#jin is best samurai boy

[apricotronin]

Anyone into Wuxia here? Did a doodle back in 2021 of Masa and my Ronin if they were cultivators. Masa would ofc be a rich spoiled sect heir, talented in talisman magic and spirit communication. Ronin is likely the adopted heir of a long forgotten sect, led by Gensai, who was dishonored and cast out, and only really talented in sword fighting. Everything else would fall into line, with Masa needing a retainer to help them travel (maybe to visit their rich n powerful uncle( a lá Jin Guangyao from MDZS) and fall into some demon spirit shenanigans on the way.

[viharbinger]

Hear me out. . . Jin Sakai + childhood friends to lovers 🩷

Childhood Friends to Lovers

pairings: Jin Sakai x gn! reader

a/n: hi I have school on July 1st imma kms tbh 🥹

warnings: nothing, mentions of marriage?

masterlist

The young lord Sakai was a timid boy growing up. He grew more brave over the years, of course, but you were the highlight of it— by chasing him with bugs and scaring him with stories you heard from adults like a bear roaming around the village.

You first met near a river by the village when you saw him climbing up a tree. Being a chilvarous child, you followed him up, scaring him down the process. Let's say a few broken bones appeared when you both accidentally fell down.

As innocent as you look, his parents and Yuriko could not even begin to resent you for breaking his bones on accident because of how well you were bringing him out of his shell. They love that their only son was finally out there making friends.

However, you don't know his family that well since they seem to always be somewhere else whenever you're around. But whenever you do get to visit, Yuriko will always be there handing out snacks and taking care of you like you're also part of clan Sakai.

She'd comb your hair so it was neat and tidy when she's finished with Jin's, clean your clothes when it's muddy after playing with Jin— you're practically family!

Over the years as you grew up, there was definitely some romantic tension around, almost kisses here and there, and definitely a lot of hand holding. Jin does sees this, but he doesn't do anything yet as he's simply too busy to advance further in your relationship. But of course, you're not going to let that slide.

Finally when the time was right, Jin was back at home in Omi village and had spare time. Let's say that you gave him a kiss or two and it all worked out. He was also uncharacteristically smiling the whole day after that, you'd think he was a different man.

The first kiss was honestly a test on the waters, you did it first to see if he was fine with it. He was surprised at first, speechless, in fact. It almost made you chicken out and started apologising for trying to make an advance on Lord Sakai. "I'm sorry. Keep going." He says, blinking out of the trance you put him in, cheeks flush. And you kissed him a second time. And another. And another one longer than that one. It's like you're teenagers learning to kiss for the first time. Which probably was true on his part.

Everytime you meet now, he's greeting you by kissing your hands, and caressing them softly. It's like your playful and messy friendship changed completely to a beautifully romantic one. Sometimes, you even get the surprise of Jin bringing you back a gift from his travels. Maybe a poem? Flowers? Or something you like?

The next thing he's thinking about is marrying you, honestly. You seem to be the only person to be able to capture his heart and keep it full, he's not gonna let you get away!

And when the samurais on Komoda beach fell and Jin barely came out alive, he went to you as soon as he could. He needed to know if you were okay. If his best friend and partner was okay. "Jin.. You're alive." You hugged him tightly, dropping the bags of goods on the floor.

"Of course." He whispers, hugging you right back, pressing a firm kiss to your temple. "But how? I heard every samurai died. I was about to prepare your funeral." You laugh cry, wiping the sharp painful tears away.

"I'm here now, just like always." He tucks a stray hair away from your face, watching as your expression changes from upset to happy. He's right, he has always been with you. Since you were just a little child, he's always been.

[kid-az]

Astral Chain Legion personality Hc’s

I’ve been getting very obsessed with Astral Chain recent, and really want to share my headcanon’s about the five Legion’s, even if only a few people will care. (ALSO HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE AXE LEGION!)

Sword (Stereotypical knight pal.)

-Stereotypical knight/samurai personality, very honorable, likes a fair fight, and heavily dislikes when an opponent or the Mc acts ”dishonorable.“ (Chimera’s by them using elemental attacks, and the player when they use grenades or consumables.)

-Is extremely interested in healing and medicine, specifically because such a thing is completely foreign in the Astral Plane. Can’t heal physical injuries yet, but managed to discover how to heal red matter corruption from individuals.

-Loves tampering with technology, particularly camera’s and other surveillance tech.

-Likes dogs, and wishes the Mc would adopt them as well. Also likes playing ball, especially when nearby people think there‘s a ghost haunting.

-Gets along well with Arm and Axe, but distrusts Beast and outright hates Arrow. Is best friends with the Mc.

Arrow (Little shit)

-In contrast to Sword, Arrow is more of an unscrupulous, pragmatic individual, preferring to keep a distance and use whatever underhanded tactics they need to win. This is why they disobeyed and abandoned Akira, as they did not appreciate their more dutiful, lawful personality. Only connects with the Mc when they see how much of a rebel they are.

-Is extremely competitive, and dislikes when they lose at a shooting contest. Has an intense, one-sided rivalry with Joey Wood, and is very bitter on how they lost so many times to him.

-Loves cats, and often plays with or pets them in Max’s safehouse. Is anlso interested in big cats, and wishes they were still extant. Likes pigeons and crows too, and often silently begs to to Mc to buy seeds to feed them.

-Hates Beast, but is decently cordial with Arm and Axe. Likes pissing Sword off, and doesn’t have the same animosity towards Sword as they do for them. Feels somewhat bad for Akira, especially when they discover they have clones.

Arm (Boisterous gentle giant)

-Gentle giant to living beings. Is very careful when interacting with people or animals, and often wishes they could see them. Likes performing “magic tricks” appreciating the surprise and praise people indirectly give them over such a seemingly impossible thing. Loves every animal, and is interested in learning about them.

-Really physically affectionate to the Mc and their friends, and often hugs them.

-The complete opposite to objects and chimeras. Loves obliterating dumpsters and other metallic objects that crumble, and is very glad to smash/blast any chimera’s they find, often offering to be worn as a suit of armor to do so.

-Is very jovial, and often makes sure that the Mc or other, non-beast legions are okay or relatively uninjured. Is very interested in food and coffee, and tries their best to prepare such things with mixed results. (Though has definitely gotten better at it post-game)

-Likes classical music, and wishes that genre was more common on the ark.

-Is friends with every other legion other than the Beast legion, who they outright hate. Somewhat misses their old owner Jin, and hopes that he isn’t overworking himself.

Beast (Not at all a good boy.)

-A rabid, murderous psycho of a legion. Loves brutally mauling any chimera or human their allowed to outside of other Beast chimera’s, who they actually formed an amicable relationship with (Comparable to a gang leader) before being recaptured. Was the only one that wanted to outright kill their owner.

-Completely hates anyone they deem as “weak,” the only ones not considered that being the Mc and other Beast chimera’s. Outright prejudiced against anything else, especially Shell chimeras, which they are very, very eager in ripping apart. Begrudgingly allows the Mc to ride them out of respect.

-Is very disturbed by dog’s and how much they resemble them and other beast chimeras, often hiding away from them out of fear.

-Really likes music, and often bops to that. Especially likes heavy metal when killing chimera’s.

-Hates the other legions, and that feeling is mutual outside of Axe, who considers Beast to be funny in a demeaning way. Completely hates their former owner Alicia, though to be fair they hate her as much as they do any other human.

Axe/Max (Grumpy but kindhearted dad)

-Has the fused personality of the Axe legion and Max, who the former absorbed out of respect for their bravery and selflessness.. Is upset about no longer being able to eat human food, but doesn’t mind that as he can protect his kids and civilians better.

-Just as much of a gruff but gentle-hearted guy as before, though now has a huge love for battling chimera’s. Is very happy to see his kid is rescuing and taking care of the cat’s, and couldn’t be more proud.

-Axe legion personality before fusing with Max was a mix between Sword and Arrow, being knight-like but also being very pragmatic in their fighting style. Did consider Max to be like a father, and felt bad about killing his human body, and so decided to mix his memories with their’s. 

-Can be very overprotective, and often get’s in the way of enemy attacks to protect his kid. Felt terrible for having to kill Akira, but knew that they wanted them to do that to save humanity from Noah Prime.

-Gets along well with all the other Legions, and acts a mentor-like figure to them. Is good friends with Sword and Arm, makes sure that Beast doesn’t do anything dangerous to themself or others, and has a cordial, business business-like relationship with Arrow, as they help out in range combat. As stated previously, he is very proud and overprotective to Mc and Akira.

[ilovetheriddler]

10 people i’d like to get to know better

I was tagged by the amazing @vveirdvvitch for this, so here I am!

Last song: The Pros and Cons of breathing by Fall out boy!

favorite color: Blue! And then in a close second Green.

last book i finished: The Batman Audio Adventures Comic.

last tv show i watched: Samurai Champloo! I love Jin so much.

sweet/spicy/savory: um.... kind of none? I prefer things not to have too intense of a taste, but I guess i can handle slightly spicy things best.

relationship status: ....Single. Unfortunately.

last thing i googled: How to save everyone in Killer Frequency (Guide)

current obsession: The Riddler is always in the forefront of my mind.... but right now, I have an intense need to talk about Dwight Fairfield!

looking forward to: Playing some more DBD and also working on some fics!

I'll tag @delenygma, @peachfuzz-nygma, and @ap41cu5, and @theconquerorwormhoard for this, and anyone else who wants to!

[edwardcaprifolium]

Very true, my good fellow.

Watanabe is my favorite anime director, his work never fails to move me. I made it a ritual of mine to re-watch his animes every year, so here is a list so you may give it a go if you're interested.

Samurai Champloo

This story is about three characters journeying together through Edo period Japan. As you may have noticed in Cowboy Bebop, music plays an important part in Watanabe's art. Samurai Champloo is set during the Edo period but adds an interesting twist: hip-hop. Check out the opening to get a sense of the aesthetic!

By the way, the soundtrack isn't limited to hip-hop. It also has some gut-wrenching folk tunes - possibly inspired by Ainu and Ryukyuan traditional music.

Some political commentary.

It's a comedy, and it's absolutely hilarious. Though to be fair, some of the jokes haven't aged well...

Beware, however, though comedic in nature, this show will surprise you with abrupt shifts in tone and the complexity of its characters.

Finally, to French speakers: Regardez le doublage français, la traduction est très naturelle! De plus, c'est à mon sens la meilleure interpréation du personnage de Jin.

Kids on the Slope

This one is set in the 60's and revolves around two teenagers bonding over jazz.

Great soundtrack, as one would expect from Yoko Kano. See video for reference.

Unlike the other animes on this list, this is not an original work but an adaptation of the eponymous manga.

If you're into slice of life go ahead.

Terror in Resonance (ZNT)

Here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia summary: "In an alternative iteration of the present, two teenage boys who go by the names Nine and Twelve steal a prototype atomic bomb in an apparent terrorist attack. Calling themselves "Sphinx" (スピンクス, Supinkusu), they upload a video onto the Internet and threaten to destroy Tokyo unless a cryptic riddle can be solved."

I know the premise sounds completely wild but I promise you it is so much more than that.

Action, feels, political commentary (even more so than in Samurai Champloo).

It is hard for me to properly recommend this one. I feel like no matter what I type, it'll never do justice to this masterpiece. This is my absolute favorite anime - with Cowboy Bebop coming a close second. I keep on watching it, year after year, in hopes of understanding what makes it so special. I still haven't figured it out.

Here is how I should convince you to give it a go. Listen to the soundtrack. It is by Yoko Kano (again) and it is very versatile in terms of genre. You may find it here on SoundCloud.

If you watch it, I hope you'll be able to put words on it better than me.

Cowboy Bebop

The one and only (let us all forget about this cursed live-action adaptation).

Doesn't need much of an introduction. It is indeed what gets most people into Watanabe's work.

I recommend the English dub. I mean, it is - with Black Lagoon - one of the best English anime dubs.

Let it speak to your existential angst.

Carole & Tuesday

Two girls pursuing a musical career on Mars.

I admit the ending disappointed me. The series was building up some high stakes, but the main plot line resolved itself too easily. Yet, there is something oddly comforting and touching about it.

Space Dandy

Space Dandy is about a crew of broke alien hunters hunting well... aliens. Check the intro it'll tell you everything you need to know. That aside, it explores the concept of alternate universes.

The overall tone is comparable to Samurai Champloo's: it'll make you laugh, and sometimes, it'll just keep glued to your screen, completely silent.

It's pretty experimental and fun.

The first season consists of episodic adventures. They only develop the plot in the second season, but at least it wraps up better than Carole & Tuesday.

Conclusion

Here it is. His work deserves a bit more recognition - especially ZNT. If you liked Bebop, take a pick, I'll be worth your while.

cowboy bebop is a gateway drug to everything shinichirō watanabe has ever directed

[japanguiding]

TOP TOKYO THINGS TO DO:

-Shibuya/Yamashita Park/Harujuku/Meiji Jingu/Yoyogi (Nearby)

-Shimokitazawa Rojiura samurai curry is the best curry, desserts at Captains Donut and Shirohige Ghibli cafe

-Kichijoji Go Inokashira Park and Ghibli museum

-Mount Takao Get nature see monkeys

-Kamakura and Beach

-Yokohama and Chinatown (Close to Kamakura)

TOKYO DAY TRIPS

-Hakone

-Atami

-Nikko

CHAIN RESTAURANTS

-Saizeriya (italian)

-Hub (british pub)

-Torikizoku (izakaya/wetherspoons style)

-Mos Burger

-Sushiro

-Hamazushi (sushi)

-8 Pizza

-Pizza Slice

BIG MUSEUMS

-Mori Art Museum Roppongi

-National Art Center Tokyo Roppongi


-Ghibli Museum Kichijoji / Kichijoji Park

-Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

-Team Lab Odaiba

-Team Lab Planets

SMALL GALLERIES

-Gyle art gallery harujuku

-Voillld

-Scai the bath house

-Shibafu

-Anagra art gallery

-Otsuka

-Adachi

-Ohara el greco




CLUBS

-Harlem

-Atom

-Oath shibuya

-A Life

-WWW

TOKYO  RECOMMENDATIONS:

EBISU

-Hainan Jeefan Shokudo (singapore chicken & rice)

-Chinese Cafe 8 (cheap lunch)

-Blue Papaya (cheap lunch)

-Afuri healthy ramen restaurant

-Ebisu Bahn Mi sandwhiches

-Falafel Bros

-Yebisu beer museum (500 yen includes 2 beers)

-Tokyo Photographic Museum

-Parasitological Museum (free)

-Ta-im (Israeli food)




NAKA MEGURO

-Nakame no teppen honten Izakaya (expensive)

-Onibus Coffee

-Fukuho Gyoza (very cheap)

-Kiyosugi standing bar

-Colloseo Italian restaurant

-Baja Mexian Take out (cheap)

-Junakdelic Mexican Food (3000 yen)

-Breakfast Club (american breakfast)

-Bells Hotdog

-8 Pizza

-Hatos BBQ meat (expensive)

-Berry/ Just Another Space (cool secret gaijin bar 3rd floor)

-Locale Tokyo (organic)

-Niigata Sanpō-tei Tokyo Lab Nakameguro




JIYUGAOKA

-New new york club deli

GAIKUGEIDAIGAKU

-Sunny Boy Books (zines)

-Higuma Doughnuts




DAIKANYAMA

-DooWop Daikanyama (chicken burger)

-Pizza Slice

-Tsutaya T-Site magazine shop

-Log Road shop road

-Mina Perhonen fancy clothes

-Okura traditional clothing

-Maison Kitsune clothes




SHIBUYA

-Commune Takobar Parco Mexican food

-Risotto curry restaurant

-Shibuya Crossing

-Mandarake manga

-Loft department store

-Miyashita park

-Eggs n things

-World breakfast

-Harrys Sandwhich Company

-Takenostuka (bar diner)

-3 Coin Bar (cheap)

-Beat Cafe bar (THE ONE)

-Tasu Ichi bar

-DJ Bar Oath

-Hanbey izakaya

-Ko Chan izakaya

-Bar Trench

-Nondoko 209

-Wayback Burgers

-Swig Bar

-The Nuts Exchange (vegan)




OMOTE SANDO

-Taro Okamoto museum (620 yen)




HARUJUKU

-Sama Curry

-SmokeHouse BBQ

-Takeshita Street shop road

-Kiddy Land

-Purikura Land Noa photo booth

-World breakfast

-MOMA art design shop

-Dog cafe

-Yoyogi park

-Meiji Jingu temple

-Sakuratei okonomiyaki

-Jins Glasses (glasses shop)

-Menchirashi (udon)

SHINJUKU

-Shinjuku Gyoen park

-Sekaido art supply shop

-Fukuho Gyoza (very cheap)

-Alley tapioca

-Gong Cha tapioca

-Momo Paradise sukiyaki restaurant (3000 yen)

-Mannen Ya fashion

-8 Bit Cafe

-Shot Bar zoeotrope

-Vagabond shinjuku




SHIN OKUBO

-Nene Chicken (Korean chain)

-Mash Bros (pie shop)




UENO

-Ueno Park

-Ueno Zoo (600 yen)

-Ueno National Museum

-Tomato fabric shop




ASAKUSA

-Asakusa local burger

AZABUJUBAN

-Soul food house

-Sukha Latin food




AKIHABARA

-Manga shops

-Sex shops




TOKYO STATION

-Park

-National museum MOMAT (500 yen)

-Imperial Palace




ROPPONGI

-Hainan Jeefan Shokudo (singapore chicken & rice)

-Mori art museum

-Tokyo Tower

-Brew Dog bar

-Mercer Brunch (expensive)

-Havana Cafe (diner bar)

-Geronimo (shot bar)

-Falafel Bros

-Gon Pachi (Kill Bill bar)




GINZA

-Kagari ramen




ODAIBA

-Team Lab (3000 yen)




SHIMOKITAZAWA

-Rojiura samurai curry restaurant

-Ghibli Cafe

-Captain’s Donut

-Flippers pancakes

-Bio ojiiyan restaurant

-Trouble Peach bar

-Marvel bar

-Waffle cafe orange tea

-Good Heavens british pub

-El Caracol mexican food

-Miyoshino sake bar

-Umeshu bar

-Stick up (clothes)

-Grizzly (clothes)

-Desert Snow (clothes)




YOYOGI UEHARA

-Anda Gyoza restaurant

-Commune Press zine shop




SANGENJAYA

-A Bridge restaurant

-Borrachos

-Dar Roiseau

SETAGAYA

-Seatagaya art museum

-Saigon Kamimachi




KICHIJOJI

-Ghibli museum (must book in advance)

-Inokashira Park

-Inokashira Park Zoo

-Cafe Russia Restaurant

-Cave Frog Shop

-Cat cafe

-Avril No Mise yarn specialist

-Home Planet restaurant

-Ramen Maji




NAKANO

-Manga district

-Broadway

-Taco Che Alt Manga Shop




OTSUKA

-Bar Speakeasy




KOENJI

-Faith Koenji Gallery

-Hattifnatt cute cafe

-Sound Studio Dom Koenji

-Jirokichi Live House




IKEBUKURO

-Sunshine City

-Aquarium (2000 yen)

-Shops

-Pokemon Center shop

-Snoopy Charlie Brown shop




KYOTO

-Arishiyama

-Arishiyama Monkey Park

-Ki Kyoto (Lebanese food)

-Muraya Kyoto (cool bar)

-Nakagawa Liquor Store

-Public Tavern Tsubame Hall 大衆酒場つばめホール

[orihara-infobroker]

Bushido, Honour and Ghost of Tsushima

Now that I’m done crying over a horse (I WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS), let’s talk about Shimura and Sakai and the definition of honour to a samurai.

Because the story tells us that Jin has no honour and is a bad samurai but that is from the perspective of Shimura and the samurai like him. There is no good ending for Jin, not because he doesn’t have honour, but because he defied the authority structure. Basically, it’s politics.

I believe Jin is actually the one with more honour and that Shimura forsakes his own honour on the beach when he pursues a course of action that leaves Tsushima (and the mainland) open to invasion. Because without Jin’s willingness to adapt, Tsushima would have been lost, no question. 

The principles of the samurai “code” - bushido - weren’t truly codified until Miyamoto Musashi wrote about the samurai class in his later years. This was in the 1600s. Ghost of Tsushima takes place in the 1200s, well before Musashi’s writings. Which is not to say that the samurai didn’t follow a code of honour but that code could vary from clan to clan, region to region. What was functionally the singular unifying factor was that the samurai were warriors and they were nobility. 

Now, as we all know, the role of nobility has historically been a very divided one. There are the ruling class who believe that their job is to take care of the people and there are the selfish pricks who are rich and entitled and abuse their privilege. Now, I’m not saying that Shimura is abusing the peasants but it is made very clear that they are not his priority. His personal honour (or perception of what honour is) is more important to him than the lives of the peasants. Even the lives of his own soldiers are less important than their perceived “honour”. And Shimura makes it clear that the will of the Shogun (yaaay politics) is more important than the lives of the people. Even his own “son”.

Jin exemplifies the noble who understands that his role is to protect all of his people. He is the people’s hero because he cares about them. He earns their respect and loyalty in a way Shimura cannot because Shimura sees them only as subjects to rule over, not people to care about. 

Further, in the game, Jin does some very “ninja” things. Using poison, assassinating, attacking from behind etcetera. Well. The shinobi as a class didn’t really come into being until the Sengoku era (around the late 1400s, early 1500s). So the criticism levied on Jin for his dishonourable behaviour is somewhat amusing because while samurai did have a general belief that assassination was dishonourable and that you should meet your foes on the field of battle face-to-face, they weren’t opposed to using non-conventional tactics to win battles. They just didn’t get their own hands dirty with it.

Now, if we were to talk about the principles of bushido as they have been interpreted through Musashi, there are nine principles by which a samurai should live his life:

1. Do not think dishonestly. 2. The Way is in training. 3. Become acquainted with every art. 4. Know the Ways of all professions 5. Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters. 6. Develop an intuitive judgement and understanding for everything. 7. Perceive those things which cannot be seen. 8. Pay attention even to trifles. 9. Do nothing which is of no use.

These are the principles that were later further reimagined as the eight virtues of bushido by Nitobe Inazo in the 1800s and are what most people see in reference to bushido today:

Righteousness (義, gi) Be acutely honest throughout your dealings with all people. Believe in justice, not from other people, but from yourself. To the true warrior, all points of view are deeply considered regarding honesty, justice and integrity. Warriors make a full commitment to their decisions.

Heroic Courage (勇, yū) Hiding like a turtle in a shell is not living at all. A true warrior must have heroic courage. It is absolutely risky. It is living life completely, fully and wonderfully. Heroic courage is not blind. It is intelligent and strong.

Benevolence, Compassion (仁, jin) Through intense training and hard work the true warrior becomes quick and strong. They are not as most people. They develop a power that must be used for good. They have compassion. They help their fellow men at every opportunity. If an opportunity does not arise, they go out of their way to find one.

Respect (礼, rei) True warriors have no reason to be cruel. They do not need to prove their strength. Warriors are not only respected for their strength in battle, but also by their dealings with others. The true strength of a warrior becomes apparent during difficult times.

Honesty (誠, makoto) When warriors say that they will perform an action, it is as good as done. Nothing will stop them from completing what they say they will do. They do not have to 'give their word'. They do not have to 'promise'. Speaking and doing are the same action.

Honour (名誉, meiyo) Warriors have only one judge of honor and character, and this is themselves. Decisions they make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of who they truly are. You cannot hide from yourself.

Duty and Loyalty (忠義, chūgi) Warriors are responsible for everything that they have done and everything that they have said and all of the consequences that follow. They are immensely loyal to all of those in their care. To everyone that they are responsible for, they remain fiercely true.

Self-Control (自制, jisei)

Now if we look at either of these lists, we can see that Jin does not lack in honour. He does not stray from the path of the samurai. Quite the opposite, Jin exhibits exemplary personal responsibility. Shimura, on the other hand, while not without honour and generally consistent with Musashi’s guidelines, does stray far afield of the virtues. In fact, I would argue that his strict adherence to the “rules” as he perceived them is actually what makes him less honourable than Jin. He cannot perceive things in any way other than the one he was raised with and that is his downfall - and nearly the downfall of Tsushima. 

Which, historically is not inaccurate. (Not that you should be looking to Ghost of Tsushima for historical accuracy. In fact, please don’t... XD) During the actual mongol invasion of Japan, the mongols sailed from Korea and took Tsushima as well as Iki Island then proceeded to land at Hakata Bay. These islands simply did not have the number of troops sufficient to defend them against an entire fleet.

What actually defeated the mongols was not samurai honour (or Jin’s sneaky shinobi tactics). It was weather. During the battle at Hakata Bay, the mongols decided to retreat to their ships at night to avoid being ambushed by the Japanese. And because the troops were on their ships and out to sea when the tsunami hit, the mongols lost nearly half their fighting force. They retreated and, much later, planned a second invasion, following a similar path as the first. They attacked Tsushima and Iki again, routing the samurai and murdering many of the islanders. They moved against Nagato and Hakata Bay but this time the Japanese were better prepared for them and they were forced to return to Iki and other small islands. The Japanese counter attacked by launching raids on the mongol ships. As the Japanese continued to push them back, keeping them off the mainland, the mongol fleet was once again defeated, not by samurai, but by weather. A great typhoon struck the fleet and devastated it. The mongol commander fled, leaving many of his troops stranded on Taka Island where they were rounded up and killed by the Japanese. (Note this is a condensed summary of the invasions. There is obviously more detail to the actual events.)

Amusingly, what did come out of this war was a growing respect and fear for the Japanese from the Korean, Chinese and Mongol nations. The mongols, in particular were quite concerned by the Japanese swords. The Japanese, however, found that these earlier katana that they were using were inconvenient to use when fighting in close quarters against large numbers and responded by refining them.

Anyway, the history lesson aside, Jin’s story is a tragedy but it’s also an absolutely wonderful samurai story because it shows the lengths a truly honourable samurai will go to, to fulfill his duty to his principles and to his people. 

[sweet-pinkitty]

100Koi+ 4th Anniversary Party Room (Part 2)

➡️ Part 1

💟 Since 2014

Be My Princess Season 2

The prince 50 years later is also here!

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Youkai also came to the venue...!

Miyabi | Chikage | Shinra | Kyoga | Yukinojo | Samon | Kiryu

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In Your Arms Tonight Season 2

Today everyone here...!

Takeru Ashida | Shinichiro Ogiwara | Shu Mishima | Fumitaka Nishi | Kazuya Seta | Ryosuke Sakura

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Finally, in Love Again

Today everyone here...!

Aki Fujishima | Shuichiro Momoi | Sosuke Kikuchi | Yoh Kobayakawa | Yuto Tsuruya | Kazuki Serizawa | Kanata Tachibana

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True Love Sweet Lies

We invited detectives today!

Kiyoharu Nanahoshi | Sakuya Nanahoshi | Rui Wakaba | Naomasa Sakura | Nozomu Fuse

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Her Love in the Force

All the public security detectives are now in the match!

Seiji Goto | Hyogo Kaga | Hideki Ishigami | Shusuke Soma | Ayumu Shinonome | Jin Namba | Toru Kurosawa | Takaomi Tsugaru

_

Star-Cossed Myth

The god of the constellations also came...!

Leon | Scorpio | Teorus | Dui | Huedhaut | Ichthys | Karno | Zyglavis | Aigonorus | Krioff | Tauxolouve | Partheno

_

Scandal in the Spotlight

There were also national idols...!

Kyohei Rikudoh | Iori Enjo | Kota Igarashi | Nagito Aoshima | Takashi Ninagawa | Ryo Chibana | Ritsuto Ena | Fumito Ena

_

My Wedding and 7 Rings

All of Sanno Shoji are here!

Asahi Kakyouin | Yamato Kougami | Junta Nikaido | Hiroto Chitose | Ren Shibasaki | Kai Fujisawa | Seiichirou Hayami

_

💟 Since 2015

My Last First Kiss

Today are my childhood friends...!

Ayato Hidaka | Ichiya Misono | Makoto Morimachi | Takamune Kitami | Riku Morimachi | Hiroki Eniwa | Rin Yakumo

_

Butler Until Midnight

There were also butlers...!

Yuma Akagi | Aoi Shirafuji | Tomoki Matsuba | Kyo Aizawa | Itsuki Matsuba

_

After School Affairs

Everyone at Kiyoharu High School is now available!

Shinichi Kagari | Kiyonori Taishi | Rikiya Mononobe | Hidetaka Sera | Kenzo Yasukawa | Chiharu Utsumi 

_

Bad Boys Do it Better!

Today, everyone from Shinran High School is here!

Ryoji Ryukai | Rei Todo | Yu Agatsuma | Akira Sakaki | Keiichiro Minase | Yuki Saejima

_

Era of Samurai: Code of Love

Over time from the end of the Edo period...!

Toshizo Hijikata | Soji Okita | Sanosuke Harada | Hajime Saito | Isami Kondo | Shinsaku Takasugi

_

💟 Since 2016

Dangerous Seduction

We invited all of you today!

Masaharu Ryuzaki | Yasumi Arimura | Haruma Fujioka | Asuka Hino | Kentaro Inui

_

Irresistible Mistakes

Pheromen are also available here!

Shunichiro Tachibana | Toshiaki Kijima | Toma Kiriya | Taku Hayama | Go Okubo | Natsume Asaoka | Yukihisa Maki | Keita Miura | Rei Kamiki | Jun Araki

_

Love Brings You Home

Everyone here is here today!

Taiyo Inami | Arata Yuki | Liam Kurusu | Hazuki Tojo | Yoshiro Fukumoto

_

💟 Since 2017

When Destiny Comes Knocking

There were also regulars of Jesus!

Nozomu Kaneko | Rheo Usami | Seiya Fushimi | Wataru Toge | Shintaro Ando

_

Rose in the Embers 

You came from the imperial capital of the Taisho era!

Kyosuke Takatsukasa | Takahisa Togo | Misao Higuchi | Tsukumo Kobayakawa | Atsuro Shibusawa

_

Our Private Homeroom

There were also teachers from Shirogaoka High School...!

Ryota Mochizuki | Yohji Furuya | Shuya Komaki

_

Kings of Paradise

The best men are now available...!

Taki Kozaki | Kiyohito Shirakami | Shun Randoh | Yosuke Sagara | Kaisei Kuon | Hayachika Ryutsubaki | Blood Moon / Sakuto Amatsuka

_

💟 Since 2018

A World With(out) You

Tonight, these guys also came to see you again.

Kotaro Kamiyama | Saku Fukazawa | Kento Miyoshi | Kiyohiro Amemiya

_

Masquerade Kiss

Today, these people have a slightly dangerous scent...!

Kazuomi Shido | Yuzuru Shiba | Kei Soejima | Boss / Seiichi Setoyanagi

_

Romance MD: Always on Call

There were also members of the Seikai University Hospital and the Special Lifesaving Department...!

Munechika Takado | Tetsuya Hosho | Kyogoku Sentaro | Matsunaga Eiichi | Toshiki Kasumi | Kaede Ekuni

_

💟 Since 2019

Destind: Mr. Almost Right

All of these people, who are rarely gathered together, are all together today!

Rei Rindoh | Araya Kuze | Takane Momochi | Ryogo Saikusa | Haruma Tosaka | Yuri Kazumoto

_

Love's Hella Punk

He rushed to see you today!

Tengoku Shima | Tatsunoshin Utsuki | Daiki Hazeki | Akira Kousaka

_

💟 Since 2020

Professional Boyfriend

These two are also the same...!

Banri Saki | Ikki Tatsumi

_

💟 Since 2021

Oops, I Said Yes?!

The last is...! These people came from Miyoshi Kukansha Co., Ltd.!

Kunihiro Kasai | Kiba Kuranosuke | Shu Hasunuma | Eiji Takao | Sengawa Ukyo

[woundedheartwithin]

You know what I wanna read?

Kazumasa and Lord Shimura being rowdy teenagers, getting on their fathers’ nerves and getting into trouble

Their friendship and all their adventures together

Kazumasa meeting Chiyoko and being absolutely smitten with her, and she’s just super not impressed with him or his station

Kazumasa doing everything he can to woo her and just, no matter what he does, she just teases him and walks away. None of the tales of his exploits impress her, and he’s beside himself upset because this beautiful, amazing woman won’t give him the time of day

The moment Chiyoko learns that Kazumasa is not just a warrior, interested in his sword and little else, and she finally starts to see him for who he really is

Chiyoko discovering how sentimental Kazumasa is, how gentle he can be. Discovering that he spends hours grooming his horse, telling him stories as he braids his mane

Chiyoko discovering that Kazumasa is not only as powerful as a storm, but as wild as one too, and being utterly thrilled by him

The two of them galloping bareback through a forest lit by fireflies, pushing their horses into Lake Omi and shrieking as the water erupts all around them, tumbling from their mounts and laughing and splashing one another

Shimura covering for his sister when their father asks where she is, why she missed this meeting or that party, because she keeps sneaking out to see the young samurai who has finally caught her attention

Shimura promising his friend that he’ll keep their affair a secret from the jito, and getting into a whole lot of trouble doing it because he loves them both so much

Shimura so happy to watch his best friend and his dear sister fall crazy in love, rooting for them and encouraging them and just being their biggest cheerleader

Kazumasa scared as hell to ask Chiyoko to marry him, and even more afraid to ask her father for permission

Shimura ready to fight his father on Kazumasa and Chiyoko’s behalf, and his father revealing that he’d not only known, he’d never once disapproved (and being very disappointed that his children had so little faith in him)

Yuriko helping Chiyoko prepare for their wedding, and telling her how beautiful she looks, and how lucky Kazumasa is to have her

Their wedding, and how scared they both are right until they see each other, and then everything just fades into the background

Chiyoko finding out she’s pregnant, and Kazumasa just sweeping her off her feet and kissing her until they’re both dizzy with it

Kazumasa not wanting to leave Chiyoko’s side throughout her pregnancy. So concerned with what she eats and how much activity she does, and being so careful around her that finally she scolds him and reminds him that she’s not going to break if he touches her

Chiyoko giving birth and telling her husband that they are naming the little boy Jin, and Kazumasa not even questioning her

Chiyoko giving Kazumasa their tiny infant son to hold for the first time, and Kazumasa being both completely terrified that he might accidentally hurt the child, and so giddy and enchanted by the baby that he can’t think straight

Chiyoko watching her little family, laughing when little Jin smacks his father in the face and shrieks with delight, and Kazumasa just standing there stunned before bursting into laughter too

The few years of absolute bliss as they raise their child together. All the milestones they reach and celebrate. Teaching Jin to write and play the flute and ride a horse. Learning all the ways that the little boy is like his mother, all the ways he’s like his father

Kazumasa fiercely protecting his family against raiders or Yarikawa rebels, and immediately breaking down into tears once it’s over, overwhelmed by the mere thought that he could have lost either of them

The first signs of Chiyoko’s illness, and Kazumasa doting on her hand and foot, almost annoying with how attentive he is, but so gentle and worried and sweet that Chiyoko finds herself falling deeper and deeper in love with him again and again, and not understanding how that’s even possible

Kazumasa staying up all night just holding Chiyoko as she sleeps, so scared that she’s fading away that he can’t even breathe, so he listens to her and follows her lead as she breathes deep and even and slow

Chiyoko waking up against Kazumasa’s chest, his arms wrapped tight around her, a concerned pout on his face when she looks up into it, and she just reaches up to touch his cheek and smiles, deciding to let him sleep just a little longer

I want to read about them before all the tragedy and heartache. I want to get to know Kazumasa before he had to grow up and raise his only child all alone, without the love of his life and without her guidance. I want to know Chiyoko in her own words, rather than those of a boy who didn’t get nearly enough time with her

I want to know the woman who wrote her husband a love poem, and I want to know the man who carried that poem everywhere he went

But I don’t want to fucking write it 😭😭😭 when are we gonna be able to just upload our brains into a word document????

[kathrynalicemc]

Harry Potter Golden Era MC Profile

Identity

Name: Mariko Krei

Gender: Female

Age: 16 (year 6)

Birth Date: April 2nd, 1980

Species: Human

Blood Status: Half Blood

Sexuality: Lesbian

Ethnicity: Japanese/Caucasian mix

Nationality: Japanese, American, British

Residence: Cambridge, England

The Mage

Wand: Beech wood, Phoenix feather core

“The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant. Such wizards and witches, having obtained a beech wand without having been suitably matched (yet coveting this most desirable, richly hued and highly prized wand wood), have often presented themselves at the homes of learned wandmakers such as myself, demanding to know the reason for their handsome wand’s lack of power. When properly matched, the beech wand is capable of a subtlety and artistry rarely seen in any other wood, hence its lustrous reputation.”

Animagus: None

Misc Magical Abilities: Talented in wandless magic

Boggart Form: Being all alone without a family

Riddikulus Form: All her family and friends suddenly jumping out from hiding places and yelling surprise

Amortentia: Tea, parchment, rain, cherry blossoms, a perfume that seems familiar that she can’t place

Patronus: Red Crowned Crane

Patronus Memory: Walking down a street in Japan as a child with her father as cherry blossom petals fall all around her, with vague blurry shapes of two other people nearby

Mirror of Erised: A hazy silhouette of what looks like a woman and a teenage boy who she doesn’t recognize

Specialized/Favourite Spells: She loves practicing wandless magic in combination with her martial arts skills. Specifically using wingardium leviosa to make leaves and flowers float in the air. She does it as a sort of meditation

Appearance

Faceclaim: Sakura Heffron

Game Appearance: N/A

Height: 5’9”

Physique: Tall, athletic, graceful

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Black

Skin Tone: Pale

Body Modifications: She has freckles mainly on her nose and a few on her cheeks.

Scarring: N/A

Inventory: Some Japanese ink brushes she uses instead of quills, her wand, keys to her 1966 Arcadian Blue Mustang (when old enough), a tiny cherry blossom branch encased in resin she can’t remember when she got, biker jacket

Allegiances

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Mahoutokoro House (if she went): Shunrai

Affiliations/Organizations:

Hogwarts

Dumbledore’s Army

Professions: unsure yet

Hogwarts Information

Quidditch: Keeper

Extra Curricular: Chess club, Frog choir, Martial Arts

Favourite Professors: Flitwick, Mcgonagall

Least Favourite Professors: Snape obv

Relationships

Father: Dorian Aloysius Krei

Fc: Robert Downey Junior

-Half Blood wizard

-Works as a Chemistry professor at various Muggle Universities

-Has taught in Japan, San Francisco, England

-A huge nerd

-Kind and goofy

-Supportive of his daughter

Mother: Ume Nakai

Fc: -

-Pureblood

-House: Seiran

-Works as a Samurai/Hit Witch for the Japan Ministry

-Uses magic and martial arts to track down and handle dangerous dark arts users

-Upholds the Japan Ministries Codes: Don’t use dark arts, don’t break the statute of secrecy

-Very skilled in martial arts

-Protective of her family

Brother: Jomei Nakai

Fc: -

-House: Yosamu

-Older than Mariko by 10 years

-Decides to join his mother as a Samurai/Hit Wizard when he graduates Mahoutokoro

-Gentle and intelligent

-Good at reading others emotions

-Looks after his mother because he knows she misses her husband and daughter

-Good magic dueler

Love Interest: Luna Lovegood

Dormmates: Padma Patil, Sue Li, Cho Chang

Pets: A bowtruckle she found in a tree by the lake. She named it Kijin meaning tree spirit

Closest Canon Friends: Luna, Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Fred & George

Closest MC Friends: Lara Fairbourne, Mal Ridley, Aimee Alice

Background/History

Dorian Krei got a job as a Chemistry professor at Tohoku University after graduating from Ilvermorny. He was interested in alchemy but wanted more knowledge so he decided to get a Muggle job and education. Living in Japan he eventually met Ume Nakai and after a few years they got married and had Jomei. Ume was the Japanese equivalent of a Hit Witch. Her job was dangerous and their family was usually at risk from vengeful dark wizards. They decided it was best to not have any more kids. However, 10 years later they accidentally had Mariko.

Disaster struck when Mariko was 6. In the middle of the night a Dark Wizard that Ume had arrested broke out of prison and into their house. He tried to kill the family but Ume and Jomei fought him off, being forced to kill him in front of Mariko and Dorian. Afraid it would happen again, Ume tells Dorian to take Mariko and move away to protect them as Dorian isn’t a fighter and Mariko is too young. Jomei refuses to leave his mom all alone and decides to become a Hit Wizard as he had just graduated from Mahoutokoro and was a very good fighter.

Mariko was too young to understand and was very upset when told she had to leave with her dad so Ume obliviated her memories of herself and her brother. Dorian was against this and tried to argue but Ume said it would help protect her. Dorian moved back to his hometown San Francisco and transferred to the University there. He raised his daughter as if her mom had died when she was a baby. He despised lying to her but knew she was happy and healthy. Before Mariko turned 11, Dorian got a job offer at Cambridge and they moved to England. Mariko started school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991, the same year as Harry Potter.

Personality

-She’s very kind and warm to people

-Curious of the world around her

-Intelligent and seeks to learn new things but doesn’t like to show her intelligence off

-Helps others

-Will fight for her freedom to choose and have control of her own life

-Admires her father but doesn’t want to take over his business

-Won’t be told how to be or what to like

-Loves excitement and adventure which can get her in trouble

-Feels like she needs to keep her dad happy because he’s sometimes quiet and sad

-Active and trains her body as well as her mind

Misc

-Mariko means “truth”

-Mariko names her bowtruckle Kijin. Ki means “tree” and Jin means “spirit”

-She’s born in April when cherry blossoms bloom

-She was brought up bilingual and knows both English and Japanese

-Mariko can see thestrals and it scares and intrigues her because it means she has seen death she doesn’t remember

-She doesn’t know that Dorian and Ume keep in contact with letters

-She will eventually run into her mom and brother during the Battle of Hogwarts and have her memory restored

-Dorian and Mariko use Dorians last name while Ume and Jomei use Umes last name

[sleepyowlwrites]

Sleepy’s Fic Masterlist (better late than never)

I realized I never made one of these and just sneakily wrote and published stuff on AO3 without announcing it, but having a masterlist is really useful even just for me, so I’m making one now. 

Not every fic I’ve ever written or published is included here, as a few are either quite short or are not currently available to read (or I don’t really like them). All links lead to AO3 unless otherwise stated. Everything is neatly sorted with word counts, characters, summaries, etc. as well as any triggers.

Note: when I say something is unedited, I mean a full pass edit with revisions, parts added or rearranged, resulting in a more complete fic. I do a quick edit before I post to check for spelling/grammar errors, but hold off on a solid edit until later. And sometimes, later never comes. But I never post anything that I haven’t done a quick edit for.

Also, besides a mild flirtation here or there, everything I write is platonic (with a single exception). 

Fandoms included in this list:

The Untamed

The Lost Tomb Franchise

The 100

Power Rangers

Chicago P.D.

K-Pop

The Untamed (Chinese historical drama, 50 episodes)

Blood Cultivation series (complete) - fantasy, angst, character study, OC, friendship, family, blood and action, happy ending Characters: Lan Sizhui, Jin Ling, Lan Jingyi, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng, Lin Meili (OC) Summary: Lin Meili is a traveling cultivator with unusual methods who meets some non-judgmental Lans and ends up confiding in them about yet another devious Jin cultivator who is trying to commit murder.  Triggers: mentions of child abuse/manipulation (vague and canon compliant-ish), blood, semi-necessary self-harm (triggering a curse) 

Blood Cultivation (WC: 5304) complete/edited

Blood Energy (WC: 3944) complete/edited

Blood Enemy (WC: 7311) complete/edited

Blood Ties (WC: 8307) complete/edited

Blood Curse (WC: 6968) complete/unedited

where we planted a garden, did we grow a family? (WC 8421) complete/edited

I’ll tell you again to make you believe - sickfic, friendship, important conversations, platonic cuddling (WC: 4346 ) complete/edited Characters: Lan Jingyi, Lan Sizhui Summary: two best boys reassure each other of their worth and are just really good friends.  Triggers: none

The Lost Tomb Franchise (Chinese adventure drama, multiple series)

The Sounds in Silence Series (incomplete) - friendship, hurt/comfort, enhanced/impaired senses, banter, introspection Series: The Lost Tomb Reboot Characters: Liu Sang, Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie, Wang Pangzi Summary: Liu Sang struggles to reconcile his own doubts with the offer of friendship given by his companions while having not the nicest time doing some tomb exploring. Triggers: anxiety, panic attacks, impaired hearing, fear/insecurity

Heartbeat (WC: 7924) complete/edited

Beating Hearts (WC: 10774) completed/being edited

Interlude (WC: 2220) incomplete/unedited

Power Rangers Franchise

Forest Secrets - character study, commentary, secrets, team dynamics, friendship, typical power rangers style battle (WC: 7107) complete/edited Series: Power Rangers Samurai Characters: Mike, Emily, Mia, Kevin, Jayden, Antonio, Thalia (OC) Summary: Mike stumble on yet another secret and the team’s habit of falling apart rather than growing together comes back. Triggers: none Note: this is a complete but unfinished story, as I wrote this much and never came back to it. 

Chicago P.D.

Shots series - character study, action, crime, blood, friendship/partnership, very inaccurate policework, banter, hospitals, is this poking fun at the show and its writing? surely not Characters: Lexi (OC), Jay Halstead, Antonio Dawson, Adam Ruzek, Hank Voight, brief mentions of Trudy Platt, Kim Burgess, Kevin Atwater Summary: Lexi likes to play by her own rules in the space afforded her by her unique position of not really being a cop, but ends up entangled in the cases of the 21st anyway.  Triggers: blood, guns, criminals, mentions of child assassin training, dumb/bad policework

Smoke and Sparks (WC: 3550) complete/unedited

Connections (WC: 2842) complete/unedited

Found Me Out (WC: 2482) complete/unedited

Calculated Risks (WC: 3739) complete/unedited

On My Terms (WC: 6733) complete/unedited

The 100

the name was: family - character study, introspection, AU, partnership, platonic friendship, found family, hurt/comfort (WC: 8892) complete/unedited Characters: Bellamy Blake, Sage (OC), Monty Green, Harper McIntyre Summary: Bellamy hadn’t meant to need anyone else, but here he was needing her all the same. Triggers: blood, animal attack, allusions to murder

BTS*

*NOTE: all of my real-person fics are about characters of my own creation, but then I borrow a couple of key traits from the real person they’re sharing the name of, so that I can write both in fandom and not really about real people, because writing my own characters is a lot more fun, but having a core to work off of is nice and easy. this has been a disclaimer? of a sort.

I have chosen to sort by date, latest to earliest, so from 11/2018 to 06/2016

Better Than Tears (sweeter than sleep) - slice of life, friendship, mental health issues, crying, deep conversations, emotional hurt/comfort, college AU (WC: 51,100) complete/edited (technically unfinished) Characters: Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung, Yoongi, Hoseok Summary: Jungkook had always felt lost until Jimin came along to find him. Triggers: anxiety/panic attacks, mentions of blood, mentions of disordered eating, insomnia, loneliness, crying, depression

Bangtan Chats - chat fic, humor, crack, nonsense (all of these can still be found on my blog because I don’t feel like reposting all 270+ of them on a sideblog) (WC: 30,187) complete/edited Characters: all of BTS, guest starring Yuggyeom a couple times Summary: chats based off real events or entirely made up Triggers: none, I think

you talk too much (and say too little) - college AU, humor, friendship (WC: 2037) complete/edited Characters: Jimin, Jungkook, Taehyung, Yuggyeom Summary: Taehyung talks in his sleep. Triggers: none

it’s a big universe (but somehow I found my home with you) - space AU, friendship, surreal (WC: 13, 216) complete/unfinished/unedited Characters: Taehyung, Jungkook, Jimin, Yoongi. Summary: for as long as he can remember, Taehyung has been drifting around the universe, all alone. Triggers: existentialism?

please don’t laugh (but I know you will anyway) - friendship, humor (WC: 1190) complete/edited Characters: Jimin, Jungkook Summary: they are good friends. Triggers: none

closer than blood (stronger than time) - vague vampire AU, ward & guardian relationship (WC: 1497) (written for a prompt request) complete/edited Characters: Jungkook, Jimin Summary: Jimin is a Timeless and wants Jungkook to have friends. Triggers: none?

hold my hand (and I’ll keep you warm) - college AU, childhood friends, slice of life (WC: 2049) complete/edited Characters: Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook Summary: Taehyung and Jimin have always held hands, until they didn’t. Triggers: none

Two Streets - modern AU, slice of life, opposite lives (WC: 5647) complete/edited Characters: Jungkook, Jimin, Namjoon Summary: Jungkook lives in the nice part of town. Jimin does not. Triggers: bullying/bruises, very not good or accurate anything

The Jimin Effect - dialogue fic, humor, group dynamics, crack (WC: 8993) complete/edited Characters: all of BTS Summary: everybody loves Jimin. that’s all. Triggers: none

you can have me (I’ll be your family) - college AU, broken family, new friends, gangs? (WC: 4784) complete/edited Characters: Jungkook, Taehyung, Seokjin (made-up Jungkook’s older brother) Summary: Jungkook’s brother is an ass and Taehyung is probably an angel. Triggers: fighting, blood, a stab wound, emotional manipulation, neglect

stars should always shine (so smile) - royalty AU, friendship (WC: 1350) complete/edited Characters: Yoongi, Taehyung, kid!Jungkook Summary: Yoongi just wants Taehyung to smile. Triggers: none?

just stay here (forever, if you want) - college AU, reluctant friendship, bullying (WC: 4872) complete/edited Characters: Yoongi, Taehyung, Seokjin (brief appearances of the others) Summary: Yoongi doesn’t let others sleep in his room but can’t turn Taehyung away. Triggers: mentions of bullying and bruises

teach me to talk (please don’t shup up) - college/coffee shop AU, reluctant friends, loner & chatty person (WC: 4397) complete/edited Characters: Yoongi, Jimin, Hoseok, Taehyung for a hot sec Summary: Yoongi likes being a loner but gets used to Hoseok talking. Triggers: none

I really mean it (that I don’t mean it) - college AU, dumb friends, the opposite game (WC: 1968) complete/edited Characters: Jungkook, Taehyung, Seokjin, Yoongi Summary: it’s opposite day and Jungkook struggles. Triggers: none

get me out (give me space) - high school AU, friendship (WC: 1557) complete/edited Characters: Taehyung, Jimin Summary: Jimin and Taehyung get locked in a closet. Triggers: claustrophobia though perhaps not super accurate, crying

I’ll take care of you (you don’t get a say) - college AU, strangers to friends (WC: 1800) complete/edited Characters: Seokjin, Yoongi, mentions of everyone else Summary: Seokjin is that guy who takes care of everybody. Triggers: none

the evolution of a friendship - canon compliant-ish, commentary, awkwards to friends, fluff, hurt/comfort, series (WC: 24, 499) complete/edited (I linked the series because this post is long) Characters: Jimin, Jungkook, Taehyung, everybody in smaller amounts Summary: Jungkook was awkward and then he grew up.  Triggers: bad dreams, mild panic, crying

I’ll stop running (if you’ll hug me anyway) - college AU, friendship, sports/sports injury (WC: 2482) complete/edited Characters: Taehyung, Jimin, Hoseok Summary: Taehyung doesn’t want to stop running. Triggers: vague knee injury, fainting

talking is hard (I’ll just lurk by the mailbox) - neighbors AU, fluff (WC: 1230) complete/edited Characters: Jungkook, Jimin, Seokjin Summary: Jungkook is shy.  Triggers: none

all the stars - modern AU, xReader, romance (WC: 1623) complete/edited Characters: Namjoon, You (the only time I’ve ever written xReader) Summary: you think Namjoon is in love. Triggers: none

Rain - career AU? sickfic, friendship, roommates (WC: 5525) complete/edited Characters: Yoongi, Jimin, mentions of Youngjae (from B.A.P) Summary: Jimin gets caught in the rain and Yoongi is a nice stranger in an elevator. Twice. Triggers: mention of vague anxiety about eating

You’re More Beautiful - photography AU, friendship, strangers to still strangers really, fluff (WC: 1898) complete/edited Characters: Jungkook, Jimin, Yoongi Summary: Jungkook came to photograph the scenery. Yoongi is nice scenery. Triggers: social anxiety

Marshmallow - high school AU, friendship, fluff (WC: 4991) complete/edited Characters: Jungkook, Jimin, Taehyung Summary: Jimin is as fluffy as a marshmallow and twice as sweet. Triggers: none

[tsushimanoonryo]

Summons

This was the second time in a month Jin had been officially summoned by his uncle. Jin saw Boss Shimura fairly often– the man was his blood relative and practically his father at this point. But those visits had been genial and impromptu. Those had involved dinner and staying the night in the room he’d lived in as a teenager. Those visits didn’t involve being handed a letter in a sealed envelope with instructions to meet his uncle alone in the Shimura Family offices.

He dressed his best, donning his suit like he might put on armor. He didn’t know what this meeting was about, but he didn’t want to make himself vulnerable to attack. He knew Shimura prized tradition and decorum, and Jin would not answer the summons looking slovenly. That would only insult his uncle and make this whole situation worse.

He arrived just after sundown. At this time of night, it was normal to the building full of people coming and going. Night time, his uncle was fond of saying, was the domain of the yakuza, and that was when their real work began. But today the place was silent, the halls empty and foreboding. His footsteps echoed along the empty corridors and Jin knew that this meeting was going to be unpleasant.

His uncle’s office was a mixture of western and Japanese architecture. Concrete, wood, and shoji paper mixed seamlessly to draw the eye first to the seating area in the front of the room and then to the recessed desk where his uncle conducted most of his business. The office was sparsely decorated according to the standards of the ancient samurai class: bronze men-yoroi on the walls, a set of swords on a stand, and hanging above it all, the crimson and gold crest of the Shimura family.

Boss Hiroto Shimura himself was seated at the desk, dressed in a dark formal kimono under a golden haori. His face was impassive and hard to read as Jin walked in and gave him a bow of greeting.

“Sit, Jin,” he said simply. So Jin sat.

They were silent for a while, Jin trying not to sweat under his uncle’s gaze. He felt like he was a little boy again and he’d just been caught doing something he’d been explicitly told not to do. Finally, his uncle spoke.

“I met Dr. Lewis.”

Jin nearly choked on his own spit. Against all odds, he managed to keep himself under control, knowing his uncle would judge him harshly for betraying any emotion here. Instead, he calmly lifted his eyes to his uncle’s.

“She seems to have recovered remarkably well,” Shimura continued. “That’s the one thing I miss about my own youth: being able to bounce back from things quickly.”

Jin lowered his eyes to his lap, afraid to speak. He didn’t know where his uncle was going with this and he didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

“Speaking of,” Shimura continued. “How are your own injuries?”

Jin swallowed nervously and peered up at his uncle.

“What injuries?” he asked.

“Don’t be stupid, boy,” Shimura said, standing up from his desk. “I know you’ve tried to hide them from me, but I know my own blood. You’ve been hurt recently and you’ve been hurt badly.”

He walked up to Jin and grabbed his chin, turning it up so Jin had to look in his face.

“I’m sure that girl of yours helped you cover the bruises,” he said. “But I’ve seen you limping around. You can’t lie to me, Jin. I know you too well.”

Shimura let go of Jin’s chin and walked back to his desk.

“I expect Dr. Lewis will no longer be late with her payments,” he continued. “And I expect you will no longer be so lenient when it comes to collecting on her debts. Am I clear?”

Jin swallowed thickly. He hated this. He hated this so much.

“Am I clear, Jin?”

“Yes, uncle,” he choked out.

“You swear it?”

“I swear it.”

He left with a foul taste in his mouth, a roiling in his gut, and the sense that he’d just made a horrible mistake.

[lethesomething]

The Ghost and the Witch, part 2

This is a continuation of The Ghost and the Witch (which you can read here), a small Ghost of Tsushima fic that I wrote to Deal With Things, but that needed extra fluff. So have that, I guess. There is also technically (?) smut, in the victorian sense where anything that happens is badly hidden in subtext and obvious symbolic imagery.

“You’re new.”

Jin startles at the voice that seems to come out of the air itself. It has been six days since his uncle brought him to Castle Shimura, and it’s the first time he’s ventured this far out into the garden by himself. The grounds are vast and meticulously kept, but this area feels different, a low corner near the outer wall, mostly obscured by a large cherry tree. The small plot of land is utterly covered in white and pink petals, but it looks like someone is also growing a kitchen garden here.

“Are you the Boy?”

The voice calls out again and this time he spots its owner: a young girl up in the tree. She looks about his age, with two braids coming down her shoulders and dressed in a hakama of some quality. She looks out of place, in as much as anyone looks wrong stuck in a tree. 

“What are you doing there?” he asks.

The girl looks down at where she’s perched on a wide branch. “Sitting,” she says.

“Well. Yes, I can see that,” he concedes.

“The view is nice, you should try it sometimes,” she says with a half mocking smile. Then she starts clambering down. “They say lord Shimura has taken in a ward,” she goes on, as Jin takes a few steps forward, unsure of whether he should try to catch her. The girl ignores his panic and hops down in three calculated movements. “So that’s you, yeah?” she says when she drops to the ground.

“Yes,” Jin says, composing himself. “I am Jin.. Lord Sakai.”

The girl does another one of her half-smiles and then finally treats him to a proper bow. “Pleased to meet you, Jin Sakai. I’m ___. My father is the head of the guard.” She points to the nearby tower. “He can see halfway across the island from there.”

“Well it is an important strategic location,” Jin says, parroting his homework from the past few weeks. “Whoever controls the castle, controls the island.”

You tilt your head at him. “Sure,” you say. “It sounds like you’ll fit right in.”

He drifts into your house in the woods like leaves on an autumn wind, a quick slide of the door and suddenly he’s there, a presence that darkens the shadows cast by a late evening. 

“Jin?” You look up from your work. “Are you alright?”

He says nothing, and that is answer enough. There’s something wrong with his posture, a slump, a wobble, and you rush up to meet him and pull him into the light of the fire. 

“Show me.”

“It’s not as bad as it could be,” he mumbles, while you quickly remove his helmet and place it on the ground, antlers glistening a rusty red. 

“What happened?”

“Mongols,” he says, his voice hoarse, “Perhaps a few more than I had anticipated.”

“Were you followed?”

“They’re dead.”

“Alright.” You loosen the straps of his gloves and take them off, before setting to work on his pauldron. The leather is wet, the bands caked in something slick that combines with the shaking of your fingers and makes them difficult to dislodge. 

His hands, rough, scarred but surprisingly stable, fold over yours. “Let me.”

“Right,” you say and you hurry to fill a bowl with warm water by the fire. You open a box by the fire and rifle through it, fingers scurrying over boxes and pouches and pots until you find the clearing salts, which you dump in the bowl. When you turn back, Jin has taken off his pauldrons and untied his armor.

You point to a mat by the fire. “Sit.”

“It’s really not that bad, “ he says when you help him out of his chestpiece. 

“If you have come here for my help, it’s bad enough.”

He does not argue. He sits quietly while you wipe away the blood and assess his wounds. The gash on his arm is shallow if jagged. But there’s a cut in his side that looks deep. The edges of it are laced with a grey, ashy dust that smells of poison and rot.

You clean it off as best as you can. “We’ll have to hope it is not infected,” you say. 

He hums, a low sound that is more of a tremor than a response. You glance up to see his eyes are not looking at you, but through you, glass beads staring into nothingness. You put a palm to his forehead. Fever.

“Stay awake a little longer, Jin,” you find yourself saying, “I need you to hold this.” You smear ointment on his skin and place a piece of silk over it. Then you move his hand there. “Try to push down while I bandage this up.”

He nods absently and you set to work, moving as quickly as you can, trying to ignore the dangerous sway in his form, a mighty tree falling in slow motion. By the time you have bandaged his abdomen and his arm, he has mostly collapsed, barely staying on his knees, his head leaning against your shoulder to remain upright. His eyelids have fallen shut, although you can see his eyes twitch underneath. Perspiration beads on his forehead. “This will have to do,” you whisper.

With effort, you lay him down on the mat and cover him in blankets. His breath is ragged, shallow. You clear away your previous work and prepare a fresh bowl of water and a cloth, which you set by his side.

Outside, the wind howls an angry, desperate roar. You stoke the fire and brew a pot of tea. It will be a long night. 

-----

Jin closes his eyes and breathes in the smell of early autumn. The salt in the air mixes with the earthy scent of leaves and wood fires. After his time away at training camp, it feels comforting to return to his uncle’s castle. He stalks the grounds like a cat, reacquainting himself with its many nooks and crannies, taking stock of the small changes in plants and people. The sound of running feet wakes him from his investigation and he turns, smiling to see you racing towards him. 

You’re improperly fast, bounding down the path like a wild foal that has just discovered the joy of speed. “Jin!”

You abruptly stop just short of him, then take a breath and bow. “Welcome back, milord,” you say, and Jin has to bite back a laugh at the sudden politeness. 

“Thank you,” he manages instead. “What made you so excited?”

You look up with a sparkle in your eye. “The camellia’s started blooming! Come see?”

You turn around and dash off again, your figure a fluttering, billowing sheet tugged off the clothesline by a strong gale, free to whirl and spiral down the path. 

 Jin shakes his head briefly and follows, measuring his pace while he watches you dance up the steps, until you stop and wait for him. 

“You’re slow,” you say when he catches up.

“I’m Deliberate,” he argues.

“Why?”

“A samurai does not rush into things.”

You nod thoughtfully and slow down to match his step. “Did you learn that at camp?”

“I have been learning that for a while,” he says.

“Mmm,” you say, letting your fingers glide through the grass framing the path as you walk beside him. 

“What else did you learn?”

He thinks on it a while, and then something resembling a smirk forms on his lips. “I’ve been learning about women,” he says. 

You raise an eyebrow at him. 

“Ryuzo says I should be careful with them. That some of them are out for my titles and money.”

You do not look convinced. “Who’s Ryuzo?” you ask. 

“My friend.”

“Well he sounds like an idiot,” you say, shrugging.

“He’s not,” Jin starts saying, but when he looks toward you, your face is darkened. “Besides,” he says “I’m sure he didn’t mean, uh, you.”

“What I’m ‘women’,” you say in a mock guffaw. 

“Depends on the definition,” he huffs. 

“Oi!”

Jin chuckles and sets off running toward the cherry tree, now chased by a girl calling him mean. 

When he reaches your small garden, the sight stops him in his tracks. The bushes, once a dull green, have sprouted dozens of small, perfectly formed pink and red flowers. They dot the garden like jewels glistening in the sun.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” you say, coming up behind him.

“They are,” he nods.

He reaches out to touch one, fingers brushing over the small, soft petals. 

“My mother used to love these,” you say, wistfully running your hands over the leaves. “She’d wear them in her hair. She was so pretty.”

“I can imagine that,” Jin says quietly.

“Huh?”

He turns his attention back to the flowers. 

“Why don’t you try one?” he says.

“I sincerely doubt it would suit me, Jin.”

He shakes his head and chooses a perfect red bloom, carefully picking it off the branch. “Here.” 

He hands it to you but you just hold it in your palm, staring at it, and then at him.

“What?” he says. “Just try it. It will be like honoring your mother.”

“Right,” you mutter, and slide it into your braid. 

“There,” he says. “That looks very nice. I bet your mother’s spirit looks down on you with pride.”

You gently touch the bloom, a soft smile on your face as you look around the garden, resplendent in sunlight. “Maybe,” you say.

----

Jin’s body feels heavy, as if he’s dropping to the bottom of a bog, weighed down with stones and pricked with a thousand knives. His skin burns and his veins are filled with lead. 

He’s vaguely aware of movement next to him, of cool cloth soothing his forehead before his spirit sinks down into the muck again.

When he next wakes up, it is to the sound of wind rustling outside. He opens his eyes slowly, and tries to focus on the rafters high above him, laden with drying herbs. The smell of burnt wood hangs in the air and he becomes aware of a dying fire glowing to his side. He turns his head, and the movement feels like hammers pounding on an anvil. 

On the ground next to him is a bowl, a pile of bloodied bandages and, a little further on, you, curled up against a stool. Your hair is tousled, your skirts gathered around you and your face buried in your arms in a way that looks uncomfortable. 

The light of a winter’s morning seeps through a high window, casting long, stark shadows that stretch stalks into trees and bottles into towering columns. In the midst of it all your sleeping form stands out as an island of light, a sprinkle of silver dust in a sea of shadows. 

Jin closes his eyes again and lays back. He’s weary, and the pain sears through his veins, but he no longer feels like he’s drowning. The sack of boulders that sat on his chest has lifted. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Again.”

---

Jin hurries down the steps to the cherry tree and finds you exactly where he expected, sitting amongst the fallen camellia’s. “Hey,” he says when he enters the space. 

You do not move, don’t even shiver against the cold of a winter’s evening. “Hey,” you say. 

The voice only barely sounds like you. A sound that he remembers being clear and melodious as birdsong is now nothing more than a scraping whisper, a tarnished bell filled with ash and sand.

He approaches carefully. “I came to find you,” he says. “People are worried.”

You shrug. 

“I’m sorry,” he adds. “About your father.”

When he hears no response or protest, he takes his scabbard and slowly lays it before him, kneeling on the ground next to you. The two of you sit there, surrounded by the overly sweet, sickly smell of faded flowers. 

“He died a warrior's death,” Jin says. “He was protecting this place. Protecting you.”

You say nothing, but he can hear you breathe. A series of choppy inhales, followed by long drawn out sighs. 

“I understand,” he says. “How hard it can be. How difficult it is to face that loss. If there’s anything i can do-”

You shake your head. “Just sit with me for a bit?”

Jin nods and folds his hands into his lap. He closes his eyes and focuses on the quiet, on the shadows of the trees looming before him like stone monuments, on the cold sea wind carrying crystals of salt and ice to fill the sky above you.

----

“There’s a good horse.” Jin moves his arm to pat Kage’s mane but stops halfway, wincing at the stabbing pain in his side. “Looks like you’ll be resting here for a bit longer,” he says.

The horse nuzzles his shoulder, whinnying softly. Raindrops drizzle through the trees, cascading on an elaborate journey from branch to branch, only to fall to the moss beneath his feet with a dull, muffled plop. 

Moisture fills the air in this small clearing, droplets so thick he can taste them on his tongue. It deepens the shadows and further obscures this place, the house already veiled by layers of green and black like a widow mourning the passing of the summer sun. 

Jin carefully unties the bridle and takes it off. The horse immediately shakes out its head. “Feels nice, huh?” Jin says, and he moves to take off the saddle as well. “I’ll brush you down tomorrow, so enjoy the rain on your back while it lasts.”

His movements are slow and deliberate. The horse stomps its hoof. 

“Alright, alright,” Jin says when he finally loosens the saddle. “Off you go.” The horse takes a few steps, and the saddle slides off, dropping to the rain scattered ground. “This needs cleaning anyway,” Jin sighs.

He watches as Kage wanders over to a basket of straw he put down and starts munching. Then he takes a deep breath and bends over to pick up the saddle, grimacing at the feeling of being sliced open once more. He straightens and blows out a breath. Kage eyes him from a distance. “Don’t you start,” Jin says.

When he enters the house, the scent that greets him is earthy, the herbs and wood he’s gotten used to now laced with something deep and gamey that makes his mouth water. He sniffs. “Hare?”

“It was in one of my traps,” you say, stirring a pot bubbling over the fire. “I figured you could use the strength.”

With that, you get up and take the saddle and bridle from him. “How are you feeling?”

“About the same as the last time you asked,” he says. “I’m… fine.” He walks over to the fire to sit down, and tries his very best not to flinch. He fails.

You give him a weary look. 

“But I could probably use the strength,” he adds. 

You nod and prop up the horse tack to dry. “How is he,” you ask. 

“Stubborn.”

Another weary look. 

“You don’t have to worry about Kage,” Jin says. “He’s not wounded, and he’s fine wandering around the forest for a bit.”

With a nod, you return to your cooking.You throw some chopped burdock root in the pot, and millet to thicken it. The feeling of being watched makes you look up. 

Jin sits, watching you make stew with a soft grin on his face. 

“What?” you say.  

“Nothing,” he chuckles. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“But?” you ask, returning to your work. 

“There was a time when I would wonder what it could be like,” he says. “If you were to make something like this for me. Lord Shimura’s cook said you were quite talented, though I don’t think she approved of the random plants you’d bring in.”

You laugh. “One of the teas I brewed for her did end up giving everyone strange dreams,” you say. 

He blinks at you.

“It was an accident,” you add.

“Of course,” he says. “Either way, I used to imagine scenarios like this, embarrassing as that may be.”

“Were you half-dead in those daydreams, Jin?”

“No,” he says. “I was quite healthy, and content, and we were living in Omi.”

You nod, as if you can see the images yourself. “That would have been nice.”

He watches in silence for a while, matching the pictures from his teenage dreams to the vision in front of him. The girl, the woman, the fire and the smell of game. The knicks on your hand and the frayed edges on your garment. “I’m sorry,” he says.

You smile and shake your head. “Life rarely goes how we imagine it as children.” Then you sit back. “Do you regret it?” you ask softly. “Looking back on everything now?”

You’re not the first to ask, and the answer is no different now. “The actions I chose,” he says, voice only slightly hoarse this time. “I would do them all again.”

You nod. “That’s alright then.” And with that you pick up a small bowl and scoop it full of stew, before handing it over. “It’s not the most glorious meal you’ve ever had, but it will do.”

The two of you eat in silence for a while, nothing but the sound of crackling fire and the occasional huff outside, from Kage plodding around in the clearing in front of the house.

“This is good,” he says. 

You nod. “Of course it is.”

“I should have known you’d be confident,” he snorts. “You never did hold back to try and seem more proper.”

“I held back plenty,” you say, and put down your chopsticks. “But also, you barely ate in days. This stew would have to be pretty bad for you not to enjoy it.” You put the bowl to your lips and tip it back, savouring the spiced sauce. 

“Still, it is pretty good,” Jin nods, munching happily. 

“I’m glad I got to taste your cooking after all. It’s close to how I imagined.”

You smile softly. “Good,” you say.

----

The salted air stings your face as you survey the world from the guard tower. You can see halfway across the island from here. Your eyes follow the coastline north to the snowy covered flanks of the mountains, and south all the way to the swamps, with Kaneda Castle rising above them.

Below your feet, waterfalls pour down into the sea, an endless gurgling that was always so familiar to you, but now feels distant and annoying. 

“There you are.” Tetsuo, who used to be one of your father’s men, comes climbing up the ladder. He’s a friendly sort. Broad shouldered and scruffy. “I was sent to find you. The cart is ready.”

“Alright.”

The man watches you for a moment, while you take in the views one last time. He fidgets when your eyes come to rest on the main tower of the castle, its highest floors home to the lord and his nephew. “Do you, uh, need a moment?” he says carefully. 

The tower feels oddly imposing in the light of early morning, its height looming over the grounds and the people below, a stone monument against a lead sky. 

There’s no fires there at this time. There’s barely any movement. Just still halls and the shuffling of servant feet as they try to remain invisible and unheard, mice in their own home. 

You shake your head and turn to Tetsuo. “I’m fine,” you say. “Let’s go.”

---

The muffled tones of a flute come floating out of your house when you return from the forest with a belt of wood and some mushrooms you found. 

The melody is soft and a little nostalgic, a sound both melodious and weary at the same time. 

Jin concentrates on his breathing, a steady, stable pace to produce the right notes, but then you drift into the house like a fluttering bird, carrying the winter wind on its wings. He can smell the promise of snow on the air as you flit by in a whirl of fabric and drop a few logs next to the fire.

“Oof,” you say, and you rub your hands in the soft glow of the hearth. 

Jin puts down his flute. “Are you cold?”

“It’s freezing out,” you reply, shrugging off your coat and shawl.

“I made tea,” he says. “Why don’t you sit for a minute.” He leans forward and pours two cups from a small pot. The wound in his side stabs in protest, but it no longer makes him flinch.

You hang up your coat and kneel beside him, taking the cup in both hands and breathing in the fragrant steam. 

Your eyes flutter closed and Jin watches as your face, flushed from the cold, relaxes into a smile. He carefully takes the blanket that’s draped over his shoulders and extends it to cover yours. 

Then he leaves his hand there, a gentle weight at your back. He can feel you tense for a moment, before you relax again and take a sip. 

“I made room for Kage in the shed,” you say. “Put some animal skins on him too. He should be alright for tonight.”

“Thank you,” Jin whispers.

“You’ll be leaving soon, won’t you.” You hold the cup to your chest, staring at the fire. 

“My wound is better,” he says. “And I still need to liberate this island.”

“And then?” The words hang in the air like a puff of smoke, drifting ever upwards but refusing to dissipate.

Jin quietly sips his tea, the warmth of it welcoming but edged with a hint of bitterness from the burnt leaves. “I don’t know,” he says. 

He moves his hand further to your side and finds that you lean into his warmth. “I care for you,” he finally says. “Always have. But you already knew that.”

You nod mutely.

“I don’t know what could have happened, or what would…”

“We are very different people now,” you say, and your voice sounds oddly far, a faint whisper beneath the crackling of fire.

“True,” Jin says. “But we’re here now.”

You look up at him and your wide eyes hold a sky’s worth of stars. That same spark he saw so long ago, buried but ever burning beneath it all. He gently kisses your forehead. 

And when you don’t pull back, he kisses your temple, and the top of your cheek, right beneath your eye. “Do you want this?” he asks. 

You hesitate for a moment, eyes searching the lines in his face, the scars on his brow. Then you put down the cup and let your fingers smooth back his hair, trace the line of his jaw. “I do,” you say, and you lean in to touch his lips to yours.

Flames lick at the logs in the hearth, a slow, burning heat that consumes everything in its path. It spreads an orange glow that lights up the inside of the hut, growing shadows from teacups and lining the two bodies moving there in a copper gleam. 

The fire simmers slowly, steadily throughout a cold winter’s night. It sparks and sizzles, breathing warmth and life into the darkness. 

And it burns, and burns, through that night, until all that’s left in the cold light of morning is a faint glow drawn from spent wood, and soft breaths under layers of blankets.

[ins0mnia-an0nym0us-au]

my ghost of tsushima experience so far [final] -

why does act 3 just decide to hurt you like that? it’s rude & i’m suing

ryuzo... my sword boyfriend... it’s too late T_T

was i supposed to not want norio to burn all those mongols alive - i’m just CHECKING because i wasn’t all that mad about it

so i get masako’s sister was married to an abusive bastard but like... y u kill the kids? the little sympathy i have for u dies as soon as i remember the kids u killed

i really enjoyed how sensei ishikawa’s tale ended. he really needed to just let that shit go

ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵏᶦˡˡᵉᵈ ᵐʸ ʰᵒʳˢᵉ ...

who just writes down the recipe for deadly poison & doesn’t keep it in a safe place??? - oh i know. JIN MOTHERFUCKING SAKAI EVERYONE

jin: we don’t have to lose anyone if we just poison them uncle: iT'S NoT SaMuRaI

jin: what if we- uncle: It's nOt sAmUrAi

jin: but wh- uncle: iT'S NoT SaMuRaI

yuna is the best girl taka was best boy

btw did anyone else lol at how much of a little BEETCH the khan was???

the scenery when you duel your uncle at the end is just - perfect?

they change you into black clothes vs his white

the white petals vs the red leaves - which is shaped very much so like yin & yang

the music during the battle was gorgeous (LINK)

the choice you are given at the end - brutal

i chose to honor his wishes & give him the death he wanted

well. i finished the game & got platinum. i’m moving onto Death Stranding next.

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

The Lonely Man (Ghost of Tsushima one-shot, Part 2.)

The first one-shot which leaded to the other one: H E R E

One-shot description: Tsushima had found its peace again - Kotun Khan and his men had left the island, the Mongolian invasion had ended. Yet its remnants were sure to last in your home for a long time.

A/N: The warning from the first one-shot still stands. No matter how hard I will be trying, there will be some cultural mistakes, because I am still an European. But just like before, I will do my best to make it as accurate as it will be in my strenght to write the best continuation to the first part I’ve posted like two weeks ago. 

Word count: 5.5 K

Pairing: Jin Sakai x female reader (He HAS a strong chaotic-bi energy, but he's talking about girls in the hot springs, so... 👀)

Warnings: xx

It was a few weeks since the spring finally started and since the peace had finally stumbled into your homeland again. It was true - after a long winter, the sun rays finally felt like gentle tickling on your skin. The beaming sunlight was warming you up, making you feel relaxed anytime you had the time to sit in the garden. Just like you hoped previously, the garden next to the farmhouse has bloomed beautifully. The trees had bloomed to be colorful - there was a few Sakuras, which were planted as already grown trees, were pink, so it was putting a smile on your face when the smile leaves flought by.

Yet there also were small trees with red leaves that barely reached your waist. You didn't know what kind of trees it was, but it was making the gardens a wonderful place. And the flowers were making you even more wonderstruck as you inspected and sketched every one of them when you had a while to do so.

A lot of people expected that as soon as the Mongolian invasion comes to an end, which came true ever since it was rumored that Kotun Khan's head was exhibited in the Shikamura castle, the geisha households will come to an end with it as the women will move to bigger cities to have bigger money and better clientele. But it soon became apparent that this wasn't the case. It seemed that the geisha ladies decided to live in the household even if the invasion ended and there was no need to gather in one place.

Although it was a big, former farmhouse back in the day, the mistress was planning on expanding it. The girls could travel to meet their clients from the household, but they would finally take in other trainees and appreciates as well, which would surely be amazing. If this plan would work well the geishas on Tsushima island wouldn't have to worry that their craft would end. This way, they could pass their knowledge on. While you were still living at the household, during the ordinary mundane jobs. You were still going for rice and other kinds of food, but at least, now you had a smart cart and a horse. You were still cleaning up the floors, doing the laundry, and cleaning the dishes.

This was your work. This was what you were doing every day, so you weren't even complaining. Yet even if you sometimes didn't even stop during the day, even if you sometimes took a bath at the hot springs and sometimes, you joined the geisha classes to learn new things, the man sometimes still crept to the back of your head.

It was a long time since you've seen him. It could be many weeks, it could be months. The timelapse from his departure was just running by. Ever since the morning Jin had left, you've heard a lot of stories talking about the legendary Ghost. His progress with repressing the Mongols was publically known and heard about.  Your personal favorites stories about the Ghost was the ones talking about him searching for the legendary gear of the old samurai masters, finding bows, and the rumored sets of armors scattered and hidden across the whole island. He still was talking to foxes, following them around to learn all the secrets of Inari.

Yet sometimes, worse news got to your ears. Jin was holding the Mongolian invasion back, almost singlehandedly, yes, but his methods were scary and almost brutal. From the intensity of said stories, it could be heard that Jin was probably falling deeper and deeper into this dark situation around him, which was quite saddening you. But how could you help him? You couldn't just travel through the whole island and tell him to stop.

But when you were thinking about him, you were wondering... Was he thinking about you? Or was it exactly how you thought it will be? Did Jin forget about you as soon as he left the farmhouse on the back of his horse? Yet those were the question you knew you will never have your answers for. Life was just the way it was.

You were a girl who was in the right age to find her a husband, to settle down, and to start a family on her own. Yet it was hard for you to like the boys of your social status ever since you've met Jin. There were nights when the warm breeze reminded you of Jin's touch, there were moments when water or sake reminded you of the man's kiss. Shadows creeping on the curtains and shoji reminded you of his moves. But over time, you knew that you'll forgive Jin. All it was to took was time.

As the spring progressed, there was a young fisherman walking around the house more and more often. First, everyone thought he's just walking around, dreaming about the girls he can never have - but soon enough, you realized that it's not the case. In fact, he was trying to gather the courage to speak a woman of his social status. One morning, he came over to you when you were doing the laundry by the river and introduced himself. It was a nice guy, you had to say. His goal was obvious.

The boy's name was Eiji and his intention with you was to court to you, making you fall in love with him. It was very noticeable he liked you a lot - he was nervous whenever he came around to talk to you. When you tried to joke around, Eiji got shy and he almost didn't know how to respond. Which made you think about Jin even more. When you joked around with Jin, he carefully joked back. And his carefulness wasn't originating from being into you with his whole being - it originated from your social statuses being too different to go at each other with open and offhand jokes just like that.

Yet Eiji was completely clueless at times. You thought it's sweet and slowly, your relationship started to deepen. It was just a natural conclusion that he wanted to get married to you after some time. But... Were you ready for such a big step? Marriage wasn't consisting of engagement of any sorts at the time - it wasn't even legally documented that man had married a woman. All it took was you to move into Eiji's household and to stay there to legitimize your marriage. But there was where the hitch with this whole relationship took the first hitch.

You weren't sure enough to take the next big step. Right at the time, you've been doing pretty well. There was this place you've been the happiest in possibly the longest time. The girls were taking good care of you and you were free to leave whenever you wanted. But... Submitting yourself to a man, bonding with him to create a family.

Or... Was it just your uncertainty about leaving your freedom behind? Couldn't it be something else? When you were refusing Jin's offer, you've told him the following: if you'd meet again sometimes in the future, you'd know that it was the destiny leading you on the same road once again.

Since your family was very keen on honoring the spirits, you've always believed that something like a destiny exists somewhere out there, provided by the almighty universe and spirits watching over you.

Maybe you were hoping that destiny will lead the man back to you, now everything was solved. Jin could be the samurai once again who would soon get married to someone of the same social status, continuing his life for all you could know.

There was no certain and reliable information to trust, regarding Jin Sakai. Some said that he killed lord Shimura. Some were saying Jin didn't kill his uncle, but walked away from the whole Bushido codex since he had violated it so many times. There were people who were saying that Jin Sakai felt so ashamed, that he left for Japan on a small boat, as he got killed by the sea.

His spirit was everywhere, everyone was talking about the man. Yes, he surely turned into the rumored Ghost. A Ghost which followed you on every step and the Ghost, who was ways lingering on the back of your head.

Yet after some time passing by, the marriage seemed like the best solution. The girls had their suspicion about what happened that one night when the samurai asked for your companion, but falling for a man after one night seemed to be dangerous.

Eiji was there for you for long months. The boy brought multiple flowers and small gifts, like new materials to make new clothes out of. He was extremely sweet and noticed the small things you liked, always focusing on them.

After long weeks of the girls talking you down to marry the guy, you agreed to his proposal. But to keep at least some kind of remnants of your freedom and pride, you wanted to have some ceremony. You wanted to have a ceremony in the geisha house, since the mistress was the closest person you had to a family member, just like the other girls.

And everyone seemed to be very excited about this event. It all could be easily explained - this was the first real, happy moment since the Mongolian invasion had ended. It was natural that everyone was going over the top with the preparations. The girls helped you with sewing the nicest shiromuku you could make yourself.

They also managed to get you some top tier fish meat to make food from, and the biggest present was sake brought from a man named Kenji. It was the best sake you had ever tasted.

Yet as all the preparations were coming to an end, another rumor started to go around the place where you lived. A strange man entered the valley where the farmhouse was located - and people were getting a strange feeling from the man.

He was, without a doubt, a ronin. But what was making him strange was his straw hat, the remnants of a group of soldiers, who joined the Khan. But... Why was the person even alive? It was rumored that every Strawhat was killed by Jin Sakai.

Naturally, out of fear and respect, people didn't stop the stranger on his way through the farms and villages. And for a reason, you were worried that somehow, the man will crash your happy day. Which, for a reason, seemed to be a real option.

It was even the biggest thing you were nervous on the morning of the ceremony. The man was on your mind the whole time - when you were dressing up, at the time when the Shinto ceremony was prepared, even throughout the time you were walking through the house, feeling the last remnants of your freedom slipping through your fingers. And that was surely a thing you didn't like. It was just moments from when the ceremony was about to start - soon, someone would come for you to lead you there, as you'd start to conceive Eiji as your rightful husband, living with him until the end of your days, doing everything with him.

Honoring the spirits, taking care of the home, take care of children, cook the food, and... There was so much thing you were about to do on a daily basis. Yet it was like a cycle that would be repeating itself every single day. It was the one thing over and over again which was making you freak out. Until you heard some excitement going around in front of the very house you were waiting in.

Someone was trying to stop someone from talking to you, but the other person seemed to be unstoppable. Soon, the shoji flew open and at the same moment, you sprang up on your feet. A feeling of uneasiness and fear struck you as you looked at the masked ronin standing in front of you while Kohaku was trying to make him leave the room so he wouldn't make you too nervous or distressed before the ceremony.

The man appeared exactly as the rumors described him to look like. Which, on one hand, was the first time you've seen a rumor coming true for the first time. He, indeed, was wearing a straw hat covering his whole face and a worn-out yukata along with airy, comfortable trousers. For a reason, his inner palm was resting on one of his swords as he turned his face at you. A thought flew over your head.

Was this person here to kill you? Could someone hear about your connection to Jin Sakai? Could he be looking for revenge? If that was so, which was highly doubtable, the person was surely seeking revenge at a bad place. Jin didn't care for you ever since he left your settlement. The man won't likely even know that you would be killed. Which, in fact, was very sad... But true. Yet instead of that, the man just fell down on his knee, showing you his humility and respect. With scared expression, you looked back at Kohaku standing outside, wanting to oust the man out.

"I just wish to speak to you, lady." - The man barely spoke out, having you nervously spinning your fingers around as you didn't know what to do. Well, if he'd like to kill you, you'd be already dead, right? He had quite some time, about a minute, to slice your throat or to murder you in any other way. So, there was a possibility that he maybe doesn't want you dead. After a minute, you nodded at Kohaku, closing shoji to have at least a hint of intimacy.

"If you wish to speak of Jin Sakai, I don't know where he is or what is he doing now. I don't know any other reason why would you visit me on the day of my wedding." - Was all you told him as you lounged around the room to take a sip of water to hide the nervousness that was hugging your whole brain. But the man was still on his knees, having his head lowered in front of you to prove to you, how vulnerable he was. And, in that moment, you heard the words which you were thinking so much about.

"You promised that if we'd ever meet again, you will admit that this was all destiny's doing." - The man spoke out a bit cleared than before. With these words, you turned back at him. Your heart almost jumped right into your neck when you realized what he was indicating with the statement. Hoping it's him under the hat, you walked in front of the man, unmasking him with shaky hands. As soon as you saw the black hair, your fingers wanted to do only one thing - to dip into it, to caress it, and to tug on it, just as you did before. - "I'm just staying true to my word, Y/N." - Jin whispered and put your palm on his cheek to feel the caress of your skin again. He was still beautiful as if he hadn't aged a day since the day you've seen him for the last time. The only change from the man you've seen such a long time ago was that this Jin had a scar on the left side of his face, yet in your eyes, he still was almost breathtaking.

With a happy sigh, you got on your knees as well, putting even your other palm on his cheek. A smile lightened up your face as you absorbed every small part of his face with your eyes and your fingers - just moments before he kissed you. On his journey, ever since he left your farmhouse, he was honoring every shrine he had met, hoping he'll meet you at the end of his journey. And there he was, after a long time of traveling the mainland in the shadows, hidden from the eyes of his own people. Yet nothing seemed to change in the way you embraced him or the feeling your kiss had woken inside of him.

"I was... I was worried that you had died, Jin. I was horrified." - A mumble left your mouth when the kiss had ended. Jin, until that moment, didn't notice you were crying the whole time he was stealing the kiss from your lips.

"It's very complicated, my dearest." - He answered, slowly leading his palms on the beautiful clothing you were dressed in. It was special to see normal people evoke a Shinto ceremony. Usually, the wife you moved in with the husband, starting a family. Yet the dress was suiting you - making you look innocent, even if the man had to smirk when he realized he already stole your innocence. At that moment, Kohaku stormed into the room again - yet when she realized who was the man leading his palms over your body, she bowed with the deepest meekness. - "Lord Sakai." - Was the only thing she got out. Jin didn't answer, yet he got on his feet and stopped the lady from bowing even lower.

"I am no lord now, lady Kohaku. You must've heard of it by now." - He smiled shyly, stepping away from Kohaku once again. With deep sadness, your mistress nodded, sighing. - "I did hear about what happened, yes. But apart from your uncle and the shogun, you were the only one who fought for the ordinary people, so in my eyes, you will forever be the lord I know you as." - Kohaku explained simply, backing to the door again. - "I will tell the others about your presence, my lord, to make them understand why the ceremony will be delayed." - Kohaku addressed and left you both in the empty house.

There was something else she was saying with her words. She won't only tell them that the ceremony will be late - she was about to tell Eiji, that no wedding will happen that day. Women were very sensitive to picking up the words and signals that weren't said out loud. And the day Jin left the house on his horse, she immediately picked up what happened the other night, although the never spoke of the issue out loud. Why should she? It was a private matter. You, without realizing, never were the same once lord Sakai left the farmhouse.

"If it's complicated, sit down with me and tell me what happened to you, please," - You asked and invited him to another room, which had opened shoji leading right to the garden, so you both had a nice view. Without asking, you poured the man some sake to make him more relaxed, even if your presence was already doing enough. You checked your privacy three times to know it was safe when you walked behind the man to massage his shoulder, bringing the yukata off his shoulders enough for you to plant a kiss on the nape of his neck.

Jin slowly started opening up, starting exactly on the day he had left you on the farmhouse. He spoke of his friends, Yuna and Taka, of the sensei Ishikawa and even told you rather intimate information about lady Masako, the only survivor of clan Adachi. He spoke of the fight against the Mongols... Until the first beats of his uncle being disappointed in him started to hint on how the story will end. At that moment, his back was leaned into your chest as you held your arms entwined on his chest.

"It was obvious that nothing will be as it was before, I could feel it. His gazes, words, and behavior started to shift heavily. It was breaking my heart apart, yet at that moment, I couldn't take anything back. It was all done, I've already stepped from the journey of honor to save what was remaining after the Mongols stormed through my homeland." - Jin sighed, putting his palm over your forearm to smooth it without paying attention to it. - "Shogun marked me as a traitor and sent my uncle... My own family and blood... He sent my father to kill me as a punishment for both of us."

"While you're sitting here with me now and he isn't, did you kill him, Jin?" - You whispered, gently pushing your fingers under the yukata on his chest, putting the center of your palm on his heart to feel it beating. Yet the man shook his head, watching the sakura in front of you. - "No. While I may have no honor, I wouldn't ever kill my own family. I left him there because I couldn't do it. Yet now I have no family, no honor, and no-one else left. I am a wayfaring ronin on his way to... Somewhere."

This wasn't true and he knew it. He still had Yuna to accompany him. - "You have me." - You whispered after a small while. - "I promised that if our paths ever cross again, I'll admit that this was all evoked by destiny. And here you are." - Your arms around his body tightened. Jin smiled at those words, holding your forearm tightly than before. - "You have a life here, Y/N. I have no right to take it away from you. I came late." - Jin squeezed your arm one more time before sitting up to look you in the eyes. His lips gave you a saddened smile as he rose his palm to smooth your jaw.

"What are you going to do now, Jin? Where are you going?" - You asked, catching his palm in yours as you pressed a peck into the small valley on his palm. - "Well, now I visited you, I will most likely hide somewhere in the mountains to wait for another chance to protect my country, leading a lonely life aside from everyone." - Jin described openly to which you stood up, taking the upper layer of the dress off, standing in front of him in a black yukata and pants similar to his. - "Stop, this is not what you want." - Jin tried to plead you, catching your palms in his.

"I always dreamed of a small house aside from everyone and a peaceful, quiet life. I wanted to marry this man because you weren't coming and I was horrified you might never come." - You answered before kissing Jin to shut him up for a moment. - "Go for your horse, I will wait at the other end of the garden." - Was the last thing you've told him before you left.

The man did exactly what you wanted him to do - he, again, put his straw hat on to cover hid identity, walking out of the house where Kohaku was already waiting for him. - "Lady Y/N is very distraught, please, let her take a moment before starting the ceremony." - Jin bowed to the lady and she repeated his actions, pushing some food she packed for both of you while she told everyone that you had some oppressing matter to attend to.

"Take good care of my girl, lord Sakai. Keep her safe and happy, may the spirits look after both of your souls." - She smiled before turning on heels, walking into the house you were at just minutes ago. And she found exactly what she thought she'll find - the upper part of your wedding dress was laying on the ground next to a half-drank sake. And in the distance, she heard a horse riding off, presumably with both of you on its back.

Presumably, it was Jin's choice to come back for you, yet he'd never meet you if there wasn't for destiny. Your choice of complying with it was one of the best you've made. Life in the mountains granted you both with a great deal of privacy, so you could bond deeper, getting to know each other more close. So close you had started a family after some time, which was the best thing that ever happened to Jin.

Clan Sakai had its successors. He had children of his own to which he could pass his knowledge, knowing that when he leaves the Earth one day, the destiny of the Sakai family will be secured.

Sometime later:

The coffee shop was literally brewing with life. You adored having a shift on days like these - the sun was shining, so people were in a good mood, they were snickering, giggling at laughing and most and foremost, they left you some good, generous tips. Every buck could help you pay off the college loan you were currently fighting with. Sure, having a degree sounded nice, but it was actually expansive to study it when you had no-one to help you with it. And no-one would tell you this beforehand.

With a small smile, you leaned your elbows to the wooden desk behind you, as you started to play with your small notebook and pen, which you used to write down the orders of your customers. That day, you had quite a lot of people coming in to have your delicious sundae with hot raspberries and strawberries. Your workplace sure as hell wasn't the biggest in the town, but you liked it a lot. It had a nice, family-like atmosphere and most of the workers were nice people to work with, which was the reason why you didn't have even the smallest problem with coming to work.

On the other hand, a man was running late on his family lunch. But the craving for a cup of coffee was stronger than he was, so when he spotted the first coffee shop next to the road, he stopped there, leaving his sister in the car. - "Jin! Come on! Uncle is going to kill us" - She cried out of him and it almost seemed that Jin was really coming back to the vehicle - just to get his wallet from there.

This man was unbelievable - dressed up in his leather jacket and with a man bun, he was looking quite ridiculous in the eyes of his older sister. - "Wanna something too?" - Jin leaned his elbows to the opened window on his side of the car, having his sis rolling her eyes monumentally at it. - "Then watch the car and don't drive away with it, yea?" - The man patted the hood before running inside the coffee shop. As soon as he spotted a waitress standing by the countertop, he headed straight to her, not looking at her in the first moments.

"Hey, hey." - He got out with heavy breathing. - "Do you make take away coffee? Please, tell me you're making take away coffee." - A man spoke at you, barely looking at you, seemingly being in a time press. Your eyebrows arched at the question. You hadn't got someone like that every day if you had to be honest.

"Sure, I can make you a cup of our take away coffee, if you want to call it like that. Chill out, are you fine?" - You asked the man with worried, watching him being dressed up in a leather jacket on a day like this one was. It was too hot to have such clothes on. But in the between, you moved behind the cash register to have access to the coffee brewing machines. - "Yea, I was just without caffeine for too long and I'm... Really... Craving... One."

At this moment, the man noticed you for the first time. Yeah, he kinda knew that he's talking to someone the whole time, but at that moment, JIn looked directly to your face for the first time. And the first thing that struck him was that he knew you already. Your face was almost awkwardly familiar to him. But Jin was fully aware of never seeing you before. You were beautiful, eyecatching and something totally out-of-the-world for the man so much, that he forgot how to speak or listen to what you were saying.

"Excuse me?" - He asked you back, jumping in the middle of your monologue. Your eyes widened as the man interrupted you in the middle of naming your offer, having you completely forgetting what you were speaking about. - "I was asking you about what would you like to order." - You mumbled, looking at the man back.

Something was telling you that you've seen him somewhere. These lips were hard to forget about - and you've memorized them from somewhere. Almost as if you already had kissed them one day. The eyes and the entirety of his face... Where the hell did you meet this guy? - "It wasn't this sort of excuse me. I wanted to ask..." - "If we had already met somewhere?" - You finished with anticipation. This conversation could go two ways - either, he'd think you're a total creep or he would be thinking about the same thing as you were.

"Yea. Exactly. Do you have that feeling too or am I going nuts?" - The man's face lit up with a huge smile, which obviously had you smiling in a second too. Quickly, you shook your head and confirmed the weird feeling inside his head. - "Good. Now, for the coffee, I would like a latté with double milk, please." - He finally placed his order and you, since you got through the stranger phase pretty quick, pointed your fingers at him, wiggling your eyebrows. - "I'm on it, chief." - You winked, having the man's eyes watching every move you made.

You moved with such grace that it was hard to take his eyes off of you - it was so hard that Jin had to lean his arms next to the cash register since he wasn't able to turn around from you. There was this force that was simply making the man gravitate toward you, even if he hadn't ever felt like that before. Any girl he had previously dated or slept with never had him gravitating towards them. It didn't matter if they were somehow considered prettier, had better jobs, or whatever, any of them didn't for these reactions out of him. Again, he got lost while you were obviously talking to him.

"Excuse me?" - He woke up from his small trance again, still leaning his upper body the countertop. - "I was asking if you're alright. But now, I almost want to ask you if you're staring at my lovely bottom." - You repeated yourself, finally finishing his order. With a small smile, you took the cup to your palms, searching for a black marker.

"Isn't this against the company policy or something?" - "What is?" - "Flirting with a hot costumer." - The man smiled at you daringly, shoving a strand of his hair behind his ear. As you finally found the marker, your cheeks started to go on fire as you shook your head unbelievably.

"As long as the hot costumers don't mind it, it's not taken as a sexual assault. Come on, what's your name?" - You pushed the cap on the stranger's cup. The man straightened again, putting both his hands on the countertop. You watched as he childishly bit his lower lip, tapping some sort of a melody into the wood. - "Wouldn't you wanna know?" - His playful voice teased you, but just moments after that, you put the cup in front of him, naming the amount of money you wanted from him. Without any word, he paid and even gave you a pretty generous tip, But when you gave him the receipt, the man took the marker and wrote his name and his number on the back of it, giving it back to you.

"And what should I do with this... Jin?" - A victorious smile lighted your whole face up as Jin was already walking back to his car, where his pretty nervous sister was sitting. - "I think youre smart enough to figure it out. My offer is today at eight p.m., so give me the deeds as soon as you decide." - He winked before he turned at his heels, walking straight to the car.

The whole exchange was definitely that once-in-a-lifetime one because you rarely met someone who would make you feel like you knew them from the very first moment you laid your eyes on them. Who knew? Maybe it was destiny showing himself even centuries after the moment you've met someone for the first time. Well, that was pretty crazy to start with, but... Who could really know?

[ryukyuan-sunflower]

I have been reading your fuugen monster of a fic (which hands down is the landmark fanfiction of this fandom) and i just wanted to say that i am so unbelievably in awe of your talent, and bain, and skills and reading that story genuinely has changed my view of fuugen and made it so much more...real. I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for this fandom and yet all i can do is try so; Thank you. So so much 💕

Wow. ...Please excuse me for a moment. I just need to grab a glass of water. 

... *wipes eyes with tissue* 

 Huh? Oh, I um...spilled the water. In my eyes. Ahem. Where was I? Ah, yes. 

 I'm glad that my fanfic has allowed you to see Fuugen in a new light. More "real" as you said. Actually, that's why the story features so many flashbacks to the anime in key moments. Though, it's assumed that Mugen and Fuu are falling in love as the journey goes on, the flashbacks reveal that they already were in love all along in the anime. But circumstances always worked against them before...like Fuu getting thrown in a brothel in Episode 4...and Mugen going back to save her, but she never finds out. So now, being thrown in a brothel AGAIN in Chapter 17-19, we see a familiar occurrence, yet with all new circumstances and outcomes for Mugen and Fuu. So I guess I'm trying to not only tie up loose ends (like Yatsuha and Hankichi in Chapters 13-15) but also untying the knots that Mugen and Fuu missed out on in the anime. 

 Finding the Four Eyed Samurai...WITH YOU? still requires a LOT of work. There's still 15 chapters to go. And I'm sure you noticed that the earliest chapters are...well, written VERY poorly by comparison of the later ones. 

I originally started writing it 9 years ago, when I was 13/14. Thank you for carrying on through the earliest ones. Even some of the later ones need work too. The only ones that are currently in my mind, "done" with need of minor fixes, are Chapters 13-19 and 32-45. Everything else, particularly 1-12, needs overhauls.

 Since Chapter 45, the end of the Tsuru and Giri arc, I have not been writing Chapter 46. Instead, I have dedicated time to rewriting from the ground up. 

 Currently, I'm working on the rework of the "ghost arc", which is now a whole episodic story, with side characters, a mystery plot, and somehow, more Fuugen highlights. Fuu and Mugen sharing a bed? Well, that's about the extent of what has stayed intact, but for a far more logical, and plot driven reason, if you can believe that. No pointless fluff anymore. Not in this fanfic. But you'll have to wait and see how this happens XD 

 On fanfiction right now, it's still the same two chapters from all those years ago... But I am extending it to a four-chapter story. I have the first two chapters of it completed, and working on the third. However, even when I finish all four parts, I can't post it on the website, as some of the details in it retcon other things in earlier chapters. 

 (If anyone else is interested in reading the rewrites before they get posted on the website in May or June, please let me know! I have so much content finished that I can't post!!) 

 Most majorly, Mugen and Fuu in the retcon will meet in Yokosuka. Not Edo. This is because the ghost chapters will take place in Edo, as part of historical accuracy and reference to real history and mythos of the ghost this arc is being based off of. Yokosuka chosen as the retcon place they reunite in, is in reference to "Letters from Yokosuka" by Nujabes. It is also in reference to the fact that Yokosuka is known historically for where Commodore Matthew Perry from America first landed to open trade with Japan: a nod to the chanpuru concept of American Hiphop meeting Japanese history. 

 Because of these certain retcons, it sucks that I have to wait until i finish ALL the retcons, instead of arc by arc, like I'd initally been doing. I'd already posted the brothel arc rewrite, and then the Yatsuha arc rewrite after. But now...I can't post the ghost arc. It may take until May or June to have them all done...

If you ever wonder if rewrites have been posted yet, check out my Fanfiction profile, where I post what I have recently finishing revising. 

 Aside from the rewrites though, an all new will be posted after that. 

Chapter 46 will star Jin. He hasn't been featured since Chapter 28, when Shino was confirmed pregnant, and we meet the two boys, Norio and Mirai. His little makeshift family and new way of life will be the focus. Strangely enough, writing about him has gotten me...emotional?...Perhaps because he is still separated from his best friends... And, well...the end of the last arc just happened, and he has no idea what his friends are going through. He will be in his own state of distress for reasons he can't quite place. It's almost like they're all still connected, even when they're apart. 

 But anyway, I work on this fanfic every single day now, whenever I have free time. I remember, for nine years I took suuuper long hiatuses. But, ever since Covid-19 struck, inspiration and motivation struck me too. 

Everything was getting so crazy in the world, and I just wanted to give a little glimmer of happiness to readers who were still waiting. In the darkest, most hopeless moments of my life, there were so many readers that sent me such kind reviews and comments about the story. 

 But during 2020 and now, my life is ironically at its very best. So...I wanted to return the favor to everyone who had no idea what their words helped me persevere through. I am so blessed to still have such supportive and enthusiastic readers, even after all these years. If there is ever month long hiatuses (like now. I havent updated since December), know that I am actually working on it obsessively. 

 Your words mean so much to me. More than you will ever know. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

 OH BOY. I need water again. What a long tangent this turned into. 

I hope that, no matter how long it takes, you will continue to read and enjoy this journey to find the Four-Eyed samurai to the very end. ...More importantly, will Mugen ever get his 100 damn dumplings?! 

 In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my many Fuugen proof posts on Tumblr as well!