#yuuko is still so cool...

[completeoveranalysis]

[8]

AHHH

OK OKOKO+OKFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

HOLD ON ONE MOMENT

SO on the one hand I still adore the Syaoran club just getting together and theorising their escape plan. They have an idea of how to get out of the void and they’re determined to make it happen!

BUT THEN TECHNICALITIES COME BACK AROUND AND I’M THROWING THINGS

WHAT DO YOU MEEEAAAAN

WHAT DO YOU MMMMEEEEAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN

WHEN DID YUUKO SAY THAT

DID SHE SAY THAT OFF SCREEN?

IF SHE SAID THAT OFF SCREEN WHAT A COMPLETELY WILD WAY TO INTRODUCE THAT IN THE FINAL CHAPTERS OF THE MANGA

JUST. 

HEY YOU KNOW THE TWO PRECIOUS MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE MANGA WHO SUFFERED ENDLESSLY AND BOTH DIED AND THEN WERE LITERALLY COMPLETELY REINCARNATED INTO A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE TO HAVE A SECOND LIFE?

YEAH THAT DOESN’T COUNT THEY’RE DEAD AGAIN. 

WHY

Also I’m not sure if I even believe it when-

Oh no wait I think I figured it out. 

I was going to say Syaoran makes sense I SUPPOSE since he was made by Evil Wolverine offscreen INITIALLY, so we don’t really know the method, but I thought Sakura was naturally occurring - except she isn’t, is she? She is technically the CLONE of the naturally occurring Sakura clone, who Evil Wolverine made off screen (around the end of Chapter 1) in a way that wasn’t explained until very briefly a little while ago - which is a whole list of technicalities to bring back all at once. I'm too distressed to find the exact page we find out Sakura is an Evil Wolverine clone OF a Naturally Occuring clone but here is my Sakura Chart that mentions it.

And it sure does give you a lot to think about. Like, does this mean Evil Wolverine’s clones count as Magical Constructions? Are they kind of like spells that required his magic to continue running in the background? That would be the only way this connects to the rules that actually checks out with me. 

Because if they ARE magical constructions then that kind of puts them on the same level as the Clow Cards (from Cardcaptor Sakura), who were all magical living beings who NEEDED Clow Reed’s magic to continue existing, and that was why they needed to be converted to Sakura’s magic force in the second arc. THAT checks out at least. Especially since Clow kind of jumped through roughly 27 hoops to have his magic source continue in different places in different places for an unspecified amount of time until it was suddenly running out, so that explains the delay between his "death" and them starting to disappear.

Though this also brings up some interesting questions about some OTHER beings that I kind of read as being similar. Maru and Moro, for one, seem to have a similar existence - they were created by Yuuko, and so should technically be tied to her existence. Though they seem to have something else going on as well, since they were using a lot of their power to maintain the store well before Yuuko vanished, and are presumably still there but in their dormant form, so that’s probably yet another technicality that hasn’t been explained yet. 

The OTHER example that immediately worries me are the Mokonas, who ARE clones made by Clow Reed and Yuuko, both of which don’t exist anymore. Are THEY also some other kind of technicality to avoid this rule? 

It raises a lot of questions that I don’t really have the answer to. And more importantly I don’t really want to think about the fact that Sakura and Syaoran are just suddenly dying again. 

LIKE OK COOL THEY HAD A PRETTY GOOD LIFE FOR A WHILE BUT HOW COME THEY CAN COMPLETELY REINCARNATE AS A NEW PERSON ENTIRELY AND STILL COUNT AS SOMEONE’S CREATION TO THE POINT THAT THEY COMPLETELY COME APART AS SOON AS THEY VANISH?

THAT’S SO EXTREME AND I AM VERY UPSET

[this-isnt-oish]

Nichijou in poly relationship?

That would be so cool of you to draw

Like so cool that you will forever have cool shades on

I've had that idea before actually hehe... i think everyone would be pining for yuuko. everyone loves yuuko cuz I love yuuko 🔥

SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG BTW. do I still get the cool shades

[taldigi]

This might go against the rules you established for how the Midnight Train works, but I’ve got this image in my mind of Yosuke going full John Wick trying to save Yuuko after she wanders onto the train. How does he know about the train? I have no idea, but it would be a fun parallel to Yu and Nanako during the Heaven dungeon (sorry for rambling, this AU lives rent free in my head and I love it so much, you are so DAMN COOL!!)

JKFD>K thank! Cool is a very nice complement.

Yosuke cannot enter the train, as his wanderlust settled when he and Yu get together properly (turns out home for Yosuke is Yu, who would have guessed?). He has to rely on the Trainhoppers to save her.

They become aware of Ren and Morgana being the Phantom Thieves when Yuuko brings home a talking cat. They learn about the trains and the Trainhoppers when Yuuko goes missing.

It's a moment for Yu, as well- having to accept that he can't barge in and brute force things like he did with Heaven- as he too lacks the wanderlust needed to enter the train... so he has to come to terms that Nanako is growing up and she's not going to be his baby sister forever- (though that just means they'll have to settle on sister)

It doesn't mean they can't help. Some of their old weapons made of TV world materials are serious upgrades, and they are happy to spar or teach TV world tricks. ("First to break the Tetrakarn wins." "Shoulda brought my headphones-" "You wanna give them a chance at least, Yosuke") Yosuke is desperately out of practice, but he's also still as well-rounded and fast and swings back into it.

The boarding area is also phased out of existence sort of like a pocket dark hour event. So they can summon their personas there. However, once the train is entered proper, they are untraceable and uncontactable.

[yoificfinder]

In celebration of women, here are some fics centered around the great women of YOI! Happy international women's day! ♀️✨️

(Don't) Give a Damn by @forochel [T, 9K]

Mari, through the years,

an open door by tripcyclone [G, 8K]

Lilia never wanted children of her own, but caring for Victor gives her a glimpse into the life she chose to pass by.

and your feet will follow by @prinzenhasserin [T, 13K]

Lilia’s relationship with her fellow ballerinas wasn’t usually complicated. Usually, she knew exactly where she stood. Not so with Minako Okukawa who had disappeared from the ballet world some years ago to hide in the dance studio of a backwater town in Japan.

Lilia didn’t care about that, of course. Not at all. She just deserved a vacation, to Japan, incidentally.

another girl in another time by cityboys [G, 11K]

Wouldn’t it be cool if there really is another version of you out there?

Beautiful in Knowing by @val-creative [T, 1K]

Sara knew she was a girl, even if nobody else did or believed her.

She ordered Michele to call her "Lady Sara" from now on. He would roll his eyes and grumble, but never attempt to misgender her. She liked "Sara" — it meant "lady, princess, noblewoman". And she would never go back to her deadname.

if friends were flowers, i'd pick you by windupbirdgirl [G, 4K]

During the first two years of high school, Yuuko finds she barely has time to breathe. The sky seems very far away, the sea even more so. She hasn’t gone to the rink in months.

if love is king, who wears the crown by @crollalanzaa [G, 1K]

“Second is seen as nothing,” Christophe had derided.

“But that moment you glide onto the ice, that hush of the audience, and that expectation, isn’t that worth something?”

“You speak as if you know. You used to skate?"

Past tense. It still stung, even if it was expected.

Minako knows exactly what it's like to be at the top of your game, and she remembers the descent just as clearly.

if she wants me by renaissance [G, 6K]

Hiroko and Minako, then and now.

if the sea has any draw for you by weird_bird [E, 8K]

The first time Mila saw her dance in person, her power funneled down into elegance, the granite of her face transmogrified to marble, she almost gave her the password to her bank account, she’s that good.

kagura by night by seventhstar / @pencilwalla [T, 1K]

The world around her is like the mountains.

A mortal lifespan is narrow; mortals watch the mountain’s unchanging faces, unravaged by the same measure of time that takes a human from dust to dust, and think them immortal in comparison. But stone erodes, just as flesh decays. It just takes longer.

If she watches long enough, everything changes. Languages drift until all the words she learned before are meaningless. Technology changes until she ceases to believe in magic because human ingenuity is more infinite than the stars. What is beautiful, what is polite, what is wrong, what is right—time, given its way, reshapes all.

But Minako’s body remains as it has always been. That’s why she loves to dance, she supposes; it’s the one thing time cannot take from her.

Katsudon by @azriona [G, 8K]

Hiroko doesn’t need to see to coat pork cutlets in egg and panko. She has made this dish for her family for over thirty years; she’ll make it another thirty, if she’s lucky.

Now she makes it for Yuuri and Victor as they fly home from Barcelona, with silver around their necks and gold around their fingers.

keep me steady as we go by orphan_account [G, 3K]

When Isabella stood and crossed the room to where he sat she saw her notebook open in his lap, turned to the last page of their to-do list, all but three items crossed off with less than a month to the wedding date. License. Ceremony. Everything after. She saw the angle of his gaze, too, not on the words but straight ahead, staring blank and glassy and brittle into some invisible place she still wasn’t sure she could follow him to, yet. And yet she had been the one who’d promised to try—and to keep promising, forever and forever.

Kooks by BoxWineConfessions [G, 3K]

Mari clasps her right hand across her left hand and rests them both atop her growing stomach. “I guess you’re just lucky that your father, I mean your other father, my brother-“ Mari giggles. “God, it all sounds so weird, doesn’t it? Do you care? Do you care that we’re all so fucked up and we don’t care at all?” Mari laughs again. It’s all she can do when she hurts this much, and wants a cigarette this much, but can’t stop smiling despite the fact that her body seems to hate her so much. “Well he means the world to me. That’s why I have you.”

Living in the Maybe by @adrianners [T, 6K]

It wasn’t hard to spot a 180cm platinum blond in Fukuoka International Airport. Especially when he was the only person wearing sunglasses. Indoors. At night.

Mari picks Viktor up at the airport when he returns from Moscow. Without Yuuri there to play his usual role of interpreter, they learn to communicate around their linguistic, cultural, and personal barriers.

my better self by @spookyfoot [G, 1K]

Mila's the first friend Yuuri's made in Russia. Technically, Yuuri became friends with Yurio in Hasetsu, but he'd never say that to Yurio's face.

On his first day training in Russia, Mila stole Yuuri from the rink and showed him pictures of Victor and Georgi wearing Spice Girls t-shirts Victor had picked up at a consignment shop during Skate America in 2006, and a video of them skating a synchronized routine to "Stacy's Mom."

"Don't let anyone here intimidate you. I guarantee none of them are scarier than Yura." They watched Victor skate circles around Yuri on the ice, Mila's camera primed for blackmail material—just in case.

_________

Yuuri and some of the women in his life, through the years.

Variations on a Theme by BoxWineConfessions [M, 20K]

Mari doesn't like it when the past and the present overlap so easily. Mari knows the mischievous grin and the burn of eyes that linger too long. They're the trademark of girls who are still figuring out what they want, but want relentlessly. Mari is tired of letting people in, only to have to say goodbye when their vacation is over.

Mila has experienced this before, this knowing little smile that implies that they know something about her body that she doesn’t. It comes across as cocky, and arrogant on men, and gentle with Mari. Mari looks like she's just told her some kind of wonderful secret.

Together, they reshape their expectations.

[shiroasada]

My idea for the 35th anniversary musical

I'm fully aware that this idea will never be realized. But one can dream.

2027 will be the 35th anniversary of Sailor Moon. Maybe an anniversary musical with lots of actors from Bandai and Nelke Planning would be cool.

But not like in 2022, not just with talk shows and a few songs being sung, no.

Instead everyone slips into their roles again and it goes in the direction of breaking the fourth wall. Like in Senshuuraku by Eien Densetsu.

Many former actors still support Bandai myu today. Many remain friends and have become close friends. So it certainly wouldn't be difficult to get actors from the past involved: Anza, Hisano, Misako, Emi, Akiko, and Yuuta (inners + Mamoru). Or Nao, Yuuka, Yuuko, and Mao (outers). Also Ryuuji Kasahara, Mao Kawasaki, Noel Miyazaki, Hikari Ono, and Adou Endo.

I could also think of a story. Spacetime gets messed up, and other Usagis & Co come to our world from other universes. The space-time gate is also pretty much the gate to other dimensions and times.

So it's rather funny, especially when actors have played multiple roles. Even if that's not so common in the newer musicals, there are: Mikako Ishii, Satomi Okubo, Yui Hasegawa, Yuka Kobayashi, Chihiro Ando, ​​Chise Niitsu and especially Riona Tatemichi.

It would be just a funny image if, for example, Anza, Satomi and Riko stood together on stage and Riko said that she is Usagi and then others said that's wrong, they are Usagi. A Mamoru actor comes on stage and all three Moons fight over Mamoru. Satomi could then say that she comes from the future because she is Sailor Cosmos and confuses Anza and Riko. As Sailor Cosmos, Satomi knows that something terrible is going to happen.

Or Mao Kawasaki could appear as Black Lady and could step on Chibi Chibi and say, "You look like me before." And Chibi Chibi, played by Chise Niitsu, could reply, "Yes, I was Chibiusa."

There are countless other funny situations I could think of. With many other characters. Mikako, who played both Pluto and Endymion. Chihiro Ando and Ryuuji Kasahara, who both played Tiger's Eye. Or Hikari Ono with Riona Tatemichi. Both played Taiki, Hawk's Eye, and various members of the Black Moon Clan.

Villains from all seasons could also be included. After all, space-time is in disarray. All the villains are joining forces, and the senshi from all universes are uniting against all the villains of the past. Chaos could also play a role to incorporate the theme of the future. Of course also with actors from Bandai and Nelke.

In the end they repair spacetime, the villains and other universes senshi & mamoru return to their world.

This way, songs from Bandai and Nelke could also be accommodated without any problems.

The only problem is that these references and jokes will only be understood by people who are familiar with the Bandai musicals. As was the case with Eien Densetsu Senshuuraku.

Bandai Myu needs more attention! Wouldn't a DVD reissue be a good idea? Some musicals would then finally be released on DVD and/ or Bluray. Or a huge box set with all the musicals. I don't mean from 1993 to 2005, but from 1993 to 2024.

Or alternatively 1994-2017, 2021 & 2022. The fifth Nogizaka versions get their own.

[atsoraasayoma]

Day One: First Summer:

Story: Goodbye…For Now

Perspective: Hikari Yagami

Characters: Hikari Yagami, Takeru Takaishi, Yuuko Yagami, Natsuko Yagami

Summary: What happens when a misunderstanding reunites you with one of your best buddies from a Digimon Adventure and spirals out of control to a point where both your mom and your friend’s mom are now squaring off to battle? Hikari Yagami is about to find out!

Note: I promised myself I could write a couple paragraph story for Takari Week…Sniff* All of you are so inspiring. I’ll make it one day!

***

Goodbye…For Now.

They say once something is missing from your heart, you will try to fill it with whatever you can. At least that's what one of the soap operas her Mom had watched had explained, Hikari sitting there in her pale yellow shirt and pink shorts. She held her cheeks by her hands, a sniffle of a tear from her mom to the left and a chortle from her Dad to the right sipping on a beer. She sat in-between them, their wavelengths throwing her off.

She had been trying since that fateful day she had said goodbye to her feline digimon friend Gattomon to come up with a solution to the heartache she felt. She couldn't help but be lost in thought, a slight 'meowing' catching her ear, followed shortly by a few paw swipes.

She glanced down at her cat Miko, eager for attention. Hikari felt a bit guilty having been preoccupied with her and not giving enough love to Miko.

"Sorry," she said picking her up, staring her in the eyes, but imagining her as Tailmon for an instant. She nearly dropped her when she realized it wasn't her, Hikari's eyes leaking.

"Hikari dear, whatever's the matter?" her Mom asked.

"Come on, take a seat and tell us about it," her Dad encouraged pausing the show.

"It's nothing," she sniffed wiping her eyes. She then hurried outside the house, the concerns of her parents echoing after her.

She closed the door and leaned on the railing outside her home staring up at the sky. It was still summer. The sun had slightly less fervent heat, and the trees it seemed had started to give into a hint of lower temperature, but still a nice cool breeze felt reassuring that summer would still be here a little while.

She glanced up at the sky, a deep pain in her chest concealing her sobs. She put one clenched fist over her chest and leaned forward her tears leaking down the side.

A muffled shouting sound echoed in her ear as she dared to open her blurry eyes, a greenish clothed boy yelling and shouting towards her. He seemed panicked as if trying to catch her attention.

She listened, squinting down faintly recognizing a certain boy she had not seen for awhile.

"Wait!" the boy shouted, Hikari listening. "You have so much more to live for! Don't do it!"

Hikari realized her position pushed back against the railing with her arms and hurried down the stairs to see him.

"Takerukun?" she questioned relieved, hurrying her footsteps. The closer she got to him the more she could see his kind face, but firmly embedded in concern and a little chastisement.

"Hikarichan?" he said in amazement also running over towards the railing meeting her halfway from the top of the steps. "I had no idea!"

She noticed he seemed as much out of breath as her, the excitement of seeing him again bringing her to a stand still, both of them panting about ready to keel over.

They both sat down on the stairs, the not so blazing sun warming their faces, but for a brief moment a cloud partially gave them relief.

Hikari wanted to say something to him, but, after they all separated and their brothers sort of escorted them their separate ways it seemed a bit awkward, but around him it was still far more comfortable than inside.

She noticed Takeru glanced down at her downcast face. "Is everything all right Hikarichan?" he asked.

"I'm ok," she said swallowing a bit, wanting to conceal her emotions so she wouldn't embarrass herself being seen crying.

Takeru kicked his shoes up a little bit lightly swaying them against the stair back and forth. "You know," he said, "I've seen too many movies like that. Someone gets really sad and then they jump...and that's that," he said. "It's scary. So when I saw you like that I thought no way am I going to let that happen."

Hikari felt her tears dry up and just stared at Takeru comprehending him. He heard before from the others how much the boy would get scared easily and cry, but would do his best. Now, maybe just a little bit he had...become stronger? Maybe more grown up even though he was still the same boy.

"By the way," he said, "Why were you crying?"

Hikari clammed up upon hearing his concern, but not wanting to be vulnerable.

"Come on," Takeru's voice cooed in a soft glowing voice. "You can tell me," he smiled.

Hikari stared transfixed at his calming presence and found herself relaxing a bit more. She took a deep breath and stared up at the sky, resting her palms on the stair.

"It's so...lonely without her," She said.

"Oh? Tailmon, right?"

"Mhm," she affirmed.

Takeru also leaned back resting his head on the back of his hands. "I know what you mean," he said. "I sure miss Patamon. And Yamato won't say anything, but I can tell he really misses Gabumon."

Hikari glanced at the sun still hiding behind the cloud. Maybe Takeru would be able to help her. He seemed like he was ok after everything, though she wasn't quite sure how it might be at home for him.

"How," she hesitated, "How have you made it through these last few months without him?" she asked. "Every day when I wake up I find myself looking for her, but I can never find her."

Takeru lifted himself up and stared ahead, Hikari noticing his eyes firmly focused on the future, the glint of sunlight brightening his eyes into something she couldn't even describe.

"Hikarichan, I know how you feel," he said. He tensed up a bit himself, Hikari curious about his anxiousness. "But, to be honest, I'm...kind of used to it now. It's only because of that I'm still keeping it together."

"You're used to Patamon being gone? Already?" she said, slightly irritated with him, bothered he would say something that insensiti-

"-That's not what I mean," he said frowning looking down at part of an outline of their frames on the staircase. "Sometimes I wonder why I was chosen as the Digidestined with the Crest of Hope. But, when I look back at everything so far I've realized that's all I've had to get me through this far," he said.

"You mean like Myotismon and the Dark Masters?"

He glanced at her, a cheesy grin on his face, but it seemed a bit painful to look at.

"Not exactly," he winced. "It's more like the things I care about the most end up being pulled away from me. Like...My Dad. Yamato. Or Patamon. Or even all of you I met on our adventures in the Digital World," he explained. "And now, once again...Patamon has gone away again."

Hikari listened on, feeling his words as if she herself was experiencing all she had talked about. She placed her hand over her chest again and started to weep looking at him, Takeru with a sad smile on his face, faint tears glistening in the corner of his eyes.

She couldn't help it. Hikari had always been so vulnerable to the emotions of others. Even sometimes she was more impacted by them than her very own. It weirded out some of her classmates, sometimes annoyed her brother, and her parents could only comfort her even though they didn't quite know how.

She closed her eyes embarrassed trying to dry the tears.

"But Hikarichan," Takeru said, "I've learned something very important after all we went through," he said. "All of those goodbyes I've had to say...they weren't goodbyes," he said positively. "They were just...goodbye for now."

Hikari wiped away her tears with her hands, keeping herself together.

"Goodbye for now?" she wondered aloud. "What do you mean for now? We may never...see our partners again," she said trying to keep herself from boiling over with emotion. "So how can-"

"-Hikarichan," Takeru said reaching forward with both hands on her shoulders staring her in the eye, to a point that she couldn't look away. "If we're 'Digidestined' then we are Destined to be with our partners. I just know I'll see Patamon again," he said. "I don't know when or how, but it will happen."

"You just...know?" she asked.

"Mhm," he said. "Like you, Hikarichan"

"Like me?"

"I didn't know I would see you today. But I knew one day I would. I just had that feeling. That belief. Maybe it's because we just, I don't know, it's easy to be around you. So that's why-"

"-Takeru!" a stern voice yelled out as an older woman who Hikari had only seen one maybe twice in her life said stepping forward in a black blouse, conspicuous pearls around her neck. She looked so pretty, a fresh coating of lipstick and her short blonde hair flowing down the sides.

Takeru glanced up at her a bit bewildered. "M-mom?" he said a bit on edge.

Her heels clacked as she overshadowed him in frustration. "I went to get ice cream for the two of us and when I turned back you were gone! I was worried you were kidnapped!"

"But Mom," Takeru protested, "I-"

"I don't want to hear another word young man," she said. "I dropped the ice cream as soon as I lost sight of you. I panicked. Do you know how that made me feel? Do you Takeru?"

Takeru lowered his head, his teeth grit in frustration. Hikari noticed his hand clenched trembling, Takeru being verbally shouted down. That kind boy, with his cheerful smile was now….

...Hikari didn't want to intervene, but seeing Takeru like this, the boy whom she had come to respect, she couldn't just stand by and let this happen to him. Even if it was his own mother.

"Wait!" she shouted, Takeru's mom twitching and glancing at her. "D-don't yell at him!"

"I'm sorry," Takeru's Mom said studying her reaction, "I didn't realize that you were here. You were so quiet little girl I thought you just happened to be standing there."

Hikari stared up at the woman intimidating by her, wondering how she could coldly view other people like that-especially people she didn't know.

She swallowed heavily, remembering how brave her brother was and how brave Takeru had been for her too. In that moment, as if Gattomon was there supporting her, nodding her head, ready to go into battle she felt she could be brave too. She had to!

"I'm," she said, a bit afraid, but not wanting Takeru's mom to get her way. "I-I'm not a stranger!" she shouted. "I-I'm T-Takeru's...friend!" she shouted, her voice echoing out the whole apartment complex, even Takeru's a bit taken by surprise.

"You had a friend all the way out here Takeru?" She asked incredulously. "We moved from here awhile ago. Unless- was this one of the other children that was part of saving the world?"

Takeru seemed like he could breathe again, his voice coming back, daring to speak. "Yes, mom," he said. "That's….Hikarichan." he said, Hikari noticing a bright glint in his eye and a smile returning back to his face.

Takeru's mom seemed to study her even more bending down, her hand on her chin till she was almost level with her.

"My apologies for my rudeness," she said, even though her eyes did not appear sorry at all. "I didn't know my son knew where you lived," he said. "He never said anything before about it so it just kind of threw me off."

"But I didn't know," Takeru said speaking back. "I just saw her and-"

"-You ran away?" she snapped back. "You could have been kind enough to wait and introduce ME," she emphasized. "What would our family think if they found out you ran away just because you saw someone you knew, even though you clearly knew to wait for me. It would give the impression you are disobedient," she said. "And I never raised you to be that way. I-"

Hikari felt scared for a moment, Takeru being cornered again. She had just seen in his smile again, she couldn't let that go away! She had to summon her courage once more! Just one more time!"

She gripped her fists lowered her head and shouted. "He thought I was going to jump off the balcony!" she shouted, her voice echoing out 'jump off the balcony' louder than before, Takeru's Mom stunned by her.

Hikari breathed out heavily, her lungs giving out from all the stress of the moment. She glanced up at Takeru's Mom, Takeru concerned for her, but his Mom a bit on edge shocked by the revelation.

All of a sudden the rushing of footsteps and a shadow appeared above her head, Hikari glancing up, her mouth agape as she couldn't believe her mother had jumped off the balcony to the ground like a protagonist in an anime saving the day.

She landed in front of Hikari, her hair fashioned in a bow, an apron around her waste, Hikari at a loss for words how cool her Mom looked. She appeared headstrong, holding herself up against Takeru's mom both intimidating to look at.

It seemed like there would be a showdown, that is, until her Mom turned towards Hikari, tears leaking down her face and weeping into her shirt. "Oh Hikariiiiii!" she sobbed. "I heard your voice through the window and I thought you were so upset you were going to jump and I couldn't help myself! I'm so glad your all right!"

"M-mommy," she said touched by her emotions. It made Hikari start to get worked up a little bit more too.

"W-wow," Takeru said, Hikari noticing how impressed he was by her. "That was so cool! You're like a super hero lady!"

Hikari's mom smiled, let go of Hikari wiping her eye and walked over to Takeru patting his head. "What a nice young man!" she beamed. "I may not look it, but I was kind of a super hero back in my day. I used to be a volleyball champion!"

"Wow, really?" Takeru said enamored, but Hikari noticed his Mom seemed a bit thrown off her by her.

"And who might you just be?" she asked. "This child's mother?"

Hikari's mom seemed to respond to her just the same. "Oh, I certainly am," she said. "And, just who might you be? His Mother, right?"

"Obviously," she said, her eye judging Hikari's mom a bit, her appearance a bit ragged from being in the kitchen. She scoffed tilting her head away from her.

"Is something wrong with the way I look?" Hikari's Mom asked.

"Obviously," she said, her tone annoyed by her. "What a joke. You hear your own child is going to jump off the balcony, and, like the brutish woman you are jump off instead! This goes beyond common sense! Or any decent way to raise a child!"

"Oh?" her mom grinned with her teeth as if excited by her tone. "I think I've raised my daughter quite well," she said rolling up her shirt sleeves. "But maybe if I was seen yelling at my child in the streets like he had committed a felony, I might agree with you."

Both Hikari and Takeru glanced at their parents a bit nervously, Hikari never seeing anything like their interaction. She noticed one of her vein's pulsing as if Takeru's mom would have an aneurysm.

Her eye twitched feverishly. "You have some nerve," she said. "Do you know just who I am? Do you know what kind of influence the Takaishi family has?"

Hikari's mom grinned her eyes fervent with fighting spirit. "No idea and I don't care," she said her hands on her hips. "But I bet I could take you on."

"You what?" she growled her hand clenched like claw raised as if wanting to squeeze the life out of her.

"You heard me. If you want to go, then let's go!" she shouted, Takeru's mom immediately lashing out and smacking her brushing her cheek, her long nails having scratched her.

Both of them stared at each other, shocked, Hikari's mom grinning. "My turn," she said, her hand turning into a fist and then laying her square in the jaw, Takeru's mom glaring at her wondrously as if she had never been struck before.

"How's that?" she asked.

A bruise welled up on her cheek, Takeru and Hikari both at a loss for words their hands trying to think of ways to calm the situation, but it was useless with their mother's prideful spirit's going at it.

Takeru's mom rubbed her cheek furiously, but she still gave off an intimidating aura. They seemed ready to go at it again for round two, but Hikari with them getting ready to strike each other again if there ever was a time now would be the time to do it.

"Takerukun," Hikari said glancing at him, Takeru immediately glancing back. He looked the same way her as she did at him.

"Hikarichan," he answered back, both of them nodding their heads.

They both ran forward just as their mom's started approaching the other each of them standing in the way of their respective moms.

Hikari closed her eyes shouting stop! Takeru echoing the same words as it felt like the two opposing forces would clash, but instead she felt warmth surround her as she smelled the sweat off her mom wrap around her, her hair following over her.

"Hikari!" She shouted her body bracing for impact. She stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, but, even after all that pressure nothing happened.

Her mom placed her hands on her shoulders and stared at her so tenderly. "Are you ok, Hikari?" she asked, Hikari nodding her head. "I'm ok," she said, relieved that no one had hurt each other seriously.

She turned her head, Takeru's mom also shielding him, a look of concern and worry in her eyes as well. Takeru also seemed cheerful and smiling. The two of them glanced at each other and didn't look away. In fact, Hikari found herself forgetting about her mom for a second and walking over to Takeru both of them standing in front of each other smiling happily, their faces beaming.

The clacking of Takeru's mom's heels caught her attention as she looked at his mom come over in stride, but a bit off, Hikari's mom walking over to them as well.

"I got to say," her mom said, "That was a pretty good smack...for a stuck up snob," she said smiling through her wound.

"Well," Takeru's mom also responded, her lip curved slightly, "You punch quite well...for a barbarian."

The two of them still emitted a fighting spirit, but it seemed a bit more gentle the look in their eyes respectful of each others strengths.

"I don't think I've ever asked anyone this before, but what's your name?" Takeru's mom asked.

"Yuuko. And yours?"

"Natsuko."

They stared at each other some more, Hikari still glad they could prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

"You know, I think we should apologize to our kids," Yuuko said. "I don't want my Hikari thinking violence is ok."

"A fine idea Yuuko," she said nodding her head.

The two of them exchanged apologies, the conflict finally over, but was it really? The air between them still seemed mutually intense.

"By the way," Yuuko said putting her arm on Takeru's shoulder. "Thank you for watching out for my daughter, Hikari. I'm glad she had you as a friend to watch over her in the Digital World."

Hikari glanced at Takeru's face turning a bit red, a bit frazzled.

"I would never let anything happen to Hikarichan Hikari's' mom!" he exclaimed. "Not even if she jumped!"

Both mothers laughed for a moment, even though the situation was not that funny to Hikari. She couldn't help but giggle with them.

"Oh yes, that's right," Natsuko said, glancing down at Takeru who did not seem so nervous now. "Takeru, I just wanted to say I'm quite proud of you. I know I can be a hard mother sometimes especially after the separation, but this was the first time you stood up to me like this. And you did it for the right reasons. I'm proud of you son."

Takeru looked shocked, but then elated, Hikari not knowing how much more she could smile.

"And I must say," Natsuko said glancing at Hikari, "I'm rather impressed with you too, Hikarichan. It takes courage to shout at someone else's mother like that to protect someone. I know I can be strict with him, but, I would much like it if you could...be my son's friend from now on?"

The look on Natsuko's dignified face softened, Hikari joyful she looked at her that way.

"What are you talking about Mom?" Takeru grinned. "Me and Hikari have already been friends for quite awhile!"

"Oh!" Yuuko said humming to herself.

"You seem so cheerful all of a sudden Yuukosan," Natsuko said.

"It's nothing," Yuuko giggled. "But, I think we should definitely keep in touch," she said. "As the Mothers of the kids who saved the world and all."

"Well, I wouldn't mind," Natsuko said. "Who knows...You might be able to make decent conversation?"

"Decent conversation huh?" Yuuko grinned. "You act all prudish, but I doubt you could hold your own with a bottle."

"A bottle?" she questioned. "You think I, a Takaishi would lose in a drinking brawl, to you Barbarian?" she questioned incredulously.

"Then how about you stop on by and visit for just oooone drink," she challenged.

"Out of the question," Natsuko replied. "For one we have our children present. And two, there is a restaurant I go to that has an excellent selection. Though I'm not quite sure it would be up to your boorish standards," she teased.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Yuuko smiled, both of them laughing confidently in their own strength.

Hikari had lost interest with what they were talking about, both her and Takeru relaxed as if they had just achieved victory against a truly evil Digimon.

"We did it Takerukun!" she said excitedly. "We got them to stop attacking each other!"

"I know! That was great Hikarichan!" he grinned from ear to ear. "Man, you were really something!"

"No, we were really something," Hikari said, not knowing where such confidence had come from. "We make a great team!"

"We make the best team!" Takeru replied back even more energetically. "Thanks, Hikarichan for today," he said calming down. "To be honest I was worried I would never see you again. I mean, I knew I would see you eventually, but I didn't think it would be for a really long time."

Hikari nodded her head. "Me too," she said. "But I know you don't live around here anymore."

"Yeah," Takeru sighed. "I've been moving around with my Mom's work. But, we decided to pay a visit to a relative who lives out here and it was great I could see you, but, at least now that our Mom's are talking we can talk to each other whenever we want!"

"Mhm!" Hikari echoed his sentiment. She felt the intimidating presence from their mothers facing each other behind them again Hikari smiling a bit nervously, but not so fearfully this time.

"Hey, Hikarichan," Takeru whispered into her ear, "Next time we go to the Digital World we should bring our moms. They could beat down even the Dark Masters!"

Hikarichan giggled, a blush appearing on her cheeks, realizing just how comfortable and confident she had become because of him.

The sun had nearly disappeared now, a pleasant soft wind blowing past her Hikari's hair towards him.

She looked at his eyes, dazzled by him. "You were right Takerukun," she said softly. "I know one day I'll see Tailmon again. And I'll see you too. Do you know why?" she asked.

Takeru grinned. "I bet I can say it before you can Hikarichan. On the count of three," he said.

Hikari nodded her head excitedly following his lips as they answered in unison:

"It's not goodbye. It's just goodbye...for now."

[harocat]

ooh, I am torn between "untitled document" and "reverseAU". Please pick one for me!

I only included untitled document because it's funny to me, so it's good you chose two.

This is the whole of untitled document. To this day I have no idea what it is.

'reverse AU' was a classic Yuri on Ice prompt that was essentially just a role reversal of canon. I really liked the way my idea played out, but I sadly never got around to finishing it.

Anyway it's a good chunk of words, and I'm pretty certain I'll never finish, so I'll just put it behind a read more. Yuri on Ice fans come get your food.

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

Victor had slipped in after public ice time was over, after the last of the beginner skating lessons were done for the day, and kindly asked Yuuko Nishigori, the young woman who worked at the rink, if he could have some private ice time.

He was surprised when she recognized him, professing that it’s not every day a world-famous figure skater came into their rink out of the blue and asked to skate. Victor didn’t think he was particularly world famous, but he supposed, if you were a skating fan already, he might be recognizable.

“You can use the rink while we’re closing up. That should give you about forty-five minutes? If you want more ice time than that, you’ll have to schedule it with us and pay for it in advance.”

Victor nodded, pleased that the woman spoke English well, because he didn’t know more than the most basic of Japanese.

He was still feeling the effects of jet lag, so once he’d laced up his skates he spent a good ten or so minutes just skating around the rink, orienting himself with the setting and breathing in the crisp cool air of a rink well loved.

And then, he began to skate. It was a program he knew down to his very bones, better than his own programs from that year, which to be honest, considering his last experience in competition, he’d rather forget anyway.

When Yuuri Katsuki skated, it was like he made music with his body. Victor thought that, even if he went out there and skated a program with no music playing, it would hardly make a difference, would hardly diminish its beauty. Yuuri was the music itself; it flowed through him and was expelled from his fingertips, from the silver of his blades flashing and gliding across the ice.

It took Victor’s breath away, but he hardly cared. Even if Victor could no longer breathe, he was sure he could survive on Yuuri’s skating alone; on the serenity of his smile, on the grace and poise he moved with.

If Victor could skate like that, if he could skate even half as well as that, he would be happy. If he could stand on the podium with Yuuri Katsuki, know that Yuuri had watched him skate, had been impressed by it, then it would have all been worth it; the pain in his leg that occasionally still ached to this day, the years of recovery from an injury that could easily have been career ending, the biting commentary and the cynicism the media had had about him; ‘just give up, Victor Nikiforov is over’ for season upon season. The Russian skating federation would rather be done with him, he knew it. There were new stars on the rise; junior world champion Yuri Plisetsky for one. And even Georgi Popovich, his longtime rink mate, had managed a top six finish at worlds in Victor’s absence just days before.

There was no music as he began the program; Yuuri’s program, the one he’d just won his fifth world title with, his fifth grand prix final gold medal. It was the program that Victor skated every single day because he loved skating, and this was the one thing that could remind him of it.

He heard the piano in his head as he skated, listening to the sound of his blades across fresh ice, allowing it to soothe him as he ran through the elements of this ridiculously difficult program that he loved so much. His jumps were coming easily, and he breathed a sigh of relief at that. The tiny amount of pain in his leg, he knew, was because it was still stiff from the plane ride.

Victor knew that even at his best, he lacked Yuuri’s grace. He’d been told growing up, back when he was fresh from his second junior world title, back when he was on the trajectory to shake up the senior world, that he was an excellent all-around skater. But Yuuri, Yuuri was art. It could have been his ballet background, but Victor had known other skaters with a similar background, and none of them moved like Yuuri.

He let the imaginary music carry him through the second half of the program, making the decision to downgrade a quadruple loop into a triple (he’d never managed to master that jump), and closed his eyes as he launched into the step sequence, the element Yuuri was most famous for and the thing Victor was least confident in. It was almost too much for him, Yuuri moved quick as lightning during this part and Victor thought that perhaps, if the music were playing, he may have fallen behind. But…

The last jump was a quadruple flip, and Victor was still amazed at how Yuuri put it at the end of his program, but laboriously, because he was tired, and he was feeling the burn in his chest and his legs, he launched into it, landing it cleanly and with a flourish.

He ended the program, his hand over his chest and his other arm reaching out toward the edge 

of the rink.

For a moment, he closed his eyes, imagining applause, imagining that he’d successfully skated a clean program in competition, and one as difficult as this.

When he opened them, there was no applause, but there was an audience.

Yuuri Katsuki stood at the edge of the rink, his eyes wide behind blue frames and his mouth wide open.

Victor almost fell over, only narrowly stopping himself from falling on his ass in front of Yuuri Katsuki himself. Sure, he knew this was Yuuri’s hometown. That’s why he’d come here. But Yuuri didn’t live in Hasetsu, he trained in Detroit, and how was he—to show up right now, of all times? Victor breathed heavily, exhausted and winded from the skate, as Yuuri made direct eye contact with him.

“You cut your hair,” Yuuri finally spoke, and that was what he’d said? Victor touched the back of his head, feeling the freshly shorn locks. It still felt strange to him. He’d had long hair since he was a preteen, but despite it being a big change, he didn’t think it was that high on the list of things Yuuri would want to comment on at the moment.

“I—I—yes?” Victor finally managed.

Yuuri let out a short laugh, and Victor swore that his cheeks pinked, just a little. “Sorry, I was surprised so I just… said the first thing that came to mind. That was weird.”

Victor felt his nerves, which had been taut as a bow string, loosen at that. “It’s okay. I just wanted a change, I guess.”

“I get that.” Yuuri paused and cleared his throat. “Victor Nikiforov.”

Victor nodded, a smile blooming on his face, because Yuuri had said his name, knew who he was.

“That was my program.” Yuuri’s grip tightened on the edge of the rink, and did he look nervous? He dropped his eyes to the ground. “You’re in my tiny hometown, which no one ever visits, and you’re skating my program?”

Victor grimaced inwardly. When he said it like that, it did sound like Victor was a bit of a weirdo. Victor just nodded, because what could he say now?

Yuuri lifted his hands from the barrier and squeezed them together, as if trying to stop himself from fidgeting. He let out a deep breath. “It was beautiful, Victor.”

He must have imagined the way that Yuuri’s eyes were shining when he lifted his head, must have been seeing things to think they looked like they were glittering with unshed tears.

“T-thank you,” Victor finally managed, breathless. He dared to skate closer to the edge of the rink, closer to Yuuri Katsuki, who was here and real and in front of him and thought he skated beautifully.

But Yuuri’s expression quickly shifted from one of amazement to one of--- irritation; anger? 

Victor wasn’t sure, but his eyes grew wide and he skated a few steps backward.

“Why weren’t you at worlds?” Yuuri asked, and he sounded upset; angry even. It wasn’t like Yakov’s anger when he was shouting, or Yuri Plisetsky’s anger… pretty much all the time. This was something else entirely; anger edged with hurt, frustration, betrayal?

“I-I did badly at nationals and didn’t qualify,” Victor replied, confused. Why was he eliciting this reaction from Yuuri?

“If you’d gone and skated like that, you would have been on the podium!” he raised his voice. “If you’d landed the quad loop, you might have even been able to beat me.”

“I don’t think I---“

“I had no idea you could skate like that! Giacometti is good, but what you just did was,” Yuuri took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, “it was incredible.” 

Victor gulped, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. “You think so?” he asked, and it was quiet, but there was an edge of excitement to it. 

Yuuri crossed his arms. “Sure, yeah. You would have placed above Chris and Otabek easily.”

“And you?”

Yuuri nodded, and there was something like a spark in his eye. Victor didn’t know what to think of it. “With a little bit of work, yeah.”

“You’re not just saying that because you’re underestimating yourself, are you?” Victor let out a short laugh. He knew from years of experience, of watching interview upon interview and reading every magazine that he could get his hands on, that Yuuri could be modest to a fault. He skated to the edge of the rink, closing the distance between the two of them until he was only a foot or so from Yuuri Katsuki.

It’s not as if it was the first time he’d ever seen him. They’d competed against each other several times before; at worlds, at the Grand Prix final, and at a couple of Grand Prix events throughout the years. But Yuuri was reserved, choosing to surround himself with only a few close friends, and although in general other skaters liked him and found him friendly, he wasn’t close to many of them. Victor had exchanged a few short snatches of conversation with Yuuri, but nothing lengthy, and certainly nothing like this; where it was just the two of them, alone.

“I’m not,” Yuuri replied.

Victor took a deep breath and placed his hands on the barrier of the rink, right next to Yuuri Katsuki. Their fingers were only inches apart, and Victor took a moment to imagine…

“I um, came to Hasetsu because it was your hometown,” Victor began. “After what happened at nationals, skating was difficult for me. But then… I decided to practice with your free skate from this year, and it really helped.”

Yuuri blinked, confused. The rink was so quiet, just the two of them, their breathing, and the fans that kept it cool.

Victor let out a brief shudder.  “My coach, Yakov, thought I was obsessed, but he didn’t understand that this program was what was keeping my skating alive.” His lips quirked up in a small smile. “He told me to take a vacation.”

“So you came to Hasetsu?” Yuuri leveled him a look.

“You’ve always inspired me, Yuuri, from the first time I saw you when I was a child. I thought, if I could visit the place my inspiration found his inspiration, maybe that would help me.” Victor felt his cheeks flush despite himself.

He must have imagined the way Yuuri’s cheeks pinked as well. “I inspire you that much?”

“You don’t think it’s creepy?” Victor let out a nervous laugh.

Yuuri shook his head in the negative. “No. It’s… nice, actually.”

Victor’s face brightened at that, his smile wide and beaming. “Yuuri!”

“But I didn’t expect this, that’s for certain.”

“Well I didn’t expect you to be here. I thought you lived in Detroit.”

Yuuri pushed his glasses up and brushed a stray hair out of his face. “Oh I do, but since Worlds was in Tokyo this year, I decided to come back home afterward for the off season. I just got here, and I have a key to the rink so…” He let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry, I just can’t believe you visited Hasetsu just because I’m from here.”

“And memorized your program,” Victor muttered.

“That too.”

Victor reached up, hesitant, and placed a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. “It shouldn’t be that surprising. Do you have any idea how much you’ve inspired people?”

[sebekzigv0lt]

🍮: hey Sebek, can you TRY to bring your Lord Malleus to Yuu? As he uhm made a Yuuko cried after insulting her, hence why she isn’t saying this… Also wth made Malleus be so aggressive lately?

Yuuko still in the corner

Ooc: YEEE malleus kinda lost his cool

If Lord Malleus sees fit with the words he said I don't see any problem! The human was probably annoying him!

(ooc: WTH did he say???)

[pirepoumon]

Well I finished all of Rei last night and it's even more disappointing than I remembered, because I no longer have hope. The shambling dream-corpse that resembles Yuuko in Watanuki's stupid dream is emblematic of the whole of Rei: it too wants to return to a time when xxxholic was good and fix things, but you can't return to the past - doubly so if you're still keeping that stupid fucking egg in your pocket.

Reading the first 104 (lol cool douwata reference) chapters of holic was a beautiful whirlwind that had me constantly wondering why I don't remember this series even more fondly than I do, but as the great work it is... and the last 2 chapters soured me right back to my fond but derisive judgement I've had for years. Holic, pre-timeskip (or perhaps, pre-egg dilemma) is the most effective execution of CLAMP's "your self-sacrifice will hurt others, defeating the point of your original intent to treat youirself as disposable to save them from pain" themes (seen in Tokyo Babylon, X, Clover, etc.) as much its horrifying case of the week episodes nail the perfect balance of mystic foreboding and thematic resonance.

And all of this - the horror, the moral, the tone - hinged on the interrelationships between hitsuzen and choice. So rei, with its fifty fucking chapters of waiting for Watanuki to choose and having nothing more than some vaguely interesting customers and the vague hope that maybe Sayaka Doumeki isn't canon. That's over half of the original series' length, and even the Yaobikuni and Jorogumo relationship felt disappointing and shallow given the compelling premise! And it'll never be done! but it doesn't matter because everyone should read holic and love it and stop at 104 to just go... read the professor's wife. full stop

[floorpancakes]

basically in my xxxholic splatoon au doumeki watanuki and himawari are idols but they’re also owarai/standup comedy themed kinda like how shiv from deep cut has rakugo theming.

himawari is the leader that’s a bit more of a singer and gets center privileges

whenever theres a splatfest watanuki unhinges his jaw in an attempt to maul doumeki like a dog and decides he’s the worlds worst person for not sharing his opinion on random topics (he dgaf about himas differing opinions and actually really praises them then gets caught out cause clearly he doesn’t agree with her its literally his job)

yuuko is a greedy koi fish themed ceo (and their idol manager) who replaces mr grizz as the salmon run main pop girl and has forced watanuki to be her latest recruit and put his ass on the line to get salmonid eggs but at one point after a particularly rough shift yuuko rewards him with a cute eel sidekick that can transform into a mega sized eel a la little buddy (mugetsu) to protect him

they have kind of a mix of traditional kimono and western clown themed outfits

watanuki has to rehearse extra hard for splatfest performances so he doesn’t embarrass the audience, but somehow the group have fairly equal individual popularity

watanuki has confusing and kinda enigmatic octoling related baggage and doumeki is winning the octoling idgaf war and comes from a lineage of special octolings w ancient stringer wielder lineage

hima actually has a golden salmonid pet that watanuki brought back from one of his shifts by accident and woke up to find hatched (tanpopo)

their idol group is called fishtsuzen and every single broadcast is at lunchtime so they can use it as an excuse to laze around while eating bento like high schoolers

i cant tell if I wanna do this yet but i wanna do smth cool w himas not a curse curse status like maybe she’s afflicted by fuzzy ooze and has fuzzy hair and everyone thinks it’s just kind of an aesthetic thing

doumeki still has the extra eyeliner octoling thing because its fun

their secret mission is to investigate unexplained paranormal occurrences in defunct octo territory

the mokonas take the place of the judds as the last two test rabbits on earth

yuuko has a personal investment in researching ‘the wishes of mankind’ that she’s allegedly trying to research using her power and influence

watanuki wishes he was just running the food stall but his hands are full with being a caterer for his friends LMAO

im still struggling to think of something kohane could do im not gonna lie but i feel like there’s potential

marumoro are in charge of gachapons in the lobby and yuuco respectively and are undergoing customer service training to come off as ‘less spooky’

considering having yuuko actually be a reincarnated human/yuukos soul way past human extinction which is why she’s being kinda shady and knows some shit totally separate from sea creature society

yuuco is laid out like the shop so when salmon runners go for job interviews they walk in assuming it will be a laid back swanky career choice. then they come head to head with a steel eel and minimum wage

doumeki has been asked to model for like ten different brands but he usually drags tanuki and or hima to come with because it is boring otherwise. this has basically made any prospective doumeki schedule a package deal because he is easily bored and easily entertained and ironically actually benefitted all of them in their collective rise to fame

himawari has a special interest in the darker side of stuff like the fall of humanity and the nuclear fallout partly cause she's just a bright girl into dark things and partly because shes kinda projecting

haruka turns up in watanukis dreams still but instead of a hot octoling gilf sometimes he shows up as crispy little guy with beady eyes like captain cuttlefish and it scares the shit out of him

noone knows what yuuko is actually smoking like is it crushed up salmon vape is it the blended ink of her enemies who knows!!

watanuki makes special splatfest themed snacks which are passed onto different shops to mass produce as gentei sweets but doumeki refuses to eat anything but the OGs (a classic) he once turned down a CM cause he was presented with snacks from the store and lost interest and dipped

group unofficially formed as the weird kids at high school, was put through the wringer as paranormal investigators and the whole idol activities came later (himas idea yuuko immediately sniped them)

yep that's right their Thing is splat idols is part time paranormal investigators ....the story mode would eat

yuuko has a mysterious storehouse of human artifacts and seems to be the only one that knows their original usage , usually she sells stuff she doesn't need and it gets snapped up by weapon development researchers and scrapper types, she has a long list of IOUs from various people and hands in many pots

watanuki gets agitated when he misses a spot in turf war and sometimes feels the need to clean up other teammates ink until it is tidy this is his fatal flaw sometimes he doesnt even just do this for turf war and its like rainmaker or something

he needs doumeki to not constantly die (in splatoon this time) bcs that fucker has a mean aim

doumeki watanuki dating scandal is attempted by a squid tabloid but it doesn't work cause everyone assumed they were already dating this entire time, this sends watanuki into a spiral because apparently they weren't actually dating yet but that issue is swiftly rectified 🫶

tanuki has a rly strong reaction to fuzzy ooze (uh oh) but doumeki can still counter it bcs of his lineage we love consistency

they have a big circus tent performance during splatfests and you get to go in the big tent to see them sing/banter/eat food/mess around as a treat

[anarchic-miscellany]

Terrible Video Game Idea: Persona 6

Terrible Video Game Idea Part 2:

"Persona" but in a shopping mall.

You take on the role of a new employee in the upbeat, snazzy, popular shopping mall erected in the city. It's a well paying job, and you need the money! But something is afoot here, there is a terrible secret going on in the mall. And soon it falls to you to stop it and solve the mystery! Accompanied by the mysterious powers of "Persona" and a few other workers here - you must take on these demons and save the world!

It's not just teenagers, it's adults this time!

Hiro - A spry and confident man at the mobile phone shop, who fancies himself something of a ladies' man. Unfortunately, as handsome as he is, he never got into college, and is stuck in this job. He loves his parents, even though they seem unhappy with his job too, and lives in the shadow of his elder siblings, but is happy to get drunk on the weekends and hang out with his band! You can shake this party animal from his rut and fight evil with him! And with his store, you can get first pick of all the tech which comes through!

Megumi - A clerk at the food court, this was only supposed to be a temporary position to make a little extra cash for her; now the wannabe author is stuck with no prospects and being looked up to by the young student workers as "the older hand". She's not even old! But it's money, and it just about pays bills... She doesn't want to be "responsible", or a killjoy or "the old crone"; she wants to be seen as fun, which she is! But it'll take a lot to shake her out of this preconception of her... And with her store, what better place to stock up on supplies?

Kaito - The security guard was kept out of the police force by his thick glasses, so he had to settle for this. It beats working another job and is the closest he's ever going to get to "fighting injustice" and protecting the innocent like he wanted to do when he was a child, which he still is at heart. He loves walking around feeling like a sheriff in the old West, or a beat cop, and pretends to have a secret identity! But stopping the poor and protecting rich store's stock isn't exactly a noble endeavour, and the kind-hearted man may not be cut out for this... Still! You can up his confidence, help him out and in return he will be a most useful ally in combating darkness! Hell, he even has the keys to the building!

Tomoko - Easily the coolest to many here, she works at the music store! Carefully cultivating a cool, collected and snobby persona as "the classy music snob"; she is actually super-embarrassed by her family's enormous wealth and her status as an heiress to a large fortune. Complicating things further, she actually really likes dorky stuff and music seen as "trash", but must be seen to be cool and "knowledgeable" about music. Can she shake free of her image and find a way to ground herself effectively, whilst discovering who she really wants to be? With the aid of our protagonist and his friends, she probably can!

Takeshi - He used to be somebody. He used to have his own business. Now the businessman is struggling to make ends meet here in the travel agency, an industry he knows nothing about and with strict quotas he is not able to to meet. He watches as those with more money and dreams than he will ever have come in and demand that he make their dreams come true, whilst he struggles to keep his daughter in school and a roof over their heads. His marriage is on the rocks, and he needs a miracle. What he does NOT need is the power of "Persona" to awaken inside of him, but he'll do what he's always done: make fucking do. His store gives you the maps and places to travel in this evil metaverse, don't navigate without it!

Yuuko - A gold medallist in figure skating, once known as "The Golden Swan" for her beauty and grace, now working at the sporting goods store, fitting ice and roller skates to kids and couples. She's constantly noticed and it's seen as a "fall from grace", but she's happy here! There are no pressures, no trappings of celebrity, no parents and coaches pushing her further: just a job she has to do! But she feels as if she should want more, and also: do people only want to befriend her because of her fame? Because they feel sorry for her? Because they want to hook up with the "Golden Swan"? She fears that she is boring and a washout: this adventure will hopefully change that! Her store lets you access the weapons and equipment you'll need to fight evil!

Wataru - The janitor. A grizzled old badass sporting tattoos and a cool beard, rumour has it that the man is a Yakuza. But Wataru is simply one of many lost in the shuffle: a day labourer, cab driver, dock worker and all round blue collar guy; he has shifted from job to job and struggled even to get this one. He's constantly worried about two things: being seen as useless and thus replaced by somebody younger (especially since upper management don't like him; and schoolchildren keep thinking he's a creepy old man or wise old man who has been a janitor all his life as some sort of punishment from the Gods); and word getting out about his sexuality, something most improper... You can hep Wataru kick some ass and show this old dog some new tricks! Plus he's the janitor: he's been everywhere, he can get into anything, and he'll clean up the enemy nicely.

Ai - The absolutely useless and incompetent new girl in the jewellery store, Ai only got this position because her parents are incredibly rich and famous stakeholders in the mall. She comes across as common and vulgar to the customers, and the snobby staff too, and it's gotten her down. She has no idea what she's good at, and knows that everybody thinks of her as "the rich kid who'll never have to work a day in her life", something she is keenly and painfully aware of. She doesn't know what to do, but her heart is in the right place. She has no real friends here until your gang of misfit employees show up, but she's willing to learn! Time to take charge and break free of your shadow Ai! And with her wealth and influence to call upon - she's a perfect addition to your gang!

You'll meet others in your adventures, both staff members of other stores and customers who frequent the place, as you get to know your party and yourself - in the most salary-based Persona game yet!

[anonymousplant]

1. Does your OC have parents or family in the AU? If not, what is their current living situation?

Kagami lives with their mother, father, and sister. Their parents run a cafe in town. Yuyume and Kagami have a weird relationship. Kagami made Yuyume, and the rest of their family have kinda just accepted that Yuyume is with them now.

2. What are their thoughts on Quartz?

"Quartz is cool! Even though she doesn't talk a lot and watches Azul all the time, she's still a great friend! I sometimes invite her to have lunch with me, but most of the time she's busy. I don't know what she's doing, but she's very hardworking to even be doing stuff during lunch! 10/10 person!!" Kagami seems to have a mission to bother make friends with as many people as possible. Including Quartz. They don't seem to notice when Quartz doesn't want to interact with them, and sometimes brings baked goods to her from the cafe. Only when they're feeling generous, though.

3. What is their thoughts and relationship with Azul? How did they meet Azul?

"Azul? He's funny, don't you think?" Azul and Kagami don't really get along well, at least according to Azul. To Kagami, they're great friends! Whether that be bothering him randomly at lunch or in between classes, they always talk at least once everyday.

4. What are their relationships with other characters/OCs?

Floyd: "Oh. That one."

Kagami doesn't really like Floyd, but since Yuyume does, they deal with him. Begrudgingly shares food with him.

Ace + Deuce: "My friends! They're very funny. 10/10 people!"

They sometimes gives stuff from the cafe to them. They find each other's company enjoyable.

Rook: "He's kinda weird, but he helps me in Science Club when things don't go how I like it, so he's cool in my opinion! 9/10 because he knows too much sometimes."

Rook seems to be the only one who has more information than the handful of clues that Kagami leaves. They don't like that. They both seem to get along well, though. Also sometimes gives him bread.

Trey: "The baker man from next door! 10/10 person! Makes really good pastries."

The bakery and cafe are right next door to each other, so there is some friendly rivalry between them. Overall good friends.

Idia: "I bother him sometimes to play games. His brother Ortho is pretty cool too. We're great friends! 10/10 person!"

Idia does NOT like Kagami at all. Absolutely dreads interacting with them. Kagami does not notice and continues to bother Idia. Brings him food from the cafe sometimes.

Yuuki (@theolivetree123): "Their art is really cool! I once saw them drawing in their book, and it was really pretty! They're always really busy too, whenever I see them they always have something to do! How hardworking of them! 10/10 person!"

Yuuki doesn't like Kagami, yet Kagami likes Yuuki. Kagami is unaware of this. Whenever Kagami tries to talk to Yuuki, they make an excuse to get away from them. Kagami tries to give food to Yuuki, but they mostly run away before Kagami can reach them.

Yuukana (@babyghoul138): "We talk a lot sometimes! We share a lot of the same interests! 10/10 person!"

Yuukana and Kagami walk around school together sometimes, talking about random things or stuff that recently interested them. They bring food to her from the cafe, but sometimes forgets where she is.

Yuuko: "10/10 person! He tells me a lot of things, and it's fun to listen! He also helps out at the cafe sometimes."

Yuuko’s parents and Kagami’s parents are friends, so they’ve known each other for a long time.

Yuyume: "10/10!

Kagami made Yuyume. Yeah, they don’t know how, but they did. Great friends.

5. What grade/year is your OC?

Kagami is assumed to be a first year, since they go to most of the classes that the first years go to, but no one actually knows their age.

6. What is your OCs goal for the school year or in life?

They say that their goal is to get into a good college so that they can get a good job and earn lots of money, but they don't know.

7. Your OC is being framed for murder of another student by Quartz, how does your OC react to that? Does your OC know it's Quartz?

It's really quite hard to frame Kagami. Impossible, even. They're always with someone at school, and they stay home most of the time. Kagami also rarely touches things that aren't theirs, and don't carry any weapons or things that could be used against them.

8. Your OC notices Quartz carrying a weapon in her skirt pocket. That's strange since the female school uniforms don't have skirt pockets. Does your OC report this?

Kagami either forgets, or doesn't really care. They know the how the world is. People are scary. They don't say anything unless it is used against them.

9. Where is your OC usually with or at during school? Classes? With Azul? Skipping class? Where do they eat lunch?

When not in class, Kagami is seen with a myriad of people. Whether that be talking Yuukana (@babyghoul138) or playing games with Yuya (@cheerleaderman), they can be practically anywhere! They are also often seen with Yuyume. In class, however, Kagami sticks with anyone they know.

10. How are your OC's grades?

"Obviously, I have amazing grades!" They get all A's in their classes.

No Yandere Simulator

AU by the amazing @quartztwst

"You're interesting, let's be friends!"

more info below!!

Kagami acts as the Info-chan in this AU. They love their friends. If you help them or give them something, they'll do something for you in return, whether that be information from their network of friends, or a small service that isn't too hard. Kagami will also always defend you, unless of course there is hard evidence against you. In that case, you're on your own.

They're on their phone a lot, playing rhythm games or something similar, so they can easily take photos if something happens.

Their parents run a cafe in town, called “cafe momo”. Kagami helps work and manage things there after school, and sometimes brings their friends food. If you can help out there, you'll gain their trust very quickly, and can get more information from them.

However, if they find out about a murder that is suspiciously connected to information they gave you, it's game over. It's best to just use their information in non-violent ways.

[agythi]

[nonsensology]

So I've had these Grunkle Stan crackships on my mind for almost a year now. Could be interpreted as platonic, but I think there's great and fascinating potential if interpreted fully romantic. Full musings and explanations below (Warning: very disjointed and random).

Uncle Chan from Jackie Chan Adventures

Maybe Ford and Stan stumble across the Chans on one of their globe-trotting adventures. Both groups fight off the same supernatural threat and surprise each other with their ease and familiarity with the weird and fantastical.

I feel Uncle is kind of a weird in-between of Ford and Stan. He is knowledgeable but not a nerd like Ford, is generally cranky but doesn't get into trouble like Stan does, although he does have a level of disregard towards authority if it gets in the way of his goals. He's quick to do research instead of impulsively charging into a situation.

I think Uncle's dynamic with Stan would be hilarious. They would argue a lot on how to deal with a threat, but once they agree to work together, they could kick ass. Once he gets past his initial annoyance, Stan would probably enjoy Uncle's quips, even more so when he realizes that Uncle does not say them to be funny, he's just naturally snarky.

Uncle is never shown having any romantic interest or relationships, so I kind of headcanon him as ace, but I think it would be really interesting to see what kind of queerplatonic relationship he and Stan could form.

Jade and Mabel would probably hit it off immediately, and while Jade isn't as studious as Dipper, she also has an enthusiasm for the supernatural so she'd probably get along decently with him. She'd also probably think Stan and Ford are super cool, especially considering their lax attitude toward giving children weapons. Though they do still take the kids' safety very seriously.

Jackie is doubtful of Stan, much like he was with Viper, but seeing Stan look out for the kids would probably endear him a little. Ford might also help ease his worries, and maybe they both could have fun discussion about archeology.

I think Tohru and Soos could get along decently, though Tohru would find Soos' eccentric musings odd at first.

Additionally, Uncle's shop is in San Francisco, practically next door to Dipper and Mabel in Piedmont. The kids would easily visit each other every weekend.

Bruno Madrigal from Encanto

Stan has been to prison in Colombia, so I don't think he'd willingly travel there for fun, and Encanto Valley seems relatively closed off from the rest of the world, so I imagine their meeting is accidental, maybe a result of the Stans getting caught in a storm or something. They stay for a while in the valley while repairing their boat.

Stan might initially be outraged at the idea of the Madrigals not charging anyone for the use of their gifts, but perhaps lightens up when he sees how close-knit the community is. He'd still come up with ways they could show off their powers Mystery Shack style, probably butting heads with Alma in the process, lol. He might encourage Bruno to adapt a more showman-like approach to his seer abilities to make it more presentable and less intimidating.

Bruno and Stan connecting over their shared feelings of isolation from family is definitely what drew me to these two together in the first place. If they ever got serious about their relationship, I can imagine the biggest hurdle would be deciding if they should continue a long-distance relationship, since neither is keen on asking the other to be separated from their family.

Yuuko Ichihara from xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

Major spoiler alerts for both series. It's been many years since I've read them, and Tsubasa had so many plot twists that even CLAMP (the writers) admitted they were confused by the end result. I also might be misremembering some details, so bear with me. Factoring in the plotlines for both series and Gravity Falls would make for an incredible AU fanfic that I unfortunately am not qualified to write.

Due to Yuuko's shop being in Tokyo, a whole ocean away from Oregon, I like to imagine some timey-wimey space mumbo jumbo allowing Yuuko and Stan to meet in the dream realm. Maybe at some point, Yuuko's shop would obtain a door connecting it to the Mystery Shack.

Stan and Yuuko both have a mischievous side, though Yuuko is generally more reserved. They could start out as drinking buddies, though I imagine Stan would probably favor a light beer, while Yuuko loves sake.

They also both use aliases (it is never revealed what Yuuko's real name is), but Yuuko would likely be upfront about it. As their relationship progresses, Stan would probably feel comfortable telling Yuuko his real first name, even after she tells him the supernatural dangers of giving your real name.

While Stan scams his customers, he generally sells harmless entertainment and trinkets, whereas Yuuko grants wishes and operates strictly on an equivalent exchange basis. To quote the wiki, "All of Yuuko's customers must pay a price in order to grant their wishes, which can be no more or no less than the one demanded, or else harm will come to one's way. She is not one to tell the customer the most direct way to solve their problems because in the end, it can only be solved with that person's own realization and resolution to change themselves... Her abilities are not unlimited and may almost seem like a curse as it appears that she is unable to do anything for anyone or grant any gift (other than feelings) without it becoming a binding transaction." 

When Stan finds out just how powerful Yuuko is, I think he might react with a mixture of hesitation and awe, especially when she reveals she knows about his past, and Ford being lost in the multiverse. I am on the fence on whether Yuuko would use her powers to bring Ford home sooner, or let Stan continue working on the portal because he's already close to completing it and this would be significant in defeating Bill.

I found that the main villain of Tsubasa, Fei Wang Reed, surprisingly parallels Stan. Both endanger reality to bring back someone who is lost, but while Stan does it out of love and devotion to his family, Fei Wang Reed only did it in an arrogant plan to prove himself a powerful sorcerer. And in Fei's case, the person is already dead. CLAMP's universe establishes that the dead cannot be brought back to life, and Fei's wish to do so would cause the universe to be destroyed. I wonder if Bill would factor Fei as part of his plans.

Stan also surprisingly shares a lot in common with Fai D Fluorite. Both use their twin's name (Fai's real name is Yuui), and for much of the series Fai's tragic backstory regarding his twin is unknown, and he hides his trauma under a laid back exterior. I think Stan would empathize a lot with Fai, after he finds out his backstory.

Kimihiro Watanuki is revealed to have been created to fill a void left by Syaoran after the latter wished to turn back time. I remember Watanuki's character arc involved realizing that people cared about him. "Don't disappear", "Continue existing". Stan would probably take Watanuki under his wing, much like he did with Soos. Watanuki might find life with the Pines family far more chaotic than he's used to, but slowly warm up.

Yuuko is revealed to have died a long time ago and has basically been in magical stasis due to Clow Reed's unintentional wish. When time finally moves forward again, Yuuko eventually passes on. She doesn't return in the canon series, but Watanuki is stated to have also suspended his time to wait for her return. In this AU, maybe she reincarnates in the past and reunites with Stan and the Pines in the present day.

[manofmanymons]

Survive cast meeting the cyber sleuth cast you know so far

I am just imagining that Shuuji would have an impossible time looking at Kyoko. He feels like the kinda guy who would feel that if he didn't hold aggressive eye contact the whole time, he would be committing a crime. She would definitely tease him for it.

Also RIP to any of these kids who has a crush on anyone while in her presence cuz she's gonna notice ToT

Repeat of that one wrathful route scene where the kids are trying to pretend that the professor's cooking is fine bc they don't wanna offend him only for Takuma be like EW but this time it's with Kyoko's coffee.

Aiba's just internally like "I haven't endured this coffee for this long for you just to come in here and shamelessly react that way wtf"

I am accusing Shuuji of being an old-person-befriender and getting along with Matayoshi

ALSO I JUST REMEMBERED I have talked with a mutual about how funny it would be to see him and Date interact. I can only imagine him being afraid of her.

Man I don't know if even Minoru can handle how energetic Nokia is. Although she and Aoi are both Defenders of Cute Things so I'm sure they'd get along even if Nokia would probably make Aoi feel a little freaked out at first. She'd get along better with the girls than the boys, that's for sure. I don't think she should be allowed near Ryo and Kaito she would just bully them ToT

Maybe Takuma would be safe.

Remembering how Survive Agumon kept picking up random things and asking if they were food, CS Agumon (and Gabumon) would insist on another food tour (while Nokia casually calls Yuuko and asks her to save her wallet).

Speaking of Yuuko. For one thing I think she would remind Saki a little of Aoi and they would totally get along. I bet Saki would INSIST on her trying Aoi's cooking (she would also help, ofc). Maybe also draft Ryo into helping. For another thing—

Yuugo 🤝 Miyuki

I'm not even gonna elaborate

I feel like I keep accusing Kaito of being a main character magnet but also you can't tell me it wouldn't be fun seeing him and Aiba hang out. The could both cause AND solve so many problems together. Also imagine

Takuma: Isn't that...illegal?

Aiba: I remember when I used to worry about those things...

I think any and all of the Survive cast would have q u e s t i o n s about what having a half-cyber body is like

*points at Miu, Minoru, and Arata* nerd gang nerd gang nerd gang

The question is can Arata cope with having these kids unironically think he's cool jsjdjrj he keeps waiting for the part where they make fun of him for being a dork or say something about his attitude but it just doesn't come and he's like "WHAT is happening right now"

(Meanwhile considering all the time they spent with Shuuji, Ryo, and Kaito, Arata's bad attitude doesn't even register to them)

Minoru @ Arata BUT ALSO Arata @ Minoru (in their heads): holy shit he's like a real life comic character

Totally random other thought but like I'm not saying that Miu would weaponize Nokia's loud nosiness to mess with her brother, but—

I think Fei and Ryo would be friends.

Just remembered Jimiken exists. Aoi would, with 0 offense intended, ask him if he's a Kiss cover band. He would take offense.

Kaito, about Suedou: so that guy definitely looks evil, yeah? And his behavior is kinda suspicious?

Everyone else: I don't know what you're talking about

Kaito: why do I even try

I know I said a similar thing about data squad too but

CS gang: whoa your partners are half of your soul?

Survive gang: whoa so many of you have more than one partner how does that even work?

Both groups I'd imagine would be really fascinated by how the other's version of digimon work. Like it would be genuinely baffling to the Survive kids how anyone could mistake a digimon for a computer program but things really are just Different. And even the cs characters who know digimon are living breathing things might still be surprised by the concept of a fated partner.

Especially Aiba and their million digimon.

(I mean I know you can recruit free digimon in survive but it's not...quite the same)

...Survive kids would totally all be on board with Nokia's digimon defense squad ksjsnd

[koinoyckan]

yuuko takes yuuji's earbud with a smile, careful not to let their fingers brush as she does so. she brings it to her ear, internally giggling and kicking her feet at a moment like this. isn't sharing earbuds and listening to music together supposed to be super romantic ? she's pretty sure it is! granted, they're only hanging out as friends, but still. progress is progress! this is so going in her journal later!

❝ this is — , ❞ yuuko blinks a few times, taken aback a bit by the curse words, though she supposes yuuji would enjoy something that sounds cool and badass like this song does. it's not bad at all, it's just not really her personal preference. she does see the musicality in it, though, and sees why yuuji likes it. 

❝ it's really good, itadori-kun! you have the best taste! i'll definitely add this to my playlist, ❞ she says, and makes a mental note of checking out more of eminem's stuff. if this is what itadori likes, then she should familiarize herself with it to get a better sense of what he likes in general. 

❝ karaoke, huh? ❞ she folds her hands in her lap, fingers drumming together as she considers it. she's never been a fan of it, because she never really liked having attention on her, but if itadori likes it... maybe she should try it? she wants him to be happy. she's heard from kugisaki that school is quite stressful for them. apparently he goes to some fancy private school now, so she can only imagine. ❝ sure! but only if you show me your skills with this song, okay? i think you'd be good at rapping, itadori-kun. ❞

continued from @koinoyckan

« Yeah ! He's a genius— Ah really ? Do you want to hear it ? » Yuuji asks, excitement glinting in his eyes.

« I want to know what music Ozawa-chan likes, too, » he says, fishing out his phone and tapping away at it. He opens his music library, and when he finds a specific song he's looking for, he grins and plugs the earphone jack into his phone.

He turns to look at Ozawa, and offers one earbud. His smile is softer, a bit bashful now.

« This is one of my favourites. Oh. Ozawa-chan ! We should go to a karaoke next. »