#I do think Kokoro could have been included in this post...

[ask-kuu]

Kuu, who would you say your friends in school are? You only described Horuda as “a girl” :,(

Well, when it comes to Horuda, she does quite often consider us as "friends".

She's always taking photos of me, with me, sending photos to me, or just sending things to me in general. She's always talking. I struggle to care about our conversations. It's nothing important. I suppose we are friends. although... there's this girl. Ayano-senpai. She's always walking around the library covered in blood. I don't know who's. I feel almost as if I should tell someone, and that if I cared, I would care alot. Nevertheless, she's nice. She got me my book back. I would say that me and Ayano are friends. So Ayano and Horuda.

[siriusanotherside]

I've been thinking about an SDRA2 AU where everything is the same, but the non-AI dead killing game's participants are able to be saved, like in SDR2. By now, I already have some ideas for it:

The other three Voids (Maku, Emma and Nikei) and Kanade are immediately detained by the Kisaragi Foundation for their crimes. Also, I feel like Kokoro could also get detained, bc of both letting AE!Mikado do the killing game unopposed and having Mikako just for her experiments.

With Teruya alive, there will still tensions inside the Kisaragi Foundation, but they don't go nuclear like in canon. But still, there's still some division between the members about if Tsurugi's actions were justified or not.

With Setsuka and the other Hopes, I don't know how it would go, but I can feel that they could get an explanation of why they got roped on the killing game in first place (Also, Yuri discovering that Monocrow was his AI, corrupted by AE!Mikado to have a Monokuma-esque figure)

And also, Yuki also could have Shinji along with Yoruko as friendly faces on his world-spanning mission.

Also, in a funnier direction, all the revived participants going like "Are you saying that the white-haired girl in the hoodie is supposedly Yuki??" when they discover about Yuki's situation in the post-game.

Ohhhhh I really like this AU!

I do think all Voids (Iroha, Maku, Enma and Nikei) would get arrested due to kidnapping people and general other crimes. As you said, due to Kanade confession in the killing game, she would be arrested ASAP. I do agree with Kokoro because while Amnesia!Kokoro hadn’t done anything wrong, ThatTimeline!Kokoro had done human experiments, gave her approval stamp and aided to everything Mikado(s) did, including kidnapping, money washing and murder.

I think the Syobai might not get arrested due to his deal with Tsurugi but I imagine he would get the hell out of dodge out of there since when it comes to criminals Tsurugi isn’t to be trusted.

One point, is that I think Tsurugi actions while still very sus and worrying would have a more wiggle-room in people’s/outsiders’s view, due to nobody actually ending up dead and the mastermind(s) getting apprehended. I feel that while Rei and Teruya would be hella pissed, they would be less…… shaken or hurt to about it and Tsurugi might get away in a sense with stern talking about not doing so again and “we will leave if you try to use us like baits again”.

I also think that in such AU, Tsurugi may be able to change toward a better view-ish due to getting a degree closure with Utsuro, and actually finding closure in saving people from the killing game. I do think that, at least then, he would end up conveying more what he meant and plans due to heavier pressure from Teruya and Rei.

I imagine that odd sort of catharsis and finally having Utsuro be gone for good, may lead to a less obsessed Tsurugi.

That said, considering the possibility of AI Sora, I imagine there would be a lot of arguing between A2 survivors and the trio over whether or not to try to save Sora or not. I feel that Shinji, Yoruko, Yuki and Teruya would be the strongest arguing voices for saving Sora, while Rei would be more neutral-positive and Tsurugi being the one in opposition, due to fearing anything that might survive together with Sora coming back. As for the other survivors, I think they would be too much wrapped up in the trauma of the aftermatch to be able to strongly influence this discussion.

I will put a pin on Setsuka due to her situation being a bit different from the other hopes. If I am not mistaken, Setsuka herself had been hired by Tsurugi to investigate the Voids, so she would have some sort of an idea of what would be going on. Now writing this, it also occurs me that due to Yoruko being there from beginning to end, she would also have an idea of it.

I think all of A1 survivors would feel a sort of closure in this scenario, not only Tsurugi. Teruya i think, especially due to how close he was with people who had died, would get to be able to save the lifes of innocent people in a way that he hadnt been able to with his closest friends (Satsuki and Haruhiko).

I can see a tearful hug between Teruya and Rei. Joy over saving innocents and Teruya being alive, and grief over the reopening of the old wounds of their killing game. Teruya also being so glad at suceeding and having complicated feelings for Tsurugi (who Rei and Yuri are giving a tongue lashing about), but also hugging him over joy of closure.

I imagine Teruya would, unconciously, find the role of guide and glue of sorts for A2 survivors, as he was the most familiar with them from the simulation and came to care for all. I imagine he helping them with coping, lightning the mood, introducing trustable people from the organization and helping to ground them in the new reality in the organization. I think he would fiercily care for all of them and fight for their good treatment and helping them within the organization.

I think Yuri, Shinji and Hibiki would be the ones Most Lost^tm since they got taken out way too early to know about everything………

Although I am pretty sure the first thing that would happen to Hibiki would be Therapy^tm with Mr. Inori and likely aid of other people.

I imagine Hibiki’s follow-up post game would be mostly healing which might leave her disconnected from all the discussions and arguments happening.

Hibiki, in particular, might be the one case where the effects of the simulation help(?) due to it allowing her to be in a state of mind free of Kanade’s control for a time as well as being able to bond and grow with other people, and having the solid evidence of Setsuka being alive and there for her. That said, I imagine everything would be crashing down a lot for her to be able to deal with anything else...

One nice thing for her I think, would be interacting with DRA 6.5 cast. I can imagine Iranami treating her kindly due to his experience with many siblings, and maybe even being able to make her smile due to knowledge over circus techniques. I imagine that Midori would also be able to provide a calming presence (even with her scary face).

As for Yuri…

Yuri voice: I am founding the Mikado Hater Club.

I feel that Yuri would….honestly I feel he might be the one to come out most unscratched due to having very little time in the simulation, and the entire story just comes out feeling out-of-the-world to him. That said, discovering his invention, that was supposed to help people, was used for murder and for an selfish goal, got made into a mockery of itself AND to top it off all of this was spear-headed by a guy would make him very very very pissed.

I picture he arguing with Tsurugi over if his organization is even that good for allowing all of this to happen and just tearing into him. Then, possibly also working hardcore to recover Monocrow AI files and becoming firmly in “Revive Sora” Camp.

Yuri voice: I have to do everything here by myself! – proceeds to create inventions to help them in this - .

I can see him annoyingly accidently becoming a sort of technology supplier for the organization with the condition that they protect his fellow survivors and *cries as if he is a cat being dragged to a bath, for he is DEFINITELY NOT ATTACHED(he says like a liar)* his fellow guy survivors.

Shinji… I think Shinji would be still very affected by everything. He passed through some harrowing, heartbreaking, horror times, and the decision to commit to die for his friends…is… still one that I think would scar. Death by fire would have been very traumatizing. I do think he would be one of the ones who would be able to bounce off to his cheery self, at least in the outsider view. I think he would have his moments of coiling into himself over the trauma he suffered.

While he would have the support of his family, survivors and the foundation, I still think it would be progress and it would take time for him to heal.

As for Setsuka, I would think that Setsuka might leave due to her complicated feelings about her eye use, as well as perceived failure over not stopping Syobai. But I could see she finding herself watching out for the survivors and being pivotal in helping Hibiki recover, and that, ending up keeping her in a place for a long while.

Just this scene of her blinking and realizing how much time has passed and that she sort of gained……a belonging feeling toward her fellow survivors and people from the organization. Joking with Ryutaro, trying to ease Keisuke, having friendly gossip with Minako…while also being a cornerstone in helping Hibiki, conversating, comforting and being comforted in turn by Yoruko, masterminding (hehe) some activities with Teruya and teasing him, joking with Shinji, Ando about “ahh young people right”.

I also imagine she and Ando would have very...existential conversations of sorts due to how centered Ando feels, and the way I think Setsuka would find herself a bit adrift of everything.

Overall, I think Setsuka and Shinji would become attached / feel a strong bond formed towards the survivors, as many times, they took the leading role in their friendship. While I imagine the friendship would change due to the new circumstances / age gaps, I think they would be fond / protective of the class.

Yuki… man……*sad cat looks at the wall.jpeg*

I think that Yuki reaction, regardless of survivors numbers, would still be running like hell due to the sheer confusion and panic of his awakening. I think when he has time to stop, and then think and reflect he would be stunned over the sheer raw hope after hearing the other survived (Shinji!!!).

I can see he trying to catch glimpses of the survivors and his heart stopping and re-starting once he sees them alive (alive!!!).

In one of those moments, I can see Shinji seeing Yuki and being like *psss psss to a feral cat* trying to convince Yuki to stop running and come and see them. As well as being at first overjoyed over Yuki being alive and probably yelling about it while Yuki is like Oh- and then Shinji hugs him. I am just picturing this scene of Shinji hugging him while Yuki starts sobbing and hugs him harder because he is alive!! And also probably saying “I am sorry I am sorry” over his actions in the game, due to being haunted over stabbing him thanks to Nikei’s plan.

And then Shinji reassuring him, being glad he is alive, and saying he is his friend and will always be welcome at his house.

Speaking of Shinji, I also imagine that his family would have an impact in this ending. As Shinji was the one person with confirmed alive close relationships, I imagine his wife and daughters would have been severely worried about him missing, and may or may not have tried to reach out to Kisaragi Foundation. I imagine that post game, Rei or another person would contact them to inform where Shinji is and that he is alive.

Writing this, I imagine they themselves might start hanging around Kisaragi Foundation with some frequency, which might lead to other survivors interacting with them. I am imagining that they would also see Yuki as a sort of uncle (reference to his “big bro” with Shinji) who is awkward but keeps coming up with little gifts to them.

I also see Shinji’s wife and Shinji trying to feed Yuki with a bunch of bentos everytime they find him due to worries over his health, as they (and other survivors) are wary over Yuki tendency of disappearing and not sure whether or not he is taking care of himself.

I imagine that due to everyone surviving, Yuki may… be willing to visit them more and feel a bond with them. I imagine there would be some initial awkwardness due to confusion re: Sora’s body (is he Sora or Yuki or did Mikado fucked up and mixed them both or both of them are in a single body), coupled with Yuki’s survivor guilt over (by his unreliable narrator view) taking Sora’s chance to get back.

And yes, pff , there would be so much confusion and having to explain things to everyone. Yuri and Hibiki in particular would be so lost… Hibiki even more so due to not knowing technobabble like Yuri.

I can see many "Sora, wait no Yuki, wait no-"

....The mental image of someone suggesting Yuki to paint his hair orange...

But that said, I think with so many people being alive, it would bring more encouragement to Yuki, in a sense of "you matter, always remember so". While his fierce cheers would be from Shinji, Yoruko and Teruya, i feel, would be right there in supporting him.

…

Just imagining the time when Yuri and Rei are able to bring back Sora.

I think, even people who weren’t close to her, would be delighted over having her back, especially knowing how hard she tried to save them.

(Tsurugi has been put in the shame corner by Rei and Teruya so he doesn’t complain about it).

I also imagine Sora would be overjoyed into finding them alive. Although the possibility of the first thing she sees when she comes back is Yuri face while proposing her is one is funny to me due to the sheer confusion she would have.

And the happy ending of her meeting a radianting happiness Teruya, a confident Yoruko, a bright Shinji, a still Yuri but very caring Yuri, a recovering but cheerful Hibiki, a steady Setsuka, and finally a tentative but hopeful Yuki... does warm my heart a great deal.

[lemon-sugarcoats-nothing]

I don't know who is who here! Could you give me a rundown? (or link me to a post where you already did?)

The lists i have dont include Sadi or Kodiak, so I'll have this be the new list ^^

🍋Lemon Sugarcoat, He/they - Main muse for the blog and namesake. Adopted kid of Kodiak. Earth pony turned pegasus through getting caught up in an experiment gone wrong, crossing them with a pheonix. Their parents divorced, father went MIA and their mom passed a few years after. They've gone through a lot, but they're doing better now. 💙 Kai Darkstone, he/him, unicorn- Older brother of Lemon, second eldest child to Kodiak (not Sanori's kid, Kai and Sadi have different mothers). Resident nerd, prince charming, and voice of reason. He's very book smart, but can have a hard time understanding social situations. Oddly atheletic

💖Nightshade Darkstone, He/him, pegasus - Married to Kai, childhood best friend to Kai, and had been an unofficial member of the family long before Kai and him were an item. Reckless, energetic, but also charming. Bad boy but respectfully. Nickname is Shade

🧡Sadi(e) Kokoro-Darkstone, He/they, pony dragon hybrid (wingless) - Oldest kid to Sanori (see @cinnavanillamelody) and Kodiak but has the most childlike mindset of them all. He's been raised alongside Cinna, separate from the Darkstone family due to safety concerns. He doesnt see his dad often, but they meet up when they can and Kodiak is currently trying to figure out a spell that will allow him to travel entirely concealed, so he can see Sadi more.

🐺Kodiak Darkstone, He/Him, unicorn - A loving dad with a long and complicated history involving religion and unlearning harmful mindsets he was raised in before he had his kids. Loving husband to a wife, Kira, who isnt on either mine or Mocha's blogs, and life partner with Sanori. He's in a flirty place with Xanaria as well. He's fought hard, mentally and a bit phyiscally, to be where he is today and he cherishes every moment he gets to see his kids smile. Kodiak is usually referred to as Kodi by those close to him.

💜Lucious Vespertilio, he/him, half love-bat pony - Love bat ponies are a bat pony subspecies that, like changelings, thrive off of sharing and feeding off of love. They can survive without it, but once they have it, taking it away can become fatal. Partially because of this, Lucious is a very devoted lover. He's engaged to Mocha, Cinna and Chili from @cinnavanillamelody. He loves to shower them in gifts, affection and lots of yunmmy food! Unfortunately for Cinna and Mocha, he also (unintentionally) catches the attention of many.

📕Alistor Sky, he/him, unicorn - Usually buries himself in his dark magic studies and uses it to cope with his mental health struggles. After being sent to prison for a few years in his teens for a crime he didnt commit, he's had a hard time finding work and making friends. Luckily, he has Nexa Vespertilio (@cinnavanillamelody) to get him out of his shell and into the sunlight from time to time. He has a soft side for small animals and just wishes ponies wouldnt be so quick to judge him.

🐝Bee Bumble, He/they, changeling - Mod pony!! This is to represent me as the artist, so they dont have much substance as a stand-alone character. They dont really know or interact with the other characters of this blog, other than Lemon sometimes and Jaysir from @cinnavanillamelody.

I think thats everypony ^^

-Mod Bee 🐝

[just-some-random-blogger]

Bootylicious

Stray Kids Bang Chan x Idol!Reader Summary: You're known as the gym rat in your group, and quite frankly, you only have two moods: shredding or chilling. This was why when you're not asleep in between schedules, you're spotted with a male idol you happened to meet in the gym you were at that day. It's a known fact though, that you and Bang Chan are gym buddies and each other's spotter. Word Count: 2k+ Warnings: Internet toxicity, sasaengs, vulgar language, sexism, misogyny, pining, fluff, mentions of Pentagon because why not <3, etc.

A/N: Girl, i shouldn't do this but I did. It's so funny to me someone requested this cause I have recently become an exercise junkie lol. Also, if you can't tell, there is a pov shift after the cut so yeah. I also wanted to keep the reader gender neutral but I want to write about how psychotically different people treat male and female idols because that stuff aint it. It's most definitely not what anon was expecting me to write but I hope they enjoy it nonetheless.

There's compilation in YT with growing parts centered around you flexing your physical fitness and prowess. It ranges from you affectionally touring your fans, which really meant the cameraman, through the gym, introducing your trainer, and doing your routine on camera, to your group (and others) both fawning and bragging about how strong and how hot you are.

CLIP #1: A scene from an interview of your group in Japan, struggling to talk about how you can do 40 straight push ups.

There was a male interviewer in a suit you could all faintly recognize was talking about your recent Instagram post of a gym mirror selfie.

One of your youngest members smirked and in broken Japanese, cutely said, "Wah, she does 100 push ups! Everyday, every night."

You snap your head to the maknae and raise your brows, "nani?" You begin to shake your hands in protest and begin to explain your truth, "absolutely not 100. Maybe around 40, but nooooo, not 100."

The interviewer and your group comically react in awe. The man in the suit urges, "can you show us?"

You give a face, "Excuse me, but I'm not getting paid to do that in this miniskirt."

Everyone, including the film crew, break into laughter.

CLIP #2: A scene from a variety show where you had to prove you were, in fact, yourself, by doing a shortened version of your exercise routine.

One of the hosts of the show asks, "Wait, do you honestly do all of this in your workout? Like you can do all of it?"

The list of your exercises were written on a colourful cardboard, held by the one who just spoke. It was a range of exercises in 10 sets, from jumping jacks to sit ups, to vague sounding exercises like crab pinches and robot arms.

You purse your lips at the last question asked of you, not really liking the tone in which it was asked. You answer quickly and nod proudly, "I actually do more, cause when I get in the zone and I'm already really sweaty, I feel like I should keep going until my whole body burns." You chuckle.

The older hosts, tilt their head and mutter lowly under their breath something along the lines of, "I'd rather die."

You finally do the routine, quickly, continuously, earning impressed reactions from everyone.

"That's hot," one of the hosts note.

"Ya, for some reason it looks easy to do."

The hosts begin to clamour at that statement, and force whoever said to do the exact thing you did. Clearly, they don't work out as much as you do and cannot even get halfway through it without stopping.

You break out into a breathless laugh in amusement of the comical attempt but then protest, explaining how bad it is to force yourself to do more than you can

CLIP #3: Pentagon, Hongseok especially, fawns over how fit you are

Trailing a conversation about how your group is close with Pentagon because your companies are situated closely to each other and you wind up eating together a lot, there is an anecdote about how there was a jar no one could open, no one but you, that is.

The interviewer asks no one in particular, "wah, none of you could open the jar? Really? Or did you all just pretend so she could open it?"

There is a chorus of answers concluding with, "no really, she was the only one that was able to open it."

The story is backed up by how the jar had a really small lid and some hands were too big. Then came an explanation how you were recently into the new rock climbing machine in your gym.

Hongseok speaks up, "I was invited to go to rock climbing in, like, an actual rock climbing place and I was honestly so surprised when she began to climb. She said she never actually tried rock climbing on a wall, but it seemed like she had been doing it for years."

Shinwon agrees, "Right, right. I was also really curious about what they did that day," he points to Hongseok, "that I joined them one time. I never felt so out of shape in my life. I just stayed back and filmed everything."

Pentagon laughs, and then agrees that you were exceptionally fast and just super fit in all honesty.

The interviewer catches Hongseok's expression then suddenly asks, "do you like a woman like that?"

"Yeah, I like my women strong."

Then came a lot of teasing remarks from Pentagon, and a plethora of complaints from delusional fans who did not want Hongseok to ever breathe in your direction again.

With all that's been said about that, in all the parts of this series floating around in the internet, one thing remained, there was a slightly larger population of impressed fans than the still large portion of antifans who wanted nothing to do with it and only came around to hate.

It's hard not to think about it, but even the slightest back handed compliment can sometimes linger in one's mind.

And right now, as much as I kept my mind on my counting as I finished my set high knees, I couldn't help but think of how much backlash I got from posting a post workout photo with my midriff exposed.

Apparently that was not only enough to merit hate for being both a whore and an attention whore, but people baselessly began to hate on my groupmates simply for being associated with me.

It's kind of sad really, how, say Wonho, can post a fairly exposed photo of himself and get so much praise for it, and yet I couldn't even do anything remotely close to that.

And I don't even mean to come at Wonho, we all know he's a beast at the gym and should be able to show as much of his hard work as he is comfortable in showing, but why can't I?

"Hey trooper. I thought you said you were only doing 80 counts?" a voice cracks me out of my train of thought.

I turn to whom spoke and chuckle at myself as I stop my leg raises, "ah yeah, I got lost in thought, and your really good song."

I pull on my earphones and give a lopside smile, "I love working out to God's Menu."

He gives a soft, "he he, thanks."

"No need for a thank you when I'm only giving my honest opinion, Chan."

"Yeah, well still, it makes my kokoro go doki-doki," he sniggers, crossing his arms and flashing a dimpled smile. I raise my upper lip and reel back, "EWWW!"

I playfully shove him. He acts hurt, "this is violence against children."

"Chan, you're literally older than me."

"That doesn't mean I'm not a child at heart."

"You mean, it doesn't mean you're not a drama queen."

"Hey, I have no interest in having a throne, my only interest is," he leans in and whispers, "you."

I feel my soul leave my body as he snorts to himself and runs away. I regurgitate in surprise, "YA!"

"You better do your next set properly," Chan says heading off to a cable row machine, "I'm always watching."

I try to ignore the blood rushing up your neck, "creep."

He shrugs, "rather that or have you get injured, sweet heart."

Yeah, Chan has saved me from a lot of injuries I could have had. It was a bad habit. It stemmed from the same thing that made me mess up my count a while ago, my overthinking.

Sometimes I thought of rather harmless things, but sometimes I began to fixate on the hate I received for simply being. I do a lot to get my mind to realize that they hated me simply because they could and because it was easy. Exercising helped tremendously, especially when I had someone fun to work out with, especially when I was with Chan. He just... made me feel safe, y'know.

But when the news of us being work out buddies surfaced, a lot of sasaengs came for me. Of course, a lot of Stays and my own fans were really kind about, speaking out that we were our own people and exercising together did not mean anything in particular really.

But some really went for it, and made it a hobby to comment on everything I was in that I was a slut for 'working out' with different men every day."

I let out a breath as I finish my routine. I catch my breath and go for a swig of my water. I take a moment then sit down by the mirror, which was near where Chan was currently working out.

"You're doing it again."

I turn from where I was blankly staring at turn to Chan who gave me a soft look, "you good?"

I release a sigh then purse my lips, "maybe."

He pouts, "what happened?"

I shrug and stand from where I sat, "you know, the usual."

Chan then comes up to me and takes my water bottle from me, "you know, no matter how much people say you don't need water to live, you can never change the fact that you are extremely dependent on water to live."

I look at him and half- heartedly point, "are you calling me thirsty?"

He begrudgingly groans and releases a chuckle. He calls my name out in a scolding tone. I feel myself relax, "I know what you're getting at Chan."

He nods, "good. I'll always be here to remind you of that."

I smile and feel an urge to hug him, "if you weren't so sweaty, I would totally hug you right now."

Chan then gives me a look then does not hesitate to crush me into his arms. I groan and whine in protest. He chuckles, "you literally just said you wanted a hug!"

"YOU'RE LITERALLY SO SWEATY. NO ONE WANTS THIS TORTURE."

Chan huffs and gives a wounded look, "hmp. You better spot me while I lift or else I'm unfriending you."

"Hmm... I think I'll be good without you as a friend."

I half expect Chan to whine about it, but he instead smirks, "ahhhh, you must want me to be your boyfriends so badly huh."

I- I mean...

CLIP #4: A crack edit of Chan when he gets asked about his gym relationship with me in Chan's Room.

He was looking through the questions and suddenly chuckles, his ears noticeably began to redden. Cue a zoom in of his face and his red ears. Cue a clip of Cardi B saying, "that's suspicious."

He says my name then continues, "am I close with her? Yeah. I would say I'm close with her-- and her whole group actually."

Captioned: Nice save, Chris.

"The kids and I are close with her group," he says, clearing his throat.

A clip of him clearing his throat is repeated about ten times.

Chan adjust the beanie he was wearing as he thinks of what he was going to say next, "we actually do work out together a lot because she's under a trainer that works with my trainer."

Captioned: Sure, Chan. That's the only reason, right?

Chan catches another question, "Is she a beast in the gym like Hongseok says?" He breaks into a laugh. He then rubs his cheek and grits his teeth.

A clip of someone saying, "Oh he's jealous," flashes on screen.

"Yeah," Chan finally says, "she's got a really high stamina."

Cue the clip, WHAT DID HE SAY?

Chan continues, "she can go between exercises without stopping. she doesn't even take that much time to catch her breath. In fact, she sings while exercising sometimes, which helps make her vocals stable."

Captioned: Queen Tingz.

The next thing that happens is Chan breaks into a laugh and begins to chuckle. He says, "Sorry I saw a funny comment."

Captioned: WHAT HE MEANS IS HE SAW A COMMENT SAYING 'SHUT UP CHRIS, YOU'RE WHIPPED."

Then came these comments:

LITERALLY LOOK AT HOW FLUFFY BANG CHAN GETS WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HER DONT FUCKING TOUCH ME MY SHIP IS ALIVE

They are dating period. prove me wrong. you cant

Chan literally blushes over anything, buT HE TURNED INTO A TOMATO WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT HER BYE

if you hate on your faves loving each other, you most definitely need Jesus (:

PLEASE CAN YOU SEE HOW WHIPPED THEY ARE FOR EACH OTHER

Yeah... it's not been confirmed to this day.

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Animage October 2021 Issue

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¡Por favor, no repostees esta traducción sin mi consentimiento! Esto incluye capturas de pantalla de cualquier tipo y cantidad. Si deseas compartir esta traducción, usa simplemente el enlace a este post.

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The Beast King’s Daughter

“Hanyō no Yashahime” depicts the battle of three princesses who carry the blood of a demon king. In ‘The Second Chapter’ which broadcasts in October, the one who holds the key to the story is another princess who makes a new appearance.

With overwhelming strength, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha’s father, the Dog General, was known as “The Beast King of the Western Lands”. The three (girls) Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha inherited the said beast king’s blood.

Despite being inexperienced, Towa and the others have constantly grown in battle. In episode 24 of ‘The First Chapter’, an evenly matched battle unfolds between Towa and Moroha, enraged by Setsuna’s death, and “The Beast King of the Eastern Lands”, Kirinmaru, who is equal to the Dog General. Though Kirinmaru was injured, he successfully landed a single stroke.

Starting from ‘The Second Chapter’, another daughter of a beast king appears before Towa and the others. Her name is Rion. Surprisingly, it is said that Kirinmaru also had a daughter. Rion is an existence who for 600 years has been sealed in Mt. Musubi, which is said to be where the Dream Butterfly is. Exactly who sealed her and for what purpose? Just like Towa and the others, within her is likely an inherited strength of a beast king but her powers are unknown.

There are still many mysteries surrounding Kirinmaru’s daughter, Rion. While it is not yet known whether she is an enemy or an ally to Towa and the others, if she is willing to lend her strength, she will likely become a reliable existence to them as they shoulder many difficulties.

Character Bios

Rion Kirinmaru’s daughter who has been sealed within the barrier of Mt. Musubi for 600 years. It seems her meeting with Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha will move destiny but… …?

The Dream Butterfly The butterfly of the dream world. A spirit. It is said that when they appear in the real world, they devour people’s dreams and those who have been devoured become unable to sleep or dream entirely.

Higurashi Towa Sesshōmaru and Rin’s daughter. She fights with Kikujyūmonji, a demon sword with a blade created from demonic power. The attack she unleashed when she became enraged from Setsuna’s death took on the shape of two blue dragons.

Setsuna Sesshōmaru and Rin’s daughter. In episode 24 of ‘The First Chapter’, despite wounding Kirinmaru during their battle, the tables turned on her and she lost her life.

Moroha Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter. When she puts on rouge, she goes on a rampage that ends quickly but when Setsuna lost her life, she managed to fight without losing her composure.

Kirinmaru The Beast King of the Eastern Lands. It appears he spares some leeway with the Yashahimes such as naming Towa’s technique ‘Twin-Headed Azure Dragon Wave’, but?

The Parent Needs to Pull It Together More!

Kirinmaru has considerably complicated child rearing. In contrast to that, Rion is a girl with a straightforward upbringing. I can’t say the specifics yet but when I see parent and child, as a father of a daughter in her 10s myself, I think “The parent has to pull it together more” and I also get a sense of “I guess even if the parent complicates things, kids will grow up on their own.” By the way, Fujita Saki plays the role of Rion. She also took on the role of the mean heroine in my previous work “Fairy Ranmaru~ Anata no Kokoro Otasuke Shimasu~”. Just when I thought I finally defeated her in “F Ran” (Shortened name of said previous work), I meet her again in “Hanyō no Yashahime”… … I felt a mysterious fate (laughs).

- Director Hishida Masakazu

I Felt Destiny from the Lives of Towa and Co. Director Hishida Masakazu 

Synchronizing With His Own Life?! Empathy Towards Towa’s Situation

— In the previous issue’s interview, Director Hishida, you said that you felt that “it was fate that I should accept” the offer for this current work which was memorable.

Hishida: I worked at Sunrise’s Studio #1 for a long time, but I started to do work for Tatsunoko Production in 2008. From there, I mostly worked at Tatsunoko but now Sunrise has called me back for the first time in 13 years. Just as I’m wondering what sort of work it’s going to be, they tell me it’s a work that carries on the world of “Inuyasha”, (the work) that taught me the foundation of production. Not to mention, the protagonist, Towa, is a girl who was flung from the feudal world where she was born and raised, to the modern era, and then returns to the feudal (era) again after 10 years. I felt Towa’s situation synchronized with mine and all I could think was that this was fate.

I’m about the same age as the director of ‘The First Chapter’, Teruo-san (Director Satō Teruo), and our careers are just about the same too. Teruo-san worked at Studio 1 for the longest time while I on the other hand, got thrown outside and came back… … I thought that aspect felt similar to Towa and Setsuna’s life (laughs). That’s why watching Towa and Setsuna’s relationship in “The First Chapter” was very tough. Like, they were such close sisters so why doesn’t she remember… …

— To change it to your position Director Hishida, it’s like “You returned to Sunrise for the first time in a while but the people you used to get along with have forgotten about you” kind of a situation.

Hishida: It’s exactly that! The current staff of Sunrise’s Studio 1 don’t know me, and they don’t thank me (laughs). You see, I was the one who revived the steppingstone for the “becoming a producer by being a production assistant” route that came to an end at Studio 1! There weren’t many before me but afterwards, there were a lot of people that took that route and flew the nest like Fujita Yōichi-kun, Watada Shinya-kun, and Kyōgoku Takahiko-kun! No one is really grateful so Fujita-kun and Kyōgoku-kun would always say to me “I should’ve crushed you back then!” (laughs). As I watched Setsuna not remembering Towa, I ended up remembering that.

— You seem to have an unusual attachment to Towa and Setsuna’s relationship (laughs). Well then, what sort of impression do you have of Moroha and Sesshōmaru?

Hishida: Moroha has a brilliance to her. It’s amusing that she inherited Inuyasha’s mischievous side, and she’s got a similar silhouette to Inuyasha as well, so I feel that she is a real eye-catching character. When Towa and Setsuna take center, the story becomes heavy no matter what, so it’s fun to watch Moroha soften the place up.

Then, regarding Sesshōmaru in this current work, I felt “He’s a father”. I bet in his own way, as a father, he wonders how to interact with his daughters. Even while carrying out a strict “trial of courage and cowardice”, he still concerns himself with his daughters which I feel is a little human like. I’m also a father of two girls so I can relate to him somewhat. In the last (scene) of “The First Chapter”, he purposefully hands over a broken Tenseiga to Towa but he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care about them. He just gives a pass like “Do something about it with this” and I think that is also (a form of) training in a sense.

Also, drawing wise, the pattern of Sesshōmaru’s kimono is still brutal (laughs). “Inuyasha” was an analog cel anime back then so (drawing) that pattern was even more difficult. At the time, the suggestion “Let’s omit the pattern on Sesshōmaru’s kimono” was made but Director Ikeda Masashi opposed it. I didn’t understand why Director Ikeda was so fixated on that pattern back then but thinking about it now, I think it was the right call. Since it could be said that Sesshōmaru’s existence is one of two wheels in the work that is “Inuyasha”, he probably didn’t want to make him plain wherever possible.

The First Attempt At ‘The Second Chapter’ Storyboard Was Like A “Trial of Courage and Cowardice”

— Next, please tell us about Kirinmaru’s side. In ‘The First Chapter’, many of their actions were puzzling so by all means, any hints to their activity in ‘The Second Chapter’!

Hishida: At first, I couldn’t quite understand Kirinmaru, but once I heard he was a father with a daughter, I understood. While he is a person who’s thinking “I want to surpass the Dog General”, his feelings of admiration towards that man and wanting to show his strong side to his daughter are feelings that I completely understand now. Kirinmaru has had many mysterious aspects up until this point, but I’d like to depict his emotions in ‘The Second Chapter’.

Just like her younger brother, Kirinmaru, Zero has also become obsessed with the Dog General. In any case, she lives on her “love”. Zero’s womanly heart is a little complicated, but I also feel that seeing her persist with her earnest feelings for the Dog General is cool.

Also, I think the parts of Riku, who’s neutral towards Towa and the others, that were difficult to see up to this point will become clear in ‘The Second Chapter’. How he feels about Towa will be brought to the forefront, so I told Fukuyama Jun-kun who plays him, “In ‘The Second Chapter’ please go with a slightly handsome boy feeling route” (laughs). By the way, Fukuyama-kun was the one who played the main character in my director debut work “Onmyō Taisenki”. The name of the role (character) was ‘Riku’. ‘The Second Chapter’ is a story about the ‘fate’ that connects people together, and I also felt a mysterious fate from that.

— What did you think of production for episode 25 (episode 1 of ‘The Second Chapter’) which continues from the shocking last scene of Setsuna’s death in ‘The First Chapter’?

Hishida: It was such shocking last scene that I was overcome with the feeling of “Why are you passing the baton to me at such a difficult spot!?”! I truly thought this was a ‘trial of courage and cowardice’ (laughs). I did the storyboard for episode 25 myself, but coming into the work midway, it took me some time to understand the story, so I really struggled. Until now, the record holder for storyboard that took me the longest was episode 13 of “Gundam Reconguista in G” with 2 months. However, this time, it took me 3 months.

— To say that it easily overtook that “G Recon” (shortened form of “Gundam Reconguista in G”) that you struggled so much with (laughs).

Hishida: Yes. My worst record was brilliantly made new! However, on the reverse side, I thought with ‘The First Chapter’ ending like this, there’s no doubt you’d want to see the continuation. In that sense, they passed the baton in the best way so I should meet up to that (expectation). It was tough but I put my all into it!

— ‘The Second Chapter’ is loaded with things to be curious about aside from what will happen to Setsuna like Rin who’s sleeping within the Tree of Ages and Inuyasha and Kagome who’ve been trapped within the black pearl.

Hishida: I can’t talk in detail about that yet but I will say “There’s no way it would end like this!”. I would certainly like for everyone to look forward to October.

In the new key visual for ‘The Second Chapter’ that is overflowing with lively motion, the three princesses show gallant expressions with weapons in hand. What exactly is beyond Towa’s reaching hand… …? Also, when will we get to see ‘Sesshōmaru & Rin’ and ‘Inuyasha & Kagome’ standing side-by-side together as shown in this picture?

[hotarutranslations]

I Can't Update My Insta

Until Morito Chisaki’s graduation, We’re able to have a solo concert as the 13 of us, I’m really about that 😌

 Hello! Project 2022 Spring CITY CIRCUIT

 On the homepage, The tour titles have also been announced……!

 “Morning Musume ’22 CONCERT TOUR ~Never Been Better!~

 We’re touring for the first time, Since KOKORO&KARADA! it’s been a while!

 When hearing that, There are many people who applied tickets in advance, And that they said they lost--, Like, lots of people for this concert…… I could feel your strong feelings Really, thank you very much

 I’ll do my best with everyone 🔥 Thank you very much for your support

  Evening, Its Ishida Ayumi

 From the night before yesterday, I haven’t been able to update my Instastory…… I just noticed and could just go, uwa, I’m not able to post either……

😳💥

 I restarted it many times, Since I can’t fix it, I logged out once and came back, But some time had passed between that, Since I’m able to post for a while, That’s how it is so thank you for waiting 🤔 I hope it will be fixed soon---

   Birthday Event

 The DVD came out…… ☺️❤️

 On YouTube, there is an announcement video, When I calmly watch the improvisation I did, I ended up laughing cause I felt like, what is this person doing← Really, thank you very much, To everyone who watched over me lol

 Moreover the improvisational play in the video, I think I was a little thin with sealing it, I ended up forgetting the setting←

  But the super good foreshadowing in that one part in the convenience store← I also really remember that lol

 When I talked to the staff-san at the day of the event, The DVD will be split in 2 parts, But will the 1st part be the improvisational play DVD? I should have certainly asked about it, huh 🤔

 I asked to include all of the songs… Even then there certainly would have been room to spare… ……Since I’m uncertain, I’ll write about it when I find out!!!

 I’d be happy if those who watched the second part but--, Would think about buying the 1st part too

 I’ll check it outttt

 Either way, I’d be happy if you definitely checked it out 🍀

 The songs I sang are really just my favorite songs… 🍀 By All Means ❤

 Nuuooo---- My Instagrams gotta come back soon----

  See you ayumin ❤

 https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12729596075.html

[opbackgrounds]

Hi there Sarc' ;) I am sorry if the question has already been asked but I thought it could be interesting to have your opinion about this. While I love most of the female characters in OP and think that most of them are well developed and can be truly good role models for girls I still feel that Oda sometimes has a sexist view on female characters (the jokes about the naked bath scenes for example or Kororo being considered ugly make me really uncomfortable). What do you think about it?

Ah, I wondered when I would get this question. 

When people talk about sexism in One Piece they typically are referring to two different things: How women are drawn, and how they’re treated within the narrative. While there’s some overlap here, there’s enough distinction that I want to address them as two separate points in two separate posts, because I guess I had Opinions, and by god there should be a limit to how much text one tumblr post can be expected to hold. Consider this an introduction.

Buckle up, kiddos. This is gonna be a long one. 

Nami Face Syndrome Isn’t the Problem...

An important thing to remember with Oda’s art and storytelling style is that almost everything is hyper exaggerated for effect. You don’t go into One Piece looking for realism. You don’t go into One Piece expecting the characters to act like normal people. Everything--from the art to the humor to the battles--is stretched and pulled to its absolute limit in hopes of garnering a particular reaction. When a character is sad they cry big bubbly tears with dribbles of snot coming from their nose. When they laugh their mouths take up half their face. 

And when a girl is hot, her tiddies are two great big watermelons stuck to the center of her chest.

What is often dubbed “Nami Face Syndrome” within the fandom is somewhat misleading. After all, why was Wanda, who is a literal dog that walks on two legs, decried as yet another Nami clone at her introduction? I would postulate it’s less to do with her face and more to do with the fact that from the neck down they are virtually identical, something that’s made more obvious because Wanda is literally wearing Nami’s clothes

What makes this frustrating for a lot of people, myself included, is that it’s not that Oda is incapable of drawing more diverse body types, but that he often chooses not to. Take for example the Kuja tribe

or the Charlotte family daughters (thanks to Arthur at Library of Ohara for the resource). It’s pretty clear Oda has the chops to make his women as weird as the men, and he often does! For important characters, even. And yes, as the Kokoro example given above sometimes the gonkness is brought attention to, but for others like Lola and Chiffon it’s...not. 

(more on mermaids later)

But Sarcasticles, one might protest, even Oda’s “ugly” characters have ginormous boobs! Where is my itty bitty titty committee representation >:(

To which I can only shrug. For Oda, boobs on a woman are like abs on men. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense, they’re gonna have ‘em

Seriously, Oda. What the fuck.

...So What Is?

I have a theory that’s impossible to prove, and that the problem isn’t so much Oda’s character design so much as the ratio of his male to female characters in general. It’s not that every female character is a Nami clone, but Oda has a template he uses for attractive female characters ages 16-25, the same way he uses Robin as a template for attractive women ages 26-35, which is how you get cases of mistaken identity like Viola for Robin or scenes during Reverie where one could be forgiven for thinking Nami’s supposed to be an identical triplet

 Oda does this for his men, too. It’s not as obvious because 1) Even men with similar facial features can have a wider variety body types due to Oda having a sliding scale of buffness he’s willing to attach to a pretty face and 2) There are more men. 

There are a lot more men.

In groups where the male to female ratio is more or less equal (Baroque Works, Big Mom’s kids) you get a wide variety of designs. But there’s only one female Supernova. There’s one female Warlord. CP9 only has one female agent. Only one of the Revolutionary Commanders is a woman. There are very few female background characters in crowd shots, especially among marines. Big Mom might be the only female Emperor, but she’s not young, In fact, when drawing her at age 28, Oda defaults to a much more generic “pretty girl” face before giving her much more striking, memorable features in her 40s

If you look at Oda’s male characters, the ones that are supposed to be hot are often given the same square jawline and the thin-bladed nose that at one point in time was reserved for Robin. Both Coby and Sabo had very distinctive noses before their glowups, while Ace must have had a laser treatment done on his eyebrows sometime between Alabasta and Marineford. 

But the biggest difference on the men has got to be muscle mass. The overgrown noodles of early One Piece are lost to the annals of time. Shanks alone must have gained 30 pounds of pure muscle from the time Luffy got his first bounty to his appearance at Marineford. 

Now, I will acknowledge that there is a difference between the increasing sexualization of female characters and the male power fantasy of giving Zoro bara tiddies post-timeskip. While I do think there are certain male characters specifically designed to be the Hot Dude, what I’m trying to emphasize here is that Oda works with templates for both men and women, and both of those templates have been exaggerated over time. Bigger boobs for women, more muscles for men. And when you’re only slotting for one girl in any given group, and that one girl has to be The Hot One then you’re going to have a lot of ladies that end up looking the same. 

My love for Otohime on this blog is well known, and I want to use her as an example of what Oda can do when he works beyond this template, because it’s really freaking good  

Otohime is neither conventionally attractive nor gonk. She’s dressed in very conservative, traditional clothing and has a narrow waist and small chest. 

There are no sharp edges on Otohime. Not her eyebrows, not her jaw, and most of the time not even her hands, emphasizing her gentle nature. You don’t see it as well in this panel, but Otohime’s head is often drawn wider than her shoulders, emphasizing her frailty. Oda gives her a longer neck to compensate, and the overall effect is a very soft, willowy figure. 

Her headpiece looks like a sunburst. The audience never sees her fins, so Oda gives her a scale patterned kimono-dress-thingy (my knowledge of Japanese clothing is, uh, not good) as a visual reminder that she’s not human. The sash that circles around her head harkens back to Japanese mythology as a symbol of divinity, similar to a halo in Western culture. And fun fact: Otohime is named after a god, just like Neptune, while her goals and ideals are pure enough to be heaven-sent. 

I’m not an artist, but this is a really damn good character design. A lot of Oda’s older female characters are. Dandan, Tsuru, O-Tsuru, Shakky, Kureha, Big Mom, and Nyon are all instantly recognizable and have strong designs, even if a few of them fall into the hourglass figure that Oda often defaults to. It’s just...there aren’t that many of them.

So the question becomes why aren’t there more women, and I think the answer is because, ultimately, One Piece is a series geared at boys. While I wish there were a few more important ladies, I can understand why there aren’t. 

Note, that doesn’t mean I think it’s right or that Oda is obligated to include more women. It’s just one of the facts of the shonen manga industry at this point in time. 

A more important question, I think, is why does every younger woman have to be attractive? And why do the attractive ladies have to wear outfits that are blatant fanservice? This is something I don’t have an answer for. Oda has said on more than one occasion that he writes One Piece with his twelve year old self in mind. It could be that it’s a calculated move to appeal to his audience, in which case it’s certainly worked because said Hot Ladies are constantly used in marketing and merchandising. It’s the Hot Ladies that top the popularity charts (although, to be fair, who’s there for competition?). In the most recent chapter a new Hot Lady was introduced, and the fandom went batshit crazy for her.

Even the fans who are very vocal about how Oda sucks at drawing women. It’s interesting how that works out sometimes.

Or maybe I’m giving Oda too much credit, and he’s just horny. Not having direct access to Oda’s mind, I don’t have an answer. If I had to guess I’d say it’s a little of Column A, a little of Column B, because that’s usually how life is. 

But in a vacuum big tiddies are just a design choice. An exaggerated aesthetic, in a series full of exaggerated aesthetics. It’s when that design choice is paired with in-story comments, actions, and decisions where things really start to get heated. But that’s a whole other ball of wax, and there should be a limit to how much one tumblr post can be expected to hold. I promise I’ll get to the meat of your question next time.

Thank you so much for your patience. I really do think it’s important to start here before diving into everything else, if only because it helps keep my thoughts organized. I hope you’ve found this helpful, and if not, I hope to do better next time. 

[keyofjetwolf]

Bonus Question Answers! (anime heat 2)

I asked a silly question! You gave me incredible answers. SO VERY MANY INCREDIBLE ANSWERS. Now, I present my favourites! And really, they were ALL favourites. Mmm, headcanony goodness.

Oh, special shoutout to this unattributed one, which I suspect fell prey to someone submitting early, but as phrased, made me snort laugh: “one of my longest held headcanons is that ami“

SAME, FRIEND

Anyway, If your answer is listed below, you’ve earned an entry in a random draw to win a GIFTENING liveblog OF YOUR CHOICE

—

Q: Senshi headcanon time! Intrigue me, humour me, crush me, FEED ME.

* Michiru actually did have a guardian cat, once. It was silvery grey with dark blue eyes. It did not speak, but it was always there to provide support and comfort in a life which had little of either. The first time Michiru had a strong vision, which left her cold and senseless on the floor of her room, it was the small warmth from her cat that brought her back to the world of color and light and solidity. The cat was a friend and confidante in those early days, when Michiru was unsure if this experience was real or the beginnings of schizophrenia. The fact that her mother could see the cat, and regularly make comments about the uncleanliness of such creatures, was proof of Michiru's new reality. So when the cat entered the fray to distract a youma, saving Michiru, but being killed in the process, it became one more thing that the Moon had given her, only to steal away. Michiru promised herself to never rely on another again, or to allow the Moon to have her heart again. And she had done fairly well at this. Haruka, for all her charms, was a plaything, and not something to sacrifice herself for. But pausing outside the Marine Cathedral, Michiru found herself looking into dark blue eyes, so different, but so similar, and knew that she would do anything and everything in her power to keep from having to watch them close, again. -- @incorrecttact  [YOU ARE ALSO KILLING THESE QUESTIONS. This hit me right in the kokoro, and I welcomed its sweet sweet pain.]

~~

*  Mako teaches Hotaru, Chibiusa, and the Amazon Quartet to cook and bake as a bonding activity. Hotaru LOVES making cakes and decorating them. Chibiusa likes cooking with noodles and even making her own; it doesn’t sound special, but the food she makes is DELICIOUS. Ves, the red one, finds cooking easy, but doesn’t like it and so never does outside of being coaxed into it. Jun, the green one, finds baking easy, but also doesn’t like sweet things, which limits her repertoire. Cere, the pink one, has no natural talent, but she very much WANTS to be good at it, so she turns out to be the best cook of her Senshi group. Palla takes to neither, but she is very enthusiastic about eating their experiments.  --  Jules  [I am an absolute slut for Mako and moments with the kids, and including the Quartet was a brilliant stroke.]

~~

*  A Serenity is not supposed to be reborn. They are born, they live, they die, and they are done. They are not like the Senshi, whose souls reincarnate, carefully bound to Serenity blood. They are not supposed to be reborn, so when Queen Serenity sees everything fail and decides to send their souls to the future, the Senshi are easy. Serenity is not. In desperation, Serenity does something she would have never considered in any other circumstance: she ties Serenity's soul to the Senshi. What was once a one way tie, has now become an equal bond, and so everything changes.  -- @madegeeky  [Ooo, this is some lovely twists on my own reincarnation headcanons, while still keeping the “this is a mistake” flavour. IT TASTES GOOD.]

~~

*  How about more Rei whistle antics? You headcanon Usagi would use the whistle for every mundane thing and Rei would come. Usagi would do this at 2 AM in the morning too and Rei would still be woken up and still come even in pajamas if she need be because Usagi had a spooky nightmare or "Rei-chan I fell off my bed and now my face hurts". Knowing Rei whistle antics can be funny for us and maybe aggravating for Rei at times because "Usagi you blew the whistle because you fell off the bed?" what if we can make it a pinch sad? Like what if Rei can tell what sort of peril Usagi is in by the way she blows the whistle in tone? Like when it's a sad somewhat weaker whistle, even if it's just a tiny subtle tone, Rei can IMMEDIATELLY tell "USAGI IS SAD AND NEEDS ME" and she will RUSH over in 5 seconds like in her Rei way, she might even have the mind to bring snacks, cocoa and plush to hug for the comfort.  --  Mrs. Duckling  [HOW ABOUT INDEED. I hadn’t thought about the different ways the whistle can be blown and what it might say, what a wonderful addition. THANK YOU FOR CATERING DIRECTLY TO ME AND MY NEEDS]

~~

*  PGSM!Sailor Mars - [REDACTED] Oh. Right. You're not there yet. Awkward... Anime!Minako is a huge fan of romance manga, but for all the wrong reasons. She tried drawing doujinshi of crack ships before realizing that A) she's not really a writer and B) she's REALLY not an artist. She plans on using some of her rich idol singer money to commission really bizarre romance stories. The sort that make you go WTF?! Of course, step one is "become a rich and famous idol"... Meanwhile, Rei also buys the romance manga that Minako gets into, (partially so she'll shut up about it) but mainly just analyzes them for mood and the characters, and gets frustrated when they inevitably devolve into nothing but sappy kissing and mooning over each other. She's trying to see why Minako gets so obsessed, but doesn't want to flat out admit that she doesn't get it and have to ask. -- Peter "Pigeons!" Svensson  [I had nothing but fun with this, fantastic. ps: THANK YOU FOR THE PIGEONS NOMINATION]

~~

* If these four* Senshi were to meet you, I think they'd each also be meeting some of their best qualities: Usagi is love, and that love is infectious as HELL. Much like a certain blogger who has amassed an international following on the strength of her love for her favourite media, wouldn't you say? Ami is very impressed by your office set-up! But when she sees you re-enter the room with a sprightly little black cat riding on your shoulder, she knows she has discovered a kindred spirit. Where can Rei-chan possibly begin? From your passionately informed and encyclopedic knowledge of their interactions ("She has RECEIPTS, Usagi!"), to your, let's call it tenacity ("She stirred that sugar for TWO HOURS, Usagi!!"), Rei finds so much to admire. And while no one could ever possibly love Rei as much as she loves herself, she magnanimously allows that you are a close second. As for Haruka, well! World Shaking? More like Toilet Breaking! You wrecked that shit and unleashed the sea. She can certainly relate *eyebrows, eyebrows* *would that i had time to write out blurbs for the others! but we're heading back into lockdown today, and i need to get to the post office to mail you a package. PRIORITIES! xo  -- @rasiqra-revulva​  [Okay look when I said “crush me” I didn’t mean WITH NICENESS. Also thank you for the huge laughs. *eyebrows, eyebrows*]

~~

*  Minako manages to write a tell-all book (anonymously, of course, and with names changed to protect the relevant,) about their first few years as Senshi in the lull between Stars and Shit Escalating Again. Even more astoundingly, she manages to get it optioned as a film and play Sailor Mars without blowing her cover! Rei seethes. Minako’s annoyed because she tried out for Usagi. Usagi’s just happy Minako’s successful. The film manages to pick up nominations come award season, and Michiru even arranges for the rest of the Senshi to attend. Minako loses to some film from a really overrated director that manages to out-award bait her reenactment of D-Point. She’s silently fuming through his acceptance speech when he’s Burning Mandala’d mid-sentence. And that’s how the Senshi discovered that Jadeite survived getting run over with planes, joined the entertainment industry after Beryl’s defeat, and had been using it to drain energy ever since! Sailor Mars’s speech about how he disgraces the passion of filmmakers everywhere and her comrade’s hard work goes viral. -- Regalli  [LOVED THE TWIST ENDING, also Rei basically stealing the awards show stage, as we all know she would]

~~

*  Not Senshi, but cats! One day, when Usagi is queen, she's going to decide to knight the cats. Luna thinks it's silly and figures Usagi is just acting on a whim, but Artemis has his chest puffed out and is glowing with pride. They're given tiny medals made by Endymion. -- RibbonFinale  [Oh I DID want this. I wanted this very much, THANK YOU.]

~~

*  Makoto can't culture bonsai trees. It's not a matter of ability, or scale — she can work with tiny tools with equal facility as large ones — but she can't bring herself to push the things down, to cut and twist and bind them to grow the way _she_ wants, not the way it wants to grow.   The tiny pine she bought to try it out, years ago, is in a pot in the corner of her apartment; it's just now grown taller than she is. -- Taperwolf  [I didn’t expect this one to hit me as hard as it did when I started reading. Love it, love it, love it.]

~~

*  You know those 'meetings Usagi doesn't know about'? the ones where the girls dive into the nitty gritty about being senshi, the ones where they decide who will take up being the Disguise Pen Decoy if Minako is killed? Usagi knows about them. it was one of those 'character A eavesdrops and hears character B talking about them' setups, but instead of hearing Ami call Usagi a ditz, she hears Ami saying 'I'm the weakest fighter, if Minako is assassinated and we need someone to be decoy it'd be easier to explain away my absence than Rei's or Mako's' In these meetings they speak very coldly about themselves, Ami is always first to call herself the weak one, Minako calls into attention her showboating, Mako will openly remind people she doesn't think things through on the battlefield, and Rei derides herself on her inability to keep her cool (heh) and they all come up with contingencies to cover for eachother to the minutest detail. Usagi only ever evesdrops on one of these meetings, but now she knows they happen. and she can't un-know.  -- Vega  [OOOOOOOOOOOOOO.]

~~

Manga Sailor Pluto has picked her nose 2,013,417 times. -- too ashamed to say  [WHY THE SHAME THIS IS CORRECT  AND NOW RIGHTFULLY CANON]

---

I’ll be drawing for the bonus liveblog around the start of THE GIFTENING 2020 (currently looking to be Monday, 11 January 2021). Each bonus question is another chance to earn an entry! I CAN ABSOLUTELY AND SHAMELESSLY BE BOUGHT.

[agentark88]

Think: Chapter Forty-Eight: A Little Trouble with a Hero’s Debut

My Hero Academia Fan Fiction by Agent ARK 88

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction using characters and settings from My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not claim any ownership of characters present in this piece that are owned and created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not own My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia.

Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Warnings: This work contains mild language, blood, and violence.

Please be aware this piece is in second person perspective, following my original character, Think, Anna Kokoro, who is a transfer student from America. I will be posting in chapters/sections. I hope you have as much fun reading these pieces, as I did writing them.

 Chapter Forty-Eight: A Little Trouble with a Hero’s Debut

Fat Gum was so excited to see you and Kirishima again. He’d practically crushed you under a pile of candy and a few collectibles he’d managed to sneak from his office. It was night as the four of you were making your way down the city streets in full hero costumes.

Fat Gum appeared very popular based on the fact several citizens would call him out by name or try to invite him over to their food stands. Fat Gum would always acknowledge their calls to him. Within the span of about five minutes, he’d gotten to know you and Kirishima to the extent of a person that would have known you for years. He was so easy to talk to.

“I have to say, Think, I wish that I’d included more sparkles in my costume like you. If I saw a hero coming down the street with that much pizazz, I wouldn’t hesitate to approach you for help.” Fat Gum grinned at you, as he finished off his food from one of the nearby stalls.

“T-Thank you. I have to admit though, I didn’t just choose this design to come off as approachable. I like glitter more than I should.”

Tamaki and Kirishima exchanged a look, considering their less than brightly colored outfits. Tamaki’s costume reminded you of the moon, white with purple accents. It appeared necessary for him to have a hood to keep from any prying eyes during his hero work. Tamaki was thoughtful and sweet, but you hadn’t seen him in action. To be a part of the Big Three, his personality must somehow shift during combat scenarios. The way that you’d always see him shut down, however, you wondered if he used his nervousness to his advantage.

“Oh, woah! It’s Mr. Fat Gum! Look, Kumi! Oh, look at the heroes that he’s with too! Their costumes are super cool! She has a pretty braid like you too!” A small boy with a baseball glove and a Fat Gum t-shirt came bounding up to the group of you. He didn’t hesitate to point directly at you, making you blush.

“D-don’t point, Kotaro. It’s rude,” the small girl named Kumi said, pushing down his hand.

The two of them looked very young. The boy could have been around four or five, while his sister appeared only a little older. The small boy had a small baseball cap, barely containing his disheveled mess of black hair. He peered up at you with deep brown eyes, curiously tilting his head to the side as he shifted his attention between each member of your group. Kumi was wearing a simple pink dress, her hair was pulled back in a loose French braid, but her brown eyes were shielded by her cut-across bangs. The children’s fretful mother rushed up to them nearly out of breath.

“Kotaro, you can’t run off like that. You nearly gave your mother a heart attack,” she stated. Her eyes trailed up to Fat Gum, and she stiffened in surprise.

Fat Gum crouched down in front of the small boy, giving him a wide smile. “You shouldn’t worry your mother by running off like that. Make sure that you apologize.”

The boy looked down bashfully. “I’m sorry,” he said. He suddenly perked up, remembering his predicament. “Ah, but look! It’s Fat Gum!” He held out his shirt, showing it off to the four of you.

“Sorry if we were disturbing you while you were working. Kotaro can get overly excited at times,” the mother apologized.

“Oh, it’s not a problem at all,” Fat Gum said. “Would he like an autograph or…” Fat Gum fished around inside his pockets, pulling out a few pieces of candy. The boy swiped the sweets from his hand once he’d extended them toward him.

You moved through your own utility belt. Your fingers working quickly through your familiar pockets. Kumi was watching you cautiously. You could tell she was a bit nervous to be surrounded by so many strangers. She did seem to stand a bit closer to you though. She might have felt some kind of resemblance to you, considering her brother had pointed out your braid poking out from under your helmet.

While Fat Gum was preoccupied signing the little boy’s shirt, you knelt down in front of Kumi. She pulled back, shivering a bit with her hands pulled close together.

“Would you like a sticker?” you asked her.

Her eyes shined, seeing the glitter silver “T” sticker between your fingers. She nodded vigorously while stepping toward you. You carefully planted the sticker on her dress, and she smiled softly.

“It matches my costume too. The “T” stands for my hero name, Think. We’re like twins now.” You gave her a warm smile, adjusting your posture so she could easily see the letter on your shirt.

Kumi touched the sticker, observing its sheen changing with her subtle movements while under the city lights. Kotaro looked over at his older sister jealously, nearly jerking away from Fat Gum before he had finished the signature on the little boy’s shirt.

“I-I want a sticker too!” Kotaro lurched forward, stumbling over his own shoelaces to reach out to you.

His mother gasped, attempting to reach out to the tumbling tot before he completely fell. You were quicker. Your quirk grabbed him as if it was second nature, catching him before he’d even hit anything. Kotaro’s mother’s eyes widened. You righted Kotaro, who was staring down at himself like he’d gained an unknown quirk.

“Are you okay?” you asked him, holding out the sticker that he’d requested and putting it on his shirt.

Kotaro blinked a few times. “You did that?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you smiled nervously. “I’m sorry if I startled you.”

“Wow! That’s so cool! What’s your quirk? Why do you have a helmet? Why are you so sparkly? Are you and Fat Gum best friends? What else do you have in your belt?”

Kotaro’s mother gently grabbed his hand, before he could try to go for your utility belt. “Don’t ask too many questions, Kotaro. The heroes are very busy keeping the city safe. They have to get back to work. Say thank you.”

“Thank you,” Kotaro muttered under his breath. His fingers prodding at both the new signature and sticker on his shirt.

“T-thank you, Think,” Kumi said.

“You’re welcome.”

You and Fat Gum stood from your places, bidding the small family goodbye and completing introductions for the rest of the group. By the time all four of you had moved on, small Kotaro was trying to pound his fists together like Kirishima, but with his baseball glove on it was nearly impossible. You giggled seeing him copy Kirishima. The family unit moved away, taking part in some local food-fair and darting into a nearby shop.

The smile that had naturally struck you hadn’t faltered. The little girl reminded you a lot of yourself when you were a child. The boy did too, though a little more energetic than you would have been ever described, reminded you of how you would have reacted to seeing Fat Gum.

“Way to go team. That’s a perfect example of fan interaction and a big part of being a Pro Hero. Although it’s a rarity at times, it’s important to make sure that no matter what type of Pro you are, you should aim to be recognizable and approachable so that way you are more readily available to help those in need.”

“So, you j-just have stickers?” Tamaki asked you.

You blushed, scratching the back of your neck. “Y-yeah. It might come off a bit lame, but I thought that it would be a nice thing to give younger citizens, especially if they were feeling a bit uneasy.” You extended your boot out to show him your blue charm. “That sticker might have a “T” on it, but it’s also shaped like my cloud charm. When things in my life start to get me down, I remember that even if everything else seems grim there is always a sparkle of hope.”

“Oh…” Tamaki trailed off. “That’s a really nice thing to give to others.”

“D-do you really think so?” you asked.

“Yes.” Tamaki nodded, looking off into space. “Especially based on the way you described it. I think it’s a nice gesture.”

“Okay. Let’s focus team,” Fat Gum brought your attention back onto him. “We have to stay vigilante. The city comes to life at night, and things could get messy at the drop of the hat.”

Despite Fat Gum giving you all a fair warning, the night was relatively quiet. Aside from an old lady needing help crossing the street, things had become uneventful. You were still just happy to listen in on Fat Gum giving you all advice and walking around the city in your full costume. You wondered if the villains had just been frightened by the presence of Fat Gum and three new heroes, but you quickly shook away the idea. Villains would surely do things even though there were heroes around. If they weren’t, then there wouldn’t be a need for Pro Heroes.

“The small things are just as important as fighting crime—” Fat Gum was suddenly cut off by a blaring alarm and a few shrieks.

The four of you spun around to see a band of villains, bursting from a local shop, carrying an obscene amount of cash with them. The villains paused, eyes widening at seeing four fully-dressed heroes in the vicinity before bolting, splitting in opposite directions. You and Kirishima had moved on instinct, chasing two of the villains that had darted to the left.

“Wait! Red Riot! Think! Don’t run off on your own!” Fat Gum called after you.

“We’re going to stick together!” Kirishima yelled back. “Catch the other guys!”

“They’re going to g-get away,” Tamaki argued.

Fat Gum made a noise of disapproval, before charging in the opposite direction. “You two keep each other safe!” he yelled lastly. The two of you were able to act as heroes, so if you stuck together it shouldn’t be a problem. Plus, with the villains splitting up the way that they did, you’d have to separate to some degree.

Kirishima was a lot faster than you. His physical body was far more toned and ready for a high-speed chase. You held your own, but it was clear that if something wasn’t done quickly you’d fall behind. You used your mind, careful to keep your attention on where you were going so you didn’t hurt any citizens. Once you’d found the minds of the two villains in front of you, you were quick to shout.

Stop! Give back the money that you stole!

The shout into their minds caused them to falter in their escape. You saw one of the villains cover their ears, while the other tripped on the curb. Kirishima was able to gain on them, thanks to the small distraction. Just as he was about to catch the back of one of the villain’s shirt, large spikes protruded out from his back. Kirishima hardened the front of his body, before he was impaled, taking a step back. The man tossed the bag of money to his partner, facing off with Kirishima. The larger villain with a shaved head’s whole body began growing jagged spikes and he smiled at the two of you.

“What’s some money lost, little heroes? Haven’t seen you two around here. You must be new,” he spat.

“Stealing is totally not a manly thing to do. Hand over the money,” Kirishima stated.

“Manly? You’ve got some nerve telling me what’s manly, Kid.”

“D-don’t antagonize them,” his nervous friend said. He was dressed more formally. His purple hair hung low in front of his face, hiding only half of a rather petrified expression.

“Don’t worry so much. We got lucky getting these two newbies instead of the Pro Hero Fat Gum on our asses. There’s no way they’ll be able to stop us. All we have to do is take them out, and then we’re free to run.”

“You don’t have to do this,” you said.

The man raised an eyebrow at you, smiling smugly. “You don’t know a thing about us! If you would have let us go, we wouldn’t have needed to get rough with you.”

Before the tense banter could continue, Kirishima and the man were exchanging blows. You snapped out your mind, pulling the bag of money free from the other villain’s hands and keeping him from running as well.

“The hell?” the spike-covered man growled, watching the bag of money move in your direction. He shoved Kirishima back, slinging spikes in your direction.

You barely managed to catch them, one slipping by your mind and grazing your arm, ripping the shimmering fabric of your costume. Kirishima moved in his way as you let the spikes you’d caught drop. Kirishima hardened his body to keep the man from attacking you again. The villain’s trembling friend’s eyes glanced between the three of you. His fingers opened and closed in uncertainty.

The bag of money had dropped out of reach of the villains, so they couldn’t get away with it. Some pedestrians were beginning to grow curious from the raucous. You moved toward the oncoming civilians, raising your hands up to ward them away from the battle. You were quick to form a mental barrier between the fight and them, urging them away telepathically.

For your own safety, please keep your distance, your voice echoed in several local minds.

Suddenly, the villain fighting Kirishima let out a guttural bellow. Your attention shifted back to the fight. Spikes oversaturated the villain’s body. You let out a small squeak in surprise as the man seemed to grow three times his size. Kirishima didn’t flinch, hardening his body far solider than you’ve ever seen him do before. Jagged edges curved along Kirishima’s chiseled physique, taking on the brunt of the villain’s attack without faltering.

You and the villain’s partner were inclined to step back at their collision. Kirishima and the man were both forces not to be reckoned with. The villain and Kirishima traded places several times, neither seemingly gaining the upper hand. If you used any of your projectiles on them, it would only put Kirishima at risk. The other villain appeared frozen in fear, and you were almost certain if his friend was subdued he’d willingly go into custody. It didn’t feel right to attack someone who clearly wasn’t fighting back, instead you felt it may be better to reason with them.

You don’t have to do this. Come with us willingly, and we won’t have to fight.

The man turned his gaze up to you, and he shook his head wildly, biting at his nails. It was only then that you realized he had black gloves on that only exposed two of his fingers. “I-I can’t! You’ll arrest me!”

Don’t make this harder than it has to be, you argued. Things will be much worse if we have to capture you.

The man tugged at strands of his purple hair, biting at his bottom lip. His eyes had locked onto yours, as if he was considering your proposal. His friend let out a grunt, eyes growing wilder.

“Yori! Wake the hell up and help me!”

Yori jumped, losing eye contact with you. He turned his gaze back on the fight, and it had appeared that Kirishima was finally overpowering him, forcing him down the ground. Yori looked back at you nervously. If he took a step, you took a step.

Listen to me, Yori. You don’t have to live life like this. I can vouch for you. I can say that you came willingly, you pleaded with him.

“Yori!” his friend yelled at him again.

Yori shut his eyes, and you moved even closer to the Kirishima and his assailant to keep Yori from intervening if he chose to. With a quaking breath in, Yori removed his glove and held out his spread palm. He opened his eyes only to widen them when he saw how close that you were to him. You shook your head in a final warning.

You heard a loud thunk beside you. Kirishima had managed to knock the spiky villain out with a single blow to the head. Fear enveloped Yori’s expression. He jolted forward, reaching his hand for Kirishima who was breathing heavily and having trouble standing above the other villain. You moved on instinct, stepping in Yori’s way so he couldn’t use whatever quirk he was trying to on Kirishima. You shifted into a defensive technique, twisting his extended hand behind his back to keep it from touching you. You heard Yori gasp in pain as you put force into it.

“Red Riot, are you alright?” you asked.

Kirishima took in a heavy breath. “I’m good. What about you?”

“Fine, but—”

Fingers pressed into your thigh, a horrifying burning followed in all of your joints. Your vision blurred. You hadn’t anticipated Yori to reach back with his other hand, considering it had been still gloved. By the time your head snapped back in his direction, you realized that Yori had freed his other hand from his glove using his teeth. The single glove dangled from between his lips.

“Think!” Kirishima yelled.

The world tilted, losing focus. It felt like you were falling but couldn’t. Your chest felt compressed, as if it was being crushed to the point your lungs couldn’t take in air. You shut your eyes, attempting to calm your now vibrating quirk. You couldn’t tell what was happening to you. Your body hurt all over, but it didn’t feel as if you were impaled or being disintegrated.

“I-I’m sorry!” Yori shouted. His voice sounded like a giant’s.

When you opened your eyes again, the world looked huge. You couldn’t move. You were trapped between clammy fingers. You struggled to get free. Nausea bubbled up in your stomach as Yori took off in a full sprint with you in hand. You were being shaken like a doll in a toddler’s palm.

“Let her go!” Kirishima called after you.

Citizens began to scream as Yori frantically pushed through them, only giving you a bit of time to clear your head when he stumbled past a new person. No matter how much you struggled in his hand, you couldn’t push your way out. Your quirk felt like it was tumbling through your head like laundry in a washing machine. You caught sight of two familiar stickers in the distance, shimmering against the city lights. Kumi and Kotaro stood frozen in the walkway, one ready to stop the oncoming villain from escape and the other too scared to move.

You couldn’t let either of them get hurt. You had to do something. Yori was panicking. He wasn’t thinking straight, but if he’s putting innocent people in danger, then you had no choice. You set your jaw, straightening your head as best as you could in your predicament. Yori’s next tumble gave your quirk purchase, time to respond to you. You shot out a strand of your mind, imagining a tight string placed across the sidewalk. Yori hooked the invisible trap at full speed, stumbling. His fingers loosened around you releasing you at the top of his arms flailing. A loud smack echoed through the area, as Yori hit against the pavement hard.

You attempted to stay calm, while you were facing imminent peril of falling to death yet again. You hoped your quirk was more than ready to attempt a successful landing, but before you were close enough to the ground you hit leather. The smell of fresh glove oil hit you as you groaned to adjust in the awkward position that you were caught in.

“Look, Kumi! I caught Think! I’m a hero too!” Kotaro yelled, holding up his glove in excitement.

“Oh, dear. I told you two not to run off on me,” Kotaro’s mother said breathlessly.

“Look! I did it! I helped!” Kotaro showed you to his mom, and her eyes widened.

You lifted a hand up to her, waving.

“What happened to you?” Kotaro’s mother leaned down, looking you over.

You scratched the back of your head. “It looks like I got hit by a villain’s quirk. Thanks to Kotaro, I’m okay though.” You gave a thumbs up. “Um, Kotaro? Could you put me down please?”

“Yes!” he said a little too loudly. He moved his glove toward the ground at high speed.

Your head bobbled a bit from disorientation as you took a step out of the glove. You suddenly caught sight of the unconscious villain and realized it wasn’t the best scene for kids that age to examine. You turned around quickly, smiling.

“Thank you for all of your help!” You held up your finger at Kotaro. “Be sure to help your mom now and get home safely. No more running ahead of her, you hear me?” you asked.

Kotaro pouted a little, but he nodded. Kumi grabbed his hand, looking down at you in worry.

“I hope you can get normal size again,” she said softly.

“Don’t you worry, Kumi. Normal size or not, I’ve got to be a hero,” you reassured her, feeling your own uncertainty bubbling up in you. You turned your tiny gaze up to the mother, who realized what you were trying to do.

“Ah, well, we all had a very exciting day. Let’s head on home now,” she said, moving the two small children in the opposite direction.

The ground shook, nearly sending you over when a worried Kirishima stopped over you.

“T-Think?” he asked.

“Y-yes,” you said.

“You’re so tiny,” he said.

“I know,” you said, sighing. Worry wrapped a wet blanket around your shoulders. You didn’t know if you could feel much smaller in this situation. You wondered if you’d get into a lot of trouble for ending up like this. It was all very possible that they would blame you for your current predicament. You reached up toward Kirishima, trying to keep your expression from saddening.

Kirishima put his hand down, so you could willingly get into it. His eyebrows furrowed in worry. “Let’s get you back to Fat Gum. He’ll know what to do.” He tilted his head in the direction of unconscious Yori. “I guess I’ll have to carry this guy back as well. The authorities should be on their way.”

You climbed into Kirishima’s palm, and he placed you up near his shoulder. You held on to one of his red decorative gears to keep from slipping. He threw the villain over his other shoulder, walking in the direction you’d both left the other man.

Thankfully, Fat Gum was already there, talking to the police and escorting the once spike-covered man into custody. He spotted Kirishima right away, trotting over to him and taking the other man off of his hands.

“You look a little scuffed up, Red Riot. Are you going to be alright?” he asked. Fat Gum blinked briefly, peering behind him. “Is Think okay?”

Kirishima’s shoulders tensed, and he rubbed the back of his head. You leaned out a little farther from Kirishima’s shoulder brace, and Fat Gum’s yellow eyes found you shortly after.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Fat Gum stated.

  After some paperwork and taking statements from both you and Kirishima, the three of you were sent back to UA. It turned out Yori was a small time villain, but his quirk had been well-documented, considering the times he’d been in and out of prison for petty crimes. You would essentially be the size of a doll for roughly a day or two. Even though Fat Gum was more than apologetic for what had happened to you, you considered this strike one on your temporary status at his agency. You’d let your guard down. Things could have been much worse if Yori had a gun or could kill you with a single touch.

Aizawa was called. He was less than happy about the situation. To avoid you being accidently harmed on your way or in class, you were to skip. Kirishima was put in your charge, at his own offer, considering things would nearly be impossible to do on your own until you were a normal size.

You couldn’t change your clothes. It looked like you’d be stuck in your hero costume, like some kind of living action figure. It’s not as if you had any doll clothes just lying around. You removed your helmet as soon as Kirishima placed you onto his bed. Thankfully, you could wear your visor instead of it.

You hissed in pain, grazing the cut on your arm with your fingertip. That was going to sting in the morning. You tucked your legs in from the side of the bed because it felt as if you were dangling of the edge of a cliff. Kirishima had already taken care of a few of his battle scars, after you’d gotten back to the agency. None of the bandages had been small enough to take care of your own.

“I’m sorry about your arm,” Kirishima said. “I should have protected you from getting hit.”

You shook your head. “It could have been much worse. It’s just a small cut. I should be the one apologizing. I lost focus and got into this mess.” You huffed. You placed your head in your hands. “At this rate, I’ll never be a Pro Hero.”

“Don’t say that,” Kirishima said. He sat down beside you, forcing the bed to sink towards his weight.

You let out a small yelp as you tumbled in his direction. Kirishima apologized again, helping you get upright.

“How are we even supposed to deal with me this size?”

“It won’t be so bad, Princess. We’ll figure it out. Besides, at least it will only be for a day or two.”

Kirishima looked around his room, considering what he could do as a means for making you more comfortable. You pulled your knees to your chest, yawning. Kirishima glanced at you, sighing. He stood up, letting a smile come naturally to his face.

“I mean…” he grabbed one of his bandanas from his drawer. “This could work perfectly as a blanket, and…” He grabbed a few cotton balls from a first aid kit along with a tissue, wrapping the two together. “This would work great as a pillow. See?” He set up a small bed on his nightstand. “A-And, um…” Kirishima riffled through another one of his drawers. “…chocolate is like a thousand times bigger now, especially pocky.”

Kirishima held out the chocolate stick to you, and you grabbed it.

“Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Kirishima.”

A bombardment of knocks hit Kirishima’s door, and both of your heads snapped in its direction.

“S-should I hide?” you asked.

Kirishima looked back at you, his face paling. He looked just as conflicted as you did. Mr. Aizawa did want you to take the next couple of days off to keep you safe, due to your size. He never said that you had to hide it from anyone though.

“Dude! Are you and Think back?! Tell us how it went today!” Denki yelled from the other side of the door.

“I just heard them. Of course their back,” Mina snapped at him.

“We won’t ask about any details. We’re just excited for you, bro,” Sero said next.

You jumped up from your spot, jumping over to your place on the nightstand that Kirishima had set up for you. You attempted to hide yourself behind the lamp on his desk, and Kirishima took it as his chance to answer the door. Without much thought, the Bakusquad barged their way in, excluding Bakugo. You tucked yourself further behind the lamp, not sure if showing yourself or not was a good idea.

“I thought I heard Think in here?” Mina said, pout evident in her voice.

“Um…well…she…” Kirishima couldn’t seem to determine how he was going to respond to her. Aside from Midoriya and yourself, Kirishima was probably the one other person who had the most trouble lying in your class. Did he really even need to lie?

“Dude, don’t tell us you hid her under the bed or something.” Denki got really close to your hiding spot as he bent down to look under the bed.

“W-what are you trying to say?” Kirishima sputtered.

“Don’t play dumb, dude. We know that you and Think have gotten closer,” Denki said.

“Don’t try to rush young love,” Mina teased. “So what if he’s got her hidden away in here? It’s not really our business is it?”

“Um…what is this?” Sero’s voice was suddenly way too close.

You could hear your small bed being picked apart in front of you. You pressed your forehead closer to the lamps base. Your quirk was zipping about as it always did when you got more nervous.

“I didn’t pin you as a doll guy,” Denki said, laughing lightly. “To each their own, dude, we wouldn’t have judged you if you would have just showed us you had an action figure.”

As you had your eyes shut and your face pressed into the lamp, you hadn’t realized that Denki had actually spotted you. His fingers touched you as if he was ready to pick you up, when you turned your head toward him. He practically shrieked when you moved, sparking up a storm and stumbling back.

“What?!” Sero shouted at him.

“I-it moved!” Denki shouted, pointing at you.

Your quirk flared up to gain some distance, and without realizing it, you’d pushed several objects off of Kirishima’s nightstand and managed to knock yourself off the surface. You landed safely onto Kirishima’s bed, tumbling back.

“Don’t freak out!” Kirishima said in alarm, as he went to help you up at the center of the bed. “Think got hit by a quirk, while we were fighting some villains. It’s not some possessed doll or something. Be careful.” Kirishima used his hand to shift you back into a seated position, adjusting your cape back into place.

“It’s just me,” you said, brushing yourself off.

“You’re so tiny!” Mina squealed, bending down in front of you so her face was level with your small frame.

“Dude, you really need to stop getting freaked out so easily,” Sero said to Kaminari.

“Well, what would have you done if you thought some doll came to life?” Denki let out a few sparks from his body, helping himself off and attempting to compose himself.

“We weren’t sure if we should really be letting other students know what happened. Mr. Aizawa already said that she shouldn’t attend class tomorrow.” Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m supposed to take care of her until the quirk wears off.”

“I want a mini Think,” Mina pouted.

“I’m not a doll,” you stated flatly, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Ah, I’m sorry. You’re just so cute. It’s lucky you’re not stuck like that…but can you not change out of your hero costume?” she asked.

“I don’t exactly have something in my size lying around,” you said.

“Oh, what if we asked Yaoyorozu to make you something? I can’t imagine that it’s very comfortable to be wearing that.”

“Should we really be getting the whole class involved?” you asked in worry.

“It’s Yao-Momo! She will be happy to help. Here, I’ll give her a call.”

 Within about ten minutes, Yaoyorozu and Mina were both fawning over you considering different outfits to make you and dress you up in. The whole time you had to just sit there and let them do what they needed to do. It was true that you couldn’t sleep comfortably in the clothes that you were in, so you gulped down your embarrassment. You waited red-faced, waiting for them to complete your tiny-sized collection.

Yaoyorozu had practically made you a royal set up of doll-sized furniture and accommodations, including a changing screen, an actual tiny bed, and a vanity. You were happy when you’d finally put on a new tiny set of glasses and a night gown that seemed almost too cutesy even for you. At least she’d made you some slippers too. You stumbled out from behind the screen, giving them a twirl after being asked to for about three minutes.

“Um…I truly appreciate the help,” you said in a small voice, pushing your index fingers together. “But, can I go to bed now? I’ve obviously had a long day.” You motioned to yourself, and the two girls exchanged a look.

“Of course! We’re glad that we could help,” they said.

After Kirishima had managed to satiate Sero and Denki with the heroic tale, he ushered everyone out of the room as gently as he could. Finally, you could rest after such a taxing day. You were truly grateful for such caring classmates, but it still worried you that you were in this situation to begin with. You wished that you had been more careful out in the field. Still, you couldn’t continue to beat yourself for what had already been done. The best thing that you could do now, was finally get some rest.

[thefloatingstone]

We’ve gone from Self-Isolation to Quarantine and in some places to gradual relaxation phases, but that doesn’t stop the need for more nonsense you can watch on youtube while you wait for things to get back to normal. And recommending things and making lists are some of my favourite things to do but I have not yet figured out how to start or structure a video myself, you guys get another rambling tumblr post of things you can watch on youtube.

This time I’m once again just gonna recommend individual videos rather than full channels like I did in part 2.

Part 1

Part 2

In no particular order; 

LOCAL58: The Broadcast Station that Manipulates You

I recently started watching the Nexpo channel when I went on a binge of creepy youtube videos. Most of his videos are really good although the ones where he himself goes into theory crafting can be a little asinine. However, this video is REALLY good. And before you get nervous, LOCAL58 is not a real TV station. LOCAL58 is a youtube channel created by the same guy behind the Candle Cove creepypasta. This video by Nexpo covers the various episodes of LOCAL58 and discusses them. Just be aware going in that this is abstract horror, and will probably get under your skin regardless if you’re unaffected by certain topics or not. although cw for suicide mention.

I also recommend most of the rest of this channel, although be careful where you tread. I don’t recommend his series “Disturbing things from around the internet” as it can sometimes include real life crime, abuse and such caught on security cameras. Everything else is really good tho. (although I was really annoyed by his 2 videos on KrainaGrzybowTV)

The Search for D.B. Cooper

LEMMiNO has a new video out covering one of the most unexplained crimes in the past century of the US. LEMMiNO is the guy I’ve recommended before who did videos on the Universal S. He is very down to earth and not someone prone to conspiracy or even really that fanciful of thinking. (He’s like the one person I feel covered the Dyaltov Pass incident and was confused by why this was even a mystery because if you read the Russian Autopsy reports and documents associated with the case it’s all pretty logical and easily explained)

D.B. Cooper is the name given to a man who, in 1971, hijacked an airplane with a bomb, asked for a large sum of money, and after receiving it, parachuted from the plane and was never seen or heard from again.

The Austrian Wine Poisoning | Down the Rabbit Hole

Down the Rabbit Hole also has a new video out, this time covering the Austrian Wine Poisoning event from 1985. A scandal that involved literally the entire country of Austria, affected multiple countries, and forever changed the way wine was made world wide. As someone who is generally pretty allergic to most artificial substances this one made me personally very angry. But luckily, it has a happy ending and a better world for us all... if I could drink wine which I can’t do anyway.

The Turbulent Tale of Yandere Dev - A Six Year Struggle

The Right Opinion is another channel I only recently subbed to after watching his cover on Onion Boy. I put off subbing to him simply because of his channel name and I thought it meant he would come across as smug and elitist. Luckily this seems to merely be one of those “I chose a bad channel name and now I’m stuck with it” type of situations. (IHE has a similar problem).

Anyway, I have a weird interest in bizarre internet personalities, so I’ve been enjoying his channel as he simply discusses and presents a timeline of events of certain individuals. In this video, he covers the developer behind the much maligned Yandere Simulator. It’s a tale of hubris, arrogance, immaturity, and an unwillingness to accept your own shortcomings due to ego.

Oh and there’s a meme game about Japanese school girls with anime tiddies in there as well.

The Most Relaxing Anime Ever Made | Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō

Kenny Lauderdale is a youtube channel which is slowly becoming bigger which I’m very happy to see. He exclusively covers anime and live action Japanese television no younger than the mid 90s (as is the case with YYK) and which usually never saw a release outside of Japanese Laserdisc. I do wish his videos were a little longer, but if nothing else his videos serve as an excellent starting to point to find some older and underappreciated shows... or hot garbage fires. In this episode he talks about the 2 OVA episodes made based on one of my favourite manga, Yokohama Shopping Log. A Post apocalyptic anime about an android who runs a coffee shop outside of her house, and the quiet solitude of living in a world of declining human population, brief encounters with travelers and other people, and just... existing. The anime was never released outside of Japan and is only available on Japanese VHS and laserdisc.... but hey guess what!! Somebody uploaded both episodes, subbed, to Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2HCVOH6DtA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqSTwfkobME

YMS’ slow descent into madness as he uncovers just how bullshit the Kimba Conspiracy is

I’m linking a full playlist for this one.

YMS is busy planning his review on the “live action” Lion King remake as the original 1994 movie is probably his favourite movie all time (and also self declared what made him a furry). As part of the 2 hour review, he decided to what all 2000 hours of Kimba the White Lion just to mention how The Lion King potentially stole the idea. ....until he actually watched all 2000 hours of Kimba and realised that if you actually WATCH Kimba, it has VERY little to do with the Lion King at all apart from having the same animals in them because AFRICA. Watch as one man slowly loses his mind as he realises just how stupid this conspiracy theory is, just HOW DECEITFUL and straight up LYING people can be. People who write BOOKS. People who teach LAW AT UNIVERSITIES. Because NOBODY bothered to actually watch the entire show and just parroted the “Disney stole this” lie which got started by like 2 salty fans on the internet.

The man set out to just mention how Disney stole an idea, and uncovered one of the most infuriating rabbit holes on the internet. Screaming for SOMEONE to provide him with sources or evidence.

YMS will be publishing his full Kimba documentary this month which he has said is around 2 hours long before he continues to work on the Lion King one.

Science Stories: Loch Ness eDNA results, Poop Knives, and Skeleton Lovers

TREY the Explainer has a video giving us some updates in Archeology from 2019. In this video he discusses the findings of the eDNA results conducted on the Loch Ness to see what animal DNA the lake contains which will tell us what living animals currently inhabit the lake, ancient knives made of poop and if this is a real thing that could have existed, and a skeleton couple found buried together which were at first thought to be lovers, then revealed to be both male, and then how in this instance we cannot let our modern sensibilities dictate what we WANT this burial find to be, but to look at the evidence as presented to us and place in context finds of this nature. The worst thing an archaeologist can do is look for proof to a theory they already have.

The Bizarre Modern Reality of Sonic the Hedgehog

Super Eyepatch Wolf is back and he’s here to talk to us about the very very strange existence of Sonic. a 90s rebellious “too cool for School” answer to Mario, a lost idea as the world of video games changes and culture shifted, a meme and punching bag amplified by a unique fanbase and poor quality games, a transcendence into a horrific warped  idea of what he once was, and modern day and where Sonic and his fans are now. As usual Super Eyepatch Wolf knocks it out of the park.

Kokoro Wish and the Birth of a Multiverse: A Lecture on the Work of Jennifer Diane Reitz

I don’t even sub to this channel as I’m not entirely sure what Ben’s usual content is about. But every now and then he has a “101″ class, where he explains to a room full of his friends in a classroom setting (complete with Whiteboard) an internet artist and oddity, the timeline, and what it is they have created. (wait... didn’t I say this already?). Unlike TRO however, the 101 classrooms are not a dark look into disturbed individuals (although the CWC 101 is debatable) nor is it a “lol look at this weirdo” dragging. Instead, of the 3 he’s done so far, it’s usually a rather sympathetic look at some of the strange artists on the internet who through some way or another, left a very big cultural impact on the internet space through their art. Sometimes they may not be the best people, but their work is so outside of what we’re used to seeing that just listening to him run you through these people’s internet history is fascinating.

In this episode he talks about Jennifer Diane Reitz. And although it is titled Kokoro Wish, the lecture is more about Jennifer’s larger work back in the early internet when being a weeb was unheard of, how being trans influenced her stories and characters, and her world building that is so rich and in-depth with it’s own ASTRO PHYSICS it puts any modern fictional world found in games or movies to shame.

Jennifer is not exactly a nice person... and in many ways can be seen as dangerously irresponsible, but she created something truly unique in a way that you kinda struggle figuring out if it’s terrible or a work of genius.

Anyway I think that’s enough for now

[strawbewwysamurai]

this is out of nowhere but do you think paulie has issues with trust post water 7/enies lobby cause his friends of five years betrayed him

[[I’m cackling because I got this notification when I was in the middle of writing Paulie meta that pertains to The Betrayal™ as well and Paulie’s feelings, so you and me are working on the same wavelength Anon >:’D]]

Short answer: Yes!

Long answer: Yes, but it’s way more complex.

After everything that happens during Water 7/Enies Lobby arc, a lot of them have to pick up the pieces left behind. Paulie especially so, given how close he was to not only the CP9 crew, but to Iceburg.

He ran into a room to save his close friend from a second assassination attempt, only to learn that the friends he’s had for over half a decade, are the ones behind the murder attempts on his other extremely close friend. It’s not just a betrayal, it’s so much worse because of who they’re attacking. And it’s not even just the people who worked so closely with that betrayed him-- Blueno was a bartender, while he tended the bar they frequented the most, he wasn’t as close to Paulie as the others were, but he was still in his orbit.

After everything that happened, including someone seemingly so random betraying him along with his close friends that he would have literally done anything for, I definitely think Paulie has quite the heap of trust issues.

In the same vein, Paulie is inherently a kind man. He’s rough, all of the Galley-La workers are and are stated to be. But all of them have good hearts, and Paulie is absolutely no exception, especially after everything we see of him during Water 7/Enies Lobby arc. He does stupid things like making off with money he claims he ‘found’ directly after being yelled to by the actual owner saying its their money, but he’s at heart a genuinely good person who is extremely friendly in his own roundabout way, who cares about his city and the people he calls his friends and family.

And with all of that, he usually makes friends and bonds quite easily. Whether he chooses to or not, they come naturally to him, and he never minded it prior to the incident, but afterward he finds it more worrying than anything.

I think he finds himself starting to trust and bond with people like he used to, back before he was betrayed by the people he cared so deeply about, and stops himself whenever he becomes aware of it. He puts himself back on guard, and his mind begins racing with every little thing about the person that may remind him of his old friends, that may give him a warning sign to something happening again; all the while keeping his resting grumpy face and leaving these fears unknown to whoever he's worried about. His guard drops when he's not thinking about it- when he forgets that incident even happened- and rises when he remembers. Whether it's because a moment reminds him of the past, or just because anxiety sucks. When he remembers, it gets bad, simply put.

Unless they're close enough to him already to know his ticks- to know what he's feeling and going through, whether they have gone through something similar themself, or just can understand what he has been through in the past and what he could be going through right now because of it- it probably goes unnoticed except to the Galley-La workers, Kokoro, and others who knew him long before the incident.

But I do think he'll eventually get better in dealing with his trust issues with the help of those close to him, when they talk with him about them and things they can do to help, and prove time and time again that the ground they love him and he loves them back on is solid.

This turned out pretty long and like a ramble like most of my Paulie stuff goes, but those are my thoughts on Paulie and possible trust issues he has in the aftermath of Water 7/Enies Lobby arc, and how he deals with them! :'D

[evevoli]

some dadmight-centric BNHA AUs

take two of my “summaries of dadmight/probably vocaloid-inspired bnha aus” post because the first one accidentally got deleted like 8 seconds after i posted it

because like two people were supportive of me talking about my unfleshed aus here i have written up bullet-point summaries of them under the cut for your viewing displeasure to hopefully encourage further discussion :]

(TW for child abuse/death)

the cliche’d Experiment Izuku AU that doesn’t really have a name thus far so i’ve been calling it “labrat” in my notes (even though that just makes me think of that disney XD show) EDIT: its name is No Matter What now -- this is my Big Fic Project that i have been working on (loose term) for months and haven't really talked about much with anyone so i'm honestly really excited to throw it at everyone lmao basically it's:

izuku is kidnapped shortly after he finds out he's quirkless and experimented on by All For One And Co. because god knows we don't have enough of THAT au

he escapes the day all might, still recovering from his big fight with AFO, just so happens to be taking a nice walk and stumbles into izuku and naturally, goes into dad mode in about 3 seconds

this is the story of izuku and all might learning to love themselves and accept being loved by others after what they've each been through and it's just got a lot of feelings okay

phantump!izuku au -- bnha but there are pokemon. this whole thing started as a "lol what if izuku was a phantump wouldn't that be sad" and then it grew into this

so basically izuku gets lost in the woods as a lil kid (bakugou: "lol he'll be fine he can't be THAT dumb") he's not fine he dies all alone in the forest and his spirit possesses a local stump

all might stumbles upon izuku-phantump and puts two and two together and oops! now he has a phantump baby

also his partner pokemon is a lucario!! :D all might with a lucario just makes me happy ok don't @ me

kokoro au (based on the vocaloid song)

it's just kokoro but with izuku honestly. izuku's a robot made by toshinori and izuku doesn't realize how much toshinori loved him until centuries later after he's long gone (please just listen to the song if you haven't already lol)

robo!izu exists because the real izuku died when he was a student or maybe a lil older and toshinori became a hermit who built a whole robot in his likeness to distract him from the grief and ultimately cope in a rather unhealthy

the prequel song "goodbye, thank you" (favorite vocaloid song honestly) just gave me all might feels in general and that's how we got here babey

theater au -- the only not-angsty one in here it's literally just ua but as idiot theater kids because i am an idiot theater kid who likes to project

so like ua implements theater bc nezu thought the kids were (justifiably) stressed and thought they could use a fun creative distraction (nezu have you been anywhere near a theater it is the opposite of calming in there)

literally like all of 1a joins + the other important students with mic and midnight supervising. everyone is an idiot theater kid now, even you

this started with me mixing tododeku + a bit of shinkami and theater when i was really bored during a show last spring so that's kind of a focus but not really

listen there's just something very soft about someone sitting in a light booth staring gayly at their gay crush who is on stage doing whatever like Sigh,,, I Am Very Gay

shinsou and kaminari are two stupid light techs; tokoyami moved to sound as soon as he saw kaminari because he just knew the bakusquad was going to involve themselves in that somehow; izuku is put on the headset backstage exactly once and his muttering nearly drove shinsou to insanity; iida is appointed as stage manager and no, he is not okay

there are like 5 more aus i didn’t include because they were mostly just vague concepts and i wanted to keep this brief F

if any of these have Caught Thine Eyes please don’t hesitate to send me an ask about them!! i would love to discuss further!!! thank you!!!

[flimflamfranky]

... so--- since you don't seem to hate my asks (and I totally love bothering people with Franky stuff) here's another question: what is your view on the Franky vs Senor Pink fight? As for me I LOVED every single part of it but I noticed a lot of people have different feelings about it, especially about the Kyuin kiss part where I saw many people complaining about Franky disrespecting women, which is untrue? I mean, we rarely see him thirst over women unlike SANJI, Usopp or Brook -> (1/2)

i actually have some conflicting opinions on this fight. 

overall, i really like it! it’s super ridiculous and funny, the connection that franky and senor pink form is great, and the empathy franky has for his opponent is just *chef’s kiss*. it’s wasn’t a very serious fight and im sure that alone turned some folks off, but i’ve always like weird fights. and the ending, especially, is so god-damn good, and i love it a lot.

but…the kiss. i do not like the kiss. 

that whole idea of ‘man kissing a women to shut her up’ is just…really creepy n sexist and i hate that my favorite character did it. but it’s also just so out of character for franky, cuz he does not have a history of that type of behavior. as you mentioned, he’s usually very respectful of women and their abilities. and even when he is disrespectful, it’s usually in a ‘rebellious teen’ way than a sexist way (see kokoro). 

but also, the reason that franky kisses her to begin with is to prove that he’s “hard-boiled”. and franky’s NOT hard-boiled.

for anyone that doesn’t know, ‘hard-boiled’ is a type of crime/noir fiction that often has stoic, cynical and morally-corrupt protagonists. that’s the type of character that senor pink is based off of, and that’s why he acts like he does (minus the whole baby thing, tho the contrast certainly adds to the joke). 

but, well, those types of stories were popular in the 30s-50s, so the male protagonists weren’t alway….respectful of the women they were involved with (to say the least). and that’s why senor pink treats his fans the way he does, and why franky kisses kyuin. i dont agree with it and don’t really think it needed to be included, but there’s a reason for it, at least. 

but again, franky’s not hard-boiled. he’s kind of the opposite, actually. he’s incredibly emotional, and cries at the drop of a hat. he cares deeply and openly about people (esp post-ts). he’s loud and flamboyant and proud of that. 

franky’s not hard-boiled, and the kiss and the reasons behind just flat out don’t make sense. 

honestly, i kinda wish the fight had played into the idea of franky and senor pink having opposing personalities but similar core values (re: atonement). hell, just two opposing ideas of manliness being pit against each other could have been really interesting! but alas. 

so i dont put that much stock into the kiss. oda doesn’t make the best decision when it comes to his female characters and how people interact with them. even LUFFY has had a moment like that, and it was so out of character that oda later had to retcon it. so…yeah. 

but other than that, i do still like this fight. i mean, it’s a franky fight, of course i love it. plus, it’s got some of my favorite franky panels of all time:

this right here….good shit

[yuzusorbet]

Sendai Holiday 2019, Part 5: An Unexpected Journey

A fan told me about the special edition Yuzuru Hanyu subway card that came with 3 postcards and I quickly went to the Sendai subway station office to buy it.  The beautiful subway card was a one-day pass, unlimited rides.  Many fans used it to to get to International Centre Station where Yuzu’s Olympic Monuments are, and also to Izumi Chuo Station which is near Ice Rink Sendai, but I had already gone to these places before I knew about this special pass.  Well, I could always just keep it without using it but, somehow, I felt I had to make good use of this pass that has Yuzu’s SEIMEI silhouette on it.     

There is a 3.11 Memorial Community Centre located in Arai Station 荒井 at the end of the Tozai subway line 東西線.  The name popped up when I was searching online about Sendai travel.  I have never heard of this place before but since I could use my Yuzu subway pass and learn more about 3.11, I thought it was perfect.  Arai Station is just 6 stops away from Sendai Station.  (3.11 refers to the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, also known as the Tohoku earthquake, of 11 March 2011.)  

I arrived at Arai Station and there was a big sign pointing to the 3.11 centre.  It was within the station itself, at one end.

‘This post-earthquake restoration memorial facility opened in February 2016.   As a gateway to the eastern coastal area, which suffered tremendous damage from the tsunami, this memorial community center conveys the history of the region, the memory of the disaster, and wisdom and lessons derived from it to the world and to future generations.’ (credit)

On the first floor, there is a big 3D map that shows the extent of the coastal area ravaged by the tsunami.

On the 2nd floor, there are photos of the affected areas, in a timeline from the Showa period til present day, showing the devastation of March 2011 and restoration efforts.

The captions are all in Japanese but there are booklets that give the translation in English, Chinese, Korean and Thai.  You can hold the booklet and read the translated caption for each picture as you move along the wall.

There was one photo that struck me in particular.  People on the rooftop of Arahama Elementary School, with the black waters of the tsunami below.  They were students, staff and nearby residents who had fled there.  All were rescued by helicopter later.   Many thoughts ran through my mind.  How terrifying it must have been to watch the sea swallow up all that you live on.  And what about their family members who were not with them...... how many families could be reunited?  The young elementary school students, did they recover from the trauma?  How are they doing now.....

One of the staff told me that this school has been preserved as a museum and memorial of the disaster.  It has been open to public since April 2017.  He suggested that I take the short bus ride to the school and go into the building to have a look.  Oh my...... I was not prepared for that at all.  Do I really want to see the actual traces of devastation and tragedy??  It is too sad.....  After a bit of hesitation, I went outside the station and boarded the bus that goes to the school near the coast.  It was a regular bus that has a few stops along way and the ride cost 240 yen.   Part of the route was rather scenic with rice paddy fields. 

The last stop was at the school.  The building looked like a normal school from afar.   A banner along the 3rd floor says ありがとう 荒浜小学校  (Thank you, Arahama Elementary School).  It was put up by students in 2016. 

  There is some information in English on the board at the front.

The white sign at the 2nd floor shows the height of the tsunami that day.  The first level was totally submerged. (pic below)

On the 1st and 2nd floors, we can see the damage, and pictures show the aftermath, before the debris was cleared.  All sorts of things were pushed into the classrooms by the force of the tsunami.  A teacher’s car which was parked outside was found crushed with the debris in one of the rooms.

On the 4th floor is a room with a timeline of events on that day, from the earthquake to the tsunami and after.

The clock that was in the 1st floor gymnasium stopped at the time that the tsunami struck. 

There was also a video in the room, with the principal and other staff of the school commenting on that day, with English subtitles.....

“I grabbed the key for the rooftop and told everyone in all of the rooms to leave everything and go up to the rooftop right away.”

“It turned into a mountain, something like black mountain, it was sea water, it came and..... crash, it kept coming forward.”

“There was nothing left of the Arahama area.  It was a view of the bottom of the sea and all we could do was watch from the rooftop as the town was swept away.”

I cried as I watched the video.  My heart that was getting heavier and heavier could not hold it back anymore.

From the 4th floor, I went up to the rooftop.  So this was where the survivors were standing.  I could see the sea on one side....

and all around, rebuilding is going on.  New roads are being made, with bulldozers and excavators here and there.   It was too painful to think that this was actually a town filled with people and homes.

I remember the wind was very strong on the rooftop and the sky was overcast, so it was very cold even though it was in the warm month of May.  After taking some photos, I made my way back down.

The 3rd floor is closed but there is a very touching piece of writing by a teacher of the school, with English translation included.  Please read it from my photo below (4th pic).

The teacher’s reflections were full of sadness but also very uplifting.  “Kindness and gratitude in these hard times.”  So touching.  I hope to remember these words.

In front of the building is a ‘Closing of School’ monument, with the words of the school song on the transparent blue panel.  The school has been here a long time.  It was established in 1873 (Meiji year 6) and built on the current site in 1912 (Taisho year 1).

As I was leaving, groups of students came in large buses.  Each group had a guide talking to them outside first, then taking them around.  The school continues its purpose of educating and building up the nation. 

Goodbye and thank you, Arahama Elementary School.  I said a silent prayer as I left on the bus.  The serenity of the rice fields comforted my heart.    

For more info and photos of the school, here is a news article: The school that saved 320 people

Note: I spent about an hour here but one hour is not enough to finish looking at everything in the school.  Two hours would be good.  There are guide booklets in a few languages near the entrance of the school.  Check also the bus schedule.  It only runs once an hour. 

Much thanks to the staff at 3.11 Memorial Community Centre for their help.

Back home, I searched and read up more....

In addition to physical reconstruction, emotional and social support remain an important focus for rebuilding. “Up in Tohoku, a common term widely used to describe the emotional difficulty in what recovery really means after the disaster is kokoro no byōki (illness of the heart).  From continuing financial worries, divorces, depression, disconnected families to elderly survivors losing connection or meaning, there are ongoing situations of survivors falling through the cracks. [....]  Volunteers provide an invaluable message of encouragement, crucial to the long-term emotional recovery of survivors. [...]  Their return and interest in the community reinforces the message that others believe the rebuilding is worthwhile — and that they are worthwhile.”  (credit: Japan Times, link below)

I immediately thought of Yuzu.  Besides donating all his Olympic prize money for rebuilding, he goes back again and again to visit communities in the affected areas and to do ice shows for them.  His visits tell the survivors that they are worthwhile, that they are not forgotten.  How many lives has he saved in this way!  God bless all volunteers for their kindness and generosity.       

Thanks to Yuzu’s subway pass..... It led me on an unexpected journey to learn more about something very close to his heart and I am inspired again to do more.  Below are some useful sites that I found: 

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2019/03/10/issues/new-approach-volunteering-tohoku/#.XUVS5lCLmCR

https://www.japansociety.org/page/earthquake 

https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/news/campus_community/news20181128scrum.html

Even though I only took 2 rides with the subway pass (going to Arai Station and back), I think I have made very good use of it. 

(All photos are taken by me;  please do not use or re-post my photos without asking me first.  Thanks.)

[blu-razz-roses]

Magia Rapport Days I Didn’t Get To Until Now

There’s a lot of prompts I wanted to do but just didn’t get to, so I’m just gonna condense most of them into this post. Some of them I might go back to later and draw something for, but no guarantees.

Day 2- What is your proudest achievement in the game?

Finally getting Tart and Riz on their rerun banners! I’m about 80% F2P and the other 20% is divided up by Konoha, Madoka, and mostly Riz. I had enough gems and tickets saved up for Tart, but not for Riz. But after reading the last book of Tart Magica I had to get them both. They only have a slot apiece but they’re still very precious to me now that I have them!

Day 4- Who is your favorite of the light-element girls and why?

Tart, definitely! I’ve always had a soft spot for Joan of Arc thanks to a project I did about her in middle school. Seeing her in Madoka Magica as Kyubey mentioned the importance of Magical Girls in history really sparked my interest, and I was ecstatic when I found out there was a spin off manga. So you can only imagine how happy I was that they included her story and its characters in Magia Record! She’s just such a gentle soul who has such an amazing story, and she loves her friends and country so so much!

Day 5- Pair Yachiyo with a strong emotion. What is she feeling and why is she feeling this way?

Yachiyo is feeling content. She knows life can be tough, but she’s quite content knowing she has a successful modeling career and is (probably) doing well in her college classes. And most importantly, she’s got a new family in the Mikazuki Villa household that loves and accepts her for her strengths and weaknesses.

Day 7- Uh oh- it looks like Kyubey has found you. What would you wish for, and subsequently, what would turn you into a witch?

Welp, I’m older than the girls he usually targets. lol But ignoring this... I would wish for a happy, stress-free life with my sweetness, a life where things always go our way and we always have enough money to sustain ourselves and others around us. I know there’s probably a chance for something to go wrong in my wish, but I tried my best. lol As for what would turn me into a witch... Probably lots of negative thoughts about the world and people in general. But I’m hoping a stress-free life would prevent that. lol

Day 8- Who is your favorite of the dark-element girls and why?

Riz! She’s fiercely loyal to Tart, and she was a very interesting character in Tart Magica. I love how she’s the dark to Tart’s light, they work so well together and she was willing to do anything to make sure Tart fulfilled her wish. After everything she had been through in searching for that light, I couldn’t help but grow attached to her character.

Day 9- Tsuruno is the mightiest magical girl! Create a scenario where she takes down her greatest enemy.

I’m just imagining Tsuruno walking down a street and seeing a poster advertising a competing Chinese restuarant’s new dish or sales. She’d probably squint her eyes at it, look around really quick to make sure no one’s watching, and rip the poster from the building and crumple it into a ball. If someone happened to see... “What’s that?” “It’s the enemy!”

Day 12- Who is your favorite of the aqua-element girls and why?

I really like Konoha! I love her butterfly aesthetic and her color scheme. But I also just really enjoy her interactions with Hazuki and Ayame. Her character growth since their event makes me so proud of her, and I’m glad she’s learning to work with others and opening up more. And I admire her desire to get better at cooking, but maybe she should stop trying for health and safety reasons. lol

Day 13- Felicia is grumpy today. Why do you think that might be?

Maybe she forgot to save her game and has to rebuild a bunch of stuff? I know that would make me grumpy!

Day 14- What is your favorite relationship in the game and what activity are they doing together on Valentine’s Day? (If you don’t ship anyone, substitute with your favorite friendship!)

I really like Masara and Kokoro together! They would probably trade chocolate and go for a hike. And I got to see my favorite friendship in the Valentine’s Day events with Hinano’s story. Emiri cheered her on and when Hinano got rejected she gave her friend the support she needed! And their dynamic is always making me laugh!

Day 16- Who is your favorite of the forest-element girls and why?

Gotta go with Hinano! Her character grew on me the more I got to see her and Emiri interact. She’s older than most of the girls but she still has a childish side to her, what with her temper tantrums and dream to grow taller. And I just love her attack style. Chemicals and beakers just being thrown at the enemy is a joy to watch every time!

Day 20- Who is your favorite of the flame-element girls and why?

The mightiest magical girl Tsuruno! She’s so energetic, I envy her. lol But she’s always trying her best to help others, and she’s such a hard worker. The fact that the game addressed these as both her strengths and weaknesses really impressed me. There’s only so much a person can handle, and that part of the story really connected with me. And I just love how loud and expressive she is! I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing her battle cries! lol

Day 23- What character would you hug if you could?

All these girls need a hug, after everything they’ve had to deal with. But Sana’s story is especially sad. There was no damn reason for her family to be so cruel. Sana deserves all the hugs.

Day 24- Who is your favorite spinoff character? How do you think they would interact with Iroha?

Tart, of course! I really liked how she got along with Iroha. They’re both very kind characters who aren’t afraid to get tough when the situation calls for it.

Day 27- Mitama is taking a well-earned rest. What is she dreaming about right now?

Hopefully something pleasant. Maybe in her dream she decided to skip cooking and went out to eat and is putting ketchup on some fries, where it belongs.

Day 29- What moment, concept, or character makes you happiest in Magia Record?

Mitama is my favorite character, and I really enjoyed learning more about her. Her wish made me wonder if she would turn out to be a villain, but I’m so so happy she made friends with the Kamihama magical girls and chose their side in the chapter 8 conflict! So proud of her! And she’s just so quirky. Her cooking is terribly terrible, for example. Perhaps even worse than Konoha’s. At least Konoha cooks with food. Who cooks with paint? Do her parents cook like that? Or does she cook like that because she saw some weird videos on the Magia Record equivalent of tik tok? And she’s got the blue rose aesthetic. I just absolutely love blue roses. So anytime I see her in the story, an event, or just on my home screen, she’s just an instant mood booster!

[lunawings]

King of Prism SSS Episode 10 (LOUIS)

So I think one of the main reasons a lot of people were confused by this episode (well other than misleading subtitles......) was because a lot of us had our own long-time theories/assumptions about what Louis is or what a Rinne is, and this episode turned out a bit different from what we were all expecting. (I got a lot of messages that were like “But I always thought that...”) I think you have to let your past assumptions go in order to take this episode in. A few of my long-time assumptions were proved wrong by this episode as well.

Although, given this post does still include statements that are my own interpretations, if you think I’m wrong about something please feel free to speak up. (But also please include evidence from Rainbow Live if applicable, etc.) I’m afraid I may have to go back and edit this post several times, especially after whenever the director starts releasing interviews about all this. 

There is a tl;dr at the end, but I really hope most of you guys read all of this. I know it’s long, but the Crunchyroll subs for this episode are just....... so bad...... by far the worst....

I wasn’t really able to keep track of the the scores when I was watching this in theaters, so I actually didn’t realize what a big deal Joji’s score was until this scene at this moment. It’s why I tried to start a dialogue about it earlier. 

Kinda funny how Kokoro, Mondo, Mitsuba, and Tsurugi’s scores are almost exactly the same. It makes them feel all the more like manufactured prism stars.... (not really their fault, it’s how Schwarz Rose does things....) 

I’m going to skip over talking about the scene with Jin and Sanada because I think it’s best saved to discuss in a future episode. Don’t worry, we’ll deal with Jin later.

HE’S SO HAPPY AND CONFIDENT AND EVERYONE BELIEVES IN HIM........................................................................................ 

The translator doesn’t really understand prism sparkle, causing a lot of confusing dialogue in the subs, but I suppose that’s kind of to be expected for anyone that didn’t watch Rainbow Live. 

I’m pretty sure the intended meaning here was: If they can’t fix Rinne then the prism sparkle will disappear, which would mean the end of the prism world, and the prism gods, etc.

Um no, I think they said F-type here. Rinne keeps falling in love with male stars because she’s “F-type”. 

My understanding of the scene is: the Rinnes keep falling in love, which is keeping them from spreading the prism sparkle and leading to destruction of the prism world. But the gods hesitate to make an M-type prism messenger since there is a “dark history” with that. So they just change the basics (like appearance) of Rinne to be male, while keeping the rest of the coding the same, and..... 

....Also restore the memory to hopefully “avoid problems”.

(The subs say “back up” here which isn’t so off, but a bit misleading. I believe the Japanese is 復原 or 復元 = restore and they do say lit: “memory”, not data. I guess the translator was thinking in computery terms.) 

So this explains why Louis is male and has memories of the past, even though they say Rinnes lose their memory in Rainbow Live.  

He’s a Rinne, just a different version. 

And because he has those memories, he immediately begins looking for....

Turned? What do the subs mean by “turned”? 

The word used here was 復活 = to be revived/resurrected. 

I guess the translator thought Shine went to the dark side or something, but he went to the dark side long ago. (Either that or this was supposed to be “returned” and that was a typo.) 

This scene is taking place in the Pride the Hero-ish era and the prism gods are asking Louis WTF he’s doing awakening Shine (by giving Shin the pendant and whatnot). 

So. I read a while back in a director interview in the “Ready Sparking” fanbook that Louis’ mission was “to kill Shin”.

Which didn’t make any sense to me. Rinne in the flashback in Pride the Hero says she’ll find Shine again, so why would she find him just to kill him again? Why would Louis go to all the trouble of giving Shin the pendant and awakening his powers JUST TO KILL HIM? 

But now in this scene it makes sense. Louis’ mission was not to kill Shin(e) to begin with. He was intended to be just a regular prism messenger trying to spread the prism sparkle UNTIL THIS SCENE when his mission changed, because he decided to divert from his mission and awaken Shine without permission.  

So the spoiler I read was technically true, but not in the way it seemed. He did not specifically come like an angel of death to kill Shin(e). (A huge load off my mind.) But in between the ending of the first movie and Crazy Gonna Crazy, things changed. 

Once again, misunderstanding of prism sparkle. The way they subbed this, it sounds like he was told not to expand the brilliance of Shine because what “its” refers to is not clear............ It should have been more like: “Your mission now is the elimination of Shine. There is no need to worry about spreading the prism radiance anymore.”

None of this is readable in the theater ahah... Every time I saw Part 4, I always thought I’d be able to read a bit more of it and I never did. 

But yeah, I’m not sure if we knew before that Hijiri’s mother was deceased....? (Did we?) 

Edit: Lol nevermind we did.  

I heard some people saying that Shin(e) was a Rinne, so I just want to take a second to clarify this. 

Shine is not a Rinne. Shine is a Shine: A now defunct male prism messenger program. He’s a separate program from Rinne, and they were meant to exist together. (Unlike Rinne and June, who were both Rinnes and thus caused an error by existing at the same time in the same world in Rainbow Live.) 

Woah. I’m not sure, but I think they cleared up his face here to make it more obvious how much he looks like Shin...... I think I remember it being too dark to see his eyes well in the theatrical version...? ??

But anyway, the rule for prism messengers not being allowed to perform before an audience (and also the reason why) is something that was previously established in Rainbow Live.  

So I think the subs were absolutely fine for this part. My understanding of it was that after erasing Shine, Rinne gets stuck in a loop where she keeps self destructing because she’s trying to find Shine. 

This makes the prism gods decide to delete her memory. They also task her with guiding male stars as well, since Shine cannot fill that role anymore. This is why the Rinnes in the Rainbow Live era have their memory deleted, and what also unintentionally laid the groundwork for June to fall in love with Hijiri I believe. 

And because the Rinnes kept falling in love like June is why they re-wrote the program to be Louis to try and prevent this and also gave him the memories of the past Rinnes so he will supposedly know what not to do. (But the unintended effect of this is that the memories of the past Rinnes also gave him the memory of Shine, causing Louis to search for Shine again.) 

Which is why I’m confused as to why the very next scene is Louis staring at the pendant looking confused like he doesn’t recognize it or something? Because I thought from the earlier scene where Louis was created, he immediately set off looking for Shine after the Rinne -> Louis update? Am I just misreading his expression here or did I miss something? I don’t know. 

Edit: OMFG IM AN IDIOT. THE SCARF. This scene isn’t taking place right after Louis was created. It’s taking place right after Crazy Gonna Crazy. He’s looking at the pendant which fell from Shin after their show. It’s meant to transition into the events which happen after Louis re-seals Shine I guess. They could have made this a bit more clear. 

If you thought why the F is Kokoro here well WHY YES. YES THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE OTOHA 

but putting that aside

I believe this scene was supposed to establish that Louis knows the Rainbow Live girls. He has the past memory of Rainbow Live era Rinne, but he can’t really do anything about it........... (It’s not like he can just go talk to them as Louis.....)

But his expression is so unreadable it’s hard to tell. 

He gives Shin back his powers to jump geez Crunchyroll.

(But for anyone wondering how mix-ups like this can even occur in the first place, a lot of sentences in Japanese don’t have subjects in them. Therefore, if you don’t know.... the context.............................) 

Maybe the translator chose this wording in the context of prism messengers being forbidden to be seen on stage. But as much as I appreciate that, it’s wrong. In this scene Louis is saying that he physically cannot perform. (He’s a fallen prism messenger now, so the rules don’t matter.)

Okay, I’ll take a moment to explain this just in case, since it is not explained outright:

When Louis broke his connection with the prism world and lost his rainbow feathers in Pride the Hero, he made the same decision June did when she ripped off her wings in Rainbow Live. He chose Shin(e) over his mission. He disobeyed orders and cut himself off from the prism gods in order to do things in his own way.

But whenever a prism messenger makes this decision, their rainbow feathers are replaced by the night dream feathers. The night dream feathers take life away. 

(Screencap from Rainbow Live episode 43.)

In other words, ever since Louis pulled out his earring in Pride the Hero he has slowly began to die.....

Although this is never stated clearly within the main King of Prism series, there are several ways you could have picked up on it before this episode. 

First of all, like I said before we have already been through this with June in Rainbow Live. 

Second, across the Road to SSS events on Prism Rush we have steadily seen Louis getting weaker and weaker. At first he was just tired and fell asleep after the Schwarz Rose opening ceremony in Road to SSS 1, but then his deteriorating condition was made crystal clear in his Queen of Glass PR story from Road to SSS 4, in which Louis plans a date with Shin only to collapse and unwittingly stand him up. 

And then eventually by the time we get to Road to SSS 9, Louis cannot even gather the energy to perform at all unless it’s with Shin. And we got this whole scene with a weakened Louis begging Shin to perform with him.

But even after their performance is a success and they win the Tokyo Kizuna Beat Climax, by the time we get to Road to SSS 10 Louis is so weak they miss the finals. 

Finally, Louis being a fallen prism messenger is directly confirmed in literally the opening scene of King of Prism SSS. 

So if you saw this scene and your reaction was something more like “Oh look it’s Louis... are his wings different?” and not “LOUIS IS DYING” then well.... That’s exactly why I’m always telling you guys to watch Rainbow Live.......................

Although, there was a bit of confusion over these feathers even for people who watched Rainbow Live so don’t feel too bad if that’s you. Some people thought Shin had the night dream feathers in Pride the Hero, or that Rinne had them in the end of Rainbow Live. 

But no. The regular star-type feathers are dark blue too. (Generic, lower level feathers than the rainbow ones.(?))

There are only two characters to have the night dream feathers. And they are: June in Rainbow Live and Louis in SSS. Both fallen prism messengers. 

And buried in the midst of all this Louis drama and deep lore is my probably favorite Joji line of all time. Seriously the Joji in this scene is best Joji and I cannot not laugh no matter how much I’m suffering. 

Okay so. Here is what I do not understand about this episode and would be thrilled if someone could explain it to me. If Yamada-san knew Wataru Hibiki, then Shine could not have been sealed that long ago. I actually searched my fanbooks/magazine collection until I found one which listed Yamada-san’s age as 24. So he’s probably 25 now. So this scene could not have taken place more than 20 years ago (and even that is generous). 

So what the heck was all that 1,000 years thing about? Is that just the amount of time Rinne and Shine knew each other? Or does time just not flow in a straight line for prism messengers when they are skipping in and out of different worlds? 

WOAH

WOAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SHIN’S PHONE BACKGROUND IS DIFFERENT 

Okay you’re just going to have to believe me on this, BUT I SWEAR Shin’s phone background in the theatrical version is a photo of his hand holding the pendant. Which seems like a weird choice for a background right? But I had a theory on it that I was gonna discuss here. And that theory is that Shin wanted some kind of a background that reminded him of Louis, and that was all he had. (He couldn’t straight up use a picture of Louis because he didn’t want the other boys to question it.)

But TV version Shin, HE JUST WENT FOR IT. NO SHAME. DAMN BOY. 

I can’t help but wonder why Shin still feels like he has to hide his relationship with Louis here, considering if Road to SSS is canon like it seems to be then they all saw Shin and Louis perform together at the Kizuna Beat Climax a few months ago. 

But I guess in between the Prism King Cup and the start of the Prism One tensions rose with Schwarz Rose again, so maybe he’s worried about that?

Or maybe there is a possibility that maybe he would talk about it if it was anyone but Leo asking. What with how Leo is. 

(I know the real reason is probably just because for plot convenience/the casual viewer hasn’t read Road To SSS but shhhhhhhhhhhh.)

I’m sorry but, man I do not like this outfit. And not because it’s basically girls clothing. If Naru wore it I would hate it too. It’s just kinda ugly IMHO. (It’s not an existing Pretty Rhythm coord is it?)

Original brand glasses Shin is cute as heck though. 

I like how he just keeps his same damn clothes he’s been wearing the entire time in SSS and just glasses + hat = done. Pfft. 

Shin and Louis saw a PriPara movie together. 

(Prism Tours is the name of the first PriPara movie, which included different courses of Pretty Rhythm shows/flashbacks shown on different weeks in theaters back in 2015. The “flavor” Over the Rainbow animation seen in the first King of Prism movie was actually reused from Prism Tours, and increased attendance to the prism boys course of that movie including that scene was one of the main reasons King of Prism was greenlit in the first place. So I wonder if this is actually a reference to that.)

This crazy umbrella street is apparently based on a real place in Nagasaki (nowhere near Tokyo).

I just happened to catch a Tweet about it right after Part 4 came out.

So..... I actually wasn’t as excited for Shin and Louis’ date as you would think I’d be. I spent a while thinking about it and I came up with a couple reasons. First of all, even though this is the first date they have had in the main series, in the side materials.... they date all the time. Like seriously! In my mind they have already been dating for years so this was like just another date. 

Second.... honestly...... I don’t really ship Shin and Louis all that much anymore. Or at least not in the way I used to. My feelings about them peaked somewhere in the Pride the Hero era, and have been quietly declining since. And this scene basically sealed it. Their relationship just isn’t what I thought it was. I know in this episode Louis realizes he loves Shin and not Shine, but he took such a long time to reach that conclusion and I’m just so uncomfortable about their relationship being originally based on Rinne’s relationship with Shine. Which was not a healthy relationship. 

Also! It wasn’t 1,000 years since they have seen each other dammit! It was like 20! AT MOST! Right????? Yeah that’s a long time for mortals, but not for a being like Louis that lives for thousands of years. 

Anyway before you send me hate, just know that I’m definitely not saying Shin and Louis shouldn’t be together and I’m certainly not saying that you should agree with me. Both of them deserve happiness, especially Louis. I’m just saying I personally am not as passionate about them the way I used to be. 

But even so....

That didn’t stop me from going to find the location of this scene when I was in Tokyo last week! 

So did Shin pass the smell test or not? Because Louis.... I guess technically........... (nevermind..... not gonna open up that can of worms right now...........)

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW MAKES ME SO SAD

(Especially thinking about what happens next.) 

 Louis is not at his peak performance condition here. He’s not performing a serious competitive show. Heck, he’s just wearing casual clothing. 

He’s finally realized he loves Shin and not Shine................  All he wants to do is just relive his date with Shin................ THATS ALL.....................

WTF THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS ONE 

THIS IS THE MOST BLATANT MISTRANSLATION YET 

He says 君は僕を殺すことができない = You cannot kill me 

Shine tells Rinne (Louis) that she cannot kill him because that would erase Shin’s memories too. He knows Louis cannot stand to lose Shin.

NO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

HE JUST WANTED TO RECREATE HIS DATE WITH SHIN

HE JUST WANTED TO DO A FUN LITTLE SHOW ABOUT HOW HE LOVES SHIN

THAT’S ALL

WHY

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY 

It took me a long time to appreciate it considering WHAT JUST HAPPENED but this YABEEEEEEEE from Sanada is pretty hilarious. 

This is unfortunately (?) another moment ruined by the new ending music. 

In the theatrical version, this moment is dead silent and it makes it all the more apparent the.... change which has just taken place. It is terrifying. 

But regardless. Now you can probably guess why episode 11 is so painful for me and any fans of Shin..................................

*deep breath*

Okay so. Let’s review. 

Here is my tl;dr of the timeline, from my understanding:

The Rinne/Shine program is created with Rinne for female stars and Shine for male ->  Shine breaks the rules and so Rinne has to erase him -> But Rinne doesn’t erase him completely and promises to find him again -> The Rinne program gets stuck in a loop where she keeps freezing/self destructing because she's trying to find Shine ->  The gods decide to start erasing the memory of the Rinnes -> Rinne keeps falling in love with male stars since she's in charge of male stars now too ->   The events of Rainbow Live happen -> The gods decide to alter the Rinne program to make the body male and restore the memory of the past Rinnes to fix this, creating Louis -> Since Louis has the memory of the past Rinnes he goes to find Shine again -> The events of King of Prism : Louis begins the process of resurrecting Shine in Shin ->  The gods find out and order him to delete Shine again -> Louis still cannot finish the job and cuts himself off from the prism gods, becoming like June -> Louis realizes he loves Shin not Shine but.... -> Louis’ weakened state allows Shine to fully resurrect, and.....

So. There is more to this. But if you would like to come to your own conclusions about what just happened in that final scene and go into the next episode blind, this post is over. Thanks for joining me this far!! 

But if you would like me to explain some more things using spoilers not revealed until the next episode, keep scrolling. 

Obviously you don’t have to!

It’s up to you! 

I just kinda feel like I owe it to you guys. 

(Since I was lucky enough to get my major questions answered right away and not have to wait a week like you guys do.)

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Ready?

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Episode 11 spoilers start here

So I first saw Part 4 on like, 3 hours sleep. So as you can imagine I was having a really hard time taking all this in. And when that last scene happened I was basically plunged into the darkest depths of absolute horror. To think all this time I had been worried about Louis hurting Shin. The opposite had never ever crossed my mind. 

In my first viewing what I thought happened was that Shin had just regained his memories and killed Louis. And for 30 seconds or so, I seriously considered walking out of the theater. Not that I didn’t plan to ever finish watching it, but I just felt I was not ready and needed time to cry and take this all in before continuing to the next episode at the next showing. I was so close and literally the only reason I didn’t leave was because I just didn’t want other people to see me walking out. So I stuck with it and forced myself through the next two episodes. 

And I’m glad I did. Because that’s not what happened. 

The next episode makes it very clear that Shin and Shine are two different people. Shin did not get any memories back in the final scene. Shin is Shin, and Shine is Shine. 

From what I can gather, Shin was born with Shine sealed inside him. He’s like the host. (Whether this technically makes him a reincarnation or not, I’m not sure.) Shin has never had any contact with Shine, but Shine has always been watching life through Shin’s eyes.

The Shin we see walking off at the end of episode 10 is Shine controlling Shin’s body. From the moment he says “Rinne.....” Shine is in control, and Shin as we know him is unconscious. Shin has no memory of the things he does while Shine is controlling him. 

Also, the act of Shine destroying Rinne’s feathers did not kill Louis back there. But as you can imagine, he’s in bad, BAD shape right now.....