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jeankluv · 1 month

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When the cherry blossoms bloom - Fushiguro Megumi & Itadori Yuji

summary: Tsumiki once told Megumi that if he was able to catch a cherry blossom petal he could make a wish and it would come true.

“Please wake up Itadori…” He said against his closed fist. “Come back to me…”

words: 1,4k

tags: Megumi centric fic, fluff Itafushi, post canon, canon fix, manga spoilers, Gojo-Megumi father son duo, everyone lives (except tsumiki I’m so sorry princess), angst, hurt/comfort, happy ending, two teens starting to fall in love with each other

notes: this my first time writing something that is not x reader/oc, so it’s kinda new. But after 266 i had the NEED to write about Itafushi and here it is. Btw tomorrow I will post a new chapter of the Geto fic

Jujutsu Kaisen materialist | ao3

The cold winter of that year welcomed spring. Japan in general was still recovering from the disasters of sorcery, Sukuna, the merger, etc., but the atmosphere seemed happier since the cherry blossoms had begun to bloom. Megumi stood in front of one of the trees and extended his hand, hoping to reach one of the many petals that fell to the ground.

His fist clenched as he picked up the petal and brought it to his chest and closed his eyes. Tsumiki had taught him that if he caught a petal and wished for something, it would become real.

Megumi wanted to wish for a lot of things, he wanted his sister to be back with him but he knew it was impossible. So he wished for something else.

“Please wake up Itadori…” He said against his closed fist. “Come back to me…”

Megumi pursed his lips and let go of the petal in his hand. It was a foolish wish, but his heart still held a small hope that Itadori might wake up from the coma that had trapped him on December 24th.

He tightened his grip around his backpack and continued walking back home. He had started a new school grade, in a normal, completely normal high school. With Sukuna's death, sorcery had completely disappeared and so had the Jujutsu school.

Megumi no longer had his ten shadows with him, he no longer had his shikigamis…

He blinked as he realized he had arrived home, a house that despite everything still felt empty. With a long sigh, he entered the key and the sound of the door opening filled his ears and he entered the apartment.

“I’m home…” He said taking off his shoes.

He heard footsteps approaching him and subtly looked towards the sound. “Don’t take off your shoes, we’re leaving.” Megumi raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Shoko called me, Yuji woke up.” Megumi felt a chill run through his body and if it weren’t for the fact that he was leaning on the ground he probably would have fallen face first.

Megumi only nodded. “But you don’t have…”

“Ijichi is waiting.” He said. “I called you, your phone was off.”

“It probably ran out of battery.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Megumi…” He sighed.

“What?”

“Nothing… just things will get better alright?”

Megumi simply sighed, not sure about trusting the words of the man he met all those years ago in front of his old house, making that weird face.

Gojo sighed as he leaned to the elevator wall. “By the way, until when are you going to keep calling me Gojo? I’m not your sensei anymore, so drop the Gojo-sensei, okay?” Gojo patted his head.

Megumi stayed in silent, looking at the man that over 10 years ago gave him a chance to live more time with his dear sister.

They had barely spoken about what had happened that winter. Gojo Satoru had broken down in front of him as soon as it was over, Megumi had been so in shock that he didn't know how to react when he saw the man who had always been so strong, hugging him and telling he was sorry for everything, while crying.

They both sit in silence in the car. Megumi, thinking about everything. Gojo has told him to call him by his name, that they knew each other for long enough. But Megumi felt heavy whenever he tried calling him Satoru, even Satoru-san. And the truth is that he tried, the first time he was around 12 when he tried calling him but the words ended up stuck on his throat.

And years later he still finds it hard, despite wanting to do it.

Megumi turned his attention to the outside of the window, seeing how the scenario started to change and they approached the familiar place he had been visiting for so many days.

Ijichi’s voice sounded inside the car and Megumi opened the door, leaving the car and walking fast to the familiar room.

“Megumi…” Gojo called him again. “Listen, Yuji might not be in the best state, okay?” He explained as he got near him.

“I understand…” He whispered.

“You…”

“It was never your fault.” Megumi cut him off.

Gojo opened his mouth and looked at him with surprise. “I…”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For you know… your eye.” He looked at it.

“This?” He pointed at his now blind eye. “That’s not your fault Megumi, I made this decision myself.”

Megumi only nodded, but still feeling kinda guilty. They both started to walk through the room, in silence. And when the room number appeared on their faces, Megumi felt nervous.

“I will go to talk with Shoko, okay?” Gojo told him.

“Okay…” He said and he watched as the white haired man walked away. “Wait!” Gojo paused and looked at him. “Thank… you Satoru-san.”

Megumi felt embarrassed and as soon Gojo’s name came out of his mouth he regretted it and he did it even more when he saw Gojo’s expression. “Me… Megumi!” He cried.

Megumi rolled his eyes and he entered the room, sighing. When he opened his eyes he was met with the figure of Itadori watching outside the window. He was still unaware that Megumi was there.

Megumi's hands trembled and, careful not to surprise Itadori, he approached him.

“Ita…”

“I’m so glad you are okay, Fushiguro.” Itadori turned to look at Megumi.

Megumi felt his heart begin to cry when he saw Itadoria's warm smile greet him so brightly again. Not only did his heart cry but his eyes ended up filling with tears as he sat next to Itadori’s bed.

His whole body started to shake and suddenly he felt Itadori’s touch on his shoulders.

“Don’t cry Fushiguro.” Itadori try to calm him down.

“Itadori…” Megumi murmured, he could barely see anything due to his eyes. “I… I… thank you for coming back.” Megumi looked at Itadori’s eye.

Itadori chuckled with tears also rolling down his eyes and he shook his head. “Thank you for not giving up, Fushiguro.” He smiled. “Thank you…”

Megumi couldn't hold back any longer and hugged Itadori tightly but with gentle touch, afraid of hurting Itadori. He felt Itadori's arms wrap around him and he closed his eyes, enjoying Itadori's warmth.

He doesn’t know for how long they both stayed like that, but Megumi felt like he was back at home. He was safe.

“Ita…”

“Megumi…” Itadori said and Megumi looked at him with surprise. “I… it’s fine if I call you by your name?”

Megumi’s heart fluttered and his cheeks reddened slightly. “Yes… yes it’s okay… can… can I call you by your name?”

Yuji nodded happily. “It would make me really happy.”

“Okay…” Megumi smiled slightly. “Yuji.”

Itadori moved on the bed and started to play with his hands. “Ummm… how is everyone?”

Megumi looked at him. “You saved everyone Yuji.” He said softly.

Yuji nodded. “Is Kugisaki alright?”

Megumi nodded back. “She is visiting her grandmother… Everyone is fine Yuji.”

“I just…”

“If it’s anyone’s fault, it was…”

“No!” Itadori cut him off. “No, it’s not, it was Sukuna’s fault. Not yours Megumi.” Yuji took Megumi’s hand on his. “You were going through something really though, what happened was never your fault.”

Megumi scanned Itadori's face and determined gaze and nodded. “It wasn’t yours either…” He whispered.

They both fell into a comfortable silence, their hands still held together, unbothered by the act.

“Megumi…” Itadori broke the silence and Megumi looked at him. “It’s spring… eh… would you like to go see the cherry blossom?” Yuji’s cheeks were slightly red as he asked that question.

Megumi felt his face burn and he nodded. “Yeah… yeah I would like that.”

Yuji nodded and smiled, they both did.

“OH! Shoko, look at my children!” Itadori and Megumi looked to the door where Gojo was standing making a dramatic expression.

Megumi rolled his eyes and Yuji smiled wildly. “Gojo-sensei!”

“Yuji-kun! How are you?” Gojo approached the bed.

Megumi watched the scene and a small smile formed on his lips. He had tried all his life to make Tsumiki happy, but that had not been possible. Nothing would ever be the same again, his sister was no longer there and he would have to start living without her.

But Megumi felt at that moment that he had enough reasons to keep living and be able to be happy. He didn’t want to give up anymore, there was something that made his heart feel alive again.

“Megumi?” Megumi’s eyes met that sweet and warm smile that belonged to Yuji, and he confirmed that feeling.

#itafushi #jujutsu kaisen #itafushi fanfic #megumi x yuuji #itadori yuuji #megumi fushiguro #yuuji x megumi #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #gojo satoru x reader #fanfic jjk #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #megumi x reader #yuuji x reader #toji x reader #satosugu #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #satoru gojo x reader

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noroi1000 · 10 months

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❝𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮-𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐢❞ Chapter 13

Satoru-Sensei | ←Previous chapter • Next Chapter →

Summary: Satoru's sweet homecoming.He did everything to return from the mission as quickly as possible. To spend more time with you. What could go wrong?

A/n: (y/n) returns to the story! Basically, I noticed that she didn't have that big a role to play... Gojo is more of a main character here... The reader isn't involved that much in the story up to this point...

"I didn't hear you come in the house." You said, keeping your hands on the door frame as you saw Satoru's back as he lay on his stomach on the bed.

He let out a soft growl, as if he had just woken up. You didn't want to wake him up, but you also wanted to talk to him and spend time with him. After all, he was gone all day yesterday and came back only now, at night. You spent the previous night alone, without him. But you could enjoy talking to him on the phone.

"I teleported here right after the mission was completed." He groaned in a slightly hushed, hoarse voice.

"You had three days to do it." You said this, calmly walking towards him. You closed the bedroom door and turned on the warm light of the bedside lamp. "And you came back after one day."

You sat down next to him, placing your hand on his shoulder blade. His body didn't move at all. He simply placed the side of his face on the pillow and looked at you with one eye.

"I didn't want to spend a lot of time away from home. Without you. Besides, I knew my little bunny would be lonely when I was gone for three days." He gave you a small smile and didn't move otherwise, letting your hand touch him without moving.

You reached for a strand of your hair and, looking to the side with a tiny smile, tucked it behind your ear.

His eye was on your face. He felt as if his energy had been given back to him, even after working for so long. Seeing your face after something like that was like a dream. Like a long-awaited sleep after sleepless hours. The sight of a small smile and a slight pinkness on the cheek. If this was an anime or any series, the moment he looked at you, the background would turn pink, and there would be slight sparkles around your face. But even if this is your real life, he can't deny that he can imagine it.

How pretty sparks fly around your pretty face.

He was doing it especially for you. To get home quickly. To be with you longer.

Officially, he was on a mission for three days. So when he finished the mission in one day, he had two days off and could stay home with you. He didn't have to go to work. He could be with you as long as he wanted! Two extra days of freedom with you! Isn't this great?

As soon as he got off the plane, he started searching for the curse he was supposed to find and exorcise. He didn't sleep at night to find it. It took him almost the whole day. No rest, only small snacks from the stalls on the street. Just to take care of it quickly and then come home to be with you.

He won't have to get up for work for two whole days. Two whole days of freedom! He can wake up, eat breakfast with you, and then do anything you want with you! Isn't that really great?!

"How long have you been looking for a quick return to Japan?" you asked, sitting down next to him. You bowed your head and placed your chin on his shoulder blade, looking at the half of his face that was turned towards you.

"I looked for a plane for half an hour. But none of them were as fast as I wanted. I have the coordinates of this place and its appearance encoded in my head." He pointed to his forehead with his thumb. And he tapped lightly above his now-closed eye.

You saw a smile spread across his face.

"Do you-." you spoke up, placing your cheek on his shoulder.

You didn't know how to finish that sentence. You hoped he would understand what you wanted to say.

Did he teleport home? Did he do something else? Was he flying?

"I just remembered the place I love. The coordinates might help if I don't know the exact look. But I will always remember my home."

He loved spending time at home.

At school, you thought he was a party person. You thought he spent very little time at home.

Or maybe it was until you were gone that he was supposed to be returning?

He wasn't afraid of people. He talked and was even louder. But you understood that he was able to reconcile his love for the warmth of home with going out to have fun with friends. Now, he was going out with the disciples.

You remember how you also went out with others and with him.

Aww, you're so glad you managed to have such a man! You're glad he wanted you! Your teenage crush on your sensei has been fulfilled, and you have been together with him for two years!

"Are you happy?" he asked as he stood up slightly to look at you.

"... Yeah!" You replied with a happy smile and reached up to his cheek to press a kiss under his eye and listen as he let out a contented purr, accompanied by a soft chuckle.

"Come here." he said, reaching for your hair and placing a large hand on the top of your head. He pulled you down to place your closed lips on his closed ones. Your lips were just touching in the most chaste kiss you had ever seen.

Until you finally became hungrier for his closeness and parted your lips to capture his lower lip. Feeling the movement before you could completely follow your plan, he smiled wider and opened his mouth, trapping yours.

His lips were still curled into his smile as he teasingly caught your lip between his tongue and his teeth.

You pulled away with a blush and lightly slapped his bare side.

"Why you–!"

"Why am I teasing you? Baby, you're so cute with that red angry face!"

He turned to lie on his back and pulled you onto him. Your legs were kneeling on the bed while your stomach lay on top of his, with your arms on the other side of his body.

"Satoru-Sensei! You–!"

"You can't beat your own Sensei~♡!" he closed his eyes with a humming laugh. His hands grabbed your wrists.

You sat on his stomach with a scowl on your face.

"You are no longer my Sensei!"

"You're the one who really likes calling me Sensei~♡" he teased you, pulling your arms to your sides to bring your face closer and closer to his.

"You told me so!" You arched your back, pressing your thighs on either side of his stomach. "You're the one who likes it!"

"Arguing with you is so cute! If I were cruel, I would want to argue with you more often just to see that face! But arguments are not my thing!"

He suddenly let go of your hands, causing you to fall backwards, laying your head on the mattress between his knees.

"I thought you'd be tired!" You straightened up and sat up properly, resting your hands on his abs.

"I was tired until I saw this cute face! What, did you want to give me a relaxing massage?"

"Even if so, what? You're such a tease today!"

"I missed you!"

Seeing how your face looked like you were pretending to be offended, he thought of something to make you blush and not be ready for his love attack.

"Sweet hands on your muscular, naked belly?" he said suddenly.

For a moment, you wondered what he meant, and then you looked at your hands that were touching his skin. And you almost jumped up, your face red.

But he was faster, and when he saw your face getting brighter, he lunged forward, turning you around.

Nuzzling, your cheek hovered above you. And then he kissed your cheek, lying on top of you, so you couldn't run away from him.

"That's why I love you more than anything in the world." He pressed a kiss on your cheek once again.

A kiss filled with love came from these words.

The tickling feeling made you smile and enjoy what was happening now.

Until he pulled away from your face and looked toward the window. Seeing how the light of the setting sun also enters the sight.

He is not the only one who uses coordinates to never confuse the places where he appears.

Taglist: @mc-reborn ; @yihona-san06 ; @yerinsshi ; @erisfayred ; @tohsri

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #gojo x y/n #gojo x reader #jjk x reader #gojo #jjk x you #yandere gojo x reader #yandere gojo satoru #yandere jjk #Satoru-Sensei

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duhragonball · 4 months

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JoJolion Ch. 109-110

Maybe the real JoJo Lion was the GUARDRAIL FROM 1941.

So, this is the "Radio Gaga Incident" a two-part arc that closes out Part 8. Like the mad lad he is, Hirohiko Araki ends the longest Jojo part ever by flashing back seventy years before the story's setting. What can we possibly gain from this? Well, it pissed off a lot of fans, and it kind of annoyed me too at the time, but I've made peace with it. Let's see if we can find the meaning together.

So it's 1941, and Lucy Steel from Part 7 has just arrived in Morioh. She was 14 in Steel Ball Run, which would make her 65 here. She's looking good, but not too good. Araki keeps introducing these older women in his stories and forgetting to make them look old, like Holly Kira and Caato Higashikata. That might be because Araki himself is getting up there in years, so maybe he's developed a blind spot with this sort of thing. But with Lucy, he seemed to get it right. She's got that Angela Lansbury face going on. She doesn't turn as many heads these days, but that guy at the train station who's here to pick her up? Yeah, he's checking her out. He won't carry her luggage to the car, so he's not that interested, but he's checking her out.

Some guy offers to carry her stuff, but he actually steals it instead, and no one will help. But the thief bumps into a young man as he runs, and then...

Coming through, coming through, coming through now

Coming through, coming through, coming through

Shake it like it's heat, Overdrive!

Yeah, it's Joseph Joestar. This doesn't quite get revealed until Chapter 110, but come on. It's 1941, and we all saw his name on the family tree. From the beginning of Part 8, I wondered if we'd get a flashback to other Joestars besides Johnny, and since Holly's already in the story and George was seen in Johnny's dead scene, that just leaves the one option. So as soon as a young man appeared in this flashback, I was wondering if it could be Joseph, and this bit where he foils a thief with his shoe basically clinched it.

And you know, Part 2's my favorite, so I can't get too mad at Part 8 for ending on a flashback to some Part Two-y goodness. Just the setting it nice. Battle Tendency never went anywhere near Japan, but the late 30's/early 40's aesthetic is still there.

Joseph carries her luggage to the car too, because he's such a nice young man, but he balks when Lucy offers him a part time job assisting her with her research. She wants to check out this orchard because she learned about some weird new fruit and she thinks people are bringing it to Japan. But Joseph is here to pick up his date from the train station, and besides, that place is the site of the "Radio Gaga incident". He doesn't think she needs to be snooping around there, regardless of whether he helps her or not.

But when he goes to meet his date, he suddenly realizes his wallet is missing. That thief grabbed it when he bumped into Joseph earlier, and Joseph was so focused on saving Lucy's stuff that he didn't bother to stop the thief from getting away. So now he wants the job. I'm not sure if his date canceled on him or if he's still got time to make enough money to make it up to her, but he's all in on Lucy's offer now. What confuses him, though, is that she's not with the police or any other authorities. She's with the Speedwagon Foundation, and she's here to study the land the orchard is growing on. Joseph is amazed that she didn't come here to investigate a crime, since the Radio Gaga incident might as well be a crime.

I like this bit here, where she explains that as you get older, you find a purpose for yourself in life. Not a job, but something chosen for you by heaven, or the universe, or fate, or whatever you want to call it. "Something you do for the world at large or for the sake of one particular person". That captures the spirit of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure pretty well, and Part 8 in particular.

So what was the Radio Gaga Incident? On the way to the site in the photograph, Joseph explains that there was a young couple on this road, near that guardrail, and the woman thought she heard someone calling out to her. Then she approached the guardrail, apparently took off all her clothes, and vanished. I don't think Lucy particularly cares much about this story, since she only came her to investigate the land, and this just happens to offer a great view of the orchard for photography, but as she starts setting up her equipment, the chauffeur starts hearing things and he approaches the guardrail, just like the woman in the story.

Then he loses his clothes, and vanishes. A truck drove by, so they couldn't see what happened to him, but it just doesn't make sense.

Joseph wants to leave immediately, but Lucy is fascinated. She came here looking for the Locacaca plant, but finding something else weird in this place is familiar to her. But as she ponders this mystery, she hears a strange voice calling to her, and it leads her closer to the guardrail. At first she thinks it's Joseph, but he's calling her to the car, so they can leave. Also, there seems to be some sort of siren song aspect to the voice, where Lucy can't resist its call.

Turns out, the guardrail itself is the culprit behind all this. It lures its victims toward it, then it sucks them into the thin gap where one section of rail is bolded to another. The victims lose their clothes first because this suction is powerful enough to rip the clothes right off a person. Then they get pulled in themselves, as we see in this page with the interior view of the driver's mangled body inside the guardrail.

So yeah, it's another bullshit Rock Animal. Well, this one's probably a Rock Insect, like the ones Toru used against Josuke. I mean, there's nothing insect-like about this thing, but that goes for the other Rock Insects as well. They just seem to disguise themselves as other objects and completely fuck up their prey with mind powers and other crazy powers.

Joseph pulls Lucy to safety before it's too late, but then something comes out of the guardrail to try to pull her back in. To their horror, they realize it's the driver.

Somehow, against all reason, the Guardrail creature is keeping the driver's body alive, and even using him as a proxy to recapture Lucy. That seems pretty far-fetched, even for Rock Insects, but then again, I'm still trying to figure out if Josuke ever pulled out a big wad of asbestos from his butt.

Somehow, Lucy gets clear, but Joseph is getting pulled in, and as his clothes are shredded, she notices a star-shaped birthmark on him. That gives her a clue, so she tells Joseph to use the car to save himself. She doesn't know how he can start the car from so far away, but she's sure he can do it, and she knows he knows it too.

So he flings his shoe at the car's trunk, which causes a bunch of stuff to spill out of it, and then...

HERMIT PURPLE FUCK YEAH!

Lucy can't even see it, but she's still making out for this. As far as I can tell, Part 8 Joseph needs a physical cable to make Hermit Purple work. Part 3 Joseph would have just sent the thorny vines to the car, but here it's like he had to pop the trunk first, get that power cord and channel Hermit Purple through it in order to reach the car with it. Maybe this is just how Hermit Purple works when you're just starting out. Part 3 Joseph might have had the same issues with it until he learned how to extend his range without a rope.

The end result is classic Joseph, though. Guardrail monster got you down? Just hit it with an entire car! That's how we do things in Part Two, you silicon-based motherfucker!

But Joseph's not done yet. It's called "Overdrive" not "A regular amount of drive". We achieved that with the car, of course, but Joseph needs to put an exclamation point on this. He briefly spots a pair of balls on a string? Like, this is supposed to be a reference to his Clacker Volley technique from Part 2, and that's awesome, but I have no idea what that would be here in Lucy's luggage. Joseph doesn't know either so he tosses 'em away and attacks the guardrail with some Part 2 beef. Also, Hermit Purple has a face in Part 8. Well good for him. I'm glad Hermit Purple is trying new things.

But we're still not done, because there's one more technique Joseph needs to employ...

Nigerundayo! Lucy!

As they flee, Lucy asks Joseph his name again, since he introduced himself as "Fumi-kun" earlier, but the birthmark identifies him as a relative of Johnny Joestar. Joseph explains that he's Johnny's grandson, and his grandmother Rina named him "Joseph", which in Japanese is "Josefu", and so people call him "Fumi-kun".

Lucy gets wistful over this, since the last time she saw Johnny was when she followed him here in 1901 to retrieve the Saint Corpse, and he was already dead by that point.

Actually, now that I think of it, this starts to add up. I thought it was Lucy who chased after Johnny in 1901, but the scanlation I read at the time left me thinking she was working for the government. But now we know she was with Speedwagon, and that makes more sense. At the end of Part 7, there was this big vault that the Saint Corpse was supposed to be hidden in, but Lucy stopped Dio from using it, and it was unclear what happened to it afterward. But maybe in the aftermath, Lucy searched for someone to help her decide how to deal with the Saint Corpse, and ended up getting to know the Speedwagon Foundation. It makes more sense for them to be the ones keeping the Saint Corpse, since leaving it in the hands of the U.S. government was Funny Valentine's plan from the beginning.

Anyway, as Lucy rides Joseph to safety, she catches a glimpse of Toru planting Locacaca plants in the orchard. Well, sure, it makes sense that he was around back then, but if he was bringing Locacaca fruit into Japan for seventy years straight...

I mean, the smuggling ring seemed like a recent operation. They needed Jobin to launder their profits, and that didn't happen until 2009 or so. And the research at TGU Hospital probably didn't start until 2001, when Toru began posing as Dr. Akefu.

I guess what confuses me is that he was at this for decades, but why did it take so long for him to execute this plan? Maybe he got sidetracked with some other project? Anyway, it's possible that Toru put the Radio Gaga creature out there on the highway to keep people away from his work, but it also might have been living their naturally. And Lucy does start bleeding from the mouth after she sees Toru, but she already had a lung disease leading into this story, so I'm not sure if she experienced a calamity.

Joseph leaves his sandals behind, and he was so worried about Holly that he accompanied her back home to New York. Then World War II happened, so they couldn't return to Japan. Holly died in 1944, and Joseph got a job in America and eventually became a naturalized citizen. Years later, Joseph would marry Suzie Q and have a daughter, Holly, who would become a doctor in Morioh, etc. etc.

Then we return to the present. Josuke and Yasuho are leaving the hospital after visiting Holly. Now that Kei is dead, Josuke is the only family she has left. Yasuho asks Josuke if there's any hope for Holly now that the Locacaca branch is gone. Josuke doesn't think so. Maybe someone could find a Locacaca plant in New Guinea, but there's no one left who would know where to look.

And this bothered me a lot, because it seemed like the whole point of JoJolion was Josuke's mission to save Holly, and it looks like he's failed. I think fans held out some hope that this would get picked up in Part 9, except JoJoLands is set about a decade later, and there's no way Holly could have survived that long in her 2011 condition.

I think it might have been easier to take if Holly simply died in this story. That would have provided some closure, but instead she's still in a coma. And maybe the hospital will have to move her to palliative care, like they tried to do after Kira's payments stopped, but her only chance was the Locacaca and that's gone now. Part 8 ends with her no better off than when she started, and it's implied that she'll just continue to deteriorate until she finally dies.

In the parking lot, they notice Josefumi Kujo's mother, and Yasuho points her own. Josuke knows her name and face by now, because he learned about her from Karera. But he no longer cares about connecting with her, or anyone else Kira or Josefumi may have known. He's spent this whole story trying to recover their memories, but there are none. That's because he's not Kira or Josefumi, no matter how badly he might wish it were otherwise.

And this is the true conclusion of Josuke's character arc. He only took up the quest to save Holly because he wanted to continue the mission Kira and Josefumi had begun before they got merged together. If he couldn't have their memories, he could at least take up their cause. It's like Lucy said earlier, as you live, you find a mission for yourself, something you do for a person or the whole world. The other JoJo's each found their own cause, and had to give up parts of their former lives to take up those causes. But Josuke had no former life. For him, the cause was all he had. He used it to try to define his identity.

And now that quest is over. Yes, he failed to save Holly, but he still saw it through. The truth is that the Locacaca fruit never would have saved Holly. It was the cause of her illness, not the cure, so I think that's one reason Josuke isn't sorry that it's lost forever. Maybe he would have sacrificed himself to save Holly with the New Locacaca's power, but I don't think Holly would have wanted that. In the end, all Josuke could do was avenge Holly, and Yoshikage, and Josefumi, and everyone else who died in opposition to the Rock Humans. That'll have to be enough.

But in pursuing that quest, even if Josuke didn't accomplish what he set out to do, he discovered himself. He has a past now, even if its only a few weeks' worth. He has friends and family, and dead to mourn. That's what this is really all about. Instead of trying to learn more about the men he used to be, he can focus on the man he is today, and live that life with people like Yasuho.

Speaking of Yasuho, she uses her power to go through Josefumi's mother's phone, and finds old baby photos of Josefumi. So even though it seems like she never cared about her son, it looks like she did have some feelings for him, and that must mean something, right?

Also, Yasuho discovers that Josefumi was named for a sandal his grandfather found by the side of the road, and it had "Josefu" carved into the wood. I know what Araki's going for here, but it sounds really awkward for Yasuho to bring this up to Josuke when even she doesn't know what it means.

Finally, Josuke and Yasuho arrive at the Higashikata Fruit Parlor, where the surviving Higashikata family are trying to pick out a cake for when Norisuke gets out of the hospital. He's going to be okay, although you have to imagine he'll never be quite the same after this. I mean, Jobin attacked him, and that's bad enough, but Jobin and Caato are dead now, and that has to be tough on him.

Anyway, there's plenty of cakes to choose from, but they're all too emotional to decide, so Tsurugi asks Josuke to choose. I'm not sure why Tsurugi is still dressing up like a girl if the curse is broken, but maybe Araki didn't feel like redesigning the character so late in the final chapter.

Josuke is surprised that they want him to make the decision, but they all agree, even Joshuu, who usually would be licking every person in the room and talking about his mom's boobs. I guess losing that arm did him some good after all. So Josuke goes to join them, and Yasuho sheds a tear as she leaves him with his family.

And that's the end. I was disappointed with this scene in 2021, mainly because I've resented the Higashikata family all along. They're all dipshits, and it just so happens that some of them are creepier and dipshittier than others. The idea of Josuke hanging out with them instead of Yasuho irked me. I think it irked a lot of people.

But the Higashikata Family was a throughline for this Part, and again, Josuke's character arc was about him finding a new identity for himself. Part of that is his integration into the Higashikata family. At first, it seemed like they only took him in as a means to an end, but then they became allies, and then friends. Now, after all they've been through, they begin to see one another as family.

The thought occurred to me that Josuke might just have taken Jobin's place in the family. Think about it. Jobin was set to inherit the Fruit Parlor, and now he's dead. Tsurugi can still take over one day. Notice how he was the one who asked Josuke to choose the cake. The little guy is already exerting a certain authority over his aunts and uncle.

But Norisuke's 59, and he's probably not going to be quite as exuberant after this whole ordeal. He'll need someone like Jobin to run things, and he can't wait for Tsurugi to grow up. And as I keep pointing out, Joshuu, Hato, and Daiya are completely unqualified to handle such responsibility. Josuke's the only option.

Early on, Tsurugi told Yasuho about the curse, and how the Higashikata family would sometimes adopt people to continue the family line. I think that's what Norisuke just did with Josuke, although he didn't realize it at the time. Josuke can become Norisuke Higashikata V, run the fruit parlor for a few decades, and then pass it on to Tsurugi once he's ready to become Norisuke VI.

That's why Yasuho left the parlor on the final page. She's Josuke's girlfriend, no doubt, and she's definitely part of his life, but she's not part of Josuke, and that's what this final scene is about. At long last, he has a place to belong, and a life to live, and a home of his own, just like Yasuho has. Going forward, they can have a relationship on equal footing. That's what this is all about.

So yeah... that's it. Part 8 is done. I gotta say, I'm pleased to finally wrap up a complete liveblog of this one, but I didn't expect to have this much fun with it. Maybe I should do another Part one of these days...

Not Part 4, though, because I am sick of typing out "Higashikata".

#jojo's bizarre adventure #jojolion #jo2uke higashikata #yasuho hirose #lucy steel #jo2eph joestar #toru #joshuu higashikata #daiya higashikata #hato higashikata #mitsuba higashikata #tsurugi higashikata

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mania-sama · 7 months

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Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "mania-sama "?

Hi!! Thank you so much for sending me an ask!! I will answer the story behind my name first, and then I'll get into the fics!

mania.sama comes from a couple years back when I was making my first online persona account. I had my regular Instagram account with my real name, but I didn't feel comfortable with people I knew in real life knowing the content I engage with and want to post (fandom-related and gaming clips). At the time, a couple of my beloved friends had these Instagram accounts all starting with a mental disorder and ending with a Japanese honorific. Weird combo, I know, I don't know how the trend started, I don't ask questions around here. Anyway, we brainstormed and decided on the mania, as in the manic disorder, and sama, a Japanese honorific of high respect. I would change it since I'm well aware it's kinda cringe since I have absolutely no Japanese heritage whatsoever, but it's too iconic to change now. All of my online persona accounts have this name, and people have called me "Mania" for far too long on Ao3. I'd hate to switch it up on people. And besides, I think it's grown on me after all this time.

Now for the fic!! So, I'm going to be so, so for real right now. I only have three fics I have bookmarked publically on Ao3, and they are my only favorite fics. Three. This comes from the fact that I read mainly one-shots that I forget as soon as I read them. I don't really have the attention span nor want to read long-form works most of the time. So, I did a lot of digging to come up with the rest of the seven, but I want to list favorite three first because they are actually my favorite. They aren't ranked in any particular order, they are just above the rest of the seven (which are also in no particular order).

These following three fics are also the only fanfics to ever make me cry. I've come close to a few of them, but these, of all my years reading and writing fanfic, are the only three to manage to bring tears down my face thus far:

Come Morning Light by SharkbaitSekki -> Haikyuu | 354,105 words | 15 chapters -> Teen and Up | Completed | Locked Work -> Summary: All in life will come and go. People and places will ebb and flow. Fate's dealt cards can't be foreseen. Safety is obsolete. When a nuclear blast on the island of Japan destroys all of the families and dreams within its radius, all that is left in the aftermath is to rebuild something -anything- out of the debris. Back to back, heart to heart, it's a long way up for the kids who have seen their lives go down in flames. But once at the top, for those who have made it, there is nothing left to do but admire the view. In which all of the aspects of their future are uncertain, except for the fact that unity will always lead them home. -> Thoughts: This was the only fic I had as my favorite fic for a long time, and the only one of the three to have an objectively sad ending, though it's listed as ambiguous. There isn't a dead dove tag on here, but there should be because this fic is gruesome, horrific, and downright traumatizing. And you know what? It's amazing, every single 350k words of it. The way some of these characters died, the trauma they experienced, and the ways they didn't or did move forward. It's all so impactful, and each character has a special focus. Not a single one goes without a spotlight. It also says it has ships, but none of them are actually canon, just vaguely implied. I don't really know how to explain this, but everything they go through, all of the places they go to, and the events that occur because of the nuclear bomb itself (such as acid rain and food poisoning) are all so well done, original, and thought-out. A town where all crime is legal at night but you must remain perfectly civil in daytime (as well as not talk about said crimes committed the previous night), radio broadcasts, refugee camps, trafficking, and more. There are just so many stand-out concepts and scenes that will stick with me forever.

one hundred miles by No_one_you_know -> Dream SMP | 126,898 words | 3 work series -> Teen and Up | Completed* -> that's, like, a hundred miles | 60,444 words | 12 chapters | Completed -> he's my brother, i just raise him | 7,034 words | 1 chapter | Completed -> as long as i'm here | 59,420 words | 14 chapters | Completed -> Summary (using the first fic): Dream would kill him. Dream was going to kill him- he was going to- no, he wouldn’t. Dream was his friend- friends don’t hit each other- Dream was supposed to take care of him- Dream /was/ taking care of him. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to think. He couldn’t clear his thoughts as he stumbled to the family computer, pulling up a tab on google and frantically typing the name into the search bar. The words Technoblade Watson stared back at him, the little black bar at the end of the letters blinking slowly, mocking him. Why, of all people, did it have to be Technoblade? in short: the one where dream sucks as a parental figure, tommy runs away, and visits his least favorite family member technoblade -> Thoughts: I KNOW. I know what you're thinking. Dream SMP? Really? Listen. It was a different time, lads, and I, for one, refuse to be ashamed of my history with Dream SMP. I read and wrote fics and enjoyed it. What gives? Anyway. I chose the entire series instead of one fic because all of these fics are so good, and I feel that if you read the first one, you should read the others. This is the ultimate series of "Healing is not linear." It's a work on the failures of society, of the justice system, how life can be repeatedly cruel over and over again. All of the doubling back, the mental fight, the complex relationships, morally gray actions, and the brilliant display of the way trauma can effect children, and the way that adults can get away with so much abuse. I think about how he walked a hundred miles only to wind back in the same place again. Obviously, it ends positively (relatively positively), but it takes just as long to get there. Secretely, though, adoption fics are a guilty pleasure of mine and you can't take that away from me. EXTREMELY well written. * the series says it's not completed, but it sure feels like it is. Very conclusive ending, I don't think the author intends on ever updating again, so I think the "Not Completed" status is simply a mistake on their part.

When I Awake by wildflowertea -> Bungou Stray Dogs | 235,960 words | 23 chapters -> Mature | Completed -> Summary: Dazai Osamu has been in a coma for exactly one year, seven months, and twenty-two days. But Death still refuses to take him. Trapped in the space between worlds, and unable to die, Dazai waits, killing what precious time he may have left and hoping—praying—that his family will pull the plug and move on. He doesn't expect someone to move into his old apartment instead. Nakahara Chuuya, two-time Grammy awards winner, and freshly unemployed pessimist, has never believed in fate—much less the supernatural. But the lively—if a bit annoying—ghost of his apartment's previous tenant, might just change everything. -> Thoughts: What isn't there to say about this? I have written many comments under this fic, so if you want to hear my full thoughts, they are all there in the last chapter. I also added another comment months later, and will probably add another one in the future. This fic single-handedly changed the romance genre for me, set the bar too high, and I can't tell whether I should love or hate it for that. I'd go as far as to say this fic isn't really about romance, either; it's been every kind of relationship there is under the sun. It's about death, it's about hope, it's about tragedy, addiction, failures, and family. It's everything. I love, love the idea of the soul separating itself from the body being used as a symbol of a person at the ultimate crossroads: Should I live, or should I die? And death giving that person a second chance to make their final decision. I love this fic. Everyone and their mom needs to read it because it's truly life changing. I cried three times reading this. THREE. Not a single word is wasted here.

Here are the rest of the seven. These are all fics I enjoyed immensely and love dearly:

Running on Air by eleventy7 -> Harry Potter | 74,880 words | 17 chapters ->Teen and Up | Completed -> Summary: Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects. -> Thoughts: Genuinely, this fic ALMOST made joined the other three in my favorites. The only reason it didn't is because it didn't leave the same impact that the others did. But the writing, the plot, the romance, the characterizations, are all amazing, and the fact that it could've been a fourth edition to my favorites without the additional impact should be a testament to how good everything else is. I love a good investigation fic where I have no idea what's going on, but eager to learn more. I love the way they handled Ginny and Harry's relationship, how they were both never really good for each other as lovers, but humanizing them both. Ginny isn't a villain in the way of the gay relationship (I hate that trope, as we all do). Harry was just as bad in their relationship. And there are just so many good quotes, and every time I'm in the car for too long, staring at the road, I think to myself, "What if I just kept driving? What if I didn't go where I needed to go, but instead left everything behind and kept going?" And I really think this fic is in part to blame for that. Phenomenal work.

Oyasumi by monozayn -> Identity V | 6,210 words | 1 chapter -> Mature | Completed -> Summary: Oyasumi, Oyasumi Close your eyes and you'll leave this dream. . . . Eli Clark was something. But at the end of the day, Eli Clark wasn’t Naib’s something. A short story about giving too little, too late -> Thoughts: I had a VISCERAL reaction to this fic when I read two and a half years ago. I think I can contribute most of my feelings to the fact that I myself wasn't in the best mental state at the time, so it just hurt more than it should've. I think if I were to read this today, it wouldn't make it onto this list at all, but because of the strong memories I have tied to it, it's keeping its place here. I do remember really liking the characterization of Naib, who, despite being the MC, is entirely blameless and often really comes off as creepy, especially in the beginning. It was really interesting.

Food for the Heart by SharkbaitSekki -> Haikyuu | 28,486 words | 1 chapter -> Teen and Up | Completed | Locked Work ->Summary: Enter Oikawa Tooru, the middle-class citizen who has everything he needs, but who does not eat. Enter Iwaizumi Hajime, the homeless young man who barely scrapes enough to eat every single day. One chance encounter is all they need to start turning things around. That is, if they actually do want to bring change to their comfortable, destructive routines. -> Thoughts: If I'm gonna be honest, this fic is kinda like a fever dream to me. It's actually the only fic on this list that I've read twice, that being I really don't reread or rewatch media in general outside of gently skimming or rewatching certain episodes/scenes. I always lose this fic, and it came as a surprise to me to see that it was written by the same person that wrote Come Morning Light because I did NOT know this until I found it again for this fic. Thrice I have found this fic and thrice did it escape my attention. Now about the actual fic and not the mythical legend that it truly is, it's just such an interesting take on the characters. Less so that it's a perfect characterization but a wonderful insight to homelessness and privilege, into complex relationships and eating disorders. It shows that all people are different, they can be selfish when trying not to be, that life sometimes just really rocks our shit. I've struggled in on and off periods with eating myself, so this fic really drives home a nail into face that it might not for other people.

the path to paradise by roadtripwithlucifer -> Bungou Stray Dogs | (currently) 73,250 words | (currently) 11 chapters -> Explicit | Work in Progress -> Summary:

To think that there’s a gifted in this world who can transport others to a ‘Hell.’ Not even a particularly hellish hell. For all Akutagawa had experienced in his life, this is obnoxiously tame. Pleasant, even, if he was to ignore the centaurs hunting him for sport and the fact that he’s kneeling in an open grave.Still - if Akutagawa was given such an ability, he’d have no shortage of significantly more creative punishments for creatures as loathsome as himself.

Akutagawa goes to Hell. Atsushi follows. Neither return the same. -> Thoughts: This is one that is being updated quite regularly, so I have complete faith it will be saw through to the end (as the author has seen their other longfics to the end, too). This has some of the best BSD characterizations I've ever seen, especially Akutagawa. This fic scratches a very specific itch, since it's literally a Dante's Inferno AU, and where else are you gonna find one? One that's actually well-written, no less? It satisfies my constant hunger for tragic, painful things to happen to my favorite characters without ending poorly. They find comfort in each other. I love that. I love this fic. I can't wait to see how it ends. I like the use of their Dante and Virgil as "OC's", too. I don't mind OC's in most fics, but this is one the first to truly make me like their OC's. The author also puts in a whole lot of research, and they use this cool system of endnotes (that I WILL be stealing for any future long-form projects) to express their research. I just love reading their thoughts, and you can clearly see how much passion there is here.

Tommyinnit's unbeatable method of avoiding sudden death by eneliii -> Dream SMP | 79,922 words | 30 chapters -> Teen and Up | Completed -> Summary: “I uh,” Tommy starts, not knowing how to break this to the hero lightly. He hates to be the bearer of bad news. “I think your powers are broken? It’s not a bad thing of course, but like, I swear you tried to mind control me and it like, totally failed. Which is fine, honestly, don’t feel insecure. Everyone’s power stop working sometimes… I think.” Sheesh, this is very awkward. Why is no one else talking? Why is Philza looking at him like he grew three heads? Why is the Blade staring at him so intensely? Why is Willow still frozen? “Did I, did I hit a nerve? Yikes,” Tommy hisses, “Well um,” He steps back, bracing his legs and bending his knees, “This was like super fun, but I’m - I’mma head out.” or, in which Tommy manages to annoy the hell out of Phil, Techno and Wilbur by being both impossible to catch and irritatingly endearing. or or, a crack fic where Tommy is a vigilante and Phil, Techno and Wilbur are the heroes hunting him down. -> Thoughts: I read this fic while it was coming out. I was also in therapy, so imagine my surprise and utter devastation when those chapters started coming out (if you know, you know), because I was, indeed, reading it to make myself feel better and not be sad all the time. I haven't read it in a hot minute, so I'm not sure if the humor would match up to mine today of if it would just be really cringe but I remember always finding it very funny. If it had just been funny and random, it may not have made it on here, but the overarching plot makes it a work of art. I won't spoil, because I do think you should read it, but it's a very good plot twist that I didn't see coming because I hadn't read any of the other works. Everything in that fic has a meaning, and everything is beautiful, and everything hurts. The concept itself is something that I think about often, too, even before I'd read it. Great execution.

Spiderwebs and Secrets by fi_niamh -> Genshin Impact | (currently) 89,103 words | (currently) 14 chapters -> Teen and Up | Work in Progress -> Summary:

Albedo, usually one for blunt and quick actions, was struggling to determine how he should continue. On one hand, marking the death as suicide, as it very much appeared to be, would immediately close the case and give the bereaved family some much needed closure. But could Albedo really do that when so many things didn't line up? Sitting back in his chair Albedo let out a deep breath. He scanned down the page reading the provided boxes. ... He was really going to do this wasn't he? Picking up quill with a steady hand, Albedo marked the fourth and final box with a neat cross mark. Death under suspicious circumstances. Albedo stood, waiting for the ink to dry before gently picking the piece of paper up. Albedo had a new assignment. As head of the Knights of Favonius Investigation Unit, Albedo was not going to let the cause of Diluc Ragnvindr's death go unknown.

When Diluc is reported dead as what appears to be a suicide, Jean struggles to keep it together, Kaeya is left in shambles, and Albedo begins to uncover the web of secrets and lies that Diluc left behind. -> Thoughts: While this fic hasn't been updated in a long time (and admittedly I haven't even caught up to the latest chapters, but that's not because the updates were bad, I just have this mental block that occurs with every multi-chaptered fic I read that I always have a really hard time breaking through). Anyway, this fic has the best characterization I have ever seen of any of the title characters: Kaeya, Diluc, Albedo, and Jean. It hurts so bad and so good, and I love me a well-written investigation fic that keeps me on my toes. So, so good. Did I mention that this hurts? Because it hurts. Hurts like a knife digging into your stomach and being twisted, but you keep pushing it in because the pain is addicting.

Butterflies and Storms by Chalily -> Bungou Stray Dogs | 36,524 words | 14 chapters -> Teen and Up | Completed -> Summary: “That girl in the back! She’s getting away!” Chuuya whipped around to see that his men were right — one of their assailants was an ability user, and she was using her power to escape. Shit. Mori had been painfully clear when he’d assigned this mission. He expected no survivors. Chuuya dropped his ability’s hold on the six or seven people around him, then kicked off of a nearby wall to propel himself at the girl. She was slowly dissipating into light, vanishing upwards into the ceiling, but before the edge of her coat could vanish Chuuya shot by like a dark bullet, reached out, and just barely grabbed it. // Chuuya gets transported to the past! Watch him struggle to figure out what the hell’s happening, then enlist the help of a young Oda to get back. But with the past altered, will he return to the same future he left behind? -> Thoughts: This fic has the perfect blend of good plot, characterization, and humor. Mainly the humor part, because it's always so effortless and it astounds me how easily they were able to write it. It's so natural, and I only wish I was half as funny as they are. This fic also reminds a lot of BEAST, and I am under the personal opinion that BEAST is better than the actual manga. Because it is and I'm correct. The OC they used for this and her ability is actually a book I'd read before, so that was also an added bonus for me. Very, very enjoyable fic and criminally underrated.

Honorable Mention: I KNOW you said only 10, but I have to mention this one fic that I can't for the love of me find, but I think about nearly every time I'm writing. It's a Dream SMP one-shot. If I remember correctly, it was somewhere between 1-3k words, and it was an absolutely masterpiece. I would've booted one of the fics I have listed to fit this one, but alas, I cannot find the fic. It's about the SBI, but all of the brothers get drafted to World War I or II, I can't remember, leaving Phil alone in their shared house. It's so. Good. Whenever I write, I try to emulate the emotion that author put into their fic, the way they were able to convey the lived-in, homely feel of the family as each one of them were ripped away, as they died. They described things in such a simplistic manner, and instead of focusing on faces or words, they talked about how the knob to the cabinet door was broken, the scratch marks on the table, the squeaky tiles on the floor. Amazing. I wish I could find it again.

Again, thank you so much for asking me!!!

#anon ask #fanfictions #favorite fanfics #fanfic #fanfics #haikyuu #bungou stray dogs #roadtripwithlucifer i know youre there #identity v #dream smp #genshin impact #harry potter #running on air #answered asks #ao3 #ao3 fanfics #ao3 fanfic

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hotheadedheroprimary · 1 year

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When Stars Align

(A Kiribaku x F!Reader fic)

Ever since you were little, all you wanted was to become a great hero. Your parents are both amazing people in your eyes, saving others every day, so why wouldn't you want to be like them? Every great hero has to start somewhere and you've got your eye on U.A. High-school of Japan.

(Chapter 1) Got What it Takes?

U.A.: the super-elite school of Japan for young, aspiring heroes, who want to be the best of the best. Only the most skilled, tenacious, and daring teenagers make it here. This school has produced some of the greatest heroes in the world. It must be pretty cool if so many people talk so highly of it, right? You hope so. You have travelled halfway across the world just to score a chance of getting in, after all. You can only hope that all the hard work pays off. It has been a long and difficult process but, finally, you are here.

With clenched fists and determination glistening in your foreign eyes, you stare down the first obstacle in your wake: the gate to the physical exam. You almost can't believe this is the real thing. It certainly seems a lot more intimidating up close. There aren't many things that worry you, especially when it comes to your quirk and your ability to use it. You have to admit, you have been blessed with a truly wonderful quirk, so why are your palms so sweaty?

Everyone around you is preparing themselves, warming up, and getting in the zone. There are definitely some strong-looking students. You never really took much notice of just how many varieties of quirks there are. With competition such as this, you are beginning to wonder how much of a hard time this is going to be. Snap out of it! Now is far from the time to worry. You need to remain primed and focused if you stand any chance of passing this. With a steadying breath, you close your eyes and mentally go over the rules set in place for the marking criteria.

The briefing entailed that four types of "faux villains", as they were called, are to be expected in this trial. Each villain will be worth different points according to their respective difficulty levels. It sounds easy enough: just beat up some bots using your quirk and rack up enough points to get into your dream school within ten minutes. Easy peasy. Yeah, not so much. Present Mic also detailed that the fourth faux villain variety awards you zero points, merely acting as an obstacle more than anything else. It must be quite a hindrance given the fact that there is only one in each sight.

After what feels like a lifetime, the gates finally open. It's go time. A series of bright, star-shaped constructs take form beneath your feet and betwixt your fingers, sitting comfortably within your palms. They may be no larger than your hands but, with enough of them, you are able to lift yourself from the ground. It is only a few inches in the air but it's a lot faster than running. Not to mention, it will likely be wise to conserve your physical energy for combat and evasive manoeuvers should you not be able to activate your quirk fast enough.

You bob and weave around oncoming students, and it doesn't take long before you encounter your first hurdle - three of them, in fact. You land nimbly on the ground and the stars disappear, leaving you to face the robots that rank with a couple of level ones and a two. Decision time: do you prioritise the higher level, or do you rid of the lower rankings first to reduce the numbers? You choose to favour the latter option and fling a cascade of especially sharp stars their way. The metal skin shrieks upon impact, tearing away and unleashing a gush of sparks from within. One quick turn of your body soon after and you direct double the amount towards the last robot. It takes just one more attack before it blasts out of commission. If you keep going at this pace, victory is sure to be well within your grasp.

Some minutes pass and you can only assume that you have managed to reach the 40s. It's a rough estimate but it's good enough for you at the moment. Unfortunately, fate has other plans and decides that it is time to meddle with your good luck. Flickers of multi-coloured spots pass by your peripheral but you make no effort to stop. You can't stop. There is absolutely no way of telling how many points all of the other students have retrieved. If you stop to take a break now, you might just lose your chance. There isn't much that can be done at this point in time, so you take it upon yourself to listen out for anything that sounds heavy enough to be a robot and aim your stars as best as you can. Scatters of rubble come up to your left and you strike to the best of your abilities immediately. How strange...

That didn't sound like metal.

"Whoa," a gravelly voice bellows, "I can tell you wanna' win but don't take out the competition."

This is a fact that you overlooked. Without your sight, the risk of hitting nearby students is that much greater. How could you be so careless? Not only could someone have gotten seriously injured but you could lose out on points because of your recklessness. That is a consideration taken into this exam, right?

"[I'm so sorry]," you accidentally spill in your native tongue. You swallow before correcting yourself. "I've used my quirk too much, and now I can't see anything. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

You hear a laugh, "No, man, don't worry! Lucky for you, I have a pretty indestructible quirk."

What a relief, you think to yourself. Nonetheless, that still doesn't change the fact that you could have hurt him. If it was someone who didn't have a defensive quirk like him, they could have suffered some serious cuts. You don't dwell for much longer when a firm hand lands on your shoulder, followed by that voice again.

"You gonna' be okay? We should probably get you out of the battlefield if you can't see."

"No, no, I'll be fine," you object desperately, shaking your head. "It'll wear off soon."

You expected this mystery person to leave it at that and wish you luck before continuing to get himself more points but he decides to stay. He clearly has a big heart, that much is obvious already. If any of these students deserves to pass, it's him you've decided. You can only hope that this inconvenience doesn't hinder his chances.

When your vision begins to return, you can just about make out smudges of black and red. This guy's face is still rather blurry but you can tell it's the colour palette of his hair and eyes. Is that a small scar on his brow? It's hard to tell. Another colour comes into view, distracting you: green. That can only mean one thing.

"Watch out!"

You are quick to pull the student out of harm's way and your other hand extends, targetting a flurry of bright, iridescent stars at the faux villain. Luckily, you can confirm that it is indeed taken down before your eyes are invaded with kaleidoscope colours once more. Seconds after, the horn blares, signaling the end of the exam. Is that going to be enough? You got so caught up in the mess that you completely lost count. It isn't even a matter of being able to confer with the boy who helped you as you are already being dragged away by the paramedics. Shoot.

You didn't even get his name.

This is the part that is most agonising. You could have been beaten to a pulp during the practical and the physical pain would still hail in comparison to the existential dread occupying your precious time. You have the ability to practise impeccable temperament but the impatience is wearing you down thin. You can talk a big game about your quirk all you want but deep down you're just a canister of anxiety waiting to be punctured and explode. What if the examiners retract points for your reckless mishap? What if you didn't get enough points, to begin with? Did you ruin the other student's chances of getting in? You hope not; he seemed nice. The stewing of these questions has been fermenting and rotting away in your brain since the exam finished. Your downward spiral is cut off to a temporary halt when a resounding knock breaks the silence, followed by a voice.

"[Starshine,]" it calls gently through the varnished wood. "[I made breakfast. You should come and grab a plate.]"

Food is the last thing on your mind but you know that the insistence of your father won't allow you to skip out on the most important meal of the day. Begrudgingly, you peel away from the mountainous cocoon of fluff and trudge out, being sure to drag one of the blankets with you over your shoulders. The man you refer to as 'Paps' smiles endearingly and pats the top of your head as you pass him. He has been awfully distressed about you - both of your parents have. Being a lot softer than his cartoonishly calloused partner, he has a tendency of going over the top in assuring you have everything you need to feel better. It is terribly sweet, of course, but you wish he wouldn't be so concerned, especially considering how much energy he puts into his job. Both of your parents work so hard, they shouldn't have to worry about some measly exam anxiety.

Paps follows your fragile self down the stairs like a hesitant slinky, silently wondering what more he can do to alleviate this pressure that's weighing you down. All contemplation is set aside when the mail for the morning slips past the front door's tongue. Is that...? It is! Your makeshift cape tears away and lands in your father's face as you descend the rest of the way via the banister. You fumble the landing and drop to your knees, scrambling for the letter like a crazed raccoon to a pile of scraps.

It must undoubtedly make for a hilarious sight because you can hear your Paps' laughter come up beside you. "[Well? What are you waiting for? Open it.]"

Yes. Opening the letter is the next step, isn't it? Your entire body is practically vibrating with a mix of nerves and anticipation. Those worrisome thoughts are close to bombarding you into a coma again but you know you need to open it despite your fears. Your fingertips threaten to pale beneath the pressure of your grasp. Just think of it as a bandaid: you just need to rip that sucker off and get it over with. Through bated breath, you scurry back up to your bedroom and close the door. If this is to turn badly, you would much rather be alone for it, much to your Paps dismay. He shall let you be for now but will remain at the ready should you need him.

Prying open the envelope is hardly done with any grace or precision but you can barely withstand your trembling. A disc-shaped ornament tumbles onto the carpet in front of you. That explains the strange shape, at least. The device stares back at you dauntingly and you have to take a deep breath before pressing the little button that will unveil either your demise or your sanctuary. It chirps to life and a hologram projection springs up, revealing the greatest hero this planet has ever known: All-Might. This must be a good sign. There is no way they would get the top dog himself to bring bad news to the students, right?

"It is I," he announces, baring that trademark smile of his. "Well done, (Y/n) (L/n)! As I am to become a teacher at U.A. I have the proud honour of declaring your success in making it in. Congratulations! You have a fantastic quirk, young lady. Now, you certainly had a couple of fumbles during the practical but your ability to prosper again was most impressive. We weren't just examining students on how many points they could get, after all. You earned some hero points saving that young man from that faux villain."

There is a lot to unpack here. The top-ranking hero himself is going to be a teacher? That's amazing! Not only did you get in but he's going to be your teacher as well. This is almost too good to be true. You thought for sure that said occurrence would have lost you points, especially since you got that student into that mess in the first place. It is a guilt you had been bearing on your shoulders this entire time - a weight that is slowly starting to lift with All-Might's words. It makes you wonder how that boy did and, as if on cue, your question is answered.

"Don't worry, (L/n), the young gentleman has also made it into the school," he continues, easing your aforementioned worries. "He earned himself a fair few hero points with the noble deed of checking on your wellbeing. Being a hero isn't just a matter of how many villains you can take down - it's also about doing what is right! Well done to both of you! I have a feeling you are both going to make wonderful heroes someday."

You catch your own smile in the mirror opposite to you once the hologram disappears. Having two wins to hold under your belt is something you hardly expected but you are certainly not going to complain. Any and all previous engagements with your negative psyche are dwindling as you turn your focus to preparing for school. That first day cannot come soon enough.

Getting this done was a mission and a half, let me tell ya'. I lost this first chapter TWICE due to technical difficulties, but we got there in the end. I really hope it's good enough despite the blimmin' torment XD (Also, if there's any confusion, the dialogue presented as '[ ]' is meant to represent characters speaking in English)

Chapter 2

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stillness-in-green · 2 years

Text

On Riots and Resolutions (Part One)

So, I got, unsurprisingly, a lot of asks about the heteromorph riot mini-arc, both in terms of how it was presented in the story and how fandom (my own posts included) responded to it. In turn, this gave me a lot to research before I started shooting my mouth off about either topic, hence this being as late as it is. Thanks as always for your patience, everyone.

I had intended to make this one big ask round-up, but I ended up with a few offshoots that didn’t really fit as a response to anyone’s ask in particular, but nonetheless struck me as significant enough to share. Therefore, rather than having this be an unwieldy ask post/meta mashup, I’m going to split it into two parts.

The first post will use one specific ask, the one that really sent me into the weeds research-wise, as a springboard to talk about what cultural factors might have influenced Horikoshi’s writing decisions about the hospital attack, as well as some discussion of how the Western fanbase talks about heteromorphobia. I’ll be getting into that past the cut below; there will also be some links at the end for sources and further reading.

The second post—coming soon!—will contain all the rest of the asks, which are somewhat more scattershot in nature.

Both posts skew heavily towards meta analysis: they’ll be about Horikoshi’s context as a Japanese creator writing for Shonen Jump, and about how fans—myself included—have responded to the resulting material. Obviously there will still be some references to the actual events in the manga, but it isn’t the main focus. If you want my in-depth opinions on the sequence in question, you can find my very opinionated opinions in my chapter posts.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Discussion of real-life discrimination (racial and otherwise) both in Japan and elsewhere, the historical construction of race, and theoretical considerations about how the idea of race might have been impacted by the appearance of quirks in-universe. Also, some brief allusions to overwork in Japanese office culture and its impact on people’s ability to engage in/with activism.

On that note, if you haven’t seen me say so before, I’m white as white gets, and obviously writing from a U.S. perspective as well. I’ve done my best to do my reading and be respectful in my wording, and I did run everything past a non-white friend before posting, but please do let me know if you see anything offensive. Some of these topics are ones that I already know people of color have pretty divergent opinions on, though—I was following the fandom response to this arc quite closely!—so do be prepared to encounter some reads that may differ from your own.

Hit the jump!

So, this is the ask that I looked at and immediately thought, “Oh, I’m going to need to do significant reading before I even start thinking about a response to that.” Most significantly, I wanted to research what Japan, a famously homogenous country, even thinks of the idea of race. Do Japanese people conceptualize it the same way U.S. Americans do? If they view it differently, how does that view color what they think about race-based discrimination? How, in turn, might that have influenced Horikoshi’s writing, and how might a greater understanding of his (potential) lens affect our own interpretations?

Well, let’s take a look.

Horikoshi’s Context: Racism vs. Xenophobia, Protest Culture, and How To Fight Discrimination

Racism vs. Xenophobia

Having now done some reading, here’s a very key thing to keep in mind: the vast, vast majority of Japan does not actually think the country has an issue with race. Even the people who do talk about the discrimination faced by the country’s various minority groups almost universally do so in terms of xenophobia rather than racism.

For my purposes here, xenophobia can be understood to mean the fear and/or hatred of foreigners and foreign influence/culture. Racism, conversely, will be discussed mainly in the context of a) the belief in the idea of race as a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities[1] and b) behaviors stemming from that belief, especially the notion of the inherent superiority or inferiority of races in comparison to one another. Note that this definition is distinct from the idea of ethnicity and ethnic discrimination; I’ll get into what distinguishes race and ethnicity in the Western fandom portion of this post.

Now, of course, outside the realm of analytical essays, all these issues overlap hugely. I’m going to be talking about them as relatively discrete issues for the purposes of considering the experiences of individual characters within Boku no Hero Academia, but certainly where you find one, you’re frequently likely to find the others.

That all said, let’s return to the idea that Japan doesn’t believe it has a racism problem.

The reason for that is complicated, and intensely historical, but what it boils down to is that there is a lot more to being viewed as “Japanese” than simply being born in Japan. The majority opinion in Japan is that being Japanese means having Japanese ancestry,[2] speaking the language fluently, understanding the culture, being a citizen, and so on. This very blurred view of race, ethnicity and nationality means that all sorts of things can “disqualify” someone from, as one researcher I read put it, “Japanese-ness.” And if one isn’t Japanese (e.g. because they have Korean ancestry or Ainu ethnicity or an American parent or whathaveyou), then, voila! Discrimination can’t be racism; it’s xenophobia.

Basically, the government’s official stance is that Japan is a homogenous country, so there are no racial minorities for them to be racially biased against. All those hafu and Zainichi Koreans and Okinawans and so forth? Well, they’re not really Japanese, so the discrimination they face is about nationality. Poor Japan is just so insular; its people don’t always know how to deal with outsiders. But it isn’t racism, because racism would mean Japanese people judging other Japanese people on the basis of race, like white Americans judge Black Americans on the basis of race! And Japan only has the one race, Japanese, so it just isn’t possible for them to be racist. Even people who go out of their way to study discrimination in Japan, writing academic papers and news articles, still tend to use this framing.

It took me a while to get my head around that fairly tortured logic, and I sometimes still lose the thread of it. Now, I can’t read Horikoshi’s mind, so I have no idea what he would say if asked, but let me take Rock Lock as an example. If he were a real dude living in real Japan, it wouldn’t matter that he has a perfectly standard Japanese name and was born in Tokushima Prefecture, nor that he speaks the language and understands the culture. He has obviously Black features, which would lead most of the people around him to assume that he has non-Japanese ancestry, and therefore that he isn’t “really” Japanese.[3] Ergo, the mistreatment would be considered xenophobia, not racism.

Consider, then, how that might impact Japanese heteromorphs. They speak the language, they’re born in the country, they understand the culture, they have Japanese ancestry, they’re citizens of Japan—it seems like they should check all the boxes, right? But they still don’t look “Japanese,” which makes it very probable that there are people who don’t think of them as really being Japanese. Indeed, the real anti-heteromorph hardliners are very explicit in thinking heteromorphs have something wrong with them in their very blood (see the invective spat at Shouji about his “dirty blood”), and as I said above, the wrong kind of blood is one of those things that can easily disqualify one from proper Japanese-ness.

Sidebar: I said I’d talk about this back when it happened, knowing it was going to have to wait for exactly the kind of research this whole post needed, so I’ll address it here: “Folks with human faces just don’t get it!” Regarding the Spinner fans leveling this accusation at Rock Lock, those guys have clearly internalized the view that, despite them being human, their facial features are not human. That’s a very obvious logical fallacy, but they wouldn’t believe it if they hadn’t been exposed to the view over a significant period of their lives, which in turn speaks to an ongoing issue with dehumanization of those with fully heteromorphic faces. I’ll point to characters that call heteromorphs by epithets like dog, lizard, frog-face, and so on as a clear demonstration of how that sort of rhetoric is widespread even among characters not otherwise portrayed as violent bigots. Further, while the evidence points to such language being viewed as somewhat rude, it’s not so objectionable that most people raise a stink over it. Of Shouji, Chief Tsuragamae, Spinner, Hawks, and every heteromorphic classmate that Bakugou has ever used an animal name on, only Spinner has ever protested. Every other case has featured the heteromorph quietly letting the word pass by.[4] When even Certified Good Boys like Iida and Deku don’t think to say a thing about Shouto and Bakugou’s choices in phrasing, only to protest their surly attitudes, it’s a strong indicator that this kind of language is well entrenched. All that said, is, “Human-faced people wouldn’t understand what it’s like to be judged by their appearances!” a fair thing to yell at a Black guy? Surely not. But that kind of intra-minority shortsightedness (however misguided it might be) can be a real thing, especially when peoples’ own circumstances have gotten so dire, so I don’t think it’s an unrealistic accusation for them to be written as making. That, of course, brings us to the matter of Horikoshi’s own intentions in said writing. Was he consciously writing the Spinner fans (and the rest of the mob by extension) as being blinkered by their own pain and lashing out at someone who probably does understand, better than a great many in his field would? Or did he think the Spinner fans were right (at least in that specific accusation, if not in the broader act of rioting)? Further, if he did think they were right, did he put Rock Lock in that position to be intentionally ironic, some sort of, “Oh, look, even minorities can discriminate against other minorities, wow, isn’t that such a profound observation?” gotcha? Or was having the target of the Spinner fans’ ire be Black entirely coincidental, the wince-worthy result of Horikoshi only having so many named Pro Heroes to spread around and Rock Lock being the one whose personality+power fit the needs of the scene best? Those questions come down to a) how aware Horikoshi is of what Takagi Ken would experience in real-life Japan, and b) whether he thinks that kind of racism(/xenophobia) still exists in his fantasy alternate future Japan. Unfortunately, we just don’t spend enough time with Rock Lock, Mirko, Class B’s Rin, and so forth to be able to gauge that with any accuracy. Like so much else about this plot, it feels much too specific to be accidental, but so tone-deaf that it’s hard to believe a thoughtful writer would do it on purpose.

Protest Culture in Japan

Something that struck me as I was researching this post and rereading the relevant chapters was that I never seem to hear very much about large-scale protests in Japan. There were certainly historical ones! I’ve touched on some examples of those before in my writing for this fandom, and I’ve seen enough anime to be aware of the infamous student protests of the late 60s. But I don’t see much about protests in modern-day Japan.

That’s not to say they don’t happen—they absolutely do, and I’m sure there are things I miss because it’s not like I have The Mainichi in a daily news feed or anything—but my image of Japan was that it’s not a country that has a very strong “protest culture,” if you will. I thought I should dig into that some, both to see if the impression was broadly correct, and for how the answers would reflect on this whole plotline.

Lo and behold, what I found was extremely telling.

To give a very brief summary, organized protests—by which I mean people with signs, mass gatherings outside government buildings, marches, that kind of thing—were indeed a bigger thing historically in Japan. However, a combination of factors meant that they fell drastically out of use and have only started to rebound within the last fifteen years or so.

Specifically, protest in the 60s and 70s had become very specifically associated in the public eye with the New Left, a radical group inspired by the New Left movement in the West to break away from the “Old Left” represented by Japan’s Communist and Socialist parties. Always prone to factionalism, the New Left eventually suffered several very public, very lethal, internal schisms and splashy scandals, all as they were also moving into terrorism—groups associated with the New Left were responsible for, among other incidents, two airplane hijackings and an airport attack that killed 26 people.[5]

One result of all this was that the people who had deeply believed in the cause were left very disillusioned, and those who had not supported it were left feeling even more justified in not having done so. In both cases, the idea of protest—which had not even been successful at achieving its aims, on top of everything else!—was left marred by this association.

Add onto that, the Bubble Economy was coming into full swing, so by most metrics, Japan was doing pretty well—there wasn’t much widespread push to change anything when people at large were thriving. And, yes, there was a measure of good old-fashioned government crackdown on the legality of the kinds of protest the New Left had been doing.

That was pretty much the state of affairs until the early aughts, when counter-culture movements started redefining what organized protest could look like, development that was pushed even farther along after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. Since then, protests have been gradually becoming more common; it’s still very much a movement in progress, though, and for a lot of people in Japan, old associations die hard.[6]

Notably, however, there are some places where organized protests never went away. To this day, Okinawa has strong movements calling for the return of Okinawan land that’s currently being used for U.S. military bases.[7] There was also considerable opposition from rural communities to a number of dam projects through the late 70s and on through the 90s. The classic anime using those dam protests as plot fodder is, of course, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, though so far as I can tell from some cursory research, the dam opposition group in Higurashi’s backstory was rather more successful than any real-life equivalent.

I trust it’s not difficult to draw the lines between those perceptions and Horikoshi’s depiction of the attack on the hospital: overly violent, led by extremists with suspect motives, and concerned with an issue that’s very pressing to people in rural communities while being largely invisible to people in big cities.

“Let sleeping dogs lie.”

In the course of my research, aside from all my findings detailed above, I did come across a quote that I wonder if influenced the resolution Horikoshi chose to write. It’s the Japanese proverb Neta ko wo okosuna, which translates to, “Don’t wake a sleeping baby.” Colloquially, the meaning is that if a problem is not currently being a problem, you shouldn’t stir it up by poking at it—our English equivalent would be, as the subheader says, “Let sleeping dogs lie.”

Other deployments as an adage aside, the context I’m most concerned with here is the way that it’s applied to burakumin discrimination (and how that, in turn, might reflect what Horikoshi thinks is the “right” way for characters to address heteromorphobia).

Basically, the idea is that if a discriminatory belief/set of practices is dying out, the best way to deal with what problems remain is to just—not talk about them. Because it’s no longer an everyday fact of life, children today aren’t going to know anything about burakumin or anti-burakumin discrimination unless they’re specifically taught. And so, the reasoning goes, if you simply don’t teach them, they will never learn.

Thus can discrimination be starved out of existence, or so people hope. Obviously, it is wildly flawed rhetoric to apply that adage to discrimination, because people who discriminate will teach discrimination to their children. Nonetheless, it’s a popular view in the mainstream, even one that was long endorsed by one of the biggest burakumin rights organizations, the Zenkairen.[8]

In that light, I wonder if we might consider it a possible influence in Horikoshi’s offered solution of, “Just be a Model Minority until all the problems go away.” We can see this attitude reflected not only in Shouji’s resolve and his final words to the crowd in Chapter 373, but also in his decision to constantly wear a mask to cover up the proof of his assault.

Shouji knows what people will think if they see a heteromorph covered in scars; the fear he wants to prevent is not only that of small children who might think his face is scary, but also that of adults who would see his wounds and fear that his experience made him vengeful. And so, it’s a conversation he just chooses to avoid instead. If people don’t know about it, they won’t believe they need to fear it.

Of course, one can’t help but suspect that the reason, “Don’t wake a sleeping baby,” is popular in the mainstream view is because it conveniently lets the majority culture avoid talking about uncomfortable topics. Japan notably has a huge cultural stigma about making people uncomfortable, so it’s easy for people who bristle when confronted with discrimination to point to the minority raising a stink as being the ones in the wrong. That, too, is reflected in Shouji’s horrible accusation that the heteromorphs’ own actions will put their movement back thirty years.

I don’t have a lot of neat conclusions to draw from all this. After all, you can’t just look at a bunch of polls of what any given group’s majority believes and then immediately assume that all members of the group are equally likely to believe the same. I do think it speaks well of Horikoshi that he seems to be at least enough aware of discrimination issues in Japan to include a new but eminently predictable form of discrimination in his work. If he, like many people in Japan, just believed that Japan didn’t have a discrimination problem at all, presumably he just wouldn’t have included heteromorphobia! The kegare bit in particular feels way too specific for Horikoshi to have tripped his way into it.

That said, all of the ways that he chose to address the problem speak to a woefully outdated viewpoint—that protest is ineffective and prone to violence, and that the best way to deal with discrimination is to starve it with silence. It’s incredibly striking that at no point in any of those chapters does anyone on the “right” side say that they’ll do anything about the problems facing heteromorphs. The onus is, apparently, entirely on the oppressed minority to present themselves as such paragons of humanity that the bigots will be too ashamed to try to hurt them—heteromorphs can neither fight back nor count on their government to do anything for them.

Even having read and relayed everything that I now have, I’m still hard-pressed to say that knowing all that context makes me feel any better about BNHA’s “answer” to the characters involved in the hospital attack.

Meanwhile...

The Fandom’s View: Well, Is It Racism?

As far as the wording the Western fanbase uses, I agree that people shouldn’t just call it racism, straight out. Heteromorphobia is a fictional construct that, for reasons of clarity and sensitivity, should not be conflated with an evil that people in real life, many of them readers of this very comic, suffer today.

That said, my experience is that most people who use the word racism in talking about heteromorphobia tend to add a qualifying adjective: “quirk racism,” “fantasy racism,” things like that. It’s following the broad TV Tropes-style short-handing of plot elements like heteromorphobia as Fantastic Racism. And that, unlike just calling it racism without further qualification, doesn’t bother me. Let me pose a thought exercise to get at why.

Race is a debunked concept insomuch as it refers to the scientific categorization of humans into neat little boxes based on their physical traits. In actuality, it’s a social construct, changeable based on the needs or biases of the people defining it.[9]

That said, people obviously still mean things when they use the word, particularly when the topic being discussed is racial discrimination. In that context, race as distinct from ethnicity or nationality refers to the observable, physical qualities a person has—the color of their skin, the color and texture of their hair, the expected range of their eye color, their facial structure, and so on—and what category (codified to justify imperialism and slavery) those traits would lead that person to be sorted into. A Black guy might be from the U.S. or France or Senegal—or Japan!—but he’s a Black guy, regardless, and any discrimination he faces based on those Black features is likewise going to be racism, regardless.

Conversely, nationality is obviously based in matters of nation—what country was one born in; what country is one a citizen of? Ethnicity is a much broader term that covers culture, socialization, language, the values one is taught, sometimes things like religion and traditional modes of dress—basically all intangible or, in the case of clothes or language/accent, adoptable things.

Obviously, bigots aren’t always drawing clean lines like that, and society, too, has been moving away from the idea of race as a valid categorizational tool. Insomuch as the concept still has a distinct meaning, however, that is the distinction: inborn, observable physical commonalities between different peoples that are distinct from other peoples; racism in this context is stereotyping and discrimination based on the belief in those traits.

That all said, how does that conception of race reconcile itself with heteromorphs? In the understood sense of what is denoted by “Asian,” would someone like Gang Orca be considered Asian? If he were vacationing in BNHA’s New York City, would anyone there assume he was Asian just by looking at him in a crowd? Someone like the Sludge Villain, who doesn’t even have a bipedal body arrangement, is an even more extreme case. Conversely, someone like Iida would still be easy to categorize.[10]

This gets you into questions that mirror discussion about racial discrimination in real life, like the idea of heteromorphs “passing” (the differences between a heteromorph like the Sludge Villain and one like Iida) or the ways in which some racial traits might be viewed as attractively “exotic”—especially in combination with other traits that more resemble those of the majority culture—while others are viewed as “ugly” (like how Hawks’ cool red angel wings have a far broader appeal than Spinner’s full-body scales).

Of course, the problem with saying people like the Sludge Villain and Gang Orca can’t be categorized as Asian because they don’t look Asian is that it begs the question of what race they would be considered. They don’t look like any existing human race, but they don’t much resemble each other, either: they both have recognizable eyes and teeth, and that’s about it. So if race is determined by one’s physical features and how much they align with those of a broader group, then how does one go about assigning that to a heteromorph?

Are heteromorphs considered a race entirely of their own, a sort of broad catch-all for anyone in quirk society who has permanent non-baseline[11]-human features? Or has the idea of “race” been largely cast aside because it’s too difficult to make fit the new humanity?[12] It’s a pertinent question in determining whether we could rightly call heteromorphobia a form of racism in and of itself, as opposed to a discrimination more like anti-burakumin sentiment (which, as I’ve discussed elsewhere, heteromorphobia also has markers of).

It is a pertinent question, but I don’t think Horikoshi will ever answer it. Indeed, thanks to the previously described way that Japan tends to conflate race, nationality, and ethnicity, I’d be surprised if he ever thought to raise the question to begin with!

That doesn’t mean that we can’t ask it, though! Given that race as a social tool stems from the need to justify discrimination and subjugation, how might the idea of race have changed in the BNHA setting as both quirks in general and heteromorphs specifically became more common? Would such obvious Others have sharpened the lines of division or blurred them? Is there a checkbox for Heteromorph on official forms that ask about Race/Ethnicity?[13] How much of a group identity do heteromorphs have, even ones who look very different from one another or hail from different countries? If it exists, how would that group identity be meaningfully distinguished from the idea of, say, a global Black community?

BNHA depicts a world that is still, over a hundred years later, trying to pick up the pieces from the advent of quirks, and heteromorphic discrimination is simply another aspect of that same ongoing development, so it would be no surprise to find all sorts of different answers to these questions. They would likely vary depending on a given culture’s view on how race differs or overlaps with ethnicity and nationality. Even heteromorphs who share a community might disagree; minority groups aren’t monoliths, after all!

Anyway, that’s all deeply suppositional and well beyond the level most readers of the series are likely thinking about re: heteromorphobia, so to reiterate, I don’t think the evidence is there to just call it racism without any further qualifications, so fans should probably not do that—be respectful of the shared community space and all!

Neither do I think the idea is entirely groundless, however, so I don’t begrudge people their “quirk racism”s and “fantasy racism”s. Plenty of people want to talk about the ways in which heteromorphobia resembles their own experiences with discrimination, so using shorthand that relates to those experiences rather than a made-up word that doesn’t express anything real, feels like a valid choice to me.

Look for Part 2 hopefully within the next 24 hours!

----------------- FOOTNOTES -----------------

1: Phrasing taken from the Merriam-Webster definition of racism.

2: When Japan incorporated Western ideas of race into its own understanding of the concept in the back half of the 19th century, it was largely interpreted to mean sharing a common blood, hence the huge importance of family line I have written about elsewhere when talking about e.g. the family registry (koseki) and the country’s chilly view on orphans. In that period, the concepts of race and nationality were both being refined in order to justify Western imperialism, a threat to which Japan responded by rapidly modernizing into an imperial power in its own right, complete with its own ugly cocktail of ethnonationalism.

3: And lest anyone think Japan is uniquely awful in this way, think about the way that people ask Asian minorities in the U.S. first where they’re from, and then where they’re “really from.”

4: There’s also a discussion to be had about Hawks using that language for himself, as well as looping the highly unamused-looking Tokoyami into it. It’s off-topic for this post, but suffice it to say that I don’t think we can ignore the glaring difference between Hawks’ upbringing and those of the other characters.

5: The Lod Airport massacre.

6: Oddly enough, it seems to be young people who are least likely to approve. Overworked, unable to risk their livelihoods in the current cutthroat job market, and deeply jaded by both of those facts, the younger end of Japan’s adult population seems to be more likely to express their issues online, rather than in person. One survey I read about suggested that belief in both the effectiveness and acceptability of organized protest increased with every age category, though in no cases was there a commanding majority in favor.

7: The numbers are telling: the islands of Okinawa Prefecture make up 0.6% of the nation’s landmass, yet 75% of the U.S. bases in Japan are located there.

8: It’s also fairly in line with a practice you sometimes see talked about in relation to media and big business in Japan when accused of using discriminatory language: word hunts, where the offending language is put on a list of forbidden verbiage so that people will stop complaining, but no further action is taken to address the offensive attitudes behind the words. Thus, the underlying problems continue to exist, setting the stage for future word hunts.

9: As, indeed, you saw when a bunch of people in Meiji-era Japan were figuring it out. They got the idea from Western trade partners, decided they didn’t like what those Western trade partners assumed about “the Asian race, ” and so invented a narrative whereby their race was Japanese, which was like a unique and special kind of Asian, better than all other Asians. Their Western trade partners, one assumes, went right on ahead with considering them as Asian.

10: This analysis assumes that if you took Horikoshi’s stylistic “filter” off of the cast, and asked what they would look like in a more realistic depiction, characters like, say, Present Mic would still read as Japanese despite the fact that he’s depicted as blond. There’s room for argument there, but that discussion is beyond the scope of this post.

11: “Baseline” is a term you will see me use a lot when I finally get that big Heteromorphobia In BNHA (No, It Didn’t Come Out of Nowhere) essay turned out.

12: If you think Re-Destro has any kind of point—and obviously I do—then it’d be a fair guess that humanity hasn’t gotten rid of the idea of race just yet. See that bit in Chapter 227 about society conforming to old ways of thinking even as humanity as a species has transcended that idea of normalcy.

13: Or Origins or Categories or whatever kind of language the local census/tax department/medical facilities/etc. are currently using. Japan does not actually ask this question on its official paperwork, for what it's worth.

------------------ REFERENCES ------------------

1: Sociology Compass, Volume 7 – The Social Construction of Race and Minorities in Japan

2: Vox.com – Japan's blackface problem: the country's bizarre, troubled relationship with race

3: Kana Yamamoto – The myth of “Nihonjinron”, homogeneity of Japan and its influence on the society

4: Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly, Volume 45 – The History of Japanese Racism, Japanese American Redress, and the Dangers Associated with Government Regulation of Hate Speech

5: Carl Cassegård, Social Movement Studies – The recovery of protest in Japan: from the ‘ice age’ to the post-2011 movements

6: Nippon.com – Why Are Japanese Youth Distancing Themselves from Social Activism?

7: Thisjapaneselife.org – On Living In the Wrong Neighborhood in Japan

#bnha #heteromorph discrimination plot #stillness answers #my writing #bnha meta #cw: racism #bnha culture gap

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eisaexe · 12 days

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All Across pt.2

Ni-ki x fem!reader

Chapter two.

The Hotel

Summary : Riki and you talked everything out, after your unplanned arrival in Okoyama, he also gave you his Number "Just to make sure you can text him whenever" and now you sat next to him in the bus, on your way to the Hotel.

"Soo, uhm....you know where we need to get out?" Riki asked, his fingers tapping onto his knees while he looked around the bus. He looked everywhere, he even started a staring contest with the dog across from us.

"Riki, i literally booked the Hotel by myself, so yeah...i think i pretty much do know where we-" he just cut me off, but still didn't look at me "ah yeah yeah...so real.." i sighed and gave up.

What am i even trying to do here, just because his Mother said i can stay doesn't mean he likes me more now, i bet he hates me even more now.

I looked over and now he was staring at me, great. "What?" i asked, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

"You look really ugly like that..." he said and i hit his shoulder, he didn't even flinch, he just stood up and grabbed my arm.

"What are you doing?" "Getting out on our Stop" he said, dragging me out of the Bus.

As we arrived infront of the Hotel he just stood there. "Aren't you gonna come along?" I asked him, now suddenly getting nervous, i knew Japanese, but it wasn't nearly enough for me to survive alone in the wild.

"No, you got this" he said, before he walked away, sitting down on a Bench. "Fine, i'll be super slow with packing my things!" I said but he just shrugged his shoulders and took out his Phone. "I don't care" .

I rolled my eyes and then walked inside the Hotel, luckily no Staff asked any questions and i could just go to the Elevator and up to my Floor.

As i arrived on the 13th Floor, i got out i bumped into someone. "Oh my god, i'm so sorry!" The boy said, clearly not from Japan, he had an, Australian accent? "It's no big deal, really" i said and smiled at him.

"Are you sure, oh god i feel so bad" he apologized over and over again, while i tried to reassure him that it was okay. Some Guests and Staff looked over at us but didn't seem to mind it. After he calmed down a bit, i could take a good look at him.

He wasn't the tallest but still Taller than me, he had brown, longish hair, brown eyes and a really kind smile, he had style, i felt like a bag of Potatoes next to him.

"Uhm, i'm Jake..." the boy said, holding out his Hand which i took "could i....like, invite you to go and grab some coffee with me sometime, as a proper apology?" I knew i should just say no, but something inside of me told me to just accept it.

"Sure.." i said, smiling at the boy who also immediately started ro smile, god was that a cute smile.

"Great, uhm...here is my number" he held out his Phone with his number so i could put the number in my phone. "Just call me whenever your free" he smiled before waving goodbye. "I will...bye Jake" he smiled and waved goodbye again, before the Elevator doors closed and sighed heavily before walking to my room and opening the door.

The inside was a mess and i started by folding my clothes and putting them back into my Suitcase, then i got the the bathroom and put in all my Skincare, haircare and makeup, before trying to stuff my shoes and my iron into my suitcase and then packing my handbag, before trying to leave everything behind as neatly as possible while wondering why the fuck Riki wouldn't want to help me.

But i had his number, so i could just text him....or not? I figured that i should just leave him alone and as i had everything packed, i took the Elevator down to the reception.

Infront of me was an elderly couple, talking to the receptionist, but the other staff stared at me weirdly and one of the Staff even started talking to me, i nodded but i knew i had to do something, i didn't understand a thing.

I was actually a bit taken aback that he agreed to come here and help me, but soon enough i knew that i had to wait, so i sat down and waited...and waited.

He arrived 20 minutes later and looked around before he spotted me and grinned as he walked up to me. "Fucking twenty minutes, you weren't in the store across the street, were you?" i asked but he just grinned more.

"Why do you care, i'm here to help you after all, now, give me the keys?" i looked at him confused and he groaned a bit. "You keys, for you room?" "Oh, yeah, uhm....here" i said and he took them before walking up the the reception.

At first he just gave them the Key but then he started to babble about something else, i only understood something about "misunderstanding...key...not even one night....money ba-" he wanted them to give me my money back!?

I stood up to interfere but that was when he turned around and came back to me with the money i spent on the Hotel. "Here, that's for you" he said, i really didn't expect him to do something like that for me.

"Thank you..." i said but he shrugged it off. "It's no big deal" he said as he grabbed my Suitcase "Let's go now, my dad is waiting with his Car outside".

So, this is part two, i was able to finish it cause i'm sick, i really hope you guys enjoy it and i could really use some ideas or inspiration, but thank you for reading this<33

#enhypen #ni ki #frenemies #teenagers

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darklotuspublishing · 1 month

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Stitched in Shadows: A Love Bound By Obsession Chapter One

TW: swearing, hints of being stalked, alcohol usage

It was all over the news, “Takashi Kurouta named top fashion designer after making a bold statement with his newest line,” he had the nerve to present something so perverse at the Kyoto fashion exhibition. I couldn’t believe it, Takashi Kurouta was named Japan’s top fashion designer when he didn’t even deserve that title. He was nothing more than a high-end smut peddler with his perverse fashion lines.

“Miss Nakamura, don’t you think it would be best for us to delve into the sex sells trope for your next line?” My assistant Hajime asked.

“Hajime, doll, sex sells is just some bullshit men like Takashi Kurouta created to hypersexualize women,” I responded, my voice laced with obvious disdain for my rival. Hajime could sense my frustration and ceased his commentary and unsolicited advice. I plopped down on my leather couch, picked up my glass of whiskey, and downed it in one gulp. The burn from the alcohol was intense but so delicious at the same time. After a few moments, my new goal was clear. I had to crush Takashi Kurouta at the international fashion exhibition.

The apartment complex security guard came over the intercom, “Miss Nakamura, we have a Mister Kurouta here to see you.” he said.

I groaned, hitting the button on the intercom, “Send him up.” I replied and then sat back on the couch. Within a few moments a resounding “very well” came over the intercom and I was soon face to face with the Devil himself, Takashi Kurouta. What could he possibly want? He never visits my home. Well, at least not for the right reasons.

“Smile princess don’t look so upset. You’ll get on my level one day.” Takashi said with a smug smile on his face.

“Save it Kurouta. We both know that your victory was bullshit!” I yelled, wanting nothing more than to slap that smug grin off of his face. Takashi did nothing more than laugh at my less-than-friendly attitude. He stalked closer to me, closing the distance between us and crouching in front of me.

“How about you let me take you out on a date to make up for upsetting you so much, hm?” Takashi questioned.

My expression changed to one of shock, “You can’t be serious. What makes you think that I would go on a date with you?” I spat, obviously annoyed at his bold proposition.

“Come on, you’re a pretty girl and no girl can say no to me,” Takashi stated confidently.

I couldn’t help but laugh, “Oh, that’s just rich! No girl can say no to you. Really? Well, my answer is no.” I continued laughing as I spoke, wiping a tear from my eye after laughing so hard. Takashi wasn’t used to being rejected by anyone. His expression went from smug, to disappointed and then to anger. He was a ticking time bomb with no real indicator as to when he would snap. Without another word, Takashi stood up and left, slamming my front door behind him.

Hajime looked over at me, “What was that about? He just came here expecting you to date him? I always knew that he was crazy.” He stated, laughter escaping him as he spoke. Takashi’s actions were always laughable. I knew Hajime could never resist a good laugh at Takashi Kurouta’s expense.

“He’s always been a nutcase. Takashi Kurouta thinks that he’s this irresistible bachelor when in reality, he’s just a sad desperate man who has probably never had a girlfriend.” I said, my voice laced with amusement. Hajime burst into girlish squeals and giggles at my comment. His laughter caused me to burst out into laughter. I couldn’t resist laughing along with him, our obvious hatred for Takashi was visible with how hard we were laughing. Eventually, we both settled down and Hajime left, leaving me alone in my penthouse.

Sleep never came easy for me and there was something about Takashi’s sudden visit that made me feel uneasy. Tonight was going to be a long night, especially since I was going to be meeting with several of my designers in the morning. Tomorrow couldn’t come any sooner and I was already dreading it. My biggest rival wanted to date me and I vowed never to date another fashion designer. The fact that Takashi thought that I would date him was ridiculous. It’s been said in countless interviews that I’ve done that I would never date someone in my profession because of the stress it would cause.

After several minutes of debating whether or not to just fall asleep on the couch or get up to get ready for bed, I stood up and stretched, hearing a few pops from my spine and hips as they readjusted to their normal positions. Walking down the hallway, I went into my bedroom at the end of the hall, taking in the sight of my more than inviting California king-sized bed before walking to my closet to retrieve my silk night dress. Stripping out of my Chanel pantsuit, I discarded each piece into the laundry basket that I had labeled as outfits that needed to be dry cleaned instead of machine washed. Looking in my floor-length mirror, I studied how dull my skin had become from the stress of trying to claw my way to the top of the fashion world and sighed, shrugging on my silk night dress that fell just below the curvature of my butt. My body was something I took great pride in, I had a slim waist, flat stomach, decently large but perky breasts, and a decently sized backside. Men wanted me like I was the last cut of expensive steak at a restaurant and women wanted to be me just so they could look like me.

Climbing into bed, I pulled back the satin sheets and let myself fall back onto the pillows, the lights automatically shutting off so that my electric bill wouldn’t climb to some extravagant amount. Staring up at the ceiling, my thoughts began to race. How was I going to dethrone Takashi as one of the best designers in the country and claim the spot of the best designer on the international level? Why is he suddenly so interested in me? I thought we were supposed to be rivals who could be cordial in public but hostile towards each other behind closed doors. None of his actions make sense to me. Takashi was regarded as a ruthless person who would knock even the best of the best in the design world to their knees to get to the top of the ladder. Soon, sleep finally took over, allowing me to clear my thoughts and drift off into a semi-peaceful rest for the few hours I had before my alarm clock started blaring at me.

My alarm was blaring within a few hours, the annoying tune that it played driving me to get out of bed just to turn it off. Once I shut my alarm off, I stripped out of my silk night dress and put on my Yves Saint Laurent suit. It was my favorite suit with a decently tight pencil skirt, silk dress shirt, and a blazer to match. I always paired my outfits with a pair of Louboutin heels in a matching color. As a designer, I had to look my best, or else I wouldn’t be taken seriously.

Giving myself a final once over in the mirror, I exited my bedroom, making my way to the kitchen to grab myself a cup of coffee. As I grabbed a mug from the cabinet, the high-pitched squeal of the intercom caused me to drop the pristine piece of ceramic, shattering it on the tile floor. I groaned in frustration and stalked over to the intercom, hitting the button.

“What is it? I have to leave for work soon!” I said, letting my frustration be known by the tone of my voice.

“My apologies ma’am but, I have a package for Miss Sora Nakamura.” The deliveryman spoke over the intercom.

“That would be me. Please leave it at the door.” I told him, hoping that my request would be honored.

“Sorry Miss Nakamura but, I need you to sign for the parcel.” He replied in an apologetic tone. I sighed and unlocked the door. When I opened it, I was met with a young man, no older than nineteen years old, holding a small box and a clipboard.

The deliveryman handed me the clipboard, “Please sign this ma’am.” He requested. I took the clipboard from him and scribbled my signature on the line. We exchanged the package and clipboard, and he bowed as a sign of respect and quickly left. I shut the door and placed the box on the coffee table. My first thoughts were still on my need for a cup of coffee. Quickly striding into the kitchen and grabbing the broom, I swept up the pieces of my mug and threw them in the garbage.

Putting the broom away and grabbing my travel mug, I poured myself a cup of coffee. The box on the coffee table was suspicious. I wasn’t expecting any packages and the only person with my address was my assistant Hajime. Who could’ve found my address? Nothing about this was adding up and that made me hesitant to open the box.

Checking the time, I realized that I would be late for my meeting. Gathering my things, I rushed out the door, hoping to make it to the office in time for my meeting. My commute was short enough that I was able to walk to and from the office. I was well-liked in my community so people around me would greet me during my walk to work. The walk was short, and the security guard greeted me at the door as I rushed inside. Hajime greeted me from his desk, following me into my office and going over my schedule for the day as I prepared for my meeting. My schedule typically had no variations unless there was an upcoming fashion exhibition.

The meeting went smoothly. My designers presented the progress on the new Spring and Summer lines for this year. Some of them took admirable risks with some more revealing designs. I couldn’t hold it against them for wanting to take some risks. Maybe going outside of my comfort zone is just what I needed to take down Takashi.

Hajime entered my office, “Miss Nakamura, a package was dropped off for you.” He said, showing me the box in his hand.

“Really? I wasn’t expecting any packages. This is the second one today.” I replied, taking the box from him.

“What was the first one? Maybe it was from the same person. Are you seeing someone in secret to keep them away from the public eye?” Hajime questioned; his voice laced with curiosity.

I couldn’t help but laugh, “No. God no. I learned from my last relationship that men and women alike only want me for the money and power that comes with being a well-known designer. Take my advice Hajime, this profession is not for dating. You’ll find that out soon enough.” I told him in between giggles. Hajime was amused by my reaction and began to laugh along with me. We stood there laughing for a few minutes just enjoying ourselves.

“You should probably see what’s in the box. Maybe you have a secret admirer.” Hajime said in between laughs, wiping the tears from his eyes from laughing so hard. I was still laughing so all I could do was nod my head and reach for the scissors on my desk to cut the tape that was keeping the box sealed. Using the scissors, I cut the tape holding down the edges of the box and popped the flaps open. The contents of the box were disturbing, to say the least. I was shocked to find photos of myself during various times of the day, all dated and time-stamped with the exact times that I was inside my penthouse and out of it.

Hajime’s eyes widened at the sight, he knew that this wasn’t a case of a secret admirer, it was a case of someone stalking me. I wanted nothing more than to toss the contents of the box into a fire but out of fear, I kept myself from doing so. Whoever took those pictures would know if I had done it if I truly was being watched. Hajime and I sat there and looked through the photos until we reached the bottom of the box to find a brand new Yves Saint Laurent cocktail dress. I pulled the dress out and inspected it. The dress was in my exact size and favorite color. The person who sent the package has been watching me for a while and knows exactly what I look like, down to the smallest detail. Does that mean that this person has seen me naked?

“Who do you think sent this to you? It must be someone you know if they could get your favorite brand of dress in your exact size and favorite color.” Hajime stated, still in visible shock that someone would be so bold.

“I don’t know who it could have been. Nobody knows my home address or even the exact address for this office building. Whoever it was that sent this is either trying to get my attention or trying to scare me somehow.” I responded, trying to keep my composure and not lose my mind out of fear. Hajime only nodded and left my office, taking the pile of photos with him and locking them in the drawer of his desk. I sat down at my desk, staring at the cocktail dress and racking my brain to try and figure out who it was that sent me the package. That’s when the thought crossed my mind, what was in the box that I left on the coffee table at home? Was it more photos? Maybe it was another piece from the newest Yves Saint Laurent Spring line that hasn’t even been released yet. There was no telling what could be in that box and honestly, I didn’t want to find out purely out of fear that whoever sent the package to my office would be watching the moment I got home.

The workday was dragging by slowly. I had meeting after meeting with various store owners wanting to try and renew contracts to be able to sell my clothing at lower prices when they knew that my pricing to allow my designs to be sold in these stores was set in stone. After meeting with store owners, I had to spend some time in the actual design studio, meeting with models who were being fitted with new pieces from my upcoming lines to be put through a photoshoot to promote the new lines that were set to release at the start of the seasons. Several of the models had complaints that my work wasn’t as revealing as Takashi’s and that they didn’t feel sexy enough wearing my work. I took the criticisms with a grain of salt and dismissed the models that dared to act ungrateful when I had been kind and given them jobs when they were nothing but amateurs in the business.

Hajime handled all my phone calls as normal while I was running around like a madwoman taking care of business as usual within the building, getting things ready for the release of the Spring fashion line and contacting the sponsors that were running the international fashion exhibition that would be held in Yokohama this year. I spent my day getting my name on the roster for the designers being featured in the exhibition and making sure I had a phenomenal lineup of work and models to go down the runway in just a few months at the start of the Summer. This year, I have my work cut out for me. My designers will likely have to work overtime to make sure everything is ready. Yokohama will be the place where I finally knock Takashi Kurouta from the top of the ladder.

“Are you coming over for drinks later Haji? We haven’t had a drinking night in a while.” I asked as Hajime packed up his laptop and a few files.

“Not tonight, Sora my boyfriend is supposed to be coming to my place. He said that he’s got something planned for our anniversary, but we have to celebrate early because he works on our anniversary and can’t do anything that day. I’ll take a raincheck on that drinking night though.” He responded.

“Damnit, alright well, I’ll hold you to that then but you’re staying the night when we have our drinking night,” I told him.

“Deal. How about next weekend?” Hajime asked.

“Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll see you on Monday Haji.” I said, going back to my office to prepare for the end of the day.

Once the workday was finished, I sent all my designers and models home, spending a few minutes alone in my office before leaving the building myself to head home. The walk home was somewhat peaceful except for the overwhelming feeling that I was being watched. I made quick work of my stroll home and made sure to lock my front door and keep the curtains closed so that nobody could see inside the penthouse. The one thing that plagued me the moment I walked in the door was that damned package that I left on the coffee table without opening it. My thoughts started to race, and I was dreading opening the box out of pure fear of what might be inside.

Hesitantly, I picked up the box and peeled away the packing tape that secured the flaps. The name on the return address for the shipping label was blacked out and that just made this entire thing even more unsettling. Slowly, I opened the box, finding no photographs but instead finding several sets of lingerie and a few sex toys that had been left in their packaging, unopened. Who would send something like this to someone? You would have to be sick in the head to send something like this to someone who doesn’t even know who you are.

My stomach churned at the sight but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel aroused. Did the person sending me this want me to enjoy myself and make myself feel good? Was I going to be watched if I tried on the lingerie and lay in bed to masturbate to the perverse thoughts running through my head? I hope whoever gifted me these items was happy with their purchases. Shaking my head, I quickly took the box to my bedroom and shoved it into the back of my closet. Out of sight, out of mind, and right now, I needed those items out of my sight before I let my impulses get the better of me.

The temptation to try on the lingerie and give the sex toys that were gifted to me a try was there. I knew using any of those items would just give the person stalking me the wrong idea. Using those items was the most sure-fire way to ensure that my stalker would be fully convinced that their feelings would be reciprocated. If I had to put it bluntly, the feelings are not mutual between this unknown stalker and myself. I don’t even know who this person is; they have the gall to send me items like this. Their gesture just shows me that in their eyes, I’m nothing more than a piece of meat or a sex doll to them and that is not something that I could ever see myself being for someone.

“Sick pervert,” I mumbled to myself as I stripped out of my suit and changed into my loungewear. Today was certainly an interesting day for me. I never expected to find out that I was being stalked and discover that whoever was stalking me was probably the one who was sending me sex toys. After a day like today, I needed a stiff drink and good company, but Hajime wasn’t available to sit with me tonight. It looks like tonight will be spent drinking alone and trying to forget about the fact that I have some pervert watching me all the time now.

Leaving my bedroom, I popped my head into each room I passed. The thought of someone watching me was making me increasingly paranoid. Once I made it into the kitchen I was greeted by the sight of my liquor cabinet. There was no hesitation in my movements. I quickly threw open the cabinet doors, my eyes scanning over the bottles. Most of the alcohol I had was dark liquor, I wasn’t very fond of clear liquor after my college days. The only liquor I would drink in college was clear liquor like tequila or vodka.

The sun started to set as I stood in the kitchen searching for the bottle of whiskey I kept for when I needed to unwind. I must have been overly stressed out because it took me nearly an hour to find that damn bottle of whiskey. Once I found the bottle, I just skipped grabbing a glass and drank straight from the bottle. The burn from the whiskey felt more intense but it made me feel normal in a sense. Discovering that I had a stalker sent my anxiety into overdrive.

The alcohol hit me quicker than normal, pushing me into that tipsy yet euphoric feeling that I was in desperate need of. That overwhelming feeling that I was being watched started to subside the more I drank. By midnight I was too drunk to notice that someone was watching me through the only window in my home without curtains.

Within a few minutes, I was nearly passed out drunk on the couch. My head was fuzzy, and I felt like I was flying. It was a good thing that my office was closed tomorrow morning because I was sure that I would inevitably have a hangover in the morning. The whiskey helped me to take my mind off my newfound stalker. By no means did I have a drinking problem, my alcohol typically lasted months at a time before I needed to restock it.

#my writing #smut #books #wattpad #DarkLotusPublishing #horror #romance

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leanbeefpattysimp3 · 1 year

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(Omg I can’t believe I’m finally writing this story, I’m so excited to be putting this into words for myself and you guys, I know that some people aren’t fans of fanfic OC stories, but to the people who do I really appreciate y’all and I hope you guys enjoy this story. If you’d like to learn more about my OC, Solomon, you can look at my pinned post. And please feel free to give constructive criticism, everything helps :)

Daughter of The Tiger Slayer( A Baki OC Story)

Chapter 1: Shuten-dōji

Solomon’s (OC) POV: “Good morning ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of American Airlines, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard flight 158 with service to Dallas, Texas and continuing service to Tokyo, Japan-” the airline lady on the speaker announced as I boarded the plane. I start walking towards where on the top on the entrance way read “First Class”. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to get on an airplane before just because of the fact I was able to purchase a first class ticket with the money I made from my last fight in Arizona. Who knew an old military man would pay anything to see you fight? “-If you are seated in an exit row, you may be required to assist the crew in an evacuation. If you are unable or unwilling to perform the functions described on the card, just ask to be re-seated. Thank-you.” Oh thank God she’s done talking, I get it’s her work voice but gah damn it sounds too nice and peppy. I get into the first class area, and holy shit this place is bougie! I’m not a fan of the word but I don’t know how else to explain how fancy this area is? Well, fancy technically is the word for it. As I’m looking for my seat I get a glimpse at a huge guy already sitting down in his spot…wait a second- is that? I get a better look and sure enough- “Mr.Unchained? Is that you?” I hear that laugh of his that I can’t mistake for anyone else’s. Mr.Unchained, whose real name is Biscuit Oliva, went to previous fights of mine, including the last one since it was so close to the Arizona State Prison. “Why it sure is kid, I had to come see you before you were able to run away forever!” Oliva laughs as he gets up and gives me a bear hug. “I would’ve came by and said goodbye to you and everyone but with how urgent this is-” “Kiddo you don’t gotta explain yourself, your family is a priority, that’s why I brought it upon myself to stop by before the plane took off.” He says as he pats your shoulder. He’s been like a father figure since I started fighting in America, helping me learn and understand that even brute strength can get you through fights. He didn’t teach me many things, but what he did teach me helped me get better as a fighter, and as a person. “Thank you for being understanding, I’m gonna miss you a lot Mr.Unchained” I’m trying to keep my composure but I let a few tears slide, I mean I’ve know all these people for so long but now I’m leaving them permanently, it hurts like hell, but it hurts more knowing that I almost just lost my dad and I would’ve never gotten to see him ever again. Oliva takes one of his handkerchiefs out of his pants pocket and wipes my tears, “It’ll hurt for awhile, but if you ever need me, I’m a phone call away and I’ll fly out to Japan the same day you call.” He gives me a big cheerful smile that makes me feel better. He gives me one more hug before starting to head out of the plane. “Oh and Solomon-” I look back towards the broad man standing on the other side of the entrance, “-you better kick some ass in Japan, Doppo will be very proud to see how much his daughter has grown, literally, you’re a giant compared to how small you were when I first met you!” He laughs as he walks out of the plane, and as soon as I can’t see him anymore people start filling up the plane. Definitely my que to find my spot- wait was that my spot Oliva was waiting for me in? I walk over to where he was sitting, and on the side table was a card with a box. I put the duffel bag I’ve been carrying under my seat as I sit down and grab the card, It’s really pretty, gold and a sage looking green splattered around it. I open the card and read it, “My last gift to you, Solomon Orochi. -Biscuit Oliva” it wrote. I look over at the box and pick it up, it’s quite light for a gift from Oliva. I open the box and take out the thin blue paper that was cover a new set of fighting clothes, the typical shorts and sports bra. Once I saw the clothes I took them out of the box to look at, they were completely black besides what was written on the chest of the sports bra, which was my fighting name, Shuten-dōji.

#baki hanma #baki the grappler #baki headcanons #doppo orochi #jack hanma #kaoru hanayama #katsumi orochi #kosho shinogi #kureha shinogi #retsu kaioh #solomon orochi #gaia baki #Sikorsky #Hector Doyle #oc stuff #oc story #baki OC

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inuiiwonderland · 2 years

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Chapter 4: magic gems

Back in japan

"Nothing…we have nothing"

"Y/n parents called, and they said that the police haven't found any clues or ideas of where y/n could be"

"And we looked everywhere too! But still no sign of them"

"Y-you don't think y/n got…kidnapped do you?" Takemichi asked nervously. Even the thought of it made everyone scared for their dear friend.

"No, y/n would never let something like that happen"

"Yeah! They would put up a fight against any kidnapper!"

Chifuyu nodded at baji words and reassured everyone that you would never let something like that happen.

"We won't give up just yet, y/n our friend and we will not give up on finding them!" Mitsuya said.

"He right. We will find them and this will all be over soon"

"So don't worry mikey, they'll be back in one piece"

Something about draken words reassured mikey and he nodded.

"You're right. They'll come back"

Back in twisted wonderland

The three of you made your way to the cottage that Ace found. You were a little skeptical, not wanting to go in.

"Hey uhh is this a good idea? What if someone lives here?"

"That's what we're trying to find out" Ace said before knocking on the door.

"Hellooo!"

"Maybe we shouldn't-" but before you could finish your sentence, you were cut off by deuce.

"It's open!"

The door slowly creaked open and you all three stepped inside. Looking around you notice no sign of anyone living in the small cottage.

"Hey look at this!" You both turned to see ace crouching down by a small table and chairs.

"Aren't these chairs and tables way too small? Are they for kids or something??"

"It must've been lively back here when mt. Dwarf was thriving"

"Woah there are seven chairs! To many!"

"Guess there aren't any clues to where the magic gems are, huh…" Deuce says as he picks up a small shoe from a pot.

"Standing here whining isn't gonna solve anything. There's got to be magic gems in the mine. Let's go take a look" Ace yells on the way out the door.

"I heard the mine was closed. It will be pitch black in there"

Deuce looks around until he finally spots a candle on top of a shelf.

"Perfect. This would help…if we had something to light this up" You furrowed your brows as you stared at the candle in curiosity.

"You can't light this up with magic?"

"Magic isn't all powerful. If you can't picture it clearly in your mind, it won't materialize"

"Using complex and extensive magic requires a lot of training"

"Which is literally what the academy's for" Ace says as he storms right back in the cottage.

"It takes real practice to just visualize and use magic the way you want. Though the stuff you're good at, you just get a sense for" you look down at the candle as you process the new information you've been told.

"So lighting a fire's not an easy task, huh" suddenly you saw something zoom past you and the candle lit up.

You all turned to see grim sitting down on a chair, smirking.

"Grim?"

"Looks like you're in need of my awesome fire magic"

"How long have you been following us?" The blue-haired boy asks.

"Take me into the mine with ya! I might provide a little service if you do"

"What do you want?"

"I'm gonna go pokin' around for some magic gems! Y'never know maybe I could use some super strong magic with one of those!" Ace raised his brow as he crossed his arms.

"It's not like you need us to do your cave exploring. This is your chance to outshine us, man" at this grim quickly starts yelling out words in a hurry.

"I-I-its not like I was too scared to go into the darkness alone or anything!! T-t-thats not what's going on!"

"Right…" he quickly gets up from his seat and storms out the door.

"I'm the captain here! So you better follow me!"

"Least this'll will save us some time to find the entrance"

"Let's go follow him" they each grab your wrist and drag you outside to follow grim.

Finally making it to the mine, you all start your journey on finding the gems.

"Another rock…" You look next to you to see a sulking deuce with a rock on hand.

"There ain't nothing here but rocks!"

"Maybe there really aren't any left"

"Search even harder!" You were surprised to hear deuce sound so mad.

"Could you not with the ordering me around?" Ace says as he angrily stares at deuce. Deuce turns around with an annoyed expression.

"We wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't got in the way" says Ace.

"Well, you were the reason the fight even happened!"

"The furball picked a fight with me first!"

"All because you were making fun of me!"

As the three argued, you started to hear a faint voice further in the cave.

"Guys! Don't you get the spot we're in? We're going to have to drop out of school if we don't make it back with a gem!"

"Like I said, quit trying to micromanage me. It ticks me off" they both stand at their full height as they continue to argue with each other. You still could hear the voice but you notice that it was getting closer and closer.

"Do you guys hear that?" They both pause and turn to look at you.

"Hear what"

"A voice"

"A voice? That can't be possible. This place is abandoned"

Just then, you all heard something nearby that caused you all to freeze.

"Won..uu…giii…"

You all grow panic as you hear the sound get closer and closer by the second. You all quickly hid and whatever was making that noise has arrived.

Your eyes widen upon seeing a big monster-like thing walking around.

"What the hell is that?" You hear ace say as you watch the thing move around.

"No one said jack shit about this thing here!"

"Uuu…sto..ne..be…long..me.."

You hear deuce gasp as he peeks up from the hiding spot you guys were in.

"Did it just say stone? Like a gem??"

"How would we know!" Grim whispered shouted as he shakes in fear.

"So there are still magic gems in these mines!"

"Whoa hey! What are you doing?!" You hear ace shout as you watch deuce get up and walk towards the monster. You quickly got up to and followed him.

"Huh? Y/n! Where are you going!"

"Helping him out!" Ace just watches with his mouth open as he sees you two walk towards the monster.

"That monster must be guarding the gems. We've got to beat it!"

"You're kidding right?! N-no way! A genius like me ain't gonna risk it!" You hear grim say as he stays behind with ace.

"Getting expelled is completely out of the question for me!"

"But is it worth risking your life for?" Ace says as he gets up from his hiding spot.

"Let's turn in the towel and leave already. Better we get expelled than have to fight that thing"

You watch as deuce fist clenched in anger.

"Screw you!"

"Like hell we're gonna give up when the gems are right around the corner!!"

You watched as he punched the wall and all you could do was watch in amusement.

"I'm going. You cowards can just sit there and bitch!"

"I'm coming with you" He nods and you both walk to the monster.

"Hey monster!" The thing turns around to see you and deuce.

"Face me one on one! I'm taking the gems if I win!"

"Sto..ne..be..long..me!"

He quickly dodges the pick axe the monster tried to hit him with.

He good at dodging

"Nice one!"

"What destructive power! But…it's slow!"

You quickly ran and kicked the monster in the back causing it to almost fall down. Deuce did the same thing but at the front but slipped when his foot touched the black ink that was on the monster.

"What's this black stuff?!"

"Deuce!"

"Shi-" He quickly dodges the hit by a second as he continues fighting the monster.

"Ugh"

You quickly ran to deuce and saw that he was okay. You notice that the monster was now going after ace and grim as the two quickly made a run for it.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here" You say as you help him get up.

"You alright?"

"Yeah.." You both started to walk out the exit before you notice something in the corner of your eye.

"Hey…see that shine back there" you point out and he follows the direction you were pointing at and sees something shiny.

"Huh…it's..a magic gem! We'll get to stay in school!" He looks excited and you quickly grabbed a hold of him before he could run to get it.

"We better fall back for now!" You say as you quickly pick him up and run out of there as the monster now starts chasing you two.

Finally making it out, you sigh as you try catching your breath from all that running, plus caring deuce.

"Stupid deuce! Jumping the gun like that is too risky!"

"Kinda feels like you were a whole different person for a second there" Deuce got flush as he quickly apologizes.

"Sorry! I got a little worked up!" You chuckle as you take a seat.

"But there really is a gem here…if we could just do something about that monster-"

"And what exactly do you propose we do?"

"Well…I- um" Ace rolls his eyes as you start thinking of a plan of some sort.

"Hmm, it's too early for us to give up just yet. If there's an opponent you can't beat one on one, you can change an outcome as a group" you say.

"There's only one him. We still have a chance to win this together" Deuce and Ace quickly started whining about having to work together.

"You want me to work with our reckless Mr. Serious here? No freaking way!" Deuce gasp as offended by ace words.

"I'm not teaming up with you either!"

"Guess everyone gets expelled then"

"Getting expelled on your first day is lame!"

"L-lame?!"

"E-expelled?!"

You watch as they both struggle and cringe at the thought.

"Agh!! Fine! If I gotta then I gotta!"

"Anything but expulsion!"

"Then let's hurry and defeat that monster" you quickly got up and made your way back to the cave.

"I already have a plan so hurry up so I can tell you two!" They both quickly got up and followed behind you and grim.

After explaining the plan to everyone, you walk in the cave with grim to lure out the monster.

"Hey monster!"

"Over here!"

You see that you got the attention of the monster and saw how it was quickly moving towards you two.

"Let's go grim!" You both run out as it follows behind you two.

"Here it comes! We've got to try and draw it away from the cave!"

"Get..out!..get..out!"

You both finally manage to get the monster outside and you quickly turn to ace.

"It's outside! Now!"

"Leave it to me!"

"Grim!"

"I got this!"

You watch as Ace does his wind magic along with grim doing his fire magic causing to surrender the monster in it.

"How's that! Even grim shobby flames will be as strong as a gas burner if I fam them with my wind!"

"They ain't shobby! All that talking smack pisses me off!"

"Not the time to be arguing!" You shout as you then turn to deuce.

"Now for our final push…deuce!"

"Just relax…keep my aim steady…and with the biggest and heaviest thing I know…"

"Come out! Cauldron!"

And there, you see a big cauldron fall from the sky and on top of the monster.

"We…did it?"

"W-we won"

"We got em guys!"

You smiled as you saw them cheer and high five each other.

"Glad it all worked out" You say and they all froze.

"No it's not like that!"

"Don't get the wrong idea!"

"W-we only won cause I'm a genius! Not cause we joined forces!" You rolled your eyes at their excuses.

"Heh..excuses are lame too"

"Hate to admit it but y/n strategy might've been why we beat it"

"Yeah, we pulled this off because you were able to stay calm and give directions"

"Yeah yeah, now let's go get that gem and give it to that crow-er headmaster"

You all started walking back but stopped when you heard something.

"Won't give…won't give….won't give!"

"It's mineeee!!"

You all screamed as you started running.

"For real?! It still has strength to move?!"

"How is it still alive?!"

"Argh!!" You turned around to see both ace and deuce on the ground as the thing kept getting closer to them.

"Ace, deuce!"

Then, something hit the monster causing it to black out completely.

"Honestly, why is a monster like this giving you so much trouble?"

You saw three boys and one of them was someone you recognized from orientation.

"Dorm leader! You came to our rescue? Thank you very much!" The boy scoffs as he looks down at deuce.

"Rescue you say?"

"Housewarden-"

"Ace trappolla, deuce spade"

"You've violated the decrees of the queen of hearts, article 304: On the day a hedgehog sneezes, all card soldiers must gather and perform a song!"

"W-what?"

"A song for sneezing?"

"There were reports of a hedgehog sneezing at exactly 4 o'clock today. Everyone was present except you two! This is a serious offense!"

You watched as both ace and deuce get yelled at who you assume is their dorm leader.

"This is stupid" You mutter. You flinch when you hear the boy then yell out four words.

"Off with your head!" Both ace and deuce were then collard by the red head.

"Trey, cater, take them to the dorm"

"Yes dorm leader"

"Wait! This doesn't make any sense!"

"Resit and it will hurt"

"Please! We still have to-"

"Sorry, dorm leaders orders"

You watch as they both get dragged away to their dorms by their dorm members. You saw that the red head boy was also leaving and you quickly yelled out for him.

"Wait!" He stops.

"What are you going to do with them?" He turns around to look at you with a glare.

"It's got nothing to do with you. This is a heartsalbyul matter"

"If you don't want to get beheaded as well, you better return to school soon" Was the last thing he said before walking away.

"So that heartsalbyul dorm leader…"

"Scary" You chuckled at that before looking back at the cave.

"Well we still have to get the magic gems. Let's go"

I just hope I get home soon

Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while! But here Part 4! Like and reblog would be appreciated!:)

#twisted wonderland #tokyo revengers #twisted wonderland x reader #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers x gn!reader #twisted wonderland x gn reader #twisted wonderland x tokyo revengers #twst au #tokyo revengers au #gn reader

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kotonoba · 2 years

Text

ISYT (Jushiro/Fem!Reader) Ch. 34

I just YouTubed a traditional Japanese wedding. Please don’t chew me out over it; I saw one from afar when I was visiting Japan, but I have never been to an actual wedding, so uhm, I’m sorry. I decided to write this chapter from Jushiro’s POV because he did plan it while the reader just did her thing.

For reference, this is the wedding outfit I have for these two, just the Shiromuku is white with a blush pink to it: Wedding outfit

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The sun peeked through clouds curiously, shining on the two lovebirds who shared a bed; Jushiro knew to keep to himself. He was there to stop her nightmares. He wouldn’t have known she enjoyed snuggling so much if they hadn't shared a bed. Watching the sunlight creep up towards her eyes as she slept soundly after yesterday’s incident, he quickly moved his hand to shield her from the light, pulling her close to his chest. Jushiro dozed off again.

A few hours pass before he awakes with slight movement from his embrace; his chocolate brown eyes peek open to see y/n stir in her sleep before snuggling closer to his slender figure. Smiling a little, he brushed away strands of hair from her face. But perhaps that was too many movements because she had awakened from that, “good morning, y/n, how was sleep?”

She smiled when greeted by the question, leaning upwards to kiss him on the lips gently; which he reciprocated with a soft chuckle, “it was wonderful, what would you like for brea– THE WEDDING IS TODAY-”

Her scream caught him off guard, blinking a few times to reorientate himself before nodding happily, “are you nervous?”

“Of course! I did not plan. You did everything. I have no clue what to do, what to wear; I didn’t even buy anything, and I–”

He quickly cut her off, placing a hand to her lips, “shhh, I told you not to worry. I got everything handled.”

It takes a bit, but she finally nods. Jushiro takes a bit to hold her close before getting up, “let’s eat breakfast first, and I’ll invite in the people to prepare you for the wedding, okay?”

She nodded hesitantly, but she at least still nodded.

Words cannot describe how much he was looking forward to today. He pulled her along to get ready. She announced that she would make them breakfast, which he was all for, watching her hurry off with a blushed look. He figured she wanted some time to process everything real quick. So he gave her that much.

He gives her about ten minutes before getting dressed and preparing for the big day. He initially thought she would have frozen in place instead of cooking. But this scene was better, she had finished making breakfast, but she sat frozen at the table, probably deep in thought. He smiles a little, sitting across from her, “Seireitei to y/n, anyone in there?” He called out; it took a few tries before she snapped back to reality, “don’t worry, take your time with breakfast, and everything will go as planned, okay?”

Jushiro may have never really received any doubtful looks since people always saw him as reliable, but this may be one of the first times he’s gotten so much doubt from the woman he loves on such an important matter that he ended up planning. It took a more extended bit before she ended up nodding. Jushiro urged her to eat as he began to eat as well.

The pair finishes breakfast, and Jushiro gets progressively giddier, but his lover seems to get progressively more anxious about what’s to come. To keep her distracted, he ends up making small talk with her while cleaning the dishes. Soon, that ended, but at least she calmed down from thinking the world would end because she didn’t help him prep for the wedding.

Jushiro did his best to calm down y/n as he ushered her to the changing room where he had his maids prepare her for the wedding, telling her everything was planned out and telling her not to worry about a thing before he left to prepare; they decided to have the wedding at a little shrine out in the Rukon districts. Jushiro didn’t tell many people about it because y/n specifically said she preferred a smaller wedding if possible.

While waiting for y/n to finish her preparations since the females have a lot to do, which he was pretty aware of from hearing Kaien talk about his wedding. Jushiro chose what his clan had worn for many years, at least what his father wore; a white hakama with a black haori with the Ukitake crest on the back sewn in white. Included was a white pom front and center of his attire.

His best friend joined him to chat while he waited eagerly, “I always knew you were going to marry before me.”

“I didn’t know. When we were in the academy, I always thought you would marry first with how much the ladies loved you,” Jushiro teased, “honestly, in the beginning, my plan was when I first realized I’d fallen for her in the human world, I was going to try to get myself exiled or something to stay with her in the human world. But,” Jushiro sighed a little, remembering the heartache when he returned to tell her his decision. Her whole town was wiped off the face of the planet.

Shunsui observed his best friend for a second, nudging him a little, “but?”

Jushiro focused back onto Shunsui after his small flashback, “but things happen. If I recall, she was born in an era of inequality and a world filled with war. I hope our union erases her fears of being left behind again.” He was sorry that he had disappeared for so long; he wasn’t even the one to escort her to Soul Society, to the very least.

“Hey, don’t wallow in the past too much, Jushiro,” Shunsui grinned, giving him a big pat on the back, “today’s your marriage, be happy about it! And look, here comes your bride.” Shunsui whistled as he pointed to y/n, stepping out from the preparation room styled in a white shiromuku with a soft pink hue to it so standing next to Jushiro doesn’t make it seem like he’s peacocking.

Jushiro immediately turned his gaze toward Shunsui’s pushing, and people were cheering and complimenting her. He smiled softly, heat rising quickly. She graciously accepted his gentle hold as he promptly walked over to her and held his hands out.

As Jushiro was about to compliment her, he paused when he witnessed her hold out her free hand, gazing towards the sky as the first snowflake of the year landed in her hand, “it’s snowing, ‘Shiro.” She spoke gently, turning towards him with a smile.

“That it is,” he smiled as snowflakes gently fluttered downwards. Something in Jushiro ignited; what a great time to get married; it felt so surreal and fantastical. “Come, follow me, y/n,” he spoke gently as he pulled her along the path set out for them; he knew it was some sort of uncomfortable. Even looking at the large white headdress on her head made him feel slightly uncomfortable. So he did his best to pull her along to get the official things done first, so she didn’t have too much strain on her neck from the headdress.

Walking through the shrine gates as the snow slowly fluttered down, at times, Jushiro would steal a glance at y/n; every time he did, a soft smile would grace his delicate features. He couldn’t even believe this was happening. The walk was too short yet too long, too short because he wanted to bathe in her beauty a while longer, too long because he wanted to marry her sooner.

It takes a while for the wedding to be over, and by the time it’s at the vows, it seems y/n came up with something on the walk to the shrine. But Jushiro didn’t want her to say her vows because he knew full well that she would never leave him. Even in sickness, she would stick around. Instead, he smiled a little, kissing her gently on the lips, whispering to her softly, “let me make the vows; you needn’t do it; I know what you would say anyways.”

He laughed a little when a pinkish hue painted her delicate features. Holding her hands close, he turned towards the little crowd of the majority of his division and the captains of all the divisions because those were the only people who needed to know – well, and his family. Her family would have been lovely, but they’ll make do in their free time.

“We’re going to go out of the ordinary, I already know what y/n would say for her vows, so I’ll just do mine for everyone to hear,” he smiles a little. “In the name of the Soul King, I, Ukitake Jushiro, vow to love you, l/n y/n, for all of eternity. I've failed you once, I was too late to arrive at your side as you faced an unknown danger head-on, and I vow that a day like that will never repeat itself, for I would put my life in front to protect you, to love you, in sickness, in wealth, to the end of Earth. My desire to love you would remain unchanging if it were to change," Jushiro took a second to breathe before continuing in the fantastical scenery as he clasped both his hands on y/n's hands. Holding them up close to his lips as he whispered the rest to her, "it would on strengthen my love for you, for my love for you has never wavered, it grows by the days, and my desires to be with you and protect you will always and forever be above my duty as a captain, as a soul reaper. My sole duty is to love and protect you, y/n. Do you accept such a selfish person as your lover, y/n?"

Perhaps the answer was clear as day to her when her eyes welled up in tears, and a bright smile shone through the midst of tears. An eager voice loudly whispered to him, "yes, I do."

"Then, by those binding words of hers," his voice rose again, now for everyone to hear, as he faced them with a bright smile, "I swear I will uphold my vow and live here forever as we come to a union today, in this new year as we spend years together, as we spend forever together. Because death will not stop me from loving her even more." The crowd cheered and applauded despite missing out on a large chunk of the vows.

Today marks the day of one of the happiest days of Jushiro's life.

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The next chapter will take a bit because it's a smut thing. I don't know the age range for my followers, but if you're under 18, skip to the next chapter. If not, you can just read it. It's going to take me a bit. The only smut writing I've ever done is for roleplaying, and those are usually private server roleplays or private posts on good ol' Facebook. So, it will take a bit, but I should have it done before the 14th.

Cloudy's AO3

#bleach fanfiction #bleach fandom #ukitake jushiro x reader #jushiro ukitake x reader #jushiro ukitake #ukitake x reader #bleach ukitake #isyt #i'll see you tomorrow #it's also on ao3

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drowning-in-daiya · 9 months

Text

Twisted Ties: Chapter 1.5: Off to Japan!

Note: Anything spoken in italics once they've landed in Japan is Italian. Enjoy!

“So, mother has decided I need experience abroad?” The young heir asked from her table. Gia had caught her in the middle of writing an essay for her one of her tutors, though she couldn’t tell for what subject. She looked up from writing.

“Yes, that’s right,” she said.

“I’m not doubting mother’s decision, but I’m supposed to debut soon, and this is the last year before my inheritance trials. I’ve never been allowed to step foot off the grounds, but now I’m going to Japan? Forgive me for being difficult, I’m just confused on what brought this on,” Vittoria said.

You wouldn’t be able to tell, thought Gia. The girl had mastered Contessa’s lessons on hiding any and all emotion to a frightening degree. It was disconcerting to be gazed at with such a blank look, no ripple of her thoughts to be found in her light brown eyes. Regardless of these feelings, she inclined her head respectfully.

“Your mother feels she has taught you everything you need to know for leadership and that you have learned well in other aspects. Your magic and flame control are that of an adult, and your weapons skills and hand to hand combat are top notch. However, as you mentioned, you’ve not had much opportunity to see the outside world. She believes some real-world experience would take you to another level,” Gia lied smoothly.

“What kind of experience is she supposed to get, exactly?” Gia glanced briefly at the blonde girl sharing the table with Vittoria. She took in the closed books and empty sheets and her laidback appearance as she tipped back in the chair.

Seems she still hasn’t gained an appreciation for learning, she thought.

The question stumped her, though. She hadn’t considered further details as she’d assumed the two girls would jump at the chance for freedom and Vittoria’s deference to her mother would compel her not to ask questions. A spark of worry lit up in the back of her mind, but she ignored it for now. Just typical teenage behavior, nothing more, she reasoned.

“All sorts. The list is too long to name,” she said. The girls continued looking at her in expectation. Sighing, she threw out whatever popped in her mind.

“Well, socialization for one-”

“She’s a great socializer!” Carina cut in. Vittoria nodded along, looking doubtful of Gia now.

“You two only socialize with one another, how would you know?” She couldn’t help the exasperation lacing her words.

“I know because we socialize together and I think she’s great at it,” Carina said grinning. Years in the mafia pulled Gia’s face from the scowl itching to cross her face. She took a deep breath.

“There’s always room to grow. And you can’t base your socialization skills on one person, Carina. When she gets into the real world, she’ll come across those with different opinions and values to hers. There will be conflicts she must resolve, relationships she must nurture well. She has lived in a vacuum so far and has no real idea of what it takes to be around people, much less to lead them.” Gia stopped herself, surprised at the vehemence in her voice. She cleared her throat and continued.

“You see, there’s more to socializing than simply talking to one another. And being in another country will give you the opportunity to practice,” she said.

“But couldn’t I do that here?” Vittoria asked. Gia’s eyebrow twitched.

“You could. But your mother also thought it’d be nice of you to meet a branch family. And your sister is there, too,” she said. For the first time in a long time, she saw Vittoria’s face change. A blush warmed her light brown skin and a small smile appeared.

“Aurelia? She’s in Japan?” Surprise flitted through Gia. Maybe I should have led with this information first.

“Yes, she’s always been. You didn’t know?” She asked.

“No. Whenever I asked mother, she said I didn’t need to know. Whoever sent my letters to her wrote the address, and when I got letters back there was no return address,” Vittoria said. She hopped up and started pulling clothes out of her dresser and closet. Carina dropped the chair to the floor and wordlessly left the room.

“Carina?” Gia called out.

“She’s gone to pack,” Vittoria said.

“I see. It’s good you two have such a close relationship. That’s important in guardians. Ah, I don’t mean to presume she will be,” Gia said. She watched Vittoria for any other reactions, but her face had settled back into its neutral set.

“She will be,” she said simply. Gia waited to see if she’d add more. The silence stretched between the two. Gia shifted on her feet slightly.

“Excuse my impudence, princess, but this is what I mean by enhancing your sociability. A leader cannot leave silences between her and others unless it’s intended, perhaps for intimidation. I do not think you meant to intimidate me just then?”

Vittoria stopped folding a shirt and looked at Gia. Again with the impossible to read look, she thought.

“I didn’t,” she said.

“You didn’t, but?” Gia prodded.

“But what?”

A heavy sigh left Gia. How was this child so different from Vincenza who had studied under Contessa the same way? Perhaps Contessa made a mistake isolating her as much as she did, especially after what happened with Vincenza.

“You should explain and elaborate when you speak to others, not speak in simple conversation ending sentences. No one will know what’s going on inside your head if you speak the bare minimum,” she said.

“But mother says a leader shouldn’t reveal their inner workings,” Vittoria rebutted. It seems she took the things her mother told her very literally.

“That is true, to a degree. But just like everything in life there’s moderation to that rule. You can be more forthcoming with friends and family.”

“I am with Carina.”

“I am family too,” Gia said emphatically.

“Yes, but I didn’t have anything to add.” Gia started to say something, then closed her mouth.

“Okay, princess. I understand. While you’re in Japan I hope you keep in mind what I’ve said. I fear we have not prepared you enough for life outside the castle,” Gia said without thinking.

“Are you saying mother failed to educate me well?” Like when Aurelia was mentioned, emotion finally showed on her face as her lips twisted into a frown. Gia’s eyes widened.

“Of course not, princess! It is just a completely different world out there and it is impossible to prepare you for everything you might face. The few you have had around you all your life do not encapsulate what you will encounter out there. That is all I meant, nothing against the Donna,” she said.

Vittoria’s tensed shoulders relaxed as she accepted Gia’s answer.

“You’re worrying too much. I’m sure nothing too crazy could happen. People are rational and intelligent animals,” Vittoria said.

Gia could tell she’d get nowhere if she continued. She simply said “Yes, princess. I must finish up the preparations for your departure. I wish you safe travels.” With a slight nod, Gia left the room.

I hope you’re right, princess.

~~~~

“Excited?” Zelmira asked. Vittoria looked at her mother’s guardian who had a gleam in her dark green eyes. Her dark curls were piled atop her head, and she was dressed as if on vacation instead of her normal uniform.

“Yes, a bit. You seem to be very excited,” she replied.

“Who wouldn’t be if they got a free vacation? Come on! You can do better than that. You’re finally meeting your sister and you’re in another country. That’s a big step from never leaving the castle all in one day! Oh! The Palladinos have a young one your age and that adopted girl Contessa put onto them. You’ll get you some new friends right off the bat,” Zelmira rambled.

“I suppose so.” In truth, Vittoria was very excited and more than a little nervous. But she refused to show that in front of her mother’s guardian for fear she’d report her less than put together reaction. When the plane landed, her heart lodged itself in her throat. She’d expected that at takeoff with the new experience of flying, but instead the nerves decided now to attack.

“Can we get off yet?” Carina asked in the seat opposite hers. Her skin, normally a healthy copper, looked green and she was holding her stomach as she slumped in the seat. Zelmira laughed at the sight and clapped her shoulder. The movement jostled her, and she slapped a hand to her mouth covering the “oomph” that came out. If possible, she became greener.

“There, there. Just a little while more and the plane’ll be parked. I told you to take the nausea medicine,” she said. Carina mumbled what sounded like I didn’t think I’d need it.

Vittoria turned to the open window and looked out at the tarmac. So far it didn’t look any different from Italy. If not for the hours spent staring out at the lights and squares of life they passed over, she’d believe they were still in her home country. But they weren’t. She was in a completely different place. A place she’d have the freedom to explore at her pleasure. The place her sister was.

Her nerves exploded again, and she felt her own stomach twist and become sick. Worry pricked her insistently. What would Aurelia be like? Would she welcome her with open arms? Would there be animosity between them? She didn’t think so. Her letters were always warm and contained what seemed like every waking moment of her life. It had been a while since their last letter, but surely her feelings wouldn’t have changed so quick?

She jumped at the stewardess’s voice over the intercom announcing they could now depart.

“Will they be waiting for us here?” she asked Zelmira.

“I dunno. We told them you were coming, but it’s late and they’ll have school in the morning. Speaking of which, you two better be prepared. Japanese schools are no joke. Little princess should be fine, but Carina…” Zelmira trailed off with a grimace.

“I-I won’t embarrass you by failing, princess!” Carina declared loudly before doubling over. “Gimme a moment, I think I need to-” she ran to the bathroom slamming the door behind her. They stared after her, then turned to grab their carry on and headed for the exit.

“Mother’s education was thorough enough. I’ll be fine, so do not worry.”

“Of course, of course. Just giving a heads up. Carina of course will be in your class so don’t forget to give her some support, alright? Her Japanese isn’t the best too so she may have trouble. You should practice a lot with her,” she rambled on. A worried look creased her brows creating wrinkles between them.

Zelmira has always had a soft spot for Carina, Vittoria thought.

“Of course. A leader must support her guardians lest their faults lead to shortcomings of your own,” she said, repeating a line her mother said often. Zelmira glanced quickly at her from the corner of her eye, her lips quirked up.

“Yeah, sure. I was going more for friends don’t let friends fall behind but, eh whatever.”

As the two entered the lobby, Carina caught up looking refreshed. It was near empty with mostly just staff milling around waiting for the next flight to arrive. Disappointment welled up in Vittoria unbidden.

Don’t be silly. You will see them soon enough. As Zelmira said, it’s late. It was dumb to hope they’d be here to greet you, she told herself. She continued forward after the older guardian. They rounded a corner and were hit with a riot of color.

Large signs with her’s and Carina’s name painted on them in a mess of colors beckoned them to a small group of smiling faces. Vittoria vaguely heard Zelmira’s soft chuckle, but she’d zeroed in on one face and the world seemed to melt away.

Twins though they were, Aurelia could not look more different from Vittoria. Where her hair was straight and medium brown trailing down her back, Aurelia’s was a mass of curls, dark and springy. Their skin was different tones as well. Vittoria and Vincenza shared the lighter brown of Contessa, but the twin’s father was darker toned, and she had inherited his beautiful deep walnut brown. Similarly to him as well, her eyes were dark. But as they gazed at one another, Vittoria could see mirthful light and joy dancing in them.

As if pulled by some force, Vittoria took off running at the same time Aurelia did. They met in a clash of limbs and giggles. She didn’t care for decorum, what a leader should do in the throes of emotion, how unsightly it might seem to indulge in such blatant affection. All she knew was the welcoming warmth of her other half, and it felt like some part she hadn’t realized was missing had slipped perfectly back into place. She didn’t realize she was crying until hands were wiping her face clean. Aurelia tutted and furrowed her brows.

“Aww why’re you crying? My sweet baby sister,” she said and nuzzled her head against the other’s. Vittoria hiccupped a sob and pressed her face into her sister’s neck. Bright citrus and lime flooded her nose. The same scents I like to wear, the thought passed vaguely by. Second by second sounds filtered in through her own racing thoughts. She heard chatter around them as the others made their greetings. She stepped away and, keeping her head bowed, wiped the rest of the tears away. An embarrassed flush creeped down her neck, but she schooled her features into her normal cool and collected set.

She took in the others in the group quickly. Two older people, the Palladino heads she assumed, stood separate talking quietly to Zelmira. The man was tall and a little soft in the features with a round face and big eyes. His dark, loosely curled hair was neatly styled, and he wore casual clothes. It was obvious he was of mixed ancestry. Vittoria remembered her mother once describing the Palladino as a melting pot of ethnicities and countries, yet they preferred to remain on the little island their founder was raised on to anywhere else. His wife was short and had glowing, dark skin and a halo of tight curls that looked as soft as a cloud. She stood straight and alert, her bright pink eyes constantly roaming. Vittoria found herself mesmerized by their beauty, thinking of a sharp piece of pink garnet.

She forced herself to look away and found Carina toe to toe with a smaller girl accompanied by another, frazzled girl. The second of the two was obviously the Palladino’s child, Vivianna; a perfect blend of her father’s wavy hair, a darker complexion, her mother’s pink eyes softened by the roundness of her father’s, and a height similar to her own: not too tall but not short by any means.

The girl she had a hold of was no more than 5’0, but she exuded a confidence that made her seem bigger. Her mocking smile was not tempered at all by her wide hazel eyes, the cute skirt and shirt she sported, nor the twin buns some of her light brown hair was pulled into. The rest flowed to her mid back in a thick fall of loose curls and small braids. Despite the late time, a light layer of makeup was obvious, enhancing the best of her features.

“Uh-oh,” Aurelia whispered. Expecting a look of worry, Vittoria was surprised to see an amused grin on her face. Aurelia must have seen something in her face, though she was sure she’d kept it the same, because she leaned in close to whisper as if she didn’t want the girls to hear her. Not that it mattered since they were wrapped up in their apparent argument.

“Alessia has a rather unique knack for stepping on people’s toes. She’s got a smart mouth and an eagerness for a fight, verbal or physical,” she said.

“Alessia,” Vittoria tried the name out. “She’s the orphan mother saved from the corrupt orphanage, right? She should be better behaved for one relying on the charity of others,” she whispered back. Aurelia’s smile faltered. She raised a finger to lightly scratch at her cheek as she considered her words carefully.

“That…well, she’s still her own person you know. You can’t expect someone to act as you want just because you think they’re indebted to you,” she said.

“Mother says-”

“Mother probably says a lot of stuff. Doesn’t mean she’s always right,” Aurelia said with a frown. It quickly went away, and she smiled at Vittoria again.

“You came to learn right? Lesson number one: no one is infallible,” Vittoria tried to speak but Aurelia leaned in close and placed her finger against her lips, “not even mother. I’m sure she taught you a lot, but not everything is as clear cut and perfect as she wants it to be. Humans have free will. Alessia is Alessia. If she changed who she was simply because it’s what’s expected of her, then she’d no longer have her free will. What’s the first line of the Bellincioni creed?”

“The Bellincioni will always stand with the people and for the people, protecting their freedoms from those who’d seek to abuse them, even if from the Bellincioni themselves,” Vittoria recited immediately. Aurelia simply raised her brows in answer.

She understood where her sister was coming from. It was in line with the family’s oath, established in the past despite their noble status and the threat that could pose to their standing, to support not just members of the family but those under its protection in their freedoms. To tell Alessia or anyone in her position to act a certain way because they were helped was not just an infringement on her freedom of will and a slap to her face, but a breaking of the Bellincioni creed.

Shame welled in Vittoria as she realized the full extent of what it meant for her to expect Alessia to act in what she considered a “proper manner” as an orphan and what she’d unconsciously expected from Carina who had also been taken in. She’d never stopped and thought too hard about her mother’s words and what they truly meant in given situations. Maybe it’s just a fluke, though, she thought. Her mother was all she knew for most of her early life. To begin doubting her now, in a foreign land with only one person from her life in Italy by her side…no she couldn’t fathom it. She filed this away for future rumination, perhaps when she became more settled. For now, she needed to defuse the argument between her and Aurelia’s friend.

How did they even manage to start fighting within seconds of each other, she wondered

She walked over with Aurelia who maintained her smile and looked between the two. The height difference was comical; even barring Alessia’s much shorter stature, Carina was taller than average. She was bent to be more on level with Alessia, something Vittoria thought was odd since wouldn’t you want to be taller to intimidate the other-

“You–you–you!” Carina said.

“What, cat got your tongue?” Alessia interrupted.

“More like a little mouse! I can’t think straight because of you!”

“Sure it’s me and not your own dumbassery?”

Before Vittoria said anything, Aurelia slipped over and wound her arm around both their shoulders. Like this the height difference was even more pronounced, but she pulled the focus to her with her bright smile.

“Come on guys~ How could you start fighting as soon as you meet? We’re supposed to be friends, not enemies on sight~” she said.

“It’s looking impossible there, Aurie,” Alessia said and crossed her arms.

“Aww really? Come on Alessi. They just got off a long flight, we had a long day at school. We’re all tired so our tempers will be a little hot right now. How about we try again in the morning and see if there’s a difference, hm?” Both girls visibly relaxed under her arms. After a few seconds they nodded and looked away from one another.

Vittoria, taken aback by the affectionate nicknames each had for the other, was shocked at the ease her sister handled the fight. She’d had no plan to start, but Aurelia had quickly jumped into action and, with a few words, brought their anger down. Conflicting emotions flitted through her, but eventually she landed on pride for her sister. It’s a shame her powers are weak. She’d make a good guardian for me in the future, she thought.

Looking at the group, Vittoria’s heart swelled again. Rather than uncomfortable nerves choking her, a sense of fullness and warmth made her feel light and brought the tiniest smile to her face. It almost felt like she was coming home rather than coming to a new land. She found herself looking forward to the future.

Chapter end notes

What started the fight between Alessia and Carina??

While Vittoria was blubbering in Aurelia’s arms, Carina went up to introduce herself to the other girls. Wanting to practice her Japanese, she greeted them with “Long time no see!” instead of "Nice to meet you." Alessia, who’s voice tends to be on the (haughty) teasing side of things, asked her if she had just started learning Japanese.

Carina, embarrassed, asked “What’s it to you, kid?” and thus began a barrage of insults from one to the other and looked a little something like this:

“Hah, your brain is obviously nothing but cobwebs if you can’t tell I’m not a kid. I’m probably older than you even if you are built like a Brobdingnagian.”

“A what?”

“A giant from Gulliver’s Travels. Ever picked up a book?”

“That’s rude! And I doubt you’re older you little–little shortie! I’m 17. And at least I wouldn’t stoop so low as to make fun of someone’s height. Ah, well, that wasn’t what I meant–”

“It’s good being stupid isn’t a crime. I can feel my brain cells decreasing every time you talk. And I’ll have you know I’m 17 too, not a kid,”

“Really? Why are you so tiny??”

“Do you think before you speak at all or is it just a hamster up there running full speed on its little wheel?”

“Why do you keep calling me stupid in different ways?!”

“Why do you keep calling me short in different ways!?”

“I don’t mean to-”

“And that’s why you’re an idiot! Only idiots insult people by accident!”

“Not true. And I’m not an idiot, I mean sure I don’t test too well, and Gia said it’s a good thing I won’t need higher education, but that doesn’t mean I’m an idiot-”

“Only an idiot doesn’t know they’re an idiot-”

And so on.

#katekyo hitman reborn #katekyo hitman reborn fanfiction #khr #katekyo home tutor #reborn!#sawada tsunayoshi #original characters

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