bakugou use made it sound like he was attempting to joke, there was an awkward smile plastered on his face as well.

"Heh, i guess.." He said awkwardly.

Ochako ran over and stood behind Izuku, wrapping her arms over his shoulders, putting her chin on his head. "Yay! I get to work with my smart boyfriend. Oh and you too, you're pretty smart, Bakugou!"

"Pretty smart?? I'm SUPER smart!" He said, like usual yelling. No more of the awkward kindness he showed Izuku.

"That's what I meant! Either way, I'm excited. Maybe after school we should wait for each other by the entrance and then we could go to a coffee shop that me and Deku usually go to! That way we can talk about what all we need to do!"

"That's not a bad idea, 'Chako. I could work with that, what about you Kacchan?" Izuku asked smiling.

"Tch, yeah that'll work."

They talked for a couple more minutes. Izuku was kinda shocked to see how well Katsuki and Ochako were getting along. He did see Ochako as sweet and kind so he couldn't see anyone not liking her.

The school day went on, Izukh kept his mind on the assignment, thinking of what they could do. The day eventually came to and end and students were clearing out. Izuku started packing when he saw Bakugou and Ochako standing over him.

"Are you ready to go, Deku?" Ochako asked.

"Just give me a minute, you two go on."

"Okay, don't take forever nerd!!" Bakugou shouted as he walked off.

"Alright, see you in a minute," She kissed his head. "Bakugou wait up!" He heard her call out as she ran.

Izuku was getting his stuff packed when he noticed as spider when he went to grab his pencil. It aas pretty big. Very fuzzy too. It eas emerald green with black legs and huge, blue eyes.

"Wow, aren't you pretty." Izuku said out loud. He grabbed his phone taking a picture of it. He had never seen a spider like that before. Once he snapped a picture, he put down his phone seeing it was gone. He shrugged and grabbed his pencil, then he felt a bite. And it hurt.

"OW!" He yelled. He looked at his hand to see the spider, biting him. He slapped the spider causing it to fall to the group. He grabbed his bag and left the school.

Izuku saw the two standing at the door bickering about something. "Hey guys!" He called out as he walked over.

"Damn, took you long enough, Deku!" Bakugou shouted.

"Sorry, I saw this spider-"

"HA, your excuse is because of a stupid spider?" Bakugou scoffed.

Ochako sent him a glare. "Dont mind him, what did the spider look like?"

"I got a picture of it." He pulled out his phone, showing them the spider. They both looked at it and raised their brows.

"I never seen a spider that looked so damn ugly. Or even that green." Bakugou said.

"Awww it's green like you! But yeah, I've never seen a spider like that."

"Me either. The dumb thing bit me though."

"Welp. Let's hope its not venomous and kills you."

Ochako hit his shoulder. "Bakugou!"

"What?? I'm being serious, I'm not wishing death upon him at least!" He defended.

"It's fine, Ochako. Let's just go to the coffee shop. The bite just itches but it'll be fine."

Little did Izuku know thag one spider would change his life forever.

[dorkydragon]

Yakuza games kanji info 23

Morning Glory children

The heart of the Dragon.

(This will be a little bit different from the other ones as it contains multiple characters. Saki is included because why not. Please forgive the poorly edited family photo)

- About the morning glory itself (あさがお, ‘asagao’): This plant was very popular during the Edo period. It was initially introduced into Japan as a medicinal plant, but it was later sought for its ephemeral, colorful beauty. Its popularity grew after the plant developed new colors and shapes through natural mutations. The orphanage named after the plant certainly has a healing factor on Kiryu. A peaceful life surrounded by nature and his beloved children is what he deserves after all the pain he's suffered. Unfortunately, later games would show that this happiness, like the morning glory's flower, is only temporary.

Now, let’s see the kids:

Ayako (綾子)

綾 aya = design, figured cloth, twill

子 ko = child

- Twill is a durable and versatile type of fabric used to make a great variety of high quality clothes. This is quite fitting for the ever dependable second eldest child, the one who works with Haruka and Kiryu to help everyone else with various tasks. We could say that Ayako, who acts like a mother to the others, is like a protective and warm 'cloth' that wraps itself around the other children.

Taichi (太一)

太 ta = plump, thick, big around

一 ichi = one

- The kanji 太 in his name could be related to his heavy build, which should come in handy to achieve his dream of becoming a professional wrestler to provide for his family. The kanji 一 could be related to his status as the oldest boy in the orphanage.

Koji (宏次, Kōji)

宏 ko (kou, kō) = wide, large

次 ji = next, order, sequence

- His name could be related to how he tries to share the sport he loves with others. Koji's event shows him welcoming and encouraging a lonely boy to play baseball with the rest of the kids. Subsequent games show that Mitsuo, who learnt how to play the sport from Koji, ends up being the more skilled player out of the two.

Mitsuo (三雄)

三 mitsu = three

雄 o = masculine, male, hero, leader, superiority, excellence

- The kanji 三 could be related to his status as the third oldest boy. The kanji 雄 and its meaning of 'hero' definitely appear when Mitsuo confronts the children that were cruel to Riona and later comforts her.

Riona (理緒奈)

理 ri = logic, arrangement, reason, justice, truth

緒 o = thong, beginning, inception, end, cord, strap, mental or emotional state

奈 na = Nara, what?

- Here we have many meanings that could relate to Riona, her family history and her event. Riona feels very insecure about herself because of the burn marks she has on her arms. She refuses to let anyone see them, as she believes people will consider the scars, and thus Riona herself, disgusting. It is most likely that Mitsuo's heroic rescue and kindness helped her realize that the people who really matter are the ones who accept her and love her for who she is, regardless of how she looks like.

Eri (エリ, 絵里)

絵 e = picture, drawing, painting, sketch

里 ri = village, parent's home, league

- The kanji 里 gives us the meanings 'village' and 'parent's home,' which convey the idea of a small community and a place where you feel welcome. During her personal event, Eri explains that she stole Ayako's money to hang out with her friends, who never invite her to join them because they know her allowance is small and she can't afford to ask for more. She is so happy to be invited for the first time that she resorts to stealing just to be able to finally hang out with them.

Note: Eri's name is originally written in katakana, but it appears written in kanji in the orphanage's chores board (source: Yakuza Wiki). Katakana and hiragana are forms of syllabic writing, composed of sounds that make up words or expressions and indicate how to read kanji. Characters from both systems, besides kanji, are accepted forms to write names. Hiragana includes all the sounds/syllables used in Japanese words. Katakana has many uses, but it appears mostly in foreign words that are made up of sounds that are different from the ones heard in Japanese. Other uses include animal names (like マメ 'Mame'), onomatopoeias or word emphasis, among others.

On a similar note, the other important Eri, Eri Kamataki from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, has her name written in hiragana (鎌滝 えり, Kamataki Eri). This Eri, however, is based on an actual person, so here we have a real life example of a name written in syllables.

Shiro (志郎, Shirō)

志 shi = intention, plan, resolve, aspire, motive, hopes, shilling

郎 ro (rou, rō) = son

-  The kanji 志 could be related to his determination to endure the bullying in order to protect the orphanage and to his resolve to stand up for himself and face the bully that threatened his family's home once Kiryu assures him that Morning Glory won't be targeted if Shiro fights back.

Izumi (泉)

泉 izumi = spring, fountain

- She is the only Morning Glory child with a nature-related name and also the one who is interested in dogs. A 'spring' is a natural source of water that may form streams or lakes and support the animals and plants living around it. Our Izumi may not be a source of water, but she is the reason why the beloved pet Mame joined the family.

Saki (咲)

咲 saki = blossom, bloom

- Poor Saki is a gentle and shy flower who endured a horrible and traumatic childhood that left her mute and seemingly unreachable. Her bond of mutual love with her adoptive father and the friends she finds in Morning Glory finally allow her to break out of her shell, recover her voice and bloom.  

Extra: There almost exists a number theme with the boys and their ages. Taichi and Mitsuo have kanji for numbers in their names, and these may reflect that they are the first and third oldest boys, respectively. Koji (second oldest) and Shiro (fourth and youngest) do not follow this pattern. However, the pronunciation of some of the kanji they do have is similar to the pronunciation of the kanji for numbers 2 and 4. The kanji 二 means 'two' and can be read as 'ji,' and the kanji 四 means 'four' and can be read as 'shi.' As examples, we have Joji Kazama (風間 譲二, Kazama Jōji) and Seishiro Munakata (宗像 征四郎, Munakata Seishirō). We could say that Koji and Shiro sort of continue the pattern, at least when it comes to pronunciation.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

In Japan’s glittering cities, all hustle and light, they can be easy to miss.

With all that sensory assault, who thinks to look down and take notice of something as mundane as a manhole cover? But these are no ordinary bits of civic infrastructure.

In Japan, many manhole covers are works of urban art—elaborate, curious, distinctive, even colorful.

They have become a tourist destination unto themselves and attract a legion of dedicated manhole enthusiasts who travel the country to visit some of the thousands of unique designs.

Japan’s decorated manhole covers—broadly encompassing storm drain, domestic water supply, electrical and other utility access covers—initially took shape as a public relations campaign for sewers.

Beginning in the 1950s, the cast plates featured simple geometric patterns, such as the “Tokyo” and “Nagoya” designs.

Japanese civil servant Yasutake Kameda conceived of the intricate, artistic versions in 1985 to help warm a skeptical rural population to the idea of the costly but necessary modernization of the country’s sewer system.

From these humble and practical beginnings, manhole covers have become a cultural phenomenon.

Typically, “local manholes” or “design manholes” feature elements special to a particular location: a town emblem, landmark, event, or official bird or flower.

For instance, Takasaki, 60 miles northwest of Tokyo in mountainous Gunma Prefecture, has manhole covers that commemorate the city’s popular summer fireworks festival.

Local mascots (known as yurukyara, such as Fukaya City’s adorable rabbit-deer Fukkachan) and cartoon characters also appear.

In Tokyo’s Tama ward, home of the Sanrio Puroland amusement park, one can find covers featuring the ever-popular Hello Kitty.

Local sports franchises are also represented near the teams’ home arenas and stadiums—such as the well-known colorful depiction of the logo of the Hiroshima Carp baseball team.

While there is some logic to the placement of the covers, particularly those graced with color—usually near a landmark, theme park, or stadium—others appear to have been placed without rhyme or reason.

Indeed, it is not unusual to walk down an otherwise unremarkable side street and spot a special one underfoot.

The ornate manhole covers are initially carved from aluminum, which is used to make sand molds for casting.

The majority of the designs are selected by local municipalities, in conjunction with manufacturers.

In most cases, the design is just imprinted in the cover, but in some cases, the covers get another touch—colored resins flooded into voids like enamel on jewelry.

Today, an estimated 95 percent of Japan’s 1,718 municipalities across all 47 prefectures now host their own unique covers.

In Osaka, approximately 10 percent of the city’s 180,000 manhole covers feature ornate designs, of which roughly 1,900 get the color treatment.

Typically, a designed manhole cover, which weighs more than 80 pounds, excluding the frame, costs approximately $585—a five percent premium over the cost of a plain cover.

The color, however, is applied carefully by hand and nearly doubles the price of a manhole to more than $900.

Such is the popularity of these little urban treasures that they have a devout, organized following.

There is the industry-led Japan Ground Manhole Association and the fan-based Japanese Society of Manhole Covers, whose website features thousands of photographs submitted by users across Japan, who have snapped everything from large sewer covers to tiny local utility access panels.

“Manholers,” as they’re known, may travel to distant areas of the country just to photograph covers or collect pencil rubbings known as takuhon.

Trading cards featuring manhole designs are also popular collectors’ items and can command steep prices in online auctions.

One prominent fan is Kei Takebuchi, a popular Tokyo-based singer-songwriter.

Takebuchi traces her fascination with them to the covers of Nagoya, which feature a charming cartoon water strider insect, while she was on tour in 2015.

Since then, she has regularly tweeted photos of manhole covers to her nearly 200,000 followers on social media.

“Every manhole cover design has [a meaning] … it tells me that we can create art with almost anything,” she says, in an interview for this story.

Like many places, Japan is full of people with unusual hobbies or obsessions, but love for the country’s manhole covers has gone mainstream:

a “manhole festival” was held near a major train station in Tokyo last month, featuring trading cards, baked goods, and replica covers from around the country.

Retailer Tokyu Hands ran an extended campaign at its central Shinjuku location, with a range of manhole cover–related goods for sale.

The affinity for manhole covers also seems to tap in to Japan’s fondness for hobbies that involve lots of domestic travel.

Stamp rallies—featuring rubber stamps at train stations and other landmarks—encourage hobbyists to travel to overlooked or lesser-visited locales to add one more stamp to their collections.

“Rail-fans” similarly scour the country to document or experience a rare train carriage, an unusual station melody, or other rail-related minutia.

It is the same for manholers, with the occasionally far-flung or seemingly random placement of coveted covers—and directions of varying accuracy—adding to the sense of a scavenger hunt.

Indeed, Takebuchi recounts once spending three hours on a bitterly cold day in Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture to snap a photo of a particular manhole cover, beautifully designed with an images of Toki no Kane, a historic bell tower.

Similar stories are common currency in manholing circles.

Easy to overlook, but curious and rewarding, Japan’s unique manhole covers are a charming reminder that the mundane can be exciting and that you should never forget to look down.

[loose-canonposts]

I think the biggest missed opportunity now that the Krakoa era is over is that they never built a baseball stadium. It’s been such a integral part of how the X-men cool off between world shattering events. I get mutant leadership wanting to separate themselves from the human world.

Baseball despite being the national pastime of the US also is the most popular sport in Cuba. Cuba started playing baseball when they were still under the thumb of Spain. They used this to separate themselves from Spain and has become a main stay in Cuban culture ever since.

With Cuba being a country one of the most negatively affected by us imperialism, it shows how baseball can transcend those things and a culture can be built divorced from the US.

Even with other countries not completely ostracized by the US like Japan, the Dominican Republic, Korea, and Mexico all have completely different cultures surrounding the sport. A game in Tokyo is nothing like San Francisco.

Anyways there was a big push by Nightcrawler to build a religion and help jump start the Krakoan culture. A big reason for that was the blood sport to get mutants powers back. I think using baseball to counter the growing obsession could have been a fun story.

I think a comic akin to Major League of a league trying to make a reason for it to exist. It could make a bigger statement then way of x it would be showing the spark instead of just telling us.

[myscalesofjustice]

What sport would be the most popular in Ostania? Baseball, the biggest game in Japan, or Football, the biggest game in Germany which the SxF countries are based on?

I just like the idea of Franky losing his bet on a big game for a B plot.

[digital-magus]

It amuses me that baseball, the sport traditionally called "America's Pass Time", is the only one of our sports popular in places that aren't America.

Like, basketball? Football? No one else plays that shit. Hell, most of the world specifies our football as "American Football". But baseball we share internationally. It's huge in Japan! And we have the gall to call it "America's". What the heck?