#charmed at once miss yuzu....

[princessmacedon]

[ Trip ] - While they dance, the sender trips the receiver over. (Accidentally! Right?)

These heels...Yuzu is finally realizing what a burden they are to bear. Well, honestly she already felt that they were dragging her down while pacing the rest of the ballroom. But now, when she is already taking on the field of dancing, a prowess that is obscure to her training...heels only continue to decrease the efficiency of her motions.

Worst of all, her current troubles are starting to spread to others. The front of her white heel ends up poking a nearby dancer's orange dress.

"...! Hup!"

Yuzu gasps, spending little time stunned so she can rescue the same person she put in danger. She only needs one hand to grab onto the other before they fall - the "they" in question being a young woman with bright red hair.

"Forgive me for my utter carelessness," Yuzu hastily apologizes while pulling her back up. She already works on removing a teardrop crystal from her brooch with her second hand, the simplest sacrifice she can make for an apology.

Yuzu holds it on standby while the girl stabilizes. "Yuzu of Hoshido. That's my name. May I know yours, if you are not filled with ire."

What sudden and dizzying excitement the ball so suddenly takes on -- quite literally! In the middle of a dance, Maria feels a weight snare the edge of her dress, trapping it into stillness while the rest of her remains in motion. Forward ricochets into backward, and she begins to fall, the lights ever-present above swirling suddenly into the center of her vision.

And then they stay there, glittering brightly before her. How pretty it is, and something to do with the warmth of a hand at her shoulders, she suspects! Blinking once, twice, many times over, she slowly turns her head to the side with stars in her eyes.

"...oh, hello!" Constellations take their rest as she squeezes her eyes shut with breathless laughter, uncontained despite her best efforts. Light returns to the heavens and she, with the help of her mysterious new acquaintance, settles back on her feet. Fingers touch lightly to the back of her head until all the world is right again, glancing at the brooch in the other's hand.

"Yuzu," she repeats with a smile, dipping into a curtsy, "of Hoshido..." Laughter rings out again as she unpins her own brooch, accepting the one she has been offered and holding out her own in turn. "Hee hee... that was an exciting entrance!" The mirth in her voice suggests that she means it earnestly, if not the gentle way she presses the black feather into Yuzu's hand.

"My name is Maria of Macedon," the little princess continues, smiling. "And... it's very nice to meet you!"

[peppermintquartz]

Playroom!verse

Finn x Mustafa, T (nothing explicit)

*

They don't go on dates often with each other, so there is still a zingy undercurrent of anticipation and nerves when Finn comes over to the gym to pick Mustafa up.

"We're really doing the dinner thing?" Mustafa asks, grinning. He's just come out of the shower and blowing dry his hair.

Finn's in dark jeans and black boots, his black shirt left untucked. His blue eyes don't leave Mustafa's face and his red lips are curved in a small smile.

"You didn't allow me to court you when we first met, so I thought I'd show you what you missed out."

"You weren't trying to court me, you were gonna seduce me away from Joe and dump me," Mustafa points out with amused exasperation.

Finn's eyebrows twitch up in admission, but all he does is hand Mustafa his light gray shirt.

They go to Kings, which Mustafa is surprised to discover is a halal establishment.

"And we have a separate kosher kitchen too," the maître d' says, a pleasant smile plastered to his face.

Finn grins and puts his hand on Mustafa's thigh, kneading lightly. "Money is money. What would you like to have, darling?"

Mustafa almost bursts out laughing. Darling. Finn is laying the charm on thick on purpose. Mustafa settles on teriyaki rabbit - he's never had it before - and yuzu tea. Finn orders seared cod and a white wine.

They have a private room to themselves, so Mustafa enjoys the kisses that Finn is peppering on his neck and the very naughty hand wandering up and down his inseam. If he had met Finn before Joe, he may have been impressed by this show of wealth and swayed by the display of affection. Not enough to date him, but definitely enough to hop into bed with him.

His own hands he keeps on Finn's thigh, fingers clenching when the older man finds a particularly sensitive spot on his neck.

"Don't leave a mark," he warns in a strangled whisper when Finn seems to intuit once more that Mustafa really likes that spot nibbled on.

There's a knock on the door. Finn barely lifts his head when the server comes in with their appetizers - some kind of stuffed mushrooms - and only straightens up when Mustafa pushes lightly on his shoulders.

"You brought me here for the food," he says. He knows his face is flushed and his jeans are rather tight. "Not for you to eat me."

Finn grins unrepentantly. "I like having dessert first."

Mustafa rolls his eyes, though he doesn't hide his smile. "You can eat me out for as long as you want later," he says.

"As long as I want?"

There's a challenging glint in those stunningly blue eyes, and Mustafa feels his heart skip. It's a reckless thing to promise this man and he knows it, he's been on the receiving end (ha!) of Finn's inventive, loving cruelty before, more than once. Usually with Joe's assistance, too.

Mustafa tries a stuffed mushroom. It's savory with a bit of nutty crunch. Then he leans against Finn and tilts his head, batting his long lashes playfully, knowing exactly the effect he's achieving. "As long as you want."

[strvngemagic]

{ cis man, he/him } ❝ i can resist everything, except temptation. ❞ huh, who’s HANSOL “VERNON” CHWE? no, you’re mistaken, that’s actually SCORPIUS MALFOY. he always reminds me of the song THE CULT OF DIONYSUS BY THE ORION EXPERIENCE and THE MARC JACOBS’ 2015 GLOSS PARTY DRESS CODE, TALKING WITH YOUR HANDS, WIPING GLITTER FROM THE BATHROOM SINK, WRAPPING YOURSELF IN A WARM DUVET, DRINKING WINE WITH LUNCH. i hear he is aligned with the ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, so be sure to keep an eye on him.

character inspiration: oscar wilde, david rose (schitt’s creek), keeley jones (ted lasso), tahani al-jamil (the good place), david bowie, richie rich, freddie mercury, lito rodriguez (sense8), glam rock. ------------------------------------------------------ tw for alcoholism/addiction under the cut.

BASICS

name:  scorpius han-wool (한울) malfoy

nickname: absolutely detests nicknames. it’s scorpius or nothing.

age: twenty-three

sexual / romantic orientation: pansexual / panromantic

former house: ravenclaw

affiliation: the order of the phoenix

occupation: culture writer/reporter for teen wix weekly, essayist, published author

family: draco malfoy (father), astoria greengrass (mother, deceased), daphne greengrass (maternal aunt), remy greengrass (maternal cousin)

PHYSICAL

hair: (dyed) blonde

eyes: brown

height: 5′11

notable characteristics: clear, often glowing skin, meticulously styled hair. often wears very colorful clothing in stylish cuts and silhouettes. loves a good sparkle or shine via embroidery or stones. consistently wears multiple rings on both hands, and diamond stud earrings in both ears.

MAGICAL

wand: willow, unicorn hair, ten inches, bendy

patronus: swan

boggart: himself, deep in the throes of alcoholism / addiction

amortentia: clean sheets, crisp mountain air in winter, apple blossom candles, yuzu jam

magical strengths: charms, transfiguration, astronomy, alchemy, history of magic.

magical weaknesses: potions, care of magical creatures, herbology

PERSONALITY

oh, my darling boy. my perfect lad. my sweet meow meow.

scorpius has draco’s penchant for drama (ie. falling to pieces whenever he so much as gets a scratch or sniffle, loudly protesting against doing anything unpleasant, being loud and obnoxious to get people’s attention) but very little of his childhood politics. he’s spoiled beyond belief, wants to be the center of attention, and name-drops like nobody’s business, but that’s because he’s an aesthete with taste, thank you, not a schoolyard bully.

he writes monthly articles for teen wix weekly, an offshoot of witch weekly, which i would say is analogous with teen vogue in terms of its combination of leftist political leanings and fashion/lifestyle. his writing is acerbic, witty, and highly opinionated. he’s also published a book of humorous personal essays and observations, titled ‘lessons in bad faith: how i became the family disappointment’. lucius doesn’t talk to him at sunday dinners anymore.

boy’s got an issue with partying - it comes from a childhood of being raised away from pureblood peers since his mother didn’t want those negative influences around him, away from any other magical families because of all the bridges draco burned in school, and away from muggle children because while his parents didn’t profess hatred towards non-magical folks, their world was still strange and unfamiliar. so he grew up alone, and deeply lonely, and once he hit hogwarts + adulthood has been chasing the feelings of friendship and being wanted ever since. that, coupled with his life of financial excess and overindulgence has led to something of an alcohol dependence. but it’s fine, really.

despite what some may think of his flamboyance and penchant for fine clothes, he is attracted to and dates people from across the gender and sexuality spectrum. he loves to be loved! what i cannot stress enough though is that the boy is a bottom.

mama’s boy. misses her like mad all the time; likes to keep one of her rings on a chain around his neck.

loves his dad, but often feels like they live on two different planets. totally doesn’t have a complex about wanting to make him proud.

ravenclaw!!! while scorpius strives for perfection and is fairly ambitious in that sense, he doesn’t desire to be the best in everything and doesn’t necessarily aspire to control + power, merely wants to be universally beloved for his talents. ie. - hates trying new things and being bad at them. first time draco put him on a broom he crashed into a tree. threw a fit during 1st year flying lessons and got himself excused.

thinks quidditch is a right bore because the players’ uniforms ought to be shorts and a crop top

has perfected the art of shit-talking to the point where you might not even realize he’s insulting you to your face

will send his order back to the kitchen if it’s wrong

favorite pasttime is wrapping himself in a giant duvet and eating cadbury creme eggs 

BIO

coming soon to a theater near you!

[kuboism]

Bleach Canon Vs. Studio Clown Episode 1 (Part 2)

So in the manga Ichigo, Number One Oniichan In town, Kurosaki arrives first to rescue his family, in his fancy silly socks and armed with a bat.

This scene is also missing, and I’m slightly saddened because you can also see the little tray of food with the label “For Ichigo-oniichan” which is clearly Yuzu delivering on her earlier promise to bring him some food since he decided to skip dinner bc of his dad.

Ichigo also catches a glimpse of a hollow for the first time. Tensions are high.

You sure sound nonchalant for a person trying to stop him from literally ripping his soul apart. Manga Rukia had some urgency in her smh.

I will admit - literally being “bound” by “words” of a spell is clever and a cool visual. Doesn’t improve the rest of the episode tho....

I’m also very mad that this encounter is changed in the anime. I guess since anime Ichigo had already seen a hollow he rushes in, but this brief moment of fear and hesitation is literally the theme of Bleach.

We fear what we cannot see. What we cannot see we don’t understand. Ichigo is encountering a hollow for the first time here, he is afraid, hesitant to face it. But his love for his family helps him overcome it. He is afraid - but he still has to protect them. He fears what he cannot see, but even so, he continues walking. Ichigo decides, in this moment, to be “brave”. (If you know - you know).

Anyway, Anime fishbone talks again, absolutely ruining the slow reveal of the “nature of the monster” that happens in later chapters, but what is Pierrot if not “subtle” lol.

This part is also removed for obvious reasons.

Some of the dialogue is changed for brevity which is reasonable, but some is also changed to adapt to that fuckin filler “previous day”.

(Not exactly but go off?)

(a brazen assumption)

Manga Rukia just builds up to the reveal.

Again, manga Ichigo’s Reiatsu wasn’t “completely” suppressed - it’s literally what prevented Rukia from finding Fishbone and stumbling into Ichigo’s room. (As per Aizen’s plan, but anyway). It’s unstable and underdeveloped - but like, there. They removed Rukia’s little comment about “unseen filters”, but she still stumbled into his room, and Grand fisher headed towards his house without detours.  Pierrot can move and change dialogue all they like - doesn’t mean it’ll add up lmao.

GIRL THATS SOME BOLD CONJECTURE......

Huh?

FDHGDF DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR FAMILY?? SHES LITERALLY FINE!

YEAH SAME, YOUR FAMILY LITERALLY GOT ATTACKED TOO DIPSHIT!

OH good YOU REMEMBER. Why start with a random ass girl THATS DEAD, YOUR SISTERS ARE ALIVE REMEMBER!!!

Anyway Manga Ichigo supremacy:

WHY IS HE CHARGING TOWARDS IT!

Instead of having Ichigo charge into battle like an idiot the manga gives Rukia an extremely human moment which changes the tide of the battle:

She didn’t mean to blame him. In the short time they’ve knowne each other,s he already feels for him, and doesn’t want him to get the wrong, self-deprecating message. She knows how it is. Her momentary sympathy towards Ichigo is what takes her out of the battle.

Which forces Ichigo, who now having seen the danger and fearing it and doesn’t charge in like an idiot, to feel responsible for the mess and get involved in the forefront of the battle. Albeit suicidal he plays it off like he can win. Which later on develops in his battle ethos - no matter how hopeless the battle, he won’t win because he’s stronger, but because he has to.

(viz translates this to “so come and kill me” completely missing the nuance of his actual line “Try and get it if you can kill me!” - It’s a brazen challenge. Ichigo, no matter how hopeless is stubbornly not suicidal. Again, it’s not about “can he win” - he “has to win”.)

Anime Ichigo is looking for a quick atonement suicidal fight 

and Rukia has to save his clown ass.

Injured manga Rukia saves a stranger that reminds her of her guilt.

In the manga Rukia’s own carelessness leads Ichigo to be forced into battle - him having to overcome fear in a really desperate position just to have a chance at saving his family. Rukia, similarly selfless, and later on as we find out, ridden with guilt, goes beyond her duty to protect him. 

Also funny how this moment is excluded in the anime, where it’s completely Ichigo’s fault that Rukia is injured, while in the manga both slowly contribute to their downfall and yet Ichigo still apologizes, coming to his senses, but ok....

Wish this moment wasn’t this bland in the anime, especially Rukia’s eyes softening, like she’s resigning that she’s about to do something extremely illegal and desperate, potentially fuelled by Ichigo’s emotional whirlwind at the moment.

Anime Ichigo seems mildly troubled by this situation.

Also didnt you like worry about a random girl’s life before your family’s, what’s with the sudden “OF COURSE I WANT TO SAVE MY FAMILY”.

This whole page of explanation 

is reduced to 

Which I can understand pacing wise, but like....I’ll take it over those 6 minutes of filler that derailed the logic of this episode so....? Also would’ve loved to hear Ichigo’s heartbeat overwhelm the scene.

Ichigo’s fear is ignored once again, and this heartwarming scene where his resolve is finally made is like, non-existent

Manga Ichigo supremacy.

They basically just skip to it in the anime lmao, thanks.

Also...confident much, Ichigo? Why??

Anime Ichigo can never live up to manga Ichigo’s charm sigh...

Sir show some emotions (nitpick)

Anyway yeah. End of episode 1. 

I didnt think this would be this draining, but here we are. 

If you’ve followed along you can see how in a world where the Bleach manga didnt exist...the anime would be fine. Yet at random ass steps they make these needless changes that just ripple throughout into nonsense. Those 6 minutes of screentime that they dedicated to Rukia and Ichigo meeting earlier could’ve just been used....for literally anything else they cut out. 

I’m so tired, thank you for reading this far!! Bye!!

[doudecim]

I want to say that 99% of the fics here are on FF.net for I have only recently discovered the wonders of AO3, and I still didn’t dig deep in there to find all the HitsuKarin goodies.

That being said, I will put the list under the cut because this will be one very long post. So, I hope you all enjoy it!

one-shots

A Constant Fascination, by back-in-a-bit. — 'Colour me blood red passionately.' Hitsugaya makes it his personal mission to get Karin to blush. Pity it's easier said than done. In fact, it might just take him a lifetime. [rated T]

A Fall in the Fall, by MeteorLeopard. — This was ridiculous! There she was, just looking at the fish, and the next thing she knows, she's up in a tree being held against her will! And it's all his fault! [rated T]

a little suffering is good for the soul, by the milliner’s rook. —  Future fic. If there are stupider ways to get courted, Karin can't think of them. [rated K+]

A Woman Scorned, by Glowing Blue. — The twisted fairy tale of Karin finding her own invite to the ball, though she's hardly looking for a Prince Charming. [rated T]

but leave the soul alone, by the milliner’s rook. — AU. Death, it's catching. Or: the one where Toushirou and Karin share night shifts at the hospital. And coffee. Terrible, terrible coffee. [rated K+]

Collection, by ichilover3. — A drabble/oneshot dump. Shenanigans, silliness, and sexy-times abound. Also alliteration, apparently. [rated M]

crawl into your shadow, by the milliner’s rook. — AU. There's a witch in this sleepy little village now that goes by the name of Karin, but nothing has changed since she's arrived. Not really. [rated T]

Delirous, by carved in the sand. — Matsumoto finds her captain to be a lovestruck teenage boy. [rated T]

duckling theory, by the milliner’s rook. — The first thing Karin notices is watermelon. Looking back, maybe it should have been startling green eyes. [rated K]

For You, by Glowing Blue. — Death had never been the paradise everyone wished it to be. But then they found each other. [rated T, two-shot.]

frostbitten, by the milliner’s rook. — Set during the time skip. The winter they meet is unkind with snow. [rated K+]

Frozen Moments, by CrazyAce'n'PokerFace. — 101 drabbles/one-shots that give a glimpse into Toushirou and Karin's life together. A love story told in snapshots. [rated K+]

funny valentine, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — I'll be yours if you'll be mine. [rated K+]

humour me, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — True love's kiss. That ought to do it. [rated K+]

i’m high on believing, by the milliner's rook. — For the record, he prefers his plain black shoes to her fancy red sneakers. [rated K+]

ice breaker, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — AU. There are better ways to get found out than making out in a closet and tumbling onto the ground. [rated T]

if my heart was a compass you’d be north, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Future fic. Give me a reason to believe. [rated K+]

In Every Season, by Adobo-chan. — A collection of HitsuKarin oneshots. [rated T]

In the Dark, by ichilover3. — It really wasn't anyone else's business. She should be allowed to fornicate with midgets if she wanted to. [rated T]

innocent guilt, by SebonzaMitsuki27. —  AU. Oh, I know! You're a tramp with wings! [rated K+]

Juxtaposition, by Lady Azar de Tameran. — Something within Hitsugaya Toushirou thinks that he may have met his match. [rated T]

keep me in your pocket, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Set during the timeskip. Don't stay out of touch, okay? [rated K+]

Kuchiki Rukia, the Glorified Courier, by MeteorLeopard. — Delivering super-top-secret messages between dimensions is tough work; believe me, I know. If it weren't such a rewarding experience I'd downright refuse to play the messenger. Honestly. [rated K+]

liliputians, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Future fic. It's alright, kid. I'm short too. [rated K+]

Lovely Complex, by Unknown lazy ass. — She slyly grinned, “Wow, you really are head over heels for me, aren’t you Toushirou?” [rated K+]

Momo knows Best, by MeteorLeopard. — Sometimes having a meddling older sister... sucks. [rated T]

of halos and wings, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Future fic. He had betrayed Hinamori with nothing but his heart. [rated T]

Old Haunts, by the milliner's rook. — Future fic. You were just gone, Toushirou, what was I to think? I thought—I thought you'd come back, and you did, twenty years too late. [rated T]

Peeping Tom, by Glowing Blue. — The love story of Hitsugaya and Karin, as seen from open windows and heard through thin walls. "Hisagi's eyes had a tendency to stray." AU. [rated T]

phantasmagoria, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Flickering through black and white, they find their perfect shade of grey. [rated K+, two-shot.]

put down your sword and crown, by the milliner's rook. — AU. When her old man dies to save Ichi-nii's life, everything changes. Days after the funeral, the word Quincy is spoken for the first time, and at five years old, Karin becomes defined by it. [rated K+]

Red, The Colour of Despair, by the milliner's rook. — It was strange how much difference one colour could make. [rated K+]

Revenants, by carved in the sand. — Hitsugaya ponders the ghosts that haunt the girl he still loves. [rated T]

Sports and Sex are Universal (but never the twain should meet), by back-in-a-bit. — Toushirou gives Karin a flat look. "I'm not high-fiving you over sex," he says. [rated M]

Subtle, by nublados. — Toshiro comments on the subtlety that is Karin Kurosaki. [rated K+]

The Art of Asking, by Felix02. — He should have known that her father wouldn't be able to keep a secret, especially from one of his daughters. [rated T]

The Art Of Getting By, by the milliner's rook. — AU. There's some difficulty between juggling flirting, killing Hollows and getting to class on time with the hottest guy in high school, but Karin's certain she'll get the hang of it eventually. [rated T]

The Staircase not Taken, by MeteorLeopard. — Perhaps it was a good thing that the stairs were destroyed, her brother acting demented and a violent fight going on without her just upstairs. After all, the visitor who happened to drop by was worth the wait. [rated T]

the winter sun smiled for things to come in spring, by the milliner's rook. — What is it with you! You're either too young or too old! What the hell! [rated T, two-shots.]

Urahara's Lawn Mowing Service, by MeteorLeopard. — Incorrect phone numbers are a messy business. Even messier though is the business that happens after said incorrect phone call. "Fine, but I bet your girlfriend didn't call back because your lawn needs to be mowed." [rated T]

velocity, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — Aim for the goal, and don't look back, no matter what. [rated T]

where angels fear to tread, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — They belong in hell. [rated K]

You Taste Like Birthday, You Look Like New Year, by the milliner's rook. — Future fic. She likes his hands, Toushirou notices. Loves them, in fact. [rated M]

complete

lune, by SebonzaMitsuki27. — AU. Me and you and moonlight shivers. [[rated T] other main pairings are ByakuyaHisana, ShinjiHiyori and UlquiorraNel, so beware that HitsuKarin is not the only focus in this one.]

Waterlogged, Wind-chapped, and Sun-bleached. — They grow up together, and the slow progression of their relationship shapes their world. AU. [rated T]

Wendybird Chronicles, by the milliner's rook. — She wonders if they ever had a chance. If they might have missed it, somehow. [rated K+]

on going

Wrong Number, by Lunatasha. — Unknown (10:22): So! I just read all of the conversations I had last night while I was out drunk and thoroughly embarrassing myself and please let me apologise for bothering you (especially as I think you were working if you were in your office?) last night. I mean in hindsight I probably should have stopped messaging you as soon as it was clear you weren't who I was looking for, but drunk me apparently hates sober me so yeah, I'm sorry. That being said thank you again for helping me out even though I must have been bothering you, I appreciate it. [rated T]

Only in Dreams, by TullyBlue. — Brother, she had called him, but he spent the entire meal acting like she was a ghost. Eating with the twins, he can’t even imagine being that cold to his sisters. Yuzu’s laughter brightens his day and that admiring glint in Karin’s eye, that he only catches every once in a while, means the world to him. The so-called brother in his dreams makes Ichigo’s skin crawl. Everything else, though, he wants to see more of, to know more about, to understand. Old, wood floors, a spacious room, flowing black robes, and those swords... [[rated T] other main pairings are IchigoRukia, UryuuChad, GanjuHanatarou, so beware that HitsuKarin is not the only focus in this one.]

abandoned or on permanent hiatus, probably won’t ever post a new chapter again

Blizzard Blues, by the milliner's rook. — Future fic. I heard your brother had an eight pack, Captain Hitsugaya! That he was shredded! [rated T]

Catalyst, by Etiena. — With captain-level shinigami in her family, it is no surprise that Kurosaki Karin has potential. But it isn't family which triggers her change. Instead, a chance encounter with a young shinigami captain leads to startling revelations. [rated K+]

Go Against the Grain, by Adobo-chan. — Old law deems that only a son may become the Kurosaki House's next leader. Born from this ancient tradition, a tragic betrayal and her mother's sacrifice, Karin is brought up as Kurosaki Kazuto, the 29th head of the family. [rated T]

oh sinful rose, by the milliner's rook. — AU. Five years after the monarchy is overthrown, a noble finds a forgotten princess in chains. DISCONTINUED. [rated T]

Quandary, by Glowing Blue. — Funnily enough, meeting such a spirited single mother was actually part of his job description. AU. [rated T] (I love this one so much!)

Roommate For Sale, by SavageTrickster. — AU. There are many things in life that she didn't know, but the one thing Kurosaki Karin was certain of is that her overprotective brother is going to blow his top when he meets her new roommate.

[ramblingkat]

Blame the UraIchi discord. And Unscrypted in particular for one of their awesome fics inspiring this. 

Bit gory, and some unhappy people. Bleach, obviously. Kisuke and some other characters. 

“Kisuke-nii,” came a soft voice, and Kisuke looked up. He smiled seeing the little head peeking around the doorway, looking over with wide eyes. The man patted the floor next to where he was sitting, silently inviting the child to sit down beside him. 

Quietly, the boy came over, flopping down next to Kisuke and turning to bury his face against Kisuke’s side. Running his fingers through pale hair, the blond man waited for the boy to talk. It might take a bit, the child was shy, though he was happy enough to cling and just cuddle at times. 

Finally, there was a shift and he looked down at the wide gold on black eyes. 

“I’m hungry,” whined the child, and Kisuke found himself chuckling. 

“Well,” he said with a soft smile, “we can fix that easily enough. Going to pick you up.”

There was a nod of understanding, and Kisuke stood, bringing the pale child with him. A warning was a good idea, as the child sometimes reacted aggressively to surprise. Setting the boy on his hip, Kisuke started for a room that was carefully sealed so that only he could access it. 

“Did you have a good day today?” he asked as they walked, aware of tiny hands tight on his top. The boy still wasn’t used to being carried, though he seemed to enjoy it. That was utterly charming and Kisuke was pleased that he was so trusted. 

There was a nod against his shoulder, though no words. Kisuke was fine with that. Trust was slowly building, and Kisuke was willing to let it take as long as needed.

At the first door, he did the careful kido and work that let him in. He could feel the child on his hip tensing, eagerness pulsing in the curl of reiatsu against his skin. “You must be hungry,” he teased, feeling the prickle of claws against his shoulder, where one hand was clinging. 

The blush across the pale cheeks was adorable, and Kisuke made a note to try to get a picture of this later.

Once the first layer was opened, he opened the door that appeared. Nobody but him would be able to see it. Still, better safe than sorry, and he threw the blocks up again once he was inside. Then he set the child down. “Just a moment,” he said, smiling, ruffling up pale hair again. 

“Come on. Do you remember the rules?”

The boy nodded. “Stop when you say to, and don’t go for the throat.”

“Good boy,” Kisuke praised him, and then brought down the second ward.

There was Soifon, a kido ward wrapped around her head so she was unaware that he was there, other bindings holding her securely in place. At least until the boy lunged forward, teeth flashing sharp in the light, only to sink into her leg.

Behind the muffling kido, Soifon grunted, thrashing in her bindings. 

Once the little one was tearing away at her flesh, swallowing happily, Kisuke let the blinding kido drop, and smiled as Soifon glared at him hatefully. 

“So good to see you again,” he said cheerfully. “It’s been a bit since Zangetsu was so hungry that he came to me.”

There was a trill from Zangetsu as he tore off another chunk of the captain’s thigh, chewing on it. It really was quite adorable. 

Soifon wasn’t able to stop another noise, and Kisuke tisked at her, finger waggling at her noises. “You know, this wouldn’t be happening if you hadn’t sent a message to that body parading around as Central 46. I would have gotten the power from you all as Yamamoto had instructed, and Ichigo would have gotten his powers back in the way that I had planned. Which would have been far less traumatizing than this.” He shook his head, even as he checked over the bindings that kept her in place. Wouldn’t do for her to break free, after all.

“But, think of it this way! You have helped Yoruichi-san out. She was able to step back into her spot, which she was rather happy about.” Kisuke beamed at the woman, as he waited for Zangetsu to eat till he was full. “She barely even looked into where you went. I think she had an idea that I had something to do with it.” He winked at Soifon, ignoring her angry, pained sounds. 

“You are also helping Kurosaki-san.” The smile on Kisuke’s face grew sharper. “If you hadn’t done this, he would have his powers back and be happily working for Soul Society again. Now, well, he still has his powers, but he tires. His powers are still growing.” Now he was beaming at Soifon again, who was trying to wiggle away from the child feeding off her flesh and power. “One day, you won’t even be a snack, let alone a full meal. So enjoy this while you can.”

The look of hatred she gave him was ignored. She had hated Kisuke for years, so he was used to it. Besides, he saw no reason why she should be so mad. 

She had brought this on herself. 

So far, he hadn’t had to call Zangetsu off, the shinigami-hollow mix usually getting full fairly early. And he nibbled from Kisuke now and then, so that helped. But someday, he would be large enough that he would need one last meal, a huge one.

A shinigami captain would be a good meal before Zangetsu pushed into his fully grown form. Then Ichigo would be back to full strength, instead of needing to take such frequent breaks. 

In a way, it worked out. Kisuke could spin it as natural recovery. 

“I must thank you for your attitude towards everyone,” he said. “It makes it easier when few people are looking for you,” Kisuke continued as Zangetsu began to slow. The child finally settled back, wiping the blood away from his mouth. Kisuke crouched and waved a handkerchief at the boy. 

A wave of his hand, and the binding around Soifon’s head reappeared. Her body was already starting to recover, the bleeding slowing, some of the smaller nicks and gashes sealing up. Though his attention was already on Zangetsu. 

“So messy,” he chided, wiping Zangetsu’s face clean.

Nose wrinkling, Zangetsu tolerated the way Kisuke cleaned his face, then held his hands up again. Smiling, tucking the handkerchief away, Kisuke did scoop the boy up. “Come on,” he said, taping Zangetsu’s nose. “Let’s go find Ichigo. He’ll be wondering where you are, and we know how he gets when you are missing too long.”

Zangetsu nodded. “He gets scared,” the little spirit said, clinging to Kisuke’s side again. 

“He does,” Kisuke agreed, slipping out of the room, pausing to reseal the kido. No reason to let anyone else find Soifon. He’d have to find someone else to feed to the little spirit. Zangetsu was getting stronger, and he was going to consume Soifon someday. 

If only the foolish woman had let Kisuke do what he planned originally. It would have been much less painful for her.

“We don’t like Ichigo being scared, do we? He gets super frowny when he’s scared.” Kisuke bounced Zangetsu on his hip, causing the boy to giggle. “Besides, I think that Karin and Yuzu brought you a new game to play. Shall we go see?”

Zangetsu nodded, eyes bright. He did love playing games with Ichigo’s sisters. They were, after all, his sisters as well. And he was as fiercely devoted to them as Ichigo was. 

It was adorable to see, and Kisuke made a note to get more photos.

For later.

[readerinsertfanfiction]

Celebrate

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Character: Masamune Date 

Prompt: Hola hey, it is the birthday of a certain @lorei-writes​! Happy birthday lil’ Lorei, I hope it is a super blessed day even amidst these very turbulent times and that you got a lot of cat cuddles and yummy food. 

It had all started the night before. A little charm carved from wood depicting an animal that seemed to be made up of all different parts from random animals merged together into one form. The nose of an elephant, or perhaps an anteater, the fur of a cat, the ears of a tanuki, but with the paws of a bear. It made sense, for it made one composition, but other than that there was no recognising or logic to it.

“Baku.” Masamune had called it, carefully folding the bead in your hand as he pressed a kiss on top of your fingers, as if blessing the charm. “To eat up your nightmares,” was the explanation as he devoured your lips after. He hadn’t said what it was for, but you had an inkling of the why and were grateful for it, the attention and thought put into the little gift touching.

You slept peacefully that night. Perhaps because of the charm doing its job, most likely because of the gentle beat of Masamune’s heart in your ear, arms wrapped around you. In a way the true devourer of nightmares was the man in whose arms you laid. It was a sweet start to the day, calm and peaceful and full of energy, and energy you would need. Life with Masamune was a rollercoaster, barraging down its tracks and threatening to go out of its bounds. The adrenaline was sure to pick up the rhythm of the heart, but until that happened it was a sweet lull that woke you up with a wide and mischievous smile full of promise.

“Happy birthday,” the man greeted you, repeating the words he had whispered to you late at night beneath the sheets when he thought you had almost fallen asleep. You knew Masamune did it because he wanted to be first, that he had already stirred himself awake before you did to watch you open your eyes so that he could say it again. Because he wanted to be sure that it was him who got to you first thing after sunrise, to bless the day in which you were brought to this world. It was adorable, a little childlike even but you wisely kept that thought to yourself as you allowed yourself to be lavished in all of the attention Masamune had to spare that early morning before having to depart.

Your next surprise came with lunch. Suspecting that he would come to see you around this time you had already set the tea ready, smiling brightly when you saw the man waltz into your little workshop with a smile beaming back at you so handsome your co-workers had to duck away their faces as they quietly exited the room. He carried a basket with him, a sweet smell escaping from it and heat radiating as well when he set it down. It was a new invention from his side, to keep the food warm for longer when transporting for the weather still hadn’t warmed up entirely yet. Because he knew how often you found it to be cold and did his best to warm you up in as many ways possible if it wasn’t with himself.

Food played, in many ways, an important aspect in Masamune’s life. From the way he utilised it as a tool to keep morale up, to where he found his solace in it, to the purest way in which he could express himself to those he cared for the most. Food was a symbolism in his life that stood equal to what he believed happiness to be like. Not necessarily by taste, but by what it brought forth, the joy of being shared, of bringing together, of tasting better when all who joined could wear a smile. And so it was on food that he focussed the most when he wished someone to be happy, when he wanted to give his blessings, when he wanted to extend a bit of his love and care to those closest to him. The Baku had only been an introductory course to what was to come.

The boxes of food he had arranged for you, beautiful, tasty and adjusted to your palette and diet were exemplary of the thoughts he gave in everything in regards to you. All filled with meaningful food and names that resembled his wish for you, health and fortune, joy and blessing. It came with a hope for a long life and youthfulness, for there were many more energetic days to come when living with the Masamune Date.

“For we celebrate our birthdays with the turn of the new year,” Masamune had explained when you questioned him about the similarity to the custom of the new year celebration. But as per usual you could spot the little flair of personality that Masamue had sprinkled between, in which he was silently meaning to tell you that this was a new tradition between the two of you that he hoped to continue in the future. For the man was a reformer if anything, never a traditionalist, the food was just an excuse.

He had once told you that everyone went hungry eventually. The difference was just in the way you did and the way you chose to go hungry. Was it happy, or moping? Had you taken action, or did decide to hide away? Those were important distinctions to make, for one flavoured the food while the other made it hard to swallow no matter how smooth or tender. Today Masamune’s goal was to make you smile so widely, the food would practically melt on your tongue without a notice. Masamune aimed for the lingering aftertaste to become a memory of happiness and delight on your mind for the days to come. One he intended to renew every year.

When you had exclaimed you could eat no more the male smirked and you knew you weren’t done yet. You never were when it came to Masamune, for there was always more, one more surprise, one more unpredictability, one more wildcard.

“Happy birthday,” he had told you once more, as if three times would add more meaning to the day. In a way it did for him, but he didn’t tell you that, knowing you would chide him for being cute again.

The last box was revealed and from it the sweet smell that you had earlier caught revealed itself fully in the form of a cake. By design and recipe of the western strangers, but with some added elements from your time as well.

To the best of his ability Masamune had tried to replicate the birthday cakes you had described once. First, by slicing the original cake into slices and stacking them up, with some fruits and cream between the layers to keep them separated. And though it was still early into spring the man had pulled several lines to make sure that he had a good variety of them. After that he had whipped up something that he believed to be cream, or at least filling, sweet but not overwhelmingly so, for he knew you couldn’t stand too much of it. Something to fill out the spaces left by the fruits, but also to glue the cake more together and give it more stability. The man had instinct enough to see that the uneven sizes of the fruits would otherwise make it nigh impossible to make a stable cake.

In the end it had resulted in something fruity and sweet. Despite the missing chocolate, and the missing candles the man had done his best to replace them with poppy seeds and black sesame, for he liked the way those stood against the pale yellow of the cake and the extra flavour they added when he sampled it. To make up for the missing candles he had even taken the liberty to carve up some fruits, deciding to form them into cat ear and more feline figured for he knew how much you loved them. To keep them fresh he had drizzled some yuzu over the fruits, adding an extra tartness before arranging them all around the cake in what was a good attempt of decoration. All in all, it was a good attempt at a Sengoku era birthday cake, and it made everything even better, knowing that everything was laced and drowned in his attention and love for you.

“What did you think, kitten?” Masamune would ask you at the end of the day, always eager to hear about your feedback on his cooking and how well you liked his surprises. There were still some hours left and you knew that he had another present ready for you, never satisfied unless he went the extra mile. But your heart was full and your smile had grown so wide that your jaw threatened to lock and you thought your lips would split. The man was too much, but the both of you already knew that, having already come to the understanding that this was the only appropriate way to love as he drew you in his arms, allowing for a little break before he would continue the offense again.

[sugar-petals]

Can u introduce yuzuru to us the caro way?👀

so you want to know about the one and only. ♡😌

yuzuru hanyū (25) of sendai, japan: the most beautiful ice prince with a heart of gold.

….an artist clearly not of this world, he’s been sent to us from another realm. 19 world records, two olympics won, dubbed the greatest figure skater of all time. and the most precious bean on top of that.

but let’s start from the beginning, shall we ♥︎

so, want to spot yuzu on the ice? use this checklist. slender silhouette, an even slimmer waist, feather-like outfits (he sketches those himself; the fandom lovingly calls him swanyu), soft blushy face. he has great androgyny.

outside of performances, you see him either with a deer’s gaze or the brightest, biggest eye smile. also, he’s usually found sitting with his wife: 

which is the ice 😄 these two are together forever. you can discern yuzu from a mile away by how he treats his working ground. 

there is a purity to him. you’d not guess that this is one of the most ardent athletes if you didn’t see what’s around his neck after competitions. the guy’s cuteness is as compelling as his skating technique.

look for it: yuzu’s face is super suave and rosy up close, even after his most energetic performances. some men are handsome, others pretty, he is both. 

even acoustically, he’s hard to miss. applause is all around, and he’s highly expressive. if you see a crying young man getting the high score, that’s yuzuru hanyu. you’ve not seen more beautiful happy tears.

and score reactions, anyway:

so, aye loves, the rumors are true. a cutie-pie off the ice, animated, a real unabashed meme — yuzu is easy-going, talkative. cheery, cheeky, one of a kind. his facial expressions are a league of their own.

if you thought this is the sort of guy who watches cat videos, you are correct 😄

yuz-uwu hanyu, everybody:

his undoubtedly feline behaviour is often unexpected, it stands out with its adorableness, too. a sweetheart par excellence. 

and, how else could it be: vice versa, the big beast on the rink. he’s cutesy, dorky, very well-spoken in daily life, but when it comes to skating, his seriousness escalates. you blink once and suddenly hanyu is a bedazzling, strutting lion :’D his performances stun with confident elegance.

he becomes full of ardor, drama, and focus. you’d never suspect so much fire burns in him. a showman and ambition icon, hands down. 

his skating is dynamic, perfected, and emotional. if you want to see art and the extra mile, tune in when hanyu competes.

the downside is; more light, more shadow. it leaves him crawling on the ice afterwards. yuzu performs so hard, it’s worrying.

he delivers it all. you won’t believe it:

this guy is an asthmatic.

the symptoms aren’t as bad as they used to be, but there are still regular attacks. he said that he’ll never take it as an excuse and often recalls how he started skating because of it. he’s a badass, extremely inspiring. yuzuru defies all limits, including gravity. his jumps have legendary status. 

off the rink, you guessed it: he turns into a wholly different person. 

it all dissolves completely when he’s dorking around again. 

don’t let it deceive you, he’s the no other option than first place type. he could not be any more decorated with titles, he achieved the grand slam in all competitions as of 2020. and still, king of sportsmanship hanyu is respectful and smiley towards all colleagues and never lets anyone feel left out. especially when it comes to his juniors (e.g. yuma kagiyama, 16, below) which says a lot about him.

he bows in every direction before an audience, too. lower than a 90° angle, even. this is more polite than any existing formality in japan.

talk about audience: i introduced fellow japanese skater shoma uno last week, who’s more uncomfortable with social contact and aggression. yuzu, extrovert he is: the exact opposite. he withers away with no people and competition. he’s befriended rivals, had crises over not having someone who could challenge him. when a competitor retires, he’s the one crying in their arms (e.g. with team mate and bff javier fernandez from spain below).

beside his competitive spirit and princely wow factor, hanyu is popular for his winnie pooh tissue box that he caresses, squeezes, and carries everywhere. he loves good luck charms & rituals, pooh is the most important one.

fans throw pooh plushies on the ice after his performances because of it. since it’s gotten so intense, yuzu recently started cleaning them up himself on top of the flower girls for the upcoming skater who could get delayed otherwise. (more about what happens with the piles of plushies later.)

so, the burning question is. 

what made yuzuru hanyu emerge so outstanding an entertainer? how does someone causing so much uproar become like that? it’s not just what kind of appearance he was given, although he really looks his part to a T. you don’t have to be an insider to see it right away.

like literally to a fault. and you can tell the way his blades sound on the ice is different. it’s soft even if he does the most hardcore quadruple jumps. i think it’s because his drive to do this is a higher one, hanyu has an altered relationship with the ice. where his devotion comes from has a more severe reason so, massive trigger warning. 

this is no exaggeration: yuzuru is considered a hero to the japanese. a survivor of the earthquake 2011, he narrowly escaped the collapsing rink in his hometown on that very day. he’s often talked about how the ice shattered underneath his feet and it was the moment that defined his life forever. he could have been dead by the age of 16. his motivation has been set ever since. this man is compelled by something bigger, that’s why you hear it and you feel it. he wants to skate not just for himself but others and seize every day. 

much of his copious charity work — that’s where all the pooh plushies go — went to mend the consequences of the tsunami ever since, he’s looked upon as a great hope in japan. the minister gave him the people’s honor award in 2018. 

now you know why yuzuru has such a fanbase and treats the ice as sacred, you see it in every gesture. his manners are without a single flaw, he helps staff repair the ice after performances. 

you might think it’s odd, but he honors the ground. he’s invested in the integrity of it. that’s why he’s the best skater. it’s gratitude and the will to live fully.

he hates to fall on the ice, he hates to damage it. alongside his feathery weight, that’s why the sound he makes while gliding along is so tender. 

i think that’s also why hanyu’s signature element is the ina bauer. it doesn’t rely on brutal force, instead this element slides across the rink like a swan. yeah, oh my god.

it’s his most well-known dramatic move. the way he surrenders into it. 

hanyu’s back arch and perfect split allow him to do elements no other male skaters can. his biellmann spin, for instance. i know, it’s ridiculous.

and those are just two elements of dozens and dozens. hanyu is a kinetic wizard. i highly rec this record-breaking delivery of his olympic program. in front of his home crowd! he’s just… mind-boggling. i live for his smiles here.

exceptional skater, exceptional mentor: it’s time we look at another puzzle piece that made yuzu the way he is. the masterful brian orser is hanyu’s beloved coach. missing gold by just one mistake at the olympics 1988, brian is now committed to give others what he couldn’t have— successfully so.

orser took the ice prince to gold twice, this hasn’t happened in 66 years. brian is the nicest and most supportive pooh carrier and yuzu’s utmost rock. hanyu’s talent rests safely in these hands.

he gets strict about punctuality lmao! but other than that, his guidance is gentle. canadian he is, brian’s courteousness mixes well with yuzu’s politeness. their bond is strong. as. hell. 

brian picked up yuzu from rock bottom several times. most fateful being hanyu’s accident with a fellow skater during competition warm-ups nov 2014. they collided at a high speed, it was unspeakably nasty. yuzu got knocked out for half a minute and had grave breathing problems but still decided to skate on with what later turned out as an almost-concussion. brian was the most worried ice dad in the world that day.

yuzu cried and crouched and bled like mad and my heart has been broken ever since. i hope he never suffers like that again. promise me you don’t search up the video, it’s a harrowing watch like a stab to the chest. sadly enough, hanyu’s body has still been a notorious wreck, esp. ankle issues regularly give him a hard time 😔

it hurts like a bitch with every jump landing but he takes meds and still manages to win, god knows how. sometimes even with crutches on the podium. at his worst, he’s still the best, it’s a tragedy.

he’s been recovering, or always is, but he pushes himself through injuries. his ambition and perfectionism are boundless. the cause is more important to him than his well-being. this is not an easy guy to stan once you see how he sacrifices and self-destructs. so, it’s good someone protects him. 

mostly from himself because nobody has profoundly surpassed hanyu. he has let himself no choice than to contest himself. not even health, only age can stop yuzu. i think that brian understands this ‘curse of a genius’ effect. his mere presence can make hanyu say these rare words:

his two other coaches contribute to that. tracy wilson (left) has proven to understand his playful side the best while ghislain briand (right) helps yuzuru deal with his fears. so you got 3 people taking care of the golden boy. brian once said: “he is very sheltered” and you can see it’s true.

yuzu eased into learning english and communicates well with his coaches. like with everything, he studies hard and often forces himself to speak during interviews to practice. his skills are astounding. his speaking voice is also very soothing, very amicably low and high alike. yuzu is highly intelligent. he always says something eloquent and interesting.

now, privately, hanyu is very much like you’d expect someone so devoted to skating would be like. he doesn’t go out, has no social media, can’t eat nor sleep very well. no cameras allowed during practice. it figures he is attached to winnie pooh, think about it. in the cartoon, pooh is someone who sleeps, eats, and engages with friends plenty. 

these are the things hanyu can’t do, doesn’t have time/energy/incentive for. he is barred from balance in life but can at least admire this little carefree plushie for it. especially because pooh represents eating lots while yuzuru doesn’t have a good relationship with food (he says it doesn’t go well with jumps etc.), hanyu lives vicariously through him. 

what’s more, you have to see how he throws himself onto others and never wants to let go, yuzuru is extremely cuddly. 

to the degree that mere social customs can’t meet how much he really needs. so, what else can he resort to, he loves mascots and plushies. it’s how the tale goes in japan generally, tough work ethic, high responsibility, high pressure, so people turn to cute fluffy things.

he always fondles pooh’s head, even pretends he’s come to life so he has someone to snuggle with. i think that his isolated lifestyle doesn’t help. so, he gets his affection at least there, you can see how happy it makes him. and again: he does this all for charity.

that’s why fellow skaters are so important to hanyu. it really brings out his social spirit and comforts him best, it’s so wholesome. i’ve not seen someone react so relieved to being embraced, like he’s not been touched for months. skating this, skating that. at the end of the day, hanyu wants love.

as he once said, what motivates him is to express himself in the first place. hanyu is a romantic. it’s written all over him. it reflects in his music choices, his elegant motion, how he designs his outfits:

… and how thoughtfully he talks about marriage. he has big plans for starting a family and coaching after he retires. i won’t be the only one squeezing lucky charm pooh in my imagination so it turns out well for him. please make this heart of gold heal and see all his wishes come true ♡🐻

[transmogrified-in-the-void]

look im depressed have this “thk and ghost land in bleach” crack fic ok

Urahara honestly didn’t even know when it happened. It definitely started out slow, with Ichigo Kurosaki coming over more and more frequently for training. Eventually his sisters (terrifying and sweet, how fun) started to appear with their older brother. Soon, the candy shop owner found himself with a store full of teenagers. With rooms. Who lived there. Urahara doesn’t even know where the rooms came from in the first place, although he suspects that Tessai had something to do with it. Regardless, they all fell into a pattern, and, while none of the spiritually aware children lived there per-say (Ishida remained adamant that he would not be living with shinigami), they were around often enough that they could be.

Then Aizen happened, and Ichigo lost his powers, part of his soul, and the first thing that happened was everyone came back to the shoten for him. Urahara thinks quiety, in the back of his head, that had this small family not been made. Had his innocent candy shop not become home to so many, Ichigo could have been alone for a long time.

He did make the sword to return that missing part of his soul, of course he would. Because, as much as he tries not to show it, he genuinely cares for the band of misfits now under his wing, and damn it all if he doesn’t try to fix the pain he caused.

And they fall back into their routine. There are some bumps, namely Urahara finding out how Isshin “trained” Ichigo and proceeding to make the shoten a permanent home for the Kurosaki children. Not that anyone was complaining, Tessai loves talking with Yuzu, and Karin and Jinta compete to see who gets more work done. Meaning less for him and that is wonderful.

So imagine his surprise when two writhing sources of reiatsu, or something similar, suddenly appear at his front door. 

Urahara was in his lab when it happened, and he spent no time getting to the door. Sliding it open, he sees two creatures that look like they could be Hollows, but something’s wrong. Distinctly, profoundly, wrong.

The first thing is how human these creatures looked. One tall and thin, their black body writhing as they desperately claw at their face with one hand. A quick glance shows that their other arm is nothing but a stump. In front of the tall creature is a significantly smaller one who is trembling, but also trying to pry the tall one’s hand away.

The second thing is their masks. Where Hollow masks are made just to hide the face, these ones seem to be encasing the whole head. 

The third is the amount of terror pouring out of the tall one. It’s near suffocating, and yet they don’t make a single sound. Not one.

Urahara sees the small one signing something, but he’s not in any angle to be able to see what they’re trying to say. The tall one does though, and seems to grow more agitated before tilting their head back and shrieking. 

They start to claw at their chest (with no hole in it), then their face, then their stump, shrieking and definitely waking up at least Tessai and Ichigo, sensing them coming towards the source of the sound quickly. 

The small one suddenly turns to Urahara, a sudden spike in their reiatsu appearing as a many-layered voice cries out inside his head.

Help them! Help Hollow! It begs. Sibling in pain! Help them!

Tessai is the first to arrive, pausing at the scene, partially out of the mass amount of reiatsu

“This little creature wants me to help their sibling.” Urahara says. “Although I’m unsure how.”

Tessai nods, looking the tall one up and down. Then Ichigo arrives, and the small creature’s reiatsu flares more, and everyone takes a few seconds to get used to the sheer amount

Higher one! Help them! Help them!

Ichigo flinches, and Urahara tucks away what the little creature said for later. 

“Why can’t you help them?” He retorts. Of the three, Ichigo definitely was not the one to go to for healing.

The little one stills, like memories are coming back to them. 

Unifying Void. Killing Infection. Saving sibling. Can’t Focus. Can’t use SOUL. Help them! Help them! Higher being! Help them!!

Tessai steps forwards, going near the still-writhing tall creature. The small one watches with a dead look, although it’s hard to get much out of a full-head mask.

Help Hollow? Shell-less Shaman helps Hollow? Ghost thanks! Help them!

Tessai starts to heal the stump, which had started bleeding blackness. The small one’s thoughts continue to be impressed upon the trio, although Urahara’s almost positive they don’t know they’re doing it. Especially with how dark they start to get.

Green SOUL? Wandering Shaman? Higher being? Three higher beings. Danger to sibling? Kill them if danger. No Infection. Radiance dead. Squished. Hollow okay? Hornet okay? Lost sibling okay? King is dead. Kill mother. Shaman heal Infection? Where Shaman go?

More questions than answers, but the thoughts and immense amount reiatsu dissipate, leaving the two creatures. The tall one is sitting up now, looking around and analyzing their surroundings. The second one is signing, now where Urahara can see it.

Hollow! You okay? I killed the Radiance and now I’m here. Think she brought us here. They sign. Is she gone? Shell-less Shaman healed your stab wounds. How is your mask? Do you need a bench?

The tall one holds up their hand, signing the best they can with one arm. 

I am fine, sibling. Why do you call me Hollow? Is it a name? Have you bestowed me a name? What is your name, if you have one? It signs back, and the three shinigami (well, two shinigami and one part shinigami), watch in rising horror as the small one (Little Ghost, a name apparently given to them by their sister), is technically a god and a god killer, and a master of the nail, whatever that means.

Hollow does ask about the Nailsmith and the Nailmasters (what are with these names??), and Little Ghost talks about how Nailmaster Sheo now is a Paintmaster, happily with Nailsmith to make their own art and their own path. Hollow is not happy with how Little Ghost calls Sly a conniving bitch, though.

Once the catch-up is done, Hollow looks between Ichigo, Tessai, and Urahara.

You feel like Pale Being. They sign. Like Father and Mother (Little Ghost’s reiatsu screams hatred at the mention of their parents), like Radiance, like the Troupe Masters.

Little Ghost starts to flit at the mention of Troupe Masters, looking through a bag with fervor, but Urahara ignores them in favor of figuring out what is going on here.

“I don’t know what ‘pale being’ you speak of.” He starts. “But if they’re some kind of god, I can guarantee that we aren’t.”

Hollow seems to relax at that. Little Ghost sits down with a soft ‘thump’ and puts something on. Suddenly, there’s a chirp and a small creature that looks like it’s made of fire appears and nuzzles against Little Ghost. Hollow shifts at the creature.

Is that a... Hollow trails off.

Grimmchild! They sign excitedly before jumping and sprouting a pair of wings in pure joy. Didn’t think charms worked- You! They point towards Ichigo. Wield your nail!

They pull out what looks like some sort of sword, and things start to fall into place. Slowly.

Ichigo looks reluctant to fight this early in the morning, so Urahara gestures that he go back inside to sleep. He unsheathes Benihime, and Little Ghost lets him hit them.

Or so it seems because Urahara feels something go through his body, making his very soul quiver, and suddenly Little Ghost is behind him, and Tessai is looking increasingly concerned. 

“Urahara-dono, maybe we should do something.” He says, and Urahara almost agrees. Until he sees what Little Ghost is signing to Hollow.

You can be free, Hollow. They sign. Pale King isn’t here. You can feel things, you can finally cry and smile and not hide. You are free. Ghost emphasizes the last word, and in that moment Urahara knows he might just have to bring these two into the family.

[seasaltmemories]

Anyway I rewatched the first two episodes of Arc V again bc I’ve been nostalgic, and it still is really good I swear the moment Yuya first appeared with his “Ladies and Gentlemen!” I was hooked once more

and like aside from my already established love, I think one of the huge strengths of the first few two episodes is that it immediately gives the viewer a reason to care about Yuya, even if you don’t know a thing about Yugioh, it taps into his emotional struggle the way a sports show might do so, you don’t need to understand all the rules and just need to know that Yuya’s missing father is weighing on him

But episode 2 follows it up with mystery and intrigue around just what the hell pendulum summoning is (making the new mechanic diegetic was a genius move and I might be interested in watching Sevens just to see if they use a similar move) as broken as it might appear Yuya still has struggles to face, and even though that arc doesn’t really get any concrete answers until 138 episodes later, there is still immediate plot intrigue bc we are shown that Reiji also wants to figure out pendulum summoning asap

Then just minor charm points, we got parents like Shuzo and Yoko being not only relevant but responsible, Yuzu’s cute banter and time to shine, the great character designs and colors, and a solid pacing between the duels and plot itself, like if you hate the genre of card game anime then you probably won’t be won over bc it is still that, but it really is some of the best of that genre

[jyiori]

Mondays

Arcana Fan Fiction | Khayalan Alnazar x Adrian Devorak It’s been a stressful time... but I got inspired to write by some very awesome folks. Thank you for letting me borrow Adrian again, @lazyvoyager  ♥ Thank you lots for the advice and support, Sketchy  ♥ And thank all three of you for always putting up with me and my shenanigans xD What’s with me and Lemons? They’re so hard to write!

Gentle was the sunlight that trickled into the room through the half-open window, warming up the bed ever so slightly. The lanky figure stirred from his deep slumber, raising an arm to shield his eyes that were still unused to the light. Having rubbed the sleep from his eyes, Adrian blinked several times and stared blearily at the trail of light illuminating the ceiling. It should be… …Monday, and the clinic should be closed today, and he could probably afford a couple more winks… …wait.

Monday.

The young doctor sat up suddenly, more alert now. Contrary to popular norms, Adrian Devorak likes Mondays. He hastily discarded his rumpled clothes after washing up, putting on a fresh set before running a comb through his stubborn locks. A small smile sneaked its way onto his face as he bustled about the room, adding some throw pillows on the bed and extra blankets for good measure.

Once satisfied with the layout, he hummed softly to himself as he makes his way to the kitchen. The house stood silent as the other occupants were definitely peacefully snoozing, enjoying the day off to its full extent. With a simple snap of his fingers, Adrian lighted the fire and brought the water in the kettle to a steady boil. He set to work and brewed a pot of black coffee, filled another pot with the yuzu mixture, setting them aside for his parents. Deciding to check on the clinic’s herb supply, he rummaged through drawers and located the list of required ingredients scrawled onto parchment in his father’s almost illegible handwriting. Even the long list could not put a damper on his mood that day. Strapping a sturdy leather bag over his shoulder, he left the house in an almost jubilant mood.

Without much prompting, his thoughts once again drifted towards a certain violet-eyed dancer named Khayalan Alnazar. Ever since that fateful night and heart-racing confession, things have sort of… fallen into place. At first, they only managed to steal precious moments together at awkward hours, since Adrian worked during the day while his lover worked during the night. However, they fell into a steady routine as they both had their Mondays off, planning to always spend the day together after Khayalan wakes up in the afternoons. It was a routine that they both have come to enjoy and look forward to very much, and the young doctor went about his day quietly buzzing with anticipation of the time to come.

As the young Devorak finished restocking most of the required ingredients on the list, the sun was already high up in the sky. The freckled doctor checked his list one last time before stopping at the Alnazars’ shop. He knocks politely, tense shoulders relaxing a little upon hearing a warm, welcoming voice, “Please, do come in!”

“Adrian! You’re earlier than usual,” commented the owner of the voice from behind the counter. Adrian colours slightly at the remark, shyly meeting the kind brown eyes of Ayda Alnazar. She offered him a cheerful smile as she received his shopping list, eyebrows furrowing in sudden concentration trying to decipher Julian’s chicken-scrawl. Swiftly and with practiced ease, she weighed and measured the medicinal herbs and wrapped them up in brown paper and handwritten labels for him.

“Will Khayal be staying over at yours tonight? Another reading session?” she begins, conversationally. The woman didn’t give him a proper chance to answer before continuing in the same breath, “He hasn’t returned since last evening! Perhaps he had an additional performance scheduled. Please be a dear and let us know if he doesn’t show up at your place?”

Oh.

Concern settles on Adrian’s face, rooting itself deeply in his brows. He left the shop shortly after, passing up on Ayda’s offer of tea for the wait. The sky darkened with clouds like the way his good mood was dampened, and he allowed himself a sigh as he trudges through the marketplace back home to the clinic. And yet… it only takes a few minutes before his good spirits came back in full swing, as a familiar voice makes itself heard over the buzzing of the crowd. He stopped in his tracks, locating his favourite person almost instantly, unsurprisingly surrounded by an adoring crowd that was following him around like a flock of sheep. Fondly, Adrian studies Khayalan’s face from across the distance, a tinge of worry marring his happiness as he notes his beloved’s rather worn-out expression. However, the pronounced tiredness was wiped out almost instantly by a beaming smile as the younger man notices Adrian’s presence. In a few quick strides, they were together at last.

“Hey. You came to get me~”

Linking their hands together with ease, Khayalan brings Adrian’s fingers to his lips in a smooth motion and pressed a long and hard kiss to the back of his hand, lingering a few seconds to flutter his eyelashes at his flustered partner, whose was gradually turning into a brilliant shade of red. The crowd that was previously following the performer giggled and gawked openly, undeterred by and unheeding Khayalan’s exaggerated dismissive hand gesture to shoo them away.

“Everyone, please. It’s my day off – you’ll have me again in a few nights.”

Giving them a charming wink, he sidled closer to the doctor and kissed him on his flaming cheek. Squealing with delight and amid peals of laughter, the small crowd dispersed amicably. Left alone at last, the couple started strolling through the marketplace, hand-in-hand. Letting out a soft sigh he didn’t realize he had been holding back, Khayalan spoke quietly so that only Adrian could hear. “I missed you.”

Just when Adrian thought his face couldn’t get any redder. He smiled in reply, squeezing Khayalan’s hand lightly in return. “You’re tired. Was there an encore performance? …maybe you should rest for the rest of the day.” The disgusted face Khayalan made at the mention of rest made the doctor shake with laughter.

They took their time to catch up properly on their week, just enjoying each other’s company and the bustle of life in the marketplace. Stopping in front of their favourite book stall, they had a grand time just showing and trying to outdo each other on ridiculous book titles of the local and foreign literature. The stall owner just looked on at their antics amusedly, a paternal smile on his face. He liked these young ones, especially since they were regulars and sometimes brought him small gifts of appreciation. When they finally decided on a book, they made a mad dash for shelter to the Devorak household before the clouds started to empty themselves rapidly, sending torrents of rain cascading onto all of Vesuvia.

Dinner was always a joyful occasion at the Devorak household, filled with plenty of laughter, wonderful company and great food. Khayalan never once felt out-of-place as he dined with Rhys, Adrian and their fathers. It was almost as if he was part of the family, although the same could be same of the Devoraks when they dined with the Alnazars. After dinner, the couple retired early to Adrian’s room with the book-of-the-day, an interesting find titled, “Unique Leeches and Where to Find Them”, which Julian expressed an eager interest in borrowing later on. Adrian was quietly pleased when Khayalan marvelled over the amount of blankets and pillows on the bed, praising his efforts earnestly. The flustered doctor shifts his gaze to the floor as Khayalan cast his pants aside before getting comfortable on the bed, patting the space between his legs invitingly. It was always sort of awkward at first, but it had become routine to them for quite some time now, their favourite reading pose. Adrian settles himself into a comfortable position as they both started reading together, laughing at the strange descriptions of leeches and unthinkable locations.

It seem all too soon when Khayalan stopped giving comments and fell uncharacteristically silent, and right when Adrian turned back to look, a gentle snore confirmed his thoughts. Smiling wryly, Adrian continued reading the rest of the chapter on his own, although the quirky facts about leeches no longer seemed as interesting as before. Lulled by Khayalan’s steady breathing and the slow rise and fall of his chest, Adrian lets the book fall from his hands and slowly starts to drift away–

“…Adrian.”

His eyes snapped open at the soft voice, and he listened patiently for Khayalan to continue. What he did not expect, however, was a low and sensuous groan that made blood rush immediately to his face.

“Hng.”

What was that? The doctor blinked in confusion, his face burning up as the sound unintentionally echoed itself in his mind. With all senses on high alert, Adrian stiffened as he felt it then. Something. Something was slowly awakening from its peaceful slumber, gently nudging his lower back with dogged persistency. Behind him, another strained moan escapes Khayalan’s lips as he shifts slightly under Adrian’s weight, imperceptibly raising his hips for more contact. “Adrian, please…”

When he sighs, hot breath warms the top of Adrian’s head. Yet the poor man was already combust, he burned as if his entire body was on fire. Something at the back of his mind whispered urgently to him, that he probably could use an extremely cold shower right now – if only just to clear his head. As Adrian tries to sit up with utmost care not to disturb his sleeping partner, his movements only succeeded in prompting the legs already locked around his waist to clench themselves tighter. Lying back down on Khayalan’s chest with the air of a resigned man, he squeezes his eyes shut and wills himself to wait it out until the steady grip on his waist loosened. Beads of sweat forming on his brow, Adrian clasps his hands together in a desperate effort not to do anything untoward.

An errant foot inadvertently brushing across his sensitive spot led to his undoing. Even as he bit his lip in vain, Adrian left out a half-strangled moan that promptly woke a dazed Khayalan from the throes of a passion-filled dream.

“Hnn.. …?” groggily, Khayalan’s searching hands reaches out for his beloved without much thought, locating his broad shoulders and tracing a path from his collarbone to his jaw. The amount of heat radiating from his lover’s body, the sweat trickling down his face and the ragged panting worried him a little. “Adrian? Are you alri–” Khayalan abruptly cut himself off upon realizing his own arousal painfully pressed against Adrian’s lower back, pining for more action. Coming to his senses, he released the tight hold he had on the poor man’s waist abruptly. Adrian let out an audible whimper as Khayalan’s leg wandering leg brushed over his privates yet again, sitting upright the moment he was freed. A sudden fear seized Khayalan the very same time a desire to bolt flashed through Adrian’s mind, but thankfully – thankfully for the both of them, Khayalan was faster. Locking his beloved in a bone-crushing embrace, Khayalan starts mumbling incoherent apologies in Adrian’s ear, he’s sorry, so sorry, he promises it will never happen again –

“Never?” Adrian’s voice, much calmer than before, intercepted Khayalan mid-speech.

There was silence when Khayalan tried to process the thought. He let go at that point, sitting back on his heels with his head drooping like a sinner repenting in church.

“Khayal. It is okay to want things,” explained Adrian patiently as he turned around to face the sorry-looking person, even as a warm blush slowly crept back on his own face. “How would I ever know what you want, if you don’t just… tell me?”

“How would you ever know – if I wanted very much, the same thing?”

It was not easy, never easy to be truly honest about their desires. But that night, they took it a step closer and reached out for each other… lips locking together with want and desperate need, that had been ignored for far too long. Finally, at long last – they lose themselves to each other in a night of raw passion. It just felt so right, so natural… the way their bodies melded into each other, giving, receiving… Working away the long pent-up frustration and unsatisfied desires, they cling to each other with reckless abandon. Upon reaching eventual release together, they stayed in each other’s arms for a long moment with a sweet promise of so much more in the future to come.

Entirely spent, Khayalan passed out into a deep sleep with a contented smile on his face. Shaking his head disapprovingly, Adrian carefully wipes down his beloved with a wet towel, his face flushing as he traces the blemishes on Khayalan’s bronze body with gentle fingers. The marks of their passionate lovemaking would probably be much more pronounced in the morning, but that’s a worry for yet another day. When he finally slipped under the fresh sheets into his lover’s embrace, Adrian Devorak’s final lingering thought was that he wished Mondays could last forever.

[a-stone-world-saga]

“Senkuu-kun? Senkuu-kun!”

Senkuu grunts and doesn’t look up from the frothing beaker in front of him, carefully stirring it as his other hand pours the transparent contents of a second beaker into the mixture. He checks the temperature, then cranks it up five degrees more, noting the colour change as the previous dull blue gradually lightens to a brilliant pink.

“Senkuu-kun!” Yuzu says once more, voice just shy of a shout as she slaps her hands down on the opposite side of the table.

It’s only due to years of having Taiju and Yuzu barging in on his experiments at the most inopportune times that prevents Senkuu from startling as he very calmly tips the rest of the highly volatile acid into the boiling contents of his first beaker before shutting off the hot plate that it’s balanced on.

The beaker bubbles, and the pink looks almost ominously bright at this point, but - miracle of miracles - it doesn’t explode.

He finally looks up, right eye twitching. “Yuzuriha. What.”

Yuzu of course just gives him a look, not at all cowed by their near-miss with death. Senkuu feels like maybe all the experiments he’s dragged her and Taiju into over the years probably weren’t the best for developing their self-preservation instincts.

“Don’t you what me, Senkuu-kun,” Yuzu crosses her arms, and it earns her a little more of Senkuu’s attention. Yuzu doesn’t normally get so worked up.

He frowns. “What’s wrong then?” He recalls the date. Ah. “Did something happen with your art fair? That’s today, right?”

Yuzu huffs. “Yes it is, and it’s being held in the front courtyard. A lot of us are using the chance to show off for the journalists and university scouts that came today, you know.”

Senkuu blinks at her. “Yeah...? You told me, I remember.”

Yuzu smiles, all lethal sweetness, and Senkuu has to double-check that there’s actually a table separating them.

“Yes I did,” She agrees. “But did you tell your boyfriend?”

Senkuu stares, and an inkling of understanding begins trickling into him. “Well, no, why would I? He’s on that business trip overseas.”

There’s a moment of silence. Yuzu arches an eyebrow. Senkuu is juggling what amounts to a very colourful bomb so he can’t slap a hand to his face the way he really, really wants to.

“Let me guess - he’s not on that business trip overseas, is he?”

“He must’ve returned early,” Yuzu confirms, finally relenting with a reluctant smile. “He’s out front right now, and it’s cute I suppose, that he wants to see you first thing after coming back.” She giggles at the face Senkuu makes. “But maybe you could get him off the campus so he isn’t clogging up the entrance with his fans.”

Senkuu heaves a sigh and contemplates ignoring the whole problem and just hoping it’ll go away, but today is a big opportunity for Yuzu, and he’s pretty sure that even if he stays in his lab, his stupid significant other will just come get him once he loses his patience with simply waiting.

Senkuu looks down one more time at his ongoing experiment, and then heaves a mournful sigh and moves the whole thing to the sink, hooking a foot under the table as well to pull out the chemical disposal bin.

Yuzu claps her hands together. “Wonderful! Have fun with your boyfriend this weekend. I’ll see you on Monday!”

She’s gone again in the next breath, and Senkuu is left rolling his eyes at thin air. He shoves his safety goggles up, watching the water run for a moment before glancing out the nearby wall of windows. It’s a nice day - clear skies, spring weather.

“-it’s cute I suppose, that he wants to see you first thing after coming back.”

Senkuu scoffs and ignores the ridiculous squirmy feeling in his chest.

“That dumbass better not have brought flowers again.”

-0-

Fifteen minutes later, Senkuu rounds the side of a building and grimaces at the sight that greets him - a literal mob at the school gates, pressed up around one person leaning against the side of a damn limo. The blond hair is unmistakable, that much brighter under the sunlight, and his signature grin could charm the feathers off of birds, never mind the idiots twittering around him at the moment.

Nanami Ryuusui is as much a force of nature as always, charismatic without even trying, if the crowd around him is anything to go by, all of them vying for his attention. Even from this distance, Senkuu can see that he’s shed his suit jacket but he still has on a white button-up, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, collar folded back to bare his throat and part of his chest.

He looks good, and it’s been a month since Senkuu last saw him. He’d been in Italy, for a series of conferences on a new sailing vessel he’d finally finished and unveiled. They haven’t even had time to skype much over the past few weeks, Senkuu busy with his final projects and exams and interviews, Ryuusui with his speeches and meetings. Senkuu hadn’t expected to see him again for at least another week or so.

He stops a few feet short of the crowd, debating whether or not forcing his way through to the limo would be worth the hassle. He could always just go out the back and then circle around, although that would take him twice as long.

He eyes the throng of bodies in front of him. Or maybe not. It doesn’t help that he’s not very tall.

Still, he doesn’t feel like getting elbowed in the gut today, so the back exit it is. Or that’s what he decides, but just as he turns to leave, brown eyes glance up, slicing over the heads of all the people between them, and catches Senkuu’s gaze like very little else can.

Senkuu stills as Ryuusui straightens from his slouch. There’s a girl at his shoulder, still babbling at him about something or other, but Ryuusui has always had a way of looking at Senkuu like the rest of the world could disappear and he wouldn’t even notice. His eyes seem to light up, even though Senkuu knows that’s not physically possible, and without so much as a by-your-leave, Ryuusui surges forward and begins pushing his way through the crowd. He has much better luck with that than Senkuu would’ve (without his electricity ray, but his university has informed him that it sets a bad example if he leaves bodies everywhere, and also it’s illegal), and the sheer force of his stride as he powers his way towards Senkuu ensures that his fans part for him.

“Senkuu!” Ryuusui exclaims, and his grin is smaller than before when he was grandstanding for strangers but it’s also softer, and Senkuu finds himself smiling back before he really registers it on his own face. He ticks it up to a smirk and swings his bag out of the way just as Ryuusui reaches him.

“Hey dumbass, what did I saw about picking me up from school-”

The rest of his sentence is lost as Ryuusui reels him into a kiss, and it isn’t as if Senkuu wasn’t expecting it because this is how Ryuusui always greets him - open and happy and unashamed.

And Senkuu isn’t one for public displays of affection, but he supposes he doesn’t mind so much when it’s Ryuusui’s lips on his, one calloused hand splayed along the curve of his cheek, the other snaking around his waist to pull him close.

Whispers and squeals swell all around them, but they both ignore it with the ease of long practice. Senkuu breaks the kiss off first, but he stays pliant in Ryuusui’s grasp even as one his own hands curls possessively into the collar of Ryuusui’s shirt, fingers brushing over warm skin, gratified when he feels Ryuusui shiver.

His smile is smug though when Senkuu looks at him again, and the arm around Senkuu’s waist is equally possessive as he begins leading them both back to the car.

“Missed me, Senkuu?” It isn’t really a question, not here, with press and prying eyes all around them, so Senkuu only rolls his eyes in response.

“I’ve barely had time to sleep, let alone miss your idiot face,” He shoots back as he clambers into the limo and meets Francois’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Hey Francois. Did you enjoy Italy?”

He’s granted a faint smile and a regal nod. “I did, Senkuu-sama. I learned several new recipes I can try this weekend. Will you be staying with Ryuusui-sama until Monday?”

Ryuusui slides in then, shutting the door behind him and muting the chatter outside before turning an expectant grin on Senkuu. “Of course he is, right Senkuu? I even wrapped things up early this time.” He sighs dramatically as Francois starts the vehicle and smoothly pulls away from the curb. “I would’ve been here even faster if I’d taken my helicopter, but Francois said you wouldn’t appreciate that.”

Senkuu goes through with his earlier urge and slaps a hand to his face, partly out of exasperation, mostly to hide the amusement twitching at his lips. When he lowers his hand again, Ryuusui is smiling knowingly at him, and Senkuu can only sigh in return. It sounds disgustingly fond even to his own ears.

Oh how far he’s fallen.

“Francois is clearly in possession of all your common sense,” Senkuu mutters. He flicks a considering look at Ryuusui, then glances back at Francois when he sees the partition rising to give them some privacy.

Bless Francois and their obvious mind-reading abilities.

He turns to Ryuusui again, only to huff a laugh when he finds himself being tugged close once more. He goes willingly enough, letting the man maneuver him until he’s flat on his back, head and shoulders pillowed on Ryuusui’s lap.

Loose strands of hair tickle his cheek and collarbone as Ryuusui leans over him. A warm hand grips his chin, a thumb runs along his bottom lip.

“Did you miss me, my star?” Ryuusui murmurs, and Senkuu has to close his eyes for a moment against the sheer unwavering intensity of his gaze.

Sometimes, Ryuusui reminds him of a storm, relentless and overwhelming and beautiful the way only deadly, untamable things can be.

When he opens his eyes, Ryuusui is still watching him, smiling a little when Senkuu reaches up and tangles his fingers in long blond locks.

“Do you really have to ask that every time?” Senkuu grumbles without any real heat. He tugs at Ryuusui’s hair, and of course Ryuusui obliges, leaning down further until he’s close enough for Senkuu to kiss again. The angle’s a little awkward like this but neither of them minds, especially when Ryuusui deepens it, licking into his mouth with a hungry noise at the back of his throat, one large hand slipping under Senkuu’s shirt and dragging up the ladder of his ribs. Senkuu kisses back just as fiercely, his free hand curling around the arch of Ryuusui’s neck, pressing lightly against the groan vibrating under his palm, and suppressing a whimper of his own that Ryuusui drags out of him anyway like he wants to keep every sound Senkuu makes.

Senkuu is embarrassingly breathless when they finally part, and his lips feel far too swollen, but Ryuusui looks similarly flushed and kissed senseless, and Senkuu can feel the hard line of his cock under his shoulder blade. He twitches a shoulder just to see Ryuusui’s eyes snap to focus and darken even further, but they both know better than to fuck in the limo.

Francois won’t kill them, but death would probably be preferable to whatever they’d have in store for them as an alternative revenge.

“I missed you,” Senkuu says instead, marveling at the way Ryuusui freezes, eyes wide and vulnerable for just a breath of a moment, as if he never knows until Senkuu tells him. “Of course I did, you dumbass, it’s been a month. You could’ve called ahead, you know. I would’ve come out to the airport to meet you.”

Ryuusui blinks, breathes, and then his expression melts into another cocky grin. “I wanted to surprise you. Besides, I know you’ve been tired lately. I could save you the drive, so why not?”

Senkuu hums, his hand finding Ryuusui’s and squeezing briefly with the thanks he doesn’t say. Ryuusui chuckles and runs gentle fingers through his hair. “How about you get some rest now? I’ll wake you once we’re back at my place, Francois can cook us dinner, and you can tell me all about that teaching position the Weinberg University offered you.”

Senkuu arches an eyebrow. “I didn’t tell you about the offer yet.”

Ryuusui snorts. “Please, it’s you. Any school would’ve been tripping over itself to get you on their staff.”

Senkuu smirks, because yeah, he knows he’s that good, and the school board of the university Byakuya teaches at reportedly cried when it became clear Senkuu had his heart set on his stepmom’s school. But he also has to fight down the rush of heat creeping up his neck, because Ryuusui’s always had an unshakable faith in him, and somehow, hearing it from him means more to Senkuu than flattery from anyone else.

He rolls onto his side and presses his face into Ryuusui’s shirt instead. Above him, Ryuusui makes a surprised sound that shifts into amusement. “Sleep then?”

Senkuu hums a muffled affirmative, but after a moment, he also adds gruffly, “I’m glad you’re home, Ryuusui.”

The fingers that haven’t stopped petting through his hair pause now, but they start up again after a few seconds.

“Yeah,” Ryuusui agrees quietly, voice pitched low like he’s imparting a secret just for Senkuu. “Yeah, me too, Senkuu. Me too.”

Senkuu nods, satisfied, and closes his eyes, curling into Ryuusui’s warmth. He drifts off to the feel of Ryuusui’s fingers in his hair and his hand still clasped firmly with Senkuu’s own.

[precure-stuff]

AiParade episode 29 rewrite

Episode 29- Twinkling Trio

We’re back at the Moonlight Office as WM and Magic Blood. Mizuki isn’t eating and the other girls stop to ask her why. Her eyes seem distant as the plate sits full of food. “Mizuki, is something wrong?” Mikuru asks. She places her hand on Mizuki’s who snaps as she smiles.”

“I know what’s been missing. A relic of forgotten time.” Mizuki walks out and says she won’t be back for a while. The other girls look shocked as Kaede shoves Mizuki’s food onto her plate. The opening plays (Twilight Etranger)

We cut to a large farm where the 4Star girls are doing community service as part of their idol work involves giving back. Anna is playing guitar to motivate them but a few students find it distracting. Dave(Wind Dance teacher)  is also doing an unnecessary cheer as Hotaru helps the girls plant flowers. We see Laura kick a shovel’s head into the ground.  Yume and Koharu bring her some dirt and overall everyone is a little dirty. Yuzu shows up in an excavator to everyone’s horror.

“Yuzu! That won’t be necessary.” Dave shouts. She continues to drive it until Lily uses a capture net to get her out. With the crisis averted we watch Mizuki arrive with her signature moon aura trailing behind her. A few of the girls are embarrassed to have her see them like this and hide away. Tsubasa scolds them and says an idol who cares too much about how she’s perceived will never make it. It’s revealed that she’s been tilling the ground for a while. Mizuki smiles and shakes Tsubasa’s hands.

“There is nothing more precious than an idol’s sweat.” She grabs a shovel herself and asks to meet the idol with the most stamina. The crash of tiles breaking is heard and we see Mahiru’s shovel cross hers. The two idols lock eyes and Anna picks a suitable pile of earth for them to move. A few students are stunned. “Mizuki’s going to work in the dirt?”

“What’s she doing here?”

“Is this really Aikatsu?”

The two girls get to work and within seconds the dirt is moved entirely. Mahiru turns to demand a second round but Mizuki stops her. “Come with me.” She says as she extends her hand. Mahiru says she will once the day’s work is done. The work continues in silence. As Mizuki walks off, she takes a look at her muddy hands. “I see, now. I know who’s next.”

Mizuki enters a car with Tsukikage(her manager) and asks her if they could visit another farm. Tsukikage mentions she already knows where they want to go and if so she sHould rest up first. At the Moonlight Office, we see Mizuki asleep in a plain bedroom with a poster of WM on the wall. Her dream involves a flashback to her and Mizuki performing Smiling Suncatcher. Then we see her and Ichigo performing Signalize. The sun is rising and she wakes up. A knock is heard at the door. Mizuki opens it to meet Mahiru I her school tracksuit. “You asked me to come here, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Mizuki meets Mahiru’s gaze, “Our work is hardly done.”

They arrive in Hokkaido where Nono and Risa are putting on a small show for the locals. Risa is performing Move On Now in her PR. When she spots Mizuki, however, she freezes and fudges the choreography a little. The crowd doesn’t notice but Mizuki frowns as Mahiru exits the car. The show ends with Nono and Risa thanking the crowd for coming.

Mahiru introduces herself to the girls and says she liked the show. Nono nods with gratitude as Risa turns away from Mizuki. Nono and Risa take them to sit on an outside bench next to a lake. Nono speaks up “So what brings you two here?”

“We’d like to spend a day working on your farm.” Mizuki says.

“Wait a minute. I knew we’d be working but you never said we were staying here.” Mahiru interrupts. She glares at Mizuki who is wearing her casual blue dress.

“If we are to make this work, we simply must be prepared for the unexpected. We’d be happy to camp outside Nono.” Mizuki replies.

“I could never. Please come stay with me. Risa and I can both accommodate one of you.”

“Very well, I would prefer to stay with Risa.” Mizuki says. Mahiru slams her hands on the table and stands up.

“Don’t you think you’re going a little too far? Dragging all of us into this with you?”

Mizuki slides her phone toward Mahiru.

“If you would like to leave, then you can call Tsukikage at any time.” Mizuki asks for directions from Nono and they begin to walk off. Mahiru holds her hand to her chest and looks a little sad. She trails behind them at a distance.

At Risa’s house, Mizuki is sleeping on the bed as Risa sleeps on a mattress on the floor. She can’t sleep as she recalls her fumble on stage. The camera pans up to Mizuki and we see that she isn’t asleep either. “Risa, why are you on the mattress?” Risa frowns. “Earlier on stage. That was my song wasn’t it?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. I saw you at the Starlight Queen Cup. If it’s my approval you want, then you already have it.”

“Mizuki…I’m still not sure of myself as an idol.” Risa stands up with her fists balled. “But that’s a journey I’ll have to take myself.” Mizuki smiles in acknowledgement and the two switch.  Mizuki sleeps on the mattress happily.

IN Nono’s room, Mahiru and Nono are both laying on mattresses in their living room. They’re watching the Starlight Queen Cup with popcorn. Mahiru watches as Nono’s version of Lucky Train plays. “Why do you think she chose us Nono?”

“I’m not sure. To you it might not look it but Mizuki’s a pretty big name even here.”

“Well, regardless…I want to see what will happen.” The power goes out and Mahiru gasps knocking over the popcorn. With the TV off, the girls fall asleep.

The next morning, we see the girls giving it their all on the farm as they help out the locals. Mizuki’s phone sits uncharged in Nono’s house. At the end of the day, Risa’s parents invite them over to thank them. They all indulge in the meal as the moon rises. Tsukikage shows up to take them to the Moonlight office. “Girls, I’m glad we were able to work hard together. However, there is much more to be done.” Risa smiles as she nudges Nono and Mahiru forward. “The two of you will form a unit with me, won’t you?”

“Of course, Mizuki!” Nono says as she rubs her sore arms.

“Alright then,” Mahiru replies.

“Very well. Together we are Twinkle!” She takes their hands, “For each drop of sweat we shed twinkles like the stars. Now, we simply must prepare for a show soon.”

A week later, we spot the main characters sitting in an auditorium. They say their catchphrases as the spotlights turn on. The auditorium falls silent as all eyes turn to the stage. Mizuki sings the first line of Summer Coloured Butterfly as she descends on a crescent moon in the Exotic Lake Coord. Mahiru appears from the left in the Exotic Forest Coord singing the next line and Nono, in the Exotic Sunset Coord. They lights all turn on as the girls begin to dance. As the song continues, Raki starts to sketch away when suddenly, the trio performs Triple Sexy Fllash once the chorus starts. Yozora is near the front and tilts her head, “Isn’t that a little early?”

The crowd is going wild from seeing the appeal as Aine and Mio stand nervously. Mio turns to Aine as they recall their Diamond Friends cup. As the second verse kicks in.

“Aine! It’s just like then. The show is longer than usual.” Aine panics and holds Mio’s hand. “What’s going to happen?”

Yume and Akari are also stunned as they notice that Twinkle’s performance isn’t over yet. Then as the second chorus happens and the trio uses Star Sexy Charm. The second appeal gets the crowd even wilder with the cheers alone overshadowing everything but the performance. Ichigo gets a stern expression on her face. “I’ve done this before. She’s brought it back. Mizuki wants us all to get on this level.”

As the bridge goes on, we see Nono is sweating but she’s smiling at the rest. We get cuts to them training until the singing cuts back in. Triangle Twinkle Light! The third appeal has some parts of the crowd begin to sing along as they move along with the music. Mikuru’s hand is seen trembling as she wonders how Mizuki got the rest to learn three appeals in a week. Raki’s sketchbook is hanging limply in her hand as she’s unable to turn away. The show finally ends as the auditorium is flooded with cheer. In seats above the rest, the principals sit amazed by what happened. Even Elza seems set off as Twinkle stands on stage, seemingly fine after the exhausting performance.  The episode ends with an end screen saying A New Age of Aikatsu

[the-chibi-devil]

The Best Transmigration and Isekai Mangas/Manhwas/Manhuas I’m Reading Right Now

Does anyone care about this list? Probably not, but I’m making it even if it’s only for my reference. So here they are, in no particular order.

* English Title: I’m a Villainous Daughter, so I’m going to keep the Last Boss * Japanese Title: Akuyaku Reijou nanode Last Boss wo Kattemimashita * Mangaka: Nagase Sarasa (story), Anko Yuzu (art) * Summary: “Avoid the BAD END! That's the goal of the villainess in this plot-twisting story!! She has been reborn into the world of an otome game as the villainess, Irene. Using her memories of her former life, she recognizes flags indicating she's en-route to the bad end, so she makes a plan to conquer the last boss (the evil king Claude), make him her lover, and see if she can open up a new route!” (MyAnimeList) * Why I Like This One: Irene is a very fun character! I love her sheer determination in everything she does. Her love interest (Claude) is nothing special imo - classic misunderstood character - but his relationship with Irene is pretty sweet. There are some interesting twists in the plot, too!

* Title: Miss Not-So Sidekick * Creator: Ellianyang * Summary: “Hyejung loved to read to escape her daily stress. But that’s before she woke up inside the bizarre world of her favorite novel! Instead of the main heroine who courts three eligible men, she is now Latte Ectrie – a minor villain that everyone hates?! One way or another, it’s a chance to live out her most beloved storyline, with popcorn in hand to watch all the drama! Taking charge of the narrative takes on a whole new meaning!” (1stKissManga) * Why I Like This One: Latte isn’t actually interested in romance! She would much rather watch how the narrative plays out than take an active role in it. Therefore, she decides to befriend the protagonist. However, just by virtue of being herself, Latte seems to have thrown the narrative off-course! (Not that she realizes that it’s her fault.) The developing relationships are fun to watch. However, this is very much a slow burn. Another fun thing about this manhwa is how Ellianyang throws in all sorts of references to other works such as Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Detective Conan!

* English Title: Of Course, I’ll Claim Palimony! * Japanese Title: Mochiron, Isharyou Seikyuu Itashimasu! * Mangaka: Soy (story), Mutou Tamura (story) * Summary: “"I'll annul our engagement!" my fiancé suddenly declared?! Apparently he's in love with the recently transferred count's daughter and is planning on making me the villain in order to annul the engagement. Although I have no lingering attachments about the engagement, I do have to claim a hefty consolation fee, don't I?” (MyAnimeList) * Why I Like This One: “Of Course, I’ll Claim Palimony!” does something very fun in that the otome novel that is being referenced exists within the story. The protagonists are very aware of this and the main heroine is most definitely willing to work within and with the narrative to turn things to her advantage.

* English Title: I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags... * Japanese Title: Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta... * Mangaka: Yamaguchi Satoru (story), Hidaka Nami (Art) * Summary: “ Katarina Claes is the eight-year-old daughter of a duke. One day, she hits her head and recovers the memories of her past life, and she comes a horrifying realization—she is in a world similar to that of an otome game she once played, and she is the main villain! To make matters worse, in every possible conclusion, whether exile or death, she is met with a terrible end. Using her knowledge of how the game unfolds, Katarina must now do whatever it takes to change her fate. Whether she must cultivate  her skills as a farmer or befriend every character that comes her way, nothing is ever too much for her to handle. As the years go on, everything seems to be going as planned. However, Katarina realizes that she made a mistake in her previous life, as she never actually finished the game before death; and so a new, secret route may just prove to be her undoing.” * Why I Like This One: This is the quintessential isekai! Katarina is a stubborn yet naive character. She is doing all she can to change the narrative, but she is always surprised by the results! Still, I like that the creators aren’t shying away from making lovely female characters besides Katarina. There were also some twists that I really wasn’t expecting from a manga like this! An anime adaptation is coming soon.

* English Title: Endo and Kobayashi’s Live Commentary on the Villainess! * Japanese Title: Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endo-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san * Mangaka: Enoshima Suzu, Sakakiri * Summary: “She’s always putting on that grumpy face even though she’s not actually that upset! Oh, why can’t she just be honest with herself…!? She is a tsundere, after all? When her embarrassment levels exceed a certain limit, she will explode into anger. However, the point that she’s suppressing under the surface is that she wouldn’t mind that sort of thing if it were in a less public place? As Endo-kun passionately reacts to the antics of Lady Liselotte, the villainess of an otome game, Kobayashi-san provides a painstaking breakdown of her tsundere behaviour. Suddenly, one person could hear their voices; Liselotte’s fiancée, Prince Siegward. That is where this story begins.” (MangaGo) * Why I Like This One: The characters within the narrative, Liselotte and Siegward, actually interest me way less than Endo and Kobayashi. I can’t wait to see how they handle this sudden change in their lives! And it seems that there is someone behind this magic game but the game wasn’t their intention? I’m curious.

* English Title: The Death Mage That Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time * Japanese Title: Yondome wa Iya na Shizokusei Majutsushi * Mangaka: Densuke (story), Kojima Takehiro (Art) * Summary: “Amamiya Hiroto is unlucky. His life consisted of misfortune after misfortune, culminating in an unlucky death during an incident on a school boat trip, trying to save a girl he barely knew. After death, he met a god of reincarnation who requested that the hundred or so dead passengers—one of them being the girl he tried in vain to save—be reincarnated into another world. Yet a series of unfortunate events forced Hiroto to reincarnate with even less luck than before, starting with nothing but a tremendous amount of Mana. His second life, far worse than his first, came to a cruel end. However, upon meeting the god a second time, he was informed that there would be yet another reincarnation—one that had already been set in motion and could not be stopped. Not wanting Hiroto to endure a third life filled with suffering, the god cursed him before he was reborn in the hopes that he would either die quickly or commit suicide. Hiroto was reborn once more as a half-vampire, half-dark elf. A dhampir. Not wanting a fourth life, he is determined to live this third life with the only things remaining from his previous lives—Death Magic and his enormous Mana pool. “ (Light Novel Bastion) * Why I Like This One: Holy crap, those first chapters were dark. This manga is certainly proving that isekai isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Honestly, the real thing that keeps drawing me back is the found family dynamic. I could do without all the fanservice though...

* Title: Cheating Men Must Die * Creator: The King * Summary: “One moment oppressing scum yields a moment of satisfaction. Continuously oppressing scum yields continuous satisfaction. Our female main lead, Su Lüxia is bound to the Female Lead Counterattack System and transmigrates to several small worlds. Using elaborate means, she beats up countless cheating bastards and bitches. Su Lüxia: “Only a cheating bastard's tears of remorse, and the pained moans of a bitch unable to get what she wants bring me solace.” System: “Has my host tapped into her humanity today? Nope.”” (Manga Rock) * Why I Like This One: This manhua is just a long ride of schadenfreude. The story goes in arcs, and there is no doubt that Su Lüxia is going to trample those cheaters, but how she does it is always a surprise! The art is beautiful and the story wildly entertaining. Readers beware, however, as this manhua features themes such as sexual assault, suicide, and abuse.

* English Title: Though I May Be a Villainess, I’ll Show You I Can Obtain Happiness! * Japanese Title: Akuyaku Reijou Desuga, Shiawase ni Natte Mesemasu wa! * Mangakas: Hoshino Osome, Nekomata Doremi, Sorakura SHIJIKI, Yuuki Satoru, Kuroe Yui, Reiga Utsuhou, Yamashiro Umemayuge, Mafuyubi, Oshitsuji Ei, Mizuno Saaya * Summary: "Annuled Engagements, Take That’s, Condemnation Events, Doting, Royals, Reincarnated Heroines, Banishment Endings…it’s fully loaded with all the charms of Villainess’!! A comicalization of 5 popular villainess stories from Shousetsuka ni Narou!! An anthology of 5 oneshots with happy endings!!” (IsekaiScan) * Why I Like This One: This is an anthology and all the stories are very different. My personal favorites are “The Tale of the Noble Girl who will go to a Monastery after her Engagement Annulment,” “Shall We Walk Hand in Hand Down the Flowery Path of Evil?” and “The Villainess Trifles with the Second Prince’s First Love.”

* Title: IRIS - Lady with a Smartphone * Creators: Soo-Wan Yoo (author), Hye-Yi Yoon (artist) * Summary: “ The husband was in love with her cousin and the family was taken away by cigar. The moment I fell into despair and to end my life; the memory of my past life came to my mind.The life of a white-haired worker in Seoul, returning to the past, she decided. “I will not be abandoned by them again. Now I will forsake them!”Ian stare full gazed at Iris’ eyes, “Do you remember what I said the other day? Are you asking for a different fee?”“Yes. I want to get it now.” Iris, was a woman who had nothing. “I did not have a strong parent like other noble princess, nor did I have much money.”“What do you mean by yourself?” Iris blinked. He laughed and said. “Let’s have a relationship with me.” The eldest son of the line, the best of the empire, the best dancer Valencia is the perfect husband. The rope for the revenge makes me crave for more.” (1stKissManga) * Why I Like This One: Iris’ evolution is a delight to watch. The smartphone hasn’t actually played much of a role at this point, but the importance of it’s existence in Iris’ world is slowly being revealed. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful art and story!

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Personal recap - ACI 2019 - Men SP

Dear followers, you probably know my recaps from previous seasons about big comps @jennibeultimate, so let me introduce you once again to my fully personal remarks (if anyone is even interested in them. So feel free to skip if not interested. Thank you!)

Of course it's all about Yuzu ❤️ but I will go with the SP order (not about everyone, tbh I don't care about everyone😅):

Conrad Orzel: I always liked Conrad in the junior ranks and was looking forward to his senior comps. I really like the SP "In my blood" and he really was on fire in the step sequence and selling his program. Sure his basic skating is still a bit rough but I can see the improvements.

Yuzuru Hanyu: I mean what do I have to say besides: I love him everyday even more! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ HE IS THE LIGHT OF MY SKATING WORLD! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Sure this wasn't the SP he wanted, he won't like it and I think he was as surprised about the fall than I was, but other than this mistake god like! The 3A is so perfectly included in the twizzles like it's the only way you should do it. So easy, so perfect! The step sequence is too die for, so emotional and powerful. 😍😍😍 (I don't mind that he reuses his old SP as he really didn't have much chances to skate to it last season) Thinking of Yuzu: did they forbid to throw anything to the ice?

Junhwan Cha: I like the program, it has wonderful attention to detail, but Junhwan really needs to perform that more. He skates beautiful but for me a bit too cold...maybe this comes with time during the season...or maybe I still just don't feel much from his skating - maybe I never will bit that is personal taste

Kevin Aymoz: WoW!!! ❤️ This is performance! This is extraordinary in style and performance! What unique movements! I just love everything about it! I was rooting for a big score and he got it! So pleased with that 94 points, finally judges awarding his originality and skill! (Much looking forward to see him live in France! Yeah!)

Camden Pulkinen: Yeah a good program! It's still far from perfect, some trouble with the spins and steps but overall a good day for Camden. Score ain't too bad either today! I was releaved that his quad finally looks like he has a chance to land it and not like last season "Well I try but I know it won't work!", still UR but something to work with. He is such a wonderful emotional skater. There is a softness about his movement that put him light years away in juniors from the rest, but in seniors he needs quads. I don't want him to be the next Jason Brown... Out of those coming up from juniors, I like him the most for his style and performance.

Keegan Messing: He is always a sunshine and just such a positive vibe about him. I always smile when I see him. ☺️ I like the new program, still needs polish, but a program I can enjoy. He got some guts to try the 3T on a not good 4T landing. Canadian Nats will be a bloodbath for this one spot at Worlds. Such a shame that they will have only one spot. 😔

Donovan Carillo: I always admire ppl that put her heart into something and even though they face big obstacles, still reach for the stars. He has such a positivity about him, such charme and ease, I always enjoy him. And now he even has a 3A! Wow!

It's the first Challenger, I am much looking forward to the rest of the season! Something is missing without skating in my life!

Good luck to all competitors for the FS!

Thank you for reading!

And don't be afraid to comment or send me messages!

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 2/1/20

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 18 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media – It took a while for me to get into Anonymous Noise, and I still wouldn’t call it a favorite exactly, but it must be said that this final volume made me verklempt on a few occasions. I particularly liked that Nino and Momo getting back together is not the main focus, because that was so not what I was most invested in with this series. Instead, we get Nino telling Yuzu she wants to sing his songs forever, and him realizing that means even more than winning her heart. There are some awesome concert scenes—that full-page image of Yuzu singing!—and a sense of joyous confidence as they contemplate their musical future together. Too, I appreciated that the final appearance of Yuzu and Nino wordlessly confirmed that, yes, he did eventually grow taller than her. I think I might miss this series now that it’s over. – Michelle Smith

Giant Killing, Vol. 18 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The second half of the season has begun! Tatsumi’s strategy going forward is to foster bettter communication and flexibility, so he’s been having the players swap positions, giving chances to non-regulars, etc. The best thing about this series is how Tatsumi has truly earned the players’ trust, and now the team feels more cohesive, each player secure in the knowledge that Tatsumi is looking out for them on an individual level and will help them to improve. Well, mostly everyone. Tsubaki is getting frustrated with his “terrible” playing and is pretty much useless after making a poor decision (while playing an unfamiliar defensive role) that leads to an ETU player’s injury. I really like that, even if they lose, they’re not a high school team trying to reach Nationals, so there’s still hope for the season. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Giant Killing? Verily, I do. – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 36 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – I think I forgot to review the 35th volume of Haikyu!!. No doubt it was very good and also filled with volleyball. As is this 36th volume. It is a credit to the author that he has kept the games interesting, and I can easily distinguish between the major adversaries, which is more than I can say for some manga. There’s a few more flashbacks, some really killer moves… a lot of people jump high in the air… I may have to wait till the game finishes to review another volume, though, as I just can’t keep typing up “this was really cool volleyball” over and over again without stretching things out like I’m a contestant on Just a Minute. At least the series is ending in Japan in a week or two, so we’ll soon catch up. -Sean Gaffney

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 1 | By Gege Akutami | Viz Media – I forget where I first heard of Jujutsu Kaisen, but the general impression I’ve garnered from others has largely been positive. Now having read the first volume myself, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the manga. However, it’s clear that the series still has some room to grow before it truly distinguishes itself. Jujutsu Kaisen is Akutami’s first long-form work which may partly explain why the series comes across as being so heavily influenced by other manga. But even while its ideas aren’t particularly new and the tropes that are used are well-worn, the specific and sometimes seemingly disparate combination of them in Jujutsu Kaisen has a sort of quirky charm—which is admittedly kind of a strange description for what is essentially a horror manga about demon hunting. There is darkness, seriousness, and drama in Jujutsu Kaisen, but many of the characters tend to be likeable goofballs. – Ash Brown

MabuSasa, Vol. 1 | By Nanase | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – With its cute cover and male lead who looks like a scary delinquent but who is actually kind, I thought MabuSasa was going to be a sweet love story akin to Honey So Sweet. I was very wrong. It’s not advertised as such anywhere that I could find, but this is actually a 4-koma manga. True, there aren’t titles for the strips, but the page layout fits, as does the sensibility. Mabuchi is indeed a sympathetic character, but he’s surrounded by one-note caricatures. Most infuriating is Akira Sasagawa (the Sasa of the title), our fujoshi heroine who absolutely refuses to listen when Mabuchi swears that he’s not in a relationship with his best friend, Sota Ando. She concocts BL scenarios at every opportunity, even when Mabuchi meets and plays with her little brother. All of this is meant to be funny, I’m assuming, but I didn’t smile once. – Michelle Smith

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 13 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – Sheesh, the Inter-High still isn’t over in this volume. It literally takes 300 pages to go 3.5 kilometers! In that time, there are a couple of big matchups. The first is Imaizumi versus Midousuji, where the former is bolstered by the power of friendship while the latter pulls off new and even more nightmarish contortions while scoffing at the notion that friends are anything more than useless. Imaizumi emerges victorious but a crack in his bike’s frame means that Sohoku’s hopes now rest with Onoda, who goes head to head with Manami. Probably my favorite parts were the reactions of the Sohoku third years to the announcement that Onoda is still in the running to take the whole thing. 500 meters remain at the end of the volume. Next time for sure, right? – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown