#nomura l

[spiritsncrystals]

[31/8/23 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDAI YUKI!] "Your invincible LOVE★SAVIOR has (now) come to save you~!" - LOVE★SAVIOR - MARGINAL#4

i know i'm two days late but JUDAI DAY AGAIN!! decided to steal clothes from one crazy elegant Gemini idol this year because same seiyuu shenanigans (and my Magi#4 brainrot won't end) HAPP BIRTH JUDAI!!

[anju45]

[milaisreading]

How about a Valentine's day story in a Blue Lock x Japan U20 match with manager y/n? Like while in the match and the breaks y/n gets lots of chocholate, flowers or gifts from the male fans which causes the players to be jealous and also some of the fans go even far as kissing y/n hand like a gentleman. The players had no idea that y/n made chocholate for both of the teams. She is kinda shy and scared to give them because she thought the boys wouldn't like the taste of the chocholate, the shapes of the chocholates or the color of the packets.

🩷🌱: Happy Valentine's Day, anon! This was such a cute idea, I hope you like what I wrote! Thanks for the request!

Warnings: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

"Oh, damn. There are a lot of people here today!" (Y/n) gasped in surprise as she looked at the stadium that was more packed than on the previous match. Today, the JFA had organized a special match between the U-20 and Blue lock. It was nothing serious, and more meant as an entertainment program for Valentine's Day. The board members of the JFA thought it would be a good idea to organize the event as a cash grab for the holiday,which (Y/n) had to admit was a good idea. The ratings and money from the merch shops will definitely give them extra money.

'Greedy bastards.' She thought while side-eyeing the board members while she stood next to Anri and Ego.

"(Y/n), what's with that bag you brought?" Ego questioned as the boys were warming up. (Y/n), confused for a moment, looked at the item and then blushed in embarrassment while scrambling for words.

"I... I made some chocolate for the players of both teams." She whispered to the adults, which caused Anri to squeal at the cuteness.

"That's adorable! When are you giving it to them, though?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I... I don't know. I am a little embarrassed about the possible attention I might get from them... If only I could somehow avoid it." Anri and Ego kept quiet for a moment as they thought of a way to help her. Well, it was more Anri who did the thinking while Ego was busy monitoring the interaction between Rin, Sae, and Shidou.

"Ah! I know what we can do!"

"You do?" (Y/n) raised an eyebrow as Anri happily nodded her head.

"How about you anonymously leave the chocolate in their locker rooms while they are on the field. We should go there once the game starts." Anri suggested, which made (Y/n) smile at the idea.

"Sounds great! Is that ok with you, Ego-san?"

The said man thought the whole idea was stupid, and he wanted to say so, but once he saw the two give him puppy eyes, he sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine. I will just inform the other coach that you will be going into their locker room. Don't be gone for too long." The man said as the two cheered and thanked him.

"Keep it down-"

"Uhm, is someone named (L/N) (Y/n) here?" One of the maintenence staff members asked as he approached the trio.

"Why?" Ego asked bluntly, causing (Y/n) and Anri to facepalm.

"There are some fans who want to see her." The man answered as (Y/n) raised an eyebrow.

"I am her. But, what do you mean by fans?" She asked the man, and Anri and Ego looked back with the same amount of curiosity.

After explaining it to them, (Y/n) followed the older man to the field where some people were. To be fair, they weren't om the field, but on the stands close to it.

'Good God...' The girl gulped as she saw some guys and a few girls looking back at her in excitement while holding some gifts, she assumed at least.

"Don't take too long." The man warned as (Y/n) nodded her head.

"H-hi. How can I help?" (Y/n) wondered as the group smiled, holding out some gifts to her.

"Hello! I brought you these flowers-"

"Happy Valentine's Day! Please be my-"

"You look very cute today! Hope you like this chocolate! It's handmade-"

"I found these flowers! Heard you liked them-"

"Take mine instead!"

"My chocolate is way better!"

"I got you this plush toy!"

(Y/n) watched in shock and confusion as the group showed the various gifts that were meant for her by the sounds of it.

'Why... why are they giving those to me? I am not a player.' (Y/n) thought as she slowly approached the group, not wanting to be rude or anything.

"Th-thank you. You all shouldn't have brought me anything. I am really honored." The group stopped arguing as they watched the manager bow and smile at them.

'So respectful!'

'She looks so cute!' The group thought as they started arguing who will be the first one to give her a gift.

'Ahh... I hope nobody sees this mess. I don't want the attention to be diverted from the players. It's their day.' (Y/n) thought as she went to take the items, thanking everyone individually.

Meanwhile, what (Y/n) didn't notice was the players had already noticed the ruckus that was going on, and they were less than pleased.

"Who are those losers now?" Sae raised an eyebrow, not liking what he wa seeing. The same could go for Rin, who was silently growling as he saw (Y/n) accept those gifts, even going as far as smiling at the people.

'That's my manager. Don't get so comfortable with her.' He thought as Shidou was for once not sporting his usual cocky smile.

'Now, why is she paying attention to those nobodies?'

Aiku was about to speak up, but the 4 froze up when they saw one of the guys take (Y/n)'s hand into theirs and planting a kiss on it.

"Ok, that's about it. I have had enough." Aiku cleared his throat as he walked over to where (Y/n) was, the trip following close by as the rest of thebtwo teams glared daggers at the boy.

While that was going on, (Y/n) was getting more and more uncomfortable with the attention and tried to cut this gift giving short.

'Why did they even give these to me?' She still wondered, unaware of the 4 players approaching her.

"T-thank you again for the gifts. But, I really need to go now-"

"Can't you stay a little longer?"

"Yeah, the game didn't start yet."

The group protested as (Y/n) tried to find a way out. The gifts were too much for her to hold for so long.

"I'm-" She started speaking, but got interrupted by the familiar monotone voice Sae had.

"Having fun? Good, fun is over." (Y/n), surprised by his appearance turned around to scold hin for the rude tone.

"Don't be so rude, Sae-" But, she pretty much cut herself off when she saw the murderous looks Rin, Sae, Shidou, and Oliver were giving the group.

'What's up with them?!'

The game had eventually started after a good 30 minutes and Anri meanwhile dragged (Y/n) away to put the chocolates into the locker rooms. The chocolates were pretty simple. Milk chocolate with a few decorations, all wrapped up in colors that reminded her of the boys. It was pretty cliché in her opinion, but she hoped they would like them and not suspect her as the culprit.

'I really tried to make them look as different as possible.' (Y/n) thought as she put the last one into Neru's jacket pocket, blushing at the thought of them discovering her.

'That would be something I could never live down.'

The game had ended with the Blue Lock team winning after the time got extended to a whole 105 minutes, (Y/n), Anri, and Ego could see the team was exhausted, so they told them to take their time in changing and showering. Meanwhile, the trio would take care of the press or the gifts the Blue Lock team was receiving, which was something (Y/n) ended up taking care of.

'All these gifts look so much better than mine...' She thought, trying not to look sad as she wrote down what was for who. She didn't need fans going after her or spreading rumors.

'Well, at least I hope they taste good.' (Y/n) thought nervously as she took another gift, wondering if they found the chocolates by now.

Blue lock room 💙⛓️

"Hm? There is something in our pockets?" Otoya wondered as Anri giggled while closing the door.

"Yep! (Y/n) made some Valentine's chocolate for you guys! Don't say I told you, tho!" With that, the woman left the teens in a shocked state. That soon disappeared as they quickly looked through their pockets, and sure enough, the chocolates were there. All neatly wrapped.

"Woo-hoo! This is like the first time I got one! She even wrapped it in my favorite color!" Bachira cheered as he looked at the yellow wrapped item. Otoya quickly unwrapped his and took a bite.

"It's so good!" He cheered.

'Ahh! I can die now happily! Wait, is this (Y/n)'s way of confessing?!' Otoya thought as Karasu and Kurona took a bite from their's as well.

"It tastes the right amount of sweet. The decorations look adorable as well." Karasu chuckled while blushing.

"Just like her..." Kurona silently said as he continued eating his, trying to savor the taste as long as possible. Isagi, who took the time to read the message she wrote on the chocolate blushed and smiled.

'You did an amazing job!' He read, feeling his heart beat quicken when he saw the heart at the end.

"She is the best. This tastes amazing." He mumbled, earning nods from Niko and Hiori, who were sitting next to him.

"It does! It does! The packaging are adorable, too. She really put a lot of thought into them." Hiori said in adoration.

"You think she will bake for us one day?" Niko wondered with a red face as he read the message over and over.

"I mean, we could always ask her. (Y/n) is nice, I am sure she would." Reo announced, earning nods from the rest.

"I hope it will be a chocolate cake. Didn't have those in a while. She really made my day with this." Gagamaru smiled warmly, not used to getting chocolate on Valentine's Day from anyone. Nagi kept quiet as his face was a uncharacteristic red shade. The whole time he was staring at the wrapping paper while taking small bites of the chocolate.

'I am keeping this one forever.'

Barou was a blushing mess along with Tokimitsu, so they decided not to say anything as they ate their chocolates. Both were flattered and happy over this surprise. It was better than winning the match in their opinion.

"It has a really good taste to it. Not too sweet and not too bitter. She really thought of everything. So cute." Yukimiya smiled brightly, earning a nod from Aryu.

"Well, it is (Y/n) we are talking about. She is amazing and thoughtful." The brown-haired boy added in. Rin was looking for once relaxed and felt happy as he ate his piece, enjoying every moment of it.

'So good. Definitely better than winning against my brother. I love her so much.' Rin thought, his face turning redder. There was a silence in the room for a while, the team busy eating and thanking (Y/n) mentally for the gift. But, that silence was soon cut off by Chigiri.

"Now, we need to think of some good presents for White Day. Some that will make her forget about the gifts those people gave her today."

The rest of the team quickly nodded their heads.

The U-20 room 🇯🇵2️⃣0️⃣

"Huh?" Shidou hummed as he felt an unfamiliar item in his pocket and quickly fished it out, only to freeze up when he saw what it was. It was a neatly wrapped pink present, and by the shape of it, it was definitely chocolate.

"What is it, Shidou?" Teru asked, noticing the boy's frozen state.

"I got chocolate." The boy answered in confusion as he showed Teru the item, causing the rest of the locker room to look at him.

"You?! Why did you get chocolate?" Sendou yelled out, jealous at the blonde, which earned him a grin from Shidou.

"Probably because the ladies like me more."

"Hm? I got some as well." Sae pointed out as he showed the the team his burgundy wrapped item.

"Ha? And you two didn't put it in there yourselves?" Niou asked skeptically.

"Why would I do such a pathetic thing?" Sae questioned.

"You guys mad that you didn't get any?" Shidou snickered, earning glared from Sendou and Niou now.

"Hey! I got some as well! This is rare for me!" Neru said in excitement as he found a beige wrapped item in his pocket. Now this was a surprise for the rest.

"You as well?" Itsuki and Miroku mumbled as they discretely went through their pockets, only to find chocolate int them as well.

"Hey! I got some as well!"

"Me too!"

"This is weird..." Hayate said silently, blushing as he stared at his present as well.

"Woo-hoo! Hey! I got chocolate as well!!" Sendou blushed in excitement as he took put the present from his jacket pocket. Oliver, who also found a green and purple wrapped present, stared at it in confusion as Teru started eating his chocolate.

"It tastes good as well! It also has some cute decorations on it."

"Mhm!" Niou nodded as he ate his along with Hayate and Neru.

"But still, who put it into our pockets?" Sae asked out loud, earning silence instead of an answer.

"It certainly is weird. We didn't notice anyone near our stuff." Miroku chimed in as their coach walked into the room.

"Ah, I see you found those chocolates. Eat up and let's go." The team stared at the man in horror for a moment as Oliver spoke up.

"Please don't tell me you put these into our locker room."

"Yuck!" Shidou shivered at the idea, earning a glare from the coach.

"No, I have better things to do then make Valentine's Day chocolate." The man rolled his eyes.

"Blue Lock's manager made those for you, as surprise or something. She put those here while you guys were playing. Now, stop acting like school boys and pack your stuff." The man ordered as he walked out of the room, leaving the team in a stunned silence.

'The... The manager...made these for us?!' The team thought as they slowly started blushing at the thought.

"Aahhh~" they sighed happily as Sendou spoke up.

"Lucky bastards at Blue Lock probably get this treatment all the time." He said, sounding jealous as the rest tried to ignore that thought, opting to just enjoy the sweet gifts.

"Achoo!" (Y/n) sneezed as Ego looked at her in confusion.

"You ok?"

"Yeah. I think I am just getting sick." She said back, oblivious to what had happened in the locker rooms.

[balioc]

BALIOC'S READING LIST, 2023 EDITION

This list counts only published books, consumed in published-book format, that I read for the first time and finished. No rereads, nothing abandoned halfway through, no Internet detritus of any kind, etc. Also no children’s picture books.

(There were so many children's picture books.)

Hand of the Sun King, J. T. Greathouse

Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Circus of Dr. Lao, Charles G. Finney

When the Angels Left the Old Country, Sacha Lamb

Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us, Rachel Aviv

Elder Race, Adrian Tchaikovsky

Yamada Monogatari: Troubled Spirits, Richard Parks

Victory City, Salman Rushdie

Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America, Richard Rorty

Cage of Souls, Adrian Tchaikovsky

A Morbid Taste for Bones, Ellis Peters

One Corpse Too Many, Ellis Peters

Priest of Bones, Peter McLean

Priest of Lies, Peter McLean

Demon Summoner: Apprentice, Greg Walters

By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions, Richard Cohen

Tsalmoth, Steven Brust

Priest of Gallows, Peter McLean

Priest of Crowns, Peter McLean

Waybound, Will Wight

Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata

The Tatami Galaxy, Tomihiko Morimi

These Violent Delights, Chloe Gong

Death in Venice, Thomas Mann

Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life, Rory Sutherland

The Man Who Was Thursday, G. K. Chesterton

Storming Heaven, Miles Cameron

Against Worldbuilding, and Other Provocations: Essays on History, Narrative and Game Design, Alexis Kennedy

From Ritual to Romance, Jessie L. Weston

To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf

Rats and Gargoyles, Mary Gentle

Labyrinth's Heart, M. A. Carrick

Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships, Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin

The Long, Long Goodbye of "The Last Bookstore," Mizuki Nomura

The Last Sun, K. D. Edwards

The Hanged Man, K. D. Edwards

The Hourglass Throne, K. D. Edwards

Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi

The Thirteen Petalled Rose: A Discourse on the Essence of Jewish Existence and Belief, Adin Steinsaltz

The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

Untethered Sky, Fonda Lee

The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius

The Star-Child, Oscar Wilde

Monk's Hood, Ellis Peters

St. Peter's Fair, Ellis Peters

The Leper of St. Giles, Ellis Peters

The Virgin in the Ice, Ellis Peters

The Nutcracker, E. T. A. Hoffman and Alexandre Dumas

The Sanctuary Sparrow, Ellis Peters

Child of God, Cormac McCarthy

The Devil's Novice, Ellis Peters

Dead Man's Ransom, Cormac McCarthy

Plausible works of improving nonfiction consumed in 2023: 10

["plausible" and "improving" are being defined very liberally here]

Balioc's Choice Award, Fiction Division: The Circus of Dr. Lao, Charles G. Finney

>>>> Honorable Mention: Rats and Gargoyles, Mary Gentle

[This seems like the correct place to point out that, for the Balioc's Choice Awards, I consider only works that were first published with the last 100 years. Otherwise it would just be "surprise, old classics are often classics for a reason."]

Balioc's Choice Award, Nonfiction Division: The Thirteen Petalled Rose: A Discourse on the Essence of Jewish Existence and Belief, Adin Steinsaltz

>>>> Honorable Mention: A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?, Kelly and Zach Weinersmith

The Roscommon Princess Award for Luminous Trembling Beauty in the Face of a Bleakly Mundane World: The Star-Child, Oscar Wilde

The Anguished Howl Award for Somehow Making Me Regret Reading a Book About a Demon Summoner in the Thirty Years' War: Demon Summoner: Apprentice, Greg Walters

The Tamsyn Muir Award for Demonstrating that Popularity Really, Really, Really is Not the Same Thing as Quality: The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan

The G. K. Chesterton Award for Being G. K. Chesterton, I Mean, to Whom Else Could I Compare Him, For Someone So Avowedly Stodgy He is the Ballsiest Motherfucker I Have Ever Read: The Man Who Was Thursday, G. K. Chesterton

**********

...this year was much like the last several years, only somehow even more so. Not in a good way, I fear. My current lifestyle continues not to be super-conducive to reading, and writing a weekendlong LARP kind of knocked the wind out of me, both during and after. If it weren't for a massive silly-fun historical-mystery binge in December, my numbers here would be shameful. And you will notice that a whole lot of the things on that list are very short.

Most of the contemporary fiction was pretty much what I expected it to be. There were few real standouts. Things by good authors continued to be mostly good; things by shlocky authors continued to be shlock.

I should probably drive less for my various solitary recreational jaunts, just so that I can spend more of that time with a book. I should definitely read more old stuff, because old stuff continues to be the most reliably rewarding. (The cream of the cream of the old stuff, anyway, which is...what you read.)

I continue to be Extremely In the Market for recommendations of really good, deeply-informative nonfiction.

[glatisant-questing]

Souma's Short Story from the Manyo no Shou Limited Edition Booklet

Souma's the most hardworking and conscientious boy:D

This SS was written by 長野 和泉

*fixed some errors after posting, sorry for those who have read the first version...

“Yukimura senpai! The dishes are done!” I finished washing the dishes we used for lunch and asked Yukimura senpai for the next instruction. 

“You’re done already? That was fast, Souma-kun.”

Yukimura senpai said in an impressed tone. 

“I checked carefully after I finished washing the dishes, so there shouldn’t be any stain left…” 

As I was talking, I noticed something and stopped midsentence. 

“Souma-kun? What’s the matter?” 

“…Senpai, you look pale. Are you okay?” 

“Really? I slept late last night, so maybe that’s why…” 

She said and gently rubbed her eyes. There were faint dark circles under her eyes and she looked very sleepy. 

“Lately, the number of soldiers has increased, and everyone seems busy. With more people comes more things to do, right?” 

“Yeah, that’s true.” 

Some things can become easier with more people, but here in the Shinsengumi, many tasks just can’t be delegated to others. 

For the simplest example, with more soldiers joining in, chores such as cooking, laundry, and room accommodation also increase accordingly. Those things quietly fell on the shoulders of Yukimura senpai, Inuoe-san, and others.

(If only I were more capable…) 

I thought so, and can’t help but feel gloomy.

“Souma-kun, are you okay? you look a bit down.”

I felt awkward when Senpai noticed my feelings, so I hurriedly put on a smile. 

“No, it’s just…I was thinking that if Nomura and I were more reliable, we wouldn’t have to burden Senpai so much.” 

Hearing my words, senpai widened her eyes in surprise. But soon she smiled and said… 

“Souma-kun, it’s very kind of you to say so. Thank you.” 

“No, not at all…” 

I thought inwardly that there was nothing kind about me in the current situation where I couldn’t be of any help to Senpai. 

But Senpai said to me, “Please don’t feel worried. I’m really grateful to Souma-kun and Nomura-kun." 

“That’s not true…I’m sorry for being such a nuisance!” 

“No, no, I’m telling the truth. You both really are helping me.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, of course. Especially Souma-kun. You’re very reliable and you always do more than what I ask you to.” 

“…Thank you very much.”

 Senpai is kind-hearted. Her words are not completely false, but I’m sure there’s plenty of exaggeration to cheer me up. 

I thought that I had to grow up more as a Shinsengumi soldier to repay this kindness. 

"Senpai, since I finished washing the dishes and have some free time, can you give me the next instruction?"

“In that case…it’s almost time to go shopping for dinner, so can you come with me? I’m supposed to go with Inoue-san, but it would be easier if there was another man.” 

“Shopping? No problem, but…senpai, are you feeling unwell?” 

“Do I look like that?” 

“Yes, a little…” 

“I’m just a little sleepy, so I’m fine. I think the sleepiness will go away if I walk for a little.” 

“I hope so…” 

After finishing her errands, Yukimura Senpai came to the hall to call me.

 "Souma-kun, sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go, shall we?”

 “Senpai, about that…” 

It was a bit hard, but I confessed. 

“I’ll go shopping with Inoue-san and Nomura, so please stay and have some rest, senpai.” 

“Huh? But…I’m fine…” 

“…I understand how you feel, but I’m still worried. If something should happen to you on the way, I’ll regret it forever.” 

“It…it’s not that I’m sick or anything…” 

Senpai didn’t seem convinced by my argument. 

"There are many rōnin in Kyoto who know the faces of Shinsengumi soldiers. If I take Senpai away like this and can’t protect you, I’ll regret it forever. I talked to Inoue-san earlier and he also agreed with me.”

She seemed a bit disappointed, but she gave up when she learned that it was a decision made after consulting with Inoue-san. 

“…I see, I understand. Then I’ll do as you say today. But I’ll definitely make up for it later.” 

“Don’t worry about it. I just did what I had to do as a Shinsengumi soldier.” 

“But still, let me help you with something later, as a thank-you.” 

She spoke softly, but Yukimura Senpai seemed adamant about this. 

Maybe this was her pride as a Senpai. 

"Alright. I’ll look forward to it then.”

“Yeah, sure.” 

After saying that, senpai looked up at the sky with a slightly lonely expression. 

“…But Souma-kun, you’ve grown so much since you joined the Shinsengumi. I feel a little jealous that you’ve surpassed me.”

 “Surpassed you? I’m not even close, Senpai!” 

Then Senpai smiled at me.

 “Souma-kun, I think you’re overestimating me, but still, when you say that, I feel like I have to do better as a senpai. Well, I’ll be resting in my room. Please send my greetings to Inuoe-san.” 

After saying that, Yukimura senpai turned and walked away.

“Yes, I will!”

 As I watched her slender figure disappear down the hallway, I thought to myself. 

(The reason why I can grow as a Shinsengumi soldier is because of you. You’ve been guiding me all along, Yukimura senpai.) 

After saying that in my heart, I headed to the kitchen to see Inuoe-san.

Some time later. 

Kondo Kyokucho was out for the day, so I was excited to help Senpai today, but she proposed to make up for the other day. 

“I’ll work extra hard today, so I want you to rest for the day, Souma-kun.” 

But I couldn’t just accept that and say yes. It would be wrong to let Senpai work while I rest on a non-holiday. 

While these thoughts were turning in my head, I asked Senpai for a favor. 

“If you want to make up for the other day, then I have a favor to ask…can you make my hometown flavor…my hometown’s cuisine with me next time?” 

“…Of course! I’d love to.” 

Yukimura senpai senpai smiled and accepted my offer. 

—- the end—-

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki Ginsei Souma Story

Well, this is the last of these stories that I can translate. The fanbook's got 5 other stories - four being associated with the seasons and one extra I don't know enough JP to understand what's it's about... and I'm too lazy to mtl the title (plus I don't remember which of those have/haven't been translated, and am also too lazy to check that right now since im driving myself crazy trying to download video stuff 😅).

Anyway, I don't know what I'm going to translate next month, but I should have more free time then so I'll hopefully get back to creating a backlog of translations... though if I don't, I guess I'll do things week by week, or whatever my schedule allows (sorry but r/l priorities>tl unfortunately hahaha).

anyway, this story was originally published in B’s Log 2020年9月.

enjoy!

Hakuoki Ginsei B’s Log 2020年9月 Souma Short Story “Fumidzuki (文月)” [meaning the 7th month]

Translation by KumoriYami

During the start of summer, at the beginning of July

The days completely felt like summer, but the evenings/nights were still a bit cooler.

"...Ah, speaking of which, today is Tanabata [Star Festival]."

I was patrolling headquarters, and stopped in front of the bamboo branches decorating the inside of headquarters.

The bamboo of the Tanabata were decorated with paper strips and streamers, which were made by Toudou-san and Harada-san to properly celebrate/enjoy Tanabata.

…While I stood there, lost in thought, as I stared at the bamboo, a voice came from behind.

"Souma-kun? Good work on your patrol/Patrol must be exhausting."

"Ah... Yukimura-senpai. It's quite late, so why haven't you gone to sleep?"

"It's been getting very warm at night and I couldn't sleep. so I'm cooling off while reading these tanzaku [the pieces of paper that wishes get written on during Tanabata]."

Yukimura-senpai stood beside me, and looked up towards the bamboo/looked up hopefully at the bamboo [*same note as the eighth next line].

"This tanzaku, is it Nagakura-san's? It says "I want my swordsmanship to reach the pinnacle.""

"Ah, next to Nagakura-san's is Nomura's. Although he doesn't he say that he wants to win against the executives, he still wants to beat me."

As I watched this scenery swaying in the wind, I abruptly asked with interest.

"Senpai, what do you wish for?

"Huh?"

"As expected, you still want to find your father as soon as possible and return to Edo with Kodo-san…."

"Of course I wish for that…[though] I asked for something else on my tanzaku. I wished that everyone would be healthy."

Senpai had a slightly forced smile as she looked up at the sky [ the word for 'looked up' here can be interpreted so that this says "looked up at the sky hopefully"].

If you looked up, you could see that the night sky had spread like after the tide receded, and how silver skies flickered as they formed the Milky Way [or something. confusing structure].

"There were many people injured during the patrols, and apart from that, with the sudden heat after Tanabata, the number of people getting sick has also increased. We should look for countermeasures."

"...Senpai really is like a doctor."

"My level of knowledge is only to the extent of what I've heard about."

Senpai was very humble, but I didn't think like that.

I had seen Senpai learn how to tie bandages, studying medicine and do other things when she's not doing chores...

I also know that when Matsumoto-sensei visits, he teachs her together with Yamazaki-san.

And most importantly, she acts with kindness, which is essential for a doctor.

"Water needs to be drank frequently, and the time and place of practice/training needs to be changed. Although various types of assistance can be obtained…"

I open my mouth to ask Senpai who was reflecting on the problem.

"For cooling off in the summer, what about this? It's something the Chief specially prepared for Tanabata."

"This is...?"

What I brought out was a very small wind chime.

The sound that reverberated in the night wind was very crisp.

"It might just be a matter of mood, but it becomess cooler when you hear that sound."

"Nn... I think it's great. It's incredible how just one sound can make such a big difference."

It's wonderful.

---end---

[sailforvalinor]

Unhinged thoughts I've had recently about Ienzo/Zexion in no particular order:

We learn from Even in BBS that Ienzo was adopted by Ansem the Wise at a young age after something happened to his parents and he was orphaned. However, for Ienzo's parents to even be mentioned here is really Odd for Kingdom Hearts--we've never seen a canonical appearance of a character's parent in any of the games, and there are only a handful of times they've even been mentioned (Riku mentions that Sora's dad usually takes them out on the boats in BBS, Terra calls Eraqus his father but is not related to him by blood, Sora's mom notoriously calls him in to dinner in KH1, and Kairi had a grandmother in Radiant Garden if you want to count that). The only time we've ever seen the canonical appearance of a parent in the games is Xehanort's mother in KHUX/Dark Road, and that was extremely recent and considered very abnormal. Kingdom Hearts, up until KHUX, was always very unconcerned with the concept of blood family, so the fact that this bit of dialogue was included about Ienzo feels way too out of place not to be deliberate, especially since no other Organization member's parents are ever discussed (even though Lea and Isa were also kids). Given that Nomura seems particularly intent on exploring bloodlines in his current and future KH projects, I wonder if this detail will turn out to be something significant.

The scene in KHII Final Mix where Xigbar interrogates Zexion about what Xemnas is up to in the Chamber of Repose rings especially strange now that we know that Xigbar is actually Luxu (and additionally because the scene was not originally in the game and added to Final Mix, though probably this was to set up plotlines for BBS). What did Luxu think Zexion knew? He doesn't appear to actually glean any information from him--it's Zexion who gets information in this scene, he learns that Xemnas is looking for Ventus. Additionally, if Luxu already knew that Xemnas was looking for the Chamber of Waking to find Ven, he definitely knew that he was talking to Aqua in some way in the Chamber of Repose--my guess is that he was trying to learn from Zexion whether Xemnas had actually captured Aqua herself. (Luxu's ultimate goal here, remember, is to get Xehanort to act as the "scapegoat" and recreate the Keyblade War, and he's trying to keep as close of tabs on his progress as possible. Xemnas was trying to track down more ancient Keyblade wielders at this point--Luxu having just recruited Lauriam--and he likely wanted to know if he had managed to turn Aqua to their cause.) However, as Luxu is almost as inscrutable as MoM himself and his motives are extremely difficult to read, it is possible there's something else that he was trying to learn from him. If this is the case, I'd say that it was probably something that Zexion didn't even know he knew, or else he probably would have told Sora in KH3 if he had deemed it important.

Additionally, this exchange makes one question why Luxu would go to Zexion for this information in the first place, as he had already instated himself as Xemnas' right-hand man and is the person Xemnas would be most likely to tell this information. Nomura has stated in the past that Xemnas and Zexion shared a sort of "master-servant or teacher-student" relationship, which would likely explain this. This also explains why Saix believed that he was a threat to his rise to prominence within the Organization, even though he was a lesser number than him, and had Axel eliminate him in Castle Oblivion. It's kind of a shame that we never got to see this dynamic.

It does seem odd that Xemnas would deliberately mentor Zexion, a non-Keyblade wielder, if he was deliberately looking for Keyblade wielders of old to be his vessels. However, since Ienzo was only around eight or nine years old when he was manipulated into becoming a Nobody (which, side note, that's messed up), it's possible that he believed he might grow to have this potential--or, more likely, he knows what happened to his parents and believes him to have some connection to or be descended from a Keyblade wielder of old.

Zexion is the only Nobody besides Roxas and Namine to have a complete opposite personality to their recompleted self--while Zexion is reserved, terse, manipulative, and delights in cruelty and deception, Ienzo is warm, helpful, and borderline extroverted. While his lack of evil intent and fanatical devotion to the Organization's goals can be chalked up to his being recompleted, just as the other recompleted Organization members are no longer evil, it can't be denied that the difference between Ienzo and Zexion is like night and day. (Take Axel and Aeleus, for example--though they are no longer Nobodies and their goals are different, their personalities remain the same for all intents and purposes.) Ienzo mentions to Sora that they are no longer evil because they were out from under Xemnas's influence, so it's possible that we could ascribe this personality shift to that, especially as we know that he and Xemnas had a mentor-student relationship, and because we know that Ienzo was lied to as a child and made to believe that Ansem the Wise (his guardian) had gone mad and abandoned them (he says that "they" told him this, but it seems likely that this was Xehanort himself, which might be why he became closer to him rather than Vexen). However, as Ienzo does not learn that this information was false until late in KH3, this seems unlikely--and honestly, that drastic of a personality shift still seems unlikely in the short amount of time (at least, to him) between his being killed in CoM and recompleted in DDD. This makes me wonder if, like Roxas and Namine, his transformation from a human into a Nobody was somehow abnormal, though in what way I'm not sure.

Zexion's lexicon is called "The Book of Retribution," and I'm desperate to know why. Retribution for what? His guardian abandoning him?

[moonknightproductions]

For the character bingo, Xehanort and your favorite Yu-Gi-Oh character?

Gonna put this under a cut because the explanations are gonna get a little long lol

For Xehanort:

Explanations:

I absolutely love his design (any of them), Nomura knocked it out of the park with this one (although him being darker skinned than most of the cast is kinda… you know). Love the coats, love the boots, etc. BUT they could’ve gone even further with his character, even as a kid. Establish his weird empathy powers and run with it. Second row’s are pretty much self-explanatory.

As much as I want to say he’s got a big fanon focus, it’s really only a select group of people who’re in the know about Dark Road (see bottom left of the bingo lol). He very much is THEE character for me, the one who solidified my love for KH.

Autism beam.

If I think about him too long I get a headache (affectionate). Changed my life (as a package deal with kh obviously but Xeha specifically was a big part of it). I really want him to come back in KH4 even if just a cameo. Let me see my boy again in Quadratum living his best 14th life.

For the Yugis (I got a bingo!):

This is for both Yugi and Yami (which is why the dynamic one isn’t filled in; they work as standalone BECAUSE they’re so often in a dynamic). They’re a package deal.

Everyone makes fun of his hair but is it really any worse than, say, Goku’s? Yami especially could be a lot weirder (I know he mellowed out by Duel Monsters with Yugi’s help but l wish he retained some of his season 0 energy, he was very fun in that). The only ship I don’t really hate is Yugi/Anzu, actually. Yugi’s very transmasc to me but also I saw this fanart of fem-presenting genderfluid Yami and she was kinda hot ngl, so.

They very much captured my attention (in a “godammit why does every media I get into nowadays feature a characters with multiple personalities/accidental DID rep (affectionate)” way) and is basically the reason I kept watching past the first few episodes.

His name means game (how original, Takahashi). Autism.

Similarly to Xehanort, if I think about them for too long I start to cry (they’re just so sad and sweet to each other and aughhh). Due to his main character status, people constantly try to kill Yugi and he was bullied a lot before finishing the Puzzle.

Also similarly to Xehanort, he changed my life for the better (in combination with the series but it was mostly Yugi and Yami). However, in exchange, they will not leave my head. At all. They’re the form my consciousness is deciding to take for when I need to talk to myself (and it’s only natural that it’d do this considering the above-mentioned accidental DID rep). Not that I mind, I love him!

For context (even though this means nothing to people who aren’t also into it), I haven’t gotten to GX’s fourth season yet, but I have watched/read all of s0, watched both the og and dub of Duel Monsters, and am in the middle of reading the Duelist manga. I’ve also watched most of the Yugi-related movies except Bonds Through Time, so it’s pretty safe to say I’ve seen a lot of Yu-Gi-Oh media with Yugi in it. YET SOMEHOW I MISS HIM ALL THE TIME? I know I could always reread/watch stuff but every time I finish doing that I just wanna see my boy again??? I’m never satisfied with the amount I’ve seen him???

Despite all that, I do hope he’s happy. I haven’t gotten to 5Ds yet so idk what he’s like in that but I hope the protagonist of that show can help him if he needs it.

[kingdomcarrots]

So whatcha think of that khdr ending 👀

Okay, beware everybody SPOILERS TIME.

Ngl I expected the worst sooo the ending was fine to me! I expected everyone to die except our chessboys but maybe not that ruthlessly. Thanks gods there was this long waiting so my heart was in peace. I don’t think I’d have been that calm if they had released the chapter one by one like before fjgkfkf

Baldr was no a surprise too. How a clingy baby boy like him could have coped so easily the lost of his sister? Nice move Darkness!

I’m happy that Nomura says that he want to tell more about the upperclassmen in another media ‘cause…

THEY ALL PERFECT. WE SEE SO FEW OF THEM BUT I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH AAAA

ESPECIALLY YOU HELGI.

Do you sense that strong himbo energy? AH! DELICIOUS.

Very fond of Claude Vidar too. The Pre-Xehanort! Heart too soft to go this far for summoning Kingdom Hearts, you tried babe! So, that’s why he shares some features with Xehanort? Dark skin, almost gold eyes…? Eh. [shrug]

I’m glad we know who was the mysterious dude on DI, raising a child by their own one a tiny island (btw, didn’t DI has MAIN ISLANDS? I know “to protect from Darkness“ blabla but srly? It’s a PLAYGROUND FOR KIDS. So then -gasp- the caban and so on were their doing and not Sora and co… omg it gonna be meta again. We built OUR PLAYGROUND) buuuut I’m also a bit disappointed haha I liked the “WE WERE XEHANORT ALL ALONG“ thing 8D

Thinking that I was joking about that very page in the Ultimania book back then “aww what a nice family portrait!” L O L Thanks Nomura for the hint. Now, BRING US MORE ABOUT ERAQUS TOO. He’s like what he says: There’s more to light than meets the eye. I knooooow iiiiiit.

Pretty sad about Xehanort hearing “you’re the Child of the Destiny“ “you’re the Chosen One“ to realize that no, you’re not, it’s Sora the Chosen One. And thus, bequeath the X-blade to him at the end of KH3. You’ve followed the dark road sweety, thinking it would be the only way. Maybe you could have been that Child following the other way… Like Anakin and Luke. The father failed but the son succeeded. The son was the real hope. …father and son… [shakes her head to get the idea out of her brain]

AND WHAT ABOUT THE HAIR?

Well, headcanon the Dark road made him bald still lives for me but with the help of a razor LOL What a dramaking.

That sadness in Eraqus’ eyes [fist clinched] The sadness of a man knowing what he must do. No one can stop me thinking that he’s somehow worst than Xehanort cause he trained and sacrificed his apprentices to stop his ex-husband. The true Champion of Light. Who can make sacrifice for the commun good. Speaking of Light…

POINT FOR VANITAS. It struck me back then after my second or third run of KH3 which coincided with the end of KHUX. When you defeat Vanitas he does this gloomy talk about I’m Darkness blabla yeah yeah I get it poor little emo meow meow. But he IS LITERALLY DARKNESS. Then, Xehanort truly saved Ventus by draging out them of Ventus’ heart to defeat him without hurting Ven (well he tried at least thus giving him to Eraqus to heal him) cause… he’s one of the friends he used to dream about.

Could Sora be able to do that with the Lost Masters too? To save them and annihilate the Darkness at the same time? We all know he will do that.

OMG I ALMOST FORGOT THE RAT.

Well. I knew it. Damn you Luxu LOL

Ok, one last question remains… If we break the Internet, will the 4 trapped Darkness release? _(:3 」∠)_

[gently hold those tiny old men on my heart]

[silver-wield]

Hey, so I saw this theory somewhere and want to build on that. Currently, we don't know what's up with cetras and how *exactly jenova works. All we know is that it can appear to look like something else. So, okay, someone brought up what if during the time where cloud attacks aerith later in the story, he actually Sees tifa instead, a jenova tifa. Maybe jenova made him see a hallucination. Sephiroth talking shit affecting his fragile mind. This is coming from the those you love part but he doesn't love aerith. Now, it could not be but I'm thinking this because of her "whatever you do don't.... it's just your imagination" maybe he sees a fake tifa in her and the hallucination is the imagination. Since we both know the mechanics don't do anything to the story, and according to nomura, the story is linear only to tifa, the rest is fan service. It means there's no build up for any other character, even if we take non optional into consideration.

Now now, he could just be trying to kill her because he's controlled and cetra etc but having that line in her resolution? Chekhov's gun points me to something sinister like this. Otherwise, the initial interpretation cleriffs or certain cloti has of it will only turn into unnecessary fans service and honestly what's the point of that other than BS? At least if it's the former, it's something life or death situation.

I think this would also make aerith's vagueness during that resolution as reasonable. Either she can't say that he'll be hurting "tifa" and in part 1 that's unimaginable so saying that will be pointless, or she doesn't actually understand why he attacked her but he did went "closer" to her , she misinterpreted that, and then he tried to kill her.

It can be said that he might have learned his lesson when he tried to kill tifa before, but he is unstable, unhinged, and that scene could only be a foreshadowing. I really just hope they don't twist this into " oh he l*ved her that's why he tried to kill her" BS or that "l*ve can also be platonic" BS. Because that really makes no sense with how they're really building up cloti. Tifa is the only one exclusive for that "love" while sephiroth is exclusive to "fear".

What do you think? Sorry if it sounds stupid.. I tried my best.

Aerith said that because she's an arrogant bitch who thinks Cloud has feelings for her when it's just her all on her own. The devs even stated she's mostly telling herself that rather than him because he's clearly never been interested in her.

Idky people think she's not a bitch when every opportunity she has she behaves like a bitch. Someone needs to turn the hose on her.

As for what cetra do, my older sister put it best. They're hippies.

[spiritsncrystals]

Atom gets introduced to the wonderful world of adult literature

[anju45]

𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙔 𝘽𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙃𝘿𝘼𝙔

╰•★★ 💛 アール & エル 💚 ★★•╯

[milaisreading]

Imagine Crossdresser! reader passing out during an interview live while the rest of the team watches it lol

🌱🩷: I wrote something similar to what your request is! Hope you like it🩷

Warnings: Reader uses she/her, but she is crossdressing as a guy, keep that in mind! Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura ⚽️

'This is so annoying. And I can already imagine the jokes Ness and Kaiser will be making at my expense for this interview.' (Y/n) thought as she glanced at one of the cameras. It took everything in her willpower not to yawn as she knew everyone who follows BBLKTV was watching this. The sleep-deprivation pretty much stopped any nervousness she could feel at the moment. The past few weeks weren't that kind to her, from the constant back and forth between Rin and Shidou's fights, watching over Kunigami and the rest of Blue locks BM players, to her parents and the JFA scolding her to be on her best behavior, (Y/n) was ready to call the quits.

'It's like I am their parent or something.' She thought as the interviewer entered the room.

'Not to mention that my period is about to start soon. Do I have any pads left?' The girl thought, looking over at Anri, who was standing behind the camera and sending her a thumbs up.

"Hello, (L/n). I will be interviewing you today, thanks for taking the time of your day for this." The man said warmly, causing (Y/n) to give him back a small smile.

"Thank you for inviting me, Nihei-san. It's a honor to be here." The girl got up and bowed at the man before sitting down again.

'All this media training will be the end of me.' The girl thought as she looked back at the man, who let out a sigh of relief.

'Thank God it's not another Itoshi Sae situation.' The man thought as he looked through his papers.

"So, you don't need to be nervous or anything. The questions are very easy and you can take your time to answer them, there is no time limit or anything. And, the cameras are filming right now, just a warning." Nihei said as he pointed at the camera behind him. (Y/n) slowly nodded her head, blinking the blurriness away and focusing back on the man.

"Of course. Thank you very much, I will keep the things in mind. And the staff already warned me about the cameras as well, I am very greatful for that."

'The amount of times I would have yawned...'

"Alright, let's start then. Ok?"

"Of course."

Back at Blue Lock...

"Kaiser, I swear if you don't move away I will kick you." Kunigami warned as the blonde smirked, still standing in front to the TV.

"I don't know. I like it here a lot." Isagi rolled his eyes as Yukimiya and Kurona sighed in annoyance, while Hiori was whispering something to Gagamaru.

"Nobody wants to see your flat ass, Kaiser."

"His ass isn't flat, Yoichi!"

"Shut up, Ness!" Noa was about to interject, but stopped when he saw Hiori and Gagamaru tackle the blonde to the ground.

"Shut it! (Y/n) is speaking!" Yukimiya yelled as Isagi and Kurona kept their focus on the TV.

"So, how was your experience with Bastard München so far? The fans would like to hear from the player who is in that stratum now."

"It's been great so far. I am grateful that we have a coach as experienced as Noel Noa to help us, and I am happy to I am able to play withgreat teammates. Especially the ones from Blue lock, they all progressed tremendously." (Y/n) answered back as the boys blushed a little.

"Hahaha, what can I say. I did progress quite good, actually." Yukimiya boasted as Hiori chimed in.

"So did I. (Y/n) even said he was proud of Isagi and I after the Ubers match."

"Right. It's even better for me since (Y/n) has seen my developments from the beginning." Isagi added in as Kurona thought over his words.

"(Y/n) has said the same thing to me 2 nights ago. He was even sad that I couldn't continue playing for the rest of the Uvers match."

"I got compliments on blocking Barou's shots as well! It felt really nice." Gagamaru admitted. Kunigami cleared his throat, looking nervous to everyone's surprise.

"I got told that my defense got better after the Barcha match."

Ness and Kaiser kept quiet as they spoke about the player, feeling a little jealous that they never got any compliments.

"Whatever. He probably only compliments the Blue Lock players." Kaiser rolled his eyes.

"Not really. I got complimented as well. (Y/n) also added in he likes my hair." Grim told Kaiser.

"Same for me. He complimented me after the Manshine match since my passes helped him a lot to score his 2nd goal then." Sachs added in.

"What?!" Kaiser asked in disbelief, then looked at Gesner.

"And you?"

"He complimented me on my strength when we were both on the gym." Gesner said nervously as Kaiser looked at the trio as if they had betrayed him.

"This isn't fair..." Ness pouted while looking back at the Blue Lock team.

"Sucks to suck." Kurona chuckled.

PXG...

Now, Rin tried (and failed) to pretend that he didn't care about the whole interview, but he couldn't. He cared way too much. So that's why he was now sat down in front of thr TV, ignoring whatever Tokimitsu, Karasu, and Shidou were saying.

"Shut up!! I want to hear what he is saying!" Charles yelled at the group while Loki tried to calm him down.

"Calm down,you all."

"While we are at the topic of foreign teams." The group stopped and looked at the TV again.

"Is there any foreign player you would want to play with in a team?"

(Y/n) blinked at the reporter and stayed quiet as she thought it over.

"Boooriiing. He would never pick a foreign player over one of us. Especially me." Karasu smirked, earning a few glares from the others.

"You mean me! I am the one he said he could barely keep up with during our first match." Shidou butted in.

"And yet you still lost." Karasu jabbed back.

"Shut it! He would be pick me. I am the number 1 here, after all." Rin rolled his eyes.

"Being the 1 isn't the only thing that matters, Rin. Besides, (Y/n) admires my dribbling."

Charles rolled his eyes at the team and cleared his throat.

"Please don't." Loki begged.

"Yet the interviewer cares about none of you. (Y/n) will definitely pick me here-"

"I really enjoyed playing against Julian Loki during one of our selection rounds. While I don't know his current abilities yet, I would definitely pick him as a teammate. He is very easy to get along with." (Y/n)'s answer quickly shut up the group. The Blue Lock team kept quiet as they looked at Loki while Charles looked at him in utter disbelief.

"You stole him away!" The French player said as Loki looked at him in disbelief.

"I did not?! Besides, he knows me for longer than he knows you."

"So now you are showing off?!"

"Are you stupid?!"

Ubers...

"(Y/n) should gave asked me for some fashion advice. Why would he wear the Bastard uniform during an international interview of all times." Aryu tsked in disapproval as he looked at the TV. Niko rolled his eyes at the comment and looked at the taller player.

"How does that matter now? He is having a interview about Blue lock, not a fashion show."

Snuffy chuckled at the younger players comment and ruffled his hair.

"Calm down, Niko. But, he does have a point, Aryu. (Y/n) was told to wear that, after all.

"They purposely wanted him to look ugly." Aryu pouted.

"Will all three of you shut up? I am trying to listen." Barou groaned as Lorenzo looked at him in amusement.

"Didn't thing a king like you was invested in stuff like this."

"Shut it-"

"As you are aware, the whole world is looking forward to your final match against PXG. But, the fans would like to know which game was so far the most exhausting one."

"Hmm... that's an easy one, definitely the one we had against Ubers. While Barcha and Manshine were challenging as well, the Ubers one outweighs them a lot. Not only did the team already have good and experienced players like Don Lorenzo, and their coach Marc Snuffy. But, my own teammates have evolved quite a lot. While I was annoyed that the end of the match kept getting delayed, I was very happy to see them give their all on the field."

The trio kept quiet as they blushed while looking at the TV. Snuffy and Lorenzo silently laughing at their reactions.

Manshine...

"(Y/n) looks a lot paler than I remember him to be. Don't you two think so?" Reo asked, looking back at Chigiri and Nagi for an answer. The redhead narrowed his eyes and inspected the captain before slowly nodding his head.

"It sure looks like it. I wonder if he is sick or something." Chigiri said in worry while Nagi kept quiet.

"I hope Bastard aren't stressing him out too much." Reo rolled his eyes as he thought about the German team.

"We all pretty much witnessed your hat trick during the match against Manshine city, how did you feel back then? Excitement? Confusion?"

The three looked at the TV, silently waiting for an answer.

"Well it was a mix of both, but mainly confusion. I really wasn't sure, and still I am not sure what had possessed me om the field back then. But, I am grateful for the chances Isagi, Kurona, and Sachs-san gave me to score."

"I can only imagine, especially when you got such a high bid offer from Re Al right after."

"That was a surprise to me as well. I didn't imagine they would notice me like that." (Y/n) chuckled as Nagi and Reo facepalmed.

"He really needs to work on his confidence."

"Nothing changed with him."

"It's cute. He reminds me of a puppy." Chigiri laughed as a blush coated his cheeks.

Barcha...

"Keep it down you two. You won't be able to hear anything." Lavinho said as he looked at Otoya and Bachira, which immediately shut them up.

"We didn't see (Y/n) in so long! Can you blame us?" Otoya said as Bachira nodded along.

"Do you still stand by your statement that the game against Barcha was your favorite one?" The trio looked back at the TV, waiting impatiently at the answer.

"Yes. It was probably more relaxing since it was our first one and, personally, I had a lot of adrenaline rushing through my body. Also, Lavinho-san made the match more interesting with his antics." (Y/n) laughed as the Brazilian laughed along.

"Finally someone who understands!"

"And this is why we should have kidnapped him out of the Bastard stratum."

"Bachira, no." Otoya said in a scolding manner.

Back with (Y/n)...

'Can this be over already? I van barely keep my eyes open.' (Y/n) thought, trying to keep her focus on the questions and the interviewer, but that focus was slowly slipping away.

"We have a few more questions and then we are done. Are you ready to answer the next one?"

"Sure-" Before (Y/n) could finish her answer, her vision turned black and she fell unconscious.

"(Y/n)!" Anri yelled in fear as the interviewer caught the girl before she could fall face first on the floor.

"He is fine. He just fainted. Turn off the cameras." Nihei said as the camera man quickly turned everything off. Anri ran to (Y/n)'s side, sighing in relief when she saw the girl was still breathing.

"Bring me some water and call a medic." Anri told the interviewer then looked back at (Y/n) in worry.

'I knew this whole interview was a bad idea. And the PIFA and Re Al higher-ups are watching this as well. The last thing I need is for (Y/n) to get scolded for being exhausted.'

Panic in the stratums pretty much started the moment they saw the girl faint and the cameras got cut off. Ego felt of course worried, and along with Noa and the other coaches was immediately at the medics office.

"So, he was exhausted?" Loki asked as the doctor nodded his head.

"Pretty much. Lack of sleep caused his body to crash. Aside from that, I have noticed he was under a lot more stress the past few weeks, either caused by the games or the JFA, I can't tell right now."

"What is the next best thing I can do now? I am his coach, after all." Noa spoke up.

"Just let him rest for a few days. If possible, delay the match against PXG for a week or so."

"Sure. Ego-san-"

"Consider it done, Loki." Ego said back, interrupting the French player.

"Also, I would like you all to keep the players at bay for now. Just let him sleep, visitors will only cause more harm now."

"Don't worry about that."

"We will handle it." Chris and Lavinho nodded along as Snuffy patted Noa's back.

"The boys need to practice, anyway. So keeping them away will be easy."

The doctor nodded his head and looked back at Ego.

"Anri is currently with him, so you don't need to worry. Should something happen I will immediately inform you. But, as I said, everything will be fine. He just needs rest."

"Alright." Ego said back, a little bit relieved that (Y/n) wasn't in a life-threatening condition or anything. As the doctor left, Loki and the adults silently thought over their plans to tell the other players.

"It will be quite a headache. Especially since Nagi, Reo, and Chigiri are so stubborn." Chris groaned as Lavinho shrugged his shoulders.

"Just give them punishments if they don't listen. What else can we do."

"True, but let's try being reasonable first." Snuffy added in.

"Lucky for me I have the most unreasonable players in my team." Noa butted in as Loki chuckled a little.

"You clearly didn't meet mine yet."

"I don't care how unreasonable they are, if they defy the rule, inform me. I will give them a proper punishment then." Ego told the coaches in a serious manner.

[kyzveryown]

Observations — KHDR Finale

After almost two years of waiting, we've all finally had the chance to experience the rest of KHDR. And it was surprisingly enjoyable despite being an unnecessary addition to the series’ overarching story. For the first time in the series' 20-year history, death finally has some weight. The humor also seems to have slightly improved, which is surprising since KH's attempts at humor have always been garbage. And while there wasn't any real info or setups leading into the new saga, it did provide some backstory for Xehanort and a tiny glimpse into KHML.

In the last scene, it's revealed that Xehanort was meant to be a "child of destiny" a.k.a one of the "chosen ones" to defeat the darkness. Evidently, that never happened. But it does make me curious. Obviously, Sora and Kairi are "children of destiny" (chosen ones). Most likely, the Master of Masters intends for Sora to be the one to slay himself and the Foretellers to permanently destroy the Ancient Entities of Darkness – much like Xehanort did with the one that possessed Baldr. Interestingly, the gold chains that Odin used to bind Baldr are the same ones that Sora summons from his key chain in the KHIV trailer. Maybe the new "scrap and build" mechanic in KHIV could play a role in defeating the darkness.

We learn that the "Player is Xehanort" plot twist was a red-herring (thankfully). That makes a bit curious about what happens with them in KHML. So far, the only characters who've been shown to retain memories of their past lives are the Player and the Master of Masters. I wouldn't be surprised if there’s more. Likely, they’d lack the awareness of their past lives due to the memories not having been triggered, or due to them being locked away deep within their hearts/souls. There could also be someone who’s aware of their previous life or lives but they're keeping it hidden for some reason. I'm betting that the latter will end up being the case at some point.

While my idea of the link between the living and the deceased being a connection forged from loss isn't exactly what happened in KHDR, Xehanort and Eraqus are able to converse with the four dead upperclassmen by means of the Underworld via Hades. He seems to have access to the Final World which makes sense. That explains why Donald and Goofy are there in the KHIV trailer. Also, Hoder used to same method of placing her soul inside someone else that Eraqus would later use. The scene with her and Baldr perfectly mirrors the one with Eraqus and Xehanort in at the end of KHIII.

There was a not-so-subtle nod to Skuld possibly being one of Xehanort's distant ancestors in the last scene. This was later hinted at by Nomura in an interview about the finale. So, unfortunately, it's looking like Skuld might not be Subject X for the moment. Then we have Luxu, who is revealed to be Bragi which I'm sure is a surprise to no one. The Master of Masters casually taking a stroll through the dark void and finding Xehanort passed out is alarming yet funny. I doubt that was a coincidence though. There has to be more to that.

It's now been officially confirmed that Vanitas was the Entity of Darkness that Ventus sealed within his heart. Whether he's the same Darkness from Re:Mind that spoke to Sora remains unknown, but at this point it probably is. Still makes zero sense to me be whatever. I'll take the L for now. Based on what the EOD that took over Baldr said, it seem Lesser Darkness Entities can be produced. I wonder if that'll play into the story going forward. It'd be interesting to see one of the Guardians end up in the same situation as Baldr.

And that concludes my observations for the finale. This post was finished way later than I anticipated. I tried to find some more noteworthy things to write about, but the story was pretty straightforward with barely any new info. There wasn’t a lot to work with this time. I'll post my opinions and critiques of the finale some other time.

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[eurekadiario]

La crisis del banco en la sombra de China aviva el temor al desbordamiento de la vivienda

Uno de los gigantes bancarios en la sombra de China cayó en una crisis de liquidez, lo que demuestra cómo se está extendiendo el contagio de la industria inmobiliaria en problemas y plantea dudas sobre hasta dónde llegará la crisis. Las compañías fiduciarias vinculadas a Zhongzhi Enterprise Group Co., que tiene activos por más de 1 billón de yuanes, no pagaron docenas de productos, muchos de los cuales pueden haber sido respaldados por proyectos inmobiliarios.

Uno de los gigantes bancarios en la sombra de China cayó en una crisis de liquidez, lo que demuestra cómo se está extendiendo el contagio de la industria inmobiliaria en problemas y plantea dudas sobre hasta dónde llegará la crisis. Las compañías fiduciarias vinculadas a Zhongzhi Enterprise Group Co., que tiene activos por más de 1 billón de yuanes, no pagaron docenas de productos, muchos de los cuales pueden haber sido respaldados por proyectos inmobiliarios.

"Los mercados aún subestiman las consecuencias del colapso significativo en el sector inmobiliario de China", escribió en un informe Lu Ting, economista jefe para China de Nomura Holdings Inc. para causar más vientos en contra a su ya debilitado impulso económico, según el informe.

Los problemas de Zhongzhi ya han provocado protestas, lo que ha llevado a la policía a tomar medidas drásticas contra los clientes descontentos. Tiene 270 productos por un total de 39.500 millones de yuanes con vencimiento este año, según el proveedor de datos Use Trust.

Si bien los incumplimientos informados de Zhongrong Trust aún no parecen ser una preocupación sistémica, una liquidación desordenada de cualquier gran fideicomiso o empresa de gestión de patrimonio podría poner a prueba la estabilidad financiera a corto plazo, escribió Zerlina Zeng, analista de investigación senior de CreditSights, en una nota.

Las consecuencias de Country Garden se están extendiendo a los nombres de grado de inversión a medida que se profundiza la recesión inmobiliaria de China. Los bonos en dólares de unidades de Gemdale Corp. y Seazen Group Ltd., desarrolladores que también se encontraban entre los elegidos para vender notas locales garantizadas por el estado como lo hizo Country Garden, aceleraron las caídas la semana pasada. Los bonos emitidos por Longfor Group Holdings Ltd. y China Vanke Co., dos de los pocos desarrolladores de grado de inversión del sector privado del país, corrieron la misma suerte.

Es probable que el pago retrasado de Country Garden ya exacerbe la pérdida de confianza y un incumplimiento solo empeoraría las cosas, escribieron en un informe los analistas de S&P Global Ratings dirigidos por Edward Chan. Dijeron que una recuperación de las ventas nacionales en forma de "L" parece cada vez más probable que cambie a una figura de "escalera descendente".

El banco central dio un paso al frente para ofrecer recortes de tasas inesperados y se comprometió a mantener la estabilidad financiera. El Banco Popular de China redujo el costo de sus préstamos a un año y siete días a las instituciones financieras, antes de la publicación de datos que mostraban un débil crecimiento del gasto de los consumidores, una disminución de la inversión y un aumento del desempleo en julio.

En su informe de implementación de la política monetaria del segundo trimestre, el PBOC se comprometió a "intensificar el ajuste de la política macroeconómica" y "evitar de manera resuelta una corrección excesiva en el tipo de cambio", ya que el yuan se deslizó hacia su nivel más débil desde 2007.

Es un antiguo dilema para los bancos centrales que se enfrentan a una economía debilitada: ¿controlar la tasa de interés o la moneda? Intentar hacer ambas cosas, como lo intentó recientemente el Banco de Japón, con frecuencia no logra convencer a los comerciantes que ven una oportunidad.

"Si los mercados están convencidos de que el sector inmobiliario se puede estabilizar y la espiral descendente se frena de manera resuelta", la confianza hacia el yuan podría mejorar, dijo Zhi Xiaojia, jefe de investigación de Credit Agricole CIB.