#kaoru-centric

[kame56u]

blush meter

neck kisses

unreasonable captain

vacation and scars

fever

smile?

tougen anki doodle dump 4 (masukao comics)

[kyaruun]

i feel like (putting rei aside) undead is surprisingly underrated? at least from what i've seen in the english speaking fandom. i know i literally do Not shut up about knights but i assure you i used to be just like that with undead

[starswallowingsea]

oh yeah i finished romantic comedy

[mothwingwritings]

Sanctuary

F!Reader X Kaoru Hanayama

Hello my little ghost, goblins, ghoulies, and all around babes! By some miracle I was actually able to churn out a lil Halloween fic feat. Vampire Hanayama for you guys to sink your teeth into ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) this hallow's eve. It was a lot of fun to write and I hope you all enjoy! Have a FANGtastic and funky Halloween tomorrow, my little morsels~!

(And yes, I realize I am posting two blood-centric fics in a row, I promise I don't have a thing for this heh heh heh)

WARNINGS!: Death, gore, blood, a horny and possessive vampire lord, an elderly couple having the worst day of their lives and terrible things happen to them, mentions of kidnapping and imprisonment/being held against your will.

There was a convenience store at the foot of the hill, the last stop right before you start heading into the mountains.

It didn’t have a name, the weather worn, paint chipped sign simply reading ‘GOODS AND SUPPLIES’. The building was so small it didn’t have a dedicated parking lot, and it had a touch of dilapidation that made the rare passerby wonder if it was even still in business.

But the old building’s lights always shined so bright through its foggy windows, drawing any would be customers to the warm luminosity. Though scant, the shelves were always stocked, and the older couple that had ran the place for the last 50 years always gave you a pleasant and warm greeting when you walked through its creaking door.

Though you were sure you must look like a strung out, malnourished, vagabond they never batted an eye at your appearance. They also never questioned why you came around on a somewhat consistent basis, even though all that surrounded you was endless forest and towering mountains, the nearest town miles and miles away. This shop survived solely by being the only accessible place for campers to grab necessities before starting their trek into true wilderness. Places like this didn’t have regulars, at least not until you started coming around.

Maybe they felt sorry for you, thinking you were some poor homeless girl that had holed up in the mountains somewhere just trying to get by. Each time you entered their establishment you wondered if they were concerned you may pilfer from their limited shelves. Not that you could blame them if they did, by all accounts you appeared sketchy. Donned in ratty hoodies, your shifty eyes and general downtrodden persona would have had anyone keeping an eye on you. However, your appearance never alarmed them. If anything they seemed genuinely pleased to see you, their eyes lighting up in recognition whenever they saw you meandering down their aisles.

If they were troubled by your presentation, ever sickened by the bruises that dotted your body or appalled by the shoddily hidden bite marks that trailed your neck, they never spoke of it. You wished you could tell them how thankful you were for that. The reminders on your body were bad enough to deal with on your own, someone else nit picking you about them would be too cruel of a reminder of just how futile your situation was.

This little Podunk store had become your lifeline, your only beacon of normalcy since Kaoru Hanayama had claimed you.  You couldn’t slip away to it often, having to rely on the security of the sun’s rays to protect you from the great vampire lord, but when you could escape his estate you always ended up finding your way here.  Often times you didn’t even have money, coming and going with no purchases made.  Yet still you were welcome here, and you readily sought solace within its fluorescently lit walls, a reminder to yourself that you weren’t the last human alive on this god forsaken planet. It had become your sanctuary.

… Up until today.

You knew something was off the moment you stepped through the front door. The lights were all on, the glow of the welcome sign beckoning you with a brightness that cut through the shade of the setting sun. When you pushed open the door the same familiar chime announced your arrival, and the same old TV in the corner was playing whatever sport happened to be in season (right now it was baseball, and judging by the cheering, a player had just done something good). As usual, the radio was playing outdated pop songs softly over the speaker system, a bit of static barely noticeable as it blended with the jaunty tune.

For the most part, the store looked as it normally did. There wasn’t anything alarming about the old metal shelves holding new merchandise, and the coolers filled with varying beverages lining the back wall all hummed along as they typically did. The aisles were tidy, the floors clean, the racks orderly.  If any other customer had stopped by to shop, they would be thoroughly convinced it was business as usual.

But you were the only regular they had, and you were savvier on how they ran their business. Someone was always at the counter, but today the position sat eerily vacant. Even when they had to step away for a moment, one of the two would call out a greeting as soon as you stepped through the door. Your arrival was always announced, but today no cheery voice welcomed you, there was no warm smile cast your way as you made your way inside.

The absence filled you with unease, a cold dread seeping into your bones.      

Tentatively, you stepped closer to the counter, part of you wanting to call out to see if you get a response. Maybe you had caught them unawares-you did show up at a much later time than you typically did. Perhaps at this time of the day they are busy in back taking inventory or getting ready to restock. Was it really so strange that a small store like this didn’t have staff front and center at all times? It was just the two of them, after all. You can’t expect them to be stationed front and center 24/7.

But you couldn’t shake the feeling nestled deep in your gut that something was very, very wrong. The closer you inched toward the checkout counter, the more unsettled you felt. After a few steps in, a foreign noise came to your ear, growing clearer with every step. At first it was barely audible, a small and drawn out wheezing that sounded in weird intervals. It came from around the corner, near the back where the store room was located. You wondered if maybe the heating system was about to bite it, or an old cooler may be on its last leg.

However, a dying refrigerator didn’t explain the sudden wet sputter that rang out from just beyond your view, followed by a low, agonized groan.

Instinct took over. Propelling your body into action as you leapt across the counter, your legs taking out various snacks and energy supplements as you vaulted yourself towards the backroom. What if the owners had fallen, or something fell on them and they were trapped? Concern surged through you for the elderly couple. Surely there was a good chance if an accident occurred they wouldn’t have the means to pull themselves out of it. If they were in a compromising situation, who knows how long they had been stuck like that, who knows what position they may be in.

Nothing could prepare you for the sight that assaulted you as you rounded the corner.

Red was the first thing your eyes caught. It covered the floor, splattered the walls, coating the world around you. Its source was the kindly old woman whose warm smile you were greatly missing just moments ago. Her gentle, pleasant face was void of happiness for the first time since you met her, instead twisted into a look of abject horror and excruciating pain. She had a pallor that damn near made her look like a corpse, and you supposed that wasn’t too surprising judging from the amount of blood that was gushing from her neck, trailing in angry streaks down her body as it dripped down to the floor, adding to the mass puddle of human gore where her husbands decimated corpse was discarded.

You stifled a gasp, your hands flying to your mouth to muffle any cries or vomit that threatened to spill. Your body shook violently, a mix of disgust, fear, and anguish urging you to flee the scene, leave and never come back. Abandon your sanctuary, save yourself. They were beyond saving. They were beyond hope.

But you remained frozen in place, incapacitated by not only the shock of the situation, but also by the presence of the man that perpetrated it.

The woman hung limply from his mouth, much like how a dog dangles a toy when it’s trying to coax you into playing. His jaw latched to her small throat in a death grip, white fangs peeking through his snarled lips as his eyes caught yours. The only thing supporting the woman’s body was his bite, the ferocity with which he clamped down, the bob of his Adams apple as he greedily gulped down her essence, was quickly and efficiently stealing her life away. With her final burst of strength, her glazed over eyes looked your way. She raised a shaky hand towards you, one final rasp sputtering from her torn throat. Was it a cry for help, or a plea for you to run? Maybe she was cursing you for leading her to this fate. Whatever it was you would never know, as one final bone shattering chomp broke the woman’s neck, effectively ending her life.

Hanayama looked so out of place here in your secret spot, standing center stage as if he belonged here and wasn’t a blight on the ounce of freedom you had left. The whole scene was so surreal you felt as if you were trapped in a nightmare, your mind struggled to accept the horrors laid out plainly before you.

His imposing form nearly took up the entire store room, his height making his head graze the ceiling. Looking akin to a caged bear he was panting, his eyes wild as he released his grip letting the woman’s body fall limply to the floor, joining her husband. He was high from his meal, though you couldn’t imagine it being much of a thrilling hunt. The excitement surely stemmed from you catching him in the act. If you knew Hanayama at all, you knew the look of sheer dread plastered across your face was sure to send excitement coursing through him.

He was dressed to the nines in his tailored designer suit, shiny Italian leather shoes clicking away on the scuffed tiles of the floor as he started to approach you, each step adding a splatter of blood to his previously immaculate ensemble. His feral look had waned as he approached, giving him a more composed air. You imagined this is how he must have looked when he entered the building, his stony face littered with scars, inhumanly red eyes boring holes at the cashier, a dramatic shadow cast across his face from his swanky brimmed hat. He would have definitely caught the older couple off guard with how out of place he looked. Such a strange gentleman wandering into their quaint shop must have entranced them. These good-natured and trusting hosts were probably intrigued with his outlandish presence, interested in his story and what brought him so deep into the woods.

They would have never guessed what he truly was until it was too late. You just hoped that it had been quick for the husband, and that the woman’s suffering was not lengthy.

“So this is where you have been slinking off to.” His voice was smooth as he languidly wiped the blood from his lips, smearing the brilliant red across the once pristine white sleeve of his suit. You shuddered as he addressed you, and he instantly picked up on the quiver, though it was only momentary. He knew you like the back of his hand, all your quirks and fears, it was foolish to think he wouldn’t be able to ascertain that you were sneaking off when he explicitly ordered you not to leave the mansion’s grounds.

“I try and avoid the elderly. Past a certain age and the blood loses much of its flavor and vitality.” His eyes bore into yours, a cold smile tugged at his lips, “But these two were surprisingly delectable, even past their prime. Maybe it was their fondness for you that made them so delicious?”

“I didn’t…” the words died in your throat, burning as you choked them out. You cast your gaze towards the dead couple, the shop keepers glazed over eyes soullessly staring at you. They were still wet with tears.

“You didn’t think,” Kaoru seethed, taking another step forward, crowding your personal space. The coppery smell of blood was radiating from him in such intense waves that you could taste the tang of it on your tongue.  “You made a decision, one that I warned you against time and time again, and now you must face the consequences of that decision.”

He grabbed your chin in a tight pinch, the blood on his hands still warm as it smudged your skin. Stepping aside slightly, his hand guided your head, forcing your attention back on the couple. His steady grip kept your head in place as he spoke in your ear.

“You caused this, (name). If you had listened to me and done as you were told, their untimely death would have been avoidable. You only have yourself to blame. May the weight of their deaths hinder you from making anymore foolish decisions in the future, little one.”

He sighed heavily, releasing your chin, “I took a huge gamble coming out here at this time of day. Even with the sun low in the sky it still poses a threat to my kind. I compromised my safety to bring you home.” His gaze softened, his hand relinquishing its hold on your chin in favor of dragging his cold knuckles softly against the back of your cheek.

“It’s good I came when I did. If I had taken even a moment longer, it was sure to cause issues. Before I entered the store I heard them discussing you, talking about their concern for you. It seems they misunderstood your living situation, seeing you as some form of victim, believing that you had some manner of backwater husband that was abusing you.”

He spat the words with disdain, casting a brief disgusted glance towards the corpses on the floor. “They were trying to formulate plans to ‘save’ you, even mentioning they wanted to bring the police into it. Ridiculous.”

A sob erupted past your lips at the revelation, tears blurring your vision as they began to torrent down your cheeks. Hanayama lowered his voice, placing his hands on either side of your shoulders as he pivoted your focus to him, holding you in place. “This is why you must stay inside, my love. They don’t understand us. Most humans have small, closed minds. They don’t have the capability to understand the nature of our love. They only seek to tear us apart, hell bent on placing an end to something beautiful.”

He scooped you up before your legs could give way, nestling you against his chest in a restraining hold. He pressed a rough kiss to the crown of your head as he stepped through the door, beginning the long trek back to the cold, dank halls of the mansion.

“It has been a trying day, and you need rest,” Darkness had overtaken the sky, the chill of the nights air stinging your wet cheeks. The brilliance of the full moon was your only guiding light as it shone down upon the two of you, making Hanayama’s pale flesh appear to glow.

“But the night is young, my love, and you have a lot of making up to do for the transgressions you have made against me this day,” There was a huskiness to his voice, the words were meant as a threat, but the underlying hint of lust made their true meaning crystal clear. “You are mine (Name), and I will enjoy taking my time engraving that reminder into your soul for as long as it takes, until you finally realize your place.”

[tam-o-shunter]

Thomas the Tank Engine android AU which takes place in the far future, when humanity has spread across the cosmos and sentient androids coexist with them.

The trains are robots who were designed to pilot supersonic space trains across a network of interplanetary and interstellar railways, by temporarily uploading their consciousnesses into them. The Famous Eight reside in New Sodor, a highly advanced settlement within Proxima Centauri’s solar system.

What started as a fun sci-fi AU eventually evolved into an Edward-centric romantic drama because watching old school TTTE fuelled my late Victorian aesthetic itch, which in turn prompted me to rewatch all of Emma: a Victorian Romance. I’m still getting into the swing of digital painting, so this is about as good an homage to Kaoru Mori which I can pay.

Edward is the only trainbot with flight-capable wings, and they play an important symbolic role in this story. He used to have a pair of seagull-coloured wings before the events of Old Iron led to them getting replaced with dragonfly-shaped ones.

Expect an Edward-James-Gordon love-triangle

[outofgreysmind]

Mainly Kaoru-centric Sk8 sketch dump, including the initial sketch for the finished matchablossom piece I shared. I feel like he'd 100% be the type of extra to own a Rich Widow Robe. These aren't all super great but they were fun nonetheless!

[sepia-stained-sunset]

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 2,000

Fandoms: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom/Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Kyan Reki/Hasegawa Langa

Characters: Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa, SK8 the Infinity Ensemble

Additional Tags: Pre-Slash, Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom-centric, Pining, Light Angst

Summary:

He’d seen Langa’s eyes, back when his face had been plastered across the screens during his race, and it doesn’t hold a candle to how he looks now, the blue of them as warm as Miyakojima’s ocean waters.

Or, Reki and Langa seem to retreat into a world of their own. Kaoru thinks of green hair and an over-bright smile and he understands the feeling.

For @love-laugh-daydreamarevolt my beloved<333

[idiaswifeey]

So not a TWST-centric post like usual, but I need help (again)...

How do you tell the difference between Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin from OHSHC? Some special feature(s) that separate them other than their hair because I know they change it in that one episode.

[ao3feed-matchablossom]

everythings gonna be alright

by Idekwtfidatp joe comforts miya after the elevator scene Words: 889, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: SK8 the Infinity (Anime) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Chinen Miya, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Mentioned Kyan Reki - Character Relationships: Chinen Miya & Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Chinen Miya & Nanjo Kojiro | Joe & Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom Additional Tags: Chinen Miya Needs a Hug, Parental Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, Parental Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom, Chinen Miya-Centric, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, i had to look up what little kitten in italian was for this, Italian, Half-Italian Nanjo Kojiro | Joe, its not really that significant but still, Joe speaks Italian - Freeform, Is that not a tag? source https://archiveofourown.org/works/60382756

[ensemblestarscafe]

EVERYONE > Epiphany <

Gender neutral reader TW/CW: I actually have no idea Order type: Vanilla Latte

Word count: 1636 Written by: Yeul Proofread: n/a Writer’s note: been a few days over the 1 year anniversary so cafe manager here will give yall something to eat, also kinda Knights centric and some very obvious favouritism with Anzu

1 year of a fever dream.

…All of them were fake.

“...ke up! (Y/n), you hear me?”

You wonder. You never wanted to wake up. Not face the harsh reality that was provided by mother nature.

Rustling on your bed you squint open your tired eyes.

A square room. A bed. A working table, and finally, your older sister.

“...Yes I do, (S/n).”

“Alright. Good. We need to leave now, the cafe needs to be opened you know?”

Right. The cafe. The small quaint cafe that you and your sister owned.

The small cafe that seemed to have gained so much popularity that people would start to find the little shop somewhere within the small dark yet warm streets.

Getting up from your bed, you change your clothes and brush your teeth, bringing your bag as you lock the door to your house.

“Thinking of which, should we move the cafe somewhere else? Customers have been coming in a lot lately, and there’s not enough space.”

You muse, and your sister nods in agreement. 

“Yeah, but staying where we started 10 years ago by our parents bring the nostalgia, no?” she replies.

That was true. You were a wee little kid back then, unknowing of the new ‘world’ that would be given once you were 18.

Memories. Nice to know that we still remember.

Opening the cafe doors, the warmth of the orange lights turn on.

9:00 AM and your first customer walks in.

Familiar tousled orange hair, bright blue eyes… along with a dark black haired boy with sharp deep blue eyes.

“I’d like a Vanilla Latte, a Macchiato, an espresso shot, a hot chocolate, along with 2 croffles and 2 bagels please.”

That was one familiar voice.

Pressing the buttons on the cashier screen, you nod as you recheck the order.

“Alright, may I have your name?”

“Hidaka Hokuto.”

“Would you like your order to be taken out?”

The boy nods in replacement of a vocal reply.

“That will be 2800 yen.”

Taking out his wallet, he brings a 2000 yen note along with one 500 yen coin with three 100 yen coins.

Nodding, you press the onscreen keyboard, writing the dark haired boy’s name down.

“Your order will be ready soon, thank you for ordering!”

Taking the order out, you call your sister as she gets the food ready while you brew the drinks.

Hidaka Hokuto…

Hidaka… Hokuto?

You realise quite quickly that the ‘fantasy’ you dreamed of was actually real– and you definitely know these people. Very well in fact. You had ‘interacted’ with these two and you knew the orange haired’s name. Akehoshi Subaru. But if you said that out loud, they’d definitely find you odd, right?

A few minutes later, the food was done as well as the drinks.

Placing them at the small space to take the drinks, the dark haired boy walks up, taking the cups while the oranged haired boy takes the food.

The latter smiles as he shouts a short but warm, “Thank you!” as they both leave, the small bell chime jingling to produce a calm rhythm.

Many more people come in as they come and go– some similar, such as Aoba Tsumugi, Mikejima Madara, Oukawa Kohaku, Hasumi Keito, Shino Hajime, Hakaze Kaoru– where he tried flirting with you, keyword, tried– Aoi Hinata and Aoi Yuta, Kagehira Mika, Kazehaya Tatsumi, and the group of Ran Nagisa, Tomoe Hiyori, Saegusa Ibara and Sazanami Jun– which was basically about 90% of the people you had interacted with in your fantasy.

Others stayed at tables to talk and study. A few hours later, 14:50, a dark navy haired boy walks in as he stares at the menu. Then he checks his phone, and then he orders.

“May I have one hot Chocolate, one Vanilla Latte, one Mocha and one iced Americano?”

“Of course, that will be 1450 yen.”

He smiles as he brings out a debit card. You take it as you slide it over the card machine.

“Would you like it to go or in the cafe?”

“To go please.”

“Thank you for ordering! May I have your name?”

“Fushimi Yuzuru.”

Typing rapidly on the monitor, you nod as he walks to the small waiting place.

Thats another that I know… Fine, was it? I wonder if they’re idols here or just normal people, but judging from others’ reactions they all just seem to be one big group of friends…

Brewing the last of the order, you put them in the small cardboard boxes as you bring them where Yuzuru stands.

“Thank you very much.”

He smiles and leaves, the glass door chiming along with the small twittering of the birds outside.

Wonder who’s coming next…

A girl with milk chocolate hair and aquamarine blue eyes enter the cafe with care, as she walks towards the cashier.

“Hello, I’d like to have three hot Chocolates, one cappuccino, one Vanilla Latte, and one hot Americano please.”

“Alright, that will be 2100 yen. Would you like it to go or in the cafe?”

“To go please, heres the cash.”

Smiling, you take the cash as you put them in the box.

“May I have your name?”

“Anzu.”

“Thank you for ordering. Your order will be ready in a few!”

She smiles in appreciation as she settles on a small booth.

Your sister comes in as she brews the drinks while you greet another customer– a group.

The red haired walks up as he talks with his friends, then turns to you to order.

“Hello! May I have one hot Chocolate, one Vanilla Latte, one iced Americano, two Cappuccinos, two cupcakes and two croffles?”

“Of course. That will be 3350 yen. To go or in the cafe?”

“In the cafe please.”

He takes out a credit card as you take it and slide it over the card machine, the receipt being printed out slowly.

Taking the receipt and the card, you hand it over to the boy.

“May I have your name?”

“Suou Tsukasa.”

Typing it in, you nod as you smile.

“Your order will be ready in a while. Thank you for ordering!”

The group smiles as they walk over to a booth.

Meanwhile, Anzu’s order was done, and was set down at the counter.

Calling out her name but with no reply, to check up, only to find her dozing off at the wall.

…Should I wake her up…? But she’s so peaceful now…

Deciding on what to do, she wakes up, deep aquamarine like eyes blinking rapidly as she stares at your figure.

…She’s really pret– Woah (Y/n), focus on the job!

“...Oh, you’re awake– your order is ready!”

You hand her the drinks as she bows in reply, leaving the cafe in a tousled hurry.

And about 20 minutes later, all of the orders are done for the group of five– which you recognise as Suou Tsukasa, Tsukinaga Leo– happily drawing on the small cafe napkin– Sena Izumi, Sakuma Ritsu– dozing off– and Narukami Arashi, talking to her friends.

Setting the tray down, you walk over to the outer side of the counter as you bring the tray to the booth.

“Ah, thank you so much!”

You smile as you take the tray, setting it on the counter as you head back into the staff room.

Checking your phone, it shows as 20:25, which was 35 minutes close to closing time.

Your sister looks at your figure as she laughs in amusement, tone arch.

“Some of the customers seem very alike to your descriptions of people in your dreams, (Y/n).”

“They are them… their names are the same, its just their jobs that seem to be not… the same?”

She looks confused, but you understand. You’re confused too.

“Oh right, since it’s close to closing, we need to clean for tomorrow…”

Your sister mumbles.

Taking the broom, you and your sister head out to find Anzu outside of the cafe, soaked in rain.

Dropping your broom to your older sister, you open the door as you usher her in, bringing a soft dry towel. The five at the booth waves at her as she waves back.

While Anzu dries herself, you head to the booth where you find them starting to leave, putting the extra napkins as a pile.

“Thank you for visiting the cafe! However, it’s raining outside, so it’s best to stay in until it goes away.”

They smile as they nod, resuming to talking again as you take the cups and tissues back to the counter.

Leaving them for your sister to take care of, you check up on Anzu, seeing her in a better condition.

“You alright?”

“Yeah… thanks for letting me in…”

“(Y/n)”

“Mm… thanks, (Y/n)...”

Anzu nods in appreciation as she stares at you.

“I… I think I know you…?”

Anzu speaks.

Making a slightly surprised squeak, your head turns as you look at her.

“Me?”

She nods. Also confused, she stares more intensely, as she analyses your face.

“Yeah. I think I do, I’ve seen you in my dreams… it doesn’t make sense, but it does…”

Thats the same predicament I’m having today…

“Quite the same if I say so myself, 90% of my customers were people I’m familiar with in my dreams…”

You gesture over to the five.

Anzu nods as she looks over, her eyes widening as she looks back at you.

“They’re my friends, and they texted me a few minutes ago that they thought they recognised you…” she continues, “Quite odd, right?”

“Odd but nice to know I’m not the only one.” You chuckle.

The street lights seem to flicker in glee when you two approach the five.

Conversing, you feel as if you stand in a moment of epiphany that you weren’t the only one.

[misshallery]

recent enstars fic dump

in the same vein as my fe post, i had a bit of an enstars phase in the past few months and have been writing about it a lot, so here's a humble summary of what i've been up to for ur perusal :) <3

"sweet silent thought" jun centric, i think this is maybe the fic i'm happiest with ever. it's a hiyojun thing primarily but it's mainly about him struggling in reimei and having a lot of hopeless doomed crushes. you know, normal coming of age stuff.

"kintsugi" this is just my "i love nazuna" fic. it's a bunch of scenes strung together that show his growth and healing and friendships with other characters.

"petals" little izuleo drabble where they're living together and very close and domestic but don't really know what to do with their feelings yet. or rather, how to express them. there's a flower metaphor.

special reikao section because i'm kinda obsessed with them atm and im not showing any sign of slowing down

"i bleed too" this one is super rei focused. it's a bunch of hcs i have about his childhood and illness stitched together, and conveys that being vulnerable with kaoru might help him heal from those things.

"not like before" obligatory internalised homophobia fic, you know how it is. also kanata mischief cameo.

"refreshing breeze" ritsu is in this pretty heavily. it's set in the present but it's about him finding out rei wrote very syrupy love poems about kaoru when he was studying abroad in his second year LOL

"fair winds and stormy weather" the most long ass thing i have ever written. it all happens in rei's head, and it's about them travelling postgrad and having realisations about each other (that they're in love, duh).

[noxiatoxia]

im sure you've talked about this before, but how would you rewrite the carriage allegory

so i didn't answer this asap because 1) i think you sent it while i was in the hospital i am unsure and 2) i needed time to think on it

so firstly, obviously, the important thing is to identify WHY the carriage allegory fails in the current state it does, and what it was trying to accomplish in the first place.

This can be explained pretty simply. The carriage allegory aims to explore Kaoru's deeper fears (as lifted from the manga) while also imparting an impending sense of doom to the audience for the lead up to the finale. To this end, it achieves both these things from an outset perspective-- episode 21, despite how much psychic damage it gives me bc duhhh the carriage, is a genuinely good episode. The only real issue I have with it is the fact Kaoru's sudden character fears (specifically being wrapped up in a cinderella allegory) comes out of nowhere and feels very very abrupt, especially more so bc it seems to become a core trait of his henceforth, so the pacing is a little whack, but besides that, it is a genuinely clever episode with clever imagery and metaphors. The issues arise towards the latter half, that being the allegory isn't resolved.

I've talked about this before, but here is the reiteration: basically, the plot relevance - that being to give the audience a sense of suspense about the host club's future - is fulfilled and solved. But Kaoru's personal issues about letting go and his anxiety, THOSE are not resolved.

The reason this happens is because they attempted to take a pre-existing arc - that being Kaoru's depression from the manga, let's just call it for simplicity - and combine it with a plot device for the audience because the two easily can be intertwined. The issue with this is not inherently in the fact they did this, but in the fact that they cared only about solving the aforementioned plot device and not the character arc aspect of it, leaving that open-ended - and not in a good way.

Compare this to the arc with Kyoya's father or Tamaki's mother. These are both character-centric plot threads that are expounded upon little by little as the show goes on, and in the final 2 episodes, they are tackled head-on. NEITHER are fully "solved", but they are given a reasonable open-ended resolution. We do not know what will happen next - will Tamaki ever see his mother again? Will Kyoya truly grow to be his own person? We do not know, but we are given the answer of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Tamaki CHOSE to stay with the host club over seeing his mother again. Kyoya CHOSE to defy his father. These give HINTS to where their intentions and hearts lie, and so while the answer is up in the air, their arcs were acknowledged and reasonably addressed.

Kaoru? We don't get that. There is no scene in the anime that parallels Kaoru and Hikaru's heart-to-heart from the manga. There is subtle imagery (the carriage crashing in a pumpkin patch = the spell has worn off, but everything turns out alright in the end anyways) but this is more in reference to the PLOT-centric side of the allegory (the host club falling apart), and not Kaoru's character. Kaoru himself never gets a scene to acknowledge his issues, and I use "acknowledge" because some people are under the impression I'm mad it was never outright stated Hikaru won't leave Kaoru or smth like that. That is not the case. As said, like with Tamaki and Kyoya, i am MORE than fine with things being left up in the air for interpretation. But there is a very big difference between left up for interpretation and just neglecting to follow through on something. Kaoru's arc falls in the second category because, again, unlike Tamaki and Kyoya, it is never mentioned or acknowledged beyond a brief moment in episode 23 that only reinforces his fears and does nothing to signify any possibility for a conclusion.

How this could be fixed, in specifics, could go many ways. They could adapt the manga scene of Hikaru and Kaoru's conversation, although this imo would feel out of place in the pacing of the final few episodes, and for this to work, they would pretty much need to cut out Kasanoda from the series (which, as much as I love the guy, I think they probably should have ignored his whole character and used the 2 episodes about him to dedicate to Mori & Kaoru respectively)

So assuming we can't just get a straight up adaptation, my next best suggestion would probably be an added scene in episode 23. You could do the end of the last episode, but I feel like putting the spotlight on Kaoru at the end of the series would be awkward when clearly it should be on Haruhi/Tamaki. So episode 23 is the best choice. And it could easily work; Tamaki comes close to realizing his feelings for Haruhi in that episode, and as we know Hikaru has weird cringe misfit issues, so maybe it could cause him to have a mini bitch fit. Through some dialogue, directly or indirectly, it could be revealed Kaoru's fears of drifting apart from Hikaru. Hikaru could then reassure Kaoru that they'll always be close. Boom. Solved. You can even have Kaoru still hint at his anxiety of the host club breaking up, which would then get resolved in the final episode. That's the best way I can think, anyways.

basically all im saying is that they should hire me to go back in time and fix the ouran script.

[emilycollins00]

Bedtime stories (Tsuzuru centric)

Bedtime stories.

They have always been a core part of Tsuzuru's childhood. He had to thank his parents for that— and well, his brothers too. Maybe.

It's almost half past nine when Mr. Minagi gently readjusts the duvet so that 3 years-old Tsuzuru is buried warmly beneath it. Tadoru and Meguru are curling their bodies as best as they can around him —the bed definitely small for three kids to lay on it.

"Okay. Are we comfortable and ready?" A chorus of high-pitched squeals and excited nods received in return makes the man chuckle. "All right, then."

Bedtime stories have always been a thing in the Minagi household. After all, acquiring books from the library was free, offered a big variety of options, and allowed for good family quality time.

Of course, happen to be a moment when no book came in handy, their parents easily resolved to make-up stories as well. About faraway lands, fantastic worlds, or even ordinary tales with characters that had quite the resemblance to their own family, the scripwright would recall with nostalgia once he grew up.

It was definitely tiny Tsuzuru's favorite part of the day.

Tonight he watches his father open the book and begin to read, their mother with baby Kaoru in the room next door. Tadoru has been complaining here and there lately about the type of books and stories they sometimes get, but even Tsuzuru can tell both he and Meguru continue to lay on his bed rather than in their respective bunks because they too love the experience. The voices both their parents make when storytelling —a high-pitched witch, a grumpy dinosaur, or an energetic raindrop among others, even the motions and background noises of the wind and machines— brought a genuine smile to the boys' faces, not allowing a single moment for them to get distracted.

And while his older brothers tended to make comments and interrupt here and there asking questions, young Tsuzuru stays still as if in trance, turquoise eyes shining fascinated with each story, quietly absorbing every detail. Even after the storytell ends and they are tucked in their beds he sometimes continued the story in his little mind, wondering what more could have happened afterward. Of course, nothing really makes sense at that age. So while he still has fun, he doesn't share anything out loud. For now, he prefers to listen to his parent's voices from the comfort of his bed alongside his big brothers.

Years pass by, and 6 years-old Tsuzuru is now the one who rests on the bed of a barely 4 years-old Kaoru. This time mum is the one telling the story and his father is the one next door, putting the twins to bed in their cribs.

She's currently imitating the voice of a lion. It's a made-up story Tsuzuru already knows by heart and yet he smiles happily as her mother winks at him knowingly while she speaks. Because like always, she portrays it in such a way he can't help but get excited even when he knows the outcome.

At some point, however, and despite her best effort, the slowing sounds of her breathing signaled that the story was lulling her towards sleep whilst the young one looked up at her with eager eyes, showing little sign of fatigue.

"Mummy...?" little Kaoru calls. He tries to reach her arm and wake her up to no avail. She mumbles something unrecognizable under her breath — twins do take energy like no parent is used to, no matter the experience.

"We should go to sleep," Tsuzuru whispered. "Mom's tired."

"But I want to know what's going to happen to the lion!"

Tsuzuru sighs, half-expecting the reaction. He stays still for a few seconds, looking for any movement coming from the bunks above them. Just snores. His older brothers had grown enough to stay awake for the end of a story they already knew.

"Mummy, you need to finish it!"

Tsuzuru jumps, startled at the pleads rising in volume. He looks towards their mother, whose head continues to tilt ever so slightly unaware of the situation. Then, a thought crosses his mind.

"Kaoru... Want me to tell you the story instead?"

He hadn't expected much, so when Kaoru's eyes —similar to his very own and his other brothers— stared back at him shining brightly, something jumps in little Tsuzuru's tummy.

"Yeah!" With a newfound interest his younger brother curls up again on the bed, the tattered form of what once was Tsuzuru's teddy bear ��prior to him Meguru's and most likely Tadoru's—squashed beneath his arm. Glassy eyes stare up at him, waiting. Tsuzuru feels his cheeks heat up at the thought of being suddenly the center of attention.

“All right, uh. Are you comfortable...?” he awkwardly tries to imitate his parent's tone. Kaoru giggles excitedly, and nods. "Okay then. Where were we..."

"The lion didn't want to play with the monkeys because he— um, he didn't want to lose!"

"Right. So after that, he encountered a Crocodile—" resting his head back on the soft pillow next to Kaoru, he lowered his voice in order to not wake their mother. "who said 'Come play with me!' But the lion said..."

The wood of the door cracked slightly. Not much of course, but enough to let the two young boys know someone was entering the bedroom.

“Daddy! Come!” Kaoru rises up once he recognizes him, whispering excitedly. He pats his own bed with one hand, using the other to point toward the Tsuzuru, who was sitting next to him as well. "Tsuzu-nii is telling me the adventures of Sparsly the Lion!”

“He means Sparky the Lion.” Tsuzuru clarifies bashfully after seeing his father's look of confusion. "Mum fell asleep so, uh... I tried to tell him the story. Since I already knew how it ended." he scratched the back of his head shrugging. Kaoru agreed enthusiastically.

"It was so much fun!"

"I can see that." His father laughed. He sat on the bed listening to Kaoru's ramble while trying to wake his wife. Once she opened her eyes, looked at her young children on one side and at his husband on another, her expression turned remorseful.

"Don't tell me I fell asleep."

The man smiled in understanding while Kaoru grabbed her hand grinning. "You did, but listen! Tsuzu-nii told me the story!"

"Oh? Did he now?"

"And it was better that yours!"

Ms Minagi gasped, placing a hand on her chest. "Even better than us?"

"No! Not that good...!" Tsuzuru shook his head, flustered at the mere thought of substituting his parent's storytelling. "I just— added some things after the end because Kaoru kept asking for more."

"Mhm! It was awesome!"

"So we got ourselves our very own storyteller, uh..." his father stated as he rubbed his nose against both of them, his hair tickling their faces in the process, making them laugh. Her mother stood up from the chair amused, taking the opportunity to check on the other two boys in the bunks above.

"Okay." the man eventually claimed. "I think it's about time we all try to get some sleep. Can't believe your older brothers can sleep this soundly with the amount of noise we are making."

Kaoru pouts, but allows his dad to tuck him in, Tsuzuru already on his way to enter his own bed.

"Tsuzuru?"

The 6-year-old turns his head towards his mother, who sat on the edge of his bed, trying not to wake a snoring Meguru on top. "I'm sorry for falling asleep in the middle of our bedtime story. Thank you for covering for me, that was really nice of you."

Tsuzuru blushes, covering himself with his blankets until they reach his nose. "I didn't want to wake you. Noboru and Suberu cry a lot lately and Tadoru-nissan says you two don't sleep."

Her mother laughed, looking at him with affection. "We get enough sleep, don't worry honey. Seems like today I was just a bit more tired." She began to run her fingers through his hair. Tsuzuru nodded, although he didn't seem fully convinced. "Hey, I was thinking..." she got closer, whispering as if they were about to share a secret. "How about you help us next time to come up with a new story?"

"Knowing more about Sparky the Lion does sound like a good idea." his dad conceded as he passed by, ruffling Tsuzuru's head before heading out of the room.

The suggestion makes Tsuzuru's eyes shine. "...Are you sure?" he whispers back.

Her mother's turquoise eyes soften at the view. Their third oldest wasn't the selfish type, but both she and her husband could tell when something called his attention, and storytelling was definitely one of those things. "Absolutely." She smiled, tucking him into bed and kissing his cheek in the process.

Standing up, she went back to Kaoru's bed to finish the nightly routine and walked to the door, her spare hand on the door frame. "Sweet dreams."

Tsuzuru closed his eyes as the lights went out, a smile decorating his face.

"You? But Tadoru-nissan you suck at reading stories!"

"Oh come on go easy on me, I'm trying my best to— Mitsuru can you stop running, please?" once the 18-year-old Minagi finished putting on the boy's pajama he stood up and headed towards a shelf filled with books. Looking around for a bit while humming, he ended up picking a colorful one. "Okay, how about this one?"

The twins shook their heads at the same time from the bunks. "We have already read that one!"

"So? You guys have heard all of these books."

"That's why we need a new bedtime story, right Tooru? Mitsuru?"

Tooru played with his glasses in the bed below, quietly nodding without saying anything out loud. Meanwhile, Mitsuru looked up at them curiously. "New story...?" he repeated.

"Yeah! Something you have never heard. Isn't that cool?"

The youngest in the room beamed at the thought. "Mitsuru wants a new story too!"

"See?"

"You two I swear— ah, Tsuzuru, Kaoru. Thank you for cleaning the kitchen. Were you able to call mum and dad?"

"Yeah, they are both still stuck in traffic. Why's there so much noise in here anyway?"

The oldest groaned, dropping himself onto the floor. Of course, at the motion, Mitsuru did not waste a second before he began to climb onto him, amused by his reaction. Tadoru paid no mind to it. "Where's Meguru?"

Tsuzuru shrugged sitting on Tooru's bed. "I think he's still trying to change Takeru's diapers."

"Great. Okay, that's it." Standing up he put the book back in the self, tuck Mitsuru into bed and walked to the door. "You lot, time to go to sleep."

"What?!"

"But you didn't even read us a book!"

"And what do you want me to do? You criticize my reading skills and I can't come up with a story out of nowhere."

"Why don't you do it?" proposed Kaoru looking at Tsuzuru. The boy raised his eyebrows and pointed to himself.

"Me?"

Kaoru shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets and leaning on the wall. "You are the one who comes up with most of the ideas for our made-up stories anyway."

Tsuzuru faltered. "Well, yeah but—"

"THAT'S IT. I GIVE UP. TADORU-NISSAN!"

Meguru's scream from the room next door followed by a piercing baby's cry made everyone grimace. The oldest took a long deep breath and clapped his hands together. "All right! As of now, Tsuzuru has been officially put in charge of storytelling."

"What!?" he complained rising from the bed. "But I just cleaned the kitchen with Kaoru!"

"Please, Tsuzuru, do it for me. I'll invite you to anything you want some other day, okay? Thanks, buddy!" he ruffled his hair.

"TADORU-NISSAN!"

"I'm coming, Meguru!"

"But Tadoru-nissan you can't just—!" before Tsuzuru could finish the sentence, Tadoru was already gone. Not a second later the phone rang downstairs.

"I'll take it," announced Kaoru leaving the bedroom as well. "Could be mum or dad."

"Someone take that phone call!"

A scream and more distant baby cries continued to reach from the room next door. Tsuzuru sighed defeated and turned to the rest of the young ones resting on their beds. "All right, um... any suggestion?"

Young Tsuzuru would learn shortly two things:

One, taking suggestions was not the best way to spend a night without their parents at home.

And two, watching his brother enjoy his stories wasn't so bad after all.

"Tsuzu-nii, hurry!"

"Tsuzuru-nissan!"

"Coming...!" A sixteen years old Tsuzuru opens the door to the bedroom, encountering a full-on displayed camp distributed between two bunks. He sighs. "Aren't most of you a bit too old to wait for me to tell a bedtime story anyway?"

The twins glance at one another and then look back at Tsuzuru.

"Do you have any idea what is like to sleep when it's your turn to tell a bedtime story?"

"Yeah, I have no idea how Kaoru-nii does it."

"Right?"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Good grief..."

"Tsuzu-nii, can you sit next to me?" asks Mitsuru from his bed, his voice ever so quiet in contrast with Takeru's adamant whines.

"No, sit on my bed! You promised me! Yuzuru can sit with you Mitsuru!"

"I'm going to sit in the middle of the room so everyone can hear and that's the end of it, understood?" there's a chorus of nods.

At this point it's been years since he started to tell stories that he imagined in his head. The course of that one night so long ago and the excitement that came with Tsuzuru's made-up story —despite the chaos it provoked— opened a new door he hadn't thought existed before; About the what-if, of books they had already read. Then about new characters. New scenarios.

Soon enough, they were all portraying his stories, incorporating them in an attempt of plays for their parent's entertainment, which they definitely enjoyed. Because why not? Once again, it was free, provided lots of options, and allowed everyone to participate as much as they wished.

Even nowadays, bedtime stories are still a thing in their household.

Tsuzuru loved writing scripts. But there was this specific moment at night, when all of them were together in the same room and he could take a moment to watch their expectant eyes, that made it extra special.

"All right." Tsuzuru clears his throat and the room finally goes silent. He looks at his brothers, and a smile appears. "Are we comfortable and ready?"

____________________________________________________________

Minagi household content? *nods* Minagi household content.

Wishing you all a wonderful day! 💕

[seishun-emergency]

tagged by @clockworkspider ! thank you for the tag :3

Rules: Share the first line of ten of your most recent fanfics and then tag ten people. Don't have ten? Not to worry, just share what you have.

owahh i have. no idea what this’ll end up being like…

1. Koga talks. A lot. (standing in the aftermath, chapter 5 - adosoukoga)

2. “And so, the princess was saved from her tower by the knight when he slayed the dragon. Then they got married and lived happily ever after, the end!” (fairy tales and oaths of love - lesbian maoritsu)

3. Tetora isn’t late. (gamer girl, lover boy - tetohina)

4. [A view of one of the Starmaker Production offices. The camera blurs, then focuses on the figure of Tenshouin Eichi, sitting at what is recognizable as the desk in his private office.] (the world’s number one cutie - tori character study)

5. “So, Ritsu-chan?” (method acting, chapter one - ritsuhokke)

6. “Amagi, you’re leaving practice early?” (honey, honey - rinniki)

7. “Mido-chan!” (all i want for christmas - hajimidosora)

8. In every heroic journey, there is a moment of rest. (dear fellow traveller - five eccentrics fantasy/dnd au)

9. It’s a day like any other, when Rei approaches him. (the neon signs, unplugged (they fade) - bad timeline au, kaoru-centric)

10. Ibara thinks that the only appropriate way to describe the swirl of emotions running through him as Hiyori herds the rest of Eden through backstage and into a company car is baffled. (a place for us - polyeden)

what i learned from this is that i really like starting fics with dialogue and in medias res. good for me?

tagging ummm . @vampacidic @posebean @windypuddle @birthday-of-music !

[reikyaoi]

leon's day off

pairing; n/a word count; 4.1k characters; oogami koga, otogari adonis, kanzaki souma, hakaze kaoru, sakuma rei ao3 link

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“Leon’s a free spirit and a lone wolf. I let him off-leash so he can get all his energy out without me gettin’ in his way,” Koga shrugged. “He’ll come back if I call him though.” 

Turning around to amplify his voice towards the general direction he watched him sprint in, Koga shouted, “Leon!” 

… And nothing happened. No corgi came bounding for him from any direction.

━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━

gift for @uglytsumugi12, you were my assignment for the enstars new years gift exchange 2022!! i hope you enjoy this silly little koga centric fic <3

As much as he loved him to death, even Koga could admit winter was not Leon’s best season in terms of agreeability. 

Despite his well behaved nature, shaped by multiple years of Koga’s meticulous training, Leon was curious in nature. It's as if he seemingly forgot how to act when temperatures dropped. He loved exploring, playing in snow, forcing Koga out into below freezing temperatures at 6am so he could go run around and get snow all over his coat…

Koga sighed. He can’t be annoyed with him really. He’s the one that signed up for the responsibility of having a dog, and Leon was always worth the turmoil. Doesn’t negate the fact that the streets are completely covered in ice that has yet to be salted, Koga has to be at school in two hours, and Leon is dragging him along to get to the park so he can run around off leash, and Koga has nearly slipped and ate shit about four times now. 

“Quit tuggin’... We’re gonna get there soon, and then you can run around all you want without nearly killin’ me, okay?” Leon had stopped momentarily to pee on someone’s potted plant. He blinked at Koga owlishly. Koga, unamused, blinked back at him. The second he was done with his break, he darted off ahead of him, nearly pulling his arm off.

Two near death experiences and a little treat bribery later, and they finally made it to the dog park. Once there, they made it a safe distance into the park before Koga bent down to unclip Leon’s leash. Free at last, Leon dashed off into another direction, to do who knows what in the snow. Probably take a shit, Koga’s brain supplied. 

“Oogami.” 

Koga nearly jumped out of his skin at the hand appearing on his shoulder. When he whipped around, his attacker revealed himself to just be Adonis, joined quietly by Souma at his side. 

“Jesus fuck, I thought I was about to be mugged. Always so damn quiet…” 

“I apologize Oogami. I did not mean to sneak up on you.”

“...S’okay. I can’t really be mad when you apologize so earnestly…” Souma, looking for an opportunity to make his presence apparent, bowed. “Hello, Oogami-dono.”

“Zakki, hey… What are you two doing out here?” 

Adonis smiled. “Kanzaki needs to bring Kamegorou back to the marine life club for a check-up with Shinkai-senpai. We decided to take him with us while we went on our morning jog, so that we don’t have to go back and get him. It ended up being more of a walk to accommodate him… But it was nice.” 

Koga looked down between the two of them and finally noticed what Souma was carrying- a small clear plastic pet carrier lit from the inside by a warming light, with a perch rock and a small bit of water. Laying on the rock was a small pond turtle shell, presumably with its head and legs tucked inside.

Koga looked at the carrier, confused. “Is it not… too cold to be carryin’ that thing around…” 

Souma’s face dropped at the question, “I truly hope not. I’ve been doing my best to keep him warm. I’m unsure if the lighting fixture I’ve installed in his carrier is enough. We’ve been stopping in shops periodically to make sure he doesn’t freeze. I am beginning to think this was not the great plan I had thought it to be… But I acted selfishly. I did not want to give up on my morning run with Adonis…”

“Kanzaki. I would not have taken offense to you canceling for a day if you had other responsibilities.” 

“I know… As I said, I was acting selfishly. I enjoy spending time with you and did not want to miss an opportunity to do so,” Souma lamented.

“Ah… That means very much to me, Kanzaki. You truly are a dear friend to me.”

“Adonis…”

Koga looked between the two of them with thinly veiled discomfort at the quarrel he had been forced into witnessing, if you could even call it that. “So if you two are going on a walk with the turtle… Why’re you at the dog park?”

Souma brightened at the reminder of why they were there, “Adonis saw you and suggested that Kamegorou-san meet your dog. He spoke very highly of how well behaved Leon is, and if Adonis says he is well trained, I trust him.” Souma looked back at Adonis as they exchanged fond smiles. “We saw him with you just a moment ago. Where did he go?”

“Leon’s a free spirit and a lone wolf. I let him off-leash so he can get all his energy out without me gettin’ in his way,” Koga shrugged. “He’ll come back if I call him though.” 

Turning around to amplify his voice towards the general direction he watched him sprint in, Koga shouted, “Leon!” 

… And nothing happened. No corgi came bounding for him from any direction.

Koga, suppressing an instinctive anxiety, tried again. Louder this time, Koga shouted, “LEON!” 

And still, nothing happened. 

“God fucking damnit where did he go,” Koga grumbled. Leon was well trained, and rarely ever ran off without coming back. Koga also highly doubted he could get very far on his little legs. “Fuck, I don’t know where the hell he went.”

“Would you like us to help you look for him?” Adonis asked, concern clear in his eyes.

“Ah… Fuck, yeah, if you can.” Koga gave in. Souma pressed his carrier closer to his body and wrapped his arms around it completely in an attempt to keep its passenger as warm as possible, and then the three of them set off in different directions, all shouting Leon’s name. 

After about ten minutes of walking around the park, Koga finally started to allow himself some internal panic. Leon never did this. Even when he was being trained as a puppy, he never strayed far from Koga for very long, especially not after having his name called. Not responding when his name was called implied that Leon was far enough away to not be able to hear him calling. Did he run away? Did someone take him? It was about 7am at this point. There were only about two other owner and dog pairs here right now, both caught up in their own little worlds. Still, he approached them and asked if they had seen an orange corgi running around anywhere. Both said they hadn’t been paying attention. A little negligent of them, Koga muttered under his breath as he turned away. Koga never didn’t pay attention to what the other dogs at the park were doing, just in case any of them were misbehaved enough to try anything… Except now Koga was the negligent one because he just left his dog completely unattended while he talked to his friends and now his best friend was lost and he was never gonna see him again-

“Oogami.” Adonis put a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts for the second time that morning. “Oh. I did it again. I apologize, Oogami.”

Souma piped up, “Unfortunately, me and Adonis did not make any meaningful progress towards finding your dog. We searched the entire left side of the park, and both found nothing. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of any help.” He paused, “... and unfortunately, it is 7:30… Classes start in half an hour…” He trailed off, looking extremely guilty that he had to put his studies over finding Koga’s friend. “It would be unwise of us to show up so late and risk punishment… And I also need to assure Kamegorou-san is properly warmed up.”

“If you would like, we can help you the moment we get out of school today. Kanzaki and I both feel deeply responsible for Leon running off, since we distracted you with our presence while you were watching him. So we will both do anything we can to help you reunite with him. I apologize that we cannot do more for him now.” Adonis said, hand still placed comfortingly on Koga’s shoulder. 

As always, when the two of them were being so earnest with him, it was very hard to be upset at them for what he knew was ultimately his mistake. There were three things that Koga took more seriously than anything in the world. #1 was being a member of Undead, #2 was practicing his guitar, and #3 was being Leon’s owner. He knew that despite Adonis and Souma’s claim to guilt, the blame for Leon straying too far away was on him. 

“... I think I’m gonna keep lookin’ for him for a bit. Student council be damned; it’s not like I’ve been extremely late all that often. I just gotta hope they’ll make an exception this time. Leon’s too important not to keep lookin’... You two can go though. I’ll come bother ya if I really do need help after school though.” Koga was desperately trying to keep his cool and not show how stressed he truly was. There was an image to maintain, after all. 

Adonis looked at him unsure. “Kanzaki, maybe we should stay… I would feel truly terrible if something were to happen to Leon because Oogami could not find him in time…” 

“Nah, seriously, you guys are good to go. Leon’s tough, I trained him to attack if he senses bad intentions. Unfortunately, he hasn’t attacked Hakaze-senpai yet, but hopefully he’ll get there one day.” Koga said, only about 90% sarcastically. 

Souma giggled at that, while Adonis gave him a look of confusion, “Why would Hakaze-senpai have bad intentions with Leon?” 

“Agh, nevermind, I forgot you two don’t always understand sarcasm…I’m just sayin’, he can handle himself. Besides, he’s got on a collar with my phone number on it. Nobody’s gonna think he's a stray.” 

Having been reassured of Leon’s supposed strength, Adonis relented. “Okay. If you say he’s strong, we will go. Please let us know if you do need our help.” And with that, Adonis and Souma said their farewells and headed off. Koga sighed. Reassuring Adonis did actually help to reassure himself that Leon would be fine. Leon didn’t look anything like the strays that wander around the area. He’s a well taken care of, 12kg corgi. If anyone found him, they would call him. 

Confidence in his ability to find Leon restored. He set off to search the entire park again. 

How far away could Leon truly even get?

───────

Pretty fucking far, apparently. 

He had searched the entire park, the park's direct exterior, up and down the streets surrounding it, hell, he even had begun to retrace his steps and walk back to ES, hoping that Leon was smart enough to know his way back home. 

By the time the clock had reached 9:30, Koga knew he had to give up for now and take Adonis and Souma up on their offer to help look for him after school. He could tell he wasn’t doing a very good job at not wearing his emotions on his sleeve, because the second he walked in the room, they both gave him a slight look of pity that he pretended not to see. 

All day, Koga couldn't stop checking his phone. It was truly baffling to him that no one had called and said they had found him yet. He couldn't stop bouncing his leg up and down and fidgeting with pen and looking out the window and checking the clock. He was so antsy, he felt like he was gonna explode. 

The minute they were dismissed, he bolted from his seat, ready to go resume the search. 

Adonis and Souma followed swiftly behind him. “Did you really find no leads while you were out this morning, Oogami-dono?,” Souma asked. “You were gone for an extra two hours…” 

Koga glared. “If I found somethin’, do you think I’d be rushing out the door like this Zakki?!” Souma wrinkled his nose at Koga’s tone, but said nothing in response, reasoning that he was being even more snippy than usual because of his lost friend. If Souma lost one of his dear friends, like Kamegorou or Saigoudon, he doesn’t think he’d be very calm either. 

“Where did you leave off your search, Oogami?” Adonis spoke up.

“I was heading back towards ES to see if Leon had somehow gone back home without me. But I realized how late it was getting, so I called it quits… Let’s split up. Zakki, go towards ES and see if he somehow made his way back towards that area. Adonis, you come with me and we’ll both look around the area of the dog park separately.”

They both nodded, and they all headed off on their separate missions. 

───────

As the sun began to set, Koga allowed himself to feel an emotion he had not allowed himself to feel all day: dread. He and Adonis had searched an even wider area than he was able to cover this morning. He had begun to ask locals if they had seen a corgi waddling around, but both of them had come up empty handed on any sort of lead. 

Only around 6pm did they finally allow themselves a break. They found a nice local cafe to get a rest from the cold in, just to warm up a bit before they ultimately headed back to ES. Adonis watched as Koga took a phone call while he got their drinks. “Was that someone calling about Leon?” 

Koga sighed. “Nah. It was Sengoku calling on Zakki’s behalf. He didn’t find anything in the direct area around ES. Leon isn’t there.” 

Adonis frowned at that, “I’m truly sorry, Oogami. I cannot shake the feeling this is my fault…” 

“S’not your fault, I already told you that. You don’t have’ta feel guilty over it, Adonis. It was me who shouldn’ta let him off the leash in the first place. He never does stuff like this though! He’s never just run away from me like that before… And I mean honestly, how far could he have even gotten?!” 

Adonis frowned at Koga’s attempt at a joke. “So what is your plan n-”

“I’m so sorry to interrupt. Did you two gentlemen say you were looking for a corgi?”

Koga immediately shot to attention. One of the cafe’s waitresses had timidly approached the table. “Yes. Why? Have you seen one? What do you know?!” Koga frantically asked. Her eyes widened, slightly, at the sudden outburst of her patron. 

“I… Two gentlemen came in here earlier, one of them was carrying a corgi. They got drinks and dessert, and a small cup of whipped cream for him, dined, and then left…I vaguely remember them discussing needing to return him to his owner.”

Holy shit. Leon WAS kidnapped! He was fucking dognapped! Whoever the bastards were, they knew they had stolen the Oogami Koga’s dog, and they were gonna ransom him out for money! Or something potentially worse! Koga didn’t know what he was gonna do, he was an idol sure, but he didn’t have Leon ransom money?! Maybe he can convince the company to pay, or get Tenshouin to use some rich person trickery bullshit to figure out who kidnapped his damn dog-

“May I ask, what did they all look like?,” Adonis asked. “Both the dog and the two men,” he added. 

She thought about it for a second, “The dog… was orange with white patches on his face and belly.  Definitely a corgi breed.” Adonis and Koga shared a quick look. Definitely Leon. “And the two men… One had long-ish black hair, and scarlet eyes, and the other had blonde hair and brown eyes, but- oh, they kinda looked grey when the light hit them right. He was very charming, the way he talked, and-”

When Adonis looked back to Koga, he could practically feel the rage billowing off him in hot waves. “Those fucking assholes.” Cutting off the women from her rambling about how this handsome blonde stranger’s casual flirtatious compliments made her double shift totally worth it, Koga angrily grabbed his jacket and got up. Adonis quickly bowed in apology towards her as he followed Koga out the door. “I’m seriously gonna kill ‘em this time. They stole my fucking dog!” 

“Oogami. We don’t know why Sakuma-senpai and Hakaze-senpai took Leon. We have to hear them out first.” 

“I’m not hearin’ shit from the two of them! They’re both gonna fuckin’ die today!” 

───────

The door to the Rhythm Link office space Rei and Kaoru were occupying slammed open. Koga was immediately greeted with the sight of the two of them lounging on the couches located at the back wall, filling out paperwork. And there, on Kaoru’s lap being absentmindedly pet, was Leon, napping without a care in the world. He seethed even more. 

“YOU TWO.” Rei and Kaoru both looked up at him with surprise. Rei shook it off quickly, “Doggy. We were hoping you would stop by today.” Noticing Adonis standing anxiously behind Koga, Rei smiled at him. “Ah, hello to you as well, Adonis-kun.” 

“Hello, Sakuma-senpai.”

“Don’t be nice to these thieves!,” Koga said as he turned around to reprimand Adonis. He whipped back around. “You two stole my dog!” 

Having been woken up from his nap, Leon finally noticed his owner’s presence. He immediately hauled himself up, and Kaoru unfolded himself to allow Leon to jump off his lap and bound towards Koga. As soon as he reached grabbing distance, Koga snatched Leon up into his arms. He hugged him close and pressed his face into the side of his neck. 

“Fuckin’ scared me…” Koga whispered into his neck, soft enough so only Leon could hear. Angry as he was, having Leon back in his arms significantly dampened the rage he had felt. Not that he was gonna let his seniors know that though. 

He adjusted Leon so that he was pressed against his chest, head on his shoulder as if he were a baby. Koga stood up, made sure his dog was still comfortable, then glared at Rei and Kaoru. “Alright, ‘fess up. Why did you two take my dog, and then not bother to tell me you had him all day? I was goin’ crazy all day thinking I lost him. It’s really pissin’ me off that you two had him all day and didn’t fuckin’ tell me.”

Rei yawned. “Are you not glad that he was found and isn’t out there wandering the frozen streets? He even got to spend his day being spoiled by his favorite grandparents~” 

“Don’t call yourself that!” 

Rei shrugged as he continued absentmindedly filling out whatever bullshit paperwork they had been working on. Kaoru, at least, had the decency to look guilty. “We were gonna bring him back to you, honest!” 

Koga continued to glared, unimpressed with this answer. Kaoru shrank back, still attempting to hold a kind smile, but evidently crumbling under his gaze. “Rei-kun and I were going out for brunch and we found him running around in an alley. Since you weren’t with him, we figured he was lost but my phone was dead, and Rei-kun’s-” Kaoru looked at Rei, exacerbated. “You wanna tell Koga-kun what happened to your phone?” 

Koga switched his attention back to Rei, who now looked like he was actively trying to hide from this conversation, paperwork entirely covering his face. Realizing he had become the center of attention, he slowly lowered them, a feigned nonchalant smile on his face. “Ah… well… It’s truly an almost chivalrous story, if you think about i-”

“Rei-kun.” 

Rei deflated at his partner's condemnation. “... You see, Kaoru-kun and I attended a dinner meeting last night to meet with Hasumi-kun, Kiryuu-kun, a handful of representatives from an advertising firm, and some of the companies’ higher ups to discuss some business about our units’ involvement in an upcoming advertising campaign for a brand of instant ramen. It was truly a beautiful establishment that they booked, with a dazzling view of the city skyline, and you could even get a stunning view of the ocean-”

“Get to the fuckin’ point.” Koga barked.

“... In my, truly noble might I add, attempt to get Kaoru-kun a picture of the view with my mobile phone’s camera… It seems that I was not being careful enough, and I dropped it off the balcony.” Rei hung his head in shame at the admission. “The representatives, at least, found my fumble amusing.”

“And so, neither of us had phones we could use to call you. We were planning on just taking Leon-chan back to you when you were done with classes, and we were done with all this paperwork, but it's ended up taking much longer than we thought it would.” Kaoru finished, sighing over the misfortune.

Koga squinted at the two of them. “That all sounds like a buncha bullshit you two made up. What’s the real version?”

Kaoru frantically shook his head. “Nonono! I promise it’s the truth!! Believe me, I wish I could make up the story of Rei dropping his phone off a balcony in front of all those important businessmen. Hasumi-kun was not happy with us on the ride back to the dorms…” 

Adonis interrupted to ask, “Did it hit anyone when it fell? I cannot imagine that would have ended well if it had.” 

“Thankfully, it did not.” Rei said, mood shifting back to being annoyingly playful. “To be quite honest, I do not understand why Hasumi-kun was so displeased with my actions. The representatives loved it, and it’s not as if it was his mobile phone-”

“Shaddup. You two are idiots.” Koga said, finally reaching his limit with the conversation. “C’mon Leon. Let’s get you cleaned up since you were apparently playin’ in the trash. Let’s go, Adonis.” 

“Koga-kun!” As the three of them turned to leave, Kaoru suddenly got up to stop them. “We’re sorry. Really. We didn’t mean to scare you so bad. We know how much Leon-chan means to you, so we thought it was best if we looked after him. We should’ve found a way to tell you sooner.” 

Rei nodded in agreement. “Rei-chan is weally sowwy~”

Kaoru scowled, Koga scoffed. Realizing his error in determining the mood, he quickly added, “Ah, I mean, what I meant was that we are truly sorry, Koga-kun. Kaoru-kun is right when he said that we should have made more substantial attempts to contact you. We apologize.” As if planned, they both bowed to him and Leon in sincere apology. 

“Oogami, I think they are serious.” Adonis whispered. 

“... Did you guys at least feed him?”

Kaoru perked up at that, “Yes! I used some steak pieces that someone left in the fridge with a “free to use” note on them, along with his usual food combination to make him something gourmet~! He really liked it, from what I could tell.” 

Rei smiled. “Though it was safer with us, he kept trying to find his way to your dorm room. If I had to guess, he must have simply wandered too far in his excitement at the fresh winter snow, but he made some truly valiant attempts to get away from us to find you.” 

“Heh, good boy.” Koga grinned at his dog. He knew he would never purposefully run away from him. “... Fine. You two are forgiven. If anything like this ever happens again though, you both are fuckin’ dead, hear me?”

“Yes, Wan-chan~” 

“Understood~” 

“Good. Adonis, let’s go.” As Koga turned to leave, Adonis bowed in departure to their seniors. 

They walked to the elevator in comfortable silence. Leon had fallen back asleep, face pressed safely into the side of Koga’s neck. Once in the elevator that would take them back down to the dorm levels, Adonis broke the silence. “Oogami… I still feel bad about you having lost Leon-san. Seeing you reunited with him has made me even more aware of the damage I have caused, so I must offer my help with bathing him, if you will let me.”

If getting close with Adonis has taught him anything, it's Adonis’ tells when he's not being entirely forward with his feelings. Adonis was shy, but never closed off. Right now, his body language was almost anxious; arms crossed and looking downwards. If Koga had to guess, he didn’t truly still feel bad about being the cause for Leon’s brief disappearance. 

Koga’s eyes softened. “If you just wanted to spend more time with him, you coulda just said so.” 

“I apologize.”

“Didn’t mean it in a bad way. ‘Course you can come help me… If you wanna…” 

Adonis smiled at him. “I’d like that very much.” 

[otakusmart]

Top 10 Anime Like Oshi no Ko (My Star) to Watch in 2023

The world of anime continues to captivate fans around the globe with its diverse range of storytelling and captivating characters. "Oshi no Ko," a popular anime series that aired in recent years, has garnered significant attention for its unique premise and compelling narrative. If you enjoyed "Oshi no Ko" and are looking for similar anime experiences, this article presents a hand-picked selection of the top 10 anime to watch in 2023 that share similar themes and qualities. From intense character-driven dramas to heartwarming tales of growth and friendship, this list covers a variety of anime like Oshi no Ko or better known as My Star.

Top 10 anime like Oshi no Ko (My Star)

Shirobako https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DUqUGFYx48&ab_channel=ShoutStudios "Shirobako" delves into the behind-the-scenes world of anime production, exploring the trials and tribulations a group of friends faces as they strive to make their dreams of creating anime a reality. With its realistic portrayal of the industry and endearing characters, this anime offers a cute glimpse into the world of animation. Bakuman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG0Z23fZRbw&ab_channel=vizmedia "Bakuman" follows the journey of two aspiring manga artists as they navigate the competitive publishing world. With its blend of drama, romance, and comedy, this series showcases the challenges faced by artists and the determination required to succeed in their chosen fields. Sakura Quest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVq-r9HimDI&ab_channel=KloposAnimus In "Sakura Quest," a young woman named Yoshino finds herself unexpectedly working as a tourism ambassador in a rural town. This slice-of-life anime explores personal growth, community, and the importance of finding purpose in unexpected places. Sakamichi no Apollon (Kids on the Slope) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7plEDcWy0Oc&ab_channel=HanabeeEntertainment Set in the 1960s, "Sakamichi no Apollon" follows the story of Kaoru, a reserved student, and Sentarou, a talented drummer. Their shared love for jazz music forms a bond that transcends societal barriers, and the anime beautifully portrays their friendship against a backdrop of youthful passion. Chihayafuru https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8U-E8hldHk&ab_channel=Sentai "Chihayafuru" is a sports anime centered around the traditional Japanese card game karuta. The series follows Chihaya as she aspires to become the Queen of Karuta while exploring themes of friendship, determination, and personal growth. Hibike! Euphonium" (Sound! Euphonium) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxowSlinlb0&ab_channel=AlltheAnime This music-centric anime focuses on the Kitauji High School concert band striving for excellence and overcoming internal conflicts. With meticulous attention to detail, "Hibike! Euphonium" provides a heartfelt and realistic portrayal of the dedication and passion required to pursue musical excellence. Sora yori mo Tooi Basho (A Place Further than the Universe) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAYL5VNAJq0&ab_channel=AnimaxAsia Four high school girls embark on a journey to Antarctica in "Sora yori mo Tooi Basho." This coming-of-age tale explores friendship, self-discovery, and the pursuit of dreams. With its breathtaking visuals and emotional storytelling, this anime resonates deeply with its audience. 3-gatsu no Lion (March Comes in Like a Lion) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL5nnx4vd7k&ab_channel=AniplexUSA "3-gatsu no Lion" delves into the life of Rei Kiriyama, a young professional shogi player struggling with loneliness and depression. The anime showcases Rei's journey as he confronts his demons, finds solace in unexpected friendships, and discovers the true meaning of family. Hanasaku Iroha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYvnsxzbepU&ab_channel=NISAmerica "Hanasaku Iroha" follows Ohana Matsumae as she starts working at her estranged grandmother's traditional Japanese inn. This slice-of-life anime delves into Ohana's personal growth as she learns about responsibility, relationships, and embracing change. Barakamon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gmN_3kr4wo&ab_channel=AlltheAnime "Barakamon" revolves around the life of a calligrapher named Seishuu Handa, who is exiled to a remote island after an artistic mishap. Through his interactions with the eccentric locals, Seishuu learns valuable life lessons and again discovers his artistic voice.

Conclusion

If you enjoyed the charm, depth, and unique storytelling of "Oshi no Ko," this list of top 10 anime like Oshi no Ko provides a diverse range of options. Whether you are interested in anime production, character-driven dramas, or heartwarming tales of growth and friendship, these anime series will surely capture your attention and leave a lasting impact. Immerse yourself in these anime titles' captivating narratives and vibrant characters, and let them transport you to new and exciting worlds in 2023. Read the full article