#older mizuki is so cute i adore her!!!!!

[dreamdripdistance]

im watching a playthrough of aini since i cant seem to find a decent um. totally legal download for it and UM. RYUKI?

THATS. NOT THE FACE OF SOMEONE WHOS FINE.

[everestica]

Hello!! I was wondering if I can request something? May I request Akito and Ena shinonome having a little sister headcanons? For example, how would they be like older siblings?

'*•.¸♡ Shinonome Siblings x YoungerSibling!Reader!♡¸.•*'

➳ AHHH I adore the Shinonome Siblings as this is so cute!!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

The Shinonome siblings are both very much talented even though they both don't always thing so, but they do try to keep that away from their younger sibling, as they don't want you to have all those negative viewpoints

Akito is a little bit more distant and shows his love by helping you with putting dishes away when you can't reach or helping you with something when you don't really understand.

Ena is all over you though, she loves taking you to the mall with her and Mizuki, also having you sit on her lap at her desk and both working on drawings

They try to make sure that there dad doesn't say anything to bad Infront of the youngest Shinonome, but sometimes its really hard and there will always be one of the having there hands over your eyes or ears, and most of the time both

Overall as older siblings they will work better together when they realize that they have to help the youngest, and make sure they don't have to go through all the negative stuff that they went through.

[becomingpotatoes]

my opinions on the project sekai redesigns

our kids are growing up and entering a new year in high school, which means that they now have completely new designs because thats how idol gacha rhythm games work!!! woo!! and i have Thoughts

im gonna talk about my opinions on all the redesigns from least to most favorite. note that these are not my rankings of the groups themselves lol, thatd be

vbs -> n25 -> mmj & l/n (they’re tied for second) -> wxs

(from least to most favorite)

#5 - MORE MORE JUMP!

ohhh my sweet girls, my precious girls, what did they Do to you.

the blue looks So bad on them. it clashes with minori and airi and feels too samey with shizu and haru. i like their shoes, tho, and i like how airi keeps her trend of her outfit straying just a little bit from the norm.

these outfits just feel so boring and lifeless, compared to their og ones that had a lot more personality and a lot more charm. i dont think the dresses themselves are ugly, in fact i find them quite pretty, but i dont think they suit the girls very well.

also what the fuck is miku wearing lmao (i like her hairstyle tho)

i like all the girls hair accessories tho they’re cute

i hate ranking them last because i love mmj so much but yeah im very disappointed and i honestly prefer their canon outfits that they wear while performing not in the sekai (the ones that their fans helped design in the metamo re:born event that i forgot the name of)

#4 - Leo/need

firstly i wanna say im so happy that honami gets to be pictured with her instrument like the others, and i really like how they positioned saki’s keyboard

i dont hate these designs!! i quite like them actually. they seem more unified and professional, which fits because leo/need is SIGNED with an AGENCY now oh yeah im so proud of them

im sad that ichikas wearing her tie now rip ichikas tie around her wrist you will be missed by me and me only

i really like their new outfits!! the girls look and feel older. im not really vibing with the shade of gray used tho, i wish their uniforms were black or white or a different shade of gray. i also love the pins and buttons on mikus jacket (i actually prefer the shade of gray on the jacket why couldnt the leoneeders be dressed in that shade)

#3 - Wonderlands x Showtime

#ruiturnaround #FREETSUKASAFROMTHEFLAG

mizuki POPPED OFF with these designs (assuming they made them again)

i really love wondershos new look, i just like the other two groups better. nene’s in particular is my favorite (but im biased). i love how professional they look, these new outfits really display this new step that the kids are taking into the world of theatre

so proud for rui for comjng out as nb can he turn around now my artist friends are crying

i adore all of these designs they’re so cute and fun and i really love the new vibe for wondersho as of recently. it seems like colorpale and the fandom are taking them so much more seriously

#2 - Nightcord at 25:00

KANADE HAS BEEN FREED FROM THE CHAIR (but now miku has it. lol.)

guys. guys the - the symbolism. their dresses progress from pure black to gray showing how they’re slowly healing and bettering themselves and miku’s hair is begining to regain its green and the kids have different flowers that have symbolism that other people know way bettee then mine but MAFUYU’S IVY MOTIF AND ENAS NARCISSUS MOTIF ARE BACK BABY real missed chance to give kanade carnations tho. i dont have much to say but WOW i love the new look for the nightcords and i think they’re stunning. will accept zero hate for these guys they look great

also miku has shoes!!!! yes!!!!

#1 - Vivid BAD SQUAD

yeah, i was surprised too at how much i like the vbs designs

i like vbs, sure, but they’ve always been the group that has piqued my interest the least. and ive never been super keen on the designs of the characters

but these designs??? i really like them. a lot. it feels like the kids are really coming into their own, with kohane and toya finding their personal styles, akito refining his, and an paying homage to nagi in hers. they’re becoming the young adult creators and musicians that they’re striving to be. i can really see vbs’s growth in their new designs, and i hope that i can grow to really love them and their story : D

(also mikus design is kind of. all over the place. lmao but i kinda love it)

[ticklish-n-stuff]

hiiii!! I love your writing so much omg its so cute <3 I was wondering if i could request something with mizuena? maybe mizuki is teasing too much and ena tries to get them back, or ena is in a grumpy mood and Mizuki tries to cheer her up or something, just ideas ((:

Sleepover

I suddenly was bombarded with n25 brainrot and my friends chose the MizuEna request so here we are lol

Also I'm glad you enjoy my writing ^^

Merry Christmas~!

___________________________________________

Mizuki x Ena (romantic)

Lee: Mizuki

Ler: Ena

Warnings: Tickles! I ended up using she/her pronouns for Mizuki out of habit, I hope that's alright lol

___________________________________________

It was a good night, Ena had invited her girlfriend to spend the night at her house to spend some quality time... or whatever couples do. When Mizuki came over, she seemed like her usual cheery and very teasy self. Not like Ena minded the teasing though. But she couldn't help but feel like there was something... different about her. She wasn't sure why... but Mizuki's smile looked almost... forced. Was there something wrong?

As they sat down in Ena's bed, curiosity got the best of her and she asked "What's up with you?".

"Hmm? What do you mean?".

"You're acting a bit odd..."

Mizuki pondered for a moment before smirking "Maybe you're the odd one here~". She playfully stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend as she plopped down on her back, folding her arms behind her head.

Ena rolled her eyes in annoyance, she knew Mizuki had a hard time opening up, but she also hated feeling useless in these kinds of situations. She wanted to help but there wasn't much to do when she didn't know the root of her problem. Well... maybe there was something she could do after all...

Ena crawled over to Mizuki, taking a seat across her hips.

"Oh? What's this for?~" Mizuki sent her a teasy smirk, causing Ena to blush a bit. But she tried to keep calm, not wanting to get deterred of her goal.

"If you want to be so teasy then it's only fair that I return the favor" Ena tried to give off a serious look but couldn't help but smile as she descended her fingers towards Mizuki's belly.

"Eh?! E-nanahahan! Not thahat!" Mizuki bursted out into bright giggles at the sudden tickling, trying to grab at Ena's wrists, but the older one was too fast for her.

"Aww what's wrong? Not so teasy now, huh?~" Ena smirked down at them as she teasingly traced her index finger around her navel, causing her girlfriend to squeal through her giggle fit.

"Ah-!! T-this isn't fahahair!" Mizuki threw her head back in laughter, her cheeks growing pink ever so slightly. With the new opening, Ena wormed her fingers up to Mizuki's neck, lightly scribbling all over it. "PFFT-! ENA NAHAT THEHEHERE!" poor Mizuki squealed and shook her head around as her laughter got more and more powerful with each ticklish touch.

"Wow, look at how sensitive you are here, it's so adorable~" Ena teased, enjoying the bright, bubbly laughter that came out of her girlfriend.

"AHAHAHAHA! E-ENA PLEHEHEASE!".

Once Ena noticed that Mizuki's eyes were getting watery, she slowed her fingers to a stop. Smiling down at them as Mizuki gasped for breath.

"Ahaha... w-what was that for?~".

"Just because... you look much better with a genuine smile~".

Mizuki felt a bit taken aback by the compliment, her face growing a bit red, causing Ena to chuckle. The brunnette layed down next to her, wrapping her in a soft embrace. Mizuki let out a sigh as she said "Thanks for that...", a soft smile sitting on her lips.

Ena smiled back, "No problem~" as they both remained in each other's presence for the rest of the night...

___________________________________________

MizuEna will rule the world!

[thatgirlfromthering]

here is a bunch of useless stuff abt prsk but i have no friends so im just saying it for everyone to hear. my opinions only dont take this seriously

nc @ 25

mafuyu: my favorite in the whole game. its odd considering that i used to absolutely hate her. i hated her for the same reason that most ppl hate her. i thought that everyone was overreacting to her problems but then i realized i was projecting my own insecurities onto that so i started to love her. ill pull her mothers hair out in clumps

kanade: my second favorite in the whole games. i just relate to mafuyu more. her hair is nice. we both hate going outside ♡︎ idk how shes paying the bills but either way i feel bad for her she lost so many ppl she loves & shes trying to protect someone she loves & i want a friend like her but i dont think itd be healthy but do i care? not really. i love kanade i wanna give her a comfy blanket to sleep with.

mizuki: this was very hard to do cause i couldnt decide to put them or kanade in the number 2 spot. ig i just have the smallest bit of more bias towards kanade. anyway their such a good friend big w for telling your bestie to run away (/serious) ily queen teehee were both transfem she/theys who hated life also their singing voice is the best out of all the characters

ena: ok i wanna like her more than i do but i just hate the way she treats mafuyu its like she thinks mafuyus a burden for not having conventional feelings a lot of ppl ik irl are like this so i dont care for ena that much but she obv has her moments of clarity ig but shes better than shiho (not sorry) also she abuses akito idc what ppl say

vbs

toya: hes autistic idk what to tell you chief i think the tenmas should adopt him his & tsukasas friendship is nice i like how tsukasas like an older brother to him. toya has my favorite voice of vbs i love how wholesome he is autism be damned by boys got daddy issues ill kick his dad in the teeth he & mafumom can fall into a volcano ♡︎

akito: i feel bad for the way ena treats him but i do wish he wasnt an ass sometimes but hes gotten better & actually has depth so i like him lots cause his voice is really good also his event stories are good i wish he had more event stories that were centered around him

an: 100% she ahouldve been the vbs leader my theory is that she looks too much like ichika ig & thats why. theres probably some reason that im unaware of. i like her event stories a lot shes a good character i like her determination also caucasian destination boy was her canon event not her discovering nagi is dead

kohane: shes cute & all & her singing voice is good. but she just feels like a copy & paste of minori, vice versa. her determination is cute & all but she just feels like super basic her outfit is cute tho ig.

wxs

nene: shes rlly cute her & emus friendship is one of my favorite dynamics we both love video games her whole mermaid thing is really nice i love mermaids sm also her songs are rlly cute her & lukas voices go well together shes also autistic just saying

rui: the other characters have queer aspects abt them but this guy was just queer all around i mean jfc anyway he said :3 i love his face he probably has my favorite face of the characters he has the best singing voice of wxs imo his event stories are cool too. hes autistic

emu: you ever meet someone so cheerful its almost intimidating? anyway shes adorable & deserves the world i like her lots i think shed give good hugs even tho i hate being touched id like to hug her at least once her event songs are good but im not a huge fan of once upon a dream

tsukasa: mr showtime is fire. he & emu would be in the same spot but i like emus singing voice better so 🤷‍♀️ he & mafuyu probably are systems (shoutout to hearth4days) my guy has glass child syndrome his parents are lowkey neglectful i love his big brother thing hes got going on i wish he was my big brother. his laugh is loud but nice

mmj

shizuku: so gorgeous no notes shes so sweet & cute & i love her voice & i want her to be my big sister & i love her singing voice the cards for the my color event are so lovely i want that costume for her so badly shes muah muah muah my love

haruka: we both have eds lol im not a huge fan of her singing voice but i like her hair when my hair grows out a little more i wanna style it like that i like her regular voice a lot

airi: lets go lesbians her & shizukus romeo & cinderella song was sooo good also her event songs are sooo good (momoiro key & icedrop ♡︎)

minori: her determination is cute & her design is cute but her personality is eh she & kohane are just copy & pastes of each other their both new at performing and have this main character determination & are obsessed with girls with blue hair (an & harkua)

l/n

honami: we both like drums. she probably has my second favorite face of all the characters. i also think she gives good hugs shes so nurturing and sweet i think her hair is very soft & smells good

saki: shes rlly cute i love her hair i wanna do my hair like that when it gets long we both are chronically ill & feel like a burden to the ppl around us lol her cards are really cute i also think her hair is soft

ichika: eh shes lame her singing voice is pretty good but other than that there doesnt seem to be too much thats interesting abt her

shiho: 🍅🍅🍅

[brawlqueen]

i really wish we had a mama from ai.tsf. or at least someone wrote her / them because she's just so iconic. every line is gold and she's so authentic and human and you love her and laugh at her silly puns and jokes and i shake my head at her innuendo and just. she brightens the entire cast. that's what i love about the a.i series is everyone has so many flaws but so much depth that isn't a 2D thing.

i love how mizuki takes a while to warm up to her then she adores her. she isn't 'another person who could hurt me even if i could break all their bones subconsciously' person. it's just...a person. also i like to think she gives her more cred to say she's the 'cooler date' because, 'i don't compare you to fridges mama. stupid date does. don't lump me in with him, mama.'

as she gets older, while she isn't really one for alcohol because 1:) not of age 2:) she's a detective / psyncer now aka busy, i like to think the first time she takes a sip most of her family and friends are at mama's , and it's a big deal . she doesn't want to go to any other bar. because mama has established themselves as a safe place and she openly comments on how 'cute' mizuki is, how much she feels for her grief in the cyclops serial killings, is so considerate about her needs and feelings when asking date information about renju, that i just like to think one day she tags along with date / cringefail dad, and they take a sip at the same time, and date's just laughing his butt off at his adoptive daughter just CHOKING on her first sip before he gets elbowed in the ribs.

it's so rare for mizuki to show any vulnerability, and once squandered it's basically almost impossible to get a second chance without her assessing you every minute. but marble is one of those safe places, and i like to think if date doesn't take her first, (though she'd secretly be happy he thought of her, even if he IS a loser), her sister figure iris would and the friends she'd made through her.

i love the ambience of marble because yes it's shady but it's honest in what it is, and the music, the way mama is the heart of the whole area you investigate, not the clickable flavor text, and i just like to think it's safe there for her.

mizuki can't count past five fingers how many 'safe places' she knows in her life. but mama is someone she trusts, and i think in the ex.plosion aftermath she definitely visited the poor girl at the hospital.

marble just feels like home, and that's because of mama going out of her way to make it safe for a shattered, seething, brave mess of a girl and anyone, so i think her first two visits heavily impacted her, and i do like to think she visits if only to catch up on how they're both doing.

[ultimatecutenesspeaks]

Bunny well they still have to get trough me if they want to get to if you two I’m just love you both so much you cute little things seriously I’m can’t wait to meet this baby I’m bet they are adorable well not as much as hikari she is just too precious our adorable baby niece of our older brother I absolutely adore her

*Haruki giggles happily at Bunny's first statement as he leans against his shoulder happily, and Mizuki turns red with a shy smile as she does the same, except to hide her face.*

Haruki: Awww, that's so sweet of you, Bun Bun! We love you so much too, big brother. And I can't wait to meet this baby too. But yeah, Hiki-chan is such a precious, adorable thing! Mizu-chan and I adore her too. 😊

[rebelwhodoesntknow]

Oh answering second reponse now 😂 I forgot i sent two earlier omg, genuinely sorry for being so disjointed with these

Friends is so so so so good. I think it feels a lot more like Akari gen than anything else, and also oh my god it is so gay I can't even begin to explain but I have to

Love Me Tear/Karen and Mirai are basically girlfriends they are very cute, and good older sister types to the girls- espescially Mirai! Her fashion sense may be VERY questionable but she's really fun. Aine and Mio are adorable, I love their friendship and Aine is like the personification of a smile to me

season 2 is completely off the rails. the entire show is hijacked by a new girl whowent to space to do aikatsu on the moon in private because her idol girlfriend broke up with her. her solo is about how much she loves and misses her. their eventual unit song is literally a love song. (also the anniversary song for aifure, Brightest is extremely married of them)

I love her. her entire deal is that she's artsy and bold and misses her girlfriend very very much. The ENTIRE main cast drops everything to fly to Alicia's kingdom to help Hibiki win her back and also save an entire nation..??????????? and magic is real??? it's insane like you could literally just watch the character intro episodes of s1 and then watch s2 and you'd be fine 😂

I literally cant recommend friends enough I don't know what they were on when they decided to to that do it but GOOD DECISION

In terms of singing I think my favorites would be Mizuki (I'm a big fan of her Star☆Anis seiyuu Ritsuko!!! I love when she does jazzy songs, my favorite song she's in is Thrillling Dream, sooo pretty), Aoi, & #1 is Akari! A lot of people didn't enjoy Ruka's voice and I get why but idk she's one of my favorite singers 😂

Oh btw!! Ritsuko is currently on break from the group but Fuuri & Waka (Aoi, Ichigo) are all in a group together called Mia Regina! LOOOTS of good rock songs and they covered STARDOM from stars<3 their character voices aren't actually acting, it's their voices, so it's like a missing Mizuki/Ichigo/Aoi unit

Their STARDOM cover: https://open.spotify.com/track/10rFu2kz0OBN1fWhKYKjKi?si=i6rLEVmhT3ql1Su47BHkRA

I’m sorry I could not keep a straight face reading ‘a new girl who went to space to do aikatsu on the moon because her idol girlfriend broke up with her’ oh my GOD thats what happened? And I love that they straight up went ‘yeah we’re not even going to excuse this there is straight up magic now’ like woah okay! Sounds like a wild ride! I do like Alicia’s one solo song, I want to learn it but it’s been on the backburner due to ALL THE OTHER AIKATSU SONGS I AM TRYING TO LEARN

I really love Akari’s voice too! I don’t think it’s bad at all, I think she actually sounds a bit like me! Hopefully that doesn’t mean I sing bad…. But I’m in choir so I think I’m okays I like singing her songs because of that lol. Yume has the worst voice of the mains, I feel. Nothing against her VA at all I’m just not sure what the direction was going for…

Ooh I’ll have to check out Mia Regina! It’s really sweet that the VAs stayed together after Aikatsu ended :)

[neon-vocalist]

Sends you a character BACK!!

Do KAITO fjhdysgsgsgsgs and and Mizuki and Minori

i don’t WANNA do kaito <- whiny baby

KAITO

Sexuality Headcanon: Bi ace

Gender Headcanon: Bigender

A ship I have with said character: MEIKO

A BROTP I have with said character: Oliver. I think they would be such a cute uncle/nephew situation. Same with Rin and Len though they’re more like cousins.

A NOTP I have with said character: Fuckin. Miku 😭

A random headcanon: He sews skirts and blankets for Miku and MEIKO

General Opinion over said character: Ew.

mizuki

Sexuality Headcanon: Bisexual lesbian <3

Gender Headcanon: Agender demigirl

A ship I have with said character: Mafuyu

A BROTP I have with said character: I think Mizuki and Airi would be such cute friends

A NOTP I have with said character: Rui

A random headcanon: She has a necklace Ena made her that she never takes off

General Opinion over said character: God I love her so much. 10/10 would die for them

minori

Sexuality Headcanon: Pansexual maybe? Or something a little bit more obscure. Definitely somewhere on the aro spectrum

Gender Headcanon: Just plain cis girl <3

A ship I have with said character: Breaking my no interunit rule to say Kohane. Haruka is 50/50, I feel like that would be a super unhealthy relationship. But her and Kohane? Adorable.

A BROTP I have with said character: Ena and Akito

A NOTP I have with said character: Shizuku or Airi. I know they’re the same age but they just seem so much older.

A random headcanon: Her favourite ice cream is the like pecan turtle flavour? With the caramel and shit

General Opinion over said character: Cringe flop creature she is so so pathetic but also I love her

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Manga Series Review - Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl

The tenth and final volume of Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl is finally out in English, and honestly, I expected this moment to feel more climatic. This long-running series debuted in 2013 and quickly became one of the most consistently popular Yuri works in the current era. However, perhaps because of its relative longevity, it always felt like the background; The consistently safe and trope-filled home I could return to after exploring new and exciting Yuri works. There is often something comforting about home, and many of the cute kisses and relationships featured are joyful and entertaining.

Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl is a Yuri manga series by Canno. It follows numerous couples at Seiran Academy, a fictional middle and high school with a sister university. The common themes and tropes of the Yuri genre riddle the work. Some are seen in individual couple’s stories, while others, such as the all-girls school, style of uniforms, and repeated girl meets girl then love narrative. While these tropes are by no means a negative, being a fan of this genre would be impossible if they were, they are such old hat for Yurijin that they become dull, and Kiss and White Lily does little to forward or subvert them. In this way, the series feels like a showcase of the genre, a series I can thrust at people and say, “you want to learn about Yuri? Then read this” (an honor I usually reserve for Whispered Words). In short, the series is enjoyable but tiring and predictable.

Before I get into the spoiler-filled breakdown of each couple, there are a few overarching elements to note. It is achingly sweet, not in a heartwarming way, but an “I just a bit down on cake and have a cavity” way. Nothing in the first few volumes has any real consequence or impact; it is just cute and stupid. Now I like cute and stupid, but it has to be fun and enjoyable to read, and at first, this is not. Many characters lack chemistry, and often, the drama is caused by their own nonsensical choices rather than from the complications that come with relationships or friendships. If I do not like these characters together, I do not want to see them hugging and kissing and being cute.

You may have noticed that I spoke of how I enjoyed the series but then went on a rant about how weak the plot is. Fortunately, as the series goes on, the writing improves drastically. Characters who are in or are moving towards relationships, mostly, have compatible traits, and with stakes grounded in some form of reality. The What’s Behind the Story!? Sections, single pages devoted to the perspectives of random other characters and couples, are another welcome addition. Here, the lack of consequence or chemistry works, as each is given only a few moments to give a one-liner or snapshot of service. 

The artwork in Kiss and White Lily suffers from a similar problem as the plot. It is too adorable for the sake of being adorable. Kurosawa reacts with a huge smile and sudden anthropomorphic ears far too often in the early volumes. There are other inconsistencies also, mainly in tone. For example, in the first volume, there is a moment where one character is being introspective and dramatic, when suddenly, in a moment of metaphoric imagery, another is holding a gun to her head. This scene is awkward and unnecessary. No other moment uses such visual tricks to illustrate emotional conflict, and it is completely removed from the rest of the work. Finally, the artwork is cluttered. Almost every panel has so much crammed into it feels overwhelming.

However, just as the problems with art and story are similar, so are the solutions, time. As Canno continues, the art drastically improves. It takes on a more consistent tone, relies less on visual tricks, and quickly becomes one of the series’ highlights. Seeing the characters be gentle and affectionate will put a smile on all but the most begrudged reader’s face, especially with the more likable characters. Canno also makes frequent use of beautiful double-page spreads, many of which I have bookmarked so I can refer to them when I need a smile.

Now that I have gotten those points out of the way, I can get down into the meat of Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, the couples. There is an explosive plethora of pairings in this series, and I love it. Each feels unique, has a compelling story (mostly), and a satisfying conclusion. Every reader will easily find their favorites or see their own life reflected in one of these cute couples.

Ayaka Shiramine and Yurine Kurosawa are the principal couple of Kiss and White Lily, and their courtship spans all ten volumes. Unfortunately, they start out as one of the weaker couples in the story. Shiramine is the model student, working hard, helping out at the school, and getting high grades. However, she is consistently ranked second in all tests (teacher’s side note here, publicly posting student’s grades has been shown in research to be horrible for student achievement by multiple studies) behind Kurosawa. However, unlike Shiramine, Kurosawa does not try at all; she usually sleeps through class and does not participate in school activities, and succeeds only by her “genius.” Kurosawa’s effortless achievements anger Shiramine, and she confronts her about it. However, Kurosawa is pleased by the notion of Shiramine beating her and begins to aggressively pursue a relationship (the aggressive gay woman is the worst trope. Consent and enthusiasm are a central part of romance).

In what seems to be a running theme for this series, Shiramine and Kurosawa’s relationships improve as the books go on. First, Shiramine becomes less of a stereotypical tsundere character, as her motivation for being the best is revealed, a cold and frankly awful mother who scoffs at her daughter’s achievements. Likewise, Kurosawa, who starts incredibly inconsistent, moving from peppy to cruel to bored within the span of a few pages, settles down into a more calm character, with her enthusiastic love for Shiramine intact.

The beginning of their romance was weak, mainly due to their personalities and lack of chemistry, but the end conclusion was incredibly satisfying. Kurosawa realizes that she came to love Shiramine because she thought the perfect student could beat her and make her a normal girl, not a genius. However, in the end, she realizes that it was not their grades, but the ways Shiramine drew her out of her shell and THE FRIENDS SHE MADE ALONG THE WAY that made her a better person. Shiramine changes too, becoming more courageous and finally standing up to her horrid mother, thus breaking the spell the woman had over her and freeing Shiramine of her burdens.

In the final volume, Shiramine realizes that she likes being with Kurosawa and that their rivalry was her favorite part of the school. These feelings are all admitted in a fantastic speech she gives to the incoming students. I was smiling throughout the whole second half of Volume 10 as their relationships reached its inevitable conclusion, and for that, I offer praise.

Mizuki Senoo is the star of the track team where Moe Nikaidou, her longtime friend, is the manager. These two are one of my favorite couples, but they also have the most problems of any. Both girls are entirely captivated by and devoted to each other, so much so that they become codependent. However, the way they address this codependency is horrible. Moe suddenly stops talking to Mizuki, which severely distresses the athlete and leads to poorly written angst. There is no logic, only nonsense choices made for the sake of plot. Of course, they resolve the issue, everything is happy and pleasant, and they decide to be together forever. And then (and this is my favorite part) they graduate and go to university and live together! This action is perhaps the one time that Kiss and White Lily manages to forgo the conventions of the genre and begins to approach queer representation. Mizuki and Moa are no longer bound by the walls of the high school, the confines of Catholic school style uniforms, the tropes of Yuri, but they are free adults who love each other and are together. It is a perfect ending, which does not excuse the atrocious middle. 

Volume 2 introduces to Chiharu Kusakabe and her roommates Maya Hoshino and Ai Uehara. These three are close and live together perfectly. However, as Maya is older than Ai and Chiharu, she will be graduating soon and leaving them behind. Chiharu struggles with her conflicted feelings for her senpai, with whom she has fallen in love. On the one hand, Chiharu wants Maya to be happy and go to a good university; on the other, she selfishly wants her to stay close. Chiharu begins to close herself off, but then she meets the stubborn (idiot) Izumi Akizuki.

The two girls start a sort of reluctant friendship, where Chiharu waits outside the school each morning to chastise Izumi for riding her bike, which is against school rules. However, Izumi does not stop riding her bike, and Chiharu never reports her. They grow closer, and Izumi helps Chiharu reconcile her relationship with Maya. Eventually, they start dating. It is all cute and wholesome. As these two get together early in the series, the reader has lots of time to enjoy them being together as they appear frequently. The conflicts in their relationships are grounded in reality, and working through them together has a clear positive effect on the character. The only complaint I have is that after they start dating, they mostly keep it a secret for no reason.

Towako Mita and Yukina Ooshiro are one of the worst couples in the manga. They are the only members of the gardening club, although they eventually recruit Kurosawa. As the club is so small, it is always on the edge of dismantlement, as the student council wants to move resources elsewhere. While Ooshiro works to save it, Towako is actively working behind her back to end the club. Her reasoning, she does not want things to change. That’s it, full stop, it is complete nonsense. Of course, they make up and decide to be together with an equally illogical apology. If characters are going to hurt others and then be forgiven there must be effort, reason, and care put into them, traits all lacking in this story. It is all awful.

The fourth volume is a mix: containing some of the series best moments and its worst, by which I mean, most boring. Moe and Mizuki’s romance reaches the spectacular crescendo previously referenced. But, half the volume is spent depicting Kaoru Machida, Kohagi Inoue, and Momiji Shikama. The relationship between these three is focused more on friendship than sexual or romantic desire (cough cough S). Actually, I do not mind this at all, but they. Are. So. Boring. I honestly forgot they existed in the first draft of this review and had to reread Volume 4 to remind myself of them. The fact that I am writing about this process instead of the actual characters says a lot about their lack of appeal.

Sawa Itoh and Itsuki Nishikawa are equally forgettable. They are easily the most mundane romantic couple in the series. The two knew each other long ago, but Sawa forgot about their friendship, much to Itsuki’s disappointment. However, they bond again as high school students and vow to make up for the lost time. Their story ends with Itsuki confessing her feelings for Sawa. Sawa returns those feelings in kind FIVE VOLUMES LATER. That is far too long to wait for a dull ending. NEXT!

Ryou Hiramu, Nina Yuunagi, and Amane Asakura make up Kiss and White Lily’s only three-person relationships and is one of the best. Polyamory is not everyone’s cup of tea. Still, in the context of fiction, their relationship works well and develops excitingly, complete with a healthy dose of melodrama. Hiramu begins to grow close to Asakura, much to the anger of Asakura’s roommate Yuunagi. Yuunagi wants Asakura all to herself, a point made abundantly clear to Hiramu. However, things get more complicated when Hiramu realizes that Yuunagi is an online friend of hers.

Yuunagi feels incredibly lonely, and her only real friend is Asakura. But, when Hiramu shows her kindness, Yuunagi begins to fall for Hiramu. Yuunagi feels incredible guilt over this, swearing that she should only need Amane and not wanting to compete for Hiramu’s affection. Their tale ends when a distraught Yuunagi runs away before being confronted by Hiramu and Asakura. There, in a tearful confession, she released her jealousy, her guilt, and her confusion. Despite being overblown, it is one of the most relatable and truthful emotional moments in the manga. The solution, Yuunagi does not have to choose; she can have more loves. It is a mature answer that, while not ideal for most, makes sense here and is healthy for all the characters.

The next volume focuses on Haine Aoi and her close in age aunt Aika Yukimura (who is more like her sister). Before anyone breaks out the pitchforks or plants this volume next to Citrus on their bookshelf, the relationship is not sexual. This intention is explicitly shown in a scene where Aika contemplates kissing her sleeping niece (creepy) but decides against it, saying, “I don’t actually want to kiss her.” This moment deliberately and awkwardly setting the parameters of their relationships as not sexual. However, there are clear romantic implications. As the two struggle with the idea of drifting apart as most “sisters” do, they decide that this will not happen to them, and they will only grow stronger together. Ultimately, they declared themselves to be soulmates, albeit platonic ones.

This relationship is the most divisive of the series. There will be some, such as myself, who can acknowledge the apparent class s ties and the familial relationship yet can still enjoy the wholesome and grounded story. However, many others will understandably have difficulty overlooking these aspects of the narrative. I invite readers to give this volume a look and decide for themselves. Even if it turns out that Haine and Aika’s storyline is not for you, Shiramine and Kurosawa are at their best here and will save the volume for you. However, whether or not you like this couple, can we all agree that the decision to feature a major story act about a piano player (Haine) and NOT include a piano duet is INSANE!! Canno is not at all coy with Yuri tropes in this series, and this exclusion will not stand!

Nagisa Tatsumi and Hikari Torayama are rivals, opponents in the student council president election, and secretly roommates. The two live together by necessity, with their adorable kitten. Neither one can stand the other. However, when given the opportunity to separate, they decide they would prefer to continue living together. There is not much here. Even though one is labeled as “nice” and the other “mean,” Nagisa and Hikari have the same personality. The other “tsundere” type character in Kiss and White Lily, Shiramine, works because she is given time to grow and develop as a complicated character and because she is paired with someone different than here. Unfortunately, aside from some cute trope-filled moments like an accidental kiss, these two are insignificant. But. perhaps I am too hard on them, as I am conditioned to expect Yuri featuring characters named Nagisa and Hikari to be far more dramatic, grandiose, and interesting

Asuka Sakurada and Mikaze Hagimoto are the final couple introduced, as the next and final volume is only concerned with wrapping up previously established relationships. A shame, as they are the single most problematic and dysfunctional couple presented. Sakurada and Hagimoto are both cosplayers, which is how they meet, and the younger Hagimoto quickly asks Sakurada out. Sakurada is awful. She is cruel, detached, and rude to almost everyone. After an injury forced her to repeat her final year at Seiran Academy, causing her to be somewhat jaded, to say the least. What little the reader sees of their romance, which last all of a dozen pages, is appalling. Sakurada is mean and unaffectionate, and Hagimoto attempts to force her into activities she does not want to do. They break up quickly, and the rest of the volume plays out like a tragic love story, as Hagimoto pines for her senpai, and Sakurada says dramatic lines about how she “can never go back.” Of course, by the end, they have made up and are together again.

Not only are we giving this vile relationship, but excellent moments of emotional distress are wasted on them. For example, Hagimoto delivers a tearful and moving speech on a train platform. There is also a rare moment of clarity from Hagimoto, where she realizes that she did nothing to make the relationship work, followed by an admittance from Hagimoto that she just wanted to be more like Sakurada. Now, characters realizing their mistakes and faults to move forward and become better, as individuals and a couple is incredible; however, there needs to be a solid foundation. The unfortunate truth is that such tragic and dramatic relationships take time and investment. The reader needs to want to see these characters get better and make up, something notably lacking here. This awful partnership tarnishes the beautiful scenes present.

Fortunately, Volume 9 is not a total loss, far from it. Shiramine and Kurosawa complete their personal arcs described previously in this review, thus clearing the way for Volume 10 to finally have them get together, perform a quick survey of the other characters, and tie up any dangling story threads in a bow covered with cute kisses and gentle service.

Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl is an incredibly mixed bag of a series. It gives a wide variety of couples and tropes for the reader to enjoy, but many of the relationships suffer significantly from weak characters or uninteresting storylines. Its mediocre start does not help the series. Early outings are noticeably lacking in all categories from plot to artwork, which provides a difficult barrier for entry. However, there is a lot to love here. It is a spectacular showcase of Yuri and an absolute classic of the genre’s current era. Kiss and White Lily is THE YURI MANGA, a title that bears both the great and terrible of the genre.

This series concluding publication feels appropriate for the genre’s centennial. The tropes it features, which have paraded the genre for the past hundred years, will not go away. But, the conclusion of Kiss and White Lily feels, at least for the moment, like their last hurrah before stepping back to let a new century’s worth of newer and queerer works make their mark in the genre.

Ratings: Story – 6 Characters – 4 Art – 7 LGBTQ – 8 Sexual Content – 2 Final – 5

Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 10 review copy provided by Yen Press ( @yenpress​ )

You can get the series digitally and in print today: Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 10 - https://amzn.to/34k8sAj

[precure-stuff]

Aikatsu On Parade Rewrite Part 3(Episode 11-15)

Part I:https://precure-stuff.tumblr.com/post/615727361525202944/aikatsu-on-parade-rewrite

Part II:https://precure-stuff.tumblr.com/post/615851689210167296/aikatsu-on-parade-rewrite-episode-6-10

It took a bit longer than the rest but here we are. Any support for this fanfic is appreciated. I used to think fanfic was a bad word or embarrassing but I don’t feel that way anymore. Tangent aside here it is.

Episode 11-

The next episode starts with Ichigo, Yume and Raki baking with Yotsuba Shun. He tells them that mixing different ingredients makes new refreshing flavors as Yume mentions that she and Akari are different flavors. Ichigo asks what they mean and they decide to perform Future Jewel in their LPRs. The appeals are duo versions Star Cute Flash and Cute Flash. Ichigo and Raki are impressed and she insists that they show her their combined flavor. As they head to the Dressing Room, Ichigo prepares to place her cards in but Raki’s Aikatsu Pass glows and transports them to a Dressing Room machine inside a tent. Ichigo seems excited to be somewhere new and rushes out. Raki asks her to wait and pants as she leaves the tent in chase. A warm breeze catches her attention as she realizes that they’re on a beach. Ichigo turns to ace Raki as nearby, Aoi’s eyes light up. Aoi runs up to Raki and asks her for an interview on her teleportation. Raki is overwhelmed by Aoi’s torrent of questions and Shion comes to the rescue. “Give the newbie some space.” She utters. Raki is surrounded by three unfamiliar idols namely, Shion,Hinaki and Ema. Aoi rambles a little about each of them and mentions that they’re here to shoot a film. The movie is also being sponsored by the pop brands, Vivid Kiss and Colorful Shake. Hinaki says she wishes that Mikuru were here but she mysteriously disappeared(cut to her on Venus Ark with Mizuki) Raki cuts her off and asks to see the cards they have. Aoi explains their brand themes with glee as Ako laments that they’ll never finish shooting at this point. Raki asks her what the problem is and Ako tells her that a few minutes ago the shooting staff went missing along with Tsubasa. Shion suggests that Raki could fill in to help them shoot their lines more organically and she agrees. Raki tries her best to read her lines and we see her do a few lines shakily. She’s stunned by the impressive acting of Shion, Aoi and Ako. Ichigo, Ema and Hinaki play in the ocean as shooting goes on when Shion rudely interrupts. “It’s time to film our live,” she reminds them. Ichigo tells Shion they need to have fun too and tells Shion she should relax after shooting. Shion remarks that she wants to finish the job first. Hinaki, Ema and Hinaki enter the Dressing Room. Hinaki wears the Neon Rothbart Coord, Ema wears the Denim Neon Coord and Shion wears the Cyber Monotone Coord and Aoi wears the Sky Blue Coord. The song is Original Star. Appeal could be Cube Quartet or a quartet version of Melody Musical. Ideally it would be a new Appeal

 Episode 12- This episode starts with Karen arriving at the island. She brings Tsubasa along who thanks Raki for filling in for her and she alights with the crew. Raki asks if she can stay and watch but Karen tells her she’s needed on the ship. Raki follows her and Karen sits her down. “May I see your Aikatsu Pass?” Raki hands over her pass. “I’m afraid I’ll have to confiscate this.” Karen has her guards hold Raki as she takes the Pass into an inner room. Raki whines and watches the door close. She bangs on the door and Mirai comes out. Raki lights up and asks Mirai to let her in. Mirai tells her that Karen was worried about what else the Pass could do and that they were going somewhere to analyze it. She calms Raki down and the two stare at the ocean as they approach the shore. Once the ship docks, Mirai takes Raki to an imposing building before her. Raki adores the colorful building and Karen appears behind her announcing their arrival at Dream Academy. Headmaster Tiara welcomes them and leads the trio to Kii’s Computer Room. Karen says that she was referred to Kii by a recent friend. She hands the Pass to Kii and Kii starts to work on it. Raki sits nervously between Karen and Mirai. Mirai gets a call and mentions that she has to go. Kii turns to them and laments she needs a break. When Karen asks what the pass is, Kii says that it was too advanced to figure out. Karen sighs and pulls out her phone. After asking Coco a few questions, she gives up and hands Raki the Pass. Kii takes Raki’s hand and offers her a tour. Raki stops to watch Seira as does Kii. Kii mentions that Seira was Ichigo’s partner and Raki mentions that she’s performed with Ichigo too. This catches Seira’s attention and her focus shifts to the two of them. Seira says her titular catchphrase. Seira decides to challenge Raki and performs Magical Time with KiiPrincess Tiara arrives and asks what the sudden performance is for. Seira tells her that Raki is a special idol like Ichigo was and Tiara asks Raki to stay a while. Raki goes along with it to try out the design course. She sings the “Your Entrance” in the Charmy Ribbon Coord from episode 1 and performs Ribbon Holic. Seira realizes that Raki is still a beginner but decides to remain silent as she wants to know what kind of idol Raki will be.

Episode 13-This episode starts with Raki and Sora shopping for fabric in the afternoon. They are looking for stores with new or trendy designs. Sora acts kind of like an older sister to Raki giving her advice as a student who started her own brand. They stop at a café where Maria is waiting for her. They paint Raki’s nails and Maria brushes her hair. They try on different styles and jewelry then Raki gives them a makeover. At the end of the day they return to the Dream Academy and share cards from their respective brands. As they share cards, Noelle comes by to see what’s going on. Raki compliments her hair and they all stay up sharing their cards. As they quiet down, Noelle brings up that she’s never performed. Raki is shocked and asks her why. Sora says that Noelle only recently joined Dream Academy and has yet to debut. Raki lets Noelle know that she hasn’t been an idol that long either but by trying she was able to have new experiences. Noelle smiles and goes off to bed. The next day, Sora invites Raki to a fashion she’s putting on for the first years. Raki meets Ran once more and Ran comments that she’s changed a little. We get to see Kira Pata Shining performed by Sora and Ran. Sora wears the Earth Vibration Coord and Ran wears the Peridot Leo Coord. Maria performs her solo in the Diamond Aries Coord. As the fashion show comes to an end PP shows up looking disgruntled. “We’ve been looking all over for you. With all these new idols we could barely get a lead” Raki apologises and they take her back to Star Harmony. Raki is marched into Tamaki’s office where she remarks that Raki is back in time for Christmas. Raki asks why that’s important and Tamaki tells her she’s been chosen for an upcoming event. Tamaki tells Raki of the event but we don’t hear of it. The episode ends.

Episode 14- The episode continues from the scene left off on and we see that Raki was entered to particitpate in the Joint School Christmas Live. The principals have had a meeting as the worlds have united and they decided to hold a joint live on Christmas The rest of this episode is a little fillery. We meet the Akari gen girls as well as the Ichigo-gen girls. The Star Harmony main eight(RM included)  This is basically where all the idols we’ve met so far get to appear in montages together. The main event is the Christmas Live which is now Hello Winter Love with Hinaki,Ichigo,Raki,Lily,Maika,Juri.The appeal is Melody Musical. Also this version has Hinaki start the song because I love her voice in the Luminas Version. To whom it may concern the lines are switched around from the original six person version as such

·         Akari>Hinaki

·         Hinaki>Raki

·         Sumire>Lily

·         Juri>Juri

·         Mizuki.>Maika

·         Ichigo>Ichigo

Episode 15- This brings us to the final episode of this part of the rewrite. It’s New Years and Raki rejoices that the new year will bring in even more Aikatsu activities. She leaves the Star Harmony dorms to be met by Pure Palette. Since Raki started in Star Harmony I thought they should use Your Entrance with Raki and PP this episode, Raki will get introduced to Jeweling Dresses now that all the other MCs have had their own screentime and stories. This episode doesn’t have much going on except for Raki being interested in Sugar Melody and Material Color. Yeah you can tell I’m not super interested in Pure Palette’s characters but they get their own episode and sing your Entrance with Raki in their Link Coords. The appeal is Ribbon Holic triple version.

CHANGES TO CANON

Raki gets along with Koharu,Sora and other designers

Madoka is intimidated by sharing a brand with Ichigo

Ako,Shion,Aoi and Tsubasa act together

[fairylynel]

Lapis Re:LiGHTS - Anime Review

I started watching this since the art style is so beautiful and cute. I have always had a weakness for Magical Girls anime, but this one has the Idol aspect mixed with it.

Contains Spoilers

The main character of this show is Tiara Victoria Lex Waleland (voiced by Yukari Anzai who also worked on Happy Sugar Life and Release the Spyce), an extremely long name that, as everyone can guess, means that this girl is actually royalty. She’s one of the princesses of the Waleland kingdom, along with her sister, Eliza (voiced by Kana Anazawa who also worked on Angel Beats! and Deadman Wonderland). Against her older sister wishes, Tiara runs away from her home and joins the Flora Girls' High School, a magical school where students work in groups. It has some similarities to, for example, Hogwarts when it comes the evaluation system. You earn points if you do well in classes and lose them when you do poorly - and of course, after you lose too many, you are expelled. It’s mandatory in this high school that the students work in groups and earn the points together, going up (or down) in the ranking system.

This show has, like all idol anime, several girl groups that the viewer can adore (seven groups to be precise). So, of course, Tiara joins a group where her childhood friend, Rosetta (voiced by Risa Kubota who has also worked on Konohana Kitan and Ongeki), an extremely clumsy and fiery tiny girl called Lavie (voiced by Live Mukai who has also worked on Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu), a more stern girl called Ashley (voiced by Iori Saeki who has also worked on Nekopara and Uma Musume: Pretty Derby) and the bookworm Lynette (voiced by Mizuki Yamamoto).

All these girls have pretty standart and stereotypical personalities, but they are all extremely loveable, I absolutely enjoyed seeing Lavie and Ashley argue with each other, while Tiara and Rosetta bonded over their family backgrouds and memories, plus Lynette (even though she didn’t have a counterpart, per say) had enough interactions with everyone, while being important to the plot at the same time. I was afraid her character would be forgotten, but she was extremely charming since the beginning. Moreover, it was super refreshing to see the girls interact with the other groups and forming friendships with each other; it was genuinely refreshing to see, for example, Lynette become close to Ratura (voiced by Yukimi Hayase) and bond over their love for the group Ray.

Each group eventually becomes an Orchestra, a group that sings for the town’s people so a big quantity of mana can be stored in one of the biggest buildings of the school. It doesn’t hurt the people who are listening, despite my concerns in the first episodes, it is just a way to enjoy music.

Moving on to the groups then:

There are 7 in total:

LiGHTS - Tiara, Rosetta, Lavie, Ashley and Lynette. They become an Orchestra since they were in risk of being expelled due to having very little points among them. Their songs in the show have been 私たちのSTARTRAIL (in this particular song, all of the groups are present, but it’s mostly sung by LiGHTS) and Planetarium. It’s the pop style kind of group, their songs tend to appeal to everyone. These songs are, respectively, the Opening song for the anime and the Ending.

IV KLORE (and my favourite group so far) - Emilia, the daughter of a succubus, having the ability to drain the people who touch her of their energy (voiced by Hazuki Hoshino), Alpha, a magic doll that serves Emilia (voiced by Tomomi Mineuchi who has also worked on Slow Start and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. 2), Salsa, a werewolf (voiced by Yuu Sasahara who has also worked on Ochikobore Fruit Tart and Tonari no Kyuuketsuki-san) and Garnet, a ghost (voiced by Youko Nakayama). This group shows up quite early in the show, having an episode dedicated to Garnet as she joins IV KLORE later on. This group has no human members, all of them either being half-human or fully mystical creatures. They’re music is really enjoyable, having a bit of a darker tone when compared to everyone else. In the show, they sing two songs - Midnight Sapphire and Forbidden Fairytale. 

KonoHana wa Otome - Kaede, the younger sister (voiced by Yuuko Oono who has also worked on Konohana Kitan and Ongaku Shoujo), Nadeshiko, the middle sister (voiced by Rina Honizumi who has also worked on Hug tto! Precure and Plunderer) and Tsubaki, the oldest (voiced by Arisa Suzuki who has also worked on New Game!! and Butlers: Chitose Momotose Monogatari). In the anime, they sing two songs -  Karakure＊Night Fever and Inochi Mijikashi, Ryouran Otome. This group mixes traditional japanese music with the rock concept, making this group my second favourite. Their songs are absolutely delicious. In the episode that is dedicated to this group, we see Kaede and Nadeshiko fighting over their musical concept, the middle sister wanting to mix rock music with the traditional. The viewer can see Nadeshiko struggling to keep the relationship with Kaede, while the youngest struggles with the fear of failure of not being able to perform both concepts well enough. It was a really cute episode and it was really fun to see the three of them, even though Tsubaki doesn’t seem to interact much with the other Orchestras, with the other girls and seeing them establish friendships with them.

Sugar Pockets - Ratura (voiced by Yukimi Hayase), Champe (voiced by Seika Hirose) and Maryberry (voiced by Hikaru Akao who has also worked on Assault Lily: Bouquet and Runway de Waratte). This is, in my opinion, the weakes group in terms of their songs. They do this cutesy, soft performances and when compared to the other groups, they lack individuality. Other than that, the characters are pretty loveable as well. Ratura is seen quite often as she and Lynette become close friends as the show goes on and Maryberry becomes less and less shy and more eager to perform with her friends. Champe is probably the most forgetful of them all, but still a very cute character. They perform two songs in the show - Wagama Caramelize and Chat Noir.

Sadistic★Candy - Angelica (voiced by Yuuka Amemiya) and Lucifer (voiced by Risae Matsuda who has also worked on Keijo!!!!!!!! and Love Live! Sunshine!! ).This group is the one that makes Sugar Pockets look boring, in my opinion. This Orchestra also has a happy, sweet kind of concept, but their chaotic personality and energy makes them stand out quite a lot. They performed two songs as well - Positive★Paradise and Are Many Chance!!! . Not only that, but when it comes to the plot, Angelica was also part of the popular group Ray, however her personality at that time now embarasses her and she is a more serious person, despite her childish self still coming out when arguing with Lucifer. 

supernova - Yue (voiced by Yuu Sakuragi who has also worked on), Millefeuille (voiced by Saeko Oku) and Fiona (voiced by Haruka Itou who has also worked on Omoi no Kakera).This is one of the most popular groups when Tiara joins the school. The members are all students in high ranks and they are used in several episodes to show how the hierarchy in this high school works. Their personalities and friendships aren’t shown as much as everyone else, what the viewer will learn the most about them is Yue’s hatred for Tiara and that Millefeuille works a bit like an older sister for both of them, often keeping Fiona in place. Their songs, despite being good, aren’t my favourites from all of them. They go for a more mature concept with their outfits and sounds, but it feels a bit “noisy” in the chorus. They perform two songs -  Ao no Shoudou and RISE.

Ray - Eliza, Chloe (voiced by Yoshino Nanjou who has also worked on Akuma no Riddle and Love Live! School Idol Project), Angers (voiced by Yuuka Amemiya) , Camilla (voiced by Sumire Uesaka who has also worked on Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! and Musaigen no Phantom World) and Yuzuriha (voiced by Ayane Sakura who has also worked on BanG Dream! and My Hero Academia). I really don’t have much of an opinion about this group as they aren’t really active anymore. I do enjoy their backstories quite a lot and I honestly hope that, if there is a second season, that these girls can get a little bit more screen time. Eliza, Tiara’s older sister, is now uncapable of singing, if she does, she might lose her voice. She was the one who asked Chloe, the now chair of the board at school despite her yound age, to put Tiara in a group that would be easily expelled. Angers became Angelica and changed her personality completely, going from a cute, soft and a bit ridiculous girl to a more serious one. Camilla was known as the Ray’s Immaculate Prince, but barely anything is shown about her besides the fact that she was a vampire that was extremely popular amongst her classmates. And then there is my favourite, Yuzuriha, a lesbian who loves to flirt with girls and spends her time in the school’s cabaret - which, by the way, the viewer can see that Champe works there as well (maybe Champe is a wlw as well?). Yuzuriha is the funniest of the group and I definitely enjoyed some representation even if a bit weird. The only issue I see with her in the anime is that her sexuality is used as a personality trait, but even so, so little is shown from the group itself that I didn’t really mind it. She was called the Graceful Dancing Princess as she was a great dancer.

The plot starts with LiGHTs struggling with the little points they have and trying to find ways to not be expelled, the viewer can see them in class and joining a group with all the other Orchestras (except Sadistic★Candy) to fight some supernatural monster that was lurking around in a forest close to the high school (it was actually Garnet, completely unaware that she was dead and didn’t know others saw her as a ghost). While they try their best to not have to leave the school, eventually they just aren’t able to have enough points and are forced to leave. From this moment forward, it’s revealed that several monsters are coming towards the high school and that all the Orchestras need to work together, so they can gather mana enough fromt he audience and protect the town. As this is going on, Ray’s backstory is revealed and LiGHTs still managed to save the day in the end.

I really enjoyed the show and the episode where Garnet joins IV KLORE was my favourite by far. The writers did a good job when it comes to allow the viewer to know the characters well, without feeling overwhelmed with so many of them. Truth be told, Champe, Camilla and even Lucifer don’t really have much screen time, but the writers still managed to make them interesting enough to not be completely forgotten. Other than that, I liked most of the songs and even those that weren’t my type were still fun to watch the Orchestras perform.

Rating: 7/10

[joeys-piano]

Hirotsu and Tsujimura :3c

Hirotsu Ryuurou

Not my type | all right | cute | adorable | pretty | hot | sexy | LORD MERCY

I believe he was quite a looker when he was younger but as he currently is, I think my assessment is fair. Perhaps in 30 more years, my rating will change. Hirotsu seems like a cool, older uncle-figure so it’s very strange for me to rate him as anything else right now xD

Tsujimura Mizuki

Not my type | all right | cute | adorable | pretty | hot | sexy | LORD MERCY

If you get a chance to read BSD Gaiden, Tsujimura is a hilariously, adorable young lady with a strong head on her shoulders and a kanck for unintentional comedy at times~ Dead Apple is a decent precursor to what her character is, but I would recommend reading the Gaiden manga if you’d like to see the rest of her story :3

Put a character in my ask box to rate…

[kosmosinusa]

Jay Reviews the NogiMyu 2018 Cast

... Let’s try this again. Apparently I was too ambitious last time, so we’re gonna make this a little simpler. Anyway, with NogiMyu 2019 just around the corner, I thought I’d review the 2018 cast one last time so that way, when we see the 2019 cast, I can compare my current opinions with the new cast and see how they favor! This review is only for the senshi, since everyone else (Minus Team Moon Luna) is returning! With that said, let’s start!

Sailor Moon - Mizuki Yamashita Before I say anything, I do want to say that I DO like Mizuki! However, after watching her more in Nogizaka46, I don’t see her as Moon anymore. She’s very serious (her serious face showed a LOT in the show. Like she has that “stone-cold” face that you guys KNOW irks me. XD) and sassy. WHICH WORKS FOR HER, like in the 7th birthday live she was giving me LIFE and I was LIVING for it! (I have to make a gifset of her so I can share. xD) but yeah, I’m not very keen on her. Her singing... Let me just put it this way, I love the Blu-Ray for what it does. x’D What I can say is that she did have nice chemistry with Mikako-Tux, but... that’s about it. 

Sailor Mercury - Riria Ito When the cast pictures first came out, I really wasn’t feeling Riria. She looked bored and didn’t seem interested. I was actually very surprised that I liked her performance! She’s like a baby Ami! So adorable and sweet. However, maybe TOO sweet. IDK it’s not that it doesn’t fit the role of Ami, but she isn’t my preferred option. Her singing is really nice, though! Overall she isn’t bad to me, I actually like her a lot! Just wouldn’t exactly pick her of the 2.

Sailor Mars - Kazumi Takayama Uhm... I don’t even need to explain how much I love her. xD Like, I’ve never been a HUGE Mars fan, but after Kazumi, I gained a new love for her! Kazumi’s my second-favorite Mars of all time, and I just adore her to bits! I love her fiery passionate side, and her sweet and wise side! Her singing voice is also REALLY superb and I love listening to it! Her deeper voice also very much matches the character (I prefer Sailor Moon Crystal to the 90′s anime, so I prefer that style) and not to mention SHE LITERALLY JUST LOOKS LIKE MARS LIKE THEY DID SO WELL CASTING HER. <3

Sailor Jupiter - Ami Nojo Like Riria, when the cast photos came out, I was really iffy on Ami. To me, she did not look like Jupiter. But as soon as she came on stage with that Radiant smile, I was shooketh! AND THEN THE QUEEN STARTED SINGING AND I WAS SHOOKETH AGAIN. Like Ami’s SUCH a good singer! It’s a shame Nogi used her as an under member, cause really she’s fucking amazing. xD She isn’t my preferred of the 2, but Ami really felt like Jupiter to me, and I adore her so much. <3

Sailor Venus - Hina Higuchi Oh boy... This is where my opinion really differs from many. Now, when the cast photos came out, I was SO EXCITED for Hina. I thought she would be my favorite! To me, she looked a lot like Shiori Sakata (Venus in NelkeMyu from La Reconquista to Un Nouveau Voyage) and I was like “YAS QUEEN GIVE IT TO ME!!!” But uh... For me, personally? Hina just feels like she’s self-centered. She doesn’t give me that “leader Venus” vibe and more of a “pop star Venus” vibe. Which is fine for normal Minako moments, but not really for season 1 Minako especially. DK Minako is supposed to be very leader-type and serious. And Hina seriously lacked that. Yeah, she’s pretty, but I feel like that’s all she has to her. Her singing is fine, but it’s not like WHOA THERE either. 

Team Moon Review Honestly, you can watch either version of NogiMyu and enjoy it. There’s something good about each version. But what lacks so much in Team Moon for me is chemistry. It felt like most girls were more to themselves and didn’t really work as a team. I think they’re all great separately, but together just didn’t mesh for me. 

Sailor Moon - Sayuri Inoue Okay, it is no secret that I ADORE SAYURI. Like if I was straight I’d marry her. Like I LOVE her. She did SO well as Usagi! And being the older one of the 2 playing her, you’d think it’d be the other way around! I didn’t expect to like Sayuri NEARLY as much as I do! The moment she wakes up in act 1 I literally screamed “OH MY GOD SHE’S SO CUTE”. Sayuri radiates Usagi energy just as much as Satomi and Miyuki. All her cute little faces, her ad-libs. She just exhales Usagi for me and I can’t get enough of it! AND HER SINGING. OH MY GOD IS SHE AMAZING. Just thank you Lord for giving me Sayuri. xD

Sailor Mercury - Miria Watanabe I like Miria, I really do. She’s not a favorite of mine, but I do like her! Her smile is very warm and inviting (unless you’ve seen Zambi... In that case, run. xD) and I really love her warmness in her performance! Her ad-lib when she screams at Usagi is legit one of my favorite things ever. xD That said, however, her singing... YIKES... She seemed VERY strained when singing and like she couldn’t catch her breath. When you’re in a MUSICAL, your singing ability is important. You don’t have to be the BEST singer, but you should at least have decent breath control and pitch control. Maybe with time, Miria could improve, but let’s just say she’s another who benefitted from the Blu-Ray. xD

Sailor Mars - Ranze Terada Ranze is so fucking cute. Like literally, just watch Team Star’s Making of, she’s literally so damn adorable. That being said, adorable isn’t a trait for Rei, and I don’t think Ranze really portrayed Mars correctly. However, you can tell she REALLY tried to give that fire passion. When she sings, she tries to give a lower pitch to simulate a more Mars-feel. Ranze is a high-voiced, very quiet person. She does have some sass to her, though. I loved when she gave sass to Rina during the Senshuuraku speeches. XD I honestly do not think Ranze was fit for Mars, BUT I do enjoy her just as herself. I get SO happy every time I see her in Nogi. xD

Sailor Jupiter - Minami Umezawa I LOVE HER. xD Like as soon as she walked on stage, I FELT IT. Maybe Ami is more accurate to the character, but Minami feels like a mix of Emi Kuriyama and Yu Takahashi and I LOVE IT. Her dynamics between power and softness felt JUST right and I love it. The one area I think she lacks is her singing. She isn’t BAD, and she does have a naturally deeper voice. But, a lot of times when she went too deep, her voice cracked. But the passion of her performance really shone for me. She’s my second-favorite Jupiter and I stand by that!

Sailor Venus - Kana Nakada UNLESS YOU’RE NEW HERE, YOU KNOW I LOVE MY QUEEN KANA. <3 Like some of the others, I judged Kana before I got to see her performance and I feel SO bad for that. When the cast photos came out, I was NOT feeling her at all. But then as soon as she came out I was like “Oh, I was so wrong about you...” I tried so hard to like Hina more, but I can’t do it. Kana just has something about her that I love. Her general personality, her awesome dancing, just everything about her feels genuine and I love it. She definitely has that leader Venus vibe and she’s more serious than Hina, which I appreciate. Kana is my sweet precious baby and I will protect her at all costs! <3

Team Star Review I ADORE Team Star. One thing that’s very important with them is they have CHEMISTRY. Like they really worked together to bring the show alive. From their backstage to the main stage, they really worked hard together to produce a great show, and that they did. I adore Team Star, and I will stan them. 

Well, that’s it for me, I hope you enjoyed reading this. xD

[datheetjoella]

Meeting Royalty

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Summary: When they were younger, Haruka and Makoto made a promise to each other. Now, thirty years later, their promise is one step closer to being fulfilled.

In which Haruka and Makoto surprise their children with a visit to the shelter, where they meet two cats who might just become the new members of their little family. Word count: 5,766 Part: 1/3 Notes: This fic is a gift for my friend @softmakoharus! Everything she does is amazing, please check out all of her work.

Read at: AO3, FFn, or here!

                                                Part 1: The Surprise

"Sleep well, sweetie. I love you," Makoto murmured as he tucked Umiko in and kissed her goodnight.

"Love you too. Goodnight," she replied drowsily, clearly on the verge of losing consciousness yet fighting to stay awake just a tad longer so she could return her parents' wishes of sweet dreams.

Meanwhile, Haruka whispered similar words to Mizuki and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. The poor boy was so exhausted from playing around on the beach all day that he had fallen asleep halfway through Makoto's anecdote-bedtime story. And he had been so excited about this particular story too; when he and his sister heard that their parents had starred in a short film back in high school to help recruit new members for the swim team, their eyes lit up with curiosity and they were all ears. Haruka smiled to himself as he recalled how their adorable faces had twisted in disbelief when it was revealed that their kind, sweet father had been assigned the part of the evil king. Admittedly, it hadn't exactly been a fitting role, as Makoto had proven with his acting skills - or lack thereof. The end result was cute, though. Haruka made a mental note to ask Nagisa later if he still had a copy of all the footage saved somewhere.

They would fill Mizuki in on the details he missed during breakfast tomorrow, but for now, he could conjure up his own fairytales in his dreams.

Once Makoto and Haruka were done saying goodnight to both of their children, they left the room to let them sleep. The small star-shaped light that illuminated the darkness was kept on just in case Mizuki woke up at some point during the night; while Umiko claimed that she was a big girl who wasn't afraid of the dark and therefore no longer needed the nightlight, Haruka was pretty sure that she hid her own fear behind Mizuki's and very much appreciated the glowing star. He would never call her out on this, but it was amusing and quite endearing nonetheless.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" Haruka wondered as they walked down the stairs together.

"Coffee," Makoto said, "but wait."

"On what?" Haruka questioned sceptically, following his husband into the living room but doing so with confusion. There wasn't much time left before the tv show that Makoto had been looking forward to watching would start, and he wanted them to be on the couch with a hot beverage before then.

When Makoto made sure the door was closed behind them to prevent their children from possibly overhearing - which seemed highly unlikely considering the sleepy states they had been in - a wide grin stretched his handsome face. "The shelter got back to us."

"Already?" Haruka asked, eyebrows raising in surprise, "That's fast."

While they were painting yesterday afternoon, Umiko had casually opened up the topic of adopting a dog for discussion. Her brother had supported the idea wholeheartedly, but dogs needed a lot of specific care and attention that they unfortunately wouldn't be able to give at this point in time. As a compromise, Haruka had offered that they could maybe get a cat instead. Makoto and he had already wanted a cat for as long as he could remember, and they had promised each other when they were kids that they would get one together when they were older.

Alas, after thirty years, that promise hadn't been fulfilled yet because it never seemed like the right time to get a pet; either they were too busy with school and training, or their careers caused them to be away from home too often, or every waking moment was dedicated to taking care of their adorable but needy infants.

But that was all in the past now; the children were a little older and didn't need round the clock care anymore, work at the swim club was calm and stable and they had a neat, orderly schedule. Their lives had reached a comfortable and steady point so he concluded that the time to expand their family with a cat had finally come.

As soon as Makoto heard about the conversation that was held when he was still at work, he scoured the internet in secrecy in search for a feline friend or two. Somewhere along the way, he stumbled upon a pair, seven-year-old Princess and five-year-old Duchess, who had been left in the shelter's care after their previous owner passed away. The instant Makoto saw the white cat and her orange tabby companion, he fell in love with their cute faces and thought that they were the perfect additions to their family.

After the children had gone to bed that evening, he showed them to his husband and fortunately for him, Haruka had immediately taken a liking to them as well. So they had written up an email explaining their situation and expressing their interest in meeting them, as the shelter required approval and a visitation before they allowed anyone to adopt a pet. Because of that, they decided to keep it a secret until the shelter gave them the green light. It would be bad if Umiko and Mizuki fell in love with them too but the shelter didn't think they were the right fit for Princess and Duchess.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Makoto muttered as he fished his phone out of his pocket, "I already saw it before dinner but I didn't get the chance to tell you sooner. I was afraid the kids might hear something, and you know how inquisitive Umiko has been lately…"

Haruka understood where he was coming from; while they encouraged her curiosity and stimulated her zealousness, in situations like these they had to be careful. If she somehow got the idea that they had their sights set on two cats then they wouldn't hear the end of it until she saw them and they were hers. Of course, Mizuki would be dragged along with his older sister's interrogation and that wouldn't exactly make it easier. Precaution was key when it came to things like this.

"And, what did they say?"

An excited gleam appeared in Makoto's gorgeous eyes. "They said we can come to meet them anytime they're open."

A small yet nonetheless joyous smile appeared on Haruka's lips at that confirmation. They were approved on paper and were allowed to see them in person. The chances of the shelter denying their adoption request was significantly smaller now, given that they would like the cats and the cats liked them too - though he honestly didn't see why either wouldn't. "That's great."

"Right? I'm so happy," Makoto said, his entire face lighting up like a Christmas tree.

If it weren't the cats and their childhood promise being closer to being fulfilled that made Haruka smile, then seeing his husband so genuinely thrilled definitely would have done the trick. After so many years, that blinding smile still ignited sparks in his stomach. "Me too," he murmured softly, "So when do you want to go?"

"I was thinking Tuesday afternoon," Makoto replied without missing a beat, proving that he had already thought about that - not that Haruka had expected otherwise. "My classes end early on Tuesday, so that's when we have the most time to see them and play with them before the shelter closes."

"Sounds good," Haruka agreed, though he couldn't help but tease him a little, "If you can keep it a secret until then." They wanted it to be a surprise for the kids, but that wouldn't work if Makoto's unerasable grin revealed it all.

"I think I can manage three days," he argued, wanting to seem offended yet failing miserably when he smiled again.

"Are you sure, because your face says otherwise." Haruka jokingly poked at the curled up corner of Makoto's mouth, because that thoroughly elated expression held no secrets at all, not from Haruka and surely not from Umiko and Mizuki either.

Hearty laughter erupted from Makoto's chest as he swatted his husband's hand away. "I'm sure," he declared solemnly as he swiped his palm in front of his face and unveiled the serious look that was left in its wake. He was able to maintain that demeanour for about half a second before it crumbled with a chuckle. He bit his lip in an attempt to repress it, but it was in vain.

Haruka could only smile at his giddiness. In Makoto's defense, he had been able to not only keep Princess and Duchess a secret for the children for an entire day, but he had also successfully kept this information hidden for a few hours from none other than his own husband, who knew him through and through. He could do anything he set his mind to.

"Anyway," Makoto mumbled as he tried to recover from his giggles, fumbling with his phone for a bit and then he gave it to Haruka. "Here's the email if you want to read it."

Haruka quickly scanned the text with his eyes, his own smile softening when he read the confirmation for himself. But when he opened his mouth to reply, the tv in the background blared a familiar tune.

"It's started!" Makoto gasped and his eyes widened comically.

"Here," Haruka snorted as he handed him his phone, "You can email them back later. Go sit down, I'll get us our drinks."

"Are you sure?" Makoto asked, knowing that Haruka didn't like to watch something if he missed the beginning. When Haruka didn't waver, he muttered, "Thanks, Haru. You're the best!"

Before Haruka had the chance to stutter an objection to that, Makoto blessed him with a quick kiss of gratitude. There was truly no better way to silence him than that.

"Ah, I'm so excited!" Makoto sighed, and it was obvious that he wasn't talking about the tv show.

As always, Haruka couldn't do anything but smile in response to his husband's almost childlike enthusiasm. He was really too cute. "Me too."

The sea of children that had poured through the seams of Iwatobi Elementary's doors had long since dissipated, yet Umiko was still nowhere in sight. When Haruka pulled out his phone to check the clock, he confirmed that she was indeed running late. It was no point of concern for him, because he knew just how easily she could get caught up in conversation and lose track of time, but the small hand that was clutching his was slowly growing more and more jittery with impatience.

While Umiko had the tendency to be a bit tardy if she got distracted, Mizuki was very punctual, always ready with his little backpack firmly around his shoulders by the time one of his parents came to pick him up from kindergarten. He despised waiting and therefore made sure no one would have to wait on him either. While Haruka thought both of their habits were endearing in their own way and didn't mind waiting on Umiko for a couple of minutes when they weren't in a hurry, Mizuki got visibly annoyed if his older sister was taking too long for his liking.

Haruka averted his gaze from where it had been glued to the doors, that his husband and he had passed through countless of times when they were just children themselves, in favour of looking at their grumpy son. Most people probably wouldn't notice anything off about him, since a bright smile wasn't exactly part of his default expression, but Haruka could tell that his bottom lip was protruding slightly more than it did when he got here. That pout would surely disappear instantly if Mizuki knew what was ahead of him today.

"She'll be here soon," Haruka tried to appease him, smiling when Mizuki only huffed in response. "Do you want me to carry you?"

"No."

He wasn't going to insist; Mizuki would change his mind if his legs got tired, but Haruka didn't think it would get to that point. Even though Umiko was taking her sweet time, he was sure it wouldn't be long now. It wasn't like she would make her family wait forever.

Almost like he had sensed it, at that moment a familiar mop of black hair left the building and, as predicted, Umiko wasn't alone: three other children were with her, some of which Haruka recognised from playdates at their house.

The instant Umiko spotted her dad and little brother standing near the gate, she quickly said goodbye to her friends and ran towards them, red bag jostling on her back. It seemed like her face had trouble deciding which emotion to display; remorse for being late or the excitement that was the cause of it.

"Why are you late?" Mizuki demanded to know the second Umiko was within earshot, sounding like he was her dad instead of Haruka and Umiko owed him an explanation.

"Sorry," she apologised and though it was sincere, as soon as the word was past her lips, her enthusiasm won the battle and a wide, radiating grin appeared. "I was talking with Suzu-chan and Hiro-kun and Mari-chan. Suzu-chan got a guinea pig!"

"A guinea pig, huh?" Haruka muttered as he ruffled her hair in greeting before crouching down to kiss her head. Then his hand found one of hers so he could lead the three of them safely across the street to where the car was parked.

"Yeah! She got one, and her older sister got one too! She said guinea pigs need to have a friend."

"It's always nice to have a friend," Haruka agreed, but before he had the chance to say anything else about rodents, Umiko chimed in.

"Why are we taking the car?"

Usually, Makoto and he would drop off the kids at their respective destinations together before driving to the swim club in the morning. When school was finished, Haruka would pick them up again and the three of them would walk to their house, or wherever they happened to be going, so that Makoto could drive home after a long day of hard work.

"We're going to the swim club," Haruka replied, "I thought it would be nice to pick Papa up together. He still has one class, so we can watch him while he works."

It was technically the answer to what she had asked, but it wasn't the full truth either. Fortunately, it seemed like the kids hadn't noticed that.

"Can we swim too?" Mizuki wondered, although his way of moving through the water could hardly be called swimming just yet, as it was more like wading.

"Not today, I'm afraid," Haruka said, hoping that they wouldn't inquire further, "I thought you would still be tired of swimming after swimming all day last Saturday."

"I'll never get tired of swimming!" Umiko proclaimed.

"Me neither!"

Truly spoken like they were his own, Haruka thought to himself with a small snort. "Me neither," he echoed as he took his keyring out of his pocket and unlocked the car. Before they had the opportunity to ask him if he had already swum today - the answer to which was yes - he tried to change topics. "So, what colour is Suzu-chan's guinea pig?"

"White with brown spots, and her sister's guinea pig is black with brown spots!"

Successfully diverged.

While Umiko rambled on about every detail her friend had told her about the new pets, Haruka put Mizuki into his carseat and fastened the belts. Then he went to check if Umiko had strapped herself into hers properly, not wanting to take any chances when she was so busy chattering. Once they were both secured, Haruka buckled himself up and started the car to drive the route that had become more than familiar over the past decades.

After a short drive, they arrived at their family's business. Though the entire way here had been dyed with Umiko's high-pitched voice as she talked about anything and everything noteworthy about her day at school - though it was mostly still about Suzu-chan's guinea pig -, the second they came to a halt in the parking lot, she freed herself of her seatbelt and leapt out of the car to run inside.

"Wait for me!" Mizuki called after her, impatiently trying to unbuckle himself too but he couldn't quite figure out the somewhat complicated system.

Not wanting him to be left behind, Haruka helped him and lifted him out of the car so he could chase after his sister. He wasn't in a hurry like the kids were, so Haruka calmly grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder before he followed them inside.

They were far ahead of him, but Haruka wasn't bothered. The swim club was their second home and they knew this place like the back of their hands. Even the other staff members weren't fazed at all by their presence, as they had long since gotten used to the six-year-old and her four-year-old brother roaming around the halls. Knowing just where they were going, Haruka took a detour to the break room, the fridge of which contained some juice boxes reserved for occasions like these. Along with two of them and a bottle of water for himself, Haruka went to join the children.

Their faces were already smudged up against the glass, looking out over the pool area where a handful of instructors were having classes in different lanes, amongst whom their very own father. It didn't matter how often they were here to witness it, for some reason this remained to be a spectacular sight to see. Haruka got it though; Makoto did look really cool helping kids from all ages through the water - and really hot in his wetsuit, the design of which hadn't changed at all since he wore it for the very first time a little under twenty years ago.

"You'll stain the glass if you press up against it like this," Haruka remarked. Even though their enthusiasm was cute, it hadn't been long since he had last cleaned these windows and he wasn't eager to have to do it again tomorrow.

"Sorry," Umiko and Mizuki muttered in unison, immediately stepping away like the glass had burned their palms and noses.

Haruka smiled, bidding them a small nod of appreciation. "Here," he said as he handed them each a juicebox. Then he sat down on the bench right behind them and put his bag down beside him.

"Thanks!" they replied as they followed his example and plopped down.

After taking a swig of his water, Haruka rummaged through his bag a bit and pulled out a box of leftover vanilla muffins from last Sunday. They wouldn't be home until it was time for dinner, so he made sure to bring their afterschool snack with them. It would be bad if Umiko and Mizuki got hungry and cranky on a day as important as this one.

The same response sounded out again as the children grabbed a proffered muffin, nibbling mindlessly as they peered out over the pool. It was an occurrence as common as the next, but when Haruka looked at them, he was reminded of Ran and Ren, who he had taken here back when Makoto was first working as a swim instructor to help out Coach Sasabe. The twins had been a couple of years older then than Umiko and Mizuki were now, but the glint of excitement shimmering in their eyes was the exact same.

Suddenly, his hands began to itch with the need to capture this sight; the unawareness of the world around them as they were fixated on their father guiding other children through the water, with nothing to distract from it than the combined flavours of sweet vanilla muffins and apple juice. But a good dad always came prepared, and Haruka searched for his camera in his bag, trying not to rustle it too much in fear of disturbing the atmosphere.

He carefully scooted over to the edge of the bench and held the camera at an angle so that their vague reflections in the windows were within frame too. As soon as the shutter clicked, the spell was broken and their faces instantly turned to him. The excited glimmer was replaced by adorable confusion, their eyebrows twisting into a frown to complete the look.

Knowing they were just startled, Haruka said, "Smile," as he snapped another photo. He had already gotten the perfect, almost entranced-like picture, so a couple of goofy ones were a nice follow up to that.

A dozen or so photos were shot, some of which the children demanded be taken in front of the windows in the hopes of catching their father in action. The results weren't that great, but it was a task that was pretty much impossible to execute well, so Haruka simply obliged without protest. They'd forget about it sooner or later anyway.

Eventually the kids were reminded of their treats left abandoned on the bench and returned to them. Haruka put the camera away. He could continue to take pictures forever, but he didn't want the memory card to get too cluttered just yet. There were certainly more endearing moments coming up, ones that were rarer than these, and it would be a shame to miss out on eternalising them.

Time flew by as Umiko and Mizuki finished their snacks and babbled with their dad. Before they knew it, Makoto and his students were already standing on land again as today's class was ended. The children trickled out of the room and Makoto was left to clear away the kickboards and floaties that were used.

"Come on," Haruka said as he got up, collecting the empty snack packages to discard into a bin along the way, "Let's go to Papa."

The kids didn't need to be told twice.

They quickly traded their shoes for slippers and entered through the staff locker room, where Haruka grabbed the laid-out towel to hand to his husband. Unlike before, Umiko and Mizuki now slowly followed behind him, knowing that they weren't allowed to run anywhere near the pool because it was dangerous.

"Good work," Haruka murmured as he stepped into the room.

Upon hearing that voice, Makoto came to a halt and a bright smile stretched his face when he saw him. "Haru!"

A matching smile naturally broke through Haruka's demeanour and he threw the towel to Makoto, who caught it as effortlessly as always.

"Papa!"

"We came to pick you up!"

The chiming voices of their children drew Makoto's gaze downwards and his smile widened. "Is that so?" he chuckled, roughly drying his brown locks with the towel before letting it slip to his shoulders. "Thank you, I really appreciate it!"

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Haruka offered. He convinced himself that he asked it to help his husband out, but he couldn't deny the excitement that bubbled up in his stomach as he thought about where they were heading next.

"No, that's okay," Makoto declined with the cute head tilt that he never grew out of, "I just need to put away some stuff and get dressed and then I'm ready to go."

But instead of doing either of those things, he stepped closer to them and swiftly stole a kiss from his husband's lips. Before Haruka could ever register the contact, let alone respond, Makoto had already pulled back again with a cheeky grin on those enticing lips. The flame of playfulness that was ignited in his eyes went out as quickly as it was lit and swooped down to kiss Umiko and Mizuki's crowns before he turned around and strolled off.

"See you soon," he called over his shoulder with a wave of his hand, and Haruka couldn't help but snort.

He really loved that adorable idiot with all his heart.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the Tachibana family was seated in the car and conversation was alive as per usual, mainly thanks to Makoto and Umiko; the latter was telling the former all about her friend's newly acquired guinea pig. Because Haruka and Mizuki had already heard everything there was to know about it, they didn't feel the need to partake in the same discussion again. Since Makoto would always humour her and, like Haruka himself, was genuinely interested in everything she and her brother had to say, this was no issue at all.

On the contrary, Haruka was actually kind of glad he didn't have to engage so he could focus all his attention on driving. Though he was pretty certain he knew the exact road they needed to take to their destination, it had been quite a while since the last time he was there so he wanted to make sure that he didn't accidentally take a wrong turn.

The children hadn't noticed anything yet, and Haruka was glad about that. It meant that the surprise would only be greater when they arrived.

"And Suzu-chan's dad made a big cage, and also a big… thing so they could run outside in the yard!"

"Guinea pigs can get pretty big, huh?" Makoto commented, amused by their daughter's enthusiasm, "So it's good that they have a lot of space to move around and play."

"Yeah," Umiko affirmed, vigorously nodding her head, "Her and her sister's are still small because they're babies, but she said they can get this big." She made an indication with her hands, that might have been a teeny bit exaggerated, but Makoto only chuckled along.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" she repeated excitedly, "And she said that I can come over to see them sometime!"

"That's nice of her," Makoto said with his sunny smile, "When did you plan to do that?"

"I don't know yet. Hiro-kun and Mari-chan also wanted to see them, but Suzu-chan says she can only have one friend at a time over at her house."

"Why is that?" Haruka questioned with a frown at this new piece of information.

"I don't know," Umiko shrugged, "She said her mom said so."

"Maybe it'll be too busy for the guinea pigs otherwise. They might feel scared if they're surrounded by a lot of people, trying to hold them all at once," Makoto tried, but Umiko shook her head.

"I don't think it's because of the guinea pigs. Before she had them we could never play at her house together either."

"Maybe her mom's the one who gets scared if she's surrounded by a lot of people," Haruka joked, coaxing chuckles out of everyone. While Haruka knew better than anyone else that children could be a handful, he didn't really understand parents who had rules like that. Those types of playdates occurred every once in a while and lasted for no more than a few hours at a time at best, so it wasn't like there was much of a difference between having one kid over or two or three - at least, not to him. It only caused for some children to get excluded from playing with their group of friends.

And because he never wanted Umiko and Mizuki to get excluded, he wouldn't cause for other kids to get excluded either. The more the merrier, or something corny like that.

"Oh, and I told Suzu-chan and Hiro-kun and Mari-chan that we're going to get a cat, and they asked if they could see it when we get it!"

Makoto's eyes darted to the corner to shoot his husband an inquiring look, but Haruka just pursed his lips as a subtle sign that he didn't know either. It must have been a coincidence, for Umiko would surely speak up if she caught wind of what was going on.

"Of course!" Makoto replied, trying his best not to let his expression betray him and expose their secret, "You can invite them over when we get one."

"Or two," Mizuki added, so out of nowhere that it almost seemed like he was onto something. The look of indifference on his face, however, contradicted this.

"Can they all come over at the same time?" Umiko asked, diverting the subject from the cats they were going to get back to her friends, much to her parents' joy.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Haruka said. In his opinion, it was easier to have all three of Umiko's closest friends come over at once than to plan three separate cat-viewing playdates. "You can invite Tomo-kun over too," he told Mizuki, knowing that Mizuki only had one friend he was close enough with for him to invite into their house. He had been told multiple times that he was allowed to bring more friends than just Tomo-kun, but Mizuki always declined and said that he just wanted his best friend to come. It seemed like the other children in his kindergarten class hadn't unlocked the stage of friendship yet in which Mizuki felt comfortable having them over.

But even his best friend was not on Mizuki's mind right then. "Where are we going?" he questioned in confusion. The car ride home wasn't supposed to take this long, and he didn't recognise the buildings around him either.

"Are we going to the store?" Umiko wondered, since taking the car and picking up her father made sense in that scenario.

Makoto just shook his head.

"Then where?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh no," she gasped in horror, "we're not going to the dentist, are we?"

"No," Makoto chuckled at the fact that that was her first guess for some reason, "we just went to the check-up appointment a few weeks ago, and your teeth don't hurt, right?"

"No," Umiko said, and even if she could have expected that outcome, she was still visibly relieved.

"I promise that you'll both like where we are going," he revealed, and that would be the sole hint he would give them.

Then it was Mizuki's turn to gasp. "Disneyland?"

That was probably the only place that would make them even happier, but he couldn't have been more wrong. If that was their expectation, then they were surely going to be disappointed; any place paled in comparison to Disneyland.

Thankfully, Umiko was the voice of reason. "Of course we're not going to Disneyland!" she argued, "Disneyland is super far away and we have to go to school tomorrow, and Papa and Daddy have to work."

"Oh yeah," Mizuki mumbled dejectedly, pouting as he averted his head to stare out the window. Haruka hoped that his frown would soon be turned upside down when he found out where they were actually going.

"No, unfortunately we're not going to Disneyland," Makoto regretfully confirmed, "but the place where we are going is a lot of fun too."

"The playground?" Mizuki tried, as it was technically a smaller, plainer version of Disneyland.

"Oh, I know!" Umiko suddenly exclaimed, the metaphorical light bulb switching on beside her head as she had an epiphany, finally able to connect all the dots. "We're going to get a cat!"

"Ding-ding-ding, we have a winner," Makoto announced like a game show host, making the children cheer like they just won a hundred million yen. "We're going to the shelter!"

Instantly, Mizuki's pout morphed into a large grin. "Yes!"

"Are we going to pick out a cat?" Umiko asked, her brown eyes wide and gleaming with excitement.

"No, we're going to meet two cats that Daddy and I picked out already."

Before the kids had the chance to moan and complain about not being allowed to help pick out the cats, Haruka cut in, "Papa found these cats on the website and thought they were perfect for us, so he showed them to me. And I thought so too, so we sent a message to the shelter, because before we are allowed to adopt them, we have to meet them in person. They said we could come today, so we wanted it to be a surprise for you until now."

Fortunately, that explanation satisfied them, and they began to rapidly fire questions at their parents about the cats' identities.

"Are they boys or girls?"

"What do they look like?"

"What are their names?"

Their passion was so endearing that Makoto couldn't do anything but laugh merrily, and Haruka's heart swelled with fondness upon consuming the cocktail of rambled curiosity and bellowing joy.

"Okay, okay," Makoto hushed with remnants of giggles, "Their names are Princess and Duchess, and they're both girls. Princess is white and Duchess is orange. That's what you both wanted, right?"

"Yes!" they yelled in unison, excitement dripping from their faces as they visualised their ideal cat in their heads.

"But Papa," Umiko mumbled as she recalled the conversation they had about their desired cats last Friday afternoon, "I thought you wanted a black cat."

If Makoto was going to say what Haruka expected him to, he was going to kick him as soon as the car came to a halt. But it seemed like Makoto had left his playfulness behind at the swim club and he answered earnestly, "It doesn't really matter to me, I'm happy with any cat."

Umiko smiled at that - if anything, she was probably just glad that at least one of the cats had fur in her desired colour. "How old are they?"

"Princess is seven and Duchess is five."

"That's older than me!" Mizuki gasped in surprise, like he had never even considered the possibility of that.

"That's right, and Princess is even older than Umiko," Makoto said, and their son's mind was positively blown by that fact.

"Wow."

"We're almost there," Haruka informed, disrupting their elated chattering. He hated to be the spoilsport, but the children were getting a little too excited about the idea of having Princess and Duchess as their cats and he had to remind them that they weren't theirs just yet. "Remember that we're going to meet them to see if we like them, but if we don't for some reason or if they don't like us, then we'll continue to look for a different cat."

"But," Makoto added before their grins could be wiped away by their dad's words to make place for crestfallen frowns, "I think we're going to like them a lot."

To support this claim, Makoto elaborated and shared all the details he knew about the royalty they were about to meet. It was safe to say that Umiko and Mizuki had already fallen in love with the descriptions they were given, just like their parents had. Now they probably wouldn't settle for anything less than Princess and Duchess - and fortunately, they didn't have to either.

[untitledsubs]

Carnation Recollection 3: “Rainy Melancholia”

Kanade: …………

(… I have no right to be sad over this.)

(It’s my fault Dad became the way he is, after all.)

(If I have the time to be sad, then I also have the time to keep writing.)

(I have to keep writing songs that’ll save Mafuyu—save lots of people.)

Kanade: (I wonder if Dad’s awake today…)

(And if he is—I wonder what point in time he thinks he’s at…)

(… It’d be nice if I could talk to him properly today.)

Location: Kanade’s Dad’s Hospital Room

Kanade: —Good afternoon.

Nurse: Oh, Kanade-chan. Good afternoon to you too.

You came at just the right time today. Your dad’s awake.

Kanade: Ah… Really?

Nurse: Though… Right now, we don’t know exactly what, or how much he remembers yet…

Kanade: … I see. I think I’ll go talk to him.

Good morning. Ah, no, it’s afternoon right now…

Kanade’s Father: Eh? Ah, good afternoon.

Kanade: Ah, um… How are you?

Kanade’s Father: Err…

My apologies, who might you be?

Ah… please forgive me for not remembering who you are. My memories became disorderly because of work stress, so I can’t seem to recall you properly.

Kanade: …I see.

Kanade’s Father: Even though you went out of your way to come here… I’m very, truly sorry.

It seems that, for the time being, the only thing I can actually remember is my family …

Kanade: …Your family?

Kanade’s Father: Yes. Actually, if all remains well, I’ll soon have a daughter.

Recently, my wife entered her stable period, and our child is continuing to grow day by day…..

That’s why I want to support her as much as I can, but I still ended up like this… I truly am hopeless, aren’t I.

Kanade: …………

That’s not true.

Yoisaki-san, you care so much about your family… You’re a kind person.

Kanade’s Father: Ahaha, thank you. Um, by the way, your name was…?

Kanade: …It’s Kanade.

Kanade’s Father: Kanade? What a coincidence… I’m thinking of naming my own daughter Kanade as well.

My wife and I both adore music, so we thought we ought to introduce music to her, as well.

Ah, I’ve talked about nothing but myself so far, haven’t I?

Kanade: It’s alright, please don’t mind me.

I hope you recover quickly… For your family’s sake, too.

Kanade’s Father: I hope so too. Thank you for your kindness.

Nurse: …It seems like he’s back to his older self today, hm?

Kanade: It seems like it… But, he looks like he’s healthy, and that’s good.

… Well then, I’ve dropped off his change of clothes, so I’ll be on my way.

Nurse: Ah, Kanade-chan……!

Location: Scramble Crossing

Kanade: …………

(… I have no right to be sad over this.)

(It’s my fault Dad became the way he is, after all.)

(If I have the time to be sad, then I also have the time to keep writing.)

(I have to keep writing songs that’ll save Mafuyu—save lots of people.)

Mizuki: (… Huh?)

(Is that… Kanade over there? Maybe she’s on her way home from visiting her dad.)

(… Well, that has nothing to do with me. Besides, we’ll talk tonight on Nightcord, so there’s no need to talk to her now, really…)

… Wait, no, wha? She’s not using her umbrella!

(If she keeps this up, she’s gonna catch a cold… and she looks really down too. Did something happen…?)

… Tsk…

… Ah, fine...! Hey, Kanade—!

Kanade: …Mizuki? Why are you here…?

Mizuki: I was on my way home from my part-time job. And besides, why are you carrying an umbrella around but not using it? You’re gonna catch a cold.

Kanade: …… I kinda… got caught up in my thoughts.

Mizuki: Caught up in your thoughts?

(… I knew it, something did happen.)

(Besides, she’s been hitting a wall while trying to make songs lately… If I leave her as she is, she’ll…)

(… But…)

Kanade: …I have to write another song, as soon as I can.

Mizuki: Eh?

Kanade: At this rate, I won’t be able to resonate with Mafuyu’s heart… I have to… keep writing…

…Sorry, I have to get home.

Mizuki: Hmmnnnn—Hooold on a minute!

Actually, hey, there’s a reaaal cute café near by here! Why don'tcha come with me, Kanade?

Kanade: But, I have to…

Mizuki: C'mon, it’s just for a bit! If ya take a breather and refresh yourself, you’ll be able to make a real good song!

Kanade: That might be true, but…

Mizuki: Alright, it’s decided! Let’s-a-go!

Kanade: Wh—wait, Mizuki…!?