#yuru's writings

[yurozo]

a study in silence (fenhawke)

(e) fenris is selfish for loving hawke the way he does, but can't help but forever remain in her orbit. circling in her presence, but never getting close enough to taste it. he's simply accepted that hawke is something that will always remain out of his reach, until she reaches for him first. fem!hawke and fenris romance, in the moments between.

1. Fenris lingers in the Hawke mansion for far longer than usual, lounging near the fireplace in relative silence. Marian and him were never ones for rushing through a good bottle of wine; it was always an unspoken rule between them, even when they could rarely agree on anything. He nurses the wine glass with an uncharacteristic languidness while he pretends not to notice the way Hawke is watching him out of the corner of her eye. He watches her just as sneakily in turn, at how her legs stretch out on the couch opposite him and how her arm flexes when she lifts her glass.

He feels a sort of shaky relief that he’s performing in the act of indulging something after all the years of having nothing. They have that in common, he supposes. Hawke tries to break the silence, chattering on about some recent adventure of theirs that Fenris had definitely been on. Regardless, Fenris lets her go on, watching her with a keen eye and a curled lip that looks suspiciously fond. Despite the fact he’s a man usually prone to quiet, his demeanor always stone and sly, Fenris finds a particular calmness in her endless discussions of whatever comes to her head. Ultimately, Fenris is a weak man only for her, in the way she provides a form of relief for him�� Fenris can simply sit and enjoy her endless meandering and take sips out of her glass when she pretends she’s not looking.

“Are you staying the night?” Hawke breaks the lull in her story, looking over at him with an expression Fenris can’t decipher.

“I suppose.” Fenris answers, still staring down at his glass. “The walk is far too long to make at this time of night.”

Hawke snorts at that. “Ah, yes. Walking to the other end of the street too much of a labor?”

“Exactly.” There’s a bit of a sly grin on his face. “Not after this much wine.”

Fenris doesn’t want to think about how much of a habit he’s made of staying the night at her place, sleeping stiffly in her armchair and trying desperately not to think about what she looks like in her bed. That every single time he will lie and tell her that sleeping there was comfortable, and the smile that she gives him will ultimately ease the ache in his muscles. The knowledge of Hawke in clothes other than her armor is enough to keep him out of the bedroom, because Fenris knows deep down he does not have enough self-control to be a gentleman about it. And knowing Hawke, she’s most likely sprawled out under her sheets, her dog curled up at her feet. The thought makes him smile anyways.

“You can sleep up in my room if you like.” Hawke’s voice lowers, and she looks away from him to stare down at her hands. “I do hate to see you sleeping on the chair like that.”

There’s a long silence that stretches between them, one that feels different than the others. It’s like a thick fog that settles on Fenris’ shoulders, clouding his better judgment. It’s a line that they’ve never dared to cross, despite their budding friendship over the years. Sure, Fenris has dragged her back home after a particularly tough venture outside of the city, or more often than not back from The Hanged Man. Despite this, he had never dared to cross the threshold into her bedroom. It felt private, like a barrier that always kept their friendship from developing into something more.

But then again, Fenris is a weak, weak man.

“Alright.” He answers, taking another sip of his wine. “I don’t believe the dog will fit on the bed with us.”

Hawke laughs. “He can survive sleeping on the ground for one night.”

They head up to the bedroom minutes later, once the bottle of wine has been thoroughly indulged. Fenris follows at her heels like a puppy, his fingertips lightly tapping against his thigh. Hawke pays no mind to it, opening the door for the both of them and gesturing to him to walk in first. Fenris takes a deep breath, and passes the threshold.

The first thing he notices is that the room is more sparse than he expected. There’s very little personal belongings in her room, save for a journal and scattered pieces of armor. Hawke had never been one for keeping things for herself, often being annoyingly generous with her gift-giving. He had been at the receiving end of it far too many times for him to count.

He lets Hawke climb into bed first while he takes off the remaining pieces of his armor. Fenris takes his time carefully placing it into the corner of the room, waiting for Hawke to change her mind. She doesn’t, and instead watches him undress with a sly grin on her face. He gives her a slightly scolding look, and she dramatically turns her head with a smile.

“Enjoying the view?” He climbs into bed, rolling his eyes playfully.

“Just admiring the Maker-given gifts.” She smiles back, settling under the covers.

Fenris lets out a light scoff, turning to face her. “I didn’t take you for an Andrastian.”

“I’m not.” Hawke answers simply, facing him as well. “But some sights almost make you believe.”

Fenris knows that part is true, at least. The sight of her once again, of Hawke lounging in her bed in something other than the armor he normally sees her in is enough to make even the most sadistic man believe in something more. Something pure and unbidden that Fenris is just self-hating enough to believe he will never deserve. Hawke had always been something that felt just outside of his grasp– humble enough to humor him with their friendship, but always too good for him to have. He’s thought about running away, about leaving Kirkwall and Hawke behind for good, but Fenris is selfish. There is no better fitting punishment for a man like him; to want something so badly, to hold it and feel it in his arms, and know that he is never going to be worthy of it. It’s a constant push and pull, a tease of something more without ever crossing the boundary.

There’s that silence again. That forgiving, comfortable silence between them that Fenris is too familiar with.

Hawke reaches over, unthinking, and presses a soft fingertip to Fenris’ face. He doesn’t move, too frightened to move, as her hand slowly cups the edge of his jaw. Another moment passes, his gaze crooked, before he wraps his hand around her wrist. His movements are slow– careful, like approaching an animal you wouldn’t want to scare away. Fenris is many things, cold and cruel and heartless; but here, in this moment, he’s vulnerable. He’s gentle.

It should stop being a surprise at this point, Fenris thinks, that she can so easily convince anyone to bend to her whims.

It still doesn’t prevent how his heartbeats trips and doubles over itself as she shuffles closer to him, the warmth of her thigh sinking into his skin. Ordinarily, he would move away. He’s too familiar with affection being used as a form of control, too familiar with the cold sting of a lash against his back. But this feels different, her hands are soft and warm and everything that Fenris is not.

There are certain things in the catch of a breath, in the flex of a muscle that had always entranced him. An unspoken language, one that says so much with so little sound. For all the talking Hawke does, she can appreciate Fenris’ silence in a way few can. In the moments before, Hawke looks down at Fenris’ wrist and studies the skin there– tanned and thin, his lilac veins too close to the surface. Nothing about Fenris had ever seemed fragile until now, when he’s peering at her with too large eyes and a strange sort of vulnerability.

Hawke leans forward and presses her lips to his. There’s no spark, no fireworks, no final piece fitting into the puzzle. It’s peaceful, and it’s gentle, and it’s silent. There’s no sound in the room except for the light puff of air that escapes Fenris’ nostrils, and the soft sigh that leaves Hawke’s mouth.

Perhaps the silence isn’t so bad.

In a moment, it changes. What was once gentle turns into something more. Flurried hands pull at his chest, greedy and wanting. Because her every whim is his purpose, and because his purpose is somewhat clouded and inhibited– Fenris complies. Under the endless staccato refrain of you should not be doing this and Hawke deserves better, Fenris' heart feels like it’s alive for the first time. Everything about this feels good, and he is selfish to the core.

“Curse you, Hawke.” He finally grumbles, their lips just inches from each other. She looks at him curiously, but the glimmer in her eyes gives her intentions away.

“That’s not the common reaction I get from people after kissing them.” Hawke laughs; bright and cheerful and happy. “What brought that on?”

“You made me need you.” He whispers, looking into her eyes with that look of vulnerability again. Hawke’s hand wanders to the back of his neck, and she pulls him in for another kiss.

“The feeling is mutual.” She smiles against his lips, and this time it’s Fenris that moves in first.

When he walks out the door that night, he leaves his heart behind the threshold, and tries not to cry at his first unselfish deed.

2. The silence is different after that. It’s stilted and awkward, and everyone else has begun to notice. Even Hawke is uncharacteristically silent, in a way that only Fenris can hear. They’re walking through Darktown, trying to find another damned sewer to crawl through when Varric finally says something.

“So, are you going to spill the details?” He asks, looking up at Fenris with a wry smile. Fenris only looks back at him with what can only be described as an expression of scathing anger, and Varric holds his hands up in surrender. “Just need some details for the novel, you know how much my readers love the tragic romance.”

“There is no romance to speak of.” He answers quickly, perhaps a little too quickly for his liking. Varric glances over at Hawke, then at Fenris, and his expression turns thoughtful. Fenris scowls. “Whatever you are writing in your head, stop it.”

Varric simply laughs, and re-adjusts his crossbow. “Alright, broody. I’ll drop it. But I care about Hawke. Try not to let her suffer for too much longer, yeah?”

Fenris looks ahead, and pretends he didn’t hear him.

3. He can tell Hawke is suffering. He can see it in the tears building in her eyes, her sluggish movements. The walk back from Foundry is silent again, and none of the other party members have the courage to speak. Fenris watches Hawke walk into her mansion with a conflicted look on her face, before Varric pats him firmly on the back.

“Go talk to her.” Varric’s voice is firmer than usual. “It’s best if it’s you.”

Fenris nods at Varric in thanks, and opens the front door. The moment it shuts, the first thing he notices is the lack of silence. He can hear Hawke crashing about her room, dropping her armor on the floor with a loud clang.

He heaves a deep sigh, and walks up the stairs. The banging stops.

Fenris is starting to have second thoughts once he reaches her bedroom. Thoughts that he shouldn’t entertain when he sees her sitting at the foot of the bed, the very same bed that they had shared one night months ago. These thoughts were dangerous and impossible, and Fenris tries to suppress the feelings lingering in his chest. It’s not what Hawke needs, and above all, Hawke is what matters. Especially now, when she needs someone so desperately.

He lingers by the doorway. “I don’t know what to say, but I’m here.”

Hawke continues to look down at her hands, at the blood that still stains her fingertips. She hasn’t bothered to wash it off, and Fenris has the sinking feeling that she’s not going to for a while yet.

“It was all my fault. If I had been faster-” Fenris cuts her off before she can continue.

“You are looking for a forgiveness that I cannot give to you.” He sits down next to her, just close enough that their thighs brush against each others. Any more contact would cause Fenris to crumble, so he limits it to only what he can handle. Only to what Hawke needs, and nothing more. A line in the sand, drawn by Fenris in a desperate attempt to keep himself from giving into his selfish desire once more.

“There is no forgiveness for people like me.” She answers sadly, and Hawke’s face carries that same vulnerability that Fenris once showed her. People like us, Fenris wants to say, before he stops himself. If anyone deserves forgiveness, it’s her. The people’s champion, pushing the same boulder up the same hill countless times and hoping for a different result. Once again, they’re the same in that regard.

“There is nothing you could have done.” While his answer is blunt, both of them know it's true. This is the way Kirkwall works, circling the same tragedy and suffering like water entering a drain. The city lets it sink into itself, before spitting it back out with more tremendous amounts of force. It’s unfair that it has to be her, the person who has given everything to this terrible city, only to receive nothing but tragedy in return. The city does not pick and choose which ones are worthy of something better, no matter how much Fenris wishes it could be so.

“Perhaps.” She replies, so soft that it hurts. Fenris sighs, and like he’s done it a hundred times before, covers her hand with his. Her touch is warm, just as she is, and Fenris pointedly does not comment on the tears that splatter on his hand.

It’s Hawke that turns her palm up, lacing their fingers together. When Fenris casts a sidelong glance at her, she’s staring ahead at the wall like nothing is happening. Before he can do something incredibly stupid and out of character for him, he squeezes her hand once and lets go. He stumbles towards the door, ignoring the way he can feel her eyes on him.

“I’m here if you need me, Hawke.” He says, right before he closes the door. “I always am.”

When he finally shuts himself away, Fenris stands in the hallway for a moment too long and tries to force air into his lungs. Hawke’s expression is branded into his mind, the way that she cried and crumpled before him. In all the years that he’s known her, he’s never seen her so weak.

Everything ever written, all the books that Fenris forced himself to read after Hawke’s appalled shock at his lack of education cannot describe this feeling in words. Fenris was not someone made to love, he was made to hurt and follow orders, and this type of tenderness is entirely unbecoming to someone like him. But Hawke is someone made of love– it pours over her every word, laced in every tender affection she so freely gives.

He wants to give that to her, help fill the chalice that Hawke empties so easily.

But that was before– before Hawke had crawled her way into his heart in that fussy and incongruent way of hers that Fenris loathes so much. Before he kissed her, before he broke her heart, and before he left his heart in that damned bedroom.

4. Isabela is staring at him again. An unsettling and calculating gaze that’s sending shivers up his back. He can tell Hawke is pretending not to notice, keeping her gaze forward and towards their destination.

“What are you staring at?” He finally says, glaring at Isabela with all the

“Trying to see something.” She smiles, and Fenris can just barely see the glimmer of amusement in her eye. Isabela’s up to something, and after years of knowing her, he knows when she’s about to stir up trouble for nothing other than her own amusement. “Anders and her have been getting close, don’t you think?”

Fenris says nothing, but the slight twitch in his eyebrow gives him away. Isabela chuckles to herself, and turns her gaze forward. When he finally responds, his voice is tinged with the slightest hint of jealousy. “What Hawke does is none of our business.”

Isabela largely ignores him, continuing her train of thoughts much to his chagrin. “I see him lurking out of her house at all hours of the night. Always with that sly look on his face.”

His eyes flicker over to Anders in pure unadulterated anger, and Isabela nearly doubles over in laughter at the cross look on his face. Over the years, Fenris had become increasingly obvious with his affections, and Varric had made it a regular habit to mention the ‘puppy dog eyes’ that always breaks through his stoic exterior at the mere mention of her name. He can feel the energy humming through his veins at the thought of Hawke with anyone else but him, because Fenris is selfish and terrible and wicked.

Out of the corner of his eye, breaking his unrelenting scowl in Ander’s direction, he can see Hawke look back at him with a concerned look on her face. He softens at that, and his markings fade to a dull hum. It only makes Isabela smile wider, at the way Fenris becomes so uncharacteristically weak from only a glance in her direction. The very thought of her with Anders, of him touching her the way he once did, is enough to bellow the pit of jealousy flaming in his stomach. This spirited pursuit of inactivity ends here, he decides, and follows Hawke a bit closer.

5. Driven by a morbid curiosity, and perhaps the lingering feeling of jealousy seeded and nurtured by Isabela’s comments, Fenris begins to drop hints. Increasingly expensive bottles of wine that happen to show up on Hawke’s kitchen table with no warning, lingering touches on her back after an arduous battle. He rubs a droplet of blood of her cheek with his thumb, his expression filled with an aching tenderness reserved only for her. He lets their legs press together in the cramped seats of The Hanged Man, shallowly excused to his friends by having a glass too many of whatever swill he drank this time.

Hawke had also drank too much this time, it seems, by the way she leans her shoulder into him with a casualness that Fenris envies. Every move, every dance of affection was always carefully calculated by him, and yet Hawke touches him like they had known each other for millenia. They eventually get shooed out of the bar, with Hawke hanging off his shoulder and reeking of still blood and ale.

She rambles on once again about something Fenris is only half-listening to, his mind preoccupied by thoughts that are once again impossible and dangerous. The curve of her lips, the arch of her back. The white-hot contact of her arm around his shoulder that sears into his skin like a brand.

“My point is-” Hawke speaks a little too loudly for his taste, especially considering that her lips are right next to his ear. “My point is– they obviously love each other. I don’t understand why they don’t just buck up and say it.”

“It is seldom ever that easy.” He answers simply, holding her waist a little tighter. Love had never been Fenris’ particular forte, no matter the amount of terribly cheesy novels Varric makes him read now. It is something that will remain locked inside of his chest, dampened by his terrible and unselfish desire to see her happy. Happier than anything a broken former slave could ever give her. “And Isabela’s not particularly the sentimental type.”

Hawke rolls her eyes, and sighs deeply. “I know. I know, and yet I want them to be happy. Love is so… stupidly complicated.”

Fenris can understand that, at least. The ardent and unrelenting desire to see someone they care for truly content. “Love often ruins people. She is right to be cautious.”

“All I’ve ever wanted is to love someone.” Hawke answers, her voice softer, less slurred. “Like that, I mean. I never thought I would be one of those sappy romantics, and yet-”

Fenris looks at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to ignore the way his heart is nearly pounding out of his chest. Hawke’s silent for a long moment as they stumble through the streets of Hightown at a leisurely pace.

Hawke looks at him, hiccups once, and smiles crookedly. “I like the new sword. It suits you.”

“Thanks.” He shakes his head, fighting the grin rising to his face.

They make it to her front door, and the moment between them vanishes into the night air. He leads her into her house, where they play cards and he lets Hawke believe she won fairly. All he can do is try to shove down the image of her smiling at him so openly to the back of his mind.

6. Fenris is pacing around her mansion, muttering half-impassioned Tevene curses into the open air. Hawke simply watches him stalk around the room, sitting in the armchair with a half-empty bottle of wine.

“Festei bei uno canavarum.” He mutters angrily, the markings tainting his skin casting the room in an eerie glow.

“No need to go overboard with the thanks.” She teases half-heartedly, tilting her head curiously at him. Fenris was particularly known for these random bouts of anger, but this was different. He was mourning, broken by a life lost. Fenris only looks at her scoldingly, but says nothing in return.

“Hadriana is dead. I should be free.” He finally says, his tone still laced with anger. The energy thrumming through his veins is running too hot to dampen, and Fenris lets that anger simmer off him in waves. Hawke doesn’t seem particularly perturbed by this, sipping at her wine while he storms about the room. Suddenly he stops, his gaze fixed on the fireplace with a withering expression. “I should be happy.”

“You still can be. This is not the end of everything.” Hawke answers, leaning forward slightly in her chair. “Danarius is not all that you are.”

Fenris still doesn’t move, his eyes still lingering on the ashes flickering out of the fireplace. “It feels like it.”

“I know. But this is a chance for you to start over.” She stands up, walking over to him to lean against the wall. He only looks at her briefly before the flames feel like they’re licking up his ankles, and he forces his gaze back to the dying fire. “To have a new life.”

The phrase ‘You could leave this all behind’ is left noticeably unsaid. Fenris doesn’t want to leave Kirkwall, the thought only ever crosses his mind for brief moments before being quickly stamped by his aching fondness for this place. Particularly for one person within it.

“I don’t want a new life.” I don’t want to leave you, is what he doesn’t say. She understands it anyway. “I thought I would be free.”

“You are free, Fenris.” He also notices the way she doesn’t use his old name, the one whispered to him in Hadriana’s dying breath. Hawke is looking at him with that expression that he once again cannot describe. “You always have been.”

Fenris watches as the flames flicker out, leaving behind only flaring embers. “This freedom tastes like ashes.”

“I know.” Hawke answers, reaching her hand out to gently interlace her fingers with his. “But this time it’s going to be different.”

7. It’s another night that he’s lingering about in her presence, nursing another expensive bottle of wine that he not-so-secretly dropped at her place. He had been ecstatic at her invitation to drink it together, using the wine as an excuse to ensure Anders will not be making any more night-time visits to her mansion. Hawke is tittering about the kitchen, complaining once again that he doesn’t eat properly, that his mansion is a mess, that he really ought to stay with her while they at least clean the corpses off the floor.

Fenris watches her with a keen interest, fingers tapping on the wine bottle in an uneven rhythm. “I think it adds character.”

“Character.” She scoffs, turning to face him. “The smell alone– I truly have no idea how you can even bear to step foot within it..”

“Because it’s mine.” He answers, his brows slightly raised. There’s a slight pride in taking something from his former master, in desecrating it to the point of abandonment. A property of Danarius’ that Fenris can completely destroy with very little consequences.

“At least clean it a little.” Hawke sighs, leaning back against the counter. “Just the entrance, so I don’t have to smell rotting corpses when I need to come get you.”

“For you, I will.” He grins slightly, taking another sip of wine. For her, he would clean the whole damn place. Get on his knees and scrub every inch if it makes her happy. But he doesn’t say that, just looks up at her with that slight grin he knows she loves to see so much.

“Good. Maybe one day I’ll actually be able to spend the night there.” This time, her tone is lighter, more teasing. The comment gives him pause, his fingers resuming that endless tapping on the wine bottle. The silence grows heavy between them.

“We never did talk about it.”

“About what?” She takes a step forward and seats herself across from him. Their knees slightly touch against each other under the table, but Fenris doesn’t move away this time.

“That night.” He finally says, looking up at her. Her expression crumbles, and he can see the exact moment that she recalls the heartbreak he caused her. The very same expression she wore the night he left, the night he took what he needed from her and left her broken under the covers. The silence closes his mouth and twists at his heart. He loves her in such a vain and terrible way, an ember desperately trying to keep the fire burning no matter how much he tries to be altruistic.

“You never wanted to talk about it.” Hawke looks down at the table, one finger carefully caressing the edge of the wood. She follows the grains delicately, and Fenris tries not to remember the way she had touched him like that once, like something fragile. But he does, and it kills him. “And I never wanted to push.”

“I thought it would be better if you hated me. If I could forget about everything that happened between us, if I could forget-” Fenris pauses, “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I ask for it anyway.”

Hawke is still staring down at the table, her brows furrowed. “Remembering isn’t all so bad.”

He knows. Maker, he knows. Despite everything that’s happened, not only between him and Hawke, but with Varania and Danarius and everything else. Memory has brought him a terrible sense of tranquility that makes him uneasy. It’s painful, feels like being burned alive from the inside out, but the pain makes it real. Makes the memory real. “The worst thing is that I remember it.”

“I know.” She answers, finally looking up at him. Fenris looks at her eyes, at the way the light glimmers in them, and feels a part of him come to life. She remembers too, he knows in the way her eyes gaze through him.

“I cannot give you what you deserve. You deserve a lot better than me.” Fenris feels like he’s pleading, coming back to that line in the sand with a damned fortress, armed with cannons and soldiers. “A lot better than this.”

“I love you anyways.” She smiles at him. Stupid, caring, giving Hawke, emptying out what’s left of her just to see him smile. Her hand, once again, reaches out to lay on top of his. “But I need to know why.”

“I thought about what I would say to you. About the answer I would give.” Fenris can’t say the reason why he was so painfully and pathetically in love with someone who showed him a tender kindness when he was never deserving of it. That after seeing the past that made him, molded him into a lyrium-infused cold-blooded killer, he knew letting Hawke go would be the only chance he ever got to warrant her. That he made a stupid decision to try and be a better man, and it hurts her anyways.“I am a coward. The memories it brought up– I am not a man that could show you the love you deserved.”

“And yet?” She questions, her eyes peering up at him curiously. He loathes those eyes, the way it sees through every crack in his barrier so carefully put together by tattooed hands. “There must be a reason you’re bringing this up.”

“And yet I love you anyways.” He answers. “Because I need you in ways that I shouldn’t.”

Fenris lets himself be selfish, for this one long painful moment that sits between them. Love really is a complicated, all-encompassing thing. Fenris hates it, but cherishes the feeling anyways. He swallows the apprehension clawing its way up his stomach, and continues. “Nothing could be worse than the thought of living without you.”

“Perhaps -” Hawks smiles, her expression going soft. Her fingers lightly curl over his wrist, the same way Fenris had once held her. “Perhaps I’ll hold this over you a little while longer.”

He lightly chuckles at that, and pulls her closer. “Don’t you dare.”

8. They’re laying in bed hours later, his arms wrapped around her waist. This time, he has no thoughts about leaving, no doubts about his place here. It feels right, and Fenris can comfortably sit in the silence with her.

“Do you remember what you said to me? About needing me?” Hawke is the first to speak, as she usually is. Her finger traces light patterns into his chest, nails pressing right at the edges of his markings. They hum lightly at her contact, a pleasant dull sound that reverberates in his chest. It doesn’t hurt this time, nor will it hurt anytime after.

Fenris remembers. He lets the silence speak for him.

“I’ve been thinking about it.” She continues on, trailing down towards his abdomen. “I think we’ve always needed each other.”

He thinks about it, about the ways that they had always sought the other’s presence in their darkest moments. How Hawke held his hand after Leandra, how Fenris paced about her mansion after Varania. Two stars forever in orbit, refusing to keep the distance between them. A blurred line in the sand, washed away and moved inch-by-inch until there was no longer anything standing between them.

“You’re not selfish, Fenris.” Hawke turns to him. “There is nothing about you that my heart won’t accept. I will love you to any end, against all the pain.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Fenris laughs., kissing her once more.

[trans-ralsei]

[risingshards]

Spring 2024 anime review!

It's time for my annual anime season review! I had a lot more shows to watch this season than last, which at times got a bit hectic! It's not quite done yet but it's done enough that I think I can put this up. Warning: Long post incoming where I ramble about the many anime shows I watched and personal reflection about how Going Through It™ affected my watching.

Laid Back Camp Season 3: My fav of the season, I'm obsessed with these camping girlies and any more time with them is always a treat. The combo of the suspension bridge arc with the wacky over the top arc is a fun jarring one, and the last trip was so sweet. Rin and Nadeshiko felt even gayer this season which is impressive, they're the most girlfriends to me, Chiaki and Aoi too (or maybe I should just ship full camping polycule???) It was only a few second scenes too but I love that they added Aya into the later arcs as well. I've been in a rough place mentally for a while and it kicked into a new gear this summer, so the comfort vibes of the show hit differently. I'm a super anxious person so chill times where everything is OK is such a nice escape from the world. Shout out to the OP/ED for being my favs this season! Also highly recommend both sub and dub, because the dub cast is SOOOO good once more. Celeste Perez is so fantastic as Rin, and Morgan Laure Garrett does an incredible performance as Nadeshiko. The whole cast is so great I could ramble on and on about them.

Whisper Me a Love Song: Not technically done yet as eps 11 and 12 are delayed, but in spite of the production woes this one has my heart this season in that "I love the manga and am happy to see this animated, I am hyperfixated, and warts and all I love watching it and get way way WAYYYY too sensitive about it seriously chiral go touch grass instead of having anxiety attacks about an anime" kind of way. The voice cast is SO perfect and everyone fits their characters so well and it's a treat to see the manga adapted. Himari and Yori's fluffy relationship was so sweet and I teared up a lot at their big moments. My beloved Aki got so many delicious angsty scenes while also showing her as not a bad person, just someone who's caught up in a crush while heartbroken about her true love leaving her (a true love that she didn't even realize was true love). Speaking about that true love, Shiho getting to be a feral cat storming into the proceedings is a treat, and I love that we get to see her earlier in the anime than in the manga.

The downsides ofc are the production that delayed two of the episodes, and now has the last two pushed to a later date, and my big qualm is the festival getting skipped over (well still kinda animated in the visual comic they released with the voice actors doing great on it), that's a bummer. I can see structurally what they were going for, 6 eps for Himari/Yori and 6 eps for the very popular Aki/Shiho storyline, and having the 'lost' ep voice acted helps a bit. But ughghggh even with all that...IDK it's still my babg and they're my babygorls so I'm rooting for 11 and 12 to be really great and for me to not engage with any fandom discussion about it LOL. Like I said this one had my heart this season, and when something latches onto your heart like that, I think it's good to cherish that a bit.

Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night: I heard the buzz a few episodes in about this and was hooked pretty quickly. The animation quality was great, I adored the characters, and I loved the queerness in it with the nonbinary talks, trans yakuza ladie, the kiss, and while I wish they went more in on the romance, we still got a lot of queerness that I don't want to count out. It's another case where I really need to disengage with what people think about something when it's special to me (that might be the moral of the season, honestly). My big downside for this is it got a little too stressful for me, the big fight towards the end of the show kept me up at night. I might be going through it pretty bad if watching anime does that to me BUT we stay silly.

Train to the End of the World: I didn't realize until I saw a post about it like yesterday that this had the same director as Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann and in hindsight yeah that tracks. This was such a wild ride, I love a good journey story and this scratched that itch well. A group of girls go on a weird, hilarious, and heartfelt journey via train through a bizarre world? It made me really want to write a journey story. Funniest show of the season by far, crazy visuals, fun action, each episode being a strange little journey on its own helped the vibe.

The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio: This was a really cute one, bubbly gyaru x stoic girlie is a fun dynamic. Going by the structure, I assume this was the first 3 light novels adapted, since each arc was 4 eps IIRC. I hope the light novels get translated here because I'd love to see where the story goes next. My downside to this is this one also got STRESSFUL stressful in that like social kind of way as the main duo deals with stalkers, assholes online, shitty voice directors (I hope that voice director that was giving Yasumi a hard time gets super fired in season 2) and that took away from the fluff at times. Still was a definite highlight of the season.

Nijiyon Animation 2: Maybe even weirder than the first season, I was really glad to get more of this one, weekly 3 minute adventures of a wacky gay harem really is good for the soul. I love the vibe of like "yeah we're doing this premise this week let's just go with it" that a lot of the episodes had. Do Season 3 cmon!

Vexations of a Shut in Vampire Princess dub: I am a big stan for Vexations, and this dub has not disappointed so far (I think just one or two episodes to go for it), VERY well cast with Brittney Karbowski (of Railgun fame) putting in a STELLAR performance as Komari, showcasing all the facets of Komari's personality, like her spoiled bratty princess side, her anxious about being plopped into a dire situation side, the theater kid performance that helps her through this, and many other sides, it's really fantastic work by her. Vill, Sakuna, and Millicent are standouts as well (every Millicent scene I needed to pause afterwards because wow 🥵).

I also watched the back half of Dungeon Meshi (which is so big rn that I feel like I don't know what to add? It's great!), the new Spice and Wolf which was nice, Bartender: Glass of God which was VERY chill, and a coworker friend rec'd Condition Called Love, but I did not really enjoy that one.

All in all despite the bumpy road, I was really happy with this season and got SO much yuri. I do still need to watch Girls Band Cry and will rectify that soon, I just had way too many shows to watch at once.

Next season I am mainly looking forward to My Deer Friend Nokotan, and started watching Suicide Squad Isekai mainly for the ED lol. Next season big goal also: Chiral touches grass and her hypersensitive ass stops getting so worried about what other people think of the anime she watches and to just enjoy the anime hyperfixation while it's in full swing like this.

[fantasy-things-and-such]

I was just randomly reminded of Laid-back camp(yuru camp) whilst going thru a gachapon center

Rin x Nadeshiko

(No hand for u)

[bernkastel-ao3]

This is a Yuru Camp fic I wrote a few years ago. So, as I was reminded of it, this'll be the next thing that I'll link here.

[mengyan]

相守; guard you, guard me

🩸 2.6k words, complete oneshot ❤️‍🩹 missing scene from before jiusi wakes up at the end of ep 15 🩸 emotional hurt/comfort with a splash of codependency ❤️‍🩹 liu yuru has a score to settle with her self-sacrificing husband 🔗 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50290201

reblogs, kudos, and comments are very appreciated!!

[laluzdelamagia]

Introducción y sinopsis

El Grand Triskellion se liberó, la magia había vuelto a tener poder, y las brujas comenzaron a ser comentadas. Ese ambiente fue el que recibió a Akko y sus amigas, en su segundo año como estudiantes de Luna Nova. Ya había conocido a aquella quien la inspiró, estaba recuperando su magia, pero el camino hasta la graduación aún se extendía largo y oscuro ¿Qué se encontraría? Estaba dispuesta a aceptar cualquier reto que viniera.

Nuevas amigas, nuevas aventuras, nuevos sentimientos, y un destino del cual no puede huir, será lo que recibirá a Akko en su recorrer, esperando alcanzar la victoria, o si no lo logra, dejarse hundir en la oscuridad.

Crossover de:

-Love Live y Love Live Sunshine

-Little Witch Academia

-Yuru Yuri

-Puella Magi Madoka Magica Historia yuri (chica x chica)

Si no te agrada, por favor, no lo leas. Esta es una obra de ficción. Todo personaje, grupo, ley, nombre o lugar que aparezca en dicha no tiene relación alguna con la realidad. Ninguna de las franquicias aquí presentadas me pertenecen, tampoco sus personajes. Nuevo capítulo cada domingo.

[yurukiturah]

Voicemail

It's 2010.

My mother always has her phone on her. She doesn't answer every call. Most of them are telemarketers or wrong numbers. Sometimes she misses calls, sometimes they leave voicemails. Usually it's not important.

It's 2012

My mother answers every call. Most of them are her brother or the hospital, sometimes it's her mother. It could be news. She always answers the phone. One day it's bad news, the worst news. She doesn't want to answer the phone anymore.

It's 2013

My mother doesn't empty her voicemail inbox. She listens to one on repeat, and she cries. It's nothing important, it's not news. It's just her mother. "Sorry I missed you, give me a call back!" It's the only way to hear her voice anymore.

It's 2016

The voicemail is gone. The phone company deletes them after a while. We found that out the hard way. We'll never hear her voice again.

[trans-ralsei]

The Fuji Five Lakes — Fuji-go-ko — is the name of the area located at the base of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture. It is a historic and scenic area that many flock to at all seasons of the year. Lake Kawaguchi is the most scenic famous of the lakes, though its sisters — Motosuko, Saiko, Shoji-ko and Yamanakako all have amazing views and stories, waiting to be uncovered. (Editor’s note: Shima-san. You’re a good writer but please be more descriptive! Your writing can be a bit stiff.)

In Travel and Life’s 50-page special about the Fuji Five Lakes, we’ll take you through each of the five lakes through the seasons, where to visit, what to do, and things you’d need as a novice camper to have fun in the outdoors! We’ll also have amazing recommendations on what to get if you want to enjoy the Five Lakes in all their glory — from tents, to sleeping bags and even hand warmers TKTK FOR SALES APPROVAL — all at a special rate if you use our discount codes at wallacea dot co dot jp online. 

NOTE ONLINE ONLY COPY: Travel and Life earns affiliate commissions from wallacea dot co dot jp if you make a purchase. Do support us! I need a fjucjgn holiday bwughhsdh can you please approve my leave. it's Feburary 10 to 14 i haven't taken leave in so long (Editor's note: Leave requests should be filed on the antiquated and confusing system I just set up. Either way I see your request and have approved it. We also have a story idea for you; let's talk about it at the next meeting.)

Kita >>> Hitori 15:00 | December 27, 2024 Kita: wagggh I've haven't had a holiday in so long Kita: Just picked up this magazine Kita: It looks really cool! Kita: Think we can go to Yamanaka? Kita: We've got to be prepared though Kita: Hitori-chan, are you awake Hitori: bweegh Hitori: just woke up Hitori: think i'm free in Feb Kita: Isn't that when temps are the coldest Kita: But well, there's so many different recommendations! And pretty good deals with gear too. hashtag my new gear Kita: Let's go! Hitori: you sound like a sports announcer Kita: shut up.

Read the fic here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63190423

[catlover-multifandom]

(in a free mood again here we gooooo)

Free canon moments I think about a lot

Rin writing “fuck” in the elementary school yard

mecha salmon roe

the mr steal yo mako face (you know the one.)

Steve the cat existing

Haru and nagisa working at wcdonald’s or whatever it’s called in the freeverse

romio mentioning florida

haru makoto asahi and kisumi having a hangout in asahi’s apartment (at least I think it was his, it was in a df episode)

tomadoburiranchinburiranti!

makkou the dog

🎶 tabidachi no asa ni miageru sora ni 🎶

Haru and seijuro being friends

Haru’s mascot obsession (relatable im also obsessed with yuru kyara now)

Rei in the novelization

“Nagisa’s mermaid” video and then it got booed when they accidentally played baby videos of haru and makoto lol

Nagisa’s sister’s sketch friend that isn’t quite her boyfriend

Kaede coming back from the concept art grave in s3

the high of s3 in general because I remember counting down the days for it to come out and oh boyyyyyyy summer 2018 has such a special place in my heart. pure euphoria!!

Rin giving Sousuke a koala shirt

MATCHING FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS

everyone pointing out that Rin has cleavage

“no chips at the pool” **SHOTS FIRED**

Makoto’s mixer nightmare

Rei getting drunk on chocolate

the fact that makoto haru Nagisa and rei would have sleepovers together and haru gets so happy to be with them and he fell asleep early HES SO CUTE

Haru and asahi getting worried thinking makoto would fall for mlm scams in Tokyo

Haru’s profile picture being Iwatobi chan

the squid festival drama cd track and Rei’s puns from s1 that everyone ignored

Haru and Albert’s friendship happening because they just like the same fish and they don’t need words to eat mackerel together

Rin crying over the rat movie

shizuru’s existence in general. he’s so funny and silly and he looks like makoharu had a child

the mackerel body pillow that makoto gave haru for his birthday

continuing off the last one: the team thinking haru turned into a mackerel and nagisa telling makoto he has to kiss him to make him back to normal 💀

the scene in s1e1 where Nagisa kicks the can to scare makoto

Rei being uptight and serious and very professional man™ and then gradually loosening up and being less guarded and being his genuine silly smart self and having fun and you can see how much love he has for everyone as the show goes on… and the love and genuine affection he has for his friends keeps increasing even when you thought his heart was already the biggest it could get. it gets so much bigger. and the fact that he learned to swim and got to nationals for an individual event in 3 years. Rei I love you no one could ever make me dislike you you’re a beautiful butterfly

the general babygirlification of rin matsuoka as the series progresses

free mastering the “character that is a jerk at first but the second they’re forgiven/not a jerk you absolutely love them to pieces” archetype (rin, sousuke, hiyori!)

haru being an old man when it comes to technology: “sorry I haven’t looked at my phone in 2 weeks”

perfect body

haru almost dying like 10 times throughout the series

haru giving makoto his gold medal in that one artwork AAAAAAGGGHHHHWJFJEDJEKS

more of a fandom thing, but the whole makoto train scare back when fs1 came out

in df when ryuji is trying to teach haru and makoto translates it to haruspeak, they show you makoto smiling when haru turns around and half his face is cut off from the screen because he’s shorter than makoto lololol

Haru trying to escape the premises the second he sees kisumi

the scene of haru driving in Tokyo and makoto freaks out the entire time… guys I think they somehow got actual footage of me driving when my mom is in the passenger seat

the reigisa montage before their races at nationals in df. MY HEART

the entire show honestly… if there’s one thing you got from this post, it’s that I will never be free of free (I’m perfectly happy to keep it that way)

[pikamemfo]

Finally caught up to Yomi no Tsugai, and I'm really interested in the way the story is writing family dynamics so far. Because there's a fair amount of the warm, found-family trope coming through with all the different factions of characters who have found a home and sense of acceptance with one another (the Danno household of Strange Creatures, the Kagemori's and the Kuroya Siblings, Misasagi's restaurant hooligans—I see you, etc.). But the story is also extremely careful not to ignore the pull of blood-relations. And we're starting to see a lot of internal conflicts and external confrontations between these different groups based on the perceived responsibilities owed to those people who give you them that acceptance. As noted early on, no one can live on their own—so then what do you give back to the people who helped you stand on your feet.

Spoilers through chapter 42 ahead:

For example, this idea of servitude in exchange for safety is seen clearly with the Kagemori iron-fast code. One slip up or betrayal and that's it. Execution.

Like Hagure says, it seems extreme. Except...not enforcing that rule in the line of work the Kagemori's are involved with ends up compromising the safety of everyone else entrenched with the family. As Gabby notes immediately after, to keep the people she loves safe—to let Hikaru himself keep drawing the manga he loves in peace—she will gladly accept this ruthlessness. We see this mindset reflected all throughout the family: the way Natsuki continues working in a gritty role she hates for the sake of the place that gave her a home and the adopted brothers she has come to love dearly; Asuma advocating for the twins to claim their powers knowing full well the risk it poses, not out of malice or even a desire for power but because he simply thinks it's what's needed; Jin resolving himself to "cleaning up" the grotesque situations his family finds themselves in so the others don’t have to.

And to be fair, it is true that the Kagemori family is a place that's deliberately accepting of all people who may not have a place otherwise in society. For all the arguments that might have broken out, they never forced Asa to make a decision about Break and let her live in the manor before and after the incident. No one knows what wreckage they dug Gabby out of, and we see from Gonzou's talks with Iori that he (probably) does value those society has otherwise outcasted. And yet—we see so many instances of doubt creep into these characters despite their defense of the rule. Jin asks Hana to bury the gardener's body behind his dad's back (and treats her much nicer than Dera, rip), Asuma risks his dad's ire by going to retrieve the fallen bodies of their men from Tadera Sr.'s pad, and guilt-ridden Asa is told to stop apologizing for things. Jin takes her hand and tells her he doesn’t mind cleaning up after her, Gabby tells her it's not her fault people died because others covet her power, and when she switches from apologizing to thanking Natsuki for protecting her through the night, it's because she's starting to realize that she doesn't owe the Kagemori's for loving her, but is so incredibly grateful anyway.

And when it comes to the blood relationships in this story, that same undercurrent of choice and duty applies. Akio seemingly betrays the love the Kuroya's have shown him for the acceptance his mother offers, that sense of belonging he gets from meeting someone who's afflicted with the same condition he is. He doesn’t devalue the love he’s received from the Kagemori’s or his siblings, and yet, he still leaves. As Misasagi says, in that ominous way of his:

(Watch me be wrong and this is all a fake out—if Haruo gets a hug though, I’ll accept it)

Even with Asa and Yuru, we're immediately presented with two people struggling both against and with their intrinsic connection as siblings.

Yuru has to deal with the agonizing truth that not only was he left behind while his parents escaped with his real sister (out of necessity, yes, but it's still got to be incredibly difficult to process), but his parents are still missing, the family he thought he had left and devoted himself to for the last decade was a phony deception conjured by all the other people he loved, and his real twin is a girl who is so different than what he's used to. This Asa is kind but doesn't have the luxury of naivete. She's seen more of the world outside the village than he has but is still trapped in a cage all the same. She's bubbly instead of subdued, but also lonely and guilty. She's killed and been killed. Being a brother to the fake!Asa meant being a protective and constant force for her to rely on from behind. But this isn’t a role he can slip into with the current Asa when she’s already wounded and hurt in places he might never find out about. What does it mean to be a brother then, and how can you be that person for someone you don't even know? Should he even want to?

And for Asa, the guilt at having left Yuru behind—not even knowing if he was still alive—has been eating away at her for the last decade. She clings to this notion of family, this naive but desperate hope that things will work out and that they'll all be together once more. It's this faith that gives her the strength to live and pick herself up again and again. But once she finally does find Yuru and breaks him out of the mirage Higashi Village has chained him with, she's confronted with the truth that things won't be that easy. She loves Yuru because he's her brother, but at this point, they're as good as strangers. And she's terrified that he doesn't see her as his sister anymore, as someone worth loving. That she's changed too much and that they're not a family worth resurrecting, blood be damned.

But she doesn't lie. She shows him who she is upfront, and lets him reveal himself. She tugs (to the point where it's a gag) but she doesn't push, letting him come to terms with where things stand and how to proceed. She lets him choose.

And it’s all complicated, but Yuru lets himself see a girl who's a little lost, and a lot hurt. A girl who wants her family back and to live an ordinary life. A girl who might be different from Kiri but is instead, in more ways than one, like him. She's also undeniably his sister.

So he works with it.

But how far will it go? How far can it go? Will they ever get that chance to be a normal family given all that's happened?

How much do they owe each other, and, perhaps more importantly, to what extent do they owe the other people who have helped them and housed them along the way?

That is the question I am most interested in answering throughout this journey.

[nihngo]

hello again and happy new year!

I've been really tired since the end of the year. I took a short camping trip and, of course, I had to watch Yuru Camp (it was an awesome experience!).

And after procrastinating a little, I finally started Tobira's lesson 3. I like to write the dialogues just to practice my handwriting hehe, and I studied the new vocabulary. Now I need to start the grammar section.

btw one of the dialogues was talking about moomin 🥺

I've been practicing a lot on Duolingo, it's a good way to practice vocabulary and japanese phrases. (1k+ streak! lol)

[havinganormalone]

I'm so glad that I'm a multishipper. I remember being in the bnha fandom and people were so weird about wanting to ship multiple ships or not having preferences. I remember that one super toxic td*k shipper that called rival ships "cancer" and was borderline delusional about the ship being canon, and then people in b*dk servers saying that looking at other ships "feels like cheating." Just the most unhinged online behavior I've seen, and it made me bounce from a lot of fandom spaces.

I am here for compelling dynamics first and foremost, and I'll bounce around to whatever looks interesting or provides me with a springboard for making good smut or engaging stories. I don't GET the vitriol that people have when engaging in ship wars. Like oh that rival ship is making stuff too? Cool, I want to check it out and see if any of it is good.

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

Sometimes I find myself desperately wishing that Amanda the Adventurer was just some normal slice-of-life series about sentient cartoon characters who talk to the audience but like nothing is wrong. Amanda and Wooly are just best friends going on adventures. It would necessarily be a baby show. Considering Amanda's personal taste for darker topics and stuff, but like... they'd be happy and friends and all that. Something like the "K-on" or 'Yotsuba" universe or 'Nichijou" or "Three leaves Three colors" or "Yuru Camp" you get the vibes? You get the vibes I'm spitting here?

Potential fic idea? Idk. Would anyone be interested in that? Idk how many fics I'll pump out since I'll be taking a creative writing class this semester, and I might be "all wrote out" from assignments, lol. (I love writing, but you know how it is)

[mengyan]

乡思; homesick

🌧️ 2.6k words, completed oneshot

💌 missing scenes from ep 33 before liu yuru's funeral takes place, canon compliant with novel elements (ch 105-106)

🌧️ through fire and water, gu jiusi will always bring his wife home.

🔗 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48962551

reblogs, kudos, and comments are very appreciated!!

[laluzdelamagia]

Capítulo 2: Kousaka Chika

—¿Cómo podría ayudarla, directora?

En la sala de dirección se encontraban Diana y Holbrooke, acompañadas de un resplandor de la mañana entrando por los grandes ventanales, y cierto bullicio en el fondo que acompañaba el ambiente.

—Verás, esta no es la primera academia de magia en la cual Chika se encuentra. Su primer año de proceso ya lo realizó en una academia japonesa llamada Nanamori. Sin embargo, ella y su madre tuvieron que venir a Gran Bretaña por motivos de empleo. A Tsubasa le pareció mejor que su hija terminara los dos años restantes con nosotras.

—Son gratas noticias —comentó Diana con una cálida sonrisa.

—Claro que lo son —respondió Miranda dando un suspiro, quedando unos momentos en silencio, sin pasar esto desapercibido por Diana—. ¿Recuerdas el sistema de musas, Diana?

—Por supuesto, aquel sistema que condecoraba a las nueve mejores estudiantes de la academia, pero que fue abolido a finales del 96’.

—Fue una decisión consensuada, eran tiempos difíciles. Creo que deberías saber quienes pertenecían a aquel último grupo de musas antes de que el sistema fuese abolido.

—Leyendas de la academia y del mundo mágico, claro que sí. Y si pude deducir su punto, sí, también sé que Chika es hija de la musa que estuvo en el puesto uno de aquel grupo: Kousaka Honoka.

—Hija de dos musas, esa pequeña tiene futuro en la magia.

—De eso no tengo dudas.

—Y dime, Diana ¿Sabes qué ocurrió con Honoka?

—…Fue asesinada ¿No?

Un hilo de silencio se formó en la sala. Muchas eran las historias y rumores que Diana había escuchado al respecto, unos más creíbles y otros más descabellados. Lo cierto es que el incidente en el cual sucedió aquel trágico suceso, está lleno de huecos que los curiosos no se han molestado en parar de llenar.

—En un intento de realizar el Hechizo del Equilibrio, fuimos atacadas por una de las profesoras de la academia. La atacante fue encerrada, pero en el proceso fallecieron dos de las musas.

—¿Por qué me cuenta todo esto, directora?

—Diana… Hay ciertas personas que están interesadas en liberar a aquella profesora que nos atacó esa vez. Se han comenzado a mover y tratarán de realizar su cometido, cueste lo que cueste.

—Y Luna Nova está involucrada en sus planes, supongo

—Mas que Luna Nova, se trata de Chika —mencionó la directora—. La única forma que estas personas lleguen a liberar a la maestra, es con esta joven.

—Y es por eso…

—Es por eso que te encomiendo este trabajo, Diana —dijo Holbrooke con sutileza y semblante bajo—. Quiero que ayudes a la joven Kousaka en su proceso educativo y adaptación a nuestra academia, pero también necesito que estés al pendiente de ella. Ya las maestras saben de ello y te brindarán apoyo. Pero, si hay alguien que puede estar detrás de ella y segura de que no ocurrirá nada, eres tú.

El silencio se formó en la sala. Diana estaba acostumbrada a tener sobre sus hombros grandes responsabilidades. Siendo la única heredera del legado de la familia Cavendish, tan solo las expectativas ya eran un peso que no cualquiera podría cargar, pero que Diana llevaba encima de sí todos los días. A pesar de ello, esto sorprendió a la estudiante, a tal punto de quedarse en silencio varios segundos. Reflexionando, la directora solo podía verla, intentando leer lo que pasaba por la mente de la chica sentada al frente de su escritorio.

—Sé que puede ser difícil-

—Lo haré —interrumpió Diana a la directora—, puede contar con ello y confiar en mí. Me encargaré de proteger a Chika y avisar cualquier movimiento sospechoso.

—Me alegra mucho tu respuesta —respondió Holbrooke con una sonrisa aliviada—, pero te pido tengas cuidado. Recuerda siempre que tu misión es únicamente vigilar a Chika y reportar cualquier movimiento sospechoso, el resto déjalo a nosotras.

—Tengo muy presente eso, directora.

—Y me alegra que sea así. Estas personas que están tan interesadas en Chika son actualmente prófugos de la ley y muy peligrosos, así que guarda siempre la distancia.

—Lo tendré siempre en mente.

—Me reconforta saberlo. Ahora —comenzó a decir la directora para luego levantarse de su puesto—, más vale que nos apresuremos si no queremos llegar tarde a la orientación.

—Me parece bien —respondió Diana sonriendo.

Ambas se levantaron de sus asientos para encaminarse rumbo al salón de eventos donde se daría la orientación. 

Un piso más arriba, iban Akko, Sucy y Lotte camino al salón de eventos, rodeadas de varias estudiantes que también iban hacia aquel sitio. Desde caras conocidas hasta rostros nuevos se encontraban en aquel amplio pasillo que terminaba en una gran puerta de roble que daba la entrada al salón en cuestión.

—Te dije que no comieras tanto anoche, Akko, siempre te quedas dormida cuando lo haces. —dijo Lotte—. Casi llegamos tarde a la orientación.

—Por segunda vez —acompañó Sucy.

—¡Ya lo sé! No tienen que recordármelo ¡Pero pasado es pasado! Lo importante es que ya estamos aquí.

—¡Ey! ¡Akko!

La llamada volteó para ver qué se trataba de Amanda y su equipo, acercándose con las vestimentas un poco machacadas y recién arreglándose las corbatas en el camino.

—Al parecer no fuimos las únicas —comentó Sucy.

—¡Amanda! ¡Chicas! Es bueno volver a verlas —dijo Akko dirigiéndose a Constanze y Jasminka también.

—Estos últimos días han estado movidos, casi ni hemos podido hablar —comentó Lotte dando una sonrisa.

—Lo bueno es que ya estamos aquí y a punto de empezar otro periodo —apoyó Jasminka.

—¡Sí! Quién sabe lo que nos espera este segundo año —con estas palabras, Akko miraba aquel gran umbral que daba al salón donde sería la orientación.

Puede que ya haya conocido a Chariot, pero aún quedaba mucho camino por recorrer y metas por cumplir. Aprender más sobre la magia, ser una gran bruja, todo para ser capaz de repartir sonrisas a aquellos quienes la necesiten. Aquel umbral, más que una puerta, era el inicio de un nuevo camino para la castaña, y no solo para ella, sino para las amigas quienes la acompañaban.

Un nuevo viaje estaría a punto de empezar.

—¡Mira por donde caminas!

—L-lo siento, estaba distraída.

Entre la multitud en la que se encontraba, Akko alcanzó a escuchar aquellas voces a unos metros de donde estaba, logrando visibilizar entre la barrera de jóvenes brujas que se posaba a su costado, de quién se trataba.

—Pues ten mas cuidado.

—Sí, lo siento.

Logró ver cómo una joven de cabellos púrpuras se alejaba y dejaba atrás a otra chica de cabellos cortos que le llegaban sobre el hombro, piel tersa y blanca, ojos mandarina así como su cabello adornado con una trenza al costado. Su ceño fruncido y mueca torcida daba a entender que la chica  no estaba bien ubicada.

—Chicas, vayan caminando, yo ya vuelvo.

—¡Espera, Akko!

Para cuando Lotte quiso detener a su compañera, ya se había perdido entre el tumulto de estudiantes.

—¿A dónde fue? —preguntó Jasminka en un fallido intento de lograr verla entre tanta gente.

—Ya nos alcanzará, es mejor que sigamos si no queremos que nos lleve la corriente —dijo Sucy para luego seguir el camino con el grupo.

Al otro lado del tumulto, se encontraba la joven en cuestión de cabellos naranjas, mirando el ventanal a su lado, mientras que era aprisionada por una gran fila de jóvenes como ella.

—Grandioso, primero no encuentro la sala de la directora y ahora me estoy ahogando entre tanta gente.

—¿Necesitas ayuda?

—¡Wah! —gritó la chica ante la sorpresiva aparición de cierta joven de cabellos castaños a su lado.

—¡Disculpa si te asusté!

—¡No! Tranquila, simplemente apareciste muy de repente.

—Es normal en mí —dijo con una sonrisa mientras caminaba junto a ella—. Me presento, soy Atsuko Kagari, pero mis amigas me suelen decir Akko.

—Mucho gusto, Akko —correspondió la joven de cabellos naranjas—. Mi nombre es Chika, Kousaka Chika.

—Bonito nombre ¿Eres nueva por aquí?

—¡Sí! Vengo de Nanamori de hecho, pero por cuestiones familiares tuve que venir a Gran Bretaña y pues mi mamá me inscribió en esta academia.

—¡Pues bienvenida! Y no te preocupes si este ambiente te agobia, yo te ayudaré a adaptarte en este lugar. Tengo experiencia en ello.

—Me parece bien —Le respondió Chika entre risas.

Así, todas entraron al gran salón de eventos, ubicándose en sus lugares. Formando dos bloques de filas en el medio del salón, acompañados por dos hileras al fondo que formaban una media luna, así era la disposición de las presentes. Al frente, se encontraba la tarima en la cual se encontraban todas las profesoras y la directora al frente del podio, preparando el micrófono para sus palabras.

—Buenos días, estudiantes. Espero que todas se encuentren muy bien y emocionadas por este nuevo año que iniciamos —comenzó a decir Miranda Holbrooke—. Viejos rostros siguen presentes con nosotros, pero la dicha no puede ser mayor al ver nuevos rostros también acompañándonos. De ya le digo a las nuevas estudiantes ¡Bienvenidas a Luna Nova!

Los aplausos comenzaron, dando un saludo cálido a las nuevas estudiantes que habían ingresado, entre ellas Chika quien levantó su mirada animada.

—No sabes todas las cosas que te esperan en Luna Nova —le indicó la castaña de antes a la pelinaranja, quien se encontraba a su lado.

—Ya lo creo. Estoy lista para cualquier cosa —las palabras de Chika, acompañadas por aquella sonrisa, dio un pequeño sentimiento de adrenalina a Akko.

Así, los aplausos cerraron al gesto de la directora.

—Iniciando con la explicación de las actividades, seguiremos la programación usual que seguimos en el año, agregando ciertamente los eventos importantes como lo son el Festival de Diversidad, o el Encuentro Mágico que tienen las de segundo año. Esperamos la colaboración de todas ante este nuevo periodo estudiantil.

Una hora pasó antes que la ceremonia de orientación terminara. La emoción del principio fue atenuando poco a poco con el pasar de los minutos (ni qué comentar cuando Finnelan tomó el micrófono, y casi expulsa a una estudiante en plena ceremonia por estar quedando dormida). A pesar de todo, las expectativas seguían siendo las mismas. 

—Para finalizar, he de recordarles que siempre crean en ustedes. Llegarán lejos y en Luna Nova nos encargaremos de que sea así.

Con estas palabras por parte de la directora, culminó la orientación. 

Aquel día se decidió dejarlo libre a las estudiantes, de manera que las antiguas comenzaran a ubicarse y las nuevas a adaptarse a aquellos grandes edificios e instalaciones que abarcaba tantas hectáreas.

En los pasillos, con un ambiente más calmado y poco transitado, iban Akko y Chika caminando a rápido paso rumbo a la salida del edificio. 

—¡Vamos, Chika! Quiero que conozcas a mis amigas.

—¡Claro! ¡Claro! Pero me hubieses dejado cambiarme. Creo que resalto mucho con estas ropas.

—Claro que no, así llegué yo mi primer día.

Entre risas, ambas salieron a las afueras de las instalaciones. Brisa fresca, con una instrumental de risas y ligero bullicio, recibieron a ambas jóvenes en aquellos amplios campos verdosos que conformaban las afueras de la academia. Con un límite de frondosos árboles a lo lejos, a su costado la torre de Luna Nova. era imponente aquella vista, que a la pelinaranja la hizo tragar saliva.

«Esto es mucho más grande que Nanamori… Sin duda ya estoy en las grandes ligas» Pensó Chika para sí misma.

—¡Akko! ¡Chica nueva! 

Aquella voz provenía a lo lejos, por parte de Amanda quien se encontraba levitando en su escoba, acompañada por todo su grupo de amigas.

—¿Esas son tus amigas?

—¡Sí! Ven para que las conozcas.

—¡Claro!

Ambas se encaminaron hacia donde estaba el grupo de ocho chicas. Akko caminando por delante, y Chika siguiendola atrás. Recién llegando, se encontraron con Amanda levitando a unos metros del suelo sobre su escoba; Lotte y Bárbara degustando su merienda sobre el césped con el tomo que estaban leyendo de Night Fall a su lado (actual preciado tesoro de las dos, sin mencionar que tuvieron que hacer todo un recorrido por el país ya que se habían agotados); Jasminka y Constanze terminando de construir lo que parecía ser un nuevo prototipo de stanbot de la pequeña; Sucy leyendo una enciclopedia y por último, Diana y Hannah repasando unas notas de esta última.

—¡Hola, chicas! Les presento a Chika, es nueva por aquí.

—Es un placer conocerlas.

—Kousaka Chika ¿No? —comentó Diana dirigiendo su atención a la recién llegada—. Es un gusto conocerte, aunque por tu apellido no creo que necesites presentación.

—Opino lo mismo de ti, Diana Cavendish —respondió la peli naranja—. Es un placer conocerte en persona.

—Bueno, si la nobleza permite hablar al pueblo ahora —comenzó a comentar Amanda para luego aterrizar en el suelo—. Mucho gusto, mi nombre es Amanda.

—Como consejo para tu estadía aquí, evita su presencia si no quieres meterte en problemas.

—Ya vas tú.

—Esa es Hannah —le comentó Akko a Chika.

—Es un placer —respondió la mencionada.

—Es un gusto también para nosotras conocerte, mi nombre es Jasminka y esta pequeña de aquí es Constanze.

Constanze solo se limitó a darle una tímida sonrisa y continuar con su trabajo luego.

—Es todo un gusto tener a alguien como tú por aquí ¡Mi nombre es Bárbara! Un placer —le dijo la indicada con una sonrisa amigable.

—Y ahora… —a la velocidad del viento, Akko abrazó a sus dos compañeras de habitación colocando una a cada lado suyo mirando hacia la nueva—. ¡Este es mi grupo! ¡Lotte y Sucy!

—¡Un gusto conocerla!

—Hola.

—Es un placer conocerlas a todas —dijo Chika entre risas para luego sentarse en aquel muro que se levantaba de la pared que se posiciona al lado de todas.

De repente, un circuito sonó y aquel pequeño robot que estaba junto a Constanze reaccionó y se levantó. De diseño similar a sus otros hermanos, este tenía mayor estatura, más corpulento y cabeza mejor moldeada.

—¡Está listo! —exclamó Jasminka.

—¡Bien! Es hora de probar tu nuevo prototipo, Constanze.

—¡Hm! —respondió la pequeña a Amanda mientras posicionaba su standbot a unos metros de las chicas, colocándolo en campo abierto.

—¿Qué es eso? —preguntó Chika.

—Ah, uno de los inventos de Constanze. Se dedica a realizar varias máquinas como esas y mucho más geniales —dijo Akko.

A unos metros, Amanda ya se había colocado al lado de aquel robot, siendo expectadas por todas en aquel lugar. 

—¿Qué se supone van a probar? —preguntó Barbara.

—Constanze está mejorando las capacidades físicas de sus stanbot, empezó por la movilidad de ellos y lo va a probar haciendo una carrera con Amanda —explicó Jasminka.

—¡Tu máquina va a comer polvo!

—No te emociones, Amanda —indicó Hannah—-. Puedes hacer un desastre.

—No seas aguafiestas.

De esta forma, la bruja y el robot se colocaron en sus respectivas posiciones para dar inicio a aquella carrera por el campus de la academia.

—Bien, ya sabes el recorrido, Amanda —dijo Jasminka mientras se levantaba de su puesto y se colocaba en medio de la chica y el robot—. Pueden salir a la cuenta de uno… 

—Hannah, creo que-

—¡Dos! 

—¿Qué dices, Chika?

—¡Tres! 

Y con una gran ráfaga de viento, la máquina partió corriendo sobre sus piernas y Amanda volando sobre su escoba. Detrás suyo, dejaron a una Hannah con los cabellos revueltos y cara cubierta de tierra quien estaba en el ángulo perfecto para que le cayera todo eso.

—¡AMAAANDAAAA! —gritó la chica para luego unirse también a la carrera, pero no precisamente para ganarla.

—Constanze, ¿Esta prueba es segura- —antes de que Lotte recibiera respuesta, los ruidos de varios choques a lo lejos y un par de gritos de varias estudiantes fue lo que respondió su pregunta.

—No puedo creerlo —dijo Diana dando un gran suspiro.

—Bueno… Al menos sabemos que el standbot funciona. 

—¡Prueba completada!

Ante el comentario de Jasminka, hubo varias risas en el grupo, incluyendo un poco la de Diana. Chika, al ver ese alboroto, un buen aliento entró en su pecho. Con la luz del sol pegando en su rostro, con la suficiente potencia de darle calor, pero no la suficiente para fastidiar, le hizo recordar aquel mismo sol del lugar donde venía, el mismo que veía cuando era niña, cuando jugaba con sus amigas, o cuando jugaba con su madre.

Era ese sentimiento, Chika se sentía cómoda, se sentía en casa. Y mientras aquellos pensamientos se posaban en su cabeza, una presencia se arrastró por los calados de aquel edificio, sin que nadie se diera cuenta. 

—No será difícil convencer a esa niña de colaborar —La serpiente se asomaba y veía con exactitud a su objetivo, la chica de cabellos naranjas—, ¿Quién no querría ver a su difunta madre otra vez?

Así, aquella víbora desapareció en las sombras de aquellos edificios.