i was going to draw sayaka and byakuya on the vamp au but realized that i also have to design their clothes and thats a lot of work for a shitpost related to a ship i dont even like

Hello! My first post on this account! I am not sure I would call this a review... but a overview of this collection, who I would recommend it to and some other recommendation based on themes and feelings of this collection. So enjoy!

Life Ceremony is a collection of 12 (or 13 if you read the Granta Books published version) stories from Japanese author Sayaka Murata and translated into English by Ginny Tapley Takemori. This is the first of her short stories to be translated into English but she is well known for her two novels Convenience Store Women & Earthlings.

The stories in this collection all are about society and often centres on the loners and outcasts of society. They question societal norms by twisting them in a way to better explore and question them.

Some of these stories take place in modern-day Japan for example; A Clean Marriage which follows a couple who live in a sexless marriage who want to have a baby. Whereas some stories take place in a future or alternative reality such as Life Ceremony which takes place in a future Japan where after people die they are cooked into a meal for everybody to enjoy in a ‘life ceremony’.

For many of these stories there is this feeling of eeriness with the normalisation of this act/behaviour. Individuals who question this (and are sorta like the stand-in for us the reader in our modern POV) for example Nana's fiancée in A First-Rate Material who thinks wearing and using materials which have been made from human skin/nails/hair etc. are barbaric and disgusting. He is an outcast by society, as others believe this to be natural and less wasteful. I do think it is very clever how in the stories in different or future worlds it is the outcast who we the reader most identify with.

Murata is very transparent in her message and feelings about social norms, which I think are best summed up from a few quotes from Life Ceremony:

“Instinct doesn't exist. morals don't exist. they were just fake sensibilities that came from a world that was constantly transforming.”

“Everyone always says that things like common sense or instinct or morals are carved in stone. But that's not true - actually, they're always changing.”

“Everyone keeps telling little lies, and that's how the mirage is created. That's why it's beautiful - because it's a momentary make-believe world.”

Summary of each story:

A First-Rate Material - set in a world in which after humans die their skin, nails, hair etc.. are repurposed as materials for clothes and furniture. Although most of society have come to accept this as natural, Nana’s fiancée finds this disgusting, cruel and barbaric.

A Magnificent Spread - follows a husband and wife who only eat food from a brand called ‘Happy Future Foods’ which include freeze-dried and bright colour drinks, which are healthy foods particularly popular with celebrities in this story. The wife’s sister Kumi believes she is a reincarnated warrior from a magic world called ‘Dundilas’ and eats only food from that world (e.g. Dandelion flowers boiled in orange juice). The conflict in the story comes when Kumi is engaged and her fiancée wants her to cook food from her hometown for his parents.

A Summer's Night Kiss - is a vignette about two older women, one a woman who has never been kissed and her friend who is quite the opposite.

Two's Family- a story following two female childhood friends who made a pack that if they were still single by the time they were 30 they would move in together. This ends up happening, the two live together and both end up having three daughters between them through artificial insemination. They raise their daughters together as sisters in the same house, however even though they and their daughters are happy everybody questions and tries to label their relationship and experience. (apparently is meant to be a alternative timeline of the previous story)

The Time of the Large Star - another vignette this time following a little girl moves due to her fathers work to a town where nobody can sleep

Poochie - a story that follows two schoolgirls who have an… unusual pet.

Life Ceremony - the title story set in a future Japan where instead of funerals people now have ‘life ceremonies’ in which the person is prepared and cooked into a hot pot by their family then everybody comes over to enjoy the meal together… and then everybody pairs off for insemination.

Body Magic - a coming of age story following a teenage girl as she is learning about relationships, her own body while trying to avoid peer pressure (this includes incest as a side character mentions her relationship with her cousin)

Lover on the Breeze - a love triangle between a boy, a girl and her curtain…

Puzzle - Follows an office worker despite being liked and admired by her colleagues, feels disconnected to her own body and humanity in general. After an event things take a weird turn

Eating the City - a story following a woman who has recently moved to Tokyo from the countryside and is struggling to eat vegetables due to their bland taste. The story follows her extreme measures to gather her own vegetables.

Hatchling - following Haruka, a woman who has developed five distinct personalities to suit the expectations of those around her. However, she is getting married. Who will she be when everybody is coming?

A Clean Marriage - a story exclusive to the Granta Books edition (but you can find it here ) the story follows a married couple who both agree that a good partnership is something that would prefer to not have sexual cravings of the other. Therefore they have a sexless marriage, however they both really want a baby.

My overall thoughts: 

I think this is a very strong collection, all the stories fit the overall theme, and nothing feels out of place.

The contrast of stories; contemporary/futuristic, mundane/extremely bizarre, not only keep the stories engaging, and fresh but also help reflect and feel the message and ideas more.

I also think it was very smart to have the reader align with the 'outcast' in the future stories. This not only helps to empathises with the people from the contemporary stories, but also reflect on this idea that 'normal' is fake, it is made and ever changing. So as long as it is not hurting anybody else, people should just live their life the way they want to.

Lots of ideas and themes explored I particularly enjoyed exploring the theme of ethics of using animals in products explored in A First-Rate Material.

The very short stories (e.g. Love on the Breeze & Poochie) however did not work for me. I understand what they were trying to do, but they just didn't hit as well for me compared to the longer stories.

My favourites however are; A First-Rate Material, A Magnificent Spread, Life Ceremony & Hatchling.

A very good translation! Very smooth and easy to read. I think it helped that this was pretty simple writing.

Recommend for people:

Who love ‘weird short stories’

That enjoy fiction that goes from normal to WTF real quick

Who are searching for fiction that question and subvert societal norms

Looking for fiction which explores themes of conformity, isolation, alienation, asexuality, eating habits and food and/or taboo topics

Wanting to read more fiction that centres the female experience in contemporary society

Are okay with reading sensitive and sometimes graphic content

Similar reads:

Convenience Store Woman & Earthlings: the easiest read a likes, if you enjoyed this you will probably enjoy Sayaka Murata’s other work, where she explores similar themes, with similar characters.

Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung (translated from Koren to English by Anton Hur): a genre-defying collection which also looks at society by fantastic and surreal elements, and specifically looks at the horrors of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society. Bora Chung also uses a lot of vivid description and body horror in her stories which are also present in many of the stories in Life Ceremony particularly; A First-Rate Material, Life Ceremony and Puzzle

Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado: another short story collection which blends genres to highlight the violence on women’s bodies, sexual, physical and mental by society or themselves. Murata also looks at the control over the female body and has said in an interview: "I have been suffering from the expectations set for Japanese women for a long time. Since childhood, I felt that neither my body nor my life belonged to me. I felt that I was gradually regaining my body by writing a novel, but I still suffer from the trauma* which is an idea which we particular see in the stories such as; Body Magic, Puzzle & Hatchling.

Out There by Kate Folk: another speculative short story collection which holds a mirror to society and subconscious fears and desires. In a similar vein to Life Ceremony the stories in Out There centre female protagonists who normally outcasts. There is a similar level of eeriness in these stories where something unusual to the modern reader is seen as normal e.g. one story where people are attracted to very specific body parts and organs. This collection also has a lot of vignettes which are very… WTF did I just read which remind me a lot of feels I felt when reading Poochie and Lover on the Breeze.

The Vegetarian by Han Kang (translated from Korean to English by Deborah Smith): is a story of Yeong-hye who, following a dream of animal slaughter, decides to stop eating meat. This decision then leads to her becoming distant from her family in society. The idea of breaking social conventions/ not conforming to the norm and the isolation and in some cases madness is also a reoccurring theme throughout the stories in Life Ceremony.

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (translated from Japanese to English by Donald Keene): similar to many of the characters in Life Ceremony the protagonist in No Longer Human feels detached and alienated from society, he feels at odds with everyone around him and finding everything about humanity unnatural and impossible to comprehend (comparable to the protagonist of Puzzle) and in high school becomes a ‘clown’ to mask his alienation which reminds me a lot of the protagonist in Hatchling.

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: a literary fiction novel which follows three women: two transgender (Reese and Amy) and one cisgender (Katrina). Amy detransitions, becoming Ames, and goes from dating Reese to dating Katrina. Their lives are intertwined when Katrina becomes pregnant and Ames suggests involving Reese in the parenting. A book that not only challenges societal norms but also displays much like Two’s Family shows a unique family unit.

Wayward Children by Seanan McGuire: a more left field read a like because this is very different in terms of feeling and vibes. I am including because at its heart is also about the outcasts of society and critiques and challenges social norms. Wayward Children is a portal fantasy novella series following children who have been through the wardrobe and felt right at home, however now they are back in our world and can’t get back to the place they belong. Content Warnings: Cannibalism, Body Horror, Vomit, Death, Sexual Content, Incest (between cousins), Stalking

Naegiri Week Day 4 - Rain

I can barely believe that it’s Day 4 already. Also that I’m on time for this one, because I didn’t think I was going to be. It’s a welcome surprise! This particular piece is much more of an angst/whump piece, but there’s still a bit of sweetness attached to it. 2020 is just the year of angsty Makoto, I guess! Anyway, I hope you like it! Feel free to let me know what you think.

Oh, and please keep in mind that this does contain some rather graphic depictions of death and violence. Be sure to play on the safe side if that’s not your thing. Thank you so much for your time and attention!

______________________________________

Makoto was about to shower for the first time in four years.

 Of course, that wasn’t to say that the man never bathed – quite the opposite, really. He tended to bathe rather frequently; it was just way he did it that changed the conversation. After all, taking baths was still apart of good hygiene. It was just widely regarded as less convenient to bathe that way. What was a man to do? There was something about standing under the showerhead, watching the water bead onto the tile and slowly roll away… Something about it just made his skin crawl.

 Well, perhaps it was wrong to say “something” when he was well aware of the cause. Four years since the School Life of Mutual Killing, and the image of her never left his mind. Sweet, beautiful Sayaka with a fractured wrist and a knife plunged into her stomach, blood pooling all over her belly and lap. Her eyes shut in a way that could not possibly have looked peaceful even if he wanted it to. Her last message to him written across the wall in disjoined letters – a final plea for him to try and survive. She’d signed her death warrant, yet she refused to sign off on his as well. Kyoko told him that he should take some comfort in that, but it was a comfort he could only half-hold. In truth, try as she might, there was nothing that Kyoko could tell him to take away that pain.

 That was why he was where he was, actually. Kyoko’s inability to remedy his pain. He’d been trying for ages now to counteract the thoughts and feelings associated with the shower, but none of his attempts bore fruit. Even Kyoko’s strategies, helpful as they usually were, did little to assist him. At this point, she could only hope to support him through his struggle. So, when he came to the decision to finally step foot in the shower once more, she did as she always did – supported him as best she could.

 Some would find it weird that a couple who had only recently started having sex would so readily strip down to nothingness and jump into the shower together, but neither he nor his wife found this to be a situation way out of their comfort zone. It wasn’t like the situation would be overtly sexual in any way, shape, or form. They would just be two people like any other, showering in each other’s presence. That was it.

 Still, Makoto wondered if perhaps it was pent-up awkwardness that made his hands tremble as he moved to lift his shirt off over his head, or if shower nerves were getting the best of him. He would always feel flustered at the sight of his wife completely undressed, but this felt like so much more. Within seconds he his throat started to dry up, and his heart picked up its pace. God, he wondered if this was a good idea. It had seemed like one at the time, but now he knew he had second thoughts.

 “Are you sure you want to do this?”

 It was like Kyoko sensed his anxiety without him having to lend his voice to it. It was almost funny that even after all that time together, he still found himself surprised by her ability to read him. She did still insist on referring to him as “Mr. Open Book”; she’d just also begun to refer to herself as “Mrs. Open Book”. Not that that was true, but he appreciated her joke about their marriage nonetheless. Her playfulness brought him respite.

 “Honestly… no,” he answered, pushing a hand through his hair, “I don’t know what’s going to happen if I do, but I don’t want to keep avoiding it like this.”

 Kyoko frowned. “What’s the problem with not showering? There’s nothing wrong with you only taking baths. Regardless, you still emerge cleaner than you were when you entered.”

 His shoulders rose and fell lazily; his eyes drifting towards the shower. The thing looked so innocent just sitting there, the glass pane cracked open ever so slightly to reveal the silver mechanisms inside. They looked so pristine and nice in there, glittering with a shine that proved how recently Kyoko cleaned the faucets and spout. The whole structure appeared so unintimidating; he felt foolish for even being frightened of it.

 “It’s a personal thing, I guess.”

 His wife’s arms crossed her chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 Makoto gripped his arm tightly, his nails digging into the skin. He knew better than to grab at himself like that, but confessing to his pain was next to unbearable. Even talking about it threatened to send him spiralling. “Just that I think this is something I need to lay to rest. Not just for me, but for Maizono-san, too. I want her to be able to sleep peacefully…”

 Her expression softened like well-loved leather. “Always thinking of others, Makoto. You really are the kindest person I’ve ever met,” She murmured, reaching over to cup his cheek with her hand, “Still. Are you sure that this is how you can help her? Maizono-san wouldn’t want you to do anything that might cause you to hurt yourself.”

 “If there’s some other way to help her, I don’t know of it.” Makoto mumbled awkwardly, leaning his face into Kyoko’s hand. It was sort of strange feeling her hand on his face; without her gloves her hands seemed so much rougher than he was used to. Not that he minded any. In a way, he almost liked that Kyoko’s hands were like that. It made her touch easy to distinguish from everyone else’s, and made him a lot more comfortable knowing that she was right there at his side. The only situation in which he’d ever want her hands to change was if that was what she wanted. “I think this is the only way I can really go about it.”

 Kyoko nodded thoughtfully, a half-smile playing at her face. “If you’re certain. Still, I ask that you let me know if we need to put an end to it. You know I’ll be swift in putting an end to the exercise.”

 “Of course.”

 With that, the two separated once more, both of them moving to continue to do away with their clothing. It didn’t take them long to strip down to nothingness, feeling the cool autumn air hitting their bare skin. For both of their sakes, Makoto tried to make not too much unnecessary eye contact. Kyoko seemed to care much less about it.  When they were done, Kyoko took his hand, and guided him towards the shower. Sweat coated Makoto’s palms immediately as they made the venture forth to the silver beast; his body suddenly feeling much too cold for his liking. Part of him wanted to run over and snag his clothes, put them all back on, and tell her that he didn’t want to do this after all. It would certainly be a lot easier than confronting his fears. Still, could he really convince himself to give up on his task when he was this close? He should award himself more faith than that, after all. Like trying a new food, there was no sense in giving up before the flavour hit. As frightened as he was, he wanted to at least try to bear it.

 Unfortunately, his desire to soldier through didn’t stop his body from reacting to the stressors. He practically jumped out of his skin the moment Kyoko turned the faucet; he’d always hated the low rumbling the shower made when it roared to life. It had been a while since he was close enough to hear it, but now that he was… he was suddenly reminded of how awful it was.

 “Are you okay, Makoto?” Kyoko asked, turning her head back to look at him. Her face looked so innocent as she blinked at him, her brows knitting themselves together ever so slightly. Her obvious worry made his stomach twist. How could he be so determined to overcome his fear if it concerned the woman he loved so greatly?

 Attempting to swallow around the lump in his throat, Makoto nodded. “Just got a little surprised by the sound, that’s all… We’ve got to wait for it to warm up, right?”

 She bit her lip, taking one long look at his expression. Without even having to use her words or much expression, he could tell she didn’t believe him. “Yes. It should warm up fairly quickly, though. We’ll be able to step in soon.”

 “Good, good…”

 It was not good. Not that he was going to tell Kyoko that.

 Anxiety spun his head like a vinyl record; he fought to keep his belly from churning. God, he just wanted to get this over with. Be a hero, conquer his fears, and then curl up in bed with his wife and snuggle her until his limbs stopped shaking. Every passing second was agonizing. He honestly felt as if he could cry when she told him that the water was finally warm enough.

 “Do you want me to go in first?”

 “It would probably make me feel a bit better if you did… Just like… take me by the hand and guide me in, please.”

 She smiled at him as genuinely as she could manage, her worry still seeping through ever so slightly. “I can do that.”

 He breathed a silent prayer as Kyoko’s hand found his own, slowly guiding him towards the shower. He couldn’t stop himself from squeezing his eyes shut, letting himself be lured into the trap by his lover. The moment the water hit him, he let out a gasp. Desperate to stay grounded, he found himself squeezing Kyoko’s hand for dear life. She took such care to ensure that the shower rain wouldn’t be too hot, yet it scalded his skin as he tried to adjust to the feeling. He almost cried out the moment it collided with him. The sensation could be compared to freshly boiled water being poured down his spine.

 “Just breathe,” she spoke so softly he almost missed it, her hand rubbing against his back to try and comfort him, “It’ll be okay.”

 It’ll be okay, he repeated to himself. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.

 Adrenaline hit him in a crashing wave. It was as if a bubble had burst in his brain, soaking his entire being in paralyzing fear. Every part of his body suddenly seemed full of… something. What it was, he didn’t know. He only knew that he could feel it somewhere within himself, accompanied by a shooting pain somewhere in his chest. If he hadn’t known what the symptoms were like, he would have assumed that he was going to faint. This definitely wasn’t fainting, though. It was… something else entirely.

 All he could see was red. Red streaked on cold grey tile; the liquid having lost its warmth after spillage. A knife plunged into the depths of Sayaka’s belly, diving past her uniform and the protective layer of skin and muscle. How far did it pierce her stomach, one couldn’t help but wonder? How long was she in pain? Did she lay there bleeding out, praying that someone would come and rescue her? There were tear tracks on her face when they found her. She’d cried in pain. She’d sat there writhing in it, bleeding out – five minutes of bleeding out, Kyoko told him – with nobody to soothe her.

 He left her behind to die like that. He’d left her to die like that because he was too stupid to think about what she intended to do. If he’d stopped her, she’d still be alive. If he’d been smarter, or braver, or nicer, everything would have worked out for her. She’d have stood on Kyoko’s side at their wedding, hair curled and adorned in purple flowers. She would be positioned next to Aoi, looking absolutely beautiful in the soft material of her lavender dress. The gown would hug her curves in a way that would surely have made Leon talk, but she still wouldn’t be the most radiant woman in the room. He could picture the smile she’d give from where she was standing, silently wishing him a lifetime of happiness with the love of his life. She’d have been there. She’d have protected him from the harm of the shower’s rain, slicing through his skin like a blistering razor.

 “Makoto!”

 The image persisted behind his eyes, but the sound proved he could make out his own world. Sayaka’s death played on continuous loop like a movie; none of what was happening was real anymore. Water droplets having completed their race were not the same as Sayaka’s blood; there was no reason to see it as such. The grey tile had not been scrubbed white; it was the tile of his own home. The voice calling out to him was not his own frozen in a hellish scream; it was Kyoko’s. Shame seeped into his bones. Go away, he pleaded, I’m begging you to go away.

 Without any choice, his legs gave out, sending him falling to the floor. His knees would surely be bruised the next day.

 Kyoko didn’t kneel down to his level, not at first. Her hand instead went darting for the faucet, twisting it off as soon as she could. Only a twinge of relief washed over him as the pitiful rain dribbled to a stop, leaving him and Kyoko to bask in the new found silence. It made Makoto acutely aware of how sharp his breaths had become, with his body struggling to gather some sort of relief. He squeezed his eyes shut. Oh, how he prayed the darkness would swallow him whole to make this pain stop.

 He barely noticed when Kyoko knelt down on the floor, placing a gentle hand on his back. It wasn’t until her rough hand made contact against his skin… It wasn’t until that moment that he found himself anywhere close to okay. Oh god, he hoped she knew how much that meant. Even with his mind persisting at that image of Sayaka, the contact healed him like an EpiPen.

 “You’re experiencing a flashback, Makoto,” she murmured softly, tracing loops on his back. How could she sound so steady at a time like this? Jealousy at her coolness pricked him. What he wouldn’t give to experience it anywhere but between images of Sayaka, blood leaking from the side of her mouth.

 “Sayaka’s dead,” was all he could utter. No “help me”, no “hold me”, no “I need you to do this for me” … Just an admission that his dear friend was very much dead.

 “She died, but she didn’t die here. It was years ago, Makoto.” The circles she drew between his shoulder blades slowed down. She hoped for him to focus on the sense of touch. “You remember that, don’t you? And you remember that you didn’t have any control over what happened to her. She didn’t blame you for what happened.”

 He didn’t answer. Just kept staring aimlessly at the tile, wishing it would be the way he remembered it. The way it looked when Kyoko had just finished taking a shower. God, he’d have done anything to be able to breathe in the scent of her cherry blossom shampoo, rather than the vague stench of copper.

 “Do you feel my hand on your back, Makoto?”

 He licked his lips, blinking slowly. “I do.”

 “It’s rough, isn’t it?”

 “Very.” He muttered.

 “Just try to focus on that roughness as my finger moves. You can feel me there, can’t you?”

 “Yeah, I can.”

 “Good,” she outstretched her other hand so he could see it, her golden wedding band flickering at him, “Now look at the other. It’s kind of funny-looking, isn’t it?”

 “Like hamburger meat.” He murmured, not thinking about how that might insult her. His mind was too far into its loop to consider it. His body trembled as he tried to ground himself there on the tile; nausea prodding at him to have its way.

 To his surprise, Kyoko laughed. Not a full, hearty laugh like he could usually stir from her – but a laugh nonetheless. “I suppose it does sort of look like that. What I want you to focus on, though, is the colours. How many different colours can you pick out when you look at my hands? Remember, undertones count too.”

 His eyes wandered across her hand, observing it carefully. Naturally, red was the first colour that came to his mind. Red like blood, red like fire, red like a poisonous animal. The red on Kyoko’s hand was an inky layer sandwiched between lighter and darker hues, skirting about midway along her palm, it danced so close to her knuckles. From there, the colours faded into a deeper crimson, then to a brown, until finally they reached a blackened shade at the tips of her fingers. It was only below the streak of red that he could see pink, like apple snail eggs. So close to being warm and rosy, but a sign of damage nevertheless.

 “There’s… red, and brown, and pink… black, crimson…”

 “Crimson? It sounds like you’re getting a little excited with your colour comparisons there. Good for you. Just keep listing the ones that come to mind.”

 “Um… I guess there’s a bit of umber in there… maybe some charcoal?”

 She nodded. “Good. Now, do you know what day it is?”

 Makoto blinked once. Twice. Three times. His breaths still felt much too laborious, but in a way, he felt like things were almost getting clearer. Like he’d been freed from suffocation in ash. “It’s… the tenth of September, right? Autumn?”

 The circles continued as she cracked a small smile. “Good, good. Now can you rub your hands together for me? I want to get you a towel to dry off with. It will keep you warm while I do.”

 Once again, he didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at her, just nodded and started rubbing his hands together for friction. He couldn’t bring his eyes to follow her as she pushed herself to her feet and strode out of the shower, tugging his fluffy white towel off the rack. Focus rested on the heat generating between his hands, he almost didn’t notice when she returned and draped it over his shoulders. His movement screeched to a halt the moment it connected with his body; god was it a soft towel. Taking hold of both corners, he pulled it over himself as much as he could manage. They definitely needed to keep buying whatever fabric softener they were currently using.

 Kyoko slowly lowered herself to sit at his side once more, returning her hand to the same position it had been on his back. It was true to say that he could no longer enjoy her rough skin against his own, but the pressure of her presence still made him a bit renewed.

 “Are you okay, Makoto?” Though he couldn’t find the energy to meet her face, the concern coated her voice. It wasn’t difficult to picture her lowered brows; her mouth curved into a hesitant grin in hopes of offering solace.

 His shoulders quirked, and he leaned himself into her. By now she must have known how badly he needed her; he figured she wouldn’t mind if he cuddled up. Touch always rejuvenated him when he grew melancholic or distressed. Hers, especially, brought him a comfort unlike any other. “Honestly… no. I’m not.”

 Kyoko scooted closer to him, and pushed his head so that it would rest on his shoulder. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

 “No,” the answer came much faster than expected, “Not right now, anyway.”

 “That’s fine. I don’t expect you to be okay. We can talk whenever you would like,” she paused for but a moment, carefully scrutinizing his face, “Is there anything I can do?”

 “I don’t think so.”

 He could tell she was frowning now. “That’s a shame.”

 Makoto quirked his shoulders once more. “It’s okay. You’re already doing everything you can, and I appreciate that. All I really need right now is your company.”

 Cautiously turning her head towards his, she pressed a kiss against his head. Her hand rested on the top of it, stroking his hair ever so gently. A miniscule happiness swelled within him at the sensation. He was a lucky man, who had a woman who cared about him so much. “I think I can manage that.”

 Though it was hard, he did everything he could to push a smile. It must have been awfully weak, but he hoped she could appreciate it nonetheless. “Thank you, Kyoko… I love you.”

 “I love you, too. And I’m here for you anytime.”

 “Shower or no shower?” He joked, chuckling half-heartedly.

 “Shower or no shower. I’ll love you, always.”

Relationship: Family - Sayaka Miyuki

Yoshiki Miyuki † - Sayaka’s late husband and Yoshiko’s father, a charismatic man who was playful and could make anyone smile, warming even the coldest of hearts. He was a journalist that dealt with the current events in Japan, when the Party of Words was fully established as the new Government, he was tasked with getting an interview with one of the leading scientists regarding the new Hypnosis Microphones leading him to meet Sayaka and the two fell in love with one another almost instantly resulting in marriage and eventually children. Unfortunately, Yoshiki was never able to meet his children as he was killed one night leaving Sayaka in utter despair, even more so when witnessing and knowing who his murderer is.

Yoshiko Miyuki (4 years old) - Sayaka’s daughter who she loves with every fiber of her being. Despite her birth being a traumatic experience and losing her son (who would have been Yoshiko’s brother) in the process, it only made Sayaka all the more loving and protective of her. Yoshiko is a adorable little girl who loves her mommy, her big sister, and her auntie dearly, always well behave and quite insightful for her age, every cute action she does never fails to bring Sayaka to tears literally.

Shinya Miyuki † - Sayaka’s would-be son who unfortunately was a stillborn much to her despair. Despite that, Sayaka still insisted on naming him and had him buried next to his father, Yoshiki.

Kureha Koizumi (19 years old) - Sayaka’s adopted daughter and 3rd member of Femme Fatale. Despite her being in her care for only 4 years, Sayaka fully sees Kureha as her own daughter and treats her as such while Kureha is completely loyal to Sayaka and sees her as a mother. They had met in the hospital after Sayaka had a checkup in her pregnancy and Kureha was staying so her wounds could heal as well as taking therapy for the incident she was involved in. They talked and bonded over the months until eventually Sayaka had basically adopted her.

Yōhei Okada † - Sayaka’s deceased father who she was close too. An intelligent, loving man who was often away from his family to work in the military as head scientist (and hated it), Sayaka had always admired him despite that and her father seemed to had a fondness specifically for her, to the point of letting her know about his work and most importantly, the knowledge of Hypnosis Microphones. Unfortunately, he died due to heart problems and due to his position, they had to get rid of his body and his possessions while giving his work away to his successor which oddly enough wasn’t Sayaka nor her sister, leaving Sayaka with only her memory of him.

Madoka Okada (68 years old) - Sayaka’s mother who she wasn’t close with unlike her father. A rather conservative, cold woman who disliked that her daughters were interested in their father’s work. They’re not on the best terms, having fought a lot before Sayaka’s father died and fought even more when he did, eventually leading Sayaka to move away without saying anything to her. She currently lives in Ehime Prefecture where Sayaka had attempted to contact her but eventually stopped when she refused to answer her.

Ritsuko Okada (32 years old) - Sayaka’s older sister and leader of Shinagawa Division’s CodeX as well as a scientist working for Chuuoku. Sayaka hates Ritsuko with a burning passion for personal reasons, they used to be quite close when they were younger and she was quite literally the only person in her family she had but Ritsuko did something unforgivable to Sayaka and they haven’t talked nor seen each other since. Until now since they’re both participants in the Division Battles, the feelings of hatred have now resurfaced and Sayaka literally cannot be in the same room as her for more than a few minutes.

Ishileon? it’s mostly just that

I’m not afraid to admit that I have a lot of head canons for the hall monitor man, you can not stop me.

Though this will have spoilers and will be very long, so be warned.

Taka had a crush on like, half of his classmates.

It first started with just having a crush on both Mondo and Leon.

Then he caught more feelings when he decided to hang out with Mokoto and Hina more than just for studying.

Somehow he found Byakuya hot.

And he quickly became memorized with Sayaka’s singing voice and Mukuro’s smile.

He ended up dating Leon after a year of being at Hopes Peak, though it was by accident.

It took a few weeks before Taka told his dad, and it ended with him yelling at his dad that he was a dating a cool and hot boy while they were eating breakfast.

Taka and Leon tried to keep their relationship a secret from their classmates (except for Mondo, Chihiro, and Yasuhiro).

But ended up outing themselves to their whole class a month later, when Taka (who had no sleep for the past two days) walked over to Leon, kissed him on the lips, and told him that he would help him with the upcoming test, before walking out of class.

Everyone just simply stared at Leon, who was now a blushing mess, before the red-haired boy ran out of the class.

Mondo wouldn’t stop teasing both of them for the next two months.

Not really head canons for the next part, just something I wanted to add:

Once the killing game starts. Taka and Leon’s relationship is gone.

All the time Taka took to improving himself and learning to relax, Leon who learned that he didn’t need to put on a persona to be likable, that they now had friends who cared about them. All gone.

So for Taka, his first and only crush was Mondo, as he didn’t have enough time to get to know Leon or the others.

All he thought of Leon now was that he was a rambunctious murderer, a coward.

Okay, now here’s just some random ideas I have for this ship:

Taka tends to study with Leon, even if it ends up with just the two cuddling and talking for hours on end.

Leon likes being the little spoon, while Taka likes being both the big spoon and little spoon.

Once Taka and Leon relationship comes to light, Leon starts spoon feeding Taka his food whenever he realizes that Taka only got rice/an apple or nothing.

The two tend to sneak up to the roof of the building at night just to look at the stars.

Leon already has plans to marrying Taka when they’re older, but knows it’s too soon to ask his boyfriend if he has those kind of thoughts as well.

Taka doesn’t have plans for marriage just yet, but wants to move in with Leon as soon as they graduate.

Taka is very touched-starve, and will do anything to get any kind of physical touches from Leon. He especially loves getting scratches on the head and hugs.

Taka knows way to many pet names in different languages and he’s making that Leon’s problem, whether he’s oblivious to them or not.

Taka once allowed Leon to pick his outfit and (tried to) style his hair for one day, and now isn’t sure if he regrets it or not.

Leon is very flirty, but can also get flustered quickly. Taka used to be very oblivious with his flirting, but now takes it upon himself to win this little game of who can fluster the other the most, by the end of every day.

Leon has a chewing stim, and tends to bite on his sleeves/hands. Once Taka found out about this, he used all the money he had to buy Leon safe chewing stim toys.

Taka also stims, a lot. His favorite ways of stimming consists of him flapping his arms, making growling noises, bouncing his legs whenever he’s sitting, and cracking his knuckles. Leon finds all of these adorable.

Kisekae Insights #18: Madoka Magica Part 1 (Takumi Magica)

(Art by dai)

The anime series that have had prominence in my personal project are at least ten years old now and this one is no exception as Puella Magi Madoka Magica celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2021. In fact, this post has been timed to be released ten years after the finale originally premiered (following a delay as a result of the 2011 earthquake).

This instalment highlights a complication associated with adapting series that are ongoing; some elements are implemented with the knowledge that something is the case, but then new material for the series comes out and it turns out that that thing is not the case anymore. Also, I do some male-centric gender equality because men are hated in current year thanks to SJWs and anime is sexist due to its constant focus on females.

How the involvement started

Madoka Magica was introduced to the project in 2012. In the mainstream series, they were introduced in the Series 7 Salacian Time War arc with seemingly no context, but they had a two-parter introduction in a spinoff series featuring the Fourth Doctor. I didn’t write the episodes, but I did use the titles in a couple fanfictions, titled Grief and Souls and The Girl Who Lives Forever, which showed my “interpretation” of the episodes, which was essentially the Doctor being involved in the plot of Madoka Magica. Looking back, it was a bit cringey and I’ll admit, I never watched the series in its entirety more than a few times, so my understanding of the series wasn’t as deep.

Much of the details I provide here may not match my initial visions back in 2012, not that it matters in the context of this series. On top of that, the ongoing state of the series has led to changes in the status quo, as this instalment details.

For the purposes of this project, Mitakihara is located northwest of Cardiff, past the Brecon Beacons along the A470 road.

Takumi Kamijō: The Magical Boy

Events here take place following the end of the TV anime. When the Salacian Time War happened, Parker enlisted Homura, Mami and Kyōko to be part of his army of 72. At the same time, Hiroki was kidnapped by Akari’s cousin, Daniel, and taken to his base in the Serra do Mar mountain range where he was subjected to the Dehydrator. Takumi was born from Hiroki’s sixth incarnation as a result of the ensuing meta-crisis regeneration. This left Hiroki requiring help to regenerate fully, resulting in Takumi’s “twin”, Kumiko, being born some time after.

It should be noted that at this point in time, Takumi appeared similar to Hiroki with black hair and he didn’t have a name yet. Also, due to the nature of Kumiko’s birth, Takumi would refer to Hiroki and Akari as his parents even though he would be considered Hiroki’s “sibling”.

After finding some clothes to wear, Takumi leaves the base and walks through the mountains to Santos, where he joins the battle against the Salacians at its climax. Following the battle’s end, Takumi makes his way to the Doctor and Parker, who entrust him to Kyōko and give him the task of working together with the magical girls to defend Mitakihara. At this point, Takumi moves on to his own spinoff series, aptly named Puella Magi Takumi Magica.

Upon arriving at Kyōko’s hotel room, Takumi sees her feeling sad and gets her to open up to him (somehow). It is then that he learns about Sayaka and her sad story, at which point he decides to “evolve” himself into a “reincarnation” of her by using the 15 hours of residual regeneration energy to turn his hair and eyes blue. Seeing his new appearance and likening it to the sea, he decides to give himself the name Takumi, though Kyōko states that while he may look like Sayaka, he will never be her, a fact which Takumi acknowledges.

Some time after, while exploring Mitakihara on his own at night, he encounters Kyōsuke Kamijō and Hitomi Shizuki, the two people who made Sayaka heartbroken. Following them to an alley, Takumi finds a metal pipe and beats the two of them up as revenge for Sayaka. He also decides to torture Hitomi by beating Kyōsuke up even more. They are only saved from certain death when Homura, Mami and Kyōko see the scene and pull Takumi away. This event leads Hitomi to make a contract with Kyubey and become a magical girl, wishing for the strength to fight back against Takumi.

After witnessing Homura, Mami and Kyōko fighting wraiths in the city, Takumi becomes determined to become a magical girl, or rather, boy, so that he can work together with them to defend Mitakihara like the Doctor asked him to. Though they initially laugh it off, the girls take Takumi to see Kyubey, but he refuses to make a contract with him because he is not a girl. After Takumi breaks the necks of a thousand Kyubey clones, he relents and allows Takumi to make a contract with him out of interest to see what would happen. Takumi wishes to honour Sayaka’s legacy by fighting in her place and as such, he gains powers similar to that of Sayaka’s. Unbeknownst to Kyubey at the time, fulfilling Takumi’s wish would be his undoing.

(These are just my impressions of what Takumi’s magical boy form would look like. Art by モリコ/とーま, purincipium/flaon and gureipu)

This ends the first major arc of the spinoff. Moving into the second major arc, Takumi learns that there are magical girls scattered all over Mitakihara and the world and makes it his mission to unite them as one. As such, Homura, Mami and Kyōko become the first members of Takumi’s team. Learning about how the Soul Gems and Grief Seeds work, Takumi uses this information (and latent Time Lord knowledge, yada yada yada) to invent the Incubation Cleanser, which would automatically purify any Soul Gems put inside it so that magical girls can fight without fear of falling into despair and disappearing/becoming witches. Think of it like in Rick and Morty when Zeep created the Miniverse as a replacement for the Gooble Boxes.

Hitomi, now a magical girl, finds Takumi and fights him as revenge for attacking her and Kyōsuke. After a couple of skirmishes, Hitomi decides to challenge Takumi to a battle – if he wins, she will join his team, but if she wins, she gets to take Takumi’s life. Takumi comes out victorious in the challenge and Hitomi joins his team, with Takumi forcing Kyōsuke to become a magical boy as security to ensure Hitomi’s loyalty. It is also at this point that Takumi takes on the surname Kamijō.

Takumi leads his team to Asunaro City in an attempt to recruit more magical girls for his team, despite being warned that they would be stepping onto the territory of other magical girls in the process. After some conflict, Takumi would gain the cooperation of Kazumi and the Pleiades Saints. He then found a place to establish a base for him and his group, which he names Torchwood Pleiades in honour of the two groups.

This is all that I have written for the series’ setting. Only two seasons of the spinoff were broadcast in 2012-13; the developments that follow are post-spinoff. During the course of the spinoff, Takumi and Kyōko’s relationship develops, but their resolution would be revealed in the mainstream Doctor Who series. Due to various factors, Kazumi Subaru, Kaoru Maki and Umika Misaki would be the only surviving members of the Pleiades Saints by the end of the spinoff.

The Rebellion Incident

Takumi’s character was created in 2012 during the development of the three Madoka Magica films. Learning that Sayaka would be revived in The Rebellion Story raised a conflict between her and Takumi, given that the latter was created as a replacement character for the former. As a result, Takumi did not have any involvement for most of my 2014 stories, mostly because I didn’t know what to do with them. I later figured out a solution and planned to write a special for Takumi Magica titled Afterrebellion, but I never got past the first chapter. What I’m about to tell you know is an impression of what that story would be like.

During the 50th Anniversary Series in 2013, Takumi and Torchwood Pleiades would have significant involvement in the stories. Takumi gained a sonic modulator from one of the enemies of the series and modified it for his own use. In the sixth block, the spirit of Sayaka transforms Takumi into herself for some temporary bullshit I didn’t write. In the ninth block, Takumi reveals that he is aware about the upcoming events when he says that there is a worse day coming for him, much worse than Hiroki’s death or Koshi Castle. Takumi and Kyōko get engaged at some point, but Takumi delayed their marriage in order to deal with the oncoming issue.

Around the events of The Rebellion Story, Kyubey came to regret making Takumi a magical boy because his actions subverted everything he was working for. He exiled Takumi to a pocket dimension, which he later came out of somehow. When Takumi came back, he saw Sayaka and quickly realised that he would lose everything, even Kyōko, if he allowed her to live as she was; after all, his main purpose for the past couple of years was to take her place and he couldn’t be left with nothing after everything he had done. Takumi proceeded to quickly confront Sayaka and absorb her into himself.

What follows is a fight between Takumi and Sayaka; since Takumi wouldn’t allow Sayaka to leave his body, she decides to fight him for control of his body. It was easy for Takumi to conceal the fact that he was having an internal conflict in public; since his face and hair wouldn’t necessarily be that different, he just had to wear a big-ass coat or something that wouldn’t show Sayaka’s breasts popping out every time she managed to gain control of his body.

Despite Takumi’s best efforts however, all is unravelled one night when Kyōko tries to have sex with Takumi. Kyōko discovers what is going on and after Takumi and Sayaka explain themselves, Kyōko gets them to find a way to cooperate. Eventually, the two distinct individuals become in sync with each other, allowing Sayaka to take control of or split from Takumi’s body. Takumi and Sayaka would later experiment having sex with themselves and having a threesome with Kyōko.

By the end of 2014, Takumi and Kyōko got married. This plot point wasn’t mentioned at the time, but in a way, Sayaka and Kyōko got married as well thanks to it. It’s honestly astonishing how much fanart I see of male Kyōko with female Sayaka but not male Sayaka with female Kyōko. I honestly think it would have been easier for Takumi to be in Kyōko’s place, but she’s not the dead girl at the start, Sayaka was.

Anyway, following the events of The Rebellion Story, which was nicknamed “the Rebellion incident” by Takumi, Homura exiled herself from Torchwood Pleiades in order to fulfill her role as the devil of the new world. Thanks to whatever Homura did (I didn’t watch the movie, I only relied on wiki info lel), the Incubation Cleanser was made redundant, but witches, wraiths and magical girls still existed and therefore, so was Torchwood Pleiades. Takumi reformed his team, with the exception of the Pleiades Saints, and somehow recruited Madoka to replace Homura’s place, giving her what was necessary for her to be a productive member of the team.

The Next Evolution

Alongside the Shinkengers, the Magirangers were one of the first teams to join UNIT’s Superhero Project during its beta testing stage in 2014, with two more magical girls joining them in 2018:

MagiRed: Kyōko Sakura

MagiYellow: Mami Tomoe

MagiBlue: Takumi Kamijō

MagiPink: Madoka Kaname

MagiGreen: Hitomi Shizuki

MagiShine: Kyōsuke Kamijō

Wolzard (Fire): Homura Akemi

MagiIce (Mother): Nagisa Momoe

While developing the equipment, Takumi accidentally created an extra MagiPhone because he forgot about Homura’s situation. He attempted to seek one of the remaining Pleiades Saints to give it to, but he was attacked by Homura, who stole the spare MagiPhone and used it to transform into Wolzard.

In one of the Superhero Project preludes, the Magirangers and Shinkengers worked together to defeat Hiroki and Narutaki, who had been turned into Grim Reaper vessels by Evil Death.

The Magirangers’ main feature in Gokaiger would be in the second episode, which follows the storyline of the third episode of the original Gokaiger. After the Gokaigers were separated by Salamandam’s volcanic blast, Takumi would test the Doctor and Marco to see if they were worthy of using the Magirangers’ Megazord Powers. Kyōsuke would give Kai a test as well by having him fight Wolzard, who defeats him in a Megazord battle.

The second part of the episode features Homura attacking the Gokaigers, Magirangers and Dekarangers as Wolzard with her Nightmares and Homulilly minions. Once the Magirangers and Dekarangers defeat Homura’s minions, the Gokaigers morph into the Dekarangers to finish off Wolzard. After the Gokaigers defeat the Centaurus Wolf Megazord, Homura fights them as Homulilly, only to be defeated by the Legendary Patrol Megazord. Following the battle, Takumi is insistent on having Homura rejoin Torchwood Pleiades, but Sayaka says that they “don’t need a demon like her”.

Later on, Homura fights alongside Takumi and her former friends in the crossover special when the Rangers and Riders are turned against each other. She would appear again in the series finale alongside Nagisa when they fight Prince Vekar’s invasion fleet with the other Rangers.

In the third Space Squad movie, Rassilon would accuse Takumi and his brothers of being homophobic due to them “taking” their girls away from their true (lesbian) lovers. Sayaka doesn’t blame Takumi for doing what he did; in fact, she is grateful to him for keeping her legacy alive when she wasn’t and now, she only wants to make sure that everyone can be happy.

Before I can continue with Takumi’s story, I will need to cover another story first, which is the story of the other magical boy, Yuki Yamaki. Once again, I’d like to remind everyone that Takumi’s backstory was retroactively written following his introduction because of the way I liked to write stories back then. See you in the next instalment for the continuation of this saga.

ANOTHER MC! YES I KNOW SO MANY OOF LOL. 

Match up as usual.

I honestly had trouble coming up with her personality- Like…making someone whose mature and older sisterly and whose also a idol for some reason is hard??? idk oof. Less sad MC this time but still with a bit of tragedy. But she’s not unable to move on like Marina, or manipulated by Rika into Mint Eye through Rika by making her trust her like Sayaka, so yeah.

No drawing this time, I have to do my math and science finals after this so oof.

Full Name: Yeona Mae

International Age: 25 (AS) 26 (OS)

Korean Age: 26 (AS) 27 (OS)

Nicknames: N/A

Blood Type: O+

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Marital Status: Single; Has Had 3 Previous Serious Relationships, the third of which would have resulted in marriage had her fiancee not passed away.

Ethnicity: Korean

Nationality: South Korea

Religion: Catholic

Birthdate: September 14th, 1990

Zodiac: Virgo

Height: 5′5 ft (165 cm)

Weight: 130 lbs (58 kgs)

*Status: Alive (All Routes Except Certain Endings)

Cleansed (V’s B1, and all of Ray’s bad endings) 

*In the secret ending, if she is not the MC, Yeona is kidnapped by Unknown by order of Rika (due to her extreme amount of influence and connections) and was about to go through her cleansing ceremony before the whole fiasco with V’s death. 

Yeona is also kidnapped in Another Story regardless of route if she is not the MC, and her fate differs based on the ending. If on V’s route and Bad Ending 1 occurs, she is cleansed and becomes part of Mint Eye since she was not able to escape with V, the MC, and Seven (and Myung if she exists in the timeline. Remember, there are multiple different timelines in the world of SV’s (short for SerendipitousValkeria) version of the Mystic Messenger universe.). Yeona escapes in all of V’s other endings. 

In Ray’s route she escapes alone after Ray manages to help her escape before he hurries to help the MC of the route; note only if Ray’s Bad Ending 3 has not had it’s required conditions fulfilled will she be able to escape, so if she does not that would become a sign that your at the point of no return to Ray’s B3. she also does not escape in any of the other bad endings Ray has. 

Occupation: Second child of the CEO of a company similar in size to C&R, one of the most popular Idols in South Korea.

Hobbies: Singing, Working Out (Not As Much As Zen Does, Though), Swimming, Visiting Her Fiancée’s Grave

Likes: The Ocean, Swimming, Playing Tennis, Taking Long Walks On Beaches, The Smell of Lavender, Listening To Music, Musicals, Watching Zen’s Musicals, Concerts

Dislikes: Echo Girl, Spiders, Alcohol, Her Mother, People Liking Her Only For Her Beauty, People Who Tell Her To “Just Get Over Your Fiancée Already!”

Affiliations: RFA 

Mint Eye (V’s B1, Ray’s B1, B2, and B3) 

Relatives: Father

Mother

Older Brother (2 years older)

Younger Brother (3 years younger)

Younger Sister (5 years younger) 

Unnamed Fiancée (Deceased)

Background: Yeona Mae is the second child of the CEO of a successful company which specializes in a variety of things. Her entire life she has mostly been pampered like a princess almost, however, she was always taken care of by people other than her parents, who were busy running the company, leading to her basically having to raise herself. She was also jealous of her older brother a lot due to him being the “favorite” since he was the heir to the company and was constantly fawned over by her parents, who ignored her and her younger brother and sister. She ended up also having to raise her younger siblings since they were also ignored by her parents. When she was 5 she went to her first concert, which caused her interest in music and singing. As time went on she started taking singing lessons. When she decided to start her career as a idol when she was 19, she explicitly told her parents she was going to start from scratch and build up her career on her own without their money or help, which they respected and haven’t in anyway influenced her career as a idol since. Her career started to really kick off when she was 21, with the release of her 10th song, “What Is Love?”, which was conceptualized with the question of “What is love, really?” as Yeona had no real concept of what love was since her parents were quite obviously in a loveless relationship, having more kids for the sake of having extra heirs in case of Yeona’s older brother being unable to take over the company when her father dies. Yeona’s first relationship was the first time she had ever really known what love was like, and despite the relationship not working out in the end, her and her first love are still friends. Yeona’s second relationship was with a fellow idol, but again, it didn’t work out. Yeona’s third relationship did end up working out as her third lover ended up proposing to her, and she said yes. However, tragically, her fiancée died in a car accident due to his friend being drunk and driving without him knowing and they both died in the crash. Yeona was devastated and put her idol career on hold to mourn. Because of the loss, Yeona ended up believing she could never love someone like that again because she was so lost in what to do, since her future with her fiancée was now gone and she didn’t know what to do with herself. However, eventually, she managed to move on somewhat and started back up her idol career with the song “Hearts Separated By Death”, then followed by it’s sequel, “Mended Heart”. Yeona got into swimming a little bit after her fiancée’s death as something to distract herself from everything and keep her mind off things.

Yeona could be described as a big sisterly sort of person, caring very much for those around her due to the fact she had to raise herself and her two younger siblings. Yeona overall lives in the present, especially after her fiancée died, preferring not to plan because things could go to shit very quickly. She enjoys every second and like to savor happy little moments and just not think about everything else. She also can be a bit absent minded, getting lost in her own world sometimes because of a desire to go to a world where everything can last forever- of course, she knows it’s a stupid fantasy that can never come true. Yeona also is very good at reading people, and it’s very hard to hard to hide what your feeling from her. It’s also hard to lie to her, though someone like Rika could still manage to deceive her. Yeona also has a smart mouth and can be very sassy and sarcastic when she wants to be. Yeona always heavily enjoys teasing people. 

Trivia:

1. Yeona has red hair (a little different than Saeyoung’s and Saeran’s) and green eyes.

2. Yeona’s most popular song is a song about her experience when her third boyfriend (and former fiancée) died in a car accident, called “Hearts Separated By Death”, created 7 months after he died.

3. Yeona’s favorite color is teal. 

4. Yeona despises Echo Girl but pretends to be “completely neutral” toward her.

5. Yeona is a fan of Zen and has met him before. She has often praised his work in public and in private. Their casual friends. 

6. Yeona has often had to debunk rumors about her and Zen being in a secret relationship because everyone wants to see the “prettiest idol around” and the “handsomest actor around” get together. She has stated she is still not in any position to get into another relationship (considering her fiancee died only 2 months before Rika “died”, so 20 months (or a year and 6 months) ago in CS and DS and 3 months ago in AS). 

7. Since she comes from a wealthy family, Yeona had the resources to learn multiple languages, and so besides Korean and Korean Sign Language, Yeona is also fluent in: English, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese, as well as their forms of sign language, which has been useful due to her little brother (who is 3 years younger) being born mute. — Submission

I match with you... 

V! 

You’re the kind of person that cares about everyone around you. It’s never really been about you. It’s been about everyone else in the room and it’s hard for you to accept that you can be selfish sometimes. It’s unfortunate, but it happens far more often than it should to many people. Still, you don’t let it get you down as much as it might, but it’s hurting your heart whether you want to open up about this fact or not. It makes it hard for you to reach out to others when you do find yourself catching feelings because how does one open up when they’re not sure what love should feel like? 

Gonna go out on a limb and say that you need the kind of partner that understands what you’re going through and won’t force you to rush and do anything. You and V are both the type that needs to be friends before you rush headstrong into something. There’s a lot that you could learn from each other on the front of opening up about what hurt you in the first place. So, you’re the types to exchange letters, texts, and late night phone calls as friends before romance ever hits. 

He may be the quiet type but he is supportive, he admires that you have the confidence to do what you wanted even if it made someone upset. He wishes that he would have had that gall when he was younger. No changing the past but he’s happy to spend his future with you. He can be a bit-scattered himself so you both need to be on top of each other when it comes to times and dates. 

[Where My Twin Watches]: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Episode 4

Heyo! Sorry for the radio silence, I got moved to a longer morning shift at work this week, kept on getting home and falling asleep straight away. Now where did we leave off? ...oh. Right. Mami. *deep breath* Alright, PMMM. Do your worst.

Someone’s running? Wait, is this Kamijo’s (fancy) hospital room? Why is the bed empty? Oh, Sayaka! How are you… yeah, not even going to bother asking how you feel after seeing Mami get eaten, jesus christ. Anyways, Kamijo’s in Physical Therapy, so she can’t see him. So Sayaka just walks away as the strings start, we see Kamijo actually in Physical Therapy struggling to walk (so the accident not only messed up his ability to play music, but even to walk), and the nurses confirm that even if he is able to walk again he’ll probably never be able to play the violin. *checks time* and we’re only one minute into this damn episode. Where the hell is the cheery magical girl slice of life show I was promised?! And Sayaka’s in the elevator, wondering why it was Kamijo that got hurt. Her fingers are fine… “Why couldn’t it have been me instead of Kyosuke?” Well. Looks like someone’s got some survivor’s guilt from the Mami incident bleeding over to another injured person. Sayaka? Sayaka, listen to me. Are you listening? Ok, look. YOU ARE A MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRL. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE HAVING THESE THOUGHTS. THESE ARE NOT HEALTHY THOUGHTS FOR ANYONE TO HAVE. YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW. But of course she can’t hear me, and continues to beat herself up, wondering what Kamijo’s reaction to her healing him would be. (I assume she’s not in the right frame of mind to consider that it would likely be along the lines of “Holy crap what the hell just happened.”) No! Sayaka, no, stop that! You are not ‘a horrible person’! Stop feeling guilty about things that are absolutely not your fault! Whoa, what the hell? It’s still the original intro? … How dare you. How dare you, PMMM?! You spring that last episode on me, and then you just pull up this poppy little sequence of lies and act like nothing has changed? You still show the three on top of the damn radio tower! Episode 4: Miracles and Magic Are Real Ok, nope. Sorry, but I am too angry at PMMM to continue tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow, but damn it show, you can’t just have all of the sadness and then bring up a bright cheery intro and title like that, and pretend you’re still cute and not secretly enjoying my crushed innocence.

*one angry sleep later*

*Watches Intro Sequence of Lies* Ok, I think I’m back into the requisite ‘wanting to hug and shield these precious babies from the horrible writers’ mindset. Lets get to it! The Kaname house! Still as Modern Art-esque as ever, I see. The family is all in the kitchen and… oh. While Father is cooking in his apron and Mother in her business attire is cleaning the little boy’s face, Madoka is… just sitting there. Not talking, not touching her food just… slightly hunched over, looking down. Looking at the egg yolk. Yellow like Mami’s improbable hair- no don’t show that scene again she’s twitching uniform poof GUH. Madoka just got snapped out of it when Mother tells her to hurry and eat, otherwise she’ll be late for school. Guh. I know that there’s no way for the family to know, but school probably isn’t Madoka’s biggest concern right now. And Madoka can’t even take a bite of her breakfast without breaking into tears. Father can only ask if it tastes bad, or something. … I know that on some level I think that’s funny, but it’s kinda far down under the weight of this middle-school girl having flashbacks about seeing her friend get eaten alive. Who can only barely talk about how it tastes good and she’s alive to eat it. Cut to the road to school, Sayaka is being surprisingly talkative today, mostly at Hitomi while Madoka is being very quiet. Well, not verbally, but she does shoot a mind message to Sayaka who asks if they can talk about it later. In class the teacher is talking about marriage and relative ages for some reason, I suspect this isn’t part of the intended lesson. And Homura is glancing back at the girls. I honestly can’t tell what she’s thinking. “Good, looks like they were scared off?” “It’s sad that their friend died, but now there’s no-one in my way?” “Mwahaha, my evil plan is going perfectly?” Up on the wide open rooftop again, the girls are talking about how different things are now. “It feels like we’re in a foreign country or something.” The non-magical girl parts of their world are still the same, but it feels so… distant now. And that’s because no-one else knows about the witches. Or Mami. (Wait, sudden thought. Mami lived on her own in the apartment. And it was implied that she was an orphan from the car crash. Who’s going to notice that she’s gone? Her landlord, if she was renting the apartment? Maybe the school when she doesn’t show up? Are there no other friends or family who would notice?) Oof, loaded question now. “Do you still want to be a magical girl, even now?” They don’t have an answer. I don’t think I have one either. And now Madoka’s crying (nooo, don’t do that) and saying she know’s it’s “selfish” to back out now, but she can’t go forward. She’s scared. Middle-school girls, remember. Mami really was kind to make them understand the risks. Would have been better if she hadn’t died as an object lesson, but maybe it can still help them. Yeah, what is going to happen to Anime City now, show mascot? I mean, the Protagonist and Sidekick are pretty set on Refusing the Call, but that still leaves witches running around. Kyubey says that with Mami gone, other magical girls are likely to move in and hunt the witches. I’m torn between curious at seeing outside magical girls moving in and jockeying for the territory, and thinking that Homura isn’t likely to let that happen. Maybe there are a few more conveniently-placed Grief Seeds in the future… Whoever ends up here, at least they should deal with the witch probl- WHOA WHAT “But I think the only ones who have a right to judge their actions are their fellow magical girls, who bear the same destiny as they do.” What the hell, Kyubey? You may be right, but that’s a rather hefty statement to use against two girls grieving over a friend. Well. It seems that Kyubey is leaving to search for other girls to contract. That’s… rather mercenary of you, Kyubey. You’re just going to leave what I can only assume is a day after Mami’s death to find another magical girl? I understand the witches need to be fought, but that’s colder than I thought you’d be. I’m not sure what to think right now. Well, at least he’s apologizing for getting them involved to this point. Goodbye, Rabbit-Thing. I’d say goodbye, but I honestly have no idea if we’re going to see you later. Seriously, I have no idea. I mean, we’re four episodes into a twelve episode show, and I don’t think the other two-thirds are going to just be about our two characters walking around school while having PSTD flashbacks. But then again, I didn’t call the last episode, so who the hell knows.

“I’m sorry.” Aw no. We’re at Mami’s door. And Madoka’s ringing the bell. I don’t think anyone’s going to answer, honey. Inside the theme’s picked up by bells as Madoka’s silhouette puts her notebook of magical girl costumes on the table, before she starts to cry again and apologize for being so weak. She leaves Homura. Now is not the time. Stay away from my babies. Wait. What’s going on? “You’re blaming yourself too much for this, Madoka Kaname. No one could criticize you for anything you’ve done. And even if they did I wouldn’t permit it.” Um. What? Where did this come from? With Mami and Kyubey gone, do you not see Madoka as a threat anymore? Where did this ‘permit’ stuff come from? Ah, ok. Homura knows that Madoka’s realized the danger now, doesn’t need to make heavy-handed “back off or your family gets it” threats anymore. Huh. I… did not see this coming. Homura and Madoka are talking, and instead of Homura being all spooky and mysterious she’s… actually being calm. Mami didn’t heed her warning, but Madoka’s safe from the danger now. “I was able to change yours (fate).” This is actually a really impressive twist. Sure, Homura may still be focused on her own power, but it seems she can tolerate others if they don’t interfere in her plans. If Madoka’s not going to make a contract, then she really isn’t a threat to her ambitions. It’s one thing to deal with people who mess up your plans, it’s another to target innocents. And Homura seems to not want to cross that line. ...maybe I was a little too quick to put Homura on the List? But then again, Madoka’s the protagonist. If Homura’s up to what I think she is (summon the Flying Thing from the vision to increase her power), then I doubt Madoka’s going to just stand by even if she’s scared now. Which would interfere with Homura. Welp, whatever will come later, at least now Homura’s being less overtly evil. Let’s enjoy it for now. Now that the two are talking, Madoka’s taking the chance to ask Homura about her time as a magical girl. Has she seen death like yesterday? “Yes.” “How many?” “Too many to try keeping count of anymore.” Aaand creepy music’s back. Madoka’s wondering about Mami’s apartment, and wow that’s rather blunt, Homura. Mami had no close relations (orphan confirmed). It’ll be a long time before anyone other than our characters notice she’s missing and file a report on her. ...wait, wasn’t she a student at the school? I’d think the attendance officer might have something to say about that. Aw, and since Mami died in a labyrinth her body stayed there. So even when a report is filed there will be no one to find. “In this world, she will simply remain a missing person forever.” I get that she was your rival and thus in your way, Homura, but could you show a little tact? Madoka just lost a new friend in a gruesome way. “That is the end that all magical girls meet.” And we’re back to the Philosophy of Homura that I’m gathering: Magical girls are rivals for power and thus obstacles to be removed. Non-MGs are to be warned away from the path, if they contract then they are obstacles, but if they do not then they are no threat and can be tolerated. And now I’m remembering that it was Homura placing the Grief Seed at the hospital that resulted in Mami’s death. Not sure if she thought she could deal with the resulting Witch before any bystanders got hurt or just didn’t care in order to ‘remove’ Mami. Back on the List you go. Madoka’s crying again at Homura’s frank descriptions. Mami fought to protect the city, not just gather Grief Seeds. And to have her ‘reward’ be obscurity… Homura’s talking about that being the cost of the Wish, that it can’t be helped. “I won’t forget… I’ll never forget about Mami!” Yes. YES. You tell her, Madoka! Screw Homura’s bleak outlook, you’re the Protagonist! So what if Homura is an experienced Magical Girl who defeated the Witch that killed your friend. Homura backs down in the face of Madoka’s optimism, saying something placating about how that will make Mami happy. “I envy her.” Wow. Ok, this episode is making me rethink my opinion of Homura. I mean, I still hold her earlier threats against her and that she caused Mami’s death, but we’ve seen that being a magical girl is no cakewalk. Without anyone to talk to like Mami had Kyubey, she “You too, Homura!” What. “I swear I’ll never forget you either!” Homura. Homura, the all-loving Protagonist Madoka is offering you friendship. This is your chance to not go and summon the Flying Thing. Please, pull a Viral, you can still join the good girls. Homura has a very blank face. I don’t think she can process this thing humans call “friendship”. Aw. She just clenched her fist. She isn’t going to go for it, is she? “You’re too kind for your own good.” Yup, she’s back to being the mysterious lone magical girl. Hairflip, warning that being kind in this Urobuchi world may lead to greater tragedy, and away she walks. Madoka’s left standing on the bridge. Back at the hospital! Sayaka’s visiting Kamijo again, who’s listening to “The Girl With the Flaxen Hair.” Good taste! We’re getting some character development as Sayaka talks about her listening to classical music, how she was taught by Kamijo. Daw, that’s cute and explains how they met. Wait. “Are you torturing me?” What are you ta- Oh. Oh no. We know that Kamijo’s injured and can’t play, and probably will never play again. We saw him crying the last time Sayaka visited him when he listened to music. Sayaka’s been trying to cheer him up, but instead it’s just highlighting that he can’t perform what he’s listening to. Ouch. Kamijo’s freaking out now as he’s yelling about he can’t stand listening to things the accident has barred him from following again, he smashes the CD player and there’s blood on the sheets, Sayaka’s grabbed his arm and he can’t even feel the pain of the cuts. Sayaka’s trying to calm him down, saying that someday they’ll find a treatment. “They said that I had no chance of ever performing again.” Whoa. Ok, whichever doctor said that to a patient is in dire need of remedial training, and secondly this is a super high-tech and advanced city compared to our own, you can’t just say “Oh, there’s no way that technology could ever solve this current problem.” Science doesn’t work like that, it keeps going until somebody finds a solution. “He said that with current medicine, it just wasn’t possible.” Right, that’s exactly my point! Current medicine sucks, it’s the medicine of tomorrow that is awesome! Hold up. “Not until the day miracles or magic start existing in this world.” Ah. AH. She’s going to do it, calling it now. Sayaka’s going to Wish for a treatment for Kamijo’s hand and become a Magical Girl. And then Sayaka becoming a MG will prompt Madoka to help her friend, and the two will become the new protectors of Anime City. And then Homura will get ticked, and the show will continue. Oh boy. “Miracles… and magic… are real!” Title drop! And Kamijo’s probably thinking that Sayaka’s trying too hard right now. If you only knew, boy… Kyubey! You’re back! I guess I underestimated you, good to see you again. Let’s get to Wishing! Later that night, it seems Madoka’s walking around bummed that Homura didn’t want to make friendship bracelets. Hey, it’s Hitomi, the NPC friend of the trio! How are you doing? Wait, what’s with the blank look and sudden gong? And the tattoo on her neck AAAAAAH IT’S A WITCH’S KISS NO NO NO Hitomi’s speaking in an airy voice, going somewhere “far better than here”. Yeah, she is totally mind-controlled. Damn it, we need Sayaka to make that contract and help out Hitomi now. Wait, now she’s telling Madoka to follow along. Madoka, no. You have no powers and a Witch is clearly involved. Flag down a cop, and tell them that you think your friend is high on something, get them to detain her. But whatever you do do not follow! Great, you’re following the the prancing hypnotized girl to “somewhere better”. Isn’t the whole point of Witch Kisses to drive people to their labyrinth’s for suicides and murders? Madoka, you following along is less than useless, you’re only putting yourself in danger. Leave and get someone else! Call Sayaka, there’s no way you don’t have her phone-number, tell her to call the cops while you follow from a safe distance. Hell, yell for Homura! “Hey Mysterious Transfer Student, my friend is being controlled by a Witch! Follow us if you want another Grief Seed! And, you know, don’t let innocents die?” Ooooh crapbaskets. There are more people, a lot of Shufflers around them now. And now Madoka’s beating herself up for not having Homura’s number. Ok, maybe I’m being a bit unfair, you only just realized she wasn’t planning to kill now that you’ve renounced the power. Now they’re inside some sort of warehouse, as a man mutters about how he couldn't keep a factory running. CRAP the gate just shut. Madoka’s trapped in a building full of Shufflers and presumably nearby a Witch’s labyrinth. I believe the technical term for this is FUBAR. Why is a lady carrying a bucket? And setting the bucket down? What is she pouring into the bucket, and why does it look like this other man has a container of gas? Flashback! (colors are a big contrast to the green of Creepy Factory) Mother is teaching Madoka to differentiate between two sorts of bottles, “or the results could be fatal.” Aw crud, whatever these chemicals are causes a fire or toxic gas or something, right? The entire factory of Shufflers is going to die. (Homura, Sayaka, pretending-to-be-dead-for-some-reason-but-really-alive Mami, anyone?) Madoka rushes forward OUCH she just got struck in the midriff by psycho Hitomi, preventing her from getting closer. She tries to warn that the chemicals are dangerous, and Hitomi’s all “Uh, yeah? That’s the point, we’ll die and go to a new world.” Heaven’s nice and all, Hitomi, but you aren’t supposed to take shortcuts! The Shufflers’ are applauding Hitomi’s witch-induced speech, Madoka breaks free and grabs the Death Bucket, throwing it out the window. Yes! Wait, no! The Shufflers’ are pissed, and going full-on zombie as they chase her. Window’s locked, got to find another way door! Get in get in get in lock it whew. Ok, she’s stuck in some sort of closet, but at least the Shufflers can’t get her. Wait, NO! Art’s going trippy, weird sounds and music, WITCH! Madoka’s in the Labyrinth! Sayaka, Homura, ANYONE! Trippy TVs in the background, monochrome angle-fairies grabbing her, she’s screaming and her artwork’s going all wobbly JEBUS she just got ripped apart! … What the hell is wrong with this show? Mami the Awesome dies in Episode 3, and the title character dies in Episode 4?! Wait, it’s still going. Flickering lights, MADOKA! She’s not dead, I don’t think, she’s just drawn without borders now and part of me is impressed with this art style even as the rest of me is screaming in horror that Madoka is trapped in the Labyrinth. She’s stuck spinning around as the angel-fairies shows televisions with Mami’s final battle, their conversation, and her death. This is hell. That’s the only way to describe it. Madoka’s stuck on her own, floating around helplessly as she’s tormented by Mami’s fate. She’s calling herself a coward and liar, thinks that this is a fitting punishment, NO. NO NO NO. Screw you, Witch, you let Madoka go right now. The angel-fairies are pulling her again, she’s screaming again, I can’t Blue light? Lasers? Madoka’s free and the Witch Computer With Wings got smashed, Madoka glitched back to her standard art form and is looking around in confusion. Sayaka?! Sayaka in a cape, moving incredibly fast smashing up the larger angel-fairies, guess that answers the question “did she become a Magical Girl”, I think she’s using a sword as she slams the Witch into the ground and suddenly Homura and she looks pissed. Aw crap. It’s like I thought. If the girls didn’t contract then she would tolerate them, but now Sayaka’s become a Magical Girl. Homura’s new territory is being competed for again. Hitomi’s on the ground as are all the other Shufflers, Sayaka’s apologizing for taking so long to get there. Hey, that’s the outfit from the poster! Madoka is understandably worried about Sayaka becoming a Magical Girl, but Sayaka’s brushing it off and saying she did pretty good for a first Witch battle. Aw crap. Homura’s here, back in the shadows. Sayaka calls her out for being late to the party. Cut to Kamijo, I’m guessing the doctor’s about to come in and apologize for doubting the scientific method. Or Kamijo will just raise his hand and curl his fingers. Oh. Um. So. Sayaka just wished for his hand to be healed. Aw crap. Ok, look, I know it sounds bad when I say that, that I’m making light of a musician regaining the ability to play. But. This wish was shown to heal fatal injuries in Mami’s case, so we can assume that it would be powerful enough to heal a ‘lesser’ injury like Kamijo’s, where his life wasn’t at risk. My question is this: would the wish have worked for a general cure to be discovered, instead of just instant inexplicable healing? That way it could have a reasonable explanation for the doctors and could be applied to other people. This case has just one person benefit, it can’t be replicated (unless another girl makes a contract), and now the doctors are going to be trying to figure out what the hell happened. I know I’ve got the privilege of an outside view, but to me this seems a shortsighted use of a Wish. But of course, it makes sense if we think about Mami’s warning, about using a Wish for another person. Sayaka may not really mean for it to heal the argument between her and Kamijo, but I don’t think he’s going to make the leap in logic that the girl who was talking about miracles and magic earlier was the one who healed him. I… don’t see this ending well. Wait, new person? Eating a burrito or something. Kyubey, hey! Wait, why are you talking to the Food Person? Aparently she heard that “Mami had bought it”, that indicates an outside Magical Girl moving in on the territory. Great, another competitor, I’m sure Homura will love that. Hey, red hair! (I’m sure Tephi liked seeing that) And sharp teeth for some reason. Yup, confirmed for magical girl. Who is now chewing out Kyubey for telling her that the territory is now taken. Oh, so that’s what he was up to between leaving the girls and going back to Sayaka. Aaawkward. Well, Food Girl is annoyed that the territory has been claimed. (Name of Kyoko). And oh shit she’s going to “put the new girl out of commission.” Aw crap, now Sayaka’s got two MG’s going after her between Homura and Kyoko. Wait, sudden flash of smile and word “permanently”. Well, I guess I can’t fault you for confidence. I mean, I’m pissed that you’re targeting my babies, but I’ll give you that. End of episode and driving credits music! Ok, now that my emotions are slightly better than last time, let’s take a closer look. Driving music, glitchy silhouette of Madoka walks past one of a short-haired girl who I think is Sayaka, then a long-haired girl (Kyoko?), Mami sitting down (I miss you, shortest ship ever), another silhouette who- turns and reaches out to Madoka? Wait, is that Homura? She’s the only other MG we’ve seen, so I guess so, but why is she the only one to move? Cut and now Madoka’s form is running then disappears into the distance, an eye opens with a curled up Madoka as the pupil, then fades into a facelike thing before it all fizzled out. Illustration of Madoka in her MG outfit, voice-over of Sayaka getting excited about being a magical girl, taking up Mami’s role as protector of Mitakihara City. Argh, but that title! “There’s No Way I’ll Ever Regret It” Argh no why. Well. I have thoughts on episode, need to really think about Homura’s character development and the impact of this new girl (who Kyubey brought here, I’m not sure what to think about that), but there’s one thing I need to say before I end this section. I WAS RIGHT! Yes, being a magical girl has its risks, and now Sayaka has to deal with an annoyed Homura and this Kyoko girl. BUT. I said it before, the Witches are still out there, and not being a magical girl means that you have no defenses, as we saw with Hitomi. And being a potential contractee like Madoka may be even worse, she could see what was going on but was still trapped in the labyrinth and would have died if Sayaka hadn’t become a Magical Girl and saved her. If last episode was “Why Not to Become A Magical Girl”, then this episode was “Why You Really Do Have To Become A Magical Girl”. Do I have my problems with Sayaka’s Wish? Yes, and unless we get some information next episode to explain that my interpretation is completely wrong about not being for general use then I don’t see that changing. But becoming a Magical Girl in and of itself, getting the power to defend herself, Madoka, Hitomi, and other innocents? That I can wholeheartedly approve of. 

Headcanons: The Children of E Class

I wanted to keep all of my online presences as separate as possible, but the cat’s out of the bag now. I’m Professional Magical Girl on Fanfiction dot net, author of Great Teacher Nagisa, Fake Smiles, and some other miscellaneous AssClass fics. If you are here because of those fics, don’t ask about the url, it’s an inside joke between me and some old high school friends that just stuck. You can follow me if you want, but be warned that my posts are sporadic and generally about Evangelion.

Ah-hem. Anyway, I’m writing a long fic that involves my headcanons about the children of, you guessed it, E Class characters. So here is a master post of all of them. This is subject to be edited at any given time (I will inform my readers in an AN if any major changes have been made). If I don’t list a character here, I probably don’t headcanon them as having children. Or maybe I couldn’t come up with names for the kids yet. But ask away if you have questions about that. I’d prefer to be PM’d on FFN because I get emails for those, but using the ask/message feature on tumblr works too. You can call me Samantha, Professional Magical Girl, did-somebody-say-exorcism, or any variation of any of those.

And yes, I did get this idea from what TheRoseShadow21/Aki-chan2014 did with her headcanons for Ending the End Class. Yes, I did ask for her permission to do the same. Professional Magical Girl is many things, but disingenuous is not one of them.

The premise for Teenage Wasteland (read here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12856407/1/Teenage-Wasteland ) is: Some of the children of former E Class end up in the assassination classroom as a result of time travel. In some cases they will replace their parents, in others they coexist beside them. Not all of these characters will time travel, I’m still debating where to cut the fat. The characters whose names are bolded will definitely be major characters.

Nagisa and Kayano

Backstory: All of Kayano/Akari’s pregnancies were unintentional and back-to-back, leaving her and Nagisa rather unprepared. In spite of their jobs, they were also the first of E Class to have children. Akari managed to hide the children’s existences for many years, often by portraying pregnant characters or by hiding behind countertops. Kayano/Akari, after retiring from show business, now only leaves the house in disguises. All three of the girls are very short and tiny.

Aguri Shiota- Nagisa and Kayano/Akari’s first child, and the viewpoint character and protagonist of Teenage Wasteland. She is very quiet and observant, and as such others seem to see her as dependable, even Kaito (see below) notes her admiringly. While normally an even-tempered person, she is prone to episodes of moodiness, especially after the time travel event. It was rumored that she was born in her mother’s dressing room between shooting scenes for a movie that would later win an Academy Award, but she herself doubts this. She is named after her late aunt (obviously). Very, very much a daddy’s girl. Birthday: June 26, 2024

Hotaru Shiota- Nagisa and Kayano’s middle daughter. She is sweet and bubbly and often plays the comic relief. Her sister describes her as ‘getting calmer the angrier she gets.’ This mood of hers is invoked in the event that she is lied too, which she cannot stand above all else. She also has the ability to hear what people are saying from a distance away, a talent that is made useful many times. Birthday: July 12, 2025

Fujiko Shiota- The youngest of the three girls. She has a severe illness that I will not yet identify (this is a plot point). All of her family is very protective of her. She has a room full of stuffed animals and aggressively sings showtunes at karaoke. She doesn’t feature prominently until the end of the fic. Birthday: June 16, 2026

 Karma and Okuda

Madoka Tachibana (Akabane)- Okuda’s daughter from her first marriage, though Karma adopted her when they married and she calls him ‘Dad’. She has very little contact with her biological father and sees him twice a year at most.  She is easily flustered and is usually the last one to get the joke. She is very close to her half-brother. Birthday: September 16, 2031

Hikaru Akabane- Prankster and musical theatre geek. He is usually the one to hatch some hairbrained scheme to get E Class to their goals at the moment, however mundane those goals may be. Birthday: March 1, 2034

 Isogai

Koyo and Chiyo Isogai- Twins. They both have very jovial attitudes and are excellent students. Koyo is rumored to be the most attractive guy in the whole school. They have no enemies… That we know of. Birthday: February 14, 2031

 Maehara

Backstory: Maehara, predictably, continued to be… himself throughout his young adult life. He was married to the mother of his oldest child, but after they divorced he went back to dating lots of different people, and was on again and off again with the mother of his two younger kids for years. He seems to still want to impress Okano, but suspects that she wants nothing to do with him.

Fumihiko Maehara- Athletic, popular, funny, but is seriously clueless when it comes to girls. Birthday: October 5, 2028

Hatsune Nakano- She gets on well with her older half-brother, not so much her younger full brother. She doesn’t seem to have the best opinion of her father either. Birthday: May 30, 2031

Shiori Nakano- Does not feature as a prominent character. I’m only listing him for posterity’s sake. Birthday: January 7, 2034

 Kataoka

Takahiro Aruta- He is usually the one to take charge in any leadership role, and the rest of the class seems to trust him and feel at peace around him. Aguri describes him as ‘the protective type’. It is a running gag that cats love him and always flock towards him. Birthday: September 3, 2029

Kinoko Aruta- She is very sneaky and loves to eavesdrop and spy in places where she isn’t allowed to be. Aguri speculates that she “Has dirt on all of them”. She knows all the ins and outs of the main campus, some of which she claims she only knows because she bribed one of the five virtuosos (though this may be a joke). Birthday: October 12, 2031

 Sugino

Kintaro Sugino- He and Nobuhiko’s mother left them, in the middle of the night to run away to Fukuoka. It was later uncovered that she was running from the law. Kintaro was five, just old enough to know he was abandoned, and according to Aguri, ‘never really got over that hurt’. They have not seen their mother since, and were raised by their father and stepmother. He is shown to be rather sensitive and gets saddened very easily, he will deadass steal the remote out of someone else’s hands to change the channel if that sad abused pet commercial comes on the tv. He has a crush on Fujiko. Birthday: September 28, 2028

Nobuhiko Sugino- Aguri describes him as being ‘very pure’, he seems to always have an optimistic outlook and doesn’t even remember his biological mother or feel any resentment towards her. He is a terrible judge of character, and is easily influenced by those around him. He seems to look up to Satoru (see below). Birthday: November 2, 2030

Minoru Sugino- Sugino’s son with his second wife. Freaking adorable, but probably will not time travel. Birthday: March 21, 2037

 Kanzaki

Satsuki Kanou- The ‘straightforward’ one, usually playing the straight man to the shenanigans of the others. It is a running gag that she is very stingy with money and will attempt to cut corners wherever possible (for example, she suggests that the giant pudding be made with soymilk instead of regular milk, because soymilk was on sale). Birthday: May 15, 2029

Sayaka Kanou- Kanzaki’s younger daughter. Her sister fusses over her endlessly. Birthday: July 7, 2031

Chiba and Hayami

Satoru Chiba- Along with Satsuki, he is seen as the most level headed of the children, thought he is much less straightlaced than her. Kaguya (see below) has said of him that ‘he could be multiplied by 10 and I wouldn’t mind or notice’. By nature, he is very helpful and is especially kind to children and animals. Unfortunately for him, this is excessive to the point that he acts like a doormat and allows people to take advantage of him. Birthday: June 6, 2027

Midori Chiba- She's the sassy and sarcastic one, and gets in trouble frequently for dressing out of code. She always wears the same pink scarf, no matter what time of year it is. She cannot get along with Satsuki, who calls her ’difficult and argumentative’, while she accuses Satsuki of being ‘stuck-up’. Also a massive Daddy's girl. Birthday: August 2, 2029

 Nakamura

Backstory here: Nakamura moved to Los Angeles after studying abroad in London, and just wound up never leaving. She married a well-to-do golf course manager, who is 100% behind her prank war on the local Home Owner’s Association. After 19 years of marriage and two kids, he left her for the girl across the street. She eventually marries Gakushuu Asano. When Karma heard of this, he literally almost died laughing because he thought it was a joke. (That does not happen yet during Teenage Wasteland, it’s just sort of an aside.)

Her kids were dropped into this timeline and location, with little skills in Japanese. This is a plot point on several occasions.

Liam Carmichael- Athlete. He is shown to be somewhat reserved and keeps the secrets of others well. He also has a good relationship with his mother, taking her advice to heart. He has a bromance with Satoru. Birthday: December 19, 2027

Jeffery Carmichael- Think of the Weasely twins, but one person. Aguri refers to him as having ‘corrupted’ Nobuhiko by teaching him dirty jokes. He has a crush on Midori. Birthday: October 26, 2029

 Hazama

Minami Minnaoka- Her mother is stuck in a loveless marriage to a benefactor of the library she worked at. Minami observes this, and openly wishes that they would divorce. She mostly sticks to herself, but is shown to be friends with Kaguya. Kaito (see below) has described her as a ‘complicated wreck’. Birthday: November 1, 2030

 Yoshida

Kaguya Yoshida- She is considerably droll and witty, which makes her admired by some and feared by others. Midori has affectionately dubbed her ‘The Queen’. Birthday: July 5, 2030

 Hara

Tadaharu Konoda- Has severe chuunibyou. His current dream is to move to America and become an NFL star. Birthday: April 9, 2028

Fumiya Konoda- For reasons unknown, he has earned the nickname “barrel of monkeys”. Birthday: February 26, 2030

 Okano

Kaito Suzuki- He frequently bickers with others (namely Minami), and is generally a bit of an asshole. Aguri speculates that this is because of his parents’ bitter divorce. Whatever the reason, he immediately drops his act around Aguri, as if he respects her. Is shockingly good at math, but not many other subjects. Birthday: November 28, 2029

 Kurahashi

Chitose Mizushima- Her father is the mailman, and describes himself as ‘the best damn mailman in history’ (he also moonlights as an amateur musician). She is described as being breathtakingly beautiful, and has several admirers, including Satoru, Masahiro, and Nobuhiko. She is also tone-deaf (this is played for comedy). Birthday: August 6, 2028

Tarou Mizushima- Her beloved younger brother. It is a running gag that he will always try to help with something, but will usually end up unintentionally ruining it or screwing it up even more. A bit bumbling, but well meaning. Birthday: July 27, 2030

 Kimura

I don’t have any headcanons for these two yet, just names and birthdays. It’s a work in progress.

Masahiro Kimura- Birthday: April 25, 2028

Haruki Kimura- Birthday: April 30, 2032

 Fuwa

Kaworu Miyazawa- He was born through IVF, as his parents had been trying unsuccessfully for a child of many years. As such, he is treated as if he were very fragile, ‘as if he might break’ (according to Aguri’s description), which could not be further from the truth. Birthday: January 3, 2035

Let’s Read & Suffer: Tsukumojuku by Maijō Ōtarō [part 19]

Today`s recap: In which Tsukumojuku finally enters the Illusionary Castle, reunites with a character that I honestly forgot existed, discovers a very convoluted serial killer puzzle, and then things once more get pretty damn meta. [tw: gore]

STORY 4 PART 3

After Tsukumojuku discovered her crime, Serika and Seshiru had to escape once more. They both looked very hurt, with Serika crying and saying that she didn’t want to get separated from Tsukumojuku again, even if she understood that he had his own life now, what with his marriage and kids. [No, I don’t know how he can get married at like 16 either.]

(Love was a memory kept by the whole body. Made in the brain, spread with the blood throughout one’s entire being, and would never cease. ...and the love he once held for Serika was nothing more but a distant memory, he realized.)

When the twins fled Chofu, they left two disembodied hands of a man in the hidden room. According to Serika, that man’s name was Okubo Kengo. Well, that's proof enough. Tsukumojuku returned Ryouko's hollowed-out body to the police, and said that the criminal was Seshiru, leaving out the truth about Serika. A lot of bodies were later pulled out of the river, among them Okubo Kengo.

Tsukumojuku got the 10 million yen prize, transferred half of it to the twins' bank account, bought the magazines for his mother-in-law, and returned home in time. Whew! The mother-in-law questioned why he only got half the money, and he couldn't thought of a reason other than “er, must have dropped it on the way here?”, but it seemed they believed him.

He then learned that since Yanbe Tetsuo, the Illusionary Castle's owner, was quite rich, a prize for solving the Castle case had been funded: 30 million yen, which was something they could definitely use.

–

That night Tsukumojuku read the Third Story. Apparently Okubo Kengo was a serial killer there. In reality... well, you could say a lot of killing was done by his hands. [*rimshot*] In the Third Story, Seiryoin Ryusui was trapped in the Castle... maybe that meant they’d meet tomorrow, once Tsukumojuku got through the underground waterway. (The Castle’s underground... wasn’t that where the monster Gajobun was supposed to live?...) Maybe him thinking about the flag of Gibraltar, showing a key under a castle, really did make sense after all. Did the cross and the crown mean something too?

When he went to the park next morning, there was still a lot of policemen in there, investigating the terrain around the hidden room. A journalist came up to him like “Oh, so you're that Great Detective Tsukumojuku”. Since Tsukumojuku was afraid Ms Suzuki or Tsutomu would learn from the media where he is, he made the journalist faint before he could get any material. The police warned him against more noisy reporters, and didn’t say anything as he entered a manhole, although they looked a bit confused as to why he was doing that. Tsukumojuku went some distance underground, turned on the flashlight he'd brought with him, and looked around.

The waterway was full of ghosts.

STORY 4 PART 4

Of course the waterway was full of ghosts, their faces twisted in sadness or anger; lots of people had died in the Castle. Maybe they were trying to look for their way back? As he walked forward, their numbers increased, until he had to practically squeeze between them to proceed. Finally, he found the place where all the souls were looking up at the same spot. A hole in the ceiling. It seemed no soul could pass through it: a lot of them were frozen in mid-air reaching for it, and Tsukumojuku used that fact to climb them like a makeshift ladder. [Sure.]

Once he climbed out, he noticed a rope ladder, that this “Seiryoin” had probably been using to exit the Castle. If he really was the culprit of the Geneijo case, and these souls were the victims, then it’s kinda weird they didn’t do anything to him.

Tsukumojuku wandered the Castle’s cramped passages for some time before hearing upset voices:

“...I don't knoooow! This makes no sense! Enough! Enough!” “Calm down, Abe.” “I'm serious! I want out of here, right now!” “Stop crying, it's annoying! There's no reason for it! We're fine! Your assistant should be able to do something...” “He’s not my assistant, he’s more like a little brother to me...”

Following the voices, Tsukumojuku opened the door to what looked like a giant chapel, with stone pillars and stained-glass windows. Above the altar, maybe 15m above the ground, a giant crucifix with a figure of Christ was suspended. There were about 20 men and women in the chapel, and one of them was someone very familiar to Tsukumojuku: Abe Atsushi, or Daibakusho Happy. (安倍敦, or 大爆笑ハッピ)

[If just like me you have already forgotten who the hell was that -- it’s that private tutor from the First Story who couldn’t teach for shit, constantly repeated the rakugo “Dowry”, and hanged out with little Tsutomu a lot.]

Tsukumojuku followed Abe’s horrified sight to see what this was all about. On the altar, there was a box with a woman's head inside. Her pale face had a red circle painted on the right cheek, and a blue circle on the left cheek. Her eyes were open, dark eyeliner and fake eyelashes applied. On the box’s inner side was written the name “Geneijo” in red, and the number “5” in blue. On the head's right side somebody had put a clown doll dressed in black.

Oh, and there were 42 other boxes.

Small or large, all rectangular, sometimes containing a head and sometimes half a body. All were decorated with colors, had some kind of toys inside, and were numbered.

Three boxes didn't have bodies: one was numbered “7″ (seventh column from the left) that happened to be next to another “7″. “5″ (tenth column) was empty too, and also had another “5″ as a neighbour. A “1″ (2nd column) also had another “1″ next to it, but instead of being empty, it contained a hand made of clay. So, a double box number would distinguish the empty ones?

The 43 boxes all symbolized individual covers of the 1975-1999 issues of Geneijo, a detective novel magazine. The empty boxes corresponded to '75 July Extra Issue (with Edogawa Ranpo on the cover), and '76 May Special Issue (with Yokomizo Seishi). The box with black clay hands was the '78 New Year Special Issue.

[The next four pages are Tsukumojuku’s drawings of the boxes -- don’t worry, you don’t actually have to pay any attention to these for the plot, but I’m putting them here just because. 

Columns 1-2:

Columns 3-5:

Columns 6-8:

Columns 9-11:

–

Among them Tsukumojuku found Ryouko’s head, wrapped in pink scarf, with lips painted pink. (He hoped the white rose in the box would be, as stupid as it sounded, a bit of a comfort to her lost soul... though her soul was still stuck behind that bookshelf.) 

He quickly understood the reason why the criminal had used 12 bodies from outside the Castle. During its first year being in circulation, the Geneijo magazine was published by a company called Geneisha, which eventually bankrupted. The magazine was from then on published by a new company called just Geneijo. So the first year issues, from February '75 to January '76, were “from outside Geneijo” -- from outside the Castle. And so were the victims.

- - -

Tsukumojuku approached the group of people, and told Abe that he was Tsutomu's older brother. Abe recognized him (“Oh, it’s you! You alright? How did you get here? Does Tsutomu know you’re here?”) Tsukumojuku told them about the waterway entrance, and everyone cheered, for some reason shouting “Kick-kick-kick, four-dimensional kick” in happiness. A tall man thanked Tsukumojuku for coming, said that everyone in the chapel was an entertainment group [as in actors] called the Angel Bunnies, and asked for his name.

“I’m the Great Detective Tsukumojuku.”

The cheering stopped abruptly.

"What the fuck?!” Abe yelled in tears. “That's already the third Great Detective Tsukumojuku! I don't understand anything! Is the world made out of Tsukumojukus?!”

The tall man tried to console Abe saying that it was all fine, they could leave now -- but Tsukumojuku quickly said that actually, they couldn't leave yet, since the criminal may be among them.

“But,” he said, “I can guarantee that the case will be solved in the next 30 minutes!” Just in time to get back home for lunch. “So please be patient and--”

“But that's exactly what the other Tsukumojuku sa-a-aid...!” Abe was completely hysterical, so Tsukumojuku asked everyone else to look away and took off the sunglasses. Now that the nuisance was temporarily gone (along with two other people too curious for their own good who also had looked his way), he put the glasses back on.

The tall man was like “oh shit, that really is the Great Detective Tsukumojuku, what's with the unnatural beauty and all”. Huh? So that other “Tsukumojuku” was just as beautiful as him?

- - -

The Angel Bunnies introduced themselves to Tsukumojuku. [You don’t have to remember these names at all, don’t worry.]

The name of the tall man was Fukushima Manabu (福島学). People who had fainted alongside Abe were Kawabe Keisuke (河辺恵介) and Nakai Sayaka (中井紗也香).

Other members, men: Kawai Kazuhiro (河合一洋), Hongou Takeshi (本郷雄士), Tanaka Masatsugu (田中正嗣), Kumono Takuya (雲野巧也), Hoshino Masato (星野真人), Aoyama Gen (青山元), Furutaka Masayuki (古高雅之).

Other members, women: Mizoroki Fumie (溝呂木文枝), Kajiwara Ayako (梶原亜矢子), Nomura Rie (野村りえ), Obata Aki (尾畑亜紀), Nonaka Mami (野中麻美), Yoshida Yukino (吉田由貴乃), Iwai Yumi (岩井ゆみ).

A total of 19 people. There were 20 of them once, but unfortunately Higashimoto Mika (東元美佳) was currently stuffed in the box symbolizing the November '76 issue of Geneijo.

As for what they were doing there: apparently Tsutomu (now Great Detective Daibakusho Curry) had been invited to the Castle party. He and Abe were a part of the Angel Bunnies, so when he got the invitation to the Castle, everyone went together with him to have some fun.

Needless to say, it wasn’t fun. Among other casualties, Seiryoin Ryusui vanished without a trace the very first day. Other weird shit was going on too. Apparently some actual JDC members had appeared out of nowhere: Ajiro Souji, Hikimiya Yuuya (氷姫宮幽弥), and the Detective God Tsukumo Juku himself. The rumor was that they had come to protest the publishing of Seiryoin's JDC books, and that Tsutomu / Daibakusho Curry was secretly cooperating with them.

Three JDC detectives... each with his own method of reasoning. Ajiro Souji would ponder the topic endlessly, Detective God would wait patiently and gather evidence that showed up with time, and Hikimiya was mostly there to write the data down. Apparently this now meant that Ajiro was worrying himself with Geneijo on a break from his usual telephone detective stuff. Detective God mostly closed himself in his room and napped [probably because why bother when the evidence hadn’t showed up yet?]. Hikimiya was running around and calculate many weird things like how many chairs and bed there was on the first floor (the same that the number of pages in Seiryoin’s Cosmic, apparently), the number of windows (99, like the number of chapters in Joker), and how much space the carpet took (the same as all the illustrations, table of contents etc. in Carnival.)

Hikimiya was now busy reading through the entirety of the library, counting how many times individual characters show up, or some weird specific shit like that. (...Tsutomu’s cooperation probably meant he was taking care of poor Hikimiya while he was working. Tsutomu was just the kind of person who’d want to take care of others.)

- - -

Since the Angel Bunnies had no idea what the hell the Geneijo magazine even was, Tsukumojuku explained.

Geneijo was called that after Edogawa Ranpo's famous essay. The same essay’s name was also given to the mysterious castle showing up in Seiryoin's book -- in these books, the Castle’s owner was even called Hirai Tarou, which happens to be Edogawa Ranpo's true name. In Joker, a serial killer called the Artist killed a whole lot of people in Geneijo, and the JDC detectives had to stop him... but of course, that was just a story. To make things even more meta, in the JDC books there actually appeared a character called “Seiryoin Ryusui” who was simultaneously writing the JDC books.

Just a story... But the JDC detectives had appeared in reality now, as the Angel Bunnies pointed out. But maybe they were just cosplayers, who would made up things using words and numbers -- anagrams, math puzzles, word plays and so on. If you kept doing this long enough, one thing would always lead to another. For example,let’s say we want to connect “words” and “numbers”. If you moved the voiced consonant in “kotoba” (word) from end to beginning you'd get “gotoha” which you can write down as “五とは” which has the number 5 in it, isn’t it just amazing?

Or that the word “suuji” (numbers, 数字) would also be read “suuji” when written as 崇辞, and if you now swapped the second kanji in that for same-reading 詞, you'd get 崇高な詞 (a sublime word?) which are 本物の言葉 (real words). Words within words. Words without unnecessary decorations. (余計な装飾のない言葉). Words by themselves, to sum it up.

[I’m equally confused by the word play onslaught, don’t worry.]

There were a whole lot of these word games, and obviously some common theme would always crop up if you banged one concept into the other hard enough. These puns and anagrams were the essence of the JDC series, so naturally, it wouldn’t be strange that these “hardcore JDC cosplayers” would also love them.

- - -

In an attempt to solve the mystery, Tsukumojuku then took Ryouko’s head out of her box and using a knife carefully cut off her face to make a mask, which caused the horrified Angel Bunnies to run away to the other side of the chapel because what the actual fuck, dude. Tsukumojuku put the makeshift mask on, and just like when putting on her skin, Ryouko’s memories instantly attacked his brain. They were so strong he fell on the floor in convulsions, and actually broke three ribs in the proccess. Too many memories, way too much information, too great of an impact, and then suddenly – the memory from just before death.

Chofu, near the river, late at night. Somebody trying to catch Ryouko – it's Serika, wearing Okubo's hands like gloves. Ryouko ran, but was caught and tackled to the ground. Serika sat on her chest, and yelled for someone to keep her legs down!”. A man with long black hair and glasses -- Seiryoin.

Mystery solved. In Geneijo, Seiryoin was God.

And as he took the mask off, that God’s “Angels” -- Ajiro, Hikimiya and JDC’s own Tsukumo Juku -- entered the chapel along with Tsutomu.

- - -

IMPRESSIONS:

*Maijo voice* how many layers of meta are you on? you’re like a little baby, watch this

Jesus, just how many tiny kanji can you fit on all these diagrams, Tsukumojuku? Good thing the details don’t really seem to matter in the grand scheme of things, at least as far as I’ve read, so I don’t have to translate this mess.

I love the scene with the ghosts. The soul ladder reminded me of the Kars ladder from Jorge Joestar, for some reason.

I don’t know if this is the intentional reading here, but I love the idea that the Detective God would just chill out in his room while shit is going on because he knows how mystery novels work and that the case’s not gonna get solved before the writer wills it. “Gonna take a nap, wake me up once the scared witness gets shot just before revealing the killer’s name.”

In the JDC series, Hikimiya Yuuya specializes in crime statistics and such, which requires him to always carry a laptop he can calculate data with. He loves quoting mystery novels whenever he can. While working as an assisstant to such great detectives like the Detective God or Ryuuguu Jounosuke, he has some complexes about his own power of reasoning. Not a very remarkable guy, at least on first sight.

>>>>NEXT PART>>>>

The Family That Spies Together, Stays Together. Or Something To That Effect: Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“So, yer an official member of the Shimada household,” Jesse stared at Jack in disbelief.

“I am,” Jack chuckled as he ran his hand over Mars’ back.

The red and black dragon was like an oversized cat now, purring on Jack’s lap as he was pet. It was hard to think that a few hours ago, the beast had been chasing Jesse through the house because he’d wandered into Jack’s old room.

“I earned Mars’ friendship when I was here in my youth. It was unheard of for outsiders to control the dragons,” Jack said. “So, in conclusion, even though I was not of Daiki’s blood, I was his son. My parents were stunned, naturally. Daiki was shocked too, but he was happy, of course. What better way to prove that he had taken a good partner in my father if his son could control a Shimada dragon.”

“Wait, so your dad was seeing Mr. Shimada even though he was married to your mom?” Lena demanded.

“My mother and father…well, it was a marriage of convenience,” Jack chuckled sadly. “They were still really good friends, but it would have been a nightmare to get a divorce. And then, on a family vacation when I was about ten, they ran into Daiki and Sayaka, who were in a similar situation. It was love at first sight.”

“How romantic,” Sombra rolled her eyes playfully.

“Indeed,” Jack smirked before his face fell. “I…I wish…they were here now.”

Mars turned and pressed his head against Jack’s, chirping softly as tears leaked down Jack’s face. Jesse hurried forward and hugged him tightly, pressing his forehead against Jack’s temple.

“I’m sorry, Pa,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Jesse, ssh,” Jack soothed as he held Jesse’s face. “I’m okay. I just miss them.”

“Then yer not okay,” Jesse huffed.

“That’s the thing about losing your parents, Jesse; you learn to live without them even when it hurts,” Jack chuckled.

“Jack!” a female voice shouted before a middle-aged woman hurried into the room. “Jack?”

“Mama?” Jack got to his feet.

Jesse watched the confusion play across the tiny woman’s face. She took a step back, staring at Jack in Gabriel’s body fearfully, before Mars curled around his neck. She frowned, turning her head to the side.

“You…Jack?” she asked.

“Mama,” Jack smiled and stepped forward. “It’s me. This body…well, it should only be temporary.”

“Your lover, correct?” the woman asked. “You have good taste.”

“Stop encouraging him,” Jack groaned. “There won’t be any living with him!”

The woman laughed before tilting her head to the side. “And who are these darlings?”

“Mama, these are my kids,” Jack smiled as he turned around. “Jesse McCree, Sombra, and Lena Oxton.”

“Howdy,” Jesse smiled and tipped his hat. “Pleasure to meet ya, ma’am.”

“Ma’am?” the woman giggled. “Oh dear. He’s got your charm, Jack!”

Jack laughed and hugged the tiny woman close. “Everyone, this is Sayaka. My Mama.”

Sayaka smiled at them before she clapped her hands together. “You must tell me all about yourselves! I must know what my grandbabies are like!”

Jesse grinned at his sisters before he held out his hand for Sayaka to take. “Sure thing, Nanna.”

“Jack?” Gabriel murmured into his arm. “Are you happy?”

“I am happy to be home,” Jack replied as he played with Mars’ tail. “But I know this body is stressing everyone out. I do not look like myself. You are a stranger.”

“Jack…I can try…,” he offered.

Jack set his hand against his cheek and rocked them slowly. Gabriel smiled, leaning into the palm. Mars turned to watch them, his glowing yellow eyes illuminating the space in front of him. He cautiously reached out to stroke over Mars’ head and the eyes closed in contentment.

“I’m going to try to separate us,” Gabriel whispered. “Then…well, we’ll see.”

“Alright,” Jack murmured.

Gabriel closed his eyes before dissolving into smoke. He felt both of them drifting apart and grabbed onto what he could of Jack. Mars snarled at them, leaping off of the bed and twisting to bare his teeth. Gabriel twisted around Jack, focusing on solidifying him first. He almost laughed in delight as Jack’s body settled against the mattress.

Butt-naked. Of course. Can’t make clothing for anyone but himself, it would seem. Didn’t matter; Jack was back.

He settled down beside him and kissed over Jack’s neck, smiling as his blue eyes fluttered open. Mars jumped back onto the bed and hissed at him, curling up on Jack’s chest. Jack chuckled softly as he stroked over Mar’s back.

“Hey, don’t get mad at him,” he teased. “You have to get used to having him around, Mars. He isn’t going anywhere.”

Gabriel smiled as Mars twisted to snuggle against Jack’s chin. He shot Gabriel a dirty look before rolling onto his back and snuggling more. Gabriel reached out to tickle Mars’ belly. It would be worth it to get bitten.

Little beastie had to learn his place.

“Jack!”

“Dad!”

Jack barely managed to lock his knees before he was tackled by everyone in the dining room. They were laughing and screaming in delight, covering his face in kisses as Mars curled up beside the other dragons. Gabriel sat down with a chuckle, smiling as Jack was showered with love and affection.

“I’m glad you’re back, Jackie,” Sojiro sighed as he sat down. “You look so much like John.”

“Been a while since I’ve heard someone say that,” Jack murmured as he sat down beside Gabriel.

Gabriel wrapped his arm around Jack’s shoulder and pulled him in close, kissing his temple. Jack let out a soft sigh and rested his head against him. He pursed his lips together in thought before glancing at Sojiro.

“So, Oto, I was thinking,” he said, “we’re all trained spies. If the Shimada clan needs anything….”

“I will keep that in mind,” Sojiro frowned. “Although, we are not as….”

“Oto, I love you to pieces, but I’m not stupid,” Jack smirked. “The clan is still big on their yakuza roots.”

Sojiro gave him a flat look before he sipped his coffee. “We’ll see if we need anything. I try not to get my sons too involved.”

“Bullshit was all the band could play,” Jack teased.

“Hush,” Sojiro shook his head. “I can still kick your ass.”

“You’d have to catch me first, Oto,” Jack smirked. “I can easily outrun you.”

“You can’t outrun Doubloon,” Sojiro smirked.

“Oh fuck,” Jack huffed as the golden dragon on the counter let out a long purr of approval. “Yah, you keep your opinions to yourself, feather-brains.”

Gabriel ducked out of the way in time to avoid getting tackled by a large golden dragon. Jack let out a squawk of surprise before he sprawled out on the ground with said dragon on his chest.

“Dishonour on you! Dishonour of your fucking cow of a dragon!”

“Blackwatch?” Jack frowned as he sat down beside Gabriel.

He’d forgotten how beautiful the gardens were this time of year. Every flower was in full bloom and the sakura trees were heavy with fruit. It was beautiful and he wanted to pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist.

“An idea I’ve been kicking around for a while,” Gabriel replied as he tapped his tablet pen against his lip.  “A means to keep our skills honed while also providing protection to the world.”

“Oh?” Jack snuggled against him.

“A black operations unit; we do what others can’t,” Gabriel smiled. “Espionage, kidnapping, assassinations….”

“So, Talon and Overwatch with a snazzy title,” Jack teased.

“Yes,” Gabriel looked at him and cupped his cheek. “You know what we can do, Jack. No other organization in the world will ever treat us like people. We’ll always just be tools. If we strike out on our own though….”

“There’s a chance to change that,” Jack agreed. “It’ll be dangerous.”

“Like we’re strangers to that,” Gabriel smiled as Mars curled up on his lap. “So long as I have you, I can do anything.”

“You old romantic,” Jack chuckled as he leaned in and kissed him.

Gabriel pulled him close and the kiss deepened. Mars huffed and wiggled off of his lap as Gabriel rolled them both over. Jack’s back pressed down into the soft grass and he wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s shoulders, holding him close as they kissed.

“Jack,” Gabriel sighed as Mars curled up on the patio. “My sunshine.”

“Gabe,” Jack smiled up at him. “Starlight…I love you.”

They kissed each other again and sank into each other’s arms, forgetting about the rest of the world.

In honor of season 4 being announced, have some Eight Precepts of Death headcanons that are probably dead wrong lmao

Deidoro: -He's actually insanely fucking smart. He was originally going to become a doctor; the stress of med school was what led him to start drinking. He became addicted, and it completely destroyed his life. He failed out of med school, his parents (whose high expectations of him didn't help his stress any) cut ties with him, and he couldn't hold down a steady job (having low-paying jobs when he could have been a doctor worsened his mental state, leading him to drink even more in a vicious cycle) and he ended up on the streets, stealing to survive and keep drinking. One day he stole from Toya, who stole back, but Deidoro was bale to use his quirk to steal again and get away. Toya reported back to Overhaul, who, impressed, tracked down and recruited Deidoro. -He joined Overhaul because he was swayed by his words of "curing the sick" - he views it as his last chance of fulfilling his dream of being a doctor who helps people. -He very quickly saw that what Overhaul was doing was wrong and far from helping or curing anyone, but he just drank more to forget it and kept working under him. -He isolated himself from the other Expendables, because he believes he is worse than them. While they were harmed by other people, which ruined their lives, he blames himself for not being able to handle the stress and becoming addicted to alcohol. He believes that they aren't worthless, but he is. -His quirk isn't just making people feel drunk - it's projecting his feelings onto those around him. He hoped to use it in his medical career, to relieve pain, induce calmness in patients and, if possible, project some of his health onto them, at least temporarily, if only just to keep people alive long enough to try and save them. We see it as him making everyone feel drunk because, well, he's always drunk when we see him. -His relationship with Shin is... complicated, to say the least. -He used to get mad when people thought him stupid, saying that his drunkenness didn't make him less intelligent, arguing that he used to be in med school. One day Overhaul overheard and asked, "Used to?" and that was the end of that. Now he's just internalized it, believing himself to be stupid after all. (Just imagine him doing Sayaka Miki's "I was stupid... so stupid" thing and that's how self-loathing and tragic this character is)

Tabe: -Is his first name Tabe or Soramitsu? I have no idea. This isn't a headcanon, I genuinely have no idea. -His mother was young and he was her first kid, while his father was much older and had a few kids from a previous marriage - all adults and moved out. These siblings don't know about him; his parents were always careful to hide him away whenever company came over due to how ashamed they were of him. -Holy shit child abuse. I hate to harken back to PMMM again, but I honestly picture a Sana Futaba situation with him, where his parents genuinely despised him and at first verbally abused him, then straight up ignored him and only left meals at his door. Finally, they kicked him out of the house and then abruptly moved away, and he has no idea where they are now. -Immune to diabetes, and probably a lot of other food-related conditions. Not that anyone ever cared to check. -Someone please give this man a hug and a lot of cookies

Toya: -I like @latrociniium's idea that he cut ties with his parents after his awful girlfriend cost him everything, because he felt guilty that he ignored their warnings and thought they must hate him. -They don't. They still love him and know about his arrest, and have tried to get in contact with him numerous times since then. He always turns them down out of shame, but they think he's mad at them for perceived failing as parents. They're worried sick and miss him terribly. -Jesus Christ you emo twink bird please talk to your fucking parents

Hari: -In love with Overhorse. 100%. Like that's absolutely why he follows him with such fanatic, unfailing loyalty. -If there's anyone in this world that Kai "Overhaul" Chewbacca truly cares for, it's him. -That being said, Kai isn't emotionally capable of returning Hari's feelings, at least to the same extent that Hari feels them. -Hates attention; perfectly content working in Kai's shadow. -I love the idea that after all the bullshit goes down, Hari and Shin overcome their jealousy of each other getting Kai's attention, and dump Kai "Uhaul" Chisaki to run off with each other instead. What's that image series of the two girls fighting over a guy while he tries to decide which one he wants, and then while he's deciding they ditch him and get together instead? Like that.

Shin: -Walking disaster holy fuck -I don't have many headcanons about his past; I kind of like it as a mystery. -"Emotions aren't required for an efficient mission", my ass. He's an emotional mess. That line is probably something Kai "Overhaul" El Chupacabra told him after one of his many emotional breakdowns. He's almost as bad as Toya with dumping his emotions on people without any prompting. Whiny as hell. -Honestly, I think of Shiapouf from HxH with regards to Shin. Guy with an overinflated sense of self-importance who tries to present himself as (and may honestly believe himself to be) the most rational of his group, but is actually super unstable and controlled by his emotions (also the whole yknow obsessive loyalty to an authority figure thing). -Kai, Hari, Toya and Shin make the Twink Squad.

Hekiji: -LOVELY MAN -Honestly I can't think of anything not included in @shaheii's portrayal. Just. Everything about that blog is absolutely perfect.

Kendou: -Again, can't think of anything else but @berserker-buzzard. A+, spot-on, flawless portrayal.

Joi: -JOI MY BELOVED. He might actually be my favorite out of the birds, which is saying something, because I love ALL the birds (except maybe Overrated - I mean Overhaul, oops). -Yet again, a specific rp blog dominates my headcanons - this time it's @carrionfeigned. Stay awesome.

Hojo: -I don't know much about this dude, but I love him and I want to know more! -I'm torn between thinking of him as a super quiet, aloof guy who fits his appearance, or a really unexpectedly goofy and/or sensitive dude who defies expectations. -Help him too. He needs it.

Rikiya: -Chaotic horny -That being said, sometimes he genuinely doesn't realize how creepy his words can be. Be patient with him. He's dumb. -What's with the Mexican wrestler mask. What's with his tiny head. Does his head even exist? How? That mask is so tiny. What the fuck

Kai: -Sociopath. That's it. He's an abusive sociopath and there's not much more to say. He grew up, after whatever the hell put him on the streets as a kid, with unending love and support from his adopted father, and still has no empathy, and desires to use others for his own purposes. -He doesn't actually love his adopted father. He thinks he does, but in reality, he feels that he owes his adopted father for taking him in, and wants to be even so he doesn't have to feel inferior to him anymore. I... don't really think Kai has the emotional capacity to truly love anyone, to be totally honest.

Old mafia boss: -I don't know if this contradicts canon, but he's alive, albeit in critical condition due to Kai putting him in a coma. That being said, the hospital he was taken to managed to undo Kai's work, and he eventually woke up. He's got a lot to say to Kai about deliberately disobeying his orders, disrespecting his wishes, and completely and utterly ruining his mafia, all while pretending it was in his name/what he would have wanted.