#i tried to keep it as in character as possible but tsukasa is going through it rn | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

chizue-witchery · 1 month ago

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⚜️. *. ⋆ Fandom: Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

⚜️. *. ⋆ Rating: Teens And Up Audiences

⚜️. *. ⋆ Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

⚜️. *. ⋆ Pairing/s: Hanako | Yugi Amane/Yashiro Nene, Akane Aoi | Ao-chan & Yashiro Nene, Minamoto Kou & Yashiro Nene

⚜️. *. ⋆ Character/s: Yashiro Nene, Hanako | Yugi Amane, Yugi Tsukasa (mentioned), Akane Aoi, Minamoto Kou

⚜️. *. ⋆ Summary: Yashiro wanders off into a forest to look for the mysterious figure she locked gaze with, only to find herself lost and freezing because of the snowstorm.

⚜️. *. ⋆ Word Count: 4,602

⚜️. *. ⋆ Tags/Warnings: Different First Meeting AU, Snowstorm, Pre-Relationship, Developing Friendships, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff

⚜️. *. ⋆ Prompts/Squares Filled: Shivering || @whumptober 2024 Day 13 alt prompt

Whumptober 2024 Masterlist

AO3

A/N: possibly my last whumptober 2024 entry, but who knows. this one shot is longer than i expected it to be. i thought it would be around 2k words max.

Yashiro shouldn't have wandered into the forest without telling her teachers or classmates. But she saw a mysterious figure in the forest and had to check what it was.

She steps hard on the snow to leave a trail to return to once she finds what she's looking for. She also keeps track of her surroundings so she will remember where she passed by and look for the mysterious figure.

The deeper she heads into the forest, the more she doesn't recognize the surroundings. She's far away from the skiing resort. She can't see any of her teachers and classmates' figures.

Yashiro thinks of backing down, but she's gone too far to do it. She tries not to think of how she didn't bring anyone with her and no one would ever know where she is once they find out she's not there with them.

Her gaze wanders over the stream of water that has been frozen over due to the cold. She looks to the other side of the forest and sees the familiar figure once again, hidden in a shadow.

Then the mysterious figure turns around and runs.

"Hey, wait—!" Yashiro calls out to the mysterious figure as she carefully crosses over the frozen stream of water. It takes her too slow to go to the other side and by the time she goes through the forest, the mysterious figure is gone.

Yashiro heads deeper into the forest, following the direction of where the mysterious figure went off. She runs as fast as she can. She doesn't look around to admire the forest anymore, too focused on finding that mysterious figure.

She has questions for them. And worries of why they are out this far from the others.

She too is also far from the others, but it is on purpose—! She follows the mysterious figure to ask questions and to bring them back to the others afterward.

Yashiro doesn't know how long she has been running, but it is long enough to leave her exhausted. She is panting for breath as she leans on the tree, her body shivering from the cold despite wearing winter clothes.

The mysterious figure is long gone, their footsteps covered by snow.

"I should head back…" Yashiro sighs in defeat, her shoulders lowering as she exhales a shaky breath. She looks at the surroundings and she doesn't recognize the area.

Her heart spikes up as she rapidly turns her head everywhere, forcing herself to walk around despite how tired she still feels. The boot prints are covered by the snow, preventing her from figuring out which direction she went from.

She looks at the sky and notices the sun is covered by the clouds. She can't tell what time it is because of it.

Yashiro looks at her hands, noticing how they shake because of how cold it is even with the gloves.

She is lost.

It should not have been a surprise since she wandered off into a forest without someone to accompany her and didn't tell anyone about where she went off to. She knew what she was getting into.

She knew following a mysterious figure never leads to anything good. All of them lead to being murdered. She is being reckless, and she knows Aoi will reprimand her once she finds out what is doing.

But the mysterious figure looked like a boy. It looked like someone around her age.

For a brief moment, her eyes met with the boy's, and his eyes looked soft, yet there was an undermining mystery in his gaze that eventually brought her into her current predicament; lost and tired.

Yashiro blinks when she sees a snowflake vaporize once it lands on her gloves. She looks around, noticing more snowflakes falling, and the wind picking up on its speed.

Her body shivers when a gust of wind passes by her and rubs her gloves together to keep herself warm.

A snowstorm is coming and Yashiro needs to find a place to stay before it gets worse.

There are no nearby caves, so she runs until she finds a nearby cave. The winds are getting stronger and more snowflakes fall from the sky.

Snow is slowly piling on top of her clothes the longer she hasn't found shelter. Every exhale she takes leaves a visible fog. She is beginning to struggle to see her surroundings due to how strong the winds are.

Yashiro stumbles after tripping over something covered by the snow, and she falls. A gasp escapes from her when she lands on the ground and a short huff of exhale once she stands up.

Unfortunately, that fall left her feeling colder and her body won't stop shivering. Her hands are starting to feel numb under the gloves. She buries half of her mouth under the scarf, hoping it'll keep her warm.

She is slowing down significantly, but knows she has to continue because she won't survive this storm. She hugs herself for warmth as she takes slow, yet carefully measured steps.

The snowstorm is getting stronger, and she has to stop walking so she won't fall from the powerful gust of wind.

By now, she is constantly shivering. She feels her body growing numb and her vision blurring.

Just as she closes her eyes, she sees a familiar figure from a distance.

Yashiro wakes up to warmth instead of cold.

She opens her eyes and groans as she slowly sits up. Her head feels fuzzy. She doesn't remember finding shelter before the coldness overtook her. She tries to remember what happened before this and immediately straightens up when she remembers seeing the mysterious figure.

She turns her head, and she finds the mysterious figure staring at her.

It's a boy wearing a worn-out-looking school uniform with bandages around his arms and on his cheek. His legs are tucked close to his body while his arms are wrapped around them. His head rests on his knees as he stares at her with his large, amber eyes that almost look like they glow in the dark because of the campfire in front of him.

The most notable thing about the boy is how pale he is with some blue tinges to his lips. Despite it, he doesn't look like he's freezing. His body isn't responding with a full-body shiver, nor does he look uncomfortable with his exposed skin touching the snow.

"It's you…!" She gasps, not expecting to meet him. However, she doesn't think too much as she immediately removes the scarf wrapped around her and hands it to the boy. "Wear this. You'll get cold."

The boy doesn't move to take it, staying quiet.

"Um…" Yashiro blinks, confused as to why he isn't taking the scarf. Doesn't he feel the cold air lingering despite the warmth of a campfire? Even with her winter clothes, she still feels it.

The boy stays silent as he continues to stare at her with his unblinking eyes.

It's enough to make Yashiro feel uncomfortable around him and takes this as a response that he won't take the scarf. Yashiro sighs as she wraps it back around her neck.

The boy doesn't say anything for a few more minutes before his eyes suddenly blink, and he asks, "Are you hurt?"

This startles Yashiro. "Am I—?" She pauses, then shakes her head. "No, I'm not." She sees how the boy's shoulders relax.

Yashiro moves closer to the campfire, sighing when she feels the heat from it. She hovers her hands closer to the fire to feel it more, her body beginning to relax from the warmth.

She looks at the boy now facing towards the fire instead of her. His eyes continue to shine because of the fire, but Yashiro sees the dullness in them. She finds it odd but doesn't mention it, not wanting to trigger any possible unpleasant experiences the boy had.

Now that the mysterious figure is in front of her, she can't find the right words to say to him. It seems all the theories and questions she wanted to ask him are all gone and all that's left is a thought of trying to keep herself as warm as possible.

She looks around, wanting to know where they are currently staying, but there are no holes around them. They are completely sealed in, and the campfire is their only light source. It's a small space, and it looks man-made instead of it being naturally made.

Did the boy dig a hole through the snow without gloves on? She looks at his hands, expecting them to look red and swollen, but they look normal. It is as if he had never dug them in the first place.

But that can't be right. There was no one else in this confined space except for them, and she was unconscious, so she couldn't have been the one who dug it.

"Why were you following me?" The boy asks as he turns his head to look at her.

Yashiro wasn't expecting the boy to say anything. "What?"

His lips pull down into a frown, but he repeats the question. "Why were you following me?"

"I…" Yashiro can't find the words to say. The questions she had ages ago sound silly when she thinks about it. "… I don't know," she confessed. She feels her cheeks warming up the longer the boy looks at her and she turns to look at the fire instead of at him.

"Hm," says the boy and nods. Then he grins. "Were you enchanted by my charms?"

"What?!" She feels the heat in her cheeks even more. "No! I was—" she looks at the boy— "I was worried! You were away from everyone else and I thought that I could bring you to them, but you keep going further into the forest so I—!!" Yashiro slumps after her sudden outburst, almost getting too close to the fire before she backs off. "... followed you all the way here…" she continued as she mumbled the words.

The boy is stunned by this. His mouth is agape and eyes wide, as though he thought she would give him a laughable reason. But it isn't. She gave him a genuine reason why she kept looking for him.

"Oh," he says, because that is all he can say in response. He is not used to this genuine response.

He looks at her, and she is still shivering despite being dangerously close to the fire. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

"You're too close to the fire," he tells her in a soft mumble.

She looks at him, then at the fire, and almost jumps at how close the fire flickers close to her clothes. She must have leaned closer without realizing it.

"You shouldn't have," he says with a sigh. "Followed me, I mean," he continued.

"Why?" Yashiro tilts her head as she looks at the boy.

He doesn't respond. He tightens his grip. Then sighs again.

And he looks at her with a small grin. "What is your name?" he asks, completely ignoring her question.

"Yashiro Nene," she answers, her brows furrowing in slight confusion at the sudden change of topic. "Yours?"

He hesitates for a second. "Yugi Amane." He looks down. "But you can call me Amane."

She smiles. "Then you can call me Nene."

Amane nods. He slowly uncurls himself, sitting in a more comfortable position before hovering his hands close to the fire for warmth.

Yashiro does the same, but she can't take her eyes off the boy who she finally has a name to his face; Yugi Amane. His eyes are still dull under the warm fire, but she is beginning to see some light in them.

Yashiro sighs, wondering if the snowstorm will end soon. She doesn't know how long she's been in the enclosed space and she wants to dig a small hole to the outside, but she doesn't want to risk any of the cold air getting in.

And she's getting bored waiting.

"It's dangerous, you know…" he whispers with a small frown as he stares at the fire. "To be out here in the forest all alone… you could get hurt."

"But I'm not alone," Yashiro tells him with a smile. "I have you with me."

"Right…"

Silence . . .

Yashiro rubs her gloves together once her arms get tired from hovering them close to the fire before holding her cheeks. She sighs as she relaxes even more. She was worried she would be freezing until the snowstorm stopped.

But her relaxation slips in her exhaustion from chasing after Amane.

Yashiro backs away from the campfire to lean on the wall. She is tired, but she wants to talk more to the boy. She looks at Amane and he is staring at the little fire flickering away from the campfire.

He is a mysterious boy. He is quiet and mostly talks when she asks him questions or he wants to tell her something. He didn't give any details other than his name and he won't tell her why she wasn't supposed to follow him.

He is odd.

And yet, she can't help but be interested in him.

She wants to know more about Amane and why he is covered in bandages. Was he hurt in his home and ran away to the forest? Why didn't he seek help? Why does he still look like he's freezing despite being warmed by the fire?

"You should rest," Amane tells her as he looks at the wall of snow. "It's getting late and you need a lot of energy to head back to the resort."

"But…" she protests weakly. She can't even deny she's getting sleepy. However, she still wants to continue talking to him.

"We'll have time to chat," Amane reassures Yashiro as he turns to her with a soft smile. "I'll stay up to keep the fire going."

Yashiro nods as she slowly drifts off to sleep. "Don't stay up too late…" she mumbles before closing her eyes.

Amane chuckles as he leans on the wall behind him. "I won't."

When Yashiro wakes, she feels heat radiating around her.

She opens her eyes and immediately closes them when the rays of the sun are directed towards her. She covers her eyes with her arm and slowly opens them again, adjusting to the sudden bright light. She looks at her gloves and frowns at how wet it feels. She removes them and tucks them in her pockets.

Yashiro looks to the side, and the campfire has already been extinguished with snow. She looks around and she doesn't see Amane. Yashiro panics and she stands up to head out of the makeshift cave to look for him in the forest.

"Nene-san, over here!" A voice calls out to her and Yashiro turns to see Amane waving his hand to show where he is while holding a cooked fish on a stick in his other hand.

"Amane-kun!" Yashiro smiles as she heads over to where he is.

Amane hands over the cooked fish on a stick toward her. "For you," he says with a boyish grin.

Yashiro accepts it with a smile and opens her mouth to take a bite of it. She is starving, something she realizes after she has bitten the cooked fish. She hums in delight as she goes to sit down beside Amane on the log while she continues eating the fish until there are only bones left.

She looks at Amane to see him eating his fair share of cooked fish on a stick, but it's slower. He's taking little bites and Yashiro would believe he isn't eating at all if she isn't watching him chew and swallow it.

Amane turns to her and asks, "Do you want it?" Yashiro hesitates and Amane sighs. "I ate earlier." He gestures to the sticks beside him with some of the fish meat still sticking.

When Yashiro doesn't move to take it, Amane does it himself. He gently grabs her hand as he gives her the cooked fish on a stick before letting go.

The feeling of coldness lingers on Yashiro's hand even when Amane lets it go. It didn't feel warm like she thought it would. It's odd. But Yashiro doesn't question him about it.

Yashiro eats the cooked fish on a stick while Amane puts out the fire by kicking snow towards it. He doesn't do much other than watch her finish eating all the cooked fish before he stands up and stretches his body.

Amane jumps as he faces Yashiro, holding his hand out for her to take. Yashiro feels her cheeks warm up as she takes his hand. He pulls her up, and she expects him to let go of her hands afterward, but he doesn't. He intertwines their fingers together.

Yashiro looks at their intertwined hands, then at Amane. He looks at her with a soft smile and she flusteredly turns away from him.

"Let's get you back to the others."

Yashiro nods and Amane walks towards the northeast of the forest. She has no other choice but to follow him since she doesn't know the way around the forest, unlike him.

The journey is quiet. Amane isn't talking to her and Yashiro doesn't know what to talk about.

So she looks around to admire the forest. It is still covered in snow, but she sees a few little critters hiding behind the trees. She laughs quietly when the little critters stare at them unblinkingly before running off.

"So…" Amane starts and Yashiro turns to look at him. "What were you doing before going off to the forest to look for me?"

"I was on a class field trip at the skiing resort. We are meant to stay there for three days," Yashiro answered. And today is the day they head back. By now, there would be search parties looking for her and she hopes to be found soon.

Don't get her wrong, she doesn't regret wandering the forest to look for Amane. But she wants to be hugged by her friend, Aoi, and take a sip of a hot chocolate decorated with marshmallows.

"And instead of enjoying the resort, you went to look for me instead?"

Yashiro's cheeks redden in embarrassment. "It was an impulsive decision…!" No second thoughts about backing down, except for that brief moment when she gave up searching for him.

"Cute," he chuckles while swinging their linked hands. "But reckless." He shakes his head with a frown. "You shouldn't have followed me."

"Why?" she asks again, prompting him to explain his reasoning behind it.

Again, he doesn't respond. He stays quiet once again.

Yashiro frowns, then sighs. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Amane nods instead of saying anything.

The journey is quiet once again. And it would have continued that way if Yashiro's stomach didn't rumble loudly. Her cheeks redden in embarrassment, but Amane doesn't laugh or tease her.

"I think it's time for a break, Nene-san."

"But we're close!"

Amane shakes his head. "We still have a long way to go."

"Please," Yashiro pleads as she looks at him with her big, magenta-colored eyes. "We can eat along the way."

Amane turns away from her gaze with a defeated sigh. "Fine."

He still doesn't separate their hands even as he walks closer to the bushes to inspect the berries. He does the same for the other bushes until he finally breaks the branch containing bright red berries and hands it to Yashiro.

She takes it with hesitation. "... is this safe?" she warily asks while rotating the branch to check if the berries are poisonous. She trusts Amane, but she is justified in being wary of what he gives her, especially when he grabs it from a berry bush.

Amane nods as he twists more of the branches to break until he thinks it's enough to feed her. He turns to watch as Yashiro moves the branch closer to her mouth to take the whole berry into her mouth. She doesn't chew it at first, the hesitation still clear with the way her eyes flicker to him for reassurance.

He nods, and Yashiro chews and swallows the berry. "Oh!" she gasps, not expecting to be hit with the sweet flavor overwhelming her taste buds. "It's sweet."

Amane's eyes light up but he doesn't say anything. He continues to walk as Yashiro continues eating the berries until she's full. There are still two branches of berries left for them to eat. Yashiro hands them to Amane, but he refuses, telling her that it's all hers and he isn't feeling hungry at the moment. She doesn't believe him, but she nods and accepts his decision for now.

It is quiet once again until Yashiro quietly asks, "… do you have a family?"

Amane doesn't say anything, but she sees the way his shoulders tense and then loosens. Yashiro looks down, already regretting asking a question on a sensitive topic. She is about to apologize, but he interrupts her before she can get a word out. "I do. I have a twin brother," he softly answers. Yashiro hears the vulnerability in his response, but she stays silent as he continues, "His name is Tsukasa. We were… inseparable."

"'Were'?"

"It's—" Amane frowns with a stormy look in his eyes. It almost appears to look dull again. He shakes his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he quietly says, almost too low for Yashiro to hear if she isn't walking right beside him.

She doesn't say anything about his hands trembling, but she gently squeezes it as a gentle reassurance. Amane doesn't say anything, but Yashiro doesn't need him to say anything when she sees a small yet sincere smile on his lips.

The journey to leave the forest is not as quiet compared to earlier. She asks him simple questions, nothing too overwhelming for him, and he asks her questions as well.

They get to know each other more, but not enough for Yashiro to know about Amane's private life or why he still feels cold.

Amane and Yashiro slowly become more comfortable around each other, almost walking side-by-side, Amane being ahead by a bit since he knows the way while she doesn't.

She wears the glove back on her free hand, but not the hand that is intertwined with Amane's. She can't bring herself to cover it back up even when she feels her hand slowly growing numb from the cold.

Amane's steps are at a slower pace instead of a quick pace, almost as though he wants to spend time longer with her. Yashiro wants to do the same. And they will. She is going to drag him back with the others instead of leaving him to head back to the forest.

She likes spending time with him. Her heart flutters at every boyish grin or teasing remarks, that almost sounds flirty, he sends in her way. She sees the way his amber eyes grow brighter, looking more like a young boy instead of a mysterious figure. He could easily pose as a classmate of hers.

The more Yashiro begins to recognize the forest, the more uneasy Amane is. She can hear his breath hitching whenever she mentions recognizing the trees, but she pays no mind to it, believing he is nervous about meeting more people.

The closer they get to the resort, Yashiro quickens her pace. She is now the one dragging Amane instead of the other way around.

"We're getting close, Amane-kun!"

Amane nods with a smile, but it doesn't reach the eyes. Yashiro doesn't notice. "Yeah…!"

Yashiro brightens once they are out of the forest and she runs, dragging Amane along with her. She sees Aoi and Kou looking around while calling out her name with worry lacing in their voices. Other adults are around, but she only focuses on her friends.

"Hey! We're over here!" Yashiro shouts and Aoi turns to see Yashiro running towards her with a bright smile.

"Nene-chan!" Aoi exclaims as she runs to Yashiro and wraps her arms around her. "Where have you been? I was so worried!"

Yashiro lets go of Amane's hand to wrap her arms around Aoi, holding her tightly. "I'm okay, Aoi," she reassures her while stuttering over her words. "I was just lost in the forest."

Aoi looks at Yashiro with a disappointing frown. "The teacher told us not to leave the vicinity without a companion or telling someone else."

"I know, I know!" Yashiro whines when Aoi lets go of her, only to squeeze her cheeks.

"SENPAIIII!!!!" Kou shouts as he barrels towards her in a tackle hug. Yashiro stumbles, but Kou's hug prevents her from falling into the snow.

"Kou-kun!" Yashiro exclaims as enthusiastically as him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Where did you go?? I looked away for a few minutes, and when I turned back, you were gone!" Kou's eyes flicker everywhere as he looks at Yashiro, still radiating worries she might've gotten hurt. "Akane-san and I looked for you everywhere, but we weren't allowed to go into the forest. The teacher told us it was too dangerous."

"Nene-chan went in the forest," Aoi sweetly replies to Kou, not giving Yashiro a chance to explain herself.

"Senpai!" Kou frowns in disappointment.

"I can explain!" Yashiro says once Kou unwraps his arms around her. She lifts both her hands in surrender while being stared down by two of her friends.

Aoi continues to look at Yashiro with her sweet smile while Kou has his arms crossed.

Yashiro sighs. "I saw a mysterious figure in the forest, so I went to look for it!" They do not say anything, but Yashiro feels their exasperation at being impulsive. "And I met a boy! His name is Yugi Amane."

"'Yugi Amane'?" Kou suspiciously says as he drawls out the name.

"Yeah!" Yashiro nods. She turns to introduce the boy she met, but she doesn't see him anywhere. "Huh?" She looks around the area, but she can't find him. "Where did he go?"

"Where did who go, Nene-chan?" Aoi asks.

"Amane-kun!" she answers while desperately looking everywhere for any sign of the unkempt dark hair or his amber eyes. "He was right here."

Aoi and Kou look at each other, then at Yashiro. Yashiro's panic grows the longer she can't find him.

"Senpai," Kou says as he places a hand on her shoulder, getting Yashiro out of her turmoil. She turns to look at him. Kou looks at her with a confused, yet worried expression. "We saw no one except you."

Yashiro freezes. "What?"

Yashiro turns to Aoi, hoping for it to be a lie, but Aoi nods in agreement.

"But he was…" Yashiro says as her voice trembles ever so slightly. "Didn't you see me holding a boy while I ran towards you, Aoi?"

Aoi frowns while shaking her head. "I only saw you."

But it can't be…

Yashiro talked with Amane. She made physical contact with him. She bonded with him.

"Nene-chan…" Aoi says as she steps closer to place her hand on Yashiro's back, slowly moving her to the resort. "I'm sure you are feeling cold right now. Let us go and drink some hot chocolate."

Yashiro numbly nods as she follows Aoi, not minding that Kou walking beside her. She turns her head towards the forest, hoping she can see a glimpse of Amane, but there is none.

As Yashiro heads back to the resort with her friends, she wonders if the boy she met is a hallucination she had due to the freezing snowstorm.

#whumptober #whumptober2024 #no.13 #shivering #altprompt #jibaku shounen hanako-kun #toilet bound hanako-kun #jshk #tbhk #yashiro nene #yugi amane #hanako kun #hananene #akane aoi #minamoto teru #fic #different first meeting au #jshk fanfic

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lunarsilkscreen · 9 months ago

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.Hack//Sign vs Sword Art Online

These two shows feature the same concept; being stuck in an online game. But do they tell opposing stories?

The extended [.H//Universe] tells a bit of a different story than the first season of the original anime. Similarly the subsequent seasons of SAO also tell a different story in comparison to the first season. So In both references I'm going to stick to that first season.

Tsukasa in [.Hack] is the only player stuck in this game. A game where she is utterly alone due to the fact that other players can just log out whenever they choose. Not only that, she's had her identity taken, forced to play a character she did not choose; and could she just logout; she'd be able to, at the very least; get that back. [.hack//sign] tells the story about what happens to this one "mysterious player" behind her back as she just tries to make it through the day in an unforgiving realm, that the other people are able to drop in or out whenever they choose.

Conversely; SAO tells the story of an evil game master who willfully trapped his player base within a game. Using modern technology to do so, and causing players to be placed into what appears to the general public as a coma. Despite them being fully conscious and active, and playing with others in the virtual world. Disconnecting from the virtual world is death.

So too does our main plot follow the [mysterious stranger] we know as Kirito, who has had several set back in real life and is more than excited to be trapped in this game world, instead of the "real one."

Unlike Tsukasa in .Hack, SAO depicts the relationship between avid game player, and avid game developer. But in SAO's story; the game developer is doing not out of love for the game, and the players, but in order to sate his own personal desires.

<aside>{That's the reason why I had to stop after the original season in [.Hack] anime because the subsequent seasons, without the original protagonist, it does become exactly like season 1 of SAO, focused on the negatives that the company that owns the game in [.Hack] are doing. The story is very different but for the purposes of this Tumblr post...}</aside>

This is doubly apparent in the ending of both series; When Tsukasa logs-out; Tsukasa logs-out for good. Never to return to the game she had been living a good chunk of her life in.

On the other hand; when Kirito finally logs-out; he can't help himself but to log back in. Especially since everybody he knows on a personal basis also feels like that digital world is their home. And despite the oppressive nature of the original game {death in the game is death in real life} they start to actually enjoy the parts they wanted to enjoy without having to face death doing so.

Both series ask a lot of philosophical questions about the meaning of life, and do so with appropriate [brain in a jar] metaphors. Especially because the characters trapped in the game are exactly that.

We can ask important questions like; What does it mean when a player [logs out]? Or [logs out] for good? What does it mean that players have fond memories of the very thing that had kept them captive for so long, so much so that they'd be driven to experience it a second time; minus the "bad bits".

Both story's feature the main character as this shy Otaku. Trapped doing the thing they enjoy doing, maybe even using it as a tool to "avoid real life" and then asking the question "What is real life anyway".

I know that I said I was going to avoid talking about more subsequent plot lines, like the evil developers purposefully keeping their players trapped; for profit! But it seems unavoidable now. As the main plot of [.hack//sign] wanted to use a negativity bias to keep Tsukasa trapped in the game. By linking a particular NPC to Tsukasa depression, this would be entirely possible. It's only in wishing to meet a player she meets in-game, in real life, that convinces her to work to leave the game entirely.

Similarly, after being trapped in the game, Kirito demonstrates skills that would have been impossible to obtain outside the game. He developed an entirely unique sword style based on the life and death situations, and bests his cousin (an Akido black belt) relatively easily despite still recovering from muscle weakness from not physically moving for so long.

Kirito then goes on to become a secret agent to take down players using games for nefarious purposes; and subsequently assisting in AI development.

The rest of .Hack//Sign just stayed focused on the player vs developer situation. As it became more about the corporation who built the game also having complete control over many portions of the internet. And so it became a technological thriller set in the game the company built.

A single-player game about an MMO built by [Apple Equivalent] because [Apple Equivalent] was immune to all the computer viruses, but it turned out they were the ones that release the virus to take out it's competition.

What we're left with is this question being asked about the Developers vs the Players. The players learn a lot of skills that everyday people don't learn, yet they still see avid players as [Otaku] I mean the negative definition of [Otaku] where they're considered layabouts doing nothing. Despite having developed vast skillets that could be used in magical-looking ways. Or in Tsukasa 's case; using [the game] as encouragement to go out and experience [the real world].

And because of this negativity bias; Developers are allowed to take advantage of players in despicable ways. Such as creating virtual skinner boxes to trap people inside the casino. And seeing just how negatively they can affect individual players without them leaving for good.

This reflects a lot of common arguments against the industry today. And starts to intersect with Gambling laws, and developers seeking ways to bypass them in order to make a profit without it technically being considered gambling.

A strange artistic representation of capitalism itself. Where those who spend money are considered [bad] and those who make money are considered [good]. And a depiction that game developers are nothing more than drug dealers, but at least they're making money!

I say that, but Aincrad, the game in SAO had two developers. The second one used the game as a tool for his own desires. But the first, while intentionally trapping his players in the game showed something else; a desire to treat the players with respect, make a game that was both challenging but not deathly, and teach them life lessons they could take with them.

And those two diametrically opposed personalities are typically the same person IRL. A job that needs to make your money back, but also true enjoyment and consideration for the players.

The game that the players went back to in SAO; was the [Seed] given to them by the original developer. The version of the game that had the players best interest in mind.

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norius-here-to-sips-tea · 10 months ago

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fav tbhk character??

SO!! I think you can predict that it's Mit2suba (and Sousuke/M1tsuba) , but respond it in that way is boring... I have to explain why,, in details,,, like the neurodivergent bitch I am ໒( ●ܫฺ ●)ʋ

█ ✪ █▓▓▓▓▓ [ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ᴍᴀɴɢᴀ ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ ᴀʜᴇᴀᴅ] ▓▓▓▓█ ✪ █

`✵•.¸,✵°✵.｡.✰ 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕒𝕝𝕝 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣 ✰.｡.✵°✵,¸.•✵´

Personally, most of what attracts me to him is the huge kin I have in this lil bud. as they say, an apple doesn't fall far from its tree.

But that's not the only reason why Mitsuba/Sousuke is my favorite character (of all time) the character is so well written that it hurts, I think he is one of the few best developed characters in tbhk, always with the MINIMUM details, even if you can barely see it (for example the big scar he has on the back of his neck, given by the form in which he died).

I MEAN. EVEN THE NAMES. THE DETAIL THAT M1TSUBA WAS SOUSUKE AND MIT2SUBA IS MITSUBA. IM GOING INSANE WITH THIS MANGA.

The "hostility" presented, just to not demonstrate how fragile he is; his great desire to have friends/be remembered but not being able to do this due to his problem of not being able to demonstrate his real desires... but if you really try to understand the character, you'll see that he is just a boy who doesn't know what he's doing with the life he's been given, and just wants to try to make the most of it in the best possible way, being himself without any mask to please people (kind of like Sousuke did when he was alive); being completely socially awkward because of the bullying he suffered...

Mitsuba is arrogant, foul-mouthed, and very confident in himself, especially his appearance, and often brags about how cute he is. He has a tendency to call people rude nicknames and is not afraid to insult, also showing himself to cry quickly, especially in threatening situations... he just wants to protect himself

Despite being this rude and noisy, Mitsuba also has a calmer side. He becomes visibly discouraged when talking about his past, feels alone easily, and although he seems to have difficulty being honest (choosing to use harsh words), he is sometimes able to genuinely express happiness and kindness.

And I think his personality actually just keeps things so good to read, I don't know why have people who hate him.

He's simply too good a character to be forgotten, don't you think?

`✵•.¸,✵°✵.｡.✰ 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕛𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪 ✰.｡.✵°✵,¸.•✵´

His story is almost one of overcoming, let's agree for love's sake.

Being Sousuke or Mitsuba, they both went through A LOT of difficulty.

He died after being run over on his mother's birthday while going to buy FUCKING POTATOES; he died being turned into a donut by a 13 year old being WHILE HE WAS TRYING TO BE SINCERE WITH HIS FEELINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AN ETERNITY; he died by Hanako after attacking Kou; Was recreated and disappeared due to the Severance, becoming FUCKING DORITOS; he died disappearing again in the aquarium date; AND HE'S PROBABLY GOING TO DIE NOW AGAIN BECAUSE OF NATSUHIKO.

WHY KILL AND REVIVE HIM SO MUCH??

WHAT IDA AND IRO HAVE IN MIND? going crazy/gen

DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ABOUT HOW TSUKASA TREATED HIM ON HELL OF MIRRORS.

Not to mention the nightmare that was his life while he was alive.

"I tried talking to... every person I thought was my friend... But none of them knew it was me. ...Only I... remembered."

Imagine not having friends and being bullied for being the way you are, so you get all your shit together and try to be nice to people just so to you return from your miserable death and no one remember you? damn Sousuke.

Having the friendship that Mitsuba has with Kou knowing that he only sees him as his friend who no longer exists (Sousuke) is something that must haunt him, considering all the trauma he has about it in his memories, kind of distancing him from the only real friend he has now. (ofc that changes with time but ouch)

And when he died? was not remembered by those he considered friends.

That hurts.

`✵•.¸,✵°✵.｡.✰ 𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕚𝕗 𝕀 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕡 𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕀'𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕡 ✰.｡.✵°✵,¸.•✵'

AidaIro rescued Mitsuba in a way that many didn't even imagine possible. By transforming a simple spirit that wandered in an attempt to resolve its pending issues into one of Kamome Academy's Seven School Mysteries. It showed that even an apparently small character can stand out when used correctly. Mitsuba remains an arrogant, cocky, good-hearted boy who loves his camera. In a new background, the character gains new possibilities, not being completely tied to old events, giving Mitsuba an opportunity to not just be another tool of Yugi Tsukasa or an old friend of Minamoto Kou.

He's crazy, he's silly, he's effeminate, he's a gay boy in denial, he's cocky, he has a very strong personality, he has a lot of trauma, he causes me a lot of problems because he's my top kin who wins 1st place by a landslide, but he It's my favorite.

I also have other favorites in toilet bound hanako-kun, but no one can hold a candle to him. I love him so much and I just want him to be happy oml (ﾐዋ ﻌ ዋﾐ)ﾉ

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

#☆@mari-lair analysis mention ; @soiituko analysis mention; and short parts that belongs to the fandom wiki

#☆I'm writing for almost 3h so if i misspelled something, don't be shy, correct me!

#♡If you want to ask something, go ahead, ask box is open for literally anything

#♡opinions very appreciated!

〜ɢᵒᵒᵈ ɴⁱᵍᵗʰ( ᵕᴗᵕ)*･☪︎·̩͙

#jibaku shounen hanako kun #toilet bound hanako kun #mitsuba #tbhk mitsuba sousuke #apparition Mitsuba #ghost Mitsuba #human Sousuke #mitsuba sousuke appreciation post #i said that i was a slow writer #noriusheretosipstea

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blanknamed · 4 years ago

Text

trial and error pt. 3 [senku x reader]

I had a lot of issues writing this chapter for some reason. I think I ran out of creativity for a good few weeks so I kinda struggled trying to keep Senku in character. I really just wanted to get the third chapter out though so I hope you like it!

SHIPPING: SENKU X READER

PREMISE: [Name] had always known Senku was a little bit of an oddball but that’s what made him so interesting to her as children. Now in the Stone World, he’s only even more interesting what with his claims about shooting up to a million years worth of technology back, but some things never change with him; specifically on the concept of love. As a way to get him to think about it as something other than “disgusting feelings” she proposes for him to think of it differently, though it seems to be going in a direction she never expected.

PART ONE - PART TWO - PART THREE

{–*–}

CHAPTER THREE: FINDINGS

He was standing near his base by the time [Name] was done. From the looks of it, he had tried to dress up as well, even if it looked like the littlest effort was made. His hair stayed as big as it was, but what seemed to be a makeshift bowtie was settled on his neck (albeit lopsided, but [Name] didn’t really expect much from him in the first place).

“Jeez, who dressed you up, the local village boys?” She asked once she was within hearing range with Senku.

Scowling, Senku only shook his head. Flicking the strip of rag around his neck, he said, "Chrome and the bumbling fools of guards obviously haven't gone on dates before."

"I don't think you have much room to talk. Besides I’m pretty sure that was obvious," [Name] replied humorously, remembering when Ginro couldn't even look her straight in the eye during her and Senku's first few months at the village. "Why would you ask them of all people anyways?"

Senku raised his eyebrow, as if finding the question peculiar. "Who should I have asked?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the married men in the village?" [Name] suggested, watching as Senku furrowed his brows even more. Giggling, she shoved his shoulder. "So much for being a genius. What, were you so nervous to go on this date with me you forgot something as simple as retrieving data from the most obvious people?"

Senku rolled his eyes. "I'm busy with other things--saving the world from going back another thousand years in society, being one of them.” He reasoned as he turned his head away from her.

[Name] only laughed at him, pushing him to forward so they can start walking towards the woods. “Let’s just get this date other with, shall we? You didn’t forget to plan, I’m presuming?"

“Of course I didn’t. Do you take me for some idiot or something?” Senku asked as he peered at the younger girl, who only gave him a knowing look. Instantly, he shook his head. “No don’t answer that. It was a rhetorical question.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” [Name] trailed off. “Remember when you were so caught up in one of your projects you ended up putting too much laundry detergent in your washing machine?”

That day had been burned into her memory--it had probably been the only time she’d seen Senku visibly panic over something so mundane. They were helplessly watching the washing machine shake violently and become a soapy mess in it’s little area for almost an hour until Byakuya came home to a disgustingly sweet smelling hallway and two elementary school children covered in bubbled up laundry detergent from head to toe.

“Don’t remind me; I smelled like laundry detergent for two months.” Senku muttered.

“It was funny, though. Definitely took thoughts away from my dad and brother.” [Name] replied happily. She didn’t need to turn her head to see that Senku had immediately spun his head toward her at the mention of her father.

A warm silence followed between them, no doubt Senku was thinking of something to say--should he say something about it? Should he brush it off? Senku had known [Name] enough to know that, while he never took anything like emotions too seriously, she wasn’t exactly emotionally attached to much either. He didn’t doubt for a second that [Name] thought about her family during those late night preparations she partook with him when Kohaku or Chrome couldn’t stay up past the 20th hour like they did.

He also didn’t doubt that she had done the same thing he had done once she thought her family over--understand the probabilities of seeing her mother and finding her father and brother’s grave were most likely slim and choosing to focus the task at hand: saving the world from total chaos at the hands of Tsukasa and his wildlings. So, she kept it silent, just like she always did.

Should I even mention anything about that? He wondered to himself as he helped her walk down a narrow junction between some large trees. They’d known each other long enough to understand each other without much verbal communication. Even after not having much contact once Senku entered middle school along with the whole thousands of years of being petrified in time, they still had a weird connection with each other. Maybe that was why he decided to free [Name] of her stony confindes; no one else could read his mind or understand what he’s thinking like she does.

Whatever route he took, it wouldn’t be awkward, he finally concluded when they reached the river. He let [Name] hop on the rocks that stood above the water before following suit. “Right, that was the day they got into that car accident.” He stated once they reached the other side.

[Name] hummed. “Mom was stuck at the hospital all day and wanted to take me with her; I couldn’t bear the smell there. It was too clean. So I went to your place thinking you might need something since you’re so useless--OW!” She rubbed her head as she glared over at Senku, who looked the other way, acting as if he hadn’t just slapped the back of her head so hard it made her hair flip over her head. “Anyways, I thought you needed me for something and apparently you did, but I don’t think an eight year old could have done much if a ten year old couldn’t do anything except stand around and watch the mess. It was funny, though. Mom and I laughed about it after a few years.”

“Glad to know my endless suffering and pure shock brought joy.” Senku said sarcastically, though [Name] could pick up the light heartedness behind it.

Elbowing him lightly so he can turn to look at her, [Name] smiled at him. “Well just so you know every time I think of the dad and brother, I also think of you with a bubble beard right after.”

Senku, for a moment, felt something turn before he wrinkled his nose. “Did you just family zone me? During a date?” He asked disgustedly. It was his turn to get a slap on the back of his head.

“Seriously? That’s what you took away from that?” [Name] asked, irritated. She decided to look forward as they kept walking, however it seemed as though they walked mindlessly through endless amount of trees. “Where are we going anyways?”

“Just a few more feet. There’s a clearing close by; I think you’d like it.” Senku said as he nudged her forward.

[Name] covered her eyes as she began to notice leaves becoming lower and lower to the point that she had to duck and sometimes even squat to get through some spaces. Man, if I knew this would happen, I would’ve worn something besides this kind of dress, she thought reluctantly as she watched the ends and edges of the dress get dirtied. Still, she persisted as she had been curious as to what the clearing had looked like. She hadn’t gone so far in terms of exploring for the past few weeks; winter was coming and Senku needed every available person possible to help prep the village for the freezing season. She spent hours lining and sewing furs onto their cloaks and coats to the point that she left little prick marks on her hands permanently.

“Okay, we’re here.” Senku announced once they both managed to stand again. Shaking a few leaves away from her head, [Name] looked up to see a green clearing, like Senku said. However, he never said how… Ethereal it was. Wild flowers, ones she vaguely recognized to be new versions of flowers from the past, spread across the spanse of the field. Lightning bugs flicked and glowed every now and then, being the main source of light besides the makeshift lantern Senku was currently crafting beside her.

“Whoa,” was [Name]’s only response. “Don’t tell you found this last minute just for a date, Senku.”

A snicker followed right after. “No. I found it a few months ago when trying to collect foxtail millet for the noodles. Let’s keep walking, though. This isn’t what I wanted you to see.”

It’s not? [Name] thought as she let Senku lead her further past the clearing, walking around the flowers as best as possible. The walk was silent, which surprised [Name] since Senku sometimes never did keep his mouth shut when it came to his little experiments. Could it be he's taking this date more seriously than she expected? She let that thought cross her mind as she watched him walk ahead of her. Not possible. If anything, he might just be keeping things a secret since I'm the test subject. [Name] thought to herself. Why would he even take this seriously in the first place?

"Look I know this is a date and all, but could you not glare at me?" Senku finally piped up, looking at his companion warily. "You look like you're about to plot my murder?"

"Who said I haven't already?" [Name] quipped, finally shaking herself from her thoughts. "Anyways, where did you take us, Casanova?"

She laughed as she watched Senku's face scrunch up in disgust at his nickname. He opened his mouth, ready to spew an insult before he stopped himself, staring at the shorter girl. Sighing, he just waved a hand forward. "Look above you."

"Above…?" [Name] questioned as she craned her neck. She sucked in a breath as she looked at the lightened sky above her. Of course, she's had plenty of nights where she stood outside to marvel at the stars and sky--she had never seen it so bright pre-petrification. She had thought that was the brightest and clearest she'd ever seen when she was in Senku's observation tower.

That is, until today.

"It's so… So…" [Name] started, but couldn't quite put her words together. She felt Senku brush up against her shoulder as he finished for her.

"Beautiful." He complimented as he stared up as well.

The sky was littered with various shades of purples, pinks, and blues. There wasn’t a coud in sight, which allowed the stars to litter across the dark plain above them. Faintly, she can make out certain constellations, pointing out the ones she wasn’t too sure to her companion, who nodded in confirmation to all of them.

"Who knew we'd get to see the sky as non-polluted as this." Senku said as they continued to keep watch over the sky.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." [Name] laughed. "I thought the observation tower was something else, but you really outdid yourself here, Senku. I didn't even expect you to walk this far without having you get carried by Chrome or something."

"Killing the mood." Senku replied, flicking her forehead, though [Name] made sure to take notice of his shortened breath he tried to hide. She pretended to feign ignorance even further when she let him walk behind her, catching his breath behind some bushes and then shuffling around until he finally brought a basket out.

"Suika should've given better instructions on where to find this thing." The spiky haired scientist said. "It looked like it got buried under a bunch of dirt instead of sitting plain out in the open like she said."

Senku opened the lid, raising an eyebrow as he pulled out two bowls of his notorious green ramen, wrapped tightly in large leaves to keep it from spilling. With it came a makeshift picnic blanket (though, it just looked like old scraps of dresses sewn together over the years; no doubt Suika had asked one of the older village women if she can borrow it). Together, they worked to keep the blanket down, placing heavy rocks at the corners to keep it from flicking upward since the wind picked up a little stronger from where they placed themselves.

"This ramen tastes gross." Senku groaned once he settled down, though it didn't stop him from continuing to eat it. [Name] only rolled her eyes as she ate it herself (though she did have to agree with Senku; the ramen was gross, but she put up with it anyways), basking in the windy air.

“I’m surprised you haven’t said anything yet about the information you’ve gathered for this date,” [Name] said. “Usually you relay the data to me once you get it all down."

“Can’t exactly tell the subject about the data I’m gathering about them.”

“Oh but you’re dying to tell me, aren’t you?” [Name] pushed. Truth be told, she was more curious on just how exactly he thought of the experiment. Sure, she had been the one to suggest it, but she had zero idea on what his plans are--what were his variables? Was he gathering information? Was he including numbers or was all of this just pure observation? There was no doubt in her mind that someone was observing them as well; most likely Kohaku since she’s better off at hiding and watching without being noticed once.

“Maybe. I’ll tell you after I’m done with this whole experiment.” Senku replied as he took a sip of the water packaged with them before handing it off to her. [Name] took it graciously, taking a few sips as she thought about his wording.

Quirking up her eyebrow curiously, she asked, “Wouldn’t that be tonight?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No,” Senku confirmed. “You think one night will determine this whole thing? It might take more days actually--a few weeks even. I’ll gather all my information, relay it to you, and then confirm whether or not love is just a construct of emotions for me. Which it will be, from the information I’ve gathered.”

[Name] watched him in disbelief. There was no way she actually heard that correctly. Weeks? How’s that going to work? Would I even last a few weeks managing to go on more dates with this idiot? She questioned. “Wha-- I-- Don’t you have a grandiose plan that requires all your time and attention?”

She only received a shrug as an answer. What the hell does that even mean? She questioned herself as [Name] watched Senku stretch. He was the one repulsed by the idea of going on a date. Why would he extend this to weeks? She let herself wonder, pulling all the probable possibilities as to why he decided it so suddenly. Sure, Senku was right about not being able to gather enough information from just one date, but he could have easily just done one or two more nights of their little experiment dates instead of presuming it down to a matter of weeks.

Finally it finally hit [Name]: he was hiding something. What it was exactly, she’s not entirely sure, though she knew Senku was probably planning something stupid that could most likely put him in danger, or worse killed, which in turn would cause her to intercept and talk him out of it. He was probably using this date shenanigans to distract her from his death inducing plans.

Squinting her eyes at him, she decided to hold back on her on findings. After all, if he isn’t bothering to tell her what he’s gathering on her, she’ll do the same. Instead, she sighed, opting to make it seem as if she should have known. “You’re unbelievable.” [Name] replied.

“Oh, I know. That’s what gets you on your toes right?”

PREVIOUS PART - NEXT PART

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afaithy · 5 years ago

Note

86 for the prompt list with Takari. :)

I Finally MADE IT. The world was conspiring against me as I tried to write this. What a day. Hope this suits your likes though!

Am I scaring you?

Scary with you is better than scary without you

-Tamora Pierce-

Takeru was no stranger to the concept of love. He had read an endless number of stories where love was the engine of the plot, giving the protagonist a motive and strength to keep going. Of course, love was not always a positive catalyst and sometimes it gave rise to the desire for revenge, hatred and envy. In other words, it didn’t only move the heroes, but also de anti-heroes.

For a long time, love was just a word to him; something that simply existed. There was family love, which despite its ups and downs, had always been present in his life; there was friendship that, in one way or another, was still an embodiment of love and, then, there was romantic love.

Ah! the elusive and ever feared romantic love; the enemy of reasoning and logic.

In his few years of life,Takeru had yet to have an encounter with the Achilles heel of human existence. People did crazy things for love and because of love; but being a young man, in the spring of life, he had yet to experience the sting of romantic love and all the luggage that came in toll. Being honest, he wasn’t actively interested in chasing after it. Growing up in the shadows of an unsuccessful love was enough to make him have little faith on the prospect of such a sentiment.

He didn’t need love or at least, that’s what he thought. Everything he had ever said about the unnecessariness of "love" crumbled down the day because of her.

Mahogany hair, pale skin, chocolate eyes and a smile that could melt the hardest heart in the world. Those words could barely describe Yagami Hikari, and for sure, they weren’t enough to make her any justice. He had always claimed them to be friends. Well, that’s what they were until one day, he stopped seeing her as just a friend.

“ That’s love.”

“What?” Takeru said, dropping his pencil in surprise.

Hikari rested her chin on her hand and shrugged. She had just returned from buying some drinks for him and herself. Her chocolate eyes were glowing and she seemed quite amused.

“ Love. It’s obvious that Tsukasa- kun is in love with Akari-chan.”

Takeru released the air he had been unconsciously holding back. Hikari was talking about the characters in the story he was writing. Writing little stories had become his hobby lately, and Hikari, as a good friend, was his number one fan, his editor - in a way - and his creative consultant.

“Is it? I wasn’t writing them to be a couple though…”

“Weren’t you?” Hikari replied, tilting her head a little and passing him a bottle “But...it sounds like Tsukasa likes her…”

“As if...you’re just being a romantic looking for romance.” Takeru chuckled. He picked his bottle and took a sip of its content.

“But…” Hikari continued, picking one of the loose pages “ Tsukasa stared at Akari in silence. When was it that she had become such a power of nature? Her eyes were glowing, full of life and intensity like he had never seen before in other girls. Something about her was breathtaking and it made his chest tighten whenever they crossed paths and she smiled at him with that lovely smile of hers and her beautiful mahogany hair…Oh, you have a mistake here. Wasn’t Akari’s hair platinum blonde?”

Takeru choked with his drink. He had unconsciously written his own personal dilema into his work with out noticing.

“Either way...it is clear that Tsukasa-kun has feelings for Akari-chan, just by judging what he feels in this paragraph.”

“What? No, I mean...why? They’re good friends, like very, very good friends….so naturally they get along and he sees her with great esteem and respect. It doesn’t mean he likes her, well, he does like but not that way...I mean, thinking she’s pretty doesn’t mean he likes her, right? Or feeling his chest tighten and those awful butterflies in his stomach, or…”

What was he doing? Takeru felt like smacking himself there and now. Hikari, on the other hand, seemed a little confused by his outburst first, but soon after she let out a soft giggle. The look in her face was a mix of amusement, curiosity and mischief.

“Takeru-kun...haven’t you fallen in love before?” Hikari said, looking at him sympathetically.

“Me? No...of course not, why would I? I have girl friends like Sora-san and Mimi -san...like you. That’s more than enough...why would I...?”

Hikari snorted and stared at him amused.

“Well, you could have fooled me. What you wrote for Tsukasa was really well done.”

“You talk like you know what being in love is like.”

Hikari smiled mysteriously at his comment.

“And what makes you think I don’t, Takeru-kun?” she said, leaning closer to him and blinking naughtily.

Takeru’s eyes widened in shock. That was something he had not expected. Hikari and him were best friends and they pretty much told everything to each other all the time. How come she had never ever spoken about this?

“You...do?”

Hikari replied with a nod and a childish grin. He instantly felt his throat go dry.

“Who? You never told me.”

“Uhm, sometimes there are things I can’t tell you, Takeru-kun.” she said, smiling again “His name is a secret, especially for you.”

“That’s not fair…” he said with a pout. A knot had formed in his gut and he was feeling inexplicably annoyed “Fine. Don’t tell me…”

“Someone is moody.” Hikari chuckled “What’s so bad about love?”

“Nothing...it’s just annoying.”

“Why? Love is something precious…”

“It isn’t...it makes you act strange and sometimes it just messes up everything.”

“Just because it doesn’t turn out well all the time, doesn’t make it a bad thing.” she said “love is really a wonderful thing, you know? Just how everything seems to lighten up when you see that person come into the room, or how all worries just disappear when you talk to them. You just feel warm and protected...don’t you think that’s wonderful?”

Takeru sighed. Well, he could relate to that. Even the worst of his days seemed to improve when Hikari appeared and gave him that sweet smile she always had.

What? Why am I even thinking this?

“Forgot that you love romantic stories.” Takeru said.

“It’s not about romance. It’s just something you know. The moment you look at each other eyes and everything just seems to be okay even if some crazy monster is chasing after you.”

That was an interesting metaphor, Takeru thought.

“Love isn’t a fairytale, Takeru-kun. It’s not a princess falling in love with a prince charming. Sometimes it is just a friend loving another friend.”

Takeru frowned. A friend falling for a friend. How close that was to his current situation, but if Hikari ever found out, their friendship would change forever and he couldn’t nor wanted that to happen.

“Want me to tell how he is?”

“Oh, I thought you said it was a secret.”

“I said his name is a secret…” Hikari replied with a giggle. She took a deep breath and her eyes glittered as she began to describe this “mysterious boy” to him “he’s wonderful. Pretty smart and knows his words. He could probably charm his sassy self out of anything. He’s also popular, sometimes a little too popular for my comfort, but somehow he always finds a way to remind me that no matter what, I’m always a priority. ”

So he was someone who interacted constantly with her, he thought. Takeru began to list the boys that spoke to Hikari and there weren’t two many except for himself and the other digidestined. Maybe it was someone he hadn’t met yet, but Hikari spent most of her free time with him, so that wasn’t possible.

“...He's cute. Always has been and he knows me well. Sometimes I wonder if he doesn't know me better than I do. Maybe that’s why he’s so overprotective of me...he’s been since we were little.”

Well, naturally, Takeru thought. Who, who had known Hikari at some point in his life, would not feel an inexplicable need to protect her? It was then that Takeru began to realize what she’d just said. The person she liked was her friend; he was good with words; he had a sassy and charming attitude; he knew her like no one else did and was extremely overprotective of her. Based on that description, there were only two possible options among her close acquaintances. The first one being Taichi, whot obviously was out of the options, and the second one was ...

Takeru suddenly paled. She couldn’t be…

“Am I scaring you now, Takeru-kun?”

Takeru said nothing, trying to put his thoughts in order. His mind was blank, he couldn’t come up with any smartass comments or even speak at all. In the middle of his confusion and stupor, he heard Hikari snort. The girl pushed her chair back and moved gracefully to his side.

Before he could try to say something, Hikari leaned in, planted a playfull kiss on his cheek and smiled again.

“Think about it…” she said winking at him. She, then, turned around and walked away as if nothing had ever happened.

Takeru looked at her back as she disappeared through the library’s door, still in shock and for the first time in his life he was out of words.

I love dropping this ugly chibis here lol

#Takari #my drabbles #takeru takaishi #tk takaishi #digimon #digimon adventures #fanfiction #hikari yagami #kari kamiya #takehika #My ugly chibis

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magioftheseas · 5 years ago

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Encroaching Shadows

Summary: In which Natsuhiko has to come to terms with the terror he's willingly associated himself with for his lady's sake. Or at least he tries.

Rating: T+

Warnings: Suicide and minor violence.

Notes: I think the broadcasting club is neat. I would like more material that fleshes out their character. There’s not a lot of fan-material that does so, and thus I wrote this fic to fill some of that void. Also I was just really interested in the idea of exploring Natsuhiko and his relationships (particularly with Tsukasa). He’s surprisingly valid for a simp.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

The school bell resounded through the halls. Orange light filtered through the windows, and there, encased in the encroaching shadows, a pair of students laid entwined on the floor.

It’s strange, Natsuhiko thought. It’s so cold. Even though we’re close.

He wants to laugh, but it hurts too much to do so and he’s just tired. So, so tired. There’s dust particles fluttering about in the air—and there’s blood streaking the floor and his uniform. The hand he has in his grasp has long gone limp, but it’s still pliable. His heart is still hammering stubbornly, and he does crack a smile.

Looks like I’m slow to die, too.

For now, he supposes he can enjoy the moment. She’s always been so cold, tense, and distant, but now she’s close and relaxed. She looks like she’s sleeping. She’s beautiful.

Natsuhiko uses his free hand to brush back the strands of spring green, still vibrant against her pale cheeks. She doesn’t so much as stir. But it does feel—strange. Like rubber, almost. She’s still cold. She’s still freezing. When he inhales, bitter iron mingles with only remnants of her natural perfume.

It’s cold. It still hurts. He doesn’t know if he can sleep like this. It’s taking what feels like forever.

I’m tired, but I don’t—I don’t...?

Oh. Wow. He’s shaking.

I-I don’t want to—

He wants to scream, but he’s frozen in place, held there by a beautiful dead girl.

“What’s thiiiiis?”

Natsuhiko blinks. The new voice isn’t what he expected. Innocent curiosity instead of a scream of horror. Something drifts closer—even though he can’t hear any footprints. But when his head shifts, he does see a round childish face, with wide eyes and two little fangs peaking from his open mouth.

A kid...?

The kid isn’t wearing the school’s uniform, but upon meeting his stare, he pulls down his hat and grins.

“It’s nice to meet you! I’m Tsukasa! You called me, huh?”

“Called...?” The words are sluggish. Of course, Natsuhiko is having difficulty speaking. It still hurts so bad that he has to gasp pretty greedily for air as he does. “N-No, no, you don’t understand.”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” the kid chirped, now with a terrifyingly vacant expression. “I meant her.” In the reflection in Natsuhiko’s wild and disbelieving stare, the kid’s lips curved upwards in what couldn’t possibly be described as a smile. “Sakura, right?”

In the end, it was Natsuhiko’s screaming that alerted someone else.

“There is the near shore, and the far shore,” Tsukasa sing-songs. “The only way to cross is either through cooperation or to die. I don’t really care for that. I just help those who’ve drowned in-between.”

He twirls around.

“It’s funny. How many wishes you make when you’re dying. When you’re dead. It’s also pretty sad, so I don’t miiiiind granting them. That said, I can’t do them for free! I require payment!”

She stares, expressionless and cold.

“You’ve already given up your life,” he reminded her cheerfully. “After that—what’s a little more?”

“You can grant any wish?” she asks, simple and unperturbed.

“Any, any! Even if it’s supposed to be impossible! I’m not like my brother, you know!” Tsukasa beams, leaning in close, with the glittering gaze of a predator. “Those who try to tell you anything’s impossible are liars. I don’t like liars.”

She’s still unmoved.

“Then, I...”

She only hesitates for the briefest of moments.

“I’ll give anything, Hanako-san.”

A lot of people have been giving Natsuhiko pitying stares, no matter how often he smiles or laughs them off. Even the teachers are going pretty painfully easy on him. It was pretty nice, considering how he was used to looks of contempt for the longest time before. At least, it was nice—until it started feeling too fake and fleeting to stand.

“If you need anyone, I’m here to listen,” a classmate says to him. He thinks it’s the class president? They’ve literally never held a conversation outside of Natsuhiko being scolded for taking things too lightly. And now, this person is saying, “Take care of yourself, okay, Hyuuga-kun?”

It feels like a joke, so he smiles. It’s not very funny, but he still laughs.

“It’s fine, it’s fine!”

He doesn’t want to be here, so he escapes. All the way back to the room where everything changed. Where the only person who treats him normally remains. She’s sipping tea and at true ease.

“My lady,” he greets. “I’m—”

“Supposed to be in class,” she cuts him off. “What are you doing here? Leave. Right this instance.”

It’s only here where his smile twitches.

“I’d rather be with you.”

“Sakura,” a kid cuts in, floating by with a wide, inquiring gaze. “Is that guy your boyfriend?”

“He’s not,” she replies curtly. “He is little more than a nuisance.”

So harsh! But he does laugh sincerely.

“Am I your boyfriend?”

Wait, no! Now, he can actually panic.

“No.” She doesn’t miss a beat. “That is not our relationship. I am your assistant and nothing more.”

“Oh, okay!” The kid still embraces her tightly, much to Natsuhiko’s despair. The brat even has an innocent smile on his face as he does so. “She’s my assistant and you’re an annoyance! So, hurry up and leave!”

“Sorry,” Natsuhiko said, shaking his head. “Uh, no can do. See, it’s so suffocating that I might actually die for real. Sorry, my lady. Do you mind me being selfish for a while?”

Sakura gives him a long hard look. Because she loves him, she’s visibly irritated. But because she’s too kind for her own good, she sighs and nods.

“Very well. Just do not expect me to pay you more mind than the air.”

She’s really great, and Natsuhiko’s all too happy to sit down in the corner and admire her, especially admire the way light rays catch on her heavenly visage. It’s just a shame that the brat is a blight in black, drifting behind like a shadow. The kid’s quick to ignore him, reaching out across the table and stuffing his face with the treats laid out.

He eats messily, licking his fingers like a greedy, greedy child. Sakura sets her tea aside, sighs, and hands him a handkerchief to wipe his face off with. He, of course, blows his nose in it.

“I’ve been thinking,” the kid says. “How about the story of the youkai?”

“We should space out the rumors,” Sakura replied. “If we are too aggressive too quickly, those who stop us will act fast.” A pause. “Patience, Hanako-san. Think about the long run. Think about how much you’d like to accomplish.”

The kid bites his hand on accident, but he doesn’t even bat an eye and just keeps on eating.

“Long run?” He swallows, and then he laps at the injury on his hand just as a cat would. “Are we going somewhere? I still haven’t figured out a way to leave the school, Sakura.”

“I meant metaphorically. That surely, you want better results that last, rather than an inconvenient burst that fizzles.” She holds out her hand. “Let me bandage you up.”

The kid stuck his entire hand into his mouth. Sakura twitched. Natsuhiko got up and retrieved a small kit they kept in the club room, one that only he really used.

“Kid,” he said. “How about you let my lady do all the planning for now? She used to be top of her class, you know. She’s very smart.” Walking up to them, he pulled the kid’s hand out of his mouth and began to wipe it off. “Just relax.”

The little asswipe spat in his face. Natsuhiko accidentally got it in his mouth, shuddered, and he began to turn quite pale. He most certainly ended up gagging into the trashcan.

“Don’t do that,” Sakura reprimanded. “If you are getting unruly, you should go for a walk to clear your mind instead.” Then, directed to the still slumped Natsuhiko, “You can keep an eye on him, can’t you?”

“E-Eh?” Weakly and dizzily, he lifted his head. “You’re not coming with?”

“I’d rather have time by myself to think, if that is to be allowed.” She looked toward the kid patiently. Natsuhiko didn’t remark on it. The way Sakura was clearly waiting for permission. The way the kid grinned.

“Sure, why not! I’m getting bored of this room anyway!”

Swallowing back his own bile, Natsuhiko forced an irritated smile before making his way over and pulling the kid by the arm.

“You’re not going to immediately run off and cause trouble, right?”

The kid beams up at him, too. And then he spits on his face again.

The thing is, as horrible as the brat is, Natsuhiko does find himself fretting when the kid wanders too far off for reasons beyond everyone else’s sake.

“Can you stay close?” he practically begs. “Do you need your hand held or what?”

The kid blinks wide eyes at him. The widest pair of eyes that Natsuhiko has ever seen. He sticks out the hand that’s been bandaged, and Natsuhiko is too taken aback to do anything but mutely take it.

What the hell? It’s almost like he actually is a kid.

It’s—weirdly nostalgic. There had been a time where Natsuhiko found a lost kid before. She had been bawling her eyes out and crying for her mother, and obviously, he couldn’t leave her alone. She gripped his hand tightly enough to bruise, but she had been precious all the same. It had been enough to make Natsuhiko wish he had a younger sibling of his own.

This wasn’t exactly like that, because this kid—Tsukasa, right—was a terror and probably a demon. But his hand was still small in Natsuhiko’s own, and Natsuhiko could almost pretend it hadn’t been used to tear smaller spirits into smaller pieces.

Maybe, he thought, squeezing that deceptively small hand. This kid, he—just needs guidance? Like an older sibling?

The kid was now staring in the same direction that Natsuhiko was, seemingly confused as if there was something that caught his attention. He’s squinting, too, as if there’s something beyond all that nothing.

“Tsukasa, right?” Natsuhiko finally spoke up, getting his attention.

“That’s me!” The kid beamed. “Did you somehow forget?”

It’s because I get confused. That’s not what the lady calls you. But, he knows he’s dumb so he doesn’t expect it to make sense even if it’s explained to him. “Uh. There anywhere in particular you want to go?”

Tsukasa hums thoughtfully.

“Theeeee—garden? Maybe?”

“Ooh, good choice,” Natsuhiko agrees amicably. “There are some cute girls in the gardening club after all.”

“I want to eat everything there.”

“Haha... I hear there’s a great view from one of the windows. Let’s go there instead.”

“Mmkay.”

Tsukasa half-dangles out of window, and Natsuhiko has to keep a secure grip on the back of his robe so that he doesn’t fall. He has no doubts that Tsukasa is completely indifferent towards the girls tending the flowers. Actually, he seems to be waving his arms at a bird perched below.

Natsuhiko, thinking of a cat, tugged him back so that the bird remained safely out of the demon brat’s reach.

He’s more than a handful, alright. Because of him, the lady suffers even more than she already had. But also because of him, she’s still here. So how should I feel towards him, exactly?

He doesn’t really want to feel gratitude or indebted, even if the kid had been well-meaning in his intervention. He’s definitely irritated, aggravated, and concerned about this kid the way he’d be worried about a ticking time bomb. Although because of the kid’s appearance being that of, well, a kid, he can’t deny there being a protective aspect as well.

“Oh.”

Case in point, Natushiko’s grip slipped enough that Tsukasa would’ve fallen out the window and that only earned a dulled response from the kid. Meanwhile, Natsuhiko yelped and managed to grab his ankles at the last minute and yanked him back in with, of course, an angry bird that was fluttering and squirming in the kid’s grasp.

“Let that go!” Natsuhiko snapped, slapping his wrists so that he’d release the poor thing and the bird wasted no time in flying away in several desperate wing flaps. “Also, be more careful! No more hanging out of windows, alright, kid?!”

“I don’t get the big deal,” the brat replied. “It’s not like I would’ve died.”

“That’s—!” Completely true. He’s a ghost. He wasn’t at any actual risk. But. I... “Not the problem! I would’ve had to run down so many stairs to make sure you didn’t cause real damage! Especially to the garden! It’s no good to make girls cry, y’know! Especially girls as cute as those!”

Tsukasa had already lost interest and was now gathering the feathers scattered across the floor. He observed the speckled ones with wide eyes, and Natsuhiko could only heave out a heavy sigh.

This brat... This piece of shit devil brat...

“You really are a kid, aren’t you?” He kneels down to gather feathers as well, chuckling as he did. “You’re especially bad-behaved, though.”

“Mm.” Tsukasa nods, so at least he’s aware of that. “So people say.”

So people say... Were you like this even as a human? How long have you been a kid, exactly? And—how many of those years were spent alone?

“Mm?” Tsukasa blinks at him owlishly and then he starts counting on his fingers. “Um, ten... Twenty... Thirty? What year is it?”

“Year?” Natsuhiko repeated dumbly. “Did I—ask that aloud?”

“I died... What year was it?” Tsukasa’s head tilts as he thinks it over. “Um. Ummm. It was—right. No. Um.” His face scrunches up. “Amane and I heard on the radio. Man just walked on the moon. Right! That was 1969!” He blinks several times, smile frozen. “Was that...the year I died?”

“1969?!” Natsuhiko choked. “K-Kid, that—that was like, fifty years ago!”

“Fifty! Yeah!” Tsukasa exclaimed delightedly, pointing at him with the feather before beaming. “Fifty years! It’s been fifty!”

“W-Well, it hasn’t been exactly fifty,” Natsuhiko mutters, flustered, to Tsukasa’s confusion. “But like, it has been a while. That was... Jeez, that was before my parents were born.”

“Yeah,” Tsukasa agrees, almost distantly. “Phones can be carried around now. Super weird.”

Fifty and even forty years are a pretty long time. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was beyond his comprehension. Standing up, he folded his arms.

“Alright, so I guess now’s as good a time as any. Listen, kid. We’re going to be associated for however long you need the lady for, so we might as well get along, yeah?” Of course, Tsukasa was shuffling through his feathers to see all the different designs he had. Attention span of a squirrel, this kid, but Natsuhiko pushed through, fueled by his determination. “That said, you clearly need someone to watch over you and make sure you don’t get into trouble. So, from now on, you can consider me your big brother, yeah?” He winked as Tsukasa looked up at him. “I promise I’ll be nice and spoil you from time to time.”

Tsukasa’s expression was completely unreadable. Natsuhiko, still smiling, offered his hand to help the other up. To his relief, the kid took his hand—and then to his immediate horror, the kid twisted his arm in a way that threatened to break bone. Before he could even get out a plea, he was slammed into the wall. He yelped, his heart pounding.

“K-Kid?! Hey?! C-Come on, if I said something wrong, you could’ve just yelled at me...!” He feels his jaw swelling from the impact and winces as Tsukasa presses his wrist harder into his back. His legs were shaking. “K-Kid... Kid, please... Please...”

“I,” Tsukasa inhales and huffs into his ear. To do so, he must have been standing on his tippy toes, and the realization that this runt could very well kill him and nobody would be able to do anything had Natsuhiko’s breath hitch in hysterics. Tsukasa just goes on, “I already have a big brother. You’re not to take his place.”

“O-Okay!” Natsuhiko cried, trembling. “Okay, okay! I won’t! P-Promise! I’m sorry!”

Tsukasa doesn’t respond. For a few heart-pounding seconds, Natsuhiko lets his eyes screw shut, tears seeping through and then—nothing. The kid lets him go. And when Natsuhiko tentatively looks back, hand instinctively going to his bruised jaw. No one was there. No one at all.

“...kid?”

“Oh gosh!” someone exclaims and Natsuhiko just sees it’s one of his classmates rushing up, face awash in alarm. “Hyuuga-kun, are you okay?! Did someone attack you?”

“I just...” Gaze dropping, all Natsuhiko observes is the scattered mess of feathers. “A, huh, bird flew in and I had a hell of a time getting it to leave... I guess. Haha.”

Seriously—what the hell was that even about?

“U-Um... My lady, we, um, we have a problem.”

In his shame, he can only return to the broadcasting club empty-handed. The lady perks up from her reading, expression impassive as Natsuhiko ducks his head and avoids her stare.

“I uh, I don’t...know where the kid is.”

“What happened to your face, Natsuhiko?”

Normally, he’d light up from her show of concern, but he just flinches instead, grimacing.

“Said something that made the kid angry. I...” He laughs it off. “Did you know he had a big brother?”

“Yes,” she replied. “Of course I did.”

That had him jolt with surprise.

“W-Wha, for real?!”

“The other Hanako-san,” she explained simply. “He mentions him all the time. You never noticed?”

“Mentions... Who?” The gears began to turn and after a while, Natsuhiko gasped, figuring it out. “Amane?!”

“That was his brother’s human name, yes.”

“No way! I thought that was an old crush!” Under the lady’s withering stare, he hurriedly added, “O-Or like, a sister. Because, uh, Amane’s a girl’s name...”

“It’s gender-neutral, Natsuhiko.”

“Yeah... Guess so.” He nods along. “Uh, wow. Okay. So... Wait. Other Hanako-san?”

“How badly did he hurt you?”

Natsuhiko held up his bandaged wrist with a chuckle. “Sprained it a bit but nothing too severe, thank god. But that kid’s seriously scary, my lady.”

“You were fortunate,” she said softly. “In his current state, he cannot cause much harm. He is still weak, for the time being.”

Geez, if that’s weak, I’m even more terrified.

“Do not worry about his absence,” she goes on. “Because of his state, he will return shortly. He cannot move around much and could be banished back here with something as small as a splash of hot tea.” Coincidentally, she sips the tea she has laying out. “I apologize, however. You got mixed up in this mess because of me.”

“And I don’t mind it if it’s for your sake!” He’d grab her hand but his wrist hurts too much to do that, so he just makes the gesture limply in the air. She stares at him with disdain, and it brings much more positive shivers down his spine.

Then, that lovely gaze dulls, and her frown deepens.

“So,” he says. “Uh. What’s this about another—Hanako-san?”

“That child grants the wishes of the dead,” she said. “But his brother grants the wishes of the living. Not everyone can summon him, however.”

“Huuuuh. I see.” Natsuhiko rubs his chin, and winces because he accidentally messes with his jaw. “Maybe I could try and see if he can keep the kid in check better? I mean, I could probably see him.”

Although what am I going to do if the older brother has an even worse temper?

“Do not do anything unnecessary,” the lady snapped at him. “Understand, Natsuhiko?”

Anger borne of concern is good, though.

“Got’cha~!”

He agreed without a second thought but a part of him still wondered. Now that he wasn’t afraid for his life, he could mull things over better.

Older brother who grants the wishes of the living... If he’s at all better behaved, why couldn’t we have ended up with him?

Well. He knows why. He’s stupid and dense, but he’s not completely blind to his situation and surroundings. He could only wish to be so ignorant, that way he wouldn’t notice the pitying and weary looks he gets for reasons beyond his personality. He hasn’t been asked any questions about that day him and the lady were discovered in the classroom, and that’s for the better. Because there’s nothing to say. No answer to give.

He had already agreed to sever ties by staying with her. The least he can do is commit even when the initial plan falls through due to one violent little runt with a brother complex.

Still.

“I’m back!”

Without a care, as if he never lost his temper, the kid drops in and clings to the lady much to Natsuhiko’s gritted dismay.

“You should not lose your temper so easily,” the lady reprimanded, albeit gently. “Natsuhiko is not worth throwing a tantrum over.”

“Ehhh? You really think so?” The kid turns those big eyes back at him, and all Natsuhiko can do is force a smile and wave with his bandaged hand. Pursing his lips, the kid looked contemplative. “Okay.” He buries his face into the lady’s hair. “Sakura, I’m tired.”

“You overdid it,” she said, and Natsuhiko watches as the kid slumps against her.

“I’m really, really tired, Sakura.”

“Because you overdid it.”

“Read me something!”

Natsuhiko twitched as the lady simply sighed.

“Natsuhiko, pull up a chair for him.”

He does so, lips pressed tightly together and he doesn’t say anything even though the kid clamors into the chair and doesn’t even sit in it properly. He just props his head against the back and lets his eyes fall shut as the lady reads her book aloud in a droning voice. The kid falls into a not-quite rest, but Natsuhiko knows better at this point. He’s stupid, but he can figure stuff out.

The evening bell to signal that the school day was over is resounding. Natsuhiko wonders if anyone’s worried about him. He shakes his head, deciding it doesn’t matter.

“So that white expanse up there is really made up of stars?” The lady crooned, and the kid answers with a content hum. “No matter how long he looked at it, he just couldn’t imagine space being the cold, empty place his teacher had said it was.”

The shadows begin to creep in, the sun setting, and it wouldn’t be long before the last living soul was lost in the whispers.

#jibaku shounen hanako kun #natsuhiko hyuuga #tsukasa yugi #sakura nanamine #Magi Fics

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sanny-chan5 · 5 years ago

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The sky’s importance on Dr. Stone.

[This is a long post, you’ve been warned. Also, sorry for that T-T].

Have you guys noticed how much Inagaki-san and Boichi-sensei love to portray the character’s emotional state through the weather/sky? Specially Senku’s’, or so I think...:

When Senku was desperately wating for Taiju to “des-petrify”, it was raining.

Same as when Senku died and his friends were trying to revive him, it was also raining (to make those scenes similar and stand out both Taiju and Senku’s friendship, trust in the other and desperation for each other’s well being).

When Senku needed electricity. It was as if the sky was helping Senku and gave him one last thunder for the magnet, but it also helped Gen to scare Magma a bit when he tried to stop them -which could have ended worse than it did. Magma ultimately attacked Gen, but it was at night and Senku wasn’t with him. That’s why I say “specially Senku’s emotions”.

When Hyouga and the other thugs of Tsukasa Empire attacked for the first time the village. This not only helped them put on an act that convinced then to attack the next storm, but the wind also saved Suika indirectly carrying the sulfuric acid against the bullies -of course both of these things wouldn’t have been possible without Senku’s intervention, like, Suika herself could have died.

Suika was the ultimate MVP for finding the stone they needed to make the mobile phones, but... it was the sun’s first ray which drives Senku’s attention to this stone and told him which one it was. Again, it was as if the sky was giving him a clue.

Also, and an important point, the starry night sky feels calm. When it is shown in the series, it’s always a moment of calmness/emotional fluff: chibi Senku with his father looking at the moon, the onsen Taiju/Yuzuriha romantic moment, Senku telling Taiju to sleep ‘cause being awake would just tire him out (thus, worrying about him), the telescope/birthday moment, watching the first dawn of the year with everyone on the village... AND one of the most important moments for Senku which I’ll leave for analize later.

Finally, not really important maybe, but when the sun is up, or in other words, when it is day, it’s working/thinking moment. Senku revived one ordinary morning of spring(it seemed... also, I think Inagaki choose April 1st because it marks the begginig of many important things for the japaneses, such as the school years or the sakura’s flowering season), when he investigated the petrification, when he’s working with his frriends and the villagers (or for putting them on his side LOL), etc. Ordinary stuff, to summarize.

We also had sunsets for nostalgic feeling and snow sky for the special night of Crhistmas and, curiousl enough, they feel pretty determined to achieve their goals :3

(Episode 1).

(Episode 26, last of the first season).

Like, OMG.

I like to think this is not casual. And this might be going too far, but I also like to believe that this is some way to show that Byakuya (who, we could say, is in the sky’s heaven, following religion) is still helping his son. His son, who also happens to look at the stars softly and still wants to go to the space... which now is also a place nearer him... (again, following religion even if Senku probably doesn’t believe it and just like a “feeling thing”, IYKWIM)

Ah! And this is a moment who’s worth of a special mention. The moment I was talking about before: Senku crying at Byakuya’s “grave”. Another starry night sky moment.

Now someone could argue that it must be raining, since rain is usually portrayed as to represent sadness and all… but in this series, rain/storm is often used for desperate, action situations more than anything. Here, Senku was ovbiously mourning his father’s dead after having emotionally realized what that meant, but it was no agitation, and listen because that is the clue word: it was sad, but it was a calm sadness.

[On a side note, you can skip this, it has nothing to do with the reflection I was doing BTW, I still think he actually pushed his feelings a little, maybe because he “had to do other –logical- things now”, but most probably because he’s a shounen anime main character who has to act cool LOL... (look, I’m not complaining of this kind of characters, I love them and Senku is one of the more emotional “cool characters” I have seen in anime notwithstanding… but I AM saying that this series is NOT logical about the characters emotional reactions LOL. Just think of how well Taiju and Senku took the petrification thingy –OR, you know, even being all alone for 3700+ years and just… thinking, and that actually NOT driving them mad. And LOL, yes I get it, it’s anime phantasy logic after all xD). Yuzuriha’s reaction was far more credible, both the moment she opened her eyes and the moment she opened her eyes, and you know what I mean by that… xD].

But let’s continue with the analysis or I’ll go around the bush.

So, Byakuya’s name means “100 nights”, while Senku’s name means “1000 skies”. Isn’t it suspicious that the moment Inagaki and Boichi chose for Senku to visit his father’s grave was just a calm, starry night sky? It fits them SO DAMN WELL, for their names and for both’s dream or reaching and traveling through it... Night… Sky… (or “how you actually see the sky outside of the Earth”, combination of both names), it’s almost as if they were trying to draw our attention to the sky, quite literally because there was this scene when the reader’s pov was watching Senku’s back from below and we can watch the sky perfectly, with the light of the full moon shining in the middle of the darnkess and all…

What’s more, if you guys follow my way of understanding what the sky means in this series, which for me is a representation of Byakuya somehow, it fits as well!: it keeps calm, as if accepting Senku’s feelings, but also so full of patience and love and fatherly calmness as if it were his father’s spirit itself trying to say “it’s ok” to his son...

Of course, this is not implicitly shown, it’s just me trying to interprete the art in an abstract way, so it’s just a theory of mine and I can totally being mistaken. But I just LOVE watching it like this, I’m being self-indulgent :’3.

So.. that’s it, guys. What do you think about it? I have to say I haven’t read the manga yet, so maybe in the future there are several moments that can finish this interpretation, but... I thought of it and felt it would be nice to share with you and see if someone wants to believe this too. I adds emotion to the scenes, or at least for me ^^ But feel free to disagree and prove me wrong if you want, this is just me being paranoid LOL

I LOVE to think about some random scenes of a series I like and them BOOM. I find my own interpretation, or sometimes realizing something the autor actually wanted to subtly portray, that actually changes how I view those same scenes the next time I watch them…whether I’m wrong or not.

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justaramblingromantic · 5 years ago

Note

“This blanket is freaking thin!” ft EiRin 😙

50 Random Writing Prompts

Characters/Pairing: Kobayashi Rindou and Tsukasa Eishi/EiRin

Type: Fantasy/Medieval!AU, Worthy of a Namet!verse, Freestyle

Word Count: 2841

A/N: Oh man, I think I drank a bit too much nonsense juice when I wrote this, wahaha! Hope you like, friendo~! Thanks for the ask!! <33

XxXxXxXxXx

He did not have to open his eyes to sense that she was up to mischief, again.

To be more precise, she was trying to sneak up on him, again.

Eishi sighed inwardly. He did not move, lying on the bed with his back still turned to the source of disturbance, the latter trying her best to be as stealthy as possible.

“…Rindou.”

The surreptitious movements paused.

“Yes?” she sounded so innocent, as if she wasn’t doing anything shady at all.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in!” she chirped in reply. Since she had already been found out, the redhead abandoned all pretense at subtlety and dove straight at her master.

Eishi rolled over and jackknifed before she could pin him with her pounce. He still ended up with an armful of warm, soft, sweet smelling woman…who was also very happy to nuzzle into the side of his neck and brush herself up against him like an overly affectionate vixen.

At least this time she was clothed, he thought. He still could not help but flush all the same.

“…Rindou,” he chided as sternly as he could. “We’ve already discussed this. You’re being improper.”

This partner of his had always been unruly and mischievous for as long as he knew her. And ever since she took on a living form, his life had only grown even more complicated.

And exciting…in a completely outrageous way.

“Go back to your own bed, please,” he uttered in a strangled tone when she slithered under his covers and cozied up to him even more. She was very distracting. His pulse quickened.

“But it’s warmer here with you,” she protested as he tried to peel her off. “This blanket is freaking thin, so we should share our body heat~”

That sounded like a logical conclusion to make…only he was starting to suspect that she was only using it as an excuse. That suspicion was further compounded by her happily running her hands down his torso, the brush of her lips along the side of his throat, the flick of her tongue darting against his skin where his pulse beat strongly-

“I’m cold,” she purred, wiggling ever closer. “Warm me.”

The thing was, she wasn’t trying to seduce him. Unfortunately, he was seduced all the same. There was something she craved from him, and she was never ashamed or shy to beg it boldly from him. Her tongue tickled his skin. Her warm breath flustered him.

“I need your heat,” she demanded silkily against his neck. “Please, Master, may I~?”

He swallowed. This was the contract that he shared with her, that bound her to him and vice versa.

“Yes,” he mumbled in consent, his arms instinctively coming up around her, even as she smiled and parted her lips, sinking pearly white fangs into his flesh.

That sharp prickle of pain was the familiar prelude to the near blinding flood of pleasure that filled his mind shortly after. He gasped and bit his lip, keeping perfectly still as she settled happily unto him and hungrily lapped at the mark, coaxing more of those crimson, rich drops of blood welling to the surface. Her pleasure, almost hedonistic and pagan-like in its sheer, unfiltered, delight, washed over him as well, effectively doubling his own enjoyment of the act.

Lavender pupils silently dilated. Eishi bit down harder on his lower lip, swallowing the groan that threatened to rise from his throat. His ears buzzed. He turned his face towards her crimson hair, losing himself in the heady perfume of her scent. His fingers dug subtly into her waist, holding her tighter, pulling her closer…

She was much less restrained in expressing her euphoria. His blood sang inside of her, and she reveled in the throb and swell of its sweet, rapturous power. She squirmed on her master’s lap, moaning as his taste became all that she knew, his warmth spreading in her like wildfire. It had always been like that; his light chasing away the constant, cursed cold that lurked in her, and she was hopelessly addicted to this exhilarating feeling of life.

A few minutes later, she forcibly reined in her voracious appetite, careful not to take more than he could give. It was so tempting, though. She brushed her lips eagerly against his neck, lavishing happy, affectionate kisses now that he wasn’t being a starchy prude and trying to peel her off, red as a tomato the whole time. Well, he was still red as a tomato, but-

She pulled back slightly, a little punch-drunk giggle escaping her as she cupped his flushed face and peppered even more playful kisses on his chin and jaw and mouth. He could taste the copper of his own blood on her lips, and shuddered at the sharp spike of arousal that elicited in him.

“Rindou,” he groaned, breathless. She had that effect on him. “Stop. Stop.”

His hands came up to her shoulders, slowly but firmly easing her off of him. She growled softly at being denied, and curled her own limbs around him stubbornly like a little monkey. Much to his consternation.

His voice, still husky and lust-addled, was now injected with a thread of familiar exasperation. “What are you doing.”

“Not doin’ anythin’,” she uttered. “M’not lettin’ go for nothin’ either.”

Her petulance was not unfamiliar to him. She was already like that, even back when he only knew her in her sword form. This was also partially his fault, for indulging her as he always did.

Which left him with a dilemma.

“…How do you propose we retire to bed like this?” he asked in consternation over her head.

Rindou brightened and pulled back slightly to look at him again, glad that he had asked. Before she could open her mouth to share her opinion, he also had a sudden epiphany and quickly added. “Separate beds, please.”

The redhead frowned at him.

“You used to keep me close with you all the time,” she accused crossly. Even during bedtime, he laid her beside him every single night. Granted, it was customary for most knights to keep their weapons close by in the event of a sudden attack or a night raid, but he guarded her too, to keep her out of the hands of those who desired to harm her or take her.

As such, Rindou really did not understand what was so different now and was increasingly aggravated by his constant rejection. She didn’t like being pushed away by him. It made her feel cold and discontent and violently unhappy.

“…Yes. That’s because you were a sword,” he pointed out warily. Not a siren-like, alluring, impossibly beautiful young woman who seemed to possess no inhibition whatsoever and was also completely oblivious to the difficult position that she was putting him in…quite literally.

Her limbs tightened around him in her annoyance. “I’m still a sword! Just in a different shape now!”

Eishi had to remind himself to close his eyes as her fair bosom swelled with indignation…inches from his face.

She didn’t have to speak the obvious; he was acutely aware of her shape. Especially when it was pressed against him like now, barely concealed in a paper thin, chemise shift. He was not a stranger to her magnificent curves, which was why he was so desperately trying to put some much needed distance between the both of them before he ended up inadvertently doing something gravely improper to her.

Furthermore, this was exploiting the innocent, wasn’t it? Through a series of stressful, dire events, he had bound her to him and now he was also harboring some distinctly ungallant thoughts towards her. Never mind the sacred knightly vows he took of valor, chivalry and protecting those who could not protect themselves, he already felt like a cad as it was.

Rindou could hardly care less about his moral dilemma.

“Am I still yours or not?” she demanded to know, wanting to hear the confirmation that he wasn’t planning to toss her aside and depart like all the others who had come and gone before him. Not that she would let him, but still-

“Say it. Say that I’m yours.”

He opened his eyes, that distant lavender hue sharpening on her face. He just stared at her for the longest time, as if finally finding an answer to a very difficult problem.

“Yes,” he replied at last, so quietly it was almost a sigh. “You’re mine.”

She beamed at his admission, spoken so slowly and carefully, as if he was tasting the words on his tongue, testing and accepting the full weight of his claim for the very first time.

“Good! Your sword wants to lie with you.”

He had the strangest look on his face at her expectant request. That sounded wrong.

“…You mean ‘sleep,’” he corrected.

She sent him an odd look of her own. “Of course I meant ‘sleep!’ What else is there to do?”

While Eishi was muttering to himself (perhaps he was praying for patience and deliverance), Rindou finally clambered off him and dove under the sheets, settling in for bed, now finally content after having her way. He took longer to follow suit, gingerly lying back down and feeling very jumpy.

She clicked her tongue at his hesitation. “Why are you so scared? I’m not gonna eat ya!”

“You already ‘ate’ me,” he muttered, finally easing in beside her. He was still rather stiff and ill at ease. She snickered and petted him.

“And you’re absolutely delicious~” the redhead sang, turning her head to grin at him. His ears were starting to turn red again. “Fine. I won’t eat you anymore tonight. Promise.”

She did, however, wiggle closer to him and throw her leg over his. She also snuggled into his side so comfortably, like she had always belonged.

“Can you just lie still and not move. Please.” He sounded faintly distressed. The more she rubbed up against him inadvertently, the more his body reacted to her unintentional stimulation. Eishi was very close to cursing the base urges of his disobedient self. Funny; how it always went haywire whenever she was around – he usually had much better control than this.

“I’m trying to get comfortable,” she huffed back at him. She was frowning a little too, as she squirmed. “There’s something hard poking me down there-”

She gasped loudly, as if all the dots had finally connected in her mind and she abruptly realized what that ‘something’ was. She lifted her head so quickly she nailed him right in the chin before he could react and explain himself. That collision hurt her, but since she was of the rather hardheaded sort, Eishi came out worse from the encounter. The poor man saw stars. He clapped one hand over his aching jaw, groaning.

Rindou was too outraged to sympathize with her master’s pain. No wonder he had been pushing her away all this time! She had finally discovered the real reason! She knew why now!

The flames of righteous fury engulfed her. She scowled.

“You! You’ve been hiding another sword on your person all this time!” she accused, sounding thoroughly indignant. “How can you do that to me – we agreed that I’m your only!”

The redhead was very determined to get rid of the usurper. Her hand dove beneath the sheets and fumbled clumsily with the hem of his nightshirt before finally, blindly, finding the offending item that he had cleverly concealed there, nestled right between his legs. Her fingers wrapped firmly around the hilt and she tugged with all her might, like a farmer doing her best to dislodge a long, fat daikon out of the stubborn earth.

Eishi blanched.

“Rindou.” His strangled squeak were an entire three octaves higher than usual. It was a miracle he could still speak when the woman was still going at it with all the vigor of one attempting to extract the Excalibur from the sacred stone.

He hastily grabbed her wrist to stop her, lest she actually succeeded in her endeavor and uproot his entire bloodline right there and then. He gritted his teeth, ears ringing from the brief but excruciating experience. Maybe that was the sound of his yet unborn descendants screaming for mercy, ten generations down the Tsukasa family tree. His eyes met hers grimly, as she stared back at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“That’s. NOT. A. Sword.”

XxXxXxXxXx

Omake

He hadn’t been very happy with her that morning, for rather obvious reasons, even though she had shown an appropriate amount of contriteness for the misunderstanding last night. Rindou was sincerely sorry, though that had not stopped her from biting back snickers whenever he stood up and hobbled around gingerly due to the soreness between his legs, no thanks to her. He had glowered wearily at her muffled mirth, but otherwise had largely ignored her.

It was a good thing that they weren’t scheduled for patrol duty that day; surely Eishi would have been even grumpier than he already was. Instead, they were sequestered in his office where he was somehow buried in paperwork. Again. Rindou was meek and obedient as could be up until mid-noon, and then she got tired of being boring.

“How long are you going to be mad at me?” she asked him point blank. In her mind, she had already prepared a list to argue her innocence “In my defense, I didn’t know; I’ve never seen a naked body before except my own! And I don’t have that strange little stump you have; nobody ever told me that men have little extra bits of meat hanging between their legs!”

Eishi twitched at her passionate entreaty, and he seemed especially triggered every time the word ‘little’ was mentioned in reference to his…bits.

“You called it a sword last night,” he muttered, offended by her change in opinion. She squinted at him, not understanding his pique.

“What’s it for, anyway?” she asked, immensely curious. It was a curiosity that he was quickly beginning to recognize could be extremely destructive whenever left unchecked. He hadn’t exactly been in the mood to answer her questions last night, too busy curled up in a fetal position in bed. That was after they had made that really awkward trip to the healer’s quarters and the latter had laughed until he was rolling on the floor after he heard what happened.

“That healer said that all men have one. Really? Do they all look the same?? Can I see yours?”

Eishi turned a dark red at her barrage of questions. He stopped what he was doing and stared at her like she was crazy.

“…No. You can’t see mine.” He paused as another worrying thought occurred to him. He frowned. “Also, you’re explicitly forbidden from looking at other people’s swords, am I clear?”

“Huh?” Rindou was confused and getting a bit annoyed herself by his unreasonable restrictions. He wouldn’t show her his and he wouldn’t let her peek at others’ too, how unfair. “Then how am I ever gonna know what it looks like?”

“You don’t need to know what it looks like,” he retorted with an unusual amount of forcefulness, getting more and more flustered by the second. Why were they even discussing this? He was silently dying of mortification and the woman before him had absolutely no idea, as usual. “We won’t speak of this topic any further, so forget all of it.”

But Rindou did not understand what the whole fuss was about. A weapon that only men had and nobody was supposed to talk about…? This sure was one big mystery, and all over something that didn’t seem very useful to her. Perhaps it was like a holy artifact? Something symbolic and only decorative in purpose? Then why hide it away? Shouldn’t he be parading it around everywhere?

She was also quite sure she had overheard the healer mention something about ‘family jewels,’ though Eishi had spluttered and waved him off before more could be said. …A jeweled sword? Definitely decorative, then, she concluded decisively. Her desire to see it grew.

Unfortunately, he was weirdly agitated so maybe she should try her luck again another time. With reluctance, the redhead dropped the topic. At least he wasn’t ignoring her anymore.

“Tsukasa?”

“…Yes?” He was almost dreading to hear what outrageous things she was about to say next. Rindou widened her eyes and projected all the sincerity she could muster.

“M’very sorry I broke your secret holy sword.”

…

…secret…holy-

The white-haired knight emitted a…croak that was almost part bewildered incredulity, part laugh of despair. It was either that or cry. He gave up. He started to massage his temple.

“…It’s not broken.”

She perked up at the good news. It’s not broken! “Then, can I see-”

He groaned, loudly. She was going to be trying her hardest to get into his breeches for the next few days, wasn’t she? Just the very thought of it made him break out in cold sweat.

“…No. Just no.”

XxXxXxXxXx

#Shokugeki no Soma #Food Wars: Shokugeki no Souma #EiRin #Tsukasa Eishi #Kobayashi Rindou #otakinu #EiRin: Worthy of a Name AU #my fics #freestyle #[ still got a couple more asks to get to - promise I will get to them too 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 ]

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seasaltmemories · 5 years ago

Text

Devil’s Line Review/Analysis

This is gonna be a different beast to tackle for a few reasons A) I actually started this once before and dropped it, B) For a proper analysis I’m gonna have to dive into spoilers, and C) I technically haven’t finished the entire series, as the last volume of the manga isn’t translated (and I will only talk about the manga here) I say this all so you’ll be gentle with me as I pop from subject to subject

To start let’s get that summary:

Tsukasa, a college student, is rescued from an attack by a devil, one of many vampires that can blend in among the human population. Anzai, her savior, is a half-devil who exploits his supernatural gifts as a member of a shadowy police task force that specializes in devil-related crime in Tokyo. As Anzai continues to keep guard over Tsukasa, the two quickly forge a tentative bond—one that Anzai fears will test his iron-clad rule of never drinking human blood …

So I feel like expectations play a lot into how you receive this story and what you want to get out of it. My first time going in I was told it was a dark fantasy series, and then what I got in the 7 or 8 chapters I read was a lot of faffing about of will they won’t they with the external plot only appearing to be there to drive the main couple together, so I got bored and dropped it

This time I went in not only knowing there would be a lot of romance, but also personally more in the mood for vampire stuff, and kinda meeting it where it was allowed me to see it grow into more interesting ways

The beginning isn’t bad, but I think it is best appreciated when you know up front this is 50% romance and 50% thriller, both genres are equally important to the narrative, but rather than starting out with that ratio, the beginning focuses entirely on Tsukasa’s and Anzai’s blossoming romance, from there a greater plot concerning devils begins to unfold, and then the two really begin to work in sync to prop both sides up

Bc once the ball starts rolling, the plot becomes a high-speed mystery concerning secret conspiracies and questions of who you can trust, what started out simple gets more information added on that complicates matters as you begin to question your own judgement, still what keeps the plot from becoming a jumbled mess is the fact at the heart of the story is always Tsukasa and Anzai, it gives the narrative focus that I’ve see few things series have

I should also mention my first impressions of the romance being shaken bc I am so used to series having couples who are love at first sight yet waste the entire time actually getting together until the end, and while these two basically also have love at first sight and take a while to actually get together, they get together in an overall timely manner, and their relationship is allowed to grow and evolve in very mature ways, not just sexually but also emotionally, a lot of their arc together is learning about how to communicate what they want to the other and as their relationship grows, their strength as individual characters grow as well

Now I’m gonna get into some spoilers, but what turned the series from simply fun into can’t put down is the timeskip

A lot of the elements that I enjoyed were being done before the time skip, but I feel like the skip is what allowed it to reach new heights it just kept hovering up at

Bc slowly as we start from Tsukasa and Anzai, the world expands, first to his colleagues, then to their enemies until it is a large but never burgeoning cast of connections, and the way they keep it all together is that it is grounded by lot of casual little moments to see people just be people, no matter their relation to the protagonists, we are consistently shown the humanity of almost everyone we come in contact with, and as a result it is hard to not fall in love with people who had previously tried to murder your faves (and might still currently be doing so) and after the timeskip we just get hit with back to back side stories of the cast each going through their own internal problems, while still keeping to focus on Tsukasa and Anzai

Another thing that helps is that the worldbuilding concerning devil’s is extremely well-done, again it starts out simple “they see blood, then transform into monsters, sexual lust is connected to their bloodlust” but not only do we learn devil’s themselves, but a lot about what it means for a world to have a population like this, for example we get a detailed look into the tech created to help devil’s have safe sex with human partners and while it can be easy to poke fun at such specific details, by the end of the series it really does feel like an actual genetic disorder rather than some supernatural stuff with a sciency explanation tacked on

A moment that really made me stop and realize “oh the person behind this must know stuff besides story-telling” was when after and educational lecture about devils, the speaker admitted privately that the model used to describe them was problematic in that it demonized certain sects of devils, like wow, it was a quick moment, but a story showing the struggles of nuanced activism? Then we not only touch upon exploration of devil’s through a social science lens, but the overall philosophy that gets brought up on how to deal with institutional bigotry is interesting (this will be endgame spoilers so if you want to skip this, scroll down until you see bolded words again)

In two separate cases, we see two queer women involved in institutions get asked to do something unethical, both decide that if they refuse then they’ll get fired and someone else will simply take their place, and their goal then becomes to work through the system until they make it to the top and can start openly resisting

The effectiveness of these strategies is intriguing to dig through, the first is a researcher breeding devil/human children to study, (many of the participants being convicts) and from her actions we see her try and inform those involved to the best of her abilities and get their consent, and when possible, try to use couples who are already together, any information that would put individuals at risk of being chosen for illegal experimentation, she destroys, when she becomes the head researcher, she changes the program to rely completely on studying the children of already formed devil/human couples who come to them willingly

The second is asked to head the conspiracy of wiping out all devils, when ironically she is a devil herself, and so what they do is essentially play their part until they’ve amassed enough power to eventually stage a coup, until they can get an insider to be the prime minister to publicly reveal to the world, the conspiracy and have vocal support of devil rights, not only does this plan depend on the actual killing of innocents and riling up actual bigotry, but it also attracts actual cold-blooded killers and violent bigots which complicate matters, and for all their effort, the prime minister gets assassinated right during his big speech

As I mentioned their is still one volume left untranslated so I don’t know how it will add on to this, (most of the plot lines got wrapped up so I can’t see many major developments happening beyond wrapping up character plot threads) but they’re some juicy thematic questions to chew on as well, which is always a treat

Returning to some general strengths of the series, there really is a genuine sex-positive stance, I say that specifically bc it isn’t just simply exploring themes of sex, but also the way it does so, as mentioned above, there is a lot of baggage around devil’s and their sexual relationships, but a lot of what the characters have to learn is that such desires are normal and not some great abomination, just something they have to be responsible about, no one is shamed for communicating what they want/like, especially women, where multiple female characters are in fact openly encouraged to communicate to their partners that they are interested in sex, and from their we watch multiple couples (including a m/m one) work out what they want, in one neither is interested in romance, but is ok with a friends with benefit thing, two have the male participant be unsure of their feelings and so they work in their comfort zone (one likes physical touch and kissing, another they only hug) the m/m couple not only get screen-time of struggling with the “are you gay, I want to show interest but not get perceived as a creep” deal, but one admits to being repulsed by sex, and they still work out a romantic relationship

And the most surprising amount part of this, is that there is no unnecessary titillation, the eternal question of what is over-sexualization and all can get confusing and tiring, so I won’t define a specific threshold here or say this is the only way to tell such stories about sex, but first you don’t got any unrealistic body proportions on anyone or any creepy shots, everyone is fully clothed and dressed normally for the non-sexy bits, and while we do get a sex scene, it is pretty non-graphic (you got boobs and that is all that it on screen) so there really isn’t any confusing moments like in other stories I’ve experienced where I have to wonder if the framing contradicts its message

I could go on, but the strength of the story lies within at the end of the day being about normal people just trying to live their lives, it really does seem to capture the essence of what it means to be human effortlessly, and I am just immediately charmed and ready to follow Ryo Handa in whatever other projects she does

#devil's line #my reviews #hope this stays coherant #but I love these characters and the world and will probably cry when it is completely over

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passionpluto · 5 years ago

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The Amane Twins—An Analysis

(A bit of background here—I was an English major in college, and sometimes I come across a piece of media that really makes me want to scratch my “overanalyze everything” itch. This time, it just happens to be a gacha game.)

Magia Record, the Madoka Magica mobile game, greatly expands the universe by creating magical girls that fulfill standard anime tropes, but with their own flair. Yachiyo is the aloof and troubled magical girl, Ria is the lovable narcissist, Momoko is the tomboyish older sister type, and so on. But what has really piqued my interest throughout my gameplay is the way this formula works with Tsukuyo and Tsukasa Amane, whom even the game itself refers to collectively as “the Amane twins” or “the Amane sisters” more often than not.

These two are members of the Wings of the Magius, a quasi-cult-like organization, and tend to fulfill the role of “creepy cultist twins.” Compared to the other Magius members, they’re not particularly competent, but the way they’re characterized is nevertheless striking. The twins’ closeness is inspired in equal parts by horror movies and by incest-themed anime. The game often makes a point of teasing a ship between them, from mechanics (the buffs the two give to each other) to story (one is rarely seen without the other). But is this just pandering to a certain crowd, or does it, as many things do in PMMM, serve a darker narrative purpose?

Here’s my take on it: Tsukuyo and Tsukasa are in love. And that’s the worst thing that could have possibly happened to either of them.

Before the Magius

The only real details we get of the Amane sisters before they joined the Wings of the Magius comes from their in-game side stories. Consistent with their characterization throughout the game, the twins’ stories are practically interchangeable—each come from a different end of town (richer/poorer), each are overworked and abused by their single parents, and each are told, above all, to never investigate the other side of their family. The other side is a disgrace, the rich and the poor can never coexist, so the status quo should be upheld at all costs. Then they meet by chance at a shrine, and everything changes.

We can tell that Tsukuyo is the Ojou in these stories, and Tsukasa is more on the genki end, but their reactions to the other’s existence remain much the same. Both believe the other is a supernatural doppelgänger and refuse to believe at first that they have a twin. Through these stories, we also get to see the friends each has outside of the Magius—Mifuyu in Tsukuyo’s case and Kanagi in Tsukasa’s. Both end up going back to their friends initially once the class conflict becomes too much.

Narratively, there is a lot to unpack about Tsukuyo and Tsukasa’s class conflict. When they go through it, they act in ways that the Main Story never really shows. This is the first time we see them as fundamentally different rather than interchangeable. Rather than being able to complete each other’s sentences, they actually disagree. But instead of realizing that this is a healthy sisterly dynamic, the Amanes come to the mutual decision that acting this way will only tear them apart again. In their eyes, it’s now them against the world—so silly personality differences and the squabbles that come with them are no longer to be tolerated.

So sure enough, by the time Kyubey comes, their wish is the same. And that’s when their real codependency starts.

After the Magius

Cults, by their very nature, are isolating. Anyone who possesses beliefs outside the cult’s line of thought is labeled as dangerous, someone a member should no longer interact with. It should then come as no surprise that immediately after joining the Magius, Tsukasa severs all contact with Kanagi, the only real friend she seems to have. We don’t really get to see the impact this has on Tsukasa’s psyche, but chances are, it wasn’t good.

Tsukuyo and Tsukasa continually struggle to make friends within the Magius organization. Even though Tsukuyo’s friend Mifuyu is also Magius-aligned, she outranks both of them and cannot have the same relationship with Tsukuyo as she had before. Alina has nothing but bored curiosity towards them in the best of times, and outright murderous rage at the worst. Sure enough, the other is now the only one each other has—this time, for real.

If we are to read Tsukuyo and Tsukasa’s relationship as romantic—as the in-game narrative often encourages us to do—we are to read it as an absolute obsession, similar to how many read MadoHomu after Rebellion. But even in that case, the obsession is largely one-sided—as a goddess, Madoka is made to care about everyone, while Homura is almost exclusively single-minded towards Madoka. What makes Tsukuyo and Tsukasa worse—and would still make them worse even if they weren’t related—is that it is mutual.

Tsukuyo and Tsukasa are one. They cannot live without the other, no matter how hard they’ve tried in the past. Their deepest wish, as manifested in their Doppels, is to be the only two people left on Earth.

And they are not a fairy tale. They’re the lovers you might see in a particularly trashy YA romance—the ones who live for each other and no one else, who mope whenever the other is away, who consistently keep one another from developing as their own characters.

In the real world, we have a word for that. It’s called codependency.

So What Does This Mean?

Let me ask you, if you read a news story about a pair of underaged twins who:

were both abused by authority figures

were basically separated at birth

developed trust issues towards anyone who wasn’t them

ran away from home to join a cult

and fell in love with each other while inside the cult

How would you react? It’d be a media circus for sure. Plenty of people would be sickly fascinated with it, just as many would be disgusted by it, but for me, it’s just tragic. Not Romeo and Juliet tragic, but the type of tragic that makes you ask “where the fuck were the parents.”

And that’s a lot of the problem with the Amane sisters as people. Both are genuinely good, passionate about injustice and liberation in their own misguided ways. Neither led the other onto a dark path.

In short, Tsukuyo and Tsukasa’s relationship is the result of societal failure.

The doctor failed to tell each twin of the other’s existence. Their parents failed at creating a safe environment for them. And as a result, they failed to see their own worth.

That worth, and the trust they were never able to give, could only be found in each other’s embrace. And there’s something more fundamentally fucked up about the Amane sisters when you see them like this instead of just sisters who are a little too creepily close.

Is this what the devs intended from these interactions? It’s tough to say. For all we know, they might want us to glamorize it. But what we can say is that they’ve given us a ton of reasons not to. They’ve given us a tragedy every bit as dark as any Puella Magi’s, if we read between the lines a little.

The only way Tsukuyo and Tsukasa can ever be healthy, well-adjusted humans is if they leave the Magius and get some serious help. But unfortunately, such is not always the fate of a cult victim, or any victim of abuse.

Such is not always the case for a Magical Girl.

#magia record #pmmm #my post #long post #tw: incest #can you tell i’ve wanted to psychoanalyze them forever

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shewasanamericangirl · 6 years ago

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I know, but for the benefit of those who may not be into tokusatsu and follow your blog, tell us about some of your favorite toku cuties!

oh boy, i could go on about this all day. which i will. hope you don’t mind that they’ll mostly be guys, as tokusatsu in general tends to be a sausagefest. i’ll try to avoid spoilers for the aforementioned non-toku devotees.

let’s get the obvious one out of the way first!

black woz from kamen rider zi-o

he came from 50 years in the future to give a high school boy a magic belt that would enable him to become an evil king with ultimate dominion over space-time

catchphrase: “REJOICE!” followed by super hammed up dramatic speeches whenever said high school boy gains a cool new power

user of the thoth stand

he basically worships this high school boy and tries to encourage him to become the despot who shaped the dystopian hellscape woz came from

he has a doppelganger we call white woz whose goals are completely counter to his, and you know what? the woz who stans the evil king is the good one

he likes natto and mustard on his rice

he can actually be surprisingly sassy if you push his buttons enough

woz’s actor, keisuke watanabe, is the prettiest human being in this universe

shinji kido from kamen rider ryuki

REJOICE! he’s also in zi-o!

he transforms into kamen rider ryuki, with dragon powers and a mask like a sports car grille

catchphrase is “oi, ren!” which was changed for me forever after watching the end of the rider time ryuki special

he is my son! i want to adopt him!

dumb as fuck, heart of gold, will let you peg

he works as a reporter at a not very reputable newspaper which seems to mostly publish investigations of weird rumors and urban legends

he also works as a waiter at this cute teahouse

he still has no money because his friend yui broke a window

in the world of ryuki, kamen riders must duke it out in a battle royale by transforming into their super alter egos and entering the monster-infested world on the other side of reflective surfaces

shinji doesn’t want to fight anyone though, he just wants to keep the monsters from hurting people!

he’s such a sweet cute idiot. i’d protect him with my life.

akira nijino from ressha sentai toQger

transforms into toQ 6gou, the the orange toQger

catchphrase: “this is the place where i will die…” (and variations on that)

reformed monster turned magical railroad worker turned hero

his introductory arc will tug at your heartstrings

his face turn happened after he saw a rainbow for the first time, and henceforth dedicated his life to protecting rainbows

his guilt complex hangs over him in the form of a literal rain cloud

he’s normally taciturn but gets super cheerful and giggly in the presence of cute baby animals, especially kittens

he loves public baths so much he uses the word “aishiteru”

he often makes his dramatic entrance while playing a mournful tune on his harmonica

he’s got a lot of internal conflict going on but he’s such a good guy

his monster form has the softest fluffiest ears and a bitchin cowboy outfit

seriously sets off my gaydar for some reason?

noel takao from kaitou sentai lupinranger VS keisatsu sentai patranger

transforms into both the silver lupin X AND the golden patren X

catchphrase is “oh la la!” which he says when surprised/excited/intrigued

he’s both a phantom thief and an elite international police officer. it just works…somehow.

uses his mecha train to travel between japan and france in no time flat

older than he looks

does unnecessary acrobatic stunts for the hell of it (which his actor, seiya motoki, really does!)

wants the phantom thieves and police officers to be friends and work together instead of fighting

lowkey shipper on deck

(accidentally typed “lowkey shipper on dick”)

is he japanese? is he french? well that is just his own sweet and sexy secret

owns a shiny silver and gold kimono equally as awesome as akira’s in the gif above

tsukasa kadoya from kamen rider decade

he’s kamen rider decade

catchphrase is “i’m just a kamen rider passing through…remember that!”

his show is so weird and confusing but that’s okay because he’s cute and has an adorably bad attitude

always trying to take photos with the camera he carries. they always turn out looking shitty. he says it’s because the world is rejecting him, and not because he’s shitty at taking photos.

so he’s supposed to hop universes destroying worlds but he seems to just keep saving them instead

said worlds are extremely strange AUs of the first nine heisei kamen rider shows

anyway, back to tsukasa. he has a weird and sexy way of sitting which he did in front of black woz once which made him start doing it

actually his interactions with black woz in zi-o are memorably hilarious for both characters

every time tsukasa enters a new world, he automatically has a job that helps him fit in. in the kiva world, he’s a concert violinist–and boy, can he play. in the blade world, he’s the head chef of a cafeteria, and comes up with some great (if a little underhanded) methods of making money.

what the fuck is he even doing?

will i have the answer to that by the time i finish watching decade or nah?

regardless, he’s incredibly charming, and pleasant to watch

ma…zhen…TA.

umika hayami from kaitou sentai lupinranger VS keisatsu sentai patranger

umika is secretly the super cute phantom thief lupin yellow!

she’s super cute and acts cheery but she’s got some intense sadness going on deep down which remains a secret to most people

waits tables at bistro jurer (the front for the lupinrangers)

i started watching lupat because she’s cute, even though i did not think i’d really get into super sentai

(i did)

fellow lupinranger and bistro staff kairi pinches her nose just like how his older brother used to pinch his nose

…when umika turns it around and pinches kairi’s nose…when that happens you will want to cry, just sayin

one of the patrangers gets a big dumb crush on her, unaware that she’s actually a lupinranger (can you blame him?)

she loves fashion and has a delightful sense of style

her favorite pair of earrings look like cherries and they’re soooooo cute, eat your heart out noriaki kakyoin

sougo tokiwa from kamen rider zi-o

he’s the high school boy black woz is obsessed with

he’s kamen rider zi-o, kamen rider zi-o ii, kamen rider oma zi-o, part of the fusion kamen rider zi-o trinity, and has a fuckton of various forms

in the tradition of shinji kido he is cute, dumb, sweet, and bleaches his hair

can you believe this widdle bitty cutie pie grows up to become a megalomaniacal overlord subjecting humanity to a dark timeline of misery and woe??

at least, he might. he’d rather not. the time travelers from 2068 inform him that it’s a definite possibility.

good at history, bad at math

has been convinced since childhood that he will become a king after graduating high school, and because of that, he has no other career aspirations and no friends…wah wah waaaaaaaah

a plucky orphan much like myself

possesses latent psychic time manipulation powers that are a little scary if you think about them too hard

haru “tokatti” tokashiki from ressha sentai toQger

blue hero toQ 2gou

during roll call he always bows and says something

adorkableness incarnate

this boy is a nervous wreck

he adjusts the train track visor on his sentai mask like it’s his glasses

massive crush on his childhood friend mio, aka toQ 3gou and the mom friend of the group (she is also a toku cutie i love to bits) (i ship it hard)

becomes particularly close friends with akira, which is interesting to see since their personalities (and suit colors) contrast so much

even when anxious and easily discouraged, tokatti is always brave and strong for his friends when in a pinch

thinks of his big brother ryo as a cool superhero

the glasses nerf just how handsome he is

i have a lot of other tokusatsu cuties i adore but these are some of the ones who’ve been on my mind the most lately! hopefully you readers enjoy this small sampling of tokusatsu dorks 💖

#shylax #long post

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zukalations · 6 years ago

Text

REN’S KITCHEN #1 - Umino Mitsuki

Ren Tsukasa’s column on the members of the 97th class was published in GRAPH through 2018. Her interview with Umino Mitsuki was published in the January issue.

Ren’s columns includes recipes! I haven’t tested them yet so I can’t guarantee results, but I’ve tried to make sure they are understandable.

REN’S KITCHEN - Umino Mitsuki (Moon Troupe)

Hello, Takarazuka GRAPH readers!! I’m Moon Troupe 97th class member Ren Tsukasa. All through this year, I’m going to be writing this Classmates Investigation Page. The 97th class members are all full of individuality, and I’m going to gradually draw out their appeal and work hard to write an enjoyable column every issue, so I hope you will keep reading!

First guest: Umino Mitsuki (Moon Troupe)

~About their costume theme~

Ren: Once it was decided that the guest for the memorable first column would be Umi (Umino), we started talking about ‘What should our costumes be?’... The first ideas we had were ‘Disney OR strawberries’ (laughs)

Umino: Right! I like the Disney Princesses and such…

Ren: But, since it was such a rare opportunity we thought it would be best to go for a broad topic, so we decided on this! Strawberries.*

Umino: My beloved strawberries… (laughs) Somehow I have a ton of strawberry things. And if my classmates know about any tasty strawberry sweets they’ll tell me about them, and I also check for new products to buy… (laugh).

Ren: But you never dreamed you’d become a strawberry! (laughs) How did it feel?

Umino: It was surprisingly hard to keep the shape right. See, it sort of looks like a tomato, you know (laughs). But it was a lot of fun.

Ren: While we’ve been photographed before, we haven’t had a chance to be photographed together before, have we? In classmate photographs they would have all the otokoyaku and musumeyaku separately… Therefore, this felt really new and fun.

~First impressions of each other~

Umino: My first impression of you? Serious!! Super serious and diligent (laughs).

Ren: Eh? Ever since TMS?

Umino: Yeah! I thought you were a really sensitive and methodical type who would be like ‘That’s wrong!!’ if something was a centimeter or even a millimeter off (laughs).

Ren: You thought? (laughs)

Umino: Yeah!! (laughs) But in the past tense… (laughs)

Ren: My first impression of Umi...hmm… What was it?

Umino: I tried not to be noticed… (laughs)

Ren: You did!! I don’t really have much of an impression (laughs). But if I think about it...you had really white skin. Besides that, when you were roommates with our classmate Nana (Sara Anna), I would often go to eat hotpot and such there, so I most likely felt it was fun to have a good time all together like that… But honestly, in TMS, we didn’t interact much, did we?

Umino: Not really. I don’t think I was that close with our other Moon Troupe classmates at the time, either. It’s interesting to think about.

Ren: Also, when an exam was coming up and we’d all be dancing, I feel like Umi-chan was the only one who didn’t get tired and would just keep dancing~ Even after I would be like ‘No more!’ (laughs)

Umino: Once the music’s on I just want to dance!! That’s the type of person I was. Ah, but maybe I still am now!

Ren: You definitely are!! When you’re dancing, you always have such a nice expression, and you show how much you’re enjoying yourself with your whole body 💖 It’s really great!! It’s wonderful!! (laughs)

~Being assigned to Moon Troupe~

Umino: Maybe the first time I felt ‘I’m a Moon Troupe member!!’ was in the first production after my assignment, Romeo et Juliette? Actually, when I was a fan, I just watched Star Troupe, so I always thought ‘I’m gonna be in Star Troupe!’ (laughs) And my debut was in Star Troupe too…

Ren: (laughs)

Umino: In that production the sense of individuality of all the Moon Troupe members came through really strongly, and I felt like it was a troupe that really loved acting. I remember it really vividly even now!!

Ren: Is that so… As for me, since I had been in Moon Troupe ever since my troupe rotations, Romeo et Juliette was the first show where I participated as a proper member of the troupe… But it was my first time being able to perform in a shinjin kouen, and my first time acting together with the senior actresses… I have a lot of deep memories of it. Is there anything else you have a strong impression of?

Umino: When I appeared in the restage performance of Tsukigumo no Miko when I was ken-3. I’ll never forget that!!

Ren: Ah, definitely, it was such a unique situation since you joined as the only new member, so you had to learn all the choreography, and the fight scenes… That must have been really tough.

Umino: Yeah. But when I had been to see the Bow Hall performance as an audience member I was thinking ‘I wish I could be in this show!!’ the whole time, so I was really happy to be in it. Even though it was difficult, I enjoyed myself 🎵

Ren: We were...the absolutely most junior troupe members, after all. I can confidently say that that show is one that only Moon Troupe could have done!! It was really an amazing production.

~Their relationship in Moon Troupe 💖~

Ren: I think we must have become close when we were in shinjin kouens together, right? in PUCK and Grand Hotel and such we would act together a lot.

Umino: That’s true, definitely, but outside of Grand Theatre shows we would act together sometimes, and then also we’ve been paired up for dance numbers too!! But I think when we really started to get closer was during the shinjin kouen of Grand Hotel. Yes, for sure! I can still remember that. I was so, so nervous… (laughs)

Ren: Ah~ I have a strong impression of that too. You were so nervous that your hands were ice cold and your eyes were full of tears and you were saying ‘What do I do~?’ I was playing Gruschinskaya’s (Umino’s) companion Rafaela, so I thought ‘I’ll get into the mindset of my character!!’ and held your hand until it was just before I had to make my entrance and then went out! (laughs)

Umino: So nostalgic…

Ren: Huh? You look like you’re going to cry!! Or actually, you’re crying… (laughs)

Umino: … (laughs while crying) I was pretty pitiful. But if you hadn’t been there for me...I would have had such a difficult time (laughs).

Ren: Even for us I think that was a major shinjin kouen experience.

~What they like about each other~

Ren: Let’s try saying what we like about each other!! (laughs)

Umino: What we like about each other…? I like how gregarious Renkon (Ren) is 💖 (laughs)

Ren: Hm~ Gregarious? That’s what you think? (laughs)

Umiino: Yeah, yeah. Although while that’s how you are at heart, since until now you were in a position where you had to keep everyone in line, you kept a really close eye on everyone and paid really close attention...And then your real nature… Ah, sometimes you will be a bit pessimistic (laughs) But now that I think about it, I feel like you have a lot of aspects that I don’t~

Ren: Ah~ So maybe we’re opposite personalities?

Umino: Yeah! I think so.

Ren: As for me, I like your musume-like, feminine aspects, and also how you won’t waver once you’ve decided ‘I’ll do this myself!!’ ...Ah, you’re stubborn, I guess (laughs)

Umino: Stubborn!! (bursts out laughing)

Ren: So~rry (laughs). But it’s really striking to have someone with such a different personality so close by!! I’m going to keep a clo~se eye on you from now on (laughs)

~About the future~

Ren: If there are any goals or something you’re thinking about, out with it!! (laughs)

Umino: The future… Now that we’ve graduated from shinjin kouens, I’d like to get some mental breathing room and really think over things… I want to take in everything and incorporate a variety of new information into myself, and use that to improve onstage as a musumeyaku! I’m growing up… (laughs)

Ren: Oh!! Then I’ll be looking forward to that, then (laughs) If you end up not changing at all I’m going to show you this column~ (laughs). ‘You messed up!’ (laughs) I’m joking! As a comrade in my troupe I’ll definitely look after you!

Umino: It feels like you’re my older sister somehow… (laughs)

Ren: (laughs) Let’s keep encouraging one another and make great shows!

Umino: Yes. Let’s keep getting along from now on too 💖

Chef Ren’s recipe!! Every issue, I’m going to present a recipe using my guest’s favorite ingredients~!

Simple strawberry sauce, not too sweet!!

Makes: About 200g

Ingredients: Strawberries - 1 pack [T/N; I’m not certain but this seems to be around 16 large-sized strawberries] (if available) Blueberries - 50g Sugar - 3-4 tablespoons Lemon juice - ¼ of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

Directions:

Chop the strawberries very small.

Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and mix together. Cover and cook on medium heat.

Once it comes to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes while removing the scum.

After it cools, transfer it into a storage container.

It’s best if you eat it as soon as possible~!

* Ren and Umi’s photoshoot look:

#takarazuka #article translation #mag: graph #troupe: tsuki #sienne: ren tsukasa #sienne: umino mitsuki

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