#both times taiga is the one missing

[magicalyaku]

We went back to the King of Prism cafe, so I could get the full set of character cards that came with the menu (and the silly crown). I love them. I didn't want to leave. u_u

Before that, I also took my friend to see the latest movie which is just all the Prism1 perfomances edited together actually, no story at all (but fake advertisements featuring Over the Rainbow!) but at least that way she still had fun even with only understanding a few of the words. Kakeru's was her favorite! 8D The ending, though! The ending was wild. Like wtf! Whatever they do next (movie I guess?) will be even wilder and sillier than what they usually do? I'm so in for it.

[enanansbbg]

Anhane’s relationship, and it’s complexity:

this was originally uploaded onto twt, but I wanted to reupload it here because I was very proud of this analysis, so please enjoy and feel free to add anything I may have missed or skipped over!

With that being said, here we go! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

Let’s start with the basics. The pure power of their aibouness, and its connections to vivid street.

To begin, you must understand what a partner is in VBS terms. In this case, it’s ‘a person who brings out parts of you never knew existed’.

In relations to Anhane, this is based off pure raw emotions. This is shown through An’s abandonment issues and Kohane’s want to make her heart pound.

Kohane wants to recreate that feeling she felt when she first heard An singing inside of An, to ‘make her heart pound’, while An’s abandonment issues cause her to fear Kohane’s rapid growth may lead to Kohane abandoning her.

This also plays into a certain factor about Kohane and the idea of her and angst, I believe.

Many people want Kohane to have some kind of angst event, especially related to her backstory, but that would go against all her motives.

See, Kohane’s pure movies for pursuing music—for working to surpass Rad Weekend all tie back to An. It was hearing An singing at WG that made her heart pound and An asking her to be her singing partner that caused her to even consider music as an option.

From here, their relationship develops into a lot more, and it’s when the idea of partners ‘bringing out an ugly side of you’ comes to play.

You can see even in the maim story An not seeing Kohane as an equal. It only gets called out and resolved in Singing in Sync.

Singing In Sync, ep. 1 and 3

🎧: “In the unlikely event that something does go wrong, I’ll cover for you and get you back on track, okay?”

…

🎧: “I failed as her partner…I couldn���t protect her…

…

🎧: “I mean, she’s my partner…And I wanted to guide her so that she could sing without worrying…”

…

🥞: “You don’t think of Kohane as one of the team.”

An telling Kohane “I’ll protect you if you mess up” subconsciously puts the idea into Kohane’s head “I’m not good enough, so I’ll probably mess up” This is what caused the entire issue in SIS to begin with.

But it’s once An tells her “you can protect me too” that Kohane is able to subconsciously think “I have the power to make her heart pound too”

Singing in Sync, ep. 8

🎧: “If I miss a cue at the next event…”

🎧: “Could you cover for me?”

🐹: “An… Sure, I can do that!”

After this we get Awakening Beat. Kohane is able to come out of her shell and fully adapts the idea “I can make her heart pound too” and has a large boost in confidence because of it. An both brought her confidence down and back up in the spam of one rotation.

Awakening Beat, ep. 8

🎧: (“It’s like she’s not even the Kohane I know. Could this be because she’s completely resolved herself?”

🎧: (“But even with just that, she can really change this much…?”)

However….In the same event, An’s insecurities begin to bloom and in Bout for Beside You, An has to face them for the first time.

Awakening Beat, ep. 8, BFBY, ep. 4

🎧: (“I was just gonna tell her she did amazing… That I never knew she could sing that amazingly, but…”

🎧: (“What’s going on? I just can’t get the words out—”)

…

🎧: “Kohane is…going to leave me behind?”

Here, An realizes her and Kohane ‘perfect’ relationship is more complicated now. While Kohane’s adapted the idea of “I want to make her heart pound”, An opens to idea of “I wont he able to make her heart pound anymore” (they doki doki more than ddlc i swear)

At the end of the event, An ask Kohane the golden question. “If I were to leave somewhere far away, would we still sing together?”

BFBY, ep. 8

🎧: “But what would you do if I said that I’d be going somewhere far far away someday?”

🎧: “And I wanted to reach greater heights just like what Uncle Taiga did exploring the world. If I were to go to someplace even greater and far far away from here—”

Of course, Kohane affirms this. Naturally, Kohane takes a lot of pride in being An’s partner, being the only partner for her. (as said in ORS) She wants to keep singing with An forever.

BFBY, ep. 8

🐹: “Even so, I would want to keep singing with An-chan!”

🐹: “No matter where you go or what you become, I’d still want to be with you!”

🐹: “I want to properly stand beside you and sing with you!”

We’re gonna skip ahead a bit and jump up to KIUAN, where we get our lovely “She looks like Nagi-san” line, the line that killed every Anhane shipper in the tristate area.

But what makes this line so special? Well, for that let’s discuss what made Nagi’s death (and the lie surrounding it) so impactful.

Nagi was someone An looked up to highly. So, when she was suddenly told that Nagi moved, not even saying goodbye, to pursue her music career, it left a mark on An. Added to the fact that Nagi wasn’t returning An’s messages or calls, just completely disappeared.

Now, looking to Bout for Beside you and KIUAN, you can see the importance of these lines. An fears that Kohane will improve so much that she leaves without a word, never talks go her again and just moves on. It’s why she looks so distressed.

VOT ep. 8, BFBY, ep. 8, KIUAN ep. 7

🎧: “…Aww. I wonder what Nagi-san is doing over in America? I wish she’d give us a call at least.”

🎧: “Ah! Maybe I’ll send her a text then! I wonder if she’ll be surprised~?”

…

🎧: “But what would you do if I said that I’d be going somewhere far far away someday?”

…

🎧: “…She looks just like Nagi-san…”

And, it’s why she can’t even believe Kohane when she says just how important An is to her, how much she loves her and wants to sing with her because Nagi said the same thing and now Nagi is gone.

This manages to reach a resolve in WTWG, where An ‘fights’ Kohane, takes all those raw emotions out in a healthy way, through her song.

An’s card in WTWG is more than just ‘An takes her anger out on Kohane’, because in truth that’s not entirely what she’s doing. Instead, it’s An’s raw emotions taking form.

An wants Kohane to grow, she wants Kohane to thrive fully, but that fear of abandonment—Fear that Kohane will leave and never speak to her again makes her want to hold her close and never let her go anywhere.

So what about Kohane?

Well, starting with thr WTWG card/story, Kohane wants to be An’s best partner. As she states, ‘to make An’s heart pound’.

So, to be vulnerable here is to accept all of An’s raw emotions. Let her lean on her and feel everything because to Kohane, that makes her a worthy partner.

She says over and over throughout the fight that An is amazing, that she wants to be like her, how much it makes her heart pound. Really, it reminds me of Kohane’s colorfes story.

WTWG, ep. 7

🐹: (“An-chan…really is amazing.”)

🐹: (“…Whenever I hear An-chan sing, it really makes my heart pound like nothing else. It makes me wish I could sing like her.”)

In it, Kohane goes to Vivid Street, but everyone thinks she’s An. This happens after she thinks about what it would be like to be An, but only going through this dream does she realize that she doesn’t want to be An, she wants to be her. She wants to be An’s partner.

Colorfes Kohane ep. 1 and 2

Record Store Onee-san: “You caught me off guard, using polite like that, An-chan!”

🐹: (“Did she just say An-chan…?”)

…

🐹: (“—An-chan’s so cool and strong…and there’s times I wish I could be like her…”)

🐹: (“I have to be me! Because—”)

🎧: “—Y’know, I was thinking, your singing is always so amazing, Kohane.”

🎧: “Whenever I hear your singing, it makes my heart race. The tension rises, and it makes me feel like I have to start singing right now!”

🐹: (“Because I’m An-chan’s partner—!”)

And to be An’s partner, is to drag all those raw, vertical emotions out of An, just like she does in WTWG.

In conclusion, Anhane explosion their relationship is so complex and strong and I love it

[reverie-starlight]

gn!reader, no physical descriptions. one tiny mention of skipping breakfast, but that's it. FLUFF!! I’ve missed writing for knb!! I love kagami so much, take this as my warm up to get used to writing him again.

based on prompt 3 from this list :)

“you’re so warm and soft,” you mumble, leaning against kagami as you both wait in line at the grocery store. “it’s so unfair.” he’s decked out in a black hoodie, some jeans, and a tuque you had insisted he wear before leaving the house.

your boyfriend, who is apparently a walking space heater, somehow doesn’t seem to be affected by the winter chill that you’re dreading having to face when you're done paying.

kagami chuckles, rubbing your back up and down. “thanks, you’re shivering.”

you glare up at him and he holds you steady as you both shuffle forward a bit more. "don't you, like, hate the cold? how haven't you been complaining at all today?"

he snorts. "because we're inside, babe. besides, it's a short walk from here to the car, I can handle that no problem."

you roll your eyes and press your forehead against his chest. "unfair," you repeat.

"well maybe you'd be warmer right now if you had eaten a full breakfast." he chides, reminding you of how hungry you are and souring your mood a bit.

your face scrunches up. "I told you I'd eat after getting back! and in my defense, we didn’t have anything to make for breakfast to begin with since someone used up the last of my oatmeal."

instead of responding, your boyfriend turns you around so you can get ready to shuffle forward again and greet the cashier now that it's your turn to check out.

the girl, probably no older than seventeen, glances up briefly with a polite smile at you and kagami before doing a double take. you grin slightly as she watches him load your haul onto the belt, clearly recognizing him from somewhere.

now that he's made a name for himself in the NBA, more people have been noticing him, and you find it endearing. he gets so uncharacteristically shy interacting those who recognize him, and today is no different, apparently, because you see his cheeks turn pink as he keeps his head down, probably feeling her gaze on him.

you think she's about to ask him a question before shaking her head and snapping her mouth shut. she finishes scanning the items and asks you "um, how would you like to pay?"

you realize your mistake too late and scramble to answer her while fishing out the cash from your wallet, but kagami beats you to it. "card."

you glare up at him, forgetting any adoration you'd been feeling for him moments ago. "no way, it's my turn."

he shrugs and tries to insert his card into the machine but you block him. "taiga!"

this happens every time you go out together.

you’ve turned it into a competition of sorts, to see who’s faster and can pay first. it’s not like there’s a prize, or anything at all to be gained, really…

except the satisfaction of winning.

you were in the lead, well on your way to securing a two point gap, but now you’re back to being tied.

it’s clear that any embarrassment he was harbouring is gone as he looks at you, cocky grin playing on his lips and determination clear in his eyes. "just let me, I already had my card out anyway. it's fine, baby, you can take the loss."

you look behind him, still blocking the machine and realize the line is continuously growing. deciding it's not worth making a scene and holding all those people up, you very reluctantly lower your arm and start putting the bags back into the cart.

"you're gonna pay for this," you say menacingly as he nods at the cashier in thanks and takes the receipt.

he snorts. "I just did. what, have you got short term memory or something?"

"you-" groaning, you pull your hood on and bundle it tightly around your face. it's not as cold now that the sun is a bit higher in the sky, but the wind still feels sharp against your skin. "just don't get too comfortable, alright? who knows when I could strike."

he shakes his head in amusement and helps you load everything into the trunk of your car. "alright, alright. let's get you home so you can actually eat something."

_______________________________________________

BONUS:

after you get home and settle on the couch with the hearty breakfast kagami made for you, you scroll on your phone and see a post that catches your attention. you snort and tilt your screen towards the man beside you.

user020125: kagami taiga and his partner were getting groceries where I work today and they were bickering over who was going to pay like an old married couple. romance isn’t dead yet, folks.

“ah jeez,” he groans. “at least no one took a picture this time.”

you giggle and rest your head on his shoulder, staring up at him. “it’s kinda sweet, though, don’t you think?”

“what is?” he asks.

“that we give off old married couple vibes,” you soften your voice a bit and watch him ponder on it.

he nudges your arm nods at your plate, as if to say ‘eat, baby’ which only backs up the comment on your mind.

“I…” he pauses briefly to find the right words.

after a moment he meets your eyes. his normally fiery gaze is now softened, resembling a flickering candle rather than the scorching flames of a forest fire. his entire expression radiates warmth and love.

“I can’t wait to spend all that time with you actually becoming an old married couple,” he murmurs, reaching over to cup your cheek, which is still full with the bite you took. “I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else, baby.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

this is like. extremely short and I apologize for that, but I wanted to write something for him again 🥹

@dira333 this is why I asked you for a random number a while back hehe

@emmyrosee tagging you too, you can’t escape him, sorry :/

[cloudcountry]

Yay wifey open her requests ^^ i just got the silliest idea but what would be the ghouls's reaction to mc asking ffor grapes at a lemonade stand

SUMMARY: you go to a lemonade stand and reference a popular song...

COMMENTS: when i tell you i have never seen this video in my life. like i know the reference but ive never watched it. know the song, never watched it. head in hands.

TAGLIST: @as1iiiwhaa @astralsocfactory

He knows the reference, he spends way too much time online not to. Put a camera in front of him and watch him act all cutesy for it, poking fun at you for wanting to film something like this.

— Leo (snatches your phone once the video ends & you're away from the vendors), Edward (giving you a sultry look the whole time bro what the fuck the vendors are RIGHT THERE)

He gives you a weird look and brushes you off, pointing out that there are no grapes at a lemonade stand. Might call you an idiot (affectionate.) He’s confused and doesn’t get it, but won’t say it.

— Jin (rude about it T0T), Alan (not at all rude about it...angel), Ren (he thinks you’re so much weirder now, i don't think he spends time on That side of the internet), and Jiro (also not rude.)

“Why would you ask for grapes at a clearly labelled lemonade stand? MC, are you feeling okay?” Probably look around for a grape stand to see if you’re just looking in different directions.

— Luca, Ritsu (both of them are doing their best), Lyca tbh (he’s just less eloquent with his words.)

Just like the last one but less formal and more frantic. Checking your temperature and everything.

— Haru (you should show him the song he would love it.)

He humors you, might call you cute in front of the lemonade stand vendors just to see you get flustered. Preens when you’re given cups with little hearts drawn on them since you’re a couple. Obviously. This backfired (or did it?)

— Tohma, Sho, Taiga (in a good mood), Towa, Haku, Rui (WHEW LOVERBOYS)

Yells at you. Probably calls you stupid. The vendors are concerned. No heart cups for you.

— Romeo, Yuri, Taiga (in a bad mood)

Is too nervous to go to a lemonade stand with you to register it. Is this a date!?!?!?

— KAITO.

He laughs politely because he has literally no idea what to say and is now worried that he missed something on the menu. Gets even more confused when the vendors laugh and he still doesn’t know what’s going on.

— Subaru

He humors you and calls you cute but he doesn’t mean it to embarrass you, he just loves you. Wishes he could have some lemonade too, but settles for watching you enjoy it!

— Zenji

[jeun-bug]

Had a hilarious idea so here’s brainrotting anon back again:

Tweet: “Overheard a student go up to MC and say ‘I need you to be a girl for a second’. MC looked down, grabbed her own tits, and said ‘do these not count for that? Does this mean I can go topless when I’m sweating my ass off in Jabberwock?!’ And *insert ghoul here* just slaps them upside the head”

(I personally think it’d be funny if it was Jin, who in one of the rare times he leaves his room overheard the honor student say that and is just like “wtf why do I want this dumbass again??”. Though Tohma, Sho, Ren, or Jiro are good candidates too. I just think a lot of the others who try to lecture them out of it, would try to egg it on as teasing flirting, would try to genuinely-ish encourage it for the chaos, or just wouldn’t care.)

HAHAHAH you’re totally right. I think alan would put his hand on top of the inspector’s head and just like…. roughly ruffle their hair, yk?

my MC is gender neutral, but i can absolutely see this going down with a female-bodied MC

this got surprisingly long lolol more hc’s under the cut <3

kaito would flip out 😭😭 he’s rapidly moving between “HOW DARE YOU IMPLY THAT THE HONOR STUDENT ISNT A GIRL ALL THE TIME” and “INSPECTOR YOU CANT JUST SHOW THOSE OFF TO ANYONE IM THE KNLY ONE ALLOWED TI SEE THEM ITS NAUGHTY TO SHOW THEM OFF IN PUBLIC”

romeo would also backhand them, sho would scoff and shove them away. leo would encourage it until he realizes it’s probably Not Great if his fake partner gets caught topless in public.

jiro wouldn’t care, he’s like “i see them topless all the time? it’s just boobs?”. yuri would blush so hard thinking about seeing the inspector’s chest in a non-medical scenario that he nearly passes out.

i feel like rui and haku would get lowkey defensive but try to play it off as flirting like “um hey hello??? you can’t just show those off those are my eyes only???” LMAO

ren and zenji would shout at them for considering it 😭 imagine zenji “MY DEAR!!! YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE, YOU CANNOT ALLOW THOSE WHO ARE UNWORTHY (everyone besides me) TO LAY THEIR EYES UPON YOUR BEAUTIFUL FORM!!!!!”

lyca and ed wouldn’t care i think. ed would get flirty about it lolol

poor subaru would be bright red and desperately trying to navigate discouraging it AND being polite and not overstepping lmao “well…. um, i mean- i don’t mean to overstep or anything…. it’s just…. that sort of thing is…. of course, it’s ultimately your choice…. but….” 😭😭

taiga would lose it and actively encourage them to take their top off NOW like “ cmon inspector you said it. it would be so funny cmon “

haru gasps, affronted, and covers peekaboo’s ears, “inSPECtor!!! if it’s that hot, i’ll buy you a portable fan!!!! there is no need for that!!!!!!!”

ritsu would lecture the GA student about harassment laws and then turn around and lecture the inspector about public nudity laws.

if it’s said around towa, jabberwock park doesn’t know a single day of peaceful weather for a week, after which the GA student mysteriously goes missing lolol

you’re totally right about jin 😭 he’s like “if this is what you’re getting up to when i leave you alone, i’ll just have to start following you around everywhere to keep you out of trouble.” and everyone besides the MC immediately realizes he’s just trying to find excuses to spend time with them.

tohma and luca would both lecture the inspector about it, but tohma would be lowkey laughing to whole time LMAO he’s like “that’s incredibly improper, inspector. if you’re going to work so closely with frostheim, i must ask that you do your best to maintain a respectable image” but he’s just a shit eating grin on his face bc he’s truly a vagastrom boy at heart LMAOO

[pompillar]

Beach Retreat

(mc will be refered to as Luna for the sake of readability in this)

Who's ready for an 8k< word fic of post Darkwick ghoulsxmc??? I'm kidding I know it's all of us. Enjoy!

The salty breeze, the warm white sand, the blazing sun, the gentle lapping waves, the relaxed atmosphere, one word: Paradise. The island felt completely different this time around, a much better place to take a well deserved vacation. Brushing her hair back she surveyed the area for what her ghouls were doing.

Near the shore you could see Sho in board shorts and an open button up, grilling over a barbecue. Leo in his short sleeved hoodie, unzipped halfway down wasn’t far off, setting up a familiar DJ table. He was clearly annoying his close friend if the devious grin was anything to go by.

On the actual shoreline Jiro was crouched watching some kind of animal go about it's daily routine. Beside him was a very curious Lyca, tail wagging behind him. Both sported unzipped hooded cover up shirts and swim trunks despite the pair’s inability to swim.

Further down there was a net for beach volleyball set up, Towa and Haru on one side and Luca and Kaito on the other. It didn't seem to be going well for the latter team. Towa’s pale chest was on display, glistening from sun screen that wasn’t fully rubbed in. Haru had that same stupid hawaiian print shirt from the first time around. Thankfully this time he had gotten a much better upgraded prosthetic that wouldn’t be bothered by the water, sand, or heat. Luca and Kaito had adorable matching swim trunks, dark blue and covered in a fun geometric pattern. Oh Kaito missed the ball… to be fair that was probably the best thing he could do as it left a dent in the sand.

Not far from them were Alan and Tohma, so close their arms were almost touching. They seemed to be talking as they stared out at the waves. Neither of them cared to wear anything but trunks, Tohma letting down his guard enough for the tattoos on his back to be in full view.

And far, far, far away from the water on an oversized beach towel were Ren and Ritsu, the green haired man fighting the shade over them to try and avoid the glare on his phone screen. Ritsu wore sensible board shorts and nothing else, Ren the same but having an open button up hanging loosely off his frame. She remembered having to go up a few sizes from the first one with how it dug into his body. How did he maintain that physique when he rarely did anything?

A small outdoor bar was set up nearby. Behind the counter was Rui, showing much more skin than the first time he came here. The top three buttons of his cover up were open showing off sun kissed skin. He mixed a drink and placed it in front of Romeo, winking at the man. Beside Romeo on the other stool was Taiga, laughing and ordering his own drink. Taiga had a long sleeved cover up, more akin to a robe, resting on his shoulders. Meanwhile Romeo, already sipping daintily at his drink had on the most elaborate pair of designer trunks and a matching button up. Of course his signature shades were nestled on top of his head, the lenses a gradient of violet and green. She refused to think about the cost of that pair again...

Directly behind her was a small familiar group, Haku, Subaru and Zenji, all sitting at the outdoor patio attached to the building. Haku wearing a loose pair of trunks and nothing else, his piercings shining in the sun. Subaru had board shorts and a fully buttoned silk shirt, a lovely pattern of camellias traveling across the front. Zenji had bold colored hakama style pants, a loose yukata hanging on to his shoulders for dear life, and of course his trusty geta. He could never go without those. Clearly Haku was saying something that the other two were chastising him for. As usual.

Next to her under the big parasol was a sleeping Ed, still trying to be part of their vacation despite how the sun affected him. He had worn the exact outfit from their prior visit which she’s sure Rui had to find for him.

And then the thing that made her heart swell most about this whole peaceful scene. On a small separated covered deck with a huge outdoor couch and table set were Jin and Yuri. Jin in a pair of board shorts and a white open button up, Yuri in a similar style short, but his cover up was a sleeveless zipped up hoodie. Jin reclined against the corner cushion of the couch, Yuri sitting side saddle on his lap, head resting on the other's shoulder. One of Jin’s arms cradling the doctor close as if afraid to let go. If she strained to hear she could just make out Yuri humming a tune.

Luna smiled, all of her ghouls were happy, all of them enjoying themselves together. No blood shed, no tears, no fighting, just peace and love. That's what she had been after this whole time. Not fixing the mess left by the school. This was the true goal that had come to her. And now that she had achieved it she couldn't just walk away. No they were her ghouls now. And she was theirs.

She stood quietly and shrugged the over shirt off her shoulders, leaving her in the cute bikini Romeo had chosen for her. The top had a halter style, the ring in the center held two strips of fabric that crossed over her stomach and attached to the rings on the sides of the bikini bottoms, the pattern repeating on the back as well. Of course knowing his tastes Romeo had chosen a deep mauve with a minimal lace pattern in a pinker shade of lilac. He spoiled her with these damn things, always getting her something too expensive. Taking the small camcorder from her bag she decided to set out and make a little vacation tape.

Approaching Ren and Ritsu she held the camera up and hit record.

"Uggggh! This level sucks..." Ren's head shot up and he locked eyes on the object immediately, "No! Get that thing outta my face!" He put a hand between him and the camera.

"Aw come on Ren! It's for the memories."

Ritsu spoke up, "Actually if he does not consent to being filmed under article-"

"What was my condition for you when we agreed to come here?" She cut him off smoothly with a soft chastising tone.

Teal eyes looked away and he deflated, "...No legal talk."

"Exactly. We aren't here for work. So let's not talk about work." Pointing the camera on him and his shy behavior Luna smiled and crouched down, kissing him softly.

Ritsu leaned into the affection, humming his approval, and almost deepening the kiss. But she pulled away and licked her lips, the sight causing him to do the same.

She giggled, "Now I hope to see you two enjoying yourselves later instead of staying tucked under this umbrella all day."

Ren grunted, "Its not worth it. It's too hot, it's too close to the water, there's too many people-" He was cut off as she shifted towards him and kissed him as well. His hands instinctively went up to pull her closer, not putting up any resistance when she grabbed them.

Her hands pushed down on the open button up he was wearing, easily slipping it down his arms and off his body in this distracted state. When she stood back up she spun the fabric around with a smirk and flung it into the air, "Towa! Hide that for me!"

A white haired man leapt into the air effortlessly, catching the shirt and grinning at the baffled look on Ren's face. He slung it onto the roof of the mini bar and landed back around Haru's side to continue playing. Giving them a friendly wave he laughed.

Haru gave a loud whistle towards them, "Show it off Ren! Wah!" The volleyball landed right beside him and he turned back with a frown, "That's a foul! We called time out!"

"Bu- wh- are you- Agh! Seriously?! Towa you're getting that down later you bastard! When I get my hands on you..." Ren growled.

Ritsu glanced at him, "Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't he usually the one who gets his hands on you?"

"Dude who's side are you on?!"

Making a face at Ren he huffed, "Please refrain from calling me that. You've quite literally had your penis inside me. I think we're past the 'dude' phase of this relationship."

Blushing he squawked, "Y-you can't just say that!"

Luna stifled a laugh as she turned away from the two and headed down towards the beach where Jiro was teaching Lyca about the crabs there. She held her camera up as she could hear them now.

"And that one is female."

"How can you tell?! They look the exact same!"

"No, the females have slightly smaller claws. See? That one is a male." The gentle monotone of Jiro continued as he pointed from one to another, "And that one beside him is a young adult male. It's harder to tell the juvenile males apart from the adult females."

"Wow..." His ears perked up and he turned to see her, a smile gracing his features, "Luna! Listen to this, he can tell what gender these guys are without even picking them up to check! Isn't that awesome?"

She returned the same gentle look, "Yeah. Jiro's super smart. He reads so much I'm surprised he can remember everything."

"I don't remember everything I've read. Just most of what I've read after I woke up from the coma."

Lyca leaned in towards her, spotting the camera, "You're making movies?"

"Yeah. Just a little vacation tape. Something to remember this by." She reached out and stroked one of his ears.

He whined, "Stop. You make me act weird when you touch them."

Standing on her toes she kissed the pouty werewolf and giggled, "Sorry. They're cute."

Jiro stepped over and lifted her up, giving her a kiss as well.

Flustered by the sudden move she put her hands on his shoulders, "Whoa! What brought that on?"

"You kissed him. So now it's my turn right?" He tilted his head and put her back on her feet.

"That's true. You just surprised me is all." She took note of the slight smile on his face and laughed, "You enjoy doing that."

"I don't know what you mean-"

"Jiro! Get away from the shore! The waves are getting stronger and you can't swim!" A loud boisterous voice shouted from afar.

He looked up towards the patio and sighed, "I'm being careful." Putting his thumb up towards the other bespectacled man he turned his attention to Luna again, "He really thinks I'm going to be swept out to sea by these little waves?"

"You know it's in his nature to worry. He's a big brother after all." She smiled and looked back towards the trio, Haku bodily dragging Zenji to sit back down.

"He worries more than Yuri."

Luna chuckled, "Well that's how they show their love. Anyway, I'll see you guys later. We don’t have all day and I wanna get more footage!" Waving to the pair she moved down the beach to where Sho and Leo were.

"I'm not adding that shitty hot sauce, you can go eat a dick."

"I mean you of all people know I'm not opposed to that but I'd rather not start on an empty stomach."

Sho sighed and looked over his shoulder, a smirk dragging the corner of his mouth up. "Hey you," It was so simple but the words held so much affection. "You get lured in by the smell?"

She beamed a smile at him, "Not this time. I just wanted to see how you two are doing over here. But it does smell good..."

"Of course it does." He held out a small skewer with a grilled piece of meat and several vegetables on it. "I made it."

Taking the skewer she bit into the meat and hummed happily, "That's delicious..."

Leo sighed, "It'll be better once you add some spice to it. I promise you it's way better with a kick.

"I'll take your word for it Leo." She continued to munch on the food with a face like a happy hamster.

"Anyway Honor Roll, you have any boring music requests?" He finished setting up the sound board. "And no, I'm not adding anything from that band you like that broke up."

She frowned, her cheeks full with food making it turn into a big puffy cheeked pout.

Sho held back a laugh, covering his mouth as he stared at her in adoration.

Leo snapped a photo of her with lightening fast reflexes, "Thanks. I needed a new stupid looking profile pic for you in my contacts." He grinned.

Swallowing roughly she reached out and smacked his arm, "That's rude!"

"Don't worry about him. I'll sort his ass out later."

"Literally~?" He batted his lashes at Sho.

Fumbling he looked away with a sharp, "Tch. Maybe if you actually deserve it."

Luna put a hand on her hip, the other angling the camera at them, "The type of flirting you two do is so... odd. Usually Sho's the flirt but whenever you say something Leo he gets so flustered."

"I don't get flustered!"

Another voice joined in from the other side of the grill, "Yeah you do." Ren had come over and started to flip the skewers that Sho had momentarily forgotten about.

The rider turned back to him, "Wh- hey! I had it..."

"So you expect everyone to be fine with this?" He held up the underside of one that had charred.

He grunted, "You're such a fucking pain..."

"Back at you. If you weren't drooling over Luna you might have been focused enough to not let it burn." A smirk played on Ren's face.

"You know what, I think you're the one who deserves to have their ass sorted out later."

"Fucking what? Are you trying to say you're gonna fuck me later?" He grimaced, "Dude, get better lines."

Leo chuckled, "Like you haven't heard some of Sho's worst lines and still fallen all over his dick."

Ren turned red, "Fuck off."

"Make me, nerd."

Sho groaned, "Enough! You two are bad for my health. Leo, go ask your favorite little fuck buddy what he wants you to play. Maybe you'll actually listen to him."

He tilted his head and touched a finger to his lips in thought, "Which one is that?"

Ren rolled his eyes, "Depends on the day of the week if you ask me..."

"I meant Romeo, but if you wanna go ask Cap what he wants you to play be my guest. I think you already know what he'll say."

The shortest man in the group whined, "I don't wanna play divorced dad rock!"

Luna laughed and stepped up to Sho, tugging him down into a kiss. The ghoul was caught off guard for a split second before returning her affection ten fold.

A wall of jealousy was felt pressing against her back, "Luuuuna... what about me?"

She turned, Sho pressing against her back as she fell into Leo's trap. He took her face in his hands and pulled her into a kiss, slipping his tongue in almost instantly. Sho's arms wrapped around them both watching over her shoulder with interest.

Luna whined and pulled away, "Hey. Stop it... not right now..." She looked up at Sho and then back to Leo. "You guys are too dangerous when you team up..." Her camera had been left to aim at the ground during the whole thing, dangling from the strap on her wrist.

Ren cleared his throat, "I'd say get a room but I'd rather you not tire her out before anyone else gets a chance to have time with her."

Sho licked his lips, "We could always turn our attention on you."

"Not a chance! Someone has to make sure our food doesn't burn!"

Taking this opportunity to slip away she let the three bicker. Hearing Ren continue to gripe about Sho’s not so subtle flirting she chuckled. Luna focused on regaining her composure as she walked by the beach volleyball game.

"Lunaaaaaaaa! Save meeeeee!" Kaito reached for her as she stopped. "I can't keep this up!"

Luca grabbed him and pulled him back, "Kaito I need my partner..."

"Find another jock to do it! I'm tired!" He whined as he was dragged back.

"Gahahaha! They can't handle us Towa! Too bad. I wanted a challenge!" He high fived the white haired man beside him.

Luna smiled apologetically, "Sorry Katio, I don't think anything can save you from Luca's puppy dog eyes."

"My what?" He turned to her, confusion on his face.

Kaito groaned, "We've been over this!"

"I don't have puppy dog eyes."

Luna sighed and shook her head before turning to Towa and Haru, bringing the camera up. The two were talking, as much as Towa could with the sun up like this. Walking over to them she smiled, being instantly scooped into Towa's arms. "Hi Towa!" He leaned in to kiss her neck and shoulders and rub his face against her like a cat. "Haha, that tickles!"

Haru leaned in too, "Towa don't hog her to yourself mate. You know you have to share. Just like you share me nicely with others right?" He smiled up at the other man who pouted and grumbled. "Or how you and I share her?" Towa made a slightly less annoyed noise at that.

She reached up and turned Towa's face so she could kiss him. Savoring the sweet candy taste of his chapstick.

"Luna don't tease me like that!" Haru pouted now, reaching out to them, only for him to be shifted into Luna's previous position. "Towaaaaaaa!" Haru flustered as he was given the same treatment, his prosthetic arm reaching up to push the other man's face away from his neck.

She giggled and watched them, using the distraction to give Haru a kiss as well. "You guys should ask for another group to play with. I think Kaito is wiped out. Maybe you'll find a better match for your team?"

Haru had practically melted into Towa's grip, "Whatever you say beautiful..."

Towa hummed happily and propped Haru up on his own feet again.

"I'll catch you two later, gotta go make sure Luca is actually going to let Kaito rest." She waved to the two and smiled as she headed over to where the duo had set up towels and an umbrella earlier.

Kaito laid out on his back, panting softly still. His sweaty flushed body finally under the umbrella and out of the harsh sun. He whined, "Ugh... forget tanning I'm just gonna burn..."

Luca had been rummaging around in his bag and found what he was searching for. "I told you to let me know whenever you felt overheated." He popped the cap on the sunscreen and rubbed a dollop between his hands. Leaning over the blond he began rubbing the cream into his chest first.

Kaito flinched, "W-warn me! Geez... And I did tell you! You were just too into the game!" Letting Luca apply the sunscreen he sighed softly, "Plus you know I can do this myself right?"

The other man pouted, "If you get sunburnt it will be my fault. I failed to protect you. So please allow me to try and fix what I've done." His amethyst eyes burned with determination.

The blond blushed and covered his face, "You're so embarrassing! Ughhh I hate understanding why the girls were all over you..."

Luna stepped up beside them, camera up and focused on Luca's hands. "You making sure Kaito doesn't become a lobster?"

He looked up as he moved on to the blond's exposed stomach, "Of course! It wouldn't do to let him suffer any type of injury when we're on a vacation like this."

She smiled, watching Kaito instantly shoot upright at the sound of her voice.

"Luna! Thank youuuuuu... You saved me by distracting those guys... They're scary when it comes to games like that. I thought Towa was gonna spike the ball through my head at one point!"

Luca pushed him back down and continued, "He wouldn't have done that."

"He might have! You never know! He's a little unhinged if you hadn't noticed yet."

Luna giggled, "He wouldn't hurt you on purpose. I made him promise a long time ago that hurting anyone else in our group was off limits... Unless they specifically ask you to."

Big blue eyes widened, "Who would ask that?!"

She held up a finger to her lips, "I can't divulge sensitive information like that."

Luca smiled and watched the two as he grabbed more sunscreen to use on Kaito's arms.

She smiled and crouched over Kaito, pressing a kiss to his lips. Giggling at the ecstatic noise he made she pulled away and brushed his hair back. "Your roots are coming back in again. Let me know when you want to fix those."

He sighed dreamily, "How did I get so lucky?"

Luca sat up waiting patiently as Luna turned to him and gave him a soft peck on the mouth. He pulled her closer to show his own feelings on the short kiss, making her head spin with how intense he was.

She pulled away panting softly, "Well... I should keep going. I want to get everyone on film."

He smiled, "Of course. And whenever you're done come back here and I'll apply more sunscreen for you too." Luca turned back to Kaito and started to rub more into his arms.

Heading off towards the duo who were watching the sea she held up her camera, slowly getting closer and catching bits of their conversation.

"You remember that?"

"How could I forget? You dropped a two ton car on your foot. If it weren't for anomalous medicine you'd have been stuck on crutches for at least a month." The blond laughed airly.

Alan huffed, "So that means you also remember how much you panicked when that happened?"

Freezing up he cleared his throat, "I was worried that you had severed your foot. You made the most pained face I've ever seen on you."

"It hurt a lot. But you know you didn't have to literally flip the car off of me. You tossed it and broke all the windows when it's roof hit the ground."

Tohma flushed slightly, "I said I was worried."

Alan smiled warmly, something that Tohma couldn't help but stare at awestruck no matter how many times he’d been the reason for it.

Luna watched them for a moment, her own soft smile on her face.

Steel gray eyes slid over to her, "Ah. Luna."

Tohma turned his head and gave her his signature smirk, "Going around to spy on everyone I see?"

"Oh yes. I'm the sneakiest spy you've ever seen. I have a whole camcorder strapped to my wrist and everything." She grinned at the way Tohma ate up the sarcasm dripping from her words.

Alan patted the spot between them, a space so small she wasn't quite sure she'd fit. But despite that she squeezed herself between them and settled down.

Tohma's arm draped over her shoulder, Alan's arm reaching across to rest on the blond's, caging her in.

She leaned against the warmth of Alan's chest, the sun having made it even more inviting than usual.

The silence was broken when Tohma leaned in to whisper into her ear, "You look tired. Are you sure you slept well last night?"

She jolted a bit and turned to him, cheeks heated. "Uh I... well it was a bit... difficult to say the least. I had a hard time getting comfortable. There were too many arms and legs everywhere..." Sheepishly she looked away from them both.

Tohma smirked and pressed a kiss to her temple, "You don't have to sleep in a sweaty pile you know. You could kick them out or tell them to go sleep somewhere else. Or did they tire you out too much for that? You do seem to be having a bit of trouble walking t-"

Luna cut him off by grabbing his face and kissing him forcefully. "Stop. Talking. You. Tease!" She pecked his lips between each word, "I'm already blushing too hard..."

Alan chuckled and pushed Tohma's head away from her playfully, "Give her a break."

"Mister knight in oil spotted armor, hmm? As if you don't tend to leave her with a limp frequently."

His face turned red and he looked away, "I don't mean to..."

She reached up and turned his head back, capturing his lips in a soft kiss. "It's okay. I... kinda like how it feels afterwards... and during of course..." Her cheeks matched his.

Tohma laughed softly, "Honestly I don't think you can fuck someone and not leave them with a limp." His chin hooked over Luna's shoulder and he rested his head there, "I can't say I hear any of them complaining about it though. And I'm no exception," The last part was a purr as he eyed Alan with interest.

The other man cleared his throat and untangled himself from the two. "I'm going in the water." He stood on slightly shaky legs and quickly went out to the point his waist was beneath the surface.

Tohma barked a laugh and leaned on the girl beside him, "He’s hard."

Luna held back her own laugh, "Yeah... he definitely is." Filming Alan in the water with a sour look towards them the camera shook from her restrained giggles. "He's mad..."

Tohma chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll help him cool off." Standing he walked out into the water to where Alan was, laughing harder as the other turned away from him.

Luna shook her head watching them, "Just a pair of goofballs that everyone thinks are the most serious people they know." She stared for a bit longer before standing and heading back inland a bit.

Her eyes caught sight of something interesting, Taiga had Romeo pulled into his lap, arms wrapped around his waist to keep him from getting up. She beelined for the mini bar with her camera up.

"TGA... Let me go." He seethed quietly.

"Lulu~ You know you look too cute when you start getting tipsy. I can't leave you alone or Mickey is gonna take advantage of you." He nuzzled his face against Romeo’s back.

"Shut up he would not!" His voice cracked slightly.

Rui chuckled, cleaning a glass. "I dunno~ you do start making some pretty cute faces when you get enough drink in you. And that pout when someone brings it up is downright unfair!" He winked and looked up at the new patron, "Ah cutie! You're finally here!"

The two turned to look back at her, Taiga grinning. "Hey kitty cat, film anything fun? Maybe there's an award winning porno on that thing." He cackled as Romeo swatted him.

"That's not the goal today sorry Taiga." She giggled.

"Damn, call me first if that goal changes. I'll help you start it the right way." He purred, hands squeezing Romeo's thighs firmly.

The other man gasped at the sudden attention and smacked the offending hands, "Will you stop?!" His face was turning red.

Rui laughed, "You want something to drink?"

Luna took an empty seat, "Yes please! Something fruity and super refreshing."

"Like me?" Rui added a wink as she laughed at his joke, "One super fruity refreshing drink coming up!"

Romeo settled back against Taiga now that he was simply stroking his thighs soothingly. "So do you like my choice?"

Luna glanced at him, "Your choice? Oh! This bikini! Yes! It's super cute and it doesn't bunch up in weird places when I'm swimming. It really fits like a dream."

He nodded, "Good. That means the tailor did their job right. It looks good on you..."

"It would look better on the ground." Taiga added as he grinned, all teeth and tease, eyes undressing her where she sat.

Luna pouted, "I think it looks cuter on me for right now. I'd hate for someone who's not one of us to get an eyeful... I know you'd hate it more right Taiga?” Her voice dropped lower into a teasing tone, chin resting in her palm. “Some random guy seeing me naked? Getting a good look at everything I have?"

Romeo felt the growl reverberate in Taiga's chest, "Relax. You know she's just riling you up idiot."

He nipped at Romeo's shoulder, "Quiet. Sit pretty and stay outta this conversation." His green eyes locked onto Luna, suddenly very serious. "You know I'd fucking kill anyone you didn't approve of who got to see you like that right? They'd be swiss cheese in seconds. Or I could throw them to my underlings. Have them rip out the bastards eyes and sell em to the highest bidder."

Rui put her drink down in front of her, "Tai. No murder talk at the bar please."

Before he could say anything else Romeo's hand smacked at his face, "HDY tell me to butt out?! And then you try to bite me?! You BTH!!" He started to struggle out of Taiga's lap.

"Lulu! Nooo!" He whined when the man got free and pouted, then turned to Luna and patted his thigh. "C'mere kitty cat. If he doesn't wanna play nice you can take his spot."

She giggled and took a sip of her drink, "Oooo! Rui that's delicious!" Standing she let herself be plucked and placed in Taiga's lap like a doll, taking her drink with her.

"Thanks cutie. Glad you approve. I used some dragon fruit for the slushy base to make it extra refreshing!" He looked up at Romeo who was pouting now. "Romi-Romi what's up?"

The man stepped around the bar and leaned against Rui's side, "He replaced me so easily. Would you do that Mickey? Be honest." He wrapped his arms around one of Rui’s, “I know I’m hard to handle sometimes but I’d hope that I’m worth it.”

Rui flustered, feeling Romeo's skin against his own. "Romi you're irreplaceable! Tai's just mad cause you won't warm his lap nicely. You know better than anyone he just wants a cute little thing on his lap at all times. Right?" The blond chuckled and leaned into the touch, gently brushing soft dark gray hair behind his ear.

Taiga’s eye twitched, barely containing his jealousy, "Oi. Lulu, you trying to piss me off flirting with Mickey like that?" He squeezed one of Luna's thighs, dragging it away from its twin, making her straddle his already spread thighs. "Bet I can make you drop that act pretty fast." His hand slid up her thigh to her hip, where his fingers slowly dragged over the swimsuit, resting his palm flat over her clothed core. "I could start working my fingers in her pussy right here in front of you..."

Luna sputtered on her drink and snapped her legs shut, trapping his hand. "Taiga! That's too far!"

Rui and Romeo were both staring wide eyed and red in the face at the scene. The blond wiped his mouth and coughed, "Damn. Tai, you know that's dangerous."

Romeo marched back around the bar to their side and wrenched Taiga's hand from between her legs. Scooping her into his arms and sitting on the other chair he sneered, "Vulgar bastard. Don't even think about ripping this bikini. It costs more than you're worth!"

Luna sighed and leaned into Romeo, kissing his cheek.

He turned his face, using his thumb and forefinger to grip her chin and tilt her face so he could kiss her properly. Romeo kissed passionately, which he said was just an Italian thing. But honestly it felt much more like a Romeo thing to anyone you asked.

She pulled away and sighed happily, curling into his chest as she continued sipping her drink.

Taiga grumbled, "Stealing her right off my lap. Greedy fucker." He picked up his glass and downed it in one go.

Rui chuckled, "Luna~ Where's our kisses? I know you've been giving them out." He leaned over the bar towards her, "And I've been waiting sooooo patiently for mine." His eyes twinkled mischievously.

She giggled and sat her drink down, meeting him halfway by leaning over the bar to give him a soft little kiss. His hand tugged her closer by the back of the head and he deepened it easily. When they parted he licked his lips and stared into her eyes. "You're right. That drink is delicious."

Luna shivered at the barely there husky tone in his voice. Romeo's hands dug into her hips to keep her from tipping off his lap.

"Enough of that! Where's mine?!" Taiga groused and held a hand out towards her. "Don't let these guys hog you."

She laughed and lifted herself off Romeo, noting the cute pout on his face. Slipping into Taiga's grasp she pulled him into a kiss, gasping at the little nips he started to give her. She hummed and pulled away, "Watch those teeth. If you cut my lip again you know you'll never hear the end of it."

He sighed dramatically, "Yeah yeah, like you don't love it."

Luna giggled again and took her drink in hand, "I never said it was going to be me you had to worry about." She glanced back at an annoyed Romeo.

As the fashion heir started a tirade about proper skin care and how detrimental cuts were she slipped away, waving to Rui and company. "See you guys later!"

Taiga shouted after her, "I'll finish what I started later tonight!"

She bit her lip and glanced back, tugging one of her bikini cups down to flash him before quickly pulling it back up. Luna laughed at the desperate noise that made its way out of his throat and the shout of "Your ass is mine later!" As she made her way to the patio to finish her drink in a more peaceful environment.

Haku was the first to acknowledge her as she sat at the table with them, "Hey princess. You having fun poking the tiger over there? It's a dangerous game, you should be careful." He rested his chin in one palm and gave her a half lidded look, appreciating her swimwear.

"Luna our dearest! Are you enjoying yourself? This place is gorgeous and I feel inspired already!" Zenji leaned over the table towards her, his enthusiasm palpable. "And everyone seems to be in an amicable mood today. So as long as that doesn't change this vacation will be a huge success!"

She smiled brightly, "I'm glad we got to take you to a beach resort. And Jiro, technically he's been here before but it was for a silly mission so I don't really count that."

"Oh doll, you're so kind. You know exactly how to treat your lovers." He watched her with a reverent gaze, finally going quiet in contemplation.

Subaru cleared his throat, "This has already been such a nice time. I was just telling Haku that we should go and hunt for shells to take back with us as souvenirs."

Taking a long sip from her cup she nodded, "Of course! We should all do that later. Maybe when it's not so bright and the waves have calmed down a bit."

The tallest of the three stood up again and shouted, "Jiro! It's time for more sunscreen! Come back over here!" He waited patiently as the younger man groaned and followed his brother's instructions. The two sat off to the side, Zenji going on about how pale the other was and how badly sunburn could affect him. Jiro silently listening, eyes focused on a familiar head of teal hair in the distance.

There was a soft chuckle to her right, "He's such a doting brother. I forgot just how much after our second year..."

Luna smiled at that comment, "Yeah. It's sweet. Makes me happy that we were able to bring them back together."

Haku leaned back and cupped a hand to his mouth, "Don't forget you're also super pale Zenji! You should be applying more sunscreen too."

The man squawked loudly as Jiro turned to him and started to rub cold sunblock into his skin.

"Be still, he's right you know."

"Ah but I'm the older brother! I should be the one caring for you!"

Jiro rolled his eyes, "You're only a year older."

"It's the principle of the matter!"

Luna smiled at them and finished off her drink. She jolted slightly as a not so timid hand engulfed hers where it rested on the table. Subaru's thumb gently rubbing back and forth over her knuckles tenderly as he watched her with hooded lavender eyes.

She looked up at him curiously, "Subaru?"

His eyes were slightly clouded, "You've been enjoying yourself with everyone hm?"

Flushing she looked away from his prying gaze, "You're so much more dangerous now that you have better control over that..."

He smiled, it not reaching his eyes as he leaned in and captured her lips. His hands cupped her face to bring her closer.

The thing that was the most dangerous about Subaru was that he kissed like a man who was dying. Hungry and overpowering in ways that were equal parts desperate and tempting. He broke the kiss and touched his forehead to hers, simply basking in the closeness. "You're perfect," Came the soft raw whisper from his pretty mouth.

She blushed and relaxed into his hold, "Says the most beautiful man Hotarubi had ever seen. And what did I tell you about putting on an act while we were here? You’re supposed to give us the real Subaru when we’re all on vacation."

He gave her a gentle pout, "Sorry. Force of habit."

Yellow eyes had been watching them the whole time, flickering with excitement at the vision of two of his lovers sharing a soft moment. Haku leaned back in his chair, "Mm... I would love to see a painting of you two like this. Two classic beauties in the mid afternoon sun, in their own little world where all they see is each other."

"Sounds like Zenji's been having you read his poetry lately." The hand closest to Subaru had been placed on his exposed thigh.

Haku smiled, "Guilty." Glancing at Subaru he raised a brow.

Subaru sat up further to avoid him seeing her hand, cheeks flushed and clearing his throat, "So you... Uh... Where were we?"

Haku laughed, "One kiss was all it took? Ah Subaru, never change."

Luna pouted as she took her hand back, "Are you saying you'd be much different?"

"Well princess there's only one way to find out."

Rolling her eyes she stood up and walked over to him, draping herself over his lap and leaning in to kiss the green haired man. Haku's arms were around her instantly, keeping her there so she wouldn't slip away as easily. Gaining entrance to her mouth he groaned.

"Ahem!" Zenji stood arms crossed behind them, "This seems fairly inappropriate for broad daylight..." There was a light blush on his cheeks at the sight of them.

Haku tipped his head back and looked up at Zenji in a slight daze, "I mean if you're jealous I can help with that."

Luna chuckled at the way Zenji sputtered. "You're right. It's not very appropriate." Reaching up she grabbed the open yukata and dragged the tall man down to her level, "Or very fair." Planting a dizzying kiss on him she smiled against his mouth as he fumbled.

"She's such a tease isn't she?" Haku tilted his head so he could speak directly into Zenji's ear, voice low and husky. "Makes you wanna scoop her up and take her back to the bedroom right? I bet that's exactly what she wants too." Delivering the final blow he ran his tongue over the shell of his ear.

Zenji broke the kiss bolting upright, "You lout!" His face was bright red, "I was having a moment with our darling and you had to go and make it perverse!"

Haku chuckled and covered his mouth.

She looked up at the man and licked her lips, "Guilty." She mimicked Haku's admission from before.

Zenji flustered at the comment, "I- I'm going to go and find Towa!" Turning he walked away briskly.

Subaru shook his head, "Haku you're a bit mean to him sometimes."

"Hmm? Is Subaru feeling neglected? I can be mean to you too." Haku gave him that smirk that promised wicked things.

His face reddened, "Not here..."

"Suba! Check this out!" The werewolf bounded over with a bucket full of shells and sea creatures. "We went and dug up a bunch of stuff to grill!"

Subaru focused on him, clearing his embarrassment and smiled, "Wow Lyca, that's a lot. Did you get all of these by yourself?"

Luna smiled as she stood and picked up her camera from the table, ignoring the pout being given to her. "See you guys. I've got a few other stops to make."

Haku sighed, "And I'm the one people call a tease."

She leaned in and whispered something into his ear, the instant red on his cheeks drawing Subaru's attention. Luna flicked one of Haku's nipple piercings, bringing out a whine. He pouted and reached for her but was just a bit too slow. Blowing him a kiss she giggled before leaving the patio and heading down towards the covered deck.

Passing her own umbrella she was stopped in her tracks by a pale hand grabbing her wrist, "Having fun?"

Luna startled a bit but smiled as she saw Ed lounging, "Yeah. You have a nice nap old timer?"

He released her wrist and placed a hand over his heart, "You wound me dear. Surely you have more respect for your elders than that?"

"I would," She crouched down and sat beside him, "If my elders in this case weren't constantly trying to suck my blood at night. Or turn into a bat and sleep in my bra. Or drag me into an hours long orgy after 2am. Or-"

He silenced her with a kiss, pulling her over top of him. Carding his fingers through her hair he hummed and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Pulling away she sighed, "You didn't let me finish."

"I'm sure you have many qualms to bring up. But need I remind you that you enjoyed all of those things? How my venom makes your body writhe? How you coo over how tiny and adorable I am in that form? How you cry out in es-"

It was Luna's turn to shut him up. Her kiss nearly overpowering the man as he didn't expect it. "Touche, Mr Hart, touche."

Laughing softly he rubbed her back in a gentle soothing manner, "I could fall asleep just like this." His eyes closed as he relaxed again.

"I promise we'll spend more time together tonight. You just rest and don't worry about us. Rui will take you inside if the sun gets to be too much." She smoothed his disheveled hair back and pecked his jaw, "Sweet dreams."

He hummed happily and nodded off again, his hand slipping off her back.

Luna stood up slowly and placed the big sunhat over his head again. Even if he was under the umbrella it would still help him. Her goal was in sight again, the deck.

As she approached her camera was held high. A pair of ice blue eyes narrowing into a glare the second he caught sight of it. The two of them hadn't moved since she first started to film, Yuri still curled up in Jin's lap, head resting on his shoulder.

She quietly sat behind Yuri, watching Jin's annoyed stare with a smile. "How are you two doing?" Her voice was soft, the perfect tone to compliment Yuri's humming.

"We'd be better if someone wasn't filming us."

"What?!" The smaller of the two jolted upright in Jin's lap and whirled around, red faced. "You delete that right now!"

She laughed seeing how Jin tried to lean away from the sudden screeching, not able to get far as Yuri hadn't left his spot. "Relax, no one but us is ever going to see this tape. Trust me, you have Taiga to thank for that... And here I was going to share some of it with our friends and family..." She huffed, "Dirty bastard."

Yuri settled slightly but pouted, facing her now as he leaned his back against Jin's chest. The other man carefully wrapped his arms around his waist, holding him close. Jin subconsciously tilted his head to rest against Yuri's, making another sight that made her heart clench.

"I guess I have to give him some credit... he made it so no one could watch that without having been here." Jin groused about the tape again.

"What? But why is that a good thing?!" Luna pouted and shifted closer to them.

His eyes narrowed, "Idiot, like I'd want someone to see how we act on our own time."

Yuri added on, "And some of us are a little bit less confident in certain aspects of our appearances."

She glanced between the two and looked down at her body, "You could just say you don't want anybody outside of our relationship to see us in our bathing suits. While this is super cute it's also a bit on the risque side..."

Yuri averted his eyes and looked off towards the patio, watching Jiro talk with Lyca about the various sea creatures in the bucket he'd brought. His view was blocked as a head of white hair leaned in, piercing blue meeting his own teal eyes. He cleared his throat softly, "Can I help you?"

"Depends, are you going to behave like you have been or are you going to hide behind the cocky mask?"

He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat before his head spun back to face Luna. Her hand was trailing up his thigh as she crawled up to block the man in. Pressing her body flush against his chest she draped her arms over his shoulders and Jin's. "Wh-wh-what are you doing?! You're too close!" His face heated up instantly.

Jin hummed in interest, resting his chin on Yuri's shoulder.

"I'm making sure I'm not leaving any of my ghouls out." She leaned in and left kisses from his jaw up to his chin, then to his lips. Deepening it she reveled in the soft moan he let out.

As they broke apart he whined, "You... you've been drinking..."

"You can actually taste the alcohol? I couldn't taste anything past the fruit..."

He pouted, "I hate the taste of alcohol..."

"I'm sorry. I know you do, so I'll keep my evil dirty tongue to myself." She giggled at the face he made as she pressed their lips together. His lips were slightly chapped from the sea breeze but still so soft against her own.

The deep rumble behind Yuri was the only warning they got as large fingers threaded into Luna's hair and pulled her forcibly to the side. Jin's lips meeting hers in a bruising force, dragging a moan out of her now.

Watching the two make out over his shoulder Yuri bit his lip and squirmed, testing just how trapped he was. He was stuck for sure.

Jin grunted and breathed out against her lips, "You're mine. And so are you." His head turned, the other hand gripping the back of Yuri's head to hold him still as he delivered another crushing kiss.

Luna licked her lips as she saw Yuri melt into the attention, forced to open his mouth for Jin as he tried to kiss the other man stupid. Her camera had been set on the table, facing them before she even mounted Yuri's lap. With any luck she was able to catch this whole exchange.

Breaking the kiss with a gasp Yuri whimpered and hid his face against her shoulder, his ears were turning red. "Enough... I can't... it's too much..."

Jin huffed out an amused laugh and squeezed Luna's thigh, "Can you two get up now? My leg's asleep and I need to go take a piss."

She sighed in time with Yuri's groan of annoyance. "Way to wreck the mood Jin." Slipping off the two and to her feet she scooped up her camera.

Yuri shakily followed her, "There's better ways to word that you know."

He rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, "No reason to dress it up. You know what I'm actually like." There was a silent continuation to that, 'and you love me anyway.' She knew Yuri could hear it too, the subtle thank you for loving me even if I'm like this.

"Unfortunately I do." The doctor stretched his arms and looked out to where he'd last seen Jiro. "Now where did he get off to? I have to get some vitals."

Luna laughed, "Just follow the werewolf tracks. They've been palling around all day."

"Ugh, that's harder to do than just finding Jiro." He shouted out, "Jiro! Come here so I can take your vitals!"

Jin slinked away, not wanting to deal with the interaction.

Almost instantly Jiro appeared from behind them, "You wanted to take vitals?" The tiny smirk appeared as Yuri jumped.

"Stop doing that! You could just approach me from where I can see you!" He fussed as he went to grab his bag.

Luna giggled and listened to them as she looked out at the beach again.

The mini bar now had Romeo, Rui and Haru, laughing and going about their usual. Haru already looked a bit tipsy if the lingering touches on Rui's arms were anything to go by. But the blond didn’t seem to mind it much. And Romeo was smiling again.

Ed was still dozing off under their umbrella. But beside him was Lyca, grabbing his sketch book and pencils, clearly inspired and wanting to get some rough drafts down before he lost the vision.

At the patio Alan and Tohma were joined by Jin, the man taking the chair between them. Tohma laughed at something only he found funny as the two captains acknowledged each other. Something Tohma said made both men stiffen in their seats and look in opposite directions. God only knows what the trouble maker was talking about now.

Ren and Sho were busy walking around and handing out plates of skewers and grilled seafood. The green haired man could be seen grumbling the entire way. She giggled when Sho pulled him close enough to whisper something into his ear and Ren turned red and proceeded to kick sand at him. It turned into a slow chase as they doubled back to get more plates and drinks.

Haku and Subaru were standing by the cooler and helping to pass out the drinks as the food was going out. The brunet smiled wide at Sho as he approached and they shared a fond look.

On a large rock she spotted Zenji and Towa deep in conversation about something, probably the ocean if the hand gestures Zenji was making meant what she thought. But of course Towa seemed more interested in the seaweed he was trying to weave into a crown.

Ritsu had stayed under his umbrella, reading the entire time. Something in another language again. And Taiga had crashed beside him, taking a nap... oh no actually he was cooling off. The handprint on his cheek gave it away, someone got a little too handsy with Romeo in public again… maybe one day he’ll learn.

Luca and Kaito were still under their own umbrella. Enjoying the grilled food as Kaito laughed at the shock on Luca's face at how delicious it was. Luca now also sporting renewed sunblock, it was much more obvious on his darker skin that Kaito hadn’t been able to fully rub it in.

The music from the DJ set started up, Leo having decided on his play list finally. Providing them all with some thankfully calmer tunes than she had expected. After all his usual fare was hard and fast club music with techno.

Yeah, this vacation was good. They'd have to do this more often whenever she could wrangle everyone's schedules to coincide again. Whenever the hell that would be possible. That was rarely ever unfortunately. Two in medicine, several heirs to companies, an upcoming lawyer, a published author, a super popular influencer, and that wasn’t even close to half of them! She lamented the insanely busy and hectic schedules for a moment before taking her camera and stopping the film.

You know... if she put this on the charger now she might be able to film something Taiga mentioned earlier. After all, it's not often you see 22 lovers going at it at the same time... She licked her lips in anticipation for later that night and quickly made her way back inside the resort where she could charge the camera. Her ghouls work hard, they deserve some treats every now and again.

[sleepylaing]

Énouement [2]

“Suo-kun is coming with you.”

“Оh?”

Indeed: as you approach the door, you see a smiling Hayato leaning against the wall. When Suo hears footsteps, he rushes over to you and examines you with an inexplicable tenderness.

It doesn't last long, though: his gaze suddenly darkens as he stops where Enomoto's hand had carelessly held you by the collar.

← previous chapter.

ch 2. A fox.

“What's your secret?” asks Tsugeura in surprise when you once again hit the paper in the trash without a mistake. Eight out of ten to his four. You were definitely in the lead.

“Hm... maybe I don't eat a bucket of protein for breakfast or keep weights under my pillow.”

Kiryu giggles and sits down next to you. Taiga swallowed indignantly.

“Hey!”

“He's right, Tsugeura-chan. Didn't you tell us that you always have your dumbbells handy?”, Kiryu jokes while you lose interest and start looking at the holes in your pants. Looks like you'll have to pay for new ones after all. Your little lie that it was just the design becomes less and less believable with each new scuff.

“But that doesn't mean I'm sleeping with them, right?”, Taiga picks up another piece of paper and throws it in the trash... and misses again.

“You're straining your arm too much when you throw,” you say suddenly, still looking at the ground, and both boys turn to you in surprise, “and calculate your strength. You're not bad at aiming, but that's not all that matters.”

“I didn't know that you are also a good teacher, Akashi-kun,” you recognize the voice as Suo approaches you. “I see the cleanup is in full swing,” he adds, looking around your makeshift competition arena.

“Tsugeura-chan, you said the loser buys the dessert. I want the one with strawberries.”

“But I haven't lost yet!”

You frown and think for a moment. Then you shake your head.

“Nah, I'd rather have the one with lemon syrup. It's cheaper.”

"Are you listening to me?" groans Tsugeura and jabs at you when he doesn't find any remorse on your calm face, “Suo-kun, take him away! Only you can stand the merciless indifference of this blond demon.”

“Why is that? I mean, I even chose the cheaper one,” you raise your eyebrows in surprise.

In the next second, Suo leads you away, smiling apologetically at Taiga.

“I came to tell you that the senpais will be here in ten minutes. Clean up until then.”

“It's okay. Tsugeura-chan didn't hit much, it won't take long to clean up after him.”

“Akashi!”

You chuckle softly.

It's cloudy today. Suo's warm hand gently wraps around yours. You squeeze his fingers and try to absorb as much warmth as possible.

Your chest feels light.

***

@HayatoSuo, 3:21 a.m.

apple or orange

@Akashii, 3:23 a.m

why are you up

and what kind of poll is this

iq test?

@HayatoSuo, 3:23 a.m

rice or ramen?

@Akashii, 3:23 a.m.

do not

even

think

about

it

go to bed

im just finishing up

@HayatoSuo, 3:24 a.m.

You don't leave until 6 on Saturdays.

I know you skipped lunch today.

@Akashii, 3:24 a.m.

wow, cool, ig

what else do you know

@HayatoSuo, 3:25 a.m.

So what can I get you? The shop closes in twenty minutes.

@Akashii, 3:25 a.m.

tiger shrimp and black caviar, please

@HayatoSuo, 3:25 a.m.

I'm serious, Akashi. You have to eat.

@Akashii, 3:25 a.m.

me too

@Akashii, 3:32 a.m.

pudding

@Akashii, 3:33 a.m.

with vanilla, if you can

@Akashii, 3:37 a.m.

thank you, Suo.

***

When you arrived in Makochi, the first thing you did was look for a job. After searching for a while, you finally found what you were looking for. Since then, you've been working in a bar. There was nothing wrong with that. It was a fairly quiet and decent place, mostly frequented by tired men after their work shifts. Your boss was understanding. He agreed to hire you part-time. You had a flexible schedule, a stable salary, and a rather friendly staff. Not that you interacted much with your co-workers, but the lack of hostility and the willingness to cover for you in emergencies was gratifying.

If one of your co-workers was asked what specific position you held, hardly anyone could answer. It was easier to say what you didn't do. You were a waiter, a cleaner, a deliveryman, sometimes even a bartender when he took a break and the customers wanted something right away. Of course, it paid more. That's all you needed, so you didn't complain.

Never complained.

Even on the hard days. Even when you felt like you were going to pass out from exhaustion and it was hours before closing time.

Today was one of those days. The bar was particularly busy, and there was a shortage of workers, so you were torn between the room and the kitchen, and then there was the grocery delivery, which you had to unload almost alone because everyone was busy. On top of that, you didn't sleep well again, and your favorite pastry shop didn't have any lemon tarts today.

Your eyes glaze over as you walk out the back door of the building on wobbly legs. You stop on the steps, cover your eyes, and blissfully face the gust of cool wind. It tangles your hair, teases the edge of your loose sweatshirt, and burrows under your t-shirt, sending a swarm of goose bumps.

You don't shiver. You loved the cold that took away your ability to think.

You recognize Suo's arrival, strangely enough, by the smell. He had brought more than you asked for, and yet he refused to share it with you, claiming it was all yours. As you finish the last piece of onigiri, you feel overwhelmingly weak.

Crickets are singing somewhere in the grass. The dark street is lit only by a single lantern in the distance. A sly breeze gently touches your hair. Someone's hot hand touches your face, tucking away the disheveled strands. The scent of jasmine lingers in your lungs.

Your head lands heavily on Suo's shoulder. Your eyes close. You don't understand why you feel so safe. Why you're not afraid.

You have to stay alert. You must never relax.

But your tired, well-fed body decides everything for you.

***

You don't know how long it's been before you wake up, struggling to open your eyelids. For the first ten seconds, you just try to remember your name and where you are.

You're lying on something soft, your nose resting on a black cloth. A jacket with green inserts is thrown over you. It's warm. Someone's hand is stroking your hair.

Recent memories slip into your mind.

Suo. Food. Steps. Work.

Right. Work. How long did you sleep? Your boss was here today. Surely everyone has noticed your long absence. Your colleagues won't be able to cover for you. You don't want to lose your job or pay a fine.

You abruptly rise from what appears to be someone else's lap. Furin's jacket falls from your shoulders.

“I have to go. My boss...”

“Came here fifteen minutes ago and let you go early today,” Hayato's palms rest on your shoulders, preventing you from getting up.

You raise your eyebrows in surprise. “Really? The old man never spares me. What did you say to him?”

Suo's eyes sparkle strangely. At night, you have the feeling you could mistake them for fire. He reminds you of someone.

A fox. A contented, tame fox.

“I wanted to take you home, but I remembered you never gave me your address.”

Oh, of course he won't tell you.

You hope that your boss won't chase you too much after talking to Hayato.

“Are you asking for a visit?”

“Maybe.”

***

“No, seriously, what kind of conditioner do you use?”

“Just water... and shampoo... sometimes.”

“Oh, what brand do you prefer?”

“Three-in-one.”

Nirei, who had perked up his ears next to you, started scribbling something in his notebook.

You leaned back in your chair, basking in the sunlight and the deft movements of another man's hands in your hair. Mitsuki liked to play with your hair, and this morning he'd wanted to do yours. It was just a half-done ponytail on top of your head anyway, so you didn't mind.

The classroom was half empty because it was a long break and everyone had gone about their business.

Suddenly, the door opens with a bang. You seriously wonder if you're all going to have to pay for a new one. A panting Enomoto flies into the classroom.

“Again?” someone at the back of the desks grumbles exhaustedly, “But we cleaned on Friday! It's only Monday!”

Waving them away, Takeshi looks around the classroom with an attentive gaze and asks casually:

“Is Akashi-kun here?”

Your eyebrow twitches irritably. “Cover me,” you whisper to the boys while you slowly try to crawl under your desk.

The unimpressed vice captain hovered over your desk. Nirei chuckled awkwardly and bowed to the senpai as a sign of respect, Kiryu just smiled as he looked at you.

“Try harder next time,” Enomoto says and pulls you out by your neck. You squint in pain. Your arms hang from your body.

“Next time I'll jump out the window.”

“Dream on. We'll get you out of the down.”

You sigh: you can't escape.

“Risa-chan is lost again. You go look for her,” Takeshi says calmly, still holding you by the collar like a guilty puppy, and starts walking towards the exit. Mentally mocking him, you reluctantly follow. What a pain.

The thing was, as it turned out, you had a superpower: you were an animal magnet. One day, Risa-chan jumped on your back, clawed at your jacket and refused to get off. You had to walk all the way back to her elderly owner's house, earning puzzled looks from passersby. From then on, every time she ran away, you were the one they turned to. You weren't very happy about it.

Undoubtedly, you loved animals. Sometimes even more than people. It was just so torturous, disturbing, and afterwards that sweet old lady always dragged you to her for tea, and talking to her made you tired.

So you'd like to avoid that fate.

Your perfect plan to run under the desk didn't work out. What a tragedy.

“You're not even going to ask me?”

“That's Kaji-san's order. Are you going to challenge your esteemed senpai's decision, kid?”

“Not even a thought,” you smile, “but was there no one else?”

“Suo-kun is coming with you.”

“Оh?”

Indeed: as you approach the door, you see a smiling Hayato leaning against the wall. When Suo hears footsteps, he rushes over to you and examines you with an inexplicable tenderness. It doesn't last long, though: his gaze suddenly darkens as he stops where Enomoto's hand had carelessly held you by the collar.

Maybe it's just your imagination, but his angelic smile takes on a sharp edge. Before you can blink, the large, calloused fingers at the back of your neck unclench and are replaced by another, careful and gentle.

“Hello again, Enomoto-senpai, Akashi-kun,” Suo greets you, and you look at him in surprise. Is he angry? Why? “Can you tell me where Risa-chan was last seen? It would really help us in our search.”

“Oh, sure,” Enomoto muttered and began to explain. You didn't listen, as Suo's warm fingers touched the spot where you had been pulled. You closed one eye and blinked at Hayato: he didn't look at you. He finished adjusting the cloth and ran his fingers gently over the back of your neck. After running his fingers over your skin for a moment longer, he finally placed his hot hand on your shoulder blades.

It burns. Your neck burns. Your ears, for some reason, too. You lower your gaze to the floor: what's wrong with you?

In your mind, you curse Kiryu, the reason your neck is exposed today.

Soon Enomoto finishes, and you go off in search. You're not ashamed that you weren't listening. It's hardly helpful: the cat could have run away a long time ago.

Suo's hand is still on your back as you walk down the street. Still leaves a chemical burn.

“Are you mad?”

Hayato's eye narrows in surprise. He doesn't turn to you.

“No. Why would I be?”

“You seemed annoyed,” you say calmly, kicking a pebble in the road.

“How'd you figure that out?” his ingratiating gaze is on you now. You don't sense any malice. Curiosity, perhaps. And something else you can't quite figure out.

Oh, so you were right. He did look angry.

“Donnow... It's just that your smile was different, and your voice-”

“Do you understand the intonation of my smile?”, Suo rarely expresses his surprise openly, but this moment probably does.

“U-uhm yeah?... maybe...”

“You're amazing, Hoshi-kun,” Suo laughs affectionately. You can't understand why. Did you say something funny?

“Am I?” you raise your eyebrows and meet his gaze. Your serene face is illuminated by the light of his smile.

You feel like you've been bathed in sunshine. Still, you can't understand why.

“Definitely.”

next chapter →

[mapoeggplant]

skip to loafer chapter 68 + shima analysis // spoilers

acceptance of the monster: how facing the past is necessary when the goal is a brighter future

i think that those who have been following me for a while have seen all my analyses and random insights about shima. i have immense affection for him and he will always be one of my favorite characters ever. and chapters like this remind me of how important he is in my life. 

chapter 68 is very straight to the point, but it also hides some small and big changes that started to bubble up from previous chapters. for the first time, we no longer have small, not very explicit scenes from shima's memories or him being so afraid of finally facing the past: now we have the naked truth, laid out in front of us, so that we can understand a little more about how the childhood that shaped shima's entire life until now was.

unlike what i imagined, i didn't get angry with taiga now that he was introduced. of course, i don't think his actions were right or that he didn't influence shima in a negative way, but his appearance at that moment served as both a salvation and a tragedy for shima's life.

there are many layers to be analyzed. we know very, very little about taiga, but we can understand that he didn't have a very good relationship with his family either — the moment he talks about his parents' disappointment in him for giving up acting shows us that he was probably also forced to do something he didn't want to do. he is also the result of a desire imposed on him, causing him to rebel as the years went by.

in a way, meeting shima is like meeting your past self. i don't see much evil in his actions or see it as something malicious. i think he recognized in shima's face the same nervousness that he himself felt every time before his rehearsal, thus proposing that he also have an act of rebellion to feel a little freer.

however, the evil of all this is that taiga, without knowing anything, ends up entering shima's life at a time when he is most fragile and hurt by everything he has been facing (whether it be his abusive relationship with his mother or his growing fear of acting). shima sees taiga as an equal, someone who understands all the pain he has faced but managed to escape from it, while he’s still a prisoner. he sees the older boy as an inspiration, as a friend he longed for, who would show him what a life away from cameras and rehearsals would be like.

shima is still too young to understand everything that is happening around him, and too young to see any kind of problem in following his new friend. having a destructive act at a time of such fragility gives him a certain strength, because he understands this as the only way he has to face his mother and go against everything that is imposed on him. going out with taiga, even if secretly, is a message to his mother: you no longer have control over me.

unfortunately, we have known the result of these escapades for a long time. ririka, also worried about shima, decides to follow him and ends up being targeted by several online attacks. even though shima was the one who “took” her there, ririka, a beautiful and successful girl, is the perfect target.she is the one who suffers the direct consequences, and of course this is closely linked to the sexism that is rooted in society and how much people wait for a girl to make a small mistake so that they can destroy her in some way (i talk more about this in my exclusive ririka analysis).

now shima no longer has to face just two monsters: they have now multiplied into a thousand, becoming even stronger. the consequences of his rebellion come in an aggressive form, with his mother’s abuse and the new tarnished image he obtained in his artistic circle. his mother’s anxiety comes from the fact that shima would no longer get big roles, either because of this transgression or because he missed so many rehearsals, which did not lead to any improvement in terms of acting. blinded by all the anger she feels inside, shima's mother's direct response is no other than to attack her son.

child abuse is extremely common in the arts, whether by parents, the press, the public or co-workers. shima is just one of many young actors who have had to suffer the wrath of a parent who is disappointed by a dream that they themselves forced their children to have. and of course, this would result in years of being afraid to be who they are, to speak out and to live a normal life without carrying immense guilt. the prison that he has placed himself in for all these years is the evolution of the bonds imposed by his mother.

the turning point does not happen in this chapter itself, but in a sequence of long events that led him to where he is. it is impossible for shima to change overnight: it takes a lot of work and a lot, but a lot of analysis (even if it is self-analysis) to finally understand and be able to heal all this pain that he has been held hostage by for so many years. and the second part of the chapter shows exactly that.

shima is no longer afraid to face the monster of the past because he is no longer alone. he finally understands that there are people around him who care about him and fight to stay by his side. having people's support and love gives him the strength to move forward and continue this arduous battle of growing up. shima now understands what it is to be loved to the point of being happy about a past fight, as it resulted in an even closer relationship with mitsumi. he understands that being loved is being able to look back on the past and no longer feel pain or guilt, but to recognize the one who suffered so much, with no one by his side.

he now takes on the role of the monster, but no longer to affirm his guilt, but to be able to show his past self and all the other monsters around him how it is possible for him to be happy. how it is possible to decide things for yourself and follow your heart. how it is possible to love so many people and be loved in return. how it is possible to look at a person and feel an immense warmth, an inexplicable desire to keep fighting, all so that he can be by their side. 

shima is finally reaching out to his past self, so that they can form a new future together.

before i finish, i would also like to touch on an important point that i see the possibility of being discussed in the future: shima's current relationship with his mother. chapter 67 brought something very important, which was shima's recognition when he admitted that he felt a certain pity for his mother, due to all the comments he heard about her. deep down, he feels a certain empathy for his mother and no longer sees her as an unbeatable villain. he has been slowly trying to change his relationship with her, and the first step is to invite her to watch the play he chose to be in. this in my opinion shows shima's desire to forgive his mother in order to move on, but also seek some kind of forgiveness from her (which can be a result of many years of manipulation, since he still thinks he is guilty for a lot of his mother’s pain). i feel that we will still see a type of closeness between them and a deeper conversation, so that shima can finally feel like he belongs to a family again. this can be a triggering moment to a lot of readers, so if it does happen, please be mindful of it. 

the layers that not only this chapter but this whole new arc has are much deeper than we imagine. building a character requires love, patience and conversation. you need to listen and understand what your character wants. respect is needed so that the story can grow. takamatsu misaki has a huge affection for her characters, for her story and for everything she has been building since 2018.

we're so lucky to be able to follow such amazingly beautiful story.

thank you so much for reading 💛💛!! don't forget to support sensei if you can! always here to discuss more about the chapter!

[lyinyao]

what i think are the wbk boys' charm points !

first years edition pt1 | sakura, nirei, sugishita

tags ~ fem!reader, mostly fluff, mentions of body shaming (sugishita), random af

notes ~ don't mind me just daydreaming about wbk as usual, i tried including one for physical appearances and one for their characteristics..

first years edition pt2 | suo, kiryu, taiga

sakura's eyes / honesty

the first thing you notice about sakura is the sharp contrast of his hair, then when you approach the boy, his eyes are what catches your attention

on one side there's a bleak gray that reminds you of the barren field of the moon ; on the other is an eye as golden as the sunset - which you believe is absolutely captivating

sakura's shy with his advances, often needing a little push from either one of his friends, but one thing for certain is that the things he says are genuine and rarely sugarcoated

he's outright but still chooses his words carefully, and it gives you so much more comfort than the words of reassurance anyone could give

because you know he means it and that he wouldn't fake any reaction

sakura averts his eyes, gaze not staying on your figure for more than three seconds because he's never seen anyone as pretty as you

you were thanking him for saving you the other day from some creeps, to which he recalls happened quite recently but he hadn't gotten a good look at you until now

and god he doesn't know what to do with himself

everytime he looks back towards you (because it's impolite to not look at somebody talking to you), your eyes were already fixed on him and he prays that his appearance wasn't weirding you out

if it wasn't already obvious by the warmth that envelopes your cheeks when you realise how much you've been staring deep into his eyes

"those guys were.. bothering you right? you shouldn't let them walk all over you like that."

he mutters with a pout, he knows his face is unbelievably red right now, and he thinks it's so uncool to act like this in front of such a cute girl and he knows you know it too

but he still decides to send you off with some words of advice (he doesn't want you to get hurt the next time)

you smile with eyes filled with gratitude for him, you swear you can see steam coming out of his ears from how hot he feels, and give him a playful reply

"right, I'll send them one of those flying kicks you did!"

he then says you shouldn't do that without practice with a rather concerned face, which earns him another minute of your laughter

nirei's smile / support

when the corners of nirei's lips curl upwards, practically every facial feature of his light up, and naturally your lips end up mirroring his in any situation

he's a beam of sunshine that's for sure, the guiding light that you just need sometimes

nirei is the first to celebrate your achievements and the last person you'd shoo away during your moments of self deprecation

he's so eager to help too, pulling out his trusty notebook to offer you support in any topic, you wouldn't be surprised if he had your grocery list for the following week prepared for you

you have been struggling with a school project for a while now, you were constantly doing research, which resulted in you sleeping awfully late some days

luckily you have nirei around to remind you to 'take breaks!' and 'make sure you eat your fill!'

at one point, you both started facetiming each other while you continue your assignment (nirei's suggestion)

sure having nirei's company during these tough nights was certainly helping your productivity, but you didn't want him to suffer along with you and continuously assured him that he didn't have to do this, especially with how hard he's working to protect the town as well

he assured you back that he didn't mind at all and he was doing this on his own accord anyways

he's too shy to admit that he's missed hearing you and seeing your face after you've been busy holed up in your house completing your project for the past week

whenever you were having a tough time and nirei noticed, he'd give you a wide grin followed with some encouraging words to help you get through it

"nirei. nirei?", you call out with a soft voice, the camera showing the top of his head hasn't moved in the past half hour

you say his name once more and you see his body flinch slightly, head jerking up to face you, prying his bleary eyes open as best as he can

he mumbled a quick apology as he yawns.. and he apologizes for that as well

"it's okay, you should go rest aki. i'm finished."

you find it adorable how he immediately perks up, congratulating and praising you for your hard work, the proudest smile hung on his face

you would return the energy if it wasn't near depleted by then, so you settle for a soft chuckle, thanking him for all the support he's given

you pout when he denies your credit and sigh

"well if you're not gonna accept that, i'll just have to use my actions to repay you huh?"

"i'll make up for all the dates we've missed out on tenfold!", you hum, teasing his flustered face before wishing him a good night's sleep

sugishita's height / loyalty

not everybody is a whopping 6ft tall, but your boyfriend is, turning heads everywhere he goes

either curious of the way he towers over everyone or concerned about the prominent grouch he embodies

everybody knows the only person in sugishita's eyes is everyone's beloved top dog - umemiya, but one could argue you were a close second

you've seen how he reacted when anybody refers to umemiya without honorifics, he wouldn't hesitate to defend your name either

it was a lovely day, the weather was perfect and you had cleared your schedule for the day

you even spent the entire morning putting together a flattering outfit to go out in, of course you had to drag your grumbling boyfriend up from his nap for a date! (he quickly shut up after laying his eyes on you)

you both do a little window shopping, mainly just you leading in the front, squealing at whatever catches your eye

and sugishita follows closely behind, like a guard dog, ready to jump at any threat during your lovely outing

you tell him to lay off the scary expression, which he merely huffs in response (he tries to keep his face as neutral as possible after that and ends up looking even scarier through an onlooker's eyes from how hard he's focusing)

you've scurried off to a food stall to get you both a snack on the go when sugishita overhears some rather unpleasant remarks targeted towards you

his eyebrow twitches in annoyance, and mentally panics when he notices you stiffen up, the conversation you were having with the stall owner dying down

they weren't standing too far off, in fact you stood even closer than sugishita was, you feel like curling up and disappearing, like the nights where you'd curl into yourself, arms wrapping around your own waist in a pathetic way to comfort yourself

you quickly pay for the food and urge sugishita to leave the scene, your pace quickening from how desperate you wanted to escape this situation

but before you could react, sugishita was already heading towards the group of people, his back straightened to assert intimidation

"got a problem?"

he cocks his head to the side, with the meanest glare aimed at those people, you scramble to his side trying to pull him away but his stubborn head just wouldn't budge

the people were visibly flustered, their presence shrunk down to that of a mouse, while they hurried away with their tails between their legs

you sigh, "it's alright sugi.. let's just get going yeah?"

he obliges, but now with a hand around your waist, you look up at him in shock and his brows were still furrowed, eyes trained at the road ahead

you realise he's straining his arm to cover your waist, in case you felt insecure about people seeing

he knows you've figured out his intentions, but he doesn't let it show, you just smile and walk a bit more closer to him, happily indulging in the snack you had purchased

you reach the treat up to sugishita's face so that he could have a taste as well, giggling when he comments that it's too sweet

.. definitely not as sweet as your boyfriend though

before posting ~ happy girlfriends day girlfrienddss ‼️ tomorrow is actually my bday and I've finally decided to post this :3 this sucks and im embarrassed but when have i cared about that so it's getting posted 💪

[fr33time]

can you do dorm leaders with Female MC/S/O who cosplay.But the thing is They have TikTok and do cosplay videos by characters similar to the dorm leaders.

Example;

Alan:Mitsuri or Gyomei From Demon Slayer.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long!! This is the last request im doing before I open back up asks! I wasn’t sure how to do this one until a few days ago lol. I’ve never done this before and it was a new experience. I only did characters that I have a decent amount of knowledge for, so if there’s a better fit then I apologize if I missed them. Enjoy these cute headcanons and have a lovely day! Smooches!

✎ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ༉‧ ♡*.✧

◛⑅·House Captains with Fem! S/O that cosplays characters similar to them ˚ ༘ ♡

Divider credits: @abyslita

Genre: Fluff, Headcanons

Requesting rules here! (Read before requesting)

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

Jin - Wriothesley (GI)

Jin didn’t really pay attention to what you did in your free time, if you need funds for your hobby then he’ll give it you if you lay in bed with him for a while. When Jin saw that you were preparing a new cosplay he went to your TikTok page to check how it turned out.

He didn’t think much of the cosplay at first and only paid attention to how detailed it was and how nice of a job you did (he thought his money was put to good use), he doesn’t really know what Genshin Impact is besides from content he sees online. He asked you why you chose him to do a cosplay of and when you explained that Wriothesley reminded you of him, he was intrigued.

You explained that he was a respectable man that keeps cool under pressure… and is also good looking. So when you show him what Wriothesley looks like, he asked which one looks better and he plasters a sly smirk on his face. He definitely tries to fluster you, and a part of you knows that it’s working.

———

Alan - Roronoa Zoro (OP)

He thinks it’s cute that you cosplay, whenever you show him your new cosplay he asks you small questions about the character and how you made the cosplay. He’s not sure what you’re talking about, but he loves hearing you talk about something that makes you happy.

When you presented your Zoro cosplay to him he complimented your swords and asked how you did them while inspecting them. Once he moved on, you told him that Zoro reminded you of him and he didn’t show much expression, but he asked further on why you thought that.

You explained that Alan and Zoro have a lot of traits in common such as being bad at directions, he’s tough, cool, and looked like a hunk. You felt a bit flustered explaining the end part, but all Alan did was smile, patted your head, and proceeded to walk away. He finds you beyond adorable, and checks your TikTok later to boost your post (when he remembers where the app is and how to boost it in the first place).

———

Haru - Nejire Hado (BNHA)

Haru is very involved in your cosplay process, he loves seeing you work on something that brings a smile on your face so he makes sure to get whatever materials you need. He doesn’t like to spend money in his personal account but he’ll do it for you if you don’t have enough. When you point this out he just winks: (^_−)−☆

He also likes learning about the characters your cosplaying as, asking you to explain their story. When he asks about why you’re cosplaying Nejire, you explain that she’s similar to him in being bright and bubbly, and that they both work hard.

He blushes a bit, nudges you with his arm, and pulls out an “aw shucks.” He searches up Nejire later to get further in depth about her, and if you think that’s he’s like her then he takes it as a compliment. He’s happy that you acknowledge his hard work as well. He doesn’t have time to watch the show, but she’s now one of his favourite characters by default.

———

Taiga - Kyōko sakura (PMMM)

Taiga doesn’t really care about what you do, as long as you’re available to him. He doesn’t pay much attention but once in a while he’ll scroll on TikTok he comes across one of your cosplays and puts a comment under the video of how good you look. All he sees is you dressing in good looking outfits.

He sees you cosplaying Kyoko one day and asks “what the fuck is this one?” He doesn’t actually care about the answer but he pays attention when you quietly say that she reminds you of him… now he’s listening.

How exactly do you tell him that they have a short temper, a nonchalant attitude, and a threatening presence in common? You keep it short and tell him that they both love to tease, and know more than they let on. He just laughs and calls you a “cute kitty” before biting your hand (his version of a small kiss) and walking away. You were thankful that he didn’t ask you anymore questions, when he’s intimidating it’s easy for him to obtain answers.

———

Subaru - Armin Arlet (SNK)

He thinks that every single cosplay you do is beautiful because it’s you, he knows a bit about making costumes so he helps you sew and plan wherever you need it! He wants to support you every step of the way and asks Haku how he can boost your TikToks.

He doesn’t ask about the characters that much besides what they look like and their name, so you tell him first that you connect Armin with Subaru. His eyes widen at this confession and cautiously asks why, you explain how they both have certain anxieties and not feeling like enough (even though they are), but they both feel incredible amounts of sympathy and being observant.

When he hears your reasons he has to ask if you like this character, you immediately jump to assure him and speak praises. He’s a blushing mess and all he can think about is how highly you think of him. He’s not one to be forward, but he compliments you on how nice you look in your cosplays and how he likes how you put the effort to act like the character in your TikToks

———

Edward - Padparadscha (HNK)

Edward religiously likes your TikToks and comments under them with his cryptic messages riddled with emojis. He likes seeing you dress up, and he often suggests characters that he’d like to see you cosplay. He just likes seeing you in pretty clothes.

The Padparadscha cosplay interested him because he’s never seen this character before, and he likes how you did the gem hair. You explained that they are pretty similar in how they are both a bit laid back, secretive, and basically undead.

Because of your description, he watches Houseki no Kuni (or land of the lustrous) out of pure interest about Padparadscha. He has enough time, afterwards he tries to tease you and asks if you think he’s prettier. He just wants to see you blush. He tells you about what he thought of the show afterwards when you’re cuddling him, Edward may be lazy but the least he can do is indulge you in your interests.

———

Yuri - Light Yagami (DN)

Yuri’s a bit too busy with his work and research to be involved in your hobby, but I can assure you that he likes your cosplays. He will never ever say it to you, but it surprises him each time that he finds another person attractive and that holds true for when you cosplay.

You’d have to ramble about your upcoming cosplay schedule to him in order for him to sort of listen. He hears the words “he reminds me of you” and his attention is caught. “No one can ever compare to me!” He says… and then immediately goes back to work. No matter how much you try to catch his attention again, he insists that he needs to get work done and not to bother him.

He gets curious and searches up Light, realizing that Light is a cunning man that makes sure he’s 10 steps ahead of everyone. He feels pretty good about himself, but misses that Light is also a bit crazy to say the least. Next time he sees you he actually compliments your cosplay, not without stuttering and blushing of course.

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

[timeslipcamp]

thoughts on episode four

we made it to sinostra :D i remember reading this episode for the first time just thinking "oh my god he's insane!!!" and by the end of the episode i was like "oh he's REALLY insane. compelling, though." and i've been obsessed with him ever since

let's go rescue peekaboo!

vague spoilers through episode 16

fr though i love sinostra. problematic favs. so good

speaking of problematic favs i LOVE that the frostheim gen students just gossip immediately. the second they have the opportunity they start spreading rumors. respect

ritsu's inital meeting is so funny. this whole episode is just golden, i love that his main personality trait is just Lawyer early on. also ren being surprised that we got reassigned :') its ok bb i can sense it you dont have to say anything

also him immediately accusing taiga is so real. mc sitting there watching these three argue like "well he did try to throw me out of a train so"

ritsu wouldve raised hell in frostheim. get him an internship with tohma

also!! love that kaito recognizes its the chancellors fault we don't know anything. ritsu keeps calling us ignorant but boy howdy has mc been trying. kaito you're a real one

taiga who hurt you

like genuinely what the FUCK happened during the clash. the way jin and taiga both came out of it so different than how they are now. it's so interesting seeing how people talk about taiga. god i want to know what he knows so bad. this whole post is just gonna be me rambling about taiga i can feel it

girl you dont even KNOW!!!!

taiga became captain and owner six months ago according to ritsu at the time of this episode, and given that it seems like the clash happened right before the prologue time wise, does that mean he became the owner and captain before the clash? or am i being too nitpicky. maybe. hm. also love that ritsu is like 'darkwick was toootally in on this agreement to let it stay open though' he's so funny

i remember the first time i read this chapter and we found haru in taigas room, my immediate first thought was THEYRE HOOKING UP??? and then i remembered peekaboo lmao

i really do think taiga likes ritsu lmao. like especially by the time they get around to episode 16, they get along well--as well as taiga gets along with everyone. this first meeting hes like "wow, smart and ballsy, okay i'll hear you out" and i think he just finds ritsu entertaining--and potentially useful. taiga's smart, he knows a good ally to have when he sees one.

haru and taiga, on the other hand. UGH. i would LOVE to hear about when these two first started working together and why. two rebellious and wild redheads linking up and investigating the faculty. like, taiga just pulled a gun on him and tried to eat his kid and haru still stuck his tongue out at him. he's close enough to have a nickname. i already talked about them but UGH i love them i wanna read about the previous year so bad 😭

oh, missed the part where taiga said lulu's family got fucked over. i always assumed it was something they brought on themselves. huh.

he says ritsu is too twiggy to be a ghoul 😭 taiga PLEASE

love love LOVE that taiga went cold at the mention of darkwick investigating sinostra, and then the second ritsu brings up haru and shion is where he starts acting like this. TAIGA IS SO MUCH SMARTER THAN HE LETS ON he is calculating!! everything is intentional!! GOD i love him so much dude

rui's bar interlude!! ugh i love haru and rui. also haru "stealing is easier i get it" especially how we've gotten little peeks at his past in newer episodes 👀 haru let me hold your hand

did ritsu just call romeo ugly lmao

dude the absolute 180 change in taiga's demeanor when he sees the like dove is so crazy. the whole rest of that he's tense and over aggressive and then just leaves. UGH. and it appeared when it was only taiga and romeo in the room 😭 bamiromi real

JIRO JUST WALKING INTO OUR ROOM please hes the funniest mfer in this school I LOVE HIM. and then mc thinking hes giving her the drugs to run 😭 god i love them

dude can you imagine if ritsu would have lost and the day the constitution was made got erased

rereading this episode is so crazy. now that i know some of the bs darkwick has pulled? i honestly can't blame taiga for interrogating us and shooting at us hahaha. am i the problem? am i the red flag now??? and the way he tries to blame it on "trying out a demon impression" after......taiga your mind. wanna put him under a microscope. especially because he could probably smell the anomaly in our blood and that's why he leaned in. UGH.

romeo immediately: kys

for anyone who cares, this is the exact moment i became obsessed with taiga:

oh hey there was incense in the campus store when we meet benkei. do you think maybe he was the one from getting our curse analyzed in the prologue? it said something like long slim fingers and the smell of incense. maybe benkei was brought in to see if we really could enhance stigmas, and he could tell either because of his clementia abilities or he's also a ghoul 👀 damn this chapter reread is full of stuff

ritsu basically saying "he's allowed to be crazy so i can keep being a lawyer" is so funny dude. he saw how taiga was with the mission and was like you know? maybe some crazy is allowed

also taiga's little "ciao" 🫶

also romeo mentions a tango queen statue, that's a kind of flower? or it could be a girl tangoing who knows lol. he did call it an artifact though, so

god rereading this episode was so good. i'm gonna have like 900 more epiphanies doing these read throughs, i can tell. especially since we're going to hotarubi next!!

this whole post was really just me saying how much i loved taiga huh. oh well. i said what i said

[sweetestlotusflower]

TKDB ghouls as songs from my playlist !･:*+

songs from my playlist that remind me of each TKDB ghoul in some way( ◠‿◠ ) ˚✧₊⁎

! Disclaimer ! Since I only picked from songs in my playlist, some of the characters might get something inaccurate or silly, this is all for fun!

Frostheim

Jin Kamurai • The Family Jewels - MARINA

༄ “ooh, don’t you find it strange? Only thing we share is one last name, did I beat you at your own game? Typical of me to put us all to shame”

Thoma Ishibashi • GLOOMTOWN BRATS - I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

༄ “you’ve been so polite, thank god for charm school, but if I read this right…then all this attention’s intentionally cruel”

Lukas Errant • Two Birds - Regina Spektor

༄ “I’ll believe it all, there’s nothing I won’t understand, I’ll believe it all, I won’t let go of your hand”

Kaito Fuji • Affluenza - Conan Gray

༄ “80 grand in both your hands but no love, all these kids have got affluenza, goin’ recking their daddy’s Benz, ah”

Vagastrom

Alan Mido • Mercy - Sir Chloe

༄ “Mercy, can you forgive me? I want your mercy, are you still with me? I’ll give you anything, take it all away”

Leo Kurosagi • fan behavior - Isaac Dunbar

༄ “I just wanna say ‘hey’ to let you know your blow, and all you did was feed my ego”

“it’s fan behavior, you’re a fan, as a result of my cold demeanor”

Shohei Haizono • Devil’s Advocate - The Neighborhood

༄ “trade the whip out for a bike, designer for some Nikes, switch the stripper for a wife, black tie for a white tee”

Jabberwock

Haru Sagara • What, Me Worry? - Portugal. The Man

༄ “happy as a clown, what? Me, worry? House is burning down, don’t disturb me, I ain’t even trippin’ I ain’t trippin’ I’m just dancing through the door”

Towa Otonashi • dumb dumb - mazie

༄ “There must be something in the cornflakes making it hard for us to think straight, I just wanna go from here, close my eyes and disappear”

Ren Shiranami • I Hate Everyone but You - Elita

༄ “I’m tired of being tired but you don’t seem to be bothered when I stay in bed all day, I guess I’m kinda sorry cause I won’t go to your party but you tell me it’s ok”

Sinostra

Taiga Hoshibami • Butcher Vanity - Vane Lily

༄ “They say my hunger’s a problem, they tell me to curb my appetite, they say I can’t keep myself from trying a bite of every plate in sight”

Romeo Lucci • DEBT COLLECTOR - Jhariah

༄ “here comes the debt collector, seems you owe him again, dollars and coins can’t cut your cheque this time around”

Ritsu Shinjo • Oh No! - MARINA

༄ “I know exactly what I want and who I want to be, I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine, I’m now becoming my own self fulfilled prophecy”

Hotarubi

Subaru Kagami • Furetara Saigo - NAKISO

༄ “no matter what’s done to me, no matter what form, I’m a slave that’ll accept anything, I’m like a slave, but well whatever it’s fine in its own way”

Haku Kusanagi • Walk You Home - Sir Chloe

༄ “I found you in the bathroom like that, help you up and say hello, I’ve been around the block and I’ve seen you cry a lot, can I walk you home?”

Zenji Kotodama • Francis Forever - Mitski

༄ “I look up at the gaps of sunlight, I miss you more than anything, I don’t need the world to see that I’ve been the best I can be but I don’t think I could stand to be where you don’t see me”

Obscuary

Edward Hart • Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

༄ “ooh baby can you hear me moan? You caught me under false pretenses, how long before you let me go? You set my soul alight, glaciers melting in the dead of night and the superstars sucked into the supermassive”

Rui Mizuki • despair - leo.

༄ “I want you to be here, but please don’t come near, cause even though I’m pretty sure my head’s exploding, I’m not ready for hand holding, it’s not love, I swear, it might be closer to despair”

Lyca Colt • Hansel - Sodikken

༄ “remember yesterday? I bought you flowers, you threw them away”

“there’s a part of me that’s appealingly sweet, I’m sure you’d agree if you got to know me and admittedly, I’m not that interesting, but I’ll let you have what’s mine if you just give me your time”

Mortkranken

Yuri Isami • The Main Character - Will Wood

༄ “So god forbid I’m seen just as an average human being, I mean, imagine if protagonists just died in the first scene? I’m the gap between a tragedy and comedy, don’t come at me, I’m the main character and you have to like me!”

Jiro Kirsaki • DEATHBODY - Ghost and Pals

༄ “my body should be cold, the eyes of maggots gazing through to my soul, I left so long ago, behind be are the tears I couldn’t control”

[indigosuvi]

Let The Games Begin

age in bio when interacting. minors do not interact.

Word Count: 951 | Read it on AO3 | Tag List

Featuring: Shintaro Midorima, Daiki Aomine, Atsushi Murasakibara, Taiga Kagami, and Teppei Kiyoshi.

Shintaro Midorima was saddened that he would have to miss your game. He didn’t want to miss his and you didn’t want to miss yours. So you were both stuck in the situation of whether one of you misses the other or both of you just go on your own way. He promised to update you on the status of the game and come visit you as soon as he possibly could. You promised to do the same. He wasn’t expecting the call during the break in the game. He had been listening to the coach talk. His phone rang, and he raised an eyebrow at the call. It wasn’t like you to interrupt. He thought for a brief moment, “just ignore it.” It wasn’t like him to ignore a phone call, and there was something off about the entire situation. He didn’t know what to do. He apologized as he quickly answered the phone. He heard the sounds of the sirens in the background. That was an unusual noise for someone in a game. Your voice was a tone he had never heard before, and he didn’t want to hear it again. You were clearly in pain as you told him about what had happened. He wanted to cry, but he was still in the middle of something right now. All eyes were on him. He couldn’t let his emotions show right now. He breathed in and out before putting on a serious face as he ended the call and let his teammates know that he had plans and something to do right now. He walked out calmly, trying to hold his composure before breaking out into a run to come find you. He wasn’t going to let you be alone.

Daiki Aomine is very passionate about basketball, and you knew that, but when you left a voicemail telling him that you had been injured during your sporting event and that you were on your way to the hospital he couldn’t help but cry as he had been too busy with basketball, he hadn’t heard your phone ring. He thought that he had turned the sound on. He hadn’t heard your phone ring or seen any of your texts until the game was over. He raced out, not bothering to change his clothes. He was already in his car and on the way to see you before his teammates had finally noticed that Daiki wasn’t in the locker room with the rest of them. They were going to talk about the game, and they still might. It just wasn’t the same without him. He had been with them for the entire game. They could only hope that he was alright. He was, he just had to go visit you, and make sure that you were alright.

Everyone was surprised that Atsushi Murasakibara had a significant other. He didn’t seem to care about much, in their opinion. It was halftime for the both of you. You called him up, and he answered. He was fully expecting you to tell him about how the game was going so far. Instead, you told him you were injured and on the way to the hospital. The bag of chips fell from Atsushi’s hand as he looked surprised. He didn’t know what to do. He could finish his chips and the game, or he could come see you. You knew that if you didn’t make the choice for him, he would sit there not knowing what to do or have someone else make the choice for him. You told him what you wanted, and he picked the bag up off the ground before following what you had said.

Taiga Kagami had been listening to the coach when all of a sudden his phone rang. He answered it without hesitation. You were in the middle of your game, or at least you should have been, depending on what time it started. You knew that he was in the middle of his game. It wasn’t like you to interrupt something so important to him. When he heard that you had been severely hurt, he simply swore and walked out of the building, telling you he was on his way to help you. You tried to convince him to worry about his game and that you would be fine. Your voice told a different story. He knew you were hurting, and he didn’t want you to be alone. Plus, who would pick you up from the hospital? He had a car and he could take care of you. The game had been boring to him anyway.

Teppei Kiyoshi loves basketball, his friends, his teammates, and you. He is always very kind and honest. He also isn’t much of a texter. Rather, he prefers phone calls. Unfortunately, you both had games at the same time and at different places. You both promised to update the other on how things were going. It was in the middle of the breaktime that he received a text from you. You weren’t one to text him normally. He read your text slowly out loud, and his teammates overheard what he was saying. They told him that he should worry about you and head over to visit. They could handle the game without him. He read the text out loud once again. Confirming what he had just previously read. Then it hit him. You were hurt and on your way to the hospital. You couldn’t call because you were in too much pain. He understood, and he double-checked with his teammates before leaving to come visit you. He didn’t want to leave them stranded, but he didn’t want to leave you stranded either.

© SUVIDRACHE — do not copy, translate, modify, or plagiarize my work. reblogs are appreciated!

Tag List: @eli-chris, @dragonlordrizz

[lunawings]

King of Prism Dramatic PRISM.1 !!

So it's not the old days anymore, and I have significantly less to talk about not having been watching this movie on repeat in theaters for months. But I have been pulling it apart little by little since getting the DVD and I do have stuff to talk about.

So I hope someone, anyone, still enjoys my spoilers, screenshots, and scattered thoughts on the latest King of Prism compilation movie.

First of all, I'll explain the concept of this movie to people who might not know. It's the PRISM.1 competition from SSS, but framed as if you are viewing it from your TV at home, commercials and all!

We find out that Over the Rainbow was the opening act before the show, and of course they have a new prism jump...

Continuing to grow older with Over the Rainbow, you've now moved in together. Hiro gives you a beautiful night sky...

Kazuki gives you delicious meals (not Kouji? I'm surprised Kouji didn't get the food scene for once)

Kouji gives you a lot of space even though he just wants to be close to you. (Haha I think that's what he said.)

Over the Rainbow Hills Grand Opening! Five minutes from the station, parking garage. Nijinosaki Real Estate!

The TV broadcast continues by showing the earlier Prism Shows (Yukinojo, Taiga...) as "highlights." (This is an excuse not to show the Shuffle boys solo performances ppffft but really they couldn't even put in still images of what their solos looked like? I've always been so curious...)

Then another commercial break.

Stay weird, Kouji.

Then the live portion begins and here he is. The legend.

He is more hat than man.

Really they did not plan on making him CG when they designed this outfit and it's hilarious pppfffhghghg.

I have a lot of emotions about this performance, actually. First of all, I gained even more respect for Joji watching it from an audience perspective. How he just kept going without missing a beat even though he didn't know what was going on. (Or maybe he didn't even notice haha... still. He's a true performer.)

Second, I DIDN'T KNOW. I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS.

I PROTECTED MYSELF FROM THE BIGGEST SPOILER AND IT WAS SO WORTH IT.

I had my hand over my mouth the whole time. I was like shaking. I HAD NO IDEA JOJI GOT A CG LIVE THIS ENTIRE TIME. HOLLLYYYYYYYYY FFFFFFFFFFFF

AND IT WAS SO GOOD

Ahaha the heart. I loved this jump. I loved this performance.

Despite adding in announcer commentary for other parts of the show where there wasn't before, nothing was said about Ace's sudden appearance. HMHMMHMHMH.

pFFFT I did not fully digest this until now, but like... The natural gas was not discovered while Kakeru was still on his original trip in Africa? It was discovered randomly while he happened to be performing during the PRISM.1!? Wait was it? I don't feel like popping in my SSS DVD right now, someone tell me it makes sense. Actually, maybe this was just a very delayed news bulletin.

Judging by this commercial, Over the Rainbow is going into the real estate business for real!? (Sumo sounds like "let's live here" in Japanese.)

The amount of times viewers at home had to see this "Please wait" (technical difficulties) screen during the PRISM.1 gets slowly more and more hilarious as the movie goes on.

Surely I discussed this in the SSS era, but the idea that Shin just immediately collapses after his show and no one is there to catch him still breaks my heart... (At least Louis had Jin...)

So that's it. For viewers at home, both Shin and Louis just collapsed at the end of their shows and that was that. Cut to the technical difficulties screen.

And for some viewers that was LITERALLY the end. The text at the top says, "The program time has ended, but this broadcast will continue into overtime for some regions."

However, even though they were allowed to broadcast into overtime, the technical difficulties leading up to this point meant that as soon as the Shuffle finally took the stage, they needed to cut to commercial. And what a commercial it was.

So like, I knew there was a new song called "From the cradle to the grave" in this movie, but I had just been assuming it was a new Kakeru solo or something. The morning I unboxed my DVD and looked at the CD it came with I was like... JIN!? THERE'S A NEW JIN SONG ON HERE!!!?!

The Juuouin group owns a star called MaRs Fan. They own Hiro's rose satellite.

They own the Pretty Rhythm universe version of Starbucks. (Irony is the famous Shinjuku location shown in this is closed now I think...)

THE GRASSHOPPER IS A PESTICIDE SPRAYING DRONE OWNED BY JUUOUIN GROUP

Anyway, we return from commercial break to catch the Shuffle just finishing up their show. No wonder nobody noticed Ace and Joji sound the same. Ace was barely on TV at all haha... ha...

Like in universe, you would think that Schwarz Rose is a big deal. Like you would think that right!? But according to this they are constantly getting cut or pre-empted and it's kind of hilarious.

The viewer at home turns on the second audio channel, allowing for the arena audio to be heard and thus all of Shin's speech. (It makes me wonder what the announcer was saying during that time.) It also feels even more awkward and sad knowing that all of that was broadcast LIVE. And we don't see the part where Shin notices the girls who are still sad, so from the audience perspective he just bursts into tears randomly... uuguu...

This part right here is probably the only part inconsistent with this being a TV broadcast. The "Live" in the corner cuts out here at the same time the prism sparkle was lost. So was it on TV? Was it not? Do the cameras run on prism sparkle too? I checked the commentary track for answers and found none.

The viewer at home finally switches back to the regular audio channel here.

Just in time for the announcer to cut Joji off and end the show pppffffghgg. Even though they went into overtime already, SEPTeNRION's antics went just too far and they could not give Joji literally even one more second AHAHAHA srsly this part kills me I love it.

The top reads something like, "Due to overtime, 'Joji Takadanobaba and The Shuffle's Local Bus Line Connection Dreamy Eating Lots of Food Time' will not be seen today."

So The Shuffle's solos didn't make the highlight reel, The Shuffle's performance was during a commercial break, Joji's speech was cut off at the end, and their silly reality show that was supposed to air afterwards was pre-empted. Pffffhfhf.

The winning team, everyone.

"How many times in a row did you win?" asks Shin about the rock-paper-scissors game that occurs during the credits. It also still kills me they brought back this ancient Pride the Hero era art for the ending of their brand new movie. (But then again, Shin in his lil' inner tube is peak.)

And then there's this. I honestly don't hate that they are wearing their school uniforms here. Yeah, they deserve new outfits, but it reminds me of Start Dash from Love Live. And after all, this was their start. We finally get to go back in time and see the infamous (sort of) Christmas Party Dramatic Love performance that was referenced at various times throughout King of Prism's history and included in the Prism Rush story.

So I was going to keep going with the uhhh the... other stuff, but I think I'll end here for now. Not like I'll have a better idea what's going on if I delay it but eh who knows maybe.

[redsamuraiii]

I started watching J-dramas in 2020 during Covid Lockdowns. At a time when I hit rock bottom, lost my job, lost the girl I wanted to marry, lost the chance to travel (flights were cancelled), lost my purpose, lost my mind, I had no idea what was going on.

I tried watching Western shows like I always did for many years since I was a teenager but somehow I could not find solace in them. I tried watching other shows like K-dramas to see what the hype was all about and C-dramas out of curiosity but I still felt empty.

Then I remembered the first J-drama I watched as a kid with my mum, Oshin (1983). She loved that asadora drama that she never failed to miss even one episode out of like 300! It always played on TV in the late weekday afternoons after school so there I watched.

I didn't remember or understand the story then but I remembered the places shown, and I was mesmerized. I was thinking, is there such a beautiful place? Then I started watching Tokusatsu on weekends which was played on TV which showed many similar places.

And for some reason, it was the most relaxing feeling I ever felt. Wanting to feel that again, I started re-watching them and nostalgia started running through my memory. I'm not exaggerating but I really felt at peace watching them, no longer feeling empty.

That's when I started watching more J-dramas of various genres, asadora, taiga (period), comedy, slice of life, crime. I got addicted to every one of them that I felt like I was traveling to Japan in the midst of lockdowns. And watching them made me feel happy.

The stories brought grief and joy but it helps me reconnect with my own emotions or process trauma. It's healing and inspiring. There are times it makes me forget reality and there are times it reminds me of it, but in a good and inspiring way, making me feel there is hope.

Watching the characters going through their lives makes me rethink my own and re-look at them from a different perspective. It makes me think of things I never thought of before, that it helps me to solve my life problems with a different approach. 

The characters and stories may be fictional, but the struggles and problems are relatable and universal. How they react to life changing events, the people they interact with in daily lives, their life circumstances closely reflects the real ones.

Stories told from Asian perspectives, in terms of work life, relationships, anxieties, depression, mental health, struck a chord with me, an Asian, feels closer to home. As the way Asian culture deals with these things is different from the West. 

I never felt such a level of happiness or sadness watching any shows but J-dramas. They showed me that nothing is permanent in life, both the good times and the bad times. They showed me how to treasure the good times and move on from the bad times.

I’ve watched 400 J-dramas in 4 years! They made me start learning Japanese and made me stop watching Western shows ever since (not all but most). I guess you could say it is one form of therapy which makes me able to express and experience emotion again.

Because if you’ve suffered from anxiety and depression, you know that you don’t feel alive. You don’t feel happy but you don’t feel sad either. You just feel empty. Watching J-Dramas make me feel like, hey, I’m not alone, they are going through this type of thing too!

[harveybwabbit92]

New Ultra oc: Ultraman Aux *It's short for Auxilius*

{My inspirations for him came from X, Mebius and Taiga.}

Age: 8,700

height: 51 m

Occupation: Deep space courier.

Host: Dustine 'Dusty' Campbell.

Relatives: Unamed mother

ultraman Domi (deceased)- Father

Belial (Deceased) He got better.- possible paternal half-uncle

Geed- possible paternal half-cousin.

Species: Ultra

Home world: M78/Earth

Color Timer: He has a Teardrop shaped one, he was given a Color Timer due his courier job requiring him to travel off planet and into deep space from time to time.

Ultra transformation object: Aux band and scanner.

(He also has an Ultra space similar to Z's so he and Dusty can interact with each other off the field)

=======================

How he ended up on Earth: A very important package of monster capsules got stolen and he pursued the thieves only for Aux to stumble onto something completely bigger then just mere mail theft.

Someone or something had caused the capsules to become dark and corrupted and any monsters sealed inside of them have become feral and violent. He also found out the hard way that ultras can't survive on Earth for long.

And just when things were starting to look bleak for Aux he met her...there was car wreck Aux realized was possibly caused by his arrival. He saw an injured woman helping the knocked out occupant out the other wrecked vehicle despite her own injuries and Aux decided to bond with her.

He learned her name was Dustine Campbell and she worked as a custodian for this Earth's Kaiju suppression squad. (I'll try to come up with a name later.) She's the perfect host since no one notices her going missing during kaiju attacks and if anyone does then they always assume she's either hiding or evacuated.

===============

Combat experience: He has very little combat experience; given his occupation Aux's never really faced any major problems, except being chased down by the occasional pet. though he is trained for combat and even has his own signature beam attack. He's never fully had use them... until now that is. Though, over time he gets better with experience.

[Side Note: Ultraman Astra was sent to arrest Aux for vigilantism 'cos he's not space ranger. He's just a regular civilian but once Astra saw how bad situation really was he decided to stick around Earth for a while and give Aux (And Dusty) some proper training. Needless to say, both ultras got in trouble for this, but were eventually pardoned after reviewing their reports.]

====================================

Made using this Piccrew. This is Aux's host Dustine 'Dusty' Campbell she's 29-30 yrs old and works as a cleaning lady for her Earth's Kaiju research and suppression team.

She met Aux after the ultra's arrival caused a car accident, and even though Dusty was wounded in the crash she managed to free herself from her car and rescues the other car's driver from harm before passing out.

A week later she woke up in the hospital where the baffled doctors told her she was very lucky lady, it was a miracle she was walking away from that accident with minor injuries...Which confused Dusty 'cos even she knew her injuries were anything but minor! But then the thankfulness of being alive overwrote the confusion and life moved on...

Until a month later when Dusty woke up in the middle of the night to see a silver alien humanoid with little red horns and glowing yellow eyes sitting by her bed watching her sleep! Needless to say, Dusty damn near woke up the entire block with how loud she screamed...