#yes this Japanese-looking man is named Sven

[kingofthewilderwest]

See, Voltron? Voltron is a franchise I'm fine with a new iteration happening, whatever the medium. I don't have faith that the new adaptation will be good in our current live action remake landscape, and I'm not screaming on main about a live action remake in theoretical works, but I don't care. I'm chill with it! Go wild, bitches. Keep the cycle of Voltron content going!

Voltron has been through a delightful amount of crappy, mediocre, and fantastic franchise expansions. We've had multiple reboots or sequels or reinterpretations or timelines or spinoffs in 2D Eastern animation, 2D Western animation, 3D animation (1990s 3D animation! oh dear oh my!), and various comic runs.

Once you get to that point in a franchise, every new material is a boon because it adds lore and legacy. It gives you more archives to uncover in all their quirks. It means affectionately looking at yet another way something went well or didn't. It means Voltron keeps living. It's meant to continue being told in different ways.

I can't care about the quality of new Voltron materials. If it's bad? I'll smile affectionately. If it's great? I'll screech in glory.

Heck, the very existence of Voltron is an amalgamated mess, and it's only fair we keep stirring the stew. This is a show that began when a US American studio vaguely requested a mecha show ("the one with the lion" lol), received the wrong show from the Japanese studio, then shrugged, ran with it, combined it with material from two other mecha shows, and campily reworked plot and worldbuilding points to align with American censorship standards. While having, like, three voice actors for 90% of the characters. And then when we branched off that, then branched off that branch, then branched off that first branch with another branch, we kept remixing the ideas of previous iterations together. Ideas made from ideas made from ideas, circling back down to previous ideas and mixing them with new ideas -- it's great.

Like, keep playing with the ideas, motherfuckers. Go wild. This is a world about a human team inhabiting a medieval-style castle riding sentient ancient robot lions that merge into a sword-wielding robot man to fight purple imperialistic space elves. There's a subplot where a magical space witch's cat gets in tangles with a mini mouse!Voltron and its mouse crew wearing little mouse helmets. The Voltron team has been chased by mall cops on a flying cow. It's also a franchise with decapitation, cannibalism, slavery, gladiator fights, the grimness of war, and some of the most heartfelt scenes you could imagine. You cannot mess Voltron up.

ROTFLHHHHH I was literally thinking, "Man, I would've preferred hearing more about the Voltron live action than the HTTYD live action," and here's more news on casting just now

[littleeyesofpallas]

Bleach - Name Games

I don’t know how I didn’t think to do this one sooner.  Outoribashi(鳳橋) ROSE(ローズ) Roujurou(楼十郎) has a curious zanpakutou.  For reference, his own name (which I’ve covered before) references the Ho-ou/Feng/”Chinese-Phoenix” and by association rainbows (yes, just like the pokemon) and considering his very 70s shoujo look --very Moto Hagio and Ryoko Ikeda vibes-- in conjunction with some other themes that I’ll get to later, it definitely feels like he was meant to be gay, although we sadly got basically zero real character development for him over the series to elaborate on that...  But rainbows aside, the Ho-ou is why his hollow mask is a bird mask, and possibly the association with bird song could be where Rose’s music powers came from.

His sword’s name is Kinshara(金沙羅) written as (金):”Gold” and (沙羅):”Shala” which is a tree native to India, Shorea robusta, aka Sal tree.  As a translation Viz’s “Golden Shala” is actually perfectly correct!  It’s totally not any kind of translator error, but there’s really nothing to indicate what’s relevant about the Shala as a choice of name, so I’m going to dig into that instead.  And to be fair, I’m not super sure any of this is exactly “obvious” even in Japanese; I think this one is a lot of Kubo just being a big nerd about stuff, because that’s just how he is...

So, to start, it has numerous connections to images of the Buddha in relation to death, birth, impermanence, and attaining enlightenment, but what I think it��s references is a part of the opening line of the Heike Monogatari(平家��語) which reads...

沙羅雙樹の花の色, 盛者必衰の理を顯す: “The color of the flower of the pair of Shala trees, displays the natural truth that (even) prosperous people inevitably decline.”

It draws on the buddhist themes of life and death to note the inevitable fall of the Taira clan in the Genpei war, even as the story itself begins with the rise of the Taira.

The Heike Monogatari is often considered a Japanese equivalent to classical Western epics like the Illiad; it chronicles the events of the Genpei war, which itself is sometimes compared to the English War of the Roses, due to a similar start in which a reigning sovereign’s lineage comes into dispute between two offshoot families.  Notably the Genpei war ended the Heian period, a long standing era of peace in Japan considered the height of Japan’s courtly culture.  The Taira clan in particular were the ones who established the prominence of samurai in Japanese government, and the end of the Genpei war established the first Shogunate, the effects of which would shape the next ~500 years of Japanese internal conflict.

Anyway...  Point being that (沙羅雙樹の花の色,): “The color of the flower of the pair of Shala trees,” seems to be the reference point for the name Kinshara(金沙羅): “Golden Shala” and the sword itself being a long vine/whip ending in a Shala flower.  The name is effectively synonymous with, “Fleeting prosperity.”

The release calls kanaderu(奏でろ) means either “to play an instrument” or “to dance” both of which are relevant readings given Rose’s music based powers and dancer based bankai.

Although I don’t actually get where he connected the Shala imagery with music in particular...  I guess if you read the metaphor as “fleeting beauty” instead of “prosperity” it does kind of describe music as an explicitly sensorially in-the-moment form of art, but that feels like a bit of a stretch as far as intended reading.

His bankai is Kinshara Butodan(金沙羅舞踏団), retaining the same phonetics and kanji for Kinshara, and adding Butou-dan(舞踏団) which Viz translated as “Dance troupe” which is technically the literal reading of 舞踏:”Dance”+団:”Group” but it kind of dodges the fact that  Butou(舞踏) isn’t just a word for dance as a general art form or concept, it specifically refers to the particular family of Japanese, post-war, Western influenced modern dance forms.  It is most recognized, somewhat infamously, for a style using white body paint and extremely slow and hyper expressive controlled movements.  This reframes the release call from its “playing an instrument” reading to “dancing.”

Kinjiki(禁色): “Forbidden Color” was the first ever Butou piece, performed in 1959. (note the homonym in Kin(禁):”Prohibited” and Kin(金):”Golden.”)  It was based on a 1951 Yukio Mishima novel of the same name, and the phrase refers back to a Heian period law that restricted the colors that could be worn in court.  But the book and dance piece used the historical reference to compare the taboo of homosexuality with the arbitration of petty court conduct.

So, “Gold (Colored) Shala” is basically a pun on “Forbidden (Colored) Shala” and “Forbidden Color... Butoh...” immediately ques up the gay associations, which then fall in line with other more readily established themes with Rose’s character, like...

...Rose’s name being Rose (and again his very BL manga aesthetic) is a pretty clear reference to the word/term Bara(薔薇) which is the Japanese for “Rose” but is a slang term for gay men, derived from the 1970s gay culture magazine, Bara-zoku(薔薇族): "Rose-Tribe/Clan.”  (This same magazine ran a column for write-in editorials specifically from its female readers titled Yuri-zoku Heya(百合族部屋): “Lily-Tribe Room” which in turn is why Yuri is the slang for lesbians.)  

The magazine’s popularity (as well as that of others like it) with women was a huge contributing factor to the style and content of 1970s shoujo manga.  Which again is where Rose gets his general look of long wavy blond hair, European features, and frilly shirts from.  In particular I’m reminded of Moto Hagio’s emphasis on European men, Ikeda Ryoko’s world famous historical-fiction Rose of Versailles, and Yasuko Aoike’s From Eroica with Love. (pictured above)

Also a fun tangent, but it’s possible Rose was directly based off Bjorn Andresen, but it’s a little hard to tell...  Andresen was a huge influence on the 1970s shoujo aesthetic, specifically because of his role in the 1971 film, Death in Venice, where he plays an alluring androgynous boy that the movie’s protagonist becomes infatuated with.  His youthful and effeminate looks made him something of a celebrity the world over, but where as many western countries antagonized him over his role’s implicit homosexuality (he isn’t actually gay himself) in direct reaction to his fans’ embrace of it, Japan’s general public didn’t really seem to care, so he only ever got attention from his fans there --he’s actually commented that he’s been very fond of Japan largely because of the way it was the one place he wasn’t harassed over his perceived sexuality during his early career.

Anyway, Rose could just be based off the style that Andresen inspired, but the reason I think he could be a reference to the man himself is that Andresen is also a musician and performed with a dance-band called Sven-Erics as their keyboardist.  (I guess the dance-band thing could superficially tie back into the Butou theme, but honestly as a generic 70s-80s euro pop band the Sven-Erics definitely weren’t anything approaching the style of Butou.)  But the specific linking of the way he looks and the music powers feels more deliberate.

I didn’t even think about the fact that I did Yumichika and Ruri-iro Kujyaku not long ago, and putting the two next to each other, I never realized before now that we had TWO fabulous flower and bird themed men in Bleach that Kubo never even put in the same room together.  We were robbed.

[mathiaskillmaster]

TITANS: The Queen and the Beast (Elsa / Godzilla - Disney Monsterverse) - Chapter 2: Pain and Desolation

On the sea, near the coast of Norway

Ishiro had not slept well because of the roll of the boat all the night and decided to stay most of the day in his cabin. The idea of getting on the deck and meeting the other passengers did not please him. The Japanese historian had spent the last five years trying to study as best he could the myths and other legends about the "thing" he saw in his vision, which despite all the years, remained etched in his mind as on rock. After having negotiated and battled with the highest officials of the Japanese empire for a long time, Ishiro was able to obtain the right to leave the country and take the first boat to Norway only a week ago. During this week, the ship had skirted the northern coast of this great country named Russia, eventually reaching the shores of Norway.

Sitting behind a small desk, lighting up with the radiance of the filtering sun through a tiny window, Ishiro was reading one by one his documents which he had brought with him in a bag which he never parted with. A headache pulled him out of his reading, making him grimace in pain and hold his head in his hands. The previous days had been marked by violent visions ... There he saw this young woman with blond hair and dressed in a icy gown, and this other young woman with red hair and combed in braids. They had a family look, like sisters, and stood, horrified, in the midst of the flaming and smoking ruins of what had once been a city. Maybe theirs? And in the cloud of smoke and ashes covering the entire landscape, two humanoid and titanic forms seemed to engage in a violent and merciless battle, under the shocked gaze of the two sisters. One of the gigantic forms seemed to get a hard stroke, and began to fall with all its weight in the direction of the two women, and about to crush them...

-“Professor Ishiro?”

A voice behind the door of the cabin, as well as several little hits on the wood made the historian leave this macabre torpor. Picking up his breath to try to calm down a little, and storing his notes in his bag, he cleared his throat.

- "Yes, what is it?" he asked as if nothing had happened.

- "We come in sight of Arendelle, sir." the sailor's voice told him behind the door. Ishiro gave a false smile of satisfaction. Finally, he had arrived at his destination after all that time. Having collected all his belongings, dressed in a long gray coat and thick against the cold, gloves and boots of the same color, the Japanese historian left his cabin, crossing a long corridor of wood where stood the row of doors of other cabins, to reach the small staircase leading to the bridge. A new rolling motion nearly made him fall. Yes, it was time for him to return to the mainland, life on a boat being decidedly not a place for him. Hardly had he arrived on deck than the cool wind came to meet him to caress his face. The north air was greatly felt. The sky was rather overcast, light gray clouds covering a part and hiding a little sun, but nothing very disturbing. At least it was not raining. On the deck, the sailors joined their posts to prepare the berthing of the ship, while the other passengers, most of whom came as simple tourists, approached the railing to admire the view of the harbor and the great castle of Arendelle, appearing on the horizon between these magnificent and large mountains forming the fjord. Ishiro also went to look, but restrained his admiration. He was not here for sightseeing.

- "My god, it's really beautiful, is not it, sir?" the woman next to Ishiro asked him. She had a slight Russian accent, but the historian who had studied languages when he was a student understood her.

- "Certainly, madam." Ishiro replied behind that false smile he wore like a mask on his face. But for him, the time was not for rejoicing but for anxiety, and he had his reasons.

Long minutes passed during which the ship finally entered the bay of Arendelle, passing the first watchtowers safely, and finally stopped in the place which had been granted to him in the harbor. Ishiro was one of the first to get off the ship, wanting to leave it as soon as possible. He saluted and thanked the captain for the crossing, and went down the little footbridge installed to allow the passengers to get off. Finally, on the mainland, the historian told himself, who felt almost revived. The master of the harbor arrived, smiling, to greet the newcomers.

- "Welcome to Arendelle, ladies and gentlemen."

Ishiro listened only vaguely, his serious and closed eyes fixed towards the castle. He knew his destination already. Without losing a second, with a step slightly pressed but not too much not to attract attention, he climbed the stone steps to go up the port and entered the city.

While walking in the middle of this great avenue, he could contemplate how the people of Arendelle seemed happy and prosperous. Smiling faces, confident and sometimes laughing. Two years ago, however, there was a strange story around the world about a winter that buried the whole country in few minutes. Queen Elsa was also increasingly known in the wider world as a strong and just ruler, sure values for a monarch. Apparently, several great lords had tried to intimidate her, and all had failed. Others had tried to marry her in order to appropriate some of Arendelle's riches, but Elsa was not fooled and refused. She had even earned the nickname "Ice-eyed Queen". Yes, this woman was exceptional, no doubt, thought Ishiro, seeing the castle grow bigger and bigger as he approached.

Leaving the castle with a basket in hand to go shopping on the market, the servant Kai noticed this Asian man who was going to cross his path.

-"Excuse me, my brave. May I help you?" Kai asked politely. Ishiro stopped and stared at him for a few seconds. If this man could come in and out of the castle, he was certainly working there, the historian thought. It was a chance.

- "My name is Ishiro and I come straight from the Japanese Empire. I want to talk to Queen Elsa about a very important subject."

The servant seemed a little embarrassed, which the historian noticed immediately.

- "That's ..." Kai replied, scratching the back of her head "... The queen is not here. She left several hours ago to investigate something strange, apparently."

Ishiro's heart leapt into his chest and his face became more serious. He seized the servant by the collar, with force, and forced him to look him straight in the eyes. Kai, surprised, remained frozen.

- "Tell me where did she go, now!"

**********

The convoy led by Queen Elsa had walked for the rest of the day and was now on a dirt track in the middle of a large pine forest asleep. The hue of the night had invaded the sky since a few minutes and the first stars began to appear like candles that the gods lit in the dark. Twenty soldiers, only volunteers, had come, mounted on their horses, looking straight ahead in silence, walking in two perfectly arranged groups, led by the commander Ulrik himself on his black steed. Although Elsa was initially reluctant to this idea because judging it risky, Anna and Kristoff had also come, both sitting side by side at the front of a small cart covered with a fabric cloth, and pulled by two horses that Kristoff was leading with the bridles. Sven was following next to the trolley, step by step, while Olaf was sitting on the back of the reindeer. The snowman admired the beauty of this nature with his eyes and childlike smile, and tried to catch a group of fireflies flying near him. He nearly fell, but Sven caught him with his woods and put him on his back.

- "Thank you, friend." Olaf thanked him with a caress on the top of his head. Olaf's insouciance was enough to relax the tense atmosphere a little. While Kristoff was busy staring straight ahead, holding the bridles in his hands, his attention turned to his fiancée. Anna had not said a single word since leaving Arendelle, and yet she was usually the first to talk about something to break the silence. Covered with her cloak and cap against the cold, she showed a thoughtful and worried face. Kristoff, worried about her, gave her a very delicate shoulder shot to try to make her react.

- "Anna ... What are you thinking about? It's been hours since you've been locked on yourself. "

- "I .... I don't know ..." replied the princess with a reserved voice ".... Since we learned these disasters, I .... I have a bad feeling."

- "It's pretty normal," Kristoff said, trying to reassure her a bit. "A normal person never really feel good after bad news."

- "Yes, but that's different." Anna looked him in the eye to show him her shimmering worry in his irises. "I can not explain it, but I feel things that are completely beyond us are about to arrive."

This sentence sounded a little roguish, but Kristoff could feel the sincerity in Anna's voice. She was afraid, and that did not reassure him, quite the contrary.

- "If you want, when we get back we'll go to see Grand Pabbie. Maybe he'll know what you're worried about." Kristoff proposed, which Anna responded with a small nod and a smile for her fiancé, always present for her. Rolling her arm around his, she rested her head against his shoulder.

At the head of the convoy, sitting on her snow-white horse, Elsa also remained silent, her gaze focused in front of her. Even if she did not show it, she was as worried as her sister and felt the same bad feeling in her heart. Without knowing why, she had the impression that the world itself would be about to change, that the vision of all mankind would be changed forever. Elsa suddenly came back to reality when a rain of what appeared to be black snowflakes began to fall on the forest. Had Elsa still unleashed her power without paying attention? No, she did not feel angry or nervous and her hands showed no signs of magic activity. Everyone watched with perplexity, and quickly realized that it was not snow, but ash. A rain of ashes.

- "Wow, I've never seen black snow before." Olaf commented.

- "This is not snow, Olaf ...." Anna told him, more serious. Sven wanted to swallow one of the flakes of ashes that passed in front of him, but spat it out very quickly. Commander Ulrik was on his guard, looking serious. A scalding smell suddenly filled the air, and a group of terrified birds passed through the sky just above the convoy, fleeing to the north. The sudden sight of black smoke columns rising high in the sky beyond the trees struck everyone's heart.

-"Let's go on!" Elsa ordered, taking the path, followed by the rest of the convoy. A few hundred meters further, after having finally come out of the forest, the convoy found itself faced with a horror vision.

Farther down, at the edge of the ocean, was what was once a village of several hundred inhabitants, but today was nothing more than a field of burning ruins, whose black fumes 'rose. Anna covered her mouth with her hands, while Kristoff, also in shock, wrapped his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. Olaf quickly lost his smile, and Sven gave a small moan. Ulrik showed a darker, scowling reaction. Elsa was also shocked and angry, but did everything to master her emotions.

- "Look for the survivors but stay cautious!" she ordered in a firm voice. The soldiers obeyed immediately.

- "Feet down!" said the commander. All the soldiers obeyed, coming down from their saddles and taking up their arms, just in case. swords and rifles taken, they were ready.

As the soldiers dispersed into several groups, under Ulrik's supervision, Elsa set foot on the ground, feeling the crackling ash under her boots. Anna and Kristoff joined him. All around them was spreading this vision of desolation. The black fumes hiding the sky, the earth blackened and disfigured, homes destroyed some of which are still gnawed by small waves of flames. The remains of what appeared to be a ship, stood in the ruins of a house. No sign of life was shown or heard, much to the sadness of the little group.

Olaf noticed Sven digging something in between rubble, and came to see. What he saw then broke his heart of snow.

- "Elsa .... Anna ..." they heard the sad tone of the snowman behind them and turned. "Sven found that."

Between his thin and small hands of wood, Olaf held a little doll dressed in a little pink dress, very damaged and covered with dust and ashes.

- "Oh no ..." Kristoff sighed, rubbing a hand on his face. Olaf gave the toy to Anna who took it in her hands. This little doll had certainly belonged to an innocent little girl who lived here, now gone. Anna remembered her own dolls when she was a child, and it broke her heart even more. Clutching the doll against her heart, the young princess felt on her knees in the black dust, shedding tears, unable to restrain her pain. Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven came around to support her. Elsa knelt beside her, also taking the doll in her hand and contemplating it, without saying a word. The young queen pinched her lips, also in pain and sadness. The culprit of this atrocity would be found, then judged and punished, she sworn in the back of her mind. With a wave of the hand, Elsa created a little box of ice, adorned with the symbol of Arendelle, and put the doll inside, before depositing it in the ruins of what had been the house of this little girl unknown. A very modest burial, but necessary. Anna huddled against Kristoff, continuing to shed tears. Seeing the sadness of her sister only reinforced Elsa's determination.

- "I will find the one who did this, Anna ..." Elsa said, clenching her fists "And I will personally take care of his fate."

The tone of Elsa's voice almost scared the others, as if someone else had suddenly taken his place. Elsa could be angry at times, but not so much. Anna felt it, and was worried about.

- "Elsa!" Olaf shouted suddenly, standing behind, a little further, at the top of a hillock, and waving his arm to the queen for her to come. He looked horrified. Concerned in advance, Elsa asked Kristoff to stay with Anna and she left alone for Olaf. When she approached, she could see Olaf's bruised face, which then pointed to the other side of the hillock. When Elsa stepped forward to see, her heart took another leap and the fear took hold of her a little more. Behind the mound, there was a real carnage. Soldiers and horses, surely the garrison stationed here, all over the ground, lifeless, most of them seeming to have been crushed by a monstrous force. Some cannons were also present, but all had been destroyed. The ground had been flipped in all directions, as if a violent earthquake had erupted and killed all the men on it. A little more than a hundred soldiers of Arendelle, massacred visibly without the slightest pity. Elsa's heart was deeply bruised, and Olaf felt it. He wanted to say a word but changed his mind, seeing clearly that the young queen, sighing with misfortune, did not really want to speak for the moment.

Ulrik suddenly appeared a little further in the middle of the ruins, waving his hand to the group.

- "Majesty! Come here! There is a survivor!"

[rukia-g]

For Shiro’s birthday week day 2, Lost/Found! With his mom, his clone, and a slight Shallura (mostly for comedy purposes). Also on AO3.

The sweet smell of incense filled the afternoon air as Naoko Shirogane sat in front of the small shrine, dark eyes fixed on one picture. It wasn’t the only one in the shrine; one was the photograph of a middle-aged man in uniform, another one showed and old man with a kind smile and an old woman with grey eyes, both dressed in traditional clothes.

But the picture that had all her attention was the one of a young man, so handsome in his spotless new uniform. Not that it was a surprise, her little boy always looked good, just like his father.

It had been three years since the Garrison informed her that her son died, far away, at the edge of the solar system. Her little boy, whose eyes were so bright and full of life in her memories, lost forever among the stars he had longed to reach.

A soft knock on the front door brought her back to reality. Naoko didn’t move, startled at the sound. She hadn’t been expecting any visitors.

There was another knock and Naoko stood up, walking without hurry. Probably someone got the wrong house, she thought, and she opened the door.

Here, right in front of Naoko, her son smiled at her.

“Kaa-san, I’m home.”

Naoko rested a hand on her chest. How could it be? Was she dreaming? Did her son really come back from the dead?

“Takashi…”

She reached out, feeling the warm flesh of his cheek under her fingers. He looked different, with a scar over the bridge of his nose and a lock of hair turned white as snow, but it was him, and he was real. Her little boy was back.

Naoko pulled him in a hug, unable to hold back her tears. Takashi wrapped his arms around her, and Naoko could feel the quiet sobs spilling out of his chest.

Once their tears subsided, Naoko pulled back slightly so she could take a good look at her son. He looked pale and tired, and Naoko noticed that his right arm didn’t feel like flesh. She looked down and saw the metal hand peeking out of his sleeve. She looked back into his eyes.

“Takashi, my dear, what happened to you? I was told you died! Where have you been?”

Her son looked down, holding her hands in his.

“This may be hard to believe, but I was abducted by aliens for a year, and then I joined a team to fight an intergalactic evil empire and… well, it’s a long story.”

“Abducted by aliens? Really?” Takashi rubbed the back of his head. He looked exactly like that time when he was seven and he was about to tell her he dropped her new phone in the toilet.

“I’ll tell you everything, I promise. But first, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Takashi looked over his shoulder and waved at someone out of Naoko’s sight. A man approached them, and she gasped. That man looked exactly like her son, even with a matching scar and white lock of hair, even if his hairdo and clothes were different.

“Kaa-san, this is Ryou. He’s… Well, he’s my clone, but he’s been more like a twin brother since we met.”

The man glanced at her for a second, quickly averting his eyes to the ground, shoulders hunched. It was exactly what Takashi used to do when he thought he was being disappointing, and Naoko felt new tears choking her throat. She cupped the man’s cheeks and made him look at her. His eyes were so familiar, so full of anxiety and fear, like a child expecting to be scolded for something beyond his control.

“Ryou…” Naoko muttered, the name heavy on her tongue. “Like your grandfather?”

Takashi nodded.

“It seemed fitting.”

Naoko smiled. Her father had helped her beyond measure, taking care of Takashi while Naoko was at work after her husband died.

“Welcome home, Ryou.”

A tear slipped down his cheek.

“Thank you. I didn’t know… I thought you…”

Naoko silenced him with a finger over his lips.

“There’s no need to worry. If Takashi says you’re like a brother to him, then that means you’re like my son too.”

She hugged him, and Ryou rested his head on her shoulder, his body shaking in sheer relief.

“Thank you, kaa-san.”

Naoko’s heart was filled with warmth. She couldn’t believe how lucky she had been, to not only get her son back but also a second one! Surely nothing else could make her happier. She rubbed her eyes and looked at both.

“Come in. You have to tell me everything that happened to you.”

“Actually…” Takashi looked at her sheepishly. “There’s someone else I want you to meet.”

Naoko arched her eyebrows. Did he have another clone? Who else would her son want to introduce her to? Takashi waved again, and a third person joined them. To Naoko’s surprise, this one was a young woman. Naoko immediately noticed her pointed ears and the weird marks under her eyes. She had the feeling those weren’t make-up.

“Kaa-san, this is Allura. She is… well…” Takashi blushed. “We’re together.”

Naoko’s jaw dropped. Now that was unexpected. The girl, Allura, bowed slightly.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Shirogane. I’m Princess Allura of planet Altea. Shiro told me a lot about you, I’m glad we finally meet.”

“Nice to meet you too… uh… Princess Allura.” Naoko hesitated. She had no idea how to address an alien princess. She also wondered how an alien could speak perfect Japanese, but now there were more important matters to discuss. She turned to her son.

“So, you got yourself a girlfriend? You spent all your adolescence saying you weren’t interested in romance, and now you’re telling me you found yourself a girlfriend in space? An alien princess girlfriend?”

“Uh… Yes?”

Naoko shook her head. This son of hers…

“Well, now I’m even more interested in listening to the whole story, unless you have more surprises… Wait.” A sudden thought slipped into her mind. She turned to Allura. “Are you pregnant?”

“What?” Allura blinked in disbelief. Takashi turned a deep crimson, Ryou snickered. “No, I’m not pregnant!”

“Thank goodness.” Naoko sighed, a hand on her chest. Then she quickly added. “It’s not that I don’t want grandchildren, I do, of course, it’s just that I already had enough surprises for a whole year. Well, if there aren’t any more people you want to introduce to me, Takashi, you should come in. I’ll make tea and then you can tell me all about your space adventures.”

They took off their shoes, and as Naoko was distracted handing Allura a pair of slippers, and the princess praised the beauty of her home, Ryou leant close to Takashi’s ear.

“Should we tell her about Sven?”

“Better later.”

PS: Eventually, Naoko meets Sven. She adopts him right away (and she thinks his accent is lovely).