hi I love the way your brain works and your art and writing enamors me so!!!! :DD and the idea of midoyuzu week.. I will fuel that myself. Anyways submitting an ask now (apologies if it’s been asked before but)-What’s your favorite shuffle and/or dream shuffle??

AWW BWJAJSJ THANK YOU SO SO MUCH <33 I love how my brain works too I'm in a constant state of thinking

Anyw!! My favourite shuffle is unsurprisingly Ring A Bell but to be fair it's only bc it's the only shuffle event I've read ;; I'm currently reading the getto spectacle one tho !

Oomf and I came up with fanmade shuffles and they r very silly to me if I had to choose smth I'd like .. a shuffle w midori and any of his roommates bc they should talk more methinks and it's like.. idk what u call it but sorta whatever aesthetic UNDEAD has going on yk .. it's like the flambé tomoya/subaru effect I need to see cute little guys in bad boy outfits we need more of that

But yea i love it when enstars put their more shorter cuter characters in cool outfits ❗ I need to see midori (not short but hes cute) sora or anyone else in ra*bits being cool and wearing edgy clothing ... this is turning into a more general thing like not just shuffle but whatever

How did the Kohaku route treat you?

Apologies for taking some time to respond, I've been mulling over the route for about a day now. Tsukihime spoilers under the cut and also cause this one got a bit long

So, I think the first thing I wanna note is that out of the five routes, Kohaku's route I finished the fastest. Due to Hisui's True End, the route starts with a knife against your back and a voice in your ear, a looming threat that forces you to consider every single piece of information you're being fed. Even more than Hisui's route, this one stands apart because it has revealed the cards prior to the story's opening. It wants you to pay attention.

And in that, it makes it really hard to put down - in the best way! You catch the moments like where Shiki doubts himself, and wonders why he's forgetting about Satsuki so quickly, or the points where he says he doesn't feel comfortable being outside the manor.

Unlike Akiha's route, where Akiha being at school means she's inescapable, and Hisui's route where you are literally strapped to your bed, Kohaku's route makes you only feel safe within the manor, and further - only safe with Kohaku. And I think that plays with you in such a great way because while this is happening, you're second-guessing if that comfort is your own, or due to Kohaku's doing.

(Also like, I think it should say something about how the game mentioning Arihiko being missing from school made me worried for his life, haha. He's fine. But still. The route has its impact felt in every detail.)

I will also say that this route is the one where I think I like Akiha the most, as a character. There's this tense game of tug of war between her and Kohaku that is pronounced since the beginning. Since you know what's going on, you wonder about how much of this is natural and how much of it is being explicitly crafted so Akiha and Shiki are forced to kill each other. Again, this route is really good at making you question everything, and I love it for that.

I think Kohaku is really well-written. I really loved the quiet moments between her and Shiki, where the 'mask' falls, so to speak. I love the moments where you can clearly see Kohaku fighting herself over whether or not she is able to put these arguably 'innocent' players through her revenge. I think that's what makes Kohaku's dynamic with both Akiha and Shiki so compelling as a result.

(HISUI IS REALLY GOOD TOO HERE. I don't want to make this too long but !! She's really good!)

Also, just really enjoyed the #bromoment where SHIKI and Shiki get to drink coffee and shoot the shit? Was not expecting that but I did really enjoy it. Makes you think that SHIKI will do more in this route than he actually gets to do (that being said, his death scene, and its parallel later on the route? really well done. I legit thought I had gotten into a bad end accidentally.)

Overall, I think the only thing I found perhaps a bit underwhelming was...maybe surprisingly, its end? Perhaps due to how prevalent Kohaku is within Hisui's endings, I was expecting her epilogue to feature more of her. The final CG is very powerful, and I love the sunflower imagery (and how it parallels Hisui's "you smell like sunshine"), but idk! I just want to see her growth a bit, spend a bit more time with her. It's still very strong, it is the 'happiest ending' of all of the routes, but I was hoping it'd be a bit longer.

THAT BEING SAID: It is probably my second favourite route, with Hisui's being my favourite overall (Ciel's route a really close third though, she was made in a lab for me).

It is unfortunate in a way that the routes that are what makes tsukihime 'tsukihime' are the last ones, but also in a similar vein, they really do not hit in the same way without the knowledge from all of the routes before it. As a result they'll probably never be properly adapted, and it's...difficult to recommend just for them, but on the other hand...the entire experience is part of what makes the maid routes hit as hard as they do. Honestly, I'm really hoping that besides CGs/overall production, these routes remind rather untouched in the remake.

That's a lot of word vomit. Um. I liked it. I liked it a lot. I understand now. downloads Kagetsu Toya

Hi, hope you're having a good day/night

Do you have any tips for getting 5 stars and their secret outfits in events? I saw you did it for Hot Limit and I want to do it for Aridane, so I've been saving up dia (I'm around 11k, but I have lots of stories to read through that I'm gonna read/skip through before hand) and trying to raise sparkle/red cards (unfortunately that's my worst attribute on the en server), but idk how much you need to do per day (and how much dia/whistles you'll be using) to get all 5 copies of the 5 star so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, completely unrelated but do you think any of the Crazy:B members wear crocs?

ok before the bulk of the rest of the ask i think rinne niki and kohaku would wear crocs BUT himeru would not be caught dead in them. maybe at home when he knows nobody else would see or know but i think he'd be mortified if someone saw him

usually the "minimum" for 22m (scr) is around 95k dia ;w; this accounts for 10 ten pulls (35k) and the remaining 60k would go towards bp regen. when you're 22ming the minimum event bonus from the event scout you'll need is around 60% — if you get really lucky and get more than that before you're done with the 10 pulls, i honestly suggest just stopping and dropping the rest on bp unless you love the event scout card or whatever

here's two graphs that i more or less guide myself by:

and here's one that shows you how much you need to do every day:

dia consumption per day can vary depending on your overall event bonus, whether you use passes or not, etc etc. if you're going for 22m i think it can literally go from 4-12k depending on how lucky you were with the event scout, whether you use event passes or not that day, etc.

here's a very useful resource to kind of brace yourself for when you're planning to have big milestones in events, remember that bc its for JP server it's a little less optimistic since it doesnt account for engstars qol, and that whatever dia value it says you need for that amount you need to multiply it by 10.

here's a more comprehensive (not really) account of my hot limit experience. i talk a little about the whistle pack as well which i think on eng is an absolute necessity if you're running 22m so you dont go crazy. qol my beloved

i think the above link covers most of the experience but if there's anything else you particularly need help with i'm always down to answer questions. however being realistic i think with 11k dia it might be a bit difficult to go this far unless you can grind most song to s+, do starries every day, grind for event dias, read all of the stories you can in the time given and/or are willing to spend money on such short notice 🥲

holds microphone up to u Thots on junkana . also kohaai bc ive been thingkging abt them

AGAUAHAHHEHEHEH!! HUEUEHESUH!! hi melty hehe ehejdeh eh GO TO SLEEP SOON but hi ♡

junkana

AGRHRHRGRGR RHEGAUAH I O HGAA WUAUAGAA A A AWUU O O Y U O I U UUUUHUU U U U U H U UUUU HUUUU UU UHU U UU U O UU

KANAJUN JUNKANA MY WORLD.. please they never had a chance they shouldve been inseparable they shouldve had everything.. theyre like asuka evangelion.. the way kaname clings to and relies on jun when he initially demoted to ns student.. and how theyre both a little tsun so its hard for them to even get around to realizing they think of each other positively… sorry i cant be normal about guy who admires his friend’s tenacity and sees the good in him + guy who has never ever been looked up to or loved ever, i know jun would be kaname’s #1 fan and support if he were there at the metamorphosis live 💔 please the casual homosexuality between them is insane. pheromones. sexy pheromones. theyd be so annoying and obnoxious together, can you imagine? take my hand. ill show you. they come to starbucks and hold up the front register for five minutes. kaname’s too anxious to order he doesnt even know what drink he wants and hes whining to jun about what drink he should get and jun has Never Fucking Been Here Before. hes staring at the pastry case. he thinks he wants a bagel. kaname does not want to eat he wants something to drink. jun suggests a drink kaname rejects it for too much sugar or too bitter he somehow knows the flavor profile of the entire menu despite having only ever ordered caramel frappuccinos (and i should know i have watched him regularly enter). they continue this cycle with every single drink on the menu. it has been ten minutes. the line’s backed up to the door. kaname settles on a caramel frappe. what size. venti. no, grande. actually no venti jun split it with me. youre splitting it with me. actually could you make that a caramel crunch frappe? could you make it decaf? how much? 6.02. both kaname and jun take out debit cards. they spat over whose paying. it has been fifteen minutes. the line is backed up into the parking lot. they pay. five minutes later theyre kicked out of the cafe for disturbing the peace and making out so sloppily their drool could be used to polish the table tops. end scene

kohaai

yeah ♡

edit: kohaai is so everything to me because fate really did bring them together.. its funny i hc that before he was put in the zashikirou, kohaku literally told aira everything about his situation like being an assassin and everything and aira straight up thought it was fake and he was just being 9 and an edgy emo boy weirdo GDJDBDJ like kohaku is funny because he comes off as the type of sixth grader to type very seriously. He tries to act really mature on the internet. He uses perfect grammar and verbose vocabulary and whatever the hell and youd never expect hes some little scrungly with an accent. i think when they first realized they met irl aira was like NOOOO HES 100% DISAPPOINTED WITH ME IN HIS HEAD ISNT HE HE SECRETLY HATES ME NOOO and kohakus like heheh 😊 he is my sun ☀️

they mean much to me they simply adore each other and its so sweet.. auagauagaugh a aahaug ygau guaga ga a aga a im getting cavities

honest opinion ship ask game

Time to make some proper profiles for the ygo ocs! So, we'll start off with Kat!

Name: Katherine Grace Mercer. Nicknames: Kat, Kit-Kat, Kitty-Kat, Kitty Girl (by Max), Kitty (by Cecelia), Katie (by Wes and Mason), Katiedid (by Mason). Aliases: Kat Pegasus. Nationality: American. Birthplace: Creightonsville, Tennessee. Age: 16-17 years old. Birthday: May 9th. Gender: Cis female; she/her pronouns. Sexuality: Pansexual. Occupation: Professional Duelist, Domino High Student (after moving to Domino), Vice President of Industrial Illusions. Ideal V.A,: Megan Hilty.

Hair Color: Brown. Hair Style: Long, mid back length, very floofy and with tons of volume, very thick. Has some natural wave to it. Bangs part at the center and frame her face. Eye Color: Green. Skintone: Fair, with warm undertones. Height: 5'6". Build: More of a triangular body shape with lean muscle in her arms and legs. Notable Features: Splatter of freckles across her cheeks, nose, shoulders, arms and chest; nostril piercing on her right nostril and pierced ears; small scar on the side of her head from an incident when she was a child (her hair for the most part now covers it up and she uses the ribbon in her hair to help). Outfits: Full guide can be found here. Accessories: With every outfit, she wears the ribbon in her hair and the gold heart locket with roses that Cecelia gifted her. She typically wears other accessories, i.e. chokers, rings, bracelets, etc, that are more customized to every outfit!

Overall Personality: Very competitive and passionate about whatever she throws herself into, and especially Duel Monsters. Really plays up the big bubbly, excitable and determined personality, especially out in public, she can't let it be known that anything bothers her. Is a very quick thinker and loves getting to strategize and piece things together for herself. Very loving and kind, especially to those she truly values as part of her life and would literally do anything for those she cares about or for people in need, though this self sacrificing nature can also be equally as self destructive for herself. She's also incredibly stubborn and doesn't give up on the matters she sees as worth it. Has a harder time being truly vulnerable around people; hates anyone seeing her cry or letting people know that they've gotten to her. Is definitely a little feisty when she wants to be. Dramatic as hell. Hobbies: Baking cookies, playing Duel Monsters, DND and other TTRPGs, streaming video games, doing tiktok trends, singing along to the radio, shopping, horseback riding. Likes: Dolly Parton, magical girl shows, squishmallows, Sanrio, Funny Bunny, quality time with her family and her dog, bingewatching shows for the millionth time, flower gardens. Dislikes: Core curriculum math, people who use their status to hurt others, low rise jeans, the paparazzi, getting lead in circles in a conversation, crowds, soap operas. Favorite Food: Medium-rare steak. Least Favorite Food: Anything with pumpkin.

Parents: Mason Mercer and Evangeline "Evie" Davenport-Mercer (deceased); Vance and Chelsea Griffin (godparents / adoptive parents). Sibling(s): Cecelia Pegasus (older sister; deceased), Maximillion Pegasus (brother-in-law/older brother figure), Maddox Griffin (godbrother / adoptive older brother). Extended Family: Wesley "Wes" Mercer (paternal uncle), Josie Mercer (paternal grandmother), Bo Mercer (paternal grandfather, deceased), Lilith and Robert Knighton (first cousins once removed, deceased; credit to @kohakuhime), Edith and Pierre Allard (first cousins once removed, also credit to Kohaku), Raphael Knighton (second cousin), Sonia and Julian Knighton (second cousins, deceased). Pet(s): Lola (German Sheperd; also an ESA and guard dog). Best Friend(s): Ellie Munroe (credit to Kohaku), Iris McGinnis, Ryou Bakura, Miho Nonaka, Tomoya Hanasaki. Love Interest(s): Bakura/Yami Bakura, Seto Kaiba.

Deck: Plant Types. Signature/Ace Card(s): Fallen Angel of Roses and Queen Angel of Roses

Backstory:

Born to an Olympic Equestrian and an actress.

Her older sister was diagnosed with her illness when Kat was about 3.

Grew up trying to keep her sisters spirits high and the two having this beautiful and inseparable bond with each other, especially in the face of their parents marriage troubles they did their best to keep from the girls, and their mothers narcissitic and controlling tendencies.

Grew up with her cousins whenever they got to visit and was especially close to her cousin, Sonia, they were best friends.

Played a very early, early prototype to Duel Monsters, before it was ever Duel Monsters, in the hospital rooms her sister frequented.

Lost a lot of her family within a year of each other; the Harmonia sinking, then Mason passing away in a car accident, then Cecelia and then Evangeline. Would be adopted by her godparents, who the will dictated were to take her in the event anything happened to her parents; the agreement was decided as the best move by both them, Maximillion and Wes.

Moved to San Francisco with her godparents, Maddox, her nieces and Max when Industrial Illusions properly started up.

Got to beta test Duel Monsters for her big brother and competed and won in the very first tournament.

Continued the tournament circuit, making time for her family as much as she could.

Met Kaiba at a tournament and they quickly became dedicated rivals and her goal has been to beat him some day, as he was the only person she had never beaten before.

Is with Max when he gets the news that Kaiba has been defeated and she's more upset that somebody beat him before she did than anything else; though, there is definitely quite a bit of surprise when she goes to try and figure out who this Yugi kid is and finds he himself has an Item like the one Max has as a fake eye.

Goes to Duelist Kingdom to watch, since she was barred from competing, and begins to uncover more than she could have ever imagined.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORE KNIGHTS especially Naruchan and Ritsu!! Ritsu is so me cuz I'm like almost 24/7 dead asleep 😭 most of the songs I tend to listen are like softer/mellow ones but then also me who listen to all units anyways since they have so many good songs this is a literally a crime the heck/j for pjsk, my fav unit is n25 too because idk...why do they have some of the best songs like everytime they get a new song, it's an absolute banger!!!

I look it up what this rondo unit is...omg why are they so pretty?!!?! THEIR BLACK OUTFITS SHEESHHH istg people in black are so gorgeous and this is why black is my favorite color for clothes...too many pretty outfits @.@

Outside of Knights, my favorite characters are Kohaku and Mika!! .... angry cute noises

RITSUUUU HES ALSO ONE OF MY FAVS ALSO NARU!!! love them so so much ESP THEIR CENTER CARDS whenever i see fragrance naru, 10 years are added to my life span

the song part is SO real ... i listen/like almost every genre out there so i have plenty of fav songs in every game i play... undead + n25 🔛🔝

YESSSSS RONDO IS SO GORGEOUS my fav member is tsubaki!! tbh i forgot a lot abt her but i want to get back into d4dj at some point!!! ALSO their songs are on spotify and rondo's songs are SO GOOD i would highly recommend listening to them !! my recs are definitely koten, movement, prayer[s], and their cover of 'leia'!

Hi!Hi!I been rereading the self-aware AU recently because I think Ibara in my account may or may not be a bit self-aware?/j He keeps appearing in my pulls, he was basically the first starter card I maxed out and in the Swan event he came home in literally every single pull (RIP my dias though because I did not get Kohaku ;^;) And I've gotten two calls from him in the eng server since they added calls- 🎃 anon (yoinking it isn't taken already)

Welcome 🎃 anon!! As far as I remember that's not yet taken so feel free to take it!! ^^

And that does indeed sound like Ibara has taken quite a liking to you, dear producer! Maybe he saw you pull on Kohaku's banner and thought it would be best to remind you who your true soulmate was😌

(Also I did log in for the swan event too but could only do 3 ten pulls with my dias and didn't get Kohaku of course. Rip me, it's such a beautiful card😭)

I still know nothing about Enstars but I want to give you an excuse to discuss (not that you need it) because I love to hear about your interests so. 19!!

If someone has already asked that one then free space, pick whichever question you want!

19. what are your favorite 5* and 4* cards?

i've already answered this question here but im actually gonna answer it Again because i limited myself to one 5star (including both bloomed and unbloomed) per character last time ubt i have even more 5stars that i love

obligatory niki shiina but tbh i honestly prefer a lot of his 4stars over his 5stars :( hot limit niki (the first set) drives me craaazy though look at him !!! he was so little!!! look at him . He saved lives (literally) . He's so pretty in the bloomed hes ujst so .aruurhghghh the emotions hot limit induces within me . Insane mode . if i could force every one of my followers to read one enstars story it would be hot limit

KANAMESWEEP

oh . and himeru too ig

(tbh the entire obbligato set Bangs. it fucks Hard. goes absolutely Insane. absolutely revolutionary event absolutely revolutionary card set)

^ example of another obbligato banger

im giving hiiro his own dedicated section bc hiiro amagi has never had a bad card . he is always pretty and loveable in every single one . white lily (the hiiro card from my prev post abt this question) is my alltime favorite and im still sad i didnt pull it :( however i have his initial 5star and the anni lim hiiro so Its Ok :) Look at him isn't he so cute and loveable

^ obligatory "i want jun sazanami carnally" moment

^ and obligatory hiyojun beating each other with pipes moment

hiyori is also legit always pretty his 5stars r pretty much always bangers but if i had to choose just one ... ogrghhh this ones so good its so pretty

SANRIO MAYOI SANRIO MAYOI . SELF EXPLANATORY

i was gonna post more cards ubt kohaku made me hit image limit and i had to delete some of the others to make room for him (there were initially more hiyoris) . Not deleting any hiiros tho

this also means i cant post any 4stars so. yeah. Maybe if someone sends me 19 again i'll just go on a 4star-only tangent

(enstars ask game)

[gently pushes pause on “this is a Critical Role blog” except bold of anyone to assume that I won’t change gears once a week, depending on what’s airing.]

Okay, so DAMN this episode had everything and I’ve usually been waiting for the dub and just reading summaries and watching clips for Yashahime but I plan on writing a few fics in this fandom for Februwhump (whaaaat), so I need to catch up and what better way to do so than watching the latest because BOY DID IT HAVE EVERYTHING.

What’s that, Chris? You like your stoic badass characters who care for like five people total who spent an entire series being the most selfish fuck known to god and man and then came into the sequel swinging that character development to get FUCKED UP because they were PROTECTING their loved ones?? Oh okay, here you go. Like GODDAMN.

(Also I love how Kirinmaru called back to that Inu-Papa “women and children shouldn’t be on a battlefield” thing while Sesshoumaru is literally standing behind him, taking a fucking breather and not yelling at the girls for tagging in, like damn way to drink the respect women and children juice there, Sess. He was like “oh my GOD Moroha why didn’t you RUN it’s like dealing with Mini-Inuyasha over here” but still let her do her shit and only stepped in when Kirinmaru was about to nuke his family and called them brats.

CAPTAIN BLOOD PRIVILEGE OVER HERE LIKE “HEY HERE’S AN ACTUAL EMOTION BECAUSE YOU CALLED MY DAUGHTERS AND NIECE A NAME.”)

Points were deducted from this episode because while my mama-loving heart did break down into sobbing bitch baby tears about Moroha and Kagome, I am still tapping my GODDAMN WATCH over Rin not getting to see her daughters, like come on man. The girl just got out of a tree and now her babies are in the Netherworld and her husband is literally engaged in a callback to the Night They Met what with the unconscious sprawl in the woods thing.

(I don’t know what a haku is in this context, but can it be solved by dumping water on his head? Because Rin can do that. She can do that good.)

Incidentally, loving Rin in the preview just standing in her shift and bare feet in front of Jaken, Takechiyo (who she has NEVER MET), and probably Sesshoumaru’s creepily glowing comatose body so Kirinmaru can’t get past her like this girl. THIS ABSOLUTE FIVE FOOT NOTHING OF A QUEEN.

I feel like given the opening, we’re about to head into a “pretend to be the villain of the piece, get a corruption arc” thing with Sesshoumaru, which... YES. YES, I AM EXCITED ABOUT. As long as he doesn’t die. If Sess dies of this and the end result is not every member of the Doggo Clan tackling his dumb ass into the ground and loving him back into whatever his definition of sense is, then what was the point. He’s the only member of the Sesshomaru Clan besides Towa that still has a Get Out of Death Card Free card, and I STAND by my “Sess is gonna get revived by the Tenseiga” theory and you can pry it from my cold fingers. I wrote the fic. I spoke it into existence, which, uh, given how fucking bad I am at theorizing (like seriously I am the opposite of Apollo’s gift of prophecy- no matter how well thought out my theories are THEY ARE NEVER TRUE, BUT GIVE ME THIS ONE.)

Anyway. LOVE THAT SHIPPO IS FINALLY GONNA SHOW AT LONG LAST... and has not aged a day. I mean it’s been 18 years, but Teen Shippo was everyone’s theory for awhile. But I mean the HUMANS have barely aged in 18 years, even the ones NOT stuck in time displacement, so keeping Shippo still Baby makes sense.

Also BOY did this season (mostly the new opening though let’s be real) come for my entire life with the Riku/Towa. I was pretty content to just ship the Old Hotness and leave the kiddos to being cute and sibling-y and GOD way to hit a dozen of my tropes. I’m hoping “Riku dies if Kirinmaru dies” (which oh my god YASHAHIME THAT TROPE IS GETTIN REAL OLD) is gonna be the new Kohaku Will Die Without the Jewel Shard and that’ll get resolved somehow. Like come on, let Towa and Riku be the GNC as fuck ship of dreams.

Anyway, looking forward to at least ONE adorable family reunion next week... and also finding out why the fuck Sesshoumaru is how he is right now and what’s that gonna do.

HiMERU has such good cards so it pains me even more that I probably won't get him with the 300 dias I have like that's impossible svdbdbd

And oh god I feel you on the whole favorites back-to-back thingy, it sucks so much!! I'm glad you at least managed to get Keito home quickly but it's very rude of Aira to decline your invitation to come home smh 😔

It honestly feels like happyele just loves to somehow give all of us our favorites back to back. I remember my first tour event I participated in being the ancient legend one at literally had both of my favorite characters ( Mika and Kohaku) as the five stars so that was a very rough thing to start my enstars story with sbsbs Also can we talk about how mean they were to run that event during kohaku's birthday so I couldn't afford to play regular songs on his birthday because I had to put every BP I had into the tours? Because it was *very* mean of them and I haven't forgiven them yet 😤

And then soon after they pulled that knights event on us with a Ritsu 5 star and hell once again began sbssdb

We gotta start making hate posts about our faves so happyele won't put them into the gacha anymore sjsh

Oh my god that's so painful! My first tour (and my first event, actually) was Night Club which was the second tour ever and they changed a lot about how tours worked for it and I remember everyone was so confused KSJFK but I can't imagine how painful having to pick between them for your first tour event must have been 😭 And that's so evil wth... I didn't play that event bc of it being double face but GOD. cruelty

And then euthanasia so soon after 😭 whyd they do you like that!! Happyele are addicted to being evil I think

GOOD IDEA @ happyele my favourite enstars character is uhhhh bingus <3 Mayoi WHO I have NEVER heard of him. What the hell is an alkaloid? is that a fruit?

The new Dr. Stone chapter was so interesting. I cannot wait for the Senku explanations.

Some stupid comments from me about Mozu below, lol, because I just couldn’t stop myself from calling out this dickhead.

So, Mozu is one of those guys who thinks that he can sell himself to a girl thanks to his dick, because it’s what I assume he means by “what I’ve got”. I hate that type of men. They really do think it works on women? Astounding how big of an ego they have while putting everything on a dick card.

Translate:

Mozu: I am so shallow I only like girls with cute faces.

Kohaku: I do not like men like you.

I do really love those lines. Kohaku isn’t a type of girl who would fall for any men, it’s basically one of her introducing “traits” which she showed at the start of the manga. She likes men like Senku and Chrome, but it doesn’t mean she would fall for any of those types instantly. She just values them more, which we can see when she states that she would prefer Chrome to marry her sister.

What the hell is this guy?! His hand is bigger than Ginro’s head! Black eyes! And this weird black tattoo at the back! If there is a scientific explanation for THAT I literally will die, because I would really wanna know how it can be explained.

About the whole chapter:  I partially wish that the whole situation didn’t end like this, because I am kind of tired of the fact that every now and then when we get strong female characters, they always have to meet some powerful opponent they cannot win with and this opponent nearly always is a man. It’s just so unrealistic, really (this argument is on the nose, as some of your probably noticed, because I heard so many times how unrealistic in a nonreal universe it would be if woman defeated a man - that argument is so stupid I had to put it here). Yeah, men technically should be more strong than women, but it only applies on average. I would really prefer Kohaku to be more strong and more of an equal opponent to Mozu, but in the end she fought very well and because battle wasn’t a center of attention she didn’t get bashed over the fact that “she wasn’t strong enough” by the manga as much as other female characters in other shounen mangas. She fought with him, the strongest, and he couldn’t defeat her - he even let her depart the battlefield to catch Ginro, so it doesn’t really put him in a good light, considering how much he failed to stop her. I feel though that ending was satisfying and even though I wish Kohaku was stronger I would not change it. It was really something I didn’t think would happen. I dunno if anybody could predict that at all. It was this kind of a twist, which wasn’t bullshit and worked pretty well to forward the story. Well, as long as we do not count Evil Jafar on Steroids as bullshit. I am curious.

The It Couple - Valentine’s Day Special!

(art by @file13thetrashcan)

IT’S BACK, BITCHES

This one is a gift for my beloved friend @ideasthatbuildcities, to thank her for being so wonderful and for supporting my work from the very beginning. So here it is - a special chapter from my very first Inuyasha story, “The It Couple!” If you haven’t read it and you’d like to, you can find it..

HERE!

So without further ado...

THE IT COUPLE VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL!

Or, alternatively: SUPLEXES AND THE POWER OF ‘NOPE’

“Kanna, do we have to?” Kohaku grumbled, thumping his chin onto the table surface and fixing her with his best childish pout. “I never agreed to this.”

His girlfriend took a loud, bubbly sip through her straw and set her now-empty soda down, fixing him with that deathly serious stare over the lenses of her black-rimmed reading spectacles. “Do you hate Inuyasha? Do you hate Kagome?” She leaned forward, her whisper barely audible over the hum of noise in the university food court. “Do you hate your sister?”

What the hell kind of question - “Of course I don’t!”

Her dark eyes narrowed before returning to her enormous textbook. “Alright, then.”

“I just - I mean, it’s Valentine’s Day, Kanna,” Kohaku protested, sliding his hand forward over the table to cover hers, “And it’s our third year together. Shouldn’t we, you know, spend a little time, just the two of us? I was gonna make us a nice dinner, and maybe rent one of your favorite movies and just curl up on the couch…”

“We are perfectly capable of enjoying each other’s company every other day of the year,” Kanna said, not looking up from the text she was perusing but intertwining her fingers with his nonetheless, “Valentine’s Day is a scam invented to sell greeting cards. It’s utterly meaningless. I don’t need a holiday to encourage my affection for you, dearest.” A light squeeze of his hand, though her expression never changed.

Kohaku sighed. Once again, her logic was starting to win out. It always did. It was the thing about her that he admired most, and the thing that most often would drive him to near insanity.

“So we’re stuck babysitting my nieces and those two crazy Takahashi kids, while everyone else gets to go out and have fun?”

Kanna was still reading. Research for a doctoral thesis was always intense, Kohaku knew, but Kanna’s commitment to her academic career was incredible, even by those standards. He waited patiently for her to finish her paragraph, and the silence between them was interrupted only by the irritating squeak of a highlighter dragged across the page, until she finally sat back and looked up at him again, removing her reading glasses.

“You’re welcome to join the others at whatever loud, expensive nightclub they end up at,” she said quietly, and though the statement would have seemed harsh and blunt to any other listening ears, he knew she was just speaking plainly. As she always did. Kanna language. “I made a promise to Kagome. And if everyone broke promises society would crumble and fall. Besides, they have a better home-theatre setup than we do.”

“You literally only said yes for the surround sound and the reclining plush seats.” Kohaku broke into a small smile as the realization dawned on him.

Kanna didn’t return the smile, but if she had it would have honestly terrified him and made him wonder what sort of alternate universe he’d woken up in. “You also seem to be underestimating the benefit of watching small children who go to sleep early in the evening. I still have an entire wing of the house for my own particular use, if you’ll recall.” She looked off in the distance, as if lost in thought. “Kagome bought me custom furniture when I moved in. All black.”

Kohaku felt the heat flush up the back of his neck, and as he reached up to tug at his collar, he realized his hands were trembling.

Kanna noticed the tremor too. “Is that a brain damage tremor or an I-love-Kanna tremor?”

Kohaku snorted with laughter. Only you would say it that way. And I adore you for it. In a world where everyone else shied away from the subject, she would always just ask him about it point-blank.

“Probably both,” he laughed. The tremor slowed and disappeared as quickly as it had come.

“AXEL!”

Kagome paused, frowned, and sat back from her laptop, craning her head over her shoulder. The house had been quiet for a few blessed moments, with Inuyasha in his office answering emails from god-knows-who and the kids playing with their toys very nicely and sweetly. So of course, she’d decided to get some much-needed editing work done before they went out for Valentine’s Day tonight. And of course, quiet in the Takahashi household usually meant something insane was about to happen.

With a heavy sigh and a chuckle to herself, she stood up and followed her husband’s voice down the hallway, around the corner, through the massive living room, and into the kids’ game room.

Mimi was hiding behind the doorway, her twin pigtails hanging sideways as she peeked inside. Kagome smiled to herself and crouched low to whisper in the four-year-old’s ear.

“What happened?”

Mimi turned at the sound of her mother’s voice, her little nose red and sniffly, and just pointed hesitantly, her little cherub face pinched with nervousness. “Daddy’s mad.” 

Kagome ruffled her hair reassuringly and stood to walk past her into the room.

Her precious, beloved son stood there in the center of the room, looking sheepish and a bit glum. And her precious, beloved husband was standing facing the opposite wall, bracing himself upright with a clenched fist, with his eyes screwed shut as he seemed to be trying to calm down.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome said, stepping forward. “What happened?”

At the sight of her, Axel immediately ran forward and threw his arms around her waist, burying his face in her shirt. “We were just playing! I promise, Mom! I didn’t mean to!”

Kagome suppressed a grin, glancing up at Inuyasha meaningfully.

Finally, Inuyasha took a deep breath and spoke. “You didn’t mean to throw your little sister through the air into the wall?” He pointed at the new Mimi-shaped dent just below the window.

Jesus CHRIST. Kagome’s mouth fell open in stunned silence and she glanced back at Mimi, who was still peeking through the doorway. Sure enough, there it was. A huge bruise starting to form on the little girl’s left arm.

Axel, what the hell! She thought it, but she didn’t say it. “Mimi, sweetheart, are you okay?”

Mimi just nodded, her lower lip quivering a little. She wasn’t crying, not really. She’s a tough little firecracker, gotta give her that. Of course, having to try and keep up with the actual tornado that was her older brother had no doubt given her a spine of steel that belied her mere four years of age.

“Axel,” Kagome looked down at her son, who was still plastered around her waist and clearly doing his best to be cute and small and precious, “Why did you throw your sister?” Even saying it out loud sounded ludicrous.

“A question I’d also like the answer to,” growled Inuyasha, folding his arms across his chest and fixing Axel with his patented stern-father face.

“W-We were playing,” Axel said, his voice muffled into Kagome’s stomach. Kagome gently untangled his arms from around her and stepped backward.

“Playing what?” Inuyasha held out his arms, and Mimi rushed forward and scrambled into them. He held out her arm to examine it, turning it over gently. “Does it hurt?” he asked her, his voice low and soft.

Mimi nodded, glancing at Axel with a guilty expression, like she was scared of ratting her beloved big brother out. Inuyasha placed a featherlight kiss over the bruise, then turned back to their older child. “Playing what, Axel?”

“...Pro wrestling.” Axel mumbled the words.

She’d been married to him now for eight years, so Kagome knew by the minute changes in Inuyasha’s expression when he was about to lose that famous temper of his, so she just gave him her best let-me-handle-this smile and spoke up quickly.

“Did Mimi want to play pro wrestling?”

Axel looked as if that question had never occurred to him. Kagome fought back a sigh and ran a hand through her hair.

“You can’t just throw your sister, kid,” Inuyasha said with narrowed golden eyes.

“I didn’t throw her,” Axel said, “I suplexed her.”

There it was. A quirk of Inuyasha’s eyebrow. A snarl curling at the corner of his lips. Down, boy, Kagome thought, crouching down to stare Axel in the eyes.

“I can’t believe I’m having to tell you this, as old as you are,” she said sternly, “but you are not allowed to play pro wrestling in the house. Or anywhere, unless you’re with your Aunt Ayame and she’s taken you to her dad’s gym again. Understand me?”

Axel gave a petulant glance toward the floor. A glance that looked so familiar that it nearly made Kagome crack up and forget that she was trying to do the mom thing right now. “Yes, Mom,” he mumbled.

“Now apologize to Mimi.”

Axel looked over at his sister, who was still hanging on Inuyasha’s hip. He looked truly downtrodden and regretful, and it made Kagome want to just envelop him in her arms and cuddle him, but no, she couldn’t, because that would undermine her whole speech just now -

“I’m sorry, Mimi.”

Inuyasha’s angry expression finally relaxed into general peevedness.

“If you want,” Axel continued, “You can hit me back.”

Dammit, Axel.

“No one is hitting anybody,” Kagome said, gripping Axel’s shoulder tightly enough so he knew she meant it. “Axel, you’re not hitting Mimi, and Mimi, you don’t hit Axel. Are we clear?”

Mimi nodded. Axel just bit his lip.

“Axel!” Inuyasha said sharply.

“I got it, Dad. I’m sorry.” Axel glanced up at Kagome then, those blue eyes of his shining. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll never do it again.”

By the look on Inuyasha’s face, he was buying it just as much as Kagome was. She sent her husband a wink as she said, “Better not.”

“Well,” Inuyasha grumbled as he pulled off his tee shirt and tossed it onto their bed before reaching for the dress shirt he had laid next to it, “Guess that rules out taking the kids to the park this weekend. All we need is for some fucking paps to see that huge honking bruise on Mimi’s arm and then there’ll be headlines for weeks about possible abuse in our household.”

Kagome didn’t respond for several seconds.

“Baby?” He turned and glanced over his shoulder.

She was standing there at her vanity in her bra and jeans, bracing herself upright with both arms and shaking with silent laughter.

He couldn’t help it; he broke into a confused grin. “What the hell are you laughing about?”

She just laughed harder and doubled over over the table. “He - he suplexed her! He physically picked her up and just - “ She mimicked the move, throwing her arms backward over her head, cackling to herself. “I know, I know, it’s not funny and I shouldn’t be laughing and we’re so lucky she didn’t break her arm, but that mental image of Axel just - “ She covered her mouth with one hand and her bare stomach with the other.

“You are terrible,” he chuckled, turning back to the dress shirt and moving to throw it over his shoulders.

“Not my fault he’s exactly like his dad,” she said, “An idiot.”

“Hmph,” he huffed, reaching for the buttons.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Suddenly, Kagome’s hand was on his chest, and she stood there with a huge grin on her face and ran it up and down over his abs. Her touch was light, caressing. “Let me appreciate.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake - “

“Shh,” she said with mock severity, “I just need a moment. Let me have this.”

“You perv,” he said, leaning down to touch his forehead to hers with a mischievous smirk, “Don’t worry. You can have all you want later tonight.”

Kagome’s smile was bright and dazzling as always, with the dimple on her cheek that he loved so much on full display. “Promise?”

He kissed her, and her arms snaked upward around his neck, pulling him closer with a small, delighted squeak.

“Hey, hey, cut that shit out,” he scolded, knowing he likely had a huge stupid smile on his face and not particularly caring, “You - we- have to get dressed. Miroku and Sango and the twins are due here in a few minutes. I mean, unless you wanna go out like that.”

Kagome glanced down at her bra and jeans ensemble. “Hmm, maybe not,” she said with a smirk, “Alright, alright, I’m getting dressed. But you owe me!”

Everything, he thought, watching her as she darted into the closet.

It was so hard to concentrate on the road. Miroku knew he deserved several medals.

The twins were chattering in baby talk in the backseat (twin talk, Sango called it), they were on their fiftieth reprise of goddamn “Wheels on the Bus” playing on the car stereo, and his gorgeous wife was next to him in the front seat in a very short mini-dress with her immaculate legs on full display. And of course, with his wife being the absolute badass she was, she was in the middle of a phone call with a studio executive, not even batting an eye at the cacophony of noise around her.

Finally, mercifully, they arrived at the Takahashi palace and buzzed through the gate. Another seven or so minutes of unloading the kids, the diaper bags, the snack packs (the one thing he hadn’t been prepared for when he became a father - all the stuff they required wherever they went), all of it.

“Need a hand?” Kagome poked her head out of the front door.

“Of course not,” Miroku said, grinning through the bag strap caught between his teeth, his speech muffled, “We’re experts. King and Queen of Parenting.”

“Hey, Kagome!” Sango had both twin girls by the hand and was gently walking them up toward the door. “Is Kanna here yet?”

“She’s on her way. She and Kohaku left right as you guys did, so it should be any minute.” Kagome bent to pick up Kimmy, the younger of the twins, who as of lately was obsessed with her Aunt Kagome and had already been reaching out for her.

“Thank god,” Miroku said through his gritted teeth, stumbling under the weight of all the bags. Suddenly the ever-wonderful Nazuna also appeared through the open doorway, and she immediately took a few of them off his hands. “And thank you, Nazuna.”

Nazuna grinned and disappeared back into the house.

“Any paps at the gate?” Kagome said, peering off in the direction of the entrance to the property, which was hidden behind the hill. Her smile was a little tighter.

“No,” Sango said, “Why? Expecting some?”

Kagome visibly sighed. “We always get a few whenever Kikyou’s back in the press. She announced her new movie this morning, but then again, you probably knew that. It’s sort of you guys’ jobs to know everything.” She turned and led them into the house, and Nazuna, ever ready and devoted, shut the door behind all of them.

“She should be sending you two royalty checks,” Miroku grumbled, “You’ve single-handedly kept her an object of interest in the public eye for the last eight years.” He let the bags dropped and cracked his shoulder. Man, I’m getting old. Just kill me now.

Sango discreetly elbowed him in the side. “Kagome, if you’d rather not go out tonight, that’s okay, we can just - “

“Hell no!” Kagome said, “Oh, I mean, heck no.” She wrinkled her nose and nuzzled at Kimmy’s face. “I made a promise to myself long ago. I’m going to live my life and be happy. Best revenge is living well, right?”

Miroku reached out and ruffled Kagome’s hair. “You’re so mature, Kagome. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad.” She rolled her eyes.

There was the sound of lumbering footsteps, like a stampede.

Kagome shook her head and laughed. “Well, here comes the cavalry.”

And then they appeared around the corner. Mini Inuyasha and Mini Kagome, he called them.

“Kimmy and Ally are here!” shouted Axel, barrelling toward the crowd of them, and for a heart-stopping instant Miroku had a vision of the kid just failing to stop and knocking them all down like bowling pins, but the boy skidded to a stop in his white cotton socks. His silver-white hair was sticking out all over the place. Mini Inuyasha to the core.

Mimi, the little angel, was clearly doing her best to keep up with her big brother but was defeated by her shorter legs. She grinned up at the adults with pure delight. “Uncle Moku!”

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said, feeling his stone heart just melt as he bent to pick her up for a hug. “How are you?”

“Axel spooplexed me!” She held out her arm excitedly, showing off an ugly bruise running down her arm.

“...He what, now?”

“Long story,” Inuyasha said, appearing from the bedroom hallway in a smart tailored suit. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”

“Uh-huh.” Sango had on her skeptical face.

“Hi, Aunt Sango,” said Axel briefly before turning his attention to Ally, who was still clutching her mother’s hand. “Hi, Ally!”

“Yep, sure,” Miroku grumbled, “Hi, how are you, Axel, my name is Chopped Liver.”

Kagome and Sango giggled, and Miroku turned to glare at them. “Thanks for all the support, ladies, really. Axel, I like your shirt. What does it say?”

Axel gave him a look like he was the biggest idiot in the world and held out the shirtfront to display the writing. “It says ‘AC/DC.’”

Well, excuse the hell out of me, mini Inuyasha.

The phone rang, and Nazuna appeared seemingly from out of nowhere to answer it. “Kanna’s here,” she announced, hanging up.

“So their snacks are in the purple - no, the blue bag,” Sango scrolled through her list, brow furrowed in concentration, “and they’re just starting potty training so we’ve got pull-ups, but I’d put them in real diapers before you put them down for the night. The portable playpen has a roll-out mattress, so you can use that, but no pillows, just a thin blanket.”

Leave it to Sango to make a bulleted list for a few hours’ worth of childcare. Inuyasha sent Kagome a smirk across the room, and she smiled back.

Kanna, meanwhile, was listening intently. Or maybe that was just her face. After eight years of knowing the kid, it was still hard to tell.

Inuyasha glanced just behind her at Kohaku, whose nieces were currently latched onto both of his hands and dragging him around the living room while babbling excitedly. He looked tired already. Welcome to my life, kid.

“You’re spending the night, right?” Kagome asked Kanna when Sango finally seemed satisfied that she’d covered everything. “I don’t know how late we’ll be, or if we’ll have to wait for our table - “

“Kagome,” Miroku was at the bar mixing himself a scotch and seltzer, “You’re married to the most famous movie star in the world. If we have to wait for a table, I’m getting new friends to leech off of.”

“Well, anyway,” Kagome sent Miroku a brief look and continued as if he hadn’t spoken, “Your room is all ready to go. Clean sheets, bath towels if you want to shower, et cetera.”

“And no scary movies with the kids awake,” Inuyasha added. That had been a point of contention last time Kanna had babysat.

Kanna turned and fixed him with that unsettling stare. “I’m sorry you think ‘The Crow’ is scary. I thought it was a beautiful love story.”

“It is literally about coming back from the dead to murder people.”

She gave a minute shrug. “You’re the parents.”

“We did it!” Miroku sank into the backseat as if he had lost all feeling in his limbs. “We’re actually going. Nothing went wrong.”

“Don’t jinx it, you idiot!” There was the sound of a gentle smack from the backseat.

“Oooh, do that again.”

“Houshi?”

“Yes, Mrs. Houshi?”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha. He was shaking his head and chuckling under his breath as he put the car in gear and started down the driveway.

As they approached, they saw them.

The flashes. Just a few, maybe three or four, but they were going off like crazy.

“Ugh,” Kagome said, running a hand over her face, “I knew it.”

“It’ll be alright, baby,” Inuyasha said, reaching over to brush his hand over her knee, “One of the perks of living the life we do - exclusive hidden entrances.”

She knew the car windows were heavily tinted, that there would be no clear images in any of the ill-gotten photos, but she still found herself instinctively slouching lower as they passed through the gate.

“Who’s performing tonight, anyway?” Kagome asked, looping her fingers around her frosted glass of beer, looking around the crowded club.

It was decorated much like an old-timey nightclub from Hollywood’s golden age, with an enormous dance floor and a stage with a huge brass band.

“Not any metal bands, that’s for sure,” Miroku smirked as he tossed back the last of his whiskey-on-the-rocks. “Sorry, Kagome. How will you ever survive?”

Kagome tossed her napkin at his face from across the table. “Sango, can I kill him and make you a widow?”

Sango was perusing the food menu and didn’t miss a beat. “I just took out extra life insurance on him,” she said, “Give me one more month so it doesn’t look suspicious.”

“Ha!” Miroku scoffed, leaning in to kiss Sango’s cheek, “You’d never do that. You’d miss me too much. Plus you’d have to raise the twins by yourself.”

“A good life insurance payout would finance an awesome nanny.”

Inuyasha snaked an arm around Kagome’s waist and leaned back against the booth. She leaned into him, laying her head gently against his shoulder.

She was so beautiful. And he loved her so goddamn much. And the night was just beginning.

Could anything ever ruin an evening like this? He voiced the thought in his head.

And then there was a small commotion, raising the general volume of the already noisy room. The four of them craned their heads to follow the noise.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Sango spat, her brown eyes narrowed with unfiltered rage.

What was that thing Sango said earlier about not jinxing it? Way to go, you absolute moron.

It was the first time they’d seen Kikyou in the flesh in nearly eight years, not counting passing glimpses on red carpets and the constant onslaught of her image all over the television all the time. Miroku and Sango, ever loyal to their most famous and money-making client, had always firmly emphasized to every single event organizer and bigshot that under no circumstances should Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi ever be seated near or forced to interact with Kikyou Higurashi. And it had always worked.

But, of course, fate had a way of fucking with the best-laid plans, right?

“Of all the nightclubs in LA,” Sango hissed, “She picked this one? I call bullshit. This is no coincidence.” She turned to Kagome and Inuyasha, clearly in full protective mode. “Did you tell anyone where we were going tonight?”

“Of course not!” Kagome said.

“We’re not stupid,” Inuyasha muttered, pulling Kagome a little closer.

Miroku, long finished with his own drink, reached over and took a generous sip of Sango’s, a troubled frown on his face.

Kikyou, looking angelic as she always had, waited for her date to pull out her chair before taking a seat, the skirt of her ruby red evening gown billowing around her. She was smiling at all the attention, all the whispers. The Queen, holding court. Some things never fucking change, do they?

“Does she see us?” Kagome said softly. Her black-polished fingers were awkwardly fiddling with her necklace, and she was staring down at the white-clothed table.

“I don’t know,” Inuyasha replied truthfully, then leaned closer to whisper, “Do you wanna go?”

The fidgeting stopped, and her nervous stare hardened into a steely glower. “No,” she said softly, “I don’t know what her goal is, what she’s planning, but she is not ruining my Valentine’s Day.” She sat up a little straighter and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Fuck it.”

Before anyone else could say something, the music flared up, and the entire club broke into applause.

Miroku raised his hand to signal for another round of drinks.

And here I was, about to ask Kagome to dance, Inuyasha thought glumly.

The music was sultry and jazzy. Definitely not Kagome’s usual vibe (not enough leather and studs and screaming high notes), but nice enough for a change. It all felt very fancy, which she realized was an ironic thought for half of one of the wealthiest couples in Hollywood to have. But then again, we’ve always been low-key, I guess. She snuck a glance down at her husband’s brand new Rolex watch. ...Well, relatively so.

She pointedly refused to look over at Kikyou, so she had no idea if Kikyou was looking back.

But then of course, her estranged older sister made it clear that she wanted to dance, and so there was no keeping her out of Kagome’s peripheral.

How did she find out where we were going? Sango’s right; this is no coincidence. Kikyou just announced a new movie this morning, and if there’s one thing she knows, it’s how to get press attention.

Inuyasha seemed to be thinking the same thing as she was, because he watched Kikyou laughingly get spun around by the poor idiot she’d convinced to date her with a very suspicious glare.

“I can’t stand this bullshit,” Sango spat, now well into her third strong drink of the evening.

“You and me both, babe.” Miroku had his mouth full of some overpriced appetizer and was chewing thoughtfully.

Sango set her glass down and placed both palms on the tabletop, as if she could take no more. “Houshi, c’mon,” she muttered, “We’re dancing.”

Miroku swallowed, looking like she’d just told him she was, in fact, an alien from Mars. “Sango, babe, you don’t dance. You’ve insisted that to me about twenty-three thousand, one hundred fifty times since we got married.”

“I dance now,” she hissed, glaring over at the back of Kikyou’s head, “Right now. How else am I gonna trip this bitch and make her wipe out on the dance floor?”

“I love you so much,” Miroku said, throwing down his napkin and following her out of the booth.

Kagome gave a muted smile at Inuyasha, who in return leaned over and kissed her. “You’re still having fun, right?” he murmured, so close she could feel his breath ghosting over her lips, “I know it’s not our normal sort of date night, but I figured once in a blue moon we could be hoity-toity celebrity people, you know?”

“It is fun,” she insisted, brushing his bangs out of his face lovingly. “I promise I’m having a great time.”

He didn’t look certain, and she knew he was worried. It was adorable. He was such a teddy bear underneath it all.

“I was gonna ask you to dance, of course,” he said, flicking his head back toward the dance floor behind them, “but I’m sure you don’t want to open that whole can of worms, right?”

“That can of worms was never fully closed in the first place,” Kagome said, once again letting herself settle against his shoulder, “I don’t know if it ever will be. Things are rarely ever that simple in the real world. Life isn’t a blockbuster movie.”

Inuyasha seemed to have no real reply to that, because he just kissed the top of her head and raised his glass to take another sip.

And for some reason, when Kagome saw the glum expression on his face that he was trying so desperately to hide for her sake, she felt her resolve turn to steel once again.

She nudged him, and he nearly choked on an ice cube.

“Oops, sorry!” She couldn’t help the laugh as she reached up with a napkin to wipe the whiskey off his chin.

“What gives?” he grumbled, “Trying to kill me, I see.”

“No, I don’t have any extra life insurance on you. Well, actually, the one policy we do have is more than enough. I could live for the rest of my days quite comfortably. Hey, let’s go dance!”

“Very funny.”

“I’m serious, let’s fucking do it.”

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow at her. He wasn’t buying what she was selling, clearly. “You know she’s going to see us and try to make a thing of it,” he said slowly, “Why give her the opportunity?”

“I have a plan. One that doesn’t involve tripping her, as tempting as Sango’s idea was.”

“Babe, I know you’re on a mission from Satan right now,” Miroku said softly into her ear, “but could you at least stop with that terrifying expression on your face? And also maybe look at me instead, so we can enjoy our romantic dance and you won’t keep stomping all over my feet with those spike heels.”

Sango blinked away from where she was glaring daggers at Kikyou over Miroku’s shoulder and looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m just marking the territory here.”

“That makes it sound like you’re a dog going to the - “

“Houshi?”

“Yes, Mrs. Houshi?”

“Shut up.”

“Okay, but you’re getting twirled in three, two, one…”

“Wait, what?” Sango stumbled as he sent her spinning under his arm. “Houshi, cut it out, I’m trying to be intimidating here!” She caught herself roughly using his arms to brace herself and resumed her death glare over his shoulder. “Oh, good, she saw me. I want her to know we know she knows we’re here.”

“Run that last sentence by me again?” Miroku sighed, leaning in to plant a quick kiss on his wife’s temple.

“I said I want her to know we know she knows - oh, never mind.” Sango’s mind was clearly elsewhere, but she still leaned forward for another kiss even as she kept her eyes on Kikyou across the dance floor. It’s my animal magnetism, Miroku thought with a smirk. She can’t resist me even now. I am a god among men.

Before Miroku had the chance to whisper something filthy into her ear, her grip on his shoulder suddenly tightened painfully. “Hoooooly shit,” she whispered, pressing her cheek to his, “Kagome and Inuyasha are coming to dance.”

“This should be good.”

“How is this possibly good?”

“Maybe Kagome will punch her like she punched you that one time.”

From his vantage point he could see her ears turn a little pink. “You promised you’d never mention that again, asshole.”

“You know I love you, right?” he laughed.

“I know, dammit. You still suck, though.”

Kagome and Inuyasha had taken a place next to them, in full view of Kikyou. Sango glanced across the floor again, and she could swear she saw Kikyou’s eyes light up even as she pretended to be entirely focused on the poor bastard she’d conned into thinking she was a nice person.

“You guys know she sees you, right?” Sango whispered at them.

“Who cares,” said Kagome dreamily, gazing up at her much-taller husband as he pulled her closer.

“Let her see,” Inuyasha said, clearly on the same page.

Sure enough, Kikyou was starting to be more obvious as she kept her eyes on the couple, even craning her neck around to avoid breaking the gaze a few times.

“What’s she doing?” Miroku asked, still facing away from the entire scene.

“She’s sweating,” Sango said, “She can’t stand it.”

“Ten-four. Okay, twirling again, three, two - “

“Houshi, not again - “

“One!”

“Dammit, you are the worst when I’m trying to concentrate!”

The song ended, and all the dancers on the floor paused to applaud the band, who took a brief bow and waved their thanks before breaking into a faster, swing-style number.

It seemed Kikyou was relishing the growing whispers and points from the rest of the clubgoers, and the opportunity was too hard to pass up, so she steered her poor date closer. Close enough to where they were dancing right beside Kagome and Inuyasha.

The targets in question, however, were pointedly ignoring her. They were spinning around quickly, Kagome’s movements a little clumsy and inexperienced, Inuyasha being the stalwart teacher and helping her through it. They were laughing and happy and clearly lost in each other’s eyes. It was a true Hallmark moment. The stuff of greeting cards and terribly-plotted Christmas movies.

“They are so fucking cute, by the way,” she whispered into Miroku’s ear.

“You say that all the time.”

“It’s true, though. Oh, god, here she goes.” Sango couldn’t help it, she stopped still and quit her imitation of dancing altogether.

There was a thumping sound as Miroku stumbled. “Really, Sango?”

“Shhhh!” She held tightly onto him.

“Kagome?”

Kagome fought back the snort of laughter. Here we go. She sent Inuyasha a wink, and he smirked.

They both kept dancing, and Inuyasha twirled her around to face Kikyou for just a moment before spinning her back inward toward him.

Kikyou stood there, exuding an aura of meek kindness and humility, clasping her hands in front of her with an overjoyed smile on her face.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said, blinking innocently, “I’ve missed you.”

Kagome didn’t answer, just kept looking up into her husband’s face with a fond smile.

“I get asked about you two all the time.” Kikyou kept plugging away. “I always tell people that I’m so happy for you both. And for your two kids. I’d love to meet them someday.”

There was an angry flash in Inuyasha’s eyes at the mention of Axel and Mimi, and Kagome quelled it by leaning up to kiss him. Then she craned her neck to glance at Kikyou.

“Nope!” she said brightly.

Kikyou’s smiling facade slipped only briefly before she recovered. “Are we really going to keep this going forever, Kagome? Mom wouldn’t be happy that you’re being so unforgiving. No matter what, we’re still family.”

Kagome grinned even wider. “Nope!”

Inuyasha pressed his lips together to keep from laughing as he pulled her closer again.

Kikyou’s smile faded for real this time. “I just want a relationship with you two, whatever it might be. And with your beautiful children.”

Of course you do. You want to play the doting aunt, the martyr of a failed relationship who was magnanimous enough to bury the hatchet. In full view of the paparazzi cameras, of course.

“Nope!”

“So it’s like that.” Kikyou apparently was going to try for the pity route now. She closed her eyes sadly, heaving a gentle sigh. “Well, I can at least give you my number, and you can call me if you ever change your mind.”

Inuyasha pulled Kagome over the crook of his arm and dipped her low, leaning over her body to come face-to-face with Kikyou. The first time they’d been face-to-face since...well, Kagome couldn’t remember, but it was definitely before she and Inuyasha had gotten married eight years ago.

He gave Kikyou his best, most charming smile, the smile that Kagome had witnessed firsthand sending a crowd of fangirls into shrieks and fainting spells. Kikyou’s sadness faded immediately, as her public moods seemed to do all too often, and she smiled warmly back.

Can’t appeal to me so you’re gonna try my husband instead. Classy.

Inuyasha kept the smile going for another few seconds, and then opened his mouth to speak. Kikyou seemed to visibly hold her breath, sure that her charms were working.

“Nope.” And the smile widened into a perhaps-overly-satisfied grin.

The hopeful, beaming look on Kikyou’s lovely face once again was wiped away. All the friendly facade was gone, and her face pinched in anger.

“Fine. Enjoy your life with my husband, Kagome.”

Inuyasha gave an exaggerated expression of confusion as he looked down at Kagome. “Um,” he called after Kikyou’s quickly retreating back, “I’m her husband.” He touched the tip of his finger to Kagome’s nose, and she burst into laughter. He followed suit, still looking bewildered.

“No, but really,” he said through his laughter, looking down at her from his far greater height, “I did marry you, right? I’m not just dreaming, or high, or drunk, or - “

“You married me,” Kagome said with a loving smile.

“Thank god. She just called me her fucking husband and I thought maybe all of the last eight years had been some sort of weird perfect dream.”

“She wanted the movie star,” Kagome said, leaning up to kiss him, “I wanted the man.”

“Sango, babe, you gotta stand up, I can’t hold you up much longer!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA - “

Oh god, Miroku thought, struggling to pull his wife to her feet as she doubled over in loud, obnoxious laughter, they broke her. She broke.

“I’m gonna be so sore in the morning,” Kagome whispered as she gently kicked off her high heels, “How you manage to walk around in these every day will always mystify me, Sango.”

“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” Sango whispered back, though Kagome didn’t miss the happy sigh she gave when her bare feet were planted firmly on the tile floor.

“What time is it, Inuyasha?” Kagome leaned back into her husband’s chest, now once again a full head shorter than him.

He checked his Rolex. “Three am.”

“Everyone’s probably asleep, then. I’m sure Kanna and Kohaku are too. I guess it all went alright here?”

Inuyasha smirked as he glanced around the dimly-lit living room. “I don’t see anything on fire,” he said, “Small victories.”

“I’m beat,” Miroku mumbled, “Where are you putting us up for the night?”

“East wing, anywhere,” Kagome replied. “Find a bedroom. They’re all ready to go.”

“Why you people need this many rooms in a house with five people in it, I’ll never know.”

“So we can host freeloaders like you,” Inuyasha retorted, his hand reaching around Kagome’s shoulder to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“Ah, that’s fair.” Miroku slipped an arm around Sango’s waist and bent to lift her in his arms, bridal-style. She clearly wasn’t ready for it and let out a squeak of surprise, fighting him off. “Ow, Sango, ow, ow, please stop, my back isn’t what it used to be and you’re making this harder - “

“Put me down, Houshi! What the hell are you thinking?” Sango was obviously still trying very hard to whisper.

“It’s Valentine’s Day. Gotta be all romantic and shit. Gotta seduce you. Are you seduced yet?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake - “

“Just let me do this, please. If I put you down now it’ll be like I gave up.”

“...Fine.”

Kagome bit her lip, fighting back even more laughter as Sango gave an embarrassed little half-wave over Miroku’s shoulder, and they disappeared down the hallway.

“He knows how big our house is, right?” Kagome leaned back and whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

“He’ll remember in a few seconds.” Inuyasha flashed that trademark smirk of his once again. “Well, now I feel like I should carry you to our bedroom. Because it’s farther. And I want to win.”

Kagome snorted. “Let’s do it.”

He bent to lift her, but she shrugged out of his grasp and ducked around behind him, jumping onto his back and linking her arms around his shoulders.

“I know I always say this,” he said with a laugh as they started down the hall toward the master bedroom, “but I’m so glad you’re a shrimp of a human being.”

They passed through the threshold and closed the door, and then he paused, facing their bed with her still linked around his back. Kagome was just about to try and lower herself into a standing position when suddenly, Inuyasha bent forward at the waist, using his hands to flip her over his head and onto the bedspread. “SUPLEX!”

Kagome shrieked with laughter as she landed in an unceremonious heap on the soft bed covers. “Now I know where Axel gets it! It wasn’t Ayame corrupting him at all, it was his dad the whole time!”

Inuyasha smirked at her devilishly as he slid onto the bed after her, crouching over her, his lips just brushing hers. “At least I didn’t throw you into a wall.”

“If you did I would destroy you.”

“Oh, I’m scared.”

“I’m serious,” she said, leaning up to give him a kiss even as she was still shaking with laughter, “I’m talking scorched earth. Not even a body to bury.”

He took her face in both hands and pulled her in to deepen the kiss, and she tangled her fingers in his long silvery hair.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kiddo,” he murmured when they parted to catch their breath.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Jerkface.”

“Dad,” Axel said at breakfast the next morning, “Did the Purry-tans really kill a lot of witches?”

The crowded breakfast table all paused mid-bite, except for Kanna, naturally, and Inuyasha nearly choked into his morning coffee.

“The who, honey?” Kagome asked, gently brushing an affectionate hand over her son’s hair.

“The Purry-tans. Like in the movie.”

Inuyasha gave a pointed gaze down to the other end of the table, where Kanna was on her third bowl of Froot Loops cereal and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Miroku and Sango and Kagome all exchanged wide-eyed glances.

“What movie?” Inuyasha asked, still giving Kanna the stare-down of the century.

“‘The Crucible,’” Kanna replied matter-of-factly, “You said nothing scary, so I went with educational instead.”

“Aren’t people shown being executed in that movie?”

“Yes,” Kanna said, as next to her, Kohaku looked about ready to slide under the table in mortification, “Just as they were in the historical record.”

“So it really did happen?” Axel asked insistently. “It seems like an awful way to die.”

“It was indeed,” Kanna answered him. “A great injustice, in my opinion.”

Inuyasha planted both elbows on the table and smushed his hands over his face, mumbling something that sounded like “God dammit, Kanna.”

“What did you say, Dad?”

“N-Nothing. Finish your breakfast, kid.”

THAT’S IT! Hope you like it Lia! <3 Also tagging @dyaz-stories because she also was a very faithful and amazing follower of this story. I don’t know who else to tag because honestly I don’t actually know if any of the rest of y’all have read it lol OH ALSO @cstorm86 I SAW THAT YOU READ IT TOO

Can you tell us more about your Persona 4/5 AU? It sounds super interesting!

OH!!!!!!!

oh absolutely

the official name of this thing is “an unorthodox absolution” btw, just so y’all can check the tag for things when i eventually post em.  or not bc i forget but IT’S THERE!!!!  you can also check “the spectral redeemers au” or “spectral redeemers au”

but OK so this shit’s goin under a readmore cuz it might get Long and involves TONS of late-game spoilers for both p4 and p5

aight so.  i love villains.  a lot.  they’re bastards and bitches and they’re MY bastards and bitches.  it’s probably because i’ve always tried to be kind and helpful and i want to “save” them even though i know it’d never happen and they’d either laugh at me or kill me bUT A WOMAN CAN DREAM OF MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

so i decided to make a villain redemption arc kind of au that would involve my favorite villains from persona 4 and 5 to be able to turn a new leaf and get personas and be a really cool antihero/antivillain kinda squad (grant it, some of the members aren’t bad guys at all, but due to interacting with the former bad guy squad and getting personas thanks to the former bad guy squad they join the former bad guy squad)

important things to note:

p4 takes place in 2011-2012, and p5 takes place in 2016-2017

p4 “ended” with the accomplice ending, and narukami was close enough to marie to get her to realize who she was and what she needed to do, so she killed herself to contain some of the fog.  inaba isn’t devoured by fog, and it actually left––well, more like it did something very interesting

there are a lot of holes surrounding a few characters cuz this is a wip au (for example: while i respect her and think she’d make a great pseudo-phantom thief, i don’t really love sae, so i haven’t done a lot of her stuff even though she’s the 4th member)

the palaces the PT go through are condensed, so okumura’s palace is actually some time in early august –– while i won’t go into it, you can imagine they’d fill the void that crunch time brings with other palaces while the spectral redeemers catch up

it all starts with okumura’s shadow fighting back against the black mask, figuring out his identity, and devising a plan to destroy the conspiracy from the inside out.  okumura fakes his death after starting to repair his relationship with haru (she knows he’s not actually dead so he can continue trying to mend the relationship) and lives under a false identity as he tries to accomplish this mission with akechi, and meets a few interesting people along the way, who end up becoming members of the squad in due time.  

he looks like this and i die because i have Things I Like and i poured them All into “ichirou matsuoka’s” design

the first he meets is one tohru adachi, living it up and hating himself five years after inaba.  the two of them enter a dance of a relationship after a drunken tryst and keeping intrigue because they both know the other’s hiding SOMETHING from them.  eventually akechi and okumura figure out what adachi did, and decide to change his heart.

now, when haru goes missing is when things get fun for this story, and shit kicks into gear.

okumura knows his daughter’s a phantom thief––who else would be able to get close enough to him to change his heart?  fuckin nobody, babey; he kept that shit guarded as hell!  so he has an idea that this disappearance is phantom thief related.  and he panics a bit, cuz he was a horrible father but he’s not gonna be any longer so he decides to sneak behind akechi and into the metaverse when he finally pesters the kid enough to at least CHECK on them in whatever they’re doing (by this time, akechi is working alongside the phantom thieves and while they know he’s the traitor, something feels strange and they’re gonna Investigate this new air akechi’s got about him).  okumura steps into sugimura’s palace, because the bastard did NOT take the rescinding of the marriage contract well AT ALL.  shadow!sugimura isn’t tough, but he gets the drop on the PT and ambushes them

now, they could easily get out on their own, and were in the process of doing so as they got shadow!sugimura monologuing––but wouldn’t a distraction be perfect?  they get one with okumura staggering in and trying to tackle and beat shadow!sugimura into the fucking ground even though he’s literally bleeding out because he rushed in pellmell with akechi begrudgingly keeping the shadows at bay.  shadow!sugimura throws him off…

but then okumura hears a voice.  feels a cape manifest as he vows to never let anyone become a monster like him.  tears it off…

and behind him stands gilgamesh, his very own persona.

after defeating shadow!sugimura, taking his treasure, and escaping the palace, okumura and akechi decide to form a persona-user team of their own, and they call themselves the spectral redeemers––ghosts of villains past trying to make amends for their transgressions.

back to adachi.  you think the bitch don’t have a palace by now, after five years of this shit?  then you don’t know the bitch; he absolutely does.  and he’s the redeemers’ first target.  

now, unfortunately, okumura doesn’t really.  know how to send a calling card.  it turns into him backing adachi into a corner and screaming at him to tell him what he thinks of this goddamn world because they know the who, the where, and they just need the what

so uh.  okumura and akechi go into adachi’s palace blind and at 99% security with about four reapers in the damn palace, which is magatsu tokyo instead of magatsu inaba––shit tonna mazes and dead ends.  thank god there’s a flu going around in the police station so it’s flu season in adachi’s palace.

but you also don’t know the bitch if you don’t think tohru adachi wouldn’t do everything in his power to try and stop them, so he follows them in, too––watches them get the shit kicked out of them and still keep trudging, even making it to his shadow, which berates them and taunts them as they’re fighting.  and they’re making a dent!  they’re hitting it!  but when it starts getting bloodied is when it goes BERSERK.  and all they can do is heal each other.  then all they can do is revive.  and then adachi’s shadow gets an unfortunate critical hit––

and adachi steps between them, takes the hit for okumura.  and if you thought his shadow ripped into people before, adachi’s shadow tears his human self a new asshole.  every little insecurity, everything he hates, everything that pisses him off is thrown right in his face.  adachi goes from angry to despairing to grimly accepting as his shadow raises its weapon––

but okumura, barely conscious, reaches out with the last of his strength and takes adachi’s hand, gives him a warm smile.  he regrets nothing––he fell in love with this man and he’s wanted to die for years now.  if he’s a martyr, so be it.

but that little show of love makes both adachi and his shadow pause.  and then adachi gets up, even while bleeding––tells his shadow it’s right.  

it is him, and he is it.  and he doesn’t want to be that any longer.  he hates it.  he wants to change.  he’s done.  and he gains magatsu-izanagi, takes his own damn treasure, and heals both okumura and akechi and helps them out of the palace as it crumbles.

and thus begins the story.  i��m still working on sae’s stuff, but she’s the next member, and it most likely involves her figuring out what was going on with akechi and shido and deciding “y’know what?  actually, fuck this” and demanding a contract from her shadow.

if you’d like to see some more information, click here for a spreadsheet!  there’s a lot more to this au, especially involving a certain kohaku ueno (he’s an OC that @solivagantis and i created, and he lets the redemeers know of the prison of regression early––so they get to make a choice that could twist the tides of fate.)

1-37 for the LL ask~ :p

8)

Welp this is goin under cut for bein fuckin massive then lol

cept the first 3, ill keep them above the read more

1. Maki for u’s, You and Mari for Aqours (Yoshiko used to be one of my Aqours best girls, but she’s slipped a lil, mostly due to lack of appearances in SIF =_=)

2. I really like Yuu Aizawa, the sleepy stargazer. Her cards are really cute too ;3;

3. Nobody in PDP really sticks out for me right now, while I do still like them. If i had to choose tho, either Ai or Rina, just for both of them bein interesting

4. Only been playing since about October I think. More around the latter half of October just cos I vaguely recall not finishing the daily login calendar before it started fresh for November. But hey, I’ve stuck in longer w/ this than i have most things lol, maybe ill be able to make it to a year played!

5. Only on EN, though I have 2 accounts; my main, which was actually given to me by a friend who didn’t use it anymore, so I technically started from something that already had some progress to it, and my side account, which is more for casual playing

6. As of right now and what songs are available on EN, I’ve cleared nearly every song available. I’ll admit ive gotten a little lazy with my Easy and Normal songs since I mainly play Expert now, but with the current limited time goal to full combo 75 times, im goin back to my Easy and Normal songs and I’m clearing them to also fulfil that goal. 

Masters tho, lol I don’t touch those. Maybe a couple, but I dont count (not that I can anyway since they leave rotation after a while lol)

7. Admittedly, mostly Hard songs, just cos they still feel kinda fun but cos they’re slightly easier than Expert songs (obvs) they feel a little less stressful to play. :’D Some stand outs include Zurui yo Magnetic Today, Strawberry Trapper and Kimeta yo Hand in Hand.

(Which as a lil bit of bonus trivia, are all also songs I struggle w/ on EX :’D)

And a few Dailies as well (still on Hard) like Kohaku Biyori and Otome Shiki Renai Juku

8. Currently on my main i have the Aqours 3rd year badge (I think I equipped it as a good luck thing when I was scouting for V-day Mari) and my background is the UTX cafeteria to fit v-day Mari, who’s also my partner :’D

My side account, I just have the BiBi badge and I’m using the recent Aqours boat background

9. Shit :’’)

nah but seriously, I am Smile cursed like fuck (yet mostly w/ SSRs, haven’t gotten a Smile UR yet aside from Fruits Eli who came with my account), but my Pure luck w/ u’s is terrible. My Cool luck is alright tho, given that I’ve got a few SSRs and two of the 3 Cool URs I have are scorers :’D

My side account is much more Cool cursed tho, and once again, my Pure team seems to be suffering rip

Eternally anti-Pure cursed no matter the account

10. I have one example that I can list for the next point on this list, so I’ll list the other story I have;

I was scouting for Christmas You back when she came to EN, and the first scout I did (with a 10+1 ticket) crashed my game 8′’) so I didnt get to see the box open

So i booted my game up, kinda panicking in case I lost the scout after saving that ticket (that i’d bought w/ actual money). Went to the scouting screen first; red ticket option wasn’t available. Went to my member list and ordered by newest.

And You’s Initial UR was just sitting in my inventory 8′’D

(I’m still kinda salty I didn’t get Christmas You, but I still got a UR of her so… eh? 8′D Hopefully her Cyber card comes home when I scout for it!)

11. Literally all the best scouting luck I have seems to go toward my side account, cos I have 2 URs on there, and they’re both idolised 8′D

Like I’ve told both these stories on here before but fuckit, I’ll tell em again briefly;

I once used the green ticket you get w/ a new account just to scout and get a goal done w/ plus get another ticket; out comes Devil Nico

Later I had enough blue coupons to do a blue coupon scout; its a UR envelope, and its Devil Nico again 8′D

and now recently, I did two scouts for Animal Yoshiko; got her in both scouts, and she’s idolised as well.

12. Okay, so obvs anyone would say getting a single SR or SSR pull, and I’ve had those before, but I might as well talk about a scout i did on my main, back when Job Kanan was on EN

Ive got some 10+1 tickets and Im saving them to scout for both Angel Mari and Cyber You, but i decided to use one for the Job set, cos I could get another one when the start of the month packs came out

It was a single SSR

and it was Initial Mari

whom I already have, and idolised as well 8′D not even any rate up cards

the only plus side was that it meant a skill up for her and an SS seal for me

13. Completely caught up on my main lol

Side account, I’m up to ch16

14. Aside from scouting goals, cos I know there’s a point for that specifically, I’m mainly focusing on trying to improve playing Expert songs :’D and get Full Combos

15. Pretty much any You UR just cos I love her so much ;3; But specifically, her Christmas UR

As for Maki, I don’t care if its a super old card and that it might not be as good anymore, I really want her November/Cooking UR ;3;

And Mari…I already have her Valentines UR, which I love :’D But I’d also like her Angel UR ;3;

16. You’s Valentines SSR *3* People joked when it first came out that it looks like Maki’s Cooking UR, but tbh, i both don’t care, but I’m also amused considering I love that card as well :’D

Also just every You card in general :)

I’d say every Mari card, but I’m ridiculously Mari blessed so I’m honestly expecting to get them lol

17. Maki’s Cafe Maid SR ;3; That was the first card I’d idolised myself, and she looks so gorgeous. This one card is part of the reason why the Cafe Maid set is my favourite.

Also, Mari’s Halloween SR~

And I’m gonna leave it at those two cos they stand out most, cos otherwise I’d be here forever talking about every card I love :’D Also keeping it just to SRs for the same reason lol

18. I’ve tiered in every event since the YouMaru Token Event. Cos You at the time was the tier reward :’D

a few events I got kinda lazy and only hit T3, but otherwise, I’ve tiered for every one 

(Well, I got a little too lazy during New Year Nozomi’s event, so I didn’t actually get her ;3; not even her points card. Doesn’t help that it was my first score match, and I’ve hated them since)

19. =_______=

YohaRuby Token

I tried to get into T1 since I was so close, but i was also wary about spending loads of gems cos Christmas You was literally coming out as soon as the event was done and I was saving for her.

But I risked it

and didn’t make it =_=

I think it was the update to include the LP multiplier that made that event a lil more competitive

20. Either YouMaru for bein my first time tiering or YohaRuby since that’s the 1st time - and currently only - that I cleared all the points rewards :D

21. I’ve taken part in every event since I started playing SIF, so aside from the obvious answer of “Events that happened before I started” (Like the School Idol Diary events, or most of Maki’s events, she has some really pretty event cards ;3;), I’d say the event going on when I started, which was the DiaRuby Tanabata Score Match

Granted, when I started I didn’t know the game so I figured I’d take my time with it and take part in the next event, plus at the time I didn’t really know Aqours

Still feel a lil bad I didn’t try :’D

22. The recent YohaMari new years cards~ Told myself when the event came out on JP that I’d tier for it, and so I did :D

they’re both so pretty!

I also really like the DiaRiko ice skating cards, even if I didn’t properly take part in that event ;3; (I got T3 so I still got a copy of Dia)

And finally, partially just cos OTP, I’m fond of the Helper ChikaYou cards :3

And I’m gonna leave that list there for now, cos I actually like a few others, but this entire thing is already long enough 8′D

23. Probably Token events, cos they feel a little more chill?

I also quite like Challenge Festivals; the lil chibis are nice :D

24. I have no clue. I’m seen other people say SIF could do a thing like what FE Heroes does with its gauntlets, and while I do think it’d be interesting, I also see how FEH’s gauntlets turn out, and I feel like a popularity contest would just turn into a mess in SIF given how “best girl” opinions get.

Not to mention there’s a possible risk of what happens in FEH as well; that some people might not actually back their favourite and instead back whoever’s doing the best.

25. Mari for Aqours, Nico for u’s :’D

Kanan’s a close 2nd for Aqours and I thiiiink Nozomi might be 2nd for u’s??

not nearly as much of You or Maki tho ;3;

26. I don’t have an awful lot of cards from one particular set, but from what I can count, its a tie between Aqours’ swimsuit set and Valentines set; 5 each

27. Mostly Aqours cos I love them so much, plus its a little easier to scout them since they come out after events while u’s come out during events, and any gems I have are goin toward the event or bein saved

As for girls, mostly You and Mari (tho like ive said, I’m seriously Mari blessed, so I almost expect her to come home lol), and if I do scout u’s, it’d probably be for Maki

28. I have a fair few now, and they’re all from login bonuses, aside from a handful which I got from the sticker shop

I’ve gotten all the login promos for EN since Cherry Pana

And I also got Christmas Maki when she was added to the sticker shop for a limited time :D

As for non-UR promos, I have nearly all the Angelic Angel promo Rs, plus Maki’s SoreBoku R (to match a figure I have of her :D)

29. Solos :’D

Genuinely tho, my gems mostly go toward events, since I tend to stick in at them. But I can still save (I saved for Christmas You after all)

Rn, i’m trying to save. I’m telling myself it’ll either be for Angel Mari or Cyber You, but if I don’t gem scout either of them, then I’ll basically keep saving till whenever for whatever

30. Either idolise SRs (since I tend to save my pink N stickers a lot more, tho im currently trying to save my silver S stickers) or buy SR skill level teachers from the shop for my cards

31. Probably half the full combos I’ve gotten, since i’d either been struggling to FC them for ages, or I wasn’t expecting to do it lol

32. Planning to do an additional scout for Valentines Mari (I already had her at that point, but I wanted to see if I could get a 2nd copy to idolise her), but I hadn’t paid attention to when rate up would be finished on the set, so by the time I sat down to maybe get ready to scout, rate up was done. :’’’(

33. Nowhere particularly weird? Maybe in the car once, cos I thought I’d be sitting for long enough to get through a song while mum was off doing something, so when she came back i was still playing.

And then she started driving, so I was playing while the car was going :’D

missed a lot of notes I did ;3;

actually, this was during the last event, and I was playing a match

I think i came last, I cant remember lol

34. I have no idea :’D i see so many others come up with interesting ideas for SIF sets, but I have no real ideas myself. Maybe a fantasy set? Princesses and knights and wizards?

35. (ooft, gonna have to think on this one :’D and look at a whole bunch of cards)

Honoka - Circus - I actually quite like the Circus set in general; the tutu-d leotards in the unidolised, and the details in the idolised, like the hats and the frills~Eli - Rock - I skipped mentioning this one under the event cards point since that bit was gettin busy as it was, But I can cheat and mention it here~Kotori - Pajama Party - So plush~ her little braid in the idolised looks so cute~ especially peaking out of her fluffy birb hoodUmi - Seven Lucky Gods - It looks so elegant and pretty ;3;Rin - lilywhite default - So this is a promo card that came w/ lilywhite’s final single (The other members had similar cards and the other singles had similar releases), so its never coming to EN unless KLab adds it to the sticker shop :’’) But I still really like this one, just for how dainty and elegant it is. It suits Rin~Maki - Cafe Maid - I could technically use this opportunity to pick another card of Maki’s that i really love but...bruh I can’t. Cafe Maid ;3;Nozomi - Fairy - the Fairy set in general is really pretty ;3; I love the little details and flowers, and I like that Nozomi’s ear is actually kinda pointed as well~Hanayo - Cherry - Another promo, but this one just looks so shiny and sparkly, and again, just the little details in this~Nico - Dancer - Another really elegant looking one. Bonus points for having Nico’s hair down, cos I really do think she looks nice like that~

36. (Aqours might be easier, just cos less cards lol)

Chika - Initial UR - She looks so happy, and honestly the lighting in both versions looks so nice!Riko - Ice Skating - Genuinely couldn’t think of one that I really liked :’D So I’m listing the event card againKanan - Yukata - I own this card, she was my first UR :D So I do have a bit of a soft spot for it. Helps that she looks so pretty in it~Dia - Job - I’ll admit,she looks gorgeous as fuck! damn beautiful card!You - all of them Animal - okay, i legit love all of You’s cards, and I was half tempted to say her Aquarium R cos my genuine reaction to idolising her for the first time was “She’s so pretty!”. But Animal You tho... ;3; Tho if I’m honest, I genuinely do love all of her cards!!Yoshiko - Animal - She’s a shit scorer, but damn her card looks amazing, particularly the idolised. I love the pastelle colours of her dress (and the other girls in the set) and I love her dynamic pose, and her hair and how its floating in the water~Hanamaru - Angel - She looks so cute w/ her sleepy expression in the unidolised, hugging that lil star pillow. Plus Angel just as a whole is a nice set.Mari - Circus - Another case like with You where I could easily say “all of them”, but something about her Circus card. I love the post of the unidolised with her doing the rope climbing, and then pink corset of her dress in the idolised~ And that lil puppet~~Ruby - Time Traveller - I quite like this set in general; Ruby’s outfit is so cute in both versions~

37. I have no fucking clue :’D As of right now on EN, i’d like some of the features that JP has since they’re just straight up practical (song sorter, easier practising and team management), but as for anything new, I don’t know.

For the OC emoji meme: 🌌 for everyone?

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Kat: I think for Kat it came from the dynamics that I could see play out. I thought it'd be interesting for both her and Maddox for Max to have had someone looking out in his corner and know how much he loved Cecelia but still hold the mirror up in front of him and say "What are you doing?" I think some inspiration definitely also came with I love the ideas of past lives and connections between characters and also let's be honest the lines "I know my sister like I know my own mind, you will never find anyone as trusting or as kind / I love my sister more than anything in this life, I will choose her happiness over mine every time" was a big inspiration and that song is what I hear in Kat later confronting Max and finding out why he set up Duelist Kingdom. The first thing I know I decided about her was "She's SOUTHERN" bc look at Cecelia.

Maddox: Maddox came from a similar place but I think I also pulled inspiration from another oc I've kinda had to put to rest in a sense. He was my favorite oc for a long time and he had so much of my heart invested into his story but there was also a lot of Trauma surrounding when I wrote him and just. In trying to write him in recent years it would require me to go back to that place and I can't do it. So Maddox definitely takes some influence as a spiritual successor. I think the first thing I decided about him was the connection to the Magician of Black Chaos, bc it bugged me there wasn't a past life connected to him bc Atem really only used the God cards and also is more connected to like Black Luster Soldier.

Iris: I think Iris takes a lot of inspiration from some of my favorite snarky kinda goth resting bitch face characters 😂. I also wanted her to be the big sister and look after everyone. The fact that she's a nurse is probably the first thing I thought of on top of her connection to the Big 5.

Nana: So Nana very much started as a My Hero Academia oc. I crested her...God I wanna say 2019? Somewhere in there? And then over the pandemic my friends and I developed our my hero ocs together and fell in love with them. And then we got the fuck outta dodge with that series and none of us really feel like reading or watching the dumpster fire anymore it's too much. But we wanted to keep these ocs bc we literally invested so much work into them. So, Nana, my immediate thought there was "She's got the hair to be a Mutou and also it'd be so funny bc she's fucking 6'3 like fucking Legolas standing next to Frodo". The original inspiration with her was how I weaved her into that my hero fic and also like the sun and light and warmth.

The extended family members of my ocs all kinda just developed naturally as I developed Kat, Iris and Maddox. Though I will say Wes's inspiration is definitely Sam Elliot. I still picture him whenever I write Wes. I hear his voice. It's just Sam Elliot. And Chelsea was very much "I want a badass mom character".

There's also a running joke bw me and Kohaku that Mason is just "What if Valon was southern" and that happened on pure accident BUT

Thank you for the ask!!!! 💖

(VIII)

Seven hundred eighty-five dollars. Win or lose, that was the amount Adrienne Levi was guaranteed after every appearance with Carnage Wrestling.    And then the bonus during her four-match winning streak was four hundred eighteen dollars per.    Maybe two hundred dollars worth of sold merchandise each show, but then she had to subtract how much it cost even to get made--    Adrienne buried her face into the crook of her elbow. Her Clearwater apartment had become a little sparse as a result of a recent liquidation. Maybe that was done in haste. Someone would have paid something for that ridiculous belt even just to melt it down.    Spread across her kitchen counter, she stared at the pile of papers her mom usually helped with.    This was pathetic, she knew.    If she added this up all right, her pay and her expenses put her in the red: the plane trips, the Ubers, accommodations, bills, and a lease that was expiring very soon. Nathaniel Grant’s fun money had long dried up, and Levi had no one to blame except herself on that. She was a pretender. She was living it up in luxury hotels, wasting money on fancy dinners with her friends, and just really dumb purchases. Like the billboard ad near the Carnage Arena that had that doodle of Insidious with the caption Empire of Dorks.    Not to mention the exposed clandestine meeting between Christopher St. James and Stan Summers, where they discussed their intentions and measured her value as expendable.    With all of this mounting, it was becoming more apparent what she had to do. It was the logical choice. The realistic choice. The only choice.    Scrolling through her business cellphone’s contact list, she hovered over Carnage Wrestling Front Office. Hesitating and delaying the inevitable, Adrienne looked through all of the new friends she had made. All of the people who believed in her. This past summer had been one of the happiest ones of her life. Adrienne considered calling Silvio Leon, but he seemed to have his hands full with a new arrival: Axton Gunn. Oh, she was a huge fan. So huge that she almost cried when he followed her on Twitter. She had all three of his albums, including a signed copy of SKULLFRACTURES that she had sniped an eBay auction for. And yet, things seem complicated and pretty much none of her business. She didn’t want to pile on.    And Matt Knox was so buried in his hatred for Zane King that he was sort of scary these days. His propensity towards committing acts of violence wouldn’t solve this issue. Christopher St. James being in a body cast didn’t diminish his ownership of Carnage Wrestling. Not only that, but he’d also already done too much for her.    Mitch Heart seemed distant. Rumor had it that he was dealing with his own plethora of difficulties.    That left Kohaku Fujihara. They had conversed sparingly. Last month, he’d been dealing with these peculiar family issues, but he’d come out of it okay. Behind this charming exterior, he seemed to have this abundance of wisdom that was beyond his years.    She pressed Call.    “Hello?”    Adrienne almost considered hanging up. Her finger hovered over End Call.    “Moshi-moshi? Ade, that you? I see your name, so it’s either you or some creep who swiped her phone.”    Instead, she touched the Speaker icon, finally piping up. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry. Is this a bad time?”    “No, not at all, I’m literally doing nothing but flipping through Netflix and wondering why nothing in thousands of options looks good. What’s up?”    Her eyes welled up at the thought of confessing to Kohaku. He didn’t seem his chipper self, but she had to tell someone. Trying her best to keep her tone neutral, she still wavered. “I have to leave Carnage.”    Silence on the other end.    “I have to leave because I can’t afford it anymore. And I don’t think the new person in charge likes me very much. I saw something with him and some other guy that scared me. I’m on some sort of list.”    Her words became disjointed and seemingly a million miles per hour as she choked back the tears.    “I tried. I really tried, but I guess it’s over. All of the offers I ever get are gross. And Carnage is the only place that gave me a chance but now that guy isn’t owner anymore. And all of my money is gone. And I wanted to move, but I can’t. I can’t just keep mooching off others. That’s all I’ve been doing. But my mom said I could probably be a receptionist at the clinic she works at. Just have to pass a drug test. I just have to move on from this--”    “Ade.”    The voice on the other end is gentle, understanding, and steady.    “First off, I want you to breathe, okay? Just take a few deep breaths.”    Kohaku paused, giving her time to do so before continuing.    “Alright. This is the part where a lot of people would freak out and start begging you not to go. I’m not going to do that. I’m not because, while of course, I want you to stay, this is something you have to decide for yourself.”    She reached for a tissue, wiping away the sobbing mess she had become.    “I don’t know what to do. These people depend on me or look up to me, but I’m not the person they think I am. You guys have been so nice to me, but maybe I’m the problem. I finally have a match that is actually for something and I don’t even have the means to make it.” Standing up, she hefted the cellphone in her hand. She spoke a little calmer now. “I promised my partner to meet her. If I lie to her, she’ll hate me forever and--”    “Okay. Tell you what. I know you don’t want to depend too much on charity, but is it alright if I spot you a plane ticket out here? I think we oughta be talking about this face to face. You can crash at my apartment. The place is practically a giant fancy cave. Is that okay?”    There she was, depending on another handout. But Silvio had said much the same thing. Knox, too. And here was another friend saying that she had to stand up for herself. There was a long pause from her as she stared at her wallet on the counter. The Queen of Swords card peeked out from the bifold.    “You still there?”    “Yeah.”    Adrienne considered his offer. It was the only way she’d make the next Chaos. She had already told her mom that she’d drop by the clinic later. Angie wasn’t a dream killer here. She promised her daughter that she could try again in a few years. Maybe find a closer company to work in.    That was the responsible thing to do.    Surveying her apartment, everything that was hers could fit in her backpack.    “Tonight?”    “Yeah, I can do that, should be able to find something. I’ve got you.”    “Okay.”    At 5:28 PM, Adrienne boarded a Southwest flight to Baltimore.    She’d never see Clearwater again.        Standing in front of a ginormous glass panel window, Adrienne admired the view of the Inner Harbor. She’d been all over this place the last few months but seeing it on such a grand scale put it into perspective. Everywhere Adrienne had been meant so much. Whether it was the spectacular victory at the MECU Pavilion or how Silvio Leon gave her that little glimmer of hope with a simple card, she would never forget. With her hands in her jeans pockets, she rocked gently back and forth on the heels of her bare feet.    “This is my first big chance.” Pausing, she considered the arrogance that could be attached to such a statement. Her back was to the camera, so her determined yet still soft voice was the only indicator of her tone. She continued much the same. “Not to say the others weren’t.”    Turning around, Adrienne leveled her gaze at the camera. Her normal cheery disposition was replaced by one that seemed to be more morose. The Starfox t-shirt she had on was a size too big, but she preferred it that way.    “A lot of folks here, they get their foot in the door and they’ve already staked claim to what they perceive is theirs. Almost like they’re entitled to it. Just because of who they are or what they’ve managed to achieve in the past.”    She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression lilting to contemplation.    “I could declare that I want to be the greatest champion this company has ever seen. I could say my name would ring through this vaunted hall of fame once I decide to hang up the boots.” Shaking her head, she followed up with a slight smile. “That just isn’t me. I don’t know what I’m going to accomplish here. Maybe all of the potential I have is just that. So I approach these opportunities a little differently. I see what is on the horizon. I see the allure of the gold.”    For a moment, Adrienne’s dark brown eyes seemed dazzled at the possibilities. Or perhaps it was just imagined.    “But right now, there is only the chance. One cobbled together with fragile partnerships with all intentions towards implosion if it meant that something more substantial was on the line. Seems common with this sport. My opponents are both well versed in being champions. They are consummate athletes. Perennial contenders. Always striving towards their next achievement.” She conceded to this with a slight shrug before continuing. “This is a competition, right?”    Her thoughts moved onto Steve Matthews. Carnage’s Ace. The Technical Master. He had come into this company with the same fire and fury every long time veteran managed to conjure until they learned a little humility or just evaporated when they realized that not many cared about that championship they won twelve years ago.    However, something irked Adrienne just a little, and so her voice became a little less friendly.    “Steve, maybe I should be happy that you finally saw the error of your ways. I had mentioned prior to our previous encounter that I found you lacking of any real convictions. I found you to be opportunistic. You stood by as your partner threatened to choke me with the caveat that I may like it. You quibbled and cringed at his tactics and put up a good argument after the victory slipped from your grasp, but it seemed to be a minor agitation. It was only until Alex Winter put you in a precarious situation that you truly realized what type of person he is. Alex is a little boy, angry at the world for his inadequacies, and he will always point the finger at those who are in his way. His toxic masculinity created this illusion of persecution, where he couldn’t just apologize and move on. His fragile ego blamed others for his athletic shortcomings. And at WAR, he concluded that through your suffering, he could embrace that he possessed no redeemable qualities and get ahead in this world,” She paused and then quipped. “Behold, the age-old tale of man.”    Her hands gestured vaguely into the air as if she were showing off a new wondrous invention. She wasn’t sure. She googled public speaking, and it said that hand gestures were cool to do. Or something like that.    “And so here you are. Good guy Steve. Flashing your pearly whites, bringing cookies for everyone. That was real sweet, so I want to believe you. I want to believe that maybe your personal struggles have made you turn a new leaf. However, it seemed rather easy for JC to get on your bad side because he didn’t, well, talk about you enough. He didn’t appeal to your mastery of this sport because he was too tied up in his own to care. He got into your head and nearly took it off with that huge boot of his.”    She held up two fingers.    “That should have been your second lesson in humility. I don’t have the track record of JC. And I’m sure not willing to do the things Alex did to secure a victory. However, judging by your partner’s words lately, maybe he would be if it meant … just one more shot.”    Pacing back and forth in front of the grand window, Adrienne now pondered about Eli Goode. An opponent she had just become familiar with, she knew that he hungered to recapture championship glory.    “Hey, Eli.” She said as she waved at him just like last time. “Other than some somber musings, you haven’t been on the radar much. Seems like you don’t have much going for you lately. You didn’t help Kyra by becoming Ultraviolent Champion. I didn’t become a small sacrifice for your latest ascension to champion’s row. And worst of all, your idol Jack Michaels stole your thunder by taking your World’s title shot and your chance to punish Ken Davison.”    She found Jack Michaels to be self-righteous and arrogant. The age-old tale of man and all. Eli was a terrific mimic.    “Punish him by becoming the world’s champion and then devaluing the title because he doesn’t care about silly things like that anymore. You’d never do that, would you, Eli?”    Adrienne let that question settle in just for a moment.    “And now you have to suffer the embarrassment of possibly competing for championships below your reproach. Maybe your attitude has changed, but if you look over your career at Carnage Wrestling, you have always been consistent. So what’s going on through your mind? May I venture a guess?”    Slightly exaggerating, she tapped a finger on her chin.    “All you gotta do is beat us. Then Steve. Then you’re champion again. After all of that, only three title defenses, and you can take that Highroad to a better championship. One that only you deserve.”    Putting a hand up towards the camera, she invited Eli to stop.    “I’ll be honest, getting the duke over you last show was really cool. We all question our abilities sometimes. I do it constantly. I probably annoy my friends and enemies alike. But for you, its like a vicious cycle. You can’t seemingly understand that everyone here is just as deserved of these opportunities as you are. But you’re still a world-class wrestler, so I know that you’re gonna make it hard for me to do it again. That goes the same for Steve. But I’m not alone.”    The Dragon Lady. Adrienne didn’t even know her real name, and she looked like she could have split Matt in two when he had even inquired about it. But well, she had her secrets, too.    “My partner is none other than The Dragon Lady. Have you two seen her in the ring? She’s tough as nails. She’s determined as ever because through some dubious circumstances, she has yet to taste victory. I’ve talked to her recently, and she’s ready as ever to make her mark. And how about me?”    She stared down at her feet. Adrienne wasn’t one to talk about herself. It wasn’t being humble or anything like, she just wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t any of the things that made a professional wrestler great.    “I don’t know. I should be happy. I’m starting to be recognized by my peers. I even had a feature in that newsletter thing. That was cool.”    Sighing, she wanted to level with the folks watching. She wanted to let them know not to place her so high.    “This was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. Coming to a new city, for a profession I’ve never actually done, and most terrifyingly meeting new people I wasn’t sure would like me. And I know right now there is someone out there just like me. I’m guessing that you’ve been through the same conflicts. That you’ve hidden the same bruises I’ve had to. And maybe you’re at the cusp of making that very same decision. I … can’t tell you what to do. I’m no role model. I’m just me. But I can tell you that you do have a voice just like me. For so long, like even now, I’ve been afraid to use it.”    Adrienne stepped towards the camera.    “I don’t want to be afraid anymore. And you shouldn’t be either. Whatever is paralyzing you, it can’t hold you forever. I’ve been struggling my whole life just to get to his very moment. To have nothing. And it's the greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”    And she left that one person, whoever they may be, one last question.    “What would it take for you to get there?”        Angie Straussler bundled up her daughter’s apartment steps with groceries in hand. There were more plastic bags in the trunk of the Oldsmobile. Setting one of the bundles of bags down at her feet, she knocked at the apartment door. After a minute, there was no answer. She knocked again. Ever since she was a little girl, Adrienne would almost run to the door to greet whoever was there. No such luck. Maybe she was out on a walk. It was a lovely warm evening after all, and she knew Adrienne was having a hard time leaving this place up in Baltimore behind.    Digging into her purse, she retrieved the spare key to Ade’s apartment. Letting herself in, she was immediately impressed. Every trace of that bastard was long gone.    However, something was strange. There was this air of finality about this she couldn’t put her finger on. She set aside the bags on the kitchen counter next to the stack of bills. Now it was time to figure this whole ordeal out.    Adrienne’s personal cellphone was on the coffee table. Sitting down on the dusty old couch that her one and only child saved from the curb nearly a decade ago, she picked up the phone with a yellow sticky note attached to it—1988, presumably her PIN. Ade had two now. One for work that she could probably just set aside … and this one. The personal one. The one that Angie paid for under her plan.    Entering the code, the screen immediately went to the recorder. Pressing play, Angie heard her daughter’s voice. Hi, mom. I’m gone, as you probably figured out by now. You know where I’m going.    There was a long pause in the recording. Angie could hear shuffling in the background, presumably her daughter hastily packing. You asked me to move on. But, I can’t if I’m still here. You know, I had this plan. I was going to do it the right way. I’d ask my friends to make a trip down here so you could finally meet them. Silvio, Ko, Matt, and maybe Mitch. Probably not him. Anyway, we would have all driven off into the sunset living happily ever after. That day would have never come. My whole life, I’ve been let around by the wishes of others, and whether the intentions were right or not, the choice was never mine. There is nothing here for me. I don’t want to check-in people for their appointments. I don’t want to follow in your footsteps. I know you were doing what you thought was best for me. We’ve always been a team ever since the divorce. You’ve always been there for me even when I probably haven’t been the best daughter. But I can tell you that this is the first choice I’m making with a clear head. I’m afraid, sure. I could fail, but it will be my failure to own. I want to be with my friends. I want to pursue the career that everyone, including you, thought I would never succeed in. I want to be me. There’s just stuff I’m not sure about, things I’ve always wondered about that I need to know about myself. So goodbye. Please just let me go. I love you, mom.    The recording stopped.    Angie listened to it a few more times. Her mind ran through a gambit of emotions and plans and conclusions.    Finally, she set the phone aside. Sighing, Angie resigned to the fact that her daughter would need to sink or swim.    “Love you, too, Adrienne.”