#this is the most positive final thoughts i ever had for inoue

[frida--y]

Let's get the party started!!

Man.... Dondon is. Great!

I loved it a lot, plot wise and pacing aside, it's very obvious the heart of the show is its characters.

In terms of its predecessor, Zenkai celebrated in the tokustau of it all, and Donbrothers celebrated the characters. Like Inoue's other works, he really makes great protags. Takkun, who’s afraid of betraying others so that's why he doesn't want to get close to others, and Taro who’s lonely and wants to understand true happiness, both a bit similar in their loneliness. They both find humanity throughout life, through opening yourself up with others and creating inseparable bonds. And have bfs

I do think Inoue's main writing strength is in his characters. Everyone has changed from the first intro... Another strength is his willingness to collaborate and be flexible. Always heard about Jetman's finale on how it was conceived through drinking with Gai's actor and how the both of them thought it would be funny if they ended the series like that... like.. that's hilarious. And through collaborations, Sonoi, Sononi and Sonoza got to live!!! Making bonds and establishing friendships though eating meals together in real life saved them. Ugh, I really love getting these behind the scene stories.

These two..

They kill me. THEY KILL ME!!!!!!!!!

Just. The small moments too. Sonoi running back upstairs to just SEE what oden looks like... I could not stop thinking about it when that episode dropped, it was hours later. Sonoi.... wanting to understand art, just like the humans do.. wanting to enjoy human food. To enjoy the food Momoi enjoys. To- enjoy- food.. to.. enjoy sharing the moments of eating alone and eating with others.... to-

Taro's daydream of casually eating oden with Sonoi, I had to get up and walk around...................

okay im back.

The Notos. MY BELOVEDS! Sononi, the failmoe girl. Of course it’s eye rolling that she became so attached to Tsubasa, but the fact that she’s so failmoe after cringing over everyone around her AND her finding Tusbasa worthy for falling over despite being a fucking DOG is. so funny. Go get him girl, do not get him chocolate though, he’s a dog after all. I loved Sonoza with Haruka, it’s so cute! For the one that wanted to understand raw emotions, it’s so great to have him see that Haruka manga could save others like him! 567 my messy messy beloveds... the staff’s love and oden could not save you.. :(

siiigh, rip my evil trio, you WILL be missed. Hopefully the staff can pull something out of their ass to revive you three. I NEED them.

So now the talk about the show for real.. Pacing in the beginning was awful, did not like it tbh! Once I was poisoned enough though, I got it. It definitely helps that I’ve seen a lot of Inoue’s shows (especially changerion) that a lot of it’s problems just bounced off me. His rushing and refusal to use certain characters brings down the show at times, and that’s double for the motw. It is an after thought at the worst and something that has to happen due to it being a sentai. It’s hard for me to pay any kind of attention when the fighting starts and when the mech fights, but that’s me problem in sentai in general, but it’s reaaaaaly bad in donbrothers where sentai fans even complain about it lol. The show’s comedy is great though!! Haruka’s actor beter go places after this, she’s def the highlight, and even veteran director Tasaki had said something similar to, “Donbrother’s is Haruka”, it started with her and it ends with her :)

Everyone else on the team are freaks!! I thought I would really love Saruhara through my blue bais, but I didn’t! Weirdo (affectionate) <333 His money lines are so Inoue coded... Tsubasa is also a character designed for me, dark and mysterious, but he is also a freak (theater kid), I CANT believe I fell for Kijino LOL Jirou is adorable, just so bright and loving, I wish his story got a longer run time, but it was still very effective. I’m just so glad he wasn’t someone the team had to fight, I’m so glad he accepted himself and found happiness that way :””) Murasame.

Of all the things left out, it is great that Kaito didn’t get explained... or did he?? 

I wonder if Kaito going into this world, (or the Kaito of this world) had this happen to him. I wonder if this would get explained in the VS movie.

.

and for thoughts on the finale:

I loved that Taro got a final scene with everyone, but with Kijino’s scene it felt somewhat special, he was the first one with Taro after all! So satisfying that Kijino is focusing on himself too! I know that he had that scene with Natsumi, but it came with the caveat that Natsumi chose this herself, she wasn’t a prize at the end for Tsubasa and her wants, her dreams is what’s important. I WILL ignore the wedding ring back on in the final scene, it’s fine that they’re together but I’d like to think that it took a longer time for them to get married. I mean.. it’s two volumes of donbros that came out before Haruka got her award so... and Kijino needs the time to himself!

God you have no idea how much I teared up here.. such a great roll call!

The fact that they held up on doing a complete roll call in the show proper with EVERYONE is so worth it. It was for a gag for sure, but after Sonoi’s revival, it was on purpose. The team was not complete. GOD and the MOON here.

I wanted the Noto trio to join the team soooo bad and be shown to be as silly as the doncrew when I saw them dancing in the intro and it came true.. THE vision. THIS is tokustau. The innovation, the onset rewrites, the relationships that grow on set. The love for the characters and what you do. 

DONBROTHERS!! AHH! TWO SENTAIS IN A ROW ABOUT LOVE YOU FIND WITH OTHERS!

alright bonus talk that is just my thirst talk:

juiced up Sonoi got me [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted][redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted][redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted][redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted][redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] 

I will placed in jail for what I want to say. 

Just know that I would [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] . <- this is a real sentence, you have been warned.

To quote Rain, “Kijino is the only fuckable donbrother. This is the rawest sexual energy donbrothers has on offer”

😤 AGREE 100X, YES ! HE IS!!

You do not want to peek into my mind when I first saw this ^

This is a warning. This made me fall for him even harder.

[sinclarify]

yap session 2 : chiyo inoue the ultimate circus ringmaster

the spinny wheel of fate said it's chiyo's turn now!! hehehe im so happy i love her anyway let's GO yay chiyo!! first things first let's get up her official description... well. she doesnt have a proper official one just yet but this tells a bit about her character! "Chiyo's the newly appointed leader of the Inoue Travelling Circus (aka, the hottest tourist attraction in Japan, if she does say so herself!), and rightly deserves her title of Ultimate due to her unrelenting passion for the job and everything that comes along with it. Chiyo takes her duties extremely seriously, and always wants to provide an exceptional experience for both the audience watching her shows and the people she works with. As a result, she's developed high levels of emotional intelligence, compassion, and the ability to raise spirits and energy both inside and out of the circus tent. It's easy for her to make friends - she's got this aura that just pulls people in! She's nothing but a total sweetheart, always willing to be there for everybody and wants to make sure that, no matter what, energy is high and happiness is through the roof! You'd be a fool to mistake her kind nature for weakness and naivety, though - when she wants to be, she has the capability to be extremely firm, and if it were to ever come to it, she would never back down from a decision." yayayyyy my silly girl 4eva hehe <3 unlike a lot of my fanclass sillies she does not have TERRIBLE lore. she was brought up in a loving family consisting of her mother and father, and from a young age, she's always known that her passion lay with the family business. since she was little, she'd sit in that circus tent, eyes wide with total awe at all the feats that were on display, from the tightrope walkers to the rings of fire to the magicians... it was like being thrown into a fairytale, a fantasy plucked from her wildest imagination right in the palm of her hand; all due to the hard work from her parents. they're her biggest inspirations! after one show, she ran to them, tugging on her mother's skirt and pulling her father's hand and babbling almost incoherently about how mommy! daddy! i want to be just like you! i wanna run the circus pleasepleaseplease can you let me run the circus? of course, she was way too little then... but years later, and her dream finally came true!! the inoue travelling circus is chiyo's lifeblood, literally. she'd give anything to make sure it prospers, to keep the legacy her parents had created alive and burning. it's their greatest achievement, and it's chiyo's, too!! if it were to ever fail... she doesn't know what she'd do with herself. so really, being thrown into a killing game and forced away from her family and her livelihood isn't all that great! who would've thought? still, chiyo maintains her cheerfulness, trying not to let all of the fears, anxieties and uncertainty plague her mind - she's smiling, and that's enough. that's all she can do! smile, and push through it with conviction. it's gotten her through 20 years of life already, hasn't it? but... smiling alone is alright, sure, but it's much better when you're doing it with others, too!! chiyo quickly realises that making friends is what will keep her strength going, even when faced with everything that might be thrown at them. her positivity and easygoing demeanour means that most people are at least warmed up to her, but it's not too long before she especially draws the attention of two people in particular - natsu shimada and kozue kaneko! all three of them are quite similar. natsu's charismatic, with a magnetic personality and not a single mean bone in his body, and kozue's got enough energy to power an entire city. birds of a feather flock together, as the saying goes, and the three of them become pretty stuck-at-the-hip pretty quickly. much to chiyo and kozue's surprise, they even start to become friendly with kane. kane cooper. that's mainly due to natsu just dragging him along, but... he seems to be warming up to them. friendship blooms in even the harshest conditions, huh?

if only it were just friendship, though! chiyo's not exactly sure when it started, but she starts to find that she's not looking at natsu and kozue the same way anymore. she looks at natsu, and all she sees is a great guy that she's happy to be friends with! she looks at kozue... and it's much more than that. she finds herself utterly drawn to the other girl like a moth to a flame, endeared to her every quirk, no matter how obnoxious it may seem to the others. there's a fire in kozue's eyes that keeps the fire in chiyo's burning, a warmth that she can't help but indulge in, and god, those hands would feel so nice in hers, wouldn't they...? she's had silly crushes before, but somehow it feels different. somehow, kozue feels like a light shining through the suffocating darkness of the killing game, and chiyo finds herself wanting this so much more than anything else.

and lucky her! kozue wants it pretty badly, too. that's one hell of a meet-cute! they're not exactly together, per se... it's pretty hard to confirm your relationship status while in the midst of a killing game, but nonetheless, they're together. they have each other, and that's all they need.

even though they've faced death so many times that they think it won't sicken them anymore, only for the acid to burn their throats every single time without fail. even though neither of them can be sure whether they'll make it to the next morning... they'll lie together at night, their fingers intertwined and their breathing synced and they'll deal with tomorrow when it comes. it doesn't even have to be called love. it's just chiyo and kozue. those names side by side is love in itself. kozue and chiyo. chiyo and kozue. that's all they need. everything changes after quinn's trial and the execution of hideyo, though. god, it's like nothing they've ever seen before - kaori's death was an utter tragedy, and yeah, minori was a killer, but it's hard to not feel some sympathy for them... but quinn had to deal with the most gruesome of fates and hideyo was nothing but a monster. a vile, deplorable monster, and that's not something the ultimates can just shake off. the atmosphere has completely shifted... there's no sense of hope anymore. it's like they're all just waiting with bated breaths for another killing to happen, resigning themselves to utter despair. smile. smile, chiyo, and everything will be okay! that's what your parents told you. mommy and daddy weren't wrong, that's how they lived and it worked and you want to be just like them so smile and make everyone happy and everything will be okay and you can do this it's okay it's okay but no it's not because she isn't. kozue isn't. kozue's not okay, chiyo can see it in her jumpiness, the way she's constantly averting her eyes, the shakiness of her breaths and how she only ever seems to observe now. watching the other ultimates like some nervous young bird of prey. kozue's not been that great at hiding her emotions anyway, and chiyo's always been good at reading them, so she knows what this means. kozue's planning a kill. not out of malicious intent, no, she's not that kind of girl, but... pure, unadulterated, desperation. she's probably not even thinking clearly, her brain too clouded and her body too sick, and chiyo loves kozue to bits but she knows she's going to end up doing something stupid, so she'll have to intervene, for the good of everybody. she gets kozue alone one night and cuts right to the chase! she tells her that she knows she's planning to kill someone, and that she's not angry or upset, but she needs to know that she's making a bad decision! kozue, you could die! you will die. trust me. kane and junichiro are so smart, so, so smart, and you know they'll figure you out. just like minori and hideyo... and i can't do that. i can't watch you die, kozue. i can't. please.

kozue looks up at chiyo, her eyes puffy and her cheeks red, choking the words out of her throat: i need to.

just three little words, but chiyo knows immediately that kozue's never been so serious about anything before. it's such a far cry from how she had been just a couple days earlier, but even when faced with this kozue, the one that’s so utterly broken and scared and desperate, she can still see her soul shining through, glistening in her eyes as the tears that pool there. so she draws in a shaky breath and takes kozue's hand, no hesitation in the next words she speaks.

okay. kill me, then.

before kozue can protest, she tightens her grip on her hands, leaning forward and looking into her eyes with such conviction, despite the hammering of her own heart and the breathiness of her words that speak to her fears.

kozue, please. kill me. it'll be okay, yeah? we'll see each other soon, won't we? kill me, a-and...and in the trial, let them figure everything out. kill me, then we'll both be out of here. and we'll be together! forever, kozue, don't you want that? please don't cry. please... d-dont cry... you're okay. i'm okay, look, i'm smiling! you have the prettiest smile i've ever seen, kozue. you're so pretty. smile for me. it'll be okay. please. you'll do this, won't you? kozue... it's alright.

what happens after that is a blur.

chiyo and kozue. kozue and chiyo...

together, that's all they need! chiyo and kozue.

kozue and chiyo.

kozue and... chiyo's body. still smiling. that's all she could do, smile. it got her through 20 years of life... so how fitting is it that she died with a smile on her face, too?

a smile on her face and the thought in her mind that she had everything she ever wanted right here. she couldn't think of a better way to die, at the hands of the girl she loved so dearly.

soon they'd be able to meet.

chiyo and kozue, together.

that's all they need.

[simpforgojosatoru]

TERRITORIAL (One-Shot) - Gojo Satoru x Reader

P

Summary:  Your boyfriend- Gojo Satoru has been away on an overseas trip, only to surprise you by returning early and showing up at your workplace, but came upon a scene of a very flirtatious male flirting with you (much to your annoyance), and decides to declare his territory.

Pairing:  Gojo Satoru x Reader/Reader-insert

Rating: General, just some fluff

“Two million yen, no more, no less,” the male opponent stated firmly.

You stare at him incredulously, “That’s very low, there is no pre-nup between our clients, and it should be at least 50/50. Have you even considered the circumstances?”

Sitting in the conference room, Inoue Takuya- the very flirtatious lawyer for the opposition, is over to negotiate a settlement deal, and he is constantly throwing you playful or teasing or flirtatious looks, while you just kept rolling your eyes since the looks he threw have not gone unnoticed by you. This guy has been irritating the hell out of you, getting on your nerves all the time, as he has been using every opportunity to flirt with you, to get you to go out with him despite your very publicly known relationship with the one and only Gojo Satoru, and the fact that he has a thing for the very beautiful you is no secret to every one of your colleagues, and even bosses.

Takuya laughed sarcastically, “No way, 2 million yen is more than enough.”

“No, my client was with your client ever since her high school years, she gave up her career, she gave up everything for your client, and not to mention, she gave your client a family life with three children,” you argue. “And now your client is ditching her for a much younger model. Nothing can compensate all that.”

Takuya sighed, “You are too sentimental.”

You scoff, “I am fighting for what my client is very well entitled to.”

“Then, what’s your desirable figure?” Takuya queried.

“Two billion yen at least,” you reply firmly. “Take it or leave it, or I will see you in court.”

The man laughed, “Ha, two billion yen, dream on.”

You did not say anything, but look at him dead on. He stopped laughing upon seeing the serious look on your face.

Takuya sighed, “Two billion yen is way too high.”

You shake your head, as you smile knowingly, tracing a finger around the rim of your glass of water, and you sigh. “Does your client know how much his three beloved children hate his guts?”

“What?” Takuya asked, surprised, taken aback at your question.

“Even if your client does not know exactly how much, he should at least have the sense and idea to know that he is not their favorite person right now,” you reply.

“You see, the children have always been very close to my client, and they love her ever so dearly. What your client did to her have now completely alienated the children, they no longer want anything to do with him, and they cannot care any less about the money or inheritance,” you continue. “In fact, they are quitting their positions at the company, which I believe and I know will be a huge loss to your client and his company, losing his heirs and such competent successors.”

“My client still loves and cares for his children all the same, he wants to keep in contact with them,” Takuya stated. “And of course, he wants the children to take on the company and business in the future.”

You tilt your head to one side, “But his children want nothing to do with him.”

Takuya sighed, finally understanding what you are inferring, “Fine, I will take the figure back to my client…”

“And I will discuss with my client and her children, and see if there can be any leeway,” you finish.

You start gathering your files and documents, while Takuya just continued to stare at you, you did not have to look to know that he was staring at you, and you frown.

“Inoue-kun, I believe we are done for today, just get back to me when you have discussed and negotiated with your client,” you state, standing up from the table.

Takuya nodded with understanding, also standing up, he offered a handshake, “OK, it was nice talking to you today, I will be in touch.”

You accept the handshake, but when you try to pull your hand back, he wouldn’t allow you too.

“Excuse me,” you state in a hard-tone, looking at him sharply.

“Nuh-uh, we still have a matter to discuss,” Takuya stated arrogantly, with an arrogant grin.

“What?” you ask, a little annoyed. “And let go of me first!”

Takuya smiled, and nodded, he let your hand go, but he did not back off, standing close mere inches to you. He carried on with his arrogant air, and he grinned confidently, “You still owe me a cup of coffee, Y/N-chan.”

You look at him incredulously, “What? I don’t owe you anything, not a cup of coffee in the least!”

“When I asked you to get a coffee together the last time, you didn’t say anything, I assume that was a ‘yes’ from you,” Takuya replied with a grin.

“You assume?! What kind of logic is that? You cannot assume anything from me when you practically know nothing about me. I didn’t say anything to you because I did not care about your offer, nor do I want to go out with you. How many times do I have to tell you that?” you say, annoyed.

“I will shut up if you go out with me,” Takuya stated with a charming smile.

You roll your eyes, and then you turn serious, looking at him dead-on. “Look here, Inoue-kun, I do not like you, and most importantly, I have a boyfriend, and I love him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While you and that lawyer were bickering in the conference room, some people are starting to cause a raucous outside, as Gojo Satoru and his just-as-handsome guy friends- Geto and Nanami have made their first appearance in the law firm in front of all of your bosses and colleagues, who gasped and stared in awe in stunned surprise. They had just landed back in Tokyo, after an overseas business trip to South Korea, and they headed off to the law firm after dropping everything off, as Satoru couldn’t wait to see you again. Knowing that the guys are probably here for you, the bosses and colleagues respectfully greeted them, but they did not bother them for selfies, although most of them were tempted to.

Your friend and colleague- Suki grinned on seeing them at the office, and greeted them brightly and cheerfully. “Hi guys, wow, this is a really nice surprise! Didn’t you just arrive? What are you doing here?”

Satoru, Geto and Nanami grinned.

“I cannot wait to see Y/N again,” Satoru replied with a grin.

Suki nodded in understanding, and then grinned, “Oh good, now that you are here, you can totally help her out.”

The boys frowned.

“What do you mean?” Satoru asked, confused.

Suki nodded her head towards the direction of the conference room, the boys looked and their eyes widened at the sight of a very annoyed you, and a clearly very flirtatious man, who stood very close to you, and way too close for Satoru’s liking. The boys turned back to Suki, still gob-smacked.

“What’s this?” Satoru asked.

“Don’t worry, Y/N is the most loyal and faithful person I know…” Suki replied.

Satoru nodded, “I know that, but who is that guy who is clearly flirting with my girl?”

Suki and the other boys grinned at Satoru’s use of the term ‘my girl’.

“That guy is also a lawyer, but a really flirtatious one, he has been hounding after Y/N for months and months, despite the fact that she has already told him thousand times that she has a boyfriend whom she loves, and despite the fact that your relationship is already public knowledge,” Suki explained with a sigh.

Satoru growled, “Who does he think he is?”

“This is why I said it’s so good that you are here now, you can assert yourself in front of him,” Suki stated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, inside the conference room, you are delivering your final blow.

“Not to mention, you are incredibly disrespectful, you know very well who my boyfriend is, our relationship is no secret to the public, this clearly tells you that I have a boyfriend, and we are committed to one another, yet you are still persistent,” you state. “What on earth is wrong with you? We are done here.”  

You turn and back away, and immediately opened the conference room door and you are stunned to find yourself facing the grinning face of the love of your life. Not caring anyone else around, you quickly envelop him in a tight hug, and he was only more than happy to reciprocate.

“Oh my god, baby, what are you doing here so early? I thought you’d be taking a rest, didn’t you just arrive from Seoul?” you ask.

Satoru grinned, “I couldn’t wait to see you again, and I have missed you ever so much.”

“I’ve missed you so much too, baby,” you state back with a loving look.

Satoru smiled, so happy and content to be back with you, he leaned in to kiss you, and you happily kissed back, but he did not forget the one additional thing he has to do, that is, to assert himself as the boyfriend, right in front of the flirtatious male.

Cupping your face, he stared lovingly into your eyes, “How has work been for you? Not too stressed out or tired out, are you?”

Holding his hands in yours, you shook your head with a reassuring smile, “Baby, I am all good, don’t worry about me.”

He smiled lovingly at you, before casting his eyes up to stare at Inoue Takuya, he looked back at you, asking, “Who is this?”

“Oh, him, right, this is Inoue Takuya, the lawyer for the opposition in one of the cases I am working on now, we were meeting to negotiate and discuss a settlement,” you reply.

You turn to Takuya, smiling proudly, and introduced Satoru, “Inoue-kun, I’m sure he needs no introduction, he is the one I’ve been telling you so much about, my boyfriend- Gojo Satoru.”

You turn back to Satoru, smiling proudly at him, and he grinned back in return. Satoru then turned to Takuya, he did not smile, and stated seriously, and heavily emphasized, “Hello, Inoue-kun, I’m Gojo Satoru, Y/N’s boyfriend.”

Then, Satoru looked the guy up and down, and stepped up close, smirking, “I saw what you did, and as flattered as I am that you find Y/N very attractive to flirt…sorry to inform you that, there is no way in hell Y/N will ever leave me for you.”

You, standing at the back, watched on with amusement at your boyfriend’s cocky confidence, but you also can’t help enjoying him being territorial around you.

“Inoue-kun, can’t you find a girlfriend of your own?” Satoru continued taunting. “Or are you so terrible at it, that you have to hit on someone else’s girlfriend? I’d appreciate it if you stop doing that to Y/N, my girlfriend.”

Without another word, with a cocky grin, Satoru turned back to you, and wrapped an arm around your waist, held you close and led you out of the room.

“Oh, Mr. Gojo, you are so territorial,” you comment with a grin.

“You don’t like it?” Satoru asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Oh, I love it!” you reply with a grin.

[forkanna]

[AO3] [WATTPAD]

The rest of the morning was spent getting dressed and ready for their day to begin. Rise only had a few of the more cliched touristy things in mind, since she had been planning it out with the whole of the Investigation Team — such as whale watching, or hitting up Okinawa World. Even though none of them were old enough to drink their fabled "snake liquor", they were all for exploring the caves that ran beneath the theme park.

When Ai had asked if she wanted her to return the favour, Rise declined. The truth was that while she desperately wanted to sate her urges, she knew they were both feeling a little out of sorts from all their exploration so far — which was why she thought the downtime would be good. Now they could sort through their feelings while sightseeing, and come back to it several hours later, hopefully having gained some kind of wisdom along the way.

Though there was one small problem…

"Will you stop that?" Ai hissed as she and Rise lingered toward the back of the group climbing the steps to the historical Shuri Castle. Yukiko was definitely the one most interested, but the others didn't mind seeing the notable sites.

"Stop whaaat?"

"Stop trying to grab me by the balls. I tried to tell you, it's not a toy!"

Pursing her lips, she pulled her closer to whisper in her ear, "It's my toy. I'm having a lot of fun with it." But then she dropped back with a giggle. "And we both know that if you didn't want me to, you'd try harder to stop me. But all you have to say is 'You need to stop' again and I'll know you're serious."

Ai pursed her lips… but said nothing. Perfect. She had a feeling she was enjoying the attention, even if not the specific form it took. "Dumb bitch," she said yet again.

"You love meeeeee," she cooed with a grin and a little bounce as they reached the top, leaning over to rest her head against her shoulder. Even though she decided not to grab for her unmentionables anymore, she wasn't going to leave her alone.

"Okay, you two," Yosuke sighed irritably as he laced his fingers behind his head. "I know you two have this whole weird 'bet' going, or whatever it is, but do you have to rub it in for the rest of us who don't have anybody? Like, look at Yukiko and Chie and Naoto; they don't have boyfriends! You're gonna make 'em feel bad, too!"

Apparently, he had thought appealing to their solidarity with other women would be more effective than pleading his own case. But Rise just giggled, because she saw the look Yukiko and Chie shared. Naoto was as stoic as ever… but she thought she noticed Kanji blushing. That would make perfect sense, those two — she just had no evidence they were also a thing.

Poor Yosuke. No chance at love unless Narukami came back, or he decided to give in to-

"WHAT A PRETTY CASTLE!" Teddie burst out in a gushy tone of voice, lacing his fingers together next to his own face as he stared up at the doorways. "Ohhh, can we live here? Pleeeeaaaase?!"

"No," Yosuke sighed very tiredly with no hesitation whatsoever. "And I thought I reminded you a whole damn five minutes ago to keep it down!"

Rise was laughing at that reprimand when her cell phone went off, making much more noise than Teddie ever had been. Holding up a finger, she stepped a little further away from the group to take it.

"Yes?"

"Miss Kujikawa."

After a brief second of surprise, she managed to breathe, "Minoru-chan! What's… I mean, hey!"

Minoru Inoue's stoic voice returned over the earpiece of her phone as she turned away from the group. "I have been trying to call you all morning. Is there an issue with your cell phone carrier? Would you like me to look into the cause of-"

"No, no, it's… it's fine." This was inconvenient, but she wanted to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. "So what's up? I'm out with friends, we're on vacation."

"Yes, about that… I'm going to send you a couple of images. Tell me if you notice anything."

So she pulled the phone back in order to check the screen. Sure enough, within seconds the images were coming in via text, and when they finally loaded…

"O-oh, you saw those!" she laughed as lightly as she could manage despite the way her heart began pounding in her throat. So many pictures! Each one featured her and it behara laughing together, walking hand in hand, arguing… only one or two showed anything that could be construed as romantic, but all of them could have been explained away as friendship if one tried hard enough. "Yep, all according to plan. It's fine! They're fine, don't… don't worry about 'em!"

"Which 'plan' was this? Certainly nothing approved by the label."

"Something I thought of on the spur of the moment. It's so easy for an idol to fade into the background, isn't it? Well… here's me, finding a way to stand out! It'll be great — you'll see!"

"There are already a lot of polarising comments on the message boards," Inoue went on, and Rise found herself glancing around to make sure nobody else could hear her. A couple of her friends — including Ai — were glancing over at her to make sure everything was alright, but they were far enough away they probably didn't catch a word. "Everyone is very invested — for both positive and negative reasons."

"See? It's working!"

"No, you misunderstand, Miss Kujikawa. The label is uncomfortable with your career taking this direction. They're considering severing their association with you."

Rise felt her blood chill in her veins. "They're gonna fire me? Because… I'm dating a girl?" She had considered adding a 'maybe' in there, but decided against it. That wasn't how she wanted to move forward with her life.

"They're considering it. There's no real official position on these matters, but businessmen tend to be more conservative. Even if they like the idea of flash and attention-seeking behaviour because it typically only helps a celebrity's visibility, if it's the wrong kind of visibility, it could eventually reflect poorly on the label itself."

"That's not fair," she immediately shot back. And then her higher reasoning skills kicked back in. "And they already know what a moneymaker my voice and my looks are, that I know how to work it. I'm cute, and I know how to be cute."

"The label wants you to be cute and available," he stressed. "They understand that most of our idols will marry eventually, but they hope to get as many men lusting after the idea of being your boyfriend for as long as possible."

"They're delusional."

"Yes, they are. But that's where the money is."

Sighing, she found a nearby pillar and leaned back against it as she thought about the entirety of the situation. Tried to weigh her options. "Well… okay, so I can ride the scandal for a while, can't I? Like, there hasn't been a lesbian idol. Not that I remember."

"Don't you think there's a reason why you can't remember? Because they aren't encouraged to be out publicly. And if they can't conduct that business in private, then the labels have no use for them."

Anger was starting to overtake her anxiety. "That 'business', huh? Maybe it's not any of their business."

"Of course it is. An idol in this country? Literally every aspect of your personal life reflects on your profession, colours public opinion. You know this as well as I do."

"Well… I don't care. Like, if they really want to cut me loose, they can go ahead, but I think they would really be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't see how this plays out first."

"They're already on point of doing that, Miss. You're already essentially 'retired' and trying to make a comeback. If there were going to be a homosexuality scandal, it would be ideally placed for when you're already riding high on the charts, or are on a slight decline — and even then, it's still very risky. So you should really start thinking about whether or not you want this comeback at all."

"Now you're starting to piss me off," she snapped. "This isn't a 'scandal' or a 'business' or any of that stuff! This is my life! Isn't the whole point for me to be entertaining? I can do that and be with a woman at the same time!" She heard him start to interrupt, but she pushed ahead, "Maybe it's about time Japan had an openly queer pop star, because there sure as hell aren't enough of us! So you can shut the fuck up until you have something a little less caveman to say!"

And she hung up on him. Deep down, she knew she was being unfair to Minoru; he was just trying to do his job, and seeing everything through that public relations lense. But she hated the fact that they were trying to tell her she couldn't even date the woman she wanted to date. Nevermind that she was serious about it, and they all thought this was either a publicity stunt, or just some random person she wanted to hold hands with for five seconds before throwing her away. Everything in the world of light music was so immaterial. She wasn't even sure she really was gay or bisexual or whichever label fit her; why did it have to be so important to everyone when it didn't even affect them?

Looking over at Ai was enough to reassure her that she had done the right thing. Even though she wasn't even paying attention to her at the moment, just looking around the brightly-coloured interior of the castle, she was still just as gorgeous as ever — and she was a woman. The only woman Rise had ever found herself thinking about as not just attractive, but as someone she was attracted to. Every time she tried to examine that and figure out if it was a fluke, she just found herself falling yet harder for the stunning upperclassman. Who wouldn't be? Plenty of boys wanted to be with her, so it was understandable.

Because at least some small part of her was lesbian. Maybe more than a small one.

As she stowed her phone, she took a look at Chie and Yukiko. Chie was cute in a playful, carefree way, and Yukiko was so elegant. Could she be into them? No, not really; she had never thought about them that way in the past and wasn't too inclined to start now. Though if she were to choose…

That was interesting. Her brain instantly whispered, "It would be Yukiko," and she didn't even understand the reason. Was she into girlier girls?! Turning her attention to Chie, she knew she was also appealing in a different way, but something about that extra-feminine… maybe it was because she associated that with Ai now. She and Yukiko were both very put together, even if Yukiko took a simpler approach to her dress and makeup and hair; more traditional.

Weird thoughts. Shaking her head out, she jogged to catch up with the group, putting on a happy face.

"What was that shit all about?" Kanji asked idly.

"Nothing," she said with a big smile, trying to put her best foot forward. "What about you guys? What's this all about?"

After a brief pause, Chie said, "It's… a castle…?"

"Well, um, yes, but are we all having fun? Come on, get excited — we're in Okinawa! Away from our parents and school and all that dumb stuff! Let's have FUN!"

Nobody could argue with that.

                                                ~ o ~

Only once they were at lunch did Ai catch up to her and confront her on trying to hide her true feelings about that phone call. After she had related the entirety of the conversation, Ai looked like she would throw her soba and chanpuru at the wall; she even threatened to pick it up and do that very thing.

"Shhh, stop that," Rise half-snickered. "It's not that big a deal."

"It is to me! That fucking asshole thinks he can push you around and tell you who to be?!"

"I know! It's so gross, and invasive, and… I just don't think it's very nice for the label to be breathing down my neck so much!"

Ai sighed as she stirred her noodles distractedly, posture slumping. "But you'd probably better think about doing as they say."

"Huh?"

"Well, you have your entire future to think about, right? I don't want to be the one holding you back. They're gross, but they're probably also just reading the room. They know what it takes to get you where you want to be, and… I ain't it."

A flash of anger welled up within Rise as she picked at her rafute. "No. You're what I need because you're my friend and you make me happy."

"Friend, huh? You do that with all your friends?" When Rise opened her mouth, she held up her hand, chopsticks still between her fingers. "Just messing with you."

"Shut UP, oh my GOD." Then they both laughed very briefly before Rise felt another sigh coming on. "Honestly, I think they're wrong about this. I've checked the online spaces myself, too — don't they think I have? Don't they think I'm better at it than those old crusty guys are?!"

"Tell them, girl!"

"Are you two okay over there?" Chie asked with a little laugh.

"NO!" they both answered, only making both tables laugh. There hadn't been enough space at any one table at the restaurant they found, so most of them ended up at the big one. Ai had volunteered the two of them to take another small one nearby — and Rise now realised the reason was this interrogation.

"Anyway, if they don't want me on the label anymore, that's that. I can find a way to pursue music without them."

Mouth full, Ai just nodded and pointed her chopsticks at her for a second until she swallowed. "YES. The internet is here and it's queer, and they're old guard who are going to die out. Viral videos are really starting to become a big part of how artists get noticed. YouTube and Niconico and stuff. Who even cares about TV anymore?"

"A lot of people," Rise sighed resignedly. "Especially in rural areas — which will also be the same people who don't want to see me dating a woman. Just not kids our age as much as we used to."

"Well… okay, yeah, that's true."

"It's okay, though. The future isn't for old people, it's for us. Me being who I am, dating who I want to date, is part of pushing forward, y'know? Not that I want to be some big activist… I don't know enough about that stuff. Not as much as you probably do. But I'm not going to hide who I am just because some old people tell me I have to; I've done enough of that for a lifetime. Now I just want to figure out the real Rise and love her, and show the world who she is."

Though she had finished and gone back to eating a moment later, waiting for Ai to respond, she never did. So eventually she glanced up to see her simply smiling across the table at her, elbows leaning on its surface as her mascara-laden eyelashes fluttered a little.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just proud of what a bitch you can be when you need to."

"Huh?! I'm not a bitch!"

"It's a compliment, dumbass. Bitches get shit done."

"Oh. Well, um… thank you?"

Ai chuckled at her for a moment, prompting Rise to kick her under the table. Then they both started flicking tiny bits of food at each other from across the tabletop until Yosuke asked what the hell they were doing, prompting a loud peal of laughter from them both. Even though at the time, Rise was mostly worried about her career and whether or not she was making the right steps, she would forever look back on that as a glorious moment she had shared with Ai Ebihara. With her girlfriend.

                                                To Be Continued…

[hesesols]

Make a Wish

Day 22 of Ichiruki month 2020

Summary: What are you babbling about?" His voice is gruff, but the lines on his face soften as he sets the birthday cake to her eye-level, "Make a wish, midget!" 

Rating: K

FF/ao3

.

.

Rukia doesn't have much fond memories of her childhood. On the streets of Inuzuri, no child stays a child for long. Childhood innocence forfeited for the sake of a full belly and warm shelter. The shame of having to beg, lie, borrow and steal fades to a distant memory as the hunger takes over and it becomes a necessity to survive by any means necessary.

Her earliest memories of those days strewn by the woes of hunger and cold are criss-crossed with those of her quick feet and equally nimble fingers; doing whatever it takes to keep herself and later, Renji and their little ragtag group alive.

Forced to grow up to the harsh realities of the world too quickly, there is a contradiction of scorn and longing in the softness of things- of pretty things, shiny baubles and colourful dresses. It doesn't stop just because she's been adopted into a noble house and made to act like a lady. The Kuchiki is a heavy name and she bears it staunchly and unflinchingly, showing no weakness- no fear; because in the eyes of Soul Society- she is more than her own person, she is a representative of her clan and poor conduct from her reflects badly on the clan.

Guiltily, she takes advantage of her anonymity in the Living World- the sheer freedom that grows on her like wings on a bird- to indulge. Free from scrutiny and admonishments from her peers, she looks to certain amusements and events with something that borders on childlike wonder. It goes beyond her fascination with juice boxes and Chappy-themed merchandise.

It's the unbridled joy of freedom to express her emotions, of the warmth of friendship, of the acknowledgement of her as an individual- of personhood.

Deep down inside, Rukia thinks- almost selfishly, how wonderful it would be free—how being stripped of her powers and rendered weak as a human can't possibly be so bad—

.

No, stop!

.

She leaps off her perch on the tree, balancing precariously on the balls of her feet as she lands- with not a hair out of place.

These thoughts are dangerous. She glances at her hands- callused from the grip of a sword, stained from the blood of innocents. She is a Shinigami- a soldier through and through; soldiers don't have the luxury of wishing of what could have been as opposed to what there is.

A soldier doesn't think or march to the beat of her own drum- Soul Society would be up in flames, disorder rampant!

No, a soldier follows orders.

Always.

And that's all there is to it, she thinks.

.

.

Yet despite her best efforts, these thoughts linger- in the hollow of her smiles when she feigns politeness, in her faraway stare as she realizes that she's getting too attached to her human companions.

There's Inoue-san— Orihime with her generous heart, so capable of giving and warmth.

Chad- or rather Sado-kun, a man of few words yet a heart of pure gold and holds true to his creed to looking after and fending those who cannot do so for themselves.

Ishida-san- Uryuu, the Quincy, a sworn enemy of Shinigamis but is there truly a need for such divide, could there be a mistake somewhere in their records?

And finally, there's Ichigo.

Ichigo with his hair dipped in the colour of the sun and like it every bit as brave and bright, his fierce heart, so full of anger and grief, so young and reckless—

.

"Surprise!"

She almost jumps, hands reaching for the hilt of her blade until she sees the bright party hats, beaming smiles and colourful streams and confetti from the party poppers.

When did they have the time to set this up? She was only gone for barely a minute to the toilet.

Rukia's surprise is slight- barely there in the widening of her mouth, her eyes—

"H-How- T-Thi- N-No-"

Ichigo steps forward, flicking at her forehead, stopping the mad tumble of words.

"What are you babbling about?" His voice is gruff, but the lines on his face soften as he sets the birthday cake to her eye-level, "Make a wish, midget!"

The cake is from a nearby bakery. Orihime babbles something in the background about how she would have volunteered to have baked it for her if only she hadn't run out of her iconic red bean paste. Kurosaki-kun gave them all too short of a notice. Her words spark a commotion of sorts among her classmates but Rukia pays no heed, too stunned by the appearance of the cake.

It's nothing fancy just a common butter cake with vanilla icing, the Happy Birthday! as nondescript as they come in red.

But the gesture still takes her by surprise.

She forgets how to act for a moment, losing her composure.

Much later, she will tell Ichigo that it's not her birthday today. It's fake, much like most of her circumstances in this world, just a random date she put down as she filled in the application form and conveniently forgot about. Truth be told, Rukia barely even remembers her birthday let alone ever getting around to celebrate it.

Sometime in January- a short acknowledgement from her elder brother, maybe they'll share a meal later- quiet as always, the entire affair verging on sombre with idle chatter absent. When the clock strikes twelve, it's another year gone, a lifetime more to go.

.

"Ah, Kuchiki-san, the candle! Quick blow it out!"

It's Orihime's voice that finally jolts her out from her reverie.

She looks up to see Ichigo's eyes staring expectantly at hers, his shoulders tense, breath held. Behind him, staring just as eagerly at her- that of her classmates, Mahana, Chizuru, Michiru, Tatsuki, Ryo, Mizuiro, Keigo. Nobodies, inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, barely a blip on Soul Society radar but to her, they mean something.

To them, Rukia Kuchiki exists as a person and the thought warms her- the ice in her thaws a bit more under their gazes.

She tucks her hair behind her, leaning in towards Ichigo as she shuts her eyes and blows out the candle.

.

If there truly is a God, may moments like this last a little longer.

.

.

.

FF/ao3

My heart was so torn. I had Dorothy Parker's poem Surprise in mind when I saw the prompt but then this is positivity week- NO ANGST!

So compromise?

[cesium--133]

Siblings by Chance, Chaotic by Nature

@taiyuu-high-oct Bonus Round! Featuring special guests: Bumu Ana, Inoue Kokoro, Sugiyama Rikoinu, Sugiyama Tsubame, and Fujinuma Ozen

Kokoro wasn't someone who was particularly easy to startle. But when an angel drops out of the sky with a duffel bag big enough to carry a grown man, then one is instinctually obligated to jump back. Laramie Angelica Spellman, who preferred to be called Ames, knew how to make an entrance.

"Hey Kokoro! You heading to see that cousin of yours? The one with the holes?" Kokoro blanched a bit upon hearing Hiraku called 'the one with the holes.' Not the worst nickname, not inaccurate either, but it wasn't exactly orthodox. Kokoro replied after recovering from her initial shock. 

"Uh yeah, you going to see your sister?" She asked, mostly to be polite. The American nodded 

"Oh yeah, Lyrimon and Tsu both. And Lori's breaking in later too, and Riko is already here, which means it's almost a family reunion." She said. Somehow, while she was talking, she had begun to glide in the direction of the dorms of their guest students. Not walk, glide. Kokoro had followed, she was going that way anyway, she might as well. 

"Well that sounds nice." Then she paused, "So. . .Lori-kun is breaking in?" Kokoro asked, slightly afraid of the answer. To her dismay, Laramie nodded once in the firm manner of someone who knew what the inevitable was. 

"Yup. I told her I wasn't helping her too, so we'll just have to see what she comes up with."

"Well its sure to be. . . Spectacular."

"Almost definitely."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ana wasn't expecting a call. She was just walking to class when her phone rang. Caller ID identified it as Lorelei Sirenica Spellman. The girl who turned most of the general studies class into a rave and somehow got everyone's phone number during an intense rendition of the ghost busters theme song. Ana picked up.

"Hello?" She asked

"Hellooooo, Bumu! Remember me? Laramie's slightly more fabulous sister?"

Ana giggled a little. Lorelei was too extravagant for words. "Oh hey, what's up?"

"I'm actually calling to see if you can do me an eensy-weensy favor."

"Alright, well what is it?"

"Would you mind going to the front gate and claiming me as your guest? I don't want Ames to know I'm here just yet."

"Oh, sure. Are you planning to surprise her and your other siblings here?"

"Most definitely! So you'll do it?"

"Yeah sure, why not?"

"Oooooh, thank you so much! I'll see you at the gate then?"

"I'll see you at the gate. Bye!"

"Byee~!"

The call ended, and Ana made a quick detour to the front gate, where one drink laden Lorelei was standing. One small conversation with the gate keeper later, the gate was open, and the first thing that happened was Ana was assaulted by a drink.

An enthusiastic Lori, buzzing with energy, holding a jumbo sized tray of drinks that seemed incredibly specific, gave Ana an iced coffee, her favorite. She took the drink.

"Wow, what's this for?" The student asked, staring down at the drink in her hand.

"Gratitude! I couldn't ask you to let me in without treating you to a little something! It's your favorite right?"

"Uh, yeah, but how'd you-"

"Theme songs are very potent, and Ghostbusters just happens to be an informative song. The 2 hour nap is so worth it."

"Huh. Well that was really nice of you, thanks!"

"No problemo! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bed that needs to be filled with shaving cream"

Ana watched her go, skipping off across the grounds to wreak havoc. She took a sip of the iced coffee and smiled. It was delicious. "Americans." She thought privately to herself "are so weird."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

For Riko, this day was even. Not good, not bad, perfectly balanced. It was great that he got to see Tsuki, and it was great that the Spellman family seemed to be taking good care of her, but quite frankly, Lyrimon was the most confusing person he had ever met.

The first time Riko had met the youngest of the other triplets, she had a set of mangled gills, some very awful mutation that seemed diverse enough to be painful, and they hadn't talked very much. Now she was. . . Well, blue, an octoped, and only had one working eye. The left one was sealed up and a little oozy. Riko had spent a good 5 minutes staring, until she turned to him and started talking. Well, it was less talking and more of a collection of curses and a vague idea of asking him about the weather.

If it was possible, the simple proximity to those filthy words were enough to peel back his flesh from his skull. 

But at least they weren't talking much. Mainly, Tsuki and Riko spoke with each other, sitting in the grass in the shade of a tree on a hill. Riko and Tsuki side by side leaning against the tree, and Lyrimon sprawled out on her stomach in front of them, arms tangling in all sorts of positions to accommodate each other and providing a crook for her to tuck her face into. 

Then Riko mentioned Laramie, about how she stress baked 3 dozen cinnamon rolls and was probably going to bring them here, and Lyrimon decided to open her mouth again 

"Did she fucking stress bake them because of fucking us. Did she hear about the damned villain attack?" Lyrimon asked, lazily opening her only good eye to fix Riko with the most intensely unconcerned state he had ever seen. She wasn't even trying, and she might as well have a laser gaze quirk. Riko thought about it for a bit.

"Uh yeah, she did disappear as soon as it came on the news." 

Lyrimon scoffed. "Oh no, then there will not be fucking 3 dozen. There will be at least six damned dozen. Sure as eggs are fucking eggs." Then, having dropped the truth bomb of the century, she slid her eyelid closed again and might as well have gone to sleep. Riko looked at Tsuki. Tsuki looked at Riko. "Well I guess that's a good thing, right? More baked treats?"

He did not know how wrong he was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"So, uh, what's in the duffel?" Kokoro asked, as she and Laramie made their way up onto the porch. She was referring to the absolutely massive duffel bag Laramie carried around like it was nothing. Laramie explained.

"Oh I made cinnamon rolls. A lot of cinnamon rolls. And the biggest eater I know is my own sister. I once saw her drag an entire raw salmon onto shore and eat it. Bones and all."

Kokoro paused for a bit "Wow. She sounds . . . Interesting."

"Oh, a lot worse than interesting." And with that, Laramie kicked the door open and hauled the duffel bag into the common room. She pulled the bag onto the widest table she could find, and opened it up. The smell was intoxicating. Sugar, plain and simple, laced with delicate touches of cinnamon, and caramel. It wafted through the air, and Laramie placed a sign that she somehow already had next to it. It read "Stress eat to your heart's content. -Laramie Angelica Spellman (Lyrimon's sister)"

Within moments, a couple curious people filed in. Laramie smiled "Go for it." And then turned around and left. "Well, I have a bed that needs to get filled with shaving cream, see ya." And with that, she glided straight out the door. Kokoro paused, as did anyone else who heard the remark. "Shaving cream?" She asked nobody. She thought to herself. “Americans are pretty strange.” Then she saw Hiraku and decided to put that thought on hold to go tackle her comparatively tiny cousin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Lorelei was decidedly against full frontal assaults. She preferred figuring out her opponents, matching their heartbeats to the rhythm of a song that would reduce their defenses to cool props. But when she saw a tall, teal haired girl who looked like they never smiled and somehow fit all the gay midnight ramblings her youngest triplet never seemed to realize were gay, she simply had to take action.

The first thing she did was of course, put down her drinks, setting them down on a low wall. Then she got down to business, checking her stance, the environment around her, and everything she knew about one Ozen Fujinuma. Allergic to her sister, known for being monotonous and unfeeling, enjoys quite a bit of anime and Miku. So Lorelei latched onto the Miku part of her database, and began to sing. Senbonzakura to be specific.

Lorelei could practically see the girl stop and prick her ears. Unfortunately for Ozen, Senbonzakura tended to incite any sort of romantic feelings previously experienced, creating feelings of warmth, sluggishness, and general crushy-wushy-uwu-feelings. Which was perhaps one feeling Ozen had gotten to know quite well.

She turned around "Spellma?-aktpht"

Ozen had just got a faceful of shaving cream, and had been knocked over. There was now one Lorelei situated cross legged on top of her stomach, menacingly holding a can of shaving cream and wearing what was possibly the widest, most maniacal grin known to mankind.

"So, you're the tall asshole who's allergic to my sister."

"Uh-"

"I have heard quite frankly too much about you. My sister’s got a lot of respect for your tall ass and I’m here to figure out why, got that?”

“Who is your-"

"Lyrimon. Come on, how many people could you possibly be allergic to?"

"Then you're . . . Lorelei?"

"The one and fucking only. You know who I am, that's a good sign. You just might survive this. I've got high hopes for you, Ozen"

"Wait wh-"

"LET THE QUESTIONNAIRE BEGIN!" Now she is standing on top of Ozen.

"Shake Shack or In and Out? Where are your parents from? Where were you born? What is your opinion of public transportation? Do you believe in magic? What sort of songs do you usually listen to? Have you ever seen a live musical in person? How familiar are you with American culture? Describe yourself with a color and a word. Do you have any interest in the green movement? How good are you with mechanics? How are you in a pressure situation involving bodily chaos? What's your stand on cursing? And finally, do you believe in love at first sight?"

That torrent of questions was punctuated by Lorelei leaning down just a little, blotting out the sun with her braided head of hair. She raised an eyebrow at her captive "well?"

Ozen blinked then began to answer. "I don't know what a Shake Shack is, so In and Out I guess? My mom is from the US, my ma is from here. I was born in Japan. Public transportation is fine. I believe there are things science cannot yet explain. I like Idol music, and I have not seen a musical in person. I am part American, the bay area, so I know a bit. Uh, teal immovable. I believe that sustainable energy and caring for the planet is essential to our survival as a species. I'm okay with machines I guess. Uh, having just been in a pressure situation involving bodily chaos, I can say I do quite well under them. Cursing is fine and no." Ozen answered honestly. 

She was not afraid of this person, not on her own, but this was her Allergens triplet sister. They came out of the same womb. For all intents and purposes, she should also be allergic to this other Spellman. But she wasn't. And Lorelei seemed to know that. In fact, every line on her face screamed 'I know something painfully obvious you haven't figured out yet' in the form of a wide, only slightly malicious shit eating grin.

“Hm. Ya know what, good enough.” Lorelei stepped off of Ozen “hey, if you see Laramie, tell her ‘It doesn’t rain in LA’ when you see her, just so she knows you’ve already been interrogated.” and without giving Ozen a chance to ask what the fuck just happened, she skipped off. Scooping her tray of drinks off a low wall where she left it and promptly disappeared. 

Ozen blinked. Not quite sure if what had just happened actually happened. Perhaps it was a vivid hallucination. Lyrimon did say something about how both her sisters were good at making people see things differently. “Triplets are very weird.” she thought to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Laramie was walking out of the dorm building, when she ducked. A good move as her middle sister sailed right over her head, tumbling to the ground. Laramie straightened up “Nice try, but after what happened last week, I’ve started ducking.” she said, offering her sister her hand. Lorelei took it, hauling herself up and grinning 

“Well then, I’ll have to come up with something new!”

“I’m sure you will.”

“Oh! By the way, I brought drinks!” she handed Laramie a taro bubble tea. Her face lit up “Hey, thanks! You didn’t have to, man”

“You can’t crash a house party without a gift”

“This isn’t a house party”

“Hell, I know.”

They looked at each other and burst into giggles. Eventually, their laughter died down and Laramie said “Come on, we should go find Mon.” Lorelei agreed and without any sort of warning or preamble, they linked arms, simply able to tell that this is what should happen. Laramie shot into the air, pulling Lorelei up to the sky with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Lyrimon blinked her eye open and rolled to the side suddenly. Tsu and Riko looked over, Riko asking “Hey wha-” but was abruptly cut off when Lorelei dropped out of the tree right in the spot Lyrimon used to be lying.

Unfortunately, Lyrimon over shot, and she started rolling and rolling and rolling down the hill. Shouting curses all the way down. But her sister was cut from the same dumb-ass cloth, and also started rolling. Riko shot up, worried, and immediately fell over. Tsu, not wanting to be left out, also decided to start rolling down the hill. Soon, there were 4 teenagers rolling down a sunny knoll like a bunch of pencils being tossed down an incline.

Of course, they had to stop eventually, the forces of inertia, gravity, and friction dictated it. They ended up in a scattered clump, completely silent, just breathing after that dizzying ride. The only one of them with flight capabilities landed next to the group “You’re all insane.” she said, breaking the silence.

That did it, they all burst into giggles, even Laramie. She was holding the drink tray her sister had brought over. What had been 5 drinks was now three drinks. One for Ana, and one for Ames. What remained was a bottle of sparkling water, a chocolate milk (A fancy one, not nesquik) and a bottle of apple juice.

They cooled down, sipping drinks and chatting aimlessly. Eventually, Lorelei explained The Plan, which was lengthy and a lot of effort. Lyrimon stopped her eventually, while Laramie cut down The Plan to something doable. Conspiratorial laughter floated through the sky. A storm was coming to UA and that storm was L. Spellman.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The next day was a terrible day to be a teacher. Furniture was glued to ceilings, sticky notes covered entire walls, people got stuck to chairs, Eraserhead was faced with a sea of markers, all stood upright on their ends to create a tiny forest on the floor of his office, the 1B class of the UA hero course dorm was covered in pink polka dots, and there was shaving cream everywhere.

It was a day of opening doors only to pull them right off their hinges to find that the bolts in the hinges had been put in a small box labelled “put it back together if ya want.” It was a day of classes being postponed to locate the pranks and to neutralize them. It was a day when 5 siblings, if not by blood than by title, smiled like the Mona Lisa. It was a day when Ozen found her bed filled with shaving cream, the first of many days when Ozen would find her bed filled with shaving cream.

[polar-stars]

Shokugeki no Kimiko à la carte Series - Morning Glimpses

Author’s Note

Late entry for Day 1 of @shokugekiocweek​ (Prompt: Breakfast)

JESUS CHRIST THIS THING IS FINALLY DONE, I AM....SCREAMING? 

This was such a chore and took up the entirety of my day and I even had to cut most of my initial plans and just....I am not even sure if I like the end-product //lies down//. Still, I’m just glad that it’s just finished at least <.< But meep, onto day 2 I suppose ovo;;

-

Good Morning Totsuki and welcome back to school after the break!

Being the dedicated journalist that I, Sotsuda-Cohen Cho am, I of course arrived as early as possible in front of Totsuki’s gates to witness the return of everyone and possibly drink in a few updates right on the spot.

I was more than surprised to find out that there are people who actually managed to be here before me.

Believe it or not but today, early in the morning, I met Inoue Eito (our current 10th Seat for the people who live under a rock) accompanied by Matsuoka Takeo (our current 9th Seat for the same ignorant people). Seems like our all-known party-lion Inoue-senpai had much of an headache this morning and needed support to walk. The support was given by a very annoyed Matsuoka-senpai, who was quick to order me away from the scenery.

I wonder what exactly Inoue-senpai thought to be a good idea doing in the very night before school starts.

Hopefully the rest of our beloved Elite Ten does not have to deal with such an insufferable headache this morning! Although, I can fairly imagine most of their mornings.

Hayama Akio will most likely awake to the most bewitching and sheer out-of-this-world fragrance one can only imagine. His father is the master of spices and aroma after all. As we all know, Hayama-senpai inherited his father’s godly sense of smell and will certainly be able to guess, no, know the ingredients to his breakfast this morning instantly.

—

“You made pancakes with cardamom, dad?” Akio asked when coming down the stairs. He smiled. “And I can also smell blueberries, strawberries, grapes, lemons, Blackcurrent-Ginseng-Vanilla-tea and Spiced-Chocolate-Coffee.”

Almost a little startled by this entrance, Akira Hayama looked up from his work in the frying pan to face his son instead. The initial surprise faded quick however as he rather began to smile. “Indeed.” He gave an appreciating nod. “Well done.”

“Since you know what’s served already”, Hisako Hayama took a halt to her hectic walk around the house, “Tea or Coffee?” A very frequently asked question in the Hayama-Household, one could almost say: the most frequent.

Akio‘s smile only grew a bit more. “Today I’ll settle for tea, mom.” Already in preparation to what would happen next, Akio was quick to raise his arm. “I’ll get it myself!”

Hisako, who had already positioned her feet into the direction of the teapots, flinched subtly. After a small moment, Hisako nodded towards her son with a friendly smile. Said smile quickly turned to a slightly mischievous one as she turned her head towards her husband. “He chose tea.” Akira replied without turning around. “Kaori chose coffee. Today it’s a draw.”

They had made it a competition between each other over who would have more success in making their two children chose their individually preferred type of beverage.

—

Thinking about the morning of Hayama Hisako’s and Akira’s son, also makes one wonder if their daughter had a good rest as well. Hayama Kaori, the greatest talent among the current highschool first-years. Some would say that she embodies grace and excellence from head to toe.

A true gathering of refinement. The Master of Fragrance, a Healer as renowned and skilled to be recognised by emperors and empresses, a diligent Elite Ten member and the icy valedictorian of her generation.

—

Akio turned his head into the direction of the table. There sitting was his little sister Kaori with the coffee mug in her hands. Even right after waking up, she still managed to look like a proper and fine, young lady. One you could most definitely invite her over to tea with the most posh and sophisticated women of high society and you would do so without worrying for even a second that Kaori would embarrass herself. To Akio it almost felt like she somehow skipped puberty.

He felt his heart sink a little at that sight. Distant seemed the memories of her happily running around Granny Jun’s garden, eagerly naming every flower she spot.

“Kaori, Good morning! I hope you slept well!” He greeted, trying is best in pushing various worried and concerned thoughts out of his mind for now. She replied with friendly words but in a tone that one would rather use in a business meeting than towards a family member. “Good Morning to you as well, Onii-san.”

Akio felt his smile crumbling a little. “I see you look ready and prepared for going back to school. That’s a joy for sure.” He said, not having the heart bringing up the most recent conflict he had with his sister in front of their parents. They all were so rarely together nowadays and Akio wouldn’t dare to ruin it.

Kaori only gave a quick nod as reply and so, Akio turned his head away again to get himself the tea his mother had prepared.

Meanwhile Akira had finished his cooking and brought a plate stapled with steaming pancakes to the table where Kaori was sitting. Once her father was near enough, she spoke up. “The coffee is exquisite as always, Dad. Thank you.” She took another sip of it and as she lowered her cup again one could see something truly rare: a small smile gracing Kaori’s face.

A soft laughter escaped Akira and all fatherly instincts in him could not resist raising his hand and lightly patting his daughter’s head. “No problem, my Blossom. You know I will support you in any way I can on your way to the top and if it’s just providing you with a good waking up on your first day of school.”

Akio turned his head away from the sight to get his tea.

—

A large portion of humanity will sort themselves into the “not being a morning person”-cult and buy mugs with such lovely slogans like “if you talk to me before I had my coffee I will kill you”. But then there’s the most beloved president of the Chinese RS, Hojo Suzume, who can make the morning sun worry about being outshined by her wide, jolly grin.

Ah, what some would give for the astonishing energy of Suzu-senpai.

—

“Good Morning!” Suzume cajoled as she threw the apartment’s door open. Some might wonder how she still had air left to do so after she’d just been out jogging for an hour but people who knew the Hojos a little better would know that Suzume has been blessed with many capacities to her vocals by her father’s genes. There were people who wholeheartedly believed she could wake the dead if she wanted to.

“Fuck. Suzu, you’re fucking drenched in sweat.” Takayuki greeted her, before taking a sip of his jasmine tea from a mug that read: “All the coffee in the world can’t make me a morning person”.

His mother, the head-chef of the estimated Hojo-Ra, Miyoko walked by with a basket of steaming Dim Sum in her left hand. Without warning she suddenly raised her right hand to lightly slap the back of Takayuki’s purple head, making him flinch in surprise. “You know the common custom in this civilization is to give a ‘Good Morning’ back, Takayuki.” "Sorry, Ma.“ Mumbled Takayuki into his cup. The woman then gave a nod towards her daughter and held the basket up. “Morning, Suzume. Dim Sum?”

It merely took the blonde teen a few bouncy steps to reach her dark-haired family members. “I think one before the shower can’t hurt.”

After two bites of the warm delicacy and a satisfied hum, she shifted her attention back to Miyoko. “Mom, do you happen to be in the mood to make a smoothie?”

The answer she received was a long, stern stare till finally a little smirk emerged on Miyoko’s lips. “I don’t think so, but who knows? Maybe the craving for a Matcha-Pear-Smoothie will overcome me while a certain young blonde will take a shower, so she’ll be ready for school.”

—

As president of the Chinese RS, Hojo Suzume obviously specializes in the cuisine of the broad lands that the Pacific Ocean separates our Japanese Isle from. As daughter of two famed Chinese chefs and legacies of Totsuki's long history, including past presidency over the Chinese RS, one can't be blamed to think that taking the president-spot had been the jolly blonde's destiny ever since she was born. But surprisingly enough Suzu-senpai had to earn this spot in a truly brutal and outstretched battle against the former president's, how to call it, cabinet.

It had truly been a thrilling fight for both the participants and the observers and it's safe to say it's memories that have burned theirselves into many of Totsuki's minds, just like Suzu-senpai had burned away her competition with her admirable knowledge around China's culinary wonderland and the excellent handling of a wok.  

Based on my observations thus far her efforts have payed off, as she is hold in high regard by most of the student body and loved deeply by the members of the Chinese RS. Without a doubt, she's one of the most cherished presidents in recent years.

—

"Should I go with my standard-fan or a more fancy one, since its the first school day after break?" Suzume inquired as she came down the stairs, freshly showered with the fragrance of pineapple-honey melon shampoo wafting around her, dressed in Totsuki's uniform and holding two Chinese fans in her hands. The fan in her right hand was simple and red, the fan in her left hand was white and had black ink-branches besprinkled with red flowers painted ingeniously on it.

Miyoko and Takayuki both turned their heads towards the stairs where Suzume was standing, both having the same frown on their face.

Suzume help up the white one and elaborated. "I think special occasions warrant special fans. But then again-" "I approve. Take the fancy one, Suzu. Yo've got Kuga-Blood in you, Suzume. We're not afraid of attention~"

Suzume turned her head upwards and met the brown, mischievous eyes of her father as he came down the stairs dressed in a ridiculously sumptuous dressing gown and a cocky grin.

"Terunori." Miyoko spoke, lowering the Dim Sum she had nearly been biting into. "I didn't thought you'd grace us with your presence this morning." Pretending to be greatly upset, Terunori placed his hand on his chest in a big gesture and cried out. "Wife, you wound me! But of course I wouldn't miss breakfast with our two most lovely and precious children before they go off to Culinary-Hogwarts, for anything in the world."

Suzume let out a laugh, Miyoko rolled her eyes a little albeit the ends of her mouth lifted subtly, Takayuki raised his eyebrow. "How the hell is Totsuki comparable to Hogwarts, dad?"

"Anyway" Terunori lifted a finger and put his focus back on Suzume. "Take the fancy fan, daughter."

Suzume smiled back. "You know that I don't necessarily need a fan in order to get eyes on me though, right dad?" Before she could continue, Takayuki already commented. "Yeah, last year she entered her first class after break by kicking the door open and shouting 'somebody once told me', I hear."

Another one of Suzume's trademark laughs ensued at the memory. "Yeah and it was epic. But, to get back to the fans, you see: My first class this year is together with…" For the first time of the morning, her smile disappeared as it was replaced with a displeased grimace. "…Four-Eyes."

As all Hojos understood "Four-Eyes" as Suzume's code-word for "Shigeo Eizan" not one sign of confusion could be seen on the family member's faces. Rather, deep understanding found its way on Terunori's, Miyoko remained a stern rock and Takayuki looked like he was about to let out an "ew".

"It's a 40-minute lesson, yet still I'm certain that Eizan will still manage to make one of his 'oh-im-smarter-than-all-of-you'- or 'morals?-kindness?-what-are-those?'-comments and.." She threw her hands into the air, frustrated. "…UGH!"

Terunori gave repeated nods. "Fair." Before he could tell his detailed opinion about the bespectacled family however, Miyoko already sighed. "You're all acting like we're at war with them." Takayuki at that only questioned. "Aren't we?!"

Suzume held up her pretty fan. "Well, it's likely that I'll have to take initiative at some point in the lesson, if his commentary gets too sickening. And I wouldn't want to ruin my good fan for that." She gave a shrug.

Terunori imitated the pose of "The Thinker" as he stated. "That's a tricky one indeed." Miyoko held up a glass filled with a green liquid while she simultaneously leaned forwards a little. "How about you try to not hit anyone with one of your fans today and just sit down and finally have the smoothie you asked for?" She then looked at Terunori. "And how about you stop trying to behave like we're the modern Montagues and make some of your Baozi?"

For a few seconds both Suzume and Terunori only wordlessly stared at Miyoko from the stairs. Then the stars lightened up in Suzume's violet eyes as she exclaimed. "Okay Mama!" She rushed towards the table and took the glass out of her mother's hand. Terunori followed rather quickly. "You're lucky that I love you so much, Miyoko-Sweetheart."

—

Suzu-senpai might be popular but even she has her critics. Her most vocal and prominent one would be a fellow Elite Ten Member actually. But that certain member, Eizan Shigeo, has much of a certain reputation himself. There could be so many things said about him, that one wouldn't know how to start. Furthermore, it's not always easy to tell which info regarding him is true and which is false.

What can very safely be said however is that he is a man all about the success and results. But maybe that's not all too surprising when we keep in mind that he's been named the heir of a consulting company with a great standing in the culinary industry. Despite not being the first-born son, his intelligence and sharp understanding of business granted him this position.

And wether you like him or not, his tactical, clever thinking is said to make him valuable to the Elite 10 as well. Even if he might not always uses his talents with the best intentions in mind.

—

"I don't like repeating myself, Umino." Shigeo hissed into his smartphone, making sure to not make too much noise. "For the last time: he has black hair, green eyes and a mole on his cheek. But what's most important is that he still owes me something and although my kind-hearted soul granted him time over the break it seems he forgot about his debt. So in order to remind him, you two morons will get a hold of him when he returns to Totsuki and wait until I arrive for the further procedure." "A-Aye Boss." The voice on the other side of the phone stammered.

Shigeo's yellow eyes rolled upwards, before he said. "Now stop calling me. The instructions are clear and I expect you two, combined, to have enough braincells to follow them." Not giving Umino any chance to say something else he then hung up.

Afterwards he made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

—

Elite 10 membership runs through Shigeo-senpai's family. Both of his parents used to be in the Elite 10 and after all, our current 3rd seat is an Eizan as well.

Shigeo-senpai and his older brother, Eizan Masashi, can certainly be seen together quite a lot despite the fact that they're not in the same generation.

Both of them are well-aware of their standing within the academy and individual skills. Together they're a force to behold and only the most bravest of souls would go up against them. Still, despite their constant cooperation, they're still brothers in the end. And all siblings bicker here and there. 

—

"Morning." Shigeo greeted as he came down the stairs. He was promptly greeted by Masashi's curt tone. "There you are! Mother made you miso soup!" Said mother was quick to interfere though with the help of her calm but strict voice. "Masashi, you don't need to sound so aggressive."

Nene Eizan then shifted her focus to her middle son and merely said. "Good morning Shigeo, I suppose you want a coffee?"

The more than familiar trademark smirk appeared on Shigeo's face as he replied. "That would be splendid, Mom. Thank you. I had a call to make, that's why I was not down here sooner." A huff escaped Masashi.

"Don't you think you're a bit too much on your phone sometimes?" Nene sighed, as she began to operate the coffee-machine. "Who is there that you need to call this early in the morning?"

"The gorillas, most likely." A third voice found it’s way into the conversation. Turning his head into the direction it had come from Shigeo's gaze landed on the kitchen table and a young, blonde boy sitting at it with a cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of miso-soup.

"Gorillas?" Nene repeated, confused over her youngest son's words. Kei was just about to open his mouth and elaborate further, but Masashi was a little quicker. "Those two indecent friends of Shigeo’s, Mother. Umino and Yamada."

"Oh…" Was all Nene managed to say before Kei voiced his thoughts again. "Shigeo has no fuckin-" "Language!" Reprimanded Masashi before Kei could finish his sentence. Likewise, Nene's face darkened a little. "Kei."

"So…Sorry." Kei stammered, imitated by the strict, warning tone his mother has used for merely saying his name.

Shigeo let out a chuckle. "Don't listen to Kei, mom. He demonizes everything." The overall arrogant tone of Shigeo's voice paired with the self-confident smirk were enough to rile Kei up yet again. "There's no need to demonize you, Shigeo! You and Masashi are demons!"

"How dare you?!" Masashi roared, but before it could escalate, Nene shut her two fiery children efficiently with a single. "Cut it out. Both of you." They followed suit immediately, both not intending to push their luck on this one.

Nene let out another sigh, before handing Shigeo the espresso she had prepared. "Please just put your phone away for breakfast at least, Shigeo. It's not polite." Before Shigeo could reply however, Nene's eyes already trailed to someone behind him and she said. "Then again, can I really blame you going by what example your father is giving?"

Shigeo raised an eyebrow before turning around and witnessing said father coming down the stairs with his eyes attached to his mobile phone, only looking up when Nene raised her voice a little. "Etsuya! Watch where you're going!" The Soba-Master then shook her head. "At times it feels I have four children instead of three."

Etsuya raised a hand to signalize his wife to calm down. "Okay, okay. I'm putting my phone away already. See?" He held the device up in presenting manner, only to put it into the pocket of his suit afterwards. He then casted a suspicious look on his spawn as he said. "Why is your mother in such a bad mood? Did you three have a fight again?"

"Fathe-" Masashi wanted to begin an explanation, but he was cut off by Shigeo. "Please, dad. I never fight. Masashi and Kei however…" He shrugged, not minding the death-glares that both Kei and Masashi threw at him. "What about Suzume-senpai?!" Kei then asked provocatively.

Immediately displeasure spread all over Shigeo's face. "Don't remind me of her. I have my first class today with that annoyance." He groaned. "Hojo is too stupid and irritating for my kindness." "Yeah right." Kei gestured quotation marks into the air. "Your 'kindness'. Good one."

"I've got to say." Etsuya now said. "Her father is the most obnoxious person on the planet, so I can hardly blame Shigeo on that one."

Nene brought herself back into the the conversation. "For being Kuga's daughter, I'd say she actually turned out surprisingly decent." She placed two bowls of miso-soup on the table. "Could I now kindly ask everyone to sit down and have breakfast together? Without any arguing?"

—

The last, but certainly not least, Elite 10 member from the 114th Generation is possibly the most infamous and yet still the most mysterious one at the same time.

For everyone else, I can make several attempts to envision how their mornings might look like. But for Yukihira Hiraku? Not possible.

Filled from head to toe with talent, Yukihira Hiraku entered the academy as a transfer student last year and took Totsuki by storm. Yet his origins are shrouded in mystery to this day. All we got is his mysterious relationship to the Nakiris, yet it still leaves more questions than answers as well.

Who is he really? The newfound idol of our school? The famed Tongue blessed by Angels?

—

"I can't believe you overslept again, Hiraku! You two are going to miss the train! Is it that hard to set an alarm. I swear-" Those were some of the things Hiraku caught out of his mother's speed-ranting as she squeezed the bento she had prepared into the mess that was his schoolbag.

Hiraku could only watch her with his usual stoic expression. Kimiko stood next to him, already having been perfectly prepared a hour ago, the school bag in her hands  and ready to walk any second. "You really have no sense of time." She scolded.

"Couldn't we ask Aunt Alice to pick us up still? If we do miss the trai-" Hiraku was just about to bring up but Erina interrupted him. "No. Your aunt is busy running an enormous school and we won't bother her because you still haven't learned how to rise early, Hiraku."

"Come on, Erina." Soma attempted to calm the frustrated blonde. "We've all been late sometime." The answer he received was violet eyes glaring at him and a sharp tongue hissing. "You're not one to talk in this matter, Soma!"

The God Tongue had finally managed to not-only squeeze the bento into Hiraku's messy bag but also close the zipper  of it afterwards, despite the fact that the bag looked like about to explode any second. She let out a sigh, exhausted by the battle that the closing of the bag had been and her own ranting throughout of it.

She then picked the the bag up, to hand it back to it's owner. "Now please hurry up, will you."

Kimiko grinned at that. "Don't worry, mom! We're Yukihiras in the end and we always find a way." She eyed Hiraku. "Even if Hiraku's helium-balloon-brain can cause inconvenience here and there, it's still salvageable and as long as things are salvageable Yukihiras find a way to salvage them. Right, dad?"

Soma laughed in response and winked. "That's the spirit, Kimiko! I believe in you."

Hiraku placed a squid-arm between his teeth and merely said. "I believe we really should be going then, huh?"

"That would be for the better, yes." Erina crossed her arms. But then, that rare but beautiful little smile of her's appeared on her lips at last. "Get to Totsuki safely and remember to have fun, okay?"

Soma appeared behind her and laid his arm around her, giving a thumbs-up. "Meanwhile we'll keep things running over here. And you know you can always check in when you need something!"

—

Well, no matter wether your morning went down eventful or uneventful, something is certain: Things on Totsuki will never be boring!

In the name of Totsuki Sports, I welcome you back to Totsuki Academy! Let's see what the second half of the school year has in store for us. Of course you can be assured that Totsuki Sports will keep you updated on all things going on in our lovely and certainly most lively school.

Signing off, 

Sotsuda-Cohen Cho !

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E20 Poll Results (Manga Reader Version)

The poll closed with 287 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results of the manga reader poll. Anime only watchers are suggested not to read if you do not wish to be spoiled about certain events! Anime only viewers, click here to view your poll results!

RATE THE EPISODE 279 Responses

This episode was another hit with most viewers, with 74.6% of participants ranking it 5 out of 5.

Just brilliant. Best series.

This was the first episode I’d been excited for in weeks. With the serum bowl I was dreading the last three episodes but the Marley Arc is my fave and I’m super super excited for what comes next in the anime.

The music was incredible and Grisha's VA stole the show.

The best of this season yet!

This season has now given us 2 (two) episodes WITHOUT openings and both times the episodes blew me away. I’m so stoked for the fourth season

I'd say it was a pretty solid episode. I can't believe we've finally made it to Marley, I am so not ready for the nonstop angst that is to come…

Anime quality was ass again, but the plot and voice acting make this a fantastic episode overall

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENES WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE? 282 Responses

There were several informative and memorable scenes. 45.7% of participants thought Kruger’s big reveal was the highlight, while 12.1% can’t decide what stuck out the most. 9.9% of participants felt Dina becoming the Smiling Titan made the biggest impression.

DO YOU THINK GRISHA’S FATHER WAS RIGHT IN EASILY DEMEANING HIMSELF AND GRISHA TO GROSS? 270 Responses

Though Grisha’s father yielded to the Marleyan police regarding Faye’s death, 77.4% of participants believed he was right to prevent the rest of his family meeting a similar fate. 15.6% thought he should have shown a bit of resistance towards Gross’s accusations. Many in the comments agree the situation is simply not that black and white.

It's not whether it's 'right' or 'wrong' in these situations - if your options are the death of your family or satisfying your own feelings of dignity, then I think it's up to the individual what their priority is. But I think it is not a sign of weakness to put your family first.

He probably hated himself for doing it (at least I'd do), but losing another loved one would be horrible for anyone in his situation, so I can understand why he did that.

I can't really answer with clear 'yes' or 'no'. On one side, He was right to protect the rest of his family, on the other... He could try to comfort Grisha in a better way (you know, not yelling at him to be silent)

No, but I think he could’ve dealt with Grisha more privately. He didn’t have to continue with his indoctrination of Grisha.

I think it's complicated

no one is right or wrong here.

SERGEANT MAJOR GROSS STATED THAT “PEOPLE LOSE TOUCH WITH LIFE AND DEATH AND START TAKING THEIR LIVES FOR GRANTED." DO YOU THINK THERE IS TRUTH TO WHAT HE SAYS? 283 Responses

Gross told Grisha that people took their lives for granted when losing touch with life and death. 60.4% of participants think there is truth to his words even if his actions are morbid. 27.2% believe he just said this to excuse his cruelty.

Idk but him staring into my soul made me unconfortable

That is true, but it doesn't actually justify or support his position. We're SUPPOSED to all have the luxury and privilege of 'taking life for granted', as he puts it - that's why humanity has worked so fucking long to improve society to this point! We shouldn't have to think in life-or-death terms to consider ourselves worthy of living.

There is truth, but it's obvious that it's more words for him justifying his horrible actions more than a maxime which guides his life. If it were so, he wouldn't have been scared and screaming when the titan eat him.

Yes, but he's just making excuses for his sadistic mind.

DO YOU THINK HUMANS IN GENERAL BECOME INTERESTED IN VIOLENCE? 284 Responses

The episode observes humans and their reaction to violence, Gross saying he finds it interesting. 49.6% of participants believe that most people are interested in violence, while 40.1% specify that it depends on how violent the event is.

The most interesting part of the episode is Gross addressing the viewer over making his victim dance. Part of SnK is watching some victim being devored by the lions. Be it Faye to the dogs, Mike to the titans, Eren's squad to the titans in Trost, Carla to Dina, Marco to Araki Titan, Bert to Armin... the reactions however differ. Some of us came to see characters fighting and get eaten by giant monsters, but as the story progressed, our point of view differed and it became disgust for the most part.

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT GROSS'S DEATH? 281 Responses

Gross’s death was a gruesome one, but 53.4% participants were satisfied he got what they feel he deserved. 17.1% were less comfortable by the irony of the situation, and 13.2% found his struggle enjoyable.

Watching reaction videos where people cheer on Gross getting his face chopped on kinda unsettled me, I'm not gonna lie.

IS FAYE’S DEATH THE CRUELEST MOMENT IN THE SERIES? 282 Responses

Being torn apart by dogs is a disturbing way to go and 46.8% of participants felt it was the cruelest moment of the series thus far. 45.4%, however, believed there were crueler moments worthy of mention.

I didn't think Faye's death was the cruelest because let's face it, Mike's was the absolute worst. :(

GIVEN HOW HE TREATED ZEKE, DO YOU THINK GRISHA IMPROVED AS A FATHER WHEN IT CAME TO EREN? 280 Responses

Though Grisha didn’t show a lot of compassion for Zeke as a son, 55.4% of participants believed he learned to be a better father for Eren as a result. 24.3% would rather have more information before saying for sure, and 20.4% of participants felt Grisha didn’t quite change his ways. 

GRISHA STATED THAT YMIR “BROUGHT BOUNDLESS PROSPERITY” TO THE WORLD. WHEN GRICE QUESTIONED THAT, GRISHA RETORTED WITH THE FACT THAT HE “BELIEVED IN YMIR”. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED? 282 Responses

There was a mix of histories regarding Ymir Fritz. 50% of participants believed Ymir may have brought prosperity but that Grisha was also jumping to conclusions without context. 40.4% of participants thought Grisha was just seeing what he wanted to see.

Grisha’s va knocked it out of the park this week. The episode made me re-think whether grisha actually could read any of the sacred texts. Was he just BSing the whole way through? Will we ever know what they say in that case?

BEST ROGUE TITAN DESIGN? 282 Responses

Out of the three Rogue titan designs, a majority 62.8% of participants thought Eren’s was the most physically appealing.

Best Rogue Titan design? That's not even a question. ITS ALWAYS ERENS. LOL

HOW FAITHFUL WAS THE ADAPTATION TO THE ORIGINAL MANGA? 276 Responses

A majority of manga readers believed the episode was mostly faithful to the original chapters, with 54.3% believing it was nearly perfect. Others felt the episode could have been more accurate.

Great, pacing was a little quick but I think the anime adaptation explained everything a bit better than the anime. I had to go back and read those chapters like 3 times to fully understand everything lol. I do wish they didn't cut lines from the warrior selection announcement though. Overall great though!

Great adaptation. They should've cut the ending too, so they wouldn't need to cut some parts, but it was as close to perfection either way.

I'm sad that they omitted so much when Marley announces the Marley warrior program. Besides that I think it was an amazing episode.

Was thoroughly impressed with how they managed to adapt two of the most dense chapters into a single ep without any significant cuts. The artwork for the Eldia/Marley lore was gorgeous, and the performances were as expected, phenomenal. Kruger's transformation was breathtaking, as was the OST. Definitely one of the best episodes of the season. Also, Marina Inoue saying "Shingeki no Kyojin" in the preview gave me chills.

KRUGER'S HAIR: BLOND OR BLACK? 282 Responses

Kruger’s hair was colored dirty blond in the anime compared to the darker shade in the manga. 47.5% of participants felt that either color choice worked well for him, while 39.4% preferred his black hair.

kruger is a dirty blonde colour imo ;p

I’m just over the moon to finally see The Owl aka Kruger animated with a voice.

The color scheme in this series has always been weird. Not that Isayama himself is limited palette-wise, but the colors have been much sober than WIT's multicolor fest. Kruger's hair are meant to be black or dark brown. Isayama draws blonde/hazelnut hair with full lines. Same goes with the uniform: Isayama uses frames for dark colors (the SC's green coat ie), ink for black and dark blue. Anime already made odd choices with Mikasa's scarf (black in the manga) or Armin's eyes (brown).

Always thought Kruger was brunette

After last week's preview I thought Kruger with blond hair was weird but having watched this week's episode I think it fits better with the blue uniform and the show's colour palette. Besides, he still looks hot so all is fine lol

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE APPEARANCE OF MARLEY? 282 Responses

A majority 60.3% of participants believe Marley’s appearance was just as modern as they expected it. 29.4% of participants thought it appeared more lavished.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE CENSORSHIP FOR SOME OF THE GRAPHIC SCENES? 283 Responses

Some of the more graphic scenes were censored in the anime, but 53% of participants aren’t bothered by it. 35.7% of participants were disappointed that some parts weren’t shown as a result and 11.3% felt it was appropriate to censor the more graphic scenes.

I don't mind Grisha's penis as well as the gory parts being censored (it's NHK after all), but the censorship comes across as convenient for the series. They omitted some marleyans officers saying Gross was going too far, or masked the details of the warrior program: no full confirmation of RBA being trained into infancy to be promoted at the status of Honorary Marleyans. Conbine that with the RBZ+Pieck scenes from this season being watered down and you have the anime making it even more black and white than the manga.

ISAYAMA ASKED THE ANIME TO HIGHLIGHT GROSS’ SPEECH TO BREAK THE 4TH WALL AS A “CALL OUT” TO THE VIEWER.  WAS THIS DIRECTION SUCCESSFUL? 277 Responses

Gross’s 4th wall break was a request made by Isayama to address the viewer as he spoke. 65.3% of participants felt the direction made them feel more called out than when they originally read it. 24.9% can’t relate to what Gross is saying in the first place.

His eyes that never left the spectator's gaze froze my blood, it was really very successfully made.

I get what Isayama was trying to do but there's a huge difference between being sadistic knowing that it's fictional and being sadistic in real life

Honestly I didn't even know that he broke the 4th wall until I took this poll.

I didn't feel like what he was saying pertained to me because I've always been repulsed by his mentality and justifications.I think it says more about Isayama that he felt this was something that needed to be broadcast to society.

The speech wasn't as well done in the anime. I think he broke the 4th wall in the manga pretty well.

The Gross 4th wall break didn't really deliver in the end. Wish it was more obvious (eye contact, zoom in, voice acting)

It would have been a lot more successful if he'd written the call out to come from someone less sadistic and despicable. It's hard to reflect like that on words that came from a character that had a nine year old child eaten alive by dogs.

considering i had no idea it was meant to be a callout, i'd say it failed

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN WITH YMIR’S BACKSTORY FLASHBACK NEXT EPISODE? 280 Responses

Since Ymir’s backstory was moved to Season 2, 39.3% believe that Historia reading the letter will show Ymir’s death instead of the entire flashback. 35.7% of participants think the scene will just show a cut down version of the backstory with Ymir’s narration in the background. 21.1% believe that the backstory will be shown again with some tweak to the narration.

Fuck man I dunno, maybe they'll play some interval music and Ymir will tapdance

I feel like the one disappointing thing about this part in the manga is that Ymir died offscreen. This would be a good change and I wouldn’t mind a teaser of Galliard also.

The backstory shown in season 2 wasnt the letter 1/1 right? Then just have the letter read out and have slightly altered images of her story

I got no idea which way they'll go, but WIT will do her story justice, no doubt about that

They will recycle s2's animation and that's it. If they show Ymir's fate, kudos to them, considering they've been pretty lazy with additional content so far.

THE ANIME ADAPTED EREN'S LINE AFTER WAKING UP AS "WHO AM I?" WAS THIS A MORE APPROPRIATE PHRASE THAN THE TRANSLATIONS ABOUT EREN USING DIFFERENT JAPANESE PRONOUNS OR HAVING A DIFFERENT VOICE? 280 Responses

In the manga, Armin comments on Eren’s change of pronouns when he first wakes up, but the anime changed this line to “Who am I?” 38.6% of participants thought this change made more sense in context. 30.7% of participants didn’t realize there was a change, and 21.4% thought the manga made enough sense for it not to warrant a change.

I feel like this episode is where we lost Eren as he once was. The change wasn't immediate, but this is the impetus. All that information, all those memories. The boy has started to become a man.

WHICH SCENE FROM THE PREVIEW ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? 284 Responses

Of the scenes that were shown, a majority of 52.1% of participants are most looking forward to more conversation between Kruger and Grisha.

Historia is lookin fine in the preview

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

Just a nitpick but I wish Kruger’s attack titan was animated more in destroying the boat since it felt more like a colored panel; I’m still happy how it turned it though! Maybe there might be additional animation next episode but I can only hope :’D

This episode was beautifully done. The voice acting really knocked it out of the park, especially Grisha's. His screams, holy shit. I got chills. Kruger's voice was also brilliant, just that perfect blend of nonchalant and forbidding. What I found interesting was the VA for young Grisha sounded so much like Kaji Yuuki! I saw in the credits that it wasn't actually him, but what an excellent casting choice!

Needs more Floch

KRUGER!!!!

This S3P2 has to have the weirdest pacing I've ever seen: the 2ch1ep formula doesn't work at all for backstories like Grisha's, considering the whole worldbuilding is unleashed. That being said, the preview from last episode's accustomed the anime-onlys to the outside world, but combining chapter 86 and 87 leaves no time to breathe properly.

Thinking back on it, wasn’t this Grisha’s first time seeing Titans in the flesh, and eating a person right in front of him?

I had hoped Kruger's hat toss would be more dramatic, but alas, t'wasn't. Other than that, went pretty good

They pronounce 'Zeke' completely different from how I imagined it would sound.

Perfect, especially the final scene. I knew what was coming, but seeing the restorationists become the Trost Titans, the Dina reveal, and Owl transformation was something else. That sequence is on par with Reiner/Bertholdt reveal and Erwin’s charge as best scenes in the series. At least for the anime so far.

I thought this episode was kind of disappointing. Maybe it's just because I really dislike the tone shift that came with the Marley stuff, but I thought the manga handled all this exposition kind of awkwardly and was hoping for better from the anime. Nope, the only thing improving it is that it won't be drawn out for months between chapters this time.

Bby Zook my boi, must protecc at all costs, so innocent, so pure

In one episode all this information WAS WAY TOO MUCH! poor anime-only fans lmao

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 265 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again in a few days!

[des-shinta]

Discussing this publicly as...Y'see, me getting comments like this DM'd and Emailed to me?  That's why I even keep bringing Zi-O up or have stayed even tangentially involved.  it’s not to keep sniping at it, it’s putting out there that you can choose another target, as this horse is out of this race until it is all said and done. Hell, that was the entire point of the last post about it.  I’ve been through this song and dance and want people to stop bringing it to me. Though I am not calling out KaijucorpsTokuandrobots and his opinion of my work or in any way attempting to publicly shame him.  Frankly, his is the most civil DM I’ve received on this thus-far and why I have chosen to cite it. They have otherwise escalated to Death Threats for me not wanting to watch a show that It’s clear I won’t like. I just...I’m seriously just done with this fandom.  Marzgurl’s two twitter threads on  the missed concept of the ‘Ally of Justice’ are so on the ball for how bad it’s been getting. I WANT to do and have been doing exactly as KaijuKorpsTokuandrobots is demanding and leave it alone for others to hate or enjoy as they wish to, and as I stated my position and bowed out weeks ago I would like to leave it be.  I mostly have kept silent on my commentary since outside of...what, a handful of posts in the time it’s been running, not counting repetitions of the same subject such as the show being predictable, expanded reply threads, or snarking at crap? Though That’s part of why I format my videos and reviews the way I do, to better explain the positions I take.  The extended in-depth length is for those unfamiliar or familiar with the media to see more of it than is present in shorter-length ones that's just the opinion piece, with my perspectives and analysis set between the recap.  Doing this allows it to be more objective than others, and provide a better explanation for my perspective. It is not done to lead them to a subjective conclusion that ignores facts on a matter simply to make others opinions align with mine.  That’s just manipulative and arrogant and...well, if you knew me or paid attention to my conduct, you’d know that isn’t me. If I did and was, in the Kyoryuger videos I could’ve just said “you’re all wrong about Daigo”, instead of addressing how there were legitimate grievances one could have against him due to his character archetype being one that grates on a lot of people and super sentai overuses, and also ones that had been blown out of proportion in the face of those who have legitimately erred in the same fields Daigo was blamed for but didn’t actually do.  I could’ve just ignored the fandom complaints instead of acknowledging the reasonable ones and providing evidence against the ludicrous or exaggerated ones. For if you notice, I always supply evidence of why I have the perspective I do. For It has not nor has ever been about my opinion being the right one, it's about putting thought into one’s entertainment and seeing if it holds up under scrutiny.   That’s what a reviewer’s job is. I’m an analytical and introspective person, I THINK about things.  I LIKE Informing people about things, I believe facts and trivia are neat and fun to share, and media content regardless of genre, age or demographic that put in that extra effort to have all these big allusions to other work seamlessly woven into them and work for their story gives them a whole new layer of depth that is absolutely wonderful, especially if it is to other things I have enjoyed. And conversely, when I see something that has held itself to higher standards in the past acting as if it could not care less, I am compelled like many to call it out for that, and explain why that is. To paraphrase Linkara, “By teaching you how something is Bad, you learn how something is good, and if you are a creative type yourself, these are then tips to avoid creating something horrible.”

I don’t see how that can be viewed as being smug or any different than anyone else that does the reviewer thing, as my presenting of facts and the evidence supplied from interviews, analysis, data, records and what-not in the video content I make (and often these large blog posts)  is always divorced or set separately of my Opinion or snark about something so it is uniquely distinguishable on which is which.  My opinion does not superceed all of that, my opinion is a result of knowing and being aware of all of this, seeking out this information as I love to learn facts and trivia about stuff I enjoy, and presenting them all in a condensed collection of content. Analyzing the common themes, tropes and plots the writers on a show make use of in their original works (the Toshiki Inoue Drinking game, anyone?), and the conduct and statements they and the producers have made over the course of their careers inform the direction their work can take, as all of that can play a factor in the final product that results. And it’s not like I’ve never been wrong as a result of my research being erroneous or the knowledge I’ve gathered being faulty, and I’m more than capable of admitting it and have done so when told.  if you’ve seen my videos on the Garo Franchise, I’ve had to do so a number of times because there are Not a lot of good, Reliable sources on it, and some of them have misreported information or treated Fanon opinion as if it were canon fact without verification. In example I had believed that Shou Aikawa and Toshiki Inoue were the writers to The series Garo The Crimson moon because it was originally reported they were the only ones writing on it.  That turned out to not be so, and I was unaware of that as no-one had written differently in any of my usual resources.  That wasn’t malicious ignorance or smug self-assurance, but operating off of the information that had been provided.  Since that new information corrected me, I haven’t repeated something that wasn’t so.

But It is NOT about people lying to themselves about what they enjoy.  To cite the specific gripe, I don't think Kyuuranger fans are lying to themselves in liking it and have never at ANY point said that about THAT show or any other media, I think they didn't see what others, including myself, disliked about it or didn’t find it disagreeable themselves.  That’s not lying, that’s having a different perspective on it and what angers/annoys/frustrates others they don’t have a problem with. Everyone has a different perspective, I just put a lot of thought into explaining mine, why I have the gut reactions, revulsion or love I do for something.  That doesn’t make me automatically right, that’s giving you all the evidence to why my perspective is the way it is, and the reasoning of my own instincts. Hell, in the entire year Kyuranger was Running, I only discussed or made mentioned of it around a dozen times in any significant manner in that period after I dropped it.  Most of them?  When it was Relevant to discuss it or refute something that had been spread in the fandom which was a factual Lie or blown out of proportion.  I otherwise left it alone for people to enjoy or hate on as they wished and stayed out of it...until people kept berating me to give it a second chance. After MONTHS of this I finally caved and watched more of it.. and proceeded to predict every episode of the series simply from the ‘next time’ trailers.  One of the bigger things I called before it happened?  Revelations of Quervo’s betrayal and his related possession by Don Armage.  Why could I? Because it was a cliche. Raven’s and crows by Proxy of Tengu (quervo’s creature themes) in Japanese Literature/mythology are most commonly used as either Divine Messengers or traitors to their cause; the latter often from selfish, self-serving motivations or malevolent corruption. Quervo ended up not diverging from that latter interpretation. And I saw them as taking that route with it (as opposed to Just Redoing Utsusemimaru's story from kyoryuger with Tsurugi as...well, Kyuranger redid a lot of stories from previous sentai), because of the derisive and flippant manner the show treated Death as both a consequence and tragedy before making it reasonable that they would do so.  All that informed because of my experiences with Japanese storytelling tropes, mythology and the Eastern take on The Heroes Journey Monomyth. But I dropped it in the first place because it was clear it was not going to be something I would enjoy and I would be spending the whole year bashing it, but I didn’t want to do that.  I went and did the ‘don’t like, then don’t watch’ thing people often want from those in the detractor camp of series people like when they don’t want to hear a dissenting opinion, and instead went to watch “wander over yonder” and other series I did like which did many of the same things Kyuranger did in ways which were more appealing to me. As That Pointless hate and bile was not something I wanted to spread or have infest my life.  I did not want to rally a crusade of bloody vengeance against the show for every perceived slight. For That’s not the person I am or want to be. And with how horrible 2017 was for me personally (including my Stepfather withering away from an incurable disease before dying and relatedly being thrown out of my home), it was something I could do without. I decided I was done with it, and made my exit calmly and rationally as a Mature adult would when they decided they didn’t like something, and only brought it up when it was relevant to bring it up after that, until other people dragged me back. Would you honestly have preferred it if I spent week after week angry at something and pointing out every single way it was messing up?  ‘cause anyone can do that.  Many people still did.  it’s not like I was ever a deciding voice, just another sharing the same perspective.  I would’ve just done it with the framing device of explaining the context of why people disliked it, as opposed to bashing it on the principle of it existing. So why Should I be the guy that Goes onto every blog, every forum and lambasts any person that ever said something good about it with a bulletpointed list of reasons?  Hell, I avoid the Tokusatsu forums in their entirety because OF my experiences with that fandom Toxicity. And The reason I ended up predicting the content as I did when I finally gave in?  It was Because I am very well-versed in Science fiction and space series tropes Kyuuranger as a series called upon (star trek, star wars, babylon 5, farscape, gundam, Battlestar galactica...the list goes on as I prefer sci-fi stuff to fantasy series) alongside super sentai ones due to me having watched over half the franchise and the afore-mentioned mythology awareness, and thus could ask myself ‘From what I’ve seen before and this show has been doing thus-far, how could they go about doing this plot they’ve teased in the next episode?’  Watching the first Five episodes of the series was more than enough to provide that.  And Five these days is considered lenient now, many Reviewers have reached the point of doing it in One, depending on their familiarity with the general signs of poor execution in the genre, medium or premise of the related story. Once more, it wasn’t about being right, it was about thinking on and applying the experiences I have had to the subject matter, and speculating on where it’s going, only to find it was as I had Guessed.  My continued dislike of it being because those predictions included ‘what are the bad ways they could do this story’ as well, and finding more times I guessed that to end up being true. And I do this with...basically everything.  My roommates and family are astounded by how often I call plot twists in advance of the story’s seeding of it.  One of the reasons I don’t like M Night shyamalan movies (besides all the other reasons people cite) is his twists are ridiculously transparent to me. I literally had the response to the twist that Bruce Willis’ character in the Sixth sense is dead of “yeah, and?” because I didn’t think that was what they were building up to, I just thought that was the quirk of the movie’s story.  the same with the old lady being the Devil in “Devil”. Months ago My roommate showed me the movie “Cabin In The Woods”. I had never seen nor heard of the movie beforehand. AS I later learned, It is Notorious as a movie where people do not see the plot twist coming. In the first few minutes of watching? I guessed the plot twist. It is actually a very good one that I do not wish to spoil here and was pleasantly surprised at how they went about executing it, but I Figured it out because I’d seen a lot of the works of The movie’s Writer Joss Whedon. If someone were to propose I had a superpower?  That’s basically it, I predict narratives from precedent of their content, it’s genre, and their creators.  I am VERY good at doing this once I know where they’re going.  That is, after all, how I guessed the entire second half of Kamen Rider Ryuki’s story without having seen it beforehand from making a Phoenix Down Joke. My roommates and I love the Venture bros, Season 7 is currently Airing, it has been wrapping up a number of it’s previous hanging plot threads and story seeding. Of them I guessed from the watching of previous seasons: Vendata being the blue Morpho and the Monarch’s Dead “Father”. The Monarch and Rusty Venture being Half-siblings as Jonas Venture Senior had Sex with The Monarch’s Mom. And Rusty being a clone. There are others, but there’s spoilers involved.

I was excited about all of that, because the series had been building up the suspense about answers to those questions for years or seeded paralleling stories to them previously in the series (I.E Hank, Dean and Dermott’s relationship).  I was elated to learn I’d been following the deeper lore of the show as they’d intended from their intermittent seeding of the story, that I’d connected the clues as they’d wanted them to be connected.  And for all of that to add up?  That’s Good storytelling.

And it’s not like I’m always right about that stuff either or desire media to bend to how I predict it would go.  if I’m not experienced with a certain story engine, I’m less likely to be right and more willing to go with the flow to explore it, and conversely really open to things that defy my expectations.

I’m a huge fan of .Hack and the Megaman battle networks series, and other stories using Virtual settings for storytelling (though Not SAO, I’m in the camp that dislikes SAO), thus was very experienced with the tropes, storypoints and themes Kamen Rider Ex-aid was making use of.  I played this same ‘game’ with it...and It proved me wrong very often with how it was taking things.   I didn’t see where it was going, as the show was not Predictable nor following the expected formula’s.   Sometimes I disagreed with or was critical of what it was doing, such as the lacking focus on Hiiro Kagami’s relationship with his lost Love Saki and her impact on him.  For how important it was to the series and his Character it was very poorly grounded, established and explored even with the Later Snipe miniseries going back to her death to further flesh it out, as it was something that needed more than the show was able to give for it to fully justify where they took it and all the connected links in the story it chained together.  Or, say, Kiriya’s Death in how Toei tried to make money off of a character death by selling commemorative shirts to it, as that’s a scumbag thing to do and made it seem like they ordered his death just to sell merchandise.  it wasn’t true and was just a bad marketing decision, the reaction to it being so hostile as Toei had pulled crap like that before and had shown itself tonedeaf to that conduct.. But for the most part, I adored how original a lot of it was by it’s end, most of my early criticisms they took the proper steps to mediate, and at the end it used all of it’s assets very smartly.  I enjoy it not because it conformed to some pre-scripted narrative, but because it defied and exceeded my expectations of it, and tended to blow up my expectations in the best ways possible.  whatever nitpicking that’s applicable to it doesn’t negate the overall good it did and quality it put out week after week.

And even with those nitpicks and any other criticism I voice, it wasn’t about me being personally right and the show wrong about how it did it, but areas in which the product was flawed and the areas in which it could have been improved.  Pointing those out?  That’s what a reviewer does.

But To bring it back to Zi-O as this is ultimately what this is all about with people wanting me to shut up about it despite me already having done so for the most part...with the extensive experience concerning the Writer and Producers I have had in almost everything they’ve worked on, how Negative that experience has been, Time travel stories being something I really adore and read/watched/played a lot of, awareness of how easy it is to screw it up if you don’t care about addressing contradictions or think of how to do it without such, and the first episode and the ones I’ve been dragged into commenting on since by people sending me messages Just like this one, I’ve done this ‘how would they likely do this from everything that’s been presented’ exercise with them and ended up being mostly spot-on with the predictions Thus-far.  I’m not going out of my way to do it or bash every little thing, I’ve been trying to do what I did with Kyuranger and Leave it be unless there’s something relevant to say, or someone drags me back.

Again, the post I linked to up top?  That was another attempt to do that, showcase what is the standard expectation I have for a series using a time travel story device so you see where I’m coming from on this. And yet, half a dozen people instead shot me angry messages and death threats, some of them telling me ‘Beast Wars Transformers is Shit and makes no sense and zi-oh was already doing it better than that because it intentionally decided to not play by any rules, even the ones it made up.’ ...The fact it ‘explaining’ it’s ‘rules’ and calling people losers for bothering to care about story consistency is locked behind a subscription paywall instead of it being part of the main series seems to be lost in this. ...Is this the one people want to fall on their sword over?  Really?  Guy’s, it’s a show run by a man who’s known for crappy conduct and screwing people over.  There are better targets for this, and people who are more active in shaping public opinion than the one who’s moving towards retiring from doing web-video content altogether because of medical reasons!

You want me to leave Zi-O alone, just let others enjoy it blindly?  That’s what I’m doing.  Stop bringing it to my doorstep and dragging me back.  You’ll just see come occasional snark when I’m given the prompt, that’s it.  If there’s no supplied prompt you won’t even see that.

[akaluan]

DE: Karakura Crew Part 10 - Kurosaki Ichigo

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | ???

((I gave up trying to write more in the training scenes for now. Maybe when I get to those sections in the editing bit where I post it on AO3 I’ll add another scene or two in there. For now, it’s better that I just keep moving.))

Ichigo knocked on the frame of the sliding door to Kaito’s room again, leaning close to see if he could hear movement in the room. “Is Kaito-san usually a heavy sleeper?” he asked Yoruichi, when he didn’t hear anything through the door.

“No,” Yoruichi said, before pacing forward and poking his paw at the edge of the door frame. The door wriggled, slid open a crack, and then slowly opened further as Yoruichi pried it open. “Wait here,” Yoruichi told them, as he squeezed through the gap and into Kaito’s room.

Ichigo exchanged uncomfortable looks with the other teens; they /hadn’t/ been given permission to enter, after all, but Yoruichi had said /no/, but what if something had /happened/ while the rest of them had been asleep?

Orihime edged closer, shot him a challenging look, then peered through the gap—

Her shoulder slammed into Ichigo’s side, forcing him to stumble backwards and giving her room to shove the door open and bolt into Kaito’s room. “Oh no!”

Chad caught him before he could fall and turned back towards the open door, left hand already clenched and reiatsu rising in case he needed to defend them both. But even he faltered at the sight inside, and Ichigo really couldn’t blame his friend; Kaito was huddled in a corner, blades crossed over his lap and hands resting on the hilts, eyes closed and chin resting on his chest. He looked to be asleep sitting upright, but his sleep kimono was stained with bloody patches that looked fresh and wet, and the room smelled of sweat and spilled blood.

(What had he been /doing/ all night?!)

Orihime was on her knees in front of Kaito, wringing her hands and trying to get a response out of their friend by calling his name. But he remained unresponsive, still but for the even rise and fall of his chest.

“What in the wor—” Ishida’s voice cut off abruptly, a hand covering his mouth and eyes widened in shock at the sight. “/Kurosaki!/” he hissed. “Is that—”

“It’s blood,” Chad confirmed grimly.

“He’s bloody /all over/!” Ichigo pulled free of Chad and darted into the room after Orihime, who had fallen to her knees in front of Kaito. “Yoruchi, what the /hell/?!”

Yoruichi turned narrowed eyes upon them. “I thought I told you to remain outside?”

“You seriously think we’d stay out when you didn’t give us a /reason/?” Ishida hissed, baring his teeth at Yoruichi and his right hand flexing as if to call up his bow.

“I /thought/ you would respect his privacy and—”

“Kaito!” Orihime cried, sharp and afraid and louder than any of her previous attempts.

Kaito /jerked/ back to awareness, head snapping up and eyes darting about, pupils blown wide. “Wha—”

“You’re bleeding!” Orihime exclaimed as she shifted a bit closer and called her healing shield into existence.

Except… Orihime’s worry, her /fear/, seemed to confuse Kaito more than anything. The man’s brows drew together and his lips pursed, and it was only when he looked down at himself that his wounds /finally/ seemed to register.

Chad shifted closer to him, and Ichigo glanced up at his friend.

“We need to be careful,” Chad murmured. When Ishida looked over, expression edged with worry, Chad clarified, “I’ve seen that look before. Those wounds… he doesn’t care. They don’t even register to him.”

Ishida drew in a sharp breath, jaw flexing, before he looked away from the two of them and back to Kaito. “He’s seen too much death,” Ishida whispered, barely loud enough to be heard. “He told me that, once.”

“And probably been hurt even more,” Chad agreed.

There was a disturbing amount of sense in that, not that Ichigo really wanted to consider it.

(How damaged did a person have to be, to stop caring about injuries? To stop caring that he went to bed healthy and woke up /wounded/?)

(How did that even /work/?)

Kaito cleared his throat, trying for a nonchalant tone as he said, “It’s nothing to worry about—”

“Nothing to worry about?” Orihime glared until Kaito raised his hands in a placating gesture. “You’re bleeding and you consider this /nothing to worry about/?”

Ichigo scanned Kaito carefully, trying to piece together why the man would consider this ‘nothing to worry about’.

“Something he does regularly?” Ishida murmured thoughtfully, glancing briefly at Ichigo before focusing on Kaito again. “Training?”

“To get wounds like that?” Ichigo asked. Not that he could actually see most of the wounds, only the bloody patches that were scattered across Kaito’s sleep kimono. It was possible that they were shallow wounds, the sort that bled a lot but weren’t otherwise a problem, but the fact still remained that Kaito had /gotten them overnight/.

Kaito’s smile was bright and cheerful, and Ichigo narrowed his eyes further at the sight.

(If it was a mask, he couldn’t see through it. That… scared him.)

(How many other smiles that Kaito gave were a mask?)

“Let me explain before you keep jumping to conclusions?” Kaito asked them, gaze shifting between each of them. “I was practicing jinzen, which is an advanced method of communicating with my zanpakutou. It brings the inner and outer worlds into a closer sync than usual, which means that injuries I sustained in combat in my inner world appeared on my physical body.”

Ichigo suppressed a wince at the information. /He/ was a Shinigami, technically. Did that mean..? “All Shinigami do this?”

“Yes,” Kaito agreed with a fond pat of the white blade’s hilt. “A soul with a zanpakutou needs to remain on good terms with their blade. A zanpakutou is more than just a weapon, after all. It’s a part of /me/, an extension of myself that I rely upon to see me through combat. I’m not /helpless/ without my blades, but I am certainly lesser.”

Zanpakutou were that important to Shinigami? Ichigo narrowed his eyes and /looked/ at Kaito, at the way he had his hands resting on the hilts of his blades, the way his fingers traced absent patterns over the metal, the way he was so /comfortable/ with them. He had thought it was just a result of Kaito having the blades for so long, but… a part of his soul…

(What did that mean, to a Shinigami born as one? Kaito spoke of communication, but Ichigo had never heard anything from his blade, had he..?)

(Except in the Shattered Shaft.)

(Was /that/ what Kaito was talking about?)

(Could he… talk with that spirit he’d met? How did one /do/ that?)

“There, all better!” Inoue sat back on her heels and let her shield fall away, her face taking on a stern expression. “And if you ever do that again, I want you to tell me so that I can heal you.”

Confusion flickered across Kaito’s expression before he covered it with a smile. “I usually ask Tsukabishi-san, or relax in the healing spring in the training ground, but if you’re around, of course I will.” The /look/ he gave Orihime as he said that… Ichigo couldn’t quantify it.

At his side, Ishida took a sharp breath, shoulders rigid and body tense, his focus on Kaito.

“Ishida?” Ichigo murmured, as they all backed up at Kaito’s gesture, giving the man room to stand.

Ishida shook his head. “Later,” he told Ichigo. “He—”

Kaito /swayed/, nearly falling, and all of them jerked forward in response. Orihime, by dint of being closest, hovered with her hands poised to catch Kaito if he /did/ fall, concern on her face as Kaito rubbed at his thigh.

“I’m fine,” Kaito tried to reassure them, a grimace of discomfort on his face. “My legs are just a bit numb.”

Which… made sense. If Kaito had remained in that cross-legged position all night, tucked away in the corner and unmoving, then it stood to reason that his legs would protest moving.

(That he had /done that/ said even more.)

(How much did it hurt, being back here? Enough that Kaito would prefer /this/ over sleep?)

Kaito’s look sent them retreating again, and the man stepped out of the corner, stretching as he did. His motions sent the fabric draped over his shoulders fluttering, and Ichigo stared at it for a moment. It seemed… familiar.

/Very/ familiar.

“Are you… wearing Hat’n’Clog’s coat?” Ichigo asked incredulously, watching the sway and flutter of the dark fabric and the tell-tale white diamonds decorating the bottom edge. Why the /hell/ was Kaito wearing /that/?

Kaito’s mischievous smile gave Ichigo a bad feeling, as did the way he slipping his arms through the sleeves and settled the haori properly across his shoulders. Bloodstains aside, he looked… he looked…

Kaito stepped around Ichigo while he was still trying to process the sight, and bent to scoop up something else. At his side, Ishida gave a strangled /whine/ as Kaito settled a /very familiar/ — if color-shifted — hat atop his head and briefly flicked open the — also color-shifted — fan.

He winked, playful and happy and clearly having /fun/. “Just a final bit of disguise is all!”

A quiet /’click’/ noise caught Ichigo’s attention, and he tore his gaze away from the sight of /Hat’n’Clogs junior/ to see… Yoruichi with a camera? The cat looked /smug/ as he pressed the button with a paw, triggering the camera again. His tail twitched happily, and when he met Ichigo’s gaze there was honest /happiness/ there.

Ichigo looked back at Kaito, at the way the man stood, the unfeigned mischief and cheer on his expression, clearly mimicking his father. A father he’d only just met a few months ago.

(What was it like, to love so deeply? To clearly /enjoy/ the chance at mimicry?)

(Ichigo could understand why Yoruichi was taking those pictures.)

“Disguise?!” Ishida exclaimed, horrified. “That’s not a disguise! That’s you looking like a copy of Urahara-san!”

“Ara, ara, no need to be so offended by that,” Kaito said, pouting at them and fidgeting with his fan.

“I thought you wanted to hide!” Ishida continued in frustration, before turning to Ichigo and nearly begging, “Kurosaki! Talk some damn sense into him!”

Ichigo arched an eyebrow at Ishida; what in the /world/ did Ishida think /he/ could do about this? In resignation, Ishida sighed and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

Kaito’s laughter drew their attention away from each other; he had a hand on the brim of his hat, the fan tucked away out of sight, and for a moment Ichigo thought it was /Hat’n’Clogs/ standing in front of them.

(This is what he would fight for. This laughter, this /joy/. For Kaito to smile so freely without Ichigo needing to wonder if it was a mask.)

(For /all/ his friends to do the same.)

(In the back of his mind, something /shifted/.)

(Was that… a voice?)

[plumtreeforest]

OiIwa Rec List

So, @exella​ kindly asked me for a rec list of exclusive Bottom!Iwa fics and yes I am only far too happy to comply.

(this only contains English fics bc even though the Japanese OiIwa fandom is ripe and live with Top!Oikawa/Bottom!Iwaizumi fics and headcanons I am too lazy to translate and a lot of the authors I follow are already inactive so idk if they’d even respond if I ask)

(also I guess it should go without saying that a lot of these fics are either M or E rated bc...uhh...penetrative sex. Also if there are any broken links just tell me this was dizzying to make haha)

Without any further ado *jazz hands*

Assume the Position by troublebuster

If there's two things Oikawa likes, it's getting his own way and being nasty.

salt on caramel by ohhotlamb

“I swear, they wanna kill me by the time I’m thirty. My stress level is too high for someone so beautiful. I’ll get wrinkles.”

Iwaizumi grunts around his mouthful. “’s this about the butt thing? And the pizza party?”

“Oh, great, even different departments have heard about it. Just great.”

Item of Immense Power by iwaizumemes

He could smell the dirt and mixture of sap where his face was pushed against the ground. It took him more than a few seconds to remember where he was, or at least where he thought he was. The bright flash, so blinding he thought he’d gone blind, and then the aching twisting sensation, his bones bending like copper wires, but there was no pain, just compression, and then there was nothing.

[Iwaizumi finds himself in an alternate universe with no way to get home.]

Salted by orphan_account

Looking back on it, Shigeru didn’t really mean to watch it play out before his eyes like a late night, guilt-ridden porno.

It just… happened.

Close Your Eyes by kingiwaizumi

"Eh?! Iwa-chan?!" Oikawa squeaked as he was suddenly slammed down onto the bed.

"Shut up," Iwaizumi muttered, straddling Oikawa.

"You're gonna beat me up again?! How cruel! What did I do?!" Oikawa lifted his arms in self defense.

"I said shut up!"

Oikawa immediately went silent, lowering his arms and staring at Iwaizumi's expression. It was distant and unreadable.

"Close your eyes," Iwaizumi instructed, his voice quiet and slightly shaky.

"If you're gonna kill me-"

"Close your eyes, Shittykawa." Iwaizumi glared sharply at Oikawa, a warning clear in his eyes.

Laws of Attraction by notmykink

“What—what do you want from me, then?” Iwaizumi asks warily.

“I don’t want anything from you,” Oikawa walks over, pressing his pointer finger against Iwaizumi’s chest pocket, hooking it into the pocket as he leans in. “I want you."

Don’t Forget to Breathe by notmykink

"Iwaizumi, this is Oikawa Tooru, a hypnotist," Hanamaki says as the stranger joins them by the table, eyes fixed on Iwaizumi.

[Iwaizumi gets a lesson on erotic hypnotism and has the best/worst night of his life.]

Fixation by notmykink

Hajime has always had a thing for Tooru’s fingers.

fucking strangers by notmykink

He hates the guy. Hates his guts. He’d never fall for a guy like that. And that’s exactly the reason he decides to reach out for the glass, raising it and clinking it against the stranger’s. His smirk widens, different than the one he gave the bartender or the women from earlier, the one he had attempted to use on Iwaizumi at first. This one isn’t feigning innocence; it’s predatory and dangerous, ravenous. Iwaizumi wants to wipe that smirk off his face.

“I’m Oikawa; Oikawa Tooru,” the stranger says, reaching his hand out for Iwaizumi to take it.

“Iwaizumi,” he replies, shaking his hand before lifting the glass to his lips again, emptying it.

close to your heart by notmykink

Their last night together before Iwaizumi leaves his king and his castle behind to join the hero team and defeat him.

Plead by catayoyo

"Oikawa buries his face between Iwaizumi's shoulder blades and exhales deeply. "I want to fuck you against the mirror, would you like that? Would you beg for me?"

There's a slow, horrifying realisation that it's not just a mood he's in, it's one of those moods where Oikawa even pulls him apart. Even tries to work him at the seams to make him crumble into a pile of nothing until his body is raw and he really doesn't have time for it today."

Pretty much just PWP with Oikawa topping

plaisir by aischolatry

“Be polite, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says, and smiles. It is thin-lipped, narrow-eyed, and vicious. “Say please, won’t you?”

all night long by Authoress

“I don’t beg,” Iwaizumi growls.

“I never said you had to,” Oikawa points out.

Wreck a Temple, Forge a Promise by Authoress

Tooru finally brings him to Seijou after Hajime’s first winter in the little village and on the mountain, when the flora and fauna of the green mountain shake off the last frost of the season and the spirits sing in time with the babbling of the streams.

It is in the midst of all that new life that Tooru takes him for the first time, and makes him a promise.

[SEQUEL TO 'BUILD A TEMPLE IN ME']

Maid Iwaizumi by blandvole

Maid Iwaizumi is sent to work for the sadistic Princes Kageyama and Oikawa.

Locker Room Punishment by blandvole

Oikawa spanks Iwaizumi in the locker room in front of the whole team.

Kissmarked by Moami

There’s a beat of silence. Inoue stares at him. “You don’t know? Uhm.” He laughs nervously, and then points to his own neck. “Your nape is full of blue marks. Looks like you were bitten or someone tried to strangle you. I hope it’s not the latter.”

Fucking hell.

“Actually,” Inoue mumbles, “they kind of look like an O. But whatever floats your boat, I suppose.”

Murder, Hajime thinks. I’m going to fucking kill him.

The Secret Omega by AllTheAspects

Now, staring down at the cheery label which promises no regrets, Iwaizumi ironically but sincerely regrets every decision which lead him here.

In particular, his annoying as fuck best friend. Who absolutely, definitely, no matter what, cannot find out that Iwaizumi is an omega.

exit wounds by riseelectric

We break before we build.

WARNING: Rape/Non-Con

Your First and Your Last by mean_whale

One day Iwaizumi leads Oikawa away from the rest of the pack to talk. What does he want to talk about, and is this a sign that Oikawa's unrequited love isn't quite so unrequited after all?

Home by Frenchibi

Tooru can’t help but giggle, curling in over him and threading his hand into Hajime’s hair, gently massaging his scalp.

Hajime presses a kiss to that strip of skin in response, breath tickling him a little, before he pulls back slightly and settles into a more comfortable position, curling closer and letting his eyes fall shut.

“…love you, Iwa-chan,” Tooru whispers, and he sees a soft smile tug at the corner of Hajime’s lips.

Everything With You by Ellessey

‘Hajime still loves Oikawa, but he understands now. Oikawa can't look at him and see someone he could potentially date.

And that makes it easier to not focus on the little things that used to drive him crazy—Oikawa's long legs, the way he's always hanging off of Hajime, how his whole face changes when he gets ready for a jump serve, and he looks like he could take on the entire world and win.

This new arrangement though, this living together situation, is presenting a new set of variables that must be adjusted to, and the nakedness is one of them.’

--

For years, being Oikawa’s best friend has worked out fine. Hajime is hopelessly in love with him, but it’s enough. Then Oikawa—who, by all accounts, has never been anything but determinedly, assuredly straight—gets a boyfriend. Or a boy friend-with-benefits. Hajime doesn’t know, and he doesn’t give a shit about the definition.

What he knows is that remaining best friends is starting to seem a bit too painful (way too painful) to be considered a solid option.

Adjustments by dicie

[Iwaizumi Hajime, a knight in shining armour, has found a dragon that needs seeing to. But the dragon has a different idea about what that seeing to entails.]

Hajime's day is not going how he imagined. There are various things he thought it might entail: falling off his horse, getting charred by a dragon, or skewered by talons all promising possibilities. He grunts and shifts his his angle. Getting fucked by his mission wasn't an option he had considered.

Show Me You Own Me by AcceleOrder

It's Oikawa's idea, of course. But Iwaizumi finds himself loving the way Ushijima has Oikawa wrapped around his fingers, and before long they're both moaning at the hands of Ushijima.

aka the kinkiest shit I've ever written in my life.

Until It Breaks by SuggestiveScribe

"We could get caught."

Oikawa just hummed, fingers sliding around the front of Iwaizumi's hips and slipping up under the hem of his work shirt. "But we're closed," he cooed.

Say It by someonestolemyshoes

"They should not be doing this. They should absolutely, one hundred per cent not be doing this.

Iwaizumi had been stupid, maybe, to give Oikawa the benefit of the doubt as he’d crawled into his futon, crooning about the cold and the quiet and the comfort of Iwaizumi’s sheets compared to his own, and he’d been so especially stupid to think things wouldn’t go far, even as Oikawa had flattened his palm against Iwaizumi’s stomach and dug his fingers beneath the waistband of his shorts."

Or: Oikawa gives Iwaizumi a sneaky hand job one night during a training camp and Iwaizumi is horribly weak to Oikawa's will.

Stardust by kiyala

It's the most powerful feeling in the world, Oikawa thinks with a smile, to be able to give the person you love most exactly what they need.

rationed breaths by wetbreadstick

Iwaizumi knows the arch of Oikawa's back when he stretches, knows the smooth muscles of his thighs, knows how his shirt sticks to him after a long summer practice: he knows it all. He thinks about it a lot. More than he should, probably.

There's power in his body, and Iwaizumi curses himself for forgetting it.

Hungry by SuggestiveScribe

"You've been so good lately." Iwa-chan clenched his jaw and Oikawa leaned closer to him, whispering low and hoarse against his blood matted skin, "Let Oikawa-san take care of you."

Kindle by Akira_kun

kindle transitive verb 1: to start (a fire) burning : light 2a : to stir up : arouse 2b : to bring into being : start 3: to cause to glow : illuminate

Or

Not so lazy morning pwp sex.

Slap or Kiss? by BlackKite7

Without any warning though, the kiss came to an abrupt halt as Oikawa leaned away and settled himself back down beside him, his face bright red as he refused to look in Iwaizumi’s direction and insisted that the game continue.

As the game resumed, Iwaizumi looked on with half-hearted interest, realising that his imagination was fatally flawed.

Terpsichore by LordessMeep

Noun: Terpsichore (turp’si-ku-ree) Taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music They’d ended up going to different universities, Tooru and he. The distance was good for them. The confession Hajime dropped in both their laps wasn’t.

That’s how it’d ended – a lifetime of friendship crumbled to dust in the space of five minutes.

(Or, a lesson in learning to move on from things you can't have, in finding old loves in new ways and in understanding that life is never truly simple... till it is.)

Only You. by jckwng

Iwaizumi was not a weak man. He had refused to back down against even the toughest of opponents (whether that be during a volleyball match or in a fist fight with someone who insulted Oikawa). He was a tough nut to crack, a locked door with a misplaced key. Iwaizumi was a lot of things.

But he was not a weak man.

Which is why Oikawa took great pleasure in being able to reduce him to a whimpering mess with two fingers

I Bet That You Look Good on the Dance Floor by weebshit

This couldn’t even be considered dancing - the way this man seemed to just cut through the crowd of dancers, hunting down his desired prey as his hips gyrated to the beat and his lips parted and turned up in a way that made Hajime realize he knew exactly how alluring he was. It was almost frustrating to watch, the way he could so easily pull anyone under his spell and then just walk away moments later, already onto his next victim.

Alternatively, Iwaizumi is having a shitty time at a club and Oikawa makes his night a little better.

Hot Mess by kagseyamas

Gotta make sure your ace gets what he deserves on his birthday. In this case, it's letting Oikawa try something new.

Or, Iwaizumi discovers the beauty of rimming.

In Between by kiyala

Tooru's transformation feels a little like shedding skin. It happens in bits and pieces at first, before Tooru is ready to shift out of his human form entirely and turn into a dragon.

He's always so incredibly sensitive to everything in between, though, and Hajime's smell hangs in the air distractingly. Tooru feels like he can taste Hajime on his tongue. Right now, there's nothing he wants more in the world than that.

One for the Team by kingiwaizumi

The Aoba Johsai volleyball club is running low on money, so what better way to raise money than a maid café?

Of course, it's Oikawa's brilliant idea, and Hanamaki can't bring himself to complain.

(Iwaizumi in a maid uniform, need I say more?)

with HanaIwa

Pull Me Closer and Kiss Me Hard by Souliebird

Iwaizumi had made the grave mistake of telling Oikawa he had no idea how to proposition Kyoutani.

The very next day his boyfriend had walked up to the man he had been having wet dreams about for almost three months, in the middle of free practice, and had simply gone, “Would you like to fuck Iwa-chan?”

More KyouIwa than OiIwa

Worth A Try by Tent

Iwaizumi wasn't quite sure what's happening. Oikawa definitely does not like what's happening. Ushijima is the cause of what's happening.

or

I tried to write smut.

More UshiIwa than OiIwa

What Happens at Parties by sushibomb

Hajime and Kuroo get to know each other a little better at a party and Tooru gets to watch.

More KuroIwa than OiIwa

And because I like to toot my own horn: my AO3 has a shitton of Bottom!Iwa, feel free to browse. I’m also about to upload nother Botom!Iwa fic, which is my last ever Haikyuu fic:

[woodrokiro]

Flowers/Meanings (Fic)

Fandom: Bleach

Pairing: IchiRuki

Summary: Ichigo doesn’t really care about flowers, but he needs a job and this lady cares way too much about them but he needs the money. He guesses. Florist AU for IchiRuki Month.

"Are you looking for a bouquet for someone in particular?"

He startles, drops the flower he was idly inspecting on the ground. A woman not much older than him arches an eyebrow, arms crossed over a petite frame. He resists a strange, innate instinct to do the same.

"Oh... No. Well, maybe my little sister for later--"

"Then I wouldn't pick white lilies. They represent virginity... Unless you have a strange relationship with your sister."

He clenches his teeth. He needs to get this one, short women be damned. "Right. Cool, thanks. Actually I was hoping--there's a notice on your window saying you're hiring--"

"So you were lying about shopping for your incestual relationship."

"No, I was and that's a really weird joke to make can you just--" he stops. Breathes. Grinds said clenched teeth. "I'd really like to give you my resume and ask for an interview."

She looks him up and down with a murderously skeptical eye. "You know about flowers? The guy who was eyeing white lilies--"

"Get off of that! No, look I guess I don't. But flowers are... I mean they're pretty and I work hard and learn fast--"

"They're pretty?"

That's what I just said, he thinks, but instead he says: "Yeah, that's kind of the point, right?"

She purses her lips, scuffs her little shoe into the ground repeatedly and it's sunny but Ichigo feels a storm coming. "No. No that's not the point. Flowers aren't just pretty, they've been used for humanity for hundreds of years. Most are the few plants that haven't been used for sole survival needs--dietary or medical--but just for the simple joy of looking at them. And we've assigned meaning to each of them: joy, loss, love. Doesn't that mean something to you? Is that incredible or are you just another man thinking he can shove a bundle of flowers under a woman's nose to make her forgive all the wrongs he has done? That this traditionally feminine work is something 'easy' for you and so therefore, why not? Please. I don't have time for lying children." She eyes him for what feels like a stony eternity before turning her heel and scoffing and he just thinks fuck this.

"You know what? I don't know shit about flowers. Frankly, I don't know that I care, yet." She doesn't turn to meet his eyes, but she does stop and really  heats him up more, the deigning to not even look him in the eye while he's talking. "I just know that my family has a small town clinic, they're doing okay but my dad's getting older and he's trying to afford my college and I know he can barely do that and my sisters are about to enter university too and I know for a fact he can't handle three tuitions and I've looked all over the goddamn town for a job and none of them want me because of my hair which is stupid because its genetic but whatever bigots are bigots and I need a job and frankly I don't care for that 'flowers are girly shit' because they're just plants and the patriarchy is a pile of shit and I'll kick anyone's ass who makes fun of you for hiring me and--"

"What's your major?"

He blinks, notices in his rant that she's turned her head to look at him, how intensely violet her eyes are.

"Uh... What?"

"You're going to college. What are you studying there, fool?"

He debates for a moment whether he really wants to tell her, now that he's nearly positive he's not getting the job and also who uses the word "fool" anymore? "Um. Language. I'm a creative writing emphasis."

"Then you should be able to learn metaphors. Good enough. Be here to start at 8 am Monday."

Before he can dazedly ask what the hell metaphors she's talking about, she walks away to the back of the shop and Ichigo suddenly understands he has a job.

--- "So... Freesia means 'innocence' and 'thoughtfulness.'”

"That's what the book I gave you says, right?"

".... Yeah..."

"Then that's what it means, fool."

"Yeah okay Miranda Priestly, calm down. I'm just not really understanding what the difference between that and like--" he wets his fingers, flips the pages of her flower bible rapidly and resists the urge to grin at her disgusted expression. "Here! Like, a daisy, which 'symbolizes innocence and purity' and ‘conveys loyal love.'"

"And?"

"Well, they're both innocence--"

"Do 'loyal love' and 'thoughtfulness' sound anything alike to you?"

He tries not to let it show he's working his brain. "In a way--."

"Fool. You don't understand and I won't elaborate until you do. You can work bows in the back again."

The joke's really on her, he internally grumbles as he throws down another red ribbon onto the work table, because if all else fails he is the goddamn king of making bows.

-- Rumor has it around town she graduated from some big league art school at the top of her class.

Then again, it came from Keigo, and Keigo gossips about everyone so Ichigo can take it or leave it.

He wants to leave it, but the way her hands delicately brushes dirt from petals, how she'll arrange flowers in such a fashion that is none other than stunning, how her hands will fold the parchment oh so delicately, oh so gently over her work like some kind of prayer for their long lasting--

It isn't really hard to imagine.

-- "So... Do you have a favorite flower?"

Her hands--always working, always fluttering--still for a moment before she scoffs, continuing to trim stems by his side. The new shipment came in today, and after talking quietly for what seemed like forever with the tattooed, red headed vendor rep (so it really isn't all that much of a woman's industry, after all), she had seemed rather distracted all day.

"All flowers have their own spirit, what makes them unique--"

"You've said that a hundred times over, Kuchiki. I'm asking a simple question: what's your favorite?"

"I don't have one, honestly." He thinks he hears a small chuckle after he rolls his eyes. They work in silence for a moment before she speaks again.

"How about this. Let's make this a lesson for you: what flower would represent me--"

"Iris," he says without much thought, thinking really of her eyes but the more he considers it the more he knows it to be true. "Purple," he adds as an unnecessary afterthought. Eloquence. Wisdom and Complimentary.

She doesn't respond, but he can tell she's secretly pleased.

-- The first time he sees her deal with flowers for a remembrance occasion is Inoue.

She comes in, bubbly as ever and he kisses her quickly on the lips in the front and really hopes the two women won't meet for some odd reason he can't pinpoint but no shit here she comes waltzing from the back and Inoue sticks out her arm pleased as punch, says I'm Ichigo's girlfriend nice to meet you and Ichigo winces but Rukia is?? Pleasant???

Not that she isn't ever unpleasant with any other person but him-- just remarkably professional that comes off as a bit arrogant. She will almost always make a sale, but Ichigo has noticed a sort of grimace on men's faces as they walk away with bouquets in their hand--as if they had hoped to just flirt with the pretty ()but icy flower lady and not at all purchase actual flowers.

But he breathes a little easier when he sees Rukia smile back, even laugh at Inoue's latest quirky dream story. She eventually asks if Inoue would be interested in taking home some flowers today and suddenly the mood changes as Inoue stalls with an "Actually..."

Ichigo doesn't know how he had dated this girl for six months and not known about Inoue's brother.

Suddenly she is unfurling her story like a napkin, fiddling with her hands as she tries to nonchalantly mention it's the anniversary of her brother's passing, and she's just been so busy with work and school and friends that she hasn't... Well. She hasn't been to his grave since last year, which is so embarrassing because he was really just the kindest and most caring person she knew, in fact he was the reason she was who she was and she hopes he doesn't think she forgot about him--

Rukia squeezes her hand before going to the back, leaving Ichigo alone with this girl he realizes he's never known.

When she comes back after what seems like forever, she's got a bouquet in her hand.

"I think your brother might really enjoy these," she says softly, laying it gently into Orihime's arms like an infant. "I put some hydrangea in it, for gratitude and heartfelt emotions. Sunflower, for adoration and dedication. And finally.. A stalk of statice. For remembrance, but it also signifies 'success.' You're doing okay, Miss Inoue, and I'm sure your brother is so proud of you."

After a refusal to accept payment and a receival of infinite thanks, Orihime is gone and Rukia moves wordlessly past Ichigo.

-- "You didn't have to do that." They're trimming stalks later that day: what seems to be their special time to talk like normal people, and Ichigo admits that for some reason, he kind of relishes it. "Refuse the payment, I mean. I can just pay for it tonight after close, if you'd like--"

"Not at all. I usually give reduced prices for funeral flowers anyway. Since this was for a significant other of an employee.... I was happy to give it." She pauses in her work. "Orihime is a kind girl."

"...Yeah," is all he can think to say, and they work in more silence before he suddenly realizes something. "Wait... What do you mean you give reduced prices for funerals? I hate to... Like, it's horrible, but isn't that where you make most of your business?"

"It could be, but I don't want it to. When you've lost someone... The last thing that should come with a heavy price tag is something beautiful, don't you think?"

Ichigo thinks of golden hair and sun dresses and being scooped up into thin, warm arms and all he can do is nod.

"So... I mean. Have you struggled with the business before then, or...?"

"If you're worried about your job, don't. I have my resources."

"I'm not worried about the job, Rukia, I just--why then? Why do you do this? You can like flowers, you can like giving flowers to people but you don't have to make a business out of it--"

"Do you expect to make much money writing?" The question isn't harsh, per se, just direct--but it catches Ichigo off guard.

"What...?"

"You may be a fool sometimes, but it seems you know enough about the world to realize potential consequences for your dreams. That you may have to take on another job you don't like. That you may continue to struggle with bills, maybe eat beans and rice every other week for awhile. But that's the thing, isn't it? It's for your dreams, your goals--what life is screaming at you to keep doing because otherwise: what are you doing here in the first place?" She stops her work to pick up a peony (happy life, good health, prosperity. Compassion.) and does something uncharacteristic: she puts it to her nose and smells it. After a moment, she continues: "This isn't the only thing I do, it isn't my only dream. I paint, I sketch sometimes. I have as equal a love for both. But that... Traditional visual art is a little more selfish, its for my own self expression. And for some--maybe many--they'll understand it and like it and that's wonderful. I'm humbled. But some may not and that's all right too. This is what I can contribute in a smaller way, to a singular person instead of a group or myself as a whole. I am allowed to express myself, to create poetry and meaning through natural, breathing things. And, better yet... I get to give them to people. To say, 'here you are, I made this just for you--'"

He kisses her, suddenly (wonderfully) and there's no thought involved and he should be embarrassed but he's not and all he can think is there's some floral smell to her but what flower what is the flower that clings to her like she was the hand to create it? He doesn't know quite yet he needs to kiss her some more to find out--

She releases herself from him gently and looks at him with something in her eyes like sadness or pity or whatever it is he doesn't want to tell because ah. There it is.

His embarrassment.

He shirks off his apron, grunts out a "sorry" before leaving.

-- He breaks up with Orihime about a week later.

It's amicable: she is visibly disappointed but they both agree they would love to stay friends, hoping to go out to breakfast once in awhile to get to know each other as buddies better.

He hasn't returned to work since though. -- He's awoken at nine in the morning by the doorbell.

It's been a month since he's even been within a half mile radius of the shop, and he knows it's probably for the best but he's been dreaming a lot about sharp words and fluttering hands and flowers and he's just starting to think fuck flowers--

The guy with the red hair and tattoos is on his doorstep holding a bundle and Ichigo's not sure whether he wants to laugh or cry.

"Yo. This weird, since we've never talked but, uh--" He lifts the bundle in one hand. "Rukia wanted me to give this to you. Said you'd get what it's for? Or should? I don't know. Just giving this as a favor for a friend."

"...Thanks?" Ichigo signs the package, waves an awkward goodbye to the guy and peeks into the wrapping and of course.

He doesn't understand how, but of course she knew what day it was.

A simple bouquet of Queen Anne's lace and a white stargazer lily: for sanctuary and sympathetic remembrance. A condolence card attached reads: For your dearest remembrance.--Rukia and Ichigo's heart hits the floor of his stomach with a thud.

Still, he continues on the day as he usually does: puts on a nice shirt, buys his mother's favorite chocolates and a contribution to family picnic, kisses his sisters and allows his dad one hug. The only difference is he leaves the grave early, asking his family (and mother) to forgive him because he's got to do something early the next morning.

-- When Rukia unlocks the front door to the shop the next morning, an alert Ichigo standing in the middle of it is not what she expects.

"Yo. Good morning."

He shoves a bundle into her arms, and she looks down. A haphazard bouquet droops in her arms and she raises her eyebrows inquisitively at him. "Ichigo..."

"First of all: I quit."

She blinks. "Yes, I gathered that when you hadn't shown to work in a month."

"Cool. Glad we got that covered. Because I kind of suck at this job--"

"A tad, yes."

"Rukia, shut up for one moment and let me talk, okay? I kind of suck at this job and flowers are cool and can be manly as hell if you dismantle society's preconceptions of what manly means... But they're not my thing. Writing is. But I like that thing you said about making poetry with living things and I kind of tried to do that with that bouquet in your hands but the flowers are older because you haven't received a new shipment yet and I had to break in here earlier than that with my employee keys which I hope you overlook because I'm trying to be romantic and also the fact that you knew about my mom's death without me telling you is also kind of creepy so we're both kind of creepy so there. Now. What do you think?"

She inspects it, and Ichigo tries not to wait on bated breath. "A rose, an iris, a gardenia, and a bird of paradise..." She looks up at him with a challenge in her eyes. "Why?"

He sucks in: he'd been ready for this. "So I picked the red rose because... I don't know. We all know what it means and it's kind of cliche. But it's classic, it's universal and something we all can recognize. I thought it fitting. I told you you were like an iris, once, and I think that may still be true--but honestly you're... A lot of different flowers. Maybe all of them, in a way. I think I really get it now when you said you didn't have a favorite, because really they're all your favorite. Or something. And the gardenia is an admission that the receiver is lovely, and. Um? The bird of paradise." He pauses. "The bird of paradise indicates exciting anticipation. Which is where I kind of am right now."

A beat passes. She eyes him with an unreadable expression, and he thinks shit shit this was so fucking cheesy, what if she's with the guy at his doorstep yesterday, what if she really did just mean her condolences--

"There is no cohesion at all with any of these flowers. They look awful together."

His heart sinks. "Uh... Yeah okay I know and I wanted to come in earlier to see what you had but my alarm didn't go off in time so I was scrambling to get here and--"

"You really made for a terrible employee," she murmers, and all in ten seconds she's put the flowers gently down on the counter and taken the three steps toward him and turned his face in her hands down to hers and he feels those lips again and there.

Iris.

He was right.

[tappity-tap]

IchiHime - “What Brings Us Together”

[IchiHime/RenRuki]

Story Rating: T+ Warnings: Smoking, some sexual content (borderline nsfw) Summary: When Rukia and Renji suddenly drop in one night to announce they've gotten married, Ichigo is forced to confront the unexpected feelings that arise from the shocking news...including one he’s been denying all along. Set right after ch 1 of the “Ceremony” section in “WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU”.

Married.

The sharp click of the lock sliding into place barely registered.

We’re married.

Sound bites from the conversation played over and over like a broken record in his mind as he shuffled back into the house.

“…ah, see? Toldja he’s still up.”

“Renji…? Rukia…? The hell you guys doing here?! It’s almost midnight!”

His feet dragged and felt like they were made of lead every time he lifted a leg to mount each step. Going up the stairs took twice as long as usual.

“We’re sorry for the short notice, Ichigo, but this was too important to wait.”

“Lemme guess…you got a promotion? No…you were kicked out of Soul Society. Ah, wait, I got it…you secretly eloped and you’re on the run cause Byakuya found out.”

“…hey that’s impressive, he’s actually closer’n Inoue ‘an ya didn’t even hafta give ‘im a hint.”

“That’s not close at all, Renji! Nii-sama knew AND approved!”

His bedroom was in sight now but it still felt miles away.

“…wait….no way……”

“Well, actually…yeah. Me ‘an Rukia completed our nyuseki today. We’re married.”

“The wedding is in two weeks. We’d be honored if you and the others were present for it.”

He didn’t bother turning on the light after he closed the door. There was enough illumination from the streetlamp coming through the window (even with the curtains mostly drawn) and that’s how he was able to walk straight to his bed and flop down on it. And then he simply lay there and stared at the ceiling. Sometimes he found if he stared hard enough in the dark, he could just make out the shape of the lamp mounted above him.

“So…they got married, huh?” he asked it. He didn’t know why…it wasn’t like it could respond. But saying things aloud occasionally gave him the kick-start he needed to sort through his thoughts.

Honestly when it came down to it, the notion of Renji and Rukia’s relationship turning romantic at some point wasn’t that surprising, especially where Renji was concerned. Two confrontations with him were all Ichigo needed to realize he was head over heels in love with her. It really wasn’t that hard to notice once all the tough talk and bravado were stripped away; The guy basically wore his heart on his sleeve.

Rukia, on the other hand…now she was a hell of a lot harder to figure out. Sure, there were a few times she’d talked about Renji and the history they shared, but she never once actually specified what the nature of their relationship was. That was probably one of those emotional vulnerabilities she was reluctant to discuss with other people, so he was never entirely sure if Rukia’s association with Renji went beyond close friendship. Not until Renji thanked him for bringing them “back to where they once were,” and Ichigo finally got the sense what they shared between them was something not entirely platonic and definitely not one-sided.

Even knowing that, it was still hard to say when they’d gotten serious about each other since number one, they never told him (until that night, obviously) and number two, they never really acted like a couple in public. But really, when taking into account some of the people they associated with, he couldn’t exactly blame them for wanting to keep their private life just that. So suddenly springing it on him that they were legally married and the formal ceremony would take place in two weeks was more like pulling a light sucker punch than dropping an entire bombshell.

Although, looking back on it, he probably could’ve come up with a better first response than squinting at them and scoffing.

Come to think of it…Ichigo still had no idea why he reacted like that. Smiling and offering congratulations, like any normal person would do, was apparently not a thing his instincts had ever heard of. At least he had the voluntary sense to do that. Eventually. But not before fumbling through a hasty apology to his bewildered (not to mention, slightly offended) friends.

Still wallowing in his thoughts, he groped around on top of the comforter for his pajamas and after a minute only came up with the bottoms. Whatever. Right now, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to get to bed as quickly as possible. Taking off his jeans in the dark fared simple enough, it was figuring out which side of the flannel pants was front that gave him a bit of trouble. But again, too tired to care. So what if he went to sleep wearing backwards pants? No one was going to see him anyways. He yanked them on and burrowed under the covers, feeling just as sullen as before.  

Outside, two distinct laughs suddenly echoed through the alleyway. Great. Another thing to keep him awake tonight. Well, at least someone in the vicinity was having a good time. Ichigo hooked his finger under the curtain and lifted it slightly, just enough to see directly in front of the house. The late-night revelers were a little off to the right so he had to shuffle around and angle himself in the corner of the window to actually see them properly. It took a minute but when he realized who they were, he almost dropped the curtain in surprise.

Okay, he’d have to scratch that “never really acted like a couple in public” point because he was witnessing it right now with his own two eyes and he had to admit, it was actually kind of sweet.

Guided by the glow of the streetlamp, Rukia was ever so daintily traversing the low wall surrounding the hedges like a tightrope walker while Renji strolled along on the ground at her side, acting as spotter and escort. With this arrangement, she was actually a head taller than him for once, though if this bothered him at all he was doing a fantastic job of hiding it. Their faces weren’t very clear due to distance and time of night but they both seemed in equally high spirits. And relaxed. More relaxed than he’d ever seen them before. Also, was it his imagination or did Renji just take something out of his mouth and exhale a small puff of smoke? Ah, right…Rukia mentioned once that he liked to have an occasional cigarette while in a Gigai and by the tone of her voice, it sounded like she didn’t mind at all. That was probably why they hadn’t gone back to Soul Society just yet.

They stopped when they reached the end of the wall so Renji could clamp his cigarette between his lips, then let go and turned back in perfect sync, Rukia’s long layered skirt fluttering out around her legs and settling just as her hand landed in Renji’s. Unfortunately, the first step she took forward from there wasn’t very stable (probably due to her watching Renji instead of where she was going) and she almost took a tumble into the bushes. Regaining her balance didn’t take too long though, not when Renji held tight the entire time. In the moment after the near misfortune they stood perfectly still, hand in hand and face to face, hair and clothes swaying gently in a freshly picked-up breeze.

The cigarette was suddenly flicked to the ground where it glowed bright orange for a few seconds before going out completely under the heel of Renji’s boot. Then Rukia tugged her muffler away from her face and leaned forward with her arms wound around Renji’s neck and his hands moved to her waist aaand there was no mistaking it now; They were kissing. Not a quick little peck on the lips either, nope, this was full-on TV romance drama level kissing. After some time Renji even lifted her up off the wall and held her tightly in his arms, the two of them still going at it without a care in the world.

At that point, Ichigo figured his uninvited gaze had overstayed its welcome. He let the curtain fall back into place so the newlyweds could continue their moonlight rendezvous sans optical intrusion. Well…good for them. They deserved to be happy together, he knew that. Then why was he feeling so down all of a sudden? Like some irrational little voice in his head was telling him it wasn’t fair for them to act content and in love right in front of him? It was almost as if he was…

Ichigo froze. No, that was absurd. She may have dramatically changed his life for the better, but he never saw Rukia as anything other than his most trusted ally and mentor figure. And Renji? Not his type. At all. But even though he was racking his brain for another word to describe this emotion seeping into him like a stain, only one kept coming up.

Jealousy.

“Ridiculous. I’m not jealous.” He rolled back to his initial position and sighed at the ceiling in exasperation. Just as before, the lamp up there refused to comment. That irrational little voice down in his head, however, was only more than happy to offer its input.

Is it so ridiculous?

“Of course it is.”

Are you sure? Maybe you ARE being a little resentful.

“Why the hell would I be resentful?”

Because they’re reminding you of something you want.

“I don’t want anything.”

Oh, but you do. And you want it desperately.

“No. I don’t.”

Denying it won’t change how you feel about her.

Her…just like that, the dark in his room wasn’t so dark anymore: A smile bright with laughter…golden brown eyes, shining like the sun…a glimmer of blue riding flowing waves of auburn…

Giving a scoff, Ichigo flung his forearms over his eyes to block out the images. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

You can lie all you like, Ichigo, but we both know the truth.

Harder and harder he pressed, until brightly colored spots danced across his vision. “I am NOT in love with her,” he insisted, so quiet and weak there was no possible way anyone who heard would have accepted this as the truth. Even his own ears found it hard to believe the words coming out of his mouth.

He eased the pressure and watched as every last spot slowly faded away, waiting for a snarky reply. But there was nothing more from the voice, only the weight of heavy silence and pitch black crushing down on him. And instead of abstract splotches, it was forming a new set of images before his eyes.

This time, he was down on the pavement under the streetlamp, watching Renji take a drag of his cigarette while Rukia hopped up onto the wall next to him. He saw Renji smile and stretch out his hand to Rukia in an unusually gentleman-like fashion. He watched Rukia take it, blushing, and allow Renji to guide her as she sashayed along the narrow wall. And then it wasn’t Renji anymore. He was Renji. Or rather, Renji (along with his cigarette) had vanished and Ichigo was somehow tagged in to replace him.

But he’d barely taken one step before Rukia’s small fingers lengthened within his grasp, her appearance faded and dissolved away until he was looking into an entirely new face. Different, yet it was just as familiar and warm as the hand now clinging tightly to his.  

“Promise you’ll catch me if I slip?” Those curious amber eyes peered down at him.

Ichigo smiled softly and gave the girl’s hand a quick squeeze. “I won’t let you fall,” he vowed.

Merely four steps later, her ankle buckled and she keeled dangerously toward him with a startled squeak. But as promised, his honed reflexes and steady arms were her saving grace.

Safely secured in his embrace, she laughed sheepishly. “Heh heh…sorry…I wasn’t paying attention…” In the light her smile looked so beautiful like that, framed by long locks of hair stirring in the wind.

“Hey…it’s fine.” Gently, he slid her down his front until her feet skimmed the ground. She landed with a soft thump. “I’m here for you.”

The way she lowered her lashes and blushed made his stomach flutter pleasantly. “I know,” she whispered. His heart thrummed under the button she was toying with on his sweater. “Um…can I kiss you, Ichigo?”

If he were a teakettle, he would’ve been whistling a happy tune by now. Laughing, he brushed her bangs aside and leaned forward to meet her. “You don’t need to ask, you know…”

The kiss tasted just like her…so sweet, so pure. Like honey, or spring right after a light rainfall. Yes, it sounded stupid when he thought it but that was really the only way he could describe it. A dizzying happiness bubbled up inside with every sigh she made, and he pulled her into him until he could feel every soft curve mold flush to his body. Round, plush curves that gave easily in his hands and he relished in the little gasps she made with each firm squeeze. But soon, it wasn’t enough…he needed more.

When her back bumped into the glass doors, she giggled excitedly. And when he dropped to his knees and fumbled clumsily under her dress, she eagerly helped him by gathering up the hem and lifting it out of the way so he could slide her tights and panties down her legs. After that, he lost himself completely in everything she had to offer: Her intoxicating flavor on his tongue, her flushed smooth skin under his fingers, the way she exhaled when she whimpered his name, high and breathless.

“Ichigo…ahhhh…Ichigo…”

He’d never done this to a girl before but Ichigo figured he was probably doing something right judging from the secondhand tremors passing through him and the set of fingernails digging painfully into his scalp. By his hand (well, technically his mouth) she was rapidly coming undone and it didn’t take long before the end was in sight.

“I-Ichigo…ohhh, I-I think I’m…”

Ichigo pulled out for one last gulp of air and murmured only a single word as he dove back in for the finale push:

“…Orihime…”

Suddenly, a surge of adrenaline rushed through him. Ichigo opened his eyes and straightened up with a start…not from hunched over on his knees in front of the clinic, but from lying flat on his bed, in his bedroom. Outside, a chorus of sparse chirps heralded the first yawning sunbeams as they stretched through the thin curtain and half-heartedly cast his room in a faint light.

Morning. So it was all a dream.

Now he just needed to wait for his body to catch up to his brain but that wasn’t proving an easy task. Taking in deep measured breaths did absolutely nothing to calm his racing heart. The t-shirt he’d fallen asleep in was damp with sweat and when he looked down at himself he saw he wasn’t the only one waking up nice and early. Fantastic. What a wonderful start to the day this was turning out to be. And all thanks to his subconscious’ stupid imagined scenario about making moves on Orihime.

The second surge hit and his stomach heaved violently. With the last remaining dregs of erotic ecstasy completely burned off, exhilaration quickly gave way to horror. Dismayed, Ichigo curled in on himself.

Damn this…I’m nothing but a selfish brute.

He felt numb and sick with guilt. How could he think about Orih-about Inoue in such a disgusting manner? Inoue…his friend. Who’d always been there for him when he needed her, who trusted him with her life. Only the foulest of perverts would have such lecherous thoughts about someone who’d been nothing less than a faithful companion to him. What would she think of him if she knew he’d gotten completely hot and bothered from a fantasy about kissing her and…and holy shit, he fantasized about putting his mouth on Inoue. It was nothing short of reprehensible.

Worst of all? While Ichigo knew it was wrong, he still wanted so very badly for it to be real. He wanted to be with someone who was kind, brave, compassionate, and beautiful. He wanted to walk hand in hand with her, laugh with her, protect her, fight by her side, and god yes, even kiss her and touch her in ways that made her feel incredible. Because that someone was the most wonderful person he’d ever met and he wanted her to know it every waking minute for the rest of her life.

That someone was Inoue Orihime.

Ichigo hung his head in shame. No, there was no denying it anymore…he was utterly and hopelessly in love with her. What he witnessed last night outside his window, the happiness between two newlyweds who were so in love and so ready to spend the rest of their lives together? That was exactly what he desired with Inoue. And it pained him to the depths of his soul that this would never happen. He knew he couldn’t be with her; Inoue didn’t see him in that way and she certainly didn’t deserve to have any unsolicited confessions or advances sprung on her out of nowhere.

So then he did the only thing he could think to do in this position: Lay a hand over his forehead and give a weak laugh. And another. And laugh pathetically some more. Because fuck everything.

When he couldn’t milk ironic amusement from his pitiful situation any longer, Ichigo collapsed back onto his bed with a heavy groan and an abrupt realization that from the depths of his emotional turmoil had sprung a newfound respect for a certain idiot redhead.

Because how the hell someone could feel like this about a woman for 50 years without losing it, he had absolutely no idea.

Author’s Notes: It took me a little longer to get a good enough grasp on IchiHime to feel comfortable writing it like this. But I got so many requests after FBlWY that I couldn’t shake it off and while writing a series of short stories several ended up focusing on them. I was considering illustrating this but since it turned out more as a study on Ichigo’s thoughts than anything else nothing felt quite right.

The conversation Ichigo has with himself is supposed to be like the conversations he had between himself and his Hollow powers...except here they aren’t trying to mind-murder him. They’re just being that annoying friend who won’t leave you alone until you admit you like someone. lol

If you know me well enough by now then you probably don’t need to ask because you know the answer to this already. But for the newbies here: Yes the title is playing on a line from the film “The Princess Bride” and that a marriage is EXACTLY what it took to get the ball rolling and finally bring Ichigo and Orihime together romantically.

[torentialtribute]

My bad boy days are over, vows Billy Joe Saunders ahead of Shefat Isufi showdown

A heavier body. A fresh start. Certainly world champion with two divisions.

The traveler who has tested positive for a banned substance in the last 17 months, giving him a middleweight world title outside the ropes, getting a £ 100,000 fine for idiotic video selfies and described as & # 39; disgusting & # 39; by almost everyone from the British Boxing Board of Control to the Twitter country returns to the ring on Saturday night

<img id = "i-54628a76756b09f5" src = "https://dailym.ai/2YH7ScH" height = "346" width = " 634 "alt =" Billy Joe Saunders has made himself into a two-man champion. You've put yourself in shape as he recommends becoming a two-man champion "

Billy Joe Saunders got himself into shape while he recommends to become two-weight champion

He is so in a field not far from his birthplace Hatfield, saying that he has seen the error of his ways.

As he prepares to fight against the unheard-of Germany-based Serbian Shefat Isufi for the empty world super middleweight title of the WBO on the field at Stevenage FC, Saunders says: & # 39; done some crazy things, but they are behind me.

In addition to his own wild escapades, Saunders also took the heat of collateral criticism when his eldest son, Billy Joe Jr., kicked a past opponent at a media event that preceded the fight

Saunders takes on Shefat Isufi for the empty WBO super-middleweight world title on Saturday for the vacant WBO super-middleweight world title on Saturday

Saunders takes on Shefat Isufi for the vacant WBO super middleweight world title on Saturday

Now he says: & I've thought about how my children would feel that someone else would do something that I have done. Things happen, but you have to learn from it and move on with your life. Like men. & # 39;

Not least, he notes, when an opportunity as good as this comeback fight comes along. Isufi was intended as a stepping stone to redemption, the last eliminator. The decision of the formidable reigning champion Gilberto Ramirez to establish his super-middleweight crown and go up to light-heavy opened the gate to the full title.

Saunders is considering boarding a horse and cart,

With some bookmakers, Saunders is the 1-100, which could be a temptation for Saunders to mock his opponent but He treated Isufi with respect and showed a much larger decor during the build up.

[voorheen wereldkampioen sloeg zijn tegenstander tijdens de weging van vrijdag] (19459007)

The former middleweight world champion beat his opponent during Friday's weighting

But the former Middleweight champion switches to combat mode and lets the bad side of him crawl out while slapping his opponent in the cheeks during the weighting on Friday.

Isufi, who is the same age at 29, has a respectable record of 20 knockouts in 27 wins against three defeats and two draws.

Saunders says: & # 39; This is a very good chance, but I know I have to take it with both hands. Victory can escalate me in the biggest middle-sized or super-middle-weight battles. & # 39;

Pencils on his wishlist are Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs. Also – & # 39; because Chris Eubank Jr., for all his talk, shows no interest in trying to avenge my victory over him & # 39; – another Brit.

He admitted that he had done some crazy things outside the ring, but his bad young days have ended

He admitted that he did some crazy things outside the ring, but promises his bad boy days are over

Namely Callum Smith, who sent George Groves to retirement when he freed him from the WBA world super-middleweight title. Promoter Frank Warren supports Saunders' belief that & # 39; I can beat them all & # 39 ;.

That he is world-class was undoubtedly elevated by his bedazzling by David Lemieux in Quebec in December 2017, in which he brutally waved the more desperately wide punches of Canadian idol to the home crowd.

In this weekend of various tasty

Saunders gives up placing his next annus horribilis to work with Tyson Fury and Gypsy King trainer Ben Davison in the demanding professional environment of Ricky Hatton & # 39; s gym in Manchester. fights, Saunders has left it to Fury & # 39; s world heavyweight title rival Deontay Wilder to play the bad guy.

Saunders believes the victory will put him in line for huge fights on both middleweight and 168 pounds "

Saunders believes that the victory will put him in line for huge fights on both middleweight and 168lbs

It is Wilder who is now in trouble with the boxing authorities because he has doubled his desire to & # 39; adding a body to my resume & # 39; prior to his clash with Dominic Breazeale. Wilder & s next engagement will appear before the WBC hearing to be reminded of his responsibilities for the sport the man from Tuscaloosa enriched en masse, whether he, Fury and Anthony Joshua ever fight to find the undisputed heavyweight champion

Meanwhile, the most dynamic of all rising stars in Britain, Josh Taylor, is the can s to win his first world title by beating Belarusian IBF superlight champion Ivan Baranchyk.

That World Super Series Semi-Final Boxing takes place in Glasgow, where the world's most exciting boxer, triple world champion Nayoa Inoue, first appears in a British ring in the super bantamweight semi.

The Japanese & # 39; Monster & # 39; with the phenomenal early knockout power is expected to contribute to the IBF and WBA world titles in that division to mow its light flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight collection of belts through the harbor (19459002)

Taylor against Baranchyk, Inoue against Ramirez and Wilder against Breazeale will be live on Sky Sports.

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[kim26chiu]

Silence and Suffering

Scene from Martin Scorcese’s “Silence”

Every last one of us is going to exit this world in a pine box. On the way out the door, we’re very likely to suffer debilitation and pain, often extreme and of long duration. Every single person we love and care about in this world will likewise die.

The existence of death and suffering in a religious context has been called the “Problem of Evil.”  From what I understand Buddhism teaches that suffering is ultimately an illusion. In Hinduism suffering is deserved because it is the paying off of a karmic debt from bad deeds in a previous life. In Christianity, the dilemma is that if God is all powerful and all good, why hasn’t he put an end to suffering?

But as Charles Taylor points out in A Secular Age, unbelieving modernity also faces the same problem:

When we break down the hunger for meaning into more concrete needs, one is for an answer to the problem of suffering and evil. I don’t mean a theodicy; by definition, unbelievers have no place for this. I mean how to live with it. We can be overwhelmed when we are made aware of all the suffering there is in the world; and more than this, the loss, dispersal, evil, blindness; or the distorted and thwarted and self-mutilating humanity; or the dullness, emptiness, flatness.

This is, as it were, a condition which arises even in the disenchanted world: we are unprotected; not now from demons and spirits, but from suffering and evil as we sense it raging in the world. There are unguarded moments when we can feel the immense weight of suffering, when we are dragged down by it, or pulled down into despair. Being in contact with war, or famine, or massacre, or pestilence, will press this in on us.

But beyond suffering there is evil; for instance, the infliction of suffering, the cruelty, fanaticism, joy, or laughter at the suffering of the victims. And then what is almost worse, the sinking into brutality, the insensible brute violence of the criminal. It’s almost like a nightmare.

Modernity has two strands of responses to this. The first is the response to evil and suffering generally, and usually takes the form of the quest to eliminate it. This can produce much good effect when those efforts recognize the inevitability of the human condition. Too often, however, it crosses over into a utopian seeking of the complete elimination of evil and suffering, and by doing so becomes that very evil itself. The 20th century record of movements like Communism attest to this, though this belief that we are on the side of righteousness and thus are justified in anything in our pursuit of what we believe of be justice is something to which we are all susceptible.

The second strand is the response to personal suffering. One approach is what I’ll label “mindset.” The idea is that we engage in a thought control process to attempt to reframe suffering into a positive context. We might, for example, think of all the people who have it worse than us so as to make our own suffering seem less. Or we try to recontextualize suffering as a growth experience – “no pain, no gain” or “that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Pretty much every self-help or self-improvement book I’ve read involves some type of mindset advice. Another attempt to deal with suffering is medication, which can take various forms.  This often ends badly when not subject to rigorous external constraint.

We are in fact often able to use these techniques to successfully overcome personal suffering. The problem we face is that we can, and often do encounter suffering and events that overwhelm our coping mechanisms.

Consider the Biblical example of Job. We’re told Job was the most righteous man on planet Earth. When his children are killed and all of his property is destroyed, he engaged in a classic mindset type reframe, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). Pretty impressive of Job. Then he get hit a second time, this time with painful boils that covered his body from head to toe. This is too much for Job. It overwhelms his ability to reframe the problem away and he goes on a rampage lasting an entire chapter, saying things like, “Let the day perish on which I was to be born��Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Why did the knees receive me and the breast give me suck?…Why is light given to him who suffers, and life to the bitter of soul who long for death but there is none?” (Job 3)

Everyone of us has a breaking point at which our resources for coping with suffering will fail. If it has not happened to you yet, rest assured, it very much could. Some people do survive extreme suffering like the Holocaust, post-nuclear Nagasaki, 9/11, or the horrors of war, but very often they are permanently damaged or scarred by the experience, not made stronger. Don’t believe you’re guaranteed to be different.

Being confronted with the limits of your own ability to cope with suffering is one of the themes of Shusako Endo’s novel Silence, which was just released in a film adaptation of the same name by Martin Scorcese.

Silence tells the story of two Portuguese Jesuit priests who travel to Japan during a time of persecution in search of their former mentor, who rumor has it apostatized from this faith (i.e, repudiated Christianity). They are fully trained in the Christian theology of persecution, martyrdom, etc., but find they are unprepared for the reality of what they experience.

Makoto Fujimura, an American-born, ethnically Japanese artist, wrote an excellent commentary on the book called Silence and Beauty that provides a lot of insight into not just the book and film, but also Japanese culture.  (He also put up a Silence and Beauty web site with more info on his commentary on Endo). Fujimura writes:

What Endo gets at, and repeatedly obsesses over in all of his writings, is the fate of those who are pushed beyond the normative categories of experience. Martin Scorsese’s script, very faithful to the book, reveals the deeper, artful way of pushing us out of normative categories of experience as well. Endo seems to argue that none of us are exempt from the possibility of complete failure if we face extraordinary torture and dehumanization. Scorsese translates this trauma to a hidden, and therefore more powerful, view of fear. Neither of them discounts the possibility that even in such circumstances one may rise above all the darkness and achieve heroic heights—or true martyrdom. But Endo’s focus is on the weak, those who cannot rise above their fears and whose circumstances expose their inner demise. Given the worst scenario, the most nightmare-filled turn of events, what virtue and faith remain?

Endo’s Silence thus explores the essence of the human condition, our weakness and incapacity in the face of the inevitability of the evil and suffering in this world. By exploring this through the lens of the extreme, it allows us to understand the more mundane as well. Not everyone fails only under torture, but often under much more ordinary events: sickness, job loss, divorce, loneliness. It may well be that we have the ability to develop additional capacity to overcome these kinds of experiences, but all of us at any moment are at risk of being hit by the right event that will overwhelm us.

Silence takes place around 1640. It’s a fictional story, but takes place in a genuine historical setting and is based on real historical figures. Japan had been globalizing and had opened its ports, particularly Nagasaki, to European traders. Christian missionaries came to the country and converted a large number of people, as many as 300,000.

After the Shimabara Rebellion in in 1637, Japan decided that Christianity and Europeans were a threat to their culture and society. Christianity was banned and Japanese converts forced to recant under threat of torture. As Fujimura puts it:

What ensued after Ieyasu’s edict to ban Christianity is one of the darkest periods in the history of the Japanese Christian church. The depth of cruelty, the “refined” design of torture techniques and the prolonged suffering of the faithful rival any time in history, including the early church. The depth of evil—what can only be described as a genius for innovative torture techniques that equaled or even surpassed any modern torture methods—led many Japanese Christians, even the greatest of priests, to recant their faith.

Beyond banning Christianity, European contact was greatly restricted for an extended period of time and the Japanese became a closed off society until the famous arrival of Commodore Perry’s black ships in 1853.

The novel is set after the persecutions have already largely succeeded. The foreign priests in Japan are either dead, or in the case of Father Ferreira, potentially recanted their faith. The ordinary Japanese Christians have been driven underground.

Jesuits priests Sebastian Rodrigues and Francisco Garrpe can’t believe that Ferreira, their mentor in the faith, could ever apostatize. They beg for permission go to Japan, finally finding a way in on a Chinese ship with a strange Japanese guide named Kichijiro, who may or may not be a Christian himself but who is an obviously wounded and haunted person.

Kichijiro takes them to a dirt poor village with underground Christians ecstatic to see the priests. They minister to the community and search after news of Ferreira, while being appalled by the conditions in which the Japanese villagers live.

I won’t go into many more details on the plot – no major spoilers. You can find the plot summary online for yourself, but ultimately the priests find themselves betrayed and Rodrigues comes into the power of Inoue, the magistrate known for his horrific tortures of Christians. Fearful yet confident in his ability to resist torture, Rodrigues comes face to face with a situation unlike anything he was remotely prepared to deal with.

Both Endo’s book and Scorcese’s film are excellent. If I have one criticism of Scorcese’s film, it’s that he plays up the arrogance of Rodrigues to a greater extent than the book. This turns the story into something of a morality play on pride rather than the human condition. That’s unfortunate, especially since Scorcese sees the supreme relevance of Silence in helping us confront the human condition in our own daily lives. As he recently told Film Comment:

You are put to the test: how much can you take before you crack? How could you judge another person for falling out of grace if, when you haven’t been put to the test? And even if you’ve been put to the test and make it, in a true Christian sense, the Kichijiros have to be accepted to – they have to be “forgiven” by the priests and the people around him. If you’ve ever had a family member or loved one who’s got an addiction of some kind…They clean up and they go back on. What do you do with them? They come back, they’ve cleaned up for a while. Next thing you know they rob the house. They’re back on the stuff. Bail ’em out, you get ’em out again, they bring friends over to rob the house. Then what do you do?

It reminds me of when I was about eight years old during the Cold War. The most frightening thing was the image of the POWs who had been brainwashed. Like, their souls were taken away. They came back and they were shunned by society. And was that the right thing to do to them? Where was the compassion? What about their suffering? This, for me, is something that is troubling, and I guess that’s why the material has always been so important to me.

Both Endo’s and Scorcese’s versions of Silence are fantastic meditations on the cold reality of the human condition that makes a mockery of our modern assumptions that we can live largely free of suffering and evil in this world. Highly recommended.

from Aaron M. Renn http://www.urbanophile.com/2017/01/21/silence-and-suffering/

[barb31clem]

Silence and Suffering

Scene from Martin Scorcese’s “Silence”

Every last one of us is going to exit this world in a pine box. On the way out the door, we’re very likely to suffer debilitation and pain, often extreme and of long duration. Every single person we love and care about in this world will likewise die.

The existence of death and suffering in a religious context has been called the “Problem of Evil.”  From what I understand Buddhism teaches that suffering is ultimately an illusion. In Hinduism suffering is deserved because it is the paying off of a karmic debt from bad deeds in a previous life. In Christianity, the dilemma is that if God is all powerful and all good, why hasn’t he put an end to suffering?

But as Charles Taylor points out in A Secular Age, unbelieving modernity also faces the same problem:

When we break down the hunger for meaning into more concrete needs, one is for an answer to the problem of suffering and evil. I don’t mean a theodicy; by definition, unbelievers have no place for this. I mean how to live with it. We can be overwhelmed when we are made aware of all the suffering there is in the world; and more than this, the loss, dispersal, evil, blindness; or the distorted and thwarted and self-mutilating humanity; or the dullness, emptiness, flatness.

This is, as it were, a condition which arises even in the disenchanted world: we are unprotected; not now from demons and spirits, but from suffering and evil as we sense it raging in the world. There are unguarded moments when we can feel the immense weight of suffering, when we are dragged down by it, or pulled down into despair. Being in contact with war, or famine, or massacre, or pestilence, will press this in on us.

But beyond suffering there is evil; for instance, the infliction of suffering, the cruelty, fanaticism, joy, or laughter at the suffering of the victims. And then what is almost worse, the sinking into brutality, the insensible brute violence of the criminal. It’s almost like a nightmare.

Modernity has two strands of responses to this. The first is the response to evil and suffering generally, and usually takes the form of the quest to eliminate it. This can produce much good effect when those efforts recognize the inevitability of the human condition. Too often, however, it crosses over into a utopian seeking of the complete elimination of evil and suffering, and by doing so becomes that very evil itself. The 20th century record of movements like Communism attest to this, though this belief that we are on the side of righteousness and thus are justified in anything in our pursuit of what we believe of be justice is something to which we are all susceptible.

The second strand is the response to personal suffering. One approach is what I’ll label “mindset.” The idea is that we engage in a thought control process to attempt to reframe suffering into a positive context. We might, for example, think of all the people who have it worse than us so as to make our own suffering seem less. Or we try to recontextualize suffering as a growth experience – “no pain, no gain” or “that which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Pretty much every self-help or self-improvement book I’ve read involves some type of mindset advice. Another attempt to deal with suffering is medication, which can take various forms.  This often ends badly when not subject to rigorous external constraint.

We are in fact often able to use these techniques to successfully overcome personal suffering. The problem we face is that we can, and often do encounter suffering and events that overwhelm our coping mechanisms.

Consider the Biblical example of Job. We’re told Job was the most righteous man on planet Earth. When his children are killed and all of his property is destroyed, he engaged in a classic mindset type reframe, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). Pretty impressive of Job. Then he get hit a second time, this time with painful boils that covered his body from head to toe. This is too much for Job. It overwhelms his ability to reframe the problem away and he goes on a rampage lasting an entire chapter, saying things like, “Let the day perish on which I was to be born…Why did I not die at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Why did the knees receive me and the breast give me suck?…Why is light given to him who suffers, and life to the bitter of soul who long for death but there is none?” (Job 3)

Everyone of us has a breaking point at which our resources for coping with suffering will fail. If it has not happened to you yet, rest assured, it very much could. Some people do survive extreme suffering like the Holocaust, post-nuclear Nagasaki, 9/11, or the horrors of war, but very often they are permanently damaged or scarred by the experience, not made stronger. Don’t believe you’re guaranteed to be different.

Being confronted with the limits of your own ability to cope with suffering is one of the themes of Shusako Endo’s novel Silence, which was just released in a film adaptation of the same name by Martin Scorcese.

Silence tells the story of two Portuguese Jesuit priests who travel to Japan during a time of persecution in search of their former mentor, who rumor has it apostatized from this faith (i.e, repudiated Christianity). They are fully trained in the Christian theology of persecution, martyrdom, etc., but find they are unprepared for the reality of what they experience.

Makoto Fujimura, an American-born, ethnically Japanese artist, wrote an excellent commentary on the book called Silence and Beauty that provides a lot of insight into not just the book and film, but also Japanese culture.  (He also put up a Silence and Beauty web site with more info on his commentary on Endo). Fujimura writes:

What Endo gets at, and repeatedly obsesses over in all of his writings, is the fate of those who are pushed beyond the normative categories of experience. Martin Scorsese’s script, very faithful to the book, reveals the deeper, artful way of pushing us out of normative categories of experience as well. Endo seems to argue that none of us are exempt from the possibility of complete failure if we face extraordinary torture and dehumanization. Scorsese translates this trauma to a hidden, and therefore more powerful, view of fear. Neither of them discounts the possibility that even in such circumstances one may rise above all the darkness and achieve heroic heights—or true martyrdom. But Endo’s focus is on the weak, those who cannot rise above their fears and whose circumstances expose their inner demise. Given the worst scenario, the most nightmare-filled turn of events, what virtue and faith remain?

Endo’s Silence thus explores the essence of the human condition, our weakness and incapacity in the face of the inevitability of the evil and suffering in this world. By exploring this through the lens of the extreme, it allows us to understand the more mundane as well. Not everyone fails only under torture, but often under much more ordinary events: sickness, job loss, divorce, loneliness. It may well be that we have the ability to develop additional capacity to overcome these kinds of experiences, but all of us at any moment are at risk of being hit by the right event that will overwhelm us.

Silence takes place around 1640. It’s a fictional story, but takes place in a genuine historical setting and is based on real historical figures. Japan had been globalizing and had opened its ports, particularly Nagasaki, to European traders. Christian missionaries came to the country and converted a large number of people, as many as 300,000.

After the Shimabara Rebellion in in 1637, Japan decided that Christianity and Europeans were a threat to their culture and society. Christianity was banned and Japanese converts forced to recant under threat of torture. As Fujimura puts it:

What ensued after Ieyasu’s edict to ban Christianity is one of the darkest periods in the history of the Japanese Christian church. The depth of cruelty, the “refined” design of torture techniques and the prolonged suffering of the faithful rival any time in history, including the early church. The depth of evil—what can only be described as a genius for innovative torture techniques that equaled or even surpassed any modern torture methods—led many Japanese Christians, even the greatest of priests, to recant their faith.

Beyond banning Christianity, European contact was greatly restricted for an extended period of time and the Japanese became a closed off society until the famous arrival of Commodore Perry’s black ships in 1853.

The novel is set after the persecutions have already largely succeeded. The foreign priests in Japan are either dead, or in the case of Father Ferreira, potentially recanted their faith. The ordinary Japanese Christians have been driven underground.

Jesuits priests Sebastian Rodrigues and Francisco Garrpe can’t believe that Ferreira, their mentor in the faith, could ever apostatize. They beg for permission go to Japan, finally finding a way in on a Chinese ship with a strange Japanese guide named Kichijiro, who may or may not be a Christian himself but who is an obviously wounded and haunted person.

Kichijiro takes them to a dirt poor village with underground Christians ecstatic to see the priests. They minister to the community and search after news of Ferreira, while being appalled by the conditions in which the Japanese villagers live.

I won’t go into many more details on the plot – no major spoilers. You can find the plot summary online for yourself, but ultimately the priests find themselves betrayed and Rodrigues comes into the power of Inoue, the magistrate known for his horrific tortures of Christians. Fearful yet confident in his ability to resist torture, Rodrigues comes face to face with a situation unlike anything he was remotely prepared to deal with.

Both Endo’s book and Scorcese’s film are excellent. If I have one criticism of Scorcese’s film, it’s that he plays up the arrogance of Rodrigues to a greater extent than the book. This turns the story into something of a morality play on pride rather than the human condition. That’s unfortunate, especially since Scorcese sees the supreme relevance of Silence in helping us confront the human condition in our own daily lives. As he recently told Film Comment:

You are put to the test: how much can you take before you crack? How could you judge another person for falling out of grace if, when you haven’t been put to the test? And even if you’ve been put to the test and make it, in a true Christian sense, the Kichijiros have to be accepted to – they have to be “forgiven” by the priests and the people around him. If you’ve ever had a family member or loved one who’s got an addiction of some kind…They clean up and they go back on. What do you do with them? They come back, they’ve cleaned up for a while. Next thing you know they rob the house. They’re back on the stuff. Bail ’em out, you get ’em out again, they bring friends over to rob the house. Then what do you do?

It reminds me of when I was about eight years old during the Cold War. The most frightening thing was the image of the POWs who had been brainwashed. Like, their souls were taken away. They came back and they were shunned by society. And was that the right thing to do to them? Where was the compassion? What about their suffering? This, for me, is something that is troubling, and I guess that’s why the material has always been so important to me.

Both Endo’s and Scorcese’s versions of Silence are fantastic meditations on the cold reality of the human condition that makes a mockery of our modern assumptions that we can live largely free of suffering and evil in this world. Highly recommended.

from Aaron M. Renn http://www.urbanophile.com/2017/01/21/silence-and-suffering/