#q: on a daybreak

[cosmicphenix]

Yeah, I decided to delete the post with the link.

I can't believe I started a story with a monolog. Probably the worst decision I made for this au lmao

It will be up again tomorrow!

[mahou-furbies]

Green magical girls!

Characters under cut

Himeno (Pretear)

Non-chan (Ojamajo Doremi)

Luna (Daybreak Illusion)

Buttercup (Powerpuff Girls Z)

Amu (Shugo Chara!)

Fuu (Magic Knight Rayearth)

Chika (Magia Record)

Itsuki (Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero)

Asahi (Pop in Q)

Aisha (Winx Club)

Cure Oasis (Tropical Rouge! Precure)

Cure Mint (Yes! Precure 5)

Cure March (Smile Precure)

Rina (Mermaid Melody)

Mew Lettuce (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Sailor Jupiter (Sailor Moon)

Sana (Magia Record)

[mirai-e-jump]

Kamen Rider Gotchard: Final Stage | Pamphlet (pages and translations below, long post)

Motojima Junsei (Ichinose Houtaro)

Q. If you were to call out to Ichinose Houtaro now?

A. Thank you so much for your energy over the past year! In the beginning, there were alot of things we didn't understand about each other (laughs). I was able to live as Ichinose Houtaro, and Houtaro's determination to never give up reached those who support Kamen Rider, and I myself was always encouraged by Houtaro. For the moment I get to live as Houtaro again somewhere, thank you.

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. Gotcha taught me the importance of facing the obstacles in front of you, never giving up, the importance of working together with my friends, and the feelings of everyone who supports you! Going forward, I'll keep this in mind as I continue on!!

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. Episode 27's "Gotcha! Crosshopper!" is my absolute favorite! Thanks to Houtaro's power of belief and determination to never give up, everyone believed in him and risked their lives to pass the baton to him. Houtaro was able to tell the Chemies and himself, "Don't give up!!," so I think that Houtaro was also able to show a huge amount of growth in this episode.

-I get the feeling that the story of Ichinose Houtaro and his friends isn't over yet-

This past year has truly "gone by in the blink of an eye." During filming of Kamen Rider Gotchard I had almost no experience in acting, and I was starting from a place where I didn't know what was right and what was left, but thanks to the support of the many staff members, cast, and fans, I managed to successfully finish filming. Every day, I had many things to reflect on, and there were times when I felt like falling apart, but the many voices of support was a source of power for me. It was a pleasure to play the character of Ichinose Houtaro. I feel like I want to do it for another year (laughs).

We finished filming with the scene after we enter into the cube in the final episode. The flow was that it went from Houtaro's parting with Clotho, to his anger toward Glion and his transformation. I was incredibly happy that filming ended with the transformation. With the final enemy also being Glion, I naturally got into things. After meeting his future self in the film "The Future Daybreak," Houtaro also knows what'll happen if he loses to Glion. With an enemy he can't afford to lose to, Houtaro goes into a decisive battle. Still, in the beginning, Houtaro was one of the newest students at the Alchemy Academy, but over the past year, the number of his friends has increased. I think Houtaro himself has become stronger, but it's more important that he's now able to work together with everyone. This is also something I can say about myself, since I've met so many people through the filming of Gotchard. In my own way, I think I was able to change.

Clotho's last words were also memorable. I feel that the gradual change in the relationship between the Three Dark Sisters was an interesting aspect of Gotchard's drama. Alittle while ago, Miyahara-san and I had the opportunity to train together at the gym. At that time, I was told, "You've worked really hard this past year," and even during the performance, Houtaro and Clotho give me a supportive push……I experienced a feeling that Houtaro and myself were linked.

In the final episode, there's a scene where Houtaro's mother sends him off to battle, knowing that he's a Kamen Rider. Minamino Yoko-san, who plays Tamami, sent me a LINE after we finished filming our last scene together. She wrote, "I'll always stand by Junsei-kun's side no matter what happens, you did your best this past year." True to her word, Minamino-san has encouraged me countless times. I'm truly grateful from the bottom of my heart for her treating me so kindly like a real mother.

I was surprised at the development that Houtaro would end up creating a New Earth. It's surprising that he's become such a great alchemist, but as I read the script like usual I was like, "What do you mean?!" (laughs). I think Houtaro will be exploring the New Earth with his friends at the Alchemy Academy from now on, and since I want Gotchard to remain in the hearts of the fans even after it finished airing, I was happy with this last scene. The battle may be over, but I get the feeling that the story of Houtaro and his friends isn't over yet, so I wonder if people will be imagining what to expect next. Of course, I'm personally looking forward to seeing the "continuation" of the story in some form.

Playing the role of Ichinose Houtaro made me realize that the profession of an actor is fun and rewarding. I think I was supported more by everyone in this work. I also received many messages of support and appreciation from those who truly enjoy Gotchard's broadcast. I'm amazed that a production I was involved in, or a role I played can give power and excitement to someone……From now on too, I want to encounter productions that can have a positive impact on someone's life, and for this reason, I intend to continue my efforts and growth. I'll always remember the words of advice that Director Tasaki gave me, such as, "A character is driven by the heart's engine" and "Let the cup (of emotion) overflow on set."

I'm very excited about the Final Stage. We start with Osaka, then Fukuoka, Aichi, and then Tokyo, four cities in total. I've been to several events in the past, and was able to directly meet with everyone who supported me in person, and I've really enjoyed all of them. This'll be the final time, and although I'm sad, I want to express my gratitude to everyone with all of my heart. Please burn the image of an energetic Ichinose Houtaro into your memory, as I want to do this for the next 100 years.

Please make sure to look forward to it. And with that, I'll see you at the venue!

Matsumoto Reiyo (Kudo Rinne)

Q. If you were to call out to Kudo Rinne now?

A. I'm glad I was able to live as Rinne! Thank you!

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. Gotcha means "heart"! It was a year in which I could feel everyone's love, and I was really happy that Kudo Rinne was loved by everyone. From now on, I'll work as hard as I can to return the favor!!

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. It's episode 48! "No matter how hard it gets, the way you live your life is decided through your own heart!" I really love that line, and Rinne taught me something very important. And, seeing Rinne's growth made me very happy.

-I think that "Matsumoto Reiyo" disappeared from my mind and I became "Kudo Rinne"-

When I was cast to perform in Kamen Rider Gotchard, what I kept in mind was to perform each and every scene with great care. In particular, as filming progressed into the second half of the show, I felt that my concentration on set had increased.

When we filmed "The Future Daybreak" in Shimane, we filmed until the very last minute, just in time to catch our flight back home, but while I was acting, I had completely forgotten about such things. I wasn't consciously trying to forget, but I think at that time, "Matsumoto Reiyo" disappeared from my mind and I became "Kudo Rinne." I was scared beforehand because it was Rinne's final moments, but when it came time to perform the real thing, as Rinne, I couldn't stop crying. I have tons of other memories from the film. The cuts where I was suspended in the air were fun, and I enjoyed being in that state while constantly asking the people around me, "How many more cuts are there now?" and "It's not over yet, is it?" It's an experience you don't get to have very often, and the moment when the height gradually increased was a great feeling (laughs). However, the setup was that I was captured, so I was careful not to let my joy show on my face. All the staff members knew though (laughs). If there's another opportunity, I want to be suspended in the air again.

Similarly, I enjoyed riding behind Kamen Rider Gotchard on his bike. Being suspended and riding on a bike, for me it was like a treat. Even if you appear in the Kamen Rider series, it's not something you're always guaranteed to experience, so I think it was a valuable experience.

I was surprised when I read the final part of episode 47 in the script. I also didn't know that the model for Atropos was Rinne, and there was a line (by Gaelijah) that by doing the ritual, the model would die, so I was worried and was like, "Rinne-chan, are you going to die again?!" And so from there, until I got the final script……even before I received the scripts for episodes 48 to the final episode, I received only bits and pieces of information, which made me even more worried. I heard something about a new form called Twilight Majade, but it was the appearance I took after absorbing Atropos, so I wondered, "What does it mean by absorb?"

So, when I received the final script and read it, I read it alone as I was prepared to cry. The parting scene with Atropos still hurts. However, the scene where Rinne (Majade) says to Gaelijah, "No matter how hard it gets, the way you live your life is decided through your own heart!," was very moving.

Even during filming, I put alot of effort into the scene where Atropos disappears. Just like in the film, I was able to concentrate so much, that I forgot the camera was there, but on take 1. Director Tasaki said to me, "You haven't quite worked through your emotions yet, huh?" I felt alittle inadequate, so I was grateful to be given another chance. That scene was given the OK on take 2.

When she's not in character, Okita Itono-chan, who plays Atropos, is a really adorable girl. And yet, she has the power to put on a real performance, and there were many scenes between Atropos and Rinne, but they were always serious matches that I learned alot from. Twilight Majeed was a form born from the heartfelt connection between Itono-chan and Atropos……and so I took great care in performing each and every word during the dub recording.

In the end, I was also glad that she was properly reunited with her father. Now that they can finally be together as parent and child, I want Rinne to be spoiled by her father as much as possible. As myself, I was happy to see Ishimaru-san's scene, as it naturally put a smile on my face.

Unlike usual, (for filming of the final scripts) I tried to avoid it as much as possible, and avoided discussing the fact that we were going to finish filming those three episodes at the same time, but before I knew it, I found myself at the final day of filming. Especially at the endgame, we had alot of days where it'd be like, "Today's the important scene for this person," so we'd try not to talk to that person in order to make it easier for them to concentrate. It wasn't something that anyone in particular decided on, but before I knew it, that was just the way things were going. The wrap up for Rinne was the scene in episode 49 when Lachesis dies. We were all tired from crying that day (laughs), but when we were returning from the location site, we all saw a rainbow from the bus. Everyone got excited and said, "Amazing!" Fujibayashi-san was the most excited about it (laughs).

I'd like to make the Final Stage a fun one to "repay" everyone who's supported me. And as Matsumoto Reiyo, I'd like to continue to make firm decisions on how I want to live my life, just like Kudo Rinne.

Fujibayashi Yasunari (Kurogane Spanner)

Q. If you were to call out to Kurogane Spanner now?

A. Be nice to everyone!! Also, I know you like it, but wearing a leather jacket during the Summer is dangerous!

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. It's all the cast members, who are my friends and good rivals that I've seen almost every day for a year, it's all the staff members who've supported this, and it's all of you who are reading this.

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. It's episode 3! It's because there's a scene in the dojo that I did at my audition, and this is the episode that started it all for me as Spanner.

-In the endgame, I think it was a fantastic collaboration-

When filming wrapped up, I cried more than anyone else (laughs). That day, I had already declared it from the makeup stage, and in fact, I was crying while getting my makeup done. Seeing me like this, the makeup artist was in a predicament. They couldn't progress with their work……I want to apologize for the inconvenience I caused.

I've been auditioning for the Kamen Rider series for the past 8 years, until I encountered this role of Kurogane Spanner. It's been a frustrating experience, but the Kamen Rider Gotchard project came to life, and that's where the character Kurogane Spanner was, which made it possible for me to appear in this way. No matter how great an actor is, it's important that they fit the role, so I was very lucky that Spanner appeared in front of me.

I was really happy, for a whole year, I'd be able to enter the set that I had admired. I didn't even have the mindset of "Let's do our best"……it may be misleading to describe it like that, but it was completely normal, and I just enjoyed being on this set. That's why I can't think of anything when people ask me, "Did you ever have a hard time?" (laughs). I think I was more excited than anyone else, and was enjoying the atmosphere of the set to the fullest.

Still, it was abit of a strange feeling……I couldn't be objective about my situation until the very end. I didn't really feel like I was in the Kamen Rider series, which during Saturday nights as a kid, I couldn't wait for them to start. This may be because we were often filming on Sunday mornings, when there's a broadcast happening. I couldn't equate myself with the "cool adult actors" who appeared in the shows I was watching (laughs). I've always felt that discomfort.

I was very happy to see Spanner portrayed so intensely in the final episodes. There was a time halfway through when Spanner didn't appear in the show that much, but from that time on, Producer Minato told me, "Not to worry." He didn't explain the fine details of this development, but I was told that I would be featured during the endgame of the show. I too was excitedly waiting for it. As a result, there was alot of excitement in store for me, I had a fight with Houtaro in episodes 46 and 47, my parting with Lachesis in episode 49, and the appearance of Kamen Rider Valvarad Kurogane. As expected, I felt alot of pressure, but being able to show the culmination of Spanner's work made them very gratifying episodes. I got into a fighting spirit.

While playing Spanner, I was always conscious of the difference in the way of thinking between Houtaro and Spanner. Houtaro speaks from his own thoughts, but Spanner is looking at reality. You could say Houtaro's flexible, but that Spanner has firm beliefs. I think sometimes these elements of conflict tend to be lost in the process, but I was glad to see that it didn't come to that, and that they were able to depict it all the way to the point where the two of them finally had a fist fight toward the end. Once it became clear that episodes 46 and 47 would be one climax, as myself, I began a "running start" from the Sabimaru's episodes (42 and 43). The confrontation with Houtaro was, in my opinion, even more climactic than the appearance of Valvarad Kurogane. We both gave it our all during the dub recording, almost to the point of running out of air, but it was worth it and I felt a good response. I feel that I've built up such a strong relationship of trust with Nakata Yuji-san that I could almost say we're "one and the same," and I think that by the endgame, including Valvarad Kurogane, it had become a fantastic collaboration.

The Lachesis scene in episode 49 was……sad. In the last part of the episode, Arisa-chan in particular seemed to be possessed by Lachesis, and it seemed like we'd cry if we made eye contact with each other even for a moment. Aside from during the actual performance, I tried to avoid looking at her face as much as possible. In playing the character of Spanner, I was constantly helped out by Kyoka-san's Fukuda Saki-san and Lachesis's Sakamaki Arisa-san. I was also moved by the line, "Lachesis smiles while drawing her last breath." As an actor, I'm satisfied to have been able to do that scene.

Looking back, Minato Sensei's Kumaki-san and I had talked during the beginning of filming for the first episode, saying, "We've already started," and "That means it'll end someday, huh?" (laughs). I didn't want to feel sad, so I had to "mentally prepare myself" somehow, but when the end actually came, I couldn't handle it. It was hard to think that we wouldn't be able to gather at this set as we had done in the past. The night of the wrap up, I slept for 14 hours, and when I woke up, I had two pimples.

I think the Final Stage is the place where I'll express my gratitude to everyone. I look forward to meeting you all. And as for future ambitions……Itono-chan said that she wants to do a 10th anniversary, so that's one goal. Everyone I worked with in Gotchard were good rivals. I hope we can continue to have a relationship where we can help each other grow, and I hope we can work together again in another production.

Abe Oto (Icho Renge)

Q. If you were to call out to Icho Renge now?

A. How are you doing as a landlady in Kokonotsu Village? Please invite everyone from the Alchemys Union to Kokonotsu Village so they can relax in the hot springs and heal from the daily battles!!

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. It's bonds. Throughout the past year of filming together, I've formed invaluable bonds with the cast members and staff.

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. It's episodes 28 and 29. These are the first episodes to focus on Renge, and she's the only one on the Alchemy team who doesn't transform, but it's really wonderful that she fights for her grandmother using the alchemy she's trained so hard to use.

Tomizono Rikiya (Tsuruhara Sabimaru)

Q. If you were to call out to Tsuruhara Sabimaru now?

A. Sabi~!! It's alright! You're having a Gotcha time with your friends in a fun future! Sabi is also a hero! Do what you love and keep on growing!!

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. The experiences and friendships!! I was able to experience many things, including being on location, on set, on a bike, being suspended, action, dub recording, and transforming. And then there's the friends who ran with me as fast as they could through both the hard and fun times. I'm really grateful for everything.

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. It's episode 43! I can't believe Sabimaru was screaming and fighting like that…!

Kumaki Rikuto (Minato)

Q. If you were to call out to Minato now?

A. Can you imagine a future like this? "Belief" is a difficult thing to do, but it's the only thing that'll bring you an exciting future that you can't even imagine!! The future is bright!!!

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. It's "youth"!! The best Gotcha ever was spending time with my Gotchard costars and staff, which reminded me of my school days, or maybe even more so!!!

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. There are so many, that I feel like I'd answer this question differently every day…but I'd still have to go with episode 27! There was the all out battle, and I'm so happy that Minato was able to come back to everyone, so this episode is very special!

Fukuda Saki (Kyoka)

Q. If you were to call out to Edami Kyoka now?

A. Chomp on cilantro!! Thank you for your hard work!! It's fine to be enthusiastic about research, but make sure you get a good nights sleep!!

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. Youth!! They were all honest and kind kids, and I had alot of fun messing around with them 🙂 I enjoyed every day!! I wish everyone can spend each and every day happy!!

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. It'd have to be episode 21, which is the episode where Spanner transforms into Kamen Rider Valvarad. It was also an important episode for his character!! That flaming Valvarusher!! And his transformation scene was so cool!!

Kanon Miyahara (Clotho)

Q. If you were to call out to Clotho now?

A. You're clumsy, yet your passionate feelings for your family are being conveyed to everyone. You were able to grow alot by fighting and struggling together throughout the past year. Thank you!! I love you 🖤

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. It's sisterly love! As an only child, I've been thinking about the two of them all the time this past year, both on set and in my private life. I'm so happy to have met such loving and precious people! It's because of the three of us that I was able to live as Clotho of the Three Dark Sisters.

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. It's episode 32. Of course, I was able to do a bunch of my favorite actions, but it's an episode where Clotho fights alongside Houtaro, talks with him, and realizes what she wants, allowing her to think more about the three sisters! I also love the scene where they're running away while "What's your FIRE" is playing 🖤🖤

Sakamaki Arisa (Lachesis)

Q. If you were to call out to Lachesis now?

A. Lache-chan said, "I want to be human!" and she did her best, as she was more human than anyone else 😊. Right up until the end, you did a great job.

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. "The greatest warriors!!" The cast members were very passionate about the performance and could bring out the best in each other's scenes!!!

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. What can I say, it's episode 33!! It's the episode where Lachesis becomes Kurogane for the first time 😊🖤. Her joint fight with Spanner was also very hot.

Amon Kabe (Kajiki Ryo)

Q. If you were to call out to Kajiki Ryo now?

A. Best friend representative, thank you for your hard work over the past year. I was so worried because you lost so much of your memory……Despite being an ordinary civilian, I was impressed by how you fought to protect others, both physically and mentally.

Q. What did Gotcha stand for through Kamen Rider Gotchard's show?

A. Creating a role throughout a whole year. I was able to experience alot of approaches that were different from regular movies and dramas.

Q. Please tell us your favorite episode and the reason why!

A. It's episodes 9, 10, 44 and 45. I didn't expect a Kajiki episode to come so early on…and I didn't expect a Kajiki episode to come so late…I hope that his growth as a person has become apparent.

To Everyone Who's Supported Us

Thank you so much for your support of Kamen Rider Gotchard over the past year! Let's have a great time at the Final Stage!! - Ichinose Houtaro's Motojima Junsei

Thank you!! Thank you so much for one year of Kamen Rider Gotchard!! I was really happy and enjoyed living as Kudo Rinne. Even though I went through some tough times, thanks to everyone's support, I was able to persevere! It was a very long but short year, and I was incredibly happy. Rinne-chan was loved, and as Reiyo, I couldn't be happier 🧡🧡. Majade is cool, right?! I was uneasy about some things, but it was alot of fun! Thank you very much! - Kudo Rinne's Matsumoto Reiyo

Thank you so much for supporting Kamen Rider Gotchard over the past year! Couldn't do it without your support!! Thank you again, Let's make Final Stage the best event, I love you all!! - Kurogane Spanner's Fujibayashi Yasunari

Thank you for supporting Kamen Rider Gotchard over the past year ❤️. It was very encouraging to receive your warm messages after every episode's broadcast!! I love you all! Let's have fun at the Final Stage! - Icho Renge's Abe Oto

Thank you for supporting Kamen Rider Gotchard over the past year!! I truly had alot of fun every day, and I got to experience so many different things! I'd be happy if you'd continue to send me the power of your support! Let's make a ton of memories! I'll do my best to be everyone's "power"! - Tsuruhara Sabimaru's Tomizono Rikiya

Thank you so, so much for your support over the past year!! Thanks to all of you, I've felt the most love in my life, and I was able to enjoy filming every time!!! Let's have fun until the very end!!!! - Minato's Kumaki Rikuto

Thank you for your encouragement in Kamen Rider Gotchard over the past year! I'm glad so many people loved Kajiki 💚. Let's meet again somewhere - Kajiki Ryo's Amon Kabe

Thank you for the past year 🖤. I had days filled with so much love!! I love you all!! I look forward to your support from now on 🖤 - Lachesis's Sakamaki Arisa

Thank you for supporting Kamen Rider Gotchard over the past year! It was a very happy time for me as Clotho of the Three Dark Sisters!!! Please remember to keep supporting me from now on 🖤. If you forget, it's a high kick for you!! - Clotho's Kanon Miyahara

Everyone!! Thank you for all the love!! A world where there's nothing but love for Kamen Rider Gotchard!! I'm really happy to see you all at the Final Stage!! Let's make some memories!! Happy~ 💜 Cilantro~ 💜 - Kyoka's Fukuda Saki

Scriptwriter Uchida Hiroki Special Interview

I've been participating in the Kamen Rider series since "Kamen Rider Saber," but Kamen Rider Gotchard was the first time I was involved in a project from the startup stage. What I thought after I finished writing the final episode is that it's amazing that Toei continues to make such year long shows every year. Of course, the Producers and Scriptwriters change every year, but a majority of the staff on set have been working together for many years. I was able to witness a single production from beginning to end, and I could feel the weight of its history.

I've been involved in anime multiple times in the form of "head writer," but in the case of Toei's tokusatsu productions, this head writer position is also handled by the chief Producer in charge. For Gotchard, this was Minato Yosuke-san. Minato-san was an Assistant Producer for Saber, but Gotchard was his first production as chief Producer. Since he approached me with, "If I can be of any help to you," we've been "running" together up to this point.

After working as the Main Writer for a whole year, I think it was easier than when I was a Sub Writer (laughs). I didn't have to think that much about the show as a whole, as my main job was to put together the episodes I was requested to make in my own way. There were various elements that I thought up and added myself, but I was like, "It'd be nice if someone picks up on this later on." When this becomes the main focus, I can't be irresponsible (laughs). If I didn't put much thought into it, I'd be digging my own grave later on.

On the other hand, I felt a sense of fulfillment that only the Main Writer can experience. I think it's partly because it was a production with a younger cast, but the span of a year allowed me to feel the growth and progress of these actors. Since I'm relatively close in age to the cast members, I made it a point to visit the film site as much as possible to interact with everyone, and as I did so, my love for each and every one of them naturally grew deeper. This is a feeling that's difficult to experience as a head writer of anime, which are often broadcast in the length of seasons (three months). Writing of the script and filming was happening at the same time to some extent, and sometimes I'd use what I talked about with the cast as a reference for the script. I love the entire cast and characters of Gotchard, so I was also always conscious of being able to focus on as many characters as possible. I can't judge for myself whether my skills as a Scriptwriter have improved over the past year, but I think the fact that I was able to devote myself entirely to a single production was a big deal for me.

-A true to life main character that you'll want to cheer for-

Out of all the appealing characters, I considered Ichinose Houtaro, the main character, to be the most important to the success of this production. The main character who transforms into a Kamen Rider tends to be depicted in a somewhat superhuman way, but I wanted to avoid going in that direction as much as possible, as I wanted to portray Houtaro as a "true to life high school student." Putting it another way, he's a main character whose perspective is as close to the children who watch the show. I wanted to make a main character that they'd instinctively cheer for. I was consistent with this from the beginning, as it was also a way to differentiate it from the more recent "Kamen Rider Geats." I was relieved to hear that both the show itself and Houtaro actually have many child fans.

Still, Houtaro doesn't have any elements of "me" in him (laughs). I personally wasn't a high school student like Houtaro. If I had to say, I guess he's one of the ideals that I wanted to be like? Houtaro's abit of a weirdo, but……(laughs). Personally, I was hoping to get power from Houtaro while writing him. After all, I'm not always happy with my work. When I was having trouble coming up with ideas or moving forward, Houtaro's cheerfulness saved me. Motojima Junsei-kun as Houtaro really surprised me, as I was very impressed with his performance, which improved with each episode. We talked alittle on the day of the wrap up, and we both agreed, "Let's do this for another year" (laughs).

-What a Grand Alchemist Produces-

Episodes 1 and 2 were written together with Hasegawa Keiichi-san, and the first time I wrote independently was episodes 7 and 8, with the Chemy called Saboneedle. Since that was the first time Gotchard had a two part story, I packed in alot of things I wanted to show in the episodes during this time, and it centered on the interactions between Houtaro and a slightly rude boy. Not just Houtaro, but Rinne, Spanner, the Three Dark Sisters……If I'm not mistaken, I believe that I also discussed with Minato-san during this time the idea of ​​having the story end with Houtaro creating a "New Earth." The words "Grand Alchemist" come up, and Houtaro talks about big dreams, so I thought that eventually, he'd do something spectacular. Then we'd talk about what exactly that is, and we'd be like, "Maybe he'd do something like create an Earth through alchemy" (laughs). It wasn't decided there, and it was alittle strange to write in that direction. In the end, the "New Earth" is produced with alchemy. I wrote this without having any idea of how it'd be filmed (laughs).

After that, I was put in charge of the Winter film. I wrote about how Houtaro gets into a fight with Tamami-san, his mother, over something petty and runs away from home, and it seems that Motojima-kun himself had a similar experience. It was kind of like I interviewed him and wrote it (laughs). I wrote the scene between Houtaro and Tamami-san in the final episode with the impression of it being an expansion from the Winter film. As a matter of fact, initially, in episode 49 written by Hasegawa-san, there was originally a scene where Glion visited Kitchin Ichinose, and after he left, there was supposed to be a conversation between the mother and son. However, since it had been quite some time since the "welcome home" scene in the Winter film, I talked with Hasegawa-san, and we decided to use it in the final episode that I wrote. I decided that Tamami-san already knew that her son was a Kamen Rider. I put alot of effort into writing this script, not only for Minamino-san, but also for Motojima-kun's performance, as he had grown so much.

-Dawn and Legend-

Episodes 16-18 aired from the end of the year to the beginning of the new year, and the curtains rose on a new development. By the time I wrote that series of episodes, I believe that episodes 5 and 6 had finished airing, and I remember writing them while reflecting on the opinions of those around me. At the time of writing, I was alittle worried about Gotchard Daybreak's character. To begin with, I didn't see how elements like "from the future" would fit well in Gotchard. However, by the end of the shoot, there was already a good response on set, which led to talks about doing a proper Daybreak episode at some point. As you know, this came to fruition as the Summer film written by Hasegawa-san.

I wrote "Kamen Rider Gotchard VS Kamen Rider Legend" at the same time as episodes 7 and 8. I didn't intend on ending this as a one shot spinoff, and had already decided that it would be included in the TV series at some point. Still, I had decided that Kaguya lives in another world, and it's not easy to meet up with him, so I finished episodes 32-35 based on that setting. There was plenty of action shown, and they were quite literally "gorgeous" episodes, but in reality, there was alot more drama written in. I regret that I couldn't fit all of it in.

Episodes 42 and 43 were Sabimaru's episodes, and since it was decided that the next episode I'd write would be the final one, I included various elements that would connect to the final stages of the series. When it comes to episodes of this scale, it's hard to write a story that's independent of the whole flow. Still, there were the Renge episodes during the middle of the show, and I wanted to do a Sabimaru episode. Originally, the development of Sabimaru becoming Kamen Rider Dread in the beginning was my idea, and the idea came from the fact that I wanted to do a story about Houtaro helping his friends. I wanted to differentiate Sabimaru's episodes from Renge's episodes, so I tried to touch on the origin of his connection to alchemy. I also reflected on what Director Taguchi, who also shot the Renge episodes, wanted to do.

-Final Stage ~ With Gratitude-

As for the last three episodes, 48-50, it was Minato-san's idea to ask Inoue Akiko-san to write the Rinne story of episode 48, and for Hasegawa-san to write the Spanner story of episode 49 while I'd write the final episode. Minato-san and I discussed the overall flow of the episode, and we'd communicate with each other on what we had decided on. Also, Minato-san, Director Tasaki and I discussed the final drafting process, and in episodes 48 and 49, when parts needed to be corrected, I asked Inoue-san and Hasegawa-san for their permission and then made the necessary changes.

The deep involvement of each of the three sisters and each of the main characters, such as Rinne and Atropos, Spanner and Lachesis, and Houtaro and Clotho, wasn't what I had in mind at first, but as the story progressed, it seemed to come naturally. The final three episodes were written by each Writer, but there was never any talk of separating the responsibilities for this. Still, both episodes 48 and 49 by Inoue-san and Hasegawa-san were "rich in color." I think it has something to do with the fact that Inoue-san started her career as a novelist, but the way she delved into the characters felt deep. For example, I think this was evident in the Hopper1 Malgam episode (37). Also, since she joined Gotchard later than me and Hasegawa-san, her sense of distance from the work and characters was alittle different from ours, and I think that was also an advantage. If I had been in charge, I might not have written the fist fight between Houtaro and Spanner in episodes 46 and 47 that way.

Hasegawa-san's a veteran and has alot to offer, but he's also naturally skillful. Even now that he's become a veteran, he still has a clear will to "write about what he wants to write about." I felt this even more this time than when we worked together on Saber. He's very energetic, and his written works really show an author's touch. I thought that was to be expected.

When I was writing the final episode, I naturally pictured the faces of each of the cast members. I put my heart into each and every line, and also felt a sense of loneliness. In the Final Stage's story, I hope to show my gratitude to those who supported Gotchard, as well as to the cast members who received my scripts and performed them. I hope you enjoy this traditional "after" story of Gotchard performed by the original cast.

[sterkeyra]

Voltages 3 New Titles for 2024

The japanese Version of Love 365 announced 3 new titles for this year. The first one will already release at the end of April.

You can watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/Q8sn1uNZe-Q

My childhood friend - My second first love (Late April)

The title boy is called Kuroe Kento (黒江健斗). MC seems to be engaged at the start of the story however her fiance betrays her and it seems like she is seeking comfort in Kuroes arms. Her childhood friend has grown into a fine man.

The premise feels similar to My Last First Kiss, Love Brings You Home or maybe even Kings of Paradise.

Head over Heels Marriage - I'm too obsessed with my wife to let her go (June)

The title man's name is Mikoshiba Kazuma (御子柴和真). MC starts of happily married with her man, living their best life in his suite. However, things feels too perfect, is really truly everything okay?

I gotta say this title seems to be the most mysterious. The guy could be shady, or maybe does not have as much money as he deems or he is just overly smitten by his wife and does not give her much room to breath and pampers her rotten

From the premise it looks a bit like Oops I Said Yes or maybe even the untranslated Honey Moon title.

I could also imagine it to be a more wholesome or realistic Kissed by the Baddest Bidder without the auctions? Anyways the guy reminds me a bit of a mix of Kunihiro and Kazuomi (at least on the cover)

Kiss Me Until Daybreak (August)

The last of the three protagonists is called Iriyama Tsubaki (入山椿). MC is hopelessly in love with the man but he is not interested in a relationship. Luckily friends with benefits is rather popular these days so she might just be able to convince him in that way.

This title seems to be a bit more angsty and emotional compared to the others. It gives me Irresistible Mistakes and Hiroki from My Last First Kiss vibes. Und

Anyways this is whats to come in the near future.

My opinions under the cut

In my opinion the titles give a more mature vibe and feel a bit like soft versions of the adult site Otona / Koi100 More. (The More stories that we are currently getting are from the for example, though they have their exclusive titles too).

I have to admit none of the titles really caught my eyes right away and they feel more like Oneshots similar to Perfect Boyfriend or A World With(Out) You. They somehow lack the... glow? of other Voltage titles, but I'd gladly get proven wrong 😄 Currently i cannot see them having multiple seasons or even multiple characters? Plotwise i'm most curious about the Marriage title, artwose Kiss Until Daybreak even though I'm not that much of a fan of friends with benefits. The sprite of childhood friend looks good to me!

I feel like Voltage might be stalling for time until they can continue with Kings of Paradise or Tokyo Love Hustle.

I felt like instead of just relationship / romance focus I would have loved another supernatural or action series (which is why i really hope they'll continue TLH) because they feel similar to other titles. Voltage has proven that they are great with the supernatural themes with Court of Darkness or Even if Tempest, so i'm definitely excited about their new Switch titles. I just wish they gave a gem to Love 365 too haha.

Anyways let's wait and see.

[unhinged-summer-fun]

common grounds (oshamir) - chapter 15

Pairing: Osha Aniseya x Qimir "The Stranger" Warnings: Still fite nite

A/N: Dividers by me! I want to thank everyone who has liked, commented, reblogged, and enjoyed this fic so far! Chapter 15 marks the end of Act I, and I hope you enjoy it. It's got some things I know y'all have been waiting for...

series masterlist

chapter 15: all's fair

Mr. Wise entered the ring like the bishop of bloodshed, impeccably dressed in a spotless pale yellow suit. She looked back at the balcony as Wise gave his benedictions, but nobody was there. For some reason, it made her heart pound. The next time she saw Qimir, he’d be in the mask.

Kana followed her gaze upward. “The brawlers are moving through the crowd right now. You can’t see ‘em, but I can.”

“Yeah, how’s the weather up there, Kana.”

He nudged her playfully to get her to ease up, but she kept smiling through her nerves. “Hey, you’re not gonna see shit from down there, Osha. Want up on my shoulders?”

Her eyes went wide, but she nodded. Within a second, her vantage went from about five feet up to nine. She tried her best not to cling to Kana’s head, finding her balance and settling in just in as Wise introduced the first three fighters. The fourth broke the typical order of introductions, but Wise seemed as irreverent as he was slimy.

“We have two reigning champions in the cage tonight. If one win’s a fluke, and two are coincidence, then three’s gotta be a pattern—your three-month champion, Daybreak!”

Her jealousy from Kana’s earlier insinuations (and Medora’s, though they were unintentional) threatened to rear back again, but she made herself clap along with the others. The few times they’d crossed paths in the gym, Qimir never acknowledged Idise, but she would always bend a nod of hello towards him and Osha. What on earth had happened between them?

“…and in this corner, filling out the northern edge of the cage, in green—”

Osha cursed.

“—Sour Patch!”

He’d taken off his shirt before coming in. His entrance consisted of bouncing around the ring, radiating that same overconfidence that spelled the downfall of every other rookie before him.

“Kana, do you gamble?” Osha asked.

“Only when it’s funny.”

“Smiley’s taking him down.”

“Why do you say that?” Kana laughed. 

“Because Sour Patch has been flirting at me all night.”

“Not with you?”

“Absolutely not.”

He let out a long whistle. “You know, you looked like I kicked your puppy when I told you about the rumors with him and Idise. Glad to know you’re smarter than you look. You and Q.”

“W-what?” she said, a little bewildered.

“I take it back; you’re both idiots.”

“But you’ll take the bet?”

“From what you said, Smiley’s taking him down regardless. It’s just a matter of how fast you think he’ll do it.”

Osha hummed. On one hand, Qimir wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to waste his own time. Efficiency is an underutilized talent, he told her once, under the cafe lights. On the other, he once said he’d always prioritize doing things correctly—when they concerned her. The only thing that stood in the way was what she learned about his mentality when fighting in the cage: he doesn’t think about anything, but he feels everything.

Would he choose to handle this quickly or correctly? Would he even have a choice, with his feelings and instincts at the wheel? She made her prediction in line with how she wanted things to play out. “He’s gonna play with his food. But he won’t let him win. He’ll take him out last when it’s just three left.”

Mr. Wise called Smiley into the ring to the song of bloodthirsty cheers. Qimir had no trouble seeing her from atop Kana’s shoulders—he found her in the crowd like magnets found iron.

Unfortunately, Sour Patch also found her. He spoke her as Wise vamped. 

“Hey!” he called out, waving at her. “Godfather!”

From the other end of the cage, she felt the burning gaze Qimir shot between her and the idiot in green. She tried her best to ignore the heat, knowing she’d forget to breathe if she let herself look at him for too long.

You know he looks good, girl. Leave it.

Osha gave Sour Patch two sarcastic thumbs-up and tapped on Kana’s shoulder. “What’s your wager?”

“I say he knocks him on his ass in the first twenty seconds. If I’m right, you owe me ten bucks. If you’re right, I’ll let you off the hook for the second half of your shift.”

Osha laughed and reached down to shake his hand. “We’ll see, we’ll see.”

Wise went through the rules, showing the sounds of the bell, the whistle. He had the contestants put their hands on the cage, and Sour Patch looked over his shoulder to wink at Osha, blissfully unaware of the doom per square inch that had him in its sights.

Osha waved.

The cage door locked.

The bell dinged.

And Qimir descended.

Where most fighters typically took the first few seconds of their matches to size up their opponents, Qimir was made of raw, instinctual movement. She saw ten dollars flash before her eyes when he planted his feet and slugged Sour Patch so hard, he did a full two spins in place before falling flat on his back like a cartoon character.

She noted, perhaps smugly, that he hit Sour Patch in the same spot Osha had gotten Qimir that first spar. Kana laughed and squeezed her leg in victory, ten dollars richer. The crowd hissed in response to the force behind the hit, but he’d moved on already, throwing himself at Dizzykid.

The crowd to her left started going crazy, and she broke her concentration to see why: Idise had gone down, knocked out cold by the competitor in blue. “Holy shit!” Osha exclaimed, head whipping between the two focal points of the fight as they happened.

Kana cursed beneath her. “Wise fuckin’ cursed her with that three-times shit.”

Qimir didn’t disengage from his opponent, didn’t even see what happened.

Another few seconds passed, and to her delight (and dismay), Sour Patch got to his feet just before the whistle blew, signaling the fighters to grab the cage with both hands.

“I don’t care what you say; I still won my half of the bet,” Kana said quickly, looking up at her.

“Fight’s not over, Loharne,” Osha protested.

Like before, Qimir stalked up to the place closest to Osha and held on facing her. Behind him, Idise was dragged out with another contender. Her name chattered a little through the room, but Qimir didn’t look away. She was certain he’d find out once he turned around. She waved at him, and he wiggled his fingers in response before tilting his head back. Her lizard brain translated:

Baring his neck. Showing his loyalty—who he belongs to.

She probably shouldn’t have been thinking the thoughts she was while sitting on someone else’s shoulders. “Playing with your food, Smiley?” she jeered, feeding the flames.

He widened his stance a little, peering over his shoulder at Sour Patch before looking back at her, tilting his head to the side. Should I be? his body language asked.

She blew him a kiss.

The bell rang.

The match resumed.

Back into chaos.

Kana shook her leg a little. “Aren’t you the arsonist, playing with fire like that!”

“It’s a cold winter; what can I say?” she laughed in delight.

The fighter who took down Daybreak tussled with Sour Patch a little, and Osha noted with a wince that the annoying guy wasn’t all that bad of a fighter. Even stunned six ways to Sunday, he held his own. She supposed Qimir was right—the organizers wouldn’t stage a bloodbath, especially for the last fight of the night.

Qimir, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed by Idise’s departure. He took on two at once, hips swiveling back and forth as he dodged and jabbed at his opponents. When he managed to kick one of them back a few steps, he practically climbed the other guy, sending him crashing to the mat in a devastating takedown with the crowd groaning in sympathy. Poor White-Top.

“Oh, this is a treat. Smiley hasn’t done matwork in a few months,” Kana narrated. “He’s pretty lethal just with hits and kicks, but he can wring submissions out of a goddamn rock.”

Osha craned her head to see him situated almost sideways against the other fighter in his grasp, one arm wrapped around his head. White-Top shouted as he struggled, legs kicking but going nowhere on the blood-slick mat. “Do you know what he’s doing?”

“Kesa-gatame, probably. Masqueraders don’t do a lot of groundwork except in the final few left; it’s pretty easy to stomp someone in a grapple, so they gotta get that submission fast—he tapped!” The crowd raged, and White-Top rolled out of Qimir’s grasp to curl in on himself against the fence.

Rolling with his momentum, Qimir kept low, sliding across the slick mat on his knees to trip up the other fighter. Time felt untethered, happening all at once and spread out over an eternity as Osha watched from on high. Just as Qimir was preparing to pound his current opponent into the mat, he looked over—

Sour Patch had knocked out the fighter in blue.

Three left.

The crowd surged with energy and noise, and Kana had to grip Osha’s legs to keep her from tilting off in the sudden press of bodies. He tried finding somewhere safe for them both to stand, laughing. “I can’t believe I’m about to lose and win to you.”

“I can!” Osha shrieked, throwing her fists in the air.

Qimir abandoned the fighter on the ground and rose to face Sour Patch, taunting him with a ‘come get it’ motion. He said something that made the green-masked fighter balk just for a second, and it was then that he took his chance, surging forward.

“What’d he say?” Kana said, ears a little blocked by Osha’s legs.

“He said, ‘Let’s go, Godfather.’”

Osha screamed her head off, drunk on the energy all around her. Qimir was a beast, taking the extreme offensive against Sour Patch. The fighter he’d abandoned staggered to his feet, intending to join the action—

Qimir kicked Sour Patch in the chest, sending him stumbling back three steps. It was far enough away for him to turn to the remaining opponent and point a bloody finger in his face. Above the crowd, she heard him snap, “Second place wins.”

The fighter jerked back a step and froze, but Qimir had already jumped onto Sour Patch, twisting them both to the floor with him straddling the guy’s chest. This time, he didn’t hesitate. Left, right, left, right, he swung his fists back and forth on either side of the guy’s face, batting away the weak attempts at blocking.

She watched the crowd cautiously. Was this what it was like when he’d sent that Lance guy to the hospital? Was this what Kana would call brutal?

Very quickly, Sour Patch couldn’t keep up the blocks, his arms falling limply to the mat at his sides. Once they had, the whistle blew four times for the final drag-out. It froze Qimir’s fist just a few inches from the blood-stained mask, but he shifted his momentum and rose, clinging to the fence and seeking out Osha.

“That was fucking awesome!” Kana shouted, almost jumping in place before he remembered Osha was on his shoulders. He started wading through the crowd, moving nearer to the cage door.

“What are you doing?” she protested, twisting her torso and craning her head to watch Mr. Wise announcing the winners.

“He’s not gonna wanna fight through this crowd to get to you,” Kana said. “And nobody’s gonna want to be in his way, either.”

Before the fight even starts, I think of what I want most, something waiting for me outside the cage. And then, when the fight is over, I ensure there’s nothing in my way between me and what I want.

She was set on her feet just as the crowd began to cheer, a final round of applause for all fighters. Kana lightly slugged her shoulder. “Hey! I’ll get that tenner from you next shift. Enjoy the night, Osha!” With that, he knocked her a few steps backward.

She turned to yell at him, “What the hell are you—!”

A large shoulder pressed into her middle, and Osha’s world tilted on its axis as she was hauled up into the air. “What the fuck?!” she shrieked, a moment before coming face-to-face with a very familiar spine—a very familiar scar.

Qimir walked far too quickly for her to make sense of where they were going, but the general direction was away from the crowd. He didn’t bother with the stairs, instead finding a dark corner to set her on her feet. She grunted as her shoulders knocked against a cement wall.

He towered over her, chest heaving. She couldn’t see anything but his eyes with the Smiley mask on, and even then, the hallway was so dark that she could only make out the faint glint in them. Osha’s indignation flared, and without thinking twice, she pulled off the mask to yell at him. “You’re such a damn—”

But she didn’t get to tell him what he was, because he was more focused on kissing her than hearing it.

He was sweaty and hot and reeked of blood and adrenaline. Qimir caged her in against the wall, kissing her like they both might die if he didn’t press as close to her as possible. They wasted no time, giving into their hunger with every slick slide of lips and each sweet little pain from tongues meeting teeth. They each made little noises far beyond their control, soft whimpers on her part and low growls on his.

His hands found hers, lacing their fingers together before he pinned her back against the wall. Their hands were slippery with sweat and other men’s blood, which only made her hold on tighter. He breathed harshly, still high on the thrill of victory, of the bloodsong. She swore she could hear its aria just from touching him.

There come times for each of us where primal instinct drives us—when what you want is at risk of being lost.

She could taste his ashen, wrathful jealousy in every slide of his tongue against hers. She could taste it as clearly as she could taste his blood—she dragged her attention (and her teeth) to his split lip. He hissed at the small bite but didn’t pull away. In fact, he dragged her closer, practically begging for her to do it again.

Could he taste her jealousy? Could he taste the sinful way her primal instincts had surged and burned like lightning when her (alleged) competition was dragged away from him unconscious? She bit down harder and licked into his mouth to make him taste it.

They’d both gone mad. That had to be the only explanation for their unhinged behavior. He still had blood on him, and she was ready to pull his shorts down and make things happen right here on the gym floor. More than a month and a half of yearning and desperation had led to this moment. They’d danced around (at times, with) each other in a spiral that shrank and shrank until there was no moving without touching, no touching without wanting, no wanting without breaking—no wonder the intensity was so devastating.

One of Osha’s hands broke free to grab at his hair and pull him closer. He snarled, nearly growling against her lips as his body responded in kind. He must have made her filthy by now, with all the blood and sweat rubbing off onto her every second they touched. Osha didn’t give a single fuck. All she cared about was more, more—

Qimir breathed out in a shaky sigh, giving a playful nip at her lips as payback for biting him. The hand she’d escaped roamed up her side territorially, claiming mine, mine, in each inch conquered beneath it. His hand pushed beneath the cropped edge of her shirt. Her goddamn heart nearly stopped when his fingertips brushed the lace edge of her bra, teasing just beneath the elastic before retreating, switching directions so abruptly it made her head spin.

Down, past her ribs. Down, past her waist. Inward, to touch that jeweled piercing he’d grown so fascinated with. Again—down, to her hip. Down, to her thigh—until he pulled her leg to wrap around him. That wandering, claiming hand rested itself beneath her ass before squeezing and pulling her closer to him, arching off the wall like a cat.

Like a lion.

The burning press of his need against her lower belly only cranked the heat in her blood. She just barely stood on her tip-toes because of how he held her. All that kept her from toppling over was the fact he didn’t want her to.

His hips rolled against her in an open, wanton search for relief. Flashing memories of his fight came to mind, visions of those same hips pivoting and shifting to drive more power into his hits. There was no ignoring how hard he was against her core, no explaining away the heat that amplified her own.

Her next moan was startlingly loud against his mouth, and his hand squeezed her ass again. He ground his hips down on her again, lips breaking apart to pant loudly. His forehead rested against her cheek, a smear of sweat keeping him from finding purchase.

Music starting up in the gym jolted them out of their primal reverie. He leaned back a little to rest his forehead on hers, catching his breath and letting his hips come to a stuttering halt.

His hair hung in black tendrils between them, some even sticking to parts of her face. He’d been moving with ferocity for the entirety of the ten-minute brawl. She’d seen him exert himself before, but had only witnessed him this wild twice: after their first swim session, and during their spar a few weeks later. He was riled up; his body still wanted to fight.

Or maybe there was a different primal urge driving him. One separated by a couple layers of fabric.

Osha murmured his name, the syllables slurring off her tongue—she was drunk off this feeling. Hearing her say his name brought him down to kiss her again, the chastest kiss they shared so far. She brought her other hand to his shoulder, holding him with her fingers linked around the back of his neck. The sweetness of this moment, threaded by all this tenderness, was easier to break than the previous, fueled with passion.

“Osha,” he breathed, nose brushing against the side of hers. It was the first word he spoke upon leaving the fight. “Osha…” His throat sounded scraped raw, like all that was left of him was her name.

She looked up at him with a giddy smile, one he half-returned. The fire in his blood wouldn’t let him soften more than that. When she toyed with the hair around his ears, he leaned heavily into her touch—a tamed wolf seeking out affection.

“Hello,” she whispered.

“Hello.” This close, she could feel the rumble in his chest almost firsthand, like his heart was speaking directly to hers.

“Hi,” she said, lips curling up in a helpless smile.

“Hi…” he laughed. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead more firmly against hers. When he found whatever center he’d been looking for, he nuzzled his nose against hers.

She tried her best not to pout as he let go of her ass, guiding her leg down so she could stand on her own. His hands fluttered across the rest of her body like butterflies unsure of where to land. Didn’t he know? Didn’t he know he’d claimed her as his and that he could hold her as he pleased?

He settled on cupping the sides of her face, giving him the perfect way to tilt her head forward and press a kiss against her forehead. “Hi,” he said lastly.

She let her hands drop to his hips, tugging him closer by the waistband of his shorts. He made a pleased noise, one foot still in the dangerous door that had borne them here. This far from the bustle of the crowd, the sweat on his skin had cooled enough to make him shiver. But Qimir hardly ever shivered from the cold outdoors, so it had to be for another reason—something to do with the brand-hot heat still pressing against her belly.

“You have a shift to finish,” he groaned softly. He pressed his face against hers, cheek to cheek—this gesture somehow felt more dauntingly intimate than the kisses, than the touching, than the whole grinding his erection on her.

She bit her lip, but her grin broke through anyway. “Kana gave me the rest of the night off. Won it betting on you.”

His posture changed again, returning to that sharp-eyed, prey-stalking creature he became when he fought—the kind he didn’t suppress around her. She still recognized him through the beast.

“The rest of the night?” he repeated, voice dropping to a low timbre.

“Yep.”

“Off?”

“I could go tell him you don’t—oomf!”

He pinned her to the bricks again in another kiss. His hand came to the back of her neck, dragging her up to him like he’d hand-picked her for heaven—and his mouth came damn close. “Do not put me over your shoulder again,” she mumbled against his mouth.

Qimir looked like he was considering the caveman option for half a second but changed his mind. Instead, like a gentleman, he took her hand to lead her up the winding stairs to the dressing rooms. 

They zoomed past the other open doors like the hounds of hell nipped at their heels. He pressed her against the dressing room door the moment it was shut behind them, the earlier confidence returning to his hands as they explored her body. She moaned into his mouth, hunger clawing back up her throat with a vengeance—one that would only be sated if she consumed him, body and soul.

He groaned at the leg she returned around his hip, resuming their positions from downstairs. “Osha…” he whispered, grinding against her. He kissed down her neck to mouth at her shoulder.

“Bite me,” she panted. “You can bite me.”

Her hands went to his shoulders, and she moaned softly when his teeth sank into the soft spot where her neck and shoulders met. His hand had come up beneath her shirt to grip the back of her bra with enough desperation she worried the clasps would fail. The deeper he bit her, the more the room spun. The lamplight on the table made the room seem soft and ethereal, elevating the feeling into the perfect high.

His hips rolled against her as he shifted from biting to sucking—soothing what little hurts he made with kisses. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she hauled him back up by his hair, demanding his mouth on hers yet again. He groaned as she sucked on his lower lip, her teeth tugging at the cut on it once more. Through the kiss, he cursed softly, the word half-trapped behind his teeth.

“Oh, did you not want me to bite you back?” she teased, pulling back to lean her head on the door. She loved how much taller he was than her, how his body could wrap around her and blot out the rest of the world in his shadow. 

Qimir smirked, idly tracing over the throbbing, wet bite he’d left on her skin. His tongue poked out at the cut, and he hummed indulgently—like he was tasting her and not the pain. “Didn’t I tell you?” he rasped, eyes bright. “You have no idea what I want with you. Biting and fighting are the least of them.”

The fight. 

Playing with your food, Smiley?

She flustered a little, unsure of what to do with herself in the face of such desire. Rather than embarrass herself by trying to one-up him, she said, “Don’t you need to do your cooldown?”

“What if I’m just warming up?” he countered, running the tip of his nose against her cheek. She shivered.

“Would you like it if I helped out?” she asked. Qimir groaned and pressed his face against her shoulder, melting. He was heavy, but she was strong enough to hold him. At first, she thought he was reacting to her playing with his hair again, but after what he said, it seemed like only part of the reason. 

“I’ve dreamed you saying that before,” he grumbled. “In a very different scenario.” He pressed another kiss to her shoulder and drew back before she could dissolve into a wanton puddle beneath him. “When did you get so responsible, hm?” He kissed her nose, then her lips, unable to stop.

She had no answer for him, still rendered speechless. He dreamed about her?

Qimir took one giant step back and inhaled deeply. His absence didn’t leave her cold so much as it left her breathless—he’d taken all the air with him. “I am going to shower,” he said. He was doing it again, convincing himself to take the right course of action. “Then you’ll help me do cooldown. Are you alright in here to wait?”

It was the first time she’d gotten a good look at him since he was in the cage. She had no idea where the Smiley mask had gone after she took it off him, but she didn’t want that fucked-up thing anywhere near the masterpiece of his body right now. Still fresh from the fight, every plane and contour of his body practically gleamed—whether smeared with blood or shining with sweat.

The blood concerned her, of course—now the threat had gone, the aftermath remained. She couldn’t help peering closer, reaching to thumb away the blood on his arm—good, no cuts. There were a few bruises here and there, but—

“Osha.”

His voice was tight, and every muscle in his neck and chest was tense. She was testing his resolve by continuously tempting him. It made her a little lightheaded to know she was so thoroughly desired.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay,” she whispered, about as loud as she could trust herself to speak. She tried for demure, attempting to reflect any desire to help her case.

It backfired spectacularly.

She was driven back to the wall again, their best-laid plans dashed to the side in favor of kissing. These kisses were intense, but not as harsh as the ones downstairs. She gripped his hair and kissed her way down to his jaw, leaving a bite over the place she now deemed her spot. He panted, open-mouthed, as she nipped and kissed over his throat.

When she dragged her teeth across his pulse, he shuddered, hands coming up to brace against the wall. She bit him in the same place he bit her, in the crook of his neck. He tasted like salt and adrenaline and goddamn heat lightning. A guttural moan, half-garbled around the syllable of her name, ripped free from his lips.

“If Wise comes up here while I’m like this, I might actually fucking kill him,” he gasped, bringing a hand to the back of her neck. It wasn’t to tug her back, nor to pull her closer. It just was.

“Then,” Osha panted, leaning back to look in his eyes. “How can I help?”

A near-vacant look crossed his eyes—fuck, he’s so horny he might fucking pass out, won’t he? Qimir breathed in deeply, closing his eyes and systematically disentangling himself from her. His expression was adorably devastated, like his whole world would crash down to rubble if he didn’t keep touching her.

“I am going to shower.”

“You are going to shower.”

His glare told her she was very far from helping the situation. She didn’t care.

“And then I am going to do my cooldown. And you are going to help me do that cooldown.”

“The cooldown you’re going to do after your shower.”

“Yes. Exactly. And I’m going to go shower right… now.”

Qimir… didn’t move. He looked rooted in place, but attentive—ready for instruction, she realized.

“Go, stranger.”

He went.

She didn’t dare to move until she heard the shower start. Only then did she breathe; only then did she attempt to wrangle her composure back from the edge. Osha went to put a hand to her chest, but saw the blood smeared around her wrist—whose it was, she had no idea.

She could clean herself up a little bit without going into the bathroom. But how tempting it was to open the door to innocently wash her hands, just a few feet from where he was naked and wet and—

“Osha, come on,” she hissed to herself, scrubbing the blood off her hands before she cleaned up her lipstick. Medora would have said something about the impressive staying power of a drugstore product—

A knock came at the hallway door, and it took a few seconds to recall what he said. If Wise comes up here…

His payday.

Mr. Wise didn’t seem surprised that she answered. He flicked his beady eyes above her head like Qimir would materialize in the small gap she left in the door. “You might want to come back later,” Osha said.

“He’s not the only one I have to make rounds to,” Mr. Wise said, looking a little annoyed.

“Well, what do you need?”

“I need to deliver the champion purse.”

“Okay.”

“To the champion.”

“He’s busy.”

“This is a matter of principle.”

“You can give it to me. He’s in the—”

“I need to make sure it goes to him.”

“I’m just going to put it in his bag. You don’t need to—”

“This is a very serious part of the night, young lady...”

Osha was debating the merits of socking an old man in the face when Qimir shouted from the bathroom loud enough for them both to hear. “Don’t give her shit, Wise! Just give her the money!”

Wise didn’t look too pleased to hear it, but handed the cash over with a sigh. “Maybe someday I’ll be handing this money to you, for you.”

“You think I’ll fight in the brawl?” she asked, crossing her arms. “You think I’ll win in the brawl?”

“There’s a reason I’m called Mr. Wise, Osha Aniseya,” he said. The way he spoke her name sent chills down her back. “Ah. Before I forget, you… left this downstairs.”

He handed off the Smiley mask through the door.

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure if she should thank him, and chose to stay silent through her discomfort.

She suddenly had an image for Kana’s earlier story because Wise just… smiled at her before walking off.

The mask felt just as heavy as the money, laden with a different kind of gravity than the one that held her body. When she ran a thumb over the thick knit, her skin came back red—the same stain she’d just washed it off.

Blood. That’s what gave the mask and money their uncanny weight.

No honor or glory, indeed.

Most of the people invited to the brawl were like Sour Patch. They wanted two things they’d never get: fame and fortune. The purse was handed off where nobody could see it, and the attention was waylaid by the existence of the mask.

Even though they all knew who was beneath it.

She shuddered and set the mask face-down on the chair. Osha was coming to realize she had very little choice in the matter if the crowd and fight organizers wanted to see her in the brawl. Qimir, for as ignorant as he seemed to it, inspired quite a bit of chatter among the ranks. Very, very few fighters had ever held their masks for twelve consecutive months, and he was one moon away from doing just that. If that weren’t enough, his bloody spectacle from two months ago meant most eyes were on him.

And now that he’d hauled her away like the spoils of war, she was part of the game.

Holding the money in both hands, she looked back at the bathroom door. She couldn’t imagine herself in the cage with him. Wise made her seem more like a knife dropped between opponents than an actual contender. Would Qimir grab her, use her as an advantage against the six others? Or would he see her as a distraction, a hindrance to his ability in the brawl?

She remembered the way that fight had gone earlier in the night: the armed fighter getting grappled by the unarmed one, then turning the tides to draw blood.

If you recognize when the winds shift in each moment, you can make almost anything work to your advantage.

Which brought her to Idise. She’d been dethroned tonight, which gave Osha some measure of shameful relief—past the seething jealousy she felt upon hearing the rumors of her and Qimir. Kana had said the crowd—not just the crowd; he’d said everyone wanted to see what would happen if they were dropped into the cage together.

The crowd wanted a love triangle, but Osha could only imagine a massacre.

What would victory even feel like after that? She knew the people here more and more every day. They seemed to want to get to know her, as well. How the hell did they sign up to beat the shit out of one another month by month and remain friendly?

Osha could only hope that Idise didn’t want to fight her as much as she didn’t want to fight Idise.

She stuffed the cash at the bottom of his backpack, past a bundle of clothes.

The shower turned off, and her heart kicked into gear. Osha heard him bustle around on the other side of the bathroom door for a few seconds before sighing. “Osha?” he asked.

She stepped close enough to feel the steam from under the door. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“I didn’t grab my clothes before I came in. Can you give them to me?”

Her face flared with heat. Her thoughts from earlier returned, now imagining him naked on the other side of a door she may or may not be able to break down in a fit of nymphomania. “Yeah,” she said, a little breathlessly.

Don’t be weird, Verosha. What the fuck.

She cleared her throat and knocked on the door before twisting the handle. She shoved his clothes through the two inches of space she allowed herself to open the door. She felt a little silly keeping her eyes squeezed shut, but when he laughed, she didn’t feel embarrassed. Their hands brushed at the exchange, and her eyes popped open anyway, meeting his through the gap. “I’ll be right out.”

The bastard didn’t close the door again, leaving it slightly cracked.

He’s practically inviting you in.

She quickly retreated to her seat on the other side of the room. “I’m sorry about Wise,” he said through the gap. She couldn’t stop staring at it, so she distracted herself by unrolling his yoga mat for him and—oh, she offered to help him stretch, oh no.

“Did he give you trouble?” he asked, when the silence went on for too long.

“Wh—no. He’s just an old man. Being difficult is their number-one hobby.” She chewed on what to say next. There was so much to tell him, to ask him about. Nominations. Idise. His absence from the gym. Shit, the Lance thing. Indara’s conversation had somehow gone from unignorable to back-burner. She went for the weakest conversation topic. “I think he insinuated I’d be invited to the brawl. Kana said something similar.”

“Why’d they say that?” he asked.

Her doom emerged from the bathroom in a burst of steam, still scrubbing a towel over his head to dry his hair. I thought that only happened in soap operas, what the fuck. 

She couldn’t tell him why Wise and Kana (and the rest of the gym, for that matter) wanted her in the brawl. She couldn’t tell him her own goddamn name. Qimir let his towel fall to his shoulders and pressed his elbows to either side of the doorway. She thought he was using it as a come-on, all look how big and muscly and strong I am, look how wet my stupid fucking abs are, look at my huge goddamn chest, look at how low my sweatpants are and look at how easy it could be to just tug them—

“Fuck, my chest is tight,” he groaned, head falling forward. 

Oh. It’s just a chest stretch. You need to exorcise your horny brain, Osha.

“I rolled your mat out for you,” she said, gesturing pathetically at the floor.

“Thank you,” he said after a twenty-count at the door. He stalked forward, coming to kneel on the mat before her. He pulled her in for a kiss: slow, deep, and thought-disintegrating. “Missed that,” he sighed against her mouth.

“It’s been like five minutes,” she laughed, playing with the towel around his shoulders.

“Even so.” He snatched her hands from the towel to kiss each knuckle, then started his neck stretches without letting go. “Wise gave you the money, right?”

“Yeah, it’s in your bag.” She settled across from him. “What do you want me to do?” she asked. 

His eyes held all sorts of salacious possible answers.

“To help you stretch,” she huffed, getting flustered.

He pouted, but conceded.

“…fine.”

He talked her through what to do, starting with him on his front to stretch out his quads. She was more used to their positions being flipped, with him helping her stretch after a training session. Once she’d pushed his heel nearly all the way toward his ass, he said, “I didn’t expect to grapple tonight.”

“Kana told me it’s not common in the brawl,” she said. “Said it gets you stomped.” She clung to the conversation because clinging to his body was proving detrimental to her sanity.

“Mhm.” He breathed slowly and relaxed into the stretch, allowing her to add more weight. “What else did Kana say?”

So, so much.

“He called what you did kesa-gatame,” Osha said, hopefully not bungling the pronunciation.

He groaned loudly. “I love hearing you talk about fighting.”

“I-I have no—you’re so ridiculous,” she muttered, feeling the urge to lean down and bite him—again.

“That’s so nice,” he murmured to himself.

She was going to die.

Every time they switched sides or positions, he would praise her.

Good job, Osha.

Oh, that feels amazing.

Thank you, Osha.

That’s it; you’re doing it right.

You can push harder than that; come on—there we go.

Attagirl.

That’s my girl.

Perfect.

“It’s so easy to fuck someone up like this,” he said near the end, oblivious to her suffering. 

No. Goddamn. Kidding.

“Good to know,” she quipped, raising an eyebrow.

Laid out like this, she could see the blooming contusions across his body. He’d cleaned away the blood just as she had, but the marks of his time in the ring wouldn’t just wash away.

He wears marks from you, too, her horny brain whispered. And you from him. Their matching hickeys made her want to sigh all dreamy-like.

“You’re good at this,” he complimented.

“I’ve got a good teacher,” she parried.

He hummed. “They still don’t do assist stretches in the Temple, then?”

She was surprised he brought up the Temple himself. She rolled with it, but kept things vague. “We don’t—the Temple doesn’t like when fighters touch each other. Outside of fights, that is.”

“Probably a liability thing,” he mumbled. “I wonder why.”

His scars stared at her.

Osha only felt like she could move again when he rolled onto his back for the rest of his stretches. He wriggled around as he adjusted to a more comfortable position. Luckily, his eyes were already closed, so he didn’t see whatever face she was making—but Osha couldn’t quite erase it. When he opened his eyes and saw the tension in her features, he lay a hand on her thigh. “You okay?” he murmured.

She stopped herself from nodding on reflex, settling on a half-truth. “I’m sorry I brought up the Temple.”

His expression drew tight in confusion, then softened. “You didn’t bring it up. I did. You’re fine, Osha. I’m fine, too.”

“But I know it—”

“I do not blame you or look down on you for being a member of the Temple,” he said, squeezing her thigh. “Until recently, it’s all you’ve known. And you only just found out things could be different if you wanted them to be.” His thumb rubbed side to side across her knee. “I know that’s where your fight strategy comes from, and I still wanted your thoughts on the matches, didn’t I?”

She nodded, still frowning a little. She had been worried about that, yes, and in some ways still was. Her main problem these days was that she could hardly dedicate time to worrying about one topic before another, worse thing interrupted her life. 

God, she wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him everything she’d found out from Indara and Kana. She wanted to ask him all the questions that burned down to the marrow of her bones. Who is Idise to you? What happened two months ago? Where did you disappear to? Why did you disappear, and what brought you back?

Qimir was an optical illusion—the more she looked at him, the less she seemed to see.

His thumb tapped twice on her leg, reeling her attention back in.

“The dogma we were both raised in is not infallible, no matter how much we were taught it is. Vernestra isn’t God; I am not an angel cast from her light.”

Some people feel like gods to a child. And you can worship and worship them, but their judgment will still leave scars.

Osha exhaled shakily, giving him a small smile—all she could muster. Qimir kissed her hand again and shrugged.

“It’s probably not good to continue avoiding talking about the Temple if I ever want to move past what happened. So, really, I think you’re doing me a favor.”

“Really? I would’ve thought I—”

It was like he disappeared; his eyes went black. I said, ‘This is the last round, Qimir.’

His hand tightened, expression growing serious again. “You’re not Mae.”

How had he known she was thinking that? Did he know her well enough to guess, while she knew him less and less the more she learned?

Osha closed her eyes, putting her hand on top of his. When she opened them again, she turned to look at the Smiley mask. “Do you ever think… do you think you’ll ever stop?” she whispered.

He turned his hand over beneath hers to lace their fingers together. “I hope so. I have something now that I didn’t, before.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

It didn’t escape her notice that he left his chest and neck wide open for her. Belly-up, the primal side of her said. He was making himself vulnerable for her, an open target.

“I’ve got a very good reason to leave the cage.”

How do you let go?

When the decision is called, I think of what I want most outside the cage.

How long had he gone, making up flimsy reasons to leave the fight? She may accept her place as his reason to leave the cage, but would she ever be enough to keep him from going in at all? Her heart ached.

“There was a period where I could see myself staying there and never returning. I pictured myself getting stuck in the fighter’s mindset and burning into ash. And I almost...” He trailed off, fear and shame hardening his features.

“Does that scare you?”

He squeezed her hand. “Of course it does. I worked too hard to get to a place where I wasn’t fighting to stay alive each day. I’m ashamed that this is the only outlet I trust to regulate myself right now.”

“Did therapy not work out for you?”

“Did it work out for you?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“I never went to—oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” He let go of her hand to bring one of his knees up to his chest with a sigh. “Let’s keep going.”

With gentle words and gentler touches, he showed her how to assist with the rest of his routine. Whenever she leaned close enough, she would kiss whatever part of him she could get at. He did the same, just mouthing kisses on her at any opportunity.

She told him about the bet she made with Kana.

“…And now I owe him ten dollars, because you Looney Toonsed that guy right out of the gate.”

He laughed sharply, amusement cutting deep. He leaned over to his backpack and rifled through it until he pulled a ten from his winnings. “There,” he said, handing it to her. “On me.”

“It’s not fair for you to pay when I’m the one who lost betting on you.”

“What is it that makes you think I’m a fair person, Osha?” he asked.

She took the cash from him. “I don’t mean to insult you by implying you’re mild-mannered and polite,” she snarked. “It’s a fairness that’s… more like balance. You pay things back in kind when you perceive an imbalance. Even if there isn’t one.”

“Keep going,” he said, snatching the money back from her.

She tried reaching for it again, but he was faster, holding it out with his much longer arm. She pouted at him, still leaning over his body with her arm outstretched.

“You haven’t convinced me,” he shrugged, stealing a kiss because he could.

“I don’t think you’re fair like a judge. This isn’t judge behavior.” She gestured to the petty game of keep-away.

“I’d agree with you. So what fair am I like, Osha?”

“You’re fair like… like the law of the jungle. Fair, like when hikers ignore the signs and then get eaten by wolves. You impart a much wilder brand of justice than the kind that comes from laws.”

“Like?”

“You burn me, I burn you. That kind of thing. It doesn’t follow code or custom—if you never follow the rules, you never have to break them. But if you feel crossed, you’ll cross right back. You’re that kind of fair.”

He gave her the money.

CHAPTER 16

[spore-daybreak]

F.A.Q

Q: What is Daybreak?

Daybreak is a fan project based on the 2008 game "Spore" that will (someday) be adapted into a webcomic. It is heavy Grox-Centric with elements of hard science fiction and speculative biology. It's been my passion project since sometime in 2019 :)

Q: When is Daybreak coming out?

Sometime in 2024, Hopefully? I don't really know web design and I'm looking to learn it, But I'm hoping to whip up a serviceable website sometime this year.

Q: Can I draw fanart of your characters?

Yes, You can! Just don't draw anything NSFW, That is against my personal boundaries.

Q: What is your main blog?

It's @grox-empire! I primarily post art and stuff there.

This will be updated slowly but surely, And I'll make a proper intro post eventually. For now, This is a placeholder.

[psn-stalling]

Other letters not in THINK (and things you shouldn’t need to ask, usually.)

A - Axe. Does it involve using more axes than necessary to get your point across?

B - Beedrill. Is it going to result in me angering a swarm of Beedrill?

C - Clear. Will this result in a change in clarity to nearby glasses or glass panes?

D - Destroy. Will this result in Daybreak Town having all of its chainsaws cease to function?

E - Earache. Will this result in the entirety of The Voice fandom hating me?

F - Failure. Is this going to result in anyone failing the LSAT?

G - Gun. Is it going to attract more Octillary and Remorade than I want?

J - July. Is it going to result in the resurrection of Julius Ceaser?

L - Loose. Will this eventually result in packs of wild Pokemon escaping the nearest Safari Zone and doing a footloose?

M - Monopoly. Is it going to cause unwanted games of Monopoly to be played, especially in Volcanos?

O - Overhead. Am I sure this joke will be comedic and land airplanes?

P - Pool. Is it going to result in pool parties past 3:33 AM?

Q - Queen. Is it going to cause any female members of royalty to consider abdicating the throne to a Charmander?

R - RKO. Is it going to indirectly result in somebody receiving the wrestling move The RKO from seemingly nowhere?

S - Serious. Is it properly communicating wether you are serious about the project to construct the new bridge?

U - Underhanded. What is the probability that the person I’m speaking to throws an underhanded pitch compared to an overhanded one?

V - Violet. Is it going to result in a rival of mine receiving violets or violins?

W - Win. Will this result in me winning a board game?

X - X Gon Give it You. Is it going to change the amount of collaborations a band gets?

Y - Y? Why are you preforming this action, now in a speeding car jumping through a fire hoop?

Z - Zero. Is it going to result in somebody having to say an infinite number of zeros?

...That seems really overly complicated.

And half of it just. Won't happen to the average person.

[blackidyll]

for the asks, 🎶🍦 and ✅!!

from this set of writing questions!

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

oh i 100% need music when i'm writing! i listen to a lot of instrumentals, osts, and also vocal-less (karaoke) versions of voiced songs because sometimes I do find lyrics a bit distracting. i've been writing a lot of fic from honkai star rail lately, so naturally the songs i have on loop were from the Svah Sanishyu (Xianzhou Luofu) album: namely Serene Stroll and Warden of Jade. in general i've also been writing a lot (cross fandom) to Stories of Remote Antiquity which until today still remains my favouritest soundtrack from genshin.

🍦 What’s the sweetest fic you’ve created so far?

okay i'm gonna cheat and put two, because i think they're sweet in different ways. please also note that they're both fics that are around 1000 words - this is the only way my fics can stay sweet and fluffy, or else angst inevitably sneaks in 😂

daybreak, GiyuuTan, Kimetsu no Yaiba/Demon Slayer.

Giyuu is asleep on his side, head turned towards Tanjirou, close enough that Tanjirou would barely need to stretch to touch him. Tanjirou just looks— —and the wonder sets in slowly, like dawn gradually seeping colour into the darkness of the night.

Chasing the Starlight, 00Q, Daniel Craig!James Bond films.

"I didn't take you for an astronomer," James says, his voice coming out soft and secretive in the vast open spaces of the outdoors. Q huffs out a breath, wisps of condensation coalescing in the cold. "I'm not, not even remotely. I know very little of the stars – I can't even track the North Star." He tips his head towards James, and the smile that graces his lips is tender, intimate. "But that's the allure of a mystery. You don't need to understand it to be fascinated by it."

✅ What’s something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don’t mean to?

gosh, i have to think about this. i think "hope" as a theme is definitely one, also anything to do with long distance relationships (friendships too) and moving countries and stuff because that's a topic that's personal to me - if the fandom/pairing in question is related in any way to those topics, i will address it in my fic. also the importance of chosen names and titles and stuff like honorifics/ nicknames/ diminutives. like it's obvious in some fandoms (looking at you, James Bond fandom), but also, please know that i've actually draw a chart to remind myself how the five main characters in my MP100 gen fic address each other so i can write that accurately.

but also i just looked at the last bunch of fics i've written and they all have the same two characters drinking beverages in different ways but mainly as a comfort/togetherness sort of thing. this is kind of hilarious to me are my readers sick of me writing jy and dh like this? too bad you're getting more. maybe one day i'll write them actually eating food instead lol

[stellamancer]

ten songs

tagged by: @just-a-tiny-goldfish

rules: shuffle your 'on repeat' playlist and post the first ten tracks

World Is Yours from NEO: The World Ends With You OST

Weight of the World (Prelude Version) from Final Fantasy XIV (Death Unto Dawn) OST

The Guide by rachie

Q愛セニョリータ(Q-Ai Senorita) (Remix) by Regret (cv. Kouri Arisa)

drop pop candy by Vivid BAD SQUAD

Twister - NEO Mix from NEO: The World Ends With You OST

カゲロウデイズ (Kagerou Daze) by Leo/need feat. Hatsune Miku

サイハテ (The Furthest Ends) by Kobayashi Onix/livetune?? feat Hatsune Miku

With You Around by Yellowcard

Daybreak Frontline by Orangestar feat. IA

tagging: @namodawrites || @firein-thesky || @willowser || @shotorus || @kedsandtubesocks ||

[brandwhorestarscream]

Well, I got one person that said yes to the previous post, and that's technically 100% of the vote, so here is the entire list, in alphabetical order, of the Terran Task Force, complete with their ID code. Put under the cut because. Obviously 😂

Which one is your favorite? I'm dying to know 😊 send me all of your thoughts cuz Primus knows I'll need help developing these bitties

Accelerator (A-1)

Ace (A-2)

Aero (A-3)

Alkaline (A-4)

Allele (A-5)

Ammunition (A-6)

Ampere (A-7)

Antiseptic (A-8)

Arrowhead (A-9)

Ashfall (A-10)

Atlas (A-11)

Atom (A-12)

Aurturius Maximus (A-13)

Axis (A-14)

Axon (A-15)

Backstab (B-1)

Backstrike (B-2)

Barrier (B-3)

Baseline (B-4)

Bastion (B-5)

Blazewing (B-6)

Blockade (B-7)

Bodybag (B-8)

Boombox (B-9)

Brainwash (B-10)

Breakcheck (B-11)

Breeze (B-12)

Broadcast (B-13)

Bullseye (B-14)

Catacomb (C-1)

Catalyst (C-2)

Chainsaw (C-3)

Chisel (C-4)

Cirrus (C-5)

Clearsky (C-6)

Clearwater (C-7)

Cliffclimber (C-8)

Clockwork (C-9)

Constellation (C-10)

Cremator (C-11)

Crossbow (C-12)

Crossflare (C-13)

Crypt (C-14)

Cutlass (C-15)

Cyclone (C-16)

Dart (D-1)

Daybreaker (D-2)

Debris (D-3)

Demo (D-4)

Detonator (D-5)

Double Dash (D-6)

Double Dutch (D-7)

Downburst (D-8)

Dropkick (D-9)

Earthquake (E-1)

Echolalia (E-2)

Echolocate (E-3)

Enigma (E-4)

Equation (E-5)

Figment (F-1)

Firefly (F-2)

Flamethrower (F-3)

Flashflood (F-4)

Flashfreeze (F-5)

Flourescence (F-6)

Fogbank (F-7)

Fragment (F-8)

Freelance (F-9)

Frostbyte (F-10)

Froststar (F-11)

Gadget (G-1)

Galaxy (G-2)

Gasket (G-3)

Gauge (G-4)

Galvanize (G-5)

Geocache (G-6)

Glaciate (G-7)

Glaive (G-8)

Goldstrike (G-9)

Greenbeam (G-10)

Gripper (G-11)

Hailstone (H-1)

Hailstorm (H-2)

Handsaw (H-3)

Hardcore (H-4)

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[seabreeze2022]

2023 Bahamas Cruise, Part 4, Mar. 10-12. Morgans Bluff to Normans Cay, to Sandy Cay to Lee Stocking Island.

This is, Natalie, our friend from Islamorada. She and her husband left one week before us and went directly to the Jumentos as quick as they could. She is holding a really, really large Crawfish, at least by Florida standards. But these are kind of common this far south in the Bahamas. Deep water canyons allow them to grow to this size without being caught. Q: What is the easiest job in the world? A: Bahama Minister of Tourism.

All they have to do is post some pictures like this!

Our time time in Andros was short and we are looking forward to coming back, but we need to make haste heading south. Cold fronts are still coming down, the water is 75 degrees and chilly. We were under way at 0538 weaving our way through the anchorage. When we first showed up five days earlier we were the eighth boat in the anchorage. Three were “cats”, one Hatteras yacht, and three other sloops. Four were buddy boating. One of the cats was from Tavernier, the next town up from ours.

As we left there were about ten boats, with only two cats in the bunch. One was an old trimaran. No fancy mega yachts here. No chartered catamarans. Pretty quiet group and little drama.

Windy App is my go to for wind and wave prediction. Friday was the smoothest ride across the Tougue Of The Ocean (TOTO). It would be a bit lumpy at daybreak but getting better as the day went on. We have been beat up before crossing TOTO into steep short spaced waves. See the photo below of our buddy remora boat in March of 2023 crossing TODO.

This year the crossing was smooth. We just set a straight line for Normans Cay 73 nautical miles away. The day started out a bit chilly at the helm and we made notes to bring some warmer clothes for sailing the nightshift.

Resting with foul weather gear on to stay warm, note the smooth water in the background.

This is a screen shot of our chartplotter while crossing TODO. Our boat is depicted bottom center with a red icon over it. Just to the left shows a depth of 8500 ft.. To put this in perspective, if you stacked 45 Empire State Buildings on their side. They would still not break the surface.

By the time we finished the day crossing White Bank south of New Providence the seas were glassy calm. Winds had been mostly on our nose and seldom more than 30 degrees off all day.

Beans were cooked in a pressure cooker while underway. Pressure cookers save a tremendous amount of propane fuel.

This year we bought a Hot Spot from Aliv to use in the Bahamas. It is working great. It allowed me to check the weather as we approached Normans, I changed my plans on anchoring right off the island. Winds were due to pick up after midnight from the SW. So I tucked further off shore behind a sand boar hoping to break some of the waves. This would also give us a quick departure in the morning.

We woke early with the boat pitching on the anchor in 2 ft. waves. Today would be a 32 mile sailing day on a beam reach to Sandy Cay. There are few places to hide from SW - W - NW winds in the Exumas. Sandy Cay was our favorite.

Taking turns on the helm and resting. Lots of sailboat activity on this route today. We were the “privileged vessel” with wind coming over our starboard rail. So I tacked a bit further upwind allowing the “burdened vessels” to clear any sand bores and run their course.

Nancy resting on the upwind side of the boat in the sun. By attaching her tether from the jackline in the cockpit around a winch and then back to her. This helps secure her in place as the boat heels over.

A shot from the lee rail at 6 kts.

Our anchorage was fairly calm, with only two other boats nearby. We dropped the dinghy and took a quick bath at the stern. Water is still chilly at 78.5 F. When we woke in the morning our anchor was in sight 30 feet away directly on our left. Currents and wind have that effect here. Neither is strong enough when they oppose each other, to straighten out the anchor chain. Game plan for the day is head outside for Lee Stocking Island after topping off jerry jugs in Staniel.

Using two of the diesel jerry jugs on the deck we put 8 gallons in the tank assuming we had burned 10 gallons since Andros. Nancy is using the “jiggle hose” to siphon the diesel out of the jugs. We also ran the watermaker for an hour as soon as the solar panels could keep up.

We ran the gauntlet of boats anchored between Big Majors Spot and Little Majors Spot. At least 40 boats were anchored in here hiding from the SW winds.

The fuel dock at Staniel Cay Yacht Club is first come - first serve. We were number 3 in line. It took almost 2 hours to get our 8 gallons of fuel. Boats were taking 40 minutes each. Once it was our turn we tied up, Nancy ran the trash to the trash tailer. I pumped 4 gallons in each jerry jug, then quickly walked to the office to pay. Nancy met me there. We were off the dock in 10 minutes.

The Exuma Sound is 5000 ft. deep, but was smooth all day as we motored to Adderly Cut.

Adderly Cay with its unique stone marker passing down our starboard side.

Dana helming through Adderly Cut and hooking a left behind Lee Stocking Island.

Our son, Lars, recently bought a PDQ 34 power cat. Only 106 were ever made, and we just found one tucked behind Lee Stocking Island. Named “Headway”, it was flying a “Great Loop” flag on the bow. Which is a circle with the Mississippi on the West side and the Intercostal Waterway on the East side. The Great lakes connecting them on the North, and the Gulf of Mexico on the South.

Absolutely stunning sunset, unfortunately we were a hair north and could not see a green flash due to the tip of Normans Pond Cay.

Picture perfect ending to finish our first week back in the Bahamas.

S/V Sea Breeze, Lee Stocking Island, Exuma, Bahamas.

[binniesoob]

SPIN OFF: FROM THE WITNESS Epilogue Analysis

Soooo, Ateez dropped this out of the blue bird and i'm trying to connect the dots 🧐

First of all we see Seonghwa being draw by the blue bird and following it...

(i'm sorry but taking a proper screenshot of this freaking bird is impossible)

...only to find the person we saw in Halazia that only he seems to be able to see...

(that I still have absolutely no idea who it is).

He walks along the corridor with a torch in his hand to shed light, on the floor he finds a bracelet and he picks it up...

(This scene is shown to us later but, according to the light of the torch that illuminates it, it happened before he entered the room where he sees those four unknown people)

Perhaps you recognised it already, in any case, it's the bracelet the girl left behind in the Fever Diary Film...

...the event that led Seonghwa to the realization that music was the way for him to have a purpose and be free.

When he enters the room facing the four unknown people...

...two lightnings strikes and their thunders are heard! Hongjoong himself told us in his Q&A that we will know more about their meaning with The World 2:

Hongjoong be like:

Finally Seonghwa is left alone in the room...

So... what does it all mean? good question

1) First of all let's not forget what Hongjoong said about Spin Off: From the Witness...

A "spin-off" is something derivative of an earlier work, usually starring a character that has a secondary role in the main work as the mc.

Then, this release works as filling us with more new questions an introduction of new motifs that are connected to Seonghwa's character and are going to help us understand future events.

2) Second of all, let's go through the symbolic meanings of the blue bird 🐦

Around the world, bluebirds have a wide variety of associations and meanings, all of which carry positive connotations. Some believe the bluebird is a symbol of joy and hope; others, that good news will be arriving soon. Others still think that bluebirds represent a connection between the living and those who have passed away. Native American tribes in particular associated bluebirds with the return of spring after winter, prosperity and even fertility. (credits)

"Bluebirds are considered a good sign that good luck is just around the corner, usually, right after a time of tremendous difficulty (...) bluebird has been associated with joy, hope, and peace (...) The sky-blue color of its wings and the top of its head shows optimism: daybreak will come, even after the longest nights." (credits)

My mind instantly connected this to the feelings Seonghwa seems to express in Paradigm (you can read what I think about it here).

Pairing it with the bracelet, I think Seonghwa's needed to be reminded why he started this journey in the first place and his purpose, to be able to go on and not lose hope in a better future.

And this is all I have for now! As always, feel free to share your thoughts and add other info if you want :)

[askmsideblog]

Where are you now?

𝔸𝕊𝕂 𝟛𝟟: 𝕊ℂ𝔸ℝ𝕃𝔼𝕋 ✧˖*°࿐

Q oidm qb ug itt Qav'b qb acxxwaml bw jm acvvg vwe? Jcb ug ziqv ewv'b abwx; Ug ziqv ewv'b abwx Bpm pmtt Q aie, dwqkma Q pmizl Bpm lzmiua bpib Q twab kpivoml vwbpqvo ib itt Q'u abqtt ug qvacnnmzijtm amtn

I passed out in the grass. It takes longer than usual for my senses to return to me. Dawn breaks in the east. It grips it’s warm, unfeeling hands on the land; The blades of unruly grass sway with the leaves of fig trees and intertwined oak in the terrible waltz of daybreak. The damp dirt is earthy, dead tones of brown, accented with grey pebbles of deepslate. I lie, unmoving like the red sky, like red poppies; like dry blood. The sun paints the oleanders in holy shades of vermeil gold and scarlet. I bask in the cool, damp, vastness of it all. My red hair, slick with rain and ichor. I soak in the lonely quiet. I'll get moving eventually, I just wanna stay here a little longer.

(end of arc 1)

[leviathiane]

I posted 2,278 times in 2022

That's 841 more posts than 2021!

114 posts created (5%)

2,164 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ruthlesslistener

@touchmycoat

@spectra-bear

@modmad

@phantomrose96

I tagged 2,036 of my posts in 2022

Only 11% of my posts had no tags

#q - 1,001 posts

#pkmn - 257 posts

#hk - 194 posts

#submas - 154 posts

#pla - 119 posts

#text - 62 posts

#depths' talks - 52 posts

#not fandom - 49 posts

#writing update - 49 posts

#fav - 47 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#he was like 'listen during our workshops your writing was really good; and you gave feedback in a way that was both critical and encouraging

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

All of Sneasel!Ingo doodles Ive made over the past 2(?) weeks

Solely drew most of these bc im obsessed with the idea of Socking this man

Writing on the second page: 

Emmet: Thank Arceus for the socks

Arrow: Unable to control poison yet

Bottom lads: POISON RESISTANT (BABYSITTER) GANG (*Emmet is currently hospitalized for poisoning)

40 notes - Posted June 11, 2022

#4

Mermay hours

**Ingo is a Jellicent bc a) ghost typing and b) Unova native. Yes; everyone was rather confused. 

***ALMOST made melli a poison type instead, but he’s too vain for a quilfish or tentacool/cruel

Bonus: Emmet

See the full post

71 notes - Posted May 22, 2022

#3

happy 4 am heres twoo 10 min doodles i made while insane

outfits from this post by @subway-boss-malan​

123 notes - Posted April 5, 2022

#2

Them!

Original by @subway-boss-malan

Base/no-shading under readmore bc I kinda liked it 

See the full post

181 notes - Posted April 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Various Sneasel!Ingo doodles I drew while/after writing my fic Daybreak

(Plus a Sneasel!Emmet from @teamconductors /Pokelec’s fic Lost Tracks of Time

355 notes - Posted May 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[pwphoenixwrites]

November 2024 Blog

Sections

New Blog, New Style

Discusses the transition from blogs on Tumblr to blogs on my website.

"Dragon of All Hallows' Eve" Comes to my Website!

Discusses the re-release of my short story, "Dragon of All Hallows' Eve." Check it out here: https://pwphoenixwrites.wordpress.com/2022/10/31/dragon-of-all-hallows-eve/.

Updates to my Account Information (Part 2)

Discusses the transition for the following information listed below.

Email Address: phoenixinquiry@pm.me to pwphoenixwrites@pm.me

PGP Key ID: 0x72BF82D3A6D18425 to 0x01DDCC05CD01B07E

PhoenixWrites 1.1 (Website) Release

Discusses the release of the most recent update to the PhoenixWrites website here: https://pwphoenixwrites.wordpress.com/. Check out the full release notes on the "Versions" page here: https://pwphoenixwrites.wordpress.com/versions/. Note that the Cosmic Odyssey and Metroid Daybreak pages are not available yet. They are being pushed for version 1.2 of the website.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns about the PhoenixWrites website, notify me at the new email address pwphoenixwrites@pm.me or on here in DM. For end-to-end encrypted email messages, obtain my new public key information at https://keys.openpgp.org/search?q=0x01DDCC05CD01B07E.

[leukocytosis-lives]

FFXIVWRITE 2024 Makeup Day/Day 24 - BAR

this one got more personal I think.

CW: Alcohol, mention of genitals, transphobia from an unnamed character.

Modern AU intended.

Anew stumbles in the door and barely manages to bar the door behind him, his fingers barely able to coordinate with each other. He pulls out his phone, struggling to read the screen. It's 1:41 am and he has messages from a few people. He scrolls through the notifications, intentionally leaving them left unread the best he can. But it's late and he's drunk and he definitely dismisses at least two in his haste - one of which is the twins, telling him they just got in from their trip. Those can wait until tomorrow.

He sighs, but opens the group message with Sanson and Guydelot. 8 unread messages. He smiles and opens the thread.

Guydelot: anew! sanson!

Guydelot: get your cute arses in here i've something to tell you

Sanson: I just got home. Had to work some overtime today. We have the vote to unionize in a couple of days, so I have some prep work to do.

Guydelot: riveting, I'm sure but now you can rest. unless you need a hand…? i’ll take it to our dms.

Guydelot: where's anew?

Sanson: Likely still on his date. I believe he said it was at The Forgotten Knight.

Sanson: If he's not back yet, I suppose that means it went well.

Guydelot: i won't share my news until he's back then

The last message was an hour and a half ago. Anew begins typing a message as he's hit by a pang of longing. They're both likely asleep, he knows, but he's drunk and feels like crying. His eyes hurt from the pressure.

Anew: sucked, btw.

Anew: he doesn't like men, just a chaser who wanted free food. what a dick.

Anew: why do i bother.

Anew: ‘im a switch vers’ no the fuck ur not.

Anew: if ur 3rd q on the 1st date is ‘you still got a pussy’ followed by 'i dont bottom for men like u' then i should b allowed 2 steal all ur gil

Sanson: I'm sorry, love.

Guydelot: surely you didnt pay?

Anew: lmao absofuckinglutely not

Anew: drank away the money i woulda spent on him tho

Anew: wish u were here… miss u

Sanson: Are you okay? You never get this emotional from drink alone.

Sanson: Can we bring you anything?

Guydelot: im coming over at daybreak

Anew: come here nowww

Anew sets down his phone, embarrassed, lonely, and upset. He should just try to sleep it off, but first, a glass of water would do him some good.