#why does Yashiro look 22

[lustfulcat]

Chapter 56 spoilers are here!

HairDownYashiro is more vulnerable, which tracks bc he can't fight Darkmeki any longer, although he certainly tries - look at that glare!

There's a quick clean of the cover and a phone wallpaper for all y'all. Enjoy!

[thelunarfairy]

As I rambled on about my favorite characters I realized something. I've been curious for a while about Natsuhiko and Tsukasa and the kind of relationship they have, since they're on the same "team" so to speak. I believe that Natsuhiko is helping mainly because of Sakura, but if there is any other reason we don't know yet, but we do know that Tsukasa tends to use his help a lot (as I think, Tsukasa is the mind, Sakura is the voice and Natsuhiko the group's hands).

Today I realized that (apparently) neither of them even mention each other's names in the entire manga, so far so good, right? The twins don't usually mention many people's names, and from my memory Tsukasa only mentioned the names of people who know him (Nene-chan, Amane, Kou-kun, Mitsuba and I don't remember if he ever mentioned Shijima's name ), and Natsuhiko hasn't been seen talking to that many people either, but he seems to have a lot of knowledge about others.

But my point comes in now, we know that Tsukasa doesn't usually follow commands or orders from anyone, and not even from Sakura who is his assistant, however, whenever Natsuhiko stops Tsukasa from doing something he seems to obey. These are simpler things that are not Tsukasa's goals, but from the way he was described it seemed like he wouldn't listen to anyone regardless of whether it was an important situation or not. Natsuhiko seems to act like an older brother (to both Tsukasa and Mitsuba), lecturing him, stopping dangerous games, teaching him how to treat a girl, stopping him when he does something wrong, and Tsukasa seems to accept that.

(prints in portuguese because they are easier to find)

It really feels like a younger brother obeying an older brother sometimes. And I find all of this funny because they never say each other's names, since Natsuhiko always refers to Tsukasa as "shrimp", and even though they work together, Tsukasa never spoke his name either (from what I looked for).

Natsuhiko is a character who is starting to gain more importance and is having his abilities revealed, so much so that Tsukasa tends to use Natsuhiko's immortality to his advantage (as already seen in chapter 22), we still don't know the outcome for him in history, or its origin, but he certainly has a very important role

Maybe I thought too much tonight (it happens lol), but I was very intrigued by the fact that even though they've known each other for a long time now, have had a good amount of interactions and the way they happen, they've never said what each other's name.

(If they have already said each other's names please let me know, because I couldn't find any of their lines)

(Ps.: I love your analyzes and I really like the way you build them! This has helped me come back to formulate more theories too :))

I once saw Natsuhiko say that he takes care of the children, I don't remember the chapter, but it seems that this is one of his functions. Tsukasa can be rude to him sometimes, but nothing too serious, he doesn't treat Sakura and Natsuhiko the same way he treats Mitsuba.

Maybe that's why that theory came up that Sakura and Natsuhijo are the twins' parents, a problematic theory to say the least. There is a kind of respect between them, working towards something together.

We don't know what Natsuhiko's role is in the narrative, but given the great power and ability he has, I imagine it's something pretty big. I've seen theories talking about the possibility that Natsuhiko could be God himself, another theory that has big holes.

I didn't stop to think about them much because we have few clues, it's not possible to formulate anything very complete about it for now. Regarding names, he says Sakura's name, but doesn't say Natsuhiko's, in the same way that Hanako says Yashiro's name, but doesn't say Kou's.

Interesting, isn't it?

Awwww how sweet, I'm happy to know that you like my theories S2, it's always good to reread the manga trying to unravel the mysteries

[annaritastella]

Saezuru chapter 43: the sink.

While reading Saezuru for the nth, I might have realized something 🤔

We all know that:

in Ch 42, when Doumeki affirms to Kamiya "i wasn't a member to begin with" he reminded about the moment took placed in Ch 22 when Yashiro, while was on top of D's lap (❤️) was telling him exactly the same thing.

-----------------

In chapter 43, once Doumeki turns his eyes on the left he sees the sink and then he decides to don't leave anymore even if Yashiro finished to use the bathroom.

Reading the analysis of Ch 43 (and still thanks to @kiriharaakira for the translation🙏) they says "our Sensei never put something on hers drawers if it has not a meaning, nothing is casual" indeed they were trying to understand why Sensei wanted us to focus on the sink that Doumeki looked. And this is what I think:

While Yashiro was tell him how he "actually" changed and that Doumeki s dream "to become Yakuza" finally came true (we all know though the reason why...) we see Doumeki looking at the sink:

In chapter 22, when Yashiro affirmed "you don't have to became one of us (so a Yakuza) ..." Sensei did the same thing: she put many dialogue bubbles to let us focus on the sink. The question is: why the sink?

(This is my opinion! I don't say this for sure as only our Sensei knows the true that there is behind it)

Anyways, in my opinion, Doumeki, looking at the sink reminded not only when Yashiro was tell him the opposite thing, but when in Ch 6. Doumeki thinks "I don't want him to find out the I can get hard I don't want him throw me away just like a toy that is no longer needed"

And this is exactly what happened:

Yashiro found out, they had sex, Yashiro ran away, and after Hirata s episode, Yashiro ended up saying "I don't remember" (so he thrown Doumeki away)

Still in Ch 6, Doumeki thinks "I want to be by his side/ I'll do anything for that, I'll accept anything/ so I want him to keep me close to him forever "

Then, in Ch. 13, after Doumeki gives blowjob for the first time to Yashiro, he goes to the toilet washing his mount and not only, he felt kinda sad for doing that because he got high too and he doesn't want his Kashira to find out.

Coming back to Ch 6---"I'll do anything for that, I'll accept anything"

And he actually did anything to remain in Yakuza s world and we all can confirm what he went through.

---"so, I want him to keep me close to him forever"

Unfortunately this has not been possible due to Yashiro's decision but, the bright side is that, even if they have been far away for four years, Doumeki was in Yashiro's dream, in his thought, in his every day life so Doumeki actually stayed close to Yashiro in someways.

And the same was for Doumeki: he spent months trying to join Yakuza in order to remain on Yashiro s side, and once he did, he wanted to get information about his affairs (when Doumeki met chestnut guy)

And nowadays, what Doumeki does?

Catches Yashiro while he was falling down asking him twice if he was all right, stayed behind bathroom door "just in case", and still, he opened the door for Yashiro because he notice there is something wrong in him (he thinks is his right arm).

So Doumeki DID anything to stay by his side "I want to stay by your side, I'll do anything for it" even if he has to wear his gloves (that means to not expose his heart from anyone, by Sensei interview), doesn't mean that his feelings are faded away, actually he twisted his life to stay with him.

So, the answer for "why the sink?" might be because the sink has been the place where Doumeki could express his true feelings without showing it to other people around.

It's where he could take a break for a moment from hiding what he endured for trying to suppress his feelings for Yashiro and well, calm down his thing xD

It's like us girls , after crying we hide ourselves in the bathroom from others eyes, we wash our face, get a deep breath and leave acting to the people around us that nothing happended and everything is fine...not? I do that XD

Doumeki did the same thing.. He had been through a lot (as had Yashiro) and for the first time he took a "decision": trying to push Yashiro to confess what he really feels for Doumeki even though it might seems quite sassy but, the sink was the reason why he motivated himself to take a deep breath, have a composing expression and faced Yashiro as he never did before and ready to accept whatever Yashiro s answers is.

_________________________

I admit that all of this might be a very huge fantasy from my mind but I like to think that maybe It can be the reason to let us focus on the sink...but... Who knows? 🤷

Well , I repeat this is MY opinion, I spent hours writing all of this and tomorrow I'll have to get up early to go to work so what else?

Have a good night! ❤️

Feel free to express your ideas

---Anna Rita

~~~~~I want to update one last thing and then I can finally put an end to my thoughts about this before I lose my mind 🤣

-----------------------

In Ch 41. The first scene we see is the water coming out from the sink that Yashiro opened for putting the head of that guy and let him "confess"

Then we can see that in one scene (without the sink xD) there are Doumeki, Nanahara, Kamiya and the guy and the in next image there is Yashiro almost staring at the sink , contemplating (if he want to kiss Doumeki or not 🤔, it's a joke of course) , like he is in a different world from the others.

The sink will be the motive for Doumeki to "start a conversation" with Yashiro.

Yashiro states "don't just watch there Nanahara, help me out here"

So, reading what Yashiro just affirmed he Actually needs an help for doing the "dirty job" but the one who went to aid him was Doumeki but of course Yashiro replied "'preciate the effort but I got this" : Yashiro is acting again but he is able to do it only if he doesn't look at Doumeki straight on the eyes because he knows that Doumeki would never believe him also because, I repeat myself, he did asked for help!

I "translate" Yashiro s answer as "I do not need you, I can do it without you, I can live without you"

He refused Doumeki. He refused to look at him from the start. He refused to accept the idea that after 4 years trying to give Doumeki the chance to live an honest life, he is there, next to him ready to help his Kashira.

So I think I can end now this post saying that thanks to this sink, they had their second conversation after four years of silence (the first one is in Ch 40), thanks to the sink, Doumeki faced Yashiro once for all and well, I look forward to reading the next chapter to see his answer!

_______________________

As I said, these are just my thoughts right or wrong. I have been thinking until now about it and it really seems like a film made by my own imagination XD and I realize that 99% of what I said might be entirely wrong.

Thank you for reading this! I appreciate your opinion if you want to leave it in the comments or message me:)

----Anna Rita

[d4rk-x-w0lf-17]

You've been posting about your OTPs and I was wondering, would you make a top 10 list of your all time favorite ships? Not ones from fandoms you're currently in, but ones that have stuck with you ever since you first shipped them?

Oh this is an....interesting question. I’ve love to do a top 10 list though. Hmmm....let’s see....of ships that have stuck with me....I’ll go with ones that I easily get emotional over just thinking about them. Ones that make me all warm and fuzzy, but also make me sad whenever something happens to them.

10) KilluGon - Hunter x Hunter

These two have such a cute relationship. They’re honestly so pure, I love their dynamic so much. Killua absolutely adores Gon and would do anything for him. Gon treasures Killua dearly as well. After all they’ve went through, I hope they’re happy and I anticipate the day that they’re able to reunite.

9) SorMik - Tales of Zestiria

It’s been a while since I went through this series, but I really loved their relationship. I love how they’re technically canon since Sorey knowing Mikleo’s true name has romantic connotation. Plus who doesn’t a good Friends to Lovers? These two care deeply for each other and it’s honestly adorable seeing them interact.

8) AshEiji - Banana Fish

I went into Banana Fish completely blind and didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t expect to find a beautiful love story between these two. They genuinely care for each other. Ash is able to be open without fear of being take advantage of or expecting to give or take anything. Eiji is just so patient and gentle with Ash, it’s beautiful yet heartbreaking.

Also, can we pretend that Ash went with Eiji to Japan? Yeah? Yeah.

7) NorEmma - The Promised Neverland

I’ll never get over these two. Norman’s love for Emma is both sweet and heartbreaking. We don’t know if Emma actually returns his feelings, but if she does...Let’s hope Norman will be able to survive Emma smushing his face with kisses.

6) GerIta - Hetalia

I wanted to put HRE/Chibitalia, but this is basically the same thing, right? I firmly believe the HRE = Germany theory, which is really depressing if you think about it. This would make Germany Italy’s first love, but he never remembered him. But it doesn’t matter, because he falls back in love with Italy anyway. Italy definitely never forgot Holy Rome, he definitely still thinks about him from time to time. I can only imagine how Italy would feel if he fell for Germany. He would probably feels like he’s betraying Holy Rome. But can you imagine Italy if he found out if Germany really was Holy Rome? Lots of hugs, crying and kissing, that’s for sure.

5) Usagi/Misaki - Junjou Romantica

I rewatched this series a year ago and I fell back in love with these two very quickly. Usagi treasures and adores Misaki so much and despite Misaki’s insistence, he loves him too. As someone who has a very hard time admitting my feelings, I feel Misaki’s pain in not being able to yell out his love for Usagi. He wants to, but he can’t.

4) NaLu - Fairy Tail

I really loved these two when I first watched Fairy Tail. I loved their dynamic and how fiercely protective Natsu got over Lucy. I truly fell for this ship when Lucy first got kidnapped and the Guild went to save her, but it was Natsu who was the most aggressive when it came to looking for her. I would watch episode 22 over and over again, just watching Lucy putting her absolute trust in Natsu in him catching her. These two share a bond that I love.

3) TodoDeku/BakuDeku - My Hero Academia

Y’all expected me to choose just ONE from MHA? Literally impossible. I remember not knowing who to ship when I first ventured into this series, but when I saw people talking about TodoDeku (I first joined the fandom when the manga was around the....Stain Arc I believe) and I got curious. I looked it up and it was too cute to pass up. I remember feeling apprehensive when wanting to ship BakuDeku, but I fell in love with it. Bakugou is slowly redeeming himself in my eyes and he’s starting to open up to Izuku, which I greatly appreciate.

2) Soul x Maka - Soul Eater

These two....I love them dearly. I treasure their bond. They bicker and fight, but they still care so much for each other. I remember going absolutely nuts when Soul threw himself in front of Maka to protect her from Crona when they first met. He dedicated his life to her, swearing to always protect her and I just....found that so endearing.

1) HanaNene - Toilet Bound Hanako-kun

I don’t care that I recently got into this fandom. These two cause me so many emotions after I read the manga. You can’t tell me that they’re not deeply in love with each other. The Little Mermaid Arc and the Picture Perfect Arc are perfect examples of why these two are meant for each other. Hanako quickly fell for her when he met her at that festival all those years ago and never forgot her, even until his death. Yashiro slowly fell for him over time, seeing Hanako for who he really is and how deeply he cares for her.

[trashexplorer]

BLCD Review: Dekoboko Sugar Days

Title: Dekoboko Sugar Days (凸凹シュガーデイズ)

Release Date: 2019/03/22

Author/Artist: Yusen Atsuko

Cast: Yamashita Seiichirou x Yashiro Taku

Synopsis:

Yuujirou Matsukaze has been close friends with Rui Hanamine since the two of them were children, and at that time, Yuujirou was the one who stood up for and took care of his adorable, soft-hearted friend. But as it turns out, Yuujirou's childhood dreams end up growing a little too big to handle - or, rather, too tall! At over six feet in height, the cheerful and happy-go-lucky Rui towers over his would-be protector... and still has no idea Yuujirou's had a crush on him since they were kids! (ANN)

Review Proper

I gotta be honest with you, I hated this. I will be very brutal in this review, so please don’t read this if you can’t take seeing it be torn apart. This is only my personal view and I have my own preferences, so if you’re a fan of the series, please don’t take offense. 🙇‍♀️

It has the most generic, predictable, and cliché plot I’ve ever come across in my life. I’m this close to calling it trash. It’s like a poor man’s Goshujinsama wa Ouji ga Suki where Kanade’s supersized. You know how there’s an abundance of situations, back stories, and personalities out there you could choose from? Well, this work chose only the overused ones and didn’t even bother to execute them well. 

Mistaken gender first love transcending into present time? Hero and height complex? Painfully obtuse characters whose mutual feelings are as clear as day but don’t know how to communicate? Weak-ass third party appearances? A fucking rain scene? Falling into a ditch? Slipping on a banana peel? SLIPPING ON A BANANA PEEL ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS And a lousy chase into the sunset? Check, check, and check. Congrats, you’ve just made a 2007 shoujo shitstorm! Ouran High would be put to shame! 👏👏👏

I mean, look at this and tell me that this isn’t forced and unnecessary:

God, it’s branded off as a romcom, but the comedy is so exaggerated and uncomedic that the only thing thing funny about it is how much of a joke the entirety of this manga was. Or was this the kind of comedy they were going for from the start? I really don’t understand why it has that high of a rating with readers. Really? This? There’s a whole lot of works that are considerably better than this one, but to give you a few, I’d suggest you read Gosan no Heart and or Jackass if you prefer extreme sexual tension coupled with darker comedy; any of Taki Nekoze’s works if you want something lighter; and if you want something similar to this one that’s executed seamlessly, then I’d definitely want you to try reading Yoshio Akira’s Goshujinsama wa Ouji ga Suki and Kurahashi Tomo’s Itsuka Koi ni Naru Made.

On the topic of character personality, it seems like Yuujirou’s personality is only running away while Rui’s is being dumb as rocks. Also, why the hell does Rui act and look like Suoh Tamaki while Yuujirou looks and acts like Iwaizumi Hajime?

Moving on to the technicality of things, Yamashita Seiichirou and Yashiro Taku did a pretty decent job on portraying their characters. The chemistry they had with each other was okay and the mattress mambos were fine, but I do have to admit that they did struggle a bit (Yashiro Taku more than Yamashita Seiichirou) with believability and tone changes. Yashiro Taku in particular did not do that well when those two are needed at the same time. Yamashita Seiichirou on the other hand, sounded too airy which is surprising to me because I had thought that to be his natural range. So is his Jude his natural pitch??? That’s deeper than I had expected! The dynamic of this pairing here is similar to that of Saitou Souma and Nakajima Yoshiki’s in Akai Ito but reversed. It’s funny ‘cause I had completely thought Yashiro Taku out to be a total top while Yamashita a bottom—the tables might have been turned. Yamashita can really pull Saitou Souma’s Hiro if he practices it a bit more. I’d like to see him in seme roles with that voice. 

As for loyalty to the original content, there were a lot of jumps all throughout the CD. They’ve also rearranged some of the events that take place that even I had a hard time in catching up. This is definitely not for beginners, but if you’re a fan of the series, you do you. I’ve heard that this will be officially released in English, too. Good for Yusen Atsuko, not only did they get a BLCD for this...this thing, but a wider market! I only hope that they get more creative as time passes. There’s no where else to go but up, I guess.

In conclusion, we have a terribly executed plot, decent voice work and chemistry, and a rearranged sequence of events. Man, I actually looked forward to listening and reading this, too. *sigh* This is by far, the worst BLCD I’ve ever heard this year and hopefully, it’s the last.

[stanislovers]

So I understand something happened with the group that usually posts Saezuru’s translation in english.

Since it’s been 84 years and a new chapter is dropping this month, I translated in english from this spanish version for all to enjoy (well, mostly for me to enjoy lol).

All credit goes to:

For raws, cleaning and editing: SofiGB (sofigb.livejournal.com)

For translating from japanese: Kazu

Disclaimer: I’m not a spanish nor english native speaker, so forgive me for any mistakes.

1

I had no intention --

--of ever seeing him again.

2

We didn't came here to kill you.

If you tell us where your brother is,

we'll let you go.

But I already told you... I haven't seen him in more than a year.

Why did you try to run away then?

Anyone would do that if someone like you is looking for them.

I don't believe you!

3

Hey, calm down.

What?!

Remember who you're dealing with.

If you're yakuza you can't harm a civilian.

Ahhhhh?

Can you not interrupt?

This doesn’t concern you.

What did you say, idiot?

Nobody asked for your opinion. You're annoying.

Who are you and where do you even come from?

4

He's Nanahara, from the Shinseikai group.

You know that's a thing of the past, Doumeki.

Could you please stop excluding me and speaking between you in code?

5

It drives me crazy!

Hey!

Truthfully... I don't know..

Hey, you. Who are you?

What?

Your name. What's your name?

...Kamiya.

Bring that guy over here, Kamiya.

6

You must know something. Spit it out immediately.

So? Are you ready to talk yet or not?

He's worse than I am.

Boss, stop. He's a civilian...

Don't just stand there and look, Nanahara. Help me.

Fi--Fine.

7

I'll do it.

Thank you for offering, but--

I'm going... to talk...please... stop...

There you go.

8

I really don't know where my brother is but... recently I saw him and he started talking about a job that could make him a lot of money.

Well, he would always say things like that.

Did he give you more details regarding this job?

No, he didn't tell me anything more than that...

Just that this time there were dangerous people involved. He wasn't talking about you, was he?

He wasn't referring to us, we just lent him some money.

9

Our situation is similar.

Now that I think about it, I read in the paper --

That a member of the Sakuraikka group was run down and that the suspect fled.

The yakuza only acts when money or questions of honor are involved, isn't right?

But if Kido was working for a group, things are different, right?

Yes, that would complicate things.

10

Give me your phone.

W-why?

Call your brother and make him talk.

Surely he'll be cautious but gather all the information you can.

Hi, it's me.

Can you talk?

Yes, what's going on?

I need to ask you something.

Can we meet in person?

Now?

Yes. Are you at home?

No, i'm not home.

For a while, I can't go back there.

For a while?

Are you in some kind of trouble?

11   

No, no it's not that.

Sorry, I'll have to call you some other time.

Wait. Don't hang up.

What is it?

Well... I need money.

If i don't get it soon, I'm going to be in trouble.

...

How much do you need?

Five-hundred.

Is that all?

Well, it doesn’t matter, it will be ready tomorrow.

Ok. You saved me, Thank you.

I'll let you know where to meet.

12

You still haven't answered the question i asked you a while ago--

But, since the circumstances have changed, I need to inform my boss.

A while ago?

When I asked you what should we do-

Ahh.

I’ll do that.

It's clear that you are old acquaintances and surely you have a lot to talk about.

13

It's been four years...

I would have never imagined that you would've been part of the Sakuraikka group.

No, wait, before that...

What are you even doing, still being in the Yakuza in the first place?

Are you stupid?

With that face you're condemned to continue in this world.

14

I am the one who decides for myself how to live and what to be.

My time and my body are my own.

Also, even before the scars, you were the one who cut off my finger.

So "they're your own", uh.

Seems right to me.

15

Another thing...

Did you know--

That I was looking for Kido?

I found out yesterday when I was walking by the pet store.

I see...

That's enough! Who the fuck are you? You're annoying me!

And you, Doumeki, explain now.

Uhmm? Why don't you introduce yourself first?

I'm Kamiya, from the Sakuraikka group.

Ah, goody. I'm glad.

Son of a bitch...

16

Surely it must be difficult for you working with someone like him, he's like a statue.

It's clear as day that he doesn't listen to you.

I'm just a casino manager.

He used to work for me a long time ago. That's all.

He was completely useless--

But he's strong, so I guess you're using him for that.

That's a mean thing to say...

17

So, you do remember me...

Kashira.

Oh!

18

...It just came back to me.

19

I had completely forgotten about you until today, but as soon as I saw your sad face I remembered.

And another thing.

Don't call me kashira.

Right now I am not part of any group---

and I'm not your kashira.

Understood.

20

Well. I can go now, right? I’ll inform you as soon as my brother calls me.

Right, he’s still here.

No, you’re coming with us.

But before that, you are Yashiro from the Shinseikai group, isn’t it right?

Can you come to our group’s headquarters?

What?

I’m not trying to be disrespectful or anything like that. It’s just that I know that--

--the money you make goes directly to the Doushinkai group.

I know that because my boss plays golf with the president of your group.

So, the second in command of the already dissolved Shinseikai…

You know him? What do we do with him?

I don’t know if his goal is to merely recuperate the money he lent…

You find out that money it’s involved in all of this?

Just as I thought. You’ve got a good eye.

21

I learned that he’s Misumi’s favorite. And what’s more, he used to be Doumekì’s boss.

I want to meet him. Bring him to me.

If we’re going to work together, it’s best if we decide in advance how much money goes to each group.

For this reason, my boss asked me to bring you with us.

Boss, what are we going to do?

It’s not a problem.

Whatever his plans are, we have no reason to deny him.

Great. Thank you for not making a fuss.

22

Hey. If something happens, you’re going to pay, do you understand?

What? What are you saying?

Do you even know who you’re talking to?

I have no idea. Who the fuck are you?

Kamiya, I already told you. Learn it once and for all.

I can see you have no manners, idiot.

Enough, Nanahara. Let’s go.

So he used to be your...

24

Argh! He pisses me off!

This Doumeki…

What happened to him? He became insolent.

Since when does he have this attitude?

He can’t talk to you like that…

He seemed fine to me.

It means he matured.

It’s annoying to me.

And I was convinced that he had left the Yakuza by now…

Nanahara.

25

Calm down a little.

[project-rebirth]

Yashiro Kenji - The Exalted Vessel

Name: Yashiro Kenji

Alias: The Exalted Vessel, Disgraced Prince, ██████ ███

Age: Varies from 17 to 22

Occupation: {REDACTED}

Bio

{Analyzing... ERROR: FILE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED. PLEASE SEE SITE ADMINISTRATOR FOR FURTHER DETAILS.}

Personality & Character

Kenji is a young man who exudes an aura of mystery. He is not one who often talks about his past and seems to avoid certain topics like his family and original home. Despite this, he is someone who is willing to help those in need and can be at times,, protective towards those he deems important to him. There is however, a somber nature about him, as he is noticed by some to always be frowning or whenever he smiles, they usually come off as forced or sad looking.

Of course, looking beneath the surface reveals someone who has seemingly lost his sense of self, as at one point, someone claimed that his eyes seemed devoid of life. This point is further exuded when he claims that he is nothing more than a vessel for the will of those forgotten and abandoned by fate. He often worries less about himself and more about the wellbeing of others and will often lose sleep doing so.

According to Kenji himself, he claims that he was not always like this and that he used to be a selfish person with his own dreams and desires, but he had forsaken pursuing such things after the “sickness” within him was purified. He claims that this sickness was what drove him to pursue said dreams and played a part in something he did, though what that is remains unclear. he does not seem to completely trust his own emotions, beleving that they would consume, which is why he distances himself from them and to a lesser degree, others.

In spite of all of this, Kenji has his own hobbies he partakes in to give him some degree of happiness. For instance, he is a fan of certain genres of films and novels, enjoys tinkering around with old equipment, and he enjoys eating Italian foods and various kinds of sweets. As a part of his eccentric  side, he claimed that he once wanted to buy an ice cream machine used by vendors so he could make his own ice cream whenever he wants.

[tenspontaneite]

Paper Cranes Q&A 3

Topics covered: ‘disease’ progression, lots of things related to Sai and metaphysics, spiritually sensitive canon characters, What’s Up With Touya’s Weird Soul, technicalities and things and stuff. 20 questions covered in total.

Spoilers for: Up to end of chapter 22. Maybe some very slight hints of things to come.

When exactly will Hikaru begin feeling effects of his Problem?

Well. Uh. Spoilers? But like I said in the notes, it’s not going to get Very Bad during the timeframe of the story. The reincarnation-AU I’ve been planning is another matter entirely though since it’s set at least 15 years later Also while dysautonomia can lead to tremors, which would make it difficult to play Go, different patients may experience very different symptoms based on which parts of the nervous system are damaged first. So…it’s not guaranteed he wouldn’t be able to play Go. It’s just possible that at some point he’d have bad enough tremors to possibly launch Go stones across the room by accident instead of placing them. Or accidentally majorly mess up the stones surrounding where he placed his. Etc.

 If Sai came back, would be be able to fill up Hikaru’s soul and stop the degeneration?

Well, hypothetically, any possessing spirit could do this. Not just Sai. But it works best between physically similar souls – the more similar they are, the easier they mesh. That’s another reason why Sai’s soul-bits stick around like they do. The lingering emotion and intent isn’t the only thing there. Very dissimilar souls would passively damage each other in such a possession, so even a benevolent possessing spirit would have a hard time not hurting its host.

 Are there other spiritually sensitive canon characters?

Kuwabara is the only one I’d class as actually sensitive enough to be aware, so to speak. But there are others who are….predisposed, let’s say, to being sensitive, and becoming more sensitive. That should be talked about relatively soon in the story. Next few chapters maybe.

 What’s up with Touya’s unusual looking soul?

See the above question. It’s highly relevant. The Touya males certainly aren’t the only ones, either.

 Will Touya find out?

Spoilers!

 Will Yashiro find out?

…Spoilers!

 Why was Nurse Furutani so suspicious?

She is good at noticing Obvious Things, like the tension between Hikaru and Touya, and is watchful for any hint that Touya might commit the cardinal sin of Upsetting A Patient or even Causing A Ruckus. After a while she determines that their discussion is probably okay and leaves.

 Is there a way to heal soul damage in a living human?

Absolutely not. It’s a fundamental property of souls anchored in a true physical body that the soul can’t significantly change in form whilst anchored. This includes growing, healing, or changing ‘shape’. Embodied spirits work differently. Reincarnated major spirits and kami work slightly differently.

 Wouldn’t calling out the grid position only work if Touya was on Hikaru’s side of the board?

Now, I’m no experienced Go player, but considering how frequently people might be required to place moves recited by a speaker (e.g. one person reads from kifu, other person places) I always assumed they defaulted to Black’s side of the board, because that would make sense. If anyone more familiar with this stuff than me knows otherwise, do let me know, and I’ll add it to the minor-edits-list.

 Can humans make donations to Hikaru?

I….well…uh….they could??? If you got someone (Hikaru or a spirit) to rip out a chunk of their soul, yes, yes they could. But 1) human souls are far more viscerally entrenched than disembodied souls and it’s far, far more traumatic to remove parts of them than it is for disembodied spirits, 2) the damage to them would never heal until they were dead, and they’d become a possession target without the advantage of Huge Leftover Energy that Hikaru has, and 3) most human souls are like…small. Bits of them are even smaller. They wouldn’t be very useful donations. They’d last like, a few days. Certainly no longer than a week.

 Is Hikaru going to feel better about the early expiration date when he thinks about how Shuusaku died at 33?

Well…no. No? I mean, in general, ‘x person I never knew had it worse’ is not really consolation for ‘my own situation is downright shitty’. And really, while Torajirou would have been Extremely Screwed if Sai ever left him (over ten years of possession, yikes) his death from disease was unpleasant but relatively quick in comparison. I mean. Degenerative diseases are awful, okay.

Also I’m very fond of the way you worded that. ‘Expiration date’. Hah.

 Is it weird that I want to write fanfic of your fanfic?

You know what, no, I don’t think it is. I’m definitely not biased on the matter, nope. Also at some point I’m going to be writing fanfic of my fanfic, so.

 Is Sai aware, wherever he is?

SPOILERS.

 What does Utagawashi’s usual outfit look like?

Like this. https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/shinto-priests-at-meiji-shrine-during-ceremony-picture-id597589563

Basically very similar to what Sai wears. Also that picture contains the priestly baton things that I’ve mentioned in the story a couple of times.

 Does Hikaru get any foxy qualities from the bits of fox soul he’s using as adhesive?

As Hikaru is a Live Human, his soul cannot undergo any significant form changes. The soul bits are extremely personal but can’t influence the nature of Hikaru’s soul.

 Could it be argued that Hikaru’s aptitude for Go comes from Sai’s soul/energy?

No. I would like to outright, unequivocally word-of-author this: Hikaru’s talent is his own. He is good at Go, and has a talent for it. The end.

What could have plausibly been influenced by Sai is his enthusiasm and enjoyment of Go, but only via the same sort of cross-contamination as seeing a friend of yours be really enthusiastic about something. More intense, because he can directly feel the emotions of Sai on the matter, but same concept. As mentioned before, live human souls are highly resistant to forcible form changes. Modification of interests and talents certainly falls under that.

Also plausible: Sai’s instincts and impulses with regard to the game might have carried over during the active possession, which would have helped him learn faster. It would have been very subtle, though. And the traces remaining now are not nearly cohesive and sapient enough to have that sort of effect.

 Would the Gigantic Spirit Boom Pillar be detectable to exorcists/priests outside of the city?

As a rule, no. Hikaru would feel something like that. Probably Kaminaga too, at this point. Anyone else would have to be very close, as very few living humans are that sensitive to the currents in the spirit layer.

Spirits, though? They live in the spirit layer. I’d say every spirit in Japan and many others further out would have felt the ripples. Any particularly powerful spirit would have felt it on the other side of the globe. Suffice to say, every spirit in Japan knows that Something Big went down, and gossip and word-of-mouth is sufficient for them to know that it was Ancient Demon specifically who went down. There’s...so, so many rumours among spirits, right now.

 Would foxes enjoy soap operas?

Well. Based on individual tastes, I guess? They are generally all quite mischievous by nature and will be far more interested in what they can witness personally or perpetrate personally than in the antics of fictional characters. But that’s subject to individual differences as it is in humans. Some will prefer some types of media to others.

 What will happen to Utagawashi’s shrine now that its aspect of Inari has died? Will a new aspect replace it?

To make a new aspect for that shrine, they’d need to do a ceremony to imbue the shrine with Inari’s essence. So, pretty much, make a new shintai. I think Utagawashi’s chances of making this happen are pretty high, but if he can’t get it done through official channels he’ll probably just team up with an Inari fox to do it himself.

 Do you know that Paper Cranes is the most kudosed Hikago thing on ao3 aside from esama’s multifandom thing?

I check my stats every single day, anon. I am most definitely aware of that. And it’s glorious. You know my thing has approaching twice as many bookmarks as the next closest competitor, right? Like, dude, it’s amazing. You would not believe how often I sit around preening about my story’s stats. And...well, idk, I might be running out of hikago fic readers who haven’t got to my story yet, but if I can get another 1k kudos by the time the story ends I could get genuine first place there. I’m not bothered if not, but it’s definitely something I think about.