#yukiya imagine

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Parallelism #1 Episode 5 vs Episode 13. Wakamiya getting punched by his beloveds. He must be thankful that Yukiya is smaller than Hamayu.

The young gentleman noticed Yukiya and raised his hands greetingly, and Yukiya, smiling, ran into him with his fists. However, he immediately broke Yukiya’s arm and threw him back, apparently he didn't lie when he said he could do martial arts. It caught Yukiya by surprise, and he flew into the air. (“Book 2: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master,” Chisato Abe

“And so, from now on, the question of my origin and status has been finally resolved.”

“Yes…. What?”

“I'll hit you!”

Sparks exploded before Nazukihiko's eyes almost simultaneously with these words. She took him by surprise, and he, putting his hand to his saddening and burning cheek, looked at her with disbelief.

“But I thought you were in love with me!” Sumiko laughed cheerfully, looking at his face, which reflected a complete misunderstanding, why he was hit. “You will find out the girl's heart.” (Book 1: Kimono Doesn’t Fit a Crow,” Chisato Abe)

[yatagarasuhonyaku]

Minami Tachibana and the On'i System

Blog version

Context: Yukiya is back from the Ravine and has shared his discoveries (or lack thereof) with Sumio and Wakamiya.

As Sumio and Wakamiya fell deep in thought, Yukiya raised his hand.

"So, about that… Who are Rokon and Atsufusa, exactly?"

They were clearly different from the other Court Ravens. They felt much, much closer to Natsuka than all the others.

"Rokon is Natsuka's bodyguard, and an unmatched warrior," Wakamiya said.

Sumio grimaced with disgust.

"He's indeed strong, but I don't know if I would go as far as to say unmatched. Anyway, he's a man of excess. He was famous for it even back at Unbending Reed Monastery."

"Famous?"

"Exactly. There were all kinds of horrible stories about his exploits. Like the one time he almost killed an instructor during a training match, or when he violently murdered a bunch of burglars who had snuck inside the Monastery."

"…… But, those are all rumors, right?" As soon as Yukiya said that, the memories of the madness that had transpired last night came back to him. Actually, those rumors sound quite believable, he thought to himself.

Sumio, on the other hand, just winced.

"I cannot tell you whether the rumors are real or not, but at the very least I don't like the man. I would rather not fight him, if I can avoid it."

Certainly, anyone with the ability to cut an adult man in two in a single slice is anything but normal. The thought must have been written all over Yukiya's face, as Sumio suddenly raised his voice.

"Let me tell you, it's not because of how strong he is. There is just something fundamentally wrong with him. Words just don't work with him, I can't stand it."

"Words just… don't work, huh."

The terror Yukiya felt that night was still fresh in his mind. Somehow, he understood what Sumio was trying to tell him.

"Rokon was once known as Michichika of Minami Tachibana. His birth house is powerful and influential even among the Southern-affiliated Court Ravens, but he chose to not use the On’i System and instead joined the Monastery out of his own volition."

The On'i System(1). A system that allowed the children and grandchildren of public officials to automatically gain a position of about half the rank of their father or grandfather. For most Court Ravens, it was the vastly preferred entry method to the Imperial Court. It too was why Kiei(2) had such a high position for his age.

Someone like Rokon could have attained quite a high rank without doing anything, and yet he still chose went to the Unbending Reed Monastery. On top of that, he performed well enough to graduate at the top of his class.

"And yet, he chose to not join the Yamauchi Guard and became Lord Natsuka's personal guard instead. As much as I may not want to admit it, he's what one would call a genius, and those under him idolize him. Even among the Yamauchi Guard, with all its factions, Rokon's believers are a major force." A moment later, Sumio added. "I don't like him, though."

Given his reaction, one could imagine that Sumio was, nevertheless, not wholly immune to the man's influence.

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

1: The On'i System has its origins in China and was actually employed in multiple East Asian countries. It's also known as the "protected appointments system for hereditary privileges."

2: Yukiya's cousin. He is the heir to the Lord of the North, and takes care of Yukiya when he arrives at Court during 'The Raven Doesn't Choose Its Master'. He appears briefly in the first episodes of the anime.

[freewilllife]

Yatagarasu - The Raven does not choose its master

I like the anime and the parts of the manga that I have already read...

However I would like to add something about the two brothers Natsuka and Wakamiya (Nazukihiko).

The relationship and also Natsuka´s behaviour fascinate me a lil bit.

Well...the bond between the younger and older brother basically does seem to be rather superficial, but this could be a carmouflage between the two brothers. They are half-brothers. Natsuka is the 5 year older son of the queen and Wakamiya, the son of a concubine, is the heir of his father.

Natsuka

So if not for Wakamiya, Natsuka would be the next king, as he is however the "Golden Kinu" - and he does seem to have really some kind of "magic abilities" in contrast to all the other Yatagarasu he became the crown prince, at least unofficially.

10 years ago Natsuka became a priest and calmed the dispute - at least a little- even though there are rumours that it was not a voluntary action.

There is a strange sect established around him...the "Natsuka-Sect" and it was a member of this very sect that tried to kill Wakamiya.

Natsuka is the type of person I can imagine people would rather see on the throne than the Wakamiya as he has the flair, and his way of talking and his whole behaviour basically evaporates "royalty" and he is the son of the queen, who is dead-set on getting her son on the throne.

And Natsuka allowed Rokon to take the culprit out. An ambiguous action. More or less it prevents other members on further attempts without Natsuka´s definite order. And it appears that the other members do not know any kind of plan in order to take out Wakamiya yet?

I know that I might interpret too much into it, but you could also read into this action that he tried to "protect Wakamiya"...

I would have not make this strange suggestion if not many of Natsuka´s actions are strange.

Natsuka´s ambiguous actions until episode 5

The past when Natsuka talked about the Golden Kinu with his grand-father

The first time I wondered about his words when he was 5 years old...There were ambiguous. You could interpret it either

a) that he feared Wakamiya,

b) hated him for taking his place or

c) even worried about him..."Why does the Golden Kinu have to be my brother?"

2. Natsuka suggested Yukiya as a personal attendant to Wakamiya

The original one had been the son of one of his men? Why did he not suggest another son of his men that nobody knew worked for him? It would have been a great opportunity to kill Wakamiya, but he suggested a boy over whom he had not that much influence as the next attendant. Natsuka also did not suggest Yukiya on a whim, as he seemed to be convinced that Yukiya would be kept by Wakamiya and he was right. Wakamiya won another person he could trust.

So how could he use Yukiya? I haven´t understood it yet. Yukiya as a rather cunning, but upright person that let himself be beaten in order to teach that noble a lesson.

3. The moment before Natsuka kneeled in front of his little brother.

When Wakamiya tried to ruffle their feathers, he proclaimed that Natsuka should kneel in front of him and swear fealty. Natsuka was upset and his companion whose name I have forgotten, told them straightforwardly - he seems to be the upright type - that Natsuka was above such actions and that he would care for the Wakamiya...

And that was the moment Natsuka suddenly agreed to perform the very action as if he wanted to hinder "Mr. Upright" to babble too much.

4. Episode 5: the punishment of that supposed murderer?

Like I said before, you could also interpret it as Natsuka keeping the Natsuka sect in control and also...

5. Wakamiya´s admittance that Natsuka does not give definite orders to the sect...meaning there has not yet been a direct order to kill Wakamiya.

It could be very well be that the relationship between Wakamiya and Natsuka may be not as horrible....and their estranged relationship is merely a cover...on the other hand it could be that Natsuka hates Wakamiya and vice versa as the very existence of Natsuka will forever threaten Wakamiya´s claim and Natsuka had lost something he must have thought as his birthright.

[ren-rambles-often]

Hello, just want to say, thanks for your recs and reviews. I started Yatagarasu because of you, and I love it so much.....The story and characters are all amazing... I did not see the plot twist at all until the end....

Also, Yukiya and Wakamiya's dynamics are just so great....Found a new fav ship from the series....Thanks again, @readreactrant ....🤩😆

Oh, have you watched "Delico's Nursery" (maybe you'll like it, too)....?

Tf is a Delico's Nursery?!

Is what I would ask if I was uncultured 😏

More on that soon.

Dnana my precious you are very welcome, and I'm so happy you like Yatagarasu, helping people find some underrated shows they'll enjoy is definitely something I can’t help but be a lil stupid passionate about. Especially in a season that just seems to be choked with generic isekai and het incest/pseudo incest romance anime.

The queers, when will our generic gay isekai incest fantasy start 🥲😭 (More on Wistoria wand and sword in another post.)

Glad you like the ship too, let us all manifest them becoming popular so we might have some fics, fanart and doujins 🙏

I'd do it all myself but I'm in a writing slump and my art could give Satan nightmares.

Moving on lmao...Delico's Nursery is...all I would ever want from a vampire centred baby sitting anime.

I genuinely wanted to talk about this when I had draft and screenchots sorted out but fuck it we ball!

Imagine Buddy Daddies but Vampires with four dumbass homosexual fathers instead of two!!! What more can you ask for?!

"But Ren, they have/had wives 🤓☝"

Have a cup of whimsy once in a while is all I say to that.

If I had to pick 2 things I gripe with it very rarely those would be the names and the way the animation does my boys' faces so dirty at times.

They literally look like they're in agony in some still frames so be prepared for the plot, the ✨DRAMAAA✨ and character interactions to do some heavy lifting at times. Settings though are drop dead gorgeous with the most immersive atmospheric feel to them, everywhere is so washed and somber like I'd expect a vampire world to be, no shade to Case study of Vanitas, execution is key and both shows are nailing their moods for me.

Now for the names...tf name's their child Dali Delico??? Sounds like some Italian deserted I'd eat without hesitation.

Know who else I'd eat (out) without hesitation???

Gayhard Fra. (I know that's not how his name is spelt but it might as well be correct).

He is blond, he's a tsundere and his outfit is literally too sexy for me to think straight. Full coverage ain't hiding that snatched waist and the fact he would degrade me only makes it hotter. Not mention his son is absolutely the most adorable thing ever oh my God 🥰😍

Other members in our team of hopeless dads are *checks notes* Dino Classico and Henrique Lorca.....

All I have to say is, Behind the name probs wasn't used in the writer's room cuz these might have a sort of relation to the characters but they sound dumb, I'm sorry 😶

Now I'm done dissing names and simping for Gayhartron, go and watch Delico's Nursery I BEG OF YOU, ITS ACTUALLY GOOD RN. I really don't think it'll be disappointing but what will be is if we don't get a season two cuz it didn't turn a profit so move move move!!!

I don't have much to say rn without spoiling cuz this show is definitely something you should watch for yourself, unlike buddy Daddies though, I know it won't be for everyone, especially the animation. It seems like it's an anime original, or adapted from a stage play (I might be thinking of another show don't sue me) cuz I couldn't find a manga on my sites, so yeah if things don't end this season, our chances of getting more hang in the balance.

The opening is a bop though so stay every episode for that and the cute kids if nothing else interests you.

Thanks for reading my word vomit as always, and Dnana it's a pleasure anytime 💕

[dragon-fly34]

Yukiya my beloved 🗣️🗣️

Imagine that Yukiya is like Mario and Luigi's younger brother (since in my hc the brothers are Yoshi's adopted children) and he loves to be the annoying one between him and his "brothers"

reference to the pose I found on Tumblr:

[sayaka19fan]

Character interview from the Fan Book - Yukiya

雪哉 (ゆきや)

北領垂氷郷長の「ぼんくら」次男。 若宮の側仕えとして朝廷へ。

Yukiya

The second blockhead son of the chief of Taruhi in the Northern Territories. He went to the Imperial Court as a personal attendant of the young prince.

Q. 側仕えに大抜擢された今の心境は?

A. あまりに突然なことで驚き呆れ恐れおののい ております。

Q. How do you feel now that you have been unexpectedly chosen as an attendant?

A. I am surprised, stunned and frightened by the suddenness of it all.

Q. 宮仕えは楽しみですか?

A. 名誉なお役目だと思っております。

Q. Are you looking forward to serving at court?

A. I consider it an honourable duty.

Q. 楽しみですか?

A. クソ楽しみです。もう帰っていいですか?

Q. Are you looking forward to it?

A. I'm fucking looking forward to it. Can I go home now?

阿部さんから見た雪哉とは?

本編の主人公みたいなものその②。間違って も美少年ではない。心優しいぼんくらのふりを しているが、負けず嫌いなせいで色々とぼろ が出ている。そういうところがまだまだ甘ちゃ んである。なんだかんだ言って坊ちゃん生ま れ坊ちゃん育ち。その本性は家族思いの腹黒。

What is Yukiya from Abe's point of view?

He is like the main character of the second novel. He's not a pretty boy by any means. He pretends to be a kind-hearted, dim-witted boy, but his competitive nature makes his hidden nature come out in many ways. He is still a naive boy in that regard. He was born and brought up as a youth of a well-to-do family. In his true nature, he is a family-oriented scheming person.

Side note: "Yuki" in Yukiya, Yukima, and Yukichi is the character for "snow," and Taruhi means "frost."

[quetzalpapalotl]

Not wanting to wait for the anime, I tried to read the Yatagarasu manga and was confused at first because there's two?? And they start at the same point? But it turns out they adapt novel 1 and 2 which occur simultaneously. Novel 1 focuses on the ladies of the spring residence and novel 2 focuses on Yukiya. The anime seems to be doing a mix of both but mostly focusing on Yukiya, the anime is even titled like the second novel. So I was happy to read the first novel manga, as I wanted to see more of the princesses. (It's fun how innocent and cute Yukiya looks from an outsiders POV lol)

It was great!!! The manga is so so pretty!! I love women. Also, I need Hamayuu and Masuho to kiss or I'm going to throw myself into the ocean.

spoilers under the cut

ASEBI OH MY GOD I had been thinking her character was too simple compared to everyone else but that she was nice and likeable. Her lack of knowledge seemed absurd at times tho and I was wondering if there was more to it, I guesses her father was not her father and that there had to be some ploy around her. But I never imagined Asebi herself to be THIS cunning. That's on me, the signs were there. She is THE worst. God, I love her. I love that is not even entirely an act, that makes it worse, she fucking sucks.

Masuho-no-susuki and Hamayuu steal the show for me tho. I am in love with them. Literally everything they do and say, every interaction they have with other people is all fun to me. They're so good. I love peeling their layers. Every since they both agreed they don't want Samomo punished because losing her job would ruin her life I've been rooting for them to get along.

I was SO proud of Masuho when she rejected the prince. Good for her. Wakamiya is an asshole, I get where he's coming from but he's an asshole lmao. But he really does love Hamayuu so he has good taste.

Hamayuu having lovers would only be a concern because it would bring into question the legitimacy of any children she has right?? So that's not a problem if she sleeps with someone that cannot give her children. After all of this, Hamayuu deserves to have an affair with her attendant. Mistresses also give their attendants gifts, so she can still shower Masuho with luxury items. I'm sure these two will have a happy life together.

[hanzhen0506]

Im so sorry guys but I have another 8loom members thoughts 😭🥰

Yukiya’s love language is so physical touch, always has a hand on you. Whether around your shoulder, waist, hand. He would not let go and whines while following you if you do let go.

Eiji would want to be out of the ordinary but still has his touch. So imagine your surprise when your invited to the 8loom’s dorm and have all of his book into a fort. He would read you a bedtime story and you’ll fall asleep on his arms under the fort.

Although Takumi seems like a big cutie baby in a tall body, he actually doesnt mind when you get tired of life. He would try and make you fall asleep, leave and return back with snacks!

Dan would always offer to cook you food, to the point you guys barely have a single restaurant date. He says its better cause you wont be swarm with paparazzi and his food do taste better. When actually he just feels more comfortable to be with you in private and shows his appreciation and affection towards you.

Takara would go as far as carrying you out of your office so that you wont overwork yourself. He would always listen to you and stop working, so he should do the same. In his own ways.

Everytime Ryusei finishes practice, 8loom schedules or even before performances his first question would be “Have you seen my girlfriend?” Because he just wants to relax and recharge with your hugs.

Naruse would often be absent for classes in high school. So you rarely meet him in the day, but what he can do to make it up to you, is pick you up from school. Every school dismissal time you would run and jump to him while he hugs you and bring you to the car.

[everpresentfeeling]

While the anime Yukiya is definitely more handsome, Abe has specifically described him as "absolutely not a pretty boy", and he is also described many times in a novels as having messy hair so in that sense the manga design is arguably more "accurate". The anime team also treated the manga author Matsuzaki-sensei really badly which turned into a bit of a scandal before the anime aired, which made many fans in Japan quite negatively biased towards the anime designs. I have myself grown to like them quite a bit but the manga designs are definitely closer to what I imagined in my mind when I read the novels.

I’m an anime-first, so this may be why I’m biased towards Yukiya’s anime design than to his novel and manga designs. But like, anime!Yukiya is just soooo handsome

They also quickly established him as a competent character—which I love!

His calm demeanor and carefree smile here gave me the impression that he is not fazed at all and that he has everything in control

In contrast, manga!Yukiya is adamant on looking like a “blockhead”:

The anime’s got no time to keep this charade up for long, though, so Yukiya’s “blockhead” status is refuted right away at the beginning of episode two with this sly smile of his

(He is so handsome here!)

For me, manga!Yukiya is like Hinata from Haikyuu who’s all fluffy and sunny but can get serious and intense when needed

In contrast, anime!Yukiya is that nonchalant character who laughs everything off as if it were nothing, but deep down he actually cares the most

[asexual-angsty-writer]

Yet another small drawing between Hashirama and Yukiya — I imagine this would be Post founding of Konoha.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Starting from right, Sumio, Ichiryuu, Yukiya, who’s all grown up, and his schoolmates Shigemaru, Akeru (Masuho no Susuki’s youngest brother) and Chihaya from the Keisoin Academy from The Empty Coffin, Book 4 of the series. Illustrated by Matsuzaki Natsumi. (From the fan book)

Can’t imagine Yukiya has become taller than Sumio. Muscular too. And I assume, he looks more like his late mum.

[freewilllife]

Yatagarasu - Episode 11

I would have never thought that the Nazukihiko would choose his wife in the next episode. Like...suddenly a whole year is over.

Yukiya was - of course - mad...Imagine what Yukija has been put through by Nazukihiko and at the end of it...he chose him, because he was the grandson of the leader of the North.

Understandable from Nazukihiko´s and Natsuka´s perspective...After all...they needed a connection with the North...Nazukihiko ...spoilerspoiler....will marry Hamayu, part of the South family...spoilerspoiler, his mother was from the West and the East doesn´t take part in politics much...So it is a wise decision overall...

Like at the end of the day, people want to be save and have a good life and Nazukihiko does seem to want to be a good ruler, however...he is sometimes really blunt.

The way he will "confess to his future wife" is brutal and not at all romantic, even though you get to know later on, that he actually likes/loves his wife very much.

The same might be true in Yukiya´s case...Nazukihiko tried to be open with him at the end...but at the end I do think that he likes Yukiya as much as the child likes him.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Apologies if I keep on adding Takumo Norita’s thoughts re behind the scenes of each episode. (For my file.)

From the beginning, I found myself wondering if something happened at the end of episode 5, as Fujinami is lying down. (She must be exhausted from the princesses’ shenanigans when she really wants only Asebi to win the race.)

Episode 6: A Tanabata Invitation

Up until now, I had been reviewing all the cuts as the chief animation director, but due to scheduling constraints, I had to narrow down my work to about one-third of the total cuts, roughly 120 cuts, starting from this episode.

After the colors were added, I made adjustments to certain cuts that stood out, so while I couldn't be thorough in terms of animation, I believe it turned out well enough not to interfere with the viewing experience. It's unfortunate that I couldn't depict the showcase scenes of the Nagon and tea flowers in episode 6.

Fujinami and Yukiya tended to lose their youthful essence, being influenced by the adult characters around them, so it's a shame I couldn't fix that aspect either. (In the manga, the ladies in waiting remarked that Yukiya was too young to be Wakamiya’s attendant, when he was 13 going to be 14, and commented on his dirty appearance.)

Each character's Tanabata outfit was newly tailored, so it was challenging to memorize them. The kimono that Masuho was sewing is amazing, isn't it? I can't imagine Wakamiya wearing it. (Ditto. It is too extravagant and Wakamiya is not that of a peacock to show off.)

[shall-we-imagine]

Crime and Tea (SigurdxReader AU)

Hii I’m alive-ish lmao

genre: murder mystery, romance, comedy

“I hope you enjoy your stay, my lady.” Her butler bows slightly.

“I can already tell I’ll love it here; it’s so cozy!” Her eyes fail to commit to a single spot for longer than a second, excited to take in every detail of the small room.

“It’s rather humble in comparison to what you’ve grown used to, but since the train is the only way to the kingdom of light, this was the best I could find. My apologies.” He bows once more.

Her eyebrows furrow, but before any light hearted response could escape her, she realizes the reason for Sigurd’s elevated formality. The door to her room is still open, and there were innocent passersby and gossiping eavesdroppers alike. All are within earshot and are equally likely to assume a suspicious relationship between her and her butler.

She clears her throat, “I suppose this will do. You’re dismissed.”

Sigurd manages a small smile -one she happily returns- then bows and exists her room, not forgetting to slide her door shut.

(Y/N) huffs. She knows being so close to the royal family comes at a price, and it was worth it for the most part, but sometimes she wished she didn’t have to try so hard not to be the topic of interest amongst people, especially not because of such ‘scandal’. Sometimes she just wanted to spend time with Sigurd without it being ‘wrong’.

“Well, there’s always tea time, I suppose.” She smiles to herself.

In the meantime, (Y/N) seats herself by the window, patiently waiting for the scenery before her to change.

Shortly after she began losing interest in the repeating rows of trees rushing past the window, she hears a soft knock on the door.

“Come in.” She withholds her excitement in case the person behind the door isn’t who she anticipates.

A grin forms on her face at the sight of the dark haired man. She could tell he barely held back a smile too, but he made sure to close the door first, giving them the closest thing to privacy they could get on a train.

“It’s time for your tea break, Miss Queen’s personal detective.” Sigurd grins, “I suppose this could count as a celebratory tea break too.”

“Yes!!” She cheers, partially for her recruitment and partially just for hot tea and hot man. She was indeed a woman of simple needs.

The butler places a cup of hot green tea on the coffee table in front of her, “It’s the one you requested.”

Her face lights up; she clasps the warm cup, eager to take in a brew from a faraway land. She was ready to point out microscopic differences in the aroma and flavor of the tea, and Sigurd was ready to listen.

“Will you join me?”

It may appear as a question, but Sigurd knew this was a request- an order even.

“Anything for you, my lady.” He seats himself opposite to her.

“You know you can just say (Y/N), right? No one can hear us anyway.” The train had been enough of a nuisance to convince her it was impossible for anyone to overhear even if they tried.

“Well, aren’t you my lady even if people aren’t listening?” He gives an almost innocent smile. She knows that fucker did it on purpose.

The tea felt no hotter than her cheeks at the moment. “I- uh, well…”

Sigurd chuckles, “How’s the tea?”

“Oh, the tea!” Relief and excitement lead the way, “The smell is already so relaxing!”

“Indeed, it is.” His words accidentally seemed sarcastic, considering he picks that moment to pour himself some coffee.

She pays him no mind and finally takes her first sip. She takes a few moments to analyze the novel taste, “I love it!”

“Really?” Sigurd encourages a more detailed answer.

“It’s very different from what I’m used to; it doesn’t even taste like green tea, but it’s good.” She takes another sip.

“I wonder if it’s a mistranslation…” Sigurd takes a sip of his coffee.

“Hmm…I suppose it could be.” She ponders for a moment then shrugs, “You should try it anyway; it’s good.”

(Y/N) slides the cup towards him, and he gently picks up the ceramic floral cup almost like gripping it too much would break it. Well, the contrast between the size of the cup and the size of his hands made it very feasible.

She catches herself smiling at the thought and immediately tries to bring her attention back to the tea; the blush creeping up on her is obviously nonexistent, and she won’t acknowledge it.

“It really does taste nice. The flavor isn’t as bitter as usual green tea, which I like.”

“Don’t you like coffee?”

“Well, coffee makes bitterness taste better than green tea does; sue me.” He flicks his wrist dismissively.

She giggles, “I think you’re just biased.”

“Me? I’m never biased.”

“That’s a lie.” She smirks.

He observes her features for a few seconds before choosing violence. Or choosing to embarrass her- same thing, really.

“You’re right. I am biased sometimes- mostly when it comes to a certain person.” He waits for the flustered expression he adores so much.

There it is. He doesn’t prevent the smugness from showing on his face.

“You sound especially flirty today.” She mumbles, avoiding eye contact.

“Hmm?” She isn’t about to repeat herself, but he chooses to play dumb still.

“Nothing.” She sips her tea, “I heard Prince Caesar’s wedding was called off.”

As innocent as the statement sounds, Sigurd has gotten used to her subtle ways of asking for more information. Gossip is an integral part of tea breaks, after all.

His smile widens, “It was.”

She traces the rim of the now empty cup, “Why’s that?”

A sly aura surrounds the handsome man before her, as he leans in closer. His voice quieter than a whisper, he warns, “You’ve merely heard of this from the talk around town, and it’s not from a reliable source…”

“I’ve only heard of the wedding cancellation; that’s all I know.” Smiling, she assures her butler he won’t be getting executed for spreading this private information outside the palace. Well, not because of her at least.

She shudders at the image of Sigurd’s head rolling away from the guillotine for sharing the palace’s secrets, but she anticipates his next statement anyway.

“Good girl.” He whispers.

She instinctively pulls away from him, blushing furiously. The implications behind the simple words were glaringly obvious to her, yet he maintained the calm, innocent smile. Was she the one misinterpreting his signals? No, he’s certainly messing with her on purpose.

“Well, if you stay all the way over there, people might hear, and this is top secret.” He beckons for her to come closer to him; she hesitantly complies.

“The wedding was called off simply because…” Sigurd pauses for dramatic effect, as he does, “the groom wasn’t there.”

“What?!” She gasps, pulling away from him in shock, “Is he missing? Are they searching for him?”

Sigurd smirks. This is one of the main reasons he loves bringing her all the gossip: her reactions. He enjoys all her cute expressions and shocked remarks.

“Well, not exactly.” He pulls her by her arm, bringing his lips back to her ear, “Prince Caesar wasn’t kidnapped; rather, he was robbed.”

“Robbed?” She furrows her eyebrows, her head tilted towards Sigurd as if the answer would be written on his face.

“Of his heart, yes.” He pouts, pressing a palm to his chest.

Her eyes widen, “He was having an affai-”

Sigurd’s hand flies over her mouth, “Ssshh! You’re too loud!” he lets out a light laugh.

Just when she thought that was the most shocking part, Sigurd leans back in with the rest of his story.

“So, on the night before the wedding, he took off with his lover- who, by the way, is suspected to be a lowborn, but no one is fully sure of his identity yet.” Sigurd spills the rest of the details, “And that’s why the wedding had to be called off, but since the king and queen are ashamed their son took off with a lower class man, they don’t know if they’ll even call for an investigation to try to find him. I doubt the prince would come back on his own either.”

Her hand remains covering her gaping mouth, “Is this really the right time to visit the queen?”

“Well, they haven’t retracted their invitation, soo… would be a bit rude not to show up.” He shrugs, “Plus, at least we’ll go to the festival you wanted to visit for a while now.”

“You’re right; I can’t wait.” Her attention temporarily shifted from Prince Caesar; however, she couldn’t help but wonder how he’s doing. She’s never met him before, but she heard he’s a kind soul. “Still, I hope the prince is safe and happy with his lover.” She sighs.

“I trust the prince has a good survival plan.” He smiles reassuringly.

She opens her mouth to respond, but loud screams freeze time for a few seconds, as they try to make sense of it. “What was that?” she croaks.

“I- I don’t know.” His troubled expression fails to ease her nerves.

“We have to check.” She rushes towards the door, but Sigurd grips her arm.

“Stay behind me.” His pleading eyes bore into her, “Please.”

She doesn’t argue; she wanted to get to the source of the screams as soon as possible, even if it meant she doesn’t insist she can safely lead the way, and that she’s capable of taking care of herself. It wasn’t the time.

He takes a deep breath before carefully sliding the door open. He peeks outside, making sure it’s safe for them to walk out. “Stay close.” He instructs.

She almost pushes past him impatiently, but she forces herself to nod and match Sigurd’s -too slow for her liking- pace.

“Sigurd, you’re too slow.” She hisses.

“I’m sorry I don’t want us to be ambushed.” He retorts.

“Do you wanna make it to the front page for being the rudest butler?”

“I won’t let the fame get to my head; don’t you worry.”

She was once again interrupted before mustering a reply. “Wait.” Sigurd’s arm barricades the path to the next cart, aka the source of the screams.

“What is it?” She stands on the tip of her toes, trying to take a peek past his shoulders.

“A body.” He slowly allows her through.

“A…body..?” Her eyes frantically scan the scene in front of her.

“Everyone move out the way; this is an order.” She whips out her badge, showing it the circle of people who slowly make way for her.

The newly promoted detective squats down next to the body, silently cursing this new position that lead her to a murder case in less than a day.

Something catches her attention, and she tugs on the unconscious man’s unbuttoned collar, revealing bruises around his neck. “He was strangled…” She states.

“None of you saw anything?” She turns to face the crowd, only now noticing a bunch of familiar faces among them.

“The lights went out; no one could see anything.” One of said familiar faces speaks quietly.

“Gu- Er..Sir Brighton,” The formality tasted weird in her mouth, since the two were close friends, but she pushes through, “the lights seemed to be fine in my room; was it only this cart?”

“Seems like it.”

Another joins in, “My room was fine too. It seems the murderer knew what they were doing.” Luca, one of the very known noblemen, walks closer to the body casually. She saw through his cool attitude; this man is thrilled to be witnessing a murder. She cringes.

“He could still be alive.” A blonde man steps closer, “Can I check?”

The man is certainly a Goldstein, but she couldn’t quite tell which of the brothers. Regardless, they’re all well versed in medicine, so she had no problem trusting any of them.

“Yes, please.” Her next step had been finding a doctor for that exact reason, but the doctor seemed to find her first.

“I’m sorry, Miss Hart, but I don’t think he made it…” The blonde apologizes and steps back, a grim look on his face.

“Took you no time at all, Goldstein.” Luca interjects, “Almost like you already knew he’s dead.”

There was no point in considering the possibility; Luca Orlem’s hobbies consist mainly of flattering and disturbing anything that breathes- that includes accusing his friend of murder for fun of course.

On the bright side, she now knows which Goldstein this is (by relying on Sigurd’s description of their relationship)

“Shut up, Orlem.” Elias mutters.

“Well, he’s not entirely wrong; everyone here is a suspect.” A man spoke, “Even you, Miss Hart.” It may have been disgust or just distrust, but the way he spoke brought everyone at least some discomfort. But he was right.

“You’re right.” She replies quietly, glancing at her butler near the door. He’s the only one, apart from herself of course, that she could confirm wasn’t near the body when it happened.

Her train of thoughts was cut off when she noticed he was frantically trying to tell her something.

Azusa Kuze!!, Sigurd mouths while aggressively pointing at the man.

Azusa Kuze?! Her eyes widen. Did the case just solve itself by this man’s presence? No, she’s a professional. She won’t make assumptions; he may be a very shady individual with a couple of accusations pointing right at him to no avail, but that doesn’t make him the murderer. Not yet at least.

She will, however, keep her eye on him.

She mouths a thank you to her butler before redirecting her attention to the body.

“Nobody touch or move the body.” She orders, “Anyone that does as much as come near the body will be convicted for tampering with evidence.”

She stands up, “As Mr. Kuze stated previously, everyone here is a suspect; therefore, for your own safety, don’t put too much trust in your surroundings and avoid being isolated from the crowds. I’ll send someone to guard the electric-”

Her heart drops.

The lights went out before she could send someone to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Fear spread like wildfire: screams and rushing footsteps (loud enough to cover up another murder) took over the cart.

“Stop! everybody stay quiet and stay still!” She yells sternly, but no matter how many times she yells for them to quit making it easy for the culprit, her voice was drowned out by all the fearful passengers.

It couldn’t have been longer than like 30 seconds, but the desperation and fear stretched these seconds to minutes, and in her mind, this was enough time for more victims or even an escape- what is she gonna do?! She might as well just bury herself alive right this second and be forever remembered as the failure of a detective she is.

The light coming back almost suffocated her; she wanted to feel relieved, but she was scared to see the aftermath of her incompetence.

Nervously, she begins scanning the now awfully quiet cart; everyone is collectively holding their breath, searching for the new body.

“Everyone’s alive…?” Uncertainty kept her voice a whisper.

“Seems like it.” Guy responds.

She almost lets out a sigh of relief.

Almost.

“Where’s the body?” A man bursts into the cart.

“Zeus, can we not do this?” A dark haired man follows behind.

She recognized the two problems approaching her, but a bigger, far more serious problem stuck out like a sore thumb. Where is the body?

Her eyes scan the crowd circling her for the missing culprit, but everyone was right there- Azusa Kuze included. It wasn’t enough time for someone to leave the cart, hide the body, and come back; this served as proof there may be more than one criminal on board after all.

“Mr. Curtis, please go make sure nobody manages to mess with the power again- quick before they do it again.” She orders, “No one else enters or leaves this cart; this includes you Mr. Brundle and, of course, your butler.”

Sigurd bows before exiting the cart.

“You can’t tell me what to do!” Zeus steps forward.

She raises her badge, “As a matter of fact, I can. Unless you’d like to be the main suspect on a murder case.”

“Main suspect?! I wasn’t even here for it!”

“Do you have any proof?” She raises an eyebrow and awaits his response or rather the lack thereof.

“Hiro was with me; we were at the bar.” He crosses his arm, “And I’d like to go back, since there is no body after all.”

His butler rolls his eyes, “You’ll get us beheaded, Brundle; let’s just wait till this is over.” He drags Zeus to the side.

“No- I don’t- ugh- fine.” Everyone watches as Zeus slowly gives in.

Nada turns around to face the other side, “Now…I wanna hear everybody’s alibi.”

She points to the person on her far right, “You. Where were you before and during the power outage?”

He wasn’t someone she recognizes, and she wished Sigurd was here to help guide her with his unending knowledge of everybody’s backstory, but here she was anyway.

“Just…sitting here…” The man spoke quietly.

Right. It’s a train; everyone can just say that. What was she expecting?

“Did you notice anyone suspicious?”

His eyes- well, eye, technically, considering the other was covered by an eye patch- shift towards Luca, “No…” He mumbles, looking back at the detective.

His hesitation hadn’t escaped her.

“Are you sure?”

He nods.

“Well, did you notice any strange behavior by Mr…” she trails off.

“Qing. Mr. Qing.” Azusa finishes her sentence.

“Yeah, Mr. Qing, did you notice him acting a little strange?”

“I don’t know him, so I suppose not.”

“You claim to have just been sitting there, yet you’ve noticed absolutely nothing in your surroundings.” She knew it was entirely possible, but for now, everyone is a suspect, and she was to treat it that way. Plus, she’d learned it firsthand that people are a lot more likely to throw others under the bus if they think it keeps others from pointing fingers at them.

His stare was the most blank she’d ever seen, “Yes.”

“Can anyone confirm you never left your seat?”

“Yes, I was with Yukiya the whole time.” The Goldstein interjects.

“It wasn’t your turn to speak, Mr. Goldstein.”

“Sorry.” His head hangs low.

Her gaze shifts back to Yukiya- his permanently blank stare unchanged.

Her vision slowly pans over to the next suspect. Vincent Knight. He’s a pretty famous merchant; his presence made the most sense to her, since the festival brought all types of buyers and sellers to the kingdom of Light. He’s more likely not the culprit, but she has to be sure.

“Mr. Knight.” She directs his attention to her.

“Miss Hart.” His flirtatious gaze brings color to her cheeks.

She clears her throat, “What were you doing before and during the power outage?”

“I was asleep.” He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.

“You were also right next to Glenn…” A familiar voice mumbles. Joel Crawford. She knew Joel since childhood, and he wasn’t one to start a fight, so his accusation came as a bit of a shock to her.

“What are you trying to say, kid?” Annoyance displayed itself openly on his features.

“I’m saying you’re too calm for someone whose friend just got murdered.”

“And that makes me a murderer?!” His voice got louder.

“Hey!” She needed to regain control over the situation, “No one is accusing anyone; we’re all on the same team here.”

“I’d say it’s quite the opposite, really. I don’t trust any of you.” Zeus seemed to find this the best moment to share his totally asked for opinion.

“Oh, but you’re so trustworthy.” Azusa replies sarcastically.

“You wanna say that again, fuckface?!” Before Zeus could reach his target, his butler drags him by his arm further away.

Before Azusa could test Zeus’s willingness to cooperate with his butler, there was another power outage.

Fear struck (Y/N)’s heart. Is Sigurd okay? Did the murderer(s) get to him?

No, she has to focus- keep everyone safe. Sigurd will be fine.

However, even more so than last time, screams and footsteps cover up the sound of all possible crimes, and nothing she says changes anything.

Her eyes water helplessly. Someone is gonna die, and she can’t stop it.

The light comes back on.

“Vincent!” A woman screams.

(Y/N)’s heart felt heavy in her chest. She failed to save another person, and unless she finds the culprit, there could be more to come.

“Everyone, stay back!” She approaches the body. Why did the method change this time? Why was he stabbed rather than choked to death? Was the murderer trying to be quicker? Were they getting less confident in their abilities? Doesn’t that mean Vincent could still be alive? It hasn’t been long enough for him to bleed to death, but…

Her eyes told a different story. There he was, very much dead.

Still, after silently observing his lifeless face, she turns to the professional, “Mr. Goldstein?”

He nods and rushes to her side.

He eagerly checks for any signs of life, alas, he shakes his head. “We lost him.”

What? This makes no sense.

Maybe Elias was lying.

Did Elias kill them?

Who was his partner in crime? Luca Orlem? Is his dislike for the charismatic nobleman a trick to repel suspicions?

Just then, her eyes fell on an item in Vincent’s open bag.

A fucking flashlight.

If he had a flashlight all this time, why didn’t he use it?

Nada grabs the flashlight. There’s no way he had a working flashlight in his bag, right?

However, with a simple click, a beam of light circles Elias.

Why didn’t he use it? It’s almost like he was trying to get murdered!

Unless…

Nada pulls out a shotgun and aims it at Vincent.

“W-what are you doing?!” His accomplice leaps in front of him.

“Step aside, Goldstein, you’ll get your turn after.”

Luca takes a seemingly hesitant step forward, “But…he’s already dead; why waste a bullet?”

Ha! They’re telling on themselves at this point.

“Step aside, both of you. Unless you wanna get shot.” She warns.

“Please, put the gun down; he’s dead. Why do you wanna shoot him?” Elias pleads.

Nada sighs before forcefully pushing past the two equally guilty men. She was gonna deal with them, but she had to prove her theory first.

“There’s no reason this man would have a flashlight and not use it, unless…” She grabs his hair, lifting his head up to face her.

“Unless…?” Zeus asks.

She presses her gun below his chin. “Unless he doesn’t want the killer to get caught.”

“Why would he help the killer?” Hiro stared at her like she was insane, but so did everyone else.

“Because this is not a murder…this is an escape.” She cocks her gun.

His eyes shoot open, “Please” he breathes out.

She grabs him by his collar, pulling him into a chokehold and turning to face the other two.

“Get down.” She points her gun at Vincent’s head. Luca and Elias comply.

“Miss Hart, please, let me explain.” Elias’s voice was shaky.

Everyone was frozen in place until Zeus seemed to break free from the trance. “Are you guys insane?! Tell her the truth! Now!”

The lights go off.

This time, she was ready. She pushes Vincent to the ground and shines the flashlight at the 3 culprits.

That’s when she saw it. The door to the cart Zeus and his butler came through was opening ever so slowly. Nada aims her gun at the entrance.

Sigurd walks in, holding a cake.

“Oh, dear, what happened?” He chuckles nervously.

“Sigurd?”

The lights come back on.

“Surprise?” Vincent hesitantly pushes himself off the floor, followed by Elias and Luca.

“I- what?”

“Congrats on the recruitment.” Joel punches her shoulder lightly.

“Yeah, we’re all happy for you.” Glenn peeks through the open door with a smile. He’s alive?

“What’s going on?”

“We really got you good, huh?” Zeus laughs.

“Should’ve seen your face!” Hiro adds.

“Was this all a prank?”

“Damn, you really are slow; let’s eat cake!” Zeus approaches Sigurd.

~~~

“I still can’t believe you planned all of this.” Nada sheepishly takes a bite out of her cake, “I really thought people were dying; I thought you died!”

Sigurd chuckles. “Worry not, my lady,” He brings her hand to his lips, “I’ll always be here by your side.”

“I- of course you will! It’s your job!” She pulls her hand back in embarrassment.

“Yes, yes, it is.” He smirks, “But, I wanna be by your side in other ways too.”

“What ways?”

Sigurd leans into her, his hot breath on her neck, “I’ll show you when we get to the hotel; how about it, hmm?”

“I- yes, sounds good!” She pushes him away shyly.

Yet on the inside, she couldn’t wait to get to that hotel…

[dragon-fly34]

Yukiya Munchakoopas

Ok my dear people, here is my fankid of Yosirdo, his name is Yukina (means happiness)

(The 1º picture is he is a child, the others are teenagers, aged 16 to 18)

Some headcanons about him:

-> Since he was a child, Yukina was shy (he takes after his father) but that didn't stop him from becoming a great companion for adventures.

-> Yukina doesn't have a favorite color, he loves almost all colors, that's why when he's a child and teenager he wears sweatshirts and blouses in different colors, and that's why he loves art. (just like your aunt Yoshiko)

-> In my Mario hc, 75% of the Yoshi population is non-binary (maybe because they don't know how to differentiate genders so well), Yoshi himself is non-binary and so is Yukina! He discovered when he was a teenager (along with when he discovered he was pansexual), he started feeling he/she pronouns.

The pansexual was also together in adolescence, Yukina had love interests with almost everyone who had different genders, he didn't know what that was (I imagine that Mario also has this problem, as he is bisexual but sometimes identifies as pansexual), Until he revealed this to his parents, they completely understood and said that this happened to many people.

-> Yukina is actually a hybrid, he is a Yoshi+Birdo but has more characteristics of a Yoshi.

-> He likes art like his aunt Yoshiko, he loved seeing her drawing and painting those drawings and then exhibiting them in the museum. Yoshiko also loved that her nephew liked arts like she did. (She keeps telling Yoshi and Birdo that Yukina had taken after Yoshi's family more)

-> He has a good relationship with his friends, but with Perry and Laura (Yes, Mareach and Luaisy's children!), he lifts them up just like his father did with Mario and Luigi and the three of them go off on adventures!

And here it is guys, I wanted to write more, but I'm lazy and I wrote this while an event was happening at my school, so bye!

[nitia95]

The crossover meeting nobody asked for: Jean d'Arc from Ikemen Vampire and Yukiya Reizen from Wizardess Heart.

This all happened because my sketch challenge of today was a patch

You can guess why I drew these two ☺️

Eye patch aside, I think they are similar: both are reserved, aloof but also really kind and the smiles are precious ❤️