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[usuimisaki]

Royai Fanfic Recommendations:

I've posted this in parts before but since it's royai week I thought I'd do a complete fic rec list, enjoy!!

Delicate:

Summary: Riza's upbringing leaves her with scars.

  Most have already read this one since it's so popular, but if not it's a character study of Riza that spans from her early childhood to post-canon. It honestly gives so much more depth and meaning to Riza's character as well as her relationship with Roy.

 Our embalmed hearts, our desolate kingdoms

Summary: "He leans back, palms connecting with the concrete, and looks up over their city, their desolate kingdom. In the rain, Central City might as well be the ruins of Xerxes, empty and grey, and he and she may as well be the last two people on earth."

Or, Love in the Time of Giant Robots

   This fic is an Evangelion au and it absolutely destroyed me. The way the relationships between the characters are written is so complex and interesting. It’s a fantastic slow burn and story overall. (And it’s still really great even if you've never watched Eva.)

Dismantle the Sun

Summary: Dairut is a crossroads. A settlement on the border of Amestris and the Great Desert, a hub of Ishvalan and Xerxian history, it is a place caught between past regret and future hope.

In Central City, Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye prepare to return to Ishval for the first time. In Resembool, Edward Elric navigates the complicated minutia of his personal life, but remains unable to shake the feeling that his work in Amestris is not yet finished. In Dairut, Miles and the new Muhaddith break ground on Al’Arshif, the sacred Archive, in the hope of restoring a sense of continuity to their long-suffering people.

Then archeologist Winnie Stokes uncovers an ancient relic in the desert. Then a mysterious cult called the Risen strip Captain Hawkeye from the Flame Alchemist’s side. Then something monstrous begins to stir in the mind of Selim Bradley. Five years after the Promised Day, Ed, Roy, and Miles must face an evil of apocalyptic scale, before it destroys everything they’ve worked for, and everyone they hold dear.

Dairut is a crossroads. But Dairut is also the end of the line. Things are changing in Amestris, and not everyone will survive.

   My all-time favourite post-canon fic! It has stunning writing and a super well-thought-out plot. It's so much more than royai and even if that is all you're looking for I still urge you to read this incredible story.

The Amestrian Candidate:

Summary: General Roy Mustang—charming, intelligent, heroic—is predicted to be the next Fuhrer of Amestris. But a series of acts of terrorism drive the General into a ruthless race against a magnetic opponent. Mustang and his team scramble to salvage a campaign in the face of rising nationalism, scandal, and international tension. If they succeed, they can save an infant democracy from collapse. Mustang must consider what and whom he is willing to sacrifice, and he must ask himself the most difficult question of his life: can one be a good politician and a good man?

  This fic has an intriguing plot and painfully realistic post-canon politics. I always have preferred romance within a larger plot and this story executes that perfectly.

Homefront:

Summary: Miss Riza's arrival in Resembool has the potential to ruin everything.

  Riza becomes Ed and Al’s caretaker after their mother passes. This fic is wonderful, it feels historically accurate which is great and if you are a fan of parental Riza then you'll definitely enjoy this.

We That Are Young:

Summary: It's a well-known fact that innocents make poor soldiers. Fortunately, Riza Hawkeye's childhood was not entirely innocent. She had to grow up fast... though she wasn't the only one. The early years of the Colonel and his First Lieutenant.

  I believe this was written before Brotherhood so there are a few discrepancies between this and canon but it's definitely still worth the read. The fic details Roy and Riza’s life from ages 3 and 8 to 13 and 17. And is a wonderful coming-of-age story though upsetting at times. 

Beautiful People 

Summary: Soon after the conclusion of the Ishvalan Civil War, Captain Maes Hughes receives a phone call in the middle of the night. The message is short, concise... and perhaps the most terrifying thing Hughes has ever heard.

Hawkeye's apartment. Now. Come alone. Someone has been hurt.

A promise was once made amidst the sands of a distant desert land: oaths will be upheld, and secrets will be scorched away. The sinful had waited too long; Roy Mustang was indebted to his promise, and Riza Hawkeye had come to collect.

  This is probably my favourite depiction of Roy burning Riza's back that I've read. It's super intense and vivid, I really loved it!! 

Baby Your a Haunted House: 

Summary: Riza Hawkeye, aged 11, knows two things:

1. Roy Mustang is a useless city-kid

2. There's a haint in the woods

Roy Mustang, aged 15, knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt that there's no such thing as ghosts.

  This fic has excellent writing and a wonderfully creepy atmosphere. I've re-read it many, many times. (also I adore feral young Riza and this definitely delivers on that.)

When Thou Shalt Come To Judge the World By Fire

Summary: Roy was silent, unable to answer. Hughes was right. There hadn’t been any other girl for him, not really. Something about her. Something about Riza Hawkeye that made her so much more than a memory.

Hughes leaned against the bar, shadows lengthening on his face. “So, what was it? What ruined dating? A regret, or a promise?”

   Pre-canon royai with absolutely gorgeous writing! I adore the depiction of each period in their lives from the time they spent with Berthold to Ishval to before Ed and Al. It's all done perfectly. 

Order 3066

Summary: Everyone who returned from Ishval changed, and Riza Hawkeye was no different. She caused more deaths than any other person - not only with her own hands but also with the weapon she unleashed upon the world. No one could return from a massacre like that the way they were before.

  This fic is a really good exploration of Roy and Riza's time in Ishval. The characterization is great and their descent into war criminals is very well done.

Atlas

Summary: After six years apart, intelligence agent Roy Mustang attempts to rebuild his relationship with a former partner. But when past and present intertwine, their reunion triggers one of life's most difficult decisions: duty or family.

  The dual timeline of younger royai and older royal in this au is super interesting. This fic is exciting, heartwarming and a really well-crafted story.

Not All of Me Will End:

Summary: Nothing remains of her but what must be left behind.

  In this fic, Riza gets cancer and passes away. I rarely feel sad when reading or watching emotional things but this made me cry. It's beautifully written and made in a way that feels so personal, as though Riza was a real person. It’s a difficult read but ends on a relatively hopeful note.

The Lathe of Hell

Summary: 1908 • Ishval

An uneasy ceasefire grips the ruins of Ishval, but near the medical station at Daliha, Amestrian soldiers are dying. Desperate to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the 27th Infantry Division sends Riza Hawkeye and Solf J. Kimblee to smoke the assassin out.

But Roy Mustang suspects Kimblee's aim isn't the death of one rogue Ishvalan.

For Hawkeye has a secret, one the Crimson Alchemist hungers for... a power forged in fire.

This is one of the two great labyrinths into which human minds are drawn: the question of duty versus predestination...

There is an old story... perhaps you've heard of it. A man falls asleep and loses his way on the journey through life. He encounters a poet and the two begin a series of travels through Hell where they witness the many punishments for those who disobeyed God during their lives.

   I adore Kimblee in this fic. I know this list is about royai but seeing him interact with them is super interesting. 

Ex Tempore 

Summary: Riza Hawkeye comes into the possession of a family heirloom upon her grandfather's final words: "Keep him safe." Confused and grief-stricken, Riza finds herself pulled in time to Prohibition Era New York, recovering from a gang-related firefight under the care of Dr. Roy Mustang, a reluctant member of the Hughes-Mustang crime family and a self-proclaimed guardian to two boys by the names of Edward and Alphonse.

    This is a 1920s mafia/time travel au, it has such a fun premise that is executed really really well.

Here Dead We Lie

  Following a disastrous operation in Aerugo, Colonel Mustang wakes from a coma to discover his world has fallen apart. Under the shadow of the state, he tries to find impossible answers before it is too late.

   I don't have much to say about this one except that it's very good and has a brilliant story but is also very very dark so be warned before starting this fic. If angst is your thing though definitely check it out!

[usuimisaki]

*me slamming my fist on the table*

Anyone got any josei recommendations where it’s more about the chill slice of life part of being an adult

Heck, just adults that actively like each other mutually without being creepy about it or without one of them dying

I can only think of stuff like Princess Jellyfish, Nana, and Nodame Cantabille (though I think 2 of those are shoujo). Oh, Ristorante Paradiso/ACCA 13 and Kids on the Slope, too

[usuimisaki]

[usuimisaki]

[usuimisaki]

It occurred to me that one of the main reasons Horikashi fails to progress is because every time Hori decides he should be nicer to Kashima, she fucks it up, typical Kashima-style. Hori’s embarrassment doesn’t help.

Chapter 15: When Hori was holding her and realized that that was iffy since she was a girl, Kashima just got competitive and picked up Hori instead.

Chapter 16: When Kashima asked which type of skirt Hori preferred and he became conscious that she was a girl, she fucked it up by switching her skirt with his pants.

Chapter 42: When Kashima had a cold—she fucked up twice. First when Hori admitted that he wanted her to get better, she tried to pick him up again. Then later when Hori realized that he was harsh in not saying the board that read “Kashima’s super cute!” since Kashima was a girl, he gave her one last chance to make him say whatever. But Kashima just writes a difficult-to-read character and Hori responds in one of his best lines, “I shoulda known that’s the type of person you are (I can’t even read that).”

Chapter 46: At the beach, Kashima starts to take off her tank top. Hori’s embarrassed at the idea of seeing Kashima’s bikini, and then Kashima ruins it further by implying that Hori wants to wear the bikini.

Chapter 65: Hori actually gets involved with the kokkuri because he was too embarrassed to let Kashima use it to say that he liked her. Then there’s the thing about him looking under her skirt, in his words, because her smug expression annoyed him. IDK SMH.

Chapter 68: When Kashima finds out that Hori likes her legs, at first she tries to show them off. Then she decides he’s jealous of her legs. Just as Hori comes to talk to her after being scolded by drama members to be nicer to her, she says she supports him growing even 1 mm. Cue violence.

Chapter 78: When Hori genuinely says that he likes Kashima while drunk, she eats it up. He finally declares that he’d like for them to do more club activities together, and in a rare instance of seriousness, Kashima starts coming to club regularly. Everyone congratulates Hori about this, so he gets embarrassed about being easy to read. No stalled progress exactly—except of course Kashima can’t continue going to club seriously forever.

Chapter 90: After Hori infamously realizes that Kashima might be his ideal girl, Nozaki and Mikoshiba conspire for them to meet at the pool. Hori overhears how they expect him to spoil Kashima since she’s his type and he just . . . decides to fake that behavior to meet their expectations. Not like, analyze the implications of her being his type or anything. But as foreshadowed in Chapter 68, Hori doesn’t know how to fawn over Kashima. He just buys her a bunch of cold foods and he ends of patting her head and she responds like a dog—because Hori’s acting it’s improv day. Even when he tries to play with her or get food with her or whatever (which actually might not be that unusual for them), his exaggerated tone makes Kashima think he’s insincere. In the end, Hori realizes that he really should be nicer to Kashima and rubs her head and compliments her. Kashima spoils it by bragging about how she’s Hori’s beloved kouhai the next day (Nozaki’s manga about purposely getting girls cold so you can warm them up with your body heat didn’t help). This is a rare instance of Hori fucking up due to embarrassment.

Chapter 112: While it was really Chapter 107 where in response to Kashima being hypnotized Hori admitted that he liked her, we don’t get to see the full aftermath until this chapter. As usual, Kashima is fucking it up by making a really big deal of every action of Hori’s, asking if it’s because he likes her. Mikoshiba convinces Hori to express his affection to Kashima more clearly, and Hori, dense as usual, consults a book on dogs to think about how he can treat Kashima better. In the end, he tries rubbing her head and just telling her that he likes her all the time. Rare progress, but it’s set back in Chapter 117 since Hori just decided to tell everyone that he liked them. This can also be put down to Hori’s embarrassment. He probably felt weird about treating Kashima special, so he extended his nice behavior to her to everyone else.

Chapter 136 is rare progress. I mean, Kashima gets upset that she might have stolen acting away from Hori and Hori’s so upset by her angst that he hugs her (though he then tries to play it off). Anyway, technically Kashima fucks it up by getting angry that she got the situation wrong. I mean, if she hadn’t then they could have had an even more tender moment there. They do make up later on though, just because Hori also quotes some lines to her and then . . . they have an actual sincere conversation? And reconcile? Wild.

Chapter 143: Well, I guess Kashima fucked up from the start with her lack of embarrassment about their accidental kiss. Hori even asked her to pretend to be embarrassed for his sake. Then there was some unexpected progress at the end because of mutual stupidity: Kashima wanting to redo the kiss and Hori agreeing because she had such a great expression on her face.

Chapter 146: When Hori thinks that Kashima actually has a boyfriend and starts freaking out about it (it’s ambiguous whether this is because he’s jealous or because the image in his head just doesn’t jive with Kashima acting like a girlfriend), Kashima freaks out about how Hori got tricked by Rei’s acting.

What have I learned? The main impediments are Kashima being Kashima and Hori being embarrassed/clueless about how to treat Kashima nicely. Every once in awhile, Kashima’s weird antics and Hori’s fixation on her face actually work in the favor of romance. There are actually chapters where there’s some kind of progress, like when Kashima tried to stay away from Hori in Chapter 60, so he starts picking her up from the train station. Also, “embarrassed” has two “r”s.

Edit: It took a reblog to make me realize I also had a typo at the beginning of this.

[usuimisaki]

Scraped chapter, but contains a Horikashi crumb.

GSNK fanbook scrapped chapters: Sleepover Chapter

Open each page to view in full size! Read RHS strips first!

© CashMoneyChiyo (@maou-shoujo, candlejack, @minthae and @zeldass!)

Icymi, this is a scrapped chapter that was published in the fanbook years ago, where we see good ol’ Ribbons attempting to stay at Nozaki’s house overnight (unromantic hilarity ensues, of course). A few of us have translated it before, but we’ve got some members to do an official CMC version and make it look polished (thanks gang!!) \o/

[usuimisaki]

Sometimes I reread Horikashi moments the manga and think: what is the platonic explanation for this? Like in the anthology when the entire gang played the king’s game and Kashima was really happy about using Hori’s lap as a pillow, or in the chapter when the manga-gang were doing a relay novel and Sakura bribed Hori with a picture of Kashima, whom he sees every day. Or the omake where Hori decides to record Kashima’s singing so he can listen to it when he falls asleep. WHAT IS THE PLATONIC EXPLANATION FOR THAT?

[usuimisaki]

They are all idiots to lovers, but this list also gives me the mental image of Hori drop-kicking Kashima while calling her a bastard, which is . . . accurate.

Mayu / Mikorin -> Friends to lovers

Seo / Waka -> Enemies to lovers

Nozaki / Chiyo -> Idiots to lovers

Kashima / Hori -> Bastards to lovers

[usuimisaki]

How het are Horikashi?

Not to co-op this post, but while I love this table, I ship Horikashi as a het couple. But at the same time, I don’t want to do, like, bi erasure or anything. So, here’s my personal take on this couple’s gender and sexual identities:

Hori is . . . coded as very cis. He actively gets mad when Kashima suggests he plays a princess or gives him women’s clothing. He does have a moment when he considers applying female makeup after Rei asks if he’s good at wearing female clothing, but then he tells himself “no.” Unfortunately, Hori’s a bit gender fluid-phobic. This is something he could overcome, seeing that he’s ok with acting as a female in read-through or as a sub, and Tsubaki-sensei confirmed that if Kashima gave an ultimatum for Hori to play a princess in order for her to stay in the drama club, he absolutely would, but his knee-jerk reaction is to present as masculine. This is probably why he’s so sensitive about his height (since males are usually taller than females) and looking young (since maturity is more valued for men than for women). He also seemed to get worked up in the omake of the sleepover at Nozaki’s when Wakamatsu said he was the strongest one and would carry Nozaki. He also has a lot of stereotypical male traits, among them being in charge, working with tools, being good at math and physics, anger, and violence.

Kashima, on the other hand, is a good example of being nonbinary. There have been multiple references to this, from the time Mikoshiba thought she might be one of those tomboys who secretly longs to be girly (cue Kashima embracing her sickness-induced low-pitched voice by wearing pants) to the time that Mikoshiba asked her to dress up as a girl. But I don’t see Kashima as trans, since when Mikoshiba asked her to dress up as a girl, she pointed out that she wears a skirt and that she’s had long hair before. She’s comfortable going swimsuit/underwear shopping with Sakura and Seo, and she sees no problem with sleeping in a boy’s room during the summer drama club trip. She’s very secure as either gender, and probably does view gender as performative.

Hori is . . . totally ok with this. In fact, early on it’s implied that Hori primarily thinks of Kashima as a guy and has to remind himself (when he picks her up, when she asks which skirt he prefers). he doesn’t usually seem jealous of the girls surrounding Kashima as long as they’re not causing trouble, even admiring Kashima’s mojo when they’re at the pool.

But even if Hori sometimes thinks of Kashima as a guy, can they be a yaoi couple? Because that would mean that Hori takes on some sort of gay role. I’m not too familiar with the seme and uke roles, but a quick skim of TVtropes makes me think Hori would be the seme, despite being shorter, just because he is the more dominant/controlling one in the relationship. Even in terms of looks, though Hori’s not supposed to be good looking, he still presents as more masculine than the androgynous, beautiful Kashima. Anyway, in real life there aren’t big distinctions between a gay couple. The real issue is whether or not Hori is turned on by guys. And this is . . . very ambiguous, because he loves Kashima’s face and loves it when Kashima’s a prince, but in an ambiguously sexual way, since canonically it’s probably just . . . doting on a talented kouhai. If Kashima actually were a guy, then maybe Hori could be construed as bi, since he could just be construed as Kashima-sexual.

Otherwise, Hori is coded as straight-up heterosexual. He likes ladies’ legs. Contrast Wakamatsu, who is probably demisexual, considering he has no interest in breasts, or Nozaki, who seems practically asexual. Mikoshiba is supposedly the most straight of them all, but like Hori, is one-half of a potential queer couple.

So what does Kashima think of Hori’s gender? She actually comes off as disturbed whenever she discovers Hori participating in non-masculine activities, like reading shoujo manga or building dollhouse furniture. However, she embraces Hori’s supposed interests because she’s an ally! What does Kashima think of Hori’s sexuality? This is hard to parse, because Kashima’s super competitive, and her main competitors are Nozaki in general and Mikoshiba that one time Mikoshiba came to act. When Sakura told her that Hori liked her legs, she did not seem to comprehend that that could be sexual at all. So Kashima . . . doesn’t think of Hori having any sexuality. He’s like a parent (father or mother-in-law) to her.

What does Hori think of Kashima’s sexuality? He knows that she likes girls, and acknowledges that Kashima is a flirt, even saying that he wouldn’t want to introduce Kashima to his girlfriend in case Kashima stole that girlfriend. Later on, he talks about how if his girlfriend of 6 years was taken by Kashima, it would make sense. He’s proud of Kashima’s ability to attract girls and when, under hypnosis, Kashima said that she flirted with girls to make Hori jealous he bluntly said that Kashima would never say something like that.

So is Kashima a lesbian? I mean, yeah. The signs are all there. Could she be bisexual? Maybe. Ultimately, if she ended up liking guys, it would just be because she’s Hori-sexual.

Conclusion: Hori is cis and het and all-around straight, but if Kashima decided to become a guy, he could become gay or maybe even trans to be with her. Kashima is a nonbinary lesbian, but might be bi for Hori.

Now why isn’t there more fanfiction with Hori angsting over how he’s in love with a lesbian?

[usuimisaki]

I was looking back at Ch. 95 where Hori tries to help Wakamatsu stop sparkling (apparently his attractiveness is problematic because he’s so gullible and will be taken advantage of). The best parts for me were the Horikashi parts, even though Kashima doesn’t technically appear.

First, when a senior girl comes in to talk about the gentlemanly guy, she keeps throwing in that he’s not as great as Kashima, to appease Hori.

When Hori goes to see this gentleman with his friend, his friend thinks that Hori actually is worried about Kashima’s reputation, and tries to get Hori to calm down over how different Wakamatsu is by saying Kashima won’t lose. So obviously everyone in his class knows he’s obsessed with Kashima. This also reminds me of the omake when Kashima went to his classroom dressed up “as a girl” and everyone figured it out right away. (My headcanon is that Hori recruited a lot of his classmates into the drama club—his friend in Ch. 95 shows up later in the flashback to Hori’s 1st year performance.)

Lastly, when Hori’s telling Wakamatsu to text Seo to get Wakamatsu stressed out and less sparkly, Hori says that Kashima tells him everything (and his friend thinks to himself that Wakamatsu is jealous since Kashima is texting Hori nonstop).

Anyway, this makes me think, again, of the time in Ch. 87 when Hori dressed Kashima up all feminine and they went to her classroom. Obviously her classmates recognize her right away, but there’s also the fact that Kashima’s classmate knows that Kashima’s face is Hori’s favorite, so Kashima’s classmates are well aware of Hori’s obsession as well (and considering how much Kashima talks about Hori, they must know about her obsession as well). Hori must visit her classroom on a regular enough basis for them to recognize him.

This reminds me of two instances when someone thinks Hori’s going to be jealous about Kashima. Once was in Ch. 57 when Kashima was pretending to be Mikoshiba’s girlfriend and Hori got all intense. The kid (I think he’s the same one who made the comment about Kashima’s face being Hori’s favorite in Ch. 87) gets scared for a second, thinking that Hori is jealous (but it turns out Hori’s just mad that Kashima is half-asssing her acting). The other one was when Kashima gets dressed up and Hori gets all intense about it. Mikoshiba thinks Hori is jealous, but Hori’s just upset that Kashima is dressed up badly (the wig is the wrong size).

Anyway, just think how insufferable Horikashi would be if they actually got together. Kashima is already pretty clinging with Hori. He’s usually the one getting annoyed at her for various reasons. They could probably continue their semi-violent, bickering relationship a la Nodame Cantabile, but if Hori actually started acting soft towards Kashima they would be one of those annoying couples who are always staring into each others’ eyes before making out without regard to the people around them.

[usuimisaki]

it is March by Victoria Chang

[usuimisaki]

So Hori brings Kashima to meet his obnoxious cousin, and his cousin’s really freaked out at how beautiful Kashima is. After the initial shock though, he’s like, “Is this a real relationship? Did you just ask someone from drama club to act as your girlfriend?”

Busted! Hori thinks. “Wha—why would I play immature games like that?” he says with a little too much equanimity.

In the meantime, Kashima is fangirling over Hori’s house Sakura-style: “Sempai! Is this where you eat? Is this where you do your homework? Are these your DVDs? Can I see your room?”

“Stop running around!” Hori yells at her.

. . .

They go hang out in Hori’s room. Kashima continues to snoop and the cousin continues to doubt. She pulls out a binder and Hori’s collection of Kashima photos falls out.

How embarrassing! Hori’s cousin thinks.

“Wah, sempai, you have so many photos of me!” Kashima exclaims. “These are from the beach trip! And these are from our last play! Wow, how nostalgic! There are even ones from last year.”

“Oh, that’s nothing,” Hori says. “I have more on my computer.”

What is this situation?! Hori’s cousin thinks as Hori turns on his computer so that he and Kashima can see all the other photos he’s taken of her.

“This is from the summer festival! Oh, and this is how the guys in my class reacted after you gave me a makeover! Wow, sempai, you have a lot of pictures of me. Could it be you like me that much?”

“Guh, yeah . . . yeah, I like you the best!”

“Even more than Nozaki?”

“Even more than Nozaki!”

Who’s Nozaki? Hori’s cousin wonders.

“Even more than Mikoshiba?”

Who’s Mikoshiba? Hori’s cousin wonders. Could it be that my cousin is . . . actually really popular?!

“Yay!” Kashima says, kissing Hori on the lips.

Ah, right. Hori thinks. We’re acting as girlfriend and boyfriend. So he deepens the kiss.

“Oi! What are you doing in front of an unhappyily single guy?”

. . .

“Well, if you were so unhappy about being single, you didn’t have to take it out on me.”

“No way! I thought at least if I were single, a chibi like you would be single too!”

“You!!!” Hori glowers.

“Ah, I see, so sempai got upset because you got teased about your height.”

“Of course he did,” Hori’s little brother interjects. “Geez, nii-san, you always get carried away when it comes to your height.”

“Wah, is this your little brother?” Kashima suddenly gets all shy and proper, sitting in seiza. “I’m Kashima Yuu, your brother’s girlfriend. Please take care of me.”

“Kashima . . .” all three Hori males respond (because it’s a paternal cousin).

. . .

Downstairs everyone drinks tea and has snacks. Hori’s little brother fawns over Kashima, completely smitten (I’ve heard nii-san talk about you, but I never imagined that you’d be so charming in person!)

“Actually, I’ve been immature as well,” Hori concedes. “Kashima isn’t really my girlfriend.”

“Wah!?!!!” Kashima, Hori’s little brother, and Hori’s cousin all exclaim.

“But . . . but she kissed you so casually!” Hori’s cousin exclaims.

“But . . . but why do you have so many pictures of her and talk about her all the time!” Hori’s little brother yells.

“But . . . but you said I could be your girlfriend while your cousin was visiting! (I thought we’d be doing method acting for the entire week!)” Kashima says, clinging to Hori.

“Cut it out! I already told him we weren’t dating!” Hori says, trying to shake Kashima off.

I see, Hori’s cousin thinks. It’s a one-sided love. This beauty is totally obsessed with Masayuki.

I see, Hori’s little brother thinks. My nii-san is just dense as a brick.

. . .

Hori walks Kashima to the train station.

“Aw, I thought I would get to playact for a bit longer,” Kashima says. “I really felt like I was getting into the role!”

“Oh? Well, maybe next time you can play the female love interest. (You were pretty good—especially when you introduced yourself to my brother!)”

“Maybe . . . Hey, sempai?”

“What?” Hori asks, and Kashima kisses Hori again.

“We’ve gotten better at stage kisses, right? So if I play the female lead, you play the male lead, ok?”

“Huh?!” Hori says as Kashima runs off.

Here’s a ridiculous Horikashi scenario:

Hori needs to fake having a girlfriend for some reason—maybe unusually he’s gotten competitive with his brother or cousin something.

“Eh, sempai, you need someone to pretend to be your girlfriend? I’ll do it!”

“No way.”

“Huh? Sempai is so mean! (Why can’t I do it?!)”

“It needs to be believable. For one thing, you’d act more like a boyfriend than a girlfriend. For another thing, aren’t you too good-looking for a guy like me?”

“Wha! Then! Sempai can do my makeup in such a way that I look plainer!”

“Like hell I’d do that!”

. . .

Kashima goes to dress herself up as a girl, soliciting the help of other drama club students, who actually do hair and makeup anyway. Even though she tells them to make her up plainly, they can’t help but highlight her natural beauty. They also give her tips on how to act more girly.

Kashima runs out to Hori and screams, “Sempai! Please let me be your girlfriend!” In front of a bunch of other students who have no context. Hori realizes this and is initially embarrassed, but agrees when he sees Kashima’s beautiful, desperately teary face.

[usuimisaki]

Here’s a ridiculous Horikashi scenario:

Hori needs to fake having a girlfriend for some reason—maybe unusually he’s gotten competitive with his brother or cousin something.

“Eh, sempai, you need someone to pretend to be your girlfriend? I’ll do it!”

“No way.”

“Huh? Sempai is so mean! (Why can’t I do it?!)”

“It needs to be believable. For one thing, you’d act more like a boyfriend than a girlfriend. For another thing, aren’t you too good-looking for a guy like me?”

“Wha! Then! Sempai can do my makeup in such a way that I look plainer!”

“Like hell I’d do that!”

. . .

Kashima goes to dress herself up as a girl, soliciting the help of other drama club students, who actually do hair and makeup anyway. Even though she tells them to make her up plainly, they can’t help but highlight her natural beauty. They also give her tips on how to act more girly.

Kashima runs out to Hori and screams, “Sempai! Please let me be your girlfriend!” In front of a bunch of other students who have no context. Hori realizes this and is initially embarrassed, but agrees when he sees Kashima’s beautiful, desperately teary face.

[usuimisaki]

How Do I (Not) Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is insane. It’s a gag manga built on misunderstandings, mostly accomplished by the fact that the entire cast has two brain cells put together. The main joke of the manga is how everyone is always acting like they’re in a romantic relationship—without any of the romance. In the beginning, the joke was facilitated by the fact that Nozaki is always trying to simulate being in a romantic situation for research purposes for the shoujo manga that he writes, but then other characters got involved and they’re even more ridiculous than he is.

Horikashi

Omg, where do I begin?

Kashima constantly talks about how to get Hori to dote on her. For some reason, despite the advice of Sakura, Mikoshiba, and a drunk Hori himself, she can’t bring herself to go to club regularly. Hori should just go back to telling Kashima he likes her/giving her head pats/just kiss her already to properly motivate her.

Kashima has a rivalry with Nozaki since Hori said that Nozaki was his favorite kouhai, so Kashima gets angry when Hori gives Nozaki snacks or when she thinks Nozaki is going to text Hori before her. She also stole all of the head pats that Hori was going to give to Nozaki even though they were play acting.

Nevertheless, they do spend a lot of time together in club, and club members hilariously either get or misinterpret their dynamic. Like, they understand that Kashima wanted to show off her legs to get Hori’s attention since she might have been jealous of Hori liking a pair of legs in a picture (actually her legs).

On the other hand, when Hori freaking HUGGED Kashima to comfort her after she got upset, the drama club members just interpret this as ad-libbing.

They hang out together outside of club too, to the point that when they couldn’t even go HALF A DAY without talking without a) Kashima complaining about how painful it was and b) Hori going into shock. As a follow-up, Hori started meeting Kashima at the train station in the morning.

When Kashima went on a school trip, she texted Hori constantly.

When trying to make conversation with Mikoshiba before Mikoshiba knew Hori was the backgrounds guy, Mikoshiba thought the backgrounds buy was a Kashima stalker (once he knew that the backgrounds guy was Hori, he felt relieved)

Whenever anyone gets praised around Hori, he has to check to make sure that that person isn’t better than Kashima. He also realizes that Kashima is his ideal girl as well as guy.

When Kashima invades Hori’s personal space, he either responds by gazing at her beautiful face or noticing that her eyes are red.

Kashima, to the extent that she listens to anybody, listens to Hori. One notable example is when she passed the basketball to him when he said to EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ON THE OPPOSITE TEAM.

Hori went around telling Kashima (but also other people) that he liked/loved her for a while.

Hori actually likes listening to Kashima’s horrible singing, even though he knows it’s objectively bad. He even records it specifically so he can fall asleep to it at night. WTF?

Seowaka

These guys . . . these guys are almost as bad.

Technically, the reason Waka goes out with Seo so much is to spare his kouhais the pain of spending time with Seo, but that does translate into them going out a lot. At one point the basketball club tries to get Seo a boyfriend so she’ll be . . . less Seo-like, and in the end they just rely on Waka.

Waka got pretty upset when he thought that Seo had a boyfriend though (turned out to be Kashima).

Seo realized that she likes bullying Waka specifically.

Whenever Waka is NOT allowed to interact with Seo, such as when she accidentally had a card turned to not being bothered, he gets morose.

He also got morose when Seo didn’t text him while on the school trip.

He got morose when Seo didn’t hang to hang out with him right after she got back from the school trip.

It’s pretty established that he says he loves Lorelei (whom he doesn’t know is Seo), but even once he does know, he gives her all these gifts, like food and earrings.

But . . . the food is not a big deal considering Seo is always making Waka go out to buy her food anyway.

The whole interaction between Waka and Seo now that he knows she’s Lorelei is a little weird, since he’s said so many times that he loves Lorelai—but it seems more like the love for an idol instead of actual romantic love. The main change is that Waka now accepts Seo’s orders more willingly.

Waka told Seo that he liked her for some reason (to freak her out?) and it worked, but then he had to tell her it was a joke to make up with her since they had arranged to see a movie together. He sometimes still says it because he likes how freaked out she gets about it.

NozaChiyo (Sakuzaki)

Well, can’t leave out the title character. This is the only couple where one of them actually acknowledges their feelings as romantic. Lately they’ve been getting some air-time, with Nozaki actually reciprocating but in denial.

Even though Sakura’s confession doesn’t go anywhere romantic, she does become Nozaki’s mangaka assistant, which entails spending lots of time at his apartment. This is turned into a joke later on when Nozaki’s classmates invite her along to visit his place since everyone knows she has a massive crush on him and she has to pretend she’s never been there.

Even early on, Nozaki said that he’d be shocked if Sakura abandoned him (though the fact that Hori is more irreplaceable as a manga assistant is a frequent source of jealousy for Sakura).

Nozaki feeds Sakura a lot. It’s not like he doesn’t feed his other assistants, but he especially feeds Sakura, even outside of his apartment. Nozaki even realizes this, to the point that he tells Kashima that’s how they got close (prompting Kashima to feed Hori the notorious brandy cake)

Nozaki even made Sakura oven mitts for her cooking project (where she was baking cookies for him).

Nozaki (and Seo) got jealous when Sakura hugged the Wakamatsu doll Nozaki made for Seo (so he made a Sakura doll for her).

Nozaki really wanted to hold Sakura’s hand after she got “lost.” Of course Nozaki asked Kashima for advice about this and she told him it was a motherly feeling. I’m not sure if this actually counts since it’s actually romantic as opposed to non-romantic. I guess as long as there’s plausible deniability it counts.

Main vectors of romance-adjacent behavior

Spending stupid amounts of time together (but they could just be club buddies/coworkers).

Jealousy—I was going to say that Horikashi was an exception, but Kashima is jealous of Nozaki. Hori is annoyed at fangirls if they prevent Kashima from going to club.

Touch (this is mostly Horikashi, but Seo has started rubbing Waka’s head, but let us not forget that Sakura once sat in Nozaki’s lap—prompting Seo to do the same with Waka. Hori has given Kashima a lap-pillow a couple of times, once for Mikoshiba’s sake, and once during the king game)

Knowing a huge amount about the other person (Sakura is an acknowledged stalker, but Hori and Kashima come close)

Feeding (Nozaki, Kashima, and Waka)

Obedience (Kashima listens to Hori, Waka listens to Seo—Sakura and Nozaki actually have a mutually respectful relationship)

Telling them that they like them (Hori demotes this behavior by just telling everyone he likes them, Sakura’s confessions always go awry, and Waka as a joke)

Tolerating the other person’s terrible behavior (Waka obviously (poor kid has Stockholm Syndrome), Hori for Kashima’s singing (he kind of puts up with her other terrible behavior, but also smacks her for it), Sakura putting up with Nozaki’s eccentricities)

Other special treatment (Hori praising Kashima, Kashima hovering around Hori, Seo bullying Waka, Waka idolizing Lorelai but also thinking about Seo (as a troublemaker) a lot, Sakura for almost anything regarding Nozaki, Nozaki mothering Sakura)

Being cheered on by another member of the cast (everyone knows about Sakura’s crush, Mikoshiba is the biggest Horikashi supporter, and even Hori supports Seowaka for the sake of Nozaki’s manga)

[usuimisaki]

Why do I like reading shoujo so much?

My first reaction is to deflect. That’s how society is. Adults write and write sordid stories about teenagers all the time, a la Gossip Girl and Euphoria. Furthermore, we live in a man’s world, and men gobble up stuff which is ostensibly for boys: superheroes and their ilk. But when women fangirl over stuff ostensibly for girls we’re belittled for being juvenile.

Even if it’s not an unusual problem, it still begs the question why. Why is the world so preoccupied with youth to the point that they have characters who are literal minors? I’ve actually read and enjoyed multiple josei works, but they’ve never inspired the type of hyperfixation that shoujo manga has inspired. Josei and seinen are complex and messy. I accept that messiness. But with shoujo like KWMS and GSNK things are simpler. There’s more room to play. The characters, no matter how developed, are still literally undeveloped. This can inspire future fic of what the characters will be like as adults. It also makes them more malleable. High schoolers exist in a liminal space. They can go anywhere, be anything. They have choices and the freedom to take those choices in hand.

Adult manga (not sexually explicit, but dealing with adulthood) is about limits. The characters are getting old. They’re leaving dreams behind. They’re settling in their careers or accepting that their relationships aren’t ideal. They’re compromising—because reality. Besides romance and friends, they also have to deal with a job and taking care of their parents and/or taking care of kids. I love these kinds of stories because they are a mirror of my own life, or things that I can realistically imagine having to deal with.

My high school days are behind me, and I have to say, I didn’t enjoy them that much. The teenage dramas I read about are less a reminder of my high school days than a high school fantasy—one where school is more of a background than a concern and parents hardly even make an appearance.

Contrast this to office worker josei. Even the most sexually explicit manga where you’d think the office space is just a convenient setting always has some office drama which is ultimately about worker competency. Love is Hard for Otaku is mostly about dating and being an otaku, but fitting into office culture and being competent at your job is inseparable part of it as well.

KWMS is actually fairly complex for shoujo. It acknowledges that some students have financial difficulties and it has Misaki compete with Usui academically and studying for college entrance exams is a big plot line, but most of the time she’s more concerned about school council activities in a hyperbolic manner. And despite the series being about the contrast between being a school president and a maid, more of the storylines center on her part-time job at the maid cafe. She enters into a relationship with a rich foreigner with a tragic backstory which causes them to have to endure a long-distance relationship. But somehow they overcome all of that. And Misaki’s family’s dire financial straits get resolved even before she marries into the .01%.

GSNK though? Those kids must all be frickin’ rich. They never seem to have any concerns about having money to go out to a cafe, buy manga, or buy clothes. Kashima is the only one with a job, and she’s probably just working there because the cafe needs staff. There’s maybe one chapter where three not-so-great students try to study together with poor results—but since these students aren’t very academically focused, it’s just played off for laughs. The best student (Kashima) also has some of the least common sense. The one with the actual least common sense (Wakamatsu) is the second best student out of the cast. The only time we’ve seen parents are when it was played for laughs how Nozaki could live away from home because 1) he had his own money and 2) he knew how to cook, though he was lacking in 3) romantic experience.

Shoujo is about the possibility of love, and that when you do fall in love, that it’s going to last a lifetime. It’s about one true pairings.

Josei is about navigating new relationships with the scars of your previous relationships. One of my favorite josei series, Kimi was Petto, is all about that. It’s about the uncertainty that the relationship you’re in is good enough to stand the test of time, the realities of finances, career, social pressure, familial acceptance, and sense of self.

Shoujo hardly ever touches on those topics, preferring to create a love triangle for manufactured conflict. Again, KWMS is a bit of an exception. There’s definitely the love triangle aspect because you need to look at the different possibilities without, like, having had those other possibilities, but it does at least address class differences and different family culture and how that can lead to social pressure for college and career paths (which is why Usui goes to college in the UK and Misaki feels like she needs to get into a more competitive college). In the meantime, Tsubaki-sensei has acknowledged her fans’ with for an endless summer, so that Hori will never graduate and go to college—which is kind of odd, considering that there’s a college so local that they work at the same cafe as Kashima. But still, if Hori were to be a college student, then he wouldn’t haunt the hallways of Roman Academy or be able to interact with Kashima in drama club.

So let’s get to the gist of it. Why do I write smut with high school characters. Well, I love these characters. And they’re in high school. And I’m a sucker for canon. So it makes sense to set these sex scenes in high school. It’s not that I’ve never aged up these characters, but when I do I run into problems, like the fact that Misaki and Usui don’t live in same country. Or that Hori and Kashima are actually dealing with some actual drama about their future careers and how to define a relationship. Or they have kids, which are a huge impediment to having sex.

I recently read about centering lives around friendship instead of romantic relationships, and what it is that creates barriers for friendships, platonic or not. You need to have time and a shared space and touch. Two of the three are really easy to come by in school, where you don’t just spend 8 hours a day kind of goofing off on your parents’ dime, but you also live close together. Not to dismiss the huge pressure some students have to study and get into an elite college, but you do have more free time on your hands as a student, just because you don’t have to spend that time paying bills or cleaning your own house. I really don’t know how Nozaki does it.

[usuimisaki]

In honor of the original manga obsession of this blog, I will now compare Horikashi to Usuimisaki.

Kashima is a lot like Usui: a good-looking, intelligent, popular bishonen who really knows how to flirt and is obsessed with a certain short-tempered authority figure, to the point of being a stalker. Said authority figure claims to dislike stalker and happens to be shorter and short-tempered and generally masculine. The authority figure also has a secret. Only the stalker knows of the authority figure’s true feminine side. While the two bicker a lot and the authority figure has to fend off flirting/sexual harassment from the stalker, they actually get along and make a great team. Even though the stalker is more overtly invested, it’s the authority figure who is seen as the obsessive one.

Here come the AUs:

Hori secretly works at a maid cafe. Lol. Anyway, this causes Kashima to come to the realization that she is obsessed with Hori in a sexual way.

Misaki is the president of a drama club and recruits a popular male lead for the sake of the club, who alternates between skipping club and flirting with, including buying her girly clothing and suggesting that she take on feminine roles.

I discovered Veil by Kotteri, and while it’s beautiful on its own, it also reminded me of my current obsession: Horikashi.

Aleksander, like Hori, is not considered conventionally handsome. He also dotes on a certain female, especially her appearance. He’s not shallow though—he has a strong rapport with the woman and he’s very protective of her.

Emma is generally cheerful like Kashima, and likes dressing up (especially when a certain male does the dressing). She’s also very flirty and initiates a lot of the more physical interactions, such as going to sleep next to him or cuddling up to him when she’s cold. She gets him presents, including a whole outfit (but it was a suit instead of a skirt).

The pairing could also be considered foils. Aleksander is tall while Hori is short. Aleksander is patient and gentle with Emma while Hori is short-tempered and quite harsh with Kashima. Emma is very feminine while Kashima is very androgynous. Aleksander disapproves of his sister flirting (kissing) Emma. Hori seems to approve of Kashima being admired by girls (except when it interferes with rehearsals). While Aleksander is regarded as Emma’s obedient dog, Kashima is considered Hori’s wayward dog.

The main thing though, is the male admiration. Emma is blind, and though she says she can tell that Aleksander stares at her, she’s literally blind to all the adoring looks he gives her. Kashima is also blind to Hori’s admiration of her, despite his obsession being obvious to everyone else around him.

[usuimisaki]

I discovered Veil by Kotteri, and while it’s beautiful on its own, it also reminded me of my current obsession: Horikashi.

Aleksander, like Hori, is not considered conventionally handsome. He also dotes on a certain female, especially her appearance. He’s not shallow though—he has a strong rapport with the woman and he’s very protective of her.

Emma is generally cheerful like Kashima, and likes dressing up (especially when a certain male does the dressing). She’s also very flirty and initiates a lot of the more physical interactions, such as going to sleep next to him or cuddling up to him when she’s cold. She gets him presents, including a whole outfit (but it was a suit instead of a skirt).

The pairing could also be considered foils. Aleksander is tall while Hori is short. Aleksander is patient and gentle with Emma while Hori is short-tempered and quite harsh with Kashima. Emma is very feminine while Kashima is very androgynous. Aleksander disapproves of his sister flirting (kissing) Emma. Hori seems to approve of Kashima being admired by girls (except when it interferes with rehearsals). While Aleksander is regarded as Emma’s obedient dog, Kashima is considered Hori’s wayward dog.

The main thing though, is the male admiration. Emma is blind, and though she says she can tell that Aleksander stares at her, she’s literally blind to all the adoring looks he gives her. Kashima is also blind to Hori’s admiration of her, despite his obsession being obvious to everyone else around him.