#i have my own view of hiyori and it's not an especially kind one but you Have to understand the affect asunaro has. it's an expansive

[hyenahunt]

Obbligato: Epilogue - 3

Writer: Akira

Season: Winter

Characters: Ibara, Tatsumi, HiMERU, Nagisa, Hiyori, Jun

Proofreading: Remi + 310mc (JP) & Skyress (ENG)

Translation: Peace & hyenahunt

Hiyori: Someone like Jun-kun grew up with such an embittered childhood, and yet he could be transformed into such a "warrior of love" — You are the very reason for that.

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Ibara: Alright everyone, thank you so much for your patience! We've finished writing up a tidy little script, so please do give it a once over!

Tatsumi: Thank you. The truth is rather difficult to speak of, so a script is necessary.

Ibara: Isn't it just! Trust me, so long as everyone plays their part in my script as they should, then this shall be a resounding success!

HiMERU: —HiMERU can hear the cynicism dripping from your words.

Is everything all in the palm of your hand?

Ibara: A-ha-ha! ☆ It would be wonderful if everyone did as they were tasked this time around!

It isn't as if I have a grudge against any one of you either, after all!

I’d rather not hurt nor humiliate any of you right now. I won't gain a single thing in doing so.

HiMERU: —No, HiMERU doesn't think you meant any ill will by it.

Though you aren't kind either. Should you only treat others as if they were pieces on a board, HiMERU believes you will face severe retribution.

Ibara: I've already been facing that plenty, thank you very much!

I don’t know how you perceive me, but you should know that my plans have always gone astray somehow; there's always some snag or hitch that keeps it from going accordingly!

Just what am I doing wrong? I'd thought everything through, and yet it never went smoothly!

Oh, I should have never picked up His Excellency or His Highness in the first place! They're unmanageable!

Nagisa: ... Ibara, do I trouble you?

Ibara: I'm surprised you only ask so now! It feels as if I'm tossed and tugged around by you far too often in my memories, Your Excellency, especially as of late!

Nagisa: ... Sorry.

Ibara: Well, it isn’t something you need to concern yourself with. The benefits I've gained in working with everyone in Eden outweighs the headaches you've all given me.

Ibara: Rather, I'll simply account for whatever toil and trouble comes for the next scheme.

The same can be said about what happened at Reimei Academy. Though I failed to control everything and caused its ruin instead, so long as I don’t make the same mistake twice, I will remain as the Ibara Saegusa you are all familiar with.

Nagisa: ... It feels as if you're making the same mistakes as before, however.

Ibara: Don't interrupt me with needless remarks!

I worked behind the scenes of everything that happened at Reimei Academy, which kept me from having a good idea of the situation as it developed...

But no, not anymore. I have been involved with COMP from the very beginning, ensuring that I have complete control over the situation at any given moment for my own benefit.

Tatsumi: My, how greedy. Though perhaps I should be a little more so myself.

HiMERU: ... HiMERU does not wish to see you become similar to the Deputy Director, Tatsumi.

Hiyori: Fufu. Tatsumi-kun, you're never one to reject anyone, instead only ever accepting them for who they are. That is both your greatest quality, and your greatest flaw.

It’s because you accept and love just about everyone that everyone comes to love you.

But you know, each and every person has their limit, yes? If you try to accept beyond that limit, you'll only hit your breaking point and fall apart again.

Tatsumi: Thank you for the advice, Tomoe-san. I'll take it to heart.

Hiyori: No need to thank me. I'm terribly fond of you, as well.

Tatsumi: I don't believe we spoke to one another at school, though.

Hiyori: Ibara prepared a script in which I claim to have paid you visits at the hospital, befriended you from there and became fast friends, you see.

Though that's a beautiful and yet completely fabricated story with no basis in reality — I would truly like to befriend you all the same.

Hiyori: I've heard so much about you from Jun-kun. That's why long before I met you, you'd already earned my respect and love.

Hiyori: Jun-kun was a true menace with it, especially in the days when we first met. Any chance he got, he'd be going on about Tatsumi-senpai, Tatsumi-senpai, Tatsumi-senpai — why, I've heard about you ad nauseam.

Hiyori: ...You see, Jun-kun dearly regrets that he wasn't able to stop you from falling to ruin.

That in the time that the two of you grew apart to the point of rarely talking, you had been thrust into the very depths of despair. Jun-kun has grieved that, all this time.

Tatsumi: ......

Hiyori: That's why, even if it's not quite compensation for those regrets, he would risk even his own life to devote himself to me. So that he may put every effort into loving me, this time without looking the other way.

Hiyori: Someone like Jun-kun grew up with such an embittered childhood, and yet he could be transformed into such a "warrior of love" — You are the very reason for that. And so I've always thought that surely, you must be someone incredible.

Tatsumi: I don't believe I did anything in particular to influence Jun-san, though. Rather, all we did was drink tea and chat about trivial things with one another.

Hiyori: To Jun-kun, who lived in a waking hell, that must have been his one and only salvation.

You've had a greater impact beyond what you've always believed of yourself.

And Jun-kun is the very proof of that.

Jun: ......

Hiyori: Look at him now. How he'd detested the very thought of COMP, a plan intended to boost the image of the school that had tormented him so much with its system, and yet —

Jun: ......

Hiyori: He's reading the script in intent silence, and warming up so that he may boost the quality of his performance by even the slightest degree.

He’s such a diligent, earnest boy, don’t you think?

In order to perform as everyone wishes, he's pushed away his own misgivings. He strives to improve himself, all so that he may bring our fans even a single ounce more of delight.

Tatsumi: Yes, Jun-san certainly is splendid.

No matter how the world fell apart around him, he alone stayed the same.

Tatsumi: I should have reached out to him, rather than speak so patronizingly about what I thought I knew — I should have followed his example.

Tatsumi: I should have asked about his way of life and learned from it, so that I would be able to become even slightly better of a person than I was before; but it's far too late for such regrets.

I became an idol so that I could find a place to belong. A rather impure motivation, wouldn't you say?

Tatsumi: But Jun-san... More than I, more than anyone else, is walking that path with pure, genuine intentions.

I have a deep respect for him. Though he may have been scorned for being the son of a failure, I believe Jun-san must be the person who won most of all at Reimei Academy.

He is the only one who didn't lose a single thing. That is why even now he shines so brightly, glittering with all that he has gained.

Tatsumi: Ah, how envious I am.

[ ☆ ]

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[rosehippiefield]

Shin AI's words can't be taken at face value considering the only cg we have of Shin and Midori under an objective light is of Shin looking incredibly relaxed, on top of all the pictures Midori seemed to take of him being of him smiling in a way that Kanna is mournful of. Regarding his behavior in the death game, Shin says that he looked up to Midori specifically as an anti-hero, and when he took on his Sou Hiyori persona, he used that to justify treating others the way he did. But comparing the words Midori gave him in the past, of not putting himself down and relying on his own power, to how Shin treated Kanna at present, undermining her perception of her own capabilities and attempting to distance her from the group, all so she could keep working with him under the excuse of him protecting her, it's much more apparent that the persona Shin used embodied his anti-hero ideal of Midori rather than any actual traits that could be observed from Midori during their time together. Also it seems like a far reach to consider Shin keeping things like his mecha builds- extremely delicate items that would take an immense amount of trust to keep in somebody else's space- in Midori's house to be a result of Midori pressuring him into it. Especially since, again, the only interaction we see between them was of Midori encouraging Shin to become the kind of person who can meet his younger sibling proudly,

As per usual, long post, and I repeat myself on some occasions

First of all, I wouldn't dismiss AI's experiences so easily. While it's true he could differ from real Shin, in theory he has same memories of events so his feelings about the matter could be taken into consideration.

As to that CG and how peaceful Shin looked, I admit he could feel some level of comfort, he did consider Midori a friend after all. But while we have one flashback with them and happy photos, I think it's not right to base everything on it. Moreover, at that moment Midori was likely exploiting Shin's feeling to get him sign consent form, which lessens level of wholesomeness. If we are talking exclusively about how Shin himself viewed that scene, yes, he could appreciate having such brother figure at that point of life. But upon reconcideration and reflection he could change his mind. The fact that his photos show him genuinely smiling and not sweating bullets are primary because:

Midori was the one deciding when to take a photo. He only took photos of what he liked, that doesn't strictly mean Shin only was happy and comfortable even if physical evidence doesn't cover it.

Shin indeed felt comfortable at times, because he did trust Midori after all.

Nevertheless, I still think that during their relationship Shin had double impression of Midori. While liking support, he disliked other sides of their friendship, for example being caught on camera or being afraid in general. It is something Shin tells Sara, so I take this into account, I believe his reactions display what he thought all that time ago. If their relationship could be summarised by that one lone flashback, I don't see how Midori could be considered anti-hero and not hero by Shin. Yes, his actions came from his perception of what Sou-Midori would do. But as far as I can tell, it is not that different from reality. That fleeting moment of kindness is not the only thing that happened. Even in toxic or abusive relationship there are moments of peace, they are the reason why victims give another chance, they still see the best, trying to disregard all red flags. Perhaps that's what happened to Shin. He still cherished his friend despite being uncomfortable (I think he did feel uneasy due to his memories where he says he was afraid of Midori and, once again, his AI. Not to mention his reactions now, but it is also due to Midori being with kidnapppers). But, as I mentioned in previous posts, then he potentially learned more about how suspicious it all was and grew distrustful.

Also, about toy robot, I admit my assumption is far-fetched, though we know quite little about their actual relationship, so I could picture Midori telling something along the lines "Come on, aren't we best buds, let's put your mega-robot in my house". Not the highest probability, but still. Or Shin indeed could do it of his own volution, but it doesn't cancel out all red flags.

In conclusion, I still stand by my opinion that Midori had negative impact on Shin, and I am not persuaded by Midori supporting Shin as I don't believe it was truly genuine or that Midori was exclusively kind and caring.

It seems we keep discarding evidence of one another as unreliable enough, so I suggest to stop this discussion altogether. I liked reflecting on their friendship with you, but I think there's no point of continuing as we just end up in a stalemate.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter though!

[nazuna-tunnel-vision]

re:your post about the she/her-ing of enstars characters! i just wanted to provide A Perspective on it. i recognize this probably isn't everyone's perspective and i don't want to claim to speak for everyone but i figured providing a perspective could maybe be helpful in some way and i do like thinking about fandom behaviours critically yknow! (and ig disclaimer ahead of time that i always use she/her for arashi, she's the exception to whatever i'll say below bc canon transfem character)

for me at least i tend to refer to characters with she/her if they're ones i specifically headcanon as transfem/mainly using she/her pronouns or if it's specifically requested by op of an art/etc and i'm reblogging it and adding commentary in the tags. for me the regulars are ibara/mayoi/sometimes hokuto or tomoya or hiyori, with veeery occasional one-offs of other characters . which is a fairly small group of characters in the grand scheme of things! but if everyone in the tag was doing that for the small group of characters they personally have those headcanons for, then eventually at some point it'll go around to every member of the cast. that might be part of why it seems to be oversaturating the tag; there's a lot of unique people here on enstarsblr with their own unique interpretations of the characters' genders.

another thing i think is worth pointing out is that since the characters for the most part in canon are cis men, it's not going to be as visibly obvious when someone headcanons a character as transmasc, since for the most part a transmasc version of an existing enstars character will be referred to similarly as they would be in canon. unless op specifically states it, there's no way of knowing if the he/him they're using to refer to an enstars character is meant in an adhering-to-canon cis way or an i-hc-this-character-transmasc way. i personally headcanon every iteration of nazuna, natsume, or jun that i talk about as transmasc, but that's not going to be as visibly obvious as my ibara/mayoi/etc. headcanons because there isn't a difference in pronouns between canon and the headcanoned version of them that exists in my head.

additionally, i'm asian - which has a big effect on how i personally approach trans enstars hcs, because my view on gender + the social structures informing it is directly informed by my lived experience as a trans asian person. i've personally lived through a LOT of microaggressive feminization sourced from the general feminization of the 'East' and asian people and bc of that (+ my general interest in studying gender + related expression as a social construct) i can say that i, at least, am critical of those potential sources of headcanons because of my personal experience and awareness of them. i can't guarantee this for every enstarsblr blogger obviously but idk. you can't know a person's entire lived experience and why they have the headcanons they do just by seeing them use she/her for a character consistently. i do think that you're bringing up a good point in that asian men - and in particular the specific kind of 'soft' masculinity that asian idols generally try to achieve - are overly feminized by the west, and it's definitely a good thing to keep in mind when making these hcs, but i also think it might be less of a source of these headcanons than we might think. nevertheless i will always encourage ppl to be critical of their own thought processes and think about why they make the headcanons they do!

i hope this uh. i dont know if this will help at all it got a bit long and rambly but i hope the perspective i brought could at least add something to the conversation!

hiya, thank you for writing this thoughtful reply! i was hoping for someone to provide some perspective when i wrote that post so i’m glad i got a reply, especially one as long as detailed as yours.

you bring up a very important point that we can't know a person's lived experiences and why they chose to use certain pronouns for a character just from their posts. it definitely would be bonkers to expect people to explain themselves every time they use not-usual pronouns for a character, or to expect them to add disclaimers that they are thinking critically.

(putting everything else under read more bc this made me think a lot. basically lots of thoughts about what it means to engage in fandom with a lot of conflicting interpretations of the work, especially with respect to gender)

---

i’m sort of thinking out loud here but like. i think it's a. very strange conundrum we face regarding gender in fandom. irl i usually use the principle of "we should just use whatever pronoun the person uses for themself". i’m a huge supporter of prioritising that individual above others who might be uncomfortable using a certain pronoun for a person they coded a different way.

i instinctively use this principle when engaging with fiction too, but. "use whatever pronoun the person themself uses" does not necessarily work in fandom because the characters themselves aren't real; they won't feel dysphoria from us assigning them genders or misgendering them. 

i think we should prioritise readers' experiences. but sometimes that reader experience involves headcanons and certain degrees of projection that makes interpretations diverge quite a bit. i'm not saying that projecting on characters is wrong, it’s quite the opposite; i know it can have very transformative and constructive impact on how the reader thinks about things and i 10/10 support it.

but it’s like. which interpretation do you privilege? can they even coexist? it’s not the same as more inane headcanons like “nazuna always cooks fried rice for others bc it’s the only thing he can actually cook”. (this is wrong, by the way. source: Trust Me [this is a joke, i’ve never actually given nazuna’s cooking skills much thought, despite being tumblr user nazuna-tunnel-vision. i don’t actually have thoughts about this. he does cook fried rice for ra*bits on multiple occasions though and they all love it. sorry for the sudden nazuna fun fact intermission. i couldn't help it])

gender headcanons inadvertently become a lot more personal and political. i can just ignore or skim over whichever fic or post that incorrectly talks about nazuna being terrible at cooking and still enjoy other nazuna-centric posts by that person. but i can’t really do the same for posts with differing interpretations of gender bc i’ll be reading normally and then get smacked out of the immersion with “???! the pronoun??”

i'm a little. sad and miffed about this because i think people who assign non-usual genders to characters tend to be very enthusiastic about these characters. i sure would love to read what they have to say and to bask in that energy, but i truly do not enjoy the physical sensation of being metaphorically hit in the face every time i come across a pronoun i did not expect to be used for that character.

---

and i know that this reply has already gotten plenty long but i’m also starting to wonder how much of me preferring people to stick to the pronouns that i’m used to comes from a place of privilege or conservativeness. there is my concern about people needlessly feminizing men who aren’t Buff Hollywood Male Men, but also the majority of my reply so far has basically just been “man i would prefer if people just stuck to my interpretation of gender where i can see it :/”. it reminds me a lot of straight pride and the protection of prevailing gender norms - you know, when people are homophobic and transphobic not necessarily because they’re evil and want to actively want to repress people, but because they’re personally uncomfortable with it. they just don’t want to see it and be made uncomfortable. the whole political stance of, “i don’t care if people want gay sex - they can do their own thing, it’s none of my business. but i do NOT want them to demand marriage equality where the rest of us can see it”. because marriage & the law is in the public sphere and isn’t easily blocked out. obviously these things are not of the same severity because we’re talking about headcanons about fictional characters here, but you get the idea. 

in hindsight i do wonder if my previous post should be archived because it does sort of send the message that it’d be nice if people change the pronouns they use for everyone-sans-arashi in the public enstars tag. like yeah it would be nice for my personal fandom experience, but i don’t want people in the tag to feel like they have to censor their words to make others in the fandom comfortable - especially if their gender headcanons for characters help them to explore their own conceptions of gender. or if it just makes their engagement with the story more fun. you guys have my full support even if the she/her-ing of enstars makes me instinctively flinch and bang my knee on the table every time i come across it. i will grit my teeth - or find some way to mute or block you guys if it really comes down to it - but never change!!

---

the topic of the privilege of comfort & the fact that i flinch at the she/her-ing mostly because of how it conflicts with my own interpretation of the characters also makes me wonder - is it the same for you when you come across people using he/him for characters that you identify as using she/her? since from your perspective, we are misgendering them.

my current guess is that it’s a little different because he/him is generally the more popular & mainstream interpretation. so you might be more aware of and prepared for he/him misgendering. or you’re simply more accepting of different gender interpretations because that was already your starting point to begin with. it probably doesn’t hit you out of the left field like it always does for me. i think! i dunno.

or maybe the characters’ gender identities are like little secrets between you and the character. so looking at people who misgender them might instead make you go, “haha look at this idiot who doesn’t know”. (i’m not sure if it’s appropriate to bring this up in a discussion that unexpectedly became pretty serious, but i think that’s a fun way of engaging with fiction and fandom.)

if there is a difference in the way we react to gender interpretations different from our own, i think it might reflect, to an extent, the way people irl deal with queerness and the whole sentiment about how being queer is valid, but somehow not valid enough to be seen in public (like at gay pride) or in the public sphere (like in laws). again, how we address fictional characters really doesn’t have the same gravity or consequence, but i think the sentiments behind it might be similar.

(another possible explaination is that i unfortunately need to touch grass because i'm taking headcanons and fictional characters' genders too seriously. can't cross that out!)

you don’t have to answer this though; it’s already more than enough that you took the time to reply to my initial post with my perspective! your reply really made me think a lot. thank you <3

[shytastemakerthing]

Hii!! I would like to request a romantic matchup for enstars! :D

Starting with the basics : I am 158cm (5'2), I'm an INFP-T, my favourite colour is pink and I love penguins! Some of my hobbies include drawing, shopping, fashion, dancing, and playing video games!

I am a very socially anxious person, so I would need someone who is understanding and patient with me because it will take a While for me to come out of my shell. HOWEVER, once I do open up I am a ball of energy and chaos. I love joking around, making people laugh and overall being super lighthearted! The jokes I make are usually weird or obscure, or describing funny anecdotes that happened to me!

On the topic of energy, I am quite active. I like to dance and jump around at random times haha. Although I tone it down when around most people, It would be nice to have someone who likes that side of me.

I LOVE DRESSING UP. It's rare that you will catch me wearing a boring outfit. My style in fashion varies a lot, but I typically lean towards wearing colours (though I love an all-black outfit!) and cute / feminine styles. I love makeup too!

I'm an introvert, but I love hanging out with people I'm close to! Whether it's going into the city, shopping, chilling at someone's house, I'm down! Even when the occasion doesn't fully interest me, if I'm invited I'm going 🤣 (like when my friends invited me to see Fantastic Beasts 2 in cinema and I went, even though I hadn't seen the first one or any Harry Potter movie aside from the first one. I just like the company of my friends!) You Will catch me sleeping as soon as I come home however.

Now, due to my social anxiety I can be a bit pathetic when it comes to communication and get SUPER nervous when talking to strangers. I'm not assertive and I fear conflict (especially with loved ones). I'm a kind and accommodating person deep down, but people's first impression of me is probably that I'm kind of aloof and reserved and VERY quiet. I would also say I'm not that great at comforting people, I want to help but I struggle with thinking of the best things to say to them.

I can also be quite sensitive and take things personally a lot so I don't particularly like when people tease me about things such as what I'm wearing or how I look because I get insecure.

My love language is probably words of affirmation and receiving gifts. I like being reassured and encouraged and it's super sweet knowing that someone is thinking about me even when I'm not with them by giving me gifts! Even small things matter to me, I still own rocks and little origami that my friends have made due to the memories they hold.

I am a weird mix of optimism and anxiety. I think I have underlying abandonment issues and tend to lower people's expectations about me and my abilities in fear of disappointing them. Yet I also have a very carefree view on life, very much a "go with the flow" and "whatever happens, happens" type person who doesn't like being tied down by strict rules and constraints.

Sorry if I wrote too much, or it's a bit all over the place! Thanks so much!!! :3

Hello and thank you so much for your request and your patience while I work through the remaining ones! I hope that you enjoy it and have a wonderful day/night!

Request: Romantic Enstars Match-up

I match you with........

Hiyori Tomoe

Knowing that you love to dress up and go shopping, this man will absolutely take you to the best places that there are, money is really no issue to him

Granted there are times where he might get more for himself than for you but you both have fun regardless

Giving gifts is something that he will certainly do, he wants to spoil you in a way that only he can

Will certainly bring you to meetings that the Pretty 5 will have, you are absolutely perfect for their group!

Not to mention, they all love you as well

He loves that you enjoy the company of your friends! It's a rather rare sight to be able to see, to enjoy the company of others, truly enjoying their presence

In any moments where you are feeling more insecure over things, just know that he will be there in a heartbeat

He can't have his beloved partner feeling so down now, can he?

He will be at your residence with movies, snacks, blankets, and anything else to help you feel better

There are also times he will bring his unit mates or club members along

Make a date out if it

Just know that in the end, he will see you as his everything and will absolutely treat you as such. He may have his moments form time to time, but know that even then, he will be here for you

Thank you for your request!

[datastate]

do people truly not understand that being tied, by blood, to asunaro is like. one of the worst fates someone can have. it’s intrinsically a tragedy; and writing this out doesn’t immediately intend to inspire sympathy...

[caliwashere]

SHE’S BACK | TGKDN SPOILERS up to Ch 40

Cali’s Note: Hey all! I’ve been super busy graduating and everything so I stopped posting but that doesn’t mean I abandoned TGKDN or anything. I’ve been reading and rereading all the chapters while waiting for the author to finally update!

Context: Tsukuyo Hiyori is from a jjkxoc (additional add-ons: dad!gojoxoc, yutaxoc, megumixoc) fic called Tsuki Ga Kirei Desu Ne (TGKDN). It’s linked in my bio in case anyone wants to read it. I don’t own her or TGKDN! I’m just a fan! I heavily recommend those who haven’t read TGKDN to read it. It’s made me cry from the angst chapters to scream into my pillow at 4am from adorable romance (fluff) moments or from laughing my a** off. I personally don’t have anything i can say i dislike about it and the grammar/spelling + sequencing of events is good too like actual novel-worthy (but the author is kind of like Gege 2.0 and she scares me with her unpredictability)

Anyways, on to my discussions that a surprising few of you actually read! I’ve seen all the messages thanking me for introducing TGKDN to y’all but tbh u should be thanking the author not me cuz she’s the one who writes it! 

Spoilers below!

YALL AFTER ALL THOSE CHAPTERS WITHOUT HIYORI CONTENT, SHES FINALLY BACK!

-Her entrance was just *chef’s kiss*

-She’s so dramatic (she def gets it from gojo i swear) and the way it started off with Tsuki trolling them was funny af 

-Tsuki still remains one of my favorite characters but i wish there was more tsuki content 

-not junpei being the only sane person there (plz the way he just got more and more confused by both hiyori and yuji)

- megumi better run cuz nobara is out for blood 

- lowkey not even his fault cuz he never said she was dead, they just assumed she was cuz he kept saying she was “gone”

- ok but not hiyori having a couples vacation with yuta while we were all sobbing and panicking over her possibly being dead (author better be feeding us some tsukuokko content soon! i want to know what happened in africa!)

-hiyori seems the same as she was back in her first year (well surface level anyway from what’s been witnessed in chapter 40)

-i was reading her profile again and i noticed that the author mentioned hiyori not carrying her katana anymore (what’s up with that? im confused. i feel like that has significance but idk what)

NOT THE AUTHOR SPINNING A WHEEL TO DETERMINE HOW SHE’S GONNA TORTURE US NEXT?!

-Y’all i swear if a spinny wheel is what ends up being the reason why one of my favs die, imma flip (and cry alot)

-as much as i love yuta and all tsukuokko content, i rlly want to see more on hiyori’s relationships with the other characters especially maki and megumi since the first main arc (jjk 0 timeline) was mainly in yuta’s point of view so there was a lot of stuff not mentioned like hiyori’s role in the juju society and stuff (can we talk about how amazingly well the author writes unreliable narrators and pov switching? its fucking amazing)

- tsukuyo hiyori = certified badass

- now that she’s back then that means she’s most likely going to be in japan during the shibuya arc (i can’t wait to see what goes down but im also scared)

- waiting for more kazuha info still cuz why is this little kid so mysterious??

- I want to see sukuna and hiyori meet OR sukuna and tsuki ( i feel like those interactions would be rlly funny)

- ok but what’s this tree and why is she going to sendai??

- can we talk about how hiyori is starting to act more and more like gojo but with a blend of geto and shoko into it too (u can tell she grew up around those three cuz she has a mix of all of their personalities mainly gojo and geto’s)

- that photo of hiyori for chapter 40 (she could step on me and i would thank her)

- plus all those photos in the image gallery for her profile too!

- she’s so hot.

- i’d choose her over yuta and megumi ngl (sorry not sorry)

- i wonder how megumi will react when he finds out hiyori is already taken

- nobara seems to be a fan of hiyori so i wonder how their first interaction will be

- i’m surprised no one knew hiyori was back until she came back (then again maybe the “she” referred to at the end of the chapter isn’t even hiyori but someone else)

- will hiyori kill mahito? what will happen during junpei’s MORPHIN’ TIME? will she be there or is she gonna still be in sendai and find out after?

[sillyguyhotline]

i hate when people compare shin tsukimi to kokichi ouma/nagito komaeda and here’s why

hi first off spoilers for yttd up to chapter 2-2 and for chapter 5 of sdr2 and ndrv3

hi, this is a little disorganized because it was one of my first analysis posts on here lmao. it’s in lapslock and kinda rushed because i wrote this rant to my friends and then decided to post it here!!

ok so!! first of all, sou has very distinct and established reasons for why he acts the way he does: the survival rates. the game shows us that, prior to the death game, sou (shin tsukimi) was very pleasant, even compassionate, and was generally a good dude.

 but the identity he adopted for himself, sou hiyori, the one who trusts nobody and lies to everyone and is a pretty huge dick, is a direct consequence of miley telling him he had no chance at survival. the antagonist characters in danganronpa are just...like that. yeah, they probably have their reasons (we know that nagito lost his parents and has a very weird relationship with luck, and we can infer that kokichi doesnt have parents and probably hasnt for a decent amount of time) but they were turned into their more manipulative selves over time, and that's who they are, whereas "sou hiyori" is more of a mask or an alternate identity than anything

secondly, i know a lot of people lump him in with the dr antags bc they consider him an "antagonist" character, but honestly?? he's really not. (either way, the term antag doesnt really fit kokichi or nagito cuz junko is the antag, they're still technically on our side and id consider them antiheroes). but,,,sou honestly doesnt do the things kokichi and nagito do. those two fuck with you in the trials and then they both have chapter 5, where they stage a murder that is directly intended to confuse either you or the mastermind. 

but sou doesn't do any of that shit! yeah, he declares himself as the keymaster and lies about that kind of stuff, but it's not intended to directly oppose you, he's just trying to survive. it just so happens that sara is the keymaster in the first main game, so sara is the one who has to expose his lies. he's a liar, but especially in the first main game (not as much in the second but i'll get to that later) he's more concerned with his survival than anything. both kokichi and nagito, however, have other goals (expose the traitor from the future foundation and get them out alive/end the killing game) and even when they arent executing those goals they go out of their way to oppose the protag.

thirdly, sou embodies his own, very distinct themes. he's still a foil to sara, as the antags are with the dr protags, but in quite a different way. (oh also ive seen some people point out that sou is also a foil to keiji). kokichi, most distinctly, embodies the theme of truth vs. lies; he's a liar and his entire personality is developed out of him constantly lying to everyone including himself, while shuichi, the protag, struggles throughout the game with the burden of exposing the truth of the murders. 

a lot of people look at sou and immediately think that the main point of his character is his lies (which is fair, as he lies to both sara and himself, similar to kokichi) but it's not- it's his inability to trust anyone. you'd think that him hiding his true personality and fabricating the "sou hiyori" personality would demonstrate that he is, at his core, a liar, but "sou hiyori," especially in comparison to the "shin tsukimi" he once was, is characterized by how little he trusts everyone. this is how he is different from sara, and why he envies her: sara has managed to gain the trust of the entire group, despite being nothing but a high school girl, and is able to utilize this to her advantage (hence why he breaks down in the first main game; he has already separated himself from the group for his own survival, but panics upon seeing everyone choosing to believe sara instead of him). his separation from the rest of the group and the way he loathes sara for the trust she's gained is what's at the core of his character, not his lies. his lies only aid his lack of trust for everyone else. 

also, another thing that separates sou from the other antags is something i outlined earlier: when they die, it is to serve a purpose greater than them. when sou dies, it is to save kanna. he's always been identifiable due to his desire to survive. this is why he becomes sou hiyori, this is why he is unable to trust anyone, this is why we view him as an "antagonist," because we as the player, usually, automatically want as many people as possible to make it out alive. but he forms such a bond with kanna, despite pushing aside everyone else, that he is willing to lose his life, which he's fought so hard to protect, in order to save her. this is also representative of how much more yttd focuses on its characters; nagito and kokichi refuse to die unless it ends the killing game because that is danganronpa's endgame and it's the only reliable point of dr's admittedly shoddy plot. yttd, however, focuses on how the characters grow as people and how relationships between individuals develop, which is why sou's character is so heavily dependent on kanna. he either dies for her or identifies himself as a true threat in order to avenge her, which makes him much more compelling.

sou may be a liar, but he's much more of a human than the danganronpa antags, he presents much less of a threat to the character, and he's able to actually develop bonds with kanna. 

i also find it pretty interesting how both nagito and kokichi's relationships with the protag reflect the main themes of their respective games (hope vs despair, truth vs lies) whereas sou's relationship with sara revolves around trust as opposed to the game's overarching theme of logic vs emotion (which he also helps to embody, but through his actions, not his relationship with sara).

this was very long and probably didnt convey my thoughts as well as it could have but in essence sou and the dr antags are very very different from each other, in both character and their role in the game, and when people compare them it feels like they're looking at a sou that they want to see rather than the sou who actually exists.

as an afterthought i find it sort of ironic that most of the humanization and development of the danganronpa characters occurs in fan circles, whereas sou is already developed and humanized by yttd to the extent that fans instead have to boil him down to danganronpa stereotypes.

if you made it this far, tysm!! this was kinda rushed so if there are any flaws in what i said please lmk and i’d like to hear if anyone else has any other thoughts on this topic!!

[strawbewwysamurai]

What tomorrow means to you

Characters: Denjiro, Kozuki Hiyori

Wordcount: 1898

Summary:   The dawn was perhaps Denjiro’s favorite time of day.

It was an entirely peaceful time. Not only in the sense that very few souls were even awake at this hour, no, but that did contribute. Where he currently resided, it wasn’t all too far from the hustle and bustle of the city of the Flower Capital, but it was far enough that the sounds of it couldn’t be heard in the slightest. Leaving only the sounds of the local wildlife, and later on, nearby villagers and farmworkers working contently the only noises in this corner of the country.

It was also peaceful, because Denjiro hadn’t gotten to experience such quiet bliss in such a long time.

Post source should have ao3 link !

—

There was snow falling outside. 

It wasn’t heavy though- just a light dusting floating slowly down in the cool air of morning. It was early, enough for just a few stars to remain faintly in the sky above, twinkling faintly among the ever changing colors above. The deep blues and purples of the night had already mostly faded away, making way for the warm oranges and pink of morning that the sun brought with it as it began to rise out over the horizon at the break of the dawn. 

It was winter in the land of Wano, and the rays coming off of the sun reflected off of the ice and snow that had already fallen and formed late into the night, covering the ground and foliage around with frost that sparkled slightly in the light. It added a faint feeling of magic to the morning- the kind that you couldn’t even begin to explain- only experience for yourself or with whoever you might be with in the silence of the morning, enjoying it as wholly as you could before it faded away silently as day overtook it. 

The dawn was perhaps Denjiro’s favorite time of day. 

It was an entirely peaceful time. Not only in the sense that very few souls were even awake at this hour, no, but that did contribute. Where he currently resided, it wasn’t all too far from the hustle and bustle of the city of the Flower Capital, but it was far enough that the sounds of it couldn’t be heard in the slightest. Leaving only the sounds of the local wildlife, and later on, nearby villagers and farmworkers working contently the only noises in this corner of the country. 

It was also peaceful, because Denjiro hadn’t gotten to experience such quiet bliss in such a long time.

He remembered back to years ago, a lifetime away when he was just a thief and conman, roaming the country and not staying in one place for very long. That usually meant he spent his nights camped outside somewhere, up a tree along the thick branches lying quietly as he watched the sunset, or on the ground spread out in a field as he gazed up at the stars sparkling gently above him before he drifted off to sleep that night. 

He exhaled slowly, his breath in plumes against the chill of the air around him.

It had been a quiet time then, especially when contrasted to back before, when he was even younger. The early days when he was just a kid hustling shady adults on the streets- an orphan with no house or home to go back to in a physical sense, for the longest time.

The only places he had ever called home back then, was either anywhere Kin’emon was- or later, Oden castle itself.

Those… had been some wonderfully happy years.

Throughout everything that had happened thereafter- the anger and the grief that changed his appearance unrecognizably, but not the kindness in his heart- the fighting, the deals made with the men he hated more than anything else in the world, the grovelling and false cruelty… all of it. Throughout everything he had gone through over the decades to where he had been recently, he had thought of nothing but those years that he held so dearly even in the moments he had been experiencing them. Through every frustration, every doubt about the future that was coming, every bad day that tried to doubt the need to even see what the next would be like-

He closed his eyes slowly, holding them tightly shut for just a moment, before letting them open again to gaze at the sunrise in front of him, taking a deep breath as he did. 

He wasn’t going to think about the hurt for today.

Today felt like it wanted to be a happy day. He would let it. 

The sun had risen even higher, bathing the landscape surrounding him with the warm light of dawn. Some of the birds with nests nearby finally awakening and filling the morning air with the sounds of their sweet singing,and Denjiro was half tempted to hum along with them, to a song he couldn’t possibly know, when he heard gentle movement happening from behind him. 

Listening carefully to it instead of the bird song, he heard faint movement from inside the house- the sounds of someone stepping lightly towards the door that led out to the balcony he was standing on- before the door slid quietly and someone stepped out behind him. 

“You’re awake quite early.”

He smiled to himself, small and content as he closed his eyes gently for just a moment. Oh, how happy that voice had made him feel over all these years. 

“I could say the very same to you too, little princess.”

He opened his eyes slowly when he felt her move across the balcony and over next to him, leaning on the railing as he was as she laughed softly and looked up at him with eyes still dusted with sleep, bedhead still leaving her hair in loose tangles around her head. She reached out a hand and swept a finger affectionately down his arm warmly. 

“Can’t sleep, I take it?”

He turned to look down at her- the little girl he’d protected every moment he’d known her, and raised as his own after she had stumbled into his care after everything that happened so long ago. The fact of the latter showed- the little mischievous gleam she always had in her eyes, not just that of her father’s, but because of all the mostly harmless tricks he had taught her over the years. 

His expression matched her own sweet and soft one, as he let out a content sigh. 

“Mmm… I slept wonderfully last night, actually.” 

“Oh, so you’re wide awake then?”

“It would seem so.” He chuckled, turning his head back up to face the sunrise before him. He breathed in before he spoke softly again. 

“I am a bit thankful, really. It means I get to enjoy such a gorgeous view for a while.”

There was a peaceful silence between them then, as he watched the sky slowly cool from the warm hues it had carried seemingly moments ago, changing slowly into the blue it would remain for the rest of the day until evening, so long as a storm didn’t roll in unexpectedly. He didn’t expect one to, though. Not with the lack of signs that nodded towards a storm, and how vivid the sky was turning out to be for the day.

Though, as Hiyori turned to watch with him, it occurred to him that he hadn’t yet asked her what she was doing up so early herself. A question appropriate for the girl he knew who would always sleep in if given the chance to in the past.

He glanced down at her.

“Would you be awake for the same reason?”

She laughed, shaking her head. “No, I was just awake, and thought I would get to the laundry for the day before everyone else woke up so they wouldn’t have to worry about it. You know how Kin gets when it comes to chores.”

Denjiro rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, but of course. The man either had to do everything all by himself as rapidly as he can before he burns out, or make everyone work together the very moment they’re awake to get everything done. Quite a wonderful way to be woken in the morning, I might add.”

They smiled at each other at that, breaking down into quietly held back giggles before turning to look out towards the sunrise again. The memory of Kin’emon running around the house with a broom, bonking each vassal with the brush end until they woke up, screeching about the list of chores they had for the morning and exactly how long each should take if they all worked together playing over in their minds. The memory was distant, especially for Hiyori, having been so young when such events occurred, but it still felt like happiness when thought back on. How could they not giggle- the intense expressions Kin’emon was always wearing, and the yelling from Kawamatsu as his hat got knocked off by Kin’emon brandishing the broom like a sword…

It had felt like happiness, to say the least.

When Hiyori looked up at Denjiro silently again, all she could see painted across his face was an expression she could only describe as quiet bliss, not just from the memory of their family being such a lovable mess, but from the dawn in front of him. Something so simple as a sunrise- happening every single day without fail as long as you looked for it- had placed that expression upon his face. She blinked, before smiling just a little bit wider to herself.

She’d only seen him so happy, so content and relaxed, when she was just a small child. 

Denjiro’s eyes flickered down to meet hers a moment later, and she failed to look away quickly enough for him to not notice her staring up at him. He just let out a soft hum, a warm sound against the bite of the air around them, as he reached a hand over to flick a finger gently down her nose before sitting back from the railing. 

“Come on then, my lady. Let’s get going back inside before you catch a cold.”

She pouted- puffing out her cheeks at the latter remark. “I’m fine for a while longer, you know.” 

Nevertheless, she followed him at his side as he laughed and reached down to give her hair a gentle ruffle, surely adding a few extra tangles to her bed head that she probably wouldn’t even notice.

“Sure you are, but I don’t want Kawamatsu getting on my case if you end up with the sniffles later on, my lady.” 

She crossed her arms over her chest with a fake little ‘hmph’, but didn’t stop following next to him for even a second. They stepped back towards the inside of the house, and away from the balcony as Denjiro cast one more little glance over his shoulder to the remains of the sunrise behind him.

It truly was one of a kind, changing and disappearing slowly as the sun rose higher and brought with it the dawn. By now he could begin to hear the faint movements of the nearby villages and houses stirring to life as the people within them began to awaken and begin their days. From the livestock and animals calling out to be fed by their owners, to the faint squeaking of garden gates and wagon wheels as people began to work or prepare breakfast. All their little sounds were filling the air.

Yes, the dawn itself was fleeting. But with it, it brought opportunity. Chances to spend with the ones you loved, doing the things you loved even if just for a little while. To share laughter and smiles just existing next to someone who you held so closely to your heart, like he was so lucky to be able to even throughout all these years.

He smiled to himself as he stepped tenderly back inside, a moment behind Hiyori. 

For once… he actually couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow would look like.

[datheetjoella]

Fantober 2020, Day 24: Picnic

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Part: 24/31 (read the full collection here) Word count: 1,564 Tags: Canonverse, Established Relationship, Fluff, Quarantine, Pandemic, References to Sexual Content Read at: AO3, FFn, or right here!

                                             --------------------------------

When Makoto visited the shrine on January first and prayed for a good year, the last thing he expected was to be in quarantine because of a pandemic three months later. And yet, that was exactly the situation he found himself in.

His study and work had been put on hold and he had to refrain from leaving his home except for necessary groceries, but Makoto felt like he couldn't complain. He wouldn't get lonely because Haruka was here and there was no one he'd rather be stuck inside with than him. They recently moved into a bigger apartment, so even if they did get sick of each other's company - which was unlikely - they could retreat to either the bathroom and their bedroom, which was separate from the living room and kitchen. All of their loved ones remained to be healthy up until now which was a blessing in itself, and he'd always been a homebody anyway so he didn't miss going out and about as much as some of their more extroverted friends.

But there were days Makoto couldn't help but feel lost. After all, he was in Tokyo to follow his dreams and it was a bit frustrating he couldn't continue to live the life he meticulously built here. When days passed during which cancelled plans should've taken place, the sullen feeling welled up and he missed even the most mundane things, like going to a bookstore with Ikuya and Hiyori or drinking coffee at Marron and catching up with Kisumi, Asahi, Akane and little Tsukushi.

Today was one of those days. The cherry trees were in full bloom and even though they hadn't planned a flower-viewing party with their friends, Makoto always looked forward to the season. It was sad to let the beautiful petals fall without appreciating them properly, but spring would come again and Makoto was sure they could celebrate a new start then. Health and safety were priority number one, everything else could wait until later.

Fortunately, Makoto wasn't one to get bored easily so on days like these, he distracted himself by reading a book or playing some games. While Haruka didn't mind being cooped up at home either, he did miss the freedom of swimming at the pool. To make up for the lack of water, he spent even more time in the tub than usual and to release his excess energy, he dragged Makoto over to their bedroom at least twice a day. It could be a bit exhausting, especially if Haruka insisted on a second or even a third round, but Makoto would be lying if he said he disliked this turn of events. Being with Haruka so much, both between the sheets and outside of them, was the silver lining amidst this awful situation.

After one of these 'morning marathons', Makoto was the one relaxing in the bath for a change. He invited Haruka to join him, but he claimed he had something to do and left swiftly after they cleaned up. Not wanting to pry, Makoto let him off the hook without any questions. If it was important, he was sure Haruka would tell him eventually.

Cuddling with Haruka held his preference, but it was also nice to be able to stretch out his legs for once. With his eyes shut in contentment, Makoto basked in the warm, soapy clutch, enveloped by comfort and serenity; moments like these made him understand Haruka's affinity for the water a little more. He could stay here for hours, but the seed of curiosity Haruka planted in his mind by acting so cryptically began to grow as the water nourished it.

When his stomach growled, he gave in to the temptation and yanked the plug out of the drain. He dried himself quickly and slipped on some loungewear. If Haruka was still busy, he would leave him be. Then he'd be a good boyfriend and whip up some egg sandwiches for their lunch.

"Haru?" he called as he opened the bathroom door and his jaw hurtled to the floor.

The furniture inside their living room was shoved aside and Haruka was sitting on a large quilt in the middle of it. Multiple lunchboxes with all kinds of different food, from onigiri and karaage to pieces of fish and a variety of vegetables, were set out beside him along with a thermos and two cups. And to top it all off, an enormous drawing of a hanging, blossoming cherry tree was taped against the wall, fallen petals spread across the floor.

"Haru," Makoto gasped, slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle his astonishment. "What's all of this?"

"You looked so somber that we can't go out to watch the cherry blossoms, so I thought I'd bring the cherry blossoms here."

Tears emerged in Makoto's eyes, but he swallowed them before they could spill. Ever since they were little, Haruka had been incredibly kind and thoughtful, yet gestures like these never ceased to surprise Makoto.

"This is amazing, Haru," he said, letting his eyes drink in the atmospheric feast Haruka prepared. "When did you do all of this?"

"I started this morning when you were still asleep and I finished it while you took a bath," Haruka said, a soft, shy smile adorning his lips.

"So that's why you were so eager to keep me in bed," Makoto said; Haruka was always excited and ready to pamper him behind closed doors, but he brought it to a new level this morning.

"Part of the reason," Haruka mumbled and Makoto could read the rest of the reason on his face, that was shaded the same lovely pink as the paper petals. "Now, sit down and eat before the food spoils."

At the mention of food, Makoto's stomach cried out again. At least he hadn't skipped breakfast for nothing.

He plopped down on the quilt beside Haruka, who handed him a pair of chopsticks. They said their thanks, then Makoto didn't waste a second before he dug in. He picked up an omelette roll, that was so soft and fluffy it melted on his tongue. He had to resist the urge to moan; he'd already disturbed the neighbours enough at that point.

"This is so good, Haru," he said through his full mouth. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

Haruka shrugged. "I know it's not the same as an actual picnic with our friends beneath a real cherry tree, but I hope you still like this."

"I love it," Makoto said, leaning over to drop a kiss onto Haruka's cheek, "I couldn't have wished for anything more than this; this is the best flower-viewing party I've ever been invited to."

And he meant every word. Despite them being inside their house and the tree being cut out of pencil-coloured pages of his notebook, the ambience hadn't gotten lost. On the contrary, because it was just the two of them at home, the ambience was even better than it would've been otherwise. Haruka put so much effort into doing this especially for him and that made it so much more meaningful than anything they could've set up with a group of friends. This was so charming and whimsical it turned Makoto's insides to mush, his heart fluttering against his ribcage.

Perhaps Haruka was even more of a hopeless romantic than him. But if he said that, Haruka would surely get annoyed at him and he wouldn't want to make him grumpy after this grand gesture of affection.

"I had no idea you were planning something like this," Makoto said instead as he plucked a mini tomato from one of the boxes. As a token of his appreciation, he'd leave most of the mackerel for Haruka.

"If I let you notice, then it wouldn't have been a surprise."

"You're right. You raised the bar by a lot, though. I don't know how I'm ever going to top this."

"You don't have to," Haruka said, munching on a tuna with mayonnaise onigiri. "I didn't do this to get something in return."

"I know, but this is so special to me, I want to do something for you that gives you that special feeling, too."

"Idiot," Haruka said as he picked at a grain of rice, "You don't have to do anything for that."

Fireworks of adoration exploded in Makoto's stomach. Haruka was so cute, he truly loved him too much for his own good. This adorable reaction only made the desire to return the favour fizz up even stronger.

"Thanks, Haru." An unrestrainable smile curled Makoto's lips. "Still, this is so much fun, we should do things like this more often. When all of this is over and we can go out again, I'll take you on a nice date. I can't promise it'll be anywhere near as good as this, but I'll try my best."

"If you insist, then I'll be looking forward to that," Haruka said with a tiny smile of his own brightening his beautiful face.

Makoto leaned forward and stole a kiss from Haruka's mouth, the flavours of the food intermingling between them. He wasn't sure yet what he was going to organise for their date, but fortunately, he had a lot of time to think about it. For now, he would simply enjoy their little picnic and revel in this amazing moment Haruka created.

[yuukei-yikes]

lost day hour should’ve been the end of kagepro babey

what is UP it's 2019 i am NOT ONLY talking about kagepro but im also gonna talk about a comic that came out like over half a year ago. Yeah

i've just been having too many feelings about it and it's my blog and i get to post whatever i want SO:

the lost day hour comic really was what would've been the perfect end to kagepro. like, kagepro in its entirety!!! songs, anime, novels. the comic just being THE ending.

haruka was the protagonist. in the songs, the "last" one (at least chronologically in universe) was from his point of view, but despite that the novels and anime did him dirty and never gave him his screen time, even outside of str. i mean even str isn't actually about him lol. haruka was never important enough, he's just the devise to make konoha tragic. but this time, it's post/during str and he's here!!!! he's the protagonist of the story!!!!

all the members of the mekakushi dan feel SO in character and everything they say really feels like a good resolution to all of their arcs.

kido speaks of family. she's really THE family character, not ayano. she makes sure to be the next big sister after having lost TWO (2) of her own big sisters. kido is the character to have lost the most family members: first her biological mom, after having to kill her own father lol she loses rin, then her new mom ayaka and her new sister ayano, and then her new dad kenjirou. even like that, kido keeps it together. she's never the one breaking down. kido is essentially what makes the mekakushi dan what it is, because she takes ayano's game and turns it into something seto and kano can continue feeling that comfort in. she takes over to be the leader and their big sister. SO OF COURSE SHE SAYS THAT FRIENDS ARE HER FAMILY. 

kano says confusing stuff but that's just him and i. Love it. like when i read the comic and i was talking to my gf about it and the first thing i said was that i loved kano's bit and that he felt super in character and i still feel the same!!! he gets asked what a friend is and his answer is basically "whoever makes ME feel like im a friend" and really that's just The Most Kano.... and it's so rewarding to read his part because it feels like he's being super honest? like his expressions and stuff, he looks like. vulnerable or smth. especially when he says "i say good things sometimes" AHHH HIS FACE THERE!!! he's not acting at all!!!

seto and mary work in A FLOWER SHOP!!!! THIS IS CANON!!!! no more shitty part time jobs because they either got a job together or opened their own shop and this is. the best news ever. it's SUCH a cool thing to show. if this comic was the end, wouldn't it be cute to say "oh seto and mary open a flower shop together in endgame"? i love it. they're so important to each other's arc... mary basically starting to live her life after meeting seto, and seto becoming this!!! BRAVE BOY after meeting mary since he has someone to protect!! their answers are based on each other and ARE THE SAME which feels so appropriate ;_; they really did change for the better after meeting each other. they're one another's most important friend!

momo says friends are the most important thing because she spent her entire life by herself. no brother no dad and no mom. hibiya acts like she's exaggerating when she says that but tbh??? she really isn't. she was always alone! of course that now that she has friends, they're her entire world to her. hibiya meanwhile is like momo: he's still figuring out what a friend is! but he chooses to be more skeptical and looks at it from another angle, and rather than HELL YEAH MY FRIENDS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT he's like "dammit harukas right wtf is a friend". but that's super cool because at the beginning hibiya didn't even want to be with the dan in this comic he specifically tells momo he just wouldn't be there if he didn't want to be friends

hiyori is. probably my least favorite thing of the comic. i absolutely adore her it's not that i dislike her at all!!! she just... appears for such a short moment, and based on her story and the fact that she's A REVIVED character, her answer doesn't really grab my attention. she's confusing and ??? um, i would've liked it better if her answer was somehow connected to konoha because she's still mourning him, and like isn't haruka the (in?)appropriate person to hear this? lol. but overall, if this comic had been the ending, it's still good to see hiyori made it back! 

ayano's bit really makes me want to cry because everything is perfect in it. she made it back. listen an ending where ayano doesn't come back does make sense because kagepro is about moving on and with ayano surviving shintaro's manpain makes NO sense lmao bUT HEY. SHE DESERVES IT. so she's back! and she's wearing that cute dress and she has her scarf! she's on the SWING SETS WITH HARUKA and i know that's such a silly detail but im so happy about it because it feels so right to have haruka and ayano's interaction be in a place like that KSNXKSKSK and aghhhh how she asks the question back to haruka!!!!! that's so cool lmao and it's so in character ;; but also her answer is sooo fitting, she even says "the current me" like acknowledging she's not the same she was before. since she's a chara with mental illness that's nice to hear... and another cool detail is that we see her drinking soda with shintaro while they watch the others be silly SKDNSLDK like if this were the end, that's SUCH a nice detail to put since the comic doesn't require shintaro and ayano interaction at all, and both are important characters to the story and each other. so they're clearly hanging out and talking to each other so that's really good to know

shin and haruka are probably my favorite in this comic because their interaction is the most fitting thing considering their entire history together. like ever since their friendship was introduced in novel 6 it's been something important! shintaro and haruka really represent the side of friendship in kagepro because overall it's a story about family, and their relationship always represented this other angle of finding family in a best friend. in novel 6 haruka says that if shintaro isn't his friend by now then he doesn't NEED any friends. he's the reason haruka even realises he has feelings for takane, because it felt so right to call shintaro a friend but it felt off with her. neither haruka or shintaro ever had friends because takane and ayano are their love interests, so it's their first genuine platonic relationship ever. and they just continue appreciating that always! even in their interaction in the comic shin expresses that he's still not sure what a friend is, but if haruka is one he just wants to keep it that way. so their talk in the comic is fitting and it's super nice to see shintaro gets to reunite with his best friend.

ok and........takane...... everything about takane in the comic is good. she is SO cheerful. all of you DUMBASSES who "hate" ene but "love" takane can die mad about it now because newsflash ene IS takane. if you hate ene then you dislike takane when she begins her character development. it means you hate endgame takane. it means you hate the happy takane in lost day hour!!! she has come SO far. she smiles so much and encourages haruka when he was overthinking and didn't know what to draw. she just tells him the answer is easy and friendship is the mekakushi dan. SHE'S PERFECT have you seen how INCREDIBLY HAPPY SHE LOOKS?? no one else has this impact of character in the comic, everyone kind of acts the same in regards of attitude (except kano who looks v honest and over himself but still). in the fandom we always took it for granted that endgame takane is more cheerful than she was but lost day hour just. confirms it and it's done in the best way possible.

ok and of course im talking about harutaka too because 1) im biased and 2) harutaka IS the love story of kagepro and that's not bc im biased anymore, it just is. and it never had a good resolution... until this!!!!

haruka asks everyone what a friend is but doesn't ask takane. like really he didnt want to ask her in the first place because when shin asks who's left to ask harukas like "uHHHH one person but..." and like he doesn't just imply he wasn't going to ask her, but his interaction with her is soooo different from the ones he has with the dan earlier. with everyone else he just asks what a friend is but with takane he actually... doesn't? wh. why wouldn't he ask her im just. ok.

haruka in the beginning tells kido to think of it as an interview and essentially that's the feeling there is in each interaction but with takane it's different. he's not interviewing her. 

she shows up and sits next to him while he's trying to draw. they talk about WHY he's asking and about what he wants to do with his future. during the entire comic haruka is normal and friendly, and doesn't really act any differently, but with takane he seems a lot less formal and does things like allow himself to talk or get embarrassed when she immediately figures out he heard too much and didn't know what to draw.

their love story was always just left there as this tragic thing and as a fandom we always wanted their tearful reunion in the ending, but this is better. we finally know they actually do reunite. we always knew because in str takane is running towards him but this is... an actual interaction we're seeing 

they didn't only reunite, but we get to see they still have a close and comfortable relationship with one another. out of everyone haruka speaks with, takane is special. when his face appears for the first time in the comic it's a smile for her

and um, it may be because it's my otp and i've been waiting for this str content for YEARS and you know harutaka is my lifeblood 😩😩😩 but i believe it's already established to be more than a friendship at that point. i mean haruka wasn't going to ask her so jUSt saying man im not saying they're a established couple there im SAYING i think they're Something. i mean like haruka always said in novel 6, it felt weird to put takane in the friend category so in str it's the same, just very Obvious

BUT that's exactly why it'd be a good ending. it's up to interpretation. little things like that ARE fun and good to simply allow them to be heavily implied. just like with their jobs. because okay haruka wants to be an artist, hell yeah that's a cool thing to have as canon. BUT i think it's cool that just one character gets a canon detail of his future, the one who represents what growing up means. HARUKA of all characters, the one who for a long time thought he wasn't even gonna have the chance to grow up, which is why it's incredibly fitting that he's the one to represent this.

kagepro might be a mess and just a pain to be a fan of, but it's really a heartwarming and wonderful story about friends, family and love. this comic covers all of that. while they're answering this question, it's a good way to say bye to the characters individually.... and i mean. the comic's ending is literally the most perfect thing ever for a close, with the ENTIRE mekakushi dan having fun together and finally being happy and complete.

of course it's jin's series. they're his characters. we all understand and respect that, and if he wants to make kagepro never end like he claims then so be it but personally!!! it makes me really upset that it's gonna go on

anyway. that's it bye gamers

[cherriipeachcreme]

Witch’s Heart + YTTD Crossover AU

I’ve mentioned that I was coming up with a crossover AU involving Witch’s Heart and Kimi ga Shine for a while, and here are some of the details so far! I really liked coming up with ideas for this. More info including potential spoilers will be under the cut.

!! Please read my links before you interact!!

The setting may take place in a fictional island region containing both Eastern and Western elements. It is set in the modern era but may have more old-fashioned things mixed in. I’ll be sure to do research on this to keep things accurate.

Main Characters:

Claire Yabusame; Claire with the Reko’s role. A cheerful, friendly woman with a love for music. She was adopted by an old couple, and has spent much of her life helping others and following a music career. “The Witch’s Heart” is one of her favorite book series’, consisting of many different stories. She enjoys both punk things and girly things.

Noel Egokoro; Noel with Nao’s role. A kind, polite artist who has an interest in astronomy. While he seems mysterious to many people, he’s very attached to his friends, such as Claire, Sirius, and Professor Mishima. He often sleeps more during the day and is active at night.

Sirius Yabusame/Gibson; Possibly Sirius with Gonbee’s role? A short-tempered man who highly admires and respects Lady Dorothy, a well known witch. He seems to know Claire but doesn’t say much about it. Although he prefers to keep to himself, he can show kindness to others at times.

Shunsuke “Shun” Hiyori; Ashe with Sou’s role, but more similarities between the two are mixed in. He comes across as friendly and laid back, but also keeps his distance from others except those he’s closer to. His hobbies/skills include reading, cooking, and computer hacking. He doesn’t trust witches, and seems to have an ulterior motive involving the mysterious “game.”

Wilardo Satou; Wilardo with Kai’s role. A quiet person who doesn’t say much about himself, but is willing to work with the others to escape the “Sacrifice Game.” He had found a job in helping people with housework and flower arranging. He often doesn’t show fear regarding the monsters that roam around the building.

Keiji Shinogi

Kazumi Mishima

Gin Ibushi

Kanna or Hinako (+ Kugie or Anzu)

Qtaro or Naomichi

Demons, floormasters of the games;

Giselle/Zizel Sue-Miley [The Laughing Demon]; Giselle with Miley’s role. An elegant but sadistic demon who enjoys the killing/sacrifice games and tormenting others. She doesn’t care much for their lives and finds their reactions amusing. She seems to be following her own agenda alongside Rouge.

Charlotte Rio-Ranger [The Fashion Demon]; Charlotte with Ranger’s role. A cruel demon with a fairly childish disposition. She also enjoys the suffering of others, having a very low view on humans, and speaks in a rough tone. She likes fashion and works with Lime.

Lime Tia-Safalin [The Crying Demon]; Lime with Safalin’s role. Despite her title, she shows a relatively cheerful and peppy personality. She’s mainly in charge of the facility’s medical office and offers hospitality to others. She also likes to surround herself with lavish things. However, she has a dark side which shows her true nature. She mainly works with Charlotte.

Rouge; One of the floormasters who is working with Giselle. She’s also very narcissistic and sadistic.

Nicholas Egokoro [The Receptionist Demon]; Nicholas with Gashu’s role. He is first referenced in a newspaper article Shun found. Once the governor of a town, he became a researcher of negativity, especially since that is the specialty of demons.

The prologue shows Claire having a dream of her childhood with her close friend. After that, the story begins with a scene of her returning home after exploring the mountains and finding a field of flowers. It starts to rain and eventually she falls unconscious, awakening in a mysterious building/facility. (Not sure how exactly this would go yet)

She and a few people face a “First Trial”, running into many strange monsters and having to fight them off. They succeed, and while trying to find an exit, they fall and find themselves in the main floor with everyone else.

There are windows in the facility, but while peering out they realize that there is no way out and they are all trapped. They must learn more about the mysterious “Sacrifice Game”, and try to survive.

The Sacrifice Game is revealed to be run by the demons, who claim that the winner must also discover the legend of the Witch’s Heart.

~ Spoilers Ahead!! ~

The characters must help various demons with side quests. Doing so will help them with exploration and finding clues within the building.

“Shun’s” real name is Ashe Tsukimi. He deliberately joined the Killing Game because he wanted to grant a wish with the Witch’s Heart. However, when he was told he has a 0% chance of survival and granting his wish, he chooses a new name.

He hates witches because of the rumored connection to them with someone who betrayed him in the past and killed his family.

Nicholas was an evil man and Noel’s father. He turned his townspeople against witches, and raised his son to become an assassin. Although he’s already dead, a doll replica was made of him in the facility possibly using demon magic and advanced technology. His doll along with the demons value negative things since they are contrary to positivity.

During his childhood, Noel was not used to things such as love and friends. When meeting Claire and Sirius, he realizes what affection is like and highly values their friendship.

Demon magic and technology was also used to create doll and AI replicas of the participants, and analyze their lives as if they’ve been studied for years.

The legend of the Witch’s Heart involves finding a gemstone made of crystallized blood and making a wish. Claire possesses the Witch’s Heart, which is her literal heart. She is the granddaughter of the witch Dorothy.

Wilardo was in search of a way to get rid of his immortality, as he became immortal due to contact with the Black Lily. But upon finding the facility, he realizes that he gets in the Death Game.

Charlotte and Lime are Hater Demons; Those who were previously human but due to tragedy and negative emotions they became demons after their deaths. Giselle and Rouge are Purebred Demons, those who were demons their entire existence. They are quite prideful of their status.

When Charlotte became a demon, she developed strong jealousy and an inferiority complex toward humans, which is the reason of her disdain toward them. Realizing she was a tool for war throughout her previous life fuels this hatred for humanity.

The real reason why Lime is the “Crying Demon” is because of her cruel past. For her entire human life she was labeled as a “witch,“ and had no freedom and dealt with abuse along with other witches. She swore revenge by cursing/hexing everyone in her town during her death. She wants others to suffer as she did, and is searching for someone who is just as miserable as her.

The demons have been around for thousands of years, while Wilardo has only lived for centuries.

[echodrops]

A random thought I had what if the final “boss” Of Noragami turns out to be not father, but Izanagi. And the guy who set up the Shinto system was the worst Child abuser of them all? (Ebisu and Kagatsuchi could vouch for Izanagi’s propensities) Would that change your thoughts on the Tsukiyomi Theory? I admit I don’t have much to support it. Just I think that in a series that deals with child abuse as seriously as this one. It’s weird that Izanagi would fall off the radar like he does in myth.

Gonna answer two asks in one here, since they’re both about the Tsukuyomi theory.

I’ve toyed around with the idea of Father being Izanagi for a while–there are definitely some connections there:

1) “Father” as a name and a role in the story; as far as dads go in Japanese mythology, Izanagi is definitely the most well-known.

2) The idea of “culling the herd” is so opposite of Izanagi’s stated goal of giving life to 1,500 new humans for every 1,000 Izanami claims that it almost seems to fit with Noragami’s theme of the gods being completely different in “reality” compared to the way humans perceive them (Izanami only wanting friends, Bishamon being a gorgeous lady, not a bearded warrior male lol)

3) The complete lack of mentioning Izanagi in the manga so far has been a bit odd, given that we have seen Izanami and others related to that family.

4) Izanagi does basically deserve “shit dad of the era” award, so if Fujisaki doesn’t have anything to do with Izanagi, then they should totally take it behind the nearest Denny’s and fight it out for world’s worst dad title.

But especially with the events that have unfolded lately in the manga, I’m leaning away from this idea. Mostly because of this:

We’re shown a corpse beside a lake at the same time we’re shown Father holding the woman he (very likely) was in love with. Considering that it appears shinki who die without turning into ayakashi don’t leave bodies behind and we know gods don’t leave bodies, the woman Father loved was more than likely really a human. While I don’t think it would be completely impossible for Izanagi to fall in love with a human and end up standing against all of Heaven for that somehow, that feels like a somewhat unlikely series of events, particularly because it would mean that Amaterasu would have subjugated her own father, which is kind of iffy in terms of the tradition of Japanese filial piety.

We also got a couple more hints about what Father might be over the course of the recent chapters:

Father repeatedly describes himself as being “forsaken” or “forgotten” by Heaven. Yato mentions that “normal” humans shouldn’t be able to use the Koto no Ha. Amaterasu, who clearly knows gods can come back from the Underworld freaks out because she didn’t think there was any way for humans to return. Father can name shinki, possess human bodies, control ayakashi, recognize spells, and battle (almost) on par with Bishamon, the strongest god of war. He knows about the concept of god’s greatest secret, understands the inner-workings of Heaven (aka what determines which gods will reincarnate and who won’t, why Heaven needs humanity, etc.). Furthermore, Father repeatedly expresses concern that Yato won’t be able to reincarnate…

What is the “threshold” for reincarnating? How much belief/how many followers does a god need to really reincarnate? Is being in even one human memory enough, or do you need a ton of people? This isn’t clear. But I do think it’s odd for Yato’s self-proclaimed “lifeline” to be thinking his pet god can’t reincarnate. Maybe it’s because Yato doesn’t have enough followers–or maybe it’s because Father isn’t human at all, and therefore couldn’t help Yato reincarnate even if he wanted to?

Honestly, I really don’t know what Adachitoka have up their sleeve. They’ve done a fantastic job of keeping Father’s identity and motivations a secret–even when they reveal things like the flashback above, the “reveals” tend to bring up more questions rather than answers! There is so much conflicting evidence supporting either side at this point that it’s really just a matter of “We have to wait and see.”

Father could be a human who found some way to seize the powers of the gods for himself, possibly by being a holy man (such as a buddhist monk, I saw a pretty convincing post about this) or just out of sheer hatred for the gods lol. He clawed his way back out of the Underworld with the Koto no Ha, and is now taking corrupted souls aka ayakashi out of hell and unleashing betrayed and upset former-humans on Heaven and the living world.

Or he could be a god who was punished for doing something against Heaven’s rules, was subjugated/killed by Heaven, and subsequently ignored and allowed to stew in his hatred and desire for revenge to become the monster we know today, but I would somewhat doubt whether he really could be Izanagi without anyone having noticed.

Making a long story longer, ultimately I don’t really think that Father is Izanagi, so I personally wouldn’t be leaning on that for the Tsukuyomi theory. (And even if Father was Izanagi, Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu are like… some of the only children Izanagi didn’t treat like shit, so wouldn’t it make more sense for Father to be more directly connected to other children he mistreated aka Kagutsuchi?)

So what about Yato’s fate if his Father is defeated and Yato isn’t Tsukuyomi?

Well, that whole thing hinges on whether or not you believe that Father really is Yato’s lifeline in the first place. If Father turns out NOT to be a human, then the whole lifeline thing would have been a lie in the first place, and Yato will be in no more danger (in fact, significantly less) after defeating his Father than he would have been otherwise.

If Father really is his lifeline, Yato states that he has Hiyori. He’s also becoming an increasingly well-known god with a new official godly name, etc. If Yato continues to do good work with Yukine and increase his status, he’ll probably begin to work his way into the consciousness of the human world and gain enough followers to secure his safety. Hiyori could also establish him as the personal god of her family or something. He has options.

And anyway, as I mentioned in my original post on the Tsukuyomi theory, just because I don’t personally like it doesn’t mean I don’t think it has some basis. I honestly could see it happening–but that doesn’t mean I have to like it when it does. XD

The other thing I wanted to address was the idea of “change” that was brought up in the second ask, which I think is odd, because as far as I’ve seen, one of the number one things that Tsukuyomi theory fans say is that “Yato won’t change even if he is Tsukuyomi!” Like, if we’re talking about the moon god having to do with change, then that’s one thing, but as far as I can tell, the number one defense of the theory being okay story-wise is that it wouldn’t actually cause Yato to change, so…

Just on a personal level, I don’t understand the viewpoint that Yato wouldn’t change significantly if he was revealed to be Tsukuyomi. To me, this is the equivalent of saying “This poor person had amnesia for 15 years… Now they’ve suddenly remembered their entire past, who they were before, and all their previous lifestyle… but nothing about them is going to change, promise!”

Even if we completely ignore the possibility of Yato having to go back to being Tsukuyomi in the future, just revealing that a character had a whole other life is enough to change who that person is in the readers’ minds and how they think of themselves. Revealing that Yato was really Tsukuyomi all along would mean potentially revealing previous relationships with other gods, previous shinki, previous homes, previous worshipers, previous powers, previous attitudes… Unless we just collectively agree to pretend that Tsukuyomi sat in the same spot and never interacted with anyone else for thousands of years, then revealing that Yato is Tsukuyomi would mean revealing that he had a previous life, and that would be a big change in how we view his character–and what his current friends, beliefs, and situation actually mean in the grand scheme of the story.

Honestly I’m kind of confused about the whole thing anyway–people want Yato to be Tsukuyomi… but then multiple people who support the theory say they don’t think it will cause Yato to change, so… People want him to be Tsukuyomi, but not live like, act like, or in any way fulfill the role of Tsukuyomi in the Heavens? Doesn’t that just actually mean “I want Yato to become the god of the moon,” rather than “I want Yato to be Tsukuyomi”?

I just personally can’t imagine any reveal of Yato being Tsukuyomi that doesn’t also include some kind of flashbacks to the person he used to be–or Yato somehow regaining knowledge of his “true self”–and I can’t see how people think this won’t affect who he is and how he thinks of himself. The only way I could see that happening is if Yato actively chooses NOT to return to being Tsukuyomi.

(But in that case, what’s the point of being excited about the theory if the only thing you want out of the reveal is for him to reject that past identity?)

And I mean… are there fans that are okay with the idea of Yato flat out refusing to do Tsukuyomi’s job? Do people really want him to find out who he is and just go “Nah, thanks guys, but I think I’ll just stay Yatogami and let that whole Tsukuyomi thing sort itself out?” To me this seems not only contrary to Yato’s own wish to be a well-known and loved god, but also contrary to his powerful sense of duty.

One of the most central facets of Yato’s character growth has been learning to look beyond his own self-serving ends, to put aside his own wants and needs in order to genuinely serve and help others. From the boy who is willing to kill for praise to the boy who covets money to build his own shrine to the boy who selflessly risks his own life to save a friend in need–Yato’s whole track as a character has been learning to do what’s right, even when what’s right doesn’t have any immediate benefits for himself, such as when Yukine told him to keep killing ayakashi and Yato wondered how that would help him become a god of fortune.

I can’t see Yato in his present state (as a character who has grown to the point of being selfless enough to risk his life to save Heaven from his own Father), being completely okay with ignoring Tsukuyomi’s role or responsibilities. He would be expected to return to Heaven among the other ancient gods. He would be expected to answer the prayers of people at Tsukuyomi shrines. He would expected to conduct himself like a god known by every single Shinto believer in Japan. He’d likely have to like… do something with the moon…??? And I just can’t see Yato looking at all this and going “I think Heaven should just deal with not having Tsukuyomi around despite the fact that I’m technically back.”

I think that if Yato discovered he was Tsukuyomi, he would do his best to fulfill the role he was apparently born to fulfill–and as a reader, I don’t think I’d be happy if he didn’t, if he shirked his duty to humanity intentionally.

If we buy into the idea that the gods exist for a reason–that they exist to fill important roles in human consciousness and life–then I can’t imagine as a reader that I would ever be okay with Yato finding out he’s the god of the moon… And then refusing to be the god of the moon and all that entails. And that would mean that he would change, not gradually, but abruptly. 

So that’s my two cents on the whole “change” and Tsukuyomi theory. As I mentioned before, as possible as I think it is, the whole thing just confuses me entirely from a writing/narrative standpoint.

[my-cuppa-bleach]

Bleach Arcs: Ranked

So, once again, I’m stealing this idea from @incorrctbleach​, because I wanted to rank the general Bleach arcs in the same way they did. (I know I said I was going to do a post about Bankai next, and I’m working on it, but... it’s hard.) I’m just gonna use the arc divisions that they used, so if you wanna see that post, click here.

12. The Bount Invasion arc

This arc is... Okay, I really did try to understand this arc when I was watching it, but it’s so hard to understand because it doesn’t make sense. I had no idea why they were out for revenge on Soul Society, all the characters were flat, and their abilities were horrid. Honestly, everything about this arc makes me angry. Not to mention, it ruined Ishida’s character for me for a very long time. He was represented really badly in this arc and I couldn’t bring myself to fall in love with him again until the anime returned to the Hueco Mundo arc. Plus, it dragged on for forever. I can’t really explain beyond that, and I don’t think I have to because I imagine most people hate this arc.

11. The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc

Otherwise known as the Fullbring arc. So, I don’t really hate any arc like I hate the Bount arc, but this arc fell the flattest in terms of story, to me. Again, the antagonists were extremely flat, and I didn’t have any sort of emotional response toward any of them. Not hate, not interest, not a sense of liking; they were all just... blah. I mean, Riruka was alright, I guess, but compared to the plethora of rich characters we’d gotten before the Fullbring arc, every single Fullbringer was a let down. I will say that seeing Ichigo deal with his lack of powers and the breakdown he had at the end was great, but the lack of beloved characters was a shame, as well. Their return in the end is the sole reason this arc isn’t at the bottom of the list, to be honest... Plus, it isn’t a total waste of time like the Bount arc.

10. The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc

I’m gonna be real, this arc wasn’t that bad. Sure, Rurichiyo was a little annoying at times, but her scenes with Ichigo were quite sweet. And, sure, Amagai’s reason for wanting to kill Yama was a bit... over-dramatic, but he was also a really neat character. Not to mention, we got to know a little more about Kira through this arc, and I came to love him as a result of that. Is it annoying that it interrupted the Arrancar era? Yeah. Did the final battle not really make sense because the fight with Aizen should’ve prepared Ichigo for anything, especially someone like Amagai? 100%. Was it aggravating that this arc took up multiple seasons and wasn’t clearly fitted into the timeline of the anime? For sure. But, it wasn’t that bad. 

9. The Agent of the Shinigami arc

Here’s the thing: you think this is horrible that this is so low on the list because it’s the first arc, however, that just means the caliber and quality of the series just kept getting better and better, to the point that I’m comfortable having this arc this low on my list. Of course, it was amazing. We got to know Rukia and see her relationship with Ichigo develop, plus the end of the arc was so brilliant with Renji and Byakuya. I don’t have anything bad to say about this arc. I mean, it isn’t as action-packed as the rest of the series, I suppose, but it’s the first arc! Honestly, it’s kind of a comfort arc, for me. It’s nice to think about the simpler days with Ichigo and Rukia. 

8. The Arrancar: The Arrival arc

There was a lot to love in this arc. Grimmjow was introduced, Shinji was introduced (with the other Visoreds), Ichigo began to come to terms with his Hollow abilities, other Shinigami came to The World of the Living, and, most importantly, we finally got back to the Aizen storyline. To be honest, the arcs that take place in The World of the Living aren’t ever as interesting to me as the ones that take place elsewhere (save for one specific arc that I’ll get to later). I think because the resources--like Reishi--are limited, it makes for a slightly duller viewing experience. Which, of course, is fine because you need the slower periods of time to offset the extremely intense periods of time. Everybody was focused on training during this arc, anyway, so it’s understandable. This arc was a good setup for the rest of the Arrancar era, but that’s about it. It’s still amazing, though.

7. The Goeti 13 Invading Army arc

I really wish this could be higher up on the list, but alas, this is where I shall put it. There was a lot to love with this arc, as well. Seeing characters fight against themselves or versions of their comrades was always interesting to watch. One of my absolute favorite sections of this arc belongs to Nozomi and Kon. I will forever be bitter that they didn’t end up together. And, how about that Hollowfied Ichigo in the end? Rukia protecting him from the (admittedly terrible and cringy) antagonist was everything. It’s very similar to the Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc, and I love that one as well, so it makes sense that this would be amazing to me.

6. The Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc

Gosh, I loved this arc so much. I absolutely adored everybody’s Zanpakutō spirits. I mean, how could you not? One of my favorites, and this was one of the biggest “WHAT” moments for me during the final arc, was Nanao’s. Their story was absolutely beautiful. I’m also gonna go ahead and say that the Sword Beasts part of this arc was not that bad, either. I rather enjoyed all the individual stories with everybody’s Zanpakutō spirits. Anyway, added on to all of that, the plot with Muramasa and Kōga was terribly sad. I actually felt bad for both of them by the end of it all. I don’t want to gush forever, but this arc was amazing.

5. The Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo arc

Okay, listen. Don’t kill me. I know this is everyone’s favorite arc, and I totally understand why. I don’t have any issues with it, myself. I just don’t happen to enjoy it as much as the next four arcs. It made my top five, though. That’s good, right? No, but honestly, this arc was flawless. Every single fight was perfectly executed, even the fights with the Espada I didn’t care about. The whole arc--everything from meeting Nel to the captains showing up--was extremely entertaining. To be honest, I think all the fillers that interrupted this arc is why it’s number five and not number one. If I had been more immersed in the arc, I probably would’ve enjoyed it even more, but it was pretty damn enjoyable as is. I dunno what else to say. Nel = the cutest cute to ever cute. Grimmjow = daddy. Ulquiorra = eternal sadness for me. RIP UlquiHime. 

4. The Past arc

I. Love. This. Arc. I wanted more of it. An eternal supply. A seperate series, I don’t care. I’m in love with Shinji, Urahara is my boo, Yoruichi and Soi Fon give me life, and learning how everybody knew each other was bomb as fuck. I cannot tell you how lit I was right after this arc when you see Shinji and the Visoreds walk out of their base to kick Aizen’s ass (which didn’t go very well, but I digress). After seeing all the shit that Aizen put them through, I was hollering, it was so fucking epic. It’s crazy to think that Hiyori and Yoruichi served together or that Aizen was Shinji’s lieutenant or that Mayuri served under Kisuke or that Urahara, Yoruichi, and the Visoreds were captains way before some of my favorite captains were captains. It’s just so cool to see how everything came together for them.

3. The Quincy Blood War arc

I’m not gonna lie... the beginning was slow. Like... boring, almost. And the final fight ended way too abruptly. And I didn’t get the ending I wanted (not just because of the pairings, but because of the fact that I didn’t see how everyone was doing after the ten year timeskip). But everything in between made it so worth while. The battles! Oh my goodness, I need them animated right now. All of them were so good! Namely Kenpachi’s and Unohana’s, the battle Yoruichi and Urahara fought together, and the one Byakuya and Tōshirō fought together. And almost every single character developed a crazy amount. I was so impressed with Renji and Rukia, they were insane. There were so many revelations and bombshells in this arc, as well, and all of them had me shook. I loved it. As far as the final pairings go, no I don’t agree with them, but if Renji and Rukia’s daughter grows up to marry Orihime and Ichigo’s son, all will be forgiven. Love, love, love this arc. I’d also like to add that I want to kill that Haschwalth myself for hurting Bazz-B. 

2. The Soul Society Arc

This was a hard one to place, guys. In the end, it was just perfect. Especially now that I know the Shinigami better after finishing the series. This is yet another arc where the battles were on point. Poor Ichigo fought so many people, but by the end of it all, all of Soul Society respected him and learned to depend on him. Not to make this about ships, but Ichigo coming to save Rukia killed me. I’d die that death a thousand times. Other than that, I just enjoyed meeting all the new characters and learning about them. This arc was very intense, but also serene in a way... weird, but beautiful.

1. The Fake Karakura Town arc

Is this a weird arc to have as my top arc? Hopefully not. I just can’t get over how good it was. For me to be able to see everybody fighting their own individual battles? That was like a dream. And that’s strange because, to be honest, I didn’t really like the top three Espada (although Baraggan’s abilities were the shit). Oh my goodness, and the Visoreds rolling up, ready to throw down and kick some serious ass got me so excited? By the way, when I say “The Fake Karakura Town arc,” I’m including the piece where Aizen and Gin invade Soul Society. Which means I’m including the Ichigo vs. Aizen fight. Which also means I’m including Ichigo and Rukia’s goodbye. So... yeah. All of that. That’s why this is my favorite arc. 

Anyway, let me know if you agree or disagree or, hell, make your own list and tag me! I can’t stop talking about this show. I... I have a problem. I really do.

I promise the Bankai post is coming, I just need to plan it out a little better and get it down on “paper,” so to speak, properly. Thanks for reading! 

[hellanoragami-blog]

Hi, this had been bothering me for a while and I'd like to hear from you. We know that Hiyori and Yato love each other, right? How are they gonna be together when everything settles. Yato is basically immortal while Hiyori is gonna gets old and ... you know. I feel like Achidatoka might kill Hiyori in the end but still let her keep her memory somehow. What do you think about this?

Most people do share the idea that they love each other, yes. I’m not a huge shipper myself, but I have taken note of the classic, romantic inflections Adachitoka has used in interaction between Hiyori and Yato throughout the series.

The most common occurrence that had Yatori fans in a frenzy was the classic umbrella promise. And if you don’t know, here’s a little fun fact of trivia for you! Taken from the taiken.co website, this is an excerpt from one of their many articles:

“If two people share an umbrella, it is called the “Ai-Ai gasa”. ‘Ai’ means ‘love’ and ‘gasa’ is the variation of the word ‘Kasa’ in Japanese with the meaning ‘Umbrella’. And literally “Ai-Ai gasa” means “Love-Love umbrella”. The Japanese youngsters use the symbol of an umbrella with the name of the boy and girl on its both sides as a symbol of love. It’s similar to the heart symbol representing love. Two people, especially a man and a woman, sharing an umbrella in rain is considered as a symbol of romance in Japan.”

But remember: even though they are fond of each other, it’s still too early to call it love. The romance genre is there, yes. But Noragami is a Shonen series, meaning that there won’t be too much of a focus on the romantic aspects even towards the end of the series. If anything, it will be referenced and nothing more. The connection is there, but I can’t say for sure whether Adachitoka plans for them to be together as an endgame. Yato clearly wants her to make her own life, and Hiyori–while she has expressed clear fondness and even love for Yato–doesn’t seem to desire a life with him in that way.

But their fates are definitely connected. Yato’s specialty is handling bonds, though, so it isn’t clear if it’s expressly intended to be romantic or not. Hiyori is Yato’s precious worshiper, and because he’s only known basic human relationships, (I kind of touched on this in my last response; Yato’s knowledge of relationships are very basic, and his comprehension of them are not 100% accurate. Even having said he wants to marry her, it boils down to him wanting to be with her. And that is in the most simplest, selfish form. He likes her company and wants to spend as much time with her as possible.) he projects that desire in a very human-like way. But Yato isn’t human, and pining for a relationship with one would only end in pain for both parties.

I don’t really think Adachitoka will kill Hiyori, though. It has been implied that they’ll face a lot of trouble within their relationship because of Kofuku, but these two have stuck through a lot of strife so far already. I will accept Yatori as an end game, but I am also leaving open to the possibility of another type of relationship shared between them, as well.

This is just my personal input, though. Take it as you will! I tend not to focus on the romance too much within Noragami; I like to view it in technicality, so my opinion can be taken with a grain of salt.

[echodrops]

My first thought on this is to tell you not to worry too much about Yatori and the possibility of Yato ending up tragically alone forever. From what I’ve seen of Adachitoka’s writing, if Noragami ever returns shit no one heard me say that whoever is doing the writing (I think it’s Adachi?) has a clear sense of narrative purpose and a keen understanding not only of relationships but also what events will ultimately tell the best story with their characters. Honestly, in terms of the plot events of Noragami, the growth of the characters, balance of romantic comedy with action, and the sheer amount of emotional baggage they’re able to parse through, I would not be worried about Yato’s fate. Whoever he ends up—or whatever happens by the end of the manga if we ever get there—will definitely be what is best for Yato. Adachitoka love their character, you can tell. They won’t leave him with a bad end. Even if the ending of the manga doesn’t involve Yato and Hiyori ending up together, happily ever after thanks to their tied plaques, whatever ending we do get, however sad, will be well-written and emotionally fulfilling. I definitely believe in that—have faith in the authors that the end-game they have planned is going to be the best one for Yato!

The rest is under a read more.

Before going on to the other pairings, it is my personal opinion that, at this point, the ending of Noragami can only go one of two ways for Hiyori: either she becomes immortal or she doesn’t. If she doesn’t become immortal, then the ultimate moral of the story is about how much impact a single human can have on the heavens and what it means to have touched the lives of people in need to help them grow and become so much better. It would be a bittersweet but meaningful ending. Alternatively, Adachitoka makes Hiyori somehow immortal, the hijinks never end and the moral of the story is that good people get good endings and true love can triumph even over something like death. There are a nigh infinite number of ways Hiyori could become immortal in Noragami, from becoming a shinki (still bittersweet) to dying and being deified, becoming a young, upstart god herself. Let’s not forget that the title involves strays, and no one resembles a wandering cat more than Hiyori… At this point, just as a fan personally, I’m in the camp that Adachitoka have some sort of long-term plan for Hiyori. Maybe the plan is for her to just grow old and die, but the longer she’s with Yato and the closer she grows to all the other gods out there, the less I feel like that’s going to be a sufficient end for her.

BUT, if we do have to look for alternate pairings, I have long been a supporter of Yato/Bishamon! I agree that, especially in light of the extreme amount of KazuBisha service the manga has provided, Yato and Bishamon can come off as bash brothers/platonic bros more than an actual pairing, but I think that’s more our conditioned response, rather than anything wrong with the pairing itself. The romantic overtones from Yatori and KazuBisha are so strong that they tend to (in a weird way) warp our views for what other pairings should look like: Yato is lovey-dovey with Hiyori, so we start thinking that other Yato pairings should be lovey-dovey; Kazuma and Bishamon are loyal and supportive, so we start to think that other Bishamon pairings should be the same way, etc. But of course this isn’t the case, and every pairing can have totally unique dynamics and still be just as good!

As I’ve written about Yato and Bishamon before, to me their actions are often coded in a way that “toes the line” between strictly platonic and teasing something more. There’s always been a bit of an edge to their actions—from Bishamon’s first introduction as an aggressive, overpowering female presence (in obvious comparison to the “good girl” Hiyori) who virtually dominates Yato in battle, to Yato’s role as her savior both physically (by defeating her corrupted shinki) and mentally (by allowing her to use her hatred as motivation to recover), to even their recent scenes together, with Bishamon leaping into hell and risking all her shinki’s lives for him to Yato literally being willing to go to war with heaven for her… The plot events that surround these two are definitely more intense and important than you would expect from two characters fated to end up as nothing more than drinking buddies/battle friends.

As I’ve written before, I find these two to be great foils for each other. They each have exactly what the other most deeply desires: Bishamon is the famous god of fortune with the huge number of followers and all the esteem—but what she wants is to be able to connect to her “family,” the shinki she deeply cares for but struggles vainly to understand. Meanwhile, Yato is desperate for the fame and glory Bishamon barely notices she has, while failing to notice that he already possesses what she lacks: the ability to relate to others in an almost human way, with close-knit, trusting bonds that protect his relationships from the same failings that plague Bishamon’s.

In other ways, they are also coded as two-of-a-kind: the only two gods we’ve seen in action with their hafuri, both of them attacked and badly affected by Yato’s father, both of them combat gods skilled in war, both of them painfully oblivious, both of them dear friends to Ebisu, they both have a dark history together, etc. Out of all the characters in Noragami, where miscommunication is rife and people never know how to explain their thoughts or feelings, Yato and Bishamon are actually the LEAST likely to have this problem, because the plot has shown us again and again that they both act and think alike.

And I mean… she did literally jump into hell for him. And he got his first “real” god-name cutting the heavens while fighting for her…

Of course you could argue that all of this is “platonic life partners” zone, and I’d willing to bet in the end that’s how it will play out, but I think it’s really impossible to totally negate the tinge of sexual tension that underlines many of their interactions. I mean, Kazuma has been buying dirty doujinshi about Bishamon from Yato for years; Yato clearly has to be thinking about her naked sometimes! Yato wanted Bishamon to spend time with him at the gods’ party even though he already had Yukine and Hiyori with him! And Bishamon gets all ruffled and angry faced when people bring Yato up, but then what is their battle banter about? Whether or not there will ever be a “romance flag” on their relationship!

Yato/Bishamon is a perfectly fine pairing to ship and in some ways is more balanced than Yato/Hiyori!

Worried that they’re just going to turn out to be “drinking buddies”? Don’t forget that this is how their last on-screen drinking party ended:

And let me just also remind you that even Yato and Hiyori haven’t gotten that close to a kiss.

  But if YatoBisha still isn’t doing it for you and if you’re open to m/m ships, might I also suggest Yato/Kazuma?

Now, I might be the only person in the entire fandom who’s into this or even reads their interactions this way, but I have definitely had a lot of thoughts about Yato and Kazuma, and some of them are that they would actually make a pretty respectable ship!

If you read my Yato and Kazuma essay with shipping goggles on, a lot of what’s written there could be taken in a very romantic light. There are many reasons why Kazuma and Yato probably have the healthiest relationship of any two characters in Noragami! I don’t really have the time to go through every potential reason again (since I already wrote them before XD), but of all the characters in Noragami, they have shown each other the most consistent care and respect with the least amount of strife or drama. Yato is the one Kazuma keeps running back to, over and over, any time he is in trouble or need, and Yato’s dependency on Kazuma is so intense that one of Yato’s life goals became to find “his own Kazuma”! Yato’s trust in Kazuma is unshakeable, and Kazuma (for centuries!) risked everything he treasured to keep Yato safe and well. Kazuma became a hafuri only after his bravery in contacting Yato, and even when Kazuma attacked Yukine, Yato still insisted that they weren’t enemies. They’re true bros at the least, but very fun to think about in terms of potential shipmates.

 Even the manga likes to make jokes about their “relationship”:

And I mean, #RelationshipGoals??? Get you a man that looks at you like Yato looks at Kazuma:

Or even better, get you a man who looks at you like Kazuma looks at Yato:

I’M JUST SAYING GUYS!!