#sakura does not need to be op

[fyodoro]

UNEXPECTED LOVERBOY

-> in which you overhear your calm and secretive boyfriend gushing over you like there’s no tomorrow (1.1k wc)

Cw) gn!reader, manga characters (no spoilers), sakura still malfunctions when it comes to romance topics

Calling Hayato Suo an enigma would be an understatement.

Not a soul knows what lies under that eye patch. He’s calm, collected, and composed at almost all times, but it was a task of its own to grasp why. It’s impossible to catch him eating anything other than teacakes, and he often replaces his meals with a hot cup of tea. He claims to be on a diet, but every diet needs some protein incorporated into it.

Everything there is to know about Suo can be followed up with the same question: “Why?” and “What?”

However, there was an exception to his mysterious nature: You.

Of course, you didn’t know that. Hell, even Suo failed to notice his quite obvious soft spot for you until now. But as Nirei’s eye glittered with joy as he scribbled new notes onto Suo’s page in his notebook, and Sakura’s pupils shrunk with his cheeks flaunting a new shade of red, everyone knew.

Hayato Suo’s in love.

“(Name’s) a beauty, really. They may be rough around the edges at times, but I’ve never met anyone with a soul like theirs,” he babbled uncharacteristically.

He brought his teacup to his lips with closed eyes, missing the baffled expressions on everyone’s faces. But the moment he opened them, he couldn’t help but quirk a brow. “What’s with the shocked faces?”

Umemiya coughed into his hand graciously. “We’re just a little surprised, that’s all,” he began, too immersed in the conversation to notice you entering Kotoha’s cafe. “It’s not often you ramble like this.”

“I didn’t know Suo could be so open about his feelings,” Nirei exclaimed with a smile. “You must reallyyyy like (Name), huh?” he questioned, holding his pen in one hand and notebook in another as if this were an interview.

Suo’s head tilted. “Of course I do, that’s why I’m dating them.”

“You’ve been rambling on and on about (Name) for almost 10 minutes, it’s gross,” Sakura grumbled with flushed cheeks.

“But we wanna hear more! Keep going,” Nirei added.

Everyone looked at Suo attentively, including you. Somehow, the group failed to hear the bell chime when you entered the cafe. You’re clueless as to what’s going on, but it didn’t take a genius to realize it had something to do with you considering the amount of times your name was thrown around.

“My, if you insist,” Suo chuckled. “But I fear I’ve already said it all, unless I forgot to mention how cute it is when their cheeks puff up when they’re annoyed?”

Sakura held his head in his hands in fear that it’d melt off with how hot his face felt. “No, you didn’t. But we get it! You love (Name)!” he shouted.

“They’re impossible not to love,” Suo commented with his usual calm smile.

“That’s just Sakura’s romance sensor going haywire,” Kiryu teased. “Don’t mind him.”

The split-haired boy sulked in his seat, trying to dismiss the heat he felt on his face. “You’re all so…”

His voice trailed off, catching a glimpse of your frame standing behind Suo.

“Su-“

“Trust me, if you were in my shoes you’d be doing the same thing. (Name’s) one of a kind, not to mention beautiful. I can’t imagine a life without them, honestly.” The brunette went on, unbeknownst of your looming presence behind him. “Anyone can fall in love if their heart is stolen.”

“Someone like Suo being so head over heels in love… it must feel like a fairytale for (Name),” Umemiya chimed.

“Oh trust me, it does.”

Everyone’s heads turned to face you, except Sakura, who had noticed you seconds prior.

“(Name)?!”

“I didn’t know I could be such a fun subject of conversation, Hayato.” you teased, hands resting on your boyfriend’s shoulders as you leaned down to his ear.

He gulped, hiding his flustered heart through his relaxed exterior.

“We were just talking about you!” Nirei said happily. “Is it true? That Suo never lets you hold doors open, and holds them open for you? Or that he gave you his umbrella when it was pouring rain because he’d rather get soaked than risk you getting sick?” Oh! What about-“

The boy in question sat in silence, allowing Nirei to ask his heart away to confirm that this wasn’t one of his absurd lies.

You nodded at the blonde. “Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Except he technically kept the umbrella- he just held it over me so my hands wouldn’t get cold,” you corrected, recalling the awful weather of that day.

“What a romantic~” Tsubaki swooned.

“I try my best,” Suo smiled shyly.

“Suo never talks about his life! This is the most he’s ever told us, (Name)! Does he talk to you about his personal life?” Nirei inquired politely, trying not to make you feel pressured into answering.

You thought for a moment. For one, you felt honored that Suo didn’t wanna keep your relationship a secret like the rest of his life. But the blonde’s question made you realize something yourself- you really didn’t know much about your boyfriend’s personal life.

“Well… what can I say? He’s a mystery to everyone, including me.” you replied unsurely, glancing at Suo from the corner of your eye.

“Interesting…”

Nirei wrote something down in his notebook, and you didn’t bother looking. Instead, you held eye contact with Suo. He didn’t have to speak for you to know what he was thinking.

He wasn’t hiding anything from you. He just didn’t like talking about his past, and you understood.

“My love, you know more about me than anyone else in this room,” he stood after finishing the contents of his teacup. “After all, you were the one who told me to take baby steps, correct?”

You vaguely recalled those words. It was weeks ago, but he felt guilty for not telling you or anyone else about his history. In response, you told him to take as long as he needed, and baby steps were always the first steps.

“I did,” you affirmed. Your voice was soft, but it didn’t hide your intentions of making his heart pound a little harder. “But I didn’t think I'd catch you gushing over me like you’ve lost your composure~”

Suo almost broke, and you laughed.

“Woah, is Suo blushing?”

“Who could blame the guy? It’s the most open he’s been with us,” Hiragi commented with truth.

Kotoha giggled from behind the counter. “Not to mention how close (Name) is to him right now, it might be too much for the poor boy to handle.”

The red in Suo’s cheeks slowly faded, and he let out a small sigh. “I’ll see you all later, we’re gonna get going now,” he waved.

The two of you walked out hand in hand, and everyone else was left either baffled, confused, or unphased. Unless it was Sakura, who was somehow all three.

Little did you know, Nirei left a small comment on the corner of Suo’s page in his notebook.

‘Quite the loverboy.’

© enassbraid 2024. i do not permit plagiarism, translations, or reposts of my work on any platform.

[nardo-headcanons]

About Deidara

i am back again with some shower thoughts about Deidara, once again, 90% headcanon and very rambly

Deidara is, in my opinion, one of the most misunderstood characters of the Akatsuki. Many paint him as an explosive (pun not intended) idiot who simps for the Uchiha. But I don't think it's so simple.

We all know Deidara heils from Iwagakure, the hidden stone village. Considering his closeness to Oonoki, Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi, I like to think he is a direct descendant of Oonoki and related to Kitsuchi in some kind of way. Maybe a son? A nephew?

LET ME EXPLAIN:

Thank you so much to the OP who initially pointed this out, unfortunately I couldn't find their post even after 2 hours of scrolling.

Naruto, as can be seen, has full monolid eyes, making him not European looking, contrary to what many people, including myself, thought. Sasuke, on the contrary, has double eyelids, a trait seen as very desirable in Japan and other East Asian countries. Sakura has a mixture of both, a double eyelid but with visible epicanthal fold. These details all stay consistent through the manga. BACK TO DEIDARA

Living with the Tsuchikage has its perks, including wealth and leisure time. Since in Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage heil from one family and one family only, I think that from his birth, Deidara had been shaped and molded into the perfect next leader. He was given anything he desired for, he could have anything that he wanted. He was never allowed to be the kid Deidara, the one making mistakes and living in the moment, no, he had to pave the road for his future.

It was shown that Deidara does know how to make his explosions colorful, and that is mostly done by mixing the explosive substance with alkaline earth metals. Doing that requires knowledge of advanced chemistry since you need to know the ratios and mix-ins. If we take into account Onoki's Kekkei Touta, particle release, we can assume that Deidara has been tought in the natural sciences, up to the atomic level. (this is so cool in itself, he could probably explain orbital theory and quantum mechanics to you)

Deidara was 9 years old when he became a rogue ninja, having joined the Iwa explosion force at a young age and became one of its most talented members. It's making me believe he must have been a literal super genius if he managed to go that far as an elementary school kid. The name "Deidara" might be a pen name he chose for himself as an artist, and Onoki, Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi call him that out of respect - just like Deidara always uses respectful honorifics for his higher-ups. He was raised that way.

He was used to people reacting to him with awe, whether that be the Iwa citizens treating him as royalty, or the people looking at his bombs moments before they go off. It's all he has known. So, when emotionally constipated Uchiha men come along, who don't give him the reaction he believes he is entitled to, he explodes. Literally and figuratively.

In a way, Deidara is, like so many others in the shinobi world, a child forced to grow up way too quickly, never being allowed to live in the moment, always having to think of the future. Maybe his time in the Akatsuki was the most freeing he has ever had.

[patentedsun]

Rapid fire Fairy Tail rewatch thoughts. May or May not expand upon each point later on.

THIS IS LONG AS HELL BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHEN TO SHUT UP.

for reference, I've reached tartaros so far. I am aware of the canon happenings after that tho.

The female cast is so good idc what anyone says obviously the fanservice is awful BUT I will say, in the earlier arcs, it actually felt decently balanced because of Gray's whole stripping shtick + Natsu's cunty vest wasn't particularly modest either LOL.

Erza is such a wonderful character. I've seen comments that she goes downhill like 100yq onwards but. Um. 100yq characterisation.... that's a whole post of its own.

I never expected to like Lucy so much. idc that it takes her like 200 episodes to win a fight solo because when she FINALLY DOES IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF THE SERIES BY FAR. characters who's defining traits r kindness and compassion <33

Interesting how Lucy is the traditional shounen protag (underdog, skills develop overtime) because the rest of team Natsu sans Wendy were all like ... already kinda OP established mages even at the beginning.

I know there are debates ab who really is the protag and imo the narrative skews towards Natsu more BUT. it's bizarre how unexplored he is for a main character. Like yes he is my favourite character other than Lucy but his inner psyche is barely explored it's so weird. He doesn't really have a character arc either??? I'll expand on this more once I finish post tartaros (lolll not looking forward to that) and once again it seems like he's completely regressed from what I've seen of 100yq.

I fucking love all the ships.

I don't agree with comments that Natsu can't be traditionally romantic. Like, I definitely don't think he would ever have the natural inclination to be that way as a part of his character on its own. BUT considering iconic rainbow sakura moment I fully believe he would do whatever it is that would make Lucy happy. And if that includes red roses and candlelit dinners he would absolutely try his best.

Nalu moments r seriously. so good.

I totally see why Juvia stans don't like gruvia. But unfortunately I like them. And I've slightly rewritten them in my head so that juvia doesn't get completely flanderized LOL.

the Natsu Erza Gray sibling relationship goes soooo hard.

Just in general there's something beautiful about the way Fairy Tail handles it's numerous platonic and romantic relationships. Nothing feels secondary yk. Everything is given its due time (except maybe NALU goddammit).

I LOVE THAT FEMALE CHARACTERS HAVE DEEP COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS IRRELEVANT TO THE MALE CAST. Lucy and Levy, Lucy and Yukino, whatever combination between Erza Lucy Wendy, Lucy Flare, Wendy Shelia, Wendy Carla etc

Even when the relationship involves a man in some kind of way like eg Lucy Cana or Erza Kagura it's still not like... in a bad way. The friendship itself is still there, it's just that the inciting incident tends to involve a dude.

Speaking of Lucy having so many deep female friendships is a big reason why I like Nalu so much lol. Like I literally do not care ab ships in media but fairy tail.... just has that something...

Love how often everyone changes outfits.

This show desperately needed a mini arc somewhere with just Natsu Lucy Happy going on a low stake job, where Natsu actually opens up ab his emotions and his relationship with Igneel.

Needed more Natsu and Igneel flashbacks in general.

Wendy triple combo abandonment issues are not talked ab enough holy shit. Grandeeny, Mystogan and then her entire guild???!

Lucy's relationship with her dad was objectively so well written. I skipped starry skies arc sorry the pacing was destroying me so I can't speak on that. But everything else was just BEAUTIFUL.

The fact that she returns to him just to tell at him. The fact that he comes to her with money problems and she STILL stands her ground. The fact that it's HIM who has to better himself and earn HER forgiveness.

Even after it seems like they're on ok terms, Lucy mentions in tenrou that they don't keep in contact, which is soo... realistic...

and then his death... Shout-out to Natsu who actually is emotionally quite mature (as the author himself seems to have forgotten) and dealt with it wonderfully. He gave Lucy her space, he let her vent, he stopped Happy from interfering too much. + Lucy being conflicted ab it and clearly grieving what could have been instead of what was. sighhh. .

idc ab no deaths but I do wish they didn't do fake out deaths as often. Because when actual loss sticks, it's done super well imo. Ultear, Aquarius, I haven't hit this part yet but Igneel... (yes I'm ignoring 100yq)

the episodic fillers r INCREDIBLE.

Rogue and Frosch are so special to me.

Wish they expanded on Jellal and Meredy's relationship a bit more it seems quite wholesome.

I love Virgo.

Really hate the muted colours Ft2014 onwards, but I do like that Lucy's hair became blonde and not yellow.

Pacing 2014 onwards was GOD AWFUL. I WAS SO SAD because I think the story beats in eclipse arc is actually super good but it was DRAGGED OUT SO MUCH nothing had the impact it should've.

Snow fairy, FT, Masayume chasing you will never be forgotten.

Lucy underutilizes Gemini so much it drives me mad. They were terrifying under Angel so like... cmon...

idc what anyone says GMG and edolas were top tier.

Edolas Natsu X Edolas Lucy... yes

objectively speaking gajeel is a top tier character too

Someone pointed out that Natsu didn't reallyyy hang out with anyone other than Happy pre canon and it changed my life. Every time I notice him and Lucy casually hanging out now I start screaming.

HAPPY IS SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER IDC. His edolas character arc was incredible, his relationship with Lucy is just as (if not more) fleshed out as his one with Natsu and that's part of what makes them such a great trio.

Whenever he goes LUUSSHIEEE . my heart ...

OST top tier no notes

the writing was actually so tight up until GMG part 2

I generally don't care ab the powerscaling issues but laxus v jura... no.

The anime kinda fucks up his face a lot but manga Natsu was genuinely soooo adorable in every single panel (once again IGNORING 100YQ).

Wendy also great character arc.

Sting's whole design is SO GOOD and ten years too early. the fur lined vest, the crop top, the one dangly earring, the scar, the loose fitting pants, good God now that's a Look.

Seriously I love Nalu so much...

That's all for now folks. If you want me to expand upon anything just lmk bec believe it or not all of this is a summary.

[madara-fate]

two female characters should appear now more than anyone:

temari should knock some sense into shikamaru because other than his teammates (bc choji doesn't exist) and especially sakura, temari is the only one shikamaru can trust, so disrespectful she wasn't considered. she also could inform gaara and also help evacuate people she's op.

sakura should also knock some sense into shikamaru, tell him to gather a team already, inform her that she's needed to take care of people, invoke katsuyu to protect people from blasts (katsuyu can shield everyone) and go take samples from moegi so she can discover more about the trees.

I'm getting tired of the same pattern attack, boruto comes back, fights, leaves, attack, boruto comes back, fights, leaves. no one really does anything worthwhile, I want something more scientific, stop talking to each other and doing nothing with the intel, just act. it's like konoha never been invaded before when this is like the 6th time. they look more unprepared than ever.

I'd also like to see more of Temari and Sakura, I guess we'll see.

[mixelation]

Will Tori ever be on an Anbu mission?

I mean to me anbu is mostly used for missions that should not be able to be traced back to the original village, which is why their identities are conceiled and stuff.

Now, if Minato needs Tori-Brand of Insanity, without being obvious it's Konoha doing it, would he sent her out as an ANBU? A one-time thing?

Maybe even to guard OTHERS against Toris brand of chaos, since Minato can be like "no ones supposed to know it's you. Even your teammates. We need your unhingedness without letting anyone else know it's you (because I already get waaaaaay too many complaints about you)"

oh, i hadn't even thought about this, but maybe? i like the headcanon that anbu will pull people from general pool when they need a specialist (i like this for uuuuuh "sakura keeps getting nabbed for anbu missions" reasons). in reborn au, gai is on kakashi's rescue team via this mechanism

most of tori's missions post team 4* are "we need a fuinjutsu person :(" so i think, once she's good enough to keep up with anbu, it would make sense for her to be occasionally assigned to one? tori is pretty good at not appearing very noteworthy... she's not someone people pay attention to until AFTER she's done something. :) i think she could handle anbu stealth ops fine lol

she DOES have kind of a weird relationship with authority so minato might try to pair her with itachi/kakashi because she'll, like, listen to them? except also she would talk back to them so maybe he wouldn't LOL. the worst is the time he put her on shisui's team u_u

*team 4 occasionally gets reassembled when minato gets something where it's just like. STUPID messy. here go figure this out u horrible children

[gold-rhine]

wait but how did the worship of The Shogun worked? Everyone thought ei was makoto so did that worship feed into the sakura tree instead or something? Or was it the power of ‘stop killing us you Tirana’ blast when Traveler was fighting Ei? also do you think it works in opposite lol? If enough people thought thay archon isn’t shit they will just fade or something? Lol

lets not confuse this, not all powers in genshin are attention-based, most of them are elemental. elemental powers do not require any outside influence. neuvi's hydro sovereign authority does not depend on any worship. archon thrones are based on stolen dragon authorities and so will not fade away even if all country's ppl are dead, this is why celestia sentenced all of fountaine to drowning and archon was supposed to be left alone, crying on her throne. most gods have innate elemental powers, like adepti. the power of memories and attention is like kind of psychic power that can be translated into material elemental power, its more like amplifier for a god, i think?

but also, ppl not knowing raiden's name doesnt really matter. she ACTED as an archon, she fought monsters and other gods, she made decisions that affected inazuma ppl. inazuma ppl are terrified of her and so respect her, and like, attention doesn't need to be positive.

and yeah, i mentioned in my op that traveler getting buffed from "inazuma ppls wishes" is exactly them acting as a prism of this power of "stop killing us, you tyrant"

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Lemme do a small gameplay take cuz the takes ain't flowing much:

I think the Hoshido sisters are some of the best units out of the siblings.

Hear me out! And maybe this is just my luck with the rng gods but listen!

We know Ryoma is like the most OP with a rather good Def and Res and with Astra very early on (as in like a few levels after you get him), he is pretty great without using extra seals, anything else is a surplus.

However the rest of the siblings both in Nohr and Hoshido don't share this trait, you could make the case with Leo since he gets lifetaker not long after getting him but it takes SO.LONG. to grow his sword usage so he could use his ice blade that has a better attack than the Brynhyldr (yes i had to google the name).

So let me give you a run down, this is with heart and partner seals mostly btw (i didn't want to use friendship yet cuz omg i need to do a lot of math and give it a lot more time) not just growing to the one that makes more sense for the character.

I feel like after Ryoma in a 1 to 9 list of sibling units in Fates it's Hinoka. She can get without external help Rend Heaven and Quixontic (the latter helping any other active abilities) and can get Amaterasu which just really fits with the character because she is the nicest (besides Elise) to all of the army remembering their names and being considerate with em.

In my first run I married her to Hinata which gave her Astra and vantage and, because of the Quixontic, she was a fucking killing machine. You also can really make use of her magic stat with the bolt nagonata, she just snipes almost anyone that gets in front of her.

Camilla has a very similar situation, with Savage Blow very easy to get and Lifetaker as well, she is pretty great. However with her axe she doesn't snipe as often as Hinoka, maybe that's just my luck, i have them both on the same level. Bolt axe also works super well with Camilla. I think Camilla's biggest problem is her rather low Res compared to Hinoka, since both have very similar defense and both could easily crumble with a small arrow.

Then Sakura and Elise are super close in ranking but Sakura wins because she has pretty solid defense and resistence, which some might say it's not that big of a deal, bit with Mirage and Miracle and Renewall she is a great tank, just give her a shining bow and she is sniping bitches left and right, i also gave her Lethality with Saizo and can easily get Astra with Hana, so she is a BEAST.

She was the only one that could resist really an attack from Anankos, unlike the rest of the sibs (from what i was able to see, again my luck and opportunity didn't allow me to test all) that would end with like a third or an eight if their life after attacking Anankos, she was left with 5/12's like almost a half and with dragon ward it was better, she was chilling.

Elise is also fantastic, especially of you get her Savage blow and lifetaker, with the moonlight tome, she can take maybe 2 rounds at most, but she is still a glass canon all things considered, she does base like 70 HP a lot of the time but they can easily kill her.

Leo, again pretty great overall with Savage blow, Lifetaker and I was able to give him Sol with Charlotte which really helped him because he is also a bit of a glass canon just that he doesn't pack as much punch as Elise can, magic wise.

Xander, though a great tank, he really needs someone else active in battle to help him dispatch cuz both Siegfried and his Lance don't pack as much punch as like Raijinto for example. I was able to give him Luna besides Aegis and Savage blow because i married him to Beruka but it still had quite a but to be desired.

Takumi, maybe i didn't grew him right, bit he is more of a glass canon than Elise frfr, he can barely, maybe endure a turn tbh. The Fujin Yumi being only 2 range really makes him super vulnerable and, even with rend heaven and quixonic, maybe astra and vantage or lifetaker he could be better but idk he was just very brittle overall, which is interesting cuz he actually has a more than decent defense.

Azura for me was the hardest to grow, maybe because i married her with Jakob un my Rev playthrough, maybe with Arthur or Kaden (her husbands in my conquest and Birthright plays) she could be a bit better with Sol and 5+ HP or Rend Heaven and Quixotic, cuz i only was able to get her some falcon knight and kinshi knight stuff that isn't súper active or helpful. Maybe with miracle and renewal too but idk. She really needs some armor jeez.

Anywho my ranking from strongest sib to weakest:

Ryoma (good base, can get great surpluses)

Hinoka (super flexible in the best ways, could both be a super or an amazing healer)

Sakura (great tank with healing abilities, give her magic bow and bang bang)

Elise (Glass canon that could endure more if you train her more)

Camilla (Great unit but doesn't snipe as much and cannot heal so she is more of a one trick wonder, sadly. Maybe if she were a War cleric, she would rock)

Leo (also very flexible but not enough to be great, gotta kneed him and work him to be great)

Xander (Good tank, needs a lot of help killing tho and a lot of kneeding too)

Takumi (also need a ton of kneeding to be good but fujin yumi really leaves him vulnerable multiple times)

Azura (cousin, put on some armor you are gonna die for the 35th time PLEASE-) (maybe in a level with a ton of sourcerers, since she has actually a pretty good res, with a hexlock spear, a javalin and a good protect buddy and healing buddy, it would be a massacre)

.

[animeshrink]

Kakashi - Coping Skills

So, Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, had multiple coping skills throughout his lifetime. Some positive. Some negative.

Negative coping skills and positive coping skills serve the same purpose - to help you cope. However, negative skills help us avoid - the problem is still there when we're done. Positive help us move on and process and prepare for future challeges.

So, first let's look at some of Kakashi's negative coping skills.

Escapism and Avoidance - Marry the job, Detach from the people

One can argue that Kakashi's entire 10-year-stint in the Anbu Black Ops consisted of "avoidant escapism to the point of dissociation." In other words, he buried himself in the dirty work of his village to escape his real-world problems and became detached from his friends in the process. There's a reason his nickname was "Cold-blooded Kakashi." He was a system-made killing machine who was so detached and dissociated that he didn't care about life, anymore to the point where he was hoping to die and didn't care. The ultimate negative coping mechanism.

2. Reading.

Reading can be a positive or a negative coping skill, but it really does depend on what you read.

Negative coping - one of Kakashi's favorite books as a teen. Don't really need to say much.

Negative coping - Icha Icha Series. Let's just say it's "adult material," and the book/series was ever-present for Kakashi. For Kakashi, it provided a form of escapism and avoidance and in many ways was a physical boundary between him and those around him.

However, for Kakashi, this was also a positive coping skill - for people with anxiety, it's not uncommon to repeatedly read or watch something they enjoy due to it's predictability providing comfort in an otherwise chaotic world. So, for Kakashi, repeatedly reading his books is a security blanket. Just the subject matter...

3. Drinking

Negative coping skill - Okay, this was probably the only time Kakashi was shown inebriated/ getting drunk, although he does drink socially in Boruto. However, many fans see him as someone who did not engage in vices to cope, aside from his book, but that was not the case. In this scene where he is drinking with Jiraiya, (white-haired guy in red) he does actually get drunk to the point of passing out. So, he was theoretically a social drinker and it did seem like, at least here, it was his mentor/friend, Jiraiya, who also wrote the Icha Icha series, trying to get him to lighten up and engage in vices to cope. He meant well, and many of us do have friends like that or are that friend. See someone who is depressed, "hey you need to get out, go to a club, lighten up, get smashed." White-haired guy had his own struggles, but that's another post...

*Note, I am not discouraging alcohol consumption, just everything in moderation and for it not to be used as a coping skill.

Positive Coping

Taking breaks to hang out with his best friend and rival

2. Relaxing.

Kakashi loved himself some hot springs as a means of decompressing.

3. Vacationing/Go on Holiday

4. Teaching

Finding a more positive, meaningful profession.

5. Creating his own family out of friends

Kakashi had lost his entire biological family at an early age and it took a while, but he created a family bond with his students as they grew from students to teammates. Their kids even call him "uncle Kakashi," implying he's family to them, as well. Sometimes, when biological family isn't available, whether literally or figuratively, it is okay to create your own, and that's what he did.

6. Acknowledged that he needed help

Okay, so no pictures for this, but in the Sakura Hiden book, Sakura (pink haired girl in the pics - becomes a doctor) wants to build a mental health hospital for the children of war. Kakashi, being leader of the village at the time, the Hokage ( ho-kah-gay), agrees to take money from the Anbu to fund the hospital. However, in the book, he acknowledges that the system did a job on him mentally as a kid, so he's more than happy to let her build the hospital. Of note, just some more cool points for Kakashi-sensei, in the book there's also the discussion of psychotropic meds (e.g, antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, etc...) and he agrees that it's a personal choice.

If anyone can think of any others, do share.

*As always, post is for entertainment-educational purposes only. Please do not ask me for any mental health advice. If you do need help, please contact a local mental health professional or call 988, in the US if you need immediate assistance for a mental health emergency.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ep.2 thoughts

[Getting the Shaft]

(Contents: Animation, ch.2-3 comparison, OP/ED analysis)

So I found out that a number of people employed at David Productions were formally members of Shaft, and dang does it show. Fuuko practically did Shaft's signature head tilt like three times! I wonder if they weren't allowed to go all the way with it specifically because it's iconic to Shaft so they have a copyright or a trademark on it?

Admittedly, I don't think I ever considered Shaft as a possible studio for UU, and in certain respects I kind of wish I weren't seeing that future come to pass. The excessive use of negative space and the lack of background characters makes the world feel lifeless, and the occasional full-body shadows literally drain the color from the frames whereas I feel based on the volume covers and color pages is the opposite of the blinding neon vibe that I would have expected. I also worry that using the trappings of a Shaft production's visuals will result in UU looking like any other Shaft work rather than having its own visual identity, though I suppose we'll have to wait and see on that

However, this is the future we got, and all in all, those are just gripes. The combat has exactly the energy that it needs to, the comedic moments are given a lot more gravitas than they had in the manga, and once again David Pro loves to add in fun details. My favorite in this week's episode was Andy realizing what the source of the Unluck was going to be and slowly inching closer to Shen and Void so they'd be more likely to get caught up in it. I don't believe I saw the almost electric trail of blood from Andy's finger as he prepped his Parts Bullet against Void, but maybe i just missed it. If I did, let me know, I'd love to be wrong about this one

As I (and many others) predicted, episode 2 covered chapters 2 and 3, and I think it did it quite well. I'm not sure if it's because I read the manga, because it's an anime, or because the director specifically was trying to do this, but I felt like the anime made the exposition and details a lot easier to absorb than the manga did. If I had to attribute that to something, I would say that a panel can cram in multiple details and layers that the reader needs to be active to pick up on while an anime has to show everything individually and any deviation can be detected through movement. I don't know that for a fact, but it's the impression I get

The difference between Unavoidable and Shen's ability was pretty difficult for me to wrap my head around at first in the manga, but I feel like this iteration will make it a lot easier to differentiate them, hopefully. I wouldn't say that UU is obtuse in general, but I imagine a lot of it is going to be clearer going forward

We also got the opening and ending themes, both of which had great songs and animation. Both were definitely odd, though; they were kind of subdued compared to a lot of other shonen anime openings, with the OP spending about half of it on abstract fractals rather than establishing the characters or setting as one might expect and the ED being extremely somber and heavily symbolic. Even as a manga reader, both of them gave me a bit to chew on, which isn't something I usually expect from OP/EDs

I'd really like to read over the lyrics, but I don't think they're up anywhere yet, and even once I find them I imagine they won't pertain to the story and instead will just match the vibe more than expounding on the themes

Without going into spoilers, my favorite part of the ED animation is Andy waking up under the sakura tree with Fuuko after drifting along the River Styx and passing under dead trees; it's said that under every sakura is a corpse, so the idea that Andy is, in effect, burying his past and leaving his previous life behind him for a brighter future with Fuuko is extremely poignant and touching

If there's anyone worried about Andy and Fuuko's relationship based on the first two episodes, just know that that one bit right at the end of the ED is a better representation of their ongoing relationship than the first couple of episodes are. They are easily the best romantic couple in shonen manga, at least that I've ever seen, so just know you have that to look forward to

I'm particularly excited for next week's episode, cus I really like the Union member they're going to meet. I only recently came to like this character as much as I do, but they make a strong first impression at least, so I hope everyone out there enjoys them too. See ya then!

[maoam]

I hope you're alright.

U know how the fandom view kakashi right? The guy with the most tragic past in the whole show, one of the best senseis in anime history and is extremely wise and and wins every battle. yeah?

But not everything they claim him to be is true right? Like he's called wise but to me I never really saw that, the times he was meant to be wise like when he told twelve year old sasuke to give up on revenge... yea, wasn't the best advice to give since their pasts are different? As for them claiming he is op, didn't he have to be saved from Zabuza, which was like the first serious battle of the arc and part 1 of naruto?

Him having a tragic past yea I agree w that, but it never made him think of the system and how it was wrong? He's just content to follow with whatever.

And him being one of the best senseis in anime history, like I'm sorry but he didn't understand any of his three students, was blind to sakura's faults, didn't help sasuke with anything ( apart from teaching him chidori), projected on sasuke waayy too much, knew the truth about the massacre and did nothing w that information? ( unless I missed a bit where he did).

Idk this is just my opinion. What do you think of him? Thanks.

Him as a teacher is whatever for me, I mean he teaches Sasuke some things in part 1, and teaches Naruto couple things in part 2, but he is admittedly lacking in that department. The sannins take over his role in part 1 already.

As for why he is popular, one reason is because he is superficially a cool character, he is hyped up a lot, he has "1000 jutsus", he has sharingan, he has a tragic backstory, he also hides his face so even that is a mystery about him. Him reading erotica books is something people find funny, because it seemingly contradicts with his outer appearance. He is also a mentor character and those tend to become popular since young people find mentors reliable figures they would want in their own lives.

But yeah he doesn't really fight much despite all the hype, some fanboys also point out that his track record during the story is small compared to what one would expect.

What I dislike about his character is that he's a passive victim who never questions their system. His father killed himself because his community was brainwashed by Konoha's mentality, one of his teammates died as a child soldier, and another seemingly died as well. And that's not all, one of his students was a victim of a decades long alienating policy and a genocide and another of his students was a human container for monster that were seen as tools used for war so that the villages could profit from it. Yet he accepted it and submitted to it. And of course the fandom glorify this because what they care about is drawing flower crowns on their favorite characters and pretending the story is about kittens and puppies and not oppression. They don't like to see characters negatively and uncomfortably affected by injustice, unless it lasts like one arc and they are back to cracking jokes.

What makes it worse is that he does see it, he sees why Sasuke is the way he is, because of their world, yet his solution is to get rid of Sasuke instead of the system.

Generally, I don't think there is anything admirable about letting oppressors walk over you and putting up with it. It's sad if anything.

He is also hypocritical. When Sasuke's revenge was only consisting of killing Itachi, Kakashi was already against it, despite the fact Itachi killed not only Sasuke's family but his whole clan. And yet when Team 10 wanted to avenge Asuma, he was all for it, he even went to help. Is it because Asuma is someone Kakashi personally cared for? Because that's not a good look.

I also hate how he handles Sakura with kid gloves. I understand a character was needed to do this, because despite the fact Sakura is supposed to be an unlikeable person she is still part of the main cast and can't be outrightly condemned. There needs to be someone justifying her nonsense. But it doesn't change the fact it's annoying and doesn't make me favor Kakashi's character. A good example is when he tries to speak for Sakura, and he says to Sasuke that Sakura wants to save him eventhough he tried to kill her. He is of course conveniently omitting the fact Sakura came there to kill Sasuke herself. Lol.

Sakura isn't the type to brag or hurt others?

First arc.

Last arc. Yeah, no bragging to be found...

I don't think I need to add every single scene where Sakura has beaten Naruto up or berated him.

And to add to Kakashi's passiveness, he became a Hokage to warm the seat for Naruto because Obito wanted him to, like come on.

[sasukesun]

https://www.tumblr.com/watermelonsloth/726697901843267584/hinata-jumping-into-the-pain-pit-is-weirdly

This analysis feels so weird to me. Like OP just talk subit how Hinata protecting Naruto in Pain Arc should’ve been relevant, and like it’s a nice thing of her to do that… And they think that Shikamaru would be better in her place? Shikamaru has a plan and wants to stick to it, he wouldn’t ruin it when Naruto told him to not interfere with the fight.

I don’t, it just comes out of nowhere.

They just saw Hinata in Pain Arc, and because she didn’t come back later on, they assumed it meant something about Hinata but that the plans for her were changed? No, it’s just that there’s nothing worth being told about her. She’s just a boring character…

this is actually comical because it feels like they were so close to getting it… and then they just didn’t! they are able to realise hinata isn’t relevant to the arc, or to naruto, or that her confession doesn’t impact naruto at all etc etc etc and then goes “maybe because she was supposed to be important in a type of foreshadowing”. no. hinata’s confession during pein is a forced nh moment because kishimoto knew he had to pair them up for boruto. neji dying, literally as a cupid, and hinata pulling a will of fire speech is another forced nh moment because kishimoto knew he had to pair them up for boruto. as the post i linked says, hinata is far from being integral in naruto reevaluating his answer to find peace, she actually pretty much makes his character regress/not progress, he acts the same way he does with dark naruto. people just need to do mental gymnastics to justify why irrelevant characters like sakura and hinata weren’t supposed to be irrelevant. (i’m not gonna even talk about the part saying sakura should save naruto from pein because naruto is in love with her lol).

[animeomegas]

This has absolutely nothing to do with Alpha, Beta, omega dynamics, but it’s something I need to know. I’m currently writing something, and I need help. Which of these would create a strong, stronger person if all three people were combined into one person? Team seven from Naruto(Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura) or the mini big three from my hero(Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki)

I understand if you don’t wanna answer this, but it will help me out so much if you did

Team 7, of course! Their universe allows for a much higher level of OP than MHA does.

I'm not sure how this will help you, but there's my opinion!

[shizuokadivision]

— Party of Words Headquarters, Prime Minister's Office, Chuohku —

“Lady Otome! We have a huge problem!”

“What is it?”

“It's Keitoin! She's heading down to Shizuoka with the rest of Clean Speak!”

“What? I gave her no orders to do so! Did she give any explanation as to why?”

“Yes Ma’am! She said something about giving that crazed scientist her comeuppance for what she did to her.”  

“Tch. That woman….” 

...

...

...

2 Hours Earlier…

— Sakura’s Office, Kito-gumi Main Base, Shizuoka Division —

[The members of Silent Tragedy were gathered in Sakura’s office. Sakura was sitting in her chair behind her desk while Kanon and Reika were sitting in front of her. It had been a peaceful day for them so far. Perhaps a bit too peaceful...]

Reika: So we're celebrating our anniversary at my house, right? Kanon’s place is out for…obvious reasons and Sakura your house does not have the right mood for a party.

Sakura: *sarcastically* Oh, I'm sorry, Reika. Let me just turn on some music and tell my men to do the can-can for you.

Reika: Alright no need to act like a bitch. 

Sakura: Well what do expect Reika? My home is a yakuza base, not a place to gather all your friends and throw a party. *sighs* Kanon do you have any opinions?

Kanon: I believe that the two of you are very lucky that I'm agreeing to this at all. 

[All three women quickly turn their heads as they hear the door being opened, revealing Shinji with a serious look.]

Shinji: Forgive me for my intrusion ladies. However, I was informed that Chuouku’s Special Ops Unit Clean Speak is heading to Shizuoka. They’re estimated to arrive in an hour. 

Sakura: *grits teeth* What. 

Shinji: It also seems they're being led by Chuohku member Honobono Keitoin. Who if intel is correct is not to be taken lightly. 

Kanon: Keitoin? *laughs*  I'll bet you she's doing this without any permission from Tohoten. Keitoin was never known for listening to her. 

Reika: So what? She's gone rogue?

Kanon: No. I'm not going to pretend to understand her thought pattern but Keitoin along with those pesky clones were sent out to deal with me several years ago. The clones weren't all that hard to deal with but Keitoin herself was quite a bit harder. We ended up fighting and it ended up at a standstill something that I imagine rankles her. 

Sakura: So she's coming for revenge against you?

Kanon: I wouldn't doubt it. She more than likely has been planning something since she discovered where I was.

Reika: Now what Kanon? I'm not entirely pleased with the idea of a Chuohku official coming to Shizuoka to get revenge on you.

Sakura: Neither am I. 

Kanon: *smirks* This is a good time to test out Project Tacet don't you think you two?

...

...

…

1 Hour Later…

— Near Outskirts, Shizuoka Division —

[Kanon, Reika, and Sakura stood in the middle of the road as they watched Keitoin and her unit approach. The city of Shizuoka was towering behind them and was living up to its namesake as the city was seemingly silent as if it knew what would happen next. All three women had bored looks on their faces and were seemingly unfazed by the marching unit even when a large number of Clean Speak members stood in front of them prime and ready to attack.]

Reika: All this? Just for the three of us? You shouldn't have.

Sakura: *hums* Well we are some of Chuohku’s most wanted. 

Kanon: *eyes the crowd* Hmm…I'm going to need more space in my morgue. 

[Honobono Keitoin walked from where she was standing in front of Clean Speak stopping only halfway from where Silent Tragedy was. Kanon seeing this began to walk as well stopping when she was only a few feet away from Honobono. The air was tense with animosity as both women stared each other down.]

Kanon: Keitoin.

Honobono: Kanon-chan. It's been so long since I've seen your face. Such a shame our last meeting ended the way it did.

Kanon: Stop with the niceties Keitoin we both know what you came here for. 

Keitoin:*smiles cruelly* Fufufu~. Don't be like that Kanon-chan. I just came to finish playing with you. Consider it payback for what you did to me. *stares behind Kanon*  Oh! It looks like you brought some friends as well. Don't worry I'll pay with them when I'm done with you.  

Kanon: Hahaha! Oh, I’ll like to see you try Keitoin. 

[Honobono now beginning to get angry reaches to get out her mic but before she could Kanon pulls out a small remote with a button and turns on Project Tacet. All over Shizuoka multiple towers began to activate. Each one begins to send out a frequency that spread all over the city and the surrounding area.]

Honobono: Hm? Was that supposed to do something~?

[Honobono takes out her mic and activates and to her shock, it doesn't. An unhinged smile forms on Kanon’s face as she watches Honobono get angrier and angrier as her mic won't activate. The other members of Clean Speak begin to pull out their mics as well and much like with Honobono their mics did not activate.]

Honobono: What did you do!?

Kanon:  Located all over Shizuoka are towers that when activated release a frequency that prevents nearly all Hypnosis Mic from activating inside their radius. I took some inspiration from Chuohku’s Hypnosis Canceller, however, my version is far superior and isn't prone to failing. *chuckles* I’ve had this project planned out for quite a while now and you just gave me the perfect reason to test it out Keitoin. 

[Honobono grits her teeth as she learns what had happened to her mic however she pauses when she hears how Kanon phrases her words.]

Honobono: What do mean by “nearly all”?

Kanon: The only mics that will be able to activate within Shizuoka and the surrounding area when the towers are powered on are ours. *raises eyebrow* Really Keitoin? Did you think I am foolish enough that I would leave myself defenseless? No. I've personally modified the mics in my team’s possession to be immune to any outside interference. 

[Footsteps are heard as Reika and Sakura walk over and take their place next to Kanon on her right and left side respectively. The members of Clean Speak were beginning to feel nervous as they were essentially defenseless. An enraged look begin to form on Honobono’s face as she realized her position.]

Reika: Oooh. Someone’s pissed.

Sakura: I would too if my plan was utterly destroyed like hers was.

Kanon: Now then, why don't I show you what happens to anyone who angers me? 

Reika: *purrs* Oh goody a bloodbath. It was getting a little boring around here.  

Sakura: *bares her teeth* Finally I can teach these motherfuckers a lesson on why encroaching on my territory is a bad idea.

Kanon: Are you two ready?

Sakura: Ready as I’ll ever be.

Reika: Can't wait to give them a show.

Kanon: Let’s do this then. 

[All three women take out their mics and activate them. Their speakers rising behind them.]

Welcome to Shizuoka, where even the deadliest tread carefully

Bring the Beat!

[Kanon:]

Don't expect to be received so cordially

The Widow, The Boss, and I are far worse than what you've heard

Now get ready our wrath is what you've incurred

The torture that awaits you is pure agony 

Even the devil himself would balk at our brutality 

It won't be long before your dropping like flies 

Your worthless lives flashing before your very eyes 

[Sakura:]

You've got guts, I’ll give you that

Let me just give you one caveat 

This ain't no kiddie fight, no this is a full-on beat down

You’ll learn firsthand for messing with my town

[Reika:]

This is a city of no remorse 

We represent the city of Shizu

Our word is law, of course

[Kanon:]

Making everyone pay for all our scars 

[Reika:]

Yeah, yeah, yeah

[Silent Tragedy:]

This tune echoes through the waters of Shizu

(Tomorrow's winds will blow the next day)

We gotta escape the maze of our pasts

(And the scars on our hearts will disappear)

The devil has stolen our halo

(Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh)

This vacation is sure a blast

Kind of our Scarface paradise, yeah

[Reika:]

Oh my, look how amusing you all are

Trying to escape like animals in a snare 

But this snake has you in her sight

Poised and ready to bite

[Kanon:]

 More sickly sweet than cyanide 

Just like Jekyll with his Hyde 

A monster held back by chains

I'll show you, evil is my name 

[Reika:]

From humble beginnings to a grand estate 

A queen hands out her mandate

So don't make me say it twice

Or else you’ll be paying the price 

[Sakura:]

An eye for an eye, a leg for a leg, even a bullet to the head 

It ain't enough until I dye these streets bright red

It's quite easy to get lost in the slaughter 

But what can you expect from the bastard daughter?

[Silent Tragedy:]

This tune echoes through the waters of Shizu

(Tomorrow's winds will blow the next day)

We gotta escape the maze of our pasts

(And the scars on our hearts will disappear)

The devil has stolen our halo

(Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh)

This vacation is sure a blast

Kind of our Scarface paradise, yeah

[Sakura:]

This is a call for arms, a bloody revolution

Any who oppose will meet their execution 

Much more than just a simple promise, it's our resolution

We are the Scarface

With lyrics and rhymes that are impossible to outpace

[Reika:]

Say hello to my little friend

[Kanon:]

So many lab rats...

[Silent Tragedy:]

This tune echoes through the waters of Shizu

(Tomorrow's winds will blow the next day)

We gotta escape the maze of our pasts

(And the scars on our hearts will disappear)

The devil has stolen our halo

(Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh)

This vacation is sure a blast

Kind of our Scarface paradise, yeah

Happy Late Anniversary Silent Tragedy!

[ikingpotato]

UchiKasu - Sasuke The OP Protagonist

Thanks to Sasuke's Sharingan, Sasuke can easily copy and gain power, abilities, and technique from reading Kakashi's book of knowledge as Sasuke need to be more open mind to learn all the shinobi technique, even he had just learn and copy Naruto's rasengan to gain his arsenal. Kakashi gave him the book of knowledge before he leave and vanish into a new world of street fighter that Sasuke is in.

Sasuke Uchiha is going to be like megaman to gain and copy power, technique, and abilities from capcom world and world of street fighter that Sasuke willing to learn, thanks to his sharingan.

Sasuke does have a potential and a lot of qualification to be main character protagonist, which he is going to be too OP. Sasuke is like isekai'd character in reverse. Sasuke will be a very good protagonist and willing to be more open minded to help himself with character development growth, with a help by Sakura of course.

His lover, Sakura Kasugano who is his love interest, will support and help Sasuke to be a protector of his new found home of the world of street fighter but also protector capcom multiverse. Sakura will be the one that will change Sasuke's character and his heart because she fall in love with him.:D

Art by and Credit to kish95 (a.k.a Kishinpain)

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[narhinafan]

Hinata is one of the most underestimated characters in all of the Naruto fandom I don't know how anyone who was able to land a blow against pain is considered weak at any stretch. she's one of the strongest characters in the entire series yet people still downplay her feats despite the fact she fought gods and the third strongest Akatsuki and didn't do too badly no character in the series that isn't Sasuke hasn't performed nearly as well as she has yet she's considered week and useless? Sakura struggles against opponents that are far weaker then she is despite being stronger than them. Sakura in the boruto era is so overrated in terms of her feets while Hinata is still a capable fighter despite being Rusty it is clearly obvious if the two were ever to come to blows he not to come on top because of her speed and strength and combat.

Exactly the Hyuga are OP, but Hinata stands at the top of all of them, she might not have many fights, but all the ones she does get she is up against only the strongest characters and she always does decent. Really if they put Hinata against anyone weaker it would be an easy win for her. More so Lion Fist once you read the jutsu file is OP as hell, not many people realise just how much of a cheat skill it is in a fight and is likely the reason why Hinata could land several hits and push back Pain.

Hinata isn't losing to Sakura, when the gentle fist is a complete counter to her fighting style.

Hinata really needs to get the spotlight and good fight to show case her skills for real. At this point I am convinced the reason they won't show her more is cause they are well aware she destroys most opponents if they aren't god level.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

I see smut prompts 👀 I will 100% understand if you don't want to do this one but honestly I think Luka should be like Marvelous but with the gorls so Luka and anyone else you wish

Hon, I need you to understand that you have the biggest brain on Earth. You'll have to accept my apology, because this is not smut in the least, but in my defense I thought of something very funny. It took all of my self-control to keep from titling this story "is ntr feminist?"

"Mm. So do you like being a treasure hunter?"

"I wouldn't call myself a treasure hunter, that implies I do it for profit. I'm a Precious recovery specialist."

Luka raises an eyebrow, leaning on the bar with her chin in her hand. "Ok, sure, recovery specialist, is it fun?"

Sakura looks thoughtful for a moment and then says, "I enjoy my work, yes. Why?"

--

Something is happening over at the bar. Marvelous can't quite tell what yet, but whatever it is, it's definitely entertaining. Luka goes on a charm offensive once in a comet's orbit, and seeing her pull out all the stops for Bouken Pink of all people is fascinating.

At the bar, Luka leans forward and rests her fingertips on Sakura's wrist, just above the band of her changer, and at Marvelous' elbow, Akashi makes a faint distressed noise before gritting out, "I'm glad they're getting along."

Eiji pats him on the arm. "So she hasn't forgiven you yet."

"I'm not entirely clear on what she's angry about, so no."

Marvelous eyes Akashi. "You and Pink are actually together?"

"I thought we were."

--

Luka's eyes light up. "Oh, so you're a rich girl."

"Despite myself, yes." Sakura tilts her head to the side thoughtfully, sips her drink. "Does that bother you?"

"Nah, I like rich girls. I thought you were a special ops type before you went into...recovery work, though."

"I like to have useful ways to spend my time. Staying at the family home and sitting on my hands never struck me as especially productive."

"Fair enough." A slow sip of golden brandy, and then Luka grins again, eyes flicking to one side briefly to take in their audience. "So what about special ops? You like that? Get any interesting scars out of it?"

Sakura's eyebrows shoot up. "So you're the kind of girl who's interested in scars."

"If they're cool, yeah."

--

Eiji's hand, Marvelous is fascinated to note, is still resting on Akashi's forearm, with the casual possessiveness that Marvelous has seen other people direct at their wallets, jewelry, and expensive firearms. He doesn't seemed bothered by the flirtation happening over at the bar--or at least, he hasn't been. Now he's sort of choking a little, and Marvelous turns to see that Sakura has grabbed Luka's chin and is inspecting her face closely.

"Luka must really like your Pink," Joe says, as Souta is reaching out to clap Eiji's shoulder comfortingly, "I saw her cut a guy's hand off once for touching her face like that."

"She's very likeable, really, once you get past the intimidation factor." Souta flashes Joe a grin. "We've been working together for years, and I don't think I've ever met anyone else who's so."

Joe waits a long moment for an answer before prompting, "So?"

"So. So. Uh. So."

Joe follows his wide-eyed line of sight to--Luka, having freed herself, leaning in close to whisper in Sakura's ear.

--

"Sooo, do I actually get to kiss you, or did you just want to get Bouken Red's attention?"

"You know, at first I was just irritated with Akashi, but I'll admit that after such an interesting conversation I'm reconsidering my plans for the evening."

--

Masumi reaches over and pinches Souta on the ear, hard. "Snap out of it."

Souta does not snap out of it. He's too distracted.

Marvelous looks from the daisy chain of agonized Boukengers at their table over to Masumi. "You don't seem distracted by the ladies at all."

"I'm gay." Masumi shrugs and drains half of his soda in one long sip. "Like, Sakura's a hell of a woman, if she asked I wouldn't say no, but mostly that's curiosity."

Nearby, Natsuki looks up from where she and Ahim are roundly beating Doc and Gai in pool and beams. "They do look nice together, don't they?"

Muted sounds of agony from Akashi, Eiji, and Souta. Gai just nods. "Yeah, it's nice seeing Luka really click with someone."

--

"Hm. What kind of plans did you have for the rest of the evening?"

Luka smiles a tiny, pleased smile. "I think that's for us to know and them to wonder about, don't you?"

--

"She is a bit abrasive usually, isn't she?" Ahim lines up her cue, shoots, and sinks two balls at once. "I wonder where they're going--oh, dear, are the gentlemen all right?"

"They'll be fine." Marvelous slings one arm around Akashi's back and the other around Eiji's, resting his chin comfortably on Akashi's shoulder. "I figure it's a learning experience."