i’m 2k into this childhood friends w/ yuuta fic and it’s not even really about him yet i wanna die

i think while loss is a very obvious theme in jjk i think a more accurate or completed representation of that theme is actually the burden of the living.

i just finished catching up on it (jjk 212 thanks for absolutely gutting me) and seeing megumi and tsumiki sort of clued me into what i think is really being expressed in many of the characters relationship.

from the beginning of the story, we see characters lose people that are important to them. yuuji and his grandfather, maki and mai, gojo and getou, yuuta and rika, nanami and haibara. but the story itself doesn’t actual center on their deaths. at least not in the sense we experience their deaths from their eyes.

i think jujutsu kaisen is ultimately a story about the burden of the living more than it is the grief of death. and its a burden that continues to pass itself down to the next generation. its parasitic and cyclical and ultimately an inescapable truth. everyone you love will die. it is also a a direct parallel of the structure of the jujutsu societies hierarchy.

clan politics, corruption, greed and power — all of these things are akin to the lifecycle we see so often represented are things that have the same black and white stagnancy. just like people will continue to die and their loved ones will live on without them - the society that is being upheld by the currency of that grief will not change. jujutsu society is a snake eating its own tail, and the only way to change that structure is to shake the atmosphere.

the trapping of gojo satoru, the slaughter of maki zenin, the culling games, the resurrection of both naoya and toji. all of these things stand to accomplish the same thing — with each side aiming to change the same structure stuck forcefully in its way.

in all of these stories, it is the sancity of the dead that is tarnished to foster power. it seems to be the only to make waves large enough for things to be different. the side of evil often disobeys the rules of dying, with kenjaku and sukuna both function as revivals of an existence long gone.

the question about jjks ending is never really about who will die. that is inevitable as has been proven over and over. it is about who will bear the burden of the living?

and were they able to do it with honor? were they able to honor life and death? ultimately, isn’t that what yuuji has always set out to do?

I take issue with the “this character is just a yandere” claim because not only do I think it’s frustratingly reductive of characters who can be motivated by love to do bad things and this isn’t an inherently bad thing in storytelling, but I also think I can easily make a strong case that most Higurashi characters who are commonly labelled as such are not motivated by their feelings for their love interest and I think calling them a yandere is ignoring the heart of what their stories are about. Rika and Satoshi are just catalysts for Satoko and Shion respectively. They’re the straw that broke the camel’s back. In Shion’s case, she does have romantic feelings for Satoshi, but her interest in him and the intense emotions she feels towards him are largely due to the fact that she strongly identifies with him and his circumstances as an outcast, who’s mistreated by family and community alike, and takes the brunt of the abuse to protect his little sister. Shion also used to really hate Satoko because of this. She basically projects her relationship with Mion onto the Houjou siblings and the whole thing is that Shion is able to rationalize her hurt and anger because she hates herself, so she needs someone “innocent” to act on the behalf of. Her claims that this is revenge for Satoshi are just convenient excuses because she’s actually lashing out at the Sonozaki family for how much they’ve abused her.

Satoko is the same. She has romantic feelings for Rika but she also centers and interprets her trauma through those feelings for this one specific person despite the problem clearly being much larger than that. Satoko has been victimized her entire life; she’s got history of being ostracized combined with severe abuse and abandonment, then she ends up in a place where she struggles to fit in and suffers horrific abuse after being abandoned by her best friend, so when she’s granted unfathomable power at this vulnerable point of her life by an evil divine entity she starts lashing out, but there’s so much nuance there in terms of how this is all a power fantasy for her where she finally gets to re-gain the control over her life that she’s been robbed of her entire life and express her anger and hurt towards everyone who has ever wronged her, as well as how this is her refuge into a safe past because she’s scared of the future and doesn’t want to move on. Plus her feelings for Rika are put into question throughout the entirety of Sotsu until the climax of Tatariakashi where Satoko expresses her guilt over what she’s doing and makes the proclamation that she loves Rika and all she wants is to be with her forever as a human which is why she believes what she’s currently doing is wrong even if the result is her doubling down because the witch side wins.

I made a very basic map of Rika (Kkariko homeplanet) using this fantasy map generator because i like making maps but don't have time to make any because work is so busy. A lot of this is subject to change! I'm kinda just brainstorming here, and I'd like to draw my own map with some minor edits in the future.

Rika is large and dry, with average temperatures between 45-20°c, as Rika is slightly closer to its main star than Earth, and its main star is larger and has a reddish tint. Rika is orbited by two small satellites - both holding water and making home for a few small bacteria and algaelike creatures. Rika has a slight rotational tilt, but it isn't that intense and doesn't really affect sun exposure that much.

(the satellites arent this close irl im just drawing it like that cus the page didnt have room lol) (also rika has artificial satellites for cosmonaut training and communication too. i just forgor)

The land is largely desertous and rocky, with very scant areas of grassland and jungle near the shores. Large salt lakes are found in the center of the single large continent found on Rika, and the water has a high mineral level compared to that found on earth (most earth animals would not be able to drink Rika water without dying). Dried up salt flat lakes are also numerous. Rain is relatively rare, but winds are intense. For this reason, many species found on Rika have evolved to need very little water. Analogous "plant life" on Rika rarely grow above Kkariko height - largely to conserve energy, as well as due to Rika's gravity. All analogous "animal life" on Rika are what humans would recognize as invertebrate-modelled - endoskeleton models do not exist on Rika. The most numerous type of creature on Rika are a coral-analogue living both on land and underseas. There are three "sapient/sophonant" species living on Rika, the Grik Krog, the Kkariko, the Mikkriko, which Kkariko are the most numerous of. Rika was colonized by a major spacefaring empire several generations ago. This empire fell in a huge war and the people of Rika have their freedom now, but the aftermath of this empire's extractive and highly destructive culture have left a huge mark on Rika's climate. I'll make a post about Grik Krog and Mikkriko later.

Roughly a third of the planet consists of a flat, gently sloping desert beyond the largest mountain range found on Rika. This desert, known as the Great Flat by many Kkariko cultures. The Great Flat is inhabited by several nomadic/seminomadic groups of Grik Krog and Kkariko (this is actually the only area where Grik Krog are currently found). Rrikrik is from this region! Garik is a notable nomadic pastoralist clan from the Rikka ethnic group in this area.

(rrikrik point high quality version below vv) (rika map without rrikrik's speech bubble obscuring the meeting place of three tectonic plates below vv)

In EP 4, when Lambda says meta-Ange is not the real Ange, but just a witch's pawn, you suggest this is Ange learning that she's a fictional character. I know you chalk a lot of the meta up to being very fluid, but could you elaborate more on how it works and what the characters inhabitating it are really? Souls in the afterlife, fictional constructs, or something else?

"what the characters inhabitating it are really?"

i actually really truly can't! as soon as you say "what are they really" the question becomes self-defeating and basically unanswerable.

i think i've elaborated on how i basically regard the meta before, ten million years ago and beyond, as being largely intuitive and impossible (and undesirable) to truly concretely pin down, though it has its own space and its own emotional continuity, but if you put five shotguns to my head, i'd say - they're figures of narrative, which i would distinguish from simply being "fictional constructs."

it doesn't feel right to me to say they're "souls of the afterlife" because there's an underpinning of umineko about a person's genuine soul, a genuine personhood, being impossible to capture in a single narrative or linear perspective, and this informs how their roles vary according to the needs of the gameboard, even down to the golden land itself, an obviously idealized space for everyone involved. but "fictional constructs" also feels too dismissive and belies the emotional weight and struggle we see even "piece-Ange" wrestle with. narrative shapes reality and all that - i think it's almost impossible for most humans to not filter reality through a narrative lens on some level, and in the case of ange, much of her struggle with lambda's temptation was about the option of sort of. the word escapes me. taking over beatrice's gameboard to center herself, or accepting her role in the "narrative" as a sacrifice to emotional spur assigned-protagonist battler onward.

the genuine internal life and sometimes agency of the pieces as such, struggling with their places within narrative, is what allows rika who is described as originally being a piece under the control of a game-master to ascend as a witch. but, that's still different from suggesting they're literally the souls of the real breathing human beings who died in the rokkenjima explosion, somehow actually literally put under the control of yasuda sayo in a magic purgatorial space.

even struggling to describe it as such feels insufficient and reductive, though. very deep and complicated, i tell you. lights pipe, kicks back in chair. falls over in chair and gets concussion, never speaks again.

Higurashi Month 2023, Day 2: Innocence

Deep within the ancient, creaking halls of the Sonozaki estate, shenanigans were afoot. Thick futons hissed as they were dragged over the hardwood floors, and furniture scraped and creaked as they were pulled into position on the groaning timbers.

Mion, you see, had declared that they build a pillow fort.

And what the club president declared, the rest of the club would do.

All the couches and armchairs in the room had been briskly assessed for height and sturdiness –as well as texture, since the slipperiness or lack thereof would be key in pinning blankets or tucking them under heavy pillows to cement their position. Then, under the guidance of Satoko, they began pushing, pulling, and dragging them into various positions.

Using her practical knowledge of physics and architecture, Satoko had declared that they should put and armchair with its back against the wall, then put a long couch about a meter away, also parallel to the wall. While the others continued setting up the chairs, Hanyuu took a long white sheet and tugged the armchair back for a moment, slipping it over the edge before setting it back against the wall, leaving the sheet half-draped over the back. She then took pulled the sheet towards the couch until she could drape the other side of the short end over the back of it, effectively forming an abbreviated curtain.

Then, glancing over her shoulder frequently, she drew the rest of the sheet backwards, laying it over the archin back of the couch and stretching it out as the thin white cloth soared several feet above the ground, forming a rectangular awning between couch, chair, and wall. Unfortunately, one edge –the edge against the wall– sagged, until Mion handed Hanyuu a broom that she could use to wrap the sheet around and prop up against the wall. Then, because this was a very thin pillar indeed, she piled several pillows around the straw base of the broom, propping it up on every side.

They used a high table to form the cornerstone between this passage and the actual wall corner, lifting up its tablecloth to carefully drape over the broom and the edge of the couch –two couches, actually, since Satoko had been carefully directing them to build an L shape in the corner of the room, with another pole-pillar in the form of a mop leaning precariously between the wall and the table's edge.

Across the room, another "wing" of this fortress was being constructed against the opposite wall, this one with a longer roof made out of what once might have been the raw material for a banner, the pale blue sheet stretching wider and longer along the couch and ending in a much-smaller nightstand table and a rolled-up carpet propped against the corner of the two walls.

Clothespins served as a valuable building tool from where Rena sat carefully on the edge of one of the three couches facing inwards, their backs forming the walls of this three-passage fort. She pinned several large square sheets together, end to end, and then approached the corners of the fort, beginning to carefully lay them over the edge of the table and the seats of the couches, working her way to one side. In the corner with the carpet and the nightstand holding up the sheets, she had pinned another, extra patch sticking up out of her awning, and she draped it over the gap between the two couches before continuing to lay the sheets on the arms and pillows of the other couch.

And then, finally, Shion had dragged in a series of hardbacked chairs from the dining room, and Rena draped the final portion of her sheets over them, filling up the center of their double-winged fort and creating a mysterious, cozy entrance. Three entrances did it have: one against each outer wall of the actually room itself, and this final one in the center, leading to the low-draped sheets and the right-hand hole into the higher passages against the wall.

With their fort duly constructed, everyone exchanged giddy grins and dove inside. Rika and Satoko popped through the low central entrance between the couches, wiggling under the sheets that hung less than a handsbreadth above their backs. Rena and Hanyuu ducked their heads, scuttling beneath one of the outer wings and crawling their way along the wall with muffled giggles. Satoshi, slower and quieter, crawled his way along the other, humming in appreciation as he reached the left-hand corner and curled there, careful not to disturb the broom-pillar.

And Mion, Shion, and Keiichi all raced to grab flashlights, before following the others with excited whoops. Keiichi, having been most shamefully deprived of the true glories of blanket fort due to his cramped city living, grinned like a madman as he wiggled on his belly under the center hole, looking at Rika and Satoko, who were small enough that they could army-crawl on their elbows without brushing the sheet-ceiling, as they grinned and giggled back at him.

"All right!" Mion laughed from the center wing of the blanket fort, her flashlight clicking on. "We, the Hinamizawa Club, are now gathered here today for a strategy meeting against the most feared and infamous General Winter! I propose hot chocolate and ghost stories in a rota schedule!"

Riverhill Soft: Burai, the first full-scale encounter between PCs and anime (MSX-FAN, December 1989)

Mr. Ijima, who writes the Super Data School article for this magazine [MSX-FAN], is none other than the same Takeo Iijima who wrote the scenarios for Nukenin Densetsu/抜忍伝説 [Legend of the Fugitive Ninjas] and Last Armageddon. When Iijima left his previous company and became a free agent in Tokyo, Riverhill Software in Hakata has just started developing a full-scale RPG. However, when Mr. Kazuhiro Okazaki, President of Riverhill Soft, met with Mr. Iijima in Tokyo, he felt like abandoning the RPG he was developing up to that point and give Iijima's idea for a scenario a try.

The original art is scanned into the leftmost computer and then transferred to the next computer on the right, where corrections are made to keep the images faithful to the actual drawings. The finishing touches are then made by Mr. Miyazaki.

"I didn't have any prior relationship with Mr. Iijima" says Mr. Okazaki. "I simply went there for a talk without expecting anything serious." That was a pretty good timing in retrospect.

"This was going to be our first RPG" says Rika Suzuki, developer at Riverhill Soft. "That's why I wanted it to proceed differently from prior projects."

Until now, Ms. Rika Suzuki (center) has had a major involvement in all of Riverhill Soft's titles, but this time Mr. Yoshiko Miyazaki (right) plays a large active role. To the left, Riverhill Soft president Mr. Kazuhiro Okazaki.

Mr. Kakei, a game music producer at Polystar, introduced the company to the rock band Show-ya, who were hired to perform the music, as well as character designers Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno, who were hired to draw the original art for the game's graphics.

Yoshiko Miyazaki was able to perform triple duty, overseeing the music, graphics and public relations.

"Mr Araki has never touched a personal computer before" says Ms. Suzuki. "so we sent him an NEC PC-8801 and explained to him how to turn it on via telephone." Nevertheless, Mr. Araki seems to be deeply engrossed by the world of computers.

"In order to adapt Mr. Araki and Ms. Himeno's art into the personal computer, it took us around a month just to create such a system." says Yoshiko Miyazaki, who was in charge of music, graphics and public relations. An innovative system to handle everything from the dimensions of the original drawing, to the animation techniques and then color and line corrections after scanning, was developed through the exchanges by the duo of Mr. Araki and Ms. Himeno, and Mr Miyazaki between Tokyo and Hakata. We were deeply moved by this story, but unfortunately we ran out of space. When you see Burai once it's completed, perhaps you might understand the greatness of this system.

Color copies of the original art by Mr. Araki and Ms. Himeno. The production process is very similar to making a celluloid for an anime.

Source: MSX-FAN No. 33 (December 1989), published by Tokumashoten Intermedia

the persistence of 6/?

read from beginning | read on ao3

Vex doesn’t intend on leaving the manor grounds, not at first. She’s in a new city, despite having lived here for several years, and getting herself lost would only serve to panic everyone, and would be rather humiliating to boot. But, even with Trinket at her side, the garden that was so inviting last night has become unbearable. Oppressive.

She’s suffocating. So while she knows that leaving is probably a bad idea, she can’t bring herself to stay.

She stands, using Trinket’s shoulder for leverage, then scratches him behind the ears. “Let’s go for a walk, buddy.”

It’s still early enough that the streets are near deserted. The few people Vex does pass as she wanders give her a wave or a nod and go about their business. She deliberately avoids the streets that will take her back to the town square and those unnerving statues. There’s a castle on a hilltop to the north, so she sets off in that direction, her interest piqued.

She loses track of time while walking, and eventually she stops to take a break by a wrought iron gate. A faded signpost pointing to the right reads “To the Zenith and the Greyfield”. A raven caws, and she feels a pull in her chest, as if her subconscious is telling her that the answers she need lie at the end of this path.

Trinket makes a mournful noise as she walks through the gate and starts down the path, but he follows dutifully, glancing about for anything untoward. It is kind of creepy, she will admit. They pass a temple first, large and very old. The Zenith, if she had to guess. The sun shines through the stained glass window as she passes, bathing her in warm, colored light, and she places her hand to her heart and bows without thinking. A chill runs down her spine, but she shakes it off and keeps going.

The Greyfield is a cemetery, she finds. The eerie silence is only broken by the occasional raven’s cry. And if she’d thought the city was overpopulated with ravens, it’s nothing compared to this. The main group of them seem to be clustered around a mausoleum on the far end of the field, and her curiosity outweighs any fear she might be feeling.

There’s no name carved into the stone, no indication of it belonging to anyone in particular. The door is open, and she ventures inside. The air is cold and stale, and she realizes that someone has set this place up as a shrine of some kind. There’s an altar laid out in the center of the room, adorned with ravens feathers, small white flowers, and a bowl of some dark liquid. She dips a couple fingers in it. It’s cold and viscous and is most definitely blood.

She stares at her fingers, at the blood that drips from them onto the marble floor, an uneasy pit settling in her stomach. “What the fuck is this place?”

“Creepy, isn’t it?”

Vex shrieks and spins around, her heart racing in her chest. Keyleth is there in the doorway, regarding the mausoleum with disdain.

“Sorry,” she says, wincing. “I promise this place isn’t actually as bad as it looks.”

Vex takes a couple of deep breaths. “What is it?”

“A temple to the Raven Queen,” Keyleth says, and Vex doesn’t miss the bitterness in her voice, or the way she refuses to actually step into the space. “Percy had this repurposed for Vax, so he’d have a place to worship while he was in Whitestone.”

She doesn’t miss the way Keyleth hesitates before saying her brother’s name.

“You love him, don’t you?” she asks. “Vax.”

The way Keyleth’s eyes widen is all the answer she needs, but she nods after a moment. “It, uh, didn’t exactly work out, but...yeah.”

“Didn’t work out,” Vex repeats. “Did it have anything to do with Her?” She nods towards the shrine.

Keyleth laughs, wipes away a tear. “Yeah, you could say that.” She sighs. “It’s...complicated. He had to go. To serve Her. And I couldn’t follow.”

Vex hugs Keyleth tight. “I’m sorry, darling. I can kick his ass for you the next time I see him, if you’d like.”

Keyleth shrinks back out of Vex’s embrace. “That won’t be necessary. It’s fine, really. I’ve...made my peace with it.”

Liar she thinks, but she doesn’t push. “I guess we should probably go back, shouldn’t we?”

Keyleth takes her hand as they walk through the cemetery. “How are you feeling?”

She sighs, tries to ignore the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “Lost,” she says finally. “Have you ever...had a word caught on the tip of your tongue, and you know you should know it, and you know that once you hear it you’ll remember, and you’ll feel so fucking stupid for ever forgetting it?”

Keyleth nods.

“That’s what this feels like,” she continues. “Except it’s not just one word, it’s five years of my life, and I don’t know if I’ll ever actually remember.”

“We’ll figure this out, Vex,” Keyleth says, squeezing her hand. “There’s a solution out there, I know there is, we just have to find it.” She stops them, cups Vex’s face in her hands. “I promise you, we will fix this.”

Vex sniffles, looks away from her friend’s earnest gaze. “That’s what you all said yesterday.”

=============================================================

Percy feels like he’s going mad with worry. Sure, Vex is more than capable of taking care of herself, and Keyleth had done a quick scry before going off to find her, and assured him that she was fine. But he’s still tense and anxious, and he’s going to wear a groove in the floorboards if he doesn’t stop pacing soon.

They’d all been so confident in Pike, in her healing abilities, that none of them had been prepared for the spell to not work. Except for Vex he thinks. She’d accepted defeat so easily, seemed to have almost been expecting it, and that’s what has him truly scared. He’s never witnessed Vex give up quite so fast, and he doesn’t know what it means.

For him. For her. For them...

A knock on the doorframe jolts him out of his thoughts. Scanlan is standing there with a sad smile. “Hey. I managed to calm Pike down,” he starts. “She should be coming back soon enough. I think she was going to have a little chat with Sarenrae. How’s Vex?”

Percy shrugs. “Not sure,” he admits. “She took off just after you and Pike left. Didn’t say where she was going. Keyleth had to scry to find out where she’d gone.”

Scanlan nods, taps his foot nervously. “I had an idea,” he says. “And obviously we’d have to run it by Vex, and if you guys say ‘no’ I’ll never bring it up again-”

“Scanlan.” Percy cuts off his rambling. “What was your idea?”

The gnome sighs. “If, for whatever reason, there’s absolutely no way to restore Vex’s memories, I thought I could maybe use Modify Memory on her. To give her a highlight reel of the last few years. It would take some time, and I can’t give her everything, but she’d have something back. The important stuff, at least.”

Percy’s so overwhelmed with emotion, he does the first thing that comes to his mind. He hugs Scanlan.

“Can you really do that, Scanlan?”

Percy’s head snaps up. Vex is standing just beyond the doorway with Keyleth and Pike. He doesn’t want to jinx anything, but she looks almost hopeful.

“I can,” Scanlan says, turning to face her. “But only with your consent. And you’d have to trust that we wouldn’t give you any false or altered memories.”

She mulls it over for a minute. “I’ll have to think it over,” she says. “But, no matter what, it’s an incredibly sweet offer, Scanlan.”

“It might not even be necessary,” Pike says, stepping forward. “I spoke with Sarenrae, for a while, and she told me what we have to do to get Vex’s memories restored.”

“That’s great, Pike,” Keyleth says. “What do we have to do?”

Pike sighs. “Well, the reason my spell didn’t work is because Sarenrae doesn’t have dominion over memories. The Raven Queen does,” she explains. “I’ve been able to restore memories before because the effect was smaller, in Percy and Grog’s case, or it was a physical ailment, like the Gith we met in Pandemonium. What happened to Vex was bigger, and magical. It’s not something Sarenrae or I can fix.”

“But the Raven Queen can?” Percy guesses.

“Yes.” Pike looks up at Vex. “If you’re willing to try, I already got in touch with the Raven Queen’s temple in Vasselheim. We can go as early as tomorrow, and hopefully they can cure you.”

“I think it’s worth a shot,” Percy says. “But the choice is yours, dearest.”

Vex looks uncertain until her attention is caught by something outside. Percy follows her gaze to Vesper, playing in the garden with Rika. He looks back to Vex, and she nods once, firmly. “I suppose there’s no harm in trying.”

=============================================================

Her dreams that night are horrific. There’s no visual, just pitch darkness, but the voices are as clear as day. And they’re all awful.

The first is her brother, and she can almost feel him grasping her hand. Do not go far from me. If we are out of earshot, you are too far from me. Do not go far from me.

Her own tearful response. Do you think this is what mother saw before she died?

The next is a voice she doesn’t recognize, but it sends chills down her spine, sickly and oozing. Sweet, broken Vex’ahlia... a question, from her What would you ask in return? him again Your heart.

My heart is someone else’s.

Scanlan calling for her from across a battlefield. Her sobbing, casting healing spells uselessly into an unresponsive body. I’m not leaving Percy!

A cold room, a colder feeling in her chest. Desperate to do something, anything. But I don’t want to be here if you’re not. Whitestone still needs you, darling. I still need you here.

Grog’s voice, loud. Angry. Devastated. FIX HIM!

Then herself again. Having a conversation with someone, but the replies are static.

I feel like she’s taking part of me away.

I don’t know how to live.

Please. I love you. I don’t accept this.

I’m going to find you.

And, finally, on a maddening loop.

Where’s Vax?

Where’s Vax?

Where’s Vax?

Where’s Vax?

She wakes from her nightmares with a scream, thrashing against the confines of her blanket. Her foot connects with something, and Percy grunts.

“Vex’ahlia.” His hands on her shoulders ground her. “It’s alright, dear, you’re alright. It was just a dream.”

She catches his hand as it’s running through her hair. “Percy.” She stares at him, tears flowing, the weight of the truth threatening to crush her. “I need to ask you something.”

“Anything.”

“You have to promise you’ll tell me the truth,” she says. “Swear to me that you won’t lie to me.”

She sees the realization dawn in his eyes, but he nods. “I swear, Vex. I swear on our wedding vows that I will not lie to you.”

“Is my brother dead?”

Grand Prix Final: Ladies Short

Ay, this SP was strange. Judging was okay (surprisingly) and generally the placements are reasonable. We had some amazing performances and some that were still amazing artistically but had some odd mistakes. Here are my thoughts: 

1. Alena Kostornaia - RUS

I still prefer the old costume, but this one is growing on me honestly. The 3A was beautiful! Transitions in and out were completed with such quality too! The height and distance though! Was that an actual lutz edge I saw there! I swear her 3F+3T is the most beautiful combo out there. So much height, flow, and distance and the rippon on the 3T just makes it even better. Again, I still feel like the StSq could be faster, but that’s a fault of choreo not of Alyona. Her skating quality is phenomenal, flow in and out of every element. Alyona is really showing us how an angel skates. The spins were amazing! They were so fast, so centered and performed with such quality! Deserving of the score it got honestly (the PCS could’ve been higher). Good luck in the FS!

2. Alina Zagitova - RUS

Ahhhhhhhh! Alina looks stunning today. Oh that 3Lz+3Lo was beautiful! No hesitation at all. And the 2A was amazing too! Loved the entrance. Oh my god that 3F was a gift from the heavens! Such a difficult entrance and still completed with such quality! And the twizzles out! The step sequence felt full and complete and I could see that Alina was putting all her emotions and passions into it! Oh how much she’s grown since the Olympics! Lastly, the spins, so amazing! Especially the flying camel, might be my favorite FCSp of the senior ladies. So fast, so centered and the positions are beautiful. You can tell that Alina is completed not for the medals, but for the joy of skating, and that makes her skating so much more enjoyable. I can’t believe Daniil made tolerable choreo, except for that one second ina-bauer, what was that? The +3Lo might’ve been UR, but I didn’t look at it clearly. Happy Alina in the Kiss and Cry is my favorite thing. The costume is beautiful! Good luck in the FS!

3. Anna Shcherbakova - RUS

I actually really like this program. The hauntingly beautiful music really fits Anna. The jumps looked on point today, especially the 2A and 3Lz+3Lo. I love her jump entrances even if people say they’re far too repetitive. She does them so well, so it doesn’t even matter to me. I especially love the transitions in an out of the 2A and the biellmann before the 3Lz+3Lo. The spins were really amazing today! Not a whole lot of traveling and the hyperextended biellmann looked the best it's ever been. The step sequence felt a little hesitant, but she still hit all the musical accent wonderfully. Quite a large score for this program, and I’ve got to say it's not the best she’s performed this program, but I’m glad she skated clean. That dress is the MVP of the season. Good luck in the FS!

4. Bradie Tennell - USA

Disclaimer: I don’t really like Bradie either, again, because I love the other five here so much and I don’t want her to beat any of them. The 3Lz+3T was clearly UR, but she had a lot of speed into it and in between. I loved the choreography, Beniot is really quite a genius honestly. Bradie has improved loads since 2018, and her speed and flow has increased a lot, but there are still moments inside the program where I feel like it’s kind of empty. The spins were amazing, so fast, so centered, and such amazing positions! I loved the 3F, with beautiful transitions in and out.

5. Alexandra Trusova - RUS

My fav! SASHA! Why would you try 3A here! Anya got 78 with the same content you would have completed perfectly! Argh, but like I expected this honestly. UR, but the height and distance looked fine. The 3F was beautiful as always, coming out of difficult steps. I love that cantilever on the music, and with both hands on the ice. Her 3Lz+3T is looking much better than it usually is, much more speed and quality. I love her rippons so much. The step sequence seemed a lot better than it was at the GP stages. Much more speed and less hesitation. Spins were fine, not amazing, but good enough. The program is actually quite entertaining and her costumes have grown on me. Don’t fret guys! Sasha is a fighter and I believe her FS will be amazing. Good luck in the FS Sasha!!

6. Rika Kihira - JPN

This program has grown on me too. The vocals are still… ew, but Rika is so amazing it doesn’t matter. Ah! Her 3A is so consistent now, and even though the axis was slanted in the air, she still landed it! But Rika what happened to to the 3F+3T? It looked so good up until she fell, the speed, flow and height were all there. The solo 3Lo was a thing of beauty. The step sequence also felt a slight bit hesitant, but she still hit musical accents and kept my attention throughout. Very amazing attention to detail and her SS are extraordinary (very underrated in that aspect honestly). Her spins was good and fast today, and I’m so glad she was still smiling after even though I’m sure she wishes she did better. Good luck in the FS!

Last few Inktober drawings!!!

~~~

Day 27: Coat

[ID: a black and white digital drawing of an OC, Rika Akimoto, a young woman with her dark hair in a French braid. She is sitting on the ground and leaning back against a wall. Her eyes are closed, and she has a worried expression. The top of a boy’s school uniform is draped over her body. End ID]

It’s Seirin’s school uniform.. 👀 (technically not a coat, I don’t think, but.. w/e :P)

~

Day 28: Ride

[ID: a black and white digital drawing of Seijūrō Akashi from Kuroko’s Basketball, riding bareback on a winged horse. End ID]

I got too lazy to add a saddle and bridle [plain text: I got too lazy to add a saddle and bridle]

Buuut Yukimaru has wings in the WIP!

~

Day 29: Injured

[ID: a black and white digital drawing of Shintarō Midorima without his glasses, shown in a t-shirt and shorts. He is tied with rope to a chair that he is seated in, with his wrists tied together behind him and his ankles tied to the chair’s legs. He is heavily bruised and has some cuts on his face and body, and his clothes are soiled and have some rips in them. He is hanging his head with an anguished expression, tears rolling down his face. The background is black. End ID]

This is by far the darkest scene I’m drawing this month 😫💔 I still feel pretty bad for putting Mido through this, but also, it’s… kinda necessary for the plot ;_;

~

Day 30: Catch

[ID: a black and white digital drawing of Shun Izuki, shown from the waist up in a black suit. He is facing toward the left, holding up a finger on one hand. His eyes are sparkling, and he has an open-mouthed smile. A small speech bubble is coming from him, containing Rika’s face with happily closed eyes and hair styled in a bun. Above him is a larger, exclamatory speech bubble containing a chibi version of him. The chibi version has hearts for eyes and is smiling excitedly as he reels in a large fish with a fishing pole. End ID]

On a lighter note, I finally got to draw the pun master xD

~

Day 31: Ripe

(Another sorta rushed one ahah oops TwT)

[ID: a black and white digital drawing of Kiyoshi Miyaji and Kazunari Takao, shown from the chest up. Miyaji is in the foreground, looking off to the side where Takao is, and holding up a pineapple as a shadow covers the top half of his face. Takao is looking back at Miyaji with a terrified expression. End ID]

Pineapple-senpaiiii 😂😂 Takao, run [plain text: Takao, run]

~

Final day (prompt 21): Treasure

Wanted to end with a bang, so..

[ID: a colored digital drawing of several characters from Kuroko’s Basketball and Rika, who has light skin, brown eyes, and long black hair with a red ribbon in it. The drawing resembles a selfie taken by Rika, who is in the center, and all the characters are looking at the camera and smiling. On the left are Takao, Izuki, Himuro, Midorima, Murasakibara, and Mayuzumi. On the right are Momoi, Kuroko, Akashi, Kasamatsu, Aomine, Kise, Kimura, Miyaji, and Ōtsubo. The picture has a white border. End ID]

Have a fully colored drawing! 😁

I didn’t actually write it out but Rika definitely would’ve gotten a group photo/selfie at some point in chapters 7-8. Her friends are a greater treasure to her than any material possessions ❤️

(So when I said I wanted this one to be picture perfect, that was a pun hehe)

~~~

That’s a wrap!!! This was pretty fun :’3 Hope you guys enjoyed!

1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 22-26 | 27-31 + 21

Saeyoung Week 2019 Day 4

Day 4: Nostalgia for @saeyoungweek Posting a little late and this was written on the fly so I hope the feeling I was going for comes across.

“Surprise!” they yelled as Saeyoung walked into the room. His amber eyes flared in disbelief. How had they pulled off a surprise like this? The RFA stood in the small room, smiles of triumph on their faces. Saeran smirked as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, mint green eyes alive with satisfaction.

The simple banner above the large bay window read HAPPY BIRTHDAY with silver and black balloons in the background.

“But, it’s not my birthday.” He was bewildered.

“I know, it was the only way we could think of not to have you ruin the surprise.” MC informed him. “We only communicated face to face so you wouldn’t find out.” She slid her arm around Saeyoung’s and pulled him towards the refreshment table. They had all his favorites, including a punch bowl full of PhD Pepper. The cake was Jumin’s contribution, commissioning a popular baker to make an Elizabeth the 3rd replica with buttercream frosting. He looked quite pleased with himself.

“This is amazing!” Saeyoung took it all in as his friends, no, his family surrounded him and gave him gifts. He was overwhelmed with emotions and was having a difficult time maintaining any sort of decorum. He settled at one of the tables as MC brought him food and a drink. They knew to give him space and time to realign himself. One by one they sat around him, each with a gift in hand but waited for him to let them know he was ready for more interaction. They didn’t crowd him, nor did their body language indicate anything else than utter ease and comfort in the situation. Saeyoung was grateful for each and every one.

He nodded to MC which signaled that it was time to present him with his gifts. Each was unique and showed they had taken time and thought about him into consideration, he especially enjoyed the Cat Care for Idiots book Jumin had given him.

“This one’s from me and MC. And don’t expect another gift on our actual birthday, this is it.” Saeran huffed, handing over the brightly wrapped box. Saeyoung beamed at his brother as he tore through the paper. MC bounced on her seat, her hands clasped in front of her, anxiously. He revealed a cardboard box and pulled off the lid. Inside there was a photo book. The cover was red but there was no photo in the pocket dead center of the square. Pulling it out he set the box at his side and the book on the table.

His eyes became misty as he viewed the first page, then his eyes were drowning in tears as they freely fell, leaving tracks down his cheeks. Page after page was another moment in time that he thought he would never want to remember.

“How…wh…”

“I see you look at those books so often Saeyoung, I thought it would be a good idea to get them copied so you can look at them as much as you want without ruining the originals. I noticed how some of the ink and pencil is being rubbed off.” “And she asked me if I would add to it. I thought it was stupid, but…” Saeran added.

Saeyoung gasped as he turned the last few pages. The doodles and childish drawings gave way to professional quality art. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine the notebooks he’d saved from their childhood, the little bit of Saeran he had saved and hidden from everyone during the years he’d given the agency, would have become one of his greatest treasures. Their lives had been so difficult, and these moments had been some of the happiest he’d ever had. Seeing the smile on his brother’s face, the pride at his accomplishment, and seeing how incredible his skill had become was worth more than all the money he could ever obtain.

Some days he missed those times. He knew he was seeing it with rose colored glasses, but he and his brother had never been closer than then. Him leaving had created a chasm that was difficult to traverse, and Rika had wedged them even further apart. It was a slow process, but he was hopeful they could regain that ease and comfort with each other again. This gift proved that Saeran was willing to meet him halfway and was eager to regain their closeness as well.

“Thank you.” He croaked out in a ragged whisper. It was all he could manage as he was engulfed in loving arms.

Title: spring cleaning

A/N: For the @mmrikazine ! I wanted to do a bit of Rika and Yoosung’s relationship, before it all went wrong.

…

…

…

Dried by the harsh sun, the once soft soil had hardened until it was like armour. Rika pressed her fingers against the cracked earth, tracing the web-like lines that laced the surface. After a few minutes of prodding, she found a weak spot and pushed her trowel into it. The metal barely scratched the surface.

 This garden clearly hadn’t been cared for in months. Frowning, she gripped her trowel tighter and shoved it in harder. Eventually, the earth gave in, revealing the dark earth underneath. An exposed worm wriggled from a hole, showing a good sign that at least the soil had some nutrients left.

 “This is impossible!” Yoosung grunted next to her. Sweat dripped down his face as he stood, back bent, a shovel in both hands. Earlier in the morning, he had confidently taken the tool from her, claiming that he could handle the heavy labour. Now if she were to ask, Rika was certain the answer would be different. “Am I hitting a rock? Is this all rock?”

 Rika chuckled, sitting back. Her knees sank into the brittle grass, a soft cracking as stems broke under her weight. “This garden hasn’t been taken care of properly,” she agreed, clasping her hands on her lap.

“That’s an understatement.” Yoosung shot her a baleful look, his eyes watery. Her teenage cousin had a sense of drama to him and she half-wondered if he should take the stage with Zen one day. “You sure this is even a garden?”

 “Hmmm…” Slowly, Rika glanced around her. They were in the middle of a closed off courtyard, placed in the center of a senior center. Tall brick walls rose around diamond-shaped space, with a short path meandering through it from one doorway to another. There were two benches along the path and a large tree, its branches bare. Turning back to Yoosung, she cocked her head. “It looks like one.”

 Yoosung flushed a bright red. Rubbing his wrists, he turned away and mumbled, “Well, yeah, I know that much, but…”

 She giggled once more. Her cousin was adorable. Still, she couldn’t let him get too sore, not when he had school the next day. Standing up, she brushed the dirt off her cotton skirt. “We can take a break if you want.”

 Yoosung perked up, excited. The shovel almost fell out of his hands. “Ye—” Quickly, he closed his mouth. He straightened his spine, standing straight and tall. “I can still work.”

 “Really?” Rika glanced at his determined face. Yoosung really did like to push himself above and beyond what was required. Even this, helping her with all of her volunteer work, was something she didn’t expect from a highschool student. It certainly wasn’t the most exciting way for a kid to spend the day.

 “R-really.” His arms trembled as he lifted the shovel once more, his body revealing just how worn out he was. Patches of sweat and dirt stained his ratty old t-shirt, an indication of just how much effort he’d put in so far. “I’m good.”

 How stubborn. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she closed her eyes wearily. “It’s hot for a spring day. Water would be nice, don’t you think?”

 “Water?” Yoosung swallowed, his grip loosening.

 “And maybe a snack—we’ve been at this for hours, after all.” Rika rubbed her belly with a sigh. It wasn’t a complete lie; there had been a soft, gnawing in the pit of her stomach for a while now.

 “…me too,” he admitted, finally letting go of the shovel. He gave one last look at the garden they’d spent almost the entire morning on.

 While it wasn’t much progress, it looked much better than it had when they’d first arrived. The courtyard had three flowerbeds, all in various states of disrepair. Considering how long the first one was taking them, it’d be a couple of weekends before they got the senior center’s courtyard into a useable condition. At least this particular flower bed was cleared of all the dead plants now.

 Well, almost all the dead plants. A single, withered sunflower stalk stood at the edge of the bed. Noticing Yoosung’s hesitation, she gave one final push. “How about we take a break after pulling out that plant?”

 “Yes.” Eager to prove his strength, Yoosung marched over to the stalk and gripped it with both hands. Tensing his muscles, he pulled.

 And nothing happened. Surprised, Yoosung stared at the plant. “Huh?”

 “Try again!” Rika encouraged, following after him. The sun beat down on the back of her neck, her clothes sticking to her skin uncomfortably. A cold shower would be nice after this.

 “Yeah!” Planting his feet firmly into the ground, he growled as he pulled on the stalk. It crackled under his grip, the stalk slowly breaking, yet the plant remained secure in the soil. Yoosung grunted, but no matter how he changed his posture, it refused to move.

 Rika blinked. Now, this was strange. While her cousin wasn’t the most athletic, a sunflower shouldn’t cause this much trouble. Rolling up her sleeves, she stood next to him. “Here, I’ll help.”

 Yoosung frowned, ready to protest, but he couldn’t deny the facts. Grumpily, he shifted his hands, clearing a space for her to grab. “Thanks,” he mumbled, his ears red from embarrassment.

 “This is what volunteering is about, helping each other,” Rika replied tactfully. “On three—ready? One, two, pull!”

 Synchronized, they leaned back as they pulled. The sunflower stalk splintered in their hands in a massive crack, snapping as their muscles strained. Still, the flower refused to budge. Even while seemingly dead, the sunflower didn’t want to leave its home, no matter how harsh it was to live there. Rika dug her heels in. The earth shook from the pressure before finally giving in, releasing the sunflower and its maze of roots. Surprised, Rika and Yoosung fell backwards onto the lawn.

 “Oof!” Yoosung gasped as his butt hit the ground. The sunflower stalk was still in his hands and he stared in shock. “We got it.”

 “We did.” Rika rubbed her sore behind, looking back at the hole in the soil. It shouldn’t have been so hard. Maybe the earth was more packed in than she had expected.

 “We did it!” Yoosung leaped to his feet, holding his trophy above him. He shook it and dirt rained down on his hair. Immediately, he dropped it, his hands running through his hair to clean it. “Oh my god, are there any worms? Bugs?”

 Laughing, she got up and reached for his head. He still hadn’t had his growth spurt yet, their heights almost identical. “Lean closer, I’ll take a look.”

 Obediently, he bent forward, pushing his hair into her hands. His eyes were squeezed close and his hands closed into a tight fist. “Are there any?” he asked in a high-pitched voice, shaking in fear.

 “Let me see.” Calmly, she parted his hair, brushing through the locks and pulling out clumps of dirt as she inspected him. His black hair was soft in her hands. Humming as she worked, Rika combed through his hair twice before finally releasing him. “All good.”

 He straightened up, gingerly touching his scalp. Cross-eyed, he impossibly tried to look up at the top of his head. “Thanks.”

 It was only now that Rika realized just how dirty her cousin had become. “You’re a mess!” Quickly, Rika dusted off his shoulders and shirt. It didn’t help—instead, it made things worse as the dirt smeared against his blue t-shirt. With a sigh, she gave up and set her hands on her hips. “Auntie isn’t going to be happy.”

 “Huh?” Yoosung stared down at his shirt, pulling at the hem until he witnessed the extent of the damage. His eyes widened before he covered his face with a moan. “Mom’ll never let me live this down.”

 “I guess she won’t let you volunteer with me anymore,” Rika sighed ruefully. While her aunt was kind, that could only go so far and if she was anything like Rika’s mother…

 “No, it’ll be fine!” Sensing her distress, Yoosung vehemently shook his head. “Mom’s happy you take me out with you—I don’t get enough sun otherwise, according to her.”

 “Really?” Surprised, Rika stared at him. Could anyone be fine with their kid coming home a mess?

 “Yeah, really.” Yoosung grinned brightly. He reached out and clasped her hands. “She actually wants you to take me out more.”

 Rika didn’t know what to say. It must have been nice, growing up with Auntie. Overcome, she squeezed his hands back. Yoosung’s stomach grumbled at that very moment and he blushed. Letting go of her, he turned away and marched stiffly to the closest bench. “So. Lunch.”

 Laughing, Rika followed him. His backpack and her picnic basket were sitting on the metal grate. The tree’s shadows created a lattice network of naked branches on the ground. Sitting down next to her basket, she rummaged through her basket, taking out plates and cups. She passed them to Yoosung, who neatly set them next to him. “I made sandwiches.”

 “Nice!” Yoosung took one of the carefully wrapped sandwiches, peeling back the paper towel and saran wrap to reveal the white bread inside. Biting it, he moaned happily. “This is amazing!”

 “I’m glad you like it.” Rika brushed a lock behind her ear, pleased. “V helped me with them, he made the sauce.”

 “That’s…good.” Yoosung’s face fell, his voice stilted.

 It was something Rika had noticed before, but she wasn’t sure she completely understood it. “You don’t like it?”

 “No, no, it’s great!” He rapidly took bite after bite of the sandwich, stuffing his face. “It’s delicious.”

 “Okay.” Rika watched him for a moment, concerned. When he didn’t say anything else, she took a sandwich of her own. Glancing around the abandoned garden, she took note of the leafless trees, the withered plants. There was a desolate beauty to the place and she could just picture her boyfriend with his tripod, focusing on the perfect shot. “V would like it here.”

 Yoosung’s lips twisted, looking like he bit something sour. “Too bad he’s not here.”

 Twice. This had happened twice and both times when she’d mentioned V. Scrutinizing her cousin, Rika delicately asked, “What do you think of V?”

 Yoosung choked, dropping his sandwich on his lap at the unexpected question. As he coughed, Rika pushed a water bottle in his hand. Her other hand patted his back gently, trying to dislodge the obstruction.

 He downed the water in three big gulps. Breathing heavily, he stared at her like a deer in the headlights. “What?”

 She wasn’t sure if she wanted to ask the question anymore but if his reaction was like that, she had to find out the truth. “What do you think of V?”

 “He’s…nice…and kind…” Yoosung mumbled, wiping the water from his mouth. He averted his gaze as he picked the sandwich off his lap. “And a good photographer.”

 “Did he do something to you?” Concerned, she squeezed his shoulder. “You can tell me.”

 “What?” Startled, Yoosung shook his head quickly. “Nothing—why’d you think that?”

 “Because of how you’re acting.” Rika pulled back, perplexed. If V didn’t do anything to Yoosung, then why did her cousin have such an extreme reaction? “You don’t like him.” She hadn’t meant to say that, but as they left her tongue, the words rang true. Finally understanding, she repeated, “You don’t like him.”

 “What? No! That’s—” Yoosung stuttered. When it was clear she didn’t buy it, he hung his head in defeat. “Maybe just a little.”

 “A little?” she asked.

 “A little,” he confirmed, indicating the amount with the distance between his thumb and forefinger. After a moment, he increased the distance. “…more than a little.”

 “Why?” Rika asked, pressing her hands against her skirt. Her fingers clenched against the fabric as she waited for his answer.

 “I…I dunno.” Uncomfortable, Yoosung peeked at her and then stared down at his lap. “I…just do.”

 “Oh.” It was…not disappointing, to be exact. Sad? Her heart clenched. He didn’t like V. Her two favourite people couldn’t be together. “That’s…”

 “But…” Yoosung interrupted. “You love him.”

 Not sure where he was taking this, she nodded. Like. Love. She wasn’t sure she had a word that could describe her feelings, these emotions that threatened to overwhelm her at times. Brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, she gave a small smile. “I do.”

 Puffing his cheeks, Yoosung looked away. Begrudgingly, he raised his hand again. The gap between his fingers was almost minute now. “Then…I can like him too.”

 The feeling that overwhelmed her this time was love, was happiness, was joy. Without thinking, she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Her cheeks were wet with tears as she pressed her face into his shoulder. “Yoosung!”

 “Rika?” Struggling to adjust to the added weight, Yoosung grabbed hold of the bench.

 “I’m just…” She didn’t know what to say. Long ago, she had assumed that she’d be lucky if even one person accepted her. And now she had two. “Thank you.”

 “It’s…nothing.” Awkwardly, he patted her back. His stomach gurgled again, and she could feel more than see his skin turning red. “Not again!”

 This time her stomach grumbled as well, reminding her about the lunch that they both seemingly had forgotten in her excitement. Pulling back, she wiped her eyes. “Come on, let’s finish eating.”

so here they are.... my revamped darlings. naohiko, rika, amane, and maya are new! im going to put all their bios under the cut, they’re mostly copypasted from the old ref though except for the new kids :P i really like naohiko, he’s basically an amalgamation of every percussionist i’ve ever known lmfao

basic premise: 16 fresh-out-of-highschool prodigies are invited to star in well-respected and widely-watched big brother-esque reality tv show, which takes place on a cruise ship. what they weren't expecting was for the show's 25th season to be a killing game! the students: CHOUMI YUKIYAMA: exceptional among even her fellow shsls, choumi made her historic mark on ballet by becoming the world's youngest ever prima ballerina at the age of 13 and japan's first ever prima ballerina assoluta at 18. fans flock to her ethereal, angelic grace on stage as well as to the percieved sense of otherworldlyness surrounding her albinism. on the darker side of her popularity, repeated sexual harassment from fans and male dance partners alike has hardened her world view to make her not quite cold, but definitely reserved in her emotions. she adapts fairly easy to stressful situations and pushes through pain with almost no visible outward struggle due to her all too common experience with dancing through foot and ankle injuries. because of this she usually ends up taking initiative in difficult scenarios if no one else steps forward. she is also a quite talented hobbyist figure skater and is fluent in both english and russian. REN KIKUHARA: a fairly odd florist in that instead of ordering flowers to arrange into bouquets, every flower he sells is grown himself. although this means that his selection is seasonally and fairly regionally limited, he has an incredible talent for working with plants and can even sometimes coax out-of-zone flowers to grow. he's fluent in hanakotoba and is surprisingly good at flirting through flowers without it seeming cheesy, although he doesn't do it very often. people often remark that his bouquets often seem to have more love and life in them than store-bought ones. ren is a calm and kind soul and prefers listening to talking, with what he does say always seeming to be just the right words for the situation. MARIKO MIKAMI: mariko was a sickly child, and spent a large part of her elementary school years in hospitals. around the age of seven, she began folding paper cranes as something to do, and wished to live normally after she folded her 1000th. she soon recovered, and feels that she owes her life to origami. she is precise and calculating in everything she does, which shines through in her art: every delicate, artful piece of origami that she makes is creased and folded perfectly. she also dabbles in wet-fold origami. she's most famous for her dry-fold though, and her pieces are well known for their complex, precise, mathematical beauty. she refuses to fold paper cranes anymore, feeling that they are too sacred for her to touch after they saved her life as a child. a calm, slightly disconcerting smile is always on her face, no matter the circumstance; her manner is polite for the most part, if i a little aggressive. MOMOTAROU KOBARA: momotarou, born into a rich family that fufilled his near-every want, made a name for himself in the world of collecting at the age of just eleven by, through luck and love for the series, collecting every pokemon card. from then on he set onto collecting just about anything non-perishable: pins, collectors set bandaids, vinyls, etc. he has exceptional luck in finding deals on ebay and other sites. he cant really be called a hoarder, since he likes to have just one of everything; he resells, gifts, or uses any duplicates. his mood swings between a dreamy, chilled out, flirtatious persona and periods of numb depression when it hits him that his whole life revolves around material possesions and that he has no real human connections. SARA KUROKAWA: a talented young woman from a long line of popular backalley tattoo artists. she combines traditional symbolism and youthful influence in her designs to make something new and more appealing for the younger generation, and is a huge proponent for tattoos being shown off for fashion rather than hidden away in the traditional style. sara does have (illegal) tattoos done by her older siblings on her arms despite the minimum age being 20, although her being homeschooled, looking older than her actual age, and having a tendency to wear long sleeves year round has led her to encounter few problems. she and her family are among the many who simply choose to ignore the statute requiring a medical license to tattoo. sara is a fairly rude person in a backhanded way, acts stereotypically catty and even a little deranged sometimes, and enjoys making herself the center of attention, whether through her appearance (dyed pink hair and white contacts) or the things she says. the only two things that can break her shell and make her excited and genuine are tattooing and piano, which she has played from a young age and loves. NAOHIKO KINZUMI: the son of a concert pianist and a professional jazz drummer, naohiko shortcutted the usual pots-and-pans percussion stage most children go through and spent most of his childhood hitting actual drums. blessed with perfect pitch and a natural feel for rhythm, his parents enrolled him in private music lessons at age five, and he joined onto his first indoor percussion ensemble at age 13. a fast learner, naohiko can play most all percussion instruments at a professional level, including both tuned and auxiliary. he is especially known for his drumset skill, specifically being able to match the speed and complexity of most double kick pedal rhythms with just one foot, and his delicate grace at bowed vibraphone. naohiko is loud, brash, and fun, with an infectious smile and sense of humor that draws people in. despite the flashiness of his drumset playing, his favourite instruments are actually the weird obscure ones, like the waterphone, mahler hammer, and "bucket of loud objects to be dumped on the floor". HARUMI HAMANAKA: harumi is a sweet and bubbly girl, if almost cloyingly so. her good luck is a fairly stable force (nowhere near as chaotic as komaeda, for example), generally acting in the favor of wishes of people around her. her mother intensly wanted for her to be on the show because of the exposure it provides, and this is what harumi attributes to her being selected. despite the way her luck operates, shes no doormat and in fact has an overwhelming force of personality, and her sweet demeanor can become rather passive aggressive if challenged on pretty much anything. SHOU KATSUKI (PROTAG): pushed to succeed in the game from a very young age, shou is japan's reigning chess champion, a FIDE-certified grandmaster, and went to international competition the year before the killing game. he played through to the finals with influenza, which worsened through the matches due to lack of treatment and culminated in debilitating pneumonia that left him in the hospital and unable to play for first. because of this, he's cultivated a sort of inferiority complex that he tries to cover for with self-confidence, which actually comes off as condescending rudeness. he has a natural talent for cause and effect analyzation and is good at planning ahead. he gets flustered easily over trivial things and is a sore loser, but tends not to crack under actual pressure. shou doesn't like to be associated with his family due to the intense pressure they put him under only to steal his winnings the second he began to succeed and thus prefers to be referred to by his given name, even by near-strangers. he does genuinely love chess, but his favourite board game is actually risk. (no one ever wants to play with him, though.) RIKA FUJIMIYA: originally scouted as a young child for her unique eyes and birthmarks, rika's first minor film role at the age of nine left the director stunned at her acting capability. as someone who grew up with a very murky self image and a difficulty interpreting social situations, rika lived most of her early life essentially "acting" the way she believed others would respond well to, which resulted in her easily adapting to doing the same for the cameras. she went on to have a very prolific child acting career without really settling into a niche. As a teenager she took her first steps into stage acting, playing juliet capulet at 16 in a moving and extremely impressive performance, and later at 18 performing a striking and memorable female hamlet. her deep and rich voice has also landed her several voice acting roles. her personality offstage has solidified a lot more since her younger years, although she doesn't go out of her way to talk to anyone, fan or otherwise. when approached, she is polite, gentle, and humble, although she has trouble separating her image as a celebrity from that of her as a person and thus it is extremely difficult to get to know her. KENJI MINAMOTO: an eccentric and a bit airheaded olympic fencer whose strange insistence on not wearing protective gear during practice (he believes it makes him better by giving him a stronger motivation to not get hit) has earned him many a scar over the years, and has left at least half of his joints in braces at any given time. he follows his own bushido-esque moral code (the details of which he will not tell anyone), although he will not put himself above whapping the occasional really annoying person in the ankles. his épée is his best friend and he carries it most everywhere. most of the scars on his face and hands are actually from trying to put in his very sharp industrial piercings while drunk. despite his oddities, his light-footed and elegant ambidextrous fencing has been compared by many to a graceful dance, and although in many respects he comes across as dumb, on the court his mind is laser-focused and unbelievably quick and analytic. AMANE BECKE: a more lowkey type of talented than her fellow contestants, amane hasn't won any major competitions, been on tv, set any records, or anything of that sort. she does, however, run what is widely considered the best bakery in japan. based out of nagano and the daughter of a swiss pastry chef, amane has a natural talent for baking nurtured through over a decade of dedication and love for the craft. she excels at interesting flavor combinations, but her true genius is in her classic, feel-good baked goods. many say that the things she bakes just taste like home and warmth. amane is as warm and sweet as her creations, but with a spark of wit and mad-scientist-y genius that make her an entertaining joy to watch work, if a little overbearing to talk to. EISUKE ITOU: eisuke grew up sewing clothes for his younger sisters barbie dolls, and he particularly loved dressmaking. he gained exposure in his first year of highschool by handmaking gorgeous outfits for his class's booth at the school festival, and, through application to various junior fashion competitions, he was eventually noticed by a big-name designer in paris. however, he found learning french next to impossible and has spent the year prior to the game in relative isolation, unable to have any real human conversation. his psychological state was fairly severely impacted by his long hours spent sewing and designing on internship with no company to get him by, and he is now debilitatingly socially anxious and finds conversation difficult and awkward. MAYA HANABAYASHI: maya spent her early teens with only a passing interest in survival-based media, having enjoyed hunger games and similar media, but not to the point of obsession. however, when traveling on a plane with her father back from visiting family in las vegas, she found herself in a similar situation when their plane went down in a heavily forested area of california, leaving a seventeen year old maya as the only survivor. with only a swiss army knife and a lipstick-shaped stun gun gifted to her by her father to feel safer during their stay in vegas, she survived alone in the woods hatchet-style for six months until late fall, when the fallen leaves made her campfire coincidentally visible to a very observant park ranger on firewatch. after being rescued and returned home to japan, maya found it extremely difficult to readjust to normal life. her thick and warm camo jacket, more a fashion statement when she was wearing it originally, was lifesaver to her during the cold spring, and she she can't bring herself to separate from it even with multiple rips and burns in the fabric. she has refused multiple book deals due to still being heavily traumatized, but after a long period of deliberation decided to go on the show as a way of finally moving forward and acknowledging it. maya isn't exactly socially anxious, but rather closed off and disconnected. JUN TENSEI: born jun harada, many believe that his spiritual connection is the real deal, but a few critics hold that he is most likely just an incredibly talented bluffer. the real truth about him is unknown, but many say that his seances do accurately reflect the personalities of their deceased loved ones and help them feel at peace. he is deeply religious, but not to any one traditional faith (although he does use traditional christian symbols such as crucifixes and items such as holy water on occasion). he believes strongly in the power of the soul and its ability to exist beyond death. his voice is soft and almost hypnotic, and he has a penchant for gentle teasing and riddles. he comes off as pretty shady to most, but he's fairly harmless. TOMOKO KAITA: a peppy and outgoing astrology guru who can read your deepest flaws and strengths with just your date and time of birth. known worldwide for her extremely accurate personal horoscopes. despite this, she strongly believes in the ability of an individual to defy their fate through hard work and self improvement. she dislikes giving negative horoscopes, and does her best to focus on the positives that the stars hold in store. her smile brightens the whole room! she is intensely loyal to her friends, to the point of self-sacrificing emotional labor. YUU IROIKE: yuu iroike isn't even his real name, and it's a mystery as to how show staff even tracked down his mailing address to get him on the show. he's a well-known public figure for painting huge, sprawling, colorful murals in tokyo, yet who he really is remains unknown. he paints faster than his murals can be scrubbed away, and has somehow never been prosecuted for vandalism because his graffiti is generally considered an improvment. he's sly, mysterious, and teasing in person, and gets a bit of an itchy trigger finger when he hasn't painted in a while. His skill with spray paint is so great that it seems as if the paint bends to his very will.

recovery

hi! im back with another lil bit of writing! i didnt draw anything for the nsfw prompt today but still wanted to do something for it, hence this fic! it is not nsfw tho skdfjsdlkf sssorry

day 3: caught in the act @yoosungweek

honestly its less Caught In The Act-y simply because i wanted to be mindful not to depict any explicitly damaging behaviors! i wanted 2 explore a lil bit of yoosungs depression which i feel like many people largely ignore hhhhh but id probably have to write Another fic to even feel like i did him justice in that respect. anyways! i hope at least someone finds this nice 2 read ;0;

words: 1827

warnings: slight angst, mentions of self harm

---

When Yoosung first found out, he hadn’t been entirely sure what to say. He was also a little confused; whenever you appeared in the chatroom, you always had your bright energy and genuine kindness in tow! He paused for a moment.

Then again, so did he.

But that didn’t dissipate his confusion; why would you would hurt yourself?

---

You had been dating each other for merely a few weeks now, but nobody could deny the truth that you and Yoosung were head over heels in love and devoted to one another. Following the first RFA party since you became the coordinator, you dedicated much of your free time to help with Yoosung’s recovery from his eye injury; you would drop him sweet texts every so often out of the blue and snap him pictures of you blowing kisses, hoping to lift his spirits. He had moped a little bit after being released from the hospital. It was obvious he was trying to stay cheerful, the following days filled with his playful whines lamenting how he wished he could see you with both of his eyes. But you knew behind his adorable pout, Yoosung was a little heartbroken.

He would have gone to Mint Eye and done the same thing a thousand times over, there was no question about that; however, he couldn’t ignore the guilt he felt whenever you looked at him with worry in your eyes, as if afraid he would disappear back to that ominous building, this time not returning. Try as he might to hide this from you, he knew you could see through whenever you shushed him and held him close. He loved you all the more for it, of course.

Yoosung discovered your habit of sleeping without pants one night, about a month after the party. You were finally spending the night with him, excited chatter exchanged between the two of you about what movies you should watch together and whether 11 PM was too late to order takeout.

He didn’t really register what it meant when you sought out the largest t-shirt he owned, making a bigger mess of his already unorganized drawers. Finally, you settled on an old shirt with a poorly rendered image of a dog on it, something he had been given after donating to his local pet adoption center. He debated whether he should find the matching cat one but was snapped out of his thoughts when you reappeared from the bathroom; he had to fight the flush rising to his cheeks at the sight of you tugging absentmindedly at the hem, almost missing your question about where the popcorn was.

He moved over to hug you then, unable to help it, and he sighed happily at your immediate return of his embrace. You quipped at him about the snacks, and he dutifully marched to the kitchen, gathering the appropriate junk foods while you set up your laptop. When he returned, you had settled comfortably into his bed, laptop in place and the beginning credits of the movie paused on the screen. He gave you a fond smile and hopped onto the bed into your open arms, placing the popcorn on the nightstand. He was too nervous to kiss you yet, though. He had to work up to that.

You started the movie and settled into Yoosung’s fluffy comforter, snickering a bit at his complaint that you were cuddling with your boyfriend’s blankets than your actual boyfriend. After a bit, you found yourself dozing off, Yoosung’s soft hands rubbing up and down your arms, soothing you into a near-sleep. You nuzzled into his chest, your legs thrown over his hips. Before you knew it, his movements had travelled downward and the rubbing caused the shirt to lift slightly.

Yoosung noticed the sudden stiffening of your posture, your body tensing up in his arms. What could cause such a shift in reaction?

He soon found his answer. The tips of his fingers were met with raised lines of scar tissue, the ridges a jarring contrast interrupting the otherwise smooth skin of your hips and thighs.

“MC…” Yoosung moved to sit up but found it difficult as you wouldn’t move.

“It’s fine,” you mumbled, face still buried in his chest.

Yoosung’s heart ached for you. He didn’t want to press and make you uncomfortable, but he didn’t want you to feel like he didn’t care, either. This was the first time since the bomb at Rika’s apartment that he had felt this worried about your safety. He had made sure to protect you then, and he wanted to be able to do the same now. Even if that meant protecting you from yourself.

He shifted to pause the now-forgotten movie, and you buried further into the blankets, hoping he would drop the subject. You peeked out at Yoosung as he turned around to face you, a small breath released from his throat. You avoided his gaze, and he frowned.

“MC, if you really don’t want to talk about it, I understand. But…” he trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

You feigned preoccupation as you played with the bedsheets, bunching them up just to smooth them down again. “There’s not a lot to say,” you mumbled, palms feeling clammy. After a particularly long stretch of silence, Yoosung tensed up, anxious if he should hold you close or give you distance. “It happened, and it’s done now. And I’m sorry, Yoosung, please don’t worry about it.” you finished quietly, closing your eyes for a few moments.

Yoosung shook his head imperceptibly, sad eyes flicking to your thigh before settling back on your dejected face. “Some of those look fairly recent, MC.” He tried to blink back his tears. How could he not have known? Where was he when you had needed his help?

“It’s not a big deal, I-” You paused and sighed, rolling to look up at the ceiling. Avoiding his gaze, afraid of his judgement, or maybe afraid of seeing disgust on in those normally caring eyes.

However, a sniffle and a hiccup made you turn to Yoosung in alarm, the sight of tears now rolling down his cheeks prompting you to sit up and move closer to him. “Why are you crying, Yoosung?” Your voice lilted higher in panic; you took his hand in yours, distressed.

Yoosung didn’t understand. He couldn’t fathom any reason for you to be hurt, let alone find a reason to hurt yourself. How long had you felt this way? He let out a choked sob, unable to stand the thought of you suffering. Gently, he squeezed your hands and pressed them to his cheeks. He looked at you with wet eyes, a glimmer attributed not to his tears but instead to a familiar spark of determination in them as he spoke his next words.

“MC, you deserve love and kindness. I… The next time you feel this way, I want you to talk to me. Please, MC. Promise me. I can’t stand the thought of-” He broke off with another meek sniffle, looking down at your trembling hands.

“I’ll try, Yoosung.” you whispered, resting your head on his shoulder.

“That’s all I ask, MC. I want to be there for you,” he murmured back, trying to slow his breaths. He didn’t want to cry, he wanted to be strong for you. To protect you like he wished he could have. Even if some of the scars had appeared years before you had walked into his life, he wanted to be the one to help them heal and fade a little bit in the future. He couldn’t make them disappear, and he couldn’t change the past, but he promised both himself and you that he would do whatever it took to ensure you didn’t feel like you’d have to do it again.

And suddenly, he realized that meant guiding you in a way that made you believe in your own worth. To surround you with love so genuine you couldn’t help but let it seep into your heart and allow you to feel it for yourself.

“You are so strong, MC. I love you, you are worth so much in this world. So much to me. And you deserve to believe it too, MC.”

“I… I want to try and believe that, Yoosung. I really do,” your voice trailed off with quiet trepidation. He opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off. “I will, I promise. Try, that is. But on one condition-” Yoosung sucked in a breath, wondering what cost would have to be paid for an act he now realized would be extremely difficult for you. You gave him a reassuring smile. “Yoosung, I want you to be honest with me, too. I want you to tell me when you’re hurting, too.”

He blinked, tilting his head to look at you. “What do you mean?”

“Rika.” You paused at the name, gauging his reaction. “Mint Eye. School. I know that LOLOL is good, it’s fun, it brings you together with friends. But Yoosung, don’t you think… sometimes you use it to escape the pain you’re dealing with? Here?” You pressed your palm to his heart.

He looked into your clear eyes. The ache in his chest that he usually ignored and hadn’t felt in a while throbbed, a silent reminder. There you went again. His sweet MC always thinking about his well being before your own.

“I promise, MC.” he said fervently, heart warming at the sight of your smile.

He pulled you into his arms then, and you let out a giggle as he snuggled you into the bed. He fluttered kisses onto your skin, everywhere he could reach. He laced his fingers with yours, slowly bringing your hands to your hip. He was tentative when he kissed the fingers of his other hand before pressing them to the scars, but your soft breath and bittersweet smile let him know that it was okay.

The light of the screen dimmed, long forgotten as you murmured to each other soft I love you’s before slipping into a comfortable silence that led to sleep.

---

Yoosung understand a little better now. Even though it was painful to think about, he could connect with the blame and self-doubt that sometimes threatened to swallow you. It was also different, now, though, as you both tried to open up and be comfortable with the idea of relying on support, on accepting tender hearted words of care and love.

Yoosung looked over at you, typing away in the RFA chatroom, untroubled. You each had your own battles to fight, but you never had to endure the hurt alone, and when a large rush of gratitude washed over him, Yoosung  couldn’t help but wrap his arms tightly around you and pull you into a firm, cozy hug. You laughed and playfully swatted his arm, accepting his kiss nonetheless, eyes shining.

“I love you, MC.”

I really love your aus! What about the RFA as a band?

MC

Is the manager

Takes over from Rika after she has a breakdown and is referred to a psychiatric ward. Her departure leaves the band engulfed in a scandal and downhearted about their future.

Jaehee 

Is the assistant manager

Shows MC the ropes and helps them get to know the members.

Jaehee was also Rika’s assistant and does not trust MC at all, since she watched the members become downhearted and doesn’t want such a thing to happen again.

She’s in charge of their social media presence and spends a lot of time reading comments on fan forums and dealing with rumours and scandals before they happen.

Zen

Is the center.

Takes the most selfies and videos for the band’s social media.

Rips off his shirt to show his abs at every performance

Even during the ballads

It’s not a performance without him low key stripping

The best dancer

His fans have a love hate relationship with his ponytail and ship him with Jumin 

Low key competes with the other members over fans and solos.

His fans are the ones who make endless gifsets of his abs and mimic his clothing style.

Jihyun/V

Writes the songs

Was the first member and set up the group with Jumin.

Classically trained and plays a lot of instruments

Got into music to honour his mother

Was engaged to Rika and convinced that he does not deserve to succeed or have fans because he left their relationship

Has a small but incredibly passionate fanbase.

His fans are the artsy ones who paint beautiful masterpieces of the band and reply to posts on their social media with reminders to eat.

He doesn’t take center stage very often, but when he does everyone is shook because he sings like an angel.

People are constantly sleeping on him and claiming he has no place in the group even though he’s behind every song.

V’s father is in the arts industry and the pair are estranged. V’s dad tries to sabotage the band a lot, wanting nothing more than for his son to return to a profitable business.

Jumin

One of the original members

Joined the band because of V, basically.

He is also classically trained and has an amazing voice, which annoys Zen, since he considers it cheating.

Jumin and V both have connections in the music industry, meaning MC’s role is largely unnecessary-they are more than capable of running the band themselves.

Because he and V are more comfortable with one another than the rest of the band, they often get shipped together.

Jumin offers advice to MC more than any other member.

There’s a constant recurring drama that Jumin will have to leave the band to adhere to his father’s wishes.

Jumin wrote exactly one song in the band’s discography-a love song that he refused to be credited for because of the raw emotions.

Yoosung

The youngest in the band!

Goes to college after Rika is institutionalized and blames V for her breakdown even though it wasn’t his fault.

Only took the band gig because he wanted to spend time with Rika, who he idolised as a kid.

He constantly puts himself down, since he’s not the best singer or dancer and doesn’t have abs to show off.

As a result, he tries to do everything-practices his singing whenever he gets a moment, goes over the dance routines when he’s alone, puts himself on a severe diet/work out schedule to try and get the abs he wants. 

He spends a lot of time on social media, filming happy, chirpy videos for the fans and reading all of their comments, for better or worse.

Seven

Seven films pranks for fan amusement, usually with Yoosung as an unwilling participant.

His brother is in a rival band and he has deeply conflicted feelings about whether or not he wants to beat him, which almost inevitably causes friction in his own band.

Mixes the music and sets up innovative promo campaigns.

He also gives the most ideas for special effects on stage…which mostly involve pyrotechnics, fireworks and Yoosung being mildly concerned about being blown up.

Reads smutty fanfics about the other members with them present.

He convinces Yoosung into doing all of the more dangerous stunts, like flying around the concert hall in a harness and only revealing afterwards that he had no idea if it was actually safe.

Seven is happy and jokey on stage and off, with his gloomy side only showing up in deeply serious circumstances.

Higurashi Month 2019, Day 19: Carnival

Keiichi sighed heavily beneath his hockey mask as he adjusted his vest under the enveloping leather of his too-large jacket. He supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised Mion managed to dig up an actual bullet-proof vest from her family somewhere, but the fact that it was already red and tangentially in the same style as his usual vest gave him pause.

Oh well.

He hefted his bat and prepared to look menacing, knowing that hordes of Hinamizawa youngsters would be pouring into the haybale maze at any moment.

…

…any moment…

……any…moment…?

Keiichi lowered his bat and scratched his head.

In retrospect, perhaps it hadn’t been such a good idea to let Satoko design the maze.

~.~

Proudly seated atop her crackling throne of old twine-bound hay, Satoko grinned at the small crowd of young Hinamizawans and Okinomiyans milling about, baring her additional plastic fangs.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, boys and ghouls, welcome to the Hinamizawa Hay Maze!” she chirped as angelically as she could manage, clapping her hands together and trying a beatific smile. Perhaps it was offset just a tad by her ominously-flapping, high-collared, red-lined black vampire’s cape, but really, who could blame her for trying? She forged onward valiantly, gesturing towards the gate below her. “Behind this doorway lies a ghastly concoction of delight, horror, fantasy, and terror! Yes, designed by yours truly, this hay maze holds a vast array of ghoulish delights, traps, and treats! The first group to find their way to the center gets the greatest prize of all –otherwise, everyone who finds their way out without assistance by our inhabitant monsters gets a whole bucketfull of candy!”

The crowd below her cheered excitedly, and Satoko beamed, whipping out her arm as her oversized cloak flared dramatically. “Now go forth, my minions of darkness, and enjoy my maze!” she crowed, and the assembled youths gave varied whoops of excitement as they flooded forward into the haybale maze.

Satoko’s pointed teeth all but sparkled as she rubbed her hands in glee while the last few trickled in, smirking diabolically. She was so glad Mion had assigned her to the “maze creation” portion of the club’s impromptu Halloween festival. Poor Keiichi-san and Shion had to be the monsters, and she was pretty sure by day’s end at least one of them would be coming home with bruises from panicked maze-goers throwing defensive punches.

She was betting on Keiichi, with or without his extra assurance of a Kevlar vest and functional hockey mask. Shion’s yūrei, with her white kimono and long bedraggled black hair, was absolutely terrifying, and Satoko doubted anyone would get close enough to punch her. No, they’d be running in the opposite direction the moment they saw her, squealing in terror.

Satoko loved this Western-style Halloween.

~.~

“Carve, carve, carve, carve out the eyes~!” Rena sang happily, chipping away at the yellow flesh of her pumpkin with the small knife she’d gotten from her dad’s toolbox. All around, the younger members of Hinamizawa echoed her faithfully, grinning and squealing at the cold, sticky feel of the pumpkin juice on their bare hands.

Gathered around the auburn-haired teen like ducklings around a mother, these costumed children were all carving out jack-o’-lanterns of their very own under her august supervision, reproducing some of the ghoulish and the giddy designs Rena had drawn out and pricked onto the hard outer layer of the pumpkins herself. 

“There!” Rena said with satisfaction, finishing out her latest example and turning around in her lap to show to her rapt audience. “Isn’t he cute?”

The children all oohed and aahed over the droopy-eyed pumpkin face, and Rena grinned as she placed it on the wooden fence near the Furude Shrine and gave her most-recently-finished jack-o’-lantern a fond pat, looking at her other examples, several of which bore rather more gruesome and frightening expressions than the innocent chibis she and this latest group were carving out.

She couldn’t wait to see these lit with candles and lining the paths of the wagon ride.

~.~

“Mew, what a cute little bat.” Rika hummed as she finished the last delicate line of black, drawing her slender paintbrush away as the fidgeting boy in the chair leapt up and grabbed a mirror, squealing excitedly at the chibi nocturnal mammal painted across his cheek. He scampered off into the autumn sunshine, and another youth plopped herself down on the plastic chair as Rika sighed and reached for her paintbrushes again, laid alongside the artist’s pallet Keiichi had swiped from his dad.

“Hau, your hair looks so lovely.” Hanyuu complemented her latest victim alongside Rika, brushing the dye-loaded comb through the excitedly-bouncing toddler’s shoulder-length locks, leaving an orange and black streak behind. “Would you like some purple, too?”

“You’re enjoying this a lot, mew.” Rika commented around her angelic smile, starting on the requested pumpkin as her client pointed excitedly at the laminated folder, babbling incoherently. An irk mark throbbed at the side of her temples. “Perhaps one of my brushes will slip and poke you in your stupid excited eye, Hanyuu. Nipah~!”

“Hauhauhau…” the lilac-haired miko whimpered, shoulders sinking as she brushed a purple streak through the other toddler’s hair. “Rika, you don’t have to be so grumpy about facepainting…”

I’ve been doing this for four hours! The Furude shrine maiden shrieked internally, sending her latest project off with a smile and a wave.

“Mew, its hard to paint every single person in Hinamizawa, sir.”

~.~

“Alright!” Mion shouted over the ominous rumble of her four-wheeler, looking behind herself to see the host of excited children clinging to haybales atop the rickety flatbed trailer hitched up to her vehicle. “You guys ready to have some spooky fun!?”

“YEAH!” the younger residents of Hinamizawa cheered, and Mion grinned, turning and revving the engine with one foot.

“Get ready for the Hinamizawa Trail of Terror, then! Whoo-hoo!” she cried excitedly, the entire contraption picking up speed as she drove towards the distant, twinkling lights of the jack-o’-lanterns laid out along one of the more obscure paths. Her club waited there, waited to scare the pants off the delighted children bouncing on the haybales in the back, waited in an array of costumes both childish and practical.

They were so doing this again next year.

AN: Today is my 20th birthday, yay! Also, I stole, and tweaked, most of Satoko’s introduction speech from the opening to Greatest Show Unearthed, a song by Creature Feature. I was also going to have Shion dressed as Sadako from The Ring, but then I learned The Ring was a remake of Ring, which in turn was a Japanese film made only in 1998, based off a book of the same name, written in 1991. So none of the Higurashi cast have any concept of The Ring, which saddens me for some reason. So I made her a yūrei, which is apparently the type of ghost that Sadako is. Fun!