#rin-sohma-the-horse

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Hi, about the horse tourney, I already have a weirdly specific horse that I don't know if they fit the brief lmao. One Piece has a bird named Pierre that can transform into a horse. So he has a bird form, a pegasus form, and a full horse form. Since he's like 2/3 horse do they count, or would he be disqualified for starting as a bird?

Hi! Someone submitted Pierre already, so I was considering how to approach this. After deliberating a bit, I thiiink that I'd prefer to exclude characters with horse transformations who aren't already just equines.

Like, a bird or human turning into a horse won't count, but a regular horse that has like, a pegasus transformation or something would.

[maisartworksstuff]

Rσʂҽʂ & ρҽσɳιҽʂ 🌹🌺🐴

[hebidoka]

[sillyfrubaarchive]

Fruba cosplayers w their pets!! ^-^

✧Hatsuharu + Yuki: StolenLights + Chichi (2011) ✧Isuzu: Eternal-Aranel + Shadaid (2009) ✧Hatori + Shigure: KittiofDOOM + Zane (2010)

All found on DeviantArt!

[bloodofthefates]

x. continued from here with @ofovertime

While Nanami was still technically her senior, Rin was under no misapprehension where his loyalties truly lied. He was a friend of Hatori first and foremost, despite his proximity and association with the Sohma family and Hatori remained under the firm and brutal thumb of Akito. He'd given her no more reason to trust him than any others that had betrayed her and she didn't mind being the one to remind him that his words were empty and meaningless to her until he proved himself otherwise. She watched with callousness as he squared off against her, arms crossed and clearly irritated with her presence or insistence on pushing back. Good. Rin didn't care that she was still visibly shaking from head to toe, her clothes soaked through to her skin and long hair matted to her face and shoulders. "Why is it even any business of yours? Why do you even care what happens to me?" Her next questions lost some of their initial bite to them, side eyeing Nanmi as she crossed her own arms in a poor attempt to generate some warmth to keep her teeth from chattering. "Nowhere is safe where this stupid family is concerned. If you don't know that already, you're as much of an idiot as all the others."

[necrobardvixen]

More repost kelpies from last year

[bloodofthefates]

She had hoped her dismissive words and even more disparaging tone was enough to send Kazuma's errand boy running off in the opposite direction. Rin didn't want to be pestered or bothered, and it seemed the more she expressed those very sentiments the harder everyone fought back against her rebelliousness and refused to leave her alone as she wished. It was the blissful sanctuary of peace and isolation she craved, even if it meant slipping in and out of conscious dream states. At least the world of dreams and nightmares hurt less; caused less pain to others and left her feeling more in control of her own body than in the waking world. Her bark hadn't been enough to chase Zoro away, but she would make sure he was going to be sorry for the bite that followed if he didn't leave her alone. Her hateful gaze flickered across the breadth of his shoulders, the way she could tell he was trying to intimidate her physically with the way the muscles of his arms flexed as he squared off against her by blocking the doorway with his arms crossed. "Baby me?!" Rin snapped back, voice nearly going hoarse with incredulity at such an accusation. She couldn't recall a time that anyone had ever treated her like a child even when she'd been one and needed protecting. "Why would I care?! She's just a dumb kid and the cat is an idiot." Rin's voice mellowed to its usual much more dangerous hollow tone. "Go ahead and try. You won't get five steps near me..." She spat back, suddenly and without warning lashing out with a powerful kick armed in her usual combat boots that sent the tray he carried sprawling, the power of the horse zodiac spirit providing her with much more of a powerful punch.

@bloodofthefates asked: "Do you honestly think that now is the right time for this conversation?" from Rin! from: Domestic Bickering Sentences, Vol. 3

"I'm sorry, you think this is a conversation?" He countered smoothly, arms folding over his chest. "The rest of your fucking family might baby you but I'm not taking this shit. Kisa's worried out of her goddamn mind and even the damn Cat's twitchy. So either you eat that plate of food or I shove it down your throat. Those are your options."

Why the hell Kazuma had asked him to bring her her breakfast was beyond him. He'd only done it because he was technically working here while training and thus refusing would have kinda gone against the whole room and board thing that came with living at the dojo. Though if they both survived this encounter he'd count it as a win.

[cinderella-ish]

5, 8 through 13, and 18 + 20 for the Furuba asks!

Woohoo! Thank you for sending this! (ask game here)

5. not at all! I was born in the year of the horse, so maybe that's part of why I felt such a disconnect with Rin at first.

8. I have to go with Chapter 88 (the Cinderella-ish play)! I know I already gave the corresponding episode as my favorite, but it's just SO GOOD! It's hilarious and heartbreaking and has beautiful character moments for much of the main cast. It's almost a credo statement for the series. And Hiroshi's brilliant narration is the cherry on top!

Question 9 answered here | Question 10 answered here

11. Yuchi is my OTP ❤️

12. The fabulous Yukeru writers on Ao3 have me shipping them. Same for the YukiKyo (? what's their ship name?) writers. And I've really come to love some of the rarepairs I'm writing for my longfic Bloom Within Us. I'll put them under a cut down below for those curious.

13. Ooh, this is such a good question! Right now, I think my answer would be Momiji & Kyo because of the series I just finished writing. I have a soft spot for Yuki & Kakeru, of course, and Yuki & Haru, as well as Tohru & Arisa & Saki. I also really enjoy Kyo's sibling-esque dynamic with Arisa.

18. Ok, to combine 18 and 20, here are two hot takes that sort of deal with character headcanons. Let me know if you want to hear headcanons for someone else, or more fleshed out hc for these characters.

I think my hottest take is that Tohru needed Kyo more than he needed her. I don't think she had anyone she let her walls down for beyond him; not even her best friends. Kyo at least had Kazuma, and he was pretty candid with Momiji, too. Tohru regularly refused to let people take care of her (except for Kyo), and she would've been trapped in her grief & unable to move forward without him. Kyo would've struggled, and he may not have survived, but while they both would've had friends, he would've at least had a loving parent who would've done anything for him.

While Bloom Within Us ultimately has a positive outcome for Kyo after Tohru dies, I've been thinking about writing a sort of companion piece where Kyo dies and Tohru has to grieve him. I believe that would be a much sadder story, especially with the timing related to her processing her grief for her mother and choosing to move forward with Kyo. We saw in the hospital arc how hard of a time she was having just thinking he rejected her. She'd also struggle with how the other cursed Sohmas - some of her dearest friends - treated/viewed him, and that might create a rift between her and her new found family. If he disappeared, I just don't think she'd be able to cope.

It's also probably a hot take that Shigure only gets as much hate as he does because a) people take aspects of the manga seriously that Takaya never intended us to take seriously (like his "high school girls" song. Creepy, yes, but that's a Takaya problem, not a Shigure problem.) and b) he's so full of self-loathing that he says he's not "kind" and "the worst kind of man" and people take him seriously for some reason. If you actually look at his "unkind" actions, they consist of a) speaking honestly and directly to Akito without first fawning over her, b) actually trying to break the curse (sure, he and Hatori and others refer to it as "using" Tohru, but the way he was "using" her was to try and help the younger Zodiacs form strong bonds outside the curse and to house a lonely, homeless teen), and c) sometimes asking insensitive questions or speaking uncomfortable truths. And yes, he was cold to Mayu, and yes, he slept with Ren (which is maybe the most bananas thing that happens in Furuba), and yes, he fucks with people for his entertainment (especially Mitsuru and Mayu, though, again, Takaya signals we're not supposed to take that seriously). But then we see him trying to cheer Hatori up by bringing him to the lake house, or giving Kyo guidance (and a place to live) from the day he appears, or removing Yuki from Akito's abuse, or using his cunning to get Tohru to relax and have fun, or at least stop stressing so much.

I truly think his speech about kindness came from self-hatred and not from some deeply-held belief about the meaninglessness of things like kindness. I think his speech about being the worst kind of man was again from self-loathing and not something he was proud of. And when he provoked Tohru about Kyo, I also think that was borne of his self-loathing and guilt over how the Zodiac viewed the cat.

Anyway, I know you aren't a Shigure hater, so this probably isn't terribly controversial to you. 😅

Oh, also, I read Arisa as straight. She totally gives me queer vibes, but the fact that she likes Kureno because he reminds her of Tohru, yet she doesn't like Tohru that way... I see that as confirming her straightness, tbh. (I still love AUs where she and Saki are together! They're cute!)

Rarepairs in Bloom Within Us below the cut! (These could be read as answers to 18/20, too!)

Yusuke and Kagura get together in chapter 32, and Hiroshi and Momiji finally get together in chapter 67. In Bloom Within Us, mourners sort of converge around Kyo due to his closeness to Tohru and help him through his initial grieving period. This leads to a situation where Kyo kind of slowly becomes the center of the Sohma family, hosting regular group dinners at the dojo and becoming close (to a degree) with all the formerly cursed Sohmas. Since he always was close with Momiji and Kagura, it made sense to me that he might connect them with Hiroshi and Yusuke. I don't give Yusuke and Kagura a lot of focus, but Hiroshi is basically the second protagonist of my story, and the relationship between him and Momiji (and Hiroshi's development to be ready for a relationship with Momiji) is one of the most important subplots. I've really grown to love them, and might write some more content with them just because I adore them so much. (And Yusuke and Kagura are cute together! But I'm not really interested in exploring them any more.)

I haven't written the chapter where Kyo and Saki get together, but yeah, Kyo ends up with Saki.

I always read Saki as having repressed romantic feelings for Tohru. Due to her extreme loyalty and her powerful wave-reading abilities, I think she'd catch Tohru's message to Kyo (to keep moving forward) and ensure she passed it on first opportunity, thus saving his life. And I think Kyo, with his people skills and unfortunate familiarity with grief, would be the one to figure out how Saki felt about Tohru.

In my story, Kyo has to first decide to live. Once he truly does that, he starts pursuing a future as a karate instructor, realizes blaming himself for everything only hurts the people who care about him, and finally decides to allow himself to fall in love again. He's already in love with Saki by this point, and has been for a while, but he's a dumbass about love and it takes him a while longer to realize how he feels, and even longer to decide to do anything about it.

I think it's possible to read Kyo and Saki as having sexual tension in canon. That plus them playing the prince and Cinderella in Cinderella-ish makes them a fun couple to explore.

Anyway, I think there's a strong case these couples would get together in a universe where Tohru dies, but not in any other universe.

Thank you for asking! This was fun!

[the-sage-libriomancer]

actually re: that last reblog, i think you could have a lot of comedy potential with the ex-zodiacs having a basic affinity for their respective animals even after the Curse breaks.

-Tohru finds a stray dog in need of medical attention but can't get close to it bc it's so scared of humans, so she calls Shigure and begs him to help. Shigure ends up driving several hours just to coax the dog into visiting a vet, then has to stay for several more hours bc he's literally the only human being the dog will trust. Kyo is less than happy about this but he can't do anything while the dog is growling at anyone who comes within ten feet of Shigure and itself. Shigure uses this to his advantage and gleefully annoys everyone in earshot.

-Momiji has a similar experience when the class pet (a rabbit) escapes and gets lost in the school. he nobly volunteers to search for it with his "rabbit-whispering powers," but unfortunately finds the rabbit dead after accidentally eating rat poison. Momiji feels so bad that he goes outside and catches a wild hare to replace it. no, Momiji doesn't see a problem with this. yes, the teacher, principal, and local animal control obviously object. it doesn't even fit in the cage.

-pets are a pretty loaded topic in all ex-zodiac households. the kids all go through a phase of begging for a pet, but obviously none of their parents want to regularly look at a physical representation of their old trauma. even people like Hatsuharu or Hatori aren't safe bc if someone like Yuki or Shigure pops in unexpectedly, you don't want them to find your pet mouse or dog staring back at them. i think most of the parents just have a no-pet policy, but i'm sure at least one household ended up going "fuck it" and getting a chinchilla.

-one time Rin got roped into chaperoning the twins' school field trip to a farm, and experienced every horse girl's dream when a ferocious barely tamed horse in the stables decided she was its best friend. cue the horse girl movie cliche montage except Rin fucking hated the attention and refused to pander to any of it. she ended up kicking the horse out of frustration, resulting in a stern lecture from the farmhands and a second (slightly awed) lecture from the teacher. Rin is no longer asked to chaperone field trips.

-Kyo was quickly banned from cat cafes as a teenager for obvious reasons, and to this day he can't convince his old hometown to lift the ban. the other Sohmas use this to their advantage regularly (especially Yuki, who always gets bitten by the cats but thinks it's hilarious to go with Tohru and wave at a fuming Kyo through the window).

[tokiro07]

I’ve said a few times in the past that Undead Unluck was basically if Fruits Basket was a action shonen instead of a slice of life shoujo. Whether if that comparison still holds weight or not, do you think you could give some of the Fruits Basket cast some negation abilities if it’s possible please?

Not all of them of course, just the ones that you feel you can have the easiest time figuring out with. Thank you for taking the time to read this regardless.

Only a small portion of characters actually have something that resembles a power aside from the transformation abilities, so where there isn't a power, I'm going to take inspiration from their personalities, actions or character arcs

Tohru, Unaffected- negates the effects of other Negator abilities that target her

Kyo, Unhuman- negates his own humanity, turning him into a monster; because of his own interpretation of the monster as his true self, he is able to seal it away with his prayer beads, believing them to work as a sort of glamour; though he won't turn into his monster form with the seal, he can still turn into a cat when not in control of his emotions

Yuki, Unaffiliated - negates emotional connections with others; while others may want to form a connection with him, the act of trying to do so will be met with a feeling of emotional distance, as if there is some kind of mental wall preventing the connection from being made; turns into a rat with Artifact Ratatouille

Hatsuharu, Unrestrained - negates his own self-restraint, causing him to act without inhibition; because of his interpretation, this manifests as a split personality rather than a constant state of wonton violence and debauchery; turns into a cow with Artifact Raging Bull [Note: I considered Cowboy Bebop]

Kisa, Untell - negates her ability to communicate with others, resulting in her inability to speak; turns into a tiger with Artifact Life of Pi

Momiji, Unfamiliar- negates Momiji's "family;" the closer a family member is to Momiji, the more distant they will feel, manifesting in his own parents being completely unaware of his existence; the Sohma family is widespread enough that Momiji identifies them more as his community than his family, allowing them to be aware of him; turns into a rabbit with Artifact Watership Down

Hatori, Unremember - negates a target's memories; turns into a sea dragon with Artifact How to Train Your Dragon

Ayame, Unashamed - negates any sense of shame within Ayame, allowing him to act in any way that he pleases without guilt or fear of repercussions; similar to Hatsuharu's Unrestrained, but where Unrestrained forces one to act on impulse and without thought, Unashamed allows one to commit to their actions with absolute conviction; turns into a snake with Artifact Snake Eyes

Rin, Untrusting - negates her ability to trust others; this manifests as immediate disbelief in what others say or claim they will do; can be viewed as an internal-targeting version of Yuki's Unafilliated; turns into a horse with Artifact Secretariat

Hiro, Unkind - negates his own ability to be kind, causing him to be rude or mean to people; because of his youth and lack of understanding of what it means to be truly unkind, Hiro manages not to act explicitly cruel, though maturity runs the risk of corrupting his personality through his interpretation; turns into a sheep with Artifact Shaun the Sheep

Ritsu, Uncalm - negates feelings of calm in Ritsu, causing him to feel constant anxiety, fear and panic; turns into a monkey with Artifact Planet of the Apes

Kureno, Unbound - negates Kureno's bonds; because of his circumstances, this refers specifically to his loyalty to Akito, making him capable of disobeying Akito; turns into a bird with Artifact Chicken Run

Shigure, Undoubt - negates feelings of doubt towards Shigure in others, making them easier to manipulate; Rin's Untrusting makes her immune to this ability; turns into a dog with Artifact Shaggy Dog

Kagura, Unmatched - negates her ability to be matched in combat by increasing her physical strength beyond normal levels; turns into a boar with Artifact Pig in the Big City

Akito, Unquestion - negates any feelings of defiance or disloyalty that a target may have toward Akito under the condition that they are viewed as beneath Akito; in this case, as Akito is the head of the Sohma Family, this applies to all members of the Sohma Family

Hana, Unhidden - negates the ability of others to hide things from Hana, which by her interpretation manifests as the ability to read the waves emanating from a target

[bifauxnnen]

hi oomf can i get a fruit basket

I'll assign you...Rin Sohma, the zodiac of the horse!

[officialrapunzelfitzherbert]

i think abt rin sohma a lot and the whole chronic illness of it all bc out of all the zodiac members of course the one who is exhausted All The Time is the one who turns into an entire horse. i cannot imagine the amount of times when there was quite literally a horse loose in a hospital. how many hospital beds has she just. fully shattered due to being a horse

[sweeterlink]

I realize overtime, over the course of my 26 years of living, that I have a particular type when it comes to celebrities and fictional characters. This includes both men and women, but I will start with the men.

I love men who are ethereal, pretty boys, princely, protective, or some or all of the above. They typically have some kind of brooding front but deep down they are the most gentle and kind souls. For some reason, they all have light hair (silver or white) but doesn't have to be necessarily. But most do. I also love a good fictional man with a tortured soul. Bonus points if they are some kind of demon or vampire. Or a humanoid mixed with some other other-worldly entity. Additional points if they hate everyone but the person they love. Bonus bonus points if he cooks well.

Exhibit A: My first anime crush, Yuki Sohma from Fruits Basket

I was gonna say he just has this princely vibe. But now that I think about it, he is lowkey kinda brooding. He just is not as prominent with it. And he has the Sohma curse, so he also does have a mystical aspect about him. And he's a pretty boy. It all makes sense lol.

Exhibit B: Zero Kiryuu from Vampire Knight

Zero's got somewhat of an ethereal vibe with his light features. He's also is the definition of having a super brooding front but deep down a very gentle and kind soul. I can especially because not only how he treats Yuki, but how he treats animals (like the horse White Lily for example). He's also a vampire. And a tortured soul. And hates everyone but Yuki. I get the vibe he's somewhat protective too, at least with Yuki, so I'm like like good lawd.

Exhibit C: Rin Okumura from Ao No Exorcist

I put him in here too because he's somewhat of an outlier. Not really but kinda? Maybe just because he has dark hair? Idk. Anyway, I liked him because of his humor and the fact he cooks well. He gives me somewhat ADHD vibes too. Teenage me was like damn. I would marry him. And his father is literally Satan himself??? Hell yeah. (No pun intended).

Exhibit D: Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss

Also has white/silver hair. Wow. What a coincidence. He's also. A demon. Wow. What a surprise. And he's brooding by all fronts. An element that makes him stand out is that he cooks and cleans well. And he has a somewhat like sensual vibe? And he has a past. A wild past at that bc, ya know, he's a demon.

He's also very protective of Nanami. So much so he's very possessive of her at times. Some moments in the show made me raise an eyebrow like...huh? But it all comes from a good place, so I don't mind it overall. He pretty much hates everyone but her. And don't even get me started on how he approached Nanami when they first meet when Nanami goes back in time. Like HUH. I beg your finest pardon? Why does it feel so hot in here all the sudden?

I would classify him as a tortured soul because he's pretty much betraying his nature as a demon (and Akura-Oh) for falling in love with a human. And he has a tendency to hide in great conflict and close himself in. So I'm pretty sure he's a soft boy at heart.

Exhibit E: Taemin

Do I need to explain? He's the only real person on here. And that's saying something. He's a pretty boy. He's giving ethereal. Giving sensuality. Sings and dances with so much soul and emotion like he's a tortured soul (and honestly I think he is). He's sensual. He's someone that makes me go, hm, I like him so much that I wanna be him. He's an inspiration for my fashion choices and my dance style. Because I dance here and there and I can say that I'm definitely not a terrible dancer. I've been watching his growth as a performer since 2011 and I just am in awe with Taemin. His music and performances makes my spirit come alive. Like I think yes! Someone gets it. But he could just be autistic and that's why I'm drawn to him more than others. (I'm autistic).

And more recently, the icing on the cake

Exhibit F: Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3

I remember seeing edits of him on Tik Tok in September of 2023. I think that was when Baldur's Gate 3 was released. Astarion was the primary reason why I bought it. I also heard it was a good game in general too and it is up my alley when it comes to fantasy RPGs. So that was a factor. First off, light hair? Second, he's an elf vampire??? Not a thing I would expect coming out of my mouth. And I don't mind it a single bit. And he's ethereal and a devastatingly beautiful being.

He is THE definition of a tortured soul. My guy was a slave for 200 years and had to bed thousands to lure them to an older vampire in the guise of a well-respected noble. And was tortured and had no control and had to do everything this vampire said no question. And for one of those years, he was put into complete darkness. For not wanting to lure in a sweet man.

He puts up a front, idk if it's brooding per se. It's more flirtatious and cheeky and diva-esque. Full of sarcasm too. I think the real him is full of anger/resentment. He is power hungry, but it makes sense because he was controlled. But I'm choosing not to ascend him and have him continue the cycle.

That's it. Thank you <3 (My post for women will be coming soon)

[praeteritus-memories-muses]

Name: Hatsuharu Sohma

Series: Fruits Basket

Continuity: 2019 Anime

Age: 18

Height: 5'7"

Birthday: October 24th

Birthplace: Japan

Orientation: Bisexual

Species: Human (Cursed)

Occupation: Student

Spouse: Isuzu "Rin" Sohma

Children: Riku and Sora Sohma

Bio:

Hatsuharu Sohma was a cursed member of the Sohma clan. Whenever a cursed member of the Sohma family is hugged by someone of the opposite gender, they turn into their respective member of the Chinese zodiac. For Hatsuharu, he was cursed with the cow.

The cow often faced ridicule within the Sohma clan because of the old tale about the banquet. The cow was considered a fool or an idiot for letting the rat ride on his back the entire way there to the banquet, because it meant he would be second and not as close to God. This made members of the Sohma clan begin to scold and ridicule Hatsuharu for everything he did, including his own parents.

This would result in Hatsuharu developing anger issues to a point where people considered it an entirely different personality known as 'Black Haru'. It was to a point where Hatsuharu was only ever in his dark mode, until he met Yuki for the first time when they were children. He was so angry to see Yuki, who was cursed with the rat, that he snapped and started yelling at him and blaming him for everything in his life. Yet Yuki was not mad, instead he smiled and told him that he doesn't see him as a fool.

Hatsuharu was floored that someone thought of him as a person instead of the fool or the cow, and it's safe to say that was the first time he finally snapped out of his dark personality. Since then, Hatsuharu had fallen for Yuki and will always consider him his first love for his kindness.

Shortly after, Hatsuharu would meet Isuzu Sohma. She was cursed with the horse, and the two of them clicked right away. She was bubly and liked to play, while he was quiet and liked to watch her smile. Yet Isuzu's happy personality came crashing down when he found her lying in the snowy streets. It turns out her parents were neglecting and abusing her, which only made Hatsuharu want to protect Rin and keep her safe.

Their close relationship with eventually blossom into a romantic one as they reached their teens. Isuzu and Haru began to date each other in secret, as the head of the clan would disapprove due to Akito's hatred of zodiacs 'leaving' him. Though Akito would eventually find out about their relationship, and pushed Rin out of a second story window as punishment.

To protect Hatsuharu, Isuzu broke up with him where he's left depressed and wondering what he did wrong as a boyfriend in protecting her and what he could do better.

Yet that's when he met Tohru Honda, a kind girl who reminded him of Yuki when they were children. Her kindness helped Hatsuharu figure out what he needed to do to protect Isuzu better.

Eventually, Isuzu was locked into the Cat's house where Akito would humiliate her by cutting her long black hair to look uneven and choppy. Though she was able to escape, Isuzu was dying from starvation and ended up on the street again where Hatsuharu was finally strong enough to carry her. He let her know that she doesn't have to do things alone, and that he would be there for her.

Though Hatsuharu lost his mind and patience with Akito for doing all that to Isuzu. He almost punched him, but hesitated at the last second. Safe to say that this moment is what severed his tie and nearly broken his curse in that moment.

Yet the curse would eventually break, Hatsuharu would be freed from the spirit of the cow and now he's adjusting to feeling like his own person instead of being tied down to the spirit of the cow.

Hatsuharu's normal personality is sweet, soft spoken and laid-back. Though he's often airheaded and has a tendency of getting lost for days on end because he spaces out so much that he forgets where he is.

While when he is angered, his dark personality or "Black Haru", is angry, loud, perverted, rude, cruel and foul-mouthed. This is a side that can only ever come out if someone genuinely wants to make Hatsuharu angry and it's not very easy to make that side come out compared to when he was a child.

Though often when he gets angry, the rage in Hatsuharu burns so hard that he won't remember when he did or said when his darker side takes over.

In the future, Hatsuharu and Isuzu get married and have twins. He and Isuzu wanted to name their children after their favorite video game series so they chose the names Sora and Riku for their daughter and son. Isuzu was terrified throughout her pregnancy and often when raising their children because she wanted to be better than her parents, but Hatsuharu was with her every step of the way in raising their kids.

[triptychgrip]

Bringing this back because I actually did end up writing that "Ayame and Viktor Meet, and Yuki and Yurio Bond Over Their Stress Levels" post-canon crossover fic. And I have tons of ideas to keep adding to it!

I also just generally think it'd be fun to write an AU -- I'd call it "Ice Basket" -- where after Viktor/Yuuri marathon-watch the reboot, they and their friends turn into the zodiac spirits for 24 hours, though with none of the added traumas/systemic abuse. This would literally just be an excuse to write Viktor and Yuuri freaking out about their love for Fruits Basket inadvertently having turned them and their friends into cute animals for a day

Here are my thoughts on who would be what, based on what we know about the Sohma zodiac personalities:

-Yuuri (Rat spirit; only Yuki's adorableness and none of his self-loathing would transfer over, thankfully)

-Yurio (Cat spirit; this seems a bit obvious, not only in terms of that tsundere archetype but also the "rivalry" with Yuki)

-Viktor (Snake spirit; as much as I love Viktor's eyes, I love Ayame's golden ones even more...plus, golden eyes for the Living Legend seems fitting)

-Mila (Horse spirit; like Rin (probably my second favorite character!), the horse is striking and magnetic...you can't look away from her! Similarly to Yuki, none of Rin's past trauma would transfer over)

-Seung-Gil Lee (Dragon spirit (i.e. seahorse), like Hatori, he would absolutely have a complex about it. Writing Yuuri freak out about what kind of water to place him in would be fun. Though I debated making Yakov the seahorse, given that Hatori is the only one Ayame listens to, canon establishes that Viktor listen to no one LOL)

-Kenjirou (Rabbit spirit; I can definitely see Kenjirou being like a brother figure to Momiji if they ever met IRL, and these two are just equally sunny and adorable. For this reason, I could also see Phichit as the rabbit)

-Mickey (Boar spirit; look, I'm sorry, I'm not really a fan of Kagura's character, and Mickey's relentless attitude towards his sister makes me similarly uncomfortable, as I think it's supposed to)

-Otabek (Ox spirit; like Haru, Otabek's got a commanding presence and he definitely turns heads. He's also quite calm, though I don't think Otabek would have a "Dark" side LOL. But maybe that'd actually be fun to write? Then again, I'm imagining them in their zodiac animal forms themselves not as the Sohma family human counterparts)

-JJ (Ram spirit; listen, I think Hiro, like JJ is a misunderstood character, and in this AU, I'd actually try to flesh out what makes JJ the way he is. Rams/sheep are just as lovable as the others!)

I had a dream last night that one of my favorite anime characters (Viktor Nikiforov, from Yuri!!! on Ice) met another one of my favorite anime/manga characters (Sohma Ayame from Fruits Basket) and now I very well may have to write a crossover fanfic.

For one thing, the two of them seem to share some fundamental personality traits (easily excitable, very practiced in masking insecurities), but secondly, I think their meeting and sizing each other up would be so fun to write about. Like, I can totally see a situation where Sohma Yuki and Yuri Plisetsky bond over how extremely irritating they find the collective energy of Ayame and Viktor, together. And Mine and Yuuri would just watch their significant others with fond/exasperated expressions. Plus, I think it'd be hilarious to write about Viktor and Ayame being envious/admiring of the other’s hair care regimen and flair for the dramatic.

But that’s actually not what I intended this post to be about.

This dream got me thinking about the parallels between both shows, so I decided I'd make a 3 point pitch to fans of each to go check out the other, if it’s not already on your radar. I talk about both shows pretty broadly, so I don't believe I'm spoiling anything with this post.

Both pieces of media (I say ‘media’, because I prefer the Fruits Basket manga, even though both the original anime/remake are excellent) get me so in my feels, so I’ll try not to go on forever and ever. That being said, please do read to the end for my two disclaimers.

Reason 1: I think fans of both would agree that a big theme of their canon work is the transformational power of vulnerability. This feeds into the sub-themes of found family, and how the “practice” of letting love into one’s life (because it truly does take practice, despite society making us think it’s easy-breezy) can deeply shift us as people.

At its core, each implements huge characters arcs for their MC's that demonstrate this.

For Yuri!!! on Ice, this applies to Katsuki Yuuri and Viktor Nikiforov -- two professional male figure skaters, the former known as "Japan's Ace" skater, and the latter dubbed a "Living Legend" -- and for Fruits Basket, this applies to higher schoolers Sohma Yuki, Honda Tohru, and Sohma Kyo (though, truly, it could apply to all of the Sohmas). Right off the bat, I'll say that a big difference between yoi and furuba revolves around age. Yuuri and Viktor are adults, while Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo start off as (what seems to be) high school juniors. Yuri!!! on Ice fans, don't let that dissuade you from checking out Fruits Basket, however; its themes are very complex, and will challenge you.

Both media start off with their main characters at low points.

Katsuki Yuuri has just come in last place at his first Grand Prix Final competition: the competition it seems he's been working towards his entire career, and the one where he'd hoped to gain Viktor's attention (as he's looked up to the "Living Legend" since he was just twelve years old).

Similarly, we see that Tohru Honda has recently lost her mother (her father is also dead), and is practically homeless. She is living in a flimsy tent on Sohma Shigure's property. While Yuuri decides to leave the United States to move back home to Japan, and is contemplating retiring from figure skating altogether, Tohru is taken in by Shigure and Yuki in exchange for helping out with chores around their house.

In yoi, the plot moves along when we see Viktor -- who has just won his 5th World Championship title -- decide to drop everything and move to Japan to be Yuuri's coach, after seeing a viral video of him skating to one of his routines. And in furuba, the plot moves along as we watch Tohru meet more of the Sohmas, and learn about the big secret plaguing their family.

Canon shows us that while Katsuki Yuuri has a lot of love/support in his life prior to Viktor’s arrival in his hometown (his parents, his ballet teacher, etc), his own anxiety/insecurities makes it so that he struggles to realize the love around him. He has a hard time seeking out comfort or opening up to people when navigating hardships. But this fundamentally shifts with Viktor’s role in becoming his figure skating coach (and, eventually, romantic partner).

I would be remiss if I didn't make a content warning, here. Generational trauma and neglect are big themes in Fruits Basket.

In Fruits Basket, the zodiac "curse" -- a generational Sohma family trait that makes physical contact between its members and those of the opposite sex challenging, as touching leads each Sohma member to turn into its zodiac animal (i.e. Yuki turns into the rat, Kyo turns into the cat, etc.) -- as well as Sohma Akito's cruelty has made it so that Yuki and Kyo have been brainwashed into believing they are burdens...that they are unlovable, with no redeeming value, even in the eyes of their own family members.

But the presence of Tohru in their lives (and her ripple effect of positivity that completely upends the curse dynamic) causes Yuki and Kyo to unlearn these entrenched beliefs, and to realize that they have always, inherently, been worthy of love *brb sobbing*

While the idea of cute zodiac animals might lead one to think the manga/show is this cotton-candy fluff ride, there is a lot of heaviness that I personally found super compelling, and a reason that ppl who don't typically like content featuring high schoolers might make an exception for it.

Now, of course, Yuri!!! on Ice has its own heavy themes: navigating anxiety as well as feelings of apathy/depression, and while it's not canon, the lack of detail on Viktor's backstory has led many in the fandom to develop headcanons around possible strained family relationships/trauma history. Because it's something I actually have been wondering about, I thought I'd make a poll.

Reason 2: Both are very funny, with compelling romantic development.

Regarding the former, I found myself laughing out loud while reading/watching. I think a huge part of the reason has to do with the 'tsundere' archetype that Yuri Plisetsky (another figure skater) embodies in yoi, and that Sohma Kyo embodies in Fruits Basket. These grouchy characters are hilarious and lovable, and the audience enjoys seeing their energy play off of contrasting personality types.

Reason 3: It's more obvious off-the-bat in Yuri!!! on Ice, but the element of surprise is used to great effect in both. While there are tons of examples I could give, I'll say that each contains a fundamental "twist" that really makes you reconceptualize your entire understanding of the storyline/character relationships. I know that's not a lot to go off of, but each major surprise really shifted my perception of the pre-conceived power dynamics that we are led to believe exist in each.

It's no secret that Yuri Plisetsky is actually a big fan of Katsuki Yuuri, but his teenage pride won't allow him to admit this. Seeing Yuri adamantly insist that he thinks Yuuri is a loser, and just generally being aggravated by Viktor's extraness is pretty comical. Similarly, Kyo is quite prickly, and it's clear that Tohru Honda's diametrically opposed nature (i.e. she is warm and caring, to a fault) throws him for a loop. Seeing him flustered by it is hilarious.

I won't say any more about the romance development b/c I don't want to spoil anything in Fruits Basket, but suffice it to say that both media have plenty of "awww" moments that will have you swooning as characters open up to one another.

Disclaimers:

1) I think it's unfair to compare these pieces of media solely based on the amount of canon content around them.

Yuri!!! on Ice is an original anime, and (thus far) only has 1 season of 12 episodes (whyyyyy MAPPA?! I like Attack on Titan as much as the next person but please, I beg, give us season 2!). On the other hand, Fruits Basket has an original anime, plus a remake, and was a manga that went on for years. Thus, you will likely think the characterization/plot development is much richer. But, one thing I absolutely adore about the yoi fandom is how much fan-created content exists. Like, years after the show came out (in late 2016), there are still ppl actively writing fic (like me! I discovered it in 2020 but only started writing last year), making fanart, etc.

2) Another note about comparison that is pretty important:

Because of the overtness of certain elements in Fruits Basket (i.e. two very clear kisses happen, and we also see follow-up content that was released that shows a marriage take place in the future, etc.), fans might watch Yuri!!! on Ice and be disappointment with what they might characterize as understated romance between Yuuri and Viktor. But I think it's important to note how revolutionary the show was for portraying a queer romance between its main characters, especially in a show that was never marketed as a yaoi (boys' love) series. Despite several obvious indicators of the romantic nature of Yuuri and Viktor's relationship, there are still ppl that will argue that these two were merely coach/skater, and nothing more, and I just...don't even know where to begin in addressing that without dropping spoilers. If you're that curious, go to my AMA feature and drop me a question and I will happily write you a novel of a response.

Alright, that's mostly it...if you've gotten this far, thank you so much for reading! If you do end up checking out one or other, I hope you'll let me know what you think.

The very last thing I'll say is that I've only written fanfic for Yuri!!! on Ice (all post-canon, I've linked my Ao3 Dashboard), but I've been ideating around some Fruits Basket ideas, so may give it a whirl in the coming weeks. With every fiber of my being, I wish that I had artistic ability so that I could make fanart of Ayame and Viktor meeting...one can dream lol

[feyspeaker]

♥