#is 1000 yen not enough?!?!?!

[deus-ex-mona]

monachan haul has arrived ✨safely✨

[eurydicees]

i think iwaizumi is like. ok so he comes off as cool and athletic and smart and popular and, yk, to a degree, he totally is! he’s incredible at volleyball and he gets decent grades and he’s a good friend and overall well-liked by the general seijoh population.

ALSO at the same time he is like. the lamest popular guy in the world.

this is a title that oikawa has given him and the part that iwaizumi protests is not “lame” but “popular.” some points that oikawa makes, when talking to iwaizumi about how much of a normal average deeply Just A Guy iwaizumi is:

iwaizumi’s favorite activity is, first and foremost, volleyball; and second, it’s “spend time watching d-rated martial arts movies with my best friend.”

i appreciate it and love this, oikawa says, obviously, but you do have other things you can do with your time. do you know that. it doesn’t seem like you know that.

he’s popular, he has other friends, he could have his pick of girlfriends, and he chooses to instead monopolize oikawa’s time through varying methods of aggression and/or affection.

why do you not have a girlfriend yet, oikawa asks. i’m too busy keeping you in line, iwaizumi says. to which oikawa replies, you suck at being popular, iwa.

people think he’s cool because he likes the outdoors, likes going on hikes with his free time, excels at every athletic task, etc etc.

what they do not know is that he likes going on hikes to look at the changing leaves and his favorite way to interact with nature is like his fucking rock collection or some shit.

do they have names, oikawa asks, teasing. shut the fuck up, iwaizumi says. then, fucking obviously they have names.

he’s not scared of bugs, girls whisper when he passes in the hallways. he saved me from a spider one time, they say, and oikawa claims they swoon.

and like, oikawa HAS to laugh because this is the same boy who tried to keep a tank of beetles he collected from the park and cried hysterically both first when they all escaped, and second when his mother yelled at him for ten minutes about the five she found in the sugar jar. he was fourteen.

“he’s so smart,” someone says admiringly when iwaizumi helps them a bit with their class work. oikawa is rolling his damn eyes because iwaizumi is smart, sure, he’s doing fine in school, but he’s evidently not smart enough to calculate the risk/reward of a monetary bet on how many pork buns he can fit in his mouth. more than 8 gets him 1000 yen. less than 8 makes him lose 1500.

what the fuck was he thinking, oikawa is forced to ask, first when he nearly has to perform the heimlich maneuver and later when he buys iwaizumi a consolation bottle of water. what the fuck.

people think he’s mysterious and stoic and kind of darkly intriguing because he doesn’t necessarily laugh a lot while he’s in class and focused, and while he’s friendly with everyone, he still sticks pretty close to his little group.

oikawa cannot believe that anyone could ever think this because iwaizumi gets home after school and does not shut the fuck up. and he’s so easy to make laugh. and his every expression is so easy to read.

how could you possibly have anyone convinced that you are cool and mysterious, oikawa asks. how the fuck did you do that.

iwaizumi is forced to shrug. he doesn’t really have an answer. people just kind of make their own assumptions about him no matter what he does. doesn’t matter anyways. oikawa might be the only one who seems to truly get him, but he’s okay with that. if it had be one person, he’s glad it’s someone he loves.

and now what the fuck is oikawa supposed to do with that.

(push him down on the bed and kiss him, oikawa finds, seems to be the right answer.)

[lesbianashleywilliams]

So those of you who have been following me may have noticed that I all but disappeared for about three months...well, that's because I've been planning to go to Japanese language school, and the wheels have really begun to start turning!!!!!!

I have been given the opportunity of my lifetime to be able to attend a Japanese language course at the International Study Institute in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward. The course runs for a year, with the opportunity to extend it to two years, if my grades and money are sound [insert sound of children cheering here].

Being able to study Japanese locally and long-term has been a life goal of mine since I was fourteen. Though I'll probably never be able to fulfill my teenage dream of being an interpreter/translator for expats, this feels like the next best thing. Due to suffering from several comorbid chronic conditions that have majorly altered my life, most notably the beast known as systemic lupus erythematosus, I will probably never be able to seize another chance like this ever again. I won't be going in as a total novice, as I was able to take a year's worth of 1000-level Japanese language courses in college…before I had to drop out…… Since then I've been self-studying and using language exchange apps for practice, but nothing will beat the experience of using it in the day-to-day.

At this point in time (January 2024), my first six months of tuition have already been paid for. I am currently in a quiet waiting period while I wait to get to the next steps of the Certificate of Eligibility/Student Visa process. Before that, though, I need to secure my flight and housing. For the sake of my health, safety, privacy and comfort, a sharehouse will not be an option; I will have to seek a private apartment. I am here today to request assistance with the aforementioned flight and initial housing costs. It's still too early to commit to either of those, but:

The average cost of flexible one-way flights from where I am to either of the two Tokyo metro airports (Haneda and Narita) is running around $1200

I am doing some preliminary apartment scouting and am hoping not to exceed $800 per month (I will be traveling with suitcases and will need to properly store them). The apartments I am looking at do not require a security deposit or key money, but will probably come with a guarantor fee.

Now because I'm not going over there through one of the more common avenues - through a university or a job - I have to do it myself. Real life has meant that I've had to dig into my bank balance a bit, and after paying for the first six months I'm a little under the 2 million yen (~$14k) threshold that Immigration likes to see for a year's study. I'm lucky enough in that I will at least have a regular source of (unearned) income, as well as a financial sponsor; it's just the bank balance, flight, and accommodation that are hanging me up. Right now I am setting the initial goal at $3000, but I expect to move those goalposts at least once. Any extra will go towards a flight home for the Christmas holidays in December. After that, it'll go towards paying down my credit cards as much as I can prior to leaving the United States.

I can provide my conditional letter of acceptance from ISI, as well as the school invoice and receipt of the bank transfer for the first six months of tuition upon request (identifying information redacted, of course).

Because there's still a couple of months until I'm set to fly out I put together a GoFundMe (now that's a name I haven't used in a while) to idly collect whatever help I can. At the very least I just need this post to circulate enough to eventually cast a wider net outside of Tungle.hell.

GoFundMe

If you can't use GFM, V3nmo and P4ypal are also options:

V3nmo: @/venus3palette

P4ypal: @/fantasytheater

Again: I'm not in that much of a hurry, and the situation isn't dire! Thank you for combing my wall of text!!!!

[anonimusunnoaniswriting]

OfficeColleague!Suguru Geto x Reader

Angel Of Small Death

⚠️𝐌𝐃𝐍𝐈. 𝟏𝟖+ 𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘⚠️

🎀𝐀𝐠𝐞less and blank blogs will be 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝🎀

Pairing: OfficeColleague!Suguru Geto x Reader

Genre: Smut, Porn with plot.

Word Count: 2463

Warnings: PWP, reader is a big woman, female bodied reader, no protection, pussy eating, good ol' sex, colleagues

Summary: Geto Suguru is the bane of your existence. You hate him. He hates you. The entire office is convinced you’re going to kill each other someday. But damn if it doesn’t feel good when he fucks you senseless.

A/N: This is a collab with @ominouslywritinginmyhead. We've been cooking it for a while and it's gonna be slow but it's one of the most delicious things Saber has thought of that I know. Banner and dividers are mine.

Chapter 1

yuunicorn1010 uploaded a story to Instagram.

The first thing any viewer would see was Yuuji trying very hard not to laugh. As a fresh graduate, he’d assumed office work would be the most mind-numbing activity in the world, but Jujutsu Inc. had proved him wrong within weeks. 

Without a word, Yuuji switched the camera to reveal the messy and noisy twelfth-floor office he’d been working in since April. In the foreground was his favourite senpai Nanami, determinedly staring at his laptop and pretending that he couldn’t hear the showdown going on right behind him.

“—two-faced thieving snake, I know you stole my clients!”

“I did not steal them; I simply suggested that they might benefit more from a more, shall we say, experienced team.”

“Experienced, my ass. You couldn’t even move two steps forward with that last file!”

“And why do you think that happened? Because you interfered and had half my team on leave!”

“That wasn’t my fault; the company requires us to take our paid holidays within two years of getting them — if your team is too overworked to take any vacation days, that’s on you.”

“You think you’re so superior, don’t you? If you actually looked in the mirror for once in your life, you’d see that you’re nothing but a sneaky backstabber who should be fired by now.”

“Oh, I should be fired? Well, if I am, I’ll be sure to tell HR about your little mind games and how you had those poor interns crying—”

In the background, one would be able to hear Yuuji’s uncontrollable giggling combined with Gojo-senpai calling out to the other employees: “They’re at it again! I think Suguru’s going to win this time~”

In full view of the camera, the two team leaders stormed out of the office, leaving through different doors. Just before Yuuji turned the camera off, Gojo-senpai began to laugh like a hyena. “If anyone’s brave enough to stop them, I’ll treat you lot to drinks tonight!”

Suguru smirked. Trust Satoru to find that entertaining. Apparently, his plan of treating the office to drinks wasn��t the only one going around: according to Shoko, the entire office had a betting pool on what could happen in each of these little…arguments. They weren’t stupid enough to do it to his face — or yours, for that matter. But it was quite obvious now what that stray 1000 yen bill on Satoru’s desk yesterday afternoon had been for. 

Not that anyone was going to win by very much, especially since they had no idea what went on behind the scenes. And quite frankly, Suguru didn’t want them to know.

The two of you were lucky that the janitor had called in sick this morning, and that nobody had come looking for the mop.

“Haa—dammit, Suguru, why’d you roll your sleeves up like—like that—you can’t do this to me—shit—”

“You…really need to stop accusing me like this, angel; I’ve done nothing.” He could still feel the sting on his lower lip, where you’d sunk your teeth in, sucking on it to soothe the pain. He could still feel his fingers digging into your plush thighs before his hand slipped under your pretty black skirt, the other hand trailing up your back. Most of all, he could still smell your perfume lingering on his clothes. Sitting in his office, the shades drawn, Suguru closed his eyes. If he thought about it hard enough, he could still feel your touch, too.

You had dragged the charming Geto Suguru into the janitor’s closet after your meeting where it was revealed that a pretty important client of yours had been smoothly swiped by none other than him. Not only did he have the audacity to smile and wink at you while detailing how his team would be proceeding with the client, but the man also knowingly leaned back crossing his bare sinewy arms in front of you — something he knew to be your weakness. 

“You know how much this turns me on, you bastard. Stop acting innocent; it doesn't suit you,” you’d spat, before grabbing the very hands you lusted after and placing them over your breasts. Suguru had complied with your silent plea, kneading at the soft flesh, while you moaned into his mouth. His knee had been pressed against your crotch and you rubbed against it like a cat in heat. 

But when he’d dipped his hand to slip under the waistband of your panties, you’d stopped him, “We can’t. Not here.” He’d given you his best puppy eyes and a pout that only made your heart race – just one time wouldn’t hurt, would it?

“We’ll meet tonight, after Gojo’s drinks,” you’d promised. Fuck, he missed you already. How has it only been two hours?  Two hours since he had you in his arms. Two more hours before you could leave work, and then God only knew how long it would be before the evening drinks would wind down…well, knowing Shoko and Satoru, far too long. If Suguru had his way, he’d have cleared a meeting room on the spot and taken you on the table itself—fine, maybe that was too much. But he definitely could just skip drinks and take you home. 

However, you probably wouldn’t be too keen on that. You’d made it clear at the beginning of this—whatever this was—that for it to work, the two of you would have to keep up appearances in public. There was nothing sanitary or respectable; after all, it was just sex. Rough, lust-driven sex. Nothing mattered to the two of you beyond your bodies and the stress relief you got from making each other feel good. But Suguru would be lying if he said it was still the same for him. 

He’ll never forget how it all started.  The two of you, thoroughly intoxicated in a bar one evening after work, much like what tonight promised to be. Your peers – long gone, either to the dance floor or slumped over at your booth. Left to your own devices, he had ended up beside you. In your haze you’d rested your head against his chest, remarking how incredibly muscular it felt. He had chuckled lazily, saying, “Well at least I know all those days at the gym are paying off – although for whom…” 

Hearing him trail off, you’d raised your head to look at him and he’d felt his slacks tighten seeing your eyes – wide and doe-like – as you remarked, “You’re single? I’d never have thought! You’re like, pretty physically gifted; if not mentally.” 

 He’d bristled and shot back, “Well, what about you? I heard you crying about being dumped the other day by the coffee machine.” 

“He wanted me to quit after getting married. It was an ultimatum. And we’d only been dating a few weeks.” You rolled your eyes. 

Suguru had grimaced at that. “Yeah, all that education and time you spent building your career, only to turn into a pretty little housewife who pops out babies? No thanks. What a waste.” 

Something had flashed in your eyes as he said that. The feeling of being understood, Suguru would later realise, was a powerful aphrodisiac. You’d sat up straight and grabbed his hand.

“I’m drunk, but I’m in control of my senses enough to know that, Geto Suguru, I kind of want to fuck you right now.” 

Suguru responded, “Well then, angel, that makes two of us.” From there it had been a whirlwind. You’d paid your tabs at the bar, texted your friends that you were leaving so they wouldn’t worry, and then instead of getting a taxi home, you’d hopped on Geto’s motorbike and sped off to a love hotel. Probably a stupid idea given the circumstances, but you both made it in one piece.

Despite the buzz in his body that was most certainly not from booze, he’d paid for the room and held your hand all the way up the elevator ride, desperate to touch you, yet concerned that you might not like the public display. But once you were in the room…it was all over. And not just for you.

His lips crashed into yours, rough and thirsty, drinking you in like a man lost in a desert who had suddenly happened upon an oasis. Fuck, you really were a good kisser, drawing him in deeper and deeper with your lips and tongue. Your hands were tangled in his hair, freeing it from the tight bun he sported to the office, while he tugged at your blouse, so neatly tucked into the waistband of your formal skirt. 

He’d paused for a moment to appreciate you once your skirt and blouse were off. “Damn!” he’d exclaimed with a low whistle, eyes roaming up and down your figure and resting briefly at your breasts clad in that pretty pink bra. How cute. The lace and little bow in the middle only made things better.

You’d blushed, but chalked it up to being the effect of the alcohol; thankfully, you didn’t have to think about it for too long, because Geto had dived between your legs and was already sloppily leaving kisses along your inner thigh. Your skin was so soft, and he swore he heard you giggle from how ticklish his lips felt.

Geto remembered how tight his own slacks had become, his shirt only half unbuttoned because he’d stopped you, wanting to prep you before he did anything else, desperation making him neglect his needs. He peeled your underwear off, flung it behind him, and attacked your clit. The small bud under his tongue was slurped into his mouth and gently pulled at between his lips, all while his fingers pleaded for an entrance into your hole. You hadn’t been able to stop yourself from clamping your thighs around his head, feeling the pressure building in your lower abdomen. His tongue worked wonders for you, licking up thick flat stripes. Something you couldn’t help but note your ex hadn’t bothered to do. 

Geto Suguru loved eating pussy. This was evident. 

He’d lost himself in the taste of your cunt face buried and mind far, far away till he’d felt you tugging at his hair, legs trembling around his head and you gasping “Stop, Suguru, stop!”

When he’d resurfaced, you’d fallen back onto the plush tacky red blanket, panting like you’d run a mile. Only then had he realised that you’d cum onto his face and were incredibly overstimulated. But you’d only taken a moment to gather yourself before sinking to your knees in front of him and finally freeing his cock, looking up at him with those infernal doe eyes. Your hand eagerly wrapped around it as you took his tip in your mouth, testing the waters with little kitten licks. You were determined to show him as good of a time as he’d shown you. 

So you started slow, getting a feel for his thickness and length, before gradually upping your game. It was only a matter of time before you managed to unravel your co-worker completely, and it was the gentle squeeze to his full, aching balls that made Suguru cum in your mouth with a guttural moan. You’d made a show of it, swallowing his cum down your throat and licking any spillage off your finger. 

Suguru’s eyes had darkened at that, and he’d almost ordered you to “get on the bed, I’m going to fuck you now.” You’d complied with a squeak of excitement and laid on your back, watching Suguru first yank off his work pants, then tear off his shirt, and finally climb over you while pulling down his boxers and throwing them halfway across the room. He’d reached out and opened a drawer to find himself a condom, and when he rolled it over his still-hard cock, he’d moaned — your eyes glazed over on hearing such an enthralling sound. You’d spread your pussy lips for him, glistening with your release, and Suguru had gently pushed himself into you, slowly, keeping his eyes on your face to make sure that you didn’t feel any discomfort. His gaze was calculating and contemplative, easy to see despite the low light of the room. You ran your hands through his gorgeous locks again, drowning in his touch. It was only when he bottomed out – his last few centimetres thrust in – that your mouth fell open in a silent scream. 

“Fuck. Your cunt feels amazing, angel.” The little lube on the condom, combined with your own slick, was enough for you to take all of Suguru, but it was still a tight squeeze. Definitely one of the bigger men you’d been with. 

The way you were stretched around him squeezing him tight, Suguru was loath to restrain himself, but he wanted this to feel good, for him as well as you. So he went slow and your hips bucked with each thrust, desperate to feel more of him. Soft pleas fell from your lips, “please…fa-faster…harder…f-fuck…more…please…Su-Suguru,” but he continued his pace. Only when you’d cupped his face in your hands, pulling him down for a kiss, and whispered to him, “Suguru, if you don’t move now I’m going to fucking bite you” did he chuckle, but started to pump in and out of your pussy faster and harder. 

“Is that a promise, angel?” he’d teased, and you’d hated the way your pussy clenched at his words. Unfortunately, Suguru seemed to like it.

His hips slapped against your ass with each hard thrust, and soon he was spilling for a second time that night, condom catching his release inside you. He’d pulled out and collapsed beside you, rubbing your clit with his right hand while his left arm encircled you, pulling you in for a rough kiss. The release you found from his fingers had you clinging to him desperately, moaning his name and maybe a few swear words. You wanted more. You needed more. 

You were sweaty and messy after all that, so he’d actually lifted you up and taken you to the adjoining bath, where you both soaked in the warm bubbly water for a while (once again, something your ex never gave a shit about, based on what Suguru had overheard at the coffee machine) before you had decided it was time to call it a night. Although your corporate nemesis assured you the room had been paid for till morning, you had mentioned that staying would have been crossing some boundary and had even denied his offer to drop you home on his bike. 

“You shouldn’t be riding,” you’d said, “We drank quite a bit…I’ll take a cab home, you can have the room for the night.” 

And with that, you were gone. Only the scent of your perfume and your combined sex lingered…

A/N: Hello! Thanks so much for reading. This was an idea that @ominouslywritinginmyhead came up with and hit me with so we decided why not write a Collab fic on it. We've pored over it and had several revisions and finally here it is! A small thank you to her for being a galaxy brain and dreaming up such delicious ideas. Also btw apparently in French they call an orgasm a small death so that's where that's at.

As always hearts and reblogs are much appreciated and comments will earn you kissies

[anxiousandpessimistic]

Bungou Stray dogs textposts inspired by my favorite dubs( ghost stories, Sk8, Saiki k)

Chuuya: I'm sure i'll live a long miserable life of heartbreak and alcoholism

***

Kenji(talking to Kyouka): Monsters only eat evil people like republicans and we're not old enough to vote!

***

Dazai: I told you I'd be fine. Why are you still crying?

Atsushi: Because these pyjamas are gay

***

Akutagawa(talking to Kyouka): Now we'll never get the weretiger! I hope to god you're adopted

***

PM Dazai to Akutagawa: God you are the ugliest kid i've ever had the misfortune of laying my eyes upon

***

Dazai: Chuuya, my love............................................. of suicide is because of you

***

Kunikida: I'M NOT OLD, I'M TWENTY-FREAKING TW0!!!

***

Kunikida(sees Dazai flirting with women): Crap! Be back!

Atsushi: Dont go over there, you'll make it worse

Kunikida: Oh yeah?By doing what?

Atsushi: Help, Akutagawa, that old guy scares me!

Akutagawa:

Atsushi: Akutagawa, are you listening to me? I'm scared!

Akutagawa: Oh! Dont worry bae, i'll protect you!

***

Kyouka, coming up to Dazai while he's flirting with women: Dad?

Dazai and the women freeze.

Kyouka: Mom is mad and said if you dont come back, she'll kill you(pointing at Chuuya, sweating and looking beautiful)

Dazai(starts blushing): That is NOT your mom!

Women(whispering to each other): He's a dad?

Dazai: She's not my kid...!

Kyouka, with starry eyes: Please dont take dad away !

Women are walking away

Dazai: What! No ! Come back ! Senioritas....

***

Akutagawa: Dazai! I can prove myself to you!

Atsushi: Do you know him?

Dazai: Never seen him before in my life~

***

Mori: Thank you, Kouyou! (winks)

Kouyou:

Kouyou:(groans in disgust)

***

Ranpo: That much for one lollipop? They're charging almost 1000 yen for it ? That's obsene. Who would spend that much on one lollipop?

Ranpo:

Ranpo: I would

[gothic-thoughts]

Not Listening

Toge Inumaki x Black Fem Reader Angst

CollegeAU(meaning AGEDup), YandereAU, Drabble

TW: Kidnapping, chasing, uses his curse technique to manipulate you

I don't even know how I let her talk me into letting her clever ass outside. She tried to convince me to go to an open park, I feigned agreement and brought her to the mall. "You said we were going to the park." She growled. I quickly type something on my phone and reveal the screen to her which read, "I'm not stupid so I brought you somewhere where you're less likely to escape immediately."

"In a mall?"

"Yeah. If you make a scene I know how to make you look crazy."

We walk around the mall and every second she gets she tries to pry her hand from mine so I garb her wrist and when that doesn't work, I grab her arm. She only continues to struggle in my grasp so I pull her to the side near a wall, squeezing her arm tightly. "Bonito flakes." I groan, before taking out my phone, "You're gonna force me to do something I don't want to do." She squinted at me, grabbing my hand tightly in an attempt to hurt me but I regardless, I smile at her cooperation. "Salmon."

"What happened to you, Inumaki?"

I give her a confused look when she calls me by my last name. "You heard me. You lost your first name priveleges when you told Megumi never look at me again." She snarls, ripping her hand from me again. I aggressively grab her wrist try to keep walking without drawing attention to our argument.

"You were such a good guy." She snaps.

"Salmon."

"No, you were."

"I still am. I'm just a good guy in love, baby. You're what happened to me."

"Don't 'baby' me. I am not your baby and I never will be."

"Salmon! Tuna." I stop in my tracks and flash her my phone screen, "I saved you plenty of times just to see that look you always gave me when you appreciated it. But then I caught you giving the same look to Itadori when he helped you." She pulled away from my hand with a scowl on her face. "Who knew you were such a fucking psychopath?" I scoff at her before grabbing her hand and pulling her to follow me across the open area to an ice cream cart parked by the escalator. I squeeze her hand one last time as a reminder not to do anything she might regret.

"Hi!" The vendor smiled, "What can I get for you?"

I hold up my index finger "Mango mochi. Strawberry mochi for her."

"1000 yen, please."

I reluctantly release her hand and take out my wallet, taking out the cash and looking up to see she had disappeared from my side. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I knew she'd do it. Just didn't think she'd disappear into the crowd so fast! I growl lowly and absent-mindedly slam down the money in anger, trying to hold it together in front of the confused vendor. "What happened?" The vendor asked while preparing the food so I turn back to her and whisper, "Forget us." before running into the crowd with a frantic mind. I just need to get close enough to curse her only.

After zigzagging through the crowd some more, I finally see her blue jacket swaying and ducking into the crowd while trying to get people's attention. looking around for me to solidify that she was escaping. I stop running, opting to speed walk to get close enough to her without being detected while the crowd bumped and rushed past her paranoid state. I even bump into her myself and she doesn't notice from how many people was in the area.

"Sleep."

She turns around in the crowd looking at where I was before moving away. I watched as her body started to sway with grogginess before I ran over to her and caught her falling body which led a few people to stop and stare in confusion and concern.

"Y-you...you mother...fu--"

She passed out in my arms so I picked her up bridally and waved the girl goodbye and headed to the mall exit just 50 feet away.

A/n: another shortie, yeah ik. Might post a Gojo smut for the simps Wednesday.

[vampshxde]

One Shot

Sure, people could say working at a cafe isn't fun. But who gets as lucky as you when Number 2 Hero, Shoto, comes into your work. Right before closing is odd, but of course, you still have a job to do.

Just minutes before closing, your mind is easily moved from the thought of freedom to the tall half and half man who walked in. It didn't take long to register that it was Shoto, a very well-known pro hero. Hell, he's been ranked number 2 for so long. Right underneath Dynamite. Looking him up and down. He had such a.. not a plain face, but a bored face. If that makes sense.

"Excuse me." He spoke up to get your attention.

Fuck you were staring. How embarrassing. You opened your mouth awkwardly to find something to say. But it felt so odd speaking to someone so famous. "I am so so sorry! Not every day is there someone so famous walking in.. What could I get you?" You had to put on your customer service voice. You couldn't help but notice he was still in his hero costume. Did he just get off patrol?

"Oh. Just an Iced Mint Frappuccino.." You nodded and set up the machine. That way, he could pay while you were making the drink. It was 1049.75 yen ($6.67). You began working on making his Iced Mint Frappuccino. Which didn't exactly take long, thankfully. When you turned back to give him his drink, he had sat down at a table. Watching the windows. "Shoto, your drink is finished now!"

He looked away from the windows to look at you. Registering what you said, he stood up and walked over. While you handed him the drink, he handed you a 1000 bill ($6.34417) as a small tip. "Ah! Thank you, Shoto! Although you won't be able to sit here and drink, the cafe was meant to close two minutes ago!" Shoto just nodded. He took a sip of his drink with such a blank expression. You watched his expression to see if there was anything wrong. But he didn't express anything.

"Thank you."

That's all you heard before he walked out. Let's just say this wasn't the last time he came. It was always your shift whenever he came in, oddly enough. He always got the same drink and tipped the same amount. What could you possibly think of what he's doing?

~

365 Words

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading roundup: April 2024

oh my god you guys I've read SO MUCH this month!!! I got BIG into reread N.K. Jemisin's tremendous Broken Earth trilogy and it's been jaw-dropping, and I have been reading a HEAP of comics and manga a

on the extremely off chance there's anyone following me who doesn't think comics, manga, graphic novels, etc don't count as "real reading" lmao lol get out of here??? you're on the Reading 1000s of Pages of Old Batman Comics blog. go feel the whimsy of reading a whole graphic novel in one afternoon and maybe you'll calm down.

ANYWAY!!! what have we been reading?

Earthdivers Vol. 1: Kill Columbus (Stephen Graham Jones, Davide Gianfelice, Joana Lafuente, 2023) - Stephen Graham Jones is one of my all-time favorite authors, and I was super excited to check out his first comic series. Earthdivers takes place in the wasteland of the 22nd century, where four Native survivors have hatched a plan to try to stop the disasters that are killing the world: use a time-travelling cave to send one of their number back in time to kill Columbus before he can launch the colonization of North America. it's a one-way trip, and the time traveler will have to be ruthless to achieve their goal. beyond the attention-grabbing hook of killing Columbus, this story dives (you see what I did there) deep into an exploration of what it means to sacrifice everything for a cause and find the will to be ruthless in pursuit of the greater good. I'm not 100% sure I tracked all of the twisting threads of time travel in this first volume, but the hook is compelling and Gianfelice's art is beautiful, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the series progress!

Spoiler Alert (Olivia Dade, 2020) - at this point I've written 8000+ words about this book on my patreon and it's becoming difficult to figure out what else to say or how to say it briefly. this book ties itself up in knots with its contrivances and makes both of its protagonists look dumb in the process. I don't like either of these people but - spoiler alert! - I still think April can and should do better. Olivia Dade please call me I just want to talk.

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 1-3 (Ryoko Kui, trans. Yen Press, 2017) - I don't need to explain Dungeon Meshi. surely you've seen the gifs of Dungeon Meshi. all that matters is that I fucking love Dungeon Meshi, this shit rules and it's going to be so hard to hold off on reading Volume 4 while I try to prioritize some other books first. this world is great, the characters are a delight and a joy, and the way that Kui is so fascinated by the food and biology and exploration of adventurer fantasy tropes in her world makes my brain go wheeeeeeeeee!!! I'm having so much fun.

The Fifth Season (N.K. Jemisin, 2015) - historically I've very seldom reread books, but I'm starting to think that I need to change my stance on that. revisiting the Fifth Season years after I first read it, with the time to really enjoy it and also the maturity and perspective to actually appreciate what Jemisin is cooking, has enhanced the experience immeasurably. a thing that really struck me this time was how artfully Jemisin depicts the way orogenes are conditioned and groomed from the jump to be subservient and scared and willing to settle for life at the margins of society; it's not something that I could totally understand the nuances of when I read this book fresh out of my first year of college. this novel and its sequels are so brilliantly devastating, I cannot say enough great things about them.

My Pancreas Broke, But My Life Got Better (Nagata Kabi, trans. Jocelyne Allen 2022) - I did it, I'm officially caught up on all of Nagata's works that have been translated into English! and man, I'm still worried about her. the experience of reading My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness hasn't quite been replicated for me; I think that was a once in a lifetime event, although I've certainly found a lot that I relate to in Nagata's subsequent struggles to sort of out anxiety, independence, art, and figuring out what kind of relationships she event wants to have in her life. at this point I feel like I'm just reading the illustrated life updates from a friend I haven't seen in a long time who stresses me out because her life is a mess. which is still interesting! but god I hope something good happens to this woman soon.

The Obelisk Gate (N.K. Jemisin, 2016) - The Fifth Season is a book about the end of the world and of one woman's personal apocalypses that happened prior to that. its sequel, the Obelisk Gate, is a book that's extremely preoccupied with the tedium of figuring out how to run a halfway-functioning society in the midst of the apocalypse, which is genuinely fascinating stuff. and it's also a book about the fear and desperation and sheer levels of exhaustion that might drive someone to decide that, fuck it, maybe the world should end and we should be done with all of this, actually. it's also a book about devotion and dependence and destruction and devouring people you love in a VERY literal way, which it must be said is pretty sexy. the stuff that pops off between Essun and Hoa in this book makes me think of Octavia Butler in the best way; I think she would have adored them. I'm so excited to get to the final book and see how this all pays off, because the first time I read it I barely understood a single goddamn thing that was happening.

I Hate This Place Vol. 1-2 (Kyle Starks, Artyom Toplin, Lee Loughridge, 2022-2023) - a short and spooky comic series that wraps up in two tight little volumes. I have some gripes with the pacing, but it makes for a fun afternoon read. a mid-tier streaming service is going to adapt this into a live action series within a couple of years, mark my worms. personally I'm fancasting Mackenzie Davis as Gabby and Samira Wiley as Trudy.

[otterlyfoolish]

Diverging Tracks

(Chihiro Rokuhira x GN!Reader)

Warning: Probably OOC

Tags: Childhood friends, Oneshot, Fluff

Word Count: 4k

Summary:

He didn't expect to find an old friend on the train. At first, he was afraid of being pulling into a barrage of questions regarding the scar on his face, but something makes him realises that probably won't be happening.

…When on Earth did they go blind?

If you prefer reading on Ao3, here's a link!

---

A/N: …I want this fandom to grow bigger, so I'm throwing this "x reader" out as a contribution (It is the only type of fanfiction I write currently) Uh, Tenoi.

---

The train station moved with the kind of hustle and bustle you'd get for a train going to a smaller sized city nearby Tokyo. Enough to make you more cautious than usual, but not enough to actually cause any problems. It was mostly just families on day trips travelling in the afternoon - no businessmen or students milling about the place.

Not that it would be too much of an issue for Chihiro anyways, he weaves through the crowd without much hesitation, smoothly making it past the little groups that's formed near the entrance of the train, the passengers languidly making it on and off the platforms. He swiftly found a seat in a empty carriage next to a window.

He leans his head back on the plush seat, turning his red eyes to face the window, staring past his reflection and onto the people milling about the station. With his right arm draped across his sword, pressing it firmly against his chest, he felt relaxed enough to not bother looking over to see the newcomer onto the train carriage.

"Sir? Ma'am?" The sound of shoes clacking against the wooden floorboards stopped right next to him. The person next to him took a small pause, as if trying to locate where he was before speaking again. "…Excuse me, Ma'am? Or sir?"

Chihiro looked up from his seat. Then he froze on the spot - his red eyes fixated on the person standing next to his seat with a polite smile.

Why were you here?

His mouth gaped for a moment, trying to think of what to say to you.

What were the chances of this happening naturally? Should he be suspicious? This wasn't a set up, was it?

…Though, looking up at you, his worries was somewhat laid to rest. Your face had the same polite smile he remembers so fondly. Lips ever so slightly curled at the edges, enough to make it seem like you were happy to see the other person, but not enough to seem overbearing in any way. You were a terrible liar - it always showed on your face - you were so bad, in fact when his father wanted to throw him a surprise birthday party, you practically gave it away with how weirdly you acted the whole day, trying to keep him from going back home. So if there was a issue, he'd probably be able to tell.

"If you don't mind, could you do me a favour?" You asked contuining your line of thought, now sensing that he was paying attention to you, your eyes still kept closed. Weird. Maybe you were up to something. Also you called out for "ma'am". There wasn't much about him that he would say earned him that title instead of "sir".

…Are they really up to something?

"…Sure." He responded. Well. You could also be trying to play a stupid joke on him again. The scar on his face was on the side opposite you - meaning that there was a chance that you haven't seen it. In fact, maybe you just haven't recognised him altogether. It has been a few years. Besides, he doubts he was your best friend at the time. At best he was… probably number three or something.

"Great! Thank you so much." You smiled at him, the curve of your lips becoming a little bit more noticeable. "Could you tell me if this is a 1000 yen note, or a 2000 one?" You ask, showing him the bill. "Usually, I can tell, but this bill is a little old and crumpled. It's a bit harder…"

He glances between you and the currency in your hands before asking the first question that came to mind when you asked for that favour. "…Can't you just look at it?"

There was another moment of silence as you seemed to let the question sink in the air. Something you did when you were trying not to offend the other by thinking of an appropriate response, but also wanted to subtly show disapproval for whatever reason. (It actually took him a while to figure this out until you just told him outright why you took your time answering sometimes.)

"…Sir, I'm blind." You reply back, your happy smile returning back to the polite one before.

His eyes widen, pupils almost frantic looking on any indication on your face that you were perhaps lying or maybe even something to tell him that you were blind. At the sound of his silence, you shifted your feet back and forth a little, waiting for any kind of response from him. Shit. You really weren't lying.

"Sorry." He clears his throat. His mind still running a mile a minute. When did they go blind? Is it sickness? Were they ill? "It's a 1000 yen note."

"…Ah. Okay." You nod back at him in response, almost a little disappointed at his answer, but it still doesn't faze your smile. "Well, thank you…!" You say, forcing your polite tone to come back, but when you turn away from him and go to sit probably a couple seats in front of him, you sigh to yourself, shoulders slumping as you clutched the bill in your hands.

…Chihiro knows that he should leave you alone. It's been too long since the two of you last met, making it awkward to strike up a conversation, not that he's ever really the type to do that to begin with, but still. He also doesn't want to answer any questions you might have regarding what happened. Dead dad. Essentially homeless. How do you say you've turned to a life of vengeance against one of the strongest group of sorcerers to your childhood friend while also on a quest retrieving the enchanted blades that ended the war? Oh yeah, you don't.

So the words that come out of him next isn't really words that came from his mind, and more so from instinct. "…What's wrong?" You weren't the type to talk about your problems unless prompted, so he was used to having to watch you carefully if you wanted to talk about anything in the past. Which was difficult, since he didn't get many chances to hang out with kids his age (basically none), so he wasn't exactly trained for those situations. Thankfully, it wasn't often, but he just made it a habit to ask you that every few weeks when it seemed like you were being too quiet.

"…Uhm… Well. I think…" You trailed off, turning your head back to face him. He wonders if you did this more for his comfort rather than yours - you didn't need to bother to turn around to see him anymore since you, y'know, can't see. "I think… the person that sold me my lunch didn't give me the correct change…? I gave them ¥5000, and the lunch was ¥3000, so I should get ¥2000 back, right? Not ¥1000?" You ask, as if there was actually any doubt in the amount of money you should have gotten.

…Of course, they got ripped off so easily. Actually, this might have worked on them even if they could still see.

A very short mental battle took place in his mind before he continues speaking. "…Was it the vendor right outside the train?" He asks, seeing you still depressed over the missing money.

"Yeah, you should avoid going there if you're getting lunch I guess…" You say, folding the bills and turning them back into your wallet with a sigh. "M'sure it's just a mistake, but…"

This was his second failure - when he couldn't just pull himself out of the conversation and leave. Just shut up. Or sit even further away from you. Or go to another carriage - fucking rebook his train if he had to and phone Mr. Shiba that he was getting a later train. But no.

"…Give me your receipt." He says, getting up and outreaching his arm to you. "I'll talk to them."

Strangely enough, you seemed to expect it from him. You didn't even question him, rummaging into your wallet to find it, until you pulled out the little slip of paper. "…Remember, it's just 1000 yen. It's probably a mistake."

"Hm." He hums back, taking the little slip of paper from you. When you offered it over to him, you raised your hand way too low down for him to naturally take - what, did you think he was that short? If he was still a teenager, maybe it would be acceptable, but since he's grown, he had a stretch his hand down to take it from you. "Okay. I'll be back."

You gave him a nod in response, not quite facing the correct height of where his face was, but he accepted it all the same.

---

When he comes back with the money, his feet barely need an instruction to go and find you, his boots purposely making more noise than usual as if to purposely alert you to his presence. It'd be somewhat scary for someone's voice to just suddenly appear right next to you, if you couldn't see, right? He's just being polite.

It seems like it worked, considering you tilted your head over to the direction he was coming from, only now you had sat in the spot opposite where he was sitting. Before you did, you weren't looking at the window like other passengers would while waiting, instead, you had just angled your head to face downwards at a slight decline, as if you were faking sleeping.

As he walks over, he realised that he could have just run off with the money and left you waiting on the train for nothing. His ticket could be used anytime, just as long as it was for this train.

…They haven't changed very much, huh?

"Here." He says, offering out the money to you, but realised that you couldn't pinpoint where exactly he was holding it out. "…Put your hand out."

"Oh!" You replied, lifting your head up in a excited manner and putting your palms upside out for him to place the bills on. "Did you get any money back?" You ask, the question basically redundant considering he said to put your hands out - clearly he had something to give you.

"Yeah." He says, tucking it into the crook of where your thumb met your palm. "2000 yen." He firmly presses his thumb into the flesh of your palm as he tucks it in, as if making a point somehow. Perhaps the point he wanted to non-verbally convey was "don't let this happen again."

But all you got out of it was a ticklish feeling apparently because you let out a small chuckle at the sensation before you gave him a hum of approval, your fingers finding their way over to the braille marks on the bill only to realise what it was. "…I only needed ¥1000 to make it the correct amount."

It wasn't exactly a mistake - he just asked the person running the counter about the receipt, and they handed over the money without much else prompting. It seemed that they realised what he was even going to ask before he finished his sentence. Even so, he can't exactly find it within him to be apologetic for his actions (or inaction?), they played ignorant first to a blind person first - and so he lets out all that he could be bothered to in response. "…Hm."

And like perfect timing, the train doors shut and the click and clack of the wheels could be heard moving the vehicle along the tracks. Even though Chihiro was standing upright, he was barely fazed by the sudden acceleration of the vehicle, still standing there waiting for your reaction.

"…Well, nothing can be done about it now." You say, laughing it off as you slip the bill into your wallet, the slip of paper making it just marginally thicker than before. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

…Carefree as always.

Since the conversation seemed to reached it's natural end, he flicked his eyes from you to the train carriage's reflection, looking at the other available seats around you.

He debated sitting in another section, he doesn't want to get found out who he is by talking to you any longer. Sure, his voice has gotten deeper since last time he spoke to you, but who knows if you could pick on on the subtle lifts and falls unique to his voice. His father said he spoke completely monotone, but you said that he always betrayed what he was thinking with the tone of his voice. Maybe you were lying to him back then.

He can't be sure, he took everything at face value when it was from you. There was no reason to doubt you, ever.

…And just like that, he realised that was all the more reason he needed to separate himself from you.

Just as his boot takes a step away from you, you let out a quiet 'oh!'

The sound makes him stop in his tracks turning back to look at you once more, his red eyes scanning you to see what was the problem now. "I'm sorry, you were sitting here before, weren't you? I can find another seat," you say, getting to your feet and taking a step away from the little section of seats before you were stopped.

"…You can sit there." He says, his voice quieter than before. you could probably tell that he was still standing by following the direction of your voice.

"What about you? I don't want to intrude." You responded politely as ever with the same disarming smile. It was the same way you treated him the first few times the two of you met. While he could appreciate the nostalgia, he doesn't want it.

"You're not intruding," he says, and he walked over to the same spot by the window he was in earlier and placed himself down, this time though, he placed Enten leaning against his chest as if he needed something to weigh himself down in the moment and not just leave.

There was a moment of silence - he could only imagine what you were thinking. Did you figure out who he was? Were you about to leave yourself and ignore him? Maybe you didn't want to sit near him at all. "…Okay." You responded, and sat in the seat opposite him, hands in your lap.

For a second he was almost startled that you chose to stay. He didn't want you to be near him, yet he didn't like the idea that you could sense something undesirable about him to not sit near him. There's a part of him that wants that image of his younger to maintain it's current status in your eyes even if he wouldn't benefit.

He nodded back, and turned his face to look out the window, gazing out at the view in front of him, watching the trees turn into rows and rows of houses. It didn't take him long for him to be bored of the sight and turned to you, glancing over for just a split moment. And in that tiny segment of time, he realised that you were also leaning your head towards the window, seemingly peering out the same view he was. "…I thought you were blind."

You laughed at him before you spoke, a short but real laugh, making him think that what he said was utterly ridiculous for a second. "That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the feeling of the sun on me. It's a nice day, today." You say, your soft laugh under your breath sounded like a wind chime to him. "It's rare for it to be this warm in this season. Besides, I'm not completely blind. I can somewhat see some coloured shapes and blurs. Though, even that is a little difficult sometimes."

He stares at you - perhaps you could feel the intensity of his stare as he did so, because you turned back to face him as you waited for what he wanted to say. He isn't quite sure how to phrase it for a moment, only examining your face carefully. He changes the question in his head a little to avoid suspicion."…Were you born blind?"

"Born? No, no." You shake your head as if it was obvious. He couldn't help but notice that you were slipping off that distant, but kind stranger act with him. "I've been like this for maybe two years? I turned blind after some sort of run in with a group of sorcerers."

"What."

"Ah, yeah! I know, right?" You say, nodding along to the sound of him gritting his teeth now - he was doing it quietly, but due to the fact you relied on your hearing more, you could pick up on his anger. "They were asking me for my money, and I told them I didn't have any change, so they blinded me with magic and then mugged me! Can you believe that? How rude! Just take one thing from me!"

Brushing away the fact you only considered them 'rude' and nothing else, he asked you another question. It seemed pretty typical of you to say, to be honest. "Do you have names?"

"I don't know," you shrugged. "Apparently a little gang of amateurs, since they couldn't even blind me fully." And with a huff from that final sentence, you slumped back into your seat.

"…I see." He said, my eyebrows still crossed, and the frown still evident on his face, but there was no point trying to hide that from you. His fingers tightened around Enten, clicking it against his other sword as he thought about what he could have-

"…I'm not even that upset about losing my money or even being blinded. You know what's the worst part?" You say, snapping him out of his thoughts, and he turns his eyes back over to you instead of the sheath of his blade.

He honestly doesn't know what more could be worse for the average person than losing one of your senses even if it's not fully. "Go on."

"I lost this… Thing, I don't actually know what it is, but it's like… This metal thing." You sigh slightly, turning your face away from him as if in embarrassment. "Keycharm? I don't know, but I always kept it in my wallet, in the little bit where you keep your coins."

"…You kept a bit of scrap metal in your wallet." He states, trying to confirm what you were trying to tell him. Did you pick up your old habit of collecting shiny-looking objects again? How many times does he need to tell you that if they're outside, it's filthy.

"It's not scrap." You huffed out almost immediately, but took your time getting to the next part. "It's… a gift." You say, then finally take your hands out of your lap, and start trying to motion out some shape out with them. "It's supposed to be spherical I think. It's hollow and there was something inside of it, like a little metal ball, and there's a slit in it. It's really quite small, so it's actually quite impressive. It's important, you know? It was given to me by my best friend."

Oh.

"A bell." He states, the words coming out of his mouth. As if he has to defend the dignity of his younger self and his skill level at the time. Though, looking back, there was a lot of things wrong with the design of his creation. Not that it matters, since he wasn't at the skill level to produce the things that he wanted anyways.

"…A bell?" You echoed, your voice light as you repeated his words. Even if you couldn't see right now, he could feel your gaze on him. Even if you couldn't see him, he felt the urge to turn his eyes away from you, avoiding eye contact.

"A… faulty bell." He says, again, realising that he couldn't turn back now. Besides you described what he gave you, he could theoretically, be bright enough to have pieced together what you couldn't from your description. "No?" He adds, trying to pretend that he was still a stranger even though he almost (or maybe he already has) exposed his identity to you.

He had given it to you after you said you wanted to be alerted to his presence whenever he got close to you. You were always lost in your own thoughts, and he wasn't a particularly loud child, so he would often startle you when he got close and started speaking to you. Really, it was barely a problem. You weren't scared to death, and you always just jolted then returned to normal after milliseconds of realising who he was. Even so, he didn't like that you reacted so strongly even if it was for less than a second to him. The solution he came to as a child - you'd put a bell on him and so you'd be alerted to every step he makes. Looking back, he wonders why he even came to that conclusion. Oh right.

It's because you said that the neighbourhood cat had a bell on its collar, and now it couldn't catch any birds to eat.

Possibly funny looking back. Before he's even made a sword, he made a bell. A bell to alert his only friend of his age range. And they didn't even know what it was, even so, they kept it for so long.

"…I see." You say, and you put your hand on the side of your face, a fond smile coming onto your lips as you thought about his answer. He hopes that you don't remember it all that well, but it seems that his wish is a fruitless one judging by your expression and your words. "How sweet."

Good. It seems like they haven't realised that it's me.

…Have I really changed that much?

Not thinking much on his thoughts anymore, he replies back. "…Sure." He simply puts, wanting to press for more details, but at the same time not wanting to give himself away. He doesn't like sweets, but he'll tolerate being compared to it if it's from you.

You let out a low chuckle at his response, smile growing wider.

Then, the train slowed down to a halt, a recorded voice coming out of the speakers as it pulled into the station and opened it's doors for the passengers to get off, to which a couple of people stepped off and a couple more got on, filling up the seats on the train.

The smile on your face returned to your neutral response, as you listened again to the recording as it repeated once more.

"…This is me." You say, motioning to the train station. His eyes only flicker over to the building before landing back on you. "This has been good."

…We only together sat for one stop.

"…Mhm." He hums, but he hopes that you can hear the acknowledgment in his tone. Knowing you, you probably did pick up on it, and probably more he wasn't aware of. You said you did - he'll just have to trust that. He can relearn to.

"I hope we'll cross paths again sometime in the future," You say your voice having a happy lilt to it as you waved goodbye to him. (To which he gave you a nod. It's only later he remembers that you couldn't even see his non-verbal farewell.) "Chihiro."

After he nods, not thinking a thing of it since the words sounded so natural to him, only looking at your figure as you navigated the station you got at hazily before you seemed to find your way. He blinks once. Then again. Finally processing what you said as you were out of sight now, and the train started moving again.

…Wait.

[parasiticjustice]

[RGG Online Translation] Boss Rush Event · Mikio's Ideal Image (Mikio & Rikiya)

Summary: After Rikiya goes through a string of embarrassing incidents, Mikio starts to think that he'd rather look up to Kiryu for his ideal image of a man. So when an innocent woman is put in danger, Mikio rushes in to help... Featured Characters: Rikiya Shimabukuro, Mikio Aragaki Spoilers?: Very light spoilers for the beginning of Yakuza 3, but otherwise, nope!

On this episode, ohh my boys. My sweet, wonderful, profoundly stupid boys.

This was a super fun little event! Rikiya and Mikio are so delightful together, I'm really glad that RGGO gave us more of them.

Usual Disclaimer: I'm coming at this with little more than crude Japanese knowledge, a machine translation cocktail, and an insatiable desire for more RGG content. This will by no means be a decent translation, but it should at least be serviceable.

Notes:

Content warning for attempted sexual assault. The usual Yakuza fare of goons being creepy towards women.

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

Narration: April 2008. After Rikiya Shimabukuro, the young captain of the Ryudo Family, comes to regard Kazuma Kiryu as his aniki...

Rikiya: ...Hey! Wait a sec, you bastard!

[he runs out of the alley and onto the main street]

Rikiya: Finally caught you, thief... Thought you were smart, waiting for me to buy a drink for Mikio to grab my money... but now, I'm gonna get it back.

Mikio: Hah... Hah... I finally caught up...

Rikiya: You ain't fast enough, Mikio! What would you have done if you let the thief escape?

Mikio: What thief... Ain't that just a dog that nabbed your 1000 yen bill?

Dog: Rrr... woof woof!

Rikiya: You idiot! Don't "ain't that just" me when it's the last bill in my wallet! Come on, doggy... Gimme back that 1000 yen already...

Dog: Woof woof!

Rikiya: Oh shit, right between my legs! You asshole!

[Rikiya runs off, chasing the dog]

Mikio: Aniki~! Don't be so desperate! Didn't ya see that kid laughing at you when you ran by?

Mikio: ...Haa...

Mikio: (...It's good that Rikiya's so friendly, but he's also kind of an idiot. Like that one time...)

???: S-Someone help meeee!

Rikiya: What's wrong, old man?!

Angler: Ah, no, it's just... the fish that took my bait is much bigger than I was expecting... while I grab my net, could you hold the fishing rod for me?

Rikiya: Oh, that's all? Here, I can take it... Damn, what a pull. This is a big one...

Rikiya: Hey, old man! You got the net yet?

Angler: S-Sorry! My net fell in this rocky spot and now I can't get it out...

Rikiya: Mikio! Go help him out!

Mikio: On it!

Mikio: Is that where it fell? If you go down and grab it, I can pull it out from here.

Angler: Right...!

Mikio: ... Alright! Is that the whole thing?

Angler: Yes! Let's return right away!

Mikio: Aniki! I brought the net! ...Wait, what? He isn't here?!

Rikiya: Mikio! Waah! Over here!

Mikio: I can hear his voice, but... Oi, where are you?!

Angler: Maybe he was dragged closer to the ocean... Wha?! He's in the ocean?!

Mikio: Huh?!

Rikiya: Mikio! Waaaah! The net...! Pull me out with the net!

Mikio: Aniki?! R-Right, the net...!

Mikio: (...Yeah, that was dumb. And there's a bunch of other stuff too... His pants got ripped open after a fight, he was mistaken as a pervert when he tried to give directions to a lost woman, he took me out for a meal but I had to pay cause he forgot his wallet...

Mikio: ...On the other hand, a guy like Kiryu is pretty cool. He's mature, and strong... and he's never embarrassing. He's like the ideal man.

Mikio: Sorry, aniki... but if I wanna be like anyone, I wanna be like Kiryu.)

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

Narration: A few days later...

Mikio: It's almost time for our meetup... Where are you, aniki?

Mikio: If we're going into the movie anyway, I might as well buy us drinks while I wait... huh?

Young Woman: H-Help-

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Hey now... make another noise, and I'll stab you. If you don't wanna die, then be a good girl and come with us. Don't worry, we're all nice guys. We'll have a lot of fun together... hehe...

Young Woman: Ngh...

[they all go into the alleyway]

Mikio: Those guys just now... weren't they holding a knife to that girl? This is bad... I better call the cops... No, what if they take too long and something awful happens to her...?

Mikio: Should I jump in and help? No way, those guys were serious trouble. They'd probably kill me... Mikio: If Kiryu was here, he'd definitely go in and help without a moment's hesitation.

Mikio: ...

[inside the alley]

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Nooow, if you don't want me to hurt that pretty face of yours, get on your knees and start-

Mikio: Stop!!

Sharp-eyed Gangster: ...Hah?

Mikio: ...That woman... let her go.

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Who the hell...? You know this lady? Or are you just suicidal?

Mikio: It ain't like that. I just... didn't want to be a coward, scared of scum like you who'd threaten a woman with a knife.

Sharp-eyed Gangster: The fuck? What's with this self-righteous pig... I'll gut you and cook you up into rafute.

Mikio: (...I've got a weapon, but three guys... that's too many...)

Mikio: I can at least try—

[one of the gang members hits him from behind with a bat]

Mikio: ...Kah....

[he falls to the ground]

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Oh, nice one.

Gang Member: Gotta watch your back too, piggy.

Mikio: (Damnit... didn't see the other guys...)

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Think you can call me scum, huh? I'm gonna slit your throat so you can never talk shit to me again.

Mikio: (Eek... the knife's right at my throat... at this rate...)

???: Wah~... toilet, toilet~...

Sharp-eyed Gangster: ...Huh?

Rikiya: Ahh... that was close... nearly dribbled in my pants... ahh...

[Rikiya starts pissing in the alley]

Mikio: (Rikiya-aniki... has he come to help...? But if that's the case... why the hell is he peeing...?)

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Oi, drunk! Fuck off!

Rikiya: No waaaay~ Once you start, you can't stop~

Rikiya: ...

Mikio: ...!

Mikio: (He glanced over... He knows I'm here. That means...)

[Rikiya continues taking a whizz]

Gang Member: Hey, drunk. If you don't wanna get killed, then you better buzz off.

Rikiya: ...Huh? What?

Gang Member: Whoa! You idiot, don't turn around!

Rikiya: Hehe, you're wide open... take that!

[Rikiya decks him]

Gang Member: ...Gah...

Sharp-eyed Gangster: What the...?!

Mikio: (He's distracted! Now...!)

[Mikio charges at the Sharp-eyed Gangster]

Mikio: Hyah!

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Oof!

Mikio: Alright!

Rikiya: Damnit, I dribbled over my pants! Well... it worked out, so it's fine.

Mikio: Aniki... you saved me... thanks.

Rikiya: I dunno what's going on, but we just need to get rid of these punks, right Mikio?

Mikio: Right!

Sharp-eyed Gangster: So you're his buddy... should've known from your shitty acting....

[more men show up]

Mikio: ...?!

Rikiya: Tch... so you had more friends.

Sharp-eyed Gangster: I'm gonna kill you two assholes!

[no he's not. Mikio and Rikiya beat them up]

Gang: Gaaah...

Rikiya: Hah... hah... that was way too many...

Mikio: Hah... hah... Is that... all of them...?

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Don't... fuck... with me...!

Mikio: ?!

Rikiya: Mikio, watch out!

[Rikiya pushes in front of Mikio as the Gangster swings a knife at him]

Rikiya: Guh...

Mikio: Aniki?!? You asshole...!!

[Mikio decks the Sharp-eyed Gangster]

Sharp-eyed Gangster: Ugh...

[he goes down]

Mikio: A-aniki! Are you alright?!

[sad music plays]

Rikiya: Mikio... you're not hurt...?

Mikio: Of course I'm not... but you...

Rikiya: I might be done for... the place where I was stabbed... I don't feel any pain... I don't feel anything at all. I've been stabbed before, but... I guess when you're dying... it doesn't really hurt...

Mikio: Cut it out, aniki! I-If we close up the wound, it'll be fine... here, lemme see it...

Mikio: ...!!!

Rikiya: Is it... that bad?

Mikio: Ah, no... I was just surprised. I thought you got stabbed in the stomach, but it just tore your clothes...

Rikiya: I see... No wonder it doesn't hurt...

Rikiya: Wait, what?!

[regular music plays]

Mikio: Like I said, it's just your clothes that were torn! You're completely fine! Geez, don't scare me like that! I really thought you got stabbed!

Rikiya: Well... even if you say that... I really thought you were gonna get hurt, so I jumped in. Wasn't expecting it to whiff entirely...

Mikio: I was so worried you were gonna die!

Rikiya: Haha, my bad!

Mikio: (Feh... even though you risked your life to protect me, you're still so uncool, aniki...

Mikio: ...No, I see now. Aniki is always...)

Rikiya: Anyway, I'm glad we're both safe!

Mikio: Yeah... when I had that knife to my throat, and you came in and started taking a piss, I had no idea what to think. Making your enemy flinch by peeing on them... that's just like you, aniki. Kiryu would've never done something like that.

Rikiya: I couldn't help it. When I saw you were in trouble, that was the only way I could think of to help you. It wasn't cool, but it worked, didn't it?

Mikio: ...No, it was cool.

Rikiya: Eh?

Mikio: How could I not think you're cool when you were willing to be so uncool to save me!

Rikiya: ...Heh, I see.

Mikio: Actually... I was thinking recently that I want to become a cool guy like Kiryu.

Rikiya: Makes sense. I look up to him too.

Mikio: I know, but... I've come to realise, I actually wanna be like you, aniki!

Rikiya: What?

Mikio: When you tried to help that old man and fell into the ocean... when you tried to give that woman directions and she called you a pervert... when you offered to buy me a meal but then forgot your wallet... when you risked your life to save me, and then acted like you were gonna die from a stab wound that wasn't even real... When I think about it, you're always helping other people.

Mikio: You're willing to put your life on the line for others, you're passionate, and you work hard without caring if you're cool or not... I think I'm better suited to your kind of coolness than Kiryu's coolness.

Mikio: ...And if I'm being honest... Even if you're clumsy, I think you're even cooler than Kiryu.

Rikiya: ...Heh, there's no way I'm better than Kiryu-aniki, but if you wanna feel that way, I won't stop you.

Young Woman: Umm... thank you, so much, for your help.

Mikio: Oh, sorry! I forgot about you! You're not hurt, are you?

Young Woman: No, I'm fine, thanks to you two.

Rikiya: Ah, I get it now. You were in trouble cause you were trying to help this lady.

Mikio: Well, I should call the police now...

Young Woman: Ah, I've already called them... I'm going to tell them everything that happened here.

Mikio: Oh.

Rikiya: You did well, Mikio. The movie we were gonna see is probably over by now, so do you wanna grab a drink instead? I'll pay for it.

Mikio: Really? Hell yeah!

Rikiya: Hehe, then let's find a nice place. I actually have cash to spare from getting lucky at pachinko...

Rikiya: ...Huh? ....Huuuuh?!

Mikio: What are you doing? Suddenly grabbing all over yourself...

Rikiya: ...My wallet's gone. M-Maybe I dropped it during the fight! Hold on!

[he starts searching the alley frantically]

Rikiya: Hey, asshole, don't flop over! My wallet might be around here!

Rikiya: Not here... not here either... Goddamnit! Where the hell is it?!

Mikio: ...Heh, really... He's so uncool.

------END------ ------------------

[ultimateaclrecovery]

Japan Day 6 Hakone!

Today we traveled to a mountain town called Hakone.

We got to see mt Fuji on the train and honestly the train ride of just having a full two hours to sit and not do anything was really nice

Then we saw an ad for the Hakone open air muesuem and it was really cool! Highlights including the foot bath, giant fried egg that you could stand on, a stained glass tower, a hilarious interactive display where they put your face on a digital artwork in the museum background and a Picasso room.

We then got to take a gondola up to the mountain top and down to the lake where we got to take a pirate ferry boat across!

And then after some brief chaos with the bus system (it just never came) and taking a taxi (that also went to the wrong place at first) we finally got to check in at the Ryoken and enjoy our private onsen. We also got to enjoy this many courses traditional dinner. There was a lot of sea food and my boyfriend kept trying to get me to keep trying it so I didn’t have the best time. But the non sea food parts were very good and everything was super pretty.

Overly long and tmi travel diary

We get up early to catch a two hour train to Hakone. My tummy is just a little a bit upset this morning. Between travel, stress, being on my period, and lots of new food it’s been through a lot. I also feel like I haven’t been pooping enough. But they could just be not eating enough for how much walking we’ve been doing.

The train is really nice and we get some lovely views of the sun rising over the mountains. I update my travel diary, take a nap and then we get to see a view mt Fuji through the window. It is impressively taller than everything else around it.

We transfer to a smaller train and then a another mountain train. And then it’s a cable car.

5000 yen for Hakone free pass for transit. I am down to 1000 yen in cash. (Really 3000 as I later find another 2000 yen note in my pocket that I didn’t see before)

5000 yen for Hakone free pass for transit. I am down to 1000 yen in cash. (Really 3000 as I later find another 2000 yen note in my pocket that I didn’t see before)

We see an ad for Hakone open air museum and decide to get off a stop early and go see it. (I think I paid by credit card, 1200 yen each including a 200 yen discount from our Hakone passes).

The museum has a couple galleries where you can’t take pictures (although my bf tried) but mostly it’s big outdoor sculptures. There’s a fun star maze and some garden areas, and the whole place is set up with a great view of the surrounding mountains. I love the Picasso room. I hadn’t realized he did so many ceramics. We stop at a foot bath where we get a towel out of a vending machine for 100 yen. It’s small but a surprisingly nice towel and is branded to make it a souvenir. There’s a big tower made of stained glass that’s really fun. And a fried egg sculpture that you can stand on! I deeply love getting to stand on or interact with art.

After the museum we go grab lunch at a little road side restaurant. Ignoring the delightful ninja cafe next door full of authentic delicacies such as spaghetti and ninja ice cream.

Foot bath and a vending machine towel for 100 yen from Anthony

I get pork ginger and rice for lunch in the card.

After lunch we take the ropeway (hanging cable car) to the top of the mountain. On the side of the mountain are a bunch of thermal vents venting steam. You can see the yellow sulfur deposits around it. Supposedly you can get a black egg cooked in the sulfur water that adds seven years to your life, but we don’t get it.

We spend a little time at the top looking at the mountain and then head down the other ropeway to the lake. And then we get to ride a pirate ship!

The pirate ship we get is called queen ashinoko and is gold and red. We take it across the lake. I love all the sights and being on a boat and my bf tolerates it and enjoys the view. It does get a little chilly but is otherwise a delight. I see a lady take a bunch of silly titantic esque photos on one of the interior balconies. Sometimes it’s such a delight to watch other people live their best lives.

After the ferry we try to get on a bus to go to our hotel but it’s super delayed and the lines are insane so we give up and hail a taxi. Anthony impresses the taxi drive with his handful of Japanese and good pronociation and they have a good chat. The taxi ride ends up being just shy of 5000 yen which is more than I thought it would be (and we get a little turned about by the directions. Anthony gave the hotel name but written in English and just said like Japanese so we go to a bit of the wrong place first and then have to give the actual address which gets us to the right place.

We head into the rykone and They take your shoes and give slippers. The ryokan has a very traditional feel. We are shown where our private onsen will be and then to our rooms. Our rooms have yakata (?)robes in them to wear around. Mine is pink and my bfs is blue. They both have blue overcoats. We head down to the onsen before dinner. The sun is starting to set and the view is really pretty. The leaves are mostly either green or fallen but it’s still so peaceful. We shower first in the attached shower and then step into the sulphuric mineral water. It’s so cloudy and so hot but also feels so good. It would be better if it were like five degrees cooler but it’s still lovely. We hang out for a bit stepping in and out to cool off as needed. They’ve also put a thermos jug of cold water which is perfect.

We rinse back off and head back to our room for dinner.

Dinner will be served in our room and is a traditional set meal.

It starts with appetizers and is mostly fish which makes me sad. I knew this was likely that I wouldn’t like a good portion of it but it still makes me sad. The plates and the way everything is presented is so lovely. I try to focus on how fun it is and not how gross all the fish is. I get talked into trying a piece of the raw tuna and it’s awful. I also try a piece of sushi, the first bite is okay but when I take the second bite I realize that the first bite had way less fish in it and I Gag a little and almost throw up. I also try one of the little fish eggs since my bf claims they are mostly salty and not fishy. False. Very false and very gross. Combined with new and questionable vegetables I’m way past my limit of new food. Luckily there are some things that I like too. There’s a beef dish that is so delicious and comes with the cutest little wedge of cheese.

There’s also a hot pot like thing with pork and milk that is so cool and delicious.

We get sweet pudding for dessert.

After dessert we go have more onsen time. It’s fun to be in it at night with it being all dark. Unfortunately it’s too hot to really cuddle in the onsen which bums we out.

We head back up to the room and watch Japanese tv before bed. We get to see some sumo wrestling, a cooking show and some weird childrens tv show. I get a little sad because I had such high expectations for this part of the trip and then I didn’t get to cuddle or do more than cuddle and didn’t like a lot of the food.

It’s a traditional style hotel room so it has two twin beds. We push them together(I push mine into his) but it’s not really what I wanted. I take a moment to cry a little in the bathroom and I feel a bit better. It’s hard when you feel disappointed in something you feel like you should really be enjoying.

[akehoshimystar]

Takeru R

The Powerful Beauty Seeker

Takeru: Now that we’ve cleared all the shopping list, let’s hurry back and get some rest. Shinobu: Sure! Oh, can we stop by the convenience store first? Takeru: Of course.

When we arrived at the convenience store, Shinobu made a beeline to…

Shinobu: Ah, there it is! Takeru: What are you buying? …….Lotion? Wouldn't it have been better to stop by a drugstore instead of a convenience store? Shinobu: It's just for the next occasion, this size is more than enough. The travel sizes tend to be at convenience stores after all. That being said, I haven't decided what to buy next, so I've been trying these out for a while. Takeru: I see. You could have asked me for a recommendation, though. Let me tell you about the lotion that has been taking care of me….

Takeru: (…or so I thought)

I grabbed Shinobu’s face with both hands and observed him closely.

Shinobu: W-Wuh ish it??

Firm skin that seems to have anything but dryness. And his pores are not noticeable at all, so glamorous. .…..I know that these days, cheap products are not to be underestimated.

Shinobu: Scaryyyyy. What’s going on here? Takeru: Shinobu, how long has it been since you used the lotion from the convenience store? Shinobu: Ehhh? I don't remember much. I think I've been using it for quite some time now… Takeru: Hmm? He can maintain such fine skin for just 1000 yen…

The lotion I use on a daily basis has one extra zero. And yet…

Takeru: Youth is the key all along, huh….

When I finally fret Shinobu, he gradually returned to his usual expression after making a face that resembled a space cat meme.

Shinobu: It seems like you’ve just discovered something..... Anyway, I'd love to know Mika-nee’s recommendation! I really want to graduate from mediocrity, so I'd be really happy if you could give me some advice.

I understand the desire for even more beauty, and I'm willing to help him achieve that.

Takeru: If you still have time, how about hanging out with me a little more? Some products may not suit your skin, so I'll do my best to help you choose one ♡ Shinobu: Yay! I'm counting on you, Mika-nee. Takeru: Music to my ears. I won't let the potential of this young man go to waste. Shinobu: Am I being praised? Anyway, thank you.

With high spirits, we headed to our next destination, which was decided last minute. This fun feeling may be the true key to the beauty.

[mrskenpachizaraki]

THE MIGHTY PHOENIX

Chapter 2

~The Next Day~

The sound of flesh hitting could be heard throughout the garage before Kansuke could be seen falling on top of the pile of tires that had been laying around, passed out.

Above him, Magoroku popped his gum before whistling “Damn, Phoenix, thought he was going to get you with that left, but you faked him out with that right.”

He laughs before pointing to Binzo “ You owe me a 1000 Yen.”

Binzo flips the other male off before shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out 1000 Yen. He walks over to Magoroku, who had his hand out, and slams the money into his hand. He walks back to his normal area mumbling about weak sophomores.

Magoroku smiles as he pops his gum and counts the money.

Rao was sitting in his normal spot which was an old reclining chair near next to his make shift gym in the corner of the garage closest to the entrance. His Faction was in their hangout place which was the schools old garage. The doors of the garage no longer worked leaving the entrance of the school the only way in or out.

Rao, Phoenix and Mercy had found it when they first started at Suzuran years ago and it slowly turned into the hangout spot of the Roah faction once they joined them. Though they all liked to roam and stay in other parts of the school, the place gave them a place to go back to.

Rao looked to his left side towards the floor where Phoenix now laid after the fight, bruised and breathing hard behind the bandana she wore. “Had fun?” He asked her, which she responded with a laugh.

She wore the school uniform (now disheveled and ripped)with a bandana around her face and her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail that had came loose during the fight. Her gender not not noticeable behind the male clothing.

Mercy couldn’t help, but shake his head, smiling, his cigarette hanging between his fingers “You know, he’s going to want a rematch. I don’t think he knew you could fight better than him. Plus, you’re a boxer and he’s a boxer, he’s never going to leave you alone.”

Phoenix looked up at Mercy, her smile obvious in her eyes “Most don’t. Why do you think I’m always the one everyone goes after first.” She laughs “Maybe it’s because I’m short.”

Even though he knew he shouldn’t Rao laughed at this comment while shaking his head. “Alright, that’s enough. Let’s talk about the situation with Oya as we wait for Kansuke to wake up again.” Mercy nod, putting his cigarette out in its bowel as Phoenix sat up. Binzo, Ito, and Magoroku left their position of poking Kansuke to pay attention to what’s going on.

“Ito, tell me what you and Kansuke saw.” The attention was now on Ito.

“Kansuke had to pick up some medicine for his younger sister and asked me to accompany him. The only store that sold it was in Oya district. As we were traveling to the store we passed, what we assumed were multiple factions. All of them had left the school. They were visibly upset and talking about a new student of the name of Fujio Hanaoka. We also passed by a few students doing a type of an exchange further from the school.”

“Redrum.” Mercy states out of nowhere forcing everyone’s attention onto him.

“Isn’t that the drug that S.W.O.R.D got rid of when Kuryu Group fell for a short while?” Magoroku asks, remembering the rumors and whispers from a few years before.

Mercy scoffed, pulling out a cigarette “ They may have thought they got rid of it but it showed back up only months after. It may not be in S.W.O.R.D until now, but it’s definitely in the districts beyond there.”

Binzo added “Kuryu has been trying to get it under control though.” He laughs “ I swear some of them plus one of those guys from that music group grabbed these guys that were on that stuff and causing trouble down the road from my building.”

“Which is weird since it seems like they were once the main contributor of Redrum.” Mercy added, placing the cigarette he had been holding between his lips and lighting it. He inhales some of the smoke before blowing it out. “I suggest for Ito to keep watch on the power shift between the full and part time students. Also, keep on any word of Redrum coming into the school or more into our district.”

Rao nod, taking all the information in. He had to admit this was a cause for concern since he or Phoenix hasn’t seen anyone on anything besides the normal things which they kept away from the kids. The new student didn’t really concern him though besides the possibility of them trying to target them and the possible power shift. After a few minutes of silence, Rao makes his decision.

“This may be a concern. I agree, but we need to take any possible consequences into account as well. For now, Ito just find out any information on that new student. Just who he is, any factions he is connected to, and what seems to be his goal. Phoenix will look into Redrum since most won’t notice her looking around. The rest of you I want you to keep an eye if that comes into the school. Even though the other factions can handle themselves we all know there’s a few dumbasses that would still try.”

The others nod as they heard a groan. They all turned where they left Kansuke and saw he was waking up. They could see him slowly moving where he had been before he got up and made his way to where they were, groaning as he went.

“Hey dumbass!! How was your nap?” Magoroku shouted causing the male to flip him off as he slowly stood, groaning as he went. He slowly made his way to the group, Binzo and Magoroku laughing at him as he came.

Once he made it to them he sat down between Ito and Magoroku, glaring at Phoenix, who only waved at him, smirking under her mask.

“I want a rematch.” Kansuke tells the other, his eyes focused on Phoenix. Phoenix signed to him “Anytime time.”

Rao couldn’t help, but shake his head while smiling “Another time. “ Suddenly older males voice turns serious “But for now let’s get down to business.” His eyes focus on the male.

Kansuke, suddenly aware of everyone’s eyes on him sits up straighter and focuses on hopefully his new leader.

“You are now apart of the faction. That means you are loyal to not just myself, but everyone of us. We are a family.” He looks at everyone before his eyes land on Phoenix, who stood up. “There’s something else you should know.”

Kansuke watched as Phoenix slowly took off their uniform jacket and shirts, revealing she was wearing multiple, his eyes slowly growing bigger as the others tried not to laugh. Finally, she got to her tank top that showed off her more feminine form before she took off her bandana. She smiled at him before waving at him. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“W-what?” Kansuke shuttered out causing the others to laugh.

“This is Phoenix, known as my other second along side Mercy to many. Also, known as Suzuran rising Phoenix and our factions Brutal Beast to the rest of the school.” Rao introduces officially, before finally adding “She’s also my little sister.”

“How is she even able to go here?” Kansuke asks finally, not knowing what else to say.

Rao and Phoenix look at each other before shrugging “There’s certain things that allows me to go to this school. It helps that no one ever can tell what I look like so it doesn’t really matter in the end.” Phoenix says, giving a brief explanation, showing she doesn’t want to explain more.

“It’s always a bitch finding out, but nothing is different than before except Phoenix will go between speaking and doing sign language at times.” Magoroku adds in, popping his gum as the others agree.

Kansuke only nods, still trying to process everything going on. Binzo jumps on him, wrapping his arm around the younger male “Plus, she’s always down to fight. Everyone else is so boring when we fight each other.” Binzo adds his own piece, causing the other to shout in disagreement and Phoenix to laugh.

“So, I still can get my rematch?” Kansuke asks, addressing both Phoenix and Rao. This causes the others to laugh. Phoenix smiles stepping forward and Kansuke slowly stands up and the others moving back as the rematch slowly gets started again.

[leinterested]

Probable spoilers for the next chapters

115 >starts with Asa lying on the ground, they can't find the exit, the time has stopped, the toilet water doesn't work and the aquarium fish has all died >the devil club hunter sitting next beside now, told her they would've been out if it weren't for her destroying her phone >Asa told him since he's chainsawman, please do something. >"I'm chainsawman?" "What are you talking about?" >"But the starter in your chest..." >He then said he had this put on from a surgery, saying a man close to chainsawman told him it was one of his traits >If ge really were chainsawman, he would've gottem everyone out of here, and burst into hysterical laugh, asking chainsawman for help >Jumps to Denji and Yoshida talking, with Yoshida asking if Denji is going to do anything >Denji told him if they couldn't find the devil in the first place, there's nothing he could do, and asking if Yoshida can do anything >Yoshida then took out his phone, but as expected there was no signal, and no help is arriving as time as stopped. >"Honestly I'm fully prepared to die this time" "Can you eat the death devil? Chainsawman" >Jumps to Denji finding Asa, saying everyone seems to have turned into an idiot >Asa is hungry, Denji told her to eat fish, but she can't >Asa says shes sorry for bringing you on a date, it doesn't make any sense but I'm trying to turn you into a weapon >Goes on a rant, TLDR she can't turn anyone into a weapon, because shes a boring human >Denji hearing nothing, asked her what shes babbling about by herself >"You can't eat fish right? How about we try some starfish?"

116

>Starts with Asa saying which starfish can or can't be eaten >Asa asks if they're really eating it, "You couldn't eat fish right? You have no choice but to eat the starfish" >"But starfish has poisons, we can't eat them unless they're boiled" >Denji told her its fine, there is a pot in the staffroom and he gotten the lighter from one of the devil hunter club member >Jumps to a frame with lots of student hat on the floor, Asa asks Denji what are they for >Denji told her its to sell once they've returned outside >Asa then ask what are you trying so hard to earn money for >"I have to live together with someone like a little sister, and I'm going to a university so I can become smarted" >"that's why I need those money for school fees, I have been living a shit life, thats why I want to live a normal life now" >The starfish is now cooked, Denji said its tasteless, Asa says its not enough >Next to them are some dried fish Denji made, Asa took one of them to eat >Denji asked she couldn't eat fish right? She took a bite and gag a little >Denji laughs at her, "aren't you an interesting one?" >Asa becomes happy, "so I'm an interesting girl...!" >"So you've finally realised it! I'm attractive aren't I?!" >Denji says she's not bad, reminds him of a friend from long ago >Suddenly, Asa thought of an idea to get all of them out, after looking at those hats denji collected >Asa told him to gather all the money, he said he only got 1000 yen from the bag earlier, and theres 14000 from the safe in the staffroom >Asa: "Steal them!" Denji "Oh yeah!" And they are running d looking fun together >After gathering all the money, Asa told Denji to give everything to her >Denji refuses, Asa: "If we get out of here I'll listen to one of your wish!" >Denji gives her the money, Asa told her to face the wall over there and covered up his ears >"With this one million dollar, I'm buying this aquarium!" >"Aquarium Spear"

Guess Aquarium Spear will be strong enough to face fake Chainsaw Man or the Justice Devil

[everygame]

Space Invaders Part II

Developed/Published by: Taito Released: 7/1979 Completed: 04/06/2024 Completion: Able to polish off three waves counting shots. I could do better.

Not exactly by design but I’ll admit the last few weeks of Every Game I’ve Finished have been like “you should really buy exp. 2601 for context” and this week is even worse, because my article on Space Invaders there is such a banger.

However, in precis, I look at Space Invaders like Bishop looks at the Alien: I admire its purity.

I mean, there really is nothing like it. The heartbeat. The clean, immediate, graphics. You not simply against the machine, but your own ability to count shots to ensure you get the highest score. That beautiful Pepper’s Ghost.

Space Invaders Part II, which Tomohiro Nishikado pitched by writing “Space Invaders” on a big whiteboard and then adding an Y with two lines through it (this caused a lot of confusion in the office because the symbol for yen in Japan is generally 円 not￥and no one thought “Space Invadersy” was a good name) is therefore in an awkward position. Change too much, and the intense and specific flow is gone. Don’t change enough and it’s not really anything.

Of course, you have to remember the context of 1979. Everyone is still Space Invaders mad, and really all you need to do is offer people enough novelty to keep them playing. To this end, Space Invaders II offers a few things. Most simply, it allows people to actually log decent high-scores with their initials, making in the version for glory hunters, and adds some little interstitials which interestingly prefigure those that would be seen in Pac-Man not too soon after. In terms of play, however, the main changes are that there are now Space Invaders that split into two when shot, meaning that the formation can now have gaps (gasp!). Interestingly, this doesn’t happen until the fourth wave in the Japanese original, but for the US Midway release, titled Space Invaders Deluxe (guess they didn’t think it was different enough to deserve that II) you actually get to see this happen from the second wave onwards. And UFOs are slightly different: you can still count shots to ensure you get 300 points, but some of them blink on and off and can only be shot when visible, which weirdly gets you a flat 200 points in Deluxe but 500 in Part II.

And that’s not all! For the truly dedicated, you now get a 500 point bonus for the last Space Invader you kill if it was one of the octopus ones (the lowest two rows) and a 1000 point bonus if it’s the very bottom left one, requiring some creative shots (I certainly haven’t managed it.) Oh, and UFOs can sometimes drop new invaders into the formation, ruining everything!

It sounds like a lot, and it does actually significantly increase the mental load compared to the original, but in particular if you’re playing the Japanese original you’re going to have to be extremely good at Space Invaders to really notice most of it.

Which, to be honest, I don’t mind. If you’re used to playing Space Invaders, you slip into this like a warm bath, and for Pepper’s Ghost fanatics, the machine has an even more beautiful backdrop, where you’re now defending a wee moon base, your bases fitting perfectly on top. I mean for that alone I’m tempted to rate this higher than the original.

This really does manage to ride the line of being different enough, but not too different; it feels like exactly what it was intended to be: the version you upgrade to once you feel like you’ve mastered the original. 

Will I ever play it again? Whenever I see a Space Invaders machine, be it the original or Part II, I’m gonna play it.

Final Thought: Speaking of: I took a trip down to the Rochester Museum of Play to see their new video game focused expansion and sitting in the middle of their Video Game Hall of Fame, was an original Space Invaders cabinet. It was superb and practically worth the trip on it’s own. In fact, it made me fall in love with the “real” experience that after googling around I discovered that desktop toy maker MyArcade makes a tiny desktop arcade Space Invaders that marvellously uses the real pepper’s ghost technique for the screen, and I was so excited to pick it up for it’s honestly quite reasonable price until I found out that it doesn’t feature the 23-15 UFO shot timing, rendering it sort of pointless. Admittedly there’s also the Numskull quarter arcades Space Invaders if you’re absolutely determined for “the real thing, only smaller” but comes in at an eye watering $340 and I literally cannot imagine using those ridiculous wee controls. I guess I’m stuck driving to Rochester. Could be worse I suppose, I love a garbage plate!

Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up digital copies of exp., a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

[brokenchainsandfallenleaves]

How to incorporate elf ear poses into blendshapes in your vroid model!

I spent ages looking for tutorials and figuring this out so you don't have to!

Tools/Programs required

-Blender

-Unity

-UniVRM

-Vroid Studio

So this is kinda easy to write up due to some tutorials I found but they don’t do EXACTLY what I wanted so I kinda…mashed them together. Enjoy your elves.

1. After you have your model, use this tutorial to separate the ear mesh from the head and add bones but stop once the bones are poseable, that’s all you need. I recommend 2-4 bones per ear. 

2. Follow this tutorial all the way through to assign blendshapes to your bones. I recommend doing it twice, once for up, once for down, and renaming the “armature” blendshape slider to “ear up” and “ear down” 

I added ear movement on the following blendshapes

-Surprise (all the way up)

-Joy (half down)

-Angry (partially down)

-Blink (just down enough to look like a twitch, v cute)

-Sorrow (all the way down)

-Fun (partially up)

[pic examples under the cut]

This is Nova

...and all his "basic" expressions

Expressions were done with the basic vroid sliders + unity sliders + HANAtool extras + the ones we just created

Apart from HANAtool all this is FREE so enjoy! (and HANAtool is like $10 (technically 1000 yen))

Note I AM NOT AN EXPERT and this is my 1st model + 1st time in blender so my results may have flaws, but I was still able to do this

if you read this far maybe give me a follow on Twitch ??