#but no he's a whole freak (affectionate) and would probably give me extra credit

[thunderheadfred]

giving people like me free unfettered access to Notion was a mistake

[shell-senji]

Hakuouki Ask Meme

@shenanigumi, this was harder than I expected! I probably spent WAY too much time on it…

How and when you got into this glorious fandom: August/September-ish of 2016. I was looking into a new anime for me and my husband to watch (“new” — aka one we haven’t watched). I saw that Hakuouki was about the Shinsengumi, and I knew that was something we would both be interested in. Eventually, I started playing Hakuouki: Stories of the Shinsengumi, and here I am. (I do need to give @impracticaldemon credit for encouraging me.)

Favorite character in terms of development: Why do you ask me these hard questions??? Probably either Saito or Hijikata, with Kazama not far behind (the PS3 DLC and the second movie helped me not hate him quite so much. But his route was far too short). Hijikata grows a bit softer as the game progresses, though sadly I think that softening of his harsher edges comes at a price. Similarly with Saito, I’ve never thought of him as unfeeling, but I like that he eventually isn’t quite as afraid of using/having/expressing feelings. To a certain extent, this fits Souji as well -- he becomes less “I’m going to shield myself with snarky humor” and more willing to open himself up to the relationship.

The character you’d get along with most irl: As a friend, I assume? Probably Souji or Sanosuke. Souji (minus the gleefully killing people aspect) reminds me of some of my childhood guy friends. Same with Sano, though Sano is a little less sarcastic and a little more serious at times than some of my friends.  Heisuke also is probably one I could be friends with, though the whole Itou phase thing (or whatever the equivalent in modern life would be) would’ve made me nuts. Also, I do think I’d get along with Sen and Chizuru. Maybe. Girls can be hard.

The character(s) you are most like: 😳Hell, I don’t know! That’s really tough… I’m kind of a control freak at times (Hijikata) and I can have a snarky sense of humor (Hijikata/Souji/Kazama). I am not maternal in a literal sense, but I definitely care about people and can be self-sacrificing at times to make other people happy (Hijimama). I often say stupid shit that later I think “why the fuck did I say that?” and my snarky mouth frequently gets me into trouble (Souji). I cuss way too much since I work at home and don’t need a filter around my cats/dog (Hijikata).  I’m a disorganized, procrastinating, AHDH hot mess (Shinpachi head canon). I’m a weird mix of introvert/antisocial/homebody and extrovert when I need to be or under the right parameters (Souji? Hijikata? no one??) I can be a bit too trusting or hopeful of the best in people and occasionally naive (Kondo). I love cats and am not particularly fond of onions (Souji) 😜

Least favorite character: I’m with @shenanigumi — Kaoru. This little bitch can take a long walk off a short pier. I have no use for his machinations (except in writing fan fiction where he’s quite useful) and he’s phenomenally selfish. Shockingly, he even surpasses KAZAMA in terms of being a self-centered ass. I didn’t like him in the anime, didn’t like him in the game, don’t have much sympathy/empathy. Like I’m sorry you had a shit childhood. That doesn’t give you a free pass to be a gd homicidal, manipulating lunatic with vendetta against your sister. Grow up. Wait, nevermind, just die.

I’m also not particularly fond of Kodo, even in the routes where he “redeems” himself.

Personal favorite husband: Hijikata, because sweet mother god that’s a sexy man reasons. And surprisingly enough, the more I’ve been thinking about it, probably Souji. His “affectionate teasing” is something that’s quite common in my family, and we all know beneath that prickly exterior is a really fiercely loyal guy.  Of course using that logic, Hijikata gets another point in his favor since “idiot” is a term of endearment in my family.

Favorite route: Hmm…I liked Hijikata’s of course, but it is at times a little bit emotionally exhausting, so I’m not sure if I’d put it as my *favorite*. I would say probably Saito or Sanosuke’s route — I enjoy the extra Amagiri time in Saito’s route

Who you wish had a route: With Shinkai coming out, it’s no longer Shinpachi and Yamazaki. So I’ll say Shiranui or Amagiri 😊

Least favorite route: As I noted earlier, Kazama’s route is way too short, so his is my least favorite. He was far too good at being the villain in most of the other routes (though I did kind of like him in Heisuke’s route), and his route and character in it weren’t developed enough for me to completely buy into his and Chizuru’s relationship. It just kind of fell short and felt a little bit like “well everyone else is dead, why not choose me?” kind of cop out.

Favorite Chizuru ship: Hijikata followed by Sanosuke. What can I say? Blame the fact that I watched the anime first and then played the game 😊 But I also like that Sanosuke’s route has some lovely fluff in it, and he’s so adorable at the end. We all love Hijimama, no doubt, but Sanopapa is freakin adorable.

Top 3 ships overall: My first is soooo cliche — Hijikata/Chizuru. Second to that is probably Saito/Chizuru (Saito blushing…can’t handle it. too precious.) Thanks to @impracticaldemon, I also am now a fan of Sanosuke/Sen. I’m warming up to KazaSen, and I personally find Saito/Sen an intriguing match.

Do you write/draw/contribute to the fandom in some way? If not, do you have any recommendations? Link us to them: Well, I’m *attempting* to write an AU fanfic, but my muse might be dead. Anyone know where to file a missing muse report? Outside of that, I’ve co-authored a crackfic with @sabinasanfanfic about cupcakes and a stress-baking Saito.

I’m not going to tag anyone because I was super slow completing this and I’m not sure who *hasn’t* done it. So, if you haven’t been tagged and you want to do it, consider yourself tagged.