#ch: midori

[maxiemcsoda]

[ch 3 survivors au]

guilt

[coredrill]

EVANGELION: 3.0(-46h)

[loonarmuunar]

3-1 except Midori is just this little freaky Thang

[offbeat-manga-ships]

MIKANSEI LOVERS ( 未完成ラヴァーズ )

Incomplete Lovers / Murasaki Midori

Complete, with 14 chapters / 3 volumes

F/M; Shoujo, Comedy, Romance + ag, ag: ym x of, younger m, older f, taller f x shorter m, tf x sm reversed by ending

SUMMARY: Kotono, a third-year high school student, is an ordinary high school girl who dreams of falling in love with an older guy. However, one day, after mediating a fight between two kids, 12-year-old Nao falls in love at first sight with her. Nao keeps asking her to go out with him and Kotono ignores him, but she is also attracted to the manly side he sometimes shows.

MAL score: 7.09 AL mean score: 65% MU average: 8.2

PERSONAL SCORE: undecided*

*currently unfinished

[pureconancommentary]

Rude, you can't just say that, Megure. I mean, he's called out on it by the manager, too, but damn. 'I heard you were crying because of a man, was it because he dumped you?' They were in a band together, and even if Megure doesn't know Tatsuya was going solo, there's a lot that could go on to make her emotional because just. Was he your ex? Leave it at 'did something happen between you'. Man has zero thought put before his words during this case. (But at least he never thought Conan was in the way, so. A small plus.)

[bourgeoning]

"they refuse to see the whole scene before them—only that which angers them." not always one to bluster, suzume allows her voice to carry. when a straggler from the audience glares in her direction, she barely hides the roll of her eyes, directed at her latest foe and midori's cheekiness in equal measure, "careful, cousin. so much false humility will only make you lose face." the corners of her lips quiver upward for but a fraction of a second, undetectable with the blink of an eye. it's the metaphorical sort of face she speaks of, that which is one's own and yet is others' simultaneously. a fixation of the advisor's for as long as she can remember, "we must flush them out first, be certain about our quarry. some of the council is too eager for bloodsport as it is." and legitimizing the rebels' cause is the last thing japan needs. her expression hardens.

@bourgeoning | Suzume and Midori, At Plaza Mayor after the Play

"That could have gone better." She's been half-in, half-out of aristocracy her whole life. Midori knows both sides of the coin enough to see it in their eyes; disgust, refusal, even anger. Lest she spark Kaito's nightmares with her talk - she turns to Suzume, instead. Calm, untethered, gloriously pragmatic. She's the foil to Midori's madness. The smarts to her muscle. Who else would she turn to, in these uncertain times?

"I'm sure you're privy to the council's constant talk? What do you think? Should we use our time in Spain to weed out the last of the rebel forces?" Japan was victorious, and some may say victory is good enough reason to leave well enough alone. And yet... "I'll do what's needed, of course. But you are wiser," pausing, she cheekily adds; "And prettier - so I trust your judgement best."

[thesilliestrovingalive]

Updated: March 12, 2025

Headcanons/fun facts for the Iron Eclipse cast vol. 3

What does the Iron Eclipse cast smell like?

Marco: Cigar smoke, citrus cologne, and hyacinth

Tarma: Creosote, gunpowder, and freshly cut spring grass

Eri: Blood, ash, and ambergris

Fio: Bulgarian rose, fresh basil, and raspberry

Trevor: Garlic and cannabis

Nadia: Cotton candy and white chocolate

Ralf: Root beer, blueberries, and sage

Clark: Sundew, caramel, and raw fish

Tequila: Coconut, cooked agave, and mountain air

Gimlet: Lime, pineapple juice, and burnt plastic

Red Eye: Sweet-smelling herbs, boiled potato, and chrysanthemum

General Morden: Orris root, maple syrup, and whiskey

Allen O’Neil: Sweat and woodsy cologne

Doctor Amadeus: Night-blooming jasmine, bergamot orange, and cinnamon

Ptolemaios: Buttery corn and palo santo

Rootmars: Rotting flesh and old books

Invader King: Vomit and Mediterranean breeze

Walter: Cheap aftershave, roasting meat, and passionfruit

Tyra: Stargazer lily, mangoes, and pomegranate

Hyakutaro: Desert sand and pumpkin spice

Allen Jr.: Watermelon and buttercream

Pupipi: Acorns and dragon’s blood

Rumi: Butternut squash and cherry blossoms

Madoka: Banana smoothie and blooming apple tree

Sophia: Edelweiss and cappuccino

Margaret: Narcissus and honey

Leona: Ume, moonflower, and beechwood smoke

Heidern: Sandalwood, oakmoss, and yuzu

Alisa Stewart: Lemon myrtle and saltwater

Nathalie Neo: Rooibos and lingonberry

Roberto Nicola: Heated leather, quince, and oud

Avatar of Evil: Indole, absinthe, and star anise

Sol Dae Rokker: Dimethyl sulfide, baked earth, and grapefruit

President Marx: Musty newspaper and champagne

Midori: Huckleberries and sawdust

Nayutaro: Wasabi and juniper

Issenmantaro: Turpentine and matcha

Nanahyakumantaro: Cinnamon sugar and isopropyl mercaptan

Happyakumantaro: Monsoon rain, hibiscus, and guava

Abul Abbas: Orange blossoms and gahwa

Hilde Garn: Cherry blossoms, wood smoke, and beeswax

Macba: Earthy peat and fish guts

Wired: Cordite and frangipani

Pocke: Roasting walnuts and galangal

Oghma: Gingerbread, rosewater, and antiseptic

Zoilo: Ocean spray and copal

Anastasia: Freshly baked bread and oregano

Wysteria: Bitter almond and lavender

Dilovar: Chamomile, peaches, and dry earth

Sagan: Strawberries, grilled sausage, and line-dried laundry

Logan: Clean bedsheets, burning coal, and petrichor

Celaphios: Frankincense and peanut butter

Torquil: Diesel and smoked haddock

Guilherme: Freshly turned soil and warm milk

Ferdinand: Apple tarts and grape juice

Mikuláš: Petrol and the aroma of slow-roasted pork

Gyeong-Hui: Rotten pears and ginseng

Thandolwethu: Sorghum and sour maize

Harvie: Salwater taffy and wet wool

Amilcare: Olive oil and limoncello

Ekaterini: Old stone and fresh figs

Souma: Ramen broth and Japanese cypress

Juozapas: Smoked fish and forest berries

Priyanka: Agarwood and mishti doi

Yohanes: Durian fruit and spicy sambal

Zdravko: Phyllo dough and thyme

Dezső: The smell of thermal baths and plum jam

What is the best cheese for the Iron Eclipse cast?

Marco: Colby cheese

Tarma: Sakura cheese

Fio: Stracchino

Trevor: Paneer

Nadia: Gruyère

Ralf: Cheddar cheese

Clark: Halloumi

Tequila: Paraguay

Gimlet: Y Fenni

Red Eye: Doesn’t have a favourite cheese (as Ruoxi), chura kampo (as Shufen), and danablu (as Liddy)

General Morden: Pikauba

Allen O’Neil: Pepper Jack cheese

Doctor Amadeus: Roquefort

Ptolemaios: Requeijão

Rootmars, Invader King, Pupipi, Avatar of Evil, Sol Dae Rokker, and Pocke: They don’t have a favourite cheese

Walter: Feta

Tyra: Lighvan

Hyakutaro: Circassian cheese

Allen Jr.: Provel cheese

Sophia: Brie

Margaret: Cottage cheese

Leona: Olomoucké tvarůžky

Heidern: Milbenkäse

Alisa Stewart: Muenster cheese

Nathalie Neo: Hushållsost

Roberto Nicola: Nabulsi

President Marx: Port wine cheese

Midori: Cream cheese

Nayutaro: Kalari

Issenmantaro: Oka

Nanahyakumantaro: Soy cheese

Happyakumantaro: Smoked cheese

Abul Abbas: Labneh

Hilde Garn: Vurda

Macba: Cheese curds

Wired: Colby-Jack cheese

Oghma: Fried Camembert cheese

Zoilo: Canastra

Anastasia: Myzithra

Wysteria: Leipäjuusto

Dilovar: Bryndza

Sagan: Niehimer

Logan: Harzer

Celaphios: Brunost

Torquil: Red Hawk

Guilherme: Añejo cheese

Ferdinand: Bergkäse

Mikuláš: Hermelín

Gyeong-Hui: Emmental

Thandolwethu: Amasi

Harvie: Ricotta

Amilcare: Montasio

Ekaterini: Kefalograviera

Souma: Takesumi

Juozapas: Džiugas

Priyanka: Chenna

Yohanes: Dangke

Zdravko: Urda

Dezső: Trappista

What are the favourite sleeping positions of the Iron Eclipse cast?

Marco, Allen Jr., Nanahyakumantaro, and Celaphios: Sleeping on their left side

Tarma, Alisa, Happyakumantaro, Oghma, Wysteria, and Juozapas: Starfish

Eri, Leona, General Morden, and Souma: Freefaller

Fio, Ptolemaios, Sophia, Hyakutaro, and Mikuláš: Thinker

Trevor, Doctor Amadeus, and Ferdinand: Yearner

Nadia, Logan, Nayutaro, and Wired: Sleeping on their right side

Ralf, Madoka, Zoilo, Harvie, and Priyanka: Skydiver

Clark, Nathalie, Guilherme, Gyeong-Hui, and Amilcare: Log

Tequila, Allen O’Neil, Heidern, Anastasia, and Yohanes: Soldier

Gimlet, Walter, Abul Abbas, and Dezső: Fetal position

Red Eye: Yearner (as Ruoxi), starfish (as Shufen), and freefaller (as Liddy)

Tyra, Issenmantaro, and Torquil: Sleeping on their stomach

Pupipi and Pocke: Their leg tentacles are tucked in and their faces are buried in a pillow or blanket

Rumi, Margaret, Roberto, Midori, Hilde Garn, Sagan, and Thandolwethu: Pillow hugger

President Marx, Macba, Dilovar, and Ekaterini: Stargazer

What nicknames does Nadia give to the other characters?

Marco: Markie

Tarma: Tarms

Eri: Rie

Fio: Fifi

Trevor: Trevie

Ralf: Ralfy

Clark: Clarko

Tequila: Tequi

Gimlet: Gimbo

Red Eye: Ruo-Ruo (for Ruoxi), Shufie (for Shufen), and Lids (for Liddy)

General Morden: Mordy

Allen O’Neil: Allie

Doctor Amadeus: Amideo

Ptolemaios: Tolmai

Rootmars: Rootie

Invader King, Pupipi, Sophia, Avatar of Evil, Sol Dae Rokker, Gyeong-Hui, Amilcare, and Dezső: She has no unique nicknames for them

Walter: Walty

Tyra: Rara

Hyakutaro: Hyaro

Allen Jr.: Alsy

Rumi: Ruru

Madoka: Doka

Margaret: Margie

Leona: Leoni

Heidern: Heidy

Alisa Stewart: Lisu

Nathalie Neo: Natty

Roberto Nicola: Robby

President Marx: Marxy

Midori: Dori

MS-Alice: Acy

Nayutaro: Yuta

Issenmantaro: Senma

Nanahyakumantaro: Nahya

Happyakumantaro: Pyaku

Abul Abbas: Bulu

Hilde Garn: Hildy

Macba: Maba

Wired: Wirey

Pocke: Poks

Oghma: Guma

Zoilo: Zoi-Zoi

Anastasia: Anastasy

Wysteria: Wystie

Dilovar: Dilo

Sagan: Sagie

Logan: Loggie

Celaphios: Celapi

Torquil: Tork

Ferdinand: Ferdie

Mikuláš: Mikul

Thandolwethu: Lwethu

Harvie: Harvs

Ekaterini: Eka

Souma: Soumie

Juozapas: Juozi

Priyanka: Priyu

Yohanes: Yohan

Zdravko: Zdra

[thecrowperson]

Kaidou manga panels I like: (pt 478)

Everyone's Here: feat. (ughhhhhh) ... Saiki, Nendou, Teruhashi, Riki Jr Mark 2, Anpu, Kuboyasu, Yumehara, Mera, Hairo, Aiura, Toritsuka, Akechi, Suzumiya, Satou, Takahashi, Saiko, Warp, Yuuta, Chouno, Kurumi, Kuniharu, Kuusuke, Makoto, Rifuta, Michael, Shiragami, Kumagoro, Kumi, Sora, Kaidou's mom, Toki, Midori, Takeuchi, Kongou, Shima, Matsuzaki, Iguchi, and Zolbe

From: vol 26 ch 273

I'm most certainly gonna run out of tag room so I'll have to downsize a lot...

[squicky-fannish-discourse]

Gauntlet - Ch. 5

Initially I was going to write this story around the bladebreakers starting their own thing, but now I think Dark Mystel may shake things up?

Anyways for my Rei-focused chapter.

✧.*

START HERE

Main directory

<< Chapter 4

>> Chapter 6

✧.*

Mystel—later that evening—in the BEGA training facility was staring at his attack ring with some kind of odd interest. He then spotted Rei and Garland walking in.

Rei stood there awkwardly in the middle of the room, while Mystel turned to him with a smile.

”So, I paid your team a visit today,” he said. “It was quite interesting.” 

"Oh?" Garland asked. "How was it?"

"Let's just say their new teammate is very interesting," Mystel said. "I wasn't particularly interested your liittle team, but things have changed."

Rei stared at him.

"If you weren't interested, why did you visit them?" Rei pointed out.

Mystel said nothing. He turned to Rei with a grin.

”I believe they got you a replacement,” he said. “I must say, she’s quite skilled. I was just trying to finish the match fast enough, so I could get them to talk—but she…” He held up his beyblade which was in pieces. “Interesting girl.” 

Rei blinked. Garland tilted his head.

"If she got you... she must be a skilled blader then?"

"No," he said with a laugh. "I may have let my guard down."

"Then why is she interesting," Rei said. "You tend to say weird things, but right now, you're saying contradictory things."

"Is that so?" Mystel asked. "Am I truly turning insane?"

Rei didn't reply as he evaluated him.

"Did I sign a, ah, devil's contract with BEGA after all?" Mystel said.

"No you didn't," Garland said immediately.

"Of course not," Mystel said, sounding somewhat hollow, yet grinning all the same. "In this story, there are those who fight against the raging tide, those who are swallowed by the tide, and then there are those who command the tide. Which are you Rei?"

Rei didn't reply again.

He laughed. Garland stared at him.

"So I found out—from a little snooping around—that her name is Tachibana Hiromi. She’s also performing for Swan lake for the local arts centre.” 

“Oh.” 

“Do you want to see your replacement?” he asked him, as he tossed Rei the flyer. “The nice lady at the arts center gave me a sheet.” 

And then—

“I do wonder,” Mystel said. “If she’s the one responsible for bringing them together.” 

Rei looked up at Mystel.

“Pay her a visit then. She may help you make up your mind. Whether you are truly unwanted or not.” 

✧.*

Hiromi bugged Kai to come to the local community arts centre for for the production of Swan lake they were putting out. They were choreo’ed by a professional dancer. 

She said they’d be doing Swanlake. He’s quite annoying. She’s going to be the main character. He said no. 

He’s soooo annoying, she huffed. But it’s fine. One day he’ll show up! 

Quite a few people from the local community showed up for the production, mostly old people, who clapped happily, and they enjoyed what the teens put out under the instruction. People who’ve never been to a ballet production. 

There is a moment, when she looks out into the audience, sensing someone watching her. Which is a strange thing—because everyone is watching her, she thinks. This is the main act. Her eyes shift over to the balcony. 

Hiromi continues the performance with a bright smile, giving no indication she senses something off.

And after the production, everyone finally exits the change room and heads to the lobby. The guys in the production want to go eat ramen.

“We always go for ramen,” Midori said. “Can we think of something else?”

“It was a great job everyone!” Minami-san told all of them, as they all cheered and clapped for her as she walked in with a bright smile. 

“Thank you for all your hard work!” 

She tells them she’ll see them next week. “We’re taking a break this week because of all your hard work.” 

And the kids bid her goodbye, before going back to argue over what to eat. They head out together, deciding on the way, “Maybe hot udon!” one girl said. “I know a place!!” 

Hiromi wanted to go home and pack a few more parts so she could take them to the post-office tomorrow morning. Feels like someone rammed a truck into her though. If she practices really hard, she can soon audition for a company when she graduates.

“Umm,” Hiromi said. “Sorry guys. I’ll have to go back home. Because I’m really tired.” 

“Hahah, with that beyblading league you’re trying to make?” 

“Yes!” she said. “We’re trying to figure it all out! Please come and watch us!"

“If you need help with lighting or anything,” one of the girls tells her. “I could help behind the scenes if you like.” 

"Really?!"

“So this is what you’re all doing?” 

She freezes as she spins around. Is she losing her edge? Usually she knows if someone is behind her…

She freezes as she sees Kon Rei with Garland standing there. Rei stares her down, as he has his hands shoved in his pockets. 

“Excuse me?” she asked slowly in confusion. 

“Your production was amazing,” Garland tells them.

“Oh, thank you,” one of the girls say. “Um—Hiromi-chan, do you know these guys?”

"What are you talking about?" someone says. "Aren't they from BEGA league?"

"Oh?! Wait, I know them now!"

"World renowned bladers!!"

"Hiromi, you really know these guys?!"

Rei walks forward and he pins Hiromi with a look.  

“Are you my replacement in the team then?” Rei asks. “And the G-Revs are really getting together?” 

“Who told you that?” Hiromi asked in confusion.

“Mystel,” Garland said.

“And you believed him?” Hiromi asked with a laugh.

"Well, what are we supposed to believe?" Garland asked in confusion.

“Hirom?! Are you going to play with the Bladebreakers?” one of the girls asked her.

“Whoa!!”  

“No,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not your replacement for any team. And yes, we’re working on a beyblading league of our own. You’re both of course welcome to join. If not, I’m sorry, but you’ve chosen your path, yes?” 

“Not yet,” Garland said. “We’re giving him the opportunity to choose.” 

“The choice between,” Hiromi said, as she walked out into the light of the park. “A bejeweled cage or freedom?” she asked.

“Bejeweled cage?” Garland asked. “Is that what the bladebreakers think this is?” 

“Yes, quite frankly,” Hiromi said. “Tell me then, do you really believe in BEGA?”

“Yes,” Garland said. “Why not?” 

“So it’s only achieving the top position in the world?”

”What else do you need?” 

“Your matches will be rigged. Because let’s say—a certain player is more popular. You’ll just have to go with public opinion and let them win. If they introduce a betting system. Is this truly fun? There's so much pressure. And also you've made it more of a show than anything. Inevitably, you'd have to sacrifice creativity with beyblade parts to create this coorporation that bends to the whims of money!"

"Wow," one of the girls said. "Wow! That was so well said!"

"It's the way beyblading ought to be," Garland said in annoyance.

Rei stared between them.

“I’m afraid then you and I have two very different ideas of what true beyblading looks like,” Hiromi said.

“Mystel put it like you’re the one influencing the bladebreakers. But we looked into you, and we find you haven’t entered a single league competition,” Garland said. “Why do you think you’d have sway over everyone else like you have been part of a league?” 

“Hahah,” she said. “That may be true. But I am first and foremost a street blader. What gives you the right determine the future of beyblading parts and the street blading community, when say, you have people who build blades for you in BEGA?" she said, as she took a step forward towards him. He blinked.

"We're professionals," Garland said. "I rely and respect a professional. Not myself. What are you getting at?"

He stared at her.

"Put together your beyblade painstakingly, and tried to find alternative parts, understanding the ins and outs of it, and spent hours on it, thinking about all the possible outcomes of your build. Do you think deeply about weight and balance?"

“So it’s about the beybalding parts? We should probably meet in the middle. Why would you go through all this trouble.”

“No, no,” she said with a laugh. “It’s not about the parts. Beyblading should have the freedom and creativity to grow. I don’t think BEGA will let bladers grow, and it seems to be a unanimous decision.” 

“I’m sure we can come to table about this,” he said.

Rei and the others just kept shifting their heads back and forth between Garland and Hiromi. Some of them mouth open.

“Why is BEGA so afraid of a competition?” Hiromi asked as she reached into her tote, pulling out her beyblade and her launcher. 

“We’re not afraid of competition,” he said. “We don’t want—well, I don’t personally want to be some kind of schism in the beyblading world.” 

“So it’s true,” Hiromi said with a laugh. “Getting the Bladebreakers on your side, means everyone agrees with your sham?"

"There is clearly a lack of understanding on your part on what BEGA would bring to the beyblading world."

"But I do have Takao, Kai and Max on my side," Hiromi replied with a grin. "And they don't agree with you."

Garland stared at her.

“Max hasn’t bladed in months,” Hiromi said. “He said he resonates with our frustration.” 

Garland stared at her. 

“Takao said he’d give up beyblading forever,” she said with a grin. “If it came down to it.” 

They stared at her. 

She grinned.

"Kai doesn't wish to beyblade anymore if he has to beyblade for Boris and join that bejeweled cage. You know as well as I do, that they are well regarded, and that's why you want them to join. Can you blame him or the Demolition boys? Did you put aside your morals and honor for this?"

Everyone was watching with bathed breath.

Garland narrowed his eyes.

He huffed a laugh. Hiromi smiled. She loved a good intellectual debate!

"You're quite stubborn. And you book a good argument," he said.

"So are you! Let’s beyblade?” she asked then. “And let’s see who’s resolve is stronger. Both of yours or both of mine.”

They both looked on in shock. That’s when she heard a swish of cloth, and Kai stood there beside them.

“What are you doing picking fights when you can’t even stand?” Kai asked her. He gave her a look.

“What are you doing here?” she asked with a laugh. “Did you come for my show after all?” 

He gave her a surly look which made her laugh, as he walked over and he pulled out Suzaku.

“Kai?” Rei asked. 

“She’s right,” Kai said. “Beyblade me Rei, If I lose—you join BEGA. If I win, you don’t sign that contract.” 

Hiromi broke into a smile.

Garland blinked.

“Because then I can be at ease with your decision to join that bejeweled cage,” Kai said.

Hiromi smiled wider.

Garland narrowed his eyes.

“Fine,” he said. “I honor this match. We do not want weak bladers in BEGA.” 

Rei held out Byakko as he glared at Kai. 

“Let’s go.”  

They both released their beyblades at the same time, as Hiromi fell back with the other girls and one of the boys reached over.

“You know Kai Hiwatari?” 

“He’s m’childhood friend,” she said with a smile.

“Who’s gunna win?” 

“I have my bets on Kai,” the other boy said. 

“We oughta be cheering for Kai after what Hiromi’s said, you idiot!” one of the girls said as she bonked his head. 

Hiromi grinned. 

“Man!! We gotta record this!!” 

“Rei and Kai!!” 

“I’m going to be a contrarian!” 

Suzaku and Byakko tore up the ground, as she watched the match intently. Kai’s really really determined. 

“Whatever!!” that boy said. “Let the best blader win!!” 

Hiromi watched Byakko and Suzaku fight, sparks of fire through the cloud of dirt, as both bit-beasts were warring with each other. There was a myriad of lights and sounds in the inky night sky, like stars.  

There’s a brief moment in the battle, when Rei’s eyes shone as he looked at Suzaku’s approaching flames, as they all exclaimed. And then Byakko shot off with speed. Hiromi widened her eyes. There he goes!! That move!! Gattling Claw!

Kai barely dodged gattling claw, as streaks of electricity expanded through the area.

“Get back,” Kai called out. 

So they all skittered back. But Hiromi really really wanted to watch Rei beyblade up close. 

"Hiromi get back here!" They yanked her back.

“LET’S GOOO!” They were cheering and screaming happily.

But Rei was grinning, as Byakko and Suzaku were taking each other down. But, Rei’s moves were getting less decisive, and some of the ballet dancers—who’d been drilled in this—noted it. “I think he’s struggling.”

“I think he’s struggling with being decisive,” Hiromi said as she took a seat on the bench, nursing her ankles. 

“Oh, is that right?” 

“I think that means… Kai will win?” 

“I’m sure he has a lot of doubts and fears,” HIromi said. “But I’m sure Rei will come to make stronger decisions when he manages to overcome those, he’ll probably make better decisions, yeah?” 

“Mhmm!”  

“Wow, that’s deep!” 

“Hehehe.”

Kai on the other hand was staring at Rei’s face, as he was contemplative. Rei then looked up, as he stood his ground. 

Kai smiled. 

Rei then grinned. 

“BYAKKO—GO!!” he yelled.

The attacks increased in intensity. Hiromi leaned forward, as Suzaku was being hit repeatedly, as Kai stood firm. Hiromi huffed. There he goes damaging his beyblade. Rei’s attacks are no joke. But Rei was starting to tire. 

They circled around each other. 

Hiromi thought that Rei looked a combination of frustration, happy and excited all at once. 

And then—

“SUZAKU—FINISH HIM!!” 

And they heard a cry of a phoenix over them, as Suzaku and Byakko clashed, and—with a bright light. Hiromi closed her eyes. Kai sent Byakko back flying over Garland’s head. 

Garland looked back at Byakko in the dirt.

“Well?” Kai asked. 

Rei was staring at the ground.

Garland stared at Byakko. He glanced back Rei.

“So… you’ve made your decision?” 

Rei was panting, as his fingernails were digging into the dirt. Hiromi watched his expression intently through his bangs. Of all the Bladebreakers, because Suzumebachi and Byakko were so similar in their builds—she’d watch a lot of his matches. Some of them were great, when it’s going great.

It’s why she also knows how to counter Kai’s Suzaku so effectively these days, despite how strong Kai is. She built on Byakko's match strategies.

He’s staring at the dirt, emotions filling his eyes. 

“Your childhood friend, Rai, thinks that White Tigers should be represented in the BEGA league,” Garland said. “Are you going to give up fame and fortune for this? Is this your decision?” 

He dug his fingers into the dirt. He clenched his teeth. 

“How long is their beyblade competition sustainable for anyway?” Garland asked. “We have money and investors on our side.” 

”Is this what you lure people with? Fame? Fortunes? Is that all BEGA has?” 

He glared at her.

“You're unreasonable. We have very very strong vetted bladers.” 

“But don’t you see what we’ve proved with this match,” she said excitedly. “Strength will fail. Intellect will falter. Bravery will falter. All that’s left is resolve!” 

Garland narrowed his eyes at her silently. 

“It’s the same for you too, isn’t it?” she asked. “How long will your honor hold up in the face of BEGA? Where is your reason to beyblade? Or are you BEGA's spokesperson, content to believe you're the best?"

He didn’t reply. 

She pinned them with a strong gaze and smiled brightly and bravely.

“BEGA may be inevitable, but it is not forever.” 

Checkmate. 

He pursed up his lips. 

Rei took a deep breath.

He got to his feet, and he turned to Garland.

“I’ll stand with my team.” 

“Your team?” Garland asked. “The White Tigers?” he asked hopefully. 

“The Bladebreakers,” he said. 

Kai smiled. 

Garland stared at his back. Then he glanced at Hiromi who was smiling.

“Alright,” he said. “So be it. I wish to battle you all again.” 

“Sure,” Kai said plainly. 

“Alright,” Rei said. 

He stopped. “You,” he said. “When you’re fit to fight and we meet again,” he said. “I wish to challenge you.” 

“Challenge accepted,” she replied. Kai glanced at her. “But you’ll battle me on my terms,” she said with a grin. 

He stared at her.  

“In our tournament.” 

"Fine."

Garland held her gaze, then he turned back around. He headed into the dark. Rei stared after him. 

The group of kids behind them had wide smiles, while one of them was sobbing.

“I love this!!” 

They all started to clap, startling Rei and Kai, while Hiromi laughed.

“We should all go for a good meal now.” 

“I’m starving!” 

“Hiromi—let’s go!! You must be hungry after yapping!!!” 

“Wait, no!!” Hiromi said. “I gotta get going home and finish up some work! I’ll see you guys later!!” 

She waved bye at Kai, who glanced at Rei.

Rei watched them leave. 

“Did we help you make a decision?” Kai asked.

“Yeah,” Rei said with a tired grin. 

Kai smiled. 

“You’ll want to meet Takao,” he said. “Let’s go. They should still be up.” 

Kai glanced back at Hiromi chattering excitedly with her cast-mates, and she waved at him.

"Don't get back late," he called after her. "Or your dad will be upset."

She's too busy jabbering at her friends, and not listening as usual. So he sighed, while Rei gave them an amused look.

✧.*

The idiot got a cold, because she was out late with her cast-mates, "discussing what needs to be done for the league! Getting contacts," she says.

So Kai’s over to check on her to see if she’s not working. But she’s sealing packages of beyblades. 

“What are you doing out of bed?” 

“I’ve nearly finished,” she said. “How’s building the stadium? I got a camera and lighting guy for us.” 

“I’m eating very healthy food. Ask Mochi! How rude! He’s being rude, isn’t he Mochi?” 

He rolled his eyes. 

“Can you take these to the post office?” she asked, runny nose and all. “And also here’s the label. I’m sure I got them all correct—coz I double checked them and triple checked them.” 

“Bed.” 

“Yesss!” 

She crawled into bed. 

“Will you tell me a good night story?” 

He walked out.

“HE’S SOOO MEAN!” 

He pushed the door open, as Mochi climbed atop his shoulder. 

“Are you taking Mochi with you?” she called out.

“Yes,” he called out.

“Nooooooo!” she whined. "Traitor cat!"

He headed to Takao’s dojo with Mochi, and the pile of things that needed to be mailed out and put in envelopes. Mochi was on his shoulder, attracting attention.

“Who’s cat is that?” Max asked.

“Hiromi’s Grandfather's. He never listens to her.” 

“Did she—is she okay?” Max asked with a laugh. 

“The cat wakes her up, and she’ll never sleep. I caught her trying to do work."

"Oh no," Max said. "A workoholic!"  

“No,” he said. “Can we check these?” he asked. He held out the paper as him and Kyoujyu crawled over. “We need to make sure it’s in order.” 

“Did you give her the chicken rice congee?” Rei asked, as he was leaning against the wall. He and Takao are all roughed up—probably from the bey-battle they just had. He’d made it for her as a thanks. 

Mochi leapt off Kai’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” he said. “You didn’t need to cook for her. She’s sick because she’s an idiot. Let her suffer."

“Hahah,” Rei said. “Well, just a lil’ something to say thanks for helping me make a decision last night.” 

Kai said nothing as he’s trying to figure out her system. He looked at Kyoujyu for help.

"Just a sec, Kai!"

Rei watched them all, feeling somewhat content with his decision. Byakko was beside him, beaten up by Seiryuu, but it feels nice. 

Feels like he can breathe again, he thought as he closed his eyes, feeling the wind blow through the house. 

“He’s pretty,” Max said. “What breed?” 

“Siberian forest.” 

Mochi plodded towards Rei, who smiled at him. And as the day progressed, and they were busy trying to work through the orders, because Max added one or two wrong—Mochi curled up on Rei, nuzzling him, while Rei smiled happily.

“Hey hey, you’re an affectionate boy, aren’t you?” 

He scratched Mochi’s head, while he purred happily. 

“He kinda looks like you, Rei!” 

Rei grinned.

"I'm not done beating you up!" Takao said as he walked in. "AHH! Who got this cat in here?!"

✧.*

Main directory

<< Chapter 4

>> Chapter 6

[great-tusk]

Voting for Shin, I felt like the meme of the guy in tears holding out a gun. Like what will I do without an extra figure to antagonize me in Chapter 3 and treat me cruelly for choosing the kill that little girl route?

I’m on vacation. My dad brought me a laptop to use, and every game other than YTTD is gonna take hours to download, so I’m doing a new playthrough of that rn.

[sl0thonaga]

TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT FLOORMASTER KANNA PLEASEE ;;;;;;

THANK YOU FOR PULLING ME OUT OF THE GRAVE ASKER!!!

Floormaster Kanna:

• Custard Pudding+Matcha Icecream

• Bittersweet - Main Symbolism: "A Rotting Flower" 

• Vice Floormaster to Midori in CH.3, similar to how Safalin vices for Ranger

• more than 50% human, less than 50% doll

• doll parts created by Midori, with help from Safalin (Safalin preserves Kanna's human flowers+her body from the execution)

-timid, initially kind and is still familiar with the rest of the remaining participants 

"Everyone...please survive" 

-generally as kind as she was before, more generous than every other floormaster & tries to help Sara; this is only possible because Midori basically lets the child run loose and doesn't push a lot on her freedom except the floormaster's code 

-When she exerts a lot of her energy/gets super upset the canna flower around her left eye withers, her face gets a bit more cracked and the stems around her neck soon grow out more from her collar

-the explosion function on her collar has been deactivated because new shoots keep growing out from the seeds in her neck

-most of her memories retained, as well as most of her character/personality

-HOWEVER

-deliberately messed up by Midori to deprive Kanna of the one trait that made Kanna herself: forgiveness

-Gave her instead the thing Sou has that she doesn't: spite

-Because most of her memories are retained, she holds some spite against Kugie and most especially Shin for manipulating her

-from that spite, feels so frustrated to the point it makes her cry

-Upon meeting Shin in CH.3, Kanna feels contempt against him; Shin thinks it's for killing her but actually Kanna has no regrets about that, she just feels spite about everything else

"How could you do this to Kanna...!"

-the parallel of Shin being hated by the only one who he cared for and cared about him

-still has a liking to Sara, lowkey wants her to win

-HOWEVER

"Big sis Sara...are you going to betray me too?"

-Midori has Kanna call him "Big Bro Midori"

"He doesn't really treat Kanna like a toddler.."

-this upsets Sara (and severely upsets Shin)

-this floormaster kanna au is really just causing shin the most suffering 

-reads through the other volumes of the Shin Tsukimi AI Test Data from time to time in an effort to navigate her emotions

-her icecream cones are edible like safalin's hat 

-jk the mint chocolate is actually toothpaste

-Safalin feeds her fertiliser(???) in the form of matcha chocolates for her human canna flowers

-the vibe is the equivalent of a single mom giving her kid their daily vitagummies

-Kanna actually talks to the Shin AI normally (she sees Shin and Sou as somewhat 2 separate entities) and can often be seen in the overworld chatting with him in the security office

-Somewhat tries to avoid the real Shin, reverted to some of her old habits [hiding herself and running away] rather than confronting the problem; only expresses her contempt against Shin when she has to face him

-i imagine if she oversees the next main game she would break and panic and be unable to carry out her floormaster duties and executions

"I..Kanna...doesn't want anybody to die..! Kanna...can't...!"

-is willing to proceed with her own death as per the floormaster's code if it means protecting Sara and the others from being executed, this is where the self-sacrificial part of herself comes through

-i imagine Midori wouldn't let her [not out of pity, he just wants the main game to keep going], and by letting Kanna live instead of sacrificing herself Shin now owes him for saving her, really fked up

tbh i have much more but hoo...hoo boy

[izfaish]

finished vol. 8 of loser ranger much sooner than i thought KSJEHHD

manga spoilers for vol. 8 ch. 63-72

started writing this review midway through the volume bc i had SO MANY thoughts (and not enough space here for all my screenshots)

HISUI!!! i loved the focus on her. and how relatable her story (fake? memories? orz) is, of growing apart from a childhood friend and feeling detached from normalcy,,, oughfhfjf

i just loved this page and how the resets were conveyed. looking closely, yuu (magatia) does change his expressions slightly with each reset.

also, i like the imagery of smashing windows = smashing though the illusion

GOD THIS PANEL. that sentiment,,, such good imagery. invaders broke her home and now she helped break an invader's illusion...

THIS HAD ME CACKLING. LOOK - when i first learned of chidori's name i was like 'wait his name means green in japanese' (it does not - i was thinking of midori). SO I?? had my own detective's intuition,,,

i also loved this page. even more now that i know that hisui knows d's true identity as an invader. the side characters my beloved,,, i liked this arc a lot.

LMAO i love this type of humor so much. poking fun at tropes,,, i also loved seeing the cadets now rangers again. who is that mysterious new yellow recruit...

i love this page. d's conflicted feelings on murdering blue keeper and then his apprehension towards chidori, who should've been d's next target,,, 'he's right there' is what he's probably thinking. 'could he ever suspect me of being an invader?'

yet bit by bit, d is questioning his own goals the more he realizes that his idea of the human world isn't as black and white. an introspection that probably applies to readers too. like i could tell the rangers as an institution weren't perfect, but it's nice to, over time, revise my opinions on them as an insitution and as individuals.

HE'S GOOD? WITH KIDS?? just playful and nice moment, and the dramatic irony is also fun here.

GOD OK. i just,,, love the parallels being drawn here. how d finds his resolve again, or at least another foothold to stick to his reasons. that panel above is another case of like,,, d could so easily say those words, just replace 'invader' with 'human'.

and then we're hit with the revelation that urabe will be part of the squad that will basically occupy the invader fortress - d's family of sorts. it's SUCH a good callback and really makes you understand where both of them are coming from (particularly with the juxtapostion that urabe lives in a castle of his own...)

IT'S SO GOOD. keen for vol. 9!

[maradovan]

Ch 4

Hanna and Midori sliding across the floors is so silly I love them!!! We needed more maids content

[betz-threadform]

Please tell me about your MILGRAM fanfics!

oooh well . now that ive dropped the milgram wip$ let$ go through the fun lore of the exi$ting one$ woooo

there are apparently exactly twenty rn !

erm well . $tarting from the top what i can remember . the action in both a few in$tance$ of the per$onification of dream$ and claw hammer happen$ in a manor not becau$e i a$$ociate one with kayano$y$' childhood but becau$e it$ definitely top ten mo$t liminal $pace$ to vi$it out there ! con$idering what happen$ in both fic$ i$ a $ort of dream it fit$

the half of my fic$ for whumptober 23 were actually written in order by the number of the pri$oner , excluding the bunch of mikoto and john fic$ which were written randomly LOL

writing not the carefulle$t of girl$ wa$ literally the eye opener for my$elf to muurei . now im an enjoyer of all dynamic$ unhealthy but ive only really under$tood when trying to get in their mind$et my$elf . that one thought of rei$

i$ $till $tuck in my head . if i ever write a no murder aged up au thatll be my 13 rea$on$ why

rex wa$ actually written to be able to be perceived from the point of view of either mikoto or john depending on how you read it ^_^

claw hammer wa$ on god ( mikoto ) gonna be a moritat au . then i kept leaning off cour$e to the point you could only vaguely gue$$ the narrative$ were $omehow related . al$o i alway$ called mido ki$hi or ju$t green previou$ to the writing of thi$ fic but i couldnt find a ju$tification for why having the type of per$onality ch!midori doe$ hed name him$elf a knight . $o i didnt . and now he$ mido in my head too thi$ i$ fucked

the rea$on john$ name i$ edited out in and maybe halfway through i$ ( plot convenience ) implicitly becau$e of a $pecific couple character$ from the novel me$$ing with the data . but it never came up <4 their effort$ forever forgotten

i actually did at lea$t half of the googling for liriope before writing the $cene in claw hammer where mikoto meet$ kazui at the kiri$aki family grave . which al$o ha$ a few open hanakotoba reference$ . and then i had to go back and google More thing$ to fini$h liriope after . hateful world

i expected demonized/deified to be like half the length that it i$ . the one off where john $witche$ from " for god$ $ake " to " for mikoto$ $ake " i$ a reference to mikoto$ name being able to be written to mean " god "

al$o That wa$ an accident

[coolcattime]

I haven’t played chapter 3 with Shin alive yet, but did he take Sou’s name during the first two chapters because he sorta looked up to him in a sense? Like i know it’s implied in Kana’s route that Sou’s wasn’t the nicest, but Shin feared losing the game because he viewed himself as weak and Sou as the strong of the two? I’m trying to understand their relationship a bit more before I replay ch.3!

So, I also haven't seen the Shin Chapter 3 route, so I can't really answer this as absolute fact or with really all the information I want before answering, but I've been interpreting Shin as taking Sou’s name due to knowing the actions he’s going to need to do to survive are terrible and cruel and needing a way to distance in his mind what he’s going to do, and therefore picking a name of someone who would do these actions.

My opinion might be slightly coloured because I’ve been interpreting Sou/Midori as, well, an abuser. Like all the flashback light stuff, the way he treats all the characters throughout the chapter (though particularly Sara, and Maple) I really can’t describe him in any other way. The real Sou is a man that enjoys hurting people, and I genuinely believe that Shin was scared of him and decided to use his name because he needed to become a monster. In a way, I do think Shin sees himself as weak and Sou as having a form of strength he lacks, but I don’t think it’s in a healthy way.

I haven’t seen the two actually interact so I might be completely off, but that’s how I’ve been interpreting their relationship. Obviously Sou being abusive is going to make Shin’s feelings towards him complex especially if he hasn’t fully processed that fact yet, but I would want to see them actually interact before I try and analyse any of that.

[heca-tia]

Hero Show Summary

Ch 1 + 2

Shinobu goes to Anzu's classroom begging her for help with Ryuseitai. When they get to the classroom, Tetora is storming out and talking about how annoying Chiaki is. Shinobu agrees, but warns him to get dressed because it's been raining.

Chiaki is standing on Midori's shoulders, using him as a step stool to fix the electrical box on the ceiling. (He considers throwing Chiaki off, but that would kill him and going to jail would be too much of a pain.) Tetora apparently broke it, but Chiaki has the lights working again. He's been making Ryuseitai watch and reenact tokusatsu shows, and Tetora escaped in the middle of it.

Ch3

Tetora is outside in the rain, berating himself for being a coward and running away. Kanata is (obviously) also out in the rain, and decides he's going to splash around with Tetora. Kanata seems to be the only other member of Ryuseitai who enjoys it, and Tetora laments to him about how he originally wanted to join Akatsuki, but he didn't make it in. He wanted to join a "manly" unit to be a "man among men," and Ryuseitai seemed like the second best thing. He's confused and annoyed that Chiaki is always making them watch Tokusatsu shows and makes them all introduce themselves like they're in one. To him it seems like they're "playing heroes" and wasting time. He says he should probably start over and join a different unit to find a place where he belongs.

Kanata says he doesn't have many interests of his own, but he thinks that Tetora's dream to become a "man among men" and Chiaki 's dream to become a "hero" are similar. They're always struggling and using all of their powers to achieve their dreams. Tetora doesn't get it, and Kanata thinks they're both like-minded (stupid) and will make great friends.

Ch4

Tetora doesn't get why Kanata thinks he and Chiaki are similar, but knows that Chiaki isn't a bad guy. He'll go back and apologize to him, and try to get along better with him.

Shinobu runs over to Kanata and Tetora and tells that Chiaki collapsed. Shinobu thinks it's Tetora's fault, and throws a (rubber) shuriken at him. Apparently Chiaki has been wandering in the rain looking for Tetora, along with staying up late at night, and caught a cold.

Anzu and Midori are taking care of Chiaki in the infirmary, and despite Shinobu saying he was in critical condition, he seems fine and greets them. Midori let's them know that he's forcing himself to move despite how badly he's doing. He and Anzu had to hold Chiaki down to the bed with brute force, and he's not doing well. He has a high fever, and Tetora scolds him to stay down and rest before he gets himself killed.

Chiaki is frustrated that he let himself be taken down by a common cold when he's supposed to be an ally of justice, and reveals that he pulled three consecutive all-nighters. He passes out afterwards, and Tetora gets worried he actually died, but it was just the cold medicine that Midori forced him to take earlier taking effect.

With Chiaki asleep, Tetora wonders why he did all that in the first place. Ryuseitai has had a lot of free time recently, due to the rainy season. Any outdoor lives they would schedule would be cancelled due to rain, and the basketball club has been practicing less because they've been sharing the gym with the clubs that usually practice outside.

Ch 5

Chiaki wakes up somewhat delirious thinking he's been captured by an evil organization and literally jumps out of bed. Anzu hits him with a paper fan and tells him he's a patient and should be resting, which makes Chiaki remember that he collapsed from overworking. He's disappointed and assumes that his training wasn't enough, so he's going to beat his body into shape with heavy weight training. Anzu hits him again.

Chiaki slept through the whole day, and it's now Saturday morning. He's glad it isn't Sunday because then he would miss watching his tokusatsu shows, but since it's Saturday he doesn't mind staying in bed all day. Chiaki is happy that Anzu has been taking care of him since he passed out-- it's his dream to have a girlfriend to take care of him when he's sick, even if Anzu isn't actually his girlfriend. Although, it feels more like he's gone back to when he used to be a sickly kid, and it seems like he'll end up calling Anzu his mother instead.

Chiaki was getting discouraged having a cold, but having someone by his side cheers him up. As it turns out all of Ryuseitai have been taking shifts watching Chiaki while he was out cold. Chiaki is ashamed he made everyone worry, and doesn't think he's worthy of being the Captain.

Ryuseitai was supposed to have an outdoor live at an amusement park today, but it's probably been cancelled due to rain. The live was something Chiaki was really looking forward to, and he thinks it's wonderful that Ryuseitai can make children smile with their performances. Even though he should, he doesn't want to give up on the live just yet and asks Anzu if she can alter Ryuseitai's outfits to be waterproof. Apparently that was the reason he asked Shinobu to get Anzu in the first place.

Ch 6

Chiaki's plan was to set up a temporary stage in the park where the kids play, and have a tent for the audience while Ryuseitai performed in their waterproof suits. The rainy season gets depressing, so Chiaki was hoping they could lift everyone's spirits with their performance. Even if many people won't come if it's raining, if they can have at least one person in the audience and make them smile, then all the hard work will have been worth it. That's why Chiaki has been working so hard.

When asked why he didn't rely on Ryuseitai, Chiaki says its because the outdoor stage will be difficult. Performing in the rain will be tough when they can barely move and their voices will get drowned out in the rain, the audience would be small, someone could get hurt if they slipped, and they wouldn't get much pay. The only reason to take the job would be due to Chiaki's own desires, so he was doing it all by himself.

Anzu pinches his cheek and scolds him. He should have trusted Ryuseitai more instead of worrying about them; they need to rely on each other as a unit. Chiaki agrees, and acknowledges that Ryuseitai is very talented unit, but they all have trouble making them shine due to their own issues. Chiaki didn't want them to be faced with failure, so he took everything on by himself. He wanted to be a stepping stone for them, and regrets that he saw them as "people to protect" instead of his "comrades."

Chiaki is ashamed that he only realized that now, but Anzu tells him it's not too late.

Ep1

All of Ryuseitai are at the park for the performance, and thanks to a break in the rain, they have a bigger audience than expected. Ryuseitai the whole night trying to set up a temporary stage, and they're all exhausted; Kanata fell asleep while standing and Shinobu is on a high from staying up all night that he isn't as nervous as he usually is before a live (though he asks Tetora not to remind him of that fact.)

With Chiaki out sick, Tetora is the temporary captain of Ryuseitai. Shinobu set out a picture of Chiaki so it would be like he was there with them. Tetora, Shinobu, and Kanata pay their respects to it, and Midori tells them that he's pretty sure Chiaki isn't actually dead.

Tetora is more enthusiastic, and feels like he understand Chiaki more now that he's in the Captain role. Even though Ryuseitai isn't as cool as Akatsuki, they're there to make everyone smile, and he feels like anything is within reach when he's with Ryuseitai.

Because everything was so rushed, they didn't get the chance to make a lot of merch for their show, even though Anzu designed little mascots for them, and the stage is pretty shoddy. While they're all annoyed that Chiaki didn't ask them for help earlier, they're going to put on a performance to fulfil his dream.

Ep2

Ryuseitai begins doing their intros one by one, until it ends with Chiaki arriving, much to everyone's surprise. Chiaki decided he couldn't just sit by and sleep while the rest of Ryuseitai were fighting with all of their strength, despite the fact that he's still sick and stumbling around. Tetora remarks that there's no way he's fit to be a substitute for someone like Chiaki, but someday he'll be strong enough to be able to fight at the same level as him.

The rest of the unit welcomes him (in their own unique ways,) despite being worried about his health. Chiaki claims to be at full strength thanks to them, apologizes for making them worry, and promises to rely on them more. They finish off their intro in order to begin their performance.