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No.6

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Sorry to anyone whose entire blog I just liked I’m just scrolling

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not that anyone asked lmao but i think my favorite single line in my reunion fic is probably this

“You’re gay?” Shion sounded shocked.

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i got really mad when my wife said "i hate shion" and then "he reminds me of you" when i showed her no. 6 but recently i realized she hates the characters she has crushes on

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I’ve literally been boycotting Amazon for five years AND I do not read Japanese at all but I really want to preorder the new No.6 book 😫

If someone has a non-Amazon link please LMK. I could just sit by it with a dictionary and at least not break my boycott…

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Rating: Explicit

Read on Archive of Our Own.

Summary: Shion returns late to work and is eager to beg for forgiveness.

Note: This has no plot itself but accompanies my Summer Rain post-canon story. Which is about to become an alternate ending story, because a sequel is due to come out in May!

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per jaywishings on twitter:

omg sorry i missed them bc they weren't in the summary i tled from but the chapter names for volume 1 are listed as well! 1. Once Again 2. A Modest Wish 3. At the Root of Truth 4. Act 2, Scene 1

y'all act 2 scene 1 is the one where macbeth is about to kill the king..................... is nezumi literally gonna kill shion? probably not because this is the start of a series but holy shit. tbh i've said it before and i'll say it again shion kicking yoming out was corrupt AF so he might deserve assassination. ANYWAY i am going INSANE

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"Summer Rain" Playlists & Stories

I recently became obsessed with No. 6 once again after finishing graduate school & regressing to my teenage interests. So, I wrote a story about their reunion. I also created four playlists. They're all collected here for ease of access.

"Summer Rain" on Archive of Our Own (Rated Explicit)

A short prelude (Inukashi's brush with death) on Archive of Our Own (Rated General)

A short porn-without-plot epilogue (Audition) on Archive of Our Own (Rated Explicit)

Safu's Metamorphosis on Spotify, with explanations on Tumblr

Shion's Journey on Spotify, with explanations on Tumblr

Rat's Journey on Spotify, with explanations on Tumblr

Reunion (Summer Rain) on Spotify, with explanations on Tumblr

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Playing God (Paramore)

How can that be logical? Just keep on cramming ideas down my throat

2. STFU! (Rina Sawayama)

Silence, finally in my head But it’s too late, you already left You’re preaching, even though I’m dead

3. Je me promets (Meryem Aboulouafa)

كيفما سارت ا لأقدار و رفعتني عاليا ثم لطختني مع ا لأ رض و اشتق عظمي و سال دمي أعدني أني سأحيي فخري من الرماد الحمر الداف و أولع من عدمي حتى تشتعل في الحياة

However fate goes, if it lifts me high then sullies me with the ground and my bones split and my blood flows, I promise myself I will revive my honor from the warm red ash and blaze with my nothingness until life goes up in flames

4. Dig Me Out (Sleater Kinney)

Dig me out, dig me in Out of this mess, baby, out of my head Dig me out, dig me in Out of my body, out of my skin

5. Nada (Lido Pimienta)

Yo te soy sincero Y no le tengo miedo A la muerte Si es que me quiere Aquí la espero de frente y sonriente

I’m honest with you And I’m not afraid Of death If she wants me I’ll wait for her here, facing her and smiling

6. Magnet (Bikini Kill)

You don’t own me, fuck! You hold me down like a magnet And this is not the life for me

7. Courage to Change (Sia)

World, I want to leave you better I want my life to matter I am afraid I have no purpose here

8. I Bet on Losing Dogs (Mitski)

My baby, my baby Tell your baby that I’m your baby

9. A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing) (Debora Iyall)

She's on the mend and knows that she's earned The scars and the lines By and by - one step at a time Her love can dazzle and delight - she transcends

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1. Hasta la Raiz - Natalia Lafourcade

Pienso que cada instante sobrevivido al caminar Y cada segundo de incertidumbre Cada momento de no saber Son la clave exacta de este tejido Que ando cargando bajo la piel Así te protejo Aquí sigues dentro (I think that every moment I survive this walk And every second of uncertainty Every moment of not knowing Are the exact key to this woven fabric That I carry below my skin That's how I protect you You're still here inside)

2. Habbaitak Be El Saif - Fairuz حبيتك بالصيف حبيتك بالشتي نطرتك بالصيف نطرتك بالشتي وعيونك الصيف وعيوني الشتي ملقانا يا حبيبي (I loved you in summer, I loved you in winter, I waited for you in summer, I waited for you in winter, Your eyes in summer, my eyes in winter, We did not meet my love)

3. No Voy a Decir Que No - Ximena Sariñana Pero si cruzas mi camino Con toda la intención Ignorando la experiencia No voy a decir que no (But if you cross my path With intent Ignoring experience I won't say no)

4. Say the Truth and Run - Meryem Aboulela

Throw out the truth and Face it widely Get your facts straight Think it widely Break the walls

5. James Joint - Rihanna How you live and love like 'fuck rules'? Don't care why just know I love you.

6. Te Regalo - Carla Morrison

Déjame quedarme aquí Déjame besarte ahí Donde guardas tus secretos Los más oscuros y los más bellos Let me stay here Let me kiss you there Where you keep your secrets The darkest, and the most beautiful

7. Victory - Janelle Monae

Oh, I'll keep singing songs until the pain goes If loving you means fighting till the end Then I'll fight harder, baby, just to win And if tomorrow shall come to me I'll count your every kiss as a victory

8. It's a good day (to fight the system) - Shungudzo The birds are in the trees They're singin' me a melody La-la-la-la, fuck the police

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Summer Rain

Summary:

Eight years after the Correctional Facility's destruction, Shion is disillusioned with the work of the Restructuring Committee. Nezumi arrives in the West Block for the first time since his departure.

Notes:

This story follows Atsuko Asano's No. 6 Beyond story collection (translated by 9thave). Post-canon reunion.

Content Warnings:

Depression; suicidal thoughts.

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A post-canon, pre-reunion No. 6 playlist for Shion. This playlist follows Shion from the end of Volume 9, through Beyond, until just before he reunites with Rat. It concludes right before the events of my story, Summer Rain.

In the Country - La Luz There isn't one thing that I wouldn't do for you Why leave?

Good Grief - Dessa But I’m willing to work for this Just show me where to dig And I’m ready to hurt for this

I Don't Trust U Anymore - Left at London As a kid, I was idolizing millionaires and all the presidents But I don't trust them anymore No way, no way, no, not again And I may never trust at all No way, no way, I'm over them

Working for the Knife - Mitski I always thought the choice was mine And I was right, but I just chose wrong I start the day lying and end with the truth That I'm dying for the knife

Glass House - Screaming Females Whose house is this? A gift was promised Future structures till we all vanish

The Center Won't Hold - Sleater-Kinney I need a real affliction Gives me a reason to stay I need a new reflection Don't wanna see my face

Fear the Future - St. Vincent When the Earth split in two I was I, you were you I run for you Run for me, too

Kokomo, IN - Japanese Breakfast God, I wish we could go back there Left alone in my room I know they deserve you too And maybe I'm not that worthy

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A post-canon, pre-reunion playlist for Nezumi. This playlist follows Rat from the end of Volume 9, through Beyond, until he returns to the site of the Mao massacre. It concludes right before the events of my story, Summer Rain.

He Venido al Mar - Lido Pimienta He venido al mar a despedirme ... Yo no sé para donde voy pero sé de donde vengo (I have come to the sea to say goodbye I don't know where I'm going, but I know where I come from)

Cumbia de la Memoria - Rebeca Lane Claro que sí, sí hubo genocidio Lo sabe este cuerpo porque en él no hay olvido (Yes, of course, there was genocide this body knows it because in it there's no forgetting)

Travellin' Shoes - Watcha Clan Walk across the desert Walk across the city I see, I feel this history The rhythm of this walk

Sonkayno - MAREWREW マレウレウ (Traditional Ainu song sung while playing a game where people pretend to be mice to steal sweets.)

Stop Business As Usual (Part 2) - Kimmortal, pHoenix Pagliacci & Bobby Sanchez Real, real love's in decolonization Total liberation of all nations Stop the killings, end the occupation Changing using radical imagination

Love Song 戀愛歌 - Difang (Electronic Amis love song.)

My Blood Runs Through This Land - Black Belt Eagle Scout My blood runs through this land, I Find it in the land and sеa, I Feel it like no other being My connection to this land

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Thoughts on Summer Rain

On Rat/Nezumi's name I agree with the official English manga translation's choice to retain the strangeness of the nickname "Rat." But I changed it to Nezumi to post it because no one else on the Internet seems to agree, lol. Same with Dogkeeper/Inukashi.

On Nezumi's journey In Beyond, we saw Rat visit the desert. I think that he has been traveling and observing many different autonomous communities, including Indigenous communities who survived colonization and genocide before, during, and after the creation of the six city-states. I think that he likely met other descendants of Forest People who intermarried with other Indigenous people and became part of other communities over the millennia before No. 6 existed. He has probably been learning the sacred songs and ritual practices of other peoples. That's why I think that he would eventually come back to his homeland.

On Shion's depression & sex drive Shion thinks he is worthless, and assumes that Nezumi is going to leave again. He doesn’t want to talk because he doesn’t want to reveal his failure, but he also wants to keep Nezumi from leaving immediately. Plus, there’s a ton of pent-up desire, building up since puberty! Honestly, it's sort of autobiographical. The pressure to make conversation with the person you love after not seeing each other for a long time is super awkward, and sex can be easier than talking. Also, Shion learned about sex through porn & masturbation; I'm sure they'll talk about it more later, and it will be embarrassing.

On Inukashi's gender I used he/him pronouns for Inukashi because my read is that he's choosing a gender presentation that feels safest for him. I'm not saying he's a binary man. Shion, Nezumi, and Inukashi are all he/him nonbinary people in my head: Inukashi's gender is "fuck you," Shion's is mostly null, and Nezumi's is extremely fluid.

On mice mortality In Beyond it's mentioned that they have normal lifespans and are reaching the end of their lives. Confession: in an earlier version I had Nezumi referring to Cravat and Hamlet by their names, but I edited that out because there's no way he'd admit to having called them by name that easily. RIP mice.

On returning to No. 6 I should have made it ten years since the events of the novels, since I first read them around 2014. I am in a very different place now than I was as a depressed, closeted teenager, and I've learned to channel my anger at systems into action. My last book before spiraling into No. 6 reobsession was The Parisian by Isabella Hammad, a Palestinian novelist. Then I disappeared off the face of the earth to cram information I should have learned over 3+ years in my head in 2 months. After I'd taken that evil test, I was at my parents' house and suddenly needed to fill my brain with gay YA dystopian fiction & no thoughts.

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Summer Rain

Rating: Explicit

Read on Archive of Our Own.

Summary: Eight years after the Correctional Facility’s destruction, Shion is disillusioned with the work of the Restructuring Committee. Rat arrives the West Block for the first time since his departure.

Note: This story follows Atsuko Asano’s No. 6 Beyond story collection (translated by 9thave).

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Back on Tumblr

I lost or deleted all of my old accounts five years ago, but I just reread the No. 6 light novels and manga so I have been pulled back in.