#thanks for the ask!!! (while were here: to the guy who asked about makoto and fake zilch a few weeks ago - sorry im not strong enough yet)

[seth-burroughs]

What drinks do you think the Amaterasu peeps would have

While the game only mentions coffee I cannot accept them all drinking coffee that's boring

I hardly know what even constitutes as a drink in the common understanding of the term as I'm a polish man living under a rock, and thus I have done extensive research on the classification of liquids and it basically turns out anything that's liquid is a drink unless it isn't -- which, okay, fuck you. I have forgotten what the original ask might've entailed and thus the answer evolved into "assigning every character affiliated with amaterasu corp what drinks they'll like" which *scrolls up* close enough whatever, forcing you to listen anyway. List of characters I count for the amaterasu folks: makoto, huesca, akira, swank, seth, martina, yomi, dominic, guillaume, fake zilch (amaterasu's officially licensed hitman & one of """yomi's closest advisors""" whatever the fuck that means because you and I both know that yomi wouldn't accept advice from anybody unless that's just a fancy word for a very platonic companion whom he has a very strong, passionate, very platonic mind you brotherly bond a bromance a comradeship if you will,)

Swank is goldwasser personified. He loves that shit. Also always has a bimber (or vodka/starka. but preferably bimber) bottle on hand too, no one knows where he stores it he just kinda reaches into his coat and gets it

Me 🤝 Seth (tea drinkers). Has to have tea at least two times a day, doesn't matter what kind they'll drink anything as long as it has leaves in it. Favourites include black tea (optional honey and lemon), mint, chamimole, melissa and sage. He's also partial to pickle juice (makes his own pickles in the basement, they're not wasting any of that pickle water he's chugging that shit just to feel something) and pouring cucumber soup (filtered) to a cup and just drinking it. I don't know what's with Seth and cucumbers. Also would like kefir, probably.

Guillaume likes anything that's sweet or fizzy or whatever, has to have a stash of oranżada and coca-cola somewhere in his house at all times. Sometimes she just opens the cola and lets it degas in the fridge call that a. I don't know. Often makes hot chocolate. Once it offered to give Seth some but was extremely disturbed when he ate the milk skins too and that was the last time she did it for him. Not a drink, but she also eats tangerines and grapefruit via biting it with her shark teeth and sucking out the juices then tossing up the dried fruit remains into the trash can

Dominic makes kompot, you know, the polish juice that's warm and significantly worse and watery as fuck and all your older family members love it for some reason even though. But we all got our preferences whatever. Get this man some wine too.

Speaking of wine, Yomi is Kanai Ward's resident wine man if it has wine in it's name he's gonna drink it, especially mulled wine. Also likes champagne and nalewka. Plus has a fondness for fanta (or any carbonated drink with fruit flavors) but he took it into his head that it's cringe now or not respectable anymore or for 12 year olds only. No one cares except for him, it's a fucking drink. But he also thinks soy feminizes men and Makoto is putting chemicals in the rain so that's not the worst one of his beliefs by a long shot

Martina nominated for #1 coffee drinker, also really likes inka which is just polish coffee but without caffeine. probably a cappuchino enjoyer i don't know never had coffee it smells like shit

Dr. Huesca has sworn off alcohol, to be honest he has sworn off everything that isn't essential to survival because he's always on that fucking grind (unethical research), and probably hates himself or something. He likes water that's preferably fresh. Doesn't have to be though it's not like it can expire right.

Akira... probably likes soured milk. also, he eat kogel mogel like it's a drink you're supposed to eat it with a spoon not sip it like like a fine cup of cocoa

Fake Zilch survives off of 7 cans of monster a day. As a rule of thumb, the more genuinely terrible a drink is, the more he likes it

Makoto probably also has an egregious taste (his profile says he likes raw ham and dislikes olives, which in my eyes makes every opinion that man has automatically invalid) but I don't think humanity has yet discovered the kinda drinks he'd like yet so- oh wait, theres the leftover salad sauce/juice. and kefir. and mountain dew.

[t0yac1d]

THH boys x fem!reader who’s the ultimate sukeban/delinquent but is actually super freaking nice? :D thank u sm! and if you don’t feel comfortable doing this request, it’s no problem ^^

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Boys x Ultimate Sukeban

Warnings: Chihiro Spoilers!

Notes: For those who don't know, a sukeban is a Japanese term meaning 'delinquent girl'. The usage of the word refers to either the leader of a girl gang or the entire gang itself, and is not used to refer to any one member of a girl gang. Also this posted while I was still working on it💔

Word Count: 1,108

☆Makoto Naegi was a bit scared seeing you. Your aura was intimidating and dark, your clothing was bold and different from what he's used to seeing around the school. But one day, he felt brave and confident, wanting to know who you really are and if you're the same person he's seen. What he didn't expect was for you to give him a sweet smile, a genuine one. It wasn't fake nor did it have any hint of malicious intent. He was shocked that you're actually really kind. And he was ready to see more of that.

☆Leon Kuwata was also very intimidated when he first saw you. He'd always avoid your path and you as a whole. He didn't want to he near you or your group, in fear of getting hurt. But when you asked him for the notes in your shared class, he was dumbfounded. Your voice wasn't anything like your aura or how you dressed and acted. It was sweeter, kinder, softer. Nothing he was expecting, but now he can't keep you out of his mind.

☆Hifumi Yamada always dreamed of meeting someone like you, or even being in the same vicinity as you. He's written and read about sukebans before, he always prayed to the gods to meet one and here you are. Now that you're in the same school as him and some classes, he doesn't know how to approach you. He knows sukebans are violent and mean girls, so how does he approach someone who's known for being violent and mean? By hyping yourself up and going straight to the point. He'd walk up to you and your group, introducing himself and talking about his Ultimate. What he didn't expect was for you to compliment him with a smile. He'd walk away, flustered, happy and nervous.

☆Mondo Owada takes immediate interest in you as soon as he heard about you. He knows there's a 50/50 chance that you're nice and he's willing to take that chance, especially since he is also that 50/50 chance. You just look so beautiful and strong, and the amount of confidence radiating off of you just tells him to talk to you. So he does and he's relieved that you're actually nice, and when he gets to know you he finds out that you guys have more in common than he thought. And with that he can't help but want to get to know you even more.

☆Kiyotaka Ishimaru keeps his distance from you. He can't risk being seen around you. It'll ruin his perfect reputation. At least that's what he thinks. He'd catch you in the halls during class time, and as a hall monitor he has no choice but to confront you on it. Thinking you'd give attitude or worse he prepares himself and strides up to you. He asks if you have anywhere to be and if you don't then you'd have to either go to your respective classroom or the office. His voice is loud and carries itself through the halls. You'd respond, voice opposite if his and of what he thought you'd sound like. Apologizing for the inconvenience you walk away and go to your class. Knowing how you sound and how nice you just were he can't help but want you to continue roaming the halls, just so he can talk to you, and just so he can hear your melodic voice.

☆Byakuya Togami doesn't talk to you at all. He doesn't want to be seen around you or people like you. He can't be seen around people who will ruin his reputation and who would ruin the Togami name. He avoids you but that is until you asked him about his Ultimate. You were curious as to what a Prodigy was and were dying to know. He knew you'd try talking to him, that you'd try to get his attention somehow. What he didn't know was why you sounded genuinely curious. Why your face showed genuine interest. It caught him off guard and he just didn't know why he wanted to hear you speak again. Something about your voice and sweet looking eyes drew him in. Did he appreciate his brain and heart going against him? No. But he was surprisingly thankful that you didn't stop bothering him. He liked your voice, soothing and calm, a complete contrast to your outfits and Ultimate.

☆Yasuhiro Hagakure definitely stays away from you. He already has problems with the Yakuza, he can't risk having problems with another gang. Especially the leader of one. Hearing about what happened between him and the Yakuza, you thought about helping him pay off his debt. Calling his name from the opposite side of the hall caused him to jump, it also caused other students to look and scatter, fearing of what you were about to do to the guy. He nervously asked what it is that you wanted. Expecting you to rob him or beat him, just for being in the same hallway as you. But when you pulled out a brown paper bag and handed it to him he was confused. You told him to open it and also told him to keep it, saying how you wanted to help him and that no one should be struggling to pay off the Yakuza by themselves. You walked away and he was left dumbfounded, but thankful for you, smiling to himself and also beating himself up for not thanking you right there.

☆Chihiro Fujisaki doesn't feel safe being around rough looking people, scared of getting bullied for being too weak or to girly looking for a guy. He was working on something, sitting on the ground and typing away on his computer when a guy came up and took it, teasing the smaller boy and calling him names. That's when you stepped in, grabbing the computer back and asking what the problem was, your group surrounding the space. The girls grabbed the guy and moved him to a different end of the hall, "talking" to him and leaving Chihiro with you, the leader. As thankful as he was he's still scared, wondering if you're gonna do something worse to him. You handed him his computer and asked if he was okay, also asking if he wanted to hang out at a Cafe and relax a little. He was still shocked from the events that happened but even more shocked to hear your voice, kind and calming. He accepted your offer and you smiled at him, a genuine smile, causing the boy's heart to skip beat. When you walked off he couldn't help but smile to himself.

[funishment-time]

🔵 Kodaka BlueSky Q&As: Rain Code Characters (All)

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: Please be advised! Translations of all Japanese answers derive from a combination of Google Translate and my manager's three-quarters-remembered Japanese. We've tried our best to work out what he's saying, but there will be mistakes here and there. Do not take this as gospel!

To avoid spreading too much misinfo, where we're completely boggled about an answer, we've decided not to even make an attempt. We'll still list the post, but mark it accordingly.

➡️ AN IMPORTANT NOTE FROM KODAKA BEFORE READING:

First of all, the questions answered here are not official. Everything that is official is what is said within the work. In contrast, this is simply what Kodaka, the creator, thinks, and it is not the correct answer. Use this as a starting point to enjoy the depth of each character, or to say, "That's not right!" and enjoy it with your own interpretation. I think of this as a way of communicating with the characters who live in fiction. This is important, so please spread the word.

💕 FEBRUARY 2024:

Q: I love shinigami chan. Please make games forever!

A: YES

/////

Q: What happened to everyone at Amaterasu Company after the main story?

A: Yomi [Hellsmile] is growing magmatically angry with the opportunity to revolt while imprisoned…!

/////

Q: Why does Vivia wear such stringy underwear? Does he untie it every time he takes a bath or something?

A: I feel like he just goes in like that.

/////

Q: Was Vivia's umbrella tattoo done in Kanai? I was curious because that was the only tattoo related to rain.

A: I think he likes the gloomy rain. I'm sure he doesn't think Kanai Ward is so bad.

/////

Q: The pattern on Director Yakou's uniform is really cool, is there a reason for that?

A: I leave that up to Komatsuzaki-kun, but being a detective is, after all, a job in the underworld, so I think it's better to have that sort of shady side to it.

NOTE: Komatsuzaki is the guy behind Danganronpa and Rain Code's art.

/////

Q: [the question has since been deleted, but I remember it was about the ages of Master Detectives in Rain Code]

A: It varies quite a bit, but let me just say that most are in their 20s to late 30s. By the way, I'm 45. Oh, you didn't hear that.

/////

Q: How much does the director smoke in a day? That ashtray is disgusting.

A: That's probably three packs a day. I smoke half a pack a day. Oh, you didn't hear that.

NOTE: This is about Chief Yakou.

/////

Q: I would like to hear about your impressions of the masked man, and what you were conscious of when writing. I will continue to support your work☔️

A: He's nonchalant, talks about himself without listening to what the other person has to say, but seems intelligent. That's the impression I get.

NOTE: This is about Rain Code's Makoto.

/////

Q: Kodaka-san!! Thank you for your wonderful works as always ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎⊹ Amaterasu is exactly my type of organization (especially the head of security...!) Even if it's not a sub-story, I'd like to know if you have any small details that haven't been made public 🙏🏻💞

A: Thank you! Of all the Amaterasu characters, Komatsuzaki-kun was most enthusiastic about the robot researcher.

NOTE: We're pretty sure this is about either the character known as "Akira." The one weird about the Ama-pals.

/////

Q: A question about Rain Code: Are there plans to release a book that delves deeper into the backstories of the people who appeared in Chapter 0?

A: If there's a demand, I'd like to see a spin-off novel or something...

/////

Q: Excuse me for asking a question about Yuma, the main character of Raincode! What type of woman does Yuma like?

A: I wonder...! I think he's a pushover. lol

/////

Q: The names of the characters in Rain Code are sprinkled with elements of Japanese mythology, but is there any inspiration or backstory for this? Is there a reason why you named Makoto after the god of fire?

A: It all started with me wanting to incorporate a Japanese flavour.

/////

Q: Rain Code was really fun! I wonder if there will be an "if" story where the five train detectives (all real) arrive in Kanai Ward!? I'm ready to buy all the DLC and whatever else it takes👍

A: I would love to depict stories of their success. It would add more depth to Chapter 0.

/////

Q: Are there any characters who are certain that Halara's gender is this or that?

A: I don't think anyone can ask. Even if they did, Halara would probably think there's no point in answering. They might tell someone they like...

/////

Q: Mr. Kodaka, what is your impression of Director Yakou of Rain Code?

A: He's caring but also lazy, sloppy but cool... I think he's a very human detective.

/////

Q: Is Vivia's name a reference to the movie "Ghosts of the Sierra de Cobre"? Are there any other works that the names of the other characters are also based on?

A: I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't heard of that movie. The characters in Rain Code were named with an emphasis on giving them a stateless feel, and on the sound of the name.

/////

Q: Was there a deciding factor in casting Uchida Yuuma for the role of Seth?

A: I basically leave the casting up to the sound company. They did a very good job.

/////

Q: I'm sure Desuhiko has picked up as many women as there are stars in the sky, but does he actually have much experience in love?

A: Although he is not unpopular, he is most likely rejected quickly.

🍀 MARCH 2024:

Q: I'd like to know the ages of the Resistance members (even a rough estimate is fine if you haven't thought about it)! Since Iruka is planning to receive a birthday present from her parents, is she the youngest member?

A: Judging from his voice, Shachi sounds like he's 52 years old.

/////

Q: Excuse me. Who is most given chocolates on valentine day in raincode ?

A: Maybe, Vivia.

/////

Q: Why did Shinigami-chan give Halara-san the nickname "Hellara"?

A: I wanted Halara to be so stoic it drew Shinigami's attention.

/////

Q: There may not be sushi in Kanai Ward, but I'd like to know what your favorite sushi toppings are, folks at the detective agency.

A: Desuhiko likes sea urchins, Yakou likes mackerel, Vivia doesn't feel like eating, Halara likes maki rolls, and Fubuki tries to save the fish with time reversal.

/////

Q: [The question has since been deleted, but I believe it was about Seth's childhood.]

A: His childhood must have been similar to that of Jataro [Kemuri]...

/////

Q: I would like to hear about Martina's "calculation" of Yomi, which came up in a previous Rain Code interview. Did you have any stories in mind, Mr. Kodaka?

A: She thought she could use Yomi's favor to advance her own career.

/////

Q: I'd like to know the name of the Amaterasu Researcher who appears in Director Yakou's DLC!

A: His wife? It's a secret! I only tell people when I'm drunk, so... nope. (said cutely)

/////

Q: I'm guessing the age order of the train detectives is Zange > Melami > Zilch > Aphex > Pucci, is that correct?

A: There are various theories about the location of Melami [in that order].

🥬 APRIL 2024:

Q: Do special abilities have a genetic component? (e.g., Vivia's family is more likely to see spirits)

A: Sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. It is said that the Clockford family will rarely produce a child like this due to genetics.

/////

Q: Sorry if this has already been mentioned❗️ Harara Nightmare's gender is unknown, but do they ever wear feminine clothes like skirts as fashion?

A: "No. I only wear clothes that are easy to move in."

/////

Q: Halara is often depicted holding a lollipop, but do they have a favorite flavor?

A: Anything as long as it's sweet. It's to get the sugar needed for that person's brain.

/////

Q: I played Raincode to the end ☔️ I love the masked man...! I'd be happy if you could tell me anything about him.

A: "I made the masks myself. I made them suspicious on purpose to scare people away."

NOTE: This is about Rain Code's Makoto again.

/////

Q: A question! I'm curious about what method the Raincode super detectives used to get into Kanai Ward! What other routes could they have taken besides the Amaterasu Express!? I'd be happy if you could tell me who got there and how!

A: I'm saving [this info] so I can make a special edition someday! lol

/////

Q: who would you choose to solve a mystery and why? kirigiri, saihara or halara?

A: It would be great if the three of them performed together!

🌺 MAY 2024:

Q: What do you think about animals other than dogs and cats, Halara?

A: "More precious than humans."

/////

Q: Can Chief Yakou cook?

A: "I can make lazy meals."

☀️ JUNE 2024:

n/a

🎇 JULY 2024:

n/a

🌭 AUG 2024:

Q: I want to know how Yomi Hellsmile is doing after the main story of Raincode. Also, how is Seth Burroughs doing?

A: In his luxurious cell, his desire for revenge boils.

🍁 SEPT 2024:

Q: Is there any reason why the masked man in Rain Code has one eye?

A: Apparently he chose the most suspicious mask possible, so that no one would like him.

NOTE: This is about Rain Code's Makoto once more.

[cosmichorrorsarestillnicerthanme]

Futaba Sakura and Makoto niijima (separate) with a delinquent boyfriend that they find out is actually extremely smart like a futaba level genius but they cover it up and intentionally get average or bad grades. The reason is that in the past they were made fun of and an outcast throughout their life because of how smart they are.

I would like you to consider this your Christmas Gift from me to you my friend, I've been working on this for a while to get the style just right.

NOW! YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND!

You and Futaba ran into each other through the most random of chances.

On a day she came into LeBlanc a tad later than usual, the bell rang as you stepped in, knuckles skint up, and wiping blood from your nose.

Sojiro, of course, gave you flack about how beat up you were.

You in turn teased him about his habit of adopting whatever downtrodden kids walked through his door.

Meanwhile, Futaba was wondering who in the world you were, and debating if this was the opportunity to try and put into practice what her and Joker were working on.

Then Sojiro asked her to grab the first aid kit under the bar.

And Futaba decided to at the very least try.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“H-here you go!” Futaba stuttered as she gave Sojiro the small white case from under the bar.

“Thanks Futaba.” Sojiro said with a smile as he went to open the box before clicking his tongue.

“Damn, I knew I should’ve checked this when I went to grab some things for the shop.” Sojiro muttered.

“Hey, Futaba, do you mind keeping an eye on this jackass?” Sojiro asked, giving you the side eye as he spoke.

“S-sure I can, Sojiro!” Futaba responded.

This was her chance… to talk to another person!

“Thanks, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have to. This guy however has a bad habit of running off to galavant, kinda like that other guy in a way.” Sojiro groaned as he turned to grab his hat from off the hanger.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Futaba fidgeted nervously on the stool as she looked at you.

“How the hell am I supposed to do this!” Futaba screamed in her head before her eyes locked onto your jacket’s pocket.

A featherman pin…

Futaba could work with this!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

After that, the two of you hit it off quickly.

As it turns out, tv makes great conversation starters.

As it also turns out, you were a lot sharper than Futaba gave you credit for.

Almost as sharp as her if not just as.

It makes her wonder what you're doing as a delinquent…

Eh, who cares.

…

…

Okay, Futaba cared.

Especially when she told Sojiro how she felt after you left.

Because that's when Sojiro started teasing her about having her first crush.

And after the allotted period of denying and panicking over it, Futaba was forced to admit.

She did, in fact, have a crush.

On someone who liked the same things she did.

She applauded herself for having such good taste.

So, after a lot of prodding and poking from Joker and Sojiro, she managed to gather up the courage to ask to have dinner with you at LeBlanc.

It snowballed from there.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Hey… if you don’t mind me asking, why are ya a delinquent?” Futaba asked as she kicked her legs in the air while reading Manga.

“I’m not a delinquent, I’m a-” You began before saying in union with Futaba.

“Alternative School Security!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but I don’t think most security guards would beat the heck out of anyone who tried to bully others. Probably.” Futaba stated.

“Well, it's a boring story, not something that will keep you entertained.” You said as you leaned back in your chair.

“Try me, mister delinquent~!” Futaba teased.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Within the next few minutes, Futaba Sakura was ready to absolutely murder a lot of people.

Why would they do that?

Why?

That's just cruel!

Futaba knew what the Phantom Thieves' next mission in Mementos would be!

Oh she was gonna absolutely throttle those shadows!

You made an impression on Makoto when the two of you first met.

More specifically, you made an impression on some guy's face.

Several guys in fact.

You see, when the two of you met.

Makoto Nijimia, was being mugged.

Then you, the local delinquent stepped in.

And seeing as this was your turf…

You doled out some… fitting punishment for those trespassers.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Makoto prepared to step in as the first and leader of the men charged you.

She may not be in the metaverse, but she still does know how to fight.

However, Makoto learned quickly that you did not need any help from her when you dodged the first punch and countered by hitting him with an uppercut to the chin that sent him stumbling back and then another punch to the nose which knocked him out cold.

Needless to say, the two minions of that man ran off immediately after.

Or they attempted to, as it turns out being clotheslined and having a bent metal pipe tossed at someone tends to stop the person on the receiving end of that in their tracks.

You were content to leave it at that.

Unfortunately, a pretty lady with short hair and who was also a stickler for rules decided otherwise.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“So then, get mugged around here often?” You asked the young woman next to you.

“I am SO sorry about this…” Makoto groaned as she put her face in her hands.

“Oh don’t worry, I just love spending my nights in handcuffs!” You stated sarcastically as you raised your hands from the table, or as far as you could with your hands cuffed to it.

As it turns out, a known delinquent walking into the Police Station with three unconscious guys and an innocent young woman tends to send the wrong message.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

And that's how you and Makoto Niijima met.

Needless to say, you and Makoto were attached at the hip after that.

Then one thing led to another and then the two of you just…

Started dating. 

It wasn’t really anything big, it just… happened.

Then Makoto noticed something.

All of your schoolwork was…

Exceedingly average…

Everything was actually perfectly average…

To the exact point…

This warrants a call to a friend.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Hey, Futaba, can you check something for me?” Makoto asked Futaba over the phone.

“Sure ya can Queenie! Is this about your new beau?” Futaba teased.

“H-how did you- *Sigh* Yes, it is. I need you to check his grades, his all time grades.” Makoto told her friend with a sigh.

Futaba was silent on the other side of the line for a moment.

Then Makoto heard Futaba let out a whistle.

“Wow! This guy is good! Really, really, really, good!” Futaba exclaimed excitedly.

“Wha-” Makoto tried to speak before being cut off by Futaba.

“Aces in everything, on every assignment, every test, in every subject, and I mean everything, and a spotless record to boot! At least until… last year. Then it's all perfectly average work, and constant write ups about getting into the middle of fights and punching bullies out.” Futaba told Makoto, the clacking of a keyboard coming through the speaker of her phone.

“Looking at this guy’s record… Makoto, be sure to avoid telling him what your after school job is, yeah? I don’t doubt the shift manager would want the help, but Mona probably wouldn’t be all that happy with a new guy to drive around.” Futaba told Makoto, warning her about the way you might react to the Metaverse if exposed to it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Shortly following this conversation, Makoto asked you about your grades.

You dodged the questions as best as you could, but Makoto, your wonderful girlfriend, continued to press the question.

It took her a little while, but you did answer.

You told her about how, once upon a time, you were the top of your class, unparalleled in basically anything you learned, constantly earning the highest possible grades with ease and even used as a shining example of what a good student should be.

But then, at the beginning of the last school year, the perception around you turned sour due to envy.

A group of bullies started harassing you and, no matter what you said or tried, the school did nothing.

So, you dropped out of the spotlight, avoided the reputation you had and managed to transfer schools.

After that, you gained a new reputation for completely average work and stopping bullies that the school would refuse to do anything about.

The rest, as they say, is history.

In response to this, Makoto asked only for the names of the bullies and the teachers.

By this point you already figured out what Makoto’s “After School Job” was.

But that doesn’t mean you didn’t give her the names without any lip.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The following day, you received a series of calls and texts.

All of them being apologies.

All of them from the people who bullied you.

[my-midnight-musings-xoxo]

Major spoilers for MadK!

---

Dantenshou is one of my favorite characters, so I will yap about him! This isn’t a formal analysis by any means, (sorry!) I’d love to do an in-depth analysis one day though!!

The first time we meet Dantenshou is in his brothel, saving Makoto from being assaulted. He’s quickly shown to be motherly, given he’s birthed the incense children he has a soft spot for kids. 

In the next chapter, we see a conversation between Dantenshou and J with Dantenshou saying “...Of all the people you brought here thoughtlessly, not one of them…! It all ended with them going insane!” With J retailing saying Datenshou he didn’t, mocking him for being obedient and worrying when he was once a prince from a minor clan before leaving. Datenshou lashes out, muttering, “What are you dissatisfied about? I keep delivering don’t I…” befitting the worrying J mocked him for.

Dantenshou’s need, almost craving to please J is shown more than once. Many of these characters, if not all of them, could be described as tall children. They have power, status, and more, but at the heart of it, they are children forced to grow up too fast, unable to process their pain.

It’s a while before we see Dantenshou again, with him having lost his mind after betraying J, him being the first person to only add to his guilt. There’s a flashback with J and Dantenshou, looking quite young as J tells him, “What a good, obedient boy. Grow up into a powerful, influential demon and entertain me, okay?” Before this Dantenshoou exclaims, “I..I just did everything he wanted..” It’s made clear falling in love is fatal for demons, and I find this ironic because Datenshou uses scent to smother humans in love, becoming whoever they wish to make them addicted and unable to bear being away from him.

Chapters later after a client leaves Dantenshou and Fjord (another character I absolutely adore!) talk. Fjord brings up a past client who promised to free Datenshou if he was allowed to rip D to shreds, with Dantenshou replying with, “When people are sympathetic I just…” He’s often referred to as being nice, so human for a demon, clearly unchanging as he was as a child. In another flashback, it’s once again shown he was docile, loving J since he was young, letting J make him cry, and always doing what he was told. “You were so dedicated to J's expectations.” as he’s described by Shax, an old friend of J’s.

The moment Shax tells Dantenshou Makoto wasn’t bluffing about destroying J, he becomes enraged, immediately wanting to go see J with Shax stopping him. Dantenshou blames himself, proclaiming he wished he’d never been born.

There’s more to this scene but I want to talk about what happens after when Makoto is heading home while talking to Kiernan (another character I would love to yap about!). Makoto says, “...Talking with you guys makes me think about how alike you demons are to humans.” Kiernan asks what they look like to him. Makoto responds, “Fragile things bound by love.”

This applies to practically every character in this godforsaken manga, this masterpiece has so many quotable lines!! Ahem, almost done!

In the end, Shax and Dantenshou seem to be living peacefully, with little rafflesias joining them (the incense children) in quite the domestic scene.

You could argue he was the only one with a happy ending in that way.

As much as I want to do a Makoto analysis next, I’ll admit the thought is.. intimidating! He and J are two characters I love and want to do justice to, so if I ever do write an analysis for them it’s far off in the future unless I gain a surge of confidence one night! 

If you’ve read this far thanks for indulging in my rambles, it means a lot to me <3

Not sure what I’ll ramble about next, maybe Brutal? It’ll probably be another MadK post, hehe

[hoshibatake]

Sunflower Live - Chapter 11

Previous chapter

School Route

<The next day, early morning>

Mao: (Haah… I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.)

Mao: (How can I even look Makoto in the eyes after what happened? No, not just Makoto. Subaru and Hokuto too.)

Mao:  (Makoto might have contacted the other two to let them know, so they’re probably just as angry with me as he is.)

Mao: (It’s all my fault, so I wouldn’t blame them for getting upset with me.)

Mao: (I’m used to apologizing. I’ll just have to square up and go see them.)

Classroom 2-A

Mao: Excuse me～♪

Mao: Ahaha, even though the classrooms look the same, visiting a different class makes me feel weirdly uneasy.

Mao: I guess you guys don’t feel like that, since you usually have classes here, huh～?

Subaru: Oh, so you finally showed up! You’re late, Sari～! You’re five minutes late!

Hokuto: Don’t lie to him. We just arrived early, is all. Isara is right on time.

Subaru: Huh!? Really? Yikes, I misremembered what time we agreed to meet again!

Hokuto: It’s no problem this time, right? If you’d be late, that’d be an issue, but it’s actually better to be a little early.

Makoto: Hm～ Though, others might need time to prepare, so if you’re much too early, that could also become a problem.

Mao: (H-Huh? They’re all acting anticlimactically normal?)

Mao: (Did Makoto not tell the rest yet? I want to ask him, but I feel like talking to him would be awkward right now.)

Hokuto: Well then, since we’re all here… Let’s start discussing our ideas without further delay.

Hokuto: I’ll go first. …Heheh, take a look at these. Maracas made from empty drink bottles♪

Subaru: Ooh! If you shake them to and fro, they make a fun sound! Shaka-shaka-shaka…☆

Hokuto: Right. I filled it with little pebbles I found a the beach.

Hokuto: Making these reminded me of how fun it was when I made them with my grandma when I was in primary school…

Hokuto: The fans can have fun shaking these simultaneously during the concert.

Makoto: You sure love your grandma, Hidaka-kun.

Makoto: Hmm… I know you must have fond memories about these, but they look a little too home-made if you ask me.

Subaru: Hey, if you don’t want them, can I have them? I’m sure Daikichi would love these!

Hokuto: It’s not that I don’t want them, but I’ll gift them to you if it will make Daikichi happy.

Subaru: Yaaay! Thanks, Hokke～! I’ll give them to Daikichi as soon as I get home!

Subaru: Okay, can I go next? Cause you see～ I made this sea glass themed photo stand!

Subaru: We’ll be selling photo cards, so there will probably be lots of customers who would also buy a photo stand to go with it!

Mao: Yeah, it has summery vibes, and I think selling photo stands in which to put the photo cards is a smart business decision.

Mao: It looks pretty professional as well, so I think it’s a great idea. What do you guys think?

Hokuto: I feel the same as Isara. That’s a surprisingly good idea coming from you, Akehoshi.

Subaru: I could’ve done without the “coming from you”, but whatever. I’m just glad my idea passed～!

Hokuto: We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s move on. Isara and Yuuki, you’re next. Which one of you wants to go first?

Mao: I’ll go first, then. I made this brooch out of sea glass.

Mao: Although, these seem hard to mass-produce… So this would probably be something we’d only do if we have time to spare.

Makoto: Well, uhm, I’ll go last I guess. My idea is to make screen-printed handkerchiefs.

Makoto: The idea came to me when I was putting the handkerchief I used to wipe the soda off my face in the washing machine～

Makoto: Oh, Hidaka-kun. Thanks for letting me borrow your handkerchief yesterday.

Hokuto: Fumu, you even ironed it for me. Thanks for returning it to me in such a neat state.

Hokuto: We were planning to screen-print the T-shirts, right?

Hokuto: In that case, we can just screen-print these too, while we’re at it. I think this is a good idea to adopt.

Mao: Well then, I guess we’ll be making sea glass photo stands and screen-printed handkerchiefs.

Mao: We’ll need to go buy the supplies we need to screen-print stuff, as well as handkerchiefs and T-shirts. And we’ll need to think of a design, of course.

Subaru: Me, me! I want to go shopping～!

Mao: Can I come with you? That’s a lot of stuff to carry, and it’s more fun to go together than to go alone, don’t you think?

Subaru: Yup! Let’s go together! Going alone might be lonely, but going together definitely won’t be!

Hokuto: Alright. Then Akehoshi and Isara will do the shopping, and Yuuki and I will start making a design.

Hokuto: Heheh. We’ll make it a typical Trickstar design, so you can look forward to that.

Next chapter

[bengiyo]

Don't Care for an Old Man's Underwear! Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Thanks again to @isaksbestpillow for making this watch possible.

Last time, we met Okita Makoto, a middle-aged supervisor of a copier sales company whose toxic masculinity has let him down in his professional and personal relationships. He regularly offends his juniors (especially the women on their team), his kpop stan wife, mangaka daughter, and queer son. An unlikely encounter with a self-assured gay man led to the start of a new friendship, and Okita has promised his son that he will work to update himself so he can connect with his family and peers.

I am a little sad for this man that the opening sequence was a dream. As off-putting as he is, I do think he genuinely cares for his family.

Mm, ruined it immediately by being rude to Moe.

Oh, Okita. You can't walk it back right away like that. You're going to kill the trust of your team. You just said that people have a right to their breaks.

Oof, that was painful. Growth is not easy and not a straight line.

Wow, finally a show captures the constant pressure heteronormativity places on you when you don't fit in with it. That was an excellent sequence when Kakeru hesitated at the door.

Genuinely, this show is doing really well so far. It's putting in a lot of empathetic work on a man whose position allows his bad behaviors to cause issues for other people. I like that the show doesn't demonize him, and shows that his actions come from a believable human place. I also like that they use the wise gay child to ask the big question: Do you want to connect with others, or have you given up on people altogether?

Bro, you really should not have opened her mail. Even if you were concerned you broke it, you should have just called her down. This is not cool.

I actually like this junior's explanation of why he wears a bra. I'm glad it wasn't a gender thing or even an expectedly queer thing. He just wanted to feel like he's supported and that's enough.

Okay, I'm very excited about Okita Makoto going to sell yaoi at a fan event. I hope he brings Igarashi Daichi with him.

This flashback for Moe was also so good. We all make flippant comments about things we don't like or understand all the time. We won't remember it, but the people around us might. In this case, Moe knows her father will never understand her passions and can't share them with him.

Yes, Daichi!!

Everything about this con is excellent so far. Makoto may be getting shock at everyone's outfits, but he picked up immediately at how determined everyone is and appreciates their discipline.

I love Apple.

Daichi doesn't know what a fujoshi actually is? There's something interesting here about a self-actualized gay not even participating in this part of fandom.

Okay, I'm alright with it. He has the right attitude.

"People who love something are strong." He's beginning to believe.

Yes, Daichi, go on your date!

I teared up when Moe got emotional about Makoto selling the books, and love them ending that moment with her scream about him looking inside the work as a way to check on Kakeru.

I'm glad Makoto only observed that moment between Daichi and that guy, and has to confront the practical reality that Daichi is gay, and not just some magical youth that helps him. Daichi has a life.

Ending on Makoto seeing Kakeru as he wants to be is an excellent way to end this, because he's forced to see that people find strength in passions outside of his experience and must apply it to the people in his life.

This show is so good. There are quite a few characters, and the way they're weaving them into the narrative of the episode is truly special. In this episode we had Kakeru struggling to leave the house because he can't feel safe being seen as he is, while Moe is fighting to get out of the house because she needs to be seen by her people. Makoto is trying, but he's still not ready to see everyone the way they are. This is so legible. I am rooting for everyone.

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 37: Breaking The Fields

'''Cause I can't look back, no more turning back! 'Til I find my way back home, and I know, I've gotta be so much more than this! But what can I be if not me?''

– So Much More… by Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

xXxXxXx

Silver and Makoto weren't completely sure how to approach the situation. They knew that them being stuck at Sky Canyon was most likely Dr. Eggman's doing. However, given how easily they had defeated the Boss of the Zone, it felt a bit out of place. The good Doctor wasn't usually this sloppy.

''Makoto, watch out!'' Silver suddenly shouted when their environment started glitching out and the platform below them disappeared. Fortunately for both of them, Silver used his psychokinesis to keep them afloat.

''That was close! Thanks, Silver!'' Makoto said, with Silver giving them a thumbs up before landing them safely on another platform. However, just as they landed, their environment started to glitch out once again. Feeling alarmed, both looked up at the flash of light before them, revealing itself to be a cyan diamond-shaped gem. Both of their jaws dropped as they realized what they were looking at, with Makoto breaking the silence. ''That's a Chaos Emerald! But, how?''

''I don't know,'' Silver replied, reaching for the cyan gem. He could feel it's energy crackling through his fingers. He glanced at Makoto with a confused look, fishing for an explanation. ''I mean, we did beat the Boss of this Zone, so maybe this is our prize?''

Before Makoto could answer, there was another flash of light, this one being green, with Shadow and Touka suddenly appearing before them, and Shadow still holding the green Chaos Emerald.

''Shadow!''

''Touka!''

The two siblings were surprised to see Silver and Makoto, but also pleased to see that the Chaos Emerald-enhanced Chaos Control worked properly. Nevertheless, there was a question on their mind.

''What are you doing here?'' Touka asked.

''We were a moment ago with Lily and Knuckles, who had asked us whether we had seen Rouge because she hadn't appeared for a while, and in the next moment, we found ourselves in Sky Canyon,'' Makoto explained. ''What about you?''

''We were helping out Tails and Warren, when we suddenly found ourselves in…'' Touka paused, only to resume. ''Okay, I don't know what the name of that place was, but it had a lot of snow. I'm just glad that we got somewhere with a moderate temperature.''

Shadow just rolled his eyes at her remark, with Makoto adding, ''Well, if you guys were in a snow filled-zone that is also from the Sonic Advance series, just like us, you were either in the Ice Mountain Zone from Sonic Advance, Ice Paradise from Sonic Advance 2 or Twinkle Snow from Sonic Advance 3.''

''We have more important things to talk about than names of Zones,'' Shadow suddenly interrupted them, pointing at Silver. ''I see that you also got a Chaos Emerald.''

''Yeah, we got it after beating… the Egg Saucer?'' Silver turned to Makoto, who nodded. He then turned back to Shadow. ''What about you?''

''We were confronted by Dr. Starline,'' Shadow explained, with Makoto and Silver being surprised to hear that name. ''He was piloting a mech, probably made by Dr. Eggman. We managed to defeat him, but it seems that my Chaos energy reacted with the AR Field and caused the Chaos Emeralds to appear.''

''Then we can use the Chaos Emeralds to escape this place,'' Silver said, elated to hear that there was a solution to their problem. Shadow then shook his head, his arms folded across his chest.

''I'm afraid that it is not that easy. The AR Field is quite unstable and one has to be very careful when using Chaos Control. I had tried to warp Touka and I out of it, but we landed here instead,'' he explained.

''Then, maybe we need all 7 of the Chaos Emeralds. Also, if you are trapped here and this is another of Dr. Eggman's schemes, this must mean that maybe the rest of the team is trapped as well,'' Makoto said. ''We cannot travel through Zones by any normal means, but we can use the Chaos Emeralds for that.''

''Well, you two can do that,'' Silver said, holding out the cyan Chaos Emerald to Shadow and Touka. ''I don't even know how to use Chaos Control.''

Shadow stared at the cyan Chaos Emerald that Silver was offering to him, then glanced back at the grey hedgehog, clearly assessing the situation and their options. If their assumptions were correct, their teammates were all separated and it would take some time to find them, even with the Chaos Emerald, as surely Dr. Eggman would try to intervene. Shadow then held up his hand, showing that he wouldn't take the Chaos Emerald, much to Silver's confusion.

''I will give you a quick crash course on using Chaos Control. You will be able to utilize it with the Chaos Emerald, even if you had never used it before,'' Shadow replied.

''B-But…'' Silver wanted to protest, feeling that this was something he wouldn't be capable of, but after seeing Shadow's grim gaze, he then nodded. ''What do I have to do?''

''You can use the Chaos Energy within the Chaos Emerald to sense the presence of other Chaos Emeralds, and you can let this sensation guide you,'' Shadow explained. ''All you need is to focus, and you will be able to find them.''

Silver nodded, holding the Chaos Emerald and focusing on the Chaos Energy within. At first, it was quite overwhelming, as he never felt something like this before, but as he got used to this new power, he could feel something tugging him to several sides, unsure which path to follow. He assumed that one energy signature, the strongest one, was the Chaos Emerald Shadow was holding. So he tried to focus on the other energy signatures, finding one that was much further from him. It was like a thread hanging in front of him, and all he needed to do was to reach for it.

''I think I got it,'' Silver said, opening his eyes. Shadow nodded.

''You and Makoto will go there then,'' he said. Silver smiled, with both him and Shadow holding up their hands, arms crossing.

''CHAOS…'' Silver started as the energy around them crackled.

''CONTROL!!!'' Shadow roared, with a blinding light engulfing the whole group.

xXx

Tails and Warren had to leap each towards a different side to avoid Silver Sonic's attack. It appeared that the robotic version of Sonic seemed to have some kind of regenerative ability, as no matter how powerful Tails' EMP field was, the robot would always stand up. They needed to find another way around it.

''Any ideas?'' Warren asked, him and Tails hiding behind a metallic pillar and flinching when Silver Sonic lost sight of them and smashed a different pillar.

''I'm not sure. I'm not as good at combat as someone like Sonic or Knuckles…'' Tails said, only to realize that admist all of the chaos he had forgotten that he was still wearing his backpack. He quickly took it off, starting to rummage around it.

''Watch it!'' Warren grabbed Tails, running off to the other side of the Zone as Silver Sonic smashed into the pillar they were hiding behind. Whatever was left of Chaos Surge had already faded, leaving them quite vulnerable. However, Warren was given a small toy-like laser gun by Tails, who then reached for another gadget in his backpack.

''Keep him busy, I have an idea!'' Tails said, starting to tinker with the electromagnetic discs. Warren used Tails laser gun to fire at Silver Sonic, surprisingly managing to get a few good hits, but the robot seemed to be unstoppable. When he got too close to the two, both managed to slip away, with Tails slapping the disc onto Silver Sonic, while Warren took the other and put it on a piece of debris, then pushed it off the edge of the Zone. The magnetic pull was so strong that Silver Sonic followed it, falling off the platform.

''All right!'' Tails cheered, him and Warren high-fiving in relief, especially since Silver Sonic didn't return this time. However, as they celebrated, they saw a flash of light, revealing a diamond-shaped yellow gem that landed in Tails' hands.

''T-That's a Chaos Emerald!'' Warren stuttered in shock.

''A Chaos Emerald?'' Tails replied in a stunned state. ''But, how is that possible?'' Before any of them could continue their conversation, they were met by another flash of light, revealing two familiar figures. ''Silver? Makoto? What are you doing here?''

''It's a long story, but from what we've figured out, Dr. Eggman and Dr. Starline have trapped us here and we need to collect five more… well, four more,'' Makoto corrected himself upon seeing the yellow gem in Tails' hands, ''Chaos Emeralds. Touka and Shadow got one already.''

''Shadow also taught me how to use Chaos Control with a Chaos Emerald, and if we collect all of them, we'll be able to escape this place,'' Silver explained.

''Where are they?'' Warren asked.

''They went to another Zone. Shadow had figured that it would be easier for us to collect all the Chaos Emeralds if we split up,'' Silver explained.

''Okay,'' Tails nodded. ''Let's see what we can find.''

xXx

Knuckles punched Mecha Sonic, sending him flying across Sky Sanctuary with ease, almost causing him to fall off the platform. Mecha Sonic barely held himself onto the edge of the platform, when Lily suddenly appeared, having found a metallic rod and giving him an apologetic look.

''This will hurt me more than you,'' she said, swinging the metallic rod at Mecha Sonic, knocking him off the platform. Knuckles approached her, looking rather satisfied with the result.

''Nice job,'' he said.

''Oh, please, that was all you,'' Lily replied, with both being surprised by a sudden flash of light. Above them, a diamond-shaped purple gem appeared, falling right on Knuckles' head. Fortunately, he managed to catch it before it fell over the edge of the platform.

''Huh, what's that?'' Knuckles stared at the gem, which Lily immediately recognized.

''Knux, that's a Chaos Emerald! That's one of the most powerful gems in the world!'' she said, looking quite awestruck. Knuckles rose an eyebrow, turning it in his hands.

''Why did this appear before us?'' he wondered.

''I don't know… I mean, this is an area from a video game. Maybe we got rewarded for beating Mecha Sonic?'' Lily suggested. Before their conversation could continue, a flash of light appeared, revealing itself to be Shadow and Touka. ''Woah, what are you two doing here?''

''It's a long story, but we are currently in an AR Field created by Dr. Eggman and Dr. Starline, and the rest of Team Neos is also trapped here, and the two Doctors are probably going to try to collect the Chaos Emeralds,'' Touka quickly explained. ''We already came across Makoto and Silver, and they're on the search for the others.''

''How many Chaos Emeralds did you manage to gather?'' Knuckles asked.

''Two so far, but with you, it's three. If Silver and Makoto had managed to find another, then we'll have four out of seven,'' Shadow explained.

''How did you even manage to travel between Zones?'' Lily asked. ''We tried to leave Sky Sanctuary to get to Hidden Palace Zone, but we were just teleported back.''

''It appears that one can travel between the Zones via Chaos Control,'' Touka explained.

Just then, Sky Sanctuary suddenly started to shake, with their surroundings glitching out, only for a crowd of EggRobos to surround them, as well as Mecha Sonic reappearing, but this time in a golden colour, having returned as Super Mecha Sonic Mark II. Above them, flying in a smaller version of the Egg Mobile, was Dr. Starline.

''You again!'' Touka shouted, with Dr. Starline grinning at them.

''Surprise! I had figured that I should get back-up. Maybe you two can take down a whole mech, but what about getting outnumbered?'' he said. Knuckles and Shadow took a battle stance, with the echidna glancing at Shadow.

''That's Dr. Starline?'' he asked. Shadow nodded. Knuckles huffed. ''He doesn't look like much of a threat.''

''He may not have a mech, but I would still be cautious,'' Shadow warned the echidna, being on guard.

''It doesn't matter how cautious you are, I will make sure to take you down and bring those Chaos Emeralds to Dr. Eggman!'' Starline told them, smirking. ''Then, the Doctor will have nothing but words of praise for me!''

xXx

''Okay, question; how do we find a Chaos Emerald here? We saw that one just appeared in front of Touka and Shadow,'' Lucas said, as he and Sonic searched Green Hill for the elusive gem.

''Well, this is a location based on a video game. Maybe we have to follow video game logic,'' Sonic replied.

Lucas rose an eyebrow, wondering what Sonic meant. Technically, they were trapped in some kind of infinite loop of the Green Hill Zone, unable to break out, which is why they needed the Chaos Emerald. However, they also needed to figure out how to make one appear, and if they went by video game logic, then they would have to enter the Special Stages, but as noted above, that was impossible. Nevertheless, there was something Lucas noticed as he observed the screens showing his friends.

''We would have to beat the Boss of the Zone… However, we know that this Zone doesn't have a Boss due to what Dr. Eggman did…'' he trailed off, exchanging glances with Sonic. ''Actually, maybe we just have to pass the Goal Plate.''

Sonic snorted. ''That would be the easiest way of getting the Chaos Emerald. As a matter of fact, it's too-'' Sonic stopped, seeing the Goal Plate in front of him. Last time he and Lucas passed it, they found themselves back at the beggining of Green Hill. Nevertheless, both sped up and passed it. ''Easy?'' To their surprise, there was a flash of light, with a blue diamond-shaped gem appearing before them, with Sonic snatching it out of the air. ''Okay, Eggman really should've put some Badniks around to at least give me some kind of challenge.''

''Well, that not our problem anymore,'' Lucas replied. ''Now, how does one use Chaos Control with this thing?''

Both him and Sonic fell silent, as despite Lucas' knowledge of the lore of the Chaos Emeralds and the various Chaos-related abilities, they still had no clue how to properly use it like Shadow and Touka did. Sonic just stared at the Chaos Emerald, as if expecting it to do something, weighting in his hands carefully, before shrugging.

''Well, all I can do is trust my instincts,'' he said. Lucas gave him a dubious look.

''I hope your instincts won't make us permanently trapped here,'' he said.

''Heh, just trust me, I know what I'm doing,'' he said, holding up the Chaos Emerald. Lucas couldn't help but roll his eyes, even though he did trust his partner with his life. ''CHAOS CONTROL!!!''

xXx

Amy had managed to catch up to Metal Sonic, trying to hit him with her Piko Piko Hammer, only for Metal Sonic to block it and grab her hammer, throwing her backwards, leading to the pink hedgehog landing right on Minami. Due to being fueled with the power of Chaos Surge, Sonic's metallic rival was much stronger than before. However, neither Amy nor Minami were ready to give up, having overheard the conversation about the Chaos Emeralds between Ferra and Dr. Eggman.

''You two should really should know when to give up!'' Ferra said, her whole body crackling with energy. The same energy surrounded Metal Sonic as he prepared to blast away the two, only for a blue flash of light to appear right above them. Metal Sonic and Ferra could only look up before something heavy fell right on top of them.

''Aghh...'' Sonic fell his head spin and his body ache, but he was still happy at the results, clutching the blue Chaos Emerald in his hand. ''Nailed it!''

''Ugh, what was- huh?'' Lucas' dazed look was quickly replaced by surprise when he realized that he landed right on top of Ferra, while Sonic landed on Metal Sonic. ''I guess this might count as defeating the Boss of Stardust Speedway?''

''Get off me!'' Ferra shouted at him, kicking Lucas off of her, with Metal Sonic doing the same to his organic counterpart, although with a lot more force. Sonic rolled over before getting into a battle stance.

''All right, Metal! If you want to fight, we'll fight!'' Sonic said, still clutching the Chaos Emerald in his hand. Lucas, meanwhile, went over to Minami and Amy.

''Are you two okay?'' he asked.

''Yeah, but how did you get here?'' Amy asked.

''Sonic used Chaos Control,'' Lucas said, pointing at the blue gem Sonic was holding, then noted the questioning looks Minami and Amy gave him. ''I'll explain everything later, but what you need to know is that all of Team Neos is trapped in different Zones of this AR Field and we're trying to find the Chaos Emeralds before Dr. Eggman does.''

''How many do we have?'' Minami asked.

''From what I've seen, two are missing. We need to find the Chaos Emerald of Stardust Speedway,'' Lucas replied. The three then turned towards Sonic, who was currently locked in a brawl with Metal Sonic. Not only was Sonic's robotic counterpart after the blue Chaos Emerald his rival was holding, but he went back to just trying to beat up Sonic for the sake of beating him up.

Ferra, on the other hand, seemed to have spotted something, and Lucas saw the same. He grabbed his hoverboard and shoved it into Minami's hands. ''Get the Chaos Emerald! I'll help Sonic!''

Minami and Amy, who both took note of Ferra's behavior and her taking off towards the far end of Stardust Speedway, having spotted the red Chaos Emerald, quickly got on Lucas' hoverboard and sped off without a word. Even though Ferra had a headstart, Lucas' hoverboard was much faster thanks to the modifications Warren and Tails added.

''Com'n… Com'n!'' Minami hissed under her breath, hoping that her and Amy's combined weight didn't slow them down. Ferra turned around, spotting the two going after her and gaining speed. However, Ferra was incredibly close to the Chaos Emerald, reaching out for it…

''Oh, no you don't!'' Amy leapt from the hoverboard, throwing her hammer at Ferra, causing her to stumble and fall off. She was then caught by Minami, with both reaching for the red diamond-shaped gem. ''Yes!''

''No!'' Ferra cried out furiously as Amy held onto the Chaos Emerald, while Minami just gave her a smug look.

xXx

Dr. Eggman rubbed his temple as he watched the screen of the Egg Mobile, being annoyed to see that Dr. Starline clearly underestimated the combined force of Knuckles and Shadow, both equipped with Chaos Emeralds, and groaned when he saw Ferra failing to acquire the red Chaos Emerald. Even though he had faith in his Enforcer, he had to admit that he expected failure to some extent. He knew that it was a tragedy that Team Neos managed to get six of the Chaos Emeralds, but he still had a chance. There was one Chaos Emerald remaining and Dr. Eggman knew exactly where to find it.

As it turned out, there was an area between all AR Fields, a so-called no man's land that connected to each of the AR Fields, containing the glitches and bugs that formed thanks to Shadow's Chaos Energy and the place of origin for the Chaos Emeralds. It certainly looked nothing like the other Zones, but was more of a mish-mash of all of them, with the grey diamond-shaped gem being placed on a stone pedestal in the middle of the Zone.

''Ho ho ho… even if Team Neos managed to get all of the other Chaos Emeralds, they still cannot escape when one Chaos Emerald is missing,'' Dr. Eggman said, lowering the Egg Mobile to get to the pedestal, only to get startled by a flash of light, with Silver, Makoto, Tails and Warren having a hard landing.

''Ugh… That hurt…'' Warren said, rubbing his head.

''Sorry, I guess I miscalculated,'' Silver, who was holding onto the cyan Chaos Emerald, replied as he rubbed his head.

''At least we got out of the Death Egg Zone,'' Tails said, holding onto the yellow Chaos Emerald.

''Dr. Eggman!'' Makoto gasped when he realized that they weren't alone.

The rest of the group looked up, surprised to see Dr. Eggman hovering above them. Dr. Eggman was fuming at the sight of them, having hoped that they wouldn't find out about this Zone.

''I will not let you ruin my plans!'' Dr. Eggman growled, pressing a button and unleashing a barrage of homing missiles, forcing Silver to raise a cyan barrier with his psychokinesis to block the attack. Dr. Eggman took advantage of this, pressing another button that caused a mechanical claw to be lowered and snatched away the grey Chaos Emerald from the pedestal.

''Oh, no, he got the Chaos Emerald!'' Makoto cried out. Dr. Eggman laughed as he flew away, well aware that they will be now trapped forever here, only for the laughter to stop when Tails flew towards him, hanging onto the claw and trying to pry it open.

''Get off the Egg Mobile, Prower!'' Dr. Eggman yelled at the twin-tailed fox, who desperately clung onto the mechanical claw. Dr. Eggman started to drive the Egg Mobile in an erratic manner, hoping to shake Tails off.

''Chaos Surge!''

Much to Dr. Eggman's horror, the Egg Mobile was stopped by the combined power of Silver and Makoto's psychokinesis, who were keeping the vehicle in place. Tails grinned, managing to get the grey Chaos Emerald out of the claw, and now holding two of them flew back towards his friends.

''No! How dare you steal from me?!'' Dr. Eggman growled.

''We know exactly that we cannot trust you with the Chaos Emeralds, so we're taking them with us!'' Warren replied.

''Then I'll make sure that you're going nowhere!'' Dr. Eggman shouted, pressing another button. Suddenly, the whole Zone shook, with Silver, Makoto, Tails and Warren staring at their surroundings in horror. Dr. Eggman laughed, well aware that he just activated a program to close the AR Field. If they all didn't get out as soon as possible, they would be erased from existence along with the collapsing AR Field. ''Enjoy the afterlife!''

Dr. Eggman then vanished from the AR Field, clearly retreating. A sense of panic enveloped the four as they realized that they were now on a timer.

''The whole AR Field is collapsing! Silver, can you warp us to the others?'' Tails asked. Silver nodded, although panic was already setting in.

''I-I can… But there are two energy signatures I'm detecting,'' he said, only to shake his head. He wasn't sure which path to take, but he needed to pick one immediately. ''Everyone, stay close!'' He held up the cyan Chaos Emerald, focusing on what seemed to be the stronger energy signature. ''CHAOS CONTROL!!''

xXx

Sonic curled into a ball, performing a homing attack on Metal Sonic, who managed to quickly dodge it. His sensors detected that his own Chaos Surge was running out of power and if he wanted to get rid off Sonic once and for all, he needed to be quick. Not only that, but Sonic was also holding onto the blue Chaos Emerald, and since they already lost the red Chaos Emerald to Amy and Minami, he needed to at least get that one.

Metal Sonic targeted his organic counterpart, firing several blasts from his chest. Fortunately, one of them managed to hit Sonic, causing him to fall on the ground. Metal Sonic rushed over to grab the blue Chaos Emerald, but Sonic managed to throw it towards Lucas, who caught it.

''If you think that we'll give you the Chaos Emerald, you're dead wrong,'' Sonic told his metallic counterpart, who shot him a glare, then suddenly rushed over to Lucas. The teenager's eyes widened, and he managed to dodge Metal Sonic, then started to run towards Sonic, with the robot being on his heels.

However, before Metal Sonic could swipe at Lucas, the whole Stardust Speedway shook, and it looked like it was falling apart. Ferra, Minami and Amy were also stunned by what was going on, with Ferra getting into contact with Dr. Eggman.

''What is going on with the AR Field?!'' she asked.

''I decided to close it! Get out unless you want to get yourself killed!'' Dr. Eggman replied, disconnecting the call. Ferra felt her heart race as she realized that the AR Field would collapse all around them, and turned to her partner. ''Metal, we need to leave! NOW!!''

Despite wanting to complete his mission and beat up Sonic, Metal understood the urgency in Ferra's tone. He flew over to her, with both then vanishing from the AR Field. Meanwhile, Minami and Amy joined Lucas and Sonic, noting how the roads all around them were collapsing.

''We don't have all of the Chaos Emeralds!'' Lucas pointed out, giving the blue Chaos Emerald to Sonic. ''We need to find the others before we get trapped here for good!''

''I think I know where to find the others! Hold on tight!'' Sonic said as his friends gathered around him, holding the blue Chaos Emerald up. ''CHAOS CONTROL!!''

xXx

''Chaos Spear!''

Siphoning the energy from the green Chaos Emerald, Shadow summoned a barrage of Chaos Spears, flinging them towards the EggRobos, shattering each and every one of them. Next to him was Knuckles, who gave the purple Chaos Emerald to Lily so he was free to fight Super Mecha Sonic. The Sonic look-a-like curled into a ball, flying towards the echidna. Knuckles braced himself, attempting to punch the robot, but was instead sent flying and landing on the platform just at the edge. He was fortunate that he didn't fall off. He saw Super Mecha Sonic flying towards him once again, summoning an energy ball and firing it at Knuckles. The echidna managed to roll over, dodging it, then getting up and rushing towards Super Mecha Sonic. However, before he could land a hit, Super Mecha Sonic suddenly glitched out and vanished.

''What?!'' Dr. Starline was shocked to see that the robot was gone. ''This was not supposed to happen!''

The screen before him suddenly crackled and he was surprised when Dr. Eggman appeared. ''Starline! The AR Field is collapsing, so unless you want to get killed, get out!''

''B-But, Doctor-! The mission-!'' Dr. Starline stuttered, but the screen already went black. The whole Sky Sanctuary Zone shook, slowly vanishing out of existence, with the data particles fading away. ''No, no, no! How could you do that, Doctor?! We need the Chaos Emeralds!''

''Chaos Blast!''

Dr. Starline cried out in panic when Shadow's Chaos Blast hit the Egg Mobile, causing it to fall and the platypus Irregular hit the ground hard. He sat up, feeling numb from the impact, only for his eyes to widen in horror when he saw Shadow and Knuckles approach him, both with murderous looks on their expressions.

''I guess I should listen to the Doctor,'' Starline muttered. As much as he wanted to fulfill his mission, he valued his life more. He could try again another time. Quickly pressing the top of his glove, he vanished before the dark hedgehog and red echidna could murder him in a brutal fashion.

''Darn it, he's gone!'' Knuckles growled, with Shadow turning to him with a grim look.

''We have more pressing matters to worry about,'' he said, pointing at their surroundings. Touka and Lily had joined them, taking note of how the floating platforms were falling into the dark abyss below.

''We need to find the others and get the rest of the Chaos Emeralds,'' Touka said in an urgent tone. ''That the only way for us to escape!''

''Right, but how are we going to find-'' Lily started, only to be startled by a flash of cyan light. To their relief, they saw Silver, Makoto, Tails and Warren.

''We got three Chaos Emeralds!'' Tails shouted, his group rushing over to them. ''How many more- Agh!''

The platform they were standing on suddenly tilted, forcing the group to run towards the next platform. They were all breathing heavily, their surroundings becoming smaller and smaller as Sky Sanctuary was falling apart. They exchanged glances, only to get startled by a flash of blue light, with Sonic, Lucas, Amy and Minami appearing before them.

''Guys, are you-?'' Sonic was cut off by Shadow, who had managed to gather the Chaos Emeralds from Knuckles, Silver and Tails.

''Ask questions later, Sonic! We need to escape!'' he growled, with Sonic nodding, him and Amy giving up their own Chaos Emeralds. The seven gems started to surround Shadow as he focused on their energy, now far greater than the one he sensed from just one Chaos Emerald. A bright glow surrounded him and the rest of Team Neos as their surroundings grew darker and darker, turning into an unending void. ''CHAOS CONTROL!!!''

xXx

There was a blinding flash of light, with Team Neos losing all sense of direction, only to find themselves a moment later back on solid ground. Feeling somewhat dizzy, it took them a bit to recover. Sonic was the first to break the silence, rubbing his head.

''Woah… Hey, we're back at the workshop!''

The rest of Team Neos looked around, realizing that, indeed, Shadow had warped all of them back to the Taylor Workshop.

''Thank goodness that we got out of that AR Field,'' Amy said, taking a deep breath, with the rest of the group agreeing with her.

''Yeah, I don't want to repeat this experience,'' Lily said, glancing at Shadow, who was currently being looked over by Touka. It seemed that using the Chaos Emeralds like this did affect him as well.

''Shadow, how are you feeling?'' Touka asked. Shadow just shook his head, getting up.

''The Chaos Emeralds are gone,'' he said. This caused a moment a silence, with the group exchanging confused glances.

''How could they just vanish?'' Minami asked. Tails, who got up, reached for the Miles Electric in his backpack, having kept it on during this whole adventure.

''I think I may have an answer…'' he said, connecting the Miles Electric to the computer and analyzing the data. ''Since the Chaos Emeralds were created inside the AR Field, once it ceased to exist, so did the Emeralds. I would have to put a bit more time into this, but it seems to be the most logical outcome.''

''So, even if we attempted to take them out of the AR Field, we wouldn't have been able to do so?'' Silver asked. Tails nodded in response.

''Well, that's good news. This means that Eggman wouldn't have been able to take them either,'' Sonic said.

''Yes, but wouldn't he be able to re-create the AR Field and the Chaos Emeralds?'' Knuckles asked.

''I doubt it,'' Lucas said, drawing everyone's question. ''Sonic and I saw that the Chaos Emeralds were a result of Shadow using his Chaos-based powers, so unless Eggman had access to Chaos Energy, he wouldn't be able to repeat this on his own.''

''So, it's over?'' Makoto asked. Lucas nodded.

''It's over.''

Team Neos was quite relieved to hear that their adventure was indeed over. While this was quite an exhilarating adventure, they all just wanted back to their normal life.

xXx

''Doctor, why would you cause the AR Field to collapse? We could've taken the Chaos Emeralds!'' Dr. Starline said, completely baffled by his idol's decision.

''As it turns out, that wasn't possible after all,'' Dr. Eggman responded, pointing at the screens behind him. ''The Chaos Emeralds were a by-product of the AR Field and Shadow's Chaos Energy. Even if I attempted to replicate what happened, I wouldn't be able to do that without the hedgehog.''

''So, this whole mission was a failure from the start?'' Dr. Starline asked, quite disappointed. There was a sigh coming from the other side of the room, the source of it being an annoyed Ferra and Metal Sonic. To everyone's surprise, Dr. Eggman grinned.

''Oh ho ho ho, on the contrary, Dr. Starline; I believe that this mission was quite important. We know now that it is possible to create Chaos Emeralds, and while we don't have the means, we do have the necessary data for that. So, I wouldn't shelve this plan yet,'' Dr. Eggman replied.

''Ah, so it was a success then!'' Dr. Starline said, clasping his hands, looking quite happy with the news.

''Indeed,'' Dr. Eggman replied, sitting down in his chair as he observed the data on the screen. ''All we have to do is to take advantage of what we know.''

xXx

Rouge shivered as she crawled through the air-vent, tugging at the golden collar around her neck. She knew that she was in a very dangerous place and that she needed to escape, but for that, she needed more information and a way out. She was trapped in this place, and all she could do was to spy on those who have trapped her here. She managed to come across an opening at an office, hearing voices coming from it.

''This is the autopsy report from the Sakamoto case.''

There was a pause as the other person in the room, a man with dark grey hair and wearing a grey and dark green uniform read the autopsy report the agent brought him.

''So, the Professor had indeed died from blood loss, and his body was moved. Have you managed to track down where his body was before someone tampered with it?'' the man, who appeared to be a quite high-ranking officer.

''Unfortunately, we haven't,'' the agent replied, with his superior frowning. ''We are doing our best to find Hiroshi Sakamoto's murderer.''

Rouge felt chills flowing down her spine as she overheard this. She did not have pleasant memories associated with that name.

''What about Project Shadow? Have you managed to track down the Irregular?'' the man continued. Rouge gasped, quickly covering her mouth and hoping nobody had heard her.

''It appears that Miss Kageura had been keeping him at her house. We don't know how he was found, but it is possible that Touka may have been able to recall her memories,'' the agent replied.

''I see…'' the man furrowed a brow. ''Get them over here. We believed that Project Shadow was a waste of time, but perhaps the weapons project may end up being a success.''

Rouge felt sick to her stomach after hearing this. She wanted to warn Shadow and Touka that they were in grave danger, but that was impossible, especially with her current situation. She just hoped that they would be able to avoid capture.

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[alfiely-art]

Hi

I need your analysis please, I dreamt about Makoto :

I tried to climb a tree because wolves were approaching (we were in a forest/island which was mostly a forest?), but I couldn't do it alone because I am too weak. So, our dear Makoto who was already in the tree and lend (lended?) me his hand to help me get into the tree. Then, we climbed higher on the tree, trying to escape the wolves... which managed to get higher as well?? But we were like more than 5 meters away from the ground??? Anyways, we managed to repel them (once again, Makoto helped a lot), and, I don't remember exactly what I said, but I talked to Makoto.

But it wasn't anything bad, I'm sure it was something along the lines of "Thanks for your help, Makoto! Why don't you stay with us? (I was with a group of people, we had established our camp not too far from that tree)"

And for some reason, Makoto got angry?? (His mask went like >o( ) and like, I tried reassuring him by telling him I really did not meant to hurt him or anything, that I just wanted to be friend because I liked him and he was a cool guy (so... I think I already knew him and who he was??), but he got all grumpy and left while saying we couldn't be friends??

Then, on to another scene some times later:

I was on a veeeery long/tall swing (which I think was on that tree from before?) and tried to reach to a cliff by swinging?

And on the cliff in front of the cliff I was trying to reach, was Makoto, looking at me. He wondered what I was doing, I explained it to him, and he felt silent. I asked him what *he* was doing here, but he wouldn't tell me. We were both silent for a little while, until I repeated what I had said earlier. "You know, I really mean it when I say we can be friends. And I really don't want to hurt you."

He didn’t say anything but his mask went >o( again. After a little while, he left, but before that, he told me "I can't be friends with you. We are too different."

And... What? Different? How? Why? I had no idea. The only thing I could think of was that he was too afraid I would discover he was a homonculus, but I already knew it? I looked at the blood on the ground (from when the wolves had attacked us. I managed to repel them unharmed (how???) but apparently Makoto had bleed a little?) and I was like "Maybe I could show him the pink blood and tell him I don't care?" buuut for some reason, I didn't?

And the rest of the dream is blurry, so I will just tell you what I somewhat remember.

At some point I had finally managed to reach that cliff. At some point, Makoto was back on the opposite cliff. We talked again. I think I told him that I knew he was different but I did not care. I don't remember what he said to that (if he even said something at all).

So basically, Makoto was observing a camp of humans, wanted to spend time with them but was also too scared to befriend them? I think I was the only one who knew about him/whom he had approached, for some reason.

What does that mean??? You are the Makoto fan, please tell us what that little masked man wanted to say, or what he was thinking or-

Why was Makoto monologing like middle school me though. Rejected a girl the same exact way I'm ngl

ANYWAY. Methinks Makoto wanted to be pals with your group but needed to go at his own pace. Felt a little frustrated when you asked because omg he's not there yet!!!! Don't rush him!!!!!! He's still getting through some stuff <///3 or something. Dream versions of characters can be very silly

[despair-to-future-arcs]

It’s feeding time.

*As everyone was finishing breakfast, suddenly Kyoko and Byakuya walk in*

Good morning everyone, I take it that you all finish breakfast?

Oh Kyoko and Byakuya, you both have arrive; what's going on?

We were inform by Makoto that you wanted to see us, is this about us forging documents?

Indeed, as say - seeing as we are going to help you all form new futures and identities right now; meaning we are going to help with your documentation and identities so meaning you'll need to come with me and Kyoko to the 2nd island.

*looks at a piece of paper* Now Hajime Hinata, Poppy Thompson, Yasushi Maruta, Takuma Noda, Mayu Someya, Kei Takahashi, Shun Koshino, Hasumi Sugaya, Fusako Mastsunaga, Kanami Murakami and Tomohiro Sato - will be going to the 2nd island and everything else will be explain there.

*Everyone that was listed gets up*

Well, time to get going; I suppose it's gonna be a lot of document signings...?

Boooring, seriously why do we have to do this?

'Man, so we gotta sign stuff, huh? That's gonna be hard for Ibuki to concentrate...'

Well as say, if we want new futures; will need to get these documents all taken care of so let's try to work on this as soon as possible.

Indeed, it will be take up a few hours for you then by October 1st you all will get your papers and documents all taken care of.

So follow me everyone, we are heading to the 2nd island...

*As then the whole group walk away with Kyoko and Byakuya; leaving Makoto, Nagi, Harumi, Mikan and Hiyoko*

Well, since we are done; Makoto are we going to wait for him to show up...?

Yes, we just need to wait until then...

???: Hey, sorry I took a while!

*As then Kyoji walk in*

Oh, Dr. Nakamura - thank you for coming.

No problem, so... are we going to speak with Nagito about what he learn yesterday and you want me and Harumi to speak with him?

Oh... you guys are gonna talk with that craze guy Nagito?

Indeed, see I just show him some documents we got during the investigation and let's say it was... a lot to take in as it just destory his world view entirely so I figure I bring these 2 with me to talk with him, so excuse me.

*As then Makoto and the 2 walk away, leaving the 3 alone...*

Okay then... this is gonna be boring, I'm stuck with gloomy bitch and Trashy Skank over here...

I thought I told you to not call me that...

Don't act as if we are on equal footing here; we aren't, you and I aren't gonna be friends and I will never be - especially as your a filthy, disgusting murderer.

Same with you, you also murder a bunch of people, remember? Don't act like you aren't innocent in all this and remember I was just the first to remember my time at Hope's Peak, you also be like me if you had the memory disease as well.

As if, I wouldn't fall for Junko's trap you good for noth-.

Ladies, you both have problems and you need to stop arguing right now.

...Hmph.

S-So since you are gonna get our stories, who are you going to start with first?

Well, I think since I do want to address the both of you; I feel I'll need some assistance with this one so I ask someone to come here to help out.

Really, who would that be?

*As then a girl went into the Hotel*

???: Saluation everyone, it's good to meet you Hiyoko and Koyuki.

*Hiyoko and Mikan turn around and see Miaya there*

I know that Nagi plans to get a therapy session for you both but I feel that my assistance could require some help; so I'll be assisting with one of you and help you come to terms with what happen.

I see, so how's this gonna work? Are you 2 gonna put us in different rooms or what?

Simple, you 2 will choose between myself and Dr. Gekkogahara and will have a therapy session for you both and then after that, we will show you footage of your time at Hope's Peak and how you 2 became Ultimate Despairs, now mind you the footage isn't edited; it was restracted from your memories for health reasons, so if your ready - we can start.

[janyxbeloved]

Truly a festive season. 1/2

JanyxBeloved's Christmas special.

Notes: Please keep in mind that this is my au, I don't wanna see people say "But they haven't even met??" So please, I'll respect your headcanons/opinions if you respect mine. I don't want anyone's holiday to be ruined, but have a very merry Christmas and a blessed new year. ❤️

The winds are bustling, snow is falling lightly, and of course, the alumni and students of Teyvat Central School for highschool and college (TCSHSC) are gathering for the usual school Christmas carnival.

Each group has their own special traditions, such as caroling, exchange gifts, picnic under the moonlight, gingerbread houses and a(my) personal favorite NGL.

Let's see what the alumni are up to.

Shenhe: Hm... It's not cold. Why'd you wear an extra layer of clothes?

Yelan: The fuck you mean "it's not cold"?! It's fucking 32 degrees out here!

Shenhe: I didn't ask for you to explain that but atleast wear a winter coat next time-

Ei: I missed this place quite much...

Yae Miko: Uh-huh, nothing much changed since we were students...

Nilou: Brr... It's colder than I thought...

Cyno: I snow right?

Tighnari: I still can't believe I married you...

Cyno: C'mon, Nari, I snow you love me snow much.

Nilou: How are we related...

Navia: Speaking of married, Clorinde, heard you got married. Who's the lucky fellow?

Clorinde: Wriothesly. He's with Sigewinne right now.

Tighnari: NO WAY! SPILL THE BEANS GIRL!

Makoto: WHAT?! NO WAY!

Clorinde: Crazy. I know.

Guizhong: Now I'm really interested!

Zhongli: Seriously?! You're married?

Nahida: Is he treating you well?!

Ganyu and Keqing: *Building a snowman*

(The other adults are probably Master of Ceremony or watching over their kids/siblings, or didn't even plan to show up yet)

As that's happening, let's see what the college students are up to.

Kaeya: Merry Christmas bitches!

Noelle: Kaeya, I don't think-

Eula: Merry Christmas assholes!

Kaveh: This is encouraging! Thanks! (He was being sarcastic about it and he's going mad)

Barbara: Watch you language please-

Alhaitham: You don't swear?-

Arlecchino: She doesn't, but Noelle sure as hell does.

Noelle: Hey!

Aether: Guys, watch where you're stepping!-

Lumine: We have a project!

Jeht: So do we!-

Xiao: Some Christmas break this is, working on projects before Christmas break... Then continuing it while you're having Christmas break...

Rosalyne: Mhm... I still didn't finish my report.

Lisa: We had a report...?

Arlecchino: I already passed mine.

Ayaka: Wait--- Did I pass my Business proposal?!

Yoimiya: I did it for the both of us, remember?-

Columbina, Shogun and Rosaria: *They were out caroling*

Time to see what the Highschool department is up to. The Christmas party seems to be going smoothly

Tsaritsa: Xiangling, you're in charge of reading the NGL confessions. Sucrose, monitor the gingerbread stations. Bennett, make sure the food is still warm, Dori make sure no one gets locked in random places. Diona, you're stationed to the drinks.

Surcrose, Xiangling, Bennett, Dori and Diona: Ma'am, yes ma'am!

Xingqiu: Gaming, Chongyun, you two look so cute in those matching sweaters!

Gaming: I didn't wanna wear it though-

Chongyun: He's not wrong. These sweaters do look nice on us.

YunJin: For once they aren't beefing, what a relief-

Xinyan: Don't jinx it.

Fischl: I like this hot cocoa. What's in it?

Diona: A bit of sugar, cocoa powder, marshmallows and love.

Fischl: It's delicious, really!

Diona: Aww shucks... My dad taught me the recipe...

Fischl: Aww, that's actually so sweet!

HuTao: Mm... Yanfei, you have something-

Yanfei: Oh, thanks! *She wipes her mouth*

Lyney: What if we wrap Mika in gift wrap-

Freminet: No! You can't do that to my best friend-

Lynette: The closet you're hiding in is made of glass Freminet.

Collei: Same goes for you.

Razor and Layla: OHHHHH!

Venti: The closet is very much transparent for them-

Furina: *Chokes on her hot cocoa* BAHAHAHAHA!

Mika and Charlotte: *Unaware of what's going on but happily chatting*

Heizou: Will you go with me on the ice rink?-

Kazuha: I already said yes-

Sayu: Be careful out there.

Klee: Is the snow edible?

Sigewinne: What if someone peed in it?

Qiqi: No crap...

Paimon: Can't we just drink some hot cocoa? I mean, it's better than eating something that's probably covered in pee...

YaoYao: *Already eating the snow* Oh-

Faruzan: C'mon Kuni! Try it! *Catching snowflakes with her tongue*

Albedo: I decided to wingman for you so just follow my lead. *Just playing along as a third wheeler*

Kunikuzushi: Fine... *Tries it, actually enjoys it*

Chiori: Look who's smiling.

[clothyume]

The Whereabouts of the Missing Book Episode 7

Makoto: Umm, I’m sure I was around these shelves when I heard Kagehira-kun yell out 

And then, when I went to see what was up, I found Kagehira by this desk, dropping his smartphone and panicking 

I asked him what was wrong, but he left the room to pick up the call

So, you probably put the book back… in this area between the shelves and the desk before you left the room? 

Mika: Ngah~ It kinda feels like yer remindin’ me of how stupid I am, I’m so embarrassed…

Makoto: Ahaha. We made eye contact and you left the room looking really embarrassed

Tsukasa: Ahem. In any case, thanks to Yuuki-senpai we now know about Kagehira-senpai’s actions at the time 

Hajime: …These shelves are usually where they put the new publications 

Tori: Right. I usually look on this shelf when I want to borrow new manga publications 

But the book Kagehira-senpai borrowed was an art book, right? Wouldn’t it be obvious if it were put back on this shelf?  

Tsukasa: Yes, but we couldn’t find such a book when we looked for it earlier

That means if it’s not here, it must have been returned to a different place. Possibly…

Nagisa: …What’s up? 

Hajime: Hyah, Ran-senpai!? When did you get there? 

Nagisa: …I was reading a book, then you guys came 

Hajime: Ah, I see. I’m sorry for disturbing your reading time…

Mika: Aah! That one! 

Makoto: Uwah, what’s up, Kagehira-kun!?  

Mika: The book I lost! It’s the one Ran-senpai is holding!  

Tsukasa: What the!? Ran-senpai, please can I have a look at that book 

…It really is the same book!  

Nagisa: …You’ve read this book too, Mika-kun? 

Mika: Yeah. Is there a reason I shouldn’t be readin’ it? 

Nagisa: …Sorry. I know you’re wary of me. However, I just wanted to share my opinions with other people who have read the book 

Mika: Ngah? Opinion? 

Nagisa: …This art book was excellent. When I read it I was still soaking it all in for a while after

Mika: Fer real? Me too. It was so impactful that I couldn’t even move fer a while after!  

Nagisa: …I’m really glad we feel the same, Mika-kun 

…There are a lot of pictures that remind me of Shu-kun’s work. I wonder if this method of expression is similar to his? 

Mika: Yeah! I thought the same thing!  

Ahaha. I never thought there’d be anyone I could talk t’ about this book 

Nagisa: …Me too, I’m glad I could find someone to discuss it with so soon 

…Mika-kun, which picture in this art book is your favourite? 

Mika: Ngah~ That’s tough, all the works hava a good theme and are one of a kind—

Tsukasa: Stop! Kagehira-senpai, have you forgotten our original goal? Our first priority is returning that book you lost! 

Mika: Y-Yeah, yer right. An’ here I thought I could talk about the book…

Nagisa: …? 

…Hmph. You’re saying the book I’m holding is actually property of Yumenosaki?

Hajime: Yes. I’m really sorry to put you out, but could we take this book back? 

Nagisa: …

Hajime: …Ran-senpai? What’s the matter? 

Nagisa: …I won’t return this book to Yumenosaki Academy 

Tsukasa: Huh, since when did Ran-senpai say such unreasonable things!? 

Nagisa: …That’s not the case. Just have a proper look at the spine 

Tori: Look at the spine… Huh? There’s a label on the spine of this book, so doesn’t that mean it belongs to the Book Room? 

Hajime: That’s right. Um, Ran-senpai. Please can I have a look at the back of the book

If it belongs to the academy, there should be a stamp at the end of the book indicating that

Nagisa: …Yeah. You can have a look 

Hajime: …There really isn’t a library stamp at the end of the book 

Tsukasa: So what you’re saying is, this book doesn’t belong to the academy at all? 

Hajime: It’s the same book as the one Kagehira-senpai borrowed, but this one belonged to the book room all along

Mika: No way, even though I thought we’d finally found it. It’s back t’ square one again…

Nagisa: …Don’t look so down, Mika-kun. You returned the academy’s book to the Book Room by accident 

…If that’s the case, I wonder if someone checked out the book by mistake? 

Makoto: I see. So it might have been borrowed again. That’s entirely possible. When I borrow books I don’t take not of whether it has a library stamp or a label 

In that case, should we look at the Book Room’s records? 

Tori: But Tsumugi-sama said earlier that they don’t keep records in the Book Room, right?  

Hajime: Yes. Basically, the only people who use the Book Room are those who live in Seisoukan, so I don’t think there’s any need to make it that strict, which means there isn’t one

Tsukasa: …In other words, the suspects have been narrowed down to whose who live in Seisoukan  

In that case, it was a good idea to ask Hasumi-senpai earlier to contact everyone 

Tori: Eh? What do you mean?  

Nagisa: …The person who borrowed it was definitely a resident of Seisoukan. So, if he looks at the notification, he’ll automatically realize that the book was borrowed from Yumenosaki 

Tori: Oh, of course! Then, if we just wait, the person who borrowed the book will eventually come forward! 

Tsukasa: Exactly. If I say “good things come to those who wait”, I’ll sound like Ritsu-senpai. But for now, let’s wait until we hear if the book has been found

Mika: Speakin’ of Ritsu-kun, we’d better tell him too. Thank ya kindly, everyone! If we find the book, I’ll be real grateful! 

Previous | Next

[itsybitsylemonsqueezy]

How do you rank the Yakuza games by story quality?

Welp, this will be opening up a can of worms, but to thank you for asking... (still leaving out both Judgment games because I'm a loser who hasn't played them) And obviously, this will get long, so much more under the cut:

First: Yakuza 0 -

You can all dunk on me for putting the popular choice first, but it's popular for a reason. The story stands on its own feet; if you never played another Yakuza game, you still got a satisfying story out of this. No dangling plot threads or criminally underutilized characters*. I think as a whole the series could have built more on these themes, I think Kiwami 1 does a little, which we'll get to in due course, but in general my biggest problem with Yakuza series writing is they adamantly refuse to view their writing as a story and only see it as a vehicle for a video game which... makes for some really questionable decisions. (* I know there are those who think more should have been done with Makoto or Nishitani living and there's room to argue here. It's half the reason to write fanfiction, but I think from a bird's eye view, we have a cohesive narrative where the stakes were fulfilled.)

Second: Yakuza 7 -

On the whole, this was a really solid entry writing wise. There's only a couple of missteps I see here and mostly they're to do with the very end. So, spoilers for the end of Yakuza 7, skip to the next point if you don't want to know. I think it would have been really cool if they'd just made Ichiban Black-Asian, but that's a personal quibble for me. I think crowbarring Kiryu in was... questionable and not really good??? For Ichiban??? But my biggest problem was killing Ryo, that was absolutely unneeded and kinda makes a mockery of Kiryu's entire arc. Like, Ichiban and Kiryu, as have oft been noted, are very different protagonists. Kiryu is haunted by the sins of his father and the death of his brother. These slowly eat Kiryu from the inside out (much like cancer) turning him bitter and away from the yakuza as a whole. We deal with these themes in every single game, more or less. That's not what Ichiban's set up to deal with. Ichiban from day 1 is Just Some Guy, started at the bottom now we're here. He's all about success and joy and loving life, especially in the face of adversity, and in particular, in the face of social convention. Killing his brother saddles Ichiban with deep guilt and grief over what could have been, should have been, or at least it should, right? Ichiban spends their last minutes together trying to save his soul and I think would have been successful if the writing hadn't fucked him at the last second. And just... why? What purpose does it serve? Tying up loose ends? I don't know how to explain this, but you actually can let a character's story be over without killing them. That's actually just a very normal thing you can do. And this is what I mean about viewing the story as a video game rather than as a story: the boss must be defeated, Ryo must die, whether or not that makes any fucking sense. And especially in the context of what Kiryu went through, this looks super fucking bad because I can almost guarantee we will never revisit any guilt or sorrow over that death in any future game. Like, we do the exact same thing, Ichiban traumatically loses a brother he had a fraught relationship with, just like Kiryu, but instead of changing him and his trajectory irrevocably it just... bounces off. Really, really bad choice, I do not care for it.

Third: Yakuza Kiwami 1 -

Haters gonna hate, but I love Kiwami 1. I think it's an excellent retelling and refinement of the first Yakuza while incorporating a lot of relevant details and character progress from Yakuza 0. If I was going to level a criticism at it, it would be that we still shy from letting Kiryu confirm his emotional tethers. For all that I think there's some very strong writing regarding what Kiryu cares about and what motivates him, at strange moments the writing will suddenly back down in a fit of cowardly homophobia and cling to just enough plausible deniability that they won't upset censors or alienate less subtextual readers. This goes hand in hand with the narrative cannot fucking figure out what to do with Majima. He's important! But not that important. He's Kiryu's closest friend and also they hate each other. Sometimes the narrative tries very hard to convince you It's Not Gay We Swear, The Rivalry Is So Straight And Malicious You Guys when two scenes before they lovingly stared into each others eyes while speaking deep personal truths for like a full three minutes, unblinking, unlaughing. And in the context of later games, it's weird to give Majima so much space in this game and in 0, to give him oodles of screen time, to make it very clear how close he and Kiryu are, and then frantically backtrack and nearly try to erase him from the narrative later, assure you he's Just Some Guy to Kiryu, after they've already painstakingly proved otherwise. It's frustrating, but certainly not a unique criticism. And I get that Majima has a big pull promotional wise, we all love the mad man, but... pick a lane. Either let him be Kiryu's one true love or stop messing with this shit, since it makes you so uncomfortable to imply otherwise.

Fourth: Yakuza 3 -

Okay, this game has really, really good writing actually! Yes, it drags in spots, but I think this game pulls off the greatest villain reveal of the whole series. It's really hard to reveal a villain's motives at the very end and have it resonate with the audience. And when you hear Mine say "Daigo is the only man I ever loved" it fucking makes sense. All his weird behavior, his barely contained rage, his psychotic choices... it all becomes crystal clear why as you see this picture of a man with the worst kind of self-esteem problems, who pinned the whole of his essence on someone else and cannot come to terms with the reality of human frailty. I make no apologies for being a huge fan of Mine and he's definitely the best written character in the game. This game still struggles with letting Kiryu put proper emotional weight on his core relationships, both with Majima and with Daigo specifically. And even with his orphanage, we introduce all those children but when do they ever matter? Yes, this is a yakuza game, Kiryu has to go out and fight people because this is a game and he's the protagonist, but then why have him retire to the beach at all if you're just going to have him come back, painlessly, every time?

Fifth: Yakuza 5 -

Oh, Yakuza 5, my ugly beloved. My swan song. My cherished disaster. Equal parts sublime and terrible. This is peak writing for Kiryu, of all the games, this one understands him the best. He's tired and sad and bitter, he's riddled with guilt and doing his best and his best is shit, and in the end he still tries to come home. God, this... this was the closest we ever came to letting Kiryu grow, letting him learn his lesson, letting him understand that dying like his father did and abandoning his family is not the fucking answer. Kiryu's arc in this game is so good, so earned, we even let him go bug fucking crazy at the idea Majima is dead, I could swoon. God, this was So Good, I will not hear any criticisms about Kiryu in this game, 10/10 Kiryu.

On the other hand, it has been well documented that I am a Mirei Park hater, RIP to her lovers, but I just hated every part of that. I think Majima was character assassinated this game. I understand that at the time, 0 and both Kiwamis didn't exist yet and so the writing is responding to this impulse that for Majima to work, for him to make sense, there has to be deep pain and tragedy in his background. But this was a catastrophic vehicle for it, it does not fit for him, and they did a 10/10 job in 0 so... that's the canon I believe. Semi-related, I don't love making Haruka an idol? Not only does she state in previous games that she's not interested in being an idol, but I just think it's a waste of her potential. I love her being a protag, I wish we could get MORE protag Haruka, god she deserves it, we deserve it. And I think there were many other ways we could have done that, I think this fell prey to a lack of imagination on the part of the writers. But, she does call her father home in the end and decide this isn't what she wanted after all so... I do love that. They snatched it back in the end.

And hey, we even got a fulfilling arc out of Saejima! Who knew! On balance, the writing of this game is really good, it just has a couple of critical failures for me. But mostly, expert characterization and finally allowing emotional weight to have its due. It's cruel of me to say, but I so wish the series had ended here. Or even hard reboot with 7, that's fine. Just... man. I wish we hadn't destroyed everything we did correctly here.

Sixth: Yakuza 4 -

Everyone loves to dunk on Yakuza 4 for being too complicated and difficult to understand. That actually doesn't bother me. I think the plot isn't that bad to follow and I think the introduction of non-yakuza members to the crime world, Akiyama and Tanimura, are really good world building. It helps to understand that there are forces that can impact what the yakuza do and what they are capable of doing. I think Daigo is 10/10 in this game, I think his mistakes are entirely justified, and I love how we have to deal with it.

What I don't love is Kiryu's amnesia from Yakuza 3, that those lessons seem to be entirely lost and have to be learned again. I don't love that there's no continuity of consequences, either from other games into this one or from this game into later ones. That's really my biggest problem with 4. That despite introducing fan favorites like Saejima and Akiyama, both of whom are executed really well and are excellent additions, the political tension and themes that I think are very coherent here don't have much impact on the later series. And maybe that was down to poor reception and people complaining that they didn't like the story. That could just be an artifact of serial publication and bending to the whims of public opinion. Again, for me that's an issue of viewing the story as a video game and product rather than maintaining loyalty to the story above all else. But that's my bias as a writer and as a professional academic when it comes to story.

Seventh: Yakuza 6 -

Full disclosure: I have almost no love for Yakuza 6. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and a fog in my brain. I find it particularly egregious of erasing past lessons, of ignoring understandings we already had. I think it deliberately ignores emotional weight we already established and used. I loathe what we do with Haruka, that her entire autonomy is stripped from her and she is little more than a bauble used to torture Kiryu. I find the choices made for her at best perplexing and at worst deeply misogynistic and narrow. I hate that rather than use characters already long-established to deal with Kiryu's trauma regarding organized crime, family, brotherhood, and fatherhood, we introduce new people who do not matter and will never be seen again instead of resolving anything with the people we already know and care about. It feels like an incredible slap in the face to anyone who cared about those previous characters and the relationships they had with Kiryu.

Think about that letter to Daigo at the end. How earned, how deserved it is. And yet, it's so hollow because it's literally the bare minimum Kiryu needed to do for him. Think about how much more fulfilling this story could have been if we actually spent it with Daigo, resolving all the pain there. Also, Kiryu faking his death??? Abandoning his family, after we just literally in the last game proved why you shouldn't do that??? I get that this was supposed to be the end of the series and nothing is more final than death. But at the first opportunity they drag Kiryu back, like they always do. So his faked death does nothing to the plot except hurt the people around him, the people who cared about him. I in fact wrote an entire fic about how bad a job I think this game was and how much it hurt me personally. So it's very hard for me to be objective about this.

Viewing it apart from continuity, it's a relatively engaging story about a middle-aged dad trying to navigate a shady past. And if you look at this like that, if Kiryu was just some guy, some stranger, I know I wouldn't be as devastated by it as I am. For all the people who love this game, maybe that's what's working for you. It's also lush and beautiful and Kiryu's ass is in every shot. But putting it in context... I can't really think of anything I like here.

Eighth: Yakuza Kiwami 2 -

Now, now, before you get angry, I love Kiwami 2! In terms of enjoyment, I rate it very high! But... it's a pretty hot mess in terms of story. It's a real odd duck in continuity and I know that's down to it was originally a sequel to a standalone game that was never meant to have a sequel. And when they remade Yakuza 1, they couldn't very well not make Yakuza 2. But considering what we later did in the series... it just doesn't quite come together. Like, Ryuji should matter. The shit we bring up about that backstory should matter. This was a great opportunity for Kiryu to unpack some of his feelings about the yakuza and it makes sense that he's depressed as shit here, but... there's just a lot of missed opportunities. In our pursuit of putting Daigo on the throne, there was so much more work we could have done regarding the sins of the father, the narrative is kinda set up for that since we're a father-son team, but... we don't really. We again let Kiryu refuse to unpack and shy out of the emotional weight of our choices. I don't love that. And since we do some of the work, we at least start it, in Yakuza 3 with Kiryu having to acknowledge that he abandoned Daigo in a shit position (god if only, if only...), it's weird that we didn't build more of the blocks here. Again, I know this is largely down to Yakuza 2 was never supposed to exist and they didn't know how many games they would get, but since it's a remake, they had time to go back and clean things up. *sigh* Oh well, at least there's Ryuji titty and tigers to fight.

[ibasae]

DecaDANCE - 1

Season: Autumn

Location: Cosmic Production

Mika: (Mm? I came here 'cause the Vice President asked me to, but the guy himself ain't here.)

(That's okay. I'll just patiently wait a while.)

(But what business could the Vice President have with me? I don't think I did anythin' really wrong recently, 'n I've stopped ignorin' the advice of the agent he sent me too.)

(...Could I have done somethin' wrong without me knowin' it?)

(That might be it, after all, why else would the Vice President ask me to come here, especially alone?)

(Ngaah, what to do...? But, I don't even know what I did, so I can't even think of a solution.)

(This is so stressful... please show up soon, Vice President.)

Ibara: --Oya, you're already here.

If I may ask, when did you arrive? My sincerest apologies if I made you wait for long.

Mika: I-it's okay. I just got here too...

(...Well, the Vice President sure doesn't look upset, at a glance, he doesn't look much different from his usual self.)

(But that could just be 'cause he's not the kinda person to wear their feelings out on their face. After all, I don't talk to him much and I don't know a lot about him.)

Mika: ...Um, Vice President? Did ya need anythin' from me today?

Ibara: Would it be alright if I made you wait just a little? I do not like to repeat myself when it comes to important matters.

Mika: O-Okay...

(What did he mean by "Repeat myself?" Does that mean the Vice President asked other people to come too, and it's not just me?)

(Is it Oshi-san.... Probably not. Oshi-san should be at Paris, especially since he wasn't there when I went to go look for him today.)

Ibara: ...

Mika: ...

(Uuu, the atmosphere is really heavy now that we are both quiet~...)

(Should I make some small talk? Eugh, what do I talk about...)

Mika: Um, fine weather we're havin', right?

Ibara: Indeed.

Mika: ...

(Ah, this conversation is just goin' nowhere~ Somebody, anybody will do, please come save me from this situation~...!)

Makoto: Ello~

Ibara: Greetings to the two of you! Yuuki and Anzu, thank you both for coming all this way!

Mika: Did ya get called over by the Vice President too?

Makoto: Hm, that's not really it. I didn't get called over by Saegusa-kun, it's Anzu here who called me.

I was wondering why we were going to meet up at CosPro. Turns out we were going to meet up with you and Saegusa-kun!

Mika: So that's why... I'm so glad it's Mako-kun who came. I'm more at ease when someone from my class is around ♪

Although I was praying for just about anyone to come, I wouldn't be happy if it were someone really intimdiatin' either.

Ibara: May I ask what you were referring to by "praying for anyone to come?"

Mika: I-it's nothin'. Please don't worry about it, Vice President~

Ibara: ...Okay. I won't pry then. Let's move on to the main topic.

Yuuki, I am sure Anzu has already explained the situation before you came here. However, please bear with me as I explain it one more time. You may use this as an opportunity to double check the information you have on hand for any misunderstandings.

This time, a movie production company has offered us a job opportunity, and wanted to invite Kagehira-san as well as Yuuki to be the protagonists.

Makoto: Protagonists? Us?

Mika: Eh~ Could there be a mix-up? 'M not an actor at all.

Ibara: There is no mistake. The company specifically requested the two of you to participate. Although I do not have the movie script yet, we have already received some related materials. I have them right here.

Kagehira-san will play a cool and level-headed high schooler, while Yuuki will play a high school genius with a mysterious aura--

Due to having witnessed an arrest of a criminal made by the police as children, they have an idealized image of the police force in their minds.

Although they were later told that what they have witnessed is nothing more than a part of a TV show's live shooting, they have not given up on their dreams and were still determined to work in law enforcement.

However, when they did accidentally witness the scene of a crime, the police refused to pick up their case due to "a lack of evidence."

Makoto: And as they thought that they "will not qualify to be a good police" if they ignored something like this, they begun their own private investigations...

Due to the juvenile nature of the protagonists, will they hold back on the more violent scenes in consideration?

Ibara: I suppose so. Regardless, I do not think it is an age-restricted movie... Right, Anzu?

Makoto: I see, so it's a job request received by Anzu, who handed it over to Saegusa-kun to direct?

Ibara: Instead of directing it, it is better to say that I am working on it together with Anzu. I have my own duties regarding it, and Anzu has Anzu's unique responsibilities.

Mika: I am to be a... protagonist...

...Hm? What's up, Anzu?

...Is that so? Ya really want us to take this job, huh.

I get where yer comin' from. After all, it is quite a big oppourtunity.

Ibara: I would like both of you to thoroughly consider this job as well. After all, playing a protagonist is much more than just a demonstration of one's acting abilities.

In addition, you will be required to attend a fan meet at the premiere, participate in many business events related to the movie's publicity... The directing company will create many related oppourtunities, and thus you will receive a lot of payments.

This way, as you get a lot of public exposure, both of you will become more well-known as a result. I don't see a downside to accepting this offer.

Mika: Yeah... What Anzu and Saegusa-senpai said does make sense...

(That's the theory, but, my actin' on the other hand...)

...Mm? Sorry, Anzu. I was totally zonin' out and didn't catch what ya said at all.

So ya want us to accept the offer from "the perspective of a producer," but won't be upset if we turn it down if we really don't wanna participate?

Makoto: Is that so? So Anzu still wants to respect our wishes, above all.

Thank you. That will give me time to think it over. For a project of this size, it wouldn't be wise of me to make a snap jugement.

I will get back to you after careful consideration.

[mycoolwritingcorner]

Sailor Moon: Reignstorm - Chapter 1: Rei’s Dilemma

The Sailor Guardians thought they had finally caught a break. With Galaxia defeated, Ami and Makoto have finally confessed their feelings for one another, and Rei is trying to figure out where she and Minako stand, when out of the blue a mysterious new enemy arrives from the stars, with some very familiar tricks. Will our heroes be able to band together once more to defeat them, or will this new villain succeed in tearing them apart from the inside out?

(Note: This story takes place after my previous stories, Buried Feelings: Facing Love at Last and The Calm Before The Storm)

--

The cloaked figure descended upon the remains of what used to be known as Planet Nemesis. The planet, and the Malefic Black Crystal which it housed had both been destroyed in Death Phantom’s bout with Sailor Moon, along with the Death Phantom himself. Most had assumed there was nothing left to fear from this planet, that any threat it posed had been neutralized by the combined power of two Legendary Silver Crystals… they were wrong.

The figure sifted through the rubble of the shattered world for some time, before they finally found what they were looking for: a shard of the Malefic Black Crystal, roughly the size of Sailor Moon’s Silver Crystal, which contained the last of its power. The figure picked the Crystal up and held it in their gauntlet, feeling its dark energy surge through them. They cracked a smile underneath their cold metal mask.

“Oh… this will do nicely.”

…

“What do you mean you liked the ending?!” Rei shouted indignantly at Minako, who had come to the Hikawa Shrine to return some manga she had borrowed from her raven-haired friend.

“Um… that I liked the ending?” The blonde said while watching Rei place her manga back on her shelf.

“But they completely botched it! Her best friend stood by her through everything, was her rock for the entire series, and then at the end they decide that she should end up with some boring guy who she has, like, no chemistry with instead of her?”

“I thought it was sweet. I really liked the wedding scene at the end.”

“Oh that was the worst!” Rei complained.

“You just don’t like it because your ship didn’t happen.” Minako shot back with a smirk.

“No, that’s not it at all!” Rei refuted, a light blush crossing her face, “I’m just saying there was clear romantic tension between her and her best friend, and then at the end they decide to just throw alllll of that away to have her end up with a dude who’s about as interesting as a piece of cardboard!” The miko finished with a huff, earning a giggle from Minako. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re cute when you get all riled up about this stuff.” Minako replied with a smile.

The compliment caused Rei to turn a shade of red comparable to the skirt she wore as a Sailor Guardian, “Oh… um… thanks?”

“Anyways, I’ve gotta get going, are we still on for Friday night?” Minako asked as she began to make her way towards the exit.

“Uh, yeah, definitely.” 

“Alright, awesome, catch ya later!” The blonde-haired girl said before taking her leave.

After her friend had left Rei sat on her bed in contemplation. She and Minako had been spending a lot more time together as of late. The two of them had figured, with their other friends running off together so often it made sense for them to keep each other company. Since they started, however, Rei noticed something was different about Minako. While mulling over the events of the past few weeks, she was drawn into a memory of the aftermath of the first of her and Minako’s escapades…

…

“Uh, hey Rei, what’s up?” Usagi asked over the phone, clearly confused as to why Rei had decided to call her out of nowhere so late at night.

“Uh, well…” Rei began, nervously twirling her hair while sitting atop her bed, “... I have a… hypothetical, for you.” 

“You called me because you have a hypothetical for me?” Usagi questioned.

“Uh… yeah.”

“Oh pipe down, the movie will still be here when we’re done.” Usagi said out of nowhere from the other end of the line.

“What?” 

“Oh, Mamo and I were watching a movie when you called.” Usagi explained, “Anyway, what’s your hypothetical?”

“Well… let’s say, again, hypothetically, that one of your best friends… I dunno, kissed you on the cheek out of nowhere, what would you think about that situation?”

“Well… it’s definitely not something I’ve ever experienced personally.” Usagi began, “I guess it would depend on the context?”

“Yeah, I uh… I guess that would make sense.” Rei replied.

“How about you, babe, you and Motoki ever kiss?” Usagi asked before Rei heard a voice talking in the background, which presumably belonged to Mamoru.

“What do you mean you can’t talk about it?”

“What do you mean you were sworn to secrecy?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE WAS ALCOHOL INVOLVED?!” 

“Usagi!” Rei chided, “Can we focus please?”

“Right, sorry.” Usagi apologized, “Anyway, it’s obvious this isn’t just a hypothetical so how about you tell me who kissed you so I can actually help you out?”

“Okay, okay, fine!” Rei conceded, “It was Mina.” The raven-haired girl said in a whispered tone.

“Oh, why didn’t you lead with that?” Usagi scolded, “Mina flirts with everyone, she probably just thought it’d be fun.”

“Right, right, obviously.” Rei said in agreement, “I just figured I’d get a second opinion to make sure that there wasn’t… y’know… more to it than that.”

“I mean… do you want there to be?” 

“WHAT?! No, of course not!” Rei dismissed, blushing profusely, “Anyway, thanks for your help, gotta go, bye!” She finished before quickly hanging up the phone, Usagi’s words still echoing in her mind.

“... do you want there to be?”

“... Do I?”

…

The question had hung in the miko’s head ever since. Especially any time Mina would flirt with her which was… fairly frequently. Rei tried to heed Usagi’s words and just write it off as Mina being Mina but something about it just felt off.

In general she had been acting weirder as of late, especially around Rei. And she had all but confirmed that she had feelings for someone (who was almost certainly a girl)... was it possible that those feelings were for Rei?

What further confused the situation were Rei’s own feelings on the matter. She had never even thought about Minako in that way before, but now? She couldn’t stop thinking about it. And as far as Minako’s flirting, Rei would certainly be lying if she said she disliked it. Not to mention she had suddenly been noticing things about her friend that she had never paid much mind to before. Her long, flowing hair, her beautiful blue eyes, her lips…

Rei shook her head aggressively to get herself off of that train of thought, “Maybe I need to talk to someone about this.” She thought. As she began to mull over her potential advisors, she quickly realized there was only one person best suited to give advice on this front.

--

*The "escapade" Rei is referring to can be seen in my last story, The Calm Before The Storm.

And that was chapter 1! As for when chapter 2 is coming, I know I said weekly at the end of The Calm Before The Storm, but it is more likely for these to come out on a biweekly basis. Apologies, but with college keeping me busy that's just kind of the way it has to be. There will likely be some times when I'm feeling generous and post two weeks in a row if I'm satisfied with the chapters, but don't expect that every time.

But please, let me know what you guys think! Comments are very much appreciated!

And come back next time for Chapter 2: Gathering The Pawns.

Next Chapter

[cookies-are-nice]

Catalyst

Content : Mikey x Sachiko(OC), typical tokro revengers shananigans

Notes : English is not my first language and there are probably a lot of mistakes in here :'D. Also, I need to stress how cringe the first part of the story is but trust me, my writing gets better as you read😭

Chapter 1 : Rose of Tokyo

-ˋˏ ❀。* ✿˚* ੈ ‧₊*❈꧁🥀꧂❈ * ੈ‧₊ *₊° ❀ ˎˊ-

"Have you guys heard of the 'Rose of Tokyo'?" Akkun asked with hesitance.

"What kind of name is that?" Makoto asked mockingly.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHO?! THE GIRL WHO SAVED COUNTLESS OF OTHER WOMEN FROM BEING HARRASSED?! THE GIRL WHO IS RUMORED TO HAVE THE SKILL OF TOMAN'S LEADER?! THE GIRL WHO CAN KICK ASS?! THE GIRL WH-"

"OK, WE GET IT" Yamagishi was quickly cut off by Takemichi.

Despite that, he continued, "You are a disgrace to the brotherhood for not knowing that such a badass delinquentress existed."

"You are one annoying fanboy"

*GASPS* "HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY WORK YOU LITTLE-"

Yamagishi and Makoto get up to square up with each other, while the others continue to chill at the park.

*Sigh* "Those two are so annoying,"

Takemichi chuckles.

"But why did you ask us about her?"

"Oh, I want to know who she was."

"Akkun? I didn't know you were a fan"

"What no! I just wanted to thank her in person for helping my sister get out of trouble yesterday,"

"why can't you just find her and tell her,"

"she always runs away when someone tries to talk with her,"

"oh I see"

"WAIT, did you think WE of all people knew?"

"I thought Yamagishi would've found out by now."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

He yelled from a distance.

"WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD KNOW WHO SHE IS BY NOW SINCE YOU'RE SUCH A SIMP!"

"OH, YOU WANNA FIGHT?!"

"BRING IT ON FANBOY!"

Akkun left Takemichi and joined in on the fight.

<what a hypocrite>

Takemichi thought to himself as he glanced at the time displayed on his phone.

"Uh, I have to leave now, it's about to be dinner time."

His friends whined in disappointment. They bid farewell and Takemichi headed home. After walking for a while, he finally reached home. He swung open the door, threw his bag on their broad couch and rushed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Emerging from his room after showering, he walked toward the sofa and flopped on it face down, not even making an effort to complete his schoolwork. Suddenly, he heard the house door being unlocked.

"TAKEMICHI IM HOME"

"Oh hi sis"

Sachiko comes in with some kfc that she bought for dinner.

"KFC?!"

"You got a 67% on your Math exam so I figured you should have a reward"

<I really shouldn't award him for this but oh well>

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

Takemichi exclaimed as he grabbed the bag of the finger-lickin' good fried chicken and dug in. While enjoying their dinner, Takemichi suddenly brought up a question.

"hey sis, have you heard of 'tokyo rose'?"

"...what"

"or something like that I probably messed up the name,"

"OH, you mean 'Rose of Tokyo' ? The one who goes around saving girls from getting harassed or something?"

"Why does everyone know who she is?"

"cause she showed up like 1 month ago I think."

<1 month 2 weeks and 4 days>

"oh really? I only found out about her recently, "

"huh, I didn't expect that from you, Takemichi,"

"what do you mean?"

"Oh cmon you know what I mean!"

'Wha- OH DONT THINK OF ME THAT WAY!"

"IT'S HARD NOT TO IF YOU'D HIDE THOSE MAGAZINES BETTER THEN MAYBE I WOULDN'T! "

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH STOP TALKING ABOUT THAT! "

"..."

An awkward silence filled the room—that was until Sachiko started eating again, Takemichi followed, not making eye contact.

"So uhm why did you ask me about her?"

<damn this feels like déjà vu>

"uh Akkun wanted to thank the girl for helping her sister"

"She already thanked m....." She mumbled then slowly trailed off.

"What?"

"O-oh I was saying his sister probably already thanked the girl"

"He wanted to thank the girl formally, "

"She really doesn't want it, I mean she doesn't do what she does for something in return, she does it because she wants to help out. Plus, she'd feel way too bad if she hadn't interfered with the situation."

"wait a minute"

<SH*T I SAID TOO MUCH>

"How do you know that much about her?"

"ARE YOU-*GASP*"

"UHM NO I'M NOT IT'S JUST THAT I-"

"ARE YOU SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH HER?! I MEAN YOU AND HER HAVE 'ROSE IN YOUR NAMES AND-" "I'm throwing you out of the house"

"NO WAIT-"

Sachiko jokingly forces Takemichi out of the house and smiles to herself thinking how lucky she is to have a brother this stupid. But he was right about one thing, she really needed to be careful when letting rumours about her spread.

more notes: AHHH THAT WAS SO CRINGE. I'm so sorry😭😭 I wrote that shi a year ago. I promise the next chapters will be better🤞