#he’s very cool and very kind I just wish Oda would stop using him as a vessel for unfunny creepy jokes

[empress-hancock]

I’m sure they’ll going to make changes in the live action but I do hope Sanji still gets to beat that dude almost to death for spilling soup, like that’s hilarious. He almost kills a guy over soup. Me too, man, me too

[ikeromantic]

Old Friends, New Adventures

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfic - this scene occurs post-Romantic epilogue. Approx. 2200 words of fluff and stuff.

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: My Home is Your Home

Mitsuhide was expecting to see Sarutobi. Afterall, he had invited the ninja and arranged the trip to align with the . . . worm hole. Instead, it was Ranmaru waiting for them downstairs. His wide smile and bright gaze made the warlord suspicious. He watched through narrowed eyes as his fiance bounded down the stairs and threw her arms around Ranmaru in greeting.

“It’s good to see you! Is everything ok?” She let go to look him in the face.

Ranmaru laughed. “I was about to say the same thing!” He took her hands. “I just had to come say hi when I realized this was where -” his gaze shifted to Mitsuhide. “Akechi ran off with you to.”

“We didn’t run off!” She pulled her hands out of his grip, clearly remembering Mitsuhide’s advice. “Anyway, I thought you were staying in Azuchi. Did you come all the way here to visit me?”

“Yes, why are you here,” Mitsuhide added.

Ranmaru took them both in with his wide, guileless eyes. “Oh! I suppose you left before Nobunaga announced it! I am taking a message to Kyoto for him.” He leaned forward and whispered theatrically. “It’s top secret.”

Mitsuhide did not believe the page. There were countless messengers for most letters and for important correspondence, there was no way Nobunaga would entrust that to Ranmaru. He needed to see this letter. With his crescent moon smile in place, the kitsune replied. “In that case, I must offer you my hospitality tonight. I’ll have a guest room set up for you.”

He expected Ranmaru to argue, and had already prepared several potential counter-arguments. None of them were needed. The page bowed. “Thanks, Mitsuhide! That’s really nice of you!”

His reaction almost made the warlord second guess himself. Was this what Ranmaru wanted all along? And if so, why? But he couldn’t ask. He just smiled and nodded to his castle staff. They would know what room to put the page in. It had thick walls and no windows. A secure door that could slide into place from the outside, turning the room into a cell. Mitsuhide would have answers from the page one way or another.

“Would you like to join us, Ranmaru? We’re going to visit the town and then have dinner here at the castle.” The chatelaine glanced at Mitsuhide to make sure this was alright.

“No, no. I’ll just head up to my room for a nap. I ran all the way here and I’m pretty tired.” The page wrinkled his nose. “I know you two want some alone time, anyway. But maybe we can have dinner together before I leave. That would be nice.”

Mitsuhide’s smile widened. Miyake could keep tabs on Ranmaru and maybe that would reveal all he needed to know. They said their goodbyes and left the page in good hands.

Outside the castle, the wind picked up. On the horizon, grey storm clouds billowed and boiled. There was a charge in the afternoon air that set teeth on edge. Even grown men looked askance at the shadows under trees and the darkness between close-packed buildings. It felt like the town was waiting for something.

The chatelaine noticed the brewing storm and frowned. “Do you think we’ll get rained on?”

Mitsuhide shook his head. “If a storm blows through while we are out, we can stop in a shop until it passes. This isn’t the season for heavy rains.” Still, he felt the strange currents in the cool breeze. His hand settled on his sword hilt and for just a moment, he thought of bringing the tanegashima. But this was not a battlefield and he was confident he could handle whatever came.

Many of the town’s residents still remembered the battle at Enryaku-ji, and they regarded their new lord with a wary respect. It was obvious in the way their gaze skittered to the side. How they answered every question with care. His little mouse noticed.

Her smiles were gentle and her compliments many. Mitsuhide could not help but be impressed at the way she set people at ease in her presence. She would make an excellent partner, he thought. One that could balance his strength and weakness. He didn’t notice the proud smile that turned his lips up or the warmth in his eyes as he watched her.

It was early evening when the sullen sky began to loose fat, wet rain drops. They fell in a slow but steady patter, creating little streams down the sides of buildings. The street sellers packed up their wares and people ducked into homes and shops to wait out the storm. Mitsuhide and his little one tucked themselves under the eaves of a closed shop.

“Do you want to stop by the inn for some warm sake before we go home?” Mitsuhide had to lean close to be heard over the rain on the rooftop.

She smiled and nodded. “Just one for me though. I can’t drink like you do.”

Mitsuhide grinned, wondering what she would say if she knew he didn’t drink as much as he seemed to. A man needed to have some secrets though. He grasped her hand and together they ran out under the rain, across the street and down two doors to the building with bright lanterns and music.

The inn here was always busy. It was a waystation for merchants between Kyoto and Azuchi. A natural place to stop and rest. Today was no exception. With the storm outside, the inn’s benches were packed from one side to the other. Mostly with merchants and their guards. A few townspeople, and some of the evening ladies who walked between tables looking for the most advantageous company.

One of the servers recognized Mitsuhide as they walked in, and hurried over. In moments, they were seated in a private room, hidden from the common area by deftly painted screens. Another server arrived with a tray of warm sake and onigiri.

“For you, my lord.” Both servers bowed low. It seemed they remembered his comment last time about preferring easy to eat foods.

“My betrothed would like -” Mitsuhide began, but she shook her head.

“No, this is fine. I’m not that hungry right now.”

Mitsuhide raised an eyebrow but nodded agreeably. “Thank you. You may go.”

Both men ducked out quickly, as if afraid the kitsune warlord might change his mind.

“They really seem afraid of you,” the chatelaine frowned after them. “I wish they knew how good and kind you really are.”

“Don’t go ruining my reputation, little mouse. I worked hard on it.” Mitsuhide laughed, but he was only half joking. “Let them see you as the kind and gentle Akechi, and continue to believe I am the monster.”

“But-”

Mitsuhide shook his head. “It is what must be. For now, at least.”

She looked as if she wanted to argue but after a moment, she smiled. “Alright. I know it is necessary, but I will look forward to the day I can introduce the Mitsuhide I know to all of them.”

He felt his cheeks heat at her sweet words and the look of adoration she wore. It never ceased to amaze him how precious she could be. To hide his unwieldy emotions, he turned his head to look at the screens. “Are you going to pour the sake or keep chattering away, little mouse?”

“Ooh that got to you,” she giggled. “I can see red in your cheeks!”

“You had best pour me a drink before I decide to return the favor,” he murmured. His tone had turned more husky than brusque. He hated the way she made him reveal his heart to her. It was impossible to hide from her.

“Alright, alright.”

Mitsuhide felt her move, heard the delicate clink of porcelain. He tried to focus on details to calm the fast beat of his heart and the warmth in his face. It wasn’t working very well. All he could think of was getting his love back to their room in the castle and peeling every stitch of fabric from her. With his teeth.

“You know, Nobunaga asked me once to serve him sake from my lips . . .”

Wide-eyed, Mitsuhide’s head snapped around to look at her. She was holding his sake cup in her hands. While he watched, she put it to her mouth and tipped it just enough to leave a trace of wine on her lips.

It was too much. First the sweetness and now this bold flirtation. Mitsuhide pulled her to him and kissed her. The rice wine blended with the taste of her, a heady alcohol to the drunkenness of his love.

She was vibrant and alive against him, her body warm, her hands caressing his back. Her lips moved against his, savoring the kiss. A breathy moan lost itself between them.

Mitsuhide might have done more, had they not been interrupted. Again. An embarrassed cough from a silhouette behind the painted screen. He broke their kiss reluctantly and turned his head to face the door. “Yes?”

Miyake poked his head in, cheeks stained red, eyes bright with held laughter. “Ehm. Sorry to interrupt your . . drink.”

“I assume this is an emergency?” The warlord’s tone was not amused.

“Maybe?” Miyake shrugged. “The page disappeared from his room. He is not in the castle and no one has seen him in the town. I have some men out looking for him. In fact, I’m on my way to join them. But I wanted to bring you this - in case it’s important.” He held out an envelope.

Mitushide took it. His expression remained one of calm annoyance, but inside he was a tumult of emotion. Worry for his little one, concern for the Oda forces, and even for Ranmaru. It was hard to play the traitor, harder still to be one. The envelope was sealed and on the front, it was addressed to the chatelaine.

She looked at it curiously. “Why do you suppose Ranmaru ran off? You think he’s in such a big hurry? And why did he leave me a letter? He could have just said goodbye in person.”

“I hope the letter will enlighten us.” Mitsuhide broke the seal and unfolded the paper. It held just three words.

I am sorry.

“What do you suppose that means?” The chatelaine looked anxious and confused.

Her naivete was endearing, but there were times Mitsuhide wished she was more suspicious.

Miyake snorted. “Pretty sure he’s not apologizing for missing dinner.” He turned around at the sound of a disturbance in the common room. Benches being pushed across the floor, shouts of alarm, and the stomp of running feet.

A ball of ice solidified in Mitsuhide’s belly. He hadn’t thought the ninja would act so soon - nor so precipitously. And now . . . he stood up. “Let’s see what is going on.”

The three of them pushed past the milling crowd and out into the rainy street. Across Lake Awaumi, red flames reflected against the steel grey sky. A fire big enough that even from this distance, they could smell the char of wood.

“Is that Azuchi,” his little mouse asked in a small voice.

“You can bet your best slippers, my lady.” Miyake’s face was set in a hard smile. One that promised violence to come.

“It appears, my little one, that our vacation has been cut short. We must return to Azuchi tonight.” Mitsuhide hugged her, taking comfort as much as giving it. The peace he’d hoped for was short lived, and now there was work to be done.

Above them, the storm rumbled and the rain began to fall in earnest. In moments, the fires across the lake were no more than a red glimmer barely seen through the wall of falling water. There was no sound but the rushing rain and the thunder.

Mitsuhide, Miyake, and the chatelaine fled back toward Sakamoto Castle to gather what they needed to return to Azuchi.

A figure collided with them in the street. Miyake stumbled and almost fell. Mitsuhide pushed his beloved behind him and set a hand on his sword.

“I - I’m sorry. I can’t see anything without my glasses. Please accept my deepest apologies!” The man had to shout to be heard, but even with his voice raised, Mitsuhide recognized the speaker.

“Sarutobi Sasuke.” It was an inopportune arrival, but then, neither of them could have planned for the events of this evening.

“Sasuke!” The chatelaine pushed past her fiancee to throw her arms around her old friend.

Mitsuhide pushed wet hair back from his face, squinting into the darkness. It looked like the ninja was alone, as agreed.

“Uh, my lady? Could we do this someplace dry?” Miyake’s strained voice cut through the storm sounds.

Sasuke nodded, wiping at his face. “Yes, that would be preferable. We don’t have much time though. I miscalculated the -”

A rush of wind silenced whatever else he’d been about to say. It came with a flash of lightning so bright, it blinded. And a roll of thunder that shook him to his bones. As suddenly as the wind came, it died. It left behind only empty silence and the sense of a vast space.

For a heartbeat, Mitsuhide panicked. This was a strange place, one without a sky or ground. Without familiar sounds or smells. He was alone. His little one, gone.

And then her hand found his.

He traced the small bones with his thumb, fingers entwined with hers. Though he wasn’t sure what was happening, he feared he understood.

Next: Adrift

[perfusio]

About Pudding

I preface with this, we talk about One Piece regarding Pudding and Sanji character. About their relationship, some matter of sexual aggression and manipulative writing. It's mostly to complain, not complete in anyway and I'm sorry for the tone.

Sooooo, Pudding. I don't like her. I never read anyone talking about her so I don't really know how is the current discourse about it.

First and foremost:

Sanji is not the best for obvious reasons

Secondth

Pudding is not that great either : I'm not a big fan of yandere tsundere thing. I dontlike the switchroo with her "normal ", " loving " and " angry " personality because its all centered around Sanji and at the end of the day, I don't find it funny. Cavendish who has a similar thing going on, and at least he used it to fight but even there, I am not interested by that.

It's not trope I find incredibly funny and in this setting, I don't find really interesting.

Some of my friends pointed out that it was better than the previous thing going about her backstory and Big Mom horrible treatment of her children.

 I find Brulee more interresting, Katakuri more cool, and Lola and her twins more proactive.

 And since Pudding personnality revolve now around Sanji, I don't really care because / and that one is a good one / he DOSNT EVEN KNOW! NOW SANJI IS LIKE INCREDIBLY OBLIVIOUS AND ABSOLUTELY NOT INTERESTED wich dosnt make sense AT ALL.

About Sanji

I feel like a dumbass to point this out but Sanji is not Luffy, Chopper or Zoro for that's matter. He's not a sweet summer child. Or obsessed in the way Zoro is.

The time passing retcon didn't affect his capacity to interract with adults. When the sirens on FishIsland, seemed very interested by him, he knew. And didn't take it well but whatever.

Also

What making veryyyyyyyy angry : is the fact that Pudding is genuine. She genuinely love that dumbass, she genuinely think the fact he's not rebutted by her third eyes is a sign of profound kindness and incredible empathy ( I seem a bit sarcastic but I'm pretty sure it was candid and genuine so she's right in that regard ), and his forgiveness for the murder attempt, sign of his pure heart or whatever.

She's not wrong not exactly but Sanji is pretty terrible in many regards and the Kiss/Amnesia is there to prevent evolution.

So, let's go to my next point.

 The kiss/amnesia thingy

The kiss and the amnesia power are a fucking plot to fuck us : Sanji can't stop being a fucking perv. Oda don't want that to stop, he don't want Sanji stopping being a creep.

 B3caude

Sanji continue to be horrible with anyone with a feminine body until the end of Op and further more even if he was in love or/and in a commited exclusive relationship with someone ( here pudding ). And for Oda it's really bad cause, the ideal of honor Sanji has in mind is fundamentally incompatible with him still creeping around. It would be shamefull for him to still act like it. So second option

Sanji stop being a creep. He's commited with Pudding, he loves her really much etc, and for Oda it's really bad cause, he seem to think the "gag I'm that near to be sexual aggressor " hilarious.

 There's no real conclusion, just the end of me venting to explain why I don't like it in general.

I would hope Sanji remember because it would change something and change his dynamic. And I wish she wouldn't brainwashed him in the first place.

But yeaaaaah. Not a fan.

[ivushk]

HELLO. MAY I PLEASE HEAR MORE OF YOUR VAMPIRE AU…. 👉👈

OH MY GOD I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Okay, SO. BUCKLE THE FUCKLE UP 'CUZ here's what I've got so far:

Nishiki and Kiryu are still orphans at Sunflower. They come from a tiny village just a few kilometres west from the orphanage. It's a very close and closed-off community. The boys' parents died in a fire when they were very little (which is a common theme for the kids at Sunflower and isn't that a crazy coincidence? *smiles mysteriously*), however the Nishikiyama family house wasn't as badly damaged as Kiryu's so it's just sitting there, waiting for its former residents to reclaim ownership as soon as they're able to (I imagine Kazama would help them with that).

In the next years it becomes a home for Nishiki, Yuko and Kiryu (and Yumi, too, though she feels like a visitor for the most part) in everything but name. It's their hangout spot, their "base of operations", their not-so-secret meeting place. When Yuko's health deteriorates so much that she can't stay at Sunflower anymore, the siblings actually properly move in to make arranging the doctor's visits easier.

It's Nishiki's 17th birthday and all three of them are celebrating and playing games and eating cake and having a good time at the edge of the woods not far from the Nishikiyama residence. They're young and loud and stupid (and ignoring the fact that several people went missing over the course of the last few months) and if Nishiki's heart beats a little too hard in his chest when Kiryu gives him his gift - a beautiful, heavy silver pendant on a slightly-worn leather cord - he doesn't think about it too much (and if he notices that Kiryu stares at him just a bit longer than usual without saying a single word but his gaze is so, so, SO fond-- he doesn't think about it either). (he leaves these kinds of thoughts for restless nights because thinking about his best friend in that way during the day... it hurts. the hurt is good sometimes but it's overwhelming).

They're drunk on the cheap beer they've smuggled from Gen-san's fridge and high on happiness. Unaware that the very same night it would all go crashing down.

At some point they all quiet down and go a little further into the woods than they normally would but no one pays any mind to that. And when suddenly their trio turns into a duo with the sudden absence of the birthday boy himself no one immediately starts panicking. He's been gone for ten minutes, twenty, half an hour. Kiryu tells Yuko to go back to the village, to gather everyone, make them start a search party or something while he keeps looking for her brother (the only things he'll find are the pendant he's gifted to Nishiki with the leather cord torn and the broken shards of his own hope). They never find him.

A year goes by and they hold a funeral for Nishikiyama Akira. Even though there's no body for them to bury. Yuko doesn't cry (she doesn't believe he's really dead). Neither does Kiryu (he used all of his tears up that night, the guilt choking him, and the night after that, and the night after that, and the night-). Yumi does, however. And the nice old lady who gave both Nishiki and Kiryu money for helping her do chores around the house. And the man who gave Nishikiyama a part-time job at his shop (to put at least something towards the cost of his sister's treatment, he felt so indebted to Kazama, and that debt weighed down on him). And a few of the girls and boys from Sunflower too.

Another two years pass. Kiryu moves away to the big city at the behest of Kazama. "It's important for you to continue your education," he says. ("It's important for you to move on," he keeps these words to himself). Kiryu really tries his best. Even makes a few friends (although he's still on the fence about whether he can actually call Oda his friend). It goes as well as it could have considering his circumstances. They say that time heals but Kazuma Kiryu never finds out if there's any truth to those words because he recieves a very short letter - an invitation, actually. To another funeral. But this time it's Yuko they're burying. This time they actually have a body to bury.

Tachibana offers his condolences. Oda offers him a ride to the village and back. Kiryu accepts both.

He can't help but compare this funeral to the last one he's been to. There are fewer people. Fewer tears, too. More flowers. It's quieter and feels something like closure (in truth, it's anything but). Yuko also left behind a will (more like a bunch of wishes since it wasn't an official document but the community decided to honour them anyway). Almost all of her possessions went to the kids from Sunflower, except for the Nishikiyama family house (which on paper actually belonged to Shintaro Kazama) which she left to Kiryu. He can't quite believe it when he hears it and feels his heart break under the onslaught of childhood memories. Still, he goes there later that evening. He finds that little has changed in the time he spent away from the house, from the village, from... all of this, really. There are the same pictures on the walls collecting only slightly less dust. The same books on the shelves and under the broken legs of the old pieces of furniture. The same medicine bottles and equipment in the bedroom, though doubled in quantity. Kiryu's not as devastated as he thought he'd be when he walks around what he used to call his home.

He goes through all the rooms, taking notes of every single thing he finds and every single thing he doesn't. He probably misses a bunch of things (he's not as good at that sort of thing, Nishiki's always had a much better eye for details). Once back outside, he looks for the secret stash they made back when they were teenagers. It's like going through a time capsule. There's a pack of cigarettes he and Nishiki once stole from the teacher's bag, copybooks filled with ugly doodles, dreams for the future and dried flowers and leaves, caps from soda bottles, rocks they thought looked cool, photos and birthday cards damaged by time and weather... the pendant Kiryu gave to Nishiki the last time they saw each other. And a small notebook Kiryu's never seen before. A diary of sorts, a recounting of their days together and their days apart. The handwriting is unmistakingly Yuko's.

It fills him with nostalgia, tears welling up in his eyes, unshed. His heart sinks when he finally reaches the pages where Yuko recounts the last few weeks before she-

She writes about her brother, which is understandable. What's less understandable is the fact that she speaks of him as though he was there, with her. Physically present. Kiryu could chalk it up to the girl being delusional in her dying moments but it doesn't feel right to do so. It's stupid, it's absolutely impossible, he's confused, he's hopeful, why would Yuko hide her notebook there?

The last page. A message. For Kiryu. "Please, Kazuma-kun, help my brother".

Against his better judgement, Kiryu decides to spend the night in the house. Sleep doesn't come to him but that's fine. He sits in the living room, trying to make sense of everything. He sits there until it's way past midnight, until the distant barking of the dogs quiets down, until the rustling of leaves stops, until the very air around him grows still and silent and somehow charged with strange energy. And then he hears it. Three uncertain taps against the window. Kiryu turns his head. It's him.

"Kiryu... Let me in. Please."

He does, without thinking. (He could never very well say no to Nishiki. Even if it got them both in trouble. Even if he's not real.)

The quiet is deafening. It really is him. His best friend (whom he thought dead). His kyoudai. Before Nishiki could say anything, Kiryu wraps him in a tight hug. The only heartbeat between them is Kiryu's own, thundering against his ribs. Nishikiyama doesn't let the hug last, putting some distance between them. He looks guilty, tired; looks at Kiryu with sadness, with longing and something else that he can't quite decipher yet (and it makes him scared but why?). Nishiki also looks older than Kiryu remembers. Not a 17-year-old boy anymore, no. About the same age that Kiryu is now.

Has his gaze always been so sharp? Have his fangs always been this pronounced?

They talk until their throats are hoarse. Until Nishiki pulls out a bottle with some liquid that smells strongly of iron and drinks from it and in that moment Kiryu believes everything his friend has told him. It's crazy, but he does.

Nishiki was abducted that night. Taken from them. By vampires. They hurt him. Forced him to fight other humans (just like him then) for his survival. They fed on him.

It went on and on and on... Days turned into weeks, turned into months, turned into years. Only thoughts of Yuko, and Kiryu, and Yumi kept him going. He wanted to see them again. He hoped he would. That hope was crushed when Nishikiyama met his match in the arena. No, not his match. Someone far stronger. He lost and was tossed out to die. But another vampire saved him. It was a woman, whose face he saw often among the spectators of his fights. She stood out from the crowd, since she never cheered for any of the humans. Never put any bets. Only looked at all that madness with quiet horror. "Reina" she said her name was.

She gave Nishiki blood. Her own blood, and the blood of the vampires that were much stronger and more powerful than her (but not wiser), and human blood.

He turned and it was even worse than the years of anguish he had experienced. The pain and constant thirst almost drove him mad until he was taught to deal with them.

Nishiki was given a second chance. He escaped. And ever since that moment he's been trying his damndest to help other victims of those monsters. Both, the poor imprisoned souls and the villagers who might have shared his fate otherwise.

THAT CONCLUDES MY MAD RAMBLINGS BECAUSE I HAVEN'T THOUGHT OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT THAT WELL

also i don't remember the last time i wrote this much in one sitting and i'm tireeeeeed. i'm not cut out to be a writer and it shows nghghghhhhhh

but! but! but! i have a couple thoughts on where the story goes:

kiryu decides to stay in the village and help nishiki

they uncover the vampires evil plans and recruit a few other characters to fight on the side of JUSTICE (i.e. kazama, who up to that point has been kind of in cahoots with the vamps - hence trying to atone by means of creating the Sunflower orphanage; kashiwagi; yumi; reina; tachibana and oda; majima, and yeah he was actually the one that defeatead nishiki and unknowingly caused him to become a vampire, also majima himself turns into a vampire later in the story thanks to a certain mad simp nishitani)

yuko comes back as a vampire

at some point the scene from my fanart happens; something along the lines of kiryu and nishiki being found by the evil vamps and being attacked. then of course nishiki saves kiryu (who's still baffled that this shit is happening to them and vampires are REAL) and tells him to run which he doesn't but it works out fine in the end

the scene of nishiki drinking kiryu's blood is a MUST because i. love. that. shit. (it's also extremely horny dfjvhsdkfhiasdfhisd)

nishiki's personality is somewhere in between his ykz0 and ykz k*wami self (like, he's much colder now but he still cares about others and does things not just for the sake of his own ambition)

idk about the end but immortal boyfriends? sounds nice?

[selenacosmic]

Hi hon, I was wondering if your IkeSen requests are still open? I was wondering about the Oda boys first hearing MC, who's a former singer (started young, quit to go back to school), sing for the first time? I'm not sure if you had this. Maybe Mandy Moore's Only Hope or Spice Girls' Stop for inspo? Thank you!

Of course! Sorry for the late request, I am slowly getting back to it!

Their first time hearing MC sing.

Oda forces.

Nobunaga Oda.

Nobunaga could hear a beautiful voice as he walked to the garden, it was somehow electric, different from anything he had ever heard before. It was full of emotion, a very different rhythm, it caught his attention. When he sees his fireball, he can only smirk at how you keep impressing him over and over again. The warlord will always ask you to give him a performance of some of your songs. Only he gets to see and hear you.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

He gets a bit startled when he heard your voice, following it to know what you were doing. He was used to calm music, so something like pop music was obviously shocking, since it didn’t even existed at the time. The things is, Hideyoshi slowly gets used to the rhythm, finding it hard to keep himself quiet. Hideyoshi finds your performances incredible, but it’s not something that he would always ask to hear again. He lets you do it when you feel like it.

Masamune Date.

He is excited about hearing your songs, desperately wanting to know how future’s music sounds like. Masamune will probably be a fan of pop, trying to sing along with you at the same rhythm as you. This tiger will want to join you in the performances(AKA you two singing alone at your room) with his cool, deep voice. Though, he prefers the hardest lines of the song while performing with you.

Ieyasu Tokugawa.

He doesn’t understand much about music itself, so he won’t be that impressed by your songs, he tried reading it to find it interesting, but he gets even more confused. Even if he knows more about pop/rock music, I don’t think he would be a huge fan of it. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel like your song is addictive, in fact, he sometimes find himself mumbling the song.

Mitsunari Ishida.

Hard to say, he likes your songs, wanting to read all the lyrics to understand the full meaning of your words. He will enjoy hearing you sing, always clapping his hands while praising your voice. Sometimes he does sing your songs in a more cute way, dancing a little bit. It’s kind of adorable to see him doing it.

Mitsuhide Akechi.

Hoh, he will find it interesting, asking you to sing more songs that you wrote. And will he listen to every lyric of it, catching some phrases to know what it means. You might have performed for many people, but just his smirk gets you a bit embarrassed. Mitsuhide will be very close to you to hear your voice a clearly as possible, which gets you flustered, he can only chuckle with your cuteness.

Ranmaru Mori.

We are talking about an idol like person here! He will immediately get interested in pop music, sometimes trying to read one of your songs to learn how to sing. He has the perfect way of movement, singing and posing of an idol, he will put his heart to it while trying to imitate you. You two have fun practicing alone some of your songs.

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Thank you for reading! If you wish to see more of my work, check out my masterlist.

[writingwhimsey]

The Tiger and the Oda Princess Ch. 14

Chapter 14

It had been almost two months since the festival. I was only a mere two weeks away from my due date and the weather was heating up. It seemed like spring had sped right by. Nobunaga and the others visited when they could It seemed we had a gathering at least once a month. And since I was so far along, everyone was coming our way.

Since the heat had gotten so bad and I was even hotter thanks to all of the hormones flowing through my body, I had made myself some more summery attire. I had made some simple A-line sleeveless dresses out of the lightest fabrics I could find. I did make them down to my ankles so that I wouldn't scandalize the Sengoku era populace too much. Though I hardly left the palace anymore.

I sat in the shade of the veranda, fanning myself. "Oh, how I miss air conditioning...and ice cream." I spoke to myself. "And popsicles...snow cones."

"Trying to cool yourself down by thinking cool thoughts, my love?" Shingen asked as he came out to sit beside me.

"It's not working very well." I replied.

"Perhaps this will help." He said, setting a tray between us.

I looked at the tray. It held sliced up water melon and some water. "That might help." I answered, smiling.

Shingen leaned over and kissed my forehead. He was then taking the fan from my hand and began to fan me. "Allow me, my goddess."

I felt my cheeks redden. "You don't have to do that...though it does feel nice...thank you."

Shingen smiled at me. "I just want to do what I can to make you comfortable. What kind of husband would I be if I let my wife suffer? Especially while she is doing one of the most difficult things of life."

Shingen had only grown more attentive as my pregnancy went on. He really is the sweetest and the best! I thought to myself. It was at that though that tears began to sting my eyes. "Oh...dammit." I muttered as I wiped at the tears.

Shingen reached his hand up to my face, gently wiping away my tears with his finger tips. "Ava, my love, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing...I'm crying because I'm happy." I answered. "And you're just...you're so wonderful and love me...so much...I just..." I was then dissolving into a puddle of tears.

Shingen put a comforting arm around my shoulders but continued to fan me. He kissed the top of my head. "It's alright my love." He whispered to me.

We sat like that for a time before I finally finished crying. Shingen was then making sure I drank my water and handed me the water melon. "I can't wait for this baby t get here." I said. "I'm tired of being pregnant...and being so emotional...and of being so damn hot."

"Perhaps a dip in the river would help cool you off?" Shingen suggested.

"Oh...that does sound nice." I replied. It was then that I remembered Nobunaga and some of the others were supposed to be visiting today. "But wait, aren't Nobunaga and the others supposed to be coming by today?"

"Yes, Nobunaga and I have some strategies to discuss." He answered. "You should go to the river, take Asuna and some guards with you. After my meeting with Nobunaga, I will come to you."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Shingen nodded. "Yes, I just want you to be comfortable."

I smiled up at Shingen. "I love you, Shingen."

He returned my smile, leaning down to then gently kiss my lips. "I love you, Ava."

I finished the water melon and water. Then Shingen was helping me up. My belly was so large that I couldn't get up and down without assistance now. Sitting down was also a chore in all honesty. We walked inside...well Shingen walked, I had begun waddling. When we arrived Asuna and a group of guards were already waiting for me. Yukimura was among my guards.

"Here, I brought your lightest haori." Asuna said, draping the garment over my shoulders. "We do still need to keep the sun off of you."

"I know." I replied with a sigh. Ah, sunscreen how I miss you, too. I thought to myself.

It was then that Kenshin, Sasuke, and the Oda were arriving. "You weren't about to leave, were you?" Nobunaga asked, looking at us.

"Just Ava and the guards." Shingen answered.

"Where are you headed?" Masamune asked.

"to cool off in the river." I answered. "It is ungodly hot and I am roasting." I was then pulling out my fan to begin fanning myself. However, I dropped my fan. "Dammit." I muttered.

Shingen instantly bent to pick it up for me and gently placed it in my hand. "Don't worry." He told me with a gentle smile.

"What's the matter you can't pick up your own things now?" Came a teasing voice from Mitsuhide.

I felt my cheeks redden. "Shut it, Mitsuhide." I snapped.

"She can try...it's pretty funny to watch her." Yukimura replied. "She also can't sit down or stand up without help."

"Yukimura." Asuna said, giving him a slap to the back of the head the same time Shingen flicked him between the eyes.

"Owe, what was that for?!" He remarked.

"That is not the way to talk to or about a beautiful woman." Shingen replied.

"You're such an idiot." Asuna added.

"I'd like to see you try being pregnant." I remarked, glaring at Yukimura.

"You really should be nicer to her." Hideyoshi agreed. "How are you feeling, Ava?"

"Hot." I answered, furiously fanning myself. I was then looking at Sasuke. "Think you can keep everyone in line?" I asked.

"Of course. I will just litter the ground with Makibishi spikes." He replied. "You go cool off and don't worry about a thing."

"We can all get along." Shingen added, lifting a hand to stroke my hair.

"We don't always devolve into fighting." Nobunaga agreed, almost sounding like a petulant child.

I couldn't help but to giggle. "Sure, sure."

Shingen smiled warmly at me. He was then taking my hand and placing a gentle kiss on it. "I swear to you, we will all be on our best behavior. You have nothing to worry about, my princess."

I smiled, my cheeks reddening. "Okay. You guys have fun."

"I think it's be more fun to go with you to the river." Masamune said, grinning. "See both you girls splashing around."

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm going to find a nice shady cool shady spot and just sit in the river." I replied.

"And I will just be sitting beside her." Asuna added. "Also trying to cool off."

"Be fun to be there when you stand up then." Masamune said his grin widening and his eye roaming up and down Asuna's body.

Asuna was walking over and slapping Masamune upside the head. "I don't know who is the bigger idiot you or Yukimura." She was then groaning.

I was holding back more laughter. It was a moment later that Shingen and I were sharing a kiss and I was heading off with Asuna, Yukimura, and my guards. Though it was a short distance to the river, we had to stop and take frequent breaks as I was becoming winded very easily.

We finally arrived at the river and we found a rather nice shady spot. Yukimura and the guards set up a perimeter and checked things out. Asuna laid out a blanket and picnic basket. She had also packed some extra clothes, since we would be wading into the river still clothed.

I made my way into the river and then found a nice spot that I could sit down in. Asuna of course was helping me every step of the way. "How are you feeling, Ava?" Asuna asked me.

"So much better." I answered with a contented sigh as the cool water washed over me.

"Just a couple more weeks." Asuna told me.

"I just wish they would get here already." I replied. "I am starting to get so tired of being pregnant."

Asuna laughed. "I hate to tell you, but it's only about to get worse."

I let out a groan. "I feel like it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for this heat."

"I really don't see what is so bad about being pregnant." Yukimura spoke up from the riverbank.

"Oh, I don't know. Only my entire body is changing. I have another person inside of my body, growing and kicking me at all hours of the night. Pushing on my internal organs. Not to mention I cry over the dumbest things. Then there's all of the embarrassing stuff that my body does and I have no control over it..."

"Okay, okay I am sorry I asked." Yukimura replied.

As usual Yukimura had irritated me. So I decided to splash him in the face.

"Haha!" Asuna laughed. "Direct hit! Nice shot, Ava."

"What was that for?" Yukimura asked looking so much like a puppy.

"For acting like being pregnant is no big deal." I replied.

Asuna was then splashing him as well. "The simple answer is that you're an idiot."

Yukimura grumbled, but looked at Asuna with an almost tender smile. I totally ship them. I thought with a grin. I think Asuna would be good for Yukimura, too. He needs someone who can kick his butt and knock some sense into him.

"What's with that look on your face, Ava?" Asuna asked me.

"Nothing." I lied.

Asuna eyed me. Then her cheeks became red. "You'd better not be thinking what I think you're thinking."

"I don't know what you're talking about." I replied with a grin.

"What are you two even talking about?" Yukimura asked.

"Nothing." Asuna and I answered in unison and then both giggled.

"Women." Yukimura muttered with an eye roll.

I started laughing again. Then Asuna splashed me. "What was that for?" I asked.

"Just want you to stop thinking what I know you're thinking." She answered.

I splashed her back. We played like that a few moments before dissolving into a giggle fit. It was in the middle of my laughter that I felt a tightening in my belly. I gasped.

"Ava?" Asuna asked, catching onto it right away.

"It's nothing." I replied.

"Ava, I am your midwife." She said.

"I just...I felt a tightening is all." I answered. "Right here" I then gestured to where I had felt the pang.

"That could be labor pains." She said.

"You mean like...my labor is starting?" I asked.

"You're far enough along that you should be experiencing practice labor. Your body is warming up for the real thing."

"That makes sense." I replied. It was then that I felt the tightening again. It was a bit sharper this time.

"Did you feel it again?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe we should get you back to the castle." Asuna said. "Two weeks isn't too early. We should go back...just in case."

I nodded. "Alright."

We got out of the river. Yukimura and the guards turned their backs as Asuna and I changed. As soon as I was changed, it was then that felt another pang and then something wet was falling down my legs. "Uh...did...did my water just break?"

"Yes, yes it did. Let's get going." Asuna answered.

https://writingwhimsey.tumblr.com/post/659492281348472832/the-tiger-and-the-oda-princess-ch-15

[bandaged-writer]

gasoline 01 || dazai

➤ Pairing: Mafia! Dazai x Ability User! Reader

➤ Genre: action, fluff, angst, eventual smut, gore, violence

➤ Warnings: none for this chapter

➤ Summary: Why the hell was this deal still on? It was supposed to go invalid on your 21st birthday, so why did you still receive these damned flowers?

➤ Word count: 3.4k

➤ Note: The first part is finally here and I’m very satisfied with how it turned out. Please, let me know what you think. ^.^

➤ prologue || next

A wave of relief hit you as soon as you stepped foot out of the taxi and got greeted by Yokohama’s salty breeze and its setting sun which dipped the sky into a lilac color. There was the fading smell of crepes and the distant laughter of children playing around on their way home which filled you with a sense of being finally home. Yes, coming home was a luxury for many, yourself included - to be able to take the weight of work off your shoulders, shed the mask of a worker or student and become yourself once again. A place where no one judged you for who you really were, a place where everyone accepted you, a place where you could finally find some rest. You were glad to be home.

However, your train of thought got interrupted by your phone vibrating in your pocket, the display showing you the caller ID of no one else but your best friend and roommate since high school: Yukino. A pretty woman with fair hair and dark eyes, could get a little over excited at times but it made you love her even more. “Are you back in Yokohama yet, [Name]?!” Yukino’s voiced bounced off your ear drums, excitement laced in her voice as she awaited your arrival enthusiastically. You couldn’t help the chuckle slipping your lips, feet carrying you to the nearest subway station with a light bounce in your step. “Yes, I’m finally back and on my way to catch the train home,” you said with a smile stretching your lips as the train pulled up and waited for everyone to either enter or leave at this stop. Only a few people occupied a couple of seats here and there and it luckily wasn’t as packed as it was during rush hour - you sighed in relief. Crowds weren’t really your thing, after all.

Taking a seat and resting your sore legs, you were listening to whatever Yukino was rambling on about until you lifted your gaze and spotted a bouquet of orange lilies right across from you, the petals glaring right back at you while holding a pastel yellow card. There was no need to read it, because you knew what was written on it. Every year, you’d received a bouquet of orange lilies for your birthday and you had no idea from who. Cold sweat trickled down your spine, goosebumps rose along your skin as you stood up and approached the cursed bouquet. “Yukino. I’ll see you at home,” with those words leaving your lips, you hung up on your dear roommate whose response you couldn’t catch.

Shaky hands picked up the card and you silently hoped that this was nothing but a huge mistake, hoped that a stranger happened to forget to take these flowers with them. But it wasn’t. Upon opening the card, a cursive writing revealed itself, one that you were unfortunately very familiar with, one that had been haunting you, one that still followed you, despite your constant running.

“Happy 21st birthday, [Name]. I hope you enjoy this little gift.”

Why the hell was this deal still on? It was supposed to go invalid on your 21st birthday, so why did you still receive these damned flowers?

After all, it had been a year since you left Yokohama per your dad’s request to run from the agreement he had made nearly 13 years ago. It didn’t matter where he had been - at home, work or even the hospital - he always told you to run from a black-haired physician and a bandaged kid, begging you to study abroad if you ever got the chance just so the deal would be invalid and reach its expiration date. At the tender age of 12, you had thought of your dad as an old, confused man, but the older you got, the more you understood how dire the situation was and the more frightened you became of your 20th birthday. Hence, you followed your dad’s advice, studied abroad for a year and came back home on your 21st birthday, believing that you could carry on with your life as a normal citizen of Yokohama.

Your hand balled up into a tight fist, the card wrinkling within your grip and fingernails digging into the flesh of your palm as anxiety got a hold of you. These people were there, possibly watching you or waiting for you to make a move, to do something stupid. And so, you got off at the next stop and dumped the flowers into the closest trash can, the birthday card crumpled beyond repair. You turned around several times to watch out for a man who could look like a doctor or a kid - no, a man - who was either bandaged or had messy, brown hair and would match your dad’s description. However, 13 years had passed and God knew how accurate that description would be now.

Picking up your pace, you bumped into several people but couldn’t be bothered to apologize; there were more important matters at hand and one of them was going home where you were safe. To get out of there as fast as possible. While your mind was clouded with the pure need to flee, you failed to notice two young men watching your every step, one of them matching the description of your father. You had passed right by them, had the chance to see them and make a run for it, but you were blind. 

“She’s quite fast. Almost like a bunny. Don’t you think so, Odasaku?” Dazai asked his partner while his brown orbs watched you storm through the subway station as if you had been bitten by a tarantula. Well, maybe that wasn’t even too much of a metaphor considering that all of this was one of his Mori’s schemes and actually quite a cruel way to welcome you home. Odasaku had tagged along per Mori’s request; the mafia boss had said that Odasaku’s ability could be an advantage in case anything were to go wrong. “Couldn’t we just approach her instead of scaring her?” It was a well-known fact that Oda was a kind-hearted man with a mild temper, disliked murdering and hunting people down like that. He felt sorry for you, considering Dazai, out of all people, was the one to hunt you down like some prey. 

However, Dazai always had a reason for the things he did and why he did them. “When someone is in a threatening situation, one’s brain chooses between flight or fight and brings out one’s true feelings. I wanted to see how she reacts to the flowers and the card, although the deal Mori made was long since overdue. And as of now, we’ve got a fleeing bunny.”

You didn’t know for how long you had been running, but it was long enough for the air to feel like needles within your lungs, your chest burning with the strain and your feet hurting from the distance you ran. Hope filled your eyes as your shared apartment came into view, your hands already searching for the key in your jacket’s pocket and a smile of victory on your lips. Only a few more meters until you were within the safe walls where Yukino would be cooking something up - maybe ramen? You could really need one of her infamous bowls of her noodle soup right now.

But hope and victory was a fragile thing and could shatter faster than glass. Just as fast as it was within reach, it was ripped away from you within the blink of an eye.

It felt like time was slowed down yet everything happened way too fast when you found yourself in an empty alley, your wrists pinned down by your sides and a pair of dull, brown orbs staring right through your soul, being able to see every single scar and bruise time had left on it. “You’ll regret this,” you muttered through gritted teeth, your own gaze fierce and determined to give this man hell until you saw the bandages around his neck, arms and his left eye, the messy brown hair. Gaping like a fish, you realized that this was the very man your father had warned you about and that the past had caught up to you. “Oh? What will you do? Use your ability on me?” His voice was mocking, testing you and you were about to laugh in his face until you realized it.

Your ability didn’t work.

For the first time in your life, you wished you could properly fight even with your gift being nullified, but no - you had insisted on living a normal life, pretending not to be gifted at all. However, it seemed like the brunette wasn’t out to kill you. Something about him told you he would’ve done so already if he truly wanted to.

“It’s about that deal, isn’t it?,” sweat dampened your hairline, your chest visibly rose and fell as you finally caught your breath, the brick wall behind you cooling your heated back as you pressed yourself against it in an attempt to gain some distance from the brunette who only smirked in response, but it didn’t remain on his lips for too long. Suddenly, bandaged hands let go of you, were clapped together and a somewhat cheerful, delighted smile replaced the cocky smirk in an instant. “Great, then I don’t need to tell you about the details and why we’re here!”

You blinked once, twice. Dumbfounded. Was this really the same guy who pushed you into the uncomfortable wall?

“We?,” you asked, eyebrows raised in surprise and demanding an answer that came in the form of a man who seemed to be out of breath himself as he rounded the corner. Red strands of hair stuck to his cheekbones, the soles of his shoes lightly clacked against the dirty concrete while his hands found their way into the pockets of his jacket. It seemed like he had been running to get there, despite his surprisingly proper appearance.

“Ah, Odasaku! I was wondering when you’d finally join me in my conversation with this lovely lady!” Dazai greeted his friend with a wave of his hand and a chipper voice, his demeanor the polar opposite from the one he pulled just a moment ago. Cautiously, you watched the scene unfold in front of your eyes, not quite trusting them just yet. Deep inside, you hoped that this was some kind of weird dream you’d wake up from soon, but deeper inside, you knew it was mere wishful thinking. “Conversation? It looks more like you’re interrogating her, Dazai,” Odasaku spoke up, not surprised by the brunette’s attempt to somewhat flatter you - it was Dazai, after all.

At that, the suicidal brunette pouted his lips. “Not fair! You know I hate doing such crude things to a pretty lady like her,” Dazai argued back, whining about possibly having to quit his job if he had to keep scaring nice ladies in a dramatic manner that certainly didn’t fit the first impression you had of him. He almost sounded, dare you say, childish. “Anyways,” Dazai turned back to you, his body leaning against the wall behind him, arms crossed over his chest and his face more serious than when he was talking to Odasaku. Seriously, this guy didn’t only confuse you, but also gave you whiplash.

“It’s our order to bring you to our boss, especially since this entire thing has been long since overdue,” Dazai’s eyes were set on your figure like he was committing every little perfection and flaw to memory, like he was analyzing your entire body language which came off more confident now that you knew nothing would happen as long as you cooperated, somehow. “And if I don’t come along?,” you rested your head against the brick wall, your index finger slowly scratching at the skin of your thumb and gaze hard. If life taught you one thing, then it was that people always had a choice - the only question was whether there was a better option.

An empty smile graced Dazai’s features and sent shivers down your spine. “You see, we didn’t know how you’d react and since your ability is quite a troublesome one, I had a sniper watching you,” he cocked his head to the side, brown locks falling in his face and the shadows of the sun darkening his already dull gaze. Looking up at a skyscraper not too far away, you spotted something shimmering and it was proof that Dazai was indeed serious. “Mori almost had you shot, because you pose a threat to this city, but spared you since you can help us with a..bother. I could either finish what Mori started or you help us out.”

You clicked your tongue in annoyance and scanned Dazai’s face for a hint that he was perhaps pulling a sick joke on you, but he was as serious as he looked. The option to die was certainly not the better one, but hearing his boss out wasn’t exactly pleasant, either. “Tch, fine. I’ll hear what that Mori guy has to say.”

“I knew you’d make the right decision.”

Harmless paintings of artists whose name you had never heard of seemed to bore holes into your skull, shelves upon shelves filled to the brim with various books you had never read accepted the role as a silent audience who’d never talk about what went down within the spacious office that belonged to no one else but Mori Ougai. The mafia boss greeted you with a friendly smile, yet it seemed like that very smile was betraying you and ready to stab your back at any moment.

Dazai leaned his weight against the edge of Mori’s desk, another ginger-haired man stood behind the boss whose name was Chuuya. Besides them, Odasaku, Ango and Kouyou occupied the room and judging by the energy they gave off, all of these people were more than confident in themselves, in their abilities and looked up at within that illegal organization. Next to them, you felt small, but you refused to show weakness in front of those who had been haunting you ever since you were merely eight years old. No, you wouldn’t give them that satisfaction. You’d stand your ground, no matter what.

“It’s been a while. You grew up well, [Name],” Mori started the conversation and pulled a document from the drawer of his desk, his dark purple-ish eyes scanning the content briefly before his gaze locked with yours. There was no need to respond to the faux kindness of a man who you had no business with, who didn’t care if you dropped dead or lived and helped him out with whatever issue he was confronted with. “It’s also been a while since you covered for the costs my dad would have to pay for raising a child. I felt free enough to pay it back,” not once did your step falter or shake when you approached the ravenette and dropped an envelope full of money on his desk, a few of pairs of eyes watching your every move. However, even you knew that coming for their boss’s neck would equal your death sentence. Mori counted the money and made a rough estimation - he could let Ango check the accuracy of the money later. Handing the envelope over to Chuuya who tucked the money away safely in his coat’s inner pocket, Mori reached for the document he had earlier once again and had a light smirk tugging at his lips.

“But did you really think that you could buy yourself free with a bit of money?” You furrowed your eyebrows. Honestly, you did think that you could buy yourself free from the shackles your father had unwillingly put you in, but that revelation wasn’t the worst. It was the way Mori spoke like he had even more to say, like he was digging for something deeper, eager to see your reaction for whatever he was about say with that venomous mouth of his. “I would've expected some more questioning from you, [Name]. After all, it was your mother who didn’t want you and gave you into the hands of very compatible surgeons who gifted you your ability. You of all people should know that life is never that easy, right?”

At once, the entire room heated up bit by bit. Odasaku had to loosen the collar of his shirt, Kouyou fanned herself in an attempt to cool her skin down and strands of hair stuck to Chuuya’s forehead. Suffocating heat filled the room, seemingly sucking the oxygen out of the spacious office and making it hard to breathe. Chuuya was ready to jump into action, but Mori hindered him by simply raising a gloved hand, the material of the glove unpleasantly sticking to Mori’s skin. 

The expensive carpet beneath the soles of your shoes slowly melted and turned into an ugly black, smoke rising from the costly decoration while your hands reached for the document on Mori’s desk, burning the paper along with its ashes. All that was left was smoke. “You know too much,” the smile on your face didn’t reach your eyes and remained void of any emotions. Dangerous knowledge should be buried, destroyed and burned for it comes with a responsibility and a kind of power that would end up putting innocent people at risk. The fact that Mori knew what happened in your childhood, knew about your mother, was enough for you.

“Oh, did I bring up some unpleasant memories? My apologies,” Mori swiped some sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief and let out a huff of breath at the stifling heat. He was pleased with how well you could control your ability and that was all he needed to know for now. “If you wish, you may go. But I figure you’ll need our help, soon.��� 

Needless to say, you didn’t trust that man’s words one bit. Even if you were to go blind and Mori was the last human being on this planet, offering you his help, you’d rather choose death. Thinking about him made you realize what detesting someone tasted like. “Thank you, but I’ll have to decline.”

With those words being said, you left the office with a wave of your hand, your back turned towards the mafia members.

“Jeez, I’m glad she’s gone,” Chuuya let out a breath of relief as the entire room rapidly cooled down to its original temperature. “Got me feeling like a baked fish.”

“Chuuya, you are a baked fish,” Dazai added, snickering as the ginger popped a vein.

The clock read 9 pm when you crossed the threshold to your beloved home and the long-awaited smell of Yukino’s ramen filled your nose, making you feel like you had never been gone. However, your nerves were still strained thanks to that guy named Dazai and his boss Mori who ran an entire mafia. Great, just great.

You kicked off your shoes and dragged yourself into the kitchen, a tired smile spreading your lips at the sight of Yukino warming up the leftovers she had probably made earlier. Well, you couldn’t exactly tell her that you would come home later than anticipated, but you didn’t blame her. The fact that Yukino still waited for you made your heart swell with happiness.

“Jeez, who got you hot and bothered?” Yukino pouted and turned off the stove to pour you a bowl of ramen, the added heat of the steam from the noodle soup made her visibly cringe. “Quite literally, it’s burning hot,” she complained, handed you the bowl and sat down at the dining table with you, her chin resting on her hand. Dark eyes watched you slurp away the noodles with a bit of worry swimming in them - after all, Yukino knew about the deal your father was responsible for and was very aware of your ability as well. Besides your mom and dad, Yukino was the only one who knew every little detail about you. “Ah, nothing. Just got stuck in the subway and everything was kinda stressful, you know?,” to give your roommate some peace of mind, you let a chuckle slip your lips, hoping she’d buy it for the time being. Your thoughts were still a bit messy and circled around Mori’s last words like a loop. Something was going on and it bothered you that you didn’t know what exactly it was. 

Yukino didn’t know what happened to you, but she was still keen on cheering you up. “You know what!,” she almost slammed her palms on the table and nearly made you choke on your dinner. Her arm found its way around your shoulder, pulling you flush to her side and causing a proud grin to adorn Yukino’s suddenly excited face. “Tomorrow, we’ll spend the entire day together after your job interview! It’ll be great, trust me!”

Oh, right. You totally forgot about your job interview.

[atopearth]

Nightshade Part 1 - Ishikawa Goemon Route

I'm superrrr excited to play Nightshade! I've always been so curious about it so yayyy! Enju looks so cool and cute too. Toriumi Kousuke voices Chojiro? Okay, I love him already, and it seems like he's a big brother figure too, I love those🥲🥲 I have a soft spot for overprotective bodyguard types like Gekkamaru too though, he's so loyal! Maybe to the point of it being detrimental to the both of them though, since when Enju trains, he protects her lol, and he doesn't go out on a lot of missions because he wants to protect her. I guess the good thing about it is that this is of his own free will. I guess it's interesting that Enju is the symbol of peace between the Iga clan (that was mostly decimated by Oda Nobunaga) and the Koga clan (who was the Iga's rivals and ended up taking in the remnants of the Iga clan) due to being the daughter of the Koga clan master and the late Iga clan master's sister. Ohh Chojiro is Momochi Tanba's (late Iga clan master) son! I wonder how he feels.. Wow, Kando (Enju's father) looks so fierce and cool. I guess Gekkamaru protecting Enju isn't completelyyyy his free will, considering it was what Enju's deceased mother asked of him and he's kept his promise to this day. Awww Chojiro recommended Enju to come along for the mission! Exciting! I can't imagine having to go on a mission for 8 years, I wonder if Enju and them will even recognise Kuroyuki. I can't believe Kuroyuki was sent on the mission when he was 8 years old! That's just crazy.. Aww Kasumi is so cuteee, her crying at everyone leaving on a mission was so sweet. Lmao at Chojiro telling Enju and them that the mission will always come before their lives and Gekkamaru completely dismisses it later by saying it doesn't matter to him since Enju will always be his top priority.

Kuroyuki definitely seems like he has a lot of baggage with him, but I guess that's to be expected when he was dumped on a mission at such a young age, and if he's coming back alone, that means for all these years, he must have been really lonely. He never got the support of others like Enju and them did. For some reason, I really like Kyara's voice, I should check the VAs. Okay, omg no wonder why lol, I loveee Hayami Saori~ WHOA, I'm in for a ride, Tsuda Kenjiro voices Hanzo? I'm looking forward to that. Oh nooo, Midorikawa Hikaru voices Goemon?? I don't like Goemon's looks, but I guess I'll love his voice regardless😂 Right now, he kinda reminds me of Tamahome from Fushigi Yuugi lol. Even though Enju's naive, I really did like how she took back the girl's money bag from the thief and gave it back to her naturally. I'm kinda interested in "Goro" (Goemon), he looks sleazy (lol) but he seems to be quite mature? Oh, their mission is to find the next place Goemon will rob? I know Goemon is a "good" person because he only robs officials who are corrupt and don't treat the citizens properly, but that's about all I know haha. I guess it's understandable why Ishida Mitsunari needs to capture him if Tokugawa Ieyasu and other council guys are coming, it would be pretty embarrassing and shameful to not be able to catch a single notorious thief, and it doesn't help that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is getting older and the council elders have considerable influence. Btw, lmao at Kyara trying to cook with her weapon😂

Wow, Ieyasu is beautiful~ I love his looks🥺 I didn't realise that guy was Hattori Hanzo until I heard his voice a bit more though hahaha. Anyway, yeah, Enju throwing a shuriken to save Ieyasu (when he used himself as bait) was definitely reckless and silly as a shinobi, but I can't really dislike her for it, because she's not someone who can just ignore that. Considering that Hanzo is the strongest/top Iga ninja, and is tasked with protecting Ieyasu, is he a part of Koga now or is he independent? Honestly, I always took Kuroyuki as a flighty guy so when he stood up for Enju (when Hanzo called her a burden if they were to take her along to kill the guys after Ieyasu) against Hanzo, I was a bit touched. Ieyasu is really kind to think about the shinobi who died protecting him from the assassin, it is pretty saddening tbh. Enju catching Goemon was pretty cool, I think he really let his guard down and didn't want to hurt her though. I knew Hideyoshi was going to die and Enju would be accused as the killer, but it's kinda sad since Hideyoshi seemed genuinely happy and impressed with her. Anyway, considering how important Hideyoshi is, I'm surprised they even let him be alone with Enju with no guards at all?? Or any ninjas to protect him or anything?? I like the idea of Goemon "stealing" her away, so she's not escaping and causing more trouble for the Koga clan, but I wonder what will happen to the clan... I mean, Ishida's missions were what kept the clan going so... Anyway, I forgot that Goemon was an Iga ninja, that's certainly interesting, and he left before the Iga clan was basically destroyed so hm~

Aww Enju and Goemon traveling together, pretending to be husband and wife and holding hands is so cute~ I love how Goemon speaks his mind and tells her she's cute, because Enju is definitely super cuteee. Lmaoo when the innkeeper thought they were siblings. How heartbreaking to hear that Enju's father disowned her... It's probably what he needed to do to protect the rest of Koga, but yeah that would hurt. At least Gekkamaru is adhering to what he said before and is ready to discard everything to protect Enju. I agree with Goemon and his choice to leave the village though. I mean, it's respectable and crazy how dedicated and loyal shinobi are to their mission and to their villages, but shinobi literally live for all that and nothing else. It's admirable, but it's also such a saddening way to live? Especially since so many of them die so frequently for their missions. I'm personally glad Gekkamaru is doing this for Enju. I guess in a sense this journey is a blessing in disguise (as long as no one dies) because it will help Enju think about how she wants to live. She's always been stuck in her village "protected" by everyone just because she's the symbol of peace, so rather than appreciating her for who she is, people only look at her as a symbol that needs to exist, yet Enju feels like she needs to "repay" them for treating her so kindly when they basically imprison her in the village and bind her to it in a sense to make themselves feel better. Not saying they're not nice people but the whole ninja village thing isn't really great when it comes to anything about freedom and choice, so it's nice for Enju to now see things with a different perspective. It was cute how they both said to each other they would be a good wife/husband. As for Mokichi, I was suspicious when he insisted on going to the festival alone with Enju, but I do feel bad for her. I know Enju is very careless, too naive and kind for her own good, but I honestly wish to see her continue to see the world in a nice way because it's saddening otherwise I guess. I'm surprised Gekkamaru didn't follow them at all though, like it's still dangerous!!

I was wondering what Kuroyuki was doing this whole time considering he's just like his brother Gekkamaru in terms of how much he wants to protect Enju, but it seems like he was trying to look for her too! Oh.. Goemon wasn't even born into Iga, he was sold there and used as disposable pawns when needed and trained harshly to the point that if he couldn't take it, they would just dump him. Honestly, Goemon hasn't really made my heart flutter much haha, but when he got angry and asked Enju whether she wanted to live or die (when she thought maybe she should stop running so she wouldn't trouble the others anymore), and then when he told her that he would stay beside her until the end, I couldn't help but feel touched. He's not optimistic enough to think that they will definitely survive, but he's not willing to give up, and is willing to do whatever he can to stay alive alongside her and I think that's sweet. Goemon patting her head as she enjoyed the soothing view of cherry blossoms was nice. Enju has really gone through a lot these days so I'm glad Goemon is always trying to help her relax a bit. Whaaat?! Goemon was the Fuma leader?? Oh...Goemon escaped from Iga when he was 8 and somehow or another ended up at Fuma.. I guess Goemon hates killing because of the amount of people he's killed before, and knowing how "easy" it can be with the ninjutsu he learnt as the Fuma leader... It's nice how comfortable they've gotten with each other that they can even sleep side by side together now lol.

I honestly don't really trust Mitsunari, and really don't know if this "goodbye" with her friends will really be for the good. I mean, even on the off chance Mitsunari has good intentions, other people in the castle don't. Anyway, I really liked how forward Enju was in wanting Goemon to stroke her head, and he even kissed her on the forehead~ Goemon is a flirt but he's always so polite and careful with Enju, it's kinda cute. Honestly, the last bit with Goemon pretending to kill Chojiro and them etc was pretty... meh? Like, it was obvious what was going to happen, especially with the gold and him giving it to people lol. I guess something nice and interesting was that Enju will continue to hide from the public eye since she's supposed to be dead, so she'll be traveling with Goemon from now on. Kinda cute how Goemon is more open with his affections. The bad ending was quite nice, I liked how it was Enju who gave up on living because of everything that happened, and because of that, Goemon ended up using the ninjutsu he hated so much to kill the Elders for causing all this to happen, and forcing an innocent girl to lose the will to live and basically sacrifice herself.

Overall, while I do like Goemon's personality, I find his route very lacklustre. I think the biggest problem with Goemon's route is that it's very focused on Enju and her escape from the Elders and how Goemon helps her with that, supports her and that's how they end up bonding by both encouraging her and understanding the desire to live for oneself rather than romance. There were cute moments that I enjoyed between the two, but I don't feel like I learnt much about Goemon as a thief or even as the Fuma leader. They talk about his past and why he hates it all, but it doesn't expand on it which can be okay, but the story doesn't expand on the current him as Goemon either. All we ever learn about him is the superficial stuff like he's a good thief with a crappy past, and that he's a flirt lol. I just feel like since it was his route, I wanted to learn more about him, because other than his desire to live without being tied down to stuff like villages and stuff, and hoping that people like Enju wouldn't have to sacrifice their lives for stuff like that, I'm not sure anything much happened. Like, I wanted to see more of the ramifications of how it was for a shinobi clan to lose their master, how Goemon's "betrayal" towards the Fuma went etc. So yeah, kinda disappointing. The bonus scenarios and stuff were nice though, especially when they chatted about little Chojiro back in the day being cute hahaha.

[chikabika]

I wanna talk about Whole Cake Island too!

So, I’m reading Whole Cake Island right now. And I have THOUGHTS about Sanji and Luffy’s “”””fight””””. And it’s probably nothing anyone hasn’t said before but I’m gonna write it out anyway.

(TL;DR Sanji and Luffy fight and it hurts because they both go for the throat. Also Nami has been through this shit I am surprised she’s putting up with Sanji trying to leave in the slightest.)

So first, yeah, I’m screaming into a pillow because this shit is rough. Let’s get those personal emotions out of the way first. 

Sanji’s whole thing is that he cares and serves, right? His love language is acts of service and that’s primarily shown through feeding people. When we meet the Vinsmokes (I shall not be referring to them as his family) we see pretty quickly that they are the antithesis to everything Sanji is. 

The men are literally said to lack the ability to sympathize or empathize. Not only do we see this is the case, but Reiju says so herself:

They do not value cooking nor food. Judge tells Sanji to never cook again, Niji wastes food.

And, of course, the brothers have no qualms about hitting women. The whole chivalry/won’t hit a women thing is a huge can of worms I don’t feel like unpacking in part because I don’t feel like I could talk about it without discussing women’s power levels and roles in One Piece. And I’ve already digressed too much.

So yeah, the Vinsmokes are the opposite of Sanji and hold none of his values. In fact, they may be why he holds some of his values, because they are as far from the Vinsmoke’s values as possible.

Okay so the two chapters in particular when Luffy and Nami find and confront Sanji! 

Pretty immediately we see that 1. Sanji was not expecting them, 2. He’s distressed that they’re here, and 3. It complicates things for him.

Like, that is not a face of someone happy to see his friends who have come to save him. That is an “oh fuck” face. (And as a sidenote, yeah, it’s a whole lot harder to sacrifice yourself when you’re confronted with the people you’re leaving behind, HUH, SANJI????)

Luffy’s all happy to see him, feels like they’ve accomplished their goal, doesn’t question that Sanji would want to come back. And he’s got things to do! Like save Wano and beat up Kaido! Chop chop Sanji let’s go on adventures! Plus, I would think that Luffy would also have the expectation of his crew that they understand that no one gets to leave if they’re doing it to sacrifice themselves. He’s already shown he’s gonna come get you and Sanji knows this. Sanji’s first arc with them after Baratie was going to save Nami from Arlong and her self-sacrificial bullshit! Luffy’s modus operandi is saying “Oh, you thought you were in a lose-lose situation and the only solution was to sacrifice your happiness and well being? Fuck that! You’re my nakama, let me save you!”

Both Luffy and Nami aren’t questioning Sanji’s wanting to come with them. They’re here, it’s time to go!

And so then we see the surface level reasons why Sanji would say “No, I can’t go with you.” And we also see that he knows Judge is watching him.

I don't think Nami's buying it either. She's done this. She knows what it's like to be trapped by circumstances, to have your loved ones held hostage. And she did this shit too! She fuckin laid it down, lied to her nakama about it all being a farce in her efforts to keep them out of her dangerous situation! Maybe the words sting, but I think this face of hers is even more from her thinking about how they all know eachother so much more, and know how Luffy wouldn't leave one of them behind. So Sanji must be under some real duress right now. Like, I feel like she could extrapolate a lot from what he's saying because she knows that's not who he is. And because she's tried the same shit. And, I wonder if she’s hurting for him because she knows what it’s like.

Every chance she gets, she reiterates that there was nothing between them, that she doesn’t care about them, that she tricked them, and even uses her supposed killing of Usopp as support of her betraying them. She is desperately trying to get them off this island. Arlong is well covered, we all know what’s up.

And, the parallels are pretty clear for Sanji. He’s got family being held hostage (Zeff, and the Strawhats too), and he couldn’t leave anyway because he’s got explosion bracelets on. Plus he’s got his own self-sacrificial streak (which I could guess comes from being raised in a household where you’re told you don’t have any value and everything you do is wrong-the fact that Sanji still cried at Judge’s rejection of him right before his escape speaks to how as a child he still wanted Judge’s approval and love as a father).

So, he comes out swinging with the thing that we previously established would be the shittiest thing to say, that Luffy rejected the possibility of him saying.

And then he starts on this buckwild speech that is so fucking hammed up I almost questioned if Sanji meant for them to understand the opposite of his words, and was just putting on a show for the Vinsmokes.

Nami only says he’s going too far when Sanji starts insulting Luffy’s dream, which the whole crew believes in and supports. 

Also, as a side note, it doesn’t really make sense to me that Nami would just take on the role of “you’re going too far, you can’t believe what you’re saying!” Maybe Chopper would do that cuz he’s gullible and shit. BUT NAMI FREAKIN DID THE SAME SHIT. I would almost expect a “...” speechbubble from her and later her saying something like “He really tried his best to make that look convincing, didn’t he? He’s not very good at it.”

Nami’s savvy!

But anyway, yeah, Sanji tries to go for the throat to push thme away saying shit about Luffy not being able to become the Pirate King. My first reaction to this whole thing was: 

“WOW HE'S REALLY DOING IT, HUH? HE'S LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH TO SAY THE MOST HURTFUL SHIT HE CAN TO HIS LOVED ONES SO THEY'LL STAY AWAY SO HE CAN SACRIFICE HIMSELF TO STOP ANYONE FROM GETTING HURT”

Usopp has tried to leave too, but his situation was different. His reasons were stated clearly and he didn’t try to pretend that all the shit they’ve gone through together and the bonds they’ve formed were fake. Nami, Robin, Sanji? They try to do the “ah, I never loved you” bullshit. 

But Sanji’s is the first time that from the get-go, the audience knows before the confrontation everything that’s going on for the crewmember trying to fake betrayal. With Nami and Robin, we didn’t learn their backstories until after they tried to push people away. With Sanji not only did we get it beforehand, but when Luffy and Nami show up, we are shown the three pieces of information that Sanji thinks about and that motivate him to push his crewmates away:

His hands (his treasures) are bound and threatened.

His nakama are threatened.

Zeff is threatened.

He’s backed into a freakin corner! And he know’s Luffy’s track record on crew members trying to leave! So he goes for the throat and when that doesn’t work (or for the whole performance he’s putting on for the Vinsmokes) he attacks Luffy.

Luffy says he won’t fight Sanji, and I wonder if this is because of Water 7 and Usopp. That fight was so fucking painful, I wonder if Luffy vowed to never fight someone like that again?

Clearly he isn’t getting through to Sanji, even though, to him, Sanji should know what the deal is by now.

So he goes for the throat himself! Which is honestly just heartwrenching on Oda’s part and pretty unfair on Luffy’s part. Though, when has Luffy ever been fair lol. His whole crew agrees his selfishness levels are above emperor!

This page pretty much sums it up:

Also, throughout this entire encounter we get glimpses of Sanji thinking about the crew and meeting Luffy, which is cool to see his internal world somewhat.When Luffy first shows up. I mean. Look at the pain on his face.

This is not a “we have a difference in ideals and are fighting over it and I’m thinking about how we met because I regret that it’s come to this.” fight. It’s not even a fight. It’s Sanji desperately saying “Please leave before you die because of me!”

Actually, maybe it is kind of a fight of ideals because Sanji is fighting to say “leave me behind I’m not worth it” and Luffy’s saying “yes you are.”

For all the extremely clear things going on emotionally for people in this scene, I’m surprised Oda just left Nami’s responses at this. But, since he did, it means I get to interpret them how I please!

This could simply be read as her feeling betrayed and shit. But again, they all know the history of the crew. This could just as easily be her saying “You went too far.” or “I can’t believe you wouldn’t believe in Luffy enough to come back with us.”

I said she could probably guess at him feeling like he’s stuck, backed into a corner. And if I remember correctly she is aware that the Strawhat’s lives are threatened if Sanji doesn’t comply with Big Mom’s wishes. But she probably wouldn’t guess at the bracelets being bombs and doesn’t know (but might guess) at the Baratie being threatened too. Nami knows all about people who claim “family” as an excuse to hurt and bind you.

But basically, I would think for her, it would be a situation of her feeling like at this point Sanji should know Luffy well enough to know he won’t give up, and to trust Luffy enough to take Sanji home. So why the fuck would he try to play this game when they’ve all seen that it doesn’t work? Why say the most hurtful things he can think of? And why not just come home now?

I don’t think she’s angry at him for the betrayal he’s trying to act out, I think she’s angry at him for the betrayal he’s committing for not trusting the crew to get him out of there.

(Again, haven’t read past this part but I could absolutely see later Nami saying “do you think we acted hurt enough for them to buy it?”)

And then of course, the last four pages of the chapter where Luffy clearly calls bullshit on Sanji, saying Sanji felt the pain of his kicks more than Luffy did. And Sanji is just starting to fucking lose it. (panels from right to left)

Like, Luffy. Chill. It hurts so much! But no, he can’t just call Sanji out. He’s gotta go for the kill, present Sanji with an unacceptable situation he knows he can’t refuse. Or at least hopes he can’t refuse. Because for Luffy, Sanji leaving is an unacceptable situation.

Not only will he not eat (which, god, using that against Sanji is almost too much, fuck, Luffy), but he won’t even fucking move so get your ass back here soon before I starve, Sanji.

To use the two very deeply entrenched facts about these characters this way is sure something, huh?

Sanji will feed anyone who is hungry. He cannot stand hunger, almost.

Luffy eats all the damn time and lots and never refuses food. For him to say “i’m going on a hunger strike, I’m not eating until it’s from you” IS JUST SO MUCH.

Also side note god what cruel people to laugh at Sanji’s pain as Niji and Yonji are doing.

Sanji thought he could get away with thinking he’s expendable (just like Judge has said in every time period we’ve seen him on the page) Luffy flat out rejects that. Sanji is essential, an required part of the crew and a required part of Luffy’s dream. Just like the crew have adopted his dream as a part of all of their own ultimate goals, so Luffy is saying that they are all part of his ultimate goal. He has adopted them into him becoming the Pirate King.

And goddamn if this arc isn’t about found family. The blood of the covenant is thicker, don’t cha know.

[amenomiko]

Thank you for the request! Hahahaha this will be fun (ू•ᴗ•ू❁) ❤.

ODA FORCES ONLY

Nobunaga

She is strong and brave but.. An airhead. Clumsy too. She is very oblivious most of the time and Nobunaga find himself tired of hinting nor being direct towards her.

His smug personality and his usual smirk never, NEVER work on her. He can't help it. She is really one in a million kind of woman, and he flirt gradually changed from "Rule by my side" To "I'm interested in you" and such, because her respond is just "Oh, okay?" and "Eh, why?"

So he had to do this. He had kabedon her, and confessed directly to her with "I love you." That is SO not him. However, he smiled to her startled face. That's a good sign.

"Of course..!" She beamed. "I love you too!"

Oh finally--

"...and Hideyoshi-san, and then Mitsunari-kun, and Mitsuhide-san and Ieyasu-san and Haguro and--"

Blah blah and so on and so on. This will take forever.

So he pulled her into a kiss to shut her babblings.

When they pulled away then she goes "Eh- eh-- Hawawawawa Q/////Q??"

.........FUCKING FINALLY.

Hideyoshi

She is better when it comes to taking care of her own well being than Mitsunari but..

"My Lord..!! It's the princess!!"

Hideyoshi abruptly jolted from his working desk. What is it this time?? Ever since she came here is nothing but trouble. She has spilled the tea during tea-time, she has spilled the sake onto Mitsuhide's head, she had poured the ink onto Nobunaga's important documents (to which Nobunaga just laugh at so he have reasons to slack off), and now--

"What are you doing up there, MC?? Get down from that tree this instant!!"

"Ah, Hideyoshi~! Hi~~!"

"Don't you "Hi" me now! Get down! It's dangerous!! Just how did you climb that tree with your yukata anyway??"

"Eh O3O? Oh." She blinked. "I'm not sure (´・ｪ・｀)."

He literally slapped his forehead. "Oh god--"

"Oh, I just remembered that I found a baby bird and help it to return back to it's nest and-" She slipped. "Kyaaa OAO!!"

"MC--"

CHU!

Hideyoshi: MMF O/////O??

She blinked into their kiss and she pulled away, giggling to his flushed face. "Hehehe your lips is so soft, Hideyoshi (*´﹀`*)."

He nearly explode.

P/S: They are not dating yet 😏.

Masamune

They are best friends. Masamune knows very well on how clumsy she can be, and so he would always guide her until she understand. Except the duty in kitchen, he would let her watch while he is cooking.

One day she wanted to try to cut some vegetables. Alright, he lets her. But ah, she cut her finger. Masamune immediately tend to her and instead of stopping the bleeding by applying torniquet, he suck on her finger.

She was startled by this and she accidentally knocked the pot and the whole miso soup spilled onto the floor. "Oh no..!" He gasped with "Shit shit shit shit..!"

He is not upset though, but ever since then MC had been avoiding him.

He had recalled what he had done and assumed she took the blame for the miso incident. Oh, here she comes-- "Hey Lass!"

Anddd... She turned away.

This misunderstanding must be solved right away, he couldn't bare not talking to his best friend. 2 weeks is just too much. He missed her adorable smile.

He managed to catch her by her hand, explaining that he was not upset at all but she still refused to look at him. But when he pleads "Please, Lass? Do you hate me? Please look at me."

She did. She shook her head, saying that she didn't hate him at all.

"But then why are you avoiding me?" This question make her face the other way again.

"I... Don't know.. I just.."

He waits patiently until she continued,

"When you helped me with my wounded finger, I.." Her eyes lowered before slowly turning around to face her best friend. "Ever since then, I.. My chest feels uneasy. Masamune, I.." Her face scrunched. "My heart will beat so fast whenever I look at you..! I don't know..! I- You-"

His eye widened to her blushing cheeks. "I know you are good looking but.. I don't know why I find you look dashing more than ever and it makes my heart race so much.. M-masamune, what should I do..?"

Shit. Shit shit shit and shit-

That is PURELY and OBVIOUSLY A LOVE CONFESSION!!

His heart were screaming and he is too speechless to respond to her adorable-oblivious personality.

Ieyasu

One word. Hell.

Enough with Mitsunari. Now ANOTHER ONE HAS APPEARED--

OH THE STRESS-

His hair is falling-

Oh God.

She is so careless. A bloody airhead. Will always be confused and smile to his sarcasm. Just like that- that- PURPLE BAD BED HAIR AHOGE--

"Hya!" The book fell from her grip as she stumbled upon Ieyasu in the hallway, bumping on him by accident. "Oh, Hi Ieyasu..!" She smiled. "I didn't see you there."

"..I pray that that will be my eternal wish of a lifetime." He scoffed.

"You are praying even in the afternoon? That's so passionate of you (*´﹀`*)."

"Just... Get away from me already."

"Oh oka-" She slipped her leg, falling to the side and Ieyasu automatically catch her and POOF! There they are, lying together on the wooden floor, with her on top of him.

"Can you not---" He growled, "...cause another thing that can ruin my day--" He froze to her smile.

"Wh- what are you looking at?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I realized how beautiful your evergreen eyes were."

Thump!

"...I like it."

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!! Shit. What is this? Why is his heart is thumping so hard..??

This is..

Annoying.

Make it the second word to his diary of life.

Mitsunari

It's better if they are separated.

Because it's nothing but CHAOS if they are together. Even under Hideyoshi's watch.

They are like a pair of airheads. Making trouble without realizing it.

For example, both of them volunteer to brew the tea. Mitsunari as usual will pour the tea MORE than it should, and as for MC, she will stir the tea too much until ALMOST nothing is left.

Mitsunari: One, two,... Hm. This is not enough. Three spoonful.. Oh..! *pour almost HALF CUP FULL* hmm.. I guess that will be okay (ㆁᴗㆁ✿).

MC: Let's stir and stir and ORAORAORA >w<!!! *drip* Eh why is the tatami wet (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)?

The warlords: *mega face palm*

Hideyoshi: *shaking from the way they waste the tea that were imported specially for Nobunaga*

When they were nagged at, their faces will be just (*´ω`*) 🌸🌸🌸 (Ieyasu almost get a fever from the MAJOR stress in his head)

Then one day when they announced their marriage, Ieyasu went pale and fainted (Poor Ieyasu).

Them: Aww Ieyasu-sama / Ieyasu is very happy for us ♪ヽ(*´∀`)ﾉ ❤

Mitsuhide: Both of you need to get your full health check-up, especially mental wise ( ͡^ ͜ʖ ͡^).

"....Why O 3 O?"

It's Hideyoshi's turn to faint.

Mitsuhide

Oblivious MC is unbearably cute.

But it's not good for his heart.

He teased and teased, finding himself every ways to offend her, though..

She smiled innocently to all of his teasings and at the end of the day he have resorted to "I guess a woman like you is too bland. I find it boring." He grinned, waiting for her reaction.

"Oh okay. Cool." She nods, showing that his comment is like an arrow that fly upwards before it could reach her head.

Cool-

"I'm saying that I find you.. Not charming, you got me, MC?" He tried again. God. "Try"? Another reason that this is not good for his heart. Teasing is part of his nature but an airhead MC is like a huge wall in front of him.

She giggled. Wait- she giggled?

"..It's alright. You don't have to be nice to me, Mitsuhide. Because my opinion of you won't change even though you find me boring."

The corner of his lips twitched. "Oh? Your opinion of me?"

She smiled like an angel, exactly like Mitsunari as she said "I will always like you even though you don't like me (*´ω`*)." <- no other deep meanings at all.

Mitsuhide feel as if someone just stab through his heart with a spear of love.

"Hm. Hmhmhmhm." He chuckle from his throat, even a passing Hideyoshi finds it eerie.

But as for MC, she giggled with him innocently.

Them : ʕʘ̅͜ʘ̅ʔ (ﾉ´∀｀*)

P/S: MC like this... Must be PROTECTED OAO

[ikesenhell]

In Check

ALL SHADES OF BLUE, Chapter 4. You can find all other IkeSen works of mine here or become a Patron of mine! NOTES: Thank you so, so, so much to @nyktoon-ikemenlove and @daeva-agas for sharing SO MUCH USEFUL INFORMATION ON KENNYO AND HIS HISTORICAL CONTEXT.

The samurai bowed low before Kennyo, hands and forehead pressed to the dirt. At last he murmured for the man to stand. Despite the formality, the samurai was a stranger to him. He was one of the Ikko-ikki, his followers that he knew would both live and die at his command. That power never sat well with him. He’d left it alone for years.

But now things were different.

“Holy Kennyo,” the samurai began. “I come on behalf of my Lord with an offer of aid.”

“Oh?” Quietly he ladled out rice and offered their visitor a bowl. The fire crackled warm near his toes, the full moon overhead all the other light they needed. The world had a way of making everything seem spectral and eerie in the nighttime--

At least, it did without her.

“My Lord wishes to let you know that, at your command, he and I, among other loyal followers of yours, are willing to rise up in Oshu.” The flame in the man’s eyes was chilling. Kennyo half-wondered if that was what he looked like when thinking of Nobunaga. “We could upset Date Masamune’s lordship and force him to retreat back home. There are far too many of us for him to quell the insurrection effectively. Nobunaga would be left without a powerful ally.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d considered the plan. It would work, and that was the frightening thing. Without the Date forces at his back, Azuchi was far less defended. Even the Takeda-Uesugi alliance (which even now chomped at the bit, ready and willing at a moment’s notice to tear from Kasugayama and descend on the Devil King) posed a danger with Date Masamune. Without him? That was another thing entirely.

Still.

They’d tried simply poisoning Nobunaga in the past. All their tricks had failed. Poisoned needles, arsenic slipped in sake, tainted water--nothing ever seemed to penetrate the unholy man’s barriers. The lines of defense were too strong. But if it had, if it had worked, then oh. Kennyo knew that was the day all his dreams were realized.

But they hadn’t worked. And the Takeda-Uesugi alliance hadn’t yet moved in to allow him advantage and opportunity to manipulate the situation (and Shingen was proving frustratingly difficult to outmaneuver, as always). His options grew few.

But the faces of those farmers blossomed unbidden in his mind. He knew the cost of war. No civilians were left out of that equation. When the fields burned, people starved. When the lords demanded soldiers, husbands and uncles and sons were ripped away to die. When the balance of a region upset, like the spinning of a top in the last rattle of its rotation, bandits and thieves always swarmed to fill the void.

And then there was another factor, one he’d not even considered before, and all at once he cursed the name of Date Masamune. There was her. The Dragon of Oshu was not so blind as to ignore Kennyo’s attachment to their precious chatelaine. As much as he’d ever tried to hide it, no doubt her very survival hung on his actions. Who was to say what the Devil King might order? Date Masamune seemed reasonable enough toward her, but Oda Nobunaga deserved no such grace. If the Ikko-ikki rioted in Oshu, there was the very real possibility she might die for it.

He struggled to tell himself that it was worth it. What was one woman to destroying a devil? What was a single life balanced against the scale Nobunaga himself weighted so heavy with the lives of fallen monks and villagers? She didn’t outnumber that tragedy.

And yet--and yet--his heart kept attributing to her the weight of another thing entirely, something more than human, something more than a calculus in a game, and he couldn’t yet give it up.

“I’ll consider it.” Kennyo realized he’d sat silent far too long. “If the time comes, then I’ll write you and your lord--if you would forgive me enough to do this thing. For now I cannot yet justify risking the innocents of Oshu.”

“Holy Kennyo.” The samurai bowed low once more. “It is only ever an honor to do as you ask.”

For a fleeting moment, the question the Princess asked him rang in his ears: Do you really believe you are Amida Buddha?

He knew the answer and was too afraid to admit it. That night, well after their guest went to sleep and nothing but the night patrols disturbed the silence, he took out a bit of paper and an ink brush and wrote a letter.

---

Masamune tried not to hover. That kind of thing was Hideyoshi’s domain. Even so he kept a watchful eye on their chatelaine--not because he thought she might betray them, but because he cared.

That was strange for him. He cared about plenty of people--Ieyasu, his soldiers, his scouts on the outskirts of Azuchi, Oshu, his late father, the monks who’d educated him in his youth--but no one worried him as much as her. She was as loud and vivacious as he was sometimes, then soft and quiet and solemn in turns. Deep in her was a loneliness he couldn’t quite get a handle on.

That, too, was familiar.

Despite her friendliness with Kennyo, she didn’t display as much attachment in Azuchi. She hovered on the fringes, never a part of any particular room, always a fixture and never a person. Oh, she had her moments. Nobunaga’s nickname for her was appropriate: Fireball. But even at her most sincere, she was contained.

That really, really bothered him.

“Hey. Kitten.” He rapped on her screen one morning. At last she opened it, a row of pins in her mouth and a questioning stare in her eyes. “Wanna come and help me out with something?”

Her sly grin betrayed the joke before she made it. “No.”

“Well, hell.”

“Fine. What is it?”

“Got some shopping to do, and I kind of wanted to commission a new haori from you. I was thinking I’d just escort you down to the market and we’d make an afternoon of it. You’re cooped up in here too much.”

It was so hard to pin down her expression, but eventually her face softened and she nodded. “Alright. Give me a minute.”

Together they descended into the town proper. Most of the women tied their hair up to go out, but she let hers down. He assumed it was to hide the odd shaved part of her head and those thousand sparkling bits of metal in her ears. It didn’t do to stand out in some regards, especially when you were an attractive woman these days. Besides--those things had to be valuable. There was always the chance a bandit might get the wrong idea. Either way he didn’t ask.

They stopped by the vegetable stand first, and he argued with the shopkeeper (an old friend of his) over the price of ginger until he saw she was laughing at him. It warmed him through and through. Afterward they headed to the fabric stall, the merchant smiling and nodding at her as if they’d known each other a thousand years.

“You sure do come here a lot, don’t you, Kitten?”

“Someone has a nasty habit of tearing his kimono,” she snickered, chiding him in a single sentence. “I have to keep stocked on every bolt of blue fabric the surrounding area can find me.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Are you certain? How many have you dropped off this week?”

He opened his mouth and realized the number exceeded five, and she giggled at the moment of realization in his eyes.

“Alright,” he allowed with a grin. “I keep your hands busy. At least I pay well.”

“Well, there is that.”

He didn’t know all that much about fabric, so he just rested in the cool awning of the stall and watched her. It was as if everything in her softened. Those bright eyes turned to a haze, her hands dancing over the options, her lips pursed as she considered each of them in turn. She didn’t conduct herself like most women. That wasn’t to say that other women were somehow lacking. But her--there was something he couldn’t quite trace about the way she moved, the way she talked, the way her face flashed with every screaming emotion that so many others kept locked away.

Buddha help him. He liked all of that. He liked the little details that made her different. He liked the click of her too-long, too-square black nails and the mystery behind the metal in her ears. He liked how she always had a smart remark. Her glow was contagious even though she tried to hold it back.

“Ready?” She asked, tucking a bolt under her arm. He slid it away and set it on his shoulder.

“Yep. Wanna go to a tea shop? I know one with pretty good dumplings.”

The waiter knew him well enough that they served his usual immediately: two shares of dumplings, some rice balls, and a steaming pot of tea. She took a tentative bite and he’d barely blinked before her half was gone.

“Hell, Kitten. Hungry? Shogetsu doesn’t eat that fast.”

She glowered at him under her eyebrows and he laughed. “It was good. Don’t compare me to your pet.”

“You’re not a pet. That sounds like something Mitsuhide would say.”

“He did say that. He threatened to take me ‘on a walk’.”

“Then I was right.” He spun a rice ball between his chopsticks. “Lemme ask you something.”

“Alright.”

“You’re pretty damn reserved around us. You don’t have to be best friends with us if you don’t want to, but I kind of wanted to check in and see what was going on.”

She didn’t answer him. Instead she refilled his cup, and just by the way she wrestled with the teapot, he knew she’d never used one before--at least not in recent years.

“It’s complicated,” she answered, softer than he’d ever heard her.

“I’m all ears.”

“It’s really complicated,” she clarified. “I don’t know, Masamune. I just don’t feel like I can… open up or something. Not right now. I don’t know.”

What could he even do with this little mystery? He laced his fingers together and just watched her sip her tea. Unbidden, the thought that eventually she might just leave, up and disappear from Azuchi and the region and his life charged into his consciousness, and he wondered if that was why she resisted growing closer. What would that day be like? What would the last thing he’d ever said to her be?

“You know, Kitten,” he started. “Life is there for you to enjoy it.”

“Mmm?”

Their gaze connected and he wondered how many times he’d looked at her without looking at her. Now there was no barrier there. He continued. “Things happen. Stuff is complicated. Tragedy and death and war and famine are almost inevitable. Amida Buddha’s infinite karma might help us in the afterlife, but now? Now is hard. I get it. But the sun shines differently if you’ve resolved that you’re going to let yourself enjoy it. Damn the consequences of later.”

That reached her. He watched her long lashes flutter in surprise, then drop as she inhaled.

“I’ll think about it,” she murmured.

Together they walked back to Azuchi. They’d barely reached the gates before someone hailed them.

“A missive, my lord!”

“Thank you.” Masamune reached out for it. “Who is it for?”

“The lady chatelaine.”

Her? That was strange. Masamune quirked a brow and stepped aside, letting her collect the correspondence herself. “You expecting someone to write you, Kitten?”

“No.” She sounded just as confused as he. “I guess I’ll read it and find out who it’s from later.”

“Right.”

She tucked it into her obi, clearly not giving it a second thought. For his part he had ideas about who it was from and said nothing, telling himself that the pang of irritation was just concern, not jealousy.

[krys-does-otome]

Week of Otome, Day 5: Favorite and Least Favorite Character Tropes

I haven’t gone wrong yet with a Kuudere character.

People might have heard of character tropes known as tsundere and yandere, but for me, if a game has a known kuudere, chances are that’s going to be my favorite character.

To define it, a kuudere character can come off as cold and standoffish at first. They tend to be the quieter and more serious type characters. In comparison to the first two, a tsundere will outwardly express their feelings, but often times feel embarrassed when expressing these feelings, so it more often than not comes off in a negative way. IE: “It’s not like I like you or anything, baka.” Meanwhile, the yandere typically loves their targets to the point of obsession. They likely know almost every subtle detail of their love interest and often insert themselves into the love interest’s lives in a way that pushes out any sort that could be considered ‘competing’ for love interest’s attention, anything from love rivals to even normal people in love interest’s life.

A kuudere won’t do this. They tend to stay on the edge of social circles, the quiet loner type that keep mostly to themselves and most seem to prefer it that way.

Not to be confused with the shy type that stutters and is flustered when confessing feelings (Dandere), a kuudere is more likely to assess the situation logically and tell you straight out if they like you or not.

Think of it being the difference between an introvert and being shy. An introvert tends to be (but not always) quieter, preferring their own company and quieter spaces to the company of others, because being around noisy people is mentally draining, yo. Someone who’s shy tends to stay away from others because of their fear of being rejected or being made fun of, but still wants to interact with others. This type is the dandere. A dandere wants to interact but can’t because of their fear. A kuudere can interact normally with others without that fear, they just find the interacting part exhausting.

Examples of kuuderes include: Hajime Saito from Hakuoki, Jieun from Dandelion, Kent from Amnesia: Memories, Aiji Yanagi from Collar x Malice, Yukiya Reizen from Wizardess Heart, Byron Wagner from Midnight Cinderella, and Mason from Hustle Cat.

------------------------

A special shoutout also goes to my second favorite type, The Obnoxious Flirt and/or the Womanizer.

Just like the kuudere, I’d prefer it in games if a potential love interest straight out tells me they like me instead of dancing around the issue with backhanded statements or mixed signals.

Guess what the Obnoxious Flirt does.

Makes it known, in no uncertain terms, that they wants to get in your pants. They always DTF.

Admittedly, this trope can go wrong in a lot of ways (can come off as creepy, especially if the love interest doesn’t take no for an answer), but when it’s done right, it can be a pretty magical route for me.

My Favorite Obnoxious Flirts include: Erik from Seduce Me the Otome, Yuri from Nameless, and Shingen Takeda from Ikemen Sengoku.  (Technicality points also go to Impey Barbicane from Code: Realize and Rumple from Cinderella Phenomenon as they are both obnoxious flirts, but they are also complete dorks, so they don’t have the coolness/smoothness factor of the previously mentioned baes.)

-------------

My least favorite trope is actually a pretty common one. I believe the trope can be done well, but there haven’t been many instances where I’ve seen the trope in a good light.

I know that the yandere trope can be done well. The trope exists for a reason. There is something to gained from it, but more often than not, it’s done at the expense of a lot of characters.

The yandere trope has two commonalities within it that I see too often and it’s the two things that piss me off about the trope that makes it a general turn off for me: ‘Surprise Yandere’ and ‘The Yandere’s Thoughts and Feelings Superseding Their Love Interest’s Thoughts And Feelings.’

I’ll break these down.

1) The Surprise Yandere

A character that had previously given little to no indication that they were such a character, but all of that changes like the flip of a switch once the player/MC starts on this character’s path. A previously kind older brother type soon becomes a obsessed maniac that puts his love in a cage or gets violently aggressive towards other people in MC’s life when he literally has no reason to be this aggressively jealous. A new colleague that was previously mostly emotionally distant from others suddenly is holding MC hostage, holding her prisoner while making excuse after excuse to try and keep her there longer.   

It’s not like a surprise twist can’t be good or, well, a surprise. It can be done well, but not through a huge sticker that just suddenly appearing that says YANDERE that slaps you in the face.

From my experience, the best I’ve seen done with the Surprise Yandere trope was Saint Germain from Code: Realize.

Up until the official start of his route, he gave no indication of being the yandere of the group. He was the kind yet mysterious lord of the house, offering kind words and advice to Cardia and the others when prompted. He was funny, teased Impey quite frequently, and loved a quiet chat over tea. 

When his route officially started, however, the heel-turn he does when he’s truly alone with Cardia, away from the protection of Lupin and the others, luring her into a false sense of security with the intention of killing her, is so great. What followed after that was a back and forth of Saint G fighting between his duty to Idea and his love for Cardia. He knows that he has to kill the her because she’s a homonculus abomination created by a man trying to become God, but he’s come to care for the girl that was under his wing, a girl he watched grow from an emotionless doll into someone so independent and strong in her own way that the thought of hurting such a lovely creature hurts him beyond words. 

It’s not a traditionally yandere role, as he’s not obsessing over the MC in an overt way; he’s just upset that he has to destroy a person that has become dear to him because of what she is and not being thought of or acknowledged as the person she had become.

Saint G is also a special yandere to me because, unlike a lot of yanderes (and various other tropes), he also steers clear of the other reason that I don’t like yanderes, which is:

2) The Yandere’s Thoughts and Feelings Supersedes the Love Interest’s Thoughts and Feelings

If there’s something that pisses me off in otomes (and in RL in general), its when the MC loses control of the situation and is unwillingly forced to follow along with a bae’s wishes. This extends to all of the tropes, but the yandere trope has this the worst, in my opinion.

Note the ‘unwillingly’ mentioned above. If the MC was going to be treated fairly and competently, this wouldn’t be a problem. Always remember that consent in any situation is important. 

It’s when an MC isn’t treated fairly and competently is when things start to get a little dicey.

This can be anything from MC being forced into a cage, under house arrest to keep from being kidnapped, drugged, chained up, being repeatedly told that she can’t hang out with other guys because ‘it makes him jealous’ even after repeated reassurance that there was nothing romantic going on between her and the other guys, etc. All against everything that’s sensible and fair to the MC. 

It’s like the MC’s opinion stops mattering once the yandere is in control, and she can’t say ‘No,’ anymore. 

What makes this even worse is when the MC just... starts going along with this. That’s she’s suddenly now okay with having all of these things happen her, doesn’t question it, doesn’t try to talk to her bae about how she feels about this kind of behavior, she just kind of... gives up.

This is probably the scariest part of a yandere for me, that free will is taken away from the MC, and the player is expected to sit there too while terrible things happen. What’s even worse is if there is an option for the player to make the MC speak up or fight back, it usually results in a bad ending. Like, if you want to progress any further, you have to sit there and take this abuse until the end. 

It’s very, very much not cool.

I do have one glimmer of hope that this trend is starting to change.

Enter one Kenshin Uesugi of Ikemen Sengoku.

His official route barely released a month ago at the time of this posting, the Dragon of Echigo is quickly climbing up the ranks as one of my favorite characters (then again, all of the IkeSen guys are treasures, but that’s just me).

If there’s nothing more that Kenshin loves more, it’s a good fight. Given him even the slightest inch, and he will fight you to the death. He loves everything about it from highly technical battle tactics and strategy to light conversations about what a dictionary is and questioning if it can it be used as a weapon. 

Admittedly, I have not played his route as of this posting, nor is it looking to be done in the near future (Nobunaga’s Bae in Review needs to be written and I need to finish both of Hideyoshi’s endings, not to mention LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE, AHHHHHH), but I have been mildly spoiled for the route, at least to get the basic gist without anything really major getting spoiled.

I’ll try to keep this as vague as I can so I can keep others from getting majorly spoiled.

From what I’ve seen, it does contain the inevitable kidnapping of the MC (because MC originally allied to the Enemy Oda Forces, and Kenshin is on the opposite side, so of course she needs to be kidnapped at some point).

But, the difference is what would normally happen in a yandere route... doesn’t happen.

Kenshin actually respects the MC. He never does anything to really mistreat her. While technically speaking she is a prisoner of war, the two had met before he knew she was with the Oda Forces, and he was intrigued by her. Rather than using her as a bargaining chip, however, he keeps her locked away so that he could protect her. Because she intrigues him.

Stay with me here. 

While this might be considered typical of a yandere route, and though Kenshin is dramatic in just about everything he does, he never intended to intentionally hurt her. If @otome-obsessed‘s tweets are anything to go by, Kenshin is willing to listen to the MC as she tries to help him figure out his feelings. To let him know when he’s doing something that’s very much not okay, to put a stop to the bad behavior and helps him to better himself for it. (And thank God that it didn’t turn into a Stockholm Syndrome situation as I’m sure I would have vomited. IkeSen MC is too powerful to be Stockholm Syndromed).

This, this is something I want to see more of, not just in yandere routes, but probably in otomes in general. In life in general, really. That you can take no for an answer and no one is upset by it, maybe even learn something from it. Because consent is sexy as hell, y’all. And that you can work through your problems in a healthy, adult manner, such as talking to each other. Everyone has their flaws, but a willingness to grow and change is a great thing to have.

/end soapbox rant

[selenacosmic]

May i ask for a MC that does belly dancing? And the reaction of the warlordos? You choose! Thanks

Of course! This is very interesting, thank you for the request!

Belly dancer MC.

Oda forces

Nobunaga Oda.

You had told him that you were a dancer in your time and that you had practiced a lot the be as good as you are now. But you never danced for him or anyone else.

Nobunaga is very popular among dancers, and the kind of dancers of that time were very different. They were more reserved yet sensual, it was very different from you. Your type was more bold, faster too.

But being honest, you were very shy about showing him, you knew his eyes would follow your every move, that’s why you preferred to keep your performances only to yourself.

But your secret was soon found out. You would often perform only in your room, where you had your privacy. Nobunaga wanted to see you so badly that he went straight to your room, he heard sounds of steps in your room, when he opened the door...

There you were, dancing beautifully all by yourself, your movements very bold too. And your outfit... his heart was pumping fast as he smirked at your performance. When you finish your private performance, Nobunaga started to clap slowly, smirking at you.

“You should dance more, fireball. Your performance it’s truly enchanting.”

He praised you to no end, making you blush so hard that you covered your face. He was hugging you while praising your beautiful dance, he was particular clingy around your hips.

Mitsuhide Akechi.

You didn’t even dared to say this to Mitsuhide! He would tease you to no end for you being “not as innocent as we thought you were”! You were not risking it!

But honestly, is it possible to hide anything from him? Sooner or later he would have found out. You were practicing in the garden at night. It was one of the safe places at that hour for you, and it was refreshing to dance against the cool wind.

He was out from a... business meeting, if you know what I mean. He was going back to his chambers when he saw a figure dancing in the distance. At first he thought it was his imagination, but looking closer, he saw his little mouse. He knew you were agile just by the way your body moved daily, but this showed him how flexible you could be.

With his foxy smirk, mitsuhide walked calmly in your direction, putting his hands on both your sides. You got startled and looked at him, blushing immediately.

“W-hat... what are you doing here?”

“I was simply going back to my room, until I saw my beloved dancing. It made me wonder why you never told me you could dance.”

Oh, expect a lot of teasing, specially him asking you to dance to him once more, he was hiding his blush with that smirk of his.

Uesugi-Takeda forces.

Shingen Takeda.

Not even think about this guy, everything you do he will worship with that confident smile, flirting without end. Shingen is very popular with dancers too! They specially loved the way he would comment on every move smoothly, as if he could notice their hard work and would praise it.

But he was yours now, his grey eyes only see you. It was funny how he would babble about you for hours nonstop. So you thought it was less embarrassing to not show him, so you would sneak out of the room and find a safe place for your practice.

Shingen didn’t find you in your shared room, so he went to search for you. Bear man was hoping to give you a big, bear hug. After a lot of searching, he saw you dancing in your garden, a place he let you have to relax.

His eyes wondered through every movement you did while dancing, he admired every curve of your body, the way it beautifully moved. Oh dear, he needs some water!

While dancing, you noticed him watching you, stopping with a startled look. He looked sad that you stopped, but smiled at your cute face.

“My dear, why would you hide such a charming talent like that? Please continue, I can only worship every movement your body does.”

Yep, it was awkward to continue, but you still danced for him, getting complimented every second.

Yoshimoto Imagawa.

This is a man of culture, every demonstration of art, such as aesthetics, paintings or dance, makes him pleased. It’s canon that he asks Kenshin to let dancers in the banquets, something that the Bunny lord would never allow.

It made Yoshimoto tired of not being able to appreciate beautiful ladies dancing, but he wouldn’t go out to see them. It was better to wait until he could afford to have dancers in banquets.

You actually wanted for Yoshimoto to see you dancing, but then you thought for a moment. Yoshimoto was used to graceful dancers, you were more bold and energetic. Maybe when you felt ready, you would show him your talent!

You were dancing in your room in Kasugayama, having fun by yourself. You were invited to the banquet they would have, Kenshin had finally allowed dancers there, but with the condition of being able to spar with Yoshimoto and that they were to stay away from him.

You weren’t having that much fun with the boys melting at them, so you went to your room to dance. You didn’t understand why, but you wanted to prove to yourself that you were as good as they were. Was that... jealousy?

Perhaps. Yoshimoto was pleased, but his satisfaction was short when he noticed you had exit the party. He went to look after you, his best shot was that you were in your room.

He quietly opened the door, being surprised by you dancing. He smiled while fanning himself, admiring the artof your sides moving, it was something he had never seen before. You were more bold than any other dancer he had watched.

“You perform beautifully, were you uncomfortable with the dancers?”

You got startled, his calm voice made you ashamed of being caught dancing, specially when he got it right, you were uncomfortable with those dancers.

“It’s not like that... I just... felt like I wasn’t good like them. Sorry for disturbing you by getting out of the party.”

“MC, I wanted you there, I came looking for you.”

You explained to him what kind of dance you were doing, getting embarrassed to dance to him again. But you still did it, he praised your dancing.

“It makes me want to monopolize your dancing all for myself. No... I want to monopolize you.

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Thank you for reading! If you wish to see more of my work, check out my masterlist,

[makeste]

Top 10 Fictional Spouses

*a wild meme appears!*

Stolen from @rikudera. Tagging anyone else who wants to do it because why not! Also I did it as a countdown and also rambled a bit NOPE, a LOT about why I love them and want to marry them because I can’t shut up, but this is not a requirement or anything.

10. Jon Snow (Game of Thrones)

It took 8 fucking seasons for this little shit to get his act together, but yes, I finally do want to fucking marry him and his perfect undead ass. If only he wasn’t currently boning his aunt. Haha GoT am I right.

9. Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)

I have trouble putting into words what I love so much about Diana (and the WW film in general). Like, I feel like it would have been so easy to screw her up, but they didn’t. It would have been so easy to fuck up that balance between her being a loving, caring, kindhearted person and a badass person who gets shit done. But they got it right. They could have leaned in way too much on the romance between her and Steve, and made the movie way too chick-flicky, but that, too, they managed to get just right. She just has this energy that I can’t describe. She’s not a masculine hero that happens to be a woman; she is a very feminine hero but she is just as strong because why wouldn’t she be? But it’s different from everything we’ve had before IMO and I want more of it so bad. And yeah I’d marry her in a heartbeat.

8. Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy / MCU)

I. Love. Everything about her. Especially from Guardians Vol. 2 and onward, when she seems to have relaxed a little bit now that she’s found her place with the rest of the Guardians. I love how she’s so serious and mature and eye-rolling-at-everything all the time, but she also feels Thor’s biceps, and lip syncs along to “Rubberband Man”, and totally lets her guard down around Peter because she trusts him so much. THANOS DID HER SO FUCKING DIRTY OMG but I know she’s still hanging around in that Soul Stone so it’s only a matter of time before they figure out how to bring her back and I can’t fucking wait.

7. TYL!Ryohei (KHR)

TYL!Ryohei is a fucking gift to the world. We don’t deserve him. Somehow over the course of those ten years, he matured in ways I wouldn’t have believed were possible. Like, he’s still passionate and fired up and shit, but he’s also so much more level-headed and sensible now, and he’s a mentor and he’s in a (presumably) happy, healthy, and stable relationship, and just, damn. Like I would put him in a list of top ten anime guys who probably have great credit. I feel safe with TYL!Ryohei, and his great TYL!hair.

6. T’Challa (Black Panther / MCU)

There are a lot of male fictional characters that I love, but very few I’d want to marry. T’Challa is one of them because IMO he’s one of the only male characters in media right now that doesn’t adhere to all the same-old-same-old super masculine hero tropes all the time. How do I explain this without using the fucking phrase “big dick energy” ugh... Like, he doesn’t have to be in control of everything all the fucking time. He’s strong and stubborn when he needs to be, but not overbearing. He doesn’t think he’s the only be-all-end-all authority on morality (even though he actually does have a pretty good grip on it). He acknowledges when he’s fucked something up, and he tries to learn from it. He’s surrounded by strong women and he respects the shit out of them and gets showed up by them on occasion and doesn’t bat an eye because why would he? And I wish more characters were like this, but right now I can only think of three including him. There are probably more, though, and hopefully we’ll continue to see more.

5. Okoye (Black Panther / MCU)

Do I even need to explain this? Are there people out there who don’t want to marry Okoye? Nah I don’t believe you. The way she side-eyes T’Challa when he’s all “I never freeze” and then saves his ass and makes fun of it later but she also still loves and respects the shit out of him. The way she loves her husband(...? or boyfriend? wait I’m not sure) without making a big thing out of it, but then also during the film’s climax, when he tries to make it like “me or Wakanda though??”, she’s like “OF COURSE IT WOULD BE WAKANDA WHAT DO YOU FUCKING THINK” because she is the loyalest bitch. And how she tries to fall in line with Killmonger because it’s her duty, but also she helps Ramonda and Nakia and pals escape, and then later when T’Challa is back and all “I WAS ONLY MOSTLY DEAD,” she immediately jumps back aboard that train and she’s so happy. She’s so loyal and so dedicated to her duty but also has the best sense of humor and even when all the lines are blurred she doesn’t waver and she does what she thinks is right.

4. Jake Peralta (Brooklyn 99)

Hey so yeah Jake is one of the other two aforementioned Woke Male Characters Who’ve Gotten Over Their Egos and Are Better For It that I mentioned in the T’Challa part above. (The third is Steve Trevor. Like I said, there are probably more... at least I hope?? But I don’t watch enough new shit these days to really know.) I love everything about Jake. How he tries so hard at everything, how he goes out of his way to be such a good friend to everyone, how he’s somehow an idiot and yet also perfectly intelligent and good with computers and the fucking best at solving crimes. I love his sense of humor. I’m so weak for guys with a good sense of humor it’s not even funny. 500% bonus if they specialize in self-deprecating humor. Basically just marry me already Jake.

3. Sanji (One Piece)

SANJI. I could rant for days. I love him so much it’s almost intimidating to have to boil it down into one inadequate little paragraph. Just. He has THE WORST PAST EVER with a childhood so abusive and miserable I can’t even find the words for it, and yet in spite of all that he grew up to be so incredibly kind and loving and always wanting to make sure everyone’s needs are met. Not to mention he’s a complete badass? And also smart as hell (and Oda really needs to give us some more of that because I’ve been missing his saves-the-day-behind-the-scenes antics. I was hoping we might get some in WCI but we didn’t, and that’s okay but WANO IS COMING NOW SO LET’S DO THIS PLEASE). The only reason he’s not #1 on the list is because of the love cook nonsense, because it’s Japan and they have some issues. But if I’m honest, I’m totally willing to overlook it because aside from that quirk he is fucking perfect.

2. Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn 99)

My favorite thing about Rosa is that she’s super private and reserved, without actually being shy or antisocial. I feel like this is pretty rare in fiction. She doesn’t freak out or get anxious whenever she has to speak in public or meet new people or anything, but she also values her privacy and her personal space very highly and goes to great lengths to maintain it. She cares about her friends deeply, but she also isn’t afraid to tell them when they need to back the fuck off. And I can relate so much to that.

And oh yes, my other favorite thing about Rosa is that she is canon fucking bisexual, with a coming-out episode and everything, and I never knew how badly I needed to see that until it happened and I was like almost in tears? So yes. Rosa Diaz. She’s so cool and I want to be her wife.

1. TYL!Yamamoto Takeshi (KHR)

AS IF THERE COULD BE ANYONE ELSE HERE AT THE TOP. Yamamoto Takeshi. God’s Perfect Idiot. The pinnacle of human evolution. Confident without being arrogant. Loyal till the end of the fucking world. Sense of humor that’s fucking unrivaled. Flawless, strongest, and invincible. Literally the best laugh in the history of human existence. Seriously, that’s a fact. Oh, and also, the most handsome man who ever lived, probably. We’ll never know for certain unless you could time travel or something, but I feel like it’s pretty safe to assume. You can probably put money on that. But if you said it to his face, he would probably just laugh and say, “Ha ha, you think so?” with his hand behind his head all boyishly, because he’s so fucking modest on top of everything else, and excuse me but I have to go cry now because he doesn’t actually fucking exist, fuck my life.

Anyway, so this was fun but now I remembered why I stopped doing memes, because I don’t have a fucking off switch jesus christ. BUT THEY’RE SO FUN, THOUGH. Agh. Dammit.

[hikariobsessions]

IkeSen Custom MC/OC Meme

Hello there, time-traveler/feudal heroine/warlord! What’s your name?

OC: Akari (朙) de Castro | Time-traveling  Scholar & War Veteran

Age? Height?

I’m a 5ft2, 24-year-old Latina woman ^^ 

What’s your fashion like? [Time travelers – pre & post-wormhole!]

[Pre-wormhole] Loose and Comfortable; I have the whatever-the-hell-I-find-in-my-closet attitude; I like anything that isn’t too restricting of movement. Honourable Mentions: oversized shirts, rompers, halter-necks, and combat/military attire. Also anything green :D

[Post-wormhole] Having to get accustomed to the everyday kimono; I hate the fact that it restricts movement in some places but it’s bearable. I often sneak back into my preferred clothing whenever I’m at home and/or alone

Where are you from?

From the Modern Era; adopted by a well-travelled Japanese scholar from an orphanage in Colombia. (I have my own complicated backstory ^^;)

Feudal era – pros and/ or cons?

Pros: New culture, prospect of finding some ‘lost/unknown history’, experiencing history re-write itself first-hand, the unexpectedly hot men in power (the traditional paintings/drawing really don’t do them justice 0.0) and their suprisingly progressive values.

Cons: Standard clothing I need to wear to ‘fit in’, cultural differences, archaic living standards, I’m a foreigner - so getting stared at unabashedly by townspeople, passer-bys etc.

Also, conformity, at times. It’s ironic to think that there’s something humble about seeing the roots of what’s still known today as a highly homogenous society; whilst also being well-aware of its dangers.

If you’re not in your homeland/time, do you want to go home?

Home, to me, is with the people that make me happy.This includes my adopted family (who are time-travelers as well, spread out over different historical periods; again a lot of backstory). Whether we’re in the modern world or the Sengoku, or some other place; that comes secondary. I care more about the people I surround myself with.

What’s your home life like?

Sometimes loud and rowdy, sometimes relaxing and homey. But never boring. 

You just got your dream job! What is it? / Or, what’s your line of work?

Besides being a full-time scholar/soldier/time-traveler, I’m really into the Arts in general, particularly Film and Photography (this is totally my creator projecting :p). I want to become some form of storyteller (i.e. writer, filmmaker) once I’m done with my travels.

Any other hobbies or skills? Do you use them / how do you use them in the Sengoku period?

I do a lot of performing arts, particularly acting, dancing and music. Helps as a coping mechanism whenever I get a chance to have a break. But acting helps me with espionage missions, infiltration and reconnaissance while in a different time period as well. 

I’m, in my own way, a sociology/history geek and love learning about different cultures. I usually have some preparatory knowledge to help navigate through different time periods including the Sengoku Jidai.

Horse-riding has also been a big part of my life ever since I came back from the American frontier in the 1860s. It helped me in more ways than I can ever imagine in other time periods, but nothing beats the feeling of just running across an open field, almost as if you’re flying.

Where is your base of operations? Azuchi Castle? Kasugayama Castle? A pirate ship? Running all over the woods or in a secret monastery? Some other cool place?

I hop from place to place, depending on where the wind takes me ^^. Or where I’m needed for jobs. But I do have a small cottage with a ranch in a forest, somewhere between the Uesugi and Oda territories. I found it abandoned while scouting, and it’s become my temporary home where I can be myself without worry.

How do you feel about killing and violence?

I’m no stranger to violence. But killing I have a complicated relationship with. If I have time to be merciful, then I will be. 

For something like war, in my experience, it’s a lot harder to choose not to kill. Your survival intincts raise every hair in your body, and a part of you knows that if you leave things to chance, you could wind up dead. There are consequences for every action you take, whether you decide to kill or not. You can only hope that you don’t end up regretting it.

It’s one of the reasons I prefer to stay within the medical unit as a nurse/vet. I only go into combat if I have no other choice. Nurses and medics, though, still need to know how to fight. If I end up dead, who’s going to take care of the wounded?

Have you learned to fight? If so, what’s your weapon and/or fighting style of choice?

Yes. I’m trained in various combat styles to fit whatever era/historical period I’m going to. I’m fair at martial arts and know my way around a sword. But I prefer long-range weapons combined with horse-back riding i.e. bow and arrow, throwing daggers and guns/rifles.

What are you fighting for?

For a future and my family. But also the people I meet that I can’t seem to turn my back on. Because they, for better or worse, have become a part of that family as well.

What are your feelings about authority?

I’m compliant as long as the reigning authority is competent. In other words, I pick my battles. I appreciate big-picture solutions for the world, as well as just/fair governing methods. 

But if you’re a tyrant that blatantly inflicts suffering on people without reason other than personal gain; then you can show yourself out the fucking door. Oh and I hope you trip and break your neck while you’re at it.

How do you handle someone invading your personal space?

 [Not in a relationship] I’m non-confrontational at heart, but if any part of you is too close for comfort well...At first, I’ll tell you to step off in the nicest way possible.

If you’re one of those persistent ones...I’ll just keep distancing myself warily.

If you make a move on me, on the other hand, without constent...there will be physical contact. I suppose it’ll depend on what’s closer. For example:

Your face = I’ll give it a hard high-five (you know, for trying 👍🏼) 

Your torso = a Judo Flip

All-in-all, respect my boundaries please ^_^  OR I will S.I.N.G 

[In a Relationship]  Invade it as much as you want (unless I say no) ^^

…do you invade people’s personal space?

NO. Unless we’re in a relationship, I won’t do that sort of thing. I’m a “treat-people-the-way-you-want-to-be-treated” kind of person, in this regard. I don’t invade your space, you don’t invade mine without my constent.

Are you more open, or more reserved? Are you secretive?

I’m quite independent, reserved and closed-off. I act charming when interacting with other people as a sort of.....misdirection. Or just trying to mingle with their energy so that they feel comfortable when talking to me. 

When most people see me, they usually don’t know I’m playing a part. I’ve heard people who are close to me call me a ‘Method Actor’ at times. It takes time for me to open up, but if you prove yourself to be trusworthy then the walls are probably going to be easier to break down.

I think I’m just very overprotective of my real self.

Is this the first time you’ve been truly in love?

*Okay I’m not gonna ship this one with anyone in particular but if she were to fall in love with someone, this is probs how she would answer the question; warning she’s a romantic at heart, and so am I ^^;*

Well, I haven’t fallen in love before, so perhaps I’m completely in the dark ^^; 

But if a person offers you their everything... and in turn, you want nothing more but to accept every flaw, push through every difference, and in the end, still choose to be with them...Would you call that being ‘truly in love’? 

Then, to answer the question... maybe? (*^^*) 

What’s your style as a lover? (interpret this as innocently or not-innocently as you please ;) )

Hehehe...hehe... 😄😅 😃 😐 😶 how do I answer this question?  😥 😥 

[In everyday life] To be completely honest, I really don’t know. I’ve never thought about it. But there’s no doubt in my mind that I would try my best to make them happy, think of things I can do for them etc. If the person will have me,of course ^^;

[In bed] Okay...well, I imagine if I’m in love with a guy, I wouldn’t mind being completely vulnerable; letting him take the lead, being submissive etc.

BUT I do have a very cheeky side of me that gets triggered if my partner ever gets cocky (no pun intended). If you’re going to show me how much you love me then by all means, do so. But don’t think for one second that I’ll let you have all the fun. 😏

What are your favorite ways for someone to show you love?

I’ve always liked it when a person (in my case, a guy) has ‘good-timing’~ He surprises you by noticing little things about you that you never really took stalk off, and brings them up unexpectedly in small yet adorable gestures. 

Otherwise, just being reminded that he’s there for me when I need him, is a good enough way to show that he loves me~

My Top Love Languages are: Quality time and Physical touch (hugging, cuddling, falling asleep in each other’s arms, kata-zun etc.)

Do you use a pet name or endearments for your lover(s)?

I use endearments when talking with friends/aquaintances, (hun, honey, lovely etc.) but never with a lover 🤔 It might be time to start experimenting...

How do you feel about…

Nobunaga?

*sigh* I can respect him as a leader, and understand his ambition. But if he thinks he can try to “conquer” my foot in a game of Go; the same foot is going to come down hard on his face the moment he tries to eat/kiss it. 

Don’t worry Nobunaga it’s just my foot kissing you back~ ^^

Hideyoshi?

*Ahem* hopefully, he doesn’t read the above statement. Otherwise, he’s someone I could get along with as friends. He’s nice and considerate. The traditional big brother, dependable and mature, compared to my actual big brother who I always end up taking care of. *sighs*  

Me [thinking to myself]: I just wish they both would just stop worrying about me.

Masamune?

Just because you have an eyepatch, cooking skills, that smile, and a goddamn tiger, doesn’t mean I’m going to fall head-over-heels for you. That said, I will promise to keep you on your toes. So let’s just get along, shall we?

Oh, and uh, can I come over to play with the tiger?

Ieyasu?

With great power comes great responsibility. So what the hell do you think you’re doing spreading that chili powder over that watermelon?! 

*slides him some Nachos*

Also, I’d like to exchange some notes about medicine and nursing with you, if you don’t mind~? ^^ Hey. Why are you running?

Mitsunari?

A sweetheart. I wouldn't mind being study-buddies with him. He can teach me a lot about the Sengoku Period; it’s social, cultural and political landscapes, as well as some medieval japanese military arts to survive during these times. The bonus? The fact that he’s literally an angel walking on earth and I think any time spent with him will be enjoyable~ ^^

Mitsuhide?

Wow...it’s me, only slithery and with longer lashes 0.0 

Shingen?

Another me...only flirtatious and more open about my cleavage 0.0

Kenshin?

*SHINNG* What are you doing with that? NO, I AM NOT FIGHTING YOU. PUT THAT SWORD AWAY. RIGHT. NOW. 

AND WIPE THAT SMILE OFF YOUR FACE. I don’t understand you. To me, there are other things more enjoyable than fighting and war. I should know, I spend half my time looking for them. I can understand the need to fight during these times, but I hope you push yourself to find something else that makes you happy.

......What? Stop, looking at me like that. *A FEW DAYS LATER*

*A letter from Akari to her family*

My dear grandfather, I am writing this to you from a cell underneath Kasugayama Castle while being unceremoniously surrounded by an army of rabbits, and a confusing man whose words never quite reflect his actions...don’t worry he actually seems nice on the inside, if not a bit problematic...

Yukimura?

Sir, could you please tell your dad to stop flirting with me? Oh, and while you’re at it, please learn to grow up. 

Me [thinking to myself]: Everything about him screams schoolyard tease who pulls their crush’s hair to get their attention, and I can’t help but role my eyes and shake my head while also chuckling at the thought.

Sasuke?

*Hanging out in the ceiling*

Me [thinking to myself]:  It’s actually not that bad in here. A bit dark though...So, Sasuke, huh? 🤔 Reasonable, level-headed, stoic, a bit on the weird side (but then again who isn’t), not extreme unlike his lord...

I can actually get along with him like I would a normal person! And he also likes history. That’s a plus-- ...wait. What’s that sound? 

[Sasuke runs over] 

Sasuke: My apologies. It seems I accidentally set off a trap I was making. We may need to run. 

[Behind him a boulder is coming right at us; Indiana-Jones-style]

Me: WHAT?! 

Kennyo?

*Feeding a bunch of animals in the forest together, strangely enough*

Kennyo: You shouldn’t be here. I threw away whatever humanity I had years ago. I’m a demon. The only place for me is hell.

Me: Yeah, yeah, I know. Would you pass me some more bread crumbs? Oh, and the horses wanted some apples...

Kennyo: Listen to me!

Me: ...Fine, I’m sorry. *sighs* Well, at least let me do something to repay you (for saving me). [deliberately picks up a duck] ...I’ll cook. Let’s have this guy for dinner. 

[brings out a knife, intending to cut the duck’s throat]

Kennyo: STOP! 

[Kennyo grabs the duck from me; hugging it protectively]

Me: .........

Kennyo: ......

Me: ....Who knew a demon could be so cute?

Motonari?

...You want to cause chaos? Well, we’ll see how you go~ ^^ Please don’t die so soon though, otherwise, it wouldn’t be much of a spectacle.

Me [thinking to myself]: ....also, I understand, sort of. I’m no stranger to trust issues. 

Any other friends/notables?

Closest friends and confidants:

Roe Pryer (fellow OC; adopted brother), 

Gendo-san (fellow OC; adopted grandfather)

Umo (animal OC; Akari’s horse companion)

Freestyle! Tell us anything else you’d like to share!

Canon Things (...warning a lot of backstory angst? also kinda flipping to third person ^^;)

~ Akari’s an experienced time-traveler and was trained from a very young age by her grandfather and his group of misfit scholars/time-travelers/soldiers called ‘The Nomads’, to go on missions throughout different time-periods. 

~ She’s a horrible cook. Can’t fry for shit, without burning anything. One day she tried cooking for her infantry unit during wartime. Everyone threw their food in a dug up ditch behind her back while telling her it was delicious. They ate something else later on. 

~ She has scars on her back. A huge burn scar on her left shoulder and lines/gashes crisscrossing that can only be caused by a whip. She doesn’t seem to mind whether she covers them or not; her comfort in terms of wardrobe comes first. But when she doesn't cover them, she often gets asked how she got them. 

The answer: during her teens, she was sent on a mission during a period where slavery was still accepted. Because of her race and suspected ethnicity, she had been abducted while on her mission and sold into slavery. The burn scar and whippings were punishments for multiple attempted escapes she made from her “masters”. After her punishments, she was often held in a basement where she spent days without food and water and was left in the dark.

Apart from the evident physical damage, this also left a lasting trauma and developed a fear of dark and confined places. It wasn’t ‘til a few weeks later that her grandfather - after looking endlessly for her - finally saved her.

~ She suffers from PTSD from multiple missions (war, slavery, torture, movements); but pushes on, feeling indebted to the family that took her in, especially her grandfather. She became really good at hiding her PTSD in front of other people but often seeks alone time in peaceful settings to calm her heart.

~ She’s hardened but tries hard to enjoy the fun things in life and keeps pursuing to find happiness for herself, even though it can be difficult for her sometimes due to her PTSD.

~ The main objectives of her missions are usually to find ‘lost/unknown’ history, and sometimes even making altercations to fate (i.e. saving unknown soldiers, civilians during wartime). In the Sengoku period, however, she’s been sent there to find some of the groups’ soldiers that have been M.I.A for 6 months, including her grandfather, Gendo-san, and adopted brother, Roe.

Quotes

...by Akari

“People who insist on blinding themselves with their own prejudices and fear, are more crippled than any human who has lost all ability to see. So please...don’t disappoint me.”

“I don’t think you understand how hard it is to turn your back on people once you realize how wonderful they are.”

“Why is it that the kindest people always manage to hurt themselves the most?”

...about Akari said by her family

“Even the most beautiful smile hides its own pain” - Gendo-san

“I couldn’t protect her. Before I knew it she threw herself into the world and saw something I never wanted her to see. Now to her, there’s just too much pain. She hurts herself wanting to look away and now she can’t. How can she? As someone who went through their own suffering and was saved by people who gave her hope; how could she possibly abandon anyone to the same fate?” - Gendo-san

“She’s my sister. She’s family. And there’s nothing I want more than to finally see her smile. No, not the one she plasters on her face to make sure no one worries about her. But the kind that shouldn’t need explaining; the kind that she conjures up on her own accord because she, from the bottom of her heart, knows that everything’s going to be alright.” - Roe Pryer

THANKS FOR READING!!

@nyktoon @nyktoon-ikemenlove AHH, hun, a thousand ‘thank you’s for setting this up ^_^ Had a lot of fun although it did end on a somber note~ LOL, I think I wrote too much as always though ahaha...haha...ha... 😅

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff - THE TROOF ABOUT STEVEN UNIVERSE - Part 2

WARNING: If anybody’s got a clown suitcase, I would very much like to see it. And here’s part 1, if you wish to know more. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Steven Universe is a charming, popular show with a quad-polar fandom, and I’m only here to point out what I say is legitimately wrong with the cartoon. Simple enough? Fair enough. Previously, I talked about how their action is so basic, it’s inexcusable. Now for Point number 2, which is also my favorite:

THE VILLAINS:

I fucking love villains. Not just for the who, but why and how they do it. When bad guys like the Joker, Lord Dominator, DIO, or Him do their thing onscreen, I enjoy every moment of their threatening essence (except Jared Leto’s Joker, he sucked). Villains remorselessly do unethical, downright vicious, things to fulfill their goals while initiating setting up the heroes to correct these effects with their efforts and abilities. Steven Universe has villains, sure. Yet, after having so many chances, Rebecca Sugardaddy has failed to make them REAL villains, specifically the Great Diamond Authority.

Now originally, I was gonna compare the Diamonds to the likes of Fire Lord Ozai (Avatar: The Last Airbender) or DIO (JJBA); villains that work in the shadows and when they’re eventually revealed, they’re already a force to be reckoned with. But looking into how they and Homeworld is set up, there was no other villainous ensemble that could stack up with the Diamonds perfectly like the Gorosei from the anime One Piece.

Looking more badass than the US Government

Now these five gentlemen aren’t necessarily what make up the end all be all for the series, but above all, the Gorosei are the ruling leaders of the organization that controls the entire world of One Piece. They command the military, the police, and other agencies, like their investigative and espionage departments, and the only people that out rule these gentlemen are the descendants of those who created it several centuries ago. Like the Diamonds, they seek to maintain order and justice for the people of their world and doing so means taking on any sign of revolution (namely Pirates) that could damage not only their image, but their purpose. Both Authorities possess absolute rule over the many classes that are under them and their stance of power can be present with the many actions that effect the characters we focus on currently. The difference between the two ruling classes is nuance, aka a grey sense of morality, aka an actual sense of relatability. So when I see a series having an overall narrative villain, Steven Universe has shown me that sympathy should NOT be a factor in storytelling.

And their crocodile tears are not welcome either...

Now when I say this, I don’t mean you can’t sympathize with any villain you see. Most of the time, you can feel for the antagonist when their lives never were good to begin with, that’s namely how villainy starts out, therefore making their actions not so much justified, but understandable. Take the rogues gallery that are the enemies of Batman.

Every one of them has a story to tell and a method to their madness. Their histories weren’t as nice or as hopeful as they may have hoped, and you can feel their pain as their efforts to be successful at something grand falls apart due to the Dark Knight or life’s unforgiving nature. However, the sympathy stops there because none of these masterminds, with the Joker being an exception, serve as a main villain to Batman’s crusade for justice, they’re continuous rivals and one off stories that expand the DC Universe. No evil in Gotham is powerful enough because Batman’s story has no real endgame. Steven Universe and One Piece will eventually have an endgame. And while the Gorosei represent an Oligarchical commodity that separates its order seeking rule from their affiliating countries, The Diamonds have amounted to being under one system alone:

Yep. Nazis.

And it’s weird I bring this up. For I would’ve thought to have called Homeworld an authoritative caste system where the gem you’re born with defines your class and status, coinciding with the gems’ natural abilities. The specific gems are given a role and everyone plays a part to maintain societal order, like what India has, with the Diamonds being the biggest and strongest gems and therefore are the de facto Matriarch of the gem society, you feel me? That would’ve earned a little sympathy from me, because the Diamonds losing Pink would’ve meant the massive changes to accommodate their order and resources might not have worked out so well and their image as leaders are slowly diminishing and that can explain the huge resentment for Earth and Rose’s Rebellion.

But no. Instead the Diamonds are a repressive totalitarian government that basically control everyone and everything, all the gems below to strictly follow and almost never question their line of reasoning, and they’re reasons for destroying the Earth has been summarized down to the emotional baggage and grudge that came with their failure long ago.

CAN YOU NOT FEEL THEIR PAIN?!

Wanna know why I didn’t compare the Diamonds to Avatar’s Fire Nation when talking about humanizing the enemy and the connection couldn’t be more obvious? Because before Ozai is ever mentioned, The Last Airbender states very clearly that the Fire Nation is the region Aang and his friends need to infiltrate to stop their manifest destiny. And when we’re early hinted that Zuko’s not full on evil, it lets the audience know that not everyone is on board with those in charge of the Fire Nation invasion, leading up to Ozai's big debut where we see that as the endgame villain, he’s irredeemable and has such a lust for power, that he’s recognizably the main drive everyone has to stop. Avatar did this right because little by little, the main enemy was narrowed down to a single force that hasn’t made itself known until near the end when his presence bear more importance. The same can’t be said for Steven Universe because Rebecca Sugar Rush presented yet another faint mistake.

The Diamond’s personalities are given to us before they’ve shown us who they are and what they’re capable of...

So we see Yellow Diamond as a vindictive, no nonsense leader that wants shit to get done and Blue Diamond as a more tender looking, yet no nonsense leader that’s grieving over Pink Diamond’s death and does whatever she can to move on and remember the fallen fondly. So, have they done anything before we’ve met them personally? Sure.

*They corrupted thousands of their own kind (because of the rebellion)

*Allowed experimentation towards shattered gems to make artificial fusion (because of the rebellion)

*Ordered a search and destroy on all “defective” gems that go against the Authority’s standards and prevalence while said defectives put themselves in a literally hole of despair for coming out wrong (Gaslighting)

*And let’s not forget the Cluster (because of the rebellion)

So yeah, quite a lot actually. Now you might be thinking, “But Monkey Network, what does those five old men have to do with what the Diamonds did?” Well, when you see the villainous shit the Gorosei have commanded, their actions are actually more relatable.

*Ordering the destruction of an island of archaeologists because they were secretly researching forbidden history

*Allowing a hit on their own government affiliated island to erase any potential surviving threats that invaded there

*Directing the Marines, or the front line enemies of our Pirate heroes

*And contemplating their system’s next move when updates arrive

Now I don’t know about you, but these gentlemen make up quite an authoritative class with understandable motives and relatable notions on running the world without necessarily being on the front lines. Kinda like the US over the years? Even when their level of corruption can be on par and we still know little of their true power and who they really are, they’re instantly better than the Diamond Authority because we can see why they’re in command, their thoughts and actions towards our heroes shows no sign of being sympathetic, and yet we see where their motives lie. I mean, their Government’s enemies are pirates. You know, Pirates? People who’ve robbed and killed and are the opposite of order? See where I’m going here? They namely go after our heroes who are seen to be the enemy even when the Pirates and plenty others consider them the enemy. It’s almost as if there’s a grey choice for the audience to wonder whom the real bad guys are. OooooOOh.

Also, quick side note. The Gorosei look fucking cool. Like their designs aren’t exactly human, credit towards Eiichiro Oda and his expressive designs, but they’re drawn with such a level of seriousness and stature that it presents their elder wisdom and grave subtlety towards a subject in a contrasting light to the pirates bombastic, emotional appeal. But the Diamonds?

This picture summarizes how I will never take them seriously, no matter how hard they try or how good Patti LuPone is

So, what has this amounted to? Basically, Rebecca Sugardop has given us nonthreatening villains that showed no sign of any redeemable qualities beyond their ability to mesmerize us with their acting. That and give us an episode that, in summary, tells the audience that killing an enemy like the Diamonds makes you no better than them. Yeah, I have to go there.

I’ll try and make this quick.

This episode was Crime and Punishment done bad. For Crime and Punishment, it was an old Russian tale of a man killing a woman that’s rich yet unliked in the community because he believed it was for a greater good; implying that murder is permissible in pursuit of a higher purpose. Same can apply to Bismuth, having faith that in killing the Diamonds, Homeworld can be liberated from the oppressive elite. Here’s where that tie-in ends: the effect. In Crime and Punishment, the killer shows sincere regret towards his actions because it didn’t present any change in the community beyond the fact that an old woman got murdered and the only thing the she was despised for was being a greedy pawnbroker. What regret would’ve there been in using the Breaking Point on the Diamonds? Bismuth wasn’t set on killing any Homeworld gem around, just the leader who show that they mean and will mean business unless they’re fully out of commission. The show wanted to say killing the Diamonds is bad even when the effect of it could be good, but never offered any other method to success and just shunned Bismuth to dormancy until they need her again, proving she might have been onto something.

Whew. So, what’s the tl;dr aspect of this since you probably won’t take this seriously. Well, call this a domino effect. Rebecca Sugar Pop is trying to make sympathetic dictators, which is itself an oxymoronic detail. In doing so, she failed to make them real villains. In doing that, there really are no real villains in the show. And when there are no villains, the conflict feels dry and absent. And without conflict, she failed at putting together HALF an overall story. And when you’re a coming of age story where it has to end on some note with maturity and change, after almost five years in the making, you just FUCKED yourself over when you didn’t even invest time in HALF of what makes an overall story of good and evil investing and engaging. Oh I’m sorry, what makes an overall story of a blurred line between good and evil. Investing and engaging.

I can’t care anymore. If they get redeemed, sure. If they end up dying like a tragedy, fine. They feel less like villains to overcome and more like stairs Steven has to step on to become a better person. Just let White Diamond be as grandiose and badass as Tumblr’s AUs of her, because again...

The fandom is doing the show a bit of justice