#no wait suzu might

[heart-sized]

𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟎𝟏 — g. satoru iv. sweet y/n chan

★⺌◞. gojo satoru x f! fushiguro reader

plot. you ask your younger brother's teacher to teach you dating 101

cw. fluff. older!gojo, gojo is a playboy, reader is twenty two, reader is introverted, nsfw, fluff and angst, not proofread

a/n. for a gojo satoru x oc version, stream here + this is more of a filler chapter so im sorry ! + tagging @cole-silas

masterlist // satoru masterlist

go back to beginning

“y/n, i am home!”

your brother's voice rang in the apartment and you smiled at him, straightening the hem of your apron from the kitchen. “i am in the kitchen, gumi.”

you watched him come into the kitchen, his face stoic like always that he inherited from his father, fushiguro toji. but his eyes softened as he saw you. “how was your day?”

“boring,” you clicked your tongue, “what about you?”

“mine too," he took a piece of the cookies that you had baked, “gojo sensei was asking about you.”

your eyes widened. did your brother come to know of the dating course or something? oh god. “what was he saying?” you tried your best to sound nonchalant.

“just how old you were,” he bit on the cookie, “i told him that he shouldn't even think of you.”

“gumi, you can't talk to your teacher like that!”

“you are too innocent,” he rolled his eyes, “he might be my teacher but he's not serious about women. he's better off away from you.”

as if you didn't know that. and yet.

“come, help me set the dinner now, will you?” you asked, changing the topic and sighed in relief when you saw him nod.

“oh, y/n?” megumi spoke out of nowhere when they were eating their dinner in silence. “can yuji and nobara stay here for a sleepover tonight? i forgot to tell you.”

you smiled. it was those rare moments that you felt like you did have a younger brother. megumi was too serious to act like a teenager most of the time. which you didn't like. he was a teen and he should be allowed to have fun.

“of course. have fun. i will be in my room if you need me.”

gojo satoru smiled at his date sitting next to him. she was a blonde woman, tall and curvy. nothing like that specific girl in his mind. she had a smile on her lips as she stroked his hand.

“so, y/n chan, i—”

“aika,” the woman rolled her eyes, pulling her back, “my name is aika and not y/n. you have called me by that name two times now!”

he bit his inner cheek. what was he doing? he was supposed to flirt with his date and then end up in the bed with her. a healthy cycle. and thinking about y/n chan was definitely not healthy.

y/n chan. his student's older stepsister. the sweet innocent angel. imagine his surprise when you asked him to teach you how to date. you wanted to learn dating with him and then go and experience that with some other ‘serious, responsible family man’.

but wasn't it for the good? you deserved a kind and sweet man. and a jujutsu sorcerer like gojo satoru could never be that. he couldn't allow himself to get attached to a civilian.

“i need to go home, aika,” he pulled out an easy going grin, much to her flabbergast, “next time.”

as he slowly walked towards his apartment, he remembered how protective megumi had looked when he had asked about his sister. satoru sighed. as if he was some beast who would kidnap sweet you.

maybe he should text you good night. you said they were friends. and friends do that, right?

gojo satoru : good night, sweet y/n chan.

wait. wait. no. sweet sounded weird. he should delete it. but before he could delete it, he saw that you had already seen it.

y/n chan 🤍 : good night, gojo san.

he smiled. he could certainly get used to it.

ᝬ ˙.໑ ╱ © seducity 2023 — all rights reserved. property of suzu

[ohmaosama]

I just know that this bell called sleigh bells, have Chise held this bells before(?) why I felt like she already held this... I just check on cat ulthar arc but she's not holding this bells is just a branch and than I thought maybe it's from the scene from the beginning of the first manga volume but nope she's not holding it either so I might be delulu. Maybe I just mixed this up with other anime 🚶

She do wear some bells accessories tho

(Ch 05)

(ch 01)

Wait-

So I just check google I definitely mixed it up with kagura suzu... My brain just connected both instruments cuz both have bells

But chise never held kagura suzu too... At this point what am I even trying to say

Anyway thankyou for listening to my ted talk

[sabraeal]

a heart felled by you, held by you; Part 2

[Read on AO3]

Obiyukiweek 2024, Day 1: Quadrille

It’s not that Suzu didn’t know Lata’s name or whatever; it’s impossible to forget when it’s stamped right across the office he refuses to use three months out of the academic year— why should I let the university know where to find me? he’d huff, stoking the forge. If they’re going to interrupt my work to harangue me about class numbers and securing grant funding, I have no interest in making it easy for them— and scrawled on every lower right corner of his notes. It’s what every colleague calls across the university atrium before he hurries to out pace the persistence hunter that is professional collaboration; and what Ryuu had tried to stutter through for a whole week when he confused formality for maturity.

But between the towering aisles of his yet-to-be-catalogued accessions, and the number of times Shirayuki— and sometimes even Suzu himself— have been left to make his excuses to professors and professionals far above their pay grade, the idea that’s he’s a noble— a capital ‘F,’ weasel-thing-rampant Forzeno— well, it doesn’t seem quite real.

Not until now, when the doors on this stately manor swing open, and—

“I thought you lived in a shithole,” Suzu blurts out, momentarily blinded by polished marble and gold filigree. He’s no expert on architecture and has only a dubious grasp on history, but even he can tell this place is old. Storied, his mental Kazaha supplies, buzzing through his thoughts like flies over an ungrammatical carcass. “Or at least, that’s what Shidan said when—”

“I said apartment.” Shidan glares at him, like it’s Suzu’s fault he spent ten highly memorable minutes complaining about the stack of specimens that almost toppled onto him that one time he tried to brave Lata’s front parlor.

“It’s a townhouse.” Lata’s all noblesse oblige now that they’re ensconced in his family’s home, acting generous and tolerant, like they’re a good friend’s dogs that he knows are going to piddle on the carpet and he’s determined to be gracious about it. The kind of patience that’s pushed out between a man’s teeth instead of welling up from some internal font of goodness or whatever. “Private land ownership is the only way to receive permission for a forge of that size. And yes, I do.”

“But why not hang out here?” Suzu peeks into one of the fancy urns lining the walkway— disappointingly empty— before letting it rock back onto its pedestal. “It’s big and fancy and there’s a bunch of people whose job is to wait on you hand and foot. I’d never leave.”

“The commute,” Obi offers, sticking his own head down some fancy pot too.  “Or maybe the wallpaper bothers him.”

“That’s certainly one way to put it,” Lata mutters, steering Obi away from the crockery with a scowl. “This is family land, owned by countless generations of Forzeno since time immemorial—”

“672.” Kazaha strides down the runner with his hands clasped behind his back, like he’s the king of the castle— or like it might convince the man who is that he’s not about to have any sticky fingers. “That’s when Motouji Forzeno ordered a fitting home to be built for him within a day’s ride of the capital, which at that point was still based in Wirant, not in Wistal. That only happened once the Wisteria family inherited the throne from a series of strategic marriages over the previous three generations—”

“And in any case, not mine.” He clears his throat, shoulders pulling straight beneath the heavy wool over his tunic, looking more lordly per inch than he ever has at the university. “At least, not in name.”

For as long as Suzu’s known him, Shidan’s never been a confrontational kind of guy; Lata might duck and dodge and, if cornered, bite and rend any interference from the university’s board, but Shidan chooses the path of least resistance. Or more accurately, the path of least surveillance— he might sit and stay and sign the papers the higher up sent his way, but as soon as they had their back turned cajoling some of the more recalcitrant academics in their department, he’d slip right off the leash, doing what needed doing before the deans were any the wiser. That’s how they’d gotten into this whole orimmallys project anyhow, and that all worked out in the end. Mostly.

So when Shidan hums, all considering— the way he does when he’s about to quibble over wording on a paper, but so nicely Suzu won’t even know he’s gotten the run-around until he’s halfway to the dorms— it’s a sign. A portent, even.

“Your father gave you lease over the entire place, didn’t he?” He’s got his gloves caught in his hand, running fingers along some fancy wainscoting. There’s some gold leaf on it, gilding a few fussy fleur-de-lis, and his fingers run slow enough that there’s got to be some grit. Dust, even. “That’s what Garrack said, at least.”

Lata’s brow sours like samples left too long on the bench. “And of course, Head Pharmacist Gazelt would be the expert on my family’s internal affairs.”

“No,” Ryuu murmurs ponderously, so soft they all hush up to hear him. “But she’d be less invested in avoiding them.”

Big blue eyes blink up at his lordship, and if they were any less guileless— or maybe, if Ryuu was any less fifteen— there’d be some sort of dust up. Some flavor of raised voices and shaking fists, and maybe someone would end up with a cold ass on the big field of snow Lata calls the front lawn. But instead he just sucks in a breath, whistling like a hole in a window when the wind’s got its back up, and says, “I thought I was being quite generous offering you all a place to ready yourselves before the gala, but now I’m quite wondering just why I extended the invitation.”

“Because you’d rather be annoyed with us than risk being left alone with one of those lords?” Suzu barely realizes he’s spoken until five sets of eyes swing his way, goggling like he’s hauled off and said something out of band. Again. “Or ladies?”

A laugh’s dour cousin scrapes out from Lata’s chest as they climb what Suzu assumes is the grand stair, if only because it’s larger than the last three. “Yes,” he agrees, more weary than waggish. “Something like that.”

“Hey.” Obi hangs back, lingering on the landing with one thumb hooked over his shoulder. “Is that you?”

There’s a portrait beside him, larger than he is— or Suzu, or Shidan, or any man he’s seen living; so big that it must have taken a whole crew of footmen to install, if only to keep one of them from being crushed under a lordly boot. He’s got to squint to see above the knee, daubs of oils glistening in the gaslight, making it hard to pick out more than the curve of thick, dark hair, or the stern, squarish set the to jaw, or—

“I gotta say,” Obi hums, arms folding over his coat. “Quail hunter isn’t what comes to mind when I look at you.”

“I’m not.” Lata paces a step back toward them, then two, glowering up at the most detailed bird carcass Suzu’s ever seen outside the ruts of a country road. “That would be my father, in his youth. He had a great love of…working his will on the world, one way or another.”

“Ah…” Kazaha sighs, searching for something properly ingratiating to say. “There’s a certain, hm, strong family resemblance.”

Suzu seizes the opportunity to inform the professor, “He means that you both look grumpy.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Right,” he agrees blithely. “It’s what you meant. Like I said.”

Lata snorts, starting back down the hall. “If you think I am ill-tempered, wait until you meet my sire. Why, I’m practically a ray of sunshine next to that old—”

“Oh, are we gonna?” Obi whips around, determined to be underfoot as he asks, “Will I finally get to meet my Knight Grandpa? Sir Grandpa—?”

“I would thank you not to call him that.  And no.” Lata’s mouth thins to a line as tight as his shoulders. “Besides, if we are to take Knight Grandpa at its most literal, it would not be my father, but instead the man who was my master as a squire.”

“Is he gonna be here? Can I meet him?” It’s not physically possible for Obi to wend himself around Lata’s legs, but by the way he bats his eyes up at him, he’s spiritually there. “I promise I’ll be a good little knight. I’ll even bow and scrape and write poetry about women lying in ponds—”

“No.” After a begrudging pause, Lata adds, “He’s dead, actually.”

Obi pops up, shoulders suddenly soldier-straight beside him. “Oh, well. That’s a pretty good excuse. Did he die from some battle wound or…?”

“The drink,” Lata confirms. “He wasn’t, honestly, a very good master. But he was a friend of my father’s. That seemed to matter more back then.”

A laugh saws out of Obi, rough enough Suzu’s surprised it doesn’t take a bit of throat with it. “Seems to matter just as much now.”

The professor doesn’t do anything so obvious as look at Obi, oh no— he just simply clasps his hands behind his back, favoring the hall in front of him with an approving nod. “Doesn’t it just.”

“You frown the same way.” Both men peer over their shoulders, but Obi makes confusion seem casual, whereas Lata just scowls. Ryuu, for his part, doesn’t seem to notice. “You and your father, I mean.”

“Yes.” Lata surveys the hallway over his shoulder before turning back around. “It runs in the family.”

A beat passes before Suzu dares to venture, “Hey, weren’t the girls supposed to get ready here too?”

“Yes.” The professor isn’t known to smile, and he certainly doesn’t now, giving them all a disapproving glare. “They arrived on time.”

*

“What if” —Shidan’s clever little botanist practically froths over the vanity like a flask left too long on the hob, spilling linen and lace where she leans— “I told him I had something in my eye.”

This is hardly the first volley of hypotheticals Garrack’s fielded from that quarter; oh no, the girls had all been down to chemises when the preliminary speculation began— what if…I said I needed some air?— and now what had already been a serviceable set of natural curves has become a feat of human engineering, bolstered by a bulwark of baleen and batiste. There’d been endless layers added on; bust improvers and corsets and girdles, all requiring additional helpful hands, and it lends a weary edge to Izuru’s, “Oh, it’s a him, now is it?”

Shidan’s long-time assistant hasn’t bothered to batten down her hatches— at least, not as much as the botanist girl’s— with only enough corsetry to turn her posture from academic to appropriate. Another assurance that she’s coming along nicely, just the way Garrack always thought she would so long as Shidan’s quiet perfectionism didn’t infest her work ethic the way his little pet project did the university’s water supply.

“What next?” It has to have been ages since there was a woman in this place— heavens know Lata isn’t bringing any inamorata around here to parade around in front of his mother’s mirror— but the painted wood Izuru slumps over is pristine. Or, well, as much as whale bone lets a body slouch.  “Identifying details? A name?”

“He’s hypothetical,” the botanist snaps, which almost guarantees that he isn’t. Too bad she hasn’t caked on the powder yet; even with the lights dimmed as they are, it’s impossible to miss the flush that creeps up her shoulders, pouring onto that pretty face. “He doesn’t exist. Yet.”

There’s quite a bit Izuru seems to have to say about that; her shoulder straighten, her mouth cants, and—

“Is that supposed to be romantic?” Shirayuki frowns into the mirror, hands swallowed up by the untameable beast that is Izuru’s hair. “Having something in your eye?”

“Well, not usually,” the botanist admits, undaunted by the sharp elbow of reality bursting her dreamy little bubble. “But an eyelash…that’s all right. Delicate even! Demure. And when he bends down, BAM.”

Shirayuki blinks. “You hit him?”

“Kiss him!” The girl slumps into a chair— despite all her scaffolding, she makes a better show of it than Izuru— heaving the most world-weary sigh. “I would kiss him, Shirayuki.”

It’s years since she’s been that diligent apprentice, quietly working under Ryuu’s precise direction, but Shirayuki still flushes as red as her hair at the barest mention of grown adults touching in any way but a professional handshake. Garrack would have thought Zen would handle that— three years is a quite a lot of time, and considering what some of her cohort got up to on these cold Lilias nights, she’d have expected the bar for blushing to be a few sexual acts higher. Under the clothes, at least.

“W-wouldn’t that be an awkward angle?” Shirayuki busies herself with Izuru’s hair, letting it twist around her hands as she pins it in place. “You m-might crash heads! And noses.”

“Fine.” The botanist flops on her chair, thoroughly put upon. “What about dropping my handkerchief? I let it flutter, just like this”�� there’s no fabric in her hands, but she sticks out an elegant arm, turning away as her fingers go limp— “and when he bends to retrieve it, I—”

Garrack snorts. Not a soft one either; for as unintended as it is, it draws quite the audience. The pretty botanist included, one of her well-shaped eyebrows raised.

It’s a struggle to keep the laugh in her chest from bubbling out, making this whole situation worse. Or injure this girl’s more tender emotions, at least.“Listen, you really think a lord would stoop? For a botanist?”

“He will if he wants to be kissed!” she huffs, arms crossed. Quite a bit of lace froths out over them, like a puffed-out pigeon’s chest. “Which he will, since I’m going to be the best looking girl at this gala!”

There’s one of these girls in every cohort— a little too pretty for their own good, always thinking about which assistants they might be able to catch alone in the fourth floor stock room. Clever, of course— you don’t end up in Lilias if you’re a slouch in that department— but just a bit silly. Whimsical. Destined to be disappointed when they find out royals don’t marry researchers.

At least most royals with most researchers. It probably doesn’t help that the statistical outlier is in the room right now, sending her a long suffering look. “Yuzuri…”

“That’s no slight on the rest of you, Shirayuki,” the botanist— this Yuzuri— assures her, “I’ve just been planning for this my whole life. Or at least since I found out Wirant throws one of the Solstice things.”

“We’re supposed to be here for professional purposes,” Izuru reminds her, having worked for Shidan too long to believe in mixing work with pleasure.

“Oh, boo, Izuru!” Yuzuri straightens, bustling over to the mirror to fuss with the glossy fall of her hair,  pinning up parts of it with her fingers and frowning at the results. “Don’t be dull.”

“It’s not dull,” Shirayuki protests, placing the last pin in hopes that this time, Izuru’s hair might not simply bend the mess of them to breaking. “It’s what Shidan’s asking us to do. I’m not saying you can’t dance too, but if you’re going to be mingling with the nobles, maybe you should try to talk to some of them about what we’re doing with the Phostyrias. Just a couple of them giving permission for us to plant the bulbs would really be—”

“Oh, fine, fine.” She waves one hand— painstakingly manicured, done up in a pearly sort of polish that wouldn’t last five minutes once she was back in the greenhouse— but undeterred. “I can chat them up a little bit too. For the project.”

Tonight might be the darkest night of the year, celebrated in the coldest, most ass-end part of the whole country, but when Shirayuki smiles, Garrack might well be back in her office at Wistal, enjoying the mild summer breeze winding through her window. “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“You better,” Yuzuri huffs, twisting her hair in her hands. “Don’t think I don’t notice that it’s the girl with a guy who’s down to kiss her anytime, any place that’s asking the rest of us to consider this a work party.”

“I…” Shirayuki sputters, and hoh, there’s that blush again, with a vengeance. “Obi wouldn’t…I mean…that’s not…”

Well, well. Looks like she’s been a little behind on current events of the frigid north. And maybe not so wrong about royals and researchers after all.

“What if I asked him off into a side corridor? Or an alcove? Maybe a balcony,” Shidan’s botanist continues, saving Shirayuki a few more stumbles. “Those always have the right ambiance. And then I ask him to check the clasp on my necklace, and—”

“At that point you might as well ask him to kiss you,” Izuru is quick to point out, stepping up to help her hold a swag of hair in place. “You’re not really being subtle.”

Yuzuri groans, pins clattering against painted wood. “But where’s the romance in that? There’s got to be some uncertainty, some risk—”

“You do know,” Garrack hums, crossing her ankles on the convenient hassock in front of her. “Shidan and I are here specifically to help keep down the kissing, don’t you?”

The girl sighs, eyes rolling in her reflection. “But you’re not really going to do anything, are you, Master Gazelt? You know how silly this whole rule is. Aren’t you just going to look the other way?”

Her mouth twitches. It would be funny to see that old goat get twisted up over some twenty-year-olds playing mother-may-I with their tonsils. “Maybe,” she allows, “if I thought it was funny enough.”

*

It hardly seems fair to say Suzu is disheveled when he hardly ever seems, well, sheveled, for lack of a better word. But with his shirt still merely half-buttoned and flyaway wisps of blond escaping their tie with every scrape of his hands over his scalp, Shidan has little else to call him.

“Is the mazurka step-step-clap-turn, or is that the redowa?” His half-coat flaps out around him as he marks out the movements— poorly, but at least recognizable, even if Shidan would be at pains to reproduce them. “Or maybe it’s the waltz? Help me, Obi,” — he seizes the knight as he slips through the door, rumpling the black wool of his coat— “I can’t remember!”

“I’ll run you through the steps before we get out there,” he promises, detaching Suzu from his lapel with more gentleness than Shidan would, under the circumstances. Suzu is a valuable member of his team, a long-time collaborator who will perform any number of demeaning tasks to see a project through, so long as he can avoid a single shred of responsibility and complain about his sorry lot the whole time, but well— even Shidan has his limits. “It’ll all come back to you once you got the band to back you up. These things always make more sense with the music.”

Suzu stares at him, utterly blank, and Obi huffs out a laugh. “Theoretical versus practical knowledge, right?”

“Oh.” Suzu endeavors to smooth back his strays, but they only pop back up in his palm’s wake. “Right. Yeah. Of course. Easy, then.”

“Right.” Obi pats his shoulder with a purposeful sort of confidence, as if he could pass it through flesh and fabric with the ease that footrot does through hoofs. “Easy.”

That is until Ryuu glances up from his book, brow furrowed in the faintest vee, and says, “If that’s the case, then how are you and Shirayuki so bad at it?”

Obi whips around, wide-eyed with betrayal. “H-hey!” he squawks. “We’ve gotten better!”

Ryuu doesn’t reply— not verbally, at least— but the look he turns to Obi is eloquent enough to speak for itself. And what it says is: not appreciably.

“Why are you even concerned about all that?” Kazaha’s costume is so crisp carpenters could use it to cut corners, cape and coat and pants and stymieing haircut all in perfect place. “It’s not as if anyone is going to ask you to dance.”

“Why not? I’m dressed all nice.” Suzu blinks down at himself, taking in the uncuffed sleeves and half-buttoned shirt and the coat canted askew on his shoulders, and adds, “Well, I will be.”

Kazaha may cluck his tongue, may shake his head hopelessly, but even still, he reaches out, straightening Suzu’s cuffs before buttoning them tight. “Because you’re a man, idiot. Girls might inquire if you’d like to take a stroll down Pavilion Street when we’re at the university, but in a ballroom, men do the asking.”

Shidan can’t say Suzu’s ever been popular with the female population, especially among the more established academics who are already well aware of his reputation as a rather acerbic eccentric, more apt to be cozened under tables or smudged with sweat and grit from Lata’s forge than doing the more respectable pastime of benchwork. But there’s always a flush of fluttering young freshmen flouncing outside the lab each year, eager to catch a glimpse of— or even speak a word or two with— the herbology department’s most striking scholar. That is, of course, until they actually talk to him.

“Really?” Spoken like a man who has had invitations hurled at his retreating back for five years running. By Kazaha’s strangled sigh, it’s clear he’s thinking the same. “I’m very pretty, though.”

“That may help with young ladies wanting to dance with you,” Kazaha informs him, pulling his lapel into a shape somewhat approaching acceptable. “But it will be expected that you approach them.”

“Oh.” It’s startling to see that sharp face turn thoughtful. “So I don’t have to do this dancing thing at all.”

“You do.” Shidan’s order scrapes out at the same time Kazaha’s does, creating an odd sort of echo before he presses on, “We’re the guests of honor at this gala. The department is expecting us to socialize with potential donors.”

“Well sure, but that doesn’t mean I gotta—”

“You will,” Shidan promises him wearily. “And you’ll have to at least pretend to like it, if you want to continue our work in the lab.”

“And not in some tiny closet,” Obi adds, brightly. “Where you’ll have to knock elbows with Kazaha just to get a beaker on the burner.”

“Well, yeah.” Suzu slumps, waving off Kazaha’s continued ministrations. It’s too late, however— he already looks respectable. Not enough to pass for a peer, but someone well on his way to professor. “But what if I just hung out along the wall instead. Then I could talk to people, and—”

“It’s rude for young men to be idling when there are eligible young ladies waiting for a partner.” Obi’s words nearly sparkle for all their polish, but he ruins the effect with one of his slant-wise grins. “Don’t worry, I told you I’d show you how to cut a rug. It’s better than getting stuck in a conversation with one of those stuffy old—”

There is a gravitas to the way the doors open in this place, a stately creak that does not imply age so much at maturity; this manor was built long before the sovereigns of Wisteria sunk their roots into Clarines’ throne, and it would last long after they were nothing more than musty portraits in halls long forgot. For as much as Lata might chafe under the weight of that history, might complain about the burden of expectation placed upon a son— the son— of Forzeno, he looks every inch the part as he steps over the threshold, trousers tailored and coast pressed within an inch of their lives, more institution than man.

“The guests are arriving,” he intones with all the cheer of a funeral bell. “Are you through with your preparations?”

“Almost!” Obi sing-songs, helping Kazaha tug the sleeves of Suzu’s jacket straight. “There, done.”

Lata surveys them with the same sharpness as he does his specimens, assessing them as if their flaws were as easily apparent as a gem’s through a loupe. With a long-suffering sigh, one pristine glove pinches at his nose, as if it might be any help at all stemming the incoming headache.

“Passable,” he grates out, stepping aside. “Now if you would follow me, I will ensure that you all make it to the hall.”

Obi’s mouth twitches, threatening a smirk. “Can’t trust us to get there on our own, eh, sir?”

“I have been an academic for nearly as long as you have been alive.” The fit of his coat already has Lata at his full height, but he lifts his chin for good measure, just to give his glare a few more momentum before it meets Obi’s grin. “And there is not a single scholar alive that can travel from one point to another in a straight line.”

Both brows raise now, scrunching the scar right to his hairline. “Not even you?”

Lata clears his throat. “If you would all come this way please. In an orderly fashion,” he adds, when Suzu traipses after him, elbows nearly colliding with Ryuu’s nose as he comes up behind. “I would prefer to avoid any accidents before we even arrive.”

Obi slinks closer, like a cat approaching a precariously placed cup. “But not after?”

A heavy sigh flares out of Lata’s nostrils. “I would prefer you not. But ‘after’ is not part of my purview.”

For all that Obi enjoys dogging the professor’s irritable heels, he makes no move to follow him. Instead, he lingers just inside the door, watching as first Suzu, then Ryuu, then Kazaha pass. Being polite, Shidan assumes at first, but then the moment for him to fall in line comes…and passes, utterly unmarked, save for the amused glance Obi turns his way, gold flaring in the lamplight.

He’s a different man than the one that appeared with the snow, all those years ago. Even more so from the boy that simply manifested in the university’s library, slotting himself between the two royal pharmacists with an ease that had Shidan squinting even then, trying to figure out how such incongruous pieces could fit. Lilias drew all types, it’s true, but even so— he’d never seen one quite like this: a knight with a thug’s scar cut into his brow, swaggering through the stacks like they were old enemies.

Don’t be fooled, Garrack had written him once, loops spiking tight with barely restrained humor. He might look a little rough-and-tumble, but that kid cleans up well.

He sees it now— the strong line of his shoulder accentuated by the cut of his coat, the belt at his waist complementing the taper of his torsi, the loose trousers that only barely obscure the acrobat’s body beneath. There’s no way to cover the scar, not even with a judicious application of pomade, but there’s no need— not when it only makes him look roguish, like a man who might sweep a girl into an alcove and teach her the sort of things proper young ladies only learned from novels. Still dangerous, but not deadly.

Worrying, really, considering. Shidan doesn’t make a habit of listening to scuttlebutt, but, well, he does have eyes of his own. And red is hard to miss. More so than the black he always finds bent beside it. “Obi, if I might have a word?”

That brow of his pitches up, amusement apparent in every angle. “You academics really will do anything to keep from having to go where you’re told.”

Shidan blinks, confused, before shaking his head. “I only thought I might remind you, that er…” There’s no delicate way to put it, not when he’s already wearing a smirk that would set every fine young lady’s fan fluttering. “That this year there is to be no Solstice kissing. By Lata’s request.”

“So I’ve heard.” Obi’s head cocks, curious, though when he takes in the emptiness of the room, the pointedness of the request…the slant his brow takes is clearly…confused. “Is there any reason you’re telling me, specifically?”

It’s a romantic sort of night, he might say, and it’s easy to forget yourself in the moment. Or maybe, you already stand so close I couldn’t fit a paper between the two of you, all it would take to close it is a well-timed trip. Or perhaps more accurately, you’ve been together so long all you need is an excuse. Trust me when I say you should take it.

But Shidan knows better than to speak, not when silence is all the more eloquent. The mind, he finds, often finds the most pressing reasons all on its own. Especially when one's thoughts never strayed too far from them anyway...

“Hey!” Obi presses a hand to the placard of his coat. “I haven’t caused trouble for years.”

It’s a feat worthy of song that Shidan keeps from reminding him of the last time him and Shirayuki rode through these gates. And yet, there’s no graceful way to admit that he hadn’t been talking about that sort of trouble anyway.

“Months, at least,” he relents, grudgingly. With a few moments of thought, he adds, “I’ve been really good this week.”

Shidan, with the patience of a saint, restricts his reply to simply, “If you’re sure.”

Obi does him the courtesy of hesitating. “Well, none of that’s been of the kissing variety, anyway. Not like any of the ladies here are going to be looking to make time with a guy like me tonight.”

He gives him another one of those charming grins, and Shidan sighs, resigning himself to an evening of being pointedly unobservant. “So you say.”

[juleshwin]

On a mini posting spree so here's the post on episode#1000 I have been holding off for three days!!!

Warning: Album 78 spoilers ahead non-club members beware

Okay soooooo where's ma list here we go

First off, Suzu's voice is so pretty! I love accents sm. April Hong is so lucky to have a voice like that

Why is this Kris girl so incredibly sus like girl are you trying to get Emily kicked out on purpose? Wait what if she is? 😱 did I just figure out the plot of part two? Nah I don't think so

Woah, woah woah. Back the T.rex up. (😏 iykyk) You're saying...Morrie can be healed? Like isn't his disability something that can't be completely fixed unless like, plot twist, magical portals to fantasy worlds exist or something? I need to do more research

Ok a lot more research that one unhelpful Google search wasn't enough

So are we gonna find out what happened with the car alarm/golf ball thing situation? No? Ok. I gotta say, tho, Morrie's actor is very good at this. His voice is so...what's a good way to describe it...sort of nasal, I guess? But in a pleasant kind of way. Idk I just like his voice a lot. Another unpopular opinion.

Wait what?? Oh come on don't you go trying to pull off a Shannon Messenger!! Now a half to wait until Thursday to hear more. 😑 Ugh authors can be so annoying sometimes (I'm totally not a writer myself)

And here's an extremely messy little doodle I did while listening ⬇

It's when Emily was explaining to the Rydells what'd happened. Also, sorry for my inability to draw curls properly 😅 it's one of my pet peeves or whatever it's called. I love how Suzu's outfit turned out tho. But...now looking back I've realized I've forgotten a few things...like Emily's eyebrows...whoops

Anyways, this was an overall immensely intriguing and well-written episode, but I probably wouldn't have used it for the 1000th. In my personal opinion they should've done something like the five hundredth one, which was pretty cool. I guess One Grand Party was too much for them to make a special episode too🤷‍♀️

Oh, I forgot to mention, @missdrummond had some interesting ideas in her review, go check it out for yourselves, but I think the mind control and secret twin theories are pretty cool. If that's not what happens I might have to add these to my fanfic list

[protect-namine]

mitsuki's role in weekend lesson is so interesting, because... there's no challenge for him? why doesn't the mean casting director in neji want to challenge him?

(disclaimer that I'm on suzu's route and have only done kisa's route before this)

like, okay, so neji finds out that amber isn't participating in univeil's summer performance. his strategy would be something like a mix of fall and winter: aim to win, but also use the opportunity to train your new actors. since there isn't a chui to beat in this scenario, he and fumi can relax and risk a bit of the performance to train the new guys. alright, makes sense, cool cool.

so neji writes the characters and assigns the roles, right. the third years have some inner conflicts to overcome, and the first years have some growing to do. we have fumi playing the talented genius who quit competitive dancing, and kai who plays as someone that limits himself or is otherwise unambitious for the sake of supporting others. okay, same conflicts, let's see if the character development transfers from role to actor.

we have suzu playing louis who has pages and pages of monologue specifically, because suzu is bad at memorizing lines unless it's built around a conversation with another person (opposite of sou, who can memorize lines on his own). and also he has to do it while dancing, which he also needs to improve on. sou plays a jeanne who is cheerful, sociable, literally acts as the glue that binds everyone together through instigating the competition -- a departure from sou's own personality (plus sou, at this point I think, still wanted to play jack roles, though idk if neji knew this, or if it mattered to him). kisa plays a jack role for the first time, while also dancing and singing, and had to deal with neji sending her off to spy/steal ideas from other classes for her own improvement (in the guise of letting other classes try to poach her from quartz). neji always pushes a little harder on kisa, because he's always amazed that kisa will just do any of his own unreasonable demands (he says something to this effect if you let kisa choose neji to help her during one of the rehearsals).

so, okay, we've got a training plan down for everyone... except mitsuki. mitsuki doesn't get a challenge. shiroma is a side character, a prize to be won, very flat compared to even mukai (who has more depth to his personality even without the last minute improv). neji even throws in the random jazz lounge singer just so mitsuki can sing, which ends up looking more like a favor to mitsuki (since he only likes singing) and a "might as well use your talents somewhere" scenario.

(lmao shut up mitsuki, you got an easy role. sou has to dance both the great galleon and the random social dance kanna does in the background in andou's studio, and the dance she does with louis. the only characters who don't dance as much are mukai and employees A and B).

neji seems to place mitsuki in the same category as otori and himself: reliable in the roles they're good at, with no need to push for improvement compared to the others. but that's so interesting to me because like... why wouldn't he push mitsuki more? why wait until late into the year during the winter performance? and even then, initially, he wanted mitsuki as al jeanne more so to train kisa and fumi, rather than mitsuki himself. like, this is the scriptwriter who has no problems using other people's own inner conflicts as inspiration for his writing. neji can be a mean casting director when he wants to be. there's no reason why mitsuki is an exception.

I guess shiroma being a prize to be won and nothing more does mimic how mitsuki is valued for being a tresor and nothing more. but there is no space in the play for shiroma or mitsuki to do anything about that, unlike fumi and kai whose characters (andou and hasekura) both change throughout the play. mitsuki himself realizes very late into rehearsals (like, around a week before the performance) how he can connect with shiroma

and I mean, sure, that sounds compelling, but I don't think that's what neji intended nor do I think mitsuki is just talking about shiroma at this point, but hey this is the "theater is a metaphor" game sooooooo

anyway. I just think it's so odd that neji doesn't push mitsuki that much... but then I think about otori. I'd bet if otori wasn't so hilariously antagonistic to suzukisasou, he would also get the mean director neji treatment. not because of otori himself but more like. neji writes around actor chemistry and otori's rapport with the other actors is just less inspiring for drama and more inspiring for comedy LMAO (sorry otori). chui himself had a missing takihime bc he didn't really vibe with anyone on the stage.

and maybe that's it? mitsuki is also a person who distances himself from other people, and doesn't really put in the effort until later in the game. and before he even makes the effort for quartz (that neji sees), he really only made an effort for kisa. (I still maintain that mitsuki cares a lot about quartz even from the beginning, but whatever, I guess early game mitsuki that wasn't compelling enough for neji)

and I think it makes more sense why neji couldn't write anything for mitsuki. early game mitsuki doesn't have interesting relationships that neji could see. neji could write fumi and kai together and let their own internal conflicts be reflected in their relationship onstage. hasekura lets andou shine. mary jane wanted an equal (some form of it, a "friend" in the play) and that's why she created jacob. neji sees suzu and sou fighting in the hallway and in the next play writes jire and fugio fighting over chicchi. neji sees otori... being otori, and either writes him as funny side character A or a small-time antagonist to kisa.

which makes it extra hilarious why neji didn't understand oh rama havenna. neji wanted to experiment with fumi as a jack and kisa as a lead role. and mitsuki finally, coincidentally slots in as someone who could fill in the gaps left by fumi not being the al jeanne, and as someone who has a good relationship with kisa. and yet. mitsuki excels above and beyond during oh rama havenna, precisely because he makes rukiora his own character (as opposed to how neji initially wrote rukiora based on a younger version of himself; hence rukiora's relationship with domina) and rukiora's chemistry with chicchi reflects mitsuki's own relationship with kisa.

idk, I think all of this is just neat. kinda wish neji pushed mitsuki a little bit earlier, but also I think it's cute that he kept giving mitsuki easy roles for a while. he can push and prod the other actors, but he's making sure the princess doesn't have too much to complain about.

[mrnicekisser]

[Street Gacha] Chapter 6

Written by 木野誠太郎

Ruka: U-uh... Erm... Thats impossible...

Suzu-senpai knows that I'm too nervous to sing in front of people, right?

So even if it doesn't match the image of "Fallen Angel," I think it would be better if Suzu-senpai sang it.

Suzu: Yeah, everyone knows that Ruka is anxious.

But, Ruka, this isn't just a matter of my emotional state.

However, you have a beautiful singing voice. It is perfect for ballads. My husky voice would spoil the image of the song.

That's why I can't sing the ballad you wrote. It matches your style, not mine.

Please sing. I want to hear your voice echo through the streets.

Ruka: B-but...

A~h... Alright...

Well, that's fine. It would be much quicker if we called out to the owner ourselves. If the song isn't sung, it won't reach the owner.

I was also disappoited at Kuromori-senpai. I thought she was a pretty charismatic, since she's called a "Fallen Angel," but she can't even motivate all her juniors.

Suzu: ...

Runa: That's sweet. Too sweet. In our company, we would make our juniors do it even if they said they didn't want to. Even if you have to be hated, your role as a senior is to provide proper guidance.

Suzu: We're different. The light music club, unlike the lacrosse club, is a special place for those who have become separated from the group.

If my heart becomes demonic as well, then those girls will no longer be able to belong anywhere.

Runa: That's what makes it "sweet". They pamper the members who can't perform on stage because of their light-stimulating condition,

That special place of yours... If the light music club disbands without ever having any activities, will you take responsibility for it? That's what I'm asking.

Suzu: That's true. But there are circumstances where that's not always the case. The kids on the lacrosse team are strong. They've been brought up to be strong. Honestly, I respect them.

But that approach doesn't suit the light music club. Forcing tests or rushing for answers won't produce good results.

No matter how much I am criticized for being unfit to be a club leader, I intend to watch over my team members and wait for them to make their own decision.

Ruka: S-Suzu-senpai...

I'll sing.

I hate seing someone insulting Suzu-senpai, but more than anything, I'm starting to hate myself for trying to run away from her, even though she has such high expectations of me.

I'll do my best, so I'd be happy if Suzu-senpai would support me...

Suzu: Yes. Ruka, my precious junior. I have no intention of making you sing alone and exposing you. I'm prepared to take all the dirt. Let me support you with all my might.

Ruka: Ah. ♪ It's reassuring...

Okay then. I need to work hard…!

I'll make you regret being so harsh on Suzu-senpai, lacrosse club member!

Runa: That's the spirit, little one named Ruka. It's time to show us yourself, girlie!

Ruka: Huh?! Um, why are you suddenly rooting for me?! Just a moment ago you were fighting against us!

Hayate: Ahaha. I was totally taken in by Hiiragi's provocation. ♪ Isn't she really good at making people do work?

Ruka: Uh, provocation..?

Mizuki: Yes. I think Hiiragi was motivated well because she doesn't want to get her hands dirty. ♪

When it came to abandoned cats, I was also almost forced to buy powdered milk.

Wait! Now that I think about it, I feel like all the trouble was forced on me because of the abandoned cat!

Runa: Hyahya, ♪ I think Futaba-senpai's memory is wrong~

Mizuki: Hmm. I'll curse you!

Runa: I don't believe in curses, so please feel free to do so~ ♪

Ruka: (I see. I had the wrong idea. But they are good people at heart, if they take care of a stray cat. They deliberately provoked me to take a step forward.)

(Although it's scary to be on stage alone, I have reliable seniors around me.)

(I was scared wanted to run away before, but now, I feel like I can sing in a relaxed manner. I think it's all thanks to my seniors and the kittens... ♪)

(Yes. Before i'll pick up guitar, I'll try singing a little.)

~ ♪ ~ ♪

(Hehe, i feel so happy... ♪)

[hotheadrednecksimmer]

Closer Tonight - Struck by Love Legacy Challenge - Season 2, Episode 21

Naomi called her mom, Star, Kaito, and Suzu to share the good news. She wanted everyone to know that she was going to marry Leo. And also let them know that she was seeing someone since she didn't fill them in while she was in summer bliss with Leo.

Suzu's due date was approaching fast and decided to throw a joint baby shower and engagement shower for Leo and Naomi.

Maeve: It's very nice to meet you face to face Leo, I know we've talked over the phone while Naomi called and put it on speaker. It's very nice to put a face to the voice.

Leo: It's very nice to meet you in person, Mrs. Pina.

Maeve: Please, that's too formal, Maeve is fine honey.

Leo: If my father heard me address you any different than Mrs. Pina, I'd get a stern talking to.

Kaito: Pfft, I've never heard anyone refer to her that formal before.

Maeve: It's kinda nice to be referred to something as formal as that, Kaito maybe I should have been more strict on that.

Kaito took a swig of his champagne muttering something under his breath. Surely having to do something with he was raised strict enough.

Leo exchanged glances with Hiro, but Hiro quickly looked away. Leo thought it was odd but continued on with the festivities.

Naomi: Thank you so much for throwing this for me, for us. I can't wait until your bundle of joy joins us. Do you know what you're having yet?

Suzu: When you told me you, YOU were getting married and you were in a happy relationship I couldn't believe it. I hope I'm not spilling secrets when i say that Kaito told me about your fears, and it's understandable after seeing what your mother went through. I'm just happy that you're giving love a chance Naomi, you deserve it. On the topic of the baby, we're having a little girl.

Naomi: A girl! That's so exciting! I'm okay with you knowing, well anyone knowing really, it was a journey that I wouldn't trade or else I wouldn't have Leo.

Suzu: Sometimes going through the hard patches makes the rewards worth it.

Naomi: Thank you Suzu, I'm grateful to call you my sister.

Leo clears his throat and everyone looks his way as he holds up his glass: I'd like to make a toast. To my beautiful fiancé, Naomi, thank you for finally giving me a chance to love you the way you deserve to be loved. Before I met you, my life was bleak and boring, when you entered my life, you gave me life, you became my light in the dark. Fate wasn't kind to us when we first met, not grabbing each other's information yet we ran into each other again. I have waited for you for what seems like a thousand years, but if it means I get to marry you, I'd wait a thousand more. To Naomi!

Everyone raised their glasses to toast to Leo's speech.

Kaito: To Naomi!

Maeve: To Nay!

Star: Cheers!

Everyone gathered to take a picture to remember this gathering.

Kaito: Okay, everyone say cheese!!!

Suzu: You're not even looking at the camera!

Kaito: When I'm controlling the camera, I don't have to babe.

Suzu and Kaito Kibo.

Leo Barlett and Naomi Kibo.

Leo found himself needing to take a breather for himself in the living room away from the other guests.

Star: I saw you sneak off and took the opportunity to speak with you, if you don't mind.

Leo: Of course, the other Mrs. Pina, right?

Star: Sure, if that's what you want to call me, I'd insist that Star is fine but I heard how well that went over for Maeve.

Leo: Yes Ma'am, my father raised me to be respectful to my elders. I didn't listen so much as a teen, but I've learned better. Especially to the parents of my beloved.

Star: Speaking of Naomi, I know it wasn't easy. I know she's stubborn. Don't ever give up on her, okay? She might push you away, she might fight you at every chance you get, but she loves you a lot. You're the first person she's let us meet. Plus you somehow convinced her to move in with you and marry you??

Leo: She deserves all the credit, she's had to overcome her trauma and her trauma responses, I'm just the lucky guy that loves her. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her.

Star smiles at Leo knowing that Naomi is safe with him and that she's always going to be taken care of and as a parent, that's the best she could ask for, for her daughter.

Leo and Naomi made their travel home discussing more wedding plans, visiting Kaito, Suzu, and the new baby when they could, and where they could spend their honeymoon.

Leo: I'm the luckiest man in the world.

Naomi: Why's that?

Leo: I get to love you for the rest of my life.

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ Season 1 | Season 2 First | Previous | Next

[satohqbanana]

A couple of thoughts on SekiRaku, Youko and Rakushun, and their questionable age gap - and by a couple I mean a multitude.

Canon Says

As reference, Youko is canonically 16 and Rakushun 22 (iirc).

On the more canon side, Youko's romantic feelings - if any - for Rakushun feel quite one-sided. Though she tries to be bolder through her words (e.g. "I consider you a prince of Kei"), he tends to dodge, deflect, or even scold her (perceived) declarations of affection (e.g. He told her "[not] to indulge in personal whims like you're naming a pet" in regards to naming her ruling era as "Sekiraku").

Add to that, Rakushun still keeps his Kou citizenship, pours his time into studying (which could take up to two full decades! - meanwhile Youko is eternally 16), and maintains that they live in different realities and are far from each other. He literally thinks he doesn't deserve to be treated so handsomely for picking up the then-unknown ruler of Kei. He's very mindful of their statuses and social ranking. Rakushun's actions make me think he's actually actively pushing for the gap between the two of them - whether he acknowledges her affections for him or not.

I think it's also good to consider that Fuyumi Ono mostly ever does shiptease for these two but confirms little, since she likes to write politics, warriors, and philosophies after all.

Shipping Says

That said, on the shipping side, Youko is eternally 16 - for a few years now. Counting the actual years, she is technically already of age, and even if she "waits" she'll never really "be" "older". Then again, she's already a deity, so the rules that apply for her have since changed. As the Imperial Kei, she can't even be married via ceremony to another; she would only have a common-law marriage with any partner she might want to bring into the court.

Also, if anything, I think it would bring massive relief to the anxious Keiki to know that she holds affections for someone else who is not him.

On Rakushun's side, it's harder to imagine what he feels towards Youko as a person and not just as a King. He needs more character development for a romance to bloom between them. But I see why his more humble views of himself makes him an attractive, non-aggressive option as a partner.

My Opinion

Is it dodgy? Yeah. I admit I forgot that Rakushun was 22. Do I ship it? I sure do.

Like I said, no matter what happens, Youko is 16 - eternally. (And it's Keiki's "fault" he even came to get her at 16. By him making her the King of Kei, her age stopped forever.) She's no longer human - if she wants her godhood to end, she literally has to die. (Compared with Shoukei and Suzu who can get in and out of humanity and demigodhood via the Registry of Wizards.)

Despite so, shouldn't we apply our rules of age of majority on her? I'm not so sure. I think she's at the age where she would be dreaming of finding someone to spend her life with. I imagine Youko getting upsetti spaghetti over it. Besides, given the themes Fuyumi Ono intended for her to tackle (and that is young girls going against tradition), I think Youko just disregarding her age gap and other whatever social gaps with Rakushun would be on-brand and in-character for her, even if we (or Keiki) disapprove.

And like I said, for the relationship to actually happen, Rakushun needs a massive character upgrade. He constantly talks himself down in his POV.

Besides, they're legitimately happy to be in each other's company. Their conversations are amusing to follow. They're cute together and they treat each other as actual persons and not as Imperial Kei or hanjyuu - even if they do consider those things once they're not in front of each other. I like that.

Fuyumi Ono however would likely not touch upon this more, though. Besides, 12K is a political high fantasy novel. TBH I want more stories of the other kingdoms - Dreaming of Paradise (Sairin and her first emperor) tore my heart out and Blue Orchid (very early Shouryou En) still has the most beautiful catharsis in the series for me.

What-Ifs

Now, if I had to answer how the ideal SekiRaku romance would go, I think I'd like it to tackle the following.

Youko's perspective should explore the age gap thing and her identity as a deity. There will be a lot of embarrassing conversations. I think we should also get more worldbuilding stuff on courtship - I don't know, maybe have Suzu and Shoukei receiving gifts or proposals, or even Shouryou giving unsolicited advice and even dodgier life stories. I would also want to see how Youko perceived/perceives romance as a 16-year-old, both from when she was in Japan, and now as she is a King of Kei.

I would also like to have Keiki's opinion on this matter - mostly because of his constant comparison between Youko and Jokaku, and also because he does acknowledge Rakushun as someone important to Youko. I would also like to know if kirins actually understand romantic love; all I get from reading Keiki's perspective on Jokaku is that he couldn't understand her (romantic) love for him even if he indeed already (non-romantically) loves her.

Rakushun also needs to get over his hanjyuu complex. As realistic his views towards society could be, his relationship with his hanjyuu identity is unhealthy. (I think he's been dehumanized to the point he has to shun clothes - a basic commodity - to manage poverty.) I think he should spend more time getting comfortable in his human form - that is still himself, after all!

TL;DR

Yeah, I see why you wouldn't ship them and why Fuyumi Ono wouldn't write them as an actual couple, but I still ship them for reasons beyond the age gap thing. Also I need their ship to answer a couple questions beyond what makes a legitimate romantic relationship, and yes, by a couple, I mean a multitude.

But yes, it's mostly just wishful thinking.

[skuppo]

hi hi!! i’m not sure if this is THE skuppo from AO3 but this is me shooting my shot anyways 😮‍💨

BUT my question to you: is hawks gonna start catching feels for suzu?!?!

i think i saw a previous comment that you made a few chapter ago saying that he might??? but idk!! i can’t remember 😭 that would absolutely drive dabi BALLSTIC (i can’t wait to see him implode with jealousy LOL) and i honestly love hawks so much that i hope this is the case 🥸 because to me, hawks and dabi are literally the same people but different fonts LMFAOOOO

orrrrr bakugo or todoroki start catching feelings for her?!?! she’s literally their age!! (and a lot of us are speculating that she might attend UA 👀)

ahhh okok i’m sorry for asking so many questions 😭 i know you don’t want to spoil anything but i love hearing your rants and miss you!!! ok byeeee 🩷

IT IS ME! Hi, hello! 👋👋💖💖 ON TO THE (SORT OF SPOILERY BUT PROLLY WAY MORE BLUE-BALLSY) ANSERRRRR:

(Man tho, imagine if it wasn't me, and there were just two people named Skuppo out and about losing their respective shits over the Dabbster and somehow we had not met or did not know about each other! Glad to see AU-Tumblrverse!me still has good taste… the good taste being just liking Dabi LOL 😌)

ALSO LOL 😭😭 THESE QUESTIONS ARE SO SPOILERIFIC AHHH 😭 I feel like I'm already really prone to spoiling a lot in my comments, though LORD KNOWS I TRY TO KEEP SOME AIR OF MYSTERY GOING ON, but I just get so dumb kinds of excited to talk about my silly headcanons for my story!

WHICH I AM HAVING THAT ISSUE NOWWWWW. I don't wanna spoil anything, BUUUUT, I will give a hint: having grown up playing a lot of dating sims/games with dating sim elements, I've always been partial to the LOVE ASTERISK, which is something my best friend and I jokingly came up with (tho I'm sure someone else invented it before us!) Imagine the typical love triangle, where two people like one person, or sometimes it's like a chain… or whatever…

Soooooo, by contrast a love asterisk is like, all the different parts of the asterisk come and meet in the middle because EVERYONE likes the person in the middle to some degree or another! I've always loved stories like that! 🤡

Not that I'm gonna get… TOO out of hand… I hope!! I guess that's really subjective! 😭💀 BUT, hopefully that helps answer your question at least a little vaguely!

A lot of people have made some very correct guesses on things, though! (Also Hawks is absolutely like the third most important character to the story, so he has a loooot of weight to him. And, I mentioned this in my comments, so it's fair to mention now: Bakugou does show back up! I did NOT mention this in my comments, but I will ALSO say this: Shouto does, too!

AAAAAND, aside from the love asterisk thing, I ALSO LOVE VERY JEALOUS POSSESSIVE LUNATICS. Which is how I'm writing Dabi, LOL. Bro gonna be losing his miiiiiind 😭 he deserves it (and worse) but I also love him, so I feel bad for him… but what is writing if not to make all our faves sufferrrrrrrr 😌

Thanks for hitting me up, though! Getting tumblr asks is kind of exciting LOL 🥹🥹👹💖

[opalescenthare]

Hello hello hello!

I was waiting to upload because I wanted to make a tech change, and I needed the Home sprites for gen 9 for some of the upcoming cards I have planned. But I decided the tech one doesn't matter enough to wait, and I finally found a source for the gen 9 home sprites. I've missed making these; I'm glad to be back at it!

I'm making my return with the last trainer card I had planned before disappearing: Kiriko! I followed the story, but was never a fps player so I didn't try the game out until it became a f2p title. But *wow* it was so much fun. Kiriko was an instant favorite and is my fun pick in unranked play (hot take: her voice lines acrually rock). Here's her team:

Shiny Kantonian Ninetales is best quadrupedap fox mon (This is fox power)

Up next are her abilities and primary/secondary, starting with Chimecho for suzu (Hear the bell)

Primary and secondary are two-in-one! Kartana is sharp as her daggers, and swift as her ofuda.

Her second ability, swift step, might feel odd as Claydol—but I have a rationale for this. It can use teleport which is the closest move to swift step. It also resembles dogs figures, which have been speculated as vessels for cleansing diseases by transferring that energy in to the statue from the afflicted person. That felt in line with her kit and spiritual origins.

Fifth we have Cyclizar: because sometimes you get the urge to spam that One Voiceline (wait until you see me on my– wait until you see me on my– wait until you see me on my–)

We'll finish her team off with Dachsbun. It's a cute lil' baked dog and we can just imagine it in a sprinkle donut costume I guess.

Stay magical, friends~ ✨️💖✨️

(It's great to finally sign off with that again!)

[devils-pirate-crew]

Nico considers it for a long moment more, then nods. "Would Nick actually be okay with us joining you?"

Arber resists the urge to grin. Score. "I don't think he'd mind the company," the gunner shrugs. "Especially since we could use all the hands we can get." A pause. "Not that you'd be on Santé - two ships are easier, after all."

The captain drums his fingers on the table. "And you?"

"And me?" he echoes.

"Where do you go, Arber?" Nico gestures, first this way, then that. "What with Dawson and all."

"Oh. Um." He thinks about it for a second. "I think Suzu will want me on Santé. But I can ask him about it if you'd rather I travel on Jersey Devil. He shouldn't have too much of an issue with it."

"Anything binding you to Santé?"

"The articles?" Arber cocks an eyebrow.

"No, no," Nico shakes his head. "Any reason you'd want to specifically be on your ship."

"I don't quite know what you're getting at," he admits, scratching the back of his neck.

Nico sighs good-naturedly. He's used to dealing with idiots. "Is there anyone special that you'd prefer to... keep by your side?"

"Oh!" Arber blushes, embarrassed that he couldn't pick up on what Nico was laying down. "Um. He's a little... too important for Santé."

"I see." The captain nods - Arber's immediately reminded of his own captain's words, that Nico is a good one. "I'll talk with Nick later, then. I think that it would be beneficial for both of us to travel together - for Dawson's sake as much as yours." He smiles. "I suppose we're now just waiting for him to wake up, right?"

Arber hums in agreement. "Might take a bit, though."

"Good thing we've got time, then." Nico leans back in his chair. "Hey, Dougie, wanna come over here now?"

The pilot perks up at his name being called and strolls over, limbs folding awkwardly as he sits down in a chair made for much smaller people. "He's okay, right?" Dougie's eyes linger on Dawson's frame.

"He'll be fine," Arber reassures him; then, his tone changes, a little more sour, a little more accusatory. "Hamilton, was it?"

Dougie seems to understand what Arber means by that; he winces, staring down at his lap, fidgeting with the edges of his suit. "I chose the name when I learned to read," he explains, softly. The words seem well-worn. "It's the name on the dial I use, so I took it like I took the dial." As he finishes, he looks to Nico, desperately searching for confirmation - as if he needs Nico's agreement for the words to be true.

The captain's eyes soften and he throws an arm around his pilot. "He's one of ours," Nico reiterates, "And a vital one at that." Dougie visibly smiles, the tension leaving his body.

"I never meant to the contrary," Arber smoothes over. "It's just a strange name for a pirate."

"It's mine, though," the pilot chuckles, awkwardly. He continues staring at the table, eyes mapping out the grains of the wood. Nico sends Arber one of those Looks that means shut up, so shut up he does, the conversation dying with him, everyone waiting for Dawson.

[magpiejay1234]

One more for today, this time the Yuuz.

Yuzu’s Kanji name is spelled 柊 柚子, Hiiragi Yuzu. The Kanji 柊, hiiragi refers to hiiragi plant. Plant’s name etymogolically comes from the old Japanese verb, hiiragu, which means pain, or suffering + ki, tree, since this plant is prickly. So its alternate spelling is 疼木, hiiragi/hiiraki, suffering tree. This is similar to sakaki, divine tree.

The plant’s historical context:

It is mentioned twice in the Kojiki, the oldest surviving historical record of Japan.[8] The first mention, under the name hihiragi, is in connection with the name of a kami, Hihiragi-no-sono-hana-madzumi-no-kami[12] (translated by Chamberlain as "Deity Waiting-to-see-the-Flowers-of-the-Holly"[13]), with the word madzumi (rarely seen) being used to describe the plant's characteristic of its flowers rarely blossoming, as interpreted by the scholar Tominobu.[8][14] Its second mention occurs during a passage referring to how a holly wood spear, made of material from the tree and spanning "eight fathoms long",[15] was presented to the Prince Yamato-take by the Emperor prior to him being sent to subdue the East.[8] Its prickly and non-prickly variations are sometimes described as "male" and "female" respectively, though this does not have a relation to the plant's gender.[8][16]

The plant, unlike Sakaki, has no direct religious significance, though. Hiiragi is an uncommon, but real surname in Japan, much like Sakaki. Much like sakaki, it is an evergreen plant with white flowers.

The Kanji 柚, yu, just means citron, or yuzu. It can also be read as yuzu on its own. The reason it is seperate from 柚子 is because to make it superficially look like the “Yu” (Play) Kanji going on with Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonists.

The Kanji, 子, spelled zu here, but is generally used as ko, means child, though in this context it is diminutive suffix, so Little Citrus, or Little Citrus. It has other meanings that we discussed before, though.

The zu Kanji’s uncommon spelling here is borrowed from Anzu’s name, since Yuzu’s name is a scrambled version of Anzu Mazaki/Masaki’s name, 真崎 杏子 (Truth Peninsula Little Apricot).

The alternate spelling would be Yuzuko, or Yuko, which would allude to Yuya’s mom, Yoko. Thanks, Shin Yoshida.

Yuzu’s name also contains the 渦, uzu, vortex/swirl, sound (as in Naruto Uzumaki), which generally means maelstorm, or eddy, though in the context of Yu-Gi-Oh!, it refers to Fusion (see Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon), as Fusion is generally characterized as a vortex/black hole monsters get sucked into. It can also indirectly refer to lightning bolt, since Katakana spelling of Vortex ボルテックス, contains ボルテック, Voltic, which is why GX, and ARC-V Fusion animations have lots of lightning.

A bit deeper dig into this:

**The vortex pun is likely partially why some of the classic Fusion Monsters are WIND Attribute (Chimera, Flame Wingman etc.) Though each of them have their own symbolisms.

**Uzu pun might be partially why both Ruri, and Rin use WIND Decks, since unlike the Yu-boys, who were designed by Naohito Miyoshi invidiually for both manga, and animé, the rest of the bracelet girls, and Ray are merely designed off Miyoshi’s design of Yuzu by the ARC-V animators (which means in a meta sense, Ray, and Zarc are clones of Yuzu, and Yuya). It is also likely why they all use Fusion in the animé.

**This might be part of why DoSolfachord Coolia is a WIND Attribute, since Duel Links seems to trying to retcon Solfachords for Yuzu due to absence of Pendulum Melodious.

**Vortex can also refer to Synchro (Vortex the Whirlwind), but much more rarely.

**Uzu can also be spelled as “ka”, referring to both the song Kanji, and flower Kanji, both used in relation to Yuzu.

Yuzu’s name has no direct melodic connection, except maybe allusion to suzu (little bell), which can also be spelled as rin, or tsuzumu, drum, which can also be spelled as ko. The common spelling of zu Kanji ko can also allude to ko as in light, or koe, voice.

As a final addendum, the reason why Yuzu has pink hair despite her name being literally yuzu is because pink hair is often used in animé in replacement of blonde hair, due to assumption of strawberry blonde hair being a type of blonde hair (it is actually a type of red hair). This is also why Ruri isn’t blonde despite her bracelet’s color, since Yuzu already covers the “blonde” slot.

[katzenklavierr]

hi there!! i was scavenging around for metal UTAU and related songs- because i'm working on reviving my UTAU of about 15 years, Suzu, and turning her into a metal/pop-hybrid idol of sorts lol (i also understand the risks of creating such a bank lmao- i'll take some tips if you have any, though!)- and i gotta say, Katsu's voice is Amazing. he's so crisp and clear, and his growls are Incredible <3 i am in awe at your voice work and raw talent. the thing is, i've had a hard time coming across any metal USTs, and i'm not the best at making them myself, so i was wondering if i could yoink your "catch me if you can" babymetal UST? i don't plan on uploading anything (she's in the beginnings of her Seventh revamp out of 0.5 complete banks, so i can't confidently say she'll ever be released, let alone any time soon💀) and i plan on using the UST primarily for testing, but if i do make a full cover, i'll absolutely let you know beforehand and give you full credit! it's totally ok if you don't want to share it (or can't, if you happened to have lost the file </3), but i figure i should ask rather than just sitting on my hands haha. tysm in advance!! also sorry abt my wordiness lol- have a great day & keep up the absolutely Astounding work!! <3

p.s. in case you don't feel like tossing your hard work to a complete stranger, do you have any songs+usts you'd recommend? particularly for testing metal singing? i'd love to hear your recommendations <3 p.p.s. fun fact abt suzu is that she would have had a 100% full bank in 2021, were it not for the fact that i started HRT around the same time that i started recording her most recent bank. she only had a few extra sounds that needed to be recorded (breaths and whatnot). then a year and some months passed. needless to say, my voice is currently about an entire octave lower than it was when i started 🥲 lol

First, thank you so much!! I agree there is a severe lack of metal UTAU and metal vocal synth material in general, so I'm always excited to see more of it. I'm currently testing out stuff for an English growl bank but that won't get done until my reclist is finalized lol. Katsu is more rock-oriented because that's just how my voice is, but I think a pop+metal oriented bank would suit itself well to post-hardcore and pop punk songs with harsh vocals.

I've made three USTs for harsh vocals (Catch Me If You Can as you've seen, as well as Vermin and Black Hole Artist by Utsu-P), but it's been awhile since I've looked at any of them so there might be cleanup to be done before I share them. That being said, I don't mind doing it for any you'd be interested in using, if you don't mind waiting a couple weeks (I'm pretty busy with IRL stuff rn). Other than my own stuff, the songs with existing USTs I can think of off the top of my head are Heart Sutra Hardcore and Assault Mirage.

Also I feel that wrt HRT. My voice dropped from being a tenor to a baritone and I had to completely retrain myself on how to sing. I ended up taking like a two year hiatus from working on my own VBs, but I feel like I'm actually a better vocalist now than I was before so it all worked out I suppose.

[byreticence]

when: 7 january 2040 where: buchanan’s gala - sculpture garden who: @amarcnthined​ - suzu ishida

much as he’d like to, the likelihood of cecil getting his hands on robert buchanan tonight are low. not impossible, of course. flexing the might of the royce family name would be more than enough. it’s not a door he needs opened  because the night is far from over. buchanan’s little science experiment has to make it through the night without a problem - such as two newly superpowered people surviving the night without throwing someone out a window or setting something on fire because of overstimulation or sheer idiocy. he’s not even entirely sure they weren’t already powered (and unregistered) to begin with.

that fiasco is a problem to be dealt with tomorrow. instead of staying inside, he’s made his way out to the sculpture garden - braving the chilly night air to smoke now that everyone else can’t be assed to miss a single second of the twins. he has enough eyes and ears inside to allow himself the break. to feel a little less like clawing out of both his suit and skin. he’s not the only one making an escape.

“i see it’s your turn to follow me now,” he says. he looks at suzu once before looking away rather than go against the urge to avoid eye contact. for all the jokes about how he doesn’t blink, he’s still waiting on someone to puzzle out how it only happens when he’s making eye contact - when he’s forcing himself to not avoid it. “buchanan didn’t hire you to make it look real, did he?”

[deutoplasmic]

HE DOESSS he needs to be knocked down a few pegs cmon y/n you can do it. fluster him. surely after centuries of beef y/n’s got some dirt on him

AWW dont worry thats what y/n’s lil sanctuary is for!! fen already knows to make lots and lots of curry when he drops by because. baby pokemon pleading with 🥺 eyes? he can resist. YOU pleading with 🥺 eyes? yea okay he has to feed the whole forest now

LMAO THATS SO VALID she reminds me of marnie personally!! like the type to take in pokemon that might seem scary but are just misunderstood,,, i love her

PLAYDATES AWW suzu’s togepi is trying be friendly with it but scizor is just like. hiding behind ran SOFTT

don't even need the au for the dirt...... the flat earther confirmation is enough LOL but maybe it wouldn't work bc he's very loud and proud about his perspective on the shape of the earth. just kiss him yn!!!!!!!! do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok that's hilarious. he's given up on trying to exercise self control when it comes to you and just acts on your whims 🤣 speaking of which he is always prepared for you like damn forgot to bring a few pokeballs around? fengfan has got you. even has a couple master balls if necessary. wait you need some razz berries to coerce a particularly stubborn pokemon? fengfan is right there, with a few nanab berries too.......

YOURE SO RIGHT omg she has like. a scolipede and a wimpod she found abandoned on the side of a route and had to adopt them!!!!! she loves her mimikyu very much.... her hitmonlee too.........

the idea of that is so cute... shizuku's naughty tinkaton tries to pilfer scizor for nest material and it's so shy as it just gets towed away.............

[mrnicekisser]

[Street Gacha] Chapter 5

Written by 木野誠太郎

Hayate: Ahh. That's pretty good.

Runa: Haa, huh... That's a disgrace, isn't it?

If you lose to the "ally of justice", you'll become the great villain.

Hayate: By the way, you said you were looking for new owners. Do you think you might be able to find one?

Runa: No. I guess it's not easy to find a good person who will take in a cat that you don't know where it came from. It's a bit strange to call a cat "a horse bone" though.

If I were to look for one, I'd look for a place where people gather, like a busy downtown area on holidays.

I plan my strategy every day, but it turns out that it's difficult to find someone just by handing out posters and flyers.

I think it's legal to just post a notice on a utility pole, but getting permission is a pain. I don't really like public authority, you know?

Mizuki: If there are people who can attract a lot of customers with their street performances, they can also advertise for you. But you don't see that kind of thing often in downtown areas, do you?

Hayate: Surely. Maybe it's because there's an amusement park nearby, so the comedians and people in costumes go there instead of downtown. Downtown areas have an image of being for shoppers.

If you want to appeal to shoppers, hmm?

Of course, it would be rude to put up a sign in front of a pet shop, but it would be even worse to stop people from coming to other stores.

Hey, wait...I think I have a clever idea.

Runa: What is it?

Hayate: All you need to do is attract attention from people in the downtown area, right?

Then there's someone suitable for the job. Kuromori-senpai from the light music club.

I met her not so while ago, and it looked like she was on her way to the clothing store. I think she's still in the downtown area, so if you look for her, she'll be able to help.

Mizuki: I see...Certainly, that girl who had gained enthusiastic support as a "fallen angel" might be able to attract attention.

Runa: If we decide to do that, why don't we start searching for Kuromori-senpai? I think it would be much more effective than trying to attract customers ourselves.

"Fallen Angel" Kuromori Suzu's skills are on display. ♪

Hayate: ..That's why. Could you please help me, Kuromori-senpai?

Suzu: Eh, I don't like that idea.

Hayate: I-Is that an immediate answer!? You have mercy, right?

Suzu: No. I'd like to help if I can. Unfortunately, I don't have any instruments or stage costumes with me now.

Even if i did, the song is a blasphemous and noisy.

I am very different from the kind of good people who pick up abandoned cats. I will probably be avoided.

in addition, if you put on an extreme performance and get arrested by a police officer, it would be a "thing".

I was suspended from school at the beginning of this year for something I did in the Dark Culture Festival. If I cause further trouble in public, I could be expelled rather than suspended.

If you look at us, we're not the type of people who would take care of an abandoned cat, right? But contrary to appearances, we do take care of them. 

In other words, there's nothing strange about someone who likes rock music and also likes cats!

Even if the police spots you, you can just run away. Kuromori-senpai in "Fallen Angels" runs away in the face of power, is that a joke?

Hayate: No, no. I don't think I would let my senior, who is graduating in six months, cross this dangerous bridge. I guess I have no choice but to start by handing out flyers.

Mizuki: But printing flyers is expensive enough. I used up all my pocket money on feeding the cat.

Hayate: I wonder if I can do it by hand, or if it would take a lot of time to make handwritten flyers. What should I do?

Suzu: Hmm. If we keep quiet, they can say what they want... Do you not care about our opinions? No matter how much the light music club seeks chaos, they are nothing more than puppets.

If Ruka has something to say, feel free to do it. What do you think about this situation with kittens?

Ruka: Ah, yes, sorry! It was so fun to play with kittens, I got distracted...

Hehehe. This one is so affectionate and cute...

It's outrageous that we would abandon such babies. But at the same time, I think it's a good opportunity.

Suzu: ...A good opportunity?

Ruku: Yes. Um, well... If you can't play the noisy songs, I thought maybe you should play songs that aren't noisy so you won't get in trouble.

Suzu-senpai might not like it though. Hey, sometimes she composes ballad-like songs.

There's a song that I wrote but haven't released since because it doesn't fit the image of a "Fallen Angel". If you don't mind, I'd like you to sing it.

However, if you need an instrument, I'll buy a guitar for practice, so I'm sure you'll be fine using that! I think casual clothes will suit you better, as it will match your usual melody...

Suzu: ...

Suzu: Well. I can't sing songs that aren't rock. I couldn't sing even if you'll ask me to.

Ruka: Sigh...

Hayate: Hey, hey. Are you more concerned about your image than about stray kittens?

Suzu: Listen to the end, "ally of Justice." You don't like it when your advances are ignored, do you?

Suzu: I am a fallen angel. I am an eccentric person who was saved by rock-and-roll, which is like a snoring sound to the gods of heaven, and who found salvation in such songs.

Even if such a person were to sing a ballad, it would not resonate with the souls of the onlookers because it would not come from the heart.

However, if Ruka will sing, it would be a different story. It hasn't been long since she has been a member of the light music club.

Although she is a fallen angel (Lucifer) with broken wings, she should be able to sing songs that resonate with people as a life-sized girl.

So...I'll take it a little lightly when you sing a love song in front of me. I help Ruka play the song, and Ruka makes her singing voice resonate. How about it?

Ruka: Y-you want me to... sing?