#honoka is still best girl after all these years

[windupnamazu]

you're the only one i wish would understand

ffxivwrite2023 #11: once bitten, twice shy used to mean that a person who has failed or been hurt when trying to do something is careful or fearful about doing it again

Rhea & Honoka. Post-Endwalker. 1240wc. ⮞ My heart is always filled with unrequited feelings for you.

Rhea clings to her luggage as she steps onto the piers of Kugane, overwhelmed by the fragrance of sea salt and the bustle of the port around her as she navigates toward the grand tower in front of her—the Shiokaze Holstery. She'd been told she couldn't possibly miss it and she really didn't; it's taller than any tree of the Twelveswood and its light pierced the thin fog out at sea. That building will be the starting point and home base of her investigation; a one-woman mission, a mysterious case in an equally mysterious land: a search for a person missing to her and her alone.

Her best friend, Honoka Naeuri.

Rhea listens solemnly as the woman at the Holstery counter gives her a flyer with the directions to the town's best inn, pre-booked for her with her sister's coin. After that, she's on her own: Ahnji (or, she supposes, Tala now, even if she's always going to be Ahnji to her,) knows little about the Far East and the people she knows who do are reluctant to give her information on her target's whereabouts. Even Honoka's own sister, infamously gentle as she is, redirected her to speak with their much irritable cousin instead, who probably would have chased her out of their family home if it wasn't for the presence of her husband.

She's in Kugane, she was told brusquely, and after being pointed in the direction of Isari was told to "get the fuck out."

Rhea presses the back of her hand to her brow to block out the sunlight as she emerges from the other side of the Holstery, eyes wide as she takes in the vista of Kugane's skyline. Was this fear and awe anything like how Honoka felt when she arrived on Eorzea's shores and then Revenant's Toll all those years ago? It's a weird feeling, being impossibly closer and further from Honoka than ever before.

Eyes skimming over the plaza before her, her heart nearly stops as they fall upon a crowd gathered by the aetheryte.

She's here.

There's an Au Ri girl on the steps of the aetheryte plaza, dressed in orange and blue in a style unlike this nation's denizens. Pitch black hair spills over her tear-shaped horns and down her back, longer than when Rhea had seen her last and dyed orange at its ends, but she's very much still Honoka and Rhea's heart starts to ache just at the sight of her. As she sings into a microphone of Garlean design it's with a low voice that makes dread and joy entwined plunge into her stomach; the last time she'd heard that voice it was to awkwardly say goodbye.

Her song is in Hingan, and not for the first time Rhea wishes she asked her sister to accompany her after all. What she would give for the Echo right now.

Before she can even consider pulling out her Eorzean Common-Hingan dictionary and starting to parse the lyrics, the song and the show is over. Most of the crowd departs, but among those who remain are four other youths gathered around Honoka, chattering all the while. There's a dainty-looking Roegadyn girl and a peppy Lalafellin woman and a towering Raen boy and a slender Midlander dressed head to toe in black, and they're completely at ease as they pack away instruments. Rhea summons what little courage she has and steps forward.

"Honoka!" she calls. Her best friend turns, surprised.

"Rhea?" Honoka doesn't look upset to see her, but she doesn't seem happy either. "What are you doing here?"

Before Rhea can explain, the slender and tanned Midlander drapes themselves over Honoka's shoulder, pressing their cheek against Honoka's horn.

"Ugh, Dallie, I'm busy," Honoka whines without any real irritation, playfully pushing her… friend…?—-Matron, she hopes this person is just her friend—away.

"Honohono," says 'Dallie' with a barking laugh and in heavily-accented Othardian Common, lifting their chin at Rhea. "Who's the chick? One of your fans?"

Honoka purses her lips, probably wishing this meeting wasn't happening. "Rhea. From Eorzea. Rhea, this is Dal."

"Rhea from Eorzea," Dal drawls, something like realization and frost in their voice. Behind them, the three others hovering by the aetheryte plaza straighten up. "The idiot who broke your heart?"

Rhea flinches.

"Dal," the Roegadyn girl in green calls, frowning prettily. "People are entitled to their own feelings."

Dal rolls their eyes. Or at least, they give off the impression that they do, with a subtle tilt of their head—they wear shades that completely obscure their whole expression, but their mouth's been twisted with a sneer since they first looked at Rhea.

"Rhea is still my friend, Dal," Honoka reminds them. But is she? Rhea never wrote to her after Honoka returned to Doma. Never even asked Kotone to forward her well wishes or begged Tala to ask for her new linkpearl number. If Rhea is still Honoka's friend she's been a piss poor one. She doesn't feel relief at Honoka's own words, only dread.

"I'm just calling it as I see it," Dal says with a shrug. "Either way, Honoka, we got that next gig in a bell, soooo…"

No, no, no. She just found her. Rhea opens her mouth to ask for just a minute alone or for her linkpearl number or to tell her she's got a room at the Bokairo Inn for the week and to please look for her or to blurt out I'm sorry you confessed to me and I rejected you in the most humiliating and hurtful way possible and I was wrong and I only realized once you went home across the world that I was actually in love with you too and I'm still in love with you even though it's been ages now and you have every right to hate me but please, please don't push me away—

"Ray," Honoka says, smiling at her almost as she did when they were those teenage girls in Mor Dhona following their big sisters around and wishing there was more they could do for them and for each other and for the world. It doesn't reach her eyes today. "It was great seeing you."

She doesn't say see you later or be well or keep in touch. Rhea knows she doesn't deserve that much, but she can't stop herself from watching Honoka's back as she disappears into the city, dawnscale tail and orange ombre hair swaying as she goes, far brighter here than she ever was trapped in Revenant's Toll.

"Hey."

She nearly shrieks when she realizes Dal is still there, though the rest of their friends have followed Honoka out of the plaza.

"Honoka still considers you her friend, for whatever reason," says the Midlander, hip cocked out in an easy confidence Rhea wishes she had an onze of. "So from one of her friends to another, that last song was something she wrote herself. Nearly wrecked herself doing it. Maybe look up its name."

"Its name?"

"Kataomoi," Dal says. They press their pointer and index fingers to their brow and swipe away. "Anyway, ja ne."

As they too disappear into the crowd, Rhea pulls out her dictionary and searches.

Kataomoi. Unrequited love.

"I fucked up," Rhea whispers to herself, alone in a foreign land with nothing but her suitcase and her damned pride all stomped on and muddied. She already knew that though. "I really, really, really fucked up."

[mahou-furbies]

Closing thoughts on Precure All Stars Movie DX: Minna Tomodachi☆Kiseki no Zenin Daishuugou!

(what a name)

I thought it was time for a little Precure break after making it through Splash Star, but then I realised that I had some unfinished business left since now I had seen all the seasons for the first crossover movie.

The story and character side was pretty weak this time, but to be fair I don't really know what else could have been done, like what would you do if you had to tell a story with 14 human and 13 mascot characters in 70 minutes so that everyone gets to do something? The setup had a lot of repetitive scenes when each team met the bad guy on their own and had a little fight with him and then chatted with the wrong team's mascots a bit, and in the end nobody (even the Fresh girls as the most recent team) got any actually meaningful character moments. Character interactions were about what you'd expect, everyone was instantly friends with everyone and all the exchanges felt pretty samey. And the light sticks were of course a thing yet again.

However the film had some really good action and nice shots, and especially Nagisa and Honoka got a cool entrance to the final fight. Everyone fighting against an army of monsters was sufficiently impressive and the final explosion did its job. The best part of the movie was how during the end credits there were shots of the all Cures just hanging out and having fun together.

That was pretty whiny but then again if I was a 7-year-old Precure fan I probably would have found this a very exciting film, with all the Precures teaming up together for an epic battle, so I think it achieved what it tried to do. But my recommendation is still to skip the movie and just watch the credits if you're even half as cynical as I am.

[a-bucket-full-of-feels]

so how do i feel about LL superstar s1 after finally watching it

it's ok i guess

Well that aside, coming into this series many years after watching LL School Idol Project and LL Sunshine, I already knew what to expect from this anime - about two-thirds of the first season purely dedicated to the group being put together, the classic "student council resists idol groups" trope, a mix of light-hearted shenanigans and drama, and silly little details that don't make sense in real life but you gotta ignore it because it's Love Live.

What I found refreshing about this season was that instead of going down the "dying school that needs to be saved by school idols" route, they went the opposite by having the girls being motivated to becoming the best school idols they can be in order to raise awareness about their new school as the first batch of students. It was also interesting to see Kanon being a slightly different sort of Love Live protagonist for a change - instead of being the visionary and creator of their idol group like Honoka and Chika, she was convinced by Keke to form an idol group with her because Keke was moved by her singing. And at the same time, Kanon's ability to inspire others around her (e.g. Chisato, her schoolmates) with her warmth, charisma and talent makes her fit perfectly as your typical Love Live protagonist, and the entire season was about overcoming her insecurity and discovering her passion to make Liella! the best school idol group in the Love Live tournament.

I also think having just 5 girls in the first season was great in terms of developing their own character arcs, which made the pacing a bit better than the earlier series. But somehow I couldn't help but feel the pacing was off in some episodes, like they tried to fit too many subplot points within the episode, with a lukewarm resolution to all of it.

While the light-hearted, comedic moments were great and I think the seiyuus did a great job with those, I feel like the emotional, dramatic moments were lacking in impact in this season. For example, the Kanan/Mari scene during their Aqours-joining arc in S1 was deeply moving, but I didn't feel the same even for the more "emotional" character arcs, like Chisato's or Ren's. Perhaps the scene that moved me the most was the Tiny Stars performance episode, where Kanon realises she needs to be strong for Keke who was feeling just as nervous as her in the performance, and also the fact that she was on stage together with Keke gave her that courage to overcome her stage fright and successfully sing in front of an audience for the first time.

But all in all, I still enjoyed LL Superstar S1 as a whole. It didn't wow me beyond my expectations from SIP and Sunshine, but it's a feel-good anime that you can just turn off your brain and relax to, enjoying the characters' on screen antics and watching their performances. And speaking of which - I did notice the quality of the animation (both 2D and 3D) has improved leaps and bounds from the SIP and even Sunshine era, and it's almost difficult to notice the transition from 2D to 3D for their performances. I also do feel that the Liella! seiyuus as a whole are really talented singers and dancers, and it's great that the 3D animations were able to capture the choreography well (especially Nonfiction, I think that one was particularly impressive).

I'll probably move on to Season 2 shortly after this, then finally catch up with Season 3 (which is currently airing). It'll be interesting to see the direction it'll head towards with new characters being introduced, and the current characters moving up a grade - something not seen before in the LL! universe as the anime canon for the previous series always occurs within the same school year.

[hantulis]

Andō Honoka's State of the World

cw: discussion of violence, misogyny, transphobia, abortion, accidental pregnancy, family problems

*title based on Konoha's State of the World

-

Youth was a strange thing.

It wasn't just a period in one's life. Unlike any embers of summer fireflies that shone outside the room, serving as the only source of sight through countless university prep books late at night. More than that, it felt like a current that surged outwards all around you. Geysers that could propel puny humans up to the air and bring them closer to the endless possibility that was the sky. Fill you with so much warmth that anyone could evaporate from one contact with it.

And then it'll stop in an instant. Geysers aren't meant to gush out forever. Inertia made way to gravity, and that meant the sky would get further away as the ground grew closer. Along with the clash between body and flat surface would be the realization that your period of youth was over.

Just like that... you were suddenly an adult.

All the opportunities and promises shouted out by your youth flew further away, disappearing behind the clouds that never parted for the sun.

Honoka was reminded of a trip to see her extended family in Hokkaido. There was an inn there, one ran by her grandparents and their forefathers since even before the Meiji Era. It wasn't just a means of temporary shelter for travelers either.

The hot springs nearby made for a nice getaway from the cold and dry winds. And there was always a driver on standby willing to indulge people's wanderlust by bringing them to the sea a few miles down below alongside a seafood restaurant that their branch family would run.

Not to mention the alternative destination her inn provided. Up high above the mountains was a trail that would bring curious hikers to the almost discordant loud bursts of water. Out of all the landmarks she was brought to, she never could get those geysers away from her mind.

That was what her grandfather touted proudly every time she visited. Each time, Honoka would nod along with the same enthusiasm someone of his stature had. The rest of her relatives would giggle over the display of a child trying to copy the stiff demeanor of their current patriarch.

As his only grandchild, he paid a great deal amount of attention to the girl. Planted in her was the seeds of ambition that he nurtured each time she visited. Fertilized through the yukata she wore as she helped her aunts greet guests checking in for the night or through the plates and bathroom she cleaned up during the day.

Her grandfather promised her the entire estate once she grew old enough.

Young and small as she was, it felt like he had promised the world to her.

.

Yet she didn't spend her entire childhood in that small village, bustling as it is due to its tourism. Her parents had always worked as salarymen at a city several prefectures away. It wasn't like how some rich kids in her old class would talk about Tokyo. Still, her grandfather's inn and the village it resided in seemed like an isolated pebble compared to how the network of people, buildings, streets, transportations connected to each other here.

Grade school graduation easily breezed by for middle school. Her grades seemed to matter more and more if she wanted to go to the best highschool in the area. Many summer vacations were lost to homework, sleepovers, after-school swimming lessons, extra courses to increase her grades in math especially. Her parents relented over and over into letting her stay back at the city as they made their yearly pilgrimage back to their hometown. Instead, she frequently stayed over at her aunt's place – the only person she was familiar with on her mom's side.

Five years may seem like a blink of an eye to the elderly, but it made up for a third of a growing teenage girl's life. Promises of growing up into that cool adult that passed by, that movie she saw together with her friends, tears over entering a high school separate from her friends, new role models, heart break, her life long ambition for the independent metropolitan life she yearned for, gossip... Her adolescence was everything to her. A meaning that wrote over her older memories as a young child.

She didn't necessarily forget about them. Anecdotes and old recollections were shared over the dining table, be it with her parents or some of the relatives that came over every year or so. Around them all, she'd nodded along and laughed as if she was wearing their shoes.

Alone in her room, though, everything from back then had all but turned foreign for her. The photos and images burned into her mind wasn't like something she experienced, but rather seen from a unfamiliar third point of view.

Soon after, it had all but turned into a dot in her memory.

There was an endless frontier of life that laid ahead of those days that she remembered far more fondly. An endless amount of possibilities she could explore at her pleasure. It was what she thought as she came back to those geysers back at her hometown...

...Until a conversation changed it all.

.

"Are you serious? Didn't we see eye-to-eye on this matter, Honoka-chan?!"

"No, I don't know what you're talking about!!"

"You said that you were going to come back to this inn after you graduated, didn't you? Weren't you going to dedicate your life to this? N-not only that, you said you were going to give me great grandkids to look forward to, and you'll make them love running the inn as well...!!"

"Like hell I am, Gramps. Know what? I'm never coming back to this run-down, hick town anymore. And you won't EVER see any great grandchild because I won't be having any to spite your pitiful, crippled inn!!"

"YOU...!! My whole will...!! I wrote it to fulfill my promise to you, and now you forsake it like it's nothing?!"

"..."

"...Ungrateful child, this is why I never liked those city dwellers. They all t-turn into bastards who can't appreciate what we do for the economy. Why I oughtta--"

A thump interrupted her grandpa's ragged and stuttering voice. She wouldn't have heard the painful croak coming from him through her own heaving if she didn't turn around. In hindsight, she should have been more cautious considering the coughs that had interrupted his speech this whole time.

What greeted her sight was her grandfather writhing on the ground.

.

Seeing her grandfather on the hospital bed felt like having a ticking time bomb around her chest. It constricted her movements, even after she went continued life back at the city.

Knowledge about that will's contents spreading among her relatives was the resulting explosion that she knew would happen. Resulting in the death of her freedom. It was bad enough that she couldn't even snoop around his estate to somehow change it without alerting the relatives tending to his inn currently. Now, she had to do a mad dash to not just enter a university, but to enter one at a prefecture far enough that she could avoid her relatives' intrusive interference once her grandfather kicked the bucket.

He only had a few years left to live, and she'd count her lucky stars if she had graduated high school by the time he breathed his last breath.

Maybe she could apply to a University outside the country or do an exchange program. Those would provide more permanent means to cut her family ties.

And then she'd earn the freedom she'd desired all this time.

.

For an underclassman two years younger than her, Nakayama Ryou was really good at math.

So good in fact, that it was easy to forget he lived his whole life in the countryside before this.

Honoka may have been rejected for a University application outside of the country, due to an understandable lack of fees even after working part time since she started high school, but indulging in Ryou's presence helped her deal with that. It also helped that their study sessions had helped raise her GPA enough that she was considered as one of the candidates for her campus' student exchange program.

Entering university a year early was already a feat on its own, but she couldn't believe the moderate dreams he held compared to her own. Something about working in journalism... Ironic, considering he needed her help to use the internet at his dorm. How would he survive in the currently changing news industry?

It's too bad that they'd have to break up once she left the country. He was a fun distraction and comforted her well enough during her period of intense study, but she knew that they weren't meant for anything long term. More than anything, Ryou reminded her of a cute puppy following her whenever she walked back from middle school. Eventually, he'd move on from her to someone else.

She couldn't have known that he was about to turn the trajectory of her life.

.

"Honoka-chan, I need you to eat this."

"What's that? You're not trying to get me into drugs, are you?"

"No. It's a b-birth control pill."

"...We've never needed that."

"Yeah, but I noticed when I threw away the trash that..."

His voice trailed off, but he didn't need to explain more as her eyes widened.

.

...It didn't work.

The pills didn't work.

And the rumors of her pregnancy spread like wildfire.

Right before the announcement of this year's exchange students too.

Who would be surprised to hear that she didn't get accepted?

Her supervisor had said she was the committee's first choice before they heard about her pregnancy in an attempt at sympathy.

Yeah, right.

Like that's what she needed now.

.

"Congratulations."

"Ah...? Erm, Auntie, thanks for the gifts but... I'm not sure what you're congratulating me for though."

"I heard about the baby, sweetie. Isn't it nice? Your Auntie here had to try for so many years and my Husband and I are still unlucky."

"That's... um, I'm planning on abor--"

"We can't have that. Such a gift from our Gods and you would waste the little life inside of you?"

"But Auntie, I can't...!! There's so much I still want to experience in life and a baby will--

"Honoka-chan."

"...Yeah?"

"You do know that out of the three of us, your parents were the only one who could conceive? And they were so very lucky to have you when they did. That's why we tried to spoil you when the family gets together."

Fear entered your heart. Never in your life had you seen coldness beneath your aunt's warm eyes. While the restaurant offered many entrances and exits through its open structure, you felt like a rat trapped in a corner by a cat.

"All my life, I've been taking care of this inn with my whole being...!!

My husband's complains was only bearable because I knew you would love to take care of it soon enough. I thought my time to rest could come very soon. Yet Grandfather's will ended up being forsaken. None of us can provide a heir other than your parents even now..."

"Why can't you appoint someone outside the family? Does it have to be me?!"

"Shut up, kid. Don't you dare bring up those ideas when you don't understand the pride that runs throughout our family to run this inn. Not only will I face the utter disgrace and shame from your decision. Your grandfather, and all of his deceased forefathers beforehand, already took a blow in pride when they had to choose between three women as their successor. And now you bring up this stupid idea?!"

"I... I..."

"Whatever comes out of your mouth next, you better think about it thoroughly."

"....I understand."

"Good. Wouldn't it be a shame if you had to raise your baby all alone? Ryou-kun seems like a nice man. He'd definitely give you all the support you need. And he'd be welcome if he wanted to learn on how to run the inn."

"...Yes, Auntie."

"Once you graduate... let's go back to the inn, Honoka-chan. I'm sure Grandfather would love to see you."

.

"You saw that episode last night?"

"Did I? Everyone over at the message boards kept posting about it! They even had to close it down for maintenance because of how the site got overloaded with people."

"Can't blame them. I mean, burning a person alive would pretty much get any sort of show on TV banned for public."

"Gotta admit, as much as it sucks that we have to search up our research materials online now, the internet's pretty awesome for being able to host content like that."

"Did you hear, by the way? Some people talked about rumors of a second season entering pre-production soon."

"Next season, huh..."

"I can't wait to see who'll be nominated next."

.

Blue ink pooled over the paper, created between the tip of Honoka's pen and the paper it was in contact with. Unlike the clear waters of the hot springs back at her Grandfather's place, this fake body of water couldn't reflect any expression. But she knew it was the same kind of ugly grimace she wore when she was 15. As if the scars from those words never fully healed after all these years.

She considered it.

Those names swirling in her head for the past month would work. Her parents, those fucking Aunts pressuring her parents pressuring her, her grandfather and his stupid sexist forefathers... Everyone who got in the way of her future deserved to be punished for all she cared...!!

She really did try to consider whose name she should write.

An eye for an eye. A life for someone's death. If she needed to deliver the goddamn baby because everyone related to her wanted her to... Then so be it. It wouldn't solve the problem of the strict way her family was structured, it wouldn't solve any problems in her life. But it'd be one less person nagging her about being a mother and raising a worthy successor to the AA

Ryou... He really did bring her down to earth. From the skies of her ambition lied the hole where he would bury them five foot in the ground. And that demure smile and honesty that a country boy like him deceived her. Of course it made way for such a fatal mistake, tearing open a hole to the piece of life inside her that she cursed day in and day out.

She thought about what kind of punishment anyone whose names were written here would get. From how those younger students talked about those DVDs, hushed and a morbidly low tone yet still with some form of unempathic glee, it didn't sound good.

If she wrote his name...

Was she willing to shoulder such a burden? Bringing the guillotine down to those she deemed needed to be punished? Will her future come back if she did this?

Her heart screamed out the answer to the dark clouds in her mind, thundering and roaring with anger and confusion. And from it came the rain that dripped from her eyes down to the fake pool below.

There were other ways of dealing with her problems... but this wasn't it.

.

That was how Nakayama Honoka was reborn to this world.

Her baby would follow suit a few months later.

A small child born to be her blessing and curse.

Ryou chose their name because she had been too tired to care. Physically dealing with blood loss and mentally dealing with her official loss of freedom.

She didn't feel the instant love most parents experienced once she saw the helpless child. Only a sense of pity and guilt. A sinless existence in concept, a burden by accident. Considering that, maybe the baby had done her wrong since it came into existence.

Who had sinned in that case?

The baby? Who weighed her down through no fault of their own?

Or was it Honoka? Who applied that weight in the first place?

Maybe it'd be better if the two could disappear somewhere far from any sort of societal obligations.

Feeling a sense of camaraderie with the crying bundle of misery, she cradled them close to her arms. Onlookers would think Honoka was crying out of love and affection towards the baby.

None of them could hear the many apologies she uttered in her head for Rui's existence.

.

"If that's what you need, then we can move out. Far away from anyone who can bother you about our baby. No one can bother you about the inn. We can build a new life together. I only want one thing from you."

"...And what would that be?"

"Please smile again."

.

Funny.

Life -- as viewed by an omnipotent, uninvolved person -- was so humorous.

Someone's entire existence can be summarized as a tragedy with a punch-line.

With that line of thought, then... her life would be a clown show.

Not even one worthy of a shakespearean comedy.

.

Balancing between parenthood, her decaying relationship, and her building ambition had been a joke. She should have sacrificed one from the start.

...Maybe more, when she had a hard time getting back to the dating scene soon after.

Rui may be a the sunshine she needed after her grueling work. But a child also had their needs. Even with the boundaries spoken with each other so she could chase her freedom, that mere existence of a child made it such a hard hurdle to reach.

Her child didn't complain when they had to wait for her to come home or meet her halfway in the evening in a cafe for dinner. Rui was able to prepare school on their own, make a lot of friends, and get passable grades. That kid even behaved with all sorts of partners she took home and introduced. A cup of instant cappuccino would be placed at her bedside after each break up.

Grateful as she could be, she couldn't bring herself to thank the Gods just yet.

Sometimes, they silently stared at her with a contemplative look that eerily reminded her of her ex-husband. Like a child who was several years older than the body they were inhabiting.

...Maybe Honoka needed more sleep.

Cup after cup of coffees was worth it though. A job worth her buck. With opportunities that didn't just stop at this country. One that worked with her passion with people. She did it.

And as if he waltzed in to her life, Sojiro came in. As young as she was when she graduated university. Accomplishing more than she ever could thanks to the privilege he was handed in life. Yet he had a way of making her feel like she was his equal when they talked. The way the two would end up calling through the night made her feel like she was a highschooler going through her first crush again.

He was so supportive of her dreams too. The advice she gave to him helped him tremendously with his entrepreneurial efforts. Most of all, he got along fairly well with Rui despite their 16 year age gap. Ryou had been accommodating with the new arrangement as a co-parent. While she hadn't seen him in a long time, he seemed to be busy with his own line of work. Yet she was glad that Rui looked up to both him and Sojiro for their own unique qualities.

Life was going well.

Too well, actually.

Of course, the punch line would unexpectedly hit out of nowhere with a phone call from Rui right after they entered highschool.

"Mom.... Dad passed away."

.

"I know what you really think of me. Don't you think I would have heard about it from Dad? Everything about the inn, about your failed student exchange application, and how you ran away. So why can't you understand this part of me? Aren't we the same?"

"What are you even talking about?! I've been fighting my entire life to get to this point, you're talking about a lifestyle you'll come to regret in a few years!!"

"Do you really believe that? Or are you just looking for any reason to get rid of a burden like me?! Ugh, even though I believed when Dad said you would understand..."

"If you know about me so much already, why don't you just get out of my face?! There's no need for me to spell it out anymore, is there? I don't want to see you anymore!! Get out of MY house!!"

"...Okay. Next time you're back home from work, I'll be gone from your life."

"..."

"That's what you want, right? I'll give it to you. No need to fight for this."

"Fine, then. Go."

Honoka slammed the door to her hard-earned house, the door to her hard-earned car, the door to her hard-earned private office shut.

While she wasn't there to see it, Sojiro saw his step-child gently close the door to their home with what they were able to bring.

And with that, Rui didn't show their face to her ever again.

.

Even after more than a year, she couldn't say whether she regretted her words that day or not.

Too many nightmares of their face stained with tears. Too much work to do if she wanted to get that long-awaited promotion.

Ryou's grave didn't give her answers no matter how many times she asked.

"Did I do the right thing?"

Ah, why did they have to bring up her failures?

Maybe she could have been in a clearer mind during the fight.

...She could hear him silently chide her over that line of thought.

But she needed to see through this decision.

For too long, she's fought for this kind of freedom:

A man she chose, a partner she worked well with.

No blood-related family to tie her down.

The job she's wanted to for all her years.

Most of all, the chance to get away from the land she's grown up with for all her life.

She couldn't take any of it back.

Nothing could make her regret her choices.

.

"Honey, why have I only found out that Rui hasn't been going to school this year?"

An alerted look flashed by Sojiro's face. She's known him long enough to understand the implication behind the jolt as he tried to school his face into something unreadable. At times like this, she's always thought he looked like a child caught stealing.

Once he met her gaze with a resigned one, the younger man let out a sigh. "I'm surprised they've managed to keep quiet about it for so long..." A wry smile formed on his face, flattened when Honoka's own gaze sharpened. "Please promise me you won't try to interfere."

She didn't nod, nor did she shake her head. A thick silence leaving her answer up to whatever he would be saying after.

And listen she did. And regret she did. And wish after wish bursted out from her chest:

To be an ignorant girl who loved the inn for her entire lifetime, to be an obedient girl who listened to her relative's worries with an open heart, to be a focused girl who didn't think of dating, to be a selfless mother who understood that her child would have a better environment growing up with their dad, to be an understanding mother to her child's own pursuit of identity.

Not for the first time, Enatsu Honoka felt the chasm between her adulthood and youth widen ever so slightly.

[myoozi]

Little Devil Honoka

[fukurodaze]

five stars: part 3 | three words

IT’S EMBARRASSING: a third year cheerleader!reader x second year athlete!suna au

wc: 4.1k warnings: swearing

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you hate mornings. 

they feel restless and empty and full of longing to have something worth waking up to. sometimes it’s hard to even get up when your mind is full and your heart is worried.

but you do not hate suna rintarou. in fact, you’ve learnt a few new things about him.

one, he has a little sister.

two, he has a nice laugh.

three, he is only “occasionally lactose intolerant”, but not if he “tries his best”.

the things you already knew - his volleyball position, birthday, grade, home town - were never brushed up on, but somehow made their way to the forefront of your memory the more time you spent with him. you began to see him as simply ‘suna’, instead of ‘the boy you helped with physics last year’.

you wonder how you ended up spending every morning of the last two weeks with him. he seems nonchalant, almost lazy, when you see him around with his teammates: back slouched and face relaxed almost all the time. yet, when you let him walk you to class, he’s talkative. he’s eager. he’s walking slowly so you can keep up.

it’s a bit of a question for you, why he’s suddenly popped up into your life once more after waking you up on an unlucky monday morning. 

(he had told you that you had slept with your eyes wide open, and it took you some time to process everything as your chest fluttered with embarrassment.)

then again, you’re not complaining.

“if you notice over here,” suna leans into your side, pointing at the phone in your hand as the two of you walk through the school, “there’s a little cockroach at the corner of the room going out.”

“oh my god,” you laugh. the video on suna’s phone displays today’s fight between the miya twins at the gym. 

it’s your third week with him.

now, as he lets you hold his phone, the literal embodiment of all the volleyball team’s blackmail material, there comes the familiar urge of yours to steal a few glances, adjust your hair, or maybe do something absurd and see how he’d react.

it’s a strange feeling. stranger than when he walked you to your classroom once and you, in your half-awake genius, slipped him a tube of your lip balm in the open pocket of his bag in case you didn’t have an excuse to see him again.

“what were they fighting about again?”

suna shrugs, “osamu was having a bad day, and atsumu got pissed, so, naturally, osamu got pissed.”

“shit. everyone was crowding around i couldn’t even see them throwing punches,” you mutter.

“anything that the twins do usually gets a crowd, really.”

you pass the phone back to him. “yeah, the twins are crazy popular. especially with the girls. they’re like idols.”

“right,” suna pockets his phone, “you’re popular too.”

your brows are furrowed. “stop it.”

suna playfully tenses his shoulders up, hands shoved in his trouser pockets, “you’re, like, the kind of person that organises the culture festival and is like the secretary for the student council.”

“i actually am.” 

“you probably are.”

you two pause when the sentences come out at the same time, and it takes no time for the two of you to laugh it out, lightly, with snickers and giggles that you’ve never really heard from his mouth. 

“you know, i finally got to watch a movie last night,” you begin, changing the conversation.

he looks at you slowly, sweetly. “oh yeah? what did you watch?”

“uh, totoro...”

he stays silent, and you find his head tilted and his eyebrows raised. he looks amused. you ask him, “what?”

“solid movie.”

there is a questioning look that you give him, and you know he sees it, pupils focused to your side. he speaks again, “you like ghibli movies?”

“yeah. i think everyone does. don’t you?”

suna looks like he’s staring down the sky, thinking. he hums, and then tells you, “i don’t.” 

now he exaggerates his normally poor posture, chin tilting up to get a view of your reaction. the two of you keep walking, in an unusual silence, and you’re left watching his eyes as they stay indifferent.

“didn’t you just say totoro was a ‘solid movie’?”

the boy looks ahead, “yeah, so?”

you click your tongue, eyes narrowing, “whatever. i don’t believe you.”

suna has a satisfied smile on his face. he makes sure you don’t know it.

the two of you enter the building, even taking extra time to go to each others’ lockers. it’s only been two weeks since he had seen you laying on the bleachers, eyes embarrassingly open; two weeks since he had walked you to class the first time; two weeks since he had really started to know you.

when you reach your classroom, suspicious eye contact from classmates and the increasingly busy hallway tell you that it’s time for him to go to class, too. he sneaks in a cynical remark, and you playfully hit him on the shoulder, for the first time.

“i’m betting you and him get together by august.” your friend, honoka, chimes in as you enter the classroom. your neighbouring seat mates agree.

you’re starting to look forward to mornings.

unbeknownst to you, suna has a deadline.

the interhigh is only a week away, and so he’s told himself that he’ll do one thing before completely shutting himself out for volleyball training: asking you out on a date.

in other words, he is fed up with the volleyball team’s rendition of his “showoff mode”. he doesn’t lift his shirt up that much!

his first strategy is the straightforward, nonchalant way. he eagerly waits for you at practice.

“hey,” suna almost chirps, feeling a skip in his step.

“hey.” your squint your eyes at the unexpected energy, “are you- are you up to something?”

suna’s ears turned beet red at your statement. he couldn’t have possibly guessed that you knew what he was about to do.

a smirk crawls onto your lips. “oh, so you are up to something…”

“yeah, right. it’s nothing.”

you slap a hand on his shoulder, “hey, i get it.”

“what?”

“i mean, whatever pranks you and your friends are up to, just try not to get expelled, ‘kay?”

suna’s shoulders relax, but his eyebrows furrow, “wait, wha-”

“the volleyball team’s up to something, no?”

suna nods cautiously, not sure if he should be relieved or sad at the miscommunication.

“anyways, thanks for waiting for me after practice. i have a some paperwork to do for the student council, so you can go on ahead,” you give him a genuine smile. he always likes to see it, but it’s a little less lovely when the thought of a failed asking-out attempt is circling his mind.

“right. bye.” suna dashes off, hand fisted in his pockets. 

he tells himself it’s a work in progress.

“what the fuck am i doing making breakfast so well,” suna mutters under his breath one morning, preparing a cut of fish in the kitchen. he doesn’t even have practice this morning, and yet he’s skimmed through the entire oven manual and has found the joys of cooking fish meat. 

he even takes some of the fish and puts it in a metallic lunch box with rice to bring to school. normally, he would settle for the canteen’s average meat buns. 

“two bentos…?” he breathes. he has an idea.

it’s not long before he’s meeting you at the bus stop. he finds you sending him a small wave and an immediate groan about how your english teacher “is the definition of a nerd-bully equilibrium, what goes on.”

he laughs along with the complaints you have, even joining along with the flow of conversation. sometimes he thinks he changes a little bit when he’s around you, but he doesn’t mind. he likes talking and laughing and enjoying his time with you without worrying about what other people say.

he’ll give you a bento, maybe, he thinks, because he’s seen lots of girls give their boyfriends bentos in the past. maybe it would even give you a nod in the right direction.

right before the school’s building entrance, he stops you and takes you by the arm. it makes your heart skip a beat, but for him, all his heartbeats are centered around the lunchboxes in his bag.

“suna, why-”

your words are cut off when you see the boy eagerly rummaging through his bag, at first with a smile and then with a worried look. his hand is in his bag for a little too long.

there was only one bento.

so he gives you a beat-up ballpoint pen. 

it’s transparent, and from the outside you can see the ink tube only one-eighth full. it looks old.

“um, it’s a good luck charm... for your english test today.” suna keeps his mouth pursed and his look unfazed.

“oh.” you smile at the absurd charm. it seems questionable at first, but you try to convince yourself to trust in it. to trust in suna.

“i know, it’s kind of… beat up, and every-” it’s clear that suna is worried, for what you don’t know, but the way he hangs his head and his other hand fumbles with the strap of his backpack is enough to tell you to accept the surpising gift.

“no, i like it. even if it doesn’t work.” your hand keeps the pen in your fists. 

“it does work, by the way.”

you chuckle, “i’ll return it after class?”

suna shakes his head, “you don’t have to. if you do well you can keep it.”

you nod an okay, and he has a tiny look of satisfaction on his face. he had thought of giving you his lunch and not eating, but he decided against it when he remembered he didn’t bring any money to school that day. temporary success, fuck yeah.

(you get a ninety-two on the test. you keep the pen.)

as a last resort, suna tries through text. at least he’s proud that the two of you have been texting for two weeks straight. he still has you under “y/l/n-senpai (physics)”, and it makes him crack a small smile under his covers from time to time.

from y/l/n-senpai (physics): 2 notifications

suna slides the notification open. it’s always a pleasant surprise.

from y/l/n-senpai (physics): just watched arrietty its a ghibli movie

to y/l/n-senpai (physics): ik hv u watched howl’s moving castle

from y/l/n-senpai (physics): yes ofc

to y/l/n-senpai (physics): well. i havent

suna runs out of words to type. he’s not sure how to phrase it...

still, by the way that you’re typing, it seemed like he hasn’t messed it up. he rolls around to the other side of his bed.

from y/l/n-senpai (physics): then go watch it… (READ)

to y/l/n-senpai (physics): let’s watch together|

to y/l/n-senpai (physics): let’s watch tog|

to y/l/n-senpai (physics): let’s|

to y/l/n-senpai (physics): let’s go on a da|

suna sighs, thumb pressing the delete button like there’s no tomorrow.

except his thumbs are big. and phone keys are small. and his train of thought has jumbled up past usual cognition.

to y/l/n-senpai (physics): lets go, toge (SENT)

suna starts to stare down the volleyball in the corner of his room, wishing it would explode on command, when another ping lights up his phone.

from y/l/n-senpai (physics): 1 notification

he makes the slowest visit to his contacts to change your display name on his phone. he wants to stall.

but he always gives in.

from y/n: whos toge? (READ)

“fuck,” he grunts, burying his head into his pillow.

out of sheer shame and fatigue of asking-out attempts, suna doesn’t see you in the morning that monday nor text you for the rest of the weekend, having left you on read every time you sent a message. he thinks that if he reverted back to the time when the only interactions with you were stray thoughts in his mind, life would go on and this too would pass. 

it’s not like you would care, right? he would tell himself.

but suna seemed to forget that you were on the cheerleading team, and that the cheerleading team shares the gym with the volleyball club on mondays and fridays, not tuesdays and thursdays like he had very cleverly remembered.

“suna!”

you call out to him that afternoon. you have your cheerleader uniform on, having received them just today, and make sure to catch him while he’s on break.

big mistake.

you knew the volleyball team was tall, but you never really expected them to be slightly off-putting, too. it seemed like one call of his name made the entire team, consisting of over twenty boys, turn their heads at you simultaneously. then they looked at suna. then they smiled.

you find in your peripheral vision a wide-eyed kita, glancing back and forth once before going back to the volleyballs and game plans even during his break. 

you put on your sweetest smile, as expected of a cheerleader who’d just recently gotten her summer cheer uniform: v-neck, sleeveless top, pleated skirt, inarizaki lettering plastered across your chest in maroon and white.

he steps in front of you, eyebrow raised, “yeah?”

“can i talk to you about something?” your hands are behind your back, body weight shifting from left to right.

he nods, and as you take him out of the gym, you hear the volleyball team cheer and a certain miya twin shout, “fuckin’ suna!”

“fuck off, atsumu!” suna voices.

outside, your smile falters. you lean against the wall of the gym.

“did i do something wrong?” you say it softly, but firmly. you see his shoulders tense up, just slightly.

“um, no?”

you squint your eyes suspiciously, “but you’ve been ignoring my texts...?”

suna rolls his eyes instinctively. he regrets it when he sees a genuine frown on your face. “dunno,” he says.

your frown persists, and you start to bite on the inside of your mouth. “well, the last thing you texted me was, uh, ‘let’s go toge’. i’m so sorry if i missed something, or if it made you feel bad, so-”

“no, don’t be sorry,” he has his hands on his hips, “i never meant to send that.”

“what do you mean?”

“it was supposed to mean something else,” he looks down, scuffing his shoes against the brick floor.

“oh, was that message not meant for me? and who’s toge? sorry if i’m-”

suna gathers himself. he opens his mouth. he says eight words.

“i meant to ask you, ‘let’s go together’.”

the conversation comes to a halt. his words ring ambiguously in your ear, and it flusters you when the first thing that comes to mind is a date with the boy. you try to shake it off.

“like- like what do you mean?” you feel sorry for having him repeat the phrase twice.

suna shrugs, “i chickened out.”

“dude, you’re not making any sense.”

there’s a sharp pang in suna’s chest, and he visibly grimaces. “did you just call me dude?”

“maybe.”

“ouch.”

“wait, so what do you mean!” your arms flail around a little too dramatically for someone as tired as you.

suna contemplates whether or not to tell you that he wanted to ask you out. by the way you’d just called him dude, he wonders if you’d rather him give you a fist bump and tell you ‘nice toss!’ instead of hold your hand and take you out on a date.

so he counts his stars and he goes for the leap.

“actually, i wanted to ask if you wanted to watch a movie together.”

you back up into the wall at his words. there’s a heat that crawls through your body and beats through your heart.

“is that what let’s go toge meant?”

he nods, shoulders relaxing, arms to his side, “let’s go, together. like- like a date.”

his words take you by surprise. still, you’re nothing but glad.

“yeah,” you lick your lips, “i’ll go. and i take back the ‘dude’”

“oh, really now?” his shoulders relax. 

you roll your eyes.

“so he asked you out, right?” honoka asks during a water break in pe class. you couldn’t say no.

“yeah, i’m going to his flat next wednesday.”

“why not today? friday?”

you pouted, head turning slowly, “stuco meeting. we have our cultural festival late october, remember?”

“ah.” honoka sips on her water bottle, “i won’t be here by then.”

“what date are you leaving again?” you try not to darken your tone, pouting at the idea of losing one of your dear middle school friends to distance. 

“august eighteenth. a month away.”

you begin to slouch on your bench. there are more classmates that come to your bench after hearing honoka telling you her leave date. ‘oh my god!’s and ‘i’m gonna miss you!’s fill the corner of the gym, and soon the whistle blows, signalling the end of your water break.

the rest of the day proceeds as normal, and yet there’s that familiar emptiness that seems to continue to fill up even more of your days.

it’s tiring.

suna’s flat is extremely well put, for some reason. you’d always passed him for a boy who simply didn’t care, but now you see him at his own place, grabbing his laptop from his desk one-handedly.

you’ll admit going to a boy’s place alone is an awkward concept in itself, but it seems like suna doesn’t pay no mind. he’s plugged in his laptop to a charger, set it on the table, and has sat himself down on a floor cushion.

it’s a relief that you don’t know how suna’s heart is almost threatening to beat out of his chest.

“what do you want to watch?” you’re quick to sit down on the floor next to him.

he shrugs, “maybe you can convince me to like ghibli.”

you tsk at his line, yet it eventually brings you an ear to ear smile. you reach over to the laptop, scrolling through netflix. “i guess we could start with howl’s moving castle?”

your head turns to him, and he nods, before standing up all of a sudden. you look at him questioningly, but you find him walking over to his kitchen and returning with two paper bags and two glasses of water. 

your eyes follow him as he rests the items down on the table and scoots back on the floor. he gestures the paper bag towards you, “popcorn. it’s salty, so i don’t know if you’re into that.”

“ah. thanks,” you smile, and he reaches over to the laptop, pressing play. 

you don’t expect the movie to be the first thing on your minds - the both of you knew this. though you and him had spent some time marvelling at the movie, you find that for every other time you dip your hand into your popcorn, a pair of eyes turns to glance at you. 

you two spend your time silently during the movie, however. your eyes have developed a habit of simply tracing suna’s figure with your eyes, and it comes in embarrassingly when he had looked back and found your attention on him instead of the laptop at one point.

you’re surprised, though, because he does seem to be paying attention to the movie, more or less, and you can hear his small hums of amusement and surprise as the movie progresses. you colour yourself proud.

suna doesn’t even touch his food nor his drink, having felt too nervous to do so. he wants to know how you’re doing, silently, but whenever he meets your eyes, he decides that he’d rather fix himself on the movie. he wonders if a date like this means holding your hand or even saying goodbye with a kiss hug.

when the movie ends you ask him why he hasn’t eaten his popcorn, and how you feel kind of bad about it, but he ends up telling you how good the movie actually was.

“i don’t believe that you don’t like ghibli movies.” you squint playfully.

there’s a grin that grows on suna’s resting face, “i never said that i was saying the truth, i just said that i didn’t like them.” 

he stands up, bringing the food and drinks on the table to his kitchen counter, and you follow him over. the realisation hits you then, “oh. oh.”

“in truth i haven’t really watched many of them so i don’t know, but, yeah.”

“it’s funny because i feel slightly played.”

“well, you’re here now, aren’t you?” 

you watch as suna reaches into his refrigerator for some eggs. he glances at you, and you’re sitting on his tiny dining table. 

“do you want an omelette?”

your eyebrows raise. your heart skips a beat at the thought of eating his cooking. you tell him, “sure.”

suna takes the time he’s faced away from you to think about what’s next. he knows that you have some kind of inclination towards him, having agreed to his explicit naming of this hangout a “date”. still, his mind wanders towards the timing: is it too early to properly confess? hasn’t he technically already confessed? the omelette flips and suna thanks the world for having it look like the prettiest one he’s ever made. 

this one’s for you, he thinks.

when you do take the omelette in your mouth, you sigh a little bit. it looks pretty - almost beautiful, in fact - but also seems to be half-half-cooked. 

you don’t care, though, because it still makes your stomach flutter thinking about the fact that he had made this with his own hands. and if it takes some half-half-cooked omelette to eat, then, hell, you’ll eat it.

it’s not all bad, though, since he offers you some rice along with the egg as well, and it eventually turns into a filling meal. you hadn’t had one of those in a while.

when you look over to the other side of the table, you find he’s already finished with your food, and normal chatter makes itself more comfortable in the confines of his small flat. this is how it’s supposed to be, you tell yourself, just meaningless banter and humorous talks.

you find yourself growing to know him even better.

“isn’t it funny, how, some weeks ago, i had only seen you as that ‘one guy i tutored last year’?” you say after the date as he walks you out of his apartment. he tells you he’ll be walking you home, and though you tell him no, you ride the bus, he says he has some extra money in his wallet for the month.

suna agrees, “yeah. i would’ve just carried on with my life.” suna lies through his teeth. he’s been through the volleyball team’s teasing for his obvious crush on you. hell, they’d even dubbed it suna’s “showoff mode” (ginjima calls it ‘beast mode’) whenever you were within a five meter radius of him. 

you tell him time flies fast, and he tells you it walks slowly. for you, getting to know suna rintarou has been something you finally look forward to after all your work. but for suna, getting to know you is something he savours every second of, remembering how he wants to make up for the times he used to pine over your unknowing self.

when the two of you get on the bus, you sit next to him, yawning. he wants to have an arm over your shoulder, or your head on his shoulder, but he doesn’t exactly know how.

“my house is actually a few stops from here.” you say. it’s already nine at night, and though you’ve spent over five hours at his flat, you don’t want to lose your time with him to sleepiness.

suna notices how you try to fight it, even having told him, “don’t worry, i usually sleep at two am everyday anyways. i’m not going to fall asleep.”

he tells you, “you shouldn’t be sleeping at two every night.”

“it is how it is.”

he chuckles, “i once got shouted at for sleeping at five in the morning during a training camp. they forced me not to train at all that day. it was-”

the bus comes to a stop and your head falls on his shoulder. he calls your name softly.

you’re asleep.

suna keeps still as the bus ride continues, remembering the stop you said was yours. he counts them - one, two, three, four, five stops - and with each, his breathing steadies. he feels like the luckiest boy in the world.

“what am i to you now?” suna’s head tilts back, whispered question dissolving into the atmosphere. he doesn’t expect an answer.

instead, your arm circles itself around his.

taglist: @maitenight​ @natszoo​ @ssuna​ @erens-piss-cleaner​ @osamus-onigiri​ @volleybloop​ @etherealiwa​ @agaashesmilktea​ @bicchaan​ @anngelllla​ @tycrackculture​ @sins-over-tragedy​ @tsumuluv​ @daichibrainrot​ @underratedmage​ @sunasexual @kenmei @daydreamingtetsu​ @sunareii​ @bebegi​ (if your url is bolded, it means i couldn’t tag you)

send an ask to be added to the taglist!

as always, thank you to roo @yooroomi for beta reading this series!

[lonelypond]

BETWEEN US

NicoMaki, Love Live, 3.6K, 1/1

Summary: Nishikino Maki and Yazawa Nico have many challenges ahead, but they get through them together.

Between Us

Is this what love is? Not a fire that bites painfully but two people laying so close to feel every breath, hands nearly touching, eyes on the brilliant stars opening themselves up suddenly, sure enough to share truths they speak into the night, this solitary space, this private moment between them.

Nishikino Maki spoke first, always the more impatient, curious about Yazawa Nico’s state of mind. ���What do you want to do, Nico-chan?”

“Nico wants to show everyone that little and cute can be strong, sexy smart, talented, funny, hard working, successful….I’m tired of how the world treats cute girls like Nico. Nico is a star.” Nico flung her arms out, to encompass the sky. “They should be in awe.”

I am, Maki said to herself, and then thought, why not say it out loud. This was all new, why not be bolder.

“I am.”

Nico squeezed Maki’s hand, a reward for honesty. “What do you want to do, Maki-chan?”

No one said Maki’s name like Nico. It had been Maki’s anchor through the continuing craziness of Muse, Eli’s taskmaster torture, qualifying, Honoka’s collapse, then starting over, right as they discovered these new feelings, a gift from all they’d been through.

“I want to use the Nishikino fortune for new things, good things, to stop propping up out dated ways and awful people. I want to find new ways to help…” Maki was a person of specifics and she had a list. “Girls, gays, empaths, people fighting bigotry, neurodivergents, water protectors,” Maki thought of Rin and giggled, “furries, us, our friends, the world.”

“Maki-chan will do great things.”

“Once I’m 30.”

Nico Yazawa considered. This was so new and 14 years from now, when Maki was a doctor and her trust vested, seemed as distant as the nearest star Nico could see. But Nico knew naming goals was the first step to achieving them, even if it seemed a wild fantasy.

“Nico will be there.” Not flashy, just quiet determination.

Nico heard Maki gulp. She was probably tearing up and couldn’t speak. Nico didn’t really expect her too. Sharing was such a new trust. But Maki’s hand carefully kept precise palm to palm contact with Nico’s. That said everything.

“Marry Nico.”

Maki sighed. “No one can know.”

“Okay.”

YAZAWA NICO FINISHES FIRST INTERNATIONAL TOUR WITH SPRING SPLASH IN HONOLULU

NISHIKINO MAKI BEGINS RONIN YEAR SOLO WORLD TOUR SURFING IN MAUI

Sunrise. Quiet beach. Her own choices. Is this what contentment felt like, Maki wondered. Finally, moments of quiet to listen for the important things. Leaning against her duffle and board, dressed in a striped rash guard, bright lavender board shorts, and a faded denim “You Are On Native Land” cap, Maki stretched, watching the horizon as a lone speck appeared in the distance, jogging toward her, not actually growing much as the distance closed, Maki thought with a private grin. Nico, running in an oversized hoodie and bikini bottom, gasped dramatically, reaching a hand for the water bottle Maki held out as a lure.

“Still running 5Ks every morning?”

“10K when I don’t have a concert or rehearsal. Nico is a boss.”

“Umi would be proud.”

Nico dropped and did ten fast pushups in the sand next to Maki, “Not if Nico told her it was only to make girls swoon.”

“Girls?” Maki arched an eyebrow, hand sweeping through her hair.

“Girl.”

“Fiancee.”

Nico laughed, rolling toward Maki, pulling her down into a playful, sandy kiss. “Ready to upgrade to trophy wife?”

“Yes.”

But there was no hurry that morning. Both had put their other lives on multiple 15 plus hour flights and fallen briefly off the grid to sit side by side on this hidden beach, the tide surging, a rare treasured morning to share.

“Went to the symphony last night. Monica Mancini sang, Henry Mancini’s daughter,” Nico hummed the Pink Panther theme, “Nice voice, more your thing than Nico’s though. She sang a lot of Johnny Mercer. And some new stuff. Nico was taking notes.”

“You’re great on stage Nico-chan, but I guess you can always learn from other performers.”

“Nico is learning songwriting.”

Maki pushed against Nico, “Going to try to get me to put Nico Nico Ni to music again.”

Nico’s mood turned serious, “I miss watching you play.”

“I miss playing.”

“When Nico gets her penthouse, there will be a baby grand.” Nico let her hand settle on Maki’s, “Working with a portable keyboard now. And Umi’s giving me advice, so many books...I’m so busy reading, there’s no time to party.”

“Good.”

“Hey, do you have any plans tomorrow night?”

Nico stared at Maki for a moment, but there was only earnestness in the amethyst staring back, “Not since you got here.”

“I’ve been talking with some of the elders, volunteering on Maui, learning about healing plants, and aloha ‘āina.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s really cool. I’m going to get Papa to invite some of the teachers and doctors I’ve met to give seminars for us. Aloha ‘āina means so many things, but it’s mostly being determined to take care of each other by taking care of the land. It’s very land based and tradition based, here in Hawai’i,” Maki picked up a handful of sand, “but it’s caring and not soft...exactly...when you meet Kai, he’ll explain it better. We’ve been invited for dinner, his uncle plays the ohe hano ihu.”

“What’s that?”

“ A nose flute, not for big concerts, more personal...Kai says his uncle has so many stories about it being used in courting rituals.”

“Is Maki-chan taking notes?”

“Maybe.” Ah, Maki’s sexy, best musician in the world grin. Nico missed that one a lot on the road. A killer cute band was no replacement for the brilliant, lovely pianist who’d so boldly wrapped Nico’s heart in music.

They were in the teasing phase now. “Do you have to keep courting a cute girl after marriage?”

Maki shoved into Nico again, “Well, duh…”

Joint laughter, rolling out to meet the tide.

“We’re getting married.” Maki said quietly.

“Just need to take our passports to pick up the license and go to the shrine. We filled out everything else online.” Nico glanced at her bare legs, “And Nico brought a kimono. Although Maki-chan looks sporty cute just like she is.”

Maki had a far off look, not paying much attention to Nico. Happy to wait ‘til Maki drifted back to the beach, Nico was going to enjoy memorizing her favorite scenery, Maki’s beautifully expressive face, now relaxed and open, thoughts waves and clouds in constant motion. Nico knew the solitude here allowed Maki to relax, there was no family pressure, their phones were off, nothing on either of their schedules for at least the rest of the week. A rare moment to sit with each other, sharing this beauty.

NISHIKINO REAL ESTATE GROUP BUYS LARGE LUXURY TOWER NEAR NISHIKINO MEDICAL CENTER

SUPERSTAR REFUSES TO GIVE UP PENTHOUSE APARTMENT TO NISHIKINO HEIR

Fast food. School girls lingering from Otonokizaka. Two people shoved into the booth furthest from the door and windows, sitting on the same bench, hip to hip, back to the rest of the room.

“So many memories in this place.” Nico unwrapped her burger.

“So many french fries.” Maki dipped a sample french fry in her chocolate milkshake.

“Another meal Nico paid for. You got rich not paying for food.”

“Hey! You were too proud to let me pay.”

“Nico is still too proud.” Nico tapped her fingers on the table. This late afternoon, for this clandestine meeting, they’d allowed themselves the indulgence of wearing their braided gold and platinum wedding band, Maki added the simple diamond Nico had bought her for their engagement.

“Is this going to work? Us actually living this close together without rumors starting?” Maki had been worrying. So many comments in the press and on social media.

“Everyone already has us at war. Nico’s a selfish poser, Maki’s a spoiled brat. Enemies to lovers.”

“Not funny, Nico-chan.”

“Nico will throw a huge party before I leave on my next tour. My new landlord will threaten very publically to throw me out of the building. Everything will flare up, but Maki-chan will continue to do boring future doctor things and by the time Nico gets back, all anyone will be talking about is Nico’s new album.”

“They’re not boring future doctor things.”

“No, they’re smart, saving the world future doctor things and Nico is so proud.” A quick kiss on Maki’s palm.

“Meanwhile…”

“Meanwhile, Umi and Eli install a secret hatch above the decorative staircase centerpiece of your expensively designed main room.”

“I’m going to miss you, Nico-chan.” Sadness.

Time to change the mood. Nico dipped a french fry in her strawberry shake and fed it to Maki. “How’s studying going?”

Maki leaned, chin in hand, frowny. “I could be more motivated.”

“So B?”

“A minus.”

“Nerd.”

“ ‘s dull." Maki said, chewing slowly. "But have to stay on track with the family benchmarks.”

“Yeah.” Nico decided to talk about happier things, “ooohh, did I tell you Eli’s setting up a foundation for Nico as her graduation project. We’ve already donated tickets to queer youth groups in every city on the tour and Nozomi’s setting up mentor programs.”

“Expect a large anonymous donation.”

“Expect a large not so anonymous thank you.”

“I’m just proud that you’re doing things to actually help people. I want to do more.”

“You’re studying to be a doctor, Maki-chan. That’s hard. Nico’s got it easy. All Nico has to do is” Nico went into her signature gesture, “Nico Nico Ni and everything gets brighter.” Nico suddenly remembered she shouldn’t have let her catch phrase out full voice during what was supposed to be a secret meeting, but this was a low traffic period so no one seemed to notice.

“I couldn’t get that out of my head, the first time I saw you do it. It was annoying.”

“But you loved Nico.” Nico snuggled closer, enjoying a chance to feel Maki next to her.

“But I loved Nico, all of Nico, the bold, brash, terrible liar, the kind, caring sister, the determined ally and friend, the hard working and talented performer.”

“Nico wasn’t a liar, Nico was an optimist.”

“Private chef,” Maki cough giggled.

Nico grabbed the french fries as Maki reached for another one, “Confiscated for cheekiness.”

“Give me those.” Maki grabbed, Nico dodged, french fries flew loose and they giggled their way through the next few minutes until Nico leaned forward to whisper in Maki’s ear.

“So are your parents still in New York City?”

Gulping, suddenly completely flustered, Maki nodded.

Nico bounced up, offering a gallant hand, “Nico will walk you home.”

“Fancy.”

“Only the best for Mrs. Yazawa.”

“That would be Mrs. Nishikino.”

“We’ll wrestle. Nico will win.”

“Optimist.”

Nico’s hand on Maki’s waist was a gentle guide into the autumn night, two hats pulled down, two collars pulled up, Nico in a mask to protect her voice. “Wait and see.”

Maki leaned into Nico. This night, unlike too many others recently, felt just right.

HEAD OF THE NISHIKINO MEDICAL GROUP COLLAPSES, HOSPITALIZED

NICO NI NEW YEAR’S CHARITY CONCERT SELLS OUT IN MINUTES

Nico had never been so sick. She’d lost count of the medicines she was taking to sleep at night, and then the additional ones added to get her through tonight’s concert. Then she could rest. Go to her Mama’s house and get babied for a bit. Maki had been so sad at Christmas, with too many family obligations to fly to Los Angeles. Nico had gotten through their Christmas Eve quick chat and then collapsed, barely moving until yesterday’s rehearsal, which wiped her out.

Pounding on her hotel room door. What the hell? Phone pinged, the Maki-tone.

“Open your door, Nico--chan.” Maki sounded angry. Was she pounding? Nico felt even fuzzier, slumping to the door, opening it to fall against a tall, angry Maki, beanie over her hair, sunglasses, and a mask.

“Nico-chan?” Now Maki’s voice sounded tearful.

“Hi, Mrs. Yazawa.” Nico croaked out, hoping to make Maki at least giggle.

Strong arms swept her up, Maki striding across the room, putting Nico gently down on the bed, Maki immediately examining every bottle by Nico’s bedside, “What kind of quack put you on all this?”

“Don’t know.”

“Don’t know? You don’t know.”

“Trainer found ‘em…recommended.”

“You should be in a hospital.” Maki’s voice broke.

“Concert, charity, millions. Nico Nico Ni.” Nico had no idea if what she was saying made sense.

“Cancel. Refund. I’ll make a bigger donation.”

“Nico is a trooper.”

“Nico is a zombie. What the hell kind of irresponsible moron gave you all this?” Maki crashed all the bottles to the floor. “Did they inject you with anything?”

“It’s LA, Maki-chan, the beautiful people never stop.” Nico coughed. It hurt like 50 Umi arrows to the chest, “Nico is a beautiful people.”

“Nico-chan…” Maki was kneeling next to the bed, desperation and weariness lining her face. She’d never travelled well, Nico realized.

Nico managed to flip so she was on her side, managing to smile at Maki, “Hey pretty girl.”

“I am going to sue that quack into despair and destitution.”

Nico blinked, suddenly aware that Maki should be in Tokyo. “Why are you here, Maki-chan?.”

“Hanayo heard a rumor…”

“Did anyone see you?”

“I don’t care.” Maki’s head dropped to the bed, “Papa collapsed...and you’re like this and hiding it from me…and letting some greedy idiot try to kill you...if anything happens to you, Nico-chan…” And the tears, Nico could feel them as she reached for Maki, hot, heavy, rolling off pale cheeks.

“Nico will be fine.”

Maki shook her head.

“Look at me, Maki-chan.”

Maki raised her head. Her eyes were bright. She was always so bright, so caring, her native prickliness a fortification against all the emotions Maki didn’t know how to process.

“I will be fine.”

Maki surged up, her arms drawing in Nico, whose heart was really not rested enough for tackled into bed by the redhead of her dreams. “Maki-chan, you’re going to hug Nico to death.”

“Don’t say that.” Maki’s arm twitched for a minute like she was going to shove Nico away, but then Nico found herself pressed as closely as she’d ever been against a clothed Maki, which would have been amazing if she could breathe. So Nico let a cough out and Maki loosened her hold.

“Let Nico sleep.”

“Okay. But I’m not going anywhere.”

Nico had closed her eyes, muttering, “...love you.”

“I love you too, Nico-chan.”

A-RISE STEPS IN AT LAST MINUTE FOR NICO NI

NISHIKINO MAKI CHECKING OUT STANFORD RESEARCH FACILITIES, POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP

Nico is officially spoiled. Another morning waking up to Maki curled up by her side...She’d shipped everyone else back to Japan, tour over, a solid break until Nico’s doctor cleared her for rehearsal. Nico sat up, teasing tumbles of red hair, Maki had been very clear that Nico had to clear the steroids out of her system first. But at least Maki hadn’t banned other forms of exercise.

“I’m not asleep, Nico-chan.” Maki mumbled, sounding totally still asleep.

“Thanks for coming to rescue Nico.”

“Don’t make me do it again. I might have to go back to school.”

“I thought you were joining the Board Of Directors ahead of schedule?”

Maki opened her eyes, stretching, “Order pancakes. And bacon. And orange juice. And muffins.”

“Brunch in bed.”

“I’m not leaving until I have to.”

Nico reached down to kiss Maki’s forehead, “It’s been nice having you here.”

“Then come home.”

“Nico is working on it.”

Maki raised an eyebrow. Nico sounded excited. “Is there something I don’t know about?”

“It was supposed to be your Christmas surprise, but Nico’s agent was still negotiating.”

What could Nico’s agent be negotiating that would be a Christmas surprise for Maki?

“I’m going be the main character in a TV drama, based in Tokyo.”

“Really?”

“Really. I didn’t get to be there when your Dad ended up in the hospital and I’m so sorry…I knew you needed me, but...this is our life...” Maki nodded as Nico gestured at the hotel suite, continuing, “And I knew you were going to be super busy with family stuff so I pitched an idea and two production companies jumped on board. Nico is taking a paycut and ownership, but all you’ll have to do is come upstairs and Nico will be right there, at least for six months.”

“Nico-chan…” Maki sat up.

Nico put her arm and pulled Maki in, Maki dropping her head to Nico’s shoulder, “We get through the tough stuff together, Maki-chan. We always have. I love you.”

“Love you.” Maki was falling asleep again. Nico would add coffee to their brunch order. Maki had to be awake enough to sneak out and catch a plane.

YAZAWA NICO TO STAR IN DOCTOR SMILE

DOCTOR NISHIKINO MAKI TAKES OVER FAMILY MEDICAL PRACTICE

If she didn’t have Nico, Maki would probably just live with a grand piano, a huge bathtub, and a couch to eat take out on, Nico thought as she sank into lavender scented steaming water.

“It’s not funny, Rin. And I don’t need weekly updates about who Nico’s kissing on the show.” Maki sounded aggravated. Nico giggled. She’d come home early from a weekend meet the fans event and snuck into Maki’s luxury tub to recover. Candles were lit, Idol music popping.

“Wait a minute, Rin. I think…” Maki’s steps sounded hasty and she was suddenly in the door of the bathroom.

Nico winked. “Hi Maki!”

Maki made a grumbly noise and turned sideways, “No, I’m okay, Rin. There’s just a surprise in my bathtub…” Maki glanced at Nico, “Rin says hi. And you have to stop using my cases, Nico-chan.”

“Did Rin say that? And who says Nico does?”

Maki glared, “Where do you even get your information?”

Nico raised a finger to her lips and winked.

“And that red wig. It’s awful. People think you’re making fun of me.” Maki listened to her phone. “Shut up, Rin.” And the phone went in her coat pocket.

“What did Rin say?”

“Nvermind.” Maki muttered.

“Maki-chan…” Nico splashed at Maki.

“No one would ever call me Dr. Smile.”

Nico guffawed, slapping water everywhere. “I miss Rin.”

“If I had Umi’s bow, I wouldn’t.”

“You love her.” Nico leaned back, watching her wife, who had flopped on the nearby chaise. “So who thinks Nico is making fun of you?”

“Papa.”

“PFfffffff…who cares.”

Maki glared, ‘“We’re trying to keep his stress levels low.”

“Red headed doctors are the best.”

“But I like your hair; it looks like you.”

“But our daughter will look like Dr. Smile.”

That threw Maki’s train of thought completely askew. The closest she could get was imagining Cotaro when she first met him with bright red hair.

“I wonder if our children will look like you? All your siblings do.”

“And they’re cute. But our children will be NicoMaki cute. I’ve seen your baby pictures, you were adorable.” Nico leaned back, smiling up at Maki. “Nico can’t wait to have a family to come home to.”

“You have me.”

“And I love it.” Nico blew lavender scented bubbles at Maki, “But you, me, the cutest children ever in the universe, and Christmas morning.”

Maki couldn’t keep the huge grin back. “I can tell them all about Santa-san.”

“But we’re not spoiling them too much.”

Maki pouted at Nico.

Nico giggled, “That’s what our parents will do.”

Maki got up, taking off her coat, sliding out of her jacket, unbuttoning her shirt halfway and slipping out of her pants. Then she sat on the edge of the tub, feet in the water, toes teasing Nico’s legs. “You’re going to tour less, right.”

“Nico’s not touring now. You’re going to cut down your hours, right, Maki-chan.”

“Just started the search for an Executive Director. And put the LGBTQ+ Health Centers proposal on the fast track.”

Nico leaned over, her chin on Maki’s thigh, “We’ve worked really hard for this.”

“We have.”

“I think Mama knows.”

Maki laughed, “It was that morning she surprised us at breakfast, wasn’t it?”

For once, Nico was the one blushing. “Nico needs…” Nico’s arm slipped under Maki’s shirt, a casual touch on Maki’s back, “more elegant pajamas for entertaining company.”

“No you don’t.”

“You like it when Nico borrows your shirt.”

“No, I love it when Nico-chan borrows my shirt.”

“Nico loves your pajamas.” Nico’s fingers started tracing patterns.

“Ha!” Keeping her cool with Nico this close had always been impossible so Maki just lowered herself into the water, pausing for a messy, wet kiss, “Let’s skip dinner.”

NISHIKINO MAKI AND YAZAWA NICO: DETAILS OF THEIR WHIRLWIND COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE

The interviewer leaned forward as Maki ran a hand through her hair. She was relaxed in a light gray Tadashi Shoji corded lace sheath dress, and confidently answered her question, “It was a long day, my eyes were so tired everything was blurry and I got in the wrong elevator. Nico had just gotten pics of the Ayase twins and we started talking about high school.”

“Talking?” Nico snorted, standing behind Maki, hands in the pockets of bright pink Victoria Beckham trousers, the matching blazer falling open, “It was all Nico’s sex appeal. Nico is irresistible.”

Maki leaned her head back, a private smile for Nico, “Nico is irresistible.”

“Is it irresponsible to take so much time off from your responsibilities to take a world tour honeymoon and then start a family?”

Nico chuckled, her hands on Maki’s shoulder, “We’ve planned carefully. And they’re our businesses. Nico never understood people working themselves to death, not taking time for family. We want to change corporate culture.”

“You’ve always been ambitious, Nico. What’s your next project?”

Nico winked, “That’s just between us.”

“No hints for our viewers, Maki?”

Nico leaned down, arms around Maki’s shoulders, whispering something in her ear. Maki’s full, flaring blush could have been a picture from high school. The interviewer laughed.

“Nice to see you two worked out the Penthouse Wars.”

“Nico is a reasonable person.”

Maki threw back her head, laughing, “Sure, that’s why.”

“Well, Nico is certainly a top…”

“Nico-chan!”

“I love you, Maki-chan.” Giggling, Nico kissed her wife’s cheek.

Nico might have been the only one to hear Maki’s muttered, “I love you, Nico-chan.” But it had always been true.

A/N: Another AU Yeah August request, it started out as Married Rivals, but I was reading a Dolly Parton songwriting book and in the songs about love chapter there were these lyrics from "Between Us":

In our love let's share a friendship between us Always close enough to talk things out Let's be honest with ourselves and each other And our love will never know mistrust or doubt

So I just started writing conversations.

[ryqoshay]

Putting on Hairs: Secrets Revealed

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: ~1.8k Rating: G, probably, mild T at worst AU: Theater, Werewolf, Monster, Cryptid

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Author’s Note: Welp, guess it’s not a one shot after all…

Summary: Nico isn’t the only one.

----------

What the heck?

That was all Maki could think as she sat on a small couch in the dressing room of the woman she was supposed to be starring alongside. Said woman, one Yazawa Nico, purported rising star in the theater world, was currently sitting in her lap. As a dog. A Pomeranian breed dog, to be exact. And Maki had been instructed by some purple haired woman, who apparently already knew her name and felt comfortable calling her Maki-chan, to pet the dog.

What. The. Heck.

Maki had completely forgotten the question she had intended to ask of her costar. Of course, it didn’t help that everywhere she looked she saw pink. Or flowers. Or other little trinkets Nico had likely received over the years. Or pictures of Nico. By the gods, there were dozens of pictures.

Nico had obviously been acting since childhood as Maki picked out various younger versions of the raven-haired do… woman. But so had Maki, and her parents hadn’t taken nearly as many pictures. Granted, they had been busy with their own work and it had not been uncommon for the only familiar faces for her in the audience to be members of the household staff, usually their estate manager. But still...

Smooth.

Maki was distracted from her thoughts when her fingers found what felt like smooth skin instead of soft fur. She looked down…

“Y-Yazawa-san…” She stammered, feeling heat rise in her cheeks.

Crimson eyes opened and Nico turned her head up to meet Maki’s gaze.

It took a moment for the situation to register, but when it did, Nico’s eyes widened.

“Kyaa!” Nico cried, shoving herself off Maki and the couch.

Nico landed on her back on the floor, twisted herself up to her hands and knees and scrambled around the clothing rack to hide. There, she grabbed the first garment her hand found and started to put it on. Thankfully, it happened to be a simple sundress that she was able to pull over her head and be presentable enough for her purposes.

“S-Sorry about…” Nico paused to clear her throat, hoping to alleviate her stutter. “Sorry about that, Nishikino-san.” She moved back out from behind the rack. “I suppose Nozomi would want me to thank you for… Hey, are you alright?” She moved toward the couch.

“I’m… fine…” Maki insisted.

“You sure? I know some folks have significant blushes, but geez your face literally matches your hair. It’s made it to your ears… your neck. What the… your arms and hands even?” Wait, what was that? Nico leaned closer. “Holy Amaterasu… you’re burning up!”

“I’m… fine…”

“No, you’re not. I can feel it from here. I don’t even need to put my hand on your forehead. Geez, I’ve taken my siblings to the hospital with lesser fevers. Just what the heck are you? And do I need to drag you off my couch before you ignite it?”

“…” Maki hunched her shoulders, seeming to withdraw into herself.

Nico sighed and put a hand on her hip. “Look, you’ve already seen that I’m a werewolf. And I didn’t need Nozomi to tell me you’re not human either; I can smell the difference.” She tapped her nose. “And right now, I’m getting something new. Is that sulfur? Brimstone? Are you a demon?”

“S-salamander…” Maki muttered, her face managing to become an even brighter shade of red.

“Salamander?” Nico mentally skimmed through what she knew. “You mean like Charmander?”

“Close enough, I guess…”

“Oh? Show me.”

“Wha?!” Maki balked, sitting up with enough force she managed to tip the couch back a bit.

Nico held back a chuckle. “Show me.”

“Wh-wh-why?!”

“Like I said, you already saw my werewolf form. It’s only fair I get to see your salamander form.”

“Uuuehhh….” Maki let out one of the most adorable sounds Nico had heard in a long while.

“Besides, if we going to be costars in this show, we shouldn’t have secrets between us. Right?”

“… Fine…”

Almost immediately, Maki’s skin gained a sheen that made it almost appear wet, like she had just stepped out of a warm shower. Then her eyes changed, gaining a fiery brilliance. And finally, the young woman began to shrink.

And shrink.

And shrink.

And shrink.

Nico couldn’t help reaching down and poking at a lump in Maki’s shirt she assumed to be her. Sure enough, the lump moved, and out of the collar skittered a tiny, red amphibian. However, when it looked up at Nico with those amethyst eyes, as bright as they were, there was no doubt she was looking at Maki.

Nico couldn’t help reaching out a hand. Slowly, tentatively, Maki stepped up onto her fingers. Nico then lifted the lizard up closer to her face.

“You’re cute like this, Maki-chan.” She couldn’t help using the familiar term, despite having not even known the other woman for ten minutes.

Immediately, intense heat radiated off the crimson creature. Not quite hot enough to burn Nico, but definitely reaching into uncomfortable levels. Still, the amusement factor alone was enough for Nico to bear the heat.

A knock sounded at the door.

Maki jumped off Nico’s hand and slipped back into her shirt.

“Nico-chan?” A voice called from the other side.

“Yeah, coming…” Nico responded, wondering if she should hide Maki’s clothes first, with her still in them. Well, they weren’t easily visible from the door, what with the arm of the couch blocking the pile, so maybe it was fine? “Ah, Minami-san.” She said, recognizing the woman on the other side as she opened the door.

“Oh, that sounds too formal.” Kotori said laughing lightly. “Just Kotori is fine. Anyway, I’m here to deliver these samples.” She handed over a neatly folded stack of textiles. “Please let me know which ones you like best so Yoshiko-chan and I can get to work on your outfits.”

“Alright.” Nico nodded.

“And I see you’re already trying out some of our finished works.” Kotori commented. “Although we may have to make some adjustments to the measurements Nozomi-chan gave us for you.” She reached out and tugged at one of the shoulder straps, indicating a looseness below.

Nico grimaced. Of course, Nozomi would change some of the numbers to mess with her. “So you guys already made all those?” She indicated the rack she had hid behind moments ago.

“Ye…” Kotori cutoff as she noticed something. “Except that one.” She pointed as if Nico could figure out what she meant just by that. “Honoka-chan insisted on buying that one online for us to use as reference. I told her not to, and it definitely wasn’t supposed to end up here for you to see.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, that is not representative of the quality standard Yoshiko-chan and I are capable of producing.”

Wait, did she mean that tacky werewolf… thing? Nico wondered. The thing I was just about to complain about? “So, it’s just a reference?” She asked aloud, suddenly thankful she wouldn’t actually have to wear it.

“Yes.” Kotori nodded. “I figured we didn’t need anything like that, because we could just use Nico-chan herself as our reference, because you’re, well… you know.” She motioned to the raven-haired woman.

“Right… You know, I’m surprised someone as talented as you is working at a startup theater like this.”

“Oh, it’s fine. After all, I’m returning a favor to Umi-chan.” Kotori said with a wide smile.

That’s right, Nico recalled, Sonoda Umi was one of the cofounders and co-owners of the theater, along with Kurosawa Dia.

“Although even without the favor,” Kotori continued, wistfully “I’d still be here, so I could work with Umi-chan on this wonderful project.”

Wait, that tone and expression. Were Kotori and Umi together? Now there was some celebrity news that seemed to have slipped through the cracks. Interesting.

“Anyway, back to work.” Kotori chirped merrily. “See you two later.” With that she practically skipped down the hall toward the costume department.

“You can change back now, she’s gone.” Nico said aloud, closing the door. “Though I think she knew you were here anyway. I’ll keep my back turned until you’re dressed.”

After a moment, Nico heard rustling of cloth behind her.

“Alright, you can turn around now, Yazawa-san.”

“Nico is fine.” Nico said, turning to find a still somewhat flustered redhead.

“Alright… Say, what is that.” Maki motioned to something at Nico’s feet.

“Mm?” Nico looked down to find a feather and stooped to pick it up. “Well, I guess that confirms the rumor…”

“Rumor?”

“About Minami Kotori being a crane.”

“She is?”

“Oh c’mon, I know you can sense others like I can.”

“Well, yeah” Maki admitted “but only at close range…”

“And you were pretty close when I thought you were being an entitled brat by how adamant you were about fabric types for your outfits.”

“I… wha… You saw that?”

“Yup. I was wondering what all the commotion was about, so I went to check.”

“I wasn’t raising a commotion.” Maki furrowed her brow. “And I was definitely not being entitled, just cautious.”

“Yeah, I know that now.” Nico made dismissive motions with her hands. “Your salamander heat thing. Certainly wouldn’t want to be melting polyester on yourself or whatever. That said, I believe Kotori’s more than capable of imbuing anything she makes with super special heat resistant properties for someone like Maki-chan.”

“Oh? How?”

“Didn’t you hear when I just said she was a crane?”

“Well, yeah, but that just means she’s a bird?”

“What the heck, Maki-chan?” Nico huffed. “Did your parents not teach you about your history? Our history? Monsters and cryptids and mythic beasts and such?”

“Not really…”

“So, you’ve never heard about the crane who returns favors.”

Maki shook her head.

Nico sighed. What kind of parents did this girl have? “She weaves her own feathers into her works, which imbues them with special properties. And if the rumors are true, she’s training her assistant to do the same with hers. Yoshiko? Yohane? Something like that, I haven’t met her yet.”

“Is she a crane as well?”

“Fallen angel. She’s pretty adamant about it too, and really doesn’t do too much to hide it.” Nico shrugged. “Probably for the best that the normies around here don’t believe such things very easily. They just think she’s weird, a chuunibyou or whatever. But folks like you and I…”

“Right…”

“Anyway, they’re making everything antistatic for me.”

Maki giggled. “For you weredog thing?”

“Weredog?” Nico growled, earning a flinch from the redhead. “I’m a werewolf! And don’t you forget it!”

“Oops, did I come in at a bad time?” Nozomi asked as she let herself in.

“No, you’re fine.” Nico grumbled, still glaring at Maki. “What do you want?”

“The managers want everyone to gather on stage for a meeting.”

“Yeah, fine, whatever. C’mon, Nishikino.” Nico had to put conscious effort into not stomping toward the door. The last thing she needed now was to transform again.

“… Right…” Maki replied with no small amount of disappointment in her tone, before following the other two women into the hall.

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Author’s Notes Continued in Followup Post

[vegitossj2]

Best Girl Talk: Kotori

Hello there :D

After a good 2 weeks or so, I bring you the second part of my Best Girls talk! For this part, I’ll be focusing on Kotori from Love Live!! (Girl on the right of my pfp)

^ Official Art in Granblue Fantasy ^

As for Kotori, I knew her back in 2016 when I first came to know about the Love Live series, but I only fell in love with her around the time of November 2018 when I really got into the Love Live series (and also happened to fall into the hell hole XD)

For those who don’t know Kotori, she is one of the members of the school idol group, μ's in the Love Live series. She has a strong sense and talent for fashion and designing, and is the main costume designer for the idol group.

As for her personality, I would say its extremely similar to Ganyu’s, gentle and kind. She doesn’t like people to fight at all, as shown as where she’s usually the one who stops Honoka and Umi (her close friends) when they start to quarrel with each other. In terms of her aura, she has a rather sweet and soothing aura around her. Just by looking at her, or by hearing her voice (which I will get to in a bit), it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, making me feel happy and relaxed. In fact, I would go so far as to say that hearing her voice, especially, makes me smile instantly.

For her voice, she is voiced by Aya Uchida, who sang the ending, Sign, for Gotoubun no Hanayome S1 if you’ve heard about it. As for VA roles, her other prominent role is Komaru Naegi from the Danganronpa series. What I absolutely love about Kotori’s voice, is that, well, Kotori’s name, if translated, means ‘Baby Bird’. And that’s it. Her voice sounds like that of a bird. Which fits her name and all so well. This would mean that her voice is rather high-pitched, which I’m not a fan of most of the time, but.. Kotori’s high-pitched voice is just different. It doesn’t sound annoying, it sounds sooo cute, like a bird chirping of course.

Kotori has a cheeky side as well, in which she would plead in a very cute, pitiful way to her friends (especially Umi) to get them to do something she wants to XD. In addition, she has an extremely strong liking to cute things, especially cute outfits, and her reactions just kill me, for how genuine and pure they are (and also bc of her voice).

All that said, the main reason as to why I fell for her is due to two main points. Firstly, her loyalty to her childhood friends, Honoka and Umi. She’s been friends with Honoka and Umi since they were very young, and has continued to support the both of them even until now, when they’re teens (She’s 16 years old as of now). For her to stick with her friends for so long requires some fierce loyalty, which is something that I really love in her. In fact, I generally love characters who are loyal in the first place. It shows that they are faithful to those they are loyal and would always be by their side, no matter what.

And of course the second point is, similarly to Ganyu’s, in that I can relate to her. For Kotori’s case, she does struggle with expressing her emotions at times, because she considers the current mood of others around her. (i.e. if she wants to express her worries, but if everyone around her is feeling happy, she will not do so and keep it inside her) This is something that I share with her quite a bit.

The other major part of Kotori I can relate to is her strong sense of commitment to her responsibilities, as shown by this quote below:

I think this quote really shows that she really works hard at the roles and responsibilities she is given, something that I do myself. Not to mention, on another note, I love how she’s not afraid of failure either, as she mentions that it won’t be a waste of time if μ's ‘got lost along the way’, which I see as failure. That’s... something I do still need to work on actually, and she also serves as a reminder for me to eradicate my fear of failure.

Overall, Kotori may look cute, gentle, kind and soft on the outside, but on the inside, she’s a strong girl with fierce loyalty and commitment. And that’s what makes her best girl for me :)

Now, with all said and done, I only have one more girl to talk about, and that is Nino, from Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. Of the 3, I’m probably the most excited to share about her, as she is also the girl that I love the most among the 3 of them. But until then, I will see ya soon :D

[blossomoranges]

Crossmarch and Mirai's Search For The Silver Fox

hi everyone! this was part of the @ikesennw‘s secret santa, written for @mitsushide from me. the fic focuses on her character, Mirai, facing her first Christmas in Azuchi posing as a princess of the Nakamura clan. in truth, she’s an undercover agent for the Crimson Lotus, an organisation of women looking to bring down the feudal warlords, and an all-around badass. also, local himbo Yukimura makes a cameo.

read her fabulous series beneath a night sky, vast & wide  for more context!

word count: 1550

pairing: hints of mirai/mitsuhide

Winter had come to Azuchi on swift wings, bringing a chill to the air and a coating of frost on the ground. But this year, the season was different. The Oda’s support of the Western traders had brought a new influx of foreigners to the gates of the town, and with them came stories of strange cultures and traditions. ‘Christmas’, as it came to be known, was a winter festival celebrated by many of these people - a time of feasting and gift giving and togetherness. Nobunaga Oda, with his endless fascination for anything new, had announced a holiday for the citizens of his provinces.

Mirai wasn’t sure what to think of all this. A day off for all the hard-working people of Azuchi was a step in the right direction, but it could just be one of Nobunaga’s passing fancies. There was no guarantee that this festival would become a tradition. Plus, she could barely pronounce the name. Christ-moss? Clip-mass? Whatever.

And just how was she meant to look for openings to rid the land of these warlords when the castle was flooded with people preparing for a banquet? 

Ever since she’d arrived in Owari under the Nakamura banner and the guise of a sickly princess, she’d made sure to document the routines of the six key warlords, but they’d seemingly scattered to the winds. Mirai had caught a glimpse of Masamune Date cooking up a storm in the kitchens, the door to Ieyasu Tokugawa’s office had been barred from the inside, and Mitsuhide Akechi… was nowhere to be found. According to Honoka, he’d last been seen heading out to the town centre. She can’t say that trying to track him down is a wise thing to do - princesses don’t usually go around tailing people. But the sheer volume of people stocking up on winter goods and preparing for this strange festival provided safety in numbers and a golden opportunity to see what the kitsune was getting up to.

So here she is, standing at the edge of a crowded marketplace, attempting to track a man who’d perfected his disappearing act and to blend in all the while. 

If she wasn’t so experienced, she would never be able to find him.  She cleared her mind and focused on the smells, sounds, and sights of the market, and kept pushing forward. Out of the corner of her eye, Mirai sees a swirl of teal and ivory. The chase is on.

He’s a worthy opponent. Mitsuhide ducks, dodges, and weaves through the town with the grace of a heron, while Mirai follows in his tread, slinking just out of sight. She can’t survey him from the rooftops (damn these unwieldy kimono skirts), so she darts into one of the many alleyways to stay out of sight. Their pattern of fox and mouse holds, right until the kitsune stops in his tracks at the very edges of the market, turning to examine a stall surrounded by trinkets and charms. Mirai is a tad surprised - he didn’t seem the type to enjoy frivolity, or anything uninvolved with torture for that matter.

His exchange with the shopkeeper lasts mere moments before he’s off again, out of sight and drifting away like a spirit with questionable taste in clothes. Thus comes an end to her fruitless chase. She needs to head back to the castle soon, anyway. After he had overcome his initial animosity, Hideyoshi seemed convinced that Mirai might drop dead from a cold as soon as the sun sank below the horizon. There was a slim chance he’d be too busy to notice her disappearance, preparing for the banquet and worshipping the ground Nobunaga walked upon, but it wouldn’t do to be questioned. 

The road back to the castle gates was so much more boring without a target to prey upon. The crowds had dissipated a bit as it neared sundown, though some citizens milled about, browsing and discussing the coming winter. The winds were even more chilly, but she kept a measured pace.

There was something glinting in the last rays of the day. Mirai inclined her head towards the source, a blanket laid out with accessories much like the ones that had caught Mitsuhide’s attention. She was in no rush to return to the castle - regardless of the festivities, it was just another night of endless posturing and waiting for openings to strike. Looking at pretty things might suit her disguise. 

She crouched to examine the wares, her eyes drifting over the kanzashi, hairpins, and obi charms. Aha! There was the culprit. A group of silver animals hung upon cords were caught in the light and a tiny fox curled up against its tail rocked gently at the forefront.

“You gonna buy anything? I’m about to close up,” came a rough, unrefined voice. 

Mirai barely spared a glance for the man before responding in a cool tone. 

“I am just admiring your wares, sir.” 

“Well, admire them quicker! I’ve been busy all day with this… Crossmarch nonsense the Oda are putting on. I swear, all you girls are like this.”

He must have been blessed by the gods, because if Mirai didn’t want to blow her cover, she’d have attacked by now. Her newfound acquaintance was dressed head-to-toe in scarlet and his head, clearly empty, was crowned by a mop of brown hair. He also seemed to be the world’s worst spy - six golden coins were emblazoned on his chest, marking him as one of the Sanada. She grasped for the little fox she’d been examining, tucked it into her pouch, and chucked a few coins onto the blanket. Not the best use of Rui’s funds, but needs must when playing a princess.

“Good night, merchant. You may want to use those funds to buy a new kimono. One that’s less conspicuous.”

She glided away from the blanket, taking careful steps, only half-listening to the spluttered retorts of the merchant-warrior. 

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

The moon peeks out from behind the heavy clouds to cast her light over the courtyard, lighting it up in splendour, and Azuchi’s newest princess watches in turn. She had broken out in shivers from the frigid air long ago, but the stillness provided a balm for her mind. The banquet had been so loud. The further away she was from crowds of rowdy men, the better - at least Mirai can be herself here under the moon’s watchful gaze. 

The day wasn’t entirely a loss: she’d learnt the layout of the town, confirmed the presence of enemy forces, and managed to find a fox - just not the one she’d set out to catch. Her charm was threaded onto her obi cord, but Mitsuhide was still shrouded in mystery. 

With his wit, guile, and access to information, Japan could be his. So what was his motivation for following a distasteful man like Nobunaga?

The moon slips away at the same moment she feels that something, or someone, lurking in the dark behind her. She’ll have to feign surprise if the presence behind her decides to declare itself, but her thoughts race - everyone has the same primal response to shapeless beings in the dark. Kaede’s words echo across time in her thoughts.

‘You are a warrior, but don’t forget the frightened girl that you were. Your past exists within you, dear Mirai. Use that fear to spur on the strength that will always rest in you.’

The words bring a pang to her heart, but she cannot say whether it is fear or pain or grief. She forces herself to breathe.

“Hello, little mouse.”

She casts an upward glance at the voice’s source. With his white robes shrouded in the pale moonlight, the man could pass for a ghost.

“Good evening, Lord Akechi.”

“Oh, do call me Mitsuhide.” His crescent moon smile is wickedly sharp.

“Mitsuhide, then.”

They remain in silence for a few moments.

“Why is our darling princess out here? You’re missing all the festivities.”

“I prefer quieter company. Everyone in the banquet hall is awfully loud for my tastes.”

“I see. You must be tired from your excursion into town, as well. Such a busy day,” he tuts.

Had he spotted her trailing after him? No matter. There was a challenge in his voice and she would not rise to it. 

“I haven’t had much chance to explore. I had missed seeing new places and people, after being ill for so long.” 

“No need to defend yourself, little mouse. I merely noticed your fetching new charm.” He gestured to the sleeping fox in the centre of her obi.

The kitsune brought something out of his robes and set it beside her, as his other hand rested upon her head. It was a battle for Mirai to resist raising her hackles at him.

“A Christmas present for you. I heard you like this particular bird. Good night, little princess.”

Then Mitsuhide was gone, disappearing down the corridor and leaving silence in his wake. 

The only trace he had left was a bronze statue that fit neatly in her palm. A little quail. Was this a trick or some bizarre act of kindness, or did he really just like seeing her puzzled expression? The mystery surrounding him had grown. Mirai hoped she would get her answers soon, but they would not come on Christmas night.

[medea10]

My Review of Love Live Nijigasaki School Idol Club

AAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I’M BACK IN IDOL HELL!

Another damn Love Live! Seriously? Another damn one!?

Actually, I knew this was going to happen from like almost two years ago. Back when I was an active player with the rhythm game app LLSIF, we’d get these special characters popping in every now and then, usually as SSR, SR, or N scouts. Then in 2019, they put out singles for each girl to play and I knew then and there that a new Love Live was already in the works and were going to feature these girls.

THIS STORY: First of all, the characters of this story are not becoming idols because the school is in danger of closing down. I know that was like a big thing in the original Love Live and in Sunshine, but that’s not the case this time. This school looks very well populated and well-established. So let’s just squash that trope.

Ayumu and Yuu got bit by the idol bug leaving school one day when they came across a solo performance out in the open. The girl performing is named Setsuna Yuki and she’s part of the Idol Club at Nijigasaki (the school Ayumu and Yuu attend). The next day, they learned from the student council that the club has been disbanded at the request of Setsuna. So what do Ayumu and Yuu do now? They’re going to try and revive it!

But what about the girl who started the idol club in the first place, Setsuna?! The reason for Setsuna disbanding the club was because she felt that she and the rest of the girls in the group were on a different wavelength. So she decided to disban the club, leaving the other girls, Emma, Kanata, Shizuku, and Kasumi to go their separate ways. But that wasn’t the only thing on Setsuna’s plate. Setsuna kinda lives a double life on campus. She’s Setsuna in the school idol club, but she’s also the student council president, Nana. So Ayumu, Yuu, and Setsuna end up reviving the idol club. Emma, Kasumi, Shizuku, and Kanata end up joining again. And eventually, we get other members Ai, Rina, and Karin to join in. And since there’s quite a long list of characters, let’s talk about them.

Ayumu is one of the first girls to revive the idol club. Unlike the main girls from the other series like Honoka and Chika, she’s not as crazy-energetic and idol-crazy. She’s more of the lover of cute things. She was sparked by idols when she saw Setsuna perform.

Speaking of cute things, Kasumi is the idol-loving crazy girl that loves all things cute and wants all of her performances to be cute.

Emma is the first Love Live character originally from a place that’s not Japan. This Swiss-miss came to Japan to become an idol.

Setsuna lives the double life. At school, she’s the disciplinarian student council president, Nana. But when she’s in idol form, she’s Setsuna Yuki ready to shine on stage.

Shizuku got interested in becoming an idol to help with her acting aspirations.

Rina got curious and ended up joining the idol club despite having problems showcasing her emotions. That’s why you see the computerized monitor on her face.

Ai joined alongside with Rina and with her Sporty Spice persona, she’ll get the club on their feet.

Karin is already well-established in the modeling world, but ended up getting into the idol world after hanging with Emma.

Kanata…likes to sleep. Oh, and she has a younger sister in an idol group at her school.

Then there’s Yuu! She isn’t the kind of idol member that sings and performs like the other girls, but works to support each girl in their goals.

Oh and all of these idols are SOLO ARTISTS!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: As usual with the Love Live franchise (and most other idol animes), these voice actors are brand-spankin’ new. These girls are usually only known for their work as actual idols and only a few of them really go on to do a full-length voice actor career. Then I get, SURPRISE! Akari Kitou is in this too! This girl was in EVERYTHING these past two years! Everything! Every-damn-thing! Now she’s a Love Live waifu! Actually, several of the seiyuus here I’ve seen in a few things here and there and that’s pretty rare since I’m not hip to all the idol groups in Japan.

Now for the dub, because we all know FUNimation! Yeah, they licensed this just like the previous Love Live series. However, they really kept this series all to themselves where not even Hulu could air it. At the moment, no dub has been announced or planned. I’m assuming it’ll happen one day. I only say this because of all the other Love Live series. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

*Ayumu is played by Aguri Oonishi

*Setsuna is played by Tomori Kusunoki (known for LLENN on SAO: Gun Gale Online)

*Kasumi is played by Mayu Sagara

*Ai is played by Natsumi Murakami

*Emma is played by Maria Sashide

*Rina is played by Chiemi Tanaka (known for Ririko on Sakura Quest)

*Kanata is played by Akari Kitou (known for Nezuko on Demon Slayer, Yashiro on Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Iwanaga on In/Spectre, Tsukasa on Tonikawa, Aru on Hitoribocchi, and Kaho on Blend-S)

*Shizuku is played by Kaori Maeda (known for Selka on SAO: Alicization)

*Karin is played by Miyu Kubota (known for Sister Lily on Black Clover)

*Yuu is played by Hinaki Yano

NEW BEST GIRL: As you may know, I have picked my favorite girls from the Love Live fandom. Nozomi is best girl in the original and when it comes to Sunshine, Ruby is tops!

When I saw the new girls back when the app LLSIF released all the single songs for the Nijigasaki club, I was curious about one particular girl. I had a feeling Rina was going to be a special kind of interesting. Why was she wearing a special mask on stage? Is she an introvert who hates to be seen up-close? I had to learn more about her! Turns out Rina had a lot of trouble expressing her feelings. When she’s excited, sad, irritated, or satisfied, it’s just the same expression. I love Rina. She’s my precious cinnamon roll and if anyone talks smack about her is gonna get a bop in the face.

ABOUT YUU: I know what you’re thinking, what the hell is going on with Love Live giving us 10 girls  instead of 9? And I would agree! LLSIF game gave us 9 solo albums and Yuu is not among any of them. But then I recently downloaded LLSIF All Stars and discovered the interactive portion with all of the girls and how your character is the unspoken 10th member of the group. Yeah, Yuu is pretty much that character.

SHIPPING: In the original series, I was a bit of a multi-shipper that was open to any hookups if I can see it. When Sunshine came along, I was still a multi-shipper, but heavily Kanan x Mari to a point where I’m imagining their wedding. This time around…yeah, once again I found myself shipping the fuck out of third-years.

This is Karin x Emma. I support the fuck out of this. Never forget that!

And while I’m at it, let’s add Ai x Rina. Ai was literally Rina’s first friend. She will go anywhere for this girl and do anything for her.

I should probably add Ayumu x Yuu too. But then again, this is Love Live. No matter what ship we all choose, it’s all for naught as no one really confesses their feelings for each other. Right?

Hahaha…Foreshadowing!

THE SAME, BUT…: Yeah, you know how this goes. Since this is an idol anime and the third one from the same franchise, I’m gonna squawk about the similarities this series has with the first two Love Lives. Yes, we’ve got the cutesy, annoying idol with Kasumi. Yes, we have the token class president with Setsuna. Yes, the animation for all the dance scenes is wonky CGI. And yes, we have a center second year with a red-ish hue to her hair with Ayumu. But there’s just so many glaring differences compared to the other two series.

*First of all, the school is not in any danger of closing down. The original Love Live had Honoka and her friends starting a school idol club to drum up attention for their school so it wouldn’t have to shut down. Love Live Sunshine also had that with sadder outcomes for the school. This school is huge, has many different clubs and activities. This school is safe! But if they pull some shit out in season two saying it has to close down, I call bullshit.

*Nijigasaki High School Idol Club mostly has solos. One of the reasons for the falling out at the beginning between Setsuna, Kasumi, Emma, Kanata, and Shizuku was differences. Every girl has their own thing and they respect that. Even in the app, there are a lot of solo songs and only a few where two or more of the girls are singing together.

*Add to that, this group doesn’t really have a “group name”. I mean Nijigasaki School Idol Club doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue like μ's or Aqours.

*The big, scary student council president is a second year. Unlike Eli and Dia from the previous series, Setsuna (a second year student) is really the scary one with power. But much like Dia, she does have a passion for idols. It’s just that Setsuna goes above and beyond to hide that along with her true self. I bring this up because when the second season comes (AND IT WILL), I have a feeling they’ll introduce this one character that’s in the game and that’s going to be quite the game changer.

FAVORITE SONG: Chase by Setsuna.

I think all of us were blown away by that song in episode one.

ENDING: After Diver Fes and Karin’s solo performance, the girls decide to hold a training camp at their school. During the camp, Yuu was still awe-struck by everyone’s dedication to the club and the performances in the previous episode. And by the end of the camp, Yuu says there should be a school idol festival to show everyone that school idols are awesome. Much to my dismay, I doubt that this anime will follow the game route and have μ's and Aqours perform. Actually, the groups seen throughout the series are characters I would run across in one of the other Love Live apps, including Kanata’s little sister. Moving on!

Everything was going along swimmingly with this School Idol Festival. The student council (or Setsuna as her alter ego Nana) agreed to it, the students of Nijigasaki are excited for what’s to come, and other schools including Kanata’s sister Haruka’s school are willing to participate. However, the big friction that sparked came from Ayumu. As we all know, she and Yuu are close as can be. Ever since the resurrection of the School Idol Club, Yuu has been there to realize the dreams of everyone. Ayumu got jealous, especially seeing Yuu with Setsuna. So she corners her and wants Yuu all to herself and…

Whoa. Confirmed lesbianism!

Let’s just say Ayumu’s jealousy came and went as she realized she can’t stop Yuu’s dreams and that Ayumu’s gonna have plenty of devoted fans besides Yuu. So thankfully that was resolved quicker than I thought and now we can focus on the School Idol Festival. The festival was actually going really well. There were separate stages for all of the solo idols and there were sample songs from all the Nijigasaki girls heard throughout the finale, and only a few hiccups during the day. But nothing Rina couldn’t fix. So much for the rainstorm!

Oh come on guys, plenty of idols from this franchise and other shows performed in the rain and they all turned out just fi…

Oh, I forgot about Honoka.

Oof. Zombieland Saga did her wrong. Never mind what I said!

Unfortunately, the rain didn’t clear up until 7:05 (five minutes after the time allowed for this festival). But all of these idol fans waited and they wanted a show. And so, that’s what they got. Nijigasaki and all the other participating schools performed together. So the festival was a big hit. People who watched it sent a request for another festival to happen. So there’s definitely going to be another School Idol Festival in their future. But what about a season two?

Pfft. COME ON! You know there’s going to be a season two. The girls haven’t experienced heartache of the upperclassmen graduating. Shioriko hasn’t been introduced yet. Tokimeki Runners hasn’t been sung yet. An actual Love Live hasn’t happened yet. That is the whole point of this franchise, right? To have idols participate in the famous Love Live School Idol Festival? So yeah, I know no one has greenlit the Nijigasaki series or announced anything, but I know it’s gonna happen. I can smell it. Love Live will never die. Why else is there going to be a Love Live Superstar series coming out in July?

I gotta say I enjoyed this series. It’s nice to see the struggle of creative differences with the club members. I mean in the past two series, the girls would all agree to something or eventually get to a happy conclusion and sing together in perfect harmony. Cute, but not realistic! And these girls are all very different so it’s good to see a lot more solo performances. Both μ's and Aqours have members with solo songs. It’s just that if you’re an anime only person, you probably wouldn’t know that. Otherwise you would know that Riko and Maki are superior in the singing department.

Prove me otherwise!

Recommendations are always tricky in this area. Idol shows are either loved or hated by the anime community. And I unfortunately can only recommend this to idol show watchers. I’ve already stuck my neck out to recommend Zombieland Saga to everyone.

If you would like to watch Love Live Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (fuck that’s a mouth-full), it is available for streaming only on FUNimation.

[raisondetempete]

Ten Characters Tag

I was somehow tagged by the wonderful @dialovers-translations​???? I’m not worthy of being mentioned by her. Anyways, here’s the post. I am very bad at conveying my opinions so some of the descriptions might be a bit odd.

Rules: make a new post, name 10 of your favorite characters from 10 different fandoms that you like, and then tag 10 people.

1. Hanayo Koizumi (Love Live)

No offense, but if you didn’t know I loved her, you’re fucking blind. She’s literally my profile picture and header. Anyways, Hanayo is my favorite anime character ever. She and I are very similar in that we’re shy introverts with glasses that love to sing despite having social anxiety. My friends that have watched the show say that we’re basically the same person. In fact, her birthday is 5 days after mine. Her voice is my favorite out of everyone else’s voice in the Love Live series. Her old voice is to die for (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, listen to Love Marginal or Kodoku na Heaven). I could go on about her for hours, but I’ll stop here.

Honorable Mention: Honoka Kousaka

2. Rinko Shirokane (Bang Dream!/Bandori)

I. Love. Rinko. So. Much. My name in Bandori is “Worship Rinko/Lisa” with one of my banners dedicated to her. Kinda the same reason why I like Hanayo so much, Rinko is similar to me in that we both have social anxiety and can play piano I’m not good at describing this oof. She’s really beautiful and I love her gothic lolita aesthetic. Her voice is also really good (although I prefer Yurika Endo’s voice much more than Kanon Shizaki, her voice is still good)

Honorable Mention: Lisa Imai

3. Reiji Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers)

(Fun fact about me: I get really shy looking at characters I think are hot so this was hard for me.) I’m a really kinky person. I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m a huge masochist and am 100% a sub. I also like guys that are smart and formal. So, Reiji is the perfect guy for me. I can’t remember if he was always my favorite character (I watched the anime at least 5 years ago). However, I do know he was my favorite by the time I started reading the game translations (which were about a year and a half ago). Honestly, he can 100/10 tie me up and whip me any day.

Honorable Mentions: Laito Sakamaki, Ayato Sakamaki

4. Saeran Choi/Ray/Unknown (Mystic Messenger)

So, based off the three aformentioned characters, you can tell I like shy characters and sadistic, dominant characters. Well, Ray is a combination of the two. Although Jumin was my favorite before (that 2nd bad ending yes-), the image above is what sealed the deal. I got almost all his bad endings (could never get the 3rd and my friend was loaning me her account and wanted it back for a bit) and his true ending. The 2nd bad ending was my favorite ending of his route and tied for 1st for my favorite ending in the game (Jumin’s aforementioned 2nd ending is tied with him). I prefer Unknown over Ray as he’s the type of sadist I like (plus, his theme is a bop).

Honorable Mention: Jumin Han

5. Wu Chang/Xie Bi’an and Fan Wujiu/Black and White Guard (Identity V)

If you been on my blog at all, you know that I love Wu Chang as my header is “Wu Chang is Daddy”. I say this a lot in world chat in-game too. I have a whole folder dedicated to them on my computer. If you had to ask me which one I prefer, I couldn’t answer that question. What I like about Xie (White) is his calm, gentle nature which is perfect for me because I’m really shy and sensitive while Fan (Black)’s nature is aggressive and domineering which I also love.  A fair few of my followers started following me for my Yandere Wu Chang fanfic (link to part 1 if you want to read it) so thanks for that. 

Wu Chang can double penetrate me

Honorable Mentions: Yidhra (Dream Witch), Vera (Chloe) Nair (Perfumer)

6. Vincent Pait (Dead Wishes)

If you love yanderes and/or games with dark themes, Dead Wishes is for you. I love this game so much and, although I haven’t finished playing yet, I can basically guarantee Vincent is best boi. He’s like Reiji, but instead kidnaps you and chains you up in his house. However, he still does punish the MC a lot. Warning though: the game is not for the faint of heart (I was streaming Vincent’s route for my friends and one of them got so freaked out over a punishment, he banned me from streaming the game and mentioning Vincent).

7. Yuuya Kizami (Corpse Party)

I’m one of the very few people that like Kizami. Practically everyone else hates him. If I wasn’t a masochistic yandere fucker, I probably wouldn’t like him either. But, you’ve got admit. He’s hot. I find is backstory interesting, as he was always the way he is. Unlike Morishige, the school didn’t change him. Also, another very unpopular opinion, I really dislike Yuka. I find her really annoying. She acts like she’s 8 when she’s 14 or something. Because of this, I didn’t mind her dying.

Honorable Mentions: Sachiko, Seiko Shinohara, Mayu Suzumoto

8. Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji)

Note: Along with Reiji, I had to work up the courage to search for pictures of him. Sebastian has been one of my favorite anime characters for awhile. I think I watched Kuroshitsuji in 6th grade, so that was awhile ago (I’m not comfortable stating my age). I can’t really describe why I like him so much. He’s just... perfect. He’s a gentleman and incredibly, but is a huge sadist as well which is a huge plus. 

Honorable Mention: Ciel Phantomhive

9. Sal (Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea)

Ah, yes. The trash himself. Once again, I am in the minority because I like Sal. The rest of the fandom hates him, because he’s an asshole. I love him because a yandere. In fact, he’s one of the few male yanderes listed on the Yandere Wiki. I discovered WATGBS in 8th grade and instantly fell in love with him once he showed his true colours. The possessiveness. The obsession. All things I love in a lover.

Honorable Mention: Wadanohara

10. Aya Drevis (Mad Father)

Mad Father and Ib were the games that got me into horror. Although I wanted to put Mary from Ib on this list, I like Aya and Mad Father just a bit more. Aya is this cute, adorable girl that, as the game goes on, reveals her dark nature. She frequently killed her rabbits, albeit unknowingly, chainsawed someone in half, and then went on to use humans as parts for dolls. All in all, 10/10 character. Bonus Reason: I adore the aesthetic of Mad Father. I love the use of dolls in games. I love the themes. I love the yandere themes in it (even though it’s platonic). Mad Father is a great game.

Honorable Mentions: Alfred Drevis, Ogre, Dio

I’m not tagging anyone because I’m really antisocial and don’t know many people on here-

[toilet-bound-messenger]

Hananene cute scenario ideas 💗

Hi! To be honest I'm not much of a writer (even if I do try to write fanfics sometimes.) But here I'm gonna lay down some cute ideas I got for Hananene, so if some of those may or may not inspire you to write a fanfiction on your own then please feel free to borrow my ideas! But when you do please link me to the fanfic because I'll definitely want to read it! 💕💕

1) Yashiro teaching Hanako how to play video games/using smartphones!

Because Hanako is a space nerd he's probably also really interested in the development of science in general through the years. And since he's a ghost he sneaks into different classrooms to listen to the science teachers giving lessons to the students of the school. Yashiro had noticed that so she shows him videos of new technologies on her phone. Hanako finds it amazing how a tiny device like a smartphone can do so many things! It can take photos, record voices and videos, be used as an alarm clock, be used to write stuff on it, look up anything at any time in the whole world, etc. Hanako secretly wishes he could have a phone since it seems so useful but he's honestly not sure how to get one since he can't leave the school. Yashiro also lets him play some games on her phone even if he sucks a lot at first, after a little while he gets the hang of it! He prefers silly little games that involve playing with animals, cutting random people's hair and make it into a mess, adventure style games, etc. He's not a big fan of Yashiro's "raising idols" games though... he says that it's because he sucks at rhythm games and doesn't really like the songs but it's probably because he's pissed that the idols in the game are way too handsome 😂 Though he did ask which character in the game was Yashiro's favorite and of course, it was a tall blond hottie who looks like Teru which made Hanako even more irritated.

Also, Yashiro keeps a couple of Hanako's favorite games on her phone so he can play them when he wants. One time she encouraged him to try an idol raising game but this time with female idols (love live/bandori style.) Unsurprisingly he loved it because the game was full of cute girls. (Btw, his favorites in love live would be Honoka, Kotori, Chika and Riko because they all remind him of Yashiro since they have some similar personality traits, same for Kasumi, Tsugumi, Himari and Aya from bandori.)

2) Yashiro dressing up as Hanako for Halloween! It's a common idea in the fandom that Hanako would find Yashiro super cute in his hat, so imagine if she wore the whole outfit! Even better if it's a matching one rather than exactly the same as his, like, she'd wear all white to contrast with the fact that he wears all black.

3) So we already know that Yashiro has an embarrassing journal where she rewrites her everyday life in a really... shoujo-esque style. (The part where she wrote that her and Teru are secretly dating and he would always stare at her 😂) So one day she mistakenly brings it to school without noticing (maybe she was too distracted and grabbed her journal instead of a textbook or something?) So she tries her best to hide it but somehow Hanako finds it.

He knows that it's really bad to look through other people's stuff but he can't help but feel really curious. He knows it's gonna be torture since it's probably gonna be filled with lots of Teru and other handsome guys Yashiro fantasizes about but he's really interested to know in what is Yashiro into.

Well, of course she likes all the most cliche stuff there is... kisses in secret, getting trapped in a small space like a closet to be as close as possible with a guy, hugging in a dark place, being called a "silly girl"/anything that sounds slightly embarrassing, and of course: kabe-dons (that's the thing where you're pushed against a wall 😂).

So turns out that Yashiro does actually like physical contact, huh? And being called weird names... but the thing that surprises Hanako the most is that there are a couple of pages about him too!!! Especially the day of the confession tree when he destroyed kodama, it was written that Yashiro's heart skipped a beat when he took his hat off. It made Hanako incredibly happy to know that he did have some charm even if Yashiro still prefers tall prince-charming guys it wasn't like his chances with her were zero! After that he felt really giddy... and really cocky. He would grin all the time with Yashiro and try some of the things he read in her journal. He would also take his hat off more often.

4) The school festival is soon! Yashiro's class wasn't really finding any good ideas, it was all cliche stuff like takoyaki stands, haunted houses, etc. Stuff that other classes will also choose and maybe do better than them. After some thinking Yashiro suggests a cafe from the 1960s, since Hanako was alive in those years. Maybe it would make him happy to see students walking in old clothes and all instead of always wearing the school uniform?

The day of the school festival Hanako was really surprised. Did we go back in time or something? Everything was really well done, it really looked like back then. Hanako wasn't really sure what to think of it since it made him remember some happy times... and some not so happy times... but when he saw Yashiro all of his worries were blown away! She was wearing a super cute and colorful dress from the 1960s, it made Hanako stare at her all the time. Tsuchigomori noticed of course and teased him about it.

"You're really staring a lot, huh kid? It would've been pretty nice if she was one of your classmates back in the day, wouldn't it?"

Hanako is a blushing mess 😂 They also put popular songs from the 1960s in the cafe and Hanako manages to recognize quite a lot of them! Though his heart really races when Yashiro sings along to one of the songs. In the end they both dance and sing it together! It was super fun for Hanako and he loved the school festival because of that. Yashiro admits that she was the one to come up with the idea to make him happy and Hanako is even more touched.

5) it's kind of spoiler-ish, but what if after number 6's arc Aoi is able to see apparitions too? It would be really cute if she can sense that Yashiro and Hanako have a crush on eachother so she constantly teases them to make them get closer. Aoi really becomes the wingman(/wingwoman?) of Hananene, she does everything she can to make them embarrassed and self-conscious. She even gives advice to Hanako on how to flirt with Yashiro since she's her best friend she knows a whole lot about it. As for Yashiro, she gives her tips on how to "seduce guys" and encourages her to "try them out on Hanako to see if it works" *wink wink nudge nudge* but of course it always works on Hanako no matter what Yashiro does...

6) This is more of a AU idea since it's a bit OOC but, imagine if Yashiro becomes super flirty with Hanako when she falls for him? Like Hanako is just teasing/borderline trying to seduce her as usual but then Yashiro answers back with something even more daring and Hanako just becomes a blushing mess. It's literally the

"Why did you run away?!?"

"I didn't expect her to flirt back!!!"

meme 😂

Of course Hanako always clinges to Yashiro so there's nothing new there, but when Yashiro clinges to Hanako? Oh boy.

The poor guy can't align 2 words anymore. He's stuttering and wondering what's going on.

It would be funny if Yashiro is the agressive kind of flirt, the type that always roasts/shames her crush when she tries flirting. Most of the time she's trying to be nice about it but unconsciously most of her flirting is almost a roast session.

The worst (or best) part is when they're alone because Yashiro can say all the shameless stuff she can't in public 😂

Stuff like:

"Hey, you really are a perv for haunting the girls' bathroom out of all the places there is in the school. I bet that if I couldn't see you, you would probably look at my underwear, wouldn't you? 😤"

Or

"It's not fair that you're always making me clean the bathrooms without any rewards... won't you at least give me a kiss on the lips? That's like, the minimum you can do. 🙄"

A kiss on the lips is the minimum?? Then what's the maximum?!?

Hanako is literally dying inside, anytime they're alone he panics, he's like "oh god it's coming, what is she going to say this time??"

How the tables have turned. Yashiro beat him at his own game 😂

Welp. That's about it for now. Which one was your favorite? I'm gonna be honest, mine is the Yashiro agressive flirting one! It really makes me think about that one Miraculous Ladybug fanfic where Marinette is throwing daring pick-up lines at Adrien left and right. Unfortunately I don't remember the name but it's a really popular one! You can probably find it easily, it's on tumblr and AO3 if I remember correctly.

[surprisebitch]

My 10 All-time Fave Anime

I first wanna get it out there that there is still a lot of anime I plan to watch and have yet to finish. This current top 10 all-time fave list is based from anime I have completed. I am currently watching a lot of anime, so this list could potentially change!

Each synopsis comes from MyAnimeList. Here’s my profile if you’re interested, and feel free to send a friend request!

Anyway, onto the list! This is not in order btw, just 10 titles!

My 10 All-time Fave Anime

1. Given (2019)

Tightly clutching his Gibson guitar, Mafuyu Satou steps out of his dark apartment to begin another day of his high school life. While taking a nap in a quiet spot on the gymnasium staircase, he has a chance encounter with fellow student Ritsuka Uenoyama, who berates him for letting his guitar’s strings rust and break. Noticing Uenoyama’s knowledge of the instrument, Satou pleads for him to fix it and to teach him how to play. Uenoyama eventually agrees and invites him to sit in on a jam session with his two band mates: bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Satou’s voice is strikingly beautiful, filling Uenoyama with the determination to make Satou the lead singer of the band. Though reticent at first, Satou takes the offer after an emotional meeting with an old friend. With the support of his new friends, Satou must not only learn how to play guitar, but also come to terms with the mysterious circumstances that led him to be its owner.

2. Rurouni Kenshin (1996)

In the final years of the Bakumatsu era lived a legendary assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai. Feared as a merciless killer, he was unmatched throughout the country, but mysteriously disappeared at the peak of the Japanese Revolution. It has been ten peaceful years since then, but the very mention of Battousai still strikes terror into the hearts of war veterans.

Unbeknownst to them, Battousai has abandoned his bloodstained lifestyle in an effort to repent for his sins, now living as Kenshin Himura, a wandering swordsman with a cheerful attitude and a strong will. Vowing never to kill again, Kenshin dedicates himself to protecting the weak. One day, he stumbles across Kaoru Kamiya at her kendo dojo, which is being threatened by an impostor claiming to be Battousai. After receiving help from Kenshin, Kaoru allows him to stay at the dojo, and so the former assassin temporarily ceases his travels.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan tells the story of Kenshin as he strives to save those in need of saving. However, as enemies from both past and present begin to emerge, will the reformed killer be able to uphold his new ideals?

3. Assassination Classroom (2015)

When a mysterious creature chops the moon down to a permanent crescent, the students of class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Middle School find themselves confronted with an enormous task: assassinate the creature responsible for the disaster before Earth suffers a similar fate. However, the monster, dubbed Koro-sensei (the indestructible teacher), is able to fly at speeds of up to Mach 20, which he demonstrates freely, leaving any attempt to subdue him in his extraterrestrial dust. Furthermore, the misfits of 3-E soon find that the strange, tentacled beast is more than just indomitable—he is the best teacher they have ever had.

Adapted from the humorous hit manga by Yuusei Matsui, Ansatsu Kyoushitsu tells the story of these junior high pupils as they polish their assassination skills and grow in order to stand strong against the oppressive school system, their own life problems, and one day, Koro-sensei.

4. My Hero Academia (2016)

The appearance of “quirks,” newly discovered super powers, has been steadily increasing over the years, with 80 percent of humanity possessing various abilities from manipulation of elements to shapeshifting. This leaves the remainder of the world completely powerless, and Izuku Midoriya is one such individual.

Since he was a child, the ambitious middle schooler has wanted nothing more than to be a hero. Izuku’s unfair fate leaves him admiring heroes and taking notes on them whenever he can. But it seems that his persistence has borne some fruit: Izuku meets the number one hero and his personal idol, All Might. All Might’s quirk is a unique ability that can be inherited, and he has chosen Izuku to be his successor!

Enduring many months of grueling training, Izuku enrolls in UA High, a prestigious high school famous for its excellent hero training program, and this year’s freshmen look especially promising. With his bizarre but talented classmates and the looming threat of a villainous organization, Izuku will soon learn what it really means to be a hero.

5. Attack on Titan (2013)

Centuries ago, mankind was slaughtered to near extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called titans, forcing humans to hide in fear behind enormous concentric walls. What makes these giants truly terrifying is that their taste for human flesh is not born out of hunger but what appears to be out of pleasure. To ensure their survival, the remnants of humanity began living within defensive barriers, resulting in one hundred years without a single titan encounter. However, that fragile calm is soon shattered when a colossal titan manages to breach the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations.

After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into the Survey Corps, an elite military unit that combats the merciless humanoids outside the protection of the walls. Based on Hajime Isayama’s award-winning manga, Shingeki no Kyojin follows Eren, along with his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and his childhood friend Armin Arlert, as they join the brutal war against the titans and race to discover a way of defeating them before the last walls are breached.

6. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (2011)

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki are regular middle school girls with regular lives, but all that changes when they encounter Kyuubey, a cat-like magical familiar, and Homura Akemi, the new transfer student.

Kyuubey offers them a proposition: he will grant any one of their wishes and in exchange, they will each become a magical girl, gaining enough power to fulfill their dreams. However, Homura Akemi, a magical girl herself, urges them not to accept the offer, stating that everything is not what it seems.

A story of hope, despair, and friendship, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica deals with the difficulties of being a magical girl and the price one has to pay to make a dream come true.

7. Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Hunter x Hunter is set in a world where Hunters exist to perform all manner of dangerous tasks like capturing criminals and bravely searching for lost treasures in uncharted territories. Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss is determined to become the best Hunter possible in hopes of finding his father, who was a Hunter himself and had long ago abandoned his young son. However, Gon soon realizes the path to achieving his goals is far more challenging than he could have ever imagined.

Along the way to becoming an official Hunter, Gon befriends the lively doctor-in-training Leorio, vengeful Kurapika, and rebellious ex-assassin Killua. To attain their own goals and desires, together the four of them take the Hunter Exam, notorious for its low success rate and high probability of death. Throughout their journey, Gon and his friends embark on an adventure that puts them through many hardships and struggles. They will meet a plethora of monsters, creatures, and characters—all while learning what being a Hunter truly means.

8. Ranma ½ (1989)

Ranma Saotome is a top-class martial artist and prodigy at the Saotome “Anything-Goes” school of martial arts. While training in China, he and his father meet a terrible fate when they accidentally fall into a cursed spring. Now, Ranma is cursed to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water, and only hot water can turn him back into a boy.

Things are only complicated further when Ranma discovers that his father has arranged for him to marry one of Soun Tendo’s three daughters in order to secure the future of the Tendo dojo. Though Soun learns of Ranma’s predicament, he is still determined to go ahead with the engagement, and chooses his youngest daughter Akane, who happens to be a skilled martial artist herself and is notorious for hating men.

Ranma ½ follows the hilarious adventures of Ranma and Akane as they encounter various opponents, meet new love interests, and find different ways to make each other angry, all while their engagement hangs over their head.

9. Love Live! School Idol Project (2013)

Otonokizaka High School is in a crisis! With the number of enrolling students dropping lower and lower every year, the school is set to shut down after its current first years graduate. However, second year Honoka Kousaka refuses to let it go without a fight. Searching for a solution, she comes across popular school idol group A-RISE and sets out to create a school idol group of her own. With the help of her childhood friends Umi Sonoda and Kotori Minami, Honoka forms μ’s (pronounced “muse”) to boost awareness and popularity of her school.

Unfortunately, it’s all easier said than done. Student council president Eri Ayase vehemently opposes the establishment of a school idol group and will do anything in her power to prevent its creation. Moreover, Honoka and her friends have trouble attracting any additional members. But the Love Live, a competition to determine the best and most beloved school idol groups in Japan, can help them gain the attention they desperately need. With the contest fast approaching, Honoka must act quickly and diligently to try and bring together a school idol group and win the Love Live in order to save Otonokizaka High School.

10. Demon Slayer (2019)

Ever since the death of his father, the burden of supporting the family has fallen upon Tanjirou Kamado’s shoulders. Though living impoverished on a remote mountain, the Kamado family are able to enjoy a relatively peaceful and happy life. One day, Tanjirou decides to go down to the local village to make a little money selling charcoal. On his way back, night falls, forcing Tanjirou to take shelter in the house of a strange man, who warns him of the existence of flesh-eating demons that lurk in the woods at night.

When he finally arrives back home the next day, he is met with a horrifying sight—his whole family has been slaughtered. Worse still, the sole survivor is his sister Nezuko, who has been turned into a bloodthirsty demon. Consumed by rage and hatred, Tanjirou swears to avenge his family and stay by his only remaining sibling. Alongside the mysterious group calling themselves the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjirou will do whatever it takes to slay the demons and protect the remnants of his beloved sister’s humanity.

I hope you find something you like here and will check some of my faves out!! ❤️ Let me know if you do and what you think!!! x

[shinneth]

Okay! I’m actually really looking forward to this little series!

AzenZone has been my go-to channel for getting acquainted with the Precure franchise without having to watch the 900-something combined episodes from every series. Dude’s close to my age, so we’ve grown up on a lot of the same shows and whatnot, so I get a lot of his obscure references. I’m probably one of the few who totally got it the few times he referenced Urusei Yatsura in his reviews. :P

He’s also mentioned Ojamajo Doremi a few times in the past (even bringing up how nearly two decades prior, it did a better job at tackling racism than last year’s Precure series), and unlike Precure, I actually have a lot of nostalgia and deep love for the series. “Growing up with it” is a stretch since I was already a high school junior by the time I discovered it, but it was undoubtedly the true successor to Sailor Moon as far as my youth and maho-shoujo anime are concerned.

Because yeah, last week my eyes nearly jumped out of my head when I saw this very blatant cameo on Healin’ Good Precure. That’s one of the only times it’s ever actually happened, which feels odd, considering Precure is pretty much the successor to Ojamajo Doremi in several ways. 

Unfortunately, as stated in the video, Ojamajo Doremi’s always had a bit of a niche fandom outside of Japan. 4Kids getting their hands on the first season reeeeeally didn’t help matters, either. But it’s one of those series where I (along with @47ness​) went out of my way to find as many episodes and merchandise I could get my hands on - because it was quite a few years after Ojamajo Doremi ended before anyone started to regularly sub it. I still have a good number of raw episodes on my external hard drives (and VHS tapes). 

So I always felt a little bitter at the unfairness of Ojamajo Doremi staying in relative obscurity while Precure ended up having a much more notable following. Still relatively niche (even down to the dubs - like, Futari wa, Smile, and DokiDoki got some unfortunate localized treatment... just under Saban’s hand rather than 4Kids for the latter two), but much more prominent than Doremi’s fandom ever was. Guess some of that can be owed to the Precure franchise being much more action-oriented but, ehhh. 

Still, I couldn’t help but beam with pride when I came to learn that Heartcatch Precure, which had a LOT of staff who previously did work for Doremi (most notably the character designs), is almost universally regarded as the overall best Precure series (or at the very least, in the top 2 or 3) - like, it says a lot that according to a recent popularity poll, Heartcatch is one of the few series where every main cast member placed within the Top 25 - and Erika, pictured above, made it to #3, right behind the OG team of Nagisa/Honoka who never weren’t going to be on the top.

Still, there’s always been a unique kind of charm to Doremi that, as far as I know, you don’t really see in Precure and probably the majority of other magical girl series. It had a continuous, ongoing story for its four seasons (plus an OVA that expanded on and added some lovely details), time actually passed - i.e. characters actually got older with each succeeding series (starting at age 8, ending at age 11), and this series so often made the most of this. 

Most impressively for me was the consistent and relevant side-cast. The classmates of the main characters weren’t just background fodder or one-note plot devices - several of them had multifaceted personalities, ties to the main girls, and character arcs of their own! And this shit carried over from season to season - whatever gimmick they had would stay consistent, while at the same time they usually avoided having said character relearn the same lessons over and over again. 

So rarely does any show so admirably pull off a setting where almost everybody feels important to some degree. The FLAT4 - basically Rowdyruff Boy expys from the second season, easily could have never shown up again, but they made a resurgence in the final season. Characters carrying over across the seasons often feel like they’re in a different place than they were when they debuted, and considering how often shows struggle just to pull that off with their main characters, it’s doubly amazing that Ojamajo Doremi pulled this off with far more than just their core cast. 

It also had a very well-executed, well-paced endgame. Dokkaan! - the final season - concluded with every character going down their own path to forge their future. Their final arc wasn’t just some episodic affair that could have taken place anywhere else on the timeline. As their elementary school days come to a close and middle school is on the horizon, Doremi and her friends won’t be tackling that new chapter of their lives together. The series finale is a heartbreaking affair and one I could relate to all too well, as Doremi is forced to come to terms with the fact that all of her friends (even the long-tenured Hazuki) will be far, far away from her in this new chapter of their lives. 

While she put on a brave face for her friends and encouraged them when she first found out that, one-by-one, they were leaving her, Doremi eventually has a nervous breakdown come graduation day and locks herself up at the store where she and her friends have spent so much time together over the series. She can’t bring herself to attend the graduation ceremony - the sorrow tears into Doremi deeply as she finally admits to herself and everyone else that she can’t stand all of this abrupt change that’s going to permanently change her life. Doremi can’t hold down her selfish impulses any longer and does whatever she can to cling to what will soon be her past; her childhood, as it were, as she transitions to becoming a teenager. 

This really hit home for me in particular since I’ve gone through similar struggles. A divorce forcibly ripped me away from my home of 14 years - the lovely house I lived in on a lake ridge, the friends I had grown up with, and an entire side of my family I’d rarely see again after spending so much of my life with them - all of that, I had to abandon. I’m not a social person to begin with - and this was about 8 years before I even knew about my autism. It was a very rough adjustment period that to this day, I still don’t feel right calling my current residence “home”. Since I got a job, I’ve been able to live with this, but it was really meaningful to see a protagonist struggle to let the past go and accept her future circumstances. Doremi ultimately managed to pull through, but it’s still a bittersweet ending no matter how you slice it. 

For a kids show, Ojamajo Doremi had quite a lot to it. Which is why I really wish it was better remembered and honored.

tl;dr: I’m super excited for this retrospective series.

[whoneedsapublisher]

Major Misunderstanding

HonoUmi!

Words: ~700

Summary: Umi comes to Nozomi for advice on a very sensitive topic. 

Also on Ao3

**********************

Nozomi was used to acting as something of a guidance counselor for the girls at Otonokizaka. Well, maybe guidance counselor was a bit too formal, but lots of girls came to her when they were having trouble to hear her “wisdom”. Nozomi helped them as much as she could, but, well… she was just a student herself. Sometimes, she thought, her attempts to cultivate an air of mystery and spiritual knowledge worked a little too well.

So when Umi came to her, Nozomi was honestly a little tense. It was bad enough to try desperately to come across as confident giving advice to girls she didn’t know that well. Trying to advise a friend, about a situation that probably involved another one of Nozomi’s friends, was a nerve wracking prospect.

But she put on her best serene smile, and idly shuffled her tarot deck to calm herself down and stop herself from visibly fidgeting.

“Oh? It’s rare to see you alone, Umi. Did you need something?”

“I...” Umi said, twisting her hands together anxiously, her gaze darting around as if she was making sure no one was spying on them. “I need your help.”

“With what?” Nozomi asked.

“I think I might-” Umi paused, and then took a deep breath. “Please promise you won’t get mad. I swear I don’t mean anything bad…”

Alarm bells started ringing in Nozomi’s head. “I promise,” she said.

“I think I might be…” Umi lowered her voice, leaning in. “...Homophobic.”

Nozomi blinked in disbelief.

Well. She certainly hadn’t expected that. Lord, how on earth was she supposed to deal with this? She didn’t think there was a single straight girl in μ’s. Or, well, she hadn’t thought that, anyway. Maybe Umi was straight, if she was coming out with a line like this. And if she’d been wrong about Umi…

No, no, she couldn’t start spiralling now. If she freaked out, it would just agitate Umi more. She had to stay calm.

“What… makes you think that?” she said, fighting to keep her voice even.

“It’s just...” Umi said, biting her lip. “Ever since μ’s got popular, we’ve had a lot of… admirers, right?”

That was one way of putting it. If they’d been a few years older and a rock band instead of an idol group, Nozomi was pretty sure there was no shortage of their fans who would have been outright groupies. Personally, she found it a little off putting, but she’d definitely caught Nico preening once or twice about how many confessions she’d had to turn down.

Oh lord, her and Nico… She was already keeping it secret from the others, but now she had to make double sure that Umi never found out…

“Whenever I see them… l-lusting over Honoka,” Umi continued, stammering out a frankly absurd choice of words for the situation. ”I always just get so… so mad! And my chest gets all tight, and I just- I just want them to stop!”

She looked anxiously at Nozomi. “So, I just- I never get that way when I see girls fawning over male celebrities, so-”

Nozomi gave Umi a Look. It was the kind of Look that you saved for situations just like this, a perfect conduit for disbelief and slight exasperation. The tension drained out of her as she realized that the situation was much, much less dire than she’d been panicking about.

“What?” Umi said, recoiling a little.

“Umi,” Nozomi said patiently. “Do you also get mad when fans try to ask out Nico?”

“Well,” Umi said. “A little. But mostly because Nico is just so utterly shamelessly proud of it.”

“What about Eli?”

“No,” Umi said.

“Rin?”

“No.”

“Maki.”

“No.”

Nozomi sighed.

“So,” she said. “You’re only actually upset when someone is flirting… specifically with Honoka.”

“...” Umi paused for a moment.

A long second passed, Nozomi still giving Umi the Look, as gears slowly turned in Umi’s head. Then, Umi’s face burst into a blush, reddening in an instant as her mouth opened slightly but no sound came out of it.

“Oh,” she whispered, after another two or three wordless opening and closings of her mouth.

“Yes,” Nozomi said.

“Oh,” Umi said.

“Yes,” Nozomi said.

Honestly. Nozomi felt silly for even getting worried in the first place.

Only Umi Sonoda could confuse being homophobic with being gay.