#me: starts talking about kano and the novels

[yuukei-yikes]

A lot of people seem to not like the manga as a starting point but its what hooked me. I saw will stetsons lost time memory and I was like "what???" "thats it???" and found the rest with my brother at like 2am. the mangas slow fun pace that is instantly cut off by horror is fun, the flashbacks are great characterization.... the only part i didn't like was the dissonance between Harutaka in mangaroute1 and mangaroute2.

it was a bit confusing. anyway do you prefer the anime or manga's version of takane as she seems to be your favorite character. (for me its gotta be the manga, the anime just did not do it)

the manga is what hooked me too! back in january 2014, there was tiny vinnie binging all the songs and what was available of the manga at the time in just one day...

i think the reason ppl dont recommend the manga as a starting point is the second manga route. personally, i recommend the manga as a starting point but only until volume 4 after the route we start with is over. and then i'd come back to second manga route when im done with everything else!! my kagepro recommendation is 1. songs 2. manga until everyone dies lol 3. novels 4. finish the manga 5. anime.

the thing with the manga is that it doesnt rly go into what the normal route is for very long. we keep saying second manga route but its like, idk MOST of the manga is that route.

i do like the manga for the same reasons as u, but sometimes im a little eh bc of mahiro sato's obvious knkd shipping and stuff lol. and i did write a whole bigass answer abt why i hate what happens to takane's character in haruka's arc in the second route. otherwise i dont mind the difference all that much. and i love her as ene in the rest of it. its just a few things that drive me crazy ok ill just link the post lol sorry i just have. um. strong feelings.

OK UR ACTUAL QUESTION hmmmmm well yea i'd say the manga or novels. i get what u say abt the anime but truly the anime did not do it for any of them LOLL there was barely any time for anything let alone good characterisation. like come on there's 11 main characters and 12 twenty four minute long episodes. wdym u dont like anime takane she was there for like (checks) 40 or 50 min in total?

takane is incredibly sidelined in the anime much like everyone else cuz. lol. AGAIN. kagepro is not somehting u can fit in a 12 ep long anime. yuukei yesterday in the manga and novels goes a lot more in depth about takanes personality and relationship to haruka. not to mention they put kano's little Disguising Myself As Someone Dear To You That You Have Regrets About on her instead of shintaro which was crazy. to me that did so much damage to kano's character. i wouldnt call myself a kano expert bc he's an insanely complicated character to tackle LMAO but... i dont know. i just dont think he would do that to ene. shintaro is one thing, we all know kano's little thing abt shintaro, but ene?? its like, he does that to her BECAUSE of the thing with shintaro. kano's pissed and frustrated at everyone moving on while he's stuck behind and ESPECIALLY at shintaro and takes it out on ene for being the main reason why shintaro is moving on. its a little unfair. i dont think kano would be THAT disconnected to do that. not to mention when he pulls that trick on shintaro he isnt half as harsh as he is on ene!! he just kinda spooks him (tho ofc thats enough to send shintaro spiraling LOL) while to ene he's like YOURE THE WORST FUCK YOU and then the way ene kinda laughs it off after also pisses me off LOL yeah kano could do this im not saying its COMPLETELY ooc but he would be in an incredibly despaired rock bottom moment and he'd be super apologetic about it later. post str kano and takane friendship *holds head*

and if you read the novels and kano's feelings and thoughts over takane it makes me sad that's what they chose to do in the anime bc in the novels kano regards takane as someone he's jealous of bc of how confident she is and "her ability to doubt people" and how he thinks they're similar ppl. like we rly dont give enough credit that TAKANE is the first person kano ever opens up to in his life. he even says the conversation they have might as well be the first conversation he's ever had with anyone, and they both head out to the hideout being the ones who have to admit something to the people dear to them (kano the whole clearing eyes thing to kido, takane the ene thing to shintaro) and its not for no reason!!! kano sees something in takane. he knows theyre similar, but at the same time he is jealous. that together sounds a little like he wishes he could be more like her. OUGH. and how they just chose to translate that whole thing into kano being awful to ene and berating her for trying to save shintaro is soooo fucked up. it bothers me so much. #notmykano

WHY AM I TALKING ABT KANO THIS IS ABOUT TAKANE. OK i was driving my point abt how the anime isnt a good judging point to any of the characters LMAO and i guess i wouldnt be able to tell u which "version" of takane i like best, or anyone for that matter. to me all medias are the same version of the same character. im in too deep all of them. the takane that almost kills kenjirou for outing her as lightning dancer ene is the same takane who admits it by herself. idk. guess its a good question but i dont have a good answer. thats also why i hate second manga route takane bc she does shit i dont think she'd do and it pisses me off LOL

[bardic-tales]

For STS, I'm curious what got you into fanfic writing? By extent, what about the particular media you write about drew you to writing fanfic for them?

Hello, Kano. Happy belated STS. Thank you for the ask, and I hope you are having a great day.

I started to write at a very young age, and I had finished my first novel-length story at 8 or 9. I don't remember the exact age, anymore. My foray into fan fiction didn't start until my teen years, however. At this time, fan fiction provided a created outlet where I could explore my favorite characters, characters that I created, and worlds beyond original narratives. This freedom allowed me to develop my writing skills while immersing myself in stories that I loved. I think my first fan fiction was in '93 or '94 and was about the original Jurassic Park.

As for why I write about Final Fantasy 7, I go in on talking points in the following STS asks:

STS: My question is - what inspired the creation of your main character?

Storyteller Saturday: Issue 3: What drew you to write fanfiction for your chosen fandom?

Later in life, my transition into fan fiction from original writing was driven partly for a need for a less stressful creative pursuit. After publishing some original work and facing the pressures of marketing them as an indie author, my doctor advised me to step back due to very serious health concerns. I am not allowed to have ANY stress in my life or it can affect me in very negative ways. Writing has always been in my blood, however.

Fan fiction became a more relaxed way to continue writing, where I could focus on storytelling without the same level of external stress. And by blending original world building (as my passion project has an original world of angels and demons overtop of FF 7), I feel as I get the best of both worlds: crafting settings and still writing in established worlds I have come to cherish.

[jce93]

You got me intrigued with the konokano ship, how do you envision it?

//actual explanation below the cut

AUGHGHH THANK YOU FOR ASKING !!! If anyone else has any questions ab them or wants me to elaborate on anything EVER pls do not hesitate to send asks I love these !!!!!!

Just as a general statement, I'm not saying I have the completely correct way to interpret all of these . I'm also not saying I think all interactions between them are intended to be romantic . Just how I see their relationship based on their canon interactions.

⚠️⚠️⚠️ kgpr spoilers ahead !!

I think a lot of the appeal to me is that they would work so well together, yet could never realistically work out? Like a 'wrong place, wrong time' kind of thing?

Outside of an alternate universe idea (which the anthologies seem to follow, at least to me), it is literally impossible for them to know eachother for more than a few days lol. Kano already knows of Konoha's existence -- to an extent, but they only ever meet when Konoha joins the mekadan on Aug 14/15 of present day. Then Konoha gets possessed and either ends up being the one to kill Kano, or turns into Haruka's snake as the awakening eyes.

Of course . When I talk about them it's in more of a casual sense? Once again, think of similarly to the anthologies. Konoha and Kano contrast eachother really well imo !!!!! I made a post about this a while ago which you can take a look at if you want, but both individually and together they are the sun and moon pairing of kagepro. Complete opposites yet so perfect for eachother . At least to me lol,,,,

Secondly,, I think they'd both be helpful for eachother? Of course, while the mktrio wouldn't judge him, Kano very clearly feels too insecure to fully let on what he's going through, shown by how he loses it in the otsukimi recital ep of mca. Konoha, with his limited experience of the world, would probably make Kano feel more secure? If that makes sense? Like . With his limited experience, Kano would likely feel as if Konoha quite literally does not have the ability to judge him. On top of that, he probably wouldn't even really say much about it, as he's generally a quiet person. Kano, as someone who isn't all that confrontational when it comes to his own feelings, would probably be more comfortable with that . At least that's how I read it idk . This is all just my interpretation of their nearly-nonexistent relationship.

Um !!!! Secondly!!! This is less of a "why they work well together" and more of a "why I think theyr cute :)))))" but . I think it's really sweet how Kano seems to have somewhat of a soft spot for Konoha?

Ignore the low quality . The official kgpr scans have horrible quality for whatever reason, but this specific page was what initially got me interested in them as a pairing when I first got into kagepro.

Of course it could just be a case of Kano not wanting to get his ass beat by his sister but . Either way I think it's funny how he starts panicking almost immediately,,,, he'll tease and agitate Marry knowing that it'll likely end up with him getting temporarily frozen, but with Konoha, when he gets worked up Kano starts panicking lol ,,

Also !! In the Children Record -NO.3- sections, theres this one blurb before they go to confront Kenjirou/Clearing eyes which I think is cute,,,,,,

Ofc . Like . Yeah what he did was impressive but I also just find it really endearing how Kano is all 😯😯😯😯❗❗❗❗❗❗when he sees Konoha do that,,, I think Kano both feeling a sense of responsibility for Konoha (due to him not being all too aware of things like social cues & whatnot) while also feeling a sense of admiration for him is sweet .

Later on in the novels, after Konoha gets possessed and kills both Shintaro + Kido, then Azami uses memories to come through to Marry & freeze Kuroha/Saeru, despite having barely known him (at least from what we know), Kano still seems to want to save Konoha which makes me 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Like . Yes I get that it's because Kido and Shintaro have already died (somewhat), but Konoha is just being currently possessed . But . Like . Idk it makes me a little sick,,,, I don't really have anything of note here haha . I just lovb them,,,,, bye 😜😜😜

Ya !!! So . Um . Those r some thoughts on them. Thank u anon for the ask!!! If you or anyone else has any questions ab them, or wants me 2 elaborate on anything here I'd be more than happy to :D

[pikespendragon67]

Pikes Summer Check-Up 2024 Edition

Started to go “hm I still have to unlearn the don’t speak unless spoken to mindset that I have” but remembered I could do a checkup post instead!

Current life updates:

Right now I’m saving up for conventions happening this August, though plushie collecting & Steam summer sales miiiight have interfered. Whoops. (…and I wonder if I should get back to my FE Cipher card collection). My next big-ish trip is visiting my middle school best friend with another high school friend. I’m also hoping for my next big trip this year to be Boston in late September to meet with a friend. After that, it should be a trip with my middle school best friend to a farm, something Halloween related with IRL friends depending on what they want to do, no clue for November, and seeing relatives for New Year’s.

Gonna see if I can reorganize my closet since everything in my room got reassembled when we got new flooring. Feels cluttered as a result. Hopefully my back won’t kill me.

Might have jury duty next week too OTL

What I’m watching:

Current schedule for watching anime is as follows:

Mondays - Digimon rewatch along with Spice & Wolf 2024. I really like Lawrence and Holo’s banter. For Digimon I just got to where Mimi obtains her Crest. Man adult me really just became Joe, huh.

Tuesdays are filler at the moment since I need to wait for Pokemon Horizons to update on Nettingtonflix (I watch the dub) and I finished Kakuriyo. Part 2 of Kakuriyo was…eh, I guess? I noticed stiff animation a lot and I didn’t really get the sense of drama/urgency that I was expecting. Might throw in some more Digimon episodes until Horizons updates. (I’m liking it so far, though it’s not something I’d shout to the heavens about)

Wednesdays - Baccano finally. I might need to rewatch some parts because they retell events from different perspectives, but I see repeats and get confused if I already watched the episode or not because of that.

Thursdays - Moribito. I’ve heard this show was good, though I think I need to rewatch this one as well since I miss important info when something dramatic’s not happening. The curse of having a show as background noise during your lunch break at work.

Fridays - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure rewatch. Friends were talking about watching it so it got me interested in rewatching once more. I’m still on Phantom Blood but I’m excited for the rewatch until I hit Stardust Crusaders. Unfortunately it’s not my favorite part and it’s the longest.

Saturdays - My Hero Academia and Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. I’m gonna see if I end up liking Sakuna more as an anime or as a game. As for Hero Academia, I’m really liking how this current season’s hyping up the finale. And with the manga ending next month, I kind of hope Vigilantes can be animated

Sundays - Tower of God season 2 and My Deer Friend Nokotan. Nokotan kind of reminds me of Lucky Star, but I’m hoping the shitposts aren’t just making fun Koshitan. Tower of God season 2 looks pretty promising. Though I lament that God of High School had to rush everything into 1 season.

I’m getting hyped for TYBW part 3 subconsciously and also hope the light novels get covered.

In terms of stuff on Youtube, it’s mostly let’s plays for games that I want to see if I want to play them myself. I appreciate that SMT 5 Vengeance fleshed out certain characters more, but damn. I also finished watching the ProZD Plays Ace Attorney 2. Franziska is wonderful, I wish she was in a different game. I liked case 2 the most in spite of Hotti’s mere existence.

What I’m Playing:

Stopped TTYD in the middle of chapter 6 since I didn’t want to deal with the turning platform section. So now it’s back to 428 Shibuya Scramble. I’m in the 3 PM section of the game now and things are getting spicy. So far my rankings of the routes are Tama > Minorikawa > Osawa/Achi > Kano.

I also have quite a few fighting games in my Steam library now! I still only button mash, but I’ve been playing with some folks in the Granblue community and my friend Merlin. My “don’t speak unless spoken to” mindset unfortunately kicks in when it comes to inviting people to play games, though. Like granted people are busy and I don’t want to bother them but aaaaaaa (so if you wanna play with me on Steam I’m free most weekends. Though my wrist may fatigue itself too. F)

I’m also contemplating if I want to have various small fics in a collection or add alternate endings in my main Bleach fic

AND NOW, I end asking how ny’all are you doing. Any cool things on your end?

[favoringeyes]

talk about ayano idc what I LOVE HER!!!!!

oh god ayano. lately ive been going super crazy over her idrk why. ayano. i love ayano's irony as an entire character and her place in kagepro in general. like despite being such an important figure in the mekatrio's AND yuukei quartet's lives for a lot of kagepro's story she's simply only a memory. for example in the novels specifically we dont get her pov once if i remember correctly and the only way we can piece together her character is through flashbacks from characters like shintaro, takane, and kano. which i definitely think is done on purpose. because it's not supposed to be a good thing that she did what she did. love that she's a subversion of what a heroine is supposed to be, a figure who sacrificed herself for the greater good and saved her loved ones, but instead her suicide does nothing but make things worse. but it's what ayano believed she had to do, bc she doesnt see any worth in herself or her feelings. her entire worth is based upon whether she can hold up to the standards she puts herself against. she wants to be mature and strong. she thinks she's weak and hates herself for it, i mean even right before she killed herself she apologized to kano for not being as brave as she thought bc she was scared to go through with her plan. till the very end ayano believed she was a coward and it makes me insane bc her actions r the very opposite of what a coward would do. she tried to fight alone, to be the hero she wished she was, because she didnt know she already was a hero to her family. my little daze is so good for ayano's character because her reaching out to shintaro was one of the few times she allowed herself to be selfish and push for something she wanted. what she truly wanted at first from shintaro was some sort of answer, she idolized him bc he was everything she was not. ayano and shintaro meeting is consistently a catalyst for the start of some form of change in their lives and ouhhh it makes me sooo crazy! another thing that makes me crazy is how ayano is basically destined to always fail no matter what she does. ayaki tried to take direct action in killing marry but it results in the loss of her family and then ayano tried to take indirect action and it results in the loss of her place in the narrative and it's so insane how she can literally never win. she's constantly punished by the story in some way be it complete erasure or loss of the most important people in her life. either way love ayano so much i think she's one of the most fascinating characters in kagepro simply bc shes a rejection of the tragic heroine trope. she learns that her worth isnt on whether or not she is a hero or not, that she isnt supposed to fight alone bc there's people that care for her and want to help her. she probably definitely needs therapy. still. love you ayano 🥀 look at her beautifulness

[mekatrio]

where do i begin.... let me quickly summarize my feelings before i get too sleepy.

kagepro has been a massive part of my life. i could even call it my first hyperfixation ever. i got into it like, 11 years ago. learning to draw, moving countries, and making friends online all while having kagepro by my side. ill go more passionately in depth some other time, but like, im not exaggerating in the slightest when i say this project has shaped the person that i am. so to finally reach the end of the novels, which is something i had tried to do so many years ago.. it feels very good. like a sense of serenity. its the same feeling i had when i finally finished pkmn platinum for the first time, like 13 years after i had first started a file. its very touching and personal too.

i admittedly didnt have high expectations for this novel. i watched mca, and i haphazardly followed the manga route and was laden with many misunderstandings. and i knew that this novel would be a bad end, and from my experience with timeloop-focused medias (higurashi, revue starlight, majora's mask, probably some others im forgetting), bad ends are like, never narratively satisfying. how could it be? every timeloop-focused media aims to break free of the loop, not to perpetuate it.

so i was so surprised by how incredibly beautiful this ending ended up being. this novel is like, perfect to me. it managed to wrap up some many loose threads beautifully. im so happy that all my complaints abt the portrayal of shinaya from earlier today have been completely dissuaded. momo, kano, and kido, while they played rather minor roles, exited the story beautifully. takane was just... amazing, and haruka and hibiya as well. literally everyone was written well and were cherished with such thoughtful endings. and of course the centerpiece of the novel, setomary. holding out until the last novel to divulge into seto's pov worked itself out perfectly, making his perspective on things so much more impactful. also, jin showed a complete mastery of writing deeply touching sorrowful scenes, contrasting perfectly against really stupid fucking scenes that makes u laugh out loud. the written version of snowboarding after aerith's death, if u will.

the entire novel was a tragedy, but yet it was so cathartic? it was so unbelievably sad, but there was so much love as well. i wouldve never thought that a bad end of a timeloop story could ever be something like this. time loops itself again, but this time, it was done with the autonomy of the victims. im just like... so amazed by it. when at it's best, kagerou project really is one of the most beautiful stories out there. ill definitely be talking about this for several weeks.

[heartsdafne]

Dafne Ortega

Little Miss D likes to fuck like in a painting, destroying fine art Little Miss D isn't quite like other girls at all Little Miss D puts her soul inside a letter, destroying fine art She is hurting herself so bad... destroying, destroy Picture perfect, picture black Little Miss D, can I come in and play? Cut my skin, make me perfect Paint me red Another dark day can you help me, Miss D? Cut my skin, make me perfect Paint me red

Born to Spanish parents who got divorced when she was around 5 years old. Her mother went on to marry her now stepfather, a Japanese man that moved the family to his home country.

Has a complicated relationship with every parental figure in her life.

25 years old.

Specialty: Hearts.

Studied literature and theology. She's not a particularly religious person, but finds it absolutely fascinating.

Her most defining features are her long, wavy, black hair and her violet eyes. She always wears a necklace given to her by her grandfather (she thinks it brings her luck) and tends to dress as if she was on her way to a medieval fair of sorts. Does change into something more practical when games take place.

Sad, mysterious, but incredibly fierce. Only lets go, finally behaving her age, when she's around those she trusts, which can be counted with the fingers of a hand.

She considered her arrival in the Borderlands a blessing, not a curse.

Few days after her third game, she was contacted to become a dealer. A Hearts one, under the orders of Mira Kano. She accepted immediately, both because she wanted the behind-the-scenes experience (made her feel like the main character of those novels she enjoys reading and writing) and because she was absolutely bewitched by the Queen of Hearts.

She has overseen the 2 of Hearts, the 4 of Hearts and the 7 of Hearts.

She does feel remorse for players' deaths. But quickly forgets about it when she recalls: it's them or her.

───⋆☆─────────────

Same mun as @andromedagarcia, @cassiopeiagarcia, @herculesgarcia, @oriongarcia and @jofdiamonds so their rules apply also here. Quick recap:

Both the muses and mun are +18.

This is just something I do for fun.

I am not picky when it comes to what to write, but if you're interested in romance, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, or anything of the sort I'd like it if there was chemistry between our characters. Maybe they could start off as friends and see where that takes them?

I don't like writing smut.

I am always up for talking ooc as well, so if you ever want to chat feel free to shoot me a message.

If I ever don't reply to a post/am taking very long to reply to one of our threads, again, please message me. It could be that I'm not inspired, I haven't had that much time, the thread got lost somewhere in my notifications or I just can't get into the mindset of that character in that particular moment.

Each of your characters gets their own separate universe with Dafne unless you want it otherwise.

[ktffansub]

Bijutsu Techo: Boys Love – Interview: Yoneda Kou

This article was first published in November 17th, 2014. Translated from Japanesse to Bahasa Indonesia by kalengjelek and then translated from Bahasa Indonesia to English by KTFfansub. Source: here

When did you first encounter manga?

I was born in a family with three daughters; while my older sister likes reading Ribbon magazine, I like reading Nakayoshi. It was the era of Asagiri Yuu-sensei, when I was in elementary school. My favorite at that time were Kusunoki Kei sensei’s works and Patlabor. When it came to Shonen, I would say I was more into Shounen Sunday. I also loved Kawaraha Izumi sensei’s works. When I think about it, rather than manga that were full of passion, I’d actually prefer manga that had calm and soothing kind of vibe.

Is that so… What about BL?

When I was in Junior High, my older sister showed me Captain Tsubasa Doujinshi by Ozaki Minami and I was dumbfounded, I thought, “So, there’s also a world like this!”. After that, I started to buy BL manga. At that time, the mangaka who left the most impression to me was Nishi Keikosensei. Her works such as Mizu Ga Koori Ni Naru Toki, Tenshi Ni Naranakya have unique openings, it made me reread them many times. Uida Shiuko (now Kano Shiuko) and Yoshinaga Fumi Sensei are also my favorite mangaka.

When was the first time you draw manga?

I seriously began drawing manga in my first year of junior high. At first, I drew a pair of man and woman, but after page three, I felt something was off. So, I tried drawing BL for the next one. Just like the present, I’ve always loved less expressive and less-talkactive main characters (laughs). But the more I draw, then an attentive senpai with good personality and short haired ones like Togawa in Doushitemo Furetakunai also appeared. At that moment I thought, “Oh, this is it!”

You really weren’t embarrassed, are you? (laughs)

Well, it’s because it was embarrassing, that’s why I’m not really open about my drawing manga activity.

(laughs) But you debut as professional mangaka eventually, how did that happen?

Yes, after that… I worked as office lady. I got married not long after, but then, I was getting through a marriage blues. At that time, I was invested in Kakashi and Naruto shown by my older sister along with Comiket catalogue.

The power of moe beats out your anxiety (laughs)

It’s true (laughs). Escaping from reality, I checked a lot of circles and opened some sites. There I found a work from a novelist (now has debuted professionally) that I really liked. This is why I started writing novel at first, not drawing. I have a lot of ways to accommodate my moe needs. I also once drew Doujinshi but due to my inability to use a proper diction, the result wasn’t optimal (laughs). After drawing slowly and more at ease, I got into Katekyo Hitman Reborn fandom and drew a lot of doujinshi for that series. A year later, I was contacted by Taiyou Tosho publisher.

“With that publisher, Yoneda Kou published Doushitemo Furetakunai which has been adapted into a movie. Since the beginning, Yoneda Kou didn’t draw one-shot but serialization. For the movie, even though it only tells a story of daily lives, but the directing, composition and dialogue are impressive. About 4,5 years later, the second volume of Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai that had the yakuza neighborhood setting was released. This has completely different feeling compared to Doushitemo Furetakunai.”

My first work was actually published in Drap, so I had it adjusted to be a less-heavy work. That’s why I ended up switching to another magazine.

Was it a demand from the editor?

Of course I only draw what I want to draw. But without realizing, I always draw them to fit the magazine. And it seems like Taiyou Tosho prefers me to draw more simple work.

So, sensei is the type who pays attention to editor’s suggestion. When you wrote the first chapter of Saezuru Tori Wa Habatakanai, did you already want Yashiro to be the main character (for longterm series)?

Right. I didn’t explain it in the first one-shot, but I always believe that no matter how you look at it, Yashiro really loved Kageyama. And (even though he’s drawn like that) he is actually a neko (uke). I think he is an interesting character. When I drew highschooler Yashiro and others, it had been decided that I wanted to write a serialization for this.

And only then the character Doumeki was born?

At that time, the character Doumeki didn’t exist, but I thought very hard about what kind of partner that would be suitable for Yashiro. I took a break from drawing for about two years. I only worked on illustration during that time, until one morning an idea suddenly came to me, “That’s right! Erectile dysfunction!”. I immediately sent an email to my editor: “A perverted impotent man!” (laughs). Afterwards, I finally worked on the first draft.

(laughs hard) Finally, the combination of Yashiro and Doumeki who are the opposite of each other was decided. What an amazing couple that can even make the readers losing sleep.

I do have this particular interest in people’s decision and behaviour resulted from a contrasting relationship that is full of conflicts. Because there are so many characters in Saezuru, I have this excel file compiling the plot for each character chronologically. Otherwise, I would’ve forgotten about it. If I didn’t seriously research (the setting of my own story), I wouldn’t be able to write anything when I made name. But even though I got through it, drawing a family with no blood ties like yakuza was still difficult. If I don’t focus, the story might turn out like Nagara Sakugyou*. That’s why now I’m just focusing on doing Saezuru.

*) nagara sakugyou: other work that being serialized at the same time

Up until now, Sensei has published 5 volumes and all of them have beautiful covers with varied tones.

Actually, the cover color for Doushitemo Furetakunai should’ve looked like red wine, but it seemed like there was an error in printing so the pink was contrasting into it. But it turned out to be good.

Then about the cover for the Saezuru first volume. It’s so impressive! The stepped-on man! All the people around me also had high appraise for this.

Actually, there were so many things happened in the process. By taking the request (it isn’t clearly explained whether it’s from editor/designer) of “Yashiro sitting alone”, I first submitted that illustration to the book designer. However, I couldn’t throw away the idea of Yashiro being stepped on, so, during the next three days I was stressed out. I’ve finally asked them to keep my idea and that’s how the cover of the first volume ended up the way it is now.

I see! For the second volume, it’s totally different, isn’t it? It’s a scenery, but when you do a double take, there are Yashiro and Doumeki!

I always want to give a different vibe in each volume. Actually I’m also a fan of the way Tsumugi Taku-sensei draws scenery.

Hoo-, sensei is a fan of Tsumugi sensei! Talking abough NIGHTS, when you open the cover, there’s a surprise in it!

Yes, if you look at the rough sketches there were 4 pages of picture that were interconnected. In the end, the desainer took picture number two as the cover and number four to put it on the bottom of the back cover. For Soredemo, I didn’t get any guide from the book designer. I combined the the feel of the story with a touch of water paint. At first, I actually wanted to make Deguchi pulling Onoda’s hand to get out of the train, but it ended up looking like Deguchi forced Onoda to stay (with him). So I decided it’s Onoda who’s getting off the train by himself with Deguchi waiting on the platform.

Do you do the coloring with computer? How about the non-colored script?

I use SAI for coloring but for monochrome I usually draw by my hand until the inking, then I do the tone using photoshop.

Do you self-learned drawing?

Well, I at least bought a lot of ‘pose reference’ books often. When it comes to buy things, it feels great, doesn’t it? But when it comes to manga, we draw to tell our moe concept.. well, I love drawing moe concept, but the thing is- I’m not really good at drawing. I like thinking about moe stuff, I also like to combine colors (inside my head) but when I do, I have no desire to draw I, even though that’s the important part. There are often times when I feel like drawing is a handful. In short, I want to draw something that isn’t too troublesome.

But, isnt it because you’re doing manga seriously that it feels difficult?

Because I’m too serious I feel like the story can be boring. Not only the work but also the author (laughs). I often read comments saying my manga is ‘down to earth’. I guess it’s shown obviously in every each of my works

Sure, there are people who think like, “In real world, there’s no way a wakagashira can be as masochist as Yashiro”, but apart from that, Saezuru still gives an impression of it being realistic. In drawing the important men’s arms and muscles in your work, sensei has done your best. Getting into the story, the characters also put extra effort to look elegant. Despite the young age, in a positive sense, sensei’s works feels like having Showa* vibe.

(*SHOWA ERA: 1926~1989)

I’m no longer young, though (laughs). Maybe this is why my works often get called “JUNE”. Especially Saezuru, I think it really fits (JUNE concept).

Are you an organized person?

I’m actually a person who have no chill (laughs). But I have this side of myself who tend to see things as a whole, look at my surrounding then step on the brake. There is also a side of me that is so energetic in creating my own moe that I turn into a selfish person. I guess that’s also my flaw.

It seems like sensei is the type who has her own editorial meeting inside her head (laughs)

I wish it’s not true, but unfortunately, I’m the type of person who is embarrased to admit that I have a relationship with manga. Even until now I have yet told my close friends about this job (as BL mangaka). I’m not that kind of person who like to share or tell others about my moe situation inside my head. When my moe concept is being visualized in public I would scream, “Don’t look! But if you want to read it, I’d be happy”. Yes, I’m that kind of person.

I wonder if sensei’s works are the manifestation of sensei’s own self-contradictions..

[seoafin]

tbh,, i havent read the raws of the interview yet, only the translated ver from fan-translator and b4 i start, i think that this will be just me talking in circle and in no particular order AND a real mess (my brain does weird things after exams) but uhh here we go

gojou collects talented people, and by doing so he finds the people he can most probably relate to, except that he can't, not really, because something in the universe shifted when he was born. and it makes me think of how he's always known it, that he is special, and he's proven it, time and time again— he wants to take in talented ppl and he does, but there rly isn't much he can do for them. for they are talented, more talented than the world can understand,,

but they aren't gojou satoru

gojou took in megumi, bc he knew megumi was strong, and would grow up to be someone even stronger, but gojou can't facilitate or encourage his growth, bc for all they're similar, they are so fundamentally different. ALSO,, while geto was in his life, gojou rly judged everything according to his understanding of geto’s moral compass. gojou wears a human suit and geto is how he learnt to wear it well 🏃

the dragonfly analogy regarding to geto’s response to gojo, who was shown wearing a dragonfly patterned yukata in HI arc,, i’m trying to not think abt the fact that dragonfly symbolized victory in jpn....pain. i quoted from a web here for more explanation : In Japan the dragonfly is known as the "victory insect", or kachimushi, because of its hunting prowess and also because it is known to never retreat. Dragonflies are agile and fast fliers and can even hover, but never fly backwards

and bringing this up again, matricide and patricide are 2 of the 5 worst act to commit in buddhism, and it was said that if u commit one of those act u’re going to spend a real long time in the deepest pit of hell before continuing the samsaric cycle (higher chances to be born as an animal after that probs)— this might be geto’s divine retribution. held no power over his own body and could be considered that he’s the same as those “monkeys” 💀

ALSO the fact that sukuna's interest is "eating" rly drives home his hedonistic philosophy of seeking pleasure for himself. and he’s a cannibal...makes me think if he’ll just chomp on ppl with the mouth on his stomach

randomly, to date i think he hasn't really called himself a human, shaman, or a curse, and has held himself apart from all 3, and we've also the intro of the cursed wombs so i wonder if he’s trying to become, or is, a different entity altogether

so onmyoji got mentioned in the interview and what they practice is called onmyodo and abe no seimei and kano no yasunori were the notable practitioners,, and the kamo in jjk is the same as irl who served the imperial court back then

maybe i was right when i said that the relation between the govt. and jujutsu elders are similar to how the shogunate and imperial court work (ie, the former holds the actual power) but... lets see later,,

and i cant believe that i actually nailed it on the analogy of jujutsu practices by religion,,, so mahayana buddhism, shintoism, and taoism is present in jjk along with their respective jujutsu practices...but between the 3, it shld (?) be taoism > shintoism > mahayana buddhism (which could took a path to pure land buddhism)

it’s weird that the number of curses are supposedly higher in jpn comparable to other countries when taoism was brought from china....tengen sus

so the zenin family tree is sth like :

brothers: [toji's dad] ; naobito ; ougi

so toji, naoya, and maki & mai are cousins of the same generation

[toji's dad] → jinichi (probs) ; toji → megumi

naobito → other brothers, naoya

ougi → maki, mai

but yea i’d call anyone who’s within/close or below my age range as cousins and others above 30 as uncles/ aunts LMFAO,, i dont rly memorize my own family tree 😭😭 especially since most call the other by honorifics instead of names : aunt, uncles etc or attaching said honorifics at the end of a name for an older sibling figure/ older cousins [but like ppl in my country also call the other who are older with sibling honorific even if we’re strangers,,, rly similar to korea’s hyung/oppa—eonnie(unnie)/noona but some uses more genderless honorific] (1)

tw // topic of incest, mentions of abuse

if anyone got the wrong idea when reading this : i am not glorifying/ romanticising incest(uous themes),, i’m looking at this with absolutely no lenses of bias even tho im rly against it

初恋 = literally : first love, or puppy love

恋 = romantic love/ deep longing

i literally don't know how else to put this...🧍and with language barrier...using a western interpretation of the eng word "love" to explain a jpnese term is not quite that simple, unfortunately

that thread omg,, i rly do understand how exactly someone could associated kindness with love bc of my upbringing, it was when i was slightly older that i was just...oh so its not like that orz,,, so the most plausible explanation would be that

but the problem is that,, akutami never specify when exactly she had a crush on them,, and when megumi answered todo’s question she had a “♡” reaction 😶,, uhmmm there’s rly no way to look past this if its this way or be in denial

i’ve seen some of "why wouldn't mai react that way after hearing megumi say he'd like someone who's compassionate when she's surrounded by men like naoya",, well I MEAN,,, that, but also mai probs admires that megumi grew up so well out of the clan, regardless of the fact that he had the foundation (10 shadows) to do so. imo she seems happy for him the way she can't be for maki, bc maki ultimately had to leave her behind

hate to say it but yea,, the 3 clans most likely still practice inbreeding in order to preserve their power and presumably their wealth too 😀

i had an idle thought abt it at first but i filed it deep in the back of my mind asap,, bc i ont wanna jump to conclusion abt this out of all things too early. it’s probably not even in jjk, but all those elite clans in other ani/mangas that produce powerful heirs and whatnot also do the same,,, but this way of (my personal) thinking was influenced when i first got into tsukihime (type-moon),,, i read abt the nanaya family background and found out that they practice that in order to keep their bloodline “pure” (to keep it short : they have an optical power),, and i had this kind of assumption ever since so there’s that

i’m,, convinced the zenins' inbreeding made it more difficult for them to get powerful shamans bc they got 2 jujutsu technique-less children with heavenly restrictions in the same generation: toji & maki

even more convinced that maki might be a bit stronger than toji bc toji could see curses without aid while maki can't so the pay-off must be higher,,, SJJASN IDK ,,, plus naoya sort of implies his older brothers are nothing compared to him, and idk if we should take that as his arrogance or that his older brothers rly are weak/powerless. it would make sense as to why naobito had a lot of sons, ig, as head of clan

i feel so bad that if one of the factors that can caused heavenly restriction is inbreeding,, toji and maki and mai had no say in how they wanted to be born but are scorned for it,, typical asian families projecting their traumas and ideals onto their kids but get mad when they realize that those ideals are ugly...😁😁😁

since the zenin are conservative,, i wonder if they still hold onto old jpnese dining traditions. where in ancient jpn, hierarchical relationships were made readily apparent even within families. a dining table where everybody sat down and ate as equals would be unheard of. rather, each individual is given their own table that indicates their status,,, someone who is not considered “strong” according to the zenin’s views most likely have no place at the table, and probs eat when those who are “strong” finished/ serve them when they are eating

if toji was tossed into a swarm of curses,, i dont think abuse during said time is below them,,,

the zenin clan was already great, but they further amassed power and strength by, what i assume to be, marrying and adopting powerful individuals into the clan 🤔 ,,, i imagine they're like the hiiragi but without doing what they did to shinya (ons reference)

BUT after all that, i like to think that since akutami’s a big horror fan, jjk might be an outlet to explore said topics or even darker ones, so i wouldnt be that surpised abt it. given that there’s more than enough “red flags” before this was dropped : a reference to “tale of hikaru genji” when a grown woman asked for gojou’s number in HI arc (out of all things); granny who transformed into the man’s daughter, sat on his lap and man just touched her waist; mei mei and ui ui ; and...this (incestous theme is in the novel btw)

lets not start with whatever the fuck in kubo’s head in the interview otherwise i’m writing paragraphs with every curse words possible,, those big 3 mangakas are so— UGH,, a planet w out (cis) men like him sounds real good rn 😌 if one of yall out there decide to do it,, pls hmu rly cant do this shit anymore

akutami said i like my men pretty and i like women who will step on my neck and spit in my face (I REMEMBERED TATSUKI FUJIMOTO’S INTERVIEW WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABT MAKIMA AND IT WAS SO 😭😭😭😭) but ykw,, love that for both of them <3

when i said 3 : one piece, bleach, naruto. aside from the blatant depiction/ characterize of women in those 3,, idk if some ppl arent aware yet but oda is friends with two (2) convicted pedos,, man...the major disappointment and disgust when i first find out abt it

anyways this is just my 2 cents (which i think rightfully belong to the trash can) so pls just take this w a lil to no grain of salt - 🐱

YEAH THE ♡ LMFAO I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A “good answer ♡“ heart BUT NOW IM RE-EXAMINING?????

honestly i wouldn’t be surprised if the three clans practiced inbreeding. but ik people are going to be  😡😡😡😡😡 about it when the queen of fucking england is literally married to her (something) cousin. i’m not justifying it but like....love the double standards, just as always with the west 😍

DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT FUCKING PED* LIST THEY SHOULD ALL BE IN JAIL. JAILLLLL. it’s all so gross. that’s why i fucking hate when people look towards manga for positive representation because the chances of that are super slim to zero, especially since the industry is saturated with misogyny and ped******* and a lot of other gross stuff.

i think ppl forget jjk is a horror manga LOL so obviously it’s going to confront darker themes. the question is whether it’s going to be done tastefully or not......

[unnaturalleaf]

⚠️ Potential Spoilers for Mekakucity Actors and Danganronpa V3 ⚠️

So, this is something I started on Instagram, so I thought I'd also do it here (I'm not sure how good it'll do here, but yeah-). Still not exactly sure what I'll do with it here (Maybe asks or something? I don't know, I'm lost-), but I'll come up with something.

So, these characters are a mix of my pre-game headcannons, their in-game personality, and the personalities of the Mekakucity cast they take the place of.

First, we have Maki as Kido.

Honestly, there wasn't much to change here. She's simply slightly more emotional than she is in V3, I guess. Not much for me to add that isn't already in the picture.

Now, Kaito as Seto.

I know, Seto isn't exactly as confident as Kaito is, but hear me out. Basically, Kaito was lacking in self-confidence before. His inability to control his power made him hear things that he would rather not. He was a strange kid in his mind, he didn't think he fit in anywhere.

Then he met Himiko. He met her, and knew she was afraid, he knew she was also lacking in self-confidence. And so, he became more brave, just to help her. He gave her his jacket, originally given to him by Kaede, and took her to meet the rest of the group.

Now onto Kokichi. He's Kano, another character I kind of adore.

So, yeah, the annoying prankster became another annoying prankster. Honestly, their personalities are really just too similar (though, Kokichi isn't that flirtatious-). I don't have much more to add here, tbh-

Here's Himiko as Marry, a design I might change later, I'm not too sure on hers yet.

I still love her, though! She's extremely quiet and shy at first, but gets a little more brave later on. She spends a lot of time with Angie and Tae, who help boost her confidence.

Because she doesn't know her birthday, the others decided to make it the day that Kaito found her. As for her age, Kokichi decided it would be appropriate to make her 17, just like the rest of them.

The Ultimate Artist has become the Ultimate Pop Sensation! Here we have Angie as Momo!

She's you're regular happy-go-lucky Angie. She gets excited when she comes up with new ideas and does her best to follow through with them.

Every now and then, she regrets her decision to become an idol, but her friends (and big brother) are always there to remind her how great it is.

In the beginning, she had a very difficult time controlling her ability, making it difficult for her to go out in public. This caused her to isolate herself more than she'd like. However, after she met the group, they all helped her develop her ability more. This allowed her to go out more often without worrying about so many people crowding her.

I'll design a more casual outfit for Angie later on, but that's all I have for now.

Out of all of the characters, Tenko is the only one that is used twice. Here's Tenko, or Tae, as Ene.

Like it says above, Tae is a virus on Shuichi's computer. She came in an email from am unknown sender. Even though she is a virus, she doesn't seem to have any I'll intent (except for the fact that she likes messing with Shuichi's files)

Even though she does like to pick on people, she does get worried when she notices they're in a bad state. Every now and then, when Shuichi really regrets not being there for Kaede, Tae will talk to him, trying to cheer him up.

Here's the (main) protagonist himself, Shuichi as Shintaro! Honestly, it's basically just Shuichi in a casual outfit.

Being around too many people makes him extremely anxious, which is another reason he rarely leaves his room. Before Kaede died, he was more confident, but she was really the only person that had tried helping him overcome his social anxiety.

As he believes that pretty much everything has a simple answer, it was very difficult for him to accept that the reason for her death was as simple as everyone made it seem. Because if that, he spends the next two years of his life trying to figure out what had happened. Even after those two years, he continued searching for answers, but he wasn't getting any closer to the truth.

Now onto his relationship with Angie! They're step siblings and, honestly, they hardly know each other. After Ayano's death, he started hiding away in his room, rarely coming out. The only interactions they would really have would be the few times she brought him food because their mother was worried for him.

On top of that, with Angie being an idol, she is rarely home as is.

Because they never really got a chance to bond, he does his best when they both join the Dan. Though, it isn't exactly easy for Shuichi, as he doesn't know how to handle social situations too well.

Here's some stuff that's not too important: before Kaede died, Shuichi had dreamt of becoming a detective. He had a love for mystery novels and puzzle games.

And lastly (for now), we have Rantaro as the one and only Hibiya.

Before I say ANYTHING else about him, I must emphasise, do NOT ship him with anyone else in this AU! He is a middle schooler, while the rest of them are either in their last year of highschool or graduated (not counting Angie, because if you know Momo... Yeah). The only one that he could possibly be shipped with here is Miu, or Hiyori, who is cannonically Hibiya's crush. Small rant over, carrying on.

I like the idea of pre-game Rantaro being a real cocky asshole, do woo. This kid is a mix of a complete asshole and a legitimate nice person, depending on his mood or who he's around.

After losing Miu, he became emotionally distant, trying to push people away from him. He tries to act like he doesn't care about losing his best friend, but it all gets to him later on. He remembers a good amount of the looks pretty well, even the ones in which he dies. With the knowledge of how many times awful events have unfolded in front of him, it's definitely done some damage.

And so, there we are. The first right characters of what I'm calling "Dangancity Actors". If you managed to put up with me and rad through this all, thank you so much. If you're here from Instagram, this is where you'll get more information on the characters, bc honestly I can't bother writing this much on Instagram. Until next time!

[yuukei-yikes]

Been thinking about what kind of interaction haruka and seto would have since they never spoke with each other (from what i know), but i think they'd be the cutest together because they're both so... idk i just love them (they are my wiwis you have to understand). Setomary harutaka double date would be insane, like, picture this: while haruka and seto would probably be talking about how much they love their girlfriends (they are full of love and whimsical feelings), takane would be like "how tf do i start conversation with this lovecraftian ass creature (with due respect)" because mary wouldn't know what to say either BUT SHE WANTS TO SHE'S JUST REALLY SHY 😔😔😔

oh i got GREAT NEWS for you

you know im always talking about post str haruka keeping a little distance from the dan cuz he knows them but they dont know him and etc etc etc etc. well! i actually hc that outside takane shintaro and ayano of course, SETO is the one member of the dan haruka is very good friends with in early post str. and thats cuz.... he is also the one member of the dan (again outside the quartet)haruka has actually spoken to before being konoha!!! its time for me to talk about the novels again❤️

IM ABT TO KAGEXPLAIN TO YOU BUT ILL GET TO SETOMARY & HARUTAKA AT THE END and my hcs on their dynamics :3 but first let me tell u abt seto&haruka's and mary&takanes friendships. spoilers duh

in the sixth novel, haruka stays over at kenjirou's house for 1 week while he works on the game with him. there haruka meets ayano for the first time, and finds out mr tateyama has FOUR kids. despite haruka is pranked a little by these mysterious 3 siblings he never meets them directly. its rly funny cuz haruka's like can i introduce myself to them i mean im gonna be staying for a week. and ayano's like WHAT. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT. and harukas like ok damn i guess i wont meet them

but haruka DOES meet seto during his stay! its one of my FAVORITE chapters of the whole novel. this bit has a 2 page illustration cmon!!!!!!! SETOS HAMSTER BITES HARUKAS FOOT

ok erm anyway. chapter summary of seto&haruka's interaction: haruka went to buy some snacks at the convenience store at night, and when he comes in seto's hamster hanao BITES his damn foot!!!!!! (attacker shown on pic) seto rushes right over like NOOOO HANAOOO

haruka and seto share an awkward greeting bc seto wants to run away asap but haruka's rly desperate to meet him so he invites him to eat the free pudding he won at the grocery store and seto accepts. then they sit and chat while eating pudding :3

haruka invites seto to come to the festival, seto thanks him but says he cant bc he's bad with crowds and he also has a job interview for being a part time paperboy. he assures him his other siblings will show up (as we know, kido and kano do show up but haruka never knew they were ayano and setos siblings at that point!!!)

when seto starts talking abt this job interview he mentions his mom is dead. in that conversation haruka finds out about ayaka. idk about the original line in japanese, but haruka says "mr tateyama's wife is dead?" because of course from his pov the shock comes from his relationship with kenjirou. he feels rly bad that kenjirou acts all happy and normal at school while going through this. seto acts surprised haruka didn't know

haruka expresses sadness over being such a pain for kenjirou then, but seto says that's not true and that kenjirou talks about him all the time. *pretends to be normal about kenjirou*

seto reveals kenjirou called haruka his pride and joy while drunk, which makes haruka tear up. while drunk he also said he'd bring haruka over to make him be ayano's boyfriend lmao and seto says he and kano&kido freaked out about it and were like WE WILL PROTECT U FOR THIS GUY NEECHAN😡😡😡 WHICH IS LIKE. A LAYER OF CONTEXT TO A BIT THAT HAPPENS EARLIER IN THE NOVEL bc they give haruka A REALLY HARD TIME when he arrives and its basically implied they did this bc they were afraid he was gonna hit on ayano lol (jin jokes in his author's notes he literally wanted haruka to hit on ayano literally for shit and giggles but his editor was like dude this is ooc can you take this fucking seriously)

it's also implied seto read haruka's mind when he arrived and since haruka had been thinking of takane and being kind of... he was like her hair her eyes her lips etcetc he was just.... being a 16 year old about it. and seto assumed it was about ayano, told his siblings and there kano went in disguised as ayano to give haruka a piece of his mind. honestly read the sixth novel its hilarious idk if its cuz its a novel with all my faves but its one of the best erm anyways back to the pudding chapter

before seto goes his eye power activates and he basically almost collapses or something. haruka gets rly worried but seto is able to calm down and he leaves. i hc that in this scene seto found out haruka was dying. i dont have proof other than seto probably read his mind there. but i like the hc😄

anyways!! fast forward to the end of the eighth novel, seto (and mary and hibiya) are in the real world while literally everyone else is dead inside the daze. they make a phonecall because of reasons i wont explain and everyone is screaming into it trying to talk to the outside guys, and haruka has a single line where he says "kousuke its me haruka!!!!! remember when we had that pudding together 2 years ago!!!!" hehe its so cute im so glad jin added that

basically. haruka and seto BEST FRIENDS. when haruka is back post str he would be very comfortable with seto and seto would for sure approach haruka and hang out with him. i definitely think haruka's the closest to seto outside of the yuukei quartet!!! like come on theyd be such good friends🥺 i was thinking of harutaka cat last night and i 1000% think seto is the one to find them a pet. seto is always taking haruka to see cats

NOW!!! MARY&TAKANE!!! they definitely don't have as much interaction as haruka&seto bc jin would rather die than write proper scenes for his female characters alone However it is said they hit it off immediately when they meet! ene makes an unforgettable comment abt mary and momo being gay which mary doesnt understand and momo like a good kisaragi wants to kill ene. anyways thats a little funny one

ill talk what i remember the most! the fourth novel: shintaro wakes up and finds mary complaining she can't talk to ene and it turns out shintaro's phone has no battery. shintaro explains the concept of a Charger and Electricity and Mary's like whoa ene eats some weird stuff huh

so she starts looking for a charger. shintaro tells her not to hurry bc theyre better off without her anyways and mary gets mad at him and tells him to stop MEAN to ene!!!!! and says she must ALSO feel lonely in there!!!! and shintaro's like o_o!! ok damn!!!!

that's the only mary&takane i can think of. but they're really good friends i think takane's as much of a tease to her as she is to everyone but mary doesnt always understand LOL but they get along well :3 theyre besties :3 like for real mary momo & ene have a girl gang that could rule the world.

then mary finds some snakeskin in a drawer with the charger and shintaro and kido almost shit their pants etcetc BUT when mary got mad, shintaro has some rly cute thoughts about ene. he remarks how absolutely no one in the dan ever questioned what the hell is ene or how she works, bc theyre all weirdos so of course they dont question other weirdos(and one of my fave shinene lines, where shintaro admits hes developed an affinity for her and that it's because of her he met all these nice people and she might as well be his salvation *fucking explodes*) anyways. he thinks ofc mary and ene hit it off. i think its so cute that mary wanted to talk to ene and just took shintaros phone to do it!!

anyways. THEYRE ALL BEST FRIENDS :3 :3 :3 :3 setomary & harutaka double date is totally possible. and we should get seto&takane to be best friends too like i think theyd be sooooo funny together. i ALWAYS say when takane gets her body back there is no way she could walk so comfortably like she does and since seto (and kano) are there i hc seto carries her back to the hideout from the lab💥💥💥

harutaka & setomary is so funny since ive been in the fandom for so long i can tell u people always compared them like the insane pda ones and though i dont rly agree with that i still think its a funny and nostalgic hc. i think itd be cute if seto told haruka he likes mary but no one else. like everyone KNOWS. duh. but he tells haruka IDK I LIKE THIS HC Because kano and kido will tease him and ayano and mary are awkward with each other (bc i say so) so seto tells haruka like omg i have a crush on mary ://3 and haruka's like omg no way whats ur fave thing about her *kicks feet* they should get to talk abt their crushes together OKAY.

i do think haruka&takane start dating pretty soon or are dating in whatever moment seto comes to haruka to talk abt mary so idk i think its cute if seto went to haruka also bc he's like. hes the only person i know who has a partner 🫡 i like a lot of ships that i think happen eventually and all have their own shitshows and moments but i think haruka&takane are the very first to get together and everyones like yeah. they're the couple ig. Ok sorry someone hold me down before i start talking again about harutaka being the romance love story of kagepro

ermmm basically yes best friends!!!!!

[koizumicchi]

I'm following you, and u keep talking about lipxlip and it made me curious. So I was wonder where do i start? Do i need to follow a specific order?

Hello anon and thank you for the follow!!! This may be late now but nice to meet you!!! And I apologize for this late reply!

It's a bit hard to map out but I'll do my best to make a guide :D This is long so buckle up!

LIP×LIP is an idol unit by HoneyWorks (haniwa for short). Haniwa is a music-inclined group producing their own original songs. The main members are: shito and gom, in charge with the songs, and yamako the main illustrator. There are also other support members like mogelatte and the band members, etc. Haniwa is known for their songs and the MVs they release that tell the stories of their characters. Before, they only upload their videos on nico nico douga (that's where I discovered them but correct me if I'm wrong, anyone) but they have their own youtube channel now.

LIP×LIP is a 2-person idol unit composed of Shibasaki Aizou and Someya Yuujirou. When they debuted, their last names weren't revealed so everyone got used to calling them by their first names. Aizou is the blonde with the hair tie; he is the 'wild' image of LIP×LIP, the cool guy, the sunshine brimming with energy, but in truth, he's resentful and usually seen openly angry at anyone when not in idol mode. Yuujirou is the blue-haired with uneven bangs; he is the calm side of LIP×LIP (like the moon), the gentle tones, the pretty boy; but outside his idol persona, he looks down on others inferior to him, and glares at anyone he doesn't like. Off-cam, he and Aizou don't have a good relationship; they argue and disagree with each other a lot... but they got along somewhere somewhen and are now partners or 'rivals' as they like to put it. They may be two-faced jerks, but trust me, they are valid (once you know where they are coming from) and eventually got better as a person. I'll let you in on a secret: they are soulmates but they just don't realize it yet.

That's basically the general summary. I try to avoid mentioning major spoilers but if you have more questions about them, you can try checking the wikia site and if that's not enough for you, my ask box is always open!

I knew LIP×LIP during their debut period but tbh right now I'm not exactly sure what direction should I point you to XD i guess you can start with their MVs. that's where I got to know them anyway. liplip wasn't that popular at first; they were meant to be side characters, I assume, but the fans love them too much and so LIP×LIP got too powerful and landed several collabs which lead to growing popularity.

MVs (they're on youtube dont worry, just search using their kanji titles) : 1. Romeo - debut, Feb 2017 2. Nonfantasy 3. Hitsuyou Fukkaketsu - only a short mv 4. Koi wo Shiyou - a collab so liplip isnt the focus 5. Yume Fanfare 6. Yappa Saikyou 7. Rodeo 8. Choco Kano 9. Chiisana Lion ft Minami

After Romeo, you can watch these in any order you like since they can stand on their own, except for Yume Fanfare and Yappa Saikyou - those you gotta watch consecutively.

Then there are the other MVs which liplip is featured: Heroine Ikusei Keikaku and Heroine Tarumono, among others. There's also the short drama video wayback in 2017 focusing on Aizou and Yuujirou being a bitch on this girl fresh out of a province (excuse me this makes me laugh everytime i remember it), subbed by Denzero - he has an fb page of the same name and he uploaded it there. Hopefully he hasn't deleted it. Watch it before Nonfantasy for more context.

And then there's the Docchi Kiss episode, released last year. I translated it myself, and with the help of some friends, we were able to sub it! I recommend you watch it after Yume Fanfare since it was released after that MV. You can actually watch it after Romeo (the ep is the making video after all) but I think the 'fanservice' wouldn't be that believable XD and of course the 2 drama tracks featured on docchi kiss!! I've made a sunmary of that as well!

The songs w/o an MV :'(( - Judge - Tsuki no Hime - White Day Kiss - Repaint - Fiancee (also on youtube but sung by vocaloids gumi and miku) - Seika (Yuujirou's solo) - Yellow (Aizou's solo)

I have translated these (except for Fiancee) as well, you can find them under my /translation tag. Please do not omit Seika and Yellow. I cannot stress this enough. That's where you'll understand Aizou and Yuujirou's relationship and their thoughts on each other.

There's also the light novels. I think there are about 3 now? For heroine ikusei keikaku, romeo, and kono sekai no tanoshimikatta. It isnt available atm unless you buy them of course. There are also short stories, written in Japanese but translated from Spanish by Mar @yume-fanfare, you can read them on their blog!

And of course, the big project!!! The anime film!!! Kono Sekai no Tanoshimikatta or How to Enjoy this World, to be released on 25th of December this year! It will reveal their pre-idol days, the audition, the days before and after their debut! You can check /HoneyWorksMovie on twitter for more information. and check out Haru's blog @takanenene for translation of the info. The OP and ED songs for the film, sung by LIPLIP themselves will be released on Dec 23 so we'd probably get an mv or two before that date!

Well, that ends it! Sorry for the lack of photos or direct links; our connection here isn't exactly stable for the past weeks :

[fromthewifecage]

Travelling with Erron Black (aka: Take me home, country roads)

Anonymous asked a question I’ve been stuck at the airport for hours now :( so due to that could I have some headcanons of what it’d be like traveling around with Erron please? I’m sure it’d be more fun with him around lol

First off I must apologise that I couldn’t do this when you sent it. It was my birthday. and I was really rather drunk, so oops. I hope you can still enjoy it even though it’s a couple of weeks later, and I hope you were able to board that flight and get home very soon after you sent this to me x

Erron Black has been around for a long, long time, so he’s been to many places through both work and pleasure. If the pay cheque is large enough he’ll go wherever you want him to.

Younger!Erron Black:

During his youth he travels on horseback. He can ride a horse with the best of them, and will love to go riding with you/teach you if you’re willing. If you can’t ride for whatever reason then he’ll try to get you into a carriage/cart. He loves horses and loves to spend time forming a bond with a horse and if you do too it means not only does he think you’re a decent person, but it gives him an excuse to spend more time with you (because this (idiot) man is going to find it super awkward to tell you exactly how he feels for you).

If Erron is on a job that takes him further than a horse will find comfortable, he’ll use the railroad. He enjoys the noise of the wheels spinning on the track whilst he lies back against the side of the railcar and relaxing by cleaning his guns. After he finishes tending to his guns he’ll watch the countryside changing as the train rides through each county. If he has time he’ll jump off the train and explore any of the towns that caught his eye, getting back on the next train through the town.

As he gets older and technology advanced, he tries automobiles, motorbikes, flying and public transport, but finds nothing beats riding a horse.

If he has to travel by car, then he wants an open-topped one. Not only does he miss the outdoors and nature, but he’s a really rather tall man and those long legs of his need some room to move and stretch. He especially hates flying or the underground, he feels like a “Goddamn sardine in a Goddamn can”. If he has the time he’d rather go by boat than fly to his destination.

Black Dragon!Erron Black:

Going from the warmth of the South to the chill of Russia is a huge shock to his system. Kano pays Erron enough to actually make that move, but that doesn’t stop Erron from constantly complaining about the cold. This much snow comes as a huge shock to the system and Erron’s ponchos do fuck all to block out the windchill. Kano is walking around with a shaved head and a sleeveless Gi (and over the years he wears less and less, the exhibitionist, tut tut) and doesn’t bat his eye at the cold, but Erron suffers.

Still, when there’s sufficient coin he takes that job in the Ural Mountains. He doesn’t sleep under the stars as he will if it’s a warmer climate, instead he’ll find a thickly walled log cabin and wrap himself up in furs. If he’s on vacation/holiday with a partner then he’ll ensure the cabin is stocked with enough firewood to last the entire length of the stay, after all, you’ll both be naked pretty much the entire time.

He knows next to nothing about Russia before he moved out there, but takes the time to learn the local area, then the myths and legends, so he has something to talk about when wrapped up in the blankets by the roaring fire. He talks of Baba Yaga and her chicken legged hut. He’ll tell you of Silver Hoof and present you with a necklace with a beautiful peridot pendant, the stone appeared where the goat stomps his right hoof. Erron Black may play the loner, but inside his chest beats a deeply romantic heart.

Outworld!Erron Black

Shao Kahn makes Erron an offer he can’t refuse, so the outlaw then moves to the warmth and beauty of Edenia. Erron never really feels at home anywhere, but when he arrives in Outworld with its myriad of inhabitants, especially those working at the Kahn’s Palace, he realises maybe they all feel like he does, an outsider in a strange new world, and so Erron slowly finds himself feeling at ease with his surroundings for the first time in his life. He soon considers himself an Outworlder and will introduce himself as such. After all, what is left back at home in Wickett save the bones of all those he once knew?

Using portals is a novel experience, but as it’s such a quick and convenient journey through one he can brush aside any ill effects such as nausea. He doesn’t feel squashed into a tin can or claustrophobic, so he’s now happy travelling from Outworld to Earthrealm or anywhere Shao Kahn demands of him.

None of this changes once Kotal becomes Kahn, only Erron is now less worried he’ll end up with a massive hammer through the skull.

Any flavour of Erron Black:

If Erron invites you travelling with him, whether accompanying him on a job or a holiday, then be prepared for going off the beaten track. He’s been there, done that, and if you seriously suggest a holiday to Benidorm or a regular package holiday, then he will not be impressed. He researches meticulously, he’ll find that cute little hideaway that is not going to be featured in ‘Traveller's Guide to Outworld’ or ‘Tripadvisor’. He wants time to relax, explore and fuck.

He’s like Bear Grylls, only not a wanker. He knows how to survive in the middle of a desert for as long as it takes to get back to civilisation. He can make a canoe for two out of 3 shoes and a sock. He can build a still out of a juice box and a toilet roll if you run out of booze. It’s only an emergency if he’s fallen down a wall and broken every bone, not just most of them (and he’d still insist he was ok to fight the bear).

He will however wake you at 4am to start the trek up the mountain or keep you going with “Just one more mile, sweetheart, you can do it”, even if you’ve got blisters upon blisters.

[sparklyjojos]

THE SAIMON FAMILY CASE recaps [1/13]

These will be full recaps of the latest JDC book, The Saimon Family Case (彩紋家事件) from 2004, which is a prequel taking place in the late 70s. While it’s a prequel, it can be read without any knowledge about the series. (It does spoil one death from Carnival at the end, but I feel like everyone already knows about this particular one).

It won’t be obvious in the recaps, but the book consists of seven parts seven chapters each (similar to Maijo’s Tsukumojuku) with two additional parts at the end.

The novel is light in terms of content warnings (for a murder mystery, anyway), but small kids WILL die in this, and we’ll be talking a lot about a specific type of systemic xenophobic violence near the end.

See that big family tree above? Save it somewhere for future reference. Believe me when I say you will need it. (Also, as always in the recaps, family name will be given first, Japanese-style.)

Well then—has everyone found their seats? Is everyone ready to witness the most splendid illusion?

Let's start the show.

PART 1

A note at the beginning informs us that soon 20 years will have passed from the end of the famous Saimon Family Murder Case, often called the “Crime Revolution” because of its impact on the future of similar complicated incidents. The details of the case have been hidden from the masses, but the time will soon come when everyone will learn the truth.

--

It’s the very last day of the year 1999. The mysterious first person narrator of the framing device is an older gentleman attending a New Years celebration in Las Vegas with his wife. They watch a fairly young blond magician perform close up magic for the guests. The magician borrows a 10,000 yen bill from the narrator, seals it in an envelope, sets it on fire, and it suddenly turns into a rose in his hand. When the narrator is asked to check his wallet, inside he finds a bill with the same denomination and serial number, but of a noticeably larger size… among a few other stunning differences.

“Happy New Millenium!” the magician exclaims.

This little illusion awakens memories from that case in both the narrator and his wife. As the world heads towards the new century, they are the only people left who were so closely involved in those tragic events of old.

--

It's September 19th 1977, and the entire Saimon family celebrates the 99th birthday of their old matriarch, Saimon Tamako. The celebration takes place on a performance stage next to the family's main residence in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture. Tamako’s daughter Akiko pushes the matriarch’s wheelchair towards the stage.

A perceptive guest may notice two other old women in the crowd who look astonishingly like Saimon Tamako, though they are a little younger (97). These are twin sisters called—if you can believe it—Tsukumo Tamako and Tousen Tamako. The three Tamakos look near identical, and in fact once used that similarity for their magic acts: all secretly shared the single stage name of Soga Tenju. That was decades ago, of course. The Tamakos no longer look like the beautiful young woman (actually women plural) known from her most famous illusion, Courtisane and Bell.

Once Akiko and Tamako take their place on the stage, all the lights suddenly go out for just a second, and in that brief darkness two things happen.

One: the red-and-white stripes of the celebratory curtain decorating the stage suddenly turn into black-and-white stripes of a funeral curtain.

Two: Saimon Tamako dies.

--

Saimon Tamako is ruled to have died of natural causes, not unusual at her age, and the curtain changing color must have been just someone’s attempt at a distasteful joke.

However, the threat of something darker going on still seems to lurk in the background. There’s a lot of people with bad intentions in this world. As part of the Saimons, Akiko is well aware of that. She recalls what she knows about the family's past.

Back at the beginning of the 20th century, Saimon Tamako made her living performing magic with a traveling circus group. Eventually she met a rich man, married him, and with his financial help established the Soga Tenju troupe.

Of course, the magician Soga Tenju was actually three women, all looking identical, all having similarly unclear pasts and wandering with the same group, all being called simply Tamako because no one even knew their real names.

It happened that three rich men of Tsuwano, who all have been friends—Saimon Taishin, Tsukumo Taigen, and Tousen Taikun—fell for the same “Soga Tenju”, and upon discovering the secret behind the magician decided to marry one member of the trio each. Since this was the era it was, the women didn’t really have a say in the matter. (Akiko hopes for more emancipation in the future and feels sad that she probably won’t live to see it; she’s over sixty herself.)

The tendency for similar names came with all sides of the family, it seemed. The three rich men were themselves a little weird, and that shared “Tai” in their names was something they added intentionally to show their bond. Their respective firstborn children—Tsukumo Haruko, Tousen Natsuko and Saimon Akiko—were given names referring to haru (spring), natsu (summer) and aki (fall). Since the Tamakos were so similar looking, their daughters also looked close enough that one could mistake them for triplets.

Akiko herself has three sons—Taishi, Akio, and Takayoshi—but now that they are all adults, they no longer feel so close to her, especially the youngest Takayoshi, who never felt inclined to stage illusion and broke all contact with the family. He didn’t show up for Tamako’s birthday and even now, a month later, hasn’t contacted them yet.

On October 19th, Akiko is busy sewing new props for a magic routine, the Five-Ball Cascade, in which juggled balls seem to change colors between red and white in mid-air. Remembering her times as the young magician Soga Tenshuu, she attempts the act just one more time. As she throws the balls in the air, she feels a stabbing pain in her chest and suddenly sees familiar faces in the balls—her mother, her husband, her sons—changing from white to red, like a bloody cascade. As they fall to the ground, Akiko does too.

--

A month later, on November 19th, a few members of the Saimon family are combing the Tottori sand dunes in search for young Saimon Yuuta, who went missing the previous day after announcing he’d like to show them something at the site. Everyone’s on edge; it’s barely been a month since Akiko's death.

A rope is found sticking out of Umanose, the famous “horse-back” dune, and several people pulling on it manage to unearth what looks like a giant card—four of diamonds—and Yuuta’s corpse tied to it.

--

--

Not even a few years have passed since JDC’s founding when young detective Ajiro Souji and his wife Mizuki take part in Saimon Tamako’s tragic birthday celebration.

The couple feels at home in Shimane, both because Mizuki was born in the prefecture, and because Ajiro has been friends with the Saimon family ever since receiving their help during the Ajiro Family Murder Case—the experience which prompted him to create JDC in the first place.

That case, as usual, was solved by his grandfater Soujin and mentor Shiranui Zenzou [and if you want to know more about it, read Carnival]. Both of them are splendid detectives, but decided young Souji should be the one to become JDC’s representative instead.

...but we keep saying "JDC" here, and the truth is the tiny group doesn’t call itself by the fancy English name Japan Detectives Club yet. It goes simply by Nihon Tantei Club and occupies the third floor of an office building filled with boutiques, clinics and the like.

Aside from Ajiro the representative, the staff consists of six office workers and twelve detectives (not counting Soujin, who is almost always out on business). The detectives are divided into the Shiranui Section and Kirigirisu Section, named after their respective leaders. There is some tension between the sections: the Shiranui part puts more value on past experience and doesn’t approve of choosing young Souji as their representative, while the Kirigirisu part praises his potential and thinks of the organization’s future.

So far Nihon Tantei Club is pretty unknown, no dramatic and giant solved cases to their name, and everyone has a strange conflicting feeling: at once wishing for the peace to never end and wishing for the inevitable tragedy to just happen already; to just get to the point where what should be unusual becomes the new normal, because everyone knows deep down it has to happen one day.

On November 22nd, Kirigirisu Tarou as usual takes the train to work, thinking about how the world will inevitably change as the new century comes around—though, of course, he can’t be sure he will actually get to see it, as nobody knows what will have happened in over twenty years.

Maybe he’s mulling over the passage of time and worries about the future so much because he's a man without a past. Kirigirisu lost all his memories to head injury a few years ago, at the same time when he was wrongly accused of murder. Fortunately, he was proven innocent thanks to both Ajiros, could begin new life as a detective, and even found a wonderful wife called Kano. He would love it if this usual everyday life could continue indefinitely… although without crime, a detective like him would be out of a job. For now he wants to focus on helping the Ajiros as he can.

Kirigirisu arrives at the office, which is mostly empty this early in the morning. Well, except for the delinquent detective Raiouji Rokenrou, looking just like you’d expect a punk named after rock’n’roll to look like (sunglasses, a lot of hair gel…) and taking a nap on the couch. Apparently Ajiro Souji had a long meeting with him about something last night, and now wants to talk to Kirigirisu.

Ajiro Souji is a sharply dressed 29-year-old man, easy to mistake for a normal office worker in the crowd. (Kirigirisu always flinches a bit seeing his elegant tie; he himself has a strange phobia of wearing anything around his neck, which he suspects has to do with an unknown event forever hidden behind his amnesia).

They each light a cigarette and have a friendly conversation. Ajiro mentions that he recently tried to switch to cigars, but alas, it seems that it’s still “too early” for him to appreciate them; about forty years too early, according to grandpa Soujin. [Seeing as Ajiro is a huge cigar fan in most of the series, grandpa miscalculated by at least two decades.]

Soujin is a thin man of short stature who hardly looks like someone in their seventies, although his hair is just as white as his usual suit, with just a black bowtie breaking the color. He always gives off the air of a mafia boss, his sheer power of personality taking hold of everyone around. Soujin apparently feels constant wanderlust, so he almost never shows up at the office. In fact, Kirigirisu hasn't seen him in over two months now. Who knows what he’s doing.

But back to the situation at hand, Ajiro wants Kirigirisu's help. For the next few days, they will investigate a case together in another prefecture, Rokenrou taking care of Kirigirisu’s section in his absence.

The case surrounds a strange series of deaths. First, Saimon Tamako dying (seemingly) of old age on her birthday on September 19th. Second, her daughter Akiko suffering a (seemingly) accidental death on October 19th, when a misplaced sewing needle stabbed into her heart. And third, a very strange but (seemingly) accidental death of another Saimon family member that has just happened on November 19th. Ajiro and Kirigirisu are to investigate whether or not the perfectly spaced string of incidents may be an act of serial killing.

The case is of personal importance to Ajiro. After all, the person who requested their services is the same man that helped solve the Ajiro Family Murder Case: Saimon Ryuusui, known better as the great magician Soga Tensui.

--

(The third person narration swaps here to a completely different font, and informs us helpfully: but ah, before the two detectives could head to Tsuwano, they would go to Yamaguchi first, to watch the magic show of the Saimon family, a marvelous experience that Ajiro has already had a few times because of his friendship with the family, and that Kirigirisu would witness for the first time.

And from the very moment they were invited to see the show first, they felt uneasiness settle inside them. Only much, much later would one realize just how deep the hidden meaning of the show really was, and that solving all its mysteries was crucial to solving the Saimon Family Murder Case.

You could even say that the show itself, filled with so many wondrous mysteries to solve, was the true Saimon Family Murder Case. If so, then the magician Soga Tensui could be defined as its culprit—and if so, then Ajiro and Kirigirisu have just walked right into a marvelous illusion indeed.)

--

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

[beckzorz]

A Private Tour (one-shot)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Words: 2020 Summary: Captain America and his brooding friend get a private tour of an art museum. As an intern, your only job is to keep a low profile. Oops? A/N: Happy Fluff Friday! Wrote this in a flash and wanted to share :3 For anyone curious, the museum is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. All the descriptions of the art are sourced from the museum website. Thanks (as always) to my amazing beta reader @kentuckybarnes, who is more patient than any saint <3

“And here we have the 1888 portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner by John Singer Sargent. After its initial showing, her husband asked it to not be publicly shown again until after his death.”

“Fascinating,” Captain America said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and tilted his head as he peered up at the milky face of the museum’s mastermind. The curator studied him with blatant interest.

You rolled your eyes.

“What?”

You flinched. You’d been invited to accompany the curator on Captain America’s private tour, to shadow her and learn—a high honor for a lowly intern such as yourself. You were just supposed to keep a low profile and pay attention to how the curator conducted the tour.

Of course, you’d blown it now. Captain America’s friend, the dark, brooding fellow trailing at an uneasy distance, was staring at you with raised eyebrows.

“What?” he repeated.

“I didn’t say anything,” you whispered.

“You rolled your eyes,” he whispered back.

“Er…” Your face burned.

He cracked a grin. “I won’t tell.” He winked conspiratorially at you and strolled up beside Captain America, who started to point out some brushwork to the strange man.

Martha, the curator, joined you by the far wall as the two men chatted.

“So, what do you think?” she asked.

“I’m curious why you picked the pieces you did,” you said. “But I guess I have weird taste.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I get why you’d point out the Sargent—it’s a classic. Plus, the whole idea of locking something splendid away for ages does kinda resonate. But a few of the others you picked were pretty obscure.”

“Well, I like to highlight some of the things that speak to me.” Martha tapped her chin. “And you do get some extra autonomy on these private tours. No need to follow a strict script like with the regular tours.”

“Mm.”

You eyed the two guests speculatively. Captain America was still staring up at the Sargent while talking to his friend. His friend, on the other hand, had his head turned towards you and Martha. You raised your eyebrows when he glanced back at you, but he looked away so fast you weren’t sure if he’d even noticed. He was dressed like Captain America in a button-down shirt and jeans, though he had his sleeves rolled down and gloves on as well. His shirt wasn’t quite straining over the muscles of his back, but it was a close call. The black jeans across his butt, on the other hand…

“What’s the other one’s name again?” you asked Martha in a whisper.

“Don’t you recognize him? That’s Bucky Barnes!”

Bucky Barnes definitely looked back at you this time. You ignored his badly disguised smirk.

“I guess I’m not up-to-date on the real world,” you said lightly. “Not that I’m so up-to-date in the art world, either…”

“Ah yes, your penchant for impressionist landscapes.” Martha’s lips twitched with amusement. Captain America turned back to her with a smile, and Martha hurried forward to lead on.

You kept to a reasonable distance. Bucky Barnes stood by the Sargent until you pass by.

“So,” he drawled. “Impressionist landscapes?”

“I’d say they’re classic, but that’s a couple millenia off-base,” you told him.

Bucky grinned. He hooked his fingers in the loops of his snug jeans and kept pace with you as you followed Martha and Steve.

“What about art of people?”

“Eh,” you said with a shrug. “ I see people every day. We’re all works of art, in my opinion. You just have to look at people the right way to see it.”

“So how should I pose?” Bucky stopped short and twisted his legs and torso, raising his arms in a fair facsimile of the composite pose of ancient Egypt. His muscles strained against his shirt, and you stepped back to try and take in the whole picture and not just the stark outline of his abs. His long hair brushed his cheekbones, and his cheeky grin was nothing like the serene profiles depicted in tomb chapels or on palace walls.

He looked… ridiculous.

“A good effort,” you said, trying not to laugh. “But I prefer contrapposto.”

Bucky chuckled, and Steve glanced back at you both with a smile. You blushed and hurried after your boss.

Martha was already telling Steve about the seventeenth century Japanese fold screens by the time you were back in earshot. It was the standard fare, a speech you’d already mostly memorized. You studied the illustrations, wondering vaguely if you’d ever get around to reading more than a synopsis of the source novel.

“Wanna catch me up?” Bucky asked.

You glanced at him, trying to ignore your racing pulse at the sight of his bright blue eyes. “Illustrations from the Tale of Genji,” you said quickly—Martha was almost done with her speech. “Kano Tsunenobu, 1677.”

“Isn’t that the first novel ever written?” Bucky leaned forward and peered at the bottom left corner. His arm brushed your sleeve, and you bit your tongue to keep cool as a whiff of his spicy scent flooded your senses. “What’s it about?”

“It’s about a man named Genji, who was the ideal man. A really talented artist, super attractive, and—” you flushed— “a great lover.”

“Oh yeah?” Bucky stood up, still dangerously close. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips as he gazed at you. You were frozen in place, barely able to breathe. There were sweet crinkles around his eyes, and gosh, his lips were pink as anything. He was barely a foot away. You swallowed.

“And so as we move on…”

Martha and Steve were wandering off. You took the opportunity to step back, breaking the spell, and follow your boss. A deep breath took the edge off your sudden hyper-awareness of the man behind you. Then you remembered Bucky had asked a question.

“The book spends a lot of time on his relationships. I guess things haven’t changed much,” you shot back over your shoulder. Your voice sounded normal. You hoped.

“Well, I don’t think that’s true,” Bucky murmured. “But I hope you never change.”

You didn’t know what to say to that.

Martha made quick work of the chapel and the long gallery, and now you were all clustered in the Titian room. Martha and Steve made their way to the far wall, but Bucky grabbed your elbow and steered you to a table by a window. You recognized the painting propped in a dark wooden frame.

Giovanni Bellini, Christ Carrying the Cross, about 1505-1510.

“He looks like he’s wearing a backwards baseball hat,” Bucky whispered.

You clapped a hand to your mouth before you laughed out loud. “Shh!” you scolded.

“What?” he said, blinking innocently. Gosh, what eyes! “I’m just sayin’.”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but I’m supposed to be paying attention,” you said. You extricated your arm from his hold and hurried over to where Martha was going over Titian’s Rape of Europa with Steve.

“Crazy to think how much European art developed in a hundred and fifty years,” Steve mused. “This is so different from the Proto-Renaissance stuff. The motion, the colors…”

“It’s fascinating,” Martha agreed.

You blinked. Did Martha realize she was echoing what Steve had said not ten minutes ago?

Maybe. Martha was good at reading a room.

Hopefully she wouldn’t scold you for not paying attention to her tour.

Your eyes slid back to Bucky, who mimed spinning a cap around his head, and you pressed your lips together to keep from smiling. What a goof.

By the time you all headed back downstairs, Bucky had attached himself to your side again.

“So,” he said as you made your way down the stairs, “what’s your deal?”

“I’m interning,” you said. “Summertime gig and all that.”

“Do they pay you?” he asked.

“Uh, no, this is an art museum,” you said, startled.

“So how do you live?”

“Grants, and other paid jobs. I’m a grad student in my spare time.”

“Oh yeah? Art history?”

“Whoa, how did you guess?” you joked.

Bucky leaned in to whisper, “It’s hard to tell, but I’m secretly brilliant.”

You giggled. “You know,” you said, “I believe it.” Your eyes lingered on his smile before you looked away as you reached the bottom of the stairs.

This all had been fun, and Bucky Barnes was definitely the most beautiful person you’d ever seen, but it wasn’t real. Captain America’s private tour was over, and now that it was, you and Martha and the rest of the skeleton crew still left behind could go home.

Except Steve was still talking to Martha.

Well, you weren’t going home yet. You turned back to Bucky with a smile.

“Art is more Steve’s thing, but I had fun,” he said, knocking his shoulder against yours.

“Good!” You smiled brightly at him.

Bucky blinked, a hint of pink coming to his cheeks as he looked at you. The silence held a few seconds too long, and your smile faded slightly. He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

“So what’s your end goal, then?” he asked.

“Make something magical out of other people’s work,” you said promptly. “And…” You glanced hesitantly up at him. Why not tell him your secret dream? You’d never see him again, and his eyes and face were so guileless that you couldn’t imagine any harm would come from telling. “And it’s never gonna happen, but I want to be the one to find the paintings that got stolen from here.”

His eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes,” you confessed. “I always love heist stories, and when I found out someone had done it in a museum, I was so excited. I’ve wanted to figure it out since I was a kid. I minored in criminal justice, even.”

“So… bring the thieves to justice and restore the paintings to their rightful place?”

“Exactly.”

“Sounds fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “When do we start?”

“Oh, please.” You laughed.

“No, seriously, when do we start?”

Your mouth dropped open. “You’re not serious,” you said, but he ignored you.

“I suppose we could start with dinner, but we can stick with a good old-fashion briefing room if you prefer,” he said with a wink. Your heart skipped a beat.

“I like dinner,” you said weakly. “Briefing rooms sound boring.”

“God, you have no idea,” he said fervently. He rolled his eyes, but when he was done, all he smiled. “So do you have plans tonight?”

“Well, I was going to just hang out at home, but I guess I need to solve a decades-old mystery with a stranger first,” you teased.

“Having been a decades-old mystery, I think I can offer a unique perspective,” Bucky declared, still smiling. He reached out and squeezed your hand briefly. “I’m glad Steve dragged me along. Never woulda come on my own.”

“Is it too soon to say I’m glad too?”

Bucky’s grin was infectious. “Nope. Besides, I think your boss will be impressed if you can get the paintings home safe.”

“You do know they’ve been missing for almost thirty years, right?” you said.

“After a century, that doesn’t sound so bad.” Bucky glanced behind you at Martha and Steve, but before you could check what they were up to, he grabbed your hand and pulled you around a corner.

“Excuse you!” But your protest was half-hearted. Bucky’s right hand was still linked in yours, his eyes bright and happy, and you couldn’t help but catch your breath at the wonderful sight of him so close. “You know,” you murmured, reaching up to trace the line of his jaw, “you’re a work of art just as you are.”

Bucky’s eyes smoldered as he tugged you closer until your chest brushed his.

“Well,” he said, dropping a kiss on your nose, “maybe for my next pose I’ll try a reclining nude.”

He stifled your laugh with a searing kiss. Warmth burst in your chest, and you hummed happily into his mouth. When he finally pulled back, his lips were swollen but his eyes were gleaming.

“So,” he said, “dinner?”

“Dinner,” you agreed.

[mekatrio]

long post abt a seto quote surprise surprise

literally insane crazy that this is like the one (1) and only piece of text EVER that shows how seto had felt knowing that he and his family didnt have a future beyond his teen years, and even this isnt made that clear bc he brings up his own personal feelings abt this matter a total of net zero times like oh my god. like this is a dude that learnt about haruka's mortality way before haruka ever gained the courage to tell it to his friends (which is a big fucking deal considering his death drove ALL of his friends to suicide in different timelines), learned that his and his family's futures were gonna be cut short, and learned that his own DAD was going to be the one to carry that out via violently murdering them all. and hes like. god. anywhere from like 7-14 when he learns all of this and he never confides in Anyone EVER.......

and like the fact that this is the one and only piece of text IN ALL OF KAGEPRO where seto is shown expressing his feelings on this speaks for itself with how he just, bottles up and does not acknowledge his own feelings of despair like you can see his denial of his feeling in his overall demeanor throughout the story, laughing heehee hahaing with everyone at the theme park knowing they'll all die this week like hes crazy. he's crazier than kano bc kano at least breaks down but seto? ohhhh this crazy son of bitch doesnt break down until hes at the absolute limit (surviving after everyone dies + lying to mary for weeks + learning mary had been lying to him as well LIKE). but like the fact he can carry on AFTER HIS ENTIRE FAMILY DIES IN ONE NIGHT speaks volume of just how practiced he is in doing this shit, all of novel 8 seto pov is just Seto Repeatedly Denies That He Feels Grief For His Family 😃 and thru the most insane way by painting this narrative that he had always valued mary over everyone else, which is FALSE!!! BTW HE IS NOT A YANDERE..... FUCKING GRABS YOU LIKE oh my god hes not a yandere. he doesnt actually value mary over everyone else he is LYING like his whole character is characterized by wanting to change himself so he can support others and this EXTENDS BEYOND MARY.... literally this is the dude who speaks fucking weirdly bc he loved KIDO so much that he changed his speech patterns for her, at 14-ish years old starting looking for work so he could support his family, and he spent a whole night looking for kano.... like he loves his family. throughout novel 8 he's saying that he values mary more than anyone else but his actions? completely says otherwise...

and also the fucking shonen brave lyrics of how he talks about how he cant hear his own thoughts bc other people thoughts keep intruding and knocking on his mind, like not being able to recognize his own thoughts has always been a Thing with him like goddamnit im too sleepy to pull up the novel to grab more screenshots (hence why this post has a grand total of one quote from the screenshot lol), but like towards the end of novel 8 he basically has a moment where he says smth among the lines of like "-my own voice rang out, telling me 'you're wrong'." SOMETHING LIKE THAT. but yeah ignoring his feelings be it by his own accord or bc of the circumstances of his powers, has always been a Thing with seto.... SETOOOOOO