#i am very very happy to be making manga transparents again after years

[bnha-transparents]

to any jojo fans looking for manga transparents: i’m now running the blog @jojotransparents​! i make transparents for both the colored scans and black & white scans of jojo ★♡

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Persona 5 Problems: “Goro can’t escape Shido” doesn’t make sense

Might be a pt 1. But before I get into it, what I mean here is “Goro can’t escape Shido” doesn’t makes sense in the context of the characters interactions that we see nor the rules or the world we see in Persona 5.” 

I probably could title this as “Atlus doesn’t know how to utilize it’s Metaverse and everything around it is shit pt 1: In relation to Goro” but that’d be too long, and it gives you more insight on what’s in store. 8U

Also this isn’t to rag on Goro, but the failure of the writing with P5. I mean I hate Goro, partially for his writing partially for how I think he’s a jerk and not in a fun way (cause I do like characters who are jerks but he just doesn’t jive with me)....this for full transparency (esp if you are new). 8U That being said I wont’ tag it as Goro cause I’m not a jerk, I’ll tag it as anti I guess but...........yeah in retrospect after typing this I do kinda take a dump on his writing so anti tag it is. 0u0 

Now why arm I talking about this? Well a new chapter of P5MM came up and.....well this picture appeared:

Now I love Saito, the manga is pretty good, so this is nothing against Saito. My issue is.....I guess the over victimization of Goro esp when it 1) makes no sense and 2) is contradictory.

Now do I think an antagonist that is a victim doesn’t make sense? No. What doesn’t make sense is that P5 doesn’t bother to develop it. P5 throws out the bare minimum of hints all while making NO SENSE how that could work. So fans have to fill in the blanks, and that’s either making him more sympathetic or like me who’s either deciding to start master blasting holes everywhere or is ready to throw this suit case out all together.

I know a lot of fans, and adaptations (such as this) kinda lean towards making Goro more sympathetic. I DON’T BLAME THEM. Like I said, there’s a lot of holes to fill in. And one of them is his relationship with Shido, something VERY crucial to the plot and is.....glossed over with like a few min worth of dialogue. 

Anyway what am I getting at? The issue that annoys me a lot, and that was shown in this picture that hair-triggered me into wanting to write this, was the fact “Goro is being controlled by Shido/Goro has no power and Shido has his claws into him/Goro can’t escape Shido.” As seen in the pictured above, you see Goro has hands to his throat and Shido has an overwhelming presence. Goro is trapped by Shido. And a lot of people will agree with this. It’s understandable because the game half assidly will say things like “you know what happens to people who defy me!” and basically threatening Goro’s life. EXCEPT IT’S ALL BULLSHIT!

“Woah that’s a little extreme what do you mean?” I mean it, Goro is not being controlled by Shido. It’s annoying P5 even INSINUATES that possibility in its writing! It makes no sense for Goro to be the powerless one here, not with the game we were given. And it’s amazing this wasn’t caught in the writers room. This is how that scene should’ve gone down given what we know:

Shido: You know what happens to people who oppose me! Goro: Yeah motherfucker, you send me! What do you want me do? Kill myself? What are you a 14 year old troll on the internet? Do you want me to kill you for threatening me-you scrotum looking asshole? 

Just freaking think about it, Shido or his confidants want a breakdown? Send Goro. They want a shutdown or to possibly kill someone? Send Goro. What the fudge is Shido doing threatening the guy who does his dirty work? Is he gonna kill him himself? No. Shido is a gd moron.

“But what about the cleaner guy?” Great question! And here’s my answer! What about him? No seriously what could anyone but the PT or a god do to Goro? Nothing. 

“But how is that nothing?!” Easy, Goro can take him out, breakdown or shutdown, before he could hurt Goro. If Shido sic’d anyone on Goro, Goro could easily take down Shido, the cleaner, and anyone related to either who know they should take Goro down. All thanks to the Metaverse. And because of that “Goro is trapped by Shido because he’s threatening Goro with death” is such a BS excuse by the game. 

“But what about Shido’s knowledge of the Metaverse? Didn’t he say he could utilize it?” Yeah what about it? The game doesn’t showcase HIM using the Metaverse. He always sends Goro. Which is REALLY FREAKING WEIRD considering he still acts this way, knowing full well Goro is missing. Like how are you going to do it Shido???? 1) you need an app first and foremost, 2) you’ll need a Persona or else you’ll get rekt’d! YOUR LOGIC MAKES NO SENSE! And him knowing about how the Meteverse works is just bs plot device so that we can shoo away how he could believe Goro in the first place let’s be honest.

The only people who use the Metaverse that we don’t know how they got there was the SWAT team that busted the MC, and while not explained it’s possible Goro had something to do with it (either giving someone his phone, since multiple people can go in with just one phone). That’s the only thing that makes sense, since only app users (aka PT+Goro) can got to that world. Tho the cut content seem to indicate even the police don’t know:

And it seems that you only get the app if you have a Persona (minus Goro, MC, and Futaba), cause that’s what Yadly wants:

(btw Ryu’s first pic is pre awakening and the 2nd is post awakening, Futaba’s the only one to get her’s before her Persona with the exception of Goro/MC, but Yadly must’ve thought she was useful or some shit judging by his dialogue early on in the game XP)

But yeah, bringing this up because it’s relevant to know who can and who can’t use the Metaverse. Goro CAN. Shido/Shido’s confidants CANNOT. Goro has the advantage. Shido does not. Goro holds all the cards. Shido’s a gd moron.

As for how Goro could end Shido and his Confidants. If for some reason Goro doesn’t know some of Shido’s confidants JUST BY WORKING WITH THEM, then he can find out through Shido’s Palace. Shido’s Palace literally contains every single one of his CoOps in Cognition form. Which means he probably knows their name, and all Goro really needs is a name cause that’s the hard part. Once he interrogates all the Cognitions and Shadow Shido, he takes Shadow Shido out, go after the real CoOps’ shadow, interrogates them (plus cognitions if they have a palace), and work his way down the latter until know one is after him. He can also squat in the Metaverse if for some reason the heat is really on him, and what’s the worse that could happen? They get pulled in with him? Well that’s bad....FOR THEM! Cause Goro has more powers there, his Persona, he’s stronger and more durable. There’s really no losing here.

So again, one last time. “SHIDO’S THREATS ON GORO’S LIFE MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE GORO HAS THE POWER TO END SHIDO NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!”

“Well what about his strangle on giving Goro affection?” Ok, ngl....been awhile....but I legit have NO RECOLLECTION of Goro or Shido showing any possible fatherly affection. I feel like I’ve seen more of the fans make this argument then the game. If the game did then it was just....such a throwaway line, and it’s a classic “P5 tell don’t show” move. Coupled with how contradictory the writing is with the way the story is built (like show literally above in how Goro’s life should not be threatened like AT ALL). P5 goes out of its way to show how much Goro HATES Shido and HE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HIM GO DOWN! That doesn’t seem like someone hesitating cause he wants a hug from daddy. The only reason he waits so long was because he wanted him to be prime minister (or just close to election) and then bring him down from the highest pedestal. THAT’S IT. He has so much more backing that then “I really wanted a daddy figure that gave me pats on the head and told me I was a good boy.” If P5 WAS going for that then they did an even piss poor job than with the issue above. 

And listen, I’m NOT saying that’s not something that couldn’t have happened, I’m saying the writing makes it not really support it or have it make sense. (edit: after typing this I vaguely recalled Shido saying that all Shido had to do was tell Goro he was a good boy and he thought he had him wrapped around his finger-of course this could’ve just been a tumblr post I read that’s how much I remember Shido praising Goro XP, and lkfsd;lakvl;vs this is soooooo batshit all over the place, are you controlling him with fear of death or love???? cause neither are working here bro. Btw at the bottom I go into a route in which this COULD work, but it means dropping the whole fear of death bs argument I made at the very beginning, and even then it’s not Shido actually controlling Goro, it’s him thinking he does.)

And if anyone says “What about destroying his career and social-hood by revealing Goro is a bastard?” And give Goro the platform, the audiences’ full attention for him to be like “YEAH AND GUESS WHO MY DAD IS?! :D” Like, considering Shido figured out Goro was his son, it’d be even more stupid of him to think he could do that when it’d be social suicide for him. As for Goro? That was his plan all along, nothing to lose! Maybe it’s not as high of a fall that he wanted, but he’s still bringing him down!

Now despite this rant, I’m NOT saying Goro isn’t a victim. As a bastard/foster child in Japan, he is a victim for their horrible treatment towards that group. That can’t be argued and in all honesty if it was just that I’d be happy. What I don’t think he is a victim of is Shido, at least beyond the parental abandonment (he is a victim for his dad being horrible and not marrying his mother and stuff like that OBVIOUSLY), by Shido I mean the Conspiracy related stuff. Making it out so that Shido controlled Goro the whole time, that Goro had no agency, that Goro couldn’t oppose him. That’s what I hate. I hate how people make him such a woobie victim when....he very well probably wasn’t. When he made Goro kill, it’d make more sense for Goro to be scared of losing his connection to Shido (aka not being able to monitor him and continue his plan) than be scared Shido might kill him (I mean he had freaking superpowers what the fudge?). But if people looked at it like that then Goro would be more in the wrong no? Choosing to value his goals of revenge over other’s? Maybe he didn’t want to kill but he still CHOSE because his own goals meant more than someone else’s life. But noooooo that would hurt him being a victim right? We need to make it all Shido’s fault! Goro did nothing wrong! Right? So we made it seem like Shido could threaten Goro’s life, make it a kill or be killed situation, even when it made no sense. 

I think Goro could been good, could’ve been complex. A boy who was an abandon bastard son of a politician, mistreated and abused by society until teenhood, suddenly granted the power to get revenge on his father, and going to any lengths, even if it broke his own moral code, because he was that dedicated to bringing down someone? That’s interesting, it’s simple. But “ A boy who was an abandon bastard son of a politician, mistreated and abused by society until teenhood, suddenly granted the power to get revenge on his father, forced to go to any lengths because he ended up in a trap by said father he wants to take down, even if it MIGHT (cause Atlus be chickens and “ambiguous”) be against his own moral code but like he’s being forced by his dad so is it really his fault? That? Fudge that. That’s needlessly confusing, it’s bending itself all out of shape to try to purify this character....and I hate it. 

There’s also the weird contradiction on Shido’s end where it’s like “He’s super paranoid that he kills people, and he doesn’t trust Goro since he plans to kill him, but he trusts him enough for certain things that he doesn’t need to double check on himself even if it poses a threat to him like I dunno checking IF THE GD MC BODY IS DEAD?! >:(” 

I dunno, I just think Goro having the strongest conviction to take down Shido (even killing because he wants to take him down so badly for what he did), with Shido not knowing Goro is his son and actually trusting him (with maybe gaining suspicions later towards the end for plot drama) because he’s so confident he groomed Goro into being his perfect little follower, is just so much more interesting? Goro is still a victim, but he’s not the perfect or “bending the character out of shape” to be perfect victim. He was hurt horribly and chose to deal with it in an....unhealthy way. It also makes the two seem reasonable, Shido thinks he’s in control because he took this starry eyed follower under his wing not because he’s threatening him with violence. Even tho we know Shido isn’t in control, Goro just likes to think he’s in control. 

;tldr: I hate how people (and even Atlus/the game) try to twist Goro into being this perfect victim, all while saying “well he does do bad things but it’s because of Shido!” instead of letting Goro be accountable and have it make logical sense in the game (because the game is a hot garbage mess). 

So yeah this concludes a 5 am rant I started yesterday. 8U 

[meimi-haneoka]

“I will not make this simple just because it's a kids show” ~ Morio Asaka x Sakura Tange interview in Newtype 05/2018

Here I am again, with the highlights of another interview with Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card’s director Morio Asaka, together with Sakura Tange (Sakura’s voice actress), as part of the special feature of this month’s Newtype issue. Beware, the post is gonna be long, but please take some time to read it, it’s pretty interesting. As usual, if you mean to repost or translate this in another language, send me a message/credit me, thanks!

- The interview starts with Asaka saying that while Clear Card is a story about Sakura growing and becoming stronger, lately he found himself thinking that she’s become even stronger than he initially thought. Sakura Tange agrees, saying that she initially thought Clear Card would see Sakura gradually becoming stronger. Instead, right from episode 1, she didn't hesitate, took the new key and chanted her Release! spell. Tange was kinda surprised by this and found herself wanting to catch up quickly with Sakura's growth.

- Asaka mentions he wondered how far he should go with the depiction of Sakura and Syaoran's relationship. He says “If it goes too far, it wouldn't be CCSakura anymore...although right in episode 1 they suddenly hugged like that (laughs)” After that, they went back to their usual innocent selves so there's quite a gap, but he understands now that they acted like that because of the time they've spent apart. Tange: “When I saw that hug in the manga I’ve sent a picture of it to Kumai (Syaoran’s VA), and told her "we have a case here!!", and she replied something like "What's that!? My brain can't keep up!". That was definitely a scene that shook both of us”.

- Asaka talks about Sakura Tange's acting qualities, saying that he chose her for the quality of her voice. He emphasized the fact that Sakura Tange's voice had just that perfect addictive something for a life-size Sakura. Sakura Tange said that she didn't try to high-pitch her voice to make her cute, and the fact that she was chosen for this makes her happy.

- They end up talking about the recording process and what's Asaka's role in it, and Sakura Tange points out that this Clear Card arc’s recording is dense of details and demanding for more and more, and it's the first time she encountered such a refined work. Since Tange found the same opinion from the other VAs too, she asks Asaka if all this refined work has a reason behind it. Asaka says that one of the reasons depends on the fact that, in the previous series, the characters used to "be at the mercy of the events", while this time Sakura is a lot more withstanding/resistant, Syaoran knows something and has got his own goal in mind, so when the story gets to the stage where (the characters) will start to put together the puzzle pieces of the story, the acting will become quite intense. Asaka: “Ever since the previous seasons, I decided I would not make this simple just because it's a kids show, and this is gonna be apparent even more in this Clear Card arc.  Although, it may also depend on how my way to direct my shows has changed over the years.”

- When asked if his style changed to match Sakura's growth, he says that this time the percentage of corrections to the storyboard is pretty high. He keeps adding details here and there.  Sakura Tange says she noticed that. She says it's basically the first time she's been constantly told "please play the character this way" while recording, because when playing a character since long time, normally in test stage she would agree with the staff on a general line to follow and then the rest will be left to her in recording stage. Instead here she's constantly guided and it becomes really, really difficult for her. But she also points out that this goes to show just how much love and care they're putting into this work. Asaka says "What will happen from episode 13 will be even harder, though!" and Tange replies "It's pretty hard already, haha"

Tange explains that she's never seen the cards as enemies until now, but rather as friends, so when sound director Masafumi Mima told her, since the beginning of the series, to "hit hard the cards as if you're doing it with hatred and anger" she was very surprised. Tange: “For such a fluffy world view and a story that was kinda simple, she's now getting such raw and life-risking battles (laughs). They're asking me to portray that kind of tension.”

- When asked if that's from the early stage of the story, Tange replies that ever since the beginning, there's this tension like "If I don't do something, everyone is gonna die!" and mentions episode 2 as an example. Asaka takes the chance to point out how even Tomoyo had an hard time in episode 2, so there's the fact that this time they're showing more instances in which the characters are in difficult situations, even to the point that one might think "they're gonna die!". But, Asaka says he doesn't see the cards as enemies and he has no intention to change that. They talk about how the cards this time seems "cold/inorganic" as opposed to the previous cards, and how cute Flight is, though.

- The interview moves on to the favorite scenes among the episodes aired until now, and Sakura Tange mentions the lovey dovey scenes with Syaoran. About this, Asaka says he wants to show the cool way in which he nonchalantly carries on his task. That's the cool side of Syaoran he wants to show, more than the aesthetic side. Asaka: "I can't tell (in details) yet, but in the episodes from now on there'll be plenty of cool Syaoran appearing. At the current stage I don't know how I will portray this, but in my head there's a veeery cool Syaoran".

- They talk about the first opening and ending, with the theme of "transparency" for the opening and the pure white dress as CLAMP's idea. Then Asaka confirms something the japanese animation enthusiasts had already guessed right: he says he left the ending completely in the hands of a "certain person" who did also the third ending of the previous series, "Fruits Candy".

- When asked how the story will develop from now on, Asaka says all the scenarios are already completed, and they're currently working on the last storyboard. As far as he’s allowed to say, the story is finally reaching the core of the big mystery of this series, which is the mysterious cloaked person who appears in Sakura's dreams. Tange: "Since I don't know anything about this, but I'm half anxious, half expecting what is about to come, if there's something I don't understand I think it would be a good idea if I went to ask you for clarifications" Asaka: "Sure, come at any time. Although I might not be able to answer you. (laughs)”  Asaka, never change. :)

[putschki1969]

All about Hikaru’s Otaku Activities Vol.1

The first edition of Hikaru’s monthly webseries has just been published! Be sure to check it out!

In this column Kalafina’s Hikaru talks about all the things she likes in a geeky fashion and with lots of passion. The first edition contains a self-introduction and Hikaru explains the reasons for her “Otaku Activities”

To all newcomers and everyone who knows me from the past, my first column has finally been published, I would really like you to read it casually without any pressure! Waahh….even while I am saying this I will have to admit that I am the one who feels most pressured at the moment *laughs* After all, it’s the first time in my entire life that I am writing a column…! When I first heard I would get to do this column, I was told, “we want you to make this a place where you can talk casually about the things you love, no formalities or anything.” I accepted the offer without hesitation so now I would like to try my very best to share the things I love. Please don’t be too hard on me!

Since this is the very first feature I think a self-introduction is in order. I am a singer and this year I have celebrated my 10th Anniversary as part of a vocal unit called Kalafina. I passed an audition to sing the theme songs for all seven movies of the theatrical version of “Kara no Kyoukai”. After that we got to sing many more theme songs for various anime works as well as for the NHK TV program “Rekishi Hiwa Historia”. Up until now I got to sing so many different songs, I got to meet many great people, our encounter with SPICE was also very exciting. They wrote amazing live reports for us, they followed us backstage and got to experience a side of us which we had never shown before, we got the chance to take part in “Songful Days”, an event sponsored by SPICE. With that kind of warm and comfortable relationship I feel like I can freely write this column.

Since all of my readers might end up being confused about certain things in the future I think it’s best to also share some private information about myself… *laughs*

I was born on July 2nd 1987 in Toyama Prefecture, back in 2009 I moved to Tokyo together with my family in order to pursue my activities as part of Kalafina. In my life I am supported by my hard working mother and my younger sister who shares my hobbies. My hobbies are reading, watching TV and films, doing puzzles and sleeping. I am an indoor person all the way.

The first manga I ever owned was a monthly shōjo manga magazine (hereinafter referred to as monthly magazine) called “Nakayoshi”. Then I also got the monthly magazine “RIBON”, during my earlier years of primary school I also got to read the monthly magazine “Ciao” at my friend’s house. Then from my higher grades of primary school onwards I started to buy separate volumes and these days nothing gives me more happiness than to feel the weight of a paperbag filled with dozens of new manga volumes.

The first animes I really liked in my childhood days were “My Neighbor Totoro” – I had completely worn out my video tape – and an English learning show by Disney called “Minnie Mouse is singing the ABC song for us ♪” I have been a big fan of anime ever since the old days but my love became stronger ever since I moved to Toyko and these days I tend to watch around 40 works every season.

The first gaming console I ever used was the “Super Nintendo”. I also played games on the Play Station, Gameboy and the Nintendo DS, I currently have more than 10 gaming apps on my mobile phone. In recent years I have also been going to a lot of collab cafés and stage plays of my favourite works.

I only just started to write and already it’s all about my otaku activities *laughs*. On that note I would like to mention that when it comes to books I am not just a fan of manga but of all kinds of literature such as short novels. When it comes to TV and films I am not just into anime, I also like variety shows, love stories, action, suspense and lots of western tv shows (mostly procedural crime dramas).

In the past I have often been asked, “among all those things, why is it that you feel the strongest emotional impact when it comes to manga and anime?” In short my reply is always, “it is my way of escaping from reality so I am able to actually face reality.”

Manga, anime, games, for me they provide a fantasy world filled with ideals and dreams. Step by step they will take you to another world. In there you will find brightly sparkling elements, a warm and fluffy sense of healing, before you know it you will have tears running down your cheeks and once in a while you will feel great emotional pain deep within your heart *bitter smile*.

This way I have been able to experience many different things. I am living quite the ordinary life so I get to experience things the real me wouldn’t do…for example, there’s a world where I am actually doing sports! Since it is all a fantasy I can use magic and psychic powers, it is possible to talk with all kinds of animals. In these works there are worlds where you can see sceneries which you could have never imagined in the real world.

Also, the characters living in these worlds carry so many ideals and dreams, their words and actions are powerful and provide hope, they give me the strength to face the struggles of the real world. By experiencing a wonderful piece of work you can get inspired and find the strength to face all your challenges. They help me revalidate the things I want to do, what needs to be done in order to achieve those things, they give me the motivation to reach my goals. Through these works I want to experience the best as well as the worst things. I feel like this is the most important thing. In this column I would like to talk about the things that are important to me.

This is a bit sudden but did you know that during this anime season you can enjoy a lot of nostalgic works on TV? “Lupin the Third Part 5“, “Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Die Neue These “, “GeGeGe no Kitarō Vol.6”, “Captain Tsubasa”, “Card Captor Sakura Clear Card Arc”, “Soul Hunter” and many more.

When you watch them you can fully experience the charms of these works which so many people have been enamored with in the past. To feel the warmth and excitement from the early days again, it is great. That feeling of being fully immersed also seems to come back. I wonder if the power and beauty of these works will touch my heart again. While once again experiencing the sparkle of these works which I had enjoyed back in the day, I feel like I am falling in love with them all over again. Also, I feel like many people are getting to know these nostalgic works for the very first time, there seems to be a growing interest in works from the past.

As a big CLAMP lover I have been watching “Card Captor Sakura Clear Card Arc” ever since the last season when it first started to air, simultaneously I have been reading the manga. “Card Captor Sakura” is a story about a girl that comes across magical cards and receives magical powers. The main character Sakura Kinomoto-chan (hereinafter referred to as Sakura-chan) encounters magical cards during her fourth grade of primary school. All in all there are 53 cards such as “water”, “fire”, “wind”, “thunder”, “ground”, “light” and “darkness”. Sakura-chan struggles to bring them to life and consequently control them. She is a very cute, kind-hearted and courageous girl! She has to face various difficulties. Through her words and actions I feel incredibly empowered. I don’t even know how many times I have been comforted by her encouraging words, “it’s gonna be absolutely fine!”

And then there are all these inspiring quotes by Sakura-chan’s best friend Tomoyo Daidouji (hereinafter referred to as Tomoyo-chan). “Seeing a beloved person being happy gives me utmost happiness”, “Whatever good thoughts may be hidden within your heart, if you don't put them into words, none of it will ever be acknowledged by others.” These are the quotes I always keep in mind during important times. Tomoyo-chan may have a gentle nature but she is a very though girl with a strong will. She is my favourite character!

This is the story of Sakura-chan & Co. Time has passed and they are all junior high school students now. The cards which need to be collected have turned transparent, many new things are happening. There are new cards. Lots of mysterious characters. I will continue to loyally watch Sakura-chan’s adventures!

That’s it for today. Thank you for sticking around till the very end. I’d be happy if you checked out my next edition.

Well, until next time!

Hikaru

[lavenderfebreze]

Flock Together Chapter 14 Preview

Because I can only go so long between chapter updates and the slow pace of the manga is rough, buddy. I just need to know how this game turns out then I can post the whole chapter.

(Pictured: the internal battle of my “urge to update already” and “just be patient the thematic elements will be worth it if you just wait until this game is done”)

Don’t know this fic? Read the rest of the fic on AO3.

Takeda’s apartment was decorated for Christmas. Tinsel was set along the bookshelves, and LED candles glowed throughout the room. The table was set with a seasonal white paper tablecloth depicting what Keishin was pretty sure was supposed to be a herd of reindeer playing in a field. Candles were set between their nearly-empty plates. To the side of the table, a beautifully decorated cake waited for them to finish their meal.

Takeda set down his chopsticks and sighed happily. “That was delicious.”

The candlelight cast Takeda’s face in a warm glow. Keishin smiled. “Tonkatsu was your idea. I just brought the meat.”

“And made sure it was cooked well.” Takeda stood up and took their plates to the kitchen. He returned with clean ones. “Shall I cut the cake?”

“Yeah, it looks great.” The cake was decorated with little icing swirls and strawberry slices in a checkerboard pattern. “I bet you could have a second career as a baker, if y’wanted.”

“If professional bakers spent all afternoon on a simple set of decorations, maybe.” Takeda frowned as he cut into the cake. Keishin couldn’t see why. The cake seemed to be holding together well, and he had no trouble getting two picture-perfect slices onto their plates.

Keishin took a bite. It was pleasantly sweet, but as he chewed it became clear something was amiss. The cake was tough. Very tough. Almost… rubbery?

Takeda chewed for a long time, too. He set his fork down. “I… may have messed up the recipe.” He winced. “Does your piece feel like chewing on a tire?”

Keishin swallowed quickly. “No, no. It’s not that bad.” He took another bite and chewed “I uh, kinda like that jelly-like texture.”

Takeda frowned. “I wonder if the xanthan gum was a mistake…”

“You added xanthan gum? Why?” Keishin started chewing his way through a third bite.

“I heard it could make cakes sturdier and easy to decorate. I guess that’s true, but…” he sighed. “I may have overdone it. Either that or my rice cooker has betrayed me again…”

“Hey, the flavor’s still nice. And it looks great.”

“I suppose too much effort can be a bad thing.” Takeda poked at his slice with his fork. The cake certainly did seem to have a lot of bounce to it. Disappointment clouded Takeda’s features as he watched the cake wobble.

Keishin swallowed his bite and set the fork down. Powering through it was clearly not going to help. “It’s not the worst, but maybe we can make another cake together sometime? My parent’s place has a real oven, which might help. Plus, if it doesn’t turn out it’ll be at least half my fault.”

Takeda seem to perk up at the thought. “Ah, wouldn’t your parents mind, though?”

Keishin shrugged. “They’ve started talkin’ about going somewhere in February together. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll have the place to ourselves for Valentine’s Day.”

Takeda smiled, and the room seemed brighter. “I guess that answers my question about what you want to do for Valentine’s. That’ll be fun. I’m just sorry it wasn’t better tonight though.”

Keishin shook his head. “It’s still good, and the next one will be even better. You really have spoiled me. D’you wanna open your present now?” Keishin nodded towards the wrapped packages on the side of the room.

“Yes! But, ah, would you mind opening my gift last? I’m feeling a bit embarrassed about it, and I don’t know if I want to give you two disappointments in a row.”

“Don’t mind,” Keishin grabbed the gifts and brought them to the table. He set Takeda’s gift on the table. It felt like a book, and it was wrapped in crisp, shiny paper.

Keishin handed his somewhat misshapen gift to Takeda. The gift was wrapped as beautifully as he could manage it in red paper, with an unfortunately lopsided bow on the top. The store clerks probably could have wrapped it better if he’d asked, but he’d wanted to do it himself.

Takeda opened the gift, careful not to rip the paper.

It was a winter coat.

“I noticed before you didn’t really have a jacket warm enough for up here. It’s a newer version of mine. I think it’ll help keep you warm in the gym,” Keishin said.

Takeda stood up and tried it on. “It’s so light! But it’s definitely warmer than my other jackets. This is so thoughtful, thank you!”

Keishin smiled. It looked like he’d chosen the size pretty well, though the coat was perhaps designed for someone with broader shoulders. It was a practical and sporty design, with enough collar that a scarf was optional even in the colder months.

“And it has so many pockets!” Takeda said, patting the pockets of the coat. He paused at one, his expression shifting as he realized something was inside. Keishin tried to keep his face neutral as Takeda pulled out a folded slip of paper.

Keishin bit his lip. He’d agonized over the phrasing of the letter for days, and now that Takeda was actually reading it he felt the words flying away from him, given some life of their own by the act of being read. He swallowed down his nerves and watched Takeda’s eyes scan the page.

Take-chan,

I was going to write you a poem, but nothing ever sounds right. I just have to say it plain.

I am a different person because I fell in love with you.

The things you’ve done for the team, and this town, and for me are all incredible. You make the world a better place.

I want the world to be a better place for you. You deserve happiness, and as long as I can be a part of that happiness, whether by helping you with your work or by keeping you warm when the world gets cold, let me be here for you.

And if and when I can’t be there, maybe this coat will help.

-Keishin

Takeda stood there motionless, staring at the paper in his hands. After an agonizing silence, he said, “Nobody’s ever written me a love letter before.”

“What, really?” Keishin startled. “That can’t be right. You’re the most poetic and romantic person I’ve ever met.”

“I mean, I’ve written them before, yes.” Takeda knelt down next to Keishin and set the letter on the table with reverence. “But no one’s ever…” He turned to Keishin, his eyes bright. “I want you and the coat.” He threw his arms around Keishin and nuzzled into him, the new fabric of his coat soft against Keishin’s cheek.

“You got it.” Keishin laughed and kissed him. “Does this mean I get t’ open my present now?”

Takeda nodded, then knelt back to give Keishin space. There was a little stiffness in his posture, like he was trying not to seem embarrassed.

Keishin tore open the paper wrapping on his gift. The gift was a small book, a well-worn paperback copy of Poetry and Thought: An anthology of contemporary Japanese poems. Keishin opened it and found it full of notes in Takeda’s handwriting.

Takeda ducked his head self-consciously. “Sorry about the rough appearance of it. Each poem in this anthology helped shape my transition from Tokyo to here, from a selfish kind of love to a more supportive one. The notes in blue ink I made in the moment, and the black ink are notes I added later, for you. You can think of it as a document of what brought me here, a catalogue of all my contradictions and flaws and evolutions. I… wanted to give all of that to you.”

Keishin flipped to a random page and traced the notes with his finger. The poem for this page was Mt Yokei by Shuntaro Tanikawa:

When I try to divide into lines words that keep on flowing like blood    through my body I can feel the words grow rigid As if the words resented being touched by my mind

Opening the window, I can see the mountain I’ve been looking at for   sixty years The afternoon sun is falling on its ridgeline As for the way to read its name Whether I call it Takatsunagi-yama Or Yokei-zan The mountain doesn’t give a damn

But the words themselves seem ill at ease That’s because I know nothing about the mountain Never been enveloped in mists there, never bitten by a snake Always just gazing at it

I’ve never hated words but Neither have I loved them There are words that make me shudder with embarrassment And words that, transparent, make me forget they are words And it can happen, too, that words carefully thought through End in genocide

Our vanity powders over words I want to see words’ faces as they are Their archaic smiles

 A note in blue was scrawled next to the lines “That’s because I know nothing about the mountain| Never been enveloped in mists there, never bitten by a snake | Always just gazing at it”:

Removed from experience, from life and hardships. Gazing and naming without living. Time to wander the mountain.

Further down a note in black, next to the lines “I want to see words’ faces as they are | Their archaic smiles”:

Can I tell you the words that capture what we have? Or is the thought that I could know them vanity? Are the bare faces of words a moment on the court, a meal set on the table, or the dark around a candle’s flame?

The words brushed against what Keishin wanted to know in a delightful tease. He would need time to understand it all. It was a precious gift.

“I’m gonna be looking at this one for a while. Thank you,” Keishin said.

Takeda laughed self-consciously. “It’s not too dull?”

“No, it’s very you.” Keishin set the book down and turned to Takeda, basking in the warm glow of his presence and the nuanced shadows cast by the little lights around the room. “I love it.”

--

Read the rest of the fic on AO3.

[kuroshitsuji-scenarios]

Hey! I've just recently binge-read the manga and I've only been following you for a few days but I was wondering if you can you do angst headcanons for Snake and Agni and their s/o when she finds them drunk and tries to console them when they get upset thinking about their pasts. Like, Agni and his regrets pre-Soma and Snake remembering his abusive/lonely upbringing. Oh my gosh writing about those two is making me so sad, those two precious cinnamon rolls who deserve protection and love 😭

I’m a dumbass and I didn’t realize you wanted headcanons so I made scenarios instead but I think this is actually a good mistake. Hope you enjoy anyways!

It worried you a little, the lightspreading on the floor, flowing from under the door leading to Agni’sbedroom in such a late hour. You were on your way just to get a glassof water, since merciless thirst didn’t allow you to sleep anylonger, forcing you to angrily wander through the long corridors, nowdrowned in the utter darkness diffused by the single oil lamp youheld in your hand. It was obvious that the day started for Agni muchearlier than for you, his duties calling out for him right after heopened his eyes but inspite of being a perfect butler and company forhis dear Prince Soma, he needed some rest like every other person.You could already imagine how hard it will be for him to focustomorrow if he still wasn’t sleeping at almost 3 a.m.

You knocked delicately and pushed thehandle, only to blink few times until your still asleep eyes adjustedto the warm lightness filling the bedroom. Agni’s silhouette wasclearly visible, leaned over the desk in almost pitiful manner, whichmade you realize that something has to be terribly wrong. Notbothering by saying anything, you stepped inside and rushed towardhim, placing a hand on his shoulder and causing him to gasp slightly,as if he wasn’t expecting your presence. Peeking at you over theshoulder, you could see how reddened his eyes were, how the tearswere still glistening in them, bringing the cold colour of steel.

„My dear, what has happened?” youinquired, brushing few white strands from his forehead, while hestraightened his back and inhaled deeply, trying to not lose hiscomposure anymore, not in front of you.

„It is nothing you should be concernedof,” was his reply, preceded by a sad smile.

„But I am concerned, nevertheless, soplease, let me help. Tell me what is wrong.”

Agni turned the head toward thecandelabra placed on the desk and almost touched the fire with hisindex finger, losing himself deep in his own thoughts. Few secondspassed and just when you were considering repeating the question, hefinally spoke, his voice a little bit hoarse and low.

„I am a very bad man. I made very badthings.”

„So did everyone,” you told him,sitting at the edge of the desk. „Your mistakes do not define you,they are hard and painful, yes, but they do not define you.”

„Things that I commited aremaking me a bad man,” he objected, looking at you almost angrily,but you knew better that the only anger he felt right now was the oneaimed at himself.

„No, they are not. What is importantis that, you learned your lesson and that you will never do themagain. This is relevant, not your past.”

He sighed, torn between the words he washearing from you, understanding that they were — they had to betrue — and the storm of his own emotions bringing chaos to hisheart. It was hard for him to accept his previous self, to not beable to cut if off and become just whom he was now. Maybe it was hispunishment, the torment created so he would never forget who he was,so he would never lose his path again.

„You are such a wise woman, mydearest…” he admitted, a single spark of happines appearing inhis eyes. „I am delighted to have you by my side and I doubt I willever be able to thank gods for sending you to me.”

You smiled to him and took his hand inyours, feeling how warm it was. This sweet, fleeting affection madehim lean toward you and put his cheek on your stomach, embracing youtightly and holding as close as possible, inhaling the scent of yourbody.

„And I am delighted to be with you,too,” you giggled, placing a hand on his turban, feeling theovewhelming warmness from where your bodies connected in such anintimate, magical moment when both your souls and minds kissed.

„I may not be able to change my past,”he continued quietly, stroking your side through the fabric of yournightgown. „But I will make sure that our future is as bright asthe sun. I want to grow old with you, my dearest, and spend my whole,new life with you.”

„Then we will grow old together. Thereis no need to worry about who we were because there are so manydecades of happiness ahead and I will love you in every single one ofthem.”

Snake hasn’t been seen anywhere sincethe morning and when he didn’t appear in the kitchen to help indinner preparations, you started to worry about him. It wasn’t thatuncommon for him to disappear from time to time, preferably to havesome time for himself and focus on his thoughts, but it never lastedfor almost half of the day. Plus, none of his snakes were anywherenearby and that was the reason why you asked Mey Rin to do your partof the job until you will be back from looking for him.

The rain poured outside but it didn’tstop you from running through the gardens with hysterically beatingheart when you still couldn’t find him in the mansion. Ignoring thewet hair on your face, droplets soaking through your clothes and somewater in your shoe, you reached to the glasshouse, lead by someunnamed feeling that this is a place where he might be.

After stepping inside, you immediatelyfelt the sultriness and scent of growing fruits, vegetables andherbs. Round tomatoes hanging from the sprouts, almost ready to bepicked, green cucumbers laying on the ground, leafs of the radishpeeking over the earth right next to the carrot’s and beetroot’s onesand finally, at the other end of the glasshouse, mint, sage, dill andonions with straightening chives. The sound of raindrops hitting thetransparent roof drown out your steps on the soft, dark ground,bending under your weight when you approached Snake, sittingpeacefully on the of the wooden benches and staring blankly at thebushes of aromatic basil.

„Snake?” you asked, but only Goetheon his shoulder turned his head curiously toward you. „Are youalright? What are you doing here?”

„I was wondering,” he answered andyou caught yourself on waiting for him to add the: „said Goethe”part which never came.

Oh dear, it was serious.

Slowly, you took a seat next to him andlooked at his profile, not finding there anything beside terrifyingemptiness. You pariently let him think, not pushing him intospeaking, aware that it would only do the opposite.

„I was wondering when I will stopbeing alone.”

You opened your mouth and immediatelyclosed it, considering what could you say to him to not harm hisfeelings nor make him feel worse than he already felt. You couldn’tgive him easy answers, the ones he heard many times in his life,before everyone who said that disappeared, you had to be differentand you had to prove him that.

„I am here. I am always here if youneed me and I do not plan on leaving anywhere.”

„Those are almost exact words myfamily said before they left me in the circus.”

Your heart clenched painfully in yourchest, a lump suddenly growing in your throat.

„They said I was the part of theirfamily. That I was one of them and I won’t be alone anymore. Andwhere are they now? They are all gone.”

Without a word you hugged him, naïvelyhoping that if you held him strong enough, he won’t shatter apart infront of you, but the only thing you felt, was how his body startedto tremble. At first you thought that he was crying but one look athis face was enough to understand that he was simply mad, so upsetthat the life has always been so unfair for him and him alone.

„Iwant them to come back,” he muttered, as if unconsciously. „Smilesaid that he will find them but it has been three years now. Exactlythree years since I am there. He won’t find them, will he? They won’tcome back…”

„Ilove you,” was the only thing you could say that came to your mindin that moment. You couldn’t find better words to describe yourfeelings, to comfort him because nothing was good enough. The path hewas on, was made to be walked alone and all you could to was to holdhis hand, promising yourself that no matter what, you can not leavehim — even if it meant fighting the death itself.

„Ilove you,” you repeated. „I will always love you. I will be yourfamily from now on and I won’t let anyone hurt you, not you norGoethe or Emily or Oscar or Wordsworth or Keats or Donne. Notanymore.”

His armslowly leaned on your shoulder and the slight squeeze he gave you wasa sign that he was probably going to be alright, just like he alwaysdid.

„Thankyou. I think I love you, too,” he whispered. „Says Goethe.”

[abeautifulblog]

you are honestly my favorite fanfiction author of all time, and it feels sort of back-handed in a weird inexplicable way to have "fanfiction" preface that... in my very humble opinion, if was to list my favorite (no preface) authors of all time, you'd definitely be in my top three; beaten only by Mitch Albom and Scott F. Fitzgerald for me, and youre steadfast one of the main authors I re/read for inspiration when i write... who are the authors that inspire you most??

O wow! That is – some high praise indeed, I am deeply honored. :) It’s gratifying to hear that this fic is resonating with you, because it is the most personal piece of fiction I’ve ever written. (Honestly, I’d be happy not to write anything this personal ever again.)

As for the authors who have influenced me (strap in)…

One of the most influential writers when I was a teenager was Anne Rice and her vampire series, though I think it was less about the vampire thing and more about the raging homoeroticism (I joke that Anne Rice made me gay) and the intense, almost claustrophobic emotional intensity of those books. I’ve actually written about her influence on my writing here. (I don’t update that blog anymore, I don’t even know how to approve/respond to comments anymore, but it’s got a pretty extensive archive for people who like hearing me talk about media.)

It’s interesting because just recently (like, last week) I reread a few of her earlier books – Queen of the Damned, The Vampire Lestat, and I’m about halfway through Tale of the Body Thief – and was reminded that yes, she was in fact really good before she went off the rails. (After Tale of the Body Thief, the rest of the series is nigh-unreadable.) She writes lonely people really well – the struggle of endlessly trying to achieve intimacy and failing. When I’m on my game and writing powerful emotional content, I feel like my style owes a lot to the way she does descriptions, which is… kind of hard to describe, but it’s like… emotive language in unexpected combinations? Pairing descriptions of the landscape with adjectives that tie in to the character’s emotional state, or abstract nouns with adjectives that describe a physical sensation. I don’t know, I don’t have any specific examples I can give, but I’ll catch myself writing sometimes and go “ooh that’s good” followed by “haha, you’re pulling an Anne Rice.”

Besides Anne Rice, most of what I read is sci-fi/fantasy; I tend to have very little use for realistic/literary fiction. (Which is why it’s kind of funny that I’m 70k and counting into a suburban love story.) I like SFF, and I like it gay, and for many years it was my quest to find and read every book in the intersection of that particular Venn diagram – the fruits of my quest are here, The Gay Fiction Booklist That Doesn’t Suck. Anything with a throbbing “top pick” icon next to it is, well, exactly that, but I’m not sure whether I’d call them an influence, because I was already in my twenties by the time I read them, so my literary style was kind of settled by then.

(Although when I need to read something to ~get me in the mood~ for writing, Karin Lowachee, Jacqueline Carey, and Sarah Monette are excellent choices for top-notch prose and top-notch emotional engagement.)

Someone who’s not on that list is a relatively obscure manga writer named Miyamoto Kano, who I really wish I could rec to a wider audience, but her work is mostly inaccessible if you don’t read Japanese. Her stories have been a very strong influence on the way I write romance, namely that in the real world, sex doesn’t actually resolve anything (except sexual tension, I guess), and it is not where you should be investing your narrative tension. I’m much more a fan of letting characters jump into bed with each other before they’ve finished working out their shit, and not making the resolution of the drama hinge on them having sex.

(…Which, again, funny – because we’re 70k into A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and they still haven’t shagged, which means I’m writing exactly what I say I don’t write.)

I’m also a huge fan of Miyamoto’s brand of off-beat realism, that you’ll get these moments of comic absurdity popping up even at the most dire moments because that’s what life is. The universe has no respect for your personal crisis, and you get weird/funny/distracting shit popping up when you’re just trying to have a good cry, or a good solid screaming match. To reiterate my favorite George Bernard Shaw quote: “Life doesn’t cease to be funny when people die, any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.” Miyamoto gets that, so beautifully.

And I’m probably forgetting something, but those are the strongest fiction influences I can think of. I read a lot of nonfiction too in order to understand people better on both an individual and a societal level – my top picks would be Influence (Cialdini), Whipping Girl (Serrano), Made to Stick (Heath), On Killing (Grossman), Stigma (Goffman), Collapse (Diamond). (With a much longer list of specialty books for specific subjects.)

For learning how to write emotional involvement, I am a serious nerd for narratology and I recommend Dorrit Cohn’s Transparent Minds. It’s not a book on how to write, it’s one that documents the different methods for conveying a character’s consciousness to a reader. I read it for my thesis, but it wound up being an epiphany, because it explained exactly why some books achieve so much more emotional engagement than others.

And lastly, because it would be ungenerous not to give a shout-out to the very excellent fanfics that are no doubt feeding into my own writing in some way, here’s a sampling of some lesser-known favorites:

Ain’t No Grave (Can Keep My Body Down) - Steve/Bucky, with a very different take on Bucky than what you usually see. I guess maybe this one isn’t so unknown anymore, but I FOUND IT BEFORE IT WAS POPULAR.

Odi et Amo - Eagle of the Ninth, aka, that movie set in Roman Britain where Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell were being hella gay at each other. This fic is a Dead Poets Society fusion, beautifully atmospheric, makes you wish you knew more about poetry.

Love Is All You Need To Destroy Your Enemies - Dresden Files/Welcome to Night Vale crossover. So good that I don’t even begrudge it having dethroned my own Dresden fic from being top-in-fandom.

World Ain’t Ready - Les Miz high school AU. You don’t need to know anything about Les Miz to enjoy this; I didn’t! :D

In His Image - Supernatural, Dean/Castiel. There are a number of fics that are reworkings of season 5, but this one is brilliant. Like when you’re all of a page into the first chapter of a fic and you can feel a smile starting to spread across your face because, oh, oh, this writer is GONNA BE GOOD.

If You Liked The Book, You’ll Hate The Movie - X-Men: First Class, another high school AU because why not. I have a weakness for weird, dysfunctional people being weird and dysfunctional.

…And that does not even scratch the surface of the fics I’ve read and enjoyed, but yeah.

I should stop now. Thank you for reading this far.

[fiveten]

あなた誰 ? (Yuta x reader)

A/N: this was based on Kimi no Nawa. You don't really have to watch it to understand this. This is also quite lenghty and I appologise for grammatical errors if ever I missed some.

++++

Sometimes you'd wake up with tears streaming down your face, unable to remember your dream. It was all new to you, were you the only one experiencing this or was it normal for teens your age? You don't know.

The sound of your phone woke you up making you fall off your bed. You groaned and patted the part of your head that collided with the floor. You sat on the floor for a little while, hearing your own voice call out to an unfamiliar name.

"Yuta-kun?" You said, his name felt so unfamiliar on your lips. Who was he? Why was his name popping into your head?

It's been years since you've had the strange dreams. You used to hate it but now you're craving it somehow. A boy always kept appearing in your dreams, you weren't seeing him but instead you are him, in his body, living his life.

Memories about those dreams were nearly forgotten. Just pieces of them such as places and names could still be remembered but the whole dream was just lost. Those dreams began to vanish when you entered your senior year. It was as if the boy in your dream had a life too and he was also busy. You missed those times you woke up with writings all over your body. Phrases like;

'Who are you?'

And

'What happened today?'

Or

'Did you do something weird?'

Were written either on your skin or a notebook that remained open on your desk. When you figured that it couldn't be a dream anymore, you established some rules with the boy. Both of you made sure to leave feedback of what happened during the day on your phone's notes.

But even if you leave notes on each others body, once you erase his name he is almost gone. There was no way to remember his name besides looking your notes. You tried saying his name over and over again but after a few seconds his name was just forgotten.

You placed your contact number on his phone and he did the same to you and for some reason you couldn't contact each other. When you finally decided you wanted to meet him, you skipped school and went to Osaka.

When you arrived at the main station you tried contacting him but no one was picking up. That's when you decided to walk around the city, assuming that if you see each other you'd immediately know.

Osaka was a beautiful city. It was something new to your eyes. Dotonbori was one of the liveliest places you've been to. With the little money you brought, you bought some Takoyaki to satisfy your hunger. It was the best tasting Takoyaki you've eaten.

After your short break you resumed walking. Your feet hurt but you wanted to meet him, wondering what he'll feel about it. Would he be glad or would be think you're annoying? You have to find out.

The day was coming to an end and you haven't found him. Maybe today was not the right day. You thought. You headed to the train station and waited for the next JR train to arrive. The sky looked different in Osaka. It looked duller than back home.

When the train finally arrived, you saw him. You weren't sure but it looked like Yuta. You made your way to his car and went in front of him.

"Yuta-kun? Yuta-kun." You said before he looked at you. He was so handsome, his facial features were so perfect. Kind eyes, pointy nose, and soft lips. He looked unreal, like a manga character. "Do you remember me?".

"Who are you?" His words made you blush in embarrassment and also that he was so close to you.

"Never mind." You said facing the other way.

The doors opened and the people behind you pushed you out. You were quite disappointed that he couldn't remember you but non the less happy with seeing him in person.

"Hey! What's your name?" Yuta shouted, trying to reach out to you beyond the people who exited the train.

"My name is Y/N! Don't forget me!" You shouted back. You removed the blue and white traditional bracelet you were wearing and threw it to him.

Yuta caught it and when he did, he fastened it on his wrist. He examined the bracelet closely. It was made from the finest cloth in all of Japan, something someone from a prestigious family would own.

The following morning Yuta woke up with tears streaming down his face. But he wasn't sad about anything. He didn't even dream about anything.

"Why am I crying?" He said as he wiped the tears off his face.

He couldn't remember anything from his dream not until he felt the bracelet on his wrist. He examined it, trying to recall where he got it from.

"Y/N?" All he could remember was your name. "Who is she? Is this hers?" He asked himself.

As for you, you also woke up in tears too. You pondered if Yuta was also experiencing the same thing. And that moment was the last time you experienced a switch.

It's been years and every time you woke up it always felt like something was missing from you. It felt like some part of your life was taken away so suddenly. You recently moved to Tokyo. All your belongings were being placed inside your new apartment. Boxes of all your important things were being placed in the living room.

After the movers emptied out their truck you payed them their fee and left. You carried the boxes that contained all your bedroom needs to your room while the others were left at the living room.

While unpacking you discovered a notebook which you owned ever since High School. It was like a diary that had many drawings in it but you know the drawings aren't yours, simply because you don't draw well. So, you shrugged and set it aside for you to read after unpacking to avoid getting carried away.

When the sun set it was time to call it a day. Most of your things were unpacked so it's time that you rest. You didn't have anything to cook so you decided to go out to buy some food. You dressed yourself in a simple yellow shirt paired with jeans and your black jacket topping it off.

You bought some Takoyaki and Chicken Karaage for take out and headed home right after. You set the table for yourself and began eating the food you bought. It tasted so good after working your butt off on unpacking. When you finished, you decided to do the dishes tomorrow instead since you were tired.

The bedroom was all set and you gladly let yourself sink into the mattress of your bed. You sighed as you turned to your side. The notebook sat at the beside table, you sat up and held it with both of your hands as you examined it. The blue cover was chipping off slowly from time.

The first thing you saw on front page was a name. Nakamoto Yuta. His name was written in black ink which covered the whole page. When you turned to the next page all you saw was nothing but a date and his name. Confused, you turned to the other pages and saw the same thing. But at the very end it said; Let's meet in Tokyo.

It confused you more because you didn't know who he was. It was as if he'd been part of your life before. Maybe this was a step to what you were looking for. The past years had been weird for you, it always felt like you were looking for a person or place.

You shrugged it off when you felt your eyelids become heavy. You immediately fell asleep once your head touched the soft pillows. You don't dream when you sleep but this time you did. And what a weird dream it was.

You were walking around Tokyo with an umbrella above your head since it was snowing heavily. When you walked on a bridge, you heard the sound of a bell softly ring. You stopped in your tracks to see a man walking away from you. You were somewhat drawing to him but you hesitated and kept walking away.

Then you were suddenly in a subway station. What was odd was that you could smell bread, and scent wasn't a part of dreams. The place looked familiar to you. You boarded the train once it arrived. There were a lot of people at this hour so you had to squeeze yourself in.

It was 3 stops away from your destination and every time the train stopped you accidentally bumped the boy in front of you. He looked awfully familiar and right at that moment you heard a bell ring, just like the one on the bridge.

"Yuta-kun!" You woke up from your sleep, saying his name over and over again. It's been a while and tears were streaming down your face. You wiped it off with the back off your hand.

Today was an unusually windy day. Unpacking was set aside since you were going to your college to register. You dressed yourself in warmer clothes, grabbed your backpack and you were headed out. The university wasn't too far from where you were staying.

Dozens of people were walking around the subway station at this hour. Strangely, you heard a bell ring, just like the one in your dream. You looked to the right and saw him staring at you. Your eyes widened when you realized it was really him. A wall divided you and you were staring at each other through the transparent glass that acted as a design.

Without hesitation, you ran towards the exit of the station. All those years of searching must come to an end. You ran to the gates of the university knowing that it's the mid point of the other side of the station.

You froze when you saw him appear around the corner. He was panting and so were you. You looked down at your feet and started walking towards him. A bell rang once again when you passed one another, it felt painful this time. You were about to turn to the corner when you heard him speak.

"Haven't we met before." He said, you stopped on your tracks, trying to hold back your tears. But you couldn't, you let it go.

"I thought so too." You said as you wiped away your tears to face him.

"Is your name Y/N?" He asked walking a bit closer to you.

"Yes, and you are Yuta." You replied walking towards him too.

Yuta was crying too. He hugged you and that was when you knew you found him, the person you were looking for.

[godslush]

Oh, and because apparently nobody wanted to know anything from that artist ask post, here’s all the answers anyway:

   Do you prefer traditional drawing, or digital? I actually feel a lot more comfortable with sketching and lines in traditional, but I've been spoiled by digital tools for coloring and refining. I'd say digital for now since I don't have a good means to do traditional lines and then transfer them to PC for coloring; no room for a scanner and too lazy to clean up a photo.    How long have you been drawing? Technically since pre-school, but I started drawing seriously with intent to improve in 6th grade, which was 1997-1998, so about 20 years. :>    How many classes have you taken? I took technically four years in high school, but the teacher didn't so much teach drawing techniques as she did nurture students' existing abilities and provide challenges, usually in the form of prompts and different mediums. I also took one summer in college that was an introductory course that didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know, I just had to take it as compulsory 'diversification' (since I was majoring in biology). It probably helped a lot, though, in the sense that it forced a lot of still life drawing, something that's of great value to all artists that I tend to shun because it's 'boring' and such, which is a very bad mentality to have, haha.    Do you have a DeviantArt, personal website, or art blog? I have a DevArt (Daimera) but it's defunct and I will never update it again. It's a good way to see how I've grown, though, since it goes back pretty far and I haven't deleted much, only hidden a bunch of my original character art due to annoying children and art thieves. My dedicated art blog now is artslush here on Tumblr.    What’s your favorite thing to draw? Whatever I'm having fun with at the time! Usually monsters, but not always!    What’s your least favorite thing to draw? Realistic people. Realistic anything. Seriously, just take a photo.    How often do you use references? Much less than I probably should.    Do you draw professionally, or just for fun? Just for fun. Not sure if I'd enjoy drawing professionally; if it becomes my job I fear I may grow to resent one of my only forms of enjoyment.    How much time do you spend drawing on an average day? Not nearly long enough.    Are you confident about your art? I'm sort of see-sawing. I'm happy with my art from my own perspectives and relative to where I'd like to be, but I know I'm nowhere near good compared to actual professionals. I just try not to let it bother me.    How many art-related blogs do you follow? Considering I came to Tumblr because of art blogs (or blogs of people who do art on occasion even if it's not their main theme), do you really want me to go and manually count them? ... Really...? Ugh, okay... ... ... ...62. ...What? I like to keep a clean dashboard!    Is it okay for people to ask you about your process? It is but you're not gonna get a particularly great answer! I have some videos up on YouTube, mostly long streams though.    Do you prefer to keep your art personal, or do you like drawing things for other people? Mostly personal now. I used to draw way more for others in the past, but when I started attracting the attention of a younger and more entitled crowd (not gonna say who but if you've been there you know), I've become more and more reclusive out of the desire to just not have to deal with the drama of kids trying to guilt me into doing free art for them. "I love your work! See, I've complimented you! You owe me now! You've done free art for others, so why not meee???! Wow, you're such a horrible person! I'm going to treat you like garbage and tell everyone what an awful person you are for not giving me free stuff or reciprocating my 'kindness' to you!!" Maybe I'm overreacting or projecting, but it's something I just want to avoid, even if it's not likely to happen. I just can't deal with that kind of trash.    Do you ever collaborate with others? I think I've only done a small handful of collabs, and even then, it was more "someone did a black and white pic for me for reason A or B and I decided to color it", or someone seeing lineart I’ve done and going “Hey, that’ s awesome! Can I color it? :D”  I don’t think I’ve ever been in on a project that was a collab from the get-go.    How long does an average piece take you to complete? Depends on the complexity, I'm fairly impatient so I prefer to take as little time as possible, preferably in one sitting split up by short breaks. I'd say 3-6 hours? I get VERY disheartened if I spend a lot of time on something only for it to not get attention proportionate to the effort I'd put in.    Do you draw more today than you did in the past, or do you draw less? Less, unfortunately. I was a lot more confident and dedicated back in the day until art students I'd surrounded myself with destroyed my drive with their self-destructive attitudes. I felt very "Well, they're way better than I will ever be and they think their work is garbage, what hope do I have of ever being anything more than what amounts to worse than garbage?"  I don't feel that way now, but I was never able to pick my momentum back up fully after hitting that wall.    Do you think you’re justified in giving other people art advice? No, but I often find myself being asked for it anyway, haha.    What are you currently trying to improve on? Nothing specifically, though I'm trying to make single character pieces slightly more dynamic than "character standing there in default idle pose." I'm not fully successful, but baby steps.    What is the most difficult thing for you to draw? Backgrounds and sensible lightsourcing.    What is the easiest thing for you to draw? Nonsensical eldritch monsters.    Do you like to challenge yourself? Not really. I'm very much a comfort zone person.    Are you confident that you’re improving steadily? Yep! It's a very slow steadily though, haha.    Do you draw more fanart, or more original art? Lately it's been more fanart; it gets more attention more quickly, and I find it more satisfying to draw something when I know more people like it. It's a double-edged sword, though; if people are clearly liking the content simply for being that content rather than for being my art of that content, I start feeling bitter. See: me any time half-assed Pokemon fanart of mine that I don't even think is all that good gets stupidly popular.    Do you feel jealous when you see other people’s art, or inspired? (Be honest!) I used to, and on occasion I will on certain very specific kinds of designs (usually mechanical and cybernetic), but for the most part it's counter-productive to hold a bar high with the work of others and expect to achieve that. All it does is lead to despair.    Do you like to draw in silence, or with music? MUSIC. I have a lot of playlists, and they're usually game-based.    For digital artists: what program(s) do you use? I used to use OpenCanvas predominantly, but now I use Manga Studio. I'll occasionally touch up in an ancient copy of Photoshop 7. I occasionally dabble in Krita, especially if I want live symmetry. For sprites, I usually use Photoshop for the initial, and ImageReady to animate, but lately I've been trying to switch over to PyxelEdit. If I want to do animating that's not pixels, I use Pencil2D, but you'll almost never get to see my failures there, hahaha.    For digital artists: how many layers does a typical piece require? Back when I was using OpenCanvas, which only had 'transparent' layer styles (Add, Multiply, Subtract), I'd usually have very few, and a lot of those habits held. Often times my layer flow looks like: - Lines - Highlight details - Broad highlight - Shadows - Color - Sketch And sometimes I'll just add one or two additional glowy or shadow detail layers to that. This is usually per-character, so multi-character pics will double what's there for the most part. If there's a background, though, expect like five thousand layers, lol.    What inspires you to not just make art, but to be a better artist? My head is filled with a lot of crap, and I just want other people to kind of share in that. Since I'm not great with words on a descriptive level, drawing the things I see in my mind is the next best thing to magically gaining the ability to transmit my thoughts and mental images to others, lol. The better I am, the better I can get those ideas across.

[failureoftheyear-blog]

I will go down with this ship: Chapter 1

Title: I will go down with this ship Category: Anime/Manga » Naruto Author: Teme of the year Language: English, Rating: Rated: M Genre: Romance/Adventure Published: 05-01-16, Updated: 02-07-17 Chapters: 32, Words: 122,735

Ongoing.

Summary:  Born from noble blood, luxury is the only life Sasuke knows. Suddenly, his utopian life is transformed by the appearance of a Captain Naruto Uzumaki; an infamous pirate with his eyes on Sasuke. Together they chase after a lost, forgotten myth. Though nothing is so easy. Especially when you're your own worst enemy... Social contrasts? Yes. But lovers?... Pirate AU. Narusasu, boy love!

The scene is set at a mansion, oozing aristocracy and fortune. Konoha's light sun resting on the white palace; home to the rich and powerful Uchiha clan. The family to which has bred outstanding generals and leaders; a picture of pure perfection in the eyes of society. Inside one of the many room was a lithe form that sat in front of their light, blue vanity desk, gracefully perched on the accommodating seat. Said form was the family's youngest, Sasuke Uchiha. A young boy of sixteen; with eyes like shadowy diamonds, hair like a black wolf, and skin like pure, white silk. A picture of elegance and magnificence, adorned by many, held by none. Sasuke was absent-mindedly brushing his hair, his only use in the world being his beauty. Sasuke was fine with it, he had a great life.

"My lord, you're looking exquisite today, as usual" His lady in waiting, Karin, commented. Sasuke made a triumphant noise.

"Of course, am I anything else?" Sasuke replied, gazing happily in the mirror. Karin chuckled and nodded.

"Would my lord like to get dressed?" Karin asked, Sasuke nodded.

"Yes, I think I've dawdled in these clothes enough, time to refresh I believe" Sasuke answered, arising and going behind shoji screen and getting dressed. Thinking over today's routine, like he always did, with not but a care in the world.

First, breakfast with mother and father and nii-san, then I'll go and rendezvous with my fiancée, then I suppose I could lend my time to the other Ojos …I wonder if that ghastly pirate problem is resolved yet…Sasuke shook his head, No need to upset myself with such political nonsense, I am a Ojo after all…Sasuke concluded. Stepping out to reveal himself in his new attire. A white, sleeveless top that fit snugly around him. His close-fitting, black knee-length shorts. His expensive black and gold plimsolls. Finished off with gold bracelets and necklace, also sporting a transparent shawl. You would think he would wear more manly clothes, but Ojos's purpose is to look pretty. So Sasuke had to wear such tight clothing, not too much though, he was of a higher class.

"Beautiful, my lord, but perhaps another set of shoes?" Karin compliment, but Sasuke sent a disgusted glare her way.

"I don't need you to tell me that" Sasuke scoffed, Karin let her head bow in respect.

"My apologies, my lord, I spoke out of term, it will not happen again" Karin apologised, Sasuke gave an unimpressed stare at the girl.

"I should think not" Sasuke scolded, walking pass her with no regard for her feelings, "And clean this mess, your job is at stake with your discourteous manner already" Sasuke ordered as he walked out of the room, she scowled when he left.

"Brat…" She grumbled. Sasuke made his way to the feasting table, where his father sat at the very end in his prestigious blue uniform, showing that he was the General of Konoha. While his brother, who sat at the side of the long table, wore a light blue uniform to show he was the Lieutenant. He sat across from his brother who smiled at him.

"Good morning, Sasuke" Itachi greeted, Sasuke smiled his response.

"Good morning, nii-san" Sasuke replied, Sasuke did the same for his mother and father. His mother was across the long table from his father, she smiled beautifully towards her son.

"Good morning, my love" She spoke joyfully, but with grace; as expected. Sasuke adored his mother, she was beautiful as well, possibly in all the land. Her long, black hair that was styled to today's fashions and wearing a stunning blue dress that proved her wealth and place in society. "I hope you slept well?" She asked, Sasuke nodded, "Good" She smiled.

"Sasuke, I heard a small scuffle in you room, is everything at peace?" His father asked with a stoic face, Sasuke nodded.

"Yes, father, just my insubordinate lady in waiting, she was speaking out of term on my appearance" Sasuke answered, his mother's face screwing up.

"How dare she?! The audacity of some peasants, they need to be reminded of their place in life, Sasuke, do you wish for me to have a word with this labourer?" His mother spoke; though her appearance may be great, years of the aristocracy turned her inside foul. Sasuke shook his head.

"No need, do not waste your breath upon her, she merely stepped out of line" Sasuke replied, yet his father was displeased.

"This is all because of the damn Hitoshi party" He spat. To whom it may concern, the Hitoshi party was a political party that strived for equality and fairness amongst society. Claiming that the higher class had no right to treat the working class like they did. The opposing party was the Futo party; they were conservative and looked out for the interests of the ruling class, i.e. the Uchihas. "They give peasants that idea that they are the same, ha! I laugh in the face of their absolute foolhardiness" Father scoffed, "Not only the peasants, but just the other day in the Sabaku family, the Ojo, Temari, spoke out against her father's wishes, can you believe it? Saying that she should marry whomever she wanted?" Father explained.

"Disgusting" Sasuke remarked, gaining the attention of everyone in the room, "Refusing to obey her father, I never would have thought such a thing was possible, her purpose to is sit there and look unadulterated, not to express trivial opinions, as if they matter" Sasuke stated, even though he was an Ojo himself he believed that they should behave in such a way. Sasuke noticed the small, worried look on Itachi's face but dismissed it.

"Oh Sasuke, I'm so proud of you" His mother responded with immodesty, "I'm happy to see that you're growing up properly, you're going to be a divine wife for your fiancée" She added, making Sasuke smile delicately.

"Indeed" His father added, while Itachi remained silent. His mother shook her head.

"I would be mortified to be that girl's mother" She remarked, a sly smirk coming onto his father's face.

"Though I take a considerable of pleasure in seeing the Sabaku family disgraced in such a way, how excruciating" He remarked, his mother winded.

"Fugaku! You deviant" His mother gasped playfully, taking in the same sick satisfaction. His father smirked.

"Well, they are no match for us…" He chuckled, Sasuke and his mother chuckled with him while Itachi remained silent. His mother picked up on it and frowned.

"Itachi, you shouldn't reserve yourself to be so disquieted" She scolded.

"Leave the man be, he has more pressing matters to be tending to in his mind than the failure of others" His father defended.

"I apologise mother, I feel unobtrusive is all, no need to fret" Itachi spoke, relief within his mother satisfied her.

"See, he is well, no need to-argh!" His father called out, as a servant was pouring his water and had spilt some.

"M-My lord, I apolo-"

"Blast it! You utmost fool! Do you have onions for eyes or are you simply devoid of a functional head?!" His father screamed, Itachi watching with concern as Sasuke and his mother watched with disgust at the servant.

"I humbly-"

"I do not wish to hear it! Guards!" His father called, guards running in and holding the old servant, "Take this waste of air to the stocks, let him be mocked and scorned by his own filth, now get him out of my sight, he dost infect my eyes!" His father ordered, the old servant being dragged away with tears in his eyes. Itachi looked upon his tears with a sigh, not approving his father's actions, but held his tongue.

"Well, this croissant is magnificent" She remarked, unfazed with the events, as was Sasuke. Itachi sighed and arose from his seat.

"I am to take a walk in the gardens, Sasuke, would you care to accompany me?" Itachi requested, Sasuke nodded.

"Splendid, I'm glad to see you two share a bond" His mother spoke, Sasuke stood and walked with Itachi; entering the bountiful gardens filled with flowers, ponds and expensive beauties. The gardeners staining the view in Sasuke's eyes.

"Sasuke, what do you think of the Hitoshi party?" Itachi asked, receiving a strange look from Sasuke.

"It's none of my concern, political arguments are not within my bounds" Sasuke replied, Itachi sighed in disappointment. He saw so much in his brother, yet he was poisoned with his family's philosophies. Itachi decided to take another route and bent down on one knee, he lightly pushed back some of the brilliant flowers to reveal a weak, yellow flower.

"Sasuke, what do you see?" Itachi questioned, Sasuke gazed upon the flowers and spoke.

"Our garden, flowers" Sasuke answered, Itachi shook his head.

"No Sasuke, underneath" Itachi pointed out, Sasuke squinted to see the little weak flower and tutted.

"Yes, a weed, our staff is infeasibly incompetent" Sasuke remarked.

"Look again, Sasuke" Itachi ordered, Sasuke peered at it again before Itachi began to speak, "I see a potentially glorious flower, shadowed by the bigger, more powerful flowers; the flowers that take no regard for others and take all the sun and water"

"Survival of the fittest"

"Luxuries of the privileged" Itachi corrected, making Sasuke go silent. Itachi raised and looked at his younger brother, "If given the chance, it will blossom, be as worthy as the rest, or is it worthy already?"

"Of course not" Sasuke scoffed, "It has no use if it doesn't full-fill its purpose in this life" Sasuke explained, Itachi sighed.

"Do you not see the problem, Sasuke?" Itachi enquired desperately, Sasuke looked at Itachi and nodded.

"I do…" Sasuke answered, a relief flooded Itachi, but it became a drought when Sasuke whipped to the side, "You there! Peasant!" Sasuke called out to the nearest gardener, a middle-aged man who looked terrified by the only sixteen Sasuke, "I beckon you" Sasuke added, the man stumbled over, and gulped, "It has been brought to my attention that you have not been doing your job correctly, do you see that ugly display of weed?" Sasuke asked, the man looked at it with fondness and an edgy breath.

"Y-Yes, m'lord, you see, my daughter planted it there a-and it would mean a lot if it can stay there, you know, cuz it don't take up to much space" The man explained nervously, rubbing his hat in his hands. Sasuke didn't like the excuse.

"Well, remove it" Sasuke ordered, but the man hesitated.

"But m'lord, it's my daughter's-"

"It's an eyesore"

"I-I have to protest" The man stuttered, Sasuke froze and gave him a bewildered expression.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke whispered out in shock, "Did you just question me? My authority?!" Sasuke snapped, the man looked horrified and bowed.

"M'lord! I'm so sorry-"

"Not enough to know your place, perhaps a night in the dungeon will benefit you!"

"Sasuke!" Itachi snapped, unable to watch his brother anymore. Sasuke looked shocked towards his brother, Itachi bowed to the man and spoke, "On behalf of my brother I apologise, the flower will remain where it is, please relax, you can go" Itachi spoke softly, the man nodded shakily and quickly walked away. Sasuke was staring shocked at his brother.

"Did you just apologise to that…that peasant?!" Sasuke gasped, Itachi looked at Sasuke before stepping away from him and looking to the sky with his hands behind his back.

"Sasuke, I want to undo aristocracy's influence on you" Itachi admitted, making Sasuke puzzled, "Life is a beautiful thing, it isn't cruel like people so often claim, it's the people in it that make it harsh" Itachi spoke, "People like our parents Sasuke, they are the disease on this earth that cannot survive, for humanity they must die out" Itachi stated, Sasuke's eyes widened at his words, "Life favours no one, such as the tide stops for no man and the mountains stand against the wind, we are worth no more than the people who we enslave" Itachi continued, Sasuke in a trance by the words, "A great injustice in this world is discrimination, the bloodshed that stains the faces of the innocent, the people who suffer as a result of our supposedly 'superior' bloodline" Itachi voiced.

"I…" Sasuke trailed off, "I…don't understand" Sasuke admitted, Itachi looked towards him.

"The land we stand on is not ours, Sasuke"

"What are you talking about? This land is in the name of the Uchiha" Sasuke pointed out, completely missing Itachi's message.

"This land possesses no master, it was here before we were born and will be after we die, we are not immortal, in the game of chess the pawn and the king go back in the same box" Itachi lectured, looking at the ground before staring Sasuke dead in the eye with a terribly solemn expression, "We are on the wrong side of history, Sasuke"

…

Sasuke was looking out of the window, thinking over his brother's words; providing as an enigma for the young Uchiha.

We are on the wrong side of history, Sasuke…

Sasuke couldn't comprehend what he possibly meant, his gaze floated over to his silent lady in waiting. All of a sudden, he felt uncomfortable, as if something…dreadful was at the bottom of his stomach…culpable of or responsible for a specified wrongdoing. He couldn't pin it until his lady spoke.

"My lord, your fiancée is here" Karin spoke, Sasuke smiled instantly, he stood and brushed off anything posing a threat to his perfection. He walked along the hallway to see that at the bottom of the large stairwell was his fiancée.

"Oh, Neji, I've been ever lonesome without your company" Sasuke spoke as he made his way down the stairs, Neji greeted him with a small smile.

"Fear no more, I am here" Neji replied, kissing Sasuke's hand, "You're complete once again" Neji remarked, Sasuke let out a content sigh.

"I feel so, though I will feel more adjusted when we wed" Sasuke informed, Neji nodded.

"Patience my dove, we'll be united as will our families" Neji responded, "Stronger we'll become" Neji promised, what he was referring to was up for debate. Neji gave a quick glance to his lips and gave a smile, "May I be so bold as to imply a kiss?" Neji requested, Sasuke shook his head.

"How scandalous, you couldn't possibly ask for such a thing before we are married" Sasuke replied, Neji nodded.

"Of course, I just jester, I wouldn't compromise your honour in such a way" Neji promised, Sasuke chuckled at the inoffensive humour. "I'm afraid I'm not here for pleasure Sasuke, I must meet with your father to speak of business, I shall speak to you afterwards" Neji informed, Sasuke sighed and nodded.

"I will await for you until then" Sasuke responded, looking around, "I suppose your cousin, Hinata, is here?" Sasuke enquired, Neji nodded.

"In the drawing room, give my regards to the others?"

"Others?"

"Yes, I'm under the impression that Ojos Ino and Sai are there" Neji answered, Sasuke nodded and made his way to the room. He knew all of them from birth, most Ojos did. He knew Hinata as his fiancée's cousin and also his study partner sometimes. She was smart, but very quiet and shy, as a child she had a stutter, but her family spent thousands to get it beat of her. It worked, but on occasion she still stuttered.

He knew Ino as the most rumbustious of the friend group, too much for Sasuke's liking, often making some crude jokes. She was a fangirl if anything else, she was obsessed with pirates especially, cooing over how handsome and remarkable they were. He didn't approve of such things, but she was still a good friend, even though she had too many smutty books.

Sai was sometimes as bad, but he was more reserved and offered some solid advice when it came to Ojos problems. While Sasuke was good at saying what to do, Sai was good at saying how to cope with it. He was a very talented painter as well, Sasuke often enjoyed watching him paint for hours on end. A bit reluctant when it was paintings of him though. Sai often emphasised with Ino of Ojo struggles, but Sasuke thought it was a privilege to be in such a position, but Ino often complained about lack of freedom.

Sasuke entered the drawing room to see Sai painting with his supplies that he carried everywhere. Ino sitting bored on a love seat and Hinata reading a book. They gave Sasuke a composed greeting while Ino gave a grunt, Sasuke looked disapprovingly towards her.

"That's not how Ojos are supposed to act" Sasuke scolded, but Ino gave another ugly grunt.

"So? No one is around, speaking of which, we should do something fun" Ino prompted, Sasuke rolled his eyes as he sat.

"Your concept of 'fun' is hazardous, we should just discuss" Sasuke suggested, Hinata smiled.

"That sounds pleasant" Hinata complimented.

"Booooring" Ino whined, Sasuke sent her a warning glare, "Well, if we have to only talk, let us gossip" Ino smirked, Sasuke sighed.

"If it is the only activity that will quench your monotonous mind" Sasuke sighed, Ino smirked.

"Well, guess what I heard from some of my guards while I was eavesdropping…oh, don't look at me like that Sasuke! It was an accident, I swear! Anyway, apparently some fearsome pirates have managed to cross the borders, and the royal army is on guard for anything suspicious" Ino said excitedly, Sasuke frowned while Hinata felt flustered.

"Oh my, that's worrying" Hinata responded, Ino snapped her head towards Hinata with an opposing expression.

"Nu-uh! It's great!" Ino proclaimed, making Sasuke sigh, "Imagine it, pirates! They enter my room, they see how beautiful I am and take me to their captain, he falls in love with me instantly and we sail the seven seas!" Ino squealed, Sasuke gave her an annoyed look.

"You have a fiancée Ino, you should pay more respect to him" Sasuke pointed out.

"Oh please, it's a forced marriage, not like I'll say anything, but still" Ino shrugged, before smiling and her face going red, "I'd still prefer a strapping, rogue sailor to take me…it's the ultimate fantasy!" Ino giggled, Sasuke rolled his eyes at her childishness.

"That may be your fantasy, but it sure isn't mine" Sasuke responded, catching Ino's interest.

"Ohhh? So what is your fantasy, Sasuke?" Ino giggled, Sasuke's face went a light pink before making it go away.

"If you must know, all thoughts like that, which are very rare mind you, are concentrated on my fiancée" Sasuke answered.

"Booo! That's boring!" Ino whined, "I mean, there must have been one time that you thought about someone other than who you have to think about? Oh come on, please? I won't tell anyone!" Ino promised, Sasuke sighed and drank from his tea that was put out by his lady in waiting, who stood in the corner waiting for her orders.

"I assure you, I don't have anything of the sort, Ojos minds aren't supposed to be occupied by such things" Sasuke retorted, Ino merely blew a raspberry at Sasuke before her gaze fell on Sai.

"Oi, Sai, what about you?" Ino asked, without missing a beat and without turning from his paint his spoke.

"Pirate" Sai stated in a deadpan voice, surprising Sasuke, but making Ino grin.

"Thank you! Pirates are gorgeous" Ino proclaimed, Sasuke shook his head, Ino made Hinata her next victim, "C'mon Hinata, don't you think that pirates are dazzling!" Ino giggled, Hinata blushed and looked down, fiddling with her long peach gown.

"U-Um, well…t-they do seem to have a certain thing about t-them…" Hinata admitted, making Sasuke's eyes widen.

"Hinata!" Sasuke gasped, Hinata blushed more, but Ino had already moved on.

"Hey, Karin, what do you think?" Ino asked, making everyone in the room stop and look at the girl. Even Sai stopped painting to observe, Sasuke felt uncomfortable bringing his servant into the conversation, but decided to remain quiet. Karin looked completely off guard and looked at Sasuke for permission, but he avoided her eyes. Karin took his as a 'go ahead' and spoke.

"I feel like they have a charm to them, their ruggedness…roughness…even their rudeness is very enticing" Karin answered, leaving everyone silent but Ino.

"I like her" Ino smirked, looking at Sasuke who was about to scold Ino and his lady in waiting when the doors burst open, making everyone gasp.

"My lords and ladies, we're under attack!" The guard said, panicking everyone, Sasuke stood and spoke.

"By whom?"

"Pirates! They not be long till they get here, we need get you to safety" The guard stated, the Ojos hurriedly walked behind the guard, but Sasuke was stopped by Karin.

"My lord, the pirates will go after them, if you follow me to your room then I'll keep you safe" Karin promised, Sasuke was concerned for his safety and agreed. He and Karin sped rapidly to his room, he went inside and allowed a breath of air to help his lungs. He was about to actually thank Karin but heard a loud bang from outside. He gazed out his window to see pirates and army men fighting one another, he gasped and retracted from the window. He turned to Karin who seemed a little restless, but otherwise calm. But before he had time to question it, his heard his window smash. He gasped and turned to see a figure entering his room.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the figure that entered. He stood tall with golden hair. Eyes like the seas themselves. Sasuke shivered in fear at the marks on the man's face, terrified to know how he got them. He wasted no time on whipping around and heading for the door, but alas, he was stopped.

"Karin! What are you doing?!" Sasuke screamed, Karin merely smirked at him.

"Payback, bitch" Karin sneered with a twisted smirk, Sasuke gasped as he was thrown into the arms of the pirate that had broken into his room. Sasuke up in fear and alarm, frozen to the spot when a smirk met his horror.

"Ello' love" The man greeted sadistically.

I’ve already written 32 chapters. So enjoy that. Italics have been removed for some reason...