#This is one of the hidden costs of Western fandom being...the way Western fandom is.

[unforth]

Sometimes I wish I could drive home just how little of Chinese fandom culture actually makes it onto Tumblr at all, much less circulates in western Tumblr circles, and I've finally got a solid example.

On this list I reblogged a not long ago, Poyun, which I started reading on Bilibili the other day, has the 93rd most popular ship on all of Lofter, with over 15,000 posts. By comparison, the 93rd most popular ship of that same year (2020) on Tumblr was from Haikyuu, and from 2021 the 93rd most popular was from Miraculous Lady Bug - which is to say, even if you're not into, it's a fandom you've almost certainly heard of if you move in fandom circles at all. Like, those are two fandoms with known, huge followings. Likewise, Yan Xie/Jiang Ting is a big deal ship on Lofter.

I started reading the manhua a few days ago, so I know I'm gonna be posting some of the manhua art to @cnovelartreblogs so I was like, I should check the main tags and queue the art (even if it means I might be exposed to spoilers), and then I won't accidentally duplicate other people's art posting efforts or anything.

Now, granted, I've seen some evidence that tag search is more broken than usual the last few days, but even so...

#po yun: there are maybe 30 posts in "most popular"

#破云: there are maybe 20 posts in "most popular," and they're basically all the same (as in, people tagged both)

#poyun: about the same number, and the only 3 pieces of fanart I can find on the whole platform (@drawulan you don't know me but you are a BLESSING to C-Novel fandoms with small followings on Tumblr. A BLESSING, YOU HEAR? I LOVE YOUR ART.)

Y'all, we have no idea how little we actually know and see about what's popular in Chinese fandom.

[cannibal-wings]

One of the upsides of being probably one of the oldest fans of Outlast still participating in the fandom, is that I remember or have saved really old pieces of canon or subcanon.

In the latest update of my fic, I mentioned an article that Miles wrote about Murkoff before the games took place. It’s about a water scandal involving Murkoff in Ghana. Originally it was a bit of promotional material released before Outlast came out in 2013, if I’m remembering right Red Barrels had a mock webpage for it containing the article, but I could be remembering that bit wrong and it was just sent out as a general bit of promotional material.

Anyways, way back in 2013 when I started drafting Survivors I saved this article to my reference document, and some people in the comments expressed that they wanted to read it for themselves. So I’m going to post the article in full and link this post in the comments and in the author notes of the fic. The wiki used to link to the article, or at least mention it, but it seems to have been long deleted, maybe it’s not “canon” enough, though I don’t see why it can’t go in the trivia section. Or maybe perhaps the webpage it was hosted on is also, long deleted. 

“THE DEVIL’S BARGAIN How Murkoff Turned the Global Water Crisis into a Billion Dollar Revenue Stream By Miles Upshur

May 9, 2013 2:19pm ACCRA, GHANA

Nine-year old Akosua stands before the water-vending machine with its bright “ALSAB” logo, a few bills clutched in her small hand. You can still see the blank place on the machine’s hull where the words “Freeflow Global Charities” was pried away last year.

She explains that 2 cedis (about $1) will buy her five liters of purified water, which her Cholera-afflicted mother desperately needs. But 17 cedis at the Worldfree Clinic would buy her mother the course of antibiotics that would shorten the disease’ course and possibly save her life. It’s a terrible choice for a child to make, and one facing more and more of the world’s 1.6 billion inhabitants without access to clean drinking water.

More than a quarter of Accra’s citizens buy their water from Wellspring Industries, either monthly through their taps, or directly from the ubiquitous, bright yellow Alsab machines. What few Ghanians know, however, is the hidden connection between Wellspring Industries, Alsab, Freeflow Global Charities, and Worldfree Clinics.

All of them are subsidiaries of the multinational Murkoff Corporation.

In an increasingly clear partnership between Western Capitalism and Third World corruption, the Murkoff Corporation has used its dozens of subsidiaries to open back doors into selling the source of life to drought-starved populations in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.

Here’s how it works: a newly-started charity, fueled largely by donations, establishes a water supply and sewage systems for communities whose well water has been rendered non-potable by industrial runoff. Murkoff gets the tax write-off for charitable spending, while their subsidiary Alsab gets the profits for building and installing the system. When the cost of running the system becomes too great, the charity (in Ghana’s case, Freeflow Global) declares bankruptcy and abandons the project. Then Murkoff subsidiary Wellspring Industries (or another Murkoff shell company) steps in and offers the local government completion and maintenance of the project in return for the construction fee and complete deregulation of the water supply, allowing Wellspring/Murkoff to name the price of the population’s water.

As Murkoff is also the owner of the three most active pharmaceutical manufacturers to the Third World, they’ll profit nicely whether the locals choose clean water or cholera.

It’s only the latest in Murkoff’s near-century long history of playing both sides against the middle, maximizing profits at the cost of human rights. Whether licensing aggressively pollinating, genetically-modified rice with a built in “suicide gene” to India, flipping blood diamond real estate in Angola and Sierra Leone, or peddling amphetamines to the Nazis in World War II, you can’t swing a dead cat in an arena of human suffering without knocking over a Murkoff piggy bank.

Water is fast becoming the new oil, an issue largely ignored by the developed world, by wealthy Americans and Europeans comfortable with their hot showers and iced drinks.

But earlier this year Murkoff subsidiary Heartland Springs Charity began construction of three Alsab-built water purification plants in Detroit. Welcome to New World Water.”

[thisweekingundamwing]

TWIGW RoundUp (August 11th - 17th)

Greetings Everyone! Here’s your roundup of contributions for this week. Check out their stuff and show them some love!😊💖 

~Mod TB

Fanfiction:

@amberlyinviolet, Knife in Hand (Ch. 31) / Ch. 32 / Ch. 33 

Rating: Explicit

Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationship: Trowa Barton/Duo Maxwell

Characters: Trowa Barton, Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Zechs Merquise, Chang Wufei, Relena Peacecraft, Quatre Raberba Winner, Dorothy Catalonia, Howard (Gundam Wing), Original Characters

Additional Tags: Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Consent Issues, Organized Crime, Assassination, child trafficking, Past Abuse, Federal Agents, Abuse of Power, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Gender Issues

Summary: When Duo learns there's a hit out on him, he turns to the only person in Chicago he believes capable of helping him. But will the cost of the Broker's help be too high?

@anaranesindanarie, The Life of Nanashi: Who am I? (Ch. 1)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationship: Trowa Barton/Duo Maxwell

Characters: Trowa Barton, Original Trowa Barton, Doktor S (Gundam Wing), Duo Maxwell, Quatre Raberba Winner, Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei, Catherine Bloom, Howard (Gundam Wing)

Additional Tags: Angst, Searching, Trying to find oneself, Names, Belonging

Summary: All Nanashi has ever wanted is to belong. Believing a name is what he is missing, he tightly grasps the first one he is given.

Earth Bound (Ch. 2)

Rating: Mature

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationships: Duo Maxwell/Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton/Duo Maxwell/Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei/Heero Yuy

Characters: Duo Maxwell, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Heero Yuy, Catherine Bloom

Additional Tags: Supernatural - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Fantasy, Smut, Angst, not sorry

Summary: Trapped in a human body, Duo Maxwell must uncover a way to unblock his powers before he finds everything ripped from him again. Who will pay the price? What will Duo decide? For @fadedsepiascribbles

@bailong05, All the King’s Horses (Ch. 7)

Rating: Mature

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandoms: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon), Gundam Wing

Relationships: Jack Spicer/Chase Young, Chang Wufei/Original Female Character(s)

Characters: Jack Spicer, Chase Young (Xiaolin Showdown), Chang Wufei

Additional Tags: fem!Jack, mentions of physical abuse, Mentions of Emotional Abuse, Mentions of Sexual Harassment, Panic Attacks, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Mentions of War, Trauma, Psychological Trauma, Childhood Trauma, Healing, Crossover

Summary: Chase and Wufei's relationship seems to be better now, but what about Chase and Jack's?

@bobo-is-tha-bomb, The Bodyguard Ch. 13 / Ch. 14 / Ch. 15 / Ch. 16 / Ch. 17

Rating: Mature

No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Heero Yuy/Reader (You)

Characters: Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft

Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Violence, Mild Sexual Content

Summary: When death threats start to get serious, Preventer sends an Agent to protect you. But this man might be more dangerous to you than any death threat. HeeroxReader.

Forgive and Forget (Ch. 2)

Rating: Explicit

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationship: Duo Maxwell/Reader

Characters: Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Chang Wufei, Sally Po

Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Angst, Violence, Lemon, Reader-Insert

Summary: You’d infiltrate Preventer and expose that fact that it employed and protected terrorists. But that mission proves to be quite a challenge, all information regarding personnel carefully guarded. And the challenge becomes even greater when you meet Special Agent Duo Maxwell. He is pretty much the man of your dreams, all devilish charm, good looks, and bravado. And he kisses like the Devil. You are swept under and recklessly pursue and affair with him. But there is still your double agenda, and that is bound to make everything come crashing down around you. Especially when you find out that Duo is not exactly the man he said he was… DuoxReader

The Dream is Still Alive (Ch. 2)

Rating: Mature

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationships: Wufei Chang/Reader, Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy

Characters: Wufei Chang, Reader, Heero Yuy, Relena Peacecraft, Duo Maxwell, Lady Une

Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Angst, Lemon, Lime, Reader-Insert, Violence

Summary: Three years ago, your feelings for him had cost you your job at Preventer. On top of that you gained his contempt. When an old enemy you helped putting behind bars escapes prison, your paths cross again. Forced under his protection, your old feelings for him resurface but you are determined not to get hurt again. But the spark is back, and there are no rules and regulations to hold you back this time. And maybe, just maybe, he might be willing to give in as well. WufeixReader

What’s going on Fanfiction wise (6)

Doii, Precogmare (Ch. 8) / Ch. 9

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationships: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei/Sally Po

Characters: Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Quatre Raberba Winner, Trowa Barton, Chang Wufei, Sally Po, Relena Peacecraft

Additional Tags: Get Together, Mission Gone Wrong

Summary: A mission gone wrong shows Duo the future that awaits them. Could he stop it on time? Can he protect Relena and the other pilots while keeping his secrets hidden? *Wrote it ages ago, never published it. A lot of cursing and references to violence, death, blood and suicide. It's a Heero and Duo get together, background 03x04 and 05xS*

@duointherain, Beneath: Cornflakes (Ch. 3)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi, Other

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationship: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Characters: Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, Mareen Darlian, Relena Peacecraft, Chang Wufei, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner

Summary: Relena’s mom takes them shopping.

Beneath: Western Civ 101

Rating: General Audiences

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationship: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Characters: Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell

Summary: This is just fluff. We had an evacuation at my job, so Duo gets one at his. Just Heero being a good and loving husband.

Beneath: Cornflakes: The New Kid (Ch. 1)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationship: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Characters: Duo Maxwell, Relena Peacecraft, Maureen Darlian, Heero Yuy

Additional Tags: School, Mental Health Issues

Summary: Duo goes back to school, to real school, not like hiding, but really back to school... The school by the lake, the one he and Relena nearly blew up with the elephant toothpaste.

@helmistress, The Legend of Shinigami (mini announcement - mun stuff) 

@janaverse, Stickies From Heero (Part 12)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationships: Heero Yuy & Duo Maxwell, Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, 1+2+1, 1x2x1 - Relationship

Characters: Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell

Additional Tags: Get Together, Friendship, Eventual Sap, Eventual Implied Sexual Content, Mentions of Trowa ⋆ Quatre ⋆ Wufei ⋆ Relena ⋆ Sally - for now

Summary: heero and duo are in their mid-20's and are sharing a house. they are both working as preventers, but are not on the same work schedule. duo initiated this unique form of communication and heero has fully embraced it. [ these are images of the actual notes that heero leaves for duo on their refrigerator. ]

@ladyunebarton, The fundamentals of caring (Ch. 11)

Rating: Mature

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Relationship: Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy

Characters: Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Chang Wufei, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, OC - Character, Relena Peacecraft

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, parenting, Adoption, Kid Fic, Adopted Children, Childhood Memories, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, First Time

Summary: After a fire on an Orphanage left three kids without a home. Heero and Duo decide to take them into their own for the mean time. But this decision will make them reconsider where they are and what they want from life.

luvsanime02, Moments

Rating: General Audiences

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Character: Hilde Schbeiker

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern SettingIntrospectionMild Languagebad weekCocktail Friday

Summary: Hilde isn’t sure if this party is the best decision that she’s ever made.

Skarla, Send in the Clowns (Ch. 7)

Rating: General Audiences

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Gundam Wing

Characters: Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Jane Foster (Marvel), Darcy Lewis, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton

Additional Tags: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Parallel Universes, birthday present fic, Post CATWS

Summary: Clint Barton had a secret, one that he had been carrying for so long that it didn’t even really seem like a secret anymore. It was just another thing in the long list of things that he didn’t talk about, along with his time in Korea or that mission in Budapest. The trouble was, now that Shield was in tatters with every third agent loyal to Hydra and being hunted like the rats that they were, his helpful support system had evaporated along with his second favourite bow and his salary. For Scarly13.

@terrablaze514, Fic inspo / Cat adoption video ( @seitou @softnocturne @gundayo )

Shampoo & Conditioner - Snippet Saturday

Rating: T (for pending violence, group discord)

Pairings: 3x4 (implied), 4x5 (if you squint)

Summary: All Hail the Pineapple Express! A blessing and a curse… [preview of Ch. 3]

@thehiddenbaroness, Resurrecting the Viper (Ch. 31)

Rating: Mature

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category: Gen

Fandoms: 機動戦士ガンダム 鉄血のオルフェンズ | Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Gundam Wing

Characters: Orga Itsuka, Eugene Sevenstark, Mikazuki Augus, Merribit Stapleton, Norba Shino, Akihiro Altland, McGillis Fareed, Original Female Character(s), Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Naze Turbine

Additional Tags: Action/Adventure, Crossover of a kind, Science Fiction, Cryogenics, Revenge, Drama, Political Intrigue, Canon Compliant

Summary: Following a routine visit to Vingolf, Orga, Mikazuki and Merribit are surprised by the sudden appearance of a practically naked, injured woman. Although Artima seems to have full recollection of who she is, she does not seem to understand the outside world. Against Orga's better judgment, the Isaribi is soon entangled in Artima's quest to find and destroy her old mobile suit - and discover both she and it are relics from over three hundred years ago that could hold the key to Tekkadan's future.

Fanart:  

@babygray-dam, Duo Maxwell 

@bluesquishylemon, Title: No Name

Source: Gundam Wing; character Trowa Barton

Media: Colored versions marker on 8.5x11 computer paper, line drawing pen on 14x17 Bristol 6-27-17; computer corrections 8-11-19

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or any character associated; I also do not earn any financial compensation for this fanart.

Request: Please credit this artist for this work when reposting - thanks!

@duointherain, Duo Maxwell 

@elfbingo, Gundam Wing pilots representing Iron-Blooded Orphans (forwarded by @disturbed02girl )

@fenorange, Gundam SEED/Wing Crossover 

@gundayo, Trowa & Quatre - Inside Jokes 

@gundayum, Heero and Quatre (Muppets spoof) | Relena and Heero (Muppets spoof #2) | Duo & Wufei (Muppets spoof #3) | Trowaupagus |Duo and his daughter (AU) 

kacfrog711, Duo at gunpoint - FIFTEEN 2011 (forwarded by @disturbed02girl )

@kenrik, Heero x Relena 

***Please don’t remove artist credit, nor repost without permission.

Photosets/Screenshots/GIFs:

@animethingsandstuff, Heero Yuy 

@capyper-land, Relena Darlian (Frozen Teardrop)

@disturbed02girl, Duo Maxwell & Professor G (Glory of the Losers) (2) | Duo becomes The God of Death (GoL) | Trowa Barton & Catherine Bloom (GoL) | Chang Wufei (GoL) | Trowa Barton | Epyon (GoL) | How 1+/x2 really started (GoL) 

@gundamfight, Gundam Cross War

@its-more-than-just-a-fantasy, Duo Maxwell

@janaverse, Heero, Duo and Trowa (Endless Waltz) ((Bruh…)) | Duo Maxwell (Endless Waltz) (2) (3) (4) (Stoned? Nah… Dreamy) Drool for Sally surprising Duo (5) (6) (Young Duo) | Heero Yuy (Endless Waltz) (2) (3) (Young Heero) (4) (Young Heero #2) (#3) | Heero and Duo (EW) (2) (3) (4) (Love Only You doujinshi) = (front cover of LOY) | Zechs Merquise (EW) (2) | Chang Wufei (EW) | Little Heero & Odin Lowe (Episode Zero) :’( | Heero and Duo (Ground Zero) (2) | Nanashi (Young Trowa) (EW) (2) | Quatre Raberba Winner (EW) (2) (3) | Trowa Barton (EW) (2) | Young Quatre (EW) | Heero Yuy (Operation 1) | Heero or Duo? After dispute with Wufei and Trowa (EW) | Lady Une (EW) | Noin and Une (EW) | Quatre and Rashid (EW) | Sandrock Custom (EW) | Deathscythe Hell Custom (EW) 

Quotes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes, Heero and Quatre | On the Lunar Base | Heero and Relena ((On a date)) |  Duo and Quatre (2) (3) | Heero, Wufei, Duo and Trowa | Heero Yuy | Trowa and Cathy | Heero and Duo (2) (3) ((Glee spoof))**Sounds a lot like my HC Duo** | Wufei and Trowa ((During Mariemaia’s rebellion)) | Sally and Heero | Heero and Trowa (#3 is truly spiteful) | At Preventers HQ (2) | Little Q and Little H versus their dads | Chang Wufei | Duo, Quatre and Trowa (2)| Duo versus enemy | Sharing a safehouse | 2x6x2 | Duo and Trowa | 1x2x1 | After Duo sneaks on to the Sweeper ship | Submission by @timelordnomad

MoodBoards/Aesthetics:

@janaverse, 1x2x1 sticker 

@rx-79bluedestiny, Build kit boxes

Videos/AMVs:

@eostreofthedawn, MSA:GW - Sowing Discord (by Operation Meatier via YouTube)

@softnocturne, Just Communication 2015 Live (archived by ANime++) | White Reflection by Two-Mix (Official Music Video)  

Wen, Just Communication (cover) - forwarded by @softnocturne

Headcanons:

@sweetgoufbrah, Trowa running looks like…

@terrablaze514, A Crazy Sleepover (Freedom Fighters AU)  

Memes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Episode 2 

Gunpla:

@christianmswanson, Tallgeese ii | Wing Zero 

@gundayum, Mini Deathscythe (so adorable!) #1 (#2 here) | Wing Zero (2) (3) 

Calendar Events: 

@gundam-wing-bingo, Gundam Wingo is a GO! Sign up for your card here (and ensure your blog’s submissions box is open).

@gundamzine, Rhythm Generation: Shooting Stars

Mod Rounds / FAQ / The Measure of a Year (Bonus details, forwarded by @lemontrash )/ Schedule

@zineapps @zine-scene @zinefeed @zinewatch @zinesubmissions @fandomzines @zinefans

@gwcocktailfriday, Cocktail Friday (due August 23rd, between 3pm - 5pm in your timezone)

@thisweekingundamevents, Mini Bang: Unorthodox Undercover Work!

^ Mini Bang Rules / FAQ / Dates to remember ^

1st Check-in: August 17th (due August 24th). This check-in is for Writers.

All participants are encouraged to contact @helmistress in case of dropouts, Beta Reader changes, etc.

@seasons-of-gundamwing thanks all who participated in “Summer of Zechs 2019” this year! Links to fanworks are being posted.

[bangtan]

[Article] Meet BTS, the K-Pop phenomenon breaking world records

We speak to rapper RM of BTS, the seven-member boy group whose ultra-dedicated fanbase have made them the most prominent South Korean act to break the west

The phone line crackles out of Seoul where it’s nearly midnight, and where RM, the leader of seven member South Korean group BTS, is looking back at a crazy month in which they broke records – some their own, some they never even thought they’d achieve – one after the other in a relentless wave.

“I feel like we’re a balloon…,” RM says, surmising the time period, and there’s a tinge of disbelief in his voice. That’s unsurprising given their latest mini-album Love Yourself: Her is the biggest selling K-Pop album in pre-orders ever (over a million in domestic alone), and with the lead single “DNA”, they’re now the fastest K-Pop group to hit 10 million, 20 million, then 100 million YouTube views. Then there are those killer chart standings – #14 on the UK album chart, top 10 on the US Billboard 200 album chart – while DNA not only reigned over worldwide iTunes charts but rose to #67 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest position ever for a Korean group.

Expectations had, naturally, run high for their comeback; BTS (rappers RM, J-Hope, Suga, and vocalists Jimin, Jin, V and Jungkook) reached ‘phenomenon’ level last year with their second studio album WINGS and moombahton-style single Blood Sweat & Tears, yet 2017 has already provided an almost unbelievable new layer of success. Every day now brings another milestone, another article or another Western radio station playing the frisky, echoing electro-pop of “DNA”, adding to the feverish atmosphere around them. If their powerhouse fandom, known as A.R.M.Y, even felt momentarily overwhelmed by it all, then they’re not alone.

“Everything is going so fast,” RM adds with a small laugh. Intriguing and charismatic in conversation, he’s a rapid-fire lateral thinker who can whisk you on the mental equivalent of a gigantic wood-track rollercoaster. “We don’t know where that balloon is going but I’m just trying to enjoy it because there was so much suffering before. I’m trying not to lose (sight of) what we’re doing.”

Over the weeks since its mid-September release, pre-empted by a series of trailers bridging from the previous concept for the The Most Beautiful Moment In Life double album, Love Yourself: Her became trickier the more time you spent with it. Saturated in double entendre (both an exploration of love and a direct letter to their fans), its sound, for the most part, strides in a confident, glossy groove, yet peel back its shimmery surface and bruises and scratches lie along its limbs, even on the sweetest of tracks such as “Serendipity”.

While it’s not often that you get to step into an album’s lifecycle where hindsight begins to glimmer and perhaps shape an artist’s next phase, it’s a curious, illuminating and slightly vulnerable experience. But, without a trace of hesitation, we dive into Love Yourself: Her to explore the parts instantly indoctrinated into BTS lore, its impact, shadows and the wider reaching effect on its owners.

On release you called Love Yourself: Her a ‘turning point’ and BTS’s ‘chapter two’, pointing at the music as the primary cause. Have further reasons for these descriptors emerged over the past month?

RM: The concept of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, that was chapter one for us, it feels like that because we were starting from the bottom but on this concept, Love Yourself, we started to talk about some brighter things, like the real things in life. Professionally, we got on the Billboard and UK charts, and our stadiums are getting bigger… so both inside and outside, it’s a turning point for BTS. I’d like to say we’re just in a different universe now, I think, like a crab, we got a new shell.

Two of the album’s most emotional moments are the hidden tracks, the spoken word ‘Skit: Hesitation & Fear’ and ‘Sea’. They both deal with struggles in your early days as well as current concerns about fame and success. Why was it important to have them on the same album?

RM: We add hidden tracks when we want to add details, right? ‘Skit’ was necessary for ‘Sea’ to be explained. I think they’re reacting to each other. I actually first talked about those fears, happiness, the sea and the desert on our first album (2 Cool 4 Skool), they were the hidden tracks – a skit called ‘On The Start Line’ and a track called ‘Path’. Four years has passed and I’m talking about how we dealt with it, what is the sea and desert inside of us and what’s the future.

You’ve come full circle and, damn, I didn’t realise. So over those four years, using this latest concept, what have you had to accept or learn to love about yourself that you didn’t like back then?

RM: Ummm, I’ve had to accept that that everyone cannot love me. Because when there’s love there’s hate, when there’s light there’s dark. But it was really hard to accept as an artist that there’s a lot of people that hate me but, on the other side, there are many more people who love me. I think everyone goes through that.

Do you recall when you were able to say, ok, I can deal with this?

RM: Actually I’m still on the way (laughs). I don’t really feel like I’m really out of it, but I’m getting used to it. I’m like a surfer, first you just paddle and fall off the board but as time goes by you can stand up on the bigger waves (laughs).

Themes of fate and destiny run through this album. Have you always believed you have a set path?

RM: Nietzsche… one of his famous phrases was amor fati, or ‘love your fate’. Let’s say, me who is born in Korea, and you, Taylor who is born Australia, we can’t change that, we cannot have the same life. Amor fati isn’t just saying leave everything to fate, but to first accept things we can’t change. Love our fate, and our environment, then (think) we could do something with fate and turn directions. We’re on some path that’s set since we’re born, but I still believe we can change some things. So I believe in my faith but I still don’t believe in my fate (laughs).

The huge success you’ve experienced off this album, how is that impacting your creativity? Can you think ‘I’m gonna write a song and see how it goes’, or it is ‘I have to write a song and it can’t be anything less than amazing’?

RM: That is a pressure actually, I can’t say I don’t feel it. What’s happening is so much for me, and everything around BTS moves so fast, like making ten songs in half a year. Sometimes (it’s) too much, but I always remind myself of things back in 2007, I started this because I wanted to say something. There was a message inside me and I wanted to spread it as music, so when I’m in my studio writing I try to take it slow. I’m trying to take a deeper look, like what am I really trying to say?

Except with people knocking on the door going, are you done yet, have you got a song for me?

RM: (laughs) Ah yeah, that’s why people call it a deadline, cos you feel like you’re dead.

‘Mic Drop’, both song and performance, is already classic BTS. ‘My bag’s filled with trophies… / Haters are already giving up / My success is already so golden… / You’re rushing to run away.’ BTS have always stood up for themselves but what’s made this track integral to your new chapter?

RM: Hitman Bang (the group’s CEO/producer) wanted us to let out anger and pain on this track but it was hard ’cos there isn’t any anger or jealousy left inside, I’m satisfied right now (laughs). I love our fans, so many miracles are happening every day. I have no time for the haters. I think this goes with why Her is a turning point for BTS and ‘Mic Drop’ (helps) say that – we drop the mic and chapter one is over. It’s a lot of fun.

How many mics has Suga broken by throwing them down at the end of each performance?

RM: (laughs) Oh, no not (the good ones) yet, we buy cheap ones from the market, karaoke ones that cost like $30.

You’re clearly enjoying life right now but there’s darker emotions lurking on this album, so might we see more of those on the next one?

RM: Those (emotions) are still inside, they’re not going away but they’re now a different shape. I think love isn’t just made up of happiness and compliments and light. Love includes scars, a little bit of hate and some dirty things inside us.

And I guess no one is ever 100% happy 24/7, even when everything is going well…

RM: We do have darker emotions and sometimes we feel so heavy with these records and the articles and people going ‘Oh, you’re representing Korea, you’re, like, making Korea famous!!’, and every second we’re like ‘Thank you so much’, but, you know, I’m still just here in my small studio and I try to write some lyrics and that’s all I do. I’m still trying to deal with it.

So what, outside of BTS, makes you happy?

RM: Thank you for this question, not many people ask it! (long pause) I have no driver’s license, so I ride a bicycle beside the Han River. That’s what I really love because no one gives a damn about me for that moment. I feel so free. I also love to collect figures and watch a midnight movie ’cos I can watch it all alone and in the best seat.

Do you have to wear hat, sunglasses, and a face mask to avoid being recognised?

RM: I don’t wear a face mask, I just wear a hat because my hair is too colourful, it’s too shiny (laughs).

Critics had a conversation online that centred around the possibility of BTS being nominated for a Grammy. It didn’t happen this year, but next year… you never know! How does that make you feel?

RM: I’ve heard people are talking about it, I try to not think about it. If I start to expect something, I get disappointed. A Grammy is a whole other level, it’s a whole other world for us!

If you guys won, you’d have to wear seriously waterproof makeup.

RM: Of course. Everyone would cry. I think we’d have to prepare a waterproof suit as well.

Maybe just wear plastic from head to toe.

RM: (laughs) Yeah, we’d have wear a spacesuit or something.

You’ve had a gruelling month’s schedule in Korea, plus two concerts in Japan for 80,000 fans – what’s still the hardest thing during that, and who keeps you sane?

RM: Sleeping. No sleep makes a human into another human (laughs). Culturally, Koreans are used it, but still it’s really hard. We get used to but we can’t ever get used to it. J-Hope always tries to cheer us up and I’m so grateful. Actually I like to call him a new leader for the group.

After being together for years, who in BTS can still surprise you?

RM: V. His words are crazy and his English is crazy too. He makes new words and new grammar and he always surprises me. I feel like he’s quite good at English too because he can speak to everyone, he’s got confidence, he’s got the guts.

They say when you learn a new language you can’t be afraid of making mistakes.

RM: (sighs) I’m always afraid of making mistakes. I think I was born with that.

I’ve always wondered what BTS do before an album drops, is there a ritual?

RM: We gather in our living room, have a little drink and talk about how we should deal with the schedules and how we’re doing. It’s really nothing but it makes us feel different, it keeps us running and it keeps our attitude because we always remember when we were sad and poor (laughs). Popularity is a bubble. It’s a mountain, you can go up really hard but walk down really fast.

Okay, last thing… you are the king of high fives and handshakes that go slightly wrong.

RM: (laughs) Yeah, that’s what fans from Europe and America say! But they love those moments, right! It’s a cultural thing? I don’t know why, but no one pays attention to my handshakes and high fives. My hands are really big and I’m like six foot, so they can see me really easily. It’s very sad, isn’t it (laughs).

Source.

[impracticaldemon]

The Danger of a Man in Uniform

fanfiction by ImpracticalOni

Fandom:  Hakuouki Words: ~3500  |  FFnet  |  AO3

A/Note:  Although this story draws from my semi-AU The Teachings of Demons, it isn’t necessary to have read that story (which has now grown to about three books in length). The only quirks I would note in advance are as follows: all Oni and many part-Oni have at least basic telepathy and empathy, although it tends to be limited to close physical proximity; (happily) married pairs tend to be closely attuned; Saito and Chizuru's twins are being raised as Oni.

To those who are reading ToD: this is an AU to my AU and not a definite glimpse of the future!

Written in response to a request for a story about Chizuru telling Saito how much she liked how he looked with his short hair and new uniform. Thank you to anon for the idea! Like so many of my stories, the whole thing got out of control.

The Danger of a Man in Uniform

Chizuru woke to a gentle touch on her cheek and blinked open heavy eyelids. Her first thought was that it was unusual for her not to have awoken with her husband; however, he was kneeling beside her fully dressed, and she could tell that he had been up for some time. Her second thought was that her husband looked even more handsome than usual today, and only a strong sense of duty—and a slight, shy reserve that persisted even after four years of marriage—prevented her from ruining his neat neck-cloth by pulling his face down to hers for a long kiss.

"You were sound asleep, so I fed the twins and made sure that they were settled—for a little while, at least. Unfortunately"—and he did sound regretful—"I have to leave soon. There are a number of meetings scheduled for today…"

A glance out the window told Chizuru that although she still felt tired, it was significantly past when she normally woke up. She had a strong suspicion about the reason for her unusual fatigue, but she would know for sure in a few more days. For now, she could only be embarrassed that she hadn't been able to look after things this morning when Hajime obviously had a busy day ahead.

"I'm sorry—" she began, before being silenced by a firm kiss on the lips. Strong hands helped her to sit up—as if she couldn't manage on her own!—and dark blue eyes laughed down at her. Others might find Saitō Hajime to be a stern, even cold man, but his doting wife and children were frequently allowed to see the quiet humour that lay below the impassive exterior.

"It was no trouble, dear one," he told her, claiming a second kiss. "You obviously needed to sleep. Besides, somebody had already made sure that my clothes were in perfect order; I am quite capable of making breakfast; and you know that Chieko and Toshi are rarely difficult with me."

"They're never difficult with you," murmured Chizuru, allowing her husband to draw her to her feet and into a very pleasant embrace. "You're mussing your clothes."

This comment was apparently deemed unworthy of comment, and for a few minutes Chizuru forgot her fatigue, the slight—but telling—trace of nausea that she'd noticed upon awakening, and her various obligations for the day. She was unable to repress a faint sigh when a polite treble voice announced that mama's breakfast was ready and could she please come soon. At least the twins no longer entered their parents' room uninvited, although sometimes they would sit just outside the door and chat, which could be disconcerting.

"Try not to overdo things today just because you slept in a little this morning," Saitō told her a few moments later, as he deftly straightened his white neck-cloth and tugged on his fitted black jacket. His cheeks were rather flushed, but he wasn't so distracted that he failed to restore his raiment to perfect neatness. On the other hand, he made a point of helping his wife to arrange her obi, and his fingers brushed the curves hidden by her kimono in a way that suggested she was not alone in looking forward to the quiet hours of the late evening when the day's work was done and the children (gods willing) were asleep.

"Toshi! Come help me put the futons away while Chie-chan gets breakfast for mama."

"Hajime…" Chizuru shook her head at him. Apparently he harboured the same suspicion as she did about her possible condition—he was annoyingly observant at times—and she could only hope that he wouldn't fuss as much as he had with the twins.

"The children should be allowed—and expected—to do as much as they can as soon as they can," Saitō said loftily, nodding approvingly at four-year-old Yukitoshi as he struggled to roll one of the two futons into something resembling the appropriate shape for daytime storage.

"Yes, dear," responded Chizuru, forced to stifle a giggle at the sight of Saitō calmly instructing and assisting his miniature duplicate to complete his allotted task.

"Mama?" The small girl in the doorway might have dark indigo hair like her father and brother, but her deceptively soft brown eyes were identical to her mothers'. At the moment, her expression was stubborn, rather than gentle. "I am ready to get your breakfast like papa says an' I don't want the food to get cold."

Chizuru set aside an almost overwhelming desire to gather them all up into her arms and hold them close, but Hajime needed to go, and a small part of her didn't want to add more evidence to the checklist she could already picture in his mind. Unusually emotional? Tick. She couldn't resist dropping a kiss on Toshi's head on the way out, however.

By early afternoon, Chizuru was ready for a short rest. It was frustrating, but she knew better than to ignore what her body was telling her. If nothing else, the children would betray her to Hajime, who had raised them in the belief that mama was to be cherished and looked after at all costs, especially by Toshi. It wouldn't be so bad, except that they were very perceptive for their age, and regarded their father's word as law. Consequently, not long after they had eaten lunch, Chizuru and the twins set out a futon and settled down for a nap.

Trying to nap beside the twins was as futile as Chizuru had expected. They had all the inborn strength and stamina of the Oni, and only courtesy to their mother and duty to their father kept them more or less still for any length of time during the day. After ten minutes of listening to them whisper and giggle and make plans, Chizuru told them that she would nap and they could spend the time in the main living area with their toys and pictures.

"This is an experiment," she told them gravely. "I need you to sit quietly for half an hour. You are not allowed to go outside or into the kitchen. If you can follow the rules, then maybe you are old enough to decide how you want to spend your afternoon rest period in the future."

Human parents would no doubt think she was crazy, Chizuru reflected wryly; after all, they were only four. Then again, surely other mothers had been in her position before? While in most cases there would be mother-in-laws, sisters, and cousins to help with young children, there had to be other cases where women had raised families in more isolated circumstances.

For some reason—perhaps the sight of Toshi's short pony-tail, or the fact that Hajime had worn western clothing this morning—Chizuru dozed off reminiscing about her husband's formerly long hair, which she had always admired. She remembered how upset she'd been about having to cut it off… until she'd discovered how handsome he looked in his new uniform, with his short hair curling slightly around his ears and collar. The close-fitting clothes and soft, clipped locks had looked very, um—sexy, whispered Chizuru's mind, echoed in a not-so-subtle way by Chizuru's body.

I'm a married woman with two children and probably another one on the way. I'm allowed to think of my husband as… very attractive. He'd looked especially good in just trousers, shirt-sleeves and vest—which was what he'd been wearing earlier. The simple black and white lines emphasized his lean, muscled figure and beautiful eyes, and the way the trousers and vest had moulded to certain aspects of that figure had been—very sexy. Stop it. Count sheep. Count days. No, don't count days, it's not like you could figure out on which day this one was conceived given how often you manage to— Chizuru took a deep breath of cool early autumn air.

When they had been living with the Shinsengumi, early in their marriage, they—especially Hajime, she suspected—had taken quite a lot of teasing about how fond they were of each other. Somebody—probably Okita-san—had apparently said that he didn't object to how fond they were, the problem was how frequently fond they were. All very normal, her Oni relatives had assured her. A strong bond will produce strong children and maybe more girls. Hajime had borne the teasing stoically, of course—though he did tell her once that Hijikata-san had said that if Saito couldn't take it, he'd have to leave. It hadn't helped that the twins had been born significantly sooner than nine months after their marriage, but they'd dealt with that too. Those who mattered had known the truth of it.

Chizuru opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. She was tired. The twins were playing happily and moderately quietly in the next room. The air was cool without being in any way cold. She should be peacefully asleep, not contemplating how her husband looked in his perfectly-tailored western clothing (Chizuru had been the tailor, most recently). She closed her eyes again, determined to rest.

She remembered one evening, not long after the switch to the western style, when Hajime had been out later than usual on Shinsengumi business… He'd returned about an hour before dawn, coat over one arm and collar already loose. She'd woken up as soon as he'd come in and seen him toss coat and cravat onto the writing desk. The next moment, or so it had seemed, the light blanket of the futon had been pulled back and he'd been kneeling between her legs, his hands sliding briefly up and over her thighs before working at the tie of her sleeping yukata. By the time that he'd pushed the thin cloth out of the way and started to run slightly calloused palms over her breasts, she'd been completely caught up in the moment—the silence, the faint light of the night sky beyond the window, and the beloved figure in the monochromatic, tight-fitting clothes with dark hair floating around his face and neck. She'd been the one to drag his lips down to hers, her other hand reaching up to work feverishly on the buttons of this vest.

Too many buttons, as she recalled. Buttons on the vest, on the shirt and even on the trousers. But he'd encouraged her the whole time with his hands and his mouth—although without words. It had been unlike him, in fact. She hadn't cared at the time. Once she'd managed to free him of his vest and shirt, and had loosened the over-snug trousers, he'd finally pulled his mouth away from her skin and whispered, "Chizuru, please."

"Hajime…"

Chizuru sat up with a groan, chagrined at having lost herself so far in nothing but a memory. She didn't need a mirror to see her red cheeks. She did her best to ignore the more obvious signs of arousal and tried to calm her mind. Hormones and that damn uniform, she decided, embarrassed.

She felt the red flush go from her cheeks to her ears and probably everywhere else when she heard her husband speaking to the twins in the main room of their modest home. I thought I'd stopped doing this years ago… In the past, she hadn't realized that he could hearwhat she was feeling at certain times, and she hadn't always been able to shield it very well. Mortified, but also puzzled—because she could have sworn that she hadn't been that far out of it—Chizuru tried to look as dignified as possible when the door slid open to admit Hajime. He was flushed, but he seemed to be… laughing? Well, laughing for him.

"I'm sorry about the boots… it seemed to be urgent," he told her, quickly kneeling down to unlace and remove the offending footwear. Naturally Saitō wouldn't wear outdoor footwear in their home except in an emergency.

"I'm sorry, Hajime, I don't know what—I mean I—I know you were working!"

Having rapidly divested himself of his footwear, Saitō sat down beside his blushing wife. "The timing could have been much worse. Please don't worry about it. All I know," he cuddled Chizuru against his chest, "is that somehow I was having a very, ah, pleasant daydream and then it seemed imperative to come home because you wanted me. Or at least wanted to see me." He pressed a lingering kiss to Chizuru's lips. "But I think it was the first."

"Hajime—the children?"

"Oh, they're pleased I'm here. They heard you calling out for me, you see." There was an unusually mischievous look in Saitō blue eyes. "In fact, when I arrived—in something of a hurry, I might add—the twins were debating whether it would be worse to break the rule about not going into the kitchen—Toshi thought that tea might help, since that is mama's remedy for most ills—or the rule about not bothering you while you were resting—Chieko thought that you must be having a nightmare to sound so upset."

Chizuru had buried her face deeply into Saitō's jacket. How could she have forgotten how unpredictable her last pregnancy had been? And would she ever be able to stop blushing?

"But how was Toshi going to serve me tea without coming in here?" she asked instead, her voice muffled by fine black wool. "I meant, he was going to end up breaking both rules wasn't he?"

"Yes, dear one. Chieko was trying to make that point—I think—when I arrived."

"Oh… that's good." Chizuru still couldn't bear to look up.

"Chizuru. I'm not expected back. The afternoon meetings were cancelled. I've sent the twins outside to play in the yard and you know how well protected it is."

"Hajime…"

Strong hands moved her back a little, and she could tell that Saitō was shrugging out of his coat. When she still wouldn't look up, he murmured, "I had the distinct impression that you… approved of… this particular attire. Did I misunderstand?"

"No—but—Hajime…"

"I find you very beautiful, Chizuru. Also, I want you very much. I am at the point of discomfort right now and you won't even look at me."

Carefully, Chizuru raised her eyes. Soft indigo hair that seemed to beg to be touched and wound around her fingers—it was easier to play with now that it was short, although it had delighted her when it was long as well. Blue eyes, no longer laughing but intent. A warm flush high on the cheek-bones. And, of course, the clothes. A crisp white shirt with a high collar. The fitted vest. The trousers… which did look suspiciously tight.

"Will I do, Chizuru?" He slid a hand under her thin clothing and gently caressed one breast. The nipple, already hardening, became taut, and he teased it, eliciting a soft moan from his wife. The hand slid down from her breast to her belly, warm and possessive. "Well? Another child, you think?"

"Yes, I think so. Are you pleased?" The last time—the first pregnancy—had been… complicated.

"I am very pleased. Also a little smug, even though I know that you will have to do all the work." He indulged himself with a long, deep kiss, and Chizuru squirmed slightly, feeling the heat coil even more tightly in her lower belly and between her legs.

"Hajime… it's still afternoon…" Her fingers were working on his vest buttons almost of their own volition.

"We have next to no neighbours and the twins won't bother us for a while yet. It's a little disturbing, but I believe that they're rather perceptive for young children." While Chizuru struggled with first the vest and then the shirt, Saitō allowed his hand to wander lower. Despite the awkward angle, four years of practice had taught him how and where to touch. The pad of his thumb found a rounded bundle of nerve-endings and Chizuru's breath caught with a whimper.

"I've changed my mind," she muttered, panting. "I hate these clothes." She managed to push the vest and shirt off Saitō shoulders and he managed the rest.

"Do you need help?"

"Probably. Maybe. I don't know. Damn buttons, what's wrong with ties anyway? There." Triumphantly, Chizuru pushed the black trousers down over Saitō's hips, and was rewarded with a murmur of pleasure and relief.

Wordlessly now, Saitō discarded whatever remained of their undergarments, his hands caressing his wife and ultimately pinning her to the futon. Then he started to rub himself against the wet—the now very wet—slit between her legs. Before long they were both gasping, and the skin between them was damp with perspiration.

Saitō stilled Chizuru's movements under him for long enough to explore her other breast, both tongue and teeth eliciting soft cries of pleasure. When she started to grind upward against him, he pressed his lips against one ear and repeated a question that he'd asked much earlier in their marriage:

"Do I please you, Chizuru?"

"Yes—yes—always, I swear."

A quick thrust down and in between slick folds of skin, then a slow withdrawal that made Chizuru hum in frustration. She had wound her fingers through his hair now, and was kissing him almost desperately, hips lifting to try to compel him to return, to move faster, to go deeper.

"Please, Hajime, please…"

This time the thrust was rougher, and her lover's hands behind her pulled her up onto him, making her gasp. Saitō said only her name, as he started to move faster. Feeling her inner walls starting to shudder against him, he moved one hand from behind her hips up to her breast and pinched the nipple almost painfully. Chizuru jolted against him, and her head rolled back a little, breaking their kiss. Saitō used weight and leverage to regain her lips, forcing his tongue deep into her mouth. She whimpered against him.

"Hajime… please… Hajime—ahhh!"

She wasn't going to be able to stop now. Saitō made a point of changing his angle slightly so that his weight pressed harder against her already over-sensitive nerves. When he felt her tighten convulsively around him, whispering his name, he finally let himself go, shaking with the release. "My gift to you," he'd told her once, "to see me so completely undone."

Dinner was a peaceful affair. Saitō and Chizuru had spent the last of the afternoon with Chieko and Toshi, much to everyone's satisfaction, although Chizuru could feel Saitō's eyes on her, watching for the first signs of fatigue. Naturally, the twins picked up on their father's concern, at least at some level, and Chizuru could only hope that she wouldn't have all three fussing over her for the next seven and a half months. It was a faint hope, she suspected.

Toward the end of dinner, Chieko turned to her mother and asked politely if she was feeling better now. She had already asked earlier, but hadn't seemed convinced.

"I feel very well, Chieko-chan," Chizuru told her, keeping her tone serious and ignoring the trace of a smirk that lingered—most improbably—on her husband's lips.

"That's good, mama. Um." The small girl exchanged a look with her brother and then squared her shoulders in a way that Saitō knew only too well—in fact he glanced involuntarily at his wife, who was still watching their daughter. "We were just wondering… will it be a boy or a girl? Auntie Sen says we don't get to choose."

END

A/Note: I hope that you enjoyed this story. I'm afraid that I've become rather fond of the twins... As always, your feedback is appreciated!

Tags (just ask to be added/removed):

@shell-senji @fury-ous @queen-mizera @kazama-hime @hakusaitosan @tealdeertamer @very-x-vice @sabinasanfanfic @hakuokifirst @annahakuouki @eliz1369 @canadiangaap @vav-airis @moon-faced-pear-shaped  @lady-yomi  @thesweateristoobig @doodlethewhiteraven @nalufever @nollatooru @chocoiice  @silkysilk @hidetheremote @smiley07 

[suudonym]

so the summer before season 2 of haikyuu aired I was working pretty diligently on a fic but while I almost completely finished the extremely lengthy and thorough outline I didn’t make enough progress on the fic to actually start posting it (and then osomatsu san happened and well you know the rest). the story was badly written so I don’t feel like there’s too much loss in it not coming to completion but the plot had a lot of aspects I really loved and I always lamented that I couldn’t figure out a way to make it work for osomatsu san but I’ve been thinking about it for ages and finally came up with an option

so it’s karamatsu, because I’m single-minded, and homura, because I like developing friendships between characters who don’t canonly interact much if at all

well, I’m just going to go ahead and spoil it because it’s easier to note it down that way. the idea is that the girl from episode 9, who I’ll refer to as homura for the sake of being concise, was born into the role of the single person capable of reforming and rejuvenating the world (I should mention that this is like a modern/real world telling of the initial plot of tales of symphonia) and was taught practically from infancy to love the world and to understand that it’s her duty to eventually save it. there’s probably a mark on her wrist that identifies her as this single fated person and she keeps it hidden so that the factions who would endeavor to see her fail can’t identify her as easily. but anyway the thing about being this special person is that it’s a death sentence - yes she has the power to bring the whole world into an age of prosperity but it costs her life to do so. she’s conditioned from a very young age to understand and be okay with that but as the time for her to start fulfilling her duty draws closer she starts to feel more and more uneasy about it. the journey is said to be very dangerous, people will be after her life all the while, and at the end of it she just dies anyway. as the pressure and anxiety threaten to crush her, she runs away to tokyo, a crowded place far from home where it will be hard to find her, and decides that if failing means dying and succeeding means dying, then she might as well skip all the hardship and heartache associated with the long journey to save the world and die on her own terms

and that’s where episode 9 comes in, she sees jyushimatsu get swept away and, being the beacon of kindness and love that she was conditioned to be, she can’t just watch him die. she saves him, he makes her laugh, and it’s the first time she’s truly laughed from the bottom of her heart in so long. presumably jyushimatsu asks to meet again or something and homura doesn’t want to break a promise so they start hanging out regularly, and the more she enjoys life and comes to love jyushimatsu, the more she starts to think that she wants to give a beautiful and prosperous world to him. she decides that she’ll fulfill her duties after all, jyushimatsu confesses that he loves her, and she’s so heartbroken knowing that nothing that can come of that love because of her fate that she just runs away. jyushimatsu sees her off on the train, and though she knows she’ll never see him again she tries her best to part ways with a smile

AND THEN the story actually starts

I haven’t actually thought about much more than the setting so the details are pretty foggy, but for some reason or another (music thing, fashion thing, just for the sake of being dramatic, whatever) karamatsu is doing something away from tokyo when he sees homura being chased by someone. he recognizes her as the girl jyushimatsu loved and goes to help her and as a result he ends up getting tangled up with her journey to revitalize the world - she planned to do it alone since it’s dangerous but incidentally it’s because it’s dangerous that she can’t do it alone and so she grudgingly accepts his help

(bonus: she wants him involved as little as possible so she doesn’t even tell him his name in case someone targets him to get information about her, and karamatsu’s like “well what do I call you then? I can’t just say ‘hey you’ or ‘girl’ all the time,” and since she says she doesn’t particularly care he follows the same logical path that the western fandom did: jyushimatsu often refers to her with the phrase king-sized game-winning homerun and “homerun” is pronounced similarly to “homura” so how about that)

anyway they end up traveling to all kinds of different places throughout the world and probably some of the other sextuplets get involved sooner or later because it’s too dangerous for just the two of them and etc. etc. I’d probably just plagiarize as much as possible from my haikyuu outline honestly

of course there’s a chance that she appears again in season 2 and is given further development that pokes a bunch of holes in this plan so it may very well end up yet again that I don’t get to use this plot but c’est la vie. you can probably file this one under “things that I’ll never get around to writing” anyway with everything else that’s already on the list