#but she's chibi so she can't do anything but to stay cute

[reashot]

To celebrate my 10th follower. Here's A long Lancaster post.

& yes the fic is still on I will post the 3k words preview tomorrow or the day after.

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Jaune: Wait, where am I?

Jaune suddenly transported to what can only described an empty plain of nothing but whiteness as far as the eyes can see. In there he is greeted by none other than his father.

Papa Arc: Jaune mah boy, I will give you two choices. On one side a group of eager hot milfs willing to do anything to pleasure you. While on the other side we have this... barely legal creature. That have the base intelligence and energy of a coked up house cat. Choose wisely my son. Because I know you will.

On one side a familiar group of women hollering and whistling at Jaune. On the other side Papa Arc hold up the chibi version of Ruby by the scruff of her... Hood. I guess? While she's hissing and struggling to get out from him.

Jaune: Hmmm...🤔

Papa Arc: Wait? Are you seriously thinking hard about this! Hot MILFS boy. It's literally not even a choice.

Jaune: Hmmm...🤔

Papa Arc: Look I'm going to make it easy for you. The milfs are legal and willing. This girl are not.

Ruby can't speak so she can only express her frustration through physical gestures. She hiss and growls to no avail. Despondent she finally gives up but when she notices Jaune in front of her. Her face lit up and tries to get to his side but she unfortunately can't because Papa Arc still holds her by the scruff. In response she mewls in protest demanding to be set free.

Jaune: I don't have to do anything to her now, right?

Papa Arc: Well no, but seriously hot milfs...

Jaune: But here's the thing dad. I don't want other woman. I want Ruby...

Every moms that watches what amounts to a love confession are in awe at Jaune's bravery. A chorus of cheers and approval soon fills the air. Papa Arc on other hands reacted quite opposite.

Papa Arc: I will never agree to this. No Son of mine are going to be together with this cre... Owww! Son of a Bi...!

Ruby bit Papa Arc's hand in order to break free from him. She then proceed to run away from him and jump towards Jaune's chest. Jaune catches her in his arms and places her in his embrace. Ruby feeling happy being embraced in his arms purrs in content. Jaune can't help himself seeing Ruby being all cute begin reaching for her and starts scratching her chin.

Jaune: I'm sorry dad. But I have to pick Ruby after all. I promise I won't do anything to her until she's ready for a relationship.

Papa Arc: I HAVE NO SON!!!

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Jaune then suddenly founds himself awake in his room in the middle of the night. The shock from his dream caused him to start hyperventilating and sweating bullets, soaking his rabbit onesies pyjama in sweat.

Jaune: Ah crud. Now I have to wash this later. That was all a dream, huh? Wonder what's it all about...

While Jaune trying to process his dream he felt something stirs under his blanket.

Jaune: Ruby?

Ruby: ... 🥱 is there something wrong Jaune?

Jaune: What are you doing under my blanket?

Ruby: Why. I was feeling lonely so I let myself in here. Is it a problem? 🤭

Jaune: Yes Ruby. You can't just sneak in inside a boy's bed.

Ruby: Oh c'mon we're friends right? 😋

Jaune: No Ruby, it's not okay. What happens if I do something to you?

Ruby: 😳 ...You want to do something to me?

Jaune: No! It's just... I mean, I might be able to... No! I'm not going to do anything to you Ruby... Unless if you want it of course... But even then I still won't do anything to you.

Ruby: Ohhh. 😞 I see... Then I better leave then.

Jaune: I don't mean it like that. Please stay Ruby. You can sleep here if you want.

Ruby: Okay... 🥺

Jaune: I'm sorry to upset you Ruby, but I meant it. I will not do anything to hurt you.

Ruby: I know you won't. That's why I can trust you and Jaune. If you want to do something to me I won't resist you.

Jaune: I know and that's what scares me...

The two then falls asleep in each other embrace. Unaware that Yang and the rest will find the two of them in the morning sleeping next to each other. What happens next is a story for another time...

Yang kills Jaune. The end.

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Sorry if it's gets too fluffy in the end. Been brainstorming idea for a fluff fic. And the right answer to take is always Hot MILFS.

[dorothygale123]

In honor of the death anniversary of Saint Valentine, where we celebrate his decapitation by giving the same fate to flowers and forgetful boyfriends, we shall be looking at one of the most famous love stories in Chinese mythology. Today, we look at the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Now, as with all stories that have already been covered by Red from OSP, I recommend watching her video because she's funny and her chibis are adorable. However there will be new information in this post, so feel free to enjoy both.

The version Red covers begins with the 7 daughters of the Jade Emperor and Xiwangmu sneaking down to the mortal realm for some sisterly skinny dipping, only for Zhinu to have her clothes stolen by a passing herdsman, Niulang. She thinks he's super cute and this theft of her clothes is very endearing, so she decides to stay and marry him while her sisters go back home. This displays a very common myth structure where a man finds a magical lady bathing, takes her clothes, and then marries her. Western myths often have this is often an animal bride, but in Asia the bride is likely to be a celestial maiden who is physically unable to return to heaven without the aid of her special raiment.

This is not the only version of the myth, though. One of my sources claims that Zhinu's father decided she'd been doing such a good job that she deserved a break and actually picked some random cowherd, in this story called Chen Li, to be her husband. His expectation was that she would have a short time of wedded bliss and then come back up to heaven to do her job again. Unfortunately Zhinu was unwilling to just abandon her loving husband and 2 children just to do more work, what a surprise.

In both versions, Zhinu's refusal to return pisses off her parents, who just drag her back up te heaven anyway. Naturally, her husband has some objections about it. However, since he's a mortal he can't really, you know, do anything about it, but he ends up getting help from a very unlikely place. Those who've watch Red's video may remember Niulang's "super intelligent ox he's had this whole time, don't even worry about it." Well, this magic ox has a bit of a backstory. It's actually a divine spirit, the Ox Star, that was being punished for some crime by laboring for humanity and was currently under the care of Niulang/Chen Li. In some tellings the ox was even the one who directed his master to the pool where the divine maidens were bathing and told him to steal their clothes, so you could say he's more than a little invested in their relationship. The ox's punishment was conveniently almost over, so he told Chen Li to wait until he died and take his skin and wear it as a cloak, and then he would be able to see his wife again. Chen Li did so and, taking his 2 kids with him, flies up to heaven to go get their mom back.

Unsurprisingly Zhinu's parents didn't take too kindly to this breech of their daughter's forever grounding, so they cut in between the lovers. Some versions say that Xiwangmu cleaved the sky with her hairpin, while others say the Jade Emperor threw a silver scarf down. Either way, the Milky Way was formed to keep the couple separated. This made Zhinu so sad that she would cry, causing soft rains. Eventually, her parents felt kinda bad for, you know, ripping apart this loving family and forever denying their daughter her husband and children, so they decided to let them meet for a whole day every year! On that day, magpies would fly up and make a bridge over the Milky Way so that the family could be together again.

Then they'd be separated again til next year.

Thanks mom and dad.

Sh*tpost Masterlist

[mishkakagehishka]

What is A3! ???

It is a mobage!!! It has an anime adaptation and a lotta musicals, too, but it's mainly a game :) sadly, the english server shut down last year (rip, and the trans+localisation was SO good too).

The protag/player character is Izumi Tachibana (though you can change her first name), who acts as the director of a theatre company ^_^ the theatre company was nearing bankrupcy at the start of the game and only had the incompetent manager (who is such a dear) and one actor. Two, technically, but the other one was a bird. The bird was more skilled, also. Basically the play they put on stunk and it was their last chance to get some money to get their debts in order, our protag was the only person who saw it, though. But she was very inspired by it, and when the (stay with me) yakuza guys came round to bulldoze the theatre, she essentially said she'll improve the company and pay back the debt. (She has no experience as a director.)

Anyway. The story is separated into seasons, with each one following one troupe, but with a general overarching storyline that ties them together (getting the Fleur award, making the company survive the year, and so on). It's really fun, it's all about found family and striving towards your dreams and the characters growing as people and growing their relationships, it's really such a good story, I love it with all my heart.

Spring, summer, autumn and winter troupes in left-right, top-bottom order :] actually i wanna go into detail gimmie a second

So, as I said, there's the four troupes: spring focuses on traditional fairy-tales and fantasy plays, summer on slapstick comedy, autumn is all about action and winter about soft and subtle serious plays. For example, their debut plays were

Spring: a Romeo and Juliet where RomiJuli were actually besties, and also Juliet was Julius because none of them could play girls

Summer: a 1001 nights adaptation where Scheherezade was telling the story to Ali Baba, but when she had to leave to be wed to the king, he used the genie to wish it away. It was actually really funny, i should rewatch it sometimes

(Digression but the plays were like. You do rehearsals and then unlock the play which is a lil 5min video of their chibis walking on the stage with props and animations and speech bubbles, it's cute)

Autumn: mafiosi have to team up despite their horrid relationship to eachother and in the process learn to work together (which perfectly parallels the way the leads actually evolved their relationship off the stage)

Winter: a story about an angel falling in love with a dying human </3

In the spring troupe you have Sakuya, the leader who loves acting and the Original Actor who Izumi saw on stage. He was bad, but really loved it, and that's what made her want to help. Masumi is like a teen heartthrob in his school, but he's apathetic and doesn't really care about anything, except for Izumi who he has a massive crush on. With time, you figure out he's just projecting his lack of parental attention on her. Tsuzuru is their scriptwriter, who is the straight man to Citron's boke, he's a college student who begs to do scriptwriting for the company, but he hyperfocuses on them, writes until he literally drops and worries everyone. Speaking of Citron, he's a foreigner from a country called Citronia, he says he's an exchange student. I think the truth is revealed in winter year 2, but i didn't finish autumn year 2 before the server ended so </3 Itaru is the king of gap, he's a businessman by day, and hardcore gamer by night. Chikage is the year 2 newcomer, can't say much about him, but I'll say more when I get to "the story: the details". Again, I wanna make this detailed :) for Year 1 Spring, the theme was acting, none of them except Sakuya (and Citron?) wanted to act. Tsuzuru wanted to write scripts, Masumi was just following Izumi, Itaru wanted free board, and that made their acting suck because they were all out of sync. Their story follows the characters finding their passion and learning to work together.

Summer's leader is Tenma, who is a famous TV actor, but terrible on-stage because he gets stage-fright. Yuki is the company's costume designer and maker, foul-mouthed, but hiding a sensitive side. Muku is a sweetheart who's very shy and self-depreciative, but wants to be "a prince" (he loves shoujo manga) (when Tsuzuru gave them their script, he said he went to read 1001 nights and called it "just like shoujo"). Misumi fucking LOVES triangles. His name is written as 三角 which means triangle. I can't figure him out, though, he seems like a cheerful and naive young man, but there's a sadness in him, it gets explored in later stories. Kazunari, love of my life, is a college student who is very cheery and happy-go-lucky and super extroverted. And it's an act. He runs the company website. Kumon is also a Year 2 character, so I don't know much about him, but he seems a sweetheart. Idolises his brother (Juza from Autumn). Summer troupe could NOT work together at first. Yuki and Tenma were at eachother's throats all the time. They still are, but less maliciously now. Their story follows them learning to work together, and bounce off eachother, and overcoming their insecurities.

Autumn troupe are my faves. Their leader is Banri, and the "second" guy is Juza. (Now, I forgot to mention, but in Year 1 the main two leads were the leader and "second" guy, which is to say the two whose relationships were the most fucked and needed the most work - in spring this was Sakuya and Masumi, and in Summer it was Tenma and Yuki). I cannot explain one without the other. Juza looks like a delinquent, he's scary, he does get into fights,,,, but mostly in self-defence as beating his ass is seen as a status symbol and he doesn't wanna fight. He wants to act, but he's really bad at it. Banri wants to kick his ass so fucking bad he trails him to the auditions, auditions with him and then decides he'll kick his ass at acting if he can't fight him with fists. Banri is a prodigy, he's good at every fucking thing. I can't say anything on Taichi so as to not spoil. Autumn is a bit dramatic. There's a rival company that we find out about in this season. He needs a hug, though, poor thing could never get an acting gig despite wanting to act so bad. Now, remember when I mentioned the yakuza? Sakyo is the guy they owe money to. He is now working on their finances. Scary old man. Azami is a year 2 character, I haven't finished reading Autumn, so I know nothing, but he's Sakyo's boss' (yes) kid, i hear. And their make-up artist. Omi is the mother hen, but he had a dramatic past as a biker before changing his ways. Malewife central, I love him so much. Autumn's deal was coming to terms with their pasts, accepting themselves and for some it was also about personal growth.

Winter's got the SocietyTM themes. The main two are Tsumugi and Tasuku. Tasuku is an athlete!! A fitness nut!!!!! He used to act for the rival company. Tsumugi is the leader, who works as a tutor :] and loves flower language. They are childhood friends, also. Homare is a poet who is vvvvvvv autistic-coded, he has low (or no?) empathy and can't read people. He talks about feeling like an alien or robot often, but it's not treated as something that needs fixing, even though he's sad about it. Hisoka is the Sleepy CharacterTM who also has amnesia. I will have to tell you more about him in story: the details, tho it will have spoilers. Azuma is the elegant, mature adult TM TM TM TM and he is so.... i can't even describe him. Ethereal. He is looked down upon for his job. I can't remember if saying what it is was a spoiler or not, I think he hid it tho. And about Guy, the newcomer, i know NOTHING. He is also from Citronia (and why Citron's truth is revealed in year 2 winter), but I don't know anything about it. I don't know how to describe what Winter was about. Interpersonal relationships and having understanding for one another. There was a time loop.

And then a bit more on the details of the story!!! Listen.

Listen.

You start playing A3! and, sure, it's a bit out there with the yakuza and the debt and acting parrot. But it's not that unrealistic. It's just goofy. Spring has a normal story, it's two high schoolers with absent family, a college kid, a salaryman/gamer and a foreign guy who speaks with a thick accent unless he's acting. It's goofy, but it's down-to-earth. They fight and can't figure out how to act normally bc half of them don't care and they all have terrible chemistry. One of them sleeps on the stage. They have an impromptu sleepover. They bond. It's so cute and it works and their play was a success and now they have people wanting to join!!

Summer troupe is also very normal, very goofy. A TV star (high schooler) getting called a hammy hack-actor and a loser by a middle schooler, a guy who loves shoujo manga so bad, a college kid who's always hitting on every girl he sees and a guy who collects triangles and also has been living in the dorms without anybody knowing for years. Weird on the triangle guy, but sure. They fight, they go camping, they bare themselves to eachother, they figure out how to work together. The play is a success, more people want to join!!

Autumn!!! A buncha bad boys with bad pasts, some with bad presents. Banri and Juza get handcuffed together. They have to be roomies. Juza snores so fucking loudly.

- SPOILER -

They get betrayed by one of their own?!?!?! But he regrets it and he feels so bad because he realised this company cares more about him than the one that sent him. He doesn't wanna go back. And they accept him

- SPOILER END -

And they write essays about their pasts and learn to see eachother as people and they bond and their play is a success and more people want to join <3

And then Winter. I don't remember much of it. Tsumugi and Tasuku have a tense relationship because they were friends, but Tsumugi gave up on acting. In order to fix this, the universe sticks them in a time loop that only they are aware of, until they talk it the fuck out. Homare wishes he could read people's emotions better so he finds an emotions loupe. It lets him read people's minds and it helps solve a very huge dilemma in the troupe's interpersonal conflicts. He then promptly puts it away and ends hoping he'll one day be able to read people without it, too. I think there's also something about a secret locked room but~~~ i forgot that. Anyway. This is the one where they go against their ultra-powerful rival company. And the play is a success, and the company is saved from bankrupcy!!!!! By just a bit. They're on a zero. Sakyo is still cinching their belts.

And then it gets extra fucked up. Hisoka's amnesia. Is connected to Chikage in year 2. Now this is straight up SPOILERS for this and the paragraph below so feel free to skip this, but it's like. Wahooo funny actors lovely. And then there's the assassin subplot. Chikage and Hisoka were in the same assassin group. Hisoka was presumed dead. Chikage, I think, was there to finish the job. He kidnaps Izumi at some point and threatens her life.

DESPITE IT ALL. A3! the found family ICON. Accept him as one of their own and tell him he, too, has a place in their company, he, too, can find a better life. Just because the usual improvement was "My family is negligent" to "Now my friends are my family" or "i'm gonna kick your ass" to "oh this acting shit kinda goes hard", doesn't mean his can't be "i will literally kill everyone because i am an assassin" to "oh, okay, acting"

Anyway, I love A3!. Yaycupcake has translations for the main story to Act 12 (so, three years) as well as event, side, and conversation stories. The animation in the anime is eh, but it's worth watching. There's a cute manga. They have a strip where Izumi has to work at a girls' company for a bit and Muku's shoujo-inspired thoughts are "omg what if she gets swept off her feet by a masculine knight girl and they fall in love <3333" and absolutely ruins Masumi's life (who thought his ""relationship"" with her will be safe because there are no men there)

[lsmu]

14 Days of Winter - Day 10: A Present

KIM HAJOON'S JOURNAL ENTRY TUE, DEC 22ND, 2020. 10.05 PM GMT The Savoy. Junior Suite. My Room

It's our last day of quarantine! This will be the last time I'm writing to you inside this room. I mean... The Savoy is nice, not to mention the Junior Suite, but staying cooped up for 10 days in the same room is still horrible, even inside The Savoy's Junior Suite.

So here I am, inside my room. Minjeong had just wished me a good night and went inside her room. We need to pack our stuff today. I need to pack my stuff. Shit. I know I need to do it, but... I gotta tell you everything that happened today first.

Today was a HAPPY DAY for multiple reasons. Number one, knowing that tomorrow I'll finally breathe fresh air again is something to be happy about. There were also a series of events that made this day ABSOLUTELY ICONIC (I'll tell you in detail in just a bit), but...

It didn't start as a happy one.

For one, Minjeong wasn't in the best of moods when I met her this morning. I could understand: Her friends were leaving London today, and she had completely missed the chance to record in her dream studio. I'd be as devastated if I was her, and she was indeed devastated.

The usually cheerful and bubbly Minjeong was quiet and sullen today. She didn't talk much during our breakfast and lunch, and only smiled kindly when I tried to make jokes. After a few failed attempts to make her laugh and bring back her cheerful self, I gave up and excused myself to my room to study.

But, Journal-nim... I am not Kim Hajoon if I didn't think of something to cheer her up.

After all, come on... I don't think I can live even one day without seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, watching her cute attitude. I can't, Journal-nim. She'd hooked me, and I am not willing to let her go.

So... Instead of studying (forget it, Journal-nim. I'll still have plenty of time to finish my thesis after the quarantine is over), I wracked my brain, trying to find a way to cheer her up again. I had to do something, anything. I long to see that cute smile again.

Guess what I ended up doing!

...

Can you guess?

...

That's right! (Or wrong... I don't know what your answer was, kekeke) I drew her!

I didn't just draw one picture of her.

I drew A LOT of pictures of her!

Alright... I didn't draw her like I did a few days ago when I had her posing for me in real time. I don't have a photo of her yet (Maybe I should take a selfie with her, or use my polaroid cam?)... So what could I do? I drew her from memory.

Of course it wasn't a realistic drawing (I couldn't, not without her posing for me or a photo of her). I decided to draw cartoon illustrations of her, cute chibi versions of her.

I decided to recall everything that had happened these past ten days. Whatever I remembered, I drew that...

I remember I saw her looking agitated in the airport... So I drew that. I saw her shouting at the hotel staff and on the phone to her manager when she reached here... So I drew that. She talked on her phone a lot with her three friends: Karina, Giselle, and Ningning... So I drew that. She loved tea and lapsang souchong... So I drew that.

(Here's a reminder to bring her to the Twining's Shop at The Strand tomorrow if she has the time).

We played a lot of board games together... So I drew that. The way she called me for lunch or dinner every day... So I drew that. Her... Sexy... Dance... I didn't draw it like that, but... I drew her dancing. The way she sang that beautiful song yesterday... So I drew that.

And finally...

The way she slept so peacefully last night... I drew that.

In total, I ended up drawing 9 illustrations of her. That, added to the one portrait I drew for her a few days ago, meant that I had drawn 10 illustrations of her. Fitting, don't you think? One illustration for each day of the quarantine.

And so...

Around 3.45 pm today, fifteen minutes before the scheduled tea time cart arrived, I left my room. Minjeong was in her room, probably crying or listening to some sad songs, but I wasn't out there to find her.

I went straight to the kitchen and brewed a bag of Lapsang Souchong for her. This time, though, I decided to be a little creative: I let the steaming hot smokey tea rest for a while to cool down. I opened the fridge and took out an orange from today's breakfast and sliced it. I took one slice and ground the peel to make orange zest. Finally, I put ice cubes into a tall glass, poured the cooled lapsang souchong, added some orange zest as garnish, and placed it nicely on a tray on the dining table.

I then rushed back to my room and rolled the nine pieces of paper nicely, before tying them up with a blue ribbon I found in one of my stationary cases. I went out, set it up nicely next to the smokey iced tea I just made, and glanced at my watch. Anytime now...

Ding Dong!

Right at 4, the doorbell rang, and a hotel staff brought us our tea time meal. I let the staff set the crumpets, tea, and biscuits on the table, thanked him, closed the door, and walked over to Minjeong's room.

Journal-nim... Somehow I felt my heart thumping.

"Minjeong-ah... Tea time?" I offered.

I waited a few seconds before hearing her reply.

"Yes... Coming," she replied, her voice sounding weak.

She went out, still looking paler than usual, weaker than usual. She walked over to the dining table and sat down, and I sat in front of her. I stared at her and smiled, and she met my gaze, before smiling weakly.

"I look like a mess, don't I, Hyung?" she asked with a soft chuckle. I nodded. "Totally. I miss the cheerful Minjeong," I said, somehow feeling emboldened.

Minjeong chuckled again and sighed.

"I'm sorry... I just needed time to calm down..." she uttered. I nodded and smiled. "Of course. I understand..." I said, sincerely.

Minjeong smiled at me appreciatively, then she turned her attention to the table.

Come on, Minjeong... Notice it.

She did.

Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she saw the unusual tall glass.

"That's... Strange? They don't usually serve iced tea for tea time, right? Is it because it's our last day here?" she asked. I shrugged. "Maybe..." I decided to play along.

Minjeong took the tall glass, then she realized.

"Eh? Why is there only one iced tea?" she asked.

I wanted to reply, but she understood immediately. What a smart girl!

"Hyung... You..." she asked slowly as she looked at me.

I grinned sheepishly and nodded.

"Yeah... Thought it might cheer you up..." I uttered.

Minjeong blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, then she giggled.

YES! That was it! That was the giggle I had been missing almost the entire day!

"Gomawo, Hyung..." she uttered with a smile. I nodded. "Try it!" I said, before adding, "Please don't kill me if it tastes bad..."

Minjeong giggled again, before putting the straw in her tiny mouth and sipping it. As soon as the cold tea entered her mouth, her eyes widened and she let out a cute squeal.

"Mmmm! Lapsang Souchong! It's so good!" she exclaimed.

I didn't know if she was telling the truth, but at least she appreciated my attempt. I laughed and placed a hand on my chest, signaling my thanks to her.

"I'm honoured," I said. She laughed...

And she placed her hand on top of mine.

And my heart stopped beating.

I stared at her, and she stared back. She smiled so beautifully.

My gosh, Journal-nim...

"Gomawo, Hyung... Thank you for caring for me so much," she said, and I noticed the sincerity in her words. "A–Ah... W–Well, that's the least I could do..." I stuttered.

I was blushing. I knew I was. My face was definitely as red as the Queen's Guards' uniform. My heart was punching my chest.

Minjeong's smile grew wider as she sipped her tea until her glass was empty. She sighed satisfactorily and smacked her lips, all the while still keeping her hand grasping mine. I chuckled. I couldn't help it. She was just so cute.

"Do you like it?" I decided to ask her. Minjeong nodded rapidly. "I love it!" she said, then she grabbed the empty glass and pushed it towards me.

She looked up and met my gaze, and I could see the mischief behind her eyes.

"Make me more!" she ordered jokingly.

I laughed out loud.

And finally, Journal-nim...

She laughed too.

It was heavenly. It was like listening to the laughter of an angel. It was so full of joy, so full of life. At that moment, I promised myself never to let that laughter and smile fade from her face.

... No. Not just that...

I want to be the reason for her laughter and smile.

Thus, we enjoyed the tea time together, our last tea time in quarantine. This time around, we talked and joked like we used to these past few days, and I was grateful for that.

Minjeong eyed the scroll on the table a few times curiously, but–maybe–out of respect, she didn't ask what it was. She must have assumed that it was my work, and didn't want to be nosy. But... It was really for her, so after we finished the last of our tea time cookies, I tapped the scroll with my finger. She took the hint.

"What is that, Hyung? Is that your work?" she asked finally. I chuckled. "Yes. It's my work." I said, then I stared at her, "Do you wanna see it?"

Not suspecting anything, Minjeong nodded and smiled.

"Must be amazing!" she said excitedly. I smiled and pushed the scroll towards her. "Open it!" I said. Her eyes lit up. "May I?" she asked. I nodded confidently.

Minjeong took the scroll, pulled the blue ribbon, and unraveled the scroll. She initially smiled when she saw the drawing, but a second later, her smile disappeared as she realized what it was.

She stared at the drawing silently, studying the facial features of the character that was on the paper. She took the next page, then the next, and the next... And I knew she recognized those pictures. She recognized the activities depicted in those pictures.

As she moved page by page, I saw her eyes starting to glisten. Her tiny lips curved up higher and higher, forming the most adorable smile anyone could ever have. Chuckles and scoffs left her mouth as she saw the cute drawings, but I saw tears starting to flood her eyes.

I smiled as I watched her admire the drawings in silence. I had no doubt. I knew for sure. I was in love. I had fallen in love with this girl. I met her by chance, I knew her by mistake, but now... Ten days later, I knew she was the one. There was no other one.

Minjeong looked up, her eyes teary. She set down the pictures on the table, and reached to grab my hand again. I squeezed hers and smiled.

"It's... Think of it as your early birthday present from me... It's next Friday, right?" I said, trying so hard to sound cool.

A laugh escaped her mouth, but tears were streaming from her cheeks.

Then, Journal-nim...

Without warning...

Just like yesterday...

She lunged forward and hugged me.

She was crying again today, as she did yesterday, but today was different. She didn't cry out of sadness.

It was tears of joy.

"Hyung... Thank you so much... I love it..." she whispered.

I chuckled and hugged back.

"I'm glad you like it, Minjeong..." I said. She hugged me tighter. "Thank you... Thank you. I'm not sad anymore. Thank you, Hyung... Thank you for cheering me up..." she whispered.

I chuckled again, because I didn't know what to do other than that. Minjeong pulled back, and smiled at me from ear to ear. She wiped her tears, and suddenly giggled.

"Ya... Now I feel bad, though! I have to give you something for your... Late birthday present!" she exclaimed.

I laughed. How could anyone be so adorable?

Suddenly, a crazy thought crossed my mind.

It was indeed crazy. And... Was it too daring to ask her this?

Trick question again. Journal-nim, I am Kim Hajoon! Doing things that are too daring is what I do the best! So... I chuckled and stared at her.

"You know... There is one thing that you can give me..." I said. Her eyes lit up. "What is it? Do they have it here in London? If they do, I'll buy it for you straightaway after we come out of this damn room tomorrow!" she exclaimed with urgency.

I laughed and shook her head.

"No. You can't buy it," I said. She looked confused. "Oh? Then... What is it that you want?" she asked me.

I smiled.

And yes... My heart was literally punching my chest.

"I... If I may..." I said slowly. Minjeong searched my eyes. "What is it, Hyung?" she asked me, squeezing my hands a little tighter. "If I may..."

...

"Can you..."

...

Shit my heart is beating so fast as I write this!

...

"C–Can... Can you call me something other than 'Hyung'?" I asked her, stuttering a little. "Oh? What do you want me to call you, then? Back to 'Hajoon-ssi'?" she asked.

I chuckled. Should I tell her?

"Well... Not that... I mean..."

Minjeong stared at me with her beautiful eyes. For a split second, I thought I offended her, but the next instant, a wide smile formed on her face. The smile turned into a giggle, and the giggle turned into a laughter.

She understood. I knew she understood.

"Kidding... I know what you mean..." she whispered through her laugh.

Then...

This is the reason why this day was such a happy day for me.

In fact...

TODAY WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!

...

Because

...

Because after saying those words, Minjeong leaned forward...

...

And she kissed my cheek.

...

It wasn't a peck, Journal-nim.

It was a kiss. A warm, slow, and loving kiss.

...

And when I was still stunned, when I felt heat rushing to my face, when I was still unable to say anything out of the sheer electricity I felt surging from my left cheek through my entire body, she sat back down and stared at me with a huge smile...

Then she said it...

She said it really cutely. She said it with a bright smile. She said it while staring at me. She said it while holding my hands.

...

She finally said it consciously.

"Hajoon-Oppa~"

[mysticdragon3md3]

Stayed up all night and practically wrote several essays, trying to convince myself to not/buy KH3 Nendo Kairi. Sorry, Kairi. Maybe if you weren't $62. Maybe if you were KH2 version. But as it is, spending that much, after also preordering other things, including a more expensive Nendo Aqua,...I just can't spend that much on a KH3 Nendo Kairi without feeling guilty. Sorry, completionism. But $62 is too high.

12:23 AM 6/22/2021

Yknow what?

If I had the choice between only having money for a 2nd Nendo Joker or a 2nd Nendo England, I'd choose Joker in a heartbeat. So what am I trying so hard to decide here? Do not preorder Hetalia World Stars version Nendo UK! Even though he's blond, you haven't had need of that. And if you really needed him blond in a photo, you could Photoshop him! but let's be serious, people want to see authentic Nendos in photoshoots, and his non-blond hair will mark him as authentic. So you don't get called a bootleg buyer! But what do you care what others think? You care that Nendo England looks like the England from your nostalgia...and for that, you need blond. And I can do that through Photoshop. Because seriously, you've barely used or looked at your current Nendo UK, you haven't been compelled/obsessed with more USUK photoshoots, you haven't even been playing with Nendos US UK much. YOU WOULD NOT EVEN _NOTICE_ IF YOU HAD 2 NENDO UK. You only need one. Your Nendo US doesn't even have sandy blond hair like your anime nostalgia! So what does it matter if UK is off-color!?! ...It matters because you have a chance to get proper-color UK hair. But I don't want to spend all this money. When I first saw this figure announcement for Hetalia World Stars version Nendo UK, my immediate thought was that I don't feel the need to have 2 Nendo UK. I already barely play with the one I have. It wasn't until I realized this 2nd edition Nendo UK has blond hair, that I started thinking I had to have it. But if that's the only reason, then I don't really need to. I don't actually have such an intense need to have it. I've barely had an intense need (anymore) to have my current Nendo UK. So I definitely don't need a 2nd one. And if saving my money on this, will allow me to get possibly a better Nendoroid later, well then, this is an opportunity to revisit that "lost battle" where I wasted money on Bayonetta, 2B, etc---*This* time, I could win that "battle". And then maybe in the future, there'll be a 2nd Joker Nendo or Nendos for Claude and Dimitri! *o* In any case, so many figures end up in the Available Now section, that blond Nendo UK will probably end up there. Or, if you're worried to not have a blond UK ready if GSC later releases a properly sandy-blond Nendo US, then I'm sure if they ever announced a 2nd Nendo Amerrica, then they'd re-release the Nendo UKs. This is not even your last chance, you might have extra money to afford a 2nd Nendo UK in the future, but for sure you know, you don't have the money to waste on a 2nd Nendo UK _right now_. So don't. Save your money for that hypothetical 2nd Nendo Joker in his school uniform, or Nendo Dimitri and Claude, or whatever gets announced from the Nendoroid Select '21 survey results. Remember, that still needs to get announced. So, no on preordering Hetalia World Stars version Nendoroid UK.

As for Kairi...Let's be honest (again). I haven't been obsessed with Kingdom Hearts in years. And even when I was, Kairi was barely in them. I don't have that much of an attachment to Kairi. Even though Oathkeeper is my favorite Keyblade because it came from Kairi, sometimes I fear that emotional impact was more the effectiveness of that plot point in that moment of the first game, more than a reflection of my attachment to Kairi. I have attachments to Riku and Sora. When their Nendoroids were announced, I preordered ALL of them right away. Even though I didn't really like KH2 Sora's outfit. Even though it pained my wallet to buy 3 pairs of the same characters, back to back. Even after all these years, those 2 were the characters I was sure of feeling attachment towards. I can't keep judging whether to buy Kairi's KH3 Nendo, based on possible attachments I might feel towards Kairi in KH3. Because I've had that game for months and I still haven't even opened the case yet! O~o! That should be my strongest indicator of my attachments towards Kairi and willingness to buy Nendos for her, especially KH3 Nendos of her. Admit it: Your KH nostalgia is all wrapped up with KH2, Birth by Sleep, and earlier. I shouldn't be making $62 purchase decisions for Kairi, based on KH3---a game that I'm apparently no longer interested in enough to play immediately. Not getting KH3 Kairi's Nendo feels bad as a completionist and as someone who has real life personal attachments to sibling-like groups of 3 friends. But I knew when she was announced that I still preferred her KH2 look, because I've just always liked long(er) hair. And I love her dress in KH2. Yes, I have to gamble on GSC eventually announcing a KH2 Nendo Kairi, and then when I get her, all my "groups of 3 friends" figure photoshoots will be limited to Sora, Riku, and Kairi's KH2 depictions...even though I don't really like KH2 Sora's look...But am I even that compelled to take photos of Sora/Riku/Kairi in the first place? I barely take pics of my current, KH1 Sora/Riku Nendos right now. But if KH3 is my last Kingdom Hearts game (even if my status is still to "eventually" play it), wouldn't I want Sora/Riku/Kairi's last depiction in my memories to be what I own as Nendoroids? I mean, it would be the perfect end-cap image to the series for me. And Square said that KH3 is the end of the Xehanort Saga or something. It's the end cap. ---There I go, basing a Nendoroid purchase on a game I haven't even played yet, while I ALSO already know I prefer Kairi's KH2 look. Y'know what? What if they do eventually release a KH2 Kairi, a KH1 Kairi, even Terra and Ven as Nendoroids? They'll definitely choose some previous Nendos to re-release alongside them! And if they release another version of Kairi, then guess what? The re-release will be KH3 Kairi. And maybe by then, I'll have the money for this. Or at least, the results for the Nendoroids Select '21 survey would have been released by then, and then I can know whether my money can go towards a character I want more, or towards a KH3 Kairi re-release. I mean, it'd be different if Kairi played a bigger role in KH3, and though I've been staying away from most spoilers, I did hear that she got sidelined AGAIN. And sure, it seems she might be the protagonist of the upcoming rhythm game, but I may not get that. I'm stopping at KH3, remember? So if she's getting sidelined in KH3 again and in the rhythm game, she's like asleep or something, reminiscing, just being used as the overall story's framing device,...then that doesn't sound like a lot of screentime for me to get attached to her. I mean, when I was younger, I thought Kairi did a lot in KH2, but I didn't cry when she reunited with Sora, I cried when Sora and Riku reunited. (I don't even ship those babies! LOL) ---I feel really bad writing all this to convince myself that I don't like Kairi enough to spend $62 on her. It's not like I hate her. I don't even *dislike* her! I LIKE her!!!! It's just...I've been retroactively organizing my Nendoroid

inventory lately, and I've been seeing all the money I've wasted on figures that I only bought out of completionism, that made me cringe inside at the pain this would cause my wallet, because I didn't love the character enough to jump and thrash in my chair with excitement, when I saw their figure announcements and "DAMN THE COST!"... If KH3 Kairi Nendo can't make me feel that way, then I shouldn't be buying her.

There's a perfect counter example in this month's preorder interests!!! I wasn't expecting Pop Up Parade Kikyo! I don't even like static scale figures! I like articulated figures! And chibi too! Pop Up Parade isn't either of those things! And I haven't been a fan of Inuyasha in years! I haven't been obsessing over anything Rumiko Takahashi in years! But when I saw Kikyo's Pop Up Parade announced, I knew I had to buy her. I jumped up and thrashed in my chair. I gasped. I uttered "ohmygawd" over and over like I was losing my mind. Even now, I occasionally browse her announcement pics, just to admire my waifu some more. That's how ALL my figure preorders should make me feel.

And I don't feel that way about KH3 Nendo Kairi.

And I don't feel that way about Hetalia World Stars version Nendo UK/England.

I kind of want to be suspicious if Nendo Aqua makes me feel that way, but what's there to be suspicious about? I'm too attached to her. The majority of my favorite cosplay memories are attached through her. On top of that, her character design is so pretty! She qualifies as what I call in my figure collecting, a "beauty piece", a figure whose design or sculpt is so pretty, that whether I even know the character/series is negligible for me to enjoy owning that figure. Aqua's got that AND she's endeared herself to me. Plus, she's a nice character. I got invested in her BBS story, her 0.2 story, and curiosity about her in KH3 is a big part of why I never concede that I'll someday play that game. I like Aqua. And her character design is pretty. I shouldn't feel guilty about preordering her Nendoroid this month. Even if a future hypothetical Ky Kiske Nendoroid gets announced in the possible future, I would gladly spend money on both Aqua and Ky. I'd make my budget work.

So, sounds like I'm preordering:

Pop Up Parade Kikyo

Nendoroid Aqua

and that's it.

1:37 AM 6/22/2021

Y'know the funny thing is that I feel like if GSC did announce a KH2 Kairi, I'd want KH3 Kairi too. ...She is pretty cute... Damn it. This wouldn't be such a problem if she wasn't $62!!!!!

Looking back through my Nendoroid Inventory, most of my 2017 Nendoroids were under $40! That's because the currency exchange rate was to our advantage. Because the US$ was stronger vs the yen back then, we got everything pretty much at least $5 off! But now we buy from GSC Shop US, and their prices don't account for currency exchange rate changes. (But can I justify switching back to preordering from GSC's international shop, when they have $20 shipping vs GSC US's $3/figure shipping, and we're still in a pandemic so I should limit my purchases to as local as possible? I feel like especially in the pandemic, I have to stick to the GSC US shop.) A 4000yen Nendo isn't $35.30 like it was for me in 2017. Now a 4000yen Nendo is probably like $40 at GSC Shop US. Hold on...Browsing through the GSC international online shop...Even the simple Nendos, like this Nendoroid Steven A Starphase, just a guy in a suit, is already 6930yen! These Bofuri Nendo preorders right now? BOTH ARE 6600YEN EACH!!! In 2017, I got the freaking special edition harvest moon Kagamine Len and Rin Nendoroids for $35.30 each!. I thought that maybe Square was charging GSC extra licensing fees since they would prefer to make money off their own figure lines (Play Arts Kai, Bring Arts, Play Arts Mini, etc.). But it seems like Nendoroids are just more expensive in 2021. O______________O!!!!!!!!!!!! In 2017/2018, even the freaking Madoka Magica maiko version Nendoroids were only $42.36, $43.99, $39.71! And those had so many tiny printed floral details! And accessories! O~o! Same for my detailed Touken Ranbu and KanColle Nendoroids back then! O_O!?!?!???????!!!??????????? Nendoroids are just going to be more expense now. Wow.

I guess the important thing is that if I buy Nendo Kairi, that when it comes time to unbox her, I don't get that sickly unboxing feeling in my stomach, where I can't believe I spent money on this. Like, Kiso is cool, but I don't know her and I'm certainly not obsessed with her. I shouldn't have bought her, especially for over $50. Same with the Akizuki sisters. Probably same with Shoukaku, though she seemed nice in the anime. And certainly the lack of attachment applies to my Nendoroid Iowa. More than half my Touken Ranbu Nendoroids, I bought without really knowing their characters. Half of them, I bought just to prove to Good Smile Company, the demand for male figures. Soon after those first few TouRabu toudans, GSC announced their Orange Rouge line: "Good Smile Company and Max Factory's brand dedicated to male character figures and goods." And yeah, I'm super sentimental enough that even though I didn't really know these characters, now that they're in my collection, they're MINE, they're my precious little tsukumogami babies, whom I wouldn't trade away, no matter how much my finances complain. Plus, I have so much anxiety, that selling/trading is too much stress for me. If my reluctant and failed attempts to sell the lesser parts of my manga collection at swap meets have proven, is that even if I wasn't obsessed with the thing I collected, and even if I have an easy opportunity to get rid of them, WHILE making money in doing so,...I still just can't do it. That's why I threw away all my Nendoroids' packaging plastics when I ran out of storage room for them. I knew I was too chicken and too sentimental to ever sell any of my Nendoroids. Even the ones that gave me that sickly unboxing feeling in my stomach, thinking about the $50+ money I wasted.

---Even when I could have instead been spending it on Nendoroids of characters I actually love! What if a school uniform Nendo Joker gets announced? Or a Nendoroid Claude and Dimitri? What about Nendoroids for Ky, Sol, Lady, Lelouch, Rukia, etc.??? Sure, I can squeeze things into my budget right now. But if that time comes later, when I'll want a Nendo schoolboy Joker or a Nendo Rukia, and I don't have the money for them, will a Nendoroid KH3 Kairi have been worth it? I mean, I already prefer her KH2 look over her KH3 look. Why do I have to care if I don't have a matching Kairi to my Sora/Riku Nendos in my figure photos? Why do I have to be so completionist about this? People will understand that not everyone can afford matching Nendoroids. Hell, my Nendo America and Nendo England don't match! One is from Hetalia World Stars! The other is from Hetlaia The World Twinkle! No one cares! What's important is that I have the 2 characters from my ship in the same pic or the same shelf! No one cares if they match! If I prefer KH2 Kairi, then I should hold-out for her and then take goddamn pictures of her with KH3 Sora/Riku if I want! Hell, I prefer KH2 Riku's look too! I'll just swap out Sora and take pics of KH2 Riku with KH2 Kairi, and KH3 Sora! ...That is, if GSC eventually makes a KH2 Nendo Kairi.

omg I'm going in circles again. I need a snack break.

8:15 AM 6/22/2021

I'm too tired now to remember all the thoughts I wrote about and thought through. x~x;

8:43 AM 6/22/2021

If I skipped KH3 Nendoroid Kairi, would I even miss her? I mean, before, I was so hung up on my Nendo UK not being blond, but now I realize that I barely even think about that, nor even often think of that Nendoroid itself, very often. Hardly ever, actually. Will it be similar with Kairi? I mean,I don't look at my KH1 Sora/Riku Nendo and lament about how I don't have a KH1 Kairi Nendo to go with them. I actually don't really like Kairi's KH1 look. I guess I only really like her KH2 look. So why not hold out for KH2 Kairi Nendoroid possibly being announced in the future? But what if they never make a Nendo Kairi besides this KH3 Kairi, and I miss out on this one and only Kairi, while holding out for a Nendo of KH2Kairi? I hate gambling. But if I skipped KH3 Nendo Kairi now, would I even miss her?.......... She's $62 and I should save my money.

10:12 AM 6/22/2021

I think you should buy figures that you feel good about spending $62 on. Figures that you don't feel guilty about buying. If Nendoroid KH3 Kairi makes you feel guilty, like $62 is not worth it or too much, then don't buy her. Wait for a KH2 Nendo Kairi that will make you feel good to spend on.

But I feel so bad to pass her up! Ugh! This is so hard! ;o;

10:30 AM 6/22/2021

Funny the clarity you can have while brushing and flossing your teeth. If I feel bad spending $62 on Nendo KH3 Kairi, then she must not mean that much to me. She's not worth $62 to me.

I remember when I first saw her announced at WonHobby and I felt safe from needing to buy her. I even commented on GSC's Twitter, that my suddenly finding her cute, threatened my original security and certainty in knowing I didn't feel compelled to buy her.

Remember:

1) Don't buy based on predicted attachments to a character in a game you haven't played yet. I haven't played KH3 yet.

2) If Kairi changes my mind after I play KH3, then she'll probably get a re-release later anyway.

3) When you first saw KH3 Nendo Kairi, your first thought wasn't that I needed her. It was that I felt secure that I didn't need her.

4) You don't have money to spare for a Nendo you're unsure about liking to the worth of $62. Because you didn't expect a Pop Up Parade Kikyo nor her unexpected costs, even if it is relatively cheap. And you still need enough money for a $65 Nendo Aqua. You don't have enough money for any half-certain, hesitating likes towards KH3 Kairi Nendoroid.

5) Other people are skipping KH3 Nendo Kairi even though they also want to buy her.

(https://twitter.com/guttural/status/1406709434592735237) "I want her, but I'm so broke and already ordered the Axel and Roxas Nendos ;_;"

10:38 AM 6/22/2021

I'm going to tell Kuya, I don't need Nendo KH3 Kairi. And then I'm going to forget I was even considering buying her. KH2 and KH3 Sora/Riku Nendoroids are going to come in, and I won't even miss her. Just like I do now, with my KH1 Sora/Riku Nendoroids. And I will wait for a KH2 Nendo Kairi. And when she does get announced, I'll preorder her without regret, because I prefer that character design.

2:33 AM 6/28/2021

I really wanted to get Swacchao Nendoroid Hinata. I was originally just going to get the Swacchao parts since I already have the full Nendoroid Hinata Shoyo. I didn't need a seated Hinata, but as a completionist and Hinata fan, I thought I SHOULD get Swacchao Hinata, or at least the seated Swacchao parts.

But then I had this idea that when I return to an office job, it'd be so nice to have Nendoroid Swacchao Hinata at my desk with me. I had had ideas before about bringing a Nendoroid or 2 to my next office job. I even bought Nendoroid Aoba Suzukaze for that reason. (She's an "office lady" and her accessories include dialogue bubbles of her shouting about doing her best. I thought it'd be really encouraging to have at work.) But I was worried about leaving an actual Nendoroid at my desk, overnight. Would I pack up my desk's Nendoroid(s) each night before I clocked out? Impractical. Should I only use Nendoroids of characters I don't care too much about, to decorate my office desk? But if it's not a character I love, then how is their presence encouraging? And being encouragaing is the entire point of desk decor at a soul-killing job. But then here are these Nendoroid Swacchao Hinata Shoyo announcements! Less than $30! I could have a character I love, from an explicitly encouraging series, and being essentially a dupliate of a Nendoroid I already have, I shouldn't worry too much about him getting stolen from any desk of mine.

But I just can't justify buying a duplicate of a character I already have. I was already cutting out Kageyama and Yuuji from my preorder candidates. I'm in the middle of cataloging my Nendoroid inventory and fully realizing how much money I've wasted on Nendoroids of characters I didn't know, barely knew, liked but didn't love, duplicates of characters I already had, etc. It had to stop. So no Swacchao Kageyama for me. And if we're being honest about my terrible spending, then I really shouldn't be getting either type of Swacchao Hinata either. No more duplicates of characters. ;_; No matter how much I want them. ;_____;

[sun-summoning]

HIIIIII. Can you do a papasuke fic or sth? I saw a chibi drawing of papasuke and sarada bean (from blanket-fictions) and it's soooo cute I can't help it. I LOVE YOU AND YOUR WRITINGS. YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! HEARTHEARTHEART

before he leaves, sasuke gives sarada an envelope of photos from the better parts of his past. he tells her to open it, to look at them, and sarada fingers the yellowed flap tentatively. he thinks, amused, that she’s moving a little too cautiously for its contents and hopes she won’t be that disappointed when she sees what he’s collected.

“i am not a sentimental man,” he says, “but i have, admittedly, saved some memories from over the years.” she pauses to listen to him but he nods back at the envelope. “i’d like you to have them.”

“why?”

he just smiles and shakes his head and tells her to open it. with her beside him, he hears her breath hitch at the first photo.

it’s not hard to tell that this is sasuke’s family – their family. sarada’s holds the photo between her fingertips, careful not to damage it in any way, but she can’t help but trace the lines of her father’s family with curiosity guiding her movements.

she doesn’t ask questions even though he can see them whirring in her eyes. perhaps she’s heard enough whispered and formed enough suspicions. or perhaps she’s just respectful of what she knows, logically, has to still be a painful topic for him. nevertheless, she keeps her mouth shut and moves on to the next photo.

this one makes her laugh.

“i’ve seen this one before,” she tells him, holding up the old photo of team seven. sasuke looks at his childish face and the disdain built by arrogance stretching across it. “you were probably such a brat.”

“perhaps.” sasuke pauses. “although your mother was too. and so was naruto.”

“ha!”

the next photo is also with his same genin teammates, although this time much older. naruto has his arm around sasuke’s neck and sakura has her own around sasuke’s side. he looks terribly disgruntled in this photo naruto deigned to print out for him. he’d given it to him that one time he met up with them back when sasuke and sakura were travelling together. the three of them are seated in a dingy looking booth with a shameful number of empty glasses in front of them.

“it’s so weird to see you guys like this,” sarada mumbles with amazement.

“like what?”

she grins.”i don’t know? young and silly? you, the hokage, my gosh, mom – you guys are just so cool and so strong that seeing you do normal things like just hang out is kind of, well, strange.”

“your mother and i do normal things all the time.”

it doesn’t skip his notice that there’s a clear lack of photos from his teenage years, and he wonders if sarada is aware of that too. or well, he thinks with irritation, there is the one photo he had with team taka for whatever reason – logistics, he thinks karin reasoned – but those were days he had no real fondness he felt he needed to record. if sarada notices this, she doesn’t say anything, and for that he is grateful. discussing that period of his life will come with questions he won’t know how to answer, and he’s thankful that he has more time to think about what to say.

“this is me!” she says with such wonder. she holds up the photo sasuke used to look at regularly, wondering what she looked like at seven, nine, eleven, wondering what she liked to eat or what she liked to play. it’s the same photo sakura has in the living room of sarada near their backyard garden. “i didn’t know you had this.”

sasuke rolls his eyes. “as if i’d have a photo of naruto but not some of my own daughter.”

sarada laughs and is pleased to see a few more pictures of herself, one as a baby, one in sakura’s arms, and one with her asleep on sasuke’s chest. when she flips to the next photo, she expects to see another portrait of herself, but finds something else entirely.

“is this…”

she sounds so shocked and sasuke sees the disbelief in her eyes. she holds this photo so carefully, so fearful of bending it or damaging it or losing it in anyway. it’s the only photo they have from their wedding day, something sasuke selfishly decided would belong to him.

beside sarada, he takes in the image of sakura in her white kimono. she smiles softly, a muted expression considering how vibrant she is at all times, but he can see the joy brimming in her eyes. moreover, he remembers that day vividly, the way she held him and looked at him and how suddenly he just felt whole.

“our wedding day,” sasuke confirms.

“i didn’t…” sarada is positively mesmerized by the image. “i didn’t realize you had any photos like this.”

sasuke shrugs. “just this one,” he admits, taking it from her. “it was your mother’s but…” he shrugs again and he smiles wryly. “i suppose this was one indulgence i allowed myself.”

“did you steal it?”

“of course not. she knew i took it.”

“that’s even worse!”

he laughs a little and looks back at the photo fondly. “she insisted it stay with me.”

“but why not me?” 

her voice waivers with her question, as if it occurs to her that everything could have been solved, could have been clearer, had she seen this photo days ago. 

“because i’m selfish,” sasuke says slowly, regretfully, but not entirely sorry. “and foolish. but i’ve learned my lesson and now this is yours.”

when he first left, it was something he liked to look back on as a reminder of why he was gone. all of the photos were. in his darker moments, his angrier moments, the times sasuke allowed himself to be resentful, sasuke liked to look at these pictures, at sakura and sarada and all the other people that mattered, and remind himself that he was making this sacrifice to ensure their safety. 

he returns the photo to sarada, laying it on top of the others. 

“thank you,” she tells him, gripping these relics to her chest. she smiles at him, her eyes damp and yet giddy. “this is–these are–they–” she glances back at the photo of her parents on one of their happiest days. “this is everything. thank you, papa.”

she wraps her arms around him, hugging tightly, and sasuke rests his arm around her shoulders. he holds his daughter and he smiles, considering the one photo that he didn’t give her, his own copy of the family portrait they’d taken just yesterday. that one, he decides, is his.