#thank you to the two people who voted for yakuza. i will get to them sooner or later

[fanficmemes]

I stumbled across your blog and oh my god I love CAS; and I happen to have a contribution to the pile -

This was a while ago so my memory is not perfect but it lives rent free in my mind, also the fic in question has quietly disappeared which brings me much sadness because it was so fun to spring on the group chat.

[Its also was a trilogy].

So.

This fic starts off with LL and YK walking home from school, as one does, when a group of thugs come to kidnap LL because her adult boyfriend MC has mysterious debts that need to be paid and like he up and disappeared so they're gonna lure him out with her (i think, again its been a bit). And YK is like oh no not my friend who's big brother i promised (for some reason?????) To keep safe. But he can't so anything at first so he keeps going to school until he sees the thugs again and is like i brought my sword this time mother fuckers (he does have a sword in canon its important to me that you know in canon almost all of these people are friends who kick ass together) but instead he gets kidnapped himself and thats when he meets AW (in canon an absolute precious bean of a boy) who is an evil yakuza head (they were very specific about that) who gets off on like cutting people open and playing with their guts while fucking them and obviously those people do not survive. While threatening YK, AW like stabs? Him? Or something? And we and he discovers that the author decided to keep YK canon ability to just insta heal shit.

So AW the organ fucker is excited to have a person who won't die from organ fucking so YK is now his pet and YK will just have to deal with this. YK does not want to deal with this or be organ fucked. YK does not get a vote.

Having been made AW pet he gets introduced to the rest of AW family (which is just the Canon bad guy family with AW at the head instead because he killed the canonical head), and suprise surprise his disappeared friend L (different character from LL this one is male) is there and like in canon L wears and eye patch but its implied it was a training thing and he actually has both eyes but in this fic his owner / boyfriend TM stabbed it out in a fit of passion. And AW and TM go you know what would be hot? If you two fucked each other while we fucked you - so they have a very emotionally nope 69 while their respective love interests have their way with them. (After this scene TM and L just kinda disappear from the fic so you can like decide what happens next - i like to think that the power of mischaracterization hit L so hard he physically ascended out of that AU and into a better one). Also somewhere in the mess of this LL reappears as RK's doll and they gave LL her Canon murder legs but she doesn't get to do any murdering with them. For shame.

Also also AW is now "in love" with YK and has decided that means training him to be the best fighter and only they are allowed to kill each other.

Things happen and AW gets caught in an explosion and sent into a coma and rather than escape YK is like "oh fuck I guess I'm in love with him" and takes over ? As the head ? Of the murder family? (Child get out and get some damn therapy).

So he starts having an affair with AK while AW is in his coma and YK is like this is unsatisfactory you've broken me AW I can only really get off when I have a dick up my ass now (legit, he is very specific about this) and like he goes to AW hospital bed and just fucks him while he is in his coma (this is like the least disturbing fucking in this series, buts its kinda hard when its completing with like organ fucking).

And then AW wakes up from his coma and he is ????? Nice ?????? Like he is in canon ???????? And polite ???????? And has no memory of being a crazy organ fucker. And YK is like ???????????????????????????????????????????????????

So AW "adopts" a homeless kid and they set an amusement park on fire because evil AW is still in there he's just not the dominant personality. And then it was a cliff hanger and the fic just disappeared without the author ever finishing it (they did finish their gay only male aliens society fic though which had some great unintentional commentary on gender which i enjoyed). The first time I read this I was horrified but after springing it on the chat and horrifying all of them I just got such a rush of power that I now have very fond memories of that fic.

I wish it had not disappeared so I could save it and read it again.

My adhd looked at this ask and said no thank u so I skimmed and saw the words organ fucker so based on that alone 5/10

[a-student-out-of-time]

I hate that I can see where you're going with this, Kirigiri

Yeah, it doesn’t sound good.

Believe me, it isn’t, but the finer details are important here.

It was a cult founded by Asahara Shoko. Born Matsumoto Chizuo in 1955, he was mostly blind but described by the people who knew him as one of the most captivating, charismatic speakers you could ever meet. He had the power to sway practically anyone, but he also had a violent streak and enjoyed hurting people. From his childhood until his early 30′s, nothing notable happened with him.

It wasn’t until the early 1980′s, the height of Japan’s bubble economy, that he began his work. With that economic prosperity came a wave of soulless consumerism. Many people were desperate for some kind of spiritual enlightenment during this era and were turning to a whole host of religions, both old and new.

Once the government recognized Agon Shu, a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhim, as an official religion, the man abandoned his wife and children, spent two years in India, changed his name and returned to found what became Aum Shinrikyo. Officially, it was described as a mixture of Hindu creation mythology, Christian apocalypticism, Buddhism, Yoga, and Nostradamus’ predictions. In reality, it was a Cult of Personality devoted to making Asahara king.

People were forced to give over their fortunes for greater enlightenment, forced to endure rituals like being plunged into boiling water, made to drink Asahara’s blood and dirty bathwater, locked in isolation rooms for days, force-fed hallucinogens and made to revere Asahara as a living deity.

And make no mistake, this wasn’t some fringe cult. Their membership included thousands of rich and upper-middle class people, which allowed them to further finance themselves. Asahara made the cult seem like an exclusive club through advertising. He even recruited people from Russia, Germany and America.

By 1989, when it was recognized as an official religion, the cult had 10,000 members in compounds and skyscrapers all over Tokyo and the equivalent of ¥212 billion in today’s money. They were also engaging in ransoming, extortion, money laundering, working with the yakuza and preaching antisemitism and anti-Americanism. Yet this didn’t stop Asahara from trying to get members into the National Diet.

Oh god, please don’t tell me they actually did...

No, it was a dismal failure. Of 24 members in the 1990 election, they received only 1,700 votes. Which is really saying something, given how the cult’s membership was 10 times bigger. In a perfect world, this would’ve been the end.

But no, Asahara decided to retaliate, which lead to Aum’s rise as a terrorist organization. They used their wealth to stockpile nerve gas, Ebola, anthrax, botulinum toxin, a Russian attack helicopter, a factory to produce AK-47′s and a ranch in Australia with a uranium mine.

Asahara told his followers that he had a vision that a chemical attack in 1995 would lead to the end the world, and it was their duty to carry it out. Anyone who disagreed or was accused of disloyalty was killed. Anyone who left or stood against them was assassinated or kidnapped.

Holy crap...

S-So, is this where Kinjo comes in?

Yes. At the time of the election, he was a police sergeant, and from what I could gather, it seems he’d been investigating some of the incidents, even when the Metropolitan Police were turning a blind eye to the cult. And he was there during the 1995 Subway Attacks.

Five of his followers got on trains in the Tokyo subway network with plastic bags full of liquefied sarin, punctured them with umbrellas and walked off. Sarin is a toxic nerve gas, and it spread through the subways and streets. 12 people died, hundreds suffered permanent nerve damage and over 6,000 were poisoned.

But in a way, Asahara sowed the seeds of his own downfall. The previous year, the cult poisoned Kaichi Heights, where a doctor named Kono Yoshiyuki lived. Thanks to his research into Sarin poisoning, hospitals across Tokyo were able to save hundreds of people.

And that was when the war between the cult and the police began. Kinjo was on the front lines, in raids on their compounds and arresting hundreds of members. Aum responded with assassination attempts on the head of the police and even the Governor of Tokyo.

And of course, he was lucky enough to stop the bomb. By July 1995, the group was broken, Asahara and his 13-year-old daughter captured, and the last members of the group scattered.

Ashara’s trial lasted 8 years, and in 2000, when he was sentenced to death, he stopped talking for the rest of his life. He’s still in prison and, according to Asami-san, he’ll be executed in 2018.

And for his work, Kinjo was promoted and eventually became the commissioner.

But you and I both know what kind of man he’s become since then. Even worse atrocities will follow if we don’t stop him.

[theultimatefanficwriter]

12 Days of Danganronpa; Day 2: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu x Reader

Christmas at the Kuzuryu manor was always the same; the staff would make the food, then leave to their own families while Peko, Natsumi, Fuyuhiko and their parents would sit and eat. After the dinner, they would exchange presents to each other, then return to their separate activities. 

This year, however, would be different. You would be spending Christmas dinner at the Kuzuryu manor, and you weren’t the only one nervous.

“Peko! Make sure the cleaning crew gets every inch of the house!” The Ultimate Yakuza called to the swordswoman as he fixed a crooked painting that was hanging on the wall. “This place has to be fucking spotless when Y/N gets here, you got that?!”

“Understood, Young Master.” Peko responded, bowing at the waist before heading off further into the house.

Fuyuhiko looked frantically around the house, nervously fixing any little thing that seemed out of place.

“Jesus Christ, Fuyuhiko, will you calm down already? You’re freaking the hell out.” Natsumi complained from a doorway. “You’re going to scare your girl away before a messy house does.”

Her brother turned to glare at her. “Oh, shut the hell up, Natsumi!” He snapped, clenching his fists. “What do you know?!”

The younger Kuzuryu crossed her arms. “More than you, clearly!” She retorted. “Y/N doesn’t give a shit about the house. She cares about you, dipshit. The look on her face when she looks at you makes me sick.”

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes and turned away from his sister. “Whatever.” He muttered. “I just wanna make sure she feels welcome. That she knows I care about her.”

The self-proclaimed ‘Ultimate Little Sister’ raised a brow. “And polishing the house until it’s blinding is gonna prove that?” She asked. 

The Yakuza heir paused, his hand on the mantle midway from brushing off dust. 

Natsumi snorted and shook her head. “Just relax, Fuyuhiko. Y/N’s nice. One of the few people I can actually bear being around.” She smirked. “If she won’t break up with you for your personality-” Fuyuhiko shot her an annoyed glare, causing Natsumi to chuckle before she continued. “-then she won’t leave you if there’s a speck of dust out of place.”

Fuyuhiko sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I just...I really like this girl, Natsumi.” He muttered quietly. “She’s the first person to take the time to get past the fact I’m a Yakuza and get to know me. She...makes me happy. And I don’t wanna lose her.”

Natsumi gave the older boy a small smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. “And you won’t. Like I said, she’s crazy about you. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to get her to leave your crazy ass.”

The short boy chuckled and looked over to his sister. He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of the doorbell going off. This caused Fuyuhiko to stiffen, and Natsumi snorted. 

“Looks like she’s here.” She informed Fuyuhiko with a smirk as Peko made her way to the front door. The younger sister looked to Fuyuhiko, then ran her finger over the mantle. When it came back with dust on it, she chuckled. “You missed a spot.” She teased, then ran the dust covered finger on Fuyuhiko’s shirt.

“Hey, what the fuck?!” He exclaimed as his sister quickly dashed away. He let out a frustrated sigh and ran his hand over his face as he turned towards the front door. There, he saw you moving back from a hug with Peko. The Yakuza tugged at his shirt collar before approaching the entrance. 

~~~

You smiled at Peko as you parted from the hug. “It’s great to see you, Peko.”

“And you as well, Y/N.” Your friend greeted you, smiling softly at you. “You look wonderful today.”

“Yeah, you look, uh...beautiful, Y/N.”

You and Peko both turned your heads at Fuyuhiko’s voice. You beamed when you saw your boyfriend, and you quickly made your way over to him, throwing your arms around the shorter boy. “Fuyu! Hey, babe!”

The baby faced gangster slowly returned the embrace, his cheeks flushing a light pink. “Hi, Y/N.” He greeted you as you parted from the hug. “It’s nice to see you.”

You giggled and looked around the house as Peko closed the door. “Wow, this is a really nice place, Fuyuhiko! Really neat, too.”

“Heh, thanks.” Your boyfriend smiled softly and reached his hand out to take yours. You happily accepted it, placing your hand in his and allowing him to lead you towards the dining room. “I hope you’re hungry. The staff was working all day preparing dinner, and there’s a lot of it.”

You looked over the table and saw enough food to feed an army. You snorted. “Dang, I didn’t know there was that much food in the country.” You teased.

Fuyuhiko chuckled. “Yeah, well, they always do end up making too much.” He explained as he pulled your seat out for you.

You smiled gratefully up at him as you sat in the chair and he pushed you closer to the table. He then took his seat beside you, and it wasn’t long until Natsumi and Peko joined as well, taking their seats at the large table. You looked around at the two empty chairs and frowned as the others there began to get ready to start eating. “Um, wait, what about your parents?”

There was an awkward silence.

Peko cleared her throat and looked sadly at you. “Uh...They haven’t joined us for Christmas Dinner for a few years now.” She informed you quietly.

Fuyuhiko and Natsumi both looked down at their plates, picking at their food.

You bit your lip and looked to your boyfriend. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine.” He interrupted you. “It’s normal here.”

“Mom and Dad are too busy with business to spend time with us anymore.” Natsumi spat out. “But hey, that’s just part of being a Yakuza. You’ll have to get used to it if you end up staying with Fuyuhiko.”

Fuyuhiko glared at his sister. “Shut the fuck up, Natsumi.” He snarled. “Just drop it.”

“Oh, well excuse me for warning Y/N that if she wants to be part of this family she’s gonna have to expect you to never pay her any attention!”

You watched as Fuyuhiko’s face turned an angry red. “Fuck you, I would never do that to Y/N!”

“Young Master, Young Mistress, please.” Peko called to them both softly yet sternly. She glanced at you. “Save this for later.”

Natsumi humped and began eating her food, while Fuyuhiko shot you a glance before doing the same.

You tried your best to shrink into your seat and disappear.

What the hell had happened?

~~~

After a very awkwardly silent dinner, Natsumi immediately left to her room and Peko began gathering the dishes to clean. Fuyuhiko looked to you and sighed, grabbing your arm and pulling you down to his office.

“F-Fuyuhiko, I’m sorry!” You apologized as he closed the door behind him and ran his hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I-I didn’t know-”

“I know.” He assured you. “I know you didn’t. It’s fine. It’s just...Our parents are a really sore topic, especially during the holiday season.” He scratched at the back of his neck and looked up to you. “It’s...part of why I was excited to have you over. New company, something to fill that void.”

You smiled softly, before it faltered. “And then I fucked that up by bringing up your family.” You muttered. 

Fuyuhiko quickly shook his head. “No, no no! You didn’t know, and it makes sense you’d be curious!”

“But Natsumi got so mad at me!” You argued.

“She wasn’t mad at you, regardless of how it looked. Trust me.” He assured you. “She’s mad at our family. When she calms down she’ll come and apologize to you in her own way. She likes you. She told me herself.”

That soothed your worry a bit, though you were still anxious. “Still...I’m sorry I couldn’t make Christmas better for you.”

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes and scoffed as he walked closer to you. “Please, that dinner was honestly one of the tamer we’ve had.” He told you. “Just you being there made it way more bearable than it would’ve been otherwise.” He reached forward and grabbed onto your waist, pulling you forward flush against him.

You blushed lightly at this motion. “R-really? You sure?” You asked quietly.

Your boyfriend nodded, a grin on his face. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He brought a hand up to your face and lowered it to meet his. “Look, just don’t worry.” He snickered. “Damn, and I thought I was freaking out about this.”

You raised a brow. “You were worried?”

Fuyuhiko nodded. “Yeah. I was worried if everything wasn’t perfect, you wouldn’t want to be with me. And after that fiasco, I thought you’d wanna break up with me for sure. But uh, seeing how worried you are kinda resolves my fears.”

You couldn’t help but giggle knowing you had both been worried about virtually nothing. You placed your forehead on your partner’s, now fully relaxed. 

The shorter boy smirked and closed his eyes before smashing his lips against yours, placing a hand on the back of your head to deepen the kiss. You followed suit, closing your eyes and gripping his shirt.

You lost track of time for how long you had been there, but eventually Fuyuhiko pulled away to breathe. “So perfect~” He breathed out, and you giggled.

Suddenly a knock was heard. As you both turned to see who it was, the door opened, and there stood Natsumi. 

“Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt, but I...wanted to...apologize, I guess.” She murmured. “I was...out of line earlier.”

Fuyuhiko gave you a knowing smile, and you smiled at Natsumi. “That’s really nice of you, Natsumi, though it’s really fine.” You looked between both Kuzuryus. “Why don’t we go watch a movie or something? Try to be...a family.”

Ngl, not super happy of this one. Not used to writing for Fuyuhiko, and I didn’t have an entire story planned, so it’s not my best work. I normally wouldn’t post this, but I needed to post something, so forgive me if it’s not up to my usual standards. But I hoped you enjoy Day 2 of 12 Days of Danganronpa! Fuyuhiko received three votes, coming in second to last! Come back tomorrow to see who got one vote higher then Fuyu and Hiro!

[danganronpa-oneshots-headcannons]

Hellllllo! I found your blog recently and I love the way you write! Could you possibly write a scenario with Gundham where his fem! S/O is the blackened? Just a ton of angst? Thank you so much, love ya!

☁︎︎~Thank you so much for the request! Gundham is literally a bean! This took a bit so I hope you like it! Much love💕//

☁︎︎~Gundham with a fem! S/O who is the blackened! 

☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~

You didn’t have a choice. It was either you or her. 

Sonia had attacked you out of madness at the funhouse. The pain of starvation had gotten to her. 

Leading you out of your room and down to the elevator, she planned to kill you. However, her plan turned back onto her. 

Using her own weapon to slaughter her, you now stood at the trial with fear secretly hidden in your eyes. 

You stood across from Gundham’s podium, your eyes meeting his own the entire time. You had a feeling he knew what went down. 

And you were right. 

In fact you had totally sabotaged his scandalous idea. His own plan was to kill Nekomaru and sacrifice himself later on so everyone could eat. He’d never admit that he did it only for you though. He couldn’t bare the fact you were in pain due to this stupid motive. He was going to sacrifice himself if it meant ending your suffering. 

“So let’s recap what we have so far,” Hajime spoke, his fingers lightly resting under his chin as he glared at the floor, “the victim should’ve been Nekomaru instead of Sonia right? This explains the clocks being tampered correct?” 

“Yeah sounds about right! Like I’ve said before, my clock is never wrong!” Nekomaru chimed in, resting a hand on the back of his robotic neck.

“And you’re absolutely positive it can’t be tampered with Kaz?” The small Yakuza asked, looking over at the broken-hearted mechanic. 

“Yeah… that’s right.” His voice sounded downhearted then his usual jumpy tone. Was it the fact you had killed the girl of his dreams? Probably so. 

“Then the killing happened before Nekomaru’s alarm went off. Someone ended up killing Sonia before the other person had gotten a chance to kill Nekomaru..” Pulling her hood over her head, Chiaki looked over at Hajime with a questioning look. Even the gamer herself couldn’t figure this one out. 

Hajime hesitantly nodded, “This immediately gives everyone at the strawberry house an alibi being the fact Sonia’s killer came from grape house… I think.” 

Crossing his arms and huffing a sigh, Nagito causally nodded, “I’m afraid so. Well then, clearing that out of the way, all we need to know now is who had an alibi and who didn’t at the grape house.” 

A sheer cause of panic ran through your body as you realized you didn’t have an alibi… the only alibi you had was now dead. 

“We were all in our rooms. No one has an alibi. Hell! I didn’t even see Sonia walk down to the elevator!” Without a care for the world, Akane had stepped in to speak. 

It was true. The only people in the grape house were Hajime, Akane, Sonia, Chaki, and you. Even then, it was so early in the morning everyone was either asleep or doing their own thing in their rooms. 

“Wait, shouldn’t you have seen her Y/N? I mean, you were sleeping in the lounge correct?” Hearing your name, you turned to look at Fuyuhiko.

Your mouth opened to say something but Hajime had beat you to it. 

“Actually… she slept in the standard room.” Blush forming at his cheeks, Hajime looked over at Chiaki. 

“But wait… aren't you sleeping in the standard room Hajime?” Looking at Chiaki, Kazuichi took a moment to figure it out, “A-Are you saying you two?...”  Kazuichi cocked a brow as he looked at the love birds.

Puffing out her cheeks, Chiaki shook her head, “No it wasn’t anything like that. Hajime had given his room up so Y/N had somewhere to sleep. He simply slept on the other side of my bed.”

“So then that gives the two of you a solid alibi.” Gundham’s raspy voice overpowered the gamers soft tone as he went straight to the point, “Then it was obvious who did it. Behold! The beast who brought hatred down on Sonia!” He paused to look her in the eye, “... Akane.” Even if you were the culprit, there was no way in hell he’d let you die. He was going to bring down everyone and let you live before that happened. 

“H-Huh?! What?! Why me! Hey! Don’t forget about Y/N! She doesn’t have an alibi either!” She shouted in defense. 

“You were staying in the crumby room am I wrong? You could hear everything that was going on around you! Who says you didn’t hear Sonia walk by your cave?! You just waited to attack!” Once again, your boyfriend's voice raged out. You knew he was lying for you. You knew he figured what had happened. 

“H-He has a point! Were you the one who killed Ms.Sonia?!” Interrogating the gymnast, Kazuichi held nothing back. He loved Sonia, that was clear as day, and he was going to find out who killed  her. 

“Hey wait up! You can’t just jump to conclusions! For all we know, Akane is innocent!” Low and behold, Nekomaru shouted his objection. 

“Innocent? Fuhaha! Let us vote now! Take down this untamable beast!” With yet another laugh, Gundham pointed at Akane.

“Hold on,” Just when you thought you had gotten away with murder, Chiaki broke the argument, “Akane has an alibi.” 

“Huh? She does?” Fuyuhiko’s expression said everything. Even the proud Yakuza he was, was in fact confused. 

“She does. Akane ended up waking up during the night and decided to take a walk. She was the only one who didn’t know Hajime and Y/N changed their sleeping spot so when she found out Y/N wasn’t in the lounge, she panicked and came to get me and Hajime.”

Her frown changed to a smile as she nodded, “Oh right! You two were all cuddled up! I headed back to my room after and…” her eyes suddenly shot open, “And I heard one pair of footsteps walking back to their room!” Those brown orbs shot over to you.

Biting your lip for a moment, you finally said something, “B-But you would’ve heard footsteps exiting their rooms to go the elevator… r-right?!” 

“No that's impossible! Chiaki and Hajime shared the deluxe room meaning they couldn’t have heard anything! If Akane was with them... the three of them wouldn’t have been able to hear anything! They were in a soundproof room!” A sigh of relief came from Nekomaru as he knew Akane was safe. 

In a cold tone, Nagito just chuckled, “Ah… it looks like Y/N has been backed into a corner. Is it true? That Y/N L/N, the ultimate (???) killed Sonia?” 

Finally you let that panic show, “It wasn’t me! I… I-I-I wouldn’t-” You took a shaky breath, “I just went to the bathroom! I came back to my room by the time you returned to yours Akane!” With fear in your eyes you looked over at Gundham. For the first time ever, he looked pissed. 

“YOU FOOLS! HOW DARE YOU CONDEMN THIS FALSE ACCUSATION ONTO Y/N!” Roaring with anger, everyone jumped back including yourself.

“Gundham? Why are you…?” Hajime took a step back, trying to register all of this. Suddenly it clicked into his head, “Your covering for Y/N… aren’t you.” 

Gundham’s eyes pierced through Hajime’s as he continued to ramble, “Cover?! Fuhaha! I’m simply stating facts that Akane was the one to commit the crime! Lying about footsteps! She was the only one who could hear! She could be lying for all we know! Like a wolf in sheep's clothing!”

“No that’s wrong!” It was like Hajime had figured everything out, “No… your covering for her. All the evidence points to Y/N, not Akane. In fact, you were the first one to find out she was the culprit. You were the one who was going to kill Nekomaru. Isn’t that right?” 

Gundham fell silent. He didn’t dare to break the contact with Hajime. He had never hated someone more than he did now.

Before Gundham could speak another word, you broke into tears, “H-He’s right… I killed Sonia…”

“HOW DARE YOU Y/N!” Kazuichi, as well, flew into tears. 

“I HAD NO CHOICE!” With your sudden eruption, everyone’s attention was on you, “S-She led me out w-when Akane was with H-Hajime and C-Chiaki. She told me s-she had found food. I WAS DESPERATE! She cornered me and t-tried to kill me with the weapon she collected f-from… from the final dead room! I HAD NO CHOICE!” 

Gripping your podium, you couldn’t look anyone in the eye, “I’m sorry… I can’t sacrifice everyone here just so I can get out of this hellhole.”

Everyone fell silent. The only sound in the room was your sobs and cries. Gundham was astonished. Feeling guilt pile onto his shoulders, he let out a frustrated scream, once again sending everyone back on the edge.

Finally, Fuyuhiko interpreted your breakdown with Gundham, “S-So... then we’re done? Y/N is the blackened?” He even seemed to be breaking. 

“Y-Yeah.. yeah I am. J-Just vote.” Your words barely above a whisper, everyone pulled their levers and voted for you. Everyone except Gundham. Instead, he voted for himself. He would never forgive himself if he voted for you.

“Phuhuhu! Right again! Y/N L/N is the one who killed Sonia Nevermind!” Monokuma peeped, “You��re all so smart!”

Looking over at Gundham, you let out a soft laugh, “I’m so… so sorry. I really am.” 

Even the breeder looked like he was about to break into tears. He was losing the person he loved dearly. No one understood him like you did. No one. You were the one who helped him open up and now? Now you were heading straight to your execution. 

With heavy steps, he walked over to you and pulled you into a tight embrace, only this time, he let a small sob slip from his lips. No one had ever seen Gundham cry, not even his hamsters. No one was going to interrupt him either.  

Whispering apologies and soft, ‘I love you’s’ he finally pulled away, “I will see you in the dark realm my ice queen.” With red puffy eyes he looked away from you, “That, I shall promise.” 

“Then I’ll be waiting for you. Monokuma…I’m ready.” 

Hearing your request, Monokuma took no time to press the button. He was rather bored with all of this sweet talk and decided to get to the point. 

Taking a few steps back, you forced a smile for your sweet breeder, “Thank you.”  

That was the last thing he heard and saw before the metal claw took you by the throat and dragged you down the hall. 

☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~☁︎︎~

[charlietheepicwriter7]

I’m remembering that you like NDRV3 now, which assumably means you also like DR in general??? Hence what I like to refer to as- The Three Hopes AU! Because I don’t have a better name, and we were shafted when they didn’t let Kaede be a protagonist and get called a symbol of Hope (yes I’m still bitter). Also this gets kinda dark- Which is fair, I think, it’s DR- But it’s probably coming dangerously close to that Yandere Mariharem AU of yours.

So! Here, the casts of DR1, SDR2, and NDRV3 are combined in one Killing Game, turning them into a 48 person group and therefore upping the amount of killings in that timespan- Assumably, the NDRV3 group becomes another class that attends Hope’s Peak. Like in canon, however, everyone has their memories wiped, so they don’t actually remember being classmates or friends.

Since so many people are participating in the Killing Game, there are some modified rules and patterns- There are more trials (anywhere from 9 to 15, depending on how you’d like to play things), and the number of survivors would also escalate, though it still feels like very few in comparison to how many people started (again, anywhere from 9 to 15, probably- They’re solid numbers, I can’t help it).

Also as a result of so many people, three groups end up forming- Initially, they were formed before the Killing Game was announced, and each faction would be headed by one of the protagonists (Makoto, Hajime, and Kaede). There’d be sixteen people per group, just to keep it even, and different people from each class would be in different groups. I’m still torn on why the factions would form, though- Either they’re formed by the students themselves, just to keep track of everyone, and Monokuma just rolls with it, or maybe the Mastermind splits them up? Either way, it’s against the rules to attack people in your faction, because that just seems like something Monokuma would do to get more despair.

Here’s where it gets... Darker. See, I feel like the large groups, and the splits, when combined with the isolation and the motives and the fact that some of the people there aren’t exactly stable, would... Ah. Become a bit fanatical, when it comes to what they might come to see as a figurehead for their group. It isn’t an immediate things, to be clear- It’s brought about through a lot of stress and desperation and the need to cling to something, more than anything.

Which. Basically makes Kaede, Hajime, and Makoto the targets of a bunch of platonic and/or romantic yanderes, I suppose- Depending on what you ship, or just what you think is interesting. Whoops? Either way, Monokuma isn’t above using them for motives (IE- Someone kill someone else or your leaders will all die).

Moving on, though- Here’s what I have for the factions so far! I have reasons for each person, if you’re interested, though a lot of them I haven’t sorted yet.

Kaede’s Faction

From the Class of 79

— Kaede Akamatsu, the Super High School Level Pianist (Leader)

— Shūichi Saihara, the Super High School Level Detective

— Kokichi Ōma, the Super High School Level Supreme Leader

— Rantarō Amami, the Super High School Level Survivor

— ???

From the Class of 78

— Nagito Komaeda, the Super High School Level Good Luck

— ???

From the Class of 77

— Tōko Fukawa | Genocide Jack, the Super High School Level Writer | Serial Killer

— Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Super High School Level Moral Compass

— ???

Makoto’s Faction

From the Class of 78

— Makoto Naegi, the Super High School Level Good Luck (Leader)

— Kyoko Kirigiri, the Super High School Level Detective

— Sayaka Maizono, the Super High School Level Idol

— Junko Enoshima, the Super High School Level Fashionista | Analyst

— Mukuro Ikusaba, the Super High School Level Soldier

— ???

From the Class of 79

— Kirumi Tōjō, the Super High School Level Maid

— ???

From the Class of 77

— Mahiru Koizumi, the Super High School Level Photographer

— [Redacted], the Super High School Level Imposter

— ???

Hajime’s Faction

From the Class of 77

— Hajime Hinata, the Super High School Level ??? (Leader)

— Nanami Chiaki, the Super High School Level Gamer

— ???

From the Class of 78

— Leon Kuwata, the Super High School Level Baseball Player

— Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Super High School Level Fortune Teller

— ???

From the Class of 79

— Korekiyo Shingūji, the Super High School Level Anthropologist

— Tsumugi Shirogane, the Super High School Level Cosplayer

— Anjī Yonaga, the Super High School Level Artist

— ???

Unsorted

— Celeste Ludenburg, the Super High School Level Gambler

— Hifumi Yamada, the Super High School Level Doujin Author

— Byakuya Togami, the Super High School Level Heir

— Chihiro Fujisaki, the Super High School Level Programmer

— Aoi Asahina, the Super High School Level Swimming Pro

— Mondo Ōwada, the Super High School Level Gang Leader

— Sakura Ōgami, the Super High School Level Martial Artist

— Gundham Tanaka, the Super High School Level Animal Breeder

— Sonia Nevermind, the Super High School Level Princess

— Kazuichi Souda, the Super High School Level Mechanic

— Hiyoko Saionji, the Super High School Level Traditional Dancer

— Teruteru Hanamura, the Super High School Level Cook

— Peko Pekoyama, the Super High School Level Swordswoman

— Fuyuhiko Kuzuryū, the Super High School Level Yakuza

— Akane Owari, the Super High School Level Gymnast

— Nekomaru Nidai, the Super High School Level Coach

— Mikan Tsumiki, the Super High School Level Nurse

— Ibuki Mioda, the Super High School Level Musician

— Maki Harukawa, the Super High School Level Child Caretaker | Assassin

— Kaito Momota, the Super High School Level Astronaut

— Miu Iruma, the Super High School Level Inventor

— K1-B0, the Super High School Level Robot

— Tenko Chabashira, the Super High School Level Aikido Master

— Ryōma Hoshi, the Super High School Level Tennis Player

— Himiko Yumeno, the Super High School Level Magician

— Gonta Gokuhara, the Super High School Level Entomologist

... This got long. I am so, so sorry- Super interested in hearing your opinion, though, so I couldn’t help it. Thanks for responding, if you decide to!!!

This sounds like a really cool idea. We love the yanderes and dark here!

The first thing that kinda worries me is the large cast. This is 48 characters to develop and, with three protagonists, you’d be constantly be switching between point’s of view. Of course, protagonists don’t have to be the same as point of view characters, so you could switch the PoV each chapter? Just to give each character some screen time. 

I’m curious about why factions exist rather than how they’re formed. It’s really weird that there are three separate leaders when everyone should be unified by the goal of escaping. Perhaps the mastermind chose them? Maybe only the group leaders can officially vote at trials; like, the group will decide who they want to vote for and the leader is supposed to choose what the majority wants?

(I think the game Zero Time Dilemma does something similar to this? Three groups that have a leader and the leader needs to choose to kill another team or not). 

How long a would this killing game last? assuming there’s a trial every 5 days, that’s 45 to 75 days! 

What’s the motive behind the killing game? is it the same as DR1, where someone just wants the world to witness Hope’s Peak suffer? 

Team opinion time:

A bit curious who the mastermind is if Junko is on Makoto’s team.

I was a bit confused as to why you put Komaeda on Kaede’s team, but thinking about it, it makes sense. She is the only protag with a real talent after all, since Hajime doesn’t know his. 

Put Byakuya on either Kaede or Hajime’s team--he’s the type to try and overthrow the leader, and those too would actually stand up against Togami (which would make for a great “falling into yandere” moment for him). 

Assuming members choose their teams,  Fuyuhiko could go to Kaede’s team bc she looks kinda like his sister and that makes him want to protect her.

You could do a star crossed lovers thing, where two members of a canon-ish couple are on two different teams. This forces them to confront the feelings they have for their partner and their leader. 

Mikan should be on Makoto’s team. He’s really nice and caring, which would bring out her obsessiveness quickly. 

***************

Anyway, this sounds really cool! Tag me when you write it? ;)

[scrollsofeternity]

And I knew how it was because he was like me | Ami | Trial 6 | re: Hisato, Azusa, Alphonse, Aina, Kamiya

Ah. So they’d have to send him off through votes, just like everyone else. This was how it was to end. Hisato’s death was apparently the only way to end this. He did this to himself, sure, but Ami can’t help but think about how Alphonse and Kushiko will feel seeing him executed (she’ll have to hold Kushiko close when the moment comes, close enough that she can hide away if she can’t see the man she called her best friend suffer). She also, despite herself, can’t turn off the twinge of empathy she still feels for Hisato Kaneshiro.

“Your uncle...if he loved you, why did he let you go through with this? Why would he let you risk death or at the very least being trapped here forever with your pain, rather than helping you? That doesn’t sound like what love is supposed to be. You deserved better. From both families you had. I really think you had it in you to be better than the people who betrayed you.”

Hisato really wasn’t all that different from her, she realizes. Ami had suffered, and if things were different, maybe she would be in the same position. If she hadn’t had things to hold her back, maybe she wouldn’t have held out until now, when she’s met people who help make it easier to keep trying. 

She doesn’t like the idea of being so similar to someone behind this, but it makes it impossible to completely hate him. Maybe, if they can save everyone else who died here, there’s another chance for Hisato too, even if he deserves to be punished for what he’s done. In a future after the kingdom of Elysium, after they rescue everyone taken by the Tyrant King’s self-destructive reign, maybe he can begin to make up for it all in a more meaningful way.

“Despite everything...I made a promise to look out for you. Not the Tyrant King or any other men you’ve pretended to be—you. I hope your uncle really does love you. If he does, he’ll want to get you back too, rather than just a version of you that’s stuck in a virtual imitation of immortality, and he’ll be willing to work with us. If not, and if he’s more afraid of having to pay for his crimes than of losing you…then he’s scum, and I’ll go through him too.”

“What, your family’s yakuza? That’s all? Please, how powerful can one group be? We’ve got at least seven people from conglomerates and a bunch of public figures among us to go toe to toe with them. Plus, Kushiko-chan and Kata-san’s mom is gonna be pissed that you guys took her daughters and made them think she was dead, and Shimizu’s itching to threaten people with sharp objects...we’ll take on anyone we have to.”

“So don’t think you can escape me that easily by getting executed, Hisato! Once we wake everyone up in the real world, I’ll kick your ass, I’ll make you watch the Cats movie, and then I’ll kick your ass again! Remember that!”

She doesn’t know if everyone else will let her do what she says before kicking his ass themselves, but it’s the kindest she can manage to be.

“And Azusa...? It’s not about whether we need you, it’s that we want you with us. You had no reason to be kind to me all this time, and yet you still did. I disappointed you—I played right into this game and did something terrible, and even so, you chose to remain my friend. So I’m just doing the same thing you’ve done for me, I suppose.”

“It’s painful, living in a world where someone you love is gone. I know. But you won’t be living in it alone. You’ll get to grieve properly this time, and Oshiro-san and I will give you all the time in the world to. And I think we’ll be able to succeed in bringing everyone out of here—including the two of you. I have an ass-kicking to give to Hisato, after all, so I’m not about to let him stay here forever to avoid it. If you believe in us and give us the time and resources...we can do it.”

“I told you I was selfish, right? Whatever you choose, I’m coming back for you. Just you wait, Azusa-chan.”

If Kushiko doesn’t catch Kamiya’s words, Ami makes sure to coax her girlfriend into looking at her and signs them out the best she can, quietly thankful that he’s being a friend to her in this moment.

Her attention then turns to Aina, having to swallow a lump in her throat before speaking.

  “Amarantos-san—no. Aina-sensei. Your daughter will be safe until you can come back to her. I promise. I’ll tell her you’re on your way as fast as you can...and that you love her.”

Ami then looks to Alphonse as he cries, beckoning him closer so she can wipe the tears from his good eye.

“Alphonse...my dear friend. We’re going to do everything in our power so you can come home with us...you don't remember, but you have so many things to look forward to...”

She nearly cries herself, remembering not too long ago when their roles were reversed. Alphonse had given her the ability to move forward, now Ami had to do the same in return.

“I want you to repeat after me, Alphonse: ‘I am loved. I am cherished. I am going to have a good life.’ ...repeat those words every day until we find your way out of here, alright?”

[arkus-rhapsode]

My Hero Academia Chapter 223 Review

Well, I’m back! Yeah, if you wanna know why I took a break it was because whenever there is a villain centrist chapter it is usually pretty good. But it seems I underestimated Horikoshi and this isn’t a mere chapter. No, this is basically like the pro hero arc and that it will focus on the villains as protagonists for a little while.

So without furthur ado, let us begin.

We open on the current time with Shigaraki fighting against Gigantomechia. And as expected, they aren’t doing so good. We get some narration from Spinner on it.

We also see that just a flex from Gigantomechia’s arm causes a burst of power.

Though that seems to just be a portion of his abilities. As it seems this guy can fight for more than 48 hours before needing rest and recharge. And even in his sleep he’ll be able to attack you. He also grows larger in battle, though no word if it has like reset after awhile. With what the doctor said about Gigantomechia, I’m wondering how much of this is a quirk or just strange physiology.

We see that Shigaraki is the main target and the others can tag in and out.

I kinda love this moment as we learn that the doctor gave them some money and Toga went and bought a new coat with it. I don’t love it because the joke, I love it more in the context of Horikoshi being like “I need an excuse to draw Toga in something cute.” Even though her primary clothing was sweater.

Its not a nitpick, so much as it, just one of those moments that makes you laugh when you think about it. Though, Spinner brings up this important point that Toga had joined for Stain and there is almost nothing about Stain left. Accentuating that point is Spinner not wearing his stain costume (Yet). And remembering the highway chapter, Spinner is the most introspective and one holding Stain to the highest belief.

And here is where we really see the point of this mini arc and that’s basically the parallel of Izuku’s journey. When Shigaraki takes a break from fighting and we see him all battered and bruised,he’s equated to a young boy chasing his dreams. And considering the reckless self destruction Izuku subjected himself to, we see Shigaraki doing the same. While his wounds aren’t self inflicted, he is still throwing himself at something that, in pure power, he is outclassed and will get hurt.

And yet he’s not stopping. Shigaraki’s dream matters more to him than by his physical health.

We get a funny as hell scene with Twice and Compress when Twice gets called by Giran. However, on the other line is the CEO that was torturing Giran. He tells them to check the news.

We see that severed fingers have been placed around Japan in places where the League of Villains have operated. I also would like to take this moment and acknowledge the All Might Statue in Kamino. That’s a really nice touch.

We see the CEO and I’m skipping ahead and we find out his real name is Rikiya Yotsubashi (I’m wondering if he goes by that name or if he uses an alias as Destro’s last name was Yotsubashi and it would be telling if you shared a name with a guy who was the leader of a people’s army.). His villain name is Redestro. Which is kinda lame. Maybe its suppose to be like “Reborn Destro,” but the extra ‘Re-’ just makes it sound a bit goofy. Maybe if it was like Destro the second or something. Wait where was I?

Oh yeah, we see Redestro with the hostage Giran and he explains his view point. Tearing down society and rebuilding it in a way that allows people to utilize the full power of their abilities. This really sounds like he wants to be Armstrong from Metal Gear and make this sense of “true freedom.”

Shigaraki tries to brush them off, seeing it as just another Overhaul. But unlike Overhaul they don’t really have anything like the quirk bullets that will make it worth teaming up with.

But they find out that Giran was tortured, those fingers at the sites of their crimes are Giran’s, and he tried to erase his client data and wouldn’t give up the villains after everything. However, the liberation army was able to restore the data thanks to the help of a member of the liberation army is an IT guy. Speaking of we get our intro to all the heads of the liberation army.

Yeah this is bad. I’ll talk about this later, but these guys are far different from Overhaul. Not just in power and motive, but scale. Also lets look at each member individually (Mainly cause I want to get a bit of snark in).

Tomoyasu is the head of an IT company called Feel Good Inc. Which I really hope is a Gorillaz reference.

Hanabata is a politician, though that would make sense. If they’re trying to regain control of society, best have someone in a position who can affect laws. Also his party is called Heart Seeker, and I really hope that doesn’t allude to the idea that because he’s hot, people voted for him.

Kizuki is the head of the publishing company printing the Destro books. Also, I knew about Shueshia being the company that published Jump beforehand so this parody got me when I first read it. Also, with the fact she’s selling the books and that an arc ago we had Hawks saying he wasn’t happy with the idea of someone profiting from it. So did Hawks ever interview Kizuki? Hori get on the canon version of that and fanfic writers get on the smutty version of that.

And while Redestro is obvious, I will at least take this moment to say, I like his design. While Overhaul had that cool aesthetic with the plague doctor mask, Redestro looks like a middle-aged business man. He’s not drawn as some super hot, Light Yagami looking guy. He look normal and a bit unattractive. Its unique I feel. Usually that kind of character design is the one assisting their Bishounen bosses.

We see that Redestro has satellite cameras on them and that he could sick the heroes on them. But we get a bit more insight into him. The one who must lead the way is Destro and it seems the League after they forced All Might into retirement are the face of evil to the world. As such, Redestro must destroy Shigaraki himself.

While this seems lik one of those cliche “I’ll do it myself moments.” I actually think from the way he speaks, Redestro really does have his dad’s philosophy ingrained in him and he wants to show of the extent to which it grants. Also he probably has like a trap set.

Our chapter ends pretty well actually and I’m hyped.

Post Chapter Follow Up: There is really no negatives in this chapter aside from not much action and maybe one of two pages that feels like filler. But as a whole, its good.

The biggest strength of the chapter is Shigaraki’s journey. Again, as spelled out last week, the whole point of this is that Shigaraki must surpass all for one. Just as Izuku must surpass All Might. As Izuku grows stronger, so to must Shigaraki grow as a villain. He betrayed and outplayed the Yakuza, but he did it with the help of the heroes targeting Chisaki. But now, now he has a beast that won’t recognize him and another beast declaring war on him.

It doees sem like this arc will end with Shigaraki earning Gigantomechia’s respect by beating Redestro. But I’m very curious to see how that goes. As we see, Redestro is a far different villain from Overhaul. Overhaul was calculating and strategic, but he was just as underground as Shigaraki. He had men and disposable equipment, but he was still pretty small. Just a piece in a growing underworld.

But Redestro is actually far larger. Not only does he have more money, but more influence on the public as saw with his choice to go into support tools. He however waits in the shadows a lot more. Which you would have to do as a public figure.

Also we see how much more different than Redestro is in his goal. Like Shigaraki and Overhaul, he wants to change society, but he’s actually far closer to Shigaraki than Overhaul a Overhaul wanted to control societ. He was trying to refit the concept of the Yakuza into the modern age and make a way where he controls both crime and society. Basically making him the “Overlord” or “Godfather.” But Shigaraki and Redestro want to destroy current society. They likely wanna lead it, but they are going to literally change the fundamental structure and replace it with a new one. Shigaraki is just being more open about it.

So yeah, this’ll be Shgaraki’s moment. If I had to predict, if he beats Redestro, it’s likely that he’ll take all of his Liberation army and his support tool manufacturing centers. So this is Shigaraki looking to profit big time off of this.

Also, I love all the small touches in this chapter. From background detail to dialogue, there are the little bits of visual storytelling that I love.

Final Verdict: 9/10

Good buildup

Great characterization

Really makes you think about the complexities of the villains in this world

[my-trashy-writing]

A grumpy, antisocial policeman is forced to live with one of the witnesses for a while.

I don't remember if I've ever said it but - Jaymes Young's music has strong TsukiYama vibe for me. Here's another example of that - the idea came from this song.

As I’ve said before in previous posts - I've decided to make a poll when readers can decide which of my works they want to read next. The fics listed in the poll are already finished. There will be only TsukiYama ones to vote for and I will be slipping some other pairings or fandoms (*cough*Klance*cough*) in between posting the ones from the poll. You can vote here. And this one is the fic that won in the first poll (whooping four votes out of thirteen).

SFW, TsukiYama, police au Words: 4120 Also on ao3.

“Plan B, we’re switching to plan B!” Daichi’s voice could be heard in the earpieces of the whole squad. “There’s someone who-”

“Make that plan C, guys!” Kuroo butted in. “That’s definitely a civilian and he saw something he shouldn’t have. Tsukki, be careful they’re coming your way! A guy chased by two of our targets! They have guns! Sawamura! We’re taking care of the rest!”

“Why is it always me lately?” Tsukishima groaned and started acting according to the newly changed plan. He wasn’t exactly pleased because plan C was the worst option for him. Especially if their targets were armed. Before he had enough time to get rid of all his frustration, someone turned the corner and was running in his direction. Just moments later there were two more people, shouting at the guy to stop and threatening to kill him. ‘I should have stuck to intelligence, even if that host club thing was terrible too,’ Tsukishima thought briefly before he yanked the runner by his hand.

“Stay calm and run. As fast as you can,” Tsukishima tried to sound as reassuring as he could when he saw how scared the other was. But his own peace was violently interrupted when the yakuza guys started shooting at them.

“I need someone to cover me, I can’t handle this myself!” Tsukishima shouted.

“On my way! Give me twenty seconds!” Ennoshita answered. Tsukishima could hear from his voice and breathing that he was going as fast as he could.

“Fine by- FUCK!” Tsukishima cursed loudly and hissed in pain.

“Wha-?” the guy slowed down to turn back and look at him, panic in his eyes.

“Don’t stop, it’s nothing,” Tsukishima said sharply as if he was trying to convince himself that getting shot in the arm wasn’t really a big deal. “Here!” they ducked behind the nearest corner and Tsukishima could finally return the fire. At the same moment Ennoshita came with the reinforcements.

“I want a rise,” Tsukishima breathed out weakly and slid down against the wall after they captured the criminals. He tried to ignore the growing puddle of his own blood but the warm and sticky dampness, accompanied by dizziness and sharp pain, was impossible to brush off.

*

“Has our Sleeping Beauty woke up?” Kuroo asked, leaning against the doorframe of Tsukishima’s hospital room.

“Kuroo…” Daichi scowled at him while Tsukishima openly glared.

“I’d say you look just like usual, Tsukki. So what’s the damage?”

“One bullet wound that caused excessive blood loss. It got to rather dangerous point before we got him to the hospital. Even our first aid wasn’t helping much. Probably because we took care of him rather late,” Daichi sighed.

“Well, maybe he does look a little paler than usual.”

“Yeah,” Daichi sighed. “But luckily, almost miraculously as the doctor said, there was no damage to the bones, even though it’s close to his shoulder joint. So it’s not as bad as it could be.”

“Why are you here, anyway, Kuroo-san?” Tsukishima asked, his voice weak and lacking it’s bite.

“I was worried about you, obviously?”

“Well, there wouldn’t be any need if your intel was more accurate.’

“You should be the one who knows the best that there’s nothing like perfect intel,” Kuroo narrowed his eyes at him. “But yeah, looking at the pitiful you isn’t the only reason why I came.”

“Kuroo,” Daichi hissed.

“Yeah, yeah, everything for you, Sawamura,” Kuroo smiled sweetly. “So anyway, the case isn’t as closed as we’d like it to be.”

“Eh?” Tsukishima gaped at him.

“I’ve heard about it already but I wasn’t given any details,” Daichi added.

“It comes out that the boss of this little group wasn’t at the scene. And one of the guys managed to flee. So we still have two of them to catch. But! Thanks to our little disturbance we have a wild card we can use.”

“Namely?” Daichi asked, raising his brow.

“Yamaguchi.”

“What? Or who?”

“Hey, actually, why are you hiding?” Kuroo leaned outside, beckoning someone who was waiting in the hallway. “Come here.”

“Ah, um… hello,” Yamaguchi came inside the room and greeted quietly. He flinched and averted his gaze when his eyes met Tsukishima’s.

“That’s…” Daichi started.

“Yeah, the unexpected factor in our action and the guy Tsukki took a bullet for,” Kuroo smirked when Tsukishima clicked his tongue.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Yamaguchi said, his voice still quiet.

“Don’t be sorry, it’s our job to protect the citizens,” Daichi smiled warmly at him. “Some thanks would be more fitting,” he winked.

“Eh? Uh… Yes! Thank you very much! Really!” he bowed deeply towards Tsukishima. Before the blond could answer, Kuroo butted in again:

“You’ll have a lot of opportunities to thank him and show your gratitude.”

“Huh?” the three guys gaped at Kuroo, surprised.

“Yeah, just like I was saying - we have a wild card and we’re going to use it.”

“No…” Tsukishima groaned.

“What? You wanted some sexy nurse to pamper you?” Kuroo snickered at him.

“I’m not you!”

“Kuroo, stop taunting him. He’s not exactly in shape for your usual banters,” Daichi said sternly.

“Yes, sir!” Kuroo saluted playfully.

“I’m sorry but I don’t understand...” Yamaguchi said quietly.

“Ah, yeah. Back to the topic. Since Tsukki is hurt and needs someone to take care of him for the time being-”

“I don’t!” Tsukishima fumed.

“Yes, you do. You got shot in your arm. And it doesn’t matter that it’s not your dominant one,” Daichi’s voice was both gentle and stern. “You also lost a lot of blood. You might feel fine now, or are just pretending to, but you went into hypovolemic shock. You could have died. You were unconscious for almost two days. So, really, it would be easier for you to have someone around. I would be at ease too. And I do know that you don’t want to contact your family…”

“So back to the topic again,” Kuroo sighed. “Yamaguchi is going to stay at your place. He saw some things. The yakuza know his face. Basically it means that he’s in danger. At the same time you could use some help around you or the house. It would be safer for him to stay with a police officer. Even if wounded. You’re not that useless, right?”

“Kuroo! I’ve told you already!” Daichi scolded him again.

*

“And here we are,” Kuroo announced happily, when the three of them - he, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima -  entered the blond’s apartment. Tsukishima only rolled his eyes, while Yamaguchi was clearly feeling uncomfortable. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the whole situation. So much happened in the span of the last few days that he was feeling lost and confused.

“You can put your stuff there,” Tsukishima pointed to the closest door. “It’s a spare room I use for storage. I don’t think that there’s enough space to spread the futon, though. There's a lot of stuff my brother left after he moved out. It's still here even though he was supposed to take it back gradually,” he shrugged. “You can sleep on the couch if you want.”

“The couch is really comfy!” Kuroo commented, reassuringly patting Yamaguchi’s shoulder. “I’ve already tested it myself, I slept well even while being squished-”

“Daichi-san will kill you if you say another word,” Tsukishima butted it. “Do whatever you want, just don’t go outside, don’t open the door to anyone, don’t enter my bedroom, and just leave me the hell alone,” Tsukishima glared at Yamaguchi, right before shutting himself in his room.

*

The next few days were absolute torture for both of them, though for very different reasons. The heavy, almost hostile silence was really uncomfortable for Yamaguchi. He understood that having a complete stranger in their home, what’s more, someone who’s the cause of their injury, definitely wasn’t desirable situation for anyone, but Tsukishima was straight out ignoring Yamaguchi anytime he could. And he was doing it even more ostentatious when Yamaguchi was trying to somehow close the distance between them, be it during meals, helping Tsukishima shower or while changing his bandages. Yamaguchi felt disheartened and, not wanting to annoy Tsukishima any further, he stopped talking to him completely and tried to get out of his way as much as he could.

On the other hand, Tsukishima was extremely frustrated. On top of simply being injured, he was forced to stay with a stranger. Who tried to be friendly with him, even though Tsukishima explicitly asked to be left alone. But the worst thing for him was that Daichi was right, that Tsukishima did need someone to take care of him. The mere thought of being dependant on anyone was making him sick - now he was exactly that. And it was taking an enormous toll on him. He was just glad that, after the second day, Yamaguchi stopped trying to talk to him and, in a way, started to avoid Tsukishima too.

*

Tsukishima woke up with a loud gasp. His heart was pounding like crazy and he was covered in cold sweat. His left shoulder hurt like hell and it was this pain that brought him round faster from the terrible dream he had. He sat on the edge of his bed, hiding his face in his hands. But the pain was too much to bear so he decided to get some painkillers. Coming out of his bedroom, he glanced at the clock - it was almost four in the morning.

Minding not to be too loud so he won’t wake Yamaguchi up, Tsukishima went to the kitchen. He found his prescribed medicines and rummaged in the cupboard for a glass. While taking it out he felt another jab of sharp pain. The glass dropped onto the floor. Tsukishima cursed his stupidity for using his left not right hand out of habit.

“What happened?” Yamaguchi asked in a sleepy voice, peeking at Tsukishima from behind the couch backrest.

“Nothing,” the blond cut him off sharply, not wanting to deal with anyone’s attention. He ducked behind the counter and started to gather the broken pieces.

“It’s not nothing…” suddenly, Yamaguchi was behind him. “Oh, leave it, I’ll clean up. Are you ok? Why are you up?”

“It is nothing,” Tsukishima hissed. “And I’m fine. Go to sleep or something.”

“But it would be easier for me to do this… You’re injured and all. And I’m already up anyway so...”

“I can take care of myself! It’s not like I’ve lost my arm!” Tsukishima raised his voice, surprising both Yamaguchi and himself. They stared at each other for a long moment until Yamaguchi finally broke the heavy silence:

“You had a nightmare,” it wasn’t even a question, it was a statement. What’s more - full of genuine concern and free of any mockery. Tsukishima tensed and averted his gaze silently.

“Ok, I know,” Yamaguchi clapped his hands. “Go take a quick, warm shower. You’re probably sweaty so it must be uncomfortable wearing a damp shirt. It will calm you down too. And I will clean up the broken glass, ok?” he smiled lightly. Tsukishima groaned but listened nevertheless.

Few minutes later, when Tsukishima came out of the bathroom, he noticed that the room was softly illuminated by the warm light of the lamp he almost never used. What’s more, there was a pleasant smell in the air.

“Oh, great timing! I’ve just made this,” Yamaguchi held up two steamy mugs. He placed them on the coffee table, right beside a glass of water and painkillers. Tsukishima wondered why he was so irritated by the mere sight of it. Was it because Yamaguchi was meddlesome? Was it because Yamaguchi was able to read him so well? Or was it because of himself? Because he showed a weakness in front of someone?

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Yamaguchi tilted his head, looking at Tsukishima who was just standing there, glaring holes in the table. “Come, sit,” he patted the couch beside him.

“What is this even?” Tsukishima sat, not really grasping the situation.

“Hot chocolate. It will make you feel better,” the other smiled reassuringly. “And come here, under the blanket,” he covered Tsukishima’s legs just like his own. “Let’s drink this and talk some,” Yamaguchi seemed very different from what Tsukishima remembered from the few days they spent together in his apartment.

“It’s four in the morning, you know.”

“So what? It’s not like you have work first thing in the morning. You’re off. You can sleep even until the evening. And I’m the same. So what’s the problem? And you need to calm down, you still seem uneasy. You won’t fall asleep so easily now. Ah! And it’s not like we have to talk about you know… private things or anything,” Yamaguchi’s resolve faltered a bit. “Just the small talk to occupy your mind until you get sleepy.”

Tsukishima let out a sigh and took the pills, grabbing the mug afterwards.

“So?” he asked.

“Ah, um…” Yamaguchi fumbled with words. “Oh! I know! Let’s talk about music. There’s a lot of CDs here, so…”

Despite initial problems, their conversation went smoothly from there. After emptying his mug, Yamaguchi started to feel drowsy, but he decided to not fall asleep before Tsukishima. Right now he was telling the blond about a concert of an artist both of them liked. Somewhere mid-sentence he noticed that Tsukishima dozed off. Yamaguchi smiled warmly at him and closed his eyes. He fell asleep almost immediately.

*

The first thing Tsukishima noticed after waking up was that he wasn’t in his bed. He wasn’t even lying, he was sitting. The second thing was that he wasn’t alone. He was leaning his head against Yamaguchi’s which in turn was propped against his right shoulder. Tsukishima’s slight movements woke Yamaguchi up. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. He yawned and then looked at Tsukishima.

“Good morning,” Yamaguchi said with a soft smile. “How are you feeling? Better?” Tsukishima only grunted in response and stood up with the intent to go to the bathroom. Just before closing the door after himself he stopped and, without turning back, said:

“Thank you,” it was quiet but it definitely reached Yamaguchi.

*

The night they chatted and slept together on the couch was a turning point for them. Once again, Yamaguchi tried to get rid of the uncomfortable silence between them. This time around, Tsukishima opened himself. At first only slightly, somewhat embarrassed because of what happened that night. But, soon enough, having Yamaguchi around stopped being annoying and became comfortable instead. Even though Tsukishima always thought that being completely alone was the best for him.

In the middle of the second week of Yamaguchi’s stay at Tsukishima’s place, the investigation started moving forward again. One of their informants, Oikawa, the one they were working with on this case before, said that he has something of interest for the police. But before he shared the information with them, he had one specific demand.

“I hate host clubs,” Tsukishima grumbled under his breath, when he finally came back home, around five in the morning. “I fucking stink,” he added, taking the jacket of his suit off and letting it slip on the ground.

“Welcome back. How it went?” Yamaguchi asked in a sleepy voice, rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry for waking you up,” Tsukishima’s annoyed expression softened at the sight. He paused for a moment and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“It’s fine,” Yamaguchi smiled gently. “It’s not that I was waiting but I was kind of worried, so… Anyway, how it went? Are you ok?”

“I hate host clubs and I can’t stand their sickening scent. It's sticking to you after only five minutes. Even more so, if some random women are clinging to you,” Tsukishima took his shirt off completely. “Oikawa-san thought it was funny to see me deal with his customers. Do I look like a host?”

“Eh?” Tsukishima’s sudden question baffled Yamaguchi. “Um… if you smiled from time to time and made small talk?”

“Huh?”

“I mean… I worked in few host clubs, as a bartender and a waiter, so I saw a lot of different types of hosts. But, all in all, they just need to be handsome and witty. Depending on who you would be working with, you could even become number one if you tried. And you’re asking me such a question without your shirt on… women would flock to you immediately.”

“I can’t believe…” Tsukishima sighed heavily.

“Well, it’s you who wanted to know,” Yamaguchi chuckled.

“Yeah… Anyway, I got some serious info and it might get dangerous soon. But first I really need to take a shower and wash this stench off.”

*

“Get a hold of yourself, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima hissed.

“I can’t help being scared!” Yamaguchi raised his voice. “I’m just your average guy. The last time I got involved with them, they were shooting at me! And you got shot for real! It would be weird if I wasn’t scared...”

“We went through this many times. If you do what you’re supposed to do, you won’t even see them. There are only two of them. And Daichi-san and Kuroo-san are already on standby with their teams. Don’t worry.”

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi seemed to calm down a bit, but he jumped up, scared again, after someone banged loudly on Tsukishima’s door.

“Don’t worry,” Tsukishima repeated. “Hide in my room, close the door with the key and barricade them with the desk. That would stop anyone for a while. Don’t open until I say it’s safe... Do you understand?” Tsukishima grabbed Yamaguchi’s shoulders and looked right into his eyes.

“Yes.”

“This is my home,” Tsukishima said slowly, not tearing his eyes from Yamaguchi’s. “And I’m going to protect both this house and you, Tadashi” he pushed surprised Yamaguchi towards his bedroom. Tsukishima waited until Yamaguchi hid himself and then he went towards the front door. He stopped few steps in front of them, when he realised that the banging suddenly stopped. Seconds later, the silence was interrupted by a gunshot and the door got kicked open.

“Are we really doing it like this?” Tsukishima asked the two guys who were standing in front of him.

“You won’t be needing any door when you’re dead,” one of them answered while the second charged at Tsukishima.

“I don’t plan on dying in the nearest future,” Tsukishima sneered, swiftly avoiding the punch aimed at him. The attacker lost his balance for a moment. Tsukishima used it, grabbing him and throwing onto the ground. The guy hit the floor with his forehead, loud thud resounding in the air. At the same time Tsukishima winced, groaning in pain.

“Judo, huh?” the second guy sighed. “Though I see we aren’t healed yet,” he taunted. “It’s not smart to throw people heavier than yourself when you’re injured.”

“Who’s fault is that?” Tsukishima rolled his eyes.

“Not mine, since I wasn’t there. And I’d rather aim at your head than anywhere else,” he pointed his gun at Tsukishima.

“This is so cliche,” Tsukishima sighed.

“Huh? Are you stall-” he didn’t finish, as he fell down on the floor after a hit to the back of his head.

“But don’t you feel like you’re in a movie?” Kuroo asked. At the same time few police officers came inside and cuffed the two unconscious guys.

“Then I want a movie-like pay.”

“Who wouldn’t,” Kuroo shrugged. “Where’s Yamaguchi?”

“In my room,” Tsukishima answered quietly and plopped on the couch, groaning again.

“Hey, Yamaguchi, you can come out!” Kuroo knocked at the door. He furrowed his brows when there was no answer. “Tsukki?” he turned towards Tsukishima.

“Yamaguchi, it’s fine to come out now!” Tsukishima said loudly and, soon after, the door opened. Kuroo only raised his brow and whistled.

“Is it…?” Yamaguchi asked quietly.

“It’s fine already. They all got arrested, you’re safe, you can go back to your life,” Kuroo answered him.

“What about- You’re bleeding!” there was panic in Yamaguchi’s eyes when he saw a growing bloodstain on Tsukishima’s sleeve.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed. And I’m getting dizzy already, so call the ambulance. And, seriously, get me a rise.”

*

“How are you feeling?” Yamaguchi asked shyly, standing in the door of Tsukishima’s hospital room.

“Tired,” Tsukishima sighed. “And I have anemia. The wound, of course, reopened but it’s not as bad as before. Apart from that - I’m fine.”

“It’s not perfect but I’m glad that it isn't worse,” he smiled lightly.

“Thanks. Why are you here?”

“Eh? I was worried. Isn’t it obvious?” Yamaguchi was surprised by the question.

“You didn't have to.”

“But-”

“You didn't have to. The case is closed, you can go home. I’m better than earlier, so I don’t need your help anymore.”

“What are you…?”

“Just like Kuroo-san said yesterday, you can go back to your life,” Tsukishima said sharply, furrowing his brows. He glared at Yamaguchi for few seconds and then turned his head away. Yamaguchi was standing frozen still in the middle of the room and then suddenly stormed out without saying anything, bumping into Kuroo just outside the room.

“Are you stupid?” Kuroo stomped towards Tsukishima. “He’s worried about you and you oh, so politely, tell him to get the fuck away from you? I thought you were smarter. Really.”

“What does it even have to do with you?” Tsukishima narrowed his eyes at Kuroo.

“That you’re a complete pain in the ass and have close to zero social skills when it comes to your own private life? That’s why Oikawa and I like to make fun of you. That's why Sawamura acts like he's your father. And that's why we're all so worried about you.”

“I’ve got too comfortable,” Tsukishima said quietly.

“HUH?! And how’s that wrong? We need to have something or someone who makes us feel comfortable. How are you supposed to relax while doing this stressful job when you’re always alone with yourself? How long will your CDs be able to take your mind off bad stuff?” Kuroo was genuinely angry at Tsukishima. Who, unusually, stayed quiet, without any rebuttal. “Get a hold of yourself. Really. And you should be glad that it was me, not Sawamura who heard all of this. You wouldn’t escape with such a simple earful,” Kuroo added and left the room.

*

Despite getting out of the hospital, Tsukishima wasn’t in the best mood. He did feel bad about what he said to Yamaguchi before, but with Kuroo’s harsh words it hit him even harder. He understood the logic behind that reasoning. But he still didn’t want to be dependant on anyone. Even if it felt so comfortable. Or did he now?

With a heavy sigh, Tsukishima opened the new, replaced door to his place, thankful to whoever did it. He stopped in the hallway, surprised to hear someone bustling around in the kitchen.

“Yamaguchi? What are you doing here?” he asked, dumbfounded, after he saw the other washing the dishes.

“Ah… Um… It’s nice seeing you out of the hospital,” Yamaguchi started, not looking at Tsukishima. “You’re early, I thought I had around an hour left,” he added quietly.

“For what?”

“I’m… You... Even though you’re out of the hospital it doesn’t mean that you’re completely healed, right? So I… I dropped by to clean a bit. And I made few meals, freezing some of them. So you can eat them later. I tried to make stuff that’s good when you’re anemic,” Yamaguchi fumbled with the hem of his apron, still not looking at Tsukishima. “And I wanted to leave before you came home,” he smiled but it seemed forced. “So I’m gonna go now…” Yamaguchi hurriedly gathered his things, wanting to leave. But when he tried to walk past Tsukishima, the blond grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

“I’m sorry,” Tsukishima said quietly.

“Eh? For what?” Yamaguchi wasn’t sure what was happening.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve said in the hospital two days ago. And I want to take it back.”

“I don’t understand,” Yamaguchi turned around to look at Tsukishima.

“You… you can stay if you want. For how long you want,” he was avoiding eye contact but his grip on Yamaguchi’s wrist tightened.

“And what about getting too comfortable?” Yamaguchi asked teasingly.

“Huh? You were listening?” Tsukishima snapped his eyes at Yamaguchi.

“Yeah.”

“I got played by Kuroo-san, right?”

“A bit,” Yamaguchi chuckled. “But I really wanted to leave before you came back.”

“I’m sorry,” Tsukishima released Yamaguchi’s wrist, not sure what he was even apologizing for.

“Though, now, I don’t really want to,” this time it was Yamaguchi who grabbed Tsukishima’s hand. “What do you want?” he asked.

Tsukishima stayed still for a moment and then smiled softly, leaning down to lightly kiss Yamaguchi’s lips.

“Stay,” he answered shortly, deepening the kiss.

[nachtgraves]

a++ kuzuhina: maybe the same ship with #4.“I’m flirting with you.”?

Oh my god I am so sorry this took forever and a half BUT I FINALLY FINISHED IT. I experimented with writing a thing told mostly through texting so hopefully it still flows pretty well? It was an experience, I tell you. Also. I apologize for the awful title for this but it was literally the best I could think of.  And I probably should have used time stamps but I’m a dumb and hope extra spacing gives the same effect?

Title: Mis-Texting Could Possibly End in Kissing  // AO3Word Count: ~4200Warnings/Tags: PG. Told through texting with interspersed prose, high school au, hope’s peak still exists, but no despairs, some typos are intentional and let’s pretend the others are too, real minor angst. Hajime is non-italics, Fuyuhiko and the two instances of Chiaki are in italics.

[ughhhhhh][im so bored][she wont stop taking][talking*]

[That’s kind of the point of a presentation]

[nooneasked for ur sass]

Hajimedoesn’t know how it happened, but he and the infamous ‘baby-faced yakuza ofHope’s Peak High’ are texting buddies.

Well.

Maybethat’s not entirely true. He does know how it started, at least.

[heypres][its kuzuryuu][souda gave me ur number][wat do we need for teh fair agian?]

[Sorry, youmight have the wrong number]

[oh][ur not nanmi?][fuck][souda is dead][sorry]

[Noworries. Mistakes happen][But, by Souda do you mean Souda Kazuichi?And did you mean to text Nanami Chiaki?]

[yeah][who r u??]

[Chiaki’s a close friend. Ournumbers happen to be really similar. Hers ends in a 1 instead of a 2]

[ohthanks][srry for the mix up]

[Don’tworry about it. Happens fairly often :p]

Hajimedoesn’t hear back from the stranger for a few days and quickly forgets themix-up even happened. He hadn’t been lying when he said that such thingshappened fairly often, especially since Chiaki was voted as class rep. (She hadbeen so surprised and happy, Hajime thought a new VR game system was announced).Chiaki and him and found it quite amusing and it wasn’t much trouble to fix themistake usually. But one afternoon, he’s cleaning up his room and finds apacket of papers that look important by the large scrawling over the front pagein Chiaki’s loopy handwriting, reading: ‘SCHOOL FEST BUDGET’. He also knowsthat Chiaki wasn’t going to be home for hours, since her school festival wasthis coming weekend and she’s been staying back to organize, plan, and dowhatever it is class representatives do for events like that.

[Hey you left a packet of papers atmine. School fest budget?]

[Chiaki?]

[Goddmannit did u foget to chargeyour phone again?]

Knowingthat if the packet were important, Chiaki would be freaking out (she always putso much pressure on herself, especially since she became class rep), Hajimestares at the packet in his lap. He could run to Chiaki’s high school, butdoubts he would be let in since it was almost sundown and Hope’s Peak High wasone of the more prestigious secondary schools in their district. Hajime himselfgoes to a regular public school a short walk from their neighbourhood.

Staringat his phone, as if it was going to give him an answer, he finds one as hescrolls through his messages. He still has the short conversation from thestranger from Chiaki’s class. It’s worth a shot, at the very least.

[Hey this is Chiaki’s friend HinataHajime. I still had your number from when you mis-texted me and I was wonderingif Chiaki was nearby? She’s not answering her phone]

[yeah][why?]

[I think she forgot something at myhouse. School fest budget?]

[yeah][she thought she lost it][shes asking if u can drop it off at her place][her phone is dead]

[Yeah I cando that][Thanks]

Laterthat night, Hajime is attempting to complete a history essay due the nextmorning when he receives a text. His phone is plugged in by his bed, on theopposite end of where his desk is. He literally jumps at the distraction,hopping into bed and lying back against the pillows propped up against the headboard.

[Thanksfor dropping off the packet.]

[No prob][You need to remember to charge your phone]

[I know. (*_ _) ][How did you have Kuzuryuu’snumber, by the way?]

[The miss-text a few days ago.Figured it was worth a try]

[Thank you. You really saved me.]

Threehours later, it’s inching closer to midnight and Hajime hasn’t returned to hisassignment. Chiaki is not impressed.

[Doyour work.]

[I’m takinga break]

[(￢_￢) You’ve been ‘takinga break’ for three hours. Stop procrastinating and finish your homework.]

[You’re notdoing your homework]

[I finished my homework. I’m makingsure all the plans for the school fair next month are in order.

You’recoming to it, right?]

[Yeah][If I’m not stuck wiht tuorting…][Tutoring*][Can’t you help???]

[You know I’m not that much betterthan you. Sonia helps me.]

[Give me hernumber?][I’m desperate a tthis point]

[That’sa breach of privacy.]

[Chiakiiiiiiiiiii][Please?][I’ll do your Japanese hw next time?]

[No.]

[JapaneseAND math?]

[Tempting.But good night, Hajime.]

[Chiaki][Chiaki][Chiaki come back][Chiakiiiiii][What kind of friend are u?]

It’stimes like this Hajime sometimes wishes he was closer to some of hisclassmates. He’s not a loner, but he’s definitely a drifter of sorts. He has peopleto talk to and sit with at lunch, but rarely does he spend time with hisclassmates outside of school or for non-school related activities. Because ofthat, he’s not close enough to anyone to randomly message them at close tomidnight for homework help.

Justas he’s trying to figure out a solution – since it’s far too late to actually do his work like the goodstudent he only sometimes is, his phone goes off. And this, is the true startof everything.

[cmon i’ll pay u][and by pay i mean not break ur fucking teeth with my fist]

[Wrongperson?][Hopefully, at least]

[fuck][sorry][yeah][i meant to text the person above u in my message list thing]

[Everythingokay?]

[yeahjust some shitty hw]

[You too?][I have this awful history essay due tomorrow]

[historyis whatever][math is killing me]

[Math isn’ttoo bad][At least there’s always just one answer]

[historyand english u just bs tho]

[But it’sso subjective][Everything depends on something else]

[wannatrade then?]

Andthat is how Hajime found himself a homework buddy. Kuzuryuu is good at Englishand history, while Hajime’s strengths lie in math and science, and the both ofthem were pretty good at Japanese. One night of texting back and forth, helping(dipping into the realm of ‘academic dishonesty’ on occasion) with theirrespective assignments. They say goodnight close to dawn, but Kuzuryuu had stayedup long after his homework was complete and waited and helped Hajime until hewas done as well.

Fromthen on, Hajime would find himself texting back and forth with this boy he’snever met. At first, they exclusively went to the other for homework help, buteventually Hajime would send Kuzuryuu a short text about something funny that hadhappened (a cat attacking some dumb kids that were trying to taunt it) andKuzuryuu would send him a rant about something that annoyed him (old womenthinking that he’s younger than he is or a police officer asking if he’s losthis parents) and it snowballs into them casually texting throughout the day,particularly during boring presentations that no one, including the personpresenting, cared about.

[Payattention and stop distracting me]

[potnd kettle][stop looking at ur phone during class]

[Shush][I’m bored too]

[fuckinquit the holier than thou then][i can ignore u][nd u can be bored alone]

[Youwouldn’t do that][Who’d you distract if not me?]

[plentyof pple][ur lucky i deign to talk to u]

[Yeah][I’m sooo grateful]

[ushould be]

[Stilldoubt that you could ignore me]

[fuckintry me]

[Is that achallenge?]

Kuzuryuulasts all of until the end of the school day. Hajime can be quite theannoyance.

[jfc ur gonna break my phone]

[I win :D]

[uwin a fist to the face when i see u]

[Are wegoing to meet up then?][So eager to see me :P]

[Kuzuryuu?]

[I’m sorryif I made it weird]

[nahi had to hide my phone fr a bit][ur the one who sounds too happy bout gettinghis face smashed]

[You’re tooviolent][How do you have firneds if you treaten to hurt htem all the time?]

[nicetypos]

[Hush. Atleast I use proper grammar most of the time]

[yshould i waste my time with shit like that?]

[Forlegibility][I got to go][Got phys ed :/][Save me]

[ihope u have to run laps the entire time]

[You areevil]

Hope’sPeak’s festival comes and goes one weekend. As usual, it is a busy event due tothe school’s prestigious standing. Hajime, as promised, visits Chiaki’s class,doing an interactive murder mystery café of sorts where customers are givenclues with their orders to figure out the murder of a prop set up in the centerof the classroom. He finally meets some of Chiaki’s classmates whom she’stalked about and apparently she’s talked to them about him in return. However,and though he won’t admit it to anyone other than Chiaki if hard pressed, hekeeps his ears open for the name Kuzuryuu and is disappointed to realize thathis texting buddy was nowhere to be seen.

(“Kuzuryuu?We sent him to go advertise with Koizumi and Saionji,” says Sonia. “Do you twoknow each other?”

“Uh,he mis-texted me once,” Hajime replies. He redirects further questions awayfrom him and towards what they used to make the neon pink blood for the fakecrime scene.)

Hajimemay have lingered around for a bit until he couldn’t justify staying and beinga distraction any longer. By the time he leaves to go back home, he’s exchangednumbers with a few of them with vague promises to meet up some time and hangout. Even as he leaves the school, weaving past the steady stream of peoplestill entering the premise, his eyes roam for individuals advertising forChiaki’s class. He returns home to his books and TV without having met aKuzuryuu.

[You guysdid a good job at your school fest]

[uwent?]

[I promisedChiaki]

[u2 datin or somthn?]

[God no][We’ve known each other forever]

[doesntmean u havnt dated]

[Ew][She’s practically my sister]

[heardu got numbers frm some girls in my class]

[Oh yeah][Are Sonia and Mioda always like that?]

[annoying?][obnoxious?][preppy?]

[Haha][Your class seems really cool]

[seems][u dont see them 5 days a week]

[I bet your classmates have thingsto say about you too]

[maybe][but they wouldnt live for long if they say anything]

[Hahahawhat are you, the yakuza?]

[Kuzuryuu?]

[uhavent looked me up?]

[Why wouldI?][And you’ve never told me your first name]

[uwouldnt need my first name][but its fuyuhiko]

[You’re not pulling oneover on me are you?]

[i go to hopespeak idiot][sonia’s a motherfucking princess][nd y woud i joke about that?]

[You’re not going to send people after me for makingfun of you, are you?]

[ur entertainingfor now]

[Oh ha ha][Glad I amuse you]

[Wait][Oh my god][Is this you?][[image]]

[u got somethingto say?]

[No][Just][Not what I was expecting]

[think carefullybout ur words hinata]

[I thought I wasentertaining?]

[toys can getbroken]

[Now that’s uncalled for][I didn’t even say anything about how adorable you look]

[HINATA]

[It’s true though!][You can’t call a hit on me for being truthful]

[just shut up][y did i tell you to look me up][yd u look for pictures?]

[Curiosity][We’ve been talking for a while now and we don’t even know what the other lookslike]

[Kuzuryuu?][Did you know what I looked like?]

[bein cautious isimportant]

[Omg you looked me up][What horrible pictures did you find???]

[[image]]

[That’s from Chiaki’s fb!]

[not that hard]

[I TRIED TO FIND YOU ONFB THOUGH]

[securitysettings]

[Oh][Point]

It’snot too long after that Hajime receives a friend request from one KuzuryuuFuyuhiko. He hits accept almost embarrassingly fast and proceeds to exploreKuzuryuu’s newly unveiled profile with the eagerness of a stalker given an inchand taking a mile. There’s not much to explore, the other boy doesn’t seem touse the website very much, which honestly does not surprise Hajime though hecan’t help but feel a little disappointed.

[The last time you were active onfb was almost a year ago][And it was a profile pic update][That you didn’t even upload??]

[soudand sonia hacked my account][sonia was offended my profile pic was like 2 yrs old][koizumi has a fuckton of pics of ppl][nd i was 2 lazy 2 change it]

[It’s agood picture of you]

 [thanks]

Uponadding Kuzuryuu, Hajime’s flooded by friend requests from Chiaki’s otherclassmates and ends up talking semi-regularly with them. Kuzuryuu and him stilltext each other practically daily, to the point Chiaki comments on it whenHajime is over at hers to help her complete co-op achievements for a game she’syet to 100 per cent.

(“Youand Kuzuryuu seem to really get along.” Chiaki glances pointedly at Hajime’sphone as it buzzes several times, Kuzuryuu’s name flashing on the screen.

Hajimeshrugs noncommittedly, and is oddly relieved that the game finishes loading andthey’re thrust into a horde of mutant creatures.)

Evenhis classmates notice he’s on his phone a lot more often during and betweenclasses.

(“Gota girlfriend, Hinata?”

Frowning,Hajime shakes his head, “No, why?”

“You’realways on your phone texting and smiling down at it.”

Hajime’ssure his face has never been more red and when, moments later, he gets a textfrom Kuzuryuu complaining about the apparent Souda-Sonia-Tanaka love trianglethat should just turn into a threesome, he realizes his face does indeed moveon its own.)

[Oh my godhelp]

[what’dyou do?]

[Gave into peer pressure and wentto a goukon with some classmates -_-][I’m hiding in the bathroom][But I’ll have ot go back out there][:c]

[urnot drinking r u?][ur not 20]

[A yakuzaheir is against underage drinking?]

[udidnt answer]

[No one’sdrinking][We’re at a karaoke place][But htank you for caring c:]

[shutup][u dont usually go out w/ ur classmates]

[Yeah][Some of them have been teasing me about a girlfriend so I mostly just went sothey’d shut up]

[girlfriend?][u said u nd nanami werent dating]

[We’re not][They think you’re my secret girlfriend]

[?]

[Apparently I smiled while textingor something][And I’ve been on my phone more often][And you’re the only person I really text during class so]

[oh]

[Yeah, funny right?][Wonder what they’d think if they knew I was texting buddies with the heir tothe Kuzuryuu clan lmao][Though some ofthem already give me shit for being close to Chiaki just cuz shegoes to Hope’s Peak][They think you guys are snobby elitests just cuz you go to a prestigiousschool and we’re just public school kids][But you guys arent tat different][Just different talents and families][Woops sorry][Didn’t mean to get all ranty][Ugh I gotta go][Can’t hide here forever]

Afterthe goukon, which wasn’t horrible but neither was it all that enjoyable, Hajime’splunged into preparations for his school’s culture festival and upcoming exams. He’s barely had timeto text Kuzuryuu other than short greetings and the occasional tidbit from hisday that the other boy would find amusing. He misses their daily conversationsand when he finally has some down time, the day before the culture festival,he’s holed up in his room and on his phone while he catches up on TV shows onhis laptop.

[Hey longtime no chat][I’ve finally got free time again!]

[yea][school stuff?]

[Yeah][Every teacher decided to have everything due weeks early so we weren’toverwhelend when finals come around][Kill me -_-]

[shouldnt u be spending ur free timew/ ur gf stead of talking to me?]

[What?]

[ugot a gf or whatvr after that goukon][didnt u?]

[No?][Where’d you hear that?]

[therewas a pic on fb][u were tagged][it showed up on my feed]

[I haventbeen on fb recently][Lemme check]

[Oooooh][Yeah no][I wasn’t even aware this was taken][And the comments are baseless][I barely spoke to her][There was no ‘chemistry brewing’]

[shescute tho]

[Yeah Iguess?][Objectively][But not really interested][She doesn’t go to my school][And we met for like five seconds]

[datingimplies getting to kno eachother]

[Yeah but][Idk][Just nothing clicked?][And I wasn’t even looking for anything going to the thing either so][What about you?]

[watabout me?]

[You thinkshe’s cute][She your type?]

[no]

 [Am I notgetting more than that?]

[i’mmore into a dif set of anatomy]

[?????]

[shesnot a he]

[Oh][OH][You’re]

[homo]

[Oh]

[ifthats a problem u should delete my number]

[NO][Not a prob at all][Sorry][Just surpside][Supreied][SURPRISED][Fuck][I’m sorry]

[usaid that alredy]

[Well I am][Could have responded better]

[couldaresponded worse][so][not a prob?]

[Coursenot][That’d be stupid for one][And hypocrtical for antoher]

[hypocritical?]

[I’m bi][Or pan][Idk][Still nto sure about the difference tbh][Nd I have a friend who’s ace]

[nanami?]

[I cannot divulge something that isnot mine to tell]

[she let it slip when we werecleaning up after culture fest][sonia and mioda bugged her bout if u two were dating][hanamura wanted to know bout ur sex life]

[Hanamurascares me][And yes to Chiaki being my ace friend]

[hanamurascares everyone][u basically gave it away with ur notanswr answer]

[Shedoesn’t care][But I still didn’t actually confirm or deny][Because that would be rude][(◡‿◡✿)]

[fuckoff][dont u dare start using those kaomoji things like nanami]

[(。・ω・。)][( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)][*｡:ﾟ+\(^‿^✿)]

[imgonna block u]

[(◕‸◕✿) *pout*]

Theydon’t re-visit the topic of sexuality again and settle back into their frequentback and forth texting. Hajime’s still teased at school but once he finallycaves and lets his classmates know that he is not texting a girl, but a boyfrom Chiaki’s class at Hope’s Peak, all interest in his affairs are lost.

Winteris fast approaching and with that comes the school culture festivals foreveryone other than Hope’s Peak, who have their festival earlier because no onewould go to any other school event if Hope’s Peak is allowing outsiders to touraround. Hajime’s class decides what to do rather quickly since no one’s allthat interested in putting too much effort, but Hajime still ends up being runragged with the rest of his class in the last minute preparations.

[I hateculture fests]

[culturefest?]

[Yeah][My school’s one is coming up][My class is doing a butler/maid cafe][Because we are simple public school students who don’t have the resources forpink blood]

[I was kidding][Your class’ murder cafe was the best thing I’ve ever seen][Thouhg I admit I had high expectations since you guys do go to Hope’s Peak]

[it was nanami’s idea][nd hanamuras a creep but good cook][nd sonias gotta 1up everyone nd dished out money so we could go way overbudget]

[Haha][But it was great][I had a lot of fun]

[Btw][Your birthday’s coming up right?]

[no][y?]

[Is yourbirthday not during the winter?]

[itsin aug]

[But yourname is FUYUhiko]

[ndmy sis is natsumi but her birthdays in march]

[But][That doesn’t make sense]

[blameour parents]

Hajime’sculture festival comes and goes. It goes fairly well in his opinion, even ifhis butler uniform ended up shrinking in the wash and it was too late to fix. He’spretty sure his pants were borderline indecent with how tight they were and thefact that he had felt far too many eyes on his ass and crotch region during theday was not comforting in the least. No real disturbances occurred though, other than when Chiaki came by and was recognizedby video game enthusiasts and Hope’s Peak admirers.

[thoughtu were doing a butler cafe not a host club]

[?????]

[[image]]

[Where didyou get that???]

[ihave my sources][could u not find pants that werent 3 szies too small?]

[It shrankin the wash okay][But oh god][Did I look that bad all day???][Kill me]

[udidn’t look bad][how many ppl asked u out this time?]

[None??][Though now I know why girls kept giggling when I turned my back][I don’t know if I can show my face at school again]

[theywere prob giggling cuz u have a nice ass]

[Ha ha]

[urnot ugly idiot][i bet tons of girls are crushing on u at school][nd guys][im surprised ur single]

[Shut up][If it’s a surprise anyone is single it’s you][You’re funny, snarky, smart, and really attractive][And you pretend like you’re relaly grumpy and antisocial][But when Chiaki talks about school and you come up you’re always taking part][And the fact that you’re secretly really toned][Like seeing those beach pictures on Koizumi’s fb][Oh my god][And your eyes][If they look that gorg in candid photos I don’t want to imagine in rl][And I’m just this normal whatever][Mediocre in every way]

[Uh][Pretend I never said all that?]

[didu fb stalk me on other ppl’s fb?][nd ask nanmi to spy on me for u?]

[No]

[Maybe][No to the spying][Maybe I would ask about you though?][I’m sorry]

[ur not mediocre][wanna talk about pretty eyes?][and secretly toned bodies?][if u wore clothes that didnt swallow u][ud be batting away pple who wanna date/fuck u][nd ur eyes are the ones that are gorg and unique][u have any idea how many times ive thought of wanting to see em in person?][nad how nanami talks about u all the time][i knew of u before the whole mistexting crap][but as nanmi’s annoying notboyfriend][and now i get hwy she praises u so much][anyone would be lucky to go out with you][ur stupidly nice and considerate][but also a sarcastic little shit u cant hate]

[You don’t need to say nice thingsto me just cuz I made a fool of myself just now]

[imflirting wth u dumbass]

[Oh]

Hajime is typing…

Hajime is typing…

[uever gonna finish ur reply]

[I’mpanicking][Give me a break][I don’t know how to respond]

[fine][go on a date with me?][ y ( ) n ( )]

[How did Inever realize how dorky you are]

[fuckinjust anser or ill punch ur stupid face]

[Maybe I’drather you kiss it]

 [andi’m a dork?][fucking loser]

[Shut up][You didn’t say no though]

[ustill havent answered me]

[You first]

[fucku i asked first]

[I askedsecond]

[HINATAI S2G I WILL SHANK U]

[I’m sorry][I default to annoying when im embbarsed and dont know waht im doing][I want you to kiss me. I want to kiss you][So yes please]

[yesor no woulda been fine][dork]

“…”

“…”

“…”

“What?”Kuzuryuu finally snaps.

“This is a lot harder in person,”Hinata laughs weakly. And it really is. Especially because Kuzuryuu is even cuter in person and Hajime didn’tthink that could be possible. Also, the skinny jeans and casual button downcombo he’s sporting makes it hard for Hajime to look anywhere at the boy’s bodywithout blushing. He’d been so excited to finally meet up, expecting to fallinto conversation as easily as they do while texting, but one look at Kuzuryuuwaiting by the entrance of the movie theater, scowling at everyone who’d lookat him, had wiped most of the vocabulary in Hajime’s brain.

“Younever shut up when we text,” Kuzuryuu grumbles.

“It’snot my fault you’re even cuter in person and I forgot everything I wanted tosay.” Kuzuryuu scowls but he also turns redder than before. “See! If you canstop being so adorab—”

“Hinata,I swear if you call me c-cute or a—that, again you’ll wish I sent Peko afteryou.”

“Peko?”

Kuzuryuugives him a look that is equal parts fond and exasperated and a littlebewildered. “You could have found so much about me just from a few google searches.”

Hajimejust shrugs and looks down at his feet, “Yeah, but I’d rather get to know youby actually talking to you.” When he looks up, Kuzuryuu’s facing away but notenough to completely hide the fact that his cheeks and ears are tinged a darkpink-red, especially since Hajime’s got a 22cm height advantage. Hajime grins.“C’mon, we’re going to be late for the movie.”

Whenhe reaches forward and grabs Kuzuryuu’s hands, he files away the squawkingnoise the shorter boy emits as he tugs him along towards the movie theater. Inall honesty, Hajime wouldn’t be able to tell anyone about the movie they saw –he believes it was an action flick – since Kuzuryuu decided to pay back the handholding with a game of gay chicken that led to some intense public displayingof affection. They’re lucky the theater was mostly empty and they chose seatstowards the back. Hajime’s mental notes of Kuzuryuu by the end of the movieinclude several points relating to the plushness of Kuzuryuu’s lips, the factthat Kuzuryuu’s palate is quite the sensitive spot, and that Kuzuryuu has totry extremely hard to remain quiet.

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2019 Awards — Judgment Overrules the Competition

December 23, 2019 1:59 PM EST

DualShockers presents their Game of the Year Awards for 2019, with Judgment winning Staff Choice and Death Stranding nabbing Readers’ Choice.

With the decade quickly coming to a wrap, it is time for DualShockers’ annual Game of the Year awards selection. In all my time with this publication, this game of the year has been the most contentious — a fact that speaks to the many fantastic titles that came out this year. But whether you stan Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Death Stranding, or Apex Legends, most notable games got their fair share of recognition in 2019.

Before we jump into the Game of the Year 2019 awards, I wanted to throw a quick shout out to the DualShockers community at large — this was the first year we’ve added a way for readers to jump into our site-wide vote. We had a terrific turnout that changed the tides of selections. Meanwhile, both Readers’ Choice for Game of the Year 2019 and Most Anticipated of 2020 got record turnouts, with some of the most diverse picks in any poll we’ve run.

In short, thank you all for being here and being part of the process. With an eye on 2020, we are looking to bring more to you readers across the board: whether that means live streams, news coverage, or ways to participate in these kinds of awards.

Now, without further ado, here are the DualShockers’ Game of the Year Awards for 2019:

DualShockers Game of the Year 2019: Judgment

Yeah, you read that right — Judgment is our Game of the Year winner. Like every game we discussed during DualShockers’ Game of the Year deliberations, Judgment made gaming in 2019 very special. But the reason why Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza spinoff received so much praise from our staff is that every facet of that game is done exceptionally well. From its familiar open-world of Kamurocho to its wild narrative, it was such a treat to experience Takayuki Yagami’s first adventure.

Much of the argument for Judgment as Game of the Year was due to its variety in both story and gameplay. Its central narrative thread involves a series of mysterious murders in Kamurocho; it’s essentially a melodramatic crime drama that is very intense and very serious. At the same time, you may find yourself in a side job where you are trying to stop a pervy dude named the “Panty Professor” from stealing some random girl’s underwear. It’s super goofy and ridiculous.

It is such a change of pace from one another, but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio managed to fit all that diverse gameplay into one game without it feeling detached.

To address the elephant in the room, Judgment hardly got the same high score from us at release that other major players on the list did — including two 10 out of 10 titles (Apex Legends and Astral Chain). But some games age like fine wine–in the first week or two of review, it is hard to determine which titles will get their roots in you. And like our 2016 and 2017 choices (Final Fantasy XV and Persona 5, respectively), our picks aren’t always the best-reviewed game of the year.

We also congratulate Judgment on winning a few other awards in the process, including Best PS4 Game, Best Narrative, and Best Open World.

So yes — a lot of our Game of the Year discussions fell on the innovation and polish of games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the ambition behind Fire Emblem: Three Houses, or the raw boundary-pushing of Resident Evil 2 and Death Stranding. But when the battle lines were drawn, there was one thing we all agreed on: Judgement was unanimously some of the most fun we’ve had in gaming in 2019. And in the end, isn’t that the most important metric for Game of the Year?

Game of the Year 2019 (Readers’ Choice): Death Stranding

Despite adding the community’s choice to the site-wide vote, this is the first time in three years the staff and DualShockers community have differed on Game of the Year. However, it did go to the other most-notable PS4 exclusive on the market: Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.

Closely followed by both Resident Evil 2 (3rd place) and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, there’s a lot of hype and payoff to Death Stranding. The game managed to win both Best Art Direction, Best Audio Design, and Best Graphics as it genuinely pushed the industry forward and set new benchmarks that will (hopefully) be followed up on next generation.

For as many jokes floating around about Death Stranding creating the first game in the “Strand Genre,” Hideo Kojima should be proud of the massive accomplishment, and his studio undoubtedly has a bright life ahead of it.

For a quick rundown from the votes, check the infographic below:

Most Anticipated Game of 2020: Cyberpunk 2077

CD Projekt Red’s latest project is around the corner, and it is hard to be anything but excited. It might be nuts to think that the team can follow up to the immensely successful The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but with such a talented group of developers and bold source material, the ball is in CDPR’s court. And based on the trailers and gameplay we’ve seen, the team is going to pulling out all the stops and will undoubtedly impress.

Most Anticipated Game of 2020 (Readers’ Choice): Final Fantasy VII Remake

No surprises here — while the site-wide and Readers’ Choice poll diverged again on this vote, it was close on either. Specifically, DualShockers Community has its eye on both The Last of Us: Part II (18%) and Cyberpunk 2077 (20%).

With that said, we can’t downplay the hype for Final Fantasy VII Remake. The game–which garnered a standing ovation during its initial 2014 E3 appearance–is finally set to release in 2020. Arguably the best RPG ever created, gameplay demos seamlessly bridge the gap between innovation and nostalgia. The first part of this remake has been in the oven for a long time, but we will see the final project soon enough.

For a quick rundown from the votes, check the infographic below:

Hardware of the Year: Nintendo Switch Lite

Nintendo manages to grab top slot for Hardware of the Year with the Nintendo Switch Lite. While it isn’t the technical marvel of truly out of the box thinking or pushing boundaries. Instead, Nintendo Switch Lite does something arguably more important — fill the gap in the market for a dedicated handheld console.

Sure, the mainline Nintendo Switch is a hybrid that can be a handheld system. But for those gamers who are looking for a straight-up successor to the legacies of the Nintendo 3DS or PlayStation Vita, the Nintendo Switch Lite is a form-first love letter to handheld gaming.

And who knows — this may be the starting note in a more feature-rich line of new Nintendo Switch hardware. I can dream, right?

Best Developer: Capcom

If we are talking about which group of development teams had a banger year, it’s impossible to overlook the team at Capcom. With two major tentpole releases under their belt, Capcom took 2019 by storm and mostly took hold of the gaming scene for the beginning half of the year.

For one, Resident Evil 2 helped create a new standard in how remakes should be done. Meanwhile, Devil May Cry 5 did everything but disappoint, offering a fantastic installment in an already noteworthy series. Hell, even Matt Walker — Capcom USA’s CEO — isn’t shy about saying it: “Capcom is back.”

Best Publisher: Nintendo

While the dedicated Nintendo EAD development teams seem to be biding their time and energy, there is no shortage of terrific titles published from Nintendo. This includes a swath of Third-Party games that you may not have known were created out of the House of Mario: Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Next Level Games), Astral Chain (Platinum Games), and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Grezzo).

However, there is something to be said about being a blockbuster collaborative force in the industry. Nintendo is continually making smart choices in which projects to back, and it is paying off for them with a fantastic library on Nintendo Switch.

Best First Party Game: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Speaking of Nintendo, let’s talk about Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Specifically, the game is our Best First Party Game of 2020. While we are years past the Fire Emblem renaissance on the Nintendo 3DS, a few people had doubts about the future of the series — especially with so little known about the title going into 2019. However, developer Intelligent Systems isn’t known to disappoint.

While previous blockbuster Fire Emblem games acted as a return to form, Three Houses was a refinement: a gripping story, understandable battle mechanics, and the depth needed to satisfy hardcore fans of the series. It should be no surprise that the title also managed to land Best Nintendo Switch Game, Best RPG, and Best Strategy Game in the process.

Best PS4 Game: Judgment

Best Xbox One Game: Gears 5

Surprise surprise! The game that came in first for our Xbox One Definitives list of must-play Xbox games won the top honor.

While it’s likely no surprise, Gears 5 has a lot going for it — specifically, it is both a technical marvel that improves on the original series in every way imaginable. If this is what The Coalition and Xbox Games Studios has up their sleeve for their next generation of titles, they are coming out swinging in 2020 with the Xbox Series X.

Best Nintendo Switch Game: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Best PC Game: Disco Elysium

The indie darling of 2019, Disco Elysium takes the top billing for Best PC Game of the year. Perhaps one of the more overlooked titles by the gaming scene at large (until it started picking up awards at The Game Awards 2019), developer ZA/UM brought one of the most ambitious titles in 2019.

Though rough around the edges at launch, the game features an exciting world and story that is nearly unmatched in 2019. Even better, the shift away from focusing on turn-based combat to the dialogue and commentary between those beats is truly rewarding — albeit, likely not for every gamer.

If you are into slower burns with multiple playthrough potential, don’t ignore Disco Elysium.

Best Mobile Game: Sayonara Wild Hearts

Abstract. Weird. Beautiful. Charming. A visual and musical treat. There is a lot to love about Sayonara Wild Hearts, and it is a lot more accessible to all gamers — including those who only play on mobile devices.

Touching on combating your inner demons and growing as a person, this is a game that’s surprisingly deep while being easily approachable. And while veteran Swedish developers Simogo have a long history of critically acclaimed games, there is no doubt that Sayonara Wild Hearts tops that list.

Best Action-Adventure Game: Devil May Cry 5

We mentioned a bit earlier that Devil May Cry 5 is perhaps the strongest showing in the long-running series. But when we are thinking about what wins Best Action-Adventure Game, a lot of the decision-making goes into pure gameplay.

Thankfully, Devil May Cry 5 has some of the best — and the most variation — of the year. Stylish and nearly perfect, the action in Devil May Cry 5 rewards those who are patient enough to perfect it. Even better, being able to play as multiple characters is not only immensely rewarding but gives you the exact amount of depth you want. Perfect one, or master them all.

This isn’t to say that Devil May Cry 5 is solely a powerhouse in gameplay–the title also manages to win Best Soundtrack of 2019 for obvious reasons:

This year was a banger for Action Adventure-dedicated gamers, but Devil May Cry 5 is one on everyone’s shortlist.

Best Battle Royale Game: Apex Legends

With some significant competition from Tetris 99, this year’s top prize for Best Battle Royale is Apex Legends. With titans like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds battling it out for dominance of the genre, it would be tough for any game to break into the market. Yet, with a reasonably low-key launch with minimal PR buzz, that is precisely what Apex Legends managed to do with their hero-based shooter.

But why? What resonated to let the game break into one of the most competitive genres in the 2010s? Apex Legends has a lot of things going for it thanks to the smart positioning from developer Respawn Entertainment. Every moment of the game feels action-packed, thanks to the intelligent design of the map, quality of life changes to the genre (which were quickly incorporated into Fortnite), or even the notion of a “Jumpmaster” to random matchmakers to work closer together.

These reasons are why Apex Legends won some other major categories this year, notably Best Competitive Game, Best Multiplayer Game, and Best Shooter. Respawn Entertainment continues to evolve most genres they touch, and we can’t wait to see what their next projects (and future developments in Apex Legends) hold.

Best Competitive Game: Apex Legends

Best Cooperative Game: Luigi’s Mansion 3

The Luigi’s Mansion series holds a special place in the hearts of most Nintendo fans, and Luigi’s Mansion 3 is on the shortlist for best Nintendo Switch titles of the year. However, it is most certainly the best title to play Cooperatively with friends with the inclusion of Gooigi.

This was explicitly our favorite new addition to Luigi’s Mansion 3:

the aptly-named clone of Luigi that is, yes, made out of goo. While Gooigi was first introduced in the 3DS remake of the original Luigi’s Mansion, in Luigi’s Mansion 3 he takes on a more vital role as Luigi’s companion, especially when it comes to puzzle solving. By clicking the right analog stick (or giving another player a Joy-Con in co-op), Luigi can summon Gooigi from the Poltergust to act as a second set of hands, which gives the player a whole new set of environmental choices to consider.

With this in mind, it is no wonder it takes up both the spot for Best Cooperative Game and Best Family Game for 2019.

Best DLC or Expansion: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn can’t be stopped — it was one of the first games on the PS4 and Xbox One, and it is closing out the generation with some of the strongest showings yet. Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers has placed the massive online game into the best place it’s ever been, with new lore, content, and a promise of future rollouts to keep the active fanbase entertained for time to come.

But the best part of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers? The fact that this expansion feels so great because developer Square Enix has listened to the community and addressed concerns, criticisms, and feedback along the way. With that in mind, the title at large also takes home our Best Ongoing Game award for 2019.

Best Family Game: Luigi’s Mansion 3

Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat 11

Despite a very, very bumpy launch, Mortal Kombat 11 has managed to shine this year as the Best Fighting Game of 2019 (despite a crowded group of exceptionally great fighting games). It seems commonplace that Mortal Kombat 11 win this top honor. Still, NeatherRealm worked for this slot by introducing customization options and a much more in-depth tutorial that will push middling players into the more nuanced gameplay needed for expert players.

Mortal Kombat 11 is a visual treat with a thrilling story, but that is expected of NeatherRealm in 2019.

Best Horror Game: Resident Evil 2

Not mincing words, Resident Evil 2 is probably the best remake we’ve ever seen. Capcom knows they hit a slam dunk, with everyone on the internet fighting to post their best video of Mr. X chasing them across the game and clamoring to survive Racoon City all over again.

With the Resident Evil series firmly re-embracing survival horror, the game straddles the line between having just the right amount of fear and action to keep you on edge. Between this and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, we are undoubtedly in a renaissance for the series, and we can expect more greatness in the year to come.

As no surprise, Resident Evil 2 also takes home the award for Best Remake or Remaster of 2019.

Best Interactive Story Game: Life is Strange 2

With the shuttering of Telltale Games, the Interactive Story Game genre has hit a weird rough patch in 2019. But the down notes hasn’t managed to hamper Dontnod Entertainment’s Life is Strange 2 — a continually remarkable emotional journey with a terrific narrative.

Best Metroidvania: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Koji Igarashi has returned with a force! The creator of the Castlevania series has expanded his horizons with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, widely delivering on some of his most ambitious promises laid out in the game’s Kickstarter.

Not everything is perfect — a few mechanics like crafting can be left by the wayside, and the grind (like many later Castlevania games) feels very real. However, the Metroidvania elements and soundtrack are superb, thanks in part to fun shard collecting and smart puzzle design.

Best Multiplayer Game: Apex Legends

Best Platformer: Super Mario Maker 2

It seems like the trick for any good Platformer in 2019 is being able to create your own maps. And… well… that’s most of what Super Mario Maker 2 is! In all seriousness, the game enhances a chunk of the original with new functionality, a fairly dedicated story mode, and better filtering options to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Your gameplay experience will likely depend on RNG with the online community. Still, there are a ton of creative people who stretch the mechanics of Super Mario to its limits.

Best Puzzle Game: Tetris 99

The most popular puzzle game in history met the most popular sub-genre this generation, and the result is flat out addictive. Tetris 99 is fast-paced, smart, and questions everything you think you know about the game. With the bonus of fueling a “one more game” mentality, Tetris 99 is a tour de force for the Battle Royale genre that opens up the possibility of where those tenets can flourish outside of dropping from airships.

Best Racing Game: Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled

Racing back with the nostalgia that fueled it, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled is a fun remake that checks all the right boxes for a great racing game. Bright, colorful, and remastered for the current generation, it’s hard not to appreciate the love and polish that developer Beenox poured into this classic.

Sure, some of it is old-timey and reminiscent of the original PlayStation era… but isn’t that the fun of it? If we were playing one racing game this year, we’d prefer it be one that gives us a Nitro-Fueled blast from the past.

Best Remake or Remaster: Resident Evil 2

Best Role-Playing Game: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Best Shooter: Apex Legends

Best Sports Game: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

There are a ton of technically great, polished sports games that came out in 2019 that push the limits of Baseball or Hockey titles. And then there is Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Maybe what makes this title so endearing is the fact that it isn’t overly technical and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Even better, the game is a substantial improvement of this (somehow) pervasive series. With a ton of surprising polish, some Tokyo history, and pure fun, this might be the first time the series is recommendable to every owner of a Nintendo console. Seriously, consider picking it up if you are a minigame fan.

Best Strategy Game: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Best Virtual Reality Game: Beat Saber

Let nobody tell you that the virtual reality scene is slowing down. The rhythm, light-saber based title Beat Saber has deservedly taken the medium by storm. Introducing an entirely new way to enjoy rhythm games and VR alike, this title alone has added a ton of people to the still-nascent medium and is a must-own for everyone with a headset that can handle it.

Best Art Direction: Death Stranding

Best Audio Design: Death Stranding

Best Character: Mr. X (Resident Evil 2)

Mr. X is perfect. We’ve written an entire editorial on why we love him. With that said, he is the secret sauce to Resident Evil 2 — both what makes the game so horrifying and magical. And also, what makes the game so meme-worthy in 2019 with a ton of mods. Nothing screams evil like having either Thomas the Tank Engine or Dio Brando chasing you down the hall.

More than any character (including protagonists), Mr. X added the most to his respective game and cemented Resident Evil 2 as a must-play in 2019.

Best Graphics: Death Stranding

Best Narrative: Judgment

Best Open World: Judgment

Best Ongoing Game: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

Best Performance: Mads Mikkelson as Cliff (Death Stranding)

While Death Stranding‘s narrative may be divisive in execution, there is unanimous approval for Mads Mikkelson’s role as Cliff. Delivering (arguably) the strongest arc of the game, Mikkelson needs to get his props for driving home Death Stranding in a meaningful way. How? Well, I’m not going to spoil anything — but you most certainly should be picking up this game in 2020.

Biggest Shocker of 2019: Half-Life is Reborn Again in Alyx

In 2019 we have witnessed the death of Half-Life 3 meme. After a thirteen-year hiatus, we finally see a new Half-Life game in Half-Life: Alyx. And this one is going to be in VR. Oh yeah, and it is coming in just a few months.

Seriously, this announcement was a barnstormer and is a shot to the hip for Final Fantasy VII, NioH 2, DOOM Eternal, and Cyberpunk 2077. This is either a significant show of confidence or a massive miscalculation by Valve. Either way, we are here for it.

Worst Moment in the Gaming Industry: Hearthstone: Blitzchung Suspended as Blizzard Backs China

Blizzard has been on a roll for the last few years — this time creating an international PR disaster that sparked a broader discussion into Esport censorship, China’s encroachment into gaming Politik, and commentation from the US Government.

For those who missed it, Hong Kong-based Hearthstone Esports player Ng “Blitzchung” Wai Chung– upon winning the Grandmasters — used his time to advocate support for the Hong Kong protests. Blizzard responded swiftly by banning Blitzchung for a year and rescinding his prize winnings from the tournament, immediately calling into question Chinese influence within Blizzard’s policy.

On the one hand, Blizzard released a statement on the situation claiming that their relation to China does not influence their policy (and partially rescinding some of their announced punishments). However, it’s hard to imagine that without such a broad international backlash, Blizzard would have made any change or statement.

Here’s hoping that 2020 will show a new embrace of democratic ideals instead of whatever helps the bottom line.

Best In-Game Moment of 2019: Resident Evil 2: Getting Chased by Mr. X in the Police Station

And that’s a wrap! We have a long year of gaming ahead of us, so let us know how we did in the comments and give us a glimpse of what your personal favorites were for each category!

December 23, 2019 1:59 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-game-of-the-year-2019-awards-judgment-overrules-the-competition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-game-of-the-year-2019-awards-judgment-overrules-the-competition