#his kindness is not the same as banjou

[tatatatatara]

Me seeing posts that say Kaneki is kind: well yes but actually no

[makeste]

Plus One For All

so guys. can we talk about how there’s somebody chilling out inside of Katsuki’s mind who’s not supposed to be there.

hello there Mister All Might Vestige sir. you should not exist, just FYI. you’re not some Nighteye-type plot hallucination. because if you were, you would not be appearing here as Cloud Might, a version of yourself whom Katsuki has never met and has no frame of reference for. ergo he did not imagine you. ergo you are, in fact, real.

which means Katsuki has One For All.

because that’s the only way he could have a Vestige -- which is indisputably what this is -- inside of him. he has OFA. so. where did he get it. how does he have it. and why is it only making its presence known now.

let’s discuss.

okay so I’m going to try and lay this all out as clearly as possible while also attempting to be as succinct as I can. but knowing me, I’m probably going to wind up sacrificing the latter in pursuit of the former. I’ll do my best though. here goes.

1. Heroes Rising is canon.

which is a fact we’ve recently been reminded of not once, but twice -- first with the appearance of Katsuma and Mahoro in chapter 405, and then in chapter 406 with the “Bakugou no Kacchan” callback. the timing of this almost certainly isn’t coincidental. Horikoshi wants this to be fresh in our minds.

mind you, it is extremely unusual for movies, even technically!canon ones, to actually be relevant to the plot. but BnHA may be one of the few exceptions. we’ve already seen movie 1 impact the series both with Star & Stripe’s backstory, and with Deku’s new gauntlets. so there’s precedent, and it’s something I am paying very close attention to.

2. Deku giving OFA to Bakugou is canon.

just in case anyone here hasn’t yet seen or been spoiled for Heroes Rising, that is in fact what happens in that film! so yeah, that certainly seems like an extremely relevant detail right about now.

3. we never found out why and how Deku got OFA back at the end of the movie.

okay so I was looking for a clip to link before we discuss this next part, but I unfortunately couldn’t find one that hadn’t been edited to avoid copyright issues, so you’ll just have to make do with this.

skip ahead to about 7:10 for the relevant part. for the purposes of this theory, we’re just going to ignore everything All Might says here, because tbh he has no fucking clue what’s actually going on and is just guessing wildly lol. however, I do want you to take note of one thing which will be important later. and that’s the fact that, when OFA “returns” to Deku’s body, it’s only his body which starts glowing, and notably not Kacchan’s. the latter just keeps lying there unglowingly. nothing to indicate any kind of transfer is actually happening between him and Deku, in other words.

moving on.

4. OFA and AFO are probably the same quirk.

as summarized here and here. which is relevant because if they are the same quirk, or close to it, then OFA can most likely do anything AFO can do. so file that away for later.

5. AFO was able to split his quirk and give it to Tomura while still keeping a piece of it for himself.

what’s more, he was able to do the same with Garaki/Ujiko’s quirk, and presumably other quirks as well. while it’s possible that this quirk duplication has nothing to do with AFO and is simply something Garaki was able to figure out using ~*~Science~*~, I think it’s more likely that the two of them used AFO’s quirk in some way to accomplish this feat. particularly since Tomura not only received AFO, but a bunch of its stored up quirkdata as well, such as the information stored in Ragdoll’s stolen Search quirk.

6. OFA responds to Deku’s feelings and desires.

or at least this is the case according to Banjou in chapter 213. recall this interesting conversation on how Deku first activated Blackwhip.

he was thinking that he wanted to capture Monoma, and so OFA obediently activated his “capture Monoma” quirk. despite him being unaware he even had said quirk. it responded to his need, even though he wasn’t consciously trying to activate anything.

now then, let’s revisit that scene in Heroes Rising one more time.

7. during the climax of Heroes Rising, Deku was NOT thinking, “I need to give OFA to Kacchan.”

here’s the scene one more time for reference. this time you’re gonna want to skip to about 3:57.

here’s where we are going to get extremely technical, because this scene right here is the key to everything. Deku’s lines in this scene are, and I quote: “a way we can protect [everyone]... there’s just one way...!” but he very notably does not specify exactly what that “one way” is.

until we get to this scene a minute or so later, which spells it out for us very clearly.

two One For Alls. as in, “with two One For Alls, we could win this battle and save everyone.”

that’s what he was thinking at the moment of the “transfer.” NOT, “give OFA to Kacchan.” but, “we need two One For Alls.”

which, I think, may have made all the difference.

8. OFA created a copy of itself to share with Kacchan, so that both of them could have OFA and use the two OFAs to defeat Nine.

let’s recap. OFA is AFO. AFO can clone itself. so it stands to reason that OFA can presumably clone itself as well. and that’s exactly what Deku wanted to do. make a second One For All.

he didn’t know that he could do that. but as previously established in the Blackwhip incident, OFA is more than capable of making its own executive decisions in key moments just like this in order to help him out.

which would mean that what we saw at the end of Heroes Rising was not OFA being transferred from Bakugou back over to Deku. it was actually just Deku’s OFA briefly self-activating (possibly in response to his delirious apology to All Might -- kind of a “no worries bro, you’ve still got your quirk actually, so go back to sleep and stop stressing over it” type of thing). and Kacchan’s OFA doing... absolutely nothing. it didn’t actually transfer back into Deku. it didn’t actually go anywhere.

let me repeat that: it didn’t actually go anywhere.

in other words, Kacchan still has OFA. and has had it ever since Heroes Rising. he just didn’t realize it. and neither did anybody else.

9. Kacchan’s OFA went dormant once Nine was defeated.

okay, so. remember all of this exposition from chapter 304?

basically, if someone who already has a quirk receives OFA, using it will slowly destroy their body until it kills them. the Vestiges learned this from All Might while he was researching the past generations of OFA in chapter 241, incidentally. Heroes Rising takes place right around this same time (immediately following MVA if I recall). so by the time the film’s climax rolled around, the Vestiges would have known that giving OFA to Kacchan could have devastating consequences down the line if they did not take action immediately after the fight.

so they did.

once Nine was defeated, the Vestiges shut the whole thing down. the crisis was averted, and they no longer had need of a second OFA. they have this boy who is way too similar to Deku in terms of his willingness to put himself in harm’s way in order to achieve his goals. and they absolutely do not want any harm befalling this boy. more on that momentarily.

so they go dark. and they even seal his memory so that he’s no longer aware of even having the quirk. they are essentially in sleep mode. and if circumstances hadn’t eventually become desperate enough to force their hand, they might have remained inactive for the rest of Katsuki’s life.

now, you might be wondering to yourself, “why is OFA willing to go to such unusual lengths in order to protect Katsuki?” and well, the answer to that is pretty simple.

10. Kacchan does not have the same version of OFA as Deku.

Deku is ninth gen. Katsuki, however, is tenth gen. which means that his version of OFA has one additional Vestige. a Vestige whose presence immediately explains why OFA is so goddamn determined to protect him at all costs.

:’)

long story short, while Deku’s version of OFA has proven itself all too willing to enable him in his increasingly suicidal mission, Katsuki’s version of OFA is very much a different story, on account of it being under the management of what I’m guessing is the most willful Vestige ever to exist. and said management being just the slightest bit unhinged when it comes to Katsuki’s safety in particular. seriously, you can’t tell me this is not exactly how a Deku!Vestige would behave. “oh hell no. no OFA for you!! and no memories either, because you can’t be trusted, goddammit. we never should have done this. what the hell were we thinking. if anything happens to him I will kill everyone in this room and then myself.”

so yeah. dormant.

right up until they literally couldn’t afford to be anymore.

11. OFA can self-activate in moments of crisis to protect its user.

Sports Festival. chapter 33. Deku vs. Shinsou.

aw yeah. it’s all coming together.

12. OFA reactivated itself in order to save Katsuki’s life.

I would now like to briefly draw your attention to this scene from chapter 405, in which Edgeshot explains how Katsuki was finally saved. please note my man is very clear that he did not restart Katsuki’s heart himself. he was basically just performing quirk CPR up until Katsuki’s own quirk returned him to life apropros of nothing.

“what brought you back... was the power you’ve honed.”

except... that should have been impossible. because Katsuki was dead. meaning he should not have been able to activate his quirk on his own, on account of the whole “being dead” thing.

however, if he by chance had a quirk with just enough of a mind of its own to activate in critical situations in order to help its user. situations like being forced under mind control. or, perhaps, being stabbed through the heart. well then. that would certainly go a long way towards explaining all of this.

and oh hey, when exactly was it that we saw this guy, again?

oh? it happened at the exact moment when his heart was stabbed through? you don’t say. well that certainly is interesting.

in summary:

Deku cloned his quirk in Heroes Rising and gave Kacchan a copy of OFA. owing to the hyperprotective Deku!Vestige inside Kacchan’s copy of OFA, it shut itself down once Nine was defeated, and all of Katsuki’s memories of having OFA were deliberately wiped, or sealed away. OFA itself remained inactive until TomurAFO stabbed Katsuki through the heart, at which point OFA was forced to reactivate itself to save his life. which it did, by forcibly restarting his heart.

that’s it. no idea how close to the money any of this is, but I think it would explain most of the lingering mysteries and questions about what exactly is going on with Katsuki. and I’ll throw in one last observation as well -- Katsuki has a nine in his name (BaKUgou), but not a ten. which I know sort of contradicts what I was saying earlier about him being the tenth gen, lol. but he both is and isn’t. if Deku split his quirk, Kacchan would in theory receive everything that’s currently in Deku’s quirk right now, and that includes Deku’s own power that he’s been adding to the mix. so he’d still have the Deku!Vestige. but he’s also still ninth gen, because he and Deku are sharing that distinction now. or at least I think the argument could be made at any rate.

so yeah. I’ve been obsessing over all of this for the past few days lol. what do you guys think?

[tokudocu]

Some people really cannot fathom their faves being in the wrong, like post from a Keiwa hater who pretends not to be a hater.

Transript:

Obviously there'd be Kekera and Zitt, who they'd claim are the ones who instilled something bad on him or making him trapped in manipulation, but this also seems to be why Ace and Neon got blamed and demonized too. They are completely certain that Keiwa would have not turned bad at all when they didn't let Kekera got to him or such, as they'd think Keiwa is completely pure or such... and denying the fact that he'd still have an agency to, be disgusted at a suggested idea.

as for ace and neon... as i said before... ace and keiwa aren't good enough friends for keiwa to listen to ace when ace says his mom is innocent but SUDDENLY they're good enough friends that ace has to check up on him? 😒😒😒 and for neon... she had being a rider again to focus on and, as my friend said, in the supposed friendship with keiwa, it's much cooler on her side

They invent reasons to justify leaving someone in a lion's den to die. Kekera and Jitt being the lions with Keiwa as the person being left in the den.

While I attribute these actions more to Takahashi's need to badly jumpstart the Darth Tycoon arc - thanks to @asknarashikari for coining the term - it still doesn't change the fact that what they did was bad.

Like, Shotaro from W had more sympathetic actions to Terui when the latter was on a suicidal quest of finding his family's killer and they had been at odds before that.

And Shotaro didn't know who were the people in Terui's family that was killed.

Compare that to Ace's and Neon's "I'm worried about Tycoon" talk at a bridge, faraway from the Sakurai's apartment.

Another example citing how terrible and Ace and Neon are would be when Banjou's girlfriend had to die. Sento was kind enough to a stranger like Banjou to make sure the both of them said their goodbyes to each other.

Banjou and Sento certainly weren't "good enough friends" but the kindness Sento showed Banjou was leagues better than "I'm worried about Tycoon" at a bridge faraway from the grieving person.

You people just cannot accept that both Ace and Neon were wrong and their actions were shitty, I mean, that's what happens when people put a character on a high enough pedestal that you do not accept that your character can do wrong.

What was that again? "SMH these people think that the actions from long ago still matter" Oh right, its the same people who justifies the endangering of one's life just to get something they want.

[zaruba-needslove]

I've noticed this with Ryuga Sato... but he loves to steal other toku actors' words? At first it was just stealing Rider/Sentai actors' catchphrases like W's "omae no tsumi wo kazoero" or Racules's "watashi ga kuni da!" (was it wa or ga?) then we have him stealing houtaro's "gacha!" and then hopper1's "hopper-one!"

then during the promotion for the vcine we have him saying he's the heroine, granted its not the same as how akaso eiji did it, but he did introduce himself as the heroine of geats in the promotion lol

https://x.com/_Captain_Duck/status/1783157827521167583?t=VTqJSNYA4pF-JaZ2IDjAuA&s=19 keiwa is the heroine

https://youtu.be/OW1y8FNibDU?t=62 Banjou is the heroine

this isn't a catchphrase anymore, he's actively stealing some of his senpai's thunder lol

😂😂😂😂😂😂

He did have that kind of habit, huh?

Yet on the other hand.... doesn't it just shows how he also love the other toku series besides Geats? Considering how his own character, Keiwa, was also had similar characteristics of his other seniors' characters... it'd make sense how he'd want to make some references to those other characters that resonate with him enough that he wanted to quote their catchphrases.

But seriously Banjou had it better than Keiwa as the heroine. I mean, do you really see anyone villainize Banjou too much just to pair Sento with Kazumi or Gentoku... do ya?

[tokuteasings]

Kisses - Kiryu Sento and Banjou Ryuga

Listen This is also extrEMELY SELF INDULGENT BECAUSE I AM SO DOWN B A D FOR SENTO OKAY??? LIKE??? F U KC ???????? HAVE YOU SEEN H I M????? NO ONE LOOK AT ME

Warnings: I don't really think so? It's more so along the lines of me projecting because I'm so down bad.

Kiryu Sento

Kisses with Sento are a mystery but an experiment at the same time. It’s meant to be something only the two of you can feel, energetic as the rabbit he is named after and heavy as the tank he is also named after. It’s this delicious mix of him gripping on to you like a lifeline and a puzzle that is meant to be complete. He’s never letting go, never letting you fade from his memory and wants to etch it into his brain forevermore. Sento just wants to think of you and only you, not the numbers and calculations that are always in his head and never seem to leave. He’s calculating his kisses for you now but sometimes those calculations never seem to work. They short-circuit when your lips finally meet and he goes on pure instinct more than anything. It’s a romp in a sunlight field for him, everything he ever wanted and craved. He could take it more and more but he is simply content to hold you or be in your arms and just kiss your breath away.

Public kisses are so sweet honestly. Depending on his mood, it’ll depend on what kind of kisses you get. Sometimes they’re simple quick pecks when he’s on the go, and other times it’s kisses fully on the lips because he just can. He isn’t really shy about it because he’s just so surrounded by love that he has really…nowhere to shove it so he shoves it all on to you, lol. Sure sometimes he gets embarrassed because of it, especially if you kiss him outta nowhere just to surprise him but he’ll melt into it. He’ll pout and be like, “I was going to kiss you first, no fair.” but he isn’t mad at all! It’s just his ego talking. Speaking of his ego, yeah you gotta sit on his lap whenever you kiss him or vice versa. He likes having a semblance of control in his kisses nyehehehe.

When I say you need to kiss him after he’s finished with a successful experiment, you need to. It’s mandatory. He’s just so hyped and hopped up on adrenaline and all that he has no true idea where to place all of this extra energy. It turns into the most passionate of makeout sessions for the two of you. He is oh so boundless in energy, screaming outwardly and internally about how amazing he is, how much of a genius he is but he is also a kissing genius. It’s overwhelming and overstimulating in the best of ways. Sento will cling to you as his lifeline and just never let go. He keens and purrs and keels when you play with his hair during this time, ruffling it up and messing it up and tugging it. This is the best way to make him in the mood of sexy times because of this energy. If you’re not up for sex, that’s completely fine. Sento is just happy to be able to kiss you instead. But listen, Sento is a lot more audible when he kisses you during this state; soft little whimpers and sighs and whines and moans and when I say it’s delicious, it really is. Please trust me.

Sento also needs kisses at a timely interval or else he’ll turn into a pouty mess. It’s embarrassing, yes, and he tries not to show it around others but it’s kind of obvious when he hasn’t gotten a kiss from you in a while. He’s sulky and always looking towards you or for you, wanting you to kiss these very kissable lips that are curled into such a cute little pout.  It’s not that he’s clingy (he kind of is) but it’s more so along the lines of using your kisses as a form of energy whenever he is at a low point. It’s a sort of motivation or reward for him in the best of times. To him, it’s the earth beneath his feet, fuel needed to keep on going for love and peace.

Kisses with Sento are nothing short of a damn dream. It’s full of ups and downs and moments of triumph and sorrows. But the slow, languid, and lazy kisses where he turns off his brain are his favorite - especially when it’s just the two of you in a headspace or in a room just cuddling and existing. He’s holding you close to him or you are holding him close. It’s a skittish sort of peppering of kisses to your form and his form, a rabbit darting in and out of sight, only to just keep coming back for more. He loves tracing your lips with tactile fingers that are meant to heal and bring happiness to others and loves it when you kiss the pads of his fingers and lavish attention upon him. It’s something he always looks forward to. Besides, using his lips on you and your body is his…favorite experiment ;)

Banjou Ryuga

Kisses with Ryuga are simply fiery, threatening to burn you to a crisp. He lost Kasumi after all, and he doesn’t want to lose this sort of sensation again. He cherishes you for as long as he possibly can in the kiss, and lets you know exactly how much you mean to him. He doesn’t really hide his affections he has for you, why would he? He loves you, is proud of you, and will show you off to everyone that asks. If anything, it’s a sensation that will devour you whole. A dragon keeping a close eye on his treasure and never letting it out of sight. He cherishes you and loves you, and it’s oh so evident in the way he kisses. It’s fire licking at your lips, asking for the most gentle of permission to enter your cavern and lavish affection upon you as you deserve.

Public affection is something he isn’t shy about. Why would he care?? He’s just so in love with you that it threatens to burn him from the inside out if he doesn’t show it to you at least once. Sure there are moments when he gets embarrassed and bright red but those are the best of times to make Ryuga flushed and whatnot. He’s dumb and stupid but he’s your fucking idiot. He’s the type of person that will always kiss you whenever he can get a brief moment…even if it’s just quick pecks on the lips or cheeks. Actually, he likes these quick pecks. They’re like good luck charms, truth be told.

Like Sento, Ryuga will also get a weeee bit (read: V E R Y) pouty whenever you don’t kiss him at certain intervals of the day. However, it’s a lot more audible than Sento’s and it’s hella fucking obvious. He’ll like whine and pout and stick close to you, wanting to tell you that he wants a kiss but never saying it until the last second because people are watching and he doesn’t wanna say it because he’s kinda tsuntsun and is just waiting for you to get the damn hint. This is why, I’m saying this now, this is the best time to tease him and test his short temper. Because the payout is so fucking good because if you don’t give him what he wants he’ll just…take it. He’ll grab you by your shoulders and just slam your lips together and when you two part he’s face is red and just grumbling out, “Damn it, just take the hint and kiss me already.”

Kiss his hands and the scars upon his body. As a former pro-boxer, there are some scars and welts upon his fists that never really faded. To be honest, his hands are sort of numb because of all the punching and it’s hard for him to feel things sometimes. He’s used to hitting things with his fists so it deafened his nerves so the kisses to his hands are the best. It’s kind of a placebo effect, healing and regaining his nerves but if anything…it just makes him giddy. It’s like a barely felt sensation and sometimes Ryuga won’t even notice that you’ve kissed his fingers or knuckles or hands until he physically sees you do it. He’ll flush and grumble, complaining that you don’t need to kiss him there but he doesn’t make any movements to move away.

It’s the everyday kisses that make Ryuga happy. The kisses when you wake up in the morning to greet with, the kisses you two share in like a hallway when no one is watching, the kisses as greetings, the kisses as goodbyes. It’s the normalcy that he wants to return to before everything went to fucking shit. It’s the simple kisses that Ryuga adores the most; the ones where you two are just in a world that belongs to the two of you and just….take in each other’s presence and savor it for all of time. Ryuga’s kisses are embers at these moments, could burnt into flame but are just simply content to give you a gentle warmth of his love.

[inazumaeveryday]

Day 14

At home

Kidou: Good morning, mar.

Raimon has their match against Shuuyou Meito today.

I won’t be going to watch, though. There are more important things tomorrow I need to prepare for.

mar: (More important things…?)

Option 1

mar: Do you have another party?

Kidou: No, it’s not a party. We have tests tomorrow, remember?

Option 2

mar: Do you mean the tests?

Kidou: Yeah. We have tests tomorrow.

Kidou: We’ve been going out to watch matches a lot recently, so…

For your sake as well, I just thought we’d focus on school today.

There’s a new wind blowing over at Raimon.

As they are now, I’m sure they’ll see through Shuuyou Meito’s tricks.

There’s no way they’d lose to a team like that, even without Gouenji.

*

Kidou: Every morning, I do a quick review of what I studied the night before.

I need to make the best use of my time and study as efficiently as I can.

Breakfast

Kidou: There are a lot of foods that help improve memory.

Hakamada always includes a few of them in the meals he prepares for me when I have a test coming up.

Kidou’s room

Kidou: I should probably bring a new notebook…

mar, do you need one too?

In the car

Kidou: Here, mar. You can read this.

They’re test prep notes I put together for you.

Morning practice

Kidou: We might have tests soon, but that sort of thing doesn’t take priority over Teikoku's soccer club activities.

We’ll have morning practice just like always.

At school

Class (English)

Kidou: Today’s English conversation class is about English accents and dialects…

It feels like an entirely new language.

Break

Banjou: Hmm… Yes, this is correct.

Sakiyama: Alright, awesome!! Now, the next question…

Henmi: (grumbling) Ahhh, damn it…

Jimon: I’ll review this too just in case…

Gojou: Kukuku… It’s almost too easy.

Oono: ACK—!! I got one question wrong!!

mar: (Everyone’s studying during breaks too…)

Option 1

mar: You guys don’t study together?

Kidou: Of course not.

Option 2

mar: Woah, everyone’s so serious about this…!

Kidou: It’s always like that before a test.

Kidou: Teikoku’s soccer club doesn’t only value a player’s ability to play well. You also have to get excellent grades to qualify for a spot on the starting lineup.

Kidou: We regulars might be teammates usually, but when it comes to tests, we’re all rivals, defending our spot on the team.

A lot of people in the club want a chance to play in matches, too. Playing well doesn’t guarantee we won’t get kicked off the team and replaced by someone else if our grades fall.

This is your first time taking tests at Teikoku, right? Do you think you could make it into the top 30?

*

Kidou: Everyone’s focused on studying even during breaks.

Keep working hard as well, mar.

Class (English)

Kidou: It can be a little hard to understand English slang and dialects…

That’s why it’s important to keep studying and keep an eye out for unfamiliar words whenever you’re reading in English.

Break

Kidou: In both soccer and school, you’re the type who keeps working at something steadily, right, Jimon?

Jimon: Well, I just don’t like having to rush it at the last minute.

Kidou: Heh… Same here.

Class (science)

Kidou: The universe really is endlessly vast.

Who knows what’s out there. Maybe one day I’ll even get to play soccer with aliens…

Break

Genda: I’m not particularly worried about Kidou, but what about you, mar? How do you feel about the tests?

Kidou: mar’s aiming for the top 30.

Genda: Wait, that means they need to score higher than 90 points in every subject, right…?

Alright, bring it on! I won’t lose to you!

Class (math)

Kidou: So this is a scholar who dedicated his entire life to mathematics…

We’re kind of similar. I suppose I’ve also dedicated my life to soccer so far.

Lunch

Sakuma: Hmm…

Genda: Hm, so…

Kidou: You guys… Won’t you stop studying and focus on your lunch?

Genda: Oh, sorry, you’re right.

Sakuma: Kidou’s pretty strict about manners, eh…

Lunch break

Kidou: …Ah, someone’s calling me.

…Oh, it’s you, Domon. How did the match go?

Oh, so Raimon won. Speaking of Raimon, how’s their training going at the Inabikari center?

Kidou: Hm? You want to meet up and talk about it in person?

Sure, I’ll see you there later.

Kidou: Domon sounded weirdly serious… I wonder what’s going on with him?

Genda and Sakuma join the conversation.

Kidou: Oh, Genda, Sakuma. I just heard that Raimon won their match against Shuuyou Meito.

Genda: So they really did win, huh…

Sakuma: Even though they were a team of nobodies just the other day…

Kidou: I think I might have been hoping for this, personally… I’m looking forward to playing against Raimon in the finals.

Oh, that’s right. I’ve got something to do today, so I won’t be able to come to practice…

I’m counting on you to lead the team while I’m gone.

Genda: No problem, leave it to me.

*

Kidou: Lunch break is a lot quieter than usual today…

I’m guessing a lot of people finished their lunch quickly to get back to studying.

Class (art)

Kidou: Ugh, I had no idea art class could be so tiring…

Phew… Being a model is unexpectedly hard work…

Break

Henmi: Excuse me, Kidou-san! Pleaase help me! I just can’t figure out this problem at all…

Kidou: Shouldn’t you ask the teacher about things like this?

Henmi: Please, I just barely made it last time! I can feel my spot on the team slipping away~!

Kidou: ………….

Well, when you put it that way… I can’t refuse, can I? Alright, let me see that problem.

Class (Japanese)

Kidou: I can read books in a very short time if I use speed-reading techniques, but…

I’ll take my time with the classics.

Break

Kidou: Every teacher has their own quirks.

If you pay attention, you’ll get some hints about the subject of the test.

Class (social studies)

Kidou: The use of soccer in politics, hmm…

Can the results of a soccer match sway public sentiment and even move a country?

In the car

Kidou: If it’s something that he can’t talk about on the phone…

Did Domon make some kind of mistake when collecting data about the training center…?

Raimon

Kidou: So, where’s the data about the Inabikari training center?

Domon: …I don’t have it yet.

Kidou: Then why did you call me here?

Domon: Kidou-san, are you serious about this?

I think this is going way too far… I mean, tampering with the bus, really?!

Kidou: What did you say…?

Domon: I knew it. Kidou-san, you had no idea about this either, did you?

Is this really the way Teikoku does things?

What the hell is the commander thinking…?!

Kidou: …………

Domon: I can’t keep going along with it anymore. This is just plain wrong! Does the commander want to win that badly?! He’s taking it way too far!

Kidou: That’s enough.

We’re not allowed to criticize the commander.

Domon: But—!

???: Onii-chan!

Kidou: !

Otonashi: Did you come here to spy on Raimon?

Kidou: …………

Kidou tries to leave.

Otonashi: Wait a minute!

Kidou: …Let go!

We’re not supposed to see each other.

Otonashi: !

Domon: Otonashi and Kidou-san are siblings…!?

In town

Kidou: mar, sorry if I surprised you.

I just can’t talk to her right now…

Anyway, I’m more concerned about what Domon said earlier.

Let’s go ask the commander about it directly.

In the car

Kidou: Tampering with Raimon’s bus…

Did the commander really give orders to do that…?

Kageyama’s office

Kageyama: You’ve become quite daring, haven’t you? Actually coming to me to give your opinion…

Kidou: No, it’s not an opinion…

Kageyama: Then I take it this is criticism?

You don’t agree with what Fuyukai is doing, right?

But don’t worry. I never gave him orders to tamper with that bus.

What I told him to do was only to prevent Raimon from entering the finals.

Heheheheh.

Kidou: You didn’t have to do that either…

Kageyama: Are you telling me that you can win?

Can you assure me that you’re a hundred percent certain that you can beat them? Can you?!

Kidou: !

Kageyama: Let me tell you something, Kidou.

A brilliant commander ensures that his team has already won before the match even starts.

You just keep doing as I say. You don’t need to worry about anything else.

Kidou: …………

Hallway

Kidou: We don’t need to do all that… We can win on our own…!

But the commander still…

In the car

Kidou: …………

At home

Kidou: …………

In the bath

Kidou: Win before the match has even started…?

So anything goes if it’s for the sake of winning…?

Dinner

Kidou: …………

Hakamada: Yuuto-sama, you haven’t touched your plate for quite some time…

Is everything alright…?

Kidou: Sorry, I was just thinking…

I’m fine, don’t worry.

Kingcraft lessons

Kyougoku: …Hm. You are unusually distracted from our lesson today.

Kidou: I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about something…

Kyougoku: …If you are having trouble with something, think of it as an opportunity to grow instead.

I know you well, Yuuto-san. I am sure you will get through this.

So try not to be too hard on yourself.

Kidou: Yes… Thank you very much.

Later

Kidou: …………

…………

mar: (Yuuto-kun… He hasn’t said a word since…)

Option 1

mar: So you had a sister, huh? I had no idea!

Kidou: Ah, yeah…

Option 2

mar: Commander Kageyama’s awful! He’s a terrible person!

Kidou: …………

Kidou: Sigh… I guess I’ve got some explaining to do. I don’t even know where to start…

The truth is, I have a sister... You saw her today.

We live apart from each other for… reasons. But I’ve been trying to bring us back together into the Kidou family.

I made a deal with my father for that reason… He promised to adopt her if I could win the Football Frontier for three years in a row.

The commander’s dream of Teikoku staying undefeated coincides with mine. That’s why I have to keep winning…!

But not this way…

…………

*

Kidou: I should probably go to bed now…

Goodnight, mar…

At night

Kidou: Haruna…

[cubedmango]

hi it's kr anon again - first off, happy holidays (if you celebrate/d any of them) and happy new year! (with the bonus of 2024 being the year of the dragon after 2023 was the year of the rabbit, just like with build's two leads 🐇🐉❤️)

and aw it's fine, i'm just happy to know you've continued watching the show, regardless of the gap in time, and well, better late than never right dkwjfnks

and ofc i understand getting sucked into other media interests too, i'm glad you seem to be having fun with your pokemon stuff as well so no worries there <3 but yeah "what the fuck is going on???" truly is the build experience once the plot twists and reveals really hit the ground and get going 😭 [1/?]

(rest below)

ah okay that's what i thought the spoiler you saw was about too (which is why i said to watch eps. 13-16 asap bc i knew you'd be in for a treat, if an angsty one), but i'm glad to see it didn't ruin the whole thing for you in the end jgjdfknvs. that was in fact one of the first things i got spoiled for as well getting into build (thanks wikipedia character descriptions), but i also didn't realize until later on that it would get revealed that early, but from what i now know and have seen of the later plot, it makes sense that they wouldn't drag that part out for too long, and in time you'll see for yourself too 👁️👁️ but yeah literallyyy that had got to be top 10 anime betrayals... like just. the apparent bald-faced lying to the rest of the gang, especially to sento and misora, with that whole convo in ep. 13 between him and sento where the latter was already suspicious of isurugi after his call with nabeshima and he asked about stuff like isurugi's supposed part-time job ("kinda hard to tell which is your main gig"... god if you'd only known just how right you were in that moment sento), and they ended up reminiscing the good old days from when sento was first brought to nascita and how he first transformed into build and became a hero bc isurugi asked him to lend them his strength, and then isurugi said he basically considered them a family now and an eavesdropping misora also smiled at the thought... oof. ouch. and it's even more painful when you consider that isurugi had seemingly been cleared of suspicion already in like ep. 4 or 5 after sento found the panel from pandora's box hidden in the basement wall and interrogated him over it, only for the show to turn around and go "sike! it's actually even worse than you thought!" several episodes later 😭😭 [2/?]

and like. it really worsens so many things in hindsight you know? remember when isurugi claimed he arrived barely in time to save sento from the poison stalk hit him with and to bring him home to nascita at the end of ep. 3 and the beginning of ep. 4... lol. gaslight gatekeep girlboss king who lives for lying straight out his ass. ofc that whole convo between isurugi and banjou where the former tried to get the latter to understand sento's mindset (similar to some of the later convos between misora and banjou) and sento being the way he is bc he was trying to be the kind of person he hoped his past self was, but that he was also carrying a kind of loneliness the rest of them couldn't imagine or something like that (the very same scene i remember you shared screenshots of before)... like wow the reason isurugi himself understood sento's issues so well is bc he's the one who put him in that situation in the first place. then there's stalk suggesting to gentoku after that fight they had in the forest that if he were in gentoku's position, he would use 'someone with no ties to the government' (basically implying sento as build) to retrieve pandora's box the way stalk himself had already been using and stringing along sento. and like basically how well stalk was able to manipulate and predict pretty much every single move on sento and co.'s part ("just according to keikaku" moment) bc he was right there watching them at home all along... godddd. like talk about one hell of a mastermind 😞 (on a less related but funny note: i think it was from an earlier episode but i can never forget that time isurugi told sento "you know i don't eat pasta and i'm too scared to use bidets, right?" bc what even could have been the context for the latter... and was that even a genuine fear of his or was he faking that too all along? 😭) [3/?]

and the way one could see the suspenseful build-up in sento's suspicions of isurugi throughout ep. 13, e.g. bc of how stalk could predict the styles of and find ways to counter all his forms except for the latest one, octopuslight, that he developed without isurugi's knowledge, and then how stalk made his escape without putting up more of a fight; how isurugi was conveniently absent from nascita right after that very fight (basically that meme like "have you ever seen isurugi souichi and blood stalk in the same room? no? exactly"); how isurugi's talk about being a family with sento was already being belied by how he was no longer around to welcome sento home anymore unlike the early days, but misora was the one to greet sento in her dad's stead after having been so worried about him willingly walking into a trap earlier, indicating that she was sento's real family (also: academy award to isurugi for the way he acted all surprised seeing pandora's box in the nascita basement honestly 😭). and just the very fact that the gang suspected for a period of time that katsuragi was stalk, only for the truth of both their identities to be way more gut-wrenching... 😔 however, even amidst the pain of the betrayal, it was definitely one of sento's smartest moves so far to already plan ahead re: the fake bottles to trick stalk (and nanba), so good on sento for getting a genuine w this time that wasn't pre-approved by stalk/isurugi 🙏🏼 (also shoutout to those little flags popping out of the fake bottles with a mischievous-looking chibi sento drawn on them hehe)

and ofc the second confrontation between the two in ep. 14 was very well-done (although when i saw that isurugi was calling sento for the first time after the reveal, i felt very "block his number already dude" hdqkajgfs), like the way isurugi purposely asked to meet with sento in the alley where he'd found him like some kind of taunt and how it was raining just like that first day; sento asking if isurugi had always just been pretending with him, banjou, and misora all along and isurugi responding that not everything was a lie bc they'd actually impressed him sometimes and he'd feel bad for tricking them; sento genuinely getting choked up and angry and telling isurugi to stop joking around... then when both of them threw their umbrellas to the side so they could transform, but it was all out-of-focus, and the sound design in that scene so one could only hear the heavy rain and not the usual jingles made it feel like the truly somber, serious moment it was and how afterwards neither moved for a while, with sento in particular seemingly frozen, hesitant to make the first move in attacking isurugi/stalk... man they got me good there 💔😭 [4/?]

and the way sento soon got overwhelmed during the fight and stopped defending himself as he flashed back to all the times he thought isurugi had been helping or looking out for him, and then stalk took advantage of that to beat him up and he then detransformed and fell over 😭 then when sento said "i can't do it... of course i can't do it...! the person who made me who i am... it was you! thanks to you, i was able to keep a hold of my humanity. i believed in you! you saved me! and now... how could i beat you?!" like dude that really is fucked up as hell. bc god did isurugi literally make him as a person, right down to giving him his name - and since 'sento' means 'rabbit tank' like build's base form, it's now recontextualized as isurugi doing the whole 'naming your gun "gun"' thing huh 😭😭😭 but man i'm pretty sure this is one of the first scenes in the show that i genuinely teared up at, bc i could feel how genuine the heartbreak was 💔💔💔 (and ofc credit to the writer, director, actors, etc. for pulling those scenes off so well that even though i already knew they were coming, they still hit me bad watching those episodes the first time 😭) the additional reveal though that isurugi was primarily just trying to get misora to purify more bottles bc she wouldn't have done so otherwise after discovering what faust wanted to do with them (like what she told banjou earlier) and that's why he came up with that elaborate and convoluted scheme that involved sento 'playing' build... can 'fucked up' even begin to describe this shit too? [5/?]

but well said fucked up revelation did lead to sento's very inspirational speech afterwards about how the ideals of justice that he and banjou believed in hadn't been an illusion and so even if isurugi had been manipulating him the entire time, he still needed to protect what was important to him and that's why he had to beat isurugi, so thanks for that ig cobra man? 😭 and ofc there was the unveiling of sento's first major power-up form, rabbittank sparkling, which yes, everyone has had their time affectionately making fun of for basically being pepsiman (though that was definitely on purpose on toei/bandai's part since there was even a joke sorta referencing that in hei gen final that i remember from the first several minutes i've watched of the movie), but in all seriousness, it's cool that it essentially represents sento reclaiming build's power for himself away from stalk's use of it and him 🥹 and hope you'll also enjoy seeing the rest of his (and banjou's and the other riders' too) power-ups, most of them are just as neat and symbolize more significant points in their character development 👀 [6/?]

also dw, the questions you brought up re: the reveals from ep. 15 will be (mostly) explained by the next episode lol. speaking of gentoku, it's kinda funny to see that he and isurugi/stalk are kinda divorced now bc the latter's hooked up (lol) with nanba (old man yaoi... i'm sorry djfkhwcs), but like 1 episode later, they're back to being begrudging allies before isurugi does some shit that pisses off gentoku again lmao. but also agh the stuff with misora and her dad in this episode... like if the sento and isurugi stuff wasn't already a shot to the heart, this one almost shatters the whole thing 😔 the way it started off with misora saying "dad... when he gets back, he's in for a shock" re: the government raiding nascita for the box and then the look of guilt on sento's face, and when she did end up confronting isurugi later on, you could see that even she was suspecting already that he might have been up to something terrible due to his whole disappearing act, but said she was ready to accept the truth of it, and how it appeared like he might actually do as she asked, especially when he did admit he hadn't been honest about the part-time job, but ofc he ended up lying to her again, using the coffee growing thing as a poor excuse :/

then misora acted like she accepted the explanation and she was now all fine and relieved about it, but then it was clear that she continued to sense something was off, even if she couldn't seem to tell exactly what, highlighted by her only starting to cry and falling to her knees as she broke down sobbing after her dad left :( and when she told him, "even though a lot of scary stuff has happened... all i can think of is that time you didn't flinch at all even though you'd just bonked your head on the door, or when you'd tell terrible jokes, or when you'd laugh too loud. the fun stuff is what comes to mind first. that's why i think, no matter what happens now, i will treasure those moments forever. so... thank you." the dramatic fucking irony of it all... a bullet to the head would be less painful at this point build T_T and isurugi didn't even do the bare minimum of like pretending to comfort her by hugging her before he left... give my girl a real hug 2k24!! (or 2k17 might be more appropriate, since that was the year this aired) [7/?]

(also you can really tell isurugi's in evil mode now huh bc he's totally dropped the porkpie hat, glasses, and apron look which had made him look like a goofy and eccentric but still lovable uncle type of person lmao) though overall idk if i would have actually been able to predict both the blood stalk and katsuragi twists if i had gone into the show blind like you, but since i did watch it with that knowledge already, i was able to spot the hints and moments of foreshadowing and damn some of them were pretty obvious with hindsight (e.g. isurugi being absent from nascita shortly after fights with or scenes showing stalk, the close-up on the coffee beans at the end of ep. 12 after sento's call with nabeshima during which the latter revealed stalk's identity, sento being brought to tears by mrs. katsuragi's omelettes for a seemingly inexplicable reason, sento having the same hairstyle as katsuragi but not satou tarou, the fact that sento was a scientist like katsuragi but showed no inclination whatsoever towards music like satou) (also: ngl that shot in ep. 15 where sento in rabbittank sparkling form jumps up then kicks gentoku into the wall and he lands on the ground and slowly stands up with the fire from the explosion blazing behind him was sick as hell... build can really deliver aesthetically too 🙏🏼) [8/?]

kwjekgafs yeah that pantomiming scene between sento and banjou while misora and sawa were freaking out over the date thing in the background was truly some peak build humor in that a-bit-weird-but-it-works kind of way, and i'm also obsessed with the implications of sento and banjou apparently knowing each other well enough by that point that they could already communicate using their own sign language like that 😭 also the concept of dumbass gym bro banjou who is very amenable to bribes of protein >>> plus that romantic sparkles filter when banjou officially 'asked out' misora and then him having to drag her out bc she became woozy from not being mentally prepared... lol (though that makes me wonder if banjou did actually get his protein (plus banana?) in the end... hopefully sento remembered to do so in between eps. 14 and 15 or something kjfeshcds) [9/?]

also some other standout comedic and/or cute moments to me from this batch of episodes: when they tried to lure sento out of the basement with the smell of his favorite food like a cat and it actually worked; banjou putting 2 fingers to his temple to show how seriously he was mulling things over even though sawa only used 1 in reaction to misora saying it would be weird for katsuragi to be stalk and thus be supposedly the mastermind behind his own 'murder'; sawa reacting in embarrassment and covering her ears when sento said that surely a spy like her would know how to get into nanba's facility despite it supposedly being secure; banjou's delivery guy (i think?) disguise for his and sento's scheme to enter nanba's facility; banjou then getting in sento's way after they simultaneously transformed and were about to run in and sento unceremoniously smacking his head to shove him away; "get a move on already!" "these fingers are thick! it's hard to type!" "use your pinky, man! the pinky!" and the fact that banjou's tip actually worked (but tbh, i did like that moment for showing that while sento is normally the genius and banjou the dumbass, sometimes the latter can just use his common sense for things that the former may overlook or overthink); banjou subsequently trying to break down the door when the code sento typed in didn't work, sento covering banjou's face and saying "stop trying to solve every problem with brute force!", and banjou going "hey, i can't see! i can't see!"; "so you opened the vault just to tell us that?"; the fact that they just apparently covered something as valuable as pandora's box in bubble wrap on their way home from the facility (also sento being all like "i'm like dropping hints that i think owner is blood stalk" "i think owner is blood stalk" during his convo with banjou); and sento, banjou, and misora using the cash register money to buy a fancy dinner for themselves (and you could even see they put u-tan at the table with them lol) and isurugi acting all bewildered and exasperated over it also it was a very brief scene immediately overshadowed by isurugi's theft of the box and the bottles but it was cute seeing misora and banjou asleep, with the latter being partly under the kotatsu and hugging u-tan (i think it's the security stuffed animal for the nascita main trio atp), though that does beg the question as to where sento and isurugi normally sleep too (but also like how was isurugi so careless as to not check that sento was actually asleep that night... i mean i guess that was kinda the point that he underestimated sento after having had him fooled for so long, but. still); the fact that isurugi used a karakusa-pattern (i'm suddenly reminded of the faradays from aa lol) bag to hold the box and the bottles as if practically screaming to the world that he was a thief; "why do i have to run while doing the introduction?!"; the fact that even isurugi got exhausted from running and had to stop and sit on the ground while he and sento talked it out but also the audacity he had to even try asking sento to forget what he did; that "no misoras allowed" sign on the fridge door and an annoyed misora deciding to go to sleep right there and then on the counter (even if the context was decidedly angsty); that whole sequence with sento using poor banjou as a guinea pig for his experiments with the bottles for the power-up item while he hid behind a metal shield the entire time even when shit exploded and sent banjou flying backwards or even electrocuted him; "how do you like my-" "invention? your sixth sense, on the other hand, is faulty!"; and whatever the hell banjou was supposed to be disguised as during the karaoke 'date' with misora

and this wasn't exactly meant to be funny but i like that sento explicitly said "from here on... the man i knew as isurugi souichi is dead" bc wow adbks (assigned dead by kiryuu sento); the fact that isurugi doxxed gentoku's identity as the real night rogue to sento and banjou for extra drama even though iirc gentoku didn't even appear in that episode; the ep. 15 recap where banjou asked where they would get money now that isurugi had left nascita and even sento was unable to answer, and then he tried to change the topic but banjou told him not to play dumb; sawa bonking banjou on the head with what looked like a cartoon hammer for being noisy in that secret base they were cooped up in; sento covering the entirety of the lab in equations in trying to finish the sclash driver data and banjou being covered in papers but apparently hating all of the math so much that it made him want to barf; "ain't i great? ain't i awesome? ain't i a genius? yeehee!"; sento and banjou being disguised as a doctor and nurse (?) at the hospital for their attempt to meet with gentoku's dad's guards (banjou's hair here in particular was so... help); that one scene at the hospital as well where sento was in the suit bent over and shaking his ass - when he was trying to retrieve the box i think - that was probably just the suit actor having fun messing around for a bit; gentoku angrily confronting isurugi over him not getting the box back despite their agreement and the latter said there was something really important he'd needed to pick up and then he showed off the coffee beans, and gentoku threw the container away in disgust and isurugi acted all offended + "are you trying to screw me?!" (that sure is. some choice wording, at least translation-wise) "hey, i love this jacket! quit trying to wrinkle it up, please!"; and banjou carrying an unconscious misora piggyback-style after that fight with gentoku 🥺) [10/?]

on a more serious note though, the angsty vibe during misora and banjou's second 'date' was </3, due to banjou already knowing about her dad but being unable to tell her and misora talking about how faust had been making her purify bottles at first but then she was unable to do it after a while due to her horror at learning of faust's true purposes for them, and it was a pretty sobering moment, only to be broken by the return of the 'your fly is open' gag lmao. bit of a whiplash huh and yes banjou in that scene was 🥺❤️ the way he showed up right in time to stop stalk from killing (or at least further hurting) sento, and how he's got sento's back so he readily offers to fight stalk in sento's stead, and the way he says he's now angrier at stalk for lying to sento and misora than for framing him for murder... he really is growing into a better, more selfless person and who is settling more and more into his role as sento's trusted partner augh. and whoa i didn't really think of it that way when i first watched this episode (even though i know i was the one who first brought up the ryusen-narumitsu parallels some time ago) but thank you for opening my eyes to the narumitsu-isms of that scene in particular bc like woof. it does feel similar to phoenix offering to defend edgeworth in court and to go up against mvk on edgeworth's behalf huh (though atp, sento and banjou are more genuine friends already than phoenix and edgeworth were at that point in the series but like. the vibes are still there) [12/?]

and speaking of that! now you're getting to see more and more of the edgeworth-sento comparisons i brought up before huh, plus what i mentioned about sento's identity crisis that could rival edgeworth's (though definitely sento's is a bit more extreme and fantastical in context) 👁️👁️ like in light of the big reveal, one could definitely start drawing parallels between edgeworth & mvk's relationship and sento & isurugi's re: terrible older male mentors who may not have super explicitly acted as fathers but were nonetheless father figures of sorts who took these guys in after the latter experienced a traumatic event, and who greatly molded the guys in their current careers to serve mvk and isurugi's own agendas, but both edgeworth and sento are initially unaware of that and so they just feel grateful to their new father figures until the truth comes out and then they are sent reeling and wondering if anything that they did actually mattered when they were being manipulated for so long and had played right into the older men's hands, and if they could possibly still continue being a prosecutor and a hero of justice, respectively, when those paths had been laid out for them for corrupt purposes 😔 (plus ofc there's mvk and isurugi both already having daughters who'd eventually become younger sister figures to these guys). though tbf to isurugi, he's way better at acting benevolently compared to mvk (which makes sense as the former being a bad guy is meant to be more of a genuine plot twist than the latter, and mvk's whole thing is that even though he's clearly an asshole, as long as phoenix/the player can't actually prove him guilty, he wouldn't be punished for his wrongdoings). also now i'm hoping someone else might be able to see my vision of isurugi as the sexier version of mvk 🙏🏼 djfkwrjsgas

also yep, we're getting more misora screentime but at what cost to my girl's mental health 😔 and sawa too, with her now being in on the truth about isurugi even ahead of poor misora and subsequently helping the guys out with getting info on him and the like... man so much has been happening and piling up huh. and ofc, i can only tell you to wait and see re: what's going on with sawa, but i'm 90-99% sure you'll like how things will play out for her for the most part 👍🏼 though tbh, iirc her appearances over the next few episodes in particular are sadly kinda on-again, off-again, but when she *is* given her moments to shine, she does serve well, so thank god for these few but still delicious crumbs i guess 😔 and yeah like i said before, kasumi definitely still pops up here and there even after ep. 11 (haunting the narrative and all), so at least banjou doesn't actually forget her in spite of what she told him in her letter, and as for him being able to avenge her or not, well stay tuned :-) [12/?]

and i hope you watch ep. 16 soon too bc it has one of the defining ryusen moments ever, while ep. 17 has one of my fave sento & misora rabbit sibling moments T_T and the next few episodes definitely have a lot more great (if mostly angsty) ryusen scenes, but then again, that's basically the whole show at this rate so no real surprise there lol also there's actually a funny cm/kr build tumblr post i wanted to share with you, but it makes a reference (vague but still) to the hei gen final movie which you've said you aren't planning to watch for a while yet and so you might not be able to immediately get it - i'll still link the post though just in case, so read at your own risk ig: tumblr . com/kabutoraiger/635644615155924992/i-want-adachi-and-banjou-to-swap-places-for-like-a [13/?]

and you're welcome :-) i hope my explanations didn't end up being confusing though, so if you want anything clarified, don't be afraid to ask me for it 👍🏼 and well you're right to tread cautiously re: the misogyny but also i hope i didn't permanently scare you off trying any other kr though - like i hope didn't make it sound as if most other kr seasons are super misogynistic 😭 it's more that in a franchise like this, where they have yet to even seriously consider making a woman the actual lead (i'll elaborate more on this in a while), it's (sadly) kinda expected that each season would contain some level of misogyny bc *joker voice* we live in a society and all, but usually it's like a regular amount of misogyny, and there are only a few seasons i'm told are actually that terrible towards women

in fact, there's this one particular veteran writer whom kr/toku fans have a love-hate relationship with that i had in mind for this phenomenon - toshiki inoue, bc i've heard he can write some pretty banger concepts and characters and he does have a good grasp of the core appeal of toku after all these decades even with his known idgaf attitude towards properly integrating toy upgrades into his shows' narratives, and many people just can't help but want to tune into the batshit shenanigans he loves writing that who knows if we should truly be impressed or bewildered by or a bit both, and i've also heard even a lot of his female characters tend to be interesting and memorable on their own. but he just apparently gets caught up too often in his misogynistic tendencies to ultimately do said women justice (especially when he involves them in his classic soap operatic love dodecahedrons - like seriously almost every toku show he's been the head writer for has featured one), and to the point that his brand of homoeroticism is infamous for generally being 'so misogynistic it's gay' (and so it makes perfect sense that he was the head writer for the death note anime bc he and the mangaka tsugumi ohba sure do have major similarities on those fronts lmao). so a lot of the 'woman fails to transform bc she's a woman' stuff is apparently from his seasons (like the aforementioned kiva from before, which i meant to say aired in 2008-2009 and not 2007-2008, my bad), but i've heard a few other non-inoue seasons still pull that shit like in drive, so it's still pretty unfortunate overall :/ and ofc there's gaim, the season directly preceding drive, which was written by gen urobuchi, and while i don't remember if it pulls the 'failing to transform' trope for any of its female characters, by many accounts urobuchi's own reputed misogyny definitely still rears its head here so 😩 [14/?]

as for those that do feature well-written (or at least better than expected/usual) female characters, iirc seasons like kuuga, ooo, and fourze are still worth checking out, with kuuga in particular being considered one of, if not the peak of writing kr women in the heisei era (with some thinking that part of it is bc only the protagonist himself ever gets to be a rider, so the rest of the male and female characters who are all non-riders can be more equally balanced in their writing), which is probably an aspect of what gave it the reputation of being a classic toku masterpiece, but also sad in a way since kuuga was the very first heisei show, meaning none of the succeeding 19 shows were able to surpass its female characters' writing and well. disappointing but also not surprising 😔 in the reiwa era, so far there has definitely been more effort put into making women at least tertiary riders, but again, it doesn't automatically equate to great writing, as i've heard people complain about yua from zero-one's wasted potential (though i think part of it stems from the reduced number of episodes and other covid restrictions the last third of the show faced since it aired in 2019-2020, and thus her storyline got reduced) and people had mixed feelings on how neon from geats' arc was wrapped up. sakura from revice is probably the luckiest of them in some ways, and an aspect of that is definitely that she is the first major female character to have substantial heated drama with another woman, but her arc still suffers a bit because revice as a whole is apparently not very well-written, so sadly we still don't have a superb variety of choices here... [15/?]

and on that note, i recently learned that revice's head writer hanta kinoshita had actually actively pushed to create kr's first ever female protagonist for the show, but toei almost immediately shot him down (part of their reasoning was that they didn't want to rock the boat too much with their audiences given that japan was still slowly 'recovering' from the pandemic at the time in 2021, but still. eh), and that info definitely recontextualizes why sakura was written like that, like to the point that some did feel she was a far more compelling character than the protagonist and her older brother ikki. even if revice overall may not have been fantastic or something, i still have to give some credit to kinoshita for even trying in the first place and for exerting way more effort with his women than like 90% of kr's other writers to date you know? and oh for sure i understand that you want to reserve the movies for after finishing your main series viewing, so go ahead :-) and hope you'll continue to enjoy the twists and developments! build certainly is one wild (if still generally coherent at least) ride, i can say for sure 😳 and that's also understandable, i myself plan on watching the cm anime at some point (but only probably after all the episodes are out and not while it's still airing), and may you have fun watching it too 👍🏼 [16/?]

aw it's always neat to see the media creators we like have their own interests and hobbies which they feel comfortable enough sharing with the rest of us, especially if it's something we like already or something we're about to get hooked by, and ig the cm mangaka is no exception to that :-) and well since you're past ep. 15 already, you'll definitely be meeting the parasocial guy soon, so good luck lol. and i didn't know that she generally kept up with the cm j-drama's actors' filmographies (bc i thought that maybe her watching build was the exception due to it being a popular toku show, like i'm definitely not as familiar with her as you are) but it's cool that she's generally known for being enthusiastically supportive :') actually, i kinda slowed down in my viewing pace again since i sent you my last batch of messages, partly due to family matters, so i'm unfortunately still stuck in the early episode 40's and can't fully judge yet if i agree with the assessment that the plot kinda stumbled here 😔 but one of the latest episodes i watched did have a scene that's now in my top 5 ryusen moments and it's just. gah. shogo muto what do you want from me 😭 also this character development i'm seeing for [redacted] is 🥺... they've truly come so far 🥲 and we're definitely delving more into sento's past now, and i think i like most of how it's been handled so far, so 👍🏼 [17/?]

but yeah it's unfortunate re: what happened, and given the circumstances, the fact that the show still generally stuck the landing is commendable, but regardless. that won't stop one from imagining alternate realities where the staff had been able to actually execute the storylines they'd planned, and how much of the show's flaws would have been genuinely improved by that you know? and that reminds me, since you got to that point already, i'm just gonna reveal that one of the actors who got sick and wasn't able to return to the show was mrs. katsuragi's, so yeah we're sadly not getting a more in-depth exploration of her relationship with her son(s) after eps. 7-8 😔 rest assured that they don't kill her off in-universe though and they still do mention her at times, and while i don't think she was ever really planned to have a major role in the story, it's highly likely that muto did at least want her to meet with sento again, even if just once, so that's kinda bittersweet in hindsight. oh well, what's done's done, but yeah and since i'm still not yet done with the show, i'll just say i'm planning to finally finish hei gen final and then watch be the one in between eps. 45 and 46 since that's when the latter is supposed to take place anyway, and then i'll only watch the stageplay and hei gen forever after the finale. and i wasn't really interested in them before, but it looks like i'll probably be watching most if not all of the webseries and other specials at some point too bc i discovered that a lot of the stuff i saw in gifsets and videos in build's tumblr tags are from those, and in general there's extra content of characters like misora even if it's not really plot-relevant and are sometimes of questionable quality (especially the adult-oriented specials which i've heard can get pretty brutal for seemingly no reason other than the staff having the freedom to put those more 'mature' scenes in 😬) so yeah, i'll take whatever i can get [18/?]

so yeah in light of that, i still can't give you my actual thoughts on the ending, but i am certainly very excited to get to it bc i just know it will emotionally wreck me in the best way based on everything i've heard 😁 and like i've said before, good luck and have fun with the rest of the series! ❤️ and well if you ever decide to actually go through with your ideas for build fanart, i just know you'd be able to cook up some crazy good ones, so looking forward to those in that case 🙏🏼 and ofc feel free to doodle to your heart's content with whatever references you might like to use - though you don't have to share those on here if you want, especially if you'd prefer to post the full/finished drawings later on instead 👍🏼 and hope you did have a great 24th birthday then with your loved ones, and til next time! 😊🎉 [19/19]

hello again, just some more updates from kr anon: i have the viewing pace of a turtle, so i only just finished watching be the one after finishing ep. 45 of the main show (i know i previously said i was planning to finish hei gen final before getting to be the one, but i was too impatient to see the ryusen agenda in the latter so i decided to skip the former for now and just go back to it once i complete the entire show, along with watching the stageplay, hei gen forever, etc.) 😅 but boy did the movie deliver on that agenda (as well as showing how much sento loves his friends and family in general and his continued dedication to heroism against all odds 🥹), and obviously i shouldn't spoil anything but let me just mention that there's a rain scene set to a music box rendition of the show's theme song and it's just... extremely tender and romantic 🥺 like wow muto and kazuya kamihoriuchi (the director) probably ascended to another plane of reality while making this movie man 😭 and the plot may not necessarily be the most solid bc they were probably trying to make sure it wouldn't tie back too much to the main story, but the emotional core is there and that's what really matters <3 (and there was also plenty of gorgeous cinematography/visuals and cool fight scenes, etc., plus an obligatory teaser cameo for the protagonist of the next season zi-o) [1/4]

as for eps. 40-45 and my own thoughts on how they handled the arc there - now i can say that i do agree with those other fans about it feeling weaker compared to a lot of the previous arcs, and there were some moments that came off as pretty sloppily written to me and which even frustrated me ngl. however i still didn't hate it as a whole, and whatever annoyances i felt were not enough to be a dealbreaker for me to stop watching - i just think there were aspects which could have been better handled. and don't let that discourage you either, because there *were* still a lot of stuff from these episodes that i did like/love, especially the found family/friendship + ryusen moments and the goofy scenes involving a certain character and their quirks (and it was technically in an earlier episode that it debuted, but i also liked seeing what i consider sento/build's best and most visually pleasing power-up form in action in this batch of episodes), and ofc you might enjoy it more than i did due to differing perspectives and all, like maybe there were even more positive elements i ended up overlooking that you'll appreciate it did leave me wondering though if some arcs in the show's last third got shuffled around, and just how much did certain parts of the story truly get reworked to accommodate those sick actors' absence, among other possible production issues and factors like the toy upgrade schedule, bc although i do think muto generally did his best to smooth over things to continue making the narrative feel as cohesive as possible, i could still sense some of the gaps so hmm... but again, don't feel too discouraged, as you can pass your own judgment once you get to this part, so don't take me as the end-all, be-all critic of everything in this series 👍🏼 [2/4]

anyway some (non-spoilery ofc, or spoilers only up to the parts i know you've seen) build tumblr posts i think you'd like (sorry most of these are from the same user, but well they're really good and funny): tumblr . com/gojurt/697131236415684608 & tumblr . com/gojurt/706925590203301888/was-reminded-of-the-ryusen-blingee-i-didnt-post & tumblr . com/gojurt/696688485489360896/kamen-rider-build-impression-sento-banjo-we-need & tumblr . com/pleuvoire/654578565791285248 plus some ryusen fanart: tumblr . com/marialagidyne/701322016120242176/drawn-05092022-i-also-had-to-draw-this-out-before & tumblr . com/shadents/165364572298/cant-get-over-each-time-ryuuga-shrieked-because + this post featuring some promotional images for the show: tumblr . com/t-u-i-t-c/727115932819980288/tokuvn-kamen-rider-build-character-book-no0 + some cute bonus merch: tumblr . com/r4bbitdragon/694409740645777408/anyways-for-builds-5th-anni-behold-these-kicks and there's another ryusen fmv i discovered, though it's best watched once you're done with the show + be the one since it contains spoilers for those: tumblr . com/shirleyjakcson/654666138019594240/i-dont-know-about-this-power-of-science-stuff-you [3/4]

also i know you're probably more into the cm anime atm, so no pressure re: continuing your build watch or replying to me rn if you're not yet in the mood - just hope you're loving the anime so far <3 like i said before, i'll probably watch the anime too but only after all the episodes have aired bc i don't have the patience for weekly watching rn so yeah 😔 anyway, by the time i share my next updates, hopefully i'll have actually been done with the whole show and the main extra material and thus i'll be able to do a fuller review (non-spoilery as well ofc in case you're still not done) of build for you, so i'm looking forward to that :-) [4/4]

kr anon i return!!!! a super super late happy holidays and happy new year to u too, i hope ur jan has been going well (unlike mine, i fell sick earlier 😭) and that uve been enjoying the show if uve continued watching those last few eps and the extra content 👀

yeag the cm anime brainrot got to me as expected (it is. So good already ougghh) so i didnt end up watching as many eps of build but i did manage to catch up to ep20 (forgor to take screenshots this time orz) and girl What the Fuck are these Plot Twists its like being slapped across the face every ep whay. is going on .??????? theres a whole another amnesiac kamen rider (which makes me wonder if the 3rd section of the country also has one of their own) AND theres even more bottles AND banjou + sento both got extremely concerning upgrades AND utsumi is alive AND misora has healing??????????????

speaking of the new guy i see what you meant about the parasociality now tho so far im. honestly kinda finding it funny like imagine signing up to fight these other ppl but ur fav idol is on their side so u let them go like kjkjgdf??? but his deal is intriguing so far w him having memory loss too and the other guys basically being one bad punch away from dying too.......... (also idk why but his actors face looks familiar to me tho i dont rlly rember seeing him in any show before........i dont wanna look up anything rn so guess ill find out later jgjfd)

but god. the fambly moments theyre tearing me apart like the sento-misora-banjou cycle of doing all they can for each others sake im Sick? Im Sick????? sento and misora being called each others only family IM SICK???????? banjou wanting to stop the war for sentos sake I AM SO SICK??????????????? what was up with that gay ass ryusen flashback montage at the end of ep20 what do they want from me . why show me that before making them fight AGAIN like i am So worried abt the next ep u dont even know 😭 also def seeing what u mean abt the sento and edgeworth parallels now good LORD the identity crisis is real out here.?? like going from being an amnesiac -> potential murderer -> guy who made the manmade horrors can he catch a break holy shit

also obligatory sawa mention bc i am so obsessed w her shes So cool . literally carrying the team tbh like where would they be without her and her car !!!! rlly excited to see where things are gonna go w her from here on too aaaahhh

seeing ur comments abt the eps from 40 onwards carefully........ honestly im kind of used to medias w suddenly declining quality nearing the end by now so if u hadnt explained what happened w the crew and stuff i still honestly wouldnt have been super surprised but given the circumstances it sounds like they handled the whole thing a lot better than just doing the bare minimum to get the show over and done with (which is the brand of endings ive seen too much of) but yea im still looking forward to getting to those last few eps! still a while for me to go tho i gotta survive the whiplash of these current eps rn 😔

and dw im not put off from trying any of the other kr shows or anything afjdhsjfdhf tbf the misogyny in the writing sounds veeery typical so again nothing im not already used to seeing unfortunately,, just sucks that in such a long running franchise theres still so much pushback from studio higher ups against having women in the lead or getting them properly written but alas . we rlly do live in a society...... maybe in the next kr show after the one thats airing rn (<-has no idea what the one airing rn even is)

anyway!!! if uve finished the show by now then lmk what u thought im super curious abt ur opinion akfjkdjf i am trusting whatever u say u are my senpai in the realm of kr....... i will try to speed up my watching too tho uhhhh tsukutabe s2 is also starting now so ummmmmm . the combo of that and cm might be holding me back for a while im sory-

[spatio-rift]

love the different ways teikoku addresses kidou and what that says abt their relationship with him... like how genda and sakuma call him just kidou and speak casually to him and of course we know theyre his best friends but jimon also talks to him in that same way showing kidous circle of close friends in teikoku might actually be a quartet including jimon even if he wasnt given a lot of screen time to show it.... sakiyama banjou henmi and domon are the same age but they use more polite speech with him and call him kidou-san showing that they admire and respect him a lot and even though theyre in the same year theres some kind of distance between them... its especially obvious with domon because hes not a starter hes “just” a benchwarmer and kidous the captain theres a line he draws that kidou doesnt necessarily want there... oono speaking more casually to him but calling him captain so its not bc hes close to him like genda sakuma jimon but more bc hes just a friendly guy u know? etc etc...

[fedzkun]

BNHA AU where everything is the same in this Villain Hunt Arc except everything is in the context of a D&D game and actions are decided by rolling a die. Izuku is the OFA Vestiges’ communal player character

First: “we come upon the villain situation that’s been tickling at Deku’s derriere—”

Fourth: (weakly) “please don’t... call Danger Sense that...”

First: “The muscular villain is in the middle of choking a high schooler to death. Roll to attack?”

Sixth: “I got a twenty.”

Yagi: *also a twenty*

Nana: “Twenty as well.”

Banjou: “Hell yeah, ditto!”

Fourth: “Before I also roll to attack, may I roll to romance the high schooler?”

First: “Roll to...huh?”

Fourth: “That’s not a ‘no’...” *rolls twice and gets twenty on both*

First: “...Deku launches a powerful and coordinated attack against the muscular villain and fucking kills at it.”

Fourth: “...and...the romance?”

First: *sighs* “He also bridal carries the high schooler, I guess.”

—

First: “Roll charisma.”

Banjou: “Twenty”

First: “Deku arrives in time and successfully de-escalates the situation, saving the mutant woman’s life. I...FOURTH NO—“

Fourth: “Roll to romance the woman—“

First: “Our character’s a kid! You can’t romance every NPC we...”

Nana: “Psst, it doesn’t have to be the grandiose kind, First.”

First: “...Okay, fine. He picks up her umbrella and holds it over her head as she cries her worries out. Then he comforts her, then asks his sidekick All Might to evacuate her to safety.”

—

Third: *stubbornly facing the wall* “Roll for... ‘We won’t share our quirks to an optimist’.”

Second: *also facing the wall* “Yeah! We want to withhold our powers until he shows further resolve against facing our greatest enemy.”

First:

First:

First, holding the die: “I would like to roll to romance.”

—

Lady Nagant: *appears*

Fourth, Banjou, Nana: “Roll to ro—“

First: “NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO ROMANCE HER”

Second: “Roll to run.”

First: “Thank you, my beloved, you’re the only...oh, you got a low roll, shit. Deku gets hit on the arm and his escape is cut off. En and Third, roll to give him advice.”

En: “I got a one.”

Third: “Also a one.”

First: “Great, great. He discards your advice like wet toilet paper and he also loses most of his inventory”

[cina-full-moon-xanadium]

I always get a bit emotional thinking about Ryuki in All Rider crossovers bc like it’s. It’s Shinji finally getting to ally with other good natured riders to fight monsters and fate. That’s all he wanted as Ryuki to get the other Riders to stop fighting each other and defend people from monsters and now in stuff like heigen forever he can just… DO that

And I kind of feel the same way about Sento in Heigen Final. He’s been the only Kamen Rider for years fighting against a government conspiracy in the shadows and now he’s not just got a friend in Banjou being Kamen Rider alongside him, he’s got a whole squad of Riders from other worlds fighting together to save the universe like… I just keep thinking of his little laugh and “this is fantastic!” after the riders all do their catchphrases at once and have a little argument about it on their bikes. The ridiculousness of it all and the beauty of the circumstances that led to it just getting to him… he’s so happy. He’s so happy

[aechteaseawb]

doing a two-parter of sento getting to meet w boys (at least that's the plan) because i have to make my own food around here. here's group overcompensating buddies

//

“So you’re Build.” says W. (“The left side”, he clarified. “Hidari Shoutarou.”) He offers Sento a cup of tea. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Mostly from Philip, my partner. He spent last night reading up on you after we got the call from Ex-Aid.”

“Kiryuu Sento.” Sento introduces himself, bowing his head politely. “It’s nice to meet you, Shoutarou-san.” He sips the tea and feels thankful that he doesn’t have to turn down another cup of coffee. Coffee makes him flinch a little, even though he knows that Evolto is gone, and so is his terrible terrible coffee.

His eyes flit from corner to corner, trying to assess the new environment. Something catches his gaze. “Is that a rider self-help pamphlet on your shelf?”

“What?” Shoutarou frowns, and turns to follow his raised finger to catch sight of the hand-made magazine sitting upright, cover facing outwards. It is titled So You’ve Just Saved The World.

“Philip!” He groans. “Why would you put it there? Yes- I know I told you I’m meeting him today- No I don’t need a riders counseling tutorial Philip.”

And this is the first time he’s meeting W, who, from what he’s heard from Ex-Aid, is kind of a Big Deal.

Experienced. was how Ex-Aid put it. And the two of them are really cool.

The two of them? Sento asked.

Despite being in the same position briefly before, the mechanics of W sound fascinating, especially since it seems to work differently from RabbitDragon. Only one half is here, but the other half is most likely listening in from their mental link formed through their driver. How that works, Sento would have to ask about later.

“Sorry about this weird audience.” Shoutarou apologizes. “We didn’t want to overwhelm you, so we sent a representative. We decided that I was better suited for, well, dealing with people. He can be a little insensitive.”

“I don’t mind.” Sento reassures, thinking about the insensitive voice living in his own head.

From his corner of the mind, Katsuragi Takumi doesn’t stir. “I’d like to meet him as well, if given the chance.”

“Oh!” Shoutarou sounds surprised, but the look on his face is undoubtedly a happy one. “He’s glad to hear that. He’s kind of concerned for you, as you can probably help with the help book.” Shoutarou says, waving his arm in the general direction of the shelf. “That aside, how are you guys doing? Anything bothering you in this world?”

It’s hard to say. The way Shoutarou phrases it is quite curious. Bothering. Because there isn't anything more severe than that anymore. Small problems bother, and stop at that.

Sento stops to think about it.

Their pipe just burst for the second time that week, and Banjou is pushing for him to get an actual repairman to fix it, as if 1. They have the extra money lying around. 2. Some random repairman could do a better job than himself, a literal genius. It’s not his fault that he’s working with very limited resources here.

Other than that, the supermarket was out of eggs this morning. Their one good umbrella broke yesterday. (Thanks, Banjou.) They are on the very real cusp of falling behind on rent.

But none of that would register as rider business, to be brought up in a rider meeting.

“We’re getting by.” He says finally, because he isn’t sure how else he should put it without sounding whiny.

“Well, if you guys need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. Riders cover a whole lot of businesses. I’m sure we can find someone who can help with pretty much most things.”

“Oh. We wouldn’t want to be a bother.” Sento ducks his head. “Besides, we should really be fixing our own problems. We did it to ourselves, after all.” Most of Sento’s problems had been caused by himself, even back when he was still Katsuragi Takumi, and all he could do was keep trying to fix each and every one of them before they could spread to someone else. Sadly, he wasn’t too good at that last part.

“Okay, okay. I hear it now.” Shoutarou sighs, and it doesn’t appear like he is addressing Sento. “Right, Sento, here’s the thing.” He says, rubbing his neck. “Whatever you’re thinking right now is your fault- there’s a high chance that it really isn’t.”

Except it is. He put everyone in danger because of the rider system. If he’d never completed it-

“So maybe it’s partially your sin,” Shoutarou continues. “But it would be bad to try to take on that burden alone. It’s too heavy for one.”

“But how am I supposed to share it? How can I hand it out to others when it’s mine?” Sento argues. How do you take something that chokes at your throat, and bare it open? How do you carry the guilt of wishing for someone to lend a hand at something that overwhelms you entirely?

“Knowing that they want to help, I suppose.” Shoutarou fiddles with the ring on his pinky. “It took me a while too.”

[pleuvoire]

it’s 4:30 am and i can’t sleep here’s my opinion on which main riders would wear a skirt or not

godai: would cheerfully wear one if there was nothing else to wear, but otherwise probably not. if he did it would be something he got gifted on his travels

tsugami: same as godai

shinji: his entire wardrobe is that of a straight man. so no

takumi: probably not he’s too closeted but if circumstances compelled him to he might secretly enjoy the lightness

kenzaki: not really. however i just had a vivid image of a wacky episodic plot involving him having to sub in at a maid cafe and doing so without complaint so i guess if that particular thing happened

hibiki: i have not met this guy but i don’t think so

tendou: literally waiting for the perfect moment to reveal how unfairly stunning he looks in a floor-length evening gown

ryoutarou: idk. could go either way

wataru: yes. it would be healthy for him and he would have gender euphoria

tsukasa: maybe in one of his world-generated outfits but i don’t think so. however shoutout to daiki who would absolutely show up to a fancy event in a fancy gown just to steal shit

philip: YES. every time his little cape looks like a dress in a distance shot i’m like so fucking true and canon. i like to think the time he crossdressed as wakana led to some realizations

shoutarou: no

eiji: would totally wear one of those bohemian skirts that essential oil ladies at the farmer’s market wear

gentarou: would def wear the girls’ uniform as a show of friendship/solidarity to someone else, and inspire the rest of the krc guys to follow suit. i like to think he’d go straight for the sukeban long skirt in keeping with his punk aes, in which case he might just decide to keep dressing that way

haruto: i have not seen wizard but just going off his vibes i think he would wear one of them sexy slit skirts and look amazing and give every straight man a sexuality crisis

kouta: no.

shinnosuke: no.

takeru: i think he would look really cute in one and that’s what counts

emu: surprisingly for mister cutesy pink i don’t really think he would in his daily life. he’s absolutely down for cute nurse/video game chara cosplays though and has a ton of fun doing those

sento: no. he and banjou both dress too much like butch lesbians for this

sougo: sure why not

aruto: i think if there was some kind of occasion like a promo event he would join in with gusto as the overenthusiastic boss. i’m picturing a cheerleader outfit fsr

touma: i don’t get any sense of personality from touma but probably no

ikki: same

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 318: On Your Left

Previously on BnHA: The Hawksquad+Lurkers were all “well this sucks” and sat around a bit talking about how maybe they should actually come up with a new plan that is actually good, but then in the end they were like “nah.” Deku was all, “THERE’S SOMETHING INSIDE ME THAT PULLS BENEATH THE SURFACE!! CONSUMING, CONFUSING!! THIS LACK OF SELF CONTROL I FEAR IS NEVERENDING. IT’S HAUNTING HOW I CANT SEEM TO FIND MYSELF AGAIN. MY WALLS ARE CLOSING IN.” Just, literally that whole entire song. All Might was all “Deku you should take care of yourself, try eating a thing,” and Deku was all “BYE, ALL MIGHT,” and just LEFT. He left!!! What the fuck!!!

Today on BnHA: Endeavor is all, “maybe if Deku didn’t listen to All Might he’ll listen to me instead.” Deku is all, “[doesn’t listen to Endeavor]” because, well, yeah. The Vestiges are all, “surprisingly, even we are a little concerned -- maybe you should get some rest, kid.” Deku is all, “((Ò ‸ Ó)).” The Vestiges are all, “holy shit.” Deku is all, “[wanders the ruined city streets terrifying the populace on account of him looking like Shelob had a baby with one of the Nazgul].” Some shriveled-up puppeteer villain asshole is all, “HORIKOSHI SAID IT’S MY TURN TO ATTACK DEKU TODAY SO I AM GOING TO SUMMON MY FRIGHTENED HELPLESS ATTACK MOB!!” Kacchan is all “WHADDYA MEAN THEY FOUND THE NERD!!! -- oh wait, that’s me, I found him. I found the nerd, you guys.” And just in time, too. I was about to owe a whole lot of people a whole lot of dollars.

so I have been super good about spoilers this week as always, but let me tell you guys, for the past 36 hours my dash filters have basically been nonstop “manga spoilers” this and “bnha 318” that, and so I’m coming in with a fair amount of hype here. your move, Horikoshi

oh, good! they got Endeavor to call Deku to try to talk him out of it. what a great and wonderful plan

“listen up kid, you haven’t slept since March and you are basically a walking biohazard right now, I’m just telling it like it is. didn’t you get shot like three times?? and there was a whole thing about how you urgently needed medical attention?? and supposedly we gave it to you, but I mean you haven’t even changed your clothes and don’t seem to have any fresh bandages or anything, so did we?? did we, really?? and also we all got blown up yesterday, so yeah.” hmm he’s making some reasonable points here you guys, but you sure do go on and on, Endeavor

oh he says foreign aid is finally on its way! I’m sure they’ll be very helpful. I mean in fairness they can hardly be worse than the home-grown heroes at this point

hey Enji, could you maybe try appealing to Deku the sixteen-year-old human boy, as opposed to Deku The World’s Last Hope? he does have value beyond his quirk. I know that’s always been an incredibly difficult concept for you to grasp, but could you maybe TRY, jesus

and also we’re worried about you as a person?? you’re just a kid and you’re pushing yourself way too hard?? you were going to say that part next, right. why the hell didn’t Hawks make this call instead

“don’t worry about me... I’m completely fine” Deku you do understand that saying it over and over again doesn’t actually make it true

and again with the rush!! all the rush rush rush!! we’re running out of time, we can’t let AFO and Tomura keep getting stronger, I have to end this now, there’s no time to rest, etc. etc. etc. just the constant pressure of this whole big countdown on top of everything else

holy shit, you KNOW it’s bad when even the Vestiges are telling him to chill

these guys are basically the walking talking embodiments of self-sacrifice; if even they’re telling him he needs to take five, then he must seriously be like half a step away from death’s door

OH SHIT LMAO

DIDN’T EVEN LET HIM FINISH HIS SENTENCE BEFORE HE SENT HIM INTO THE FUCKING SHADOW REALM WITH THAT FUCKING LOOK. HOLY FUCK. DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO DIE TWICE. SHIT

(ETA: so I’m pretty sure this was just Danger Sense activating and so he cut them off to go do more hero stuff, but I’m gonna go ahead and stick to my original interpretation anyway lol.)

anyway so how’s everybody doing. we all good? En, you good? Banjou? Shino? I’m imagining you guys all curled up in a little ball on the floor right now lol. can’t say I blame you though, no shame

lmaoooooooooooo

“SHEESH.” sheesh indeed, lmao. “what in the FUCK was that”

see, this is why y’all need Kacchan. you need someone who’s not going to back down from him no matter what. if it’s a matter of out-stubborning Midoriya fucking Izuku, then there’s only one other person on the planet capable of that, and we all know it. don’t pretend like you don’t. I am not going to shut up about this! we’ve had our hurt so now what about SOME COMFORT, DAMMIT

“I’m afraid that he’s becoming influenced by my conscience” nah are you kidding Nana this is all 100% made-in-Japan pure original Deku right here

see, Banjou gets it. “that kid, he’s totally going on his own.” exactly. this was so inevitable it was basically scientific law

“well I for one don’t see the problem with Deku being so obsessed with saving everyone else that he pushes himself until his body and soul literally fall apart” okay, whose speech bubbles are these?? we’re about to have words

lol of course

well you always did prefer the direct route didn’t you. but even you can’t possibly think this is okay lol

dark AU!Kacchan please tell us more about your badass doomed timeline in which everything went to shit and you apparently had the same character arc that Deku is having right now except it somehow made you sexier instead of turning you into a rabid t-rex. I have so many questions

oh so now you want to help??? well -- good, actually. sorry if that sounded offended just now lol

(ETA: so at first when I got to the end of this chapter I was wondering if Katsuki B. had somehow summoned his alternate-universe counterpart through trippy OFA space telepathy lol. but in the original Japanese there’s no reference to “we”, so this appears to be a mistranslation. this line should probably read more like “if there’s something/someone out there that would be able to complement/complete the current Midoriya Izuku [it would be]…” which, oh hello, is that Horikoshi once again reaffirming that Deku and Bakugou complete each other lol. “guess what guys, the Vestiges ship it too" heck yeah. they know what’s up!)

look how admiring his boyfriends are. HORIKOSHI GIVE US THE REST OF THIS BACKSTORY ALREADY GODDAMMIT

“meanwhile somewhere in the depths of the ruined city, Deku was having a dance-off with the villains”

I like how the villains all have this “AHH WHAT THE FUCK” kind of body language to them lol. I mean if it were me, and an eldritch horror suddenly clawed its way from the shadows with its writhing glowy tentacles and pants-shitting nuclear death stare, I would probably just die on the spot. no need to stick around. only pain awaits

lol for a minute I thought this was Can’t Ya See-kun and I was like “WHAT A FASCINATING CROSSING OF PATHS” but it’s just some random girl

he seems genuinely confused lol

Deku it’s because you look like something that crawled out of a sewer drain, sweetheart

lol they just took his word for it?

so trusting. even though they’re immediately hauling ass anyway just to be safe lmao

“my appearance is frightening to others” no shit Deku it’s because you look like a fucking alien exorcism. you look like a Lich that got caught up in an oil spill my dude

NO NOT THE CHOSEN ONE ANGST AGAIN

I RAN OUT OF ESSAY JUICE FOR THIS ALREADY HORIKOSHI!! I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR MONTHS NOW WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!! BUT ANYWAYS, GOOD!! I MEAN, BAD, THOUGH, OBVIOUSLY. BUT YES

“ENJOY THIS MONTAGE OF DEKU BATTLING A RANDOM KAIJU AND WANDERING THE WOODS LIKE A DERANGED GREEN BABA YAGA” okay yes but sir, exactly how much longer is this going to go on. if it’s a matter of you wanting to make sure we get it, let me assure you that aside from a few stray chuunis who think that Deku embracing the Darkness is the coolest thing he’s ever done, all of us here in fandom fully comprehend that this is Not Good

-- OH SO IT’S LIKE THAT

really. with the flashbacks to his loved ones’ smiling faces and everything. not even gonna try to aim above the belt, huh

AND NO KACCHAN??! NO CLASSMATES?!?! IS HE PURPOSELY NOT THINKING OF THEM??? OR ARE THEY BEING SAVED FOR THE NEXT PAGE??? SO HELP ME, IF THE NEXT PART OF THIS SENTENCE IS “CAN PROTECT THEM”, OR EVEN WORSE, “CAN SEE THEIR SMILING FACES AGAIN”, I...

WHAT DID I JUST SAY

(ETA: my man did Sero and Kaminari fucking dirty lmao. I miss their smiling faces too omg.)

the sheer, unparalleled irony of him saying this while he stands there looking like the gargoyle demon from Fantasia got crossed with an umbrella that got struck by lightning. Deku :(

oi who the fuck is this clown

is he controlling this mob with his evil hair. “what if I made an exhausted, running-on-fumes Deku battle a brainwashed mob at Ground Zero.” Horikoshi do you just have like a checklist of horrible things you want to do to your protagonist

easy there Sasori

well joke’s on you buddy because he’s apparently “completely fine”, so

“here’s to hoping that you know more about AFO’s location than the others” jesus christ Deku you really have hung your mercy out to dry huh

now he’s forcing his mob of terrified prisoners to attack Deku ahhhh. sucks to be them. at least they’re not being controlled by bees

so Deku is saying that Sasori’s control can be broken with “physical trauma.” similar to Shinsou’s quirk I guess. but so does that mean he’s gonna have to hurt them? ( •﹏•)

NO NOT MORE SAD EYES

“DEATH BY EMPATHY!!!” HORIKOSHI NO

fuck. he looks like he’s on the verge of passing out

this is what happens when you nerf a character’s self-preservation stats in favor of spamming their bone-breaking stats instead. NOW ACCEPTING BRAIN CELL DONATIONS FOR A BOY IN NEED!! with your loving generosity we can hopefully help him live to the ripe old age of seventeen

OMGFGGG

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[grabs your hands] ლ(*꒪ヮ꒪*)ლ [swings you in a circle] へ(ﾟ◇ﾟへ)

THASSSSSSSS WHATSSSSSSS UPPPPPPPPPP

HORIKOSHI REALLY SAID FUCK THAT MASK (ノ°ο°)ノ YOU FINALLY LEARNED!! IT’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!!

JUST FOR YOU KACCHAN, HORIKOSHI LEFT THIS ONE BAD GUY WHO’S STILL WEAK TO FIRE. GOD BLESS

IT’S YOUR COUNTERPART, KATSUKI B!!!! HOW WE DOIN OVER THERE IN THE TRIPPY COSMIC OFA SPACE REALM LOL. DO WE BELIEVE YET, FANDOM???

LIGHTS!!!!

INSTANT RESULTS!!! IT’S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!

(ETA: imagine what this must look like to Deku though. he’s been caught up in this dark cloud of despair and exhaustion that’s been building up over... I’m gonna go ahead and say “weeks”, because yeah. and now he finds himself here, in the place where All Might’s legacy ended and the torch was passed to him. and the world is in ruins, and he’s surrounded by frightened people who are all trying to hurt him -- because who isn’t trying to hurt him, these days -- and he’s scrambling to figure this all out, but meanwhile the weariness is finally starting to catch up to him, and so he’s basically just standing there in a fog of complete and utter misery.

and then all of a sudden through that haze, he hears the one voice that’s more familiar than any other that he knows. like, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he thought he was just imagining it at first. Kacchan showing up to save him right when he’s at his most desperate and feeling the most alone. Kacchan, showing up to save him.

this is the person he always looked up to as a child (to be fair he was quite a strange child lmao). the person who was even closer to him than All Might. the person he always thought was amazing. and bam, here he is now. appearing in the sky out of nowhere to one-shot the bad guy with a single blast (which, btw, that was his armor-piercing attack too lmao dslkjlk take it easy there kiddo). like, that must have felt absolutely surreal to him, especially coming at a time when he’s already half-delirious and barely hanging on to reality. he must have really thought that he was losing it there for a second.

but he’s really there. it really is him. and for this brief moment -- before the rest of the situation catches up to him, and he remembers about all of the fucked-up AFO stuff, and remembers why he was so afraid and why he was pushing everyone away -- for just this one brief moment, he’s too exhausted and stunned to do anything except to just react. just stands there, looking up at him in awe.

and you know, it almost reminds me of...

just. you guys. the character development. the freaking character development. someone who brings reassurance. someone who shows up and makes you think, “oh, it’s all going to be okay now, because [person] is here.” the role reversals. the growth. the payoff!! because who is the one person who always had faith that Kacchan would one day grow up to become an amazing hero like that. WHO IS IT. YOU ALREADY KNOW.

omg. anyways, bless you Horikoshi, my feels which have been on backorder since fucking September have finally arrived lmao. yes, good, thank you. worth the wait. it is always, always worth the wait. fuck yeah.)

“LOWFRIES” SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THE WHOLE GANG IS HERE, AHHHHHHHH (º̩̩́⌣º̩̩̀ )

BEAUTIFUL. WONDERFUL. SENSATIONAL. I DON’T EVEN CARE THAT JUMP IS ON BREAK NEXT WEEK. THIS RIGHT HERE WILL SUSTAIN ME

[harleyquilt]

Missing You - Part 1

Summary: Glimpses into the minds of Kaneki, Touka, Hinami, and Ayato across both series

Words: 4470

Notes: A lil Touken and Ayahina angst. The second part will probably be more fluffy. Hope you enjoy!

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The taste of rotting meat coated Kaneki's tongue, the small mouthful of ghoul flesh sliding down his throat. His body tried to turn against itself, and he had to press a hand against his mouth to stop himself from regurgitating his revolting ‘meal’. In his other hand was a ghoul’s bone, which had shattered under Kaneki’s tight grip. With a hesitative glance, Kaneki squeezed his eyes shut and threw the shards into his mouth. He chewed slowly. Fortunately, the bones had little taste to them, but they were still coated with the flavour of the meat. Still, there was less of a struggle to digest these last few remains, and once Kaneki swallowed the mush that was once his enemy, he went to wash his face with cold water.

His body was drenched with sweat, and looking in the mirror, he saw that his face was drained of all colour. He bit down on his trembling lips and splashed his face once more. It wasn’t pleasant, but it must be done, he told himself. After all, he needed to get stronger, and this was the quickest way of obtaining that needed power. It had to be worth it, he assured himself. If not, well...at the very least, he wasn’t digesting any human flesh. If it wasn’t for coffee, he was certain he would’ve lost his mind by now. 

Speaking of which, he heard a knock on the door, followed by Hinami’s small, sweet voice. “Onii-chan? I have a cup of coffee for you.” Opening the door, Kaneki slipped out of the room and quickly shut the door behind him. Hinami looked at him with inquisitive eyes, but she asked no questions. She instead smiled and held up the coffee for him to take. 

“Thank you, Hinami.” He smiled, taking a sip. It didn’t have the same flavour as the manager’s coffee, but knowing that it was made by Hinami was enough to make the coffee delicious in its own way. He chugged down half of the mug in one go, ignoring the heat, desperate to replace the taste that lingered on his lips.

“Careful, Onii-chan!” Hinami jumped. “It’s hot!”

“Thank you, Hinami. You’re as reliable as always.” He patted her head and though she did not respond, her eyes quickly turned to the ground. Maybe out of bashfulness, or perhaps…

Kaneki headed towards the training room, finishing the coffee with another gulp. The training room was empty, as usual, lit only with the evening sun. An orange glow enveloped the room and Kaneki’s silhouette stretched across the ground as he moved towards the mirrored wall. He wore only a tank top and some shorts, the blackness of his clothes only making him seem more pale in comparison. He looked like a ghost, he thought, examining his features. Though, at this point, he might as well be. Nothing about his past-self remained - even his body was completely different compared to how he was a few months ago. Where there used to be soft flesh was now hardened muscle, his body more lean and defined in its shape. His eyes, still a soft grey in its colour, were now sunken in, and with each passing day, he found himself looking gradually more tired. Still, he couldn’t say that was the biggest difference in his appearance. He reached up to his white hair, his nails still black from bruising. A seemingly permanent reminder of that day. 

The memories of that day always passed by like a speeding train, the intrusive force left by its passing enough to leave Kaneki breathless. Even with its sudden speed, the memory still remained vivid in his mind, and within a single moment, he’d find himself lost in whatever room he was in. It would always take him a short while to realise that, despite what his mind was telling him, he was no longer in that room of torture. And still, he would feel his breath against Kaneki’s neck, and more often than not, Kaneki would retreat to his room in hopes of finding some kind of refuge. 

But for the time being, he merely brushed the thought aside and ignored the rapid beating of his heart. He instead chose to press his nails into his arm, hoping the pain would be enough to bring him back down to the world of the living. He may look like a ghost now, but he still felt as if he was being haunted by his...victims? Could they be called that? Should they be called that? No, enough, Kaneki thought with a shake of his head, blood dripping down his arm. He watched the red droplet fall to the ground and splatter, and within seconds from moving his hand away, the cut on his arm closed itself up. 

“It doesn’t matter.” He whispered to himself. The room faded into darkness as the sun disappeared behind the towering buildings of Tokyo, a chill entering the darkened space. “It doesn’t matter.” A whimper escaped him and he crouched down, his head in his hands. “I’m sorry.” 

. . .

Kaneki woke up late the next morning. He had spent the night out with Banjou and Tsukiyama, though Hinami wasn’t told any details. It was rare for her to be involved in the missions they went on, and though she could understand the reasoning behind such decisions, she was restless by the thought of being left behind. There was something frightening in seeing the backs of her friends, their figures losing shape in the distance as they continued to walk further away from her. Even if she tried to reach out, she wouldn't be able to catch them - she was sure of that. So, what was she supposed to do? All she could do was be obedient to Kaneki’s orders, and deep down, she knew that it would do him no favours to go against them. It was the same reason why she wasn't being taken along in the first place; that is to say, she had nothing she could offer in terms of aid.

Though much time has passed since her mother's passing, she hasn't changed much in terms of power and maturity since then. She has tried, of course, but it was clear that not much has come about from those futile attempts. Her kagune was still too overwhelming for her to control, and her body was still petite and delicate. With that said, she also acknowledges that she wasn't completely useless. Her speciality - her sharp senses - still remained her one and only skill, and when in use, it was a useful skill to use. Particularly in the missions Kaneki went on. And yet, it clearly wasn't enough. 

As she mulled on such thoughts, she checked the time, anxiously glancing towards the front door as she did. It was already late in the evening, and the house remained empty. With each passing hour, the shadows across the walls stretched and grew, threatening to distinguish the dimming light hanging on the ceiling. Hinami pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, her shoulders raised in suspense. 

More often than not, she contemplated calling Touka. Hinami has made herself the rule not to call too frequently, in fear that it would confirm Touka's own worries. Despite this rule, though, she couldn't deny that she craved the presence of her surrogate sister. A part of her wished that Kaneki had allowed Touka to come along, even if his reasoning was sound. It was too painful having to choose between one or the other, the distance between the two far greater than it may initially seem. She wasn’t exactly sure why they were no longer talking, especially since they both clearly miss each other. Perhaps she could encourage Kaneki to visit, or have Touka meet up with her and Kaneki in a cafe somewhere. No - the more she thought about it, the more insecure she felt. This was between them two, and no matter her intentions, she was in no position to interfere and meddle with their relationship, whatever that relationship may be. 

She sniffled and let out a small whimper, realising then how alone she was. She was stuck on the crossroads, with Kaneki and Touka walking along two different paths. Maybe those paths will find each other again, but Hinami was too afraid to tempt fate and decide which route to go down. Though she was following Kaneki at the moment, she was still struggling to decide whether or not she should continue to follow him. What was the right thing to do, she wondered.

After another hour, Kaneki and the others finally returned. They were all equally exhausted from their latest mission, and they collectively decided to postpone any further business until the next morning. Kaneki paused and noticed Hinami’s small figure on the corner of the couch. She was breathing slowly, a peaceful expression on her sleeping face. Banjou offered to bring her to bed, but Kaneki stepped forward and took her into his arms. She seemed so fragile and small in his arms, so much so that he was almost afraid of breaking her with his rough touch. He carried her slowly to her room and placed her gently into her bed, removing her slippers and lifting the covers over her. With a smile, he straightened and went to leave the room.

Just as he was about to leave, however, he noticed a photograph on Hinami’s bedside table. It was a photo of her, her mother and Touka. Hinami seemed a little younger than she was now and so did Touka, who was hugging Hinami from behind. Her mother looked just as Kaneki remembered her - a gentle woman with a gentle smile. He bit his lip and clenched his hand, the smell of her blood and the sound of her lifeless body hitting the ground still vividly imprinted onto his mind. He glanced back at Hinami and grimaced, a silent apology escaping his lips. And then he thought of Touka, as he often did, and he prayed that she was at least safe under the care of the manager. If he were to lose her...Well, he hardly wanted to imagine such a scenario. With his thoughts so often being filled with an unbearable amount of regret, even towards his decision to bring Hinami along, he was at least confident that it was right for him to keep Touka in the cafe. He wouldn’t be able to cope otherwise. 

He wondered where she was now, what she was doing, what she was thinking. And he continued to contemplate such thoughts as he went into his bedroom and onto his bed, the familiarity of her embarrassed scowl and crude words soothing him into a dreamless sleep. It was hard for him to deny that he wanted nothing more than to see her, and yet, he felt it right to deny himself such pleasures. After all, to involve himself in her life would only bring about more turmoil for her, and that thought alone was too terrible for him to bear.

. . . 

Hinami was alone once again. Time had passed, people came and went, and Tokyo was forever in flux. Even so, she was alone. The only difference was that she was no longer waiting for the return of her friends, for she had no friends in Aogiri. It was a heartless organisation, she found, the relationship and bonds between the other ghouls brittle and strained. There was only one thing that kept them together and that was the desire to see the CCG burn to the ground in a vengeful fire of justice. Hinami herself was not exactly invested in such goals; she supposed she should feel some sort of hatred towards those responsible for her parent’s deaths, but even now, she could not bring herself to hate those she had never known. Rather, she was influenced by Eto to join their crusade against the humans with the promise that their movement will give her the strength she sorely desires. With Kaneki gone and their group disbanded, and with Anteiku nothing more than rubble, she saw no alternative. It was hard to see her own reflection and deny the fact that it was due to her weakness that Kaneki and the others had failed, that everything she had once loved had been destroyed. How could she return to Touka with such burdens? It seemed unfair and it was Eto that confirmed these worries, reassuring her that Aogiri will solve this dilemma of hers. 

She supposed that Eto had not lied to her. After a few years amongst the toughened ghouls of Aogiri, she had greater control over her own body and mind and proved herself a worthy asset amongst the others under Eto’s command. Except...even with all of her newly trained and sharpened abilities, she could not bring herself to kill another. Tatara accepted no excuses and he stood by her, commanding her to murder whoever it was that was whimpering before her. When his patience began to simmer away, Ayato would step in and kick her away with a tut, killing the person in her place. Despite the throbbing pain in her stomach and the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, she knew that Ayato had done her a great favour and she would go on to thank him with a coffee later on in the evening. 

He always showed her kindness in the strangest ways, she found. He watched over her carefully and protected her in his own way, and over time, Hinami grew fond of his presence. She still remembered their first interaction with a smile - how his angry scowl and foul-mouth reminded her of Touka in so many ways, and how after this first encounter, he was gentler when approaching her. They did not speak much and she could hardly say they were close, but she at least considered him something akin to an ally. She hoped that he saw her the same way. It was a nice thought she often indulged, knowing that maybe she was not as alone as she feared. 

For the time being, however, she thought it best to keep up her guard, to reject these fantasies in favour of the much more grim reality. It was a lesson she must drill into herself, she had told herself, no matter the pain it may cause her. The sacrifice of her happiness and comfort must be worth it, even if it meant being eternally alone.

. . .

Ayato took a sip of the bitter tasting coffee as he stared at the many roses that surrounded him. He grimaced and placed down the cup with a sigh. It lacked the gentle aroma and sweetened taste of Hinami’s coffee, the bitterness a reminder that she was still imprisoned in the CCG prison. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes, praying to no one in particular that she was still alive, that she wasn’t being tortured by some white-coat freak. It was not knowing that pained him the most, that and the thought that he was responsible for this situation to begin with. He was supposed to protect and watch over her, he often thought during these moments. If she dies, he knew all too well that her blood would be on his hands. Washing the thought away with another sip of coffee, he stood and frowned. No, he thought, he would not let it get to that point. He refused.

He left the greenhouse and walked along the shoreline, his mind racing with the various plans he had been putting together for the past two months. They were all suicide missions, he knew, and without the support of Tatara and the others, he was left with little to work with. But he refused to abandon her, he couldn’t, even if he was ordered to do so. It was ironically intimidating in its own way - ignoring an order. He rebelled against Touka by joining Aogiri, but that rebellious spirit of his had died down over the years and soon enough, he found himself comfortably obedient under Tatara’s commands. He had no love for humans, least of all the CCG, but his place in Aogiri was no longer defined by that hatred. Even when following Eto and Tatara on their mission, he was no more than a soldier, a dog, responding to the orders of his masters. And now...now he was once again a rebellious teenager doing what it was he wanted. It was indeed intimidating, but in a way, also exhilarating. Regardless, this was not for his sake and he could no longer afford to be embarrassed by the fact that he cared deeply for the timid, crying girl that he wanted to call his friend. His ally. 

It was perhaps the only reason why he found the courage to contact Touka again. 

. . .

I want to ask you something next time I visit.

Haise had bashfully spoken these words to Touka the last time he came by her cafe. His usually pale cheeks were flushed and he kept his eyes away from hers as he stumbled over his own words. A bashful smile grew on his lips as he spoke and with a gentle politeness, and Touka told him that she was looking forward to whatever it was he wanted to ask. 

Except, three months have now passed and he has not shown up since. The winter was beginning to end, Christmas came by and went, and Touka was beginning to lose hope of seeing him again. It was selfish, she knew, to crave these visits, knowing that it was best for him to stay away from the past that once caused him so much pain. And still, whenever she saw those familiar, light-grey eyes of his, and heard that lighthearted voice that reminded her so much of the days they once spent together in Anteiku, she yearned to have him nearby. She wanted him to remember her, at least. No, that was asking for too much, and she was sure to remind herself this each time he came up in her thoughts. It was just painful, having to accept these changes that she had no power or control over. It was a reminder that she cannot live without loss. 

Though Haise’s presence, his mere existence, was proof of that, she could not find it within herself to turn him away and keep her distance. If not that, then to at least act aloof. It was how he looked at her that made her pause, that made her hesitate. He looked at her with so much admiration, finding any excuse to strike up a conversation with her. He even visited the cafe alone, away from the eyes of his subordinates, and kept her company during the more quiet hours of the evening. It occurred to her that she had seen these eyes before, many years ago when he was just a human enjoying the mundane pleasures of human life; those eyes that now look upon Touka once looked at Rize, before the tragedy took away the tranquility from his life. She tried to deny it at first, insisting that he was simply being friendly, but when she thought about the alternative meaning, her heart fluttered with immense joy. How could she deny that his liking of her made her happy? How could she possibly say otherwise? She tried to fight against it, of course, but every visit he made only confirmed her suspicions. It was as painful as it was heartwarming. Needless to say, she was sure to keep these thoughts to herself. 

It wasn’t until late April that Haise made an appearance again. He came alone to the shop late in the evening and with a timid apology, he asked if the shop was still open. He must have known that it was around the time that Touka would usually clean up and close the cafe, but she was unwilling to send him away after all this time. She smiled and told him that he’ll be her last customer for the day. At this, he gave her a smile that made her heart leap - the kind of smile that could light up any dark room, and that alone made his visit worthwhile. As he entered the shop, she noticed that he looked somewhat different: his darker strands were beginning to drown out his white hair and he seemed more...tired, his cheeks more gaunt. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately. I know I said I was going to ask you something last time I visited, but things came up.” He sat down on the stool opposite Touka, who stood behind the counter. She was already brewing him his coffee. “Every time I thought I had spare time, someone else needed me for something else-- ah, well, no use complaining. Please forgive me.” 

He bowed his head, a distinct regret in his tone. From what she has heard from others, Touka knew of recent CCG ongoings and how they had raided the ghoul auction that those clowns were hosting. She also heard that Hinami had been taken as a prisoner when Aogiri interfered, and that it was Haise that had saved her. There were so many things she could tell Haise at this moment and show him how much she understood. She wanted to both slap and hug him, to berate him and thank him. So many words lay on the tip of her tongue, but in the end, she knew better. 

“Please, don’t worry. I just hope that you’ve been okay.” She finally said as she poured him a mug of coffee. He looked up with relief and took a deep breath, his hands grasping each other on the counter. “So,” she passed the coffee to him, “what was it you wanted to ask?”

His face turned pink at this question and he laughed nervously in response, taking a sip of her coffee. “W-Well, you see…” He gulped and Touka smiled patiently. “I wanted to ask...how do you make such delicious coffee!” He laughed as he raised the mug, his other hand rubbing his chin. Touka’s smile faltered for a moment and she shrugged. 

“I used to work at a different cafe.” She said, her voice tinged with pain. “He made wonderful coffee back then. He’s gone now.” She sighed and looked up, Haise flushed with embarrassment. “I try my best to make my coffee just as he did.”

“I see.” Haise coughed awkwardly and took another gulp of coffee, his brows furrowed. “Kirishima-san.” He looked up now with some determination. “Forgive me, that wasn’t the question I wanted to ask. I was going to ask if you had...plans for Christmas, but - ah, well, it’s too late for that.” He scratched the back of his head nervously, his blush still apparent. To his surprise, Touka began to laugh and at first, he was ashamed and began to shrink away, defeated. 

“That’s so sweet of you.” She said through her laughter, and soon enough, Haise began to laugh along. But as she laughed, her eyes began to water, and before Haise could notice, she turned away to wipe away her tears. 

“Kirishima-san?” Haise said with some nervousness, worried he may have upsetted her. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just,” she sniffed, “that really was so sweet of you.” She wanted to call him Kaneki, she wanted him to remember and to call her the way he used to. At times, she wondered if there was some larger deity out there mocking her with these precious interactions, or perhaps this was her fault for letting him inside when she should have sent him away. The line between what she should and should not do was always blurred, but now she could not see the line at all. His comfort was all she wanted and yet, that was something she should no longer expect if he were to live a happier life. 

She turned back after wiping her tears and apologised once again. With some hesitation, Haise reached out and placed a hand on top of hers, assuring her that there was no need to apologise. His touch was warm and gentle, his words a gentle caress. They remained that way for a moment before they both pulled away nervously. 

“I hope I’m not overstepping your boundaries.” Haise confessed, finishing his coffee. “I’ve been feeling guilty about it for a while, I hope I haven’t offended you.”

“Of course not.” She brushed back her fringe and looked at him with both eyes, taking in his appearance once more and hoping that she may see it again in her dreams. “If you’d like, maybe we can do something during the summer. Maybe attend a festival together.” 

“Y-Yes! That sounds wonderful! Hopefully my schedule will be free, but I’d very much like that.” 

After talking for a few more minutes, he paid for his drink and left. It took all that Touka had to let him leave and once she saw him turn the corner in the street, the tears began to flow. She crouched down behind the counter and sobbed, leaning her head back against the wall as the warm tears rolled down her cheeks. Squeezing her eyes shut, she reached up and held her parent’s wedding ring, its weight heavy in the palm of her hand. With a small, sorrowful voice, she called out for them, pleading for their guidance. A part of her wished that Haise had never met her to begin with, that fate will keep them forever apart as long as he was happy, but she knew that she would hate nothing more than to never see him again. It pained her to think that she’ll never see those eyes again, those eager eyes filled with nothing but affection. If he wasn’t going to remember her, what was the point of it all? She wiped away her tears with a clenched fist and slammed it down onto the floor with a grunt. 

Standing back up, she solemnly locked the door and closed the blinds, hugging herself all the while. In the staffroom, before she turned off all the lights, she spent one more moment looking at the photo Irimi took of them years ago during their days working at Anteiku - both of them peacefully sleeping the afternoon away. At first, Touka hated the embarrassment she felt when looking at the picture, insisting that it was worthless. But she was glad she kept it all this time. Maybe, one day, such days will be the norm once again. Could she afford to hope for such things? Maybe not, but she knew she would anyway. She just can’t stop herself from loving Kaneki. 

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Don’t know if this is feasible, but would you do a crossover between Build and Cherry Magic? Maybe with like Kurosawa and Adachi going over to the cafe for family dinner and they meet the whole squad, not just Sento and Banjou, but Misora, Kazumin, Sawa, and maybe even Gentoku? With the prompt “Why are you staring at me”

Darling, your brain is massive.

15. “Why are you staring at me?”

“How did you find this place?” Yuichi says as they round the corner into the little alley.

“Fujisaki recommended it to me, actually.” Kiyoshi grins up at him. “Apparently she and a couple of her girlfriends like to go here sometimes. She says the coffee’s only ok really, but the pastries are really nice. Here, this is it, Cafe,” he squints at the sign, “Nas--nascita.”

The only other customers inside are a group of people who seem to be friends, clustered around a couple of tables pushed together in one corner. Not wanting to intrude, Yuichi goes to get a table in the opposite corner, and Kiyoshi heads to the counter to order.

The barista’s a middle-aged man with a pork pie hat and tinted glasses who looks like he should be playing jazz at a nightclub, not serving coffee to bored twenty-somethings. He’s cleaning a glass as Kiyoshi approaches, and he glances up, says, “Good afternoon and welcome to Nascita, I’ll be with you in just a--” and then cuts off for apparently no reason.

There’s a long, awkward silence before Kiyoshi says, “Uh, why...why are you staring at me?”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, you just.” The barista shakes himself. “You look a great deal like someone I--”

“Hey, do you have a problem with me or something?”

The barista looks past Kiyoshi, frowning, and Kiyoshi himself turns around and nearly runs into...

...himself. Except...different.

The other him is scowling at Yuichi, who’s looking at him wide-eyed. “No, seriously, do I have stuff on my face or something? You’ve been staring at me since you sat down, it’s making me--” He turns towards the counter, nearly runs into Kiyoshi himself, and stops dead. “Uh. Sento?”

Someone else stands up from the cluster of people in the corner and blinks at Kiyoshi several times. “Well, this is unexpected. Banjou, is that you?”

“That’s me. I thought there was only supposed to be one other me.”

“No, uh, I’m me. I’m fairly sure.” Kiyoshi laughs nervously. “Kurosawa, help.”

--

At this point Kiyoshi’s getting the worrying feeling that their new friends might all be insane, which makes it very nearly a relief when Sento, who says he’s a physicist and whose hair has been standing up at the back for most of the conversation thus far, says, “You must think we’re all insane.”

Kiyoshi suppresses a hysterical giggle. “Of course I don’t think you’re. You’re.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry, it wouldn’t be an unreasonable assumption. I mean, we aren’t, I promise there’s a scientific explanation for all of it, it’s just really lengthy and in some places kind of stupid.” Sento peers at him. “You look exactly like him, it’s amazing.”

“Actually pretty sure Banjou’s taller.” That’s the man at the far end of the tables, who speaks with a broad country accent and whose name Kiyoshi vaguely remembers being Kazumi. He keeps looking back and forth between Kiyoshi and his double--Banjou Ryuuga, who’s got red hair and a silk bomber jacket with a dragon on the back, Kiyoshi’s never met someone who looked so much like a comic book character--and sort of gesturing vaguely, as if he’s trying to figure out how tall they are exactly. “By, like, an inch or two.”

“No. He can’t be. Can he?” Sento frowns. “How tall are you, Adachi, if you don’t mind my asking? Strictly for science, of course.”

Next to Kiyoshi, Yuichi seems much more comfortable. In fact, he’s practically giving an impromptu sales pitch to Banjou and Sento’s friend Sawa, who’s a journalist, and who’s listening to him talk about Toyokawa’s new organizational tools with unfeigned interest. Next to her is the cafe owner’s daughter, Misora, who Kiyoshi feels like he recognizes from an idol video he saw Rokkaku watching the other day, although she’s dressed much more simply. She seems less interested in planners than her friend, and after a moment she turns to him and says, “If Sento keeps getting on your case just elbow him or something, he’s always like this.”

Kiyoshi feels his face go red. “No, no, it’s fine.”

“You know,” Banjou says around a mouthful of pastry, “under the circumstances I feel like this worked out pretty well.”

Kiyoshi blinks. “What did?”

“This whole double-whatsit thing. The Swedish word Sento used before.”

“Doppelganger.” Sento rolls his eyes. “And it’s German.”

“Yeah, that one. I mean, it could definitely be way worse. I mean, there’s the other actual me, the one with the same name, but apart from that you seem cool? Like, I’d rather share a face with an office worker than, I don’t know, a cannibal serial killer or something.”

“Was that...likely? I don’t think another version of me would be a cannibal serial killer...”

“Me neither, but you never know, yeah?”

“I mean,” Kiyoshi says, frowning absently into space, “I wouldn’t have expected to have the same face as someone who does shoot fighting, that’s sort of a surprise. Not a bad one, though.”

“Yeah, this isn’t so bad.” Banjou pauses, blinks, and then stands up. “I’m gonna be right back. Hey, babe, if Gentoku shows up before I’m back tell him I said why the hell is he late, I thought politics guys were supposed to be on time for stuff.”

“I’m not telling him that.” Sento leans his face up for a light, brushing kiss, and then Banjou’s off in the direction of the bathroom. “Besides,” called after his retreating back, “you know Kazumi’s going to say it anyway.”

Kiyoshi stares in his direction for a moment, looks back at Sento, and, suddenly, smiles. So we’ve got that in common.

The bell at the cafe door rings, and Kazumi lurches upright in his chair with an abrupt, bright smile and waves. “Hey, Beardy, you’re late! I thought politicians were supposed to be on time for shit!”

At Kiyoshi’s elbow, Yuichi says, weakly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Takigawa, is that the prime minister’s son?”

Kiyoshi looks up in alarm at--the prime minister’s son, who’s wearing a black leather jacket which he opens to reveal a t-shirt that reads:

I HAD TO PLAY TENNIS WITH THE BRAZILIAN AMBASSADOR’S DAUGHTER

Kazumi snorts. “Oh, poor you, you had to play tennis.”

“Fuck you too, Potato, just because you can--I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize we had compa--Banjou?” The prime minister’s son blinks several times and then shakes his head. “Did Banjou dye his hair?”

“No, I’m,” Kiyoshi scratches the back of his head, “I’m Adachi, hello.”

Sento beams up at the prime minister’s son as Kiyoshi stifles a nervous giggle and Yuichi shakes himself. “They have the same face, it’s very exciting.”

[rolotouto]

Donjara

A transcript and translation of Rolo’s donjara route, from the Nintendo DS game Banjou no Geass Gekijou. 

Screenshot I once took from the official website, which is no longer working.

(Someone recorded it on youtube as well, in case you want to watch the video)

________________________________________

*Rolo enters the student council room*

Rolo: …………。……あの、兄さんはいませんか？

……………Um, isn't Brother here?

Milly: ルルーシュ？さっきまではいたんだけど……ちょっと出てるみたいね。 Lelouch? He was here until a moment ago but… it looks like he just left.

Rolo: そうですか……。

I see… *leaving*

Milly: ちょ－－－っと待ちなさい、あんた！せっかく来たのに、２言ほど喋っただけでさよならってそりゃ無いでしょーが!

Heeey wait a moment! Now that you are here, you can’t just say two words and leave!!

Rolo: ……？でも、話すこと、ありませんから。

……? But I have nothing to talk about.

Milly: 無くてもなんかあるでしょ。お天気のこととか、最近の政治とか、なんでも。そうやって色々話すことで磨かれてくもんなの、コミュニケーションってのは。

Even if you don't, there's always something. About the weather, the latest politics news, anything. Through talking about many things is how it improves, the communication.

Rolo:……コミュニケーション？

….Communication?

Milly: そ、コミュニケーション。お兄さんに頼まれてるのよ、その辺何とかしなきゃって。

That's right, communication. Your brother asked me to do something about it.

Rolo: 兄さんが？

Brother did?

Milly: よしよし、納得したら、え－と……　そう！あなた、今日１日は誰かに話しかけられたらその相手とドンジャラしなさい！

Okay, now that we are agreed, eehm….. Yes! From today on, whenever somebody talks to you, play donjara with that person!

Rolo: ドンジャラ？……何故です？

Donjara?……. Why?

Milly: ドンジャラやってる時って、話が結構弾むのよ。これなら話すの苦手でも大丈夫でしょ？

When you are playing donjara, the conversation becomes quite lively. This way, even if you are bad at talking it will be fine, don’t you think?

Rolo: ……はァ。

……Huh. *sweatdrops*

Milly: 何、その気の無い返事は。とにかくやるの！生徒会長命令だからね！

 What's with that half-hearted response? Anyhow, you have to do it! It's an order from the student council president!

*Outside the student council room*

Rolo: （ドンジャラなんかやって何がどうなるとも思えないけど……でも、本当に兄さんに頼まれてのことなら、無視するわけには……) 

(I don't think anything will come out from doing something like playing donjara… But if it really was Brother that requested it, I can't ignore it…..) 

Shirley: あ、ロロ。あのさ、ルルどこにいるか知らない？ 

Ah, Rolo. Hey, do you know where Lulu is? 

Rolo: ……ドンジャラ。

……Donjara. 

Shirley: え？ 

Eh? 

Rolo: しまそう、ドンジャラ。 

Let's play it, donjara. 

Shirley: ？？　え－と、よくわかんないけどすればルルの居場所教えてくれる、んだよね？ 

?? Hum, I don't really understand but if I do you'll tell me where Lulu is, right?

*match against Shirley*

If you lose:

Shirley: え？結局ルルどこにいるか知らない？じゃあ私、何のためにこんなことしたんだろ……。 Eh? In the end you didn't know where Lulu is? Then what did I do this for…

After you win:

Shirley: う~ん、負けちゃったんだよ~ Hmm, I lost~

Rolo: （……ドンジャラして、勝って、だからどんな意味があるっていうんだ？やっぱり、こんなことしても何も意味も無いじゃないか……） (……Playing donjara, winning, so what's the point of it? As I thought, even if I do this, it will be pointless…..)

Shirley: ロロってドンジャラ強いんだ－、知らなかったよ。……そういえば、ロロと私ってこんなに一緒にいたこと無かった気がするね。なんか、ちょっと仲良くなれたかな－って思ったの、私だけかな。あはは、よかったらまたドンジャらやろうね！  Rolo, you're strong at donjara, I didn't know. …..Come to think of it, I feel like you and me have never been together this much before. We have kind of been able to get better acquainted, or maybe it was just me. Ahaha, if you don’t mind, let's play donjara again sometime! *Shirley leaves*

Rolo: …………。 ……….

-------------------- Review of the chapter: (Milly) そう！あなた、今日１日は誰かに話しかけられたらその相手とドンジャラしなさい！ Yes! Just for today, whenever somebody talks to you, play donjara with that person!

Rolo: っていわれたけどドンジャラでコミュニケーションが強化できるのかな……？ ….is what she said, but can donjara really strenghten the communication?

-------------------- *Suzaku arrives* 

Suzaku: ロロ？ちょうどよかった、少し話があるんだけど。 Rolo? Just in time, I have something to talk about.

Rolo: ……それは、僕の任務に関わる話ですか？ …..Is it something related to my mission?

Suzaku: まァ、そんなところかな。

Well, you could say so.

Rolo:（……仕事上の話ならコミュニケーションの訓練はしなくていいような…………でも)　あの……ドンジャラしませんか、ナイトオブセブン。 (……If it's a conversation about work, I don't think I should practice communication…………. But) Um….. Would you want to play donjara, Knight of Seven.

Suzaku: え？ドンジャラ……？……うん、いいよ。それも面白そうだ。 Eh? Donjara…..?….. Okay, fine. That sounds interesting too. *match against Suzaku* If you lose: Suzaku: *sweatdrop* こうあっさり勝てちゃうと、キミのことは何もわからないな。ドンジャラが弱いこと以外は。 If I end up winning this quickly I can't learn anything about you. Except the fact that you're weak at donjara. After you win: Suzaku: ルルーシュもドンジャラは強かったけど、キミもずいぶんと強いだな。ところで、今のドンジャラってどういう意味があったんだい？ Lelouch was strong at donjara, but you are quite strong as well. By the way, what was the point of this donjara? Rolo: それは……それより、話というのは？ That's….. More importantly, what did you want to talk about? Suzaku: ああ、それならもういいんだ。 Ah, that's fine now. Rolo: ……？ ……? Suzaku: 今後を考えて、キミの人となりを知っておきたくて、少し話をしようとおもってたんだ。でも、今のドンジャらでなんとなくだけどわかった気がするよ。また機会があれば、キミとドンジャラがしたいな。じゃあ、また。 For the future, I wanted to learn about your personality, so I thought we could talk a bit. But after this donjara I feel like I more or less understood. If there's another chance, I'd like to play with you again. Well then, see you. Rolo: …………。ドンジャラで、確かにコミュニケーションが取れている気が……。 いや、でもたった２回うまくいっただけだし…………？なんだか校門の方が騒がしいけど……。 …………… It feels like with donjara you can certainly create a communication….. *noises outside* No, just because it went well twice…….. Hm? It seems that there's some noise at the school gate….. -------------------- Review of the chapter: Rolo: コミュニケーション強化のために、はじめたドンジャラ。会長の言っていた通り、ドンジャラでコミュニケーションが取れている気がする……かな？ The donjara that I began in order to strengthen the communication. As the president said, it feels like donjara does help you communicate…. perhaps? -------------------- *At the school gate* Jeremiah: おおおお！私は、そう、ならばこそッ！ Ooooh! I am, yes, therefore! Student 1: 何、あの人？さっきからおかしなことばかり叫んで……。 What's with that guy? He's been shouting weird things for a while now…. Student 2: ヤッパリ警察呼んだほうがいいのかな。でも、軍人みたいだし……。 Maybe we should call the police, after all? Although he seems to be from the military…. Jeremiah: おおおォォ！そこのあなた様は、何か私に異常です！許されない！ Ooooooh! You standing there seem like an abnormality to me! You won't be forgiven! Rolo: …………。オマエ、ドンジャラで勝負しようじゃないか。 ……….. You, why don’t we have a match at donjara. Jeremiah: なんと！私にドンジャラを挑むとは、たいしたことありませんでした！ What is this! Challenging me to a game of donjara, it was no big deal! *match against Orange* If you lose: Jeremiah: そうでした！これしきの相手、無いも同然です！ That was right! Such an insignificant opponent, it's the same as if there wasn't any! After you win: Jeremiah: くゥッ！無念、残念、観念！しかし、見えました！次は私こそが、オールハイルブリタァにア！！！ Tch! Chagrin, regret, resignation! However, I could see it! Next time I will be the one, All Hail Britaannia!!! Rolo: あんな相手とまでコミュニケーションが ……。会長の言っていた、ドンジャらでコミュニケーションが強化って本当だったってこと？それなら、僕が一番コミュニケーションをきちんと取りたい相手は……！ Even with an opponent like that, the communication…. Does this mean that, as the president said, donjara helps strenghten the communication? Then, the opponent I most want to properly communicate with is……! -------------------- Review of the chapter: Rolo: 会長の言っていたドンジャらでコミュニケーションが弾むって本当だったんだ…。それなら、僕が一番コミュニケーションを取りたい、兄さんと……。 It was true that, as the president said, the communication is stimulated through donjara….. That being the case, I want to communicate the most with Brother….  -------------------- Back inside the school Lelouch: なんだ、ロロ。こんな所でどうしたんだ？ What is it, Rolo. What are you doing here? Rolo: 兄さん、僕とドンジャらをやろう！ Brother, play donjara with me! Lelouch: ……何だって！？ …..What!? Rolo: ドンジャラだよ。いいだろ、兄さん？ Donjara. It's fine, right Brother? Lelouch: (ドンジャラだと？いったいどういうことだ？……罠か！？いや、俺を殺す気ならこんな回りくどい手段は必要ないし…… ならば付き合った方がいいか。拒絶して、機嫌を損ねられても色々と面倒だ)　いいとも、ロロ。だが弟相手でも手加減はしないからな？ (Donjara, he says? What's the meaning of this?…. A trap?! No, if he had the intention to kill me, he wouldn't need any roundabout method like this…. Then it might be better that I go along with it. If I say no and hurt his feelings, it will cause me some problems) Sure thing, Rolo. But just know that I won't go easy on you even if my opponent is my little brother, okay? *match against Lelouch* If you lose: Lelouch: ……弱いんだな。ほんとうに何を考えてこんな勝負をしてきたんだ？ ……How weak. Just what were you thinking, proposing this match? After you win: Lelouch: くッ！まさか俺が負けるなんて！しかしオマエがこれほどドンジャラに強いとは思わなかったな。 Tch! How could I lose! Still, I didn't think you'd be this strong at donjara. Rolo: そうだよ、兄さん。でも、これでもう僕のことわかってくれたよね！ That's right, Brother. But with this you understood about me, right? Lelouch: ……？何を言ってるんだオマエは？ ……? What are you talking about? Milly: お、ロロ。ちゃんとドンジャラ勝負するルールは守ってるようね。感心感心。 Oh, Rolo. It seems you are following the rule about playing donjara diligently. Well done, well done. Lelouch: ……なるほど。どうも変だと思ったら会長の差し金でしたか。ロロ、会長の言うことはあまり真面目に聞かなくていいぞ。大抵、ただの思いつきだからな。 ……I see. I was thinking that there was something weird and it turns out that it was a suggestion from the president. Rolo, you don't have to take what the president says seriously. Usually, they're just things she comes up with. Rolo: そうでもなかったよ。実際、ドンジャラで僕はみんなとコミュニケーションできたし。みんな、また僕とドンジャラしたいって言ってくれたんだよ。 It wasn't really like that. In fact, I was able to comunicate with everyone through donjara. Everyone said they wanted to play with me again sometime. Lelouch: ……？まァ、オマエが満足なら別にいいけどな。 …..? Well, if you're satisfied then it's fine. Rolo: (でも、兄さんは言ってくれなかったけど……けどいいんだ。兄さんも、前より僕のことわかってくれたはずだから. 僕は兄さんさえいればいいんだ。兄さんさえいてくれれば……) さァ、兄さん！僕ともっともっと一緒にドンジャラしよう！ (Although Brother didn't say that to me… But it's okay. Brother must have understood more about me than before. All I need is Brother. As long as Brother is here…….) Come on, Brother! Let's play donjara together much much more! *END* ________________________________________ Nunnally's donjara route has some cute (read: possessive) Rolo as well. In her story, Zero rules the world and has established that everything should be decided through donjara (yeah, Rolo’s route at least was canonically plausible…). It’s an unfair world, so Nunnally, together with Sayoko, resolves to defeat Geass Dark Lord Zero. So when you reach the Nunnally vs Rolo match: Rolo: ここは誰も通さないよ。ナナリー、あなたならなおさらね。 I won't let anyone through here. Nunnally, all the more when it comes to you. Sayoko: ギアス魔王ゼロの側近。親衛隊長のロロ！ The close aide of Geass Dark Lord Zero. Commanding officer of the bodyguards, Rolo! Nunnally: 誰であろうと立ち止まるわけにはいきません。ギアス魔王ゼロに会うまでは！ No matter who it is, I cannot stop. Not until I meet Geass Dark Lord Zero! Rolo: 僕にとってキミは邪魔者なんだよ…　ナナリー、消えてもらおうか！ You are an obstacle to me... Nunnally, I'll have you disappear! When Rolo wins: Rolo: これで……これで兄さんは僕だけのものだ。 Now… Now Brother is mine alone. When Nunnally wins: Rolo: そんな……　…兄さんは…僕の…。 No way... Brother is... mine... Nunnally: 急ぎましょう、咲世子さん。 Let's hurry, Sayoko. Sayoko: ええ、ナナリーさま。全速力で行きますわ。 Yes, Miss Nunnally. Let's go at full speed. Rolo: い、行かせない！僕のギアスで止めてやる！ I-I won't let you! I'll stop you with my geass! *Rolo uses his geass and Nunnally's wheelchair starts moving forward on its own, crashing into him* Rolo: しまった！物理現象は止められない！ぐぎゃあッ！ Oh no! I can’t stop physical phenomena! Gugyaa! Sayoko: ……あら？ロロがいつの間にかいませんわ？ ... Hm? All of a sudden Rolo isn't here? Nunnally: わかって、私たちに道を開けてくれたのですね。ありがとうございます、ロロさん。 He must have understood and is letting us pass. Thank you very much, Rolo. ------- Yeah, Nunnally, you’re very optimistic...