#have some akito angst for y’all

[starshine-valley]

PART TWO I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO POST THIS BUT HERE IT IS ANYWAY-

MI2ERY’5 MYSTERY (pronounced as Misery’s Mystery or 25, Misery’s Mystery)

“An online group made by those who feel as they have no other choice.”

Members:

“This still isn’t good enough for me.”

Akito Shinonome: One who’s never satisfied

“Maybe there’s no better option than to hide away.”

Honami Mochizuki: A lonely but kind honor student

“I know I can make this better if I just try!”

Airi Momoi: A hardworking ex-idol

“That song was so wonderhoy~!”

Emu Otori: A energetic girl faced with a setback

Four members who haven’t met face to face stumble into a SEKAI.

“If you share your true feelings, a hope will shine through.”

Sekai: Abandoned Sekai (an old, abandoned and worn out event area)

Virtual Singers: Miku and Rin

Relationship Chart:

“Likes her vocals yet doesn’t like it when she tries to pry.” <-> “Shinonome-san, you could use the extra help…”

“I like her bright energy! She seems more of the outdoors type.” <-> “Airi-chan~?! I used to watch you all the time~!”

“She’s kind of annoying but her lyrics…” <-> “Shinononome-kun’s art is wonderhoy! Can you teach me?!”

“Momoi-San certainly acts different when not on camera.” <-> “reliable but… seems unsure and unconfident…”

“She’s Ena’s friend, was a fan before she quit.” <-> “I heard from Ena what happened.”

“Emu-chan, I saw it, it’s okay, I’m here for you.” <-> “I’m glad you’re by my side, Honami-chan!”

Leader: Akito Shinonome

“I can’t mess this up again. Never again.”

[furubabes]

Okay. Somebody Asked. @shoujobell and @cryptidaicat, y’all encouraged this. I’m gonna tag this #long post if you wanna filter.

So here. I got the urge to write and so I ranked the Fruits Basket couples from my favorite to least favorite. These aren’t my complete thoughts because I could honestly do multiple full meta posts on each pairing, but I tried to justify and explain all my choices. Standard disclaimer, this is subjective and we can agree to disagree.

Part 1: Just the reasonably popular ones

1. Kyoru: Someone’s gonna call me unoriginal for this but it’s fine. Kyoru is the main romance of Fruits Basket! They bring out the best in each other and build each other up as characters. Kyoru is basically my gold standard take on Sunshine Girl x Grouchy Dude, and I’m not even usually into that trope otherwise. Their romance is one of the few that feels so genuinely necessary to the story. They love each other and like each other. Kyo understands Tohru in a way no one else in the narrative does, and vice versa. They’re in love like soulmates and also like awkward teenagers. Kyoru invented romance. If it’s boring to like healthy romances with realistic development, I’ll be boring.

2. Tohrin: If Tohru didn’t end up with Kyo I would only want her to be with Rin. I guess they have some of the same appeal as Kyoru for me - Rin reads Tohru in a way a lot of people don’t. I also like how honest and raw they are with each other. They yell! They fight! Rin is down to just straight up knock Tohru over to keep her from rushing off. Also, they’re both absolute fashion icons. Goth x Prep rights. I firmly believe Tohru Honda is bisexual.

3. Yukeru: This is my favorite Yuki pairing. I followed @yunsoh way back when the reboot first started and her blog has got me absolutely hooked on Yukeru. I think Yuki’s arc would have just made a ridiculous amount of sense if he was gay. It screams comphet. Kakeru is an excellent complement to Yuki, and their bond feels incredibly natural. Honestly I feel like it’s the most organic romantic development outside of Kyoru. I think realistically they wouldn’t have gotten together until post-canon and frankly Yuki shines in his friendships much more than romances, so I’m not absolutely dying for them to be together, but if Yuki’s going to date anyone Kakeru is my pick.

4. Arisaki: Man... I just like them. They strike me as less of an epic love and more of a comfortable partnership. I also read them both as lesbians anyway lol. Honestly I think they both had feelings for Tohru at one point and bonded over it. The way I picture them happening is honestly just Arisa at 25 frantically googling “is it gay to hold hands with my girl roommate who I spend all my time with and also we never date men“ because Saki bought them rings that look like wedding bands but they could just be super close friendship rings and oh god she’s in too deep. They’re dating for four years before they notice.

5. AyaMine: But Jessie! You literally never post about this pairing! Yeah, you’re right. I never think about them actively. But when ranking the canon ships I realized that I like the two of them together because they’re chill and understated. They’re huge loud personalities on their own but as a couple, they just feel like two people who are happy together and like spending time with one another. No drama, no mess, very understated. No plot contrivances driving their relationship. Good for them.

6. YukiKyo: Okay, so I can be convinced to put on my YukiKyo goggles more often than not. It feels iffy because there’s debate about how closely related all the Sohmas are and these two are called “cousins” a lot in school, but since half of the Sohmas are dating each other anyway, I err on the side of them being more of a clan than a proper blood family. Anyway, YukiKyo is my designated angst fuel. I think it would realistically be pretty one-sided from Yuki’s side, since we see him wanting Kyo’s approval from a very young age, but I like exploring the what-ifs of their lives if they’d been friends instead of rivals. In canon, I like to think that after high school they’re not best friends in the traditional sense, but either one could show up with a dead body and the other would help them bury it, no questions asked.

7. Yuchi: Really? Yuki’s wife is my third favorite pairing for him? Look, I adore Machi, and I still like Yuchi. But as I’ve been watching the reboot and reading others’ metas, I think I agree that their relationship could have been very powerful as a platonic one, sort of running parallel to Yuki and Tohru. I like them together but I think there wasn’t quite time for a complete character arc for Machi and her growth sort of begins and ends with Yuki. I don’t object to them being a couple in canon and I think they’re genuinely very sweet, but once again, I think Yuki stands out in his friendships more than anything. I would have liked to see Machi strike out on her own a little more.

8. Haru x Yuki: I don’t have any particular feelings towards them but I love their dynamic already and I think as a couple they’d both be really easygoing and comfortable with each other. I think a childhood crush turned close friendship is honestly the narrative that works best for them so I have no need for the two to date canonically, but every time they interact in the anime it gets a laugh out of me. They’re cool. They’d make a very pretty pair.

9. Mayutori: I’m Mayutori-neutral. I think they suffer from Fruits Basket’s pair the spare syndrome, but out of the side pairings that don’t have too much impact, they’re one I enjoy. Mayu’s fun as a character, and painfully relatable, and I like that Hatori’s eventual romance isn’t with someone who reminds him of Kana or something like that. I also want good things for Hatori. Mayutori has serious heterosexual energy though. I’m not saying this as a pro or con, they’re just very straight.

10. Hatsuzu: Okay, Haru and Rin aren’t this far down because I hate them. I’m perfectly fine with them being together in canon. But I think their romance almost... functions better as individual motivation for their character arcs than it does as an actual relationship, if that makes sense? Rin’s backstory episode is heartbreaking and her motivation to protect Haru is compelling and sympathetic, but their actual scenes together just don’t move me that much. Their romance is the least interesting part of either character for me.

11. Hiro x Kisa: Yeah I never got into it that much. It’s cute, it’s a sweet depiction of childhood crushes, but I’m not a fan of the idea of them ending up together. Kisa’s a cutie and Hiro is entertaining but the two of them together don’t actually do much for me. The dynamic between them is almost like if someone did Kyoru with none of the nuance. Ultimately though, they’re kids. I don’t expect them to have a deep and complex romance.

12. Yukiru: I think it would be a disservice to their characters if they were a couple. People far more eloquent than me have already written plenty of meta on why Yuki and Tohru aren’t what the other needs romantically, so I won’t get into it, but basically I just think their canon friendship is so beautiful and meaningful that I wouldn’t want to change it. Yuki and Tohru support my thesis that not all soulmates are romantic.

13. Tohru x Momiji: Welcome to the subjective dislike corner! This pairing is reasonably popular among people theorizing who Tohru would be with if not Kyo, but for some reason it just sits poorly with me. I can’t rank it any lower because there’s nothing evil or morally wrong about it! I just really don’t like it. I’ve quit a few fics because this pairing came up and I just can’t enjoy it.

14. Kakeru x Komaki: Idk, I just think Kakeru latching onto the one girl who was nice to him and put up with his bullshit and then being with her forever isn’t compelling. Komaki’s also probably his beard. She’s likable as an individual though.

15. Akigure: There’s plenty to say about the age gap, Shigure being in love with Akito since she was a fetus because of The Dream, the implications of a 15-18 year old knowing he’d one day want to be with a then-10-year-old... yeah, you get it. But even if I was able to put all that aside because Soulmate Destiny Logic, I still don’t think I’d like Akigure. I think they’re interesting as bitter, codependent exes, but I don’t like the idea of Akito ending up with anyone who she abused or who abused her. I think she has so much growing to do as a character and staying in a relationship within the Sohma family to do it can’t be healthy for her. I can’t see them living happily ever after, nor do I really want to.

16. Kurisa: I think what frustrates me the most here is that I want to like Kureno and everything about this romance is written to dull his most interesting traits. First of all, the age gap. Yeah, it’s gross, I don’t like it. But even past that, the love at first sight, instant fixation with each other, and lack of actual chemistry just kills me. Arisa’s stated reason to like Kureno is that he reminds her of Tohru, basically piggybacking off the chemistry she and Tohru already have, and his total lack of agency means the plot just sort of carries him along. It frustrates me that Takaya could have done something pretty cool by making them simply friends who have a chance encounter and then build a friendship from there that parallels Kureno’s abusive dynamic with Akito. It would be neat if a stranger’s kindness was the push Kureno needed to get himself out of the Sohmas’ grasp, without all the nonsensical drama about them being in love. It would also be less of a disservice to Arisa, who basically just spends the whole series pining for Kureno after they meet and I hate it. I could write a whole post about this. Maybe I will sometime.

17. Kyoko x Katsuya: I don’t think their story is romantic. I think it’s tragic for Kyoko, and if it were framed that way within the narrative, I wouldn’t object so much to its existence. But... Takaya just really likes age gaps with a younger woman and an older man, so the narrative romanticizes this man marrying his student. Katsuya can be depicted as well-meaning as you want, but he’s still got a ridiculous amount of power over Kyoko. She was also still pretty young when she had Tohru, which doesn’t make things any better because it’s clear that the relationship turned physical when Kyoko was a teen, thus dashing the idea of Katsuya legally marrying her to save her but not actually doing anything creepy. I wish Fruits Basket framed this as a story of Kyoko escaping one dangerous situation by entering a relationship with a huge power imbalance, because that happens to girls all the time and it’s tragic and compelling. The events of the story could stay the exact same and if the framing changed I would be fine with it. But this is not that. This is just a really romanticized teacher/student age gap. I’m not into it.

Part 2: Rarepairs, weird shit, and others (oh my!)

1. Yuki x Kakeru x Kimi: OT3. I’m enamored with the idea of this hot mess polycule.

2. Momiji x Kimi: Chaos meets chaos. This couple would say uwu without any irony and also steal your car keys. They’re both perceptive and smart hidden under a layer of cute and I’d wanna watch them play 4D chess with each other.

3. Kazuma x Kunimitsu: Idk how old Kunimitsu is so if he’s like 20, strike this one from the record. But I saw one post once that was like Kyo slowly realizing Kazuma and Kunimitsu were gay and had been dating for years and it was funny as hell.

4. AyaTori: It’s cute. Opposites attract, black and white hair, and Aya only listens to Hatori anyway. It’s just fun to think about.

5. Megumi x Hiro: They don’t interact in canon I just think Goth x Punk-Ass Bitch is a great concept.

6. Motoko x Nao: They’re both loud as hell and Nao having a gf that towers over him is funny. Maybe Yuki would finally get some peace.

7. Machi x Kimi: I don’t see them actually being compatible in canon but I think they could have a really homoerotic college friendship.

8. Hajime x Mutsuki: This is just YukiKyo, the non angst version.

9. Akito x Hanajima: I’m so wary of shipping Akito with anyone but this is kind of fun. The two are friends in canon and Hana isn’t remotely afraid of Akito. Plus Akito never abused Hana. I can sort of see it.

10. Hiroshi x Yusuke: Makes no sense, wouldn’t be relevant, but if those two just never spent any time apart and continued being a pair for life it would be a really good bit.

11. Akitohru: I don’t think it’s healthy to date anyone who’s previously stabbed you.

12. Kazuma x Hanajima: Stop. Go to jail. Hana’s one-sided crush is funny though.

[shade-without-color]

FruitsBasketFanClub fanfic appreciation post

Note: As you know, I have been on a Fruits Basket fanfic binge and it was joining the discord that I wanted to share my favourite fics to you. So please support them with likes and comments in A03, as we could grow here.

@thewinterose: Taylor, you are so wonderful for the Kyoru ship in bring the realness of Kyoru and its feelings-it make me happy to see much love. And in fact that is why I am writing them.

My Favourite recommendations from the author

and therefore is winged cupid painted blind: Like OH shit, this fic ruined me, it gave me Ted Hughes Tales of Ovid vibes which I am obsessed (I am seriously going to take pictures of it someday of that book as I think you should read it), the way how you weaved the tales with evocative words, man I cannot believe it. I particularly loved these lines 

Kyo watches her retreating figure from behind the shadows, his eyes following her intently as she disappears into the horizon. //His fingers idly trace the tip of one of his dangerous arrows; the blue-tipped one, the kind that stirs a ravenous, never-ending lust that corrupts the mind and deteriorates the body. //He thinks of Akito’s cruel scheme, her vision for this princess. He thinks of her crying, lying prostrate before some monster, her face flushed and lips parted, moans dripping from her tongue. He thinks of her pretty pink chiffon dress drawn high around her waist, her thighs spread and slick, but not for a husband. Not for a man. Not for him.

'cause i'm lovesick : Gosh this smut piece is so good and it is like your first piece. I tried mine and it can be hard to convey them but you shared the experience so beautifully, it always take my breath away. And oh the solo stuff talk is so adorable I cannot!

Something impulsive and brazen takes ahold of her tongue, and she asks him before her instilled politeness could stop her. “Did you ever think of me?”

His eyes flash, his gaze going predatory again, and he leans in to steal a harsh kiss that leaves her breathless. He pulls away, his grin roguish. “Yeah, but then I felt really shitty afterwards because I’d hear you blasting some God-awful pop music in your room and it would make me realize that you were there.”

She feels her lips pull into a wide grin, something feminine and primal within her becoming awfully pleased by that. “It was good music,” she whispers teasingly.

Kyo kisses her smile, licking the seam of her lips, but he pulls away before she can kiss him back. He grabs the condom he dropped somewhere on the bed and tears it open, slipping it out of the wrapper. Tohru watches him, her heart racing hard against her chest to the point of pain.

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@machi-kuragi: El, you are the reason why I wanted to try to write about Hatori and Mayu with my fic A story which I will tell to you and I , and adding him in my Victorian fic as how you painted his angst is perfection. And you did lovely with Machi and Yuki too. Your dialogues are soooo good

My Favourite recommendations from the author.

Life Is What Happens to You When You're Busy Making Other Plans: Gosh this is so good, and the interaction of Mayu and Hatori are A+ and I chuckled on Shigure giving advice to him.

Life and Love Are the Same: Gosh this is so lovely and I love the naturalness of dialouge and the ending hit me in the feels.

When You Move, I'm Moved : THIS makes me go feral screaming out of cute and the conversations are perfect. The tits one is a++++

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@yunsoh: ABBBY the way you write soft scenes always amaze me that I feel unworthy LOL And how you did Yuki’s character is so goood

My Favourite recommendations from the author.

laughing til our ribs get tough : Ok I am not a big shipper of Yuki and Kakeru but this is so sweet and lovely.

i know i've kissed you before, but i didn't do it right : This is gorgeous and I know you do not do much Kyoru but how you write them is amazingggg 

small voice, dark hall : That fic was the second I read and you are so good in capturing the small moments.

in all fairness : This ohhh man is so wholesome and so beautiful.

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@furubaish: Em your stuff is so good and oh my god Walking on Eggshells is so goooodddd. The way how you bulit Kyo’s pain is perfect y’all I cannot.

@grayteapath It's Not Enough Seriously Tea, your fic with Momiji is wonderfully heartbreaking <3 I mean it is your first fic but you did such an amazing job with words.

@palamig Fellow SEA discord user, your Kyoru fics are the reason why I wanted to write Fruits Basket stuff, the way you convey them is beautiful. Tonight you belong to me is my favourite to read. It is magical.

@deucesmuch: Seriously remedies for when you're feeling weak always slayed me, and the smut is perfection.