#it’s more Ryou than shiro

[sockdooe]

Felt like drawing some softness

Do not repost my art please :)

[nitunio]

Ryou and Riku Are The Same! (just differently)

In the latter half of Third Beat of IDOLiSH7 Ryou approaches Riku (after countless of hours spent researching and watching him) with a thought-provoking sentence: You and I are the same. I'm you and you're me.

To a normal i7 fan it might come off as a stretch or as one of the infinite amounts of Ryou's manipulations BUT hear me (Tsukumo Ryou pfp) out...

UNDER THE CUT. IT GOT REALLY LONG.

Ryou was raised emotionally abused/neglected by parents (calling himself an "overlooked talent", mentioning to Shiro that his family hated him) which led to all of this (vague hand gesture). And to Ryou's knowledge Riku suffered just about the same — but what Ryou knows is only the surface of what was happening to Riku.

While looking at Riku's "abandoned by family" the initial assumption is that they did Not like him or even neglected him — which is the assumption that Ryou makes since it's the most likely one, which leads to him making the comment in the first place. But we as an audience know that everything about surface-level information is coated with layers of nuance.

Riku is loved by his parents, and adored, protected and always pampered by his brother. All of the attention of this world was given to Riku — in a deep contrast to Ryou being constantly overlooked by his relatives. Yet since Ryou doesn't have insight into the inner relationships of the family he doesn't see how different they are.

Then how are they the same?

Both lack and abundance of attention can cause the same kinds of traits to manifest — selfishness, seeking attention, constantly proving oneself to others — as well as give near-identical core beliefs.

Riku has the ability to connect to other people's hearts, one that was prevalent in his childhood, with receiving love from a giving brother and parents. Riku draws people in, to feel the sense of connection, collective emotion that's dependent on its center (Riku). (Insert Iori's analysis here, but basically — if Riku were to need anything, all people affected would rush to provide it, selflessly without any regard for their own safety/emotion)

Ryou has the ability to read people, which was, and I'm speculating on the material given, a vital thing in his childhood since the lack of emotion/presence made him far and distant from people's experiences, but very close to knowing How people Work. Ryou draws people in, in the sense of knowing how to make them walk into his grip, to manipulate for own gain later. (If Ryou needed anything — he'd make all people affected get it for him, without any regard for their own safety/emotion)

And to that extent, both of them are monsters.

And when Ryou notices Riku, he connects with him too, but on a deeper level than anybody else. Riku to him is like a younger version of himself he can still save (hence the "I'll protect you" thing he said, and generally his tone and expressions dramatically shift to more sincere ones than the voices and expressions he does for Momo/other people), because Riku is both still young and hasn't had as much disappointment with other people as him.

But in spite of Ryou thinking that Riku and he are the same, Ryou doesn't have what Riku has.

He barely gets noticed (pt3 ep1, he is not doing anything loudly and weirdly in public, and naturally doesn't get noticed. or when he does it's in context of bothering Momo), which leads to grander and more dangerous outbursts over time (in contrast to Riku, who is, by design, more vibrant and noticeable, as well as a magnet for people, and the attention he gets increases with more joy and fun and popularity of i7).

All of the people Ryou was with, at one point or another abandoned him (IDOLiSH7 as a group consists of people all of which (except Riku, I think) thought about quitting but ultimately didn't, and the journey to the conclusion made the bonds even stronger).

And both of these points lead to weirdness, coldness and sadism on Ryou's part — which to a larger extent turn people away from Ryou and make them hate him even more.

And the speed at which this hate happens matches the speed of Riku receiving more and more love in First Beat. And the core reasons for which all of Ryou's plan happens Match Riku's core reasons.

Riku is selfish — it's about him proving himself to his brother (and to the entire world, for that extent), about him having fun, about him being loved and appreciated For What He Can Do and Not Being Underestimated, about him being in the center of it (the whole Perfection Gimmick thing is the proof of it).

Ryou is selfish — it's about him proving his skills to his family ("i'm [insert skill] yet they still kept choosing my older brother"), about him getting his revenge, about him being noticed as he stands atop of the now useless and hated idol corpses, about him being in the center of it.

Riku craves attention and love to the same extent Ryou does, and Ryou feels like people overlook him and his capabilities to the same extent Riku does.

And what Ryou read through Riku, and what Riku felt through Ryou, is mutual, both of them the same, even if they're different.

_________________________

Tangents I went off on that felt like they didn't fit in the text:

Riku and Ryou are ZOOL

What Antagonistic Quartet establishes is that Ryou, in one way or another, relates to/resembles all members of ZOOL in their fears and insecurities (rich of him to mock them for being dependent on external validation when deep down he is the same).

But, applying the Riku = Ryou to it, you can see that Riku pretty much connects to ZOOL in this way too. He wants revenge (on Kujo Sr.) (as Haruka), he wants for people to Have expectations of him and not just be worried about him (as Torao), he wants to keep singing with teammates for fans who will cheer him on (as Touma), he wants to keep pursuing what he wants to (as Minami)...

And while Riku is a manifestation of these wants that gets presented with IDOLiSH7's innocence and fun, ZOOL shows the audience the uglier and more aggressive side of it, which is valid in its openness and sincerity. And they coexist well.

Chaos, Zero and black holes

Fuck! So, Riku = Ryou and Riku = Zero. You see where this is going.

Zero in his hurried leave left chaos and uncertainty, and by Kujo Sr.'s concerns, Riku, with the same ability to influence other people, might turn out the same. I honestly don't remember where I was going with this. I wrote this bullet point at 5 AM and I'm looking back at it with a confused expression.

The Ryou thing is too vague

What we know of Ryou is limited to imagination and thoughts based on what he (and others) share about him. These points:

He was not a "family pet" (mentioned by himself in antagonistic quartet section 2)

His family didn't love him (mentioned by Shiro and himself, Momo too iirc)

highlight that he is vastly different from Riku, then how did he make such a good assessment of character?

As antagonistic quartet shows, Ryou can not only dig up surface-level information, but also background info as well.

(in AQ we see that he Does dig deep to strike the most painful spot. also another tangent -- how. how did he find 4 talented people. did he consistently go and scan for them with his people-reading skills only to (obvious in Haruka's case) stalk them until they're at their worst??? to provide a helping hand??? BUT ALSO. to know that at one point of time there were people that experienced the same kind of pain as he did. and many more felt seen and heard by ZOOL's songs after that. im going to cry. he did connect. in his own way)

SO, continuing on Riku, he probably Had asked people who worked at Nanase family's place or were close to them and found out all about the relationship they had. Let's entertain the thought of him going this deep and Knowing that Riku and he, in fact, were not treated the same by their families.

My ultimate Reach with this is that it either A. didn't matter to him when the end is the same - being abandoned (which was a recurring thing to Ryou) or B. twisted itself into an even unhealthier connection.

point A is obvious. point B:

Ryou's family Did do good things for him. like, Zero concert. listen there's not many examples and this is my "reach" segment i get to. i get to reach. But even in its good it was bad behind the scenes. And since he can't literally intrude inside Riku's head he can't really know if what others said about his relations with family was true or just keeping appearances of a happy family.

So, how is their friendship going to pan out?

I feel like even if Momo didn't exist as an obstacle it just wouldn't pan out for them. Momo and Riku share the same sentiment of having complicated feelings towards a person (Banri and Tenn respectively), which don't reach Ryou's calculating heart. (It's easier to hide away Banri and bury Tenn into the ground than confront feelings that may require one to reflect on own concerns and emotions)

And even then, Ryou is very quick to change gears if anything unpleasant happens (which would just quickly lead to unproductive destruction, as it did with Momo -- and it also happened with Riku because that "I'll protect you" changed into "You too will betray me"). I feel like in pt 4 the development they had while barely interacting in person amounts to a greater effect because both recognize the abilities that they have, and Riku gets to tell him a piece of his mind.

yes ryou idols can be selfish and dreaming in itself is selfish. dreaming can lead to hurting others and being hurt. but its okay

it's also something that they share in that aspect -- ryou is afraid of being hurt (even in his coldness he is fragile) and riku is afraid of hurting others (even in his selfishness he wants people to be happy)

_________________________

anyways,

NPD flag colour-picked from their colours (3 from each, only picked from hair/eyes, not clothes)

[void-tiger]

It’s 2023 and I still believe Shiro’s the goofy one, Jiro’s the more serious one. Shiro learns that he can be himself around the other paladins without anyone thinking he’s less than capable. Jiro learns how to loosen up and relax a bit (but it’s okay that he’s less silly than Shiro, his friends still like him, too.)

…and then there’s absolute raccoon-in-a-dumpster energy Ryou.

[sociieties]

@peachmuses: nijimura is out and about - and by out and about, he's got his arms around some random guy, head tilted up, kissing him in some back alleyway, under some neon light. ( he's only been home for about a month or so now. ) he hears some noise, and he pulls away, and turns attention away from the guy that he's pressed against, to turn attention away from him momentarily, only to blink in confusion at kazuya whose standing there, almost like a deer in headlights. shuuzou looks back at the guy that's pinned to wall, and he's backing away. the guy looks between the two and takes off, and shuuzou lets out a low groan, a hand coming up to rub at his face. " i wasn't aware that -- " he clears his throat of any gruffness, and starts over, " i wasn't aware that you came to this part of the city too, kazuya. " / :) smtz verse.

kazuya doesn't necessarily care about what his friends do. neither good nor bad / new nor old, but this -- ah.

somehow.

somehow he doesn't like this. actually, for whatever reason, but he hates it.

it's his own fault, probably, for being on this side of the city, but he was just running errands with ryou, who went his own way just a few minutes ago, so now he doesn't have too much to do but walk around until he gets bored with that and chooses to go home. an alley isn't really where he's supposed to be, but he sometimes just finds himself in places and tonight, he's found himself in a bad one.

had he known this corner was occupied, he'd have left, but it's about too late for that, as the moment he realizes that someone else is there, he's noticed too. he considers leaving / figures separate and underneath shitty lighting, kazuya recognizes both faces and actually, he wants leave even more than before now.

shuuzou, someone he doesn't particularly mind -- makoto's best friend is a friend of his own, even if he's aware the other doesn't like him all that much.

shiro / the ex of four days.

ah shit.

shiro takes off and kazuya lets him, moving out of the way to ignore the fact that he knows the guy shuuzou was just on and chooses to focus on his friend. the friend who's trying to play it cool and actually somewhat failing.

" my bad, " his bad entirely, actually. " didn't think anyone would be trying to hookup out here. i was gonna leave, but-- " hand instinctively moves to mouth, feeding himself gum and ignoring the fact that he's actually starting to get irritated over things his new friend doesn't know yet. " that guy that was just here, " he starts, abruptly switching tracks, " i broke up with him a few days ago. "

[bosstoaster]

I posted 1,210 times in 2022

That's 380 more posts than 2021!

53 posts created (4%)

1,157 posts reblogged (96%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@peachdoxie

@roach-works

@jabletown

@headspacedad

@chaoszonenate

I tagged 406 of my posts in 2022

#mgs - 103 posts

#otasune - 40 posts

#bt writes - 23 posts

#cr spoilers - 20 posts

#voltron - 14 posts

#cr - 9 posts

#cr3 - 9 posts

#submas - 8 posts

#bt memes - 8 posts

#critical role - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 128 characters

#fun fact the best thing about mgs is that it's totally canonical for every character to have a five page philosophical monologue

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

So y'all I'm really trying not to get too hopeful but there's a sweet lil doggo in need of a forever home and my roommate and my landlord are both on board and he's just a little guy!!!

21 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

#4

"She's too fucking weak" Imogen's BBEG arc has really begun huh?

22 notes - Posted September 15, 2022

#3

Time Fades Away

A sequel to A Secret I Will Keep

Pairing: Otacon/Solid Snake Gray, Fox/Solid Snake (past, mentioned)

Summary:

A few months down the line, Snake and Otacon look into the works of Para-Medic to continue to fight Snake's advanced aging. Turns out, her main laboratory is a relatively short drive away. The remains of Dr. Jane Clark's work are their own kind of haunting.

Excerpt:

The laboratory reminds Dave strongly of Shadow Moses, left to rot for all those years. The climate is better for habitation, but worse for preservation. From the stains on the floor, water has gotten in from Washington's many downpours and eventually stagnated and evaporated. No doubt pests have also been in and out, from what looks like exposed, frayed wires and old droppings. There’s also the huge, dark stain right next to one of the examination tables. Dave’s lip curls up in disgust. There could be any untold number of reasons for this stain, especially given Clark’s line of research. But the fact that the rest of the lab only shows signs of environmental water damage suggests that no one cleaned this up like usual, and then the place was sealed. Which would make this the spot where Dr. Jane Clark was killed by Frank. Dave touches his boot to the long dry spot and hopes Frank got to feel like he evened the score. A lab accident, according to the Patriot files. When Clark died, Dave likes to think she knew that nothing was an accident. It was a series of events she’d started and perpetrated. Frank just followed it till the logical conclusion. Whatever suffering Clark felt was entirely her own doing. Frank was always good at waiting for the right moment. He took all the hits he needed to if it gave him the perfect lethal opportunity. (He also took hits he didn’t need to. His literal fatal flaw.)

31 notes - Posted December 4, 2022

#2

Rudimentary Lye

Part of Don't Let's Start Adjacent

Pairing: Gen, Ryou & Shiro, Ryou & Lotor

Summary: It shouldn't be a big deal for Ryou to sit in on Shiro's behalf while trying to bring in new coalition members. He doesn't like it, but it's fine.

That is, until Lotor shows up and makes himself the team's problem, and Ryou is stuck in the role in far more dangerous circumstances.

Just his damn luck.

62 notes - Posted April 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Last hellsite standing

28,030 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[lightonourfeet]

"Oh? Have I?" Shiro blinked then had the awareness to look a little embarrassed that he hadn't been as slick as he'd thought. Shiro was so meticulous with information usually that he was less so about his wants in front of the vampire. The worst part was that he now knew that her powers had no hand in his slip up. On the other hand, this wasn't all bad, Lisa was more amused than anything. More so that from the playful little quip she might actually be down for that sort of thing. Shiro tried to hide his expression behind his hand with little success.... the tips of his ears were flushed a little red as he tried to pretend the thought wasn't getting him a little giddy. Oh yeah... He still had that call to make, it would be best to try and be the golden child they still thought he was. He could see Ryou roll his eyes in his mind while chiding him saying that nobody believes that charade. Still, old habits die hard and all that. "Okay okay." Shiro sat up and straightened his shirt and ran his hand through his hair. Fortunately given it was mostly shorn aside from a bit of length on top, his style was easy to manage and was now looking way more presentable and not like a vampires snack platter "You win. I'll be good."

The embarrassment was - cute. Which was a strange word to apply to a man she very much wanted in entirely not-cute ways but it still applied. He had many sides to him and Lisa was delighted by the origami puzzle of him. Watching his ears go red, had her fighting down a smirk of her own. She'd held a great deal of power of others in the past. Somehow this small, simple, mortal power was more heady and satisfying than any before.

"If I win - you being good isn't the result," she purred, unable to resist when he made it so much fun. But she did wink at him, to show she was teasing before going into the kitchen to put things away. It gave her something to do - and it gave him privacy with his family. That was part of keeping him grounded too. He needed his mortal ties.

He expected so little, and asked for even less. She didn't know what his past relationships had been. She was simply determined that if he would not take care of himself, she would.

For as long as she was allowed to have him in her life before she lost him to old age and the end of it.

[bongaboi]

ISML 2022: That's! A! Wrap!

ISML 2022: That's! A! Wrap! An Era Of Saimoe Finally Draws To A Close

By Jo-Ryan Salazar The Bedlam On Baltic Avenue 22 February 2023

This is the final Saimoe news bulletin for the International Saimoe League on The Bedlam on Baltic Avenue. Nearly two decades of memories, great battles and countless sagas in the Saimoe movement drew to a close with the conclusion of Match Day 8 in the 2022 International Saimoe League Eliminations Period.

The first of three Female Division necklaces up for grabs went to Mashiro Shiina, who defeated Violet Evergarden 3241-1550. Elaina was third with 1222 votes, Nao Tomori was fourth with 870 votes, Miko Nakano was fifth with 781 votes, Mai Sakurajima was sixth with 66 votes, Rem was seventh with 564 votes and Yukino Yukinoshita was last with 500 votes.

The second Female Division necklace went to Yui Yuigahama, who defeated Shiro 2598-2256. Nagisa Furukawa was third with 1306 votes, Nanami Aoyama was fourth with 820 votes, Illyasviel von Einzbern was fifth with 680 votes, Konata Izumi was sixth with 434 votes, Yuri Nakamura was seventh with 378 votes and Yui-nyan was last with 237 votes.

Ai Haibara won the third Female Division necklace, prevailing over Kumiko Oumae 3420-3376, Shouko Nishimiya was third with 1100 votes, Isla was fourth with 720 votes, Hu Tao was fifth with 576 votes, Iroha Isshiki was sixth with 469 votes, Megumi was sixth with 402 votes and Eriri Spencer Sawamura was last with 345 votes.

The first Male Division pendant up for grabs went to Conan Edogawa, who delivered the Final Upset of the Round as declared by the Bedlam, a 2968-2796 scalp of Miyuki Shirogane. Accelerator was third with 1344 votes, Sakuta Azusagawa was fourth with 1100 votes, Kazuto Kirigaya was fifth with 873 votes, Taki Tachibana was sixth with 654 votes, Subaru Natsuki was seventh with 508 votes and Touma Kamijou was last with 470 votes.

Takashi Natsume took the second Male Division pendant after belting Shidou Itsuka 2321-1793. Shirou Emiya was third with 1354 votes, Saika Totsuka was fourth with 1103 votes, Saitama was fifth with 870 votes, Ryuunosuke Akasaka was sixth with 761 votes, Kazuma Satou was seventh with 617 votes and Ainz Ooal Gown was last with 560 votes.

Tanjiro Kamado earned the third Male Division pendant of Eliminations 8, a 2058-2021 victor over Sasuke Uchiha. Gilbert Bougainvillea was third with 1502 votes, Inuyasha was fourth with 1181 votes, Nasa Yuzaki was fifth with 1019 votes, Mikaela Hyakuya was sixth with 904 votes, Mochizou Ouji was seventh with 789 votes and Tomoya Aki was last with 560 votes.

Finally, a convoy of dual matches and the odd race involving more than two took place to cap off an era of Saimoe to be believed. Schwi Dola flew past Jibril 2294-1552, Mahiro Oyama defeated Hideyoshi Kinoshita 1905-1417, Hitori Gotou rocked Yui Hirasawa 2793-2192, Jinx leveled Vi 1777-1017, Pikachu shocked Ai Kizuna 2879-1639, Aqua Minato prevailed over Kokori Amamiya 1607-1555, and in a battle of hololive rivals, Gawr Gura (1336) outlasted Pekora Usada (1281) and Kanaeru Kobo (958).

Amiya sailed past Laffey 2004-1353, Mikoto Misaka finished off her service to Saimoe with victories over Gotou (3454-2344) and Kanade Tachibana (3400-2172), Takagi took down Nagisa Kubo 2142-1498, Raiha Uesugi rolled past Takebayashi 1782-1594, Wein Salema Arbalest won a 1459-1246 snoozer over Kazuya Souma, Nodoka Manabe barreled past Jun Suzuki 1850-1355, Shuu Ogata defeated Haruhiko Ichijou 1632-1438 and Tom outdid Jerry 1987-1904.

Chisato Nishikigi routed Kei Karuizawa 3316-1315, Satoshi and Pikachu eased past Sakura Kinomoto and Cerberus 2713-2142, Mio Akiyama boomed past Ryou Yamada 2694-2107, Lelouch Lamperouge stormed past Light Yagami 2694-2107, Yuki Nagato hammered Fate Testarossa 2206-959, Archer torched Loid Forger 2366-2334, Yuki prevailed over Shinya Yukimura 1493-1304, Lyrule drove past Yu-no 1402-1195, Catarina Claes clocked Aileen Lauren Dautriche 1628-1303 and Seika Ijichi pulverized Kou Yagami 2532-1166.

Nishikigi and Takina Inoue teamed up to defeat Azusa Nakano and Yui Hirasawa 2691-2498, Umaru Doma trounced 2652-1049, Erika Kurumi defeated Laura La Mer 1441-993, Kana Sukoya blew past Himiko Toga 1720-1051, Yamada bounced back with a 2616-2487 statement win over Konata Izumi, Sanae Dekomori thumped Souji Mitsuka 2281-1016, Eru Chitanda had Houtarou Oreki's number 2431-1840, Shuu Ogata outhandled Rentarou Satomi 13900.2-12321.9 and in a special group race, Saber came away victorious with a score of 23777.7.

Wrapping up an era of Saimoe that millions around the world witness in real time, Shinku defeated Yaya 1650-1406, Isuzu Sento drove past Mai Kawakamu 2013-1292, Seiya Kanie overcame Tatsuya Shiba 1689, and Rudeus Greyrat closed the Saimoe era with a 1766-1281 victory over Naofumi Iwatani.

That's. A. WRAP! The International Saimoe League has concluded for the very last time, and the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue thanks you for what has been a journey of anime greatness to remember. This blog will continue to cover other things, such as content on its YouTube sister channel (Bongaboi151) and sports recaps, but all the bulletins you see here can be viewed in their entirety on bedlamba.blogspot.com. Thank you for your support of the International Saimoe League. May your love for all things anime shine here, now…and into the future.

[teenagefictionforcartoon]

TAKASHI 'SHIRO' SHIROGANE

Short description: Magically transported to another world, young space pilot, Shiro find himself in the world of Altea, a magically dimension full of creatures called daemons, arm with a magical sword and lead the group against the evil Galra empire. Calm, thoughtful and wise beyond his years, it takes more than a fleet of Galra soldiers to get a rise out of Shiro.

Role: Protagonist

Private goal: To return home with his boyfriend, Adam.

Personal (inner) goal: Shiro transforms from outside to Hero as he discovered the first true love of his life.

Professional goal: To defeat the Galra Empire and Zarkon and his family.

Occupation: Samurai

Leader of team Samurai

Exploration Pilot

Age: 21

Birthday: February 29

Gender: Male

Pronouns: He/him

Sexual orientation: Gay

Strengths: Shiro is a natural pilot of legendary reputation.

Weaknesses: Due to him having a Daemon arm, Shiro has a condition called Sleigh Beggy effect, cause him to be extremely tired.

Skills: The power of Balance

Consolations breathing

Altean Alchemy

Biggest flaw: Shiro is constantly worried about Adam.

Height: 6ft 3in

Ethnicity: Human (Japanese)

Hair color: Black and white

Eye color: Gray

Distinguishing features: Shiro has a scar on his nose and has a daemon arm.

Disabilities: Shiro has a disease called the Sleigh Beggy affect.

Weapons: Ryou's sword.

This is the bio of Shiro, a character from the samurai: an legendary adventure tale.

[sociieties]

kise nods along, first to momoi, then again when shuuzou tells him again. " i will. " he pauses, looking towards the mirror on the wall, settled behind his phone. " eventually. "

" sooner is probably better than later, " atsushi offers, face now nestled in ryou's neck. " shiro-kun isn't as patient as you think he is. " he pauses, gaze flickering towards the hallway. " he probably doesn't even want to hear it. "

kise blinks, looking back towards the camera. " why are you telling me this? "

" because everyone else learned the hard way. "

" don't pout at me...? " makoto shakes his head, blinking up at shuuzou. " that's all the more reason for them to figure it out theirselves, don't you think? "

kazuya hums, returning the kiss. " love you too. " he sighs, head lifting enough to look towards the camera. " are you trying to help him, atshi? "

" mmhm. "

satsuki hums, " well alright then. " a hand reaches out to pat best friend on the head, " i believe you. we're good. " she grimances, " i'm not so sure about yama-chan though. you may actually need to talk to him about it. " a beat, " one on one. " ryou nods, " mhm. " he explains no further -- because og is his not-twin, twin, and really, that's not his business to spread. ryou likes to keep what information he has about people close to his heart / tucked away in a ribcage to only bring up when it's convenient to him. shuuzou pouts at his boyfriend, " yeah but og is like our son, and kise is my other son. " how exactly is he suppose to pick sides here, mako ? he leans into boyfriend, before turning to press kiss against head, " kise, i agree with momoi-chan. you probably should one on one talk with og, and tell him you weren't actually going to go through with it. " he grimaces, " i can't be held accountable for what happens though. " tatsuya giggles, before he's pressing a kiss to boyfriends lips, " that's very true, " pulling away, he blinks up at him, " loveeeee you. "

[machidielontheway]

twinganes thought of the day :

i like the headcanon of shiro’s face scar resulting from an injury and actually having daily impacts, and not just being a visual trait without grouding in the reality/physicality of the story. Making him snore when he didn’t before, difficulty breathing through the nose, habits changed so that breathing through his mouth is now the defaut, and how he feels when he can’t.

and now thinking of ryou and how his body is a copy of shiro’s, but not necessarily on all the details (ex : general hc that he doesn’t have the body scars shiro has, since we saw him wearing short-sleeved shirt), and that he could have the face scar but no anatomy modification because no actual injury.

does his implanted memories take the wheel and he follows shiro’s habits, does he explore his body once he knows he is ryou and is settled enough to take this time, does he want to do the discovery ? does he realizes here and there while living around shiro and being confronted to how the differences impacts him. Is he glad, in some ways, to have other ways to be not-shiro ? most important, does he meme “i’m built different”

[headspacedad]

Twingane AU: Ryou is with Voltron and KNOWS that Kuron wasn't his brother from the go - just subtle things that were off - but the fact changes nothing because Kuron's desire to help others is equally as genuine as Shiro's. Kuron even approaches Ryou at one point about this and Ryou tries to nudge him into composing his own identity outside of Shiro. So when the Big man himself returns? Ryou: Shiro, this is Jiro. He's our brother now. I adopted him. Shiro: Huh, Neat.

The first time Ryou is sure, really really sure, that the man in front of him isn’t his twin brother Takashi, is the day Ryou lies to him - and he believes it.

Up until now he’s had his doubts.  Yes, the other person felt - off.  Moved in ways that didn’t tick true or said things that were just slightly to the side of what Ryou was expecting to hear.  Said ‘if we can’ instead of ‘we will’.  Said ‘soon’ instead of ‘now’.  But.... how much of that could be all the time and things that had passed between now and when Little Magpie went off the grid?  Its been almost two years by now and Taks.... Taks has been through four different kinds of hell since then.  Of course he understands if his brother has changed because of it.  It would be impossible not to.  And this last - escaping from the Galra again.  Almost dying multiple times on an ice planet.  Being rejected, for a time, by the mechanical lion that Ryou knows means the world to his twin.  He gets it.  He gets that the man calling himself Shiro can’t possibly be exactly the same as he was when he left Earth for his final run at Kerberos and the freedom of space.  He knows that.  And he knows that Takashi deserves to be allowed to be whatever he needs to be while he deals with all of what’s happened to him.

Which is why he tells himself that the little things that feel ‘off’ to him, the things that whisper ‘not my brother’, are all just in his head or the result of what life has done to Taka while they’ve been apart. 

But he knows.  He doesn’t want to  - and he knows.

And the first time he lies to the mirror image of his twin and the mirror image nods and clasps his shoulder in understanding and believes him -

Ryou can’t pretend anymore.

He watches after that, watches and is ashamed at how many signs he ignored or missed.  And he watches because - this is his twin’s team, people his brother loves and cares about, and even if Ryou wasn’t coming to care about them himself - for his missing twin - he would still stand in the gap and stand guard against all harm.

But the stranger in his brother’s form isn’t harm.  He’s the opposite.  He’s close enough to Shiro that he can’t be anything but good and noble and self-sacrificing and true - even when he stumbles on the delivery of it sometimes.  And - Ryou likes him.  He loved him for his brother’s sake but for the stranger’s sake alone - he starts to like him.  Like hanging out with him, like helping him, like supporting and, sometimes, smoothing things over for him.  Whoever he is - the stranger in his brother’s form isn’t evil.  And it makes Ryou worry.  Because there’s no way the Galra created or found something like his brother and sent it to Voltron without evil intent and purpose.  So he decides to guard the new brother just as hard as the old while he keeps looking for Taks.  And he lets a few of the team in on it, because the Galra mean this to be a secret and so it shouldn’t be even if they have to keep it a secret from the man himself because there’s no telling what heartbreaking ‘failsafe’ the Galra might have implanted in him.

So when Lance brings up the new twin’s insecurity to Ryou - and Coran brings up the headaches - and Pidge brings up the crippling pain - they all decide they need to do something before whatever the Galra - whichever faction it is - have in mind. 

So they do.

No one can slap Haggar across time and space the way Allura learns to lay the smack down for the new twin’s sake.

And when Taka, and Ryou knows him immediately with his whole heart and without doubt or question, is brought back - Ryou is the one that, once the noise has died down, just a little, drags their new twin forward and introduces a stunned silent Taka to a reluctant clone.

“Taks, this is Jiro.  He’s our newest brother.”

Taka, because he’s Taka, doesn’t understand but he trusts Ryou with more than his life and his answer is:

“ooooh kay.... neat?”

“Yeah!” Ryou hooks one arm around Taka’s neck and the other around Jiro’s and states (because he wants to savor this moment and make it last and give everyone the breathing room they deserve but - sometimes the fire in front of you isn’t safe to wait for to arrive on its own):

“And we think our family might be larger than just three.  Wanna jump right back in the saddle, grab Black, and go help me, Jiro, the princess, Lotor (I”ll explain later) and your team find them before anyone else does?”

[nitunio]

moonlight ichiro is so important to meeee the fact tgat he chose a name that's a total opposite to his own (clouded moon -> moonlight, last -> first), and probably wouldve gone with an opposite personality as well, ALL JUST TO CHEER HIS KIDS ON. and making shiro tell them that hes a big shot and very good so that his words would hold more value to ZOOL who have this important event looming over them. also his pathetic attempts at obscuring his identity because How Could Big Bad Ryo Tsukumo say such good things and act as if he cares about other people and thinks about anything other than himself and his goals. And his even more pathetic attempts to save face (when he probably doesnt know shiro had been telling ZOOL all sorts of embarrassing stories about him to bring them closer to the ryou-kun that he knows)

and his tsundereisms of course.

[void-tiger]

Triganes and “who’s holding the braincells?”

Shiro and Ryou? It’s Shiro.

Jiro and Shiro? It’s Jiro.

Ryou and Jiro? It’s Ryou.

All three? Good luck figuring that one out.

[void-tiger]

@mckinlily

The beautiful chaos of watching 12 frantic astrophysics students try to save a theoretical astronaut from falling into a black hole. I’ve never seen a group of people work so quickly and efficiently before.

[thatanimewriter]

REQUESTING RULES + CHARACTER LIST

➳ i don’t do smut, but i’ll allow suggestive themes ➳ no more than eight (8) characters per ask ➳ no yandere characters or reader ➳ no abo fics ➳ i won’t be doing match-ups ➳ no crossover fics ➳ please specify if it’s a reader insert or general headcanons ➳ no limit to how many asks, you’re welcome to dump :))

full requesting rules (please read before submitting)

REQUESTS: 20/20 character list is under the cut

𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐄𝐊𝐈 𝐍𝐎 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐀 (𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

yukihira soma tadokoro megumi aldini takumi nakiri erina nakiri alice hayama akira kurokiba ryou ibusaki shun tsukasa eishi kobayashi rindou isshiki satoshi

𝐍𝐎 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 (𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

sora shiro (platonic or paternal only) riku dola schwi dola (platonic or paternal only)

𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐊𝐎𝐔𝐊𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐁 (𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

suoh tamaki ootori kyoya fujioka haruhi morinozuka takashi (mori) haninozuka mitsukuni (honey) hitachiin kaoru hitachiin hikaru

𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐆𝐀 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 (𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

tatsumi akame leone lubbock chelsea mine sheele najenda

𝐑𝐖𝐁𝐘 (𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

ruby rose weiss schnee blake belladonna yang xiao long jaune arc nora valkyrie pyrrha nikos lie ren winter schnee qrow branwen raven branwen emerald sustrai cinder fall neopolitan oscar pine hazel reinhart whitley schnee

𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐉𝐈 (𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

sebastian michaelis ciel phantomhive bardroy mey-rin finny edward midford charles grey grell sutcliffe william t. spears madame red joker beast dagger doll snake lawrence bluewer clayton herman greenhill gregory violet cheslock edgar redmond joanne harcourt prince soma agni

𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 (𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

nanase haruka tachibana makoto hazuki nagisa ryugazaki rei matsuoka rin yamazaki sousuke nitori aiichiro shiina asahi shigino kisumi kirishima ikuya kirishima natsuya serizawa nao toono hiyori

𝐁𝐎𝐊𝐔 𝐍𝐎 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎 𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐀 (𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

midoriya izuku bakugou katsuki iida tenya todoroki shouto tokoyami fumikage jirou kyouka uraraka ochako shinsou hitoshi aizawa shouta togata mirio amajiki tamaki shigaraki tomura bubaigawara jin

𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔 𝐊𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐔

shiota nagisa akabane karma horibe itona karasuma tadaomi

𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐄 (𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺)

decim chiyuki nona ginti

𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌: 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒 (𝘥𝘭𝘤 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘥)

claude von riegan ignatz victor marianne von edmund dimitri alexandre blaiddyd dedue felix fraldarius ashe ubert edelgard von hresvelg linhardt von hevring bernadetta von varley gatekeeper shamir nevrand

𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐄

vi jinx silco ekko caitlyn viktor vander mylo

𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐓 (𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦)

arven grusha rika larry atticus penny

𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐊𝐀����: 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐋 (𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 2.2)

dan heng march 7th kafka jing yuan gepard landau blade dr ratio misha aventurine sunday

𝐉𝐔𝐉𝐔𝐓𝐒𝐔 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐍 (𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 1)

itadori yuuji fushiguro megumi kugisaki nobara inumaki toge zen’in maki gojo satoru ryomen sukuna nanami kento

[bosstoaster]

Sometimes i catch myself thinking Ryou is just a funky lil guy doing wacky shit w/ his bro aND THEN HE STRAIGHT UP MURDERS, LIKE, 4 DUDES WHILE SMILING

He tricked me, the reader, i to thinking hes simply a goofball, beacuse thats what he also does to everyone around him. Even tough i know his backstory and what he was created for, he acts so nonshalantly about it that you just. Forget hes capable od murder??

And the "i love you" and how he does it all to keep Shiro safe was just sooo good!

Id love to hear your thought process on this one!

I mean, part of the slight of hand is that Ryou really isn't quite as capable as Shiro. He doesn't have the Quintessence output, which affects the arm, and therefore his physical strength.

But, like, 95% of Shiro's ability is still very much The Champion. And Ryou remembers far more of the specifics. He has more mental space because he can say 'that was Shiro and I'm glad he survived it', but he has the capability and the muscle memory.

The smiling part.... tbh, lately I've been into Pokemon: Legends Arceus and the sad train man. One of the Pokemon from that series is a shape-changing ghost-type Kitsune trickster, and art often depicts them with a fanged smile.

So, uh, you know. Not a far leap to have that in my head and then think about my twins. And that is a part of Ryou: it's a theme more explored in Parallel by Proxy by @velkynkarma, but still holds true in DLS. Ryou is a reflection of Shiro, one that smiles and hides behind jokes rather than professionalism. But what's below that is deadly.

That's the thing, too: Shiro hides that side of himself because he's afraid of what kind of monster that makes him. He's afraid of how the Galra broke him.

Ryou knows exactly how broken he is, and exactly what he's capable of. He hides because he knows when being a monster can serve the team best. When it can be put to use.

I love you, he says, without artifice, without a joke to hide behind. This is what I am - for you, and for no one else.

Shiro is the only one who really knows what that means.