#appreciation post for best girl yukari..

[yuseirra]

**persona 3 spoilers**

yukari in the answer

[cinnoasch]

Valentine's Day: SEES Edition

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! I didn't have time to make any for the girls but I might post some later! This was also my first-time writing Shinji so hopefully he's not too out of character. Enjoy!

Word Count: 2886

Minato Arisato

You sigh slightly, turning a box of chocolates over in your hands. You were definitely making this out to be more of a big deal than it was. The school day had ended and you were still sitting there in the classroom. Yukari and Junpei had already left to go back to the dorms and Minato had wandered off somewhere as per usual. 

You were planning to give this box of chocolates to Minato, just to show your appreciation for everything he’s done for SEES. But your nerves got the best of you. This morning, you had walked to school with him and when you tried to give him the box, you immediately went silent when he looked at you. And at lunchtime when you saw him in the hallway, you had turned on your heel when your eyes met. 

You lay your head on your desk sighing once again. “Darn it…”

“Who’s that for?”

Your head shoots up from your desk as you look to see Minato standing next to you. You didn’t even hear him come in.

“Minato! You’re still here. O-oh, um…” You stammer. You look away, tilting the box towards him. “...They’re for you, actually. Just as a thank you for everything you’ve done with SEES and all.”

“Oh. Thanks.” He takes the box and you let out a sigh of relief.

“ …you were really nervous, huh?”

You look at Minato, seeing a slight smirk on his face. “You noticed…?”

“Kinda hard not to. You avoided me all day.”

“Not my fault…”

He chuckles, “Thanks anyways. I appreciate it. Next year though, it’d be nice to see your face when you hand these to me.”

Your eyes widen and your face flushes as Minato grins. “Wanna head back to the dorms? We can share these.”

You laugh slightly as you stand up. “You’re really something sometimes… yeah, let’s head back.”

You follow Minato out of the classroom, the two of you chatting quietly. Maybe things didn’t go as planned, but in one way they worked out. Next year, you definitely would face him with a smile.

Junpei Iori

“Dude, did Y/N give you chocolates?” Junpei asks as he sits on the couch next to Minato. Akihiko was also present, sitting on the couch across from them.

“Yeah.” Minato replies, “Why?”

“I also got some too.” Akihiko adds, looking up from his boxing gloves. “What? They didn’t give you any?”

Junpei groans. “No… I mean Yuka-tan, Fuuka and Mitsuru-senpai gave me some, but that’s more of a teammate thing right? I dunno, I feel like Y/N and I are… more than that, or something.”

Neither Akihiko or Minato respond and Junpei groans again. “Oh c’mon, you guys have nothing to say?”

Minato shrugs. “Did you ask them out?”

“...no. I mean not yet at least.”

“There’s your answer then.”

“Dude, you're no help at all.” Junpei sighs, leaning his head back on the couch. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Maybe you just need to be patient. I don’t even think Y/N came back to the dorms yet.” Akihiko says.

“But the day’s almost over! …Okay, I’m going to look for them!”

Junpei gets up and heads out the door without another word. Meanwhile Mitsuru and Yukari enter the lounge from upstairs.

“He has a bit too much energy don’t you think? Should he really be worried about whether Y/N is giving him chocolates or not?” Yukari says with a sigh.

“Hey, let him be. He’s gotta put that energy to use somehow.” Akihiko replies.

Mitsuru sighs. “If only he’d have that amount of energy when it comes to his studies.”

---------------------------------

“Huh? My package hasn’t arrived yet? But I got an email saying it arrived today…” You say to the mail carrier.

“I’m sorry. It was expected to arrive today, but due to unforeseen conditions, it’s been delayed.”

You sigh. “I see… Well, thank you then. Could you give me an estimated arrival date?”

“It should arrive in about 2 days.”

“Great… thank you again.”

You exit the post office sighing once again as you start walking back towards the monorail. Well, there went your plans for the rest of the day. You wanted to surprise a certain someone with a co-op game the two of you mentioned playing together a while ago. You should’ve known there was no way that the game would actually arrive on the day of. Sure, it could have been better planning on your part, but the whole thing had slipped your mind up until last week.

Suddenly you hear a familiar voice call your name.

“Y/N! Finally, I found you!”

You look up and see Junpei running towards you.

“Junpei? What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been looking for you. Damn, I had no idea where to look so I’ve been running around all over the place.”

“Oh, I was on my way back to the dorms anyways. Were you worried about me or something?”

He chuckles a bit nervously. “Uh, yeah something like that.” Then he looks behind you. “The post office, huh? Picking up something?”

“Ah, yeah I was, but it turns out it’s not here yet.” You smile slightly. “I meant to order it way earlier, but I forgot. Kind of silly of me to think that it would actually arrive today.”

“Was it something for Valentine’s Day?”

“Yeah actually… wait, why are you asking so many questions?”  

“N-no reason… Why are you getting so defensive?” 

You cross your arms, looking at Junpei with a smirk. “Ohh, I see. You were looking for me because you were expecting a Valentine’s Day gift, right?”

Junpei scoffs. “No, why would I be expecting something? Valentine’s isn’t even that big of a deal.”

“Uh-huh… so I guess you don’t want your gift when it arrives then.”

His face lights up. “Wait, you got me something? For real?”

“And here I thought you were worried about little ol’ me.”

“Hey, who says I wasn’t?”

You laugh. “I’m just teasing. I appreciate you coming to look for me, even if it was only to get your gift.”

“And if my gift is right in front of me?”

A beat of silence passes and Junpei laughs nervously. “That was lame, forget I said anything.”

“It was a little lame… but I don’t mind it.” You say, whispering the last part. “Anyways, let’s head back to the dorms.”

“Did you say something? Something along the lines of ‘ I don’t mind it’?”

You don’t say anything as you start to walk past him.

“Hey c’mon! I’m just playin’!”

Akihiko Sanada

“Hey guys,” You say walking downstairs into the lounge. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, hey Senpai.” Junpei says with a grin. He and Minato were sitting at the table with a large pile of small boxes in front of them. They were all wrapped nicely with ribbons. “We’re just going through Akihiko-senpai’s Valentine’s Day gifts.”

“Uh, isn’t that an invasion of privacy?” 

“Not necessarily. He gave us permission to look through them. You should’ve seen him when he came back to the dorms. He had no clue what to do with all of it. He said we could take some if we wanted. Man, getting all of this from girls and he just gives it away?”

“Well, it’s not like he’d eat it all anyway.” You say, then you look over at Minato. “I didn’t think you’d be taking some.”

Minato shrugs. “Free SP items, I’m not complaining.”

“Right…so where’d Akihiko head off to?”

“I think he said something about going for a run towards the shrine. He left not long ago so you could probably catch up to him.” Junpei replies. 

“Thanks, see you guys later.”

You set off towards the shrine hoping to find Akihiko. When you arrived, the sun was setting, the pink and orange hue gently enveloping the area. You spot Akihiko sitting on top of the jungle gym, looking at the sky.

“Hey there Mr. Popular.” You say walking up. “You look worn out.”

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Akihiko asks, a surprised look on his face.

“I heard from Minato and Junpei that you might be here. Mind if I join you?”

“Yeah, come on up.”

You climb up the jungle gym and Akihiko gives you a hand to lift you up. You sit next to him, looking up at the sky. “So, you had quite a day, huh? I saw Junpei and Minato with your gifts in  the lounge.”

Akihiko lets out a sigh. “Yeah. You wouldn't believe the amount of people in my classroom during lunch. Even the teacher had trouble getting them out of there.”

“Heh, I bet. I could hear those girls from down the hallway. ‘Sanada-senpai, these are for you!’ ‘Happy Valentine’s Day Sanada-san, please accept these!’ And so on and so forth.”

He hums in reply, chuckling slightly at your impression. Silence settles between the two of you as you continue to watch the sunset on the horizon. Then Akihiko speaks up.

“So, what brought you all the way over here? You weren't looking for me were you?”

“I was actually.” You say, handing two small boxes over. “You're probably tired of hearing this, but Happy Valentine's Day, Aki.” 

Akihiko freezes when he hears the nickname and his face flushes, his ears are tinted red. You laugh a bit when you see his expression. “Sorry, it slipped out. I must've picked it up from Shinjiro. I’ll be more careful.”

“N-no! I mean…” Akihiko clears his throat, taking the boxes. “It's fine. You can call me Aki… if you want.”

You smile. “Maybe I will. It's pretty funny to see you like this.”

“Hey, don't tease me.” He sighs. Then he starts to open one of the boxes. “Hm, dark chocolate?”

“Yeah, you don't like sweets that much right? I figured you might like it better than milk chocolate.”

Akihiko nods as he takes a piece out, popping it into his mouth. “It’s good. Not too sweet, and it has some bitterness to it. This is something I wouldn’t mind having every once in a while.”

“Good, cause I know how to make them.”

“You made these?”

“I asked Shinjiro for help… which is probably where I picked up calling you Aki.” You chuckle nervously. “If you want I can give you the recipe.”

“Hm, how about we make it together then? It’d probably be good for me to learn how to make something more complex anyways.”

“Sure. We can get Shinjiro to join in as well.”

“Heh, he’d probably just yell at me whenever I do something wrong.”

The two of you laugh as Akihiko goes to open the other box. He unwraps it, revealing a small keychain, a pair of boxing gloves to be exact. He looks at you, holding it up. “You got these for me?”

You nod. “I saw it at Paulownia Mall one day and you came to mind. Sorry, it’s a bit cheesy, isn’t it?”

Akihiko shakes his head, a small smile appears on his face. “No, I don’t think so at least. Hearing you say that you thought of me… it’s a nice feeling. I’ll have to put this on my bag so that way I can think of you when I see it.”

This time you freeze at Akihiko’s words, you can feel your face flush as you try to come up with a response. You weren’t even sure if he realized the effect of his words.

“Hm? What’s wrong? Your face got all red…  well it is getting a bit chilly, huh? Do you want to head back to the dorms?”

“Ah… yeah, let’s head back.” You say with a smile. You climb down the jungle gym and Akihiko follows you down.

“Hey actually,  how about we get some beef bowls? It’ll be the perfect thing to warm you up.”

“Okay,” You say, winking playfully before you take off running. “Last one there is paying!”

“H-hey! You got a head start, that’s cheating!” 

Shinjiro Aragaki

“Okay, and now we wait…” You mumble quietly, putting a tray of chocolates into the fridge.

You’re currently in the kitchen, attempting to make a batch of chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Well, before the end of the day that is. Yes, you were a bit late, but for good reasons. Shinjiro was always away from the dorms so you couldn’t really ask for his preferences in sweets. At this point, it wasn’t any secret who you were making these for since you had to ask the other SEES members for information. Interestingly enough, there was no one in the dorms so you figured they all had plans for today. 

You let out a sigh as you lean against the counter. To be honest, you weren’t exactly sure what led you to make chocolates for him. Maybe curiosity? Despite having been a part of the team  for a while, you barely knew anything about him. You weren’t the most stealthy person; so when you tried to follow Shinjiro once, he immediately caught you and told you to go back to the dorms. You did try to follow him again a few times after that, but of course failed. He didn’t seem much for conversation either so you never really talked to him, but you suppose you should have tried harder if you were really curious about him.

Just then the dorm doors open and you step out of the kitchen to see who it is.

“Oh, you’re back early today.” You say, seeing Shinjiro walk inside.

He looks up at you then averts his gaze. “Yeah.” He glances around. “...it’s quiet today. Guess you’re the only one here?”

“Mhm, looks like everyone has plans.”

Shinjiro stays quiet for a moment then looks at you again. “Are you making chocolate? I smelled it when I came in.”

You nod. “I’m just waiting for it to harden. Want to wait with me? I could use the company, and you could be my taste tester.”

He lets out a sigh, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. “I might as well. Not like I got anything better to do.”

“Perfect!”

You turn on your heel, walking back into the kitchen as Shinjiro joins you. Once he steps into the kitchen, his attention is drawn to the bowls on the counter. “You added filling?”

“Yeah, it’s dark chocolate so I figured it would be a nice contrast. You aren’t allergic to raspberries are you?”

“No.”

After that curt response, silence fills the space. Well, this was more awkward than you wanted it to be. Your gaze falls onto the bowls and you walk over, picking one up and bringing it to the sink.

“Uh, do you want to dry these after I wash them?”

Shinjiro only nods as he picks up a drying cloth and you start washing the bowls. It's only when you hand him a bowl to dry that he says something. 

“...So, I heard you've been asking about me.”

You freeze slightly, then you chuckle. “Yeah, I have. Let me guess… Junpei?”

“Yeah.” Shinjiro sighs. “Y’know, if you wanted to know about me… you could’ve just asked.”

“I know. I just didn’t want to bother you.”

“You could just say you were intimidated.”

“No-no! I wasn’t. I’m not…well, maybe a little, but I was only asking the other members for good reasons.” You say handing him the last bowl. You turn off the faucet and dry your hands. “Those chocolates in the fridge are for you.”

Shinjiro looks at you in surprise. “Me?

“Yeah, I guess you can consider them as… friendship chocolates? I was wondering what you liked in terms of sweets so I was asking around. I guess I went with raspberry filling since it's close to the color of your jacket.”

He looks at his jacket. “...I guess.” He sets the bowl down along with the towel and leans against the counter. “Well, next time, you can just ask me. We’re teammates right? You don’t have to be scared to ask me stuff. It’s not like I’ll bite or anything.”

You laugh a bit. “Right, I’ll keep that in mind.” Your gaze turns towards the clock and you walk towards the fridge. “I think they might be done now.”

You take the tray out and set it on the table, touching one of the chocolates to see if it’s solid. You nod happily and pick one up to give to Shinjiro. “Here!”

Instead of taking it with his hand, he leans his head down to pick it up with his mouth. You freeze once again when his gaze meets yours, then he raises his head, chewing the chocolate.

“Hm, not bad. This is your first time making it right?”

“O-oh, um yes.” You say, glancing away from him. 

“Next time, you should try to add more cocoa powder for the bitterness. You were going for dark chocolate, yeah?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure how much to add.”

You feel his hand fall on top of your head as he ruffles your hair. “We can make them together next time then. Don’t look so down.” 

You smile, “I look forward to it then.”

[narrators-journal]

Part 9

Ngl, I procrastinated on this part bc we’re getting into the chapters I’m not suppppper confident in. Like, I like them, but I feel like the characterizations aren’t the strongest, or the plot was too boring or confusing. Then, I ended up hitting a sort of slump in my interest in this fic. I had a lot of fresh ideas, this one felt kinda weak, then life has been rough, so I ended up putting it off MORE as a result.

But! I am determined to post this bitch! Even if it’s not my strongest work! So if you’ve stuck around this long, you are so fuckin’ great dudes and dudettes! I hope you can forgive any wonky writing or missed stuff going forward, I just wanted to get this part done since I’d left it so close to done, but left it hanging lol. Admittedly, no garuntee on when part 10 will be done, but there’s only 3 more chapters! So hopefully I can knock them out soon! Soon-ish! Before the next god damned Christmas!

Thank you for hanging on for this beast. I really do appreciate it. I’m gonna try my best going forward, and I hope you continue to enjoy!

Previous part: Here

Next part: Here

The morning after Yukari's questions was a bit tense. At least, tense enough for Ryoji to ask if they'd fought again when he noticed Yukari's vicious glaring.

Yet, with a limited time of her stay remaining, Minato ignored the dirty looks and kept his mouth shut. If she didn't learn her lesson with her first attempt, that's her issue. He told himself on his way to the kitchen on her final day. Only to freeze before grabbing the handle of the cracked-open kitchen doors when he heard the conversation. "Why are you so close to Minato?" Yukari was questioning. Which, while annoying, did pique the man's interest as much as it made him bristle. Stop that. Ryoji liking us does nothing to hurt us. Quit it. He scolded himself, shoving those anxious feelings back down. Him having feelings for me, good or bad, doesn't affect our relationship, it's fine.

That point didn't stop Minato from listening against the kitchen doors for Ryoji's answer, though. "I'm not that attached to Mina, am I?" He asked, a pause his only response before he hummed, "Well, if I must try to explain myself. He's not the first sacrifice to not fear Thanatos, but he's probably the most interesting in how he goes about it. Usually, even the most resigned offering snaps at least once, but...I think his only escape attempt was moreso because of what I did, not the threat of dying." he began, adding in a brighter tone "Oh! I also like his sense of humor, or, at least the way he's not as judge-y about mine. He's also got a nice laugh, and he's smart! Granted, he showed that by trying to escape. But, he was smart enough to try and cover his tracks, and use the snow to his advantage! Most sacrifices go for the doors, so, y'know, refreshing at the least. I get tired of the corpses only digging straight up to get out of the graves."

Naturally, the morbid attempt at a joke only got another unamused silence from the girl. "Okay, then why does he get special treatment?" "Huh? Whoever said he got special treatment?" Minato heard the brunette squawk. Sounding almost offended at her words before she continued with a light, but pointed tone, "I mean, you two seem close, you trust him enough to not be up his ass 24/7 around here," Ryoji cut her off, "Jokes on you! I simply haven't gotten around to asking him if I can be up his ass yet." Which, got an annoyed half-scream that time instead of a silent look. "Wait, where are you going?! Breakfast isn't done!" Ryoji called. Minato left to scramble away from the doors before Yukari threw them open as she snapped back, "Ugh, no! fuck your breakfast, I'm not going to sit down here when you're being gross!" "I was only joking! It was a joke, I didn't think it was that gross!- Oh, good morning Minato."

The pair stopped when they spotted the blue-haired man in his pale dress in the entryway of the fancy, gothic home. Yukari eyed him as Ryoji smiled at him. "I only came down for some breakfast, I didn't mean to interrupt anything." Minato offered, but Ryoji waved it off, "Don't worry, this works out great for me! I need to talk to the both of you, anyways." Which, got a suspicious look from Yukari as she squawked, but he added, "But it's okay! Nothing bad's going to happen." Not that it helped soothe her. "Why did you need to talk to us both?" She asked, "Why are you so hostile about it?" Minato asked her in return, getting his own glare from her.

He simply returned the evil look, his deadpan expression not shifting an inch, even as she asked, "Oh what, I just trust the immortal helper of the god who's keeping me trapped here?" and while her reasoning was sound, her sharp tone dug at Minato yet again. So he once again turned to his usual sass with her. "I mean, what's your other option? Try to bolt out of the door again? Because that worked so well the first time."

Thankfully, before she could smack the midnight-haired sacrifice, Ryoi caught her hand. His laugh a bit tense while he tugged Yukari further from Minato, "Chill out you two, I promise there's no need to fight over this. I'm not throwing anyone to the wolves, or implementing some form of torture." He assured, "I only wanted to tell you both at the same time that I've gotten permission to take some of my leave. So, you two will be here alone for the most part, but I'll come back to feed and water you." "Oh great, so we're like gerbils-" Yukari paused. Minato able to see the ideas in her brown eyes as she looked back at Ryoji, "Wait, you're leaving us alone? What about you being, like, a guard though?" she asked, the taller brunette giving a bit of a nervous laugh at her surprise. "Well, I mean...you won't just be here unsupervised with the doors open, y'know? That's asking for creeps to get in, or for you two to get out and freeze to death, or get kidnapped, or attacked by animals. In short, yeah no, Thanatos obviously isn't letting me leave you guys unprotected." And like a house of cards, Yukari's expression fell.

And, Minato couldn't deny that he felt bad for the girl. He may not have wanted to go back to the village that threw him to the wolves, but he recognized the pain that replaced the hope in her eyes. He'd felt a similar way when he'd woken up in the hospital after the crash.

However, the sacrifice mentally shoved that sympathy back down. No! No no, Ryoji is probably fucking Thanatos, getting attached to him is acceptable. Yukari is a bitch. She'll bolt at the first opportunity, she doesn't fucking like me. Quit feeling bad for her. He scolded. Taking a deep breath before zoning back into Yukari and Ryoji's conversation. Only to finally register that the taller of the brunette duo was looking at him. "Huh?" "You didn't catch a word of that, did you?" Ryoji laughed, making the sacrifice scowl a bit before he continued. "I was saying that before I go, I'll need to lock you in your rooms and leash you to the bed. Do you understand, Funeral lily?" "Oh, yeah, whatever." He hummed, shrugging it off. Which seemed to throw Yukari for a second, but instead of nagging him for it, she shook her head with an annoyed huff.

Ryoji, though, smiled brightly at his compliance. Giving the grumpy man a quick hug before he continued, "But! Until I leave, you two can roam around freely, I promise! So, how about we take advantage of that freedom and have some breakfast, hm?" before herding Minato and Yukari back to the kitchen and the breakfast he prepared.

Yet, regardless of the food's flavor, Minato ate it. For no real reason but to watch each of Yukari's plans flick in her warm brown eyes like movie screens. As well as talk to Ryoji for the morning. Though, once his food was gone and the conversation had dwindled, he returned to his room once more. Content to melt into the mattress and watch whatever tv shows or Christmas specials came on. Even if some part of him found it a bit repetitive.

However, the curse of a woman out in the hall interrupted that plan. God damn it, is Yukari gonna try to bolt out the door again? He thought with a sigh. Rolling his grey eyes before he pulled himself out of bed to trudge over to the door and look out.

Sure enough, the brown-haired girl was creeping down the gothic hallway. Past the pale vases of colorful, plastic flowers and gorgeous paintings. Gotta hand it to her, she’s got nuts at least. “Yukari, what are you up to?” He asked. Watching the girl jump a bit and whip around to look at him like a deer in headlights for a brief second before she relaxed. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m not going to sit here like a trained bitch.” She hissed back. Spitting the last word out like a poisonous barb at him, but he swallowed down the urge to return that poison and only blinked at her. “You’re being stupid, is what I think.” He stated blandly, “Do you even know where Ryoji is?” “He’s in the shower, I checked.” alright, fair I suppose. “And what’s your plan? Run out the door a second time? Go out the back and try to climb the brick wall? Try to dig your way out?” “I’m gonna try something, I don’t want to be tied to a damned bed!” She argued, throwing it into his face as if she expected him to react to her words. And, when reiterating Ryoji’s plan back to him didn’t get more of a reaction than his usual look, she barred her teeth at him. But, she let the conversation die there in favor of continuing her way down the stairs

Minato ended up trailing after the woman without another word between them. Playing as her shadow while she circled the cold brick wall that enclosed the snow-layered garden. “Is there a fucking reason you’re following me around? Are you looking for evidence to report to Ryoji?” She asked, spinning on her heel to fix the shaggy-haired sacrifice with yet another one of her dirty looks. “No.” he hummed, his casual tone offering little to soothe the melancholy anger in her face. “There’s not much else to do but follow you around, or sit and watch tv.” “Then go watch tv!” “Nothing good’s on.”

Yukari screamed through her teeth at that. Spinning on her heel without a further word to return to scouring the yard for some crack in the bricks, or tunnel hidden in the long dead fauna. Minato, meanwhile, hung back to watch her go for a moment longer before he finally decided to finally go defrost from the cold.

And, not too long after he’d left the girl, Ryoji poked his head into the living room, where the sacrifice had settled with a grilled cheese and a cup of hot cocoa. “Hey there, funeral lily, where’s Yukari?” he asked. His hair damp and hanging in his face, and somehow, his soft face and vibrant eyes were even prettier than before. “Oh, uh, she might still be outside.” Minato hummed, blinking a bit to bring his focus back to the conversation. Not the mental image of the man naked in the shower, rubbing soap over his soft body beneath the warm water- “Minato? You still with us, space cadet?” Ryoji hummed, suddenly leaning on the back of the velvety couch instead of the doorway. Bringing with him a cloud of sweet florals and honey from his soaps, and a casual smile. As if his suspenders weren't hanging from his pants, his button-up wasn’t open, and the shaggy-haired man wasn’t replaying their time together in his head. I need to jump this bastard again.

But, for now, he shoved those thoughts away. “Why wouldn’t I be?” the sacrifice asked instead. Doing his best to be as casual as he could be while an alluring mix of honey and flowers seemed to aim to seduce all the conflicted emotions it could out of him. His companion, meanwhile, only shrugged, “You looked a little spaced out is all, anyways! Did you bury Yukari alive?” He asked, only for his smile to drop when Minato shook his head, “Wait. So, she’s outside alone?! Fuck!”

And, before the midnight-haired man could explain any further, or suggest a second bath, with him included this time, the brunette was out of the room. Leaving him in a rolling boil of lewd thoughts and those usual barbed questions that always came up. Which, Minato took as his sign to move his grilled cheese and hot chocolate up to his room. Where, for the rest of the day, he stayed. A choice he soon thanked himself for when he heard Yukari and Ryoji fight from the top of the gothic home’s stairs. So, instead of getting tangled up in that, Minato made a beeline for his room and just sat in bed and watched TV once more.

Not that there’s much else to do around here. He mused when the daylight shifted from the sunny glow of afternoon to the warmer gold hues of later hours. A fitting transition. As, like the darkening sunbeams, his thoughts began to drift into darker hues. Maybe Yukari’s got a point...can I live like this? Spending my days watching TV and sitting inside all the time? Ryoji’s fun to sleep with, but the best-case scenario for me is that he is just a god’s assistant. Should I be okay with living on a leash until the day I die?

It wasn’t a fun train of thought to chew on. It was bitter and dug into the roof of the sacrifice’s mouth like a goathead. Not helped by the mixture of guilt and disgust it dredged up from the depths of his ignored feelings. Is this all it takes for me to submit to living in a dress? Captive for a stranger god? A nice house and a pretty captor? What the hell am I? The dumb protagonist of a paranormal romance story? Yet, at the same time that those thoughts had been dug up, other sour thoughts leaked out of their jars. Images of what memories he had of his parents, the crash, the family, and the institutes he bounced between. The dirty looks of others in town, the whispers, the avoidance. They joined in on the skeleton dance in his head.

With a firm shake of his head, Minato tried to disperse the horrible memories and the slurry of emotions they brought with them. Only for them to creep back in like the tide over the sand. Shit. Arisato, stop it. Think of something else. Think of fucking Ryoji again! He ordered in an attempt to distract himself as his fingers tangled in his shaggy hair and he pressed his palms into his eyes to try to force the tears that welled up in his eyes away.

But, a knock at his door interrupted his impending breakdown, soon followed by Ryoji’s voice. “Mina? You decent?” “Uh, give me a moment.” He called back, quick to try and wipe away any sign of emotions before he got up to let his companion into the room. “Hello again,” He chirped as he came in. The smile on his face that of a dog excited for a walk, which, almost awoke a pang of bitter jealousy in the male sacrifice. After all, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt more than a blip of joy. Yet, even then, it was never as strong as the excitement that glowed in Ryoji’s eyes.

Yet, Minato stomped that feeling down with the rest. “Sorry if I’m interrupting, but the sun’s going down, so I wanted to pop in and make sure you’ve eaten, taken your medicine, y'know. All that. Also! Explain that, because you’ve been here so long, I got permission from Thanatos to leave you untied in here! Of course, your room will still be locked, just to be sure, but you’ll have free reign of the room!” The brunette hummed, a sunny smile on his face as he hopped back to his feet. “Of course, if you try to take advantage of this, I will find out, and I will come back to catch you and tie you to the bed.” “You don’t have to threaten me to tie me up, Ryoji.” Minato snorted. The bark of laughter he got for his blunt flirtation a lovely sound after his earlier thoughts. “Behave yourself, Funeral lily. I’m too busy tonight to play.” The brunette scolded with a laugh as he headed for the door. And, while the midnight-haired sacrifice gave a light-hearted boo, he let the man shut and locked the door for the night.

With the door locked, and no plans to go a second round with Jack Frost, Minato kept to his word. He crawled into bed as the evening darkened outside to try and sleep the encroaching night away. Which, wasn’t a hard task under his plush, crimson comforter in such a comfortable bed.

So, before he knew it, he was jolting awake to the sound of a distant crash. Either downstairs, or in Ryoji’s bedroom. I guess Ryoji’s back. He thought as he buried his face in his pillow, That, or Yukari’s throwing a fit. Either way, the man curled up under his comforter and tried to let the infomercials lull him back to sleep.

But, when he heard his doorknob start to shake, he shot straight up in bed. His senses were immediately on high alert as he sat up in bed and scanned the dark room for an explanation. His heart thundering in his ears and time felt sluggish and thick. Yet, at the same time, those attempts to open his door continued.

Upon that second rattle of the nob, Minato’s body finally kicked into gear. Throwing his blanket off of himself to get to his feet. His storm-grey eyes widening at the light clicks of his door’s lock undoing. Whatever time Minato had to hide, was dwindling.

So, thinking quickly, the sacrifice squirmed beneath his bed. Oh god, this is so stupid. This is such a cliché hiding spot! He chided himself, yet, before he had any chance to bolt for the balcony doors, his bedroom door unlocked. And, from beneath the bed, Minato could do little else but try to keep his breathing quiet and watch as not only Yukari’s shoes, but those of strangers came into his room. Four pairs in total, plus Yukari. “Are you sure there’s another sacrifice here?” A man asked, only to get a hiss as one of his companions likely spotted the disheveled bed. “Oh, shit.” he breathed, before he spoke in a louder voice, “Hey, miss! Don’t hide, it’s okay.” “Minato’s a guy,” Yukari provided as she opened the balcony doors to look down to the distant trees and brush. “A guy? I thought women were the only ones sacrificed from your town.” He said back, and, some dark part of Minato wanted to snort at that assumption. But, he didn’t. He kept his mouth shut and only watched the feet shuffle around his room. One of the people checking in his bathroom, someone heading out to check other rooms. As well as another checking within his dresser, as if Minato could squish into the drawers.

Maybe checking under the bed is so cliché this’ll work? The hopeful part of the male sacrifice suggested in the back of his mind. Yet, as if that thought had given him away, a pair of shoes came over to the side of his bed to pat the bundled-up blankets before a face appeared to the side of Minato to look under the bed. “Oh! I found him!” He called, while the midnight-haired sacrifice wiggled away from him. “Hey, wait! We’re here to help you! You don’t need to be afraid!” The hat-wearing man said, grabbing his ankle to tug him back before the sacrifice swat at him. “No! Fuck off!” Minato snarled while Yukari huffed, “Look, he likes it here, can we leave him? Before the keeper comes back?” scolded by a gruffer man, “Of course not. If he’s got Stockholm syndrome, then he especially needs our help.” which, got another huff.

While they discussed what to do, though, Minato took stock of his new situation. Under his bed, surrounded by Yukari at the foot, a wall behind him, and two strangers on either side of it. God I should’ve jumped off of the balcony. A broken ankle would be better than this. Should I try to bolt for the balcony while they’re talking?

Yet, before he could decide, the man who’d grabbed his foot and injected something into him. “The hell was that?! What did you do?!” Minato snapped, but the tall man only sat by the side of the bed with the others. They had cornered Minato under the bed. Likely drugged. “Ryoi?! Ryoji!” Minato called, squishing himself to the wall, “Who’s Ryoji?” the first voice asked, and while Yukari explained, Minato’s mind scrambled for a way out. Only for the drugs to eat his thoughts and energy. Shit...Wait, no...don’t… Before he could even finish the thought, his vision dimmed to black.

[39-caterpillars]

vocacolle 2022 autumn favorites

hello i have made the executive decision to post whatever i want so im gonna talk about vocacolle

this last vocacolle was really cool, all of the songs were wonderful and i loved seeing lesser known synths being used more (still cant believe the winners of both the regular and rookie category are utau originals!!)

anyways,, these are some of my personal favs (this is gonna be long, prepare yourself)

スコーピオンガールの貴重な捕食シーン - STEAKA : , im not sure how to describe this song, but its so good. its very "noisy" i guess, i really love the use of miku in this one, its pretty unique. easily one of my favorite favorites

知っちゃった - 椎乃味醂 : i loved this producers vocacolle entry in the spring, so im glad to see that they uploaded one for this one as well and it even was #3! reallygood, plus: yukari talking, i love it

シルバーツインズ - ぬゆり×栗山夕璃 : cmon,,, nulut and kuriyama yuri,, of course its amazing. i am blessed to exist at the time as this collab. its super jazzy, love the instruments in this one

ディストレス - ユギカ : i really like all of yugica's works, super high energy stuff. i adore the second verse on this one, and the mixing in the instrumental break near the end

ワンダールインズ - 晴いちばん : the chords , absolutely stunning , this songs also super catchy, the instrumental before the choruses at the beginning and the bridge are both really beautiful as well

アワーグラス -  柊キライ : this song is like, really weird. i really appreciate that part of it though, sounds kinda like a combination of トゥルーセラピー and ラッキー・ブルート, but still with its own twist on it

TYQOON - Sohbana : meiko!!!! doesnt sound much like her, but i feel like it was the best choice for this song. this is another one with a killer bridge (? idk the part in the middle) , i love the bass during it. i need more meiko in this genre, she really fits it

スペクトラム・ケプストラム - Adeliae : the video for this one is really good, i love the backgrounds. the guitar in this one really stands out to me, and i love the melody. this song has an energy thats hard to describe, but its so, so cool, listen to it

Satellite - a_hisa : this songs very, chill, makes you feel like your floating (thats the best way to describe it) i really like the atmosphere this one has

404ルサンチガール - MINO-U : meiko!!! (part 2) i love mino-u's music a whole lot, and this song doesnt dissapoint in the slightest. really catchy chorus, cute art, whats not to like?

フラッシュバック - なみて : everyone go listen to namitape, now. really chill song, kaai yuki fits really well in this song for not having any lyrics, love the chords in this one as well

Girls Night Party - めろくる : really adorable song, another one with a great instrumental. the vocals are great too, really add to the cute, happy vibe it has going on. love rin in this one

ノンストップメドれ！- また切ない世界を生きる : this songs also pretty crazy, very catchy. yukari really fits with this genre, suprised she isnt used more. huge props for the video, it has a whole ton of editors on it and is such a delight to watch

夢枕にとけこんで - blues : i really hope blues gets more popular, their stuff is super good. this songs super cute, super relaxing, really great listen

流転光速 - フロクロ(Frog96) : this producers great too, love how they do a lot of work with utau. this songs very good, very digital sounding, reminds me of a video game ost

空回りライブラリ -  雪乃イト: another very cute song, i love how popular karin is becoming. this songs really solid overall, i love the little time signature switch in the middle (at least i think it is, it might just be messing with me)

コトダマ - kamome sano : i love teto in this one, it really plays to her strengths i think. this song overall is really interesting, sounds super emotional and heartful while still remaining digital. the music video for this one is really cool as well, i love when visualizers of the instrumentals are included

BREAK OUT SYNDROME - ryo-shun : this song is so cool, i honestly wasn't expecting to find any vocametal originals this time around but i was pleasantly surprised. this song has really well done guitars and drums, really fun to listen to

ドッペルゲンガア - しゃいと : love the energy in this one, especially in the pre-chorus. im surprised this song didnt get more popular

推世 - AsLeep : last but certainly not least (i wasnt going in any particular order anyways) this song feels distincly "vocaloid" in a way thats hard to explain, i really like it. this song feels really emotional, its really incredible

thats it (at least for now, im tired) and im probably writing to no one right now anyways, but i want more people to find and listen to these songs. also, i couldnt get to them all, but all the vocacolle submissions are really great music and they all deserve their own recognition. if anyone has any vocacolle song reccomendations, let me know, super excited for spring 2023!!

[missmeikakuna]

Vocaloid fanfic- The Librarian and the Maybe-Bisexual Bookworm Ch. 4 [END]

This is a fanfic I wrote for Vocaloid Amino for a previous Pride Month and thought I’d post it here. Rated: T Fandom: Vocaloid Relationship: Yukari x IA Relationship Type: F/F Description: Yukari is a hardworking student who manages to balance her studies with her relationship with a boy. Things start to change when she meets her high school’s young, beautiful new librarian IA. Yukari asks her to help her find a lesbian-themed novel like one she’s read and all goes well until she realises she might be more like the characters in those novels than she thought.

Chapter Four: Going out with someone is like reading the same book repeatedly and finding something new to appreciate each time

Yukari walked out of the library and placed the pile of books onto the desk.

“Thanks for your help, Miss Yuzuki,” IA said with a wink. Yukari gave her a deadpan stare, hoping no one noticed IA’s obvious facial gesture. IA wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to her. It was her number.

The school bell rang. Yukari bowed and headed to class.

The class was boring, so she kept staring at Roro as if doing so would send him a telepathic message to stop ignoring her. It naturally didn’t work.

When school finished, she waited outside the Principal’s office for her parents.

Her father didn’t show up, but her mother stormed into the room and dug her nails into her arm as she grabbed it.

“What did you do? What did you do?”

Yukari said nothing, suddenly very interested in the patterns on the wooden floor. She tucked her lips in to prevent herself from crying.

“Speak to your mother. Are you listening to me?”

Still nothing. 

Her mother sat down with a huff. She let go of Yukari, cleaned her glasses with her turtleneck and crossed her arms and legs, tapping the air with her foot.

The Principal opened the door, tightening his loose tie and pushing his toupee into place, and welcomed the two in. 

The book was open and a few pages had creases on the corners. Yukari couldn’t help but glare at the Principal.

He shut the book and pushed it towards Yukari’s mother, who had one eyebrow up.

“Your daughter was caught reading this in school.”

Her mother looked at her, the book and finally the Principal.

“You must be joking. Why would my daughter bring something like this? She’s a good child.”

The Principal shrugged. “Maybe you should ask your daughter.”

Yukari’s mother glared at her. Yukari bowed her head. 

“I… I heard it was a good book and…”

Her mother turned her gaze from Yukari to the Principal.

“Will there be any punishment for this?”

The Principal shook his head. “I hesitate to give a first-time offender a punishment aside from confiscation, so long as their parents are able to discipline them. I’ll leave it up to you for now.”

Both Yukari and her mother stood up and bowed. As expected, Yukari’s mother dragged her out of the building and to the car. However, she didn’t start the car and simply sat, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She took off her glasses and stared into them as if an explanation would materialise in the lenses.

She spoke in a haunting quiet voice. “I’m glad you’re reading but I don’t understand what appeal that book would have to you. You’re not a… homosexual. I don’t know how you could look at a cover like that and decide that book’s worth your time.”

Yukari snivelled as tears started creeping out of her eyes. She rubbed her eyes but that only made the crying worse. Her mother grabbed her arm and pushed it down.

“Are you going to explain it to me?”

Yukari cried louder. “I’m sorry! I can’t help it. I didn’t want you to know.”

Her mother leaned backwards. “Know what? Are you trying to tell me… I don’t remember raising a homosexual. And what about your boyfriend? What’s his name?”

“I’m not a ‘homosexual’. I’m… I-I’m… Oh God, I didn’t want to tell you this. I’m… bisexual. I… broke up with Roro because I...liked another girl.” She murmured the last part but her mother seemed to hear it.

He mother put her hands on the steering wheel with a tight grip. She licked her teeth with her mouth closed.

“Don’t go… telling other people, okay? I’m not against homosexuals but… it’s not exactly something you need to parade around. Does anyone else know?”

“Roro.”

Her mother’s face went lily-white. “I see.” The two were silent on the way home. Yukari looked out the window, saw a speed limit sign and noticed how slow the car was moving. She almost missed the speed at which IA drove.

At home, Yukari lied down in bed and rubbed her runny nose. After getting some tissues, she took out her phone and the piece of paper.

She was about to name the contact number ‘IA’ but remembered what IA said.

“It has to be secret, though.”

It has to be secret.

Secret.

She decided to name the contact ‘Ichiko’. She was the first girl she fell for and the name started with ‘I’.

She spent almost five minutes thinking of what her first message should be.

Eventually, she settled on something simple.

Hey, it’s Yukari. Can’t wait to see you.

Yukari hugged her pillow to contain her giddiness. This feeling quickly gave way to worry. Did she sound too desperate?

IA responded later that night.

Hey, beautiful. Same here. Btw, I just bought ‘ANOTHER’ lesbian romance novel and so far it’s ‘AMAZING’. I’ll lend it to you when I’m done with it. 

Yukari chuckled at the way IA used quotation marks. The couple chatted about books until Yukari felt her eyelids start to get heavier.

As the next day appeared, Yukari stood by Roro’s desk while waiting for him to arrive. No one else had entered the classroom yet.

When he did, he ignored her and sat down.

“Um… Roro, can we talk?”

“What’s there to talk about?”

Yukari put her hand on his shoulder. “I want to be friends. You know, like we used to be.”

Roro said nothing, circling a dent in his desk with his finger. Yukari bit the inside of her cheek in thought.

“I’m really sorry. I just thought It would have hurt more if I led you on and pretended to still like you.”

“You did lead me on, though. Do you know how it feels to know that someone you really like was thinking about someone else behind your back?”

Yukari let go of him and looked at her hands as if they had blood on them.

“I… didn’t think about it that way. Is there any way you can forgive me?”

Roro rubbed his face up and down repeatedly from his cheek to the side of his eye. He looked at Yukari’s frown and felt his heart twist.

“Let me think about it. Just give me some time to grieve.”

Yukari gave him a soft smile before sitting in her own seat.

When Yukari told IA after school about Roro, a grin on her face, IA’s own smile was tiny. Deep lines appeared between her eyebrows, which were close together.

“Oh. Good. Great. Congratulations. Wonderful.”

Yukari’s smile dropped but she didn’t question those words.

IA immediately snapped out of her mood and gave Yukari a hug. 

“IA, remember…” Yukari hissed. IA let go and blushed.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I just couldn’t wait to see you.” She raised her voice to her normal volume. “Help me out with these books.”

Thankfully, IA didn’t wink this time. Yukari followed her into the office.

IA grabbed her hand. “So what do you want to do after I close the library?” She brushed her hand with her thumb. Yukari looked at their intertwining fingers with pink cheeks. The corners of her mouth rose.

“Can we just hang out at your place? I like your apartment. It smells of books.”

“Um… okay.” IA couldn’t help but giggle at the request. “We can watch TV. Uh, what time do you need to be back?”

“If I’m home by 7, I should be fine.”

IA looked at her watch and nodded. She moved her hand from Yukari’s hand to Yukari’s cheek, stroking it with her thumb. She only did this for a second before stepping back and pulling out several books for Yukari to carry.

At IA’s apartment, the couple sat on the couch and watched a few episodes of a TV show. Yukari couldn’t tell what the show was about. She was too busy feeling her skin heat up when IA grabbed her hand and rested her head on her shoulder.

A large part of Yukari’s mind screamed, ‘Kiss me!’ She almost kissed IA herself but the rest of her mind was reminded of a rule she read in a magazine when she was around 10.

If you try to kiss on the first date, you’re likely to scare your date off.

As Yukari stared at the bookshelves rather than the television, a question popped into her head.

“IA, what made you decide to be a librarian?”

IA rolled her shoulders back as if she was using them to turn back time or at least remember her past.

“Well, I always wanted to own my own little bookshop. It would be called ‘Cloudrider Book Emporium’. You know, since reading books is like entering a dream world.” She laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. “I was a stupid kid. I wanted it to focus on fantasy and science fiction books since those take you to another world,”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Do you really think I’m the kind of person who could handle a business? I chose the next best option, which was being a librarian. So, what do you want to do when you leave school?”

Yukari shrugged. She figured her parents would tell her which university they wanted her to attend. And what course she would study. And what job she would have.

“I’m sure a smart girl like you’ll be able to get a job you want,” IA said, nuzzling her head into Yukari’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m sure if you found the right assistant, you could make your business a reality. It sounds really cute.”

IA giggled again but, judging by her red cheeks, this was more out of embarrassment than amusement. Yukari tilted her head until it was touching IA’s. They watched the rest of the episode in comfortable silence.

IA and Yukari made a routine out of this, watching television after school every day. Sometimes IA would put some popcorn in the microwave and put way too much salt in the bag. Whenever she did this, she would tell Yukari about her ideas for new popcorn flavours, ranging from steak to eggplant. Yukari always found herself laughing at each new idea.

Two weeks later, Roro shuffled up to Yukari. With a closed mouth he licked down the inside of his cheek for a second, his eyes not meeting hers. He then sighed.

“Look, I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. It would be nice to go back to how things were. Is it too late for us to be friends?”

Yukari shook her head and reached to give him a big hug, almost pouncing on him. He stepped back in shock.

“Um, since when do you initiate a hug like that?” he asked in a voice that made it seem like he was about to laugh.

Yukari’s eyes became the size of records. IA’s response to the question about her speeding habit played through her mind.

She could come up with no reply for Roro. She just stood there, dumbfounded and with the colour pink splashed onto her cheeks.

Roro chuckled. “Geez, you see a ghost or something?” He noticed her cheeks. “Was it a sexy ghost?”

Yukari snapped out of her surprised state and lightly slapped him on the arm. The two joked around until class started.

A week later, Yukari brought Roro to the library, telling him about her new relationship along the way.

Roro’s stance was a little tenser than before, but he put on a smile. 

So did IA when Yukari introduced her to Roro. Her eyebrows were furrowed, but a smile was technically on her face.

“Um… nice to meet you, Mister Yuma.”

Yukari patted Roro’s back. “I need to find a book for class. I’ll be back.” She left the two, who stared at each other in silence. IA eventually dropped the smile.

“So you’re the guy who made her cry, huh?”

Roro took a step back and averted her stone-cold gaze. 

“You don’t think I cried too?”

“Oh, I’m not saying you didn’t. It’s great that you finally came around and became her friend again.”

Roro looked like he just ate a lemon. “Yes. I ‘finally’ did.”

“Are you over her yet?”

“I… don’t see how that’s important.”

IA saw Yukari turn around and wave. She put the smile back on.

“Well, you seem like a nice guy. I’d hate for you to live with unrequited feelings. I know how that feels.” As she continued speaking, she took a few books from the returns box and slammed them on top of each other to create a stack. “Just… don’t do anything to make her cry again, okay? I’m sure you’re smart enough to not make the same mistake twice.”

Roro finally allowed himself to look at her, and he did so with flames in his eyes. Their gazes were fierce enough to make it seem like there should be a spark of lightning worthy of scaring Zeus appearing between them.

“Well, since you’re a librarian, I’m guessing you’re smart enough to learn from others’ mistakes.”

Yukari headed back to them. Before she could greet them again, Roro stormed out of the library. Yukari looked at the IA, then the door, then IA again.

IA sat by her desk and began scanning students’ borrowed books, forgetting to muster up a smile. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were narrow as they looked down.

“I-IA?” was all Yukari could say. Who was this person in front of her?

IA was back to normal that night and every night for the next few weeks. One night, IA asked Yukari what her parents were like. It took a while for Yukari to figure out the answer.

“Well, they’re the kind of parents who are around you when they want you to do well in school but don’t care about anything else so they leave you to do whatever you want outside of study time. I don’t really talk to them much.”

IA instinctively gave her a hug. Yukari didn’t cry, but a big grin crept onto her face as she heard IA’s heartbeat speed up.

The two looked at each other and inched closer. IA caressed Yukari’s cheek.

“Can I… kiss you?”

Yukari nodded and closed her eyes. IA’s lips were as soft as feathers, almost tickling Yukari’s own lips.

The couple chuckled. “That was our first kiss, wasn’t it?” IA asked. 

A later night, Yukari asked if they could hang out with Roro one day. IA nodded her head with creased eyes and the smile of a lemon sucker.

Roro grimaced at the offer but agreed to join them, and the three went to a park on a Sunday afternoon. IA brought a picnic basket and a blanket, or rather she bought a picnic basket and blanket for the occasion. Roro brought three store-bought bento boxes.

Together they chatted and ate like there was no animosity between them. However, when Yukari left the blanket to pat a dog, the glares returned.

“She’s changed since dating you,” Roro remarked.

IA ripped the tail off a fried prawn. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Not bad. Just… different.”

Silence.

Roro eventually continued. “You didn’t try to change her, did you?”

IA dropped her prawn and curled her hands into fists.

“Why would I want to do that? She’s wonderful. As much as I’d like to grow alongside her, I still want the core of her to remain. A good relationship won’t completely alter you, only improve you.” She picked up her prawn again and took a bite. “But that’s something adults figure out, so it’s not surprising if you don’t know that yet,” she said with the food still in her mouth.

Roro stood up. “If you’re so much more mature than me, then you’re clearly too mature for Yukari.”

IA stood up as well. “She’s certainly more mature than you. What’s your problem?”

“What’s your problem?” Roro shouted.

Yukari ran back after hearing this. “What’s going on?”

The other two ignored her. “Well sorry for thinking it’s a little strange that my girlfriend wants to spend time with both me and her ex!”

“Well sorry for being ‘mature’ enough to stay friends with people after a breakup!”

“So you can worm your way back into her heart.”

“You’re pathetic. Calm your tits before throwing around accusations!”

“Enough!” Yukari yelled. She turned to IA. “I thought you trusted me.”

IA gestured to Roro. “How can I trust you around this guy when I know you’re bisexual?”

That last word caused a few people in the park to stare at them, including a teacher from Yukari’s school. Yukari froze, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

She eventually closed her eyes as they started to spit out tear after tear. IA felt as if someone had grabbed her heart and treated it like playdough, but before she could apologise, Yukari picked up her handbag and ran away.

IA tried to apologise over text that night but Yukari refused to reply, instead choosing to cry into her pillow.

The next day, the teacher from the park told IA that the Principal wanted to speak to her.

The Principal showed her security footage showing her taking Yukari to her car. She was told to pack her things. That night she ended up staining her pillow with tears as well.

However, the image of Yukari’s smile made her feel bittersweet, which she considered an improvement over the soul-crushing sadness of the situation. 

She abruptly sat up. Yukari’s words played over and over.

“You could make your business a reality.”

The next morning she headed to a bookstore and headed to the economics section.

Yukari still hung out with Roro, but it just wasn’t the same as before. The jokes started becoming less and less frequent. It remained this way until exams.

Just before the final exams, IA spotted Roro heading home from school and stopped her car, rolling down the window a little.

“Mister Yuma, can I speak to you for a sec?”

Roro continued walking for a bit and IA followed him. “Please. You deserve an apology.”

Roro stopped and glared at her. “And what about Yukari?”

“I just haven’t built up the courage for that yet.”

“So I’m supposed to be your guinea pig so you can know how to get her back on your side?”

IA looked down at the concrete next to the car, her hand folded over the top of the remaining glass window. 

“I don’t think she’s going to be on my side. I don’t think she’s going to forgive me and even if she did, she probably won’t forget. If I can make myself say sorry and let her know how much I mean that apology, that’s enough.”

Roro saw IA’s expression and felt as if a hole in his heart has been patched up. He felt freed from some mysterious force as soon as he realised that he would not have worn that expression if he was in her shoes.

“So I noticed you’re not in the library anymore,” Roro said. “What happened?”

“Oh, I’m making plans for a bookstore business I want to create.”

“How’s that going for you?”

IA laughed. “Not super great, to be honest. I really need some people to help me since I hardly know anything about budgeting or planning. I don’t have any employers. I want to make an international online store but my English is a little rusty.”

Roro stroked his chin. “Huh. Have you thought about hiring some people who are good at different languages?”

IA rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn’t think to do that. Thanks for the tip. Um, goodbye, and once again I’m sorry.” She drove off. When Roro arrived home, instead of procrastinating like he expected to do he went straight into studying for the exams.

Graduation rolled around, and after the ceremony, Yukari and her parents passed a building available for lease. IA was standing in front of it and tapping her chin. When she saw Yukari she beamed at her.

“Yukari! Can I speak to you?”

Yukari continued walking. Her mother asked her who it was and Yukari didn’t answer.

“I won’t ask for anything, I just think you deserve to hear me say sorry,” IA pleaded her.

Yukari stopped and turned around. She told her parents to wait there as she walked back to IA.

She crossed her arms. “I must say it was unexpected. That day it was like you were a completely different person.”

“It was the same me, just a crappy side of me. I was just…” IA began to tear up. “I was so scared that you’d leave me for someone else like you did to Roro.” She shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t give excuses. I was an insecure idiot and I ruined everything. I love you and someone who’s in love with someone shouldn’t treat the other person like that. So, um, goodbye. I hope you find someone wonderful who doesn’t have a terrible side to them.”

Yukari rubbed her lips together in thought. IA waited patiently for Yukari to return to her parents. Yukari remembered a message she received before exams.

The other day IA apologised to me. Has she said sorry to you yet? She said she was going to- Roro row your boat

She grabbed IA’s hand, causing her to stare at her like she’d grown a second head.

“I doubt anyone is perfect and has no terrible side to them. They just learn to keep it in check. Just… don’t use my sexuality as an insult ever again.”

“Roger that. I’m such as idiot.”

“I’ll… I’ll message you tonight. You have one more shot. No third strikes. I’m only giving you two.”

IA nodded. “I look forward to redeeming myself.” She almost gave her a kiss but then she remembered that Yukari’s parents were standing there.

Yukari managed to get into university and, with the permission of her parents, changed her course to Business. IA had told her about the bookstore and Yukari jumped at the idea.

Roro got a high score in English for the first time in a while and used that knowledge to help with the building of the bookstore website.

IA still felt jealous whenever Yukari was hanging out with someone else, but she learned to control her feelings by reminding herself that Yukari loved her. The store took a while to gain customers, so IA was by herself a lot of the time and she used that time to reflect on her previous mistakes.

About a month into Yukari’s first year at university, she introduced IA to her parents. They were a little worried until they saw the way IA’s eyes sparkled whenever she talked about their daughter.

After classes, Yukari helped out at the store, so sometimes it wasn’t just IA and the books. Sometimes it was her, the books and the adorable bookworm she fell in love with.

[downtomyunderoos]

this is a post with (excited) personal thoughts over akihiko’s p3d characterization. mass spoilers ahoy

a week ago i wrote a super short post of my impression of akihiko in p3d. essentially: do you ever feel validated having your favorite actually written well for once? that AND he’s pretty similar to how you roleplay him to boot? considering how physically shitty i’ve felt, p3d made the time i spent playing SUCH a good one!!! i’m so thankful

expect an explanation on these points and on my own interpretation x) i will do my best not to talk about every little thing (and fail)… some things are better off secret, anyway. let us begin!!!!

admittedly, a lot of topics brought up in akihiko’s social i’ve thought about (some almost embarrassingly so that i won’t mention them) or reminded me of stuff i wrote myself or in threads. obviously not to a T, but the ideas are similar in nature. like, i got reminded of my threads with loversquiver (excuse me? mystic red?) when akihiko and yukari interacted. how she’d be curious about him and they get to know one another, but their convos quickly become awkward asdhsdfh

or when junpei and akihiko interacted… honestly, it reminded me of how i’ve desired a sexuality thread (i’ve tried starting at least one in the past, even bringing up junpei for comparison)… when junpei asked minato why akihiko can’t get a girl, my headcanon blared: ‘he’s aroace duh!!!’

—but also… i felt called out when junpei said akihiko could ‘win a girl over’ if there was something about him like a flaw that’d surprise them since FFFFFFFF yeah that was what won me over when i played P3P for the first time. you got me

that aside, as a roleplayer i have touched on akihiko maintaining his image and attempts to keep weaknesses a secret, so it’s yoooooo that the game focused on his perfection, yet akihiko (secretly his own worst enemy if his P3P social link has anything to say about that) knows nobody is perfect.

not only that but also p3d takes it further with akihiko saying that’s what makes people interesting, as well as tying that into his self-improvement motif. i’m love

(lol akihiko being the shit-talking type. that was great)

moving on. so… the convo with fuuka… ooh baby.

i’ve a headcanon (inspired by P3P) that akihiko doesn’t understand reasonable portions, and this essentially shone through their conversation dhgdhfjgdj— but, also, p3d made akihiko knowledgable in addition, bringing up the amount of calories foods have and converting them to how much to work off. impressive!!

not only that, the game hit two? three? birds with one stone in my eyes: bringing up cooking. he doesn’t have the skills. he wouldn’t make a girl do it for him, and that he’d like to learn. THIS IS MY SHIT. i’ve wanted this!!!!!!

i never roleplayed with a fuuka, but a few months ago i wrote a drabble about him and fuuka trying to learn (and another drabble with him telling hamuko he’d want to learn), so i hHHHGGHN. p3d took this up a notch tho by making akihiko weird, which i have no qualms with because he is, just not solely via XD protein.

learning akihiko’s thoughts and how he treats his trophies were soo nice… like i love how thoughtful and respectful this made akihiko out to be. it makes me want to look up to him even more, you know? he is peculiarly a sentimental guy (as also shown by his red convo with yukari) even through rationalism, so this addition? *chef’s kiss*

and akihiko’s relationship with mitsuru shown in the social for both theirs reminded me soo much of older sister/younger brother siblings. like how i imagined it? because, aside from knowing each other for years, you can tell they cared for each other but also annoyed one other (and familiarly so, you know what i mean?) and bickered, plus how mitsuru lectured him and said something along the lines of ‘i have no objections at the moment’ in regards to his plans, like? why are you sounding so authoritative asfsdgh

not to mention how akihiko booted himself out of his own room to flee after going too far ashgsdfs

also, i’ve realized before how you never really know akihiko’s thoughts on mitsuru, so him being blunt and even straight up calling minato stupid at the notion of them dating, in front of mitsuru was HGFDJHGFJH. but equating mitsuru and minato as ‘comrades’ was the best answer because.. well, otherwise they did behave as coworkers/teammates, even rivals. you saw that in their dancing. that was how i usually saw them as, besides metaphorical siblings and the like.

extra: i thought it was funny how akihiko also retaliated by mentioning mitsuru’s dorm room full of furniture because that was something i’ve joked over before, considering how her bed is right next to them. and also: akihiko’s plans in regards to going to college? p4a sure fucked that one up ASDFSG

so tl;dr… he’s a good sport. akihiko is so knowledgeable but also considerate towards others that he mostly does dial it back when necessary, when he notices. he’s strangely sentimental yet respectful, not like… a sore winner or what have you, and he has a pretty open mind. he’s very into self-improvement, and getting to interact with everyone and dancing makes him appreciative of the event, that it broadens his horizons. i was always fond of the theme of akihiko broadening horizons in order to grow. good shit.

and as a roleplayer? i’m happy that i could, at the very least, pull off a similar aura with characterization. i don’t want to sound conceited, but if i had to be honest, you know… nonetheless, it’s nice, and unexpected, to feel good about how i write through playing p3d sgfdhfds i worked so hard for years, and then to have atlus finally deliver the goods…

on top of that, it reminded me so much of my fellow partners at times. all the good times. you guys know who you are x)

otherwise, i’m happy we get to see akihiko interact with his kouhai, with aigis. how the game utilizes ken to having akihiko bring up his own childhood (brilliant). and seeing his relationship with mitsuru outside of SEES was much needed.

[starryburglar-archive]

Raven Info

Full name: Raven Marie Kendall

Species: Human

Age: 19

Sexuality: Pansexual

FC(s): Dia Kurosawa ( Love Live ) || Yukino Yukari ( Garden of Words ) || Kaya Scodelario

Bio: Raven was born in London, England, and lived a good chunk of her life there with her parents. There weren’t many complications, she was just a normal girl, but this started to go downhill just a few months later after her eighth birthday. For starters, her parents got divorced because they’ve been doing nothing but fighting over small things and what was best for their child. After weeks of debate and even going to court for this, Raven’s mother won the custody over her and shortly after her father moved out of the country.

At first, things weren’t so bad. Raven and her mother moved to a different part of London to live with her mom’s sister, Diana. However, problems quickly rose shortly after. Diana worked hard to have enough money for three people, the bills and Raven’s education, but Raven’s mother stopped trying to get a job and instead spent her days inside the small house drinking alcohol, drowning in her sorrows and being drunk most of the time. Not only was Diana worried for her sister, but Raven as well and she was only a child back then. Little Raven was forced to grow up sooner because of this, something she herself decided to do for her mother’s sake. She began to help around the house more than ever, making dinner and cleaning whenever it was needed. Diana was grateful, but also worried, no child should take care of their mother at that age.

Around the time Raven turned 13, her father returned to London as soon as he heard from Raven that her mother hasn’t been acting– well, like a mother (by accident, she never actually wanted to tell him). He took legal actions and managed to win custody over his daughter this time, and thus Raven had to move away from England with his father. At the new house, in a new country, he met her new step-mother and step-sister – but despite Raven slowly getting along with the new adult woman in her life, the same couldn’t be said about her step-sister with who she has a bad relationship since the first day. She thinks her new siblings is too much of a strict girl and goody-two-shoes for her liking.

Despite the hardships in her life, Raven knew what she was passionate about from a young age: anime, movies, videogames – nerd culture is her lifestyle in a way; but she also loves ice-skating. Whenever she had the time and the movie while she still lived with her mom and aunt, Raven would attend ice-skating lessons at the local ice-ring next to a gym. Aside from her tastes, she grew up to be a cool girl, usually with a calm smile and easy to have a conversation with. But Raven has an inner sass soul inside her too, her only self-defence mechanism against others until her limits are met.

                                 -----------------------------------------------

V001: Trying to Move on

Default main verse. Take place not too long after she moved away from England to another country with her father, to live together and with the new additions to the family, step-mom and step-sister. For more information about it please read the biography.

V002: Living a Cliche Life

Amour Sucre verse. What’s worst than to have an annoying step-sister ( even if the step-mom is an ok woman )? Having to attend an Institute with the worst name ever, Sweet Amoris. The name and the school go hand in hand since the place looks so… out of a bad romantic movie, the walls are even pink! The irony in this makes her laugh every day.

V003: Geimer Grill

Youtuber / Twitch Streamer verse. A few years after Raven moved in with her father, developed hobbies of her own and discovered what she really liked, the girl realized she really really REALLY liked videogames. So much so that she would spend a good chunk of her time watching “Let’s Plays” or videos about the topic. Eventually, Raven gained enough courage to start her own “Let’s Play” channel -- who knows how, but she gained a following over the years, slowly but steady.

V004: tba mom verse

tba mom verse description

V005: Raised into Nobility

Fire Emblem: Three Houses verse. Raven is the daughter of a very well known merchant from the Alliance. he and her parents were a happy family until one tragic night, in which her mother was killed. This tragedy made her father decide to move away, away from all they know to start from scratch, thus ending up in the kingdom of Faerghus. One year later, Raven’s father found himself able to fall in love again with a lovely widow, who simply happened to be a noblewoman from a minor house; another year later, they got married.

Despite this different ( and better lifestyle ) and the new members of the family ( believe me, Raven grew to love and appreciate her step-mother and her step-sister ), Raven is still wary of most other nobles, keeping her distance from them most of the time. Her future is uncertain, being a commoner raised into nobility and not a cress bearer; her step-mother suggested of going to the Officers Academy like her step-sister did a few years ago. And so... Here we are.

EXTRA NOTES: Her class is Dancer. She is 16 pre-timeskip and 21 post-timeskip.

V006: Ice Queen

My Hero Academia verse. To be written in detail later but some notes:

She’s a third-year, seventeen years old.

Her quirk consists of being able to control and create snow and ice.

Her parents still had a falling out and divorce, this time, however, her father took custody of her to properly take care of her and help her control her quirk which was still semi-out of control.

Her quirk manifested not too long after her 4th birthday when her mother helped her shower and ended up accidentally freezing the bathtub water.

Is a top-class student at the second-best hero academy in England, which let her become a transfer student if she so desired. The answer was obviously yes, transferring for the rest of her third ( and last ) year to U.A.

Her hero name, in case you couldn’t tell, is Ice Queen.

                                 -----------------------------------------------

CONNECTIONS

Armin Beilschmidt :: [ Bae ]

:: Raven ♥ My 1UP Boy [ Armin ( aceplaycr ) ] ::

Castiel Heinsworth :: [ Bae ]

:: Raven ♣ One and only Best Friend [ Castiel ( kindcstguardian ) ] ::

Lynn Darcy :: [ Bae ]

:: Raven ♥ Picking up the pieces and starting over [ Lynn ( swcctlcve ) ] ::

Lyle Darcy :: [ Bae ]

pending tag

Iris Bellerose :: [ Josie ]

:: Raven ♣ Logic and practicality [ Iris ( galaxyveind ) ] ::

Ben Tennyson  :: [ Josie ]

pending tag