#and then aoki just throws up

[todayisafridaynight]

mine and aoki should be put in a room for ten minutes because i want mine to make it clear he wanted to join the yakuza for brotherhood and Family and i want aoki to seethe and rage and pop a blood vessel

[danswank]

About the Steve Aoki song - at the end of 2021 it was registered in BMI. Dan Reynolds was credited as a writer also. You can still find the screenshots on Reddit. Anyway fast forward it’s absolutely gone now. Dunno if you can register a song one day and then delete it off the next one but it’s never gonna get any kind of release for sure!

hm that’s weird it would be unregistered? there are a lot of songs on BMI that never get released.

[dejwrites]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀human, choso kamo

it's been two years since the fall of the jujutsu world, and now choso kamo is finally able to keep the promise that he made with special-grade sorcerer yuki. to no longer live life as a curse but as a human. just his luck; his bubbly next-door neighbor is the one that helped guide him through it.

♔ ˖ ✧ — general warnings: female reader, her/she pronouns, female anatomy described, black reader written in mind and their will be descriptors, modern au but also in jjk verse, kinda my own interpretation and theories on how jjk will end, super self-indulgent bc it's my bday, neighbors to lovers (is that a trope), love making yay, mention of other jjk characters, a lot of jumps that are separated by dividers btw, somewhat plot twist at the end // smut warnings: missionary position, hand holding, mentions of hickeys/love bites, usage of spit, big d*ck choso is a warning in itself, implied of oral (m.receiving), handjob // word count: 5.5k, minors dni.

YOUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR, CHOSO, WAS EXTREMELY MYSTERIOUS. He only came out of his apartment for a couple of things—going grocery shopping, possibly working, and jogging. You never saw him being friends over. You never saw him bring a lover over. Nothing. Your curious mind always wondered if he was just a loner; maybe he didn’t have any family members alive. It was just him in the small countryside of Japan, and he was just taking his very lonely days day by day. Or was it cruel of you to assume? It wasn’t really your business as a young foreigner just enjoying her youthful years of traveling. 

You’ve been everywhere, searching for a permanent home after deciding to step away from your actual job. Malaysia, Nigeria, Brazil—you have been traveling for a while, and now it seems you may have found your permanent home for good. The small town wasn’t as busy as Tokyo, but it got lively when the people got together to throw small festivals to celebrate things. If you recall, tonight’s festival celebrated the anniversary of the eldest married couple living in the community. Everyone was prompted to bring a dish, baked goods, or gifts. You took it upon yourself to make onigiri because it was one of the easiest dishes you couldn’t butcher without the eldest questioning your cooking skills.

With your best outfit, you glanced at Choso’s door and began your journey down to the main court of the community with your dish. You could hear the laughter and music of the people in the community as they were setting up. You could see the eldest couple, Mr. and Mrs. Aoki, slowly dancing to the music that was blasting through the speakers. Huge smiles on their faces caused their eyes to crinkle and for them to hold on to each other a bit tighter. Despite such a fast-paced song playing, they took their time indulging in each other’s company as if they wouldn’t have each other anymore the next day. 

“You look gorgeous,” You heard one of your friends, Hinata, say. 

“I can’t let you outdress me this time,” You joked while placing what you brought on the table with the other variety of foods. 

“It’s only room for just one hot person in the small community, and it seems like it’ll be me,” He responds. “Now it’s three,” He jokingly sighed in despair.

“Three?” You questioned as you were glancing over the drinks that were offered.

“You, Me, and your neighbor,” Hinata responded. He ran his fingers through his sandy brown colored hair before speaking again, “I’m so jealous. I’m stuck with Old Man Keigo as my neighbor.” 

“He’s not that bad.” You laughed.

“He knocks on my door at three in the morning, asking if I have seen his cat. I didn’t even know we were allowed to have pets.” Hinata sighs.

“Choso literally never leaves his place. I don’t even think he watches tv,” You responded. 

“Still better than Keigo,” Hinata answered. 

“Is it, though? You’re not curious about why he’s so lonely? If he has a family? Friends? If he wants to make friends?” You asked, and Hinata’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“Maybe he’s running away from his past life,” Hinata said while searching for a plate. “You should give him some food.”

“Why do I have to do it?” 

“You have an adorable, friendly face. Would you rather Old Man Keigo do it?” Hinata’s head motioned to the older man, who was nodding off to sleep in the corner. The children in the community managed to begin to place items on his lap to see how long he wouldn’t notice.

“The goal is to get him out of his apartment, not scare him in.” You grabbed the plate out of Hinata’s hand. “How am I supposed to know what foods he likes? If he’s allergic to anything?” 

“Hm, just give him one of everything. Now my lovely friend has arrived to help me get through this party. Toodles.” He disappeared in the sea of people, leaving you alone with a plate of food.

You knew he was most likely meeting with his local drug dealer, getting his weekly weed fix to get him through his work week as an administrative assistant at a law firm. 

You did what Hinata suggested, placing one of everything on the plate. You were positive that the amount of food on the plate would have been the same amount that the community's people would give him. Especially considering that some already whispered about him. They weren’t bad whispers or gossip but whispers of kindness. You remember Mrs. Aoki telling you how he helped her carry her groceries in her house. Or the young mother that lived in the home down from your complex told everyone that Choso taught her young son how to ride his bike without training wheels. So, if Choso were to finally leave his home—maybe he would see how kind everyone was and how this community was like a huge family. He had already been helping out around here.

As soon as you were done, you returned to your apartment. Your steps were slow and steady to prevent you from spilling food everywhere. When you reached Choso’s door, you mentally prepared yourself for what to say. Should you do an introduction first before giving him the food? Should you lie and say Mrs. Aoki told you to bring the food? What if he doesn't accept the food? Well, that wouldn’t be so bad. You were his neighbor who only said hi or bye to him, giving him food. He’ll probably think it’s been poisoned or something.

You knocked three times. Two times softly before a loud one that could be heard in the small apartment. You stepped back when you heard the sound of the door unlocking. When he stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist, your heart glanced down in embarrassment. Your brown skin heated, and your heart felt like it was flinging around your chest like a balloon that had just deflated. You never thought a plate of food was so interesting until now.

“Uh, I’m sorry for interrupting your plans. I just thought that I should bring you food from the festival. Mr. and Mrs. Aoki are celebrating their anniversary.” Your words were moving so fast that he even was trying to comprehend what you were saying.

You took a deep breath before speaking again, “You never leave your apartment, so I thought it would be nice to get you some food. I wasn’t sure what you like, so I bought a bit of everything.” Your hands extended the plate outward, and he grabbed the plate out of your hand with the hand that wasn’t grasping on the blue-colored towel that was wrapped around his waist. 

Now that the plate was no longer in your hands, your curious eyes couldn’t help but take a peek at his body. His body was like it was sculpted by the best sculptor in Japan. The many Greek statues of God’s body used him as a reference if possible. 

“Thanks,” Choso says, and his lips curve into a sly smile before he returns back into the comfort of his own home.

With a smile on your face, you turned around to return to the celebration and Choso on your mind. The festival continued, and you even shared a rolled blunt with Hinata to end the night as you gossiped about random things. He asked about Choso and could tell by how your glossed lips curved into a smile that it went well. He didn’t question more of it since the intoxicating high of marijuana finally hit him. However, he did point out that he believed Choso and you would get along quite well. 

Hinata’s prediction wasn’t far off, considering two weeks afterward, Choso tagged along with you to go grocery shopping. You remembered dragging your shopping cart down the stairs loudly as he followed you. 

“What’s up with the cart?” He asked as he walked by your side; he noticed that you didn’t take the usual turn towards the community exit but instead went towards one of the elder's apartments.

“Oh, I usually go grocery shopping for some elders. It helps so I won’t have to carry all the bags from the grocery store.” You gave him a smile. “You have to work smarter, not harder, so you won’t have back problems in your early thirties.” You joked.

Choso’s lips formed a perfect shape ‘o’ as he realized how smart the idea was. The closest grocery store is about a fifteen-minute walk from here; it would make sense to have something that would be easier for you to carry your bags. His dark eyes followed you as you went door to door, asking some of the older people if they needed anything from the grocery store. You did with such a bright smile that Choso found his cheeks growing hot as he watched you respectfully bow before wishing farewells to your neighbors. 

Kindness, you had so much of it and weren’t afraid to give it out. Perhaps that’s why Choso admired you so much. You were like a ray of sunshine; he questioned where you were during the Shibuya, Culling Game, and other events that shook the sorcerer world. How could someone like you be so kind and bubbly when such events happen? He wondered if you had family members that died during the Shibuya incident. 

“I have three people's grocery lists and money. You know you don’t have to tag along if you don’t want to.” You said as you dragged the cart behind you. 

“I have nothing else to do, and I have grown to enjoy your company compared to your friend,” Choso admits as he walks by your side. “He’s a hyper one.” 

“Oh, Hinata? Yeah, you have to catch him when he’s off work. Other times he’s either high on weed or caffeine.” You chuckled. “I appreciate the company, then. It isn’t a lot of people around our age that live here.”

“I noticed,” Choso responds. He shoved his hands in his leather jacket pockets. “I like it like that compared to the city.”

“You used to live in the city?” You asked as you stopped at the crosswalk. 

“Well, I work in Roppongi as security at some clubs. That helps pay the bills and such. I did live there originally, but it was too busy there. As if Roppongi never sleeps or something. So, I moved.” Choso explained while you two crossed the street.

You noticed that your arms kept bumping into each other with each step you took next to each other. It was like two magnets that kept gravitating toward each other despite being far apart. 

“You as a security guard? You don’t give me security guard vibes,” You chuckled.

“Really? My boss says otherwise,” He runs his fingers through his hair. “He said I look intimidating.” 

“Maybe it’s the mark across your face.” You motioned to your own face. “What is that anyway? A tattoo? Birthmark?” 

You watched as Choso rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. His cheeks staining the color of red before speaking, “Birthmark.” He says before his eyes averted downward in embarrassment. 

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” You nudge his side. “It’s cute.” She adds before skipping ahead to enter the grocery store. 

Choso followed behind you with heated cheeks as you held the first list. You were putting stuff in the cart you brought along. “Have you always lived there? Seem like everyone knows you.”

“Only for about four months now. I traveled a couple of places before settling here.” You answered. “I must say that Hinata did make it much easier. I was like you at first. All bottled up in my apartment, and then Hinata became my friend. The rest is history; Hinata even decided to set me up with one of his friends.” 

“And how is that going?” Choso asked. 

“He canceled the first two dates, and we’re supposed to hang out another day,” Your shoulders shrug as you look at Choso, who couldn’t quite comprehend how nonchalant you were taking the situation.

“What about you? Anyone special in your life? Met someone nice during your security gigs?” You asked while grabbing another thing off the shelf. 

Choso took the other list out your hand and started to search if any item on the list was in the aisle you two currently were in. You couldn’t tell if he started helping to avoid your question or if he was genuinely being kind. He reached behind where you were standing to grab something behind you. 

“I don’t really do relationships. Yeah, I have had flings here and there.” Choso explained. “So, there’s no one from my security gigs.” He chuckles. 

Your eyebrows raised in curiosity at his question, but you didn’t want to pry anymore into his business. You took the list from his hand and motioned for him to pull the cart. With a sly grin, Choso followed behind you. The dark-haired male was growing comfortable with you, and he couldn’t explain to himself the warm feeling he felt when he was around you. 

A DRUNKEN HICCUP ESCAPED your lips as you let your head fall into the palm of your hand. Your mind felt like it was spinning, and your body felt like it was a bowl of Jell-O. You brought the glass to your taking another sip of the intoxicating alcohol that you knew you had too much of. Finishing the last bit in the glass before letting your face collide with the table you sat at. You knew it was irresponsible to drink alone, especially considering you had to travel about five blocks to your house. But you didn’t think you would get stood up by Hinata’s friend. They were supposed to be here to walk you home and ensure that you got home safely. But they didn’t bother again.

You sat up, running your manicured fingers through your coils, before you saw a familiar figure walking by the bar that you were in. It seemed like he felt your drunken glare since his eyes met with yours when he turned around. Choso. You hadn’t seen him since he told you about his brother when you guys walked together to the grocery store. You watched as he raced to the door to approach you, and you couldn’t hide the foolish grin on your face. 

“Choso! Come, sit down and have a drink with me!” You shrieked, holding up the empty bottle of sake. 

“You’ve reached your limit, Y/N. It’s time to go home.” He says.

“But he hasn’t shown up yet. Hinata’s friend didn’t come.” 

“Just stay here while I pay your bill, okay? Don’t move!” His finger points at you, and you can only smile and give him a thumbs up.

You plopped back into your seat, watching as he paid for the drinks you had within the night. He returned and helped you up, but you stumbled back, causing him to grab a hold of your wrist to catch you. He noticed the short skirt you wore tonight and wanted to question if you were cold, but right now, he had to get you home. A long sigh tumbled from the dark-haired male before he unzipped his hoodie. He tied the hoodie around your waist and turned around. “Hop on.” He says, motioning to his back. 

“Choso, you’re going to carry me all the way home. You’re such a gentleman.” You happily sigh as you climb onto his back. 

He carried you in silence until you were so curious about why he was out so late. “Why were you out so late? It can be dangerous out here when the sun goes down, you know?” Each word that left your mouth was interrupted by a hiccup. 

“Says the drunk one; someone could have taken advantage of you if I didn’t see you.” Choso lectured. “You’re so irresponsible, you know?”

Your lips formed a pout as you wiggled your legs with each step Choso took. “I just thought he would show up. I’m sorry for my ir-responsible-ness.” 

Choso chuckles at your words, considering that you completely butchered the last part of your sentence. “It’s okay. But to answer your question, I just went to the cemetery to visit my brother. It’s much more peaceful for me when I go at night.” 

“Well, did you enjoy your visit?” You asked. 

“I did. I’m sure he’s tired of me bothering him, though.” He responded.

“Well, I wish I would have been able to meet him. If he’s as cool as his older brother, I’m sure I would have liked him and his company.” 

“He would have liked you also. Especially considering you being so nice to me. Seeing the good in every fuckin’ body. Including that guy that stood you up.” 

You grew silent. Choso’s words suddenly sober you up. You blink several times before speaking, “He promised he would come.” 

You found yourself repeating that phrase again and again. 

“I heard you the first time you said it,” Choso answered as he began to walk up the steps connected to the complex's top level. “Just wish you would see that the guy clearly isn’t interested in you.” 

“And how would you know that? You told me weeks ago that you don’t do relationships or haven’t even been on a date. Just hookups,” You backfired. 

“I don’t need to be a relationship expert to see that you deserve better than to get stood up in some busted bar that hardly anyone knows about as if the guy is ashamed and is afraid to be with a foreigner. Now, can I have your keys to open your door?” 

Silence overcame the two of you again. Why were you two so comfortable enjoying each other’s silence? Why was his silence so comforting? Why did it calm you down? Why did his words hit you so hard like that? 

“I think I left my purse at the bar.” 

“Seriously?” 

“I’ll just go wake the landlord up; I’m sure he has a spare key. Then I’ll just go get my purse tomorrow. I'm friends with the owner, so I’m sure she’ll put it up for me.” 

Choso didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked next door to his apartment, unlocking the door. “No need to be a nuisance to the landlord so late at night. You can crash here until the morning, and I’ll get your purse.” 

“You’re so kind. One day I will pay you back plus some.” 

Choso opened his apartment, and you were in awe at how he decorated his small space. Maybe, your mind was mentally hyping it up due to the alcohol in your system. But you felt at peace in here; it could have been because it smelt like Choso. A scent that you grew familiarized with the more you spent time with him. You noticed how clean his place was. He had a couple of plants in the corner that were clearly taken care of. He had a record player in the other corner with a stack of vinyl records. Your eyes couldn’t help but remember the small details in his apartment. So caught up in your surroundings you don’t even notice Choso kneeling down to remove your heels after your feet finally hit the ground. 

“I could have done that myself.” You said.

“Mhm, sure.” He sarcastically responds before searching his closet for something you can change in. He gave you a shirt and some shorts. “The bathroom is all yours.” 

You stumbled into the bathroom to change into the clothes. The shorts and shirts are clearly too big for you. Your arms wrapped around your waist as you glanced at yourself in the small mirror above the sink. You looked a mess, and you couldn’t believe that Choso saw you in this manner. Felt like he was viewing you at your lowest all because you got stood up by some guy. 

Choso seemed to be getting ready to shower when you were done in the bathroom. You swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in your throat before walking further into the room, “I can sleep on the floor. I am the intruder here.” 

“Nonsense, I don’t mind sharing the bed. Unless you’re like-“ 

“No, it’s not that. It’s just you’ve done so much for me tonight. Carried me home, paid my bill at the bar, now this.” 

“It’s okay. It’s kinda on my list to be kind to someone similar to how my brother would be.” Choso answered truthfully. 

Your eyebrows raised at his comment, but you didn’t argue as you climbed into the bed and got comfortable. You rolled over on your side and tugged the blankets further on your frame to attempt to sleep. Choso went on to take a shower, and minutes later, he joined you in the bed. The bed sank downward when he joined you, and you hated to admit that you wanted to move closer foolishly. You bet he was a wonderful cuddler; he had the arms for it. Before you could utter goodnight to Choso, the alcohol you consumed caused your body to finally relax on the fluffiness of the bed. Your eyes fluttered, attempting to fight your sleep until you finally fell into a deep slumber. 

When morning came upon you, you woke up and could feel an arm around your waist and warmth upon the back of your neck. If you concentrated hard enough, you could even feel Choso’s face upon the top of your coils. It took you by a shock that you didn’t fall asleep twisting your hair and throwing on a scarf, but then you remembered the events of last night. You remembered the piggyback ride. You remembered the talk about you being too kind and always seeing the good in everyone. You remembered forgetting your purse. You figure you were such a nuisance, so you had to make your grand mistake.

You attempted to wiggle out of his grasp, but the grip got a bit tighter. A subtle groan escaped from Choso before you wiggled your way to turn around to face him. Your lips gasp apart to stare at the sight in front of you. His black hair sprawled across his face creating the most reckless bed hair. You took in the way he let out a soft snore here and there. How long his eyelashes were. The birthmark that decorated his pale skin started from one cheek to across the bridge of his nose and to the other cheek. Your cheeks heated, seeing his eyes flutter open and catch you staring. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you.” You stuttered your words out in embarrassment before turning around to break eye contact. You’ve given up wiggling away at how close the two of you were, but he didn’t loosen up the grip either. Actually, he pulled you closer. As if he didn’t want to let you go. 

“Choso?” You asked as you could feel the tip of his nose on the back of your neck. 

Your skin was littered with goosebumps, and your body's hair stood up. 

“Hm.” He groggily answered. 

“I may have been drunk, but I do recall you mentioning a list. You said one of the things on the list was to be kind to a person the same way you would think your brother would. Is that what you’re doing with me?” 

“Yes.” 

Now you were back, turning around to meet his sleepy alluring gaze. “And you think your brother would do this? As in, cuddle his neighbor?” 

“He’ll carry you on his back if you were too intoxicated, but I don’t know if he’ll do this. I can stop if you want,” His arm detaches itself from your body, and your body suddenly feels cold without it. 

You grabbed it and put it back on your waist. “No, I’m okay with it. It’s just I’m curious to know why me. Why be kind to me?” 

“Because you’re kind to me. Always been kind to me.” He answers truthfully. His fingers brushed one of your coils out of the way, and those goosebumps returned again. 

“I know, but no amount of kindness equals cuddling and shit.” You said. “I’m not complaining because this is very comforting, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to be kind to me-“ 

“I think I’m in love with you.” 

“What? Choso, that’s such a-“ 

“I know, and I’m not expecting a response to that just yet. I know it’s quite hard to process especially considering that you’re most likely hungover at the moment. But I am willing to wait whenever you’re ready.” His eyes shifted closed as if attempting to fall back asleep.

“And what if I have a response to that right now?” You asked.

“Then, spit it out already.” 

When those words left his mouth, you rolled a bit closer to place a kiss on Choso’s lips. It started off innocent at first. Quick, subtle pecks before the kiss deepened. Before he pulled you closer, by the way, to taste more of you eagerly. Just as his strong arms brought you closer, you could feel his cock poking at your plush brown thighs—rubbing against you for some form of friction that caused Choso to let out a breathy sigh in between breaks of the kiss. Your hand climbed in between the two of you to rub at his hardened cock through the gray fabric of his shorts. 

“Shit,” Choso’s head fell back on the pillow after biting at your full plump bottom lip. 

The heated makeout session lasted until the two of you were breathless, and your mouth was wrapped around his cock until he began to feel your pussy around him. You tore each other's clothes off until they decorated the wooden floors. The taste of Choso stained your tongue, and you felt like you were intoxicated. Not due to the alcohol you consumed the previous night but to Choso’s actions. He kissed your neck and collarbone with his body on top of yours. The kisses on your golden skin made you whimper out for more, and for you to grow wet. His teeth bite down, and the gasp that you let out causes all the blood to rush to his cock. Choso’s fingertips tip toed in between your bodies to cling onto the fabric that was in between his callous fingers from indulging in toying with your clit. 

His plush lips kissed your lips, and in between the heated kiss that was causing Choso, he could only say. “Tell me what you want, Y/N.”

When you made eye contact with Choso, you felt so soft inside. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as you stared up at Choso. You lean up to kiss his lips, but he pulls back. “Tell me what you want,” He’s dipping down to kiss upon the bite mark he left on your flesh. “Use your words.” 

“I want you.” 

Those were the words Choso wanted to hear. In just a quick and eager motion, he’s pulling your panties down. Like a hormonal teenager, he’s letting his hardened, clothed cock rub against your wet folds teasingly. Your juices staining the cotton fabric of his grey-colored Calvin Klein briefs. You wouldn’t believe labeling him as a tease, but he drove you insane. How can he make you confess that you wanted him and edge you on until you can feel your own essence staining the inside of your thighs? 

He kisses you lightly, but it feels heavy and rough because it takes your breath away. His right hand tugged down his boxers fully, and you couldn’t help but feel your heartbeat increase at the weight of his cock on your abdomen. He hawks some spit in his hand to coat his cock in it, wanting to make this experience pleasurable and comfortable for you. With his fingers intertwined with yours, he’s sliding inside you. Choso felt how tightly you gripped at his hards, with your eyes squinted shut, getting used to his large size. 

“I’m sorry.” He’s repeatedly saying as he’s peppering your face with subtle kisses. His cock rested inside you until you finally opened your eyes. 

The once intense feeling of his cock stretching you out was replaced with the satisfying feeling of wanting more. Choso didn’t need to hear your voice to begin moving. His hips rotate forward into the cushion of your spread thighs. It was quite a sight to see how your pussy was swallowing his cock with each thrust forward or roll of Choso’s hips. However, the half-curse-half-human couldn’t think straight with how your moans echoed in his ear. They sounded so sweet, so wonderful. One of the most beautiful things he has heard after that band Tame Impala. His callous hands, you were sure had many sins imprinted on them, push your thighs apart just to tug his cock out of you.

“You’re going to make me come, fuck.” He said breathlessly. 

Even with his comment, he still pushed himself fully inside of you again. Surrendering in wanting you to feel full once more. The sound of his headboard smacked against the wall, and Choso was so grateful that you were his neighbor because any other person would have been knocking on his door for him to keep it down. 

You never really thought that this would happen. That you and he would cross such a line to express how you felt for each other. But you weren’t complaining; you enjoyed the way Choso’s hand grasped at every part of your body. You enjoyed the way his face was red as ever due to a mixture of the feeling of his cock being balls deep inside of you and exhaustion. Or how he let his fingers rub at your clit to send the most dangerous electric shock down your spine. 

“I’m about to come.” Your words tumbled out like a broken record. 

Before capturing your lips onto his—Choso says, “That’s what I want.” 

And with those words cursing your lips, you felt like you were on cloud nine. The enthusiastic feeling felt like you were tugging a rubberband back and letting it snap back into its rightful shape. The lower half of your body felt like it went through a slight shock as Choso fucked you through your orgasm. In your mind, you were screaming for him to just come inside you. But you knew that could have just been the bliss of the moment. As if he read your mind, he’s pulling just as his face scrunched up in pleasure. His cock twitches in anticipation as thick ropes of cum begin oozing out, decorating your tummy. The only thing you could do was admire the sight of Choso coming down from the fleeting feeling of busting a nut. 

Just like that, your relationship with Choso blossomed when his body collapsed next to yours, and the only thing that you could hear was your loud thoughts about a mere promise you made two years ago. But you knew that the only thing that mattered right now was the fact that Choso was happy. 

The autumn leaves crunched under your shoes as you walked around the cemetery. You grew accustomed to visiting here once every month since you managed to start the progress of that promise you made to him. When you finally found the tombstone you were looking for, you could tell that someone had stopped by possibly a day before you. Bright red tulips were next to his picture to replace the ones you put out a week ago. Placing the flowers down before kneeling to pay your respect, you smiled brightly before speaking. Quite odd to be talking to a tombstone, but you were sure he could hear you somewhere. 

You placed the flowers on the grave as you kneeled to show your respect. You smiled brightly before speaking to the tombstone that sat in front of you. It was wonderful to see that the gifts and flowers that were around still looked fresh. You assumed someone else most likely was here before you. 

“Hey, Itadori, it’s me. Y/N. I just wanted to update you on the promise I made to you.” You let out a sigh, realizing that you had lied to Choso.

You fed him some story about moving here to Japan after exploring the world, despite you technically already being familiarized with Japan. You’ve witnessed it all before deciding to leave the sorcerer world behind for good. Granted, it sat heavy in your heart, and you felt like a coward not helping in the gruesome war of taking down Kenjaku and Sukuna. But you had to put yourself first, which you wanted many of your friends to do. 

“Choso is doing well, just like you said he would. He’s okay, and he’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about him, Itadori. He’s adjusted to the human world quite well. He no longer feels like a curse but a human. ” 

​━━ ♡ ​TAGS // @maydayaisha @eiflawriting @violxtbxbyy @shirohyorin @kama-star @maxi8898 @calandra24 @tashniko @certifiedlovergir1 @alekstraszas @soumies @thismf7 @shyartnerd564 @longloes @succubusonthedoorstep @stunnababyyabyyy @comatosebunny09 @si00p

[helyiios]

I had a dream once that the IMF boys had a tiktok and did the classic tiktok things mid-missions and stuff and I NEED to know you opinion on what their account would be like

Ok so replying to this again. I think Benji Jane and Will are the most online (and let’s indulge and say that it doesn’t cause conflit of interest with the fact they’re secret agents lol)

Benji’s the most popular (2.3M followers) and he posts the randomest most funniest shit on the PLANET. He hardlaunches Ethan with the out of my league trend (13M) despite NEVER mentioning being in a relationship before. He regularly forces Luther and Ethan to do trends w the rest of Hunt’s team, like I can’t find ayesha cuz she’s probably sucking dick/bitch pick up your goddamn phone you’re gonna make me sick where they all are on it w really cool transitions. He likes to talk abt SW or ST or DW a lot and one of his most liked videos (and how some people discovered him) is him replying to a comment that’s like “what’s knotting” and he just stares into the cam while putting one a red nose to a circus music. He posts himself and Ilsa while they’re dressed up for the opera on a mission with like the song fashion in the background and everyone goes crazy. He posts a vid where it’s him and Ethan looking at each other with the baby I’m yours song and it gets like 20M views. He does a transition from him at the gym to him in evening clothes he had to wear for a mission to everyday I spend my time drinking wine feeling fine and he doesn’t EVEN mean to do it as a thirst trap but that’s how it’s received and people are like oh my god…benji. Similarly he makes a post where he details his tattoos (after being asked a buncha times) and he’s shirtless, and everyone’s losing their minds because they’re like YOU HAVE A SIX PACKS? He and Jane post a short dancing vid to cmon let’s get it started lemme see you move your body and it goes goes viral bcs that’s when their respective followers find out they’re friends. He makes a photo post that’s like we’ll be a fine line we’ll be alright with a pic of the first hunts team mission w their latest one, and people ask him if he likes Harry styles and he just goes “who❤️” He does the pabrobui mwah mwah trend w Ilsa while they’re ALSO in a mission in Poland and they’re dressed in very warm clothes and everyone’s like oh my god…I’ve seen two pretty best friends. I genuinely think he’s got a few moves in him so there’s one of his most liked vids where he’s filming himself cooking in his kitchen where he’s barely dancing to busy earnin’ and the vibes are IMMACULATE. He 100% did the ceilings and you with the dark curls you with the watercolour eyes trends. He ALSO forced the entire team to do the benjamin’s deli trend (dancing slowly in the light vs throwing moves in the dark while people put on their phones’ light). He also posts himself during a training sesh to bts’ steve aoki remix mic drop and people are like YOU FUCKING KNOW BTS? and he just goes stan jin👍 he’s also a skilled violin and piano player so sometimes he posts himself playing.

Jane’s account is at 700k and one of her most liked vids is with Ilsa where they’re lipsynching the pam and i feed off each other’s energy. I tease her, she teases me (…) and that’s when people start to get that they’re all mates. She does the bitch you know I’m sexy trend with Will and Benji. She forces Ethan (he lost a dare) to do the you carry yourself with the confidence of a…much taller man trend. She soft launches Ilsa w a video of “24H in my life” (while she’s on break) where you can see glimpse of her gf and her followers go insane trying to figure out who it is. She posts herself and benji where benji’s tied to a repelling cable on a high building and she’s zooming in on him w the never back down never what/never give up audio in the background and people are like what the fuck r y’all doing??? She also is a great dancer so she regularly posts herself to the latest dance trend (she KILLED Angel in Tibet and Back on 74.) Both she and Benji did the okokokok lalala trend w their respective partners. (ilsa’s ok janes lala and ethans lala while benjis okokok)

Brandt (560k) is fucking hysterical bcs you’d think he doesn’t know what fun is and is so serious about literally everything and well. you’d be kind of right. He mostly post himself at the gym and people ask him a lot abt his supplements and his program, things to which is gracefully replies. His most liked video is SO Brandt coded because it’s just him crossed armed at his desk looking into the cam with like, company in the background, which technically qualifies as a thirst trap and everyone’s so confused because they’re like oh my god…I think I’m attracted to office workers. He also posts a lot of him sparring, sometimes w Benji or Jane or Ethan or Ilsa and people go kind of insane about those. He never gets Hunley on cam but once he replies to a comment that’s like “are you free tonight” and he just stares into the cam and pulls hunley’s left hand w the wedding band on it with the audio IM MARRIED in the background. THATS where his followers find out he’s gay and they’re like A WIN FOR THE COMMUNITY. Just like benji he can play the guitar, so sometimes he posts vids of himself playing, either of requested songs or some he likes.

[andmaybegayer]

Project “Let’s watch every single Fast & Furious movie”

The series is still finding its feet and not entirely sure what it wants to be. It has however decided that this one should contain a truly incredible amount of homoerotic subtext.

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

We check back in with Brian, who is street racing for a living in Miami now that he is no longer a cop. Ludacris, is here, for some reason. The FBI show up and put our boy over a barrel until he helps them investigate another crime ring, with his car.

The cinematography and general visual language is much more mature, they've figured out how to shoot cars driving and in particular races in a way that better conveys relative position, advantage, and speed. No more undercranked footage, much more medium to wide shots of cars weaving past each other, as well as some complicated composited motion shots.

If you look for this movie on Tumblr you mostly find gifs of Devon Aoki in her girlboss pink Honda S2000. And yeah, I get it, this look kicks ass. The leather skirt and thigh highs with garters or whatever that is really screams 2003.

Right, the plot. Even more so than last time, the core plot is extremely mid. Brian is over a barrel, and needs to help the FBI investigate a drug lord, in exchange for them forgetting about him. He doesn't trust a cop to partner with him so he gets them to offer a deal to his old boyfriend Roman, with whom he had a falling out many years ago. The two of them go undercover smuggling money for the drug lord and eventually work through their differences and get the guy. Big whoop.

Far more interesting is how the interpersonal relationship of Brian and Roman is handled. These two feel like a couple who dated all through high school and broke up over a nasty disagreement when they were 19 and never really got over each other. The first time they meet they physically throw down and it looks like this.

Just straight guy things. I made a crack about 2 bi 2 curious in the last post and I was like "someone has to have made this joke before" and a) not really it looks like only a couple tweets but b) it led me to this short video essay on a bisexual reading of 2 Fast 2 Furious. I don't agree with all its finer points and I think the author completely misread some sections of the movie but you'll find far more agreement than disagreement from me with this one.

Carrying on, there's a lot of the awkward "I want to trust you, and I know I should be able to trust you, but I don't trust you" between these two. It's great, if you want to watch two very pretty guys go insane over each other for an hour and a half, this is a movie for you. I'm going to reiterate a lot of what's said in this video because it's all very obvious.

Before we continue, I need to note that what you don't see, oddly, is really any kind of coherent heterosexual romantic subplot. Like, there's one there, they do parts of it, but it's almost homeopathic. It's purely there to check the box. Monica is an undercover cop who's been with the drug lord for like a year and, in theory, Brian is attracted to her. There's discussion of this, he checks her out, they make bedroom eyes at each other, the drug lord gets jealous, it's a whole thing, but mostly you see that Roman is worried that Brian is going to do something stupid because he's attracted to her.

In the above video the author misinterprets one scene as Brian sleeping with Monica but they do not actually fuck! She shows up in the early morning to tell Brian that he's going to be betrayed but they do not, in fact, fuck! This is important to me because man, there's so little of that subplot going on. This subplot barely develops at all, they don't talk to each other much, and when they do it's only the barest flirting.

At one point Brian does a driving stunt to impress Monica and when he's done, Roman pulls up and goes "oh, he did that stunt? He learned that one from me." which. Come on there's no way to read that that doesn't at least suggest that maybe Roman did it to hit on Brian when they were younger.

Speaking of car stunts, those are used to convey character a lot better in this movie. Dishonorable side characters drive in annoying ways in races to make themselves hard to pass, Brian and Roman do a whole elaborate game of one-upsmanship during their driving audition for the drug lord, and a doubles drag race with high stakes serves as a major bonding moment where they learn to trust each other. There's much, much less plot and character going on explicitly but I think the photography and the storytelling are working together more closely in this movie.

The movie seems to care less about the cars themselves though. The Lancer and Eclipse they drive for much of the movie are not particularly attractive nor particularly powerful cars, and the Challenger and Camaro they pick up later are more plot device than eye candy, unless you're really into American Muscle I guess. The initial race includes Suki's S2000 and Brian's Skyline that both very quickly end up sidelined, you don't see much of them again. There is much less time spent in garages and at races here, which is part of why the core plot feels like a lot of other action movies where the protagonist is a criminal helping the cops. I wonder if some of this is down to appealing to a wider audience who may just not give a shit about the finer distinctions between the Honda Civic EF and EX hatch.

There's a beautiful sunset scene where Brian and Roman just talk it out for a few minutes and settle their differences, come to terms, and finally trust each other again. I know I'm pretty much only talking about this one relationship but it's pretty much the only part of the movie with any depth, and the other parts only gain value in their proximity to it.

The final sequence is a huge endurance run across Florida that is a lot of fun to watch and includes a very funny scene where they scramble like, a hundred cars as a distraction to throw the police off. If you watch you can see that they really just grabbed whatever cars they could find to pad out the shot, there's like three or four PT Cruisers hidden in here.

The final run is mostly a show of the reformed trust between these two, it's great, it's a decent culmination of what's been building up through the whole show, they get their freedom, together, and resolve to move on together.

The whole movie really hangs on this relationship, it elevates it from a solid 5/10 "absolutely mid action movie" to a 7/10 "compelling characters you will think about later" type deal.

[ransprang]

Yo! I saw your Hajime no Ippo posts and got really excited since almost no one writes it lmao. Do you think you could write somethin about Takamura who's s/o is also a pro boxer who's also kinda wild like he is?Love your work! ✨️

yoo thanks for the support c:

takamura x wild pro boxer s/o

takamura is absolutely not afraid to get into a sparring match with you. he does prefer sparring with aoki and kimura just so he can rough them up a bit, but he likes to challenge you and help you grow

everyone is convinced that you both are crazy from all the punches y'all throw at each other's heads during spars

both you and takamura share an adventurous spirit and go off on adventures around japan to find new techniques and explore the outdoors. this makes genji go nuts when he can't find you both for weeks

extreme sports like snowboarding would interest takamura. he'd be really happy to spend his time with you trying out such sports

within the boxing world, the two of you are seen as a fierce and competitive power couple, so a lot of interviewers flock to get statements from you two. the both of you always give very energetic interviews

when watching the tapes of each other's next opponents you both sit around trash talking them

you both beg genji and yagi to have the both of your matches on the same day so that when y'all win y'all can have a big crazy celebration with loud music and a ton of booze

takamura and you have a mini game where you both try to see who can pull the best pranks on aoki and kimura. this goes on for years where you both try to out-do one another

even though the two of you have wild exteriors, in private you both understand each other's insecurities and fears

n/sfw

takamura slaps your ass when walking past you with zero shame. and you like it.

the amount of pda between you both drives aoki and kimura crazy. they know the two of you basically do soft p*rn like intense making out in front of them to upset them, but also because they know you guys are in love

on the other hand ippo is blushing terribly while itagaki covers ippo's eyes and takes mental notes of what the two of you are doing

sometimes the two of you playfully wrestle on the bed or in the living room to see who's stronger. this eventually gets at least one of you horny and y'all start making out

yours wildly,

admin sar

[best-titan-7274]

I'd love to read some combat action if that's something you want to write! Maybe a small team doing spec ops, maybe a full combined arms assault, either way you know BT and Cooper are gonna do some fastball shenanigans when the opportunity presents itself.

I love that the fandom has apparently collectively agreed that Jack Loves Getting Yeeted (absolutely correct)

When the alarms go off, Jack’s halfway out of bed before he even realises he’s awake. His helmet is on the table by the door and he grabs it in passing. No time to get dressed with a base-wide alert like that deafening him.

The other Pilots are scrambling around him, bouncing off each other like the bumper cars Jack always liked when he was a kid. It’s more jarring now, but the flow evens out as they near the hangar. They know what they’re doing, it just takes a minute, sometimes, for them to get there.

All their Titans are already on the move, spreading out through the hangar, waiting for their Pilots to embark. Someone even uses their jump kit to get to their Titan first, eager to be out the door.

Jack takes it a little easier, because everyone remembers that time Wilson tripped and broke his nose before he ever saw battle.

Everyone gets in their Titans with no problems, and Jack is relieved that BT starts dampening the noise the second the cockpit closes around him. This is familiar to him, at least, even if the alarm isn’t the kind that any of them hear very often.

“Cooper, Alexander, Aoki, Castañeda, head west.”

“Yes, sir,” they say in almost-unison, three other Titans turning to follow BT out of the hangar.

He’s worked with Alexander before. The other two are strangers, but he knows Aoki is desperate to prove herself since she’s the newest Pilot and one of the youngest. He trusts her, though, because she wouldn’t be here if SRS command thought she wasn’t capable.

“There are enemies inbound. Approximately three minutes and seventeen seconds to contact. Six moving objects.”

Well, those odds aren’t great. All six of them can’t be enemy Titans, right?

“Anyone else got a better idea of what’s out there?” Jack asks.

There’s a private communication network between them, proximity-based and code-locked. They can say whatever they want without being overheard.

“Got it,” Alexander says a minute later. “Three Titans, three vehicles. Could be some ground troops but we’re not picking it up. We got a plan?”

“I have an idea, but BT’s not going to like it.”

“I do not like many of your so-called plans,” BT confirms.

Harsh, but Jack is well aware that BT thinks he’s a bit of an idiot sometimes. Maybe if he stopped throwing himself into danger, or eating snack cakes past their best-by date, but life is about the danger! And mild food poisoning.

“I need you guys to give cover fire with BT and then hold on my signal.”

“Would you like to provide more information?” BT asks.

“Nope, we’re good.”

And he got shot a little bit, the last time he said that, but shit happens. And it barely even scarred, so he feels like it wasn’t actually that bad.

The Titans spread evenly, BT second from the left. It’s barely light enough to see out, and as they race along, he’s pretty sure he gets another great idea. One that BT doesn’t disagree with him on, so that’s a great start!

One of the enemy Titans opens fire, and the four of them target their fire on the unfortunate idiot that made a spectacle of themself. The Titan starts sparking and stuttering almost immediately, and by the time the other Titan brings its guns to play, it’s too late.

At least until a tank round blows an arm off Alexander’s Titan, and some very creative swearing crashes through BT’s speakers.

“Cover fire stops now!” Jack barks, and steps forward.

There’s something about disembarking at speed that feels like getting flung off a moving vehicle and down a cliff, or something like that, but it’s very chaotic and a part of Jack is always very relieved when BT catches him.

BT launches him forward, and he uses the jump kit to get higher as he gets closer, out of the line of fire of the small guns mounted on the front of the vehicles. He can’t tell what they are, exactly, in the predawn light. But he saw that they’re stuck in one place and move side to side, not up and down.

If he gets above the bullets, he has nothing to worry about.

Theoretically.

BT had a lot of opinions about that part.

He drops straight down on top of one of the cars, grabbing one of the bars bolted along the top and swinging feet-first through the driver’s side window. He pushes off something inside – the driver’s chest, he thinks – and tosses a grenade as a goodbye ‘fuck you’. The jump kit gets him away from the explosion, but the driver next to him is aware of what just happened, because they pull a pistol on him.

He jumps, and trusts BT to be there to catch him.

He is, and so are the other two uninjured Titans on either side of him. Alexander’s hanging back, supporting them with cover fire, but careful not to pick too many battles. Even though Alexander’s built like a brick wall, he’s brain over brawns, and he’ll make sure not to shoot them in the back.

BT cups his hand around Jack, protecting him from a burst of incoming fire, and then he’s back in the pilot’s seat and ready to kick some ass.

His Titan is ahead of him, already shooting at one of the remaining Titans that’s closing at a run, trying to capitalise on the vulnerability of a Pilot not yet embarked. They’re a little too late or that, but there’s nowhere for them to run, so they keep charging.

Brave, Jack has to admit, before their bots crash together. The other Titan is bigger and heavier than them, but that just means that BT has the advantage of being faster on the ground.

And, unlike anyone else in this fight, he has Jack.

“Relinquishing control to Titan,” Jack says, and sits back with his hands off the controls. BT can process these kinds of things way faster than he can, and in a fight against an objectively better opponent, Jack might be a liability.

Besides, BT’s new and improved form comes with seatbelts. He doesn’t use them often, because disembarking at a moment’s notice can turn the tide of a fight, but he’ll need them now if BT wants to do some kind of crazy move.

BT does, and Jack is really going to have to talk to him about whatever kind of flippy gymnast yoga shit just went down, but in the meantime–

“Aoki, get those other two cars out of play,” Jack barks as BT gives him controls back, and he and Castañeda turn as one to face the last remaining Titan.

Jack tries to say he’s not a glory hound or anything, but he does kind of like that he’s going to add one more to his body count on this mission. They’re a crack team, him and BT, and he likes proving that over and over again, even if there’s no dispute about it.

Still, slamming your way through battle to indiscriminately kill everything is a great way to injure allies and get people pissed off at you. So he lets his teammate take the shot, and Castañeda rocks it, just like Jack expects of him.

“Hey, Command!” Aoki says cheerfully. “We smoked ‘em! Want us to bring you back a present? Bet we could pull something off these Titans’ data cores.”

Command’s reply comes quickly.

“Retrieve enemy data cores and helmets. Do not engage survivors if avoidable.”

“Toss me,” Jack says eagerly, already half out of his seat.

He can hear the disapproval in BT’s silence, but the cockpit opens up, and BT’s hand is resting just underneath.

BT flings him forward again, a little more gently this time. Jack lands on top of one of the downed Titans, and crouches to try to pull the door open. Success! And the Pilot was killed alongside their Titan, so there’s nobody to shoot at him. He hates when people shoot at him.

“Core and helmet secured from Titan one,” he reports. He takes a running jump back to BT, who catches him easily and deposits him back in the cockpit. He can let the others get the rest of what they’re after.

The other Titans’ cockpits are open, Pilots chit-chatting and occasionally waving away wisps of smoke from the trashed vehicles. The other teams have reported back their own successes already, so it’s not like Jack’s team is slacking.

“Anyone feel like pizza when we get back home?” Castañeda asks, slouched comfortably, the ubiquitous cowboy hat pulled down over his eyes. Until he spoke up, Jack kind of thought he was napping, but apparently that’s not the case.

“I’m always ready to eat,” Alexander agrees, and Aoki looks like she’s thinking about agreeing.

The best they can do now, in the field, is reheated and prepackaged food, but they’re all used to that, so he doesn’t think they’ll complain too much.

“BT, we ready to go back to base?” he asks.

“All clear.”

“Let’s go, team,” Jack calls, and they start making their way back to the closest thing to home that they have.

[freebooter4ever]

So you guys know i (try to) post daily doodles, and i have said before that i draw for about 2-3 hrs every night. BUT that also means i dont post about like 80-90% of the drawings i do each night. Today though, i've been thinking about A*I and my own relationship with drawing, and how utterly baffled i am that anyone would want to use it to like...draw for them..and how the concept that *tell a computer what art to do so i dont have to do it* is alien to me. So here's ALL the drawings i did tonight. The bottom one is the last one i did and the one i would normally post. And i want to talk about A*I without talking about good or bad end product. Because i dont care if im making the shittiest art in the universe - i still wouldn't use A*I. Not even as a ‘tool’.

If you've been around here for a while you know i have a love/hate relationship with my art. I write too, but writing doesnt make me so frustrated and angry that i want to throw my computer out a second story window. HOWEVER. There is a huge caveat to that anger.

It happens after.

You could look at it a little like hockey. Every game is fresh, right? I mean god knows the US made an entire movie about how every game is a new game and the odds could always fall in your favor no matter how stacked against you. So every drawing i go into it excited - like LOOK at that reference material, its gorgeous. The gesture is beautiful, the post is interesting, there is something about it that is just begging to be drawn. But then say you hit intermission in the hockey game and the opposing team scored a few points. And i step back and look at the drawing and realize i started to go wrong somewhere along the way. But its too late now, you gotta commit and keep going. And you do but somehow the final score is STILL 6 to 0 and thats when i want to flush all my art down the toilet and never look at it again. But its okay because the next drawing is going to start with a blank canvas and who cares what happened last time.

Ok maybe a bad example.

The product is never really what drives me to draw - i mean, sure i do like it a heck of a lot better when i have something /anything/ that i can post to show that im sticking with my everyday doodle. But its not a requirement to doodling. The process of drawing is always fun. Its when i come out of it and look at the stupid thing that im like ‘well fuck i fucked that one up again didnt i’, and THEN i get annoyed lol.

I dont sit there consumed with frustration over ‘gee i dont know what to draw’. This is never an issue. I HAVE TOO MUCH TO DRAW. Sometimes i avoid certain gifs/photos because in the back of my mind im like ‘yeah no, i havent leveled up that far yet, i cant do that justice’. But i dont want to admit the sheer number of images of geno alone i have saved. I think my biggest reference folder is still aoki and that has over two thousand screenshots - i dont think anyone will ever surpass that LOL. I have a never ending supply of practice art to be done.

The frustration comes when i have an image in my head and i want to get it down on paper so-to-speak (computer whatever). So - when im NOT using reference (or at least not an exact one) and am making an ‘illustration’ (ish). But again, the process isn't the issue. I like the act of drawing, i like the image in my head slowly taking shape, i like how vividly i can see it. Yall know how obsessed i am with personality - that's not just part of the drawing, that IS the drawing. And each deicision in the illustration is defined by the personality/character.

A computer can't fucking do this.

Could i maybe tell a computer ‘draw geno in the shower’. Sure. And it probably could. And if i didnt care about the process - if all i wanted was a very good drawing of geno in the shower....that probably would be fine. Maybe great even. Maybe it would be the best damn drawing of geno in the shower ever. And then i'd feel like shit because a machine is producing art that is more valuable to other people than mine ever will be. But holy fucking shit that ruins the entire POINT of drawing???? Why would you do that?

I mean, im sure yall can infer the entire point of the act of drawing geno in the shower. He's hot, he's wet. ANYWAY.

In my opinion, a person who wants the end product and doesn't care about the process of getting there....that person is not an artist. That person is someone who enjoys art, and probably thinks they have a lot of good ideas to make into art, but who doesn't feel that pull to make art themselves. They just want to buy art. And they want it cheap. And mindless computers being trained in seconds on the decades of creativity and hard work of art masters is a heck of a lot cheaper than a human.

And the hardest part of all this for me is how worthless this makes me feel - nobody wants you, they want that automatic button. Kinda like my dad that way (haha)

[dream-thief-forever-amen]

10 BL BOYS I WILL THROW HANDS FOR

got tagged by @scarefox

So these are the dudes I would hurt myself or someone else for… or possibly hurt them… I dunno my brain is wonky. Let’s go!

1. Tantai Jin - Till the End of the Moon

New current obsession and it wouldn’t be fair not to put him on the top of the list as he is the most evil elegant sub on the planet. Honorary BL beauty.

2. Sota Aoki (& Mio Hashimoto) - My Love Mix Up

I adore this duo and would do anything to infiltrate their inner circle. Their sincerity is sickening to me and I love them for it.

3. Boston - Only Friends

I will defend a horny disaster always. Careless, callous, clueless. Yup. Come unto me all you angry young gays with pyromania lifestyles, I got yer back, babies. I am so familiar with this type of guy I already have all my “yeah but he’s just…” excuses well rehearsed.

4. Hira and Kiyoi - My Beautiful Man

Same as Scarefox on this one. They are the perfect BL couple and no one will ever compare. If you get it you get it.

5. Katori - Takara-kun & Amagi-kun

My bystander baby! He is my inner sweater vested busy body advice giving asexual soul.

6. Sky - Second Chance

My sweetest little meow meow and his big love for his tall man. Argh… I adored him. I would walk on glass to see him happy.

7. Teh - I Told Sunset About You

I forever sympathize with people who figure out their feelings too late. They wreck your world while you’re with them, they wreck your world when you leave them, they wreck your world when they come back. But they’re just forces of nature that have chosen you… who are you to question the mysterious forces of the universe? There’s no order in this world, that’s just a lie your friends tell you from their safe boring relationships. They’ve never been loved by a hurricane. They don’t know.

8. Bai Lou Yin & Gu Hai - Addicted

The two most stubborn boys in the world managed to find each other… I mean… their love story was so intoxicating it required government intervention.

9. Milk - Coco Milk Shake

My hissy prissy little minx. He can knock all the glasses off the table, I will defend him or possibly join him in sulking.

10. Gao Shide - We Best Love 1 & 2

Unstoppable devotion is hypnotizing to me - and no one - and I mean no one - pines and happily suffers for love more than this guy.

Tagging @saturnskyline @fluidsoul31 @queersouthasian @vegasandhishedgehog

If you wanna play feel free.

[aheckinmess]

Movie Magic [Aizawa] (Fluff)

(One-Shot 9/? in a collection of My Hero Academia one-shots posted regularly on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays.)

Read on AO3.

Tags: Aizawa x OC, Pro Hero Eraserhead x OC, Shouta Aizawa, Original Female Character, Ichijiku Aoki, Aizawa Fluff, Protective Shouta Aizawa, Tired Shouta Aizawa, Aizawa is Good at Feelings, Aizawa is a Good Significant Other, Movie Nights are the Best Nights, OC is an Empath, Aizawa is a Logic Boy, Let's See What Happens

Word Count: 1,052 words

Summary: Ichijiku has a domestic night in with Shouta watching a movie. It results in tears and comfort, as well as a few surprises.

Ichijiku (Tigress)

Soft, serious music echoes through the house as Shouta and I curl up on the couch. I absently throw a handful of popcorn in my mouth every few minutes, invested in the fate of my fictional friends. I don’t even realize I’ve involuntarily tucked my cold feet between Shouta’s bare calves.

“Gah! What are you doing?”

“...my feet are cold.”

“Those are your feet?” He chuckles and lifts the covers, tossing some more over us to make sure I’m thoroughly covered. “I thought those were ice cubes. Why didn’t you say something? I can turn the heat up.”

“No! I want you to stay here.” I pout, before giggling when he snuggles closer. “Thank you, love.”

He swipes a piece of popcorn from my bowl and I stick out my tongue at him, before tilting it back to him.

“You want some more?”

“Hm? Oh, no. I just took a piece as payment for my service acting as a space heater.” He teases, kissing my cheek and rubbing his thumb over my side.

We’re both distracted as the music on screen turns intense and dramatic. My chewing stops as I hone in on the dramatic fight between my favorite character and the antagonist. I exhale deeply when the worst seems over and my character makes it out mostly unscathed.

I set my popcorn bowl aside when another wave of fighting ensues, and I grip Shouta’s hand, my heart thumping fearfully in my chest as I fear for the worst. The movie’s almost over. No. It’s closing in on the end and he’s outnumbered. He can’t die!

When I see his best friend pop up on the screen I know it’s over. My tears start their descent. No, he’s going to sacrifice himself! Stop! He shoves his sword into the spaceship to send him and the remaining aliens up into the atmosphere, leaving his friend safe and unmarred.

His eyes close and the camera pans out in slow motion as bright light turns the screen white. When it fades to black, the next scene shows us a group in black gathered around a grave.

“NO!” I cry. “That’s not fair!”

Shouta pulls me close to him while I watch the funeral through blurry tears. I hug his side tightly and I whimper softly until the credits roll. Only then do I tuck my face in his chest and wail out my sorrow. Shouta’s chest shudders through his own emotions, but even when it eventually ceases I’m still crying.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Kitten.” He coos, coaxing my head up to run his fingers through the sides of my hair.

I sniffle through my clogged nose and try to get quieter. It results in a trembling of my chest.

“I’m sorry…” I cough. “I’m sorry for being too emotional.”

“That’s not anything to be sorry for. You impress and inspire me every day with just how compassionate your heart is.” He caresses my cheek, his brown eyes rimmed red. “He was your comfort character. I’m not surprised his death hit so hard.”

“I was hoping that of all the characters he would be the one to survive!” I whine. “There were thirty other main characters to choose from!”

“I know, Kitten.” He frowns. “I understand more than you know.”

“I know, Shouta-kun.” I kiss his cheek, knowing exactly who he’s referring to. “Will you hold me for a bit?”

“I’ve been holding you,” He jokes to lighten the mood. It sounds more amusing because of his dry tone.

After a cool down and some much needed cuddles, I sigh into his neck and start moving off of him. I grab my popcorn bowl to take to the kitchen and tug Shouta’s hand to signal him to follow.

“Do you want me to make some kake udon for dinner?” I call, dumping the popcorn kernels and setting the bowl in the sink.

“You don’t have to. We had popcorn and snacks for the movie. I know making the dashi takes a bit.” He hugs me from behind and kisses my cheek. “I’ll be right back. Bathroom.”

“I’ll make some. I’m feeling a bit peckish and it’ll mean you have something for lunch tomorrow.” I decide, warming under his attention. When he heads to the back, I start preparing the dashi.

It’s only been cooking for a few minutes when I hear his footsteps down the hall. I turn to the sink to wash out my bowl while I wait for the kombu to boil. When his footsteps reach me, I turn around.

“Do you want–oh my gosh, what are you doing?” I gasp, taking a step back when I see him on his knee.

The world seems frozen in time as he smiles and pulls out a small box. He pulls open the top to reveal a simple but stunning diamond ring, just my style. I cover my mouth as my eyes widen.

“Ichijiku, you know…I wasn’t planning on asking you, but I’ve come to realize life is short. I wanted to make this moment more surreal to match your ethereal beauty in all ways, but I can’t wait anymore. We’re both heroes, we never know when we’ll breathe our last. So, Ichijiku Aoki…” He takes a deep breath with glistening vulnerable eyes. “Will you marry me?”

I forget to breathe. Carefully, I kneel down and pull him in my arms, squeezing him as tightly as I dare.

“Yes.” I breathe. “Yes, Shouta, of course I’ll marry you.”

His heavy breath rattles through both of us as he sighs in relief, arms tightening around me.

“I’m so glad.”

When we pull back, he slides the ring on my finger and I stare at it in awe. I cup his face in my hands and kiss him. We gaze at each other, smiles painting a glow around us as the world falls away. Shouta and I are all that exists.

At least until a hissing sound reminds me that my kombu is boiling over.

“Ah! The dashi!” I screech, pulling back and heading over to turn down the heat and add katsuobushi.

Shouta laughs and gets back on his feet to return to my side. He rests his head on my shoulder.

“Ichijiku Aizawa has a nice ring to it.” He hums.

“It does.”

[overdevelopedglasses]

Tojoctober Day 28 - Inferno

(You can take all you want, but not who I am)

Alt title is from “The Darker the Weather//The Better the Man” by MISSIO

Ryo Aoki confronts his Tojo contact one last time. His goal: get them to sell out the Tojo.

(Like A Dragon spoilers, mainly about Aoki)

—------------------------------

The streets of Kamurocho are loud as always, as I discreetly walk into alleyway after alleyway. The local thugs take one look at me and think twice, as I'm never bothered on these strolls, unlike many other pedestrians I see. Even through my disguise, people recognize I walk with power.

That's what happens when you're the governor of Tokyo.

I round the corner onto Pink Alley, and spot a very familiar man, smoking a cigarette and leaning against the alley wall.

One of the few men left in this city that makes my stomach drop.

But these are the obstacles I have to overcome in order to achieve complete control.

I run a hand through my hair, adjust my glasses, and step slightly louder than usual, drawing the attention of my father.

"Governor." He bows, and the pit in my stomach lessens slightly. He puts his cigarette out on one of the community ashtrays.

"Arakawa-san." I bow in return. "This is your choice of establishment?"

"It's out of the way, perfect for an incognito governor and a yakuza patriarch." 

"Very well."

My father opens the door to the establishment, and holds it open. As I walk through, I grip the door and push it slightly more open, giving him a bit of a glare as I pass. 

I focus my attention on the interior of the restaurant proper, and look around. I feel my father step up to my side. 

"Just pick a booth. I'll worry about the food." He walks past me and up to the counter. He gives what I assume is a friendly wave to the chef, who enthusiastically greets him.

I slide into a booth that's in the corner, away from all of the other patrons. With a quick glance, it's obvious that no one is paying me any mind, let alone recognizing me.

Pays not to wear a suit sometimes.

My father takes the seat across from me after a few seconds, throwing another smile my way.

“I remembered your ramen order. Extra broth and noodles, right?"

“That wasn’t necessary," I bite back. I've always hated being doted on. 

Too bad that's the love language of half the damn country.

The ramen arrives a minute later, the steam from the broth fogging up my glasses in a snap. I take them off, wiping them absent-mindedly on my sweater.

“How are you handling everything with AD-9?" Arawaka asks, putting something in his mouth after finishing his sentence, I can't tell exactly what.

I put my glasses on my face, the details of the world coming back into view. 

“That's not my direct jurisdiction," I remind him, "but from the looks of everything, it's being handled smoothly. We're already deep in the process of choosing another Vice Minister of Health." 

I stab a piece of pork with a chopstick. “But enough of idle chit-chat. You know why I asked for you, father." I lower my voice, as to not alert the restaurant to my dead identity.

Arakawa sighs, putting noodles into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before responding.

“Masato… how confident are you in your plan?" he asks. I scoff at his inquiry.

“Immensely. It's going to change Kamurocho, no, Tokyo, for the better. The people will be safer, and have me to thank for it.” I put the piece of pork I stabbed into my mouth, along with some noodles. At least the food is good.

“You’re confident enough that you think you’ll wipe us all out? People who have cared for you since you were a child?”

“Why does that matter? You’re living in the gray anyway. I’d much rather you finally pick a side to be on.” I narrow my eyebrows at him, and eat some more of my ramen when he doesn’t respond immediately.

“What about Ichiban?” I hear my father ask.

I swallow the last of my noodles. “He isn’t here.” I retort. Why’s he bringing up that guy?

I see Arakawa’s eyes soften as he finishes drinking his broth, “Yes, he’s not. But are you going to deny him a home once he’s released? After everything he’s done for you?”

“Maybe he can come work for me once he gets out,” I smirk, placing my empty ramen bowl back onto the table. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to not turn away a man of his talent, if he hasn’t wasted away in jail.

“This isn’t a healthy way to pursue power, Masato!” his voice rising slightly at my name.

“Shut up.” I growl. He’s clearly getting senile in his old age.

I watch my father put his face in his hands and sigh deeply.

“As much as I wanted this to be some family bonding time, it seems I was mistaken.”

He sits up, and puts on a smile. Only I can see that it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“I’ll think about your offer, Aoki-san. Expect a word from my men shortly.”

Arakawa puts some money on the table to pay for the meal, and stands up, passing by my seat. I feel him whisper into my ear, and I have to strain slightly to hear what he says. 

“You are about to start an inferno, son. Take care to not get burned.”

I hear his footsteps recede, and I chuckle to myself before standing up, placing money of my own onto the table. Does he know who he's talking to? I'm not a child anymore. I'm a leader of the damn country. 

If I’m really starting an inferno, then so be it. 

At least I'm the one holding the lighter.

[todayisafridaynight]

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases Oct. 3, 2023

Citrus+ vol. 5 by Saburouta

SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS

Thanks to Mei’s help, Yuzu has been studying hard and getting good marks on her mock college entrance exams. While out celebrating, Yuzu bumps into two old friends from junior high, Kana and Manami. When Yuzu tells her old pals about her plans for the future, Kana gets mad that Yuzu has changed so much. Can Yuzu smooth things over with her former besties, or have they grown too far apart?

My Love Mix-Up vol. 9 by Aruko and Wataru Hinekure

*FINAL VOLUME*

Aoki and Ida are hard at work studying so they can go to the same college. They pray for their exams to go well at their first shrine visit of the year, but will their bond hold strong when it’s tested?! Meanwhile, Akkun and Hashimoto have taken different paths, but they still cheer each other on. Graduation is right around the corner!

Pulse vol. 5 by Ratana Satis

GUILTY PLEASURE

After a tumultuous visit with the director, Mel heads home to Lynn, haunted by memories and the guilt they stir up. Will Mel let her regrets about what she did to Sue distract her from the woman she’s with now? Or can Lynn help the heart surgeon work through her complicated past…and maybe blow off some steam in the process?

There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... vol. 3 (manga) by Teren Mikami, Musshu, and Eku Takeshima

TWO’S COMPANY, THREE’S A CROWD

Things between Renako and Mai have just taken a turn for the complicated. After hurting Renako’s feelings, self-flagellating Mai has abandoned all hope of becoming her lover, leaving Renako on a mission to save her from herself. Just what will become of their relationship?! Then, as the pair’s showdown reaches its conclusion, the raven-haired beauty Koto Satsuki throws Renako for a total loop with an unexpected confession of her own!

[iguessitsjustme]

Top 8 characters that brought you joy and the one character the you hated the most (but weren't supposed to)

I love so many characters that have brought me so much joy. Hmmmmm. Doing this from memory so who knows what my brain will come up with.

Daisy - SCOY. I just love her.

2. Hae Bom - Cherry Blossoms After Winter. Precious darling angel baby.

3. Ai/Nhai - Ai Long Nhai. I couldn't choose just one. They are a package deal. I love them. I love their communication. I love that there was no plot and it was just those two loving each other.

4. Shi Lei - Be Loved in House: I Do. I love characters that discover their bisexuality.

5. Da On - Light on Me. He might be my favorite character of all time. I love him dearly. I want nothing but the best for him. I want to give him a thousand hugs and punch his parents.

6. Aoki - Kieta Hatsukoi. Did I mention loving characters discovering they're bi? Bonus points if they're also a disaster.

7. LeoFiat - Don't Say No. Much like Ai and Nhai they cannot be separated. But I love them both dearly. I'm ready to throw hands with everyone who slut shamed Fiat.

8. Wei Wuxian - The Untamed. I mean. Who doesn't love him?

One character I hated the most but I'm not supposed to?

Prapai - Love in the Air. I know I'm in the minority here.

It's a Very BL Chanukah

[brainbuffering]

12 Days of Manga (2022)

Day 2: Top 3 Shojo of the Year

1) My Love Mix-Up by Aruko and Wataru Hinakure from Shojo Beat (T: Jan Cash L: Inori Fukuda Trant E: Nancy Thistlethwaite)

[ID: English Cover for Vol 3 of My Love Mix-Up! The main characters all stare down at the viewer from above. Aoki and Hashimoto are at the front, grinning broadly, Ida and Akkun at the back. Ida has his usual stoic expression, whilst Akkun throws up a peace sign]

“Aoki has a crush on Hashimoto, the girl in the seat next to him in class. But he despairs when he borrows her eraser and sees she's written the name of another boy-- Ida --on it. To make matters more confusing, Ida sees Aoki holding that very eraser and thinks Aoki has a crush on him!

Aoki has a crush on Ida, a boy in his class. Hashimoto's eraser, which caused so much confusion among friends when Aoki borrowed it, is also at fault for making him flunk a quiz! Aoki, Akkun, and Hashimoto meet up at Ida's for a study session where Aoki and Ida talk about what they are to each other-if they can figure it out?!” 

I keep saying how I’m tired of High School Romance, and then I go and put My Love Mix-Up as my Shojo of the year. A series that is perhaps the most High School of High School Romances. I was drawn to the series through a combination of a £10 Waterstones Voucher, and the notion of a proper, actual love triangle that wasn’t just one girl trying to pick between her childhood best friend and an edgy bad boy(TM).

The confusion over the eraser* was an interesting plot device, and it’s been so much fun to see Aoki discover his bisexuality with the help and support of his friends. It would be really great to see them actually use the word “Bisexual” or even just “Gay” but I suppose I can’t have everything. At this point in time, just seeing a Queer Love Story in the pages of a mainstream magazine like Bessatsu Margaret is a joy! It helps place queer love as equal to heterosexual love, allowing teens to see themselves and their stories beyond specalist publications. 

Whilst it was lovely to see how accepting their friends are of their relationship and not have them deal with any homphobic bullying, I think the strongest story so far has been that of Aoki and his Cram School Tutor. So far he had not had to face up against any sort of homophobia, but now he’s had someone he respects become suddenly prejudiced towards him due to his relationship with Ida: something that should have no actual baring on his education, or his relationship with his tutor! Whilst said tutor is called out for his prejudice rather explicitly, I do like that ther were no slurs or out right bullying involved, just a series of assumptions and a change in behaviour that hurt Aoki’s feelings in a meaningful way. It didn’t paint the tutor as an evil villain, but rather someone who had made some mistakes and needed to re-evaulate their position on life, which he does!

This is an important lesson for readers of all sexualtites. Queer readers learn that they don’t have to put up with this kind of behaviour, and that they are justified in their discomfort and anger; meanwhile Straight readers learn what is and isn’t appropriate behaviour. Prejudice is of course something that is ingrained in all of us, and isn’t something that can easily be changed over night. However it is something that needs to be changed! It’s something we should all address within ourselves, and work on so as to make sure we don’t hurt those around us. Because confronting those harmful beliefs is the responsibility of the individual, not that of the oppressed.

The art work isn’t perhaps the greatest as Aruko admits to taking their time to adapt to digital, but it has definetly improved as the series has progressed and is helped imensely by Hinekure’s story telling. I was a little concerned that the series might start to drag on after a while, but hearing that it has ended at nine volumes makes me more confident that this’ll become a classic we’ll still be recomending in years to come.

I hope that these silly kids will get a happy high school ending.

* I’m British, but I’m aware of how Americans work and “confusion over a rubber” would make for a very different kind of story. Please do not write your crush’s name on a condom....

2) Kageki Shojo!! by Kumiko Saiki from SevenSeas (T: Katrina Leonoudakis L: Aila Nagamine E: Shannon Fay)

[ID: English Cover of Vol 5 of Kageki Shojo!! Ai and Sarasa dance ballroom style wearing pink/yellow versions of their school uniforms. Sarasa has a black 1770s European style millitary jacket with gold brocade thrown over her shoulders. The background is bright green with confetti, balloons and stars.]

“The ongoing tale that began with the omnibus release of Kageki Shojo!! The Curtain Rises. Follow the drama on and off the stage with the girls at the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts--and don't miss the anime adaptation!

Ever since she was a little girl, Sarasa has wanted to play the role of Oscar as part of the Kouka Acting Troupe, an all-female acting troupe similar to the Takarazuka Revue. But before she can do that, she has to attend two years at the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. As Sarasa practices singing, dancing, and acting, she grows closer to the other girls in her year, including her roommate, the stoic former J-idol, Ai. Though Sarasa is great at making friends, her outspoken nature and grand ambitions earn her lots of enemies as well. Can Sarasa keep her upbeat attitude and achieve her dream of stardom?”

I originallay picked up this series because I follow the translator on twitter and enjoy her threads on translation theory so was curious to see what a series translted by her would be like. And I haven’t looked back since! 

The artwork is lovely, the stories are heartfelt and true to life. It doesn’t shy away from big topics like eating disorders, PTSD, and anxiety. The girls are all wonderful, but not always nice which is excellent to see! Even bitches like Hijiri are fleshed out and given reasons for you to love them.

Whilst the relationship between Sarasa and Ai leans more towards the classic “open to interpretation” side of things, on the whole the series is very queer inclusive. The very concept of it plays with gender so much, that it even started out as Seinen (manga for men) before transfering over to Shojo (manga for girls)! It says a lot about the series and how the inherent gendering of genres is outdated given how the first volume from its seinen days discussed bulemia in the entertainment industry, whilst the first volume of the shojo days talked about the long lasting pyschological damage the american fire bombing in WW2 did to innocent japanese citizens. Never has a turn page made me cry more than that one....

But High School Shojo is just fluff and nonsense, right? 

As a former theatre kid, it’s also been lots of fun to learn more about the different traditons of Japanese Theatre, with paticular regards to comparing all-female casting and all-male casting. Which is becoming a tragically more relevant discussion given what is happening in the united states at the moment with regards to drag performances. Seriously, who’s going to tell them that the original Juliet was played by a teenage boy? Or do those TERFs simply not care one way or the other about child welfare, and just want to force their backwards beliefs onto everyone else? But I digress.

Within the series there’s an interesting discussion had about the freedom of actors to play the roles they want, and what things might stop them. Some girls dream of playing the beautiful feminime leads but find that biology has made them too tall and broad, others want to play the macho hero but are considered too short and busty. Then there’s other physical limitations to be taken into account. Andou-sensei achieved his dream of playing the Phantom of the Opera, but had his carer then come to an abrupt end because of a sudden injury that lead to a permanent disability. He’s therefore had to find a new way to express himself and share his love for threate, something that took time for him to accept. This felt paticualrly relateable to me, as I’ve also had to adapt to needing to use a walking stick just to walk 20m, where as before I was running up and down a field hockey pitch on the regular!

Then there’s Sarasa who had to give up her dream of performing in Kabuki due to her assigned gender, but whose new goal in life is to play Lady Oscar from Rose of Versailles: a character that is widely considered to be Non-Binary/X-Gendered by today’s standards!

This series teaches us that Gender is a performance, and Sarasa Watanabe is the Top Star.

3) A Sign of Affection by suu Morishita from Kodansha (T: Christine Dasiell L: Carl Vanstiphout and Lys Blakeslee E: Ben Applegate and William Flanagan)

{ID: English Cover of A Sign of Affection Vol 5 by suu Morishita. Itsumi wears a yellow short sleeved paisley button up shirt and gently holds Yuki’s hand. Yuki is laying back on a white sofa, one arm crooked as she looks at the viewer. She’s wearing a matching yellow dress with large puff sleeves and a white hearing aid. They are framed in a circle by red, white and blue poppies.] 

“Yuki is a typical college student in all ways but one: She's hard of hearing. A chance encounter on a train leads to a serious crush...but will he give her a chance? A sweet and relatable manga romance from the creator of Shortcake Cake! Even with a hearing aid, the voices of others are an indistinct blur for Yuki. But she's never let that get in the way of a life arranged around her friends, social media, and cute fashion. She's browsing her phone on train when a tourist asks her for directions, and she's ready to panic...but the handsome Itsuomi steps in to help. It turns out her new crush is a friend of a friend, and Yuki's world starts to widen. But even though Itsuomi-kun can speak three languages, sign language isn't one of them. Can Yuki communicate her budding feelings? From the acclaimed author of Shortcake Cake, the hit shojo series with more than a million copies in print, this new work is sure to please fans of romantic stories like A Silent Voice, Kimi ni Todoke, and Love in Focus!”

The way this series uses lettering to enhance story telling makes me want to run around in circles and scream across the mountains like a cowboy. At some point I am absolutely going to be write a whole post about just the lettering, but for now, just trust me when I say it’s amazing. Heck, the reason I wait for the physical releases rather than reading the Simulpub is so that I can get the higher quality lettering experience!

In terms of the rest of the series though, it’s beautifully illustrated throughout and I love how everyone has such excellent fashion choices! I’m also reading Shortcake cake at the moment, and seeing the development in Morishita’s art and styling decisions really shows how well they understand the art of making comics! Nobody is doing it like them.

I’m always interested in stories featuring disabled protagonists where they’re not given magical cures or solutions to their problems, and seeing such a wonderful romance blossom between Yuki and Itsuomi has been delighful. It’s a series that really focusses on the importance of communication between couples, and how it’s okay to make mistakes but never assumptions.

Whilst I would agree with criticsim that Yuki is perhaps too isolated from the rest of the d/Deaf Community for someone who attended a Deaf School, I will say that she doesn’t feel that different to any other shojo protagonist as a result. She’s a “fish out of water” who, despite being wonderful and kind and inteligent, only seems to have two friends. Whilst that trope is overdone in a lot of Shojo, here it feels earned due to her disability! Or at least based upon some of my personal experiences as a teenager with epilepsy.

As the series has gone on, we have seen her reach out to the rest of the community, and I hope that we continue to see more of that. I find it very reassuring that Morishita credit their sign language consultant/collaborator, Yuki Miyazaki, in every single volume of the manga and promote her personal work on their twitter.

In terms of shojo, I think it’s also just really nice to read about university students rather than high schoolers. Not only does it mean that they’re closer to my age (Okay, Yuki is 19 and I’m 28 but ... still) but it also means they’re able to explore the world a little more, quite literally in Itsuomi’s case. Vol 6 is not yet out in English, but I gather from looking at some of the simulpub previews that their relationship is going to be developing into the more adult sector, both physically and in practicality, which makes me so happy to see! Not just because I myself am a disabled adult who has recently moved out of their parents’ place and look forward to some potentially relateable content, but because it’s so good to just see any disabled protagonist be allowed to be an adult and go through regular adult things!

Whilst I cannot speak for d/Deaf folks, i know from my experience with epilepsy that it can be incredibily isolating no matter how well meaning your ablebodied friends are, and moving from a place where your needs are always met to somewhere new is both frustrating, scary and -- to some extent -- reasuring as you learn what you can and cannot surive. That’s the journey Yuki is on right now, and I would like for the series to perhaps dive more into that element but equally seeing her relationship with Itsoumi develop is so delightfully romantic in a flower petals, stained glass window, Alan Menken Soundtrack kind of a way. It also feels like such a breath of fresh air for a disabled character to be allowed to be seen as desirable without it becoming fetishcistic. 

I don’t think this series is some sort of big revolution in the manga world. I don’t think people will be writing essays about it in the same way they do with Ed’s prosphetics in Full Metal Alchemist, or Clint Barton’s Hearing Loss in the Aja/Fraction/Hollingsworth run. But it’s still an important series that I think people need to pick up, if only for the master class in lettering.

SERIOUSLY.

IT’S SO GOOD

YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!!

THEY USE DIFFERENT SHADES AND TONES AND POSITIONINGS TO DETERMINE WHAT SHE CAN AND CANNOT UNDERSTAND.

YOU GET SUCH A CLEAR IDEA ABOUT WHAT HER LIFE IS LIKE AND THE MISCOMUNICATION TROPE IS SO WELL EARNED HERE. 

[ID: A old white man in a black cowboy hat and suit is superimposed over a desert mountain scape. He is screaming passionately,]

(End Note: Some of my enjoyment from this series also comes from the fact that Itsuomi used to live in Germany the same as me and so speaks in German sometimes, and since I can read German, I get to feel smug and knowledgeable.)

[shadowetienne]

Japanese Nationals, Women’s event, groups 3&4, so many emotions!

This field! This field is so deep, there’s so much going on!

GROUP 3

Yuhana Yokoi (22)

Oh no Yuhana your jumps, where did they go? She seemed happy to be there and performed all through anyhow. Lovely spins for the most part, but the last one was rushed by jump issues.

Rika Kihara (20)

Glad she isn’t pushing the hard content too fast too soon in her injury recovery. Her skating is beautiful, but because of the pared down content, she can’t afford even small jumping errors that were present today. Still great to see her skate, and I hope that the progress she is making elsewhere this season will pay off. I will be interested to see more of what working with Orser does for her.

Yuna Aoki (20)

I love the 3Lz-3Lo combo, and just 3Lo on the end of combos in general, and hers was pretty. I loved her junior days, so it’s lovely to see her here and skating so well. She looked so happy with that, which makes me happy. Lovely program commitment and performance.

Ikura Kushida (15 - Juniors)

Excellent potential from the junior field. Good jumps and skills for where she is, but she’s still definitely working on that musical connection. Excited to see where she is in a few years.

Ami Nakai (14 - Juniors)

She was already one of my favorite juniors this year! What a program that was, everything was there. She had the big elements, but they weren’t just big elements strung together to rack up points. She performed and got all level 4s on her leveled elements. She’s going to be a force to be reckoned with, and she’s already on her way there! I love how interesting her programs are to watch.

Ayumi Shibayama (14 - Juniors)

Great work! She did her best and skated very clean. There’s been a lot of progress in her skating. This music seems like it’s a little too much for her performance ability right now. She did try really hard for it though.

GROUP 4

Mana Kawabe (18)

Beautiful skating, but some falls to throw her off. 3A is almost back for her, but not quite. I’m proud of her, but this wasn’t quite her day for the FS.

Saki Miyake (20)

I think this program can be very interesting with great program structure, but she was a little bit all over the place with its execution today. She seemed a little off from the start (looked like she might have been having a costume issue, and I could see that unnerving her). Lovely skater, not her day.

Mao Shimada (14 - Juniors)

Oh no starting with the falls on her big elements, but she pulled it together and skated the rest really clean. She’s got such a bright, charming energy, but she knows how to modulate it to fit the music and the moment in the program. Beautiful spiral in there! Good for her!

Mone Chiba (17 - Junior)

There were some issues, but what a lovely level of skating for a seventeen year old! Amazing layback spin at the end, great spins in general honestly. I appreciate how much she has to her skating beyond just jumps.

Mai Mihara (23)

Coming in off the GPF win and carrying that momentum! You can tell that she’s such an experienced skater because she was able to work around early program mistakes and make the program so strong and suitable by adding the missed combo back in. She performs and skates so beautifully, and you can really feel that skate and her emotions! That spiral is so so good! I’m so proud of her!

Kaori Sakamoto (22)

She’s caved and struggled under pressure and expectations a few times this season, but not today, not here! That was the performance of her season so far, and I hope that she can build on that energy into Worlds (and 4CC if she goes)! That’s Kaori the WC, that’s Kaori the Olympic medalist, that’s Kaori the reigning Japanese National Champion. The jumps, the spins, the steps, every element was there and beauitful! The passion and performance just locked it in so that the skills shone! Her loop! I’m so proud, not entirely coherent about it. Her reaction to her scores at the end was so good.

I’m very happy with how this went for Kaori and Mai, and happy enough for overall placements. There were some skates that didn’t go as well as hoped, but in the end, I think that this turned out pretty OK.