#hachiko being pretty

[quotedroom]

[text]

You probably don’t even realize it, do you? Every move you make… stirs my heart… with the strength of a typhoon.

[the-acid-pear]

Btw I'm watching the jackal and god seeing Bruce Willis act all seductive is ruining my life fr

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

18:45 ー GOJOU SATORU. it's because you're the strongest that i have to stay with you; who's going to protect you otherwise?

"are you the strongest because you're gojou satoru?"

"or are you gojou satoru because you're the strongest?"

satoru never had the opportunity to answer suguru's question before he defected completely from their organization to pursue a pipe dream. but if gojou satoru had to answer the question, months later, he'd probably answer that it's the former.

he was born the strongest. his was a birth that shook the entire world all by virtue of his six eyes, the first user in centuries. there's no one else in the world like him.

he truly is the honored one. the one who is given the that are jobs too difficult for the weak and ordinary. the one many quietly scoff should handle everything at this point.

therefore, being strong is a given for him; limitless, the six eyes, all the bunk things he learned throughout his current three years at jujutsu tech. it's all pretty much been expected for him. there's nothing he can't do if he really put his mind to it. it's been that way since he was a kid.

nothing can touch him in senses literal and metaphorical. not unless he wants it to. he hasn't been touched by a foe since his run-in with the zenin reject.

that's why what he is experiencing presently is such an oddityー someone looking him over carefully for any signs of injury. "so you know this playing doctor thing is pretty pointless, right?"

"you're point?" you tell him as you continue to look over him carefully, gently moving his hands and arms before circling around him one last time. "and how are you feeling?"

"perfectly fine," he shrugs truthfully. the mission was light work, nothing special. special grade curses were standard for him by now.

you stand in front of him, finally nodding in approval, "alright, you can get the [first] stamp of approval then. you're all good."

"told ya."

"complain all you want," you place your hands on your hips, nose in the air with a petulant tone. "i'm always gonna check you over when you come back from assignments, mr. no one can touch me. and take these off," gently, you remove satoru's sunglasses from the bridge of his nose. delicately, you close them and rest them to hang on the collar of your shirt. "it's too dark to wear them. you'll trip."

you hold each other's glares for a brief moment before sporting a pair of matching grins. "welcome home," you tell satoru at last, not fighting it when he pulls you into a lazy hug.

it's nice being back. "glad to see someone missed me," maybe he might have missed you more though. you make a scoff of annoyance but you hug him back anyway. satoru's hold tightens. it crosses his mind for a moment the two of you should move in together after graduation. "it's too late to act like you didn't. i know, i know, my presence leaves a huge hole in your heart until i come back."

"says the one who calls me incessantly whenever i get assigned something," you cross your arms, grinning smugly.

"so you say," he shoos your words away. "but you're the one who was waiting for me to come back on the stairs. just accept the fact that you clearly missed me. extra arguments about any habits i might have are unnecessary," he holds his palm in front of your face just before you likely were about to remind him that he's the one who always waits for you to pop back up from missions on the school stairs like hachiko. "let's get back to the dorm, i'm starving."

you roll your eyes but you follow after him anyway while satoru slows his pace to match yours, hands swinging in the same orbit but separate.

"but seriously, you don't have to always check me over like that whenever i come back from a mission," satoru starts, holding back the urge to mess with the back of his head. maybe he should cut some of it off. "if anything, i should be the one checking you over." still, ever since august of second year, this has been your routine.

he comes back from a mission and you don't let him do anything fun unless you're 100% sure he's okay.

you reach over to hold his hand and give it a squeeze. satoru is the affectionate one between the two of you. even before you were friends and he merely enjoyed antagonizing you in his spare time in first year. he's never been hesitant to touch you.

first year it was poking your cheek or flicking your forehead.

second year he evolved to slinging his arm around your shoulders. august of second year was also when you shared a bed for the first time. the star plasma vessel went wrong in everyway possible and amanai and kuroi's bodies were stuffed in the jujutsu tech morgue. ascended, lost and empty, satoru found himself waiting in your bed until you got back to the dormitories.

when did he start associating you with safety? satoru isn't sure when that line began to blur, all he remembers is that your room is instinctively where his feet led him. in your room he stayed until you showed up again and in your room you let him be until the sun came up.

now in third year, affection was swapped between you both as easily as breathing. still, normally he was the one initiating it. it's nice when it's the other way around though.

"don't you remember what i told you last month?" you smile in the moonlight, swinging your hands between you both. "i'm gonna protect you, whatever way i can. that includes dealing with me looking you over for injuries even if it's very unlikely you're actually hurt. and i know the chance of us being paired up for missions is slim to none, but just know i don't care if you have your infinity. i'm your shield."

gojou satoru has never been told "i'll protect you" before.

but a week after you both turned 17, not only did you promise you'd never leave him, you told him that you'd protect him too.

your cursed technique has never been anything to brag about.

at least, maybe not until recent years. you called it 'rejection' but it ultimately just came down to your cursed energy solidifying into a shield. nothing satoru could really respect back when you were first years. saying he respected your technique the bulk of second year was a bit of a stretch too; second year was when he was toeing the line.

until recently, solo missions were never things you were sent on. you were back up meant to protect whatever combatant you were paired up with. satoru's never been one of them. why would he be when he's got his own shield?

how does one protect the strongest?

satoru doesn't need a knight. it's a fact everyone knows, hence why his assignments have been solo since third year. hence why even in second year he was never paired up with anyone whose abilities were defensive in nature.

yet despite that fact, it's been you and you alone who has ever told him ー gojou satoru ー "i'll protect you."

and you meant it.

"i meant what i said," satoru feels your thumb brush against the side of his hand. "you're stuck with me for the end of time. because if no one else is gonna look after you, i will."

"why?"

"because i want to."

"why do you want to?"

you both stop walking and your answer doesn't come as quickly as the rest. your eyes are a million miles away from where you're both standing in the middle of your too-large campus. it's not for the first time that satoru wishes he could read your mind. "you're someone very precious to me," you say at last with soft conviction. you're strong. first year satoru was dumb to think otherwise. yours is a quiet strength satoru still doesn't quite understand but he's happy to receive. "you already know that though."

"i didn't realize you liked me so much," satoru laughs dryly but his grip around your hand tightens. "better be careful, [first]. the people will start to talk. imagine what utahime will say."

"satoru," he looks at you again, really looks at you. your smile is expectant and comfortable as you look back. like what you're going to tell him is next is something he should be expecting and yet still you're so patient with him. "you know i'm in love with you, right?"

yeah.

first year you weren't much of anything besides classmates.

second year you were friends.

third year you're an unlabeled strangeness. you aren't lovers but you definitely aren't just friends, existing in a weird space between where neither of you say anything but it's obvious. it isn't like he's sharing a bed with shoko or nanami most of the week or holding their hands when he comes back to campus. he knows you're not caressing their heads every morning after you wake up, waiting until their fully cognizant before starting your day.

you love your friends. but satoru knows there's a tenderness reserved just for him the way his affection that lingers is reserved solely for you.

"'course i do," satoru finds himself chuckling humorlessly again. "about time you said it, though. no one wants to be rejected by the person they're in love with. what if i was misinterpreting all the signs?" there's no way he could have. still it was scary not knowing for sure. that if he did anything wrong you'd have backed away.

"you won't leave too, right?"

"it’s unfortunate to tell you but you’re pretty much stuck with me, satoru."

it's the promise he's most scared of you breaking and he never wants to be the cause of it.

"there's nothing to misinterpret," you playfully tug his hand to pull him closer to your side before leaning onto him. "i want to protect the one i'm in love with, that's all there is too it. you're worth protecting even if logic argues there's no point in me trying. i'm going to protect you and that's that."

"you're gonna protect me?" satoru whispers as dreamily as the first time he asked.

"yeah," you vow once again. "with all i've got; even if it's not enough."

it's enough. you're more than enough.

the winter winds brushing against the two of you warns that you should be heading inside.

satoru feels more than warm kissing you.

while this is technically part of the same universe as my last gojou fic 「i cherish you, halcyon days」 this can be read as a standalone as well. this takes place during the end of third year but before the start of the 4th year (jujutsu schooling lasts 4 years in canon)

but this how i always imagined the love confession would have gone

[greysfall]

[A story only Hachiko knows] long comic strip and birthday gift for @areiml​. This is my imagination of a story set during the 3 years between OG and Neo, featuring a short meeting between Eri and Beat as they talked about how everyone was coping with Neku’s disappearance and moving on with their own lives. 

This comic referred to several comic strips I made before, sorta intertwined between canon game lore, my thoughts on the unexplored potentials of Eri’s role in the story and my friend & I’s BeatEri fever dream. I imagined it would be set at around 3-6 months after Neku’s disappearance and shortly before the gang entered high school. I never thought it was gonna be this long as it all started out as a few whimsical panels. While the comic has mentions of NeShiki and BeatEri, you can read it as general friendship if that’s your preferred interpretation (save for the bonus piece below). 

I actually have zero confidence writing Beat’s dialogues, tho I’m pleased with his design - which I put together by imagining Beat without his knitted cap, plus changing to some of his favourite WildBoar threads. My friend joked that since I’m used to draw sparkly Composers, I made Beat so handsome that even his parents won’t recognise him. Eri is canonically pretty, so I wanted to depict her as TV-star-pretty. Another trivia is that Beat generally isn’t a dessert fan, he also tends to dislike fruit-flavoured desserts and only enjoys chocolate-flavoured ones so it was a surprise that strawberry is his favourite boba flavour lmao. Now who does strawberry boba remind me of? Guess.

With this done, I’m one comic strip away from having enough materials for an anthology. The “final” strip was already drafted along with the Composers strip. If we’re lucky, I might get to draw it next year.

There is a Japanese version of this comic on Twitter in case you need it. And lastly, here is the bonus piece which is a redraw of my friend’s comic strip. Happy Birthday! (have fun being at the same age as Asa while I’m Tougou’s, teehee)

[1moremilgram-enjoyer]

Yuno T1 Cover - Sticky Bug

More covers! This time, Yuno's Trial 1 cover, Sticky Bug! Yuno is another character I'm not super familiar with, but she's pretty interesting! Anyways, here we go!

CW Sex work

This one is thankfully pretty straightforward, especially because Yuno does have lover(s) to sing this to. Sticky Bug is about someone professing their deep love to someone else.

I love that voice of yours Every single word you say… [...] I love that face of yours too Your smiling face, your embarrassed face as well [...] Hey, I love you! I really love you! I super-duper love you! I love you so much I don't even know anymore! That’s just the tip of the iceberg, so please let me keep filling you with this love!

(Translation)

And it is somewhat implied that Yuno also felt infatuated by at least one of her clients.

[Tear Drop] The wanted wanting the wanter The overlap, isn't that some sort of perfection? [...] If you want “me”, come marco, I'll polo Let's just do it, please smile?

[Umbilical] Just the two of us, I feel a little tingle inside Our love links us together Just me alone, the warmth starts fading away Let’s reload the warmth

(Note: There are also very possibly some clients she doesn't like. See the "'Naive little girl'? So off the mark, what's it to you? It's just absurd" line in Tear Drop. However, that could also be speaking to Es/the audience. However, there are quite a lot of things which make me think she does enjoy aspects of her sex work other than the money, not all of which I can get to without derailing the post too much)

Hell, there's a particular line which almost seems mirrored in the songs, one which happens to include the name of the cover.

I say “goodbye” only so that I can go to meet you once more I say “goodnight” only so that I can say “good morning” tomorrow I want to be your stickybug for a bit each and every day From now on keep thinking of me fondly, OK?

[Umbilical] “Good morning” “Good night” I want to be with you as many times as I can

Speaking of the song's title, "sticky bug" doesn't refer to any actual insect, but rather to the idea of someone who always sticks to the other person's side.

If I’m lucky, we’ll stay like this till the day we’re covered in wrinkles Since I’ll surely be just as smitten with you on the day I die I want to make all your dreams come true As for my dream, it’s to be that stickybug right by your side

Again possibly alluding to the idea Yuno wanted to stay by her client's side for reasons other than the money (see: Hachiko statue).

One thing which is sorta odd, however, is how much the singer seems to have to prod to get their lover to profess their love back.

Say that you love me, say that you love me Since there’s nothing else I need Hey, say that you love me, so it won’t ever be forgotten Since I don’t need anyone but you

This is the chorus, repeated three times. You could argue the singer having to repeat this request so many times implies the lover doesn't fully reciprocate, and you could use that as possible evidence for the 'pregnancy entrapment' theory. I find that theory quite interesting, though I don't quite subscribe to it. Instead, the way I read this line is that it shows how much the singer feels like they need the other person's love, regardless of whether or not they reciprocate. For Yuno, this would be about feeling like she needs the 'warmth' of her clients to feel good. See: the seemingly kinda important jacket she's given in Tear Drop.

[Umbilical] Just me alone, it really is lonely Let’s reload the warmth

There are obviously other ways to read this, though. You could claim Yuno is simply lying in this cover, and she's only presenting herself as completely smitten to satisfy her customers. Alternatively, did you know Sticky Bug appears in Umbilical?

You could argue Yuno is making one of her customers sing it in that scene, so despite the cover being sung by her, it's possible it's actually meant to be one of her customers singing it to her.

However, I don't think those two readings really work that well with Vampire, her Trial 2 cover, though I won't get into it in this post. Which is why I'm more convinced by the first reading, the one where Yuno is at least somewhat genuine towards at least one or more clients. Obviously you're free to believe what you want though!

Finally, last note, Sticky Bug contains this ‘lyric.’

Pafupafu nya nya, pafupafu nya nya

‘Nya nya’? Like a cat? And in Tear Drop Yuno is associated with a cat. Easy. Had to add in at least one silly observation.

Anyways, I haven't thought too much about Yuno, so I'm sorry if I got some stuff wrong. Regardless, take care!

[adachimoe]

Persona 5 IRL Stuff

Requested

The entry and exit to each floor of Mementos is based on the appearance of train stations, and the stamps you collect for Jose are seemingly the game's version of train stamps lol.

I'm not sure if this is still true, but train stamps were introduced to me as something that smaller kids will collect when they travel with their families, so it makes sense to me that the NPC associated with them is also a kid. As an adult tourist, I've never bothered with train stamps cause you really have to go out of your way to find some of them and when I'm at a train station my ass is trying to go somewhere lol. I suppose that even in real life, some of those stamp locations must feel like they're random spawns.

I have absolutely bothered with red shrine seals, though. Maybe Persona 6 will have the protagonist collecting those.

Ryuji takes you to a ramen restaurant in Ogikubo. Based on it being in Ogikubo and the appearance of the restaurant in-game, it's modeled after Marufuku Chinese Noodles near Ogikubo Station. The sign in-game just says "Chinese Noodles" without the store name. I'm not sure if this is a famous restaurant or maybe it's just one that Atlus employees like to eat at lol.

Ryuji also takes you to a monjayaki restaurant in Tsukishima during his Confidant. You go to Tsukishima specifically because Tsukishima has a line of restaurants called Monja Street that specializes in, you guessed it, monjayaki.

Akechi introduces you to a jazz bar in Kichijoji called Jazz Jin. The outside appearance seems to be based on Some Time which is also located in Kichijoji. Only the outside resembles what's in-game, though. The inside is different.

Yongenjaya isn't a real place in Tokyo, but it seems to be a renamed version of Sangenjaya - san means 3, yon means 4. I've not been to Sangenjaya, though I've heard that details like the laundromat, even down to the vending machine, looks nearly the same as it does in-game. (If you are interested in doing Persona 5 tourism around Tokyo, I've heard that the Sangenjaya locals do not appreciate Persona 5 tourism or related loitering in this area.)

Shibuya Station is pretty much accurate with how it is IRL. The green train car that you visit Tora at has been moved since the game came out, but the dog statue of Hachiko (or Buchiko as its known in game) is there, the 1000 stairs you climb to get to the Ginza Line, etc, is also all accurate.

When you touch base with Ohya, you unlock Shinjuku. The movie theater in-game is called Cult 9, which is based on an actual movie theater in Shinjuku called Wald 9. The other areas in Shinjuku seem to be a condensed version of Kabukicho (or Kamurocho, if you've played Like a Dragon).

Futaba wants to go shopping in Akihabara and Nakano. Akihabara you've probably already heard about as Nerd Haven. She also talks about visiting Nakano, likely to go shopping at Nakano Broadway which is home to a bunch of Mandarake 2nd hand anime/etc goods stores.

The "huge pancake" that Morgana was talking about is how Tokyo Dome looks from the outside. The pancakes he's comparing it to are the thicc souffle-style fluffy jiggly pancakes that you can get at various restaurants. (Also probably what Akechi thinks of when he hears delicious pancakes lol.)

The other areas and things, I'm really not sure there's much to say about them.

Ann takes you to Harajuku cause she wanted to eat sweets (this is really relatable btw)

Meiji jingu is also real and located near Harajuku

The buffet Ann takes the guys to is the Marble Lounge, but I believe it's since been remodeled

There's multiple museums in Ueno

There's a Catholic church in west Kanda but afaik the inside looks different than in-game

Inokashira Park is real and has swan boats and stuff

Ikebukuro's planetarium is in Sunshine City Mall

Chinatown is real but it's much further than the map makes you think (it's in Yokohama)

Odaiba Seaside Park is another real location

Miura Beach is also real, way down south past Yokohama

Jimbocho is indeed where you'd go to buy books

etc etc etc

[bonelessmatcha]

Purrfect Apawcalypse Headcanons

Pulled out of my messy fanfic notes + random stuff I came up with while making this post

Just a heads-up: the headcanons have more to do with the setting then specific characters.

-There are a few students in Hachiko High that immigrated from places where cat-dog relations are generally better. Places where their specific populations are low enough to easily ignore each other, or places where they're lumped in the same category as the "weaker/more sheltered" carnivores. These students mostly keep quiet, though, due to how mean some of their classmates can be about things associated with cats (Ginger's bullies, for example). Patches is one of these students (or at least 2nd/3rd gen. would totally explain why he doesn't have a lot of "dog personality traits" and was easily accepting of Angel at first)

-At least one other classmate at HHS had seen Patches's locker shrine. Said classmate didn't get a good enough look to recognize Angel was a cat, nor were they gossipy enough to go around telling people the specifics, but it did add on to Patches's reputation as a weirdo.

-Deuteranopia (red-green colorblindness) is a lot more common for sentient dogs, but still less than 25% because they're anthro. Olive has it, and it's why their favorite outfit is yellow and blue.

-Adoption is actually super common for dogs in this world. Due to the average lifespan for PA dogs being at ~27, most don't live long enough to see their biological kids reach adulthood. Usually when puppies are born, they get socialized with an older cousin or parent's younger sibling or family friend who can watch over them when the bio parents die. (RIP Patches for not being socialized properly, and RIP Sparky who'll be expected to provide for his younger siblings when he gets older.) (If I didn't make this headcanon then other stuff would have to be true instead)

-(For cats the socialization isn't as important due to solitary nature, but when it happens it focuses more on siblings/cousins in the same age range.)

-Food with caffeine (in areas with less animals that can digest it, at least) is viewed as an addictive and dangerous drug. Doug is considered a dealer by both Kemono Town & Woods standards.

-Before the massacre, Brownie was one of those students who jumped between friend groups but wasn't very close to any of them (on account of only having 2 months to get to know them since she's a freshman). It's why she has good social skills yet wasn't too upset at Coco for killing everyone.

-Other factors leading to the Claret family's downfall was 1) how divided it was due to cultural clashes and 2) health risks (from mixing different animal biologies) when magic failed. Also 3) a few of the past family heads were literal dictators/mass murderers, and They Were Remembered more than the nicer ones (with related family lines like the Wichiens quietly burying their history to fit with their respective species).

-Occasionally when resources are running low and their usual delivery methods aren't available, a cat will actually enter Kemonotown to restock from one of the local stores owned by one of the 10% non-dog species living in the area. It's pretty uncommon, though, and the cats who do so make sure to carefully calculate their arrival at a time when most dogs won't notice.

-During PA2, most of the zombies didn't have their souls inside their bodies. Their motivations were heavily reliant on muscle memory and what was left of their biological brains.

[floweramongstthecold]

What music does your character like? Can you think of IRL singers/bands that your character might listen to if they were transported to Eorzea? Would they have a favourite song?

Oh gosh uhm, well I know for SURE Hachiko would listen to a LOOOTT of J-Pop maybe some J-Rock, probably some K-Pop and K-Rock if that's a thing... haven't heard of any K-Rockers. She'd also listen to Japanese Folk music for sure. That'd probably be her favorite honestly. Hmm... favorite sonnnggg, gosh I unno. I don't really know any Japanese Folk songs but one of those would probably be her fave. OH WAIT! Maybe Deep Forest by Do As Infinity.

Yayashi would probably listen to Cottagecore music? I'm not sure what would constitute as Cottagecore music but yeah. I learned about Cottagecore music from the Sims 4 XD Erm... her favorite song would probably be... hmm... probably Cardigan by Tyler Swift or uhm... Livewire by Oh Wonder.

Ilar would listen to whatever he finds appealing to his ears honestly. MAYBE a bit of Metal here and there. I think his favorite song would be Alkaline and or Granite by Sleep Token.

Sophia would like easy-listening music. Not sure what her favorite song would be though. It'd probably be a song that makes her fall asleep but not really a lullaby.

Saechen's would be rock music. Hmmm her favorite song would probably be... uhhh... Breaking the Habit by LInkin Park. Not sure if that counts as rock music tho. XD

Tonemi's would be I guess Bollywood music? Or just REALLY energetic music POSSIBLY Dubstep. I feel like she'd LOVE Dubstep and end up being a rave girl and take Raha with her. Hmm... I don't know very many Dubstep songs tho and there was this really pretty India song I heard that she'd probably love but I can't remember the name now... it's been forever since I saw the video.

Khulgana would prolly prefer folk music in general. Mmm her fave music would probably be throat singers and people who do this and uhm.... probably Celtic Women. There's this one Celtic Women song she'd probably love but I cannot remember the name.... I think it's called I am the Voice? Or has that as a line?

[regallibellbright]

*Dawning realization* Huh.

They’re not next on my list even without the GDQ stuff, but if I want to do any TWEWY kids this year, and I’m pretty sure I do, I should be planning to acquire yarn soon.

Which means I should be deciding which versions of the original cast before yarn acquisition, since I expect Joshua’s original shirt might give me trouble to find and conceivably so could Neku’s Neo coat. (Though Neku’s likely to be one of the harder ones so I’m putting him lower on the rotation for the Hachiko gang. Joshua, on the other hand, I anticipate being one of the EASIEST once I have appropriate yarn, so either he or Shiki probably goes first.)

Uh, stay tuned for a minute.

[joyce-stick]

*Audrey (of the joystick system) taps mic to test feedback, begins speaking*

Anyway, I've been thinking... Y'know how Japan has a national dog that they have a statue of that they get to have be a permanent fixture in the town square of their capital city, and it's like, a specific named individual dog that had a lived life?

We don't have any of that shit here. Here in America, we just arbitrarily declare specific species of bird and reptile and such our national or regional animal, to pretend we care about conservation of animals. But we don't remember any specific named animals, except like, I dunno, the dog that the Soviet Union killed to prove that you could put a dog in space, which, to be clear, was pretty fucking stupid.

Lana Smithee [raising her hand]: I mean, it's easier to write off the loss of a dog to not being able to land safely than a person, though the Soviet space program did do both-

Audrey [ignoring the objection]: But what we do care about is PIGEONS. We have pigeons everywhere. Everyone loves pigeons so much. We love pigeons so much that we have signs in every park saying not to feed them, and yet everyone feeds them anyway!

Lana Smithee [speaks poetically]: We remember, on a primal level, when the ignoble pigeon was once the beloved rock dove, a handsome bird, pleasant to see or to own Audrey: What we need to do here is narrativize the specific life and accomplishments of a specific individual named pigeon, and then kill it! And then honor its death with a statue.

Lana Smithee: I heard once that you can just pick them up and take them with you and they'll just become domestic again! And I believe that.

Audrey: That would be the closest we'd ever be able to come to having our own Hachiko. And if you think that sounds terrible and kind of exploitative, well, it's America! You can't expect tooooo much. It'd be great!

Lana Smithee [bespoke smirk]: Opening a combined grave site, slash vigil area, slash gift shop, for all the pigeons who have been cruelly crushed by the hated automobile.

Audrey: YES!!!

adapted from discord messages sent primarily by Audrey between 3:49 and 3:56 PM CST on October 18th

[altorav]

your witch shiki pic is SOOOO cute, i totally agree about her being a mature and elegant witch

i feel like i would be pretty :/ if i suddenly came back and people knew some version of me from a parallel world for three years that might have done things that i never would have wanted to do. like i cant think of a way for joshua to beam neku's last three years of totally real incidents into neku's head without it being disorienting. especially knowing that you're responsible for the actions/words of another version fo yourself that you didn't pick

Thanks! Shiki totally deserves the world.

And that would make an interesting source of drama indeed. I can imagine that at first Neku would struggle big time with adjusting to all of it, and his alternate memories will come slowly to him (with a lot of resistance from his current ones) and I can imagine similar thing might happen to the rest of the Hachiko gang too who had to witness a world without him for 3 years.

[afraidparade]

For the emoji asks- cloud, droplet, and/or swimming? Just cloud is fine if you wanna do one per ask, I love all things soft :3 (Also I would use emojis but I’m worried it wouldn’t show up cause emojis can be weird like that across platforms)

(i got your other ask mentioning this was for faust, dw anon 👍)

full question list

☁️ CLOUD - a soft headcanon: it's come up indirectly a few times, but faust really loves warm things/feeling warm. his world doesn't have seasons, day cycles, or much change in weather, so it's always moderate - chilly there. it's why he loves warm gooey foods, loves sitting on his window sill when the sun hits it, and of course loves cuddling up against luka

💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon: idk if this counts, but since i brought up the window sill i'll mention it. a long time ago my partner and i came up with a plot for a bad end au where faust is waiting for luka to come home on the window sill, but there's some sort of accident and luka never comes back. faust gets delirious and doesn't want to move, since that would mean he might miss seeing luka coming back, so he stays there without moving even after his body starts shutting down. for magical plot purposes or maybe demon anatomy, he lasts a really long time, long enough for the apartment to get cleaned out and sold to another couple (at this point i think he managed to hide in the wall or a crevice near the window or something). but he doesn't last forever obviously and is eventually "reunited" with luka. very hachiko style. i never did anything with it because if i think too hard about it i start crying LMAO

🏊 SWIMMING - can they swim? or are they afraid of water? how well do they swim? how do they feel about swimming in the ocean?: no, faust can't swim. there's a large ocean on his world but the contents of it are incredibly corrosive, so he had no reason to learn. he's not afraid of water (aside from being bitchy about taking a bath every now and then), and doesn't have to worry about staying afloat since luka usually holds him up if they're bathing together. they've both agreed that earth's ocean is pretty much off limits just due to the size and unpredictability of it, but whenever luka gets around to bringing faust to the beach then maybe they can find some tidal pools for him to explore

[just-a-fella]

Hi there!! Do you have any PA Headcanons you'd be willing to share?

this is a bit random but I'll do my best to answer ! Guess I'll start with olive (pa1:14 2-3 15): I feel like they text in a kind of "hewwo haiii :33" type way, they are a short squishy mutt, not too thin but not fully chubby so about average, they also like rock music and have at least two band shirts (one was a gift from mittens) they also (after pa3) hangout with mittens more, I kinda get the vibes they bond more (since it's implied near the end them and ginger make a sign with mitt for dogs and cats) them and angel are about the same age, just olive's birthday is first. they also enjoy going out shopping for clothes like large sweaters or cute long dresses, they do this with brownie, mittens, ginger and angel normally, are also pan and polyamorous. going in order, Brownie !! (totally not biased) 15 brownie is pretty chubby and is the middle of the group in terms of heights. She ofc dates coco, she surprisingly (or not depending on who you ask) can throw a pretty good date often times trying to hold back on spoiling coco. she also gets along with pretty much anyone (for the most part) the only who are fully friends with her are whiskers, luna, and felix (felix just thinks she's a bit much =w=") tho she dose her best to control herself around people if she's a little over the top. I'd also think she has adhd, brownie also is not a fan of dresses they either feel too tight for her or are just too "girly" for her, she is often wearing suits. Sparky, the tallest and oldest of the group, spraky is around 17, he's fairly buff tho you wouldn't really know since he wears long sleeve clothing, he and rover are like brothers sparky is also bisexual, he also enjoys music any type really. He often takes his siblings to the park to play ball or soccer and sometimes rover comes along. he can be a softy but can also be a bit over protective and feels ashamed of himself if he is unable to protect anyone. some point after pa3 he is the one to take patches to therapy and the bond a lot despite seemingly being the opposite of the other (patches may or may not have gotten a bit soft around sparky) Angel, 14 and the shortest (besides his sister coco) of the group, is a little pudgy and enjoys wearing large clothing and spending a lot of time in the shower conditioning his fur and hair so it's extra soft and flowy. he has a small guitar he plays when he's alone. later joins The Literature Club at Hachiko along with olive (they are reading buddies :D) Has a small plushie of a owl called "whostafur" had it since he was a small kitten, angel likes railroads and trains in general (i think that's good for now, if you want me to write more I will, sorry if my writing sucks admakadmmda)

[diorsbrando]

HELLO AGAIN i am here now . in ur inbox. hoppin around

ASK AWAY abt the nana + codependency thing i literally just love the idea of it and its such a coinkydinky that it was my last post before i went mia. i wrote a fic about it actually with shg i think it was on my patreon but i also shut that down LOL i’ll put it up on tumblr one day

40C is absolutely ridiculous. and the thing is it was WET heat, like humidity because it rained every other day, which made it so muggy and thick and HUMID. i was dying. i stayed in my hotel room as much as i could hehu. by the fourth week i was pretty much done with all the sightseeing i could do there anyway

i hope you’re feeling a little bit better !!! i am always here for you if and when you need someone to chat with, be sad with, anything. i’m always here. kiss u. mwah

HEWWOO DARLING! i wish u could feel the excitement i am currently feeling because you came to visit me this time 😊😊😊 how are you today ( sorry for replying to this days later ) ?

the nana + codependency concept is really interesting and i just...want to know all ur thoughts on it ! if it's too much to type here plsss feel free to dm me ! bc i really really like nana it's a favorite of mine ( i had a whole nana phase last summer, but refuse to finish it because it's just too sad😀although i am aware of what happens at the end..................... sigh ) if we choose to get analytical abt this, there was def hints of codependency between nana + hachiko, hachi + takumi, hachiko + shoji, shin + reira.....etc etc and i think codependency and how it's displayed between characters is such an integral part of the plot and some of their character development-- well i don't wanna be typing a whole essay but u get it ! so i really wanna know ur thoughts basically KDJFDDFJ

also that kind of heat is the WORST ! bc here where i live, we've been feeling that specific kind of heat, it's just been a back and forth between it being unbearably hot and then thunderstorming really hard after and like isolated showers. i feel u on staying inside as much as possible. buttttt at least u did all your sightseeing !!! bc that's the most important thing cause i think japan is such a cool place with sm to do with so much culture (i've never been)

thank you so much for your support and kind words 🥺🥺 idk what's been goin on w me the last few weeks but i just been feeling so :( overall yk? if i have the urge to rant or whatever, i just hope u won't get annoyed w me dfkjdkfjdh. kisses u back passionately

[beatsfacemask]

look. listen. have some hcs. beat/neku/josh, twisters coming soon

beat fully fell for neku week 3 but didn't say anything/realized the second coco shot neku and has regretted it for three years

neku meanwhile has basically took the time to really think about himself and his feelings (with the entire population of Shinjuku, coco, and occasionally that bitch josh but y'know)

that's why he's so chill in neo he sorted out his coping mechanisms and figured out who he was (also pure calm brought on by trauma, he absolutely needed a few days to Readjust and Breathe)

neku has two hands and hes determined to, after a good couple of punches to god, hold both joshua and beats

beat is easy, .5 seconds after shiki is done with her hug it's beat's turn and the man is so full of love and relief he kisses neku right there in front of hachiko and everyone (including eri who takes one look at neku mixing their brand with another and is Not Impressed)

shiki, eri, and rhyme think its hilarious that beat went from supportive friend to scaring off someone trying and failing to flirt with rhyme to kissing someone he's been emo about for three years. beat cant bring himself to care. he's got neku back. neku kissed him back.

neku is half embarrassed, half overjoyed bc everyones okay and hes home. (the embarrassment is from eri's judgement. a powerful force.)

neku is taken in by beat, who moved out when he turned 18, and gets a job at gatto, eri quickly deciding even though he's useless with fashion, he's pretty good at getting customers to come into the store with that face plus neku's grafitti art goes awesome w some of their peices. the collab line is a hit and since neku hates the spotlight, all the attention is on gatto

(shiki: are you okay with the fact that we're using your bf for a thirst trap in our store? beat, staring at neku: huh shiki: great talk buddy)

neku still has...dreams though. nightmares? he can't tell. it's nothing concrete, only feelings. powerful ones. a melancholy song, a lone instrument. he keeps reaching out, only to find whatever it is just out of reach. he doesn't feel much like getting up those days, everything too overwhelming, emotions and memories paralyzing him

meanwhile after josh does nothing sees everyone again, he avoids everyone except uzuki and kariya bc the poor girl cant run this place alone, even with kariya actually helping, because most of the other reapers were murdered, josh, you dipshit

-mr h from angel jail, shaming him into working

he wants to go check on neku. he does. he really really wants to bc shinjuku was his fault. he sent him there and then couldnt get him back for a long time bc the higher beings were jackasses

(mr h: no excuse for abandoning your city, j josh: shut up i was rebelling)

then, on the eve of neku's first birthday alive, coco materializes in his office and threatens him to show himself to neku or her and tsugumi were going to kick his ass.

joshua isnt scared of two teenage reapers but he says he will to get her out of his hair (hes absolutely scared, both of them teamed up might actually kill him and he could not let them be in charge of shibuya. coco esp.)

[charisaloser]

Nana Pairings/Characters as Mitski Lyrics !!

Please keep in mind that not all of the pairings I mention are romantic^^. And please understand that these are just my interpretations of the songs, and it's totally okay if you don't agree with me!!

SPOILER WARNING!! This post contains a whole lot of Nana manga spoilers, so if you are not up to date with the manga, I suggest you get up to date before you continue reading.

I also want to make it clear that I may not associate the whole song with the character I assign it to. For some of these, I only associate them with specific lines from that song.

Nobody - Reira Serizawa

My God, I'm so lonely

So I open the window

To hear sounds of people

To hear sounds of people

Venus, planet of love

Was destroyed by global warming

Did its people want too much too?

Did its people want too much?

[Pre-Chorus]

And I don't want your pity

I just want somebody near me

Guess I'm a coward

I just want to feel alright

And I know no one will save me

I just need someone to kiss

Give me one good honest kiss

And I'll be alright

I think this is the most straight-forward comparison in the post, and it's one I've seen many times before. At it's core, 'Nobody' is a song about loneliness and alienation, both things that Reira struggles with throughout the series. Her wanting to sleep with Takumi and Shin comes from a place of loneliness, which I think is pretty similar to the line 'I'm just asking for a kiss, give me one good honest kiss and I'll be alright'

Fireworks - Hachiko/Nana Komatsu & Nana Osaki

To be completely honest, I associate this song with the entire Fireworks arc of Nana, and all of the future scenes we see.

And then, one warm summer night

I'll hear fireworks outside

And I'll listen to the memories as they cry, cry, cry

My interpretation of this song is that it is about living life and moving on despite the pain you've dealt with. Living with trauma, and not letting it hold you back. I believe the 'summer night' refers to a time where the memories of your struggle might come flooding back, and you have to face them.

I associate this song with the older and wiser Hachiko we see in the future sequences in Nana. While we see that she has grown and changed, become stronger because of her struggles, we know that she still carries them with her. I think this is most evident in the scene in the last episode, in which Nobuo grabs her hand, and in the scene where Hachiko and Shin see the photos of Nana singing.

You are a liar if you say that this song does not remind you of Nana in any way.

Washing Machine Heart - Shin & Hachiko

I want to make it VERY clear that I do not associate the entire song with Hachi and Shin. Not at all. Just these particular lyrics:

Baby, though I've closed my eyes

I know who you pretend I am

I know who you pretend I am

These lines, in my head, are from Hachiko to Shin. She knows that he sees her as a mother figure.

Should've been me - Hachiko & Nobu

I've seen a lot of people on TikTok make edits of this song with Sachiko, Shoji, and Hachi. And initially, I thought it was a pretty valid comparison.

My reasoning being: Sachiko shares a bit of a resemblance to Hachi when she first met Shoji. Not only that, Hachi hadn't been giving Shoji what he wanted in their relationship, so he turned to Sachiko. At first glance, this may seem like one of the most obvious comparisons on this list.

However, after a quick look on genius.com, and a look into other people's views on the song, my interpretation on this song completely changed.

When I saw the girl looked just like me

And it broke my heart, the lengths you went to hold me

To get to have me, 'cause

[Chorus]

I haven't given you what you need

You wanted me, but couldn't reach me

So you went into your memory

Relived all the ways you still want me

I haven't given you what you need

You wanted me, but couldn't reach me

I'm sorry, it should've been me

In the song, Mitski sings about how her partner is in love with somebody else, somebody who looks like her, and is saddened by this fact. In my opinion, this person that her partner is in love with is not a different person, but an idealized version of Mitski herself. A version that her partner has projected onto her. They are in love with this version that lives in their mind, not Mitski herself.

I think it's pretty easy to see how my mind immediately went to Nobuo and Hachi after I realized this. Nobuo has the habit of idealizing those around him. He does this to Nana, Ren, and most notibly, Hachiko. I am by no means trying to say that Nobu did not love Hachiko, but it's pretty evident that he did idealize lot of things about her, especially when he first started liking her.

I learned this interpretation of the song from reddit user vampireweekdayz. If you want a more in depth and interesting look at the song, I highly suggest that you check out their post abt it on r/mitski. They explained it much more eloquently than I did!

Jobless Monday- Hachiko/Nana Komatsu

Jobless Monday is about the feeling of being in a dead end relationship. A relationship that is nearing it's inevitable end. A relationship in which you are not important to the other person.

I think it's easy to see how I associate this song with Hachiko, as she is no stranger to this feeling.

This line in particular struck me:

He only loves me when

Theres a means he means to end

I think this perfectly encapsulates how Hachiko is not prioritized in any of her relationships(aside from her and Nobuo's). She's seen as unimportant. We see this Shoji, Asano, and Takumi.

I also think this song applies to the early days of her relationship with Takumi. She knew he didn't exactly see her as somebody worth respecting, and she knew that he probably wasn't planning on pursuing an actual relationship with her. She knows not to believe Takumi when he promises to see her as soon as the tour concludes. And even when she marries him, she knows she will always be second to trapnest.

Francis Forever - Nana Osaki

I don't know what to do without you

I don't know where to put my hands

I've been trying to lay my head down

But I'm writing this at three AM

I don't need the world to see

That I've been the best I can be, but

I don't think I could stand to be

Where you don't see me

On sunny days I go out walking

I end up on a tree-lined street

I look up at the gaps of sunlight

I miss you more than anything

Francis Forever is a song about inadequacy, and coming to terms with the end of a relationship. I associate this song with Nana O, after her breakup with Ren. One of the central themes of the song is the narrorator being torn between not caring about other's opinions of her, and wanting to know her former lover's perception of her. She can't stand to be without this person(her former lover), nor can she stand not knowing where she stands with them.

I think this pretty accurately encapsulates Nana's feelings towards Ren when they first split. It also perfectly encapsulates Nana's feelings to those around her-- she really doesn't care about their perception, good or bad. I think the fact that she didn't bother to defend herself when accused of prostitution in highschool and ended up expelled because of it really proves this.

In my opinion, Blast, Ren, and Hachiko are the only exceptions to this rule.

I guess - Nana Osaki

I guess, I guess

I guess this is the end

I'll have to learn to be somebody else

It’s been you and me since before I was me

Without you, I don't yet know quite how to live

I guess is a song about the unexpected ending of a relationship, and preparing to move on. These lines in particular reminded me of Nana O after Ren's death. Being emotionally unequiped to part with a relationship, and lacking the closure to say that it is definitively over, describes Nana O's reaction to Ren's death pretty well. She felt as if he was part of her, a part she couldn't live without.

With him gone, she'll have to learn how to live knowing that it's definitively over, unlike their first breakup.

I don't smoke - Takumi Ichinose & Hachiko/Nana Komatsu

I don't smoke

Except for when I'm missing you

To remember your mouth

How it tasted true

And I don't smoke

Except for after I've held you, baby

Being with you

Makes the flame burn good

[Chorus 1]

So if you need to be mean

Be mean to me

I can take it and put it inside of me

If your hands need to break

More than trinkets in your room

You can lean on my arm

As you break my heart

This song is all about a toxic, but addictive relationship. The singer is well-aware that this person is bad for them, and yet they still stay with them, whether it's out of love or dependency.

I've seen people associate this song with Yasu before, and I absolutely don't agree with that. The very moment I read through the lyrics of this song I immidietly thought of Takumi and Hachiko.

From the very beginning of their relationship, Hachiko knows that Takumi probably doesn't have any intentions of pursuing a serious relationship with her. She knows that their relationship isn't a loving one, and yet she still sleeps with him, and lets the people around her believe that she is in love with him.

Even after she marries him, she knows that their relationship is not healthy, and yet she stays. For her children, and because she depends on Takumi.

Why didn't you stop me? - Nobuo Terashima

[Verse 1]

I know that I ended it, but

Why won't you chase after me?

You know me better than I do

So

[Chorus 1]

Why didn't you stop me?

Why didn't you stop me

And paint it over?

[Verse 2]

I look for a picture of you

To keep in my pocket

But I can't seem to find one

Where you

'Why didn't you stop me?' is a song that deals with themes of unhealthy idealization and dependency. Sound familiar?

The second verse in particular reminds me of Nobuo. In it, Mitski realizes the difference between the memories she has of her past lover, and the reality of them. She projects a perfect image onto her partner, seeing what she wants to see rather than what was actually there. Which is exactly what Nobuo does to many people around him, namely Hachiko, Ren, and even Nana O.

I believe this verse really encapsulates what I think Nobuo would've felt when reflecting on his relationships years after the events of the main story.

I think the chorus can sort of be associated with Nobuo's feelings towards Hachiko after they initially split. He's confused, left wondering just why Hachiko chose Takumi, and what happened leading up to it. He texts her, wondering why she isn't fighting to stay with him. Why hasn't she chased after him?

Outro

Did I make it obvious that Hachiko is the character I relate to the most? And that Yasu and Ren are the characters I struggle to understand the most? I really struggled to find songs that made sense for the male characters in the show. It's partly because they're some of the ones I undestand the least, and some of Mitski's songs deal with themes linked to being a woman.

N e way, I rly enjoyed making this and I hope y'all rly enjoyed reading it! I mostly used genius to get a good grasp on the songs !!

Thanks for reading this far if you have !!