no more after the revolution criticism after the revolution has everything one could want ever: juri serving looks. saionji shaking touga like a chew toy. godbless goodnight

How do you feel about Resplendent Nino?

Ah... people are going to hate me for this, but I'm not a huge fan of Nino's Resplendent.

So Resplendent Nino is drawn by Sakura Shiori:

Incorporation... Look, I know I said Embla incorporation is hard. But I have issues with this outfit. The choice of light blue and white for her gown are more reminiscent of Askr than Embla. It looks too cheery for an Emblian mage outfit. Plus the cape looks like Askr wear, not Emblian! Like yes you can see those lighter capes on Bruno and Brave Veronica, but they're usually pulled back so that they don't overtake the whole outfit. Here the blue and cream really work against the Embla aesthetic. They're trying too hard to hold onto Nino's color scheme, and it's detrimental to the outfit.

That said, the art itself is super cute, the posework is good and it's a shame Shiori's only drawn Nino and baby Mia.

I'd say Embla actually does fit Nino. She previously worked under Sonia, and she was supposed to be an assassin, so putting her under the formerly antagonistic Emblian Empire is a good fit.

Overall, I'd sadly have to give this Resplendent a 6/10. It needs a lot of work in the incorporation department.

I'm taking that invitation to send more asks!

Shiori, 2/11/26/28

2. When I think I truly started to like them (or dislike them, if you've sent me a character I don't like)

I'll be honest, at first I found her quite annoying LOL Mostly bc I was tired of how every character in rgu is an insufferable asshole; the fact she turned out to be a vindictive lil shit just reinforced that frustration lol Then, in said Black Rose saga break, I found the parallels between her and Wakaba compelling, so I softened my view on her.... But I didn't truly liked her until I watched the movie LMAO (which I did after I watched ep34 bc we were on another stream break lmao). That moment when she car crashes made me laugh so hard for days, I was instantly endeared. Every single Shiori scene became retroactively awesome 😂😂

11 What’s the first thing you think about when thinking about the character?

That I quite like the way her self-loathing is portrayed. Aside from liking when a girl's self-hatred is portrayed in outward, deeply destructive ways, I liked the portrayal on two other levels. It's clear that Shiori's self-disgust is predicated in her inferiority complex, but I quite like how both her efforts to conform to normalcy and not knowing how to deal with Juri's affection fuel that self-disgust and are kind of recursive. That side of the internalized bigotry making issues of self-loathing all the more corrosive and self-sustaining is not a corner you often see turned, but it's so fitting in here. The other layer I enjoy is that she's clearly trapped in this self-destructive, self-sustaining loop of terrible behavior and doesn't know how to break out, it weirdly helped me back when I watched it lol There's not a single good side of Shiori we know about, and, yet, the sense she needs to break out of that pattern is so palpable. It doesn't matter if she's deserving of better, she needs to break free and stop hurting herself and others. That was weirdly really helpful back then.

26. When do you think they were being "themselves" the most?

TRICK QUESTION. I keep liking girls with strong outer facades, huh? But I have three different scenes in mind. First, when she's talking to Utena and Anthy in her dorm room— when the coversation starts with the usual pleasantries, Shiori's tone is quite high pitched and cutesy (lol), but as she starts trailing off about the relationship she and Juri used to have and how she's undeserving of it, it lowers to a whisper and is overall a more naturalistic tone. I think that was a rare showing of authenticity from her; the fact she gets abashed once she realizes she's said too much and goes back to her Cute Girl voice is So Telling. The other two scenes are her elevator breakdown and her bitter tirade when Juri pays her a visit in ep 29, because they're showing all the ugly, complicated and visceral feelings she tries to keep under a lid (the Voice Actiiiiing for her is kinda Absurdly Great. Like Amazing Performances.)

28. The most unnecessary thing they ever did?

Wouldn't be a rgu character if she didn't do a series of unnecessary, petty decisions, one after another. That said, it was sending that letter to Juri, the one Juri reads in ep7 LMAO it's just so wildly petty and vindictive while still being written in that insidious tone, kinda hilarious LOL Specially when you take into account, by her own admission, that dating the guy made her feel more pathetic. She's jsut. Trying to lick her wounds at all costs there, and doesn't even get the satisfaction of a reply (did she Seriously expect a reply to That???). The fact she pathetically repeats the "You must hate me for what I've done" line in her self-pitying non-apology at the balcony just makes it funnier lol This girl is jsut a riot.

Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 2 Episode 1 Recap and Ending Explained

The first episode of "Rent-A-Girlfriend" (or "Kanojo Okarishimasu") season 2 is titled "Dream and Girlfriend". Kazuya Kinoshita wrestles with the idea that Chizuru Ichinose may soon stop being a rental girl and will need to create a story for his grandmother. Later, he visits the theatre where Chizuru will be performing in a play. She may be offered a role as an actor if she does well. This is everything you need about the finale of "Rent-A-Girlfriend" season 2, episode 1. SPOILERS Ahead! ! Season 2 Episode 1 of Rent a Girlfriend Recap Let me start my Rent-a-Girlfriend review by clarifying something that I was unsure of. You may notice that there is no second season if you watch the series on Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll listed this episode instead of the first of the 2nd season as the 13th of Season. This could continue throughout the season. It's not clear. For the sake of these reviews, however, I will refer to episodes with their second Season episode numbers. This is the Season 2 Episode 1 Review. This being said, I'd like to praise the episode for its recap of Season 1. Recaps are never enjoyable. It's not always fun. However, the recap at episode's beginning was my favorite part of the episode. It's been 2 years since I last watched Season 1. I don't know how it ended. I also forgot that Ruka and Kazuya were dating. To be fair, though, I have the impression that Kazuya forgot this, too. Poor Ruka. Poor Ruka. Another reason I enjoyed this recap was the fact that it featured the main four girls from their perspectives. There was some overlap. It made the recap much more interesting. It would have been boring if it had been done entirely from Kazuya’s perspective. Finally, I loved that each girl gave a recap and we were able to see them in different outfits. The best thing about Kanokari is its fashion sense and the way that character outfits change all the time. It's cute to see the girls wearing different clothes. Remaining true to the status quo This could be considered a spoiler. One thing I do know about Kanokari's future is that it prefers to keep things the same. Major developments don't happen. So, I would like to use this general knowledge to predict what won't happen. Chizuru didn't confirm that she was not selected for the role in the big play. She heard Shiori speak with the director and she assumed he chose her. Shiori and the director did not say that Shiori was his choice. Naturally, I thought that it was all a misinterpretation. Kanokari is built on misunderstandings. Chizuru believed Shiori was the one who got the role. In fact, Chizuru had the role. He would have fit in perfectly. When Shiori asked Chizuru to speak to her at the end, I assumed that was what the episode would be about. However, would Chizuru's acceptance of the role be a significant departure from the status quo if she is actually granted it? If it did happen, her plan was to quit as a rental girl. It's not something I can see her doing. Chizuru is the entire premise of the show. Kazuya is also confused. He believes that Chizuru will cut all contact with him if he stops being a renter girlfriend. We know that this is not the case. It is quite obvious that Chizuru feels for Kazuya. I don't think Kazuya is too blind to see that. Yes, he's dumb. It's Chizuru’s job to act like he likes her. In his mind, Chizuru acts only because she is playing a part. Season 2 Episode 1 of Rent-a-Girlfriend: Does Chizuru stop being a rental girlfriend? Chizuru questions Kazuya about what he's doing outside the theater after they meet accidentally. He praises her while she is talking about nonsensical topics. He says that her performance was very moving and tells her that the audience loved him. Kazuya then explains that he accepts that Kazuya wants to pursue acting and is not available to rent his girlfriend. Chizuru is puzzled by his conclusion and questions why. Kazuya tells Chizuru about the acting opportunity she mentioned to her, and after watching her performance, he believes that the director selected her. Chizuru's expression changes briefly, and she tells Kazuya she wasn't offered a role by the director because she isn't good enough.  Kazuya is aware that she is not optimistic, despite her trying to sound positive. He knows that Chizuru was a rent girlfriend in order to make money for acting classes. Now that she isn't getting any good opportunities, it seems that her financial woes are not over. Kazuya has promised to support her and to hire her as his rental girlfriend, even though he must work overtime to make enough money. Kazuya has made such a huge decision because of his emotional attachment to Chizuru. Let's just say that Chizuru is still a rental girl and will continue to be hired by Kazuya more often in future episodes. Despite her outstanding performance, Chizuru does not get an acting opportunity from the director Chizuru begins to pack up after the play ends. She hopes to return home as soon as possible. However, she hears Shiori, the girl who plays the lead role in this play, talking to the famous director, who is looking for people to cast his next project. She is selected because she has been associated with a well-known sponsor since elementary school. The whole selection process was rigged against Chizuru who was hoping for a big break. Instead of complaining, she took the blame on herself and told Kazuya she was not given the role by the director because her performance was not satisfactory. Read the full article

i have seen one too many complaints about how yachimeishio don't have major roles in edel delight. under the cut i will ramble for way too long about why, but to sum it up: HAVE YOU NOT READ ARCANA ARCADIA????? MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ ARCANA ARCADIA?????????????

the live edel delight, also known as "starira stage play" (that's the official tag) is a play focused on akira, with akira as the lead and the main character. the story follows her as she deals with her inner turmoil and destroys her friendships in the process, and the rest of the cast (mostly apart from her) as they deal with the repercussions of her arrogant behaviour.

every single thing that happens sets another thing in motion and all of the pieces fall in place together to tell a wonderfully cohesive story. if mei fan hadn't stopped michiru with her (absolute banger of a) song, akira might not have made it outside when she stormed off, and might not have met hisame and fumi. her wrong rumor wouldn't have been spread if she wasn't listening to akimichi arguing about fumi in the first place, and if shizuha hadn't been there to gossip. if the rumor wasn't spread by suzu, the seisho kids wouldn't have shown up and koharu wouldn't have had her realization about the passion of a beginner that she had lost. the costume team scene having shiori run off after mentioning rinmeikan and yachiyo explaining everything serves as a nice explanation of the yumeoji situation for people who don't know starira lore well enough to know. fumi's absence for most of the play makes her appearances that much more important; i also think it's just so fun how fumi is so integral to the plot (for both akira and shiori and michiru indirectly) despite being so invisible and it really highlights the pain akira feels of not having her around, the vacant space she still feels. and fumi says something abt it in the revue (you may not have seen me but i'm here and breathing hard).

yume's performance as mei fan is literally the highlight of the play and if you can't agree with that i don't know what to say to you. yachishiosuzu song is cute as hell and they're going to have the time of their lives at fantasy sweet land and if you can't be happy for them I don't know what to say to you!!! i think something also worth considering is that kdhr and tonopii do not have as much stage experience as nossan ozapure yume - they've been in some but like. nossan and yume started voice acting with starira and they're mainly stage actresses, same w/ seiran. with the time they had to rehearse i think kdhr and tonopii would feel out of their depth if they had more intensive roles. tonopii was also in an assault lily stage play until the last week of rehearsals, and kdhr had just recovered from covid the at the beginning of rehearsals. i think given all of that their parts are very fitting

if you'd read arcana arcadia, you'd know that first off, one of its biggest themes is the reality that a play has to have a lead. the play that they're creating for the performance festival is incomplete until amemiya meets elle and sees that her story is so much more cohesive because it has a LEAD, the star girl who encounters all of the arcana. it's impossible for everyone to have the same importance in a story that has such a huge cast and only lasts for an hour and a half. i think edel delight is perfect because it clearly shows akira as the lead and how everyone else's stories entertwine with hers, also like, she's the king of the edels. she Is siegfeld, she Is the edels. also seiran's roles in this play are super fun to me especially since they weren't a part of arcana.

aside from that being the main message of the story, yachiyo, mei fan, and shiori have absolutely insane character arcs that basically complete in AA. akira's role in AA is to play her role in yachimei's stories, and shiori has the most incredible awakening ever (SAPPHIRE'S BRILLIANCE ANYONE???) akira and michiru otherwise pretty much take a back seat in the story, michiru literally just putting things in motion behind the scenes (still not moving out of her Grand Chancellor position just yet even though she's realized her goals and assumptions are wrong), and akira "accepting" her death as the king, which in the play akira also mentions that she'd acknowledged but was still a little scared about. akimichi don't have any real character arcs in AA. instead, they saved it for edel delight. in their third year, akira has to accept that not only is she giving up her role as the king, but also that she'll never get another chance to stand on stage with fumi, her eternal rival that she lost, if they don't face off at the championships (hence why fumi says she won't give up acting after she graduates and promises to stand on the same stage as them one day). michiru has to accept that she can no longer just be akira's right hand. it's the completion of their stories - i don't see what value any attempts at "double-completing" yachimeishio's arcs would add. arcana has literally already dealt with the succession of the king and the chancellor, and shown them at their most pained and at their strongest (though shiori's + fumi's isn't totally over yet and i am so excited to see what will happen). and you should read it.

more than anything i really respect the writers' attempts to tell a full story that aligns well with starira main story and doesn't betray any of their existing character arcs.

ALSO IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING BAD TO SAY ABOUT THE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS GET OUT.

maybe the people who are saying things like this misunderstood some things in the play bc of not understanding japanese and that's fine but there's a summary on the wiki also have you read arcana arcadia you should read it it's free it's on karth it's on th e wiki it's on youtube. revue siegfeld contains an element of every single movie revue in it.

okay that's all thanks. if i see one more complaint about this i'm going to start fist fighting people genuinely. i am so sorry for this post

1) Pedo issues aside, I'm also pissed that they thought it was cool to give my boy such a crappy wife. Even if they HAD to go the pedo route, they still had plenty of other options to choose from. Soten was strategic. Shiori had great intuition (learning how to control the barrier with that ball). Asuka and Kocho were able to aid Kikyo in all sorts of difficult situations. Kanna is a badass. All of these girls (except maybe Soten) are prettier than Rin.

It wouldn't work. The appeal of the ship IS the power Sesshōmaru wields over Rin. It's because he's her adoptive father and she's his obedient daughter that this ship is appealing to people. I've said it before and I'll say it again: loli shippers are sexist. They want to see older men use their power to dominate young girls. That's the appeal. Why would they choose another girl when one who is already under Sesshōmaru's influence and already obeys him is right there?

And then for the self-inserters, the appeal is how Rin is not a character. She doesn't have a personality beyond being a cute kid. So the self-inserters can choose any personality for her to have when she grows up. Namely, their personality, because obviously that's the personality that Sesshōmaru would be attracted to. I guess Shiori fits this criteria, too, but we've never seen Sesshōmaru interact with her.

It's sad and it's creepy, but Rin fits both groups' needs.

revolutionary girl utena?

honestly, most of them belong in the "poor little meow meow" category lmao

but alas!

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): ANTHY. i would give up a kidney for her, no joke.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): hmmm chu chu? maybe utena actually 🤔

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): saionji probably. though maybe it's me whos overappreciating him lmao. idk why but i just. really like him.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): shiori! i guess she does get adequate screentime but she's my favorite minor character. took me a while to warm up to her actually.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): (see first line lol)

it's hard to decideeeee.

but i think touga and nanami! they definitely fit the bill 👁️👁️

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): saionji. def saionji lmao. just bc he's so awfully pathetic ❤️❤️❤️

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): a k i o

thank you for asking! actually, i'd be interested in your version of this meme for rgu too! :D

Utena blorbos!

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): Anthy, with Touga a close second. I have a Type and it's "the most controversial fucked up manipulative meow meow around." Shiori third place, fitting for her...

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Nanami!!! Wakaba is also very baby and shaped but Nanami is MY scrunkly.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Kozue deserves a lot more appreciation for being the most mysterious and intense character on the show.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): this category doesn't really apply too much to Utena but some people consider the Black Rose arc to be "filler" for ungodly reasons? so Mikage and Mamiya my beloveds

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Kiryuu Touga, my tragic pathetic disaster teen, neither his fans nor his haters understand him properly but I DO.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): Saionji was MADE for horse plinko. He's already Anthy's horse plinko, bless. I would like to give him even more gay angst, despair and embarrassment.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): They're already all in superhell, but I want them to escape and then choose to return in a katabasis trial for the one they most love.

Hi @fantasizingmyfantasies, I’m your Secret Santa for the @inusecretsanta​! Hope you enjoy :)

Pairing: InuKag

Rated: G

Summary: Professor Naraku, in a fit of rage over Inuyasha’s insolence, has given every House an assignment on a nearly impossible undetectable poison. Two Gryffindors and two Hufflepuffs solve it anyways, with interesting results.

Note Regarding Witchy Banner Below: Shoutout to @neutronstarchild​ for making this for me :) She’s the absolute best. Inspiration for the banner comes from @dangerouspompadour​ and her wonderful creative to let you all know to keep reading ;)

“Are you sure?” Jinenji asked, tugging his long, swirling robes tighter around him as they bustled through the arched hallways of the castle. Students were everywhere, both fleeing into and out of the library. With O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s so close, wizards and witches at Hogwarts had settled into an almost zombie-like state of mania, complete with the muttering of enchantments and funny hand twitches as they fake-casted spells. As a third year, Jinenji was thankful he still didn’t have to worry about those. At least, not yet.

“Have some faith in me,” his best friend, Kagome, argued. Her dark brown eyes looked up at him, somehow glimmering off the yellow inner lining of her robe, peeking out while they hurried to their destination. Jinenji had met Kagome back when they were both first years, both assigned by the Sorting Hat to Hufflepuff. They had become fast friends and for the most part, the two of them managed to partner on most important projects. “Miroku already finished the assignment. Apparently, his guardian was always going on about different poisons, especially those that could be hidden in a drink.”

Jinenji hummed, believing her. He had never talked to Miroku before but Kagome was a good judge of character. If she trusted the Ravenclaw, then he did, too. “I’m surprised we were given this assignment at all. Aren’t we supposed to discuss undetectable poisons, not create them for homework?”

“Well, we have Gryffindor to thank for that.” His best friend pushed through the grand wooden door of Hogwarts’s library, a hush befalling them, like the outside noise of the castle was cast away. Immediately, they could feel eyes on them, though no one visible stood behind a desk. That was likely because the library was ruled with an iron fist by Mister Myoga, the head librarian and also a flea demon. He used his virtually non-existent height to sneak around and ensure students were treating the books with care or remaining quiet. “I heard,” Kagome whispered now, “that Professor Naraku was so angry that he kicked some Gryffindor out of the classroom and then proceeded to make three Slytherins who cheered cry.”

“You’d think he’d have enjoyed that,” Jinenji mumbled back, trying his best to keep quiet. “Professor Naraku is kind to the Slytherins.” His friend hummed at him, leading them further and further back into the library. Jinenji trusted her to know where they were going, and exactly what they were looking for. “Seems unnecessary that this is our assignment, too. Gryffindor and Slytherin had class yesterday. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw today. Why give it to us, too?”

“It’s Professor Naraku, who knows?”

That, at least, was a fair point that Jinenji couldn’t argue with. Not that he was one to argue much at all.

“Come on,” Kagome whispered, hand tugging on his robe. “There’s a potions book – almost like an encyclopedia – by the greatest potioneer ever, Mukotsu Inada. Terrible wizard. I’m pretty sure he’s been in Azkaban for the last ten years. But!” She waved a hand at Jinenji’s look of horror. “The greatest potioneer ever. If there’s no details on this undetectable itching poison in there, then it’s nowhere.”

Jinenji hid his expression, knowing Kagome was right. At this point in the library, he was completely lost, but his friend had no such issues. They turned a corner at one stack of books before zagging in the other direction, muffled voices coming from not too far away. He watched as Kagome frowned, dragging him still, and when they came to what was clearly supposed to be the right spot, he spotted two other students scouring the shelves: Gryffindors.

“You!” Kagome exclaimed, surprised.

Jinenji blinked, surprised by the outburst, and then finally took a good look at the wizard and witch before them.

It was Inuyasha and Shiori. The Troublesome Twosome of Gryffindor.

Oh no.

X+X+X

Inuyasha Taisho was already in a sulking mood, not that he would ever admit as such to Shiori. “Are you sure it’s here?”

“Where else would it be?” Shiori snapped at him, violet eyes a little crazy. She’d been looking that way ever since Inuyasha and Professor Naraku had it out in yesterday’s Potions class, and Shiori had been saddled with taking down the notes for their joint assignment on undetectable poisons without him. Potions was already the bane of Shiori’s existence; she was far more about actions and spell work, leading the Defense Against the Dark Arts grades. Inuyasha’s snarling outburst at Professor Naraku’s stupidity, followed by his dismissal only twenty minutes into class made Shiori have to do double the work. He owed her.

Still. “And you swear you heard the name correctly? You’re not just making shit up?”

“For the love of Merlin, Inuyasha, shush,” Shiori hissed. He was lucky her wand wasn’t out, or he was sure she’d have cast something on him by now. A silencing spell, if nothing else. “I overheard your Hufflepuff girl in the hall. I’m sure it’s correct.”

Inuyasha couldn’t help himself. He turned unimpressed golden eyes at her. “She’s not my Hufflepuff girl!” Ever since their first year, the two of them had been having this argument. Inuyasha didn’t understand why Shiori couldn’t let this go. So what if he thought the Hufflepuff girl was cute? That was normal. She was quick to smile and friendly and basically the opposite of Inuyasha’s entire existence. But it wasn’t like they had spoken or anything, which meant that there was no way Kagome Higurashi, Hufflepuff darling, could be considered in any way ‘his.’

“Whatever,” Shiori replied, kicking him lightly in the leg. “I guess your forlorn staring at her in the Great Hall every evening at dinner means nothing. Fine. Help me find this book!”

Inuyasha sighed. Best friend or not, Shiori was quick to call him out on anything deemed bullshit.

“You!”

Immediately, Inuyasha glared at the intruders to their little library stack, hating being surprised. It was only then that he realized, like some kind of nightmare, that the exact person they were talking about was standing before them. Kagome stared at them in shock, Hufflepuff robes fluttering around her, with another hulking Hufflepuff wizard right behind her looking rather uncomfortable. “What?” he asked, the question coming out far ruder than he meant to.

“Oh, just—” Kagome frowned a little, brow furrowing as she looked between both him and Shiori. Her dark gaze landed on his friend, curiosity taking over her features. “You were listening in earlier!”

“No,” Shiori argued immediately, shaking her head. It didn’t help that the book she was shielding herself with was, in fact, the Great Book of Potions by Mukotsu Inada.

“Just because we’re not in Ravenclaw doesn’t mean we’re stupid,” Inuyasha barked, crossing his arms defensively. “We go to the library for research, too.” He knew that he had a reputation at Hogwarts, and that by association, Shiori did too. Very few witches and wizards ever dared to challenge them at anything. This was almost refreshing.

The Hufflepuff wizard stepped forward then, looking between them and his friend before trying for a smile. He was so tall, his head was the same height as the top of the stacks. If he wasn’t in Hufflepuff and known around Hogwarts as a gentle giant, Inuyasha probably would have been worried about a fight. “We don’t think that at all,” the wizard said quietly, voice shockingly small. “It’s good that you found it. I’m Jinenji and this is Kagome. You’re looking for the itching poison too, right?”

Inuyasha couldn’t help but look at Kagome, swallowing down the words that he already knew her name a long time ago. She smiled back at him despite his unwavering scowl. Inuyasha was begrudgingly endeared even more than before. Shiori could never find out.

“We have Potions class tomorrow and if we don’t complete the assignment tonight, Professor Naraku will have our heads,” Shiori said then. “Specifically Inuyasha’s.”

“Hey!”

“Where’s the lie?”

Inuyasha scowled and looked away. “Whatever. We need the book more. We can give you back the book when we’re done.”

“No way,” Kagome argued, smile slipping. “We have far too many other assignments and this is hard enough that doing it last minute would be terrible.”

“Well then you can copy the book right now.”

Kagome plastered on a smile. “Since I was the one that led you here, you should copy the book.”

Inuyasha eyed Jinenji, the giant Hufflepuff, watching him deflate. “No,” he retorted, just to see what Kagome could do. How far could a Hufflepuff go in friendliness? “We got here first.”

“I have an idea,” Kagome interjected, still friendly but oddly firm. “Since we all want to do the same assignment tonight, why don’t we do it together? That way, we get all the information we need, we all complete the assignment on time and everyone is happy.” Inuyasha opened his mouth but she shot him a sharp look, smile gaining an edge and quelling his argument. “This is the best plan.”

“That’s fine for me,” Jinenji replied quietly. Inuyasha noticed that despite his size, he almost shifted behind Kagome, as if hiding from the confrontation. “Where will we do it? We can’t practice in one of the classrooms at this hour or we’ll be caught for sure.”

“The girls’ Gryffindor bathroom,” Shiori said suddenly, finally speaking up. “No one goes in there, not even the prefects.”

“That’s perfect,” Kagome encouraged, nodding. “Great idea.”

Too nice. She was far too fucking nice. At least she wasn’t smiling anymore, menacingly or sweetly.

Jinenji hummed. “Should we go now, then? Meet up in ten minutes so we can get our scrolls?”

“Works for me,” Shiori answered, her elbow digging into Inuyasha’s side.

He huffed. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Wonderful,” Kagome concluded.

Inuyasha watched her and the giant Hufflepuff walk away, mouthing the word wonderful incredulously. Who even said things like that?

X+X+X

The Gryffindor bathroom was haunted. This was very likely why no one came in it, Kagome thought, staring up at the ghost floating in front of her.

“You must be the Hufflepuffs,” the ghost whispered, eyeing her and Jinenji in turn. He was a squat little thing, a toad demon with massive eyes and a permanent frown. While non-corporeal and clearly transparent, the ghost still took off the hat on his head and scratched, assessing them. “You shouldn’t be here,” the ghost warned.

“Leave them be, Jaken! You’re never supposed to be in here anyways, and yet.” It sounded like the Gryffindor girl Kagome had caught hanging around her in the hall earlier that day, right after the disastrous Potions class with Professor Naraku. Kagome wasn’t the suspicious kind, but she had noticed the way the girl had stopped and fiddled with her bag for an overly long time, those violet eyes looking up every once and a while like Kagome wouldn’t notice.

Well, she had. Kagome didn’t mind that she was being listened to, but wouldn’t it have been so much easier if the Gryffindor had just…come to her outright and asked?

Suddenly, Shiori poked her head around the corner and flashed them a smile. “This way! There’s enough room by the stalls for us all to sit.” She eyed Jinenji as she said it, only a brief glance, but Kagome was grateful that the two of them had at least considered her friend’s bulk. Jinenji was too kind-hearted to ever complain and it drove Kagome nuts every once and a while.

A cauldron sat in the middle with numerous jars and bags surrounding it. Seated on the far side was Inuyasha, glowering at it. Kagome tried for a smile, sitting down beside him. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out so Professor Naraku can’t pick on you.”

Inuyasha blinked at her, looking confused for all of a moment before his nose scrunched up. “Pretty sure we could get perfect on this and he would still pick on me.”

“He is, after all, the reason we were even assigned this horrible homework,” Shiori grumbled, sitting across from Kagome. She elbowed Inuyasha and shot him a sympathetic glance. “In fairness, Naraku was being a huge jerk.”

“Whatever,” Inuyasha grumbled, and Kagome watched as he peeked at her quickly before returning his glower to the cauldron. “Let’s just get this over with. If we miss curfew and I get caught again, I’m fucked.”

“We wouldn’t want that,” Kagome agreed.

“I can read out the ingredients,” Shiori offered then, holding the book. “Inuyasha can do the cutting—”

“Actually,” Kagome interjected, smiling to soften the blow of her interruption. “Jinenji is the best with preparing the ingredients. He’s saved so many of our potions I can’t even keep count.”

Inuyasha shrugged, looking like he didn’t particularly care. Jinenji, as expected, turned red at the praise, big hands fidgeting with each other. Kagome knew this would make him the most comfortable though, and pushed over the various ingredients already collected. “That’s fine with me.”

“We can work on the potion itself,” she said, reaching out to get Inuyasha’s attention back. He startled again and Kagome felt helpless but to do anything other than smile reassuringly. “What’s first?”

Shiori gave Jinenji the proper instructions for the ingredients. Some things were quite simple, like pouring in a certain amount of the powdered porcupine quills, but other ingredients required some finessing. Kagome was pleased when Inuyasha and Shiori watched, entranced, as Jinenji deftly prepared the aconite flowers, big hands somehow managing to cut up the petals while only touching the safe stems. He gave Kagome the tiny board he had brought filled with the sliced petals, prepared as always, and Kagome carefully held it over the cauldron while Inuyasha transferred them into the mixture.

They let it heat for a minute, the four of them quietly watching the ingredients mix together. Jinenji, smart as always, started to crush a few of the remaining herbs using a pestle.

Inuyasha tapped on the floor of the bathroom, golden eyes seeking Kagome’s the moment time was up. “Now what?”

Shiori, leading them all, was the one to answer. “The effectiveness of the poison is determined by the length of brew. Great Potions tells us what the consistency is supposed to be, so I think as long as we record it on our scrolls, we’ll just have to hope that by tomorrow morning we’ll have the right result. I can bottle it up first thing, one for each of us to deliver in class.”

“Here’s the last of it,” Jinenji interrupted softly, offering what was in the pestle.

Kagome took it and just like their usual routine, Inuyasha made sure it carefully was put in. She nudged gently at his knee, gesturing towards her own wand. “You do the honours and then I’ll stir?”

The Gryffindor blinked at her for a moment before shrugging, grabbing his wand. Inuyasha waved it above the cauldron, and the deep purple mixture bubbled into a dark blue.

“That’s it,” Shiori exclaimed, excited. “Matches the book exactly.”

“Thank god,” Inuyasha groaned, making Kagome laugh. She double-checked with Shiori before putting in the long spoon and stirring seven times exactly, watching the blue liquid swirl around. It was bubbling quite rapidly, despite the low heat, and when she removed the spoon there was a tiny burst of it, popping out of the cauldron and landing right on the chest of Inuyasha’s clothes.

For a long moment, the four of them were silent, staring in disbelief.

“The itching poison—” Jinenji started, but was cut off immediately by Inuyasha’s heavy sigh.

“Why does this always happen to me?” he grumbled, undoing the tie of his outer robe. The problem was that the blue liquid could clearly be seen on the shirt underneath, closest to his skin. The itching poison was supposed to be quite horrible and she really didn’t want to have to take them down to St. Mungo’s.

“Hurry,” Kagome insisted, getting worried. If Jinenji had started to bring up the itching poison, it could only mean that things would go bad quickly.

The Gryffindor scowled at her. “I am hurrying!”

“No, not—” And then Kagome was forcing her way in front of him, pushing at his robe before grabbing onto the buttons of his shirt underneath. “If this touches your skin, you’ll be itching for a month, at least, and you’ll never be able to make it through class tomorrow—”

“I have it!” Inuyasha argued, even as Shiori tugged the robe from behind him. “It’s fine, it won’t—” But then he got somehow impossibly tangled. Shiori wasn’t letting go, pulling even harder, and Inuyasha flailed backwards.

“Oof!” Kagome, her hands on his shirt still, was dragged down with him. It was an ungainly sprawl with Kagome embarrassingly ending up straddled above his prone form, lying on the ground.

She stared at him for a second, horrified, while Inuyasha looked at her with something akin to fear.

And then she saw the blue liquid on the collar, having moved from the fall, and it was so close to his skin. “Off!” she yelled, tugging furiously.

“You’re not undressing me!” Inuyasha shouted back, even though he, too, was trying to avoid the poison.

“You have to!”

“No!”

“Inuyasha!”

“Kagome!”

“Inuyasha!”

X+X+X

Behind them, Shiori crawled over until she was side-by-side with Jinenji. She stared up at him with big violet eyes, trying and failing to suppress her smile. “Should we tell them?”

Jinenji sighed but he looked just as amused as she was. “That the effectiveness of the itching poison doesn’t begin until at least an hour of brewing?”

“Yeah.” Shiori nodded and then stared at Inuyasha and Kagome, yelling at each other and somehow both trying to accomplish the same task. “That.”

“I already tried.” Jinenji shrugged. “It’s not like they can actually get hurt.”

But just as he had spoken, Kagome had finally managed to successfully tug at Inuyasha’s shirt, hauling him up into a sitting position and whipping off the material from the side. They both twisted, and Shiori could only watch, like a train about to crash, as Inuyasha’s and Kagome’s faces collided.

To call it a kiss would have been excessive. Both turned extremely red anyways.

“What are you doing?” Inuyasha yelled.

“Me? What about you? Why would you lean so far forward?!”

“It was that or you were going to dislocate my shoulder!”

“No, I wouldn’t have,” Kagome argued.

Shiori nudged Jinenji, even though her elbow barely made it past his huge legs. “If you and I are going to have to watch this play out for the next four years, we better get an Outstanding on this stupid assignment.”

The giant Hufflepuff smiled down at her. “I’m sure we will.”

About Chichi’s Mum

part of: iii.xxvi. (daddy jaehyun)

"And you will spend the day with Y/N, Jaehyun, Sunoh and Miga. Okay?" Yuta crouched in front of his daughter and put her jacket on. She looked at him with her dark eyes and nodded understandably. "And you have to be good. Y/N has two babies in her belly and is therefore very tired." He tried to explain everything to her, but in reality, it hurts him more than leaving Chichi behind for the day. She liked to be with the Jung's family and had also someone of the same age to play with. "Okay, daddy." She nods and her big eyes find his. Every time he looked into Chichi's eyes, he could see his ex-girlfriend. Because it was something that caught his eye right away.

It all started with a photoshoot for a famous fashion magazine. At first, it was just her cute smile, her elegance and when he spoke to her he was thrilled with her eloquence. He couldn't believe this woman was real. She embodied everything he was looking for because she was like a fairy tale. When he gathered all his courage and asked if they wanted to go on a date, he couldn't believe at first that she agreed. Shiori was her name and he couldn't think of anything else but her. When they first met, it was perfect. He looked into her big eyes and almost got lost in it. He never found a person so exciting, so beautiful. He was under her spell and she seemed to like him as well. It was like he was dreaming all the time. And it got better with the first time he slept with her. It was just perfect. Their bodies fit together perfectly and Yuta couldn't believe how lucky he was. When he was in bed with her, exhausted from all the activities, the good sex, he loved nothing more than to be with her and talk to her about everything. "My flight leaves at 9:00 am. I have a photo shooting in Tokyo this time." Shiori was a successful model in Japan and her orders often went to Korea, so she was constantly in Seoul too, sometimes also for a few weeks. "I'll make us a good breakfast." Yuta smiled and kissed her cheek gently. "You don't have to do that. Rest, you have so much work to do." She stroked his chest and was very fascinated by it. "I want it. Besides, I have to get up anyway. I promised Jaehyun to help him with the nursery renovation. His wife is very pregnant and the birth is about to start soon." Yuta had promised to help set everything up and it would distract him anyway, otherwise, he would miss Shiori all the time. "Is he the first to become a father?" She smiled and looked up at him now. "Yes. He's having a girl. That suits Jaehyun pretty well." He laughed and pulled his girlfriend closer to him. "A girl ... that sounds nice ..." She slowly closed her eyes and both simply enjoyed being together.

"Great. Thank you for taking Chichi. I'll be back tonight." Yuta took off his daughter's jacket and looked sadly at her. It was difficult for him to leave his daughter behind for the day. They had now become a team. Only the two against the world. "No problem. We love to have Chichi with us." You smile and lean over to her. "Mummy." With her big eyes, she looked at you. She's been saying that to you a lot lately, and you and Yuta are always trying to explain to her that you're not her mother. But you were the only woman she had a good relationship with. And since Miga and Sunoh, with whom she spent a lot of time, also call you Mummy, reflects this Chichi. "Oh honey, I'm not your mummy. Come on, let's see what Miga and Sunoh are doing." You take the little girl by the hand and you go to your children. Yuta looked after her sadly and handed Jaehyun his bag with Chichi’s stuff. "Do you know what Shiori wants from you?" Jaehyun looked at his friend with concern. She had called Yuta two days ago and was eager to talk to him. He should meet her in Tokyo, but he should come without Chichi. After a long discussion, Yuta agreed to meet her because, in the end, he had so many questions.  Yuta found it difficult to get back in the taxi and leave his daughter behind. It was funny because Yuta hadn't imagined himself as a father in such a near future and now his little girl would be 2 years old in a few weeks. He hates leaving Chichi alone and even though he was thinking of sending her to kindergarten now because he has to work slowly again, he was already getting a stomach ache. He knew that she and Jaehyun were in good hands. You were the only ones he trusted with his daughter. Ironically white, he first thought with Shiori that she would be the woman he wanted to be with Jaehyun and you.

"I'm a little bit nervous. I don't know any of your friends." Shiori took a deep breath and clutched the present. "Everything will be fine. Jaehyun and Y/N will definitely like you." Yuta grinned and kissed his girlfriend before knocking on the door. Jaehyun opened the door and greeted the two. He looked tired, but you could still see that he was happy. It was an interesting combination. "Hey, daddy." Yuta joked and hugged his friend. "This is Shiori," he then introduced his girlfriend and smiled. "Glad to meet you. Y/N is coming soon, she is still breastfeeding Miga." Jaehyun greeted Shiori and they went into the kitchen together. Jaehyun made coffee and they sat in the living room. "And how ist he new life with a baby? Can you still sleep?" Yuta grinned and sipped his coffee. "Sleep doesn't really exist right now. She wakes up all the time and we're trying to find a rhythm, but it's just perfect." Jaehyun smiled and looked up as he saw you come into the living room with his daughter. "Ahh, there she is." Yuta smiled, looked at you and put her arm around his girlfriend. "Hi, sorry that I couldn't come right away, Miga was still hungry." You smile and introduce yourself to Shiori. "Do you want to hold her?" You ask and Yuta stretched out his arms. Shiori leaned on his shoulder and stroked the girl's little hands. "How old is she now?" Shiori looked up at you and smiled. "10 days." Jaehyun smiled and pulled you onto his lap. He put his hand on your thigh and slowly stroked it. Meanwhile, Shiori also took Miga in her arms and cradled the little girl. When Yuta saw her sitting and cradling the baby, he decided that she would be - the one. Maybe he was blind with love, but at that moment he decided that with Shiori he wanted all of that too.

It was strange for Yuta to go to Tokyo just to have a coffee with his ex-girlfriend. But everything was no longer normal, because why didn't she want to see her daughter? The city gave him a feeling of fear this time. Everything seemed to overwhelm him and he hoped that soon he would only find answers once. Everything was crazy with Shiori, everything was always full of questions. Even when she left him at that time, he didn't know if she broke up or just wanted some distance and free space.

It was what felt like the 100th call Yuta made. Shiori hadn't answered for weeks. On her social media accounts, he could see that she was fine. But why didn't she get in touch with him anymore? Why did she ignore him. They were together for so long and then that? "Still nothing?" Taeil asked and Yuta nodded. "I just don't understand it. Why suddenly? It was all good and then suddenly she doesn't answer." Yuta was angry, more angry than she had in a long time. His heart was broken and this experience is so strange to him. He doesn't remember when he last had such a heartache.

When Yuta was sitting in the cafe, he swiped over the pictures of Chichi and he had to smile. She was so cute, so pretty, and so intelligent. But she was incredibly shy. But he thinks that's the reason of the circumstances because she spent most of her time with him and then every now and then with the Jung family. Shiori was late. At first, it was only 5 minutes, then 10, then 20. He didn't trust her and he was already so angry that he preferred to just go. He felt humiliated that he only traveled to Tokyo for her, that he left Chichi alone. But he didn't do it for himself, he did it for his daughter. After 35 minutes she was there. She only wore black and a mask, but still, she was elegant. It was difficult to recognize for strangers, but he knew immediately that it was her. Especially when he looked into her eyes because they were the same as Chichi. "I'm sorry for being late. I was delayed." She sat down at the table with him and took off her mask. "How are you?" She looked at Yuta and tried to smile. "Don't you want to know how your ... our daughter is doing?" Yuta was mad. Really mad. He didn't feel like small talk. Shiori sighed and just didn't say anything. "Why can't you be a mother to her?" Yuta looked at her and could only feel disgusted. "I can't be a mother to her." She shook her head and grabbed her forehead. "She calls Y/N Mummy because she is the only woman in her life at the moment. But Y/N cannot be a mother substitute for her because she has children herself." All his anger came out and he was so hurt that all he could do was hate. But Shiori just sat staring into the void. "Don't you even want to meet your daughter?" He sighed, as much as he hated her now, he didn't want his daughter not to know her mother. "I don't think that would be a good thing." She shook her head and tears ran down her face. "Don't you want to see how pretty she got? Chichi is so brave but so shy at the same time. She is totally fascinated by horses and she likes the color pink. She sings, dances and laughs a lot. And when she ..." "STOP IT!" Shiori screamed and people looked at you briefly. She fell silent and waited for her eyes to turn away from her. "I don't want to know anything about her. I don't want her to see me later." Suddenly she took her bag and pulled out a few documents. "Why? Why don't you want to meet such a wonderful and perfect person like Chichi?" He still didn't understand. Why didn't a mother want her child. "Because I know I'm going to love her and I just can't." She sighed and wiped away her last tears. "Why? Shiori tell me what's going on. Why don't you want to love Chichi?" He never thought that this conversation would go in this direction. "Because I got engaged. To someone big, rich and powerful. If he knew that I had a child, I'm no longer worth anything to him. We'll get married in two weeks and until then I want to clear everything up. No one from his people was able to find out that I gave birth to Chichi because I gave birth to her at home and therefore she doesn’t appear in hospital files. Yuta, I'm going to start a new life and I don't want you or Chichi in it anymore. That's why I wanted to speak to you." She sighed and tried to collect herself. She pushed a folder of documents over to him and took a deep breath. "Everything is in here. Chichi was never registered in Japan, you have to apply for a birth certificate afterward. But since you have already been to Japan with her, I assume that she already has a passport and that you have taken care of everything. I've set up a trust fund for Chichi. I regularly send money to my mother and she pays it into the fund, which is in the name of Chichi, when she is the age of 18 she gets the money. It’s more than enough money. If she is old enough she should never look for me and if you have a new wife it is okay that she accepts her as a mother. You can read everything in the documents, they are all real, you can check it." She put her hands away from the folder and took her wallet out of her pocket. "I just found out that I am pregnant again from my fiancé. When we are married, our relationship will be published in the press and we will announce my pregnancy. That is why confidentiality is particularly important to me. You must therefore sign this declaration of confidentiality." When Yuta opened the folder, the document was right at the beginning. He read it through and continued to wrestle for words. "What if I don't sign it?" He looked up at her and couldn't believe it, because it also said that he shouldn't tell Chichi about her. "Do you want to mess with one of the most powerful families in all of Japan, maybe Asia?" She looked at him seriously and Yuta knew that this shit was serious, and he had to sign it, if only to protect his daughter. So he took the document and signed it. Shiori took the document and put it in her pocket. "Thank you. It's for your and Chichi's safety." She smiled wrongly and put money on the table. Then she got up and packed her things. "I hope that's what you want." Yuta looked after her ironically and she stopped again and looked desperately at her ex-boyfriend. "It's all I wanted. I live powerful and rich now." Only then could Yuta laugh with contempt and Shiori looked at him one last time and then understood. Forever.

It was summer and everything seemed to be perfect. The light shone brightly in the room and made everything white. He lay on his back and took a deep breath, she was lying on his chest and had her eyes closed because the light dazzled her. It was warm, but still, they didn't want to separate their bodies. Yuta loved her so much, holding her in her arms was the best in a long time. He hadn't known when he had loved someone like this for a long time. Holding her in his arms was the highlight of his day. "Are you happy?" She asked him and turned her head to him. Yuta stroked her hair and smiled. "Yes. I'm the richest man with you." He kissed her gently and long and enjoyed the moment. "And you?" He stroked her chin with his thumb and he smiled. "With you always." She smiled and closed her eyes again. It was the last time it was between them until she left him.

When Yuta was finally back in Seoul, he went straight to the Jung's to pick up his daughter. It was already in the evening and Chichi would probably be asleep by now. But he still couldn't wait to hold her in his arms. Jaehyun didn't ask him many questions and he was happy because it just made him sad. He was not sad about himself, but about Chichi. She will never have a mother. He still couldn't understand why Shiori was like that, why she was suddenly so heartless. When he came into the living room, he saw Chichi slept in your arms. His little head rested on your pregnant stomach and she slept so peacefully. On the one hand, Yuta was sad because Chichi will never have a mother like you, but on the other hand, he was glad that you were there for her. "Hello, my sweetheart." He picked up Chichi to put her on his chest. The little girl opened her eyes briefly, saw her father, put her arms around him, and fell asleep again on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" You ask Yuta and you could see that he was pretty exhausted. "Shiori will never be able to be a mother. It is even official." He sighed and stroked his daughter's back. Jaehyun and you look at him but don't say anything. "I thought to myself ..." Yuta suddenly turned to you and looked at you seriously. "I know your household will soon grow by two more. But I wanted to ask if you might become Chichi's godmother. I think maybe it is good that she has a female person to confide her to. And Sunoh and she are almost the same age and I think they will go to school together and ... " Yuta took a deep breath, but you are already smiling. "It's not a problem. I like to take care of Chichi." You were even honored that Yuta asked you. And he was relieved that his little girl doesn't have to be alone.

daddy jaehyun masterlist

Stealth Chapter 1: The Prank

Part 5 of the Dragon of the Yuyan

Read on AO3 | Series Masterpost

The first time is because of a prank.

It’s Zuko’s second summer in Pouhai, his first as a cadet Yuyan Archer. Chihese Squad is strolling down the main drag of the closest colony town, on 48-hour leave for the Summer Solstice. It’s the first time that Zuko’s been out of the Stronghold for anything other than training since his arrival, the first time he’s been in an actual town since he was kicked out of the Caldera. The sights and sounds and smells are overwhelming, but not nearly as much as the crowds.

There are so many people at this festival. Which, okay, the Summer Solstice is basically the event of the Fire Nation calendar, being the longest day of the year and the day Agni granted firebending to the Dragons, so obviously everyone is going to want to join in the festivities, but Zuko can't remember having been around this many people ever.

Kai never lets go of his hand as he drags Zuko from food stall to musician to puppet show. There are firebending displays, and stalls full of crafts and decorations for sale. Everyone around is dressed in their best robes, and everything is a profusion of shades of red and yellow and black.

Zuko pulls Kai to a stop in front of a booth displaying stuffed cloth animals, and they spend a while petting them and poking each other with soft cloth beaks and snouts and flippers and quizzing each other on the hand-language signs for them. One such creature, a turtle-duckling with creamy tan markings and a brilliant green shell, seems to call to Zuko, and he picks it up and runs his fingertips gently over its head. It fits perfectly in his hand, just the right size to slip into a rucksack and not take up too much space, and for the first time in over a year his chest tightens and his eyes burn with the force of his longing for home and his mother's garden and the turtle-duck pond. Without even thinking, he cuddles the turtle-duckling to himself and turns to Kai.

Nice, Kai complements him with a large grin. You gonna get it?

Zuko nods, and turns to the booth's proprietor, holding out the turtle-duck and giving the man his best puma kitten eyes.

"Take it easy with those eyes, kid," he laughs. "Normally the plushes that size are ten copper, but I'll let ya have it for five. Solstice spirit and all."

Zuko grins and hands over the five copper coins. They bow to each other with the Flame, and then Zuko and Kai head off to meet up with the rest of the squad for dinner, the turtle-duck firmly clasped against Zuko's chest.

They catch up to Hiroki, Mika, and Jiyoti sitting in a square filled with tables and ringed with food booths. All three have cups of Solstice punch, a deep red drink made with coconut arrack and red wine. Kai attempts to swipe Jiyoti's cup, but she easily slaps his hand away.

Go get your own, leech, she commands, ignoring his pout.

Me too? Zuko asks.

No. Hiroki's fingers and thumb snap shut in a sharp emphatic movement as he frowns deeply at Zuko. You're too young.

This is strong stuff, Zuko, Mika signs with more gentleness, her expression sympathetic but firm. Maybe in a couple of years.

What did you get? Jiyoti asks, peering at the turtle-duck plush perched on Zuko's head. Zuko graciously allows the subject change, brushing off the tabletop in front of him and placing the turtle-duck on it. His face heats a little bit, because he's nearly fifteen, too old for stuffed toys, but Jiyoti's eyes are sparkling as she asks permission to pet it, and Mika has a soft, indulgent smile on her face like he's done something cute, and even Hiroki's smirk is gentle and warm as he leans back in his seat and nurses his cup.

At that moment, Zheng and his cronies, twins Shiori and Takeshi, pass by their table. Zheng takes one look at Zuko's turtle-duck and sneers. Aw, does the little baby street-rat need someone to cuddle with? He signs, making a gross kissy-face like he's talking to an infant. Maybe the Commander should've sent you to an orphanage with the other unwanted colony spawn. At least there you'd have fit in with the other brats.

Shut up and get lost, Zheng! Kai snaps out, gritting his teeth in a silent snarl at the older private.

Zheng smirks and raises his hands to continue signing, but Hiroki turns and pins the younger man with a glare. I believe you were on your way, Private? He signs slowly and clearly, as though Zheng is stupid and barely able to comprehend hand-speech. Zheng's jaw clenches, but he's not stupid enough to try anything against a Captain, and he storms off with a huff, the twins following in his wake.

Zuko hugs the turtle-duck to his chest and stares down at its eyes, embroidered in shiny black silk thread. He really is entirely too old for toys, and has been for years, but the thought of giving up his new companion is too much to contemplate. Aside from his dagger from Uncle, it's his only link to his life Before. Life Before had been hard, and lonely, and painful, but there had been good things, too, like Uncle's tearoom, Mom's garden, and the turtle-ducks in the pond. Life Now is so much better, even with idiots like Zheng bugging him, but he still sometimes misses those good things from Before.

Someone pokes Zuko in the shoulder, and he looks up to see Kai grinning at him. So what're you going to name it? The older boy asks, gently rubbing the turtle-duck's head with a fingertip.

Zuko looks at the brilliant green cloth of the turtle-duck's shell, and thinks of the brilliant green leaves that some of the food vendors wrap meat and fish in before grilling, and spells out P-a-n-d-a-n.

The squad finishes their drinks, and Zuko and Kai have a quick rice-cake eating contest which ends in a tie when the rice-cake seller refuses to give them any more. They stroll through the festival together, and Mika and Hiroki take turns grabbing Kai's collar to prevent him from running off after whatever happens to catch his eye. They find an excellent spot to watch the Lion-Turtle and Dragon dances, and Zuko's face hurts with all of his grinning. Pandan the Turtle-Duck is tucked securely under his collar where he can see the dances as well.

After the festival fireworks finish echoing over the town, the squad wanders its way back towards the Stronghold, riding the flow of humanity away from the main drag of the town. Very quickly the crushing press of so many people rubs Zuko's last nerve, and he grabs Kai and drags him over next to a closing stall to wait out the crowds. They amuse themselves (and the stall's owner who watches them with an air of tolerant bemusement) by trying on masks and trying to scare each other.

Hey Danger Noodle, check this out! Kai signs, and holds up a mask painted with blue lacquer and dominated by a wide creepy grin edged with sharp-looking tusks.

Wow, that's so creepy looking! Zuko exclaims, taking the mask from Kai and holding it up to his face. Kai's eyes go wide, and then narrow in a sly grin.

Spirits, I wouldn't want to meet this thing somewhere dark and spooky.

Zuko knows that look, and answers it with his own narrow-eyed glare. What are you thinking?

Kai shrugs, leaning nonchalantly against the stall. I don't know, I just think it would be kind of hilarious if Zheng were to have an… encounter… with the spirit of this mask.

Zuko holds the mask and considers it. He's widely acknowledged to be the best shadow-walker in the Troop (a lifetime of avoiding Azula will do that), and honestly, he owes Zheng a good scare for all of the bullshit the older private says to him.

Zuko and Kai smirk at each other. Zuko pays for the mask and slips it under his tunic, and they head back to the Stronghold. Hiroki scolds them for getting separated from the rest of the squad, then sends them off to get cleaned up for bed. He and Kai share the ofuro and make their plan.

Zuko dresses in the charcoal-colored tunic and trousers he'd brought to the bathing room, fastening them loosely as sleeping clothes. After waiting a few hours for Banli Squad to go on guard duty, Zuko slips out of bed and back to the bathroom, where he dons the mask and adjusts his clothes to make them more snug for shadow-walking. Kai meets him in the bathroom and gives him an impressed thumbs up.

Awesome! He signs. Zheng's going to freak out. Might want to tie your hair back, though.

Zuko's hair now just brushes his shoulders, still shorter than it was Before, but not by much. His phoenix plume had been cut and his entire head shaved after the Agni Kai, partly to make treating the burn easier, and partly to display exactly how far from favor he'd fallen. It doesn’t grow anymore where the burn has destroyed the roots, but Zuko knows how to tie it back so that his uneven hairline and shriveled ear are covered, and does so while Kai holds his mask. He replaces the mask, and Kai nods in satisfaction.

I listened in on the patrol route brief, he signs, hands quick and eyes bright with eagerness. Zheng’s by himself.

Any idea where he is now? Zuko asks. He has to exaggerate his body language a bit to make up for the facial expressions that are hidden by the mask.

Kai shrugs, the gesture imitated by Zuko, and together they creep out of the bathroom to hunt down their quarry.

They find Zheng slumped half asleep behind some crates near the storerooms. The setup could not be more perfect.

Kai tiptoes away as Zuko crouches in the shadows on the other side of the crates, and then starts fiddling with the lock on one of the storerooms. The sounds reach Zheng, who rouses with an annoyed grunt. The older private stomps towards the storeroom to investigate, and Kai has plenty of time to slip away into the shadows. Zuko matches his own silent footsteps to Zheng’s ridiculous komodo-rhino stomps, following close behind.

Zheng holds up his lantern and examines the lock before snorting in derision. Zuko braces himself.

Zheng turns around.

The positively girly screech Zheng lets out makes Zuko grin like a madman under his mask. Zheng stumbles back, and as soon as he’s out of the small circle of light produced by the lantern Zuko turns on his heel and bounds soundlessly over to where Kai is shaking from the effort of holding back his giggles. They tap their fists together and watch Zheng attempt to explain himself to the regular guards who came running at his shriek.

Zuko scares Zheng again on the innermost wall-walk, hanging upside down from the roof of a guard pavilion. And again in that one dark service corridor everyone hates. And again behind the catapult shed. Zheng shrieks every single time, and Zuko and Kai delight in watching him having to defend himself to the increasingly impatient guards with hands that tremble a little more with each encounter. By the end of Banli Squad’s guard shift, Zheng is a walking ball of shattered nerves, and Zuko and Kai are in bed and “asleep” when the older private staggers into the dorm.

The next morning, Zuko and Kai hide their grins as Zheng is forced to endure the regular guards teasing about his “haunting” by a “blue spirit”. Zheng tries to insist that he’d at least once managed to draw a weapon on the ghost, but this is only true in the sense that he’d had a knife in his hand but had dropped it when the alleged spirit had caused him to trip and fall into a manure pile near the rhino stables, and the guards are quick to point this out to raucous laughter. Zheng continues to attempt to defend his honor, but the roasting continues and increases in force until the archer finally storms out of the mess hall in a humiliated fury.

Zuko and Kai smirk at each other, and tap their fists together under the table. Mission accomplished.

That is the first time.

Previous | Next

anime featuring adult women

there are a lot of great female characters in anime, but sometimes it feels like they’re all supporting characters in shows about men or they haven’t graduated high school yet. I wanted to compile a list of some anime with adult women front and center

kidou keisatsu patlabor on tv:

in the sci-fi future as imagined in 1988, human-piloted robots called labors are used regularly by all kinds of people, including criminals. to combat labor crime, the police develop a special unit of patrol labors—patlabor. instead of following the prestigious division one, we follow a cast of quirky characters in second-string division two, as they solve cases ranging from mundane to dangerous to paranormal

izumi noa, and why I love her:

she’s incredibly strong-willed and stubborn. she’ll stand up to anyone. she’s obsessed with labors, not just piloting them herself but repairing them and learning about new developments in the field. even though division two is primarily men and there is the “men at work” vibe of so much military and police fiction, noa fits in easily with the guys and no one excludes her. the few times people do question her skills bc of her gender, they’re immediately shut down

other women in the cast:

nagumo shinobu, the captain of division one. we never actually see her or her unit at work, but they have a great reputation. I just love her bc she’s very funny always shutting down the captain of division two and I like that in-universe there are women in leadership roles like this

kanuka clancy, a visiting cop from new york. her relationship with noa is very strong, definitely shippable. she’s adept with a gun, a sword, and a giant robot. she’s the serious member of the team who yells at the others for being dumb but there are still times where she goes completely off the rails and ignores the law to do what she knows is right

wotakoi: love is hard for otaku:

momose narumi is an office worker and a fujoshi. she wants to keep the fujoshi part a secret this time around because things went south for her at her last job once people found out she was an otaku, but it turns out several of her new coworkers are fellow nerds. most importantly, her game-loving childhood friend hirotaka works at the same company, and the two of them reconnect as friends… and soon more than friends. it’s a romance drama involving only nerds

momose narumi, and why I love her:

she’s a lot like your standard high school girl protagonist who runs out of the house because she’s late for school, but this time she’s late for work. she’s really funny and straightforward, except she thinks she has to hide that side of her at her job. she and hirotaka have a great childhood friends to lovers relationship. she’s kind of rude to him but he adores her (though he’s kind of bad at showing it). I love a cheerful girl/serious guy romance that’s done well and I think this one really is

other women in the cast:

koyanagi hanako, narumi’s new coworker who’s a fellow fujoshi. she’s also a cosplayer, specifically a crossplayer who specializes in cosplaying as handsome guys. she and narumi only met each other under their fandom nicknames before, but they were big fans of each other and hit it off instantly when they meet at work. they’re cute friends even if they always argue about who tops in their ships

psycho-pass:

in a futuristic society, people’s mental health is constantly measured by “psycho-pass” readings which track their emotional state and judge the likelihood that they will commit a crime. naive rookie cop tsunemori akane leads a team of enforcers, people who are considered “latent criminals” too dangerous to live in normal society but who are still useful to the police. akane develops a close relationship with enforcer kougami shinya in particular, but kougami has his own intense relationship with the elusive criminal makishima shogo. as the team of detectives investigate him, they uncover secrets about the system they never wanted to learn and their fates become entwined with makishima’s

psycho-pass is written by urobuchi gen (madoka magica, fate/zero) and if you’re familiar with him you know what to expect. the show is pretty grim and gory. content warnings for rape, violence, gore, body horror, police violence, the predatory lesbian trope, forced institutionalization, and probably a lot of other things I can’t remember. not a light watch, is what I’m saying

tsunemori akane, and why I love her:

she’s incredibly principled. she sticks to what she believes is right despite immense pressure. it’s precisely because she’s naive and doesn’t understand the system that she is able to fight against it. she grows a huge amount over the course of the series but she never loses her compassion or her sense of right and wrong. she’s pretty badass too

other women in the cast:

karanomori shion, a lab analyst at the public safety bureau. she’s your typical sexy and flirtatious anime character but I think her position within the setting is interesting. although she’s categorized as a “latent criminal” unfit for society, she seems to be valued more than the enforcers. she’s also bisexual and dating a woman, though she plays into the “bisexuals can’t settle down” trope a little. she is not actually the best character or peak representation but I’m pretty attached to her and a certain type of woman will be too

kunizuka yayoi, a lesbian former musician and the only female enforcer. she’s shion’s girlfriend. there is a predatory lesbian character in this series, but it’s not kunizuka. I think her being a lesbian is handled pretty well. she has romantic and sexual relationships with women that are important to her, but she doesn’t hate men or flirt with every woman she meets (traits I hate to see in lesbian characters written by men). she’s really serious and calm but still cute and I love to see her growing respect for akane over the course of the show

death parade:

two people wake up in a strange bar with no memory of how they got there. a mysterious man with white hair named decim and his assistant, a woman known only as “the black haired woman,” ask them to play a game. the games are both absurd and dangerous, and as the contestants play them dark sides of themselves are revealed. decim’s job is to judge them based on their behavior while playing the games, but the black haired woman’s influence causes him to wonder if he’s doing the right thing

like it says in the title, the anime deals with the topic of death, and death by suicide comes up as well. I don’t remember everyone’s backstories but I think violence and abuse come up several times. there are also mannequins that move around on marionette strings which is kind of freaky

the black haired woman, and why I love her:

it might be wrong to say that she’s the main character when she isn’t introduced until the end of the first episode and her name isn’t revealed for half the show but listen. she’s the emotional core of the show and the person who sets the events in motion. she’s a very emotional person and that’s her strength. her relationship with decim is the classic “woman teaches cold-hearted man to feel” trope but I think it’s an outstanding example bc it centers her emotional experience and the two of them are not explicitly in a romantic relationship. I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers but for her it’s almost unavoidable. I love the way that her story is slowly revealed over the course of the show culminating in an incredible sequence in episode 11. I think her depression is handled so well too. it’s heartbreaking

other women in the cast:

nona, the boss of the arbiters. she’s a schemer who knows a whole lot of things she’s keeping from everyone else. I really like her outfit above all else. baggy pants with suspenders… a great look

mayu, a high school girl who is a contestant in one of the games. she tries to be cutesy but is prone to anger and makes incredible faces. I like that she’s an obsessive fangirl character who’s played for humor but is also shown as being noble and sympathetic

sakura quest:

koharu yoshino is a woman who moved to tokyo to find a job but has no luck. when she finally gets a job offer, it’s to become “queen for a day” of rural manoyama village. upon arriving in manoyama, she learns that she was only hired because they thought she was someone else but they still want her to work there for an entire year. now she lives in a small town and is tasked with both revitalizing the citizens and drawing tourists in, along with the help of four friends. it may not sound funny and heartwarming but it really is. it’s a good story about connecting and reconnecting and also the head of the tourism board wears a chupacabra mask sometimes

the main characters, and why I love them:

koharu yoshino, queen of manoyama. her struggle in the job market is unfortunately relatable to many people today and I love that she wishes she could have a job as a queen. she’s great and she really comes to love the town despite everything

shiori shinomiya, a very sweet manoyama native. she’s almost too nice but it makes it all the funnier when she gets intense

maki midorikawa, an aspiring actor who is famous among manoyama citizens for a small role she played in the past. she’s serious about acting but her family wishes she would get a more stable job. she can be kind of rude but she does love her friends and her town

sanae kouzuki, a web developer who moved to manoyama to escape the intensity of city life and the negative effects it had on her mental health. the problem is she hates rural life and is afraid of bugs but is too proud to admit it on her blog. the only true city girl among the five

ririko oribe, my favorite of the five. she’s shy but loves cryptids and the occult. it’s very easy to read her as autistic and the other characters affirm her interests and behavior. her love of cryptids even helps the town out when Spanish tourists come in search of a local legend. her relationship with her grandma is really good as well, with the two coming to understand and love each other over the course of the show

Duality

Spending so long as a human, Kurama’s come to know and understand the shift in the air of his classroom when there’s news. Being the “popular” student, he’s often kept at an arms length but his hearing and his attention span help with keeping track of the whispering and the rumors spread around him.

Although it meant unnecessary information was being compiled in his head, he couldn’t be caught unawares and stomached the numerous confessions, ill-secrets, snide remarks and all else. Occasionally his gaze would drift to Maya as she talked to her friends, laughing about a show they watched or a place they wanted to go after school.

She would glance his way once or twice when he thought he wasn’t looking and his heart would ache. Despite the way they parted and what he’d done, he couldn’t believe that he was entirely wrong. The number of demons chasing after him and Hiei were growing everyday. It was all they could do to keep Shiori safe let alone some of his classmates who wandered too close to his other life.

Keeping himself adrift from them was important and if that meant being alone throughout the day, then so be it. Hiei was always a thought away and though the fire demon wasn’t always one for conversation, it was nice having that presence at the other end of their connection.

A thread keeping hold of Kurama so he wasn’t drowned by the loneliness gnawing at his resolve.

Kurama rested his chin in hand, staring out the window as his classmates talked and carried on with morning greetings, eventually settling in their seats once the bell rang. Their teacher was the last to walk through but the door was kept ajar, the soft murmuring drawing Kurama’s attention, whispers of someone knew or sighting a person talking to their teacher before class began.

“I hope it’s a girl,” one boy excitedly whispered.

Another sitting in front of him waved his hand, laughing softly. “Won’t help your chances anyway.”

“Another boy would be nice,” a girl a few seats behind Kurama whispered to her friend. “Especially if he’s cute.”

“Doesn’t matter if he’s cute when you can’t do anything but look at him.”

Eyes lingered on Kurama’s back but he didn’t turn or acknowledge them, watching the world outside while his classmates looked him over. From their voices, he could tell who it was speaking about him and remembered the confessions that he turned down. Perhaps there were a few grudges against him even amidst the admiration.

Brushing it aside, he knew at least one thing. There was to be a new student transferring to their class and no one knew who they were. It didn’t matter in the end, it was just another face in the crowd unless they proved to be an enemy. Then it’d be another rumor in the mill.

“Alright, settle down,” their teacher said, the whispers dying down and Kurama’s gaze drifted to the front of the room. “As you all are aware, we’re getting a new transfer student. Come in. ”

The door slid open and a young man walked through. Despite the drape of the sleeves clung to his shoulders and arms, defined muscles outlined by the garment, and although he was small he seemed athletic. Kurama rested his cheek in hand, looking the transfer up and down. His bag shouldered on one arm while he kept his hands in his pockets, gentle dark brown eyes sweeping across the room, lingering on a few faces before moving on as if trying to commit them to memory.

He was cute enough in Kurama’s opinion, had an almost angelic appeal, though that might have been the girls mumbling behind him planting the idea in his head. A ghost of a smile on his lips, dark brown hair falling past his chin, wavy and curling at the ends, half of it drawn back into a ponytail while the rest framed his face. He pulled one of his hands free to pick at his bangs, sweeping a lock behind his ear and tucking it before looking up at their teacher as he addressed him to introduce himself.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said in a voice soft and melodic, a bit deeper then expected. “My name is Kurosawa Tatsuo.”

The murmuring started up again and Kurama sat up straighter. Something didn’t feel quite right. He narrowed his eyes, ignoring the whispers as he honed in on Kurosawa. The transfer watching the room quietly until their teacher called for everyone to settle down. Schooling his features, Kurama hid his mouth behind his hand though he narrowed his eyes at the transfer student.

“Alright, Kurosawa, your seat will be…” their teacher scanned the room, humming disconcertedly before gesturing to a seat in Kurama’s row. “Behind Kitajima.”

Kurosawa nodded and walked over, smiling politely at Maya as she spoke to him then glancing at Kurama. A flicker of red, so quick that it might have been a trick of the light, appeared then vanished in his eyes. He turned and pulled out his seat, sitting down and setting down his bag. Class began and Maya agreed to share her books with Kurosawa but Kurama couldn’t help but feel off.

Kurosawa didn’t look at him throughout their lesson, absorbed with listening to their teacher and Maya’s direction.The faint whispers around them seemed to go ignored and Kurama wondered if he was simply on edge.

Reaching for his connection to Hiei, Kurama narrowed his eyes at Kurosawa’s back as he turned to glance out the window. There was no glow on his forehead and certainly no third eye opening but the connection opened nonetheless. Out the corner of his eye, Kurosawa looked at him and a smile tugged at his lips.

“Any reason you’re staring at me, Minamino?”

The deep timbre of Hiei’s voice echoed in his mind and Kurama stifled a snort, burying his face in his hand, his shoulders trembling. It wouldn’t bode well if he was caught laughing in the middle of a lecture but he couldn’t believe it. Kurosawa — Hiei — whichever, looked ahead as Maya turned the page in their shared textbook and Kurama followed suit. Keeping up appearances as the two talked.

“How long have you been planning this?”

Hiei’s control over the Jagan was steadily growing and while Kurama was interested in his capabilities, this seemed like over-exertion. It was one thing for Kurama to hide in plain sight with a human body but Hiei was a demon through and through. Yet, he couldn’t feel his youki when he stepped into the room. Even his voice was different. And there were too many scents in the room to pick up Hiei’s own. To what length did he go for this?

“Long enough for it to pay off.” Hiei seemed smug, pleased with himself for being able to mystify Kurama. And Kurama had to admit that he was impressed. “You didn’t think I was learning with you for my own amusement, did you?”

Kurama’s mind wandered to the evenings spent at his desk where they would pour over his textbooks. Hiei helping him study or reading some of them on his own. He didn’t seem wholly interested in the exercises but he corrected Kurama’s mistakes and pointed out a few inaccuracies when he felt the need.

Looking down at his textbook, Kurama huffed and ran his fingers over the pages, remembering where Hiei pointed and the words he said in the confines of Kurama’s bedroom or between their lips.

“I always assume you have a reason for what you do.”

“Then what do you think the reason for this is?”

Kurama wracked his brain. There were plenty of reasons in itself but he knew HIei’s preferences. He’d grown past looking down on humans for most things but pretending to be one of them never seemed to be in his interests. And he only ever pushed himself to certain lengths when it was necessary. If anything, he seemed to hate hiding who he was more than anything else but he was terrifying to some — especially the demons that wandered their territory.

“Trouble in the area…” Kurama summarized, glancing out the window as he wondered how close some of their potential enemies might be for Hiei to go to this length. Letting the thought drift aside, he glanced at Hiei’s back and smirked. “Or you missed me.”

He wasn’t sure what expression Hiei made but Maya didn’t seem to notice anything off. A slight twitch in Hiei’s shoulder telling of his attempt to keep from tensing up. It wouldn’t do good for Kurosawa Tatsuo to be uncomfortable after all. Kurama resisted the urge to smile and glanced down at his textbook.

After a short pause, Hiei spoke again in a tight voice. “There have been demons lurking nearby and hiding as a human makes it easier to find them or at least trap them.”

Kurama’s soft hum carried over their connection and he could practically hear Hiei’s budding irritation at his skepticism. While he was sure that Hiei wanted to keep his end of their deal, they certainly had grown past that.

“Well, when you aren’t working. Are you going to allow me to kiss you here, Kurosawa?”

Hiei’s shoulders bunched up as he shot upright. Maya looking at him curiously, her eyes wide and Kurama had to hide his laughter behind his hand.

“Did I say something?” Maya whispered, concern in her eyes as she looked Hiei over.

Slipping back into the tone of Kurosawa Tatsuo, Hiei shook his head. “Sorry, I… wasn’t paying attention.”

“Spacing out already?” Maya teased, nudging the book closer to him.

“A little.”

Kurama could imagine Hiei rounding on him with dark eyes narrowed with the solemn promise of revenge. The press of his youki was faint, likely to keep up his rouse, but with the same pressure as a nudge to Kurama’s side.

“Don’t you have a certain reputation here, Minamino,” Hiei shot back, matching Kurama’s teasing tone with the same intensity that reminded him of the games they played in private. “Kissing someone you hardly know doesn’t seem to fit into that.”

Kurama’s lilting hum echoed in their shared space. He found Kurosawa Tatsuo attractive with his power rippling beneath a gentle demeanor, like a river with hidden depths that most dared not to brave. But if Hiei wished to play the role, Kurama was happy enough to oblige. This was a persona that he wanted to know more of.

“They hardly know of me outside of what I allow them to see. It wouldn’t be so strange for me to have a partner they aren’t aware of.”

He knew it was dangerous to say. But to leave the door open was all he could do. Forcing Hiei through it, attempting to coax or change what was already set in his mind, would only push him away when Kurama wanted to bring him closer. His two lives were split and Hiei, while part of one, wasn’t fully present in it. There was something appealing about the idea of going to school with him, of having him there by his side, through the day and the night.

Whether he was human or demon.

“You’re thinking of something unnecessary, Kurama,” Hiei says, breaking Kurama from his thoughts with a harsh tug as if they were standing beside one another and he was trying to bring Kurama to his side. Fondness, appreciation, an overwhelming weight of emotions crossing over as he gave a gentle squeeze to hold onto the invisible hand Hiei grasped his own with.

“Do I have your attention now?”

“Always.”

Hiei glanced over his shoulder, allowing the connection to widen, his own emotions flowing through. His acknowledgement that they were together, his happiness that others knew of them, the enticing appeal of being to be with Kurama in this way as he was in others.

Warmth and joy flooding through, the gentle squeeze alleviating, the feeling of Hiei’s arms around him, hugging him tightly in its place. Despite sitting in the desk in front of him, listening to their teacher’s lecture, Hiei was right by his side where he wanted to be. And if not for keeping appearances, Kurama might have hugged him.

“So, Is this your way of saying you want to date me, Shuuichi?” Hiei asks, slipping into a playful tone as his mental hold on Kurama eased.

Kurama’s heart skipped a beat hearing those words from him and the corner of his lips twitched slightly. “…If you would have me, Tatsuo.”

“Then you’ll be my guide around school. I’m counting on you.”

And for once in a fairly long time, Kurama was excited to see the school day through.

Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 2 Episode 1 Recap and Ending Explained

The first episode of "Rent-A-Girlfriend" (or "Kanojo Okarishimasu") season 2 is titled "Dream and Girlfriend". Kazuya Kinoshita wrestles with the idea that Chizuru Ichinose may soon stop being a rental girl and will need to create a story for his grandmother. Later, he visits the theatre where Chizuru will be performing in a play. She may be offered a role as an actor if she does well. This is everything you need about the finale of "Rent-A-Girlfriend" season 2, episode 1. SPOILERS Ahead! ! Season 2 Episode 1 of Rent a Girlfriend Recap Let me start my Rent-a-Girlfriend review by clarifying something that I was unsure of. You may notice that there is no second season if you watch the series on Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll listed this episode instead of the first of the 2nd season as the 13th of Season. This could continue throughout the season. It's not clear. For the sake of these reviews, however, I will refer to episodes with their second Season episode numbers. This is the Season 2 Episode 1 Review. This being said, I'd like to praise the episode for its recap of Season 1. Recaps are never enjoyable. It's not always fun. However, the recap at episode's beginning was my favorite part of the episode. It's been 2 years since I last watched Season 1. I don't know how it ended. I also forgot that Ruka and Kazuya were dating. To be fair, though, I have the impression that Kazuya forgot this, too. Poor Ruka. Poor Ruka. Another reason I enjoyed this recap was the fact that it featured the main four girls from their perspectives. There was some overlap. It made the recap much more interesting. It would have been boring if it had been done entirely from Kazuya’s perspective. Finally, I loved that each girl gave a recap and we were able to see them in different outfits. The best thing about Kanokari is its fashion sense and the way that character outfits change all the time. It's cute to see the girls wearing different clothes. Remaining true to the status quo This could be considered a spoiler. One thing I do know about Kanokari's future is that it prefers to keep things the same. Major developments don't happen. So, I would like to use this general knowledge to predict what won't happen. Chizuru didn't confirm that she was not selected for the role in the big play. She heard Shiori speak with the director and she assumed he chose her. Shiori and the director did not say that Shiori was his choice. Naturally, I thought that it was all a misinterpretation. Kanokari is built on misunderstandings. Chizuru believed Shiori was the one who got the role. In fact, Chizuru had the role. He would have fit in perfectly. When Shiori asked Chizuru to speak to her at the end, I assumed that was what the episode would be about. However, would Chizuru's acceptance of the role be a significant departure from the status quo if she is actually granted it? If it did happen, her plan was to quit as a rental girl. It's not something I can see her doing. Chizuru is the entire premise of the show. Kazuya is also confused. He believes that Chizuru will cut all contact with him if he stops being a renter girlfriend. We know that this is not the case. It is quite obvious that Chizuru feels for Kazuya. I don't think Kazuya is too blind to see that. Yes, he's dumb. It's Chizuru’s job to act like he likes her. In his mind, Chizuru acts only because she is playing a part. Season 2 Episode 1 of Rent-a-Girlfriend: Does Chizuru stop being a rental girlfriend? Chizuru questions Kazuya about what he's doing outside the theater after they meet accidentally. He praises her while she is talking about nonsensical topics. He says that her performance was very moving and tells her that the audience loved him. Kazuya then explains that he accepts that Kazuya wants to pursue acting and is not available to rent his girlfriend. Chizuru is puzzled by his conclusion and questions why. Kazuya tells Chizuru about the acting opportunity she mentioned to her, and after watching her performance, he believes that the director selected her. Chizuru's expression changes briefly, and she tells Kazuya she wasn't offered a role by the director because she isn't good enough.  Kazuya is aware that she is not optimistic, despite her trying to sound positive. He knows that Chizuru was a rent girlfriend in order to make money for acting classes. Now that she isn't getting any good opportunities, it seems that her financial woes are not over. Kazuya has promised to support her and to hire her as his rental girlfriend, even though he must work overtime to make enough money. Kazuya has made such a huge decision because of his emotional attachment to Chizuru. Let's just say that Chizuru is still a rental girl and will continue to be hired by Kazuya more often in future episodes. Despite her outstanding performance, Chizuru does not get an acting opportunity from the director Chizuru begins to pack up after the play ends. She hopes to return home as soon as possible. However, she hears Shiori, the girl who plays the lead role in this play, talking to the famous director, who is looking for people to cast his next project. She is selected because she has been associated with a well-known sponsor since elementary school. The whole selection process was rigged against Chizuru who was hoping for a big break. Instead of complaining, she took the blame on herself and told Kazuya she was not given the role by the director because her performance was not satisfactory. Read the full article

The vampires and preferences. Taken from @arcxnumvitae and @thewolfisawake. I’ve also written out who is taken relationship-wise just to make sure it’s not confusing.

Megane: What isn’t this woman into? Pretty much everything and anything. She literally is the furthest from picky you can get and is the literal definition of pansexual. Men, women, any gender, any species, she’s the type to find something attractive about everyone.

Haru: Women with an attitude. A woman who isn’t afraid to tell him no. Confidence, long dark hair with no particular preference on a color other than that. He likes a woman with style, someone who can take his BS and fire it right back. A baker is a huge selling point since he has such a big sweet tooth. And he’s definitely not into a woman who shows too much skin, funnily enough. He does actually like some modesty in that department and keeping certain things to the imagination until they’ve gotten to that point.

Minami: Intelligence, a man who can give her a challenge in some way shape or form. She has what usually comes off as a harsh and severe type of personality, can be quite controlling and is a bit of a neat freak so they’d have to be able to handle that with ease. Mystery is a big seller for her though because she’s so used to knowing mostly everything that when she comes across someone or something she doesn’t know or can’t figure out she’s instantly intrigued.

Seto: He isn’t a sexually active man and isn’t really interested in becoming one. But if he were, it’d likely be with someone soft and caring, but still confident and strong. He’s got a thing for good voices and no particular preference for men or women. At the same time, he doesn’t like anyone who talks too much because he really enjoys the quiet and peaceful times.

Kensei: Strong and fierce warrior type women. Holy crap can he be weak to soldiers. Especially when she’s actually in a uniform. Skills with a weapon of any kind, good training, someone who knows how to show respect where it’s deserved and demands the same in return. Confidence but without it being overbearing.

Vasilios (unavailable): Long dark hair, coy smiles, flirty personalities, and intense eyes. He’s never had any preference of one gender over another but he does prefer thicker women, whether that’s simply curves or even those with some weight on them. Bigger girls. Men though he likes lean and fit. But more so than anything he likes a battle for dominance. Whether he ends up the dominant one or submissive doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fight itself. Plus he is hypersexual and shit if someone can match his urges, needs, and stamina then man is he in heaven.

Raiden: Women. Women. Women. Gosh, he’s far from picky. Cute girls, gorgeous girls, badass girls, dorky girls. It doesn’t matter because Raiden will find every girl he meets to be utterly beautiful in their own right. Which of course means he’s sexually attracted to them too.

Ariadne: While she prefers men more, she isn’t against women on the subject. She likes height, attitude, someone who can take her fiery personality and deal it right back. She also seems to prefer humans more so than not. But other than that there isn’t a lot she’s shown interest in.

Zephyr: Zephyr is a lover and a fighter but boy is he such a huge sap of a lover too. Big gestures, lots of teasing, old school courting type stuff gets him the most. He likes to banter, someone with a big heart and a playful side. And man he has the hots for the motherly types. Women with thick curves, nice thighs, big chests but a thoughtful and caring smile but eyes that speak of wisdom and experience. Men with more athletic builds, nice hair and a charming personality.

Odette: I don’t really know for sure with her but I think she’d prefer someone gentle. Someone she feels she can trust. She does prefer men, she’s had quite a few bad times with women before and doesn’t trust them as easily. But I don’t think she even knows what she’s attracted to since she’s never really been given the chance to explore it.

Shiori (taken): Assholes. Fuck she loves someone with an attitude, a smart mouth, and a good smirk. I mean, technically I’d think she’d have an easier time with women considering her past with men. Sarcasm, someone with a violent streak who can handle her.

Ichirou (taken): Strong, confident, independent women. Women with goals and priorities. Stylish women with curves that could break his neck from looking back. There’s just something utterly entrancing about a woman who doesn’t need anyone else.

Yuka (taken): Never really had a preference in most ways, but she likes revealing eyes, charming smiles. Oh yeah and nice voices with really good accents. She likes someone who she can talk to, feels comfortable with. And she definitely has a thing for taller people and thick hair.

Ayame (taken): someone who is calming, feels safe. Someone with a bright smile and this warmth that makes her feel alive. Musically talented in any way is a huge bonus for her. Someone with a relatively sunny disposition and affectionate. Adventurous personalities but nothing that overbearing personality wise like overly confident or self-assured. Someone with a warm and gentle presence.

Liam (unavailable): Sexual wise, Liam is far from picky. Generally, because he uses such things as a distraction more than anything else. But preference wise he does seem to have a thing for the unusual ladies. One he can’t quite understand and ones that take him by surprise. He’s a leg man and loves long legs and creamy thighs and can be so easily ruined when that’s used against him. Short skirts, heels, tight jeans, a nice rear, boy he’ll fall apart at the seams if she has a sexy walk too.

Kaname: No clue! Kaname is still a mystery to me. I know physical attraction is possible and that there’s no particular preference but he is like the image of Demisexual and won’t feel attraction in the slightest until a bond is formed.

Reasons to Ship Akira and Shiori

This is just my opinion and if you ship either of them to someone else, that’s fine. This is just my thoughts about this Shipping. So here we go.

Akira has good comments about Shiori. She usually say something to the other members for example:

She seems to care a lot about Shiori and yes, she does secretly care for the other girls too but she doesn’t really show much of it or literally say it a lot, only to dialogues on the home page.

She is really supportive of Shiori and it’s really cute. We know that Akira can be really straightforward to how she talks but this itself is her way of being supportive and look out.

Can we talk about the Beauty and the Beast event? This event is really beautiful and not only that, it has the nice sync to it for both of them? It somehow fits well in overall theme and the song is beautiful. Like look at this beautiful photo! It has that nice feel to it, warm and aesthetic.

Have you heard of the event song for Beauty and the Beast? Rose Poems not only have such a beautiful aesthetic to it but also, the song is definitely a love song. The lyrics may be figurative but it’s written so well. Look at the translation for the song and it’s really beautiful. Their voices really convey the song so well.

Not to mention, their voice sounds really good together? Their voices compliments very well to each other and it is so amazing.

Look at the way they look at each other! Their expression is so gentle, warm and they are comfortable with each other’s company.

Also during Shiori’s Birthday, Akira said this. As she wishes Shiori happy birthday, she quotes “even more diligence” and that’s really saying on a positive note that Shiori is diligent and her way of saying that she hopes that Shiori stays the way she is.

This ship is really soft and they’re really cute together.

They both have the fairytale aesthetic and think about it.. Akira and Shiori are like a prince/ princess type thing.

They literally had a a cute duet of a love song out of a fairytale theme. Look how adorable and awesome that is.

They literally had a Beauty and the Beast event !

Tea GFs

The way this photo is placed, considering how this looks, (don’t mind Michiru please) it looks like Yachiyo and Mei Fan are side by side. (Honestly, that’s another good ship though.. Mei Fan x Yachiyo is a good ship)

However, it really looks like Shiori is looking at Akira. (Mei Fan looks like she’s looking at you like Michiru and Akira while Yachiyo is looking at Mei Fan).

If you look closely at the school photo covers, the ships or the characters who are often shipped are next to each other literally or often close to each other or across.

So yeah there you go! 😂 It was a lot but yeah.