#still very cute though. Shigeru has a cute voice

[gaycey-sketchit]

This is literally how I sneeze.

[hqcult]

PERFECT ## oikawa tooru

the air of perfection surrounding you makes him sick. you're worse than the geniuses he hates

. tw misogny, predatory behavior, smut, noncon/dubcon, slight dacryphilia, corruption kink, fingering . wc 1.2k

before his flight to argentina in a few months, oikawa made it a hobby to swing by his alma mater. 

iwa's too busy and he can't possibly bother his best friend when he's working so hard in college. so oikawa tooru goes alone. sometimes, he comes in early while the team's still there. maybe he'll even join matches for fun — coach irihata still has a soft spot for him, apparently. 

but most of the time he comes when the gym is empty; when there's an absence of the squeaking shoes and the ricocheting balls. it never fails to make his heart swell in nostalgia. ah, how he’ll miss this place terribly once he moves to argentina. 

something did change, though. 

oikawa wouldn't call it drastic but the first time he crashed their practice, he was all but pleasantly surprised to see the new aoba johsai manager. 

you were a pretty thing and the boys adore you a lot. you didn't look the type to apply as manager just to score an athlete boyfriend nor did you seem to have any other objective other than taking care of the team. oikawa can say as much because he could see how the new captain looks at you and the way you purposely try to keep things platonic. friendly. you don't let yahaba, or anyone in the team, go the extra mile for you.

and the fact that you can miraculously keep kyoutani in check is the cherry on top. while the said player is still rough around the edges, he learned how to listen to you and the last time kyoutani ever listened to anyone was months ago, when iwaizumi was still in the team. 

team morale is high when you're there to support them on the sidelines. in your white and turquoise tracksuit yet still managing to look attractive. yahaba's got quite the patience, if oikawa do say so himself. 

you were like some sort of goddess to them. it's sickening how dewy-eyed his ex-teammates would get whenever you smile and hand them their water bottles. it was too good to be true. you were too good to be true. there has got to be some sort of conspiracy behind this whole ordeal. 

"oikawa-san, i didn't think you'd be here at this hour."

he turns around at the sound of your voice. there you stood in casual clothes, hair tied up and face bare. with the harsh angles the moonlight created together with the poor lighting of the gym, you look normal. not an air of that perfection he’s always seen circulating around you. 

"how did you get in? only yahaba and i have the keys."

you saunter closer and it wasn't a wise move on your part. while you have aoba johsai as the same denominator, the alumnus was still practically a stranger. quick exchanges of acknowledgments aren't exactly sufficient to get to know someone. let alone be friends with. but you never once thought any of that. how naive.

he smiles as you finally stood next to him. you can't help the slight dread pool in your stomach at the sight of it. with his tall lean frame that can easily overpower you, the smile looked more ominous than friendly. 

"bold of you to assume i gave the keys back. why do you think shigeru had to duplicate them again for you?"

you didn't see it coming, the arm oikawa slings around your shoulders before pulling you flush against him. you would've lost your balance if you hadn't clutched the lapels of his coat. 

"can it be…" his plush lips graze the shell of your ear as he whispers. "our little secret, cutie?"

warning bells are going off in your head. it tells you to run and stay the fuck away from him but you did nothing of the sort, had only forced a polite smile and swiftly ducked around to get his arm off you. 

this is oikawa tooru we're talking about. 

yeah, you know he's quite the ladies man but you doubt he'd go... that far, especially if he knows the person's uncomfortable. not to mention, you're part of the volleyball team! you're managing his past team. surely, maybe, the familial bond extended to you too despite only joining their little family this year. you were just being paranoid. you were reading into it too much. 

"uhm, yes. of-of course."

oikawa does have to admit, seeing little miss perfect stutter and avert her eyes from him did wonders to his ego. well, now you don't look anything like the goddess his ex-team worships. you're not exuding the same level of confidence or reliability that you always carry yourself with. you look unsure of yourself. powerless in the face of real dominance. 

"why are you here?"

"i…" is it really wise for you to say why? "i forgot the team's record notebook in the girl's locker room. i need to pass a summary of it to coach tomorrow.”

oikawa smiles, eyes comically lighting up in excitement before slinging a heavy, oppressive arm around you again. "ooh, i'll come with!"

you walk with shoulders slightly folded in and the ex-captain likes you like this. all meek and submissive. he daresay you look prettier compliant and not like a self-entitled princess who thinks she shouldn't bother being romantically involved with an athlete. he still thinks you were bitchy and idiotic for friend zoning yahaba of all people. he thought you should be very thankful for getting noticed by his junior. 

but oh well, at least oikawa gets to have a go. 

to witness firsthand what the fuss about you is all about.

you wanted to shrug his arm away and he knows that but he won't do it. the fact that you're struggling to even speak up about it makes him smirk. see, now you know your place. as you should. sometimes, girls like you who get silly little ideas in their head should be reminded of where they truly stand in the food chain. oikawa is more than glad to be the one reminding you. 

you told him to wait outside while you sauntered into the girls' locker room and oikawa smiles that innocent smile before nodding. 

a prey really shouldn't have turned her back on a predator.

just as you picked up your blue notebook on the bench, the resounding lock of the door clicking shut sounded too loud in a closed-off space. "oikawa—'

"you know, i'd really appreciate if we drop formalities. i think screaming tooru while i fuck you sound way better. makes things more intimate, dontcha think?"

he was onto you before you even got the chance to turn around. the notebook you were holding drops to the ground as he grabs hold of your wrists, his leg swiping at your ankles to tackle you to the ground. he's quick. the floor is hard and cold when your back crashes into it. you wince, the shock of what's happening yet to register in your system. never before thinking that this sort of thing will happen to you.

oikawa isn't as cruel or disgusting as you think. you were both legal adults. he knows. after all, he was there when the team decided to throw you a surprise birthday party on your 18th. he was also there from around the corner, eavesdropping when yahaba pulled you aside and confessed his feelings to you and you had the fucking audacity to turn him down. 

he doesn't want to call this revenge, not when he'd still do it whether or not shigeru had confessed. 

you were from a different breed of people. worse than geniuses. you are so disgustingly perfect in every sense of the word that it's so fucking unfair. it fueled jealousy more severe than he ever felt from tobio or ushiwaka. 

because people aren't perfect. people aren't meant to be perfect. even oikawa himself is far from it so why should you be any different from him? you're nothing special. you're ordinary just like him. you don't deserve it. you're not even working hard enough like oikawa to fucking deserve it!

you were red in the face when he took a good look at your pinned form underneath him. your eyes are glossy but held fierce contempt as you meet his gaze, your lips sealed shut in a straight line. you were trying to hold yourself back from crying and it only fuels the fire of his anger. 

"what, think i'm not worth your tears?" he growls, a hand coming up to pull your hair. he sits atop you, his legs pinning yours down as he straddles your hips. "think you're so high and mighty that you won't cry for your oh so dependable oikawa-san?" he purposely makes his voice high-pitched like a girl, copying you spitefully. 

"that’s fine, i can give you a real reason to cry."

he rips your flimsy shorts off and ogles at your cute panties. pink with little bows? how innocent. 

his large hand covers your mouth, the heavy pressure keeping your head in place as his other hand cups your sex. the heat of his palms makes you squirm. already simulating the sensitive nerves and you poorly try shaking your head in denial. because no no no your body shouldn't be enjoying it!

"ou're a real piece of work, (name)-chan," he starts, voice conversation as he nudges your underwear aside, the flat of his thumb drawing lazy circles against your bare clit. "why pretend you don't like it? it's okay to accept pleasure from ordinary people like me. you're plain and average at best too, you know."

with both his hands occupied, you can freely try pushing him away but it's futile. he's too strong and your head is starting to ache with how hard he's pressing it against the floor. 

his blissful expression peeves you out entirely. he doesn't look regretful in the slightest. "you should really get off of that high horse, cutie. stop pushing me away. silly little girls like you belong like this, underneath a capable and powerful man to protect you."

you pant, the ministrations on your clit too good but you don't let it blind you. 

"fuck yo—"

but oikawa doesn't let you finish. he swoops in for a kiss, a hand holding your jaw firmly in place so you can't bite him. a particular hard nudge on your clit makes you gasp instinctively and his tongue invades your mouth. he's a good kisser. so damn skilled from all the girls he's kissed before you. maybe if circumstances had been different, you'd have butterflies in your stomach. 

"aw," he coos against your lips. "i see. little miss perfect wants me to fuck her? how cute."

you thrash and squirm, a pathetic sneer on your face as he holds you down with ease. all it takes is one firm hold against your shoulder as he nibbles on your neck, kissing and suckling at your skin until they turn purple and red. he placed them in positions he knows you can never cover even with the official aoba johsai uniform. why would you cover them anyway? you should wear his hickeys with confidence! it's the one evidence to show he even bothered himself with you so you should be grateful to him!

"let go of me, you jer—!"

"i don't think i'll suck on your tits today, cutie. no time. let's get to the fucking already then, yeah?" 

you absolutely hate his voice. it's the signature high-pitched and childlike tone partnered with that goofy smile of his. a facade he always wears when dealing with other people. a show he's mastered to an artform. he looks awfully unbothered by how wrong this is and it chills you to the bone. 

"oikawa-san—please—"

"i told you it's tooru!" he whines, pouting. "how many times do i have to tell you?"

panic seizes you when his ankles hook around your legs to force them open. he hears none of your pleas and shoves two long fingers up your pussy. there's a slight stinging feeling as he looks for that one spot that'll make you succumb, make you admit defeat. 

"if you want my dick inside this pussy you better call me by my given name or you won't cum, baby girl~" he says in a sing-song tone.

"who the fuck told you i wanted your—shit."

your toes curl and your back arches when his fingers grazed around a certain area. you didn't have time to feel betrayed by your body's reaction as the man on top of you chuckles condescendingly, angling his fingers so he hits the spot in every single thrust. "you like that, don't you? you like what my fingers are doing."

"no!"

"no?" oikawa repeats, measured. with a flick of his wrist, he has his thumb pressing firmly against the sensitive nerves of your puffy clit again and he watches you writhe, lose yourself to pleasure, moaning and whining so wantonly under him. "but cutie, i don't think that's what your body is telling me."

you cringe in disgust when his hot tongue laps at the falling tears in your eyes before whispering against your ear. breathy, and desperate, and ever so patronizing. you don't hear the zipper of his pants going down, nor did you realize he wasn't even bothering to hold you down anymore. good. that's a good start. baby steps, oikawa thinks. for someone who sat in a make-shift throne worshipped by hormonal teen athletes for so long, serving the one great king will be a huge reset for you. 

when he enters, it's a tight fit. of-fucking-course you're a virgin. always staying true to that little miss perfect reputation, huh? sweet and gorgeous but humble and demure. you probably had the same shitty old school belief of staying pure 'till marriage. it makes him harder, makes his length throb and ache with the desire to taint, to soil, to fuck you until that good girl image is stripped away and all you can think about in every waking moment of your useless life is your tooru's big fat cock. your pure lips only producing the most sinful of words to satiate his deepest desires—"fuck me hard, tooru!" "make me your whore, tooru!" "i want to feel all of you, tooru!" "i want your cock so bad, tooru! please please please!"

your longing cries of defeat, the lewd sound of skin slapping, oikawa's pornographic moans—it's a wicked symphony crafted by prodigies. "go on, cutie. cry for me. cry, and cry, and cry, 'til you don't have anything left inside you but your sorry tears and my cum!"

little miss perfect? no. you're his little cockwhore.

[jaycewrites-192000]

Growl: Chapter 3

Warnings: None

Tags: @etroman @theravencawsatmidnight

Your P.O.V

After school I went to the gym, fully expecting Oikawa to be more annoying than usual. I wasn't sure why he was so damn giddy about me being their manager, but I guess it was pretty cute to see him acting like a child on Christmas Day. I wonder just what I'll be getting into, hopefully it's nothing too far out of my limits. Managing an entire team...a team of people you hardly know too, aside from Oikawa and Iwaizumi. I took a deep breath before opening the doors to the gym and walking in. As expected, Oikawa was the first to greet me. "L/n-Chan!! My hero!!" He hugged me tightly. "Yeah yeah, I'm a hero. Now let go." I pushed him off. "L/n. Here." Iwaizumi hands you a turquoise and white track suit. "This is your uniform. You can try it on if you want. And thanks for this, I know Shittykawa was pestering you about it." He gives you a warm smile. You take a look at the track suit before turning the smile. "Well, it's worth a try right? I'll be right back."

Normal P.O.V

On the way to the changing room, you passed Mad Dog. He wasn't paying any attention to you, he was just staring off into nothing. Well, more like glaring. Why was he so mad all the time? You shake your head and walked into the changing rooms. After changing, you took a minute to admire yourself in the mirror. The track suit was was was a bit tight around your chest and rear, but hey, just made you look hotter right? Other than that, it look rather nice, you looked like an actual volleyball manager. You tug on the shirt slightly before walking out. The team was already doing their warm up before practice.

"Oooh, look at you L/n-Chan~" Oikawa smirks. "I knew our manager would be fine but damn-" He was cut off by Iwaizumi kicking him dead square in the back. "Augh! Iwa-Chan why??" He whines painfully. "Stop harassing her pervykawa." Iwaizumi growls. You were never phased by Oikawa's flirting before, but for some reason his compliment made you blush. The entire team's eyes were on you know. "Well he isn't wrong." A member spoke up. "Yahaba, don't start." Said another member. "Come on Kindaichi. You can't stand here and say you don't find her cute as hell."

"Alright enough already." You mutter, face still red. "What should I be doing anyway?" You asked while crossing your arms. Iwaizumi explained everything you needed to know about being the manager of their team. It was all pretty simple but still you needed to get to know the team better. You already knew that Oikawa was the captain and setter. And Iwaizumi was the ace and vice captain.

Matsukawa Issei, Takahiro Hanamaki, were third years along with Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and yourself.

Yahaba Shigeru, Watari Shinji, and Kyotani Kentaro or "Mad Dog" were second years.

And finally Kunimi Akira, Kindaichi Yutaro were first years.

They all seemed decent enough, you could do without the flirting from Oikawa and Yahaba though. Aside from that, you had to admit, you were kinda looking forwards to being a team manager.

"Great work today everyone. Make sure to get plenty of rest and prepare for the practice match tomorrow." Oikawa announces. "A practice match?" You tilt your head. "Yes, we have those occasionally to prepare for a real match." He tells you. "Oh. I guess that makes sense. Then again I wouldn't know, I didn't really care enough about volleyball to look into things like that."

"Well start caring! Because you're going to witness the amazing power of Seijoh!" Oikawa laughs obnoxiously. With a roll of your eyes you grab your bag and head to the changing rooms. The guys had already left, so you could change in peace. Or at least you thought they did...Once you opened the door to the changing room you were met with a shirtless Mad Dog. You gasp, face turning bright red. This alerted Mad Dog, he turned and glared you down. "Ah, so sorry!" You ran out and quickly shut the door. You felt like your heart was going to explode out of your chest. It was less because you saw Mad Dog's rather nicely built body, but because of the embarrassment of you walking into someone changing.

"L/n-Chan?" Oikawa's voice snapped you out of your thoughts. "H-huh!?" Your voice cracks. "You good? You're a little red." You cover your hot cheeks with your hands. "I'm fine, I decided I didn't want to change after all! I'll be going now!" You rushed off, leaving a very confused Oikawa behind. A second later, Mad Dog walked out of the changing rooms. "Mad Dog-Chan? I thought you left already. No wonder L/n-Chan was freaking out huh?" Oikawa smirks. Mad Dog rolled his eyes and walked past Oikawa. "You know, if you would stop teasing him so much, maybe he would respect you." Iwaizumi chimes in. "So cruel Iwa-Chan..."

You made it home, your mother had just finished preparing dinner and was on call with her boss, so she hardly noticed you. With a sigh you remove your shoes and walked in before going upstairs to change out of your track suit. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, making you jolt. "What has got me so on edge today?" You mutter. Even though, the answer was clear as day. You had just walked in on a pretty attractive guy changing, luckily it was only his shirt. Taking out your phone you read the texts, relived that it wasn't Oikawa this time.

Iwaizumi:

"Hey, I saw you run off in a hurry earlier. Did something happen?"

You: "Oh, hey Iwaizumi! I didn't know you had my number..."

Iwaizumi:

"Yeah, I know sorry. Shittykawa insisted that I have it. I was going to ask you for it eventually."

You:

"Oh I see. And to answer your question

You look up from your phone pausing, should you tell him? Iwaizumi wasn't as immature as Oikawa was, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to say.

I accidentally walked in on that angry dude changing. It was soooo embarrassing 😫"

Iwaizumi:

"Ah, I see. Don't worry too much, Kyotani didn't seem to fazed by it. Though, I can't tell how that guy is feeling, other than angry."

You:

"I still feel pretty weird about it...I'll have to apologize tomorrow."

Iwaizumi:

"Sure. Well, I was just checking on you. Get plenty of rest ok?"

You: "I will. Thanks Iwaizumi."

You put your phone away and head back down stairs. Your mother, still on the phone, finally seemed to notice you and gave you a quick wave before returning to her conversation. You wave back and grab some food. Tonight you had to get as much sleep as possible you had a big day coming up. You're first official practice match with another team, as a manager! You couldn't help but wonder what their manager was like. Maybe they could give you some pointers.

Previous | Next

[maira-writes-shit]

Wait I thought-

Haikyuu Semi Eita x Shirabu Kenjirou

Misunderstanding, crack, angst (?)

Words: 2,218

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1FU8Zjr2qTIhOopGs58o8U?si=75949331e9d240d5

Semi was just trying to drink.

His underclassmen got in the way oft that though.

„Really? Him?“, came Taichi’s surprised voice from a few meters next to him.

„Yeah him, ok?“

Taichi started laughing at his best friend, Shirabu.

„Shut up, Taichi!“

„Calm down! I’m just saying your taste in men is questionable at best.“ the redhead got flipped off by his best friend.

…wait…Is Shirabu gay?!

No you must have gotten something wrong. Don’t get your hopes up, dumbass.

Besides even if he were why would he like you?

He hates your guts, Semi.

„What’s up, Asshole?“

Speaking oft he devil…

„Nothing much. How about you, Brat?“ the comment earned him an eyeroll.

„I was just asking because you’ve been staring at me for like a minute.“ „What? Can’t I just appreciate beauty?“

Shirabu’s cheeks went red and he sputtered a bit, at wich his upperclassman let out a little laugh.

He’s terrible with complements that aren’t about his volleyball skill…

Cute

The copper haired setter turned away and took a swing from his waterbottle.

„Dumbass…“ ,was mumbled under his breath as Semi stood up and held out his hand.

Now that he thought about it…it wasn’t so far fetched that Shirabu might be gay.

When Tendou and Ushijima told the team they were dating Shirabu was ok, even gave a small smile.

When a Senpai made homophobic comments last year Shirabu made him eat his words.

But all of those could also be a ally thing to do...

He also didn’t exept a single connfession from girls he got (which made Semi a little happy).

„You’ve been spacing off a lot latley.“ The setter jumped a bit at the voice that was suddenly at his ear.

„Oh god Tendou! You scared me there!“ „I’m used to that reaction. Anyway what do you have on your mind, Semisemi?“

„I overheard a conversation from Shirabu and Taichi and now…“ „Now what?“

Semi started to scratch the back of his neck, wich he always did when he was nervous.

„Now I ask myself if Shirabu might be gay.“

Tendou stared at him for a second.

„Oh he is.“ „WAIT WHAT?!“ „He’s pretty open about it too. I mean he did date uh what’s his name again? Oh yeah Ennoshita from Karasuno for a while.“

„Really? I never noticed…“ „Dude..how oblivious are you?“ „Shut up!“

There could actually be a chance for you..

No no don’t get your hopes up

But what if?

But what if not?

Why does this have to beso hard-

Semi’s inner thoughts were cut short by him noticing something or- someone standing in the gates tot he campus.

He walked a bit closer to find out who the person standing there was.

The person was a tiny bit taller, they had soft brown hair that shimmered slightly silver, they were looking at their phone while leaning to the wall probably waiting for somone, they were wearing some comfortable pants and a slightly t obig white jaket that looked like it could be from a sports team-

On the back oft he jaket…Aoba Johsai.

Now Semi remebered.

Yahaba Shigeru. Aoba Johsai’s second year setter and probably the captain next year. But what was he doing here

„Hey Asshole!“

Wait does he mean me?

Someone walked by him, torwards Yahaba.

„Shut up fucker. Let’s go.“, came from the person that walked by him

He knew that voice.

Semi watched as Shirabu walked to Yahaba who put down his phone and hit him in the arm as they walked away.

He blinked.

What was that?

Is it him? Ist hat the guy Tachi was talking about with him?

They did look really close…

„You seem in a bad mood. What happned?“

Semi hated Tendou sometimes. Espacially because he knew him so well.

„It’s nothing..“ „So it has to do with Shriabu!“

Semi sighed. „Yeah…“

Tendou flopped down on the bed and let his head fall from it to hang upside down, looking at the setter who was sitting on the floor playing with his nails.

„Tell me.“

„So you remeber what I told you about that conversation Taichi and Shirabu had, rigth?“ Tendou nodded „Well I was walking around to clear my head when I saw some guy standing in the gate. I walked close to you know see if I knew them.“

Tendou just continued staring at him nodding at some parts.

„And do you know who it was? Yahaba Shigeru. He’s setter at Aoba Johsai- anyway so I was questioning why he was there but he looked like he was waiting for someone so I watched a bit more until Shirabu came.“ Tendou perked up a bit.

„Yahaba was like „Hey asshole“ and Shirabu went „Shut up, Fucker. Let’s go“ and they walked away laughing and shit.“

„So now you think that Oikawa’s student is the one Shirabooboo and our resident redhead were talking about, right?“

„Tendou you are also a redhead…“ „Deatails.“ „But yeah. Exactly.“

His best friends rummbedd his chin, thinking: „Mmmhhh…maybe.“

Semi stared at him for a second.

„Wow thank you.“

He hit one ball after the other over the net.

Yeah that’s good. Put all your feelings into these hits.

Goshiki jumped to resive his serve.

„Ouch-!“ „Wait- shit sorry. Are you ok, Goshiki?“ „Yeah it’s ok. But are you fine, Semi-senpai?“

„Huh?“

„You put an awful lot of power into that and you only ever do that when you are felling bad.“

„Yea I’m fine.“ Semi walked away but he continued to feel Goshiki’s eyes on him.

Apperantly not only Goshiki’s because when Semi went to grab his waterbottle a voice came from behind him: „I don’t belive you are fine.“

„Oh god Shirabu you scare me- and what gives you the opinion that you know everything about me?“

Shirabu just rolled his eyes.

„I’m not saying I know everything about you, I’m just saying I know it when someone just pretends tob e fine. Also you’re really distracted wich you usually aren’t at all at practice“

The older sighed.

„Ok you’re right…I’ll talk to you after practice, ok?“

The copper haired teen nodded and went back to setting to a few first years.

„So now spit it out.“, attacked Shirabu him afetr practice was finnised.

„Ok…so there is this…person. And I really like them. It’s just that I think they might be in a relationship with someone else already…“

„You think?“

„Well they spent a lot of time together and they seem very personal and just very close just- ugh it’s so confusing!“

„Why don’t you just assk them?“ „It’s not that- have you ever been in love Shirabu?“

The younger of the two looked away, cheeks turning slightly rosy. „Maybe…“

Intresting…

„So you probably know how complicated it can be.“ „Actually no…I think love is very easy it’s just humans that are complicated.“

Semi had never looked at it like that. He was so right though.

„Thanks Shirabu that really hel-“  the older classman was interrupted by two people running torwards them.

Yahaba again…ah fuck.

„Haba, Yachi! What the actual fuck are you two doing here?!“

„Well you see- I was out with Kyou and may or may not have confessed to being absolutly and utterly fucked for him or by him honestly Idon’t care at this point-“

„Not important Yahaba!“

„Yeah anyway I also maybe ran away before he could say anything!“ „Oh god how stupid are you?! We need to do something about that right now!“ „That’s why we’re here.“ ,came the small voice from the girl -Yachi- who was half hiding behind Yahaba.

Shirabu turned around waved a quick goodbye to Semi and then ran torwards the 2nd year dorms with the other two.

Semi Eita was just dumbfounded.

Wait…wait I thought-

I thought they were dating? But Yahaba said that he confessed to that Kyou guy…

Shirabu was wrong after all! Love is fucking confusing

Semi continued staring at the underside of Tendou’s top bunk and sighed.

His roomate was sleeping over at his boyfriends room so Semi had their space all for himslef.

It was almost midnight by now and he was still awake.

Wide awake.

Pictures of Shirabu laughing, looking at him with worry in his eyes, making a snarky comment or giving Semi that stupid smirk, were floating around his mind.

Oh honestly how did this sarcastic asshole of a brat make Semi so stupid with love?

To say it simple: he was tried.

He had not slept at all last night trying to figure out not only his feelings but also in which relationship Shirabu was to Yahaba. He came tot he conclusion that he was stupid.

Someone flopped down in front of him.

Speaking oft he devil…

„You figured your shit out?“

„No Shirabu I did not figure out my shit. Did you?“ Shirabu seemed to not know what he meant for a second but then seemed to get it.

„Oh you mean Haba’s Kyoutani problem?“ Semi nodded. „Oh yeah so you see, my friend Yahaba has this massive crush on his winged spicker Kyoutani and what you witnessed yesterday was him freaking out because he told Kyoutani he liked him and the ran away.“ Semi huffed out a laugh.

„Yeah the two of them are just idiots! I could basically smell that they liked each other since day one! Yeah anyway me and Yachi then convinced him to call Kyoutani and now I’m just waiting for him to text me about how it went.“

„So…how do you feel about it?“ „Huh?“ Shirabu looked at him and he looked so innocent and Semi could feel his heart clench.

„I mean how do you feel about the two oft hem being together?“

„Well I’m happy Haba is happy. He isn’t the best when it comes to taking care of himself and I know Kyoutani will make sure that he is well. They work well together and they’ll make each other happy.“

„You seem to really care about Yahaba…“ „Why are you asking so much about him? Why do you care about who I’m friends with?“

„I just want to know you better, ok…I care about you and Yahaba seems to be a very close friend of yours.“ „Of course he is! He was my first friend and my only one for a very long time! I’ve known him since I was 8. When I moved here he was the only one that even tried to be my friend. Sure we have our differences and we argue but he is like a brother to me. I love him and I want him to be happy.“

Semi just sat there in stunned silence.

„Why? Why would no one want to be friends with you?“ that seemed to surprised Shirabu. „Well if you haven’t noticed: I’m a mean little shit that can’t keep his mouth shut.“

The younger looked down at his hands

„Is…ist hat really how you see yourself?“

„I mean that’s how everyone seems to see me at least.“ „I don’t see you like that.“ The copper haired boy looked up at him and asked with a hopeful (?) voice: „Really?“

„Yeah! I mean sure you can be sarcastic and snarky but you are so fucking talented and amaizing and smart!“

The copper haired boy smiled at him a little and his cheeks started to get a little pink.

It looked good on him.

„Hey Shira- oh sorry! You two about to kiss? Sorry for ruining the moment I guess.“

„TAICHI!“

Shirabu’s cheeks were burning red now and Semi also felt his cheeks warm up.

He hadn’t noticed just how close they were now but it really looked like they were about to kiss. Semi smiled a horrible smirk as he got a idea.

„Yeah exactly Taichi! You are interrupting us“ Shirabu’s head spun around so fast that Semi was a little worried. „We were just about to full out make out but you ruined the mood.“

„Well I’m sorry, Semi-senpai! I will excuse myself out now.“

„Wha- We were not about to kiss!“ „Tsundere much!“ „Tachi!“

„What? Would it be so bad to kiss me?“ Semi fluttered with his eyelashes resting his chin on his hand.

„No it would not be that I’m just saying-“ „So you would kiss me?“

?“ ,the older said with more hope and truth in his voice. „I-I mean yeah-“ he was cut off with Semi pressing his lips against his.

Shirabu’s lips were incredibly soft and Semi lost himself in Shirabu moving against him.

Tachi who the two had forgotten exsisted let out a whistle and they broke apart, red in the face.

„Uhh…“

„Oh yeah anyway one oft he first years broke his leg and Washiou wants us in the gym!“, Tachi told them as he walked away.

They hadn’t been able to talk about it yet.

Washiou had talked for an hour about safe practicing and then they had to practice fort he rest oft he day until it was drak out. Shirabu then had been dragged off by some oft he other 2nd years.

Semi went asleep that night with a slightly giddy feeling.

I kissed Shirabu…holy fuck I kissed Shirabu Kenjirou!

He couldn’t wait to talkt o him

To be continued...

[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 20: You Really Do Hate Cats!

(CONTENT WARNING: This blog post contains discussion of phobias, child abuse, and people doing the worst thing to intensify those problems. Those things are in the show, I didn’t just bring them up out of nowhere.)

Well, it’s that time again. Time to grab a balloon and tell my friends what I think of an episode of Ranma 1/2. We’re starting the first arc of season two with this episode, though oddly enough I feel like I mostly remember what stuff is going to happen in it. But maybe I don’t remember right? I’d love it if that is the case. Though...speaking of that...there is a certain character I have dreaded appearing in this series, and I’d hoped he wouldn’t appear for a while, but I checked and he appears this season. I...I thought I had more time. Oh well, let’s do this episode and I’ll worry about him when he gets here.

Okay, well, for the most part, this episode is actually a lot better than I remember it being. As it turns out, some of the details mutated in my head in the decade since I last saw it, and I actually thought things were worse than they were.

The episode starts in the Kuno manor, where our favorite swordsman is practicing to once again fight Ranma Saotome. But he’s not alone, because for the first time we meet Kuno’s henchman, Sasuke. He’s a ninja, and he’ll do whatever Kuno tells him to do, but he probably won’t do it very well.

From there, we see Ranma’s dad is training him in stupid ways again, and they get back to the house to find Shampoo has mailed Ranma something from China: a pink cat. That’s a problem, because Ranma has a severe cat phobia. It’s not random, either, Genma directly created it. See, when Ranma was 6, Genma thought he should teach his son Cat Fu, which he heard about from an ancient martial arts manuscript. The way to teach it is to cover the disciple in fish sausage and through them into a room with starving cats.

Obviously, that just ended up traumatizing Ranma, and the very next page of the book would have told Genma that training someone that way is very stupid. Kasumi, drawing on the common misunderstandings people have about exposure therapy, thinks that just inviting a ton of cats to be around will help, but of course it doesn’t, it makes Ranma even more distressed. Sasuke is hiding under the floorboards though, and he runs off to tell Kuno about Ranma’s weakness.

At first, Kuno says something about how he could never cowardly use an opponent’s weakness to unfairly win, but then he still makes Sasuke tell him about it, because he can still use it to win in an honorable way. The plan they go for is pretty ridiculous: they leave a note in Ranma’s locker that Akane’s been kidnapped, and he has to go to the gym to save her. But Akane is standing next to Ranma as he reads the note, so he knows that’s not true.

He goes anyway out of curiosity, only to find Sasuke there dressed up as Akane. With the wrong color wig. Even though the trap keeps failing, Ranma walks into it anyway because he has nothing better to do, until he realizes what is going on: cats. But Ranma manages to fight the fear and pretend he’s okay, hoping to just take Akane out of there, but then it becomes clear Sasuke took the extra step of also bringing an enormous tiger.

That’s when we cut back to Genma and Kasumi, and the old man explains that he tried curing Ranma of his phobia, but his way of doing so was to just keep throwing him at hungry cats, only changing the type of food attached to his body. All of it just made the problem worse, but it also actually led to Ranma developing Cat Fu. When Ranma gets scared enough, his mind just let’s go and he mentally becomes a cat.

That happens in the basement of the school, making it easy for him to beat the tiger and escape, just in time to kick Kuno’s butt without even trying. But he doesn’t stop there, and starts running around the school still acting like a cat. Akane follows him just as the dads show up. Genma says the only way to break Ranma out of it when he was a kid was with the help of a kindly old lady, but she’s dead. So, Genma tries dressing up and doing it himself. That fails, so they try catnip, forgetting that Ranma just thinks he’s a cat, so the stuff doesn’t really affect him.

The situation does kind of solve itself, as Ranma doesn’t attack Akane, as she’s afraid of, but instead curls up in her lap to purr. The whole school is watching, so that’s embarrassing for her, but then he kisses her and she freezes for a second before throwing Ranma into the school pool. Oh, and the pink cat is watching and didn’t like that. The curse activating returns his brain to normal, and Ranma has no clue why he was thrown in a pool. Akane walks home, cursing Ranma for doing that, but sounding conflicted.

So, the big thing I misremembered about this episode was I thought Genma did all the cat stuff with 0 thoughts about how it would affect Ranma and not giving a crap how it affected his son. That is actually not the case, he’s clearly really torn up about the phobia, though he still says some bad stuff about Ranma being ‘unmanly’ for having a phobia. He even tried to cure Ranma, a few times. It’s just that, well, his actions still traumatized Ranma. Sufficient ignorance is indistinguishable from malice, as they say. Genma is still, on the whole, abusive to Ranma in my opinion, but he’s not as bad as he could have been, I have to admit.

This was also just a funny episode. The comedy largely worked, even if some of the jokes didn’t quite land. Kuno and Sasuke were especially good, and I found Ranma fighting his fear both humorous and kind of inspiring. The man has a hell of a willpower. Not going to lie, the Cat-Ranma just immediately going for Akane’s lap and then kissing her was cute, I really liked that. Of course, I’m a sucker for anything with them, so I’m an easy mark there.

It’s also interesting how this works as the first part of a large arc, because if you didn’t know that was the case I can imagine thinking this was just a standalone episode. The pink cat was the impetus for the plot, but it’s what will drive the coming episodes forward.

One thing I found annoying was how different the dub and sub were this time around, in terms of script. The dub had a lot more bashing of Ranma for being scared of cats, including from Akane. That isn’t in the subtitled version at all, and I thought the episode worked a lot better there. I’m always a fan of taking liberties with a localization in order to make the story work better in the new country, but I don’t think we needed Akane insulting Ranma for his trauma.

Hey, a Character Spotlight again! Haven’t had one of these in a bit, and this one is for Sasuke Sarugakure. Let’s start with his voice actors. In the English dub, he’s voiced by Robert O. Smith. Does that name sound familiar? It should, I talked about him recently, since he’s the one who voiced Genma Saotome in the dub as well. His voice for Sasuke is extremely comedic, going for an over-the-top pathetic voice. He makes Sasuke just sound like comic relief, which he is. What’s interesting is what the other actor does with him.

In Japanese, he’s played by Shigeru Chiba, another voice actor from this show in Japan who is just known for a billion things. Standouts include Buggy the Clown in One Piece, Emperor Pilaf and Raditz in the Dragon Ball franchise, and dubbing over John de Lancie as Discord in the Japanese dub of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I was completely shocked to hear him play Sasuke with more gravitas, using a very serious voice that one would expect from a ninja, which clashed perfectly with the situations and his character design to make the comedy far better than in the dub. One of those rare times I’m actually preferring the Japanese version!

As a character, Sasuke is interesting because he’s not in the manga at all. For reasons none seem to know, the creative team for the anime decided to delay introducing minor character Hikaru Gosenkugi, and replaced him with Sasuke. We’ll get to Hikaru when he appears, but I don’t really mind Sasuke’s addition to the show. Giving Kuno a henchman just makes his dynamic even better, and there’s something I just really like to Sasuke’s almost naive way of trying to plot and scheme. I don’t actually have any deep analysis, at least not as of yet, just wanted to give him a moment in the Spotlight for being something interesting.

I didn’t expect to like this episode so much! It wasn’t great, there were parts I didn’t care for, but on the whole I’m happy to see my expectations overcome. I’m putting this episode in the middle of the pack, at the #10 slot. It was fun, but it has a lot of better episodes when it comes to making me smile. (Or cry.)

Episode 7: Enter Ryoga, the Eternal ‘Lost Boy’  

Episode 12: A Woman's Love is War! The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 15: Enter Shampoo, the Gung-Ho Girl! I Put My Life in Your Hands

Episode 9: True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 19: Clash of the Delivery Girls! The Martial Arts Takeout Race

Episode 6: Akane's Lost Love... These Things Happen, You Know

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 17: I Love You, Ranma! Please Don’t Say Goodbye

Episode 20: You Really Do Hate Cats!

Episode 16: Shampoo's Revenge! The Shiatsu Technique That Steals Heart and Soul

Episode 8: School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryoga

Episode 11: Ranma Meets Love Head-On! Enter the Delinquent Juvenile Gymnast!

Episode 4: Ranma and...Ranma? If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

Episode 5: Love Me to the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love

Episode 10: P-P-P-Chan! He's Good For Nothin'

Episode 14: Pelvic Fortune-Telling? Ranma is the No. One Bride in Japan

Episode 18: I Am a Man! Ranma's Going Back to China!?

Next time we’ll continue this tale with "This Ol' Gal's the Leader of the Amazon Tribe!" which, as you might guess from the title, will introduce a new character. This one’s actually from the manga! See you then, y’all.

[milkbreadtoast]

Hey so! I’ve been wanting to share one of my Kurama(yu yu hakusho) headcanons for a while, but have been too lazy(and scared) to put it into words and share it w/ my followers ahah. But i’m finally gonna share it..! This is one of my headcanons that’s most crucial to how I interpret his character... and I want to preface this with saying that everyone has a different interpretation of a character, and that’s ok; u don’t have to agree. Interpretations can feel very personal sometimes...this one means a lot to me personally haha. Anyway, here goes: (BIG SPOILER WARNING!!!)

Basically... I think the current Kurama, “Shuichi” Kurama with the red hair, is LITERALLY a different person than he was in the past, due to the unique way he escaped death by merging with the unborn child of a human woman, and that his current personality makes a lot of sense if you think of him... as a fusion, in a sense... kinda like a Steven Universe fusion(not exactly, but hear me out)...

The present day Kurama is shown to be a really different person than the legendary thief Yoko Kurama. This difference becomes starkly apparent when the Yoko Kurama of the past makes his appearances in the dark tournament, and he’s very sadistic, cruel... very different from the Kurama shown until then. 

Although the current Kurama has the same memories and consciousness, intelligence, etc. and is still fully “Kurama”, and a 1000+ year old demon, he also seems to act...like a normal teenage boy. He giggles, jokes around, cares a lot about his friends, and of course, loves his human mother... 

Hiei describes Kurama in an internal monologue in ep 47, and it’s very interesting...

Kurama also describes himself in this way, in the same ep:

Although not in the manga, Kurama also says this in ep 108:

When Kurama talks about how he’s changed since being reborn, and how he’s become a different person...  I think... it's more than just a change of heart. He's literally a different person, because his soul merged with that of the boy who would have been born as Minamino Shuichi.

And moreover, Kurama himself seems to be aware of this? in the way he describes himself...the whole “we’re merged,” “while I am Kurama, I am also Minamino Shuichi,” “no longer the same Kurama that I used to be”... And perhaps most convincingly, in this line he delivers in “Two Shots”: 

Specifically describing himself as having a “human side”, despite also explaining to Yusuke in his introduction that he is fully a demon, despite his human appearance. 

Given his wisdom and intelligence, retained from his past as Yoko Kurama, this--his self-identity--is surely something he’s thought hard about over the years, and this is the conclusion he’s come to... Even though he is classified as a demon, this is the way he describes himself... as a fusion of sorts, as being part “human”... (and Hiei’s description is mostly likely influenced from what Kurama has told him, along with his own understanding of Kurama). 

The current Kurama shows a profound duality, and it makes him such a fascinating character... in certain moments, he shows a coldness, a brutality, a willingness to take lives, and wisdom and intelligence that certainly goes far beyond his human years. Yet... stuff like how he giggles and jokes, and how he outsmarted Kaito by making a funny face... to me, this is something new... something unique to his current self...something the old Yoko Kurama wouldn’t do. 

The way Kurama acts in the present day...  the way he's 100% a demon, yet distinctly...human... makes so much sense if you think of him as being like a fusion?? When “he merged with the body of the human who would have been born as Minamino Shuichi”, I think their souls also merged. (edit: This also makes sense if you consider that in his severely wounded state, Yoko Kurama was essentially reduced to a bare soul, disembodied and dying--If this fusion between his dying spirit and this fresh, living human soul did not take place, he would not have survived. The unborn baby is not yet conscious, so Kurama’s concsiousness took over completely, but the fusion still occurred...)

Kurama is still Kurama-- but there’s something added, something more.  I think the human who would have been born as Shuichi would have been a very gentle person... so some of that got absorbed into Kurama's soul when they merged... and so his current, softer personality is not JUST a cruel demon who got touched by human kindness and had a change of heart... but a fusion of the original yoko’s personality, and the personality of the human boy he merged with. He did have a change of heart, but this was facilitated by him gaining... a new capacity for feelings? in a sense? due to this fusion. 

This interpretation I have of him... it makes me feel so much for him...b/c even tho he's...not the same person anymore, he still has the same memories and consciousness; he both is, and isn't, the same person.  I think it probably contributes to the guilt and self hatred he feels on some level, which is evident in what he tells Yusuke in the beginning...

It’s true that he said he tried many times to leave throughout his life, to return to his previous life in the demon realm, but it’s also true that he was never able to. His mother’s smile, her sacrifice for him, her genuine warmth and love for him... it moved him, and he decided to stay, and to protect her and the things precious to him now. And I argue that the “human” side of him, the result of a fusion of souls, enhanced his capacity to be moved, weakened his resolve to return to his past life...

When other yokai accuse him of "going soft"... that's not quite what happened...it is, in some ways, but not the full story. Although he is still the ancient, 1000+ year old demon Kurama, and retains all his memories and sense of self... there is still a part of him, a new part, that really IS as young as he looks... one that is gentle, empathetic, kind, and constantly haunted by his past.

In some ways, this added layer of softness can be seen as a fallibility, an exploitable weakness... how convenient, for the cruel and merciless, cold and calculating thief to become “soft”... a soft point, a weak point, where there was only hardness before. But,

Kurama himself believes it is a strength. Although I do think he harbors some level of hidden self hatred, he doesn’t hate this side of himself. In fact, he embraces it, is proud of it, and will fight to protect what he has now with his life on the line. He has found people and things he wants to protect... he’s come to see the beauty of the human world around him, even the mundane... he’s come to see the beauty and power in something as simple and fragile as a rose. 

And the important people in Kurama’s life(e.g. Hiei), unlike the yokai who jeer and mock him, also see this part of him as a strength and not a weakness, and accept him as who he is today. 

Kurama has a war in his heart... and this inner conflict and duality makes so much sense with the fusion interpretation. Itsuki makes this observation:

“affection” and “carnage”... two sides of himself, at war... consistent with his past life of violence and cruelty, and the gentle human soul he merged with that literally made him a different person...  But again he’s still “Kurama”; he’s 100% yokai, not a human, and he remembers everything.

This headcanon of mine is why it doesn’t really feel right to me when I see people joke that Kurama’s just an old guy hanging out with a bunch of kids (like that steve buscemi meme lol). Again, in my interpretation... in some ways he IS just a teenage boy... even though he’s 1000+... which is why it makes sense that he genuinely enjoys having friends his “own age”... it’s more than just a facade of pretending to be a kid, I think. 

And I mean...just look at him. HE...... IS BABIE 🥺🥺🥺

TL;DR I see the current Kurama as literally being a fusion of souls, literally “not the same Kurama” as before, and this colors the way I interpret him haha,,,

.............................

OK THIS POST IS ALREADY LONG AS ASS, WHY NOT MAKE IT EVEN LONGER BC THERE’S SMTH ELSE i WANTED TO POINT OUT

This might be unique to the anime, but it fits in nicely with my headcanon... In the original Japanese cast, Kurama(as Shuichi) is voiced by Megumi Ogata, and the Yoko Kurama of the past is voiced by Shigeru Nakahara (i.e., when he appears in the dark tournament, and in subsequent flashbacks to Kurama’s past). However, when Kurama transforms into his yoko form on his own in the Chapter Black arc, not by the influence of the potion that literally turns back time...he keeps his Megumi Ogata voice even in that form... whereas in flashbacks he's consistently voiced by Shigeru Nakahara.  ITS A REALLY NICE TOUCH....and it confirms what he says when he's like i haven't actually reverted back, my body just transformed due to my heightened yoki.

And not only his voice, he even looks different... his yoko form is given a slightly different design in Chapter Black arc. In the dark tournament, his outfit is sleeveless, he has frayed eyebrows, and his ears are smooth. 

In black chapters... for some reason they started giving him sleeves

and more solid eyebrows...

and raggety ears? vs smooth

(SO CUTE I LOVE THEM...) 

These differences are shown in this production note from the anime, indicating that this was a conscious design choice in the anime: 

(I can’t read the text, but I see that episode #90 is specified in the right pic, which is the ep Kurama transforms into his yoko form in Black Chapters)

Anyway, these are very subtle details, but to me they’re another indicator that even in his yoko form he's not the same Kurama as he was before...!

OK THAT WAS LONG AF BUT I’M DONE NOW I THINK......... enjoy these kuramas before u go ^_^

[satoshi-mochida]

Publisher Degica Games and Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds developer Mages. have announced Ogre Tale, a cooperative beat ’em up action game set in modern day Japan, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. The PC version will launch via Steam on August 20 for $19.99 / 1,980 yen. Release dates for the console versions have yet to be announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via Degica Games:

■ Story

Hundreds of years ago, there dwelled ogres alongside humankind. These ogres were known to cause no end of problems for the humans they came upon, leading them to be feared and hated, regarded as monsters and demons.

One day, a trio of soon-to-be folk heroes named Momotaro, Kintaro, and Issuntaro decided enough was enough, and set foot upon the land from whence the ogres came: Onigashima. Their goal was to confront the ogres on their own turf and take them down once and for all… and so they did.

After a long struggle, Momotaro and his crew successfully defeated the leader of the ogres: the beautiful yet dreaded Iroha (CV: Yukari Tamura). And with Iroha’s defeat, the ogres themselves fell to ruin, and peace once again reigned for humanity. Momotaro, Kintaro, and Issuntaro were heralded as heroes, and they all lived happily ever after…

Or did they?!

Tokyo, present day.

Iroha, having used an ancient technique for reincarnation upon herself just moments before her demise, has lived many lives in many forms. Finally, after nearly giving up hope, she discovers the last surviving ogres: a trio of sisters bearing the name of their ancient homeland, Onigashima. She (or, now, he, as a male cat) raises them as her/his own, strictly teaching them the ways of the sword so that one day, s/he may lead them into battle against Momotaro and reclaim the ogres’ rightful place in society.

And fortunately for them, Momotaro is indeed still out there! Specifically, a guy named Momotaro—who happens to be a 37th generation descendant of the original—just so happens to have been toiling day in and day out as a host in the red light district, and has finally reached his breaking point. He has PLANS now, and suffice it to say, they’re not exactly folk-heroic!

So, hey, this was supposed to just be a petty revenge story, but with Momotaro suddenly turning evil due to systemic depression, maybe the ogres can actually be the good guys this time around! Lucky… them, I guess?

What even IS this story, anyway?!

■ Characters

Playable Characters

Ran (voiced by Yoko Hikasa) – The middle sister. Always has a sword at the ready. Innately controls fire, so many of her techniques are fire-related. More of a doer than a thinker, Ran is the type who will hit first and ask questions later. Comes across as stoic but reliable.

Hana (voiced by Ayumi Takeishi) – The eldest sister. Armed with a whip and a longbow. Don’t let her gentle voice and calm-seeming personality fool you: she’s 100 percent sadist. If you cross a line with her, she’ll mess you right up. Generally serious and confident, she’s nonetheless the voice of reason among the three.

Yume (voiced by Hina Kino) – The youngest sister. Outwardly flaunts her metal club, but also has bombs at the ready. Does not think things through, ever. She acts purely on instinct at all times. Educated through games and anime rather than textbooks, with expected results. Lures you in with her cuteness, but then absolutely demolishes you with words and weapons alike as you approach. Most definitely hazardous to your health.

Non-Playable Characters

-Iroha (voiced by Shigeru Chiba) – Legal (?) guardian of the three Onigashima sisters, and general chief of their operations. Possesses the reincarnated soul of the ogre leader who died hundreds of years prior. Struggles every day to raise his charges as true ogres, teaching them everything s/he knows. Yet, in the end, is still just a cat.

-Momotaro (voiced by Yoji Ueda) – Momotaro the 37th (Momotaro XXXVII?). Presently works as the #1 host in Kabukicho. Though probably not for much longer, all things considered! Basically, he’s the last boss. He’s had enough of the host life, and now wants to try his hand at being a supervillain. Turns out, he’s well suited to the role!

-And Many More, such as…

Tsuru no Ongaeshi – The Vengeful Crane.

Urashima Taro

■ System

Story Mode

Select from the three Onigashima sisters and challenge main missions and side missions as the tale progresses, leveling up and earning items and money (to spend on items via online shopping, of course!) that help teach you new skills and toughen your stats for the inevitable face-off against Momotaro! Between each mission, listen to witty and often fourth wall-breaking banter among the girls, their cat guardian Iroha, and a wide variety of villains. This story doesn’t take itself very seriously, and neither should you! Just kick back and enjoy the ride!

Cooperative Multiplayer

Up to three players at once can join the fray in this chaotic frenzy of a mode, wherein a number of enemies not seen anywhere else can be encountered, and a vast fortune can be earned through contiguous beatdowns and massively one-sided fights (I mean, it’s three of you against one boss enemy! OF COURSE you’re going to kick yokai tail!).

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here.

English

Japanese

[lcclements]

Bonded Chapter 3

Author’s Not: So, you may have noticed that I change the title. The reason for this is because the silence theme was pretty weak by itself. Also, there is the whole bonded theme, which was meant for comedic purposes. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the Legend of Zelda franchise. It belongs to Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto. Please don’t sue! I only create OOCs!

Guide:

“blah” : sign language

‘blah’: thoughts

[blah]: foreign language

Chapter 3: Adjusting

    Zelda placed back and forth in her library. This man who fell from the sky looked like a hylian, but not like a hylian. His skin was gray, tattooed with symbols, and black hair streaked with flicks of silver. His injuries were extensive, and he would be covered in scars. The garb he wore, it seemed like he either came from an ancient civilization, or an arid one. Looking through what was left of the historical texts, she couldn’t find the symbols marked all over his arms. It was frustrating, most of the library that contained historical records were burned by Calamity Ganon. Now, she was stuck with this humanoid creature and no idea if the male wash hostile or not. She sent a messenger to Hateno Labs, but she hasn’t heard back yet. She went back to one historical text, the one of how Hyrule was infected by a blanket of darkness and only a descendant of those banished by the goddesses could cure it. The hero and the goddesses’ descendant had a trusted ally who destroyed the mirror, returning to the dark realm.

    The story was only briefly touched on when she was a child, but after the mirror was broken, there was to be no contact from the dark realm. Then again, there were ways to reach the sacred realm, not just the triforce. Still, if this humanoid creature was a threat to Hyrule, she would quickly put it down. She was brought out of her thoughts by a soft voice. “Your highness?”

She looked up from her notes to look at a mousy maid. She was small in stature, and even tinier in voice. Thinking, she couldn’t come up with the maid’s name. Then again, she had just gotten a new staff after Hyrule Castle was rebuilt. “Thank you.” She said, “Has this…person, exhibited any violent tendencies?”

“No, your highness. Though, he didtell the doctor that he wished to speak with you.” “He? This is a male?” “The doctor confirmed it, among other things.”

“Excellent I’ll be there shortly.” The maid sighed as she saw Princess Zelda grab a quill and paper with a giddy expression. As she ran past the maid, the worker sighed. Many wondered if Zelda was meant to be a researcher rather than a monarch. Princess Zelda hurriedly walked down the hallways of her castle. She often marveled at how the master builders were able to restore her home to its formal glory. A brisk walk made it a short distance between the available rooms and the library. The guards bowed and opened the door to the doctor and the inhabitant. He looked male, with bandages adorning his chest. The old royal doctor stood and bowed. “How is he, Erol?”

“Besides the two broken ribs, the second degree burn to his leg, and the dislocated shoulder? He should be fine. He speaks very well, and I see no signs of a concussion.”

“Is this Princess Zelda?” asked the male

She looked at him for a moment. His eyes were red, and he had black splotches everywhere, with one on his left eye. “Why yes, I am.” She said, “Can you understand me?” “I can understand you fine. To be honest, I’m actually surprised you didn’t kill me on sight.”

“I see no reason to kill a non-hostile creature?” “Creature? Princess Zelda, my name is King Stil of the Twili, descendant of the interlopers.”

    Saphira could only wince as she heard King Dorephan bellow at his son. After the bonding ceremony, Prince Sidon had to sleep overnight in the room next to Saphira’s, and of course the rumor mill started. Both were summoned to the King’s chambers, which made Saphira shake in fear. She had never seen a creature so big, and she was hoping that she wouldn’t be executed for such a stunt. Sidon had tried to assure her that this wouldn’t be the case, but she still folded her arms to cover her twitching fingers. King Dorephan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Father, I assure you that Saphira has no ulterior motive.” Said Sidon

“How do we know this?” asked Mizu, “Ever since this…thingarrived, we’ve had nothing but misery. First the poisoning from that shadow, then a third of our troops are dealing with a deadly poison, and now bonding with our Prince?”

“She didn’t mean for that to happen. She was just trying to communicate.” “And she couldn’t find another way?”

“She is standing right here.” Snapped Saphira, “And no, I don’t have another way, considering normal languages takes years to master. Plus, I already know how to cure them and I told your royal doctor how to cure them.” “Witch!” hissed Mizu, “You did this to your people!” “Enough!” bellowed King Dorephan

Saphira stepped forward, going down on one knee. “Your Majsty, my intent was to warn your people of the creature that passed through our portal.”

King Dorephan looked at the girl with wisdom in his eyes, then looked at his son. He lowered his hand. “Rise child, and come here.”

She looked back at Sidon, who got closer and held her hand. A feeling of calmness washed over her as he led her to the King’s hand. She stood her back rigid but her left hand twitching. Sidon gave her right hand a squeeze for reassurance. “Tell me what was your intention.” Said the King

“I wish to warn the people of this land of the demon that plagued our lands, killed all our food, and forced us to flee to this land. The demon, Lenora, destroyed everything because we refused to bow down to her whims. She possessed our Queen, and created a King for herself, a usurper named Aghanim. I apologie your Majesty for anything I did, but I did notmean to bond myself to Prince Sidon. I don’t plan on marrying him or any other man.” A tug of hurt crossed her and she felt her hand being let go. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Prince Sidon turning away. “As priestesses, we are to remain chaste, a conflict of feelings would only desecrate the oath that we took as teenagers. I willfind a way to break this bond between us.”

King Dorephan nodded and lowered his hand for the two to step off. That pang of hurt in her chest seemed to get heavy, especially when she looked at Prince Sidon, who was looking away from her. “Very well, Mizu, make sure Saphira has access to the library.” Mizu balked at his King and then compsed himself. He bowed and walked away, glaring at Saphira on her way out. King Dorephan sighed, looking away for a second before looking down at the two of them. “I hope that you canbreak this bond.”

“I’ll do my best.”

With one last bow, she left the room quickly after Sidon. He walked quickly, with her following briskly after him. The hallways became familiar to her, and the Prince stopped before an ornate set of doors, with the symbol of the Zora above it. She could see the Prince sigh before turning to look at her. His arms were folded and he looked down at her with a look of contempt, but she could see the look of hurt in his eyes, and in her heart. “Prince Sidon?” she asked

“Don’t you have somewhere else you could be?” he sneered

“Is there something you need to talk to me about?” “After you rejectedme? I don’t think so.” Saphira felt guilt knot in her stomach. She didn’t remember outright rejecting him, but she knew she was impeccable in her words when she stated that her intention wasn’t to marry Sidon. Sure, he was a cute man and, wait, cute? She felt her face flush and then she cleared her throat. “Maybe we should talk about this in private?” Sidon pinched the bridge of his nose and led her inside. She gave an apologetic look the guards before going in, but it didn’t seem to faze them. She shut the doors behind her and then looked at a pacing Prince Sidon. “This is not like me.” He said, “I’m sorry.” “Well, I figured it had something to do with the bonding ceremony we did. Maybe it enhanced our feelings and made is more attracted to each other.” “Yes, well it’s hard to turn down a beautiful woman.”

Saphira blushed again and looked away. Sidon could feel a pang of sorrow in his chest, and watched as she stood defensively, back towards him. “Don’t lie. I’m the only Twili you’ve seen. When you meet my people, you’ll find someone even more beautiful.” Sidon puckered his lips for a moment as he felt despair creep into his heart. He walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. “When I say you’re beautiful, I meant it.” She brushed him away before turning around. He could feel the despair getting lighter, slightly. “You’re only saying that because of the bonding. When I find a way to break it, you’ll be back to normal.”

“Well until then, I’m going to show you around the kingdom.”

“How? Sunlight is very painful if you haven’t noticed.” “Maybe your cloak.”

“Not enough. Besides, I don’t wan to keep getting it dirty. I’m guessing black cloth isn’t in demand.” Sidon scratched the bottom of his chin. Cloth wasn’t necessary except for special occasions. “Maybe the hylian merchant has something.”

[seniichi]

Hazy Days (II)

Summary: I saw Policeman Kaki and I decided that today would be dorks fighting for one (1) oblivious adorable boi. Feat. Pikachu who is done with this already. For @catsubun / @beriskara because she needs cute.

Note: If you like my work, please consider donating to my Ko-Fi account - Seniichi.

Kaki is being awful nice, Satoshi thinks as he locks up the Centre for the evening, the other boy trying very hard to hold a conversation with him. Kaki was a new Police-hopeful that had been assigned to Pallet Town, and Satoshi - as he always would - had greeted the newcomer with open arms.

“Thanks for keeping an eye on me,” Satoshi smiles at Kaki, hefting his bag with Pikachu inside, the little mouse giving a tiny squeak, before going back to sleep. “You really didn’t have to,” He says, walking down the street towards the Pokemart.

“Someone should,” Kaki says modestly, scratching a finger against his cheek as they draw nearer. Satoshi gets his keys out, and Kaki blinks. “You work here too?“ He’s curious, but Satoshi doesn’t notice the frown on his face, intent on unlocking the door.

“Mmh? No, but Shigeru does. This is one of the bigger Pokemarts, and he’s left alone most of the time to close up, so I lend him a hand - the Centre doesn’t take nearly as much work, so I generally get done about an hour or two before him.” He misses the look on Kaki’s face, opening the door. “Do... you want to join us? I’m sure Shigeru would really like the help - customers can be a little mean.”

Kaki, meanwhile, is staring at the mess on the floor from spilled product.

“Only a little?” He questions incredulously. “If this was outside, I’d have to arrest someone for vandalism.” Kaki says to Satoshi, disbelieving.

“You could arrest them inside, but the Jenny clan doesn’t usually patrol inside of a building. We’re supposed to have security for that.” A third voice makes Kaki jump, and he meets eyes with a boy just slightly taller than him, a crooked smirk on his face and an attitude that makes Kaki itch to pull his handcuffs out and arrest him. He strides past Kaki and pulls Satoshi into a hug, kissing his cheek in greeting, much to Kaki’s nonverbal but noticeable irritation. “They never do, since the customer can do whatever the hell they want.” Satoshi is beaming, bright cheeked and soft pink flush over his skin at the open affection as he looks up at Shigeru with an adoring smile.

Kaki’s stomach does a flip, and after Shigeru has let Satoshi know what he should be okay with doing, the two are left alone. Shigeru draws up close, fingertip pressing against his chest, cocky smirk firmly in place as he gives Kaki a look.

“Let’s make something clear hon.” Shigeru smiles, and it’s not at all nice. “Don’t think you have any chance with my Satoshi.” He pulls back, pats Kaki on the head, and walks away, cool as one might please, leaving Kaki furiously scowling after him. Satoshi putters back, arms full of cleaning supplies, when he looks between them. Shigeru is undeterred, still smiling warmly at Satoshi, but Kaki doesn’t have the chance to pull his expression into line after that infuriating brat’s words. He sighs, gives them both a look.

“Are you two fighting already?” He complains good-naturedly. Shigeru raises an eyebrow.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Shigeru says with a smile, pulling the objects out of Satoshi’s hands and planting a kiss to the top of a head. “Thanks for finding these for me Sato-chan.” Satoshi turns a pleased pink, and Kaki has to bite a growl from escaping his throat. “I should have the displays cleaned up in about ten minutes, and then all that’s left is... eugh. The food section.” He pulls a face, and Satoshi pats his arm gently.

“I can at least mop up the mess,” He offers. “I’m used to it, I work at the Centre, remember?“ Shigeru shakes his head.

“No, no, you know how it goes. I need to stop being so squeamish. Just fix up the displays, and if you want, you can spend some time with your friend. I’ll finish up here.” Shigeru offers it out, and Kaki manages to unweld his jaw long enough to speak himself.

“I don’t mind staying - there must be something I can do.” Shigeru eyes him, before giving Satoshi a significant look that he feels he missed out on.

“You any good at cleanliness codes?” He gives a slight shake of the head. “You’ll have to be up to date with it before I can let you clean up anything or fix the displays.” He sounds apologetic, but when Satoshi’s head swivels his way to give a reassuring pat to his arm, Shigeru lets himself smirk at Kaki in challenge.

His right brow twitches. Oh, so that’s how he wanted to play it.

Since then, Kaki had been a nigh-constant presence in their afternoon visits, stealing Satoshi away after work before Shigeru could get even two words in. He’d also brought himself up to speed on the codes, and since he got off even earlier than both of them thanks to the labor laws, he would help Satoshi close up for the evening at the Centre, doing his best to make up for the lost time.

But no matter what he did, Satoshi seemed glued to Shigeru, their shared history a hurdle for him to overcome, and Shigeru’s familiarity with him had done more to endear Satoshi to him than Kaki could imagine. He’s finishing up a display when he overhears them, and he wanders a little closer.

“Shige-kun, you don’t seem to like Kaki much,” Satoshi is sweeping debris while Shigeru is wiping down each shelf, getting rid of stray chips or broken bits of packaging from where customers had tried to steal stuff.

“Mmh? He’s nice enough, but I think he’s the one who doesn’t like me. I mean, I’ve barely seen you in the last couple of weeks, and I’m starting to miss having my cheerful partner around.” Satoshi’s quiet for a while, and the sound of the broom is all he hears.

“I hadn’t noticed,” Satoshi admits shyly. “I didn’t mean to leave you out of so much Shige-kun.” The other boy laughs softly, and though Kaki can’t see it, he’s sure Shigeru is shaking his head.

“It’s fine Sato-chan, you should be having fun with your friends. But come visit sometime, would you? Eevee is starting to pine for you, and I never made good on that promise to help you learn how to cook that one meal you really liked because of the blackout.” Satoshi’s breath hitches, and Kaki desperately wants to know what that was all about. What blackout? He mechanically moves back to the display, and finally, Satoshi speaks up again.

“Y-yeah. I’d like that.” He hears a soft puttering of feet, and he finishes the display as Satoshi comes around the corner. Satoshi eyes the display, and he immediately checks it for flaws. He can’t see any... “Kaki, I’m going to stay with Shige-kun tonight, so you shouldn’t wait up for me,” he says with a smile. Kaki gives a stiff nod.

“Yeah. Have fun.” Kaki notices how Satoshi’s smile dims, and he realizes belatedly how the tone of his words comes out. Dammit. “Argh... I mean - I just, really like spending time with you,” He blurts out, and that seems to do something, making the smile reappear at full strength.

“I like spending time with you too! But I’ve been ignoring Shige-kun a lot, and that’s a bit unfair to him.” Frankly, Kaki didn’t care what was unfair to Shigeru, but he knows better than to say so to Satoshi’s face. Satoshi’s smile dims slightly again, and he curses internally because he’d done something wrong again. Shigeru comes around the corner, before glancing at both of them. It takes him less than a second of glancing between them to realize the issue, and Shigeru immediately plasters on a smile that looks so effortless that Kaki envies it.

“Is something wrong?” Shigeru asks in that cool tone of his, and Satoshi nods a little. Shigeru hums slightly, before hugging Satoshi with an arm. “If you’d like Sato-chan, you can head home, I’ll take a raincheck on what we were discussing earlier.” He says the words lightly, but Satoshi shakes his vigorously.

“I want to spend time with you.” He insists, before giving Kaki a slightly disappointed look. “I’ll see you around Kaki,” He doesn’t quite tell Kaki to leave, but he knows that tone well enough. He hated seeing Satoshi’s smile turn so dim, and this time it was his fault. He makes his goodbyes, and he can see Shigeru giving him a frown, which only incenses him more.

He doesn’t see Satoshi for a few days after that, the boy obliquely avoiding him to a point that Satoshi had left the center before his usual visits. Shigeru he sees more of, but he doesn’t seem too pleased to see him either, which is a surprise given how smug he’d been at having Satoshi to himself.

Kaki is doing another patrol when at last he sees Satoshi, the boy carrying groceries up the hill to his home. Satoshi trips, and it’s instinct that makes him immediately lunge and catch Satoshi before he or his things fall to the ground. Pikachu, perched on Satoshi’s shoulder, is a lost cause, falling off of his human with a squeak.

Satoshi looks grateful for all of two seconds, before realizing who it is and his smile turns into a scowl. The boy yanks himself away, and Kaki gives him an apologetic look. Pikachu gives a quiet ‘chaaa of hello, but doesn’t do anything to help him fix the mess he’d made.

“Satoshi - I’m sorry,” He stutters over his words, and if anything, that seems to make the boy angrier at him.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” The boy says stiffly. “Shigeru at least apologized for being a jerk about wanting to keep me to himself,” Satoshi’s head is held high, and Kaki realizes that he’s staring at Satoshi in disbelief, which he snaps out of, though it doesn’t do anything but irritate the cute boy. “You should be apologizing to Shigeru for how you treated him. He’s my friend too, and the way you two are acting is just stupid.” He turns on his heel and stomps off cutely, skirt fluttering in the wind. Pikachu rubs against his leg briefly, before chasing after his human. Kaki heaves a sigh, and an amused voice drifts up to him from behind.

“Well, that’s you told, hm?” Shigeru sounds amused, the teenager carrying his own groceries in hand. “Don’t mind Sato-chan. Give him another week and I’m sure he’ll forgive you without the need to apologize to me. He doesn’t hold grudges very long.” The boy doesn’t seem to care about getting an apology at all, and Kaki eyes him suspiciously. “What?” Shigeru doesn’t look pleased at the scrutiny, and hefts his bag up higher.

“What’s your angle?” He says suspiciously, and Shigeru sighs, rolling his eyes.

“I want to date Sato-chan. I’d have thought that was obvious. Thanks to the stunt you pulled, He’s just barely talking to me again, and that’s annoying. I’ve been trying to get Satoshi to go out with me for months, and then you show up.” Shigeru shakes his head, annoyed. “He’s very cute, but the lovable idiot is dense as a rock.” Kaki can’t help the snort that leaves his throat, because that sounds exactly like Satoshi. “All that aside - I’m sorry.” Kaki jerks back, surprised. “And don’t think I’m doing this because Sato-chan told me to. I’m not good at handling threats to what I consider mine. And you are most definitely a threat. I can’t say I’m not going to still be a pain in your ass, but I won’t be quite so mean in the future. Just don’t expect me to make it easy for you to woo Sato-chan.” The boy hefts his groceries higher up on his hip, and he smirks. “Who knows, maybe having a rival for his affection will be fun. Just don’t expect to win, loser.”

Kaki’s lips pull into a faint scowl, but there is something there, a hint of amusement on his face. “Now you’re the one dreaming too big,” Kaki says with a huff. “I’ll win Satoshi back before you can even dream of it.” Shigeru’s lips curl into a proper smile, and he chuckles.

“That’s the spirit.” Shigeru says the words in open amusement. “Later loser. I’ll let Sato-chan know you apologized in your own bastardly way,” He laughs. “That’ll put us on even footing, but don’t expect mercy from me after this - Sato-chan is mine.” The teenager saunters off, and Kaki gives a half-hearted scowl, before grinning himself.

At least things wouldn’t be boring.

[goodlucktai]

Are you taking any prompts? If so, what about a situation where touko finds out about Natsume seeing youkai, and convinces him that everything is alright? I need that kind if sweetness right now haha although I'll probably be crying by the end XD If you're not taking prompts or if you don't want to do this, it's perfectly fine :> Thanks for your time :)

i had several prompts like this one ! i sort of let it get away from me, i hope its okay :’) 

x

The next time Touko sees Sana-chan, she’s armed to the teeth with photos.

Shigeru got that old camera of his working after all, and the album Touko passes across the table to Sana-chan is full of candids - Takashi on the porch playing with Nyankichi, Takashi’s friends sprawled across his bedroom floor the morning after a big sleepover, Takashi laughing with Shigeru over a sink of sudsy dinner dishes.

Sana-chan flips through the pictures with all the enthusiasm Touko could have hoped for, a smile filling her round face as she gushes “what a handsome boy!” and “your house must be so lively these days!” and “I can’t wait to meet him!”

And Touko is warmed all the way home, resolving to ask Shigeru and Takashi what they would think of having Sana-chan and her family over for dinner in the near future.

As if summoned by the thought, Takashi’s voice drifts through the autumn air towards her from the riverbank. Curiously, Touko steps off the road into the grass to follow it to the source - Takashi did say a friend was visiting from the mountain, but surely he knows his friend would be welcome at the house - and steps to the edge of the sloping embankment, peering down.

She spots him right away, smiling a little at the way he sticks out against the dull color of the river, with his fair hair and pastel pink jacket. Takashi is sitting with two of his friends, the three of them grouped around the edge of a strange circle drawn in the damp clay, and they’re pink with laughter and bright-eyed in the warm afternoon, and talking to -

a little green person. With a beak, and tortoise-like carapace, and webbed hands, and a wet plate atop its head amidst a mop of tangled, seaweed-green curls. It hands Takashi a flapping fish and says, “I caught this for you, boss!”

“Thank you,” Takashi says dryly, and tosses the fish back into the water without ado.

Oh, Touko thinks, hands flying to her mouth in surprise. And the first thing she thinks of, impossibly, is the crow.

“I’ve never seen a white one before,” Takashi said that day, guileless and unguarded as he smiled into the sky at a creature Touko couldn’t seem to find. “It’s beautiful.”

“I can’t believe it!” Tooru says brightly, jolting Touko out of her shock. The girl is clapping her hands together in delight, moving to her knees and bowing politely in greeting. “I’ve always wanted to meet a kappa!”

The creature hurries to follow suit, bowing low to Tooru in return. Touko watches, eyes wide, as Takashi says, “No don’t - ” and the water spills from the plate on the kappa’s head into the earthy clay underfoot.

The creature flails, making a piteous noise, and then it seems to be trapped in place, small torso curved over the ground, quivering. Takashi gets up with a long-suffering sigh.

“Some of the myth is true, but not all of it,” he explains, as though he’s explaining particularly complicated schoolwork. He cups his hands in the river, and carries cool water back with him. His friends watch avidly as Takashi wets the kappa’s headplate again, and delight when the little thing springs back up to its feet.

“He won’t attack you,” Takashi goes on calmly, “he’s a little sillier than his cousins. His arms aren’t particularly weak, either, but he’s not very good at wrestling, and as far as I can tell he doesn’t care much for cucumbers. And he tends to stray too far from his river. If you ever see me dumping water out on the ground for no apparent reason - ”

“We have,” Kaname says with a smile he doesn’t bother trying to hide. “We just didn’t ask.”

Takashi blinks, and something soft and uncertain graces the delicate features of his face. He rubs a hand through his hair and says, “You can ask. From now on, I mean.”

The spirit between them steps out of the circle toward the water’s edge and disappears from view with a mighty splash - Touko’s hands are still hovering over her mouth, and she manages to muffle the startled noise that threatens to give her away.

Takashi flicks water out of his eyes with a scowl, and his friends laugh - and oh, but they’re not surprised in the least by all this, and Tooru even has something of a little picnic set up at her side. Touko can hear her murmuring “I feel so silly for bringing all this squash, now. I read so much about kappa last night, I was sure he’d like it.”

And Touko can’t help but think of Takashi as the boy she first met, not so long ago - all alone in the middle of a cold night. How thin and pale and colorless he was then, lifting glass eyes to meet hers and looking straight through her at something else.

He is always looking straight through at something else. Whether it’s crows, or kappa, or something less lovely, something less harmless, Takashi has probably been able to see them since he was very, very young. And while it doesn’t excuse the people who mistreated him, doesn’t forgive them in the slightest, Touko can suddenly understand, just a little bit, why her sweet, gentle, giving boy had such a hard time growing up - was never quite wanted, never quite normal.

And her heart aches, watching how easily Takashi can talk about the river spirit (one that is clambering back into the muddy circle with an armful of fish) and how hard it is for Takashi to switch gears and talk to his friends about trusting them.

It is always so hard for him. Touko is making her way down the grassy slope even before the kappa points towards her and says, “Boss? Who’s that?”

And while Tooru and Kaname spring to their feet as if electrified - both of them moving, to hide the kappa from view and scuff out the strange circle respectively - Takashi looks frozen in place. His hands are limp where they were resting on his folded knees, face so pale he might have been sculpted out of snow.

He looks like someone watching their world end.

Well. Touko may be very new at this - may not have the experience Atsushi’s mother has at righting wrongs and mending impossible hurts - and she’s certain they don’t make parenting books for a child’s dealings with yokai - but now isn’t the time to worry.

Now is the time to kneel next to her son, tucking her skirt in neatly, neverminding all the mud - to ignore the way his frightened expression digs sharp fingers into her heart, and reach out to him with a gentle hand.

Takashi flinches, and it hurts her, but it’s a selfish hurt and one she buries quickly. The short time he’s been with her won’t be enough to unlearn the lessons he’s been taught up until now, and she can’t afford to forget that. She doesn’t let herself falter, and only continues until her fingers are cradling the soft curve of his cheek, and Touko waits patiently for Takashi to find the courage to look at her.

Kaname and Tooru are holding their breath. After one long minute passes into two, Takashi lifts his eyes.

He’s transparent to her now, the way he didn’t used to be. Guileless and unguarded, the way he was when he saw something beautiful in their backyard. And if this secret world of his can give him beautiful things as much as it takes away from him, then Touko can find it in herself to make peace with it.

Touko looks over, and finds the kappa peering over Kaname’s shoulder - its webbed hands pressed into the back of his shoulder, leaning up on the tips of its feet to peer at Touko. The creature’s eyes are wide and curious, very much like the eyes of the children kappa are said to eat. Touko can’t find it in herself to fear the little thing, and looks back at Takashi with that knowledge clear in her smile.

“And I thought you told me you’ve introduced me to all of your friends,” she scolds lightly, teasing him. “After Kei and Katsumi, I was sure I had met everyone. You really are such a popular boy.”

Kaname and Tooru let out shaky breaths, and beam at one another, and then at Touko. Takashi looks as though he’s forgotten how to speak, and so Touko leans back and takes her hand away.

“Actually, I have a question!” When she tilts her head towards the kappa, it points at itself, as if to make sure it’s the one she’s addressing. It makes Touko smile. “Yes, you. You know, I used to hate ginger when I was a child, but my father could always convince me to eat it by telling me it would ward kappa away. Is that true?”

The kappa considers that seriously for a moment, then says, “It’s true. I hate ginger.”

“I wonder if you’re the best kappa to ask,” Kaname puts in dryly, “since we found out you’re not good at wrestling, don’t so much as pretend to keep to your river, and have never tried to drown a single human.”

The kappa squawks, as if in offense. With its handfuls of wriggling fish, the sight is both cute and comical. Touko feels herself warming to the odd creature, with its human mannerisms and the way it seems more comfortable with this group of mortal youngsters than its own kind.

Tooru draws its attention to her picnic basket, and Kaname follows them to it - both children well-versed in the art of subtlety, giving Touko room to sit quietly with Takashi in an unobtrusive, and undemanding silence.

“There are more like it, aren’t there?” Touko says after a moment. “More spirits like this one?”

Takashi’s head jerks in a nod. Touko hums.

“And they’re not all kind to you, are they?”

“Not - ” He swallows, and tries again. “Not all of them. They’re the same way people are. Different personalities and experiences. It’s not - I can’t lump them together. They’re not kind or unkind, they’re just alive, in a different way than we are.” His eyes dart to Touko, but only for a second, and then he’s back to staring at his hands. “I know it’s - I know it’s strange. I know it’s a lot. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Takashi,” Touko says, aching for him. “All those times you came home with dirty clothes, how easily you seem to get hurt. This is your home now, and I want it to be safe for you. Is there anything I can do? Should we get talismans for the house? Oh, but then your friendly spirits couldn’t see you, could they?” She presses a hand to the side of her face, truly feeling out of her depth. “Oh, I should ask Shigeru-san. He’ll know what to do about all of this, he’s much more level-headed than I am. Don’t worry though, Takashi,” Touko adds, trying to sound sure of herself. “Whatever you need, you’ll have it.”

Takashi finally gives up the careful study of his hands, and stares at her fully. His eyes are moonlike beneath his long, untidy fringe as he whispers, “Are you even real?”

And Touko wraps up the pain in her chest and ties a fierce knot around it, to unpack and shed tears over later, when she can afford to grieve for all the things Takashi can’t seem to bring himself to trust.

For now, she gives her son a smile.

“You believe in such impossible things,” she tells him, full of fondness and faint anger and sorrow and love. “Surely you can believe in this, too.”

Takashi ducks his head, and when he moves he’s moving closer instead of farther away; leaning into her side with all the weight of a warm, shuddering shadow. If he’s crying, he’s utterly silent about it. Touko rests her cheek in the softness of his hair and watches the odd and peaceful picture Tooru and Kaname and the yokai make, digging through a picnic basket and sharing treats with one another from within the far side of the circle.

“You know, the timing of this is uncanny,” Touko says playfully, aiming to lighten the mood just a little. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to meet a friend of mine from middle school. I showed her my photo album today during our lunch date, and she wants to get to know you! Her name is Sana-chan, and she has a boy about your age. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be quite as exciting as meeting a kappa, but I think it will be still be plenty of fun.”

“Of course, if it’s no trouble, I’d like to meet her, too,” Takashi says immediately, as eager to please as always. And then, after a moment’s pause, he goes on, “Wait. You showed her the photo album? Touko-san, most of those pictures are of me. You didn’t let her see the one of Nishimura kissing me, did you? Touko-san?”

Touko presses a hand to her mouth to hide her smile and admits, “That one was Sana-chan’s favorite.”

Takashi lifts his head to gape at her, every inch an aggrieved, embarrassed teenager where a wounded, world-weary creature was hunkered moments ago. “Touko-san! It’s bad enough that Kitamoto sent it to everyone we know - ”

“What’s a photo album?” the kappa asks, its hands full of crumbling croquettes it seems to have traded its fish for. Tooru looks up with a wicked gleam in her eyes, and Kaname seems to be the only one willing to commiserate with poor Takashi, shooting him a sympathetic look as Takashi watches in horror Touko haul the album out of her bag cheerfully.

“You’re carrying it around with you?”

“Come over here and see, Kappa-san,” Touko says, and even moves forward to the edge of the circle so the little green creature can sit beside her and lean in to stare at the glossy pages that lay open in her lap. “Isn’t my Takashi handsome? Look at how photogenic he is.”

“Ooh,” Tooru says eagerly, peering from Touko’s other side, “are some of these new?”

“What’s photogenic?” the kappa asks, and Takashi buries his face in Kaname’s shoulder.

But he seems to give into laughter after a moment, his shoulders shaking. It's a soft sound that grows louder, until Takashi is tipping his head back and falling into it, and Touko wishes she had the camera with her.

[ice-ice-taeyong]

Terushima Week-Day 1

Prompt: Friends/Rivals

Sorry this is late..... but you know, at least it’s written, right?

Terushima hummed a tune to himself as he spun the volleyball on the tips of his fingers. He was sitting down, and the warm sun was making the boy lazy, content with spending the day off just lounging around. Terushima sighed and let the ball drop, before he lay down on his back and started setting the blue and yellow striped ball to himself. Bobata had said that he needed to work on his control more. He sighed again. Why did all of his friends, teammates and otherwise, have to do fun things over break? Couldn’t just one of them stay behind, like him? Whatever, it would give him some time to practice and to think up some new training exercises. He was the captain now, even after their disappointing loss to Karasuno just a few weeks ago. He stilled the ball and sat up. There were a few yen in his pocket, he could get a drink and take a break before he started practicing in earnest.

 He walked to the store and gave a half-hearted wave to the shopkeeper. It was a young man, smoking a cigarette and flipping through a magazine. He had bleached-blond hair, the roots showed, he looked familiar. Huh. Terushima dragged a hand through his own false blond. He’d have to buy a box and redye it soon. What a drag. He found a sports drink and turned, eyes on the label, reading the nutritional information panel to gauge how much his mom would yell at him for having so much sugar. He didn’t pay attention to where he was going and--- 

“Hey!” the warm body he’d just slammed into cried out.

“Sorry, sorry” he mumbled and looked up at who he hit. It was a boy, around his height, with soft, fluffy brown hair in a turquoise jacket. He read the lettering on the breast, Aoba Jousai Volleyball Club. Damn, this kid played too?

“Is that a volleyball?” the stranger asked, gesturing to the ball Terushima had tucked under his arm, thinking along the same lines as he had. 

“Yeah. Aoba Jousai... didn’t Shiratorizawa play you guys?” He asked, the name sounded familiar, and he just knew he’d seen that color before, playing along his peripheral, engaged with another team as his own fought so hard to win. 

The boy sighed, and it was long and full of teenage suffering. “Yes.  We play them every year in the finals. They always win. Except for this year, no, this time we’re beaten by Karasuno!” He’s agitated, and he throws his hands in the air in frustration, obviously not over the loss just yet. Terushima understood, his own team had had a waking up after playing them. That they were lacking and needed to think a touch more seriously about their favorite sport. He gave an understanding nod. 

“They beat us too, our first game. It was their third. Seemed like a tough team to beat. And if you’ve gotten to the finals each year, then you all must be a strong lot too. Jozenji has been beaten by Shiratorizawa three years running.” he offered in comfort. Volleyball was competitive, every team worked their hardest to be the best, but there was only one spot. The stranger smiled.

“Yeah, we’re pretty good.” He bragged, but the grin on his face wasn’t cocky, it was a mix between grateful and proud. He stuck out a hand. “Yahaba Shigeru, new captain of Aoba Jousai.”

Terushima took the hand and shook it, albeit a little awkwardly with all the stuff he had in his hands, and he could tell that Yahaba was holding back a laugh. “Terushima Yuuji, captain of Jozenji!” he exclaimed proudly, fixing Yahaba with a strong grin. Yahaba gasped. 

“Is that.... a tongue piercing?” he asked, a little shyly, intrigue dark in his eyes and cheeks flushed a delicate pink. Cute.  Terushima nodded and stuck out his tongue, displaying the small silver ball in the middle of his tongue. Yahaba gasped in a breath sharply. He closed his mouth and then smiled at Yahaba. 

“Yeah. I got it for my birthday last year. Hurt a lot while I got it, but all in all it wasn’t too bad.” He smirked at the boy’s flushed cheeks, even though he could feel his own starting to heat up. 

“That’s awesome.” Yahaba breathed out “What-How does it feel?” He asked softly, staring intensely at Terushima’s lips. The second year’s smirk widens wolfishly. 

“Want to find out?” He asked, waiting for an answer. All he receives is a confused nod. Good enough. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Yahaba’s, swiping his tongue across the seam of warm lips. Yahaba gasps in surprise and Terushima uses the opening to deepen the kiss, giving Yahaba the full experience. He slowly pulls away, easing the boy out of it. 

When he’s far enough back to realize that his hands have unconsciously gripped tightly to the collar of Yahaba’s jacket and that Yahaba had latched onto his biceps. Speaking of the other boy, his cheeks were a brilliant scarlet and his eyes wide. “Um, too much?” Terushima asked cautiously, hoping he didn’t just scare off the boy. 

Yahaba took a second to catch his breath, but weakly shook his head. “No. That..that was amazing...” he sighed out, and Terushima puffed up proudly. He’s about to respond, probably something suave and clever. Because, well, this Yahaba is almost certainly also on break, a decent kisser, and very cute. And he plays volleyball, who could ask for more? No one, Terushima decided. This one is perfect. But then a loud, kinda scary, and obviously angry voice shouts. 

“HEY! WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU’RE DOING? MAKING FUN OF MY TEAM AND MAKING OUT LIKE THAT? Buy your stuff and get out!!!” It’s the man from behind the counter. OH. That’s where Terushima recognized him from. He was Karasuno’s coach. Ooops. 

By the expression on Yahaba’s face, he too recognized the man and they shared a mischievous smile before throwing their money on the counter and then taking off, hand in hand, legs pumping.

[khi-articletranslations]

Kanata Hongo’s path until he became『Attack on Titan』’s Armin

2016年4月23日更新  / source :  http://ciatr.jp/topics/15814

Actor・All About Kanata Hongo

Ever since he was young, Kanata Hongo is active as a kid model while he was still in kindergarten. After that, he signed a contract with Stardust Promotion, became a main protagonist and his activities in showbusiness continued. There was even a topic spreading on how he and Ryunosuke Kamiki, also a child actor and is currently active, looked alike.

He made a screen debut in 2002 in the movie『Returner』when he was 12 years old. In 2005, he got a starring role in『HINOKIO』when he was 13 years old and gained positive feedbacks for his performance. The protagonist, Iwamoto Satoru, is a gradeschool student stuck in a wheelchair who refuses to go to school. He strived hard no matter how broken he is and his journey to overcome his struggles also gave the viewers courage. 

Ever since he acted in the 2015 movie『Attack on Titan』, Kanata Hongo became a popular actor and he appeared in various TVs and dramas. I will introduce below more about his projects and profile.

Acting career・Kanata Hongo’s road / 『Returner』(2002)

Kanata Hongo’s first movie appearance when he was 12 years old. It is a Sci-Fi movie that used a lot of VFX and was directed by Takashi Yamazaki of『Eternal Zero』. Human beings are invaded by an alien called「Daggra」and is on the brink of extinction. Hongo plays the child role of a「Returner」worker, Miyamoto, who recovers money from the black market and return it to his client. He has a lot of portrayals of cool characters but the innocence of his childhood is still there.

『HINOKIO』(2005)

It is the first movie where Kanata Hongo portrayed as the main protagonist when he was 15 years old. Using a remote-controlled robot to represent himself, he portrayed the role of the boy Satoru who uses a robot called 「Hinokio」to go to school in his stead. Because it is a robot-themed movie, they used CG. He co-starred with Mikako Tabe in this work.

『Prince of Tennis』(2006)

He played the role of Ryoma Echizen in Takeshi Konomi very popular manga turned into live-action『Prince of Tennis』. While being surrounded by musical casts, he also did a performance where he draw out the charm of the character itself.  

『Blue Bird』(2008)

Attempted suicide in Junior Highschool. As soon as Murauchi (Hiroshi Abe) was transferred to teach to another school, an attempted incident happened (Kazuya Yamazaki). He was then drawn into a complicated with Hongo who played a difficult character named Shinichi Sonobe and was suffering from complicit bullying.  

『GANTZ』(2010)・『GANTZ PERFECT ANSWER』(2011)

Divided into two movies, from Hiroya Oku’s popular sci-fi action manga turned into a live action movie, 『GANTZ』. Hongo plays as the veteran highschool fighter who was fighting in the world of GANTZ earlier than the hero, Kurono (Kazunari Ninomiya). As far as Hongo’s casting work is concerned, this is the biggest and most expensive epic movie.

Kanata Hongo is a picky eater? Learn more about his unusual lifestyle

Fans are concerned if whether or not Kanata Hongo is eating properly because of his thing visuals. In fact he doesn’t seem to like eating and said that there are times that he doesn’t eat anything throughout the day. Even Kiko Mizuhara who co-starred with him in the movie『Attack on Titan』shared,

Kanata said,『If I can only live without eating rice, I won’t eat it』. 引用：http://www.excite.co.jp

Also, he seemed to like sweets, he is said to be eating gummy and potato chips always. He also prefers staying indoors, spending the whole day in bed or making a Gundam Plamodel for 20 hours. Because he’s very keen with cleanliness, he prefers to stay at home and not go out because he thinks that there a lot of dirty things such as breath, exhaust gas and dust of people.

He’s also not good with ultraviolet rays so when going out, a sunshade is a commodity. From his slim appearance to his conviction, his unique lifestyle is really surprising.

He wants to have a normal love relationship

People were able to hear about him from his work as an actor but in private life, he’s really a nice guy. When asked about his love life, his type of girl is someone who’s 「smart and elegant」「cute and kind」.

Since he likes sweets, he wants his girlfriend to make sweets for him！Isn’t it a cute love affair? Also, he wants to date in the Aquarium and prefers a normal relationship, away from being an actor.

Almost like Ryuunosuke Kamiki

The image above is Kanata Hongo while the image below is Ryuunosuke Kamiki. Growing up, their slim appearance both look the same but they have always been regarded as 「look-alike」ever since childhood.

Also, the both of them are actors ever since they were kids so they are good friends. They even have nicknames「Kanati」「Ryuu」for each other. They both co-starred together in the drama『Aikurushii』last 2005.

Attack on Titan, a new big step as an actor!

It is not an exaggeration to say that he’s one of the biggest actors that played many roles ever since his debut, including the 『Attack on Titan』live action project. Drawn into a unique closed world surrounded by walls, this work is the largest among all of Hongo’s appearances. 

And, he played the role of Armin who supports the main character, Eren, in both the first and second movie. Making judgments on what to do in the future in a calm manner, the role is perfect for his appearance.

He appeared in the popular manga turned into drama『Akagi』！

Started broadcasting in SKY PerfecTV! last July of 2015, he appeared for the starring role of Shigeru Akagi based on a Mahjong manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto who has fans worldwide. He is enthusiastic about this project and dyed his hair silver as soon as it was announced.

Appeared in Keigo Hagashino’s original drama『Whose is the cuckoo’s egg?』

Always popular everytime his novels are turned into dramas, another of Keigo Higashino’s novels was brought into life. The drama『Whose is the cuckoo’s egg?』is a sports drama that started airing last March of 2016.

The story is about the Father, Hiromasa Aketa, and daughter, Kazami, who came from a family of top skiers for 2 generations. However, special genes showing high exercise capacity are found from Kazami. Eventhough the research institution requested for them to cooperate on the research of genetic genes, Hiromasa refused. That is because Kazami has a secret in birth...

Kanata Hongo played as a boy who has leukemia , Fumiya Kamijou. Though it hasn’t been revealed much, he seemed to be the key person of the story.

With『Akagi』which was premiered to 150 countries and regions and 『Attack on titans』which has a lot of fans worldwide, because of his appearances in large projects, Kanata Hongo’s popularity will definitely spread from Japan to the whole world.

From a popular game turned into anime, Kanata Hongo will also participate as a voice actor of the role Ryota Mitarai in 「Danganronpa 3 -The End of Hope’s Peak Academy - Future Edition」and will be broadcasting starting July 2016. Let’s look forward to his future success!