#men stop deciding whats best for makoto challenge

[majimassqueaktoy]

"Majima always would have walked away from Makoto" Nah. I saw the way his face softened, the way he came so close to smiling- the utter peace he felt when he saw Makoto again and if she had realized, had remembered that he lost an eye, had called out, I think he would have buckled right then and there. Given in to the selfish part of himself that wanted her in an instant. But she didn't realize and it gave him enough time to pull the facade back up and walk away.

[celamoon]

Warnings: Beheading, love at first sight

Pronouns: She/her

Summary: The royal life is full of tricks, strings and flaws from ages ago, but there are still some strings that even the highest of nobles can't reach. Emperor Kusuo and Princess Y/n knew that better than anyone.

Saiki Kusuo was what many people would define as, a textbook king. He was prim, proper, and he didn’t talk to his subjects much, only listening to the messenger’s reports on what the people wanted. He was an emperor, but he felt much more like a king than anything else.

It wasn’t like Kusuo particularly wanted to be a textbook king, it was just that rumours go around quickly in the nobility and then to the commonfolk. He wasn’t allowed to leave the castle since he had psychic powers, and it was thanks to the same psychic powers that he had accidentally destroyed another empire in battle.

But it was also thanks to the same psychic powers that the actual heir to the throne ran away to start his own empire. His older brother swore that he would ‘out-king Kusuo’ and come back for revenge one day. The two kingdoms now rest in peace because of a treaty, and Kuusuke doesn’t do much other than manage his own affairs.

Kusuo’s parents had disappeared under mysterious circumstances years before any of this madness had occurred. He was crowned king a year ago, despite not having a queen by his side. His grandparents didn’t live long enough for them to see grandchildren, but they didn’t worry. The priest said that Kusuo would find himself a queen in no time.

No time became two years, and soon, the royal advisors were nagging at him to get himself a queen. They had even brought up the idea to have the king call in commoners to date, but Kusuo wanted none of that.

Then came princess Kokomi. Princess of Gardenia, the embodiment of perfection itself. Kusuo had taken one peek at her thoughts before he decided that he wouldn’t date her. Her kingdom would’ve gone to war over this, so the king agreed that he would open up applications, and that anyone who wished to become queen could submit an application. They would get one meeting with the king before a yes or a no was chosen.

News of this spread to other kingdoms, and soon, news of this reached the Sirius Kingdom. Among the listeners was the infamous princess Y/n. Though not as gorgeous as the princess of Gardenia, she was still an enigma. The title of princess was placed upon her head since a young age, and she was a princess of the people. The girl who listened to whatever complaint was placed.

“Good Morning Princess Y/n!”

“Good morning Princess!”

“Good morning Sato-san! Good morning to you too Suzumiya-san!”

“How’s the castle life so far Princess Y/n?”

“It’s been alright. I’m still trying to get mother and father to listen to the requests. I do hope that you are doing well today?”

Y/n was charismatic to the people, despised by the nobles. To them, royalty and the working class should not intermingle, and the nobles were noble because God had chosen them to be. Not because of the lies and tricks behind the curtains of perfection. Y/n had learned from a young age that perfection was not real, and that flaws were just hidden by money and wealth instead.

Perfection meant marrying a royal, and with the news of King Saiki searching for a queen, Y/n’s parents were quick to sign her up for it. It resulted in a rather large strain the family relationship, but no outsider needed to know that. The facade put up was for the public to see, and the royals to uphold.

“You’re selling me off!” Y/n screamed one particular evening at dinner.

“We are in no way selling you off. We are simply sending you to the Psi empire to see if they would accept you.” Her father booms. “Stop putting words in my mouth,”

“You are selling me off.” Y/n glares. “I don’t wish to marry a textbook king! If I’m marrying a man then I’m going to do everything at my own pace. I am no queen who will sit around while my people’s requests and complaints are ignored by the nobility and royals.”

“Y/n darling-“ Her mother tries.

“You have one month.” The king bellows. Y/n pulls on her gown and leaves the room. The outfit is quickly ditched in her room as she wanders through the passageways of the castle. She meets the exit soon, and she rushes outside, wiping off any traces of her royal blood. She runs, and ignores all the greetings as she reaches for the flower field in the outskirts. The field was behind a noble bar surprisingly enough, and information was always passed there. The girl messes up her hair and leans against the back door to the bar.

“Miss f/n,” The bartender nods, locking the door behind him. “The nobles wish to overthrow the royal family by marrying one of the noblewomen over to the Gardenia Empire,”

“Ah?” Y/n looked up from the ground. “Which noblewoman?”

“I believe they wish to marry over Madam Hinata to Prince Makoto,” the bartender nods.

“When do they start negotiating?” Y/n looks up.

“I believe they start tomorrow,”

“Alright, thank you kind sir,” She hands the bartender a bag of gold and wanders off. Even if she wanted to hate her parents, she was still their daughter. She may hate the castle, but it was her home, and she was taught to protect what mattered to her.

“Mizuki-chan grab me a horse from the palace, I want to leave this wretched place as soon as possible.” Y/n calls for her servant when she gets the animal, she hands the servant a letter.

“No one other than mother and father is to see this letter,” You slip her the letter, and then you’re gone.

The night breeze feels good on your skin. It feels like freedom, running away from your past, embracing your future. Y/n feels free, but her goal isn’t to run away, it’s to protect what was hers and to protect what will be the royal lineage’s. She had siblings, people, and a country in a corrupt noble’s hands was no better than a fragmented one.

The gates to the Psi Empire are huge. Y/n goes through several checks before she’s let in, and she continues riding until it’s early morning. She’s exhausted, but she isn’t allowed to rest until she arrives at the palace.

The crack of dawn arrives at the Psi Palace and Kusuo arises. His day runs as usual, but he’s met with a sudden emergency guest. His advisors suggest that he ignore them to continue his job, but the person’s thoughts are too much to handle and he would rather get it over with.

“Call the person over,”

Y/n wanders into the room, lifting her cloak off of her head. “Your highness,” she bows.

“… Princess Y/n…” Kusuo raises a brow. “You may rise. What brings you here to my empire?”

“King Kusuo,” Y/n nods. “The nobles in my kingdom are planning to overthrow my family from the throne. I come here to request help in repressing them.”

“Why should I help you?” Saiki raises a brow at her figure.

“My kingdom would prove to be an excellent allegiance with yours.” Y/n held her head high. “On top of that, I could be promised to you in exchange for your help. I may end up as your queen from this exchange.”

Saiki stares at the princess. She look bold, strong, yet small and kind. Her thoughts are kind, caring, and he can tell that she has the best for the commonfolk in mind. He thinks over whether or not his empire should get involved.

“However I must be honest your highness,” She bows lightly. “The nobles wish to marry off a noblewoman to Prince Makoto of Gardenia. While I have no doubts that your kingdom would be able to hold them off, I believe that it would be extra trouble making an enemy out of a kingdom that has the fairest princess in all the land.”

“I am aware,” Saiki nods. “How urgent is this matter?”

Saiki wants to turn her down, but there’s something about the fire in her eyes and the truth in her words that draws him in. He feels slightly sick thinking about all the lives that would be lost if he sent men.

“They start negotiating with the kingdom tonight,” Y/n responds.

“Will there be lives lost?”

“I can not promise that there will be none,” She shakes her head. “But I can promise that if action is taken early enough, the nobles will be repressed with minimum bloodshed. I wish not for my people to take part in a bloody civil war.”

Her words are genuine and Saiki nods. “I understand. Do you have a messenger bird at home?”

“I do,” The princess nods. “I would prefer to pass laws onto the nobles, but they hold a much higher number in the government than I would like. My only hope would be being wed to you, or perhaps crushing them by force.”

“Becoming a tyrant?” Saiki raises a brow. “Do you not believe in any other alternative?”

“Noblemen have been in power for centuries your highness. If the root of the issue is not removed, then the weeds will still continue growing.” Y/n nods. Saiki eyes the girl once more and smirks.

“Then how about a proposal? I’ll help in exchange for you by my side for eternity.” Saiki knows you’re desperate. He admires you for thinking about the number of lives potentially lost to a civil war, and he cannot think of another way that would benefit both his empire and your kingdom.

Y/n pauses to look at the emperor. “Then Emperor Kusuo, I would like to propose that we take it slow, and that I do not be touched in any way that would make me uncomfortable,”

“Then I shall announce you as my lover.” Saiki smiles. “With the announcement, a portion of the noblemen in your kingdom would start to doubt the plan, and eventually the root of the problem would be weeded out. Do I have your permission Princess Y/n?”

Y/n looks at his challenging gaze with one of equal ambition. “Of course your highness,”

The news of Princess Y/n of Sirius dating Emperor Kusuo reaches the ears of all the kingdoms at the same time. Y/n’s parents are elated, and they welcome Emperor Kusuo with open arms. The commonfolk are in ecstasy, their beloved princess marrying an Emperor.

The news reaches the Castle of Gardenia and Princess Kokomi throws a tantrum.

“How come the emperor didn’t decide upon me? I’m the perfect princess, and I’d make an even better queen!” She sobs, and her brother consoles her.

“I’m forming an alliance with the nobles in Sirius, we’ll take down the royal family and then I’ll force the emperor to submit to me and marry you,” Makoto smiles. Kokomi only sniffs and nods.

The Sirius kingdom is flourishing. Saiki and Y/n are taking it slow, but they’ve made significant progress relationship wise. The two have started going on walks, and Kusuo joined Y/n one afternoon in town. He’s surprised to find so many commoners crowd around her.

“Suzumia-san! How have you been?”

“Ah I got married recently! I’m Mrs. Sato now!”

“Sato?? That’s incredible!” You clasped your hands together and Saiki had smiled at you softly. You looked so pretty, so gentle. He could picture you as his queen.

The calm is always before the storm though. The noblewoman who was supposed marry Prince Makoto pulled on with the plan, and the two started discussing about the wedding.

“For the wedding, I would like for it to be grand. I wish for it to make a statement to the opposing empire,” The noblewoman smiles.

“Ah yes,” Prince Makoto smiled. “It shall make a statement to the other empire for sure,”

The day of the wedding is grand, there’s palace guards everywhere. Neither royal from the Psi empire make an appearance, and the noblewoman thinks she’s scared the other empire into preparing for war. The wedding itself throws the woman off guard though.

“Do you, Miss agree to the crime of treason?” There’s an evil glint in the pastor’s eyes and the Psi royal guards rush in. The family looks around in confusion.

“I applaud you for trying to take over and become queen, but unfortunately there are strings that you as a noble simply can’t pull.” Y/n walks down the aisle, wearing a pair of white trousers and a simple dress shirt. Their hair is styled, and they looked like any other palace guard.

“W-wha?”

“I applaud you for trying,” You smile. “You were mistaken to think that I wasn’t best friends with other princes and princesses,”

“Huh?!” The noblewoman looks around and both Teruhashi’s are smiling.

“I may be in love with the emperor, and my brother may despise him, but sometimes throwing innocent commonfolk into a war isn’t what we wish to do,” Teruhashi smiles.

An agreement had been reached last minute between the Kingdom of Gardenia and Sirius. Neither side would shed blood, and they would arrest the nobles and strip them of their titles. While Princess Kokomi had grown up with Princess Y/n, it was also only reasonable to not shed innocent blood. Besides, the Teruhashi’s were far relatives of the L/n’s.

“Alright now Princess Y/n, I would like to know what you’ll pay with,” Teruhashi grins playfully as she holds her hand out. She had dropped her facade in front of the princess ever since Y/n had exposed her for it.

“I’m not sure, how about I pay you with an invitation to the golden ball later this month?”

Teruhashi pretends to think before she grins. “Nope! I want your lover right there~”

Y/n gasps in shock and pretends to be offended. “I am not giving you my future husband!”

“You never know,” Kokomi grins teasingly.

The execution is the next day, the jury had unanimously decided that the nobles were committing treason thanks to Princess Teruhashi. The blood curling screams and mess created from the beheading didn’t seem to bother Princess Y/n much as she had expected it to.

The rest of the half of the month passes quickly, and soon it’s the golden ball. Y/n is in a f/c ball gown, and Saiki’s suit matches her outfit. The two spend the evening close to each other and Kusuo leaves her side for a moment.

“Your highness!” A commoner approaches her and she smiles. “Congrats on the engagement!”

“Engagement?” The princess tilts their head in confusion.

“Are you two not yet engaged?” The commoner looks confused before they gasp as they look behind her.

She hears more gasping around her. She looks around and finds her lover on the ground.

“Your highness-“

Saiki raises a brow in question at the name and Y/n corrects herself. “Kuu…”

“My darling Y/n, there would be no honour greater than to become your king and emperor. I can not think of myself with anyone else in this life, and I hope that we would last through all of our lifetimes together. From the day that I saw you, to this very second, I have never been more in love. My darling Y/n, will you marry me?”

Y/n’s eyes water and a bit of their makeup comes off. A choked out “yes” leaves their lips and Kusuo pulls the princess in for a hug. The girl feels bad for ruining her lover’s shirt but her tears don’t stop coming.

“I’ll love you for eternity,”

“As will I, your highness”

[the-bat-collector]

SUPERBAT Rec List!! AU NO POWERS ish PART 2

No Powers or No Capes (There are some minor exceptions but I think this still applies)

Soo it’s become harder to find these fics and I kept postponing making this list just in case I found moreeeee. After some time convincing myself I decided that If I find more I’ll just make a part 3.

Here is the link to Part 1 Post

So without further ado. Here you go!

Storge by ichikonohakko @ichikonohakko

G - 3,310

Storge (storgē, Greek: στοργή) is liking someone through the fondness of familiarity, family members or people who relate in familiar ways that have otherwise found themselves bonded by chance. An example is the natural love and affection of a parent for their child.

Or the story of how Clark Kent meets the Wayne family children.

So this was in my mark for later and I read it as I was making this list and it’s very cute and adorable and highly recommend it! 

don't you know an apparition is a cheap date by knoxoursavior  @clqrkkent

E - 39,385

Clark has been able to see ghosts since he was eight, just a few days before his Pa died in his sleep. Years later, after having moved to the city with Martha to pursue writing, Clark meets Bruce Wayne, who takes an interest in his work and Clark in particular. Not long after they meet, Bruce asks Clark to marry him and Clark moves into a mansion that has more ghosts than it has people.

So I couldn’t find more AUs for this list, I was about to quit looking and yesterday I ran into this one and it gave me so much hope that there might be more out there (part 3?maybe?) I think of this as Ghost Whisperer Clark 

Stories for the Loved and Lost by MatchaMochi @renaimori 

M - 9,681

The first chapter leads Clark to another, and another. He turns the pages, eating the words up hungrily and feeling them, pored over the story as if he was reading someone’s personal diary. And the thing was, he knows it, he knows this story. He remembers flashes of memory that aren’t his, thrown in yesterday’s weird dream or last night’s nightmare.

or in which Bruce is an author and Clark is his fanboy.

I WILL read every single SOULMATE AU FIC I CAN FIND CAUSE I’D DIE FOR THIS TROPE. This is beautifully written <3 <3

Ghastly Murders in the East End by dippkip @dippkip

T - 38,227

London, 1888. A vicious killer known as Jack the Ripper has begun haunting the district of Whitechapel. In light of Scotland Yard’s inability to solve the case, intrepid reporter Clark Kent has made it his mission to track down this fiend and bring them to justice, though he may find himself more deeply involved in the affair than he bargained for.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne, a seemingly irresponsible and eccentric duke, remains largely unconcerned about these atrocities. The Batman, however, has taken special interest, and spends his nights relentlessly hunting the new murderer at large. The paths of these men will converge as the body count begins to rise, and their investigations and growing affections will cement their bond, intertwining their fates with that of the most notorious murderer in all of England.

OKaaaay this is one of the exceptions, Bruce is Batman but it’s a different century and Clark is powerless, I think it compensates. Usually I prefer when they’re both “capeless” but this was such a fun read. 

As You Grow by dnawhite76 & Prubbs @prubbs​ 

M - 59,946

After the death of his wife and children, Clark returns to the United States after spending years abroad to reconnect with his friends and their families. And while trying to gather what little remains of his old life and possibly move forward in his grief, he ends up falling into old habits with his first love and best friend, Bruce Wayne.

A story about grief and acceptance.

So I want to point out how good this fic is. I hate sad and this story has a lot of grief and I felt it was very grounded on its depictions of feelings. I tend to avoid this type of fics buuuuut this was so good. I couldn’t stop reading even if the grief got to me. It’s very wholesome and does have a satisfying ending. 

A good start by BlueAlmond @discretocincel​

G - 1,253  

Clark loves being an elementary school teacher, but it breaks his heart to see any of his students hurting. So, when he notices Jason waiting over forty minutes every day for someone to pick him up, he decides to have a word with his father.

Absolutely love Professor Trope!!! Sooo you could argue this is ficlet but doesn't feel like one to me so I’m not putting it in the ficlet section. 

Engraved In Our Souls by Nixie_DeAngel @nixie-deangel​

T - 9,004

It started with pain, with warm blood and bold, black letters. How was he to know it'd lead to a pair of gorgeous eyes, shimmering with the promise of life long happiness and love?

Or, after years of waiting, Bruce finds his soulmate in the least likely of places.

Little cute soulmate AU<3  AS I SAID I WILL READ EVERY SINGLE SOULMATE AU OUT THERE CAUSE I LOVE THEM

Ghosts by ren_makoto 

T -3,067

Wayne Manor is haunted. Clark doesn't mind.

Here is another of the exceptions, this is neither No Powers/No Capes, but they’re not relevant to the plot or we don’t see them using them (I don’t think they are mentioned but its implied). The Fic’s whole focus is on the ghosts! and absolutely loved it I LOVE REN MAKOTO FICS

There is Little Danger by ren_makoto

T - 5,327

"It's tradition," he said, one inch from Clark's mouth. "Yes," Clark said. "Tradition."

Or, where Bruce and Clark are trapped in an elevator

another Ren Makoto cause I can’t help myself

Semi-Permanent Couplings by ren_makoto

E - 10,463

"So, Bruce, how do you feel about one-night stands?"

Ren Makoto <3 <3 <3 This fic contains Adultery soo Read the Author’s Notes

Hubris by ren_makoto

M - 20,197

"This is turning into a routine," Bruce said breathlessly. "What can I do for you, Clark?" "Please," Clark said hoarsely. "I just want to get some sleep."

I really like the writing on this fic, this is a 100% NO CAPES, Clark does have powers and he’s starting to process them. Ren Makoto stole my heart with this one.

Not so Perfect Afterall by tekowrites

E - 6,966

AU: High school, Senior year. Clark thinks his life is nearly, if not already perfect. Then he overhears a conversation that changes absolutely everything. Bruce is there to pick up the pieces.

Red, White and Blue by melmel_79

E - 3,639

He works for the Secret Service, and it's best that no one knows he is in a relationship with the president. At least he hoped no one would know...

He grips the envelope tighter and knocks on the door to the Oval Office.

This was a mistake.

Late Night Feelings by the_butler @the-butler-fanstuff

M - 9,283

It was a little past one in the morning, the phone the only light in his room. He glared at it, then threw it to his side on the bed, not caring to see where it landed. A few seconds after, he patted all along the side to find it and looked at it again. He pulled up the messaging app, scrolled down, and then sighed. He exited the app and threw the phone on the bed again. He repeated this several times until some minutes later the phone chimed and he hurriedly sat up and felt for it on his bed. He opened the messaging app again and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he read the reply he’d been waiting for the whole night.

“Be there in 30 mins.”

I LOVE CLARK HERE, GOOD FOR YOU. He’s such a good adult looking out for himself! self-loving and self-respecting Clark here everybody.

it took me by surprise (I know you felt it, too) by jessequicksters @jessequicksters​

G - 1,124​

In which Clark and Bruce fall in love in between study sessions, track races, grocery shopping at Whole Foods and romantic student dinner dates, burnt lasagna and all.  

FLUFF, could argue this is a ficlet buuuuut dont care, it goes here.

Towards You by tekowrites

E - 22,607

AU where Clark is a new transfer student at an elite high school, and he encounters Bruce Wayne. Clark doesn't fit in, not anywhere it seems, and his crush on the star of the football team? Only serves to shows how much. Jealous girlfriends, misunderstandings, hormones and lurking trouble are just some of the challenges he's going to face.

I LOVE THIS , basically this fic made want to make a PART 2, just had to find 15+ other fics to add to the list. 

Read the tags, this does contain some heavy topics towards the end

The Game (of Love) by KaizokuHime @kaizokunohime

E -12,288

In WayneTech VR Augmented Gaming, a guild of superheroes has arisen who volunteer to help police that reality. One of these superheroes, Superman, has had a crush on his fellow member, Batman, for many years, but thus far has had little success on asking him out, even as fellow guildmembers. How will their relationship progress? And how intimate can they truly become without knowing the other's identity offline?

A Game You Can't Win gave me hunger for gaming fics, then I found this one and I WANT MORE GAMING FICS

Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang by ShowMeAHero @andillwriteyouatragedy

E - 8,354

Clark Kent is a professor at the same university as Bruce Wayne. Not that it matters, because Bruce doesn't really speak with his co-workers - they're there to work with, not befriend. That is, until Clark and Bruce are assigned to teach a class together in the fall, and start spending more and more time together, and Bruce starts to realize, maybe, he just might need a friend - and maybe, he just might need something else, something Clark-specific.

YES YES PROFESSOR TROPE. They are the best together!

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SORTA KINDA MAYBE FITS THE CATEGORY

The Gift by tmelange

E - 5,564

University student Clark Kent is on a field trip to Gotham City where he meets a creature of the night.

VAMPIRE AU, soooo Clark has powers but he is not superman so NO CAPES on his part. Bruce is a Vampire and I’m not really sure if he’s Batman but he’s some sort of vigilante. This felt very AU and sorta? fit the category, so I decided to add it anyways but it’s worth to mention this is an outlier on this list.

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SPECIAL MENTION CAUSE I HAVENT READ THIS ONE BUT IT WAS RECOMMEND TO ME by @just-add-butter​

Spoils of War by littlechinesedoll @cumdumpsterbrucie

“If I go with you as a spoil of this pointless war, will you leave?” Bruce stands his ground, terrified and shaking, but he keeps eye contact with the warlord.

“Excuse me?” Kal must be hearing things.

“If I go with you, if I serve you, will you let my people live? Will you let my brother live?”

This is not finished buuuut it’s a Medieval AU. I just need to get myself in the right mindset to read an unfinished fic but will get to it! love what llittlechinesedoll writes.

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FICLETS 

This section was accidental. I like my fics long and rarely read ficlets but here are a few that came across my way when I forgot to set word count filters.

Snapping the Chats by littlechinesedoll @cumdumpsterbrucie

G - 2,278

Clark tries to use the Snapchat filters on Bruce.

General Check-up by littlechinesedoll @cumdumpsterbrucie

T - 906

One where Brucie is getting a check-up from Thomas Elliot and he touches Bruce more cause Clark is obviously jealous

Subway Providence by the butler @the-butler-fanstuff

G - 400

A short drabble about art I did of Clark and Bruce waiting for the train on a subway platform.

So my first list was me coming across and realizing I love this kind of AUs and this second list is me carefully looking for them! Even tho my 1st list has some of my favorites, I hold this one closer to my heart. Hope you Enjoy it. 

Also if you know of any that I haven’t included on these lists, please I beg you send them my way <3 

[jokertrap-ran]

A3! (Act! Addict! Actors!)  EVENT! Autumn Troupe’s Third Play- Tales of Chivalry: Ginji the Wanderer Translations (Episode 10):

*Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Name will remain as my normal ( ラン )

Episode 1/ Episode 2/ Episode 3 /Episode 4/Episode 5/ Episode 6/ Episode 7/ Episode 8/ Episode 9/ Episode 10/ Epilogue A3! Master-list

Kazama: “Honour to meet you. I go by the last name of Kazama, name’s Ginji, I look forward to working with you.”

Ran: ――

Ran: (He’s catching the audience’s attention just with his introduction itself. He seems to be faring well.)

Ran: (Kazama, san and his underling, Kojima, have both been in the care of the Tasuta Group’s head. The story begins right after he was killed..)

Ken: “Say, Kazama. What should I do?”

Kazama: “Get a grip of yourself, Ken.”

Kazama: “Now that boss is gone, you’re the only young one who’s capable of carrying on the Tatsuda group.”

Ken: “Is it feasible for someone like me who has been treated like a young master up till now?”

Kazama: “Regardless of feasibility, the question is whether you’ll do it or not.”

Motegi: “Psht, I have to serve a young master like him if he becomes the head?”

Ran: (The relationship between Juza-san and sakyo-san can be seen perfectly as clear as the day. It’s well-made, he’s still aware that he’s the young head even though he’s not relying on Kazama.)

Kazama: “Once you’re able to find the bullet, you’d know which group did the boss in, wouldn’t you?”

Ken: “It’ll be great if it was a just a feud with other groups but…”

Kazama: “What do you mean?”

Ken: “Say, won’t you take revenge for my father? There’s trouble brewing around the inside too so I can’t make any reckless moves.”

Ken: “Please. You’re the only one I can rely on.”

Kazama: “I’ve not forgotten my gratitude towards your father. I’ll protect the Tatsuta group.”

Ran: (Kazama started gathering information about the victim in question, the head of the Tatsuta Group…And got attacked by someone while at it.)

Ran: (Thanks to Kazama, Ken managed to get a narrow escape from death….)

Motegi: “What’s the meaning of this!? It isn’t what you told me! Whatever happened to making me the young head of the Makoto group so long as I hand over Tatsuda Ken?”

Yokota: “Ahh, about that. I’ve come to realise that meat doesn’t last all so long within the Tatsuda group.”

Yokota: “Only a wild dog like you would rejoice over getting a mere bone.”

Motegi: “You bastard…!”

Yokota: “Get him.”

Motegi: Ugh!

Ran: (Omi-kun’s villain-act’s also in top form. He seems to be instilling more fear as time passes. The gap between him and his usual self now is simply astouning…)

Motegi: “Urgh…”

Ken: “Motegi? Hey, who did this to you!?”

Motegi: “I just got my punishment.”

Motegi: “The one who did the boss in was Yokota from the Makoto Group.”

Motegi: “I heard that I could join their ranks and protect the name of the Tatsuta group if I gave them your head and got over myself.”

Ken: “Then the ones who attacked me were…”

Motegi: “Sorry ‘bout that. Even if you were gonna become the head, I wanted to protect the group…”

Ken: “Motegi!”

Kazama: “Yokota from the Makoto Group, huh…he has poor taste to be making use of people’s feelings like that.”

Ran: (Even the low-ranked Yakuza, Motegi, turned out rather unexpected due to Banri-san’s acting. As expected of him to act out this much guilt just from being a traitor.)

Kojima: “Brother, isn’t it mean of you to leave me behind and go all by yourself!?”

Kazama: “Where would there be such an idiot who would bring you along even though they’re heading towards death?”

Kojima: “Don’t say such a cold thing!”

Kojima: “I’ve been saved by you back in the past so I’ve already decided to follow you into the depths of hell if I have to for this favour!”

Ran: (Kojima’s loyalty to Kazama…Taichi-kun’s dedication really shows here.)

Kojima: Brother!!

Kazama: “――”

Kojima: “Ngh――”

Kazama: “Kojima!”

Kojima: “Y-Yes, is this enough to repay your favour…? I guess not…?”

Kazama:”Kojima!!”

Kazama: “You bastard…!”

Ran: (Kojima fell into a cowardly trap that the Yokota from the Makoto Group had laid out…The innocence of Taichi-kun’s acting is gradually rolling out.)

Ken: “Kazama, get on!”

Kazama: “Young master, what are you doing here…?”

Kenn: “It’s easy to read what your train of thoughts. I’m a little late, though.”

Ken: “Hey, it’s over for the Tatsuta Group.”

Kazama: “What are you talking about!”

Ken: “Yokota came to settle things one and for all. He said that he’d let us all off if we surrendered unconditionally.”

Kazama: “Can you accept doing something like that?”

Ken: “I don’t want to see anyone else become like Motegi.”

Kazama: “As if Yokota would keep to his word.”

Ken: “…It’s so pitiable that it’s laughable. Right, Kazama?”

Ran: (With Ken’s help, Kazama, who had survived barely within an inch of his life…proceeded on to challenge the final battle, alone…) Yokota: “Kazama…? You’re still alive?”

Kazama: “My dragon cries out every night, you know? That it wants to kill and devour bastards just like you!”

Yokota: “――Ngh!”

Ran: (The swing of Sakyo-san’s sword…it’s the play’s climax.)

Ran: (Een though Yokota himself has already been cut down, Kazama’s struggling to hold his own while being surrounded by his subordinates, bloody and worn…)

Makoto Group Yakuza: “OraaAA!”

Kazama: “Ugh――”

Makoto Group Yakuza: “Uwaa!”

Kazama: “――Nngh”

Ran: (Swinging around his sword whilst staggering, he finally fell after having cut down the last person…And sirens were sounding from a distance away…)

Ken: “…You came.”

Motegi: “Heh…It’s in your nature to not go inside with him, right?”

Motegi: “I want to properly see this to an end too.”

Ken: “What are you talking about, Motegi? If you want to see things through then I’ll have you bury the bones of the Tatsuta group.”

Motegi: “Ken…”

Ran: (The both of them saw Kazama, who survived an inch within his life and Kojima away…The End…)

Female Audience A: The Autumn Troupe’s really tasteful, they’re the best! That was really cool, wasn’t it~!

Female Audience B: Sakyo-san’s Kimono was nice!

Male Audience C: The Autumn Troupe’s really passionate after all!

Male Audience D: Right!? I’d watch them countless of times!

Ran: (Yup, the first day’s a great success…!)

Yuzo: ……

Ran: Oh! Yuzo-san――

Yuzo: ――

Ran: (Wait, he’s…crying…?)

Yuzo: …You’ve seen a miserable side of me.

Juzo: …To think that, that small boy Sakyo would be playing a lead role in this theatre…

Juzo: I remembered how the MANKAI theatre was when he was still little and couldn’t stop the tears.

Ran: Juzo-san…

Juzo: I’ll be heading back for today. I’ll come by again during the finale day.

Ran: ――Alright.

Ran: (He must be feeling really emotional considering how much he knows about Sakyo-san and the MANKAI Company back then…)

Ran: (He was crying but he did look happy. I’ll tell Sakyo-san about this later on.)

Juza: …That’s strange.

Ran: ? Juza-kun, is something the matter?

Juza: My little brother told me that he’d be waiting around here…

Ran: (Juza-kun’s younger brother…was he called Kumon-kun again?)

Ran: I’ve not seen anyone that seems like they’d be him though――

???: Nii-chaa―n!!!

Ran: !?

Juza: ――

Ran: (The guy who suddenly stuck onto Juza-kun’s――)

Ran: S-Security――

Juza: No, that’s not needed.

???: Nii-chan, you were super cool! Astounding―! Things were really riled up when you went to save Kazama! It was the best!

???: I want to be a Yakuza! And then I’ll join the Tatsuta Group! And then, I’ll become your underling!

Juza: I see.

Ran: Nii-chan…?

Juza: This is Kumon.

Ran: He’s Kumon-kun…

Kumon: You were the coolest out there! Amazing!

Ran: (Could he possibly have…a really big brother complex…?) Juza: …I see.

Ran: (But Juza-kun doesn’t seem to hate it either so they probably really get along well. Though their first impressions are totally different from each other…)

Juza: How about you? Don’t you have a baseball match or something?

Kumon: Eh!? Oh, right― About matches, I’m still a substitute you see――

Kumon: Putting that aside, mom says to share it with the Autumn Troupe! We got cake!

Kumon: Oh! You don’t have to share it with that guy called Banri though!

Juza: Of course.

Kumon: I’ll be leaving then! It’s lonely so come home once in a while, okay―?

Juza: Yeah.

Ran: …..

Ran: (He’s like a hurricane…)

Ran: …You guys aren’t really alike in terms of personality.

Juza: I’ve been told that a lot.

Sakoda: Aniki―――!!!!

Ran: (This kind of resembles the same scene from earlier…) Sakoda: Hmmng, as expected of you, you’re a man within men! I’ve been so moved that I can’t see what’s in front of me anymore.

Sakyo: It’s because you’re clinging onto me like glue. Let me go.

Sakoda: Uuuu…I’ll come by every day just to see Kazama Ginji…!

Sakyo: Do your work.

Ran: (He does seem happy despite what he’s saying.)

Taichi: Oh, Sakoda-san, thanks for cooperating with me while I was trying to figure out how I should act Kojima out! It’s a great success thanks to you!

Ran: Kojima was really courageous out there! The audience cried when he collapsed too.

Sakoda: Not at all, you don’t have to thank me or anything――! I’m glad that I was able to be of help!

Ran: Come to think of it, Sakoda-san, you bought quite a lot of the tickets for the finale day, didn’t you?

Sakoda: Oh! Yes! I didn’t want to cause you any trouble so I called in myself.

Ran: You could have just told me…

Sakyo: What do you intend to do with that many tickets?

Sakoda: Right! I’ll pass it to the boss chairman, the guys from the group and gather em’ all up!

Sakyo: Don’t gather them all up!

Sakoda: But everyone said that they wanted to see you act at least once…! Yotoka-san’s coming out too!

Banri: If a large amount of Yakuzas gather together like that…

Taichi: You wouldn’t know which one’s the play!

Omi: We wouldn’t be able to act out a good play.

Sakyo:The other people in the audience would be scared out of their wits, wouldn’t they!? What do you intend to do by causing trouble for all of them!?

Sakoda: B-But…!

Ran: The play’s fictional so maybe they’d pass it off as cosplay.

Sakyo: That’s not the problem here…

Juza: If the real ones are going to be part of our audience then we can’t let them down.

Sakyo: You said it. Let’s make it a play so good that even the real ones won’t have anything to say about it.

Juza: Yes!

Taichi: Got-cha, bro!

[angeltriestoblog]

I watched a couple of movies! (Part 1)

Back when I regularly had the luxury of long breaks, I spent my days binge-watching films, as you can see from my extensive knowledge of 80s chick flicks and all the cheesy tropes and disgustingly adorable, predominantly white leading men that come with them. Sadly, a side effect of growing older in the digital age seemed to be the diminishment of my attention span: the only things I could focus on were academic requirements, simply because I had to. But, thanks to several factors—the suspension of online classes, the sudden annoyance I developed towards Barney Stinson that prompted me to discontinue How I Met Your Mother, etc.—I decided it was high time to rekindle this lost love. So, here is an unsolicited review of the 17 films I managed to finish in a little over a week! Rest assured, I tried my best to venture out of familiar territory and brush up on some of the more cultured picks, according to Letterboxd, at least.

Bar Boys (2017, dir. Kip Oebanda) ★★★

The film that kickstarted everything, which I never would have seen if the director had not uploaded the full version on YouTube. This well-meaning tale of four best friends (Carlo Aquino, Rocco Nacino, Enzo Pineda, and Kean Cipriano) and the challenges they face in law school—terror professors, fraternities, and financial difficulties included—does have a lot of heart, and is sensitive enough to show how the effect of this experience differs depending on a student's background. But, what it lacked for me was a certain degree of specificity: I think the same premise would have been applicable in med school, or any other post-graduate degree for that matter. So, why did the characters choose law? I also would have appreciated some commentary on the shortcomings of the country’s justice system, and further fleshing out of the characters so the audience could have seen why we could count on them to fill in the gaps.

Legally Blonde (2001, dir. Robert Luketic) ★★★½

The rating might be surprising, considering that the courtroom scene was responsible for the short law school phase I had in Grade 5. As if I could ever make use of the rules of haircare in an actual cross-examination. Of course, I am compelled to admire Elle (Reese Witherspoon) and how her motivations for going to Harvard shift from winning back a boy to discovering what she never knew she had and using these gifts to help those around her (especially the manicurist, who I feel was given way more exposure than what was due to her). Ultimately, though it was inspirational at some points, it felt too good to be true and impossible to relate to. (But then again, shouldn’t there be a willing suspension of disbelief when consuming forms of media such as this?)

Lady Bird (2017, dir. Greta Gerwig) ★★★★★

I’ll probably end up making a separate post dedicated to this movie and how it singlehandedly called me out, as a sensitive, occasionally self-important product of an all-girls Catholic high school. For now, I am forced to condense my overflowing feelings into a couple of sentences. Lady Bird takes place over the course of the titular character's senior year, a pivotal moment in the lives of all teenagers. But, instead of focusing solely on the formulaic firsts like the normal coming-of-age film would, it shines a light on her dwindling relationship with her equally strong-willed mother. Saoirse Ronan’s colorful performance as the human embodiment of my pre-teen self's conscience, and Greta Gerwig’s tremendous ability to make even oddly specific scenes speak to any viewer shine through and speak to me the most, and easily make this gem something I will be recommending this to anyone who bothers to ask for as long as I live.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, dir. Bryan Singer) ★★★

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding Bo Rhap, particularly its failure to portray Freddie Mercury in a manner that does him justice. While I understand that it is a valid concern for fans of the band, I admit I don’t know enough about who he was as a person to criticize the film in this aspect. Regardless of its factuality, this still was just average for me, the typical rise-and-fall type of biopic that is indicative of a rockstar’s legacy, but with laughably faulty editing. The redeeming factors were Rami Malek’s brilliant portrayal of the legend himself—his Live Aid performance gave me chills that lasted the entire 20 minutes, how alarming—and, obviously, the soundtrack that I kept on loop for several days.

About Time (2013, dir. Richard Curtis) ★

Apparently, this movie focuses on Tim (Domhnall Gleeson), who discovers at age 21 that the men in his family have the power to time-travel and thus revise and repair certain parts of their lives. He uses this to address the fact that he’s never had a girlfriend, and effectively so as he ends up bagging Mary (Rachel McAdams), a charming American who is the settler in this relationship by default. But, of course, this gift is not without its dire consequences—or at least, that’s what it says on Wikipedia. It’s hard to trash on this and admit that I bailed halfway because so many of my friends swear by this. But, I just couldn’t stomach the lack of chemistry between the two leads; the surprisingly boring dialogue for a screenplay crafted by Richard Curtis of Notting Hill fame; and the story that, although bore enough of a resemblance to “The Time Traveler’s Wife” to be interesting, was still not powerful enough to sustain my attention.

Your Name (2016, dir. Makoto Shinkai) ★★★★★

I’m a huge fan of plots that are sure to make my eyes swell and heart hurt—I can’t explain the psychology behind this either. So when this was recommended to me and I had made it through an hour without shedding a single tear, I was prepared to be disappointed. But, the events leading up to the conclusion proceeded to rip me into shreds, as if to taunt me and say, “You asked for it.” Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi) and Taki (Ryunosuke Kamiki), teenagers living on opposite sides of the country, suddenly start switching bodies following the appearance of a comet. This unexplainable phenomenon causes them to forge an unbreakable bond that transcends the very limits of time and space. I know the description is not much, but it’s best to experience this unique plot for yourself. Besides its storyline, its charm lies in its excruciating attention to detail in depicting life in urban and rural Japan, both in the realistic animation of one picturesque scene after another, and the use of cultural elements to arrive at a twist viewers will not see coming.

Booksmart (2019, dir. Olivia Wilde) ★★★★½

I can't summarize what I imagine Booksmart to be for teenagers in the future, so here's an entire scenario: It's the year 2070. Two young girls of around 16 are sprawled on their bedroom floor, watching this on whatever device they use for streaming. (Maybe it's from an LCD projector embedded in their foreheads, who knows.) The credits roll, and they instantly think to themselves, "Man, we were born in the wrong generation!" (They simultaneously think of doing a high-five, and without raising their hands themselves, it happens because that's technology.) Anyway, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are best friends who played by the rules all throughout high school and realized too late that they could’ve afforded to have a little more fun. On the eve of their graduation, they decide to cram four years’ worth of adventure in a single unpredictable and outrageous night, getting to grips with everything that comes their way in an exceedingly comedic yet refreshing fashion. Also, the protagonists have such a genuine and wholesome relationship: the way they hyped up their most ridiculous looking outfits, or overshared borderline uncomfortable stories is honestly my personal definition of an ideal friendship.

When Harry Met Sally (1989, dir. Rob Reiner) ★★★★½

Despite this film’s constant presence in every “chick flicks you must watch” list I’ve bothered searching up, I spent a huge chunk of my teen years in constant protest against the decision to cast Billy Crystal as the male lead instead of, I don’t know, literally any other actor on the planet. But, once I finished it, I realized that he’s a much better fit than I thought. The laidback Harry to Meg Ryan’s finicky Sally, both of them spare no effort exploring and debunking truths and misconceptions about modern relationships: examples of which are the idea of being high maintenance, and the quintessential question of whether a guy and girl can ever be just friends. Although their dynamic is the definition of slow burn, audiences can’t help but earnestly root for the pair—the frustration brought by the several almosts pay off in the end, as they lead to one of, if not, the most romantic love confession scene.

Hintayan ng Langit (2018, dir. Dan Villegas) ★★★★½

This tale adapted from a play by no less than Juan Miguel Severo is set in purgatory—a grandiose art museum-four star hotel hybrid of sorts—where souls can stop and rest while their papers for entry to heaven are being processed. It is here we meet Manolo (Eddie Garcia) and Lisang (Gina Pareno), ex-lovers with unfinished business. Things admittedly start off a bit slow, but it's understandable since there needs to be ample provision of context regarding the standard operating procedures of this unique waiting area. Once that’s done, the focus stays on the main actors, who drive audiences to tears with their powerful performances, and thought-provoking questions on matters of betrayal, forgiveness, and the afterlife. The ending had me rocking back and forth like a baby, my shirt soaked with tears, so do take heed and stock up on tissues!

The Social Network (2010, dir. David Fincher) ★★★★★

Within its packed first 15 minutes alone, you can easily see what makes The Social Network an example of cinema at its finest: an intoxicated Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) hacks into the websites of all Harvard dorms to create Facebook’s oldest ancestor from scratch, in an attempt to get back at his ex-girlfriend. The atmosphere is tense, the dialogue is loaded with witty one-liners and powerful insight, and the actors are so in touch with their characters they practically fuse into a single person. This remains consistent for the next two hours or so, making for an enjoyable and fast-paced, yet still informative glimpse into the human side of what is arguable the most powerful company of this era. I also heard that it’s much more fun if seen with the cast commentary on, so I’m gonna have to find a copy of that for myself!

Pretty in Pink (1986, dir. Howard Deutch) ★★★★★

I’m cheating here, I know: this has been a long-time favorite, but I guess I can still give a review if I was still 15 when I last saw this. Andie (Molly Ringwald) and Blane (Andrew McCarthy)’s classic “poor girl + rich boy = happily ever after” story is masterfully tackled by John Hughes, who manages to inject equal amounts of swoon-worthy romance and biting criticism of the inherent class divide in society. Others would argue that Duckie (Jon Cryer), Andie’s devoted best friend, is the true star of the show, and while I do agree that he has his shining moments (if you listen closely, you can hear Try A Little Tenderness playing softly in the background), I sadly inherited my mother’s adoration for Andrew, which I will pass on to my child and so on—truly the defining characteristic of our lineage.

St. Elmo’s Fire (1985, dir. Joel Schumacher) ½

I understand that being an adult in the Real World is bound to come with some grave mistakes and lapses in judgment. But, not a single character in this friend group redeems themselves by the end. While Ally Sheedy’s Leslie and Mare Winningham’s Wendy were just borderline forgettable (why did the latter even end up here with the Brat Pack?), Judd Nelson’s Alec cheats on his girlfriend and believes that marriage is what will make him change his ways; Rob Lowe’s Billy neglects the family he didn’t plan on having by fooling around with other women and making a home out of his favorite bar; Demi Moore’s Jules relies on cocaine and extramarital affairs to hide trauma she refuses to process, and Andrew McCarthy’s pretentiously cynical Kevin suddenly claims he knows what love is when Leslie pays attention to him for 10 minutes. But, none of them compare to Emilio Estevez’ Kirby, the sociopath obsessed with a girl he barely knows. It honestly resembles some sick contest of how many problems this gang can cause before they end up behind bars, with the last scene being a lazy and rushed attempt to wrap everything up, in the name of this surface-level “friendship”.

Before Sunrise, Sunset, and Midnight (1995, 2004, 2013; dir. Richard Linklater) ★★★★★

Guess it’s better to admit it now, but I made this post as an excuse to rave about how beautiful this trilogy is, the most authentic depiction of love in its purest form. Sunrise has been recommended to me by both friends and the Netflix algorithm, but I put off watching it again and again and again. I mean, what could I possibly get out of looking at two strangers roam around Vienna? Well, to answer that question: quite a lot. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy)’s relationship spans an entire trilogy, and throughout that period, they manage to define then destroy the idea of having a soulmate to call your own in approximately six hours. But certain constancies are present in each movie: the emotion intense even in the smallest of gestures (you don't understand the anguish I feel when the scene at the listening booth randomly pops in my head), the dialogue truly thought-provoking and natural, the settings so picturesque, and the chemistry of the actors so electric I have trouble believing that the director didn’t actually invade the personal space of a real couple and eventually get issued a restraining order.

High Fidelity (2000, dir. Stephen Frears) ★★

I’d like to think of this as an essay: I'm confident that the introduction is the protagonist Rob's soliloquy on his five biggest breakups to understand why he’s so flawed that everyone always leaves him, and the conclusion his attempt to win his ex Laura (Iben Hjejle) back. But as for the body, I’m not entirely sure. Interspersed between these moments are thoughtful top five lists of anything that can be enumerated, and occasional banter with the employees at his record store that may be charming, but do not enhance the film in any way, shape, or form for me. Also, I normally enjoy seeing John Cusack onscreen, but more often than not, he was nagging in front of the camera instead of talking to the people around him; no wonder his relationships failed!

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010, dir. Edgar Wright) ★★★

I wanted to enjoy this so bad, I swear! Sadly, the one thing I gained after seeing this is knowledge of where the “I’m So Sad, So Very Very Sad” meme came from. I get that it’s supposed to resemble a comic book or video game, and maybe the reason why I failed to appreciate this as much is because I was never a fan of either. I found the prolonged action scenes surprisingly boring, the storyline too fantastic, and the whole quest of having to defeat seven monstrous exes for the hand of a manic pixie dream girl not worth it in the end. Although I can’t give it less than three stars given its impressive visual effects, and appeal to the entire Tumblr community (gamers on one end, millennial film connoisseurs on the other), it’s definitely not something I would watch a second time.

There will surely be more where that came from! (I mean it. Since completing this post, I’ve finished another five films.) If you wanna keep tabs on what I’m watching without having to wait on another post, you can give my Letterboxd a follow. Wishing you love and light always, and don’t forget to wash your hands and pray for our frontliners!

[impracticaldemon]

KazaChi Week 2017 Day 2 Prompt: Reunion I Will Find You ~ Part II

Author's Note:

Welcome to chapter 2 of what is now going be a 3-chapter story. I am almost finished Part III, but I wanted to publish this chapter now just in case the final part takes me longer to wrap up than expected.

I realize that this middle piece is less clearly KazaChi, on its face, but it was necessary to my story and to the way that I perceived the key characters. Please be assured that Part III is wholly KazaChi. \(^u^)/

Part II – Under the Trees

Chizuru would later remember that run inland from the beach as a tangled series of confused images, etched on her mind along with the scents of gunpowder and blood, and the awful awareness of pain and fear all around her. Also, noise: the growling thunder of canons, the sharper staccato of the infernal Gatling guns—horrible machines designed specifically to mow down charging footsoldiers—and everywhere, audible even above the various engines of destruction, the screams of the injured and dying.

Moving faster than she ever had before—perhaps trying to keep up with Kazama-san for so long had improved her speed and endurance—Chizuru somehow avoided the enemy soldiers streaming toward the nearby coastal fortification and found herself on the outskirts of what was clearly going to be a pitched battle. She knew that she was in the wrong place, but wasn't certain what to do next. All of the intelligence that Kazama-san had gathered stated that General Hijikata, Vice Minister of War for the Republic of Ezo, was stationed at the massive star-shaped fortress of Goryōkaku in the town of Hakodate. The site of the current battle was Benten Fortress, according to what Chizuru could make out from the cacophony around her. From scraps of knowledge picked up during the sea voyage to Ezo, Chizuru knew that Benten was still several miles from Goryōkaku.

Chizuru slipped cautiously away from the main fighting. She needed to find a way around Benten in order to reach Goryōkaku and Hijikata. Just before heading into the sparse woodland that she hoped would conceal her from friend and enemy alike, she took a last look up at the heights of Benten, where she could just make out the battle standards of the Bakufu loyalists involved below. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes suddenly recognized a crimson banner edged in white triangles hoisted triumphantly above the others, its emblem invisible due to distance but immediately known to her: makoto, representing sincerity. Chizuru blinked away tears and forced herself to walk away, leaving the Shinsengumi's "flag of truth" to watch over the battle and the men behind her.

Hijikata-san wasn't there. If he had been there, she would have seen him, she was sure of it. But the flag meant that some, or maybe most of the remaining Shinsengumi were defending the doomed fortress. It seemed wholly unlike Hijikata-san to not be there when his own were in trouble, regardless of his new rank and duties.

After several minutes of walking, choosing her path more by instinct than purpose, Chizuru found herself approaching what appeared to be a road. It surprised her that she had reached a point behind the outer defences of Benten—but presumably this was the road leading inland to the town of Hakodate and the fortress she was seeking. Just as she was trying to make up her mind whether or not to use the road, rapidly approaching hoofbeats and then the sounds of shouting and running men drove her deep into a leafy bush, glad for once of her small size. Even as the first rider came into view, unmistakeable even in his close-cut western uniform and missing his former trade-mark long black pony-tail, enemy soldiers came hurrying down the road from the opposite direction. The battle obviously wasn't going well at Benten.

"Minister Hijikata!" shouted one of the uniformed men galloping several lengths behind Hijikata, obviously desperate to catch up.

"Commander!" called another, his cry more like a scream.

Chizuru felt like screaming herself. Instead, she clamped both hands over her mouth to avoid drawing attention to her pitiful hiding place. Dear gods in heaven have mercy, she babbled frantically in her head. Don't let him die, don't let him die, don't let him die…

At first, it appeared as though her prayers had been answered: lying flat against his horse's mane, Hijikata-san avoided the first, scattered volley from the small enemy unit—and apparently nobody had thought to aim for his horse in the first shock of suddenly encountering their enemy's deadliest warrior. A bright katana flashed briefly in the air, and two men fell to the ground, bloody and unmoving. Ignoring the crumpled bodies, Hijikata-san urged his horse back to a gallop, sending his remaining assailants scrambling out of his way.

Unfortunately, just as the former Vice Commander's reinforcements came thundering up, infantry running flat out behind racing horsemen, another knot of enemies stepped out of the woods, modern rifles held in readiness against their shoulders. It was impossible to know which of the shots fired hit Hijikata-san, catching him across his side and lower back as he rode to the aid of his comrades at Benten. Chizuru could only watch in horrified silence as blood sprayed from mortal injuries to the man she had travelled across northern Japan to save. His arms flew up and wide, his agonized face suddenly visible to Chizuru as he fell from his twisting, rearing horse. She knew that she would never forget the sound of his body hitting the hard-packed dirt, even though it should have been lost among the clamour around them.

It was as though time slowed down as he fell, and then sped up again in a rush, as if trying to catch up to itself. Chizuru found herself running forward, heedless of the danger, her only thought to make a last attempt to do what she needed—needed!—to do. Not surprisingly, one or two of Hijikata-san's men tried to approach her as she flung herself down at his side. She ignored them, and mercifully they went away, whether convinced by her actions that she intended no harm, or drawn irresistibly into the fighting that immediately broke out around Hijikata's still form.

Nothing touched Chizuru as she frantically tried to staunch the bleeding, hoping against hope that Hijikata-san's fury powers would once more save his life. Blood continued to well out from under her fingers, mocking her efforts and staining her clothes and the ground with the evidence of the horrific wounds that lay unseen under Hijikata-san's handsome coat and fine white shirt.

Two minutes passed, then five. The fighting drew away, as the former Bakufu soldiers, enraged by their commander's death, drove his murderers back toward Benten. Is there even such a thing as murder in war? Chizuru still fought the inevitable, fumbling in her rush to cut open Hijikata-san's vest and pull open his shirt so that she could try to stop the bleeding more directly. Or is it all murder? Kazama-san would say so, although he has killed as many or more than most. Just humans though. The last thought was heavy with bitterness.

Kazama-san had once cut down a Shinsengumi warrior for no other reason than to prove a point—and to protect the honour of men who were in the process of killing themselves. That death, which had taken place almost at Chizuru's feet, still made her angry. That was murder. How can I love such a man? It's as though I catch glimpses of what he can be, and how he's changed, and I forget…

"Chi-Chizuru?" Hijikata's incredulous whisper caught his former page off-guard, and she started.

"Oh thank the gods…"

"What—no… don't have time for that…" The long-loved purple eyes were clouded with pain, and his breathing was laboured, but the fact that he was conscious—or alive—was a miracle in itself. "Need… to get… off the road. I…" Hijikata fainted again, and Chizuru felt a moment of complete despair. She couldn't carry him. At best, she could half-carry, half-drag him, and kill him in the process.

A cough made her remember her water flask, and she hastily gave Hijikata-san a sip of water. That seemed to help bring him around again (although what it could do for internal bleeding and possibly a damaged spine was a good question).

"Still have a bit of… the fury power left… I guess." Hijikata's voice was wry. They both knew that the power came at a severe cost to the remaining life of the user. "Haven't used it lately." His eyes, still narrowed in pain, but clearer, met Chizuru's and somehow conveyed humour in the face of devastation. "Knew you'd worry."

"Hijikata-san, you…" Chizuru wasn't sure what she wanted to say, and a familiar, frustrating sense of helplessness crept over her. But she wasn't the same person that she had been eight months ago. Kazama-san might be arrogant and just as challenging to deal with as Hijikata-san, but he had an unshakable belief in Chizuru's ability to do certain things and cope with more or less anything. After all (went his reasoning), she was an Oni of impeccable lineage—if she could only come to accept that, then she would handle everything much better. A pair of quizzical ruby eyes under silky blond hair flashed into Chizuru's mind and had to be banished with an effort.

"I can move now. Have to. You'll help—gods know you always do." In defiance of all expectation, the words held no irritation and were followed by a slight, but unmistakable smile.

"O-okay." She was suddenly flustered, recalling how often she had begged Hijikata-san for something useful to do. This was ridiculous. She was a grown woman, not the sixteen-year-old girl of over four years before.

"Ikuzo."

The word lacked its usual force, but it got Chizuru moving nonetheless. They made it well into the trees before Hijikata-san fainted again, nearly pulling Chizuru off her feet before she could balance his weight against a tree. When she couldn't bring him around, she decided that it was as good a time as any to better evaluate and bind up the injuries. She worked swiftly, and with far more competence than she'd had as a girl in Kōdō-san's clinic. It reminded her painfully of Yamazaki-san, who had taught her the skills that her foster father hadn't.

When she was done, she sat back on her heels, tired from her run that morning and from trying to carry and generally manage a muscular, full-grown man on her own. It crossed her mind that they both looked like furies after a particularly busy night out. The thought made her shiver. Although she couldn't accept Kazama-san's decision to kill Hijikata-san, she was otherwise very much in agreement with his view that the rasetsu were an abomination. Mind you, she stopped short of viewing them as no more than an insult to the Oni. Any implied insult was meaningless compared to the evil of twisting a man's mind, body and soul with the ochimizu. She suspected that Kazama-san felt the same way now—mostly—but he could hardly say so at this point.

Thinking about the furies—and the problem of Kazama-san's plan to kill Hijikata-san, assuming that the man didn't simply die of his wounds within the next hour or two—made Chizuru return fully to the present. She had to face facts: Hijikata-san wasn't healing fast enough; the blood was still seeping steadily out of him, and instead of regaining consciousness, his breathing was becoming more laboured. She could only think of one alternative, a truly last resort, since neither the stubborn former Vice Commander nor the prickly Oni lord waiting to kill him would be happy with her for making the attempt.

Well too damn bad for both of them, she told herself, borrowing from Hijikata-san's colourful vocabulary. She had always had the courage to do what was required to help those she cared about. She smiled with love at the dying man in front of her, and then with a different, newly precious love at the image of Kazama-san's face in her mind. Trust me, she begged the image silently. I will keep my promise. Then she set about doing what needed to be done to feed blood to a deeply unconscious (and probably unwilling) recipient.

A/Note:

 All feedback is much appreciated! I'll see you in the next (and final) chapter.

Tags: @hakuoukishippingweek @shell-senji @eliz1369 @nalufever @hakusaitosan @walk-tall-my-fr1ends @sabinasanfanfic

[a-flustered-paint-appeared-blog]

some short naegiri drabble thing

just a short naegiri drabble thing bc why not im craving naegiri also btw i just played a three hour game of monopoly that isnt finished yet (continuing tmw morning) and im loaded eat my ass togami also i wrote this on my phone which has autocorrect turned off so sorry for any typos/grammar errors and sorry this is not v good i wrote it late at night :/ It wasn't often the two of them got to be alone together, and to be honest Naegi couldn't tell whether that was good luck or not. He and Kirigiri were close, sure, but the two of them often shared awkward silences. To occupy themselves, they decided to walk around the third floor together, hoping to find something that peeked their interests. Aside from a few notes of possible weapons found in several different rooms (ones they'd make sure to be wary of) nothing came up. They returned to Naegi's room together and conversed casually, Naegi often being the conversation starter. They got to know each other a bit better, however Naegi realized something and couldn't help but speak his thoughts. "Y'know, Kiri," he started, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before." "Is that so?" Kirigiri answered, turning to Naegi. "I don't remember ever laughing around you." "Well, I was just thinking that..." Naegi started. "You just seem to keep your composure in every situation... how?" "I can't exactly guess," Kirigiri shifted a bit. "It just comes naturally." "I see... well, I think you should loosen up a little... you seem to be tense most of the time." Naegi faced Kirigiri, his expression showing childish enthusiasm. His friend couldn't help but smile at his expression. "Is this a challenge?" Kirigiri smirked, obviously challenging Naegi. "Alright, make me laugh." "Any rules?" He asked. "No constraints." The next few minutes were spent telling ridiculous jokes and Naegi attempting to do weird actions, but nothing seemed to phase Kirigiri. The odd chuckle was the best reaction he got out of her. "This is impossible!" He half-whined. "You're way too good at this..." he scoffed childishly, trying to think of something else to try. "Hmm, well if you think of anything that tickles your fancy, let me know." She huffed, still smirking at Naegi. "Wait..." Naegi paused, a sudden idea popping into his head after hearing Kirigiri's words. He cursed himself for not thinking of this sooner. Now that he thought about it, this course of action should've been the first thing he tried. "Hey, Kirigiri," Naegi mused, smirking at his friend, which in turn made Kirigiri frown back. "Can I ask you something?" "I suppose," she answered stoicly. "Are you ticklish, by any chance?" Naegi mentally highfived himself for his own idea as he watched Kirigiri's face go from one of confidence to one of slight panic. The answer was clear as day, and Naegi could see the anxiety clouding her eyes. She was blushing slightly, but she was trying to keep her composure as much as possible. "Uh..." Kirigiri trailed off after clearing her throat. "I... don't know?" "You don't know, huh?" Naegi asked a retorical question, leaning over his friend and making himself seem slightly taller. "Makoto Naegi, I swear..." she whispered as she backed herself further away from Naegi, almost falling off the bed. "Well, if you don't know, don't you think it's best to find out?" Naegi asked, raising his hands to his chest level and wiggling his fingers deviously. Upon the sight of his fingers, Kirigiri made a strange choking sound as if trying to fight back a snicker of anticipation. It's not that she was unbearably ticklish, but it was something about Naegi's tone of voice and smirk that just got to her. "I think information like that is best kept secret..." "I don't think so," Naegi said as he started lightly fluttering his fingers over Kirigiri's stomach, causing his friend to jerk and gasp suddenly. She didn't struggle too much, as if determined to hide her ticklishness from Naegi, but oh, he knew. "N-naegi!" Kirigiri gasped. "Un-hand me this i-instant!" she demanded in-between grunts and tiny squeaks, trying to squirm away from Naegi. "Hmm, not gonna happen," Naegi answered, continuing to poke at Kirigiri's stomach, concentrating on getting her to crack. He noted that she must not be that sensitive on her stomach, so he moved his fingers to Kirigiri's sides and gently clawed at them. To say the reaction he got from that was surprising would be an understatement, because he swore he just heard his normally-stoic friend squeal. "Weak spot?" Naegi asked, frowning when Kirigiri shook her head and bit her lip, preventing herself from giggling. Naegi changed techniques, dragging his fingers lightly over Kirigiri's sides. His friend seemed to be more sensitive to that method, so he did more investigating and tried moving his hands even higher. That's when the dam broke and Kirigiri's sudden loud squeak made Naegi jump. "Naegiiii!!" Kirigiri almost whined before starting to laugh, trying to grab Naegi's hands to pry them off the sides of her ribs. "I-I swehehear!! Nohoho!" "Looks like I found a weak spot~" Naegi teased and laughed along with her. He blushed upon hearing her giggles and squeaks, realizing that Kirigiri's laugh was quite... cute. And it seemed that as time passed, his friend's laugh just got louder and squeakier, which in turn made Naegi laugh because this was definitely a rare sight, considering Kirigiri's personality and stoicness. He switched from gentle touches to digging into his friend's ribs, which appeared to be effective. Naegi decided that he should just have fun with this. "Hey," Naegi said in an bubbly tone. "Hey, Kiri." He retracted his hands for a short moment, allowing Kirigiri to breathe. "Eheh... wh-what?" She tried to sound serious, but her aftershocks of being tickled kept her giggling and blushing. "I'm assuming you know about the theory where men have one less rib than women... or maybe it's the other way around? I wanna test that." Naegi smiled almost innocently. "C-can't you just look that up?!" Kirigiri was in-directly begging at this point, considering her ribs were most definitely her weakest spot. "The internet doesn't always tell the truth you know, and plus, why do that when I can have more fun testing my theory on you?~" Naegi teased, which made Kirigiri un-characteristically blush and snicker. God, she's adorable... Naegi thought as he slowly dragged his fingers across each of Kirigiri's ribs, counting them one by one, which was proving to be a good method. He could feel her skin twitching underneath his touch, and it was a feeling he found to be quite satisfying. "Okay!! Okay!!" Kirigiri admitted, folding her arms across her ribs to try and prevent Naegi from tickling them. "Nohoho more!" "But Kiriiiiii..." Naegi whined childishly. "I'm not done counting your ribs yet, and all your distracting laughter made me lose count! Now I gotta start all over again," Naegi huffed, starting back at square one, except this time he allowed all of his fingers to flutter freely over Kirigiri's ribs, which in turn made his friend nearly hysterical. "M-MAKotohohoho!! STOHOhohop!" Now she was begging, and Naegi was feeling quite satisfied with his friend squirming and laughing beneath him. "Hmm... not yet..." Naegi said, moving his hands back to where he started, the sides of her ribs. He dug his fingers into the bone, not harsh enough to be painful, but just enough to make it torturous. "Admit defeat and I'll stop." He teased, his voice just loud enough for Kirigiri to hear over her hysterical laughing fit. "C-Come on!! NAEGI!" She squeaked, rolling onto her right side to try and block out Naegi's hands. This only resulted in her friend moving both his hands to her left side, which didn't make the sensations any better. "Just- STOhohop!!" "Is that you admitting you've lost?" Naegi asked, chuckling as Kirgiri nodded. He stopped, just resting his hands on Kirigiri's ribs as he took in how adorable the other looked. She was blushing and still snickering cutely because of the aftershock. He gently curled his fingers, making Kirigiri tense up as he dragged his fingers down both her sides, getting a few last giggles out of her before finally retracting his hands. "Th-that was cruel..." Kirigiri panted, looking up at Naegi, who seemed quite confident. "I won, though!" Naegi exclaimed triumphantly, smirking down at Kirigiri. "I bet you regret putting 'no touching' in your list of constraints for this game." "Don't think you've won this little game of yours just yet," Kirigiri sat up, quickly recovering from the previous attack and Naegi swore he could see her smirking. "We still have another round, and you're the victim this time." With that being said, Kirigiri tackled her friend so she was on top of him and wasted no time in digging her fingers into his stomach. "W-Wait, nohoho!! KIRI!" Naegi squeaked before being reduced into a laughing mess, squirming around and trying to escape his friend's devious fingers. Let's just say Kirigiri got a more than proper revenge that day. NOTES: frick i didnt expect it to be this Long and i dont rly like how this came out but here take it i havent written a fic in so longgg

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Ranking Golovkin's middleweight title defenses #17-9

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March 16, 2017

NEW YORK – This Saturday night at Madison Square Garden middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs) will be defending his WBA/WBC/IBF middleweight titles against Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs). The fight may be the most anticipated middleweight title fight since Kelly Pavlik, and Jermain Taylor faced off in 2007. Going into the fight, Golovkin has been as high as an 8 to 1 favorite to defeat Jacobs. 

Regardless of the odds, Jacobs is one of the biggest punchers in the middleweight division with an 88 percent knockout rate. He is possibly the biggest fighter Golovkin has faced thus far. Both men are also going into the fight with a huge amount of momentum. Jacobs is coming in having scored 12 straight stoppages and Golovkin with an impressive 23 stoppages in a row. 

What’s been lost to some in the build up for Golovkin-Jacobs is the number of title defenses Golovkin has made leading up to the Jacobs bout. The Kazakhstani fighter has equaled Puerto Rican legend Wilfredo Gomez’s (44-3-1, 42 KOs) record of 17 title defenses all by stoppage. He is only three title defenses away from tying Bernard Hopkins’ (55-8-2, 32 KOs) record of 20 middleweight title defenses. 

There has been much criticism thrown at Golovkin for his level of competition. We take a look back at his middleweight title defenses thus far. This list takes a look at the significance of each title defense and when each fight took place. This isn’t a definitive list as the importance of a victory can change depending on what a fighter does after a defeat. Many of these defenses especially early into Golovkin’s championship reign are arguably interchangeable as many of the fighters are not well known. 

17. Dominic Wade (18-1, 12 KOs) – April 23, 2016

Dominic Wade was an IBF mandatory title defense that Golovkin was forced to make. Wade was undefeated before facing Golovkin but was best known for winning a split decision over a past prime Sam Soliman in 2015. The significance of the fight was its implications outside of the ring. Besides being a mandatory challenger, Wade is a fighter managed by Al Haymon. This match showed that Golovkin’s promoter K2 was willing to walk across the promotional aisle and work with fighters who are managed by Al Haymon. This was a precursor to the Daniel Jacobs bout. 

The fight with Wade also showcased the growing popularity of Golovkin on the west coast as the Forum in Inglewood, California was sold out for a fight with a virtual unknown. The defense ranks low as Wade before the fight showed little promise and has not fought since.

16. Nilson Julio Tapia (15-3-1, 11 KOs) – December 16, 2010

The fight with Tapia was Golovkin’s first middleweight title defense, and it took place in Golovkin’s home country of Kazakhstan. Before the fight with Golovkin, Tapia won a unanimous decision over Jorge Sebastian Heiland in Panama. He also faced Austin Trout in a losing effort back in 2009. 

The fight with Golovkin was a short one as Tapia was stopped in the third round. Tapia has only fought once since the loss to Golovkin where he won by knockout in Hungary. 

15. Makoto Fuchigami (23-12, 14 KOs) – May 12, 2012

Fuchigami has only had one fight outside of his native Japan, and that came against Golovkin. Going into the fight with Golovkin, Fuchigami was on a nine-fight winning streak with eight of those victories coming via stoppage. 

Fuchigami, however, fell victim to Golovkin’s power and was stopped in the third round. Since the loss to Golovkin, Fuchigami has remained active fighting three times in 2016 but has had mixed results. Fuchigami has gone 4-5 in his last nine fights. 

14. Lajuan Simon (23-5-2, 12 KOs) – December 9, 2011

Simon was known as a durable middleweight before his fight with Golovkin as he had gone the distance with Arthur Abraham in 2009. Simon who had traveled to Germany twice before would once again for a fight with Golovkin. 

Unfortunately for Simon, Golovkin would take him out impressively in the first round. This was the first time Simon had been stopped as a professional. Afterward, Simon did not fight for two more years where he was once again stopped. This time by J’leon Love in the sixth round. 

13. Nobuhiro Ishida (27-11-2, 11 KOs) – March 30, 2013

Ishida is best known for his first round stoppage of then undefeated James Kirkland in what was then considered to be a huge upset. Going into the fight with Golovkin Ishida had stepped in the ring with Dmitry Pirog and Paul Williams. 

Sometimes the way you knock someone out is important and can make an ordinary defense extraordinary. For Golovkin his third round knockout of Ishida may be his most impressive knockout. The fight took place in Monte Carlo in front a relatively small crowd. Golovkin was able to back Ishida up against the ropes and hit him with a devastating right hand that knocked Ishida unconscious. It is still to this day a knockout worth watching not just for the knockout blow itself but for the way it was set up. Ishida would go on to fight as a heavyweight in his native Japan. 

12. Gabriel Rosado (23-10, 13 KOs) – January 19, 2013

This was Golovkin’s second fight in the United States, and it took place at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. This was one of Golovkin’s more punishing performances as he bloodied Rosado and forced his corner to stop the fight in the seventh round. 

Rosado had given up a title shot to move up in weight to face Golovkin for a bigger paycheck. Despite Golovkin reportedly being sick days leading into the fight he had an impressive performance. Many may not remember that this was on the undercard of the Mikey Garcia-Orlando Salido featherweight championship bout. 

This bout started off Golovkin’s popularity in the New York City area. 

11. Osumanu Adama (25-4, 18 KOs) – February 1, 2014

This was the last Golovkin fight that wasn’t televised by HBO since they got into business with the Kazakhstani.  The fight with Adama took place in Monte Carlo. Golovkin dominated Adama scoring three knockdowns with the referee stopping the bout in the seventh round. 

It wasn’t one of Golovkin’s best performances but showcased Golovkin’s ability to break down even the toughest opponent methodically. 

10. Willie Monroe Jr. (21-2, 6 KOs) – May 16, 2015

For many, Monroe was seen as an opportunity to see Golovkin step in the ring against a technician who may use lateral movement. Golvkin, however, is a technician himself and was able to cut the ring off on Monroe. In the second round, Golovkin scored a knockdown with beautifully timed left hook. After another knockdown from a right hand, Monroe’s legs didn’t seem to be fully under him. 

The next three rounds are what the fight is best known for as Golovkin seemingly allowed Monroe to unload combinations on him to let the fight last longer and make it more competitive. Regardless, Golovkin pressed forward and forced a stoppage in the sixth round after scoring another knockdown. Monroe decided he didn’t want to continue stating to the referee that he was done. 

9. Kell Brook (36-1, 25 KOs) – September 10, 2016

This was Golovkin’s last fight and one of his most controversial title defenses. The plan for Team Golovkin was to invade the UK, but negotiations for a fight with WBO middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders and former middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. fell to the wayside. Brook was preparing for a unification fight with then WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas but negotiations there were also in limbo. Brook decided to take the contract that Eubank had turned down and signed his name on the dotted line. 

Brook at the time was ranked by many as the number one welterweight and would be moving up to the middleweight division to face Golovkin. This put Golovkin in a position where he wouldn’t be given much credit for a victory and criticism if Brook gave him any trouble. 

The fight itself was exciting for as long as it lasted. Golovkin threw out much of his technique and immediately put pressure on Brook. Brook was hurt in the first round with a body shot and looked overwhelmed with Golovkin’s power and volume. Brook rebounded in the second round and landed some well-timed uppercuts and right hands on Golovkin. This excited the sell-out crowd at the O2 Arena in London as Brook a massive underdog won the second round. 

From that point on Golovkin’s pressure began to take its toll on Brook culminating in a fifth round that saw Brook take a beating. Brook’s corner threw in the towel bringing the bout to a halt. It was found later on that Brook suffered a broken orbital bone in the fight. 

Many thought that Brook exposed a weakness in Golovkin by landing uppercuts in the fight. On Saturday night we’ll find out if Jacobs will use the Brook fight as a reference to land his own uppercuts. 

(Feature Photo: Joe Camporeale/ USA TODAY Sports)