#kazari keeps telling on her

[ehlnofay]

the biggest change I've made for efri & co.'s college questline is that they have to sneak around for all of it. in the game everyone will just send you off to do whatever but mirabelle is refusing point blank to let this ten year old (+11 year old + normal apprentices) go gallivanting off on a death mission because Obviously. so the difference is that efri has marginally more difficulty getting the necessary information to go anyway and then routinely shows up again going hi!! we did the thing!!! you can't be mad at me because we only ALMOST died and we were successful. and you can't kick me out because you're attached to me now :D (kazari stop trying to get me to tell them about the really extra stupid shit I did. I'm not dobbing on myself)

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

Imagine a scenario where Hiden, Godai, and Hongo meet?

How do you think that scenario will turn out?

Oh, see, the thing is, I think Godai's known the old man for a long time. Longer than most of his friends, in fact, longer than Ichijo, at this point he's known the old man longer than anyone but Minori and Kazari.

Picture this: Godai Yusuke, seventeen years old, gangly and awkward and a little concerned that his sister's panicking about now because he kind of maybe left without telling her, but he sent her a postcard from the airport when the plane landed, it'll be ok, he's sure she'll understand. It was a wild impulse, really. He wanted to go on an adventure.

So now he's in a town where he doesn't speak the language very well, and he's heard they're having some kind of crime problems but that's not going to stop him from exploring. Anyway, he's got to eat something, so he's sitting in a cafe that's open to the street and having a meal that he's promised to wash dishes for, and then some punks who barely look older than he is show up and start getting into it with the cafe owner, which isn't great already and then they start pulling out guns.

And this old guy a couple of tables over from Yusuke stands up and starts talking to them. He's very calm. Kind of friendly, even. Yusuke can't understand much of what he's saying, but he's definitely trying to get them to put the guns away.

Ten minutes later, the guns are still out, and the old guy kind of sighs and pushes his sleeves up his arms.

Five minutes after that, the guns are no longer operational, the punks are mostly unconscious except for one who's just sitting there looking dazed, and the cafe's a little bit of a mess. So Yusuke, who's been watching the entire thing from a spot right in front of the counter so that the cafe owner's kid can stay out of sight, starts standing the chairs and tables back up, and also folding all of the napkins into animal shapes because the kid was definitely crying and this is getting her to smile again. After a minute the old guy comes over and helps him straighten up, and they talk about traveling and don't bother introducing themselves and it's just kind of nice, and then they go their separate ways.

Anyway, they run into each other every once in a while and never introduce themselves. The old guy's just Gramps; Yusuke's just Boy. They see each other in Nepal in late 1999, and then when Yusuke flies back home Everything Happens, and then when they run into each other again in Mexico in mid-2001 the old guy looks at him, looks for a long time, and then buys him dinner, which is weird because normally they just pay for themselves.

Yusuke doesn't tell him about it. That's fine. There's definitely stuff Gramps doesn't tell him about either.

They keep running into each other. They never talk about it. Yusuke's pretty sure Gramps knows anyway.

Fast forward to 2020, Aruto's in kind of an out-of-the-way town to talk to the leader of a local Humagear rights group. Well, and also to be a mediator between them and local law enforcement, because there's been a crime problem in the area and people are trying to blame the Humagears and it's causing problems for the activists. The meeting's not until tomorrow, though, he's got some time, so he goes out to visit a cafe with a famously good Humagear cook and see how she's doing. He's sitting in the outdoor seating area with her, in the middle of a conversation about what the town is like, when some jerks on motorcycles show up and start getting into it with the owner of the convenience store next door, which isn't great already and then they start pulling out guns.

And this sort of ordinary-looking middle-aged guy, who's sitting over in the corner of the cafe eating lunch with another guy who's probably his dad, stands up and starts talking to them.

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Laito Ecstasy [Prologue]

ー The scene starts in the guest room

Yui: Nn...I should get up soon...Pwaah...

*Rustle*

( Haah, my body feels heavy for some reason. ...I had a hard time sleeping because I kept on being plagued by nightmares. )

*Thud*

Yui: ーー I wonder where Laito-kun went? ...I don’t see him around...

( Well, I’m sure he’ll return soon enough. Before that...I better fix my hair and such. )

Hm? What’s this...?

( The skin on my neck is...red? )

( Are these fingerprints...? )

...No way, right...?

( I did feel like I was having a hard time breathing during my sleep but...I figured that was just part of a dream. )

( Did Laito-kun...? )

It just can’t be, rightーー?

On certain CGs, little black roses will appear on the screen. If you click on them, you get an extra line of dialogue.

“Those marks look great on you...Bitch-chan.”

“If you’re Narcissus, that would make me the poor little Echo who fell for you, I suppose? ...Ah, but in that case, I’d end up being abandoned by you, wouldn’t I? Nfu~”

Laito: Bitch-chan, what’s wrong...? Why are you looking in the mirror?

Yui: ...! Laito-kun...!

Laito: Fufu. Were you awestruck by your own reflection like some narcissist?

ーー ...Say, do you like the way I decorated your neck? (1)

Yui: This is your doing after all?

Laito: Nfu~ I figured it would be a nice way to spice things up every now and then.

Yui: ...

Laito: Please don’t give me that questioning look. Why not just tell me if you’ve got something on your mind?

Yui: Laito-kun...If you feel as if killing me would make things easier on you, I won’t hold it against you.

Laito: ...

Yui: ...Laito-kun?

Laito: You’re such a little fool, Bitch-chan. Just like I alluded earlier, this is all just part of a kink.

Don’t take it so seriously.

Yui: Don’t lie...

Laito: I’m not lying! While watching you closely as you slept, I just couldn’t hold myself back.

Seeing your face twist in pain is just so irresistibly sexy, you know?

Yui: Uu...

Laito: Come on, you’ve got a mirror right in front of you, so why not see for yourself? I’ll plunge in my fangs...and give you pain.

*Rustle rustle*

Laito: See? ...Nn...Nn...Nfu~...

Yui: Kuh...

Laito: Nn...Haah...And? You’re making a lovely expression, no? Wouldn’t you agree?

Yui: You’re just...dodging the question, aren’t you?

Laito: Nfu~ You really are so skeptical. I’m not lying, nor trying to beg the question.

For one, I don’t believe in a set truth. Such a thing doesn’t exist.

ーー I’ve probably lost it at some point... (2)

Yui: What do you mean?

Laito: That everything I say is correct, yet a lie at the same time...

I don’t quite understand myself either.

I’m sure that’s because...Truth doesn’t exist within me, don’t you think?

Yui: That’s not true...I...believe you.

Laito: You’re fine the way you are.

You can just believe in the Sakamaki Laito-kun which benefits you most.

Yui: ...That’s not...!

Laito: I’ve also learnt to adapt, believing in whichever self of me works best for the given situation. 

Yui: Laito-kun...

Laito: ...I’m sorry, Bitch-chan.

ー He leaves the room

Yui: ( What is this feeling? It’s as if a large hole opened up in my chest... )

( Sadness...? No, it’s different. I feel empty. )

( Right when I thought I had finally made a connection with Laito-kun, he slips away from my fingers once more. )

( However, I still love him, including how vague and unpredictable he can be at times. )

( I don’t want to give up on him...over something like this. )

ー The scene shifts to the living room of the Sakamaki castle

Ayato: ーー Aah!? At Eden!? Why the fuck is Laito there...?

Reiji: I do not know. That is what I would like to ask him too.

Kanato: Is he really there...?

Reiji: I received said information from our Familiars so I am sure it is correct? I see no reason why they would lie.

Ayato: Yeah...Anyway, somethin’ smells fishy ‘bout this...

Kanato: ...

Reiji: Either way, we should be happy he is safe and sound, no?

It seems like he picked her up from the human world at some point as well.

Kanato: Eh!? She’s with him!?

Reiji: That appears to be the case. The Familiar referred to a human woman after all.

Ayato: Chichinashi’s with him, huh? ...I guess she’d stop that idiot from doing somethin’ he’d regret at least.

Kanato: Ayato, do you perhaps know...What Laito will do at Eden?

Ayato: I’m pretty sure you have a vague suspicion as well?

Kanato: ...Yes.

Reiji: ...

Ayato: ーー Kanato, let’s leave for Eden.

Kanato: Eh?

Ayato: Aren’t you fed up with this shitty castle?

Even if we go to Eden, the Old Man won’t show himself anyway.

Kanato: You want to stop Laito?

Ayato: ...Idiot. Why would I do that? I’m just lookin’ to kill some time.

Kanato: I see. In that case, I will go as well.

Ayato: It’s settled then.

Reiji: Good grief. Be careful, understood? The Lunar Eclipse is still ongoing, so those Wolves may come to attack you.

Ayato: You’re not stoppin’ us?

Reiji: ーー I know that would be a waste of my time and energy. Well then, I have to continue with the preparations for the evening gala, so I will excuse myself.

ー Reiji leaves

Ayato: ...Guess we should get goin’ too then.

Kanato: Yes...

ー The scene shifts to the forest

*HOOOOOWL*

Shin: ーー Che...That guy...He’s still not making his move...?

I knew I made the right choice by keeping a close eye on him. That bastard...We should have never trusted him in the first place!

He only promised to kill him as a way to escape a sticky situation back then...

*Grooowl*

Shin: What? Eh? A message from Nii-san?

...Che. I know. I won’t lose my cool and act hastily.

...Geez, what a pain.

ー The scene shifts to the guest room

Laito: Haah...

Yui: ( Laito-kun has been sighing this whole time... )

( Quite some time has passed since we came here, but we have yet to run into Karlheinz-san... )

Is Karlheinz-san really somewhere in this castle?

Laito: He is. Without a doubt.

Yui: I started wondering if he really is since we haven’t caught a glimpse of him even once...

Laito: He rarely ever shows himself. There’s a room called ‘the chamber of time’ in the very back of the castle...Remember?

That’s where he isolates himself.

Yui: You can’t enter that room?

Laito: The door to that room won’t open unless he has invited you inside. It’s sealed by magic.

Yui: ...I see...

Laito: So we have no other choice but to wait. Until the time is ripe...

Yui: ( We have to stay here until the door opens. )

( I wonder when exactly the time will be ripe...? )

( ...I’m a little scared for that moment to arrive... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) He refers to 首の飾り or ‘kubi no kazari’ which literally means ‘neck decorations’ and can be used to refer to necklaces, chokers, etc.

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

<- [ Maniac Epilogue ] [ Ecstasy 01 ] ->

[ac-liveblogs]

Ekanomiya Event is annoying.

I straight up don’t care about anything happening, because I don’t care about any of the characters involved or why we’re even here. I perked up briefly when Kokomi showed up, but she dipped immediately, and MHY decided to hinge this event on another masked shrine maiden because apparently when we said we liked Kazari, they took it to mean we liked her being a masked shrine maiden and not that her writing was good. 

I cannot stress enough that I don’t care about an endless parade of NPCs that don’t matter! They’ll disappear when this event is over! Either use the damn playable characters you want us to pay money for, or make the NPCs playables! This disconnect is weird! Why should I feel happy that I have Kokomi if she gets brushed aside in favour of NPCs??? I can run around as her I guess, cool??

I hate this event’s new strategy of telling us where literally everything is on the map, including farmable items, chests and timed events. Because now I’m obviously not actually paying attention to the lovingly-crafted surroundings to find things, I’m just staring at the minimap all the damn time. 

i’m not sure why they keeping adding new exploration mechanics to new regions? they don’t need to do that. it’s not like this region’s new mechanics add anything more than me needing to press a couple buttons before i can kill something or pick something up. the coral branch is fine, that encourages you to explore as much as you can - this is just irritating. i was fine with dragonspine as i could respect it as environmental storytelling and it actually required some management, but this just feels pointless.

at least the golden apple archipelago had a whole squad of characters there to interact with, and looked kinda pretty. this... ugh. 

[professionalamateurblog]

Some more Nanbaka Headcanons

Before being arrested Qi used his knowledge on botanicals to run a side business making and selling his own spirits, mainly gin. All without a licence of course. 

He would definitely still do this as a secret hustle and sell it throughout the prison but he can’t because;

He isn’t allowed anywhere near plants without supervision.

All alcohol is banned in building five and the punishment for breaking this rule is an ass whooping from Samon.

If he did find a way to get it passed Samon, Liang would have an aneurism and kick his ass if he found it in their cell because Upa would probably drink it. He would undoubtedly tell Samon about it too, who will then proceed to kick his ass as well.

Qi is one of those people who drinks energy drinks and coffee 24/7 but is still almost always tired. Liang and Upa are super judgey about the energy drinks. Asking him how he could put such “trash” in his body. Upa will often say, “Well he’s trash so…”

There’s a number of things Upa tells Qi to throw away every time he sees them and would do it himself if Qi let him. The main three are his cigarettes, his energy drinks and his knock off crocs.

Qi owns knock off crocs because he was lowkey offended by the prices of real crocs.

Upa and Liang are offended by the existence of crocs, real or otherwise.

Samon won’t let Qi wear them outside of Building 5 or if people from other buildings are coming over. He genuinely thinks allowing an inmate of his to wear them makes him look bad. You can imagine what he thinks of Hajime for, among other things, allowing one of his inmates to go around barefoot.

Kazari has only been in trouble once in her entire career at Nanba and that was for installing a taser into Kagu-8. Ever the innocent babe, Kaguya didn’t even know what it was for. She just wasn't used having it and ended up using it on accident. 

If Kiji found out about Nico’s lack of education, like how he didn’t know how to read or write until was at least fourteen, he would be appalled. Like “WHO RAISED THIS CHILD?! *immediately drags Nico off to Building 3 even though he doesn’t have the authority to* “This one is my inmate now. Why he wasn’t to begin with, I’ll never know.” Meanwhile Nico would just be confused and be like, “What is happening? Am I being kidnapped?”.

If he found out Jyugo cant count higher than he can on his fingers, he would also be dragged to building 3. That or he’d be dragged to a doctor, because Kiji would be fairly certain he has dyscalculia and then dragged to Building 3.

Jyugo probably has dyscalculia. 

And maybe Yamato too. It would explain why his sense of direction sucks.

Like Hajime, Hitoshi is also a blackbelt in Judo. Hajime taught him everything he knows to keep him safe.

Hajime used to fend off bullies from Hitoshi when Hitoshi was in school. Because of their seven year age gap, they were never in the same school at the same time. But whenever Hitoshi would come home upset, Hajime would walk him to school the next day. All it ever took was one glare, that’s it, and whoever was bothering Hitoshi would leave him alone. It worked every single time.

[rayofsunas]

About what happened to Kazari

⚠️ Inazuma side quests spoilers⚠️

Kazari is kind of a part of the kistsune that has friends with Baal, but the kistsune got corrupted and seems like she died. It seems like Kazari is the dirt of the kistsune that remains.

She have some of the kistsune memories and was waiting for "the choosen one" to help her do the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual. The ritual is necessary cuz the sakura roots absorb evil and keep it imprisoned in the roots, but with time it just accumulates and need to be cleaned.

But because Kazari is "impure" and "dirty" (the reminisce of the corruption of the kistsune) she couldn't purify the evil so she got the traveler to do so and also because she would be cleaned with me evil in the roots of the sakura.

Kazari said that in the start she was angry at the kistsune cuz she would never have a life of her own due to her being only the reminder of someone else. But along the quest she say that she wished that the kistsune had someone like the traveler to help her when she needed so maybe things would be different.

After seeing that the evil on the roots presented it self like warrior she asked if Inazuma has in war and the traveler tell the truth.

In the end, after we defeated the miasma tumor she is purified with the "rest of the dirty". With means she died and the only thing left of her was her mask.

(It gave me Hotarubi No Mori vibes)

And the mask description is "Kazari the shrine maiden used to wear this mask. It is deeply stained on the inside. Some memories are contained inside, through which one may learn the art of creating the Catalyst known as Hakushin Ring".

Also, english is not my native language btw, so if some names are wrong or something I'm sorry.

this is kinda cool and sad, especially the part where she wishes she had someone like the traveler at that time :((( I honestly feel bad for so many of the characters and npc’s. everything is so tragic, sad and depressing </3 I WANNA GIVE THEM ALL A HUG!! thank you for explaining this; I remember doing the quest, but none of the voice lines (I may have skipped over them- shhh) and no worries at all, please!! english is my native language yet I’m still gArbAgè.

[genshin-obsessed]

Ive been doing pretty good at keeping up in the game I think. I’m ar45, probably more like 47 by now, I haven’t felt confident enough to do the acension thingie. I just got some good rolls on yoimiyas banner! I felt really really tempted to wish lately, and I must’ve reached soft pity or something because I got Jean, my second five star! I wished a bit more and also got diona! Getting characters makes me really glad. I’m trying to build diona so she can be my healer instead of Barbra. I’m sorry barbie, but two healers, a four and five star? mihoyos telling me something (besides spend more money).

im sort of up to date with the archon quests? I finished a while back now and I’ve done a few Inazuma archon quests, but I have yet to do all of them. I’m a little worried on whether I did something wrong…? I’ve only met yoimiya and I don’t finish her archon question but it looks like now There aren’t any more archon quests queued, so idk what’s happening there. I’m probably jus5 forgetting something. im not super crazy about any of the new Inazuma characters tbh though, at least not the playable ones- I love Kazari. Baal is pretty but im more of an appreciator than a simp.

wish me luck getting Dionas artifacts, Ill need it.

-🐗boar anon

Not me taking a year to answer this :’) as usual

It’s ok! I literally took like 2 months? I hit AR40 forever ago on accident and then just waited til I got to 45. I probably took longer lol

Honestly same! I don’t even want Yoimya and I already got Sayu >,< yet I still wanna roll so I really gotta hold back for Baal cuz I also kinda want Kujou Sara >:0

Make a full team of healers lmao you can’t dir xD do you have Bennett yet? O:

Oh yeah, for that I got confused too! You have to finish Yoimiya’s quest line & Ayaka’s to be able to continue the archon quests. I’m notorious for not doing the character quests >,< haven’t even done Zhongli’s yet bc I just don’t care lmao so they really forced me to do this one

O: so you could probably skip all the upcoming banners? Is there a character you really want?? You could always save for a rerun ^w^

YOU GOT THIS!! >:0 GOOD LUCK💖

[gmos]

monthly faves: april 🌷🌱🌤

ok so @antigojos was posting about this and i love sharing my opinions so im participating <3 (below cut bc its long)

📺🎞💻media

💫kamen rider ooo. its 10 years old and frustratingly good and its changed me as a person forever. im a kazari apologist except for when im an uva apologist.

💫overwatch archives event. its over now but i came back to play it a bunch bc im unfortunately still invested in the lore and i like pve story games

💫jerma stream highlights. -v- you all really made me watch this insane man thinking he was some kind of clown and not a local freak psychologically terrorizing me forever.

💫kamen rider saber. i keep going back and forth on whether i love it or hate it but in the second most recent episode two main characters had gay sex so im willing to forgive some crimes.

💫ASLRochelle. this woman is an angel she has taught me language better than i have been taught anything before and her videos are in the perfect length to learn per day.

🔊🎶🎧music

💫SAWAYAMA by Rina Sawayama (album). GOD what a good album its so fun to listen to. its definitely got songs id love to dance to when partying is an option again. fave track: XS

💫 That Kid (artist). one of the artists that really got me into hyperpop and adjacent genres. he's a pop star for sure and all his songs are so fun to listen to. fave tracks: kiss & tell, mind your business, boost mobile

💫Misc. songs ive had on repeat: Confess to Me by Disclosure, Hot Pink by Let's Eat Grandma, Rotten Tomatoes by Dubloadz, Slap on the Face by Alice Gas, Plug Me In by Lil Soda Boi

🥧🥤🍓food & drink

💫kitkat duo mint/dark chocolate. i hate to shill for any nestle owned product but i fucking love these green kitkats i grab em by the handful at cvs. its good balance between sweet/rich chocolate and light mint that i can eat the whole thing but still feel like im eating candy

💫homemade iced matcha latte. yes another green food. i make it with cinnamon sugar, perfect drink to overcaffeinate on 😌

💫chobani vanilla yogurt with honey. self explanatory. yogurt with honey is one of the foods that makes me feel like any time in history. i know thats not historically accurate but maybe you should try some with me and understand.

🧥👗👢fashion

💫mismatched earrings from hot topic. ok before you judge me, i didnt pay for them. i have a rose gold hello kitty set for my right ear and a green/gunmetal cybergoth-inspired set for my left ear. my brand.

💫pink athletic shorts from walmart. idk the brand or anything but theyre very comfortable and they could work as swim shorts if i ever get the chance to swim again lol

💫velvet scrunchies. my sister got a big pack of them from target and gave me some, my favorite are pink, neon green, dark teal, and royal blue.

[billreeseblog]

Anime I Really Can’t Wait To See Another Season Of

I have been following a couple anime and manga, and I am hoping we will see another few anime series pop up with another season. Here are the ones I really can’t wait to see another season of.

Chiahayafuru

Here is a bit about Chihayafuru from Wikipedia:

Chihaya Ayase is a girl who has spent most of her life simply supporting her sister in her model career. That changes when she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, a talented karuta player. After becoming friends, he believes that Chihaya has potential to become a great player. As Chihaya takes on a new dream of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends as they grow up. Now in high school, Chihaya is reunited with her childhood friend, Taichi Mashima. Together, they form the Mizusawa Karuta Club. With her teammates and friends supporting her, Chihaya strives to become the best karuta player in the world and to one day be with Arata again. – Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihayafuru)

At the end of Season 2 Chihaya (the titular character) is hospitalized, found to have a nerve disorder that may stop her from playing karuta without surgery, while her other team mates have progressed to higher classes for competitive karuta. The second season ended in a giant cliff hanger in summer 2013. Finally we get to continue the anime series (even though the manga series is still in production).

A Certain Scientific Railgun

Here is a bit about A Certain Scientific Railgun from Wikipedia:

In the futuristic Academy City, which is made up of 80% students, many of whom are espers possessing unique psychic powers, Mikoto Misaka is an electromaster who is the third strongest of a mere seven espers who have been given the rank of Level 5. The series focuses on the exploits of Mikoto and her friends; Kuroko Shirai, Kazari Uiharu, and Ruiko Saten, prior to and during the events of A Certain Magical Index. – Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Certain_Scientific_Railgun)

At the end of the second season of Railgun the girls were talking about their upcoming fieldtrip to Liberal Arts City. With this series interwoven conflicts caused by the existence of magic and espers you have to know that something is going to happen, and the girls are just going to have to deal with it Academy City style.

Natsume’s Book of Friends

Here is a bit about Natsume’s Book of Friends from Wikipedia:

For as long as he can remember, Takashi Natsume has had the ability to see spirits, inheriting the power from his grandmother Reiko Natsume. This ability resulted in his having a lonely childhood because children his age considered him strange. He had also been passed from one relative to another. Upon her death, Reiko bequeathed to her grandson her Book of Friends, a book containing the names of spirits she had bullied into servitude.

The Book of Friends is considered a highly prized item in the spirit world, and spirits - both good and malicious - haunt Takashi constantly because of it. Whereas Reiko formed the contracts, however, Takashi spends his time dissolving the contracts and releasing the various spirits that come to him for help. Malicious spirits on the other hand try to kill him to obtain possession of the book. Which is where Madara (called Nyanko-sensei by Natsume) comes in; Madara serves as Natsume's bodyguard and spiritual advisor of sorts, even though ostensibly he is motivated by his own desire to possess the Book of Friends. He later begins to become more attached to Takashi. – Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natsume%27s_Book_of_Friends)

This series is a favorite of mine. I have read much of the Manga, and I have watched all six seasons and the OVAs and the movie. I am sure that the series popularity will bring about a 7th season. I really cannot wait.

One Punch Man

Re is a bit about One Punch Man from Wikipedia:

On an unnamed Earth-like super-continent planet, powerful monsters and villains have been mysteriously appearing and causing disasters. To combat them, the world's government created a Hero Association that employs superheroes to stop the violent creatures and villains. Each of the Hero Association's superheroes are ranked from Class-C to Class-S. Saitama is an unranked hero, hailing from the metropolis of City-Z, who performs heroic deeds for his own entertainment. He has trained himself to the point where he can effortlessly defeat any opponent with a single punch. However, since Saitama became a hero for the fun of the experience, he has lately become bored with his superhuman power, and frustrated at the complete lack of strong opponents that can challenge him.

Over the course of the series, Saitama encounters various superheroes, villains, and monsters. He quickly gains a pupil, the cyborg Genos, who is on a revenge quest to find another cyborg that slaughtered his entire family and hometown. Eventually the two join the Hero Association in order to gain official recognition. Genos proves to be a prodigy and is instantly placed in Class-S, while Saitama barely passes the written test and is therefore placed in Class-C, making him the lowest ranked hero. Saitama performs many feats that go mostly unnoticed and unappreciated by the public, such as defeating the ninja Speed of Sound Sonic and destroying an incoming meteor that was going to obliterate City-Z. Saitama is promoted to Class-B after he defeats the powerful Deep Sea King, who reigns destruction on City-J. Monsters begin to appear in City-Z, searching for a mysterious Monster Association. Soon after, the great seer Shibabawa has a vision that the world is in danger. Panicking, the Hero Association calls all S-Class heroes to a meeting, begging them to protect the world. Immediately after the meeting, the leader of the Dark Matter Thieves, Boros, invades the planet and destroys City-A. Saitama duels with Boros and defeats him by using a serious punch. During the invasion of aliens, the S-Class hero, Drive Knight, warns Genos that the S-Class hero, Metal Knight, is his enemy. The Hero Association salvages City-A with the help of Metal Knight, and they build a new base of operations that will allow the Hero Association to deploy heroes more easily.

Saitama begins to gradually know other superheroes. He quickly becomes friends with the old martial arts master, Bang, and the "most powerful" superhero named, King, who is actually a cowardly nonviolent otaku who got his S-Class position by accidentally receiving credit for many of Saitama's previous victories. When the Hero Association executive Sitch tries to recruit villains to become superheroes, Bang's former apprentice, Garo, emerges and starts beating down many of the other heroes, prompting the association to make a small effort to stop him.

In order to learn more about martial arts, Saitama enters a tournament in disguise. During the martial arts tournament, the Monster Association leads an all-out attack on multiple cities causing massive panic and damage. The Hero Association struggles to keep up with the attacks. Genos fights monsters and protects the tournament so that Saitama can safely compete. Despite being the most powerful hero in the world, Saitama automatically loses the tournament due to being caught wearing a wig and impersonating another martial artist, Charanko. Saitama flees the tournament in fear of being arrested by the police. During the award ceremony, the powerful monster, Gouketsu, lays siege on the tournament after defeating Genos in combat. Gouketsu presents monster cells that can turn humans into monsters after being ingested to the people of the stadium, telling them that he'll kill them if they don't ingest the cells. Some people partake of the cells becoming monsters, including the martial artist, Bakuzan. Saitama returns to the stadium after hearing explosions and the winner of the tournament, Suiryu's desperate cries for help. Saitama defeats Gouketsu and Bakuzan before they can slaughter innocent people. Saitama humbles Suiryu and inspires the cocky martial artist to become a hero.

The B-Class hero, Fubuki, tries to have Saitama join her faction of heroes. Garo, determined to become the most powerful monster, continues to grow stronger and stronger and hunts more heroes down including S-Class heroes, Tank-Top Master and Metal Bat. The Hero Association ranks him at a threat of "Dragon" level, the second highest that is possible. They fail to capture him after sending a team of A-Class heroes to stop him. Bang confronts Garo and almost kills him, but the Monster Association rescues him at the last second to try and recruit him. The Monsters continue to attack people and continue to gather in City-Z, being led by the powerful psychic, Gyoro Gyoro, and the monster king, Orochi. Garo refuses to join the Monster Association and continues to defeat heroes. Meanwhile, the Hero Association leads an all out war against the Monster Association with hundreds of heroes, after the monsters kidnap the child of a high ranking contributor to the Hero Association. A new association known as, The Organization, consisting of powerful robots, allies itself with the Monster Association by sending robots such as G5 to help in the war. – Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Punch_Man)

One Punch Man is the like the ultimate super hero. His battles are pointlessly effortless, and he defeats his enemies in just one punch usually ending the villain and destroying the stuff around him. The series isn’t about whether Saitama can defeat the villain, but how Saitama lives his day to day life, and the story of how he goes from being a loner hero to be a misunderstood member of the hero association. While dealing with the so called heroes who want him to look bad and making friends with other real heroes. The first season was amazing, and the second season should also be great.

Conclusion

Chihayafuru, and OnePunch Man will be released this summer, and A Certain Scientific Railgun Season 3 will be released sometime in 2019 … probably after the current season of A Certain Magical Index season 3. As for Natsume’s Book of Friends, Season 7 has not been announced yet, but with the popularity of the series I am sure it will show up sooner or later.

[norihisahyuga-archived]

An Experiment

Hino Eiji/Ankh Kamen Rider OOO 2500~ words. Sfw.

Based off of this post by @replica-the-rice-cooker. Ankh decides to see if he can make a Yummy from himself to fulfill a desire he never saw coming and isn’t quite sure he can explain with his limited human experience.

Waiting for Eiji to leave the restaurant and put enough distance between the two of them for this to be a proper test takes patience. It is a virtue Ankh lacks most of the time; his frustration tends to get the better of him, but considering how much time it takes for the other Greeed to make Yummies, and then to fight them and successfully gain their Cell Medals. And with Akira Date around and showing no signs of leaving anytime soon, he has to come up with other ideas.

He knows this might not work. Of the five of them, only Gamel has ever been able to perform this trick. He lacks the ability to form a Yummy from anyone else, though. Ankh cannot say the same for himself. He knows he can do that, but a Yummy formed from any human would not have his desire written into their being. That is what he needs here.

Sighing softly, he turns the Core Medal around, examining every inch of its familiar surface. He knows he’s stalling. Eiji only went out for a few things for the restaurant, and once he returns, this experiment will not be able to work. If Ankh waits on it any longer, he might find himself risking the Core Medals to Date once again. He doesn’t plan on letting that happen.

At the same time, he isn’t sure that he wants to let Eiji know this way. The concept of caring for another being is foreign to him. The last person he had felt any bond to… He doesn’t want to think too hard about her. Truth be told, he doesn’t like feeling attachment to humans, and he doesn’t really want to, but that doesn’t mean he can just deny the way he feels about Eiji Hino. The human has captivated him, and until this ends, they are partners.

Still, he doesn’t know if this will work. It’s a theory he’s never had to test before since the Yummies formed from the desires of humans always brought him plenty of power. But he needs to test it now, if for nothing other than the power boost and to finally get the weight off of his shoulders that his growing affection for his second OOO has caused him.

He thinks about Eiji, about his soft smile and his messy hair and the inherent warmth in his eyes, warmer than Tajador’s flames. He keeps this image firmly in mind, projecting his power and his desire into it, before tossing the Medal toward himself.

He doesn't feel the familiar tingling weight of the Medal becoming a part of himself as he does when he absorbs them. Instead, he feels strangely warm for just a moment, swaying on his feet, before the Yummy spills forth in an array of bright green feathers and an indignant squawk.

A peach-faced lovebird Yummy. Ankh scoffs at the sight of it, shaking his head at himself. Is this what Eiji’s presence in his life has reduced him to? Not something large and brilliant or fearsome and strong. No, just this. He should probably be more offended that his inexplicable feelings for the human have spawned such a harmless-looking creature, but in a weird way, he’s charmed by it. Lovebirds tend to mate for life, after all. Not that he could offer something like that to Eiji, considering the fact he has no idea how this will end, but still. It’s a comforting thought, and a comforting image, and they’re short on those these days.

He knows the only way to call this experiment off is to destroy the Yummy before it can depart. Instead, he climbs back into his nest, pulling his tablet closer. He needs to try to pinpoint where his fellow Greeed are hiding so they can better prepare for the enemy to strike once again. “You know what I want. Go fetch him. Do not harm him, and bring him to me in one piece.”

The Yummy’s voice is strangely soft and feminine as it replies to him. “I will return as soon as possible to fulfill your desire.”

Desire. For the longest time, his only true desire was to get his body back, to be a fully restored Greeed with all nine of his Core Medals once again. It had been with this single goal in mind that he reached out to the human with one of his Core Medals, to give him the OOO Driver and employ him in this battle. Even while exploring the human world and the sensations offered to him by his human host body, he’d never really thought about wanting or needing anything else.

He wonders what this means, that Eiji could even tempt a Greeed into desire.

Ankh has no way of knowing where Eiji is now, but he knows without the Core Medals, Eiji will not be able to fight back. He might want to, he might try to call for help, but a human is helpless against a Yummy and it should be no trouble to return him to the restaurant in due time. All he has to do now is wait.

The thing is, Shotaro wants to believe Ankh would have nothing but good intentions at least as far as their partnership is concerned. But he has learned that the Yummies tend to resemble the Greeed whose Cell Medals create them. Kazari spawns cats, Uva spawns bugs, Mezool spawns sea creatures, and Gamel spawns large mammals. Which would mean the brightly-colored green birb Yummy in front of him belongs to Ankh.

It’s an upsetting thought to have. As far as he knows, they had an understanding. Ankh hadn’t created any Yummies during his partnership with Eiji thus far, but the creature in front of him unmistakably belongs to Ankh. The fact it’s closing in on him— at a time when he doesn’t have his partner nor any Core Medals to rely on— is that much more frightening.

He can only fight so much before he runs out of stamina, and without the boost of even his reliable TaToBa combo, he isn’t sure what he’s supposed to rely on. Fighting Yummies bare-handed is hardly recommended, and the talons he sees on this Yummy only makes him more anxious. If it tries to harm anyone, he might not be able to stop it without losing a limb, and what good will he be to Ankh missing an arm or a leg?

He wishes he had his Driver, or the Core Medals, or even his cell phone, but he’d been thoughtless and left it behind in his haste to pick up groceries for Chiyoko. He can’t even call Date for assistance, and he badly needs it right now.

“There you are,” the Yummy sing-songs at him before fluttering its wings, stepping closer to him, almost within arm’s reach. “You were not so difficult to track after all. Well, we’ll be going now.”

Eiji doesn’t get a chance to fight back or even put up a struggle; he doesn’t even have time to set the groceries down before the Yummy plucks him off of the ground and takes to the air. All he can do is cling tighter to the groceries and hope this Yummy isn’t taking him to another one of the Greeed. As soon as he finds Ankh, he’s going to question him until they’re both blue in the face until he gets a proper explanation as to why Ankh made a Yummy.

He doesn’t want to know what human out there would have wanted him picked up and delivered like take-out. He barely knows anyone in the city as it is.

He’s pleasantly surprised when they end up back at Cous Coussier, the Yummy managing to neatly fly them both through the bedroom window, setting Eiji down carefully on the floor of the room he shares with Ankh. From his nest, Ankh surveys the scene silently before setting his tablet aside, sliding down onto the floor to stand across from Eiji.

“You made a Yummy.” Eiji points to the Yummy still watching them, furrowing his brows at Ankh. “Why did it bring me back here, anyway? Where’s the human you made it from? Oh, no, Ankh, don’t tell me you made a Yummy from Hina or Chiyoko—”

Ankh cuts him off, the sharp tch making him pause mid-sentence. “Of course I didn’t do that. You would be furious and that’s hardly something we have time to deal with right now. I made the Yummy from myself. It was an experiment to see if it was possible.”

“Yourself? But then why did it come get me?” Eiji glances back at the Yummy, then at Ankh, not sure what to make of the situation. Yummies are supposed to fulfill the desires of the hosts they are created from, but bringing Eiji back here seems like a strange desire.

“Obviously because it was my desire that it would go and find you. You are more dense than you look, you know.” Ankh gestures toward the Yummy, one sharp brow raised. “Don’t you recognize what kind of bird this is? You’ve traveled all over the world and you can’t even name a simple breed like this? Look more closely.”

The sharp tone and the harsh words are hardly unusual for Ankh, but there seems to be more force behind them than usual. So Eiji turns to examine the Yummy, taking in the bright green feathers of its body, the reddish-pink feathers around its face. Now that he looks more closely at it, in the safety of his bedroom and now out on the street thinking he’s being attacked by an enemy, he recognizes it instantly. He’s seen dozens of them in his travels.

“It’s a peach-faced lovebird,” he says firmly, frowning at Ankh. “That’s a little tame for you, isn’t it? Or do you not really have any control over that?”

Ankh scrubs a hand over his face, leaning back against the wall. “It’s shaped that way for a reason, Eiji. I wanted it to bring you to me because I wanted to talk to you about something. I also wanted to conduct this experiment. It seemed like the perfect way to do both at the same time. Now, like I said, I wanted to speak to you.”

“Oh. Okay, I guess.” Eiji sets the groceries down out of the way— out of the line of any possible fire— and sits down on his bed. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?”

To his surprise, Ankh sits down on the bed next to him. “I still understand very little about what being human means, but I do understand how desire works. And this might not appeal to you, considering… Well. Everything, really. My goal is to get my body back and your goal is to protect the body I’m currently residing in.”

“Yes. We’ve talked about that a lot, already. Do we need to go over something we missed?” Eiji racks his brain, but he can’t recall any missing details. As far as he knows, they’ve discussed every single angle of this agreement more than once.

Ankh shakes his head. “No, no. I was just… Reminding you. Anyway. Like I said, I understand desire. And though I don’t understand quite how human desire works, at least feeling it for myself, I believe through this body I’m able to feel it.”

“Well, yeah. Like the ice pops,” Eiji says, and the thought makes him smile a little. It’s kind of cute, the way Ankh’s found something for him to really enjoy like this.

“Yes. But this is far more than that. At least that’s what I’ve come to learn.” Ankh is quiet for a moment, and Eiji takes that moment to really examine him right now. There is an almost tentative expression on his face, and the sunlight spilling in through the curtains shines up gold on his hair. It’s a beautiful sight, one that moves Eiji in ways only some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world has. “I don’t know how long our partnership will last. I can’t give a definite answer as to how long this battle will last. But I do know… That I would spend the time we have remaining by your side, if you would want the same.”

Eiji is on the verge of telling Ankh that he’s already by Eiji’s side through thick and thin as it is, but then Ankh looks at him, dark eyes filled with some emotion Eiji doesn’t quite have a name for, and his hand slowly finds Eiji’s own on the bedspread between them. This, with the addition of the peach-faced lovebird Yummy, is what makes him realize exactly what Ankh means by these words. His throat closes up before he can speak, so he’s left staring at Ankh with his mouth open for a moment, before he gives himself a full-body shake.

“You’re saying you’re in lo—” Before he can finish the sentence, Ankh cups a hand over his mouth.

“Let’s not go using the most extreme of your human emotions to label this just yet. I’m not quite sure of the extent of it myself.” Ankh drops his hand, and he offers Eiji the most tentative smile. “But we could explore that with time. We still have some of it left to learn more about this.”

Eiji ducks his head to hide the idiotic smile that spreads across his face, taming it down into something calmer before he chances meeting Ankh’s gaze again. “I’d really like to do that, yeah. Since I’m the one with more experience, why don’t you let me take the lead this once?”

Ankh studies his expression for a moment before giving him a slow nod, and Eiji tries to move as cautiously as possible so as not to startle him. It’s not difficult to draw Ankh forward into a hug, smoothing his hands down Ankh’s slender back, muffling a smile against his shoulder when he feels Ankh reach around him to squeeze back. And with their arms still around each other, when they lean back, it’s so easy for Eiji to close the space between their faces, pressing his lipis softly to Ankh’s.

He would be lying if he said he never thought about this. The sheer amount of time he’s spent in Ankh’s presence has been enough for him to get to know Ankh better, to see the softer and warmer sides of him that he tries to hide away from everyone else. Maybe Eiji loves too easily and too deeply. Maybe he just cares too much about Ankh because he can empathize with him, because he spends each and every day with him… He doesn’t know the particulars of it, and as he feels Ankh’s lips tentatively move against his in return, he decides he doesn’t care.

It’s enough for him to know that he cares about Ankh, that he loves him, and that Ankh, though skittish, is willing to follow him down this road. One they can pave all by themselves without the influence of the other Greeed, without Medals or Drivers or anything.

When he pulls back, Eiji does something he’s been wanting to do for too long. He runs his fingers through Ankh’s hair, burnished golden curls sliding soft and warm between his fingers.

Truth be told, he isn’t expecting the Yummy to explode. He knows what happens when a Yummy is defeated, of course, but swept up by his first kiss with Ankh, he had entirely forgotten about the Yummy’s presence in the room. Where it stood now lies a pile of Cell Medals, far more than Eiji has seen come out of some of the stronger Yummies he’s defeated.

“That’s impressive,” he admits.

Ankh chuckles, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it worked out after all.”

“Well, it did. Your experiment paid off big time.” Eiji takes Ankh’s face in his hands, pressing another kiss to his soft lips, unable to stop himself. “And not just for you. For both of us.”

[ehlnofay]

Efri thinks she’s found the library.

“Woah,” she says, letting the door swing shut behind her. (Loudly. The doors here are so heavy.) Her voice echoes off the stone walls. She feels like she’s stepped into some story, like an exaggerated version of what a mage’s college would be.

It’s not that she’s never heard of a library before or anything. She understands them, conceptually. But the most books she’s ever seen at once was the small set of shelves in Rorik’s manor, and even that blew her away the first time – all the pretty bindings and close-written words. This is –

The College library is something else. It’s a lot bigger than a set of shelves.

Winding, narrow hallways bend and squiggle around like a set of earthworms trying to squish together to make a solid shape with no gaps, and every single wall is lined with books. Each shelf is like a rainbow of covers and colours. Half the spines are thick as at least two fingers put together and written over with words she can’t read. Efri has to bring Sissel here. She’d lose her mind.

“Woah,” she says again, and steps further in to look at the books on the shelves. All the bindings in blacks and blues and browns. One has the title written down the spine in gold lettering that shines. She brings up a hand to touch it.

“What are you doing?” someone demands. Efri stops. She looks.

It’s a grumpy-looking orc man in a bright yellow tunic, glaring at her much fiercer than seems necessary for the crime of looking at books in a library. He looks like he might be old – his hair’s white enough that his beard’s the same colour as his sharp sticking-out teeth, and he’s wrinkly.  Efri wrinkles her nose and tells him, “I’m looking at the books.”

“Wash your hands first,” he barks, turning his much-too-angry glare on Efri’s hovering arms. “You look like the sort of person to have grubby fingers.”

It’s true, but Efri is offended anyway. She wipes her palms hard against her orange wool skirt. (The skirt is grey at the hem from playing in dirty snow. It does not make her any cleaner.)

“Who’re you?” she asks the rude man. “I haven’t met you yet.”

He does not stop scowling. Maybe he’s perpetually angry. Maybe he just has an unfortunate face. But he says, “I’m the Arcaeneum archivist. Urag gro-Shub.”

The Arcaeneum, that’s what the library’s called. Very fancy name. (Sissel will love it. And has Kazari been here yet? They might like it too. She’s pretty sure they can read, though probably not these fiddly little paper books.) “What’s an archivist?”

“I maintain the library.” The archivist Urag gro-Shub might be grumpy and not very nice but at least he didn’t do the thing where he sighed all annoyed at Efri’s question. “I choose when and to whom the books are lent, and I ensure they are not damaged. Hundreds of years have gone into assembling this collection, and it’s going to stay pristine.”

“Is that book hundreds of years old?” Efri asks, pointing to the showy tome with the writing in gold.

Urag barely glances at it, dark eyes flashing in the vague direction of her pointing finger and flashing back again. “No. That’s historical fiction written in 185. That copy was made within these last ten years.”

“You didn’t even look at it,” Efri says.

“Bejewelled Tragedy. Four hundred pages. Horrendously inaccurate. Frankly, it wasn’t worth acquiring in the first place. Feel free to look for yourself.”

Efri will take his word for it.

“This section is for the books that are up for purchase,” he tells her, gesturing. “The worthwhile ones – and the old ones, if those are what you’re looking for – are further in.”

Efri squints down the passages again, their bright lights and cosy winding walls. She can’t tell where this section ends and the next one starts. She feels like if she went any further into the library she’d get lost. She says, “Thanks. I’m Efri, by the way.”

“I know. You’re that kid who showed up.”

“One of,” Efri corrects.

Urag keeps talking, rolling right past like he didn’t hear her. “Don’t know why in the name of all that’s been called holy they let you in. You’d think this would be a step too far, even –” he huffs and snaps his jaw shut, tusks digging into his moustache. He says, “At any rate. You’re here now, and you’re subject to the same rules as everyone else. You treat these books as careful as if they were your own firstborn children, understand? And if there’s something you want to find – or especially take out of the Arcaeneum – you come talk to me.”

Efri nods obediently. What time would it be right now? The lecture Sissel went to was almost two hours, and it’s definitely only been about one. She asks, “Are there any books with pictures?”

She’s not sure if it’s just the shape of his mouth or if he’s sneering. Urag says, “That depends. Are you going to respect the books enough to try to read the words too?”

“That depends,” Efri retorts, nettled. (She gets that he’s protective of the collection, but there’s no need to be rude about it.) “Are your books going to teach me how to read?”

Urag stares.

“You can’t read,” he replies, sounding vaguely offended, as though she, at six years of age, had refused to attend the village school for the express purpose of spiting him four years later.

Efri pulls a book out of the shelf without looking at it, ignoring the way he huffs. There’s nothing embossed on the spine or the cover, but there’s a title scribbled on the first page. “That’s a B,” she says, pointing to the first letter of the first word, and then stops, squinting. Switches her focus to a different word. “That one says off.”

“Of,” Urag corrects over her shoulder.

Efri shrugs. She snaps the book shut and slips it back into its place on the shelf. “I can read a bit,” she says. “I know my letters and that. The books here are just big.”

And given that she’d failed to correctly identify of, even small stories might be a bit beyond her skill level.

Urag is quiet. Efri looks back at him, mostly expecting him to still be looking affronted, as though she’d stolen food out of his mouth and thrown it at a wall – instead he looks oddly, blankly thoughtful.

“We don’t have anything suitable for early readers,” he says, tapping his fingers against his leg. “That might be an oversight.”

Efri really doesn’t think it is. “It’s a big fancy library, right? I think it’s normal to just collect the big fancy books.” All the ones that are hundreds of years old, or about magic or important things, or both.

Urag’s knuckles rap against a buckle on his belt. He says, “No! First misconception. A worthwhile collection archives all the work on its focus possible. The Arcaeneum is a collection of knowledge in every form. Therefore, we have as many books as we can access, on all sorts of topics. Half of them aren’t even good!”

“You sell the bad ones,” Efri says, trying to follow.

“Some of them. If they’re wholly without merit. Mostly I sell duplicates. Or works no-one has ever used. There’s things to be learned from everything – if not now, later. I’ll think on it.”

He looks back at Efri, looking a bit like he might have forgot she was there. “Regardless. Do you need anything, or can I get back to work?”

He’s still all rude and prickly. Efri bristles a bit. “I wasn’t keeping you,” she says, flicking her eyes again over the strange and wandering walls.

Urag sighs again like he’s got any right to be annoyed with her, but then he asks, “Would you like a tour of the Arcaeneum?”

“Do you want to give it?”

“You’ve already distracted me,” he says. Adds less irritably, “And I enjoy a chance to show off the collection. Long as you don’t interrupt me.”

“I’m going to interrupt you,” Efri informs him. She doesn’t like to be told what to do.

She lets him show her the library.

[ehlnofay]

Summerfest Day 7 - SWORD

“Shut up,” Efri whispers loudly, fitting as much venomous demand into it as she can while still keeping quiet. “They’ll hear you.”

Kazari flicks an ear and trills good, one of about ten of their motions Efri’s been able to memorise so far, but she doesn’t think they mean it; if they did, they wouldn’t be helping her lift the sword in the first place.

It’s a cool sword. The blade is silver – Efri’s seen it – though right now it’s hidden in a dark leather scabbard lashed to a back frog. The guard is silver, too, with corners so neat it looks like it wouldn’t need the blade to cut someone. The hilt is wrapped in black leather. And it’s huge – standing up it’s probably about the same height as her and what must be at least ten times as heavy. She had to beg Kazari to help her sneak it out from where it was left near the tent – she couldn’t have hoped to move it otherwise. She’s still trying to figure out the trick of it, the scabbard resting on the back of Kazari’s neck, the stitching caught in her hair. She’s not impressed. Sissel is more enthusiastic, though pretty obviously only because Efri is – but she keeps getting nervous, because they’re not supposed to borrow the sword, and she’s always a stickler for these things.

J’matha, Efri thinks, will understand. It’s such a cool sword! And he’s pretty cool, most of the time – lets her stand on his shoulders, sometimes, and plays games with her that most of the others in the caravan don’t have the patience for. Lets her do almost anything except hold his sword. But he’s not using it now, and no-one’s going to tell him, so –

There is a trembling in the snowy underbrush. A shaking of bushes, a snapping of twigs. And then, because Efri has the worst luck in the entire world, J’matha steps out, squeezing between a rimy tree trunk and the quivering leaves of what might be a bare snowberry bush. “There you are,” he says, pauses; smiles, Efri thinks, though it’s a bit hard to tell with him. He doesn’t make faces quite like the other Khajiit do but he can’t make them like humans do, either. “And there’s my claymore. I was wondering where that got to.”

It's not very feasible to try to hide it behind her back, for multiple reasons; Efri squints at him from across the clearing and chooses redirection. “What are you doing here?”

“Khasir sent me to tell you the farmers have finally come out to trade,” J’matha replies, squinting back. “He wants to know what you want. Tsradaro’s angling for scallions and I think Shirri-la was insisting on beef. What are you doing?”

Efri – had not prepared an excuse, actually; J’matha wasn’t supposed to find them. She can practically feel Sissel’s anxiety emanating from the space behind her, even though Sissel knows that J’matha won’t be angry (probably), and it’s throwing her off a bit. She says, “I needed to cut my hair.”

There is a momentary pause. Kazari looks at her with what she suspects is incredulity; she can hear Sissel making an odd little breathy noise, and normally she’d suspect it’s crying or something close, because Sissel does that quite a bit – but Sissel’s been doing well with it all, lately, getting chatty with the caravan and helping with cooking and letting them buy her new clothes and once Efri showed her a weird slug and made her squeal and then she didn’t cry about waking them all up after, so Efri doesn’t think she’s crying now. Which is quite annoying. Because it means she’s laughing at her, which is just mean.

It's not even a lie. Efri does need to cut her hair. It’s gotten to a silly length where it brushes her shoulders if she hunches them, and she likes to keep it just below the chin. That just isn’t the reason she borrowed the sword.

Judging by how J’matha’s staring at her – forehead wrinkled up in a way she can see even through his stripes, one ear flicked forward, pupils dark in the round yellow-gold of his irises – he knows that that’s not the reason, too. He doesn’t smile with his eyes like Kazari or Tsradaro or Khasir or Shirri-la do – he curls the edge of his mouth, bright and toothy, and says, “Try again, kid.”

Efri sticks up her chin. “There’s monsters,” she tells him, “in the forest. Really scary ones. Spiders big as a house. We need to kill them. To protect you.”

J’matha, one of the caravan’s two ridiculously huge bodyguards, only grins wider. He gestures at Sissel. “Your friend there,” he says, “makes lightning with her hands. Your other friend lights our campfire with a breath. I don’t think you need my sword.”

“I can’t do any of that, and I need to help them,” Efri argues. She is gripping the hilt of the sword very hard; her hair is falling in her face. (Definitely needs a cut.) She tosses her head to get it out of her eyes. “Come on,” she says after a moment, boots sinking into the snow. “Please?”

Kazari chuffs something that, considering the look on her face, Efri thinks she is glad not to understand. J’matha cants his head and says, “Efri. My sword is heavy for me. You can’t use it – it’s not safe.”

“I can,” Efri insists, because she resents the implications of that argument; if he’d only give her time to figure it out, she’d be able to manage holding it on her own, probably. Maybe. It is very heavy, but so’s a lot of things. She’s strong.

(Although. Efri has learned a lot these last couple weeks, not least about Khajiit and how they work and all the cool shapes they can come in – from Kazari who’s bigger than a sabre cat to Shirri-la who looks, to an unaware eye at least, extremely similar to the cats that used to sleep in Ennis’ shed and catch the rats in the inn, to two-legged cat-folk like Tsradaro, or even apparently some that look a lot like elves, though Efri hasn’t met any of them yet. The twins are what’s called Cathay-raht, which means they are big. Efri doesn’t think she’d be able to clear their height if she stood on Sissel’s shoulders. She could probably fit her whole body into one of J’matha’s trouser legs, though she hasn’t been able to test this, because Sissel didn’t want to go along with her prank to make it look like his pants were walking around on their own and it wouldn’t have worked with just her. The point is, J’matha is huge, and he’s strong, because he has to be to help carry stuff and defend the caravan if they need it. So if his sword is heavy to him, then logically, Efri is facing pretty bad odds.)

(She still thinks she can make it work, though. Probably.)

“Kazari,” J’matha says. His rounded Pale accent leans a bit on the vowels; it’s one Efri’s becoming more and more familiar with as they wend their way up north to Danstrar. His teeth dig awkwardly into his lip. “Would you mind, eh –”

With a chirp of assent, Kazari nimbly steps away (and Efri’s forever in awe of how spry she can be when she’s so big, it’s always incredible), letting the scabbard end of the sword thunk into the snow. The tug of it on the hilt nearly yanks Efri’s arm out its sockets. She glares at J’matha across the clearing and drags at it as best she can.

She’s heaving and hauling and hoisting. It’s not doing too much good. The scabbard slides a scant few centimetres through the snow.

“I don’t think it’s working,” Sissel says, and she definitely sounds like she’s been laughing. Efri throws a scrunched-up face over her shoulder at her.

The weight of the blade runs into a root hidden under the blanket of snow and the jerk of it being stopped short nearly tears it from her fingers altogether. Efri turns to glare at the sword frog.

“This sword’s stupid,” she says petulantly. (She doesn’t mean it. It’s still very cool.) She kind of wants to drop it on the ground, but that would be very rude to do to someone’s prized belongings, especially when that someone is part of a group that just bought her new shoes and dress and mantle half a week ago. She holds it out as best she can to J’matha instead, and sulkily ignores the way his eyes glitter as he crosses the clearing to take it.

Kazari jostles her teasingly and she nearly drops it again.

“Thank you,” J’matha says, so jaunty she feels she almost can’t be sullen, and takes the broadsword out of her hands. (If it is heavy to him, too, he doesn’t show it.) He doesn’t bother to buckle the frog on properly, just holds it awkward in his arms; asks, “Why do you want to nick my sword so bad, anyway?”

Efri shrugs. “Just seems like it would be fun to use.”

Swords are cool. This is an objective fact. And it would be nice to have a more concrete skill, out here where she’s no help for navigating and all she can do is wrangle her friends and sneak Shirri-la into shops to get them better trading goods. If she had a big sword, nothing could ever touch them.

J’matha’s tail lashes, the white tip trailing in the snow. (That must be cold.) “Sword’s not the only weapon in the world,” he says, hefting it in his arms. “Taz uses an axe and all. You ever heard of quarterstaffs? You’ve got your stick.” He jerks his chin at the stick lying in the snow for emphasis.

“Course I’ve heard of a staff,” Efri tells him. She wriggles out her fingers – they kind of ache, now, after clinging to the hilt so long. “But it’s for herding, not hitting.”

The trees around them look very dark and leafless, snow streaking along the tops of their branches. J’matha says, “Why not both?”

Efri considers this.

Her old flock is out in the Whiterun plains, about now. Efri hopes they’re eating loads of grass. Above, the sky is dimming; the first star is out.

“I want turnips,” Efri decides, “if they have them.” She doesn’t know if turnips grow this far north, or if Rorikstead’s climate is about their limit. She likes turnips, though. They’re good for eating raw, like apples, cold and crisp and sweet if they’re young enough.

J’matha grins. “Go ask,” he says, the Pale accent pulling on the a again. Then he makes a face. “Hopefully they’re still trading by now.”