#because even wanting to be with Haruka and knowing that they need to be together

[moghedien]

when I tell you I would commit federal crimes for Michiru's backstory from her pov....

[majimasleftasscheek]

Have you played Yakuza 6 yet? If so ya got any kazumaji head canons based off the events of the game?

I absolutely love your ideas for them and I am beyond upset that Majima was barley in the game. Or even mentioned that much.

They did the boi dirty in this game, I swear.

*clenches my ass hard enough to shit diamonds*

oh I have OPINIONS about 6 I'll tell you that but it is good fodder for the kazumaji agenda 👀 I'mma be kinda rambly in this but I promise it all ties together kdjfjkldfkldf

so we all know Kiryu goes off to find Haruka and because I'm a big fan of dadjima, I can only imagine Kiryu lets him know while he's stuck in jail and Majima's just like WHAT

so Kiryu does a lot of self reflection but acting upon it is another matter. I can see Majima chastising him, saying she ran away cuz that's all Kiryu ever does (part of him is still pissy about him leaving in y3) and she's never had a healthy role model other than the king of hypocrisy. Kiryu would go on about how it's just to protect people yada yada but Majima would be like my guy, you left a bunch of kids in the care of your daughter who should not be parenting for you. you refuse any and all help because you think you can do it all on your own. you left me with Daigo who you said I wouldn't be babysitting AND YET—

I just want Majima to absolutely rail into him about how self serving he's acted despite better intentions. like of course Haruka ran away, look how much pressure she was under, what she went through in the idol bizz (maybe I'm a loser but I did not like Haruka's part in y5 that shit icked me), what you (Kiryu) do every time you feel like a burden to people. how naïve it was to think any part of Kiryu's past would leave him behind just because he wanted it to. how his lone wolf thing impedes on everybody else. how in 5 he literally says he needs to stop running from his past and he does it anyway. this game FRUSTRATES ME rrhrrhhrhrr KIRYU FRUSTRATES ME ACK. but also I have a thing for Majima just being angry at him, to actually lash out and spew all those feelings of being left behind or being refused to let help because Kiryu's stubborn. how he let himself be used all those years to help Kiryu out just because he asked and now once again Kiryu's off on his own, never changing his tune about how he doesn't wanna rely on people. Majima's not perfect either and frankly he communicates like shit too but I just want that RAGE to get out and explore how Kiryu would hear him but never listen. makes it all the more tragic when he finds out Kiryu "died."

*tho I must note, as much as it does irritate me, 6 makes sense entirely for Kiryu's character lol. nothing he does in it surprises me in the slightest so while I'm not a fan of the story, it's pretty fitting for him since he's the downfall of his own story half the time. and it's not so simple as just saying Kiryu's to blame. he's constantly forced to deal with shit just as much as he wants to be left alone. he struggles and he tries hard I'll give him that. I don't think he's a bad person for what he aimed to do in 6 but he's not infallible either. and sometimes it's just par for the course. like how he makes the compromise at the end of the game to disappear so his family can be at peace all the while in his history, he's had major problems doing what he's told - never truly disappearing anyway, going about whatever's gonna happen in gaiden. could you imagine if Haruka caught wind that some resting bitch face motherfucker is beating the shit outta armies somewhere? could you imagine her finding out that Kiryu left again?

honestly I think his character is really interesting cuz of this. he has good intentions and I feel like to him there's some expectation that people should understand this, that people should accept his choices. I think it's fun to explore how others react to that - how it's in a way offensive, that Kiryu thinks he knows what's best and how to handle it as if he has all the power and say. how pissed people feel about him shoving them away for the sake of their safety, etc. I don't think he'd listen to Majima tbh but I think it's important that someone unafraid of Kiryu's dumbassery would lay it out how it is to him in a way that cuts, more so than Haruka, Date or like Akiyama could.

ANYWAY, Majima's mad at him lol but can't really do anything atm due to the surrounding circumstances. I like to think he's got some of the Majima family watching out for Kiryu and Haruka if they happened to see them. Nishida at least cuz ain't no one gonna arrest a cutie patootie like him. it's not much but it's a little peace of mind. Majima knows Kiryu's reckless as all hell so he's worried and doubly annoyed that Kiryu doesn't care (about his own safety or that other people are concerned for him).

so since Majima has a fat 5 minutes in the whole game, there's not much to say about his involvement overall (other than oopsie stuck in jail) but I've had some thoughts about what all the jimas³ are doing in the meantime.

all the jimas are grouped together because I said so even tho realistically they'd prolly be separated lol. Daigo and Saejima are handling things well enough but Majima's bouncing off the walls in boredom and nothing irks him more than being stuck in one spot while Kiryu's out probably getting hit over the head with a stop sign and refusing medical attention. Daigo's losing his mind but he can agree Kiryu's bullheaded and talking about that keeps Majima distracted. Saejima does his part in trying to get Majima's mind off things now that they have all the time in the world to catch up on whatever.

time passes and I'm rewriting the part in 6 where they show up at the end cuz I live in a fantasy world.

Kiryu "dies" and suddenly the three of them are released early, no doubt knowing his death had something to do with it. Daigo gets Kiryu's letter and Majima makes some joke about Kiryu's literacy but a quick scan of the letter makes Daigo's face drop. he reads it and Majima doesn't think it's real. he doesn't know how to feel. even Saejima is in disbelief. but the letter is vague. it's conjecture written by Kiryu of his own death so there's a chance he's fine. Kiryu's fine, he's always fine. he's been shot and stabbed a million times, he's fine.

but it's not long till it's confirmed by Date. Daigo's skeptical cuz his inner punkass doesn't trust cops. Saejima's on the same page but Majima's in full denial whilst also believing it to be true. his reaction is immediate and violent. he wants something to be done, he wants revenge but Daigo wants to follow Kiryu's wish to avoid war. Majima's so outraged he frankly couldn't give less of a shit about Kiryu's wishes so it's up to Saejima to wrangle him back *insert a dramatic fight here.* Majima gets his ass beat and he's just a mess. things move fast though - the fate of the clan is up in the air and he just couldn't care. but Daigo needs him and for that he pulls it together, just barely.

fast forward to when the jimas go into hiding. they get set up in a lil safehouse via Nick Ogata. I like to see it as a basic bitch type of place, very out of the way, very ignorable but the inside is nice enough. they have to stay cooped up as much as possible and it drives Majima insane. he's fidgety, always pacing. Saejima tries to calm him down and it works for a time until Majima falls into another slump and repeats.

they took a few things with them that they could, mostly small stuff, some clothes and the like. Majima brought along a few of Kiryu's things, namely some pocket cars and a shirt. he wears it often, being very against washing it. Daigo's too stressed to notice but Saejima watches Majima just break down into someone he doesn't know. he's tired, closed off, guilt ridden. Saejima starts to think this is who Majima was after getting out of the Hole. a shell of a person taking blame for things out of his control. losing the will to care for himself as some sort of self imposed punishment for not doing more. seething in silence in the powerlessness.

his beard grows scraggly, his hair is unkept and the circles under his eye grows darker everyday. his behavior mimics his Sotenbori days where everything was for Saejima, all he could think about was Saejima, how he failed him, how if he tried hard enough he could see him again. it's not the case with Kiryu though. he didn't even get to see the body himself.

he's always on his phone reliving memories through photos and conversations. he freaks out when anyone touches the pocket cars and eventually the shirt gets worn out. he's spiraling while the others look on, unsure how to deal with someone whose entire personality revolves around having a fake one.

Saejima takes initiative. maybe he's seen Majima like this before or maybe he hasn't. doesn't matter because he gives Majima a bit of tough love, telling him to get a grip. telling him that Kiryu wouldn't want to see him like this and, under his breath, he needs him in better shape so they can beat the shit outta whoever was responsible. it's not easy of course. it takes Majima awhile to learn how to live again and frankly he doesn't want to talk about Kiryu but Saejima forces him to - to get comfortable with mentioning him, enjoying the memories they had. letting him know it's okay to be vulnerable. it's not a kind or pleasant recovery but it's there. it's helping.

and perhaps some time under supervision, he goes to see Haruka and meets Haruto for the first time. he tries to keep a strong façade for her but she can see right through him and gets one of those rare moments where he's just quiet. where he's real. she catches him up on things and it's a rough one for the both of them, especially since he has to keep the visit short. she doesn't bother asking him where he's going afterward but he promises to keep in touch and that he does. she sends him a lot of photos and videos of the family and he backseat-parents Yuta whenever possible. Haruka's never been a fan of always having Kiryu at arms length but this arrangement helps her deal with the long distance since there's effort on both ends to stay close.

Majima's not used to having others around to help him cope but he eases into it decently enough without the Tojo Clan on his shoulders. he even gets along better with Daigo who has time now to focus more on himself and the grunge within his soul. he's a silly lil dork and that charm reminds him of Kiryu but in a way that doesn't send him spiraling. he starts to see all reminders of Kiryu in a more hopeful light, one that brings back his energy. for most of their home confinement, Majima wouldn't even go out as Goromi since half his confidence came from Kiryu's support. but now and then, with Saejima and Daigo backing him, he can tiptoe a bit back into his fav dresses, ones that Kiryu gave him, ones that hurt to put on because of the baggage they carry. he doesn't even have his wigs anymore so he assembles what he can, how he can into something he knows Kiryu would have called pretty regardless. it stills hurts but it helps.

but, he'll always dip back into the pain of it all. missing intimacy and things taken for granted. he regrets his last words with Kiryu were criticisms knowing he's not perfect himself. maybe he's faced with realizations that he can't survive without certain people, that his attachment issues are brought to the forefront for everyone to see. it's ugly and embarrassing and for the first time in a long time he feels very seen. death's always been a reality for him and he's never cared much for it in regards to himself but losing someone so close, so suddenly? without closure or goodbyes? he's forced to deal with the frailty and mortality of someone he thought was invincible.

and it scares him.

[tearwolfe]

after doing some mixing and matching, i've figured out a full cast for the monster detective AU! minus virtual singers, because i still need to figure out what to do with them. i might make them evil...

this is a world where magic and monsters exist, however, people are very hush-hush about it. monsters that go bump in the night is more of a scary story parents use to get their kids to go to bed early..

major roles in this story are detectives, monsters (mostly the shape-shifting kind like tsukasa), magicians, monster protectors, demons, and our primary antagonists! well, the state of their antagonist roles might change later on. i don't really have a chronological story for these guys, it's moreso just a world i can play with whenever i want!

since it's long, i've written everything under the read more!

note: rui is a private investigator and tsukasa is his monster sidekick. if you need an explanation on them, you can find everything in this post.

akito & an — another detective duo. these two used to work alongside rui, however rui split away from them due to differences in work ethic. also, akito and rui are exes. take what you will with that.

on occassion, they will have to work with rui (and tsukasa).

emu & nene — emu comes from a long line of magicians. she is talented in magic and uses it to put on performances at theaters around town, a large one of which her family owns. nene, a friend of rui's, befriends her and begins learning magic from her.

magic isn't a known thing in this world, however, nene learns of its existence through rui's strange encounters. thus, she suspected the use of magic in emu's shows (herself knowing how certain tricks are supposed to work).

now, nene works alongside emu as her magician's assistant in shows. with both of their knowledge of magic, though, they've been known to assist rui with cases.

mizuki & ena — mizuki is a phantom thief, operating during the night to steal riches from wealthy individuals and institutions. ena is an artist and helps mizuki, keeping their identity a secret, even from her detective brother. the two live together.

mizuki and rui were formerly friends, but rui was never aware of their thievery. though, at the time, it was on a much smaller scale.

although they are not very skilled at magic, the two have managed to accomplish some amount of dark magic.

these two are the primary antagonists.

kohane & toya — both are monsters with similar transformative abilities to tsukasa. kohane's transformation resembles a hamster, meanwhile toya's is more akin to a cat.

toya and akito were once friends during their youth (though akito was not aware of toya's status as a monster, he just thought he had a weird sense of style). a crackdown on monster inhabitants in the town caused toya to leave for a long while, never giving akito any answers. during this time he befriends kohane. the two eventually meet akito and an in the current timeline, after tsukasa and rui become a team.

honami & shiho — both girls are shapeshifting monsters. alongside saki, the two of them live with ichika.

ichika & saki — saki is a monster like her brother. however, her transformation is much more powerful than the other shapeshifters. this leaves her often fatigued. unlike the others, she does not need a hat to kick off the transformation. ichika is a monster protector under the guise of an investigator. she keeps an eye on her girlfriends and other monsters in the area.

haruka and ichika often find themselves working together, so they are good friends.

mafuyu & kanade — these two are demons summoned to assist mizuki and ena's malevolent deeds. despite her status as a demon, kanade is actually very nice and refuses to harm people or other monsters.

ena and mizuki have become considerably close with them.

haruka & minori — much like ichika, haruka is a monster protector who disguises herself as an investigator. minori is a monster that she saved from a hunter, and now has vowed to stick by haruka's side and help other monsters.

shizuku & airi — airi is a talented magician who became friends with another magician, shizuku, during her studies. she later learns that shizuku is actually a monster who was able to use a mirage to disguise herself.

finding empathy in shizuku's position, airi agrees to team up with her to help make the world a better place for monsters. the two later join haruka and minori.

[givemeanaccountalready]

You know what I’m most curious about for Milgram? How did the first few days go over? Milgram kidnapped eleven people and threw them in a building with no exits or even a window, had one announce to the others that they were all murderers and they were going to investigate, and how well do you think that went over?

I can see those who were indirect murderers being much more sociable than those who directly took a life. Like Mikoto, who is so sure that all he did was dream and believed that this was some sort of game show, thinks the term murderer is made up and is just chatting away. Or Shidou, whose murder seems to involve his shitty bedside manner (pressuring families of brain dead patients to pull the plug and I think pressuring other patients to go through with risky organ transplants), is probably like yes, everyone must be involved with a death that would be hard to prosecute, I bet little Amane probably was playing with a friend who fell off the playground, cracked their head open, and died. Does she need a trusted adult?

Then you have Haruka and Muu, who directly killed their victims through very personal methods (strangulation and stabbing), who are rightly terrified that the others must have killed like they have and could be killed so they try to stay out of the spotlight. Kotoko, who stomped her victim to death, having the same line of thought as Kazui, a policeman, with needing to carefully evaluate the situation and not act rashly because they both realize that the chances of everyone having the same story as them is slim.

Just imagine the first meal together. It’s tense and awkward, as everyone steals glances at each other and pokes at the food, and then someone (Shidou or Mikoto, probably) breaks the ice.

Shidou: “Why don’t we go around the room and introduce ourselves? I’m Shidou Kirisaki. I’m 29 years old, and I worked as a doctor before coming here.”

Mikoto: “That’s a great idea! I’m-”

Fuuta: “Why are we doing this kiddie crap? We were kidnapped. And why are we eating with this cosplaying brat and a rabbit?”

Es: refuses to react

Jackalope: angry ear twitch

Mikoto: “Chillax. This is probably just one of those new reality shows.”

Fuuta: “You sign up for those, stupid. Do you remember signing up for this, because I sure as hell don’t remember-”

Shidou: cutting in “Language.”

Fuuta: “Are you fu-”

Mikoto: quickly “So, I’m Mikoto Kayano, 23, and I worked for a top of the line advertising company down in Tokyo! What about you, uh?”

Kotoko: “Kotoko Yuzuriha. 20. I was studying law, but I was taking a brief sabbatical before… this.”

Mikoto: “Cool! I don’t think I could be a lawyer. I’m terrible at conflict.”

Mahiru: “Same here! I’m Mahiru Shiina, and I’m 22 years old. I’m in my final year of studying literature at university.”

Shidou: “What about you? You must be in your last year of high school, right? What are you thinking of studying?”

Fuuta: sputtering “I-I’m in college! I’m 20, for God’s sake! I haven’t been in high school for a while. You need to get your eyes checked.”

Kazui: to Amane “Would you like to go next or should I?”

Amane: “You can go first. I don’t mind.”

Fuuta: loudly “I’m not done yet!”

Mikoto: “I thought you didn���t want to do this-”

Fuuta: interrupts “The name’s Fuuta Kajiyama.”

Kazui: “And I’m Kazui Mukuhara. 39. I’m a police officer.”

Kotoko: narrows eyes “A police officer? And you’re here?”

Shidou: to the four remaining “And you all?”

Amane: “My name is Amane Momose, and I am 12 years old. I’m in the sixth grade.”

Mikoto: disbelief “My God, you’re so young.”

Amane: “I’d prefer it if you didn’t offer me any sort of special treatment because of my age. Treat me as you would any other prisoner.”

Shidou: aghast “But you are a child.”

Amane: angry pout and about to argue when

Yuno: does not want to listen to them argue “I suppose I’ll go next. I’m Yuno Kashiki. 18. I’m in my final year of high school. And you?”

Muu: “M-my name is M-Muu Kusonoki. I am 16 years old and in my first year of high school. Please don’t hurt me.”

Kotoko: flatly “The grade-schooler has more guts than you.”

Shidou: “I would argue that she isn’t being foolish.”

Amane: “It would be foolish to ask for special treatment. I do agree with the sentiment but I don’t fear any of you.”

Fuuta: “You’re literally 12. How are you not pissing your-”

Shidou: “Language!”

Amane: “There is no need for censorship on my account. I know all the bad words already. Speak freely around me.”

Fuuta: smugly “Yeah, see? She’s probably heard worse from her classmates.” Points to Haruka. “What about you?”

Haruka: shrinks down in his chair “U-uh, I’m, um, I’m Haruka Sakurai. I’m 17, I think. I’m uh, not very bright. Please be patient with me.”

Shidou: “There’s no need to put yourself down. What year of high school are you in?”

Haruka: “I’m, I’m not. My parents said that, that they’d rather light the money on fire for warmth than send me to high school just for me to flunk out. It would be a better use of-”

Fuuta: angry “That’s fucked!”

Shidou: “Language!”

Yuno: “Hate to say it, but he’s right. It is messed up.”

Shidou: “It is, but there is no reason to use such language in front of a child.”

Amane: “You don’t have to protect me from foul language. I just said-”

Shidou: “What about you, Es? How old are you?”

Es: “15.”

Fuuta: “You have gotta be kidding me! The fate of our lives hang in the hands of a junior high student!”

Mikoto: “Relax. Our lives don’t really hang in their hands. It’s just a TV show.”

Fuuta: “This isn’t a TV show!”

[sonobeunitsarecool]

Why Sakurai Haruka makes So Much Sense, really.

Right, sorry it took so long, but I think this is it? Anyways. Here I'm just putting much of Haruka's behaviour in the context of "past of admissions to a psych ward", linking it all together in a way that may not be so immediately obvious to some. Interrogation answers: T1 Q.12 - Tell us your hobby - "Talking with the other prisoners" What else is there to do? Yuno answers with something about shopping, and drama club, something she can do outside of Milgram, but Haruka wants to talk, and he's getting better at it. It's something he's wanted to do for a while, talk to others, so he probably gets a good deal of enjoyment or satisfaction doing so. You could say it's a bit odd, to be a hobby, but it's an activity he knows he has consistent access to, unlike something like drawing which would require a request. Q.14 - What's an event that stuck in your memory? - "Fireworks" Fireworks, or some kind of crayon rendering of them, seem to feature prominently in Weakness. Something bright, colourful, loud, and pretty full sensory immersion, plus it seems to have been a fond memory of sorts. Besides, what else could stand out, as a childhood memory? Anything in recent years would just be... the dull droning on of the days. Q.20 - What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought? - "Candy floss" Okay. Candy floss isn't very expensive. What likely happened, is that he didn't handle money except for when he was once given some at a fair of sorts, and allowed to buy something for himself. As a teen, he's had no need to buy anything, and if there was something he wanted or needed to buy, then it'd be provided by whomever was looking after him at the time. (Not necessarily something about not trusting Haruka, but he wouldn't have had any way of getting a job, being in-and-out of mental health care) Now, something a little interesting would be that this, alongside some other small things, loosely implies that Haruka was a spoiled or otherwise coddled child from his birth, growing more distant from his family as he got older. Japanese children are given quite a lot of autonomy, just go watch "Hajimete no otsukai", or "Old enough", an entire television programme where kids go out and do errands. Most Japanese kids would have bought things like groceries, or train tickets, or whatever, even before leaving primary school. Sending them on the train alone at age 8 is common. It's unusual for the most expensive thing that Haruka ever bought to be candy floss, surely he'd have been asked to go out and buy something, at some point? If not, why not? Q.22 - What do you think of the prison outfits? - "They're kind of relaxing" Kind of already went over this. Haruka is accustomed to wearing the same kind of thing every day, and everyone else is also wearing something similar, so he's part of the group. Not distinct in clothes. It's probably a small comfort. Q.23 - Is there anything you want (item requests)? - "Not really" He's got everything, for the most part. In a psych ward, you're unlikely to get anything just by asking, and whatever you can bring onto the ward is restricted. Of course Haruka's got lots of crayon drawing in Weakness. Crayons are pretty much the safe art medium. Cheap, easily replaced, logistically an obvious choice to use. What else could he have used? Pencils? Those would require a pencil sharpener, and that's a weapon. Q.24 - What's your dream for the future? - "I want to live normally" ...It's not normal to spend so much time on a psych ward. It's a restrictive lifestyle, even if it's his comfort zone. This is pretty much the obvious thing to wish for, to live a "normal" life where he's not just a patient, someone who's "broken". Besides, Haruka can't afford high standards like Yuno's "It'd be nice if I can find a job I can really lose myself in", because he doesn't have many avaliable job prospects at the moment. He's set back in education by at least 3 years. Q.25 - When you get out of here, where do you want to go? - "I can't think of anywhere"

Based on what can be guessed about Haruka's story, home is an unlikely prospect. And he's not had much opportunity to think about or find a place to go, unlike Yuno's answer of "Karaoke, maybe", something she's done in the past and enjoys. There are either no places that stand out to him, or too many places he's not had the chance to go to. ...auto-save isn't working anymore. I'm just going to say that this is long enough and continue another day. Moving onto T2 int. questions, then onto his voice lines, his profile, his VDs, probably even more of the MVs as a part of all that... is this even a theory? The next time I say I'm going to post something "small", I'm probably lying to myself.

[strawberry-jan]

I had thought that my days of writing long fandom effort-posts were behind me but then I finished Gaiden and welp, here I am. I ugly sobbed at the ending and then spent the next several hours ugly sobbing in textual form at friends. I have some thoughts; I am going to put a few spoiler-heavy ones (read: a lot of them) under the cut after this brief (read: lengthy) spoiler-free introduction.

Y6 and Y7 left me feeling like the writers should’ve just retired Kiryu from the series after Y5, even if it meant leaving him lying there in the snow and never following up on whether he’d actually made it back to Haruka or was just dreaming. I have complained at length about nearly every aspect of Y6, but since it’s directly relevant to my feelings about Gaiden, let me state my gripe with the ending specifically: it was an absolutely bizarre move to position that game’s ending (1) after Y5 and (2) within a game that hits the player over the head repeatedly with the message that setting yourself on fire to keep other people warm is a mistake that hurts not only you but also those around you.

Kiryu walks down the sunny path away from Morning Glory at the end of Y6, and everything about the framing suggests that even though it’s bittersweet, it ultimately tends toward sweet: the old generation has made way for the new, Yuta is there to look after Haruka in Kiryu’s place (don't get me started on this), and his family is safe for good. The problem with this is that it’s a shit resolution considering the game’s themes and also a devastating ending specifically for Kiryu. We’ve just come off the heels of Y5, where it’s more obvious than ever that despite his gruff, stoic exterior, at heart he’s a warm, caring man who badly needs to be with the people he loves. Exiling himself to Nagasugai made him unspeakably unhappy; what he wants, and what everyone in his family wants, is to be together, and this is something that Y6 harps on initially and then forgets in its ending. Walking away from Morning Glory forever is condemning himself to a lingering death and neither Y6 nor Y7 acknowledges this meaningfully. (Y7, in fact, is infuriating about this; Kiryu’s cameo there felt so cheap and unnecessary that I, one of the man’s biggest fans, was irritated at seeing him there.) It would have been kinder to just kill him outright at the end of Y6.

In that context, Gaiden feels like an apology that also tells you, gently, that we're at the end of an era - for real this time.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Still Thinks Sunglasses Are a Proper Disguise is a roughly 25-hour outing (depending on how much time you sink into mahjong and whether you can get over your embarrassment long enough to close your blinds and watch the painfully awkward live-action hostess videos) in which the writers spend most of the run-time reassuring you, “Yes, actually, we do understand this character and the ramifications of his decision.” There are so many points in the story where it comes up that his family is the one thing that Kiryu wants and the one thing he can’t have. He’s explicit about his desire; you can go so far as to ask a wish-granting vagrant in a silly substory full of Dragon Ball (and also ball) jokes to give him his happy, peaceful life back, because even when Kiryu’s up to his balls in testicular puns, that’s what’s on his mind. There’s no façade that he puts up; the game simply acknowledges this want and goes, “Yes, that was the lesson you learned and discarded; sorry that you can’t act on it anymore, but that window closed in 2016 when you decided to die instead of taking the briefcase full of cash.”

So. This is sad enough. But what really broke me about the ending – and what I know really broke a lot of other people – was the fact that it’s so devastatingly clear that even if Kiryu were to have taken the Omi’s terrible offer to do away with Hanawa and get himself back to Okinawa, it wouldn’t have mattered. I think the writers were very deliberate about having everyone refer to the “kids in Okinawa” (yes, also in Japanese) when they make threats toward Kiryu’s family or talk about his desire to see them again. Kiryu thinks of them as his kids, but when he looks at the recording on Hanawa’s tablet, he sees adults with adult jobs and adult lives of their own. They love him, but their world has moved on without him, and there are no “kids in Okinawa” to return to; all this time, Kiryu has been clinging to a vision of his peaceful life with his kids that doesn’t exist and, in fact, cannot exist anymore. The series has always taken place (barring the spinoffs) roughly in the present moment with real time passing between entries, and I’ve never felt it so painfully acutely as I did in that moment when Kiryu realizes that Haruto can write.

And this is all of a piece, I think, with the speech he gives earlier in the game about wanting to do right by Kazama, Nishiki, and Yumi – more idealized visions of people he once knew and still loves. Hell, even though I’m disappointed not to get the fanservice that would’ve been Kiryu talking to Daigo, Majima, and Saejima at length, none of those members of the old guard have interacted with him since he left the hospital and went to jail at the start of Y6. It’s not just his kids who have moved on: Daigo is doing things for himself without sneaking back into Suzuki Taichi’s life to beg him for advice, and though Majima does roll his eye at Kiryu and tell him to stick around for a bit after the brawl (and the little knife-throw made me go hohohoh because I'm shameless and will take whatever scraps the studio deigns to give me), he and Saejima are bickering and joking around with each other like an old married couple. They’ve moved on, too, and Kiryu’s world is ghosts all the way down.

It's not all miserable, of course. I do genuinely love that Kiryu’s kids are happy, and although Kiryu sobs that he needed them more than they needed him, that seems more like a function of his chronically low self-esteem than anything based in reality. You can tell that the Morning Glory kids regarded him as a positive force in their lives and that they still do as adults – Taichi, for instance, says that he decided to be a firefighter because he wanted to protect people like Kiryu did. Kiryu’s family looked up to him but, crucially, without falling into the cycle that Kiryu did when he looked up to his own father figure. And it really warms my heart that clearly Haruka has been telling Haruto about her dad, such that the kid knows enough about oji-san to draw a picture of him with the rest of his family. I think a lot of other media’s writers would have chosen to make the Morning Glory kids bitter about Kiryu’s absence, to have them resent their dad for repeatedly disappearing on them. Maybe they did in fact feel upset with him for a while, but the video presents them all as happy and hopeful that maybe someday their not-dead dad will come back to have a drink with them – and I do hope that Y8 allows this to happen in some way. It wouldn’t be a return to his old life, but it would be something.

Anyway: I’d feel weird about talking at such great length about all of this without talking about the Big Dissolution Brawl and everything around it. It's all connected, after all. Just as Kiryu comes to the painful acknowledgement that his little world has moved on, so too does he have to beat it into Shishido’s skull that the organization that he’s still clinging to is a thing of the past. It’s not just that anti-Yakuza laws are making it more difficult for them to function and that the police and politicians have found ways to use them as scapegoats and pawns. It’s also that everyone who’s been in the business long enough understands that even the best men among them are still bastards and their organizations aren’t worth saving. Tsuruno – probably my favourite new character – is a fiercely loyal man who’s known for taking guys like Shishido under his wing; he also has no compunctions about plotting to murder Hanawa, threatening Kiryu’s family as a manipulation tactic, threatening Kiryu himself with a red-hot branding iron, and using Kiryu as an accessory to murder. Notable cool dude Watase made use of the Kijin Clan because their assassination services were necessary for him to get ahead, and he and Tsuruno readily discard Nishitani III the second he becomes a liability – gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, after all. (I am not going into anything else about whatever the writers thought they were doing with Nishitani. I think there was something to do there with the game's interest in names and legacy but then, in classic RGG Studio fashion, they forgot to elaborate on it in any meaningful way.) For the first time since the late 80s, Kiryu is even forced to explicitly consider Kazama’s faults – albeit only briefly, and only in a substory.

Shishido himself wants to be the final boss of a previous game as if there's some kind of throne left to contend for (and his final fight is actually pretty reminiscent of the brawl with Aizawa, a high point in the series). And, at Kiryu’s insistence, he’s allowed to get out his blustering final speech about it – but he shouts about refusing to allow the old guard to dismantle the structure he’s ascended while everyone around him who actually matters is standing there, like, “Dude, the Tojo and Omi are over; read the room.” We're playing through the epilogue to Kiryu's saga, and we're seeing everything that drove that saga's conflicts being tied up or taken apart as needed. The kids will be alright no matter what happens to Kiryu, and while we already saw the Tojo Clan bite it in Y7 after its long decline over the course of the series, we're finally seeing that from the perspective of the guy who prolonged things by shoving Daigo into the chairman's seat and coming back to Kamurocho once a year or so for a Millennium Tower punch-out. Kiryu even acknowledges that, like Shishido, he loves this shit - "You hear someone out there's stronger... And soon your only thought is how to defeat them," he tells the man. But he goes on to say that that dream is meaningless in the face of other people's daily struggles. Again, it's time for everyone to move on. It's time for you as the player to move on, and you're being given one last real-time shirt-rip brawl against a man who won't accept that the era is over in order to underscore the point that it's over.

I’m not entirely sure how to finish this already too long post. There's a lot I haven't even touched on. I will say that I love Hanawa and Akame and Tsuruno. I love going back to Sotenbori. I love yet another game in which I can slam through the koi-koi and mahjong completion lists. I love all the callbacks and the sequence in the castle where you fight not-Kiryu and they've given him Gun and Sword like some kind of budget Sakamoto Ryoma. I love playing dress-up with my big burly guy. I love everything about the big boys’ night out in Chapter 4. I love that immediately after being tortured by Daidoji agents Kiryu can wander into the next room over to ask for a turn on their Sega Master System. I love how funny this game is when it's not socking me repeatedly in the gut. More than anything, I love that even though Kiryu’s enduring the world’s most drawn-out death sentence he’s still Kiryu and he’ll still snark at people and get really into little cars and involve himself in people's problems at the drop of a hat. I wish that I’d gotten to see Kiryu getting tripe with the old Tojo guard at the end of the game, but that’s what fic is for. I will not be writing that fic any time soon because I’m still way too deep in my feelings about this game to write anything cheerful about it. As I said, Gaiden feels like an apology, and while it made me cry harder than a video game has ever made me cry before, I’m so happy to have received it.

[project-sekai-facts]

Hey, i wanted to say two things. The first one is, I adore your analysis so much. You definitely have so much knowledge about the project sekai lore than i would ever have. And secondly, do you believe if Craft egg is going to confirm any of the ships in the game? It would be really nice if it happens, but i highly doubt it.

First off, thank you!

Secondly, I don't really like talking about shipping because, y'know, but also free pass if I'm talking about canon stuff

it's really hard to say. Like, really. I'm assuming here that you mean confirm as in the characters dating within the story, and not as in characters having mutual feelings, because for that there's a different answer. Games in the sort of idol-rhythm genre tend to never actually establish romantic relationships and just keep teasing stuff, because money and I guess if you never confirm anything then you never alienate a portion of your fanbase.

Like look at bandori, which has CHU2 and PAREO who clearly have feelings for each other (iirc it's outright stated on one side at least?) and are seemingly dating although it's just. never actually confirmed. same with a few other characters. i know this happens in enstars as well but i only ever played it for a week so i can't name anything specific but do i need to you probably get what i'm on about.

though, there are games in the genre that don't do this, namely D4DJ. But D4DJ is sort of a black sheep in this genre because like. it's really queer, like actually queer. like they've got characters who are dating and outright stated to not like men and like another girl in the cast. which isn't something that's common. at all.

and all these examples from other games are queer, and of course, prsk is mixed-gender, i'm just using them as examples (and also all the couples in prsk most likely to ever be official are queer). prsk being mixed kinda simultaneously makes getting characters together easier and harder for them. because on the one hand, do i even need to explain why straight couples are easier to slap in a story? and on the other hand, gay ships are far more popular in the fandom, and are generally the ones that get more content in the game because of that, so pulling a fast one and suddenly making a random m/f couple canon would piss off a lot of the fanbase (i'm talking about vbs and mmj here before anyone says anything).

so really it comes down to whether the writers just carry on as they are, or do something unexpected. and like, maybe they will? i mean, there's airi and shizuku who are very obviously attracted to each other, minori and haruka who i don't think i need to explain, and then an & kohane, akito & toya and arata & souma who are all implied to be soulmates. so there is definitely already stuff there if they ever decide to do something. and if not, then there's stuff there still I guess.

oh yeah also An refers to the events of BFST as a date and the way the conversation is phrased heavily implies she means it romantically but she's the only person who calls it that and no one is actually implied to be in a romantic relationship outside that event (or even in it really) but there you go. oh and shizuku and airi go on a date within the story as well.

[b3742864234]

Futa x reader, Futa x reader, Futa x reader. Please please. There aren’t that many out there, which is a shame~

Ok so for this I decided to do just regular relationship hcs (lmk if you want a pre milgram him xreader about how you got together as i already wrote one for current him) buut i included both pre-milgram fuuta and the fuuta we have now :)

Pre-milgram silly

he can and will be agressively protective of you

im talking like, if someone looks at you wrong he is not afraid to get in a fight with them

he's proud to show you his accomplishments (by that i mean. getting a whole group of people to bully others)

but also, he's be very proud of you

he's the kinda person that will show off his s/o at any chance he can get

annoying-couple style, he posts about how cool and great you are

he easily adapts to your love language, he treats your needs as more important than anyone else's

his love language is physical touch. so get ready

he plays soccer with you :)

if you don't know how to play/aren't that good at it, he teaches you instead

when he first asked you to play you were. surprised to say the least

smth smth twitter user goes outside !?

sorry

but still. he doesn't seem like the kinda person to enjoy sports all that much

if you're in any way artsy or just want to get out and do something, he's the one

like in backdraft's mv, i imagine he actually enjoys drawing graffiti

it's a nice way to destress, express yourself, all that

if you mess up it's whatever. who's gonna judge a graffiti drawn in some secluded place

he draws you at one point. it's not the best but you know he tried his best.?

you both take a few selfies in front of the art :)

it's Your Spot <3

.........

he found out about his victim's death when he was with you

and oh. oh

he didn't mean to do this

he just. stares there at his phone, mumbling excuses to himself

because he's not a murderer, right?

you wouldn't date a murderer.

he's okay. he didn't do anything bad

he just hopes you don't blame him

Milgram silly

he feels weird about this relationship

in a way that, he doesn't fully understand your reasons to date him.

but he's happy with you

he often says how you're "the only normal one here" and you "keep him sane"

he's joking. obv

half joking

if you're a prisoner, he fully believes you are innocent

honestly i feel like he wouldn't even date you if he thought otherwise

as in, he'd first have to know your story and then he'd judge you based on that

if you're a guard? that's a funky dynamic

the annoying loud angry prisoner becoming more and more calm around That One Guard

everyone is quick to notice, which results in him kind of avoiding you

he fails miserably. you are a guard. there is no escaping

either way he cares about you. a lot

he talks about you to haruka

it started kind of involuntarily. haruka just asked him about his opinion on you

and oh boy. he sure had an Opinion

he "offhandedly" complimented you a lot, noticed a lot more details about you than about other prisoners

haruka understood the situation. pretty quickly

he does not mind :) he finds it kinda cute

anyways

fuuta thinks about you. a lot

he likes to imagine you both in different scenarios, he has soo many ideas for you guys for when he's (or you both) released

speaking of which, you're his new motivation to get out of milgram

he now just wants to live with you, be free to do whatever he wants, all with you, without That Feeling at the back of his mind that someone is watching (other prisoners/guards)

:)

[thequietkid-moonie]

The glimpse of a lost memory about someone that doesn't exist anymore

[ ONE-SHOT ]

[ Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon / Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon ]

Okay, i can't believe I made myself cry after reading it once it was done! I think i put waaaay to much heart on this

I really REALLY hope you like it as much as I did, my dear reader ! ❤️

It all started by just a simple dream, it wasn't the first time Usagi dream with someone calling out for her, it happened before she became a Sailor Scout, but this time it felt different, it wasn't like if that person was calling for her to try and reach her, if was more like if it were someone greeting her, happy to see her again, and whenever she wake up she felt rather melancholic

The first time Usagi tried to just brush it off, but soon it started to happen more and more, every time it was diferent scenarios and diferent places but what never changed was the person talking to her, someone she can't reconize, she can't even see their face but know that is smiling at her, it was too weird, but what it was more weird it was how happy and comforted she felt on that dreams

Soon she will end up telling her friends about it, probably just because she was too distracted with all of this that it had became obvious for everyone, Usagi tried to brush it off but it was of no use since they know her too well, and at the end she finally tells them about the weird dreams she have been having lately, and for her surprised everyone agreed to have those dreams too, for everyone was different but what never changed was the person talking to them, even Mamoru had a few dreams with someone who talked to him with respect but treat him as family

Everyone start to worry about it, they would prefer to don't take it as something bad imediatly but it wasn't imposible to be some kind of trick from their enemies, so everyone decided to investigate more about it, looking for any posible enemies that were trying to trick them into something, or maybe it was just the inmense curiosity everyone were feeling, they needed a reason for that strange melancholic they feel for those dreams

But not matter what they do, at the end there was no threaten, only the feeling of melancholic, like if they had lost something and now they were missing it, it was so confusing, Makoto, Rei and Minako were the ones growing more frustrated for not reaching any answer to what the hell was happening, they want to be ready for any posible future threating but this was too strange and yet it felt so familiar

At some point Michiru, Haruka, Setsuna and Hotaru get involved too, it is normal for them to step in if there is any posible threaten to their princess but they were pretty much in the same position at the rest, the feeling of missing something and some weird dreams of someone they don't reconize, however their role when they were on the Moon Kingdom were far different from the others and they are more aware than the other sailor scouts about what happened, so they are a little more aware about this situation, somehow knowing that it isn't a bad thing, in fact is the opposite

Now being all together on this it would make things easier for them to try to find answers, using all their recurses and powers together to try to find out who is that person that they can't remember but always smile at them. Even when it was dificult they had came way too far to back off now, feeling a curiousity grow by the shared feeling of lost and missing, the more they go deeper by trying to remember the more sadness start to grow in their hearts, it was so strange but make them think that this was far more important from what they thought

The answers they were searching for were finally reveled when they finally reached the spot where they had lost what they were missing, in one of the rooms of the the ruins of the castle of the moon they were able to find the remains of a dead star that leave behind only their feelings, their wish of a greater future, barely noticeable but still somehow intense

The memories slowly started to came to them again, it was you the one that was being missing, that one comforting presence that make them feel melancholic. Still without being able to fully to see your face they started to remember the day they met you, a shooting star that came to the moon kingdom, motivated by pure love you wanted to serve the royal family and fight along side with the greatest warriors that were the sailor scouts, your comforting presence was even able to be felt even for those who were so far away, you used to always look at the vast universe in their direction, sending them a smile hoping they won't feel too lonely

You became their friend and confident, become part of the group and spend a long time with them, caring and helping all of them at the best of your habilities, trying your best to teach the princess what you had to offer, even when that bring you problems since you were the one to teach her to travel to earth. You laughed with them and cried with them so long ago, you cared for them and cover their backs on battles, you were there to fight along side with them to protect the kingdom and the princess, you were also there to watch how the pince Endymion sacrificed himself to save your princess and to see your princess take her own life, you were there to cry for their dead and slowly see the kingdom fall into the deepest sadness, to see the kingdom slowly perish by the aftermath of the war

You had came to serve the princess because of love and that love was the one who motivated you to try your best until the very end, people always said that shooting stars were able to make wishes come true and you were determinated to do that, you didn't care about the price you'll have to pay, you had made your choise and decided to use your power to make your wish come true. But your wish was not only too ambicious but it was also taboo for a shooting star to use their power to make their own wish come true, but you didn't care

So, with all your determination you used all your power (and you even had to use your connection with the other sailor scouts, taking a little bit of their power to help you, just hoping they wouldn't mind), concentrating all your power, putting all your heart and mind to ask for your wish, you asked to please give your beloved friends and princess, the people you consider your family, a second chance to be together

Using all your power and strength you were able to make sure that someday somehow all of them would be able to met again and live together in the planet your beloved princess used to love so much, but, sadly, you won't be able to be in that future that you wished with all your heart, to make your own wish come true you had to consume not only all your power but also your entire existance, you had to return to your purest form as a star to let it happen, but you wouldn't mind, as long you assure that they have a future then you didn't mind giving your life for it

And then, on that last glimpse of memory the recovered they were finally able to see your face, smiling brightly as your body slowly start to fade away, whispering your last goodbye to them and wishing them a bright future before you become nothing but a light that were slowly foing out

It was more than what they expected, and it hit them harder than what they would guess, they were able to remember you only to lose you again, even if they wanted there was no way making you return, your existance have been extinct for so long ago, leaving behind only your love impress on that wish thay will make them company and protect them forever

The melancholy quickly become a deep sadness and a terrible feeling of missing you, now that they remember all that they lived with you they can't stop the tears from falling, even those that never had the pleasure to met you in person can feel an emptiness in their hearts and the lack of your comforting presence, even Mamoru, who had spent little time with you and in really bad circumstances remember that comforting smile you give him when he came to the moon or the horrified expression in your face when he was hurt, he even remember your voice calling out for him before he died as the prince Endymion

You knew that there was a high posibility that you'll be forgotten and yet you didn't care, for you it was fine as long as they could live happily all together, just as they all wanted, but now that they had remember you all of them promised to never forget you again, even if you can't heard them anymore, even if you won't be able to smile at them again they will not forget you ever again, living in your honor and carrying the memories close to their heart, forever grateful for your sacrifice

[queen-of-bel]

Throwing together all of my Fuuta thoughts/theories into one post now that Backdraft has been out for a couple days and I’ve watched it probably no less than 800 times by now.

Before I hop into the murder, I want to point out a few things about Fuuta’s personality that are important to understand. The first is about his family life. He implies that his mother left him and his father, saying that he doesn’t remember much about his mother since his parents divorced. He then goes on to insult his father, calling him a “weak, pathetic fogey”. He also seems to be pretty lonely in real life, as he’s always shown alone in Bring It On.

Both this loneliness and his dislike of showing weakness drives what I believe to be his desire to have a bold outward persona— an idealized self that is a brave leader who enacts justice and defends the weak. In both Bring It On and Backdraft, we see this concept of Fuuta having two senses of self.

In Backdraft, after Fuuta reflects on his guilty vote, he sees another, more confident version of himself approaching his victim, Killcheroy.

Another thing to consider is that in Bring It On, the knight version of Fuuta has certain physical characteristics changed. In real life, Fuuta is really short (165 cm/5’4), wears baggy clothes, and covers most of his face with a mask. However, his knight version is clearly just as tall, if not taller, than his peers, wears tight-fitting armor, and his face is completely unobstructed.

Fuuta wants us to believe that he’s fearless, that he jumps into these situations with nothing but courage in his heart and at the end of the day, he’s a hero. But in reality, he's a timid, cowardly person and he knows it.

In Backdraft, we see that he has trouble keeping up his "brave defender of justice" persona, with his lip quivering before eventually grinning.

I think that this persona can help explain the order of the prisoners that we see in Backdraft. It seems to be that the closer the prisoner is to Fuuta, the higher his opinion is of them, or perhaps it signifies how comfortable he is with them.

It makes sense that Haruka is right next to Fuuta, as Fuuta has said from the beginning that he feels he needs to look out for Haruka since Haruka is younger. If we look at who the last prisoners are, Kotoko is at the end (for obvious reasons), but Kazui is even further past Kotoko.

It may seem odd that the man who stopped the woman from nearly murdering Fuuta would be last on the list, but given how much Fuuta hates being perceived as weak, I think that he just genuinely feels ashamed around Kazui. It’s nothing against Kazui specifically, but all of a sudden Fuuta has become the very person he hates— “weak and pathetic”. Kazui has seen him in his most vulnerable state, and that’s just something that Fuuta cannot stand.

Speaking of this lineup, I think it’s also interesting that Muu is so close to him, especially considering that there haven’t been many Muu/Fuuta interactions in Milgram so far. That being said, Muu was a victim of extreme bullying, and Fuuta views himself as a defender of justice, so it’s reasonable to assume that Muu is someone Fuuta sympathizes with.

This leads me to the million dollar question that everyone is dying to know. What exactly did Killcheroy do?

I made a post about this recently, but tldr; I think Killcheroy was posting pictures of someone without their permission with the intent of bullying/harassing them. Killcheroy keeps bringing up these loopholes as to why it’s okay for her to post the photo, but the fact that she needs to bring up these loopholes means that this picture really shouldn’t be on the internet in the first place, and she knows it.

Fuuta is also very harsh towards Killcheroy, saying that she’s not going to get off easy just because she’s a middle school student. When you consider that the last person Fuuta went after was a sexual harasser, it makes me think that Killcheroy is engaging in some really bad behavior, and bullying seems like just the thing that would provoke such a strong response from Fuuta.

This is also where Fuuta starts really fucking up.

I believe that Fuuta decided to do the classic “eye for an eye” route, and posted a picture of the girl’s house online. We see in Bring It On that he says it was easy to figure out where she lives, and in Undercover, we see him taking a photo of a house.

In Backdraft as well, when he spray paints over the cartoon of Killcheroy, he leaves her face visible for everyone to see. I think this signifies him doxxing her in a way that he hasn’t done before with other people he’s gone after in the past.

Killcheroy leaned pretty heavily on the “it’s just a picture!” excuse, so I think that’s probably how Fuuta justified posting the picture of her house.

It’s also worth noting that the amount of paint Fuuta used for Killcheroy in Backdraft is significantly less than the amount of paint he used for the other people, which means that Fuuta may have… gone easy on Killcheroy? I really think he just wanted her to see what it felt like when people post personal pictures without consent, but didn’t think anything much would come from it, which is why he immediately walks away without looking back, as he did with the other paintings.

What he didn’t expect was the amount of people who would join in.

This is another reason I think Killcheroy was a bully. Bullying is one of the worst things that a child can do, and people always love when a bully gets what’s coming to them. It would explain why the internet descended so quickly onto Killcheroy and vilified her. As soon as we see people ganging on Killcheroy, we immediately see Fuuta becoming scared of what he’s done.

Now everyone is harassing this young girl who did something bad, but she didn’t deserve to get this much hate from so many strangers. He begins questioning his actions, as we can see with the lyrics changing from “burn, burn!” to “burn, burn?”

Unfortunately for Fuuta, things are about to get much worse.

We see Killcheroy choking before eventually crumbling away, signifying her death. However, I don’t think that she took her own life. The main reason I believe this is because when we see Fuuta’s murder reenacted with Es, Es’ shoes are still on, implying that Killcheroy did not commit suicide (unlike Mahiru’s and Kazui’s victims, both of whom have Es’ shoes removed during the reenactment).

What I think happened instead is that someone physically went to Killcheroy’s house, and set it ablaze, either intentionally or accidentally. We have a lot of fire/burning symbolism all throughout Fuuta’s trials that just hasn’t been accounted for yet, and if Killcheroy didn’t kill herself, then her dying in a house fire makes the most sense.

One more thing I want to touch on is how Fuuta views his own involvement in Killcheroy’s death. While he hasn’t completely come around to the idea that he caused it, he is certainly less adamant than he was in the first trial. On the website for his S2 voice lines, he actually says “I’m not guilty… I think.”

This is a stark contrast to his S1 voice lines where he says

“Murderer? That’s not my fault. That’s not me. I didn’t kill someone. Right? Isn’t that right?”

This question to Es is repeated in his first voice drama:

“That’s stupid. I haven’t killed anyone. I didn’t kill anyone. … I didn’t. I … didn’t, right?”

Instead of looking to Es to validate his “innocence”, as he was in the first trial, Fuuta is now tackling his denial in a way we never have seen him do before. It’s no longer about Es viewing Fuuta as guilty or not. It’s Fuuta himself openly challening his view that he’s innocent. It’s a small step, but it is a step in the right direction.

He also says in the S2 voice lines: “What I did could have had absolutely nothing to do with that person’s death - you don’t know!”

Again, this isn’t a complete admission of guilt, but by saying “could have”, it implies that he’s aware there is a chance that his actions led to someone’s death, and he no longer is saying it’s impossible that he’s killed someone.

Another thing I find interesting is the “moribound” line in Backdraft. In the Chinese translation, it actually was translated to something along the lines of “I was involved in death”, with the “I” part explicitly stated. If this translation is accurate, then this would mark the first time Fuuta admits he’s involved with Killcheroy’s death, even though he still is denying any fault in it.

I really hope Fuuta is voted to be forgiven overall. He did something really stupid, but it wasn’t malicious. He started showing fear and guilt the moment that people started piling on Killcheroy, proving that he didn’t just feel bad once he learned someone died. Even the official Milgram website says that he’s a timid but good person. I still think he deserved the first unforgivable vote, but he’s ultimately still a salvageable person.

[yakuzacanons]

Hi friend!!! :D I hope you're having a great road trip so far (I know it's gonna be a while for you to answer this one but it's okiee take your time, just wanted to thank you for writing these amazing headcanons!! <3)

So, I'm a sucker for marriage. Can I request some headcanons about how the boys would propose to their partner?

BRAIN GO BRRRRRRRRR yes you absolutel can have these headcanons ahooga. Also thank yew, road trip was gouda. Headcanons below da cut sweet anon, thanks for your patience!

Kazuma Kiryu

Most nervous about planning the proposal, actually. Worried about where, when, and all of that. He'll be surprisingly calm during it though, much to his own surprise.

He'd pick somepalce rather intimate, definitely not the type of guy for public proposals. Honestly might just go the classic route and propose to you while the sun sets on the beach in Okinawa.

Only other person who knows any details about his proposal is Haruka. She totally contributes, like hiding the ring box in her room because she knows you won't look in there.

Majima Goro

Debates for a long time if he's going to go the typical over the top route he does with... pretty much anything else in his life. Asks Kiryu and Saejima for advice, to which they both kinda blush awkwardly and are like "How the heck would I know what to do?"

Shockingly, he decides to also go the more intimate route, although maybe less romance movie tropey than Kiryu. Probably takes you up to a rooftop the two of you relaly like to hangout at, or some other place where you both have a lot of fond memories.

Most nervous of all of the boys DURING the proposal itself. You might honestly be able to pick up on it due to his sudden fidgety behavior a few minutes before it actually happens.

Saejima Taiga

He'll keep it fairly plain and simple. No frills or lavish giant public proposals here. Saejima wants to keep it as real and genuine as possible as he sees this as essentially THE confession of a lifetime.

Won't go too crazy with planning and will likely settle for doing a date that repeats your first date together. Visiting all of your favorite spots or maybe where you had your first kiss is a good setting for him.

Might propose on a rooftop or in a park but will make sure there are no crowds nearby. He wants to be able to lay out all of his feelings before popping the question and he needs some amount of space and privacy from the world to do this.

Akiyama Shun

Total class act. Fancy dinner and all. Brings flowers and everything. Probably secretly asks the waiter to pull some strings in the kitchen for a nice dessert.

Asks Hana advice for what to do. She helps him pick out the place, ultimately. She makes him do the ring shopping though and refuses to give him input on that.

Nervous the entire time, both while planning it and during the proposal itself. Akiyama is a romantic at heart but honestly marriage was kind of always a distant fantasy for him, so it's totally crazy for him to actually be doing this.

Tanimura Masayoshi

Our boy is a MESS. Has zero idea what to do. Where the heck do people even get rings? Does it matter which knee people get down on during a proposal? He has no idea.

Spends the most amount of time out of all the boys picking out a ring. He knows this is something very special and important so he puts in the time accordingly to pick one out.

Might honestly propose at Homeland after getting them to prepare a special dinner for you both. Proposes in private though, makes eveyone leave the restaurant before he gets down on one knee because he's shy as hell.

Ryuji Goda

The LEAST nervous of all the boys about proposing. It's kind of expected for him to get married someday given his position in the Omi Alliance, so the concept has been on his mind somewhat for a good while.

Confident in his ability to pick out a ring and he will indeed pick out something very nice. Unlike most of the boys, he can plan a proposal all by himself.

Think Akiyama on steroids. It's not just a fancy dinner, it's a PRIVATE room in the nicest restaurant in town with your favorite bottle of wine chilling when you arrive. Hell, private chef too if he can find one. Gets down on one knee after dessert just as the sun is setting.

Nishikiyama Akira

Out of all the boys, he's probably the easiest to sniff out when he's planning a proposal. Tries to play it cool like everything is normal but it's super obvious when things are not normal.

Asks Kiryu for advice on places to go ring shopping, to which Kiryu is like "Uhh... Le Marche? Where else do they sell rings..." which isn't much help. Might just go ring shopping WITH you after proposing, if you're into that.

He'll wait for an anniversary or Valentine's Day to pop the question. It lets him use the holiday as a cover up for all his scurrying around making plans.

Daigo Dojima

Similar to Ryuji in that he always knew he'd likely get married at some point due to his status. However, unlike Ryuji, he has ZERO clue what he's doing. Isn't panicking outwardly but is a little palms sweaty if you know what I mean.

If he asks anyone for advice, it's his mom. He wouldn't bring it up to other Tojo Clan members and plus he trusts his mom of all people to understand him and what he's about to do. They have a pretty decent relationship and she'll be glad to see her son getting married.

With Daigo, it'll eventually go down one of two ways. If you share a home together, he'll plan a private dinner at home with just you two and send all of his staff home so you can have the place all to yourself. If you don't share a home together, he'll take you on a weekend vacation and propose the night before the vacation ends.

Mine Yoshitaka

Good at ring selecting, bad at proposal planning. He's got a pretty good idea of what kind of ring you'd want but when it comes to the act of proposing itself, he's not sure where to do it.

Would end up taking you on a very special date, something the two of you hadn't done before, like going to an opera. It'll definitely be something that requires you two dressing up. Even by Mine standards, it'll be a rather fancy affair.

After the event, he'll take you to a really nice rooftop bar late at night and that's when it'll all go down. It's semi-public but he'll still try to keep it intimate and won't try to draw attention to himself.

Tatsuo Shinada

Despises public proposals. The idea of proposing is plenty scary and he doesn't need a hundred people watching. Having said that, he's not the best at getting all fancy, especially since he can't always afford that, so planning is pretty hard for Shinada.

It's cheesy but he might just end up like putting the ring on a cupcake and giving it to you at home after spending all day together doing cute things, like going to bookstores and getting food at some local restaurants.

The least traditional of all the boys to be honest. Don't expect the whole down-on-one-knee things. Shinada's pretty spontaneous so it'll be a unique proposal for sure. Most likely man to propose with a ring pop or something.

[fuutakaijyama]

HI UM ALL UR WRITING IS RESLLY DELICIOUS (i want to eat it.) SO . COULD I PLEAS REWUEST MILGRAM (all but if not just the odd numbered prisioners !!! ) x reader who gets super exited over anything ??? (mf sees the joy in life/j)

YEAH OFC (sorry this took so long i lost the request)

CONTAGIOUS JOY.

contains ; sunshine!reader, grumpy x sunshine trope (sometimes), sunshine x sunshine (sometimes)

warnings ; none, suited for all readers

001 SAKURAI HARUKA

At first he’s confused on why your so happy, but he eventually grows into it

He’d tried to reciprocate it even if he's not the best at it

One time you came up from behind him and hugged him but the poor thing got so scared to the point he jumped onto the floor

002 YUNO KASHIKI

She’s very much happy you give her affections, she's very good at reciprocating it as well

Finds you funny especially if your naturally like that

She's overall just very happy you don't care about others opinions about her

003 FUUTA KAJIYAMA

We’re getting into grumpy x sunshine territory

He's grumpy and your sunshine (ofc) but he’ll slowly try to be less grumpy especially if he likes you

The poor thing is trying his best! Cut him some slack!!!!

004 KUSUNOKI MUU

The poor thing was so confused and nervous when she first met you!!!!

She’ll get along with you quite well and sometimes she’ll give you the same surprise hugs you give her

She does her best to make you happy even if she doesn't 100% know what she's doing

005 KIRISAKI SHIDOU

Again, as I say with him all the time. He’s your fucking father.

Sometimes he's a big grump and you go do something silly and it always makes him feel better

So yeah this man is a father of 11 kids

006 SHIINA MAHIRU

Y'all are the physical embodiment of the sunshine x sunshine trope

She's always happy to see you and you feel the same way about her

Most importantly she gives off wine aunt energy which is why you were so drawn to her in the first place

008 MOMOSE AMANE (PLATONIC)

grumpy x sunshine ALL THE WAY Y’ALL ARE SIBLINGS

she gets grumpy when you steal her hat but you always give it back to her cause your a good person

009 MIKOTO KAYANO

I’m stretching with this but he’s defo kind of a grump, like when you first meet him he’s a grump (mostly orekoto but oh well)

mikoto definitely needs to learn a few more social skills but he really likes talking to you

overall ur best friends and you go around annoying kotoko together

010 KOTOKO YUZURIHA

GRUMPY X SUNSHINE ALL THE WAY SHES SUCH A GRUMP

At first she doesn't like you because she thinks that your super fucking airheaded but you end up growing on her

She’s willing to protect you at all cost now

[friends-to-lovers-tournament]

Friends to Lovers Tournament: Quarterfinals, Match 1

propaganda under the cut!

Makoharu:

They are the first ship that comes to mind when I think of friends to lovers. I know Free! hasn't been popular since 2013, bug I just love them so much... Makoto's devotion to Haru. There's even a movie that flashes back to when they're kids when Makoto says "I love swimming and I love Haruka". Soft...

Fuyupoly:

Submission 1:

they're from the winter troupe of the mankai company, and unlike the other troupes they're all adults. that said, they all have varying degrees of trauma and emotional stuntedness. it takes them some time to fully open up to each other bc they're all very cautious of each other's boundaries and don't want to cross any lines which initially led to some issues in the group's formation. over time they've learned to bridge the gap while still being mindful of hard boundaries. at one point they have a discussion about what exactly their relationship is (gay) cuz they were talking about how the other troupes have clearly defined dynamics (spring=family, summer=besties, autumn=rivals & teammates) but they don't,, and homare deadass says they're "people bound by a common destiny" which in and of itself sounds very Gay (like why are you as a man bound to other men by a common destiny), but it goes even further because homare starts spouting WEDDING VOWS: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE GAME AND THE MC EVEN REMARKS "i can already hear wedding bells in the distance..." 

gradually they become closer, in individual sub-units based on who's paired up as co-leads for a play, and as a troupe overall. also two of its members are childhood friends who had a messy 'divorce' in their young adulthood and it took the game breaking its genre to introduce a timeloop for them to finally make up if that means anything to you. one of their troupe songs "precious to us ~bokura no kisetsu" has some pretty beautiful and fruity lines: "The many kindnesses born in me here / Never fail to breathe life into my chest / Even all the pain and bitterness / Have now become dear to me (Ah…Stay with me)", "No matter how many times our season passes / Let us keep living together / Holding our hands, without ever letting go / Let us open up the curtain of tomorrow", "There is no need for words, because once our gazes meet / Joy sparks a light in your eyes", "Our journey, may it be a brilliant one / As our breaths overlap as one"

a lot of their plays has a LOT of homoerotic tension between the two leads too. their first play has tsumugi and tasuku play angels, and it's heavily implied that tasuku's character has an unrequited crush on tsumugi's character. their third play has azuma play a vampire and tasuku play Just Some Guy and it's generally agreed in the fandom to be one of the gayest, if not THE gayest, play A3 has ever written. obviously the vampire thing is very fruity, but there's also how the vampire was longing to bite the human but was holding himself back, and when the vampire left the human in the end, the human was absolutely HEARTBROKEN over it and was swearing they would reunite one day. the stage play of this takes it even further by having the vampire embrace the human from behind and BITE his neck. the fourth play is a watered-down adaptation of Phantom of the Opera where they genderbend Christine into Chris among other things and change the relationship between Chris and the Phantom to one of friendship.... ostensibly so, because there's still a lot of homoerotic undertones in their interactions. i could go on but this should be enough of a sampling taste 

Submission 2:

the writers rlly said "let's take 2 normal guys who are childhood friends and have been into theatre since their school days and have them go through a pre-canon messy divorce, an eccentric poet with a potentially controversial haircut, an amnesiac sleepyhead who can only be awoken with marshmallows but is also somehow extremely athletic despite doing nothing but sleeping and eating marshmallows all day, a man who is so beautiful and mysterious he breaks gender, and a supposed android from a fictional south asian country, and throw them into a blender, oh and for good measure let's throw in some theatre and angst and gay and angst and gay" and the end result was marriage. i mean it took them a lot of awkward fumbling around and conflicts to get there but they got there and thats what matters. ok *technically* in-text they're all rlly good friends and kinda found family BUT they are found family via marriage papers i do not make the rules chief

Submission 3:

The reason why they are so friends-to-lovers to me is because their relationship is founded on quiet and unconditional acceptance of each other—regardless of how flawed they may be or how heavy their burdens and trauma may be. When the troupe first formed (sans Guy who was in another country at the time), they didn’t have any major clashing personalities at the very beginning and generally they were mindful of each other’s boundaries, unlike the other troupes that came before them. However, it’s BECAUSE they were too mindful of said boundaries that it was difficult for them to break down their walls and bond as a team—and there were a LOT of walls to break down, as all of them had varying degrees of emotional baggage and trauma.

In fact, it’s only three plays in that they finally truly start opening up to each other, with Azuma getting the ball rolling by opening up about the deep loneliness that haunted him ever since his childhood. It’s during this conversation that they also discuss what their relationship as a troupe is, because the other troupes have defined their relationship as a team (Spring is family, Summer is best friends, Autumn is rivals & teammates), and Homare goes on to declare that they’re “people bound by a common destiny” and goes on to spew wedding vows: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" I mean… it can’t get any more obvious than this, really. They are married.

But anyway, Tsumugi says he wants their relationship to be one where while they respect each other’s need for space, they’ll also be there for each other and share their pains and burdens—or in his words: “supporting each other when our burdens become too heavy to bear on our own”—which I think is really sweet because it carries this idea of quiet, unconditional acceptance; they don’t push each other to share more than they’re comfortable with sharing, but with whatever they ARE comfortable with sharing everyone carries the load and pain because pain is easier to bear when you’re not bearing it alone <3 

A later part of the story focuses on Hisoka, a mysterious amnesiac, being terrified of regaining his memories and facing some “sin” from his past that has led to another character, Chikage, trying to take revenge on him. When he confesses this to the rest of the Winter troupe, Homare asks, “How heavy is this sin you bear?” and Azuma suggests, “Perhaps it’s just heavy enough for the five of us to carry together.” (at this point Guy hasn’t joined yet). The stage play adapts this scene into a song called Key to Memory. The key (pun unintended) part is 1:27 where there’s a back-and-forth between Hisoka and the other Winter troupe members (sans Tasuku because he wasn’t in that particular play)

Hisoka: “I’m scared…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s okay.”

Hisoka: “My unforgivable sin…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “Let’s carry it together.”

Hisoka: “I might not be me anymore.”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s all right. We understand and we accept you, so let’s go together.”

And it ends with Hisoka singing: “I was afraid to open the door of my locked memories. But if everyone is here, I believe I can do it.”  In both the game and stage play, Hisoka fully regains his memories and reconciles with Chikage (long story). He tells Fuyupoly he can’t go into detail about his past with Chikage because it’s dangerous but he’ll tell them when the time is right, and they accept this saying that no matter what his past is, they know and love him as their Hisoka which obviously is a very sweet thing for friends to say, but it’s also very Marriage-coded to me.

Later, Guy is introduced as an android from Zahra (a fictional South Asian country) and joins the Winter troupe as a temporary member—because he’s stuck in Japan for the foreseeable future—until they find a permanent member to replace him. The other Winter members have a conversation among themselves and agree that regardless of whether he’s really an android or a human they’ll accept Guy for who he is and help him improve his acting, which again harkens back to the idea of ‘unconditional acceptance’. Eventually it’s revealed that Guy is in fact a human who has forgotten his memories of the past and his emotions. He recovers his memories all at once which shocks his system and causes him to pass out. When he wakes up in his room, he finds the rest of the Winter Troupe asleep around the room—which I believe is symbolic of their whole theme of “quiet acceptance”: they don’t want to push Guy to share beyond what he’s comfortable with, but they’re always there to listen to him and share his load if that’s what he wants. He opens up about the memories he recovered, and they don’t treat him with pity like he’s a lost child, but still extend gentle empathy and understanding. They also emphasise that it genuinely doesn’t matter to them whether he’s human or android because he’s Guy first and foremost. It’s at this point that Guy truly lets himself become part of the Winter troupe/Fuyupoly and not just as a temporary stand-in member, because he’s found a place where he’s found himself again and people who will accept who this “himself” is, whether that be an android devoid of emotions or a human brimming with vivid beautiful emotions.

[Mod note: There’s a LOT more but we’re afraid of crashing the post. I (Deli) summarised it the best I can since I’m familiar with A3, but if you want to read the full thing you can check it out on this google doc)

[maolong]

Yesterday I ended up spending too much time creating this diagram in order to describe yuri, and now I feel a need to actually go in and explain the description.For the purposes of this diagram, Yuri is described as some level of relationship between two girls (This will be explained why girls here is in part inaccurate) that is deeper in some form then their relationship is with others too a degree that it is an important aspect of the narrative, characters, and/or framing of the story in such a way that it can be construed as having a romantic or similar tone to it either in an overt or an implied manner. Similar tone here can be used to describe things such as rivalries, sexual attraction, pure lust, hatred, basically anything that is in some way an intense emotional relationship between the two. In this case, two characters who are friends may be excluded from being considered Yuri because they do not have an intense emotional bond in the relationship, because it is secondary to their relationship with other characters (In terms of emotional depth usually, narrative importance has never stopped yuri shipping or yuri bait from being applied), or because the friendship is largely unimportant in it's role for the story or the characters. Other reasons are possible but are often less used.

Now it's time for a definition of terms, I will try to use specific examples of relationships when discussing these, and as such it will contain spoilers. I will make an attempt to give proper warning but if Tumblr has a way of spoiler text I don't know what it is so expect spoilers to be forewarned but not hidden.

Starting off we have 'Pure Yuri,' I'll be using Sakura trick as an example later on so if you don't want to be spoiled for it (Not that I'm sure that you can really be spoiled about it). Pure Yuri is yuri that is emblematic of the common image of yuri from the mid to late 2010s online or in general culture that would be aware of such. Pure Yuri tends to be Yuri where both characters are aware that they have feelings for each other, and reciprocate them in a way that acknowledges both parties feelings, and in a way that has genuine affection involved. While it doesn't show a problem free existence, it's typically one in which issues that are a result of the relationship are quickly resolved and/or meaningless or alternatively ones in which they are primarily a result of others people not either of the people involved in said Yuri. Sakura Trick for instance, has the two main characters of it 'Yuu' and 'Haruka' engaging in a romantic relationship with each other through kissing and spending time with just the two of them as a solution to being split apart in class. The issues here are ones that are largely irrelevant, but they do serve as a framing for the focus which is on the relationship between Yuu and Haruka as well as how it's special compared to their other relationships. This focus on the relationship, and it's focus on it as something that is uniquely pure is the cornerstone of a lot of pure yuri. This applies to many forms of Yuri in which the focus is on a lewd relationship as well, and even in these cases it is often times framed as something that is more pure then other forms of lewd behaviors and even sex. Some forms of pure yuri that are focused on lewd behaviors, Virgin's Empire for example doesn't show those involved in the lewd shenanigans afoot as inherently pure (Often times quite the opposite) however, there is still a focus on it being something that all parties are aware of the emotional investment of desire and lust between the parties involved, and being more then happy to engage with those feelings. Pure Yuri ends up being something that is primarily about the relationship between the two girls in a way that is in many ways celebratory of the relationship as well, and this ends up being what defines it. This doesn't mean that the two will end up together, in fact due to some japanese cultural beliefs about the relationships young girls should hold and ideas of tragedy, it is common in a lot of works for them to explicitly not end up together. This has been changing as more and more works come out where the girls do get together in the end.

[good-beanswrites]

hello beans!! hope you're doing well 💜 ^w^ I know you've probably gotten a lot of requests - but I'm gonna add to that pile anyway because it's fun and also your writing is wonderful and always cheers me up to read!! I'm so inspired by your drabbles and you really bring these characters and this little world to life ;w;

From drabble list #1:

14. "Please tell me, this is not why you woke me up."

Character(s): honestly anyone, but my gut was saying Es as soon as I saw that sentence so... up to you!

Woo thank you pal, same to you!! Thanks for your kind words ah ;--; This is the perfect line for Es omg, I've been cracking up over it for so long 😂 I was tempted to write them waking up for T2, taking one look around and going "uh-uh," but decided on some T1 comedy...

Es rarely dreamed. Usually it was vague images and thoughts. Sometimes it was just them thinking about breakfast the following morning. Occasionally they were plagued by a nightmare of being forced to sing karaoke with the prisoners. Most of the time, though, it was just silence that welcomed them at the end of the day. Wonderful, peaceful, silence.

BANG-BANG-BANG!

Someone slammed their fist on the door. Es just about fell out of bed.

Mikoto’s voice came from outside. “Oi, get up! There’s been… uh… an incident!”

That was the last thing a prison guard wanted to hear at -- Es checked the clock -- 2am. Damn. 

They muttered to themself as they threw on their uniform. Why the prison’s cells didn’t lock was beyond them. Some of the prisoners were more troublesome than others, but the first trial had been going smoothly thus far. Why now? 

Their mind flashed with various possibilities, each one worse than the last, all urging them forward. By the time they were running down the hallway, their shirt buttons were a row off, and they had to switch their shoes to the opposite foot. They adjusted the cap clumsily on their head.

Fear gripped their chest as they heard Jackalope’s voice crying out for help from the panopticon. Jackalope never called for help. 

Es burst into the room. The prisoners froze, looking up guiltily. 

They sat in a huddle on the floor. Yuno and Muu held the little furry warden over a tub of sudsy water. Bottles of soap and shampoo sat nearby. An assortment of brushes and combs sat to the side. Splashes of water spread across the prisoners and ground, speaking to several failed attempts at getting Jackalope into the bath.

Nearby, Mahiru was holding up the tiny guard’s uniform, her sewing kit spread out on her lap. Es spotted bandages on Yuno’s and Kazui’s fingers. Shidou was currently dabbing blood off Fuuta’s nose as he fumed. Jackalope leaned over to nip at the hands holding him, but Yuno and Muu held him fast.

“Es!” came his frantic voice as he thrashed around. “You gotta help me! Make them stop, dammit!” 

From the group of prisoners who had been watching from a distance, Haruka turned to them. “Oh! Es! Th-they thought that he needed a -- uh, a bath! His uniform had a h-hole, and Mahiru can s-sew! And they thought, they thought we could do it all t-together… Muu called it a -- a spa night…” 

“At two in the morning?” Was all that came to mind.

“We tried to get him to do it earlier today,” Muu said, “but we didn’t get a chance until now.”

“They didn’t get a chance to kidnap me, she means!” He squirmed around some more, swinging his antlers wildly. “They hid around the corner and nabbed me like the filthy criminals they are!!”

Yuno said, “hold still,” as she brought him closer to the water. He kicked his feet wildly, screaming at Es to show a little authority and do something. 

“Hold on a second,” they stopped her.

They closed their eyes, pinching the bridge of their nose. They took a measured breath. They were here to contemplate sin and crime, guilt and forgiveness. Their job should have consisted of questions about morality and life and death; they never anticipated looking around their prison and asking, “is human shampoo even safe for his fur?”

Kotoko spoke up from the other side of the room. “That’s what I thought, but is he really a rabbit? He eats human food and everything, we didn’t think a bit of soap was that different.”

Jackalope disagreed (“that stuff is as bad as poison -- poison I tell you!”) but the others chimed in with their agreement. From around the room came promises that they were being gentle with him, and that they’d keep quiet, and that they’d dry and brush his fur really well when they’d finished, and that they’d feed him treats, and that his uniform was already good as new, and so on. A few complaints at getting bit mingled with Jackalope’s own insults. 

“-- Alright.” Es held up a hand to silence them all. They knew a warden shouldn’t be making compromises with their prisoners. At the same time, they didn’t have the energy to argue about bunny baths at this time of night. “You can continue, but wash him outside of the tub. And go easy on the shampoo. Any mess you make must be cleaned by morning.” 

They were met with excitement and thanks. Jackalope grumbled that they were too soft, but he sounded relieved as he was whisked away from the dreaded bathwater. 

Es sighed. There may have been a few bites and bumps, but that was all. No emergency, no fight, no danger plagued Milgram tonight. Their relief quickly turned to annoyance. They leveled their gaze at Mikoto as he entered from the hallway behind.

“Please tell me this isn’t why you woke me up.”

“Huh? Oh, this? No, no -- we have everything under control. Aw, Mappi, that looks great!”

He pointed at her sewing job, revealing bandages on his hands as well. It looked like no one was safe from the rabbit’s little teeth… Then Mikoto jabbed a thumb casually over his shoulder. “Nah, the faucet in the men’s room broke when we tried filling the basin. The whole room’s flooded now. I think it’s gonna start spilling into the hallway soon.”

“WHAT?”

[crawlspacefics]

The perspective of Makoami as parents is still something I absolutely adore, so that leads me to ask. What kind of mother do you think Ami would be when paired with Mako?

Who's the 'fun' mom? Who's the mom Miki would be more likely to show a failed grade? Or the mom who would reinforce more etiquette? Or watch a TV show with him?

I'd just love to hear more about them, you don't have to answer those questions to a tea.

Love your stuff as always 💖

Thank you.

Thank you for asking! I always like to talk about my girls and how I see their lives playing out. 😁

I think Ami and Makoto have a really good balance as parents. Makoto takes the stricter role, but just because I think she'd choose to be a stay-at-home parent so she's with him the most. Plus, she's going to wind up with a 7-year-old, a toddler, and an infant. She needs a schedule and some order just to keep her sanity! 🤣 But where Makoto teaches Miki how to bake or tend a garden, Ami teaches him why it works like that. Makoto teaches him to block when he takes a swing, Ami teaches him the physics behind the moves. Makoto keeps the homework schedule, but Ami helps answer the hard questions. Ami may even bring in the whiteboard (one for each kid as they get old enough to write) so they can leave messages for each other like she did with her mom.

Ami is definitely the more lenient parent in this scenario. I think it would come partly from her feeling some guilt for being away so much with work, and partly from her never wanting Miki to feel like the odd child out after the other two (who are biologically related to Ami and look A LOT like her mom's side of the family) come along. So when Makoto is making him eat all his vegetables, Ami is secretly passing him pieces of chocolate under the table. Ami probably also has a really hard time letting the timer run when he's in time-out. Miki's eyes may be blue, but he looks like a tiny Makoto and when he pouts at her... he just has her totally wrapped around his pinky finger. Makoto teases her about this. LOL. In Miki's early years, reading time is probably Ami's textbooks. But when he gets a little older, she's going to teach him the absolute joy of reading a novel in a bubble bath. They go used book shopping together so if he drops them in the water, he doesn't feel as bad about it.

Makoto isn't all rules and vegetables, though! She's always going to be a bit nervous when she doesn't have her eyes on Miki, but she isn't a helicopter parent. She teaches him to be independent while watching from just enough distance that she can easily intervene. She makes sure the kids wash their feet and stick to bedtime, but she also gets down on the floor and pretends to be the monster so they can play Sailor Senshi in the costumes she made for them. When Miki asks how his baby brother got there, Makoto happily hands him off to Ami so she can pull out "the book" and stumble 😳 through the biology lessons. But the second he turns 13, Makoto pulls out the box of condoms and the cucumber for the practical lessons, because while she will NEVER use the word mistake where Miki is concerned, she wants him to be better prepared than she was.

But don't forget the others! There's a bit of communal raising of children going on here. Miki wants to know how to talk to a girl? He contemplates Uncle Haruka but quickly realizes Aunt Minako is the best source. First time he's embarrassed by a bad grade? Aunt Usagi, because she makes him feel better and then drags him home to Ami and just lays it out like it's no big deal. Not like that one time Usagi got a 22 on her math test, and if Ami could help her fix that enough to pass entrance exams, she can fix Miki's 63 no problem! He wants to go to the anime convention with his friends? Go see Aunt Rei for the latest fandom cosplay trends! She'll hook him and his friends up with the best group cosplay ideas and make sure they have exactly what they need for autographs.