#team minato being sad

[cerberussyndrome]

here where the moon shines

Summary: What is truth, really? Or: Rin tries to die for her village. Isobu doesn't let her. Another thing I wrote snippets of, and did some plotting for, but never finished.

cw: major character death (kakashi), canon-typical violence

In years to come, Obito will remember it in pieces: his burning eye, the hot suffocation of panic, the fevered mantra of their names looping in his head. He will recall, intimately, the phantom taste of iron in the back of his throat. He will close his eye and there, waiting for him, will be a clearing, a child-corpse, the bright moon shining down overhead like an indifferent god.

--

Five months after Rin gets back to the Leaf, she walks through T&I, chin up and her hands crammed in her pockets.

...

And there, there is Obito, there is her best friend again, there is all the hope left in the world.

--

Here is the thing with secrets: to keep them, you must divorce them from their context. And so, because Rin was not, in the eyes of the general public, a living human sacrifice, it meant that the demon in her gut never punched three holes through Kakashi's torso. It meant that the demon did not exist at all.

Kakashi was Anbu. Kakashi was, as a rule, divorced from context because context would reveal him as an individual. Anbu did not have individuals. Anbu was a collective and a nigh untraceable one at that.

All this to say that the truth is variable. But the public truth is this: Kakashi takes an A-rank mission outside of Fire County and is presumed killed in action two weeks after the estimated return date comes and goes. The body is never recovered, so they bury an empty coffin into the hillside. Few come to the funeral.

--

Rin escapes from Hidden Mist and makes her way back to the Leaf alone. For various reasons, she quits medic work and takes a job in Intelligence.

--

Five months later, Obito is exchanged with Hidden Rock for another prisoner of war. When he comes back to the Leaf, he does not talk about the time between being dug out from under the cave-in and being given back to his village.

--

NOTES:

Okay so explanations.

I think I’ve seen this concept in a couple different places? But the one I remember enough to cite is “Turtle Song” by Yumi Take on FFN.

BASICALLY Rin doesn't die in the clearing because Isobu heals her (a la Kurama and Naruto at the Valley of the End) (and/or does the coral release thing, who fucking knows). Isobu then possesses her and kills absolutely everyone around them, starting with Kakashi. The only reason Obito survives this blatant rampage (despite being too shocked to move out of the way) is because witnessing Kakashi's death gave him the Mangekyo, and therefore Kamui.

- Obito restrains Rin w/ Mokuton

- Backup arrives. (Probably Minato? IDK). Rin's seal is properly fixed. They head back to the village.

- the Third makes the decision to keep Rin's status as a jinchuuriki/vessel under wraps. (International politics are a dick and technically they don't have any definitive proof that Hidden Mist tried to screw them over.)

- Cover stories!

- cover story 1: Rin is kidnapped by Mist, escapes, and makes it back to Konoha on her own. (You will note the lack of Isobu.) Rin quits being a medic (possibly with some semi-public excuse about Mist having fucked up her chakra coils at some point during her imprisonment) and joins T&I/Intelligence. (She, like Kushina, needs an excuse to basically never take missions out of the village.)

- cover story 2: Kakashi took a mission about a month before Rin's escape and is declared KIA after failing to respond/return by the estimated date. His body is never recovered, though further intelligence confirms his death. His name is put on the Memorial Stone. (This cover is necessary because of two reasons. 1) Kakashi was operating as a member of Anbu at the time of his death, and making an official cover story is SOP when Anbu are KIA. 2) Isobu killed Kakashi, which would be obvious to anyone giving him an autopsy. Since Rin having Isobu is an S-ranked secret, Kakashi's body is cremated and his coffin empty when they bury him.)

- Five months later, Obito is released by Hidden Rock after being kept as a prisoner of war since the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. Hidden Leaf trades some of its own hostages for this. (This cover story is necessary to explain the time Obito spends in T&I making sure he's loyal and examining the heart seal.) (It also gives Obito an excuse for why he literally can't talk about the missing time.) (Why he has an arm made of plant matter is mostly chalked up to an experimental medical technique and left at that. The fact that Obito can use Mokuton is a secret, mostly because no one can figure out how to replicate it.)

- Rin and Obito's relationship is kind of a mess? Like, they're so, so happy to see each other, but god has everything gone to shit.

- Rin and Isobu's relationship is complicated af. Rin masters being a vessel by the time she's twenty, let's say, but the influx of chakra when Rin was way too old to naturally adjust to it has fucked up her chakra control too much for her to be a medic anymore. Rin, a prodigy of a medic and really freaking invested in that career path, does not really take this well. Then there's the whole 'my first meeting with this demon was when it was stuffed inside me against my will with the plan for it to fucking flatten my home during a war' and 'my second meeting with this demon was when it saved my life but then stabbed my teammate/crush in the chest'. Things on that front aren't great. I can't imagine Isobu is too happy to be away from the ocean, either. And honestly it's not like the first part of that shit show was his fault, anyway.

[velvetgoldminecherry]

Minato: Ok kids, who would like to share your poems first? *sees Kakashi rises his hand and blushes* Oh! Kakashi, please red your poem to us

Kakashi *stands up and clears throat*: Ode to ice cream by Hatake Kakashi. “I like ice cream a whole lot. It tastes good on days that are hot. On a cone or in a dish, this will be my only wish. Vanilla, chocolate, rocky road. Even with pie a la mode” *pauses and smiles at Minato* That’s all I got so far.

Gai *crying and sobbing*: I heard that rival! Vanilla or rocky road... IT’S ALL ABOUT YOUTH!

Minato *softly smiling*: Oh that’s really sweet Kakashi and it rhymes and that’s good but...You’re not expressing what’s in your soul Kakashi-kun. I want you to show me how you see the world. Your fears, your desires... your innermost secrets

Inner Kakashi: My fears and secrets? I’m afraid I killed my mother...

[skykashi]

How Kakashi's mental health negatively effected his strength and why he was getting stronger and stronger throughout the story.

Have you ever wondered why Tsunade was surprised that Itachi defeated Kakashi and was so angry that she scolded him for losing?

That's because Tsunade personally knowing Kakashi's power level as a Shinobi and that he shouldn't have lost that fight ... Then what happened?!.

Aside from the things I explained in the second half of this post, Kakashi was actually rusty, after Hiruzen got him out of Anbu and before he gets team 7, Kakashi's mental health was at it's lowest, he lost the Anbu missions which despite not being good for him and was actually making his depression worse, it's was the only thing that was keeping him busy, so now he had too much free time, he was failing all of the students he got and apparently he wasn't being sent to S or A ranked missions and according to his own statements he stopped training too

And here in his fight with Zabuza he states that it has been so long since he had a fight like this

And here he once again confirms that he hasn't had a fight like this since he left Anbu

Now, remember when Kakashi was teaching team 7 to walk on trees and was explaining chakra control? Kakashi explained that the physical AND mental energies combine to form chakra.

And this is why having a bad mental health can effect the Shinobi's overall strength greatly.

Then Kakashi gets team 7 and slowly things starts to get better gradually especially in Shippuden when he tells Naruto this

And then he got to meet his father and forgive him and know that because of it his father too can now move on and can finally join his mother.

And then during the war he got the chance to properly say goodbye to Rin, Obito and Minato and then later they even get Sasuke back.

He finally gets to move on.. even the Sharingan that was a constant reminder of his pain and failures was gone. When he says "As of today Kakashi of The Sharingan is no more" it holds a much more deeper meaning than just losing the Sharingan. "Kakashi of the Sharingan" was the man who had the weight of the whole world on his shoulders, who was always burdened by his guilt, his failures and everything he lost, that sad broken man who used to be called "Kakashi of the Sharingan" is no more. The new Kakashi gets to have a new beginning with all of the friends and precious people he still has, who has filled the hole in his heart, in a new era of peace, the peace that they all fought so hard to get and now they finally have. And this is why Hokage Kakashi is much much more stronger than he ever was. The current Kakashi has a perfect mental energy combined with a perfect physical energy (especially after losing the chakra drain of the Sharingan and the great toll it used to put on his body) and he is even training and learning so many new powerful Jutsu and inventing new ones like it's stated in Kakashi Retsuden. The new Kakashi finally gets to use his full potentials without all the emotional baggage that used to hold him back 🥺❤️

[bengiyo]

Minato's Laundromat 2 Ep 12 (Finale) Stray Thoughts

Last week, one of my favorite shows continued to shit the bed with this ongoing amnesia plot, severing the compelling mirroring between both couples in service of what feels like a ratings play. I enjoyed getting to hear Nishigaki Sho’s more relaxed voice again compared to the bright one he typically uses when interacting as regular Shin with Minato. Minato went on a date with Shin at the insistence of the rest of the cast, and he tried to remind Shin of some of their moments, heavily leaning on their season 1 moments. It proved ineffective, and then the show hurt us by having Shin finally say Minato’s given name. Seeing that Shin doesn’t remember him, Minato has ended things for now.

Once again, we’re back to some early dynamics with Minato being sick and Shin insisting it’s okay for him to help since they’re friends.

Oh they are finally fighting. I get Minato’s frustration, but I’m also with Shin. It’s pretty lame to learn you were abandoned by what apparently is the love of your life during a moment of crisis.

I guess I’m relieved that this head injury hasn’t interrupted Shin’s plans of becoming a doctor.

I really am a sucker for heartfelt letters written by characters who struggle to express themselves, but I am always frustrated that they never deliver them themselves. Perhaps it’s too realistic for them to end up not working since only one letter like this I’ve ever delivered has worked.

It wouldn’t be Japanese BL if we didn’t have a track and field segment in the finale.

And now we’re back at the beach.

He can remember because Minato’s letter expressed the love that Shin has been asking for. 😐

High-key annoyed. “I remember everything,” is one of my favorite phrases in romance. Hate amnesia plots so much.

On the plus side, Nishigaki Sho and Kasukawa Takuya are good.

My goodness. It took us 24 episodes but we finally released the tension.

Oh, wow, Minato said the thing and kissed him on the street.

Final Verdict: 6, The Finale Doesn’t Erase the Stupid. I’m so sad that I can’t bring myself to give this show a 7. 7s are reserved for shows that stumbled around but were trying to do something appropriate with their characters. This show abandoned reason for madness at the end of episode 9 and gave up on the paired storytelling of its two couples to use a stupid (and honestly ableist) story trope in order to create a false balance shift. Did Minato need to be more open with Shin? Yes. Did he need prove his devotion to reassure Shin? Yes. Was this the best way to do that? Absolutely not. I really love continuations where we get to see the couple grow together and manage the challenges of commitment but this regression at the end of this season really pissed me off.

I still love Minato so much, but I’m deeply frustrated by the cowardly choices of this creative team in the final arc. I don’t know what order came down that made them scramble to do this instead, because I was in love with the slow, painful peeling back of layers of internalized homophobia on Minato for the first 9 episodes. Please don’t use my frustration here to argue that adaptations leaving behind source material are bad. That is not what went wrong here for the first 9 episodes. This feels like ratings nonsense and I hate it.

[obihiro-division]

Daiki’s Thoughts on Minato Division

Queen Card

“Queen? Like is she royalty or is it just a stage name? Because if it’s the first one, I don’t think I could stand her. I’ve never ever met royalty, but if they’re anything like any of the pompous pricks my family likes…”

“Also! I dunno if she’s good? I mean it says she’s a detective and a magician! And that just makes her sound like some sort of witch! And witches are evil, not good! So why is she trying to be goody-goody by solving… Whatever she solves! I just don’t trust her!”

Reiaki Suzubayashi

“Reiaki Suzu… Reiaki? Like big sis Reiaki?! I haven’t seen her in forever! Wah, I’m so happy I get to see her again! And a bonus, my brothers aren’t around to hog her! Ha, take that!”

“Hm? How do I know her? Her old man and brother used to be at the boring parties we would be forced to attend. At least with big sis and her brother, we could have fun on our own. I mean, as much fun as she can have when my dumb brothers are around. Kenshin and Shinobu would team up with her brother to mess around with me. Levi would be too busy talking about demonic monsters to her… But now I can talk to her without them bothering us! Like, like, I wanna talk about this mecha I think big sis would like, Tarantula Abyss? Levi told me she likes creepy things, so I thought the design was so cool, plus it's super loyal, and it was sad to see it - Huh? S-Sorry, I’ll stop rambling. Besides, I can’t spoil it all on here! I want to tell Reiaki in person!” 

Miku Shirazuki

“Hmm… I think Reiaki mentioned her in the past, but I can’t really remember! They’re probably friends if they’re on this team together, right? So Miku is probably nice too!”

R.I.P. Märchen

“I mean… Big sis Reiaki could probably convince me to trust this Queen Card lady. I mean I’m not a hardass like Jack. I’m pretty open to being friends with anyone! So long as they aren’t super duper evil, I can trust them!”

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Top 5 characters you disliked/ hated in 2023

Top 5 main couples you were indifferent to in 2023

Hello hello... thank you for these... easy questions 😅 I really needed to think about the second one.

But let me start with 5 characters I disliked/hated in 2023. There were a few that I hated, but where I loved that fact (Hi Boston 💚) and then there were those characters I just couldn't stand.

Beginning the list let me introduce to you the one drunkhead I wish I could punch in his alcohol filled mouth...

Han Ji Yu from All The Liquors

It is the fact that he glorifies alcohol to a really unhealthy amount and the fact that this whole series tried to let us believe, not linking alcohol is something inappropriate just blew my mind. The writing for this series and this character was just not good at all in my opinion.

And of we go to the biggest let down for me this year:

Minato Akira from Minato Shouji Coin Laundry Season 2

I liked him so much in the first season. I adored his awkwardness around Shin and his journey to finally accept his own and Shin's feelings. And the second season took this development away from us and from Minato. He got stuck in denial and being over-emotional. He became unlovable and really annoying. The writers took away his charme and I really couldn't see anymore why Shin loves this man so much. I would have been so fucking frustrated with him after a few weeks. It wasn't quirky or cute. I really couldn't stand him.

And next in line:

Mew from Only Friends

In the beginning, I thought okay, he is inexperienced, but he has his standards. He is a little naiv, but I can like him... yeah... nope. Since he started dating Ray to hurt Top and became a total fuck towards Boston, he lost all his credits with me. I get he was heartbroken that one of his friends betrayed him in that way, but the way he thought only the worst of Boston and never apologized for believing he SAed little Atom is just a no from me. And the way he treated Top and Ray annoyed the fuck out of me. Can't stand him.

Uhkay... next is a character some might defend, but I thought he was just a total selfish asshole:

Lomfon from La Pluie

He might have a little redemption in the end, but too little, too late. He was a selfish prick. Yes, he thought he was in love with Saengtai, but he kissed him without his consent and just tried to interfere with the relationship between Saengtai and Phat. Okay, I really don't care about them that much, but he hurt Saengthian and this was one charcater I liked in this series and I will never forgive Lomfon for it!

At last there is this one character I wanted to scrape out their eyes....

Ye Wan Ying from Stay With Me

I don't have a good gif of her and I truely don't care. She was a manipulative bitch and I wish her the worst! She tried to play SuYu and WuBi off against each other and made WuBi jealous. I don't like when someone hurt my favorites! She was evil. I hate her!

Okay, so far with the first list, let's move on to my top 5 main couples I was indifferent to in 2023.

I start with the one couple that made me drop the whole show:

Suansoon and Ongsa from Absolute Zero

I really liked the first episode. I thought those two were cute together and I was rooting for them. And then the time travel happend and everything became a big mess. I lost interest in their relationship due to the fact that old Suansoon and young Ongsa became a thing and I lost my shit (not in a good way) about it. So I stopped watching it... and never regreted this decision.

On second place come

Joke and Zo from Hidden Agenda

I liked them in the beginning, but at some point in the story I just lost my interest. I don't know why, but they really didn't catch my interest. It was okayish to watch while it was airing, but I have to say, I can't really remember what exactly was happening with them. All I know is I thought the drama was unnecessary.

The next one really made me sad

Win and Team from Between Us

I loved them in Until We Meet Again. They were the best part of this series for me and I really was looking forward to this one. And then these two were...liveless. I don't know. I just couldn't get myself interested in their relationship. They felt so bland and without any surface. I can't really explain right now.

In number four we have

Johnny and HaiYi from HIStory 5

From the start I was a Vincent/Wynn-girl. The main couple was there, but I wouldn't have mind if they just vanished. Okay, in the end I couldn't care less about all of the couples, but those two were just not for me. I think they were boring and the drama was stupid. Time travel in bl really sucks most of the times!

And at last we have a couple I adored in the beginning and just lost interest over the runtime of the show:

Saengtai and Phat from La Pluie

I know this bl is loved my many and I can understand why (most of the times), but in the same way I sober up in seconds whenever a friend of mine is in need of help, I lost interest really fast in these two when the drama just annoyed me. Phat's jealousy, Lomfon's interference, Saengtai's secrecies and in the end Phat's anger and the way he was punching Lomfon, everything made me lose interest in them so fast! And to be honest, Phat became one of my most hated charcaters, when I think about it. I would have left him and never looked back after he punched Lomfon like that. I would never trust him again, that he won't hurt me, when we fight. Such a big red fucking flag for me. And yeah, just like that I lost interest in them.

Thank you very much for this ask!

ASK ME MY TOP 5 OF ANYTHING BL 2023

(I'll answer some more tomorrow... I need some sleep right now 😅)

[toomanyplotbunnies-sendhelp]

Naruto Fanfic - Canon Divergence AU (og!post here)

The late dog always barks at the closed door - Prologue (just a part of it, though)

In Konoha, Shiranui Genma is many things; a shinobi, a Tokubetsu-Jounin, an Elite Guard for the Lord Hokage, an assassination expert, a good friend, and, in Namiashi Raidou's own words, "a mother hen of a shinobi that can and will skin you alive with his senbon if that will keep you safe".

What Shiranui Genma is not, however, is a teacher... or, well, at least he wasn't until now.

Standing at attention in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of Konoha, Shiranui Genma blinks slowly a few times as if in disbelief.

"I beg your pardon, Lord Third, but could you please repeat what you just said?" he says, voice a bit hesitant.

The Hokage sighs, looking and feeling older than a few minutes ago when he called Genma into his office. "Yes, you heard that correctly Shiranui Genma" he states once again. "I want to entrust a Genin team to you."

Genma, still in disbelief, asks why. He wouldn't dream of going against the Hokage's orders - Genma is not that suicidal, regardless of what Raidou says - but, the senbon user couldn't wrap his head around him being given a Genin team of all things when he is still working as an guard for the Hokage.

'Am I being relieved from my guard duties?' is the most prominent worry for Genma at this moment. He doesn't want to leave his post as a guard. He, of course, loves the job he has. But, most importantly, he has a lifetime of regret he is trying to atone for while continuing his job as a guard. Shiranui Genma doesn't want to see another Hokage die and be unable to do anything about it again. The Forth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was the one that selected Shiranui Genma as one of his personal guards, alongside Namiashi Raidou and Tatami Iwashi. And yet, when it was truly important for them to do their job properly and protect Minato, all three of them couldn't.

Genma knows that the other two carry just as much guilt as he does after that night when Namikaze Minato gave up his life to protect Konoha. They weren't capable of protecting Minato, so when Sarutobi took up the position of Hokage once more, the three decided to dedicate their lives to protecting the newly reinstated old Hokage, in a way that they were not able to do with Minato.

So now, to have the Hokage himself state that Genma is to have a Genin team feels like a dismissal from his job more than anything. And it hurts.

Sarutobi takes a drag from the ever-present pipe in his mouth, exhaling the smoke a moment later. When he starts speaking, his voice is solemn. "I got news that one of the Jounins that was supposed to take on a Genin team this year perished in a mission." Sarutobi's eyes look sadly towards Genma. "It was an ambush," he continues.

Genma takes a deep breath. Even if he may not have had any conversations with the late shinobi, he still feels sad. For the loss of a comrade on the battle field; for the loss of a promising individual, and, especially, for the loss of a member of Konoha. 'In this line of work, death is always just around the corner' Genma thinks bitterly, 'and yet, it is still unfair that the lives of others are snuffed out so easly and so unexpectedly'.

Despite the sadness and bitterness that cover Genma's thoughts, the only thing he can muster to utter in front of the explanation provided is a quiet "I see."

Sarutobi continues in the same somber tone. "He was supposed to take on Team 3 next week when the graduation ceremony happens. Right now, the vast majority of Jounin that are viable to take on a Genin team are out on field missions and won't be back until after the graduation ceremony. The rest of the Jounin already have chosen a team to take this year." Sarutobi takes another drag from his pipe, reaching for three files out of the million that have found residence on the desk. He faces Genma, eyes determined and serious. "You are the only Tokubetsu Jounin available for me to ask this of." Sarutobi then extends his hand holding the three files - most likely the files for the three brats that just finished Academy - towards him to take.

Genma nearly scoffs. 'Liar' a small part of him hisses in his head. 'I just saw Anko today in the village, complaining, of all things, about not having any missions for the next two weeks and that she will die of boredom to Ibiki Morino of all people'. But on a second note, giving Anko a team of children will not be ideal if you don't want to deal with whatever physical, material or mental repercussions the equation of Anko and three fresh out of the Academy children can create. Having Anko in I&T is already driving people - more specifically, Morino Ibiki - up the walls. Genma can finally see why he was chosen instead of Anko now.

Eyeing the files with a little apprehension, Genma takes then and scans them over for the names of the (un)lucky children that he might become the (un)lucky teacher of.

Kawamura Chizuru - civilian born.

Higashi Kyoka - coming from a small Shinobi family.

Nomura Akira - his father is a Shinobi, but his mother is a civilian.

Genma sighs. "What about my post as a guard?" he asks, awaiting the dreaded response.

Sarutobi seems to see through him with his wise and soulful eyes however. Like he is fully aware of the insecurity and anger that is swirling in his heart. "You may not be able to complete your guard duties during your time as a teacher" Sarutobi states, confirming Genma's fears, "However, you will still be given missions to complete outside of those with the children."

Sarutobi's lips curl a bit upwards as he finishes the sentence. "Make no mistake, Shiranui Genma" he speaks, kind eyes looking directly at the senbon user "I am not relieving you of your duty as a guard. Think of this as a much deserved vacation. I can tell that the guard duty has taken the most toll on you, compared to the others."

'There is that voice again, huh?' Genma muses. 'A strong voice, filled with kindness but so firm that you just instinctively know that Lord Third is not going to change his mind any time soon.'

Genma takes one more look at the three files in his hand and then at the smiling Lord Third in front of him. With his free hand, Genma reaches out for a senbon from his back pocket and puts it into his mouth and smirks.

"I am not obligated to pass them, am I, Hokage-sama?" he asks, keeping the senbon between his teeth so that it wouldn't fall.

Sarutobi's eyes gain a sparkle of mirth and misceaviousness at Genma's, admitedly rethoric, inquiry. He shook his head watching the senbon user's smirk widening just a tad.

'So basically, either a two week vacation or several years vacation for me, depending if they pass or not, huh?' the senbon user thinks to himself.

Genma can't help but be a little bit curious about these kids. What can they do? What will they do? How will they react to the world they decided to enter and to the path of the Shinobi? Who will remain and who will decide this isn't for them?

But, most importantly, will they manage to impress Genma enough for him to choose to remain as their Jounin Teacher? Or will they fail the test he will put forth?

"Well then" Genma starts, "far be it for me to disobey your words, Lord Third. I will take them." Sarutobi breathes a small sigh of relief at Genma's acceptance. "However, I will not make any promises about this team passing my test."

The old leader nod. "I do not expect anything less from you, Genma. The Graduation Ceremony is in a week. Be prepared" he continues. "You are now dismissed."

Genma acknowledges the dismissal with a soft "Yes, sir" before leaving the old Hokage alone in his office.

With this situation out of the way, Sarutobi starts working on his seemingly never ending paperwork that accumulates on his desk each and every day. But even as he diligently works, the old leader of Konoha cannot shake the feeling that he may have been mistaken and that Anko would have the better choice to give a Genin team to.

"I am getting too old for this," he laments rather pathetically to the piles of paperwork on his desk and to the AMBU guards that surround his office.

What is done, is done. Sarutobi can only hope and pray that he didn’t make a mistake. The gods know he has made too many at his old age.

And this is all I have for now on this particular fic. So, any opinions? Let me know.

See you guys tomorrow,

- TooManyPlotBunnies-Send Help

[narutocharacterpolls]

ROUND TWO

SENJU TSUNADE vs UZUMAKI KUSHINA

Reasons for submission under the cut

Tsunade

milf….

was the best hokage

the regulation she created to include medics on every team saved so many lives

she's funny and a complex and interesting character

is a bad bitch

probably THE most competently written female character in the entire series

she has a very rich history that plays into her character's actions and motivations

wanting to be the best medic-nin possible in order to save more lives because she lost her love Dan, and also change the way ninja squads operated to always have a medic to save more lives did so much for the better during the war to reduce casualties

after being broken down by so many people she cares about dying, she dips and leaves behind ninja society, which has taken everything from her (including wiping out her clan)

because Tsunade is also one of the most legendary/strongest ninja alive, no one could really stop her or chain her down. It takes the conviction of a child who wants her to save the village and heal his friends to get her back to Konoha, despite the all the trauma she's endured

she's a medic with a fear of blood that overcomes that to fight her own teammate and beat his ass so Orochimaru stops killing and maiming people

she steps up to be a leader because it's what the new generation need and someone has to fix all the stuff broken by her selfish teammates and old teacher

the strongest female character both in physical strength and the strength of her writing. It's like she was written first as a character versus most of the other female characters being written first as Girl and Love Interest

Tsunade is vain and a chronic gambler and drunk, she is really brash and abrasive, she is traumatized. But she's also deeply caring, an incredibly accomplished woman, one of the smartest people/medics in the world, and a great leader

she's multi-layered. She is a woman, but her entire character isn't just Woman

finally finished the job on Jiraiya on previous poll

strong arms

she is strong and smart and quick as a whip but still soft and caring when it comes to her loved ones. Characters with rough exteriors who are mushy inside are very good

Kushina

her relationship with Naruto is so genuine and cute and pure, she really connects with him so quickly and cares about everything he has to say to her for the small amount of time they had together, she cherishes him so much

she chained Kurama then just sat down to have chit chat with her son... That's so funny

great to see hotheaded female characters that aren't villainized by the narrative OR fanbase

she endured so much through her life as another jinchuuriki, a survivor of genocide, a refugee, ect. yet still had so much kindness a joy to spare

did not take any of Minato's bullshit

she cares so much for Naruto and wanted the absolute best for him in life and ensured she bestowed all her wishes and guidance onto him before she died and Naruto cares so much about her and wanted to make sure that her final message to him was answered as his final message for his parents

such a genuinely wonderful character and every aspect and scene with her is enjoyable

very interesting and sad backstory and clan history

she's so cute

she is the number one example of strong female

very beautiful, very powerful

deserved more screen time

nice

girlboss

[drowningindango]

Hmmm... it's kinda sad that the four revived Kage only joined the party after Kabuto's Edo Tensei was already released and over (except Madara).....

Got a funny thought of "what if it was edo tensei vs edo tensei?" and the most important people to the four Kage were revived as a countermeasure against them. (Similar to how Asume, Dan, etc. just being there hurt the people who know them)

Imagine Hashirama facing off edo tensei Mito. (They both take it very chill, they're dead, but it's still "sorry love :c" "I know, I know... 😔 But can't you go easier on me????")

Tobirama vs Izuna is an obvious choice, but Tobirama vs his brothers or his old team... 🥲 Hmmmmmmm.... Or bringing daddy issues into it with Butsuma xD

Hiruzen finally gets that overdue talk with Danzo (lmao), the old men gotta fight out their issues instead of making them everyone else's problems.

Minato vs a very angry Kushina who really wants to break out of this control seal shit like yesterday to look after her son who's still somewhere on this battlefield.

[tsukuyomii45]

your thoughts on obitoxfem kks also give me some headconan

I love them just as much as I love Madara x Fem!Hashirama (vice versa) and Gaara x Fem!Naruto!

I think genderbender pairs are underrated, and they have an amazing charm to them.

Anyways, let's get to the headcanons, which is in the canon au (some angst ahead):

It's a complete love/hate relationship. Know-it-all girl vs Boy who wants to beat the know-it-all in everything.

Fem!Kakashi sort of developed a small crush on Obito when they were younger, but she was the type that was avoidant, and was too afraid of being vulnerable. She had a habit of denying her feelings and burying them inside.

While Obito tends to always challenge her or rub at her face some of his achievements, he finds himself reaching out to fem!Kakashi whenever he sees her brooding or sitting alone. He tends to just hang around and talk to her about anything, just to wipe off the sad or grim expression she often wears.

Fem!Kakashi finds herself feeling irritated when she sees Obito giving his attention to Rin, and this would be the first time she admits that she actually really likes the attention he gives her, even if he's being annoying or consistently challenging her.

When Obito hurts himself, fem!Kakashi finds herself grumpily reaching over to have a look at his injuries, and takes the gauze or bandage out of Rin's hand to wrap him up, scolding him for being so careless.

The more time she spent around the stubborn Uchiha, the more Kakashi has grown used to his presence, so when he's not around, she would find an excuse to seek him out, whether it's a challenge or to reprimand him, or just to follow him around whenever he's helping an elderly.

The day that Obito got crushed by the boulder, was the day Kakashi cried so hard and told him that there was no team without him. His words about her being an amazing Jounin always rings in her head. His "death" truly devastated her, and she ends up regretting not letting him know of her feelings for him.

You can imagine the shock she feels when Obito is revealed to be the masked man during the war - but that's where her feelings and emotions start to go haywire. During their battle in the Kamui dimension, she wavers in the middle of the fight, knowing that she is unable to kill him no matter what - and Obito takes advantage of that by pulling her closer to him and holding her tightly, showing that he's aware of her feelings for him, and he tells her that "they can have it all" and that they can be together in their own world.

When Obito gets defeated, Kakashi attempts to kill him once more, but when Minato stops her, Kakashi lets out her grief and tears, beating her fists at his chest and scolding him for his ways, telling him that she would've been by his side and he would never have to be alone, and she would be the one to heal the hole in his heart if he let her. Obito looks at her with a pained expression, fully realizing Kakashi's love for him and imagining what it would've been like.

Warning: NSFW

In an AU where they live together and Obito's the Hokage while fem!Kakashi is his wife/lover, they'd have the kinkiest sexual relationship because Kakashi loves to try out the positions and sexual acts that she tends to pick up from Icha Icha Paradise.

She's very protective of Obito and Obito is the most supporting man for her, who loves to show her off and show off that he's married to Konoha's top Jounin protégé.

Fem!Kakashi tends to annoy Obito for attention, because she just loves his reaction.

Pillow talk at night is their favorite.

They tend to argue about whether fem!Kakashi should keep her dogs inside the house or leave them in their summoning dimension.

The Kamui dimension is technically their "sex dungeon" LMAO.

Their favorite quality time is training together and walking fem!Kakashi's dogs. :3

That's all for now!

[minevn]

Spotify Playlists

So I'll probably end up releasing the spotify playlist's before the covers are done and before the playlists themselves are done, but I do want to get them out sometime before the year ends. Anyways I'll be taking song recommendations for the characters! The way the playlists will be set up will be "songs they listen to"-"Songs that represent them and their past/present"-"songs that represent their relationship with you" I imagine the Past/present to be the songs that are hardest to find mainly, partly because I've left their past in some kind of mystery, I haven't gone into each and every single detail because you'll figure that out in the story, but also I'm just having a hard time finding songs that represent some of their pasts(surprisingly its not common to hear songs about parents putting their children in a dog house/j) But if you have any idea's send them to me with your explanation, I'd love to hear it! Anyways I'll explain what kind of music they listen to and kind of a simple explanation of your relationship

Minato: So Minato listens to a lot of older music, like "The Beatles" and "Michael Jackson" Songs your grandparents would listen to, which makes sense for Minato considering he grew up with that music due to his grandparents raising him. He's pretty protective of you, he wants to protect you and keep you safe, I think romantic songs that could be interpreted with yandere undertones would fit. though there also doesn't need to be yandere undertones, for example I have "Big Jet Plane" by Angus and Julia Stone on his playlist rn.

Haruto: Haruto also listens to older music, but not exactly like Minato's older music, more like early 2000's music, I don't think he'd have a preference for upbeat or slower songs. Also I say early 2000's music cause that's the music I grew up with and is most nostalgic for but also it depends on what music you grew up with! So you can just send any song you grew up with. Other then that he probably listens to songs that would help him focus, so classical. I thinks songs about childhood friends(to lovers) would fit for songs his relationship with you section

Jun: Jun listens to probably pop music, just upbeat music in general, as well as like super cute music. So songs like "Cute" by Prod by Rose or "Macaron Moon" by YUC'e give a kind of Jun vibe. Songs about being clingy would probably go really well in Jun's relationship segment with you, as well as songs about liking someone for a really long time. Cute love songs as well.

Hoshi: Ah yes the only person who actually has a song that represents their past. Anyways I feel like Hoshi would listen to songs like "Singular" by Sanity Falls like metal, but also Mindless Self Indulgence songs(I do like some msi songs but I don't like the artist nor do I support them and Hoshi's the same) I'd rather NOT put someone like MSI on my playlists though so if anyone knows an artist who makes music kind of like msi without being an awful person please let me know! I feel like he'd also like more sad music though, songs you could dissociate to like "Blvd. Nights" by Team Sleep. Like not those slow kind of sad songs but like screaming in pain sad. Songs where the person singing isn't really sure how to show their romantic emotions, like "Despair" by leo. Those would fit well in your guys relationship segment, but also songs that would show his real feelings like without filter would be so cute, like just pure loves songs that like worship their partner.

Habiki: Habiki likes listening to classical songs. If he has to listen to songs with lyrics though, it would probably be the same kind of sad music that Hoshi likes listening to. But they mostly like listening to classical music. I kind of think that Habiki's relationship with you segment would be similar to Hoshi's, maybe more gentler though?? Like "Come Inside Of My Heart" by IV of Spades. Like Despair is really trying to push those feeling away and deny them and come inside of my heart is like Ok I have these feelings, let me embrace it but not be overbearing, I hope they realize my feelings.

Kage: Kage's just like me in the sense that he probably just listens to whatever he likes. If he likes it he likes it. Happy songs he likes, it makes him feel happy and calms him down. sad songs? He likes those too, sometimes it's nice to just cry. Video game music? Yes he loves gaming. I think songs about stalking would fit really well in their relationship with you. But also any songs about being too shy to talk to the person of their affections would fit.

Kei: Probably also listens to Classical music a lot. Something he can play in the background and especially while he's watching you, there's no words to cover up your voice or distract him. I really think like pure love songs would fit really well, songs where the singer is so very clearly in love with their significant other, like its so fluffy. Like "Baby I'm Yours" by Arctic Monkeys.

Yani: Probably listens to the type of music that would describe your relationship honestly. I think Hyperpop would be good, same with like weirdcore music(Preferably instrumental) But yeah mainly hyperpop though. Just pure yandere songs fit really well. I've also said it before as well but songs like "I'm so crazy for youuuu </3" by Rebzyyx is what Yani was inspired by(That song is fr the biggest inspo for early Yani) Maybe even songs about wanting to be someone different for someone else, like "I/me/myself" by Will Wood(WILL WOOD!! HES MY ILLNESS/j/pos)

Aki: I think Aki would probably listen to very similar music as Haruto, songs from your childhood. Honestly I imagine her to have a very similar music taste as my sister. I think she'd listen to Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, Deftones, roar, Beach House, Alex G, etc(You'll see others when I add to her playlist) but my favorite idea for who she listens to would be enon!! I lose my mind listening to enon, I love them so much, totally normal about them and not frothing at the mouth. Songs that describe your relationship? I think childhood friends(To lovers) would fit as well, and I'll probably also put Girl in Red songs as well, Ik it's like wlw music but I think it could fit your and Aki's relationship no matter what pronouns you go by.

Other then Aki I would love yandere type songs for each of the characters! I don't really want a lot of duplicates though, so while "Yandere" by Jazmin Bean would be perfect for everyone I'd rather limit it down to like one or two people. Anyways feel free to request with any song as long as it's on Spotify :3 Just write the song, who it's by, which character you think it fits, whish section it should go in(Songs they listen to, etc, I don't feel like writing all that), and maybe a little explanation as to why you think it fits :3

[rin-enjoyer]

ok finally put my hands in the air and sat down to compile the team 7 sensei rin au timeline. subject to change but like. for now here it is ^_^

-obito doesn't push kakashi out of the way of the boulder. MINDNUMBING GUILT FOR THIS CHILD!!!! rin cares about as much as she did when obito was the one to die (not at all lmao)

-important side quest! minato's favorite was kakashi and when he dies he is sad. this sadness makes him sloppy and he ends up getting captured by iwa and killed for all of the war crimes. he deserved it <3

-obito: devistated rin: eh

-with minato and kakashi gone, the team is kind of... less important... obito and rin stop going on missions outside of the village as much and without the spotlight of Politics pushing rin to become a mednin in order to copy previous succesful team setups she starts persuing other interests which.

-rin: yay now i can do what i want!!! i am free to choose any path i want!! i don't have to be a medic if i dont want to be!! i can finally follow my dreams of-

rin: *remembers that she only dislikes being a mednin because she didnt choose it. and doesnt know what she Actually wants to do*

rin: ah

-she waffles around a bit. a lot. she never actually really settles on anything, and just sort of ends up becoming a very well-rounded guy.

-anyways meanwhile in grampy madara's spoopy cave kakashi is having a Bad Time. so is madara. he got like,, the WORST guy ever to enact his plan, on account of kakashi's stupid single-minded loyalty to konoha, and he doesnt even have a sharingan

-convoluted plan to murder obito in a way that hopefully convinces kakashi to help out and gets madara an eyeball so that the plan can actually be fulfilled: activate

-obito gets the three-tails and rin hunts him down because she doesnt have anything better to do and when she finds him he's all "rin we gotta find kushina!! i can't go back to the village yet otherwise explodsions :C" and rin does some quick mental math and decides that that seal is NAUGHT getting fixed.

-rin kills obito there and then in that cave, annoying madara and the kiri ninja and obito if he was not dead. this is a Big Moment for her because she makes a Decision!! she views this as "a sliver of her true self shining through" for a while which.. is complicated but i'll get back to that.

-madara throws a rock at her. or something. and knocks her out so he can at least go scavenge the eyeballs but he only gets one before uchiha search and rescue shows up (obito was NOT disregarded by his clan disregarded uchiha do not get put on the Special Superspeed Pathway to Become Hokage team fight me)

-they see rin, unconscious, and obito, missing an eye and only recently killed, and put two and two together and get five and go "awwww D: girl almost died protecting his body from that mysterious shadow guy who just disappeared. even if she failed her effort means a lot."

-so rin, despite being kind of filler on the politics team, getts thrust into the limelight as a handy-dandy link to mend village relations with the uchiha. "girl who protected her teammate with everything she had..." ect ect. which is funny

-as a sign of good will the uchiha give her obito's remaining eye, which is a surprisingly good fit for her jack of all trades style.

-orochimaru is the last candidate for hokage so danzo n hiruzen start really scrambling to get his public reputation up. what better way to do this than to give him a child? orochimaru is studying sharingan anyways, right? he's not unhappy with it and it once again consolidates political power and anko increased his likability by that much, so like? another student? yeah? yeah?

-anko is REALLY good for rin because she'll suggest something and rin (who still just goes along with a lot of stuff at this point) agrees. and anko is the first person to realize that rin is NOT a sweet polite little girl she is messed up in exciting new ways. orochimaru is a close second.

-anyways orochimaru's poking around with bodies and stuff and the sharingan letting her take techniques and not having a convenient mask to pull on eventually leads rin to the realization that she doesn't HAVE a "true self" girrrll who would have thought....

-meanwhile kakashi is having Cave Time and through a lot of wheedling and no social interaction besides madara kakashi is convinced to do the infinite tsukuyomi For Konoha. a la danzo. (danzo sakumo hiruzen kakashi essay In Progress lol)

-rin, new, healthier self image acquired, goes on to be Very successful. orochimaru becomes the hokage, rin rotates between his private guard and missions, and everything is dandy!! once again danzo keeps his flirting with hiruzen out of the politics and the uchiha massacre doesn't happen cuz Rin tm and stuff is greatttt!!!

-also naruto is born With incident but its. fine. its fine. kushina dies jiriya who is visiting dies to seal kurama in naruto and its like. sad but who cares amiright

-so right as naruto sasuke and sakura are about to graduate, the politics machine starts working, and like. to Consolidate Power rin is the obvious choice for sensei.

-she goes "ughhh fine ok" and does it and like. its fine. its good.

-...until wave happens!!!!! :D

-fun fact! rin does love people! shes just weird about it. and sometimes she doesn't notice.

-she does beat zabuza and haku on their first meeting because she hasn't been depression napping her way through the past two years.

-but it's still a nasty wake up call, yaknow? those kids could have died! and she would have been... sad? like actually sad?

-rin still preforms on occasion, but she's weird about it in different ways now. and she's pretty sure that she actually likes these kids???

-which is weird and novel but eh. whatever. she'll do her best to teach them apparently.

-sasuke becomes a medic and. this is long and i need to wrap this up but i will elaborate on narrative signficance of this later lol because its there

-kakashi finishes collecting tailed beasts much slower because he keeps passing out (rip) but he does get there eventually

-rin is dodging hokage-ship so that she can keep messing around with her kids. yes they are jounin shut up she's not taking care of them they are her BESTIES. (important distiction that isnt even a lie. she is NOT their mom she is NOT their older sister she is the Cool Older lesbian who taught them the tricks of the trade and now they party together. a ten year age gap is not as big as you guys think it is. you can be friends with old people.)

-anyways eventually kakashi comes for naruto. it goes badly because he is perpetually exhausted and team 7 is perpetually hyped and also no one's even gne missingnin. AND his one cool trick gets countered by rin who can do the Same Cool Trick

-oh also he goes by sukea. hehe sometimes fanon is correct.

-any other version of rin would have gone ballastic but this rin scrunches her face and goes "ok so he is kind of a nohara in the same way that i am kind of an uchiha." thats not whats going on but ok i guess

-rin also kills him (now she is two for two) and madara never even got revived and then everyone just kind of. "that was weird"s the whole situation and goes home.

[enby-axels]

another thing that haikyuu effortlessly upstages naruto on is its answer to the genius vs hard-worker question.

we have oikawa whose insecurity leads him to label kageyama and ushijima as geniuses. there's even an entire episode called "oikawa tooru is not a genius," where he agonizes over his perceived lack of natural talent compared to ushikage. but still, he concludes that "talent is something you make bloom, instinct is something you polish," a line that hints at further exploration of the idea of genius and natural ability.

so, much later on in the manga, we meet kita, who outright disagrees with the idea of "genius" and calls that label an insult to the amount of hard work put into producing those talents. through kita, furudate is practically directly telling us, the audience, that oikawa was wrong. people like kageyama, ushijima, and atsumu arent geniuses; and if you believe there's an innate difference between them and you, then you've already lost.

and riseki, whom kita's unloading his speech on, takes that lesson to heart, fully internalizing that "genius" is just a title that mystifies passion and hard work. so despite never being a regular in middle school, depite his serve against karasuno failing to score, despite his previous insecurities about "geniuses," he works earnestly to make his talents bloom, and in his last year of high school he's rewarded with the best server award.

back to oikawa himself, the man who ignited the genius vs hard-worker debate. after rekindling his love for the sport in brazil due to hinata, he vows to win if they ever compete against each other. and they do. they face each other in the olympics: oikawa setting for argentina, against his biggest high school rivals on team japan, and he wins. he wins it all, he takes home olympic gold.

the difference was never innate, never insurmountable like oikawa once believed it was.

one of my favorite lines in haikyuu is relevant here: "today, you've lost. what will you become tomorrow?" in other words, failure is momentary. what comes after is up to you. to essentialize your losses and temporary weaknesses as proof of a "hard-worker vs genius" divide is to give up on yourself.

compare that with how naruto handles the genius vs hard-worker question... LMAO. the story never grows past middle school oikawa's mentality, and it's sad. from the chuunin exams, where rock lee calls himself a hard-worker as opposed to sasuke and neji who are labeled geniuses of natural talent. to the war arc, where hagoromo calls naruto talentless, like asura was, and unlike minato, kushina, sasuke, and indra.

it's just so sad how shallow the thematic development is. the story is framed as underdog hard-worker beats natural genius. except the underdog is actually destined to save the world. and it turns out he has the specialest bloodline and family, while the genius is apparently evil incarnate and his bloodline is "genetically evil." basically, we're looking at a flimsily concealed power fantasy for insecure, resentful self-identified non-geniuses. lmfao how anyone can think this manga is in any way well-written is beyond me. like, go watch haikyuu for actual peak shounen

[twilightknight17]

Yesterday on P3Re: sadness, desperately wishing Kenji would butt out, and a question for Atlus.

Fuuka has been staying up to monitor things during the Dark Hour, since we don’t know what’s going to happen now, and gets a reading from the base of Tartarus that she recognizes as Strega. This is a shock to everyone, since as far as they knew, Takaya and Jin died after their fall from the Moonlight Bridge.

I’m more shocked by the fact that navigators can hijack each other’s communication channels.

We immediately head for Tartarus, and find Chidori there alone.

Time for a boss fight.

Chidori, I think, fits somewhere between Mitsuru and Fuuka in terms of persona powers. She’s clearly got navi abilities that are stronger than Mitsuru’s, but also offensive spells and physical attacks.

(The axe on a chain is cool.)

But this boss fight isn’t normal, and after a while, Chidori stops.

Being around Junpei has changed her. For the better, I’d argue. Anything other that Takaya’s assassin club is an improvement. But it’s also given her a whole new range of feelings that she really wasn’t ready to cope with.

Now that I think about it, Chidori’s arc is pretty similar to Makoto’s in the movie. Give someone a person to care about after they’ve had nothing, and they’re going to be scared of losing them.

But, as is becoming routine for big emotional moments, Takaya and his gun are here to ruin it.

Honestly, being around Chidori has been good for Junpei, too. He’s been growing as a person now that he has a Someone he wants to fight for beyond just the team. It’s nice.

Unfortunately Takaya’s gun is still real and he just fucking shoots him.

Junpei finds himself in the hospital, where Chidori is actually being 100% honest about her feelings for once. It’s a mental thing, because she’s using her healing abilities to bring him back.

But the problem is, as Fuuka points out, her healing requires energy proportional to what she’s healing. So to bring him back to life… it’s going to take a life.

Junpei, understandably, freaks out, and instead of a normal persona evolution, he gets a fusion. I’m assuming because of how Chidori transferred her life force to him, if we’re going literal with it. Or maybe it’s just a metaphor. Either way, it’s great.

Takaya and Jin wisely decide to make themselves scarce, because Junpei is ready to kill. And… there’s nothing more we can do. Fortunately, Monday is a school holiday, so we don’t have to go, but Junpei spends all day locked in his room.

There’s nothing any of us can say to help.

On Tuesday, it’s the start of career experience week! Which I’m realizing is the sort of thing I’d like to have. Go and try out a job in a low-stakes environment to see if you vibe with it.

Unfortunately, Minato is stuck working at Wild Duck Burger. Which is basically free work for them and a hideous uniform for us.

Four days of this. God. At least the week is flying by.

Wait, is that Ryoji’s voice?

No. Please. It’s the last day. Don’t look at me in this stupid outfit.

...oh. Yeah, of course we can.

Kenji, who is also working here apparently, butts in to join us, because apparently our breaks are at the same time. So he’s also here. Ryoji wants to talk about Junpei; apparently they were working at the same place, and Junpei didn’t even show for the first day.

Yeah… I don’t know how to explain, dearest. It’s an entire backstory.

...Kenji, get out. Go away.

He does go away eventually, and Ryoji admits that he was worried about Minato, too.

I dunno if I’m doing “just fine”, but it wasn’t as hard a blow to me as it was to Junpei. It’s sweet of you to be worried, though.

But it’s okay. I’m gonna go slam through any bad feelings by killing stuff in Tartarus. We’re almost to another border floor, which means the last document is here!

Oh, hey, I was right! The antiques lady did used to work for the Kirijo Group. Nice.

Now we can just fuse some personas, and we’ll be ready to head home for the night.

…Liz, are… are you okay?

Welp, career experience week was kind of a bust, but at least we finally got Junpei out of his room. We want to help, and it’s not healthy for him to wallow alone.

The hospital sent over Chidori’s sketchbook. She apparently left it behind.

Junpei, the person you were in love with died in your arms. You do not have to ‘snap out of it’. No one is asking you to get over it right now. We just want you to let us help.

He says we won’t understand Chidori’s drawings, but I think we can understand perfectly.

I guess I should check in on my social links… How are things, Maya?

...so, the ethics teacher doesn’t even LIKE her fiance? Great. Wow. This school is so functional.

Ryoji is over that evening, but he’s hanging out with Junpei. I can’t even be mad, because Junpei’s mood has improved significantly.

I’m glad he’s doing better. It’s going to take a while to get back to normal, but he’s not being crushed under the weight of his grief anymore.

Back to school Monday, hang out with Chihiro, back home to the dorm, and…

Hon. Babe. Love of my life. TELL ME that you’re coming over and I’ll be here. We’ve already established that I’ll ignore all my social links for you. It’s like you’re getting more shy after Kyoto. Is it too hard to talk to me after realizing you’re in love with me? :P

Aigis doesn’t like that he’s here so much, though. And she’s acting weird.

No. You are a person and you are our friend. Don’t talk like that.

And lastly, Mitsuru has stayed up past midnight to take a phone call, with some interesting info.

So, Atlus, what was that about wanting to maintain the core P3 experience? Because there was no way to save Chidori in original P3. That didn’t come til later.

I wonder what I did that saved her. Was it buying the flower?

Either way, what a bunch of bozos. “Core P3 experience” my ass.

Oh well. December is next, and I am ready to get my heart broken! Bring it on!

[polyamanga]

Combining these into one post! As always, thank you for the recs!! (Also thank you for the note about the Tenchi Ending trope--I'd seen that name and figured it got renamed, but wasn't sure!)

Jingai-san no Yome doesn't seem to have an official English translation for its manga (doesn't look like it has a completed fan translation either), but the anime seems to be on Crunchyroll in the US. It sounds like a cute easygoing slice-of-life series!

High schooler Tomari Hinowa is called to the principal's office one day to hear some shocking news: he's getting married! A mysterious fluffy creature called Kanenogi has chosen him as their wife, and despite Tomari's initial misgivings, he decides to accept. What follows are a series of delightful tales from this new couple's monstrous married life.

You spelled it Sekieri, did you mean Sekirei? I've seen that one floating around, but I never knew anything about the plot. It reminds me of Master of Martial Hearts, except also not at all lmao. Although they do have a similar boobs-forward look to them 🤔

The stage is set. The preparations are complete. A grand battle royale known as "The Sekirei Project" is about to take the streets of Shintou Teito by storm. For this event, the shadowy corporation known as MBI has developed 108 "Sekirei"—advanced humanoid beings with extraordinary combat skills. Set free into the city, these Sekirei must search for their "Ashikabi," masters who can unlock and control their fighting potential through kissing. Once all the Sekirei are paired, they must battle until one team emerges victorious and claims the enigmatic grand prize. Enter Minato Sahashi, a ronin whose life is as bleak as it gets. Weak-willed and unconfident by nature, his circumstances become even more hopeless when he fails his college entrance exams for the second time. However, when he encounters a Sekirei called Musubi, a bond sparks between them, and he finds himself becoming her Ashikabi. Although he begins to enjoy his life with Musubi and the other Sekirei he bonded with, he consequently finds himself increasingly embroiled in The Sekirei Project. If Minato wants to protect his newfound life, he will need to step up and participate in this demanding, high-stakes battle.

World's End Harem is another one I've seen people mention in poly circles (along with Arifureta lol), but I haven't gotten around to checking it out. The plot of WEH always made me kinda sad tbh! It felt a little cheat-y to me, even though I might be jumping to conclusions. (I recently got burned by trying out Lust Geass and finding its just a big NTR-fest so I'm probably biased lmaooo)

Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, young researcher Reito Mizuhara is to be put into cryosleep until a cure can be found. Short on time, Reito decides to confess his pent-up feelings to his childhood crush Erisa Tachibana and bids farewell to his family and friends. As Reito goes to sleep and his consciousness begins to fade, Erisa barges into the room and declares that she will wait for him. Five years later, Reito wakes up to a post-apocalyptic world where 99.9% of the world's male population had been eradicated by the "Man-Killer Virus" four years prior. He is one of a handful of men who have become immune to this virus due to sclerosis treatment. Reito and the other four men are now invaluable assets to humankind and are expected to impregnate as many women as possible. Reito, however, is determined to find Erisa and refuses to make love with any other women. With temptations lurking around every corner, can he hold on to the woman of his dreams?

Arifureta, like I mentioned above, is one I've been meaning to look into. I heard that the light novel has a somewhat poly ending, but who knows if the manga/anime do the same!

Seventeen-year-old Hajime Nagumo is your average, everyday otaku. However, his simple life of pulling all-nighters and sleeping in school is suddenly turned upside down when he, along with the rest of his class, is summoned to a fantasy world! They're treated like heroes and tasked with the duty of saving the human race from utter extinction. But what should have been any otaku's wet dream quickly turns into Hajime's nightmare. While the rest of his class are blessed with godlike powers, Hajime's job, Synergist, only has a single transmutation skill. Ridiculed and bullied by his classmates for being weak, he soon finds himself in despair. Will he be able to survive in this dangerous world of monsters and demons with only a glorified blacksmith's level of strength?

Fujimura-kun Mates is an interesting title! Wondering if it's 'mates' as in 'friends' or as in 'mating'...lmao. I'm a fan of the character designs, based on the volume covers. They're simple but cute!

Fujimura is a loner delinquent at his school. Feared by his classmates since the first day of high school, he's had no friends and usually ditches class. But even his standoffish nature can't hold up when a class president with a few screws loose comes after him! And two more class presidents. They're a few cards short of a full deck too. (Actually, he's more like the tsukkomi in a world of boke.)

Overlord; I watched the first couple episodes of season 1. I only got far enough (as far as I remember) to see one of his love interests (Albedo is freaking EVERYWHERE lol!!) but it seems on brand for there to be at least a few!

Yggdrasil is a virtual reality game renowned for the freedom it offers its players. After a simple tutorial, players are left to explore the world and can customize anything and everything, from their classes to their weapons. However, in the year 2138, the game sees its final hours as its servers shut down at midnight. Momonga, a devoted player of Yggdrasil, decides to spend the game's last hours inside his guild, Ainz Ooal Gown. Strangely, at the stroke of midnight, the game does not log him out. Instead, Momonga finds himself transported to another world, one that is seemingly identical to that of Yggdrasil. Facing an already abnormal situation, he discovers that the NPCs have gained sentience. Trapped in his avatar's skeletal body and desperate to uncover the cause of his predicament and find other players like him, Momonga sets out to take control of the new world with the help of his loyal subjects.

As for The Rising of the Shield Hero, I've seen season 1 and half of season 2, but haven't read any of the light novels/manga. The anime didn't seem to be going in a poly direction (many girls were into him, but he definitely seemed to view them all as his daughters lmao), but I'm sure the light novel could have had PLENTY of time to get there. (That being said, for any that may want to check this series out, episode one features discussions of hypothetical sexual assault (nothing shown since it doesn't actually happen), and slavery is a reoccurring theme.)

Stories of old tell of four otherworldly heroes—wielding the sword, spear, bow, and shield—who defended the land from wave after wave of calamity. With the fate of the world in balance, the kingdom of Melromarc summons these legendary figures; in modern-day Japan, the call is answered, and the unwitting heroes are transported to this fantasy universe. Thrust into Melromarc and given the title of "Shield Hero," otaku Naofumi Iwatani is labeled the weakest due to his lack of offensive capability and apparent inexperience. When the heroes part ways to start their journeys, he only has one willing companion: the beautiful princess Malty Melromarc. However, she soon betrays him, steals all his money, and accuses him of taking advantage of her. For his alleged crimes, Naofumi is branded a criminal and made outcast of society. With hatred filling his heart, he sets out alone, vowing vengeance against those who wronged him.

[megaderping]

since kotone is in pq2 with minato’s team, it’s not unthinkable that people from different timelines might meet in the labyrinth. so, i’m imagining p4au akechi meeting og akechi, and OGoro wondering who tf these people are until his suspicions of different timelines converging (??) are confirmed

tbh it’s both hilarious and sad to me, cuz i think he’d feel a tad bit bitter deep inside, like why didn’t he get a support network in his own timeline too? oooh i think he’d experience many conflicting emotions at the same time

(side note, this makes me wish there was a pq with third semester goro. idk if that’d be worse or better emotionally, but it’s a need. might write it myself if i’m not fed, who knows. i’ll throw p4au goro in there too, if i have your permission)

Honestly, I think a lot about the logistics of Q2 in my AU and I had the funny mental image of P5-era Akechi from the AU meeting his P4 self and the stupid shenanigans of the younger Investigation Team seeing him with the Phantom Thieves and Ren just being so amused at how cute Akechi was as a tween and both Goros just being so embarrassed. When your boyfriend thinks kid you is the cutest thing and Futaba starts trolling because of course she does and also, hello Ken, you are very smol. ...and Makoto Yuki in the flesh, and Shinjiro in the flesh, and also there's an alt timeline with a totally different SEES leader? Like by P5, he's met the Shadow Operatives, so seeing them as teenagers and Ken as a younger kid would be so surreal, but then there's the Investigation Team and himself but smaller and now the Phantom Thieves have to deal with what a spiky lil' shit he was and of course there are parallel realities and there's time travel involved and what is this, a Featherman episode? ...This isn't even the strangest thing to happen. The Midnight Stage still takes the cake! Everyone just taking a moment to process defeating Shadows by dancing. Though, tbh, P4 AU Akechi meeting canon versions of P5 characters is so fun. I mentioned it in another post, but I've been RPing my Akechi off of Vashti's canon Akechi for months and they have become so close and it is very sweet, actually. It's been a roller coaster of emotions, and I think it's very much a fun dynamic to imagine in general because P4 AU Akechi or any Akechi who got a support system is in a rather advantageous position comparatively. Tbh, if you were to cross over w/ my AU, I'd just make it clear that it's an unofficial fanwork, but generally as long as credit is given (and a linkback to the original fic), it should be okay. A third sem Akechi meeting him would definitely be a different vibe and one that sounds really interesting. o: