#(I did not intend for Tasuku to be here when i first thought of this idea but i thought it be cute so i added him

[universestreasures]

The Lockets (Drabble)

Expansion/Spin Off From This Thread With @shacchou (Hope you like this Ani <3)

The young boy didn't expect her to come, if he's being honest. Since Gozaboru Kaiba passed away, Mokuba had cut off all contact with Lady Suzuha. It wasn't because he was grieving over the abusive man. No, it was because his focus had...shifted. He didn't want her to see him like this, to see him do what he thought he had to in order to regain what he lost...

His big brother's love...

Now that the puzzle of his big brother's heart had been broken due to the Penalty Game he suffered at Yugi Muto's hands, and his brother left in a coma for weeks now, everything had shifted. Mokuba was starting to act like himself again, as if he too had been consumed by the demon of games just like his older brother for the last half of a year. That was why he reached out to, really, his closest friend, to one of the only good things that being adopted by his stepfather had given him. And thankfully, she responded and hurried over quickly, overwhelmed with concern and worry herself after having heard the news about his brother's condition.

The two were in one of the many living spaces inside the mansion, arts and craft supplies spread all over the massive table in the middle. The two children often did this activity when they met up, this time being no different. He had something specific in mind that he wanted to do, something that had his immediate focus as he worked diligently on his project.

"M-Mokuba, dear?" The voice of the young lady pulled the youngest Kaiba out of his focus, purple hues staring at hers that could be seen above her signature pink fan. "Are you sure...this is what you called me over for? I-I mean, making arts and crafts with you is certainly a delight and one I rather missed. However, considering...recent events, I...I thought...I thought you called me over so that you could...have a trusted ear to talk about what happened..."

Her inquiry causes him to freeze in place, almost dropping the rope he had been working with. He should have figured this would happen. His friend was rather perceptive, not that Mokuba was any good at hiding his emotions to begin with. Unlike his older brother, he wore his heart on his sleeve for all to see, and she had seen right through him.

"I...I..."

"It's alright if you'd rather not discuss it. I...I know things are hard for you as it is right now. I simply wanted to express my own thoughts. If you simply want my company as we make artistic creations together like we always do, then that is alright. I am here for you today. No one else."

"...Thanks, Suzuha." Mokuba gives her a weak smile. He appreciates her understanding. It was true he did want to talk about it, but...not right now. Not when he had something he needed to finish first and his own thoughts and feelings together.

The room is filled again with silence as the two return to their work. While he worked on his project, she seemed to be painting a tea set of some sort. Perhaps it was a gift for Lord Amanosuzu. If that was the case, then they both had a similar idea in terms of what the purpose of making their crafts was.

As soon as he is about to put the finishing touches on his twin creations, he looks up as he notices Suzuha had gotten out of her chair and was above his shoulder, examining his work closely. "My, my! These are quite lovely, Mokuba dear! Are these for...you and your brother?"

"That's the idea...but I'm not sure if he will-" His words are cut short by the gentle gloved hand of the older young lady being placed on his shoulder, Suzuha's reassuring smile providing a comfort he had been lacking in his life for so long now; the smile of someone who cared about him deeply.

"Of course, he will like it! No, he'll love it! It's a handmade gift from you, his dear little brother! What sibling wouldn't adore such a thing filled with one's true feelings of brotherly love?"

"L-Love...?"

The word sounded so foreign escaping his lips, as if it was the first time he'd ever heard such a concept. His brother had told him brotherly love was a waste, something that only held one back. Those words stuck with him, even as he desperately tried anything and everything to get it from the older Kaiba since his spiral. That's why he had doubted even doing this in the first place, but yet he persisted anyway, creating something with his whole heart that was broken into many pieces by the events that had transpired.

Seems like the more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?

Before he can continue his response, he and she are both directed to the door. It then opens, revealing both one of the mansion staff and someone that caused both Suzuha and Mokuba's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Master Mokuba, Sorry to interrupt, but Officer Ryuenji is here to see you."

"Hey. Sorry for dropping in like this. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, Mokuba."

Before Mokuba can attempt to comment on the other's words, the ruby hues of the other focus on the other individual in the room. A hand goes over Tasuku chest as Mokuba watches him do a slight bow, like a prince would greeting a princess. "Lady Suzuha? Is that you? What a surprise! I did not expect to see you here today. I was not aware you and Mokuba knew each other."

"O-Oh! Y-Yes!" Mokuba's eyes widen just a bit at the sudden stammering in her voice, something he has never seen before from his friend. Suzuha whips out her fan, quickly covering the light blush forming in her cheeks with it. "We've been friends for years, T-Tasuku! Our fathers...were acquainted, and that's how we got introduced. My being here today is just one of many I've had with Mokuba dear over the years. I was not aware you were acquainted with him as well, but considering the celebrity that you are, I guess it's no surprise."

Mokuba and Tasuku both take a sigh of relief at her conclusion,both seemingly deciding to go along with it. Considering all the work Tasuku and the Buddy Police had done to keep the Death-T incident from going public, Suzuha becoming privy to it would put that in jeopardy. Not only that, Mokuba didn't want his friend to know his part of it, a part he felt like he had to do as a last-ditch effort to get the older Kaiba's attention at the time.

"Thanks for coming to check on me, Officer Ryuenji. I appreciate it."

"Please, just call me Tasuku. I think you and I are well acquainted enough to not speak so formally to one another."

Tasuku then took a seat, watching the two go back to their crafts as he did not want to intrude it seemed. It was a new thing for Mokuba to have 'friends over' like this, people who actively wanted to see him and were not trying to get anything out of him. It was...nice.

Was this...the feeling that comes from true friendship and unity with others? The very thing that Yugi seemed to have harnessed to beat his brother?

Mokuba then picks up the last part, the last piece, to his creation, the one item from the past he's treasured and preserved throughout the years. It was something he had clung to, a spark of hope he always held onto despite the darkness that came into his life. It was important to him, more than anyone including his brother, knew..until today that is.

"Mokuba? Is that...?" Tasuku questions, looking over along with Suzuha at the item the youngest in the room now held in his hands.

"Mhmm...It's an old picture of me and Seto before we were adopted by Gozaboru. We looked pretty different back then, huh?"

"You look the same to me, dear Mokuba. It is your brother who is the different one here. I..I have never seen Seto Kaiba...smile with such heart before. Not even during events we've both attended or any promotions I've seen. It's... polarizing, to put it mildly."

"Yeah...It was...a different time, a time before...all of this. That's why this picture is very dear to me, probably the most important thing I own now. And..."

Mokuba begins to do the unthinkable next, slowly starting to rip the photograph in two. His actions shock the other two in the room, both almost going to say something before he continues on and starts to place half of the picture into one of the lockets, precisely the half of the photograph he is featured in.

"I'm going to share it with him, share with Seto my most treasured memory, so that he will...come back to me someday."

Once he finishes the process with the other locket, the boy moves to leave the room, telling his guests he needs to do something. With that, he runs down the long corridors of the Kaiba Mansion, not stopping until he reaches the most guarded part of the house: his brother's chambers.

The maid moves aside to let him in, bringing Mokuba face-to-face with his brother for the first time in weeks. Just looking at him like this, in a coma and stuck in a wheelchair like a lifeless husk, pained him like nothing else. However, he pressed forward anyway, for he had something important to do.

"Big Brother...I...I don't know if you can hear me, but...I...I want to give you something, something to help guide you back to me...A piece of my heart..."

Mokuba then places one of the lockets he created, the one containing his own picture, around his brother's neck. He then puts the remaining one, the one containing Seto's picture, around his own neck, the boy then clenching it protectively like he was a dragon protecting a treasured gem. He can feel his heart start to ache and his body start to quake along with it, his emotions that he had been trying so hard to manage in order to stay strong finally taking over him.

Before he can realize it, his knees buckle, sending him down to the floor and his face into Seto's lap. Water flows from his eyes and land on the white fabric of his brother's clothing, his cries starting to echo throughout the mansion. His friends, immediately upon hearing it spring into action, both stopping in their tracks upon meeting the maid when having reached the entrance. The woman told them to leave the young master on his own for now, to allow him his feelings he's been holding in to come out freely without judgment.

"Mokuba..."

"Mokuba..."

And so the two listened and waited outside the door as Mokuba's cries continued for what seemed like forever, the cries being some of the most painful they'd ever heard. Little did they knew that this was not even close to displaying the amount of anguish the young boy felt, an anguish that had been building up for years upon years that all just spilled over the second his brother went into that coma. For he had been through so much, seen so much, all since that fateful day that changed everything for him and his older brother...

"Seto...Come back...Come back to me...Big brother...I...I miss you...I...I need you...I need you here with me...I don't know who I am without you...So, please...Please I'm begging you...Come home soon..."

[icharchivist]

andddd I’m back! finished the whole thing. it was very good for sure. felt much quicker mostly bc I was not like. dealing with the culmination of probably over a year of hedging all my bets on hisoka’s identity. since I finished the whole thing I’ll be like. loosely chronological but also jump around as I please lol. considering im six paragraphs deep into a fic i definitely did have some feelings abt this.

anyways. very glad I paused where I did bc the moment I heard some random stranger picking on someone and going pretty boy my reaction went like this:

me: hm… pretty boy? that’s not yuki, is it? he would kill them already.. oh it’s azami!!! Oh my god it’s azami!! ah well then these guys are also dead. isn’t he a yakuza child.

and then azami beat them up :) love that kumon immediately thinks he is the coolest… it’s the juza-fan instinct. also love how when sakyo heard abt a middle schooler beating ppl up he’s immediately like ah fuck it’s the yakuza brat isn’t it. I will take this space to put in all of my azami thoughts before I resume. I was so surprised he showed up this early! then again I was a bit confused bc summer and autumn did their road shows together, and I was like… huh, didn’t spring start with these road shows too… how is autumn gonna begin? but nope surprise!! azami gets integrated here instead. very cool and I thought he and kumon becoming friends was done really naturally? like man who wouldn’t like it if someone was all starry eyed about you lol. especially since azami doesn’t seem. used to that level of appreciation. I, like azami, also thought that he and kumon were the same age lol. I did know azami did makeup but it was still so funny for him to shyly visit summer’s opening night backstage and then immediately be like oh u all look horrendous. let me fix this with the insane amt of makeup stuff I carry around. lovely. so very yuki-esque. also. wow, azami, how come you get to have *two* dads you’re beefing with! (sakyo and the boss) I think I am very sakyo-like tho bc when azami makes his phone calls I’m sitting there like ah… that kids not getting mixed up in a bad crowd, is he? he’s literal yakuza. kiri why are you like this. great voice acting on those calls also, it totally conveys the vibe of like angsty teen who chills out and is very casual around friends. I’m super interested as to who that person on the other end is, seeing as azami says he might reach that guys goal first after talking abt joining mankai… another actor / aspiring actor? haruto? misumis younger bro? who knows. only time will tell ig. was a bit sad abt the fact that azami and kumon didn’t have a cg—I think it would’ve been nice to have one when kumon collapsed into him, or a cg of juza and kumon where he’s picking him up… but there seems to only be 3 cgs per story for act 2. what a shame. well ig that’s what fanart is for lol—gotta brush up (pun intended) on my drawing skills! anyways I’m not super happy with azami’s dad lol. let him do makeup you clod. I always joke that I like characters who others are kind of homophobic to but it’s so true. it’s just actually a sign that they’ve got some Gender™ going on which I like. i hope he gets to play soccer with tasuku i think they'd have a great time actually.

moving back towards chronological events… kumon’s fancy gold keychain! love how muku immediately launches into an explanation abt it lol. “in exchange for making its wielded the strongest of all humans, it sucks their life force. it’s a cursed sword that can kill its owner if used too much!” I immediately read into this the moment muku explained it lol. like muku does not say it out loud and kumon is embarrassed about being a nerd but the moment this showed up i was like "oh. this is absolutely how kumon sees himself. all that pitching skill but theres a curse that prevents him from using it." and like. its never stated out loud during this episode but its absolutely true to me. the scene rly made me think like ah. kumons both naturally funny and adorable? like the noises he makes when hes freaked out there r great. i think hes a guy that is naturally a Bit Much and that translated really well to natsugumi stages. i wanna tackle kumon's condition here since it was brought up... again i knew that he was dealing with some kind of recurring health problems before, but not the specifics! and so learning that he was essentially getting fevers caused by stress was very. too real tbh like i dont want to think abt getting panic attacks during my free time. but. no i thought it was really well handled. like how at first yamaguchi is like. hey. its not like u meant to get sick, right? but then as time goes on you can see how people begin to be like. oh he's doing this on purpose to fuck us over. or theyre like. is ur illness even real. maybe you're just faking because you're an asshole. this is weakling behavior. and you can see how deeply that affects kumon in the way that he talks to and judges himself. in the way that he's got this drive that feels downright desperate--like EVERYTHING is do or die for him, and that is, of course, only going to stress him out more. i really liked that even at the end, past the play's end, he was still running a fever--it was clear that the play had rly been taxing on him and he wasnt like, just magically cured! i thought azami's whole magic brush thing was so cute--like, it was so obvious how better it made kumon feel. to me it felt like the equivalent of like, taking the time to put on really nice clothing and cook something special after a major depressive episode--like, you give yourself a nice treat and it helps you believe in getting better. in the same way, i think azami's makeup worked sort of like a charm on him--it gave him the ability to look like death hadn't warmed over and that like. helped him relax because now the guy in front of the mirror looks like he has the exact amount of energy that he wants to have. but yeah. i thought it was handled really well and i loved how natsugumi were supportive of him. the way kumon wakes up and finds out his fever went down and then when hes going to announce it to misumi he finds everyone sleeping by him... so sweet. again natsugumi was just sooo dearly supportive of kumon and refused to let him back out, it was great. when they all hug him and comfort him on stage... that cg is sooo cute. oh the moment juza approached tsuzuru i immediately knew he was gonna give him kumons backstory lol. like tsuzuru knows people well but not That well. i thought it was nice how the way inoue is was exactly like how real life yamaguchi felt--that he wanted to support him as a battery. tsuzuru precog moment strikes again. also every time he's on that balcony writing i think abt mizuno.

well this is probably a good segue to talk abt the play so i shall do just that. this one is literally a direct parallel to real life events so theres not something like... super interesting i can give as commentary there, lol? but when i first watched the play i was like. tsuzuru... where's the "comedy" in sports comedy? watching the play in the actual chapters tho i definitely saw it--it relied a lot on the quirks of the individual players! and that scene at the end is quite fun ofc. was confused as to why it was like. love. but even the og play has hatsukoi in it. ig its abt them liking their manager? idk it felt a little confused lol. but it was a very nice play in some ways... i am like, a pretty huge sports manga fan ahah, so i definitely saw stuff that was similar. i think i've... read 4 different sports manga abt baseball? daiya no ace, oofuri, cross game, and the one no one will recognize, hybrid berry. kumon would lose it if he ever read oofuri, i think... the main pitcher is an anxious mess who selfishly refuses to give up the mound and he and the catcher have a really interesting relationship. the girl manager that is sad they cant play baseball is absolutely a thing in sports manga. yuki was so great as washiyama. like her pretending to be a guy and subbing in for the catcher worked great since yuki can like. convincingly play both a guy and a girl. also the way washiyama essentially blackmailed people into joining. iconic. the associated song was also cute! i thought it was interesting that tsuzuru wrote yuki's role in specific along with tenma and kumon--i guess it makes sense since that role requires someone to play a female role, but the quirks of the other baseball players--uehara as a shut in with surprising athleticism, ohno as a player scared of the ball, and enomoto as a guy always on his phone--mesh really well with the people who play them, dont they? like, i dont think kazunari or muku could pull off the same sense of athelticism. it was nice, anyways. plus if u reach u can parallel washiyama subbing in for inoue and it hurting her hands with yuki + natsugumi trying to leader substitute in tenma's absence.

worst transition ever? perhaps. but now i get to talk about that bit BECAUSE OH MY GOD, THAT BIT. like icha i'm dearly glad i was not given spoilers but on the other hand i feel like i needed a fucking warning. the PHONE CALL. the PHONE CALL!!!! im going to take a step back and comment on the whole situation actually since i didnt even address tenma's first audition. that whole bit was so good. the way tenma's like heh. i'll handle everything. and like as you pointed out, at that point kumon was gonna join akigumi if he passed the audition! but tenma was like. no hes Mine. i definitely figured the audition was gonna go bad--like, if tenma himself was like "i feel like im not there yet" about his own acting? but the way it was executed was so lovely--i wanted to be like "ah, tenma's come really far, hasn't he?" but i think tenma has always been serious about this part of acting--didn't he join summer troupe in order to challenge himself because he felt like he was deficient? so i actually had to reexamine like. why did i assume tenma would be hugely emotional about missing the role. probably because izumi worried about it? also bc i kept recognizing when they were saying "chance" and since kumon just had a stressful audition chance i was worried tenma was gonna feel a similar pressure and cave. but nah. as strange as it might seem, this was kind of perfectly in character for him, i think... he didn't get the role, and he saw someone absolutely outperform him during auditions, and respected that. if there's one thing tenma's learned from summer troupe it's to acknowledge other people and recognize their strengths. so this was a nice extension of that. so all he does is chill in the theater at midnight and relfect a little on his own performance. it was mature of him. i felt like i could see him blooming. as much as i like to make fun of tenma he's been an actor for quite some time--i bet mankai is one of the places he really gets to act like a kid, yknow? i thought it was nice how suprised everyone in natsugumi was--even if they make fun of him, he sure is their leader who has some pretty great acting skills, huh... anyways. to then see him get an offer, turn it down to focus on the play (bc he loves natsugumi!) and then see yuki get fully outraged at him for doing so! that got me! the "when push comes to shove, you really ARE just a hack, huh?!" escalating into him yelling "we all want to support you, tenma!" like. how many times had yuki said tenma's name ever. also like. the way he indirectly says that he doesn't even mean it when he calls tenma a hack. anyways im glad they resolved it. not used to seeing yuki be so obviously distraught. the gifts were so good too. misumi giving tenma a triangle so he doesn’t. so he. “so you don’t get lonely like you usually do!” im going to wail. and then tenma going “I don’t get lonely” okay liar. but then when tenmas like oh jeez yuki another shopping list? and then receives a baseball keychain… if i was him i wouldve cried immediately. like wow. they rly adore each other and will never admit it ever.

and then seeing tenma in france! Almost getting lost! And carrying around the keychain… and saying “…take care of the troupe while I’m gone, yuki.” oh my god. like i genuinely lost it at this moment. tenma and yuki r roommates and they. They care abt each other. like there’s no explicit communication that tenma is putting his trust in yuki specifically but like. Of course its him. Hes the one that yelled at tenma to go in the first place. Id hedge my bets that natsugumi was planning on talking to tenma anyways (bc they rush in so quick when yuki and tenma start fighting) which if we take that to be true, yuki literally started picking a fight with tenma bc there was literally nothing else he could see himself doing at that moment. And the way that as they’re rotating leader by leader yuki is the one that’s like. Kind of nagging at them—pointing out that kazunari could be more decisive, and telling muku that he should probably give suggestions on fixing things rather than like just saying. “We have problems!” like. It is so deeply obvious to me how aware yuki is of tenma’s presence and how aware he is of him. Not being here. But then when tenma calls him! And yuki’s like. Teasing him being like is this a prank call? But he’s still in the practice room at 10pm, just chilling by himself because he’s thinking about what he can do. to quote from my notes during this scene: “it is genuinely so cute they call—AHHHHH A CG!!!!! A CG!!!!!!!” yeah i lost my fucking mind are u kidding me. of course i did. but yeah tenma checks in on the troupe through yuki and once yuki confirms that tenma’s doing okay, he’s like. we’re fine. focus on your work. and then he says international calls are expensive and hangs right the fuck up. like. if yuki wasn’t feeling guilty abt not having seen any improvements on the play u know he and tenma would chat for longer and yuki would antagonize him into paying his phone bill or something. but yeah the just like. the dynamic here is so good. and once he runs into kumon and figures out what he’s gonna do its so good! I felt like. idk. yuki rly pulled through for this one and it was nice to see tenma come back, pleased as punch, and tell natsugumi they did well. It was rly a breath of relief like ah. the leader approves! and it felt like such a success, that yuki and natsugumi were able to handle it. Idk why the phone call got me so bad. I mean i do know its like. two of my favorite characters but. it was just a kind of very understated moment and like this whole sequence is… what? four chapters? it’s not a long part in the whole episode but it just absolutely got me. its just such like a quiet, kinda subtle moment with a lot of depth. Seeing them call each other from different parts of the world. the way they’re thinking about each other and caring for each other. the way you can see them instinctually trust each other after being at each other's throats at first and bickering all the time even now. Yeah.

speaking of shorter parts i loved kazunari’s little side thing! with him realizing that he sorta wants to do a bunch of stuff. i thought the ultra multi creator / UMVC thing was so funny. but it was real lovely to hear just a very normal parent that obviously adored kazunari exactly as he was. this was also how i first learned kazunari was a traditional japanese painting major. I genuinely had no idea. i do think its funny that his lil sis in a huge tenma fan. i think ive mentioned this before but there is a like noticeable increase in quality of the a3 posters as time goes on which i think is really cool. but wow tenma telling kazunari he has like only shallow friendships is truly so. I love that it stuck with kazunari this long but also tenma would be distraught that he remembered.

okay now time for all of the miscellaneous stuff i forgot to talk abt!

azamis voice is refreshingly lower than I thought it might be? but it fits him. I know he and sakyo r gonna be so fun… sakyo wondering what happened bc azami used to adoringly follow him around was so absolutely real. like oh ur his dad already i see. I also think kumon’s relationship with muku and juza r so interesting… muku knows some stuff, but not everying about kumon. and though kumon so obviously adores his big brother and juza has helped him before, the actual talking they do seems like not much. which felt kinda realistic.azamis voice is refreshingly lower than I thought it might be? but it fits him and i like it. i’m so excited abt his dynamic with sakyo seeing as he used to be rly attached… sakyo and his bos should square off for custody i think it’d be funny. i think its rly funny that yuki refused to play baseball bc he was acting as the manager. the manager plays baseball in one of the scenes its like the whole point. loved the kumon pitching cg. oh tenma was so good during that street act they did tho like. the way his va played that… u can hear him loudly announcing the show and stuff and then his voice immediately drops to this soft whisper to ask if kumons ok. so good. again i rly liked azami and kumon’s relationship… the fact that azami was just gonna fight yamaguchi unprompted was so good? but the way kumon is specifically like. dont injure his arms he needs them for baseball rly shows like. just how much kumon treasures the sport i think. very interested in who would azami not want to see at his worst… could be a throwaway convo lol. but i liked that azami walked him home and stuff. muku pestering yamaguchi into taking his ticket was so. wow. he’s rly gotten brave, hasn’t he? i thought juza and muku were so interesting in how they supported kumon during this bc like. they were both obviously supportive but like didnt solve everything? Which was cool bc they were still good siblings to kumon but kumon’s issues still felt like. understandable and stuff. like juza being harsh in the beginning re: kumon joining made total sense even tho like. clearly it ended up being good for him. gosh when juza and muku tell tenma and izumi everything it is so good to see tenma be like. well. its alright u kept stuff from me. kumon is fully part of natsugumi so we’ll take care of him. i just like seeing him be capable and he was so capable lol. also banri offering to be an understudy instead of juza! very sweet. love that he can only offer by antaognizing juza abt his acting skills. also love banri saying yuki will thrash juza if he acts bad specifically… bc banri and yuki r. friends… i also like that this in specific seems to give juza pause. my “juza is frightened by this middle schooler” hc seems legit. oh and i laughed when juza was like. well we gotta be baseball accurate so i’ll bring the clippers. what is up with hyodos and banris hair for real. hm. i also like how u can see the bookcase in kumon and misumis room has noticeably changed—feels like not just misumi lives there, now.

oh and the cute girls skit. best thing ever. every time they did it, i laughed. so i absolutely get why it cheered kumon up. again summer troupe is clearly so good at this. they should do a play. This had more romcom energy then the baseball play they actually performed. like kumon blushing. into mukumi announcing u look like a dog I used to have!! unmatched. and ofc theres juko. cmon… take one step closer for juza in a dress…

I also loved everyone telling kumon abt the troubles they had. like tenma had to be like. I look very capable now but i actually tanked our first play lmao. also i had trauma abt stage performance. also idk if it was intentional but i love how the dialogue when theyre discussing sardine search is like.

kumon: the cat costumes?

tenma: anyways, the third play—

i think the last thing to discuss is the adlibs probably? the moment he was like concerned abt it i out loud went “fuck the fans” so that shows my position lol. but that for sure is summer troupe’s charm. I liked that in the end kumon’s adlib was just like? it was good. nicely in character. good response to. hang on washimiyas bf is MARRIED? but its not like he totally introduced a wild new direction or anything—the guy who started this was clearly tenma’s adlib as inoue. so i rly liked that it was like. competent but not amazing bc like… i think that would kind of reinforce kumon’s idea that he needs to “measure up” and be perfect. but here he’s just like. good at being part of natsugumi. and that’s all they need! i also know kumon originally wanted to join akigumi and i assume that’s bc he loves juza but i also wonder if some of it is bc akigumi is so clearly and obviously Strong. well. anyways for kumon i think being part of a troupe that makes him laugh is the best, in the end. i did think it was funny when the game went “acting isn’t like baseball. there are no winners and losers,” says a member of the troupe that had a literal competition against another troupe where winning was the most important thing ever.

and that’s all, i think! very good story im sure theres things i missed but. very good.

omg that was quick indeed. bUT HELP as to why you think it went faster. And omg. can't wait to see the fic as well!!

let's GOOO

and HELP. the deadly pretty boy middle schooler squad. gotta love how quickly Kumon found him cool indeed. I also love how quickly and organically they started to get along! Azami really does have a lot of Yuki in his behavior doesn't he. i still love how the make up things ended up being mentioned like "oh i'm NOT letting you leave this backstage without some help. you need it." type. eheh loving the way you look at Azami's set up so far! And you're so right this CG could have been so nice… nerfed by the amount of official CG per chapter :/ looking forward the fanarts coming out of it ;D Azami truly does have some Gender going on and yeah. The dad sure is not being good there. AND! hell yeah for the soccer squad this is what they deserve. Give Tasuku some peace also to know that while his troupe is bad at sports he can make his own team somehow still.

NICE CATCH ON THE KEYCHAIN!!! it really does fit Kumon way too much :sob: Kumon is indeed so likeable like, the actor really does such a nice job at conveying just how open and exhuberant he is, but also just how soft he can be. really funny and adorable like you say, perfect for Summer.

as for Kumon's condition, welcome to the specifics! I also really connected with Kumon on this because oof, chronic illness like that is no joke and especially when it's stuff triggered by stress it's just… it feels never ending bc then you stress about being stressed and it gets worse in worse. And even though it's obviously not his fault, the way other people started to perceive his sickness influenced how he saw himself and it really became even more worse and he became so scared to fail people which just meant more stress, so, more guilt… man his story was so effective it made me feel really emo.

Azami helping him out with the brush was so cute :sob: a little placebo in a sense. I do love how Kumon still was stressed but he managed to push through still. a bit like Tenma was still hella stressed in his first plays but managed to push through enough to now be comfortable about it. Natsugumi meanwhile taking care of him and being so supportive is so sweet :sob: Summer are all genuinely so good, and when you take into account all the problems they had to deal with one another… Tenma's stagefright, Yuki's indecissiveness for the future, Kazunari's anxiety about not being what others people would want out of him, Muku's own insecurities and his own history with "failing" his sportsmates because of health, with also Misumi's big brother's instinct kicking in… everyone had made some little work on their side on their own anxieties that i think they could see a bit of their journey in Kumon and went yeah, we'll take care of him, and it was such a good support for them. and DLKFJDLKF Tsuzuru's powers, all knowing, and when he doesn't know, people will come to him to update his character files. but also mood for the balcony.

DLKFDLKF yeah i feel like, Summer's plots could be seen as "not comedy", but in the end it's all about the banter and the way Summer will improvise stuff with their high energy, they probably have more room to improvise and all. BUT YEAH the love thing always was surprising to me, i guess yeah they're in love with their manager but it doesn't feel like it should be the focus?? or perhaps it's about the love of the game?? Or Tsuzuru should come out already and tell us the romance between Tenma and Kumon's characters was explicitly that this time come O- and omg, really ready for the sports story mood i see. I hope Kumon got to read this manga. perhaps he even recommanded it to Tsuzuru? Yuki's character was so fun and it felt so Yuki, it was so great. But yess the roles were pretty nice.

it's a perfect transition no worries AND HELL YEAH. No warning we get murdered by phonecalls like people who cry over a3. I'm so glad you weren't spoiled considering it was Made Just For You, it was so nice to see it shook you enough to post about it also :'D Everything you say about Tenma's audition is so spots on and so good :sob: he's so good… It's in moment like that that yeah you remember just that he is a professional who can accept things going in one way or another pretty maturely, and no doubt summer did make him even better at that. like yeah he learnt to be more silly and more of a kid with Summer, but it also helps him adding new outlook on his perspective. it's pretty nice. AND GOD YEAH. THAT. YEAH. THE WHOLE SCENE WITH YUKI WAS SO NICE. Tenma loves Natsugumi and Natsugumi loves him back so much the gifts scene was also so damn sweet like. god i love those kids so much.

AND YEAH… YEAH. MAN. Tenma and Yuki did come a very long way but they trust each other so deeply at this point it's just so heartwarming to see. No CG of Kumon and Azami bUT a CG of Tenma and Yuki calling each other! We still come out of here winning!! and yeah i totally understand what you mean about the whole scene and the whole dynamic of this specific arc. I think that approaching their dynamic with physical distance showed just how close they have grown emotionally speaking and it was just. so damn nice to see. It was such a nice arc.

Kazunari's little side thing! yeah it's really nice to see Kazunari just.. want more? I think it also shows he's growing more confident in himself that he just wants to try everything now. His little sis being fan of Tenma is really soft, no wonder Kazunari kept taking pictures of Tenma when they met. And yeah!!! honestly it's like, of course quality gets better as the app grows and everything on a doylist perspective because yeah, the devs get better, they get better fundings, you even see it at times from how prettier the art composition of some of the cards become. But in universe, since the posters are Kazunari's doing, it really also bring home that it's Kazunari!! who's growing as well. It's so nice. but god yeah. i love how things really do have an impact in a3? like conversations from years ago still matter so deeply for the characters. It's so nice.

ooh nice that you like Azami's voice :3c promising set up with his relationship with Sakyo and yeah. Sakyo was already a dad, bless him. The Hyodo/Sakisaka dynamic is indeed pretty interesting, like… yeah they're cousins but that doesn't mean they were that close until they started acting, but now they're all together in this. and yeah makes sense that Juza still was a bit distant in the sense of, he's socially awkward and keeping to himself a lot even regarding his little brother. Yuki refusing to play the baseball game while he gets to play later in the play is indeed pretty funny. Kumon's CG is pretty nice toooo, it shows how serious he is for baseball and still how much of his conflict comes from how serious he is about what he loves. (kinda contrast also how Chikage's solo CG was him with his coin, something that shows the way he deceives people but ultimately that he can't keep fooling Sakuya with and ends up being the cataclyst in staying with Spring bc of the coin toss. Like the solo CG tell us a lot about them and their arc in general). Tenmaaaaa<333 Eguchi Takuya always delivers in term of voice acting, and i love how he looks out for Kumon :sob: AND SO true about the Azami and Kumon's relationship and the way Azami was ready to square up for Kumon. It was so nice to see, they have a nice dynamic. Muku has indeed got very brave!! and even braver when he does thing for other people in general (a continuation both of him standing up for Yuki in the first chapter, and how he went to confront the Ikaruga family for Misumi as well) but yesss their dunamic together was so so nice, they knew some stuff but of course they couldn't solve everything… i think it's like, esp with stress, when family tells you you do well it's just yeah sure, that's what family says. i feel like, with setting up Kumon being so attached to Juza, it was important that his arc ends up being about him looking for something /for himself/ instead, and finding good things outside of him. But yeah Juza was just worried :sob: he just comes off as much roughter in general. aND YEAH…. Tenma immediately enforcing that Kumon is his responsability is soft. AND YEAH THE BANRI SCENE. WAS REALLY CUTE. Hell if Banri actually shows he cares, he needs to be mean to Juza to make it work. think about his reputation smh. BANRI AND YUKI FRIENDSHIP MY BELOVED. And yeah Juza still values Yuki's opinion enough to be frightened. More than by Banri at least lmao. AND DLKFJDKLFJD rip Banri's hair. and yeah sobbs it's so nice.

omg yeah the cute girl skit was really so sweet and funny. It's a recurring thing too like, remember when Muku was stressed out during their first improv with Yuki and Yuki went on with the cute girl thing? Tenma roasted them at that moment bc "all they did is change their pitch a bit", and now they perfected it so well that it's Purely Cheer Up Material… sobs. JUZA IN A DRESS WHEN PLEASE. WHO DO WE HAVE TO BEG.

DLKJFDLKF YEAH it's so nice that they really like, work to make Kumon part of the team? like he gets to know the stuff he missed as well, he's up to date with them all. BUT YEAH the transition for Sardine search is really funny.

BUT YEAAH AAH the adlibs stuff were so nice. I still find that ending so funny, i love how everyone managed to roll with it… and very good observation for why Kumon wanted to join Akigumi. He probably felt like it could help him measure up to the expectations he had put on himself, managing to be cooler and surpassing himself physically considering those were the things he felt he lacked. But in the end he needed just to find his own path and coming to term with what he actually needed. AND LDKJFKDLJFKLFD Kumon: it has no winner or loser! Tsumugi still half reeling from what happened during his first play: :). yeah :) totally :) completely :).

but sobss i'm so glad you liked it!! Summer knew to come after your feelies both reminding you of the growth of your favorite characters and introducing a new cutie to the team. It's honestly so nice, and it was SO nice to read through your thoughts! as always, thank you so so much for sharing!!!

as a reminder, next is the event A Springtime Snooze ! Then you'll be able to read the Autumn Chapter!

Take care! :3c

[emilycollins00]

I saw your requests were open so I 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 I’m not sure if you do Guy but if you do, maybe a scenario where the reader is dancing under the rain and having fun but Guy is worried for their health and is trying to coax them back in but the reader manages to pull Guy with them and start dancing together. I personally think Guy wouldn’t understand the concept or the appeal of dancing under the rain until he sees you and is dancing with you and just goes “oh” yknow 😔✊🏼 if you don’t do Guy or aren’t comfortable enough yet you could replace him with Juza/Tasuku

THIS REQUEST WAS EVERYTHING. I've wanted to write Guy for a while so this was absolutely wholesome to do, thank you Ever!

Hope you all enjoy it 💕

One soulful moment it's all it takes (Guy x Reader)

People say monotony kills the heart. Ironically, monotony is what also keeps the heart working.

It wasn’t that Guy enjoyed it per se, it's just that it was proven things got done quicker when you set up a system. It was more productive. More efficient. Waking up early every morning to practice karate was good to improve his health. Making and drinking tea also helped. Going fishing or taking care of Tsukioka’s garden had also become part of what he got used to when he started living in Mankai among other activities.

The only variant he could never seem to grasp was you.

“You should go out more!”

"I believe we are already outside."

"No- I mean, to play around, you know? Enjoy life! Nothing like a good bruise on your leg to remind you that you have a leg."

You always picked on him based on the consistency of his routines, on the rigidness of his answers. And while sometimes Guy had to admit he didn’t quite grasp the full meaning of what you said, he found you captivating, intriguing even.

Everyone around always seemed to have a smile next to you after all, and as you two got closer, Guy found himself wishing he could be half as carefree and adventurous as you.

“Come on!” You made him eat some of the food you had ordered- even though his own plate was more than enough for one person’s fill. “I can’t believe this is not making you smile. If you are not excited when you eat, you are doing something wrong.”

You always loved to try new things, which was why whenever you would suddenly appear at Mankai you would try and drag him all over Veludo. Openminded experiences, you liked to call them. It was also how Guy had gotten used to asking for places others recommended, such as the cat’s café, Veludo main acting street, or this new curry restaurant director and Usui had seemed to enjoy so much lately.

As you finished your meals and paid, you both stepped outside while making light talk. “Ah… that was spicy but delicious! Not Omi’s level though. I’ve only eaten snacks from him but I bet all his food tastes just as good. You guys are lucky.”

“Yes. He is one skilled young man even among other Zahran’s royal court's chefs I know. I have no doubt anyone that would try his cooking would think so as well.”

“Right? Anyway, I didn’t know you could handle spices so well,” you patted his arm happily. Those plates had been no joke, Chikage and Izumi were monsters. “I mean, you finished it all! I believed this was the time I was gonna see you making weird faces."

"Do you want me to?"

"No! I was joking Guy. You always take me too seriously I swear," you laughed as you both left the shopping district.

The winter member nodded, taking a mental note once again. From his early childhood memories he had always been told to be careful about everything, and was made to follow the path everyone told him to. And though there were times when he wanted to step out of the beaten path, he hadn't been much of a rebel- until Citronia left, that is. He would easily put those thoughts aside and go on doing whatever he was supposed to do.

All of a sudden a few drops fell, snapping him back in the present and made him blink surprised at the sky at the unexpected wet contact. He had seen the weathercast that morning over breakfast and it hadn’t said anything about raining.

“We should look for shelter before it becomes heavier.”

“Uh? What are you talking about?”

Guy stopped walking and met your questioning eyes, as if you truly didn’t understand what he had said. People around you both began passing by jogging with jackets, briefcases, or whatever object they might have in hand acting as umbrellas, and for a second he didn’t know how to explain it more clear. “The rain. We will get wet otherwise.”

There was a sound of thunder in the distance, which made people speed up their walking pace. Not you though.

“I know." you shrugged. "Still can’t see the problem.”

As the raindrops started to make their way through you, causing you to get wet, you stepped away from him, welcoming the cool drink from the clouds.

“Y/N? Where are you going?” he called out to you when you started moving around in circles.

The unaware worry tinted in his expression resonated in your mind. In time, you were able to control yourself enough to let out a snort of a laugh. "Nowhere. I'm dancing silly!" you replied, your voice high with joy and arms open up in the sky. "The rain feels good. I love to walk and dance in it. Don’t tell me you’ve never done this."

“But you will get sick.”

“Oh come on, healing rain is real!”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah! It can be physical healing or emotional or whatever you want it to.” You smiled. Your movements were rusty under the slow and endless drizzle, making jumpings and turns here and there. “It washes your sins away.”

Guy kept staring not entirely convinced. As much as he saw you enjoying yourself moving around in the rain, he had seen Tsukioka and a few other members from Mankai get sick just from running under in the rain on their way back home and all in all, he still didn't fully understand the point of what you were doing.

“It doesn’t seem very conclusive.” He looked around, trying to look for any shop that might sell umbrellas. Without any result he turned to you once again, rain getting heavier as you two talked. “If you wish to feel water running under you a shower could work as well, although I admit the space is considerably different if you decided to dance.”

“Oh for the love of-" you ran up to him, grabbing his elbow and forcing him to come out of the somewhat safe roof he had been guarding himself against since you had left him laughing. “Just come here. Now close your eyes and enjoy the music!”

He followed your instructions and stayed in silence for a few seconds, then he opened them. “There’s no music Y/N.”

“Of course there is! Try closing them again and pay attention.”

He followed your suggestion once again.

All was silent as before- All silent save the dripping rain. Then, as the breathful afternoon melted slowly and the cold caress of fresh air lapped up, Guy started to feel the drops around him. And while they were not synchronized, they created a sound worth listening to.

As you had indicated, he tried to let go of his inhibitions, allowing the rain to wash away the thoughts that had been roaming on his mind After a while he opened his eyes slightly, confused at the sudden feeling emerging within him. It was also when he found you still there, not having moved yet, smiling brightly -as the now hidden sun in front of him.

Ah. He didn’t know exactly why or how it had happened, but the connection between you was different from anything he had felt before.

“…I believe I am now listening to the music you spoke of.”

Sometimes one finds joy in the small and simple things. It could be the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food... others, it was the sound of a loved one's voice.

“What do you think Guy?”

He never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and feel the rain, however his eyes trailer over you, before silently stepping back instead. The sudden action made you tilt your head confused. You knew Zahfra wasn't that much of a humid place so it would make sense he might not be as comfortable as it was for other people to stand in the middle of the rain.

“Guy-”

“Y/N-"

You chuckled at how you both said each other names so suddenly. Just like in the movies. “You go first.”

He stared gaze at your figure for a second, before offering his right hand. Rain kept falling under you, no one else in sight. Just you, Guy, and the sound of rain.

“May I have this dance?”

As if it was possible, your eyes lighted up brighter than they had on the whole day, which surprised Guy to an extent. With a beaming smile you nodded, and so he took a step towards you. He wrapped his hands around you and pulled you slightly closer. The thunderbolts made your body shiver while you wrapped your arms around his neck. He could feel your every breath, and with every breath, your own heartbeats pumped faster.

A good lead should be soft yet subtle, stating their intentions by moving themselves, inviting their partners to follow along. Guy was alert, eyes scanning the surroundings ahead of him, watching traffic, other people, but also aware of what was happening right in his arms.

He treated your follow with respect, never forcing any movement. If he led a step or a pattern and you interpreted the movement differently than he had intended, he adapted to you rather than forcing change. He wanted to give you a sense of security, knowing you could fully depend on his lead the way he had learned to dance, however after a few clumsy fails followed by your laugh, he soon discovered it didn't matter how you both danced, just that you did.

“I think you know me better than I know myself.” He broke the silence after a while. You smiled.

“I’m not going to deny that.”

“I wish I could repay you for that, somehow.”

Laughing again you adjusted yourself so you could look up at him. His astonishingly beautiful green orbs finding yours once again, filled with overwhelming love and safety. “You are doing it right now.”

The corner of his eyes softened.

There were many things he had tried to chase away. Things he couldn’t remember, and others he didn’t let himself think about. Right now he was living, and nothing else seemed to matter anymore. He allowed you to take him anywhere you pleased on that made-up dance floor under the rain. You went right, he went right. You sped up, he sped up. Having you there, next to him like this, made him think about just how lucky he had become.

“…You are beautiful,” he whispered, touching your cheek with care, clearing the strands of wet hair that had gotten in the way.

You held on to him tighter.

“You are beautiful too.” You smiled, noses touching. Rain still falling over you both. “Didn't I tell you? That dancing in the rain deserved getting a cold.”

______________________________________________________

Wishing you all a wonderful day! 💕

[rainbowpacifiers]

Twin Kingdoms (A3! Event story) - Epilogue: The Inheritance of G

Sorry for the delay! Reni talks A LOT. Some minor development concerning Hakkaku’s plans for the final play. Kindly excuse any potential mistakes!

Chapter 10 | Index

Reni: Thank you for taking the trouble to come. Board member A: Good work. It was the sprouting of a new GOD Troupe. Board member B: Both Asuka-kun and Takato-kun did great as well. They grew into fine actors. Board member A: Speaking of, Takato-kun no longer belongs to the GOD Troupe? Reni: That is correct. Currently, he's active as a member of the reborn MANKAI Company. Reni: If you would like, I want to introduce you to MANKAI Company's general director, who is in the back right now--. Board member A: I'm sorry, but we actually have a meeting. We will have to leave right away. Reni: Is that so?.... I will send you an invitation to MANKAI Company's next play, then. Board member A: Thank you. Board member B: It would have been nice if Amadate-san had been able to come as well, right? Being a theatre junkie too, he loves collaboration plays like this. Board member A: It appears he's in the middle of a business trip in the countryside, so there was no way around it. Reni: I see.... Board member A: We will be taking our leave, then. Reni: Take care on your way. Reni: (That leaves Syu--) Reni: (He left? I keep telling him to let me say hello, at least. Good grief.)

Izumi: That's a very lavish closing party. Azami: Are the ones here all staff members of the GOD Troupe? Tasuku: Yeah. The closing parties are always like this. Tsuzuru: What an incredible difference to ours. Haruto: Normally, we don't do such flashy things, but it's GOD Troupe's style to go all out when it's to reward the staff and actors. Azami: I want that yakuza to hear this, too. Tasuku: Feels like he'd only consider it after we earn as much as the GOD Troupe does. Azami: Urg. You're right, he totally would. Shift: Azami, the food is really awesome, so you'd better eat a lot. I always take some home in Tupperware. Haruto: You're the top actor; don't do something so miserly! Tsuzuru: Speaking of, there is so much food, I don't even know what to choose from... Izumi: Why don't we try a bit of each for now? Madoka: Hello, Minagi-san. Tsuzuru: Oh, Madoka, hey. Madoka: I wanted to say once more how nice it was to have been able to work alongside you. Thank you. Tsuzuru: The pleasure was mine. I learned a lot, and it was very stimulating. Tsuzuru: Thanks to working with you, I wondered if that was what it is like to have a conversation through a brush. Tsuzuru: For the first time, I experienced the feeling of exchanging ideas and feelings beyond speaking in words. Izumi: (Seems like this was even greater of an experience for Tsuzuru-kun than expected.) Tsuzuru: ....That reminds me. Director, there is something I would like to talk to you about. Tsuzuru: About the play that Hakkaku-san was envisioning - how do you feel about having his grandson help with the script? Tsuzuru: While working on the script with him this time, there were of course his skills, but it was also really easy do to. Tsuzuru: On top of the written interaction between Hakkaku-san and Madoka that would be born, I think it'd make Hakkaku-san happy that Madoka is writing for it. Izumi: Indeed, that might be a pretty good idea. Tsuzuru: Well, it all depends on Madoka, though. Madoka: --Of course, please let me do it. Madoka: If I could experience the ideas of the grandfather that I respected and work on writing a script for my brother, it would make me very happy, too. Tsuzuru: Great. Izumi: (Looks like Tsuzuru-kun was able to become friends with someone great to consult with. He did say that he didn't yet have the confidence to put what Hakkaku-san entrusted us with into shape.) Izumi: (But I'm sure it will work out with such a reassuring colleague like Madoka by his side.)

Host: The next number is--number 25! If you have a bingo, please come up! Shift: So, Haruto-san? Got one? Haruto: Not at all. Shift: Oh, you're one number away! If a 23 or 67 is called-- Haruto: I've never managed to get a win before, so it'll be a bust anyway. Shift: Eh, as I thought, you usually don't win at this stuff, hm? Tasuku: I've received stuff like a TV and a microwave. Shift: Seriously!? Haruto: You-...you usually play dirty. Also, stop showing off yer muscles by only wearin' short sleeves in the practice room! Izumi: Showing off muscles.... Tasuku: Haruto really is a pain when he's drunk... Izumi: And he's the type whose dialect slips out when he gets drunk, isn't he? Tasuku: He also gave me his real name, Yamada Genta, himself while he was intoxicated. Host: The next number is--23! Shift: Oh, Haruto-san, Bingo! Haruto: Huh? Shift: You've got a Bingo! Go up front! Haruto: Really...? Reni: Congratulations. Here is your prize. Haruto: Thank you. Reni: Ah, right. After the Bingo game, wait at the entrance for me. Haruto: --I will! Shift: Haruto-san, lead actor power! Azami: Congrats. Madoka: How great. Shift: What was your prize? Haruto: Erm...an eletronic kettle... Haruto: Sigh...you take it. Shift: Eh!? You sure!? Haruto: I've already got one. I can't possibly replace that, right? Shift: I can use it for cup udon! Haruto: Listen when other people talk!

Host: That concludes the Bingo tournament! Haruto: --

Haruto: ..... Reni: Sorry for calling you out here. Haruto: D-, don't be! Reni: I wanted to continue our conversation from the other day. About my coaching methods having changed... Reni: The main cause was that I realised my real feelings that were dormant within me. Reni: For a long time, I was obsessed, and I didn't have the room to properly consider anything but the members of my own theatre company. I failed as a chairman. Haruto: That's--you are my life, Reni-san! Haruto. --I, I'm sorry. I will mind my words. Reni: That's also a facade you put up, right? From now on, you don't have to hide it needlessly unless you’re on stage. Reni: ....You know that Tachibana, the father of MANKAI Company's general director, and I are old friends, right? Haruto: Yes. Reni: Even after I set up the GOD Troupe, I kept being influenced by Tachibana without realising it. Reni: Because of that, my field of vision became narrower, and my attention shifted to the individuality and variety each actor possessed　and I dared to avoid making use of that. Reni: Rather than the talent that Tachibana was blessed with, he emphasised making use of what each actor was born with and making them bloom "like" on a stage. Reni: I was against Tachibana's way of doing things and quit MANKAI Company. And therefore, I persisted with denying Tachibana's methods. Reni: If the GOD Troupe would succeed that way, I figured I'd be able to rank above Tachibana. Reni: ...But I was wrong. You guys made me realise that with your play. Reni: Tachibana's way was right. That's why I was enchanted by the man of the theatre named Tachibana Yukio. Reni: I had just intended to pursue my own ideals, but in the end, I am a merciless man who depends on one person. Reni: ...Are you disenchanted? Haruto: Na--no! Even then, I like the ideals you pursue. Haruto: As for my life as an actor, it will never change the fact that you are my greatest benefactor. Reni: Right...If I recall correctly, you broke away from your hometown in order to become an actor, right? Reni: Actors express something for the entire audience-- There is truth to it, but it's also part masquerade. Reni: Among the audience, there might also be one person whom you really want to reach. Who is that to you? Why do you continue acting? Haruto: At first, that was definitely my mother. Haruto: (She was very opposed to my moving to the capital, but even then, I'm sure she must have had great expectations for my future...) Haruto: (She must have also wanted to get back at all of those back in our hometown who knew that I wanted to become an actor and made fun of it.) Haruto: (After I'd entered the theatre company, I also discovered a rival that I absolutely did not want to lose against. But...) Reni: And now? Haruto: It's Reni-san. Haruto: Ever since Tasuku was in the GOD Troupe... Haruto: I was always wavering between a feeling of definitely surpassing him one day, and a feeling of possibly being no match for his talent. Haruto: This time, I lost sight of the meaning behind me continuing as an actor when I experienced my own powerlessness while once again being jealous of Tasuku's skills. Haruto: But, even if I can't win against the "real deal", I want to repay you and the GOD Troupe for the rest of my life. Haruto: That I'm going to continue with acting is for the sake of expressing my gratitude for being able to meet you and the GOD Troupe. Haruto: I want to make the superior ensemble that is the GOD Troupe eternal. Haruto: Being far from the world I dreamed of, I came to Tokyo with longing and met the GOD Troupe, which felt like my only destiny among many theatre companies. Haruto: The vague longing to go to a beautiful dream world has turned into a firm vow to carry on in/with the GOD Troupe. Haruto: So no matter what happens, I will never leave the GOD Troupe, I will never leave under Reni-san. Reni: --. Reni: ...During this time's rehearsals, I felt a little envious of Tachibana. Reni: While working on the conception with Tachibana's daughter, I felt a sensitivity within her that was close to Tachibana's. Reni: I'm sure that she must have inherited something akin to the theatre spirit that Tachibana believed in. Reni: I wished I had someone that could take over after me like that.  Haruto: You have me. Reni: ...Yes, indeed. I was reminded of that just now. There is no one but you who could inherit the ideals of the GOD Troupe. Reni: Haruto, carry a strong spirit as an actor. Haruto: I will. Reni: A spirit that I.... The kind of spirit of being an actor that I have acknowledged as the chairman of the first generation of the GOD Troupe. Haruto: --I will engrave that in my memory!

____________________

Chapter 10 | Index

[asteroiideae]

okay, so I don’t make these kinds of posts often because tbh I’m a little lazy and very tired like 24/7 lmao but I’ve been seeing a lot of Pride reading lists hit my dash (and they’re excellent, and I save them all!) buuuut reading books is still a roadblock I’m struggling to mentally overcome -- and audiobooks are great, but they take 84 years (sometimes literally???) to get through. so! I thought I’d share a (very tiny) list of the queer manga I’ve read this year that you might enjoy for Pride, with some descriptions/trigger warnings/thoughts to go with them. so here we go in no particular order other than where they sit on my bookshelf:

What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga

okay so I know I go on about this manga at literally every presented opportunity, but I honestly just can’t help myself??? as a thirty-something queer adult, I really love the quiet maturity of this relationship between Shiro and Kenji; especially when it’s highlighted by references to shenanigans of their youth, and the ways in which they are still growing as both individuals and a couple. I’ve only read the first six volumes but I’m OBSESSED.

Status: Ongoing (17 volumes; 15 translated) Summary: Shiro and Kenji are an established adult couple with separate careers and interests, whose relationship is depicted over the meals cooked for them by Shiro. This doesn’t have an overarching plot, which might be off-putting for some readers; each chapter can be compared to a fanfic one-shot, usually containing it’s own tiny storyline or theme. It’s literally just domestic moments and meals shared between these men. Warnings: While I didn’t personally have a problem with this, younger readers might find some of the dated terms offensive. If you’ve spent any time with older queer folks (older as in 45-50+) this won’t be anything you aren’t used to, but if your experience of queer folx skews younger or online, you might get taken by surprise. There’s also some internalized homophobia; and by some I mean quite a bit. Shiro’s personal arc (at least in the first six volumes) heavily revolves around how much he closets himself and tries desperately to pass as “normal” in Japanese business culture.

Boys Run The Riot by Keito Gaku

holy shit holy shit holy SHIT. this story is so good??? so VERY good??? I was a little cautious, and a little bit uninterested in a story about teens (only because I’m in my thirties and crave more adult representation,) but I was VERY WRONG to be. Boys Run The Riot is beautifully drawn, beautifully written, and probably my favorite work on this list. the mangaka is also trans so the inherent understanding and nuance of our protagonist’s experience is really lovely. Also featuring a fantastic brotp between a trans boy and his new himbo bestie; no seriously if you want a story about a trans boy getting to have good broships with other boys his own age I CANNOT stress this enough. Volume two is releasing next month; I have it preordered. I’m laying on my floor wishing for time to hurry the fuck up. I need more of this smol angry trans boy and his big soft himbo bff. PLS. Status: Ongoing (4 volumes published; 2 translated) Summary: Ryo Watari is a second year high school student who is trans and struggling to feel comfortable with his very rigidly structured life at school, at home, and among his friends (to whom he is not out.) By chance he meets Jin Sato, a cis boy who also feels outcast (often judged for his appearance without any deeper thought.) When Ryo comes out to Jin in a state of frustration, Jin accepts who Ryo is and makes an offer -- why not start a fashion line that subverts all the expectations that have been put on them both; why not express themselves even when they’ve been told they shouldn’t. Warnings: Ryo is struggling with gender dysphoria, and it is written by someone who has probably experienced it, so it might be a little real for any trans folks who deal with that. Also, while neither the narrative nor Jin misgender Ryo (at least, not once he expresses to Jin that he is a man), Ryo is not out to anyone else and so he frequently is misgendered at school and we see how badly that impacts him and the way he views himself and processes his emotions. Ryo spends a lot of time being angry and trying to swallow it down, and that can be very raw to witness at times. There is also a depiction of unsafe binding (though the mangaka has an immediate note about binding safety, and goes further in-depth at the back of the manga.)

Our Dining Table by Mita Ori

okay, so I was a bit on the fence about whether or not I wanted to include this as a rec, but I decided that it might actually been what someone wants or needs, so here it is! while I really enjoyed this concept, and I’m always a sucker for found family stories (let me tell you I’m queer without telling you I’m queer, much?) it feels like this story is a bit rushed at times, and the romantic relationship between our protagonists is very blink and you’ll miss it. I don’t even want to call it subtle so much as it is just not remotely the focus of the story so it’s a little startling when it happens. but! if you’re looking for a story about adults processing grief and trauma together, and learning how to care for another person (and as a result, learning how to care for themselves,) this is a nice read that isn’t too heavy!  Status: Complete (one volume) Summary: Yutaka is a salaryman whose past experiences prevent him from reaching out to others, even through something so simple as sharing a meal. Despite this is REALLY loves to cook, and wishes he had a reason to do it more often. Then he meets Minoru, and his muuuuuch younger brother Tane (it’s like a 17 year age gap between the brothers?) and finds himself teaching them how to cook, and overcoming his fear of eating in front of others. Warnings: Good news, there’s no overt homophobia in this story! Bad news, the other trauma makes up for it! We have a lot of trauma surrounding parental death, childhood bullying, and adoption; in addition to an actual fear of eating in front of others.

Our Dreams at Dusk / Shimanami Tasogare by Yuhki Kamatani

this is the first manga series I collected, and I’m still very pleased about that. the art is ABSOLUTELY stunning? the use of visual imagery and surreal analogies to explain queerness is fucking on POINT. I cried so hard during a couple of these volumes I developed a migraine. I only have one piece of critique on the whole thing (addressed in the warnings,) and I intend to do another re-read when I’m ready for the catharsis of sobbing into my pillow again. Like Boys Run The Riot, Our Dreams at Dusk is drawn and written by a member of the queer community (a non-binary mangaka, this time,) and as a result it hits pretty fucking close to home in a lot of ways. while I really love this series it’s super not for the faint of heart, you WILL come out of this reading experience with some things to unpack. Status: Completed (4 volumes; 4 translated) Summary: We mostly follow Tasuku Kaname, as he is outted at school by a classmate as being homosexual, and his initial despair and subsequent journey of acceptance. In this process, Tasuku finds himself at a drop-in center, which seems to primarily function as a safe space for queer people; we meet several lesbians, an elderly gay man, a trans character, and a young character who isn’t ready for any kind of label because they are still ??? about themselves and their identity. Each of these “secondary” characters is given room to breathe and to work through difficulties of their own while Tasuku watches and learns that even though life is hard sometimes, there’s beauty to be found in one’s own strength. Warnings: hoooo boy; well there’s all kinds of homophobia and transphobia; a character is outted against their will (multiple times), there’s some really insidious transphobia covered by “concern”, there’s internalized homophobia everywhere, and a very complicated asexual character whose presentation left me (as an ace) with super mixed feelings and a lot of frustration (though I wouldn’t call it bad necessarily; just wanted to put that out there for my fellow asexual folks.) If you have read (or go on to read!) any of these, please let me know! I’d love to chat about the stories, and hear your thoughts on them -- because we’re a broad/diverse community and our own experiences shape us differently and give us different insights. <3 ANYWAY, for those of you who read this monstrous self-indulgent post, thank you! Feel free to add any queer manga you’ve been reading below - I’m always on the hunt for more recs!

[lxngfxrgxtten]

(( The time has come for me to post something for the end of the year, and it’s gonna be long. Let me tell you all about my 2019 under a read more. ))

To start off, my 2019 has been so full of real life ups and downs, it’s maddening. Right now I’m in a terrible point in my 2019 but there are some good things too. I’m not really here to talk about real life though. I’m here to share my thoughts on this RPC and it’s people as the year comes to a close.

This RPC has been the most amazing one I’ve ever been a part of. For a long time I was in the Sonic RPC, technically still am, but I have so little desire to go to that muse it’s insane. Six is very like me, though we certainly have our differences, and being here with her is like being watched over by an old friend. I come here every day, my dashboard is always open somewhere, and I read as many posts as I can by all of you every day. You’re all so interesting and special and I’m glad to be here, even if it hasn’t been long.

So now, I’m gonna talk about a few people individually.

@silentchamp​ - You’re where it all started. You reminded me of my love for this RPC, a place I hadn’t been in years. You stuck with me and even plotted a thread on my Sonic OC muse, who now I don’t even touch. I love your writing so much and your Red as I’ve told you before is absolutely how I’ve always seen Red. I love you, your muse, and I can never thank you enough for being the one to get me back into this RPC, even if you didn’t intend to hahahaha.

@tenebres-champ​ - You were one of the first people I followed here, and now I follow all your muses I know about. I love them so much, your writing style, and just you. Streli is incredible and her and Six’s dynamic gives me life. The idea that Streli is helping Six grow, helping her overcome an addiction that’s been crippling her in ways she couldn’t understand, it’s interactions like this I crave, and I want to keep doing it into 2020. Your muse is amazing and you’re just as incredible Nox, your art is beautiful and something I can’t get enough of. Not to mention you’re kind and funny, and I never thought being threatened to get my discord would be the best way someone has wanted to become further friends with me, but here we are.

@flcmedriven​ - Following you has been such a huge treat, your writing is amazing, and your muse is spot on. I love Kabu so much, and more than anything I love KaNu so much. I love reading your threads with people, and your art is also incredible. OOC too, you’ve been so kind. I never intended to come to you for advice, I was so scared to, but when I did, you responded in the best and most kind way possible. You gave me advice to the best of your ability, and better yet, you later were willing to just talk to me a little and managed to cheer me up. Please never stop being you.

@decadnce​ - We’ve literally like NEVER talked, or at least not much but your posts give me life and I love them so much, IC or OOC. I hope to see you around my dash more, and I can’t wait to see more of that Hop muse. 

@yankeead​ - I love Tasuku so fucking much and I so badly want to see Six piss him off and get her ass beat because she’s stupid, but then them also become friends. You and your muse make me laugh a lot and I love seeing you on my dash, you’re super funny and talented and I hope I get to know you more in 2020.

@pinkrival​ - Bede is such a good muse and you capture him so perfectly. I hope Six and Bede become partners in crime, because she will totally provide him with liquor lmao. Also, I really adore your formatting and icons. They’re super fitting and they just are super pleasing to see on my dash. I can’t wait to interact more with you and see our two little shits get into so much trouble together. 

@dechlach​ - I started off by following you on your Milo blog, but I’ve come to follow you on all your muses. You were also one of the first people I ever followed here, and you’ve been incredibly kind. I love our talks OOC and I’m really happy to see you enjoy your muses so much, because I can tell you for certain I enjoy them loads. Bug, you’ve been someone to really help me get into this RPC and I can’t wait to interact with you some more in 2020, because you’re amazing. Also, Gordie and Streli? Cutest shit I’ve ever seen, give me more pls. 

@haematophiliac​ - We’ve been stalking each other from the sidelines and we both know it, we’ve only interacted OOC but I really would love to see our muses meet soon, your writing and art are fantastic, your muse is awesome, and the support you give is incredible. While we haven’t talked a whole lot you’ve been terribly kind and I’m so happy I get to follow you. Here’s to 2020.

@noiretabby​ - Nanu is a blessed man and I love your writing too. Your art? Amazing. Your interactions? Incredible. You? Fantastic. I love seeing you and Mu on my dash and your OOC posts are also great. Also I adore your OOC FC. It’s awesome seeing you around, and I hope to see you around more and more. Let’s interact some time, yeah? 

And to everyone I didn’t mention, you’re all amazing. I want to interact more and more with all of you in the future. Don’t ever be afraid to come talk to me, I’m a dumbass but I can be fun all the same. Keep being yourselves, and I hope to keep seeing ya’ll on my dash. Here’s to 2020!

Cheers, everyone!

[theabridgedkuriboh]

Title: Starlight’s Bridge

Pairing: RanGa

Fandom: Future Card Buddyfight/Ace

This is a commission for @aquarica, I hope you like it. I will post it here, but a link to the story is also provided for those who would rather read it on AO3.

Ranma and I share a lot of moments together. Growing up, we played together. We studied together...sort of. We had the RanGa channel. But, we’re in High School now. We have separate classes. He was in a more advanced class, surrounded by people just as smart as he was, excelling in the world of media and video. It’s been a few weeks since we’ve hung out properly. So I’ve been hanging out with Masato and Subaru. But it isn’t the same without Ranma. Ranma is the light that shines through the rain clouds. I’m not sure if I’m the same for him, however.

Ever since the time with Vile Ranma and Vanity Husk Destroyer, Ranma hasn’t been the same. He’s been trying so hard to be the old Ranma he used to be. Cheerful and kind, yet powerful. I wanted the same. To forget the past and move on together. But, you can’t forget the past. Ranma was depressed. I made him depressed over my actions. I understand that now. He was hurting and became Vile Ranma to show his hurt. He hurt others because he was hurting. He wanted me to understand his pain by defeating me and climbing to the top without me. I did the same but in a different way. I had a buddy monster. I made tons of friends. I climbed the ranks. He stayed on the sidelines, cheering me on in envy and jealousy. I was, in retrospect, leaving him behind. I never intended to do that, but Ranma saw it that way, and in turn, he began to overthink, and his thoughts escalated into a darkness of its own.

Lost world. It fit Ranma’s situation. He was lost in a world that he didn’t recognize. A world where we suddenly drifted apart and he was alone again. His parents were never home due to work, so his house was always dark and quiet. There was no love. No light. No hope. That’s why we, mom and I; always love it when Ranma comes over and stays the night. We both care for him and don’t want to see him alone in that prison. We would stay up for hours and Buddyfight, eat some snacks and have a pillow fight. Typical kid stuff. We never bore of each other. It was always smiles between the two of us.

When did that suddenly stop? What happened to us that we slowly drifted? Watching Ranma explain himself during that first fight when he revealed himself as Vile Ranma. He was so distraught. He told me about his encounter with Vanity Husk Destroyer. How he was crying alone in his room, spiraling thoughts about himself, about me. He blamed himself for my drifting. That I made new friends to slowly avoid him overtime. That I climbed the ranks of Buddyfight so far that he could never reach me. His story about Vanity filling him mind with even worse thoughts. That he was never enough for me and that everything we had together was fake. Lies on top of lies. It made my stomach turn. Ranma was dragged into a situation he shouldn’t have ever gotten involved in.

That also made my own mind wander into dangerous thoughts as well. If I had chosen the other card pack. Would I have trusted Vanity? Would Ranma have done the same thing? Would we be looking across from each other on separate sides of the mirror? I couldn’t imagine myself pulling off that kind of thing. Hating Ranma? Wanting to hurt him? To destroy him? I couldn’t! The thought alone was just…

I shook my head. The breeze felt cool against my hot skin. It was early spring so it wasn’t deadly cold anymore but not blazing hot either. The creek that ran under the city’s dividing bridge ran swiftly downstream. Sections of the creek still had bits of ice that have yet to break down or melt. They clung to the sides of the creek, rocking to the wavelengths, jumping. I grab a rock from the side of the bridge entrance and throw it at the ice. It broke apart and was pushed downstream by the rapid water.

Broken apart so easily by an outside force. The same can be said about life. Between Ranma and myself. We were like the ice, clinging together to our friendship. An outside source, Destroyer? Maybe Buddyfight itself? No. Think. Our own insecurities perhaps. They were thrown between us, yanking us apart. We drifted downstream, reaching for each other. But Ranma drowns first. The water fills his lungs and he suffocates from the pressure of his peers. Of his own mind.

But now, the one who is drowning is me. Ranma is the one who is slipping further and further away. Am I being left behind this time? Is life repaying me with a dose of karma that I was unprepared for? Ranma. Where has the time gone?

When we were kids it was so easy to talk to you. My insecurities and my worries were nothing as long as you were there. My father being in and out of my life. No problem. You told me that my family was still whole. He was thinking about me from wherever he was in the world. My dad was still my dad in any part of the world. When people made fun of us for being each others only friend. You stood up for me. You said we were each other's best friend. We made up 500 friends put together, and that we didn’t need fake friends. You were my starlight.

Friendship is forever. What we have can’t be broken. No one can take you away from me. You’re my everything, Ranma.

My phone began to buzz in my pocket. It vibrates against my leg. Buzz. Buzz. Was it an important call? Do I have to answer it? I sigh. I reach into my pocket and grab my cell phone and answer it without even thinking.

“Hello?”

A moment of silence. “You’re so careless, Yuga…”

Ranma? “Careless? What are you…?”

“Mikono cafe. At 15 hours. What happened? Have you really been here this whole time?”

“Oh crap, its 15 already-wait. How did you know I was…” I turn to the other side of the bridge and there he was. Cell phone in hand and a smile on his face. His face is dusted a very soft pink. “Ranma~!” I wave my hand in the air.

He waves back and strides over. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“It’s fine. I promised to meet you there. I guess I got a little distracted,” I reply.

His smile falls slightly and he looks over the side of the bridge, folding his arms on the ledge and leaning against it. I follow him, taking the same stance. We look out onto the water and we listen to the sounds around us. The running water. The gentle breeze. Leaves rattling in the trees and fluttering across the grass. Chirping birds and Cicadas singing. It was a beautiful day.

So, why did he look so down? Ranma? I move closer to him and jab my elbow into his side. “What’s wrong?”

Ranma forces a half-smile. “We have so many memories here. I can’t help but look back whenever I come here.” He stops and looks up at the sun. I wonder what he sees in that gas ball? Does he just see the sun? Or does he have a similar view as me? The sun is more than a ball of gas to me. I see Ranma. Our future. Bright. Shining.

God, I wonder who I get this cheesy crap from. Mom? Dad? Both? Tasuku?! I ran a hand through my hair and shake the thought out of my mind. Ranma sighs and I smile nervously.

“When we were kids, we made a lot of good memories on this bridge that makes me smile looking back. When we saw that rainbow after the storm. It was so bright and beautiful. Something so simple made me so happy that I wanted to cry that day. You came after me, with that stupid smile on your face with an umbrella for me. It wasn’t even raining anymore. That’s the best part. It was too late. But you still gave it to me. You were so happy. I was happy. You’re so stupid, Yuga

“You befriended someone as lame as me. I was horrible to you. On this same bridge, I could have hurt you, or maybe even killed you. When Destroyer became my buddy and we tried to take over the Buddyfight world, we were so determined to hurt you. We wanted to make you pay for hurting me. I took all of my frustrations out on you. On the others. Everything was my fault.

“This bridge. This damn bridge has been our meeting spot. In the eye of the storm or the calm after. We were always ending up here. This bridge is our connection. Metaphorically and literally, we need this bridge. The bridge that connects the gap between us.

“I need this place. Without this bridge, I don’t know how I’d ever reach you. You’re so far away from me. Despite being right there, you feel so far away. I want to be able to reach you. To touch you and say that you’re ‘here’ and feel confident that you won’t disappear. I don’t want to feel alone again.”

Ranma folds his hands onto his crossed arms and buries his face from view. I can see him shaking. He’s crying. I begin to panic. I hate seeing him cry. I hesitate on what to do. Hold him? Is that too personal? Do I rub his back? Is that too impersonal? I can't decide. Everything runs through my head at once.

My mind goes blank. I grab Ranma’s arm and he turns to face me. I grab his shoulders and he’s looking at me. His tear-stained face is bright red and a frown feels permanent on his face. My panic only deepens. My heart races. I move towards him…

I head butt him. Pain flows through me and I’m left dizzy. Ranma falls to the ground, holding his head, muttering in pain.

“Owww. Yuga! What the hell!” Ranma shouts.

That wasn’t supposed to happen. Out of all the options in my head THAT was the one I decide to do. Really?!

I kneel down and lend a hand to Ranma. Ranma slowly takes my hand, but before I can pull him back up. He pulls me down.

I feel his warmth on my skin. His fingers tracing my cheek, mapping out my hair and jawline. His lips, soft, and a little chapped. His kiss was gentle but firm. He was telling me everything. He was worried. He was scared. He was longing.

He pulls away, his fingers ghosting over my chin before slowing releasing and falling to the floor. He stares up at me, his face red and a small smile. I look at him in surprise. My face felt hot. No doubt it was red as my hair. I was still kneeling over him. He was beneath me, comfortable and confused.

“Ranma,” I say breathlessly.

Ranma smiles a whole smile, cheeky and full of laughter. He wipes his tears away and leans in closer so that he was inches away. “That’s what you should have done to comfort me, Mikado Yuga. As dense as his father.”

I frown. I cup Ranma’s cheeks in my hands and capture his lips. I will NEVER be as dense as my father. Ever.

Ranma’s lips were salty from his tears, but they were still sweet in a way. A bittersweet like sour candy. Ranma wraps his arms around my neck and pulls me closer. This closeness was addicting. And yet, it wasn’t enough. He pulls away. I go back in and kiss him again. And again. And again.

“Yuga,” Ranma mutters between kisses. He grabs my shoulders and forces me back. I was blind. Drunk, on Ranma. This closeness. It was everything I wanted and more. Why is he stopping me? “What are we doing?”

I rub my thumb against his cheek and look into his eyes. He wasn’t in pain anymore. He wasn’t sad. He was Ranma. The other half of our ice glacier. The caramel to my pudding. You get it. He was everything good about my life.

And we just kissed. Multiple times.

My face explodes in embarrassment. My hands twitch, not knowing what to do. Ranma looks at me with concern. What if he hates me now? No. That can’t be, right. He kissed me first. My mind is spiraling.

“Yuga?” He says again. “We can’t just stay here. Miko is waiting for us at Mikono Cafe. We’re supposed to be studying together. We have to go.” He waves a hand in front of my face.

Oh! That’s right. I check my phone. It’s 15:43 pm. Five texts and two missed calls. Even Subaru tried to reach out to me, which is rare.

“Do we HAVE to study?” I ask. I pull him close to my chest and run my fingers through his hair. It was soft. Like a child’s blanket. He pushes away from me again and stands up from our spot on the bridge.

“With your grades in Chemistry? I would think so,” Ranma remarks.

It's true. My chemistry grade right now is so bad, it makes me wonder how I have been able to progress this far into high school.

“Wait, are you just saying that to avoid the fact that you kissed me?” I retort.

Ranma’s face slowly turns bright pink and he turns away. “No. Of course not. That doesn’t have anything to do with it. Stop changing the subject. Just hurry up and grab your bag.”

I smile and grab my stuff. Ranma was very cute. He might not notice it, but he doesn’t have to try so hard to be the old Ranma. The “old Ranma” never left. He’s been here this whole time. He’s still my starlight. Ranma is just growing up. Maturing. Becoming an adult. I wonder if my dad ran into this kind of problem growing up? I walk beside Ranma, gazing at his face. He’s smiling. Any darkness he held on his shoulders prior has lifted for now.

I reach for his hand and lace our fingers together. He lightly squeezes back in response.

This closeness. We both craved it. The distance we have suffered together has made the heart grow fonder. I don’t know what this is I feel in my heart for Ranma. Infatuation? Obsession? Love? I don’t know yet. But I do know that what Ranma and I have gone through, it was together. And we’ll continue to fight our futures. Together.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Prince of Stride: Alternative 2 – 12 | ACCA 1 | Hand Shakers 1 | Nanbaka 15 | Marginal #4 1

(ep 2)

I don’t think I noticed this last time, but the dropped item is a Stride headset.

“…that won’t affect your future…”

That technique, where the memory becomes “movie footage”…I like it. Plus, Kyosuke was basically half of the reason why I stuck around with this show…haha.

“Fubun ritsu” at least translates directly…

Without context, the dialogue sounds pretty funny, especially because Diane should be (half) British and maybe should’ve picked up on the fact D’s sounds like…well…

The “D for Demon” pun is an English only one. The D in the Japanese is for doge (and not Doge, mind you). Doge is short for dogeza, or putting yourself on the ground and bowing furiously (to regain respect, for example).

Even Kadowaki is into the photoshoot!

Ah…without fanservice, this show would never get off the ground. Judging by how well sports anime fare from having pretty boys, that is.

There seems to be a theme of “letting go” in this, which makes it a perfect character study for One Wish They Never Wanted. Unfortunately, I’ve basically finished the story now…

Note tobu is also the word for “to fly”.

It vaguely bugs me that every time the subs go “Takeru”, the Japanese goes “Fujiwara-kun”.

The dude’s name is Asuma (you can hear it in the Japanese clearly), but the subs said “Yuma”.

I never questioned it, but…why is there laundry in the Stride clubroom?

I dunno about shogi, but apparently “a mistake leads to progress”.

(ep 3)

Andromeda is a maiden in the mythology. So Reiji’s right. Also, he’s voiced by Mamoru Miyano. You can’t go wrong with the dude.

Who in Dante’s Inferno is the flashing light head man?

Yeah, I wonder where the “Mee-chan” comes from too.

LOL, biology joke. Luckily, I understand it.

Sometimes Takeru sounds too deep for a teenager.

(ep 4)

Sometimes the humour can be a bit hard to follow in this show, but the visual quality is second to none!

Riku specifically asks to trade bentos, so the “trade bites” thing is deceiving.

I dunno what the “Japan Deep” is, but I think this is it.

Gelidium jelly. Aka agar…in some cases.

Back to Takeru observing muscles. It doesn’t get overdone, which is a good point of this show.

Basically Nagatsuka is Yamato from Nanbaka…haha.

The English is really good around the “on your mark” bit.

(ep 5)

Apparently you can get a motorcycle licence starting at the age of 16. I’m not good with balancing though, so a bike is hardly appropriate for me.

That shot of Hozumi, with the “Kuga” locker in the back…hmph. Nice foreshadowing/suspense shot.

I can’t quite make out what Ayumu’s saying when the subs go “Bering Sea”, as I don’t know the equivalent in Japanese. However, it most likely isn’t “Bering Sea”.

I don’t know what the equivalent to the “KGB” thing is either…Update: Okay, I know it now. It’s “ka ge be”, at least in its audio version.

(ep 6)

What are the helicopters for?

There was a kaitenzushi that Kuga-senpai passed…(hey wait, what am I saying? Kuga’s not my senpai!)

The English on the subway sign behind Yuri is really good. Why are these fine details in this show so good?!

It’s moments when a character smiles and you smile along with them, that’s why I watch anime.

I think “Yuniko” was a parody of UNIQLO, a Japanese brand. Apparently they’re pretty cheap, and I’ve been able to find it in my home city for a good few years now.

Really? Gainaxing? On Diane? I must’ve wiped that from my memory.

Hozumi, don’t leave Kuga-senpai hanging!

(ep 7)

*nods* Heath, Riku, I know your feels.

I dunno what a Kankokukan is…

I think they mean the Sea of Okhotsk…since that’s close to Japan. At least there was a warning that this would indeed be stupid talk and nothing more. However, the “Stop getting creative with my memories!” means that that gibberish was actually a bunch of locations in Japan, characterised by that weird stuff in the animation. I bet only people who are really acquainted with Japan and its geography would get it…because I don’t.

I dunno what a “Jangara” is. Or what “Jangara ramen” is.

It’s really hard to tell who’s bros with who here. Probably because they have completely different hair colours.

If you watch the Riku and Asuma scene carefully, you can see Ayumu, Hozumi and their Saisei counterparts sliding on the balls in the room behind them.

In the back of the “salt to the enemy” scene, it says shio (in romaji), salt (obviously) and shio (in katakana). On Riku’s bag, it says shio (in kanji).

Myogenesis.

Poor Mr Dan…

Shizuma! That loose hairstyle suits you so well!

Batsu ge-mu, LOL.

That Reiji really seems to like Kobe products recommended by Takeru, huh?

Here’s a little something on the Tamaya and Kagiya bits. Kadowaki-ya is a pun on that.

LOL, that manservice.

(ep 8)

4th wall break…?

Hokkaido is known for being snowy…so yeah, “northness” it is.

Of course, when they say “Lee”, “Chan” and so on, it’s Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The Dragon Awakens belongs to…I dunno, actually.

Is Riku’s hair black when his face is hidden by the magazine (last part of ep with credits)?

(ep 9)

I only just found out, but that fanboy from Saisei, Kaede? He’s voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga, meaning he’s Yuri Katsuki (Yuri!!! on Ice). Kyosuke is voiced by Junichi Suwabe, making him Viktor Nikiforov. Yeah...that happened 3 seasons before Yuri on Ice...

Stick figures…that’s not a very conventional way to save on anime budget, but it’s a way nonetheless.

Gendo pose!

Seriously? Toilet humour? At least it didn’t last for too long.

There’s a box in the hallway that says “Aomori apples” on it.

(ep 10)

Did I just see Kyosuke with no eyes…? No, the aliens got his eyes too! That was so close to a perfect run (pun intended) without those face stealing aliens!

The question about snow is just an equivalent to “something impossible happened”.

“The devil getting sunstroke” was probably due to it being really hot.

Panda bread…the reason why it even exists is because pan da means “It is bread” and panda…is panda.

I know that feel, Riku… I’m only average, I used to not be so average…and that’s the sad part about me.

The rainbow of change…I hope it comes for me too.

(ep 11)

A high touch is a high 5, by the way.

LOL, 5th Symphony. Of course…

LOL, Shizu-man. A cross cultural pun…you don’t see those very often. Update: Apparently, that’s “Oshizu” in the Japanese.

That deadly look in Reiji’s eyes…it’s hard to look away from.

(ep 12)

Hopefully this show helps to motivate me long into the future…!

*yells into the breeze* …Idiots!

Even Hachiko has an EOS decoration, LOL. Hachiko is a dog known for his loyalty, having waited for his master right up until his death. However, his master had died before him.

So whose plan was it to see Honan in the first place (in regards to Galaxy Standard)?

Naked Speed…? What kinda name is that?

So did they…never mind. You know at the end.

Ah, bookends. At least they’re satisfying, even if they’re a little cliched.

The end of summer will last forever…until the winter comes. Heh. Of course I’d see that viewpoint. (Whaddaya mean, I’m too much of an optimist to be a constant whiner? I assume you’ve been through the POSA eps with me so far, and some of them twice.) Anyways, hope to see you again when our decisions once again collide…

Update: The name “Amatsu Ida” was on my mind and I couldn’t figure out why until I realised it’s the same pun as Tenya Iida’s. The POSA staff must’ve thought they were really funny, eh? Also, I thought they all had numbers in their names (Tasuku Senoo, Bantaro Chiyomatsu etc.) but I was wrong about most of them. However, there’s continuity between Shizuma and his bro (they both have the “horse” kanji, Asuma is “playing horse” – playing as in “frolicking” and such – while Shizuma is “quiet horse”) and Tasuku is “task” in katakana.

(ACCA 1)

I’m here because of Natsume Shingo and the stuff he showed on One Punch Man.

Okay, question. How do you spell Jean(?)’s name?

I love how there’s one shot that looks like it’s going to be a mouth to mouth kiss but turns into a secret telling instead.

Fweh? So, the part about the 13 districts suddenly starts to have echoes of the Hunger Games in it, and considering I suddenly decided to implement a Hunger Games parallel/parody into one of my fics one day, I know the exact makeup of such a story.

You can’t really tell Eider’s surprised aside from her open mouth…okay then. Moving on.

There was some very limited animation during that conversation (where Jean learns ACCA won’t be dissolved).

I don’t live in a family of four, so I actually questioned the squabbles over the flan for a second there.

“…or an ACCA chopper.” Speak of the devil, it’s a chopper! *Ahnold voice* Get to za choppaaaaaaaaaa! (Haha.)

What’s up with white uniformed Yurio’s hat? (Assuming Nino is the black haired dude.) Update: Turns out Nino has blue hair, while Knot is the dude with black hair. White uniformed Yurio’s name is Rein.

Pan = bread, apparently in Portuguese as well as Japanese. Also, Rein likes donuts and since he’s the “police” in this area…that sort of seems like a cliché…?

Mauve is the only one I really recognise (aside from Jean), after downloading all the ACCA icons I wanted before I saw this show. Mauve has some really distinctive hair. I recognise Rein from the icons, but not his name…hence the last dot point.

Trembling grey-haired dude’s hand was…actually pretty funny.

I love how Mauve is characterised by indigo hair that moves in the wind. It makes for some very limited yet LOLworthy animation.

Apparently, the café in the east staition (?) has American coffee (albeit lowercase) and blended coffee. Someone managed to stick that in…I’m impressed.

The ED looks arthouse, and I mean that in a good way. So…basically, although this seems to be a weaker showing than SGRS, it looks pretty good and I’m keeping it on for another ep.

(Hand Shakers 1)

Thought it had potential…but then the previews came out, and yet again, I have stumbled across the…problematic anime…of the season.

If there’s one thing I have to question, it’s the giant turtle on one building’s wall. Who thought a giant turtle on a wall was a good idea?

Yeah…if there’s any way to describe me after I see Gainaxing + torture, it’s “losing all attention”. Plus, they didn’t really explain anything yet about this boy who’s (according to the CR synopsis) called Tazuna or his girl Koyori. The CGI is hardly impressive either.

Gainax counter no. 2. Yet again, the scene is hardly impressive by any count. I think they’re trying to go all out with their visual techniques, and they’re achieving nothing.

When the camera specifically rotates around Pres’s mammaries…you know that’s a problem. Problem no. 2 is that I focussed more on a (purple) ad that says “Do Tarot Divinations!” instead of Tazuna. One last chance before I nope out of here, and that’s only because AniList was down earlier today just as I was using it.

Gainaxing no. 3. That’s it – I’m out of here.

(Nanbaka 15)

*groans* After Hand Shakers, I need therapy…ugh. I decided to rewatch a lot of my “worst shows ever” after Hand Shakers, too, which should very well explain my sore throat, feeling of a headache and any other symptoms I may exhibit during this simulcast commentary.

Rin! Rin! Hi! Hi! sounds more nasal. That’s what’s wrong with it.

Shut up…in English? I guess so.

Liquid nitrogen, in English? Hmm. Futamata-sensei’s good...or maybe just whoever was responsible for that.

Ooh…pretty screens…dang you, Hitokoe for being in the pretty screens’ way.

Poor Hitoshi. Doesn’t that hurt?

Where did the splat sound effect come from?

Why do they have to be so direct about…erm, that stuff? Hitoshi wears…those?

You said there were other traps here, eh? *raises eyebrows*

CGI prison bars…? Really? Plus, Hitokoe, you’re already annoying.

Even if parts of this ep were a letdown, Nanbaka is much better than a series of my worst anime…in a row. Ugh. *shivers*

(Marginal #4 1)

Idol anime are hard to access, so I’ve finally got one to cover…maybe.

Minimal CGI…that’s good. No gripes there, then.

Huh. It’s rare to find kanji that are assigned completely different romaji to their usual ones. Tsukuru has its own kanji, but those kanji are for bukatsu or club activities.

I knew it was coming…but L and R? In English, it just sounds uninspired.

Kirihara’s yet another Toshiki Masuda role…haha. Of course.

Marimo? The lil’ fluff moss?

I was confused at first about this “Starclusters” thing, but it turns out it just means the fans. Like Beppu Apes.

Yet another weird name I was prepared for, but got overwhelmed by when it showed up in the show proper. Shy…what a weird name…

I dunno why, but I react more to Lagrange Point’s hair being implausible rather than Marginal’s.

Hah, biology joke. That Atom is such a Masuda character, it’s cute.

Okay – complicated pun time. That kanji (it means “well”, as in the one with the water in it) is one letter I, but the word for “good” in hiragana is two Is but they sound roughly the same.

Of course, the iPun comes from iPhones, but the Taisho era is definitively Japanese.

The I-400 exists…but no one handles things like that at an elite school, right?

Tetranacci exists too, but…you know.

You can tell from their behavious that despite their hair colour, they really are bros, that L and R Nomura.

I think they tried too hard with L…or is it R? Welp, it’s one of them. The gaming twin. Update: It’s R. L’s the green marimo one.

Wow. Swanky room, kid.

Okay, whose idea was it to make Korean barbecue sauce flavoured soda?

Mayuge means eyebrows…

These guys are genre savvy. The specific word I used to describe them were “hideously genre-savvy”, but they hit the sweet spot between “too cliched” and “too much savvy, they ruin the entire genre”.

Wait, who gave the tomato then?

Mai is apparently the name of the group’s manager.

Okay, I’m keeping it on for another episode or so. It’s not completely out of the box, but it’s likeable.