#yata plays engage

[yata776]

Fire Emblem Engage - Review

I try to keep game comparisons to a minimum when writing a review because I think it’s only fair to judge art by its own merits, but there was only one thing on my mind while playing Engage. That it was just Fates again.

Gameplay wise this is a fantastic experience. Not only is the map design quite solid but the Emblem Rings provide some of the craziest and fun tools the series has ever offered. The flexibility at play is almost unmatched, and the good news is that they did not sacrifice a challenging experience this time around, because the difficulty modes cover the wide spectrum of player skill very well. What I really admire about Engage is how easy it is to customize your own experience without sacrificing a healthy dose of challenge. The game is (mostly) balanced around you having the crazy Emblems powers, and will frequently match you against those same powers in a way many other developers wouldn’t dare. The beauty of it is that you don’t have to engage with this mechanic if you don’t want to. Emblem Rings are stashed into it’s own little menu and the player is given full freedom to use the mechanic as much or as little as they want to. “If you don’t like, don’t use it” is a tired argument point for any game balance topic but I am always happy to see developers actually giving the player a chance not to use their overpowered mechanics.

The story is complete garbage in a way where sadly I don’t have too much to say on it. This game will test you on your belief that gameplay rules above all, if you are one of those types, and your real opinions on that issue will probably color your entire experience.

Bad story aside, Engage is without a doubt a really fun and well-designed game. It strikes well the balance between giving you crazy and powerful tools while providing interesting challenging obstacles that are consistently fun to overcome. It is up there as one of the best gameplay experiences of the entire series that makes it worth a playthrough. It also looks and sounds really good, that helps too. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am an avid Conquest defender and Engage is cut from the same exact cloth, but there are sadly some points that clearly put the former above the latter in terms of quality for me.

-Both Fates and Engage have some of the worst stories in the medium, but Fates actually tried telling a story. Engage feels like it's not even trying for the first half, with the barest justifications to actually having a plot, only to fall completely into the worst overdone cliches of the genre during the last few hours. In my opinion, this is the worst of both worlds, the premise and initial setup is fucking boring, if not downright rotten, so there is nothing to chew on in terms of potential. But when the stakes are actually raised it falls into the same writing pitfalls as the rest of the series. Fates had an interesting premise with a lot of potential, only to become a complete trainwreck on execution. Engage's story is a complete bunch of nothing, only to fall into the same exact problems that made Fates that much of a trainwreck. I think it only doesn't hurt as much for most people because NO ONE expected anything out of Engage after the initial trailers. For this reason I consider Engage has an even worse story than Fates, Conquest in particular, but your mileage will vary.

-Engage sadly has one of the blandest casts in the entire series. Every FE has been able to squeeze a reasonable amount of likeable or interesting characters to follow but Engage is such a complete nothing in the characterization front. This is partly fault of the complete lack of world building, characters spawn with almost no backstory or context behind them and the few supports that explore anything behind them are buried under the inmense amount of supports that just add NOTHING to the table. There are still enough decently charming characters to fill out your team, I have a particularly soft spot for the Brodian royals, but the overall quality of this cast is fucking dire. I think this is the worst cast since Binding Blade. Fates, especially Conquest, wasn't this bad either. But the fact every support conversation is now voiced might be the reason why the bad nothingburguer support conversations this team really loves writing stand out so much more now.

-The most damming thing about the game is that not even the amazing gameplay is flawless. Conquest stands high and above with the best map design the series has ever seen, with few maps I would state were outright bad. Engage, while having really solid maps overall, and in my opinion, the best earlygame of the entire series, has full stretches of mediocre ones during the Solm arc and parts of the endgame that water down the entire experience. The game balance is also nowhere near as solid. Are the Emblems astoundingly well balanced for what they are? Absolutely, and I think their contribution to how fun they make Engage cannot be overstated. But we are talking about full map healing (which is rechargeable!) as early as Chapter 6 among the dozens of tools the game gives you. I think it’s impossible to fully account for all the possibilities they created here and that shows in the game balance. I can see the argument this makes Conquest better designed too, but they are pretty even for me.

Hopefully IS hires some fucking writers next time because it is seriously getting embarrassing how bad the storytelling of their recent games is.

3.5/5

[cutseys0ulxx]

HI I CAN NEVER FIND KASHIMO WRITERS 😿😿

can you write a sfw alphabet of him pls 😿🙏

i’m begging 😿😿🙏🙏

why hello there 🌝

ignore typos if any 🚶🏽‍♀️

Ty for requesting 🤗🤗!!

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Kashimo is type of person who is affectionate only around you but hates to show that side of him. Once he found out that you really didn’t care, he is all over you. Hajime doesn’t open up to any and everyone. But you, he feels the complete opposite. So he’s miserable every-time you held him in your arms or vice versa. He loves you so much, it just took him awhile of how to properly show it. Truly and deep down- he’s all yours. Whether it’s to cuddles or play-fighting. Kashimo can’t ever get enough of you.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

The friendship was weird with him since he wasn’t really the type of person to have friends. Hajime believed that friendships were only a something to get in his way, but when he met you he felt so different. Therefore he became attached to you. Kashimo loved your presence, and his heart only grew bigger for you overtime. As a friend, he’s a really interesting and entertaining person to have around. He can easily make your entire day just like you make his. (Is the listener to your yapper, or moon to your sun 🥹.)

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He doesn’t do it too often, but when he does, thats it. You never even see them coming. He’ll just wrap your arms around you and do whatever he wants from there. Although it’s so sudden, he is so precious. Kashimo will praise any little thing about you while his arms are wrapped around your waist. Inhaling your scent as his head lays comfortably on your chest. Always expect it when he is tired, or moody. All he would want is just to melt in your touch. Oh and talk to him. Tell him stories, anything. Your voice is angelic. He could listen to it all day.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Best believe Hajime would help you out if he knew how to. It doesn’t help that he’s constantly on his feet as a sorcerer. Kashimo isn’t used to doing all the stuff since he wasn’t too much of the expectation back in his day besides being one of the strongest sorcerers and yata yata. That definitely won’t prevent him from giving you a hand. He’s not the best cook, and you have to teach him how to sweep. (😭) You just have to held his hand a little bit, and Kashimo gets the hang of it.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Hajime would be shattered. It feels impossible to have to make it without you. In the over a hundred years of his life you were his first and his best partner. You gave him a great experience and he hates to let it go. Kashimo always tells himself that he’ll never find anyone like you. Thats why he was single for so long, so he never forgets you. He can’t even if he tried. No matter how hard he tries he just can’t. It’s almost like you’re still there when he misses you most.. And it won’t be anytime soon he’ll be moving on.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

It won’t be immediately that he will ask. Honestly it’s not the first thing on his mind, possibly the last, but he for sure thinks of it. He has to be absolutely positive that you’re both willing to be engaged before he proposes. The same goes for him. Just a heads up it will take awhile. As long as you’re fine with it and he is certain he wants to do it, then he might just consider it.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

The last thing Kashimo will ever do is hurt you. He will take the pain himself and endure it for you every-time you are hurt if he be able to. He’s protective with you enough for even the minority of things, how could he hurt you himself? Besides that point, he is extremely careful with you. As if you’re something fragile or delicate. (you are in his eyes) Every-time he gets mad at something or even you he always makes sure to distance himself to keep him from doing anything stupid. If he had ever come to hurt you he would hate himself for the rest of his life.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Tight hugger and strong one. He doesn’t do it on purpose, sometimes. Any other time it’ll just be something simple. For example, In public Hajime will wrap his arm around your shoulders. When you two are somewhere more private he’ll pick you up and forces your legs around his waist. Hugging you like you’re going somewhere. In simple words Kashimo is a great hugger. Whether he’s gentle or aggressive.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

If i’m completely honest here you most likely said it first. But it didn’t take him long to realize that he Did love you. He just terrified to tell you with his own words. You could reject him- or anything. Poor baby was constantly in his own head. Questioning why you made him feel this way. Kashimo, after a very long while would tell you… Very long while. He didn’t even know that you figured, there were too many signs not to see for yourself. That’s probably another reason why you would have to speak on it first, unless you’re really patient.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Ohhh boyy.. He can get pretty possessive. Will give you the nastiest side eye when you speak to other people. Totally denies it when you bring it up. Plays along like he’s slick or plays stupid. “What are you talking about?” or “Pfft. Why would I be jealous.” He says proudly knowing damn well he’s trying with all his might not to punch the closest thing to him. (Excluding you 🙁) Will admit to it after like a week?? Claims he didn’t like how a guy talked to you all buddy-buddy. You just shake your head and laugh at him, only making him pout even more. (You owe him.)

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Kashimo’s kisses are like a box of chocolate. Loves to kiss you wherever his eyes can guide him to first. Is like major with little smooches and will do it constantly. Until you give him one back. That makes him stop in a heartbeat. You found out his cheek is his weak-spot, one time you left a lipgloss stain and it drove him crazy. He loves loves loovvess your kisses and always craves them after a long day. They are like some type of reward. Every-time your soft lips find a way to his skin, ugh his heart aches. Will also give the sweetest and most passionate kisses ever. To a smooch, to colliding his tongue with yours.

L = Little ones (How are they around children? He pretends kids are annoying. Little does he know, you see the way he is with children himself. Hajime is a big kid at heart himself, you just have to push him to that limit. Though he will never ever admit it unless you bring it up first. Overtime he is no longer ashamed of it, he couldn’t hide it even if he attempted. End of discussion- Kashimo is such a sweet-pea with kids. To babies, toddlers, pre teens or even teenagers. (Off topic like extremely… but will ask for one sooner or later.)

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Not a morning person. Will sleep all day and stay up all night. You got him go change his schedule and ever since then he loves waking up to your beautiful face. If you’re not up by the time he is, which is usual because he wakes up early, he’ll rest you in his embrace and fall back to sleep. Once he learns how to cook he’ll serve you every like two times a week with breakfast. Will eat andd do your morning routine with you. (Skin care with him is so awesome :3) Loves nothing more than to spend nice and sunny mornings with you, It’s one of the best ways to start his day.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Night owll!! Will always think of something to do with you before bed. Movie nights, make dinner or even just cuddle with you. Whatever you want to do. Due to having to battle constantly, he doesn’t get to spend too much time with his love. When he comes home late at night Kashimo uses time very wisely the moment he steps through your door. Sometimes you’re asleep by the time he arrives, so he just lays next to you comfortably. Would probably scare you in the morning but would also love to see how your face would light up.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

It took him awhile to express whatever he would feel with you. It’s very rare to know how he feels, Hajime has to really trust you. When he gets to venting it’s like he’ll never stop. Like I said, you’re one of many people he’ll ever open up to. Hell you might be the only person that only ever hears what Kashimo truly feels. You can tell when Hajime is feeling down.. So when you mention it Kashimo just gives in and squirms like a big baby. He can get real emotional, you’ll see him cry once in a very blue bright neon moon. You (hopefully 👁️👁️.) reassure him it’s okay to feel that kind of way. Thats what he loves about you, knowing that you’ll always be there for him.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Is inpatient. I’m not even gonna lie to you he can’t be patient if it saved his own life. With you though, thats a different story. He could be all day with you. You push the hell out his buttons sometimes, but he could never hate you so he just deals with it. He loves you so you can take your sweet time with him and he doesn’t care all that much. Hajime knows that you’re patient with him 24/7 so thats a way he could pay you back. It can even be a little challenging for him , due to having very little patience. At the end of the day he doesn’t mind. You’re lucky he loves you so much.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He will notice the smallest things about you. It’s almost everyday you catch him studying you like something special and sacred, you don’t even have to ask him to memorize numerous of things about you. Your appearance or things you like, you just in general are like an image he can’t get out of his head. Any thing about you is like a puzzle he can solve easily without even trying too hard. It is almost weird how well his memory can be. Not that you complain. Kashimo forgets nothing about you and will always please you when you’re bored with things you like to do. Or notice that you changed your hair or makeup. Will question it but doesn’t mind. Likes anything you like, and loves when you try something new.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Speaking of pleasing you when you’re bored. Sharing moments with you are so magical to him. Especially when doing something you enjoy, Hajime can’t get enough of how much fun you have when he takes you out. He doesn’t have a specific favorite scenario with you. Kashimo can’t choose which was his favorite. He does like watching the stars with you, the both of you do it quite often. Your eye sparkle like they are stars themselves. You’re such a beautiful view late a night. You are always glowing even in the darkest of times throughout the day.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Doesn’t care about himself. That has never been his concern. You come first, every single time. Would die for you, would kill for you. He can’t stand to see you hurt. With him around, you probably never have to worry about ever having the tiniest of scratches ever. Kashimo will go Limits beyond limits just to make sure you’re safe. Will drop everything he is doing just for you. He won’t keep you in a cage or anything, but is just cautious and afraid to lose you. It’s a dangerous world out there. Maybe will let you go out, all he asks is to not go alone and make sure it’s with someone he can trust. (Hajime is not trying to bother you. He just would hate to lose you or see you injured and would blame himself for eternity.)

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Is so cute. Like the cutest. It’s the thought that counts with him. Hajime puts his heart into his efforts and you know he does. “I know it’s not perfect” Type guy. Really, you adore his little attempts on satisfying you. You can always just ask too, if you wanna be left alone the entire day, no problem. You want to stay with him all day and enjoy quality time together? No need to even ask twice. Is hard working already in general, he just doesn’t know when to quit when it comes to you. The outcome won’t always be the biggest or greatest but he tried. Kashimo appreciates you and will show you it even if it’s a little crappy. Gives you hand-made gifts. Thinks they’re cuter. In which, his paper flowers are always better than real ones in your eyes. Dates or anniversaries? Will take you both to your favorite spot, or wherever you want to go. If you want to lay on bed all day, go ahead. Won’t do a so great job on tidying up.. But again, it’s the thought that counts.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Hajime is stubborn, too stubborn for his own good and loves to fight. He has this thing with fighting and being victorious. You scold him about it constantly. Always searching for people stronger than him. It gets him hurt in the process, you don’t understand how he could be so addicted to it? Kashimo plays with fire constantly and its dangerous, life threatening. You know that he is strong. That means nothing less from him being a Mortal. You hate how he plays with his own life, it was just something regular for him? You get concerned sometimes and tell him to just stop. Knocking sense into his thick skull. It died down overtime, he only did it for you. But he’s so use to it he can’t even help himself. It never fully left and won’t be going anywhere but will try.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Between you two, he hates his hair. It gets in the way of battle. And how soft his face can look. It makes him look less intimidating. Thats pretty much it, he claims he doesn’t really care but you know it bothers him. You talk to him about it and you made him feel confident. (like vro you’re a pretty boy?) He doesn’t like talking about it because he thinks being insecure is just foolish, especially over ‘stupid’ things. But you also helped that you tell him how handsome he is and now he looks at himself with pride. You made him a lot more comfortable in his own skin. He smiles every-time he looks in his reflection, knowing you would praise his looks. Kashimo still asks himself how he got so lucky with someone like you.. But thats beside the point. He thanks you for making him feel better about his features.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Is miserable and hates being departed from you. He is still not used from being separated from you even when he is constantly away. Dealing with curses and who knows what. All he thinks of is you, if you’re okay, if you miss him like he misses you, the list goes on. Or even when you two get into arguments, he apologizes the very next day. All it takes him is a little less than twenty-four hours to see how vulnerable he truly is when you’re not with him. You’re his other half and it physically and mentally hurts him when you’re not there. Hajime cannot stand it, that feeling he gets when your company isn’t invading him. He knew it was dangerous but he would invite you to missions, missing you that much. It was always your decision. You never had to come if you didn’t want to.. Kashimo would just enjoy your support.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Is a total brat- like imagine him pouting when something doesn’t go his way. Acts all high mighty and stuff when all it took you was to snap your fingers and force him to behave. Putting him in his place, telling him that he acted like a child. Puts his head down in shame. (walk him like a dog sis) For sure has a little bratty attitude too, but just think of playing his little games with him. Fumbling him with no second thought as his pitifully goes silent. Kashimo doesn’t know if he hates it or likes it. The fact that you know how to work him when he starts acting all moody, it’s.. Interesting. He swears he can’t stand you sometimes. Hajime loves it. Or hates it.. He still doesn’t know. Knows for a fact he finds it quite pleasing. Thats for sure.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

I can totally see Kashimo despising a cheater. Hajime hates when you talk to other people for a reason, that exact reason in-fact. You would break his heart and he would never forgive you. And I mean never. Thats what a relationship is for, he trusted you and you’re willing to do that like it’s nothing..? No thanks. Will not tolerate that one bit. It would break his heart but refuses to deal with that. If you’re willing to do it once what makes him look stupid enough to think you won’t do it twice. Or several times? Loses the trust right then and there. Nope- just absolutely not.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Needs to hold something, anything. Tosses and turns if something is not in his touch. As soon as you scotch to him and allow him to wrap his arm around you, he’s a rock. Still drools and snores or whatever but is stiff. You would think he is dead if you didn’t pay that much attention. You love snuggling with him, but the worse part about it is you’re stuck. Every movement you make he pulls you in closer and tighter. Not allowing you to go anywhere even when he is unconscious. You sadly have to punch him awake or something like that to wake him up. That would be your only escape. Groans and looks at you cluelessly with an eyebrow raised. Falls asleep not even thirty seconds later. You just sigh, he wakes up early so you just have to suffer a little bit longer.

idk if a sfw alphabet for our glorious princess exists. Glad to be the first person to it 🫦

i haven’t done kashimo in awhile lordie 😫. Anywayss im back and im alive luvs

[ridiasfangirlings]

1/2) Fushimi and Yata are going on vacation abroad. Fushimi made a reservation at a posh restaurant to propose marriage to Yata on they last day in the city. But at lunch he ate something wrong and as a result, until the evening he had to hug the toilet. Yata was by his side all the time. He saw a notification on Fushimi's PDA stating that Fushimi's requested reservation at the restaurant was canceled, after which PDA ran out of charge.

Imagine the two of them have been dating for a while, Fushimi enjoys spoiling Yata but even so Yata’s a little surprised when he suggests an overseas vacation. Yata hasn’t gotten to travel a lot though so he figures why not, as long as Fushimi agrees to not say insulting things about him to the staff in foreign languages (Fushimi grins all would I do such a thing Misaki, and Yata playfully punches him all yeah you would). Despite being the one who suggested this Fushimi is actually fairly drained by the end of the vacation though, like all these people and new places and excessive happiness is wearing on him. Yata says if Fushimi just wants to take a day chilling at the hotel that would be fine with him but Fushimi shakes his head, they have fancy reservations for that evening and he promised Yata they would go out for lunch at one of the places near the hotel that Yata’s been wanting to try.

Yata feels bad about suggesting it a few hours later when they’re back in the hotel and Fushimi is on the floor of the bathroom complaining that it was definitely the vegetables Yata made him eat that did this. Yata’s like I had the broccoli too and I’m fine, maybe the drinks didn’t agree with your stomach. Fushimi is oddly concerned about the dinner reservations and if he’ll be able to make it, like Yata didn’t think Fushimi would care that much and normally in this kind of situation Fushimi would be the first to say cancel the reservations. When Yata suggests it though Fushimi shakes his head — and immediately looks nauseous, head falling back down onto the bathroom tile — and says they have to go to dinner. Yata can’t believe that Fushimi wants to try the place that much but then Fushimi’s PDA buzzes. There’s a message from the restaurant with the subject line ‘cancel’ and Yata’s like shit, Fushimi asks what the issue is and Yata’s like give me sec. Fushimi’s PDA blinks out as Yata tries to check it and he realizes the battery is dead, Yata sighs like this is why I tell you to at least charge it if you’re gonna play on it all day.

He goes to find a charger, figuring Fushimi won’t mind if Yata digs around in his bag. Yata’s hand closes over a small box and he’s like oh here’s the charger, only to lift his hand out and realize the box is a little fancy for a charger. He opens it up and there’s a ring, golden with like a red gem that looks like a flame. Yata’s eyes go wide and his mouth drops open as he realizes that this is an engagement ring (and maybe he has a moment of ‘wait, who’s Saruhiko getting engaged to’ before his brain catches up and he’s like oh. Oh). From the bathroom Fushimi asks what Yata was saying about the reservation and Yata’s like oh right shit yeah. Fushimi asks if there’s something wrong because Yata’s voice sounds weird and Yata’s like no no nothing at all. Fushimi is super suspicious now and attempts to check on Yata, he comes stumbling out of the bathroom and Yata has to run and keep him from collapsing against the doorframe. He’s forgotten to take the ring box out of his hand though and Fushimi gives this frustrated sigh as Yata helps him sit back down on the bathroom floor all ‘so you saw, huh?’.

Yata doesn’t know why Fushimi sounds so bummed about that and Fushimi looks away, grumbling ‘…supposed to be special.’ Yata belatedly realizes that Fushimi was definitely intending to propose at dinner and he sheepishly says well it’s okay that their reservations got canceled right. Fushimi clicks his tongue all of course they did, nothing he does ever manages to go right. Yata’s quick to stop him though, like hey I don’t need a fancy dinner or anything okay, hanging out with you in the room is fine with me. Fushimi mutters that he wanted to do something….nice for once, since Yata always does things for him. Yata’s like I was the one who made you eat all those poison vegetables wasn’t I, so really this is my fault isn’t it. Fushimi considers that and then gives this little snort like you have a point. Yata’s all hey I was kidding but he’s laughing and Fushimi gets a small smile. There’s silence between them and then Yata’s like ‘so…are you gonna do it?’. Fushimi looks at him and Yata gets all red suddenly as he holds out the ring like you know you bought this and I guess maybe it’s for me and I dunno maybe you weren’t intending to but if you were you could, I guess, if you wanted to… He trails off and Fushimi smiles slightly as he takes the ring out of the box and puts it on Yata’s finger, quietly asking if Yata will marry him. (Yata says yes and they kiss, and then later Yata jokes about how he got proposed to on the floor of a hotel bathroom.)

[anyalovesu]

tolerate it.

xii. where's that man who threw blankets over my barbed wire?

—“being tolerated by leon during the first days of our engagement wasn’t the one that hurt me the most. really, it was learning that my saving grace, the one whom i thought was throwing blankets over barbed wire for me…it was realizing that isaac has been the one tolerating me for the longest time. it even reached the point that he couldn’t tolerate me any longer that he had to search for what i was lacking in someone else.”

necessary reminders:

content warning: contains light smut (lol) 🔞🔞🔞; not piv ; fingering (f rec) ; overstimulation (medj?) basta bas2s

mdni mdni mdni mdni mdni mdni 🔞🔞🔞

super light nsfw only if that's not your kind of shit or if your the kind of person who publicly shits on people who don't write up to your standards, dni too

DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU ARE A MINOR FOR GODS SAKE 🔞🔞🔞🔞

Although 4 days felt like forever for them to find themselves in a plane back to Manila, they were able to get home safely without the worries of Leon and Santi being put in jeopardy. The both of them were cleared to continue their recovery at home. Which is why Santi is back in their parents mansion because he lived alone and Leon is stuck at home. All four of them were relieved of their current projects, which included Ynes and Eli being excused from work as well, fledging to take care of their injured brothers for the meantime. Besides, after all the psychological warfare that the both of them went through from literally being the first ones to know about the accident has been too much as well that Elizalde Yang thought it was best that they let them off work as well.  Most of the heavy tasks were transferred to different teams in the company, while the rest were being done at home. 

“May crush ka kaklase mo sa conservatory ‘di ba?” Leon teased as he sat next to Eli who played a very peaceful piano rendition of Midnight Covey’s hit song, Tulog Na. 

Eli hummed, glancing at him, which admittedly made Leon’s knees feel weak, with the way the soft light from the stained windows reflected on her face, making her face look more ethereal than it already was.

“Si Geon Isidro?” she asked. “Joke lang ‘yon. Sinabi ko lang para tantanan ako noong isa pa naming kasama.”

“Kilala ‘yon nila Tito ‘di ba?”

Eli looked at him, confused why all of a sudden he was so invested in Geon when he was in fact no more than a figment from her past. It was something he knew back then. 

“Yeah, they met sa country club sa Baguio, taga roon sila originally eh.”

“You think magkakagusto ka uli sa kanya if nakita mo s’ya uli?”

“Sobra ka na yata sa gamot, Leon,” she chuckled, playfully flicking his forehead. Leon feigned offense, dramatically holding onto his forehead as if he was hurt badly.

“Bakit ba? Genuine na question ‘yon! Tanong ng best friend!”

“Hindi nga kasi ako nagkagusto kay Geon,” she shrugged, fiddling on the piano keys as if visualizing what would sound good. “Sinasabi ko naman sa’yo kapag may crush ako noon.”

“Sa tingin mo maniniwala ako d’yan? Sabi mo nga dati crush mo ako!”

“Oh bakit hindi ba?” 

Leon’s normally pale face began to heat up, turning his face crimson in almost only a glimpse which made Eli laugh at how adorable he was. Usually it was the other way around, flustering Eli was his job! Bakit sya ang kinikilig ngayon?

Elijah chuckled, moving one leg towards the other side of the piano stool so that she would see his face clearer from where he was sitting on the other half of the two-person stool.

“Pag tinigasan nanaman ako sa kakaganyan mo—”

“Oh my god! Ang bunganga mo talaga!”

“Baby, you’ve gotten off on me once na,” he chuckled, pinching her cheeks, finding it cute that she still gets shy at the idea of it. “It’s not like secret pa ‘yon sa atin.”

“Kahit na,” she laughed. “Ang awkward pakinggan na magse-sex tayo, e for the longest time kinonvince ko ang sarili ko na hindi tayo talo.”

“Cute mo,” he laughed. “You say that like you weren’t the one on top of me last time, baby.”

Leon could not help but adore how her face turned crimson when she bursted out in laughter, hitting his arm like she usually does. “Bakit ba tawa ka ng tawa?” he chuckled at her, “It’s human to have needs bakit ka nahihiya?”

“Because it’s not like me to just ask for things I need, Leon,” she shrugged. Though she meant it as a joke, they both know there’s more truth to it than it was a joke. Eli has always been one to work for what she needs, even if it was something basic. Everything she gets, she feels the need to work for it. 

“It’s just funny na hanggang sex you feel ne need to work for shit, ginaganyan ka ba ni Issac Sim, ha?”

Somehow that hit Eli. If Isaac really has been cheating on her and he’s already fallen out of love with her long before they were forced to break up… then the truth must really hurt. Chances are Isaac has only been using her to get his dick wet for the past years.

“Kahit hindi naman doon…”

She took the time to look after his health when they were still in college. All the times she was the one who woke up early to make sure his shit was ready. All the things Eli did for him, just for her to feel like she deserved to be loved, all of it she considered to be priceless only to find out that it was all in vain because the love she thought was getting wasn’t even real in the first place.

Leon hummed at the reaction he got from Eli. Though much like her advances, it was meant to be a joke, he did not want to hear all the hell Eli has been going through that she did not notice at all. He just wanted to replace it. Make her feel like the woman she was meant to be—adored and served.

“Actually, I don’t want to hear it,” he scoffed. Well, even out of the sexual context, it pissed him off that Elijah was treated like that. When they were friends, if it was possible for him to do it instead of Eli, he did it. It pissed him off that during the time he could not be the person who does it, she was allowing herself to be used by some bastard who isn’t even worth half the person Elijah is. “Kapag magaling na ako, you don’t have to work for anything else, okay?”

“Bro, I want to work,” she rolled her eyes at him, making him laugh while leaning towards her, inching her face closer to her.

“It’s okay if you want to do that, pero ako na ang bahala sa’yo sa ibang bagay, okay?”

Eli could feel her heart race at his sincerity, or maybe not, maybe it was his hand on her exposed thigh, showing through the slit of her sundress because it was scorching hot in the country. She doesn’t know anymore, it doesn’t help that his warm lips are on hers again, moving in sync to hers. 

Shit. Kakasabi ko lang kanina na awkward, but why does it feel so right? Eli thought to herself.

Leon then takes the opportunity to squeeze the supple skin of her thigh before inching it higher and higher, making her gasp for air but he only takes this as an opportunity to slot his tongue in between her parted lips. At that point, he really was determined to make Eli feel nice without her working for anything, fuck the stitches on his side. He had to make his baby feel good.

His hand kept inching up her body till it  reached her boy shorts.

“Do you want to?” Leon asked, making sure that she still had a choice, and he will never do anything she doesn’t want to do. 

Eli looked up at him and nodded before leaning over to capture his lips once again. And while he just wanted to just grab her and fuck her right then and there with how pretty she looked nodding at him like that, he needed to hear her say it.

“Say it, baby,” he hummed against her lips, before his other hand reached for her face, holding her back from kissing him again until she gave an answer.

“Fuck, Leon. Yes.”

He wanted to go feral at that very moment but he knew his limitations with that stupid fucking wound on his side, he’s not gonna be able to feel her up that way. But it wasn’t going to stop him from making her feel good.

“Kandong ka, baby,” and before Eli could think of it, there she was again, on top of him, with both legs on either side of him.

“Wait paano yung tahi mo,” she gasped, hitting his shoulder upon realizing. 

“Hindi yan magagalaw kung hindi ka maglilikot,” he chuckled before pulling her face closer to get a taste of her saccharine lips once again. 

Mint. Mint lipbalm. That’s what her lips taste like. Something Issac will never taste again. Fucking asshole. Leon thinks to himself.

He likes to think that it’s just love instead of lust that drives him to do this, because it is. While there is that primal need to be as close to her as he could, all he wanted was to make her feel loved and taken care of—that finally she can rest her armors down and let him do all the work.

Eli’s arms find home around Leon’s neck as she leans closer to him, unintentionally putting on pressure on Leon’s hard-on. 

“Lean back, baby,” Leon hums against her lips before adjusting her back to her old position, hands delicately guiding her hips back before it travels down to where she most needed it to be.

“Fuck,” she breathes out as Leon continues to rub his thumb on the wet patch on her cotton underwear. “What the actual fuck, Leon.”

“That feels nice, baby?” he smirks as he leans over to kiss her neck, leaving soft butterfly kisses first before sucking on the sweet spot behind her ear. 

“Yes, oh my god—” Leon seemed dissatisfied when she began to move on her own again, trying to grind against his already moving hand. 

“Wag kang malikot,” he says sternly, his free hand holding her hips down to keep it steady. “I’ll stop if you move. Okay?”

Eli, already drunk in love, couldn’t help but just helplessly nod at Leon’s ministrations.

“Answer me, baby.”

“I won’t move, Leon. Please, just—” Eli’s pleads were cut off by her own quiet gasp when Leon’s fingers began moving again in a steady pace that quite literally made Eli want to go insane, trying the best that she could to not squirm at the pleasure that was running through her entire body.

“Stay still, Ellie. Alright?”

“Yes, please—fuck—can you remove na please.”

“You want me to touch you raw, baby?” he asked, fingers slowing down before hastening again to tease her. 

“Please, baby.” Baby. Leon’s head goes haywire. Before he could even let his mind think about it for a second time, he helps her up and takes off the piece of cloth separating his hand from the soft nub in between her legs. 

Leon takes his time with her, making sure every move was only meant to please her, always asking before he does something foreign. 

Thus, there Eli was, being fucked witless with two of Leon’s fingers, knuckles deep, swiftly moving inside her, curling every now and then, making her release a string of soft hums and whimpers in his ear as she bites on to the crook of his neck to keep herself quiet while her fiance’s fingers do its wonders.

“That feels nice, baby?”

“Nice… yes… oh my god, Leon,” she replies in soft gasps as she clings to him for support. “Faster, please.”

Leon does as he is told, even going as far as using his thumb to rub the bundle of nerves while he’s at it, making her stomach tighten at the sensation. 

It’s not long after she reaches her high, leaning back pressing on random piano keys that fills the living room with other sounds than the sound of her heavy breaths and the wet sound of Leon’s fingers ramming inside of her. But the older does not stop his hands from moving.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Baby, done na please—”

“One more baby,” he hums before kissing her again, enjoying the remains of her mint lip balm that has now faded, probably smudged on either of their faces and on the hickeys on his neck. “You can give me one more.”

Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes as her dilated pupil gaze on the features of his face, reflecting pleasure at the sight of her getting flooded with dopamine at her climax. “So pretty for me, Ellie.” 

“Leon, oh my god,” Eli was sure that very moment that Leon had already fucked her stupid, and that was with his hands only. Only his name was coherent from all the babbles that came out of her mouth that Leon could not help but feel smitten with how willing Eli is to be vulnerable with him. 

It wasn’t too long until Eli is sobbing at the wave of pleasure consuming her entire body while she wraps her arms around his neck once again for comfort. Leon's thumb still consistently moving, guiding her through her high.

"Baby, enough na please," Elijah whimpered against his neck, reaching in between her thighs to make him stop. Leon then takes it as his stop sign, slowly removing his hand from inside of her before lifting it up to his mouth to taste. Eli, still too fucked out to think of anything else but the aftershocks of her climax, wasn't strong enough to stop him from doing so.

Fuck. She wasn’t even sure how the fuck was it possible that he made her climax twice that quick, but one thing was for sure. Nothing can compare to the feeling of his hold after it’s all done. Soothing circles were drawn on her lower back as he waited for her body to stop spasming.

“Okay na? Kailangan pa maglinis, baby.”

“Sleepy,” she responds, burying her face on the crook of his neck.

“Linis muna, then matutulog tayo, okay?”

“Okay,” she hums dejectedly before pulling away from him.

continue here (kulto ni tobias gc convo)

continue here (housemates' gc convo)

continue here (eli's tweets)

“Saan tayo after sa Valiente?” Gwen asked from the shotgun seat, craning his neck back to look at Eli who sat in the back seat with Leon and Jacynthe. It was obvious that he was in severe  discomfort with the atmosphere in the car with both Jas and Alistair being in the same space when fully, everyone knew how shit went down for the both of them.

Jacynthe and Alistair were a thing about a couple of years ago, when Alistair had just finished his Information Technology Degree. Philomena Yoon and Daphne Huh, have been bestfriends since highschool and have been each other’s support system since then especially when things got messy between their relationships and well, they both had children none of their partners wanted to keep. Basically, Jacynthe and Alistair knew each other for a long time already, with both their mothers being attached to the hip practically. But what seemed to be an ideal relationship between the two immediately went awry when Alistair migrated to LA to supposedly pursue a career in the Silicon Valley. The two broke up upon Alistair’s wish because apparently he could not handle a long distance relationship. Nonetheless, they kept contact after promising that he will be back once he’s established his career. Well, that was until Alistair enlisted into the military as a Military IT, and did not tell Jacynthe. Back then, Jas held on to every detail to his promise. She lived for the hope of it all, depending on empty promises as something to hold on to. You could only imagine how devastated Jas was when Alistair just decided to go into boot camp and go MIA from the internet scene for a good while. Thing about Jacynthe is that she doesn’t just love. When she loves, she loves deeply and truly and madly. She makes it a point that everything she can give, she will give if that’s what it took for her to be loved. Maybe you can daddy issues for it, but that’s how it is. Jas went around serial dating guys who weren't even worth half a minute of her time. They were all sorts of guys—jobless, narcissistic, manipulative, you name it— all of roommates can agree that they were only there for the money and the fame because Jacynthe was steadily rising to the limelight with songs she produced for multiple A-list singers and songs she wrote with Kyle Crisostomo. It was safe to say that even if it was worrisome that Jas is getting involved with someone like Tobias, who always claimed that he didn’t do relationships, he was nicer than anyone else. Tobi, if not for his compulsive need to stay out of relationships, would be one ideal guy. He’s talented and passionate and dedicated to the things that he loved to do, which was music. Something Jas has always been interested in as well. So, as uncertain as it may be, they had more hope that Jas would not get broken hearted by Tobi, more than anyone else she went on date with. 

“Bahay na uli,” Eli replied to him. “The band will come daw pa magpractice kami para sa set sa Aurora bukas.”

“Oh you will perform?” Gwen’s eyes lit up in excitement as he fully turned to look at her.

“Jas rin! She has a few songs to play with MC!” Jacynthe looked uneasy with it being brought up, especially with her ex sitting just in close proximity along with the fact that in both of her features, she will be singing with Tobias and Amir.

“Galingan n’yo bukas!”

There they were, in the VIP parking lot of Valiente Med, where most of the physicians and surgeons park their cars. It was safe to say that Eli was left speechless the moment her car entered the parking lot and several men dressed in suits were already waiting for them. Philomena Yoon, you are as OA as you can always be.

“Napaka-oa mo ninang,” Eli shrugged at her godmother as soon as she met them in her office.

“Jas!” Philomena smiles as soon as she moves to hug Jacynthe. “Oh how are you? May masakit ba sa’yo? Nasa OR si Mama mo ngayon!”

“Oh, may scheduled check up lang po, Tita. I’m okay naman.”

“Good ‘yan. You’re not pregnant naman, 'di ba? Kaya nagpapacheck up?”

“You put my IUD in, Tita!”

“Ay oo nga pala! Anyway, mabuti yan! Itong bata na ‘to, kelan ka huling nagpacheck up? Kailangan mo na magcheck up ng madalas! You’re gonna get married na next month you have to make sure na you’re completely healthy!”

“Isang beses sa isang taon lang ako nilalagnat, ninang. Para saan ba ‘yon?”

“What if you’re pregnant na pala?”

“Ninang! How?”

“Babe, you’re young! And engaged! And pretty! I was younger than you when I had Ali! I used to have pregnancy scares more than twice a month!” She laughed. “Either way, tama yan. Huwag kayong gagaya sa akin, I understand naman. And your ex boyfriend was an ass. If I was in your place I would’ve been extra careful din. Wouldn’t want a guy like him to knock me up like the genes that kid has! They’re gonna taint our pedigree! Ugh! And at least Ali’s dad was a lawyer and left me to pursue law kahit papaano, I know Ali is going to turn out smart and well kahit namana n’ya yata ng slight ang katarantaduhan ng tatay n’ya. Right, Jas?”

Gwen audibly snorted at his mom’s remark. It really isn’t a secret how furious Philomena was when Alistair did what he did, she made sure he knew that as soon as he graduated from bootcamp.

Jas could only hold her laughter by pursing her lips and nodding.

Philomena continued on yapping until everyone was in their respective places. Gwen ended up being the one to wait for Jas in the waiting room, while Ali came with both Eli and Leon in the doctor’s office.

“Okay, so—” 

The both of them seemed to stop in their tracks as soon as their eyes met. 

“I was given the impression that Doctor Valle would be here instead of an intern, can I have Doctor Valle instead?” Leon’s tone was cold and stoic, which really seemed to petrify Louisse in her place.

“Um… Pi-pinapunta po ako dito ni Doctor Valle dito para magcheck ng vitals-”

“Go back to Doctor Valle, tell her I’m paging her,” Philomena wasn’t much help with her authoritarian tone before reaching for her phone in her white coat to dial someone.

“Binilinan po kasi ako na wag magpakita sa kanya—”

“It doesn’t seem like my problem, Miss Laxa, go get Doctor Valle,” she told her, bluntly.

“She doesn’t look like she’s having the best day, Ninang,” Eli mumbled, eyes wide as soon as she realized that tears were already forming in Louisse’s eyes when she left. 

“This is the second week both her and your filthy ex boyfriend have been receiving pansit since you asked me to send them,” she grinned, complacent at her pettiness as she pushed the door close. Even Ali face-palmed at his own mother’s actions. “If I can’t kick them out, the best I can do is to wish that their shift is worse than the last one.”

“Akala ko once n’yo lang yon gagawin!”

“Oh it’s no problem! I’m paying the nanay na naging patient ko a hefty to cook the pansit I send them everyday! So like isipin mo nalang na we’re supporting Nanay’s cooking business! It’s okay!”

Even Ali could not hold it any more, snorting at his mother’s level of petty. He could not believe how much immaturity his mother still got even after all those years of hardships and life lessons she learned. 

“Even Daph is on this! The Clark boy hasn’t got one scrub duty after one fuck up since we found out about what he has been doing! You have been saved by grace Alistair! If you were in the medical field din, Daphne and I would’ve gave you toxic shifts after toxic shifts too! Naiinis pa rin ako sa ginawa mo!”

“Hay nako, Yoon,” Doctor Valle appeared from the door, giving Philomena a high five as they both grinned. It seemed like they were all in to really making Isaac and Louisse’s shifts worse than it should be, which in Eli’s mind…deserve.

-

“Why are you here?” Isaac bursts out as soon as Eli was out of the comfort room.

“My grandparents built this hospital, Isaac. What do you mean?” Eli spat out, glancing around to look for anyone who might see them both so that she may be able to call for help if she needed to.

“I know what you and Doctor Yoon are doing, Eli. Please, if going back to you would fix this—

“I don’t want you back, Isaac. Sana nahihiya ka sa mga sinasabi mo,” she gritted her teeth, appalled at the audacity that Isaac had to confront her like this.

“So what, mahal mo na? Kaya ayaw mo na agad sa akin?” He quipped, almost like he was offended. “Ganon kabilis?”

“Did you think I would really stay in love with you, Isaac? After you cheated on me with Louisse? Na on multiple occasions you assured me that was just your med school classmate?” Elijah was bursting in anger. She was fuming at the fact that she was being painted as the bad person when he had been cheating on her long before. “You are delusional, Isaac Sim.”

“Eli… You don’t love him—”

“That’s not for you to decide, Isaac.”

Isaac scoffed at her response, jaw visible tightening which scared her greatly. She never saw Isaac as someone who would harm her in any way, but that was before. He was a completely different person than she knew him as. She couldn’t be sure of how he’ll move next.

“Paano? Ganoon kabilis?” His voice was rising quickly which made Eli’s heart pound even harder but she kept her composure, not backing down even when tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes.

It was fast. Everything was fast with Leon but it felt natural. It felt light and normal, like it was meant to be there in the first place and really that feeling was so much different that when she was with Isaac.

“That’s disgusting, Eli,” he sniggered. “Just so you know, no one is going to love you better than I ever did. Ikaw? Who’s gonna love you at your state—”

“What the fuck are you telling my fiance?” Leon barked from the end of the hallway, which despite the volume of his voice, sent relief to Eli that she was no longer in danger, most especially when Alistair, Philomena and Belinda Valiente followed suit.

“We’re just talking, Doc—”

“You’re off Philomena's program, Sim. Pack your things.”

“Doc—”

“You are cornering my grandaughter, Sim. Hindi ka na nga maayos kumilos noong mga nakaraang araw, ko-kornerin mo pa ang apo ko?”

“I am not cornering her, Doctor Valiente, naguusap lang po talaga kami.”

“Hindi kami bulag, Mr. Sim. Lalong lalong hindi kami bingi, we heard what you said! Wag mo kaming ginagawang tanga. Alam naming matagal mo nang niloloko si Eli bago pa kayo maghiwalay kaya wala kang karapatan na sabihin ‘yan sa inaanak ko. Now, pack you things and find another institution that will tolerate your behavior because you are off my program.”

Eli just stood there in shock while Leon held her tight for deep compressions. 

Isaac dejectedly walks out from the hallway, making Philomena and Belinda turn to Elijah who is now in a full blown meltdown from what had just happened.

“You’re okay, baby,” Leon assures kissing the top of her head as she tried to hold back sobs.

–

“Ellie,” Leon called from his seat on the couch inside the studio. He was sitting next to Gwen and Amir, who were visibly flirting with each other while her. Tobi and Jas were MIA doing god knows what, while Karlo, Elijah and Kyle were trying to figure out how to keep Karlo from being flustered whenever Ellie does one of Leon’s funky rhythm patterns that no one in the band who has the ability to play bass can do. Everyone had been trying to distract Eli from what happened that morning, avoiding at all costs to bring up what happened earlier for her sake.

“Why po?” Elijah asked, walking over to him, abandoning the two who were currently arguing about Karlo being distractible. “May masakit ba? Do you want to go rest na sa taas?”

“No,” he replied, grinning like a child when Ellie walked over to him. He was just glad that Ellie paid attention to him and not two of his bandmates anymore. He gets it though, neither Kyle or Karlo would even have the stomach to go for their bro’s girl, but it made him uneasy how easily they could if they wanted to, especially with Ellie not even being his girlfriend in the first place. “Just wanted your attention.”

“You are so annoying, Leon,” she laughed, playfully flicking his forehead as he reached for her torso pulling her close to hug her middle, resting his head against her stomach. “Nagpa-practice kami.”

“Magaling ka naman na, ako kaya ang nagturo sa’yo!” he whined, burying his face on her belly even more, attempting to blow raspberries on the exposed part of her stomach.

“Ay parang bata naman oh,” she laughed, trying to pull him away, holding both sides of his face to make him look at her. “Sure kang wala kang nararamdaman?”

“Nararamdaman kong gusto ko ng kiss–”

“Pasintabi naman!” Amir laughed. “Hindi nga kayo magjowa tas mas malala pa kayo sa amin maglandian!”

“What for? Ikakasal na rin naman kami?” Eli laughed at him, placing both of her arms around Leon, embracing him closer to her. 

“Do you want me to court you?”

“Bitch, I don’t do ligaw.”

“She doesn’t do ligaw!” Jas laughed, entering the room, lipstick slightly smudged, with a smile on her face nonetheless.

“You should know this! Hindi ako nagpaligaw kahit kanino!”

“Hindi ka niligawan ni Isaac?” He exclaimed, appalled that Isaac did not do such when Eli nodded. “Bakit hindi?”

“Kasi I asked him not to,” she replied nonchalantly. “I find the concept of ligaw stupid. Like why would you put your best foot forward to impress a woman? Show me na agad how much do I have to endure then I’ll judge kung I want to be your girlfriend.”

“It seemed like Isaac put his very best foot forward pa rin naman the entire time,” Gwen argued. 

“Oh edi tanga na ako, yun ga ang gusto mong sabihin?” Eli sassed at him. 

“True naman! Tanga ka nga!”

“Do you love me enough to want me to be your boyfriend?”

Eli knew the answer to that

It was yes. Always yes and million times more.

But somehow a lump on her throat formed and she couldn’t form the words to say that yes, she was in fact, in love with everything Leon is and whatever it is that scares her so much from telling him that she loves him was an ass for getting in the way of things. Because she wants to tell him, but her heart is beating faster every second passing and because it still scares her that she wouldn’t know how to explain if he asked why.

“I’ll answer that later,” she smiled at him, pressing a soft kiss on top of his. “Will take that as an answer for now?”

“I can take it as an answer as a whole, baby,” Leon hummed, grabbing her by the neck to pull her into a kiss once again.

“Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kasama n’yo!” Tobi shouted from the door, entering with his crumpled shirt that’s not suspicious at all if you had an IQ of a rock. 

“Kunwari nalang hindi halata na nagsession kayo ni Jas sa banyo, dugyot,” Amir shrugged at his friends, pulling Gwen loser to him. “Buti pa kami behave dito.”

“Eh subukan mong hindi magbehave pag hindi ka natupi sa walo ng Kuya n’ya na nasa taas,” Leon remarked, making the room burst into laughter, somehow making Eli forget about what happened earlier and the fact that she didn't know what to expect tomorrow.

continue here (pre-d-day tweets <3)

–

“As you all know, Leon got involved in an accident a few weeks ago…” Amir stood in front of the microphone while Eli held Jacynthe’s hand on one hand and Leon on the other, while she waited for her cue. “We regret to inform you na hindi natin makakasama si Leon ngayong gabi dahil doon, we have a surprise guest tonight!”

“You may already know her by now dahil inispoil naman ni Leon kagabi,” the crowd roared upon realizing who was coming up the stage right now. “The woman behind most of the songs of Midnight Covey’s debut album and the Loophole's only full album, the woman behind Mahika, and the woman behind the humble beginnings of the Midnight Covey, I present to you, our bassist for tonight, Ruby Elijah Yang!” 

“Hi!” Eli called, the crowd getting louder every passing second, until she could barely hear herself through her in-ears. “I’m Eli. I was a member of the Loophole and I am Leon’s girlfriend.”

Even the band seemed surprised by the sudden announcement, all of them jumping with happiness as they looked back at Leon from backstage. “Also we’re getting married, so I guess fiancée na pala ako.”

“Leon is off the market, unfortunately. Yun lang talaga ‘yung gusto n’yang sabihin, Covens,” Amir laughed.

“Hala ikaw rin naman,” Kyle rolled his eyes at him.

“Aba syempre, andyan ang baby ko sa audience! Nasan ang mahal ko?” Everyone roared, assuming it was then but the camera drone immediately spotted Gwenael, who was standing in the VIP section with the rest of their friends. “Ayan! Oh jowa reveal bigla.”

The first song in the set was ‘You’, which was the first song she helped Kyle produce during the early days of the band. While Leon has never been more proud that Eli was finally singing the song she’s always loved, Kyle could not feel anymore happier that after multiple demo recordings of You, she was finally at the point where she’s singing as a feature in the song.

“You really love our Eli, no?” Jas chuckled beside Leon, who sat comfortably in a monoblock chair, grinning like a chesire cat while he enjoys Eli’s live vocals through his in-ear.

“Always have,” he shrugged.

“Bakit mo iniwan noon?”

Leon glanced at back and forth from Jas and Eli before responding, “I didn’t want the pain of losing her as someone more important to me than she was, Jas.”

“Anong difference noon ngayon?”

“Better to love than not love at all,” he replied. “Noong nasaksak ako, I only had one thing in mind, I didn’t want to go home dead to Eli. So even if I was practically dying noon, I knew I needed to find a way to cheat death.”

After the set was wrapped up and everyone was good to go, everyone huddled in the bus that they had rented, laughing and enjoying the vibe that the stage had left them all.

“Did you enjoy it?” Leon asked, sitting sideways on the bus seat so that he would be able to look at Eli properly while she ate her fast food. 

Elijah nodded enthusiastically. Leon couldn’t agree more. The stage lit up when she came like she was always meant to be there. She was a natural on stage, she didn’t need to be prepared to be there. She knew what she had to do and devoured Leon’s difficult bass lines like it was her forte all along.

“Inom kang gamot pagtapos kumain, okay?” He smiled, leaning over to kiss the side of her head, inhaling the scent of her coconut scented shampoo from her quick shower a while ago, that to everyone’s knowledge, Leon had the privilege of watching a while ago.

Eli hummed in response, nodding her head. “Thank you for letting me cover for you,” she smiled at him, after chugging down from her pink water bottle. “I appreciate it very much.”

“Masaya akong naenjoy mo ‘yon,” Leon hummed, looking at her before pressing a firm kiss on her lips.

“I love you, Leon,” she hummed as soon as Leon pulled away. He could physically feel explosions inside of him as soon as he heard it. 

Elijah Yang loves him.

At that point, Eli could firmly distinguish the difference between the feeling of butterflies and fireworks inside of you. While the fireworks were loud, there was some comfort in the light it gave. Some kind of warmth that she feels whenever she watches it burn in the sky, leaving bright colors and painting picturesque memories in her mind. The butterflies were quiet and they were quick and fleeting to the memory. It made her nervous about happiness because of how quick it could die.

And for once, love did not make her feel nervous. Scared, for sure, of all the uncertainty that there is but nervous was never in the picture. Leon exudes comfort for her everywhere she goes. Someway, wherever Leon was, there was a sense of safety. 

They have loved and lost and loved again. They were right after all. All roads lead back to where home is. And Leon is home.

And if the question goes around as to why she loved him so much, she still doesn’t know but she does love him. She just does. Regardless of if one day she’ll ever find that deeper meaning, she will love Leon until she can't anymore.

Leon threw blankets over her barbed wires before. His flee had sent her into a frenzy of desperation to find that comfort again that she allowed herself to be tricked. 

Eli guesses that love really does make you stupid.

But all’s well that ends well, right?

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ characters ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ previous ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ next ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

[bookoformon]

Ether 15: 8-9. "The River Wide."

The Book of Mormon consists of a series of wars or arguments for the eradication of corruption and oppression in the world. America in particular. America began due to a vision of an oppression free existence, then it became a hotbed for some of the world's most notorious outbreaks of slavery, genocide, and abuses of power in history. It is still struggling to put a stop to it.

Every time the Nephits and Lamanite or a prophet in the Book of Mormon engage in a war the sum of the arguments grows. The pitching of tents, not uncommon in warfare as most housing developments get destroyed during them is the realization reality has to change and in between periods of "modification" one's way of life which seemed fixed oscilates and has to become firm again.

Election years are times we migrate out of houses, start warring with each other and live in tents instead. This election year in America is, like the others the most important in the world as we struggle once again to protect the planet from a decaying intelligentsia in our country. There are no nice ways to say it- this is bullshit. The Republicans and Donald Trump have broken so many laws, have murdered so many innocent lives due to their disregard for human life it is inconceivable to permit them to maintain their approach.

But nonethelss we are doing it. To pitch a tent and continue a vapid approach is called Ripliancum "your river bed" by the Book of Mormon:

8 And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle.

9 And it came to pass that they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again, and he fainted with the loss of blood.

To faint is to realize how far from good sense and the greater good one has seems to have departed. When the riverbed is so entrenched that one does not know how much one is either a Democrat or a Republican or Christian or Jew instead of a man or woman trying to be a little happier each day before we die, then this is called a faint to a loss of blood.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 8: They came to the waters. A large river that exceeds all is called the Sea. One cannot cross the Sea it is too vast. It is a moment of realization of the might and power of God and how terrible it is to realize one has defied Him and there is no going back.

The Number is 11955, יא‎טה‎ה‎, yata, "Go, get out."

ya= yes

ta= wander

America needs to tell the Republicans to get the fuck out. It's all come out now, it is time for the Department of Justice to get its ass moving and remove these people from our soil.

The situation began when the Trump Administration and its friends from the Party, the LDS, the Family Research Council, Heritage Foundation and Friends of Israel who were running an extortion ring using little kids as a weapon against the adult opponents of the Republican Party. In my case, this resulted in a "complex case" with sealed records. Even after my numerous reports to the police, FBI and Secret Service, thousands of additional cases of rape and assault involving sexy little kids took place.

Then the same persons who were involved in the Cock Ring collaborated with Hamas and Hezbollah to attack Israel on October 7, shortly after that, they played ping pong with the balls of the people of Ukraine when they came to us for help at Christmas time. That was nearly a year ago. So today would be a good day for the Republicans to die.

v. 9: And it came to pass and he fainted with the loss of blood.

The Number is 8576, חה‎‎ז‎ו‎, this is it.

The little kids that attacked me after I turned Donald Trump into the police for election fraud and having sex with minors came walking right into my hotel room, which is just down the street from the White House in the company of Trump, Mitt Romney and their little friends and family.

The kids were all wearing jock straps and leather gear, had crack pipes bigger than their heads, and many had those orange capped needle syringes tucked behind their little ears and they knew how to use them. They thought they were having the time of their lives while the adults egged them on. If they were even in the room.

The Marriotts, owners and hotel staff, who knew what was happening the entire time and were obviously allowing numerous guests and visitors into my room.

Fortunately one of the little ones belonging to Justice Barrett called it a day when they tried to make me have sex with my cat and started screaming like an opera star about it. I am not the only one to which this happened either before or after I told the FBI about it.

My first report, made just after qurantine in 2020, resulted in the Capitol Coup on January 6. Trump and Pence and the rest did not want to face the music after I told authorities they and every member of their cabinet were trafficking in explicit material featuring they and their colleagues engaged in sex with minors, some of whom were quite young. Yes, January 6 happened because of me. As one can see, the practice was fairly widespread and the Republicans were clearly determined to protect it at all costs.

After that, I was sexually assaulted hundreds of times, and left for dead in that hotel room, hanging from a wall fixture by three pairs of handcuffs. When I recovered consciousness, I screamed and yelled for around eight hours while hotel staff and guests came and went in the hallway. I could hear them laughing at me. Finally, someone from the front desk came into the room and cut me down using a pair of pipe cutters.

Fortunately, I survived and am determined to prevent what happened to me and to those people in Israel on October 7 from ever happening again.

During the incident(s) Donald Trump himself was present in person as were his entire legal team and many of the same politicians and SCOTUS Justices still being permitted to serve today.

Many of the others involved, who were working at the hotel in which I was staying have been seen in Gaza working alongside Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists. They frequently discussed attacking Israel in my presence, and then on October 7, they did. The event was clearly coordinated and financed by members of the very top tiers of the US Gov. Imagine my feelings when I saw that smug mother fucker Mike Johnson doing his best to prevent an aid package, vital to the people of Ukraine for their war effort against Russia from passing.

So when the Numbers say "this is it" they aren't whistling Dixie. We are indeed all gathered along a dividing line and we cannot go home until this has been dealt with. The very idea the US Gov might toy with the idea of a man like Donald Trump entering the White House again is astounding, and must not happen.

We are afraid to be just in this country and this is why no one respects us. We have no reason to be afraid of the evil housed in the Republican Party and we need the respect of other nations in order to perform our duties to this world and keep our promises. Someone in a position of power in the US Gov therefore needs to show the human race it is not afraid and put a stop to it. Otherwise, after the election, we are all going to be having raucous sex in Romper Room till Kingdom Come.

Obviously a cease fire between Israel and Hamas is out of the question until the Mormons, Republicans, and their friends in Hezbollah and Iran are all dead and gone.

[thevaisnava]

TEXT 21 nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam SYNONYMS nirāśīḥ—without desire for the result; yata—controlled; citta-ātmā—mind and intelligence; tyakta—giving up; sarva—all; parigrahaḥ—sense of proprietorship over possessions; śārīram—in keeping body and soul together; kevalam—only; karma—work; kurvan—doing; na—never; āpnoti—does acquire; kilbiṣam—sinful reactions. TRANSLATION Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions, and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions. PURPORT A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not expect good or bad results in his activities. His mind and intelligence are fully controlled. He knows that because he is part and parcel of the Supreme, the part played by him, as a part and parcel of the whole, is not his own activity but is only being done through him by the Supreme. When the hand moves, it does not move out of its own accord, but by the endeavor of the whole body. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always dovetailed with the supreme desire, for he has no desire for personal sense gratification. He moves exactly like a part of a machine. As a machine part requires oiling and cleaning for maintenance, so a Kṛṣṇa conscious man maintains himself by his work just to remain fit for action in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. He is therefore immune to all the reactions of his endeavors. Like an animal, he has no proprietorship even over his own body. A cruel proprietor of an animal sometimes kills the animal in his possession, yet the animal does not protest. Nor does it have any real independence. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, fully engaged in self-realization, has very little time to falsely possess any material object. For maintaining body and soul, he does not require unfair means of accumulating money. He does not, therefore, become contaminated by such material sins. He is free from all reactions to his actions. TEXT 22 yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate SYNONYMS yadṛcchā—out of its own accord; lābha—with gain; santuṣṭaḥ—satisfied; dvandva—duality; atītaḥ—surpassed; vimatsaraḥ—free from envy; samaḥ—steady; siddhau—in success; asiddhau—failure; ca—also; kṛtvā—doing; api—although; na—never; nibadhyate—becomes affected. TRANSLATION He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions. PURPORT A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not make much endeavor even to maintain his body. He is satisfied with gains which are obtained of their own accord. He neither begs nor borrows, but he labors honestly as far as is in his power, and is satisfied with whatever is obtained by his own honest labor. He is therefore independent in his livelihood. He does not accept engagement in anyone's service if it might hamper his own service in Kṛṣna consciousness. However, for the service of the Lord he can participate in any kind of action without being disturbed by the duality of the material world. The duality of the material world is felt in terms of heat and cold, or misery and happiness. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is above duality because he does not hesitate to act in any way for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is steady both in success and in failure. These signs are visible when one is fully in transcendental knowledge. TEXT 23 gata-saṅgasya muktasya jñānāvasthita-cetasaḥ yajñāyācarataḥ karma samagraṁ pravilīyate SYNONYMS gata—saṅgasya—of one unattached to the modes of material nature; muktasya—of the liberated; jñāna-avasthita—situated in transcendence; cetasaḥ—whose wisdom; yajñāya—for the sake of Yajña (Kṛṣṇa); ācarataḥ—acting; karma—work; samagram—in total; pravilīyate—merges entirely.

TRANSLATION The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence. PURPORT Becoming fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, one is freed from all dualities and thus is free from the contaminations of the material modes. He can become liberated because he knows his constitutional position in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and thus his mind cannot be drawn from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Consequently, whatever he does, he does for Kṛṣṇa, who is the primeval Viṣṇu. Therefore, all his works are technically sacrifices because sacrifice aims at satisfying the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa (or Viṣṇu). The resultant reactions to all such work certainly merge into transcendence, and one does not suffer material effects. TEXT 24 brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma-karma-samādhinā SYNONYMS brahma—spiritual in nature; arpaṇam—contribution; brahma—the Supreme; haviḥ—butter; brahma—spiritual; agnau—in the fire of consummation; brahmaṇā—by the spirit soul; hutam—offered; brahma—spiritual kingdom; eva—certainly; tena—by him; gantavyam—to be reached; brahma—spiritual; karma—in activities; samādhinā—by complete absorption. TRANSLATION A person who is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature. PURPORT How activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can lead one ultimately to the spiritual goal is described here. There are various activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and all of them will be described in the following verses. But, for the present, just the principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is described. A conditioned soul, entangled in material contamination, is sure to act in the material atmosphere, and yet he has to get out of such an environment. The process by which the conditioned soul can get out of the material atmosphere is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For example, a patient who is suffering from a disorder of the bowels due to overindulgence in milk products is cured by another milk product, namely yogurt. The materially absorbed conditioned soul can be cured by Kṛṣṇa consciousness as set forth here in the Gītā. This process is generally known as yajña, or activities (sacrifices) simply meant for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. The more the activities of the material world are performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or for Viṣṇu only, the more the atmosphere becomes spiritualized by complete absorption. The word brahma (Brahman) means "spiritual." The Lord is spiritual, and the rays of His transcendental body are called brahma-jyoti, His spiritual effulgence. Everything that exists is situated in that brahma-jyoti, but when the jyoti is covered by illusion (māyā) or sense gratification, it is called material. This material veil can be removed at once by Kṛṣṇa consciousness; thus the offering for the sake of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the consuming agent of such an offering or contribution, the process of consumption, the contributor, and the result are—all combined together—Brahman, or the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth covered by māyā is called matter. Matter dovetailed for the cause of the Absolute Truth regains its spiritual quality. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the process of converting the illusory consciousness into Brahman, or the Supreme. When the mind is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is said to be in samādhi, or trance. Anything done in such transcendental consciousness is called yajña, or sacrifice for the Absolute. In that condition of spiritual consciousness, the contributor, the contribution, the consumption, the performer or leader of the performance, and the result or ultimate gain—everything—becomes one in the Absolute, the Supreme Brahman. That is the method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. TEXT 25 daivam evāpare yajñaṁ

yoginaḥ paryupāsate brahmāgnāv apare yajñaṁ yajñenaivopajuhvati SYNONYMS daivam—in worshiping the demigods; eva—like this; apare—some others; yajñam—sacrifices; yoginaḥ—mystics; paryupāsate—worship perfectly; brahma—of the Absolute Truth; agnau—in the fire; apare—others; yajñam—sacrifice; yajñena—by sacrifice; eva—thus; upajuhvati—offer. TRANSLATION Some yogīs perfectly worship the demigods by offering different sacrifices to them, and some offer sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme Brahman. PURPORT As described above, a person engaged in discharging duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is also called a perfect yogī or a first-class mystic. But there are others also, who perform similar sacrifices in the worship of demigods, and still others who sacrifice to the Supreme Brahman, or the impersonal feature of the Supreme Lord. So there are different kinds of sacrifices in terms of different categories. Such different categories of sacrifice by different types of performers only superficially demark varieties of sacrifice. Factually sacrifice means to satisfy the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, who is also known as Yajña. All the different varieties of sacrifice can be placed within two primary divisions: namely, sacrifice of worldly possessions and sacrifice in pursuit of transcendental knowledge. Those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness sacrifice all material possessions for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, while others, who want some temporary material happiness, sacrifice their material possessions to satisfy demigods such as Indra, the sun-god, etc. And others, who are impersonalists, sacrifice their identity by merging into the existence of impersonal Brahman. The demigods are powerful living entities appointed by the Supreme Lord for the maintenance and supervision of all material functions like the heating, watering and lighting of the universe. Those who are interested in material benefits worship the demigods by various sacrifices according to the Vedic rituals. They are called bahv-īśvara-vādī, or believers in many gods. But others, who worship the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth and regard the forms of the demigods as temporary, sacrifice their individual selves in the supreme fire and thus end their individual existences by merging into the existence of the Supreme. Such impersonalists sacrifice their time in philosophical speculation to understand the transcendental nature of the Supreme. In other words, the fruitive workers sacrifice their material possessions for material enjoyment, whereas the impersonalist sacrifices his material designations with a view to merging into the existence of the Supreme. For the impersonalist, the fire altar of sacrifice is the Supreme Brahman, and the offering is the self being consumed by the fire of Brahman. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person, like Arjuna, however, sacrifices everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, and thus all his material possessions as well as his own self—everything—is sacrificed for Kṛṣṇa. Thus, he is the first-class yogī; but he does not lose his individual existence. TEXT 26 śrotrādīnīndriyāṇy anye saṁyamāgniṣu juhvati śabdādīn viṣayān anya indriyāgniṣu juhvati SYNONYMS śrotra-ādīni—such as the hearing process; indriyāṇi—senses; anye—others; saṁyama—of restraint; agniṣu—in the fires; juhvati—offer; śabda-ādīn—sound vibration, etc.; viṣayān—objects of sense gratification; anye—others; indriya—of the sense organs; agniṣu—in the fires; juhvati—they sacrifice. TRANSLATION Some [the unadulterated brahmacārīs] sacrifice the hearing process and the senses in the fire of mental control, and others [the regulated householders] sacrifice the objects of the senses in the fire of the senses. PURPORT The members of the four divisions of human life, namely the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, the vānaprastha and the sannyāsī, are all meant to become perfect yogīs or transcendentalists. Since human life is not meant for our enjoying sense gratification like the animals,

the four orders of human life are so arranged that one may become perfect in spiritual life. The brahmacārīs, or students under the care of a bona fide spiritual master, control the mind by abstaining from sense gratification. A brahmacārī hears only words concerning Kṛṣṇa consciousness; hearing is the basic principle for understanding, and therefore the pure brahmacārī engages fully in harer nāmānukīrtanam—chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord. He restrains himself from the vibrations of material sounds, and his hearing is engaged in the transcendental sound vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the householders, who have some license for sense gratification, perform such acts with great restraint. Sex life, intoxication and meat-eating are general tendencies of human society, but a regulated householder does not indulge in unrestricted sex life and other sense gratification. Marriage on the principles of religious life is therefore current in all civilized human society because that is the way for restricted sex life. This restricted, unattached sex life is also a kind of yajña because the restricted householder sacrifices his general tendency toward sense gratification for higher, transcendental life. TEXT 27 sarvāṇīndriya-karmāṇi prāṇa-karmāṇi cāpare ātma-saṁyama-yogāgnau juhvati jñāna-dīpite SYNONYMS sarvāṇi—of all; indriya—the senses; karmāṇi—functions; prāṇa-karmāṇi—functions of the life breath; ca—also; apare—others; ātma-saṁyama—of controlling the mind; yoga—the linking process; agnau—in the fire of; juhvati—offer; jñāna-dīpite—because of the urge for self—realization. TRANSLATION Others, who are interested in achieving self-realization through control of the mind and senses, offer the functions of all the senses, and of the life breath, as oblations into the fire of the controlled mind. PURPORT The yoga system conceived by Patañjali is referred to herein. In the Yoga-sūtra of Patañjali, the soul is called pratyag-ātmā and parāg-ātmā. As long as the soul is attached to sense enjoyment it is called parāg-ātmā, but as soon as the same soul becomes detached from such sense enjoyment it is called pratyag-ātmā. The soul is subjected to the functions of ten kinds of air at work within the body, and this is perceived through the breathing system. The Patañjali system of yoga instructs one on how to control the functions of the body's air in a technical manner so that ultimately all the functions of the air within become favorable for purifying the soul of material attachment. According to this yoga system, pratyag-ātmā is the ultimate goal. This pratyag-ātmā is withdrawn from activities in matter. The senses interact with the sense objects, like the ear for hearing, eyes for seeing, nose for smelling, tongue for tasting, hand for touching, and all of them are thus engaged in activities outside the self. They are called the functions of the prāṇa-vāyu. The apāna-vāyu goes downwards, vyāna-vāyu acts to shrink and expand, samāna-vāyu adjusts equilibrium, udāna-vāyu goes upwards—and when one is enlightened, one engages all these in searching for self-realization. TEXT 28 dravya-yajñās tapo-yajñā yoga-yajñās tathāpare svādhyāya-jñāna-yajñāś ca yatayaḥ saṁśita-vratāḥ SYNONYMS dravya-yajñāḥ—sacrificing one's possessions; tapaḥ-yajñāḥ—sacrifice in austerities; yoga—yajñāḥ—sacrifice in eightfold mysticism; tathā—thus; apare—others; svādhyāya—sacrifice in the study of the Vedas; jñāna-yajñāḥ—sacrifice in advancement of transcendental knowledge; ca—also; yatayaḥ—enlightened persons; saṁśita-vratāḥ—taken to strict vows. TRANSLATION Having accepted strict vows, some become enlightened by sacrificing their possessions, and others by performing severe austerities, by practicing the yoga of eightfold mysticism, or by studying the Vedas to advance in transcendental knowledge. PURPORT These sacrifices may be fitted into various divisions. There are persons who are sacrificing their possessions in the form of various kinds of charities.

In India, the rich mercantile community or princely orders open various kinds of charitable institutions like dharma-śālā, anna-kṣetra, atithi-śālā, anāthālaya and vidyā-pīṭha. In other countries, too, there are many hospitals, old age homes and similar charitable foundations meant for distributing food, education and medical treatment free to the poor. All these charitable activities are called dravyamaya-yajña. There are others who, for higher elevation in life or for promotion to higher planets within the universe, voluntarily accept many kinds of austerities such as candrāyaṇa and cāturmāsya. These processes entail severe vows for conducting life under certain rigid rules. For example, under the cāturmāsya vow the candidate does not shave for four months during the year (July to October), he does not eat certain foods, does not eat twice in a day or does not leave home. Such sacrifice of the comforts of life is called tapomaya-yajña. There are still others who engage themselves in different kinds of mystic yogas like the Patañjali system (for merging into the existence of the Absolute), or haṭha-yoga or aṣṭāṅga-yoga (for particular perfections). And some travel to all the sanctified places of pilgrimage. All these practices are called yoga-yajña, sacrifice for a certain type of perfection in the material world. There are others who engage themselves in the studies of different Vedic literatures, specifically the Upaniṣads and Vedānta-sūtras, or the Sāṅkhya philosophy. All of these are called svādhyāya-yajña, or engagement in the sacrifice of studies. All these yogīs are faithfully engaged in different types of sacrifice and are seeking a higher status of life. Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, is different from these because it is the direct service of the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be attained by any one of the above-mentioned types of sacrifice but can be attained only by the mercy of the Lord and His bona fide devotees. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental. TEXT 29 apāne juhvati prāṇaṁ prāṇe 'pānaṁ tathāpare prāṇāpāna-gatī ruddhvā prāṇāyāma-parāyaṇāḥ apare niyatāhārāḥ prāṇān prāṇeṣu juhvati SYNONYMS apāne—in the air which acts downward; juhvati—offer; prāṇam—the air which acts outward; prāṇe—in the air going outward; apānam—the air going downward; tathā—as also; apare—others; prāṇa—of the air going outward; apāna—and the air going downward; gatī—the movement; ruddhvā—checking; prāṇa-āyāma—trance induced by stopping all breathing; parāyaṇāḥ—so inclined; apare—others; niyata—having controlled; āhārāḥ—eating; prāṇān—the outgoing air; prāṇeṣu—in the outgoing air; juhvati—sacrifice. TRANSLATION Still others, who are inclined to the process of breath restraint to remain in trance, practice by offering the movement of the outgoing breath into the incoming, and the incoming breath into the outgoing, and thus at last remain in trance, stopping all breathing. Others, curtailing the eating process, offer the outgoing breath into itself as a sacrifice. PURPORT This system of yoga for controlling the breathing process is called prāṇāyāma, and in the beginning it is practiced in the haṭha-yoga system through different sitting postures. All of these processes are recommended for controlling the senses and for advancement in spiritual realization. This practice involves controlling the airs within the body so as to reverse the directions of their passage. The apāna air goes downward, and the prāṇa air goes up. The prāṇāyāma-yogī practices breathing the opposite way until the currents are neutralized into pūraka, equilibrium. Offering the exhaled breath into the inhaled breath is called recaka. When both air currents are completely stopped, one is said to be in kumbhaka-yoga. By practice of kumbhaka-yoga, one can increase the duration of life for perfection in spiritual realization. The intelligent yogī is interested in attaining perfection in one life, without waiting for the next. Thus by practicing kumbhaka-yoga, the yogis increase their duration of life by many, many years.

A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, being always situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, automatically becomes the controller of the senses. His senses, being always engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, have no chance of becoming otherwise engaged. So at the end of life, he is naturally transferred to the transcendental plane of Lord Kṛṣṇa; consequently he makes no attempt to increase his longevity. He is at once raised to the platform of liberation, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26): māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate "One who engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord transcends the modes of material nature and is immediately elevated to the spiritual platform." A Kṛṣṇa conscious person begins from the transcendental stage, and he is constantly in that consciousness. Therefore, there is no falling down, and ultimately he enters into the abode of the Lord without delay. The practice of reduced eating is automatically done when one eats only kṛṣṇa-prasādam, or food which is offered first to the Lord. Reducing the eating process is very helpful in the matter of sense control. And without sense control there is no possibility of getting out of the material entanglement. TEXT 30 sarve 'py ete yajña-vido yajña-kṣapita-kalmaṣāḥ yajña-śiṣṭāmṛta-bhujo yānti brahma sanātanam SYNONYMS sarve—all; api—although apparently different; ete—these; yajña-vidaḥ—conversant with the purpose of performing sacrifices; yajña-kṣapita—being cleansed as the result of such performances; kalmaṣāḥ—of sinful reactions; yajña-śiṣṭa—of the result of such performances of yajña; amṛta-bhujaḥ—those who have tasted such nectar; yānti—do approach; brahma—the supreme; sanātanam—eternal atmosphere. TRANSLATION All these performers who know the meaning of sacrifice become cleansed of sinful reactions, and, having tasted the nectar of the results of sacrifices, they advance toward the supreme eternal atmosphere. PURPORT From the foregoing explanation of different types of sacrifice (namely sacrifice of one's possessions, study of the Vedas or philosophical doctrines, and performance of the yoga system), it is found that the common aim of all is to control the senses. Sense gratification is the root cause of material existence; therefore, unless and until one is situated on a platform apart from sense gratification, there is no chance of being elevated to the eternal platform of full knowledge, full bliss and full life. This platform is in the eternal atmosphere, or Brahman atmosphere. All the above-mentioned sacrifices help one to become cleansed of the sinful reactions of material existence. By this advancement in life, not only does one become happy and opulent in this life, but also, at the end, he enters into the eternal kingdom of God, either merging into the impersonal Brahman or associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

[prabhupadanugas]

निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः | शारीरं केवलं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् || २१ || nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not expect good or bad results in his activities. His mind and intelligence are fully controlled. He knows that he is part and parcel of the Supreme, and therefore the part played by him, as a part and parcel of the whole, is not his by choice but is chosen for him by the Supreme and is done only through His agency. When the hand moves, it does not move out of its own accord, but by the endeavor of the whole body. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always dovetailed with the supreme desire, for he has no desire for personal sense gratification. He moves exactly like a part of a machine. As a machine part requires oiling and cleaning for maintenance, similarly, a Kṛṣṇa conscious man maintains himself by his work just to remain fit for action in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. He is therefore immune to all the reactions of his endeavors. Like an animal, he has no proprietorship even over his own body. A cruel proprietor of an animal sometimes kills the animal in his possession, yet the animal does not protest. Nor does it have any real independence. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, fully engaged in self-realization, has very little time to falsely possess any material object. For maintaining body and soul, he does not require unfair means of accumulating money. He does not, therefore, become contaminated by such material sins. He is free from all reactions to his actions. https://gloriousgita.com/verse/en/4/21 https://bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-04-21.html https://youtube.com/c/HearSrilaPrabhupada https://www.bhagavad-gita.us/famous-reflections-on-the-bhagavad-gita/ https://sites.google.com/view/sanatan-dharma https://m.facebook.com/HDG.A.C.Bhaktivedanta.Svami.Srila.Prabhupada.Uvaca/ #bhagavatam https://www.instagram.com/p/CipCb_Url-h/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[alexthegamingboy]

Toonami Weekly Recap 09/03/2022

Yashahime: The Second Act EP#30 (06) - Hisui the Demon Slayer: Having recovered the ability to sleep after a whole decade, Setsuna is abducted by ninjas sent by Princess Aiya and her father the Lord. Aiya coerces Setsuna to take her lessons for her, as Aiya leaves the palanquin to enjoy her newfound freedom outside the castle. Setsuna is surprised to see that Hisui is the instructor, who forcefully takes the place of his twin elder sister Nun Kin'u. Outside the castle, Hisui saves Aiya from a giant octopus. The Lord discovers his daughter's duplicity and severely lectures her as Setsuna returns to the village. Setsuna does not inform Towa about her predicament, and leaves to train in further developing and increasing her nagianta's magical abilities, and unique techniques to their full strength. Lost in thought and still uncertain about the fact that saving Rin from Zero's deathly curse is up to her alone, Setsuna goes to the Sacred Tree of Ages and plays their lullaby for Rin.

Primal Season 2 EP#08 (18) - The Colossaeus, Part II: The reborn Chieftain returns to the living world and begins searching for the group. After killing the Babylonian king, Spear, Fang, and Kamau invade the lands of the Romans, the Chinese, and the Bretons on behalf of the queen for several months as well as taking on a Phillistine fleet. Then they come across a peaceful Indian village offering them tributes. Spear discovers that Kamau only fights for the queen because she holds his daughter hostage when she forces him to massacre the defenseless villagers despite the tribute. That night, Spear escapes the cells and searches for Fang's eggs. He finds the queen forcing Mira to dance for her with the eggs and Kamau's daughter next to her throne. The guards engage Spear as Mira rescues the eggs and Kamau's daughter. Fighting their way across the Colossaeus, the eggs hatch and cry out, inciting Fang to escape. As Kamau breaks out to investigate the chaos, the outnumbered group is forced to surrender Fang's hatchlings and Kamau's daughter as the queen looks expectantly at the approaching Kamau.

Lupin the 3rd Part 6 EP#19 - Fakes Attract Lies Part 2: Following Hazel's death, Cotornica's borders are closed and Zenigata is held in jail. Yata and Ariana review the evidence, and Ariana discovers that her tutor, Tomoe, also taught Hazel. They also learn that Selim is being questioned over an attempt to blackmail Hazel, but he did not kill her. They raid the paparazzo photographer who had been tailing Hazel and use copies of his photos to have Zenigata released. Later that night, Yata and Ariana spend a tender moment together, but then Ari discovers a clue in one of the photos of someone familiar leaving Hazel's apartment. Early the next morning she meets with Mattea, and during their conversation, Ariana confirms her suspicion that Mattea is involved in Hazel's death. Ariana tries to arrest her, but Mattea stabs her and escapes. When Zenigata and Yata arrive, Ariana gives them a recording of her conversation with Mattea which she says must be sent to Lupin, and then collapses.

Slightly Damned Page 1068: https://www.sdamned.com/comic/1068

[iskconchd]

श्रीमद्‌ भगवद्‌गीता यथारूप 4.21 निराशीर्यतचित्तात्मा त्यक्तसर्वपरिग्रहः । शारीरं केवलं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥ ४.२१ ॥ TRANSLATION ऐसा ज्ञानी पुरुष पूर्णरूप से संयमित मन तथा बुद्धि से कार्य करता है, अपनी सम्पत्ति के सारे स्वामित्व को त्याग देता है और केवल शरीर-निर्वाह के लिए कर्म करता है । इस तरह कार्य करता हुआ वह पाप रूपी फलों से प्रभावित नहीं होता है । PURPORT कृष्णभावनाभावित व्यक्ति कर्म करते समय कभी भी शुभ या अशुभ फल की आशा नहीं रखता । उसके मन तथा बुद्धि पूर्णतया वश में होते हैं । वह जानता है कि वह परमेश्र्वर का भिन्न अंश है, अतः अंश रूप में उसके द्वारा सम्पन्न कोई भी कर्म उसका न होकर उसके माध्यम से परमेश्र्वर द्वारा सम्पन्न हुआ होता है । जब हाथ हिलता है तो यह स्वेच्छा से नहीं हिलता, अपितु सारे शरीर की चेष्टा से हिलता है । कृष्णभावनाभावित व्यक्ति भगवदिच्छा का अनुगामी होता है क्योंकि उसकी निजी इन्द्रियतृप्ति की कोई कामना नहीं होती । वह यन्त्र के एक पुर्जे की भाँति हिलता-डुलता है । जिस प्रकार रखरखाव के ��िए पुर्जे को तेल और सफाई की आवश्यकता पड़ती है, उसी प्रकार कृष्णभावनाभावित व्यक्ति कर्म के द्वारा अपना निर्वाह करता रहता है, जिससे वह भगवान् की दिव्य प्रेमभक्ति करने के लिए ठीक बना रहे । अतः वह अपने प्रयासों के फलों के प्रति निश्चेष्ट रहता है । पशु के समान ही उसका अपने शरीर पर कोई अधिकार नहीं होता । कभी-कभी क्रूर स्वामी अपने अधीन पशु को मार भी डालता है, तो भी पशु विरोध नहीं करता, न ही उसे स्वाधीनता होती है । आत्म-साक्षात्कार में पूर्णतया तत्पर कृष्णभावनाभावित व्यक्ति के पास इतना समय नहीं रहता कि वह अपने पास कोई भौतिक वस्तु रख सके । अपने जीवन-निर्वाह के लिए उसे अनुचित साधनों के द्वारा धनसंग्रह करने की आवश्यकता नहीं रहत��� । अतः वह ऐसे भौतिक पापों से कल्मषग्रस्त नहीं होता । वह अपने समस्त कर्मफलों से मुक्त रहता है । ----- Srimad Bhagavad Gita As It Is 4.21 nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam TRANSLATION Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions. PURPORT A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not expect good or bad results in his activities. His mind and intelligence are fully controlled. He knows that because he is part and parcel of the Supreme, the part played by him, as a part and parcel of the whole, is not his own activity but is only being done through him by the Supreme. When the hand moves, it does not move out of its own accord, but by the endeavor of the whole body. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always dovetailed with the supreme desire, for he has no desire for personal sense gratification. He moves exactly like a part of a machine. As a machine part requires oiling and cleaning for maintenance, so a Kṛṣṇa conscious man maintains himself by his work just to remain fit for action in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. He is therefore immune to all the reactions of his endeavors. Like an animal, he has no proprietorship even over his own body. A cruel proprietor of an animal sometimes kills the animal in his possession, yet the animal does not protest. Nor does it have any real independence. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, fully engaged in self-realization, has very little time to falsely possess any material object. For maintaining body and soul, he does not require unfair means of accumulating money. He does not, therefore, become contaminated by such material sins. He is free from all reactions to his actions. -----

[esonikofanfiction]

K: MIDNIGHT: A K PROJECT FAN FICTION: CHAPTER NINE: HOMRA

December 9, 2008 

Mikoto brought me down a narrow stair to Homra's central bar, where a slew of rough and somewhat gritty looking young men had gathered, all of them laughing and joking like old pals. Meanwhile a tall, golden-haired man in glasses stood behind the bar, seemingly above them yet engaging all the same. 

Gradually advancing at Mikoto’s lazy pace, I found myself entirely aware that I was not at all a tall and powerful woman (or at least taller to make my lack of an aura seem a little less deplorable). I had no charm to lure them with, no might with which to say, ‘I’m frightening. Stay away, lest you be stricken by my wrath!’ I had nothing of the sort. I had (and, in my mind: was) nothing. Involuntarily, I had stooped, as if my imp-like self could not descend another inch. I greatly felt the small, delicate child that I was.

With so little confidence residing in me anymore, I snatched the lower hem of Mikoto's jacket without so much as a second thought. The great king shifted me a curious glance, impressed that I appeared as that which I had planned, yet somewhat entertained upon discovering that what I'd done was not by my design, but purely by accident.

“Just as I suspected of you, Mikoto,” said the man behind the bar. “I see you went and stole your chance to ditch the rest of the boys. Here, I thought you’d come to take a nap, but I see you’ve got a friend with you,” he added, dropping his attention down my microscopic frame hiding behind Mikoto. I’m sure the sight amused him, for he chuckled. “Gotta admit, that’s not the sort of friend I would have pegged you bringing here. I’d’ve thought, if anyone, Fujishima’d be the one to do that sort of thing. Not that I'm complaining, of course. We could use a change of scenery." 

As he spoke, the others turned and stared, every man surprised that I, a little girl who looked no more than seven years of age, was present in a bar frequented chiefly (I imagined) by a gang of street thugs.

In the midst of these, however, a bright and unconventionally normal-looking man comparatively waltzed into view, sending off a theatrical wave that ended in a bow. "Alas! A person whom I might endeavor to befriend!” He exclaimed, smiling vigorously at me. “And indeed, a Princess, no less!”

"Take it down a notch, will ya, Tatara?” A slender teenager in a beanie berated him. “We’re not all characters in some lame-ass play, right Saruhiko?” 

The somber character in black whom the beanie-boy referred to as Saruhiko, didn’t say a word, despite an impromptu nudge by his combative, yet otherwise amicable companion.

The animated one thus defined as Tatara simply beamed at me. There was something about his eyes and the gentle nature of his features, the way his hair fell down about his face and the overall keenness of his stature, that told me he was good. Already, I knew that I liked him.

"Who is she, your sister or somethin’?" A different man, the only heavy set one in the room, remarked.

"Don't be an idiot, Kamamoto," the one in the beanie snarled. He issued a swift punch to Kamamoto's arm, this one clearly centered on aggression. The man let out a sudden grunt of pain. "If Mr. Mikoto had a sister, don't ya think he would’a mentioned her by now? He wouldn't keep a secret like that from us! Isn't that right, Mr. Mikoto?" 

"But of course, Yata," the man behind the counter answered, his voice droll. He picked a whiskey glass from below the bar and ran a towel over it, polishing it clean. "Mikoto's not the type to keep that kind of valuable info hidden from a group of upstanding guys like you, eh Mikoto?" 

Mikoto gave an amused "Humph" and led me into the room. 

Tatara met us halfway from the bar and knelt until our heights appeared the same. He looked me in the eye and seemed quite pleased with what he saw. It almost made me wonder for a moment if he saw what Mikoto saw, though something deep inside me told me that it wouldn’t have mattered either way if he did.

“You, miss, are in a high-class establishment, where princesses get extra special treatment,” he declared, “So what’ll it be? Juice? A soda? A sundae, perhaps? You know, we make them special here.” He leaned in close in a private whisper. “We throw extra cherries on top — the bright red ones. Because after all, this is Homra. Red’s our specialty here.” He winked, making me blush. “So how about it?” 

I couldn’t help but smile, happy as I was to be a prisoner of such spirited eyes as those that looked at me. 

I nodded, suddenly bashful, and he took my hand in his, leading me (after a brief, affirming head-cock from Mikoto) to the bar, to a stool I realized I could not attempt to mount all by myself. Then, to my surprise, I felt myself ascending from the ground by sturdy hands, depositing me swiftly with a plop atop the stool. 

The sudden act surprised me, and I thought at first that Tatara had plucked me off the ground. Peering back, I found it was Mikoto, who, on sitting down beside me, shifted me the subtlest of glances. Through this, I could see that he was laughing to himself, even more amused on seeing just how flushed I had become.

“One ice cream sundae for the princess,” Tatara said to the man behind the bar, and a casual, “Mei Oui,” had the four-eyed tender scooping, pouring, dolloping away to my awe and wonderment. Truly, he was a master, I could tell.

My name was promptly asked and given after that. When asked from where I came and why I picked up such an ‘unscrupulous character’ as Mikoto — Tatara’s words, not mine — I answered that Mikoto had, in fact, found me in distress and offered me his aid. 

Izumo – for that was the name of the man behind the bar - looked dubiously at Mikoto. “Is that so? You know, they have a word for ruffians like you who pick up unsuspecting females off the street.” He gave scanned another glance in my direction. “And kid females at that.” 

I looked up at Mikoto. He knew as well as I that I had sent the probing question onto him, and he then had to answer.

A brief glimmer of aggravation came my way from him, sent deeper into gloominess at my vague inclinations of amusement. “She’s a Strain,” he mumbled sleepily.

Here, Yata - whom I now refer to as Misaki, his first name - cautiously approached. Meanwhile, the others had dispersed. They must have thought the convoluted presence of so many of their character was daunting to a dainty little lady like myself. I didn’t complain. 

“Hey, you don’t think she’s got somethin’ to do with those outsiders causin’ trouble in Shizume last night, do ya?” Misaki posed. While his gestures were reserved in my presence, his tone certainly wasn’t. One would have thought he spoke of candy that he’d never had but always wanted to try. Leaning close to to the bar, he said in a not-so-subtle whisper, “Maybe she knows somethin’!”

His eyes met Izumo’s. They both looked to Mikoto. Mikoto lit a cigarette.

The silence seemed so loud all of a sudden. Thank goodness for the sundae Tatara snatched and slid before my eyes. He had lopped on seven massive cherries, and just as he had promised, they were unequivocally the reddest of red. 

Then — bless Tatara once again! — he interjected. “Shame on you, Yata, for thinking this cute princess would ever get herself mixed up with a group of very un-princely-like individuals.”

I sent a brief, darting eye to Mikoto, and he to me. 

“So you didn’t burn ‘em?” Mikoto asked. 

“Oh, well uh — “ Misaki began, but Izumo finished for him. 

“There’ll be plenty of time for that later,” he said, inciting tense expressions from Mikoto toward his fag and me to my sundae, yet nothing to Izumo’s unsuspecting eyes. “Right now, we’ve got more important things to consider.” When he paused, I inadvertently crept my eyes to him and found that he was staring at Mikoto.

Then, for the first time, Mikoto met his glance.

This seemed like the sign that Izumo had been waiting for, and his eye flicked back to me. “Well then, Anna. It seems this’ll be the first of many sundaes I’ll be whipping up for you.” 

“With my auspicious help, of course,” Tatara smiled.

Misaki looked surprised — dare I say mortified? — and noticeably blushed. “Uh... A girl? Here? In Homra?” 

“Hey, does this mean you’ll be joining Homra, little missy?” Chimed a passing young man in a derby. He slung his arm around the then stunned Misaki’s collar, and all Misaki did was hum a startled question through the air. 

Izumo laughed at this. “If that’s what the, uh, ‘princess,’ wants,” he said with a nod of encouragement from Tatara. 

I can’t deny that, inside, I was shocked. Of course, it was I who had proposed the idea to Mikoto in the first place, but only as a cover. It never occurred to either of us – for, glancing up at him, I saw in him as well – that I might actually become a full-fledged member just to satisfy my urge for secrecy. I suppose I didn’t think it could be done, that by some unspoken law, it wasn’t possible, or otherwise not allowed. I didn’t know exactly how it worked. Perhaps Mikoto didn’t either, or perhaps he didn’t care.

Somehow sensing my uneasiness, the derby man leaned further in and offered me a smile, dragging Misaki in with him. “I think you’re really gonna like it here, Miss.” Giving Misaki a squeeze, he said, “Hey Yata, show her our pride.” Then to me, “If you’re going to be one of us, you need to understand that we’re a family and that we always look out for each another. Isn’t that right, Yata?” 

Misaki looked annoyed, but at the mention of his pride, he produced a brazen grin and gladly yanked the neckline of his sweatshirt to reveal a red tattoo in the form of a flame that burned its way along his collar bone. “This is the symbol of our pride,” he declared. “A symbol that we’ll always stand together, and that we’ll always fight for our king, Mr. Mikoto.” 

I snatched a cherry up and plopped it into my mouth. One might have thought I stuck an apple in it, so huge it felt, and my mouth not nearly adequate enough. I crossed my dangling ankles, thinking a moment. “Will I also have the red?” I asked, staring at the bar.

Tatara chuckled. “I see you like it, huh? Well, of course you’d have it, too! And just look at all the beautiful things you can do with it.” He held his hand before me and a swarm of glittering butterflies emerged, fluttering through the air and circling around me.

I stared at them in wonder. My eyes — clearly larger than my pathetic excuse for a mouth — spoke wonders and he laughed. “You see? There’s more to having power than simply using it for destruction, as I keep telling these guys,” he said, sending out accusatory stares across the bar. “And you’ll get to decide that, too, Princess. So what do you say?” 

I felt a sudden rush of warmth, as though the red were already inside me, and I glowed a happy glow that showed itself to Tatara, Izumo, Misaki, and the man in the derby (whose name, I later learned, was Masaomi). “I’d like that very much,” I nodded, doing my best to avoid whatever glare of chastisement I could only guess Mikoto sought to give me in that moment. 

“Wonderful!” Masaomi smiled, and, turning round his shoulder to the bar, said “Hey guys! Ya hear that? The princess is going to be Homra’s princess!” 

An instant cheer rung out, surprising me that these same men I deemed as thugs would be so kind and genuine to me, accepting me at once, as though it weren’t an issue for debate but rather preconceived – a fact already known that I was theirs. It was in that moment that I witnessed for the first time what it felt like to be home.

“Well, I guess that settles it,” Izumo said. “Looks like you’re stuck with us, Anna.”

Tatara, having beamed at me again, set his elbow on the bar, chin atop his palm while redirecting his attention to Mikoto, “Hey King,” he said, his voice as like a lion tamer’s, soothing, but direct. “Please be graceful with our princess, okay?” 

I looked to Tatara, then Mikoto. I sensed a hidden meaning there, but wasn’t sure to ask. 

“That’s right, Mikoto,” Izumo agreed. “You might wanna let up a little on this one.” His eyebrows rose, his stare insinuating.

“Why?” Mikoto asked, hardly pressed by it. He inhaled long and blew a swirl of smoke against Izumo. “She’s gotta prove she’s one of us. If I go giving special treatment, people’ll think I’ve lost it.” 

Izumo motioned over to me, as though I needed pointing out. “Mikoto, she’s a kid.” 

Mikoto blinked a passive stare. “Really?” 

“Now, don’t go faking ignorance this time. It’s obvious — “ 

“ — How about we decide all this later?” Tatara proposed with a clap, successfully diffusing the situation. “Don’t want to spoil our newest clan-princess’s appetite, now do we?”

Mikoto humphed and took a drag.

Izumo shrugged and shook his head, turning back to readdress a set of stemware underneath the bar. 

By then, I’d picked off all my cherries and began to burrow my way into the large scoops of strawberry ice cream (with the distinct realization of how hungry I was) when I felt Misaki coming up beside me, slowly, as though I’d run away  - or eat him - if he dared make any sudden moves. 

"So, uh, Anna, um... How old are ya anyway?” He asked, shifting his eyes awkwardly to the floor. 

I realized in that instant: for all his ample hoards of aggression, he was frightfully shy of girls. These outsiders — candy, in his eyes — were well and good for him, but in my less-than-four-foot tall presence, all his confidence was gone. I found him utterly disarmed. This could be fun, I thought.

"Hmm," I said aloud, tapping my small finger on my chin. "How old do I seem?" 

Misaki turned abruptly, mouth and eyes hung open in surprise. “Uh… Huh?” He fumbled out. I merely stared at him, peering hard with interest. In truth, I really was curious.

Misaki’s cheeks flushed crimson and I saw behind his terrified expression, a warm-hearted soul. It made me pleased to see it shine so clearly through the rough exterior he posed.

At last, he resigned himself to look at me more fully.

A moment passed.

He gave a sigh and shrugged, chuckling with nervousness away from me. “I, uh, I guess I can't really say,” he answered. “I don't know what it is, but looking at you now, it's sort of hard to tell. Funny, I-I guess I didn’t notice." He stole a glance back up at me and froze, reddening profusely at the little grin I bore. "Oh, crap. Did I say something wrong?" He stammered in a sweat, and I watched his face grow redder as I stuck my finger out and poked him on the nose.

"You're funny, Misaki. I like you," I said in my most unmistakably girlish voice; and just like that, I saw that I’d wholeheartedly confused him.

Happy with myself, I scooped a hearty spoonful of whipped cream and lopped the whole thing in my mouth.

(Chapter Eight: The Shadows // Chapter Ten: Midnight)

(K:Midnight is an Eso Niko Fan Fiction series based on the anime/manga series K, written by GoRa and produced by GoHands. All fan fiction works written by Eso Niko are categorized as ‘unofficial fan fiction,’ and are in no way affiliated to GoRa and GoHands.)

[neioo]

Fanfic Rec! ( • ω • ) 

Rules I’m constraining myself to: I’ve either had to read the fic more than three times and/or have thought about it years in the future. (This means I’ll have to leave out some other fics I really enjoyed reading and thought were well written) 

A bunch of different fandoms will be under the cut! (as I expose what I ship across the board too lol)

We’ll Meet Again by George deValier (usuk) (complete)

This is the first fic of george’s that I read, and I’ve read it multiple times, and it’s been integral in my shaping of characterizations within my own hetalia fics. I could include all of his works, but this one stands out the most. I also listen to the vera verse songs and get extremely nostalgic, so there’s that

WW2 AU. London pub owner Arthur Kirkland is driven to distraction by loud, brash American fighter pilot Alfred Jones. Unable to stop it, Arthur finds himself falling for Alfred’s charms… just as the pilot is preparing to leave for war.

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue… by anonymous (pruaus) (unfinished)

This fic is odd in the sense that I found it while suddenly getting on a pruaus kick, during which I followed a bunch of pruaus people on tumblr. Eventually, I would find out years later that I was going to the same college as one of these people and become friends with them. So not only does this fic have a nostalgic tie to it, I find the story brilliantly written with wonderful characterization, though it is in a weird format.

Inspired by the film 500 Days of Summer, I’d really like to see a couple meet and fall in love, but eventually one (or both) ends the relationship because they realise it’s not working/they can’t imagine spending their whole life with this person/what have you. I’d really love to see how the relationship develops, with the happy times and the eventual bad times as it falls apart, and then the hope of finding love elsewhere.

Redeemer by CocoaCoveredGods (L x Light, Mello x Matt, Mello x Light) (complete)

I can’t tell you how happy I am that I found this fic after 6 or so years. I can’t tell you how nostalgic is makes me for my death note phase, remember when I would read this in my mom’s office, minimizing the fic on a laptop I hope she never checked. The writing is phenomenal. The format on this site is wonky, but doable to read. (I’m even reformatting it myself right now). It’s mostly everything I could have wanted in a death note fic; it even inspired my own very complex death note AU back in the day. In some alternate reality, I wrote that instead of AWH. I plan to maybe make a personal paper copy for myself of this fic I love it so much. It is on the level of George’s stuff on how much it means to me.

The story takes place *after* Death Note ends, although the main characters have not died. Here the Yellowbox Warehouse is essentially the pinnacle of L's 6-year long offensive against Kira, who believes L to be dead, when he really isn't. L faked his death, and proceeded with the case behind the cover of his three top heirs, Mello, Matt and Near. Kira himself doesn't succumb to his defeat, but is instead rescued at the last moment by his nemesis lover who decides that a more apropos end to the God of the New World is not death--but redemption, in the form of a new case and a 5th so-called Kira, that L and Light must bring down together... or risk losing everything. Yes, there is actually a plot LOL Buuuut, this puppy has yaoi and pairing's aplenty. LxLight and MelloxMatt are technically the mains, but when you cut straight down to it, this is a story about Light and Mello and how they go from hate to need, from enemies to lovers, and maybe even something more...

and indeed there will be time --orginally by lawlietismyfavorite, but they have since deleted their account :’( (the fic is still on AO3, though!) (L x Light) (unfinished)

I love death note, okay? After the beautiful live action series came out (the recent japanese one not that fucking netflix shit), I felt the need to read some fanfic of the series again, and I found this. HOLY SHIT. It’s a soulmate AU that goes through the plot line of the manga/show and fuck. Light is Ace?? The writing is so good?? 

L is the greatest detective of not only this century, but of six centuries. And then there’s Light.

Between the Lines by Klitch (Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki) (complete)

I’ve read this fic about 5 times and have accepted it as canon for this stupid show

The first time Yata saw him the kid was sitting in the corner of the cafeteria all alone with his bought lunch spread out before him, painstakingly picking out the vegetables and stacking them according to color and size.

Picking up the Pieces by SilverThunder (Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki) (complete)

I really like K. It’s a weird show, and it has copious faults. Maybe I just really like that the characters have so much potential, and this fic (as well as the one above) truly expands on that potential. This fic is an excellent exploration of these two character’s relationships, there’s just the right amount of angst. I’ve read it multiple times.

A whole year, gone from his head just like that - and how many memories could you fit in that time, anyway? It wasn’t a question Yata thought he’d ever have to ask, but with so many things changed between Saruhiko and himself, he wasn’t about to leave it alone.

It just sucked that the new world they’d built was still so easy to break.

to be first, to be best by kittebasu (chanyeol) (iwaoi) (complete)

haikyuu!! is odd for me because I don’t care about it anymore, but I really like this fic, and I’ve read it about 5 times. The characterization is on point, and the story is extremely well written.

Hajime is apparently something of a masochist, and as he stares down at the tie-dyed AREA51 T-shirt in his hands, he thinks“I’m totally in love with this asshole, aren’t I?”

Cat's Cradle by evocates (Fujioka Haruhi/Ootori Kyouya/Suoh Tamaki) (complete)

every new years eve, since 2011, my brother and I have watched Ouran High School Host Club. for the past 4 years, I have read and re-read this fic without fail in the days after

Kyouya had been able to see the red threads between people’s fingers since the day he was born. A song of fate, and the breaking of. Tamaki was a man who could never be predictable. Vague spoilers up to Chapter 63.

"Relationship Stuff" by arokitty, Ponderess (shinara) (complete)

This fic helped me realize I was asexual. It’s beautifully written.

"Relationship stuff" — that's what Yasutomo kept calling it on the occasions we discussed how things were going between us. He never failed to say it dismissively, as if it was an annoying plague he was forced to put up with. But even when I told him that he could opt out of it at any time, he did not pull back.

[lithromantic asexual Shinkai, aromantic asexual Arakita, quasiplatonic Shinara]

You Really Ought To Know by isengard (midotaka) (complete)

I really like this ship, and out of all the fics I’ve read of it, this is the one I adore the most (obviously enough to read it three times)

The Fates have an important message for Takao Kazunari.

A Gradual Fall by grassandcitrus (originshipping) (complete)

This maybe isn’t the best written fic, but it has a lot of heart, and for a ship that there is little content for, this fic served me well. It’s hard to write a realistic pokemon AU, but this feels grounded. For whatever reason, this ship still means a lot to me, so when I get in the mood for it, I’ll re-read this fic.

Meeting Wallace turned out to be a life changing event for Steven. He realizes that pretty early on. Other things, however, come with time.

The Punchline and the Resulting Silence by youremyqueen (thiefshipping) (complete)

from the author: “so i went ahead and wrote ygotas fic because, hell, if LK can record videos in which he vocally flirts with himself while playing video games, and then write gay porn about it, I sure as hell can write gay porn about it too.” yeah. 

In which Marik destroys many household appliances, Bakura naps doggedly, and they sometimes pretend - with very little success - not to be in love. (YGOTAS, thiefshipping. ridiculousness meets poeticism meets more ridiculousness.)

Six Days As Boyfriends by sitabethel (thiefshipping) (complete)

I just really like this ship and I have since I was a 14 don’t @me

In order to avoid talks of arranged marriage, Marik convinces Bakura to trick Ishizu into thinking that they're in love.

The Longest Job & The Smallest Favor by emanthony (hisoillu) (complete)

everyone in like march-ish of 2018: omg in the new update of hxh illumi says that he and hisoka are engaged!

me having watched 10 episodes of hxh 4 years ago and having a faint idea of the series: who?

me: *looks up fanfics of them*

me: *finds these two*

me: *proceeds to read them 15 times and gets obsessed with the ship*

Illumi is forced out of the Zoldyck estate and seeks a living arrangement with an associate. He's not altogether pleased with it.

Hisoka is a floor master at Heaven's Arena and has the unexpected pleasure of spending time with one of his oldest acquaintances. He doesn't share Illumi's frustrations.

///

A sequel to the Longest Job, another HisoIllu fanfiction.

Hisoka and Illumi have been living together for six months now without much trouble. But when Illumi's youngest brother goes missing, Hisoka manages to make the situation just a bit too complicated and much more fun.

Lessons in Etiquette by KnockKnockBadminton (promtis) (complete)

I knew nothing about this video game but for whatever reason decided to look up fanfic for it after seeing some fanart, and then because this one was so well written, I, again knowing absolutely knowing about this video game or the series it’s a part of, binged the entire 164k fic in like two days. I’ve also re-read it and convinced my brother to buy the video game as a result. He refers to them as the “leather boy band” and sends me updates about his play through lmao

Begins in high school. From Prompto's desire to befriend the sullen, bullied prince blooms a relationship even the Astrals themselves could not have foreseen. Basically fills in the gaps from Brotherhood to the fall of Insomnia. Some liberties taken.

say it like you mean it by spaceburgers (takuleo) (complete)

Ever since playing the video game, I loved the dynamic between these two characters, and this fic is a wonderfully crafted and fun to read AU staring both of them.

Wherein Leo is a transfer student, Takumi is overly competitive, and they're doing Romeo and Juliet (but not as the titular roles).

[yata776]

Mauvier is another serviceable late-game pre-promote who is strong enough at base to be useful for any team. The thing here is that Engage has ridiculously low deployment slots, so the chances you have a large team with a lot of investment put into it is very low, and Mauvier is (at base) stronger than all the other characters! And from this map onwards you get more deployment slots, there is little reason not to use him because statistically your other guys won’t be up to par. He just works and won’t be a burden for the huge majority of players. Emphasis on the word Just. He is Good but not amazing.

Character wise. Replacement husband came in! He initially was my choice to marry before Vander stole my heart due to design alone, but now that Vander is dead, he is back on the table. Hmmm, I think his character in the main story is moronic to a point where he is off-putting but at least he was interesting enough in the few supports I’ve seen to still like him. Religion talk? In MY zero-world building Engage??? Consider me intrigued.

The main problem with Mauvier is that his status as a reluctant villain is mostly centered in his relationship with Veyle (and the other Hounds) and yeah LOL there is nothing there. This character does not look good any way you look at him. Does he actually care about Veyle? Then why did he wait until the last possible second to get her out of her terrible situation? He is awful. Is he bound by his religion? Not really, he changes his tune for Veyle’s sake and joins his equivalent of Satan to save her. This is just not a Well Thought out character at all. But he gets a pass for being cute.

Final unit of the game! Veyle works for the same reasons Mauvier does but unlike Mauvier she would actually hold a candle without the deployment slot problem. She is solid and would be a good asset for my team if… she didn’t immediately die in my playthrough. Oops!

I could talk for hours why Veyle just fucking sucks but I am feeling sleepy enough to just talk about it for a few paragraphs. She is probably one of the worst characters in the entire series. So much time is wasted on her and her terrible story about reuniting with her family and none of it works. Veyle falls into every shitty JRPG trope I hate without fail.  Acts like a 3-year-old when she is supposed to be much more mature? Check. Mind manipulation for drite drama? Check! Incest and pedo undertones? Also check!

Veyle just does NOT work. So much of her character dangles into her relationships with other people and none of it is explored. She is supposed to care about us because we are her long-lost sibling. Do we get glimpses into this relationship? Nope. And in the present she likes us because we talked her once. She is bound to the bad guys because of her evil father. Do we get to see their abusive relationship? Not even a scene with them before she rebels. Alright. The Four Hounds are OBVIOUSLY terrible. Why is Veyle hanging out with them? We do get a few scenes with Veyle and the Hounds and the manipulation tactics on display are what you would expect from a Nickelodeon show. Engage. DECIDE your tone. Are you a parody game? Are you a game for 7 year olds? Are you trying to be a super duper serious story about abusive parent-child relationships? What are you trying to be???

Veyle honestly encapsules everything that is terrible about the story of Engage. I refuse to think her story was written with any sincerity because there is nothing of substance here. She even looks completely out of place design wise. I know Engage gets a lot of shit for it’s designs but while they are very hit or miss for me the only one I truly hate is hers. She doesn’t look in-line with the rest of the fashion of the game. She does NOT look like our sibling in any way whatsoever. She feels out of place enough to personally consider her a bad DeviantArt OC. And I do not say this lightly.

Sorry, as you can tell I really hate this character, she really sours my experience every time she appears.

[ridiasfangirlings]

Can you do a summarized version of the K: A Year Later?

You can read all chapters translated here, if you want to get the full story. But if you just need a summary, it's just what it says on the tin: the story of the cast one year after the end of ROK. Each chapter is set up to flow into the next, so usually one character will run into another at the end of their focus chapter and that character will be the focus of the next chapter. The story starts with Kuroh, going over his life at Ashinaka with Shiro and Neko (he helps out at the kendo club and also works at the coffee shop attached to the school). Even with his busy life he still tries to find time to relax and feel the world around him, as Ichigen taught him, and the chapter ends with him meeting Awashima, which is when we learn that Munakata is currently absent.

The second chapter focuses on Awashima, discussing how Munakata basically left on a journey to find himself or whatever and now Awashima's in charge of S4 in his absence. She notices she's gained some weight and tries to quit anko but ultimately a ghost did it (….I'd say it makes sense in context but only in the 'Is Scepter 4 okay' way) so she's good and can once again have anko. She's not the only one giving up things though, as Kusanagi has decided to give up smoking. We get some updates on the Homra alphabet and Kusanagi does his best to function without cigarettes but in the end he has to burn a mud Strain and decides he can keep his cigarettes.

Neko is the one who makes Kusanagi aware of the Strain in his story so the next chapter is hers, showing off her study routine and doing her best. She's made a new friend too, a girl affected by the release of the Slate at the end of ROK, and Neko gets to have cake and study. Eventually there's a knock at the door and Yukari shows up for his chapter, looking for Kuroh. He gets to spend some bonding time with Neko and Shiro before Kuroh comes home and he has some nostalgic feelings about Ichigen too. The chapter ends with Yukari stopping by a liquor store to get some sake and watch the moon, and naturally the store he stops at is the one owned by Kamamoto's family.

Kamamoto's chapter is about his relationship with his childhood friend Ayumi (from Memory of Red and a cameo in Missing Kings). He isn't sure if they're dating or what, but with some advice from Homra he does eventually decide to make their relationship official and even ends up engaged, all while the Homra alphabet (except Chitose, who actually got a girl too) get to be bitter and drink over Kamamoto getting engaged to a girl before them. Speaking of romantic feelings, Yata asks Fushimi on a date asks Fushimi to come over to his place where they play video games and drink cola that they had as kids and spend the night together and it's all very sweet. Afterward Fushimi goes back to S4 and takes care of a Strain situation with perfect skill, because it's the place he belongs after all.

Fushimi's chapter ends with S4 spotting Sukuna on one of their cameras so his chapter is next. Sukuna's living with Yukari and Kotosaka and continuing his training, and one day he runs across his mother. She sees him with a bruise from his training and treats him still like something that was her 'property' so Sukuna fights off her manservant guy and tells her he won't go home with before running off. He happens to spot Anna in her high school uniform and that's our next story about Anna and her new friend Tsubaki. Some bullies who got Red power when the Slate was released try to use Tsubaki to lure Anna somewhere and teach her a lesson, so of course Anna promptly shows up and scares the crap out of them with her King powers. Later she introduces Tsubaki to the Homra guys and they see a huge procession of people coming by, because the King Munakata has returned.

You know how I had some asks about Munakata becoming unintentionally famous in various ways, basically something like that happened and everywhere around the world Munakata went he picked up followers. He ends up in South Africa where he gets a heartfelt letter from Fushimi-kun and decides he must return, bringing his whole entourage along. S4 are all happy to see him and confirm again that Munakata is still their King, and Munakata decides that he is still Munakata Reisi, even without the Slate. He stops by Mihashira, where Shiro's hanging out for our final chapter. Shiro and Munakata have a nice chat (and Shiro says he won't leave the ground anymore because it's not like he said he wouldn't run away a million times in ROK, we've covered this already guys). Shiro stops by both S4 and Homra and then eventually gets to go home with Kuroh and Neko, happily facing the future.

[vampirenaomi]

Not super negative, but under a read more anyway. More Lupin stuff.

Honestly, I think Part V needs another season. We only have eight episodes left, out of which at least one will be a call-back episode. When I look at the series as a whole so far, it feels like it’s missing so much that I normally expect from Lupin.

Apart from Lupin, the main cast feels so distant somehow? They’ve all had moments to shine, except perhaps Jigen, but he’s been the most consistent background presence. It feels like no matter what happens, only Lupin has something at stake and the others are only there for the ride, if they even appear. Like, what was the point of Zenigata coming to Padar? He did nothing. It felt like he only showed up to remind the viewers that hey, he exists.

On the other hand, this has allowed the series to focus on new characters and I think Ami and Albert are the best supporting characters the franchise has ever had. The fact that both of their stories revolve entirely around Lupin also means that we get to see Lupin much more emotionally involved than what we’re used to. But since they’re both such engaging characters, I feel there’s much more potential here than what the remaining episode count can possibly deliver. I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters in September.

Speaking of new characters, is Yata ever going to get to do something to justify why he exists?

As much as I liked the Pink Jacket call-back episode, I feel that the series would have benefitted more from dedicating these episodes to one-off adventures in the present France storyline. It would have given the other characters some of that much-needed presence and weight in the main storyline. One episode could have been about Fujiko doing her thing since they insist that she’s not in the group anymore, one episode about Zenigata and Yata and so on.

Is Enzo really going to be satisfying as a villain? They’ve been building him up since the start, but right now he just seems creepy, not threatening. I assume taking him down is going to be the final story arc, but when I try to imagine how that story could play out in a way that involves all the characters and is satisfying, I can’t help but fear that it’ll be another let-down.

[chilly-territory]

K Fan Clan: GoRA answer fans’ questions

From time to time, GoRA answer questions about the setting and the world of K on their K fan clan site. Thanks to  blueseraphima providing the original text, these should be up to date.

Q. How many spare glasses does Captain Munakata have? A. He has a stock of them enough to fill one drawer to the brim.

Q. Since when has Munakata-san been wearing glasses? A. He's been wearing them for as long as he can remember.

Q. Does Munakata smoke? A. Normally, no. But on rare occasions when he feels like breathing in poison, he does smoke on a whim.

Q. I'd like to broaden my repertory of midnight snacks for keeping late hours. What doesn’t Captain Munakata snack on when he's hungry? Please tell me one thing from his menu. A. Ready-made boil-in-the-bag foods work better for him than cooking himself because you can order pretty delicious things online. He's into foods like frozen pasta these days.

Q. Who among the Scepter 4 members has the biggest sweet tooth after Awashima? A. That'd be Hidaka.

Q. How are the sabers of the Scepter 4 members managed outside of working hours? A. The procedure is similar to the police regulations applied to firearms: when clocking out, the members leave their weapons for safekeeping in a reinforced locker with a lock, and when reporting for work, they unlock it and equip it.

Q. What is Saruhiko and Totsuka's preferred type of girl? A. Totsuka doesn't have a specific type, so a girl he has fun being with. Fushimi didn't give a thought to things like types of women, but he'll stay away from annoying women and women with weird palate. [T/N: that last one must be the effect of Awashima and her anko... what have you done, Lieutenant? XD]

Q. What do Saruhiko and Misaki do when they hang out after their reconciliation? A. Sometimes they go for a drink, other times they play video games.

Q. Is Yata-chan's room on the clean and orderly side? Or disorderly, with things lying all around? A. We believe it looks like a guy's room, with things scattered all around.

Q. Does Yata-chan normally settle for a shower? Or is he one for soaking in a bath? A. He does both, but if he had to choose one, he'd pick a quick bath, crow-style. Since he's Yatagarasu. [T/N: karasu (garasu) means crow]

Q. Does Totsuka-san normally work? A. He's jumping from one occupation to another. His income is relatively decent.

Q. What is Totsuka's specialty dish? A. If one had to be named, it would be tom yum goong. However, he can make pretty much anything.

Q. What cocktail is Izumo-san's favorite? if possible, I also want to know what snacks go with that cocktail! A. Dry martini with salted nuts.

Q. Did Yukari attend Miwa Ichigen's funeral? A. We believe that out of consideration for Kuroh, he didn't, only observing the funeral procession from afar. He vanished immediately after laying flowers on the grave.

Q. What was Weissmann's favorite dish when he was still Weissmann? A. Sauerkraut.

Q. Hisui Nagare takes frequent naps, is it because he doesn't sleep at night? Or he just gets sleepy easily despite sleeping at night? This question's been bothering me. A. Hisui is the type to go sleep when he wants to sleep and stay awake when he feels like it, so his sleeping schedule isn't dependent on the time of day.

Q. Please tell me what Hisui Nagare's preferred type is! A. Someone quick to make decisions and quick to act.

Q. What is Iwa-san's preferred type of woman? A. Someone who can make delicious miso soup.

Q. What does Douhan-chan do on her days off? A. She holes up at home and plays single player online games (like shogi). As a rule, she mostly lazes about.

Q. Did the Minato brothers find jobs after what happened to them? A. The older brother, Hayato, entered college. And the younger brother, Akito, got a job as a police officer. It appears that Hayato, too, plans to join the police after graduating from college.

Q. If a Strain becomes a clansman, like the case with Anna and Neko, can they still use their strain power? It's been on my mind forever. A. The strain power and clansman power can coexist. It is possible to use both of them.

Q. Did foreign countries know about the existence of the Slate? A. Some of the top leaders knew. In America, among other countries, there even was a Slate research team.

Q. What character did you create first? A. Shiro and Kuroh. Munakata and Suoh were also created at the beginning. That is, the protagonists.

Q. How did you decide on characters' birthdays? A. We decided based on their zodiac sign. First, we determined their zodiac sign through fortune-telling, and from there gleaned the general image of their personality and such, choosing a suitable birthday then.

Q. I heard the reason behind your group's name, GoRA, is that you wanted to go to Goura hot springs all together in case of K project's success, so now that K even has a big fan clan, I wanted to know: have you done what you had wanted and gone there? Please tell us. A. No, we haven't (lol). But we've visited the Izumo Grand Shrine. And we decided we'd go to Goura hot springs when we disband. But that's even farther away.

Q. Is engaging in romantic relationships forbidden in the world of Idol K? Or does each agency have their own policy regarding that? Please answer! A. The stance on the issue depends on the agency. But only Promotion Scepter 4 advocates the ban on romantic relationships for the greater cause.

Q. It may be sudden, but I have a question! Are characters like Kurayama Mitsuha or Tsurumi active as idols in the world of Idol K? I'm so haunted by this question I can only sleep at night. A. It is unclear if they're active as idols or not, but we believe they probably work as managers or trouble shooters.

[jokikudistrict]

Enter MACBETH | Hideo + Yata | Chapter 3 | Talent Tour

The most expected thing would likely be for Hideo to perform a scene from one of his films. But though he’d considered it, ultimately it hadn’t seemed like the best idea. For one thing, most of the movies he’s been in hadn’t really had the kind of scenes that could be played out in short by one or two people. A lot of horror lost its true impact outside its proper context, without the necessary build-up and atmosphere.

Aside from that, though, he’d also felt that most of the usable options weren’t appropriate for the setting. It didn’t seem right to stage a scene featuring torture or murder or monologues about being trapped considering the circumstances they were all in. Fortunately, Yata had helped him figure out a good alternative, and so…

Hideo waits with them behind the fountain in the park, just out of sight as the audience arrives, fidgeting anxiously with his prop weapon. And once it seems like everyone who’s coming is gathered, he takes a deep breath and steps out.

Or rather, a tall man wearing armor (well, costume armor, but the way he wears it carries the illusion) strides into view, sword drawn and at the ready, a wide, wild smile on his face, the confidence of an animal that finds itself cornered by what it thinks are lesser predators.

“Why should I play the Roman fool, and die on mine own sword?” Amused incredulity saturates the lines, and yet there’s something, about the forcefulness of it, perhaps, or the tension in the way he holds his sword, that gives the impression of some level of desperation. “Whiles I see lives, the gashes do better upon them!” Hideo’s English is impeccable, and his voice is strong, projecting wonderfully, not sounding like his own at all.

Yatagarasu strides in immediately after. Today they would be a God of Theatre as well. They too were dressed in the proper regalia, and looked rather convincing… despite the big happy mask still obscuring their features. (How else would they know it was them aiding the Horror Star?) This had been quite exciting. Acting was far more strenuous than their talent, in a physical sense. Luckily, their enthusiasm for the task substituted their lack of experience. 

“Turn, hellhound, turn!” they barked. Their English wasn’t as polished as their scene partner’s, their accent exceptionally heavy, but their volume nearly matched, making for a somewhat convincing portrayal.

Hideo does not break character, and it is Macbeth who goes still at the command, at the voice of his much feared former friend.

“Of all men else I have avoided thee,” He says before he turns, the bravado of a moment ago dulled, frustrated. When he does turn it’s sudden and violent, expression a cold warning, “But get thee back. My soul is too much charged with blood of thine already.” The threat is obvious, but so is the regret, the sorrowful almost-plea. They were not always enemies. This Macbeth will not lay down and die, but nor is he eager to carry more guilt than he already does.

Yata, no, Macduff regarded their enemy with a slow tilt of their head. “I have no words.” the infliction was just as frigid, tone sharp as their blade. (Speaking of, it was time to raise it!) They pointed the prop in Hideo’s direction, stepping closer. “My voice is in my sword!”

A easy, loose languidness came with their continuing approach. Every inch of their act had been choreographed to a tee which no doubt explained their confidence and lack of a cane. However, judging by their movement, a cool saunter, Yata seemed more prepared to dance than spar. This wasn’t a burdened man out to avenge his family and countrymen from a delusioned megalomaniac. It was more of a... friend(?) reciting lines and having too fun while doing it. They were called plays for a reason, right?

“Thou bloodier villain than terms can give thee out!”

Their fake swords clash, Hideo swinging his with an air of violent resignation so convincing that it’s almost a shock the sound of metal on metal doesn’t ring out into the air. Of course these aren’t real blades, but the fight choreography, while simple and well rehearsed, is (perhaps surprisingly) quite engaging. Hideo clearly has experience with stage-fighting, enough that the battle between Macbeth and Macduff is tense and fierce to watch, though anyone with any real knowledge of swordplay would likely notice how perfectly timed and scripted each strike was, that the swords are intentionally aiming to hit each other rather than their wielders.

They fight, and as they do Macbeth seems to gain and lose confidence by turns, with every blow, every ‘near miss’, until he laughs, a high and bitter sound, stepping close to cross their blades and say in a strained taunting tone, “Thou losest labour! As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air with thy keen sword impress as make me bleed.” He pushes them back, a haughty, triumphant action that leaves him half-open for a moment, as if defying them to keep attacking. “Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests, I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born.”

Oh boy, this was the really fun part. Yata remained in character despite their internal hindrance. Hideo or Macbeth or whatever was so intense! But, of course he was, being his talent and all. The AMSRtist relied on the soft pattern created by the faux weapons. The duo struck there, here, here, and there again, according to their ears. They managed to spit their next line with pure malice and mocking, “Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee Macduff was from his mother's womb untimely ripped!”

The words seem to have an immediate effect, Macbeth stepping back as if stunned, eyes wide and then, settling into a kind of betrayal. He raises his sword as if to strike- or to throw it down, though he does neither, tension in every line. “Accursed be that tongue that tells me so,” his voice quakes with what wants to be denial but is instead realization, painful and absolute defeat, his last line of defense stripped of the assurance he relied on. And it dips slightly, an indication that, were he not still projecting for the audience, he would be speaking more softly, a shamed admittance. “For it hath cow'd my better part of man. And be these juggling fiends no more believed, that palter with us in a double sense, that keep the word of promise to our ear, and break it to our hope.” He lowers his sword, angry, but not with Macduff, but rather with the ones who fed him the false prophecy, the twisted words that, in his belief of them, led to all of this. “I'll not fight with thee.”

His quarrel is not with Macduff, not anymore. For this moment, at least, Macbeth has regained a shred of his humanity, seen the full scope of his wickedness in his failure, a failure that was always his true destiny.

Wait. No. They lied. THIS was the fun part! Yatagarasu chest swelled with pride. They crept forward, blade pointed upward until it rested under Macbeth’s chin. “Then yield thee, coward”, Yata crooned back, more teasing than intimidating,“and live to be the show and gaze o' the time! We'll have thee, as our rarer monsters are, painted on a pole, and underwrit, 'Here may you see the tyrant~’”

Despite the… liberties, Yatagarasu takes with the lines, Hideo doesn’t break character, and it’s still Macbeth who answers, angrily smacking the blade pointed at him aside with his own and hissing through clenched teeth, “I will not yield to kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet, and to be baited with the rabble's curse!” In an instant the tyrant is back, the man with so much blood on his hands, the man who sought to be a king. He knows now that he is doomed, but seeing no way out but through he rallies for his last stand. “Though Birnam wood be come to Dunsinane, and thou opposed, being of no woman born, yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff! And cursed be him that first cries, 'Hold, enough!'”

He throws himself into the duel, a man who has nothing left to lose but pride, and nothing to gain but death by sword. Still he is fierce, in his final moments, this last defeat, as the fight carries them back to the fountain, off the ‘stage’ as it were, and the end of the scene.

And only then does Hideo finally relax, sliding out of the character with a sheepish smile and a quick, anxious bow, “Um, okay that’s it! Sorry if it was… too long or… or too short… or anything…” He reaches up to brush a bit of sweat off his forehead, eager to get out of the fake breastplate and into cooler clothes again, though he turns to murmur something to Yata before they can depart with the crowd.