#that said if you have GOOD yuri about adults

[colorisbyshe]

the thing about the 'support yuri or you're a misogynist' posts is a significant portion of yuri is written by men (which people making those posts would know if they actually read yuri themselves) and most yaoi is written by women so technically no matter what you read you're supporting women just in different ways... sort of. i mean not really but also kinda. we all win and we all lose all the time. such is life.

[purpledemonlilyposting]

Some things about you in Lily’s server btw:

> "Lorch doesn't think what Akio had with Anthy was beautiful and consensual, what a monster!"

"Boy, dis is some good coffee"

(Lily herself): Damn she really said "This wasn't rape because this 14 year old girl consented to sex with her adult brother."

Actual fucking weeb brain in SO MANY PLACES

——

You didn’t say this, right?

I got an inside look at precisely what was said here to confirm.

Yeah I didn't say that. Lily is just drifting even further from the original Twitter argument I had into her own incest-brained fantasies. TL;DR: I get annoyed at people who have clearly never actually watched Revolutionary Girl Utena characterizing it as "yuri". I sarcastically said:

Cause. You know. That happens.

Twitter people then started arguing Akio seducing Utena to take her virginity is rape, I said just boiling it down to just the statement "Akio raped Utena" is an oversimplification that obscures what the text of the show is actually communicating. I further mentioned that I used to do the same thing because I really, really wanted Utena to be a lesbian but she's clearly attracted to Akio and was receptive to sleeping with him. I also said, as I always do, that Akio is the devil of the story.

The twitter people then started crying she's 14 it can only be rape no matter how many ways I tried to explain the meta ethics of it isn't the point I'm talking about the text of the show and what it means within the story.

Twitter people then started turning this into "you think 14 year olds can consent!"

Lily started repeating this despite saying people on Twitter are crazy and stupid.

Lily has now seemingly somehow warped this into I think Akio and Anthy's twisted, abusive, coercive relationship is beautiful.

[jazzyblusnowflake]

OMG hi…I really like your art and was wondering if you wanna be mutuals??????????? Also tell me about your MD ships :3c

honey we are dating- .....okay yknow what- HI PRETTY & TALENTED LADY- yess i will absolutely love toooo 🙈💕💕💕💕💕

also lets see uhhh okay this is an excuse for me to just... expload-

keep in mind not every ship is meant for all of you so dont badger me about stuff that ISNT CANON or YOU DONT SHIP. contrary to whatever you believe, when somone posts about THEIR ships, nobody wants to hear about you NOT shipping it on THAT EXACT post.

hang in there, this gon be a long one >:p

First off we are starting strong with Nuzi- Biscuitbites obviously thats a given- these two just have too much to be said about why and how they make eachother the best version of eachother, whether they ever became canon or not- they fit like puzzle pieces- they lessen eachothers negative traits by being their for eachother.

next is Vuzi- Violentviolet, they are my favorite kind of enemies to lovers 😔 but its also tragic smh. kinda pissed off at how V always does something good in Uzis favor only when she is LITERALLY PASSED OUT- either in the camp ep on the bus or in Alices lab. like damn ofFUCKINGcourse Uzi wouldnt know she cares about her 😭😭😭

envuzi- Violentbitingbiscuits, i love these goobers with all my heart- they deserve the best 😔💕💕💕💕

envy - [does this poor ship just NOT have an exclusive FINDABLE tag name??? im calling them GoldenMemories...], i like to think that if they were in the manor still, and nothing bad had ever happened, these two would be comforting eachother in the healthiest way possible. V needs someone like N and N is just adorable like that uwu

Next we have JxTessa/Jessa- [calling them Fancyblades cuz why not-] J deserves some closure for the shit shes gone through smhhh 😔, its a tragic yuri of J loving and wanting something she probably already accepted she couldnt have, and even then she gotta deal with Ns ass being the favorite one regardless of how hard she tries to be perfect... sighhh i wanna imagine them in a future where Tessa was spared as the only human and J could save her 😭😭😭😭 Tessa might have loved doing mechanical stuff or wore black to hide grease/oil stains on her clothes from her parents and wore gloves to hide her oily stained hands- i want her to have a scene of wiring drones back to life and saving them and saying something like "hey there, you made it! dont worry, ill take care of you, youre my friend now :3" or something //dies//, also before anyone says it- even if Tessa was a teen in the flashbacks- romance is not exclusive to ADULTS, teens can love eachother without having sexual stuff involved. no she was not their MOTHER figure, she was their FRIEND who liked to fix robots for herself to not be alone in a house where her own parents literally chain her up as punishment. i dont even know why im arguing about this, people headcanon or make aus about characters NOT being dead all the time and if Tessa was alive for as long as J thought she was, Tessa would have been a perfectly fine adult either way. so counting this, yes shes canonically considered an adult when Cyn tries to imitate an adult humans body 🙄 makes as much sense as everything else i guess-

next ones i got is NorixYeva/Neva- Solverlilies- i just think theyre neat 😭😭😭 and once again, like everything else in this franchise- they are tragic yuris 😔 damn liam im finding a pattern over here 🤨 anyway, i like to think they either got closer in the lab experimentations or were already close when they were working as WDs in the campsite area for the humans. obviously canonically they were probably straight or just not into eachother romantically- [Nori either u have the worst taste men or Khan just fucking lost it after you died-] but also on the other handddd.... they have 2 hands and they are robots, i want them to kiss like two barbie dolls and im gonna make them do just that-

DollxLizzy/Dizzy- Bloodypink, wost fucking ship names ever, i cant find shit on them with these tags and it makes me angry >:/ at this point 2/3s of my ships are just tragic yuris smh, Doll did not deserve any of the things handed to her, even if she went about doing some things the wrong way i wish Lizzy didnt just abandon her- but then again, Doll did kinda abuse Lizzys trust and Lizzy got scared of being close to a serial murderer so.... morality calls this a draw? 😭 im crying... i wish someone was there to help Doll... sigh... i like to think Lizzy would have waited for Doll to just come back at some point... oh well, thats why AUs exist :"3 //sobs in the corner//

DollxUzi/Dollzi- Bloodybats, this ship is so underrated to me... they could have been... so much more. but why weren't they? did Yeva abandon ever getting close to Uzi when she was a kid after Nori died? did Uzi and Doll just never play around together as kids when their mothers were so close? were they ever close and something went wrong as they grew older? at worst they could have been like sisters together, and at best maybe more than friends. i just dont know what happened here, like Yeva could have tried to keep an eye on Uzi, maybe Uzi could have found Dolls powers so cool before having them too- i dont know theres literally tons of possibilities- but if Doll deserved to be saved or cared for by anyone, at least one of them should have been Uzi... sigh.

ThadxV- Killingblonde, yall this is... the cutest shit... ever???? like from here on out we kinda go into the more or less crackship territory but these two are adorable- Dumbass yet wholesome jock boy that just wants to keep his queen happy 😔👌👌👌 He and Uzi would have so much to talk about on "crushing on literal murder bots that stabbed and almost ate us" its literally love at first stab smhhh 😫💕

ThadxSam- Smokyjock ???? for some fucking reason??? i dont know what my brain did here man- i just like the trope of someone getting under Thads skin- like pair up the healthy sports loving gym boy with the lazy but wholesome dumbass that does drugs or is always just sleep deprived and Thad is always trying to just... take care of his ass and make him take care of himself but he just WONT SMHHH-

okay some more or less crack ships down here:

ThadxN: it speaks for itself. its too adorable and youll go blind from the light of wholesomeness-

ThadxNxUzi: Uzi will die here from the overwhelming wholesomeness... oh bonus if its just a 4s polycule of ThadxNxUzixV i mean i know im pushing my luck but.... random crackships go brr- V and Uzi will complain but love their dumbass golden puppy partners-

ThadxUzi: i think they could have been close and Thad caring about her as a childhood friend turned crush sounds just too cute for me 😔

LizzyxUzi: another random ass rivals to lovers or some shit idk what this is, Lizzy would pay Uzi to kiss the fuck out of her i dont make the rules-

ThadxLizzy: in some cases where they are NOT headcanoned as siblings or cousins, i think they have a good energy of wholesome jock bf and girly queen cheerleader lol, Thad is just a good bf eitherway-

DollxUzixLizzy: the gals would not leave a single second of silence for the small gremlin i swear to God- [Uzi is gay as FUCK for her gfs, absolute girloser unit with her gorgeous but crazy gfs]

okay for the end i have some characters that arent ships but i wish they could have become closer as friends or work out their issues...

J and N- too much abuse and toxicity here, i wish they could talk together more and see they have a lot of things in common- maybe a full line of dialogue from J without threatning N in every sense of the manner would be nice for a change =_=

Doll and V- again, a bit morally ambiguous to ship a character with the murderer of your family, esp when said murderer hasnt expressed regret lmao, but i wish they could at least be friends... Dolls disdain for the murder drones pushed her to end up the way she did. maybe if she didnt do it alone she would have been alive by now. so i like to think what would have happened if she and V could have made up- not necessarily Doll forgiving her- but at least having the space to grow and understand why they did they things that happened.

Cyn and literally ANYONE- i want the solver to be SEPARATE from Cyn- i wish Cyn would have still existed somewhere down there and was savable- i wish this poor child AI had a happy ending to her by connecting with the others as ACTUAL siblings... goddamnit 😔

aaaand thats it for this fine ass day 🫡 yall are welcome to ask about any of these- boy the tags are gonna be.... a lot.

[crimeronan]

quick dunmeshi thoughts now that it's been a few hours since i finished the manga:

chilchuck good. love a bitch.

i was hoping i'd have a new popular femslash ship i can write for but unfortunately the yuris are too sweet and fluffy for me. i need my sapphics to try to kill each other at least once :(

similarly: marcille did great being unhinged within the constraints of the genre but baby girl i wanna see you in a yellowjackets type setting SO BAD. set marcille free in an adult drama where she can do true atrocities. FOLDED TOO FAST GIRLIE I BELIEVE IN YOUR ABILITY TO SUCCUMB TO DARKNESSSSS DONT LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS!! DONT BELIEVE IN LOVE!!! DONT HAVE A POIGNANT MOMENT OF EMOTIONAL GROWTH AND ACCEPTANCE!! DONT COME TO TERMS WITH GRIEF!!!! DONT LET THEM CONVINCE YOU NOT TO DO ATROCITIES YOU ARE SO POWERFUL AND CAPABLE OF RUINING EVERYTHING FOREVER!!!!!!

wasn't attracted to laios except for in one single scene.

it was the one where he suffocated falin.

we're not going to unpack this.

izutsumi would be a blorbo if she wasnt just straight-up me.

as is though so many of her lines are things i have directly said aloud in real life conversation that i spent the whole time going "well. this is freaking me out."

kabru is an icon. love guys who play 3d chess

come to think of it, i'm pretty sure his relationship with mithrun is the only one that had any emotional impact on me whatsoever. cunt who can't feel dick about shit x bitch who's pissed off about it 5EVAAAAA

i still default to snack packs of cheez its and goldfish crackers to replace the meals i don't wanna cook. an entire 100-chapter manga about the love of cooking and eating has done nothing to improve my outlook on cooking and eating.

sorry senshi. :(

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Ok... since you said it's okay for me to yap about my OCs here... so like... yeah

This is Isaque... my FE3H OC... he's a mathemetician and engineer who designs artillery and he's a FUCKING NERD and I HATE HIM.

I've written voice lines and supports and drawn portraits (they aren't good though they need some edits) and decided on growths and arts and I've literally done everything... I love how well FE3H lends itself to making OCs rahhh (even if SoV is my favorite game and not 3H)

Miscellaneous yapping facts time ig ‼️

He is a child of "divorce" (his parents were never married) and his mom lives in the Empire and his dad lives in the Alliance... (before the war) he lived with his mom in the summers and his dad the rest of the time...

He tells everyone his mom is dead and that the woman he visits in the summer is his maternal aunt because of the connotations of him being born out of wedlock with society being how it is (he's not a noble but his dad works with nobles and is very overly concerned with his reputation.)

He shares a paralogue with another OC who's in the Black Eagles so if you complete that paralogue you find out that his "aunt" is actually his mom and that lets you recruit him if you fight him with Byleth in CF!!!

He's so lame... he loves theatre but he's terrible at singing... Dorothea tries to teach him in their supports but it fails miserably... loser...

His supports with Manuela are really just supports between his MOM and Manuela because his mom sends him a letter to give her (she's a big fan) and Manuela writes back because why not and then they become friends... #adult woman yuri

His personal skill is called golden ratio and basically lets him her extra crit if his hit is high enough YAY FOR CRIT STACKING!!!

I've only written his supports with Claude, Ignatz, Dorothea, Manuela, and Linhardt so far but I plan on writing one for everyone in his house (deer) + a few others... crazy how I've written more of his out of house supports than his within house supports but whatever who cares

FE3H pairing system means I can make MULTIPLE oc x canon ships real and I don't even have to pick one!!!

If I had to though. His Linhardt support is my favorite because they do NOT fw each other for a while there (at least not at first. They DO have an ambiguously gay paired ending) and it's hilarious (I love them) stupid ass gay rivalry

Anyway tune in next time when I yap about my still in development jugdral OC ig

👀

[ladyloveandjustice]

Spring 2024 Anime Overview: Train to the End of the World and Tonari no Yokai-san

Who knows if poor Whisper Me a Love Song (a cute yuri anime about a girl band... with dire animation conditions so it's currently stuck on episode 10 with the last two episodes delayed indefinitely) is ever going to finish, but here’s some my first post reviewing the rest of what I watched.

Delicious in Dungeon continued to kill it with the second half of the season, kicking into high gear and introducing cranky catgirls, but you can see my general thoughts on the show here.

Train to the End of the World

I love bizarre anime, especially bizarre anime starring loveable weird girls, and Train absolutely delivers.

 A teenage girl named Yoka is bullied by a slimy businessman into pushing a button that activates the 7G cellular network across Japan, but said network warps and changes Japan completely, having bizarre effects on the citizens. For example, all the adults in Yoka's hometown have been transformed into animals and are starting to act like animals.

Shizuru is Yoka's best friend, and she said some seriously nasty things to Yoka before her friend left town. Yoka's been missing ever since the 7G incident and Shizuru is desperate to find her and apologize. So when she sees a picture showing Yoka in Ikebukuro, she decides to drive a train to find her, and her friends Reimi, Akira, Nadeshiko, and also her dog come along. As they travel across the warped Japan, they face many weird encounters and obstacles.

Train to the End of the World is greatly entertaining, as we see the girls encounter nihiists with mushrooms growing out of their heads, screaming goatmen that ram into the train and even zombies on their journey. The dialogue is snappy, and the girls all have a fun personalities. As a lover of girls doing silly violence, I also adored how everyone besides Akira (who is the smart one) has ridiculous combat skills, with Shizuru having her own form of martial art, Reimi being physically unstoppable when she's mad, and Nadeshiko might come off as the ladylike bow and error wielder...but actually she also can beat the shit out of people with said bow as a blunt object. It's fun to watch them go wild.

An example of how ridiculous the show can get is the encounter with the zombies--the absolutely bizarre logic is that since zombies are supposed to be dead to all sensation, arousal will make them blow up. Instead of the girls acting sexy to arouse them like most anime would do, they just say dirty words, and Akira recites a whole paragraph from Lady Chatterley's Lover that she apparently memorized, and they sing a hilariously bawdy folk song. This episode DOES contain the show's biggest moment of sexualizing the teenage girls though- a hyper detailed panty shot that was super jarring considering the show avoided fanservice before then.

And the next episode had Nadeshiko forced to don a somewhat skimpy outfit. Those are the only two instances of fanservice, but that episode also had a joke where this character in this children's cartoon come to life's entire gimmick was that she was suicidal. It was probably meant to be "lol look how inappropriate this would be for children" but it still felt fairly mean spirited at times.

Despite those hiccups to watch out for, the anime works because it never forgets it's core theme or friendship--the relationships between the girls are developed at a good pace, and Shizuru's guilt over what she did to Yoka is explored well too. It's not just a ridiculous anime, it has a heart too. So if an anime where a girl punches a bear in the face and arms herself with vegetables appeals to you…check it out!

Tonari No Yokai-san

Tonari no Yokai-san takes place in a world where yokai have integrated into human society. The central characters are Buchio, a cat who became a nekomata after living to twenty, and Jiro, a crow tengu who is close friends with a little girl he calls Mu-chan.

This is a very sweet, gentle series that has some heartwrenching and dark undertones occasionally.  Mu’s father has been lost to an eerie void, and a lot of the stories focus on grief. The immediate comparison tone and content-wise is Natsume’s Book of Friends, but it distinguishes itself by presenting a world where yokai are very much part of society, to the point where they have to do paperwork  and pay taxes. (There was also a confirmation that one character is bisexual when his backstory involves dating a guy yokai, so that was nice, especially since he's currently in a relationship with a car yokai that's probably meant to be romantic? Yes I said car yokai it is his car.)

There’s also some sci-fi elements mixed in with alternate timelines and what not. I think these elements could be integrated more smoothly, but they are pretty novel. It’s a really solid series.

I do love stories about yokai and I thought it was enjoyable and touching, but it didn’t rock my world the way I wanted it to…it might be that it followed too many characters at once so I couldn’t dig into any of them the way I really wanted to. Still, it’s a sweet, tender and pleasant watch, I definitely rec it.

[ask-jiro-kirisaki]

Answering Your Questions

((Mun cannot believe it's come to this, but here we are. I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. DO NOT TAKE MEDICAL ADVICE FROM A FICTIONAL CHARACTER. IF THERE IS A REAL-LIFE ISSUE, SEE A REAL-LIFE DOCTOR. This is for roleplay and for fun only.)) - 18+ Preferred - YurixJiro OTP but open to other ships - Mun is an adult - will ask about age if NSFW roleplay becomes involved (no minors) - That being said, Mun is open to NSFW roleplay - Trigger warning will be added for sensitive content - NSFW topics will always be placed under a spoiler cut (will tag NSFW)

Good evening,

I have been informed that there are people outside of Darkwick that wish to know more about the ghouls. To assist with this, I have created a space where you are free to ask me questions.

I will answer to the best of my ability.

Please do not be discouraged if I do not answer right away. I spend much of my time assisting Yuri in the lab, so my free time is limited.

I know there are students and other ghouls on this platform, and I hope they refrain from asking me any personal medical questions. Anything referring to their medical charts violates HIPPA regulations.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me on Wickchat instead. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please log off and head to Mortkranken immediately (or contact emergency medical services).

---This is both an Ask Blog and an RP Blog---

-Please go ahead and message a starter if you wish to RP

-Perfectly fine with mature content

-Sticking as close to canon as possible, but filling in the blanks with headcannons until new information pops up.

-Jiro is not the most sociable ghoul, but I can find ways to accommodate.

-There may be spoilers for those that aren't caught up with the story

- I will do my best to add spoiler warnings when needed.

-Some responses come from personal experience dealing with chronic illness.

- Have fun and please be respectful. Mun will not tolerate harassment of herself or her fellow Toyko Debunker ask blog muns.

[juchily]

songs I want to see in yj s3 (complete unreality this will never happen)

"Outsiders" by Franz Ferdinand I'm thinking a scene with adult Lottie in the asylum with this song playing and my thoughts stop there

"Shake it Out" by Florence + The Machine I'm thinking '96 timeline in the summer scene, just like a happy summer scene. Or; alternatively, it's a horrible mass self gaslight where they ignore everything that's happened and everything they've done (Javi... Jackie... Laura... Doomscoming and Travis), so a more ironic usage of the song

"Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" by Fuel Really this one, "Shimmer", or "Falls On Me" are really Yellowjackets coded so, no other thoughts

"Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath It's perfectly slow and eerie, this is literally yellowjackets, this song is literally so yellowjackets I can't even. This is the song that they'd put during the finale or a really heavy or edge of your seat moment. "Figure in black which points at me Turn around quick, and start to run Find out I'm the chosen one" "Big black shape with eyes of fire Telling people their desire"

"Fallen Leaves" by Billy Talent FALLEN LEAVES, if you've seen my other Yellowjackets and song lyrics post, you know This song is literally about troubled kids from a troubled place

"You Know You're Right" By Nirvana This song is obscure, like that damned sapphic soccer team

"The Lovecats" by The Cure, this song is not about cats, look it up, tw if you're sensitive to suicide mentions, but the lyrics aren't inherent, you have to look it up to know what it was really written about it's giving... we're doing insane shit together that will haunt the narrative 🥰

"Champagne Supernova" by Oasis CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA, like I said before with Fallen Leaves, if ykyk This song is about things changing with time, and I think really encapsulates some themes in YJ

"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour

"Man Who Sold The World" by David Bowie or covered by Nirvana

"Since I Told You it Was Over" by Stereophonics "But you were on your track, it was me turning back, I left you freezing outside" WHAT JACKIESHAUNA "You've seen a cross, it's a cross I bear You're drinking, hard up, living without a hope or a care You're making do to please, see what makes you smile You're not around for long, you gotta see what's gonna move your life right along" ADULT TAIVAN, VAN???? n vibes "My head is filled with lies I told" 🙂🙌😧

"The Freshmen" by The Verve Pipe "We tried to wash our hands of all of this We never talk of our lacking relationships And how we're guilt-stricken, sobbin', with our heads on the floor We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip, we'd say" Shall I say more?

Metallica

VIBES:

"Barracuda" by Heart, what can I say, this is something they'd be singing in the locker rooms

"Spiderwebs" by No Doubt ☝️

"Run Through the Jungle" by Credence Clearwater Revival Just listen to the song, it's so yellowjackets babes I promise 🙏

"Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd or performed by David Gilmour What can I say? We like a good song about reminiscing on past decisions and situations 🙂

"Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog

TOSS UPS/AMV AND EDIT SONGS FOR YOU BABES:

"Eat Your Young" by Hozier This is a toss up for me, honestly, maybe it should stay in the edits and amvs 🤷

Greta Van Fleet, something from those guys I KNOW YOU HEAR ME

i need to see a ship edit or AMV to "Will You" by P.O.D. or I think I will combust into a million small lesbian flag coloured confetti that will pollute the local waterways and spread doomed yuri in a bad way because I WANT THIS

The Smith's "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now", it tickles my brain

"Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)" by Florence + The Machine Obv, mainly for Jackie thou

Here's the link or you can find it up top at the beggining! On my Spotify you can find another Yellowjackets playlist based off of my first Lyrics post

@rougeclasslover here's the playlist I was talking about carp of the Misty Nation❤️

[danieyells]

I propose this idea: both Ritsu and Yuri make the mc do domestic/motherly things but for different reasons. Ritsu wants to see how his crush would be if they had children (he will need an heir to the legacy in some years!) (and to a certain point he wants to be cared for like when he was younger but it isn't his first reason shhh) on the other hand Yuri is stepping the line between wanting a mom and wanting to be babied and fed his favorite food and wanting a girlfriend and dealing with his romantic feelings like an adult (plus when jiro joins the mothering and mothered dynamic he acts like a child getting a sibling he didn't want for a little bit)

lmaooo i love that.

Ritsu frames it as little assistant work at first--he pays them for it, unlike everyone else who asks for their help cleaning their office and organizing things, so they're a little happier to do it. They've been working for Jin and Romeo so their cleaning skills are very good. Perhaps a little too good. They haven't been cleaning up crimes, have they?

Then he offhandedly asks if they know how to cook. They admit they haven't really cooked since they got to DW and mostly ate at the cafeteria or ate things others cooked for them or ate out. Ritsu chides them for their lack of self-sufficiency and reminds them they can use the kitchens at DW. He wanted to investigate something for a client, so it would be a good opportunity to try out cooking. You want to make sure you know where your nutrition is coming from! Their cooking is satisfactory, but it's definitely not a mother's level yet. They have time to improve. They don't really understand why he's being so critical about it, but they apologize anyway, wondering if maybe Sho or one of Jin's cooks could teach them a thing or two. It would be nice to be able to make food for their friends.

Then he asks about their work at Jabberwock, dealing with anomalous animals. They admit it's tough, but some of them are nice! They mention taking care of some of the younger animals after making sure the parents knew they meant no harm. So far nothing more than minor injuries! He nods in approval as they explain bottle feeding Peekaboo, and how cute it is when it's enjoying its food. Haru said they're a natural--Peekaboo didn't even throw up or bite them when they fed it for the first time! The younger anomalous animals seem to like them a lot!

Ritsu can't help but smile at that they seem to take well to caring for children. That's the most important thing. In the three years his firstborn son will have before he becomes a slave to the judicial system, he wants him to be loved and cared for by someone who will be able to give him the kind of love his mother gave him.

(Of course he would never force them to have a child. That would be against some law I'm sure, I'm not exactly up to date with the Japanese Penal Code. However, he wouldn't stay with them if they couldn't have children--he needs to have an heir, it's expected of him, so even if he wouldn't be happy with the result he would have to find someone else.)

(In the meantime though, he might indulge a little in being offered to try food as it gets closer and closer to tasting like what a mother's cooking should taste like. Even if he refuses, he still feels something like motherly love when they worry over him seeming to 'work too hard'. Being shown things he's not familiar with feels like motherly love, because he spent so much time with his mother seeing the wonders of the world. Perhaps the things they show him aren't as glamorous, but they still give a similar feeling of sharing a world outside of his own.)

Yuri, in stark contrast, is just a spoiled child about it sometimes. Although he tries not to be overt about it.

He finally decides he can go to sleep now after staying up like a week and a half researching, so "Come here. Your heartrate and breathing patterns are optimal for helping me sleep more quickly, so lie down with me for a little while. It--it's just so I can sleep and wake more efficiently! Do not question my methods, worm!" and then they have a grown ass man curled up against their chest(arms around their waist, it's not entirely childish--) and they aren't allowed to move until he's had his nap. He may or may not want a lullaby or bedtime story, but counting their heartrate is enough.

They decide to bring Jiro and Yuri something to eat and Yuri pouts and huffs over it not being their cooking. He still eats it though, because he's happy they brought him food. It's still a motherly gesture. Why'd they bring some for Jiro too though Jiro can't even eat solids what do you mean you had to make Jiro's nutrition shake yourself why didn't they hand make his food he is their--significant other! . . .Yes, Jiro is also their significant other, but that is besides the point!

(Jiro is quietly enjoying his meal in his shaker bottle. They're reminded of a child with a sippy cup with Yuri huffing next to him. He does not want to share his mama.)

Yes he is a mature adult but he's not good at addressing his feelings at all. When he does he does it awkwardly and accidentally, through freuden slips and things he wanted to keep to himself until he didn't feel like he was too busy for such concerns. N-not that he cares if they think it's strange he wants to call them 'mama' while clearly maintaining romantic (and professionally possessive) feelings! He's not worried about them finding this offputting at all!!! He knows they're honored to be his partner and. . .occasional source of maternal comforts and outlet regrets! Anyway he's going to hold their hand everywhere they go--because he is leading them where they need to go like a good researcher does, not because it fulfills his romantic and juvenile needs--

When he succeeds at something he wants to show them so they smile and tell him what a good job he is and how proud they are and how impressive he is. . .like his mother used to. Not that it's entirely that--of course he wants to impress his partner too, but. . .the projection is embarrassing, but comforting.

[delicatemusickingdom]

Book 1 Part 2 Chapter 3.2

Chapter 3.2

When Flynn removed the lid from the pot, white steam and a delicious smell rose from the pot, accompanied by the sound of bubbling water. Beside it, a shallower pot was being heated over the fire, and similarly, a wonderful sound and fragrant aroma was wafting from it. 

Flynn dealt with the pots one by one with practised ease. He was so skilled that Yuri and the other children could only watch in amazement. His movements were almost like an assembly line — that was how fast he worked, and even if they tried to help they only got in the way. In the end, the boys were left with nothing to do, and could only linger outside the kitchen and watch Flynn cook. 

His skill was brilliant, but his presentation was impeccable as well. The food was carefully plated, and a lot of attention was paid to its appearance, which further stimulated the boys’ appetites. And most importantly, the flavour didn’t disappoint. 

It surprised not only the children, but also the adults present that he could make such delicious meals using only ingredients obtained in the lower quarter. Even Jiri was left at a loss for words upon witnessing Flynn’s unexpected talent. 

This guy really has an infinite number of talents. Yuri didn’t know how many times he had thought this since his first meeting with Flynn, but once again he was deeply impressed. Just how many more tricks does he have hidden away?

“Hey, where did you learn this from?” 

Yuri said as he stuffed his mouth full to satiate his stomach’s cries. 

But Flynn didn’t even try to look him in the eye. He just answered quietly.  

“I didn’t really learn from anyone, or anything like that… I just followed my mother’s notes.”  

Mother. The instant those words left his mouth, the atmosphere at the dining table turned stiff and awkward. The children kept quiet and focused on eating, their smiles stuck on their faces. 

Yuri also kept quiet as he ate. He could easily imagine what was going through Flynn’s mind, but at the same time, he couldn’t hide his surprise. 

If what Flynn said was true, then he’d simply followed what was written in his mother’s notes. Yet, he was able to recreate his mother’s cooking in the exact same way. No matter how good Norein’s cooking was — come to think of it, he’d never had the chance to taste it until the very end — imitating it was a completely different story. It was hard to imagine anyone capable of pulling off such a feat, but Yuri had the feeling if it was Flynn, he could do it. 

The back of the person he was trying to catch up to and overtake seemed to move further ahead again, and the food that should have tasted delicious now tasted a little bitter. It annoyed him that he was thinking about such things even at a time like this. 

A little over a month had passed since Norein’s death. It was more than enough time for Flynn to return to his usual daily life, but not enough for his sadness to heal. He had remained in low spirits the entire time, but no one could blame him for that. 

Having lost his only relative, he had been encouraged by Hanks to move into ‘My Home’. But even though it had only been for a few years, it was still the house where Flynn had lived with his mother, and he was reluctant to leave. In the end, he decided he would only visit ‘My Home’ for lunch and dinner for the time being. 

Usually Jiri was in charge of the meals for ‘My Home’, but when she was busy and couldn’t find anyone capable of substituting for her, the boys in ‘My Home’ would have to cook for themselves. The boys called those days a ‘miss’. 

After all, no one knew how to cook, and it was a pain to do, to say the least. On top of that, regardless of whether it was just one person or a few people, even if they worked hard to cook the meal they would always receive a merciless disapproval from everyone. No one liked doing it, and everyone was unwilling to take the job, and so most of the time they were forced to decide by drawing lots or taking turns. 

Perhaps because he couldn’t bear to watch them, Flynn had offered in a monotonous voice to do it himself, and in front of everyone’s suspicious gazes, proceeded to demonstrate his skill. That evening’s dinner was a ‘big hit’, and the boys would remember it for a long time to come. 

That was how Flynn came to be in charge of cooking when Jiri wasn’t around. Although the role had been half-forced onto him, he had accepted it indifferently anyways. He didn’t find any fulfilment in doing so, and simply performed the task as if it was another one of his manual work. To give an example, it was as if he were a machine that simply carried out its functions, devoid of any personality, unable to produce anything new. 

Normally Yuri would have welcomed the idea of Flynn playing a role in everyone’s daily lives, but the way Flynn seemed to lack a purpose made him feel concerned. Most of the series of procedures following Norein’s death — not that there were a lot of them, seeing how the government didn’t care about their district — had been carried out, and life in the lower quarter carried on the same as before. Even if you scoop out a portion of water from a pool, the surface will look unchanged, because the rest of the water will quickly fill in the hole. That was how it looked in the lower quarter — only now, the ‘lessons’ had stopped. 

The boys had also started moving forward in their own ways. 

Even after purchasing the gravestone, the boys had some money left over from what they had earned. Admirably, the boys had offered to donate it for the lower quarter’s use, and Hanks and the other adults expressed their respect towards the boys’ idea, but told them to use the money for themselves. 

So the boys split the money evenly, and then did as they pleased with their portion. 

Yuri bought a new sword. His first sword, the one he shared with Flynn, was already too small, which made it hard to wield. The other children either bought what they wanted, or if they couldn’t think of anything, stored the money away to use later. Surprisingly enough, Jareth bought a few books. 

However, the problem lay with Flynn. He had accepted his share of the money, but showed no signs of buying anything with it. But it didn’t seem like he was doing it to save up money, either. To buy something was to express a desire. In Flynn’s case, he didn’t have one. 

Business was booming in the citizens’ quarters once again. Previously, there had been obstacles hindering the circulation of goods between the imperial capital and the other cities, but it seemed like they were now gone. The market had regained its former liveliness. The uneasy atmosphere enveloping the imperial capital for months had finally been lifted. No one could say for sure what it had been, or how it had disappeared. 

Anyone could vaguely tell that something big had happened, and then it was over. But that was the only feeling they got. Now that peace and liveliness had returned to their daily lives, there weren’t many people who cared about it. 

There were also strange rumours. That those who had contracted the strange illness but hadn’t died had all recovered. And they had done so without needing panacea bottles or healers. Similar to how it had first appeared, no one knew why. The price of panacea bottles plummeted, and they were even cheaper now than before these series of events had occurred. Of course, they were useless now, and no one wanted them. There were also rumours that some merchants and nobles had suffered great losses and become bankrupt as a result. 

In any case, it had nothing to do with the lower quarter. 

If only Jiri hadn’t been injured. Yuri had thought that countless times, over and over again. Back then, while acting as the ‘Dark Wings’, what exactly was she trying to steal? Why did she fail? If she had been trying to steal a panacea, if only she had succeeded — but Jiri might have been thinking the same way, and since Flynn was keeping silent, he thought his reasoning must be wrong. Besides, either way, Norein was no longer with them. 

Perhaps because they had awakened to the joys of labour during the time they had worked to earn money for the medicine, some of the boys went back to work. Fortunately, the merchants remembered how they had worked so diligently before, and welcomed them back with open arms. This was one of the few positive changes brought about by this whole ruckus. 

The unit of knights that had delivered the monster meat that one time had never been seen in the lower quarter since then. There was also a rumour that none of the knights that had departed from the imperial capital had returned, though it was unclear if this rumour was related to that. 

Yuri thought of the friendly uncle. There was a possibility that he was still somewhere in the vast imperial capital, or that he had returned without passing through Fountain Alley, but for some reason his intuition told him that wasn’t the case. After Norein’s funeral, he became even more aware of it. The uncle was no longer alive. 

The number and frequency of knights visiting the lower quarter had visibly decreased, though their arrogant behaviour hadn’t changed.  

Something had been about to change, but it seemed the opportunity had been lost. Yuri didn’t know what it was, but he couldn’t help but feel a heavy sinking in his chest when he thought about it. 

****

“We’re out of salt.” 

Flynn’s murmur almost sounded like he was talking to himself as he said that, his voice nearly drowned out by the clamour of the other boys. 

That day, Jiri wasn’t in, and the boys in ‘My Home’ had to cook dinner all on their own. But they actually welcomed the occasion, because Flynn was there to cook for them — despite feeling guilty that the smile would never return to his face. 

Compared to before, Jiri’s absences had increased. She would never say so herself, but Yuri suspected that it was because of the injury on her leg. During the day, she acted as if her injury didn’t exist and went about her business as lively as ever, most likely to avoid anyone noticing, but it had to be hard on her. After all was said and done, she was a grandma — though she and everyone often forgot that. 

“You’re right. All the containers are empty. It’s a good thing you noticed before you started cooking.” 

Jareth said, after checking the back of the kitchen shelves. 

“I guess that means we’ll have to go get some from Grandpa Hanks’ house.” 

Flynn looked somewhat surprised at Yuri’s words. 

“Mister Hanks’ house?” 

“That’s the rule.” 

The people of the lower quarter all chipped in money to support the management of ‘My Home’, but Hanks was the person directly in charge. The rough arrangement was that if the children needed anything, they would go to him. The boys didn’t know this, but it was also a measure to ensure that the residents who lived near ‘My Home’ wouldn’t be overly burdened. 

As Flynn made to leave immediately, Yuri called out to him. 

“I’ll come with you, Head Chef.” 

“Yuri? It’s okay, I know the way…”

“But you don’t know where to find anything in Grandpa Hanks’ house, right? Don’t worry and just leave it to me.” 

As he said that, he didn’t give Flynn a chance to argue, and quickly headed for the front door. 

****

The sun had set, and the alleyway Yuri and Flynn were walking down was already empty. Except for the dim, warm glows of light peeking out from windows of nearby houses, everything else was engulfed in shadow and darkness. The cold and crisp light of the barrier rings shining over their heads looked even brighter and more merciless. The season was grey and gloomy, and in the absence of sunlight, the boys couldn’t help but be aware of the cold. This feeling became even more apparent in the night. 

They hadn’t talked since they left ‘My Home’. Occasionally, Yuri would glance at Flynn, but Flynn had lowered his head so his eyes were hidden beneath his golden hair. He didn’t seem to be aware of Yuri at all. 

It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision to follow Flynn. Even before Norein’s death, Flynn had started to speak considerably less, and his expressions had become dull. It was understandable, of course, but as this continued, Yuri started to feel a vague sense of unease. It was as if something he had finally gotten used to was drifting away from him again. 

It wasn’t as if he particularly wanted to talk to Flynn alone, but he was curious to know what Flynn was thinking, and tonight seemed like his only chance to do so. 

But once he was finally alone with Flynn, he had no idea what to talk about. 

He didn’t think Flynn needed any words of consolation, after all this time. Yuri had said it numerous times already, and besides, this place wasn’t appropriate for such things. 

Yuri thought about the shadow in Flynn’s heart. Of course, what lay at the heart of it was his mother’s — Norein’s — death, but even before that, he seemed to be burdened by a lot of other things. There was his strange resentment and fastidious attitude towards the knights, his circumstances that had led to him moving from the ‘other side of the wall’ to the lower quarter, and how he hadn't been able to save up enough money to buy the panacea. Come to think of it, he also seemed to have his own thoughts when it came to the matter of the ‘Dark Wings’. They were all different things, but at the same time, Yuri had the feeling they were all connected somehow. These different things all tangled together and clung to Flynn, and as he dragged these burdens around, each step he took must feel terribly heavy. 

Thinking about the ‘Dark Wings’ reminded Yuri of something unnecessary. Right now, they were headed towards Grandpa Hanks’ house. Which was also Jiri’s house. If Jiri was at home. If Jiri was the only one at home. 

Maybe he could ask her something. 

As his interest was drawn to that direction, Yuri frowned, feeling like he was being dishonest for thinking that. 

In the end, neither of them spoke up and only continued walking until they reached their destination. 

****

“Looks like neither of them are home.”

After knocking on the door for a while and peeking through the windows, Yuri finally said. It was too early for them to be asleep, but he could only see darkness through the windows, and there was no sign that anyone was home. He couldn’t really think of a place where they would be at this hour, but on second thought, since they didn’t visit ‘My Home’, it wouldn’t be strange if they really were busy with something. 

“Then there’s nothing we can do. Let’s go back.” 

Flynn’s voice wasn’t disappointed at all, just indifferent. There was something about that tone of his that Yuri disliked. 

“Don’t panic. Like I said, I’m pretty familiar with their house. …Ah, right here.” 

As he spoke, he went around the side of the entrance and pressed on one of the windows, grinning as he did so. 

“What are you doing?” 

“This window is in a pretty bad shape, so even if it’s locked, if you just push it upwards……there.” 

Just as Yuri said, the window creaked slightly as it slowly opened. Like he thought, Jiri and Hanks had to be out. After all, it was pitch black inside. 

“I know roughly where the salt is. Let’s get it quickly and go back.” 

Flynn’s face changed. It was as if a will had suddenly manifested itself on his face. Like he finally understood what was happening in front of his very eyes. 

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to enter the house without permission?! And to go through the window like a common thief—”

Upon saying that, Flynn realised what he had just said and shut up. Yuri stared at Flynn like that, before suddenly turning around and leaping nimbly through the window like a cat. 

Flynn stared into the square darkness that had swallowed up that black hair, but there was no sound coming from inside. 

“……Yuri?”

Flynn was about to stick his head into the window hesitantly — not out of fear, but modesty — when he heard the sound of the front door unlocking. The door opened, and Yuri was standing there. In his hand was a lit hand lantern he must have found somewhere in the house. 

“Come in. Or are you going to wait outside all day?” 

Speaking in a slightly dismissive tone, Yuri turned and went back into the house without waiting for a reply. Flynn stood rooted to the spot for a brief moment, and then took a deep breath and strode into the house. There was a look of indignation on his face that hadn’t been seen in a while. 

As soon as he entered the house, Flynn couldn’t help but stop to look at the inside of the house, illuminated by the lantern. 

There were too many things. Too many, in fact, that for a moment, he thought he had walked into a warehouse or a storage room. It was by no means a mess, but while it was fairly tidy, the floor and shelves were piled — or crammed — high with all kinds of things. It wasn’t to the extent that there was no empty space to place your feet, but no matter how you looked at it, a normal person didn’t need these many items for their daily life. And on the other hand, they didn’t look like furnishings for ‘My Home’ either. 

“The kitchen is in the back. …What’s wrong?” 

Noticing that Flynn had stopped at the entrance, Yuri said to him. 

“Were you surprised by the state of the room? It’s always been like this.” 

But Flynn simply stood there, lost in thought as he stared at the insides of the dark room. He made no sign of moving. Yuri furrowed his brows. 

“Hey, Flynn. You don’t actually think these are all stolen—”

“No, I don’t… think so. The ‘Dark Wings’ only targets the nobles and the rich, and no matter how you look at it, these are all…” 

“Pieces of junk?” 

Yuri said, as if seeing through Flynn. Hearing that, Flynn made a surprised yet annoyed face.

“I didn’t say that.” 

Etiquette bothered him even at a time like this. What a conscientious guy, Yuri thought. 

But in reality, it was difficult for Flynn to deny the truth in Yuri’s words. Under the dim light of the lantern, they could see a brightly coloured but broken roof tile, a wooden doll with one arm missing, and all kinds of other things that didn’t look like they were worth much. And the room was packed to the brim with such things. Maybe some of them were valuable in the antique sense, but even if they were, they were being treated quite carelessly. 

“It’s Grandma Jiri’s hobby. Surprising, right?” Yuri said. “Whenever she takes an interest in an item, she’d pick it up and bring it back… that’s what Grandpa Hanks used to say with a troubled look on his face. But if the person in question likes and treasures the item, then it’s not our place to question it, he said.” 

Saying that, Yuri went deeper into the house. 

Still standing still, Flynn continued to stare at the mountain of items. In the receding light, they looked even more like an unidentifiable pile of shadows gathered together. Flynn’s eyes were searching, as if he was trying to see further beyond that. What exactly lay beyond the shadows—? 

He shook his head, and went to look for Yuri. 

***

Unlike the previous room, the kitchen wasn’t filled with such unnecessary junk. But the kitchen itself was small, and there were ingredients and tableware all over the place, and it gave off the impression of being even messier than the previous room. 

“I’m pretty sure it was either in here or there.” 

Careful not to knock against the pots and pans of various sizes hanging on the walls, Yuri pointed at several shelves fitted with sliding doors. 

The two of them nodded at each other, and then split up and began searching the shelves nearest to them. The lantern had been placed on the floor between them, and because of that, neither of them had enough light to see clearly. They would take out bottles or small boxes they thought were the correct one and hold it under the light, and upon recognising it was the wrong thing, put them back. Once, Yuri almost spilled the contents of a box — some kind of white powder that he thought was flour or something — onto the floor. 

“I can’t find anything else that looks like salt in here. How about you, Flynn? ……Flynn?”

No reply. He called out to Flynn again, but Flynn didn’t respond. Even though Flynn was in low spirits, it was strange to not get even a reply. 

Suddenly, Yuri noticed something strange. The front of Flynn’s face, which was facing the shelf, was dimly illuminated. Even though the lantern was behind Flynn. 

It was faint, but there was definitely something that was emitting light at the back of the shelf. And the light seemed to have a bluish tint to it. 

With strangely stilted movements, Flynn reached into the back of the shelf and pulled something out. 

Something that shouldn’t have been there had appeared. Yuri had a hunch, but he didn’t close his eyes to the truth of it. 

What Flynn held onto was a small glass vial. The liquid in the vial emitted a faint bluish white light as it sloshed slightly in Flynn’s trembling hand. Flynn’s face had drained of any blood, and it wasn’t because of the lighting. Softly, Yuri heard him murmur,

“…It’s a panacea.”

****

“Wait, Flynn, wait just a moment!” 

Still gripping the vial in his hand, Flynn tried to run out of the house, but Yuri somehow managed to catch him before he reached the front door. Flynn didn’t even look at Yuri as he twisted his body and shook Yuri off. 

The lantern had been left behind in the kitchen. Their only source of light was the dim glow emitting from that small vial. In the darkness, one of them knocked over a wooden box on the floor with their foot. 

“Let go—” 

“What are you doing?!” 

Yuri didn’t answer, and simply clung onto the raging Flynn. 

As for Yuri, his mind was in a state of extreme turmoil. He didn’t understand why the panacea was here, nor did he know how to control the situation. He was only sure of one thing, and that was that he couldn’t let Flynn leave like this. He’s definitely going to do something stupid. And no matter what, I can’t let that happen.

Yuri felt Flynn press down on his head. Flynn was using all of his strength to shove Yuri away. He meant to tear Yuri off himself. Yuri desperately tightened his grip on Flynn to prevent that from happening. But Flynn was strong. Yuri hadn’t gotten into a good position, so it was only a matter of time before Flynn broke free. If that happened, then what should he—

Suddenly the pressure on his head eased. Despite that, Flynn’s body remained tense. Is he going to try something? Yuri was wary, but what followed next was something he didn’t expect. 

“……What do you think you’re doing in someone else’s house?” 

That voice was reproachful, but at the same time, carried a hint of something else. 

****

Once again, light filled the room. The light wasn’t from a blastia but the light of a fire, but unlike the lantern, it was bright enough to fill the entire room with light. 

Though the light was bright enough to illuminate the inside of the room, it seemed unable to reach the hearts of the people in the room. 

In the room, surrounded by countless pieces of junk, were four people. Yuri, Flynn, and the owners of the house, Hanks and Jiri. Flynn was still gripping the vial — the panacea — in his hand. In the brightly-lit room, the light it emitted barely affected its surroundings, except for Flynn’s fingers, which glowed bluish-white. 

Jiri seemed to have grasped the general situation just by looking at the boys. She stood there with her arms crossed, but she didn’t seem angry that they had entered her house without permission. She just stared at them with a grave expression on her face. 

Hanks had a somewhat sad look in his eyes. That, at least, told Yuri that the elderly man was aware of the circumstances. Up until this point, Yuri had unconsciously assumed that Hanks didn’t know Jiri’s secret, so he was quite surprised. But now that he thought about it, it seemed only natural. After all, the two of them were husband and wife. Yuri was incredibly curious as to how that Hanks had reacted when he found out his wife was that world’s greatest and most notorious — albeit chivalrous — thief, but now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. 

“So? How long are you going to stay like that?” 

It was Jiri who broke the silence. She was her usual self, with her unwavering, ready-to-accept-anything attitude. There were so many things Yuri wanted to ask her, but he kept his mouth closed. Because Jiri’s words weren’t directed at him. They were directed at one person alone, and that person was Flynn. Of course. The one holding onto the vial was Flynn. In every sense, the one at the centre of it all was Flynn. Yuri knew that. 

But Flynn didn’t speak, and only looked at Jiri with a burning gaze in his eyes. Was it Jiri he was trying to reduce to ashes with his gaze, or he himself?

Nevertheless, eventually he slowly raised his arm, and as if thrusting the evidence at her, held up the glowing blue-white object and spoke. 

“…Why is this here?” 

When you really looked at it, everything boiled down to that single question. Yuri braced himself, wondering what kind of answer Flynn would get. But Jiri remained unfazed, and only gave a slight shrug. 

“Why? Because I stole it, of course. Isn’t that obvious? Do you need me to say it out loud for you to understand?” 

Jiri said as if chastising Flynn for forcing her to say it. 

I stole it. The answer was within his expectations, but hearing it clearly from the person’s mouth had a whole other level of truth and weight to it. The ‘Dark Wings’. As expected, it was like that. 

Yuri didn’t need to hear her confession to know that there was an exceedingly low chance that she had bought it. It was an expensive medicine to begin with. Even though the prices had plummeted, the fact remained that the panacea wasn’t something residents from the lower quarter could buy freely. 

“Then why!? Why did my mother die!?” 

A scream that made the walls tremble rang out. 

If it was impossible for Jiri to buy it at any point in time. If it was impossible for Jiri to have stolen it after she injured her leg. That means she could have only obtained it before she had gotten hurt. At a time when Norein was still alive. At a time when she still could have been saved. 

But Norein lay dead under the ground, and the medicine was here. 

The turmoil that had arisen inside of Flynn became too violent to contain — so much so that he felt like his heart and body would fall apart if he didn’t let it out in the form of a cry. 

Yuri understood Flynn’s doubt. What was the connection between the medicine and Norein’s death? Despite not sharing the same parent-child relationship, he was also curious. Especially since Jiri was involved. 

But there was one crucial difference between Yuri and Flynn. Based on the clues they were given, both of them instantly thought of the possible causes and considered the chances of them happening — but their criteria for choosing was different. 

Even without knowing the right answer, Yuri had enough reason to dismiss the doubt that arose in his heart. Maybe Flynn had enough reason, too. But the amount they had was different. Amount, and weight. As that realisation dawned on Yuri, he felt his heart rate shoot up. 

To Yuri, the possibility wasn’t even worth considering. But to Flynn—

Jiri opened her mouth to say something. But in Yuri’s eyes, her movements seemed oddly slow. 

Grandma, Yuri screamed from within his heart. Whatever it is you want to say, please, hurry up and say it.

But as if to cut her off, Flynn’s emotions exploded, as if he was unable to hold it in anymore.

“You all…” 

Stop. Yuri tried to say. Don’t say anything further. But unlike his thoughts, his body could only respond slowly in this stretched-out moment in time. From Flynn’s eyes, droplets of light — tears? — scattered into the air. 

“You all left my mother to die!” 

Something inside of Yuri snapped. 

****

The next thing he knew, his fist had hit Flynn squarely on the cheek. 

There was a dull sound of impact, and the head of golden hair spun, followed a moment later by its owner’s body. Caught completely off guard, Flynn spun around like he was doing a strange dance, and plunged headfirst into the mountain of junk beside him. The panacea flew from his hand, leaving a glowing trail as it soared through the air, landing and rolling across the floor. 

Yuri leapt at him. He crawled on top of Flynn and punched him again. He could hear Jiri and Hanks yelling, but their voices meant nothing to him. 

He tried to hit Flynn again, but Flynn, who was lying on his back, lashed out a kick. The kick hit Yuri squarely and sent him flying backwards. Flynn got up, and this time he was the one to go on the offensive. As Yuri sat up, Flynn’s fist struck his face. But Yuri bent backwards, and also launched a kick in return. 

As they punched and kicked each other, they both screamed wordlessly. Screams that were neither angry nor sad. Screams that spat out the feelings that couldn’t be put into words. 

The two of them screamed at the same time, and leapt at each other. 

“Stop it!”

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the boys and, with incredible force, hurled them — in opposite directions. 

The two of them tumbled onto the floor and sat up. In front of their eyes, Jiri stood there imposingly like a wall in between them, her palms thrust outwards towards the boys as if to hold them down. 

Finally remembering that they weren’t the only people in the room, the boys came to their senses. 

The two of them stared past Jiri at each other, breathing heavily. 

Both of them looked terrible. Their hair and clothes were in a dishevelled mess, their lips were cut and bleeding, and their bodies were covered from head to toe in bruises, dust and sweat. Because of their brief scuffle, the room looked like a chaotic force had been set loose and gone on a rampage, and it was in a way, fitting. 

It was at that moment that Yuri realised he was crying. The moment he was aware of it, he also understood the truth behind why he had acted so impulsively. 

Why was the medicine here? It could be that she had missed the timing to sell it off at a high price, or she was saving it to use for herself if she ever contracted the illness. There were a thousand possibilities he could think of. But —

None of them were possible. 

There was just no way. Jiri would never do something like that. Just thinking about the possibility — and doubting her — was enough to make him feel sick, like something was being tainted. 

That was why. 

He was sad. That Jiri and Hanks were being doubted. That Flynn doubted them. Even if Flynn had lost his sense of reason because of the grief of losing his mother, Yuri didn’t want to hear those words come out from his mouth. 

He was sad. That Flynn had said those words. 

That’s why he got angry, and hit Flynn — I thought you became one of us. Didn’t you? 

Flynn stared at the crying Yuri. 

The two of them were still, as if waiting for something to happen. It was as if they had let out everything they had along with their screams. Sensing this, Jiri lowered her arms. The danger of a fight breaking out had passed. 

“Are you two satisfied? Sheesh, I understand how you feel, but at least listen to what I have to say first, Flynn. You too, Yuri. I didn’t know you were that short tempered.” 

I mean, I feel the same way too. As Yuri thought that, he felt a little annoyed. In the first place, he’d only gotten angry on behalf of Jiri and Hanks. 

Whether or not she knew what Yuri was thinking, Jiri pulled out a small chair from the mountain of junk and — probably because her leg was still hurting — sat down on it. The chair looked like it could fall apart at any moment, but somehow managed to withstand her weight. 

“Now then, where should we start, Jiri?” 

Hanks, who had been maintaining his silence up to that point, spoke up. Just by saying that, the tension in the room eased somewhat. 

“Well…”

Jiri looked up at the ceiling, and then into each of the boys’ eyes. Then, in a somewhat worn-out voice — a voice fitting that of an old woman — she began to speak. 

****

Jiri was — like the friendly knight once said — the current era’s ‘Dark Wings’. It all began a long time ago, way before Yuri and Flynn were born. Back then, the lower quarter was just as, or even poorer than it was now. There was always something in short supply, and it was never enough. 

One day, a famine struck the lower quarter for the umpteenth time. The fields were barren, and what meagre reserves they had were quickly depleted. The government authorities didn’t concern themselves with the lower quarter, and any petitions to the ‘other side of the wall’ were coldly turned away. But when she saw how the citizens’ quarter was overflowing with food while the people in the lower quarter starved right in front of her eyes, she gave up on getting help the honest way, and decided to dirty her hands and turn to stealing. 

“I’m not trying to make excuses. It’s just that, this was the answer I came up with.” 

When she was young, she had experienced a lot of rough situations — and that was when she’d acquired the blastia that could project illusions — and that came in handy now. She’d only started calling herself the ‘Dark Wings’ later, simply to add prestige to the name and to confuse the knights. 

Needless to say, she was aware that stealing was a crime, and she had no intention of actively doing it and being dependent on it. 

“After all, a crime is a crime. It’s not something to be proud of. And if everyone started to become dependent on a thief, it’d all be for nothing. It may sound strange to you, but that’s where I draw the line. That’s why even though I know a ton of methods for distraction, generally the ‘Dark Wings’ only takes action in situations when there’s no other option left.” 

When there’s no other option left. For example, when a life was at stake. 

Jiri nodded deeply and slowly at the question in the boys’ eyes. 

“Yes. That’s why, on that day, I stole the panacea.” 

She had finally gotten to the heart of the matter. The boys held their breath. 

“The truth is, when I heard you guys were working to earn the money on your own, I was hoping things would work out smoothly. But as you know, thanks to some idiot fanning the flames, the prices skyrocketed. At the rate you were going, there was a possibility you all wouldn’t be able to make it in time. I felt bad, but I couldn’t say anything either.” 

“Then you really did get hurt because you were trying to save Teacher Norein.”

Yuri said, feeling somewhat relieved. Jiri let out a small sigh. 

“I didn’t want to get hurt, though. But I’m sure this isn’t enough to satisfy you.”

Jiri said to Flynn, who had remained silent. She hadn’t gotten to the most important part yet. Naturally, Flynn had a look of confusion on his face, as if he couldn’t decide on what kind of attitude to take towards all this. Even so, he didn’t say anything, and waited patiently for her to continue. 

“I stole the medicine for Norein. So of course, the next thing I should do is give the medicine to her. Which is what I did.” 

“Don’t tell me…”

For the first time, Flynn spoke up. Hanks lowered his head, and Jiri looked at Flynn with sorrow and sympathy in her eyes. 

“Norein didn’t drink it. …Or should I say, she couldn’t drink it.” 

****

When the panacea was offered to her, indeed, Norein’s eyes had lit up. Aah, with this I can be saved. But as she reached for the faintly glowing vial, all of a sudden she changed her mind and pulled back her hand. 

Norein knew that panacea bottles were extremely expensive. Which was why she realised that the medicine in front of her eyes wasn’t supposed to exist. 

Although she expressed her sincerest gratitude to Jiri for going to such great lengths to get her the medicine, Norein refused to take the vial. 

“The person I loved devoted his whole life to justice, and I have lived together with him. If I were to accept this medicine, it would go against his beliefs, as well as my memories of him.”

Norein’s voice was weak, but even so, she spoke firmly. Seeing the determination in Norein’s eyes, Jiri silently withdrew her hand holding the vial. 

“I didn’t consider your feelings and did something unnecessary. Forgive me.” 

Norein smiled and shook her head slightly. 

It was shortly thereafter that she drew her last breath. 

****

“She really was an incredible person. She chose to protect what she believed in over her own life. That’s not something the average person could do.” 

As if remembering that moment, Jiri closed her eyes and said. Yuri was speechless. 

“She was incredible. Your mother really was an incredible person.” 

“But — But if that was the case, that means Mother… Why would she do that to me……?”

Flynn murmured. His fists, which were clenched, were shaking. His mother’s life could have been saved. But be it for her beliefs or whatever it was, she had chosen to abandon her life. And, in doing so, she had also abandoned her son. 

“It seems you didn’t notice this.” 

Hanks, who had disappeared at some point, returned from the kitchen. He was holding an envelope in his hand. 

“Norein told me to give it to you along with the whole story someday. I think it’s best we give it to you now.” 

Hanks held out the envelope, and Flynn took it. Sealed inside was a letter, addressed to Flynn in extremely familiar handwriting. He could have taken it home with him, but instead he opened it. 

“This is… Mother’s… letter?” 

The letter wasn’t long, but its contents were unmistakably filled with the love of a mother to her son. The letter, like Jiri said, told of how she chose to die for the sake of her beliefs, and apologised for leaving her son behind because of that. 

‘You may not be able to understand the choice he made, or the choice I made, right now. I’m sorry for not being able to stay by your side until you did. Even so, I still hope that you will understand one day.’

He felt like he understood, even if he didn’t want to. No matter the reason, it wasn’t worth losing his mother, 

‘But I’m not too worried that I’ll be leaving you alone. After all, you still have a lot of family left. It was only for a short time, but they welcomed and accepted me as part of their big family. With them around, I can leave you in peace. They will definitely do their best to help you. Just as I believe in them, please, believe in them too. Remember that I will always love you. —Your mother, Norein Scifo.’

Even after reading it, Flynn was unable to move, and he stood there, clutching the letter tightly in his hand. The feeling that he had been left behind by his mother, the feeling that she had truly loved him despite doing so, the desire to understand her, and the reluctance to do so all collided and mixed together, and raged inside his heart like a storm. 

Droplets of water fell onto the letter and stained the paper, and Flynn realised he had been crying. 

He suddenly looked up and saw that Hanks and Jiri were staring at him. Their eyes were filled with sadness, sympathy, as well as affection. The words in the letter crossed his mind once more. 

‘Just as I believe in them, please, believe in them too.’ 

He couldn’t fully accept his mother’s choice, but even so, the realisation of what he had done finally sank in. At the very least, they had been trying to save his mother. But what had he said to them?

“What… What have I done…?”

Flynn spoke while trembling, his throat choked with tears. 

“Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong. You did it out of your love for your mother.” 

Hanks’ voice was calm and gentle.

“But still……I’m sorry.”

“Well, I guess you can help clean up this room later.” 

Jiri spoke wearily as she looked around the room. 

At that moment, they all heard the sound of a door closing. When Flynn looked around, he saw that Yuri was gone. 

“Yuri?” 

There was no reply to Flynn’s question. As Jiri stared at the door, she had a similar look on her face as when she had looked at Flynn, but it was slightly different. To the Flynn who couldn’t hide his confusion, Jiri slowly and heavily spoke. 

“……You may already know this, but that child never knew his mother or father. He’s usually level-headed, but after looking at you, he must have felt conflicted.” 

Those words penetrated deep into Flynn’s heart, slamming into him and shaking him from the inside out. The impact stirred up all of the feelings that had accumulated deep within him, and they all flowed through his mind. He thought about the various events that had occurred ever since he first arrived in the lower quarter. About his mother, about Jiri and the others, about the medicine, and about Yuri. 

The injuries he’d gained from their fight suddenly started to hurt. 

Flynn’s lips tightened.

“—I’ll go after him.” 

“Please do. Despite how he acts, that child tends to get lonely. …Don’t tell him I said that.” 

As Flynn walked to the door, he suddenly stopped. Hesitantly, he turned and looked back at the two of them. 

“……Aunt Jiri?”

“What is it?” 

“……Is it okay for me to continue staying here?” 

“What a stupid thing to say, this kid. Of course you can.” 

Flynn nodded, but this time Hanks called out to stop him. 

“Take this. I’m sure you two haven’t had a proper dinner yet.” 

“Thank you — Then, I’ll be off.” 

Flynn accepted the large loaf of bread, and, holding it in his hand, dashed out into the lower quarter streets in the night. 

****

The first place he went to was ‘My Home’. But Yuri was nowhere to be seen, and Flynn left soon after. Jareth and the others had been eagerly awaiting their dinner, but when they saw that Flynn was covered in injuries, they couldn’t say anything and only sent him off. 

It was difficult searching for Yuri. After all, visibility was poor at night. There weren’t many people walking around outside, and it was almost impossible to ask any questions. 

Flynn didn’t give up. After searching every nook and cranny in Fountain Alley and coming up empty, he finally turned his attention to the castle walls. He wondered if that was going too far, but it seemed more likely than finding Yuri in the Grey Alleyways. 

He climbed up the hill, slipped through the unguarded castle gates, and entered the citizens’ quarter. He walked through the marketplace, which was so quiet the bustling activities during the day felt like a lie, searching around for a glimpse of a black-haired figure. Once or twice, he almost ran into the knights on patrol, but managed to evade them safely. 

The people walking on the streets were now gone. Flynn searched up and down the deserted streets. Yuri wasn’t there. Maybe in the back alleys? Not there, either. Before he knew it, it was already late at night. Should he return to the lower quarter? Or should he search in the districts further away? Just as he was starting to doubt he was even searching in the right place — to the point where he was almost convinced he should go somewhere else —, his eyes caught sight of that familiar figure. In the darkness of the night, that hair of his shone exceptionally darkly — there he was. 

Yuri sat on top of the castle walls, overlooking the lower quarter on the outskirts of the city. He liked this place because of its vantage point — right now, apart from the small, scattered dots of light coming from the lower quarter, the land was submerged in darkness all the way until the distant horizon. 

Yuri was looking at the dark horizon that held up the stars without the slightest hint of sleepiness in his eyes, but at the sound of approaching footsteps he closed his eyes. He knew who those footsteps belonged to even without turning around. 

“So it’s become the other way around now.” 

Flynn sat down silently next to him. For a while, he turned his attention towards the shadowy silhouettes of the mountain ridges in the distance. 

“Hey.” 

“Um…”

The two of them opened their mouths almost simultaneously, and closed their mouths simultaneously as well. Another moment of silence passed. 

“You were surprised by what Grandma Jiri did, huh.” 

Yuri eventually said briefly. Still facing the front, Flynn nodded. 

“Yeah.” 

Silence again. 

Yuri didn’t search for the right words to say this time. He didn’t think he’d find them even if he tried. When he saw Flynn cry while reading Norein’s letter, he was seized by an emotion he couldn’t express. Filled with an indescribable feeling of wanting to run away, he couldn’t take it any longer and left. 

He never knew his mother. He never knew his father, either. That was why no matter how hard he tried to imagine it, he wasn’t sure if he could say he truly knew and understood Flynn’s pain and suffering. 

Was he really that different from Flynn? That, he didn’t know, either. 

There were so many things he didn’t know. And that was why Yuri kept quiet. 

For once, it was Flynn who started the conversation. 

“I apologised to Mister Hanks and Aunt Jiri.” 

“I see.” 

He didn’t need to hear the result. As long as you apologised sincerely, those two would forgive anything, no matter what. 

“You too, Yuri…… I apologise.”

“Me? For what?” 

“I was so focused on myself I ended up hurting you…… I’m sorry.” 

“If you’re talking about this, aren’t we in the same boat? Look in a mirror. You look pretty terrible.” 

Yuri said as he pointed at his own face. Even under the faint light of the barrier rings in the dark, it was clear that the swelling and bruises were only getting worse and worse. 

“You also……no, never mind. I was talking about Aunt Jiri and Mister Hanks. And how you got angry on their behalf.” 

Feeling uncomfortable again, Yuri shifted in his seat. It had been an intense anger that even he couldn’t understand. And the feeling of his chest tightening when he saw Flynn crying over his mother’s letter. What was that? Instead of answering, Yuri decided to ask a question he had always been curious about, but had never asked anyone before. 

“……Hey, what is it like to have parents?” 

“Huh?” 

“The only thing I know about my parents is that my mother had long black hair just like me.” 

That’s why, I don’t know what it feels like to lose a blood relative. I don’t know if I really understand your pain. 

Flynn mulled over the question. 

Not having a family. Never having a family to begin with. To Flynn, those seemed to be matters beyond comprehension. He understood the pain of losing your family. He had experienced it. But how could he explain what family was, or what it was like to have one? It was such a given for him that he hadn’t really thought about it before. 

Happy memories, sad memories. 

Flynn tried to distinguish between the feelings that flowed beneath the underlying currents of his many memories so he could pick them up and put them into words. But his feelings were so diverse that when he tried to gather them together, they became words as numerous and varied as his memories. Unable to express them in a single word, Flynn decided to say all of them as they were. 

“My parents… are people who support me, and teach me… they’re big, warm, sometimes strict, but gentle… and, we’re always connected to each other.”  

Having said that much, Flynn was reminded of the anger Yuri had displayed earlier. That was the anger of someone who had witnessed the people precious to them be insulted. Flynn, too, had gotten angry on behalf of his mother—

Carefully, Flynn continued speaking. 

“That’s why… I think Mister Hanks and Aunt Jiri are like that to you.”

Of course, you aren’t related by blood. But I hope it can be that way. Flynn said, half-wishing for it to be true. Because from now on, he would be the same way too. ‘Just as I believe in them, please, believe in them too.’—

But hearing those words from Flynn, who knew what it was like to have parents, made Yuri feel like a weight had been lifted off of his chest. He felt like he had been given the answer — or at least a key to it — to a question he hadn’t known the answer to. A calm feeling filled his heart, and his next words flowed softly from his mouth. 

“I see. I hope so too.” 

“Yuri……”

Even now, Flynn was shocked by the fact that Yuri had been kept from experiencing all of the things he had been enjoying and taking for granted. Even though he had lost them now, Flynn realised just how blessed he had been. I still have my memories of them left. Yuri doesn’t even have that. 

Despite that, Yuri still lived his life. The pain of the loss was still fresh in Flynn’s mind, but thinking of the loneliness Yuri must have endured all these years, he bit his lip. 

Just as Yuri could only imagine Flynn’s pain, Flynn could only imagine Yuri’s pain too. Even so, the two of them found comfort in the other’s desire to understand each other. 

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Yuri’s head. Yuri had black hair, just like his mother’s. Maybe the reason why he didn’t cut his hair, and was growing it out was because—

Underneath the midnight sky, the two of them continued to exchange words here and there between bouts of silence. They didn’t talk about anything important. There was enough meaning in just sharing the moment together. 

The interval between their conversations grew longer and longer, until eventually, both of them fell asleep. The night air was cold, and their injuries hurt, but the two childrens’ sleeping faces were peaceful. 

****

They forgot who woke up first, but in any case, as soon as one of them woke up, they shivered, feeling cold all over, and shook the other person awake. 

“I didn’t think we’d be spending the night here.” 

Yuri said as he stretched his stiff body. He was surprised he didn’t catch a cold. Then again, toughness was somewhat of a trademark for those who grew up in the lower quarter. 

Above the horizon, the sky was already bathed in the colour of dawn, and the atmosphere was filled with the premonition of a silent explosion. The boys watched in silence as the world, stretching to the distant horizon, gradually rose and emerged from the shadows. 

In the distance, they felt the reverberations of the clamour coming from behind them. The early morning businesses were up and about. The earliest people to rise in the imperial capital had begun their daily activities. 

The clouds drifting in the distance grew brighter and brighter, until finally, a golden glow appeared on the horizon. Under the intense light of the sun, the world, which had been growing brighter and brighter, suddenly changed and grew shadowy silhouettes. And yet, unlike the night, there was an endless depth to these shadows — the depth of the world. 

“I’d like to go all the way to the end, there, someday.” 

“If you really wanted to, I’m sure you can.” 

As Flynn responded to Yuri’s casual murmur, suddenly, their stomachs growled loudly. The two of them looked at each other. Come to think of it, in the end they ended up skipping dinner. 

Flynn remembered the bread Hanks had given him. He took it out of his pocket and split it in two. The bread was a little hard, but it didn’t matter to the hungry pair — although they winced a little due to the injuries inside their swollen mouths. 

“Jareth and the others must be pretty hungry by now.”

Yuri said, his cheeks stuffed with bread. 

Flynn, who had completely forgotten about that, widened his eyes, and bread burst out from his mouth. He coughed and — for the first time in a while — laughed. 

Seeing the comical state Flynn was in, Yuri also started laughing. The two of them laughed. Without any reservations or any shadows hanging over them, they laughed together. 

The morning air was endlessly clear and refreshing. 

(To be continued in the second volume.)

Prev | Index | Next

[poisoned-sugar11]

Responding to meme. Again.

Listen. I have friends who have told me about the callout out of concern for my fucking safety. I did not ask them to. I just happen to have good friends.

You aren't a minors dni blog. I've also never told you that I'm an adult. We're talking about proof here? Okay. Cool. Show me when I said that.

Bringing up suicide to persuade me to not leave is guilt tripping. It doesn't have to be a lie to be guilt tripping. In fact, I had no fucking clue you were suicidal with the messages you used to contact me through. You're the one bringing this up again to make me look bad.

You're using your identity as a fucking shield because you've known what you've done. You're a groomer. Thanks for confirming that's what it was, by the way. I was still hesitant to call it that.

Like it or not, being a minority does not absolve you of blame. Honestly, if your only defense is "Uh I'm gay so i didn't do it" that's a really shitty defense. Especially considering I am also queer? Make it make sense.

Here's every dm conversation we've ever had, by the way. In case you want to keep denying shit. I was told to do this by a friend a while ago in case this happened and I'm glad that I did.

Onto the death threats.

Yes, those did happen. I was not the one who wanted to kill you, though.

Note: Yuri is the alter who was fronting at the time here. We use bots on Discord to make it clear whose fronting. "Yaoi Beletskaya" is "me." She uses she/he pronouns if you want to start shit talking him as an individual, I guess.

Oh, and you want me to prove we didn't doxx you? You want me to prove a negative? That's a ridiculous ask. I can't do that. I didn't doxx you, though. One of my friends has offered to take the downfall even though they didn't do that either. Do with that information what you will.

You say I'm ableist and blame your bipolar for what you did to me, but when I bring up my bpd, I'm just making excuses? I've given you explanations for my "bad communication skills." You're a hypocrite.

"Rules for me but not for thee" as if that doesn't also apply to you.

You talk about ableism and then make fun of me for being "chronically online." Yeah, I'm a chronically ill teenager without many opportunities to leave my house. What exactly do you expect?

"Get help" also comes across as extremely ableist, by the way. Not that it's any of your business, but I have been seeking medical treatment for my mental illnesses. I'm actually actively keeping a journal to show a psychiatrist! I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know this since you're totally just concerned for my well-being, right?

[p1x1x]

i don't mind recieving more insight on the relationship dynamics you have in mind for them! gives me a better understanding of whats going on in ur art. i just asked because the "child crushing on adult > adult turns into parent/guardian" dynamic is something i don't see often [and when i do see it, it usually isn't done well] so i wanted to reach out to understand what ur take on it was. it's nice to see ur nuances on it as a fellow aro!

haha… “insight” mention

i guess it is a pretty unusual dynamic… but the vibes match what i usually like, so i entertain the thoughts a little…

more often than not there’s some long line of reasoning for whatever pairing im into… usually revolving around why one is important to the other, i guess, since honestly i dont have a set idea what romance is even if i like drawing Lesbian Things… and have done so… for several years…… so the scope of what i consider “love” is might be vague across the board idk the characters just think a lot about each other thats it.

if i were to clarify something like those “saya LOVE” doodles its… idk about myself being ‘nuanced’ lol 😅 i just get delusional about fictional characters and arcaea is Really hitting the braincells. at full force. the main reason for drawing that anyway was because i wanted to see saya getting some kisses (or close to kisses) and blush… the thoughts behind them existed in a vague state while drawing but there were Thoughts

vita -> saya: slight homoromo energy from vita by crushing, saya’s surprised by the cheek kiss but honestly a little touched by it (saya wouldn’t really think of herself as a ‘good caretaker,’ or even a particularly ‘good person’ with the ways she’s probably tested the limits of the memories and her general exploration of all types of memories… ‘the ends justifies the means’ mindset… but it’s like. ah, at least this child is happy…(because of me…?) it seems vita’s happy with just that, so she’ll allow this) i thought it would be cute, fluffy really. honestly i just like drawing them being cute together lmao… they’re sweet i hold em gently in my hand. surprise cheek kith…

lethe -> saya: okay there’s something absolutely terrible and gay going on between them i almost cant look at them!!!!! i love the prospect of ltsy recovering together if vita’s taken away… because lethe cant bring herself to just. leave saya bleeding out. after that. looked like she’s on the verge of tears. it doesn’t even feel like she’s ‘won’ this battle since insight had been the cause of lethe’s scythe striking her… but it also does feel like she’s the one who hurt saya anyway. so now they’re not fighting which is Weird because everytime they’ve met they have fought but neither are really in the mind for fighting so they just. have to deal with each other . and. pent up lesbian feelings. and suddenly being in close proximity like this. that flower is really pretty isn’t it? like the rest of her of course so much for Not Caring about whatever’s bouncing behind those petals before!!! (and all those other things they’ve said to each other when they believed the other to only be an obstacle for their path—ah, they were really misguided… things could have been so different… feels like the emptiness of arcaea also emphasized their opposition similarly to hikaritsu…)

(they’re really gay for each other trust me on this. they have a lot of lesbian yearning . but there’s also like. lethe seeing that vita was important to saya. (more important than what lethe has with saya just for now okay they’re both going to be important to her) how saya would probably still pursue her own dream. lethe can’t exactly fault her for that though, when she herself still believes the memories to be sacred, still finds it hard to let go of things (i know in 5-6 she kind of comes to peace with not remembering a part of herself… but she is still not letting go of any memory if she can jdhdgshssjshhs)). ouuuuugh lethesaya… y yuri… things are horrible for them… and saya’s flower lol. get licked, idiot (saya can totally feel things touching the flower!!! i won’t budge on this)

insight -> saya: insight’s love is definitely a sort of Love but less for a personal relationship and a need to find out everything about something or someone (largely based on whatever insight says in 16-3 and 16-6)… although maya is the most fascinating by being an exception to arcaea laws that insight understands, i’d think insight would find saya a little funny to poke at. and insight’s also gay because Yuri reasons. but then again, maybe all this is what romantic love would be like to her: knowing something or someone inside and out, construction and all : P in her freak ways : P the freakiness is amped up with maya though. freakyuri

though insightsaya isnt really something i ship (along with insightlethe or whatever configuration of them with insight). i just think, well, Lesbian Energy between all 3 of em, insight finds lethesaya entertaining or some shit like that. and its fun to put them together because. one is an ethereal beauty. one is pathetically hot. and the other is just a charming freak. so hard to draw

im not usually this elaborate for multiple characters but oh well i guess this is happening. just refer to the chart tbh that one covers most of my art in a pretty condensed format compared to… whatever this is

[stargazer-sims]

The Shirt

Caroline: Hey, Yuri! I finished cleaning my bathroom, like you asked me to.

Yuri: Thank you. Well done.

Caroline: I'm going outside now. I'm gonna see if Victor needs any help raking leaves.

Yuri: All right. That sounds like a good... Wait a moment.

Caroline: What?

Yuri: I don't recognize that shirt you've got on. Victor doesn't have one like that, and it's certainly not mine. Where did it come from?

Caroline: From Forest. It's his.

Yuri: Caroline, I don't think I like the idea of you wearing Forest's things.

Caroline: Why not? Like, you're literally wearing Victor's sweater right now.

Yuri: That's different.

Caroline: How is it different?

Yuri: Because it is. Forest is a boy.

Caroline: *laughing* Victor is a boy, too. Try again.

Yuri: Well... I'm married to Victor.

Caroline: So, let’s think about this. You have to be married to people to wear their clothes? Are you saying you never, ever wore anything of Victor's before you married him? Even when you lived together for like, two years or something before you got married?

Yuri: No, that's not what I meant. Of course I wore his things before we got married. It's simply that we were adults, and—

Caroline: So, only adults can do it?

Yuri: *exasperated* No.

Caroline: Okay. So, why do you wear Victor's stuff?

Yuri: Because it's comfortable and comforting, and I like it.

Caroline: Can't I wear something that's comfortable and comforting to me? Forest is my friend, and we like having things that remind us of each other. Like, I lent him my blue hat and he wears it all the time, and his parents don't have a problem with it.

Yuri: That's where your hat went. Victor said he thought you lost it. And I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea for you and Forest to wear each other’s things.

Caroline: Why not? You need to give me a good reason.

Yuri: Because… if people see you doing that, they might think you’re in a relationship.

Caroline: And that’s bad because…?

Yuri: It’s not bad, but I’m concerned you’re not ready for that sort of commitment.

Caroline: Yuri! It’s just a shirt. It’s not like he gave me a ring and asked me to marry him. He’s not even my boyfriend. Not officially, anyway.

Yuri: What do you mean, ‘not officially’?

Caroline: We know Forest doesn’t have permission to date, but when he does, we don’t want to date anyone but each other.

Yuri: You and Forest have already talked about it?

Caroline: Yeah.

Yuri: This is a… development.

Caroline: What’s that supposed to mean?

Yuri: You know Victor and I will have to discuss this, and we’ll have to speak to Forest’s parents as well.

Caroline: It’s just a shirt!

Yuri: Today, it’s a shirt. We love you and we want to make sure that when you move beyond sharing clothes, you’ll understand what’s appropriate and you’ll be safe. Do you understand?

Caroline: Yes, but…

Yuri: But what?

Caroline: Can I still wear the shirt?

[hereforthefunnyguys]

Break down Anzu please 🥺🙏

O 1. How do I feel about this character?

Will not lie to you at first I didn't see all that special about her but still thought she was a fun addition to the friend group. Then I got on the Internet (bad idea wouldn't recommend it) and saw how much hate she got and was like Oh I See. It's my job to defend her forever since apparently nobody else will. Send my ass off to war for her.

I do really appreciate her and I wish people would take a minute to examine her character more (which, to be fair, they removed a lot of for the manga). Like. I especially relate to the way that she both obviously has so much ambition for the future and looks forward to her career as a dancer, but is still scared and sad about having to let go of the friends she's made over the years.

Also people make fun of her for being too wishy washy and "vulnerable" but the fact of the matter is that she's not prone to discussing her emotions with anyone else in the series at all. Like. The only reason people see her as emotional is because we're given a viewpoint into her thoughts. Jonouchi is more openly emotional than her. Honda is more emotional. People should try and learn how to actually read into her character instead of just assigning her the Generic Shonen Girl Personality and calling it a day.

2. All the people I ship romantically with this character:

There is a horrid dearth of proper yuri in yugioh, but! I like pairing her up with Mana (unrealistic and they are separated by 3000 years but! She will Fuck That Mummy (i just got a really really good idea for an au guys trust me)) just because I think they make an interesting hypothetical dynamic - honestly, I'd go the full mile of calling them kind of narrative foils, what with Anzu's responsibility vs. Mana's silliness, Mana being tutored by a mentor vs. Anzu being mostly self-taught and self-propelled, Mana not having much ambition for most of the Millennium World arc despite her position of power and privilege vs. Anzu scraping up from the bottom specifically because she has such an intense vision of what she wants her life to be. Really good potential there. Anyways continuing on

I think her and Miho seem cute but i gonna be real with you i have. Not seen a ton of season zero so I have no real frame of reference for what they'd be like. And manga miho seems a little quiet for anzus personality tbh she needs someone she can argue with lmao

On the het side I like her with Atem but not honestly much of anyone else. I thought her and him had a very sweet dynamic in the manga and I would have liked to see more of his thoughts about her since he seemed to enjoy her company, he just. Is not good at talking to people in general. Don't hit me with that "ackshually atem hates Anzu 🤓" Shit. They are friends. They like each other.

Also I hc that she was crushing on mai kujaku but i don't think she would've been happy if it was a serious relationship. It's just like. One of those crushes teenagers get on attractive adults that show them genuine respect for the first time ever you know?

3. My non-romantic OTP for this character is:

Her and Jonouchi are so funnyyyyyyy lmao. "JOSEPH WHEELER WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU" alright they seem like the perfect mix of stupid and stubborn that im sure can lead to them getting into all kind of dumb shit. Where's my au where they both get lost in the woods because Anzu said she knew where she was going and Jonouchi was too proud to check the map. Silly

4. My unpopular opinion about this character:

SHE! IS! NOT! BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!! (rips shirt off and screams in rage) AND NO BEING YUGIS LOVE INTEREST IS NOT HER ONLY JOB IN THE STORY!!! SHE HAS A PERSONALITY BEYOND ANOTHER BOY'S CRUSH ON HER THAT SHE MAY OR MAY NOT RECIPROCATE!!!!

Really though she has such a strong personality if you set out to try and figure it out!! And she does play multiple roles beyond love interest and damsel in distress! She did a ton of stuff in the early manga and i still cannot believe people make fun of her for friendship speeches when they are obsessed with everyone else from hit series Yu-Gi-Oh, Friendship is Magic. She didn't even make that many speeches!!!!!

5. One thing I wished happened to this character in canon?

I wish we got to see more of her home life and her background since it feels like it has something going on back there, since she seems to be hustling for money in a way that tells me she mostly relies on herself for funds and support. Also I wish at least at some point she had gotten to tell Atem how she felt about him :( or at least resolved the plot point beyond "well I guess he's going so i have to cope"

anyways I LOVE HER A MILLION KISSES FOR ANZU MAZAKI

[bravewolfvesperia]

planned starter | @mistralxsoul

Given that Yuri was nagged at enough for going into town in the first place, the least he could do was minimize the nagging by bringing Flynn with him. Surely going out sometimes wasn't a big deal anyway, was it? Yuri always made sure to dress in civilian clothing to go out, and by now some people already knew who he was. Plus, Jiri knew he went out and didn't stop him. Gave him warnings, sure, but didn't stop him. As far as Yuri was concerned, Jiri's lack of stopping him was all the consent needed. If he was weighing his caretaker's advice over the council's, it was not the latter's he was taking.

So he sought Flynn out, eventually finding him managing the training weapons that he usually used to train others and Yuri himself. Bringing Flynn wasn't all that bad anyway. Flynn came from one of the areas of the commoners (or was it two...? It was two, right? He'd moved once), so for him, it was really just visiting home. Jiri came from the poor end of town and he'd heard stories from her, but it just made him want to visit even more. To be around what the other nobles kept trying to keep him away from. Being around other teens who didn't care about his status and in some cases didn't even know of it was preferable to being overly pampered anyway.

"I'm gonna go into town." Yuri said plainly as he approached Flynn, arms folded innocently behind his back. Sometimes he was accused of going out to cause trouble, but it was actually the reverse: he caused trouble for the other nobles, but he did what he could to make the lives of the commoners better. People down there liked him for the most part, and for all the warnings the adults gave him, he never treated those citizens as lesser than himself, and so didn't face backlash other nobility usually would. Those warnings were better heeded to themselves.

Sometimes Yuri could get away with Flynn just being a friend of his, but he was certain people knew he had a lofty status regardless. There were times Flynn was urged to, or wanted to, bring a weapon in case anything did happen. It was mostly clear enough that Flynn was a guard as well a friend, and it was hard to use the friend excuse while trying to get by as another commoner while visiting. "Do you wanna change? To blend in better?" He could ask any knight in the castle, really, but Flynn was his preference and technically his personal guard. "I'll wait if you want to, or we can just go."

Coming from Yuri, it wasn't even a demand. It wasn't an order. It was just, plain and simple, Yuri saying he was going out and knowing Flynn would follow, or ask after him when he couldn't find him later and end up following him anyway. If Flynn really truly and honestly did not want to go, Yuri never forced him. Yuri liked wandering the town though and seeing what foods and goods were there, or making sure the people were content. Having Flynn there and not some stuffy, constantly-reminding-him-of-his-status knight just allowed his time there to be genuinely fun. He could be unfiltered and not have to think about where he was. Getting Flynn to have fun was a bonus.

[lesbianlenas]

you said something about lycoris recoil and it got me intrigued. do you have yuri recs that aren’t mainly about teenagers? i’m looking for some but i have no idea where to find them. i’ve watched shows like chaser game w, she loves to cook and she loves to eat, and ayaka is in love with hiroko, but i’ve had no luck with animation so far :(

ok i wrote a whole response to this but then i went to google smth and it disappeared so thank u tumblr mobile omg 😭 i will try to remember what i said ok

so first of all idk if u meant by this that u have watched lycoris recoil but if u haven’t i think u should watch it anyway bc it is sooooo good u will have the best time EVER i promise u that…..i know they are teenagers but i also dont like watching things abt teenagers & it didn’t bother me in the animation format w this show specifically u can just ignore it & pretend they’re like 20 idk i promise it’s so good 😭😭😭 it is totally worth it if u haven’t watched it it changed my life

ok second of all unfortunately i don’t really have much for u….if u r not aware i spent my entire summer after my first yr of law school watching horror & lesbian animes so i was legit scouring for them i KNOWWW the term is yuri i just like saying lesbian anyway i dont think i really came across anything that was abt adults but i think that’s kind of an issue w anime overall bc i also noticed that when i was looking for horror animes that they were like all abt teenagers i think i only watched one that was abt adults but that was not lesbian. but idk i am not an anime enjoyer so i dont really know abt that but point being i searched far & wide for all the lesbian animes there are AND my friend who is an anime enjoyer also sent me a list of lesbian animes she found (and she was specifically looking for ones that were recommended by lesbians when she was looking). so the thing is that i did not watch all of them bc i can only watch dubs bc of my focus issues so i dont have every single one i found on hand to check but i will say i do know of one where they are not minors but may still be teenagers? idk if that is an issue for u. but in otherside picnic they r college students (not freshman) tho it isn’t explicitly romantic but it is intended to be lesbian on purpose. i watched the first ep but i had to rewatch lycoris recoil & then i started law school again so i didn’t continue it but i did enjoy the first ep it combined my interest of lesbian and horror so. i did check my watchlist & nothing else on there was not teenagers but i am going to find the list my friend gave me in my texts & see if anything there w/o a dub was not teenagers. ok i should have done that first & just given u a more condensed response but um i cant do that for reasons. one sec. (saving as a draft this time so as to not lose my extremely long response)

ok um. idk if u want explicit romance or not bc 😭 my friend told me abt an anime called nana which she said has lesbian subtext & they r 20 in that. english dub is on hulu idk why i didn’t add it to my watchlist but yeah.

again on the same explicit romance note but she also told me abt one called canaan where the characters r 20 & there is heavy lesbian subtext.

so yeah…..that’s it 😭 not a lot of lesbian animes period but even less abt full adults unfortunately……but u can always watch lycoris recoil if u haven’t & pretend & have the best time ever ever ever!!!!!