#ryoko loves roses

[sleepy--anon]

JUn-HO HEADCANONS PLEASHHEE <3

I gotchu B

I think we all know who his primary ler is *cough* In-ho *cough*

He gives me ticklish tummy vibes

Raspberries kill the poor guy

Back pokes won't get you a laugh but he will squirm like an idiot lmao

Jun-ho has only gotten revenge on In-ho a few times, all ending I'm him being wrecked again for even daring to enact revenge on his brother

Jun-ho often holds his lers wrists to ground himself a bit

He's definitely a kicker in my opinion

He shakes his head a lot too

He's very susceptible to teases

He has ticklish hands I think

In-ho often will surprise him from behind, finding the way his knees immediately buckle insanely amusing

He seems the feather ticklish type to me

The back of his knees are pretty bad

He once accidentally kicked one of his friends in the face for jellyfishing his knee

In-ho has hung him half off his bed to wreck him for being annoying

His laugh fluctuates between between deep and really squeaky

Neck nuzzles get him pretty bad

He bucks sometimes

After not seeing each other for years, the first time In-ho so much as poked him they both questioned if he had somehow gotten more ticklish

Jun-ho sometimes buries his face into his pillow knowing full well that In-ho will 100% tickle him awake (what he doesn't know is he's really bad at faking and In-ho always knows what he's doing)

[lucrezianoin]

List of Year 24 complete manga work in English or Italian

I made this list mainly to myself, but you can easily use it too. I am on a mission to read every Year 24 group manga available, so here I collected:

licensed manga (in English and Italian)

online scans

Every licensed manga has a the name of the publisher too, and you might find the Italian translation easier than the Japanese.

I added an "online" to the ones you can definitely find scanned online. Every title is linked to where to read the story nearby, keep in mind these websites come and go and might have ads.

If you see a licensed title in italics it means that the manga cannot be found anywhere online and scanned (and translated). Or that some short stories in the collection (if it is a collection) cannot be found anywhere online and scanned.

Let's start!

The authors are (in order): Moto Hagio, Keiko Takemiya, Riyoko Ikeda, Ryoko Yamagishi, Yasuko Aoike, Yumiko Ooshima, Minori Kimura, Kihara Toshie.

MOTO HAGIO

Licensed in English

They Were 11! (JP Oversized and Viz)

The Complete Poe Clan (Fantagraphics, coming out November 2024)

Heart of Thomas (Fantagraphics)

A Drunken dream and other stories (Fantagraphics)

Neo Parasyte m (Kodansha Comics; first chapter is by Moto Hagio)

Lil' Leo (Denpa books)

Otherworld Barbara volume 1 and 2 (Fantagraphics)

A,A' (Viz), impossible to find it seems

Licensed in Italian

Il cuore di Thomas - The heart of Thomas (J-POP)

A Cruel God Reigns, 9 volumes (J-POP)

Star Red (J-POP)

Hanshin, la dea dimezzata, collection of stories (J-POP) (anilist)

Il Clan dei Poe volume 1 and 2 (J-POP)

Barbara, vol1, 2 and 3 (J-POP)

Marginal vol1, 2 and 3 (J-POP)

Online (English only) (chronological order)

-> Full series

The Heart of Thomas (manganelo)

They were 11 (mangadex)

They were 11: Higashi no Chihei, Nishi no Towa (mangadex)

U wa Uchuusen no U (collection of stories) (mangadex)

Silver Triangle (mangadex)

A, A' (mangadex)

Marginal (mangadex)

A cruel god reigns (mangadex)

-> One shots

Bianca (mangadex)

Girl on the porch with puppy (internet archive)

Poor mama (mangadex)

Autumn Journey (internet archive)

11-gatsu no Gymnasium (mangadex)

Unicorn no Yume (mangadex)

Onshitsu (mangadex)

Marie, ten years later (internet archive)

Cabagge Hata no Isansouzokunin (mangadex)

Houmonsha, prequel of Heart of Thomas (mangadex)

Shiro - The Castle (mangadex)

A Drunken Dream (internet archive)

Ragini (mangadex)

Kinyou no Yoru no Shuukai (mangadex)

Kimi Wa Utsukushii Hitomi (mangadex)

Hanshin: Half-God (mangadex)

Egg stand (mangadex)

Angel Mimic (internet archive)

The child who comes home (internet archive)

Slow Down (mangadex)

The false king (mangadex)

Iguana girl (mangadex)

Afternoon sunshine (mangadex)

Yuujin K (mangadex)

Yama e Iku - Going to the mountains (mangadex)

The Willow Tree (mangadex)

Moments of lonliness (mangadex)

With Love to "From Eroica with love" (mangadex)

Neo Parasyte m's short story "Yura no Mon wo" (mangaplaza, first story, which is the free one)

KEIKO TAKEMIYA

Licensed in English

To Terra, 3 volumes (Vertical Inc)

Andromeda stories, 3 volumes (Vertical Inc)

Licensed in Italian

Il poema del vento e degli alberi - Kaze to Ki no Uta, 10 volumes (J-POP)

Verso la Terra - To terra, 3 volumes (J-POP)

Il suo nome era Gilbert, autobiographical novel (J-POP)

Online (English only) (chronological order)

-> Full series

Kaze to Ki no Uta (mangadex)

To Terra (mangadex)

Andromeda Stories (mangadex)

Rintarou Panic! (mangadex)

-> One shots

Sunroom Nite (mangadex)

Hohoemu Shounen (mangadex)

On a snowy day (mangadex)

Star (mangadex)

20 no Hiru to Yoru (mangadex)

Mister no kokori (mangadex)

Natsu e no Tobira (mangadex)

Manatsu no Yoru no Yume (mangadex)

Koufuku no Hato (mangadex)

Toki wo Yuku Uma (mangadex)

RIYOKO IKEDA

Licensed in English

Claudine (Seven Seas)

The Rose of Versailles, 5 volumes (Udon Entertainment)

Licensed in Italian

Le rose di Versailles, 5 volumes (Edizioni BD)

La finestra di Orfeo - Orpheus no Mado, 9 volumes (J-POP)

Anello dei Nibelunghi - Nibelungen no Yubiwa, 4 volumes (Goen)

Claudine (Goen)

Ayako, 2 volumes (Goen)

Caro Fratello - Dearest Brother, 2 volumes (Goen)

Elisabetta - Elizabeth (Yamato)

Eroica la Gloria di Napoleone - Héroïque The Glory of Napoleon, 12 volumes (Magic Press)

Online (English only)

Bara Yashiki no Shoujo (mangadex)

Early Spring Trembling (mangadex)

Porando Hishi Ten no Hate Made (mangadex)

Dearest Brother (mangadex)

Nibelungen no Yubiwa (only 3 volumes, 1 missing, mangadex)

Claudine (mangadex)

Versailles no Bara (up till volume 12, mangadex)

Summer in Cantenbury (mangadex)

RYOKO YAMAGISHI

Online (English only)

Shiroi Heya no Furari (mangadex)

Yasha Gozen (mangadex)

Harpy, collection of stories (mangadex)

Hatshepsut (mangadex)

Hiruko (mangadex)

Medusa (mangadex)

Hemi no Hire (mangadex)

YASUKO AOIKE

Licensed in English

From Eroica with Love (Cmx, unfinished)

Online (English only)

From Eroica with Love (still being translated, currently at chapter 21 (mangadex)

Vampire (mangadex)

The free shooter (mangadex)

Tasogare ni Kaere (mangadex)

Z (mangadex)

YUMIKO OOSHIMA

Online (English only) (chronological order)

No longer male (mangadex)

To Joker (mangadex)

Banana Bread no Pudding (mangadex)

Grass Crown Princess (mangadex)

He His Him (mangadex)

Across a golden prarie (mangadex)

Summertime (mangadex)

Long long cafe (mangadex)

MINORI KIMURA

Online (English only) (chronological order)

Ame (short stories) (mangadex)

Warped mirror (mandagex)

KIHARA TOSHIE

Online (English only) (chronological order)

I'm fine with dying (mangadex)

Diamond Gojiran, 3 one shots (mangadex)

With love to "From Eroica with love" (mangadex)

NANAE SASAYA

none

MINEKO YAMADA

none

[railroadlion]

i love TOL so much its actually gimving me brain worms im a huge comic nerd and it gives off the same vibe as some of my fav comics ever like serenity rose or lost at sea or the gulf it feels like an old alt 'classic' i wouldv read when younger and changed my brain chemistry (it still is)... so so good and your paneling and page layout and characterisation all make it flow so well and its so easy to get invested in the characters.. jamie and santiago are real and They are my Friends... their dynamic and world feel so lively and real.... i love how you play with comic conventions in using the thought/narrative bubble and turning it into voiced speech its so clever and awesome... your inking is so alive and dynamic... i havent been this ThinkingAbout a comic in ages. would buy in print. ps do u have any comic reccomendations/what comics inspires you?

Thank you so much!! This kind of manic obsession is what all true comic creators dream of, so it touches my heart <3

My main inspirations for making TOL were black and white comics I read as a kid but didn't fully understand at the time, like Bone, This One Summer, and (like you mentioned) Lost at Sea!

Lost at Sea in particular was a huge emotional cornerstone for me when I was younger, and was one of the main reasons I kept TOL in black and white. I read it when I was too young to really understand what the characters were going through, but I could tell there was something really emotionally powerful going on below the surface, and it stuck with me into adulthood. The fact that the world in that story had been abstracted by only existing in black and white only made it more mysterious and fascinating to me.

I have such an affinity for B&W comics. It simultaneously makes a piece feel more obtuse and obscured without the specificity of color, but it also makes it all the more personal and unique to each reader who fills in the gaps with their imagination. That's what I'm going for with TOL anyway.

I know some people have only read comics like Bone and Scott Pilgrim in color because it adds a whole new level of artistic expression to enjoy in a story, but I encourage people to revisit their favorite comics if they were originally printed in b&w to see how different they feel without color.

As for other comics I recommend, I really love Blankets, Keeping Two, Ducks, and The Sculptor.

These are all sophisticated creme de la creme novels that really touch on some intensely beautiful themes, and I can't recommend them enough to people who want to read a comic with some real maturity.

But what if you like comics with action and fantasy and cool shit that are also top of the line? Then I recommend Kaya, Ultramega, Do A Powerbomb, and most importantly: Coda.

These comics are so amazingly well drawn and are told incredibly well, but Coda, drawn by Matias Bergara and written by Si Spurrier is probably my favorite comic ever and I recommend it to literally everyone. It's the comic that pulled me out of my era of reading shonen manga slop and made me start reading western comics obsessively.

The duo also made Step By Bloody Step, a comic told without any words- only pictures. This is the kind of thing you have to read if you want to really understand what the comics medium is capable of.

ANYWAY. That's my reading list. Creators like Hayao Miyazaki, Cliff Chiang, Moebius, Frank Pe, Kei Urana, and Ryoko Kui are also amazing and you should check out their works as well.

I'm making physical copies of TOL chapter 1, and at the end I'm also gonna include a reading list of comics made by indie creators who I'm lucky enough to call my friends for people to check out, but that's a post for a different time.

I hope people will read at least one book from this list. Thanks for reading my ramblings!

[secretly-tword-obsessed]

The Forbidden Topic

Hey gigglers!

This fic was requested by @ryoko-loves-roses who wanted lee Frontman and lee salesman. So I wrote for both of their ticklish asses!

Summary: The Frontman has some time off with his favorite employee. Unfortunately for him, a rather sensitive topic is raised.

Warning - their are discussions of Frontman x 456 in this

Warning - This is a TICKLE FIC

The Recruiter and his boss, Hwang In-Ho, were having a smoke outside a coffee shop. It was late at night and a rather deserted neighborhood, so they could talk shop without the fear of being heard.

They chatted about everything - from which players they thought would stay and leave after the first round, to which were the best at Dakji (the Recruiter had a lot of fun telling those stories), to joking about previous winners.

"Speaking of previous winners", the Salesman said, his usual stoic demeanor at the forefront, "I heard a rumor that you put player 456 back in the games".

In-Ho smirked, "Oh, I did yes. The idiot wanted to go back in. Apparently the guards found a tracker in his tooth - what a juvenile plan".

The Salesman chuckled, his white teeth gleaming, enjoying bonding over Gi-Hun's misfortune.

"I'll enjoy watching him this year", In-Ho continued, "Let's see what he does. Hell, he might even try to stage a coup".

The Salesman's smirk turned cheeky, "Yeah, you'll be keeping a close eye on him alright".

In-Ho growled. "What's that supposed to mean?", he asked, turning around to directly face his employee. Oh, he knew exactly what The Recruiter was alluding to, but he wouldn't admit it to save his life.

"Oh come on", The Recruiter said. He didn't say it in a playful way - he said it in his regular, relaxed tone - which had a hint of mischief at In-Ho's unfortunate expense.

"I'm talking about your obvious....crush on 456", he said slyly. This made the Frontman's face go red with furry, and perhaps a bit of embarassment.

"Okay, shut up right now or your fired", he groaned, trying to look as stern as he could. In his defense, it was hard to look stern when you were being teased about someone you were....interested in.

The Recruiter, knowing it was an empty threat, continued, "Is that why you've also decided to join the games as a player this year? You think you have a shot with the guy?"

Okay, that was it. The Recruiter had gone too far. He grabbed his shoulders, pushing him into the brick wall, his eyes bulging. Of course, the Recruiter maintained his calm demeaner, just smirking despite his situation.

He knew that In-Ho wouldn't actually attack him. They'd been friends before In-Ho had hired him, and there were times when they acted, let's just say, unprofessionally with each other. If their work wasn't so brutal, they could even have been referred to as 'best buddies'.

They stood like that for a few seconds - In-Ho pinning the Recruiter against the wall, breathing heavily, looking like he would strike at any second. The younger man decided to put his hands up in mock surrender, just to aggravate his boss even further.

Suddenly, a dark smile crept onto the Frontman's lips. The Recruiter, a little confused but not not showing it, asked - "What is it?"

"Ohh, nothing", In-Ho said with a sigh. The evil undertone of his voice did make the Recruiter, although he would never admit it, a little worried.

"It's just that, well, you've' lifted up your arms so....you've' pretty much decided my method of retaliation for me".

Before the Recruiter could respond, he felt ten digits digging into his sides, causing him to collapse forward with a whine. In-Ho chuckled as he stabilized the man, keeping him pinned so that he had proper access to that oh-so-sensitive torso.

"Nohohoho!", the man gasped - his normally cocky self completely thrown out the window by his ticklish nature.

"You deserve this", In-Ho continued, scratching at his sides more gently and slowly, before speeding up again - taking delight in the way his victim's laughter got louder and softer, up pitches and down pitches, depending on the exact movements of his attacker's fingers.

"Fuhuhuhuck yohohohou!", he laughed, thrashing to the side, trying to use his chest muscles to knock off the offending hands.

"Hey", In-Ho said innocently, "No need to use that language with me. That's hardly professional".

In-Ho's grin grew wider as he began to poke at his employee's ribs experimentally. The man gasped, before his laughter went squeaky and he began to flail his arms uselessly.

"Ooo, there it is!", In-Ho remarked with an accomplished smile, "There's that spot that always gets you".

The Recruiter was giggling and squealing to much to respond.

"You know", In-Ho added, beginning to have a bit too much fun watching this normally stoic man dissolve under his fingers , "It's quite dangerous to be this ticklish in a job like yours. What if the potential contestants use it against you, hmm?"

The Frontman's victim continued to laugh and thrash, those squeaks being so high pitched that they could have deafened a cat.

"I mean, couldn't they just get really fed up with you when they keep losing. What if they decide to smack you back, only to than realize that..."

In-Ho stopped, pausing his fingers. The Recruiter began to catch his breath, but before he could speak, he was interrupted.

"What if they realized that doing this would be much more effective?"

Before he could protest, In-Ho started squeezing the Recruiter's belly, making him scream.

"Wow, you lucky nobody's around. They'd think I was slaughtering a wild animal."

"NAHAHAHA - HAHHA - NOHOHO!", the Recruiter cried, flailing more desperately.

"Now do you regret that stupid little remark?", the Front man prompted, digging one of his hands around the man's navel, making him squeal before he continued to toss and turn.

"IHIHIHIHI - IHIHIHI..."

"Aww, are you too ticklish to respond?", In-Ho teased, his grin both wicked and sincere, "How adorable little buddy".

This went on for a few more seconds, before In-Ho could see tears streaming down the younger man's cheeks. Satisfied, the Frontman let up, stepping back and giving the Recruiter space to breathe.

The released man smashed his hand to his heart, breathing heavily, giggles still slipping from his lips.

"Hohoholly shit".

"You deserved that", In-Ho quickly responded.

"Yeheah, well, you deserve this!"

In an instant, the Recruiter had grabbed In-Ho's shoulders, turned him around and pinned him against that brick wall.

"Now", he said evilly, his smug smirk returning as he watched In-Ho's mild panic at realizing he was completely trapped, "Let's see if you can take what you dish out, hmm?"

The Recruiter raised his eyebrows as he started poking his right hand up and down Inho's side, and using his left hand to squeeze at that knee. The man snorted, before letting out a stream of cackles.

"Nohohoho!", he whined, his legs sinking but the Recruiter holding him up in place.

"What was that? No?", the Recruiter teased, taking the hand that was on his side and drilling a finger into the side of In-Ho's belly.

"Nahahaha! Quit ihihihit!"

"Wow", the Recruiter said, "You ticklish bastard. You have the audacity to ask me to stop?"

The assaulting fingers wiggled faster, moving to attack under their victim's arms. In-Ho let out another loud snort before his laughter became louder and his squirms more desperate.

"Okahahy! Okahahahy! Stahahawp!"

The Recruiter smiled to himself. Sure, his boss wasn't as ticklish as he was, but he was still pretty damn sensitive, and it gave him an excessive sense of satisfaction to get this revenge.

"Oooo, what if I told Mr 456 about this little weakness, hmm?", the Recruiter teased, knowing that there was nothing the Frontman could do to fight back.

In-Ho's cheeks went darker, his eyes flashing with a tint of anger that was completely undermined by his laughter "Shuhuhuhuhut uhuhuhuup!"

The recruiter chuckled again, "Your really in no position to be telling me to do anything. Wouldn't it be funny if that guy somehow found out that you can be taken down by a few fingers under your arms? Wouldn't that be cute. He would tickle you all night - you would keep up the other players with your laughter".

In-Ho was too flustered to respond. The Recruiter's idea sounded....nice...but no. He had a job to do.

Finally, the Recruiter ceased his attack, though he kept his victim pinned to the wall.

As the front man huffed and puffed, the Recruiter raised an eyebrow, making that expression he always did when he was challenging someone to a game.

"I'll only let you go if you swear not to get me back. Deal?"

In-Ho, completely resigned, let out a sigh "Okay, deal".

Man, what would Gi-Hun do if he found out?

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! We never see these two together in the show so this is just how I'd imagine their dynamic is lol. Feel free to give feedback - my back is starving

[saturnzskyzz]

This wasn't requested but this is for @ryoko-loves-roses (I saw your post about wanting In-ho and Jun-ho content so I shall deliver 🫡)

Hope you enjoy!

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛'𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑌𝑜𝑢?

Lee! Jun-ho Ler! In-ho

A/N: the way that I was STRUGGLING to find a header for these two?? It's insane 😔 anyway! In-ho is 35 and Jun-ho is 19 here.

Warning: this is a tickle fic

---

"Hmm.. What to wear?" Jun-ho hummed to himself as he looked through his wardrobe to find nothing but boring attire. All the boring black and navy blue shirts he had hanging up, waiting to be worn were pushed away so he can see more plain black and navy blue tops. He sighed.

He was getting ready to go visit his older brother, the same brother who didn't give In-ho a heads up that he was on his way, but that was in his nature to just show unannounced, anyway!

In-ho annoyingly decided one day to just give his younger brother a key so he wouldn't have to bang on his door at 2:00A.M in the morning. Trust me, this has happened before.

After a good minute of going through the tops, he saw a shirt that stood out from all the rest. He pushed back a few more shirts to get to it, the fabric were silently glazing his shove like he had betrayed a piece of cloth, and stared at the shirt that he had once stole from In-ho right before he had moved out of his and his mom's apartment.

It was a light gray hoodie that had a factory-made patch on the pocket near the bottom. This is perfect!

He took the hoodie off its hanger, and put it on immediately, instantly walking over to a body mirror he had next to his door to stare at it in awe. "Let's go with this one for today!" as he smiled happily, he jogged to his keys that were on his dresser, and headed out the door to go visit his other brother.

---

Standing in front of his door, he carefully flipped through his set of keys to get to the ones that opened up In-ho's lovely abode, and inserted the key to unlock the door. As he stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind him, he saw that no one was home. That's wierd? Usually with the amount of "break-ins" Jun-ho had caused, he would've been sure that In-ho was home at this hour?

Shrugging to himself, he took his shoes off out of respect, and walked more into the small apartment to go and sit on his brother's bed, only to suddenly get jumped by something.. Or rather someone?

Immediately, he was scared shitless, going into fight or flight mode, and he rough housed whoever was "attacking" him. He tried to go for the arms that were trying to pin him to the bed, with his back facing up, but he missed the opportunity to fight back a he was pushed onto the bed already.

"Who are you?! Let me go!!" he yelled, getting easily panicked as he tried to desperately see who was handling him like this.

"That's no way to greet someone, Jun-ho." A familiar voice could be heard as he felt the grip of their hands suddenly release him from his place. Instantly, Jun-ho relaxed by the sound of it.

As he got up, he turned around to finally see his brother, In-ho, who was staring at him with a smug look on his face. "How dare you? I thought someone broke into your apartment and round-housed me!" Jun-ho spat out, pointing a finger at him.

"Well, I might as well be prepared since you always like to walk in here with no hesitation! I thought you were a robber for fuck's sake!" it was true! In-ho was peacefully sat at his work desk when he suddenly heard someone trying to get in to his apartment, so he decided to hide and use a sneak attack to get the culprit. Luckily, it was just Jun-ho.

"So you just.. I don't know? Attack?" Jun-ho said playfully. He had a smile on his face, showing no real malice behind his words.

"I gotta be ready for anything!" in-ho admitted with a proud smile befor turning his attention on the hoodie that he was wearing. For a couple of seconds, his smile turned to a confused expression with his whole face now.

"Say.. Is that my hoodie, you're wearing?" he pointed a truthfully accusing finger at Jun-ho, making the younger look at what he was wearing instinctively. With a knowing smile, he was caught red-handed.

"Ha! After a year since you've moved out, you just now realize I took your hoodie?" he exclaimed, cheekily. He crossed his arms with a satisfied smile.

"Not only that, that's my favorite one! The patch is what throws it together. That doesn't belong to you!" In-ho blurted out, holding out his hand as a demand that he'd give it up so quickly.

"Ohoh, not only did you not realize that your hoodie was- oh, sorry, your favorite hoodie- AND you forget who you're standing in front of? Surely you'd know my tactics by now, brother! I'm disappointed.." He was getting a kick out of this new found conversation! He stood there with pride as he was comfortably cozy in the hoodie.

"Give it back, now Jun-ho." In-ho demanded warningly, with an evil smirk this time. "Or you won't like the consequences."

"Or what? You're gonna rip it off of me? Oh please!" as he was met with silence, he got too comfy and sat on his bed as a way to say "try me" and boy, did he try?

In-ho pounced at his brother, revealing the sudden shock on his little brother's face as he was met with soft fabric, and a ceiling to stare up at. Oh, In-ho was in view too.

"You asked for this!" with that, he dug ten of his fingers into Jun-ho ribs, enlightening those high pitched giggles, and startled squeals from the boy that was long forgotten.

"HohohOHOHOLD ohohohon! Hyuhuhung!" he cried out, instantly trying to push away at the offending fingers, but it was to now avail.

He was only met with silence as he saw this shit eating grin his older brother was pulling off as he stared down at him with hungry eyes. "Give me back my hoodie, and this will all~ be over soon, little brother." He explained, delighted to hear his younger brother's giggles again after some time.

"NOHOHohohoho!" Is all Jun-ho said without really meaning to.

"Oh? You don't want to give it back? That's fine by me." He teased, switching from his ribs to his sides.

"Wahahait!" His sides weren't a bad spot, but it definitely made him release more of his low, and more characterized chuckles out of him. "Thahahat's not what Ihihi meant!!" even though he admitted to it, he knew that his Hyung wouldn't stop anytime soon.

"Of course that's what you meant, brother! Now just lay back, relax, and let me work my magic!" as he said this, he darted straight for his armpits, catching him way off guard as he squealed.

"AAH- AHAhaha nohohOHOHOT THEHEHERE!" immediately, he threw his head back as he clamped his arms against his sides as he endured the sharp electric shock that rang through his body, letting out his contagious cackles that always lifted In-ho's spirit.

"Nohot where?.. Here?" again, he switched tactics to now scribbling at his neck. The amount of spot changes drove Jun-ho insane!

"NOHohohoho- hyuhuhung stohohop! Ihihit's tohohoho much!" he scrunched up his face and shoulders now, grabbing at the offending hands once more to try and pry them off his neck. Again, not really a bad spot, but surely it got the giggles out of him.

"Ohoho, that's right! Not here- ha! Silly me.. Surely this giggle bug wants me to stay right~ here!" and again, he went back to digging into his armpits, but switched the tactic to only drilling his thumbs in this time, resulting with Jun-ho to scream out loud.

"NAHAHA- H-HYUHAHAHAH,, HYUNG! AAHAHAHA!" his face flushed by the nickname, and the sudden change of spots yet again as the electric shock came back. Slamming his arms against his sides once more, he slightly kicked his legs out by the harsh sensation. He was truly killing him!

"What is it, little brother? I can't hear you with all this boisterious laughing!" In-ho teased, wearing a full smile now. He missed teasing his brother like this. With Jun-ho going to law enforcement school to study being a police officer, and In-ho's overtime, they barely got to visit. He was relieved that he could act a fool with his brother like this after quite some time.

"EHEHehehenOHOHOUGH! PLEHEHEASE HYUHUNG!" he cried out as tears pricked down his face from laughing so much. In-ho knew he was going tired, so he finally let up, giving his brother some time to breath.

With lingering giggles, Jun-ho took some deep breathes as he wiped away his tears, and finally sat up to stare at In-ho with a smile that he couldn't wipe off in the process.

"Yohou.. Are ehehevil!" he giggled out, holding his stomach from the aching feeling.

"Well, are you going to give me my hoodie back, or do you want a round two?" In-ho asked, holding out his hand once more.

Jun-ho stared at him some more. In-ho noticed the embarrassment slowly forming on his little brothers face as his smirk turned into pure confusion. "What? Is it something I said?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Well uh.. Ehah.. I don't have anything under this hoodie, hyung." jun-ho admitted kind of quietly, but luckily In-ho understood. His confusion turned into a scoff with fake annoyance.

"You're just asking for it, man." As he was getting ready to pounce for the second time, Jun-ho was quick to hold out his hands defensively with a nervous giddy smile.

"Wahait wait wait! Ihihi'll give it back, promise! Juhust.. Not today, yeah?" Jun-ho said, hoping that his words would be met with the man.

He gave it some thought before nodding his head with a sigh. "..Fine! but don't try to purposely hold it in your wardrobe for days on end until I bother you about it, alright?" he said with a warning poke to the rib.

Quickly covering where he had poked, he giggled out an, "Ahalright!"

"Now.. Do you want to go get something to eat? I'm starving!" In-ho asked, seeing his little brother's eyes sparkle by the question.

"Do I?!" he questioned, getting up from his spot to go to the front door, making his older brother chuckle with fondness.

"Alright, alright! Chill. Let me put something more appropriate on, I'm still in my sleep wear." he said as he went to his wardrobe.

As he got dressed, the Hwang brothers gradually went to go eat lunch and talk about their days and how everything as been going. They were glad they could meet up like this once again and act like brothers. They wouldn't have it any other way.

[someone1348]

Happy National Tickle Day! Thats crazy! I didn't know it was today! I found out from @ryoko-loves-roses fic! So I wanted to celebrate with another Alice in Borderland fic! Idea from @saturnzskyzz so thank youuu for that! All the love my friend! 🫶💕

Anyways!

The people in this: Ler!Arisu, Lee!Tatta

Tw: Some angst/anxiety but it's mainly fluff! This is also a tickle fic, as are all my fics, so if you don't like it please keep scrolling thank you! :]

Semi season 2 spoilers as well so proceed with caution!

With that being said enjoy!! 🥰

____________~☆°♡°☆°♡°☆~______________

King of Giggles

It was only just beginning...the next stage of the games had started, without giving them much warning. It felt like this would never end. They had been running for a while now, so long that day was already night again. The king of spades blimp had moved now, out of sight from them so they had time and shelter for the night. With the car ruined and no food they had to separate again and gather what they all needed. Tired and anxious, Tatta just tried to listen to what was happening. Arisu spoke but nothing was reaching his ears until he said his name. The mechanic blinked. Arisu wanted him to come with him?! Wait where were they supposed to go! He just nodded, trying to keep the confusion and stress in his head.

"Perfect, so Usagi and Kuina will try to find food! Me and Tatta will look for a new car!" Arisu said with the same determination in his voice he always had. Something Tatta couldn't help but always admire.

'Cars, we're looking for cars, got it!' The plan finally registered in his brain as they put their hands in yelling 'Team!' Before breaking off into their groups and leaving the site, promising to meet back here in an hour or two. Hopefully, it shouldn't take anyone that long anyway, but you never know what could happen in this place, especially at night. Grabbing a flashlight, Tatta walked silently side by side with Arisu as he tried to find where exactly the car shop was. If this place was an exact replica of Shibuya, then the place Tatta was looking for shouldn't be too far. The gentle, warm, summer wind was the only noise that could be heard other than their footsteps. It would've been nicer if they weren't in this situation.

Arisu spoke up to break the silence. "Hey Tatta..." The shorter man blinked, getting out of his head to respond. "Yes?" He raised his eyebrows in response as Arisu responded.

"Thank you for saving me...twice now" he laughed a little under his breath. Tatta smiled back a little at this. "Oh it's nothing! You saved me first! If you didn't crawl to me in the tag game I wouldn't have survived...so really thank you! I didn't do anything!" Arisu smiled more at this and pointed a flashlight in his face.

"Don't downplay it! You got me out of that room in the beach, with people shooting everywhere! And then, you totally helped me, all of us, dodge the king of spades by pulling up in that car! You're amazing Tatta!" He hyped him up as the other got a little sheepish.

"Oh stop it Arisu! You're my friend! That's just what friends are for!" He exhaled as Arisu sighed and nodded. The air went back to being a little thicker after that but it didn't last long. They made it to the car place Tatta knew of and looked around. The small glow of the flashlights was the only thing illuminating this place as they walked.

"Oh my gosh!!" Tattas face lit up as he ran over to an old shiny red convertible. Arisu blinked at the others surprise "What?" He joined him over to the car. Tatta was crouched down carefully rubbing the top of it with his free hand. "Look at the curves on this baby!" Arisu smiled at his enthusiasm. Not quite understanding it but he wasn't one to judge. It certainly looked nice.

"Yeah! It looks cool!" Arisu said as Tatta scoffed a little playfully "Cool? She's a true beauty! A 1966 Ford Mustang convertible...a red one at that! factory-style air conditioning, power brakes, wood rim steering wheel, styled steel wheels, new radial narrow whitewall tires and a power top!" He gushed on and on about the car as Arisu listened carefully with an eyebrow raise.

"Wow! You really know a lot about cars huh? That's amazing!" He smiled brightly as Tatta stood up again.

"I used to be a mechanic...I've always loved cars, ever since I was a little boy..." He hummed gently as Arisu's smile only grew.

"A mechanic?! That's awesome! I bet you were really good at it with your knowledge on cars! I wouldn't be surprised!" He placed a friendly hand on his shoulder as Tatta shrugged "Ehh...I was okay at the job..."

Arisu hummed "You do that a lot don't you?" He looked at him as Tatta hummed in response "Do what?"

The flashlight was back in his face like an interrogation. "Downplay yourself and your skills" Tatta closed one eye from the light practically blinding him.

"That's not fair..." Arisu put the light back down and raised an eyebrow "So? You keep being unfair to yourself and I don't like it, you are incredible and you need to understand that" He smiled as Tatta exhaled.

"Arisu..."

"I'm serious, you're a ball of anxiety! I understand that in this situation, but even out of the death games, when we have a chance to breathe you're still anxious" The other pushed his hat up to look Tatta in the eyes.

"Your optimism is one of the reasons I'm still here now...it really cheers me up! So now it's my turn to help you again!" Tatta blinked, a small sparkle in his eye as he said that. He helped cheer Arisu up...he's part of the reason he kept going...

"Wha- me?" Turning his head to face Arisu he was met with that same bright smile again. "But I didn't-" Arisu put a finger to his lips "The next thing out of your mouth better be something positive about yourself or else!" Tatta blinked as Arisu removed his finger from his lips.

"I-I don't know what to say!" Tatta said gently as Arisu's face formed a wicked smirk.

"Wrong answer"

With that Arisu took a step towards Tatta who's body moved without him thinking about it. With each step Arisu took forward the other moved back. Panicked 'waits!' and other pleas left Tattas mouth before he tripped backwards falling into the backseat of the convertible.

"Woah-" he tried to get up but he was stuck. Arisu stood over him with a playful smirk. "Look what we have here~ You're trapped in the car you couldn't stop gushing about, now that's funny!"

Tatta smiled at his playful attitude but was still a little scared. Arisu wouldn't hurt him, right?

"Oh shut up! Just help me get out of here, please!" He asked as Arisu's eyebrows raised again in shock and intrigue.

"Ooohhh? Telling me to shut up now? I didn't think you had a mean bone in your body! This definitely made it more fun!" Tatta kicked his feet a little as he tried to escape.

"Oh come on Arisu! Help me! Please!" Arisu giggled as he got closer "Did you forget why you fell in the first place? You're in trouble Tatta, you gave me the wrong answer, and now you have to pay the price"

Oh...right! That's what was going on at first. What was he planning?

"Listen I'm sorry! I just didn't think that I-" He didn't have time to finish that statement. Arisu's fingers were gently squeezing at his sides. Tattas eyes shot open as he felt the ticklish jolts of electricity. He can't remember the last time he was tickled. He was probably a child when that happened last. He forgot how ridiculously ticklish he was and what it felt like until now. There was nothing to stop the giggles that flew out of his mouth now.

"Ahaharisu! Hey! Nohoho!" He shook his head gently as he tried to push at his hands weakly. Arisu's smile only grew as he heard his precious laughter.

"Awwww!" He cooed, making the other a little embarrassed.

"Dohohon't coo at meHehe!" His giggles got a little louder as Arisu pinched his ribs with one hand and continued tickling his side with the other. "EHehe!- This iHis emBahAharssihHing!" His face was a little red now as Arisu giggled with him under his breath.

"Its not embarrassing! Everyone is ticklish! Plus it's only me and you here! Don't worry about it, you're thinking too much again!" he teased a little at the end, flicking his hat for emphasis before as he gently pinched around his stomach. A little surprised when not many giggles came out there.

"Hmm not so ticklish here, that's all good, I'll find your big tickle spot soon enough! Just you wait!" He moved spots as the man in the hat kept giggling.

"Aharisu!"

Arisu moved his fingers up, crawling them up his ribs like a ladder until he reached his underarms. He hummed a little tune before Tatta screamed a little, slamming his arms down. And yet, that wasn't his worst spot. It certainly made Arisu's grin bigger though.

"Oooo!!" He teased "Tickle Tickle Tickle~"

"AHAHaha! NAhAHA-" Tatta shook his head around and kicked his feet trying to fight the feeling off but nothing worked. He moved so much that his hat came off, his short black hair getting more messy as it continued.

"IHIhHit TihiHIHickles! ARisuhuHu!-" the gamer giggled and nodded at his friends giggly statement. "Mhm~ it's supposed to buddy!" He took a deep breath before teasing him again, "tickletickletickletickle-" his wiggling fingers moved faster as he teased him which only made him laugh more.

"PLEHEhehEHEAse!! HAHAHA!" His feet kicked more, eyes closed as he let the tickly sensation take over his body and mind. Exactly what Arisu wanted, for him to stop overthinking and surrender to the tickle monster!

"They should make another card in the deck! Just for you, Tatta! It would be a face card with a feather card suit. You'd be the King of Giggles." he smirked, blowing a raspberry into his neck while tickling his underarms still.

"AHAHA" the other tried to protest but couldn't. Arisu moved his hands out from his underarms finally. Tatta tried catching his breath but he knew, they both knew that this wasn't the end yet. Red faced and panting he finally spoke.

"Im...not...the king of giggles...that's not even a real card!" He smiled as Arisu smirked "You totally are, want me to prove it?" He teased as Tatta giggled anxiously.

"Arisu..."

"I know where you're most ticklish!" He teased as the other blinked. Even Tatta forgot where he was most ticklish. How would he know?

"Huh? How?"

"It was a simple pattern to figure out, process of elimination~" he wiggled his fingers teasing at him "You readyyy?~" He was skeptical but nodded gently anyway. More curious then anything.

"Where do you-" again cut off by his own laughter. This time it was a snort. No one expected that.

"Oh my god! That was perfect! I knew it had to be here!"

"AHAHAHARISUHUHU!"

He was squeezing the tops of his knees the kicks got greater as he laughed his head off. Arisu was having the time of his life now.

"This is too good! I gotta try something!" He moved his fingers under the car a little to tickle the backs of his knees. Tatta squeaked and threw his head back laughing. Thank God the King of Spades was far far away. His loud laughter would've drawn him over too quickly if the enemy was around.

"IHIHHIT TIHIHIHICKLES AHAHAHA IHIHHIT REHEHEAHAHALLY TIHIHIHICKLES!! AHAHARIHISUHUHU!" He thrashed a little as Arisu moved back up to the tops of his knees pinching that little spot right above the knee where the knee and the thigh connected, this made him snort again.

"AHAHAHAHA!!" He let himself laugh. Arisu's smile only got brighter as he kept going on that one little area.

"You're so ticklish~ I'm gonna getcha!" He squeezed one of his knees with one hand, the other still on the connecting spot.

"OKAHAHAY I CAHAHAN'T YOHOHOU WIHIHIHIN! HAHAHA!" With that Arisu stopped, granting mercy on the poor boy. Tatta giggled as he caught his breath, holding a hand to his stomach. Arisu giggled gently with him.

"You okay, Tatta?" He giggled more and nodded. "Yeah! Can you help me up though now, please?" Arisu nodded and took his hand, lifting him up and out of the car.

"Thanks"

"Of course"

There was a slight pause before Arisu spoke again. "Im serious though, you're amazing Tatta and I don't want you to ever forget that...Thank you...for everything"

Tatta smiled brightly at this before they hugged gently. "Thank you too, Arisu...for everything." Arisu rubbed his back gently before they both pulled away.

"So we're getting this car right?" Arisu asked

"Hell yeah are you kidding!? Get in! I'm not letting this baby go!" Tatta smiled and got in the driver's side.

The King of Giggles, huh? If Arisu says so...then I guess it's not that bad.

---------------------------------------------------

I love them so much and I love writing so much! I hope you enjoyed!

-K <3

[skriblee-ksk]

“I feel free. It’s been some time since I felt like this without any other clinging emotions. How serene… Is what I would say if I didn’t hear shouting. I should get back inside.”

Tap Home Groovy: The outfit? Oh, Ryoko helped me choose it! I chose an interesting one myself, but Ryoko talked me out of it. I thought it was okay, but I trust her judgment! I’ve been told my fashion sense is odd multiple times before anyway.

Home Transition Groovy: Surprisingly an average level of chaos! I thought it’d spike dramatically since nearly the entirety of RSA is here, but it’s pretty manageable as always!

Glimmering Soirée is an even hosted by @starry-night-rose!!

Og post here!

More silly stuff under cut!!

Yayyy!! Finally done!!!!

Thank u for witnessing the story of how Kiyuu came here to see pretty ppl. Made a few lil stuff:

Kiyuu who, next to helping the Princes, volunteered to oversee the rest of the event as well (Crowley was super happy [with himself]).

Extra knowledge stuff for funsies:

Ryokiyuu had Grim in those baby carriers for the first few minutes of the ball. He ended up escaping though (They let him go because they felt bad and because they dressed him up fancy and trusted him enough and etc.)

Kiyuu would have fangirled over every single person in the party (usually secretly unless she knew the other person was comfortable receiving a flurry of compliments) and ultimately ended up not being able to vote for the Belle of the Ball (LOL).

Very honestly, Kiyuu probably hung around Jack and/or Ryoko (if she wasn’t busy) for the latter half of the ball because she got tired (not of socializing or anything, just in general) and went to one of the few people she felt most comfortable being vulnerable with.

I didn’t mention Azul and Malleus in the lines because like. I just couldn’t fit them in. So their relationships are!!:

Azul and Kiyuu have a strict business relationship because she used to work part time at the Mostro Lounge from Book 3 to Book 5 (Ryoko always double checked Kiyuu’s expenses because she was worried Kiyuu would get scammed). They’re amiable but not really close.

Malmal and Kiyuu are friends!! Kiyuu likes stargazing so they actually meet up quite often out of school. Kiyuu fell in love (aesthetic attraction) at first sight, and they have a normal friendship!

Here’s the one without the groovy:

and scrap:

Yay yay this event was so fun to draw for!! I loveeee ballroom types of events (as an otome isekai lover). And thanks for reading this far!!

Taglist (ask to be added!!): @kathxrat-01 @distant-velleity @scint1llat3 @elenauaurs @boopshoops

[sleepy--anon]

hello... so i did see your recent fanfic about lee!in-ho and ler!gi-hun, and I'm not sure if you are taking requests, but I swear to you I will actually commission it literally - I left a comment, but I thought about how jun-ho outed in-ho's tickle spots, right? yada yada, - maybe... gi-hun allows him, just for the fun of it, to have some fun with his brother since the whole cliff incident and honestly just because jun-ho knows his brother better than anyone on the island? of course, nf, but if there is a commission option let me know...

Oh sweetie, I don't need you to pay me, I do this for fun it's ok, I am taking requests, they're just taking a while to come out due to a lot of birthdays in my family being early in the year. I can get working on that as soon as I can don't worry, I'll be sure to tag you in it when I post it

[miapcain]

I feel like you've probably read a lot of medieval history stuff. So have you, and if you have how do you think it impacts your work on vesna? p.s. I'm reading a Medieval Life by Judith Bennett and its an awesome read so far can't recommend it enough

Hello! Thank you for the ask!

I read a lot and have for a while. Vesna is the composite of a LOT of interests of mine, many of them specifically historic and regional. I've always been interested in the medieval period, and I loved Pillars of the Earth when I read it as a teen (still like it, the second book especially, though I take issue with some of Follett's character work). Name of the Rose too, naturally. Recently I've enjoyed Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman, and the game Pentiment. I like the ASOIAF books, which are obviously less interested in intricate medievalism than tone and complex political and personal interplay, but imo aren't any worse for it.

In terms of non-fiction, currently reading "Felix Austria" by Stephan Vajda on that front. I love The Once and Future Sex by Dr. Eleanor Janega too. A lot of my process for Vesna involves researching specific points, though- I was trying to find out how exactly rushes worked, and stumbled on a 19th c. text which documents rush-bearing in certain parts of england and goes into the history, for example. I try to read as much of this stuff as I can. The region Vesna is set in doesn't get much materialist history done to it. It's very hard to find out what sort of agriculture was practiced in the hills at the time, for example. Even Felix Austria, a pretty hefty book, mostly brushes over it and says "life was on the whole easier and fruits and crops more abundant than in other parts of europe at the time," which is a bit meagre.

Visually, it's influenced by whatever visual art I consumed recently. I read Dungeon Meshi and fell in love with Ryoko Kui's solid figure drawing and character designs. I read Berserk and fell in love with Miura's landscapes and shading. I played Dark Souls and fell in love with the intricate architecture and tranquil emptiness. I visit ruins and castles here in Austria whenever I can, ideally one a week, and forests and rivers even more. I already mentioned Pentiment, but I have a huge reference folder of 13th century art on my pc. My biggest artistic influence is probably Socar Myles, who does better hatching work and dark fantasy illustration than anyone I've ever seen.

For the character work I would have to point to my best friend Digital Poppy's work. I liked her games before I knew her, and actually getting to talk to her about them (and helping make them!) opened my eyes to what you can have characters do in a story.

I hope this answered your question! Sorry i don't have a specific text to point to!

bonus: Vesna appearing in one of Digital Poppy's games

[immaterial-pearl]

Recs of my fav things with mental illness/trauma/neurodiversity representation that lets their characters be unpleasant and full people:-).

These are a collection of things I personally found relateable, over the course of my life. Almost all of these are aimed at adults (but not all!) and it's okay to disagree with me on wether these are good or not, but I put them on this list because I like them and I like how they portray complex mentally ill characters.

Here’s a randomizer that picks one at random!!!

Pieta, by Nanae Haruno. Genre: josei manga (josei is manga aimed at women, usually ones in their 20's). Two girls who struggle with mental health fall in love.

Dungeon Meshi, dir. Yoshihiro Miyamjima, original story by Ryoko Kui. Genre: fantasy anime. After his sister is eaten by a dragon, a man does his best to get her body back and revive her. In order to survive he decides to cook monsters with his party, instead of trying to travel with food from outside of the dungeon. Personal note: autism meshi. My personal favourite is Kabru, because he's literaly me when it comes to Being Totally Normal About Human Interaction.

Burnt Sugar, by Avni doshi. Genre: literary novella. A woman starts losing her grip on reality as her mother starts losing her memory. My personal opinion: it's just amazing, god, one of my favourite books ever, no book ever portrayed psychosis in such a personally relateable way, even tho I differ from the protag on so many levels.

Promising Young Woman, dir. Emerald Fennel. Genre: a deconstruction of revenge films. A woman traumatised by her friends suicide tries to avenge her.

Simon Snow triology, by Rainbow Rowell. Genre: ya fantasy and romance, deconstruction of chosen one stories, wizard school. Note: the exploration of ptsd mostly happens in book 2 and 3. The first book differs both in subject matter and tone, and was written originally as a stand alone. A typical chosen one protag defies the narrative set on him. Personal note: the way trauma reflected on protag's relationship with sex was so well thought out. Reread this out of nostalgia recently and found myself stunned on how uniquely well it's written.

Fleabag, screeplay by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Genre: dark comedy, drama. A woman who seems aware of the fourth wall tries to cope with her best friend’s death.

Revolutionary Girl Utena, dir. Ikuhara Kunihiko. Genre: magical girl anime deconstruction, fairy tale deconsturction, psychological horror. A girl who wants to become a prince gets tangled in messy drama of the student council, after she wins a duel and accidentally becomes engaged to a girl they refer to as the rose bride. Personal note: FAVOURITE SHOW EVER, a queer classic, ectetera, the most complex show ever written in my personal opinion, the entire narrative is about patriarchy's evils, and damn, no show since did it better imo.

Boy meets Maria, by Peyo. Genre: romance manga. A boy falls in love with a member of his high school's theatre, who turns out to be a boy.

The Locked Tomb, by Tamsyn Muir. Genre: sci-fi fantasy horror. In a planet system of necromancers, a girl from a planet with a single living necromancer gets picked to be said necromancers swordwoman, when she tries to become a saint. Personal note: you will not believe the amount of Insane Undead Lesbians this series has. READ IT.

Bojack Horseman, main writer Raphael Bob Waksberg. Genre: dark comedy, animated sitcom. A horse/man way past his prime still lives off of money from playing in a 90’s sitcom.

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness, by Nagata Kabi. Genre: manga memoir. A depressed woman who has trouble with forming relationships tries to have her first time with a sex worker.

Pinky and Pepper forever, by Eddy Atoms. Genre: horror, dark comedy comic. Two art student girlfriends try to survive art school, and later meet again in hell.

A pale view of hills, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Genre: literary fiction. An imigrant woman, recalls her first pregnancy and a short friendship she had back in Japan.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, dir. Hideaki Anno. Genre: mecha anime, psychological horror. A boy is forced to pilot a robot by his absent father who runs a para-military organisation. Personal notes: second favourite anime of mine, every character is their own shade of unwell, there is a reason this is a classic.

Fight Club, by Chuck Palachniuk. Genre: thiller, literary fiction. A white collar man loses his apartment and moves in with his strange working class friend. Personal note: even if you've seen the film, read the original.

The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. Genre: literary fiction, semi-memoir. A talented writer fights her suicidality and depression.

Crying in H-Mart, by Michelle Zauner. Genre: memoir. The author recalls her mother's last months and death.

My Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russel. Genre: literary fiction. After her ex teacher is accused of sexual assault, a woman recalls her high school romance with him. Personal note: this is heavily inspired by Lolita, and even though I've read both I kind of prefer this book, fight me.

Summer, 1993, dir. Carla Simón. Genre: drama. A young girl spends her first summer in a new home after her parents die. Personal note: good representation of a young child processing trauma is so rare!!!!

My Broken Mariko, by Hirako Waka. Genre: josei manga. After her friend's death, a woman goes out of her way to find out why she died, disbelieving her friend would kill herself.

Everything, everywhere, all at once, dir. Daniel Kwan and Schienert. Genre: sci-fi. A woman discovers multiverse time travel while trying to do her taxes, and processes her troubled relationship with her daughter.

[osharenippon]

Shoujo Manga's Golden Decade (Part 2)

Shoujo manga, comics for girls, played a pivotal role in shaping Japanese girls’ culture, and its dynamic evolution mirrors the prevailing trends and aspirations of the era. For many, this genre peaked in the 1970s. But why?

Part 1

The Year of 24 Group

Some of the best-selling work by the Year 24 Artists (l-to-r): Yasuko Aoike's "From Eroica with Love," Ryoko Yamagishi's "Arabesque," Mineko Yamada's "Minori no Shoujo," Toshie Kihara's "Yomie no Ishibume," Yumiko Oshima's "The Star of Cottonland," Yuuko Kishi's "Tamasaburo."

Back in the early '70s, there was the prevailing notion that manga was for young kids. Despite the variety in themes, big magazines like Margaret, Shoujo Club, Nakayoshi, and Ribon were theoretically aimed at elementary school-aged girls.

In practice, the reality was more nuanced. Due to being published in Weekly Margaret, "The Rose of Versailles" was for kids. And it did very well with them. Yet, its revolutionary romance also appealed to broader audiences, exemplifying the crossover potential of shoujo manga. It was the title that opened the door for what is known as "the golden age of shoujo," which was further cemented by several other groundbreaking hits.

These hits widened the shoujo manga field, and soon, other editorial houses also wanted to cash in. Shogakukan, which published the powerful Weekly Shonen Sunday, entered the shoujo market in the late '60s. Shueisha and Shogakukan also partnered to form a keiretsu and open the Hakusensha publisher which deals mostly with shoujo manga.

That is the context in which a batch of artists known as "The Magnificent 24 Group" rose. And they were another key reason as to why '70s shoujo made such a mark. These manga-kas introduced themes such as sci-fi and homosexuality to the segment, revolutionized its art, further explored historical and terror narratives, and generally broke barriers of what was possible in shoujo manga. Their work was intellectually challenging, philosophical, and, above all, fundamental for male manga critics and connoisseurs to finally take shoujo seriously.

The Year 24 Group refers to the fact most artists were born around 1949, which is known as the year 24 of the Showa era in the Japanese calendar. These women came of age during the time artists like Hideko Mizuno were debuting and doing revolutionary work in the shoujo field, and they were eager to follow their lead. The success of unorthodox hits like "The Rose of Versailles" and the emergence of new magazines enabled them to be bold.

The two artists who led the movement are Moto Hagio and Keiko Takemiya. Their shared house in Tokyo, known as the Oizumi Salon, became a gathering place for several young artists keen on breaking new grounds for shoujo manga-kas. These women became the Year 24 group. But there were other two people, besides the artists themselves, who were just as crucial for their collective rise.

Firstly, there was Junya Yamamoto. Yamamoto was a young male editor at Shogakukan who had risen through the ranks of the successful Shonen Sunday weekly manga magazine. Noticing they were lagging behind Shueisha and Kodansha in the manga segment for their lack of a robust shoujo presence, the editorial house appointed Yamamoto to launch Shoujo Comic (known as Sho-Comi) in 1968 and Bessatsu Shoujo Comic (known as Betsucomi) in 1970. However, he quickly ran into an issue: most successful shoujo artists already had exclusive contracts with the competing houses, and aspiring names were vying for positions at the already established titles.

In 1969, the "God of manga," Osamu Tezuka, introduced Yamamoto to Keiko Takemiya, then a university student living in Tokushima City. Takemiya had spent her school years dreaming of becoming a manga-ka and participated extensively in the readers' corner section of COM. COM was an avant-garde manga magazine Tezuka founded to nourish young talents and publish stories without the typical restraints of more commercial shoujo and shonen publications. In her first year of college, Takemiya won a Shueisha's Weekly Margaret newcomer competition and had a work published in the magazine. Still, she was persuaded by her parents to focus on her studies instead and to leave manga as a side hobby.

Yamamoto, in turn, was impressed with her talent and convinced her to chase her dreams. Quickly, she found work in all three publishers and started simultaneously publishing in Kodansha, Shueisha, and Shogakukan's shoujo titles.

Meanwhile, Moto Hagio also grew up enamored with the manga world. During her college years, she had a work selected by Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret (Betsuma) through a competition, but she could not find a fixed slot in the magazine. Then, she got introduced to Kodansha's Nakayoshi editors, who were impressed by her talent. While she did start publishing short stories there, editors rejected most of her submitted work as they did not fit the magazine's mold. One day, an editor introduced her to Takemiya, who, overworked while working for several magazines, was in dire need of an assistant. The two hit off, and Takemiya, who until then had her permanent residence in far away Tokuma City but was planning a move to Tokyo, proposed they both live together. She also decided to introduce Hagio to risk-taker editor Yamamoto, who, impressed by her talent, encouraged her to pursue her path instead of trying to fit into the expected shoujo template.

Then there was Norie Masuyama, who first became acquainted with Moto Hagio before becoming Takemiya's manager. Hagio was from Fukuoka, while Masuyama was from Tokyo, but due to their similar interests, they became penpals. When Hagio first moved to Tokyo, Masuyama hosted her in her home in Oizumi. Eventually, Hagio introduced Masuyama to Takemiya, and the three of them became close. Because both were artists from outside of Tokyo, Masuyama was the one who first circled the idea they should live together (something Yamamoto presciently warned it could turn into a problem), and she was the one who alerted them of a house in her Oizumi neighborhood being up for rent.

Keiko Takemiya and Moto Hagio, estranged since the late '70s, revealed details of their feud in autobiographic books: Takemiya's "Shonen no na wa Gilbert" (2019) and Hagio's "Ichidou kiri no Oizumi no Hanashi" (2021). The dispute, stemming from Takemiya accusing Hagio of plagiarism, was fueled by Takemiya's jealousy during a challenging creative and personal period. While Takemiya appears self-aware and analytical in her account, Hagio's book indicates she hasn't forgiven Keiko, revealing unresolved feelings. The publications triggered intense online debates.

Masuyama came from a sophisticated family that was very involved in arts and, from a young age, got familiarized with the world of music, literature, and movies. Her refined taste impressed Hagio and Takemiya. At a time when Japanese girls dreamed of Europe, Masuyama actually had friends living there and was up-to-date on the latest European trends. She also had a lot of knowledge of European cinema and literature.

As their rented house was old and rusty, Hagio and Takemiya started spending a lot of time at Masuayama's house across the street. She introduced them to films, songs, books, and paintings. It was Masuyama's taste -- including her interest in movies and books depicting gay romance and her desire for girls' comics to have bolder and riskier themes -- that helped to instill a passion in both artists to go further than the safe cliches usually depicted in shoujo works.

In 1970, editor Yamamoto convinced Takemiya to sign an exclusive contract with Shogakukan. The following year, Hagio also started publishing for Sho-comi and Betsucomi. Their work would attract a loyal fanbase, and aspiring manga-ka would flood their mailboxes. So Takemiya made a decision: to select female artists around her and Hagio's age to mentor and train at their shared home. Thus, the Oizumi Salon was born.

Despite attracting attention, Takemiya and Hagio's works were not always popular. In fact, they'd often rank last in readers' popularity polls, which tend to be all-deciding in manga magazines. But they persevered, and Yamamoto trusted them.

Keiko Takemiya aimed to establish herself with a top-rated series through "Pharaoh no Haka" (left) in order to garner the necessary respect from editors to write the series she wanted, "Kaze to ki no uta" (right). Despite her resolute efforts, "Pharaoh no Haka" never secured the top spot in Sho-comi's readers' poll, peaking at #2. Nevertheless, the series succeeded in elevating her fame and earning her the respect she sought.

In 1972, Hagio had an idea for a serial focused on a male European vampire. However, as she wasn't a famous artist, Yamamoto only allowed her to publish one-shots. So she came up with a plan: to write three interconnected standalone stories. To circumvent another restraint - shoujo editors' avoidance of male leads - she put the first story focus on Marybelle, Edgar's sister. Once Yamamoto realized what Hagio was doing, he was amused and allowed her to continue. And so, "The Poe Clan" series began. In 1974, Shogakukan finally started publishing their shoujo titles in compiled paperback format. In another proof of trust, Yamamoto chose Hagio's "The Poe Clan" as the first title of the Flower Comics imprint.

To everybody's surprise, "The Poe's Clan," in paperback format, was a groundbreaking success, almost instantaneously selling out its initial printing. At the time, Hagio had just started a new serialization, "The Heart of Thomas," a tragic gay love story set in an all-boys German school. As usual for her, the story wasn't all that popular with Sho-Comi's readership, and its lackluster results in the reader's poll almost got the series discontinued. But the notable success of "The Poe's Clan" tankobon assured editors, who allowed Hagio to continue the series. "The Heart of Thomas" went on to become another best-seller and a seminal shoujo title. It also attracted critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase to Moto Hagio, which in turn helped put the Year 24 artists -- who were pretty good at self-promotion -- in the spotlight.

Hagio, Takemiya, and several other "Year 24" authors drifted between being popular and underground. They had a sizable, loyal fanbase that followed them and turned several of their works into best-sellers. On the other hand, by finding a way around the usual shoujo traditions, they weren't particularly popular with the average shoujo reader, ordinary young girls across the country.

Their peculiar position forced them to be clever, so they could fulfill their creative desires as well as their editors' expectations, who were there to make sure the stories published were satisfying to the core readership. Takemiya wrote "Pharaoh no Haka," an Egypt-set romantic adventure, to be well-accepted so that she could then dedicate herself to doing what she truly wanted in "Kaze to Ki no Uta," a gay love story set in a 19th Century French boarding school.

Initially overlooked in popular shoujo magazines, Moto Hagio gained success with "The Poe Clan" in compiled format, launching Shogakukan's Flower Comics imprint. Over time, she became a highly respected manga artist, the only manga-ka alongside legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki to receive a Person of Cultural Merit recognition. In 2016, marking 40 years of the conclusion of her first hit, she released a new "The Poe Clan" chapter in Flower magazine, selling out the increased print run of 50,000 copies in a day. This success marked a significant shift for Hagio, who, despite not being a major magazine seller in earlier years, became a valuable asset to the struggling magazine publishing industry decades later. Following the one-shot, she released three more chapters and, in 2022, began a new sequel series.

Besides Takemiya and Hagio, several other notable shoujo artists who went on to become huge names used to frequent the Oizumi Salon and were part of the "Year 24 group." In the early '70s, most published their work on Shogakukan's titles, which had a "free policy" on storytelling compared to Margaret, Shoujo Friend, Nakayoshi, and Ribon. Then, as Shogakukan started being more strict to properly compete with the market leaders, several moved to newly launched Hakusensha titles Hana to Yume and LaLa. Influential names that were part of the movement included Yumiko Oshima, Yasuko Aoike, and Ryoko Yamagashi, among several others. 

Despite their unorthodox preferences, they weren't necessarily trying to rebel against the system, they simply wanted to put out good quality work they believed in. Like other Japanese girls from that era, they were fascinated by Europe, and plenty of their stories took place on the continent. In 1972, Hagio, Takemiya, Yamagishi, and Masuyama made a 45-day trip to Europe, visiting the Soviet Republic, France, and several other countries, which had a profound impact on them. Still, their narratives were widely innovative. They often had male leads, introduced sci-fi, "boys' love," and other bolder genres to shoujo manga, and contributed to the evolution of shoujo illustration. Above all, this group of artists was the one who made clear to naysayers, once and for all, that shoujo manga is indeed an art form.

But while their influence in manga history is undisputed, other significant -- and much more commercial -- manga movements also shook the shoujo manga world during that decade.

A Need for Drama

When talking about '70s shoujo manga, it's common for minds to drift directly to iconic series from that time, like "Candy Candy" and "Rose of Versailles." But, unlike in present times, in that decade, the manga industry's focus wasn't on successful, long-running series but on the artists themselves.

As opposed to the struggling publishing marketing of today, major shoujo manga magazines all sold over 1 million copies during that decade. Manga in tankobon (standalone paperback) format was turning into a money-maker field, but being able to sell paperback was very much secondary compared to being a name capable of selling magazines. Keiko Takemiya and Moto Hagio, from the Amazing Year 24 Group, would go on to become household names and had best-selling series, but, at the time, they couldn't compete with the actual shoujo manga superstars who were the signboard artists of the Kodansha and Shueisha's shoujo titles, the ones who actually moved publications. These artists' work was the most significant indicator of what the mainstream readers wanted and aspired to back then.

In a December/1975 issue, weekly Josei Seven spotlights the new generation of superstar shoujo manga artists: (l-to-r) Moto Hagio, Machiko Satonaka, Ryoko Ikeda, Yukari Ichijo, Keiko Takemiya, and Ryoko Takahashi. While contemporary manga-kas are highly discreet about their lives and do not even tend to show their faces, in the '70s, they were treated like superstars, and, in the article, the manga-kas openly discuss their love life and details of their high incomes, including how much they had in the bank and how much they spent on rent and daily utilities.

For Kodansha, the top shoujo artist was definitely Machiko Satonaka, who won the Best New Artist competition in 1964, when she was still a freshman in high school. There have been several high-schoolers making their debut in the industry throughout the decades, but, as the first, Satonaka caused a media frenzy. Her ascent gave confidence to countless other young women -- from "Glass Mask"'s Suzue Michi to Keiko Takemiya (who also won a smaller prize in the same competition) -- to pursue their manga careers.

The attention surrounding Satonaka, who went on to become a public personality with TV hosting gigs and other appearances, is another interesting, nostalgic phenomenon. In the past, it was common for manga superstars to have a strong media presence. Nowadays, the norm is the complete opposite: for manga-kas to be highly private, no matter how famous their work is.

In any case, Satonaka quickly proved herself to be more than a sensational news story as she created extremely popular mangas for Kodansha shoujo titles like Shoujo Friend and Nakayoshi. Her style, widely accepted by readers, became symbolical of the story-telling the '70s girls craved: extremely dramatic with emotionally driven plots and lots of bombastic twists and developments.

In his book on subcultures and otaku culture, sociologist Shinji Miyadai notes that '70s shoujo manga can be divided into very few categories. There is the category the Year 24 artists dominated -- which he defines as the "Moto Hagio domain" -- of works with a lot of artistic value, up-to-par with literature. And then there's the far more commercially viable "Satonaka domain," which represented the mainstream taste.

In the "Satonaka category," the artist depicts a stormy life story as a proxy experience for the readers. Of course, there are universal elements of love, friendship, and insecurity that girls can directly relate to. Still, these stories provide adventures that readers could never experience in the real world. 

These facets of the "Satonaka domain" are present in almost all the best-selling, mainstream shoujo series of the '70s, like the revolutionary historical romance of "The Rose of Versailles," the dramatic rags-to-riches story of the beautiful orphan in "Candy Candy," and the rise of an ordinary girl to the top of the sports elite in "Ace wo Nerae." In all of these titles, you'll also spot other defining characteristics of '70s shoujo: the death of beloved characters and well-liked female characters with voluminous blonde hairs and huge, sparkling eyes (a legacy of Macoto Takahashi, the illustrator who, throughout the '50s, created the art that directly influenced subsequent shoujo history).

Yukari Ichijo was the most prominent Ribon signboard artist throughout the '70s, creating popular mangas like "Suna no Shiro" (left) and "Designer (right). Young girls across the country adored her work despite the adult drama in it.

Since these stories are extraordinary and dream-like, many of them use Europe or the US as their setting, another reflection of a time when Japanese youth dreamed with the West.

While Satonaka was Kodansha's star, Shueisha also had its top shoujo artists. For Margaret, it was Ryoko Ikeda who kept creating memorable dramatic manga after the conclusion of "The Rose of Versailles." Other classic '70s dramatic works published in the weekly included Kyoko Ariyoshi's ballet drama "Swan." Meanwhile, over at Ribon, no one shone brighter than Yukari Ichijo. Ichijo's works, which young girls across Japan devoured, contained a lot of adult drama with adult characters. Her 1974 manga, "Love Game," had a bed scene. One of her most celebrated works of the decade, "Suna no Shiro" (Sand Castle), dealt with incest. While Ichijo is the one who stood the test of time, another artist who also enjoyed great popularity in Ribon following this formula was Kei Nogami. 

These mangas served as an escape for girls, who left their ordinary school life behind for a few hours to embark on extraordinary adventures. In contrast, one of the main genres in contemporary shoujo is unassuming, everyday high school romance. How could the shoujo segment go through such a drastic transformation? The reasons for that also dates back to the 1970s.

Part 3

[duckprintspress]

It's October Reads time!! I started the month with a few titles I didn't enjoy tons, but I've also read a bunch I really liked, so definitely a mixed bag. :D And of course, lots of short stories (and a novella!) for editing work. :D

sweet static by Cedar D. McCafferty-Svec

The Ending Line of Casablanca by Lucy K. R.

Going Dark by Max Jason Peterson

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison (The Cemetaries of Amalo vol. 2)

Deadendia: The Divine Order by Hamish Steele (Deadendia vol. 3/last vol.)

Seaside Stranger by Ki Karna

My Hero Academia vol. 19 and 20 by Kohei Horikoshi

Young Hag and the Witches' Quest by Isabel Greenberg

Haikyu! vol. 11 - 13 by Haruichi Furudate

Spring Rain: A Graphic Novel of Love, Madness, and Revolutions by Andy Warner

Delivery for You by Teku Rin

Flung Out of Space: The Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer

AWM: PUBG by Mu Su Li

Scrap Metal Angel by Nicola Kapron

The Benefits of Consequences by Dei Walker

Goals by R. L. Houck

The Cage is Not Yet Broken by Nicola Kapron

Rose and Renaissance vol. 1 and 2 by Zhi Chu

Indiginerds, edited by Aline Pete

Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi vol. 2 by Ryoko Kui

Patience and Esther: An Edwardian Romance by S. W. Searle

Unsafe Haven by Cedar D. McCafferty-Svec

Running Mates by boneturtle (not pictured - author requested we not add this story to SG or GR)

Barda by Ngozi Ukazu

As a note on the work ones, I usually have read the titles for work weeks, if not months, before they actually make it onto my list. I read Scrap Metal Angel in, like. July. Something like that. But they don't make it onto my "read" list until I add them to Goodreads and/or Storygraph, which skews things. That said, I actually DID read Scrap Metal Angel in October (...for the third time...) but only one of those times makes it into my reading list, and only at the end. Basically, tracking reading as a professional editor is weird.

Whatcha'll been reading?

[secretly-tword-obsessed]

Deja Vu

Hello Gigglers!

This is a Hwang brothers fic, as requested by @ryoko-loves-roses and @stay-123

Hope you enjoy!

Summary: An aggressive clash between brothers takes a surprising turn when In-Ho is reminded of his brother's peculiar weakness.

This is a TICKLE FIC! Not your thing? DNI.

"Why would you do this?!", Jun-Ho cried out, not knowing if his older brother was capable of processing the desperation of his words through that stoic demeanor and blank expression.

"I was desperate", In-Ho responded matter-of-factly, "I needed the money".

"Don't bullshit me!", Jun-Ho yelled back, trying but failing to repress his raging temper, "I mean why did you become the leader?! The one in charge?!"

"The Frontman", the elder brother corrected him simply, saying this expression in English, which made the whole situation feel all the more off-putting to the younger cop.

They were standing right outside the game building, face to face, amongst the trees. Jun-Ho's team of policeman, as well as Gi-Hun's trained army of loan sharks, were currently raiding it, stopping the games and rescuing the remaining contestants. But Jun-Ho felt the need to confront his brother personally - a need that was mutual.

Jun-Ho had always remembered his elder brother as gentle - he'd always admired him for how calm and collected he would be, even when things didn't go his way. He had also seen in In-Ho's genuine care for others and concern with his little brother's wellbeing. And behind all that stoicism, there was a touch of sensitivity that only a brother could pick up on. So how In-Ho could possibly do something so vile was completely beyond him.

"Why?", he repeated, trying to fight back tears, unable to prevent his lip from quivering.

"I did ask you to join me", In -Ho said, as if he hadn't heard his younger brother's pained query, "And you refused".

"And you fucking shot me!", Jun-Ho snapped back. This was when his tears finally began to flow. His own brother had tried to kill him - that kind, loving figure who he'd always looked up to and who thought would never hurt him had attempted to take his life.

With that remark, he noticed In-Ho's eyes flash with what was either a sudden realization of his failure to protect the games from infiltration or a genuine feeling of guilt at what he had done to Jun-Ho. Jun-Ho hoped it was the latter, but feared it was the former.

"I know I shot you, and I apologie", he responded steadily, as if Jun-Ho had simply accused him of stealing his shirt for a job interview, (a crime they had both committed a fair share of times). "Also", he added, "I kept that man who saved you around the island. As soon as I recognized you, I kept him stationed, ready to rescue you if anything went wrong. I also aimed at your shoulder so it wouldn't be lethal".

This made Jun-Ho's heart sink a little. It was a sink of both disturbance and hope. Was this true?

He was taken out of his thoughts by In-Ho's completely unexpected chuckle of amusement, "Of course, with you, having your shoulders targeted has never exactly been a walk in the park either". In-Ho reached out to grab at the right shoulder of the man who was standing in front of him, pinching it gently, causing Jun-Ho to squirm, flinch and let out a weak yelp.

The Frontman smiled genuinely at his younger brothers reaction, as if it gave him fond memories - "Huh, just as bad there as you used to be I see?"

The tone was teasing, and Jun-Ho couldn't help but blush. This was just how In-Ho used to behave when they were younger. Ever cheeky, always striving to mess with his little brother, to playfully exploit his weaknesses.

"Hey", In-Ho continued, "Since you asked me a question, I guess I'll ask you one back. Than we can trade answers. That's only fair, isn't it?"

Jun-Ho didn't know what to say, his grief steadily returning as he remembered again that they weren't just young brothers having a fun skirmish.

"Okay", he responded.

The Frontman smirked, "Okay, so you want to know why I became the Frontman, so I may as well ask you, why did you become the hero?"

Jun-Ho was a bit taken aback by that question.

"You could have left me here", In-Ho continued, "You knew I wasn't in danger. You could have let me keep running the games. But no, you were determined, desperate even, to rescue all of the players. Why? A sense of duty? Your cop instincts kicking in?"

Jun-Ho just sighed, "You know why I had to try and stop these games. Their innocent people In-Ho, just like you were when you played". Realizing that he had addressed his brother by name, his heart skipped a beat. It only reminded him that this wasn't just some criminal, it was his blood relative. They shared a generational name.

"Okay", In-Ho responded, "I'll accept that. Now for my motives. I wanted to lead the games because they had given me a lifechanging opportunity. Heck, they had saved my life. I had nothing, and than I won, and had everything. I wanted to give others like me a second chance. And, if not, I wanted to put them out of their misery - be a mercy killer".

Jun-Ho couldn't believe what he was hearing, "What, so you're a fucking charity worker now?!"

At this In-Ho's expression hardened a bit, "Oh come on, you haven't even tried listening to my side of the story. Why wouldn't you trust me? I'm your brother!"

On the word 'brother', he reached his hand behind Jun-Ho's back and scribbled at the middle of his left shoulder blade, making the younger squeal and jump.

The Frontman chuckled at his brother's flustered attempt to regain his composure. "Wow, I really thought this sensitivity would have faded with age", he mused.

"This is no time for messing around", Jun-Ho responded sternly, a slight shake in his voice.

In-Ho recognized that tone. It was the voice and facial expression that his little brother had always wore as soon as he found out that his mean big brother was about to tickle him to pieces.

"Your'e right, this is no time for messing around, you really need to take this seriously", the elder responded, giving his brothers' side a quick finger taser.

This made Jun-Ho buckle backwards with another squeal. "See!", In-Ho continued with a feigned tone of revelation, "You really need to stop making these funny noises and pay attention to what's at stake here!"

Again, the Frontman lashed out at his little brother, but this time Jun-Ho dodged and ran. In-Ho just grinned evilly, this all bringing him a sense of Deja Vu from his childhood. Despite being smaller and sixteen years younger, Jun-Ho had never gone down without a fight. He was too prideful - and ticklish - to just let his brother win.

"Oh Junnyyyy", In-Ho sung, pacing slowly behind him as he ran.

Meanwhile, Jun-Ho was dashing through the shrubbery. He too was getting a sense of Deja Vu. But he wouldn't be caught, not this time. He needed answers, not bonding time. Such revelries could wait until after his brother had given him an explanation, after Jun-Ho had forgiven him, if he ever could.

That was when he slipped. His leg got caught on a branch and down he went.

In-Ho chuckled - how predictable. This was always how it would go. In-Ho would never waste his energy running, as it was inevitable that Jun-Ho would lose his balance and trip at some point. Than In-Ho would seize the opportunity, sprint toward him, topple on top of him and win the chase.

"Honestly", In-Ho said with a sigh of fake resignation, crouching down on top of the younger cop, "You never learn do you?"

Jun-Ho smiled despite himself, the anticipation driving him mad.

"There's that smile!", In-Ho remarked, "You should have greeted me like that brother, it looks so much better than that scowl of yours-"

Jun-Ho was about to respond, when In-Ho started sliding his fingers up and down his belly. The thin cloth of his shirt provided little protection, and the helpless man just bit his lip and squeezed his fists into balls, refusing to let any laughter escape.

"Awww", In-Ho said in mock disappointment, "You used to be so ticklish here. Shame, I guess you grew out of it because your such a big strong police officer".

Jun-Ho's face went red. Part of it was because of the agonizingly gentle tickles he was receiving from his elder brother - those fingers driving him absolutely mad. It was also out of embarrassment and frustration that their vital conversation had been taken completely off course. But it was also because he felt sheepish about the fact that he may have been enjoying this, just a little. He had never told his older brother, but he'd always secretly loved these moments of playful affection. Of course, In-Ho could figure this fact out easily, and it only motivated him further.

"Hmmm, I remember that you used to react really badly to this back in the day-"

With that, In-Ho squeezed the flesh of Jun-Ho's knee. The younger man cried out at the unexpected change of spot and, when the Frontman just kept squeezing, he couldn't help but dissolve into high pitched, bubbly giggles.

In-Ho beamed - he hadn't heard this sound from his brother in forever. It definitely seemed out of character.

"Oh, so I guess that one still works on you", the Frontman said matter-of-factly.

"Stahahap!", Jun-Ho blurted out, his head shaking a bit, his legs weakly kicking but getting nowhere as In-Ho sat on top of them, pinning him.

"Stop? Already. But little brother, I just started-"

If the deathly ticklish sensations on his knees weren't getting to Jun-Ho, the teases definitely were. He just let his giggles out in disbelief. This is beyond the last thing he would have excepted from this confrontation.

"You know, you sure are helpless in this state. I should have just gotten those guards to tickle you, would have saved me a lot of trouble and ammo".

Jun-Ho screeched as In-Ho reached his right hand to scribble under his little brother's knee, and lifted the left hand to scrape his side, just below his armpit.

"Hehehey!", he cried desperately.

And that was when In-Ho noticed something. Jun-Ho's desperate giggles had seemingly made him forget about what led of to this tickle attack. Or maybe he did remember, but was trying to suppress it. Either way, his younger brother seemed genuinely joyful, which brought a sense of warmth to In-Ho's heart. All he'd seen from Jun-Ho over the past few years had been pain, stress and, more recently, looks of betrayal. But now the man seemed legitimately happy and, although he may have been the ruthless Frontman, In-Ho's big- brotherly instinct remained, making him ecstatic to see his brother cheered up.

"Hey", In-Ho noted absentmindedly, still not slowing his fingers clawing at his victim's knees and sides, "We haven't done this in forever. I really missed tickling the shit out of you".

Jun-Ho went dark red, "Nahahaha!"

In-Ho just chuckled, taking the hand that was scribbling at his brother's side to poke instead, causing Jun Ho's whole upper body to jolt forward before he started contorting his torso in a futile effort to avoid those brutal fingers.

"I used to do this to you all the time when you were little", In-Ho continued, highly amused by Jun-Ho's silly and highly un-cop-like movements. "Remember when you used to come and wake me in the middle of the night, when I was in my second year of cop training and you were in preschool? How you used to complain about nightmares and interrupt my precious sleep schedule?"

In-Ho than squeezed his brother's hip, making him jolt again and let out a piercing shriek.

In-Ho, trying to hide his delight at his ticklish brother's expense, continued his anecdote - "And than I would punish you by scribbling here-" In-Ho crept both of his hands to Jun-Ho's belly - "And poking here" - the Frontman gently prodded the side of Jun-Ho's neck.

All the while, the younger man was collapsing in sweet giggles, even letting out an occasional snort. Why did his brother have to be so mean?

Suddenly, In-Ho withdrew his fingers. Jun-Ho panted a bit, his chest heaving.

"You know, even though I always tickled you whenever you woke me up in the middle of the night, what was always so peculiar to me was that....you kept coming back"

Jun-Ho watched as his older brother flashed him the most evil grin imaginable.

"You kept waking me night after night, even though you knew what was to come. It made me think that you might have....liked it when I tickled you"

Jun-Ho felt his heart leap out of his chest, felt his body sinking into the ground beneath him. Just as he was about to stammer out a response, his older brother went for the kill.

As soon as In-Ho attacked his underarms, there was no going back.

"NOhoHOhoHOHhoho!"

Jun-Ho wasn't one to scream with laughter, but his bubbly cackles kept getting louder and louder, bordering screeches. He shook violently, slamming his fists into the grass below him, his head buzzing with laughter and, as much as he would never admit it, a much missed sense of happiness and comfort.

In-Ho just kept grinning at the sight, trying to make it look like a malicious smirk as to hold back his overwhelming joy at making his brother this carefree.

"Is this how you learned to fight criminals at the academy?", In-Ho teased, "Just thrashing and flailing uselessly?"

Jun-Ho snorted and squealed, "ShuhuhuHUHUhuhut it!"

In-Ho gasped in mock offence, "Why you little-"

This went on for a few more minutes, until the younger cop's giggles went silent. That was when the Frontman let up.

He waited for his little brother to recover - a rather adorable recovery of residual snickers and a lasting grin - before extending his hand to help him up.

Than Jun-Ho remembered what he had been talking with his brother about. And how unnecessary and immature this whole situation was. He shot In-Ho a piercing glare.

Yet, despite how pissed he was, he had to admit that he was feeling a little better. Maybe this was exactly what he'd needed to regulate his terror and rage - it would be best to hear his elder brother's story with the most open mind possible.

Hope you enjoyed!

[saturnzskyzz]

Ler In-ho with Gi-hun tkl headcannon's!!!

Everyone clap and cheer for my first headcannon request!!! Clap it up 👏👏👏 thank you @ryoko-loves-roses for this request! I don't make that much headcannon's, so bare with me 😭🙏 I also didn't say this on text, but In-ho tickling Gi-hun to lift up his spirits is such a good headcannon!! Might have to take that into consideration and wip up a fic after blasting through my fic requests ✍️ (I'm sorry for how long this is 😭 I might've gotten carried away)

ANYWAY!

I feel that since Jung-bae and Gi-hun have reunited in the games, Jung-bae has a sudden urge to pick on him for that, and how he does it is through poking his sides or stomach, causing Gi-hun to break into a small, nervous smile! And since they have their little group with In-ho and everyone else, he notices this quite often, and so that's when he takes it upon himself to use that fact for himself!

How I think he'd tickle Gi-hun as a way to lift his spirits up, I feel that he would go light, and try to make it seem like they're friends just having a good laugh because he's having to make amends with these people in order to fit in, so he.. OH so totallyyy shows him just a tiny bit of mercy because he's acting with those who are in debt.. Totally not because he's also enjoying the fun banter... Totally.. Only a tiny bit though.

-he goes light and is cautious, but also, he still have that evil side with him.

-he'll literally forget half way through tickling Gi-hun as to why he's even tickling him in the first place, causing Gi-hun to become breathy with his giggles. (it's the contagious and interesting sight he sees from Gi-hun just losing his Michivious and dark persona just by a few pokes to the sides)

-he'll even laugh with Gi-hun because that's how contagious his giggles are!

-he'd give teases here and there, and would sometimes tease too much, resulting in Gi-hun laughing his fucking head off because he can't handle the teases while being tickled, so In-ho is now dealing with a flustered mess of a puddle infront of him. (He teases him about that too)

-I think his tease would go along the lines of;

"I'm glad I've caught Jung-bae poking you, this is just perfect!"

"You're seriously this sensitive? For you to be a previous winner, I'm impressed!"

"Can you hear yourself right now? I'd mistake you as a little girl!"

"Awe, are we going all flustered now? That's cute."

OH MY GOD Gi-hun would flip on a table and break it by the harsh landing cause WHAT?!

Since he's wanting to lift his spirits, I don't think he'd use his free hand to pin Gi-hun's hands.. I KNOW IT'S A CURVE BALL BUT TRUST ME!

He'd leave them free to roam and thrash cause let's be honest.. Gi-hun isn't doing shit 😭 (touch-starved much??)

And he'd also tease him about that too!

"You got all the hands in the world, and yet you don't even stop me? It's like you wanted this to happen."

When he's done, gi-hun is such a flustered mess that he just stays there for a few minutes, resulting in In-ho giving his left over milk that he would have to give him to calm him down!

The aftercare like that is on instinct because of past tickle fights with Jun-ho I'M SORRY-

I hope these were good! I wanted to focus on the idea you had for Gi-hun having his spirits lifted cause aaaah!!! That's a good idea!

[logicroute]

---- A MASTERLIST OF ALL OF MY YTTD PLAYLISTS <3 feel free to ask for reasons why i added songs to a couple! i love talkin abt songs ^^

CHARACTERS doomed by the gods // shin tsukimi blooming roses // kanna kizuchi the coffin man // sou 'midori' hiyori fallen angel coded // maple best friend // ryoko hirose DYNAMICS greenblings make me sad // shin + kanna royal love // maple x miley getting a divorce in the death game // shin x keiji

[chyrstis]

Thanks for tagging me @ri-a-rose ! I have ten of my favorite characters here, and who's the worst? I have some theories, but let's see how they do here. ;)

Just sending out a few tags, but this is totally open for anyone, b/c I'd love to see which characters you'd pick!

@writerofblocks @painterofhorizons @isobel-thorm @aceghosts @strafethesesinners @teamhawkeye @antivanbrandy @jackalopestride @whirly-wind @hawkfurze @jenchwuq