#pov you are a shogunate samurai

[aratinarainstorm]

another one of my favorite genshin impact headcanons is the idea that kokomi is secretly a deep sea eldritch horror, sent by an ancient force to avenge the death of orobashi

this is most definitely not canon but imo it’s a really compelling idea. sangonomiya kokomi, divine priestess of watatsumi island, grace and elegance and benevolence incarnate, is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. a monster in disguise, risen from the barren depths of the sea, with one ultimate goal in mind.

make the shogun and her people pay.

every drop of blood, every life lost to the war, is more nourishment for her god. the shogunate’s soldiers will be fine prey for orobashi, and if the people of watatsumi die too? so be it. it doesn’t matter who dies. all that matters is that, in the end, what remains of orobashi is sated

i also like the idea that kujou sara is the only one who knows this. she’s the only person who has ever seen kokomi as she truly is, and as such, she dreads the thought of facing her on the battlefield. she knows that whatever demon hides behind that elegant facade will strike her down in a heartbeat. because all that lives, and all that comes from raiden ei, is nothing more than blood to water orobashi’s fields — and kokomi? she is no different. she simply exists to ensure her god is fed.

also before the war maybe kokomi goes hunting every now and then to drag the bodies of pirates or wayward sailors or shogunate samurai either to the depths of the sea, or to watatsumi. because after all, she is the divine priestess, and do priestesses not sacrifice too?

[the-last-f2p]

Yandere promts day 10

10. “You’re lucky I’m so nice. Anyone else would’ve done something horrible, by now.”

Featuring: Thoma

TW:

"Good mornin' Yoimiya-Chan!" You smile to your friend as you sit down infront of her. Man Inazuma is so pretty its been years since you've been here, even though the Sakokou Decree is still in swing but thanks to a certain captain of a boat and a wanderering Samurai you had been dropped of to Ritou! You had a list of names of friends in Inazuma which consisted of Thoma, Ayaka, Ayato, Yoimiya, Heizou ,Kokomi and Gourou.

"Y/N-CHAN ITS BEEN FOREVER!!" Your blonde haired friend tackled you into a hug.

"Ehe~ It has!"

"I gotta tell Ayaka! And Thoma!! Oh Thoma's gonna be so happy when he hears you're back!" Yoimiya started spinning around like a mad-woman.

"Wait Yomiya!" Yoimiya paused her happy twirling to look towards you "Don't tell Thoma me and Ayaka have a plan."

Yoimiya look at you but soon enough realized what you meant.

"Are you gonna confess? Oh my Raiden Shogun yesyeysyeyeysyesyeysyesyeyessyeysyeysyeyesyeyssyesyeysyeys." Yoimiya kept on saying yes for about a minute until.

"L/N-Chan are you ready we ha-" Ayaka had found you talking to Yoimya well acutally staring at her while she was saying yes millions of times.

"AYAKA!" Yoimiya started to run to Ayaka then asking the question.

"Is Y/N-Chan gonna ask Thoma out?" Ayaka then looked at Yoimiya kind of confused.

"What? No." Ayaka bluntly told Yomiya

"L/N Thoma should be in Ritou rember getting the travel documents for you are an outlander."

"Thank you again Ayaka I don't think I would be in Inazuma city without you!" You than ran off leaving the two girl

s to their own devices.

THOMA POV

"Evening Thoma did you hear about that person who snuck into Inazuma?"

"Someone snuck into Inazuma?" And I didn't know about it wow.

"Yeah its kinda suprising right? I heard from someone who's cousin's friend is working for the Kamisato Clan that the Shirisagi Himegemi helped the person out! " "Oh really?" I don't think thats real no way Ayaka wouldn't tell me.

"I don't think th-"

"THOMAaAaAaAAaAaAaaaAAAA " Wait is that- No way- They moved back to Mondstat before the Sakakou Decree.

"Its been a while ya suprised?" The person then tackled me into a hug. This is when I realized it was Y/N L/N my childhood crush the one who I dreamt of confessing to.

"I-I suppose it has been"

"Oh my Barbatos so much has happened I have a job as Knight of Favonious I'm the Starlight Knight! I have a boyfriend and I made a song with Barbra!" Did she say Boyfriend? What ? Nononononononononononononononononononononononononono....

"Who?"

"Barbra! Don't you remeber?"

"No I meant your boyfriend."

"Oh Diluc he's really cool and kind of like batman ..."

"I'm only staying for a week so I wanted to ask if you wanted to meet me behind the Kamisato estate tomorrow around midnight!"

"Sure!"

"Great I'll see you then! Also do you know how to get to Watasumi Island and back in a day I wanna see Kokomi and Gorou! Oh and I haven't seen Heizou in a while-" "Relax! The resident fixer of Inazuma has got you covered! Heizou is probably somewhere in Inazuma city by the way!"

"Ok thanks Thoma I'll be going now!" They then ran off to Inazuma city. Can they do that? Anyway now I wonder if this Diluc guy has anything worth noting.

1 DAY LATER 11:30

YOUR POV

It had been a day since I last talked to Thoma and I was kind of worried about him he seemed to be a bit.. Weird. When I mentioned Diluc. Ayaka has been worried about him as well apprently he skipped work because of something important. Thats not as weird for a normal person but for Thoma-

"Hey Y/N!" My thoughts were interupted by the blonde I was thinking about as he ran up to me.

"Hey Thoma." I smile at the blonde

"Did ya get to talk to Heizou?"

"Yup. We made plans to go to Watatsumi Islad together!" It was a bit weird for a Tenriyo commision detective to be going to the base of the resistance but he told me "It will be Y/N I am but a simple tourist!" Archons I don't know why I'm friends with him.

"Oh. You're probably wondering why I asked you to come here well.." I turned the corner to get Ayaka who was ready to pass me the stuff.

"Ta-da!" I say as I show Thoma a few presents I got from Mondstat which included a pretty glider , wine of course and a photo from when me a Thoma were kids! I saw his eyes light up as he gasped excitedly.

"Oh. My. ARCHONS. Y/N you're amazing!" He quickly took the stuff before tackling me into a hug. I laughed.

"Thoma!- You're just the same as when we were kids you know that right?"

"Ehe~ Guess I am!" Thoma laughed little did you know he had draistcally changed from when you last saw him...

3 DAYS LATER

"Well it was a hell of ride Heizou." I turn to face Heizou who was walking beside me looking a bit nervous.

"BUT YOU COULD'VE TOLD ME THERE WERE MORE RONIN MAYBE THEN I WOULDN'T NEARLY DIED!" I scream at Heizou we had just finished our trip to Watasumi Island and I had nearly died about 12 times! Thats not normal.

"Yeah probably should've but a detective works in mysterous ways! sooooo.. BYEEEE" Heizou then bolted to Inazuma city.

"SHIKANOIN FRANCIS HEIZOU YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW" I was about to run after Heizou but then an eagle started to fly over me one I recognized as Diluc's. It had a letter in its claws assuming it was for me I took it and thanked the eagle.

Dearest Y/N

I am sorry to say this but as a man who claims to be named 'Thoma' has told me to back off if I dont want the winery to be up in flames. I don't take threats lightly and as he seems to be from Inazuma I have to say this

I am breaking up with you.

Diluc Ravigndr

Did Diluc just break up with me? No. Did Thoma just make Diluc break up with me? No. What did I do wrong? Does Thoma hate me? Or the gifts I gave him? Or-Or before I knew I started to cry.

"Hey so I came back- Y/N are you ok? What happened?!" Heizou had come back to probably tease me for a being slow or b getting beat up by the Ronin but when he saw me crying he started to try and comfort me. Keyword try.

"Its ok.... I mean your boyfriend was probably an idiot if he broke up with you like that."

"Heyyy no way Thoma would do that hes cool."

"Heizou I'm going to see Thoma." "Sure do you want me to co-" "No I'm going by myself." I then left for the Kamisato Estate.

I found Thoma cleaning the outside but when he noticed I he quickly turned around.

"Thoma why did you do that?" I ask him feeling more tears well up in my eyes.

"Why did I do what?" "Why did you make Diluc break up with me"

"Ohhhhh That because I'm the resident fixer and I'm fixing your life!" He smiles

"No you're not you're terrible!" I start to sob loudly

"You made Diluc break up with me and no one belives it was you! You're a- You're a Monster Thoma!" "Shhhhhh" Thoma engulfs me in his embrace

"Calm down. I acutally think that, You’re lucky I’m so nice. Anyone else would’ve done something horrible, by now.”

"But I have something I want to discuss I wanted to ask yoi if you wanted to make your stay in Inazuma a little longer? How bout an eterinty? Together of course! Like the old times!"

This is how your totaly unhealthy realtionship started with Thoma.

A/N: Here take another long one lol next one should be Unkown or 11. “I really can’t take it when you cry like that… smile for me, alright? You’re so pretty when you smile.”

Sybilliya

[alieinthemorning]

I have seen to many y/n being a normal citizen or a knight working under Kaeya. so how about reading dating someone from inazuna who is a seasoned samurai?

I become obsessed with Japanese history and culture so yea. Take your time writing!!!😄😄😄

Butterfly Samurai [Keaya Alberich | Kaevember]

Content: Reader is from Inazuma, Very Short Fight, Quick Interragation, Kaeya Being A Little Shit, POV Second Person

Pronouns: None

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

As a member of the Yashiro Commission, you were tasked with handling cultural affairs in Inazuma.

As a member of the Kocho Clan, you were among those who were allowed to cross the sea during the Sakoku Decree.

As a person who bore these two titles, you found yourself tasked with meeting Mondstadt’s Wine Tycoon, Diluc Ragnvindr.

However,

“Such a nuisance.” You sighed, surveying the area in front of you.

No matter where one should step, those of the Abyss were sure to lurk.

If you lured the Pyro Mage’s attack close enough to the Cryo Mage, then the shield should break, allowing you to swiftly handle it. Then take down the Pyro one with your Hydro Vision. With that plan in mind, you burst forward into a kaleidoscope of watery butterflies. However, right as you landed behind the Pyro Mage,

“Cool it!”

A flurry of ice rushed the both of you. Thankfully, you’d sensed the newcomer, and dodged the attack. Only a few of your butterflies froze over, shattering into glittering dust.

You glare at the man, a Knight of Favonius, that much you could tell, as he focused on the Pyro Mage.

“Monarch’s Reign!” You summoned the giant Hydro butterfly, its wings washing the Mages back as you grabbed the man by the elbow.

“You fool! Freeze is useless against Cryo!” Shoving him away, you refocused your attention on the enemy before you.

With the utmost grace of a winged insect's flutter, you played the Pyro Mage’s attacks just right, and effectively melted the Cryo Mage’s shield.

“It seems like you know a thing or two.” The man commented as he charged the down mage.

You rolled your eyes as you sent a swarm to pick at the Pyro Mage’s shield.

“Unlike you.”

“Oh, that wounds me.” He chuckled.

Pressing forward, you sliced the Mage down just as its shield vaporized.

“Then take your wounded pride back to the Knights of Favonius Headquarters, Calvary Captain.” And without another glance, you turned to leave.

“Leaving so soon?” He grabbed your wrist with a force that let you know that resisting was futile. “What kind of Captain would I be if I left an Inazuman to wander Mondstadt’s lush hills?”

You huffed, giving him your name. “I am a representative of the Yashiro Commission. I have business with Diluc Ragnvindr.”

“Oh? Our illustrious wine tycoon?” His grip loosened, “Interesting.”

“However, that still doesn’t answer the question of how you crossed the borders with the Sakoku Decree in effect.”

“As a member of the Kacho clan, I have explicit permission from the Shogun herself to cross the waters as I see fit. Now,” You removed yourself from his hold. “I have a meeting to attend to.”

He watched you go, Hydro butterflies dissipating in different directions.

He shook his head with a smirk. Obviously, you didn’t want to be followed.

“Oh well. Might as well go see dear old brother while I’m out this way.”

The two biggest inspirations: Shinobu Kocho [KnY] and Butterfly [DDR]

Ko-fi | Commission | Masterlist

[sasorikigai]

Random Headcanon Shenanigans || @akanenxmai​ || always accepting! 

He would have had the intrinsic desire to have her in his company - as you have mentioned, mostly for watching her entertain and have a deep conversation with - and especially since Hanzo is still grieving for the loss of his family, along with the original Shogun he used to serve, before he was more or less forced to serve a different Shogun - the one that Akane slaughtered - for the sake of fulfilling his own vengeance and retaliation in calculated phlegmatic calmness with schematic outcome in his mind. It had been exceedingly difficult for him to open himself up, even though his seemingly expressive countenance and posture would literally spill forth his thoughts and emotions. Because a geisha is usually hired to attend to guests (who are predominantly and traditionally male) during banquets, meals, parties, and other occasions as she demonstrates her skills through various ways such as dancing to a tune played with the shamisen (a stringed instrument), initiating games, doing the art of conversation, and more. While Hanzo would have been one of the most prominent patron Akane would have had, romantic/sexual pursuit was never the one that he wanted to get out of with Akane (initially). 

After he defected from the Shogun after finding out the truth about his heinousness and diabolical schemes (not only he was the one that caused the original Shogun he served to be ruthlessly killed and his hometown literally demolished to crisp, Hanzo would have sympathized with Akane and what she had gone through as if it was his own matter at hand. I can definitely see them connect more in a deeper understanding and connection, because Hanzo’s POV and Akane’s would have not overlapped because obviously different professions, but of interests as well. While geishas are considered very respectable profession, there are people who look down upon geishas - even though much like any career you pursue in life that you are passionate about, you do it because you love it while also earning your living from it - and they don’t go around chasing after men either; it just so happens that the people that they present their art and performances to are predominantly men and some men are so full of shit that they refuse to see beyond the fact. Obviously, Hanzo is NOT one of them. 

This got long and sidetracked majorly, but in short, I’d like to think that they may have acquainted long before Hanzo became a ronin. Even when he was a full-pledged, high-rank samurai, he would have been one of the most honorable and dutiful warrior there ever would be, until his roguish and daredevil side showed up ever since having been betrayed by his former Shogun. Just imagine Akane being the one who found out about what Hanzo doesn’t know about and spilling it forth, after overhearing many patrons’ conversations. 

[elliepassmore]

Flame in the Mist Review

5/5 stars Recommended for people who like: fantasy, strong female leads, multiple POV, Japanese folklore, Mulan-esque stories Having learned my lesson with previous Ahdieh books, I bought and read this one as soon as it came out. It was the perfect blend of things I'm interested in--Japan/Japanese, which I was taking in school when this came out, Mulan, folklore, fantasy, and strong female leads--and to top it off, it was written by one of my favorite authors. So, yeah, it was definitely a good choice for me to pick this up, even if the Mulan story line was really only there if you squinted. Mariko is an inventive, cunning character determined to subvert what's expected of her. From the very start we know a few things: 1) she's willing to subvert societal expectations, 2) she has a mind for inventing things and is likely educated, and 3) she also has a mind for revenge. These three core things are really what drive her throughout the story, first to get revenge on her parents, then to get revenge on the Black Clan, even if that means chopping off her hair and dressing as a boy to go undercover. Her plan to do so is methodical, too, and she's willing to put her inventiveness to the test to gain the Black Clan's trust, even if it means helping them a little to reach her end goal of revenging herself. I really liked how Ahdieh made Mariko's mind and intelligence the key thing about her, the thing she most prized, and then also worked to show the cracks in Mariko's knowledge about herself and family, the Black Clan, and the way her world works. It was a little bothersome that Mariko, with all her smarts and cunningness, couldn't figure out--or wasn't willing to acknowledge--the truth behind who attacked her. Perhaps that was also a point Ahdieh was trying to make, that Mariko's desire for revenge could blind her, even with her abilities to see past pretenses most of the time. Kenshin was...not my favorite character. Twin to Mariko, he follows a very different set of codes and it's clear from the start that he neither sees the world nor Mariko for how they actually are. Not having a twin myself, I can't say how well one knows the other, but there are things Kenshin assumes/thinks he knows about his twin that are wrong that I wouldn't get wrong about my regular sister, so that part of his character felt off to me. I did think he posed an interesting foil to the Black Clan, with each working with their own sense of justice and honor. Kenshin's samurai honor felt a lot like the idea that brutality begets rewards and a demand for blind obedience, which you can also see replicated in the Imperial City. Kenshin is definitely being used as a puppet, but unlike his sister, he either doesn't notice or doesn't care. Okami only got a couple of chapters, but he proved an interesting character as well. He hides things until the very end of the book, and even then only reveals some of his secrets for the sake of someone else. We don't get much about his past, but it's clear that Ahdieh wrote him to be one of Mariko's main adversaries throughout most of the book--though, like in Wrath , the adversary becomes the lover. They're well-matched in terms of intelligence, ability to sniff out lies, and their ability to lie/trick others. Okami is also very protective over the people he thinks of as his family, which encompasses only the Black Clan and Yumi for most of the book. I definitely liked his character and enjoyed the expansion on him we see in his novella Ōkami as well as in the next book, Smoke in the Sun. We also get a few chapters from the POV of the emperor, Kanako (the emperor's consort), and Genmei (the emperor's wife. The emperor is mostly naive and lazy, which is how Ahdieh has set him up to be characterized, and I found I didn't care much what happened to him at the end. Kanako and Genmei were each more cunning than the emperor and I was caught up in each of their plans for themselves, their respective son, and the empire of Wa. Like usual, the other minor characters we see throughout the book are well-rounded and developed, as if each could have their own novella waiting for them at the end. Yoshi, the Black Clan chef, is one such character. He's kind to Mariko, a bit of a gossip, is also willing to put other Black Clan members in their place, is a skilled knife-thrower, and, as it turns out, helped raise Ranmaru and Okami. There's a depth there that I definitely wish we got to see more of. Same with Okami's sister, Yumi, whom we definitely see more of in the future--if I'm not mistaken, she not only gets her own novella, but also her own chapters in Smoke . She seems both content with her position as a maiko, yet also possesses a fire that gives her strength, she definitely becomes one of my favorite characters. Ranmaru, of course, is another one. Leader of the Black Clan, he's the one willing to give Mariko a chance at becoming a member of the Black Clan and is willing to let her experiment and invent things. As with her other books, Ahdieh sets up a very beautiful, but dangerous, world for us to get into. This time, instead of an Arabian caliphate, we get a Japanese shogunate. The richness of the setting down to the description of the trees and the Imperial City of Inako is fantastic. It truly feels as though you are wandering through a cherry-petal filled lane or a forest just after it rained. Ahdieh also pays close attention to the lore of the location. The characters talk of yokai and Jubokko trees, both of which are things in actual Japanese folklore. Not to mention, she draws on many of the rich legends and histories that Japan has to add bulk and a sense of realism to the world. In terms of plot, the book is pretty solid. Mariko's plot line is mostly described above and in the synopsis. Kenshin's plot line is to find his sister as well as to serve as a pawn to get the larger overarching plot rolling. Okami and Yumi both have their main plots in the next book, and both have smaller, individual plot lines as well as ones that contribute to the story as a whole. The threads drawing each character and their individual plots together all weave and interconnect in the second book to bring to light the purpose and intent behind a lot of the events that occurred in this one.

[justtheendoftheday]

鬼婆  [Onibaba] (1964)

“What do you do for food? You don’t seem to grow anything. What do you do? ...you steal?”

It’s 14th century Japan during a time of civil war and scarcity called the Nanboku-chō Period.

After her son was conscripted to fight in the war, an older woman and her daughter-in-law have been forced to become murderers and thieves in order to survive. However, when their former neighbor returns after having escaped the war he creates a fracture between the two women. As the pressure between the three of them increases the mother decides to take exceedingly extreme measures to try and keep her family together.

Fright: 1/5  -  Sketchy friends of your kid

There’s a level of spooky campfire-story style creepiness at play throughout. It is a black and white movie from the 60s though, so the creepiness is muted by time. Although if you live near some tall grass or a corn field or something, it might hit home a bit harder.

Gore: 1.2/5  -  Raptor-style Assassinations

Some people are murdered, but the film doesn’t really have any real interest in gore. There’s some stabbings and you see a character with a heavily scarred face, but that’s about it.

Jump Scares: Almost none

There are a handful of small startle moments, but nothing so extreme as a real jump scare.

Thoughts:

In Japanese an “Oni” [鬼]  is a type of supernatural creature that are kind of similar to trolls or ogres. While “Baba” [婆] is a term for an old woman or sometimes more insultingly as a “hag.” So the title of Onibaba is sometimes translated rather literally as “Demon Hag,” which in English is rather harsh and slightly misleading. In Japanese the term “onibaba” has more of a connotation with a cruel or spiteful old woman than a real demon. But seeing as that the film actually does talk a little about oni, I would guess that the title is having a bit of fun with wordplay by sharing both ideas.

Which just goes to show that foreign works can never fully be translated, because the context behind a concept can only be approximated.

Aren’t foreign films fun!

I debated a lot on whether or not this film actually counts as a spooky movie or if it was just an eerie sort of psychological noir drama. And while it doesn’t go in for a lot of the traditional elements of Horror, overall it has this wonderful campfire-story style of creepiness to it that I just can’t ignore.

The story is based on an old Buddhist parable about a mother who tried to use an oni mask to scare her daughter from going to the temple to pray and in turn was punished by Buddha. However, from that premise it is able to create something so much deeper. And you know what? It’s really well done.

The most striking thing about the film for me was that it doesn’t focus on the mask at all. It’s a story about women and (like most horror movies) about survival. And the choice to make the whole thing be about a woman and her daughter-in-law is such an interesting one. The two characters are bound together not by blood or friendship, but through the son Kishi and through time. And when they learn that Kishi is probably dead they have to reevaluate what’s really keeping them together.

If the only reason they stay together is because it takes at least two people to properly rob their victims, then isn’t Hachi just as useful as the mother? Plus he can serve as a romantic partner as well...I mean, you’d have to be awfully thirsty to even consider that option, because he is super gross, but the potential is certainly there.

Although it struck me as terribly odd that the daughter-in-law is so willing to contemplate ditching her mother-in-law in spite of the fact that those two had been surviving together—by themselves—for years. At no point is there ever a real bond or friendship depicted between the two women. Because of this when their relationship begins to fall apart, the mother never appeals to their own personal bond. Which is kind of odd isn’t it? You’d think some sort of relationship or familial love would have been created between them. Since the movie was written/directed by a man in the 1960s I have to wonder if some of this isn’t necessarily thematic, but just a result of a male POV.

And more to that point, I also found it interesting that only the male characters in the film are named. The son is Kishi, the neighbor is Hachi, even the swindling blackmarket operator is named Ushi. But the two women—the two main characters of the movie—are both unnamed. And while it certainly could be an intentional move, I could also see it simply being because the writer/director didn’t consider giving them a specific identity important. After all, Hachi is given more depth of character and backstory than the two women are.

Or maybe it’s all a thematic element attempting to show how women are so often overlooked while simultaneously depicting the hardships they had to go through because the entire nation didn’t care what happened to them…although the lack of relationship between the mother and daughter-in-law seems to be a hard point against that theory…

But what about the corpse hole? The movie opens and ends with the image of this hole that the women use to dispose of their victims corpses. Is that a yonic symbol in the movie? The women are not afraid of it and use it to their advantage, but it is always a dangerous presence to the men in the movie. Hachi himself is shown to be wary of it, because he’s afraid of overlooking it and falling to his death...just like how all these samurai who overlooked these women and met their demise. Talk about some imagery rife for writing a research paper about, amiright?

But who can say? And when it comes down to it, isn’t that half the fun of analyzing fiction?

What can’t be argued is that here is a film where some badass ladies have been outsmarting friggin’ samurai for years! They are super competent and by working together they are able to outplay all the men who are always trying to either fuck them or fuck them over.

There’s a part when Hachi first shows up and he’s bragging about killing some dude and how hard it is and it’s like, Hachi...you complete bag of rocks. Do you not realize who you are talking to? These ladies are twice the killers you could ever hope to be, you doofus. Are you seriously mansplaining murder to them?

The cinematography of the film is really quite interesting and has some shot compositions that I really loved. It’s a really well made film that’s full of interesting themes and ideas. While certainly a slow-paced movie that is unlikely to keep you up at night, it still has a great air of subtle creepiness to it. So while it might not be a great movie to fear-cuddle up with a cutie to, it is a great movie to watch and have a fun intellectual discussion with a cutie about. So cheers to that!

—————————————

Directed by: Kaneto Shindo

Written by: Kaneto Shindo

County of Origin: Japan

Language: Japanese

Setting: Not explicitly stated. [but they filmed in in Japan’s Chiba prefecture]

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Content Warnings: A dog is killed and eaten. In their defense it was a wild dog and food was scarce. But still!

After-credits Scene?: None

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Context Corner:

The film takes place in 14th century Japan during a time of civil war called the Nanboku-chō Period [The Northern and Southern Courts period] that spanned from 1336 to 1392. And like most civil wars it was more of power battle between bigwigs than it was something a poor farmer gave any shits about. Very long story made somewhat short: the Southern court was where the emperor was based, but the Shogunate (basically the organization of the samurai that was led by the shogun) was based up in the North. So in a power play the Shogunate establishes their own emperor in the North and this leads to war. In the end the North won (thanks military power!), but the Southern emperor got to keep his title. Although now he was really more of an “emperor” because the shogun had all the real power (which is why only 75 years after this war ended, another war [the Onin War] started over who the next shogun would be).

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“If my son’s dead, she’s all I’ve got! I can’t get along alone. I couldn’t even kill! Take her and I’ll starve!”

[mikawa-province]

Unlikely Pair [1/2]

Title: Unlikely Pair Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad: Party/Tenka Touitsu Koi no Ran: Love Ballad Pairing: Tokugawa Ieyasu x MC Rating: PG-13 → MA Word Count (MS Word): 1,068

鴛鴦夫婦　（おしどりふうふ） [oshidorifuufu]　　 (n) loving couple; happily married couple

Takes place after the events of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s Revival/Returns Event in KoiRan called 「天下の姫君」(lit. The Peerless Noble Lady), as well as its epilogue and his POV story.

Enjoy!

He didn’t realize she was a loud one in bed until now.

While he would have found that an amusing trait that he could use against her if she tried to annoy him, the fact that her snoring was keeping him up when he needed sleep for tomorrow’s war council made him feel annoyed instead.

Tokugawa Ieyasu knew she was tired to the bone today, preparing for the arrival of Oda and his retainers, worrying herself to death. Despite his assurances that she shouldn’t worry too much, as Oda’s visit to Hamamatsu, while a rare occurrence, was something that they always prepared for, she still took upon the task with so much seriousness.

"I do not want to disappoint you, Ieyasu-sama, by being ill-prepared. Nobunaga-sama would definitely find something wrong, and if he does..." her lower lip quivered in fear, her eyes downcast. "I refuse to dishonor the name of the clan."

Since when had she learned to talk big?

Before, she had only been concerned with not wanting to embarrass him, but now, she was speaking as if she was one of them, and that it would be a great shame for them all if she had messed up.

Ieyasu shook his head.

Of course she’s one of us. She’s my wife.

It had only been several weeks since they had a ceremony in her hometown, their witnesses being her family at Kyoto, with some of his closest retainers and the two female servants. Right after they arrived in Hamamatsu, wedding preparations were in order, and anyone who was connected to the Tokugawa was in attendance during that auspicious day. He had not wanted to inform the Fool just yet that he had married, especially since he valued both their privacy and their peace of mind.

But after Oda had sent word that he would be visiting, he knew that their wedded bliss was over for the meantime.

And so, she had worked herself into a frenzy, thinking up of the menu down to the snacks to be served during the war council. She never took a break until she was ordered to, and it took stern warnings from him to force her to call it a day.

Heck, she had slept during her evening bath, and had to be carried out of the bathing area and be dressed by him, which he did not mind, though he threatened to punish her if she did this a second time.

Ieyasu could’ve sworn that her response to his threat had been a smile.

Silly wench, he thought, pinching her nose, wondering if that would stop her snoring. With their respective futon laid out beside one another, it had been easy to reach out and temporarily cut off her air supply.

Unfortunately for him, it did not work, and she still snored after he had removed his fingers from her nose.

Irritated, he propped himself up with his elbow and pressed his lips against her own, wondering if this particular method would work this time around. Upon pulling himself away from her, the snoring did stop, and Ieyasu settled himself for the night, satisfied that this rather unorthodox had worked.

Too bad for him, it had work for about ten minutes or so.

With her snoring back in full force and his patience finally snapping, he shook her awake, just about ready to tell her that she needed to take responsibility for this when she opened her eyes…

… and gave him a dazzling smile despite her half-awake state.

"Ieyasu-sama." To his shock, she had managed to prop herself up and kiss him, even managing to slip her tongue in-between his parted lips, a product of his shock from her gesture. "Good morning. Is it time for breakfast?"

It had been a struggle to keep his hands to himself and to maintain a poker face. "... No, but your snoring was so loud, I thought it was time to get up for breakfast."

Her face fell, and within him, his own heart fell upon seeing the sad look on her face. "My apologies..."

"You’d better be." He did not know how he had managed to hold it together for him to be sarcastic enough to reprimand her. "I heard that snoring does not occur if one lies on their side."

She yawned. "I shall do—”

He lifted his blanket, as if to invite her. "I’m feeling rather generous, so for tonight, despite this disgusting heat, I am allowing myself to hold you in my arms—”

In a split second, she had rolled towards his futon, straight into his arms, and snuggled against his chest, even hooking her leg against his own, their bodies pressing intimately.

While he was used to her sleeping with him once in a while, as a married couple and with her readily launching herself towards him without any hesitation whatsoever, it had surprised him.

That, and after she had begun sleeping soundly and without any snoring this time, it should have made him glad.

Instead, he was in pain.

Damn her for doing this to him.

He was still quite sleepy, as his eyelids were forcing him to do what he had been struggling with earlier, but thanks to her, a part of him was quite awake, and it was paining him every second that passed. The two methods that would help him get rid of the pain did not require her help, though if he had a choice, he would ask her to relieve him of the pain. With the way they were positioned right now, there was no way he could handle it by himself, and logically speaking, it would help if she was involved.

Despite the upgrade in their relationship, he refused to use her without any regard for her feelings, preferring her eager participation in the bedroom, and while he knew she would most likely be alright with him rousing her from her sleep once more to help him from this pain, his conscience wouldn’t allow it.

She was exhausted, and she needed her sleep.

He, too, was exhausted, and he needed his sleep, but...

Inwardly, he cursed himself, wondering why he was so lenient and soft when it came to her, despite the fact that a part of him was hard right now because of her.

This is the worst.

It was going to be a long, long night for him.

Where do I even begin?

First off, I’m so sorry for the lack of updates both on my personal blog and this fanfiction blog. It has been a very hectic and stressful summer for me, but I am managing to hold on; hopefully, this will come to pass, and everything goes back to normal. Even I am sick and tired of this situation, but I am hopeful that it will all go in my favor.

Second, I am aware that I owe some translations. I will try my best to fulfill them.

Third, I am so glad they brought back this story event. This was my very first story event when I started playing KoiRan, and boy was I surprised to read a sex scene in the epilogue, complete with a naked Ieyasu. Nice pecs, Future Shogun-sama It was a nice refresher for me, as I think that since my vocabulary has improved, it was easier to understand the plot.

Fourth, for those who know Chinese, the yojijukugo might seem weird because ‘why the heck is there a kanji for mandarin ducks and married couples?!’?

According to good old Wikipedia:

In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks.

Hopefully, that made sense.

The story event had so much drama in it, as well as the epilogue, but I’m glad it worked out in the end, especially since MC had gotten the short end of the stick this time, as she was forced to be away from Ieyasu for quite some time (more than 10 days!).

Now, if only they would continue the Zenjitsutan/Prologue Arc for Ieyasu, I would be a happy gamer...

Anyway, thank you for reading. Hopefully, I can write a new chapter sooner rather than later.

I’ll do my best...!