#like a reverse of that detective conan situation | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

maxwell-grant · 4 years ago

Note

May I please ask what your preferred dynamic between Holmes & Lupin would be? (From what I can tell, the term 'frenemies' might have been invented for these two - if any two characters in fiction WOULD spend all their time trying to one-up each other it's these two, if only their diverse other commitments, challenges & interests left them the free time to do so: I'm also morally certain a sadly-hypothetical Holmes/Lupin team is one of the few things that could bring down Fantomas for Good).

I think "frenemies" is what ultimately works best for these two specifically, because there's a certain untouchability to icons as big as these two that limits the potential stories you can tell with them (although yes, definitely on board with the two having what it takes to bring down Fantomas, although probably not as cleanly and easily as they might expect).

The original Leblanc stories involving this premise are very much centered around one-upmanship, even embracing a theme of national rivalry of England vs France. They acknowledge Holmes's talents but without the awe, with a somewhat aged Holmes with mundane imperfections easily exploited by the daring young thief, someone deserving of his legend but who doesn't quite live up to it. Obviously Lupin's gotta have the upperhand, not just because it's his author writing it, but because the whole point of Lupin's creation was to be the new hotness, the counterpart to both the stuffy old Great Detectives as well as the aristocratic master burglars, and really, what kind of rising superstar would he be if he couldn't put one over the other guy? If he's gonna live up to his claim of being the greatest criminal ever, he's gotta be able to humble the greatest detective at least a little.

The treatment of Watson (Wilson) is tasteless and it's frankly a bit saddening to see that even back then writers were still shitting on Watson far too much, but on the whole I think Leblanc was a lot fairer to Holmes than he could have been (certainly other writers from this time period who added Holmes to their stories were not as fair), he makes it very clear Holmes is not just another Ganimard out of his depth and is very much as close to an equal Lupin's ever had. I think the description used to cap off their final meeting is very much on point:

"You see, monsieur, whatever we may do, we will never be on the same side. You are on one side of the fence; I am on the other. We can exchange greetings, shake hands, converse a moment, but the fence is always there.

You will remain Herlock Sholmes, detective, and I, Arsène Lupin, gentleman-burglar. And Herlock Sholmes will ever obey, more or less spontaneously, with more or less propriety, his instinct as a detective, which is to pursue the burglar and run him down, if possible.

And Arsène Lupin, in obedience to his burglarious instinct, will always be occupied in avoiding the reach of the detective, and making sport of the detective, if he can do it. And, this time, he can do it" - Arsene Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes

The consistent outcome is that Holmes "wins" the material battle while Lupin gets away with the spiritual or karmic victory. The first story, Holmes has Lupin figured out from a glance, robbing him of his greatest asset, and Lupin even tells Holmes under a guise that he has no greater admirer than himself. Holmes choses not to arrest Lupin, and instead solves the mystery as quickly as Lupin would. But he is also, well, inferior. His "commonplace appearence" dissappoints the guests and detectives at the crime scene, he doesn't resemble their expectations, he is gruff, ungracious, arrogant and all-business, an Englishman all the way, and Lupin one-ups him by returning to him his stolen watch, and Holmes is not a good sport about it.

The whole "Herlock Sholmes" name change, although it was out of legal obligation, almost reads like a cheeky courtesy of Leblanc, like he's giving Holmes enough of a courtesy in sparing him the embarassment of being the loser. And the following adventures stay consistent: Sholmes is smart, as smart as Lupin, and he's a gentleman. But he isn't as smart as he thinks he is, and he isn't as much of a gentleman as Lupin. He resorts to unsporting tactics like intimidating Lupin's lover and involving the police in their conflict, and in the end, he's solved the crime, but "sown the seeds of discord" in a family Lupin was protecting, becoming the villain for a change, a role reversion Lupin openly laughs at. Holmes wins the "loot", he wins the material battle, but Lupin has the last laugh, and despite being a self-proclaimed villain, Lupin gets the moral victory.

It's a quite unflattering view of Holmes and one perhaps not suited for a crossover outside of the specific context of Holmes being the old and stuffy intruder in an Arsene Lupin story. Then again, every great hero needs a lesson in humility every now and then.

There's a particularly interesting variant of this dynamic to be found within China's own takes on Sherlock Holmes and Arsene Lupin.

Sherlock Holmes was quite the breakout hit for Chinese audiences at the time of his release, revered as an alternative to Judge Bao and the court-case novels. It's estimated that from 1903 to 1909, detective fiction constituted over almost 50% percent of all Western translated fiction, and with Holmes followed others like Nick Carter and Charlie Chan, and then Arsene Lupin, and soon their own local versions. The most famous and popular of which was Huo Sang, created by Cheng Xiaoqing, who was one of the main translators for Conan Doyle's stories. Cheng Xiaoqing even wrote his own take on Sherlock Holmes vs Arsene Lupin called "The Diamond Necklace", intending on correcting Leblanc's take, although interestingly, he unintentionally recreates the exact outcome by giving Holmes an unsporting attitude, where he "wins" only because Lupin lets him, and Lupin gets away again with the moral high ground. He would fare off much better in correcting Holmes with his own character, Huo Sang.

Huo Sang has a lot of similarities to Holmes, even with his own Watson counterpart, but was also designed to represent a few more traditional Chinese values. He is a science teacher with no addictions who belittles the wealthy class and fights for the poor, and he is praised for humility, one story even making a point to criticize Holmes for arrogance. He is a very Westernized character, with suits and guns and cigarettes galore, but the books were very dictatic and the author marketed them as "disguised textbooks for science", playing up on a newfound social reverence to scientific methods and self-improvement and national rejuvenation.

The stories deal heavily with corruption of the police force and institutions. In the earlier stories he outright calls police detectives useless rice buckets only good for solving petty thefts and preying on those that can't defend themselves, and while they become less sinister in later stories, Huo Sang's relation with law enforcement is much more frayed than Holmes's own. He uses dirty police tactics of his own and sometimes takes the law into his own hands, thinking the law cannot possibly achieve justice on it's own. His biggest loyalty is to his country and he values his reputation above all else. He values justice more than the law, like Holmes. But like Holmes, he still prefers to work inside the law and within Chinese traditions.

"Bao Lang, you scholar, you're too idealistic. Don't you realize how weak the law is in modern society? Privilege and power, favors and money - the law has all these deadly enemies

"We investigate half to slake our thirst for knowledge, half out of duty to serve and uphold justice. In the realm of justice, we are never constrained by the wooden and unfeeling law. For in this society, which is gradually tending to surrender its core to material things, the spirit of the rule of law cannot be put into general practice, and the weak and ordinary people are aggrieved, more often than not unable to enjoy the protection of the law.

Lu Ping, as you'd expect from a counterpart to Lupin, was much different. In fact, right in his very first story, he was already pitted against Huo Sang and outsmarting him, in a story called "Wooden Puppet Play". The character is inspired by an already existing tradition within Chinese literature of the "chivalrous thief", shapeshifting masters of deception and martial arts, and considered admirable and benevolent opposite to the corrupt government officials they outwit.

His stories are more whimsical, energized, more varied, less dedicated to strict science. He whistles while committing crimes, is identifiable by a red tie and wooden puppets he uses to signal his goons on what outfit he's gonna be wearing, and even cracks asides to the reader. In many aspects Lu Ping is influenced by hard-boiled Western detective stories, and naturally, he has a much more contemptious view of the law than Huo Sang

Well then, was he willing, in his capacity as thief, to represent the sanctity of the law and catch the murderer? Yes, he would be quite happy to round up that murderer. But he wasn't at all willing to boost the reputation of the law. He'd always felt that the law was only something like an amulet that certain smart guys had fabricated to get them out of embarassing situations.

Such an amulet migh be good for scaring away idiots, but it oculdn't threaten the violent, crafty and arrogant evil ones. Not only could it not scare them away, a lot of them hid right behind it to work their evil tricks!

Conflicts between these two are not just rooted in one-upsmanship or the patriotic conflict between the two, but instead in two differing approaches to justice, their influence on fellow Chinese writers to step outside tradition, and the respective ways they address issues in society. Additionally, it's not just a conflict between Great Detective vs Gentleman Villain, but the Holmesian Detective and the Hardboiled Detective. And, naturally, when the two met, a pattern reocurred again.

Writing a Lu Ping tale in his usual manner, Sun Liaohong deprives the detective of the advantage he typically enjoys at the hand of Cheng Xiaoqing or any other follower of Conan Doyle - narration by the detective's coadjutor.

It is Huo Sang who slinks around like a thief, alarming hotel service personnel. He becomes rattled, and even so is vain and arrogant. He is a bit too positivist about searching for clues, and he spends a remarkable amount of time just relaxing and waiting for something to happen.

The figure of "wooden puppets" turns wicked when the author uses the term to refer to Huo Sang, Bao Lang, and the police. Satirizing the genre as a play in which the author woodenly manipulates his character. But Lu Ping as puppet is a genius, moving from one identity to another, whereas Huo Sang is a dumbbell - wooden indeed, bourgeois, ridiculed.

A gentleman's agreement occurs only at the end. Huo Sang has the formal victory. He frees Lu Ping in order to get the paining, but the exhibition is held a day late and it now bears Lu Ping's seal.

In wartime, peace talks, diplomacy and gentlemen's agreements are just smoke screens, the stuff of puppetry. Both Huo Sang and Lu Ping surround themselves with lies to reach their final accomodation. Perhaps they are both puppets - Chinese Justice, the Fiction: Law and Literature in Modern China, by Jeffrey C. Kinkley

Both characters were canned in 1949 when the CCP banned detective fiction, and it was replaced with anti-spy literature about how the party police would expose counterrevolutionary conspiracies. They never got to have a rematch, and to my understanding there were a couple of films made afterwards about them, Huo Sang had a very recent one in 2019, but never another meeting.

I guess the takeaway here time and time again is that, credit to Holmes and all, but:

#replies tag #pulp heroes #pulp fiction #sherlock holmes #herlock sholmes #arthur conan doyle #arsene lupin #maurice leblanc #lupinchads can't stop winning

93 notes · View notes

ayuuria · 4 years ago

Text

Yashahime Translation: Animage Magazine March 2021 Issue

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

The Two Beast Kings

At his daughters’ crisis, Sesshōmaru makes his satisfied appearance! It appears he has some kind of connection with Kirinmaru but their intentions are still unclear. In what way will the two beast kings be involved in the fate of the Yashahimes?

While chasing Tōtetsu who is the last of the Four Perils, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha finally confront Kirinmaru. The three of them are overwhelmed by Kirinmaru’s immense power. Saving the girls from a desperate situation was none other Sesshōmaru. The impact of the clash between the two great demons shook the earth and was put to an end in a moment. While Towa and others are left pondering what the relationship between Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru is, they somehow managed to survive the fierce battle.

The spirit of the Tree of Ages considers Kirinmaru’s existence as one that should be killed. However, looking at his actions, they do not seem to be simply “evil”. Kirinmaru intended to defeat Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha as they were “the half-demons who would take his head”. However, he could’ve buried the three with one strike of his overwhelming strength. It appeared as though he was not taking the battle seriously in episode 18.

On the other end, although Sesshōmaru saved the girls from a crisis, it looked as though he was not truly hostile towards Kirinmaru. The meaning behind Kirinmaru’s words to Sesshōmaru “I will still have you work for me” puts a weight on one’s mind.

The relationship of the two beast kings who bare many mysteries. It might be a little longer before the full picture behind their motives becomes visible.

Character Bios

Sesshōmaru A proud, ruthless greater demon whose father is the Dog General. Towa and Setsuna’s father. (A man of) very few words, he does not show his thoughts for the most part.

Kirinmaru A beast king on par with the Dog General. He was in a long slumber but was awakened by his elder sister, Zero. Apparently, he’s trying to destroy this world to a degenerate state.

Jaken A small demon who serves under Sesshōmaru. Cowardly but helpful, he placed upon himself the role of child rearing and caretaker to Towa and Setsuna who had been taken from their mother not a moment after being born.

Rin Towa and Setsuna’s mother. She accompanied Sesshōmaru for a long time as a child and has faith in him. For some reason, she is currently sleeping within the Tree of Ages.

Higurashi Towa In order to save Setsuna who had her memories and dreams stolen, she searches for the Dream Butterfly. Her explosive power when Setsuna was driven to a corner was enough to leave a scratch on Kirinmaru.

Setsuna Even in the feudal era she sometimes plays the violin she borrowed from Mama Moe. The details on how she came to wield her favorite naginata, Kanemitsu no Tomoe, will become clear?

Moroha Although she is Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, in order to escape Kirinmaru, she was placed in the care of the wolf demon tribe in her early childhood. She carries the sword Kurikaramaru, which she received from her master, Yawaragi.

The Mystery Behind Sesshōmaru’s Actions

14 years ago, Sesshōmaru took a newborn Towa and Setsuna from Rin and sheltered them in the forest of the Tree of Ages in order to keep them away from Zero and Kirinmaru. However, 4 years after that when Zero burned the forest, Sesshōmaru tolerated her actions. The intentions behind what he is thinking is unreadable.

The Dream Butterfly and Rin

The Dream Butterfly steals Setsuna’s dreams and takes them to Rin who is sleeping within the Tree of Ages. It seems Kirinmaru has something to do with the actions of that Dream Butterfly. What is Kirinmaru’s “profound plan” regarding the Dream Butterfly that Konton of the Four Perils spoke of? And what is the reason behind Rin’s slumber?

Moroha’s Master

Yawaragi, the wolf demon who trained Moroha who was separated from her parents and raised by the wolf demon tribe. The of two them broke their ties 3 year ago but reunited due to Konton’s trap and fight each other as teacher and student. During that battle, Yawaragi explains to Moroha how to fight without becoming Beniyasha. Putting her life on the line, she bestows upon Moroha the grand technique “Crimson Backlash Wave”.

The One Who Will Defeat the Beast King

The prophecy the Shikon Jewel once told Kirinmaru was “(The one who will destroy Kirinmaru) will be one who is neither human nor demon and can impossibly traverse time”. He seems to think it refers to Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha but the difference in strength between the three of them and Kirinmaru is obvious. Presently, it would probably be difficult for the girls to defeat Kirinmaru.

Inheriting the World of “Inuyasha”, Director Satō Teruo

Following the “Inuyasha” Rule for Shot Divisions and Presentation

— Director Satō, please tell us first the details of how you became involved in this current work.

Satō: “Inuyasha” was the first work I took part in as a freelance producer and it also taught me the fundamentals of production. Afterwards, I was the assistant director for “Inuyasha The Final Act” and because of that, they reached out to me this time asking, “We’re going to make a work that inherits the world of “Inuyasha”. Would you be interested?”.

— As a work that inherits the world of “Inuyasha”, what points do you place importance on?

Satō: Among the viewers of this work, there will of course be those who watched “Inuyasha” but reversely, I think there will be those who come to know of “Inuyasha” through “Hanyō no Yashahime”. I intentionally created the work so that when these people reach the point of wondering “What kind of work is “Inuyasha”?”, they’ll get the same taste (as “Hanyō no Yashahime”).

There’s also a task for “Hanyō no Yashahime” to “Inform the generation that doesn’t know “Inuyasha” that there’s a wonderful work by Takahashi Rumiko-sensei called “Inuyasha”.” Just like “Great Detective Conan” that’s also on Yomiuri TV, families can enjoy (the work) together as parents become nostalgic and the children have a fresh feeling. From there, it would be great if the children are told “There’s a work called “Inuyasha”.”

For that reason, I felt that I wanted to depict the characters that were carried over from “Inuyasha” in a way that didn’t feel off as much as possible. The serialization for the original work “Inuyasha” ran for 12 years and the anime continued for 4½ years, so I think everyone has a complete image of each of the characters within themselves. I’m conscious of trying to stick to that set image people have of “This person was this kind of character.” as much as possible.

— Director Satō, you were directly in charge of the storyboard for episodes 1, 2, 4, and 6. What sort of things are you mindful of as you create the images?

Satō: In “Inuyasha”, there was something like an ““Inuyasha” rule” for shot divisions and presentation. I wanted “Hanyō no Yashahime” to inherit those rules. Episode 1 for the most part depicted “Inuyasha” since then so we couldn’t exactly break away from that rule. However, starting from episode 2, if we suddenly used a different shot division method that feels as though it’s from a different work, the viewers probably wouldn’t be able to follow along. Thus, in order to show that rule from the start, I did as much of the storyboard as I could myself.

— What kind of rule is it exactly?

Satō: For example, how Inuyasha releases the “Wind Scar”. Also, I was frequently asked “Tessaiga is always written with dokkun (translator’s note: pulsing sound effect) but what is the “dokkun disposition”?” or “What is “mokomoko”?”. The pulsing Tessaiga does when it transforms is what we call the “dokkun disposition”. The “mokomoko” refers to the fluff that Sesshōmaru trails behind him. There are people who call the fluffy scarf worn during events like the coming-of-age ceremony “Sesshōmaru’s Mokomoko” and we call it “Mokomoko” at the production site too (laughs). Conversely, there are many people who give Setsuna’s mokomoko the same volume as Sesshomaru’s like in the “Inuyasha” era, and I remember at the beginning (animation character designer) Hishinuma Yoshihito-san was always correcting them like, “Please make hers more subdued than her father’s”.

— How do you do the shot divisions?

Satō: We use a sort of old-fashioned method of shot division that’s different from the current trend. Currently, there’s a lot of finely chopped, speedy shot divisions and while cutting battle scenes short is easier, we purposely make it one continuous shot so that the battle is endless. My thought process is that I want there to be traces of “Inuyasha” in that part of the screen.

Even the Effects Have Traces of the Parent Generation

— You spoke of Setsuna’s mokomoko but does she herself know of her father’s mokomoko?

Satō: I don’t think she knows. The clothes were probably given to her by her caretaker, Jaken, like “Let’s have you wear this” (laughs). Towa and Setsuna were named by Rin in episode 15 but they were babies, so they didn’t know. Probably while Jaken was in charge of educating them, he told them “You’re Towa and you’re Setsuna.”

— We heard that Moroha’s clothes is the same as Inuyasha’s “Robe of the Fire Rat”.

Satō: Yes. Just like the “Armor of the Iron Rat” that appeared in episode 16, it is made of fabric from the fire rat. Inuyasha himself is inside the black pearl and Moroha was left in the care of the wolf demon tribe, so Inuyasha couldn’t give the clothes to Moroha. However, I think the wolf demon tribe probably got their hands on something similar somewhere.

— What is the reason for Towa’s clothes being a school uniform?

Satō: It’s probably Towa’s own uniform for living in the feudal era (translators note: basically, it’s her way of dressing for the times). Her reason for dressing as a boy is because “It’s easier to fight in” after all, and it’s something I discussed with Takahashi Rumiko-sensei and (Series Composition) Sumisawa Katsuyuki-san many times. As to why we made her core like that. First, starting from her being a child that avoids the standard femininity, we came up with all sorts of thoughts like “Why not just give her an appearance with a Kyary Pamyu Pamyu like originality”. From within (those ideas), it was Takahashi Rumiko-sensei who came up with “It’s easier to fight in”. She said, “Rather than having a complex reason, wouldn’t a simple reason like this be easier to for the people watching to understand?”. That’s how Towa’s appearance and character were solidified.

— Towa’s weapon is also a little different. What she thought was the national treasure, Kikujyūmonji, was actually a fake, and she creates a blade with her demonic power at the part where it broke.

Satō: That part is probably also Sumisawa-san’s sense. Turning the broken sword into a demon sword. Even though she once obtained the real thing through Riku, the result was that she continued to wield the fake one. I think that part makes things more entertaining.

In a sense, “Inuyasha” was also a story about a sword’s growth. Inuyasha’s Tessaiga absorbs the demonic energy of demons it cuts and turns many techniques into its own. On the other hand, Sesshōmaru created the weapon, Bakusaiga, from within himself. Whether Setsuna inherited that or not is something to look forward to going ahead.

— How did you create the techniques for the three?

Satō: There are various techniques such as Setsuna’s “Scrouge of Swallows” and “Cyclone Burst” and Moroha’s “Crimson Dragon Wave”. The creation was basically Sumisawa-san coming up with the (kanji) characters and us coming up with how to portray them. We had the photographers match the shade and disposition of the effects to the parent generation and lineage. Towa and Setsuna have the same blue and green as Sesshōmaru and Moroha has the same yellow effect as Inuyasha’s “Wind Scar”.

We Want Towa and Everyone to be Happy

— Of the episodes that have aired thus far, which one in particular left an impression on you?

Satō: Episode 15 where Riku talked about the past. It was an episode that was related to the crux of the story and I think it was a crossroad of the past. The fact that it only appears as flashbacks to the three princesses who are the lead characters is characteristic. It was to the point that I was surprised on the day of the recording like “Oh, they’re not here!”. For this episode, we had Yamaguchi Kappei-san, the role of Inuyasha, do the commentary for the PR spotlight and it had an “Inuyasha” feel to it. Rin has grown-up a little bit but for her acting, we ordered that we “Want you to be conscious of childhood Rin” when addressing “Lord Sesshōmaru”.

— Episode 15 was also the episode that revealed Rin was the mother of Towa and Setsuna. What were you conscious of when depicting Sesshōmaru and Rin?

Satō: Regarding that, it was something I wondered about the most as an Inuyasha fan when my work in “Hanyō no Yashahime” was decided. Since Rumiko-sensei did not depict this, there were probably fans that had complicated feelings with how the relationship between the two is presented… In that sense, I’d say it’s best to make it so that the two can properly live together in happiness. How do I put it, it’d be hard to look at if things stay as they are.

— Director Satō, you yourself want everyone to be happy.

Satō: Correct. The moment “Inuyasha The Final Act” ended, I thought everyone would be happy, but it ended up like this… Based on the actions of the other characters, I would like to shape Sesshōmaru and Rin-chan’s afterwards in a way that everyone can agree to. Regarding Moroha, there’s the matter of when she will meet Inuyasha and Kagome. It would make me happy if you could pay attention to that part going forward.

— This month we published an illustration of Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru (P. 42~). Director Satō, do you have any situations you would like to see in future copyright illustrations?

Satō: As a fan, I would like to see the parents and children sitting together. “Inuyasha, Kagome, and Moroha would be there and beside them would be Sesshōmaru, Rin, Towa, and Setsuna” like they had a family gathering at New Years. I think that kind of situation would be fun. However, in actuality I think that might be difficult as the dog brothers don’t get along (laughs).

— In episode 18, Sesshōmaru finally appeared before his daughters and that created major movement in the story. Please tell our excited readers some highlights going forward.

Satō: Episode 19 is a story where the demon slayers play an active, albeit not serious, role. You could say it’s a breather episode and it feels as though the tempo is completely different from episode 18. However, please enjoy it while relaxing (laughs). Following with episode 20, Shiori-san, the half-demon who appeared in “Inuyasha”, will make an appearance. It is an episode where she and Setsuna will interact. Sumisawa-san thought that in order to depict half-demons, this was something that couldn’t be left out and Inuyasha walked down this path as well. Then, the final chapter begins in episode 21. Things will move all at once. Zero, who started appearing in episode 14, will especially be a key person going into the final episode. Please pay attention to her relationship between Kirinmaru and Sesshōmaru.

Having Takechiyo Around Is A Big Help!

“Takechiyo is fun to move. As a therapeutic mascot character, just him being there is a big help and he has room for growth going forward. From the start, Takechiyo was born from “having a character that could be messed with in some way or another like Shippō” but he feels completely different. Also, with Fairouz Ai-san’s tenacious acting, he has grown into a very good character. Apparently, he’s a favorite of Sumisawa-san (laughs).” (Satō)

Sesshomaru’s on A Different Level! The Role of Sesshōmaru, Narita Ken

Episode 18 was his first appearance outside of flashbacks. The impression I got was that it’s as though Sesshōmaru thinks Kirinmaru is “Not an opponent worthy of my time”. That’s why I didn’t even insert a breath and imagined that “he could easily win this” during the scene where they crossed blades. I also checked with sound director Nagura Yasushi-san like “Would you like me to insert a breath?” but he said, “No need”. On the other hand, Kirinmaru was taking breaths so I really think Sesshōmaru is on a different level. Even my impression of Hosoya Yoshimasa-kun was… the level is not the same. Just kidding (laughs). Hosoya is quite adorable so it was fun doing (the scene) with him. What will become of the relationship between Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru is something to look forward to going ahead.

Today’s Diary

This month we visited Sunrise’s studio #1. The selection begins in the conference room lined with plastic models of Sunrise’s works. Hishinuma-san, what do you think seeing all these works we have collected? **

“We created “Hanyō no Yashahime” with the intention of simply gearing it towards the children of today, but there’s a wide age range of contributors. From elementary schoolers to those in their 50s, I can really feel that the work is loved by everyone. It seems there are many people whose deep-rooted support for us stems back to the “Inuyasha” era.”

Which character is the easiest for you to draw?

“The one who’s easy to approach is Moroha. There’s a part of her that resembles her father (Inuyasha) so at first, I was conscious of copying (him). However, over time, I gained the ability to bring out her uniqueness.”

Who is the most popular on-site? (translator’s note: aka the studio)

“I’d have to say there’s a lot of staff who say, “I want to draw Moroha!”. When the plans were stood up, Towa and Setsuna were the two protagonists but Takahashi Rumiko-sensei’s design of Moroha was so appealing that the 3 of them became the main characters you see now. That’s why I want the on-site staff to love on Towa and Setsuna more! Especially for me, I want to continue to sympathize with Towa and watch over her growth with the emotions of a foster parent. Of course, the parent that gave birth to them is Rumiko-sensei.”

The main story is finally approaching its climax. Please show us your enthusiasm.

“My main job right now is designing and copyright illustrations but the staff are working hard towards the climax that will be at the end of March. The story development is going to be hardcore, but I would be really happy if you continued to support us. Look forward to it!”

** Back story: This month’s Animage held an art contest for Yashahime with the judge being animation character designer, Hishinuma Yoshihito. Also, this page has a “One point lesson” on how to draw the 3 girls. However, that one is heavily image reliant so I will not be translating it (I do not post scans as much as possible).

#yashahime #hanyou no yashahime #yashahime: princess half demon #translation

174 notes · View notes

balancingdiet · 4 years ago

Text

trembling hands

Detective Conan & Magic Kaito Characters: Kaito/Shinichi Words: 1300 ish Required Fic: Tabula Rasa Extra: (1) (2) (3) (4)

Kaito unintentionally invited Shinichi to watch his performance at the hospital.

For the past year, Kaito had been volunteering more times than he had combined when Aoko was still... around. It might seem Kaito wouldn't have any problems when he'd held so many of these performances already, but there was still one issue he had yet to solve.

Being in the hospital setting, Kaito couldn’t use his doves so that would reduce the number of tricks he could do, but that was never his concern; he'd already curated new tricks over the weekends and practiced last night, and Kaito just had to work a little on the timing since it was likely he'd overrun the thirty minutes session... but that was not the current concern either.

Sitting on the couch in his living room, Kaito stared at his trembling hands.

They had been like this the whole morning.

A flap of wings and a dove landed on the armrest. Being the most intrusive and shameless dove Kaito ever owned, he knew it was Tamago before he had to look.

“You just had your breakfast,” Kaito reminded.

Tamago didn’t answer. It continued to look at him, its red, beady eyes emitting a sense of curiousness that only Kaito would recognise.

Ignoring his companion, Kaito slowly clenched his fists, willing them to stop shaking. For consolation, at least Kaito's situation didn't get worse and had been improving over the months; comparing to the first few weeks when he returned as a volunteer, it wasn’t just his hands but his whole body that would be shaking, and there were a few times when the mere thoughts of going to the hospital could set his lungs on fire.

Fire—

Tamago cooed.

Kaito sighed and leaned back to lay his head on the couch. “I’m fine.”

If it was even possible, Kaito would’ve thought he saw Tamago rolled its eyes.

Kaito glanced at his clenched fists. They were still trembling, but luckily there were still a couple of hours to go before he had to leave his house. Maybe by then, he should be—

Kaito’s ear twitched as he straightened on his couch and glanced towards the direction of his kitchen. He swore he heard the faint sound of a door opening.

And now there was the sound of the door closed.

Kaito sprinted towards his kitchen and peered through his windows that faced his backyard. If only the previous owner of the house had constructed an extra window pane on the right, Kaito would have a perfect view of Shinichi’s backyard too. Instead, Kaito had to press his face near the glass and crane his neck out, just barely catching a glimpse of Shinichi’s empty-looking backyard. But it wasn’t empty, per se.

Shinichi was there.

“Huh?” Kaito raised an eyebrow. “What is he doing?” he wondered aloud. Kaito would rather believe Shinichi was there to bury a dead body than to take care of his tragically, overcrowding plants.

Kaito had no plans to be a detective, so he grabbed a watering-can under the sink as a disguise and headed out to get the direct answer he wanted.

Shinichi turned at the exact second Kaito stepped onto his backyard.

Now from a better angle, Kaito could see what Shinichi was really up to: He was holding a mug, which Kaito dared to bet his precious card gun that it was filled with coffee. So he was drinking with a perfect view of his dying plants. Truly a wonderful experience it must be.

“Good morning, neighbour.” Kaito put up a hand. “What coincidental timing.” He pointed down at his watering can, hoping Shinichi would buy his excuse for his appearance.

It seemed Shinichi did. “...Morning,” he muttered.

Maybe Kaito should have waited a minute later before coming out, just so the caffeine would kick in for Shinichi or something— Hah, would that have mattered to Kaito anyway? He answered his own thoughts by strolling towards the fence and closing their distance, feeling carefree indeed.

Shinichi made no move to go closer to the fence, though he didn’t make any move to go back into his house too. But the most shocking thing of all was that Shinichi spoke first when Kaito finally reached the fence. “I never knew you’re a morning person,” the detective said, sounding stumped as if this was a case he was trying to solve.

“You’re right, I’m not.” Kaito propped an elbow over the fence. “It’s just that I have something on later so I woke up early for it.”

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. It was either Kaito’s words or the caffeine had finally kicked in; he looked much more awake now. “What do you have?”

Funny enough, Kaito didn’t realise his hands had stopped shaking until they started again. He was glad that Shinichi could only see his elbow from his view; Kaito’s hand was hanging over the side of his own fence.

Really, Kaito should have expected Shinichi’s question...

Ah, the feeling of regret. How nostalgic.

Kaito could lie, no doubt; it was one of his many talents to make his answer turn out to be a joke without trying. But this time he knew there was no point to lie. Not because Shinichi was smart enough to call him out, Kaito believed Shinichi couldn’t care less about the truth too.

“I have a performance at a hospital,” Kaito said.

“Oh.”

“Feel free to come visit. No entry fee, obviously,” Kaito smirked. And it was like he was blabbering—from the ironic nervousness of hoping his anxiety wasn’t going to be triggered—as he told Shinichi the time and which hospital it was before the detective could even say if he want to come or not.

Shinichi simply hummed to the information and went on to drink his coffee silently, which Kaito didn’t know what it exactly meant, but it wasn’t until ten seconds later than Kaito realised Shinichi wasn’t going to speak anymore. As expected.

And stupidly, at the eleventh second, it somehow occurred to Kaito and made him wonder why he even approached Shinichi in the first place. To annoy the detective early in the morning? Like... a distraction? Yeah, that seemed like the only plausible reason. And if so, Kaito should start to think of his exit to end this; this was dragging a little too much.

Luckily, it was also one of his many talents in making it seemed effortless like a joke, too.

“Eh, detective. Can you hear that?”

Shinichi glanced up from his mug and stared at Kaito. “Hear what?”

“The cries from your plants because they’re dying.” Kaito pointed at Shinichi’s pots before hiding his hand back behind the fence (they weren’t shaking again, but just in case).

Shinichi rolled his eyes. “Like I’ve said, they’re still well and growing.”

“Like I’ve said, it’s actually overcrowding and that means bad.” Kaito shook his head.

“...Hey, did you hear something?”

Kaito blinked. Was Shinichi trying to play some kind of Uno reverse-card ploy at him? “What?” Kaito asked warily.

Shinichi snorted. “It’s the sound of your roses crying because they're dying from thirst and not growing, thanks to you.”

Kaito had heard and withstood many kind of insults (courtesy of Hakuba for fulfilling some on the list), but no one had yet to mock about his roses before. Now that Shinichi was the first to check that box, Kaito finally knew what it was like, and indeed, it was ridiculously funny.

Not true, but funny.

Kaito made a show by laughing and wiping an invisible tear off his eye. “You’re hilarious, detective.”

Shinichi watched in disdain. “I’m done with you," he said, briefly checking his watch before chugging the remaining coffee. "I'm going to work."

“Yes, justice and murder awaits.” Kaito waved with the watering can in his hand. "Goodbye."

Shinichi didn’t return the farewell, as per usual, and left for the door to his kitchen before closing it behind him. Kaito could see Shinichi’s shadow moving back and forth in the kitchen from his window, but only until Kaito heard the sound of Shinichi’s car starting in front, he finally dared to allow his face to relax and his plastered smile fell.

Leaning against the fence, Kaito braced himself and looked at his hands.

For now, they weren’t trembling anymore.

// “You came,” (Kuroba) said, his statement sounded more like a question. It wouldn’t be as absurd if it wasn’t Kuroba that invited him to come in the first place.

“You asked me to,” Shinichi muttered, clearly remembering the exact moment when Kuroba did: With a propped elbow over their fence, he'd disturbed Shinichi’s quiet morning and told him he was free to come to today's event. //

-Chapter 12

#dcmk #kudo shinichi #Kuroba Kaito #kaishin #tabula rasa #balancingdietwrites #oh boy it's been 8 months!

14 notes · View notes

animethings · 4 years ago

Text

Reasons to Watch Long Anime Series

An original post documenting all the reasons to watch long anime series. A long anime series can depend on your own definition. It can be 50+, 500+, or in my case, 980+. I was inspired to create this post by my frustration of trying to convince a friend to start Detective Conan and failing because he is stubborn with his views. I couldn’t even convince him to watch FMA:B or HxH ):

This list is not in any particular order. Blockquotes represent the excuses for not wanting to watch long anime series. The comment below it represents the reasons to watch long anime series and my response to the excuse.

My comments may be negative, condescending, and cynical. It is only because I love the anime franchises of Detective Conan, Fullmetal Alchemist, Hunter x Hunter, Bleach, etc. And even though I haven’t completed many of the popular long anime series, I respect D. Gray-Man, Gintama, One Piece, Fairy Tail, Pokemon, Dragon Ball, Reborn !, and many others.

If I have offended you, it was never my intention. If I hurt your feelings, I never meant to. If you disagree with my reasons and find fault in them, consider my viewpoints and then send me a response. If I come off as ignorant, politely inform me. If I bashed your favourite anime or character, it was only an example. If I haven’t defended your favourite anime or character, oops. If I repeat myself, it is because the excuses are similar. If you have another excuse / reason, let me know and I’ll add it here.

It’s too long.

Imagine if your favourite seasonal anime went with a perennial episodic structure rather than a seasonal one. Would you still have started it ? A seasonal structure is more profitable and less risky to studios and can be just as many episodes as anime with a perennial episodic structure. It depends on the studio and scriptwriters.

Anime TV series are usually split up into many seasons. Treat the anime like you’re watching the entire series as separately released seasons and not one singular continuous season. Example: Blue Exorcist has 2 seasons and is listed separately on anime databases while D. Gray-Man is listed as a single entry with many episodes even though it has 5 seasons. Why do you insist on watching Blue Exorcist instead of D. Gray-Man when the genres are similar and they are both mainly about exorcists fighting demons to keep the world a safer place ? Maybe you’re more into the plot, or maybe the animation is better, or maybe you’re unwilling to watch an anime that isn’t listed as multiple seasons, or maybe you’re just intimidated by the number of episodes and seasons. Whatever the reason is, don’t judge an anime by the amount of episodes it has. Don’t judge an anime franchise by whether it is of a perennial or a seasonal episodic structure.

I can watch 5 other anime instead of just this one.

True, you could watch multiple 12 ep anime instead of one long anime, but would it be memorable ? If you binge a 12 ep anime, each around 20 min long ( excluding openings and endings ), at 1x speed, that is 240 min, which is 4 hours. After those 4 hours, you would be like wow great anime 10/10 or whatever rating you give. Maybe give a review or recommendation. Then, you’d move on to the next anime. If the anime didn’t leave a lasting impression on you, what was the point ? Just to say that you’ve seen it and vaguely remember the plot and your opinion on it the next time that particular anime is brought up in conversation ?

Although being held emotionally hostage is tough and terrifying, a long anime would leave a greater impression. You can witness character growth / development, plot progression, and many other storytelling elements at a much greater level. Maybe you don’t have all the time in the world to watch 100+ episodes of an anime. But you can also come back time and time again with fresh perspectives instead of force-feeding shorter anime in a day.

Yes, this is a hypothetical, and may not apply to everyone. I am only asking for you to consider that situation and my perspective; you do not have to agree with it.

I’ll get bored

The other fans of the franchise didn’t get bored. If the anime has become increasingly boring, then put it on hold. I acknowledge the fact that sometimes the animators / creators will run out of stories to tell. If it’s not your cup of tea, then by all means, drop it. You can come back whenever you want to give the anime a try again.

I don’t want to watch a lot then quit.

No one is forcing you to quit the anime entirely. There is no pressure to watch every single episode. You can put it on hold and come back later. An indefinite drop can be reversed.

What if the anime becomes increasingly worst, unwatchable, annoying, etc. over time ?

If it does become that before you hit the latest episode, then put it on hold, drop it, or talk with your friends / the anime community about it and ask if the series gets better later on. If you are already caught up and think that the anime has decreased in quality, put it on hold or drop it.

I’ll watch too much at a time, get burnt out, and not come back to it

No one is forcing you to binge watch every single episode in a certain timeframe. You can always take a break or watch a few and come back later.

What if I don’t like the main cast or find one of them annoying ? I would have to stick with them for the rest of the anime.

Then put it on hold, drop it, or deal with it. As of 06 September 2020, I am on episode 44 of One Piece and I find Usopp absolutely annoying and unlikable. However, I have been told that he gets better. So, I continue the series because I like the other main cast and am invested in the story and the world of One Piece. Additionally, I’ve been reading the Black Clover manga way before the anime released and imagined Asta’s voice differently. I got used to his annoying voice over time and still continue the anime because I love the story and I want to see who eventually becomes the Wizard King. ( His voice also haunts me when I read the manga now )

Too many filler / fluff episodes

Google >> ( Anime ) non-filler episodes >> Watch according to that list

Also, I do not find filler episodes to be boring or straying away from the main plot. Filler episodes provide me with more interactions between the characters that regular anime ( with 12 or 24 episodes ) don’t have. Although it may seem unnecessary to some, filler flashbacks gives the audience a deeper insight into a character’s backstory, childhood, past experiences, traumatic experiences, etc. It can show character growth or development. The adventures to other areas expands the universe of the anime and leads to more world-building. The stories and possibilities are also limitless in comedy anime. Filler episodes can also introduce more aspects of Japanese culture ( or whatever the culture is prevalent ) and introduces new information.

Fillers between arcs are nice since most are slice-of-life types and setting up for the next arc. If you think that each arc is the same where there is a threat / enemy and they must defeat the final boss or everyone will die, yes that’s the basic formula. But keep in mind that it is a story after all. The arc is a larger story with the same characters doing different things to solve their problems. So what ? Some series are known for their consistencies and some for their randomness. Just like how almost every Detective Conan episode ( DC doesn’t have arcs unless it’s about the main plot ) is about solving cases and follows the same basic formula, and almost every episode of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K is random, spontaneous and full of comedy. I don’t watch shoujo anime as often so I won’t comment on that.

There are also many other reasons that fluff episodes are great. You don’t always have to watch them, and the wait may not always be worth it, but you can always skip them and not miss anything. But then again, Detective Conan was my first anime and I’ve learned how to be patient with an extremely slow plot. My patience is especially challenged whenever a new episode releases and it is a TV original Detective Boys episode ((:

While some shows are known to stretch plots into more episodes, those episodes may not be of the same “ quality ” as the rest of the show. This may included tropes, overused jokes, etc. It is still considered additional content, even if the quality suffers. This is usually the case when the anime catches up to the source material. You can always read the manga.

Filler / Fluff episodes are always controversial and I generally don’t mind them.

What if the anime cancels and all of the time I spent watching it has been a waste ?

Long anime series are rarely ever canceled because it’s a popular show. The anime usually tries to catch up with the manga and / or ends when the story ends. If the anime does end at a particular arc, there is always the manga. Also, if you had fun / a good time watching the show, then it wasn’t a waste.

I don’t want to.

Why ? Elaborate. Do you not like the genre ? The plot ? The animation style ? The studio ? The reviews ? The popularity ? The year it was released ? The fandom ? The voice actors ? The over-hype ? The pressure from friends, family, the anime community ? The memes ? What is it ?

It’s a waste of time.

The time investment is usually worth it because there is more to watch. Whenever I watch regular anime with 12 or 24 episodes, I usually end up feeling empty and wanting more. Who doesn’t want more content, scenes and character interactions ? If you enjoy something, then it wasn’t a waste of time.

Too many characters

Google >> ( Anime ) Characters Wiki / Fandom

You don’t have to know and remember every single character, their backstories, their interests / dislikes, their relationships with others, etc. to enjoy the episode. Additionally, if you really do pay attention to the series and is more invested, character deaths / losses will be even more impactful and significant. Characters can die easily ( like in Attack on Titan), but it doesn’t make their death any less important. Lives, fictional or not, have value and meaning. If in a war, 100 lives are lost, those lives are important in itself becau- oh that is probably a post for another time. Anyways, you don’t need to know everyone to understand or enjoy an episode or an anime series.

Quantity isn’t everything.

True. Sometimes the quality of animation rules over everything else, or maybe the plot pacing, or the character progression ( or the lack of it ), or something else. I’m not saying, WATCH ALL ANIME THAT IS OVER 100+ EPISODES BECAUSE THEY’RE BETTER. I’m saying to give them a chance. They’ve stood against the test of time, the changing audience, popular demand and culture, and other obstacles to get where they are today. Some are classics ( such as Naruto ) and some are beginning to / have hit the 100 episode mark of single entry anime ( like Black Clover ). Quantity isn’t everything is a valid point as well as quality isn’t everything. You enjoy what you enjoy. It’s never a waste to commit to something longer than what you usually watch if you enjoy it.

I want to finish everything I watch, regardless if it’s good or bad.

So you can sit through 12 episodes of a “ bad ” anime but not try out a single episode of a potentially “ good ” anime ?

Other Reasons to Watch:

When a long series ends, I can finally rest in peace.

Soundtracks + More opening and closing themes

Nostalgia once it ends

Seeing an anime from 1996 to 2020+ and the changes it goes through ( when rewatching or watching for the first time ) is astounding and shows how much the industry has changed and developed over time.

Conclusions + Repeated Statements

Main excuse for not watching long anime: It’s too long

Main response: No one is forcing you or pressuring you to binge watch everything. You can always put it on hold or drop it if you don’t like it.

Don’t judge an anime by the number of episodes.

If you had a good time, it wasn’t a waste.

#Anime #In Progress #♡

16 notes · View notes

jacksgreysays · 5 years ago

Text

Determined Clairvoyant, Misguided Knight brainstorm, (2020-05-29)

A/N: So I had a weird sleepless brainstorming/outlining binge last night, passed out and woke up to this chunk of nonsense...

I’ve been reading a lot of DCMK (Detective Conan and Magic Kaito) fic but also I am always a little bit thinking of DoS so my brain went:

Hey, Shisui and Shikako have very similar personalities to Kaito and Shinichi...

But Shisui is the detective and Shikako the thief.

And on the one hand, I was considering just translating it into the in Friendship Is A (Mutual) Con 'verse, such that Shisui is Interpol/FBI and ends up helping the crew because what they do is morally right even if it's not legal...

But it just wouldn’t be the same!

Also, for those who don’t know anything about DCMK, I’m not really using the Detective Conan premise (in which a famous teenage detective gets shrunken into a 6 year old and has to keep his identity secret while finding/dismantling the criminal organization that did this to him. In their defense(?) they were trying to kill him but used an “experimental poison.” They’re not going out of their way to randomly turn teenagers into kids... although there is another teenager that got turned into a kid by that same poison)

But it is interconnected to the Magic Kaito ‘verse (in which a teenager discovers that his dad didn’t die in an accident but was murdered by a mysterious criminal organization (possibly the same one as in Detective Conan? we’re not sure) because he used to be Phantom Thief KID who was searching for a magical jewel called Pandora that supposedly grants immortality because said mysterious criminal organization wants it for nefarious means. Also the teen and his dad are stage magicians and make their heists very flashy and fun)

Anyway, personality wise I was really feeling the Shikako = paranoid/logical Shinichi vs Shisui = flamboyant genius Kaito contrasting with their arguable respective roles as Shikako = chaotic neutral regular rule breaker and Shisui = lawful good believer of systems if not authority.

I was considering whether or not I wanted to transplant the characters into the DCMK setting, but seeing how that’s just (arguably) modern day Japan I was a little... the adapting would be more work than its worth when really all I wanted was thief!Shikako and detective!Shisui and I also, as previously mentioned, didn’t want to just insert Shisui into the Fia(M)C ‘verse.

So then I remembered this ficlet in which Danzo successfully became Hokage but a mysterious figure (ie Shikako) is working against him and I was like. Okay, but reluctant detective!Shisui having to try to capture insurrectionist thief!Shikako is hilarious. And I know Shisui isn’t actually KMP in canon, but Danzo is Hokage which means the situation is bleak and I kinda explain everything below anyway, so...

Enjoy?

shisui is one of the oldest uchiha in the village because everyone older than him was executed by danzo for their (supposed?) attempted coup

doesn't particularly want to be a detective, but he's the only one left

sharp-eyed shisui? it is both mocking his singular eye but also he does end up being pretty good at investigation

Itachi is clan head and also one of danzo’s busiest anbu (because danzo is creepy and weird) and he’s being run so ragged that shisui stepped up to do it since he vaguely remembers the KMP’s protocols and also, with one eye short, his combat effectiveness isn’t as reliable

He hates not being able to be back up for itachi, but until he figures out the depth perception thing, he’d be a liability

Itachi is the only one with both eyes (again, because danzo is creepy and weird)

every time one of his younger cousins activate their sharingan, they are forced to undergo surgery because danzo harvests one eye from each of them

sasuke is the next upcoming kid

hikaku/sai was the most recent

Shikako is working reverse chronologically to restore eyeballs because they’re not exactly labeled but she knows the newest eye goes to the most recent activator.

This is how she gets hikaku/sai’s immediate loyalty (he has both eyes, but still hides one under his eyepatch/headband because if you can’t passive aggressively use danzo’s tricks against him then what’s the point? )

((also, it’s a real good dramatic reveal of how shikako gets shisui to trust her because he’s like “you’re stealing my family’s eyeballs and turning my little cousin into your spy” and then hikaku/sai just flips up his eyepatch and blinks both eyes at shisui and he just. “well, that was literally the only argument i had”))

Oh, the age of graduation is lower in canon because danzo doesn’t believe in coddling kids and also “back in my day” nonsense, so sasuke is maybe around 8?

kakashi is, like, a weird sticking point. he's the only non-danzo adult that has a sharingan and, hey, he's also only got just the one, but shisui also remembers the elders being a little weird about him so :shrugs:

I should figure out what to do with him, tbh

i mean, i know Shikako helps Naruto escape/evade ANBU capture because Danzo was going to turn him into a “proper jinchuuriki weapon” so maybe she throws him at Kakashi and is like “BABY SITTING DUTY FOR YOU, SAD STRING BEAN”

and there’s also Tenzo/Yamato to consider here

at first the thefts are random but escalating: old mission reports, the sandaime's novelty(?) crystal ball, the hokage's hat, the sword of the thunder god, etc, etc

then it becomes directed: sharingan eyes

Shadow Thief Shikako is here to make things real difficult for danzo

while shisui is trying really hard not to get smitten (even though she’s stealing his family’s eyeballs! but he guesses better than in danzo’s possession? he’s very conflicted emotionally and very stressed and also a teenager), shikako is recruiting allies for her coup

She needs to make a deal with the devil… Kabuto? For the medical expertise in how to re-implant all the sharingan she’s stealing?

He does spy on behalf of who he thinks is the strongest, and shikako is v strong by this point

Although, the whole concept of “you were the first person i ever wanted to murder” “you flatter me” is kind of funny

What is going on with orochimaru in this timeline?

For that matter, what’s going on with the other sannin?

hyuuga have weird feelings about the whole one eye stolen thing, branch family in particular because on the one hand: DOJUTSU/BLOODLINE THEFT is literally their big nono. But they do like being the strongest clan in the village now.

Is neji’s dad still alive? When did danzo become hokage? Is it before or after Hinata’s near kidnapping?

Ibiki, anko, aoba -- gotta figure out what’s going on there

Does aoba not have the crow summons since shisui is still alive?

Is aoba a surprise half uchiha?

Unsure how bleak i want things to be for the Nara clan. They definitely don’t like things, but i’m not sure if they’re also largely killed off, just shikaku, or just yoshino…… unless Shikamaru has been taken as Danzo’s apprentice/ROOT?

Something also has to have happened to the akimichi and yamanaka tho, in order to justify/reflect it

Team 10 is essentially being held hostage. Shikako has to “steal” them from Danzo in order to get the ANY clans’ cooperation

they’re allowed to visit their family once a week in order to get clan training, but it’s on different days from each other so the other two are still within ROOT’s grasp and the one who is visiting their family knows not to step out of line

Shikamaru has been trying really hard to help him and his teammates escape, but he’s only eight years old. I’m but a boy. I’m just a boy

There is a war.

I’ve decided this.

It’s the only way to make sense of why danzo is still in charge without him having killed a ludicrous number of people (more than he’s already killed, that is)

There is a war and that’s where the majority of the loudest dissenters are sent (inuzuka, aburame, gai, etc) and because they are always out on the front lines they don’t know how bad it actually is at home

Mist rebellion peeps?

Zabuza and Haku are still alive at this time, i guess

Terumi Mei--is there even a mist rebellion at this time or are they too busy with the war, too?

… Gelel/Sand?

look, magical gems are the crux of Magic Kaito and I know I’ve replaced them with Sharingan eyes, but still. If there’s a magical gem I feel like I’m obligated to at least mention it

also, Shinichi in Detective Conan ends up with, like, the most ludicrous allies over the course of the series. He is a--as far as anyone else knows--a 6 year old Japanese boy with connections to the American FBI. That’s nuts! So Shikako having allies with Mist or Sand isn’t too far outside feasibility in comparison

A/N: So... in theory I would like to come back to this and actually write it--because as far as sleepless brainstorming sessions go, this one is fairly coherent--but just in case I don’t, I figure people would enjoy this mess of an outline anyway. And it’s nice to have notes for later.

Title is, unsurprisingly, my attempt to make the letters DCMK apply to Shikako and Shisui. On the one hand, I know the quote is “and angry Aburame, a focused Inuzuka, and a motivated Nara” but I kiiiinda misremembered wrong and thought it was “determined,” fell in love with Shisui as the “misguided knight” and then only after went back to check and realized that it should’ve been “motivated”

Ah well

#jacksgreyson #fanfiction #brainstorm #outline #incomplete #dreaming of sunshine #detective conan #magic kaito #shikako nara's guide to delinquency and military insurrection #determined clairvoyant misguided knight #shikako nara #shisui uchiha

34 notes · View notes

lisatelramor · 5 years ago

Text

Little Problems

Heiji/Conan because I don’t know. For a prompt from the mostly dead DCMK LJ kinkmeme: I would love see something with Conan and the differences between his mental and physical ages. Possible underage

***

When Conan first got de-aged, he thought that it really was just a reversal of time, a regression to the child body he had years ago, but the longer he was Conan, the less sense it made, and once he met Ai, he knew it was false.

“It’s not a true regression,” she confirmed when he asked her about it. “It seems to mostly target muscle, bone, and organs in reverting to an earlier state, but some of it, especially the nervous system doesn’t work the same way. Think about it, if it truly reverted us to six years of age, how would you still have your memories of being a teen?”

“I kind of assumed it just…happened. Like, why wouldn’t I since it’s still me?” But now that she pointed it out, that was a good point.

Ai rapped her knuckles on Conan’s forehead. “Your brain didn’t change even if everything else did. You’ve had to have noticed some things.”

Conan rubbed at his forehead, scowling. “Of course I did or I wouldn’t have asked. I didn’t keep my muscle tone when I got smaller, but I kept my reflexes. My brain sometimes still forgets I’m small, though I’m mostly used to that by this point.”

“You kept your adult teeth,” Ai said, “and your brain and everything that entails. Memory, which I suppose must include some muscle memory, the pre-existing mental patterns you had, and all the chemical processes the brain controls.”

“It’s a good thing it kept the patterns or I’d be screwed.” Conan couldn’t imagine trying to re-learn all of his detective knowledge. It had taken him a lifetime to get there, and it would have taken even longer starting as Conan without his parents teaching him new things when they went on trips. “And you wouldn’t be able to work on the apotoxin at all.”

“We’d be normal children,” Ai said, “albeit with some interesting memories. If any of it gives you trouble though, let me know and I’m sure I can find a work around.”

“I’ve been fine so far?” Conan said.

Ai gave him an unimpressed look. “There are things a six year old body isn’t quite equipped for.”

Conan gave her a blank look.

“You aren’t dense, Kudo. When I said your brain retained its chemical processes that included libido.”

“Oh.” He blushed. He blushed darker as he remembered a few… distinct moments since he became Conan that he hadn’t even questioned at the time. Because why would he since he was himself in his head?

Ai rolled her eyes. “Right. So if that becomes unmanageable, I can figure something out.”

“…Why would it be unmanageable?”

“You’re a teenage boy?”

They stared at each other and Conan connected certain stereotypes about teenage boys with himself and yelped. “I’m not that bad!” In fact, that particular…issue…had barely come up (why, word choice, why). “That wasn’t a big issue before I shrunk in the first place!” That was more personal information than he wanted Ai to know but why not? She knew almost everything else about his bodily functions by this point after all the tests she put him through. He hadn’t been this embarrassed since Ran tried to take a bath with him. And oh, that had been a reaction he shouldn’t have had too… Although… now that he thought of it, it had been mostly mental…?

Conan froze, turning that over in his head. He’d definitely felt both embarrassed and aroused at the time. But he had barely reacted physically. “Um.”

“Yes?” Ai asked, watching the progress of emotions on his face.

“Nothing.”

She gave him an unimpressed glower. “I’m technically your doctor these days. You never know what might be important to figuring out the apotoxin.”

Conan squirmed, looking away. “I really would rather not talk about that kind of thing with you.”

“Ah, so there are sexual side effects.” A pen clicked as she pulled out a notebook. “Talk.”

“Haibara,” Conan whined, pleading.

She lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

“I don’t want to know yours!”

“I don’t care about yours, but it really might be important.”

Conan groaned into his hands. “I don’t know if I can physically get aroused,” he said finally.

“…That’s it?”

“I mean, I can mentally feel it, but I can’t remember much physical reaction since shrinking.”

Ai clicked the pen a few times with a hum. “Theoretically, your body is a child’s so there could be a mental-physical disconnect. But. Your brain has the hormones to process stimulation, and signal physiological responses, so…”

“So?”

“So you might have a bit more trouble, but it should still be possible to experience the physical side.” She gave him a contemplative look. “You never noticed. Not once?”

“I don’t… feel or do that much. Even as a teenager.”

“Huh.” She made a couple of marks on the paper. “Noted. If anything changes about that, tell me.” Conan would rather go through another apotoxin transformation. “In the meantime, maybe experiment to see if you really can or can’t get aroused. I haven’t been having any problems.”

Conan clapped hands over his ears. “I didn’t need to know that.”

Ai rolled her eyes. “You’re not twelve and I’m not even being detailed.”

“I don’t want to think about you in anything even remotely adjacent to sexual.”

“Wow. Thanks.” She snorted though so she wasn’t actually insulted.

Conan buried his head in his hands, face on fire. Kill him now, he was never living this down. “…You realize I live with Ran, right. And sleep next to her father?”

“You shower on your own, don’t you? If not, you have your house right over there. Just say you’re visiting the professor.”

Yes because telling Ran he was visiting Agasa and then going off to try and get off in a six year old’s body wasn’t a messed up scenario at all.

Ugh.

“You know what, I think I’m going home.”

Ai gave him a look that said he was being ridiculous, and not in an endearing way. “I mean it, Kudo. Hormonal changes or the body failing to process certain chemicals could be important to working toward the cure. If your body does anything abnormal, tell me.”

“Right. Goodbye.” Conan snatched up his school bag, ignoring Ai’s sigh behind him. His face actually hurt from how hard he was blushing. He wasn’t going to think too hard on this. In fact he was going to do his best to forget it.

o*O*o

He couldn’t forget it. Conan stood under the hot shower spray trying to not think about what Ai had said and somehow coming right back around to it. He really didn’t want to think about it. But here he was. Thinking about trying to get off while Ran and her father were somewhere on the other side of the door and—while they probably wouldn’t walk in—could interrupt at any time.

Aaaaah, what was he even thinking?!

His child body had never been more ill-fitting. Looking down at himself, he felt like he didn’t belong in his own skin and even less aroused than the whole situation was already making him feel, but damn it if Ai didn’t have a point. He really wanted her to be able to make that antidote. He also really hoped that his body would be functional when she did, and he didn’t know how much had or hadn’t changed thanks to the poison beyond his obvious little problem.

Conan closed his eyes. Maybe… maybe he could fantasize. He’d done it before, when he was his real age. Not often, but he’d done it. Pictured faceless people when some inner tension got coiled up inside of him and hormones demanded attention. He’d seen plenty of bodies. Granted more than a fair share of dead ones, but he’d seen attractive bodies and pretty faces. Inviting lips and soft chests and smooth, inviting thighs.

Once, he’d thought of Ran and hadn’t been able to get through a full conversation with her for most of a week.

Now he knew exactly what she looked like without her clothing on, but it felt cheap to think of her when she didn’t know that he’d seen her. Like a betrayal of trust as if this whole situation wasn’t enough of one already. So he didn’t think of Ran. He thought of a hand touching his chest. Of kissing someone and a warm body pressed close. He thought of that hand moving down, down along his torso to his hip. His thigh. His groin.

Conan almost lost the fantasy when he touched himself. He was barely hard and didn’t fit in his hand the way he used to. It didn’t feel quite right but oh, now that he was acknowledging that it was there, he could feel that tension in him. It had built up and up and up, but there was always so much going on, so many things to distract from it. Cases. Fear. Trying to keep secrets. He licked his lips, imagined someone kissing, pressing, possessing.

Of letting go. Giving over to someone else for a moment so that it could stop. His brain could stop, the fear and waiting for the other shoe to drop could stop and he could just be for a moment. He was hard now, though it had taken longer than he remembered it ever taking and it still didn’t feel quite right.

A hand stroking—no, the image of lips curled around him, a tongue flicking out and, ah, it felt good, but not enough. He pulled on images seared in his mind from guilty internet searches and accidental glimpses. The coil grew tighter, his hand moved faster, that tension in his mind and groin growing toward a peak—

It didn’t peak though. It hit a plateau instead and Conan lost his fantasy entirely with a groan of frustration. He looked down at himself, small child body and all and wanted to cry. Or maybe yell at Haibara because he’d been fine but she’d brought this to mind and now he couldn’t even reach some kind of satisfaction.

Conan let go and took a deep breath. The water was getting cold, a sign he’d been in here far longer than he should be. He couldn’t remember what his body had been like when he was actually this age, but he knew he’d never tried something like this then. Hadn’t even thought about it until the end of middle school and hearing other boys talk got him curious.

This probably wasn’t normal though.

Probably.

Theoretically he should be able to reach orgasm, but right now, whatever he needed to tip over the edge just wasn’t there.

Conan grabbed the soap and finished washing. There was frustration of more than one kind simmering in the back of his mind, but nothing was going to be done about it now. Sure enough, after a few minutes, he got soft again too. He wrapped up in a big fluffy towel feeling betrayed all over again by this child body. Worse, he’d have to tell Ai if he wasn’t able to get it to work right. Damn it.

“Conan?” came a knock on the door. Ran. “You’ve been in there a long time, are you okay?”

“Fine, Ran-neechan!” he called back, forcing his voice light and even. “I’ll be right out!”

He was just going to have to try again, wasn’t he?

Conan didn’t want to (but kind of did. Damn it.)

o*O*o

Subsequent attempts did not go better. If anything, Conan was finally beginning to understand what some of his classmates on the football team meant when they complained about being horny. For the first time in his life, he couldn’t simply take care of the problem, and, like that fact was causing a dam, it just grew instead of settling back to the recesses of his mind like it usually did. It was awful. How did people live regularly feeling like this? He kind of wanted to scrub his mind for how often it kept wandering back to something dirty. Or have some kind of censor because he spent most of his time around elementary students and even if they couldn’t read his mind, it just wasn’t the setting for any of those sorts of thoughts.

He couldn’t help fidgeting through class after the first week of experimentation, and he could really live without the knowing looks Ai gave him too often for his peace of mind.

This was all her fault. He hadn’t been having any issues before this. Dammit, Ai.

He scowled down at his phone, at the two week mark, and broke. Because he had to eventually. So, he wrote, there may be a problem.

With what? Ai texted back an agonizing three minutes later.

You know what.

Clarification, Kudo. There’s always some kind of problem with you.

He kind of hated that she was right about that too. Either he was sick or there was a case or there was a Black Org sighting or… or who even knew what with his luck. He was amazed Ran wasn’t getting suspicious about all the long baths and showers he’d taken lately.

There might be a problem with this body, he sent back. Then, because he knew she’d press the point, sexually.

There was another uncomfortably long gap that he knew she was making him suffer purposely. Okay, what’s the problem?

Conan shut his eyes a moment, so very glad that this wasn’t face to face or over phone. I can’t orgasm.

At all?

It just plateaus. It’s also difficult to get a physical reaction in the first place. It kind of stings to add that, but she did need to know. This would be so much easier if she was an actual doctor, not a friend/ally who happened to have a sliver of medical knowledge.

Perhaps there’s a problem with your receptors? Have you had issues feeling other kinds of pleasure?

Hmm, did he have trouble with pleasure? Well, he was frequently stressed out of his mind because he didn’t know if people would come back to kill him properly, he was living a double life, he was stuck in grade school again, and he’d seen more death since becoming Conan than he’d seen in all the time he’d been a practicing detective before that. Really, Ai, what kind of a question was that? I still feel happy sometimes and enjoy food if it’s good I guess, what kind of pleasure do you even mean?

Sometimes, hmm?

He rolled his eyes. Shut up, you know exactly what crap I’m dealing with.

Which is why I asked, because you might be depressed, and that’s an entirely different issue than the apotoxin.

I’m not depressed. Probably. He still felt motivated to do the things he enjoyed. More or less. He liked cases. Though was that really enjoyment sometimes or compulsion because he knew he could help? Same difference really. I might have mild PTSD though, he admitted.

Don’t we all, Ai said with her typical dark humor.

Well, considering the number of bodies they’d seen and people who’d tried to kill them, any of the people in his friend groups really. Hmm. Not much of a joke when you got down to it. There was so much fuel for nightmares his psyche couldn’t even settle on anything half the time, just horrible anxious feelings and hazy, bloody images.

Have you tried internal stimulation?

Conan flushed. He wasn’t going to talk about his masturbation habits with Ai. He just wasn’t.

When he didn’t answer, she sent, I’ll take that as a no, you’re too vanilla to consider that an option. Try it. It might help.

I hate you, he sent back.

You don’t.

He turned off his phone and buried his face in a pillow. It didn’t do much to properly muffle his frustrated yell though, and he had Ran poking her head in a few moments later looking concerned.

“Just… trying a stress relief method Mitsuhiko suggested,” Conan said weakly.

“Do you need to talk about it?” Ran asked in that worried, motherly way she always had when she addressed Conan’s needs.

It never failed to make him feel like a horrible person for both hiding who he was and for hating how her kindness made him feel stifled. “I’m good,” Conan said. “We just have to give a speech in class next week and I’m a bit nervous.”

“Well you can practice telling it to me if that helps,” Ran said giving him a kind smile. “Practice will probably help more than yelling into pillows.”

Conan laughed. “Ah, yeah. Thanks Ran-neechan.”

“Anytime, Conan-kun.”

Conan thunked his head back into the pillow once she walked out. Maybe he could suffocate himself with it.

o*O*o

He wasn’t avoiding trying Ai’s suggestion. He just was…busy. Also where the heck was he going to get lubricant for that sort of thing? He was seven. (Ok, yes there was oil and lotion available. Still. Ai. Why?)

Conan put it all out of his mind for the moment—as much as the sudden flare of hormones allowed him to at any rate—and focused on the cases that never stopped coming. He was honestly just glad that they weren’t all murders for once. Kogoro had been hired on a string of theft related cases that had somehow led to chasing a trail out of Tokyo and into Osaka, so Conan wasn’t the least bit surprised when he ran into Hattori.

“Ya could’ve called,” Hattori complained, having more or less kidnapped Conan in the name of bonding after the case finally wrapped up. “I haven’t got to hang out with you in ages.”

“It hasn’t even been a full month,” Conan said. He sipped at his illicit coffee, glad that Ran wasn’t here to complain that it might stunt his growth. Caffeine, sweet caffeine.

“Ages,” Hattori said like Conan hadn’t spoken at all. “And ya look kinda stressed. Too many cases?”

Conan snorted. “I wish.” The more he kept busy the less he thought about any of his problems. “A new water park opened a week ago.”

“Yeah?” Hattori said, raising an eyebrow as he tried to connect how that was related to anything.

“Sonoko thought it would be fun to take Ran and Ran invited all the Shounen Tantei.”

“And?” Hattori asked, propping his chin on a hand. “Sounds like a fun time.”

Conan pressed his hands under his glasses to massage at his eyes. He was so drained. “Ran in a swimsuit,” Conan said. And Ai giving him those stupid ‘I know exactly what you’re thinking’ looks the whole time. And Ayumi trying to drag him around and the hormonal part of his brain that suddenly was noticing attractive features pointing out all the exposed skin around him. It had been awful.

Hattori snickered. “Really. Yer stressed cuz you saw Nee-chan in a swimsuit. How many times have ya seen her in one by this point?”

“It’s not funny. I wasn’t—”

“Wasn’t…?”

He glared between his fingers. “I wasn’t hormonal then and there was always a case to distract me. No one died or had something stolen or got lost or anything this time.”

Hattori laughed at him. “Ya know it’s kind of sad that you haveta put it like that.”

“You know what I mean.” Hattori ran into cases often enough even if it wasn’t as often as Conan.

“Yeah, yeah. So what, right now yer ‘hormonal’?”

“Yes,” Conan grit out between his teeth. “Don’t make fun of me for it.”

“Wasn’t gonna,” Hattori said, but he still had the edge of a smile on his face. “Didn’t know ya could get hormonal.”

“Honestly, I didn’t even think about it until Haibara brought it up. Apparently our brains are still our real age? So that includes all the chemical responses of a more mature brain…”

“So hormones. Damn. That sucks,” Hattori said.

“You have no idea.”

“Kinda surprised ya didn’t notice until she brought it up though.”

Conan rolled his eyes. “Hattori. You know me. Attraction is not the first thing on my mind.”

“Not even when you’re with Nee-chan?”

“I live with her. How the hell would I function if that was always on my mind? Besides, she treats me like I’m actually seven. It would be really weird if it was on my mind when she’s acting motherly.”

Hattori snorted.

Conan glared. “No. Shut up.”

“Kinky,” Hattori said between snickers.

“Like you think about that kind of thing all that often. I mean it’s normal to think about other things more, right?”

Hattori shrugged. “I dunno. I mean I don’t think about it a ton, but some hot person walks by and bam, brain goes a certain direction. Not like I’m gonna do anything about it, but it happens.”

“Is everyone just going around horny all the time?” Conan asked and Hattori outright started laughing at him again. “This really isn’t funny.”

“It totally is.” Hattori wiped away a fake tear and Conan contemplated dumping the rest of his coffee on him. But that would be a waste of perfectly good illicit coffee. “I mean, not everyone is, but I betcha a lot of people think about it all the time even when they’re not around a hot person.”

“Ugh.”

“That’s life.”

“Ugh,” Conan said with more feeling. He buried his face in his coffee for a few moments while Hattori dug himself out of the situation’s apparent hilarity.

“So,” Hattori said, clearly trying to be serious again. “Yer havin’ a swimsuit kinda problem.”

“I’m having a ‘I can’t get off’ kind of problem,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Wait, really?”

“Really.”

“Haibara thinks it might be a side effect of the whole…” He waved a hand at himself. “But I still have hormones. So there’s no outlet.”

“Ya tried…” Hattori made a discreet jerking motion.

“No, because I’d never think of that. Of course I tried.” His face heated up. It was almost as bad as talking to Ai about this, but at least Hattori was a guy.

“Not ta be crude but, uh, can ya… y’know?” Hattori waved a hand vaguely in a way that could have meant anything from ‘take flight’ to the more implied ‘have sex’.

“In theory?” He was not going to share that Ai apparently had no trouble satisfying her own hormonal urges. Ugh.

“Did ya try, uh…” Another crude hand gesture, Hattori glancing around and hoping no one caught that.

“…If you’re asking if I tried having sex with someone no, what the hell. If you mean ‘internal stimulation’,” Conan said, mimicking how Ai had made the suggestion, “also not really. I er, attempted a few times but.” Either he was just really bad at this or he wasn’t doing it right. Or maybe he just had a bad angle. Or maybe it really just wasn’t his thing.

“Really?” Hattori finally blushed a bit. “It can be kinda nice.”

Conan was learning too much about his friends. Too much. “I’ll take your word for that. My only impression is ‘awkward and uncomfortable’.”

“Then ya aren’t doing it right.”

“Sure.”

“Seriously,” Hattori said. “It takes a bit of practice but it’s good.”

“Unless you’re offering a demonstration, I’ll really just take your word for it,” Conan said with a snort. Hattori went bright red and choked on air. Conan blinked. “That. Wasn’t an offer was it?”

“I—No, that—You!” Hattori coughed.

Conan raised an eyebrow. Huh. “You wouldn’t happen to be interested in giving a demonstration would you?”

“Uh!” Hattori looked like he was dying. Conan hadn’t realized he could blush that bright with his darker skin. He also hadn’t realized Hattori could possibly be interested that way because, well, Conan was seven physically.

“Really.”

“Oh my god, I swear I’m not a perv,” Hattori said into his hands.

“This conversation is really making it feel like the opposite.”

“It’s not how ya look, it’s just. You.”

“Me.”

“You.” Hattori scowled at him, angry and embarrassed and probably a little turned on considering the topic.

And Conan realized he himself wasn’t entirely uninterested. Which was a novelty. It wasn’t like he didn’t notice men. He had certainly noticed the fitter men at the water park the other day. It was just that he was used to pushing that to the side along with most other things like that. They were pretty bodies and it didn’t really mean much if they were male or female at the end of the day. They didn’t mean much to him when they were strangers. But this was Hattori and he was, objectively speaking, an attractive man. Conan had seen him shirtless more than once. He had very nice shoulders.

“Huh.”

“Shut it, Kudo, don’t make this weird.”

“I think it’s already pretty weird.” Conan sat back and finished the last of his coffee. Huh. Maybe he should be expanding his fantasies a little. Ran wasn’t the only person he knew with nice legs and arms. “Asking seriously, would you be interested?” Because maybe that was the missing piece. Maybe he just couldn’t get off to his own hand, and if anyone could look at him and see Shinichi in Conan, it would be Hattori who was constantly forgetting to call him by his fake name anyway. “It wouldn’t be too uncomfortable?”

“I mean…” Hattori eyed him. “Yer not really…”

“I know.” Being physically a child was a turn off. He got that.

“Like, ya have a great brain and I know yer hot as hell as a teen. It’s a bit… ya know.”

“I know.” Conan sighed. “You wouldn’t have to touch or anything, I’d seriously just take a demonstration. And be grateful if you could get me some actual lube.”

“Oh my god, Kudo what the hell have ya been trying to use?”

“Lotion.”

“Well there’s a chunk of yer problem.” Hattori sat up. His blush faded a bit as he gave it serious thought. Conan found that expression a lot nicer than his embarrassed one. Conan could appreciate Hattori for his brain too. “So how likely is it that Nee-chan’d let ya stay an extra day, just you and me?”

“I mean if I pitch it right, I’m sure she’d agree.” Ran was susceptible to Conan’s puppy eyes.

“Then I could probably show ya a few things. If yer actually serious.” The blush creeped back and Conan had to smile.

“I’d appreciate it,” he said. “I mean I would like to get off considering how long it’s been,” he said wryly.

“Not even once since…?”

“Nope.”

“Well damn, no wonder ya get so bummed.”

“Because the life or death pressure and dead bodies have nothing to do with it,” Conan said sarcastically.

Hattori snorted. “Ok, Kudo, we’ll make this happen.”

“Yay,” Conan said in a flat voice that made Hattori snicker more. “I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”

“You and me both,” Hattori said. He stood up. “C’mon, let’s go convince Nee-chan.”

o*O*o

They got their shirts off before they hit the first stall, Hattori sending Conan’s bare torso an uncomfortable look.

It could have been the scars; Conan had a lot of them for someone who looked seven, one even matching Hattori’s but he knew it was an age thing, not a body image thing. “Is this going to be a problem?” Conan asked, stepping out of his shorts.

“No,” Hattori said too quickly. “No, it’s fine. I’m just gonna…” He dropped his own pants, leaving them puddled on the floor and stood there in his boxers fidgeting.

“Uh huh.” Conan left his underwear for now. Hattori was uncomfortable enough at the moment. “How are we doing this?”

“Uh.” Hattori scratched at his cheek. “I can show ya how I, y’know. Or ya could try how you’ve been doing it and I can try ta figure out where ya went wrong…”

Either way required one of them to put themselves on display. Conan flushed lightly. It had kind of been a given that this had to happen, but it didn’t make him any less flustered. He’d never done this before. Heck, he’d never really even had a first kiss. That, Conan realized, he wanted to remedy before they did anything. He’d thought that if he did anything like this he’d do it with Ran, but doing this with Hattori wasn’t bad. He trusted Hattori. He didn’t like him the way he did Ran, but he did like him or he wouldn’t be here at all.

Conan bit his lip. “Can I…”

“Yeah?” Hattori looked relieved that Conan was taking the lead.

Conan waved him closer, a little annoyed, not for the first time, that there was such a large height difference when he was like this. “I know we didn’t really talk about this being anything but a demonstration. But would you mind if I kissed you?”

Hattori blinked, face dusting red. “That’s… Yeah, sure, go ahead.”

Oh good. Conan reached up and Hattori bent almost double. Conan made a tiny sound of irritation wishing Hattori had a Western bed instead of a futon because it would have evened the distance a little bit. A second later, Hattori helpfully fell to his knees, still taller, but at least a reasonable amount instead of twice his size. He had a tiny smirk on his face and Conan was torn between gratitude and irritation. He pushed it aside in favor of the kiss.

He didn’t know what kissing was supposed to feel like, hundreds of descriptions couldn’t really prepare him for the actual feeling of it, but it wasn’t bad. His lips felt too sensitive and it was somehow startling when he felt Hattori’s lips move against his, the sense of space past them and the surprising realization that where there was less give meant Hattori’s teeth were there. It wasn’t really a romantic kiss at all, but he still pulled back with his heart beating faster and face feeling hot.

It was probably weird for Hattori too since Conan was so much smaller, but he just grinned and leaned in for another kiss. This one was wetter. It should have been gross, but it wasn’t. Conan felt pinned in place even though the only parts of them touching were their lips and one of Hattori’s hands on his face, Conan’s own hands having fallen away as he got lost in trying to categorize the sensation.

“So,” Hattori said when they pulled away again, voice just a bit rougher, “how are we doing this?”

Watch Hattori or Hattori watching him? “You can start,” Conan said after a moment, licking his lips nervously. It left a tingly feeling behind, still too sensitive from the kiss.

Hattori shot him a grin that looked equally nervous, but went reaching in a cupboard for a bottle. It was half full, and clearly lube. Conan blinked at it as Hattori set it next to his futon. “I’m taking my unders off. Just warning ya.”

And then Conan was blinking because he was staring at Hattori’s cock, already half-mast even though they’d only barely kissed. Maybe Hattori was into voyeurism? Hattori was average size, but his cock looked bigger given Conan’s current circumstances, and he had an impulse to reach out and touch just to confirm how it felt compared to his own. They hadn’t agreed to that though, so Conan let his eyes flick back up to Hattori’s face, hands flexing once as he buried the desire to touch.

“Not scaring ya off, is it?” Hattori joked. He shifted foot to foot before going back on his knees. “I told ya I’d show ya how to do it. And first things first, don’t start if yer not already turned on.”

Conan’s breath caught in his throat as Hattori reached down and stroked himself. There was a light blush on his cheeks but his eyes were locked on Conan’s. His cock swelled with each pass of his hand to fully erect.

“Second,” Hattori said, a bit breathless. He let go and reached for the bottle. “Lube. Lotion’s fine for jerking off but it ain’t cutting it for fingering.” A snap of the bottle opening and Conan twitched. Oh, he realized as he felt heat in his gut. Oh, he was into this too. It was the fastest he’d felt aroused since becoming a child again, even more so than that bath with Ran. Maybe because this actually was a sexual situation and he’d spent that whole time then reminding himself that it wasn’t. He pressed a palm against his crotch as Hattori dribbled lube over his fingers. Still not hard, Conan thought, but he would get there fast at this rate. It was like his body actually wanted to synch with his mind at the moment.

Hattori went to reach behind himself, paused and turned to the side so he was actually visible. The blush on his face went darker. “So. Ya gotta take it at your own pace. If it’s hurting it’s not going right. ‘S supposed ta be an indulgence, not a race.” He took a moment to circle his hole with a finger before just dipping the tip of a finger in, then repeated that, slowly getting deeper each pass. Okay that was the first thing Conan had been doing wrong then. Apparently you didn’t just make sure your finger was slick and go for it. Or at least not if you didn’t do that kind of thing regularly. He supposed some people would have no trouble with it, but he wasn’t one of them.

“When that feels good ya can add more,” Hattori said. He bit his lip, seeming to be enjoying the whole process. “Uh, what number’re we on?”

“Third?” Conan said, though Hattori had kind of stopped counting in the middle there.

“Right. Third. Is yer prostate.” Hattori shifted a bit, pressing at a different angle, deeper, and his breath stuttered. Conan could see his cock jump. “It’s. If ya get deeper and at the right angle, everything feels a lot better. Kinda intense. Like a shock in a good way or something.”

In spite of himself, Conan snorted. “Eloquent.”

“Shut it, I have two fingers up my ass. I’m not exactly talking clear-headed.” He gave a little groan of pleasure, knees bracing a little bit wider. “It’s good,” Hattori said. His shoulder and arm muscles bunched, straining to get the best angle and his eyes drifted half shut, something between pleasure and concentration on his face.

Conan was very aware of the fact that he was standing there, watching one of his best friends get off. Hattori, who’d never hesitated to touch him or treat him like an equal even though he was in this body. When Hattori gasped, hips shifting into open air, a thin whine came from Conan’s throat. He ground his hand against where he was finally hard.

“Y’know,” Hattori said roughly, “the whole point is fer you ta do it. Much as I like ya watching.” He tossed a wink at the end and Conan’s face went hot.

“Uh.”

With the hand not up his ass, Hattori tossed the bottle of lube Conan’s way. Conan fumbled it, managing to grab it just before it hit the floor.

He fumbled the cap open and pulled down his underwear. He froze when he noticed Hattori glance him up and down. There was a flash of conflict on his face before it smoothed over. Conan internally grimaced. Of course this body would be a problem. Still, Hattori didn’t look away as Conan reached back. He tried to replicate what Hattori had been doing, but it was still awkward and the angle didn’t make it any easier.

“Try on yer knees or stomach if standing’s a problem,” Hattori said.

Conan shot him a frown, but got on his knees. It was a little easier to balance at least, if no easier to reach. The dull pressure of a finger was no more pleasurable than the last time he tried this, but it didn’t hurt either, so the lube was good for something.

“Yer too tense,” Hattori said, voice low and intimate. Conan flushed at the sound. He’d never really thought about what books meant with a sex-voice, but if there was one, Hattori currently had it.

“I can’t help it,” Conan muttered.

“Look at me. Ya were a lot more comfortable watching. So watch and don’t focus too hard.”

Conan almost rolled his eyes. Watch, don’t watch, pay attention, don’t. Hattori was being contradictory. But it was easier to focus on how the slow movement of Hattori’s hand made something in his gut clench and the intent way Hattori was watching him. Hattori’s free hand reached up to stroke his erection, still watching Conan and still moving his other hand behind him. Conan bit his lip and tried to work in another finger in hopes it would feel better.

“Too fast,” Hattori said.

“Shut up, I’m trying,” Conan mumbled. He tried a slightly different angle. Still nothing and he was getting frustrated which made him tenser which made the whole thing less comfortable.

Hattori sighed and removed both hands and wiped them on his discarded underwear. “Here. Just lemme…” He paused, hands reaching for Conan, to assess if he was welcome or not.

Conan huffed and closed the distance. Hattori’s hands settled on his hips. “If you think you can.”

“I got ya, Kudo,” Hattori said softly and Conan shivered as the words were breathed against his ear. The hands lifted and there was the pop of the lube cap before they returned, one on his hip, one carefully sliding up his crack. Conan twitched, not sure if he wanted to move away from the feeling or not, and Hattori waited, moved again.

It was strange being touched by someone else, but good strange. Conan sucked in a breath as Hattori pressed a finger. But didn’t enter. He kept skirting the area and pressing just enough that Conan’s body felt like it wanted him to just press in because it was confusing his nerve ends on what was even going on. When the finger finally did press in it was smooth and steady forward pressure that left Conan gasping and leaning against Hattori’s chest.

Hattori chuckled sending vibration along Conan’s skin. “Better?” he asked, smug.

“Ah,” Conan managed between suddenly labored breaths. Hattori had bigger fingers by far, but that didn’t hurt. Just one finger wasn’t that much bigger than the two Conan had managed, but it felt far better. Maybe it was because Hattori was slower, or maybe because he knew what he was doing. Or maybe it was because it was Hattori doing it at all, Conan didn’t know—he just knew that it felt good. Hattori pulled back then forward again, deeper and a slightly different angle and Conan dug fingernails into Hattori’s sides as something intense shot through his body like touching a live wire. “Hmmm!”

“Yeah, that’s yer prostate. It’s nice. Kinda a lot of feeling but the good kind, yeah?”

Was it good? Was it bad? Conan was harder than ever and he still wasn’t sure if that had been pleasant or just overwhelming but whichever it was he wanted to feel it again to try to figure it out. Thankfully Hattori pressed along that spot again, leaving Conan open mouthed and panting as he clung, trying to piece together what the hell that feeling even was.

The internal coil went tighter, tighter, and surely this time it would peak? Surely? Or plateau like before? But the feeling kept rising until his whole body felt hypersensitive and he was shaking, barely upright thanks to Hattori in front of him, and Conan’s mind was a blank mess of desire and physical pleasure. Conan didn’t even notice one finger become two or the soft swear Hattori muttered as he shifted to better support Conan’s weight. He just hung on, eyes glaze and chest pulling for breaths.

“Shit, Kudo,” Hattori murmured, his free hand hesitating a moment before reaching down Conan’s front and Conan moaned, embarrassingly high pitched in this form, even before Hattori’s callused fingers brushed against his cock.

It was almost painful, but in that too-good-almost-pain edge way that he’d only ever felt once when he was curious about the concept of multiple orgasms and had attempted to keep going after release. That time he’d stopped, that edge wavering too much on the pain side to continue, but this time it wasn’t his hands, so it didn’t stop and slipped decidedly more toward good.

His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest, or maybe he’d pass out from how fast he was breathing because surely bodies weren’t supposed to get this worked up?

Hattori pressed inside him and ran a thumb along the head of Conan’s cock at just the right pressure to tip, finally, fully, over the edge. He barely slammed a hand over his mouth to hold in the sound he would have made, then his mind was wonderfully blank.

Conan came back to himself feeling like he’d tried to chase Kid a mile over rooftops without any aid from the Professor’s gadgets. Everything had a burning ache of muscles well-used and his mind felt like it was floating. “Ugh,” he managed.

Hattori snorted from somewhere to his right; Conan was too exhausted to look. “Is that a good sound or a bad one?”

“It’s a ‘I don’t think I can move’ one.” He ran a quick mental evaluation of how he felt and, okay, the buzzing edge of frustration was finally finally gone. Thank goodness. “Probably good. I feel like I tried to climb the Tokyo Tower barehanded.”

Hattori snorted again. Conan finally turned his head to find his friend leaning on one elbow beside him, still a bit turned on, like he’d been sitting there a while and hadn’t decided whether or not to finish or forget about it. “It looked pretty intense. Told ya it could feel good though.”

“Mmn.” Conan sat up slowly. Ow. Sore. …Down there sore too. Either Conan had unintentionally got way too into that (he kind of had) or Hattori had been a little too rough for his size (equally possible). He grimaced. It didn’t hurt, just. He was aware of the ache. “I actually came so that’s something.”

“Hell yeah it is,” Hattori said with a grin.

“Don’t be smug at me.”

“You’re really grumpy for a guy that just had the best orgasm of his life.”

“It was overwhelming,” Conan said. “But thanks. Really.”

“No problem.” Hattori kept grinning.

Conan eyed him. “Aren’t you going to finish?”

“I could,” Hattori said with a shrug. “But this was more about you than me.”

“Did me being in this body bother you that much?”

“I mean,” Hattori lifted an eyebrow glancing at Conan’s still naked body. “It’s not a turn on. Ya losing control? That was kinda hot. And the way you said my name.” Conan had said his name? He blushed. “You watching was pretty hot too. It kinda broke even on ‘wow, hot’ and ‘eh, kinda creepy’ factors.”

“Great,” Conan said sarcastically. “Just what you want to hear after a mind blowing orgasm.”

Hattori laughed.

“I could. You know…” Conan offered with a sideways glance.

“No offense, but I think getting a hand job from ya would probably fall on the creepy end of the spectrum. Hands’re too small.”

Conan huffed. He hated feeling like he wasn’t being fair and reciprocal.

“But if it’s not too weird, look me in the eyes until I come and that’d be hot.” Hattori blushed a bit, ruffling the back of his hair. “It’s, uh, it’s just that yer eyes show you and not yer body and. Wow I’m putting my foot in my mouth.”

Conan smiled slowly. “I can do that. How do you want to…?”

“However yer comfortable,” Hattori said a bit too quickly.

Conan levered himself closer catching Hattori’s face between his hands. “This good?”

“Yeah,” Hattori said looking a bit stunned. “Yeah that’s fine.”

On a whim, Conan kissed him and felt the way Hattori shivered full bodied from it. There was the slick sound of his hand moving, but Conan didn’t look away as Hattori’s eyelids fluttered or how his expression subtly changed with pleasure.

“Kudo,” Hattori moaned under his breath.

Conan ran a hand against his jaw and back toward the edge of his hairline. “I’ve got you.”

Hattori groaned, probably louder than he intended, and went rigid against Conan’s side. His eyes fluttered shut, then back open a minute later as a deep blush spread across his face. “Shit.”

Conan smirked. “That good?”

“Shut up, Kudo,” Hattori said, pressing his face into Conan’s knees.

It was pretty flattering how fast he came, Conan reflected. Although he had a feeling Hattori didn’t want him to think too much about how the intimacy contributed to that.

“Ugh, we need to go take a bath now.”

“Won’t someone notice us bathing in the middle of the day?”

“I’ll just say I was showing you some kendo moves. They’d believe it.” Hattori pulled away and Conan found himself surprised to miss the warmth.

He pushed that thought away though. “Hey, Hattori?”

“Mm?” Hattori fished out clothing to wear to and from the bath, cleaning himself off a bit with his discarded shirt from earlier.

“Thanks.”

Hattori sent a grin over his shoulder and a wink. “Anytime, Kudo.”

o*O*o

“So,” Conan said to Ai, not really wanting to broach the topic but as usual knowing he should. “It turns out I can function. Sexually speaking?”

“Oh?” Ai didn’t even turn away from her spreadsheet to look at him. Talking about sex was just something they did now, Conan thought with wry humor.

“Yeah. It just takes a lot of stimuli to reach that.”

“I’ll make note of that,” she said. “There still might be a few issues about your brain properly receiving signals.” She turned toward him with a smirk on her face that had him wanting to duck under the nearest table. “Should I congratulate you on finally reaching orgasm?”

Conan went scarlet. “Haibara!”

She laughed. “No need to be shy, it’s not like we haven’t talked about worse things. Can I ask what finally worked?”

“NO,” Conan said. He turned to leave because nope, no, not having this talk.

“Oh, that kinky?”

“I hate you.”

“You don’t.” Ai’s voice followed him out the door. “Oh, and Kudo? If anything else crops up, tell me. Anything at all.”

“Understood!”

He was avoiding her for a while. He really was. But at least he’d gotten something out of all this awkwardness. Hattori was a good friend. Who maybe was slightly more than a friend? There was time to figure out exactly where they all stood with that. Later. And, well, if Conan kind of wanted to see how it would feel in his teenage body someday…

He had a feeling Hattori would take him up on that.

#detective conan #conan/heiji #fanfiction #lemon #i can't believe i'm using that tag in this day and age #but hey #my writing

4 notes · View notes

redrobin-detective · 6 years ago

Note

So about that reversed apotoxin au, since they'd have some idea of what Shinichi's actual age is how differently do you think characters in the know woild treat him? Also how would people like Vermouth, Amura, or Kid treat him?

(Hi I still love this dumb AU where junior detective 7 year Conan Edogawa was the original who was then turned into a 17 year old Kudo Shinichi when he was poisoned)

I’ll go through all the people who canonically know Kudo=Conan

Yuusaku and Yukiko are, obviously, very unhappy about the situation. Conan was only supposed to with Agasa with a short period and then they come home and find he’s been targeted by a secret organization and turned into a teen?? Yukiko damn near forces Conan to leave with them but the boy refuses, saying he needs to see this through. They don’t leave him in Japan but instead stick around in disguise to watch out for their wayward 7 year old son now pretending to be 17.

Heiji went from ‘what is up with this weird teen detective’ to ‘holy fuck this is an ACTUAL CHILD’ so fast. He used to quietly complain about Shinichi but once he became in the know fell into the overprotective big brother role so fast. Conan gets annoyed by it, one of the better things about being Kudo is that people finally take his ideas/opinions seriously and here’s Heiji kind of holding him back. It takes a few cases before Heiji backs off and finds he genuinely likes Conan’s childish charm. Heiji is calmer and friendly with Kudo than he is others but truly likes and respects his junior by ten years.

Vermouth would be a bitch, blatantly manipulating little Conan and using him to her benefit but at the same time so help ANYONE who tries to hurt him. Not only does she try and shield him from BO dealings but any time ‘Kudo Shinichi’ gets injured on a case the perp gets an welcome vistor in their hospital room (cause you know Ran has already fucking destroyed anyone who hurts sweet Kudo-kun). Initially planned to bring him in the BO, now wants him as far away as possible.

Ai went from big to small and is fascinated that Conan’s physical age caused the opposite reaction the apotoxin than it did her. She studies him a lot in order to remake the apotoxin and find a cure. Conan isn’t in as much of a rush to return to his original body but doesn’t plan on being Kudo forever. She’s pretty much his main ‘voice of reason’ in the know and her, Heiji and Agasa his main support on how to act like a normal teen.

Akai figures it out pretty quickly, this so called high school detective is clearly just a mere child. Unlike Heiji, Akai didn’t write off Conan for his youth but saw all the potential the boy has. Actively tries to challenge and improve Conan’s critical thinking/detective skills with clear intentions to train him for the FBI. For this reason, the Edogawas and Heiji *really do not* like Akai (even when he’s Subaru) and try to keep them separate as much as possible.

Kaito switches violently between ‘aw just bc you gained a few meters you think can can challenge me’ to ‘dear GOD who lets you out of the house? there is a literal body over there please go home small child.’ So he’s either a smarmy dick to Kudo or is internally panicking over preserving the boy’s innocence. Still is always careful on heists when he shows up to make sure everything goes smoothly and the little detective can have fun chasing him around

#dcmk

42 notes · View notes

marshmallowgoop · 6 years ago

Text

Ryuko: Senketsu, if I go too far, I’ll need you to stop me.

Senketsu: I cannot promise that. It is you who is wearing me.

Ryuko: Sheesh, you’re an outfit that doesn’t have much give, you know that?

Senketsu: But when you were out of control, you did stop. Using your own willpower. That is why I am not frightened in the least.

Ryuko: Gotcha. We’re all responsible for our own actions.

I’ve written pretty extensively on Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship and why I think it’s so healthy, positive, and commendable (to put it mildly). But I don’t think I’ve focused enough attention on the above scene from episode 13, “Crazy For You,” which is a particularly strong example of the merits of Ryuko and Senketsu’s partnership.

On a surface level, the moment emphasizes and is utterly dedicated to the importance of good and proper communication---something especially noteworthy in a series that even describes itself as having a “lightning pace” (episode 16). By focusing so heavily on Ryuko and Senketsu’s conversation, there’s a considerable significance placed on talking to and being honest with a friend; the message is clearly and unambiguously that in any close relationship, it’s absolutely crucial to be open and truthful with one another. Otherwise, you’re not going to get along well. As Mako puts it earlier in the episode, you’ll just be “glarin’ at each other.”

Of course, a scene devoted to the positive effects of strong interpersonal skills probably doesn’t seem all that groundbreaking, but in an action-comedy anime, I love the inclusion of such a thing. It would have been so easy to gloss over emotions and provide viewers with over-the-top battles and little else, but Kill la Kill decided to breathe some real life and soul into Ryuko and Senketsu’s teamwork. The two of them have to endure hardships and struggles just like any real relationship, and just like in any real relationship, they have to work through those hardships and struggles to come back together.

More on that line, the moment is also remarkably humanizing---and sweet---for Ryuko. Throughout the episode, Ryuko hides her guilt and self-hatred behind flimsy assurances that she’s all right and explosive anger and rage. She smiles reassuringly at Mako’s mother, Sukuyo, and she yells fiercely at Shinjiro Nagita, but in the end, she finally, finally reveals everything on her mind to Senketsu. We’re then left with a character who is far more than an infallible hero or the “straight-up punk” that she describes herself as (episode 8); Ryuko is a flawed, complicated human being whom viewers can readily empathize with, and, as a result, it’s incredibly endearing to see her let down her walls and allow someone into her heart.

Kill la Kill comes off as a strangely affecting and memorable series due to all this narrative weight placed on real-life emotions and feelings while the characters inhabit a world that’s one of the most ridiculous to ever be put on screen, and when it comes to the included scene at the top of this post, I think that’s a phenomenal thing. Because that scene? It’s also wonderful when you consider the history of how relationships have been portrayed in fiction.

While Ryuko and Senketsu are far from the “norm,” it’s not at all uncommon for a fictional story to imply that it’s essentially one person’s “responsibility” to keep another person in line. In the article “The Vulnerability of the Relational Self: The Implications of Ideals of Gender and Romance for Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence,” author Elizabeth McManaman Grosz discusses this topic at length, arguing that “the notion that a special woman can tame the beast” and “is thus, in a way, responsible for controlling his beastly nature” is one of the widespread cultural discourses that effectively “primes” women to accept and brush off instances of abuse (81, 88).

Again, of course, I recognize that, in many ways, Ryuko and Senketsu really don’t have any place in Grosz’s argument. For one, Grosz exclusively utilizes the work of Western authors and philosophers to support her position, and entire other books have been written concerning Japan’s ideals of gender and romance and their implications and effects (believe me, I’m in the midst of reading through just some of said books). On top of that, the fact that Ryuko would be taking the place of the “man” in the situation I screenshotted for this post does question the applicability of Grosz’s article here.

But I find Grosz’s thesis compelling in regards to Kill la Kill because, in a lot of ways, Ryuko and Senketsu do rather embody typical positions of men and women in fictional stories both East and West... except, the roles are reversed. Ryuko is the unruly, aggressive, and hot-blooded protagonist just as a man often is, and Senketsu exhibits many traits that are traditionally associated with women; he’s sensitive, emotional, and a considerable worrywart. Further, while I find the term “love interest” both degrading and unfitting for Senketsu in a series that Word of God denies any romantic intention for, I have to admit that he fits many of the conventions. In an anime with a cast primarily composed of women, the fact that Senketsu is arguably coded as male makes him, just as the standard heteronormative “love interest,” the most narratively significant character of another gender in the show (for just a few other examples, see Ran from Detective Conan, Sam from Danny Phantom, Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon). Whether I’m watching an anime or an American cartoon, I don’t think I’d be too surprised to see a scenario like the one from the end of Kill la Kill’s thirteenth episode, where a man tells a woman that he’s afraid of losing control and needs her to be there for him so that he doesn’t.

What makes Kill la Kill different is more than the simple reversal of roles, though; Kill la Kill also reverses the harmful implications of this standard set-up. Instead of it being Senketsu’s “job” to “lead [Ryuko] to ‘moral decency,’” as philosopher Immanuel Kant noted a woman must do for a man in the late eighteenth century and of which Grosz argues is an ideal continued on even to this day (such as in sports culture, as elaborated upon in Susan Bordo’s The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and Private), Senketsu outright tells Ryuko that she must be in control of herself (qtd. in Grosz 87). It’s not Senketsu’s responsibility to keep Ryuko from abusing him, and the fact that both understand and acknowledge this is, well, good. Senketsu is not going to write off or blame himself for any mistreatment he receives from Ryuko because he feels he failed in “pleasing” her, and Ryuko’s ending sentiment that “[w]e’re all responsible for our own actions” indicates that she feels the same way towards him. Both Ryuko and Senketsu are cognizant of each other’s emotions and needs, and they will not allow abuse to continue without a word about it, as is sadly often the case in reality (Grosz 95).

It would still be nice to have an actual situation in which a man is in the standard “man” position, but I’m happy to see anything like this at all. Abuse and mistreatment are seriously discussed, the responsibility for poor behavior is placed solely on the actor rather than the receiver, and the fact that this kind of moment receives so much focus in the first place absolutely signifies the importance and power of proper communication with a loved one. Ryuko and Senketsu are my most favored relationship in all of fiction, and it’s scenes like this that really emphasize why.

Sources

Bordo, Susan. The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and in Private. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.

Grosz, Elizabeth McManaman. “The Vulnerability of the Relational Self: The Implications of Ideals of Gender and Romance for Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.” Women's Studies, vol. 47, no. 1, 2018, pp. 80-97.

Kant, Immanuel. Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. Translated by Victor Lyle Dowdell. Southern Illinois UP, 1978.

Kant, Immanuel. Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and the Sublime and Other Writings. Edited by Patrick Frierson and Paul Guyer. Cambridge UP, 2011.

#kill la kill #ryuko matoi #senketsu #crazy for you #klk meta #ramblings #shut up goop #abuse mention #okay i know this is really long but i cut out like multiple paragraphs about twilight and stuff so it was worse before :P

109 notes · View notes

meitanteikazuha · 7 years ago

Text

In Reverse: The Twenty Year Old Murderous Intent: The Symphony Serial Murder Case

Hello yes, it’s me again, back with some more Heiji/Kazuha roleswap fic. Please enjoy! If you want to learn about the roleswap, check out the about page here, or start from the beginning of the fic here or here!

Air.

It was the realization that there was none that sent him into a panic. As he gasped for it, water rushed into his lungs, the presence of it's crushing pressure around him only now making itself known.

It was in that instant, as he found himself gasping for what was not there, that he realized that this was most likely a dream. In doing so, the water which had sunk into his lungs expelled itself all at once, leaving him coughing, hacking, but able to breathe. This dream, he dimly realized, was not about himself.

As he caught a glimpse of flowing hair, caught in the dim light of the moon that penetrated the water's surface, he felt a surge of fear that was more powerful and more intense than it ever would have been had the dream simply been about himself. The dark brown color of that hair, the ribbon that broke free in the flowing current...

Though he knew it was merely a dream, he found himself reaching out for her anyways. But as if it were a fate that he couldn't change, no matter how far he stretched out his hand, it simply wouldn't reach, as she instead sunk further and further down into the ocean, a yearning pit underneath longing to become her final resting place.

It was only as their eyes met, the deep green piercing through the darkness of the waters, that he jolted awake from his nightmare. He was drenched, not from sinking into the ocean, but from his own cold sweat, his heart hammering loudly inside of his chest. Swallowing, he placed a hand over it, trying to draw in breath, finding it just as hard to do so as if he were actually drowning.

Slowly though, the pounding of his heart settled, and he forced himself to draw in one, long breath. Swinging his feet out of bed, he reached for his cellphone, already dialing Kazuha's number.

The number you have dialed is-.

Not even letting the automated message finish, Heiji changed out of his pajamas at almost a lightning pace, barely even pausing to grab his shoes and keys. Dimly, he could hear his mother's voice calling out to him as he made for the door, but he didn't stop to chat with her, the grip of fear in his chest too tight.

When he had dreamed about Kazuha being shot the other day, he had been worried, of course. But that dream had been different than this one.

She hadn't looked at him.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that sight out of his eyes. In the back of his mind, a part of him knew that Kazuha would never be the type to blame others, but the silent message that had been carried in them as they dimmed into lifelessness was enough to make his blood run cold.

This is your fault.

Whether the coming future really was the result of his actions, he didn't know- but even if it wasn't, it wasn't something that he would just idly sit by and allow happen. Once and for all, he would-!

"Heiji?" Until Kazuha's father spoke to him, he frankly hadn't even been aware that he had already made it to her house, much less knocked on her door. He must have though, acting purely out of instinct, if nothing else. For a moment, his head went blank, almost forgetting why it was that he came here.

Then he remembered, and fought back a shudder.

It might seem silly, to put so much faith into mere dreams- but they'd never proven to be wrong before.

"Is Kazuha around?" Heiji asked, only now half considering the fact that he probably looked like a mess. He'd taken the time to change, but he hadn't so much as taken a brush to his hair, leaving it to stick out in every direction, and upon second glance, he was actually wearing two different pairs of sneakers.

Composure, he supposed, was not really an option.

What time was it even, he found himself wondering. Usually he was the type to wake up before the crack of dawn, but the sun was already high overheard. Dimly, he recalled that he had stayed up rather late doing... come to think of it, he couldn't actually remember now what it was that he had been doing the previous night, all of his other thoughts more less drawing up blanks. It was probably much later than he would have liked it to be, he realized with a small grimace.

"No, she left about an hour ago." The words were spoken so casually, and somehow, they still managed to make his blood run cold. "Is something wrong, Heiji? You look out of sorts."

"Did she say where she was going?" Heiji pressed, ignoring the question about himself for the moment. Why had that idiot left to go somewhere without him?

"Just that she was going to Tokyo." Ginshiro told him, shaking his head. "I assumed that she was heading to the place of that Mouri Ran girl that she's become friends with lately. Is there something wrong with my daughter?" It was at this point that Ginshiro leveled a far sharper gaze on the disheveled young man, a tight frown forming on his face.

This wasn't exactly the first time that he had come over to their house, early in the morning, looking for Kazuha in such a state. It was, however, the first time since that incident, which for once, seemed to be the furthest thing from his thoughts. He'd been putting in an effort to avoid the Toyama residence since then, so whatever it was that had driven him to come here must have been something indeed.

"Ah." Opening his mouth, and then just as quickly shutting it, Heiji forced a smile on his face. At the very least, if she was really with Neechan, he could at least call her and tell her to keep an eye on her. It didn't provide him with much comfort, but with some, enough to compose himself... or as much as he could, given his appearance.

"No, I just had a bad dream, an' she wasn't pickin' up her phone, so..." Heiji told him, taking a slight step back, a hand straying up behind his neck. "I see, so she went ta Neechan's place in Tokyo! Then, sorry ta bother ya, uncle. Maybe I should head there myself!"

"Heiji-." For a moment, it seemed almost as if Ginshiro wanted to say something else, before he thought better of it, instead shaking his head. "Make sure to wear a matching pair of shoes this time."

"Aw, but I was tryin' ta start a new trend!"

If she had to be honest, she was actually feeling a bit nervous.

It had nothing to do with the strange letter she had gotten, even if it had been stuffed to the brim with no small amount of money. It hadn't been the first time she'd gotten an odd letter with no return address- it had already happened once or twice before. If anything, th reason that she was so nervous was simply because...

...well, she'd never actually been on a ship this big before.

It wasn't as if she was entirely a stranger to the fancier things in life- Heiji's mom did seem to have some fairly impressive connections, so she'd been to a formal party once or twice before. Still, it was never an environment that she could find herself staying calm in, especially not when she was alone.

It wasn't as if the letter had told her to come alone or anything. Actually, she had tried to invite Heiji that morning, before she left, only to find that he was still in bed for a change. Since that was usually a sign that he hadn't gone to sleep until the early hours of the morning, she had decided to let him be, and had instead come to Tokyo herself.

Really, she'd been hoping to invite Shinichi and Ran as well, but that hadn't worked out either. She'd called, but nobody had picked up. Since there was a chance that she'd miss the boat entirely if she went to check the agency herself, she instead decided to go straight to the port where she was to catch it.

Just as the letter had said, showing one of the old style bills that she had gotten in the letter had let her right on. At first, she had thought it was meant as payment- but instead, they had let her keep the note, confusing her to no small degree. Well, while she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the month, it certainly went a long way to make this whole trip even more mysterious.

But speaking of sleeping in... letting out a loud yawn, Kazuha blinked her eyes, the fact that she hadn't gotten that much sleep the previous night either only now sinking into her. Though they hadn't left port yet, the rocking of the boat didn't really help with her exhaustion, only adding to it, if anything.

Well, they still had some time before they departed from the sound of it, so a quick nap wouldn't hurt. After all, one couldn't conduct an investigation on so little sleep!

...though it would be kind of nice to know what, exactly, she had been called here to investigate.

"A detective? You mean there's another one on board?"

"That's right. They don't look that much like one, though."

In hindsight, those words should have perhaps served as something of an omen. Still, when Toyama Kazuha burst out of the room they had been trying to gain access to, irate at the noise that they were making, he'd found himself being taken by surprise. Perhaps not quite as much as the person in question herself, though her surprise had very quickly turned into delight.

Which had just as quickly turned into curiosity, as she asked after the reason why they had been making so much of a racket in the first place. Not that he ever doubted it from beginning.

"The Gray Planner?" Kazuha asked. "Now that ya mention it, I've heard that name somewhere before... I think my father mentioned somethin' about him once before. I thought he was dead, though."

As she let Kogoro catch her up to speed on the one once known as the Gray Planner- or rather, Kanou Saizou, his real name was, Conan didn't miss the way he saw gears turning in her head. Once he had the chance, he'd have to ask about it later- what, exactly, had brought her to this ship today. Given the situation, he doubted it was just a coincidence.

Well, then again, she might have just seen the ad in the paper and had decided to come. She did seem like the type to like dolphins.

Which, apparently, was just as much Ran's theory as his own.

"Eh? It wasn't because of the ad that you came, Kazuha-chan?"

"I'm not sure what kinda ad yer talkin' about Ran-chan, but my reason fer bein' here is different." Kazuha told her, shaking her head. For a brief moment, her gaze flickered over towards Conan, and he could only twitch at the slightly teasing expression that lingered on her face. No doubt she found some amusement in the idea of him going along with Ran on a three night trip to spot dolphins. "I got a weird letter in the mail, filled with old bills, so I decided ta come on this ship both ta see what it was that they wanted, an' ta return the money."

"I see." Ran noted. "I guess you didn't bring Hattori-kun with you this time."

"I tried, but he was still asleep when I went over ta his place this mornin'." Kazuha told them, pausing to a sip of her tea. "He'll probably be full of complaints when I get back, though. Ever since that incident with Sakata-han, he's been awfully noisy whenever I try an' go off ta case without him."

"Isn't he just worried?" Ran asked. "You did get shot, after all."

"I guess." Kazuha admitted. "But well, if I have ta be honest, it's just a bit annoyin'. Between the two of us, he's got the worse luck, so bein' lectured about somethin' like that is sort of... ya know?"

Well, whatever the reasons, if he had to be honest, Conan was almost grateful that she hadn't brought Heiji with her this time. He wasn't a bad person, he supposed, but he was someone that he found himself having trouble getting along with. It was a combination of the fact that he perceived him as a child, and very clearly did not have any idea as to what one was supposed to do with a child, and the fact that he was just a bit too perceptive for Conan's comfort.

Well, he supposed that with his father being who he was, that much was to be expected.

"I think it's cute, though." Ran noted. Though the smile on her face was bright, there was a trace of something else beneath it. Knowing her as well as he did, Conan quickly picked up on it- and hoped that Kazuha hadn't. Were she to, he knew that he would be in for another chiding about keeping secrets, something he'd rather avoid. "Having your childhood friend worry about you that much."

Letting out a snort, Kazuha only rolled her eyes. "There's nothin' about Heiji that I'd call cute, Ran-chan. When he was a kid, maybe, but..."

Realizing in that instant, she had already said too much, Kazuha turned a bright shade of red, slamming her teacup down. "A-anyways, let's forget about that guy!"

Come to think of it, they had disagreed like this the first time they met, too.

Perhaps disagree wasn't quite the right word- arrived at different conclusions was better, if not more wordy. In truth, it was a thing that made her nervous- the last time she had come to a different conclusion, she had allowed herself to be mislead by the culprit, falling into a trap that they had set up. Normally, she wouldn't have made a mistake like that, but though the challenge hadn't been her idea, she had nonetheless found herself getting caught up in it, being blinded by it.

Though, suffice to say, she didn't expect her first impression of Kudo Shinichi to be that of a guy who looked like he was about to collapse on his feet. No wonder Ran had been so worried about him at the time, she had thought- it was only later that she had come to understand the reason behind the source of his strange sickness, as well as both his sudden appearance and disappearance.

That too, had been Heiji's idea, come to think of it- going to that Holmes fan gathering, that was. In truth, she didn't care all that much for Sherlock Holmes- the mysteries were interesting, but the as for the man himself, well... she always had preferred female detective stories, and for a reason. But Heiji had seem convinced that she'd run into Kudo there, and in a way, it almost chafed her to admit that he'd been right.

Especially since the logic behind his assumption had been so strange to begin with. But well... this was the same guy who not only believed in ghosts, but believed that if one tried hard enough, one could definitely punch them.

Still, nervous though she was, she didn't think that she was wrong- at least, not until she saw that. It was as if everything had clicked, all at once- everything but the culprit, that was.

Because she wasn't the only one who had been wrong.

"Then, if it's not them, then who...?"

When the answer struck her, it was quite literal.

It was the sound of something falling into the ocean that caught his attention. Even if it were a small sound, it would have still piqued his curiosity, but the loud splash that caught his ears nearly caused his heart to skip a beat.

Call him paranoid if you will, but the first thing he thought of was to ask where Kazuha had gone to. When one of the crew members had informed him that she had borrowed a large flashlight to look around the deck of the ship, he swore for a moment that his heart stopped beating entirely.

While his legs might be considerably shorter now than they had been in the past, when he wanted to, he could more than make up for that gap. If that splash was what he thought it was, then...

When it came to someone being in danger, his act tended to slip. But since he'd outpaced everyone who was following after him, it barely concerned him, calling out Kazuha's name until he made his way up to the deck, from where the source of the sound most likely came from. It was only when he was met with nothing but empty ocean, and the burnt remains of the corpse that had started this all, that he found himself halting.

Even then, it only took him a few seconds before he pulled himself up onto the ship's railing, once more calling out her name to the open ocean. It couldn't be... it couldn't be!

If she'd really gone overboard, in a place like this... and in the darkness of night, at that! Something like that couldn't have...

The ocean had no answers to give.

She supposed that she should count herself lucky that the blow to her head hadn't been enough to knock her out. Even though it hadn't managed to do that, it still disorientated her for longer than she would have liked- by the time she finally broke to the surface, gasping for air, the ship was already long gone.

Expelling the last of the seawater that she had swallowed, Kazuha fought to keep her head above the water. Already, her mind was racing, trying to figure out the best way out of this predicament- of which there weren't that many options. Even if she knew which way it had gone, there was no way she could catch up with the ship, and trying to swim against the current would only tire her out faster than simply trying to stay afloat.

The best thing to do was wait for rescue- hopefully someone on the ship would noticed that she was missing, and put two and two together. Failing that, she'd have to do her best to draw one to her. A quick check proved that the flashlight that she borrowed was still in working order- thank god, it must have been waterproof.

That bastard... if he really thought that she was going to just give up and die that easily, he had another thing coming! While she could count on Shinichi to solve the case in her absence, there was no way she would be satisfied with that. She'd definitely survive this, and come right back, and make him pay for what he'd done.

The life of high school detective Toyama Kazuha wouldn't end this easily!

"Achoo!"

"Are you alright, Kazuha-chan?" Hovering worriedly by her friend, Ran could only frown. She had been worried when they couldn't find Kazuha anywhere, but she never could have imagined that she had been pushed overboard! It must have happened back when Conan had heard that strange splash, and she couldn't help but blame herself for not acting sooner.

Thank god though, things had turned out alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kazuha told her, giving her something of a sheepish smile. "I'll be better when I can get back ta my room. Thank god I brought a change of clothes with me, or I'd be in trouble!"

"Trouble...?" Ran blinked. "Ah, that's right, yours must be soaked."

"Ah, well..." Glancing away from her, feeling her cheeks tint a bright shade of red, Kazuha drew the blanket that she had been given closer around her. She knew he was worried too, but honestly, that Shinichi- couldn't he hover somewhere else? If there was one thing that she was grateful for, it was how long the blanket that she had been given was. "That's true, but that's because most of them are still in the ocean."

"Eh, you mean...?" Placing a hand over her mouth as she realized, Ran's face turned a bright shade of red. For just a moment, her gaze flickered down towards Conan, so fast that Kazuha nearly missed it. It seemed to be enough to spur her into action though, scurrying behind her, pressing her hands against her back. "I-in that case, let's hurry and get back to your room, Kazuha-chan!"

"Ah... yeah." Slowly nodding her head, Kazuha pursed her lips together, briefly wondering what that was about. Well, to be honest, right now she really did just want to change into a nice, dry set of clothes, so any other worries could come later. "Let's go, Ran-chan."

"Then, can I come with-?"

"Conan-kun," there was something in Ran's voice which very nearly bordered on a threat, if he wasn't mistaken, "...you can stay here."

"Kazuha."

"...nice ta see ya too, Heiji."

She had to admit, she hadn't expected to see him here at all. She knew full well that he'd be annoyed that she had ditched him, but not to this point. How had he even known where to find her anyways?

"That's all ya got ta say ta me?" Heiji asked, taking a few steps forward, all but brushing aside Ran's greeting. Though Heiji and anger were two things that often went together, it was rare to see him this angry. "Ya went an' put yerself in danger, an' all ya got ta say ta me is that it's nice ta see me?"

Not much of one to be a shrinking violet, not even in the face of the rather intense anger that was radiating outwards from him, Kazuha narrowed her eyes, straightening her back. "Yeah, that's all that I've got ta say ta ya, Heiji! What's with ya lately anyways? Ya've been actin' like ya think I need an escort or somethin'."

"Ya nearly drowned!"

"Nearly. Didn't." Kazuha told him, folding her arms in front of her chest, locking eyes with him. "Big difference."

"Barely a difference." Heiji insisted, clearly not backing down here. "Ya could have died, Kazuha."

"I didn't." Kazuha told him simply, her shoulders slumping slightly. Angry though he was, the source of it was concern for her- and it wasn't like he was entirely wrong. She really was lucky that a fishing boat had come along, especially so late at night. If it hadn't, she probably would have...

...ah.

So that's why he was so angry.

"I'm alive, Heiji. Short one change of clothes, but alive." Kazuha told him.

The anger didn't quite fade from him, but at the very least, she'd told him something he clearly wanted to hear. Just seeing it with his own two eyes apparently wasn't enough- it must have been a very bad nightmare indeed if he needed a verbal confirmation. In that sense, she couldn't entirely blame him for being angry.

That wasn't to say that she liked it. Or rather, his anger was fine, understandable, even. The problem was... well, the problem was that she didn't really care to hear words that she knew he was repeating from his father come out of his mouth. She had thought that she had helped distract him from what was troubling him the other day, when they went to the amusement park together, but it seemed like she had been mistaken.

"Why'd ya go without me?" Heiji asked finally. "I would have come with ya."

"Ya didn't hear from Auntie Shizuka?" Kazuha asked. "I did, but ya were still fast asleep. Since that's not like ya, I figured it would be best just ta let ya keep doin' that, an' went ta Tokyo on my own."

Opening and shutting his mouth, as if there was something that he wanted to say to that, Heiji let out a long sigh, finally stepping back and giving her a bit of space. "Ya invited Neechan."

"She just happened ta be there, that's all. Besides, from the sound of it, I would have thought ya'd have liked it better if I wasn't alone." Kazuha told him, ignoring the fact that it had been her plan to do so in the first place. "I'm really fine though, Heiji."

"...ya sure?" Heiji asked, his shoulders finally slumping. In truth, he was more relieved than anything. "Ya didn't get hurt anywhere, or anythin' like that?"

"Nothin' serious." Kazuha promised him. "Now then, Heiji, are ya gonna ignore Ran-chan an' Conan-kun fer the rest of the mornin', or are ya gonna at least acknowledge they exist?"

"Ah." As if only now fully realizing that he had ignored them, in spite of bringing up her name earlier, Heiji could only flash them a sheepish smile. "...my bad."

#Detective Conan #Heiji Hattori #Kazuha Toyama #Conan Edogawa #Ran Mouri #fic

2 notes · View notes

blenderfullasarcasm · 6 years ago

Text

too many questions in my head

- the Detective Conan/BBC Sherlock crossover that I started as a crack fic and now had turned into crack-taken-seriously. I'm 42k+ words in and the full list of suspects for the main case hasn't even been revealed yet. The title's from a little mix song called case closed because I like irony and also the main character spends most of his time questioning how he got in this situation. also he's pretending to be psychic.

i am not yet dead

- on ao3 it's called i see murder victims because it's, like...a reverse psych au, kind of? but on my computer the file is a monty python reference because why not. the holy grail and magic kaito have similar vibes don't @ me

the rest

- either ideas or oneshots that I haven't actually finished. ideas go in the 'idea page' doc until I've written 100+ words and then they go into 'ill finish these soon i promise'

WIP Name Tag Game #1

tagged by @zmlorenz, thanks!

Rules: List your WIPs and explain how you came up with their names. If your WIP is unnamed, what are you thinking of calling it? Then tag some people.

Ok we’re just gonna… we’re gonna do a few of the unconnected ones because that leaves some free for later tag editions that means less work for me right now lmao

Expect to Fly - called so since the first iteration because it’s the major tenant of how they gain their wings in the world - when they jump, they have to trust themselves enough that they expect their wings to be summoned, and call them into existence that way

Forget to Fall - This is… hypothetical atm, but as a sequel to EtF it’s all about that symmetry. Also Kari working things over in Ifernia’s aftermath

Ghost Wing - working title! the main dude in this one (a far sequel of EtF) never went through with the process to fledge, so he shouldn’t be able to even feel his wings… but he can.

Wyvern Queen - because the main character (I think she’s either heir to the throne or one of the younger princesses) wants to be a wyvern rider but can’t be, so she takes them by force. Titled for the MC I guess

Wyvern Call - tbh this one switches between Call and Caller. It’s titled after the item that Enitan finds in the junk shop, that xie uses to summon xir wyvern and kickstart the whole adventure

The Lord Vampire’s Fall - sometimes you just gotta tell people what’s coming? This may change tbh.

Druid Sanctuary - also very on the nose. It’s just a girl trying to find a safe place to live. She may end up a druid, too.

@avi-burton-writing, @authordai, @authorisada, @raevenlywrites

5 notes · View notes

bouncingtigger10 · 6 years ago

Text

New Post has been published on The Bouncing Tigger Reads

New Post has been published on http://www.tiggerreviews.com/when-you-want-to-know-which-type-of-story-you-may-be-reading/

When you want to know which type of story you may be reading...

So one thing I like to think about when reading a story is what type of story it is. When I was writing (academic folks!) I found out there were 7 archetypes types of stories that could be used, but in fact there are many other ways of identifying which story you are reading – and sometimes it is fun to guess. So I took look at what authors think about story tropes or archetypes and found the following. this is far from comprehensive, but it is a bit of fun research. If you want to find out more then take a look at: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Tropes and https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MysteryTropes

There are sub-divisions of mystery and crime tropes eg:

Military and Warfare Tropes

Genre Tropes

News Broadcast

Murder Tropes

Crime and Punishment Tropes

The Oldest Profession

Monster Sob Story

Murder Tropes

Mystery Fiction

Mystery Literature

Mystery Story Creator Index

Toxic Tropes

Basic Mystery Classes

Criminals

Crime and Punishment Series

Crime and Punishment Tropes

Cops and Detectives

Detective Drama

Forensic Phlebotinum

Historical Detective Fiction

But I particularly like this list:

Absence of Evidence

The Alibi

Anachronistic Clue

Anonymous Killer Narrator

Anti-Climactic Unmasking

Beneath Suspicion

Blood-Stained Letter

Bluffing the Murderer

The Butler Did It

Cast as a Mask

Chronic Evidence Retention Syndrome

Clock Discrepancy

Closed Circle

Clueless Mystery

Condensation Clue

Confess in Confidence

Consulting a Convicted Killer

Conviction by Contradiction

Cozy Mystery

Curtain Camouflage

Cut Himself Shaving

Death in the Clouds

Did Not Die That Way

Disability Alibi

The Dog Was the Mastermind

Dramatic Curtain Toss

Driving Question

Eagle-Eye Detection

Eureka Moment

Everyone Is a Suspect

Everybody Did It

Evidence Dungeon

Evidence Scavenger Hunt

Evil Plan

Exposition Victim

Fair-Play Whodunnit

Finger-Licking Poison

Fingertip Drug Analysis

The Game Never Stopped

Hide the Evidence

Hidden in Plain Sight

Hidden Villain

I Never Said It Was Poison

Important Character, Important Evidence

Intrepid Reporter

Let Off by the Detective

Lights Off, Somebody Dies

Locked Room Mystery

Lotsa People Try to Dun It

The Meddling Kids Are Useless

Mistaken for Evidence

Mockspiracy

Mockstery Tale

Motive Equals Conclusive Evidence

Mysterious Stranger

Mystery Arc

Mystery Magnet

Mystery of the Week

Needle in a Stack of Needles

Never One Murder

Never Suicide

Never the Obvious Suspect

Notable Non Sequitur

Not-So-Fake Prop Weapon

Old, Dark House

Only One Plausible Suspect

Ontological Mystery

Orgy of Evidence

Perfect Poison

Placebo Eureka Moment

Precrime Arrest

Proof Dare

Public Secret Message

Puzzle Thriller

Red Herring

Reverse Whodunnit

Rewind, Replay, Repeat

A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma

Ripped from the Headlines

Saying Too Much

Secret Identity Apathy

Serial Killings, Specific Target

Shell Game

Sherlock Can Read

Sherlock Scan

The Seven Mysteries

Signature Item Clue

The Stakeout

The End… Or Is It?

Stranger Behind the Mask

The Summation

Summation Gathering

Suspect Is Hatless

That Mysterious Thing

Ten Little Murder Victims

Thriller on the Express

Twist Ending

Two Dun It

The Unsolved Mystery

Weather Report Opening

Wheel Program

Who Murdered the Asshole?

World of Mysteries

Writing Indentation Clue

You Meddling Kids

You Wake Up in a Room

You Wake Up On A Beach

The Kurt Vonnegut Jr 8 forms/tropes of stories.

Kurt Vonnegurt is very well respected for his story analysis. He made a map of his analysis against time.

He made a visual mapping of the length of the story against the time inhabited by the story and the different ups and downs each classic/trope will take. Helps explains how when you feel unsatisfied by a storyline it is often because you are still waiting for the next point to occur.

On the other hand Ken Miyamoto, Produced screenwriter, former Sony Pictures script reader/story analyst, former Sony Studios liaison claims that these are the story tropes.

Coming of Age – Seemingly innocent (although not always so) youth experience the evils, trials, and tribulations of the real world. Stand by Me, To Kill a Mockingbird, Almost Famous, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, The Graduate, American Graffiti, etc.

Revenge – Our most primal instinct. We see and read stories of revenge in nearly every genre. In film we have Mad Max, Carrie, Death Wish, Once Upon a Time in the West, Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, Gladiator, Election, Munich, The Counte of Monte Cristo, Hang ‘Em High, Memento, etc.

The Great Battle – An individual or group of people in conflict with others. This ranges from epic battles (War movies, Lord of the Rings) to comedy (War of the Roses) to science fiction (Star Wars, Terminator franchise, etc.).

Love and Friendship – Love stories (Romeo and Juliet, Romantic comedies), buddy movies (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Lethal Weapon), dramas about friendship (The Big Chill), etc.

The Big Mystery – There’s a mystery to be solved, and the protagonist has to solve it. You’re looking at classic characters in the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Tin Tin, Nancy Drew, etc. Comedies like The Pink Panther series. Agatha Christy novels. Tom Clancy and John Grisham novels and movie adaptations.

The Great Journey – This theme follows characters dealing with trials and tribulation during travels… many of which are epic. Huckleberry Finn, Apocalypse Now (Heart of Darkness in literature form), The Odyssey, Star Wars, and probably the best example in both film and literature, Lord of the Rings.

The Noble Sacrifice – The protagonist sacrifices himself for others. Glory, Armageddon, war movies where a character dies for his fellow soldiers, etc.

The Fall From Grace – Showing humans going where only God should go, doing what only God should do, or attempting to do what humans shouldn’t do. You look at films and novels like Jurassic Park, Splice, Frankenstein, etc. And then look into science films like A.I. and even Terminator, where we as humans have gone too far in trying to create life… and it backfires on us. Then into the horror genre with the aforementioned Frankenstein and even Stephen King’s Pet Semetary.

And Reedsy gives you 14 Fantasy tropes:

September 3, 2018

Fantasy tropes, like any other type of literary trope, are recurring images, themes, or devices that are used to the point of being common conventions amongst its genre.

When writing a genre such as fantasy (with such well-known conceits), authors often feel the need to straddle a fine line: include too many tropes and readers will get déjà vu; don’t include a single cliché and you risk losing readers who have come to expect certain themes and touchstones from a fantasy novel.

The thing is, conventions commonly crop up in stories because most of them contain some element of universal relatability — and people enjoy the familiar.

So embrace the balancing act by acquainting yourself with some of the most popular fantasy tropes out there, and by learning how to prevent your characters, plots, and worlds from becoming a complete cliche

Character tropes

At their heart, all stories are about characters who represent some aspect of human nature — and fantasy is no exception. Many novels in this genre feature archetypes, which is not necessarily a bad thing — so long as your characters’ development aligns with the narrative arc and doesn’t rely on cliché pitstops.

1) The Chosen One

A character who is alone capable of fulfilling an important purpose, and whose responsibility is to resolve the plot’s main conflict — which will often be to save the world.

2) The Secret Heir

An orphan ends up being the long-lost scion to a royal throne. Often, this character is raised on a farm or another humble situation that contrast their true lineage. Maybe they lost their parents at a young age and sent away for their own protection. Perhaps they were switched at birth in some sort of hilarious misunderstanding. Maybe their mother had a summer fling with an undercover prince in her gap year.

3) The Evil Overlord

Fire and brimstone, darkness and inhospitable lands, the Evil Overlord usually lives in a realm that reflects their wicked intentions, surrounded by their minions and followers. The Evil Overlord is also often bent on world domination.

4) The Reluctant Hero

The protagonist is thrust down the path of a story they don’t wish to be a part of. They long to return to normal life and only continue on their quest out of obligation or necessity. Think of it as the difference between Frodo (who wishes to return to the Shire but knows a task must be completed) and Conan the Barbarian, who relishes the role of rough-hewn hero. Often, the Reluctant Hero is also the Chosen One.

5) The Lucky Novice

This sometimes manifests when a character who has had never attempted a specific activity before is suddenly extremely talented at that specific skill. Other times it’s presented in the form of a protagonist — who’s had a moderate amount of training — defeating the villain who has been honing their powers for years or decades (or even centuries).

6) The Mentor

Usually an elderly character who prepares the protagonist for whatever conflict they are facing. The Mentor often leaves before the big climax — whether they are killed, retire, or have to leave to carry out a job elsewhere — forcing the protagonist to stand on their own two feet.

Worldbuilding tropes

While the many subgenres of fantasy will all have their own tropes, here are a few worldbuilding conventions that you’re bound to see more often than not.

7) The World That Never Progresses

When a novel of series covers a society through the ages — but that world seems never change or progress. It could be a century later, but no social, technological, political, or cultural developments seem to have occurred. This one is fairly typical of high fantasy, which usually take place on grand, epic scales. ( and the one that really irritates me about Game of Thrones. Surely by now they have learnt how to fix holes in wooden doors!

8) The Pseudo-European Medieval Setting

A feudal system governing a society where taverns are frequented and duel-by-swords are a daily occurrence. The stories don’t usually take place in actual Europe, but a world that very much resembles the continent’s medieval era. This setting is a mainstay of fantasy — significantly solidified in the genre by The Lord of the Rings, but harking back to European folklore and tales of King Arthur.

9) The Powerful Artifact

This convention is used across all types of genres: an object of great power must be saved from falling into the wrong hands. The object is typically inanimate and derives its power from the manipulation of those who use it. The object might not be inherently evil, but its powers can have the effect of tempting and corrupting even the noblest characters.

10) The Homogenous Species

All elves are beautiful and love trees, and all dwarves are obsessed with gold and living underground, right? Categorizing entire races into a few commonalities is typical of fantasy novels, and if one character from that race differs, you can bet they’re an outlier — and often the protagonist of the novel (or a trusty sidekick). Another common feature of this trope is when one species is inherently “good”, and another is inherently “bad.”

Plot tropes

The Plot is the chain of events that comprise your narrative arc. Many fantasy novels will share a link or two (or seven) in common with other novels, including these:

11) The Waiting Evil

Long, long ago, an evil force is defeated in battle and locked away, never to wreak havoc again. That is, of course, until now. Having bided its time, the evil entity breaks free with an eye for vengeance. This Waiting Evil might break free of their own volition, might be released by an avid supporter (that is usually then disposed of — hello, Peter Pettigrew), or it might be released accidentally by an unknowing passerby or by natural causes.

12) The “Here Comes the Cavalry” Twist

All is lost. The villain and their minions are too strong and despite a noble fight, the jig is up. The heroes simply can’t hold off the opposition any longer. Time to lay down and die. But wait! Do you hear that? It’s faint, but growing louder. It’s… it’s… it’s the heroes’ friends, showing up in the nick of time to save the day! Hooray! Not all is lost!

13) The Black and White Morality Theme

The battle between “good” and “evil” is such a prevalent theme in fantasy — and it’s no wonder. When it strays to a cliché is when the line between good and evil is perceived as black and white, with no grey area. The good guys are purely good, and the bad guys are pure evil — end of story. Often, the good guys manage to defeat the bad guys without killing a soul or even wrecking a single building.

14) The Quest

The hero — and usually a handful of secondary characters — sets out on a quest with a specific goal. Typically the goal ranges from saving a princess, defeating a villain, destroying a corrupt artifact, or finding someone. The goal of the quest doesn’t matter as much as the fact that there is a solid one. While The Quest very closely resembles The Hero’s Journey, there are key differences between the two story structures: while the former is all about the character’s journey to achieve a goal, the latter is more about the character’s inner journey than the actual objective. [ https://blog.reedsy.com/fantasy-tropes/ ]

On the other hand Jill Williamson claims there are 145 (!!!) Romance Tropes.

abduction to love

accidental pregnancy

afraid to commit

all grown up

amnesia

antihero romance

arranged marriage

athlete

bait and switch

beauty and the beast

best friend’s lover

best friend’s sibling

best friends/ friends first

billionaire

blackmail

blind date

bodyguard crush

boss/employee

boy hates girl

boy meets ghoul

boy meets girl

break his heart to save him

brother’s best friend

bully turned puppy lover

can’t live with them, can’t live without them

celebrity loves commoner

celibate hero

childhood enemies fall in love

childhood friends

childhood marriage promise

Cinderella story/wrong side of the tracks

classes clash

clueless love

consanguinity

crazy love

Cyrano/matchmaker

damaged lead finds happily ever after

dark secret keeps them apart

different worlds

disguise

enemies to lovers

everyone can see it

fairytale

fake engagement

fatal attraction

first love

fish out of water

fling

forbidden love/Romeo and Juliet

friends with benefits

girl wants bad boy

guardian/ward

guy wants cheerleader

huge guy, tiny girl/ tiny guy, huge girl

if I can’t have you, no one will!

imaginary love triangle

impotent love

innocent cohabitation

instant/false sweethearts

it happened in Vegas

jilted bride/groom

law enforcement

long distance relationship

long-term lovers

love at first sight

love interest has a profession protagonist abhors

love interest reminds of estranged family member

love potion

love reforms villain

love triangle

love/hate

lovers in denial/ they’re the last to know

mad love

maid/janitor

mail-order bride

marriage of convenience

men in uniform

mistaken declaration of love leads to love

mistaken identity

noble rescuer steps in, She’s dating Mr. Wrong

nobody thinks it will work

not good enough for him/her

oblivious to love

older man, younger woman/ older woman, younger man

on the rocks

one night stand

one wants true love/other wants a fling

oops! fall in love with the wrong person (which could ruin everything!)

opposites attract

orphan

overly shy love

parent/childcare worker

partners in crime

passionate lovers

Plain Jane get the hottie

playboy

politics

pretending to be married or engaged

protector

redemption

rejected as unworthy/ turns life around

reluctant sex worker

removing the rival

rescue romance

return to hometown

reunion romance

revenge

rich man, poor woman/ rich woman, poor man

rivals/ protagonist vs. antagonist

road trip romance

rock star hero

royalty

runaway bride/groom

scars from the past

second chance at love

second time around

secret admirer

secret baby- He doesn’t know she’s PG

secret that can end everything

sibling triangle

sibling’s ex-spouse

similarities attract

sleeps with everyone but you

sorry, I’m taken

stranded together

student/teacher

sudden parent

the one that got away

time travel

tortured hero(ine)

tragic love affair

tragic past

two-person love triangle (involves some mistaken identity) ex. superman

ugly duckling

unobtainable love interest/ one-sided

unrequited love

unrequited-love-switcheroo love triangle

unwanted harem

virginal/innocent

wallflower noticed by the rake

was it all a lie? (undercover love)

widow(er)

(wo)man in peril

working with the ex

workplace romance

So you reads your story and takes your pick.. Have fun…

#archetypes #how to writeastory #stories #tropes #whichtypeofstory #writing

0 notes