#anyway Tohru has more guts than I do

[cinderella-ish]

Fruits Basket Personality Types Part 19: Saki Hanajima

Saki is such a fun character. The way she always wins card games with a dramatic card flourish is one of my favorite running gags in the series.

I've spent a lot of time with Saki while writing Bloom Within Us, and I think my view on her Enneagram might be one of my more surprising takes! Anyway, here's how I see her personality type!

Saki Hanajima's Enneagram

Wound: Saki was born with strange powers that always overwhelmed her when she went out in public. She was viciously bullied due to these powers, and blamed herself when a boy collapsed after she told him to die.

Wounding message: The world isn't made for weirdos like you. It's not okay to stand up for yourself.

Core desire: To belong, not to hurt anyone again, not to cause problems for her family.

Core fear: That she'll hurt someone again.

Defense mechanism: Saki withdraws almost completely, burying her emotions as much as she can so she won't accidentally hurt anyone else.

Strengths: Saki has a strong aesthetic sense, she's loyal, protective, funny, weird, and comfortable being her strange self.

Challenges: Saki doesn't show her true feelings to anyone except those closest to her, she's lazy, gluttonous, and stubborn.

When healthy: Saki is more comfortable with herself, she believes she deserves friends and her kind family, she's a loyal and caring friend, she's funny for her own sake, and she lets herself have fun.

When unhealthy: Saki is completely withdrawn, plagued by feelings of worthlessness, terrified of hurting anyone, and pushes people away.

Looking at all of this, here's what connects when I go back to the Enneagram post:

Wound: 6 or 8

Wounding message: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 9

Core desire: strongly 9

Core fear: 1 or 9

Defense mechanism: 5 and 9

Strengths: 4, 5, 6, or 8

Challenges: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9

When healthy: 2, 3, 5, 6, or 9

When unhealthy: 3, 8, or 9

Saki is an Enneagram 9.

Saki is such an interesting 9 because we see her both in a fairly healthy place (most of the series' current timeline), and a very unhealthy place (her backstory). It's such a striking contrast to see what she's like in each state, and it's such a joy to see who she can be when she's not so terrified of hurting or burdening others.

Nines live in the Gut center, and tend to underexpress Anger.

Wing

The Enneagram Institute calls 9w8s "The Referee" and 9w1s "The Dreamer."

I see Saki as a 9w8, because she's fairly comfortable with conflict as long as she's not afraid of losing control of her powers.

EnneaApp describes 9w8s like this:

Seek peace/conflict resolution through a strong, cooperative approach

Can explode with impulsive anger when self or others are threatened

Can be stubborn and defensive; can flip from placidity to aggression

Has a lusty side (sensually/materially); seeks comfort/habitual routines

More extroverted and sociable than 9w1; has a higher charge than 9w1

While I don't think this is a perfect description of Saki, I do think the second, third, and fourth bullet points are great descriptions of her. I also think she has a higher charge than the 9w1s we've seen so far (Tohru, Kisa, and Kureno).

Subtype

I see Saki as a SP 9w8.

EnneaApp describes SP Nines like this:

Attention fixated on secondary sources of gratification; denies emotional needs

Needs replaced with substitutes: food/TV/shopping/hobbies/substance addictions

Preoccupied with physical comfort, maintaining habits, and satisfying appetites

Anesthetize/narcotize the self - love to numb out/relax on one's drug of choice

Store up a supply of "love substitute;" the stash is a source of comfort/security

Appetite for the substitute is strongest when distracting from self-improvement

The rising interest in indulgence doesn't feel lazy, it feels exhilarating; insatiable

Gets along by asking as little of life as possible; seeks needs patiently & covertly

May have a love of the minimal and enjoy the repetition of known routines/rituals

May be physically slow moving; inclined to inertia: "built for comfort, not speed"

Like to collect objects/information; has trouble discarding and making decisions

Wants to be seen as kind/loving peacemaker, but underneath can be "hard as nails"

Strong connection to Six; may focus on fear/doubt of needs ever being truly met

I think this description connects to Saki's apparent lust/gluttony - the way she's always eating, loves aesthetically pleasing clothes, etc...

Tritype

I think Saki's Heart type must be 4, but her Head type is a little less obvious. She has elements of all three Head types (5, 6, and 7), being withdrawn and perceptive like a 5, safety-oriented like a 6, and an appreciation of material comforts like a 7. Ultimately, I think 7 describes her internal state more accurately than 5 or 6. This makes her tritype 4-7-9, "The Gentle Spirit." Here's the description from Katherine Fauvre's website:

If you are a 479, you are intuitive, innovative, and accepting. You want to be original, positive, and peaceful. Others see you as very receptive and ethereal. You are identified with the defense of optimism and possibilities. Secretly, you are shy and long-suffering and tend to hide your painful feelings and pessimism for fear of being rejected. You focus on what is new and giving meaning to your suffering. Others see you as gentle, tenderhearted, and lyrical. You are attracted to healing arts.

Saki Hanajima's MBTI

Here's how I see Saki's Type Dynamics:

Feeling: I think her Dominant process is Introverted Feeling. According to The Myers & Briggs Foundation, when Fi is exaggerated, someone might "carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, hypersensitive, pompous, feel sorry for themselves"

Sensing: Saki likes experiencing the world in a tactile, concrete way. I see her as using Extroverted Sensing.

iNtuiting: The Myers & Briggs Foundation website doesn't describe how the Tertiary process can look distinct from the Dominant or Inferior processes, but here's what Ni can look like at its best: "Can appear visionary. Connects unconscious images, themes, and connections to see things in new ways. Brainstorm internally with themselves. Trusts and relies on inner insights, which may be hard for others to understand."

Thinking: I think this is shown in Saki's tendency to be rather literal and think in black and white terms.

This makes her Type Dynamics Fi Se Ni Te, and her MBTI Type ISFP, "The Composer."

Here's how Truity describes ISFP:

ISFPs are gentle caretakers who live in the present moment and enjoy their surroundings with cheerful, low-key enthusiasm. They are flexible and spontaneous, and like to go with the flow to enjoy what life has to offer. ISFPs are quiet and unassuming, and may be hard to get to know. However, to those who know them well, the ISFP is warm and friendly, eager to share in life's many experiences. ISFPs have a strong aesthetic sense and seek out beauty in their surroundings. They are attuned to sensory experience, and often have a natural talent for the arts. ISFPs especially excel at manipulating objects, and may wield creative tools like paintbrushes and sculptor's knives with great mastery.

So, to summarize:

Enneagram: SP 9w8 (The Peacemaker/The Referee)

Tritype: 4-7-9 (The Gentle Spirit)

MBTI: ISFP (The Composer)

What do you think? Did I get it right or wrong? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Next up: Arisa!

Fruits Basket Personality Types: Enneagram | MBTI | Tohru | Akito | Kyo | Yuki | Haru | Kisa | Momiji | Hatori | Ayame | Rin | Hiro | Ritsu | Kureno | Shigure | Kagura | Kazuma | Arisa | Machi | Kakeru | The Hondas | Kaibara Students

[korereapers]

Title: Don't go wasting your emotion

Fandom: Persona series/Persona 4 (the Golden?)

Pairing: Tohru Adachi/Dojima Ryotaro

Rating: Ex-fucking-plicit

Tags: SPOILERS, unhealthy coping mechanisms, canon typical violence, manipulation...

It may not seem like it, but this is kind of a happy fic. God knows Adachi doesn't deserve it that much, but eh, I love fucked up characters and I am also a believer that people can actually be better. So. Yeah

AO3

Adachi has never been too fond of… well, intimacy.

It’s not that he had bad parents while growing up, like many therapists theorize. He gets calls from them from time to time, but he doesn't really answer or call back. What is there to say, anyways? They probably feel like they failed as parents, and Adachi is inclined to agree. He ruined his own life, his job. And that was even before he murdered two people. He would laugh if he even found it funny anymore.

What a pain…

So, yeah, it's not that he had an especially hard life growing up. A regular kid, a smart one, top of his class, not too good at socializing. Increasingly good at pretending to be, while never getting too close at anyone.

"You're zoning out."

Dojima's voice is music for his ears, and he feels his lips tugging upwards. It's not happy, but it's… pleasant. That's a step, he guesses.

"Ah… sorry. You know how it is. I get distracted sometimes."

Dojima raises his eyebrow, disbelief in his features. He knows by now. He knows him, after all this time.

It has been seven years. Seven long years in which Adachi found even a duller place than Inaba. Calmer, too, in a way. He didn’t have to pretend anymore back then, didn’t have to deal with almost anyone, and that was fine by him.

Jail was a blessing, in some ways. 

“I don’t think anyone could get distracted while someone’s sucking their cock.”

Adachi’s lips turn upwards, in a small smile that Dojima easily recognizes. He has seen enough of these while he was visiting him back in prison.

“Is that what your detective intuition is telling you? Didn’t work that well last time.”

It’s such an obvious taunt, and yet, Dojima has to swallow his anger, knowing pretty well that the feeling will become more gray hairs, and maybe some muscular pain. He has gotten better at dealing with it, and he knows what Adachi is doing.

He cannot allow it.

“I thought you were long done with this game.”

The words are murmured against Adachi’s erection, and he can feel him tremble in arousal. Still, his eyes are blank when he looks at him, almost lifeless. He is good at this, at pretending, at putting a wall between him and the whole world.

“Aw. But I’m never really done playing, Dojima-san.”

Dojima’s smile is bitter, almost a little sad. There is still some fire in his dark eyes, though. He has known this man for years now. He knows how he works. He knows what he doesn’t want Dojima to see, what he wants to hide from the world.

“I am, though.”

And before Adachi can utter a single word, his mouth goes back to him, a calloused hand encircling him gently but solidly. He tastes him with his tongue, his gut burning when he hears the sound Adachi makes, when he feels his cock twitch against his palm.

“That’s… that’s not fair.”

A part of him becomes childish when Dojima plays dirty. It’s a dynamic they both recognize. It might have filled Adachi with anger and resentment, back in the day, but it was safer. Known. A painful solace in a world going to hell.

“Are you going to do something about it?”

Adachi’s eyes are piercing. It’s a miracle he didn’t notice, back in the day. They drill into him, clever and calculating, a timebomb ticking behind them. Maybe he is that good of an actor. Maybe…

“I thought I understood you. And yet you keep surprising me. Again and again.”

Dojima looks up, facing him. He doesn’t stop licking him, keeping him interested, the touch so light Adachi can only pant in frustration. He used to do this to Dojima, back in the day. Never truly wanted him to reciprocate, for reasons that now he understands. He doesn’t allow himself to be vulnerable, but Dojima has other plans.

“Is it that hard to understand? You’re dear to me.”

That’s when Adachi snaps, so suddenly that Dojima does get surprised. His tantrums come and go quickly, like a bored child, like an emotionally stunted one, incapable of dealing with his own emotions. Not that Dojima can say anything about the matter.

“I fucking killed two people. I could have killed more. I almost got Nanako dead, for God’s sake!”

That does sting. He feels tempted to punch him, right in the face, to break his nose, maybe split his lip. Make him bleed, make him pay.

“I made your life hell!”

That’s when Dojima stops. He stops, his body moving so quickly that Adachi does recoil, like in the old times, instinctively. That’s a man that doesn’t fear pain, and still…

Luckily for him, Dojima doesn’t hit him. His hands are on Adachi’s cheeks, keeping him close, breathing so angrily that he swears Adachi can taste it in the air.

“That’s it. That’s the Dojima I-”

But Dojima doesn’t allow him to continue. He stops his venom with his own lips, the kiss less and less angry, a thumb brushing against Adachi’s face, making his eyes show a hint of something. Something that’s not bitterness, or anger, or disgust. Something as true as any other part of him.

“You…” he murmurs against Dojima’s lips, and he swears that his voice is shaking. “You did it again… I severed this connection to you, and still…”

“You’re dear to me,” Dojima repeats, as if talking with an extremely difficult child. “You are dear to Nanako. You are family. I…”

Dojima has never been good at this shit. What is he going to say, anyway? That he loves him? That the feeling that burns inside of him, that threatens to make him explode, is the purest form of love? That he saw guilt in Adachi’s eyes, all of those years ago, even if it was only for a brief moment? Even if it was not for the victims and it was for him. And fuck it all, Dojima has always been a selfish prick. He would run to Hell itself only to be able to take his hand and save Adachi from his own misery. He already has.

“I don’t… I don’t understand. You keep coming back to me. You keep pulling me close… I…”

“I want you,” Dojima manages to say, a knot in his throat. “I want you, with me. Call me selfish, but I will never give up on you. Never.”

Adachi's grin trembles, a crack in his façade.

"That's not very smart, sir."

Dojima sighs against his lips, his hands cupping the back of Adachi's head, feeling his hair, strangely better kept after prison. Maybe he had finally started eating more. Maybe, for once, he could afford it.

"I don't give a shit."

The futon moves when Adachi shakes in place. Never too brave, not in front of the undeniable truth. He makes a sound when Dojima gets closer, and for a man so obsessed with lust, he can barely react to even the smallest amount of care.

"Why… why don't I just suck you off and-"

"Dammit, Adachi. Just let me do this."

The desire is clearly there, but there is also fear. Fear that Dojima sees him, the real him, under all of his layers. Finally, after all of these years.

"I know what you did. And you didn't do it for my nephew."

Adachi gulps, his eyes on Dojima's lips as he speaks.

"I know you were terrified for Nanako. I know you were worried about me."

"I never…"

"You cannot lie that well. I cannot deny all the bad. But I cannot deny the good either."

Adachi kisses him. If it's to silence him, or out of genuine feelings, Dojima doesn't know. Maybe a bit of both. He kisses him, and Dojima feels dizzy. They might be naked, but this is the first time Dojima feels that something truly intimate is happening.

"You do not want… what I can offer you."

"I do." Dojima answers, and damn, he is being honest. Yeah, he knows, he knows this is unreasonable and outright mad. But he wants it, he wants him, every nook and cranny, every dark bit, every lighter one.

"You can't save me," Adachi insists, his voice broken, "I am beyond that. I'm sure you've read the reports, and you have no idea of what I can-"

"Shut. The fuck. Up," he groans, and Adachi's eyes shine in something like recognition. Bad habits die hard. "I may not be able to save you. But I can at least try to be fucking supportive while you learn to save yourself."

Adachi blinks, and Dojima realizes, his eyes are a little wet. No matter the shit he has done, his actual age… he still behaves like an overgrown child, sometimes.

"I can destroy your life. I already did it once."

The insistence is almost endearing, but Dojima knows him better by now. He recognizes desperation when he sees it. And Adachi is currently reeking of it.

Dojima lowers his voice, speaking slowly, as if trying to make himself clear.

"First of all… no, you didn't. Second…" and he speaks with a small smile on his lips, "try."

Adachi seems surprised at his display of bravery. Cowards, both of them, unable to face their reality, their true feelings. Either always running away, or letting themselves sink with his darkest desires. Adachi's lips curl upwards, clearly amused.

"Didn't know you had it in you."

"I'm full of surprises."

But Adachi's smile turns less sinister, goofier. A middle ground between both sides of him. Dojima cannot have enough of it.

"Okay… okay."

"Good."

Acceptance is more than good enough. Adachi seems to surrender, and Dojima takes that as a cue to keep going.

Dojima's mouth doesn't go back to him. Not yet. He pumps him with his hand after spitting on the palm. Adachi's ears become redder, his arousal so obvious it makes Dojima's head spin.

That’s when he tries something, the words burning in his throat before he even dares to say them.

"You are loved. Whether you like it or not."

Adachi's eye twitches, the words making him clearly nervous. He wasn’t expecting that.

Good.

"Loved?"

"Deal with it."

A pause. And then-

"You? Love me?"

"Shut up. Don't make me repeat myself."

Adachi lets out a snort, and Dojima sees the headache coming yet again.

"Little old me? Aw…"

"If only you didn't hide behind that wall of yours, rookie…"

Adachi's smile turns sad.

"Not a rookie anymore…"

Dojima doesn't give a flying fuck. They may be older, more tired. Adachi may have been a deceiving piece of crap, but he is still that man, young and nervous, that entered his office one day after being transferred. The man who got his coffee right, only when it really mattered. The man who stayed when everything seemed lost. No murder can change that. Nothing can change his affection. Absolutely nothing.

"Still deserving of love."

Adachi says nothing, the gears behind his clever eyes working efficiently, but probably not enough. This doesn't really have a logical standpoint, after all. Nothing smart about it. Nothing Adachi can analyze from that cynical perspective of his.

"No need to overthink it. Just accept it as it is."

There is still some shadow of suspicion and disbelief in Adachi's dark eyes, but Dojima guesses that's more than good enough. Good things come for those who wait. And he might be getting older but… maybe even because of that, he can wait as long as needed.

"What about Chisato?"

The question is not meant to be cruel, and Dojima faces it as such. He sighs, his grip tighter on Adachi's cock, making him squirm.

"You sure make a handjob harder…"

Adachi laughs a second before Dojima realizes his own pun, and he groans deeply. Not deep enough to avoid the question, though.

"I will always love her. You know that."

Adachi grimaces, and Dojima swears he sees a glimpse of jealousy behind his eyes. But then, the feeling disappears from Adachi's eyes, almost expertly. Dojima cannot allow him to dodge the conversation.

"That doesn't mean that what I feel for you is any less important."

Adachi furrows his brow, finally sighing after a couple of seconds.

"Okay. I get it."

He looks convinced, even if still kind of annoyed. Dojima remembers how he stayed while he and Nanako were in the hospital, how he was genuinely worried about the little girl, how he almost didn't sleep to ensure Dojima was resting. He might be a piece of shit, but he cares about them. About Souji, too, even if he would rather die than to admit it.

Adachi fears the fragility of their link. That Dojima will sever it one day, like he did back in the day, either because of the memory of Chisato, or because he finally realizes he isn't worth it. Even if Dojima thinks he is. Even if this, having him under his body, naked and flushed, is everything he would have ever wanted. Even if he hasn't been happier in ages.

"Don't look at me like that," Adachi says, almost pouting. "You look like a romantic fool."

Dojima can only laugh at that.

"Aren't I, though?"

Adachi rolls his eyes at that, pulling him closer. He kisses him, mouth against mouth, breaths entwined. Until Dojima groans, taking him again into his hand.

"That's it…" Adachi mutters against his lips. There is a smile forming there, and no matter how dominant, Dojima finds himself liking it nevertheless. "I have been thinking about this for years."

That does make Dojima shudder, holding him closer.

"You have?"

Adachi lets out a small chuckle.

"Of course I have. In different ways… that I will show you in due time."

Dojima feels himself blushing like a teenager, burying his face into Adachi's shoulder. This time, the laugh is louder, and Dojima groans in frustration.

"And I haven't even told you how and when I want you to fuck me… oops."

His words go straight to Dojima's groin, making him moan, even if Adachi isn't really touching him. He got it bad… he really got it bad.

"Shut up…" Dojima complains, quickening the pace of his hand, effectively shutting Adachi's mouth. Or not, because that breathy giggle is nothing but annoying… and strangely endearing.

He licks a trail of sweat on Adachi's neck, and that and the constant attention to his cock seems to do wonders for a man that hasn't been touched in years.

"This is… kind of pathetic." Adachi mutters after a strangled moan.

"You're not," Dojima reminds him, out of habit. "We are still getting used to this."

He swears Adachi wants to say something, the words somewhere in his throat, but he doesn't. He just keeps him close while Dojima pumps him, and Dojima makes sure to watch him, every expression, every way his face and body contorts when Dojima does something particularly nice. Every sound. He puts it all in a small treasure chest in a corner of his mind, secret and yet accessible. This is the Adachi he wants to remember. This is whom he wants to keep from feeling lonely again.

Adachi moans his name, and Dojima has to try hard to relax and not to come, the soft spasms and ragged breaths making Adachi's orgasm even more beautiful. He has dreamed about this, he is sure. But nothing could ever come close to reality.

Adachi bends his head backwards, a tired laugh coming from his mouth. He seems to be amused, and genuinely… happy. Dojima kisses his temple, and Adachi complains wordlessly, more out of habit than anything. Still not used to genuine affection.

"You… you know I'm a piece of shit, aren't I?" Comes the question, with no real bitterness behind it. Just matter-of-factly. His expression so incredulous it would be funny, except it’s not. It's Dojima's time to roll his eyes.

"Yeah. But you're my piece of shit, and I still believe in you."

Adachi keeps him close, not trying to avoid his contact, which seems like an improvement.

"Figures… But. I still have so much in mind, Dojima-san…"

Dojima raises an eyebrow, feeling the itch of a well needed smoke in the back of his brain. He thinks about how Adachi will surely light his cigarette as soon as he manages to put it in his mouth, and the lingering memory makes him smile.

"About?"

Adachi's smile looks downright mischievous. The kind of mischief that could make a series of murders out of pure boredom… and also the kind that could make Dojima harder only by thinking what he has thought for him. What that clever tongue can do and say to him to make him lose his mind.

"Oh, but I'm not going to ruin the surprise, aren't I?"

Dojima gulps, nervous and eager. He really has it bad, doesn't he?

He feels the smile on the corner of his lips, a clever tongue and teeth that grind against his skin a little too hard. Downwards, slowly, but still impatiently.

Dojima sighs, his fingers playing with Adachi’s hair. It’s going to be a long, long night.

[hanemiso]

Wish I Were Tohru

>>> a sohma yuki x reader <<<

genre: lil fluff, lil angst??

warnings: none

song: heather by conan gray

synopsis: you’ve been able to get close to the Sohma and become close friends with him. you have feelings for him, but you’re pretty sure he has feelings for Honda Tohru.

a/n: I love this boy and he needs love, I AM HERE TO SUPPLY LOVE 🥺❤️ honestly Yuki is my favorite from Fruits Basket, Haru being a close second and Kyo a close third!! I just don’t see enough Fruits Basket content on here so I thought maybe I’d make some, but this one is kinda shitty ngl. It was long but it just doesn’t feel like my best work. But, I’ve been working on this for a while, so I thought I’d post it anyway heh :)) I guess this means I officially write for Fruits Basket now!!!

It all started the 3rd of December, when your feelings for Yuki made themselves apparent. On that winter day, you were freezing because you weren’t wearing a warm enough coat and Yuki gave you his sweater while you two walked to school. Your cheeks warmed up quicker than the rest of your body as he smiled at you and wrapped his sweater around your shoulders. With a close-eyed smile, he warmly said that it looked better on you than it did on him; those words struck a cord in your heart, and from then on you accepted the fact that you had fallen for the boy who had become your closest friend.

Of course, you got shit for it from his fan club and they relayed all the rules of the fan club to you during lunch. But after that incident, some of the girls from the fan club began asking Yuki for his sweater, to which he shot them down nicely. That small action didn’t go unnoticed either, and made you feel like he only ever did that for you, and made you fall even harder for the Sohma.

It’s been months since that instance, and you haven’t said anything to him about your feelings because you didn’t want to look like another one of the girls from his fan club desperate for his attention and love. But, seeing as you two have grown closer and you’ve gained enough confidence to do something about your feelings, you decided yesterday that you would confess to him today.

You walk up to him in the hallway during passing period, slightly shaking from nerves, and get his attention by calling his name. He turns around and smiles at you, earning you a glare from the class president who was talking to him earlier.

“Oh, l/n-san, hello!” Yuki greets warmly. 

“Hey Sohma-kun! Can I...” you start, but trail off as you see his eyes drift away from yours and land on someone behind you. You glance behind you and see Honda Tohru, your friend, walking down the hall with Uotani and Hanajima. When you look back at Yuki, you can see his eyes follow her figure as she passes, gazing softly. Seeing that makes your heart drop, along with your confidence level.

When he looks back at you, you shake out of your thoughts and quickly say, “uh, sorry, I meant to tell you I’m busy after school so I won’t be walking home with you guys today.”

A look of confusion crosses his features briefly, but is replaced with a smile as he answers with, “Oh, alright. I’ll let Honda-san know.”

You thank him with the best fake smile you can muster before quickly walking down the hall to your next class. When you’re far enough away, your smile drops, as does your gaze. You definitely took notice of how Yuki’s eyes seemed to brighten as he watched Tohru walk by, brighter than the blue sky. It was a look you were sure Yuki never bestowed upon you, but you understand why. Obviously, Tohru is very pretty; definitely a sight for sore eyes. She’s so kind and thoughtful, among other things, Her personality draws people to her, and you can understand why. And because you can understand why Yuki would gaze at her like that, your confidence plummeted and your confession got caught in your throat. But you didn’t want Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru to know your mood was gloomy, which is why you chose to walk home alone today.

They shouldn’t see you in such a down mood stemmed from jealousy; it’s not fair to them and it would only make you as mature as his fangirls. Jealousy is not a flattering color, after all.

On your walk home, the moment replayed in your head. Your brain kept trying to pick apart his facial expression, hoping to find some solace in the evidence of a misunderstanding. Finding optimism in the hopes of a misunderstanding, you walk along the street with your head held high, deciding to try again tomorrow.

.

.

But, oh how unfortunate you’d be this week.

The next morning, there’s news of chilly weather for the rest of the week, right when it was starting to warm up a little. It doesn’t matter much to you, seeing as you grab a nice coat this time to keep you warm. You walk out the door and see Yuki and Kyo standing in front of your house, waiting for you to join them on the walk to school. Their attention turns to you as you approach them, and they greet you. As you greet them back, Kyo shifts his stance a little to reveal Tohru standing behind him with a smile on her face...and Yuki’s sweater pulled over her uniform. The same sweater he had given you to wear in December. The sweater you thought he had only given you to wear.

And yet again, your confidence plummets into the floor. All you can do to keep your mood seemingly high is smile and remain silent on your walk to school. Yuki and Tohru are caught in a conversation the entire way, which Kyo sometimes comments on, but Kyo notices how quiet you’ve gotten and how you won’t make eye contact with any of them. He ruffles your hair, causing you to look up at him in surprise because he doesn’t do that unless he’s trying to lift your spirits.

“Do you wanna...talk after school?” He asks, turning his head away from you.

You smile, knowing he’s trying to give you support. Kyo was always like that; he does care a lot, but he doesn’t always know how to show it.

“Yes, thanks Kyo-kun.”

.

.

“Alright, spit it out.” Kyo says, leaning against the wall.

You sigh, turning your gaze to the ground as you try to explain everything to him. It all sounds really stupid to you when you say it out loud, like it’s not a big deal...but it feels like one. It feels like he’s messing with your emotions, but Yuki’s not the kind to do that intentionally. Once you’re done spilling your guts to Kyo, he continues to stare at the tree in front of him as your hands begin playing with the ends on your skirt.

“It’s stupid, I know. And it’s not like I hate Tohru-chan, I could never. She’s such an angel, I can understand why you’re both so drawn to her. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if Yuki was in love with her. I just...I wish...”

I wish I were Tohru.

That’s what you wanted to say. Jealously really is an ugly shade.

“Uhm, never mind, Kyo-kun! It’s nothing, I promise. I shouldn’t be complaining like this; I shouldn’t burden you with this nonsense, especially when it’s about someone you dislike.” You add quickly, concealing your true feelings with a close-eyed smile.

Kyo looks at you with wide eyes, surprised at your change of attitude. Sure, he doesn’t really care about anything that has to do with Yuki, but when it also concerns you, a close friend, he cares a lot. The fact that you tried to invalidate your feelings pisses him off, but he tries putting that aside as he faces your retreating form.

“W-Wait, y/n-”

“Uhm, let’s go Kyo-kun! I’m sure you don’t want to be here any longer than you already have to.” You smile at him, taking steps towards the school gates.

That fake happiness; the facade you’re hiding behind to mask your hurt feelings, it’s definitely becoming more transparent to Kyo as all the words you uttered about the issue swirl in his mind. If he’s being honest with himself, he’s at a loss for words. He’s never cared about Yuki or what’s going on in his life, so how can he possibly give advice on an issue concerning him?

As you both walk in silence in the direction of your homes, Kyo replays your words over and over in his head, trying to think of something to say to encourage you in some way.

“L-Listen, don’t give up so easily y/n! Just tell him how you feel, I mean you’ve come this far! You know how much I hate that rat, but he’s not...a bad guy. And if I’m wrong and he breaks your heart, I’ll break his stupid face for you!”

You look up at Kyo in surprise, cause you know that must’ve taken a lot out of him to say something semi-nice about Yuki. He doesn’t dare make eye contact; his head faces away from you as his shoulders tense and he balls his fists. Something about how reluctant he is to admit it makes you laugh, and your laugh causes his eyes to widen as he looks at you.

“What? Are you laughing at me?!” He exclaims.

You shake your head with a soft smile on your face, a genuine smile.

“Nope, nothing of the sort. Thanks Kyo-kun, I won’t give up on my confession! Yuki and I planned a study session for tomorrow, so I’ll plan to confess to him then!”

“Good.”

.

.

After you changed out of your uniform at home, you set off for the Sohma residence. It’s not a long walk from your house to Yuki’s, so you slow your pace a bit to take in the scenery and steel your nerves.

After talking with Kyo yesterday, you hadn’t exactly figured out how you were going to tell him, or even when. Lucky for you, the study session you both had planned a week ago was an early one; close to right after school, maybe about an hour or two off?

After trekking up those myriad stone steps, you knock on the door of the Sohma residence. After a couple seconds, you hear Shigure’s voice on the other side of the door as he slides it open.

“Ah, y/n-chan! Hello!” Shigure greets with a smile.

“Hi Shigure-san, is Sohma-kun here?” You ask, smiling back at him.

“Oh, Yuki-kun? He’s been gone for about an hour or so with Tohru-chan. I’m not sure when he’ll be back, but would you like to wait for him here?”

Oh. He’s out with Tohru. Even though you guys had plans. It’s likely that he forgot, but it’s not like you guys made these plans a while ago; it’s been a week!

Your smile falters a bit, but remains on your face as you answer Shigure with, “Oh, I see. Thank you for offering, but I think I’m just going to head home then! Have a good day, Shigure-san!”

You bow to him before turning around and stopping in your tracks. At the top of the steps stands Kyo, staring at you with confusion written all over his face. You walk up to him and smile before trying to walk past him.

“Wait, y/n, what happened? I thought you and the rat were studying today.” Kyo asks, causing you to halt.

You bite your lip, swallowing your emotions, before turning back to Kyo with a pained smile and answering with, “He’s out with Tohru-chan right now. It’s fine, he probably just forgot. I’m just, uh, gonna head home now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kyo-kun!”

Kyo stands there in disbelief as he watches you walk down the steps. He’s pissed now; after he admitted the rat wasn’t a bad guy, he does something like this. To his close friend, of all people! Don’t you mean more to the rat than anyone else?

Kyo grits his teeth as he runs to the house to ask Shigure where Yuki and Tohru are. Shigure gives him the vague answer of a certain shopping district across the city, and Kyo sets out to find Yuki to set him straight. The image of your sadness seeping into your smile is burned in Kyo’s mind, making him even more upset.

Kyo makes it to the shopping district about a half hour later, running from shop to shop. He asks store clerks if they’ve seen anyone matching the descriptions of Yuki and Tohru, but each one says they haven’t. Hours pass before Kyo approaches the last store and sees the silver-haired male standing outside with Tohru by his side, looking like they’re having a grand time. Kyo runs up to the two and grabs Yuki by the collar of his shirt, causing Yuki to stare at him in surprise and annoyance.

“You stupid rat! How thoughtless are you?!” Kyo starts, tightening his grip on his shirt.

“Let go of me, stupid cat.” Yuki deadpans.

“Does y/n mean nothing to you?! How dare you treat her like trash!”

“What are you talking about?!”

“You ditched your study session with her today to go out with Tohru! Do you enjoy hurting her or something?! Cause you seem to be doing that a lot lately! Do you not care about her?! If you don’t, then why don’t you just say it to her face instead of making her sad every day!”

Yuki’s eyes widen as realization hits; he totally forgot about the plans he made with you today. The guilt he feels outweighs the anger swirling in his chest every time Kyo accuses him of not caring about you. He pushes Kyo off of him and hands Tohru the bags in his hands, all except for one.

“I’m sorry, Honda-san! I have to go!” Yuki apologizes quickly before sprinting out of the shopping district.

Yuki scolds himself for being oblivious to your feelings as he runs down seemingly endless streets. Yuki always cared for you; you were the one close friend he had before Tohru came into his life. Lately he’s noticed that thoughts of you are all that consume his mind at night, and the way he feels different around you than around anyone else. But, our poor Yuki has never felt this way before; he doesn’t know why he feels like this or what to do about it.

But when he heard that he forgot about his plans he made with you, and how that hurt you, he felt like the lowest of the low. How could he skip out on plans with you? How could he hurt you?

The sun begins to set as more tears adorn your notes. You weren’t really sure why you were so upset; it’s okay that Yuki is happy with Tohru. It’s not even a big deal that he forgot about your plans...so why did it hurt most to think he forgot about you? All these doubts begin swarming your head, causing more tears to fall, as you hear knocks on the front door.

You quickly wipe the falling tears as you walk to the door, trying to compose yourself for whichever visitor stood at your door. Your eyes widen as you open the door to see a heavily panting Yuki standing in front of you. You quickly plaster a smile on your face as you attempt to greet him.

“Sohma-kun? Are you alright? What are you doing here?”

“l/n-san, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot about our plans today and went shopping with Honda-san. I never meant to make you sad, I just-”

“Yuki-kun, can we...talk? Somewhere else? Let’s, uhm, go for a walk real quick.”

You grab a pair of slip-ons by the door and head outside, leading Yuki to a nearby kid’s playground. You both sit on the swings and silence envelopes you two as you gather your thoughts. Yuki stares at you as you stare at the ground, waiting for you to scold him or do anything to let him know you were fine.

“Yuki-kun...I still remember the third of December; me in your sweater, you said it looked better on me than it did you. Only if you knew...how much I liked you. How much I still like you. I remember how every girl from your fan club asked you for your sweatshirt, and how I felt special when you turned them down. But, I’ve seen the way you look at Tohru-chan when she walks by. And I get it, Tohru-chan is very beautiful. What a sight for sore eyes, brighter than a blue sky. And I’ve been noticing lately how your gaze on her lingers, and how your face softens when you speak to her. You gave her your sweater to wear, too...not that it matters, I guess. Anyway, as my feelings for you continue to grow, I begin to see...and understand, how and why you like Tohru-chan so much. I mean, she’s an angel! She’s so kind, thoughtful, and caring...I understand why you’d want her. And why you wouldn’t want me. I mean, why would you ever kiss me? I’m not even half as pretty. You gave her your sweater; it’s just polyester. But, you like her better. And I’m able to accept that, as long as you’re happy, Yuki-kun! I just...sometimes...I wish I were Tohru-chan.”

Yuki stares at you in disbelief as you continue staring at your feet, a single tear falling from your eye. He really is oblivious. His brain can’t even begin to compute the misunderstanding going on here. After all, he has feelings for you too. So, just how did it end up so bad, he wonders. He finds it so hard to believe you reciprocate his feelings, and that while trying to find a way to confess to you, he was hurting you instead.

“I-I love you, Yuki-ku-” 

Yuki’s body moves as if on instinct, kneeling in front of you with his hands caressing the sides of your face. He smashes his lips against yours, only realizing what he’s doing once he feels you kiss him back. He pulls away almost as quickly as he placed his lips on yours, a blush creeping onto his face. You stare at him with wide eyes as he collects his composure and wipes a stray tear from your eye.

“l/n-san, I...I love you, too. What you saw between Honda-san and I is a big misunderstanding, and I’m sorry not seeing how I was hurting you. I’ve been spending more time with Honda-san this past week because she was helping me figure out a way to confess to you. Shigure suggested making you jealous like the love interests in his romance novels, and I honestly don’t know why I listened to him; I knew it was a terrible idea. But, that’s why Honda-san was wearing my sweater yesterday. When I thought that didn’t work, Honda-san suggested getting you a gift, which is why we went shopping today. I was so caught up in trying to make you happy that I forgot we made plans today. And instead of making you happy, I made you cry. Love isn’t really a feeling I’m fond of; I’ve never really experienced feelings this intense before. It took me a while to realize you were the reason my heartbeat quickened; why my stomach did flips, why warmth would spread in my chest. But when I found myself wanting to be with you every waking hour, I panicked. Truth be told, you’re the person I hold closest to my heart. I don’t let people in...from experience. There’s so much darkness that doesn’t reach the surface, so many things I can’t say just yet. But I will tell you in time, because you’re the person I trust most, and I’m learning slowly how to let people in. In the meantime, the one thing I can say with certainty, is that I love you...and I want to make you happy, if you’ll let me.”

Yuki takes your hands in his and smiles warmly at you. Worried that words will fail you, you nod with a grin on your face. The night air sends chills down your spine as you gaze happily at the boy in front of you. Yuki takes notice of the goosebumps rising on your skin and smirks a little, pulling his hands away from yours to grab the bag on the ground next to him.

He hands it to you while saying, “I have a feeling this’ll come in handy right about now.”

You take the bag from his hands and open it, revealing a familiar sweater. You press it against your chest, smiling at Yuki. You look down at his sweater and realize he's wearing the same one; he got you a matching sweater.

“You just looked so cute when you wore mine...” He smiles shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I love it, Yuki-kun! Thank you!” You exclaim, throwing it on.

It was just polyester, but it now meant more to you than you thought it ever could.

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET S3 EPISODE 8 RECAP AKA THE KYORU CHRONICLES PART 2 (plus a quick recap of eps 3-7)

aaaaaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I gotta get it out of me otherwise I won't be able to concentrate on work and I will be scrolling through the tag till the day I die. Everything from episode 3 of Season 3 literally hit me like an avalanche - literally cos I marathoned 3-7 over the weekend which I wouldn't advise unless you want an accelerated heartbeat - and I'm starting to realise... maybe I just wasn't ready for season 3. Despite asking for it, haha. Not gonna put as many screencaps for this one cos tumblr editing bay be trippin and I just don't have time nor emotional energy to be fighting with the picture uploads, sorry lol

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Episodes 3 - 7

I spoke before about how (despite my feelings about the characters) the English dub VAs for Akito and Shigure pair up really well audibly. And I think I feel the same way about both Yuki and Machi's English VAs! They both have the same soft spoken yet scratchy element to their voices almost like they are holding slightly back. Although, I'd argue that Yuki has been losing the element of slightly holding back as the anime has gone on which I wonder if the same would be included for Machi's performance?

I really like the presentation of Machi's trauma through her family's expectations to be perfect and how physical it is? How Yuki kind of encourages her to let it out in a healthy way? (Btw the whole chalk breaking scene in the meeting was SO FUCKING SMOOTH. YUKI IS A NERD BUT HE IS SO EFFORTLESSLY COOL A LOT OF THE TIME)

The age gap between Isuzu and Haru for sure isn't the worst age gap in this anime/manga but it's still a bit... hmm...

Episode 4:

In all seriousness, I know Akito deserves some sympathy but it doesn't change the fact that I still see her as a villain. Hurt people hurt people but it doesn't mean they should get away with it, I was honestly pleased Haru got that big confrontation with Akito to tell her WHAT'S WHAT but it was also somewhat... merciful?

Hiro's growth has been so beautiful to see, him realising there are bigger things than him from the event with Rin to his relationship with Kisa to then the birth of his little sister.

Kureno choosing to get his hands a little dirtier and paying the ultimate price for it (as far as we know so far in the anime lol) was great, he is the moon side of Tohru's sunshine.

Shigure... I still don't really get him and Akito's relationship. It's clear he's waiting for Akito to grow the fuck up but at the same time he's not creating an environment for her to grow and develop. He's decided to go with the 'tough love' route which I'm still deciding whether I like it or not tbh. Sometimes it feels necessary, at other times it feels shitty. I respect that he knows he's a scumbag and I don't deny that there are people out there who take revelry in the fact that they are awful but at the same time, him remaining unchanging despite everything feels... unrealistic. But considering throughout this story he doesn't seem affected by trauma, it's understandable, I guess?

Also... that scene where Shigure ponders about whether he should've been with Tohru is THE creepiest creeper shit he's EVER done in this series. No. 🙅🏾‍♀️

Momiji is best bunny boi regardless of how tall and 'manly' he becomes. 🐰His scene with Akito was so authentically him and he really did that shit. We love him. <3

I love the way that the curse breaking should (on surface) be a happy event considering all the trauma the zodiac went through because of it but it's presented mostly as loss as well as happiness. It's the realness of getting out of a bad relationship

Shigure basically laying it out to Tohru how Kyo means nothing in a very taunting way was an excellently painful scene and I choose violence. It was heartbreaking seeing how worthless they all saw Kyo compared to how Tohru saw him but... by this point I was just living in the pain so 🤷🏾‍♀️

The story visually showing how Isuzu is more willing to be soft after her whole ordeal through her fashion choices (e.g. the pastels, the cardigans) was really nice. And Haru being happy about Isuzu making friends with Tohru was cute!

It was nice we saw that Kazuma was still wary about whether Tohru loved Kyo for the right reasons, you'd assume after everything Kazuma would love Tohru as a match for Kyo but he's so emotionally intelligent and also just a protective Dad! Yay, good parenting!

Tohru's confession to loving Kyo was amazing however I still adore Kyo's confession a little bit more. Just a bit. Lol. However, if you add the moment later in episode 8 it trumps it completely. Ethereal goddess.

Kyo and Tohru's grandfather having a scene together was great and nice

Now that I think about it, I wish there was more a visual link in the story between Tohru adapting her speech to imitate her Dad and Momiji adopting his Mum's German accent. Albeit for slightly different reasons, it just adds to the unique connection Tohru and Momiji have. In short, I'm seeing this ship with my third eye now. I get it lol

I don't wanna screencap the scene where Kyo is haunted by both his deceased mother and deceased Kyoko and potentially deceased Tohru because it's the stuff of nightmares. But, it was a wonderfully done scene. You definitely understand fully and clearly why Kyo buried all of that trauma under his hatred for Yuki (I CAN'T WAIT FOR EPISODE 9, YOU GUISE!)

If Akito is a villain, Ren is the final boss. Although, with her type of villainy... I feel like I can kind of enjoy a bit more. She reminds me of a Greek God in the ways she master manipulates people and her desperation for control and power (I just read 'Mythos' by Stephen Fry, it's a great read lol)

It lowkey feels like every female character who's comfortable in expressing their sexuality in this story is punished in some way for it... this is an incomplete thought

Shigure as a child feeling like they should all be pitied is so... mature... I feel like I need more of an explanation for why Shigure is the way he is

Akito's ego death with Kureno? Amazing. I loved that she was at least aware enough to realise how Kureno had been coddling her all this time but again... doesn't excuse her crimes

But anyways...

EPISODE 8

Honestly? I really don't have much to say about this episode besides 3-5 points I wanna get out of my head. It's not a bad thing at all, it's just that there's still a lot left to play out from this 'arc' and this season in general that I wanna complete my thoughts on.

But I'll start with this:

Lol, isn't it funny?! Isn't it heart-wrenchingly funny how the relationship between Kyo and Tohru has kinda reverted back to how they were at the start of the series? The coldness of Kyo at the beginning of this episode (and throughout) was a bit of a gut punch considering all the light and fluffy moments that we've gotten between the two since the True Form arc.

Talking about the True Form arc, I feel like this episode is somewhat a repeat of the same emotions, same trials of the True Form arc. Kyo still 'runs away like he always has' but this time we get him being the most honest and confrontational with his own emotions and trauma than he ever has been during the course of this whole story. While trusting someone (Tohru specifically) for the first time with the whole truth of his story! He always seems to move one step forward and then three steps backwards and while it's a tad bit frustrating, it feels very... real. I'll probably complete my feelings how this arc reflects the True Form arc when we finish this section of the story in future episode(s).

Considering the fact that 80% of this episode is Jerry Jewell monologuing as Kyo and I never got bored really just sells his performance. Kyo was being incredibly cold this episode and yet the range of emotions through his performance made it feel understandable enough for you to empathise with it.

BrattyKid!Kyo to lighten the mood 😹I still wish he and Hiro had more of a relationship, I feel like they could have taught each other a lot. Well... mostly Kyo teaching Hiro tbh

Kyo rejecting Kyoka for her honesty and kindness and then later rejecting Tohru? Oh... kid...

Wow, I felt so good about that whole episode of Kid!Yuki helping Kid!Tohru get home and then it's slightly soured knowing KID!KYO was running about the streets alllll night into the morning?!?! I really did feel Kyo's frustration at not getting that win to actually do something right. And the irony of that being linked to him being unable to save Kyoka from the oncoming car?

Honestly, I don't know what my feelings are on Kyo being unable to save Kyoka. I don't even know what my feelings are on Tohru pretty much pushing that aside in favour of her feelings for Kyo. It's... complicated and I've been mulling it over in my head for the last 10+ years hahah However, if I was in Tohru's position I think I'd eventually come to a point where it feels like it's too late to really do anything about how bad I'd feel about it. Kyo's intentions weren't horrid, if anything he was just being a scared kid and he's allowed to be that. I just wish Tohru had a bit more time to evaluate it but considering she knew her mother well and assumes that wouldn't have been the full scope of what she had said, I don't have much of a problem with it in general

Lol, I love when Tohru gets a 'FUCK YOU, I LOVE YOU' moment with Kyo. 😂Another reflected scene from the True Form arc... only thing is that this time... it doesn't quite work. 😕

(Again, I love how all of these reflections are resolved in later occurences in response to the duality but I'll get to it next week when it shows hopefully)

Laura Bailey only had a few sentences in this episode but she killed it as always. Comparing her performance in 2001 to now is just... growth!

Ok, so Yuki automatically gets Best Boi in this episode for meddling and chasing after KYO of all people. Showing how he's personally done with hating Kyo. Realising Kyo is pretty much the only person who'll make his mother happy. I think he also lowkey wants to understand Kyo? But, we'll get to that next week.

....Oh yeah, Akito is there.

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In total, I liked this episode even though it has me anxious for the next one. We finally get the full picture of why Kyo is the way he is! Ahhhh - a weight off all our chests, I'm sure. I kinda don't like that they put the ending theme at the end of these episodes - the joyfulness doesn't really match up with the intense theme? But, that's just a minor gripe. And hey, maybe they just want the audience to know... it's all gonna be okay :)

See you next week!!!

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket SE02 (ep,9). part 1

You know it’s real when kyo is given monologue right from the beginning! It rarely happens that he’s allowed any!, but when he does, it hits like a wild wave changing everything. The story is never the same after each time he’s given inner-talk. Forever changing the dynamics, the secrets & the relationships. e.g. true form ep.

Kyo’s love confession:

The sweetest, most tender love confession from the character that started the show fighting & screaming! The one that hated himself the most! now loves his name, only cuz she said it! “a special ring to it”. the guy who couldn’t look at her face, will repeat stupid things over “if it made you smile”. “Since when did I started” falling in love with you? the show goes on to show us various moment from as early as ep,4 & throughout seasons & scenes! he doesn’t know! We, the viewers, also don’t know when he started loving her!! we kinda gradually~ normally~ unknowingly~ fell in love with them together. The show opened this heavy ep filled with first-hand experience & steps on how Akito destroyed his victim... ouch! well-played, furuba! well-played.

The location: An empty room, no furniture, small, suffocating. The abuser sits far, then slowly walks towards the prey until there’s no space. But not before causing  physical pain to reassure dominance over the victim.

STEP 1: (The BET).

Kyo in his attempts to fight his destiny has met up with Akito prior to the beginning of the story, to defy him. Akito cleverly traps kyo into a bet manipulating his desire to break away from his fate. you said, YOU can fight your destiny? ok. I’ll let you. If you win against yuki, I’ll let you be free. easy, right? kyo this is your chance to prove yourself to yourself! just practice & win a stupid match. EASY! except it isn’t. The rat is superior to the cat. Your trials are in vain. you’ll NEVER rise up to anything except a failure. Try for three years! so generous of Akito! 36 months! you only need to win once! But you WON’T EVER! planting a toxic seed that eats away the victim’s self-esteem, hope & desire. Give him the chance to believe in himself then CRUSH IT. Once kyo fails, he’ll never believe in himself again. The bet is now cancelled before the third year even begins! one year & a half of failure is enough. You LOST. The Directing was phenomenal! The scene is shot in shades of sickening green, with underwater feel, like kyo is drowning deep in Akito’s abuse. Akito was shown from kyo’s perspective. Distorted, scary & demonic. like a monster..

STEP 2: (the past)

Taunting kyo with selective words that hit exactly were it hurts the most, using affirmative sentences in calm authoritative tone, alluding to facts.“cuz you’re a monster, ur mom is dead” “it was ur fault” “u killed ur mom”. Akito painted kyo’s mom in martyr light. giving birth to a monster, admirably protecting & raising him. Her reward? DEATH due to immense pressure from being WITH him. Extra step: painting kyo as the unforgivable & unappreciative son “ her son didn’t even mourn her” cuz kyo didn’t cry in front of others in her funeral. all these words carved his psyche like daggers extracting buried memories of his dad doing like Akito. YOU caused ur mom grief. the memory is now crystal clear. His mom walking slowly with open arms towards death. Giving kyo her back knowing he’s there. choosing to abandon & leave him. cuz it is HIM that is too much to bear. it is HIM that she’s escaping from.

STEP 3: (the present)

“you should’ve died”, “if you didn’t exist EVERYONE would be happy” This everyone in particular destroyed kyo way more than Akito ever planned for. Everyone includes the present. Everyone includes ppl who aren’t sohma-related. Everyone includes a happy mother & daughter. Everyone includes kyoko & tohru. It is NOW that kyo crashes, falls, loses & bends. Kyoko is the nail in his coffin. Akito lets go of kyo’s hand. Mission accomplished.

-Miscalculation in Akito’s plan: (tohru)

Akito unwittingly ruins her plan by mentioning tohru. her triumphant smile disappears & her authoritative powerful voice turns into childish screams to silence kyo, pathetically covering her ears. This drastic shift in power resulted only by mentioning tohru. Realizing that tohru was used as tool for whatever reason gave kyo strength to stand up & defend her. how dare you call her a monster? how dare you call her an angel? NO. she is but a human. A kind soul. That stayed WITH me regardless of all my ugliness inside & outside. WHY? who does that? Who gives & never takes? the foolish traveler.

The foolish traveler’s role in liberating & confiding kyo:

In momiji’s story, the foolish traveler gives the monster her life & dies. Tohru gave kyo her presence. She did NOT heal him or fade the ugliness away. NO. She didn’t treat his trauma. NO. she doesn’t even know abt his mom’s suicide!! she ONLY gave him her presence. She stayed with the monster. WHY? cuz she is a foolish person filled with kindness not wanting anything in return. But what happened to the the foolish traveler at the end of momiji’s story? she died. again DEATH surrounds kyo. If this foolish traveler stays with him death awaits her. History has proven kyo’s company lethal. the cat has cursed his most beloved ppl into death & harm. his dad, mom, kyoko. This story made kyo realize his romantic love to tohru & tragically made him understand the possible sad ending.

Akito’s Rebound:

Akito sizes the chance, strikes back & regains power. Like a hungry monster smelling fear! “ do u think u have the right to fall in love with someone?” “do u think you’re allowed?” Kyoko, reinforcing Akito’s words.”I won’t forgive you”. you, the monster knows love?? “who’s the real villain” you, the killer! “who’s the one who involved her the most” You, the most cursed! “it’s best if you are gone”.” I KNOW!” ,kyo said.

The fighter gives up:

“it was me”. every negative thought kyo has is reinforced by a past experience from someone in his life. Akito blackmails kyo into accepting his confinement in exchange of NOT harming tohru. It is becuz kyo finally loved someone enough to want to EXIST in this word that he finally stops fighting. He fought for years for himself. Now, he’ll give up for another person. Tohru’s love liberated him from hating himself enough to die or take his hatred on someone else, but, her love also imprisoned him into thinking he’ll never be worthy for her. His first thought upon seeing her is “ I want to be with u forever” but once again “ kyoko shows up reminding him” i wont forgive you” How can kyo wish to be with her? his entire trauma is against it. does he has the guts to rip tohru’s smile once he confess abt the past? What does he expect tohru to say once she knows? How would tohru react? he’ll scar her forever more than she’s already scarred. Those scars that she hides oh so well from others will become tragically apparent once he confess. So, No, kyo. Spare her the pain. who are you anyway? a mere monster that everyone will be happy if you disappeared” “why didn’t my mom kill me?” “she should’ve killed me” If she did.. then tohru would’ve been happy with her mom. “Why am I still alive?”

Kyo’s precious flower:

love is against logic. Logic says stay away from tohru & spare her ur unworthy existence. Love says look for her! love makes you run to her! love makes you want to see her first thing after getting out of the that room. love says cherish her, be around, stay with her. Love says she needs you! yes, the unworthy monster has been loved before! way before tohru!. Kazuma flashes in his mind & brings hope, Kyoko, flashes with a kind smile, teasing him, I see different hair styles, maybe repeatedly meeting kyo, love reminded kyo of the friend-kyoko! who recognized his loneliness, patted his head, reached out to him, she told him abt the tiny flower, showed him her most precious treasure. These ppl treated him as a human! NOT a monster, kazuma, kyoko & tohru, love opened his eyes to see the light amidst the darkness, the warmth of the sunset after the depth of suffocation. He won’t give up on life. NO, he wants to LIVE, to LOVE & to give back! he now knows that his existence isn’t completely worthless! he was there for tohru. he has already given her back time after time since they’ve met, he knows that! he made her smile, he saw her! the real her! tiny, foolish & oh so precious!  By the time he reached her he was able to genuinely smile from his heart! yes, he can smile cuz she’s with him now. He doesn’t care anymore abt the disgusting sohma & their curse. He only cares abt her. he won’t trample his precious flower, “ i once hoped to be always together, far away” to “ make you my own” But NO. he can’t hurt her with the painful memories, he’ll treat her with utmost respect, care & love until its time to say goodbye. quietly exiting from her life. As long as she’s not harmed. As long as her smile stays, so, he’ll stay with her together,” until we’re separated far apart”

[yespleasefandomtrash]

of cats and curses

“I’ve only seen these cats get so excited about someone sitting outside a pet store with one other person in my entire life,” a warm and almost suffocatingly kind voice said, snapping Catra out of her thoughts. “And he had that same disgruntled expression that you do. Poor kitties try to make friends with the very people who don’t want to be made friends with.”

(Catradora meets Kyoru. As you might expect, chaos ensues.)

~*~

Catra had been more than willing to let Adora do most of the talking. She was normally more eager to learn about the new planets they were exploring, but that day… Ugh. She really wasn’t sure what was making her mood so foul. Or she couldn’t pinpoint a singular cause, anyways. It was probably some God-awful combination of the pittering drizzle of rain falling from the gray sky around her, the fact that the miserable planet ‘Earth’ she was on seemed to have no traces of magic whatsoever, and the immediate reality that Adora was no longer by her side. Which was the main downfall of Adora doing all of the talking - Catra was left behind. At her own request, of course, so she could only blame herself, but still. She wanted to stew in her misery for a bit.

This ‘Earth’ was their last stop before they’d be flying back to Bright Moon. Catra never thought she’d be relieved to be returning there, but times had changed, she supposed. During their numerous quests to restore magic to the universe, day-trips and monthly adventures alike, they’d come to learn that some planets had never had magic in the first place. Even rarer, select places did not want magic returned to their world. In other words, the Best Friend Squad - she still didn’t know how she felt about that name - had taken to asking around amongst the locals to first determine the magic status of planets before they actually began the restoration process.

So now Adora was schmoozing with the locals - probably badly, because her acting skills left much to be desired - in some place called a pet store, while Catra sat on an uncomfortable metal bench outside while silently wishing she had an umbrella. She could raise her bag above her head, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t do much. Also it had their communications pads in it, and she figured unduly exposing them to freezing rain was not a good thing.

Ugh. She should have sucked it up and gone inside with Adora.

Catra yelped as the bracelet projecting her holographic disguise suddenly shocked her, and she lifted her wrist to figure out why, exactly, it had done that. She couldn’t see anything wrong with it… Uh oh. Maybe it wasn’t waterproof. She probably should have asked Entrapta about that.

Oops. Too late?

Even more annoying than her bracelet that was now randomly spazzing out were the stupid cats in the pet store behind her that kept clamoring and scratching on the glass! Sure, she was grateful for that wall of glass because it stopped them from physically getting to her, but it was nowhere close to soundproof, meaning their yowls were barely dulled down. And most of the cats were just saying hello, but she didn’t want to turn around and acknowledge that, because she was pretty sure most people on Earth could not understand animals. She didn’t care that there was no else around - she wasn’t taking any chances. Which just meant the cats would think she was rude, but she’d rather live with that than become Earth’s resident crazy cat lady by striking up a conversation with the Siamese or the Persians in a pet store.

Huh. Could the cats see through Entrapta’s disguise? Surely not. Catra tapped her bracelet to make sure the hologram was still active, wincing as another jolt of electricity shot through her arm. Definitely still active. So maybe the cats could just… feel that she was like them. A gut instinct. Or something.

Really, there was no use thinking about it. Where the hell was Adora?

“I’ve only seen these cats get so excited about someone sitting outside a pet store with one other person, in my entire life,” a warm and almost suffocatingly kind voice said, snapping Catra out of her thoughts. “And he had that same disgruntled expression that you do. Poor kitties try to make friends with the very people who don’t want to be made friends with.”

Catra looked up to see a brown-haired girl standing in front of her, a bright smile on her face and a navy blue umbrella in her hand. She appeared way too cheerful for someone walking outside in a minor rainstorm. Catra also vaguely recognized that the language the girl was speaking was not one she understood, but Entrapta’s translator appeared to be doing the trick. Now hopefully it would continue to work in reverse.

“Ah… yeah,” she finally managed to say. “Cats… like me. Too much.”

The girl laughed. “You sound so much like Kyo!” She offered Catra her hand. “My name is Tohru. It’s lovely to meet you, Miss…?”

Catra scrambled to remember her cover name that they’d hastily made up when they learned ‘Catra’ was not a normal name on Earth. “I - uh, I’m Catrina,” she said, shaking the girl’s hand, though she remained on the bench. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“So what has you sitting outside in the rain?” the girl - Tohru - asked curiously, giving her a look of concern. “Are you okay? Do you need a place to stay for the night?”

Catra fought to ignore the cats still meowing behind her. Their chant had shifted to a collective FEED ME, which she obviously couldn’t do because she was not inside, but apparently they hadn’t figured that out yet. “No, I’m - I’m fine,” she stammered, wincing halfway through her sentence as Entrapta’s disguise-bracelet suddenly shocked her again. Ouch. “Just waiting for someone.”

Tohru frowned. “In the rain? Without any cover?” She immediately thrust her umbrella in Catra’s direction. “Take this, Miss Catrina. I only live about five minutes away up the road, and I feel you are in far more need of it than I.”

And now the light on Entrapta’s bracelet was flickering on and off. Ugh, that couldn’t be good. Catra did not want to accidentally give this random and kind of annoyingly nice girl a heart attack by suddenly looking… er, not like a human. “No, I’m really fine,” she insisted, jumping to her feet. “But I appreciate the offer.”

Tohru’s frown deepened. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to get hypothermia, miss.”

Catra instinctively covered her bracelet with her free hand when she noticed sparks flying off of it in her peripheral vision. “I’m sure,” she said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. “In fact, I should probably -” She cut herself off with a yelp as lightning flashed and a loud crack of thunder boomed through the air, sudden enough to make the fur on her tail stand on end as she violently reached up to cover her ears, shoulders hunching over in the process.

Apparently the sudden motion was too much for the barely-functioning bracelet to take, the bracelet that was admittedly already worse for the wear after she’d had an encounter with some kind of slime monster on a planet called Tamaran, as it snapped off her wrist before falling to the ground, now broken in half. And with that, her disguise vanished.

Catra had never bit her tongue so hard to avoid letting out a string of frustrated curses. She was pretty sure it was bleeding now.

The girl’s - no, Tohru’s, she had a name - eyes widened as she watched the series of unfortunate events unfold. “You’re… you have cat… ears? A tail?”

Dammit. Now she was going to have to hear an annoying lecture from Sparkles and probably Arrow Boy about jeopardizing the mission, though she really didn’t think this was her fault. “Uh…” Catra said, frantically trying to come up with an excuse, “would you believe me if I told you this was an elaborate costu-”

“Are you cursed, too?” Tohru interrupted, kneeling down to pick up the pieces of the bracelet from the ground. “I mean, your transformation is not quite like the Sohma’s, but I suppose it would be rash of me to presume the zodiac curse is the only one to exist in the world, wouldn’t it? Perhaps there is something else -”

Catra sneezed, accidentally cutting her off. Which she mildly regretted, because she had no freaking clue what the girl was going on about. A curse? So-ma? The hell was going on with this planet?

And most importantly, where on Earth was Adora?

“Oh my goodness, you’re freezing!” Tohru exclaimed, horrified, as she stood up. “I am so sorry, I was being incredibly inconsiderate! You poor thing, you’re not even dressed for rainy weather!”

Now that she mentioned it, Catra realized that she was shivering. Ugh. Stupid fur. It was so hard to warm up after it got wet.

“Let’s go to Shigure’s house,” Tohru said, taking Catra’s hand and pulling her away towards a dirt path, doing her best to hold her umbrella over the both of them. “We can warm you up, get you a towel and a change of clothes, and I’ll do my best to help you repair your bracelet, though it’s not similar to Kyo’s at all so I don’t know if I’ll be much use. While we do that you can explain the details of your curse to me! But only if you’re okay with talking about it, of course.” She shook her head, a mixture of shock and curiosity in her eyes. “I wonder if Kyo and Yuki were aware that other families could have a curse similar to the zodiac?”

Catra still had no idea what all this curse nonsense was, but she was both surprised and grateful that the girl hadn’t freaked out and run away upon seeing her… er, true form, as it were. However, the main problem was that she was currently being taken away from Adora, which was stressful because Catra needed Adora and also because Adora would undoubtedly freak out the moment she realized Catra was missing and cause havoc by turning into She-Ra or something. “Actually, I kind of have to stay here -”

“I promise, there’s no need to be nervous!” Tohru reassured her, and her voice was so gentle and sincere that Catra found herself struggling to not believe her. “If you stay here, someone might run into you who won’t understand what’s going on. They could even try to hurt you! I promise that I’m taking you to a safe place where there are people… where there are people struggling with a - a similar issue to what you have.”

Catra seriously doubted that. She was pretty sure that Earth had never had successful contact with other planets, meaning the chances of there being Etherians in this girl’s house were almost zero, much less Etherians like her. Still, the thought of going somewhere warm and dry with this pseudo-Perfuma who hadn’t lost her shit upon seeing that Catra was definitely not human was… well, rather appealing.

But Adora. Adora. She at least needed to let her know where she was going.

“When we… er, get to wherever you’re taking me, can I… send a message to the person I was waiting for?” Wow. She sounded so timid it was downright mortifying. “Just to let her know where I am.”

“Of course!” Tohru said as they turned a corner on the dirt pathway. “Your friend is absolutely welcome to join us. Is she cursed, too?”

Was She-Ra considered a curse? It sure felt that way sometimes. But Catra was still completely lost on what the whole ‘curse’ thing was, especially how it related to her being part cat. “Er, I don’t think so -” And she promptly cut herself off with another sneeze. Ugh. She was going to catch a cold.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there!” Tohru said, pulling her slightly faster. True to her word, Catra could see a warmly lit house at the end of the road. “I’m so sorry we have to walk through the rain like this. But I’m going to make you some hot tea and give you a fluffy blanket and turn up the heat and just whatever you need to warm up and get comfortable, okay?”

And the girl did exactly that. She gave Catra a towel to dry off with as well as a set of clean clothing to change into before she practically swaddled her with a blanket and placed a steaming mug of tea on the low table in front of her. Really, her personality was the absolute epitome of Scorpia and Perfuma combined. Catra had also made sure to send Adora a message about her location while Tohru had been preparing everything, or else she knew she’d forget to do it entirely.

“Is everything okay? Would you like something to eat? There’s not a lot in the fridge, but I’m sure I can whip something up pretty quickly -”

“No, no, everything is fine,” Catra interrupted, still feeling kind of awkward around Tohru but also still relieved that the girl hadn’t - hadn’t fainted or anything. “I’m almost back to normal, uh, body-warmth already.” Ugh, that was horrendously phrased. Oh well. C’est la vie, or whatever Sparkles had taken to saying after visiting Flance. Finance? She really didn’t know what the country was called. Regardless, the girl either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t cared.

Tohru nodded, kneeling down on the side of the table opposite Catra. She placed Entrapta’s bracelet - or the pieces of it - down in front of her. “I was hoping I could repair this for you, but it’s not the same… er, anti-curse material that I’ve seen before. It seems to be technologically-based, and unfortunately I’m terrible with tech. I’m so sorry I couldn’t be of more help!”

Right. The ‘curse’. “Don’t worry about it,” Catra said, waving her hand dismissively. “I have a friend who can fix it.”

Tohru didn’t appear satisfied by her reassurance. “Are you certain? I can ask the person I know who’s in - who’s kind of… like you, so to speak, if he’ll take a look at it and see if he -”

Catra held up a hand to silence the girl, ears twitching. She could have sworn she heard footsteps from above them. “Tohru…” Weird. She was pretty sure that was the first time she’d addressed the girl by name. “Are we the only ones here right now?”

Tohru frowned. “I - I believe so. Why?”

Catra’s ears craned to catch the sound. The footsteps - they’d moved. Moved towards… “Because someone is about to come down those stairs,” she growled, lowering her voice to a whisper as she untangled herself from the blanket and vaulted across the table to land in front of Tohru, claws bared. “Stay behind me.”

“Okay,” Tohru squeaked, and Catra wasn’t sure if she was more afraid of the thought of an intruder or of Catra herself. Hopefully not the latter.

A tall boy with carrot-orange hair arrived at the foot of the stairs. “Tohru, are you bac-”

Catra’s tail flicked, and she launched herself at the boy. Damn, she couldn’t believe only a few months at Bright Moon - and numerous sessions with Perfuma - had turned her into someone who’d defend a stranger at a moment’s notice. Though she supposed Tohru wasn’t quite a stranger at this point.

Catra easily tackled the guy to the floor, her forearm lying across his throat with hopefully just enough pressure to keep him pinned down without her having to get on top of him. Her other hand loomed in a threatening manner above his face, claws still out. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Miss Catrina, wait -” Tohru started to protest frantically, but she was soon cut off.

“What the hell?!” the guy snapped. “I could ask the same about you!” In the blink of an eye, he flipped Catra over his head with expertise she found begrudgingly impressive even as her back was slammed painfully onto the ground.

Shit. Now he had her in the same position she’d used on him. But damn, that was a good move on his part.

“So who the hell are you?” he growled, and Catra felt a chill run down her spine because she’d only heard that type of guttural noise twice before in her life - from Melog, and from… herself. “And why the fuck are you in our house?” She noticed the way his pupils had thinned in an… almost catlike manner. And - And it looked like he had fangs? Plus, now that her mind had set sail on that boat, she realized he smelled like a cat, too, in the way only another cat or, er, cat-person would know.

Oh, this was so weird. She never wanted to come back to this planet.

“Kyo, please stop!”

“Did she hurt you, Tohru?”

“No! She’s - She’s a friend! Sort of. She’s very nice, and she was just trying to protect me because I didn’t know you were home already, and - and I think she might be cursed, too!”

“What?” The boy - Kyo? - looked down at Catra, as if taking in her… well, unusual appearance - by this planet’s standards, at least - for the first time. The pressure against her neck lessened. “She’s… Wait.” He turned to look at Tohru, though he noticeably did not remove his arm from her neck entirely. “You’re telling me that the zodiacs aren’t the only -”

He was interrupted by the sliding door to the home being slammed open, with a familiar panicked voice filtering in. “Catra, are you -”

Crap. Adora, whom she loved with her entire being, always managed to have the worst timing.

Adora’s eyes widened as she took in the situation, then narrowed with a burning intensity Catra had only seen a few times before. Her girlfriend began to glow with a blue aura, her eyes shining with that same blinding light, though thankfully she stopped short of fully transforming into She-Ra. Glowing was easier to pass off as a trick of the light compared to suddenly growing three and a half feet taller, at least according to Glimmer. Catra was inclined to agree.

Adora’s protective nature was undeniably attractive, but Catra really didn’t want her girlfriend to have some poor guy’s murder on her conscience once everything got straightened out. “Adora, wait -”

“Get your hands off of her!” Adora snapped, grabbing the boy by the back of his shirt and slamming him against the wall.

The anxiety written all over Tohru’s face as she rushed over to the boy’s side indicated to Catra that there was clearly a massive misunderstanding going on. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Adora, stop -”

At the sound of Catra’s voice, Adora immediately dropped to her side, blue light fading as she pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, burying her face in her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Catra, don’t you dare run off on a strange planet ever again.”

The fear in Adora’s voice chillingly reminded her of their time on Horde Prime’s ship, and she had to blink back tears as she returned the hug. “Okay. I promise.”

Those words seemed to do the trick, as Adora relaxed before gently releasing her from the hug, pulling back to frantically look over her. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Do I need to -”

“I’m fine,” Catra interrupted, grabbing her girlfriend’s hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Honest.”

Her insistence didn’t stop Adora from standing up and turning around with a lethal look in her eyes, her gaze narrowing as she focused on the boy, who had just managed to sit up with the help of Tohru and was now grimacing as he rubbed the back of his head. “What the hell were you doing with your hands on my girlfriend?!”

The boy glared at her in response, similarly getting to his feet as he did so, though noticeably more unbalanced than Adora had been. “Your girlfriend attacked me! I was trying to defend myself and protect Tohru!”

“So your idea of self-defense is to have her in a position that could be fatal? Sorry, but I have my doubts.”

“I have self-restraint, you dumbass! What the hell would I have to gain from killing her?!”

“Oh, sure, you say that now -”

“Enough!” Tohru shouted, jumping in front of the boy with her arms out and startling Adora to the point where she actually took a step back. Catra noticed that the girl was trembling, but she stood her ground. “Please. Stop arguing. Don’t - Don’t hurt him.”

Oh.

Oh.

The way her voice wavered. The way she’d immediately rushed to his side. The way she was clearly terrified but had still thrown herself in front of the boy to protect him. Hell, the way the boy had demanded to know if she had hurt Tohru before he’d even thought about himself.

There was something between them. Maybe they weren’t together, but Catra suspected it was only a matter of time.

Tohru took a deep breath, her body still visibly shaking. “I think there is a misunderstanding going on here, and that we all need to - to calm down for a moment. And talk.”

Catra nodded as she stood up, her hip slightly sore from the awkward angle that she’d been flipped onto the ground earlier. “Tohru’s right.” She slipped her hand back into Adora’s. “I did lash out first, because I thought Carrot Boy over there had broken into Tohru’s house, and even though we’d just met, Tohru had been really nice to me and I didn’t want her to get hurt. So I was just… trying to protect her.” Adora sent her a look that said I am so proud of you, which Catra pointedly ignored. “But that might have been a teeny bit of a hasty assumption for me.”

“Yeah, it was,” the guy snapped, though his expression softened slightly as Tohru placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a worried look. “Listen. I live here, too, okay?”

Catra winced. “Er… Sorry?”

The boy didn’t respond, simply crossing his arms over his chest. He still smelled like a cat to her. Were there pets in this house somewhere that Catra couldn’t see?

“And we of course accept your apology,” Tohru said kindly, clasping her hands together. “Now, why don’t we properly introduce ourselves before we try to figure out the nitty-gritty details of what’s going on? My name is - ahh!” As she was stepping forward to offer her hand to Adora, her foot caught in the blanket Catra had previously been bundled up in, and she seemed to fall towards the floor in slow motion. Both Catra and Adora instinctively jumped to catch her, but the guy beat them to it, looping an arm around Tohru’s waist and pulling her backwards into his chest.

He helped stabilize her, their faces noticeably both cherry red, before giving a resigned sigh. Seconds later, he disappeared in an orange cloud of smoke, leaving a pile of clothes on the floor in his wake as well as an annoyed-looking cat the same color as the cloud sitting on top of his t-shirt.

As much as that made no sense to Catra, at least she could now conclude that he smelled like a cat and looked like a cat and acted like a cat because he… was a cat? Kind of?

“You know,” Adora said after a long pause, moving her arm to wrap around her girlfriend’s waist, “I thought this planet didn’t have any magic, but now… I’m pretty sure I was wrong.”

Catra sighed. “Great observation, babe.”

Explanations were definitely needed. On all sides.

~*~

Tohru thought the strangest day of her life would always be the first time she accidentally transformed Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure into their zodiac forms.

That day had now quite possibly been bumped down to second place.

“So you’re… from another planet?” Tohru repeated, the thought almost dizzying. “And you came to Earth to see if we - if we needed magic brought back to our world?”

Catrina - no, Catra, she chastised herself - nodded. There was a certain sympathy to her eyes. “Yes. I’m sure this is pretty overwhelming for you.”

That was putting it lightly. But Tohru shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I think I’m understanding it all now.” Though it was definitely a lot to take in. A small frown creased her lips, and she tilted her head slightly in confusion. “So then… You aren’t cursed?”

Catra snickered. “Cursed to be with this idiot, maybe,” she said teasingly, giving the blonde girl beside her - Adora - a fond look, who lightly elbowed her in response. “But no, I’m not cursed. This is my… true form, I guess.”

Tohru could feel her face pale at the girl’s words, and she didn’t miss the way Kyo flinched, either. “I see.”

There was an awkward pause, and Tohru had no idea how to break it. Normally she’d offer food or something to drink, but the two girls had already refused. Or rather, Catra had refused, much to what had looked like Adora’s silent dismay. Oh, she felt like a terrible hostess.

“So… you can transform into a giant warrior princess?” Kyo asked slowly, gesturing to Adora. “Which is why you got all glowy earlier? Like some magical girl anime?”

“I have no clue what that means, but yes. I can transform into She-Ra.” Adora gave him an apologetic smile. “And again, I’m really sorry for throwing you into the wall. I just saw you on top of Catra and completely freaked out.” She pressed a kiss to Catra’s temple, who blushed furiously at the action but made no move to get away, instead not-very-subtly scooting even closer to her. They were very cute, in Tohru’s opinion.

She noticed Kyo’s face soften as he watched their interaction. She loved that rare, gentle expression on him. “No,” he said quietly, eyes flickering over to Tohru before immediately dropping to the table. “I understand.”

Tohru could feel her face reddening at his words, brief as his glance towards her had been. If Adora and Catra noticed, they didn’t comment, for which she was silently grateful.

“Anyways,” Adora continued, “after asking around and getting stared at like a crazy person many, many times, I’d come to the conclusion that this planet was magic-free and always had been.” She pointed at Kyo. “And then you turned into a cat. Which I’ve only seen happen, like, one other time.” She glanced at Catra. “But Melog’s technically a shapeshifter, right? So it’s not the same thing.” She shook her head when Catra shrugged. “Not my point. So how did you do that, sir?”

Kyo picked at his fingernail, still not making eye contact with them. “Trust me,” he said, his voice low. “There was nothing magical about that.”

Catra raised an eyebrow, and she locked her gaze with Tohru’s. “Right. You kept talking about a curse.”

Tohru flinched, and she glanced at Kyo. “Ah, am I allowed to…?” She felt bad for mentioning it so many times earlier, but Catra had looked like a normal human and then her bracelet fell off and she’d suddenly had a dozen catlike features… she’d gotten such a chilling sense of déjà vu that a curse had felt like the most logical conclusion at the time.

Kyo sighed. “I mean, they’re from another planet. It’s not like they’re going to run into Akito. So why not?”

Tohru nodded, smoothing her skirt as she returned her attention to their guests. “A long time ago, there was a banquet hosted by God.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. The ribbon that normally held it back had fallen out amidst all the earlier chaos. “God invited 13 animals to join them at this feast. 12 attended. Eventually, all 13 animals vowed to remain by God’s side. Forever. This… bond has been recreated every generation through - through the Sohma family. If they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex, they turn into their zodiac form.” She hoped she wasn’t leaving out too much. There were just some things she wasn’t sure she should reveal.

Adora nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I think I remember George and Lance talking about the zodiac when we were getting a crash course on Earth’s culture.” She frowned, seemingly puzzled. “But I don’t remember a family curse. Or a cat.”

“You wouldn’t.” Kyo’s gaze had hardened. “The curse is a secret. And the cat isn’t a part of the zodiac. Not in the same way.” He was fingering his bracelet, and Tohru desperately wished she could give him a comforting hug. Instead, she reached out and placed a hand on his knee. She could feel him relax at her touch - only slightly, but still a victory.

Tohru hadn’t missed the way Catra’s eyes had steadfastly remained on Kyo for much of the conversation. Maybe it was… a cat thing?

“So it seems like this zodiac curse might be an exception to Earth’s ‘no magic’ rule,” Catra finally said. “If it’s magic at all.”

“Is there a way to break this curse?” Adora asked. “I have - I have these sort of healing powers, as She-Ra, so maybe… I could help?”

Tohru couldn’t stop the hope bubbling in her chest at the thought. After learning that Kyo would be - would be… imprisoned after graduation, she was willing to do anything to prevent that from happening. “Kyo, do you think -”

“No.” His tone was flat, and Tohru flinched. He noticed her reaction, and grimaced apologetically. “Sorry. I just mean…” His fist clenched. “We’re… the Sohmas aren’t the kind of broken that your magic powers, or whatever, can heal. But thanks.” He managed a half-hearted smile. “I appreciate the offer.”

There was a pause. But for perhaps the first time since they’d all been in one room together, the silence had a certain tranquility to it, rather than an awkward tension. Which Tohru considered to be a sign of improvement.

“I guess we’ll need to get going soon,” Catra finally said. “Sparkles and Arrow Boy are going to wonder where we disappeared to.”

Adora chuckled. “You mean they’re going to smother us when we get back because they’ll have been stressed out of their minds.”

Wait, they had people waiting for them?! “I’m so sorry!” Tohru exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “Oh, your friends are going to be so worried about you!” She pushed her hair out of her face. “Would you like some - some food, or anything, for your trip back? I can pull something together in no time!”

Adora’s eyes lit up, but Catra beat her to it. “No, we’re fine,” she said with a small smile before shooting Adora a disapproving look. “You’ve already given us plenty of hospitality. We’ve overstayed our welcome.”

Adora appeared slightly disappointed but didn’t comment, instead standing up and pulling Catra to her feet beside her. Tohru noticed neither let go of the other’s hand. “Well, it was nice meeting you guys. And Kyo, again, I really am sorry I threw you into the wall. I hope we can move past that and be friends.”

A small smile formed on Kyo’s lips, and Tohru felt warmth blossom in her chest. “I’d say we’ve moved past it already. And for the record, your super-strength and glowy powers are pretty badass. Less so when I’m the one they’re directed at, but still cool.”

Adora laughed. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“I am also sorry for attacking you because I thought you were some creep,” Catra added. “I promise not to do it again. Cats are usually pretty solitary creatures, but that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies, right?”

Kyo laughed as he stood up, and Tohru felt her own smile widen further. “Agreed. But that’s not even the first time that’s happened to me, you know. Tohru also attacked me early on when we met because she thought I was a creep. Tried to knock me out with her school bag. So don’t feel too bad. I think I just have bad luck.”

Tohru buried her face in her hands, aware she was blushing up to her ears. “Kyo!” That was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. She still felt terrible about it.

Catra snickered. “Oh, I wish I had time to stay and hear that story.”

“It’s a good one.” Kyo then shook his head. “I’m still not sure if this day has been real or if it’s just a weird dream from Yuki decking me and giving me a concussion, but if it is real, it was… interesting to meet you guys. Weird, but in a good way.”

Catra laughed, too. “Yep, that pretty much sums it up.”

“Is there any way we can stay in contact with you guys?” Tohru blurted out. She wasn’t entirely sure what compelled her to ask, but she knew a part of her would soon need proof that she hadn’t imagined their entire encounter. Also… They were her friends now. And she liked keeping in touch with her friends.

Adora frowned, turning to look at Catra. “We have a spare communications pad, don’t we? We could give it to her and just tell Bow we lost it.”

“You mean I will tell Bow we lost it,” Catra corrected as she swung her backpack around to her front and began fishing through it. “Because you’re a terrible liar and he wouldn’t believe you for a second.”

“Exactly. You know me so well.”

Catra rolled her eyes, but Tohru didn’t miss the soft smile that formed on her lips. It was the same smile her mother used to wear when she spoke about her father.

“Aha!” Catra then exclaimed triumphantly, pulling a weirdly-shaped tablet out of her bag and handing it to Tohru. “You can use this to contact us whenever you want. Although we’ll probably have to figure out what the time difference is between Etheria and Earth.”

Tohru accepted the tablet, holding it close to her chest. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I hope your quest to restore magic to the universe continues to be successful!”

They exchanged simple goodbyes - making sure to first give Tohru a rundown on how to use the communications pad, for which she was infinitely grateful - and then they left, hand in hand.

Tohru quickly ran to stash the tablet in her bedroom before returning downstairs, walking into the kitchen to see Kyo looking through the fridge. “Would you like me to cook something?” she offered, moving next to him to see what ingredients she’d have to work with.

Kyo lightly knocked her head. “I’ll cook. You can go rest. You’ve had a stressful day.”

“You have, too!” she protested, tucking her hair behind her ears. She was not backing down on this, and she tried to show her determination by squaring her shoulders and staring him down.

She had a feeling it came off as more silly than anything else, at least based on the amused - if fond - smile Kyo gave her.

“Okay, fine. How about we cook together?” he suggested. “Is that an acceptable compromise?”

Tohru beamed at him. “That sounds wonderful!” She clasped her hands together, eyes practically sparkling in excitement.  “Oh, we can make something for Yuki and Shigure! They’ll be back soon.” Yuki had been dealing with Student Council business all afternoon, and Shigure had been at the main Sohma estate the entire day. She was certain they’d appreciate coming home to a warm dinner on the table.

Kyo rolled his eyes. “You’re way too considerate of those bastards.”

“And you are too harsh on them,” Tohru chastised, shaking her head. The movement caused her hair to fall in her face again, and she promptly pushed it right back behind her ears. Hmm. Maybe she needed to consider getting it cut?

Apparently Kyo had noticed her struggle, as he left the kitchen for a moment before returning with her ribbon. She started to thank him and reach for it, but he shook his head. “Turn around.”

Tohru blinked, then did as instructed. At first she was rather stiff, but she soon found herself relaxing as Kyo’s hands gently moved through her hair, pulling it up into a ponytail.

“There,” he said after he finished. “Now it should stop getting in your way.”

Tohru instinctively reached up to touch her hair, almost surprised by how secure it felt. “That’s amazing, Kyo! I didn’t know you knew how to do hair.”

Kyo flushed. “It’s nothing fancy. Kagura made me do her hair all the time when we were kids. I remember the basics.”

Tohru couldn’t help but smile softly at the thought of young Kyo brushing and braiding a young Kagura’s hair. “That’s so sweet.” She beamed at him. “And thank you. I love it.”

Kyo’s blush deepened, and he looked away. “Seriously. It’s no big deal.” He paused, as if something had occurred to him. “Oh. Also.” He pulled a small silver bracelet out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I found this on the table. I think one of the girls might have left it.”

Tohru’s eyes widened, recognizing the bracelet as the object that had generated Catra’s human disguise. “Oh, this is Catra’s!” she said frantically, accepting the bracelet from him. “We have to get it back to her! It’s not too late to catch up to them, is it?”

Kyo grabbed her wrist as she started to dash towards the door. “Slow down, dummy,” he said, pulling her back into the kitchen. “They’re long gone.”

He was right. She knew he was right, but - “I feel like we need to return it to her! Somehow.”

“Maybe. But surely she wouldn’t have left it if it was that important.”

Tohru hesitated, glancing down at the broken bracelet cradled in her palms. “Okay,” she finally agreed, relaxing slightly. “That does make sense.” She tucked the bracelet into the pocket of her skirt.

Maybe one day she’d be able to fix it. Maybe one day she could ask them how to fix it by contacting them through the tablet they’d given her. Maybe one day they’d even return in person to pick it up themselves.

No matter what… She would see them again. She was sure of it.

Tohru turned to Kyo, giving him a brilliant smile. “Let’s get cooking!”

~*~

“And you’re sure you’re not hurt -”

“Adora! I told you that I’m fine.” Catra rolled her eyes. “Seriously. You worry too much.”

“You’re my girlfriend. It’s my job to worry about you.” Adora sighed, her arms moving from being crossed over her chest to clutching her own shoulders as she hugged herself tightly. “That was terrifying, Catra. Walking in to see some random guy leaning angrily over you with his arm against your throat?” She shuddered. “Ugh. I’m going to have nightmares about that one.”

Catra could feel her expression softening, and she walked across their room on Mara’s ship to place her hands on Adora’s shoulders. “I’m sorry I scared you. But I promise that I’m okay. I honestly don’t think Kyo had any intention to hurt me, anyways.”

Adora’s arms fell to her sides, her hands coming to rest on Catra’s waist. “What makes you say that?”

“You mean besides the fact that he’s actually a nice person?” Catra shrugged. “I just had a feeling, I guess.” Something about the look in his eyes. Fear, panic, desperation. All overshadowed by concern. A willingness to do anything for that one person.

It had been like looking in a mirror.

She pulled Adora into a hug, burying her face into her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I love you.”

Adora didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around her in response. “I love you, too.”

They stayed like that for a while. Catra eventually lifted her head, turning to face a direction where she could see out the window, out into the infinite void of space. They’d long since flown away from Earth. But still…

Catra had a feeling they’d see them again. Tohru and Kyo.

She was sure of it.

(After all, they’d have to go pick up her bracelet one day.)

~*~

tagging the two people who said they’d be interested in reading lol: @akeera13​ and @timefrozen-waterstreams

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream | Fugou Keiji 2 | Kitsutsuki 2 - 4 | Arte 3 - 12 (FINAL) | Fruits Basket 27 - 32

During the Millionaire Detective: Unmissable livestream (part of FunimationCon and Aniplex Online Fest), I watched and took notes, so you might find these handy upon retrospect. To be honest, this is how I do the posts for magicalgirlsandcerulean’s livestreams as well, but there hasn’t been one of those in a while...

Otherwise, these are all normal notes.

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream

Look out for the dancer from the OP

Onuki was the model for the dancing for the anime – he was told to do it out of the blue

Episode 11 might have one of these^ be relevant

Daisuke’s cup ramen has shark fin in it and he made the packaging from scratch – that’s why it’s so expensive!

The director Tomohiko Ito omits important information, allowing people to decide for themselves what happened. (Miyano) – This might be why the series is stylish. (MC)

Attractiveness of character design is important! (for adapting Fugou Keiji to modern day)

I’ve never watched a livestream where the stars were so conscious of their English and Chinese audiences! This was interesting, especially because Onuki is not normally known as a VA!

“We still have a little bit of recording to do.”

Fugou Keiji 2

I keep misunderstanding my own instructions…this starts again in July after ep 2.

Todai = Tokyo Daigaku (Uni).

I believe this is the 2nd time I’ve seen a rich person like commoner’s instant noodles, although I forget where I saw the 1stinstance.

Kambe switched to the back seat now, huh?

Ah! Now I remember! The first time was seeing spoilers for this episode on Twitter! (LOL)

I see Suzue has a sensible naming scheme for her data.

Hmm…judging by the Google hits, the name visible in the background (Betbeto bin Abura) is the Arabic prince from last time.

SYN-ACK. I see these guys did their work – that’s the final stage of the 3 stage handshake required for things like internet sockets (used to send “packets” of data).

Way to crash a party, Kambe siblings…(LOL)

I really wanna see someone draw Kato slapping (Daisuke) Kambe in the face with a wad of cash…or a “shut up and take my money” meme with Kambe in it.

I like how “special cup ramen” is on the purchases list and it costs 100000 yen. I also like how the reporter Mita was bought out for 5000000 yen (bigger than all the other individual costs except for buying out the Tower)…that’s how he showed up.

Kitsutsuki 2

I gotta finish this show and then pause it…3 shows in my normal lineup are safe.

Did Kindaichi take the bones of the fish out for Ishikawa…? Like a child would have had done for them?

Why is Ishikawa being referred to as “Hajime”…?

Draw this prostitute like one of your French girls…(LOL?)

Ishikawa clearly dropped those coins into that book earlier.

Way to diss the potential asexuality/celibacy in the house. I mean, it’s the 1800s – early 1900s, so there was less LGBTIQ+ stuff then and certainly the further back you go, the more sexual prowess becomes a sign of masculinity, but still, if the guy doesn’t want to go through with it, don’t force him.

Notice how the borders were pink for Ishikawa’s version and blue for Kindaichi’s.

Notably, Otaki didn’t seem to have that hairpin…but maybe that’s because we saw things from Ishikawa’s perspective.

Ooh…who are these bois? Also, crab.

Kitsutsuki 3

…cat? Now there’s a new perspective. That’s like saying the butler did it.

Yay! Hagiwara is Ume!

Notice Hagiwara’s version has a purple frame, while Yoshii (?) has yellow and another person has dark blue.

I think “consumption” was tuberculosis, once upon a time.

I love how the crowd is fed up with Ishikawa’s bulls***.

Ooh, chuuni Akutagawa…

In a Grove is the Rashomon story.

Tarou Hirai = Rampo Edogawa.

You stalker, future Rampo!

I kinda suspected Otaki when I thought through the possibilities…Ishikawa, Kindaichi, an outsider, Otaki (and as of this ep, Rampo too).

Gaiheikan? Is that Ishikawa and co.’s lodging?

Did they have pencils back in that day?

Kitsutsuki 4

Humouresques.

Kabayaki.

I think it was in Detective Conan that I learnt (one of) the only way(s) a man can get his nails done is by his wife doing it for him, possibly as a prank or to indicate he’s “taken”. Note this was early Detective Conan, so it’s very much a 90s attitude…considering the widespread acceptance of drag queens and the LGBTIQ+ movement these days.

Kozukata.

Lace flower.

Maichou seems to be a hybrid of Asahi Shinbun and Mainichi Shinbun.

[Monkfish/dictionary/going home] - Is this how Ishikawa shows consideration…?

The purple letterrboxing is back but this time with Ishikawa…meaning that’s just an aesthetic thing for all flashbacks after all.

Just from vaguely hearing it (I’ve got the volume on low), the words are nodo tsuki/nodo zuki. “Throat moon/throat wound” works just as well, if not better.

Balsam flower.

Update: Since enough anime fulfilled the special COVID-19 criteria, Kitsutsuki was put on hold after this.

Fruits Basket 2 2 (27)

I’ve read Another, remember?…so I kind of know what happens.

Uo’s got purple nails…that’s surprisingly cute of her.

Aw, Kureno! Another Ume role!

Why is “shisho” (master) not translated…? A weird Tokyopop-era translation quirk?

Aw, Shisho cut his hair…? Bummer.

Who was that? Shigure…?(!) Update: We find out his name later in this ep.

“If you continue to change, I’ll continue to protect you.” – Another quote for the archive.

Great…I feel personally called out by this ep.

Fruits Basket 2 3 (28)

It seems all male designers wear their designs if they have no one else to wear them…at least, that’s what I’ve gathered from Hajime (Runway de Waratte) and Ayame.

I remember Ayame stood in for Yuki’s parents in the manga at one point. This must be it.

(Spoilers for later!) I also remember Mine and Ayame get married at the end…This is the prelude to that.

Dang, Ayame, you moment-ruiner!

Fruits Basket 2 4 (29)

Did anyone in the doorway hear about Hatsuharu turning into an ox?

To quote Sailor Mercury, “Douse yourself in water and repent!”

Ooh, window splitting Yuki and Haru. Nice cinematography going on here.

I bet all people think they only think about themselves, in one way or another.

Arashiyama tofu.

Yatsuhashi are great. They’re these sweet triangle things like samosas that come in various flavours. Mitarashi dango are sticky brown skewered balls of glutinous rice…which I’ve never had, but I’ve seen them in enough anime to know what they are.

I only just realised this, but Yuki’s hairstyle isn’t even on both sides, like Atsushi from BSD’s.

Huh…you can see a copy of Mogeta and Ari (as it turns out, “Ari” is the name of a character and not “ant” at all in this case) on Haru’s bed. There’s also an article in one of the magazines discussing how denim is the popular thing now and which types are in right now.

Fruits Basket 2 5 (30)

I realised Yuki isn’t calling Tohru by her first name – he’s going against Haru’s advice.

Hmm? Why should anyone ask a rabbit to hold their horses…? (LOL)

CGI cars…*sigh*

Tororo is grated yam, IIRC.

I learnt recently that nanban means “savage” or “uncivilised”…for a potato and chicken dish, the name and the contents don’t really match…Update: Nanban means “savage” (noun) or “barbarian”. Close enough.

17-26…age gap 9 years…yikes…

The words “(a happy, yet) caged bird” come to mind when Kureno describes himself. Also, Kureno is an Ume role! Yippee!

Ahh…young love…even if it has a bit of an awkward edge to it. Mind the (age) gap!

Me being the Ume stan, of course I want to hear those sweet nothings in his voice, even if it has to be via a proxy like Uotani…I wouldn’t be an Ume stan if I didn’t.

…Ah, I see. Uotani reminds me of Minare from Wave and vice versa.

Oh, I just remembered Akito is 20 or thereabouts. Kureno/Akito is only a bit more legal than Uotani and Kureno.

Arte 3

Notice Leo never once uses Arte’s name in the lady’s presence. Her name does have some infamy to it, after all.

“She’s got some guts.” – You say that at a live dissection…LOL.

Is this love~? What’s the age gap between Leo and Arte, anyway? Update: We know for sure Arte is older than 13…that’s it.

Make the things you want prominent with perspective and such. I thought that much was obvious, but for someone straightforward like Arte, I guess it ain’t so. (Maybe it’s because I’m self-taught to some degree when it comes to art.)

*sketching by candlelight* - You’re gonna ruin your eyes, Arte!

Arte, ma girl! You’re getting’ a raise! Good job!

Arte 4

Anime makes this courtesan stuff sound like a host club…(?)

I thought Leo was saying “Aria” for a second instead of Arte, LOL. I’m getting too used to that being my alias…

Arte 5

The speech bubble said “so annoying I could die”.

Arte 6

The video’s gone all pixelated…at least, the subs have…

I bet she’s going to fall over…Update: Nup, she didn’t.

Arte 7

I thought Yuri was a Russian name…or a Japanese one.

This is basically Oushitsu Kyoushi Heine all over again! (LOL)

I thought Yuri would be pushy…like, “Here’s an offer you can’t refuse.” That kind of thing. Likewise, I didn’t think Arte would refuse.

Leo? *dun-dun-DUN!*

Siena is apparently in Tuscany. Also, I did see the Silent Manga Audition page had a chapter on a pregnant woman, so this is ch. 17 or thereabouts.

Is Ruthanna not getting the money because she’s pregnant…?

Epidemic? The Black Death?...Speaking of which, Arte is very much of that ganbaru spirit. By being progressive for her time, she becomes ordinary in our time.

Ohhhhhhh! It’s a reverse harem in progress here!...This would be a good otome game, come to think of it. It’s framed the same way.

Leo can be surprisingly childish at times, don’t you think?

Arte 8

…Really? She fell overboard? *raises eyebrow*

Ooh, china (with and without capitalisation).

Is this another sarcastic child…? Oh, bother. Still, I can see why Hamefura crossed over with Arte now…Katarina vs. Catarina!

Arte 9

Bigoli is a type of pasta, as can be guessed from context.

The kanji for the episode title literally translate to “bad child”! Like the Tones and I song, LOL!

Mikata (ally).

Arte 10

This episode is giving off a Katarina x Gimo ship vibe…but with how young they are, I’m not sure I should ship it. They’re 6, aren’t they…?

Oh, you can see Katarina and Sofia’s hug in one of the ED frames.

Arte 11

Arte’s let her hair grow out…

An Italian man…bowed. In Renaissance Italy. Now I understand what all the ANN complaints are for.

What’s up with that kid’s face…? *grumbles*

Leo’s just being Leo, I see.

That’s right, Angelo and Leo never met.

Instead of a father or a brother overly cherishing his daughter, it’s the uncle…I never thought I’d see the day I saw something like that.

Arte 12 (FINAL)

Is this like Orientalism, but with gender…? (What would you call that?)

Lemme guess…Leo is working on the church mural and so he’s away?

Was that Leo, in the middle of the mural somewhere…?

Another Japanese bow in this anime, which is set in Italy.

But where is Arte herself in that mural?

Fine = end.

Fruits Basket 31

The word Momiji is using is “hisso” or something like that. Hissho is secretary, so the translator made it “secret getaway” to make it work.

That hat! *laser stare*

*one of the textbooks has “high school chemistry” on it* Tohru can do chemistry?! I suck at chemistry!

The episode title is translated as “Are you really this stupid?” It seems the real line for that was “Are you an idiot?”

Something about high school girls appeared in my head when Haru mentioned Shigure wanting to see Tohru in her tight swimsuit…*mumbles grumpily about pervs*

Kyo’s not wet, even though he got in the water! Amazing!

I think it’s sad that Tohru responds to “stupid girl” like it’s her own name.

“…that makes you suspect me?” seems better.

The Akito and Shigure age gap is somewhere between 6 and 8 years, IIRC.

Fruits Basket 32

Tohru switched from okaasan (mother) to okattekita (a formal past tense verb meaning either “bought”, “lent” or “won” based on the characters…which I don’t have a reference for). I assume because it was so off the mark, the subbers chose a similarly off the mark word.

“When I was a kid, I thought watermelons would sprout in my stomach if I ate the seeds.”

We only know about Kyo’s dad so far…hmm…what about the mother? Update: (TW: suicide) I think it was at this point we already knew that Kyo’s mother didn’t love him and committed suicide, but it’s not certain until later.

Why do doctors always use scalpels and syringes as weapons…? I mean, even Jakurai’s symbol in ARB is a syringe!

I’ve been wondering…how big is the Sohma family? Is it diluted enough that Haru and Rin can love each other without genetic problems for their child/ren? (From Another, I would say the answer is “yes”, but shoujo normally doesn’t care about this sort of thing, which is why I ask in the first place.)

Shigure seems like the type to say, “U mad, bro?”

The mansion looks like the one in Haruhi Suzumiya, if I remember the appearance of that one correctly.

[shiguresxhma]

I just wanted to tell you that reading all of your character analyses has made it a lot easier to adjust to college life because it makes me happy when I'm feeling lonely. I love Fruits Basket so much and it's really nice to read more about the characters from the perspective of someone who has a wonderful grasp of their thoughts and motivations. I want to know everything you have to say about Shigure and Yuki's dynamic, especially around the time Shigure took him in. Keep up the good work!

/ UM ??? HELLO ???? YOU ARE SO KIND !!!! Thank you so much for saying such kind words, and I am elated that my little ramblings could help you through something as trying as adjusting to college life!!! 

Yuki and Gure’s dynamic is one that I’ve talked about a lot and one that is so important to me. I could link some previous posts but at this point, after archiving I cannot tell if the posts are on my Yuki blog or here on Gure .... so I guess I’ll just TL;DR 

A lot of my thoughts and feelings are shared with and better articulated by my dear friend who has been writing a YukiKyo fic with this really great Shigure pov chapter that is a pretty in depth look at this dynamic specifically! (plugplugplug I guess). I have to give credit where credit is due, because her headcanons are 2 good. 

ANYWAY, it was undoubtedly incredibly awkward for the two of them when Yuki first moved in. Yuki and Shigure barely knew each other. Interestingly enough, the three closest people to Shigure, Ayame, Hatori, and Akito all have such distinct relationships with Yuki. The younger brother, a huge source of regret, and of course the God’s favorite little zodiac. Shigure really only would have been able to see Yuki through their eyes until getting to know the rat himself. Yuki likely shared a similar indifference about the dog --- he’s his brother’s and Hatori’s best friend, and he would often see him with Akito. So needless to say, Shigure and Yuki weren’t close. 

By the time Yuki moves in with Gure in canon, Shigure has already been living in his house off the estate and I have the mightiest gut feeling that Haru asking for Yuki to live with him was the greatest opportunity that he could have been granted, because now he could take the rat away from God, too. So like ... I’m not saying that Gure deciding to let Yuki live with him was a completely selfish gesture but I’m just saying ... he got something out of it other than a new, awkward housemate. And, like I said, I think it was a good while before they were comfortable around each other. It’s easy to see Yuki keeping to himself and barely leaving his bedroom, or if he ever did, managing to do so when Shigure was too busy to spot him. 

What broke the ice was most likely the fact that Yuki could live how he wanted to with Shigure. He wasn’t being coddled or treated like some porcelain trophy child, he was staying up late in his trashed bedroom eating junk food. I’ve mentioned before entertaining the concept of an AU where Hatori basically pulls a Shishou and takes Yuki in himself (because I also adore their relationship & that is a separate topic altogether) but in all honesty Shigure was the perfect person for Yuki to live with. Yeah, Shigure is still a zodiac Sohma so it’s not like Yuki was completely out of the cage. But, Shigure was one of the few who doesn't fear Akito. He has such an independence about him when it comes to the zodiac’s relationship to God and Yuki needed that figure in his life. Someone who could revere Akito in a way that wasn’t this big scary monster sitting on a throne of entitlement. So, despite being in another Sohma home, there was an element of disconnect there under Shigure’s roof. Shigure is a very realistic guy who is arguably one of the most grounded characters in Fruits Basket. He wasn’t looking to coddle or smother Yuki as some newfound parental figure, he was just ... living with his housemate respectfully and treating him like an adult. 

I probably could have phrased this better, but yeah. Shigure was the best possible person Yuki could have lived with before meeting Tohru Honda and learning how to spread his wings (or lil rat arms, I guess). 

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol.8

hey I remembered, how cool :D

So this particular book decided to gut punch me, I really appreciated that. Not with anything angsty or tragic or whatever, just with plain ol irl stuff that I've been dealing with for years now, mostly pertaining to the incredibly daunting, terrifying, anxiety-inducing question of, "Ok, so you're finishing up/finished with school, what now?" And, just like a handful of the characters faced with this question, I say, "Shit man I don't fucking know."

First though, an angry cow boy got angry and tore up a classroom. Yep, it's our local cow boy, Hatsuharu Sohma. Tohru and Co. were just going about their day, when they heard that Cow Boy(it's really stupid but I think I'm gonna go with it) lost his shit. Naturally, they go and investigate, and their reactions were mostly

Kyo: (fuck he wants to fight i'll fight him lessgobetch)

Yuki: (smh, just, smfh)

Tohru: (concern & confusion)

Momiji: ( :D )

Anyway, after a teacher comes in and dumps a bucket of water over Haru (and Kyo, who was fixing for a fight), he calms down and is no longer black. Hm. That sounds wrong. He's no longer,,, he's calmed down, that's all that I can say. They still don't know what set him off, but Yuki is interested in finding out. Turns out that Haru was dumped, and his confusion and hurt and anger had been bundling up in the days/week since, and bubbled over to him becoming Angry Cow Boy. So that's out of the way.

After that, a new character arrives on the scene: Ritchan, who is related to that other person a while back who just kinda kept losing their shit over little things. It's kinda draining just reading through Ritchan doing this, I can't imagine how it would be to deal with in person. Like, every little thing just sets Ritchan off, like Kyo asking where the milk went (Ritchan used it all for his cereal), and before you know it, Ritchan's on the roof and people have to talk him off, like, it's a lot. (I don't think that was the specific order but, it was something that like that)

Ritchan faces a lot of insecurities (which seems to be really common within the Sohma family) about how he isn't very powerful, and how he feels his zodiac animal (the monkey) isn't useful. He wishes that he could find his purpose in life, more rather that someone would just tell him (haha can't relate to that at all,, haaaa 😬), but Tohru says that, maybe no one has a purpose in life. Maybe there's nothing that anyone is "supposed to do", rather that life is more about discovering what you want to do and who you want to be. She and her mom have some really good insight.

Continuing with that general idea, and what I was mentioning earlier, the school term is ending soon, and the students have to turn in goals that they have for the future. Naturally, this is an incredibly stressful thing, and so everyone involved is some form of freaked out over it. Yuki is stressed about it, because he seems to have a bad relationship with like,, everyone in his family: his parents and his brother. There's some mention of his parents "selling" him, so that's probably why.

Kyo's stressed about it because he's the cat. He's a Cat Boy, and no one wants to be around a Cat Boy. Within the Sohma family, that is. I doubt anyone else would particularly care, but the family (cough cough, Akito, most likely, cough cough) seems to have a lot of power and the ability to dictate what exactly the members of the family can do, even into their adulthood. And since the family already seems to not like Kyo simply because he is Cat Boy, he sees his prospects are pretty dim.

Finally, Tohru feels anxious about her future because it's all just so much at once. She has no idea where to go after this. She promised her mom that she would get through high school, because her mom didn't/wasn't able to. After that though, idfk man how am I supposed to know?? She continues to get more upset, until Shigure pops outta fucking nowhere and basically says to take things one at time. Sure, there are many things down the road, but more often than not, it doesn't do much good to fret about all that stuff if you're still tangling up in what you currently have to do. Just keep working, keep chugging along, and when it gets to be too much, sit down, take a break, but just remember to keep steadily making your way down the path.

And that's the kinda shit that makes me think, "Hey! I'm reading this to relax, not be reminded of my own problems ;o; but also much thank anime man"

Towards the end, Tohru, Momiji, Kyo, Yuki, and Haru all go to a haunted house, and Tohru is fucking terrified the whole time and acts like an idiot (same lmao), and Haru crafts some weird story between two of the props, which helps calm Tohru down.

Tohru goes in the first place to fight her fears, but I wouldn't have gone in at all. I do not enjoy being scared in any way. I will not watch a scary movie or video to "save face", mright? I am a fantastic wimp and I'm ok with that. If you guys want to go and watch a scary movie or tell scary stories, that's great, but I'll be somewhere else, looking at memes or reading some stupid shit, or like,,, literally anything other than partaking in the scary stuff. I haven't watched a horror movie in years, but the last ones that I was stupid enough to force myself to watch still haunt me, I still am thoroughly freaked out by them. I mean, there was one anti-meth ad that I got when I was outrageously young, and that shit still sticks with me. Did I ever have any intent of doing meth? No. Not in the least, but hey, at least that ad made me scared of taking a shower for a solid month. (I still did shower but I had the shower curtain open the whole time. It was a huge mess.)

[impossible-3d]

(Note: You can donate to the Help KyoAni Heal fundraiser here) I’ve had a lot of second thoughts about posting this picture, considering the incident it’s referring to, the subject matter might come off as insensitive. After giving much thought to the issue, I decided to post it anyway. The reason being the message I had in mind with this image. The things we hold dear can be taken from us at any moment. Life may punch you in the gut so hard that you’ll lose all your senses and afterwards wonder how you’re even still alive. A senseless tragedy happened. One which resulted in losses so massive that many of us don’t even realize it yet. This is a tragedy that did not need to happen. It especially did not need to happen to these people and in such a horrible and brutal manner. For such amazing people, to come in to work on that day, laboring to create something worthwhile, to make other people happy, only to be repaid for their labor and dedication by having the very place many of them considered a second home, turned into a tomb of immeasurable pain and suffering that ultimately caused many of their lives to be snuffed out - it fills me, as I’m sure it does many of you, with a certainty of a great cosmic injustice, and an ever welling rage and despair that such a thing was ever allowed to happen. And all this is made worse by the fact that it was not a simple accident or negligence that caused this - it was deliberate, premeditated human malevolence. The incident was a crime, committed by a criminal with a clear intent to harm. There is someone whose hatred, uncontrolled rage and disregard for his fellow man has caused all the deaths, and all the suffering which we experienced and will experience in the coming days. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking in recent years about the nature of violence. Violence has an enormous effect in the short term, which gives the all too convincing illusion that it’s highly effective. But as time goes on, the effects of the violent act tend to naturally diminish on their own. In short, violence has not proved to be as powerful as we, especially in these difficult times, deem it to be. This is because we are intelligent, creative beings, and ideas and beliefs affect us much more than mere threats or violence can. Violence, such as the act we experienced this week, will cause a tremendous amount of pain and loss in the weeks and months ahead. As the obituaries and announcements of cancelled movies and shows come in, we will all be forced to fully and truly realize the losses which we suffered. Many of the people who worked on the shows and movies so important to us are gone forever. Many of the shows we were looking forward to from KyoAni will never happen. And it’s all because of this. Wounds so deep will never truly heal, but scar. Your wounds will attract your demons to tempt you into despising a world which would inflict them, to rage against the pain, and it would be so easy, and it would feel so good. It is your responsibility to resist this temptation, to stand up straight, shoulders back, face your wounds and demons head on and say “No. I will keep walking regardless”. The perpetrator, sadly, could not resist even the demons summoned by a very minor injury to his pride, and they led him to destroy so much we, not to mention the people working at Kyoto Animation, hold dear. Because of his demons, we wear a new scar today. Senseless tragedies can happen to anyone. It has happened now, and it will happen again. It happens all the time. Often it happens because of pure human malevolence. And yet, throughout all this, we still decide that life is worth living and working for. The mark of a proud human being is to resist the demons that would drag us down, to deny the temptation of lies and violence, and to stand up proud with our thousand scars and keep smiling, walking sternly forward in spite of all that life may throw at us. That is my reason why Tohru in this picture is smiling, and flying a battered flag with the Kyoto Animation company logo, all covered in a very specific type of injury. It’s not an accident. This is a time of mourning, but when we are on the other side, I think it’s very important to face what happened full on. This act of violence has robbed us of many talented people, it has robbed children of mothers and fathers, and it has robbed millions of fans of something they hold dear in their hearts. But it did not destroy their legacy. Clichés are cliché for a reason. Senseless and massively powerful as this act of violence may seem, it has only caused pain in the short term. In the long term, not only will their legacy live on, but because this event has made us realize the fragility of life, our everlasting scars will make sure that the high standards of their animation, the exemplary way in which they run their studio and treat their employees, which has for years been a shining beacon in the industry, will now glow even brighter and will be cherished all the more. In the end, we face the horrifying truth, we wear our scars with pride, and this being posted on a Sunday, we go to work tomorrow, despite knowing that something like this might happen to us next. We are the ones who will, in doing this, carry on the legacy of all those we lost, and it is in this way that we ensure that their lives have not been in vain. Because everything they fought for in life lives on through us and through our own labors, and for their sake, we cannot afford to let our demons get to us. We will keep doing the hard work of life, because we are proud human beings, and our legacy will not be erased. (Note: You can donate to the Help KyoAni Heal fundraiser here)

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE Episode 44 Review.

What am I looking at here? The predecessor of the Advance PET from Axess or my Gameboy Advanced?

Hmm....

“Betrayed!!!”

We start the episode in a castle at night with the comeback of our friend Poipu aka Princess Pride doing some work on her computer and putting on lip stick between shots.

She takes a little break to drink some tea and looks over at a picture of her with Netto she must’ve taken somehow at some point during episode 39, along with the bandana he gave her for that unnecessary wound she did to herself.

That picture looks way better than the art style used in that episode.

An alarm suddenly goes off and one of her bodyguards tells her that someone is trying to destroy the main system. After this, we cut to Netto falling off his bed due to an emergency call coming from his PET. Netto recognizes his friend Poipu and an evil looking Knigthman who is seen destroying something.

“Poipu? What’s with the costume?”

After the title card we see Netto on Yaito’s private commercial plane worried about his friend as he walks in a diamond, I would say his walking in circles, but that carpet makes it confusing.

Netto’s thinking face is cute. :3

BTW Rush is there with them doing something “funny”, but since I hate him I’m gonna skipped as many scenes I can with him. These are my reviews, I take all the screencaps I want!

They ask about Creamland, and Glyde tells them that it is an island nation far to the north that is covered in snow most of the year.

I want to talk a little about Creamland here. Glyde’s description makes Creamland sound like it was suppoused to be based on Greenland, but in the Stream saga, Creamland passes from an island to a country fighting over an unclaimed territory with Sharo.

Now, considering that Sharo is actually based on Russia this would make Creamland look like Finland. That is the power of plot convinience, the power to move islands to the continent! 

So what is it then? Greenland or Finland? I have no idea, but we can all agree that Creamland is a Scandinavian country. It could even be Iceland for all I know.

Anyway, once they land on Sweden, I mean Creamland, the incompetent bodyguards from episode 39 enter the plane and basically kidnap Netto and his friends taking them to a horse carriage.

There also seems to be a design problem here with the blond bodyguard driving the carriage since in the fourth panel it looks like she is inside. Maybe they messed up the backgrounds? O-O

Netto and Meiru comment on how the town looks old yet people are seen with computers, which is basically how many countries in Europe look like. After one of the bodyguards gets a call from a standard Navi on their weird looking flip top PET they finally arrive at the castle where Netto sees the princess who happily runs over to hug him.

That is not how you should hug a kid. I swear, her boob is on his face in the fifth panel, how old is this girl? o_o

Meiru gets jealous, but just then an alarm goes off. They all run to a room where the main computer for Creamland’s data is (which someone somewhere describes before they enter the room) and we see that Knightman is the cause.

The princess has to explain to them what a firewall is for whatever reason... Wait, Knightman got who?

Oh, a character from Battle Network 2′s post game, I never got to fight him though. =C

Knightman breaks a hole in the firewall and Rockman and his friends appear to confront him. Rockman asks Knightman why he is doing this, but Knightman doesn’t answer and keeps attaking them.

Oh goody, the eyebrows are back. It’s been a while.

Speaking of whiles, Netto activates the Heat Guts style scaring everyone into thinking that he is gonna delete Knightman since, you know, the last time we saw him use the Heat Guts against a Navi was when he accidentally deleted Airman. But instead Rockman creates a distraction for Knightman so he can swoop in and knock him out.

And before this episode I never realized that he has like a V under his waist in the Heat Guts Style. It almost looks like he’s wearing a thong. o.o

After this we see Knightman getting scanned as Netto and the princess are having a conversation in a balcony. Netto asks why someone would attack the firewall and the princess tells him that it might be the work of “Darkland”. I am not kidding that is actually what it’s called.

In the dub, Creamland was changed to Brightland so that this would make sense. Get it? Brightland’s enemy is Darkland? It might sound silly, but I guess its less confusing than having a country that sounds like Ice Creamland that has nothing to do with desserts.

The princess then gets a call from Moltanicman AKA Napalmman telling her that he will patrol the area along with Rockman. Netto asks her about Napalmman and she explains with a flashback.

Yeah... I can’t be the only one who finds this story suspitious. Knightman “rescued” Napalmman who claims that he has no memory of what happend to him and suddenly swears loyalty to the princess and Knightman? Sounds fishy to me.

Anyway, Pride starts to worry about Knightman, and Netto assures her that everything will be okay since he is at her service! This is enough for her to hug Netto again, something a nosey Rush spies on before Meiru finds him and gets jealous again in a scene cutted from the dub.

I guess the dub considered little girls getting jealous over this is unsuitable for a kid show, also Rush feels like a pervert here.

We see Napalmman and Rockman patroling a corridor that looks like the inside of the castle in the dark before they decide to split up. We then see Yaito saying that she is lost and then plugs into a connection on the wall to ask Glyde to help her find her way back to her room. Glyde tells her that might take while before she suddenly decides to tell him that she needs a bathroom, what a surprise.

Glyde is walking in a corridor of what looks like a dungeon only to be ambushed by a Navi who is totally not Napalmman. Not Napalmman uses some weird light show from his eyes to hypnotize Glyde before commercials.

After commercials we see that Yaito managed to find a bathroom without Glyde before the power goes out in the castle. An alarm is sound and Rockman finds the culprit in the dark. Roll, Gutsman and Iceman are there too and they ambush the intruder who turns out to be Glyde.

Somehow, Glyde became strong enough to break free. Zombie Glyde tries to attack, but then this happens.

Iron ball? You mean the Canon Ball chip? Because I dont think that’s how that chip works.

This was a diversion so that not Napalmman could destroy the firewall using the hole Knightman did earlier.

They can see it from there? Since when? Also, what’s with the sudden coloring mistakes on that panel?

All of Creamland’s data is in the shape of a castle, that’s why Pride pictures the enemy Navis destroying a medieval kingdom.

Where is your viking pride, Creamland? XD (Pun intended)

Rockman runs over to where the firewall program is where Nalpalmman reveals himself as a Navi from Darkland.

Pfff. Sorry, why did they draw Pride’s face like that? She looks constipated. :s

Netto activates the Style change and Rockman changes into the Elec Team style, I honestly don’t know why because right now he has no Navi to fuse with.

Napalmman attacks him, but Rockman evades his shots and fires a Zap ring that Napalmman counters with another attack.

The what ring? Wasn’t that just a Zap ring?

Rockman attacks Napalmman with another attack I never heard of until now, but the darkland Navi proves to be tough by blocking his attack and then kicking him without even moving from where he is.

I think that kick was cutted from dub because I don’t remember that part.

Napalmman shoots him while he’s down, but Netto sends a satelite chip to protect him. Napalmman fires again multiple times, Rockman evades them, but ends up being surrounded by the undying flames he created.

With Rockman cornered Napalmman fires a Napalm bomb, but just then, Knightman appears to protect him.

You didn’t realized he escaped? Shouldn’t you put an alarm for that? Creamland security really sucks.

Knightman uses his wrecking ball to destroy the flames surrounding them, but is still very weak from last time. Napalmman plans to take out both of them by creating a chemical reaction by combining two diferent attacks.

This makes sense for Navi called NAPALMman. (Look it up if don’t get it)

Rockman and Knightman decide to join forces again, this time by using the magical extension chip Pride suddenly has and knows about, and Netto downloads Knightman into Rockman. Rockman shoots some giant ball of electricity he calls a Royal Wrecking Terra Volt that destroys the ball of chemicals and deletes Napalmman where he stands.

“Curse my laziness to move from this spot!”

Napalmman is deleted, but it’s not over yet, Rockman still has to restore the firewall somehow.

Wait, Knightman is conscious during this? Are all the Navis Rockman fuses with still conscious inside of him? O_O

Rockman uses the Royal Wrecking to close the Firewall program manually.

For the record, there was no imminent treath going on during this, the dub decided to add the alarm saying “ Enemy forces approaching, firewall restored, enemy forces retrieving”, just to add some excitement.

Rockman succesfully restores the firewall and Princess Pride makes Meiru jealous one more time by getting touchy with Netto again.

“What? She’s the one hugging me inappropriately!”

And before the final scene we get Netto’s biggest and most infuriating display of stupidy we’ve seen so far. He just now realized that Poipu was the princess of Creamland!

We all know Netto isn’t the brightest bulb in the game and anime, BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH! Even Tohru and Dekao feel ashamed for him.

So everyone laughs at Netto, including Rockman still in the Elec Team Style, and we find out that Freezeman was watching them. Not only does he reveal that he wanted Creamland and Darkland to destroy eachother, but we finally get a glimpse of what the leader of Gospel looks like. And the episode ends with said leader laughing ominously with an aerial view of Internet city, hinting that something bad is going to happen there...Again.

If you were expecting me to call this guy Shuryou, sorry to dissapoint you, but turns out that is not a name, its just his title.

My thoughts?

This was an okay episode, it was an improvement from that terrible animation and story we had in episode 39, even thought there were a few mistakes in this one.

In some parts of America, episode 39 was aired out of order because the first time I saw Princess Pride was from this episode and I had no idea how Netto knew her. The dialogue change also made it confusing, in “Pretty Pretty Princess” Pride tells Lan(Netto) that her name is... Whip? But in this episode he already calls her Princess Pride. How did he know she was the princess of Creamland if she never told him in that episode? The dub might’ve tried to hint that they kept in touch after their day together, and at the same avoid making Lan the dumbest kid in the world! I mean, how dense do you need to be to not figure out that she was the princess?! You don’t get to chill at some random balcony in a castle with the head of Creamland’s security or whatever you though her job was (But he probably didn’t even wondered why she was protecting Creamland’s data) At the end, Lan gets a medal and a title from the princess and asks what that title means. 

This episode introduces Napalmman, a Navi you can fight in the post game in BN2, something I never got to do. I fought against and as Napalmman in BN5 Team Protoman, so I don’t know if his attacks were different back then. Napalmman could be found deep in the WWW area in the second game, but in the fifth game he has an operator and becomes an ally, and since the post game doesn’t seem to be canon with the story, neither Netto or Rockman recognized Napalmman.

Knightman, Princess Pride and Napalmman are not seen again until the Stream Saga.

[sobdasha]

something that really slayed me in ep 20

was how powerfully they conveyed Tohru's damage regarding her mom.

I mean, the manga is amazing at giving me feelings, but...somehow, the incredible voice acting of the reboot dub really drives them home in a way that always gut-punches me, even though I've seen these scenes before.

Anyway, we've seen Tohru's attachment to her mom's picture before, it's not like this is new information. And we've seen her panic before about losing it, so that's not new either. But the way it plays out in this scene where Hiro Kidnaps Tohru's Mom…

It isn't just that Tohru has only like two bags of worldly possessions and this is literally the only photo of her mother that she owns. (Although I guess she owns three, because there's the framed funeral photo, the solo mom photo in her wallet, and the group family photo in her wallet. But still, that's only three, and they may very well be impossible to replace.) It isn't just that the funeral photo makes for a convenient portable shrine that Tohru can direct her thoughts towards or lug around on vacation for a sense of family bonding.

It's suddenly very clear, the way Tohru absolutely freaks out about mom being kidnapped and needing immediate rescue or else she'll be gone forever, really actually dead, that that picture is Tohru's mom.

Obviously, logically, Tohru knows the photo and her mom are not one and the same. The photo is not literally her mom. It's not a person, it doesn't respond to her (maybe this is why so much of Tohru's advice comes framed as "my mom said". Not just to be honest about who came up with the words, or to remember her mother to herself. But because the first thing Tohru would want to do with any problem is ask her mom about it, and her mom can't answer because dead, so Tohru has to wrack her brain for things Kyouko did say in the past that she would probably say again in this situation and voila here is her mom's advice which Tohru will bestow on you.), it doesn't eat meals or go to work or pay rent.

But emotionally...that photo is Tohru's mom. I very recently finished rereading Pratchett's The Fifth Elephant and this relevant quote actually perfectly encapsulates that idea: it is the thing and the whole of the thing. The photo is not literally Tohru's mom but it is Tohru's mom and it's Tohru's mom.

So Tohru is absolutely frantic to get the photo back, because that is how she's coped with losing mom, by not losing mom even if mom's not physically here. An eternal, unbreakable, you-and-only-you-are-the-most-important, transcending-even-death bond.

Anyway, it hurts me a lot, in my feels, even more sharply than the original, and now the manga will hurt even worse because I'll remember Laura Bailey's voice acting, and that's why I love Fruits Basket for some reason.

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET S2 EPISODE 7 RECAP AKA ‘TOP TIER FURUBA SHIT’

An accurate representation of me getting ready to talk about this episode. 

My guys... this episode pretty much hit all the points for me in what I expect of a Fruits Basket episode... and more! I loveeee this episode. I gotta admit last week’s episode was a bit of a shoulder shrug for me cos it was mostly a set up for the beach ‘arc’ but this. episode. I have way too many screen caps, I don’t know how I’ll do this. 

And we open up with a big ‘fuck no’. I love the flash forward just to prepare the audience for a whole lot of hurt. Excellent. *pours myself a glass of wine*

- Hiro: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mum, just don’t trip over, ok?” Sorry about that guys, I just found out my Mum’s pregnant Everyone: Whaaaaa?!

Hiro’s nonchalance of it all had me dying 😂

I appreciate the ‘dog’ fan. Definitely accurate in more ways than one. Strike one.

Strike TWO. The fact he said that in front of not only Tohru but KISA AND HIRO is so gross. I’m not even joking. It’s just gross. Not a great joke at all. Poo poo.

STRIKE THREE. Akito... please come get your dog. It’s the only useful thing you can do rn anyway

Wow, Yuki. I actually teared up a little at his realisation. This whole episode should just be called ‘call 999 for these kids’.

Hiro’s mum just sounds like a Furuba fan tbh 😝😂 Also... are the zodiac members born in their animal forms? Or is it just in the first instance they are held by a parent of the opposite sex? Cos if it’s the first option, that’s pretty... messed up. But, theoretically hilarious at the same time!

Ohhhh... Tohru’s one of those people who like to push aside their own problems and focus on other people’s instead... Except, it’s not in an annoying and judge-y way at all. However, I am beginning to question whether she is actually that selfless and the real root of it is that Tohru needs a distraction from her own pain. Either way, it’s sad and I don’t think she’s doing it consciously at all which makes it even sadder.

Oh, Tohru.

Also, appreciation for Momiji being a human backpack at all times. And I love his cat eared hat! I want one! Our Outfit Appreciation Winner this week. 4 stars.

- Kisa/Hiro being a mini version of Kyoru was basically confirmed this episode and I am happy.

Such a gorgeous moment. Pretty much met the feelings and emotions I got from reading this moment in the manga AND MORE. It’s golden. And I love it. ...‘nuff said.

Oh look, Dad’s here too 🤣

*looks into the distance to a far off future...* ANYWAYS

- Kyo being so open and honest and vulnerable with Tohru to a point where he mistakenly already thinks he told Tohru all about his parents already is just... everything to me. Especially from someone like Kyo who’s constantly carrying all this baggage around. But jeez, we always forget that Tohru’s got baggage she’s carrying around too! Tohru and Kyo on surface level look like such opposites in every way but remove some layers and they are so similar, it’s uncanny! 😍🤡

I just love developing relationships. 🥰

- Kyoko definitely wanted to destroy that flowerpot 😈 We love her. We miss her.

He’s so in love with her, I can’t. I’m gonna cry. <3 Also, that expression feels like a very Kazuma expression, is it just me?

*spontaneously combusts* 

But anyway... just cos we can’t have anything good for too long...

Tbh if I knew a Shigure, that’d be how I’d start every conversation.

I love Hatori. :) I mean he wouldn’t actually slice his gut open but it still means a lot to me that he said he would...

This go around of Fruits Basket has made me realise how much I relate to him and his position in the family. Every anime has a character that’s in their twenties and just... tired and I always relate best to them, shoutout to Keishin Ukai from Haikyuu.

Even though I hate Akito, I have an appreciation for the subtle shit the animators/designers do whenever they come onto screen. All of Akito’s actions have a kinda feather-lightness/almost ethereal feel to them and the way Akito is contrasted against not only the scenery but the other characters around them is... so gooood. I’ve already talked about how I love the emphasis on the presence of Akito in their first appearance in the anime but... I’ll still be talking about it cos it’s great. And I can’t wait to hear Colleen Clinkenbeard in this ep, but Maaya Sakamoto was stellar in this episode (fun fact: did you know she also played Haruhi in OHSHC?!?).

But yeah, I still hate Akito. Sorry.

- Kisa’s little sigh of relief that Tohru doesn’t have to meet Akito was already HEARTBREAKING but mixed with this moment....?!?!

...

I...

I just really need someone to explain to me how you could like Akito. Even after the ending of this whole series. Like...

I just don’t get it. I don’t... 

Look, I’m gonna malfunction if I don’t move on.

Oh?

This is the start... of something new... it feels so right... to be here with you... 

oooohhhh 🎶 

 👀

- Kinda sad that Kyo and Tohru had the house to themselves but there was so much weird and bad energy in the air that they couldn’t even really enjoy their pancakes :(

- That Akito and Shigure and Hatori (and partially Kureno) scene just really... disgusted me. To see someone have that much power in their touch and their words is... freaky and unsettling. And I love it cos it’s interesting but I also hate it soooo much. I have nothing more to say about it besides that really. I was more interested in the Shigure and Hatori moment afterwards...

That’s a nice way of putting it...

Maybe this was to be taken mostly as a joke, but do you think that Shigure actually wants Hatori to remind him how much of a shitbag he’s being? Most of my problem with Shigure (and why I actually liked 2001!Shigure but let’s not go there again) is that out of everyone in this series, he’s the most untouched. And yet he schemes and manipulates and seems to get everything he wants. AND what makes it even worse and annoying and spectacular, is that Shigure’s little nudges and pushes of the chess pieces which are the zodiac members aren’t so obvious to the extent that you could only blame him for it. It’s almost genius, if it weren’t so repulsive. 

*sighs* I just really want him to either repent or feel some kind of guilt afterwards. 

...Hence why I’m most interested in where he’s at after the end of this all.

All I want is a scene between him and Tohru, somewhat like this:

👀

...Ok, this moment made me like Shigure just by 5% more this episode. Still trying to figure out that Shigure/Akito relationship literally a decade later tho...

BACK TO SOME KINDA HAPPY(?) STUFF!

I love love love love love this moment between Yuki and Tohru. It was gorgeous!

I wish this scene were longer so I could make an AMV (if I really felt like it) with Coldplay’s ‘A Sky Full Of Stars’. The lyrics match the moment so much and I definitely cried.

Oh, Yuki...

It was such a beautiful way to end this episode. Wow.

And Yuki’s words to Tohru that ‘she’s just like the sky’ has so many meanings to it and I want to go into it but I’ll start really explicitly going into spoilers. So, I’ll just leave it as poetic cinema.

Perfect.

God, this was such a good episode, guys! I’d probably put this episode on the same level as the True Form episode. It gave us furuba shenanigans, it gave us kyoru, it gave us disgust and hurt and it gave us a moment of someone rising out of the ashes!

I love this anime. :) See you next week!

[papers4me]

I can tell from your reviews that you were expecting Akito to be a woman. What about kureno. were you surprised he isn't cursed?

hi anon. Akito being a women is the easiest thing to spot because of the dub choosing a woman to voice her. Japan is famous for giving young adolescent boys to female VAs & the American dub is famous for correcting that & giving such roles for male actors, such as Armin from Attack on Titans & Edward from FullMetal Alchemist. So, there was no reason for the dub to assign a female actor for her especially that she is clearly not a teenager, but a grown adult. Looks like Akito being a women is a secret within furuba’s world but I duno if it is a secret only for tohru ,the outsider, or for everybody besides kureno, shigure & hatori since he is her doctor. Maybe it is to do with her status as family head? women not allowed? duno. But Her being a female is certainly important in her relationship with kureno, shigure & Rin. Seeing that she hates rin & humiliates her for her romantic relationship with haru, while akito, herself, does the same with kureno. I still can’t tell if Akito is cheating on Kureno with shigure because there were scenes in season 1 & 2 where Akito is sleeping near shigure, duno if she is just laying next to him or being laid. lol. Also, I duno if kureno/akito relationship is romantic or just sexual. If they’re a couple or..um.. family head/inferior member in physical relationship. It is so twisted, complicated & entangled! I never expected such level of complexity & I love it. It is very entertaining!

- As for Kureno being not cursed. It was hinted weirdly in SE02, ep8. Akito told him to “ pretend” & act like a zodiac member. It was odd thing to say & if this is considered surprise, then, why blatantly say it ages before the finale? still, I was skeptical & it came as a nice confirmation & mild surprise that I don’t mind. It is supposed to be a surprise!! the curse can be lifted?? kyo/ yuki/ rin / momiji can be free?? so, if kyo’s curse is lifted, then no confinement, right? then, he can be with tohru? No wait. he can’t cuz KYOKO.

Speaking of KYOKO !!!!!! This is the biggest, unexpected surprise in furuba!!! not that kyo has sth to do with her death somehow , cuz that was hinted in SE01, Ep14 when he whispered “ sorry” in thoru’s ears. But cuz she said “ I WON'T FORGIVE YOU” why is that not blowing anybody’s mind??!!!!!!!!!!!!  XD!!. No, seriously! This is furuba’s biggest twist ever!!!!!! the loving, role model, child savior kyoko said the harshest words to a teenager in her dying moment!!! sending kyo into an ocean of guilt!!! Why she hates him!!! Why she’s holding a grudge?? She seemed to love the young kyo! What happened!!! XD.

yeah.... I’m still not over ep.9... no episode compares to the mind-blowing, shocking, heart-breaking, gut-wrenching & awesome writing that is episode 9 of season 2. This ep changed my mind on 4 characters: kyo, kyoko, tohru, & Akito! I came with new perspective on them.

Plz don’t answer any of my questions. lol. I’m more talking to myself than asking. Anyway. hope I answered your question anon.

Thank you for the ask!

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE Episode 16 Review.

Is this foreshadowing?

Hallelujah!

We start the episode with Netto walking around, completely blindfolded.

Looks like something spontaneus because not even Rockman Knows why is he doing this.

We get a flashback of last episode where Enzan and Blues perform the Program Advance back when Count Elec did his static trick.

Back to Netto’s blindfolded walk, Rockman tries to help him but it only results in this funny scene.

And that is why Rockman is the Navi and not the operator, also, I have to point out the lazy animation, right at the start I can tell the animation for this episode is gonna be low quality.

After Netto falls on his back like a turtle, Rockman reminds him that Meiru and Tohru’s battle is about to start, which was mention in the last episode. The match begins and we see Tohru’s un-official plug-in secuense.

And we get a stand off between Roll and Iceman, who will win?

The first two of many mistakes we will find in this episode.

After the title card appears, we get a description of both challengers. I am loving Roll’s picture.

Followed by.. Tohru’s sad picture.

Again, Tohru?! Does your father hit you or something? Because that’s what everybody’s gonna think when they see your picture!

Mariko-sensei wishes both of them good luck, Masa takes out his special flag, Yaito and Dekao start talking about who will win, and Netto manages to arrive just in time.

Now we start the battle with Roll moving first.

EAT CANDY HEARTS! I dont remember this part from the dub, though.

Iceman avoids her hearts and shoots a snow crystal at her, which she evades gracefully.

Meiru decides to send the Aqua tower battle chip with the same beautiful animation for Roll from episode 8, and Iceman tries to counter it by summoning his ice pillars from episode 6.

This is what happens when two recycled animations collide.

Tohru decides to send the Ice cube or Ice block (Im not sure anymore) and Meiru sends the triple lance chip, which results in a draw.

As everyone is focused on the battle, Netto doesn’t seem too invested for he is busy practicing the Program Advance with Rockman. Hey, his mullet is back! XD

That’s mistake number three.

After this, we cut to the training room where two Net Navis are practicing for their next battles.

The Navis talk about how they are gonna defeat their opponents who are... Bombman and Stoneman? Poor guys.

However, they wont have the chance to even fight them since said Navis suddently appear to take them out.

Let’s cut back to the epic battle that is Roll vs Iceman.

They seem evenly matched and everybody talks about how the battle might end on a tie. They both get up again, as Tohru tells Iceman to prepare to use his Blizzard attack, Meiru sends, what I imagine is another rare chip Yaito gave her, the Cyclone chip.

Which makes Roll start spinning for some reason.

The Cyclone is a variation of the Typhoon virus we saw in the last episode, which might confirm my theory of Virus chips and Battle chips having the same name.

It’s a face off between Iceman’s Blizzard and Roll’s Cyclone!

This literally stops time with everybody, who cares about this match, waiting in suspense.

How will physics play out in this battle?

Like this, the Cyclone returns the blizzard to Iceman who freezes, resulting on the emo looking Tohru losing the battle. Iceman has been ICED!

The battle ends and Tohru congratulates Meiru for her victory. Oh look, Enzan was watching the battle too, does he have anything to say about it?

Or he can just ignore it and focus on these mysterious looking giants on the hallway. To be honest, after seeing Enzan’s giant bodyguards, I don’t find their hight weird at all, maybe that means they’re either Americans or Europeons.

We cut to mistake number four with Roll’s hair gone, as everybody praises Meiru and Tohru for their battle.

Except for Netto who is still doing the Program Advance air training.

Midorikawa announces the next two battles with the two strange operators, one in the main “flower” dome and the other in the “micro” sub dome, for what I can see from these layouts, the crowd is either really tiny or none existing!

Their Navis happen to be Bombman and Stoneman! We get full shots of both Navis resulting on consistant mistake number five, Bombman’s eyes are purple when they are suppoused to be red.

I say consistant since this happens a lot throughout the episode, so I better count this as one.

Midorikawa tells the audience that Bombman and Stoneman’s opponents have not appear yet, resulting in both Navis winning by default.

Its Drill Mach! Not Drillman! There is already a Drillman. EXE

Now that I think about it, how does one trademark their Navi’s Name? Does the internet tell you when a certain name is taken?

Anyway, Bombman and Stoneman win by default and Midorikawa says that they remain unbeaten, this not only confuses Netto, but Mahajarama tells the other World Three operators that they are probably the new Navis sent by Dr.Wily.

After commercials, we see the WWW operators having lunch outside the dome, complaning about these new operators whom they know nothing about. And I’m just focused on the weird hairdo of the little girl running in the background.

Wouldn’t it be akward if Netto just suddenly appear and see them all together like this and accusing them to be the World Three in front of everyone? But Netto is in the training room practicing the program advance with Rockman while blindfolded, however, something seems wrong because after the official animation for the program advance (in a completely different background BTW) Rockman falls backwards.

I’m gonna count that background fail as mistake number six.

Rockman tells Netto that there isn’t enough room, but Netto says that he is just too distracted by Bombman and Stoneman being unbeaten.

I found mistake number seven!

Netto tells Rockman that Higure-san said that all of Bombman and Stoneman’s opponents were attacked before their matches, making both of them very suspicious. 

Dekao comes in to tell Netto that the pairings for the upcoming tagged matches are going to be announced. Meanwhile, Higure is trying to get an interview from the huge operators, but they end up destroying his mic leaving him terrified.

Netto and Dekao happend to see this and decide to follow the mysterious netops, who attemp to murder them by throwing them off the second floor.

Okay, there is water below, but turns out Dekao doesn’t know how to swim, and Netto does the mistake of trying to help him from the front.

Which is kind of weird because fat people are suppose to float easily, but it looks like he was just exaggerating since they stop splashing after Saloma appears to help them out.

FYI, when trying to help somebody who is drowning, never aproach from the front! Always grab them from behind or else they will take you down too.

Anyway, Saloma tells them that she is paired up with Dekao and, by the power of super plot conviniense, are gonna fight against Bombman and Stoneman.

Its Bombman, not Bomberman!

I didn’t even now he was in the tournament.

We start the first match of the tag team battles with Saloma’s first plug-in sequence.

Now its time for the mystery operators to plug-in.

HOLY COW, THEY CAN TALK!

We start the battle with Saloma telling Dekao that Woodman will fight Stoneman, so Gutsman charges at Bombman and starts punching him. Woodman uses some vines to inmobilized Stoneman, something I had no idea he could do.

Dekao then sends a Battle Chip to Gutsman which he calls by the wrong name.

This doesn’t do anything to Bombman, and Stoneman frees himself from Woodman’s vines. The two Navis tell their opponents that they will never be able to move them, making Meiru cheer for Dekao for once.

I don’t ship them but this is cute.

Dekao sends the same exact battle chip from before but this time with the right name, so I’m gonna count the scene from before as mistake number eight.

Gutsman uses the Guts Hammer but Bombman blocks it with a barrier, and Woodman summons wood towers only for Stoneman to break them as easy as breaking a toothpick.

During this, Netto tells Yaito that there is something strange going on with the mystery operators since they haven’t move since the battle started, which Miyuki, Enzan and Mahajarama noticed as well.

In fact, Mahajarama uses an insane Alakazam psychic move to prove his theory to the other World Three members.

Mahajarama is a POKEMON! That’s why he can use Teleport! O0O

How can you see that from up there?!

Higure tells her that they are not plugging out and Enzan figures out the truth.

Who said that? Did Netto hear Enzan say that just now? HOW?!

Stoneman and Bombman, with another shot of Bombman’s purple eyes, reveal the identity of the operators before the whole audience.

They are Robots! What is even happening right now?!

Turns out Stoneman and Bombman are completely independant Net Navis, which means that they don’t need operators to battle or plug them in. Which raises the question of how they even manage to enter the tournament in the first place. Maybe the staff is even more incompetant than I thought.

Gutsman and Woodman decide to attack again, but Bombman and Stoneman are just too much for them and end up beating them easily.

Still counting the purple eyes as one.

Gutsman and Woodman are forced to log out, and Bombman and Stoneman declare that Sharkman and Rockman won’t stand a chance, spoiler alert!

The next tag battle is Netto teaming up with Commander Beef, who suddenly appears next to him.

This is followed by Yaito’s remark of the Commander feeling familiar.

Huh, he helped you get rid of the fire viruses back in episode 13, remember?

So Netto ends the episode staring at his future opponents, determined to beat them.

My thoughts?

This episode would feel like a huge filler if it wasn’t because it introduced Bombman and Stoneman, although we already saw them back in episode 14, their names were still a mystery. Anyone who played the game know that Bombman and Stoneman were World Three Navis, but there was no mention of them having operators, so the anime kept it that way by making them the first independant Navis.

The animation for this episode was very low quality since it featured a lot of miscolors and mistakes, shots were reused and others were added, and I’m not talking about the dub, this is to save money in the animation.

If you follow me on Deviantart you would know that I call the art style for this episode “Simple”, because it is usually found in episodes that don’t require a lot of movement and the action sequenses are kinda slow.

An example of this style being used was in episode nine, which also featured some minor animation mistakes.

For the dub version, Roll throwing her hearts at Iceman was cutted for some reason, and for the dialogue change, the scene where Yaito talks about the Commander feeling familiar was changed to her noticing that Masa was gone, which makes more sense since he was sitting above them.