#if you want tsukasa to be your happy golden boy you can but it's as much of a “minsinterpretation�� as the people you dunk on from making

[demodraws0606]

The way people talk about Tsukasa makes me want to murder people /neg

Somehow just because Tsukasa attracted the attention of the younger fanbase, people just have found themselves allowing to dunk on his fanbase because "how dare these 12 year old misinterpret a character that I don't even personally like".

Because yeah it's almost like young people can identify a darker part of a character but overexagerate it because the part that discerns nuance isn't even fucking developped yet. Or you know maybe it's just fun making angst, maybe they're just venting through Tsukasa ?

And somehow these people making angst are somehow more wrong than the people who just act as though Tsukasa is like the happiest guy ever with the least amount of struggles (because how dare he be happy, the only way a person can be struggling is if they're miserable 24/7).

Like it's wild it's somehow the same thing that happened to Sans, it's as though people don't realize that making a character have less problem than in canon is just as much of a misinterpretation than the opposite, you're not smarter for it.

No genuinely what's wrong with people, every other male oc fans get to do whatever and somehow Tsukasa fans are the ones that only enjoy his character cause he's a "dude".

I'm a Rui fan but it makes 0 sense to me how much of us just get away with more because ig it's more acceptable to make angst of rui ????

Like people say "wow people exagerate Tsukasa's backstory so muchh lol", like ok here are the multiple instances of Tsukasa flashbacks :

-Dazzling Lights

-Tenma mixed event

-Colorfes card

-Vocaloid World Link

Wow, yeah really short and rare Tsukasa flashbacks yeah....

And also people acting as though he was fine being alone at home are just straight up lying, like that is a lie the game literally tells you he's not fine blatantly in Dazzling Lights. And if you somehow needed more proof you can dig through the vocaloid world link, his colorfes card or even fucking side card stories.

There's no reason to talk about Tsukasa fans and how exagerated Tsukasa angst is i'm sorry, you're just being a bully and passive agressive to fans who want to have fun. The only time it's worth while to dunk on them is for ableism which IS a problem with Tsukasa fans.

Obviously I'm not gonna police you into what you should talk about but I just think it's really obnoxious and just kinda has been worsening the toxicity of this already radioactive fandom.

Also don't take anything in this post too personally this is just like a scream into the void about this fandom's behavior around Tsukasa.

I'm talking about this also because I literally saw firsthand how just kinda mean people are to others who just have fun.

[enhashoutout]

Dating Hanaoka Fujio

This is purely self-indulgent because finals are stressing me out and I needed something fluffy to keep me from taking a nap on the highway

Bf!Fujio who is the golden retriever in the relationship.

Bf!Fujio who doesn't care much about his studies but knows that you do so he offers to keep you company while you study (he's probably distracting you though low key).

Bf!Fujio who notices final exams are absolutely killing you so he takes it upon himself to force you to take breaks, otherwise, you sit in front of your work and forget you're a human who needs water, food, and sleep.

Bf!Fujio who is almost never late because leaves his meetings a few minutes early (if they aren't super important) to come and see you.

"Oi! Fujio! Where are you going?! We're not done yet!" (Probably Yasushi) "Sorry! I have to leave early to be on time to pick up ___ from school and take them home!" All of his friends: 👁️👄👁️ Fujio: *proceeds to pedal his bike so fast he almost smacks into your school's gate but at least he's there and ready to take you home*

Bf!Fujio who thinks of you when he doesn't have a fight to worry about

Bf!Fujio who never shuts up about you + playfully annoyed bestie Tsukasa who knows everything about you because Fujio never shuts up about you but at least his best friend is happy

Bf!Fujio who tells you all about Oya's factions, dynamics, and fights even if you don't quite understand.

Bf!Fujio who tells you about his negative feelings. Example: when he doesn't feel good enough to be Oya's leader, when he's sad remembering his grandpa and Grandma Sada, etc. (This boy deserves all the love in the world make sure he knows that)

Bf!Fujio who hugs you a little longer and a little tighter on the days he isn't feeling all that well

Bf!Fujio who thinks it is the funniest thing to kiss you, catching you off guard, and then running away leaving you confused.

bf!Fujio who loves how you also bond with his friends and help them when you can

Bf!Fujio who gives you a heart attack when he shows up at your doorstep late at night all bruised and needs his injuries tended to before he goes home so he doesn't also give his mom a heart attack.

Bonus points if you're a SWORD leader's younger sibling with that last point. Like imagine being Cobra's younger sibling who is dating Fujio but the kicker is that Cobra doesn't actually know you're dating because you tell him you go to Oya to see your friends, not your boyfriend and his friends who are now your friends.

Fujio shows up late at night after a fight needing his injuries bandaged, and you guys whisper as he tells you what happened and how he won. You guys are whispering thinking that if you're quiet no one will wake up, but you don't realize your older brothers actually went out for a late-night drive because none of them were able to sleep. So as you guys are like giggling and whispering, Cobra, Yamato, and Noberu walk in through the front door and you all just freeze and stare at each other because none of you know what to say. And of course, Fujio being Fujio will probably get excited and ask Cobra if he wants to be friends.

You: shit... how do I explain to my brothers why they just walked in through the door and there is a boy here uninvited? How do I explain that I'm actually dating this boy and I've been lying about why I go hang out at Oya all the time?! Cobra: Eye twitching. Why is there a boy in the house with my younger sibling? Who is this boy? Why is he busted? ___ you have a lot of explaining to do or I'm grounding your ass. Yamato: Ready to follow Cobra whatever he does because you aren't just Cobra's younger sibling you are THEIR younger sibling. If Cobra decides to ground you? Yamato is going to agree and give reasons why you should be grounded even longer. If Cobra lunges at the boy who's sitting in front of you? Shit so is Yamato because who is this bruised up kid giggling with his younger sibling at midnight? Noberu: The only sensible one who will listen to your explanation before taking any action. Will probably have to hold back the other two from attacking your boyfriend or rush their asses to the emergency room because they both fainted after finding out this kid sitting in the kitchen with you is your boyfriend. Fujio: "OH! HELLO! My name's Hanaoka Fujio, I'm ___'s boyfriend. They talk about you all the time and Murayama talked about you all the time too. I think you're so cool! Do you want to be friends?!" Cue Cobra fainting because wdym his younger sibling has a boyfriend?! AREN'T YOU LIKE 3 YEARS OLD?!

Probably gonna expand on boyfriend Fujio and Boyfriend Fujio + Cobra's younger sibling reader when I'm not drowning in final assignments.

Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated!

Please don't repost or take my work. Writers work hard on their posts no matter how big or small don't be a shitty human and steal their work thanks.

[thelunarfairy]

Hi, i love your theories on jshk. Here's one I was wondering that when that red house 'thing' asked for tsukasa's sacrifice in order to heal amane , Maybe the sacrifice was more than for him to just disappear physically. I think maybe the sacrifice was tsukasa's mind , his kind heart, selflessness, caring nature . When that thing became a part of tsukasa like a parasite it consumed or fed on all of it. Maybe that's one of the reasons why we see the present tsukasa being emotionally detached or being heartless at times. Any thoughts?

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 Thank's

Wow, that's a pretty interesting and tragic take on the situation. I'll confess that I've always wondered what that thing consumes, it keeps its victims alive for long, long periods.

I don't know how to tell you exactly how alive, but there is no rest, they get stuck somewhere. Tsukasa came back, so the body is still there, and as Nene said, it was warm and had a pulse.

So, if it doesn't consume the body, it consumes the mind, as we saw happen to the other Kannagis.

Despite this, I can still see Tsukasa's sentimental side. He's sad, he misses, he still loves, maybe not to the same extent as before, but it's still there.

Seeing him melancholy when he calls Amane selfish, seeing him sad when telling Nene that Amane won't come to save him, even if he calls, seeing his happiness when he meets his older brother again, these are his feelings reflecting through the actions.

The expression he made when agreeing that he knows Amane hates him, is the same look he showed as a child. Tsukasa is still there, he is.

He always has been.

He sings to calm down, to remember some good moment in the past, a song that brings him good and comforting memories.

A person without any feelings is totally cruel and vile, there are no feelings about absolutely anything. He could have just hit Nene on the head and make her pass out so she would stay quiet, but he didn't.

He could just get revenge on Amane, but, he loves him, so he never will.

Tsukasa shares his body with that creature, the cruel side is linked to him, his eyes turn black when he is about to do something bad. Those aren't Tsukasa's eyes, they're that thing's eyes.

Tsukasa's eyes shine, they are golden like gold, we could compare them with the little hope that there is still for his salvation.

Amane didn't give up on him, because for many years he believed that Tsukasa still existed there, he still had his brother in that body. And he's right.

Tsukasa is a little boy who had to deal with everything alone, who had to learn to deal with his own feelings, his own sadness. That he had to give up everything for someone he loves very much. And he came back, even though he knew that the person he loved most would one day kill him.

He came back because he wanted to know why.

And he suffered in the process. After his death, the suffering dragged on for years as he tirelessly called for him, alone, again.

So, he decided it was time to put an end to it all. And he was waiting for this moment so much, that we can see the relief on his face. Finally it would all be over.

That thing took away his innocence, and even though it consumed and influenced him

There are still feelings, there is still a love that no one can rip from Tsukasa's chest.

Not even Amane himself could.

Love is the only thing that keeps Tsukasa moving forward, he is there to fulfill Amane's wish.

Someone without feelings is never there for anyone but themselves.

Tsukasa suffers from the beginning for loving too much.

[2n2n]

Bro. Honestly. JSHK is amazing but it’s not perfect, so is there something you don’t like? Then what is it? Anyway I’m a huge fan of the manga and your work and your husband’s, you’re both amazing!!

please do not call me bro… </3 I do not like to be called bro </3… you can call me 'miss' if you don't want to use a name.

Something I don't like ……………………………………………………………………… I mean, I don't like Kou… as he is presented thus far, he's an effective pastiche of 'shounen protagonists' replete with 'shouts all the time' and 'reactively violent' and 'pointlessly idealistic morals that can't adapt to complex situations'. 'Says very simple and basic things' 'has the most rote response to any situation and does NOT pause for thought'. I've read so many shounen that he makes me rub my temples, I'm like getting flashbacks.

When I reread Picture Perfect I struggle with the Kou + Mitsuba intermissions, and it feels tonally SUCH a far cry from the beauty and grace of the HanaNene, and Shijima-san. The fact they both just scream back and forth and are prone to lashing out, its just tedious. I wish Nene was in the Red House alone, Kou really sucks the beauty out of scenes with his, boorishness.

While I feel Hanako fight scenes have Hanako's vampiric sexy badboy allure to keep me engaged, things like the Kou and Hakubo fight really feel exhausting to flip through, just a stupid fuckin sword boy with a meaningless catchphrase promise to make everyone happy <- transports me back into generic shounen slog territory. I FLYING LEAP into the Sumire/Hakubo chapters lacing all of this, NEED THEM LIKE AIR, they are thankfully beautiful enough to more than make up for Kou. I feel like we're like ticking a box with Kou scenes. Like doing the required amount to be billed a shounen despite all the canoodling.

HOWEVER, I'm entirely sure that's the POINT of Kou, and I do trust AidaIro will unpack his issues in a way another shounen could not and would not. So far I'm perfectly excited about where he's going, how he's being challenged… I think in the end, I'll be satisfied, but I probably also would gladly just press a button to erase him from the manga.

Oh he also looks like such a hobgoblin comparatively. Crusty. Hanako is all sleek like a sports car decked in black with gold accents and red trim. Nene is like a delicate domesticated pink-eyed animal, soft and pretty. Tsukasa is a luxurious sacred object, silked and pleated out, billowing. Kou is wearing GIGANTIC splatoon sneakers all weighing down the ends of his feet like big mallets, ugely generic CARGO SHORTS, with his nasty calves bulging under knobby knees, a t-shirt with a lion on it (basic), he is all ripped and muscular and sinewy, he's not pleasantly petite and shrimpy with big golden eyes like the illustrious esteemed Hanako (also, Hanako has very flambouyant gestures lol). Kou's pupils are both weirdly oval-shaped and also blue and somehow they remind me of Sonic the Hedgehog, combined with his ever-present skowl. He really looks like Gollum to me. Just gnarly and nasty and without even an iota of feminine grace. He is so masculine and nothing else. All STOMP STOMP GRRR YELL RAAAHH HITS PEOPLE RRRHHHGGH GRRRR I completely check out. Oh you know what else sucks? Kou won't like wear a skirt in a fun side-image playfully... Hanako can get all slutty and dress in girl's clothes like TEEHEE AM I CUTE HEEHEE lift his skirt up etc, while Kou will be embar and hate it. Sucks so bad. Tsukasa can do a flawless impression of Sakura's feminine grace and beauty, he can twirl his lil hakama alllll about. Swagless Kou giving us noooooo gender play, no whimsy, boooooooo boo booo booo booboobooboo WHAT are you doing here? Loser

For the AidaIro oeuvre he's like such a random, thing, I basically don't see other Kou or Kou-alikes in their back-catalogue? There is Not A Resident Kou in MDLD, Fox-Masked Guardian Spirit, Snow White, etc, so I'm like, whaaaat is this guuuuuuy ... I can't really predict what's gonna happen with him, other than probably being mindbroken ? I do not know him. Don't know why he's here.

And: Thank you x3 for da complerment.....

[windypuddle]

Ensemble Stars!! > Bungou Stray Dogs, Part 2

Friends and foes:

The Port Mafia.

(A continuation of my Enstars as BSD AU, see other parts below)

[Part 1] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

This one is a bit of a doozy lore-wise.

I already talked about Rinne in the Agency post, but here goes. The Amagis were victims of the Great War like everyone else, hence the usual oh here’s some orphans that have been abandoned by society. well! guess they have no choice but to join the mafia! oops! and that’s pretty much what happened. except Rinne is a smart guy and good at scheming and planning and Ibara was like oh shit this guy is useful (+ no longer human). so he ended up becoming an executive.

Hiiro just kind of was a package deal with Rinne, but he’s not as good at planning and all that, so they snapped up this kid with an ability (Rashomon) and taught him how to fight, except no one really needed to teach him. since Rinne’s ability is noncombative Hiiro believed it was his duty to protect his older brother and you probably know from bsd how survival behaviors can get unhealthy in the mafia

after Rinne leaves Hiiro is devastated and starts his journey to try to bring him back. once Tsukasa leaves too he kind of gets worse about it. he meets Aira during the Guild conflict and Aira is like. maybe not a good influence all the time but definitely a Normal Influence.

Tsukasa’s family is like. Not exactly in the mafia but they run one of the front corporations for the mafia. Tsukasa is having a rebellious phase/formative experience when he joins the actual mafia. this complicates internal politics, but not nearly as much as it does when he leaves. (his ability is Demon Snow; most of the abilities are pretty much the same unless otherwise noted.)

Jin was one of the underground doctors and then ditched to go to Real Medical School after leaking information to the government and getting a pardon.

ok deserters category (+ Hiiro) aside lets get into the real mafia

Nagisa is the boss because he inherited it from his adoptive father. Ibara is the one who knows practically every detail about how the mafia works and basically runs it. He does carry out Nagisa’s orders when Nagisa feels like making any.

i do what i want with my aus and that includes ELIMINATING ALL THE WEIRD STUFF. i hope youre happy readers. yes Hiyori is Elise in that he’s the manifestation of Nagisa’s ability. hes also a wholeass adult that grew up alongside Nagisa and they are best friends and also in love. Hiyori has agency in this weird ability-typical roundabout where Nagisa wanted him to be his own separate person So He Is. but also he’s badass and occasionally superhuman

Jun is just here. idk. if Karma had more of a backstory i might be able to elaborate more. he works mostly closely with Ibara but also acts as a bodyguard for Hiyori and Nagisa.

listen. i know akatsuki mafia is an interesting choice. but listen. Keito is opportunistic and willing to set aside his morals for greater ends and would fit in well. anyway he’s cool his ability is golden demon but possibly with occasional design choices that reference Vampire Shogun.

Kuro.  yeah.. Kuro. he’s got for the tainted sorrow but without the human experimentation part. (can you tell i havent read stormbringer part 1) his sister has no clue he’s in the mafia and no one in the mafia knows he has a sister. Keito’s right-hand man.

Souma is so loyal to Keito for saving him from the Shinkai cult after the war and there is nothing questionable here at all! the mafia totally isn’t exploiting his intense devotion i don’t know what you’re talking about ^-^

(they definitely are. someone take this boy to therapy)

ryuseitai in the mafia is another interesting choice, I know. i think of them in this au kind of like the Sheep. yes Kanata is technically ex-mafia but it’s okay that was just his emo phase

Chiaki. oh, Chiaki, you poor, sweet, misguided boy with nowhere else to go, so you cling to the only place that gives you a sense of belonging. you had such ideals. (his ability is basically comet punch. idk what to tell you. he punches and its like a comet.) disregard any canon information about verlaine (can you tell i havent read stormbringer part 2)

Midori just wants to sleep but he’s got one of the more powerful abilities in the mafia (falling camellias) and his coworkers are stupid

Tetora doesn’t have an ability but he makes up for it with brute strength and various weaponry. everyone is terrified of him. Kaoru swears he saw Tetora in a dress once and mistook him for a girl and no one will believe him. (this would be easily solved because if anyone would bother to ask Tetora, he’d confirm the rumor and come out as genderfluid in the process, but everyone’s too intimidated to ask Tetora.)

Kaoru is just some guy (this is totally a front, just like being heterosexual is a front. more on that in part 5)

Shinobu has exploding ninja weapons. idk what else to tell you. they’ve got exploding ninja weapons, man.

Tori is cute (it’s a trap) (come on. who else would be Q)

HiMERU was not directly involved in the mafia, but while he was away on a “business trip”, Kaname got mixed up in some shit and ended up in the mafia (briefly) and died (for profit). If you look very, very deep in the records, well... you actually won’t find anything. But if you asked Rinne, he might remember a self-proclaimed “revolutionary” with a righteous complex that tried to single-handedly destroy the Mafia...

{Rinne was friends [as much as one can be friends in the mafia] with Jun (and Shinobu, callback to asobi club) and was kind of friends by proxy with Kaname for the short time that he was there. The seemingly meaningless death and sacrifice caused Rinne to leave the Mafia. And oh, was it interesting to show up at the Agency later on and see a vaguely familiar face...}

[uglierdaikon]

Historical/Green Eyed Epiphany w/ Amanene?

Me, looking aside at my shelf of Georgian/Victorian era novels: my time... has come Okay, so Amane and Nene have both grown up in the same well-to-do town in the countryside and have known each other all their lives. They have a friendship that's 3 parts teasing/banter and 1 part actually being nice to each other. As children, people regularly teased that they'd be engaged as soon as they were old enough, but Amane was a little turd and vehemently denied this (how could he get married if he was going to grow up to become a pirate and be the scourge of the seas?) Sometime around puberty, Amane found out that the golden age of piracy had long since ended and had to settle for goals closer to home, but at this point he and Nene have long been firmly settled in the category of "friends." Nene is a hopeless romantic and has always dreamed of being swept off her feet, but when she debuts in society, it's kind of a flop. Aoi is the belle of every ball, and Nene is her nice friend that men can chat with while they're waiting for a turn to dance with Aoi. She usually ends up dancing with Amane or Tsukasa, but she knows better than to think there's anything romantic about it. Then (and if you know me you know where this is going), Minamoto Teru's younger brother starts coming to events. The Minamotos are the wealthiest family in town, and while they knew Kou as a little boy, he'd always been too little to play with, and then he was sent off to some fancy school in the city. But now he's back, and he's of age, and he's filling Nene's dance card at every event regardless of the scandal it'll surely cause. They laugh while they dance, and if they're not dancing they're talking to only each other, and if they're not at a ball they can still be found going for walks along the countryside. The town is in a tizzy about it. Amane knowd he ought to be happy for her, but he's mad. At balls he is by the wall sulking. When he comes to call, as he always had, she isn't home. Sometimes, her mother tries to gently encourage him to pay a visit to a nice girl who lives just up the road. "Try your luck there," she says with a warm smile, because she's fond of Amane. She's met with coldness she's never seen from him. And then one day he comes and it's Nene who answers. She tells him Kou is visiting for tea and asks if he'd like to join. Amane makes some scathing remark about not wanting to intrude where he isn't really wanted, about not being good enough for her company anymore. There's tears in Nene's eyes when she slams the door in his face, and Amane can't stop thinking about them for the rest of his walk home. And that's when he finally gets it. The gossips were right about one thing. He does love her, and he's realized it too late.

[sunlightinourheadlights]

HANANENE HUB SECRET SANTA FICS MASTERLIST

Happy holidays everyone! This year we did an art/fanfiction secret santa swap on the Hananene Hub, and here is the masterlist of the christmas/winter themed fanfics! They are in alphabetical order according to fic title. Thank you to the amazing writers on this list and for everyone who contributed in the event. 

[WARNING: it may be the holidays, but do check the ratings and read the tags for each fic carefully. Not all the fics are fluff. This is still JSHK after all.]

Hope you all enjoy!

Give Me Your Stars to Hold by sincerelyand (me!) for Rapid (@rapidfur) -  If Nene knew one thing, it was how difficult it was being childhood friends with the Yugi Twins.

Honey, Don't Feed Me, I Will Come Back by thebonezone  (@fangirlingforeverz) for sincerelyand (me) - Nene wants to marry a prince more than anything.And what price will she pay for that wish? (Bluebeard AU, Aged Up Characters) 

Imperfect by thatsrightdollface (@thatsrightdollface) for hopesartcastle ( @thehopeelias)- When she was young, Aoi Akane had liked the funny-shaped, imperfect sugar cookies best of all.

if anything happens i love you by zileywrites (@muffindounat​​)  for teafloof (@teafloof) - Amane was a young precious boy with stardust running through his veins and galaxies swirling in his soul, who had been trying in vain to protect himself from the harsh realities of life. [or, three times Yugi Aname felt utterly alone in december after the passing of Tsukasa, and one time he didn’t.]

Lemon and Peach (and you and me under the mistletoe) by Baronesscmd (SweeterThanYourDarkestSin) (@baronesscmd) for HanaNoHanabira -  Tsukasa has a plan. It may involve threatening his brother's little assistant and making Natsuhiko's life a living nightmare, but if Sakura is happy in the end it will all be worth it.

No Place Like (Someone Else's) Home for the Holidays by Hammsters (@uglierdaikon) for Sharkbytez - Yashiro Nene is down on her luck; dumped and alone in a new city where she knows no one, she's preparing to spend her holidays alone for the first time. That is, until the flirtatious bartender at the restaurant where she works makes her an offer she might regret accepting- an invitation to spend Christmas with his family instead.

Once Upon A December (Things I Almost Remember) by banjjakz (@banjjakz) for piyo_nii (@piyo-nii) -  Aoi went missing last Christmas, and the chilling bite of the new year rendered her case cold to the touch. This year, on December first, Nene opens an anonymous Christmas card to find a lock of deep purple hair. Terrified, jaded, and freshly incensed, she teams up with the boy next door to track down her best friend before it's too late.

partly cloudy, chance of snow by sourlemoncandy (@sour-lemon-candy) for Naomi -  Amane is right in at least one respect- his apartment is close to her job, vacant, and perhaps most importantly, he makes the best chocolate chip cookies she's ever tasted. 

Pining Amongst the Pines by corologs  (@corologs​) for Cheyenne / Anu (@anubis-005) -  Just as Prince Hanako had found his favorite little gardener, news of an accident brings about an opportunity for Nene Yashiro to prove her usefulness.

snowfall and frostbite by lilaflo (@istoleyourboat) for sourlemoncandy ( @sour-lemon-candy) - After blossoming into a stunning, young college student, Yashiro Nene decides to push all her past regrets and mistakes behind her.That is... until her graduating class decides to throw a high school reunion on Christmas Eve. After finding out that her ex will be there, Nene seeks out a fake boyfriend to spare herself the humiliation.And who better than her best friend, Yugi Amane.

Time, Space, and the Worlds in Between by milkteamoon (@spades-queen) for Indigo_Floof (@indigosienna) -  Amane Yugi is an astronaut stationed on a planet far away when he catches a glimpse of something he's not meant to see.

the golden age of something good by piyo_nii (@piyo-nii) for Hammsters (@uglierdaikon) - Under the silver-streaked heavens, you pray to whoever is listening. You vow to become someone she can come to rely on. Someone who can protect her, someone she can learn to love.(That night, you dream of Yashiro’s shy smile and the clicking sound of a turning lock, and that can only be an omen.)

The Greatest Gifts Come in the Most Unorthodox Places by insipidenvy (@insipidenvy) for paopu_moo (@macey-wacey) - Hanako and Tsukasa spend Christmas catching up on lost time and opportunities. The past and present couldn't be any more different.

Threads of Nettle, Threads of Gold by Indigo_Floof (@indigosienna) for thebonezone (@fangirlingforeverz) -  Nene's siblings have been cursed to turn into swans, and as for the solution...she literally can't say anything about it.

When you get together with your friend to bake, it's usually a good idea to get the recipes beforehand by Chykori  for Miko (Mito Mitochondria) -  Amane and Nene cooking together at Amane’s house! With no adult or Kou supervision. Lots of fluff, no angst allowed here in this household. At one point they do pull up Kou on the videochat because he is on a vacation trip with his family and couldn’t make it to their baking day.

Please make sure to leave the incredible authors kudos and comments! Everyone worked very hard! ❤️

[under-the-cherrytree]

I pulled this from a daganronpa imagine I read and my brain just expanded on it so i’m now just gonna write this while it’s still fresh in my brain<3.

(I’ll put the bottom half in regular text so it’s easier to read)

Idea// So basically the this takes place when Amane was still alive. The reader is a demon who was banished from hell and forced to live in the human realm as a punishment. So while wandering around the Earth , the reader comes across the school that Amane goes to and decides to take a look around. (It’s late at night and i’m really tired so i’m gonna finish this up quickly-) Long story short , she falls in love with him and ends up severely hurting herself , then positioning her ‘injured’ body somewhere he’ll come across it so she could just enjoy her moments in his arms as he carries her to the hospital. (It’s long but like my imagination was getting bigger and bigger as I was writing this- you could write this however you want to, it hurts to think so it might’ve gotten a bit confusing at the end)

The One Thing That Was Out Of Reach❣︎

Amane Yugi x supernatural! reader

Warning: Death, a bit of gore, sadness

IMPORTANT A/N!!! Instead of a demon I made them a supernatural like Yako and Tsuchigomori!! Okay thank you!

Ima cry writing this- *plays Introduction to the Snow*

Anyways, enjoy and have a good day or night!

I sighed watching the ravenette run around the campus for P.E. I sat on the bleachers as he slowly approached me. He sat next to me as he slowly drank his water. I examined the boy as he drank. I smiled watching him, opening my mouth to say something but was cut off.

“Yugi!! Get up, you have two more laps to run!!” The P.E. teacher yelled.

“Yes sir!!” He quickly stood up and continued running. I groaned and placed my head into the palm of my hands a little frustrated he had to leave so soon. It's not like it mattered anyways. He couldn’t see me. I’ve been in this school since it was built and I never loved anyone the way I loved Amane. He was a dork, he really is, but that’s just what I like about him. He’s a real guy and knows what it’s like to be down in a bad place. But I can’t be with him, I’m a supernatural and he’s a human. It’s not right.

“That's it! Class dismissed!” The teacher shouted. Amane ran over to me again, picking up his water battle. He started to walk back to the building and I followed him. He walked into his class and sat down in his seat next to the window, looking up at what was left of the moon. I heard a small groan and looked over to see Tsuchigomori looking at me slightly annoyed. I giggled at this and waved to him which he rolled his eyes too. Tsuchigomori knew I liked Amane. Well of course he did since I stayed with him through all of his classes.

Lucky for me, whoever sat behind Amane was not here today so I sat down. I smiled as I rested my head on the desk looking at Amanes back. Tsuchigomori started his lesson and I watched Amane’s hair jump every time he looked up at the white board and back down at his desk.

What I would give to be human so I can be with him.

Once class was over, Tsuchigomori told Amane to stay behind and I stayed also.

“You need to tell me who’s hurting you Yugi…” He took a medical bag out from under the desk and started looking through the things. Amane averted his gaze from the teacher, clearly not wanting to talk. I wanted to help Amane, he never talks about who's hurting him but he always comes into class with more bruises than he had the day before. My brows furrowed as I looked at his beat up arm. I wanted to give him a hug but was unable too. The dark haired teacher sat across from the boy and took his arm.

“Not going to talk huh?” Tsuchigomori asked, “Normal for you.”

Amane said nothing in response. This isn’t the first time the teacher had to treat his students for his wounds. It's actually how I learned of Amane Yugi’s existence. Tsuchigomori gave up on trying to talk to the boy and just worked on his hurt arm. I looked sadly at him. Once he was done Amane started to pack his things.

“See you later Tsuchigomori…” He walked out of the room. I was about to follow him but was held back when someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked over at Tsuchigomori who gave me a concerned look.

“Why don’t you just stay in your human form?” He asked and I looked down. “If you want, I can help you become a student here. You can be in Amanes class.”

“It’s fine Tsuchigomori, thank you though.” I smiled slightly. “It wouldn’t be right… I can’t trick him like that”

Tsuchigomori sighed and sat at his desk.

“But you love him don’t you?” He asked.

“I do.” I approached the window and watched the choppy haired boy walk off the campus “I love him more than anything.”

The teacher grumbled as he continued to do paper work. We had this conversation before. It would be wrong to date him as a supernatural. I don’t age so it’s not like we actually have a future together. It would just be better to keep things that way they are.

“It’s your choice…” He gave me a serious look “just don’t regret it.”

“I won’t…” At least I hope I won't.

＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊

I sat on the stairs running my fingers through the foxes fur while she layed on my lap. I sighed and she looked up at me.

“You’re in love with that human boy right?” She asked and I looked at her shocked.

“How did you know..?!” I blushed. She moved herself in my lap to get a better look at me.

“I can tell when someone likes someone they can’t be with.” She said and I calmed down a little. Of course she knows what I’m going through, she liked a human once as well.

“Would it be wrong to be with him..?” I sighed and looked at her. Yako looked at me with a concerned look. She knew what I wanted to hear but it wasn’t the right answer.

“Supernaturals and humans shouldn’t hang out with each other Y/n…” She said. “Trust me, I want that to be true as much as you do.” I felt a tear form on the edge of my eyes which I wiped away instantly.

“Did you hear that there was going to be a meteor shower tomorrow night?” Yako quickly changed the subject.

“Oh yeah I forgot about that!” I smiled “Students will be allowed to stay on campus late to watch on the roof! Amane really likes the stars so I bet he's going to stay for a long time…”

“Yeah I bet he is…”

＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊┈┈┈┈＊

I ran out of the classroom and to the gate entrance. I looked up to the rooftop to see a couple telescopes being set up. One of them being set up by a choppy haired boy.

“I knew he would be here!” I smiled. When Amane looked at the stars he always looked so happy. It makes me so happy to see him enjoying something he loves so much. I was about to run to the rooftop when I heard someone.

“Hey. Supernatural.” A voice called out. I turned to a boy with dirty blond hair and gray eyes looking straight into my e/c ones.

“Wait… you can see me…?” I questioned, pointed to myself.

“Yes, I’m an exorcist.” He strictly said.

“An… exorcist..?” I asked.

“Yes, and I’m here to exorcise you.” My eyes widened. I felt my body freeze in place. I can’t be exorcised right now. Not while Amane will be so close, so happy tonight. I stepped back as he stepped closer. He pulled out a sharp katana, lightning emerging from the weapon. I wasn’t a hard opponent. Even if he is not an advanced exorcist, I’m not one of the seven mysteries, I didn’t have much to defend myself.

‘Maybe if I go to the rooftop in my human form… he won’t hurt me if I’m around people who can see me..!” I thought. I looked over to the door which was a little bit away from me. I looked back at the guy as he stepped closer.

I have to do this. I made a dash for the door which the boy clearly expected when he threw a lightning strike in front of me. I quickly stopped as a lightning cage was formed around me, preventing me from even getting to the door. I felt someone kick my back which caused me to fall to the ground. The boy used his foot to turn me over and grinned once he saw the tears in my eyes.

“What's this..?” He rubbed his shoe deeper into my shoulder causing me to groan in pain. “It’s not like anyone besides me will hear your cries and screams so there is no point… it’s not like you are special to anyone.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks as my hand gripped his ankle trying to push him off.

“Just let go of this life and give up.” With that a sharp pain went through my abdomen. He pulled the katana out of my stomach, blood dripping down from the tip onto the ground. He took his shoe off my shoulder.

“Pathetic creature.” He walked off the campus and left me. Tears ran down my face as he left me to suffer. I looked at my wound. Red was flowing to the ground from the hole.

“Hey, I left my spare telescope at home, I’ll be right back, Tsukasa.”

My eyes widened as the ravenette opened the door of the school and walked out. My breathing was heavier seeing him. This was probably my last chance to see him. I couldn’t have him leave. I needed him with me just a minute longer.

I propped myself up on a nearby tree and let myself slip into my human form which wasn’t different from my supernatural form. I coughed and felt a warm liquid trail down my chin.

“A...mane…” I whispered before coughing again. The boy turned to me, too dark to see he squinted his eyes.

“Hello..?” He called out “Is someone there..?” He walked closer, flinching when he saw a small trail of blood making it’s way over to the tree. Once his eyes landed on my figure he froze.

“H-HEY!! WHAT HAPPENED?!?!” He ran up to me, placing a hand on my abdomen. I looked into his golden eyes and couldn’t help but feel happy.

“...Amane-” I started to cough again, more blood coming out of my mouth this time.

“We need to get to a hospital!!” He picked me up in his arms, deciding it was best to ignore the blood that would stain his clothes.

“Please stay with me!!” He ran off the campus. I looked up at him. For a brief second he looked into my eyes then back to where he was running. His eyes held so many emotions, sadness, fear, hope.

“UHM! W-what's your name?!?!” He asked.

“It’s Y/n…”

“Well it's going to be okay y/n!”

I looked up at the sky to see the meteor shower starting.

“A-amane… the meteor shower… you are going to miss it…” I faintly said but he heard me.

“That's not important right now! We need to get you taken care of!!”

“More important than the stars..?”

“Yes! You are more important than the stars!!”

My cheeks warmed up when he said that. I smiled, eyes filling with tears of joy.

“We are almost there!” He panicked.

“I love you Amane Yugi.”

“You what..?! H-hey! Don’t leave me!!” Tears formed in his eyes as the hand that was holding my stomach went limp and fell to my side. He stopped and placed me down, tears falling from his eyes.

“Hey…! Wake up..!! Please!” He lightly shaked my body. He wrapped his arms around me and put his head into my neck, hugging my lifeless form.

“I’m sorry y/n…”

There is something I learned that night.

I learned I didn’t die with a single regret.

Because I died in the arms of the one I loved.

The one thing that was out of reach...

[wizardessheart-sideb]

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said nonchalantly, as if we were in town and not in a forest on a hard to reach peninsula. For a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating. But no, Zett was really here, right in front of me.

“What are you doing here?!” I demanded. “You’re not a student, are you?”

“No, I’m here doing some freelance security,” he replied. He looked weirdly proud of himself, smirking and folding his arms against his puffed-up chest.

“‘Freelance security?’” I wanted to sigh. What was he doing now? This was seriously the weirdest dude I’d ever met.

“Yeah. I’m just making sure the Academy’s secure so no weirdos get in,” he told me.

“Well, you already failed. You’re here.” I couldn’t stop myself from letting the words slip out of my mouth. But instead of getting mad, he just grinned at me.

“Oh, I’m allowed here,” he said. I really doubt it, I wanted to say, but pissing off a guy in the middle of the forest seemed like a really bad idea. “All right, I make sure my secret entrance is secure, but really, I watch out for creeps,” he added with a shrug.

“Is that a problem?” I asked. All right. I could bite for a moment.

“Well, yeah. You got a private school full of privileged rich kids and a lot of them either come from real old money or their parents are celebrities. And also, you know the kind of parents that send their kids to private school,” he said with accusatory eyes and a bitter note in his voice. I wouldn’t lie, that stung a bit.

“No, I wouldn’t, actually. I was home-schooled until now, and I’m an orphan” I told him. I wanted to add, “Are you happy now?” but the smirk slid off his face in an instant and there was something… strange in his eyes. Was that worry?

“Shit, are you also a part of that whack job cult – I mean, are you a part of Kristina’s church?” Zett quickly caught himself. I raised an eyebrow.

“Kristina? The waitress?” I searched my mind for the night we met. She had a brother here, doesn’t she? I don’t think I’ve met him. “Uh, no, I don’t know Kristina or her brother at all.” Zett’s body relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Geez, you scared me. I was worried you were a part of their cult or something. Zacharias – her twin – was home-schooled too until a year ago. It’s kind of their thing.” He straightened up, that cocky grin returned to his face. “Well, I’m glad you’re not getting religious trauma.”

“… Thank you?” What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Like, I guess I’m glad, too? “But really. Why and how are you here? Don’t you need an Academy emblem to get in?” I asked. When in doubt, change the subject.

“I got a fake. It works just fine and I’m free to come and go as I please.”

“To do your ‘freelance security?’”

“That and bring people things they need.”

...

“Wait… you’re an errand boy?!”

“Sometimes. For my good friends. And you, if you want to hire me,” he added with a wink.

“So you just avoided my question for like, five minutes to avoid telling me you’re just an errand boy?” What was up with this guy? I didn’t know whether to laugh or be irritated.

“You know I like my secrets,” he said. “But seriously, what are youdoing out here looking for a lantern?”

“I’m being hazed,” I replied. That wiped the grin off his face. “What’s with the seriousness?” I asked as he started walking deeper into the forest. Not knowing what to do, I followed him. As we walked, he rummaged through his bag and brought out

“I know what you’re looking for. I helped design it,” he told me. “When you find it, don’t touch it. If you do, it’ll start projecting ghosts and shit.”

“I, uh… Thank you? But why are you helping me?” I inquired.

“Why not?” he replied. There was a moment of silence and he turned back to me, shrugging. “You look like you’re in a bad mood. I doubt you wanna deal with the lantern.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong.” I kept my eyes peeled for the lantern or any kind of animal I can ask. Zett and I were silent as we walked through the forest. I tried to stay on my guard too, just in case. I really should invest in pepper spray or a knife.

We turned a corner on the trail and I spotted an owl on a branch, looking regal as it surveyed its surroundings. Yay! Now I canget to work.

“Excuse me, Mr. Owl,” I called out, approaching the bird. It looked down at me. “Hi, I’m looking for a lantern. It looks like a golden sphere. Have you seen anything like that around here?”

“I don’t know what it looked like, but I did see something glowing over yonder.” The owl stretched his wing off the trail, towards a large oak tree.

“Great! Thank you so much!” Carefully, I stepped over some bushes and went off the path.

“Uh, what was that?” Zett hurried after me, gracefully stepping over the bushes and getting to me in no time. Huh. I wouldn’t have thought he could move so elegantly, but here we were.

“I can speak to animals. I figured they’d know where the lantern is. Or at least, they’d have a clue,” I told him.

“Impressive.” Again, a silence fell between us as we made our way towards the big tree.

“So, who are you doing errands for? Or is that confidential?” I added teasingly. He laughed.

“Maybe.” He flashed me a grin. “Nah, I can tell you. My best friend Isabelle asked me to get her a makeup collection that released earlier today, so I’m going to go give it to her.”

“Isabelle? Super short, purple hair?” I asked.

“You know her?”

“Yeah, I met her earlier,” I said. It was probably for the best I didn’t mention we lived in the same suite. “Do you know everyone in the Night Class?”

“Mm, probably not. But I know a lot of them.” We reached the large oak tree. From behind it, there was a faint, golden glow. I hurried towards it. “Hey, remember not to touch it!” Zett called after me. I peeked around the tree and sure enough, there it was, casting star-shaped rays of light onto the ground. Honestly, it was a very pretty lantern. Maybe Zett could make me a real lantern that looked like this. And speak of the devil, he walked right on by me, getting of his knees and fishing what looked like a screwdriver out of his back pocket. He carefully stuck it into the lantern and after fiddling with it for a few seconds, the lantern flickered and smoke poured out of the holes. The acrid stench made me cough, but soon the thick black smoke turned to gray wisps. Zett picked it up and handed it to me.

“There you go. It should be safe now,” he said. I couldn’t see anything written on his face that would tell me if he was lying or not. He seemed to be telling the truth. Not to mention this looked broken now. Tentatively, I grabbed it and held onto it tight. It was still pretty warm and nothing happened.

“Thanks again for helping me,” I told him.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t know what’s up with you, but I hope you feel better. Really.” He paused. “When you give that back to whoever, tell them it was smoking when you found it and you had to douse it with water, all right? Don’t tell them I was here.”

“Okay…” And again, with the shady stuff. “Uh, I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah. You ever need me, tell Isabelle and she’ll call me. I’ll see you later, baby.” It was good he left because otherwise I would have hit him. Geez. How was I going to handle him? If he ran errands for the other students, I was bound to run into him again. I didn’t mind him he was nice, but man, he was really capable of leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

I hurried back to the trail and back to Zeus. As soon as he realized the lantern was off, that gleeful smile on his face disappeared.

“What the hell?! Why isn’t the lantern lit?!” he demanded, storming over to me. He wrenched the lantern out of my hands.

“I found it because it was smoking. I couldn’t really figure out the mechanics, but I think something’s busted in it,” I lied.

“Damn it! I’m going to have to have my friend look at it,” he groaned. I wondered if he meant Zett. “Well… Good job, I guess.” There was a distinct bitter note in his voice.

“Cool, I’m going back to the dorms now.” I didn’t wait for an answer, heading back to the mausoleum and back to my room. As I neared our suite, I could smell something spicy and fragrant in the air. My nose twitched. I slipped into our suite and peeked into the kitchen. Dorian was stirring something in a large pot, Aika beside him slathering melted butter onto some rolls.

“That smells really good,” I commented. Aika flinched a little and the two turned back to face me. Dorian gave me a stern look and immediately my stomach dropped.

“Can you go tell Isabelle to get her ass in here? I told her dinner was ready ten minutes ago,” he demanded. I just nodded and hurried out of the room. Isabelle’s door was propped open just a smidgen and I poked my head in. Isabelle was on the floor, a huge cardboard box with an intricate pattern printed on it sitting in front of her. It was full of assorted makeup items. I knocked and she looked up.

“Come on in! You’re just in time! I just got this delivered!” she told me. I opened the door and ventured in a step.

“Dinner’s ready and Dorian doesn’t seem happy with you,” I told her quietly. She just laughed and stood up, leaving the box in place.

“Oh, Dorian’s always big mad,” she said. Together, we walked back to the kitchen. “So, how did the first day go?” Isabelle asked as she plucked a roll off a plate.

“It was fine. Hard, but fine,” I told her.

“How did Zeus’ dumbass hazing go?” Aika asked.

“How do you know about that?”

“Tsukasa came in here in a panic and told us about it,” Dorian replied. “He wanted us to do something about it.” And you didn’t? I made a mental note not to trust them in an emergency.

“Poor thing was hysterical. His heart’s too big for him,” Isabelle commented, taking a seat. I quickly got my own food and sat down across from her. “He’s too nice for the Night Class, if you ask me.”

“I don’t know, he’s pretty stubborn,”Aika commented.

“He and Fandamilia seem really nice,” I added. Isabelle’s lips pursed into a fine line. Dorian snorted.

“I wouldn’t mention her if I were you. Isabelle hates her,” he told me.

“What? Why?” Once again, words I shouldn’t have said slipped out. I really need to work on my filter.

“Because she likes Zeus and keeps trying to justify his shitty behavior,” Isabelle said tensely. “I just don’t think you should try and make excuses or ignore people’s shitty behavior.”

“I mean… Yeah…” Aika said, looking a little uncomfortable. “No one’s perfect and you can’t bleach red flags. Not acknowledging bad behavior isn’t great. … But she’s in love, you know? She just wants him to love her back.”

“Explains it, but it’s not an excuse,” Isabelle added.

“I’m stopping this before it becomes a fight,” Dorian spoke up. “We’re moving on.” I wondered if Isabelle excused the bad things Zett did. Or maybe she didn’t know about him being a weird and lowkey creepy flirt. But then again, he didn’t have to derail his job to go help me with the lantern. Speaking of, Isabelle had that makeup package, so he must’ve already come through here. Did he see my name on the nameplate next to my door? Did Isabelle mention me to him? Was I going to run into him again? Something told me that even if I wasn’t suitemates with Isabelle, I’d be seeing more of him.

[sapphiewritesandstuff]

Can i ask for Tsukasa x former student Reader please? Reader is a alumni coming back as a teacher

Ahhhhh! I just couldn’t for the life of me get the effect I wanted from this! I was literally tearing my hair out because I couldn’t do it :( I think this is the best it’s gonna get for now, so. Here you go 人(_ _*)

I might rewrite this later just to make up for it ;-;

—-

You stopped in front of Kamome Gakuen, pausing to take in the sight you thought you'd never see again. Your initial career plan had nothing to do with becoming a teacher. Heck, you used to scoff at your teachers, thinking how stupid they must to willingly deal with a bunch of squabbling, squealing toddlers-like teenagers.

But somewhere along the lines, you understood. You understood the love teachers have for their students, no matter how annoying they are. That’s what drove you to become a teacher, after all.

Kamome Gakuen looks familiar, but different. Over the years, the school board had decided to keep up with the times and construct a new school building. However, they made the decision not to demolish the old school. It was still there, on display for anyone who wanted to reminisce about their time spent there. You had arrived rather early with the intent to do just that.

The familiar building looked old fashioned compared to the newer one, which had adapted to the current style of schools, complete with modern styled swinging doors opposed to the old, sliding kind, and fancy, tiled floors that is a complete waste of money, in your humble opinion.

Cursing under your breath as you tripped over absolutely nothing, you pushed the sliding door open. It was unlocked, much to your surprise. The inside isn’t as decrepit as you thought it would be, the floors are covered with a thin layer of dust but everything is still intact.

Memories of your years here appeared in front of your eyes as if by magic. Your younger self running through the halls, chased by a figure of a boy with black hair…

No, no. Don’t think about him. It’s better for everyone if he just remains forgotten.

Walking along the halls of your school gave life to a flurry of emotions, all fluttering like butterflies inside your chest.

You stopped in front of a certain classroom. 2-2.

Middle school, year two, classroom two. It was not a particularly good year, nor a bad year for you. Until the end, at least. But the point is, it was like any other year.

So what made it so memorable?

It’s all because of them. No, because of him. His presence in your life changed everything.

“Ne, ne, (Name)-chan! Come look at this!” He called out to you, waving around the bloody scalpel, ignoring the teacher’s scolding.

You stared at the golden-eyed boy, eyeing the scalpel in his hand, making your way over to his station. His twin brother gave you an apologetic look.

“Tsukasa-kun, what is it?” Gently grasping his wrist, you pushed it back to the table before taking the scalpel and setting it on the desk. “It’s dangerous to wave around sharp objects.”

Tsukasa pouted, before pointing to the disemboweled frog on the table, “I wanted to show you my art.”

“That’s fine, just remember not to do that again, okay?” He nodded happily, reaching out to glomp you, only to be stopped by Amane clutching on to the collar of his shirt.

“Tsukasa, you still have blood all over your hands,” he sighed, marching his brother to the sink. You giggled at their antics, avoiding the splatters of blood on the floor in the surrounding area.

Your steps echoed as you stepped into the small classroom once filled with students and vibrant with life, now empty and abandoned. Maybe if I had noticed more, cared more about his behaviors.

“Too late to regret now,” you murmured, tracing your fingers on the dusty corkboard where the news of his death reached you. And so soon after, the news of his brother’s death. Your two best friends, the two people you could not save. You had seen the darkness, the crazed look in Tsukasa’s eyes. The fear, the sadness, and desperation in Amane’s. My fault, all my fault.

“I love you, (Name)-chan. Don’t you love me?” You gave the golden-eyed boy a sideways glance, laughing. “What are you talking about?”

Your gaze flitted away from the corkboard as if that alone would forever erase the memory.

The classroom itself is just as dusty, if not more than the hallways outside. You walked over to the seat next to the window, a small smile gracing your features. So many memories, good and bad, were made here, in this tiny classroom. Classroom 2-2.

The brief moments of vibrant emotions, the possibility of something more. “I guess it’s my punishment, isn’t it,” you murmured, tears pricking at your eyes. To this day, you had not been in one relationship. It’s a curse, the price you had to pay for the Yugi twins’ death.

For years, you had let their deaths drag you down. Blaming yourself for Amane’s breakdown that resulted in Tsukasa’s death. Your inadequate condolence did nothing to help Amane’s mental health. But now, after years of struggling, you finally get it. You’re finally ready to let go of that bloody memory, of all the blame. Ready to let go of Tsukasa.

Sure, you’ll hold onto the precious memories forever, but the guilt, the longing, the love. It all had to go. That’s what you hoped your time at Kamome Gakuen could achieve.

Letting your body settle into your old desk, you glance out the window where the sun shined and the sky glowed a brilliant blue. But no light entered the classroom, as if all light had been sucked out by something ominous.

You could almost hear Tsukasa’s giggles again, feel his touch on your cheeks.

“Ne, ne, (Name)-chan. Did you miss me?”

A chill passed through you. You whipped around, looking for the source of the whisper. Nothing.

Was it your imagination?

Hands settled on your shoulders, and you found yourself staring into the golden eyes of your dead childhood friend.

So you did what any sensible adult would do in a situation like this. You screamed bloody murder. His hand covered your mouth and the same familiar voice murmured in your ear, “Are you not happy to see me, (Name)-chan?”

Your thoughts raced, instantly gravitating towards the impossible. Tsukasa turned into a ghost after getting murdered by Amane and now he’s back to haunt me forever because I was a horrible friend (you had always had a wild imagination).

“T-Tsu-kun?” You removed his hand from your mouth, gripping on to it tightly, frowning when it didn’t slip through. That’s not how ghosts work.

“Yep! It’s me alright, (Name)-chan,” Tsukasa proclaimed cheerfully, wrapping his arms around your form. Your widened eyes stared at nothing as you tried to process this information. He’s back. Tsukasa’s back after all the years I tried to forget him, forget all the memories I had with him.

Fingers pulled at your cheeks, forcing you out of your dazed state. Tsukasa took your face into his hands, peering at your face curiously. Your face bloomed into the shade a shade of crimson, abruptly standing up, pushing him away.

“But you’re dead,” your voice is surprisingly steady as you clutched his hand tighter. Different emotions rose and fell inside, tears pricked at your eyes while irritation gnawed at you.

This little… I try so hard to forget him and he just comes back like nothing happened?

A part of your brain reasoned you could be in shock. That’s where all these conflicting feelings are coming from.

Shoving all of it away, you focused on one. Irritation.

“Yugi Tsukasa,” you began, taking a deep breath. The familiar way Tsukasa tilted his head to the side made you inside twist and turn.

“Hm?”

“How could you just die all these years ago, leave me with mental baggage to deal with years after the ordeal, and then strut back into my life like no time passed?!” The dam for your tears broke in the middle of your proclamation, leaving you heaving for breaths by the end of it.

He didn’t seem taken aback or angry, maybe relieved, if you could even call it that. “So you did miss me.”

Tsukasa’s quiet words stole away the last of your anger. You gaped at him for a second, taking in his small grin and expression of genuine happiness.

“I was kinda afraid you would forget about me,” he continued when you remained silent. “I really missed you, ya know.”

“Tsukasa-kun…” Guilt weighed heavily on your shoulders now that he went beyond your expectations by reacting so… calmly. You had expected every emotion but this.

“You’re right. I did miss you.” Your voice dropped to a whisper.

Tsukasa slipped a finger underneath your chin, pulling your face up so he could examine your features, instantly dispersing the tense atmosphere. You let him do so, despite the heat creeping up to your face. “You look different, (Name)-chan!” Tsukasa exclaimed suddenly, snapping back into his cheerful, eccentric self once again.

It was almost as if that vulnerability never appeared. You let it pass, giving a small smile, “Do I now?” He nodded vigorously, squishing your cheeks, “You look prettier!”

You blushed, looking away for a moment to regain your composure, “R-Really?”

He gave you another hug, whispering into your ear, “Do I ever lie, (Name)-chan?”

---

By the time the school bell rang, you'd come to accept the fact that your childhood friend (and maybe crush?) is now a ghost haunting the school he died at. How so? Well, you’ve always been told you are an open-minded person. This is nothing more than accepting Tsukasa for who he is, right?

[polar-stars]

Just a little One-Shot on a tad bit of bonding time between the former Central Ladies

Takes place in the “Shokugeki no Kimiko”-Verse. In case you don’t know, the “canon” ships involving these characters in this verse are: EiRin, SoMomo and EtsuNe and there will be heavy implications and mentions regarding that. So in case that there’s something about it that’s not your cup of tea...Here’s your warning. 

-

Just like she always did, Nene arrived first. However her burgundy lipstick, open hair, squared glasses and pale pearl earrings did make her look more mature, even a tad bit more experienced. The days of her innocent, prudish pigtails being long gone. She wore a black, lacy cocktail dress with a wide skirt that went to her knees and probably costed more than all of her striped T-shirts from earlier days together did. Her legs were covered by transparent tights and her feet had dived into a pair of flat pumps. The entire ensemble was covered by a warm, grey coat. With crossed arms she stood in front of the brightly lit restaurant, surrounded by the sparkles of the city’s lights and the misty clouds she blew into the air with every breath.

The next one to arrive was predictively Momo who stepped out of a car that had driven right in front of the restaurant and Nene. While there was still a lot of youthfulness in Momo’s stoic face, one could still tell that she got older as well. Her straight, purple hair had gotten longer and went beyond her shoulders nowadays. There were bits of glitter in her pale eye shadow and small, embroidered flowers on her short dress. Considering that she was not much of a tall person, she made up for that fact with a pair of high-heeled pumps. The purple plush-cat she held close to her chest was the most strongest reminder of the times when both Nene and Momo would meet each other in royal blue school uniforms. “Kinokuniyan. You’re here already.” Momo greeted in usual flat manner. Nene took a step forwards and gave a slight head nod. “Momo-senpai, good evening.”

Of course Rindou was the last one of the party to show up. Even back in their school days, she had always looked the most mature out of the three. The other two spotted her running towards them, her high heels echoing through the streets, laughing and ecstatically waving her hand. Her bright, red locks flew wild and free in the night air and her yellow, cat-like eyes practically glowed in anticipation. Given her sensitivity to the cold, she had wrapped a scarf around her neck and wore a more than thick jacket whose hood had, what the two assumed to be, fake fur attached to it. Dark red lip stick was on her lips while she had settled on smokey eyes for eye-make up. “Sorry for being late.” She giggled when stopping in front of the two, cheeks flushed from the cold and the running. But before the other two could even begin to debate wether they should forgive the lateness or not, they were already pulled into a tight hug.

“Good evening, ladies!” Rindou exclaimed full of joy, as she clutched the bodies of her much more reserved friends closer to hers. “I’m so excited we got to do this!” “Go….Good evening, Rindou-senpai.” Nene was able to press out. Momo was a bit more precise. “I can’t breath, Rindou.”

After a few more seconds, in which Momo felt like being in the grip of an anaconda, Rindou finally let go of the two, of course with a big grin. "I haven't seen you for a long time, Momo!" She chirped. Momo only huffed. Nene brought herself back into the conversation. “I am certain that Momo-senpai is looking forward to seeing you too. The same goes for me, of course.” She explained in her usual dry manner.

Rindou giggled. "Oh boy, for a second there I felt like it’s been only a day ever since I left Totsuki behind." She eyed her two friends from top to bottom. “Appearance-Wise you two have changed quite a bit, especially you Nene, and I am sure you have a lot to tell me. But let's go in first. ”

So Rindou just started to walk, but her friends actually followed immediately. And it didn’t took long till the three of them were sitting at the table reserved by Momo in one of the most decadent restaurants in the city.

"Well then." After ordering, Rindou put her two elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands. A mischievous smile graced her face and her feline eyes glittered mischievously. “Feed me news, Akanegakubo and Kinokuni.”

Immediately surprise wandered over both Nene’s and Momo’s face. "Since when are you using our last names?" Momo finally asked, remembering how a young, short-haired Rindou had shouted enthusiastically a long time ago. "Your name is 'Momo'? How sweet! Here’s a cheers for a good companionship, Momo! ”

"Hm-Hm~" Rindou’s smile widened a little. “I merely make use of the last moments in which I can do so. Or am I not talking to the future Ms. Saito and future Ms. Eizan? ”

Momo raised her eyebrow while Nene’s cheeks turned slightly pink. But before they could even start thinking about what to answer, Rindou’s arms suddenly jerked forward, grabbed Momo’s and Nene’s hand and pulled them forward. "I want to see the engagement rings!"

"Rindou..What was that about?" Pouted Momo, who was startled by the sudden action. Her face also turned a little red. " Ho...Honestly...Rindou-senpai ..." Stammered Nene. "Oooh ~ It looks fairly expensive." Rindou only purred while inspecting Nene’s hand and the small, radiating diamond on her finger. A classic, as well as sumptuous promise for faithfulness, devotion and a life without financial worries. "But I wouldn't have expected anything else from Eizan." Nene’s free hand went to her glasses to adjust them while she looked bashfully to the side. Discussions about love had turned the cool, strict girl, who was not afraid to reservedly threaten death to classmates, into an innocent, shy wallflower.

"I have to say, I never thought I would ever hear that the refined, proper Kinokuni Nene got engaged to..." She let go of Nene’s hand and started tapping her finger on her chin while playfully pretending to be naive. “... what did you always call him back then? Ah yes!” She fixiated her former Elite 10 colleague with an amused and penetrating look. "... the rude, ruthless barbarian."

One of the waiters came and poured the three women a high-quality wine that was exactly the same color as the one that Nene’s head had taken in the meantime.

"In ... third year of high school, he changed a lot." Nene explained, still looking somewhere else as soon as the waiter was gone. Beside her, Momo shrugged. “Momo has always seen it coming. After all, Etsunyan had always had a crush on Kinokuniyan.” She pouted again. "If he hadn't been so clumsy in his courtship, you might even have become a couple earlier and not when Momo left school."

The completely overheated Nene did not answer, but preferred to take her first sip of wine this evening. Rindou, on the other hand, only laughed loud enough for some heads at the other tables to turn in their direction.

Still giggling, she finally turned her eyes to Momo's hand that she was still holding on to. “Then let's see what the good, old Saito gave you- Oh! Well, that's cute!” There was a golden flower attached to Momo's ring and in it was a sparkling green emerald to match Momo's eye color. Rindou couldn't help but smile. Everyone knew how much Momo loved flowers. "If it hadn't been cute, I would hardly have said 'yes'." The wearer of the rings snorted, although it didn't sound too convincing despite all her efforts.

Rindou smiled and released Momo out of her grasp. “It’s nice knowing you two happy then. Glad to know that you can look into the future with someone by your side.” She leaned back and for a few seconds Nene thought she saw a kind of sadness in her otherwise bright eyes.

"And what about you Rindou?" Momo asked and immediately became more precise. "What about you and Tsukasa?"

The glow in Rindou’s eyes returned and a laugh was heard. “What’s there to talk about? Apart from the fact that we both address each other by first name now, kiss each other on the lips and exchange various other forms of affection that I don't have to discuss in public… nothing much has changed between us. ”She started rubbing her cheeks a little like a rapt schoolgirl. "He brings me breakfast in bed, we cuddle a lot and sometimes I wake him up at 3 to see the stars with me." Her voice became a little quieter but Momo and Nene heard complete happiness speaking from her. "It’s like everything’s stayed the same and yet it’s still so much more beautiful."

When she looked back at her two friends, she saw a honest, small and truly touched smile on Nene’s face. Momo just nodded in agreement. "I also always knew that you two would become a thing." She looked at Nene. "Hopefully Tsukasa doesn't take too much time with the wedding proposal, right Kinokuniyan?"

The smile disappeared from Nene’s face and she frowned, almost a little motherly. “Momo-senpai...Don’t rush them.” Rindou had to giggle again.

-

The time passed. Plates stacked with exquisite delicacies were emptied. Topic-changes piled up.

And at some point the overly delicious dessert, which even the extremely critical Momo had praised, was consumed.

"It's late." Nene said, looking at her elegant, silver wristwatch. "It felt a lot shorter than it was." Momo commented. Rindou then just cheered. “That's how it is with good friends!”

For a short while there was silence. Then just when Rindou wanted to call the waiter to pay the bill, Momo spoke up again. "Say Rindou ... I've wanted to ask you all this time, but why haven't I heard much about you and Tsukasa lately?" Her forehead wrinkled. “You are two of the most famous personalities who have ever left Totsuki and yet none of you have opened a restaurant. Is there at least one planned? ”

Nene gave an automatic nod. “I must confess, I was wondering about that as well. It shouldn't be too difficult for you two to get a foothold in the industry. When it comes to opening a restaurant, Etsuya may also be able to help you as a consultant. ”

Rindou remained silent for a moment. Something unreadable in her facial expressions. Then she smiled, though weaker than usual. "As sweet as it is to hear that you want to get your fiancé some work, but neither I nor Eishi have any plans for a restaurant or anything."

"Oh?" Nene pushed her glasses up her nose in surprise. Momo started talking again. “Then what are you planning? You haven't even said anything about your career all evening. ”

The corners of Rindou’s mouth dropped again and this time the silence was a little longer. Then finally she seemed to have found her answer. "Let's put it this way ... it's a surprise."

-

The bill was paid and finally the three found themselves out in the night air again.

"Somei picks me up, he should be here soon." Momo mumbled with a quick look at her cell phone, which after all these years was still in a case that would be associated with a middle schooler based on the look.

"I'm going to order a taxi." Nene said, more to herself, but she still got Momo's attention. “We can take you too, Kinokuniyan. You just have to tell Somei where you live.” Nene looked down at the much smaller companion and started a search for excuses in her head. “Oh no ... that's not necessary. I don't want to be any troub- ” “You aren’t a trouble.” Momo promptly interrupted her. And before Nene could argue, Momo turned to her former classmate. “And you Rindou? We can take you too.”

Rindou only made a fleeting hand gesture. "No need. I much prefer to walk home.” She spread her arms enthusiastically. "There's nothing like a night walk!"

"... night walk?" Momo repeated, raising an eyebrow. "It could be dangerous, Rindou-senpai." Nene pointed out.

Rindou, however, gave them both a charming wink. “Don't worry too much about me. I'm a big girl after all.”

For a few more seconds, skepticism persisted on Momo’s and Nene’s faces. But finally Momo grumbled. "If you really want to." "But please be careful!" Came from Nene.

"I will, I will!" Rindou laughed and walked up to them. "Well, I think it's a goodbye for now." Without warning, she fell forward and pulled her friends into a hug. “Goodbye you two! Greet Saito and Eizan from me. All the best for your sweets-empire Momo and your restaurant-plans Nene. ”

Momo felt that Rindou’s hug was even tighter and longer than at the beginning. Nene didn't want to believe her ears but somehow she couldn't shake the feeling of hearing a slight melancholy in Rindou’s voice.

"Goodbye, Rindou." "Come home safely, Rindou-senpai."

Rindou let go of the two, gave them one of the most beautiful smiles on planet Earth, and then turned away.

[bunteatime]

aramika coffee shop au pt. 1

ok so!! ive had this au in my head for like.. 5 months now and i luv it sm so i decided to turn it into a lil fic!! im still workin on tha story but i couldnt wait 2 post it so here is part 1..

(also!! apologies if this is written poorly!! its one of tha first times ive ever tried to like. seriously write)

Part 1: Arashi’s POV

Arashi took a step forward. She was standing right in front of a small cafe. It was located in the middle of the city so it was usually quite busy. However, she had arrived just before opening. She smiled and tightened her work apron. 

She wasn’t normally too fond of the idea of working but there was just something so romantic about working in a coffee shop. She had read so many books about two lovers meeting in a coffee shop and the thought of meeting the love of her life while at the cafe practically made her swoon. What if she met the love of her life today? What would they look like? Would they sweep her off her feet the second they saw her? More importantly, would she even realize who they were before it was too late?

Quite suddenly, she snapped out of her daze and look around. Focus, Arashi, she told herself confidently. She stepped inside the cafe and was instantly greeted with the smell of coffee beans and Leo waving at her.

 “Hey, Naru-chan!!” He said almost too excitedly considering how early it was. 

“Hello hello Leo!” she giggled and waved back. 

Just then, Izumi walked in while glaring at his phone. Arashi could’ve sworn she heard him make a little tch sound. 

“Oh, hi Izumi! What’s wrong?” She frowned. 

“Tsukasa won’t be coming in today. Apparently, he fell ill.” He huffed back. 

“Ah, well that’s alright. We still have the four of us!” She attempted to comfort him. Izumi could get worked up so easily, it seemed. 

“Three of us. Ritsu slept in again and knowing him he probably won’t show up until the end of the day.” 

Arashi sighed and looked at her phone. They only had about ten before the coffee shop opened. She would be extra busy today, considering there were only three people working that day. She wished that she could’ve been sick too, so she could just sit at home and paint her nails all day rather than spend it making coffee. She didn’t mind too much though; the pay was really good and with that, she could go out shopping this weekend. She got behind the counter and scrolled through Instagram to pass time. 

“Oh! Before I forget, Naru-chan, there’s gonna be this guy coming sometime around now with a bunch of pastries for the shop! I thought I’d be the one to accept them from him but Izumi-chan said he wanted to ‘talk finances’ with me so would you do it for me?” He smiled brightly at her. She seriously didn’t understand how he could be so peppy at 6 am on a Monday. 

“Of course, dear! Leave it to me.” She winked at him and smiled. 

Leo suddenly got really serious. “If I’m not back in an hour, just know that I died of boredom listening to Izumi talk about stupid adult things.” He said in a scared tone. 

Arashi giggled and pushed him towards the back. “Yes, yes, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She responded. 

Leo went into the back and it was officially opening time. Looks like I’ll be all on my own this morning, she told herself with a sigh. She walked over to the front of the store and flipped the sign on the front door to the side that said “open” in a cursive font. On her way back to the counter, she straightened some of the chairs and unwrinkled the tablecloths. She was curious over the pastries Leo had mentioned. She assumed they were from a new store than they usually bought their pastries because the usual store wouldn’t send anyone to drop them off. 

The first twenty or so minutes after the opening of the store went well. She had about ten customers come in, all of which looked like college kids wanting to study before class. Just then, the door was opened rather loudly and a boy with shaggy greenish-black hair stumbled in. He was carrying a large box with him and seemed to be out of breath. Did he run all the way here? He was wearing a black sweater and jeans, despite it being the middle of summer. He came up to the front counter and set the box down. The moment he looked up at Arashi, she almost gasped. He had absolutely stunning eyes. One was a beautiful ocean blue while the other was golden. Arashi wondered what they called that. Heterochromia? Was that right? She’d have to look it up later. His eyes were so captivating that she felt like she couldn’t look away.

“Uhm, hello! What can I get for you today, babe?” She asked. 

“Well, uh, ‘m not really here to buy anythin’. Coffee ain’t really my thing… too bitter.” He stuck his tongue out a little bit as he said that. “I dunno if you know but I’m here to deliver some pastries!” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

As soon as she heard him speak, Arashi felt butterflies in her stomach. Fate had just set her up with the absolute cutest boy she’s ever seen and she was so happy. She was absolutely enamored with him. His accent was absolutely adorable and the way he looked down and played with his sleeves shyly as he explained the situation to her made her think that she might die from a cuteness overload. He was just so cute! She’d known this boy for maybe 60 seconds and she had already unashamedly fallen head over heels for him. He was perfect. 

He looked back up at her and they stared at each other for what felt like a blissful eternity, before looking back down awkwardly. His face was bright red. Oh how absolutely adorable he looked when he blushed like that. 

“I, uhm, I should go… Oshi-san’ll be real mad at me if ‘m not back soon..” He said shyly. It might’ve been her imagination but Arashi could’ve sworn she heard a little regret in his voice. 

“Oh, yes, yes of course!” She responded quickly. “Thank you so much for the pastries!” She smiled.

He smiled back at her and began to walk away. Right as he was about to open the door and leave she spoke up again. 

“Also… Your eyes are absolutely gorgeous, babe.” She winked at him and watched as his eyes widened and his face went tomato red again. 

“Th- thank you…” He said quietly and proceeded to leave.

She giggled and sighed as she rested her hand on her head. She was in love, wasn’t she? That was the prettiest boy she had ever seen and with only one interaction between them, she had fallen in love. She wasn’t complaining, though. She absolutely loved the feeling of butterflies in her stomach as she thought about the next time she would see him. 

“Arashi, you’re slacking.” Izumi’s voice spoke behind her. She could almost feel the glare she knew he was giving her.

“Oh my god, Izumi! You won’t believe what just happened.” She said excitedly.

Part 1: Mika’s POV

Mika sighed loudly and rubbed the back of his neck. He had been up since four making pastries. He was starting to get sick of the sweet smell, but he knew Shu would be mad at him if he stopped working. 

“Oshi-san,” He whined. “Can I have a break yet?” He was really hoping he could get out of there soon; today was supposed to be his day off but Shu had called him in suddenly. Although, that wasn’t too odd for Shu to do. 

“Actually, yes. You have to take this box of pastries to this cafe, though.” He handed him a piece of paper with an address written on it in cursive handwriting. “Do not be late, Kagehira. You’ll ruin our business’ reputation.” 

“Will do, Oshi-san!” Mika responded happily. He picked up the box and practically ran out the door.

Once he was outside, he sighed happily. He was glad he wasn’t inside anymore. He hurried over in the direction of the store, however, he got lost along the way. He somehow ended up in the shopping district and couldn’t find his way out. Shit, he panicked. Oshi-san’s gonna get mad at me if ‘m late. It took him a while, but he finally found his way to the coffee shop, however, he was ten minutes late. He would’ve been later if he hadn’t run the whole way. Maybe Shu wouldn’t get as mad at him if he lied and said he had just wandered around after taking the pastries to the cafe?

He went to pull the door open, but it wouldn’t. He tried again and it still wouldn’t open. He tried a third time before reading a sign that said “push” right next to the door. He embarrassedly pushed the door open and stumbled inside the store. He glanced up at the girl at the register and immediately looked down. Oh no, she was pretty. Like, really pretty. Stunning, even. He felt embarrassed. He walked up to the counter and set the box of pastries down before mustering up his courage and looking back up at her. 

Oh god, he was right the first time. She really was pretty. Her eyes were sparkling. They were a deep purple and so so pretty. Her hair was beautiful, too. She looked so effortlessly stunning and it honestly took his breath away. Her smile was stunning, too. She radiated warmth and he found her presence to be oddly comforting, despite knowing her for thirty seconds. 

“Uhm, hello! What can I get for you today, babe?” She said. Did she.. Did she just call him babe? He was falling for her so hard and so fast it almost scared him. He never considered himself the romantic type, but this girl made him feel butterflies in his stomach.

“Well, uh, ‘m not really here to buy anythin’. Coffee ain’t really my thing... too bitter.” He stuck his tongue out and he heard her giggle at that. He immediately blushed and started fidgeting with his sleeves. “I dunno if you know but I’m here to deliver some pastries!” He gestured at the box and rubbed his neck with his hand. It was a nervous habit of his to do that, and he sure was nervous right now. He really hoped that she didn’t find him weird.

He looked back up at her and as soon as their eyes met, he felt those famous butterflies that he didn’t know existed outside of stories. Her eyes were deep purple and stunning. He couldn’t look away. She was smiling at him and it seemed so comforting. He felt like he could stare at her for an eternity and still be as blissful as he was at this moment. 

He looked down nervously and could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. He suddenly remembered that he had to get back to the bakery or else Shu would be angry at him. 

“I, uhm, I should go… Oshi-san’ll be real mad at me if ‘m not back soon..” Mika said, trying not to show how sad he felt about having to say those words. The way she had gazed into his eyes was unlike the way anyone had looked at him before. He constantly felt as if people were judging him for his eyes. That he was weird for his mismatched orbs. Due to this, he absolutely hated them. He resented them and they made him feel terrible. 

This girl, though, she was different. She didn’t judge them, in fact, her gaze was so full of wonder. She was looking at him with so much kindness and warmth that he thought he might melt right then and there. She made him so happy, which was completely absurd considering he had known her for maybe three minutes. 

“Oh, yes, yes, of course!” She responded, quickly looking away. She smiled brightly at him. “Thank you so much for the pastries!”

Oh, god, she was so pretty. He started to walk away and right as he opened to door to leave, she called out to him. 

“Also… your eyes are absolutely gorgeous, babe.” She winked at him. Oh no. Oh no, oh no. Mika had tried so hard during the entirety of their conversation to keep calm and seem cool but he couldn’t handle it anymore. His face immediately went as red as a tomato, despite his wishes. That was the first time anyone had complimented his eyes before. He was shocked. This whole time he had absolutely hated his eyes. But for the first time, he liked them. They made him happy. And it was all because this girl, whom he had undoubtedly fallen in love with, had complimented him with complete sincerity. 

“Th-thank you…” He stuttered. He clumsily opened the door and walked out. He just knew that he had to tell Shu about this girl when he got back to the shop. 

When he arrived back at the shop, he suddenly stopped right in front of the door. “Shit, I forgot to ask her name..”

[mikarashis]

Cheval Live - Chapter Eight

Summer Sky ＊ Galloping Cheval Live - Chapter Eight

Season: Summer

Location: Horse-riding club

Tsukasa: every~one, please look!  How is it?  I’m showing some skills, right?  Currently, I’m going around the course here.  

Arashi: fufu, Tsukasa-chan, you’re certainly in high spirits!  Should we try out riding the horses*, too?  

Izumi: I’ll pass.  As far as I’m concerned, our business is done here so we should head back soon.

Arashi: the meeting might be over, but we can’t just leave Tsukasa-chan here alone, right?  Ufufu, I can’t help being happy, either.  The negotiations were successful ad we’re basically free to choose the content of the live.  

But I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting us to get a horseback riding experience out of this!  I wonder how Tsukasa-chan pulled it off?  Maybe I should ask the owner for details, but it seems like they were in trouble because nobody would agree to their ideas.  

That would explain the hospitable mood now.  Ufufu, there’s no problem at all if things continue this way!

Ah, Izumi-chan!  Look, look, isn’t this a cute horsey ♪

Izumi: wha- don’t tug at me!  I want to go home!

Arashi: well, well, it’s not often you get the chance to pet a horse!  It’s a shame we have to leave soon.

Aww, you’re so sweet!  There, there, go~od boy, go~od boy... ♪

Hey, Izumi-chan, even if you try to slip away while I’m playing with Mr. Horse, it won’t be that easy**...look, the horse Tsukasa-chan is riding seems big and daunting, but he’s totally confident ♪

Izumi: haa?  Do you think I’m afraid?

Arashi: oh, no, I wasn’t implying anything about Izumi-chan.  But you know, with all of your overblown reactions, it sure seems like you’re a little nervous, you see?

Izumi: ...uhii?

Arashi: ‘uhii’?  What’s wrong?  Your voice went all funny.

Izumi: shut up- w-wait, what the hell!  This horse, it’s pushing me with its nose?!  Cut it out, my clothes will get all dirty!

Arashi: ufufu, it seems like the horse likes Izumi-chan, huh?  I heard from one of the people from the club that’s what it means when they nudge you like that.  

...oh, look, another horsey came by!  You’re suuuuure popular, hey, Izumi-chan ♪

Izumi: I don’t want this!  Hey - don’t stand there laughing, help me!  Aa mou, leave me alone!

Tsukasa: every~one, I’ve returned ♪

Arashi: welcome back, Tsukasa-chan.  You’ve already made it around the track once, even though it’s pretty long.  Riding all the time like this, you’re really reminiscent of a true knight!

Tsukasa: thank you very much.  Since the Suou family has a military background, I’ve been training from a young age.  If I may say this without coming off as rude to my senpais, would you like me to instruct you?

Arashi: of course!  To be honest, I’ve never even sat on a horse before.  Ufufu, Tsukasa-chan sure is being mature and reliable today; as your nee-chan it gives me some complicated fee~lings.  

Tsukasa: fufu, I’m glad, especially as I’m used to being in a lower position within our unit.  

Then, let us go!  I will tell you all about the joys of riding, Narukami-senpai...☆

Arashi: ......

Tsukasa: Narukami-senpai?  What is it?

Arashi: aww, I’m sorry...it’s just...Mr. Horse is so cute, I hate to leave him behind!  Right now, is it okay if I pet him a bit more?

Tsukasa: I don’t mind!  In the meantime, I’ll go around the track again.  Let’s go, Golden! ...♪

Mika: ......

Arashi: (Mika-chan, you’ve still got such a grim look on your face...? We’re all human, we all make mistakes, but no matter how many times I say that...I know he feels...responsible, so he’s holding that burden all by himself.  Aa mou, it’s so frustrating.  I want to reach my hand out to help him, but I also understand Mika-chan’s feelings in this situation, so all I can do is watch from afar.  

...that sad face doesn’t suit Mika-chan at all; it would be much better if you were smiling.)

Translation notes:

*Arashi normally (as in, every time except one) uses ‘ouma-san’ for ‘horse’, which is basically a very cutesy way of saying the word that there’s not really a translation for.  I’ve switched between ‘horsey’ and ‘Mr. Horse’ to kind of convey the playfulness of it, but I felt like it was important to note since it happens so many times (and thank you to everyone on twitter that gave me input on this, too!)

**this took me a while because the actual phrase is something about wholesalers buying wholesale but according to what I dug up, it really just means ‘nothing is ever that easy’ so I went with that instead.

[sailor-cresselia]

Zi-O 16: Plot advancement Time!

FYI: I am watching subbed this time. Hurrah! I got to it before Thursday!

(Massive thanks go to Over-Time subs, I love those guys and hope they are okay, because this ep came out a lot faster than their Zi-O releases have been lately.)

O.O The clock that Woz has been doing the previews by for, like, the entire show thus far? Oma Zi-O’s chair is right next to it now.

Woz, where the heck is this room?

“That’s all that is written as of this point.”

History is told by the winners… and apparently nobody has won yet.

So. That attack from Oma Zi-O, with the golden orb? Brutal. That thing’s tossing the kid around inside it. Ow.

“Prove you’re willing to change your future,” is basically the point of what Oma Zi-O is saying, right? “Show me if you’re really that certain you won’t be me.”

‘They activated a few months after they arrived,’ huh? But that version of history doesn’t take into account that, according to the Time Jackers in 15, they’re early.

Wait, when’d Geiz get Ex-Aid? I thought he was holding onto Genm, and Sougo had Ex-Aid.

They actually destroyed his first belt. I say first, because he’s blatantly going to get another, that’s just how this show works, but. Wow.

That act shut down Kasshin, who apparently is, in fact, mechanical. And Oma Zi-O and his chair were rewritten. But the depression that his chair left is still there… and he was laughing in an ‘all according to plan’ manner.

(The end of the opening is the jets of fire variant again.)

Okay. All three of you are heartbroken over this, kiddos. Sougo wanted to be king to save the world… and now he’s done that, for the threat he knows about, at least. And now he’s telling them to go home, you don’t need to be here anymore. This is goodbye.

“You could never beat me,” though. … True enough. Neither of them is well equipped to fight actual Riders, we’ve seen that whenever they go up against one – admittedly, it’s mostly been each other, but the main reason Sougo won in OOO and Genm part 1 was that he wasn’t quite fighting – the Build Armor tanked the hits, and most of what he did was dodge. Weak, but skilled, maybe? What attacks he did make against Geiz were damaging, yeah, but Geiz wasn’t being strategic at all. That’s the only time they fought each other seriously, since they first met, anyway.

I expected Tsukuyomi to be more clearly heartbroken at the separation, but. They’re both stoic. Tsukuyomi questions whether this is what Sougo really wants, but Geiz? ‘Fine. Have it your way.’ He’s pausing a lot in there, he’s tense – I think that’s partly a “did this actually work?” stress, and partly a “wait, no, I think I’m actually going to miss this guy” stress.

Tsukasa. What plan? What are you doing? We really are dealing with a bad-ending Decade here, aren’t we?

Shwartz, please. Please stop jabbing into people like that. It’s disturbing, and I don’t like your ‘kill the spare’ attitude in the slightest.

Hey, uh, Uncle Tokiwa? I’m starting to think you might be a different future Sougo. Too many suspicious foreshadowings, which has not helped me trust you, but add in your clear distress at Sougo giving up being a king… Sir. Are you a Sougo who gave up on being a king, and came back to get your smaller self to try again?

Because this is getting odd.

(I’m really glad that Zi-O’s started to get good.)

(‘Happy’ holidays from Toei. You know. For certain values of ‘happy.’)

(oh geez I’m only ten minutes into the show, and I’ve been watching for a half hour.)

Ohhh, without a belt, Sougo’s lost most of his resistance to the time stop.

(Heure, don’t bite into a bell pepper! Ew! At least wash it first!)

o.o Woz, where did you get that second belt? Actually, where did you get the first belt? But kudos to Sougo for sticking to his decision, and not taking it.

(Destiny. Destiny. No escaping destiny.)

Meanwhile, as Sougo is being thrown around and running, Geiz is reluctant to leave. He’s not saying it, but that expression. Good thing Tsukuyomi apparently wanted to keep tabs on Sougo until they left.

I can’t really comment on this first part of the fight – Kamen Rider Decade and Kasshin versus Kamen Rider Geiz and Sougo. Almost nothing I say will do the battle justice. This is beautiful.

Geiz, sweetie… “I thought you were going to become a good overlord?!” He’s using Sougo’s old determination to bring him back. And he gives him his own belt to fight. Geiz knows he’s not able to stand up to Kasshin, let alone Decade, to say nothing of the two at once. But he thinks Sougo can.

That is faith. That is trust. That is… now this is Kamen Rider.

(Woz, where did you get that ladder?)

Me, when Woz is doing his standard announcement: “Oh, cool background music, we’re getting a new track!”

Me: when Sougo dons the armor once again: “LYRICS?!”

I don’t know what they are singing but I like it and I already can’t wait for the release.

(Parka ghost summons: Billy the Kid and… (checks wiki) Goemon)

Best use of Parka ghosts thus far in Zi-O? Getting what was intended to be Sougo’s replacement driver to be Geiz’s replacement.

Seriously though, why do you have Ex-Aid?

Although… I wrote that ‘prove you can change your future’ line specifically thinking of Emu and Parad and the whole ‘show me you have the power to change your fate’ thing that the brothers have going on. Looks like whoever wrote this episode might have been thinking about that, too.

(I’ve been writing a lot of Ex-Aid stuff on the side, when I haven’t been working on Re-Build and The Takeru Fic. So they’re on my mind a lot lately. … okay, they’re almost always on my mind because there is so much to unwrap there.)

SOUGO HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT MIGHTY BROTHERS XX?!?!

HOWWW?!

(My boys.)

Mighty Brothers!Armor giving Zi-O both of his swords is the best.

The Orange!Armor is still the more aggressive, ‘fight me one-on-one’ side~! Blue!Armor is the ‘work as a team’ side~!

(I have so many Ex-Aid wips you guys)

These mech fights are so beautiful you have no idea how much I love this. I’m not even a Sentai fan. This is… this is amazing – the boys are a team and they’re actually acknowledging it now, aren’t they?

Woz smiles as the – holy snap. Holy snap. The gears on his book started turning. That’s new.

It’s still all going according to Oma Zi-O’s plan, though, isn’t it?

Ohh no the Dai-Mazine didn’t collapse, it just went underground and is biding it’s time.

Pfft- hahaha! So that’s the deal with Kamen Rider Woz’s color scheme!

It’s got that awful neon green because it’s referencing retro glow in the dark clock designs. I love it.

(Woz, please make up your mind with regards to your stance on ‘meeting yourself,’ because this is getting ridiculous.)

(Good night, everyone, I’ve got to go on a trip tomorrow. Wish me luck.)

[justaramblingromantic]

superheroes need childcare benefits too

Characters/Pairing: Kobayashi Rindou, Tsukasa Eishi, Tsukasa Hi’en (OC)/EiRin

Type: Superhero!Family!AU, Freestyle

Word Count: 3071

A/N: Inspired by this post. 

This drabble has been sitting in my draft pile for a couple of months already, I think? I was fooling around with the random super power generator and decided to write out something with the results I got, just for fun. Was also in the mood to write cute baby things...so there was that, too, lol. 

The thing about being a superhero was that the benefits suck.

There were no such thing as paid leave or annual bonuses and the nature of the work was akin to voluntary military service to the country so it wasn’t exactly very high paying in the first place, either. In fact, it was something like an anonymous, part time obligation to society on top of juggling a ‘normal’ day job and whatever life issues and familial commitments the ‘normal’ population had to deal with…only maybe with a bit more explosions and dangerous, life-threatening events randomly thrown into the mix.

You get to meet all sorts of interesting people with interesting abilities too, and then, depending on their intentions and alignments, you try your hardest to incapacitate, or outright kill, each other. Fun times.

Rindou quite enjoyed it, actually. The thrill of living a secret double life. The excitement and unpredictability that came with every mission. And who would not enjoy being a superhero? Her partner was something amazing too, and they worked together seamlessly. Their abilities complemented each other extremely well, and after all the years of being paired together, their teamwork was one of the best in the country, for their rank and specialty type, even.

That was just as well, since they were partners in every meaning of the word. They had known each other from a young age and had only grown closer over the years, from teammates to best friends to lovers.

Recently, they had also become parents. And with parenthood, came responsibilities that both were suddenly acutely conscious of, towards the tiny young life that they had made together. Being reckless for the sake of having fun was no longer acceptable. They had to be more careful during assignments now, and for the moment at least, they had also agreed that both should not be going on call at the same time – one would remain at home on baby watch while the other was out performing their civic duty.

“Rindou.” Eishi’s calm, smooth voice spoke over the comm earpiece that she was wearing. “Are you heading home soon?”

“Mm,” she replied distractedly, concentrating on focusing her powers and directing them to work as she intended. Her abilities had always been a bit on the wild side and not very easy to control, and she constantly had to work on them so that they would not get the better of her.

It was a simple rescue mission this time. There was a serious collision between two freight vessels off the shores of Tokyo, just sitting on one of the major shipping routes. She had been activated by the agency because her powers were probably the most useful to deal with an incident of this scale involving huge mobile constructs. The crews of both vessels had already been evacuated and airlifted out of the scene so now it was her turn to flex her muscles and get down to business.

“Can you swing by the store for some milk and eggs on the way back? We ran out.”

“’Kay~” Slit gold eyes grew unnaturally bright as she concentrated, willing all her energy into intense mental focus. Visualizing the bright, glowing rope of power in her mind’s eye, she proceeded to grab firmly onto it and give it a mighty heave.

Just like that, the atmospheric pressure dropped, and the energy around her shifted.

Hovering midair over the vast ocean, a mere fifty feet above where the partially submerged cargo ships were rapidly taking in water and about to sink right in the middle of the high sea traffic zone, the redhead watched musingly as a couple hundred thousand tonnage of steel and freight creaked and groaned ominously as the absolute laws of physics were exerted on them…in an entirely unnatural way.

“Is there anything else that you want me to pick up, dear husband?” she asked cheerfully. She was in a good mood today, and for obvious reasons. The sun was shining overhead, the weather was great. All in all, it was a really nice day to be out and about, even if she had to help haul back to the bay two huge ass ships.

There was a pause, and then her significant other remarked. “You’re just really happy to be finally out of the house, aren’t you?”

Before Rindou could respond, a loud, unintelligible squawk transmitted through the earpiece, followed by what sounded like awkward, unsteady flapping. Both parents winced at the ringing, pitched cry.

“Is that En-chan? What’s he doin’? He sounds energetic.”

“Our son is sitting on my shoulder.” Was Eishi’s reply. “I think he’s screaming for you.”

She could not help but grin at the mental imagery of her somewhat ruffled mate having to stay at home wrestling with their quirky and unruly offspring. The baby was barely six months old but the rapid manifestation of his unique abilities meant that his parents never quite knew what to expect next when it came to him. Regardless, Rindou still thought that her son was the best thing since sliced bread. Eishi more or less rolled with the lofty opinion because he largely felt the same way ever since they handed him the squalling newborn straight out of the delivery suite.

“Geeze, he’s probably just hungry again. Feed him well, Tsukasa~!”

The semi-submerged vessels were no longer sinking. If anything, they were expelling water at an incredible, exponential rate, and starting to recover miraculously from their previous, badly listing conditions. Rindou kept a halfhearted eye on the ships, but her attention was caught more by the slight commotion coming from the other end of the line.

Eishi muttered. “He doesn’t want his bottle. I don’t think he’s even interested in milk right now.”

More indignant chirruping and belligerent rustling could be heard from the other end of the line. The older of the two also seemed to be having quite a time of it pacifying the younger one. “En, settle down. I know you hear her voice, but your mother’s not here.”

There was a querying, unhappy cry of what sounded like a young eaglet. By then, Rindou could not contain her curiosity any longer. Her son had been a normal human baby (a super cute, chubby cheeked one) when she had left the house, but apparently that was no longer the case. She would have been more worried as a mother if not for the fact that this peculiar occurrence happened too often for her to be alarmed anymore. In their household, this type of situation was only normal, when one’s offspring possessed the rare ability to randomly shapeshift.

“Eh? What did En-chan become this time? How come all the interesting things happen only when you’re home alone with him? That’s hardly fair at all!”

There was a brief pause as her husband struggled not to share his actual thoughts on the matter, which more or less amounted to how he would rather have preferred not to have anything interesting happen at all when he was left in charge of watching their only child. Because Hi’en was still very, very young and had no control whatsoever over his powers, the infant often randomly shifted into supernatural creatures that had only been heard of and read about in myths and legends. The first time it happened, the boy was only a couple of months old when he abruptly turned into a phoenix chick, and when the panicked parents found the young creature floundering about in their son’s cot, they had initially thought that someone had stolen their precious offspring only to replace it with this strange looking…scraggly, angry baby bird of unidentified origins…and that which could also random burst into fire.

The problem with their child being able to shapeshift into random mythical creatures was that when he was in those forms, feeding and caring for his needs became a unique challenge. Sometimes Hi’en would stay in one creature form for an hour at most before popping back to his sleepy human baby self, other times, he stuck with whatever form he was most comfortable with for days on end and that was when his parents abruptly realized that (mythical) animal husbandry had also became an important prerequisite when it came to parenthood. This time was no different.

Eishi observed his awkwardly flailing son, all wings, talons, feathers…paws, claws and tail. The wings on the back were still small and not yet fully developed, the feathers all fluffy brownish-bronze baby down and not even molting anytime soon. The body was that of a very young lion cub; soft russet gold fur still speckled with camouflaging spots and clumsy, tapering tail fat and stubby from infancy. The front limbs ended in raptorial, razor talons and the back limbs in feline paws and equally sharp pinprick claws. A fuzzy, aquiline face with beady golden eyes and a sharp hooked beak paid rapt attention to his male parent, who was squinting at the youngster just as discerningly.

Hi’en let loose a series of demanding chirrups and clumsily headbutted his father for attention. Eishi plucked the youngling who had insisted on climbing precariously onto his shoulder when he heard his mother’s voice earlier and cradled his cat-sized child against his chest, barely even flinching when the baby dug his tiny claws into his forearms for stability. The white-haired man balanced the cellphone between his ear and shoulder, distractedly replying Rindou even as he padded into the kitchen with the fussing cub in tow.

“I think he turned into a griffin this time.”

“…Huh. What do those eat?”

That was a very good question, and one which the young parents found themselves asking almost every other week these days.

In the background, the massive constructs that were the damaged shipping vessels were now floating lightly on the shimmering ocean surface, delicate as a pair of drifting feathers. Thanks to her abilities to manipulate gravity and air, sending the ships back to the shipyard for repair would be a breeze. Pun intended.

“Think the packet of raw chicken sitting in the freezer will work?” Rindou asked as she started to gather and shape the climate to obey her will. Her gaze turned upwards, watching the gigantic nimbuses roll in and dim the skies overhead. The barometric pressure quickly dropped further, and the ambient wind speed started to pick up. The previously calm, tranquil waters became more restless, choppy, though not turbulent enough to send the ships back down to the bottom of the ocean. Rindou exerted her will and steadily pushed.

The two vessels slowly started to move, the howling gale and reduced inertia enough to set them both limping in the direction of port. Rindou trailed her responsibilities closely, making sure that they would reach their destination with no unforeseen accidents along the way.

Back home, Eishi obligingly popped open the door of the freezer compartment and pulled out the cellophane wrapped tray of chicken. He presented it to Hi’en, who nudged at the Styrofoam curiously with his beak before recoiling from it with disdain.

“No?” he asked the little griffin. His son peered at him briefly with his slit gold eyes before deciding that his father’s shirt buttons were much more interesting. He started to peck at one of them, trying to pry it off.

“I’ll defrost and cut the meat into smaller strips to see if he wants it,” Eishi spoke into the phone, shutting the freezer door and setting the packet of chicken on the counter to thaw. “I think we should find that anthropology professor at the university again and seek his opinion, just in case.”

Rindou grimaced at the thought of meeting the suspicious, twitchy man once more. She was pretty sure that the man was starting to suspect that something weird was going on with the overly insistent couple who kept asking him overly specific questions regarding the diets and behavioral patterns of legendary creatures that should not exist.

“Alright, if you feel that’s gonna help.” An excellent idea struck her. “Maybe En-chan would want fresh seafood instead. I can rustle up a waterspout and bring some catch of the day home!”

“…Please don’t do that.” Eishi was quick to shoot down the idea before his mate could run wild with it. The last time she did something similar in a misguided attempt at domesticity while harboring delusions of a homemade dinner, it rained fish intermittently over the city for an entire day. “The agency frowns upon that sort of power misuse and we don’t have enough fridge space.”

Rindou grumbled. What use were her powers even if she couldn’t apply them for little things like that?

“Come home soon,” Eishi continued. Their child lifted his head from where he had been gnawing at his father’s shirt and chimed in with an accompanying series of inquisitive peeps and chirps. “We’re looking forward to your safe return.”

Despite her disgruntlement, Rindou’s cheeks warmed happily. “Then I shall, since you asked so nicely.”

When two beings with the recessive mutated genome that gave them unique abilities produce an offspring, it is virtually guaranteed that their progeny would inherit the same metamorphosed DNA sequence as well. However, just because that peculiar gene had been passed down from parents to child did not mean that the latter would end up with the same type of ultra-abilities that either parental units had. As such, having children when one possessed superpowers was very much like entering a lucky draw.

There is an implicit understanding that there will be a special prize, but what it is exactly or how useful it will be is something entirely up in the air until the child’s powers finally chooses to establish themselves.

Even before the birth of their son, Eishi and Rindou had already decided on his name out of two reasons.

The first was for bond. Both parents were distinct air types and spent so much of their time in the skies that they might as well have been born birds themselves. They had flown together, fought together, courted, loved. Their mutual joy, their steadfast devotion to each other… Hi’en was the precious culmination of all this happiness.

The second was for blessing. It was the parents’ sincerest wish for their firstborn that he would always be able to fly as far and as freely as he wanted to, just like a brave and lithe swallow, unfazed and unhindered by all the challenges that he would ever meet in life.

When Hi’en’s powers initially manifested in an unexpected way that turned him into a firebird, his parents wondered if they had perhaps named him a bit too aptly. Even though the kanji ‘Hi’ in his name translated to ‘flight,’ it also shared the same pronunciation for the kanji that denoted ‘fire.’  

Regardless of the fact that their child’s abilities bore no similarities whatsoever with theirs, his parents remained endlessly delighted and fascinated with their strange little chick. All of his little milestones and progresses Eishi noted down meticulously and Rindou cheered for with pride and glee. Hi’en was developing physically and mentally faster than the average infant, though in all likelihood it was because he was switching forms so often. However, all that growing was exhausting for the young baby, and so he ate a lot, and then he slept a lot.

When Rindou returned that evening, it was to a quiet apartment with the lights dimmed. There was a flickering glow emanating from the living room, and when she exchanged her shoes for indoor ones at the genkan and went down the hallway, she discovered that the source of light was from the television, the volume muted so that only the images were playing across the screen. Eishi was sprawled out in the middle of the couch strewn all over with toys, his eyes closed, faintly, halfheartedly humming a lulling song. Curled against his chest was a little ball of fur and feathers, and the little thing must have tuckered himself out after running his father ragged all day, for he barely stirred even when his female parent approached and sank onto the adjacent cushions.

Eishi cracked opened one eye, sleepy lavender meeting quietly amused gold.

“…Okaeri,” he greeted his mate softly. He wasn’t exactly his usual neat, immaculate self. It appeared that even possessing the ability of accelerated thought process was no match to counter the sheer unpredictability of a small but determined infant. Eishi’s hair looked like he had run his hands through it several times that evening alone, his shirt was missing some buttons and partially untucked, and there were unidentifiable stains on his jeans and also on his collar. She thought that he looked manly and attractive all the same, exuding responsible daddy vibes, very irresistible.

“Tadaima,” she mouthed back. Her hand came up, fingers brushing over his crown, trying to help arrange the unrulier locks into some semblance of order. “Looks like you had a nice time with En-chan,” she drawled innocuously, trying not to grin at his visibly disheveled expression. She petted his hair affectionately, at the same time leaning in to brush her lips against his jaw. “You’ve worked hard today, papa~”

He silently tilted his head against hers, his arms already occupied cradling their child. Rindou’s gaze lowered onto where Hi’en was quietly sleeping. His fuzzy little face was barely visible, tucked under one downy front limb as he continued to doze, his little torso gently rising and falling with the cadence of his deep, steady breathing. Just looking at her son made her very happy, regardless of what form he chose to take. He was safe and protected, he was perfectly healthy, and he was growing up well. That was all that mattered.

“…Ah. I forgot the milk and eggs.”

Eishi’s eyes had closed again, and he leaned just a little more into her before she could move away.

“Let’s do that tomorrow… Stay.”

…So maybe she wasn’t the only one who felt a bit lonely now that they wouldn’t be able to take missions together, at least not in the immediate future.

She snuggled down beside him, this boy she loved first long before he gave her another to dote on and adore. Their family might be small and there were also times when it felt like they had no idea what they were doing, but to her, this was perfect.

“’Kay.”

Eishi: Accelerated Thought Process, Mid-Air Combat

Rindou: Gravity Manipulation, Primordial Air Manipulation

Hi’en: Mythical Bestiary, Electric-Fire Manipulation

Chouko: Faithifery, Existence Sense

[drink-n-watch]

I have been enjoying my Friday evening anime lately. My fea. For those of you that were around last week, you might remember that Dr. Stone broke my heart in a pretty and delicate way that really upped both me appreciation and expectations for the show.

That’s a double edged sword (unlike katanas). Sure Dr. Stone has build up a lot of good will with me but now that I know what this show is capable of, I’m not going to be as forgiving either.

What I thought Would Happen

We already knew that the Kingdom of Might was coming. (By the way these Kingdom monikers are a little silly but I’m all for it, they make keeping who’s who straight in your mind, really easy). The way I was picturing it, is that Senku would take the news with the usual laugh of his, well he did last episode so I get no credit for that, and start devising a defence plan.

I figured this week would be another fetch quest and a new invention. Not sure what though. Landmines seems unreasonable and too gruesome. It would make the Kingdom of Science look like that bad guys. Giant mechas were too ambitious. I thought about it a lot. I was hesitating between some type of ancient stun gun, maybe even stun net? Or just a series of really good pit falls and booby traps. Non lethal stuff. Although holes aren’t the most impressive feat of science.

One thing’s for sure, I 100% thought they were going to go defensive rather than offensive. Or maybe even leave and discover some type of scientific mecca to settle in.. It wasn’t really that clear in my head but you know, more sciency stuff.

What Did Happen

Apparently Tsukasa’s side is not the procrastinating type. Gen was supposed to be an advanced unit but they got there about 5 minutes after he did. So much for elaborate defence plans and fetch quests. Of course, Senku is still very quick on his feet and manages to bluff his way out of an immediate assault by convincing the enemy they had working guns.

This didn’t last too long though as it turns out, these new enemies are led by another very strong opponent named Hyoga. Although not as brutishly powerful as Tsukasa, Hyoga seems quite smart and a very good judge of both characters and situations. As Gen is still playing triple agent (or is it quadruple now? I lose count) it seems like Hyoga did not fall into the trap Senku was setting. But acted as if he did nevertheless, by attacking during the first storm as Senku new he would.

The villagers were ready for the assault with the strongest warriors laying in wait, equipped with their new ace in the hole. Actual katanas. A weapon whose manoeuvrability and efficiency made quick work of the attackers’ spears until they run up against Hyoga wielding a special seemingly undefeatable weapon.

However Senku’s true ultimate weapon had not yet been revealed. Blades may manage to scratch you but betrayal is the deepest cut. That was so cheesy. Sorry guys….

What About the Characters

Hyoga really is an interesting new villain. He’s good humoured, obviously smart, he seems to like everything…By far the scariest guy we’ve seen so far. I don’t know what his motivation to be with Tsukasa is and I’m intrigued. Senku has his work cut out for him.

This said, between the violent golden boy Tsukasa, the social genius Gen and now this mastermind type Hyoga, how did Taiju even survive? Is he alive? Why would they leave him alive?

Anywho, I already liked Gen because I have an unhealthy love of well meaning trolls but man was he fun this week. It’s not that we got much development for him, in general most of the characters have been pretty static, but it was just such a fun character moment.

The thing about Gen, and about tricksters in general, is that their strength is both their vice and a reason to dislike them, and at the same time super useful and a great way to save the day in a large variety of situations.That’s why a well written trickster is probably never going to be a straight up hero but is also very difficult to hate.And I find them amusing to watch.

What I Liked

This episode flew by in the blink of an eye. Like I said I quite enjoyed Hyoga.

In the early scenes, there is a point where things look quite bad for Kinro and it seems like Ginro may need to sacrifice his brother in order to save the village. His reaction was actually very touching and I didn’t expect that from the character. Kudos for still surprising me after last week.

We finally got some .decent fanservice. Woohoo Kaseki! Not only that but it was accompanied by a pretty dirty double entendre. Oh my!

For some reason, I just noticed that Gen calls everyone “chan”. He’s always done it but I didn’t pick up on it until just now. It’s not translated and the implications of Gen calling Tsukasa “chan” are not brought up in any way. It’s such a Gen thing to do and now that I have noticed, it makes me happy.

Now that we know the origin story, you can really see the resemblance between the villagers and the space station crew. In fact, if I look through all the villagers, I bet I can figure out their origins. And everyone from the space station is represented… except for two. Byakuya is one. Everybody in the village looks like one of the crew members but no one really looks like Byakuya. Well maybe Kinro a bit. They have the same eyebrows. But not as much as his non-biological son Senku. And then there’s Chrome. Chrome actually looks quite a bit like Taiju but not much like anyone else. Including any of the other villagers. I wonder why that is? Oh it’s in the like section because I like that they bothered to create the family resemblances and I like that the exceptions make me think up conspiracy theories.

The mechanics of Gen’s betrayal and defection were very satisfying.

What I Liked Less

Well let’s see.

Tsukasa’s big thing is that adults are corrupt and he wants to recreate a pure world by only reviving young people. Under 18 I guess. That’s why he actively destroys statues of adults and has vowed to not let Senku revive any. So then why do Hyoga’s henchmen look like they’re all in their late 30s. The fight against the chief at some point (Kohaku’s dad) and they are definitely the same age, maybe older.

At some point Suika tracks down Gen through the flowers in the forest. But those are planted flowers growing our of the soil. How did that work? When did he plant them. Had they need waiting for that storm to come for months? I think I actually missed something there to be fair but I didn’t like that device. It feels a bit lacklustre for Gen

Closing Thoughts

Of course Dr Stone could maintain the emotional resonance it built up in the last weeks. And frankly I wouldn’t have wanted it to. This was an amusing return to form. The quick paced action made it go by in a flash and left me wanting more.

Mood: exhilarated

Gen’s innocent face is the best!

    Dr. Stone Episode 18 – The First Cut is the Deepest I have been enjoying my Friday evening anime lately. My fea. For those of you that were around last week, you might remember that Dr.