#i just think it's funny that there are two ichikas that exist

[akumadayo777]

ok so idk anything about collar x malice like at all but because my favorite character is Ichika in project sekai, and i'm following her tag i keep seeing posts about the OTHER Ichika

if i had a nickel for every time i saw a character named Hoshino Ichika in a video game, i'd have two nickels

which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

[tearwolfe]

Okay, that's good to know. I might have other questions later as I think about things more/these Au's progress, but these are the ones I can think of atm. And please don't feel obligated to answer any of these, I just thought I'd ask.

(Also, I realized that all of these questions are somehow related to Leo/need? That was entirely unintentional, lol, my bad)

Cyberidol au- Does Saki and/or Leo/need exist in this AU? Do they play a part in the plot at all?

Maybe Saki doesn't show up physically in the current story events, but perhaps she's the one who inspired IdolKasa's initial, now-forgotten dream (like in canon), somebody he had pushed away for the sake of (or even due to) his desire for fame, and whose previous importance/presence in his life and her current distance from him will come to haunt him, now that everything he's worked so hard for (and his entire world view, hopefully) is starting to crumble.

Or maybe her role is more like Emu's- she loves her brother so much, and she's trying to push him down the right path and make him remember, but he just isn't not hearing her, no matter how hard she tries. Or maybe she's also stuck in a similar position in the entertainment industry along with the rest of Leo/need, or maybe they're in similar roles to Ruinene. So many possibilities.

(Wherever she is, I hope the Tenma's get to have a heartfelt reunion once Tsukasa gets his shit together.)

Seal Rui au- How exactly did the human/sea creature hybrids come to exist? It's been stated that Rui and the other sea people were kinda just born like that, and the humans are... Well, humans, but where did people like Honami come from? Were they also just born like that by chance, or are they the hybrid offspring of humans and sea people, or is it some secret third thing I haven't thought of? Is there an explanation at all?

Starshine au- You said in an earlier post that Saki, Toya, Haruka, and Kanade would also be little alien things along with Tsukasa (and you also said that this AU is RuiKasa centric, so I get it if you haven't thought about this at all), but what are the rest of Leo/Need up to? Do they still exist as a group just without Saki? Are Ichika, Honami, and Shiho not in a band/not friends at all in this AU? Do they act as hosts that Saki feeds off of like Tsukasa does to Rui? Are they also squishy little alien thingies?

Are all the other units essentially going through their own version of "what if this very important group member never actually existed as a human?" in the background while we focus on RuiKasa/WxS?

I highly doubt any of these things will ever come up in these stories proper, but I'm very curious about these things, lol. Thank you for responding <3

(Also, not a question, but if I had a nickel for every time Tsukasa in one of your au's was hiding from Saki that he was dating a nonhuman (seal Rui and vampire Rui), only for Saki to also be dating a nonhuman without him knowing, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's funny that it happened twice, lol.)

leo/need's role is similar to rui and nene's. i think it'd be fun if one (or more) of them were ex-idols (or formerly in the industry, if not an actual idol), but currently they're not. saki is estranged from tsukasa. i don't have much thought out for what's going on between them?? they do still care about each other, but tsukasa's head is so far up his own ass that saki has stepped back from trying to deal with him. it's very complicated between the two.. they'll still message or meet for birthdays/important events but it's Very Tense. and they're both secretly upset about it.

honami is the result of a human/sea creature hybrid! thus, she has legs.

the rest of leo/need exists in starshine, but they're not a band. they're former childhood friends.. funny enough, like in canon, saki does bring them together. she feeds off of all of them, just clinging to whichever one is currently feeling the worst. she doesn't really have to do much to manipulate any of them since she has three whole hosts. she's doing it better than tsukasa... but yes, pretty much! minori is haruka's host, akito is toya' host, mafuyu is kanade's host (though kanade doesn't really have to do much), and i'm thinking about also making an a little alien creature thang, with kohane as her host. because i think the vivids could still form without akitoya, and i cannot let that happen.

some things about AUs i have in my mind but never really talk about (since it's often not that relevant) so i'm always here to answer any questions <3

[period-of-nocturne]

You know there's a logic behind each team leader in pjsk and it's funny to me how nobody noticed it seems

The first reason is obvious in main story, they're all the reason the group currently exist, they're the ones who brings everyone together even if it wasn't on purpose

Minori is a good example because she's the reason the three others hasn't quit being an Idol, she brought them back to the Idol industry and without her MMJ wouldn't even exist. As the first April Fools proves by the way since it's a huge "And what if X and Y hasn't met, or this went differently"

Kanade is obvious too since without her Niigo had no reason to be. Mafuyu Ena and Mizuki all ended up here after seeing Kanade's work and without that they would never met

Tsukasa is less obvious, but he's the one who agree to help Emu first to save WonderStage, then he dragged Rui around, then he made Nene face her fears except he made it in a pathetic way, then he dragged Rui around again. Like he was the cause for the three of them to change in the first place

Kohane is a curious one but I don't believe An third wheeling the guys would have work... actually she might have refuse to team up with them if she was alone, so Kohane was the last piece they needed to form VBS. Also the formation of the team and the relation between the 4 revolved around her apparition in main story

And Ichika... It's hard to explain, because Saki coming back did a lot for them going back together too, but I think Ichika was the one who act on what they both wanted the most at the time. She was already trying her best to keep contact with the two others before, but Saki's support and energy what just what she needed to finally affirm herself again and speak openly to the two others. Actually, it's her personality as a whole and how she steps in and act on her feelings when she thinks is needed that makes her the one tying everyone together. Also at the times Hona and Shiho distanced herself from Ichi partially because of what the random NPC said about her so it was kind of all revolving around her since the very start.

... I could point out a lot of things like that but I'll just tell you the check L/N main story again with that in mind or it won't end

The second trait they share is that they're all the one... leading... wow...

No I mean they're the person in the front most of time, like Ichika is the singer and MC, Tsukasa is most of time the leading role of the play, Kanade isn't exactly leading in any way but she's still Niigo's core

I believe Minorin will become the front Idol in the team in time (I only know the details of the stories in EN server so I can't talk much about the JP one but from the little I know I wouldn't be surprised if I'm proven right soon)

It's less obvious with Kohane, no maybe it became a bit obvious since Kick it up a Notch!, but she's the front in her own way. How to explain it...

It's her voice that makes it obvious, as higher pitch voices are often put in front while the low tones are used for background. Toya sings in low-tone because he's kind of "The backbone of the team" "The supporting voice" as he was called, and Kohane is the opposite here, her high-pitched voice being easily heard. + Her compared to Nagi and everything around her that insinuate that she's the one with the most potential (I refuse to agree because the 4 are amazing but it's what the story says) and everything else.

It gives her that 'leading place', though VBS doesn't have an official leader story-wise. Actually aside WxS and their self proclaimed leader, there is no team leader story-wise anyway.

So yeah it isn't revelant story-wise for the team in itself but the leaders are the leaders for a good reason. So the next time someone says An should has lead VBS or Shiho lead Leo/Need I will- get hit by a truck

[wildflowerwoodsworld]

Hi Wild!

What about 2, 14 and 23 for your ask game? 💕

Hey Lola.

2. that makes me laugh

Most of my stuff that's supposed to be funny makes me laugh. I am, primarily, writing for me, after all. If I don't find the funny stuff funny then what's the point? That being said, I had a lot of fun with this unpublished peice from the Everybody Lives au

"Uncle Julius," Finral was staring at his place as he spoke, pushing the toast crusts around it. Next to him, Julius could hear Ichika's foot tapping against the leg of her chair. At his left, Tondra sighed almost imperceptibly. Absently, Julius noticed William shoving something in his mouth at the other end of the table. Sukehiro had yet to show himself, the eldest of his wards was about as far from a morning person as it was possible to get, and Julius knew that Fiona wouldn't be awake for a while considering the fact that she'd got in from a mission in the very early hours of the morning. "Yes, Finral?" he asked. Finral or Ichika starting the day with a question usually meant an entertaining day for him and, unfortunately for them, an embarrassing one for Sukehiro or William, or occasionally Morgen or Nacht. Usually it was Sukehiro that got the worst of it, though. "What do you do if you think someone has a crush?" and there was only one person Finral could be talking about, Julius had noticed as well. Sukehiro wasn't particularly subtle and neither were the objects of his affections. "You leave it alone," Tondra cut in. "I don't care who you think might have a crush, or who you think they like, you don't go poking, Finral." Finral pulled a face but Ichika grinned and Julius had to wonder just what the thirteen year old and fourteen year old were up to. "We're only asking because Onii-san spent ages staring at the Blue Rose girl that was here the other day," Ichika said. "Charlotte," William said. The children ignored him. "Yeah!" Finral cheered. "I also caught him watching the Green Mantis boy who comes here a lot training when we went to their base the other week." "Jack," William said. The children still ignored him. "Multiple times," Ichika said. "It's a bit sickening, really." "You two are aware that Sukehiro is allowed to have friends outside of you," Julius said. "You can't monopolise his time." "Why not?" Finral asked "He's my brother," Ichika said. "I'm allowed as much of his time as I want." Tondra sighed again. "Biological relation doesn't mean he has to give you more time, Ichika. I'm sure if you ask, Sukehiro will be happy to do something with you." "Aunt Tondra," Finral said. "He was making heart eyes. *Heart eyes*." at the other end of the table, William hastily covered a laugh up with a cough. Julius suspected that the rest of his squad would be knowing about this conversation very soon. "Finral, you are aware that if you help Sukehiro sort out his feelings, which may or may not exist, he will have less time for you, and Ichika." "Yeah, but we'll also have two more people to torment," Finral said. Sometimes, Julius reflected, it was hard to see Fiona in Finral. Other times, it was very, very easy. "Oh, they definitely exist," Ichika said. "I heard them calling him 'Hiro'. Onii-san doesn't do nicknames." "If it helps," William said and Julius just knew that whatever was about to come out of his mouth would not be helpful in any way, shape or form. "I'm ninety five percent sure that they were the first people, aside from Ichika obviously, to learn his first name." "I knew it!" Finral yelled, jumping up so hard his chair clattered to the floor. "He does like them!" "Who likes who?" the entire room turned to see Sukehiro stood in the doorway, his hair still mussed as he yawned. "You like Charlotte and Jack," William said, a predatory smile on his face. Sukehiro went pale as all the blood drained from his face, horror clear to see. "You-" "Thank you for the confirmation," William said, jumping back as Sukehiro lunged for him. "I shall have to let Puli know I'm changing my bet." "Bet?" Sukehiro demanded. "Stand still so I can squash you-" "No fighting at the breakfast table," Tondra said, lightning crackling overhead. "Or I will personally make sure that Fiona hears of this conversation." Sukehiro growled and William stuck his tongue out. "Boys."

14. that was out of my comfort zone

I don't think I really have any bits that are outside my comfort zone. I've got things that I struggle with, but the only things I'd really call outside my comfort zone is horror and I don't write horror.

23. that was inspired by a work from another medium (music, visual art, dance, etc.)

The entirety of the Captains Murder Mystery (I Don't Think You'll Land On Your Feet This Time) was thought up while listening to Number Nine by Aviators (which is itself inspired by Puss In Boots and the Last Wish but that's not the point), but this is one of my favourite bits from it.

"So," he said, grabbing Jack's arm before he could vanish. Neither of them liked funerals. "What did Charlotte tell you?" he'd spotted them talking after the meeting yesterday, but Finral had started complaining about holding a portal for too long and threatening to go home without him and make him fly before he could investigate. "Your girlfriend told me she's crazy." what. Something in Yami's brain decided that the first part of that sentence was the more important bit. "She's not my girlfriend," he said. She scowled every time she saw him, more or less, and her ki was always fluctuating in anger. "She'd like to be." yeah, right. Charlotte had a lot of feelings towards him, as far as Yami could tell, and none of them were good. And yeah, okay, sometimes Yami wondered what it would be like to hold her, to see her smile at him, to have her in his bed, but it was pretty obvious that that was never going to happen. "She hates my guts, Jack." the second part of Jack's initial statement registered. "And what do you mean by crazy?" "Her theory is crazy. I can see where it came from, but that doesn't make it any less crazy. The plants are definitely something, and there's probably revenge involved, but I don't think it has anything to do with the Diamond war." Yami frowned. The Diamond war? Yami remembered that. How could he forget it? He'd only spent two and a bit years of his life fighting it. "That finished ages ago. We weren't even Captains then." "Like I said. Your girlfriend's crazy."

[defaulttool]

me admiring the art of bemani PART ONE: "いちかのごちゃまぜMix UP！" event

so this is prob gonna be a new series where tl;dr i glaze the art of bemani because theyre f'ing good (sometimes, thanks konami), and also because even tho not many people care about rhythm games, at least care about the art of it lol

i would also post the artist's name, but konami stopped giving the names of their cover artists a long time ago... only the song artists are named.

to give some context of this event, its basically a mashup of two songs (or mix-up), to make a new song, in order to unlock the boss song. why? i dunno ichika wanted to get some food and somehow found herself at a mountain

im just gonna go order of the circle the event page is in lol (ill save the best one for last tho... lol)

[]DENTITY (I x perditus†paradisus)

ok before we start on this song... they shouldve named it ][DENTITY :3

i can definitely tell they were copying both of the series's artstyle (they really just used a 3d render of TRAN and pasted it in lol), its still pretty dang good. the cat ear shaped v-disk is so funny to me idk why. the song itself however is really good imo, pls give it a listen.

White Stream (Four Leaves x Snowmelt)

so we basically turned back in time and stole the artstyle of Sound Voltex Vivid Wave and GITADORA Tri-Boost Re:EVOLVE lol. i really dig it tho lol, just like song (god they went hard on the vocal chops)

Kilonova (キヤロラ衛星の軌跡 x Pursuer)

so even tho this is one of the more forgettable songs (since no one other then ddr players care about ddr), they forgot to add in pursuer to this cover art lol. i dont like this one, but oh well lol

新蛇姫 (New Decade x BREDLI)

this is one of the more creative ones lol. New Decade (fyi released in 2010) with the 2020's art style, and BREDLI's snake obsession. i also like it how it conveys the songs dont like each other so they just show the mascots getting beat the shit out of lol

Dance With The Dead (Love 2 Shuffle x

Necroxis Girl)

OK WTF WHY DOES SMITH LOOK SO GOOD IN IN THIS JACKET HE HAS SOME MOVES 🔥🔥

even tho the font is... hard to read, they went crazy with it lol. they literally took the sick ass fit from love 2 shuffle and the goofy ass poses in Necroxis Girl. go wild.

Metamorphic (ロミとロボの宇宙飛行 x MONOLITH)

this is just the MONOLITH but with a cuter artstyle and added some animals to give it WoNdeR. i quite like it, shows off the two songs very nicely.

Indigo Nocturne (蒼氷のフラグメント x REcorrection)

jesus christ they represented both of the games and the songs in the best way possible. like... this is so calming, just like the genre of REcorrection, "Fluffy Pop". the song itself is such a bop too.

輪廻の鴉 (RINИE x 鴉)

the best one out of the bunch. holy shit they went fucking hard on this one. i think they know it because this song is the only one with vocals lol. like... even tho they dont really reference a lot of the two song's artworks, they really took the time and effort to reference both Pop'n Music and Beatmania IIDX in the best way possible. like tran and mimi... TRAN AND MIMI LOOK SUPER GOOD HERE LIKE THEY SHOULD BE OFFICIAL CHARACTERS YOU CAN PICK IN POP'N (ik they exist already, but like its the duo as a character, not just one of them)

BONUS EXTRA STAGE: VOLAQUAS (Valanga x 海神)

sooooo.. how do you make a boss boss song? just combine two boss songs together not that hard lol. okay but in all seriousness, combining two boss songs that you made, and then it "YOUR NAME VS YOUR NAME BUT DIFFERENT" is the biggest flex because dj totto vs totto sounds sick af. the song doesnt miss as well lol, the genre is literally "EMPYREAL HYDRO ARTCORE". i wonder why the legendary mountain is underwater in the cover art this time... /s

ENDING THOUGHTS

alright since the event happened like two years ago already (jeez its already been that long? i still remember unlocking it myself like it was yesterday)

even tho konami fucked up in 2016 and 2017 and lost most of the magic tbh, i think this is a good event nonetheless. like the collabs are insane. ill give it a 5 pepperoni pizzas / 19 grapes (mostly because the songs that are mixed up are also added to the other game as well... and thats like.. good :)

[uraniumnm333]

HI. HELLO. YES IT'S ME THE FA AU POLYSHO PERSON. it's funny because olysho's like a small amount of the au. like the main character is ichika. and the main ship is ichihona. so silly right all this chaos is going down.

miku is an actual existing character here because i love the virtual singer they need to be added in more fantasy aus for god's sake and not just the humans. her design is the sakura cherry tree 1.5 colorfes card! her hair used to be blue but she dyed it and her eyes are always closed. she's a mysterious magic lady that is probably the narrator idk haven't figured that out yet *CUES THE KAGAMINE TWINS THAT BOTH PINE OVER HER* yeah she saved the two from dying lolololol

yeah, rui sorta made a fancy potion allowing nene to walk on land. along with other mermaids. aka luka lolz!!! the reason he was able to cure saki is because he practically did all the work before,, he saved luka from dying.

KAITO WHITE DAY MEIKO AN WEDDING SHOOT THING KAIMEI KAIMEI KAIMEI KAIMEI KA- (i am so normal about them)

ACTUAL summary of the main plot is: there are two kingdoms. one in the mountains cold brrr (aoyagi kingdom), and the other not cold near the ground (tenma kingdom). they r in war. they were always fighting but like a cold war (pun intended). BUT when the tenmas took toya from the aoyagis (AS DESERVED) they started actually being in war yeah. ichika used to live in the mountains under the aoyagi's rule but she ran away lolololz!!! and then met honami, a girl who lived alone. she was a girl she was a girl this lesbian story will change your perception of love.

also akitoya but akito almost dies (WHY DO THE BOYFRIENDS KEEP ON ALMOST DYING HELP) (it's aoyagi harumichi's fault) (well only for akito's almost death) (rui just got poisoned lololol!!!)

mafuyu finds her true self having to take care of both this knight that got stabbed and this magic alchemist dude that might've gotten himself in a jiffy. kanade is a reseacher for the knights. ena cursed herself and now has horns. mizuki is a knight. they cause chaos occasionally

minoharu canon, we all die, so much lore, sorry for ranting about the sillies again.

HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT ????

Mafuyu watching Tsukasa Rui Emu and nene pine is so goofy,,, but on the other hand they’re all so endearing to him,,, he’s so happy when they all finally get together it’s so silly,,,

ICHIKA AND HONAMI CHANGING MY PERCEPTION OF LOVE FORWVER AND EVER !!! I’d like to think Saki is like. Seventh wheeling at this point. She’s gotta see Tsukasa and the gang, toya and akito, ichika and honami, whatever the hell Mafuyu is doing w his self-discovery, ect ect ect. She is going CRAZY !!!

minoharu being the token “we have our shit together” couple is so funny to me. War and violence and then BAM !!! Lesbians

also akito and toya !!! Akito originally only saving toya bc “well it’s orders and Tsukasa wants him saved so *shrug*” to “he’s actually kind of growing on me” to “I would lay down my life for this man.” All while toya is doing his little silly thing

ALSO YOU DIDNT MENTION THEM BUT AN AND KOHANE ??? I’d like to think they also have their own “love but we can’t” vibe where the both of them are from rival families in the tenma kingdom and m. Boom. Lower one’s eyes moment and they just start dancing in the ballroom. Everyone learns love is love 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Kaimei in the background is so silly to me like they’re trying to help all these children and they’re also in love *explosion*

[hezuart]

That anaversary aizen looks absolutely fabulous, he looks like a figure skater xd.

I heard along time ago the last arc of the anime was being animated finally bc they pulled a 90s sailor moon were the last season was not either animated or dubbed untill decades later.

I recall near the end of the current 366 episodes there was an episode were the creapy demon ppl woke up in hell and we're all bitter, and there was the other guy who was like, iM cOmEiNg FoR u IChIgO, but then is never mentioned again after and I'm like,why? Why is lt there just plopted randomly into a different arc that seams unrelated.

And locking aizen up underground seems ok, but It deff won't hold, and he will. Escape, and he will kill, you either need that one spell from star, dubbed, the darkest spell of moon the undaunted, a powerfull dark spell that killed immortal beings, that came from best character, eclipsa, the queen of darkness.

We need that.

Or stick him I'm crystal like eclipsa was in star. Is there no one who could trap him in ice or crystal for all eternity.

How about throw him into the centre of a volcano trapped and caged , forverr being killed by heat?

I assume there's space travel, send I'm into a black whole, were a black whole don't fuckin care if your immortal or fat, you will die

:3

Yes, I love anniversary Aizen. His original octopus-butterfly hollow design was ugly so I'm glad he's back to being the fashion icon he is.

Locking Aizen up underground once is one thing, doing it twice after saying he got more powerful by just sitting there, and he escaped to battle the Quincy Soul King God... is another. I think he should have escaped at the end of the Quincy arc. That is the only feasibility.

I heard the anime is coming back for the Quincy arc as well, but because of COVID its probably going to be delayed. (I'm not gonna watch it until the Rain section of the arc then I'm dipping out. I'm only here for Zangetsu)

and funny that you mention that hell scene in the manga :)

-> spoilers for the new BLEACH 73 page anniversary chapter / thoughts/critique on it

So hey you had a premonition! Syazel .... returned? And his hole is outside of his body??? for some reason???

(I didn't understand the explanation or why / how that happens and what that means for the hollow)

And my friend and I were laughing because out of ALL the things. Kubo could do in this anniversary. He gave Syazel his dick back after going to hell. That is iconic. (that's where his hole was located, and now that its not on his body ... well...) This is the funniest thing Kubo has EVER pulled. Kudos to you, sir.

The entire internet is freaking out over Ukitake being in hell. Honestly Kubo has done far worse, and we've established that Soul Society is a corrupt system that hasn't changed, so I'm not surprised he would pull something like this.

At the same time, Kubo 1. cheated his audience. 2. continues to prove me right that he cannot bring himself to kill his characters

1. Hollows who have commit murder in their human life are sent to hell. Syazel and Aaorniero are two of these hollows, and yet, when they are killed, there is NO gates of hell scene. We see them there later in the hell chapter (which was more of a promotion for the fourth movie and I didn't believe it would hold any merit)

But the same goes for Ukitake. We never see the gates of hell take him. What, was hell late? Did hell's gates get lost like an uber before picking him up? It's bull. Withholding such vital information from your audience, not showing the gates of hell when they should pick up this soul IMMEDIATELY is ... I mean its a lie. Kubo lied to his audience.

2. Now we are told powerful shinigami are sent to hell when they die. First of all that sounds like a security threat. Wouldn't shinigami want revenge for that? Or attempt to escape? Why would they still hold loyalty after being sent to a prison of eternal suffering?

Also "Yhwach and Aizen" were the only ones keeping Hell's gates closed is way too convenient and doesn't really make any sense. I feel like Aizen should have deliberately gone to hell to retrieve powerful shinigami / hollows for his army instead of keeping it /closed/.

This is definitely a Kubo-doesn't-know-what-he's-doing-and-is -making- stuff-up-as-he-goes, but it might have a pinch of merit because of previous plot lines.... but either way, there's some big plot holes here, but again, its Kubo, so I expected nothing less.

Again, he can't kill off his characters. He introduced zombification, he introduced immortality through the hougyoku, he has Orihime and Hachigen's reversal / rejection abilities. He brought back Luppi, friggen.... a character who's entire upper half of his body was incinerated. Like.... come on. No. He's dead, you can't bring him back like that. That's a cop out and just weird. You're taking away consequences and grief.

(Also Yamamoto and Unohana deserve to be in hell far over Ukitake, they've done some fcked up stuff in their pasts unlike him)

Also Kubo's favorite character is Mayuri, which.... you're allowed to have a favorite problematic character. But Keeping said character alive and bared from the consequences of abusing his daughter, murdering innocents, and experimenting on your own squad members? Nah. Nope. Kill him, Kubo. Kill this dude.

(his weird attachment to Mayuri is probably why he keeps bringing Syazel back, since Syazel is Mayuri 2.0, but Syazel is the bad guy who does face consequences for his actions while Mayuri is not)

~

Also, I'm certain Kazui and Orihime are going to be THRILLED that their precious husband/dad is going to hell when he dies :)

(I just... Rukia teased Ichigo about leaving Orihime at home. She teased him about having a house wife who he leaves all the chores to. Orihime had two panels. She checks on her son who promised he would be at home and sleep. Kazui fcking breaks his promise like it never mattered to him and JUMPS out the window after pretending to sleep in front of his mother. ... An 8 year old... alone... in the middle of the night.)

Orihime is abandoned. She is not invited to SS, she is not informed of what is going on, her son leaves her.... I...

Orihime is a side character. She doesn't matter anymore. She hasn't mattered for a long, long time.

A part of me is glad she had little screen time, since she tends to waste it, but another part of me is embroiled with rage.

I've even see people try to defend this. "Orihime and Ichigo can't be together ALL the time, that's an unhealthy relationship!" and I'm like guys... that's not the point. The point is Orihime is not part of Ichigo's other life. Any shinigami stuff from now on is none of her business. She's going to stay at home while Kazui and Ichigo go off and save the world. Ichigo is going to be fighting by Rukia and Renji while Orihime watches from the sidelines, or worse, doesn't even know what is going on with her husband and son. Orihime is going to be uninformed and abandoned, because she has not proven she is capable of fighting by their sides(go on, @ me. I will fight this. She's a failure.), and also because she prefers a human life over a dead one. Which is ironic, because she married a dead man. Ichigo is a shinigami, and he will be one forever. god forbid she ever meets his Zanpaktou. She would tremble in fear at the monsters her husband harbors in his soul, especially when she realizes they don't care about her and would rather see her dead. (Zangetsu would absolutely kill Orihime. Not sure about Kazui, but Orihime has not accepted Zangetsu, she does not like either of them, and the feeling is assuredly mutual.) frick now I want to make a comic about this

Also still frustrated over Zangetsu's shikai / bankai regression. Kubo once again lied to his audience. Ichigo has no bankai. How ridiculous is that? The main character of BLEACH doesn't have a bankai. Insulting.

(RIP to Chad. He doesn't exist anymore. He's just gone. No mention, no cameo. Gone.)

Kazui is a demon child. That character from the novels? Hikone? They're the same character. Literally same personality, same power level. Its worse because Kazui is a liar. He constantly goes behind his parents' backs. He can summon creepy fish and creepy eyeballs and open portals like is ANYONE aware of this? How has SS not kidnapped Ichigo's son and experimented on him / locked away his powers yet? All substitute shinigami require a reiatsu controlling / spy badge to keep them in line. Where is Kazui's? Or is he just a weird fullbringer?

I was worried Kubo was gonna try and pull a knock off Boruto but luckily he kept the focus on Ichigo and the others. But that being said, Ichika and Kazui are now just... sort of there? Kazui was kinda just.... having his own adventure that doesn't matter to the plot at hand, and Ichika had some nice characterization at first but she just hid behind her dad the whole time.

I have a feeling Kazui is gonna step in at the last minute or do some major behind the scenes thing that indirectly interferes with the main plot so no one will realize how powerful and dangerous he actually is. Its sad because Ichika is the superior character in personality and likability, but she clearly is not going to have a bigger part in this.

Ichigo having a normal life after everything still feels extremely boring and uncomfortable to me. Everyone's like 'I'm still bLEACH!" but.... BLEACH just... doesn't feel like BLEACH anymore. It hasn't for a while now.

~~~

There's two new shinigami characters. Didn't care for the girl, but the Sign Language kid who talks to animals is adorable ... however... he just reminds me of Chad, and I just... it hurts knowing Chad has essentially been deleted. Chad and Orihime are officially benched. They have chosen the human world, and Orihime has given Ichigo his spawn so she has no more use/purpose to him anymore... ////sigh

~~~

Also. This is claimed to be a new "arc". So is the BLEACH manga coming back? What is happening. I thought Kubo was tired and didn't want to do BLEACH anymore. I thought Shounen Jump cut him off. People made so many excuses for Kubo and why the past two arcs have been so badly written the past 6 years and now almost everything they've attempted to defend him with has been revoked.

BLEACH is going to continue to screw up its plot lines and characters, so Its probably best for it to stay dead but I've seen a lot of Kubo stans drooling over this content, they're desperate for BLEACH's return, but its already given out all its possible revelations. There's really nothing else to top here. It's just going to make things up as it goes along ,and I'm not really here for half-assed writing like that, especially since the damage of rushing the previous manga has already been done. Kubo and Shounen Jump are riding off a money nostalgia. None of this was planned.

Honestly though.... overall feeling of this chapter, not as bad as it could have been.

Syazel stole the spotlight, and he's my friend's favorite character, so that's all that really matters.

[recurring-polynya]

You actually reblogged it! Yay! Thank you so much, I'm glad you did. I keep thinking about 'Brothers in Arms' because it's one of my favorite fics ever and i love everything about it, and just how well you nailed the ChadIshi dynamic down to a T. I think a lot about the dialogue right before this too, because it's my favorite part, but I mainly would love to see a breakdown of this bit: “Do you think he’s in Soul Society?” Uryuu asked. Chad must have been tempted to look. Uryuu knew he would have been, if he didn’t know for a fact that Souken had already moved on.

“I asked Abarai about that, actually,” Chad replied. “Abarai says it’s complicated, exactly how it gets decided where you go, but Oscar had a strong connection to his home and his friends, so he is most likely in the Mexican Land of the Dead.” A small smile crept onto Chad’s face. “My dream is to one day take a trip back to Mexico for el Día de los Muertos, and see him again.”

brothers in arms

Wowwww this bit is really rich! You would not think I would have so much to say about two paragraphs AND YET.

So for starters, you ever read a fic and it’s not even that big of a fic, but it just sticks in your head forever? Anyway, I am never not thinking about Not a Good Idea, a drabble about Oscar and Souken and Sora meeting up in Soul Society. It’s funny that each of the Karakura kids has some really important person that died on them, and even though the whole series is about life after death, aside from Sora’s short storyline, we never get to see any of them again.

I thoroughly admit that I may be wrong, but my reading of the dialogue in Uryuu’s fight with Kurotsuchi is that Souken went to Soul Society after dying, was immediately captured, and experimented on until he died again. I’ve posited this before-- that when the shinigami “exterminated” the Quincy, they killed them as living humans, and then hunted down and killed them as souls again so that they would get chucked back into the resurrection cycle and lose their Quincy powers. I think that the Wandenreich Quincy are actually either dead, and escaped this second killing, or born-as-souls (like shinigami nobles), descended from dead Quincy. I have absolutely no basis for this, it’s just what I think. That’s what I meant about Uryuu knowing that Souken had moved on.

I really, really love writing Renji knowing things. Something that you don’t really pick up the first time you read/watch Bleach is that Rukia seems like she knows a lot about how the afterlife works, but honestly, she is constantly just spitballin’. This makes sense! She never finished school! She’s a con artist! And if she’s learned anything as a noble, it’s that you can just say stuff with authority, and people will believe you! She’s a liar and a mansplainer and I love this for her. Conversely, Renji did finish school and he works for Byakuya and some of his best friends are nerds. I always like to write him as a guy who is very curious how things work, cities and squads and bureaucracies, and even though he pretends to be a cool himbo jock, he actually knows a shit-ton about the practicalities of being a grim reaper, beyond just killing monsters. I am also enamored with the idea of Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and Hell being just a few of an infinite set of spiritual/magical planes (this may have come out of another fanfic that lives in my head rent-free, The Roots of Heaven). Afterlives are one of my very favorite bits of folklore, they are so varied and cool! I wrote a fic once that mentioned Renji corresponding with the Russian Afterlife, I have precedent. I also like to think about Renji and Chad spending a ton of time together during the Advance Team Arc, just hanging out and talking about little things, and I love to drop in little references to that whenever possible.

As soon as I put in that bit about going to Mexico for Day of the Dead, I wanted it as a fic more than I could say. The Karakura Kids would all be young adults, maybe shortly after Uryuu and Chad get married. (What if Ryuuken paid for it? As a wedding gift??? I would die) I feel like Chad would have this deep yearning to know if Oscar approved of him. People tend to get really hung up on the wording for Chad’s vow not to use his fists for Bad, but these things are rarely so clear-cut in real life. I mean, Oscar wanted Chad to not get in fights with neighborhood kids, he certainly did not foresee his grandson developing supernatural powers and traveling to other realms to save the nature of existence. Not to mention the gay thing. Astute readers may note that everytime I write a post-canon fic, I make Chad a social worker who boxes as a hobby. I feel strongly that this is perfectly canon compliant (just like Chad and Uryuu getting married, of course)

This is one of those fics that I would love to read but do not feel qualified to write (to be perfectly honest, in my heart, I want you to write it 😂)-- I would probably crib a bunch of the worldbuilding from Coco, because that movie slapped. I actually think that Oscar was probably a pretty fun-loving guy, I mean, look at this dude, he clearly fucks:

and I like to believe that in any Afterlife, you shed some of effects of age, and also, he’s not responsible for an angry kid who just lost his parents. I think he would be way more Fun than Chad was expecting, and by Fun, I mean, he and Ichigo would definitely cause an International Afterlife Incident, like they would release some ancient spirit or something that would then run around Starting Shit. The Mexican Afterlife calls up Soul Society and is like “come get your boy” and they send Rukia and Renji because who else wants to deal with Ichigo, and Renji has to spend the entire time negotiating extradition treaties at the embassy, except he can’t sit down because he’s got Ichika strapped to his chest. Rukia would run off to help the Karakura Kids and be like “I am off maternity leave and am down to clown” and she and Oscar would get along great.

Anyway, OF COURSE Oscar would approve of Chad, who would not approve of Chad? and he would be like "Uryuu is not a person I ever would have imagined for you, but he clearly really loves you, what else matters?” Again, look at him, I think he had some boyfriends in the 70′s and also I do not care to write homophobia in my fics, I prefer to make everyone at least a little gay instead. Also, Uryuu deserves someone to take a look at him and say, “hi there, you’re my family now,” with no caveats or expectations, which is basically how I imagined it going down in Tell You My Sins.

[atopearth]

Collar X Malice Part 2 - Okazaki Kei Route

I wonder how Okazaki's route will go, since instead of focusing on a case, Ichika  wants to broadly focus on her reason for being a police officer, namely to protect people. Anyway, other than it being sad to see Mineo rather cold after his super cute and sweet route, I also find it saddening that we have to start all over again with Kazuki and their strained relationship😭 Anyway, Yoshinari is a pretty funny guy, he's like Mineo, capable but silly lol. I guess it's convenient that Okazaki will wake up when he hears a gun taken out of its holster lol. But yeah, it was obvious that Okazaki knew who Ichika was, there's no way they could have hidden that. Anyway, Okazaki saving her from a bunch of guys and then holding her hand was cute. I think he's right that even if it feels weird at first, to feel someone's warmth when you're scared really helps to kinda calm you down. Well, okay, Ichika is pretty ridiculous. Lol, like I can forgive her for trying to rush into a raging fire to help someone the first time but for her to try a second time?? I'm glad Okazaki shouted at her because that was beyond reckless. She has no protection, no plan, no idea of anything and she wants to save someone that's at the centre of a blazing fire? Even if she's panicking, that's pretty crazy. Not to mention that this was a park, she really should have focused on helping people around her who could be injured or feeling sick from the smoke etc. Anyway, Okazaki helped her come to her senses so she really should thank him for saving her life tbh. I know Ichika is inexperienced but I feel like this incident made it seem like what she lacks is common sense instead, but I'll give her the benefit of doubt since someone was burning to death in front of her, and that's difficult to accept and endure knowing there's nothing she can do.

I honestly feel terrible for Sugawara. I can't imagine how frightening it must be for her to be stalked for such a long period of time with no one to help her, and then having the guy wanting to kill her and himself, that's pretty crazy and I feel so sorry for her. I can see why she would trust anyone who saved her from this situation when the police obviously didn't. Omggg, there were two stalkers?! I can't imagine her frustration and fear to be relieved from one stalker (since they got arrested) and then end up being stalked again, like seriously that's absolutely crazy and I don't think any person could handle that. Okazaki pulling his gun out against Ichika (after finding out about her collar) was pretty dramatic. Seems like the memory erasing thing happens to everyone who gets captured? Anyway, I honestly felt so bad for Sugawara when she felt that being imprisoned as a criminal was better than going home and getting stalked again, it's just so saddening.. I think it was really cool and strong of Ichika to tell Okazaki to shoot her if he ever believes that she is causing things to go wrong in the investigations, it's like she's leaving her life in his hands knowing that he will make the "correct" decision. I've always admired Ichika's determination. I do feel bad for Okazaki though. Reporting Ichika to his superiors or not is a difficult decision, especially considering how seriously he takes his job. I think Ichika's thoughts really hit the nail on the head on why I just don't feel on board with her and Okazaki together. Like yeah, they're cute but I agree with her that it doesn't feel like Ichika exists in the depths of his heart, rather he is looking for something from or inside her hoping that she has it because of the "kind" person she is, and yeah apparently he's found it and wants to protect her and believe her, but I just can't help but feel that he's not really looking at her for her?

Okazaki's texts are so cute with the emojis lmao. It's also sweet how they share tidbits of their everyday life with each other. HAHAHA, I nearly died from laughter when Okazaki talked about how his robot vacuum "ran away" and never came home because he left his front door open😂😂 Okazaki buying Ichika flowers first thing in the morning to try and cheer her up from her lack of progress with the recent X-Day case was so sweet. Anyway, I have to agree with Mochida, it's really frustrating to be practically the complaint hotline department for the X-Day incidents but know nothing of the progress or results to properly reassure the public. Like literally, all they do is try and soothe people and their anger but have nothing to really inform them about, it's like they made this department just to have some people take the brunt of the complaints so others can work "easier". 

I didn't think that the rough looking guy that's a part of Adonis was actually a policeman before! Doesn't help that he looks pretty different from his photo that's at least 5 years ago... I feel like that's so saddening though, like one superior ruined so many young cops lives. Honestly, hearing that one of them has been in a mental asylum for years, and the other one left the country and never came back really kinda shows how traumatised they were by whatever happened with that "bad" cop guy that died. I feel so terrible for Sanjou and all those rookie cops Todoroki crushed mentally and physically with abuse. They all desired to be a policeman to protect people and all had dreams they wanted to fulfill, and they all endured because they believed in their justice and protection, but in the end the only thing they got was injustice and hatred from the people they tried to protect because of Todoroki's mistakes. Honestly, no matter how meaningful my job is, I don't think I could endure all that, so I'm not surprised Sanjou has resorted to becoming who he is. Sure, he's going against his principles back in the day by hurting people, but even though a part of him is still there, at the same time, he's definitely tired of everything. The thought of the moment he finally broke really tore me because thinking about all he endured is painful. On the other hand, it's interesting he thinks that Adonis can replace the police itself since really Adonis in other routes and kinda here is wrought with problems and people who are reckless and don't really have a clear goal aside from revenge. Unlike him, most of the people besides the leaders don't care about making society "better" because they're focused on their own pain and justice for themselves. Not that they're wrong to do that since Adonis chose them for that reason, but it's also because of that that Adonis is a mess that won't be a rebirth of a proper version of the "police".

I don't know if any sane person would really chase after Sanjou when Ichika's recklessness got Okazaki injured, and she's definitely useless in a battle without him, not to mention tending to his wounds are probably more important right now lol. I mean, it's not like I don't understand Takaeda's position and the need to quell the anger of the public with how incapable the police have been in stopping the X-Day crimes etc, but can't he at least be a bit more subtle with how dodgy he wants to be? Lol. Who parades around telling moralistic police officers like Morioka and Minegishi to just arrest all the suspects and not care about concrete evidence or solid alibis??? Like yes, these actions will totally make the public think you're great the moment anyone complains and this comes to light lol, like seriously. It's such a silly short term fix to the problem that I have no idea how he even thought it would be a good idea. Honestly, I would be pretty mad if I was Ichika and Okazaki said he wanted to die protecting her since he's looking for a meaningful way to die. Like excuse me?? I knew the whole protecting thing wasn't really about her even though he liked her to an extent, but I would be so annoyed if someone was "using" me like that. Sure, she needs someone to protect her and it's perfect since he doesn't really care about his life, but it's frustrating to think that in the end, how much does he really care since it's like he was just looking for someone that's kinda nice but at high risk of dying? Loll. It's like she as an individual was never really in the picture for him. I know he doesn't mean it maliciously but yeah... Something nice to see in this route is Kazuki reaching out and caring for Ichika himself because he was worried about her getting hurt, it was cute how he told her to take a day off because she's an underling anyway so it doesn't matter if she goes to work or not🤣 It was also nice to see them properly communicate by themselves, however I do think that the only reason this is happening so smoothly is because they want to get this part out of the way loll.

Anyway, Okazaki's inability to understand Ichika kinda pisses me off but Ichika isn't really communicating when he doesn't understand, so they're both wrong lol. However, I hate it when people apologise without understanding why they're wrong, like it's cool to apologise for hurting the other person, but it's not cool when you're going to insist on what the other person is mad about, so really, you might as well not apologise and instead try to communicate about the problem instead. Also, I feel sorry for Sasazuka and them, they're trying to solve the X-Day cases and here are Ichika and Okazaki having a lovers quarrel, I'm honestly glad they told them to get out and come back later because they're definitely useless to the investigations right now. I also don't really care for how Okazaki suddenly "realised" he likes Ichika and just straight out publicly confessed to her, because I personally don't feel it lol but other than that, I'm not fond of love confessions like these lol. I think what annoys me the most is Okazaki's flippant attitude as if nothing is wrong and it's not a big problem? Like he's handling it in his own way and I'm sure he's serious about it but the way he does it just pisses me off. I liked the way he was in the beginning but I guess when it comes to conflicts, his attitude is one of the worst to handle. Yoshinari is such a sweet guy, I don't know why but I feel like he's dodgy loll. Anyway though, sorry if I'm wrong, Yoshinari!

Anyway, hearing Okazaki's story really helped me understand him a bit better. Personally, the bit where he said rather than guilt for causing his colleague's death, he was more scared of dying the same way as his colleague in such a "meaningless" death kinda clicked with me. Maybe it sounds really derogatory and negative to myself, but for a long time, I've felt something similar to Okazaki in a sense, like I wouldn't actively look for danger like him, but if I were in a life threatening situation with my family or friends, I would hope that I'm the one who would die protecting them rather than the other way around. It's just, when you feel like your life is meaningless but others' lives have "value", it's hard to not think that you would want them to be the one to survive rather than yourself. So honestly, it's kinda funny to relate to Okazaki a bit even though he's been such a frustrating character to me lol. At least now I can see why he's so persistent on finding a meaningful way to die, because I think he's right, if I was going to die some way or another, I would want to die saving someone important to me. It was really cute how Ichika kept trying to show him that if he died, he wouldn't be able to eat such delicious food or watch the next part of a movie next year. It really makes me think hmmm, I'd really like to see the end of One Piece so that can keep me going lol. Something I find interesting in the materials/notes is that the Adonis who attacked the Prime Minister Okazaki was protecting two years ago was the original Adonis. The Adonis in the present are apparently viewed as a dummy group of that one🤔 I feel like that's a pretty important detail for the future, like is this Adonis just inspired by them or is it the real Adonis~ Anyway, I think what I found most chilling about Okazaki's story was when Tsukishima kept saying it was Okazaki's fault things went wrong as he was dying from being squashed by the rubble that should have squashed Okazaki. He probably meant it in some other way since he obviously regarded Okazaki as important enough to save him but hearing that as someone loses their life is definitely something difficult to handle, like these are their last words and they're telling me it's my fault so they're definitely right kinda sentiment.

Honestly, I've been rather meh about this whole route, especially with Okazaki's attitude etc, but after he so honestly confessed his feelings to her when they were watching the horror movie, I couldn't help but melt to his words. He was so sincere and honest about how he enjoyed those little moments such as the silly texts with her that I couldn't help but feel touched. He's a frustrating guy but I really do like him. Even though I could understand Ichika for trying to protect Okazaki by going to Adonis, it also made me really annoyed because she was doing exactly what she got so annoyed about Okazaki doing, which is not caring for his own life, so her not caring for her own life when she promised him that they would find a way to live together made me mad. I'm glad Okazaki got mad at her, but I'm also sad that he felt hurt over it. Especially when he already told her that if she died, he'd probably just die too. I mean, there was no way Okazaki wouldn't notice how weird she was anyway lol. 

I guess I have to agree with Okazaki's statement though, everyone has something that they want to protect, and whatever it is that protects their precious something, that is what their justice is. In the end, what we deem as justice is what we believe can protect the things important to us such as other people, our friends etc, and that is also why even if our views of justice can be "similar", what it means to each person will be different, which also means that if we lose what we desire to protect, then our justice becomes meaningless. Anyway, I really like Sanjou. I like how he does what he wants and I guess to an extent, I can understand his sentiments of not caring about this world and dying. Honestly, Sanjou breaks my heart. When Okazaki told Sanjou to leave with him (as Sanjou bombed the place and decided to die with the collapse) and he said Okazaki changed, it felt like Sanjou was really happy for him because they both connected and understood how it felt to want to die. I found it most saddening that Sanjou understood Okazaki's sentiments that yeah maybe he could eventually find something in the future worth living for, but the problem was that he didn't have enough hope to keep living in this crappy world searching for it, and I think that really made me want to cry. It's just so sad that he didn't have someone like Ichika telling him how much they wanted him to live🥺 I wonder why the Prime Minister's son is a part of Adonis🤔

I really thought I missed the trigger mode when Ichika seemed like she was dying lolll, TIL that you can check the backlog to see if the trigger mode was a success or fail so that makes things easier haha. I honestly think it would have been so tragic if Ichika died saving Okazaki though, I can't imagine having to shoulder the burden of two people you care about dying to save you and in hopes of you having a good life. Lmao when Ichika finally woke up in the hospital and asked Okazaki if he was angry at her and he sent her an angry face emoji😂 I nearly cried when Okazaki let out all his emotions over hating himself for not being able to protect Ichika properly, but I'm glad that he was so frank about all his feelings to her, it's really great how well he communicates with her now. It was nice to hear him think about wanting to be a grandma and grandpa together with her. The tragic love end was a bit disappointing though, I think it would have been better to see Okazaki have to kinda live a life fulfilling what Ichika wanted rather than kinda succumbing to death because he couldn't find a reason to live anymore, like it's understandable because he's said that he'd want to die if she died but yeah..

Overall, even though I quite liked Okazaki's character, I don't think I can really say the same for his route. I guess I just found 80% of it pretty boring tbh lol, like the messages and interactions between Ichika and Okazaki were nice in their own way, but at the same time, because Okazaki was "using" her as a way to die a meaningful death, I couldn't feel the "love" he had for her imo. What he saw wasn't really her but what she could offer him, and that's pretty prevalent and obvious when you read the bad endings. However, I did really enjoy the last like 10-20% of the route, probably when they finally communicated and got to understand each other lol. It was nice to see Okazaki so honest and sincere after being able to wholeheartedly believe in a future where they both live, so I liked that. For me, the highlight was definitely Sanjou though, I think his story and character really got to me, and I'm super sad we couldn't save him (or romance him) because I think I ended up liking him more than Okazaki lmao. I still like Okazaki though, but the route was definitely lacking for me, it honestly took me a while to get through because of that lol. In that sense, I guess it made Ichika and Okazaki not feel like that great of a match for me, even though they were pretty cute.

[amjustagirl]

heylu nikki jie!! im so glad to hear that your new job has been alot alot better than your old one cant believe youre really out here living ichika's life huh thats damn cool 😩 and eep i have a midterm tmr and one more next sat asfjfks its not as bad as it could be but still hoping i dont passaway 🤧

oh and for the ask game thingy you posted, i think one thing i remember you for would be your amazing imagery!! i really love how youre always so consistent with your themes in your fics and how you alway tie back to it and paint the most beautiful pictures in my head and im not a lit student but it makes me open a book full of your stuff and highlight and annotate them with color coordinated post its 🤣 as for scenes, i think the whole of who dares speak aloud these words lives in my head rent free ive reread it sO many times i love when yaku asked her to move in with him while they were eating and their convo when they bumped into each other on the corner of the street when they were coming back to apologise for their fight (i love you, i will say it as many times as you need, as loudly as i can until your heart is no longer broken <- idk if im quoting this right bUT IT WAS SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES) and obviously dream catcher was absolutely incredible all the poetry when akaashi realized he loved her and when he was losing his memories asfjsk i cant even quote cuz there were way too many amazingly written lines (sorry all this is like abit repetitive but i just love your stuff asfgjskdj)

i saw you were feeling abit down and aaa it sucks but i def get what you mean about feeling sad for absolutely no reason and feeling bad about it (usually i just read some of your angst in bed *ahem storm chaser* so then i would have a reason to be sad LMAO) but yea i think thats perfectly normal and all we can do is wait for it to fade hopefully (and you should totally bully mr nikki into giving you attention and cuddles at times like these 😤)

oH and i saw that ask about your nightmare and you waking mr nikki up asfjskjd BAHAHA YES I THINK YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY WRITE THAT 😛 and yES YOU SHOULD POST when the sun loves the moon iLL BE WAITING FOR IT 😋oH and i saw you have something stewing for osamu 👀👀 asfjfksj thats soso exciting

hope by the time youre reading this youre feeling better!! rest well this weekend nikki jie!! ❤️ ~ann:>

i really love my new job so much it's not even funny - i didn't know people could be good and kind at work until now! so haha yeah maybe i really am living ichika's life huh!! and all the best for your midterm, ann dearest!!!!

and it's amazing that you love my imagery - that's something i definitely work really hard on, idk maybe it's a bit nerdy, but yeah i really try to weave it into my stories, make it work narratively! and that scene omg - i thought it was cheesy, when yaku catches her and declares that he'll love her, that he'll keep loving her - i mean look, people aren't so eloquent irl but i like to think that the sentiment exists, y'know?

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU FOR LOVING DREAM CATCHER TSM OMG. that scene - yeah when akaashi loses his memories, i think i personally cried writing it? it really let me go full out crazy with poetry, and i went to town torturing akaashi in that scene!!!

yeah - i think it's kinda good that we realise that we can be sad for no reason, and just process that emotion - BUT HAHA GOOD IDEA LEMME GO PRETEND BE A CAT and demand attention from mr. nikki!!! pls lor that nightmare, i was really q terrified, but i don't feel bad at all for waking him up, because a year or two ago, when he was still working at a law firm, he dreamt that there was a black widow ON MY DAMN FACE and i woke up to my HUSBAND SMACKING MY FACE OMG. the fact that i didn't punch him but kinda soothed him back to sleep is TESTAMENT TO THE FACT THAT I AM A GOOD WIFE but yes ahem. anyway.

[ificouldhelpyouforget]

My Soul to Keep: Two (Kurama x OC)

MASTERLIST

A/N: Another part where things begin to change between Ichika and Kurama subtly. And Saito is still a jerk.

Summary: Kurama gets honest with you and Saito continues to try to get you back.

Warnings: Some talk about sex and cheating. Nothing too graphic though.

Words: 3.9k (I think this is the shortest part)

Life was a lot calmer without Saito around and I liked it. I didn't have to impress anyone or worry about anyone else's happiness. I was with Saito for so long that I forgot what it was like to be single. It was wonderful.

Best of all? I could hang out with anyone I wanted without worry. No one was watching my every step if I spent time with someone of the male variety. I didn't have to feel guilty about enjoying my time with Shuichi or any of his friends.

I found myself spending a lot of evenings at the Yukimura's' ramen shop where I got to know Keiko and her boyfriend, Yusuke Urameshi, and in turn, Kuwabara. Shuichi would visit occasionally, but I usually saw him elsewhere.

Sitting beside my red-headed friend, I listened closely to Keiko describe the time she went shopping with a few friends - Botan, Shizuru, and Yukina - and how embarrassing Yusuke was when he picked them up.

"It's not my fault I don't know what girls shop for," Yusuke muttered.

"You still don't shout out things about our underwear!"

I giggled. "You should shop with Keiko more."

"Gross. Do you make Shuichi shop with you?"

"Why would I? I can shop on my own just fine."

Shuichi sighed. "Yusuke."

Yusuke shrugged. "Just thought you would since you two are always together."

It clicked what he was suggesting and I smiled. "Shuichi only comes to see Ichigo now and then since the little guy likes him so much. It's by chance if we see each other anywhere else."

Yusuke glanced at Shuichi with a smirk. 

Suddenly, I began to wonder of chance didn't play a part in our meetings. My gaze shifted to the collected Shuichi who was staring down Yusuke. How interesting...

•••••

Anywhere I went, I observed the people around me closely. There was a high rate of trips I spotted Shuichi in the crowd. One day, I decided to say hello.

"Funny finding you here, Shuichi," I smirked.

He knew I caught him and I could see the wheels turning in his head under his calm gaze. I had a feeling he was thinking up a clever lie.

"You can be honest with me, you know," I said. "It's strange. You seem to be following me, but I don't doubt you have a good reason. Is Saito following me? Is there some spooky spiritual thing hanging around me that you're sensing?"

"Something of the sort."

"Which one? Saito or the spook?"

His eyes shifted to a man as he walked by. "Both."

"Really?" I was intrigued. "How so? Did he make a deal with the Devil or something?"

Shuichi frowned. "Talking about this in such an open space may not be the best idea."

"Okay. Do you have a better place in mind?"

I watched him look around before he took my hand and lead me to his destination of choice. I was taken aback when I stood in front of his apartment door as he unlocked it.

He led me inside and offered me something to drink, all while keeping aware of anyone - or anything - hanging around. The seriousness of it all hit me then.

"What's going on? Now I'm worried."

Shuichi sat in a chair across from the couch I sat on. "I have quite a bit of explaining to do, I'm afraid."

"I have time."

"Let me start by asking you to call me Kurama. Shuichi is the name my human mother gave me."

"Aren't you... human?"

"Yes and no."

"That's a twist..." I murmured.

"What you see in front of you is the human my demon soul inhabited before a soul was ever-present. Before I took refuge in the Living World - this plane of existence we're in now - I was a thief in Demon World."

"So... you've got a demon soul inside you?"

He nodded.

"Aren't demon's supposed to be... ruthless, evil... kinda creepy looking?"

Kurama smiled a little. "Most are. I was certainly someone to fear in Demon World."

"But you're so kind and... just now how I imagine demons."

"Shiori played a large part in who I am now."

"Okay, okay. So you're actually a demon in a human body. How does that information affect the reason you're following me?"

"I have reason to believe you're being followed."

"Other than you?"

"Yes. Someone who wants to hurt you."

"How... How does Saito play into this? Don't tell me he's a demon, too."

His green eyes filled with remorse. "Unfortunately, yes. I wasn't sure at first, but his energy flared that day you introduced us."

"That was almost a year ago. Why am I only finding out now?"

"I wasn't sure I was ready to tell you this... if you were ready to hear it. You are far more observant than I expected, although I should have known from before."

"Before?" My brain was trying to explode. He was telling me so much and my thoughts hadn't caught up.

"Our first meeting wasn't at the nursery."

I rubbed my temples. "We... I met you before then?"

"High school actually."

"Why don't I remember you?"

"I made you forget me for your safety. You found out about me and my friends just as my life became extremely dangerous. I was worried you'd get involved, so I made you forget me. I wasn't expecting to be led back to you when I sensed a demon in town. I admit, I thought it was you, but I was sensing the energy left on you."

"There were times I thought I recognized you," I said, staring into his eyes. "I... I can't believe... It doesn't make sense."

"Those memories won't return and I apologize for taking them. Had I known... I didn't know you'd become a target anyway."

"What would a demon want with me?"

"Your soul gives off a scent that attracts them. There aren't many humans with a soul as pure as yours."

"What? But I'm not... I'm not innocent at all. I've done bad things and I've hurt people."

"But the good outweighs the bad significantly."

I peered at Kurama. "Have you wanted to eat my soul?"

"No. I don't eat souls. I'm human."

"Did the demon inside you want to eat souls?"

"Souls didn't interest Yoko."

I collapsed back onto Kurama's couch, staring at the ceiling. "So... Saito is a demon?"

"And he's been feeding off your soul. Mostly while you were together."

"That bastard..."

"You got away from him before he could do irreversible damage. I'm afraid he's been trying to figure out a way back into your life. I've been keeping an eye on you because of it."

"So... you're a demon - technically - and so is Saito. He's been taking bites out of my soul during the time he and I were together. I used to know you until I didn't and things have kicked off again, so you're back in my life. Now everything is coming together and I'm in danger of being eaten by some asshole demon. Is that about it?"

"Yes."

"Awesome. What do I need to do?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Watch for anything strange. Someone will watch out for you. Ichigo guards your house, too."

"Little Ichi? That explains why he follows me everywhere."

Kurama's lips twitched upward. "You should have nothing to worry about. I intend on ending Saito's chase by whatever means necessary."

"Can you tell me something, Shui- I mean, Kurama."

"Possibly."

"Are you going to have me forget all this once it's over?" I turned my head to stare down the redhead. 

He was unmoved. "I don't know."

I curled up on my side, eyes still on him. "I hope not. I don't want to forget you again."

Kurama's face gave nothing away, so I closed my eyes and exhaled. He hid so much from me already. Why did I expect him to show any emotion toward my statement? I wondered if he ever let me get that close in high school.

•••••

I expected to harbor some sort of negative feeling toward Kurama the longer I pondered over what he told me. But each time he came by to check in on Ichigo - and me - I was happy to see him. Despite all I knew, what he did to my memories, I still wanted him around.

"Kurama?" I caught his attention as he walked into my house. "How... How do you make people forget?"

I actually saw surprise flash in his eyes. "Any particular reason why you wish to know?"

"Curiosity mostly."

"There's a flower in Demon World - the Mugen flower - that produces pollen capable of erasing memories. The scent makes it possible."

"So... that's how..." I looked to Ichigo sitting at Kurama's feet. "Other than my safety, why did you make me forget you?"

"Do you believe I had another reason?"

"Yes. I could be reading too much into you though. Taking away my memories just because you felt it was unsafe is too simple... the safe answer. You're more complicated than that. You have layers in your thinking process. I don't believe my safety was your only reason."

A soft smile came upon his face. "Your power of observation still manages to surprise me."

"I think I read into people more than I should."

"You are correct." His smile faded. "There was another reason."

"Really? What was it then?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal it to you yet."

I frowned. "Is it really so bad you have to keep it from me?"

"Your safety is my priority until we take care of Saito. My other reasoning doesn't keep you safe nor brings Saito closer."

"I don't see why I can't know anyway."

"I promise to tell you once we apprehend Saito."

Eying him, I didn't catch any dishonesty. His face was as stoic as ever, which made me feel uneasy. Would he lie to keep me happy? Would he tell me and have me forget him all over again? Frankly, I was afraid to believe in his promise.

"I understand your hesitation. I haven't been honest with you from the start."

"I'm afraid you'll tell me only to have me forget."

Something in me stirred when Kurama openly showed sadness. Did he feel bad for what he did before?

"I will tell you, Ichika."

I nodded a few times, still unsure if he really would.

•••••

Saito stood outside my workplace one afternoon when I was headed home early. I froze at the door and scowled. Knowing he was more dangerous than I thought, I was afraid to get closer. Unfortunately, he walked toward me.

My grip on the door handle tightened. "I don't want to see you, Saito."

"Yeah, I know, but I want to see you."

"You need to go. I have things to do and I'm having dinner later with some friends. I'm not wasting the little time I have to bother with you."

"No need to be nasty. You loved me once."

"I don't now," I snapped. "Leave me alone."

"You going to see that pretty boy again?"

Rolling my eyes, I pulled away from the door and marched away. "Who I hang out with is none of your damn business."

Saito didn't take the hint that the conversation was done. "That guy? Don't come running to me when he hurts you."

"You're the last person I'll ever come to if something goes wrong."

"I can't believe you're dumb enough to think he'll care about you."

"No, Saito. I was dumb staying with you as long as I did."

In a second, his hand was around my forearm. I was swinging my other hand toward his face when a different hand paused my movement. Saito's gaze hardened. I turned to find a frighteningly calm Kurama beside me, his eyes steady on the man touching me.

"I suggest you let her go or you'll regret laying your eyes on her in the first place." Kurama's voice was low. I nearly shivered from the icy tone.

"I'm not afraid of you fox boy."

"Release her." He reached behind his head and pulled out a rose seemingly from nowhere.

Saito laughed, but let me go. "I forgot you have a way with flowers. I never understood why so many feared you."

"Go away, Saito!" I yelled. "I'm sick of seeing your face. You're not getting any closer to me, so leave."

"Oh, no, that's where you're mistaken, my dear Ichika. I'll get you when your fox's guard is down. You won't see it coming." And then, Saito vanished.

Kurama stared in another direction and I realized Saito didn't vanish. He was too fast for me to see. Dread filled my heart.

"I... I didn't see him leave. He's too fast. What if he... What if he does get me?"

"He won't."

My faith in my new friends was dwindling.

"What... What did he mean by 'fox?'"

Kurama's face relaxed. "Demons can take on animal forms. I was a fox demon."

I tried to imagine what that looked like. Since I had no idea what Yoko looked like, I imagined the redhead in front of me with ears and a tail. I actually giggled.

"I'm sorry! I'm sure you looked fearsome before, but..." I laughed harder and wiped away a tear. "Imaging you with fox features is... I just can't!"

Kurama smiled, relieved that I seemed all right.

"I'm sure you'd look adorable with ears and a tail, but it's so shocking! Now I wish I knew what you looked like as a demon. Maybe I wouldn't laugh as much."

"I'm afraid that could be dangerous. Yoko may be unpredictable."

"Wait... You can turn into the Yoko guy?"

"It's complicated, but yes." Kurama uncharacteristically poked my forehead. It felt so normal, caring. "Didn't you have things to do before this evening?"

"Oh!" I blushed red. "I can't believe I forgot when it was the only thing on my mind when Saito was here."

"I'll accompany you in case he returns."

"As long as it doesn't mess with the rest of your afternoon."

"I had nothing planned."

I nodded. "All right. I shouldn't take too long, so you can do what you want until tonight."

"Stop trying to give me a reason to leave, Ichika," he chuckled.

"I just don't want to waste your time."

If only I had known all the time he spent watching out for me after I was enlightened to the worlds beyond Living World.

•••••

Kurama and I arrived together at Yusuke's apartment. Kuwabara, Yusuke, Keiko, and a few new faces were there.

"Hi!" I greeted. "I'm Ichika Fujimori."

The woman with sky-blue hair in a high ponytail pulled me into a tight hug. "It's so lovely to finally meet you! I'm Botan and that cute one there is Yukina."

She waved politely before going back to listening to Kuwabara's story. He was so in love with her and it was painfully obvious. Yukina had the sweetest smile as she listened, too. I wondered if she felt the same for him.

"He got away," a cold voice said behind me.

I jumped and turned. A man of short stature glared at everyone in the room. His eyes were red - much like Yukina's - and his attire was all black except for the white scarf around his neck. Something in my gut told me to never get on his bad side.

"You said you could catch him, Hiei," Yusuke joked.

"He's more clever than we thought. No doubt the result of sucking on this woman's soul for so long."

I bowed. "I'm sorry I've caused so many problems for you. I'm sure you'd rather be doing something more useful with your time."

Hiei studied me. I thought Kurama could keep his face void of emotion, but Hiei blew him out of the water. I wanted to know more about him. I didn't know why I thought it, but I knew he was a demon. Something about the air around him.

He smirked and shifted his gaze to Kurama. "At least she's not a complete fool." And just like Saito, he disappeared.

"Don't worry about him, Ichika," Kuwabara said. "Hiei's bitter he's so short."

"Are you sure you should make fun of him?" I asked. "I would be worried he'd kill me if I looked at him wrong."

"Hiei and Kuwabara's friendship is... unusual," Kurama said.

"He's a demon, right?"

"Hey, how'd you know that?" Yusuke got in my face. "I'm pretty sure Koenma said you didn't have spiritual awareness."

I took a step back from him. "Well, I assumed he was because the air around him felt different he didn't give any sign of what he was thinking of. Kurama is good at it, too. I guess years of practice would do that. When any of our faces are serious, there's more going on under the surface we can't hide. I mean, I can sort of guess what you'll do next, ya know?"

Yusuke smirked. "Joke's on you 'cause I've got demon blood coursing through me."

"Wha- Really?"

"And Yukina is a demon, too," Keiko added.

I looked at Kurama. "I... I think I need to work on my observation skills."

He smiled. "Yusuke lived most of his life as a human and Yukina chose to be different from the ice demon clan she grew up in. Without those outliers, your observations are correct."

My cheeks felt warm. "Thanks, Kurama."

"Oh, dear," Botan said before wrapping me in her arms again. "You are absolutely adorable!"

My cheeks were really burning after that. "N-Not really. I'm just me."

"And you're the cutest darn thing!"

"Oh, no, please. You haven't met Ichigo yet. He's far cuter."

"I thought you'd bring the little guy here tonight," Yusuke said.

Kurama sat in an empty chair. "I have him watching her house. Saito is well-versed in sneaking around."

That struck a chord in me. My brain went into overdrive and started putting pieces together. Kurama could have said that for me to mull over on purpose. In any case, I had this horrible feeling Saito did a lot more than munch on my soul.

Our eyes met for a second and I could tell he knew what I was thinking. We would be chatting later.

•••••

"Later" occurred several hours after hanging out with our friends when Kurama was walking me home.

"You know something about Saito that I don't..." I kicked a rock off to the side.

"I do."

"Did you mean for me to figure out you knew something?"

"It was a poor choice of words, but I've tried formulating a way to tell you."

"Did Saito hurt other people? Like, that day I met you at the nursery... He canceled our plans for that evening. While I was out shopping and meeting you... he was hurting someone."

"He did hurt others... women."

"And I'm sure before he hurt them, he did things with them... probably slept with them... right?"

Kurama's gaze lowered and told me what I needed to know.

"I had a feeling he would do something like that. Without the hurting them part."

"May I ask why?"

"Well, uh..." I scratched my head and avoided Kurama's eyes. "He wasn't happy with me when I told him I wouldn't... I wouldn't sleep with him." I peered at Kurama through my hair. I didn't understand why I was so embarrassed about telling him that.

"Interesting."

"It's not like I wouldn't have. He just... I didn't want him like that. It felt wrong. Maybe I subconsciously knew he was going to hurt me... or eat my soul."

"That could explain why he never had complete possession of your soul."

"Because I didn't... have sex with him?"

"For demons, sex can be much more involved than it is for humans. Saito wanted you to give yourself to him in the purest form, giving him complete access to your soul. You didn't let him, thus your soul is still here."

I blinked and rubbed my burning cheeks. Talking about sex was one thing. Hearing Kurama talk about it was another. I wanted to know how it was different for demons, but I couldn't bear it if Kurama spoke more about it.

"So I saved myself because I... I saved myself."

Kurama chuckled. "That seems to be so."

"Then I guess go me." I brushed my fingers through my hair nervously. "So if I decided to have intimate relations with someone - and they're a demon - I would be signing away my soul."

"Only if they want it for power. Surprisingly, some demons don't want to consume your soul. Having it differently - still inside you - would be enough."

"I could play it safe and become a nun or something. Then I wouldn't have to wonder if the person I'm dating is a demon in disguise."

"There is always that."

I smiled. "I wouldn't make a good nun. Not really."

"I can't imagine you would flourish in a convent."

At my front door, I grabbed Kurama's hand and squeezed it before letting go. He seemed surprised, making my smile grow. "Thank you for being honest with me about Saito even if it was late. I appreciate it."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

I shrugged. "You told me now and that's enough."

A comfortable silence wrapped around us. I was happy to call Kurama a friend despite everything that happened.

"Is someone watching my house tonight?" It was strange to be at ease with the idea of someone watching my house. I was more thankful than weirded out though.

"Hiei, the one you met tonight, will be. He has for several weeks now."

"I'm sure he's not happy about babysitting a human."

"Don't worry about him. He is far more capable of keeping an eye on things than any of us."

"What kind of demon is he?"

Kurama let out an airy chuckle. "Let's save that conversation for another day. I recommend you get some rest."

"Right." I finally opened my door, standing in the doorway with a big grin. "Thanks for everything, Kurama."

Another smile and I closed the door between us. I might have watched him through my window until he walked out of view. At least I knew he was safe as far as I could see. Ichigo joined me and made a noise like a whimper but lower.

I scratched the top of his head. "Sorry, Ichi. He can't come over today. It's too late. Kurama will come over soon though. He hasn't forgotten you. I promise."

Ichigo still pouted, his ears laying back in distress. I almost thought someone was in the house, but my fox friend went back to normal the second I dug out some treats for him.

Bad things might have caused Kurama to come into my life again - and those things were terrifying - but there were enough good things he brought with him that made it all worth it: Ichigo and a new group of friends. And strangely, Saito was also a cause for all the good. Maybe I would have to thank him before he was taken care of in the way my friends found necessary.

[seasaltmemories]

Regret

Rating: PG

Summary: Romance had never been a top priority in her life, but a part of herself had always wondered if she has chosen to focus on other pursuits only because she wasn’t used to being seen as desirable.  To lose that fondness now, Himika wondered if she her heart could take such a betrayal.

~

When Himika awoke at 5am to the sound of vomiting, she was almost ready to call the marriage off.

She had gone in knowing it would be a rocky start.  Neither had wanted to marry until Leo Corporation had gotten on its feet, but extenuating circumstances had made it necessary to push the ceremony earlier than expected. That also meant breaking the news to her family that, yes, she was marrying the mad scientist that more or less lived in his garage.  As expected, Mother and Ichika did not handle the news well, but at the very least, the quick wedding meant they had to get over their patronizing protection of her all the faster.  It had been like balancing out a set of accounts, a bit of a headache, but the pro’s and con’s should all cancel out in the end.  If that had been her only problem, then she would have put up her hair, gritted her teeth, and made it all work somehow.

It was this honeymoon that was falling apart.

Neither Leo nor she were too attached to the idea.  Again, considering Leo Corporation hadn’t been in business for even six months, it seemed illogical to go vacationing now.  But it was here where her family put their foot down.  Hasegawa’s had a reputation to uphold and suddenly running off with a broke foreigner without having a honeymoon was just a step too far out of line.  And it was difficult to argue against taking a break, so Himika had relented fairly easy.  She scheduled a week in Kyoto, figuring the trip would be fairly simple and romantic, before life caught up on them again.

But then they had misplaced their tickets, their hotel didn’t seem to have gotten their reservation, it rained for half the trip, and now what little sleep she had gotten had been interrupted.

Reluctantly, she rose to check on the situation.  The lights were on in their bathroom, and as she thought, Leo was currently hanging off the side of the toilet, as he clutched his stomach.

“Oh don’t tell me that you’re sick!”

Leo looked over his shoulder with a weak grin.  “Afraid so.”  It was such a pitiable expression, all her frustration faded into shame.

“I’m not upset at you for being ill,”  Himika pinched her brow.  Apologies had never been her strong suit.  “It’s just...do you have any idea what it might be?”  Something to go on, anything that might let her do more than just sit around and do nothing.

“I think it was the shellfish I ate last night.  Don’t worry, get back to sleep.”  He stiffened, then leaned back over the toilet in expectation of another spasm.

Himika groaned.  Sleeping was the last thing she could do at a time like this, so instead she sat down next to Leo.  As the youngest of the family, she had little experience tending to others (and doubted she was disposed to such qualities anyway) but she did her best to try and comfort Leo.  She felt like half a fool as she rubbed circles against his back, yet when he was done throwing up, he looked up at her and seemed a little less pained.

“You know I thought this might happen, but I figured the roles would be switched.”

Unconsciously, Himika glanced towards her own stomach.  With that right clothes and an unknowing eye, her new guest was still undetectable, but in a few weeks it would become impossible to hide.

“Most women around this stage began to lose their morning sickness,” She replied, unsure what else to say.

“Good to know,”  Leo gave a quiet laugh.  “Still I just want to take proper responsibility for you.”

Funny, Ichika’s biggest complaint had been his perceived lack of responsibility.  She had done things right, found a stock-broker husband, married, and had two little boys before she had even reached Himika’s current age.  The sisters were only five years apart, but to her well-respectable eye, it must have seen as if Himika had decide to have her rebellious phase at thirty.  Accidental pregnancies and hasty weddings were the things of couples a decade younger than them.

Himika remembered Mother’s scrutinizing gaze at Leo’s graying hair.  For him it was the stuff of a man two decades younger,

“Dear?” The affectionate nickname brought heat to her cheeks and her consciousness back to the present.  “You grew quiet, are you upset with me?”

“I would not have married you if I did not want to.”  The words come out like the sharp declaration of a queen, (although in the back of her mind she wondered how regal she could look on a bathroom floor).  “Responsibility or no, I would not have married a man or chosen to bear his child on a whim.”

A soft smile spread to his face.  “I wanted to marry you too.”  It’s such a simple statement, but with it, Himika could feel a week’s worth of tension drain from her being.

Before their wedding day, she had heard him mutter something in his sleep. “Ray...” It could have passed as another woman’s name.

Romance had never been a top priority in her life, but a part of herself had always wondered if she has chosen to focus on other pursuits only because she wasn’t used to being seen as desirable.  To lose that fondness now, Himika wondered if she her heart could take such a betrayal.

But they were married now, and if this Ray really did exist, she wasn’t here, taking care of him now.

“Why don’t we cancel our morning plans?”  A smile of her own matched his.  “We can relax some and see if we’re ready to go out by lunch.”

“That sounds amazing, thank you, Dear.”

Heat rushed to her face again, and Himika considered how the pair of them must look to outside eyes.

She thought hard about it and decided that if he didn’t regret his decision, than she had no reason to either.

A.N. Shotgun wedding Instituteshipping started out as a crack headcanon and now you’ll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands

[reversemoon255]

Precure Dream Stars! The Movie!

It has been quite some time since I've felt like talking about a movie, and after half-an-hour of Googling I finally managed to find (a 480p version of) the Dream Stars Movie with English subs. And I really liked this movie. In fact, it may be one of the best Precure Stars Movies they've done to date. But sadly that's not hard to do. While there are one or two good ones here or there (and they have pretty good meta-humor throughout) they mostly fall flat in the same way Rider movies do. There are so many characters and not enough run time to take care of all of them.

Now, how does Dream Stars avoid this? By cutting down the number of teams from literally all of them (which at this point is 51 girls) to just the current team and the two prior ones. It also helped that it had a similar theme to Cure Echo's movie, the other movie that I feel ranks for top crossover. It focuses on new characters instead of trying to make everyone in existence have a staring role.

The Good: This is Sakura and Shizuku's movie, and they are absolutely adorable. They're pretty strong for one-off characters, and Sakura gets serious bonus points for blowing snot while crying. Their designs are also very good, including both of Shizuku's forms. Like Cure Echo, Gureru, and Enen before them, I really hope they reappear at some point. I could also totally see them appearing in the next season, with Sakura taking over a role similar to Cure Sword's in Doki Doki, and Shizuku taking on the purified villain role like Cure Scarlet or Cure Beat. Hey, a guy can dream.

All twelve Precure got at least a small moment. Even Yui had a bit. She may have actually had more spoken lines than Minami, now that I think about it. Crow Tengu was an entertaining villain. A very simple one, but entertaining to watch.

The animation quality was beautiful. I'd have to go back and watch the Cure Mofurun fight, but this may have been the highest quality the Maho team has ever been shown fighting in. The choreography was great throughout the traditional animation bits, and while I feel like the fights weren't as good in the CG bits they still looked amazing. I felt actively aware of the resolution I was watching this in and hope a better sub group does it in a higher quality in time. I don't know which studio handled this, but all the characters were animated slightly differently than usual, but I liked the stylezation. It was almost like they were trying to blend the three styles, so everyone looks at home next to each other.

The overall writing wasn't bad. The humor mostly hit, especially the meta-humor. I got a laugh when Sakura first appeared on the movie screen in super-realistic CG. That was also a really cool mechanic. I feel like I haven't seen anything like that since...Gremlins 2? It was really neat and makes me sad I couldn't see it in theaters.

The Bad: While I enjoyed Sakura and Shizuku, they really stole the spotlight from the other girls, other than Ichika and to a much smaller extent Mirai. While everyone got a bit, most characters only got one, meaning singular. I mentioned Minami earlier, and hers was literally unstapling Haruka and Kirara. I don't think she even talks after that scene. This movie felt like an original anime movie that they thought couldn't stand on their own. The girls were only there to build hype that wasn't delivered upon.

While Crow Tengu and his Shiisas were funny, they are extremely one-dimensional villains. Crow has no backstory, no reason for what he's doing, he just likes pretty things and wants to keep them for himself. The only reason he wants Sakura is because of her ability to re-appropriate doors to other worlds so he can steal more things. And he thinks she's pretty.

Lastly, I've got a couple issues with the writing. Where did Shizuku get those cards that told Sakura how to find the Precure? Why did they need these three specific Precure teams? I mean, I can kinda understand the Kira Kira team since Ichika helps Sakura go through some emotional growth, but the Maho team does nothing but help in the fight, and the only other contribution other than that the Princess team does is Haruka using her Sakura Key to open the final door to Sakurahama. And if the "Precure of Keys" actually had to do something involving keys, then why didn't the "Precure of Jewels" or "Precure of Sweets" have to do anything specific involving the cards they were given? It makes the Precure, the characters we probably came to this movie to see, feel like set pieces and plot devices and not actual characters.

The Ugly: This is my personal ugly. I'm gonna bet more people have better suspension of disbelief than I do, so it won't matter as much to anyone else, but there is a huge continuity hiccup in this movie:

The Precure movies involving multiple teams have terrible continuity. Since every movie has the starting lineup of each show fighting alongside the previous teams, you could assume each season happens one after another, however since nobody actually ages, yet we see multiple cases of certain holidays, we have to assume there's some level of concurrency going on.

Then Princess and Maho come along which throws two huge monkey wrenches into this mess. Spoliers, but Princess ends with the main team splitting up a few months after the final resolution with Dyspear and Close, and it is heavily implied that the girls don't see each other again for at least 10 years and since the connection to Hope Kingdom is severed it is likely impossible for them to meet up specifically for the movies. This is sort of explained away in the crossover Movie with Maho by implying it takes place during those few months after the final battle, but before Towa leaves. However, Maho also has an epilogue that happens 10 years later that tells us that directly after their final battle the three Precure don't see each other again for that time frame with absolute certainty. On top of that, when they do meet up again, again with Mirai and Liko in their 20s, they meet Ichika. The college age Maho Girls Precure meet a Middle Schooler Cure Whip, meaning that Kira Kira Precure A La Mode canonically takes place 10 years after every other season in the show's history. End of spoilers.

If you skipped that, Kira Kira is supposed to take place 10 years after the events of Princess and Maho. And they're all still middle schoolers. You could technically explain this away by saying that the doors Sakura's creating are able to transcend time, but they really needed to actually say that. And if that's not enough, the Maho Girls also appear in the Kira Kira solo movie, and they look to be still in middle school in that too, so unless we have Hanami pulling some more magical hijinx, time makes absolutely no sense in this show! Gosh darn it this infuriates me!

*Sigh*, overall, it's a pretty good film if you like Kira Kira specifically or if you're open to seeing the story of Sakura and Shizuku. I wish everyone else got more of a role, and I really wish Precure paid attention to their own continuity a bit more, but if I try really hard and suspend my disbelief I can certainly enjoy the story of these new characters.

[recurring-polynya]

I was wondering: what do you think Kazui and Ichika's powers would be? Their parents are super powerful, so would their powers reflect their parents' powers, or would it be something more original? I've heard theories that Ichika is some sort of genius or something, because she had on the Soul Reaper outfit instead of the school clothes. And Kazui is probably strong too, considering he knows how to become a Soul Reaper. And they're both just kids!! (It's a random question, but I'm curious.)

It’s funny that anyone would ask me this, because to be honest, I am Not That Into Ichika and Kazui. Part of it is that what is so enchanting about Bleach to me is everyone’s rich and layered backstories, and “kid of existing characters” is about as uninteresting as you can get. I mean, epilogue children are fine, I have no problem with that, but I’m not sure I care that much about them. Two, I have my own kids, I am on Tumblr to *get a break from* children. Three, I find it vaguely upsetting that Renji and Rukia had a kid so soon after getting married, I wish they had more time to have gonzo sex on every flat surface in their house, you know both of them are ~bananas~ in bed. (I mean, they probably had sex before they got married, but I tend to assume they got together fairly late in the game, also newly married sex is its Own Thing) My only explanation there is that they got married *because* they were ready to have a kid, I am sticking with that. I also would have accepted Ichika being conceived in the Royal Realm, but the timing doesn’t work out. I am generally against accidental pregnancies, but that would have been lit as f. I am not even all that sure that Rukia would want kids, although Renji is Extremely a Dad, and I think she would enjoy raising a family with him (I legit think he does most of the work and it works out very well for everyone).

Back to the business at hand. Uh, so I have seen several people give Ichika lightning powers (I am specifically thinking of @gizkasparadise, see here or @acompletenonentity ‘s very cool bankai design) and I generally approve. The tsuba of her zanpakutou is lightning shaped, which picks up the lightning designs on Renji’s. Also, Rukia’s powers are wintery and Byakuya’s are spring, so having some summer thunderstorm powers would be cool. In battle, I want her to have Big Renji energy. I love Renji in a fight, and I especially love him in a group fight, picking off a hundred low-level dudes so that Rukia or Ichigo can get to the boss. To that end, I’d like Ichika to have something with some reach, maybe a kusarigama or a naginata? 

Kazui is baby, I have never given a second of thought to his powers.

That being said, you asked ME this question, and you’re gonna get a Polynya Answer, whether you wanted one or not, and that means I am only capable of thinking about this in the context of The Narrative.

So, if I were charged with writing a Bleach Continuation, the premise would be this: Yamamoto died in the Quincy War, which means he gets reborn in the World of the Living and is a only few years older than Our Kids. My manga would revolve around Shitty Teen Yamamoto getting attacked by 1,000,000 very powerful people he does not remember doing dirty. Furthermore, there’s something that Yamamoto sealed up or whatever he’s the key to unlocking again, so Soul Society can’t just let him get killed like a bitch, he needs to regain some powers and learn the power of friendship, blah blah blah. For Reasons, he ends up in the protectorship of the Disaster Duo of Ichika and Kazui.

During one of my first watches of Bleach, I had the idea that the zanpakutou spirits were either “reincarnated” Soul Reapers, or that they were re-used, as in when a Soul Reaper dies, their zanpakutou spirit will, at some point, attach themselves to a new one. I still like this idea (I think Hyourinmaru is canonically like this, actually?) To that end, Ichika, who fancies herself a rough-and-ready dirtbag like her folks, Big Squad 11 energy, ends up with the Extremely Venerable zanpakutou spirit of some famous Kuchiki hero who died 900 years ago. I’m thinking some ancient dragon-spirit/world turtle thing who with long mustaches who is just So Extra and Ichika is like “uhhhh” and Renji and Rukia are like “uhhhhh” and the Kuchiki are like “NO PLEASE” and Byakuya, who has still not managed to get remarried and have heirs is like “THIS IS MY TIME.” Anyway, her zanpakutou is a Chinese long chuan sword like Green Destiny from Crouching Tiger. She’s primarily a physical fighter like her dad, but she’s also a very skilled kidou user, and is a well-rounded fighter overall. She’s not exactly by-the-book, but she knows the Correct Way to Do Everything.

Kazui’s powers are just batshit chaos, he does what he wants. Half the time, he’s like “I’m just gonna reverse the flow of time which will suck us into another dimension” and Ichika’s like “that’s not a thing, you can’t–” and then he does it. “I’m just gonna go into my Resurrection.” “You don’t– oh dang, you do.” And then, the other half of the time, he can’t even do simple normal things, like he can’t sense other peoples’ reiatsu or something. He absolutely cannot do kidou. His zanpakutou spirit is straight up teen Masaki. 

I LOVE Everything But the Rain, and the first time I read it, when Masaki and Isshin throw their lives away for 0 dollars in order to save each other, my first reaction was “These people are 100% Ichigo’s parents, this is perfect” and then being Orihime’s son on top of that, Kazui is just an elemental force of rescuing his precious friends and having Masaki riding shotgun Does Not Help. Ichika likes to think she’s a wild improvisor, but she’s been a shinigami since the day she was conceived. Like her father before her, she is actually the counterintuitive order muppet of the relationship.

Finally, I will not accept a fully grown Ichika who is less than 5’11” with her hair down. You bet your ass she’s covered in tattoos and owns 800 pairs of sunglasses.

Kazui is 5’5”.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.