#the spiritual sequel to won’t get fooled again and not just because they use the same piano cues

[jonathanarcher]

No one understood John Crichton like Ben Browder I think

[lextherandlxce]

Oh man thank you so much for answering my ask! I still am into Longmire, and Branch remains my favorite character, and you are so right about people not looking long enough to see what a great guy he is! Now you’ve got me hooked though, haha! What are your headcanons for Branch’s hobbies? What’s his taste in books and music? Does he like scary movies? Dogs or cats? CAN HE SING? (I’m a sucker for a man that can sing) you write for him so beautifully that I just wanna know more haha! Thanks love!

{ You are so welcome! And thank you for sending another one!! I can’t tell you how excited I was to see all these questions for Branch omg :3 Feel free to send anything you want about Branch. I’d love to keep talking about our boy with you! Also, thank you so so much. I’m so happy that you enjoy the way I write Branch ! }

Branch’s hobbies tend to be pretty Wyoming typical. He loves camping, fishing, hunting. He loves to go swimming in different rivers. He’s not a huge fan of swimming pools. He prefers to be out in nature. He, of course, loves riding his mare to clear his head. He used to be a bronc rider before he became a deputy, so sometimes he likes to go visit his old friends who are still involved in the rodeo circuit. And occasionally, he’ll take up the invitation of a ride. He still needs a good rush of adrenaline from time to time. He also tries to volunteer with animal shelters. He hates seeing animals abused or neglected, so when he was younger he loved going to take care of them. His father hated him doing it. He thought it made Branch look weak. Branch never cared what his father said about it, but since he’s become a deputy, he doesn’t have too much time anymore. He’ll do his best to attend an adoption day or donate large amounts during the holiday seasons though. Overall, I think Branch’s biggest hobby is simply to build things. He loves doing things around the house (like putting in a new deadbolt for Cady). Any home improvement project is something he’ll gladly take on. Anything that lets him use his hands. He really wants to learn more about carpentry. He has basic knowledge and can build basic things, but he wants to be able to create really beautiful woodworks.

Branch is a total classic rock guy. It’s the music he grew up with, and he loves it just as much as when he was a kid. He doesn’t listen to country. He doesn’t want to be that much of a walking cliche. He doesn’t really ever listen to new music either unless he just happens to be where it’s playing. But classic rock and sometimes old school funk are his jams. If you want a few examples of songs Branch loves, listen to Leroy Brown by Jim Croce. But Branch loves every song by Jim Croce. ( @peritxetxinvenit I can’t lie, Leroy Brown reminds me very much of Vic xD ). But he also loves songs like What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Brothers. Okay, if I’m not careful I’ll wind up making an entire playlist of songs Branch likes! But for some more recent songs, Branch likes Mr. Brightside by The Killers and Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye. 

Now, can Branch sing....? YES. Yes, Branch can sing. And he can sing very well. When he listens to any of the songs I’ve listed above in his truck, omg, does this boy belt it out. One thing that always helps put him in a better mood is to get in his truck, drive down a quiet road, roll the windows down, blast music he loves, and sing along to it. Now while Branch can sing, he never let’s anyone hear him. He’d be mortified if anyone heard. He doesn’t realize that he has a wonderful voice, and he feels like a fool at the idea of people hearing him sing. He doesn’t even hum to himself or silently lip-sing to songs he likes with other people around. He won’t even sing in his own house because he’s worried someone might come to visit and overhear. However, after a couple of beers and with someone he really cares about, they might be able to get him to sing a little tune for them. An aside note, Branch had a couple of piano lessons when he was young, but he hated it and his father never made him pursue it. He can’t play any instruments, though he’d like to learn to play the guitar. 

Branch is a very intelligent man, and he’s actually an avid reader. Some people might think of him as the dumb high school quarter back, but he’s not stupid despite loving sports. During high school, he read a great many classic novels. He actually loved them all. It shames him to no end, but when Walt lent him Hound of the Baskervilles in order to chastise him, Branch did indeed take the book home and very carefully read it. He learned a lot from it and thoroughly enjoyed the story. But because his job demands a lot of his time, he doesn’t ever feel like he has the time to read many novels anymore. Branch is at a point where he’d want to get through a book in an afternoon. So he doesn’t read novels or novellas, instead, he reads plays! Plays as old as Oedipus Rex to contemporary plays. He enjoys that they’re quick reads, but he also has a lot of fun making his imagination work to visualize everything. He actually much prefers reading plays instead of going to watch them. And because of his Uncle Lucian’s talent for writing poetry, Branch will always go buy a collection of poetry based on whoever his uncle recommends he reads. 

Branch loves scary movies! They’re one of his favorite kinds of movies. Yet as often as he watches them, he’s not often truly impressed by them. He hates cheap jump scares. He loves the old school horror movies, no matter how camp they are. Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Chucky to name a few. All the cult classics that had phenomenal horrifying originals. He never bothers with any sequels. He doesn’t really care much for blood and guts in movies. In fact, he’d like to get away from that once he’s out of work. His favorite kind of horror movies have good characters, strong plot lines, and a sense of unease that builds and builds until it’s intolerable. Though I will say, he’ll never watch horror movies alone. 

And here’s a little headcanon near and dear to me that almost ties into the last one. He’s not a coward by any means, but having grown up in close proximity to the Cheyenne reservation has influenced his belief in frightening creatures and spirituality as a whole. While Branch says he doesn’t believe in ghosts or goblins of any sort, he feels it’s best not to push his luck with any possible malevolent entities or cryptid creatures. When Vic Moretti mentioned having her tarot cards read, he actually thought she was pretty brave. He was being honest about never having had them done because he’s a guy in the middle of Wyoming. But I do imagine after that, Victoria would have really tried to get him to go with her for a reading. He would have flatly refused, and it’s because he would be afraid. He’d be afraid of knowing something bad was coming his way and he’d be helpless to stop it. For Branch, he’d rather not see the snake in the grass until he’s bit rather than to know it’s there and know he’s trapped. 

And last but not least, Branch loves cats and dogs!!! He never had any pets other than horses growing up, and he doesn’t have one now. He’d really like to have a pet, but he worries he wouldn’t be fair to them by working all the time. But he adores dogs and cats equally. He loves that a dog can go anywhere with him and be an outdoor companion. And when he visits people who have cats, the kitties tend to take to his lap instantly. He loves cuddling with a kitty inside, but he doesn’t like how their fur gets everywhere. And usually it’s so fine that it makes him sneeze terribly compared to dog fur. He likes to think that once he’s Sheriff or even retired from the Sheriff’s department, he’ll adopt a dog and a cat. 

{Thank you again for all these questions, my sweet! Please feel free to send in any more you have about Branch. I don’t mind answering anything about him. It all helps me flesh out how I want to write him. I hope this was an enjoyable read, and thank you again for your support of my writing!}

[pixelgrotto]

The deductive point ‘n click escapades of a forgotten southern belle  Adventure games of the point ‘n click variety are a genre that tend to feature female protagonists more often than others. Why this is the case, I’m not entirely sure - it might have something to do with the stereotype that women are more patient, more willing to read and perhaps better at solving puzzles than men. Or, perhaps legendary adventure game designer Roberta Williams’ influence still holds strong, at least on a subconscious level in the minds of designers, over the genre that she helped nourish in the 80s and 90s, and the heroines of today’s games are merely following in the footsteps of fine women that preceded them, like Rosella of Daventry in King’s Quest IV.  Whatever the reason, despite there being quite a few point ‘n clickers popping up these days with engaging female protagonists (Kathy Rain is one that I played early this year and enjoyed), there’s a 1920s southern belle who probably deserved a long-lasting series but only got two games which are somewhat overlooked these days. Her name is Laura Bow, and she served as the protagonist of two Sierra titles that were released in 1989 and 1992 - The Colonel’s Bequest and The Dagger of Amon Ra. 

Laura seems to have been specifically patterned after famous silent film actress Clara Bow, but at her heart she’s more like a slightly older version of Nancy Drew, and her two games embody Nancy’s fine tradition of mystery solving. The Colonel’s Bequest takes place on a private island in the bayous of New Orleans as Laura accompanies a friend and fellow Tulane University student for a weekend getaway at the manor of her uncle, Colonel Dijon. The old man is bequeathing his fortune to relatives and has invited a motley assortment of characters right out of an Agatha Christie paperback - the drunk aunt, the conceited Hollywood starlet, the perverted doctor who seems to have a thing for betting on the ponies - and a la Clue, bodies start piling up as the relatives presumably begin offing themselves in order to get Dijon’s fortune first. 

I mentioned Roberta Williams previously, and The Colonel’s Bequest was actually designed by her as one of those rare side projects that didn’t feature the words “King’s” and “Quest” in the title. (Hm, I suppose it’s called The Colonel’s Bequest, so scratch that.) It’s always hard to tell how much Roberta was involved in non-King’s Quest projects - The Dagger of Amon Ra, for instance, was directed by Bruce Balfour despite featuring her name on the box - but I’d wager that she intended The Colonel’s Bequest to be a spiritual remake of her very first adventure game (and indeed, the first graphical adventure game ever), Mystery House. Mystery House featured a similar murder plot, and The Colonel’s Bequest takes this concept and evolves it, offering a unique structure where there aren’t really any puzzles to solve but instead “scenes” to witness. The entire game is structured like a play - there’s even a cast curtain call in the beginning - and Laura is encouraged to spend as much time as possible talking with the potential murder suspects and finding unique ways to eavesdrop on them. 

The game’s manual makes a huge deal about this emphasis on observing the story and slowly figuring out the links between characters in an effort to deduce the killer, and we can look at Johnny L. Wilson’s 1990 review of the game in Computer Gaming World as an example of how this approach was seen as admirable, fresh and also a bit risky at the time. Don’t let the fact that there aren’t many puzzles fool you into thinking that The Colonel’s Bequest is easy, though - it’s just as tough as Sierra’s other adventures with just as many nonsensical ways to die, and the unique structure where certain events and conversations are “timed” (indicated on screen by a clock) means that sometimes you’ll be wandering around aimlessly searching for the next thing to do, or possibly miss out on vital bits of info because you weren’t at the right place at the right time. It’s a little like The Last Express, only less refined. 

Luckily, the game’s great atmosphere makes up for any shortcomings that its boldly unorthodox but occasionally clunky design creates. This is one of the best 16 color titles that Sierra produced with their SC10 engine, and the soundtrack is packed with jazzy songs influenced by the Roaring Twenties with just enough sense to know when to be quiet as well. As you navigate Laura across the silent grounds of the mansion in the dead of night, wondering where the killer might be, it’s very possible to get shaken by the sound of lightning bursting in the background, and I can certainly imagine young players in 1989 jumping out of their skin when they encountered such moments.

Laura’s next outing, The Dagger of Amon Ra, trades the dark island setting for the Egyptology craze of the 20s, and loses a little bit in the process but makes up for it with 256 colors, rotoscoped animations (which are darn smooth but cause character sprites to be a bit muddy, unfortunately) and an even catchier selection of jazz tunes, including an amusing vocal track called “The Archaeologist Song.” Oh, and the CD version is a “talkie” game, with performances that range from kinda terrible (Sierra was still having their employees voice these games at the time instead of hiring actors) to excellent (Laura’s got a cute southern accent and the narrator’s voice is heavenly).  

The plot revolves around the titular Dagger of Amon Ra, an Egyptian artifact that’s been stolen from a New York City museum. Laura, now a fresh grad from Tulane and in the middle of her first journalism assignment at an NYC paper, has to navigate the mean streets of Manhattan, infiltrate a speakeasy and chat with a mildly racist caricature of a Chinese laundromat owner before getting into the museum, where she once again encounters a wide cast of characters, from the stuck up British twat who removed the dagger from Egypt to the nutty countess, who is possibly engaged in some mild robbery efforts around the museum when nobody’s looking. People start dying pretty soon (and their death scenes are grand - check out this poor SOB who got decapitated and stuck with a Perodactyl beak) and while the beginning section of the game outside of the museum is more like a traditional point ‘n click affair, once you’re locked inside the building after the first murder, everything becomes reminiscent of The Colonel’s Bequest. You’ve got to meander about, hope you bumble upon the right conversations and try your best to piece together clues before the murderer suddenly starts chasing you during the game’s second-to-last chapter. 

The Dagger of Amon Ra kind of stumbles in its execution of this form of gameplay more than its predecessor, because all the chapters of museum exploration feel terribly disjointed even more than walking around Colonel Dijon’s mansion did. Also, the character motivations are unclear, which is a problem in a mystery game - especially one where the entire final chapter actually involves Laura being quizzed by the coroner in an annoying game of 20 Questions as to the identity and motives of the killer! If you slip up once during this finale, you’ll get the bad ending, which involves the killer finding Laura’s apartment and GUNNING HER IN HER SLEEP, jinkies. And even if you succeed and get the good ending, which sees Laura writing her first award-winning expose on the theft and hooking up with putzy love interest Steve Dorian, it’s still quite impossible to discern the killer’s motives and why he went about his nefarious deeds, because The Dagger of Amon Ra just...doesn’t explain things. I’m not the only one who had trouble figuring it out - The Adventure Gamer blog wrote up a fantastic series of posts about this game and came to the same confused reaction as I did. 

Both Laura Bow adventures come from an older time where it was common to take notes as you went through a game, so perhaps my puzzlement at The Dagger of Amon Ra’s ending is due to my lack of pencil and paper by my side as I played. I did use walkthroughs for both games, though, and if you do end up checking them out (they’re available on GOG), I’d recommend doing the same. You probably still won’t be able to figure out why whatshisname stole that dagger, but despite their flaws, the Laura Bow games really are worth experiencing. Laura’s a likeable lead (just look at this adorable expression on her face as she stumbles upon the museum’s French skank engaged in hanky panky with the janitor) and she does a fine job of showing off the spirit of the 20s, an underrepresented period in the pantheon of electronic gaming. 

Laura never got a third game, and as far as mystery franchises go, Sierra soon passed the torch to the Gabriel Knight series, which apparently takes place in the same universe, since Gabriel visits Tulane in Sins of the Fathers and hears word of a lecture being given by “Laura Bow Dorian” - a hint that Laura married Steve Dorian and lived happily ever after! I’m glad that Ms. Bow got a nice ending even if we couldn’t see it in game form, and I’m sure that if she were a real person, she would be pleased to see spiritual successors of sorts like the aforementioned Kathy Rain following in her footsteps today. 

This is perhaps a good place to mention The Crimson Diamond, an upcoming indie game in the works by Canadian illustrator Julia Minamata. I recently played through the demo and am eagerly awaiting the full release - it’s almost like a direct sequel of The Colonel’s Bequest with an alternate universe version of Laura. Rest assured, Ms. Bow - even if your adventures aren’t as remembered these days as they should be, the example you set of the enterprising female gumshoe is alive, well and in good hands!

All box art and screenshots from Mobygames. 

[oblivioustoast]

i was going back thru my tagsofthewhathaveyou posts and damn if they didn’t still make me laugh so now it’s time fooooorrrrrrr

Tags of the Week or Something Like It -

Greatest Hits!!!!

#Checkmate atheists

#i bet spooks hassle him all day trying to possess that rockin bod

#g spoot

#make sure to play it loud enough to hear in my coffin so i'll know my cue to kick it open

#*takes next train to garbage hell*

#HAS SCIENCE gonE TOOO FAR?????

#go big or go home as i never say

#so weird it almost seems like if you do something instead of nothing at all that results can be achieved

#do it. drink fire.

#I'm IN HeELL

#this better be good or I will kill everyone who's ever betrayed me

#so I ran him through with an axe.

#I had an idea for a script once.#It's basically Jaws except when the guys in the boat are going after Jaws#they look around and there's an even bigger Jaws#so the guys have to team up with Jaws to get Bigger Jaws#I call it Big Jaws#I already got a sequel in mind. It's called Way Bigger Jaws.

#y’all are pervs

#i want to tranquilize him#with my vagina

#CHROST

#DEAD TOM’S DEAD

#i round up to lesbian

#PLEASE DON’T LOOK IN THAT GUITAR CASE IT IS FILLED WITH SECRETS MOTHER

#hide this behaviour from your family in case they add it to their list of things to frown about

#The refreshing crunch of Sonic mpreg

#I'll date who I wanna date you hot potato chicken nugget ass double dipped bastard

#it’s like assassin’s creed but worthless and annoying

#i remember being angry the day i discovered the patella wasn't literally a little bowl that cradled your knee like a tiny leg helmet

#...............how to toothpaste

#having multiple heads and terrifyingly powerful visages must be hard for all of you

#Whatever the hell fucking time or day it is on what the fuck ever planet I'm on

#i am terrified of macauly culkin tbh

#some1 call da hottie police

#*toot toot too-* *stops* fuck. *toot too toot*

#i bet you looked down here to see if there was a little extra joke in the tags

#no not that low-- THAT'S NAUGHTY

#ok but if Xena's not in it it's not true

#if you ignore my flaming vomit body

#can i liver here?

#I mean who the hell knew bananas were flammable they never mention that

#these things are too glamorous to stick in my glorious orifices.

#one day the aliens will come and use our love of hollywood pets against us

#ain't nobody fuckin' with my click click cl...why won't this fucking remote work?

#abandoned you sayyyy….

#Thomas the NSFW Engine

#thigs gap

#are you out of YOUR MIND

#then again it doesn't really matter because the sun will explode and everything

#dogs getting hired is why I can't get a job. Thanks Obama

#I could make a list of people who need to stop. This list would span the Atlantic.

#partner in crime or partner in.. *whispers*....sexual activity

#Did you know that wolves also enjoy Mimosas like people?

#nope useless let's eat them

#no wanking till winter

#everybody is so utterly fucking dead jim

#this isn’t helping my fucking raging FIERY EXPLODING DESIRE TO SHHHHHHHHHHHHH  #SHAG HIM

#the other day i found a relative in a jar in the roof and THAT’S NOT SOMETHING ANYONE SHOULD HAVE TO STUMBLE ACROSS.

#quite a goddamn pickle if you ask me

#*crawls under a rotten log in the middle of the woods to die*

#but beastiality?!?!?

#my vibrator just electrocuted me.

#is this a joke I'm going to punch you in the lips with my mouth

#this is a vagina you can't fool me

#why can dogs even snore what is the point

#If the FBI sees this I’M KIDDING jfc

#I think it would be amazing to be killed by Christopher Lee.

#my first blowjob i was really scared so my boyfriend let me put nutella on his penis and all was well 

#australia is an animal joke factory

#just click your heels three times and then eat that mothafucka

#Pooh u ok?

#feelings disgust me

#ACTUALLY I WOULD TOTALLY DOWNLOAD A BUTT

#everyone is gay on tumblr

#you know what appeals to me sexually? cake.

#i also took the 'are you a potato?' test and the result was inconclusive.

#abraham lincoln could tell you that story and you would make him apologise for lying to you.

#I NEED MY HEART TO LIVE

#not even that time when i picked up that hitchhiker who turned out to be dead

#It's like Being John Malkovich only SEXY

#this isn't a metaphor for sexuality it's a tag about how i'm really bad at baseball.

#look don't come to me for spiritual advice i think the impending zombie uprising will sort everything out

#this scared the lousy shit out of me

#like when your house gets too dirty so you burn it down

[recentanimenews]

Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train – All Aboard

In 2020, and what I believe to be the first time ever, the highest grossing film of the year wasn’t American. It wasn’t Chinese, either, which one could reasonably expect to be the first non-American film to take the crown. No, it was Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train. That’s an achievement that may never be matched. It also broke the record for home box office gross, now reigning over both Spirited Away and Your Name.

$500 million gross is a lot of cash to rake in, especially during a global pandemic. But after finally getting around to watch Mugen Train, which is essentially “Season 1.5” of the series, I totally understand why: it is an absolute crowd pleaser stuffed with action, comedy, and drama. I laughed; I cried; I may have pumped my fist and shouted “Fuck yeah!” once or twice.

But! Mugen Train is merely a very good movie. It is certainly a very good movie watching experience. What it is definitely not is a great film, and falls far short of the masterpiece status of the anime films whose records it broke. There is no single big reason for that, but several smaller ones which become evident throughout its prestigious 117-minute runtime.

* * * * *

First, as we know from the end of the first season (yes, you really should watch it), a Kasugai crow ordered Tanjirou (with Nezuko on his back), Zenitsu, and Inosuke to join Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyoujurou aboard the titular Mugen Train, which has a demon problem. Rengoku is, as most high-ranking warriors in these kinds of shows, a bit of an eccentric, but has heard about Tanjirou and Nezuko and is even willing to train him.

Their demon opponent is Enmu, a member of the Lower Six and the group’s resident “gross body horror” niche occupied by the likes of Bleach’s 12th Captain, Kurotsuchi Mayuri (or more recently, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Mahito). Enmu spends much of the movie standing atop the front of the train, talking about how much he’s looking forward to devouring its 200 passengers but never actually doing so despite having ample opportunity. Ya know, typical big bad behavior.

Enmu’s preferred way of rendering his prey helpless is by putting them to sleep. He has made four regular human passengers plus the conductor into his minions: the tickets the conductor punches contain a bit of his blood which is used to put the slayers to sleep along with everyone else. In exchange, the minions are promised wonderful dreams in which to lose themselves.

With all the demon slayers asleep, we take a look into the dreams they’re having, none of which come as much of a surprise. Tanjirou’s is a very happy dream in which he’s reunited with his family, who act like they were never slaughtered by a demon. Suffice it to say, it’s an easy dream to get lost in.

Zenitsu’s dream involves frolicking through forests and fields with Nezuko, which would be touching were his relationship with her in the show not so easily boiled down to “one-sided obsession” or simply “toxic.” Inosuke’s dream is aggressively weird and surreal, like him, but like Zenitsu and Tanjirou’s doesn’t offer any further insight into the character.

Rengoku’s does, but only because aside from a couple of brief scenes last season, we don’t really know who the guy is. What we do get is pure hero boilerplate: following in the footsteps of a former Hashira father who gave up the life and doesn’t care anymore, while having to be both big brother and father figure to his younger brother to keep him from falling into despair. Also, their sainted mom is dead.

Ultimately the dreams aren’t supposed to be particularly enlightening to us, as long as they keep the dreamers occupied and distracted. The minions then go in, find the edges of their dreams, tear them open with what look like icepicks provided by Enmu, and pass into the subconscious where their spiritual cores lie. Obviously, none of the minions succeeds.

Tanjirou already has an inkling he’s in a world of illusion, since his default thoughts are that his family is dead and Nezuko is a demon, so his senses must be wrong. His subconscious actually reaches out to him through a reflection in the water, telling him he needs to wake up, even if it’s being made very difficult to do so because it means running away from his confused and upset family.

His minion, by the way, sought relief in his dreams because in the waking world he was wasting away from Tuberculosis. When he reaches Tanjirou’s gorgeous (and very Spirited Away-esque!) subconscious, he doesn’t have the heart to go through with destroying his core. Tanjirou ends up waking up by slashing his neck with his own sword—call it the equivalent of the “kicks” in Inception that wake you up from dreams (or dreams within dreams).

Tanjirou is the first to wake up. Rengoku’s survival instinct kicks in and he chokes his minion before she can destroy his core (a very graphic depiction of violence against a woman that’s very oddly scored as triumphant) but he remains asleep. Tanjirou sees that Nezuko burned away the rope connecting him to his minion, and asks her to burn away the others’ ropes while he goes topside to meet the boss.

After exchanging some standard big-bad/hero dialogue, Tanjirou manages to behead Enmu, but of course his head isn’t really his head, nor his body his real body. Turns out he’s merged with the train, meaning the entire train his his body, with his head hidden…somewhere (the head of the train).

Enmu then continues to put Tanjirou to sleep, taking the same route as the Farscape masterpiece “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, turning the dreams into increasingly disturbing nightmares to throw the hero off his game. Tanjirou counters this by continuously slashing his neck as soon as he enters his dream.

With every surface of the train suddenly erupting with reddish-purple goo, suddenly all 200 passengers have to be protected at once. Fortunately, thanks to Nezuko burning their ropes the others start waking up, starting with Inousuke, who is ready to rumble. Nezuko slashes at the tentacles attacking passengers, but is quickly overwhelmed and restrained.

Enter Zenitsu, who gets to have a seriously badass moment with his thunder breathing assault, rescuing her from her doom. Let it be said this film does nothing to make Nezuko more of the bit character/mascot she devolved into in the anime, and outside of Tanjirou and Zenitsu’s dreams, she never speaks, which remains odd as there are plenty of demons who can talk.

All the commotion caused by Zenitsu’s thunder and lightning finally wakes up Rengoku, who has does his whole “how have I been sleeping through all this” line, and fills the cars with tentacle-burning flames (which naturally don’t affect the passengers). He orders Tanjirou and Inousuke to find Enmu’s head while he protects the passengers in five of the eight cars and Zenitsu and Nezuko handles the remaining three.

When his best water breathing technique can only tear away the flesh of Enmu’s “neck” to reveal the bone, Tanjirou employs his dad’s Hinokami Kagura breathing, which does the trick. Enmu’s real head is separated from his body (the train) and in his death throes, the train is derailed and crashes…which really should kill a lot of the passengers, yet doesn’t.

During his struggle with Enmu the minion conductor stabbed Tanjirou in the abdomen, but Rengoku quickly teaches Tanjirou how to use Total Concentration, Constant to staunch his broken blood vessel. Even so, Tanjirou is in no condition to fight anymore, with more than forty minutes left in the film. Enmu slowly disintegrates after lots of whining, including about how he was never able to enjoy his meal (which was all his fault) or rise to the ranks of the Upper Ten.

Right on cue, one of the members of that Upper Ten shows up completely out of the blue: the Upper Three, Akaza, covered in tatts and slightly resembling an evil Tanjirou with his short-cropped red hair. And while the ensuing duel between Akaza and Rengoku is pretty cool, the combat animation isn’t appreciably better than that of the TV show. More importantly, Akaza and the battle feel tacked on rather than a natural escalation of the conflict.

It also begs the question of if an even bigger demon big bad could show up willy-nilly, why couldn’t the same be true of other Hashira? The answer is, because the movie needs Rengoku to die, even though he was being set up as Tanjirou’s new mentor and big brother figure. At the end of the day, Akaza can regenerate almost instantly, while Rengoku is a mortal human of flesh and blood, and the wounds he suffers prove fatal.

The climax of the film also plays with the timing of the rising of the sun, which begins to light Akaza’s face as Rengoku tries to hold him in place so he’ll disintegrate. Instead, he flees into the forest to fight another day and provide Tanjirou with a future opponent with whom to avenge Rengoku. Like Demon Slayer reinforcements, the sun doesn’t show up when you’d think it should.

The final act consists of Rengoku providing Tanjirou the same encouragement as his little brother in his dream (and presumably in real life), as well as meeting his force ghost sainted mother, who tells him she’s proud of him (he did reject Akaza’s repeated offers to turn him into a demon, after all). Tanjirou is naturally very upset over losing another important person in his life.

As for the impact it had on me…the film just didn’t do the adequate legwork to make him anything more than a passing guest star. He had a few goofy moments, a few badass moments, and a very long death scene, and was suddenly gone, seemingly as soon as he arrived.

So as much of a funny, thrilling and sometimes genuinely moving crowd-pleaser as Mugen Train was, as a sequel to the series it fulfilled a fairly utilitarian role, establishing how tough the Hashira can be, while establishing that the most powerful demons are even tougher, on the biggest screen possible.

It also gave Tanjirou both further motivation to fight the demons, though considering what he’s lost so far, I’d say he already had plenty, as well as the direction to the next nugget of info about his pop’s Kagura, which he’ll surely pursue in the second season. Mugen Train had no shortage of faults to go with its merits, but one thing at which it unassailably succeeded was making me excited for the second season, for which my ticket is already punched.

By: braverade

[mackinmacki]

Pana of the Month

Rating: T

Word Count: 6243

Summary: Hanayo's getting ready for her first date with hot model Maki by completely panicking. She's just gotta believe in herself, like Kotori tells her... before she falls asleep, anyway.

Pairing: MakiPana, KotoUmi, NozoEli (mentioned)

Notes: A pseudo-sequel to Centerfold. Happy (late) b-day to Hanayo!

Links: (FFN) | (AO3)

"Oh Gods, this is a disaster!" Hanayo tugged nervously on her sleeves, pacing around the living room of her shared apartment in a panic. On the couch, Kotori sat on the middle cushion with a sympathetic but tired expression. She had told Hanayo that she'd help out with her little date problem, but now that the clock had passed midnight, all she wanted to do was flop down on the couch and fall asleep. "Somebody help me!"

"Hanayo dear, I've been helping you for the past three hours now." Maybe these things just seemed easier to her because she'd found the love of her life in high school, so she didn't have to worry about the perils of university dating. At the same time, she was somewhat frustrated that Hanayo had spent nearly three weeks having constant panic attacks over the date that she was soon to go on with Maki. It never seemed to cease, no matter what advice she gave. "Plus all those other hours for the last three weeks. You haven't taken any of my advice."

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Hanayo stopped her pacing, but she didn't look any less nervous. "This is just the scariest day of my life! I can't believe Maki agreed to go on a date with me. The Nishikino Maki! This is awful! I don't have anything special to offer someone like her! She's going to hate me for wasting her time!" The shock of meeting the model she'd been ogling in her less-savory magazines had legitimately caused her to faint. Yet somehow, despite passing out right in front of her, Maki had been totally cool about it. She'd even agreed to go on a date. A date! What mania had possessed her to even ask such a thing? She still didn't know whether to thank Nozomi or try to evict her from their apartment.

"If she felt that you were wasting her time, she wouldn't have agreed to the date." Kotori yawned and laid down on the couch, shutting her eyes. "Just have confidence in yourself, and let her lead. She seems like the kind of person who likes being in control anyway. You're gonna do great, Hanayo. I love you. Knock her dead." She gave Hanayo a thumbs up, quickly slipping into unconsciousness.

"Kotori, don't go to sleep! I still have questions!" It was too late, though. Kotori was already out of it. Sighing, Hanayo lowered herself to the ground and laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. This was absolutely a disaster and a half. Confidence? She'd never met her. If only Nozomi could transfer her some of her spiritual powers. She'd been nervous, which she had admitted, when going to see her former high school crush, and they'd ended up doing... things that she wished she didn't hear. It'd all worked out for her. If only Hanayo could feel the same about her own future...

Her date was tomorrow. Maki had said she'd be there around noon to pick her up, so Hanayo had less than twelve hours now to think about her imminent doom. What did she even know about Maki? Well, she was an insanely hot model, a university student... and she liked tomatoes. Damn, if all she knew about her date was what was in her Playboy bio, she was in trouble. Where was a real life 'get out of jail free' card when she needed it?

She ended up falling asleep on the floor, her entire night filled with troubled dreams. It kept waking her up, but not enough to gain her any energy, so she kept falling back into restless sleep. She dreamed of failed dates, of being mocked and laughed at, and even walking outside without her pants. Her troubled slumber finally ended just as Maki was starting to laugh at her underwear, yellow and adorned with rice balls.

Sitting up with a start, she gasped aloud, feeling like she was covered in a cold sweat. She grabbed the hem of her shorts and pulled them down a bit, breathing a sigh of relief when she realized she wasn't wearing that embarrassing pair of underwear. Then she pulled her phone out to look at the time, and her relief quickly pivoted towards terror: it was five past ten. Maki would be there in less than two hours.

Jumping up, she began babbling desperately as she ran to her room, nearly slamming into the door in her haste. She flung open the door and rushed into her closet, trying to find the clothing that she and Kotori had decided would look the best on her. They had been delicately hung on hangers, but she still nearly missed them regardless. She was about to grab them, but then thought about any potential damage they could take when brought into the bathroom. What if they got wrinkled or wet? That wouldn't do at all.

She didn't like to shower without a change of clothes at the ready. Unlike her roommates, she wasn't all that comfortable walking around in just a towel and showing off to God and country. Desperate times called for desperate measures, though. Hopefully her time-induced panic would outweigh her embarrassment. Or maybe they'd join forces in order to destroy her.

Abandoning her room, she went to the bathroom and pulled the door open, only to be greeted by the shower already being occupied by a very naked Nozomi. Squeaking loudly, she covered her eyes and went bright red. "Nozomi! You left the door unlocked again!"

"Oh, whoops." Nozomi poked her head out of the shower, grinning cheekly. Of course she held no embarrassment from this. The queen of the 'free breast exam' had no need to feel shame. Except when it came to Eli, apparently. "I'm almost done, Panacchi. Unless you want to come join me."

"No no, I'm okay!" She escaped from the bathroom and slammed the door shut, sinking down to the floor. Tears felt like they were going to burst forth and leave her wailing. How was she supposed to do this? She hadn't showered, her hair was a mess, and she was supposed to go on a date with a model. A model! She wanted to die, at least to spare Maki the disappointment.

All the commotion apparently woke Kotori up, as she ambled over to Hanayo and sat down, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Hanayo, it's going to be okay. You worry too much."

"How can I not worry?!" Hanayo whimpered out, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. "I'm going to make a fool of myself and I'll never be able to look at Playboy again! ... Wait, that isn't what I meant."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that either." Kotori giggled and gave Hanayo a quick hug. "Just be yourself. That's all you can do. It's what I did with Umi, and that's what Nozomi did with Eli. If it's meant to be, it'll work out. If it doesn't, then she doesn't deserve you anyway." Seeing Hanayo smile, however slightly, made her smile too. "Besides, you have an entire Playboy magazine to look through. There'll be another girl to schlick to."

"Articles, Kotori! Articles!" At that moment, the bathroom door opened, and Nozomi looked down at them in nothing but a towel. Kotori lazily looked up, while Hanayo did her best to look at anything else.

"Alright, you can use the shower now, Panacchi! Oh, is Kotori joining you too?"

"N-No!"

Hanayo had eventually gotten ready for her date. She'd showered and endured the embarrassment of having to hurry over to her room in just a towel, with Nozomi querying if she wanted a picture taken to use 'for Maki in the future'. She'd gotten changed into her carefully chosen outfit, and then she'd spent ten minutes standing by the door, staring through the peephole. Her hands were shaking and there was sweat forming on her forehead. She was going to kill herself with worry before Maki even got there.

"Remember what I said, Hanayo. Just be yourself, and it'll be fine." Kotori came over and patted Hanayo's shoulder, smiling at her. "It'll be fine." She got Hanayo to smile again, until there was a knock on the door. Hanayo nearly jumped right out of her shoes, rendering Kotori's assurances useless. She looked like her entire body had obtained primo rigor mortis, leaving her incapable of opening the door. "Pull it together, Hanayo!" she whispered, staring right into Hanayo's eyes.

"I-I can't open the door, Kotori..."

"Yes you can! You want this date. You got this date. Show Maki what a Koizumi is made of!"

"Rice and fear..."

"Except for those things." At that point, Hanayo's nerves worked towards her opening the door, since she began internally panicking about Maki waiting out there forever, wondering what was going on. Swallowing her sickening shyness, she unlocked the door and opened it. It was indeed Maki standing there, looking ridiculously good in what was likely an expensive outfit. Hanayo immediately felt underdressed and lesser in comparison.

"Good afternoon, Hanayo. You look very nice today." Did she? Hanayo was sure that wasn't the case. Compared to Maki, she was an absolute troglodyte. She was unworthy to stand in that radiant light. Maki's attention then turned to Kotori. "And you must be... Ah, I'm blanking on your name." She snapped her fingers, trying to recall Kotori's name. "Eli said you sleep a lot."

"Or you can just call me Kotori." She didn't seem offended, though. Smiling softly, she waved in Maki's direction. "I hope you'll be taking care of our little Hanayo." That made Hanayo blush, looking over at Kotori with an almost offended expression. That sort of 'Mommm, don't embarrass me!' look.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Maki smiled back, then gazed between their shoulders. "Is Nozomi here?"

"She left not that long ago. I think she was going to visit Eli," Kotori responded.

"Oh good. Guess I won't be going back to the apartment tonight." Maki rolled her eyes and offered her hand to Hanayo. "Well? Shall we go?" Hanayo stared at Maki's hand like she was being offered the holy grail. Eventually she realized how much of a goober she looked like, and she tentatively took her hand. Maki smiled at her, which made her feel a little reassured. Then the two of them began to walk away from the apartment and towards the parking lot.

"Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Kotori called out cheerfully.

"That's a lot of things we can do, then!" Maki shot back, making Kotori wonder if that was some sort of quip, or if Maki actually knew about her bedroom habits. Nozomi better not have snitched on her...

Hanayo was flabbergasted when they got into the parking lot and she saw Maki's car. She should have expected to see something so fancy: a bright red sports car, looking so out of place among all the normal cars around it. She'd never been in a car like that, though, so she felt she had to be extra careful not to damage anything. She'd never opened a door that carefully in her life, and when she sat down, she kept her feet up in the air, lest the dirt she'd accumulated on her soles sully the beautiful interior.

"Are you ready to go?" Maki looked over at her, and Hanayo felt like she was being scrutinized. Maybe it was just a natural look for those lovely eyes. "I hope it's alright that I picked where we're going on our date, since you're the one who asked me out."

"It's alright. I liked your idea." Truth be told, Hanayo had actually been dreading coming up with a place to go on their date. First and foremost, she didn't have a car: her roommates or public transit was how she got around. Having Kotori be their driver would've been so awkward. As for where they'd go on their date, she'd been obsessing over the perfect place every day until Maki brought up her own suggestion. Was a movie and dinner too cliche? Was a concert too big - and too expensive - for a first date? She hadn't said it, but she was wholly relieved when Maki had stepped up to the plate.

Maki's idea brought forth a new set of anxieties, though. She'd never gotten a professional massage before. Apparently Maki had thought she needed something 'relaxing' due to her fainting spell, though she had a feeling that anything involving the two of them in the same room wearing just towels was not going to help her relax. That was just a guess, though. A very educated guess.

She didn't understand how Maki could be so comfortable with strangers putting their hands all over her. It made her want to panic, and they hadn't even gotten there yet. What if their masseuses started judging her for her appearance? She wasn't exactly Japan's next top model or anything. And what about those 'happy endings' she kept reading about online? Were they really going to... do that to her? In front of Maki? She would not be happy, rest assured!

"Are you alright? You've been pretty quiet." Maki's voice broke her from her thoughts. She looked over, suddenly captivated by Maki's immense beauty. She just looked so damn good. Like an unfair amount of beauty. She was wearing a sweet pair of sunglasses, even though it was overcast outside. She really could be the poster girl for 'too cool to care'.

"S-Sorry, I was just... thinking about the massage." Now that she wasn't wrapped up in her thoughts, she was also now aware of how fast they were going. Maki was really booking it to the parlor. Hopefully they didn't die in a fiery explosion, though maybe that wouldn't be so bad. She wouldn't have a chance to embarrass herself any more on their date if that was the case.

"It's your first time getting one, isn't it?" Hanayo nodded slowly. "That's alright. I think you'll enjoy it. They're very relaxing." Showcasing her own relaxation, Maki leaned back against her seat, leaving one hand on the wheel and Hanayo on edge. "I like to come here and get one every so often."

"Are you stressed often?" She hoped that wasn't too personal, but Maki didn't seem to mind.

"Sometimes. Being a model isn't all fun and games. There's a lot of different personalities you have to deal with." Maki huffed, and even with her sunglasses on, Hanayo felt like she could feel Maki rolling her eyes. "And I dislike all of them. I wish I could just... pop off their heads like cherries." She stretched out her arm and made a 'popping' motion with her fingers, which made Hanayo laugh. It was sort of violent, but it showed a different side of Maki than the cool and caustic girl she'd seen so far. Though maybe it still fell under that 'caustic' part.

"What about Eli? You two are friends, right?"

"Yeah, she's the one I can tolerate the most. We just kind of... click, I guess. I'm not sure how to explain it, but we're friends. You always need one person to watch your back." There was a lot to the model industry that Hanayo was unaware of. It cast her Playboys in a completely new light. "Well, we're almost there." They were? Hanayo looked out the window and saw the massage parlor Maki had told her about. They really were there. Apparently the speed limit was just a suggestion for Maki.

Maki parked the car and both of them got out, with Hanayo looking up at the sign nervously. She wasn't prepared for this, but there really was no way to be truly prepared. Hopefully she wouldn't say or do anything stupid and make Maki regret the entire day. Taking a deep breath, she followed Maki into the building, taking everything in. It had a very nice-looking atmosphere, with marble-white fountains and pillars. She had a feeling something like this was way out of her price range. Hopefully her wallet could take the critical hit.

"Ah, Miss Nishikino. So glad to see you again." The woman at the front desk smiled as they approached, looking from Maki to Hanayo. "And you've brought a friend."

"This is Hanayo. She's my date." Hanayo waved shyly, blushing at Maki out and out saying they were on a date. The woman seemed surprised, but bounced back chipper as ever

"Well isn't that just sweet? Will you be having your usual today?" Maki nodded, and the woman gestured towards the hallway to their left. "You two will be in room ten. Your masseuses will be with you shortly." Both of them thanked her, then walked down the hall, with Hanayo following Maki. Her nervousness was increasing exponentially with each step they took towards the room. Everything looked so grand... She was way out of her element. Would Maki realize she was so out of place? She admittedly knew little about her. Maybe she really wanted someone who was more like her.

When they entered the room, Maki immediately started walking towards another door. "Over here's the changing room. There are hangers in there for your clothes, so just leave them there." Maki opened the door and walked inside, shutting it behind her before Hanayo could get a good view of what was inside. Now she was left alone and nervous. This really was happening. She was really going to go in there and walk back out in just a towel. This was the most intimate thing she had ever done that didn't include Nozomi and a bottle of scotch.

When Maki came out, she forgot about being nervous, or where she was. Try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from drinking in every gorgeous inch of Maki, wrapped so snugly and so perfectly in a fluffy white towel. It was like a shot from a modeling job come to life, but without the cameras. There was nothing but them, lavender-scented candles, and two intimidating-looking tables that they were supposed to be laying down on. She really hoped she wasn't completely obvious with her ogling, but she had a feeling that hope was for naught.

Tentatively she walked over to Maki, trying not to think about the way her breasts pushed teasingly against the towel. Maki stepped to the side, and Hanayo walked into the room, slowly closing the door behind her. She took another deep breath, trying to relax herself. There were quite a few hangers dangling from two long bars and a chair, but that was all there was in the room. She stripped herself down to her bra and panties, figuring she could at least keep those on. It'd be even worse if she couldn't.

She carefully folded her clothing, not wanting to get any wrinkles on her good outfit. Even in a room by herself, she felt hopelessly exposed. Probably because Maki was just outside the door. She grabbed her own towel and wrapped it around her body, but then she noticed Maki's clothes hanging impeccably. Curious, and with no way for Maki to know, she walked over and took a look.

Just as she expected, her clothing had the logos of rather expensive brands, confirming Maki's tastes. Her eyes then traveled from her dress to the next hanger, her breath catching in her throat. There shouldn't have been another hanger needed: not with Maki having worn just a dress. Alas, there was, and Hanayo's breath came back in short, rapid bursts when she saw red panties and a matching bra hanging there.

Her first thought was not as pure as she hoped. Then again, it wasn't easy to remain innocent when she could just grab and sniff the panties of the hot model she'd been crushing on. She was not going to do it, but it was tempting... Wow, she really shouldn't be thinking like that. Bad thoughts, bad thoughts. She had to switch over the other bad thoughts: that Maki wasn't wearing any underwear. It would've been totally called for if she started screaming.

They were actually supposed to get naked? Like, completely naked? Hanayo looked down at herself and felt lots of embarrassment and body issues all at once. Maybe she didn't have to. Would they even notice underneath the towel? Ah, but if they did, would they tell her she needed to remove it? They'd say that out loud, in front of Maki. Maybe that 'dinner and a movie' cliche would've been a better choice. No, it absolutely would've been a better choice.

Sighing in resignation, she dropped her towel so that she could remove her bra and panties, feeling even more exposed than before as she hung the garments up. Even her underwear was less fancy than Maki's. Did it mean something that she was dressed to the nines even beneath her dress? If she thought about that anymore, she would certainly pass out in the dressing room, and she had locked it, so she wouldn't be saved until it was too late. Wait, how long had she been deliberating on this?

Hurriedly, she grabbed her towel and wrapped it tightly around herself, making sure to tie it properly so it wouldn't accidentally fall off. Then she opened the door, seeing that there were two new people in the room, along with Maki. They must've been the masseuses. She really had taken a long time... Maki smirked slightly when she saw Hanayo. "I thought you might have passed out again."

"S-Sorry," she whimpered, shutting the door and looking around awkwardly. She didn't know if she was supposed to go lay down on the tables or wait to be instructed by the masseuses. Was there a certain table she was supposed to lay on, or did it not matter? This was one hell of a first date. "Uh..."

"Just lay down on whichever table you want. They'll do the rest." Maki's smirk turned into an easy smile, and Hanayo felt slightly more at ease. Slightly. She nodded and walked slowly towards the tables, not wanting to take any risks that would make her towel fall off. She decided to take the table closest to her, lifting herself onto it in an awkward way. This time she was trying to avoid any accidental flashing. This was a lot more work than she expected.

In the table was a hole, which she figured was where she was supposed to rest her face. She laid her arms at her side and put her face into the hole, staring down at the ground. It was basically spotless, like they had just cleaned it before they came in. Though there wasn't anything to look at now except for the floor, which was kind of boring. If only they had put a TV down there or something.

She couldn't hear anything outside of her own breathing, so she wasn't sure if Maki had laid down or not. When she felt the masseuse's hands press into her back, she had to assume that Maki was lying down and getting the same treatment. It felt... well, it felt good. She let out an unintentional groan of satisfaction, which got a chuckle out of Maki. Yup, she was lying down.

"It feels good, doesn't it?"

"Yeah..." It really did. Her masseuse really had magic hands. She could feel a lot of tension she didn't even realize she had washing away just like that. She wondered if she was supposed to make conversation while they were like this. All she could see was the floor, which made conversing a bit awkward. She didn't want to seem disinterested, though. What was she supposed to do?

"Is this the first date you've been on?" Maki once again took the charge with some straight-to-the-point questions. She didn't want to lie, but would it make her seem lame and inexperienced if she said she hadn't? Well, it was probably bad if she had to start lying on the first date...

"Y-Yeah."

"I guess this must be an odd first date, then." She laughed, and Hanayo wished she could see her face, because it must've been beautiful. "I'm not much of a movie buff. This is more my speed. Modeling takes enough of my energy already." So she liked her life slow paced, then? Thank goodness. Hanayo's life was a glacier. "And don't worry, our date is on me."

"A-Are you sure?"

"Of course. I just got paid, so it's no problem." Well, at least her wallet wouldn't vanish from existence. She still felt somewhat bad that she wasn't contributing. She could pay for the next date... if there was one, anyway. It wasn't good to assume that kind of stuff.

"Have... Have you been on any dates?" She normally wouldn't have asked that question, but the massage was starting to feel really good. Her body was becoming more and more relaxed, which loosened her tongue a bit as well. She was sure that Maki had gone on plenty of dates before, but the question just slipped out. If only her masseuse's hands didn't feel so good against her neck. Maki took a moment before answering.

"I've been on a couple of dates, yes. They were when I first started university, though. They..." She paused, leaving Hanayo hanging. She couldn't see Maki's face, so she didn't know what was going on. "They just didn't work out. So I don't go around looking for dates or anything." There was something in the pauses that gave Hanayo pause. She felt like Maki was holding information back, but she wasn't sure what it was. It obviously had to do with these dates, but she didn't want to pry. They barely knew each other.

The rest of the massage went well. She felt very relaxed when it was all said and done, and there wasn't even one of those 'happy endings' to freak her out. When they were done, they both went into the changing room - separately - to put their clothes back on, then Maki tipped the two masseuses. After that, they were out the door and heading out of the building. It was when they almost left that Hanayo remembered they were supposed to pay for the massage in general.

"Maki, aren't we supposed to pay for this?"

"It already is. They have my credit card on file."

"Oh..."

"I have a lot of stress in my life."

"Would you like to go stargazing with me?" That question would have been surprising enough for Hanayo, since she was sure that the massage would be their entire date. What was more surprising was that it came out of the blue as Maki was driving Hanayo home. They were about halfway there when it was asked, but there were certain signs that Hanayo had gathered that maybe Maki had been deliberating on the question for longer than it seemed. She had noticed looks of concentration on Maki's face when she felt confident enough to look over, and they weren't even going thirty kilometers over the speed limit.

"I... I would love to, but isn't it..." She looked out the window at the clear blue sky. "... a little too early?" Maki chuckled and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel.

"Yes, I know. I can drop you off and then come pick you up when it gets dark." Well, that made sense. Hanayo agreed, and Maki resumed her speeding ways. When they got back to the apartment, they said their goodbyes with the promise of meeting again that night. As she watched Maki drive away, Hanayo began to count all the hours she had left to completely panic about the continuation of their date. She hadn't made a fool of herself yet, but now there was more time for her to do it.

Kotori was surprised to see Hanayo home that early. Probably because she was snuggled up on the couch with Umi and watching TV. "You're home early," she quipped, while Umi looked away in mild embarrassment. "Was she a bitch?"

"Wh-What? No! She's great! We're, uh, going stargazing tonight, that's all."

"Ooh, how romantic!" Kotori squealed happily and pushed off the covers from her lap, running over to give Hanayo a hug. "Sounds like it went well, then!"

"Y-Yeah, it did." Hanayo looked down at the floor, twiddling her thumbs together. "I'm just worried that it's not going to go well..."

"Oh Hanayo... C'mon, come sit down." Kotori took Hanayo's hand and led her to the couch, making her sit down before taking her own spot next to Umi. "Why do you think it won't go well?" Hanayo let out a quiet whine, looking over at Umi. She didn't know how much she wanted to say in front of Kotori's often-elusive girlfriend. Umi just shrugged, so she decided 'eh, might as well'.

"I just feel out of her league still. She's a model, and she's definitely rich. Really, uh, attractive. I don't even know why she agreed to go on a date with me." Those self-deprecating thoughts had plagued Hanayo ever since they'd first agreed to go on a date, and they hadn't ceased just because she couldn't call the first part of their first date a failure. She'd always have time to completely ruin it.

"Well maybe you're what she's looking for. She's probably not interested in dating some rich, skinny as a rail model. If she hangs around them all the time, don't you think she would've gotten with one of them by now?"

"She did say the couple of dates she'd been on hadn't worked out." Kotori's words held some truth. After all, she hung around super hot ladies every working day, but apparently they all annoyed her. There was just Eli, who she 'tolerated', which Hanayo could only assume that was equivocal to friendship, and Eli was dating Nozomi. So maybe that really wasn't her type.

"See? Exactly!" Kotori smiled triumphantly, patting Hanayo on the shoulder. "And think about it. Stargazing is such a romantic thing. Do you think she'd invite you to do that if she didn't want to go on another date?"

"Well, no, but-"

"So there you go! Just keep being yourself, because it sounds like she likes that. Just sit here and watch TV with us. You won't have to worry about messing up the date. Let TV be your distraction. That's fine, right Umi?" Umi again shrugged, leaning back against the couch. Kotori giggled and hugged Umi's arm, giving Hanayo a quick smile before splitting most of her time between the TV and kissing Umi either on the arm or the cheek. Hanayo could specifically hear Umi mutter, "Not in front of your roommate..." but it appeared to be of no avail. She just blushed and pretended it wasn't happening.

Kotori was probably right. Worrying would just make things worse, but it was tough for her not to. She'd been a professional worrier for the longest time. It was hard to just not do it. There was lots of logic in what Kotori had said, though. Maybe her quiet, unmodel-like self was what Maki looked for in a prospective partner. That at least gave her a little bit of confidence. She quietly thanked Kotori by not bringing notice to the fact that she was trying to get frisky with Umi right in front of her. Poor Umi... or maybe poor herself.

She only watched TV with the two lovebirds for an hour before escaping to the comforts of her own room. The next handful of hours were spent worrying, playing Animal Crossing, eating dinner, and having some quality Playboy article reading time. Time seemed to pass rather slowly, and she kept checking her phone as if that would magically speed up time. She didn't know whether she wanted the next part of their date to get there quicker or not get there at all.

Eventually there was a knock on the door, which Hanayo answered without any hesitation this time. She had been standing in front of the door for ten minutes, pacing and tapping her foot anxiously. This time they didn't spend much time standing there and exchanging pleasantries. They said hi, then Hanayo said bye to Kotori and left the apartment. She wasn't even sure Maki had noticed Umi was there.

She wanted to try and start conversations, but she couldn't get herself to speak. This time Maki wasn't speaking much either, and they drove on in relative silence. Hanayo wasn't sure what to make of that, but it made her nervous.

They ended up driving to a forested area, though that wasn't the intended destination. Once they got out of the car, Maki led Hanayo to a hill in front of the forest edge, which they both trekked up. When they got to the top, Maki laid out a blanket she had taken from the backseat and laid down on top of it. Hanayo followed suit, looking up at the night sky. It was a lot clearer out there than from her apartment. The stars were a lot more visible.

"Wow..." Hanayo whispered, looking over at Maki. She was looking up at the stars with an easygoing smile on her face. It was so pure, it stunned her into silence. Then again, she'd been pretty much silent the entire drive over, so it wasn't that hard to get that going.

"The stars are beautiful out here, aren't they?" Maki looked over at Hanayo as well, the two of them making eye contact. "I like to come out here because it's clearer than from my apartment. Too many lights." Hanayo nodded in agreement, having been thinking the same thing. Not that she was much of a stargazer. Maki was the biggest star she'd ever gazed at, and she absolutely would never say that out loud.

They laid out there in silence, but this time it was a more comfortable silence. Or at least it was less uncomfortable. Something like that. Hanayo wished she knew the smooth thing to do. She didn't know the proper protocol for a first date, so she didn't want to do anything that would be uncouth. Maybe she just needed to be quiet and things would work themselves out. She looked over again and found Maki looking at her, which made her squeak in surprise.

"I'm glad that you wanted to come stargazing with me. Eli was never interested in it, so I always came here alone." Her smile held a hint of sadness, which made Hanayo frown. Again, there was something there, but she wasn't sure what it was. "I appreciate it."

"I'm happy you asked me to come. I didn't expect it." She gazed back up at the stars, watching them twinkling in her vision. Overall, this had been really nice. She'd never expected to meet Maki at all. She just figured she'd read her magazines and that was that. So that was surprising enough, but to actually be able to go on a date with her was incredible. It was more than she could've ever imagined, so she finally realized that she needed to calm down and enjoy the moment. The likelihood of them going on another date, or even seeing each other again, was slim. It had taken her way too long to come to that obvious realization. At least she could look back on the day fondly in the future.

She turned to look at Maki again, only to find out that she had closed the gap between them. There was barely enough time to register surprise before she felt warm lips against her own. That sent her mind into overdrive, freezing her in place as Maki's lips left as quickly as they'd come. Maki was staring at her with an intense but curious expression. "Wow..."

"Too soon?" Maki seemed surprisingly unsure for someone who had just kissed her out of the blue.

"Perfect," Hanayo whispered back, slowly regaining the ability to move her body. "So I... guess the date's going well, then?"

"You could say that." Laughing, Maki took Hanayo's hand and held it. "This has been... comforting. I've never been on a date with someone like you. It's been nice." She bit her lip, pausing before speaking again. "I'd like to go on another date with you, if... if you want to."

"Really? You... with me? You want to?" Hanayo realized she was talking like a buffoon, making her shut up real quick. Not trusting herself to say something intelligent, she just nodded vigorously, which brought a big smile to Maki's face. She leaned in and gave Hanayo another kiss, which she had the presence of mind to reciprocate this time.

"Yes, with you. Just being out here with you, I've gotten a good feeling. I'd like to do this again. Maybe we can have that cliche date, if you want." Hanayo giggled, squeezing Maki's hand. She was absolutely elated to hear that Maki had a good time with her. It made her worries wash away, replaced by temporary confidence. She was being asked on a second date! Nozomi and Kotori would never believe it.

"I'd like that." With her temporary confidence, Hanayo leaned over and initiated a kiss with Maki. This was definitely, without a doubt, the best day of her life.