#i really love this play with the Japanese syllables

[doodlesandbooks]

I was inspired by @sham-w0w's sketch of her versions of the avatars and wanted to have my own go XD -please go and check out her lovely art :)

design notes under the cut:

Names:

I chose a name for f!robin that was bird based and had the same number of syllables, and that ended in an N and started with R, hence ‘Ravan’

Male Corrin has their Japanese name: 'Kamui'

Bylee is a pet name that my sister gave her f!byleth when she first played through 3 houses (other options included Byres or Beresu since that was her name in Japanese, but I preferred Bylee.)

I couldn't think of a good name for her so eventually I put the Japanese kanji of their name into google translate. It came up with Chez, so I've gone with it! XD

The name Luear, was a combination of their Japanese name Luere and their English name Alear.

Robin:

I gave both Robins a Validar/aversa skin tone, but gave Ravan the fringe and eye bags that my favourite design of f!robin has. I kept her pigtails though because they’re pretty integral to the characters silhouette. I also gave her a slightly darker shade of hair since in FEwarriors, she has a grey hair tone.

My character customisations of male robin (left) female robin (right)

FE Warriors Anna's momento 1 for hair colour reference

Aversa and validar's portraits for skin tone reference

Corrin:

I love them both so I kept them pretty similar to the usual designs. I did make him a bit younger since his design is based off of his younger option whereas her's is based off of the older option. I also gave him a hoshidan earring because I thought it looked cute and he tends to represent the hoshidan route. I also like to give them lil sharp dragon teef because they deserve it.

My customisation choices for both Corrins

Byleth:

for the byleths i made them both look slightly blue in complexion because of their hearts not really working. Both of them have some pale and some dark hair and part pale part dark eyes. I gave f!byleth more of the paler colouration since I tend to only play her myself on blue lions or azure gleam, so she always has that colour scheme. He also has the darker hair in engage so it seemed fitting to do it that way round. I love them both so I wanted to draw them both pretty close to the original.

Shez:

Shez has a design that I have a love hate relationship with, on the one hand, I appreciate how silly it is, on the other hand, it is ridiculous. However, purple and orange is a solid colour scheme. I really love how they both look in their powered up form, so I have given them elements of that in their base design.

f!Shez's very layered fringe vs un-layered main section of hair really bothers me, so I have given her a shorter hair cut... also freckles because I love freckles and I thought they suited her.

Alear:

I kept both the Alear designs very similar to the original, except for male Alear's eyes, which I've given a darker colour.

In the fell Xenologue, the only time we see his face, Xenologue Alear is in shadow, hence the darker eye colour, I also gave him one of my favourite silly accessories from the DLC - the single earring! XD

[dira333]

Of Tremors and believing in Love - Yaku x Reader

Yaku’s not sure what he expected. 

Maybe some buff Russian guy like they show in action movies, or an elderly gentleman that makes him feel like a Celebrity with a private driver.

Not you. 

You’re gorgeous, even in the unforgiving light of the airport exit area, holding up a sign that spells his name in bright red Kanji. 

He swallows nervously, hands clammy with sweat as he approaches.

He hadn’t been that nervous, he thinks, leaving Japan for an unfamiliar country. It was Volleyball and he knew Volleyball. He could rely on his talent if everything else failed, and on his iron stomach to handle whatever the Russian kitchen was going to throw at him - Lev’s tales hadn’t left him with much hope.

But he’s never been that good at talking to girls and his perpetually single status is either a symptom or the cause of this predicament.

“Hi,” he greets you, voice breaking over that one-syllable word.

“Hi,” you smile and bow in greeting. “How was your flight? Are you hungry, tired, or anything else?”

Your Japanese is perfect. He can even hear hints of a Kansai dialect hidden somewhere in between.

“A little hungry,” he admits, “I… uh… I’m Yaku, by the way. Morisuke.”

He wants to facepalm so badly. Where’s his usual coolness? Where’s his confident tone?

“Sorry,” you apologize immediately, offering your name. “I got caught up in the moment. How about we grab something to eat and get to know each other?”

Yaku nods, glad that’s something he can answer without opening his mouth and making a fool of himself.

As it turns out, he was right.

You grew up in the Kansai region, moved to Russia with your parents when you were a young teen. 

He can’t help but search for familiarity in your features, half expecting to be reminded of Lev, or Alisa. He berates himself immediately. Just because you’re Japanese-Russian too doesn’t mean you have to look like everyone else who’s Japanese-Russian.

“How did they find you?” Yaku asks as he slips into the booth, “The agency, I mean.”

“Oh, I work for Tigr Ekaterinburg. I handled your contracts. They asked me if I would be willing to show you around and be a helping hand the first few months and I agreed. Japanese players are often polite and easy to work with. Do you think you’ll be able to handle the Russians though? They can be pretty rough.”

Yaku laughs. “I do think I can. I’ve played in quite a few different teams. My classmates called me Demon-Senpai.” He laughs again at the memory, fondness washing over him.

“Tell me more about that,” you ask, your question so unusually direct for the polite tone you’re using. You flip open the Menu. “I’ll be ordering. Any allergies?”

-

“So you’re the Mom-friend of the Group,” you summarize, popping the last tiny pancake, or Syrniki, as they are called, into your mouth. You chew slowly, not letting him out of your sight.

“That’s interesting. I’ve never met a male Mom-friend.”

“I’m not-” he tries to defend himself, even though he’s heard it often enough from Kenma and Kuroo, Kai and Lev. “You really think so?”

“There’s an easy test,” you tell him with a smile. “Did you know I have actually a headache? It’s been bothering me all day.”

Worry washes over him. “Really? God, why didn’t you say so? You should rest then. Did you drink enough water?”

You laugh, the sound tinkling around him like droplets of silver.

“You failed the test. Mom-Friend detected.”

He pouts and you still. For a moment, no one speaks.

Eventually, you move again, clear your throat, and take a sip of your drink.

“Sorry,” you say. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I’m not offended.”

“Good.” You nod, your voice calm and distant. “If you want, I can show you you’re apartment now.”

- - -

Yaku’s not the first guy you get to drive around town nor will he be the last, probably.

You drop him off at his apartment, show him the few things he could have trouble with - no rice cooker in the kitchen and the bathroom works a little different over here - and leave for the office, determined to finish that project you’d been working on all week.

Hopefully, work will flush out whatever’s bothering your heart, causing it to race at the adorable little pout on Yaku’s lips.

You told him you’d pick him up later for a night out, so you leave a little early - still not done with that damned project - to put on something fancier, add some smoke to your make-up.

Yaku’s waiting in the lobby when you step in and you swallow thickly at his sight.

Most athletes like to dress as casually as they can in their free time. Jeans and a shirt are often the most you get to see. Yaku, however, is dressed in an expensive suit, hair combed back. 

You can tell he’s not a stranger to wearing suits, moving just as easily in it as he did in his tracksuit earlier.

He gets up before you can call out his name, cheeks turning a soft pink at your sight. 

That eases your nerves a little, knowing you still have at least some effect on him.

“Ready to go?” You ask, trying to ignore the way he takes you in. There’s a warmth in his eyes that’s a little unnerving. 

-

He’s even prettier under the twinkling lights of the city, leaning in when you explain something, expensive Cologne wafting around you.

“Do you want to dance?” You ask, after you’ve wandered through the city center. “Or something to eat?”

Yaku ponders the question for a moment.

“How about a bite first? I’d love to take you out to dance, though.”

His words leave you flushed and angry. That’s not what you meant, but correcting him would sound weird. 

When you suddenly have to weave through a group of tourists, his hand presses against the small of your back, warm and steady, and in way you don’t want it to. But you can’t bring yourself to tell him off, nor to move away from his touch.

-

“First year was tough”, he remembers over a bowl of Pelmeni, “Kuroo and I didn’t get along.”

“Who was Kuroo again?” You ask, offering him one of your Pirozhki.

He swipes his thumb over his phone and turns it, so you can see a picture of his old Volleyball team. Yaku’s easy to find, almost the smallest of the group. He’s grown since then, though not much, if you had to guess.

“That’s Kuroo. I know his hair looks awful, but he claims he can’t do anything about it and that it’s natural. He was our Captain in our third year. The pudding head next to him is Kenma, our genius setter. These two have been best friends since childhood.” 

He tells you each name, warmth in his voice as he remembers. It’s not hard to tell that they were close.

“Are you still in contact?” You ask, surprised when he nods. 

“With all of them?” His eyebrows wander up.

“Yes, why? Is that surprising to you?”

You feel caught and look away, but you’re unable to escape his eyes, it seems.

“A little,” you admit finally and hope that he drops it. 

Thankfully, he does.

.

Yaku’s easy to talk to. 

All too soon you find yourself walking out of that restaurant and into a nightclub, his head so close as he listens to your explanation that you could kiss him, if you wanted to, without even having to move much.

But you don’t. Because it would be weird, right? And unprofessional.

His hand is warm in yours as a new song starts and he pulls you in.

It’s a slow one and you can’t tell if that’s good or bad. 

The dance floor is packed and you’re soon pressed against him, your own heartbeat echoing in your stomach. There’s a tilt to his mouth that makes you wonder how it would taste and before you know you’re leaning in a little and he’s leaning in too.

His lips are soft and warm and he tastes like the wine you shared earlier.

His teeth graze your lower lip, just the faintest touch, but it shakes you out of your dream-like state better than a bucket of ice water ever could.

You snap back and purse your lips like they’ve offended you personally.

“I…” You hesitate, your voice breathless, “I’ll wait for you at the bar.”

.

There’s a tremor hiding in your bones.

You check your hands in the seconds it takes him to catch up to you, but you can’t tell from the outside. Good.

“I-”

“You can dance with someone else,” you tell him, voice as polite as can be. “I am only your guide, after all.”

“I don’t want to dance with anyone else.” He reaches for you but you step out of reach.

“Please,” you ask, but he shakes his head.

“Very well. Do you want to take a walk?”

.

The sky is clear above you, though it’s hard to see the stars beyond the glow of street lamps. 

Your hands are buried in the pockets of your jacket in case he tries to take one.

“Do you believe in love?” You ask after a minute when the street clears and you’re on your own. “Not in general, but in like… love for yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Makes sense.”

“It does?” Yaku looks over, confusion written all over his face.

“Sure. You’re good-looking, smart, easy to talk to. It makes sense.”

He smiles, but your stomach churns violently.

“Yaku-san,” you stop, address him in the politest way you can. “I don’t believe in love. I am sorry I just kissed you. But I cannot offer you anything of that kind.”

Yaku’s quiet for a while. His face does not give anything away. 

Eventually, he nods.

“I understand. But we can be friends, right?”

“Friends as in you’re waiting for me to change my mind about it?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “Friends as in friends. I quite like your company, but I can deal with a rejection.”

You hesitate for a second before you nod.

“Friends would be nice.

- - - xxx - - -

“Have you eaten yet?” Yaku’s standing in the doorway to your office, two identical looking Bento Boxes in his hands.

“Eh?” You look up from your Desk. “No, but what are you doing here?”

“I figured. Want to share?”

You’re just about to decline when your stomach grumbles loudly. 

Yaku grins and steps closer. “I think that was a confirmation.”

-

“Hey,” Yaku’s grin is warm and inviting, his hair dripping wet. “We just finished training and the boys want to hit the city. Do you want to come along? I heard they have great Syrniki.”

He absolutely butchers the name and you can’t help but correct him.

“So?” He cocks his head to the side, waiting. “It’s just a hangout with the guys. You know at least one of them, well, besides me, I mean.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll come.”

-

“Are you coming to the game this weekend?” Yaku asks as you meet him in the lobby. He always comes in early for extra training and while you haven’t yet figured out at what time he arrives, he’s already got your schedule memorized, waiting for you with a coffee and a pastry.

“I wasn’t planning to,” you admit, “My parents are coming into town. They’ve moved into the countryside a few years back.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” He nods. “I hope you’re having a great time together.”

“We will.” You take a sip of coffee and can’t help the teasing comment slipping through your lips. “Aren’t you going to tell me that you’re going to play much worse now that I’m not there to cheer you on?”

“Your presence or lack thereof isn’t going to affect my game,” he tells you, voice serious, confidence so deeply laced into his tone it catches your breath, “But I prefer to celebrate my wins and losses with the people I care about.”

“O-oh…” you stammer, suddenly overwhelmed, “I… guess that makes sense. W-we can celebrate on Monday.”

-

“Girl, I don’t know how you do it,” your best friend comments and you can almost smell the alcohol on her breath - through the phone. “You decline every offer to have a relationship yet you have these fine men running after you? Why does this never work for me?”

“You can’t say no.”

“True.” She chuckles dryly. “But it’s a shame you didn’t get to watch that game. He was looking fine. I might not have understood all that much but he was doing well. At least if you believe the commentators.”

“I’m sure he did his best,” you tell her calmly, yet unable to keep from biting down on your fingernail. 

“Don’t worry, I recorded it. I’m sending the file over now.”

Your home computer dings with an incoming mail and you heave a sigh. 

“I don’t have time to watch it tonight. My parents just left and I’m exhausted.”

“Don’t tell me they asked you about grandchildren…”

You sigh again and she laughs. 

“Go, take a nap. The world will look better in the morning.”

And it will… but you can’t help yourself, press play instead of going to bed as you intended.

And your friend is right. 

Yaku looks good. He moves with the calm confidence of a professional.

If you could convince yourself that attraction is all it takes to lead a healthy relationship, you might have taken a leap of faith. 

-

Staying up late comes back to bite you in the butt.

No amount of concealer can cover the dark rings under your eyes.

“Long weekend,” Yaku asks when he meets you in the Lobby, coffee and a pastry in hand.

“Mhm,” you nod and take a large sip of coffee, hoping for it to fuel you. It doesn’t.

You chat for a bit but you need to get going and so does he, so you part with the quickest of hugs.

There are only a few steps leading down to the elevators, steps you’ve taken day after day after day for years, but today, you miss the last one.

Your right foot lands wrong, pain shoots through your ankle and you yelp. Your half-empty coffee cup goes flying, just like your pastry and you can see the mess you’ve made but all you can do is cower and clutch your ankle.

“Are you okay?” Yaku’s voice cuts through the ringing in your ears. There’s worry in his eyes. It lights the cold fire of shame in your veins. God, you just rolled your ankle, there’s no reason to make a big fuss about it.

“Sure, yeah, all fine!” You tell him, grinding your teeth as you get up. Nausea wells up inside you but you swallow it down. 

“We should get it looked at,” Yaku insists, hands hovering just a few inches above your skin.

“Stop worrying!” You bite out, tone harsher than necessary. But he doesn’t flinch.

“I know it’s a lot, but it will only take a minute, okay?” He insists, voice warm and soft and calming, like hot cocoa on a cold day. You can feel the tremor coming back, want nothing more than to sink into him.

“I’m fine,” you insist, taking one cautious step. It hurts, but it’s nothing you can’t handle.

“Yeah, for now.” He follows you, bends faster than you to pick up the coffee cup and the pastry. Someone’s going to have to mop the floor, but Yaku’s already waving at the receptionist and you’re too focused on grinding your teeth against the pain to complain.

“Stop worrying about me, okay?! We’re not that close.”

Hurt flickers over his face like candlelight. 

“I’d do this for everyone,” he insists. “I don’t mess with accidents. Please? It’s only a short trip down the hall for a first check-up. If our doc thinks it’s nothing I won’t bother you anymore.”

You agree, mostly just to get this over with.

But it’s not nothing. 

.

You must have fallen asleep, face pressed against the window of his car, because his hand is warm against your cheek and your name falls softly from his lips.

“Yaku?” You ask and he nods. 

“We’re at the hospital. Can you walk?”

“Sure,” you insist, grind your teeth through the pain. Yaku must have seen through your lies, though, getting a wheeling chair at the next chance.

He’s with you through the whole ordeal and you hate it but you don’t ask him to leave you alone. His warm hand on your shoulder is the only thing that keeps you from crying.

He’s there until the very end when they plaster up your leg up to your knee and you can’t help but laugh at the fact that you’ve made it so far in life without a broken bone, yet a single missed step has changed it all.

“I’ll take you home now,” Yaku insists as soon as you’re back in his car. “Are you hungry? We can stop and get some food on the way.”

“I just want to sleep,” you admit. “Forget this happened.”

“I think that’s going to take some time. The plaster stays one for the three weeks.”

“Don’t remind me.”

.

It’s only when he parks in front of your apartment block that you realize.

You live on the fifth level. No elevator. 

Stubbornly you grab your crutches and move toward the first step when Yaku stops you. 

“Do you want to carry me up?”

“No!”

“Okay,” he nods. “But you can’t make that trek. Not today for sure, and not every day for the next three weeks. Do you have any friends you could stay at where that’s not a problem?

You hesitate. Most of your friends have similar apartments and if they don’t, they can’t offer more than an air-mattress on the floor for you to sleep on.

“You can sleep on my couch,” Yaku’s voice is low, soft, and casual. This is nothing big to him, not like it is to you.

“Or I carry you up and you have to take the next three weeks off because you cannot get up and down here without help.”

He’s right. 

And it’s not that you have to work, you’re pretty sure you classify for sick leave at this point, not to mention that you have enough vacation days saved to take off half of the time without a problem. 

In the end, you oblige. And because you want to pack your own things, you agree to a piggyback ride up the stairs.

If Yaku notices how your face is pressed into his neck, your tears soaking his shirt, he doesn’t mention it. His hands are warm and steady around your thighs and he carries you up without breaking a sweat, telling you a funny story to distract you all the way.

-

It’s weird. It’s cozy. It’s everything at the same time.

You get to go through his list watchlist - which feels more personal than going through his underwear drawer - and watch him prepare Dinner for the two of you. 

You sit naked in his bathtub - door closed of course - and open the bottles of shower gel and shampoo to sniff at them like the crazy person you are but when the door opens and you limp outside he’s sitting at his desk practicing Russian, not even sparing your scrubbed clean form a glance.

Yaku’s switched his routine without a second thought, makes breakfast at home now and drives you to work.

He’s the best friend one could ask for, a man so good you wouldn’t believe he existed without the proof you have. But he has a hissy fit in front of you when his friend from school makes a joke about his size. 

And maybe that’s the last straw, the last proof you needed. 

Because people aren’t just always good. People are people, human and fallible, and there’s always something that makes them break their perfect facade.

For you, it’s the pain of having to rely on someone else.

For Yaku, it’s the pain of being looked down on.

-

Tomorrow your cast will come off.

Tomorrow you will move back into your own apartment.

You’re not sure how things between the two of you will be then.

But since there’s no way to turn back time, to go back to how things were before, you can try and find out how things could be instead.

“Yaku?” You ask into the silence of an early night.

“Yeah?” His voice is scratchy and sluggish like he’s just on the border of sleep.

“Are you still awake?”

“Am now.”

“What if I changed my mind?”

“About what?”

“Love.”

Silence. Then, the rustling of sheets and soft steps on the floor.

“Are you being serious?” He asks and his voice sounds so warm and excited, so young and full of anticipation. 

“Yeah.”

“Well,” he clears his throat awkwardly, now only two steps away. “It depends if you mean me with that change of my mind. If you mean someone else I think I’ll have to get a lawyer before I answer.”

You laugh. “Yeah, I meant you.”

He giggles and there’s a slap as if he’s clamped a hand over his mouth urgently. 

You turn a little on the Couch, try to make him out in the dark.

“Do you want to cuddle?” You ask and there’s the swoosh of quick movement as he leaps onto the Couch.

“Boy, do I ever!”

- - - xxx - - -

The air smells the same, but maybe it’s just the airport. 

Yaku’s hand takes yours, warm and safe and well-known.

“Excited?” He asks, laughs when you pull a face.

“They’ll love you,” he insists and leans in to kiss you, not caring about all the people around you, or the fact that Kuroo’s going to be here any second to pick you up, or that your hair is a mess and you’re not wearing any make-up.

His lips are soft and warm, just like they were on that first night. 

You sink into the touch and when his teeth graze your lower lip and the tremors come, you embrace them.

Even if you shiver, you’ll never freeze.

You’ve got Yaku there to warm you, after all.

[creepercraftguy]

The 100 Girlfriends with Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Stupid Names.

AKA: Everyone in this manga has a name that's a pun or a play on words like Ace Attorney and I'm gonna explain them to you from GF 1 to 28.

Aijou Rentarou - The first syllable of both his names, "Ai" and "Ren" are both spelled with different kanji for "love." "Rentarou" means "Feeling Love."

Hanazono Hakari - "Hana" means "flower" or "blossom" and "zono" means "garden". Her surname is a reference to the expression "Atama ga Ohanabatake," literally meaning, "flower garden in the head." This phrase is used to describe someone who is constantly delusional and imaginative, referring to her lustful daydreams and delusions along with the flower-shaped hairpins that she wears as a part of her character design. "Hakari" is also a homophone for "plan," highlighting her devious nature and scheming brain.

Inda Karane - Karane's full name is derived from a highly typical Japanese tsundere sentence "betsu ni anta no tame ni yattenain dakarane!" ("It's not like I did it for you or anything!") The "In" in "Inda" also means "hospital" which is where she keeps sending Rentarou.

Yoshimoto Shizuka - Yoshimoto can translate to "Lover of Books" and "Shizuka" literally means "quiet."

Eiai Nano - "Eiai" is derived from "A.I." and "Nano" is derived from "Nanotechnology," alluding to her straightfoward, computer-like intellect and mechanistic demeanor.

Yakuzen Kusuri - "Yakuzen" means "medicinal cooking" in literal translation, while "Kusuri" is a homophone for the Japanese word for drug or medicine.

Hanazono Hahari - Her name is the same meaning as Hakari's, fitting since she is also very deluded. Hahari also contains the word "Haha," which also means "mother."

Haraga Kurumi - The "Hara" in "Haraga" means stomach, referring to Kurumi's incredible appitite.

Meido Mei - "Meido" literally means "Maid"

Sutou Iku - Iku's full name is pronounced similarly to the Japanese word "sutoikku", meaning "stoic", as a testament to her high pain threshold.

Utsukushisugi Mimimi - "Utsukushi" means "Beauty or Beautiful" Additionally, "Mimimi" has the kanji for "Beauty or Beautiful" twice, and employs the noma kanji, which repeats the kanji that comes before it. In her full name, the word "Beauty" is written in Kanji three times, and her family name and given name are pronounced in On'yomi and Kun'yomi, respectively. There are technically four counts if the Noma Kanji is counted. Therefore, her name can be interpreted as meaning "extremely beautiful."

Kakure Meme - "Kakure" means "to hide", and the "Me" in "Meme" means "eye," so her full name effectively means "two hidden eyes." The "Ka" in "Kakure" can also mean "splendor or flashiness" referring to the beuatiful face that she keeps hidden under her bangs as to not draw attention to herself.

Iin Chiyo - Highlighting Chiyo's position at her school, her full name written in hiragana strongly resembles the second half of the Japanese word for "class president," - "gakkyuu iinchou." "Chiyo" also has the kanji for "award" and "wisdom," and "Iin" has the kanji for "school" or "institution."

Yamato Nadeshiko - The phrase "yamato nadeshiko," describes the "personification of the idealized Japanese woman." Typically, a yamato nadeshiko is modest and courteous, with long, dark hair that is frequently styled nicely. They wear traditional Japanese attire, and they resemble the kind of woman Naddy's family attempted to turn her into before she rebelled and became obsessed with America. "Yamato" is a term for ancient Japan, and a Nadeshiko is a kind of pink carnation whose name translates to "Japanese Dianthus"

Yasashiki Yamame - "Yasa" means "gentle" or "affectionate", and "shiki" means "spreading" or "laying out" like one would do with seeds in a field. "Sashiki" spelled in a different kanji also means "cutting and planting." "Yamame" can literally be translated to mean "Mountain Woman" referring to Yamame's large size, but "mame" can also mean "hardworking" or "healthy" and "legume" which means "vegetable."

Momi Momiji - "Momimomi" is an informal way of saying squeeze or massage. "Momu" also means "to massage."

Yakuzen Yaku - Like Kusuri, the word "yakuzen" literally means "medicinal cooking," and her first name contains the same word, albeit written in a different kanji. Kusuri even mentions this in the manga directly, to which Yaku responds that her mother named her after her favourite tree, Yakusugi Cedars. Furthermore, when written using the Goroawase wordplay system, Yaku can be written with the numbers 8 and 9 ("Ya" and "Ku"), referring to how she is 89 years old.

Torotoro Kishika - "Torotoro" is a Japanese onomatopoeia that describes something becoming loose and viscous, which refers to the state Kishika enters when she is babied. Kishika also directly translates to "Flower Knight"

Kedarui Aashii - "Kedarui" means languid, listless or feeling sluggish and "Ashi" a slang version of the pronoun, "atashi" often used by gals. Beyond just Japanese, Aashi means "smile" in Hindi, which makes sense given the constant smile she bears on her face.

Nakaji Uto - The kanji for Nakaji is also used in the word "Chuunibyou," a colloquial term from Japan used to characterize early teens with grandiose delusions, a strong desire to stand out, and the conviction that they possess knowledge or secret hidden powers, i.e. exactly what Uto is. "Uto" is also an alternative interpretation of the kanj "shijin," which translates to "poet."

Meido Mai - Similar to Mei, Mai's surname, "Meido" is pronounced in Japanese similarly to how "maid" is. However, it is spelled with the wrong kanji, which could highlight how Mai is an inexperienced maid in comparison to the perfect maid that is Mei. "Mai" can also mean "little sister."

Bonnouji Momoha - The "Bonnou" in Bonnouji means "worldly desires," and "Momoha" means "108" referencing the 108 worldly desires of Buddhist terminology.

Baio Rin - Her full name is a pun on how the word for "violin" is pronounced in Japanese, but also sounds like the world "violent" or "violence." Her name is also a reference to "Biohazard" the Japanese name of the violent horror shooter game series, Resident Evil.

Hifumi Suu - "Hi Fu Mi" literally means "1 2 3" in the Goroawase wordplay system. Suu also means "number."

Kaho Eira - Kaho's name is a pun on "Capoeira" the style of Brazilian martial arts that she practices.

Nekonari Tama - Nekonari contains the kanji "Neko" and "Naru", which when put together means "to become a cat." Tama means "beads" but is also a homophone for "ball" referring to how cats like playing with balls of yarn.

Saiki Himeka - "Sai" means "talent," "ki" means "strange." "Hime" means "princess" and ""ka" means "song." Himeka uses the first kanji of her first name and the second kanji of her last name for her stage name, "Kiki," literally translating to "weird princess" or "strange princess."

Dei Matsuri - "Matsuri" literally means "festival," and "Dei" is derived from the ending particle of Edo dialect speech. "Dei" effectively replaces the standard ending particles "desu" and "da," emphasizing Dei's cockney English dialect.

Usami Shiina - Usami is a short abbreviation of "Usagi no Mimi", which means "bunny ears." Additionally, her full name is a pun on "Ū samishī na" which means "Ugh, I'm so lonely," naturally referring to how Shiina is unable to engage in solo activities due to her autophobia

[myconetted]

@xhxhxhx has been playing yakuza games lately and boy does it showcase some amazing features of japanese culture. like the racism and misogyny and social conservatism and conformity.

by god the racism is so bad. pretty much every non-japanese ethnic group is depicted in garish stereotype. chinese and korean mafia members, especially antagonist characters, are depicted as more belligerent and less honorable than True Japanese Yakuza. they speak in gawky accents that sound more like an american speaking badly on purpose than a chinese or korean person speaking with a heavy accent. like "ahrrey-gat-toh!" as if they're trying to punch each syllable through their mouth. i don't even want to get into the ways they depict black and brown people. the word "minstrel" should suffice.

and the women in this franchise? well the bar is already pretty low because this is a game about guys bein' dudes and glamorizing the yakuza. a lack of good female characters is to be expected. but damn. they sure do love introducing most female characters as helpless damsels with zero agency, and often the few times they do exhibit agency, they're fucking things up somehow. entire plotlines where you get to be some poor little girl's white knight. usually the moral of the story or the happy ending involves becoming a mother and embracing family life. or getting out of The Business that turned them into a cynical husk, so they can learn to love again. because that's the best thing that can happen for a woman: she gets a good man and starts a family :).

anyways this post isn't really about anything. definitely not a call to action. it's just kinda wild to see. i really want to visit japan because of all the cool attractions, but shit like this really harshes the vibe.

[yanderecrazysie]

Hi there! This is my first ask, so I hope I'm doing it right x)

I'd like to request Seijuro Mikoshiba, please! Maybe one where's he's pretty frank about his attraction to the reader, but she either gets flattered/embarrassed and actually falls for him, or she just thinks he's joking around.

(I'm currently watching free for the first time, too, so that's cool! Seijuro is one of my favorites. It helps that his Japanese VA is Kenjiro Tsuda, the voice of Nanami in JJK. Thank you!)

I decided to do the latter because I’m a sucker for a little angst. And I didn’t know that about his VA!

Also this is more of a drabble than a oneshot, sorry.

Title: Not a Joke

Pairings: Mikoshiba Seijuuro x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes

Summary: Seijuuro falls in love with you, but you’re not sure whether to take him seriously or not.

You turned around at the sound of your name being called, smiling awkwardly as the Samezuka captain ran to catch up to you, waving excitedly in your direction. You stopped walking so he could catch up.

“(Y/n)!” He cried out, ecstatic to have your attention. “You’re so cute, as ever!”

You felt a flush spreading up your cheeks and did your best to hide the darkening, hoping it wasn’t noticeable. You could never tell if he was serious or not, but it always flustered you when he called you cute.

“Are you coming to watch swimming practice again?” He asked hopefully, giving you puppy dog eyes. 

“Sure, I can stop by after my club,” you said. 

Seijuuro had always made you laugh with his playful demeanor, but it really made you feel like he was playing with your heart. He was always calling you cute and flirting with you, but it felt like it might be a big joke.

Little did you know, Seijuuro was dead serious. He’d always had a thing for cute girls, but you really took the cake. Your sweet personality made you even cuter and more endearing to him. 

You were so unassuming, he couldn’t help but follow you around, watching you closely every moment. Especially when you were around all those boys on the swim team. It was a blessing and curse to have you watch his practice.

He knew that his crush was becoming dark, but he couldn’t help it. He was too afraid that you’d say “no” to him.

“Hey, (Y/n), I have something to tell you.” Seijuuro tried to keep his tone light, but he could hear the seriousness in each syllable. “I like you. Will you go out with me?”

There was a silence in which he held his breath. He wasn’t sure he could breathe, even if he tried. It was like being underwater and unable to surface, waiting for your answer.

You were blown away by the question, trying desperately to decide on an answer. The truth was that you liked him too, but…

“I’m sorry, I can’t really tell if you’re being serious or not,” you admitted, “So I have to pass. I’m sorry, it just doesn’t seem like you’re not… you know… joking.”

Seijuuro’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. You didn’t believe him? That wasn’t what he expected, but it somehow hurt worse than if you’d just outright said “no”. 

“I’m being serious!” He asserted, but it was too late- you were leaving him behind, not willing to stand around and be made fun of. His heart shattered to pieces when you refused to look back at him.

Tears stung his eyes as he vowed to prove to you just how serious he was.

[reginaldqueribundus]

I watched Goncharov 2 so you wouldn't have to

I love seeing Goncharov have this weird renaissance on tumblr. It’s like when we all decided to get collectively obsessed with Dracula and the Epic of Gilgamesh. but did you know there's a sequel??

granted it's pretty obscure, like Eighties Bulgarian Treasure Planet levels of obscure, but you can actually watch the whole thing on YouTube for free. I can't even find the original poster, just this shitty DVD cover from Amazon:

FUN FACTS ABOUT GONCHAROV 2

released in 1985, long after anybody would've given a shit about the original

features none of the original cast (except, weirdly enough, the guy playing Andrey's driver, despite Andrey himself being absent)

SOMEHOW passes the Bechdel test

was apparently produced by Benito Mussolini's kid???

the movie starts with a weird, pointless nightclub scene with a ton of characters who get shot dead and are never seen again. it went on for so long I genuinely started thinking this was a Troll 2 situation, where somebody slapped completely unrelated movie's name on this for free clout; but no, this is actually supposed to be a sequel! the plot is that Goncharov's brother, who is also called Goncharov, just wants to sell flowers in Milan but his uncle Vladimir Espinoza (lmao) finds him and drags him off to fight a Galician crime lord named Iago for reasons that aren't clearly explained (and shamelessly rip off the Rocky training montage while they're at it). His Designated Love Interest™ is “Marina”, (imagine a Costco knockoff of Sofia with way more cleavage), whose job is to get kidnapped a lot. She sadly doesn’t get any sapphic undertones aside from a couple weirdly horny scenes with a nameless assassin masseuse who is inexplicably called “the Algerian” despite being portrayed by a Japanese actress (yikes).

The dialogue is so truly awful I strongly suspect English was not the writer's first language. At one point Uncle Vladimir tells his nephew to “gouge out their livers like a beak of the mad kestrel”. I'm 100% certain the guy playing him was hired for his weird resemblance to Al Pacino and not any acting talent; he delivers every line like there's a gun to his head but he also swallowed 30 Ambien. Iago is supposedly Spanish(?) but played by one of the whitest guys I've ever seen (Xander Crane, who has an objectively cooler name than his actual character — dude sounds like a Bond villain). He does a godawful fake accent and keeps accenting the wrong syllables. The part where he screams GON-CHAAAAAA-ROV!! has to be seen to be believed. The mangled English also makes the torture scene unintentionally hilarious, especially when Iago asks “Are you trying to f**k me?” and creates 20x more gay vibes than every Andrey/Goncharov scene combined.

some moments (ex. not-Sofia and Uncle Vlad keep mentioning Katya, but they talk about her like she was this Goncharov's lover) makes me wonder if they started the screenplay before watching Goncharov 1 all the way through, and it was supposed to be about OG Goncharov but they had to quickly rewrite it to be his brother instead. I really hope that's true cuz it would be hilarious and explain why they made a sequel to a movie where most of the characters die at the end.

Aside from (holy shit) Val Kilmer as one of Iago's bodyguards, no one involved with this film has worked on anything else you've ever heard of. The writer isn't even listed on IMDb, and Giuseppe Stromboli's entire filmography consists of this, a kids' cartoon called Spaghetti Briefcase and a bunch of weird Italian chewing gum commercials (which are also on YouTube btw). Matteo JWHJ pops up in the credits as a producer so I can only assume he was desperate for cash.

so yeah. Goncharov 2 is objectively terrible and problematic and lacking in gay vibes or juicy Goncharov lore, but if you want something to get drunk and laugh at with your friends it's got you covered

join me next time and we'll talk about the Goncharov director's cut

[kitakataramen]

Hi! I'm sorry if this is a strange or out of place ask, but you seem very knowledgable, and I was wondering if you had any advice. I am learning Japanese, and I can read quite a lot of it without issue. I don't know what any of it means, though... Like I'm seeing the words, and know how to say them, but not what they mean. I don't know what to do. Did you ever go through this? Sorry for the inconvenience.

Hi! I definitely did go through this and continue to do so. I first had this issue when I was studying N5 level material, because that tends to have mostly hiragana and very little kanji, so I could read the syllables but couldn't differentiate where one word ended and another began. There are so many words/combinations of words that sound similar that my brain really struggled to find meaning.

Now I'm studying things in the N4/N3 range and I still struggle, mostly in cases with grammatical points written in hiragana. Often I can understand the individual words, but can't parse out the overall meaning of the phrase or sentence.

My advice as both a language teacher and language learner is this:

Study vocabulary, and start studying kanji as soon as possible! Kanji is essential to meaning in Japanese. The quicker you learn to associate meaning with kanji, the easier a time you'll have. I've just purchased すみっコぐらしはじめての漢字辞典 (Sumikko Gurashi Hajimete No Kanji Jiten) to help myself review some old kanji and learn new ones.

I love using material that actual Japanese students use, and I find that starting from around 3rd grade material is most helpful because by 3rd grade they've started adding useful kanji to the text, but they still have furigana to help you read it.

If you don't have the funds to buy a Japanese exercise book like this (it runs around $27 on Amazon and I believe it is called "The Secret Dictionary of Summiko Gurashi" in English) you can find all kinds of free printouts and materials by grade on this website:

2. Immerse yourself in the language. Quite a bit of meaning is garnered through context and body language, so without these, it can be difficult to understand what you're reading/listening to. You can immerse yourself in different ways; for example, watching Japanese TV (I like to watch it with both Japanese audio and Japanese subtitles on), chatting with someone in Japanese (I used HelloTalk to find people to chat with when I was first starting out), or playing Japanese videogames. The best thing to do is do something you already like and are very familiar with in your first language, but in your target language. This way, you can add some context to what you're reading/hearing, and this will help your brain associate a concrete meaning to the language.

3. Keep a notebook in which you write down any new words you encounter. Personally, I like to keep my notebook on hand when I'm reading. If I encounter a new word or grammar point, I'll write it down to help cement the meaning in my brain. Don't expect to remember everything the first time you read or hear it! While some people are proven to have an aptitude for language learning and can pick up new words and their meanings almost immediately, most of us can't, and some of us struggle harder than others. That's totally okay! Again, you need to find some way to associate the words you're learning with their meaning. Different methods work for different people.

4. Try putting the new words/grammar you've learned in action! Once you've studied something, practice producing that language yourself. You can do this by writing in a diary, or by recording yourself saying it, or using the word/phrase in a conversation with someone else in the target language. This will also help the meaning to stick in your brain better!

5. Keep going! Don't give up. Language learning is not a linear process. You will have periods of progress and periods of stagnation (these are known as language learning plateaus). It's natural. And just because you feel like you aren't making any progress doesn't mean it's true. Set an attainable goal for yourself ("I am going to read this book about cats" or "I am going to play Mario Kart in Japanese") and keep working towards it a little every day, and you'll find you're improving more than you think.

[dynamite-derek]

Final Fantasy and Accepting the Warts of Age

Note: This is the first of a planned series on the Final Fantasy franchise. I plan on posting these on my own website, vidyathoughts.com but for now I will also crosspost here. I hope you enjoy!

A mixture of reality and fantasy

The origins of Final Fantasy are pretty well known. Hironobu Sakaguchi wanted to make a role playing game but the genre was not a proven commodity in Japan. Then Dragon Quest came out and changed everything. Dragon Quest would go on to become such a phenomenon that according to a Game Informer interview with current series producer Yu Miyake, following the release of Dragon Quest 3, Japanese police requested that Enix not release new Dragon Quest titles on weekdays because too many kids were skipping school in order to buy the game. Even before 3, Dragon Quest proved that the role playing genre could be successful in Japan and Sakaguchi was given the go ahead to start making his own RPG. So a team of seven individuals went on to make the first title in what would go on to be one of the biggest franchises in the world.

The cute version of the FF origin story that gets repeated time and time again is that Square was a company on the verge of financial ruin and the title was named “Final Fantasy” because it was the company’s last shot at success. If Final Fantasy were to be a failure, it would indeed be the final fantasy title Square would ever produce because the company would be out of business. This tale has likely been embellished because, well, it’s cute. Who doesn’t like a Cinderella story? 

“The name ‘Final Fantasy’ was a display of my feeling that if this didn’t sell, I was going to quit the games industry and go back to university. I’d have had to repeat a year, so I wouldn’t have had any friends – it really was a ‘final’ situation,” Sakaguchi said in an interview with MCV UK in 2007. But in an interview with Chris Kohler of Wired from 2009, series composer Nobuo Uematsu stated that: It’s true that Sakaguchi was going to quit, but the bigger reason, the real reason, was that Square was going to go bankrupt and the designers believed that it would be the company’s swan song.

And most recently, you have a keynote speech that Sakaguchi gave in 2015. Casey Baseel of Sora News translated what he had to say about the naming of the franchise like this: ”The team had already decided they wanted something that could be easily abbreviated using the Roman alphabet. They were also set on something that could be condensed into a four-syllable abbreviated version in Japanese, and FF (pronounced ‘efu efu’ in Japanese), fit both criteria. Given the genre the game fell into, making one of those Fs ‘fantasy’ was a no-brainer. But what about the other one? Actually, ‘Final’ wasn’t the team’s first choice – the initial idea was to call the game Fighting Fantasy. However, they had to nix that plan when they discovered there was already a board game called Fighting Fantasy, which was in turn based on a series of British gamebooks.”

Stuff of folktales. Would the fun origin story for Fighting Fantasy be like “Square realized they didn’t have a fighting chance unless this game succeeded. And it was a Fantasy title. So the title Fighting Fantasy was born.” I like to picture the warrior class as some sort of Paul Bunyon character with a chocobo as a blue ox. I think it’s fitting that a fantasy franchise has fantastical and exaggerated origins.

Personal failings

My first experience with the Final Fantasy franchise was with Final Fantasy VI (III in the U.S.) on the Super Nintendo. I was a poor kid who was coping with my lack of access to Final Fantasy VII by playing the next best thing my game rental store had. I tried to get into it but it was difficult because I knew the GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME FOREVER was out there and I just couldn’t play it because I didn’t have a Playstation. Eventually though, I would get there and become a fan of it all. I loved moogles and I wanted more of them.

So like any person who discovers their new favorite franchise for the first time, I needed to experience every single game that it had to offer in some way. Even as a middle schooler, I was savvy with emulators. How else would I play Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension? So instead of being a responsible member of society and purchasing the easily available Final Fantasy Origins on Playstation 1, I instead downloaded NESticle and a rom of Final Fantasy and…boy was it not for me. I saw the heights the franchise would get to and this just didn’t compare. Where were the fancy summons? The card games? The story?

I feel like this is probably a very common experience when trying to play the old Final Fantasy games. The franchise wasn’t always about delivering a game and a story, it was at one point just a game with a story as scenery dressing. I would go on to play Final Fantasy I on the NES as an adult and was able to see the beauty in it, but I will never forget running into a brick wall the first time I played the game.

Actually playing the game

Final Fantasy I is a different experience from what I was used to. While it is turn based like those Playstation games, it feels like more of an adventure game than the later titles. The player will need to really explore the world they are in in order to find out where to go next. You have the basics of your journey: Everything is fucked and you need to restore the light of the four crystals in order to make things right. The four crystals are representative of the four elements (Earth, Air, Water and Fire) so your adventures will take you to those biomes far and wide across this massive – for the time – world.

The NPCs do give you hints about what to do next, but they don’t hit you over the head with it. There isn’t a line of dialogue that explicitly tells you that you need the rosetta stone from the sunken shrine in order to understand the people of Lufenia, which will then lead you to the tower of mirages, which will eventually get you into a fight with Tiamat. You have to talk to everyone and piece it together. You have to explore.

As you explore, you will be slammed with random encounters. Since you aren’t expected to know where to go on your first playthrough, a lot of your grinding might feel natural. Even still, when you first get to an area, you’re probably not gonna be able to waltz up to the boss and smack them down. In later Final Fantasies, I find that if you just don’t run away from fights, by the time you get to the boss of an area you will probably be well equipped enough to defeat them. This is not the case in Final Fantasy I. Grinding is a big part of the gameplay. The first time I played the original Final Fantasy, I waltzed over to the Chaos Shrine to fight Garland and got my ass handed to me because I didn’t spend enough time beating up goblins.

While a lot of people might look at grinding as cumbersome, I think it’s important to note that it was a big part of the gameplay. You weren’t playing for the story with this game, you were playing for the adventure and part of said adventure was fighting a lot of battles. It was also about keeping track of your inventory and using magic responsibly. Instead of magic points like later entries use, the original Final Fantasy uses magic charges. It’s a system much like you’d see in Dungeons & Dragons where you can only use your spells so many times until you rest to recharge them. Originally, there was no way to recover your magic outside of this. If you wasted all of your Fir3 (Firaga) charges on random enemies, that was it. You couldn’t use it again until you rested. Need it for a boss? Too bad. Go back and try again.

When your main gameplay loop involves fighting a lot of battles, your strength becomes more apparent as you play making progress feel really significant. Let’s say you just got done dealing with Mount Gulug and you head back to the first area of the game, Cornelia. When you get there, you’ll find that those goblins that you had to wail on in order to ensure Garland didn’t knock you down aren’t so bad anymore. Even your White Mage can probably one shot them! This isn’t an experience unique to this particular Final Fantasy, but when a lot of your random battles are won by the skin of your teeth it really does feel quite special here.

The battle system itself, primarily attributed to Akitoshi Kawazu (though I’ve also seen Hiroyuki Ito credited), is truly turn based. You can attack, use magic, use items or run. Barebones, but you can take as long as you want to select what you want your character to do, which might feel strange to series veterans more accustomed to the ATB system. I’ll get more into THAT system in the first game that uses it: Final Fantasy IV. The basics of FF1’s system would carry the first three games of the franchise, though some elements around the battle system get changed in those titles. In the first game, I would say the combat is fairly simplistic and the actual gameplay is more carried by things you do on the periphery like item conservation, but I think they expand things a bit in the next two games. This is a fine baseline.

Changing things up

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the screenshots I am providing for this game come from the Pixel Remaster. In this version of the game, they make things a little easier for the player. Shops sell ethers, you generally don’t need to spend as much time grinding and there is an NPC in Cornelia that specifically exists to tell you where to go. The Pixel Remaster tries to take this ancient title that middle school me rammed his head into fruitlessly and make it accessible to more people. It is nice in the sense that it will allow more people to play the first Final Fantasy, but is that really the same experience?

When I first started the Pixel Remaster, the very first thing I did was walk over to the chaos shrine to fight Garland. My head was going back to my middle school days where I was mercilessly killed by what a lot of people consider a joke boss. I didn’t do any grinding and I stepped in and…I just won. And in like five hits to boot. Not feeling confident before a boss? Just quicksave. Gone was that need to grind, instead it felt like I was playing the game on fast forward. Just like with later Final Fantasy titles, I would go from location to location and if I just didn’t run away, by the time I reached the boss, I would be well equipped enough to win. Sure, some of the crystal guardians (the four fiends) were tough battles that would feature one party member getting killed, but most of the time these fights would be uneventful.

Looking around to see if I was misremembering my experience with Final Fantasy I, I found a reddit post that said the remaster was made for people with jobs or had better things to do. In a sense, I agree, this game does get to the point a lot quicker…but is that really Final Fantasy I?

I think in order to get the true experience with the original Final Fantasy, you need to toss up that emulator – or NES classic, or NES or whatever you have at your disposal – and throw yourself at hordes of enemies. As I said earlier, the original Final Fantasy is not a game you play through for the story. If FF1 had a narrative as engrossing as Chrono Trigger but was locked behind this really hard to approach (in a modern sense) video game, I would say it’s necessary to ‘dumb it down’ so people can experience it. I don’t know if I see it that way with the Pixel Remaster though. Sure, you can beat the game this way and that’s great for people that just want to play every single Final Fantasy game and get on with their lives, but I don’t think you’re getting the authentic experience. The tedium that comes with random battles, the rage you might feel after finishing a dungeon only to die on your way out of it and the grind is every bit as much of what Final Fantasy is as the four crystals are.

Now that’s not to say I think all of the changes are ‘experience ruining.’ I think most people consider video games of yesteryear to be a little obtuse in order to sell strategy guides. That’s a slightly cynical way to look at it, but how the hell else were you supposed to figure out Casltevania 2? Were you supposed to just blindly bomb every single wall in Legend of Zelda in order to find a path through the dungeon or were you supposed to find a copy of Nintendo Power to very helpfully point you in the right direction? So quality of life features that don’t actually alter gameplay, like the hint giving dancer NPC and the remake offering a wide variety of maps, are fine by me. You’d have to pay a premium to see these in a strategy guide in the past, so I don’t think having easy access to that content is game ruining. You can also just ignore it! You can’t ignore not needing to grind though.

I also think this specific remake of the original Final Fantasy does one thing way better than some past remakes. It retains the magic charge system. Your level 8 flare (nuke) spell can only be used so many times and its usage is independent of your other magic spells. This makes it so if you want to have an authentic experience where you have to strategize your magic usage in dungeons, you still can. Having all your magic tied to the same magic points system changes things too drastically and I think most players could not forsake quality of life items to experience something closer to the original.

And visually, while I prefer the charm of the older sprites, I love that this remake does its best to remake those and present them as something new. Here I have compiled the playable character sprites from the original and the Pixel Remaster. In case it isn’t obvious, the order goes NES, Remaster, NES, Remaster. You can tell the new ones are based off of the old ones, even if some of the changes are odd (I miss my fighter having red hair). I compare the way this looks to how the Super Mario All-Stars games look. Yeah, the sprites are redone but they are close enough to the original where it still feels authentic. Now, let’s take a look at the GBA remake sprites.

They just look completely different. There’s no ‘trying to retain the spirit’ of the original, your characters look completely different. Yeah, your thief looks more like a thief but it’s a different guy entirely! The class ups no longer look like ‘grown up’ versions of their original selves, they just look more advanced. Your black wizard no longer looks like Sabin, he looks like Vivi! I think a good remake that is trying to be faithful should try to embody the spirit of the original as much as possible and just changing things this much feels superfluous. So I’m glad Square Enix did something else for the Pixel Remasters. The best option would be to include the original game with all remastered versions of the game but that will likely never happen.

I’m only going to touch briefly on the music. I don’t think Final Fantasy I hits the heights of the later entries, but there are definitely some classics in there. The battle theme is iconic, for instance. I think the original versions of these songs are definitely the way to go. Something about the remixes the Pixel Remaster collection has just sounds too pure. They sound like something off of an RPG maker assembly line. Thankfully the console ports offer an option to stick with the original songs but for Steam players like myself…uh, well, I hope you know how to mod!

My experience through the early Final Fantasy titles for this series will be through the Pixel Remasters just because they are the most convenient ways to play them in 2023. But I have also played each of these games before. Maybe not to completion, but I know what they are supposed to feel like. But for people who just want to play every Final Fantasy game, I encourage you to at least try to play the original version instead of the Pixel Remasters. It just isn’t the same experience. If you’re a returning player though, nothing wrong with trying a different way to experience a classic.

Notable characters

I have wanted to write something like this about Final Fantasy games for quite a long time. I was inspired by articles written by a guy named Pat (Pitchfork) for the website Socks Make People Sexy. These were all done a long time ago though and I wanted to make something similar, but in my own voice and from my own perspective. One of my favorite things he would do in these articles is do a rundown of the cast. So I plan on doing that with my retrospectives as well. Final Fantasy I doesn’t have a ton of plot important characters, but let’s look at what we have. These impressions are based on my most recent playthrough of the game.

My party: The Warriors of Light

You need to pick four characters for your journey through this game and unlike (most) later entries, your characters have no personality. You have to name your crew, pick from the six classes and kind of imagine how their personalities would be.

Chuck the Warrior/Knight. So both my party composition and a couple of their names come directly from an old webcomic called 8-Bit theater. I feel like the most recognizable gag for the Warrior in those comics was ‘sword-chucks’ which is a genius invention that works exactly as it sounds.

In this playthrough, Chuck was an absolute beast. He took 1 damage from most enemies and almost never died. In fact, I think he never did keel over until the final battle with Chaos. He almost single handedly carried me through the entire way. I have never been one for challenge runs because I am a giant baby, but I would wager simply not having a Warrior would make things really hard for most people. Truthfully, I think a party of three Warriors and a Red or White Mage would probably be more effective than my diverse and fun party of rapscallions. Hey though, it’s early, they were still figuring out the job system!

GP or HP? the Thief/Ninja. The second of my 8-bit theater references. This line has stuck with my for the years and I don’t know why. So it felt natural to name my Thief that. Unfortunately the Pixel Remaster decided to rename GP to ‘gil’ as that is the series standard so now my little thief’s name makes less sense. Ah well.

Despite being named a thief, you can’t actually steal anything in the original Final Fantasy. So what differentiates him from the king of DPS the Warrior is his speed. The Thief can dodge a lot of things and as a result, he didn’t really die all that much either. He wasn’t quite as invulnerable as the Warrior – the fight with Marilith/Kary/the fiend of fire was basically a Warrior solo effort at the end – but he was a very effective secondary damage dealer. He received a brief promotion during the battle with chaos to be every bit as important as the Warrior though. I gave him the most powerful weapon in the game, the masamune, and when he was hasted he would sometimes out damage Chuck. Wow!

Rich Evans, the Red Mage/Red Wizard. I am stupid. So when thinking of a name for my Red Mage, the first thing I thought of was another thing with the word red in it: Red Letter Media. And then I was like, well, you’d have to be a real asshole to hate Red Mages. So I chose the one RLM guy I thought you’d have to be an asshole to hate. Rich Evans.

For people unaware, the Red Mage is a jack of all trades. They can cast white and black magic. A healer and a damage dealer! On top of that, they are handy with a sword so they can do just a bit of everything. Unfortunately, I found Rich Evans to not really be good at much of anything. Casting black magic as a red mage is pointless. My Black Mage out-damaged Rich Evans by a lot. The physical damage he would cause was handy during random encounters, but against actual bosses he might as well have been swinging a twig. There Rich Evans was a heal bot and honestly I didn’t think cure or cura healed enough to be horribly useful. If I were to run again, I’d just use a white mage because I think the added hp on each heal would make a big difference. Plus they get holy which is canonically the coolest Final Fantasy spell.

Vivi, the Black Mage/Black Wizard Wow gee whiz I wonder why I named my Black Mage Vivi. In case you didn’t know, this is the Black Mage that appears in Final Fantasy IX and he pretty much just looks like a Black Mage. Unfortunately I forget that the Black Wizard looks like a completely different Final Fantasy character

Ah well. I’ll just pretend Sabin came in to replace Vivi halfway through and he learned black magic or something, I dunno.

In this playthrough, Vivi was pretty much my ‘oh my fucking god I don’t want to sit through this random battle, use Flare or something so we can move on’ character. In boss battles he was my second most valuable damage dealer, but he was also squishy enough that it felt like he would go down before I even knew it. But boy, casting Blizzaga once was great. Usually my strategy with him would be to cast haste on Chuck or Rich Evans and then cause whatever damage I can (In FF1 haste makes it so you hit someone more times on your turn, so it’s a damage buff. It doesn’t make you faster like it would in an ATB game). I like having a magic damage dealer in the party just because you run into those pesky slime-style enemies that take like four damage to sword strikes, but I didn’t run into THAT many of those and when I did Chuck or GP or HP? would usually score a crit and take care of things. I didn’t mention it above but the crit rate had to be upped by like 1000%, I got them all the time.

So basically in my next playthrough it’s KNIGHT KNIGHT KNIGHT and White Wizard. Speaking of White Wizard, I didn’t mention the other two classes: Black Belt/Monk and White Mage. I, uh, didn’t use them but I thought I would mention them. Masters, the evolved form of monk/black belts, are a more useless dps than the Ninja and White Mages/Wizards are healer first characters. There!

Princess Sarah

She is the princess of Cornelia/Corneria. Calling her a major character is a bit of a stretch, but the journey of the Warriors of Light technically starts with her kidnapping at the hands of Garland. Plus, she gets used in a lot of supplementary material later on. She gets a major role in World of Final Fantasy from what I remember. I included this specific screenshot because I have no idea what she’s trying to say here. Is she trying to say she wants to have some alone time with Chuck? Is the screen fixing to fade to black with her going “you’re so norty?”

Bahamut

For funsies I decided to compare Pixel Remaster Bahamut to other forms of Bahamut. On the left is NES Bahamut. Not quite intimidating, I would say Pixel Remaster Bahamut looks like Bahamut Zero in comparison. On the right is a version of Bahamut from the PSP version of Final Fantasy. I haven’t played that specific version but I included it because I just think that style really sucks compared to the more pixelated version.

Bahamut has one role in this game: to give your team a class change. It’s the one thing I would call a sidequest in the original Final Fantasy and it is so important that I almost hesitate to call it a sidequest. Changing your class makes your character exponentially more powerful. For challenge run fanatics, I’m sure using the starter classes is neat and all, but for people like me who cower at such things…you’re going to want to run around with a ninja instead of a thief.

He doesn’t have much of a character outside of this though. He’s just a kindly king of the dragons. I just thought it was neat that the most iconic summon in the franchise got his start in the very first game. A lot of series staples from Final Fantasy don’t originate with the first game, but this bad boy does.

Cid!?

The above screenshot is talking about the creation of the airship. Cute! Of course, this line of dialogue isn’t in the original game because it’s a little too on the nose. The tradition of Cid in numbered games wouldn’t start until 2, but this little throwaway line of dialogue that was added in the GBA remake of Final Fantasy tried to tie it all together. I don’t like this little bit of retroactive continuity but felt it was important to note that it’s in the most easily accessible version of the game. But it’s a lie! Ignore this NPC! Booo!

I didn’t know where to put this but I love the Troll

NES on the left, Pixel Remaster on the right. Look at this guy! You can practically hear him go “AIEEEEEEE YOU’VE RUINED MY LIFE IT’S OVER FOR ME AGGGGGGGGGGH” Plus I love the shadow on his crotch. This is a family game, you can’t just put troll penis everywhere all willy nilly.

The Four Fiends

Some more sprite comparisons for you. I really like the updated versions of these guys, I think they do a good job of capturing the spirit of the original designs. Upper Left: Lich (Earth). Upper Right: Marilith/Kary (Fire). Lower Left: Kraken (Water). Lower Right: Tiamat (Wind)

These guys are your main ‘boss’ enemies, they guard the four crystals. They snuffed the light out of them so to speak. They have no characterization at all, but they are the big bads of the game and even show up for rematches in the final dungeon. In this playthrough, I struggled the most with Marilith. She was unleashing fire attacks that would just obliterate my entire party, save for Chuck. I think he wound up winning the fight with about 40 HP left. I think these enemies are particularly effective in the Pixel Remaster because they represent a spike in difficulty. The game is a total cakewalk until you reach Lich. He has more HP and causes more damage than anything you have faced so far and, to me, represented the first serious threat of death. It’s a little unnerving seeing your number two DPS cause like 30 damage.

The fights you have against them at the end of the game are intense. A lot of end game enemies love using death against you. While you can guard yourself against that, it can still be a little frustrating to be smacked with it if you’re not ready. In the Pixel Remaster, this is lessened by the ability to save before each battle but in the NES version you really need to be on your game to make it out of the final dungeon alive.

Garland/Chaos

The first and final boss of Final Fantasy. It’s like poetry, it rhymes. He was once a loyal knight of Cornelia but became corrupted at some point and kidnapped Princess Sarah. It turns out the four fiends you defeated were Garland’s servants from 2000 years ago and sent him back to the past to heal after your party kicks his ass at the start of the game. When you defeat the four fiends, it opens a portal in the chaos shrine to that period of time so you can finish things. You then fight his true form Chaos. To learn more about Garland and Chaos, make sure to play the hit game “Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.” Are you a bad enough dude to take out Chaos!?

Chaos represents probably the harshest swing of difficulty in the Pixel Remaster. The game doesn’t present much of a challenge until this point. As I said, no game overs. Then you fight Chaos and all of a sudden the game remembers its NES roots. Chaos causes ~300 damage per attack – Vivi had 450-ish HP on my first attempt – and this gets boosted up to around 700 per hit if he casts haste on himself. On top of this, he can randomly cast curaja on himself to completely heal up. It’s frustrating causing thousands of damage only to see that 9,999 in green text. It’s a true endurance fight and definitely worthy of being the final boss of this game.

When I got to him, I believe my party had just hit level 50. This is the original level cap and it took a zillion years to hit it in the NES version, so I assumed I would just stroll up and win like I did with every other battle. Nope! Obliterated. Luckily I took advantage of the quicksave function the remaster added and after I got slaughtered about five times in a row I went back to grind. Finally, I was getting that authentic FF experience I spent a few paragraphs bitching about up there! I decided to give it a go after my characters hit level 57 and…I did better but I was still getting my ass kicked. Eventually though, I prevailed. I used an item to get Saber on Chuck and kept him hasted, I used an item to get blink (helps with evasion though if it did anything who can say) on GP or HP and I just prayed Vivi stayed alive long enough to cast Haste on everyone. I suck and didn’t realize I had temper and that temper could stack so that probably would have helped but hey. I won in the end. And only Vivi died! So I’ll take it.

I was just relieved he didn’t have another form. Hey it’s early, the form changes will come later I assure you.

It started here

With each Final Fantasy, I want to note when certain series traditions start. Sorry if some of these seem really obvious.

Four Fiends, Crystals, Warriors of Light, Jobs, turn based battles, the world map, random encounters and Nobuo Uematsu

This is the game that started it all, so of course it establishes the basics of the franchise. Felt it was important to list Uematsu here because he is the main composer for the franchise. He’s been here since day one!

These all get talked about in some way above, so I won’t dwell on it too much, but these things appear over and over again in the franchise. Jobs, called classes here, get several games in which they are more prevalent so I will save that discussion for a later day. The other elements pop up from time to time too, whether in the mainline series or in spinoffs. Final Fantasy IX, for example, lifts the four fiends and crystals wholesale for its endgame, which makes sense given that FFIX is sort of a ‘series celebration’ game.

Class changes

Hardly a Final Fantasy invention, but still something that I would consider a staple, especially in those job heavy games I mention above. When your character gets a class change, it feels like a significant moment and comes with a giant change in power. They don’t happen in every Final Fantasy title but you always remember when they do happen. Probably the most remembered example of this is Cecil’s transformation into a paladin in Final Fantasy IV.

Airships, boats, etc

Another little graphic comparison for you. On the left is the Pixel Remaster airship and on the right is the NES airship. I actually prefer the NES airship because it reminds me of one of those wacky flying inventions people would make. But this isn’t a bad take on it.

Final Fantasy is a game about exploring the world and one of the best ways to explore the world quickly is a vehicle! The first one you get in FFI is a ship and later you get an airship. This progression is consistent with the rest of the series because you don’t usually just get an airship, you receive various vehicles with various limitations. Sure everybody loves the Highwind in Final Fantasy VII, but you can’t get that without first experiencing the tiny bronco, the buggy and a chocobo.

Colored magic

Not exactly a Final Fantasy original, but this game establishes black magic as the damage dealing kind of magic and white magic as the healing sort of magic. Black magic has a lot more support options in this game than it typically does, so the distinction isn’t quite as stark as it would become. We do not get to experience the joys of blue magic just yet, but it will come whether you want it to or not.

Some beloved enemies

A couple of series staple enemies start here, though their designs aren’t quite familiar. Evil eye (I always call him Ahriman, even though I know that isn’t the species name), Black flans, Minotaurs, Goblins, Ochu, Elementals, Gigas, Giant Worms and probably many others that I can’t think of right now pop up here. No cactuar or tonberry though. You gotta earn those mascot enemies!

Super bosses…kinda

It’s not actually the hardest boss in the game, that’s chaos, but in the Flying Fortress you have the chance to randomly encounter an enemy called Warmech. This guy is stronger than most bosses and basically every random encounter in the game. It only appears on one floor though and you may not even encounter it unless you’re unlucky – so you either prepare for it and hunt it down like you would a typical super boss or you get unlucky and have to either run or die. It doesn’t have the difficulty of a super boss but I think the odd nature in which it is encountered makes it kind of close.

Ultimate weapons…kinda

The Excalibur is the second most powerful weapon in Final Fantasy I, behind the Masamune which can be found in the final dungeon. It is exclusive to the Warrior and you have to find an item called Adamantite in the Flying Fortress (where the Air crystal is) in order to have it made for you. Character specific ultimate weapons would go on to become a major staple of the franchise, so I thought this game having a class specific ultimate weapon was worth noting. The reason I say “kinda” in the header here is because I really feel like the ultimate weapon should be the strongest one.

In conclusion

So is this game worth playing? Yes. Ideally in the original format but if you don’t have the patience for that sort of thing, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to play the Pixel Remaster version of the game. I do think your experience with the game isn’t as authentic and you’re not experiencing the most ‘true’ version of the original Final Fantasy, but it’s at least closer to the real thing than other remakes. I would say start with the NES version and if you find yourself running into a brick wall early on, switch it up. At least you have an idea for how the original feels.

The original Final Fantasy is an old and hard to approach game and it only gets more so with age. But if you want to appreciate what the franchise would go on to become, if you want to understand just how far things have come, you should try.

Thank you very much for bearing with me and reading this far. Just like with the original Final Fantasy, I’ll be learning just what I want to make of these writeups as I do them. As I said up there somewhere, I have wanted to do a writeup of this series for a long time. At least a decade. So even giving me a couple of minutes of your time is appreciated.

Up Next

Final Fantasy 2, a notorious sequel.

[grizzlyofthesea]

So...

AI Otomachi Una is a thing.

I'm debating over whether or not to get her.

Pros:

She's cute. She sparks joy.

Her updated Sugar voicebank honestly sounds really good.

Since she has two cross-lingual voicebanks, I might be more motivated to practice using XSyn. I love GUMI V4, but copy/pasting Japanese syllables from Wikipedia to make song lyrics is painful. (Is there any way to make this process quicker?)

GUMI will have a friend that isn't one of the standard Yamaha voices.

She'd be the first non-adult voice in my (admittedly very small) arsenal, adding a bit of variety to the lineup.

This will show Internet Co. that their products are wanted. With enough interest in/purchases of their V6 voicebanks, maybe more of their characters will get updates. That's a big maybe, but never say never.

Cons:

She's freaking expensive ($138 US before tax).

Her updated Spicy voicebank is kind of underwhelming.

I love playing around with tuning/making covers privately, but I haven't had the courage to actually upload anything to the internet; in this sense, it might just seem like an expensive waste of time.

The whole "interest in Internet Co.'s stuff" thing outlined above isn't guaranteed to work.

So with all that said, I'm tossing this decision to a third party since I'm super indecisive.

[stepswowdsen]

【KHR AU】 XanLena & Selena Rambles ❤️💜🍷🪷

Sen's KHR OCs

Nguyễn Selena (Nguyễn Nguyệt Vân Liên)

Lê Thiên Linh

Selena Doodles (Quick redraws) 💜✨

I resketched Selena's hair 💜

Oh and I also used the eyes from the Selena wearing Vietnamese traditional clothes, Việt Phục (áo tấc) drawing.

Both look nice but I think it fits my art style more

I resketched these quickly so it's not as refined but I'm still experimenting/trying to decide how I want Selena's hair to be drawn, whether I want to keep the curls in the back or not

I also wanna give Selena a TYL (Ten Years Later) design like the rest of the KHR cast has.

I feel like Selena's ponytail is pretty iconic to her design?

So I'd just add a bun on top of the ponytail in her TYL design (whenever I get the chance to design it in the future)

Also put the rest of my WIPs and rambles under the cut

Btw I've drawn Linh before but I need to redraw the sketch sometime

I love gradient maps! They've really been spicing up my arts. I looove choosing colours. It's so fun to play around with them

(Excuse the old art of Selena I still need to redraw it)

Examples with my beloved Selena and my beloved KuroEne 😘💗🫶

Selena and her NB swag 💜

XanLena ❤️💜

XanLena chibis and a quick Selena chibi I sketched recently

Trying to experiment… I think I should redraw the Xanxus and Selena chibis at some point

I'll keep the core features like the eyes and colours! I'll just fix up some stuff

Drawing chibis is actually harder than drawing normally for me 😭

I also drew another quick Selena chibi

Selena 💜🪷

1: OG colours 2: Hue Shift + Gradient Map 3: Gradient Map

I prefer the 2nd one best because I love the purple + pink gradient, but the muted pink one (last one) is also cute.

These drawings are old btw

KuroEne 🖤💙

Selena's Name 💜🪷

"Japan has a custom called 'ateji' which is to give foreign words kanji characters based on their sounds, and this tradition is used to create kanji names for people with non-Japanese names."

So for example, just based on what I know, when Viet names are translated to Japanese, they're either written in katakana, or, if they're Sino-Viet (use Chinese characters), then you can either make a JP reading of the name (if possible with the characters), or write the pronunciation of the name in furigana on top of the kanji.

I learned new things recently on how to translate Vietnamese names to Japanese too.

C: Oooh I see :D That's cool!

...

For example, the unorthodox/non-standard reading that I chose of Selena's Viet name, Nguyễn Nguyệt Vân Liên (阮月雲蓮), is Gen Suzuha. It uses the same characters.

Because I wanted to give Selena a JP alias as well since she travels a lot. The multiple names are for ease when she travels

阮 - Ruǎn (CN), Nguyễn (VN), Gen (JP)

The most common Viet last name Nguyễn is translated as either Gen (阮) or Guen (グエン) in JP

In VN, Nguyễn is not pronounced with a hard English -g like that btw. It's hard to describe unless I make a video but in EN it's pronounced more like "Nwehen" or "Nghwin," said as 1 syllable

Sino Viet = Part of the Vietnamese vocabularly of Chinese origin

Furigana = Furigana are the characters on top of kanji that gives the pronunciation in Japanese.

…

At first I was conflicted whether to write Selena's name as セレナ (Serena) or せりな (Serina) in Japanese

Cuz I pronounce Selena's name as Seh-lee-nah. Though Seh-leh-nah (JP pronunciation) is fine too

Though these EN names are often romanized/transliterated like this in JP:

Selena: セレナ (Serena) Selina/Serina: せりな (Serina)

I went with the 1st one at first, but I ended up choosing the 2nd one cuz it matches closer to the pronunciation of Selena's name

Selena's Name (Continued) 🌙🪷

Selena's names:

English name: Nguyễn Selena (グエン・セリナ)

Vietnamese name: Nguyễn Nguyệt Vân Liên (阮月雲蓮)

Japanese alias name: Gen Suzuha (阮月雲蓮)

The most common Vietnamese last name that about ~40% of Viet folks have, Nguyễn, is written as either グエン (Guen) or 阮 (Gen) in JP. It doesn't match the Viet pronunciation, but it's the closest we can get in JP.

I write my KHR OC, Selena's name as セレナ (Serena) in Japanese, to match the spelling of her name in English, but the pronunciation of the name Selena in English is like "Seh-lee-nah." That's how I pronounce it.

I pronounce XanLena's ship name as "Zan-lee-nah" personally.

Cuz I just checked the Wikipedia pages of famous people to see how Selena is written

I don't mind if others pronounce it as "Suh-lee-nah" or "Seh-leh-nah." That's why I was wondering if I wanted to write her name in katakana to match the spelling or the pronunciation...

Ideas for Selena's name spellings:

セレナ (Serena) → Selena

せりな (Serina) → Selina, Celina

セレーナ (Sereena) → Selena, Serena

セリーナ (Seriina) → Serina, Selina

So any of these spellings could work. English words have stressed syllables, but Japanese doesn't really have that and has pitch accent instead.

Cuz Selena's Viet name, Liên (蓮) means "lotus." In Japanese names, the character 蓮 for lotus is read as "Ren."

So one hand, this spelling ends up being closer to her Viet name. But the other spelling is closer to the way her name should be pronounced.

I've seen せりな (Serina) be used for "Selena" before, because the 2nd is usually used for the spellings, "Selina, Celina," so I went with the 1st one at first. But then eventually chose the 2nd one.

I'm still deciding on it though... Also you can go against the conventional spellings.

Misc Rambles

Me: Was checking the automated Google Translate of my fave ships for fun

FGO:

リンぐだ (RinGuda) → LimGuda

(Google Translate: RinGuda)

WATGBS AU:

イダ竜 (IdaTatsu) → IdaTatsu

(Google Translate: IdaRyu)

KHR AU:

ザンレナ (ZanRena) → XanLena

(Google Translate: ZanRena)

MAGI:

ジュダアリ (JudaAri) → JudaAli

(Google Translate: JudaAli)

KAGEPRO:

黒コノエネ (KuroKonoEne) → KuroKonoEne

(Google Translate: KuroKonoe)

...

These are actually pretty close but IdaTatsu turning into IdaRyu and KuroKonoEne turning into KuroKonoe 😭

S: Idate I didn’t know you were dating Tatsumiya’s genderbent version Ryuki

Me: Cuz I was just reminded of how Cinna said Google Translate would turn GokuTsuna into Tuna's prison 😭

S: TSUNA'S PRISON

Me: TUNA... 🐟

S: 🐟

Me: IdaTatsu yuri and yaoi would be based!

Kanji for 竜 (Dragon) in Tatsumiya's name can be read as Ryu or Tatsu depending on the reading

S: Oh my

Me: Oh and Google Translate turning my MMBN/EXE ships, BluesRock into BullRock, or EnNetsu (Enzan/Netto) into Flame Heat

S: I guess in this reading they took Ryu Ahahaha IdaTatsu Yuri 🤭😳

S: Just like how that refrigerator caught on fire

Me: LMAO

I'm curious to see more funny Google Translate versions of ship names

S: LOL

Kinda miss when ship names were like Flame heat or Ice heart but also maybe I’m kinda glad it’s just their names fused now

Me: WSDSHSS they have a cute charm to them but thank god the ship names that are just portmanteaus (two charas' names together) are not impossible to remember. From Cinna before:

C: I think it's insanely funny when Google TL translates GokuTsuna as "Tuna's prison" like yeah Tuna prison that's my ship!

S: HELLO HELP

Me: Reminds me of KuroKonoEne/KuroEne getting translated as Black Kono Energy sometimes

S: Man I love my ship, oh their name? Yeah it’s TUNA’S PRISON, hope that helps!

C: I have Tuna's prison for GokuTsuna and Homo bull for EnBlues 👍👍👍👍👍

S: Maybe we don’t need creative ship names we just need whatever Google translates

Me: It's so funny cuz KHR's EA/JP fandom mainly used numbers for ship names cuz the syllables in charas' names sound like numbers in JP or CN, depending on the reading

(Btw I'm just putting the context for any mutuals who aren't familiar with KHR)

Like they're easy to remember if you're learning the language

So the fandom puts these numbers or letters together for ship names

Ex.

2 = Tsu

5 = Go

7 = Na

9 = Kyu

Ex.

18 = Hibari

59 = Gokudera

27 = Tsuna

...

S: RIP to me cause I don’t know Japanese but Wowie

Me: Cinna was like "The numbers are impossible for me to remember I swear if I tried remembering them I'd one day be logging into my bank account with them" 😭😂

S: LOL

Google passwords? Nah just give me a password with the ship name in numbers in Japanese and I’ll be set for life

Me: For charas who don't have number representations (non JP names), they use letters

X = Xanxus (ザンザス, Zanzasu)

3 = San (Sounds the closest to "Zan" that we can get)

S: Ooooo

Oh I’ve just been pronouncing Xanxus as Zansus LMAO 💀

Me: HELP WSSHDSH

S: LOL

Me: I remember Cinna's reaction from back then 😭😂

S: First Idate, now Xanxus, so who else will fall victim to my American pronunciation

LIKE I HAD BEEN PRONOUNCING HIS NAME AS EYE-DATE (I DATE) INSTEAD OF THE JP PRONUNCIATION 😭

Me: 😭😭😭

S: LMAO

Me: Tbf Xanxus is probably a cool made up name made up by Amano

S: Oooo probably

Tho I didn’t assume so cause Ik there’s a lot of foreign names that sound made up but they aren’t

Me: All of the other Varia members are named after the 7 Deadly Sins, except Xanxus cuz his name is special 🤭💖🫶

S: Xanxus is a special little boy 🫶

Me: But yeah with the 7 Deadly Sins theme-ing of the Varia, that includes Belphegor (Bel)

S: Would Selena notice that his name is not a deadly sin and call him special for that

S: Ooooooo

Me: That'd be cute! I think she'd notice that his name is special and especially fitting for him 🤭

Xanxus was named for his flame as a kid, since he was born on 10/10, so he has two of the Roman numeral X's in his name, and so believed from birth that he'd become Vongola 10th boss

Xanxus manifested a really rare and special flame, the Flame of Wrath

S: He was born on 10/10 to be a 10/10

Me: Saur true!!! 💖

Me: Let me see if I can find the Varia being 7 Deadly Sins themed

Here

Source: (X)

S: “To join Varia you must speak a minimum of seven languages“ what are they doing with seven languages, Mr. Worldwides???

Me: YEAH THAT'S CRAZY WSSDSHDSSH

I imagine Selena knows 4 languages:

Vietnamese, English, Japanese, Italian

But then gets taught the rest cuz they seem ""lax"" on this rule

I MEAN I CAN SEE SQUALO BEING STRICT ABOUT IT AND PESTERING HER AS A TIRED CHAOTIC "OLDER BROTHER" FIGURE

But I don't see it as the ultimate requirement or whatever.

So then Selena gets given a tutor to learn the rest

S: OHHH omg if they were strict on it fuckkk

Me: Vietnamese, English, Japanese, Italian

I just assume it's obviously not the most important requirement to become a Varia member tho cuz they wanted to hire a ~10 y/o kid Fran for his illusionist skills, because Fran is one of the best illusionists. And I doubt this kid knows 7???

So yeah they care more about the member being able to work well with them as an assassin.

AKA their skills, being proficient in killing people, ability to adapt with them in fights... Basically what really matters.

S: Selena my girl you gotta get the last of the 7 Dragon Balls of languages or something I actually don’t know how many are there

I would be sweating bullets if I were her and I didn’t know seven languages only to be met with a “Oh yeah dw about it you can learn the rest“

Me: So yeah Squalo probably gets her a tutor and tells her to learn the rest ASFFGFHJKLL

S: Who put the 7 language there as a rule anyways ‼️‼️ I’m kidding but omg 😭

S: She can always learn Spanish, if she already knows Italian it’s gonna be a breeze

Me: I just remember that this trivia has always existed since I was 12 but I could never find a source for it? Might come from some old JP magazine of KHR

I'm not very sure.

S: Oooooo

Me: OHHH so true!

S: Saur true!!! Amano goes into a magazine interview, “Oh yeah Varia members need to learn 7 languages to join“ doesn’t elaborate, never does

Me: Also in one of the KHR omake side stories, Lussuria tries asking Xanxus "if the rumours of Xanxus knowing 12 languages are true"

(.) 🧍

S: HELP

Me: And grumpy assassin leader Xanxus just doesn't answer. So typical! /pos /endearing

7 IS ALREADY CRAZY, BUT 12, BRO???

The Varia members, Xanxus especially, are definitely linguistically gifted.

S: By the time he’s old he’s gonna learn every language in the world

S: So true‼️‼️

S: It’s okay on the positive note he can always tell Selena he loves her in different languages

Or he’s more of a acts of service kinda guy

S: IKR 12 IS CRAAZZYYY

I could barely grasp 2

Me: He's definitely more of a Gifts and Acts of Service guy so he'll gift her gifts like flowers she loves ❤️

Like Xanxus probably has the servants wrap flowers for her and gift her her favourite ones. Lotus flowers, Wisteria, Peonies, etc.

S: Awwww so romantic 💖

Me: Oh the fact that Xanxus would learn Viet for Selena is very cute

Like he just learns it without telling her, and just surprises her when he suddenly starts speaking fluent Viet to her

S: OOOOOOO

Choosing the Spelling for Selena's Name

S: Oooooo I like Serina

Me: Yeahhh I like it too cuz it matches the pronunciation of her name. I've also seen some people use せりな (Serina) for Selena as well, it's just not as common as Selina and Celina

Though you can also go against conventional spellings in JP!

Like I read peoples’ rambles and one person brought up an example of a “Sarah” who hated the standard サラ (Sara) and instead uses セラ (Sera) so it’s not an issue

Me: Also ty Snow for your input and for chatting with me this morning, bestie!

S: Of course!! <3

Oomfie Osmosis

S: I'm just following your blorbo rambles through the oomfie osmosis but where does KHR take place? Is it in Japan?

C: It's mainly in Japan, but Italy is very plot relevant

Me: The main cast lives in Japan. So, the protag, Tsuna, and his Guardians (Vongola 10th Generation members).

But secondary characters like the Varia, live in Italy, and come to Japan when necessary/for work/for plot reasons. They also like to go to Japan on vacation

Me: LMFAO

Also even for series that my friends are into where I don’t know the series, my friends' faves become my faves too by association, through the osmosis, and my comfort characters and skrunklies in law

Comfort character/skrunkly in law through the osmosis, to skrunkly of mine!

[bokuaosubs]

Nice to meet you! Please take a short look! (Sunaga Miuna 1st blog)

It’s nice to meet all of you! My name is Sunaga Miuna!

To begin, thank you very much for opening this blog! I’m very happy! (^^)

(It’s a celebration!) The first blog!!! I’m so happy that I get to write this! I’m so, so happy, that this might end up being a long blog, but I’d like to introduce myself once more and share my thoughts on our current activities, I think! I hope you will read it all the way to the end! (^^)

Firstly, my name is Sunaga Miuna!

I’ve seen lots of ppl say ‘I can’t read ‘Kokoro’ and ‘Umi’ (心に海) as ‘Miuna’ (心海)~!!’ (lol)

Actually, nobody’s read the name Miuna right after only seeing it once, not even while at the hospital’s reception or when being called for attendance at school… (><)

I was named after my father’s wish, and my parents chose this name with the intended meaning ‘I want you to have a heart as wide as the sea’!

I seriously love this name!

I’ve thought of a haiku [poem made up of three 5/7/5 syllable sentences] to help you remember my name!

Here goes. ‘Hello there. With a heart as deep as the sea, I’m Miuna.’ I hope you’ll be able to remember me (^^) lol

I was born on the 11th of April 2005, I’m 18 years old and I’m now a high school senior! My birthday took place during the time of our audition, so please celebrate with me next year~! (^^)

I’m from Saitama, I’m 156.4cm tall, and my blood type is type A! I can be a bit rough sometimes too (lol)

My favourite food, in order, is: 1st place: ice cream 2nd place: seafood 3rd place: Happy Turn [a type of Japanese rice crackers] 4th place: yakult-style drinks 5th place: doughnuts 6th place: sweet potatoes 7th place: plums 8th place: hamburger steak 9th place: kiwis 10th place: beef tongue!

So far, I’ve liked everything I’ve eaten… (lol) When it comes to food, I want to talk about it lots. Anyway、、there is not a single type of food I dislike!! ZERO!

When it comes to cooking, my go-to is roughly making simple rice! I like preparing meals like that (lol) I used to prepare lunchboxes every morning for school, and I’d practice making them slightly better, at least a little bit, each and every day, but back when I was in elementary school, I accidentally made a mistake between sugar and salt when making cookies, and ever since then, my older brother has issued me an order meant to forbid me from cooking (><)

Also, I have always loved playing outside and… I’m a bit of an athlete! Just between you and I… I got first place in sports examinations for three years in junior high school!! I also played volleyball during that time! In high school, I wasn’t able to join any clubs because I had a part-time job, but I won a medal for a marathon in my second year of high school! (^^) All in all, I would like having a field day with all the members one day!

Now, from here on, I think I’ll start writing about slightly more serious things.

I applied for this audition because I wanted to change both the circumstances and myself.

Going to school was hard for me, and, of course, there were still things I enjoyed doing, but every day I used to be scared of one thing or another… I’d wake up in the morning, go to school, go to my part-time job immediately after school, and then go home once my part-time job shift would end.

The next day would come as soon as I got to close my eyes under the covers. ‘Is there a single place that wants me/I’m meant for…’ That’s what I used to think.

I was afraid of what people thought of me, and I always cried throughout the audition… I didn’t really think I could pass, and with each round of screening, I was losing more and more confidence in myself.

But, the moment my name was called during the announcement of the soon-to-be members, I felt as if someone had recognized me and my worth a little bit, and as if I had finally found my place in the world.

My goal is to become an idol who can understand the hearts of my fans and be close to their hearts, too, so that they will come to think, ‘Miuna-chan is working hard, so I will work just a little harder myself, too’.

If you, by chance, feel the same way I did a few months ago, I hope you’ll remember me. I’ll be waiting for you!

Individual talks… other events and such… please come see me!

I want to talk a lot with my fans who are reading this blog right now!

I want to meet you all and become a group big enough to perform in big venues and in all the prefectures!!

Now, I’m really wishing to meet and talk with our fans as soon as possible! (I can’t wait to meet you all!) (⑉･ ･⑉)

I will always be here. BokuAo will always be with you, too. I promise, I won’t make you regret supporting BokuAo and I!

I promise I’ll do my best and really give it my all!! And! The other 22 members are all really charming, and I respect them quite a lot. I really, really love the members and I’m a fan of theirs as much as you are! (lol) I hope you will take the time to read through all 23 of our blogs! I would be happy if you could discover the strengths of each of the 23 members and support us as a group! (^^)

Ah! Also! I’m going to announce the answer to the one question that was written on the official fan club’s self-introduction page here!

The first hint: ‘タ’ (‘ta’) The second hint: ‘テ’ (‘te’)…

The correct answer is… ‘Vertical reading’! (lol)

Once you read it vertically, it becomes “mi-u-na” (^^)

If you got the correct answer, please let me know the next time you have a chance to meet me or talk to me! ·͜·

Eh… I’m sorry… woah… This blog seemed really long once I reread it… ((sweating))

I really have lots more to write… but I won’t write it all here~!!

I would be happy if you could get to know me little by little (^^)

As a first step, I would like to show you two photos today!

The first one is a picture of me in my favorite clothes that I used to wear when I was in kindergarten, because I was fascinated by idols ever since then and the clothes did look like an idol’s costume… (lol)

The second one is a recent photo of the time I made lunch before going to school in the morning, from the personal documentary shooting that was recently posted on SNS!

And, last but not least… do you remember my words from the unveiling event~?! They were ‘Thank you for today’!!! I think I’ll end the blog with that!

Well then!! I look forward to seeing you all soon! (ˊᵕˋ) Thank you very much!!

【Thank you for today.】

Thank you for finding me, Thank you to everyone who gave me a chance and thank you for reading the blog until the very end!!

[TL by: yuzuiro]

[unaloquita]

I had such a nice night yesterday evening. I walked into Ari’s bedroom to spend time with her, and usually, she kicks me out because either she’s playing Call of Duty with her boyfriend Rocky or she gets super mad at me and then I’m kicked out. It gets lonely being her younger sister, but I know that that’s how it goes among sisters, especially younger sisters who get the door slammed in their faces constantly by an older sister. But this time around, she wasn’t up to anything and she wasn’t moody. So I sat in her twisty desk chair and faced her while she layed in her bed, because I wanted to spend time with her. I asked what the boxes atop her armoire were holding. Note: I learned the word “armoire” from a Seinfeld episode when Elaine kept saying it and in another episode of the cartoon network short series, Over The Garden Wall (I watched it on DVD checked out from the library when I was sixteen!).  Ari said “Let’s see,” and then she got out of bed and took down each box. In the biggest box she had, she told me that that’s where all her Godzilla figures were stored. She has a total of four. I remember she bought one when we went to Nisei Week, a festival celebrating Japanese culture, in downtown Los Angeles. Godzilla is Japanese after all. Seeing Ari light up talking about her Godzilla passion made me feel so warm inside. I needed that light. Ari is a fanatic of this radioactive monster, so much that she named one of our cats after him, our cat, Zilla. Zilla’s actual name is Godzilla but I told Ari when Zilla was a baby to make his name two syllables because in a cat behavior book I had read, the author, Heather Dunphy (their credentials look kind of reliable; in their ‘about the author,’ it says they are foremost a writer and journalist, and it says they’ve authored over 300 articles on all aspects of pet care and then it includes a list of publications but those publications are mostly canine related—Puppy Scoops, Dog Knows, Healthy Maturity, The American Kennel Club Gazette, and Canadian Dog Digest) said cats learn their names much quicker if it’s two syllables. Therefore, Ari shortened his name to Zilla. She told me about the Godzilla lore, saying that originally when he was created for the first japanese films, Godzilla started off as a prehistoric reptile awakened by an american nuclear submarine in 1954 who fed off radiation and grew in SIZE. It just so happens that our cat Zilla also feeds on radiation. Instead of sitting in the sunlight, he sits under our microwave feeding off its radiation. In Legendary Pictures, the company that has produced the most recent Godzilla film franchise, Godzilla is an ancient lifeform who can be considered a god. She showed me clips from the movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters when Dr. Serizawa sacrifices himself to wake up Godzilla because the people needed immediate help. Ari said it sucks that they killed off that character because that actor who played him was also a character in the Godzilla franchise in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Ari said Godzilla: King of The Monsters is her favorite film amongst the other Godzilla films that Legendary Pictures came out with because Godzilla is shown more in that one. Ari said the three movies that feature Godzilla were each directed by a different director. The director who showcased their love for Godzilla the most was for the second movie. Ari said that movie got poor ratings because it was mostly “Godzilla” in the film and not enough human interactions. I can’t believe Ari stored so much information about him in her brain; that’s so amazing! It was really nice just listening to her and asking questions. I want to do that more with my family members, mom, páp, and ari.

[featherquillpen]

Fire Emblem Three Houses meta: Ferdinand's poetry

I do call myself Poetry here and on AO3 for a reason, which is that I love poetry and I'm a huge nerd about it. So when I watched Ferdinand's C support with Manuela in the FE3H let's play I'm following, I was really excited that I got to read a poem by one of my beloved characters. At first, I thought the poem was just a bit lovesick and silly. But when I really sat down with Ferdinand's poem to analyze it, I became really impressed with its sophistication and structure.

First, A Poetry Lesson

A little bit about poetry terms. A poem has meter if it has a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. I will demonstrate with lines from the poem "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. I will highlight the stressed syllables with bold italics.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls

Poems with meter can be divided into metrical feet. Feet are patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables. The lines from "The Eagle" above are composed of the most common type of metrical foot in English poetry: the iamb, which is made of two syllables: unstressed-stressed. Each line in "The Eagle" above is composed of four iambs. You can also have multiple types of feet in one line, as in these two lines from "The Eagle", which I've marked with | vertical lines | between feet:

| Close to the sun | in lone | ly lands, |

| Ring'd with the az | ure world, | he stands. |

Each of these lines has a choriamb (stressed-unstressed-unstressed-stressed) followed by two iambs.

Ferdie's Poem

Now for our dear Ferdinand's poem for Manuela. Here is the first version he recites for her. I will mark stressed syllables with bold italics and divide feet with | vertical lines |, as above.

| My princess | is lovely, | my princess | is fair |

| She sings like | cicadas | in midsum | er's air |

Each of these lines is composed of four metrical feet: three amphibrachs (unstressed-stressed-unstressed) followed by one iamb (unstressed-stressed). This really caught my attention because amphibrachic poetry is uncommon in English. It's much more common in Polish, Russian, and the Slavic languages, so in English it really stands out.

The other really cool thing is that when Manuela critiques Ferdie's poem, he immediately and effortlessly swaps out one of the amphibrachs for a different amphibrach that fits the line perfectly:

| My princess | is lovely, | my princess | is fair |

| She sings like | a swallow | in midsum | er's air |

Contrast all of this with Lorenz's poem in his C support with Manuela:

Verdant rains soothe

My aching heart like a cherished friend

Amid time's flow I mourn

Bonds I'm not sure I can ever rend

As my mind clings to desperate thoughts

Here it comes, Horsebow Moon and summer's end

I didn't put any markers on this poem because it isn't metrical; there's no pattern here of syllables and stresses. It has a ABCBDB rhyme scheme (every other line rhymes) but otherwise has no structure.

On a Watsonian (in-universe) level I have to admit I'm very impressed with Ferdinand's poetry skills. On a Doylist (out-of-universe) level, I'm very impressed with the translation team, and I'm now very curious about what these poems are like in the original Japanese.

[insomniacinserts]

Lemme get back on my shit rq.

Do you know midorima shintaro?

This sexy beautiful piece of ass?

Imagine what he would look like riding you, he’ll have his hand over his mouth and the other hand holding your shoulder for support, if your laying down he’d have his hand on your chest

God his face🤤🤤🤤 I have a composure and corruption kink and shintaro is perfect for both of those, he’s so composed and up tight all of the time when you get him like this you just can’t help but go all out, fucking him as hard as you can and as fast as you can for as long as your body will let you, making it your life’s purpose to abuse the absolute fuck out of his prostate just to see that guarded tsundere mask fucking shatter.

Midorima is kinky as FUCK, he will never admit it though but with a lot of experimenting 😩 your gonna end up with a LOOONG list.

If your older than our tsundere-kun FLAUNT IT. Do everything and anything to remind him that your older, he’s got a thing for respect. Tease him, torture him, overstimulate him, make him beg. But as soon as he says something disrespectful get on him about it “geez shintaro, you should really learn to respect your elders. Your not using very good manners right now.”

Call him baby, lover, doll, sweetheart, angel, prince he’ll melt. Praise him and he’ll go stock still and red as a cherry, it gets him off so fast, he lives for your praise.

DUMBIFACATION. fuck him until he’s unable to form words then call him your dumb baby and he will cum so hard. He loves it, he’s always been smart but it’s hard to think when he’s around you, especially your cock.

Body/cock worship. Get on your knees and fucking WORSHIP every inch of this sweet boys body. He never got many compliments that weren’t about his intelligence, so tell him how much you love his face and his hips and his tummy and cock, kiss, lick, bite, and mark every inch he’ll let you. Tell your baby what he does to you, what effect he has on you, show him how much power he holds over you.

Breath play and choking. Mmmmmff🤤😩 this ones my favorite. He loves it when you wrap a hand around his throat, he loves the pressure when you squeeze, the burn when you finally let him breathe. Fuck him ruthlessly and don’t let him breathe until he’s seeing stars. He looks so pretty fucked out like that; jaw slack, his lips red and spit slick, saliva covered chin from sucking your cock, cheeks pink, his eyes rolled back him his head, glasses barely on his face, hair mused and sex messy, his hands would be grabbing the wrist that was choking him, his nipples hard and a pretty pink. The noises he’d make 🤤😩😩😩 he’d be whimpering and whining his pretty moans would be strangled.

Humiliate him. Fuck him silly then lean down and ask him how he thinks his teammates would feel about the position he was in soon before a practice game, ask him what he would tell takao when he asks why he’s limping. Pull out your phone and snap a picture of him sucking your cock and tell him that if someone asks what you did this weekend you’d show them the picture. Get him so riled up then leave him to jerk off but don’t let him live it down “aww poor baby couldn’t handle it huh? So horny you lost all self control. I bet if I hadn’t left you’d have jumped me there in front of all those people.”

I don’t really think this is a kink but he’s a sucker for lazy morning sex. Waking him up by kissing all over his shoulders and neck. Tell him good morning in your sleepy morning voice, if you speak any other language or English talk to him in that. He won’t understand but he lives for the way the syllables drip off your tongue, how slurred your Japanese sounds, tell him you love him and kiss him sweetly. Run your fingers through his hair and whisper to him how beautiful you think he is, take everything slow and gentle. When he gets it he’ll kiss you and turn over on his back, spend as much time as he needs to prep him maybe a little longer so you can kiss his pretty face. When you fuck him do it slow and deep, look him in the eyes and tell him how good he’s doing, talk to him about the future, if you want to take him on a date soon or if you wanna look into a college that’s close to where he got accepted. Tell him about dreams or daydreams you’ve had about any future with him, talk to him about sappy romantic domestic things and finally when you bring up marriage he’ll cum.

Please somebody let me love this boy 😮‍💨

[peachycanton]

Improvement?!

So as many of you quite know at this point, consuming your favorite media in a different language helps with language learning. It makes the learning/studying fun and allows you to learn terms that would be more applicable for you. I’ve done this before when I was learning Korean and it helped immensely. For shows and music it helps to actually hear how the language sounds in comparison to robotic voices or voices that are purposely going slow and enunciating every syllable. 

Taking this advice in stride, a few months ago I started playing Genshin Impact. I purposely went into it knowing that I would love the gameplay and that it has a lot of cultural Chinese elements. Then after I downloaded the game, it had the option to have the audio in Chinese while still keeping the text and interface in English. I thought this was a good idea as I’m still a huge beginner but I still wanted to have that listening practice. Even just being exposed to the language and how it sounds helps. 

This brings me to today. I’ve been playing it while also studying mandarin quite a lot since I'm out of school and I realized that I understood a few words. It’s not a lot and I still can’t understand everything but I got super excited! I even understood a really short question one of the characters was asking and it felt great! So yeah just wanted to make a post about that and just kinda talk about how excited I am that this kind of learning works! 

I do plan to do this same thing with my other games that I really love. Breath of the Wild has the option for Chinese text, although with the original Japanese audio for the voice acting. Several of my favortite books have translations in Chinese that I now want to read. Plus, I do still love Chinese dramas so I’ll be watching those a lot too!

[yutahoes]

Love and Letter

pairing : college student! Yuta Nakamoto x secret admirer

word count : 4.5k words

genre : fluff

summary : A series of letters melt the anti-love’s heart.

warnings : cursing

For the “...dear you” collab hosted by @theje0ngs 😄

I had fun writing for this story. I’m sorry if I posted this early, I’m just so excited to show this to you. Please enjoy and leave feedback. 😁

Nakamoto Yuta. The perfect embodiment of the rebel guy moms would always remind young girls to get away from. Pierced ears, long hair that defies the school rule, a scowl on his face as if hating everyone which he does. A total rebel that is feared by students and teachers alike. The classic bad guy who never showed up for classes, only staying a minute for attendance roll call then skipping. 

And he wanted it to stay like this for the whole year. 

Why does he have to attend Creative Literature class when he’s not even a Literature major? Annoyed, he pushed the door of his locker and was startled when a piece of paper fell from the said locker. His name was written in front in cursive form. To say that he’s not intrigued is a total lie but he waited until he was seated in class when he unfolded the paper. 

‘Hi, Yuta. 

Please don’t be alarmed, I’m not a bad person. 

I notice you a lot in the school hallways and honestly, you’re a little scary. 

I know you’re a nice person. Please lighten up a bit.

XOXO,🍎’

A chuckle escaped his lips. Just a little scary? Him? A nice person? Isn’t this weird? Who in their right mind would make an absurd letter like this? 

But a smile escaped his lips as his mind drifted on the letter in his pocket. Should he start smiling more? Talk to some classmates? Maybe he can find out who wrote the letter. Fuck, this is so dangerous. 

Although it is ultimately different from his usual aura, he greeted the discipline director waiting by the school gate. He also gave a bow to the teachers he passed, smiling lightly at his classmates he only recognized by faces. They were obviously surprised at the sudden shift in his attitude but greeted him as well. By lunchtime, he was hanging out with the guys in his Physics class and laughing at their jokes.   

‘I don’t know if you received my letter the first time but I noticed that you’ve been a little brighter and that you’ve been hanging out with some friends. 

That’s nice. 

I’m happy to see you happier. 

Thank you for making my days brighter, Yuta.

XOXO,🍎’

Yuta smiled. But it was the letter sender who made his days brighter. Does that person like him so much? Or is this something that is made up? He doesn’t want to know but he liked the feeling of receiving the letter. 

He’s used to it by now, saying good morning to the school guard and the discipline director before entering the school gate. He would smile at the other students who were early for class, even helping some with their things. 

Every morning, he would pass by the school’s soccer field. His turf back in high school. If only he continued playing soccer, maybe he can be a part of the team and defeat these guys with terrible form. He smiled while rubbing the back of his head, walking to where the Arts building is. Soccer isn’t for him. 

‘Do you like Messi? 

I noticed you’ve always stopped by the soccer field every morning. 

Maybe you can try out for the soccer team. Didn’t you use to play for the team back in high school? 

It will be cool to see you play again.

XOXO,🍎’ 

He glanced around to see if someone was watching him read the letter but the students are busy with their own things. That person knows that he plays soccer back in high school? Is that person a schoolmate from before? But he’ll have a hard time locating who it is considering that he went to a local high school near the university. 

Is this a sign from above? Should he really try out for soccer? He did miss the feeling of the ball in his feet, the smell of the grassy field, and the excitement it brought him. Why did he even stop playing for a girl who never cared about him?

With the letter in his pocket, Yuta got accepted in the soccer team. The coach even thanked him repeatedly for changing his mind, claiming that he had been coaxing Yuta into applying since his freshman days. The guy only smiled, rubbing his head while apologizing. “The soccer golden boy is back.” And he is. He’s happy to be back. 

But training is so tedious that it startled him. Back in high school, training is such a piece of cake. Why did you have to run fifty laps around the field now? Maybe his body is really startled that for the first time in his college life, he got sick. For two days, he skipped school and just stay at home to rest. Now, he’s debating if playing soccer is all worth it. Should he quit? But he just started. Can his body take on this intense training? 

His friends were greeting him when he returned to school. The other guys from the soccer team teasing him that it’s like that at the first time but he’ll get over this. Hopefully, he will. There isn’t a letter in his locker that made him feel odd. Well, what did he expect? Maybe it already stopped. But he kinda liked it. Even looking forward to it every morning. 

“Dude, you have to attend creative literature tomorrow.” Jungwoo, one of his classmates on the said subject claimed. “We already paired for the project. Your partner seemed really down.” 

Yuta laughed at that. “Who is my partner?” 

“Y/N. She always comes early in class, sitting on the back row.” 

“A girl? Can’t I pair up with you instead?” He revolted quickly that made his friend reason out that nothing will be done if they pair up for the project even asking him the golden question of all, ‘Why are you so scared of girls?’ But Yuta just shrugged, not wanting to explain it to him. 

‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away. 

I’m glad you’re feeling fine and that you’re back in class. 

Also, the apple juice from the vendo machine tastes great. 

I hope you’re not allergic to apples.’

XOXO,🍎’

Funny, that person will say that. He isn’t. And it’s not bad to try it out. 

When he entered the room for their creative literature class, he immediately saw the girl Jungwoo was describing with her face buried in the book. Why is he even scared of talking to a girl? 

Yuta breathed hard before sitting beside her. “Y/N? Am I correct?” He asked which made the girl turn to him. Yuta handed her the same apple juice he’s drinking. “I’m Yuta Nakamoto and we’re partners for the project?” 

The girl nodded, thanking him for the drink. “It’s an epistolary piece we should make…” 

“Epis…? What?” 

She lightly giggled at that which made him stare. “Epistolary.” She said emphasizing all syllables. “It’s a letter-type fiction. We write a story using letters.” Yuta nodded at that. Letters. “I have the idea already but since it’s a pair project, I can’t start on it until I show you.” 

Can’t she show it now? Can she just do the project without his help or without talking to each other? “Do you want to discuss it after class? I’ll be in the library if…” 

“I have soccer practice.” He immediately said that made her stop. He gave her his phone, asking if they can just talk through messages that made her nod, typing her number in. The moment she returned the phone, he immediately stood up to talk to his friend, Taeyong, in the first row.

---------

“You just ditched her?” Taeyong asked that made Yuta ruffle his hair. He shouldn’t have told him. “That’s a pair project, Nakamoto. You’ll both get a zero if you don’t cooperate.” 

Yuta showed the text message he shared with Y/N. “She said she’ll just do it. She’s smart. She can do it.” 

The other shook his head. “Why can’t you just talk to her? Y/N isn’t bad. The thing you’re scared of with girls. I’m sure Y/N isn’t like that.” He raised an eyebrow at him. “All I’m saying is that you should stop being this total jerk on her. He’s not like your ex, Yuta.” That took his attention. How did he know that? “There are talks around.” But before he could ask him to elaborate, Taeyong turned a sharp left. 

The rain was falling hard that made Yuta sigh while taking out his umbrella. Soccer practice ended early because of the muddy ground that made him hate the rain. Today, of all days? He just returned from sickness and yet there’s no training. As he neared the steps of the building, he saw a familiar girl with her hand held out in the pouring rain. “Y/N.” he called. 

The girl gave him a timid smile before returning to what she was doing. Weird. Does she love the rain so much? “Do you have an umbrella?” He asked that made her shake her head. “Do you want to share? I can walk you to the bus stop.” 

“It’s fine, Yuta.” Y/N whispered while shaking her head. Once again, she started playing with the droplets of rain. Truly odd. Maybe Taeyong is right, she really is different. Yuta handed the umbrella that startled her, “Yuta!” But he was already running in the rain. Shit, he might get sick again with this. 

‘It’s been raining non-stop this past few days. It’s so gloomy. 

Also, I learned a new word today.

Niwakaame. 

Isn’t it Japanese? 

Rain Shower. 

I love the rain shower. 

How about you? I hope you don’t hate the rain as much. 

It helps water the plants, you know?

XOXO,🍎’  

A giggle escaped his lips. It does, doesn’t it? 

He just had a reason to like the rain. 

Since soccer practices had been on hold because of the rainy weather, he would always find himself in the library working on that epistolary piece with Y/N. She would always type her ideas and he would check if it was alright. But really, what does he know about all of this? 

He was just thankful that she became his partner, she's really smart and creative. He'll probably pass creative literature with ease because of her help. Another thing is that she never talks when she's in front of her laptop and he was thankful that she's saving them from awkwardness. 

He put on the straw of the apple juice before slipping it beside her notebook. Yuta returned to his comic book when he heard her say in a soft voice, "I didn't know you like apples." Yeah, he honestly didn't know that he did either. 

‘Soccer is such a boring sport for me before. Why does it take so long for players to score a goal? 

But watching you play, scoring that goal in the last minute, I’ve never felt that thrill and happiness before. 

Congratulations! 

And if no one told you this before, I guess I’ll have to tell you now. 

You are really cool, Yuta Nakamoto!

XOXO,🍎’   

The class was cheering with excitement when Yuta entered the room, everyone was congratulating him for the amazing game. He beamed happily, thanking them as he poked a straw to the apple juice he was holding and putting it on Y/N’s table but she didn’t even look at him and was just typing in front of her laptop. 

“You’re being chummy with her.” Taeyong claimed while elbowing his side. “So what’s special about Y/N that she’s the only girl you talk to?” 

Yuta had to laugh, voice resonating to the whole room. Instead of the professor, it was the TA who came for class. He just asked them to talk with their partners that made the class scrambled on their seats. Yuta sat beside Y/N who kept on typing in her laptop as if not caring about anything. “Y/N.” He called softly. “Are you alright?” 

The girl almost screamed when Yuta held her shoulder. “Yuta?” She called then stared around. “I’m sorry. Is the class starting?” She immediately put down the screen of her laptop while biting her thumb. 

“The prof isn’t here. The TA just wanted the pairs to talk about the idea.” She whispered an ‘oh, I see’ before putting out her laptop which opened a document. “You seemed busy.” 

“Paper due today.” She answered while typing, bouncing her legs while she bit her lip. 

The TA started walking around the room to see what the students are doing which made Y/N close the document, groaning when she failed to save it. The girl bumped her head to the desk that surprised Yuta. “You can type your paper and pretend to listen to me.” Yuta suggested that made her look at him. There were tears in her eyes. “Just pretend that I’m telling you the story.” 

Y/N wiped her eyes then breathed hard before opening her laptop to start with her work. Yuta smiled when she started typing words on her laptop. “Someone is giving me letters.” But her typing didn’t stop and he wondered if she was even listening to him. “I don’t know why but that person gives me comfort all the time.” The TA approached their table and she started typing at a slow pace as he continued talking to her, “I always wait for that person’s letters every morning.” 

When the TA passed, Y/N returned to her usual typing that made Yuta shrug and just watch as she focused on her work. Maybe she isn’t interested in hearing his story but it feels good that he got this chance to tell someone about the mystery sender always giving him smiles. He placed his head on the table, facing her. “I hope you meet your letter sender, superstar.” Y/N said without looking away from her laptop. And he wished he did too. 

‘Ureshii. 

I’m happy you’re always happy, Yuta. 

I’m happy to hear your laugh echo in our room. I’m happy to see you smiling at everyone you pass by. 

I’m happy you’re coming to class and enjoying soccer. 

I’m really happy for you, Yuta.

XOXO,🍎’

A smirk appeared on his lips, so this person is in the same class as him? He usually passes by this person as well. He really wants to see this person once and thank him or her. 

A thought passed his mind. What if the sender is a girl? Can he actually talk to her? Maybe not. This is probably better. That he’s curious about the mystery letter sender. 

It was the midterm week. Everyone is super busy with the things they have to do, college life is so fast-paced that it scared Yuta. He’s used to getting left behind but what if he gets too left behind? He’s not super smart, not even studious. And a failing grade meant an automatic expulsion from the soccer team which he slowly grew to love. He should just be back from his usual rebel phase. 

The thing he was scared of happened because of Math, specifically Trigonometry. He had to admit that he was blank the whole time, the result of not going to class during the first few months of school. What’s more annoying is seeing everyone’s score on the bulletin board and his fifteen points in Math. 

“Take a tutorial class and retake the exam. It isn’t that hard.” The soccer coach said. “I don’t want to expel you in the team, golden boy.” But most of the tutors are all girls which scared him the most. Yet he didn’t want to fail. 

As he skimmed the possible Math tutors to help him, his eyes fell on one specific girl that he knew who could help him. The only girl he could talk to. 

‘Keep your head up. 

It’s Math. It is naturally hard. 

Don’t beat yourself up instead focus on what you did. 

You solved an entire equation, fifteen of it and that’s admirable already. 

Keep it up, Yuta! You’ve done a great job. 

XOXO,🍎’ 

“This answer is wrong, superstar.” Y/N claimed, circling her pencil to the number two which Yuta got as an answer. The guy looked at it curiously, sighing hard while bumping his head on the table that earned looks from everyone inside the coffee shop. The girl had to giggle at him before closing her book, “We can rest if you want.” 

Yuta followed her by closing the book then drank his apple juice that made her shake her head. “Y/N, do you remember the letter sender I told you about?” He asked before leaning his head on top of the books. The girl only nodded in answer. “Should I meet him?” 

“Him? Your mystery sender is a guy?” 

The guy shrugged. “But I want to think that the sender is a he so I won’t get too nervous.” But Y/N only gave him a confused look. “I’m not good with talking to girls. I mean, I’m really scared of holding a conversation with them especially after I broke up with my girlfriend.” Yuta breathed before continuing, “She gets jealous even if I just smile at another girl and maybe that was when the trauma started. When we broke up, I just can’t shake it off. I feel like it’s wrong for me to be talking to a girl.” 

Y/N nodded. “Well, you just told that whole sentence to me. And I’m a girl.” 

“Oh shit!” Yuta exclaimed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Please don’t be offended.” Y/N shook her head, smiling at him. “I think you’re really pretty and smart.” 

“You think I’m friendly?” He gave her a confused look. Friendly? But he clearly said pretty. Yuta chuckled before nodding at her. 

It was Y/N’s idea to give the mystery sender a response in a form of a letter, just Yuta saying that he’s thankful for the letters the sender gave him. He even shared how he liked Keisuke Honda better than Messi, how he thinks the apple juice from the vendo machine is the best drink there is in school, and how he started to think of the rain in a better light. He thanked the sender for encouraging him to study Math and the support he got from playing soccer. By the end of the letter, he told the sender that he will wait in a coffee shop to meet him or her so he can properly thank him or her. 

"Y/N!" Yuta called while running in the hallway to where she was. He kept bumping on other students, apologizing quickly to them. "Y/N! He took the letter." She shrugged, looking at him confused. "Do you think he'll come to the coffee shop and meet me?" 

"Did you tell her that?" He leaned beside your locker while she took out books for her consecutive classes. 

Yuta nodded, taking her books for him to carry. "I'm nervous. What should I do?" Y/N was startled at the action. "What if the sender is a she? How can I even talk to her?" 

The girl giggled. "Like how you're talking to me, Yuta." 

He stopped walking and she was steps ahead when she noticed Yuta was gone. "Can you come with me later?" 

Y/N sighed, shaking her head at him. “You can do this, superstar.” 

--------

Yuta was so nervous that he kept on ordering water to ease his nerves. Every time the chimes of the door ring, he would stare at the door and hope that it was the letter sender. He lightly glanced at his wristwatch, it's been an hour. Will that person even come? 

He's in his fifth cup of coffee, almost two hours have passed since the time he told the person in the letter. Yuta had already given up. Maybe she wouldn't come. He was about to stand up when Jungwoo came inside the coffee shop and sat in front of him. The younger guy handed him a folded piece of paper, "Someone wants to give you this." 

"You know who it is?" 

He nodded, "I saw her putting the letter in your locker once." Her? "But Yuta please know that she has her reasons why she doesn't want you to meet her." 

"Can you just tell me who she is?" Jungwoo shook his head, apologizing before standing up to leave Yuta alone. 

‘I received your letter and I’m so sorry for not coming to meet you. 

I’m scared. I don’t know why but I am. 

I don’t want to erase your smile when you find out that this is just me, I appreciate your letter, I really do. 

And I’ll treasure it all my life. Thank you, Yuta. I’m sorry.

XOXO,🍎’ 

That's it? He won't get to know who she was. He cannot thank her for giving him something to look forward to every time. Is it possible to have your heart broken before it can even beat for a person? 

Creative Literature class. Today is the last day of submitting the epistolary piece he and Y/N had been working on. He did the usual morning routine, go to the vendo and pick up a juice for him and her. But he can't seem to find the courage to push the button for the apple one so he settled to the orange-flavored juice. "Shit!" he cursed. He never knew Y/N's favorite juice flavor. He would always give her the apple flavored one. So with a heavy heart, he settled on the apple one. 

Weird, he thought. It's almost time and Y/N isn't here yet. Taeyong entered the room and placed a folder in front of Yuta. "Y/N wanted to give you this." He was startled. There's always something fishy about Taeyong and Y/N so he asked him the question that's always bugging him. The other guy chuckled, "We're cousins, stupid." Taeyong supplied that made Yuta nod. He didn't know that. 

"Where is she?" Yuta asked while opening the folder. There's a page full of computerized words, the story she wrote. "Is she sick?" Five pages of the story and on the last page, hers and his names are written in her handwriting. 

"She didn't tell you?" Yuta shook his head in a questioning manner. "She's going to New York for the Exchange Student Program. It's her flight today." 

Yuta skimmed the contents of the epistolary piece she made then focused on the handwriting. Why did it take him so long to realize everything? Taeyong called for his name but he was already outside the door of their classroom. He heard Jungwoo calling him but he was already out of the gates and hailed a cab. "Airport. Please step on it." 

He took out the letters that he kept in his notebook, nine different letters to be exact. Yuta smiled seeing the hidden message in the letters. She cannot hide from him anymore. "Where are you?" Yuta asked when she answered the phone, his foot stepped inside the crowded airport. 

"Airport?" He answered 'I know', "Gate four."

"Wait for me there." She called for his name but he was already running to where she was, putting the phone in his pocket. "Y/N!" he called which made the girl turn to where he is. He lightly bowed at her parents, asking if he can talk to Y/N for a while. 

"It's you, isn't it? The letters." He asked which made the girl stop. "Why didn't you just tell me?" Then he shook his head. "After confessing, you're just going to leave me?" 

The girl giggled at that. "It's just for two months, don't overreact." The guy breathed hard. "Did Jungwoo tell you?" 

"I saw the pattern with the epistolary you did. Saw how you wrote my name and realized you never told me the juice you wanted and just went with the apple juice I always gave you." The girl smiled then he showed the nine letters he was holding. "Why the hell are you so smart that you have to put a secret message in your letters?" The girl giggled. 

The announcement for the plane passengers heading to New York can be heard, "I have to board, Yuta. I'll see you when…" 

But he pulled her closer, wrapping her in his arms. "I like you too, Y/N." A final call for the passengers can be heard and he hesitatingly let go of her. "I'll message you every day." Y/N nodded before saying goodbye to him and her parents, facing the boarding gate without even looking back. 

----

Nakamoto Yuta. The perfect embodiment of the soccer superstar every university wanted to have. The model student who greets everyone, female or male, when he passes by them in the hallways. The loyal boyfriend who only has eyes for one girl. 

He couldn't believe only a month had passed. He misses her so much even if the time they spent together is much longer than the time they're away from each other. 

A normal day, a normal scenario for him. He quickly went to his locker to get his books for Physics class when a piece of paper fell, making his heart race. 

'Did you miss me, my soccer superstar? 

How many girls have fallen for that smile? 

Or are you just smiling for me? 

If you do, Room 3F.

XOXO, Y/N' 

He slammed his locker shut then passed by the vendo machine to get an apple juice, even tapping his foot when it took a long time to go down. Yuta ran to the third floor, catching his breath when he's outside room 3F. 

The moment he opened the door, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. "Hi, Yuta." She greeted that made him smile. 

She's here. She's really here. 

"Why didn’t you tell me you’re back?” But he just wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tight. “And I was complaining last night about missing you.” 

Y/N giggled. “That’s why I went home early. I heard you’re famous with the ladies lately.” Yuta sighed, bopping her nose while teasing her for being so jealous. “Too bad we don’t have the same class together.” 

The guy chuckled worriedly. “Well, you know I had to skip class that day and go to you to the airport.” Y/N nodded. “I didn’t submit our project so the professor gave us a zero.” 

“What?”

Yuta laughed, shrugging. “On the bright side, we’re going to attend the same class in summer.”  

And he knew, from her grin, his anti-love phase is over. 

tagging : @jenosdaemi @notworthit24​ @smrutiisiva-13​ @justpeachygirl​ @notmejustmymind​

I know someone is going to ask me about the secret message in the letters but I’ll let you discover it. 😁