#shogi tile
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Perfect neutral* colors for this outfit, pairing a geometrical pattern kimono (somehow reminding me a bit of shogi tiles), with a luscious armful of kiku (chrysanthemum) obi.
*Red, black and white are considered neutral colors in traditional kimono fashion
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Hii! I really love your stories and writing style and since i saw your requests are open, I'd love to request a NSFW with Akashi where it's both, his and reader's first time, with lots of fluff if possible and if you want!!
If you decide to write it, thank you in advance! <3
Omgggg can't believe it took me 6 months to complete this request I swear I momentarily forgot how to write smut 😭😭 hope you still enjoy this though, I felt bad so this one is extra long (4.7k) <33
You're My First // Akashi Seijurō x Fem! Reader
MDNI 18+
Context: Might have taken you and your boyfriend Seijurō way too long to finally have sex, whoops! All characters are aged-up (18+) for plot purposes.
Warnings: mainly fluff till the last quarter, mention of reader (and Akashi a bit) being sexually frustrated, mention of masturbation (both Akashi and reader do it), kissing obvs, handjob, fingering, protected sex (because Akashi is a gentleman 🥰)
The wooden tile strategically placed on the board, Seijurō's game partner sighs. It's a force of habit: can you ever win against a guy like him? You chuckle, arms wrapping around your boyfriend's shoulders as you kiss his cheek.
“What is it that you say? Your victory is absolute?” you whisper loud enough for Shintarō to hear you.
“Please, no need to add more to my defeat” the green haired man readjusts his glasses, seemingly unbothered by his loss but you aren't dupe.
A smile on your lips, you let your fingers run through Seijurō's red hair. His shogi playmate looks away, like all the times you show some sort of affection to your boyfriend. Throwing his jacket over his broad shoulders, Midorima excuses himself by saying that he's got practice. It figures, you think, Seijurō's friends are players like no other. You wave him goodbye as he walks out, and once his tall figure is out of sight, you let out a soft sigh.
“Sei?”
He looks up from the board with a softness in his gaze, putting the tiles back in their designated bag. Akashi Seijurō conceits his emotions quite well, that's a well-known fact. But the minute he fell in love with you, he's learned to open up. From talking about his mother to how basketball saved him from his darkest times, the Seijurō you know is exclusive – no one, not even Midorima that he's fond of, has any knowledge of the depth of his person. But you don't bother: he's your one and only, isn't he?
“Coming to my place tonight?” He asks.
You breathe in, like every time he asks. Most of the time, there is no meaning to these words. Nights of shy touches, nights of "sorry love, I can't". You ponder if you should refuse. You have needs, don't you? Of course you do. More than touch-starved, you crave love to a level that you feel Seijurō is not ready for.
“Sure thing” you utter, incapable of turning him down.
A light brings his eyes to life, and you feel your heart melt.
Isn't he sweet, your Sei-chan?
A thought you never believed you’d ever had, on the day you met him; an afternoon in May, both of you finding yourself in the same isle of the library, looking for the same book.
“It's in my recommended reading list” you said, not willing to back down.
“Funny, my professor wrote this one.”
His arrogance turned you off, but then, he organized a special lecture for your class with the author of said book, leaving your own lecturer in awe and you wondering why he did such thing for someone who meant nothing. Took you long enough to realize that you actually meant something to him. He asked you out right after that lecture and now here you are.
“Sei, let me treat you. We’re having celebratory diner for your victory in shogi” You stretch out of your spot, hands swaying to your hips as you smile to your boyfriend.
“My love, if we have a celebratory diner every time I win, you’ll end up broke.”
You scoff, nudging him in the arm. His arrogance ever so often pops out, but in a rather endearing way. In the right settings, you find yourself thinking, it might even be attractive – but you guard yourself from admitting so.
“We’re eating to my place instead” he says as his arm finds your shoulders, wrapping around it with the grace that could only be associated to him.
You raise an eyebrow but doesn’t refuse the invitation. The last rays of sun cast on your faces as you both walk in the late summer evening, between the distant laughter of children and the sounds of birds going home. And amidst all of what soothes your soul, nothing compares to the way you feel at this exact moment, walking so close to the one you love. It’s a subtle feeling, one that you don’t bother to describe, that makes things so easy when he’s around. And you just need to glance for a second in his direction, to see it. The way he makes you feel, written all over your face.
Seijurō is silent, yet, from the dancing flame in his eyes, you can guess that something is brewing in his head. You smile, a soft chuckle coming out of your lips. You know he hates it, when you’re able to read him so easily; he told you once, “I’ve always thought of myself as hard to decipher”. Not so much though, or at least, not to you.
“Sei, you seem nervous despite having an awfully good day.”
Your remark gets him to straighten up as he walks, a quick raise of his eyebrows indicating that you took him by surprise.
“Can’t a guy be nervous around his girlfriend?”
“My…” you chuckle, “don’t put it on me now. What’s up? It’s not the first time I’m coming over, although I’d argue it’s not a common occurrence.”
“Well, you know – “
“You might do things you'll regret if I come by too often, I know” you cut him off.
You both stay silent for a minute; your words having brought up the memories of countless of discussions around this topic. Seijurō has never outrightly told you why he barely has you over, why he cuts your dates short when things start to escalate, why every time you take the level of intimacy up a notch, he is the first one to grow distance between you. It’s always some vague excuse that you don’t really understand, but you try your best not to judge. Intimacy, after all, is not a given to everybody.
“But you know, I don’t think I’ll regret anything I do with you.” You say, cutting short to the long silence. “I mean, as long as it’s you and that… you know. I just wanna say, I trust you with these things. I wouldn’t be with you overwise.”
You quickly glance in his direction, in search of a reaction from your boyfriend. You don’t know if your words are clear enough to him – not that it’s been your kind (or his kind) to be straightforward. Yet, you still manage to get yourself to be understood, despite never saying things outright. So you just hope that he’s got the message clear; and he does, you figure, by the small nod he gives as you approach his place.
“I’ll treat you to a lovely diner tonight, then. And if you don’t mind, you can spend the night.”
You stare at him, incredulous. Have you heard that last part right? Seijurō always speaks with assurance, but these aren’t words he’s used to speak.
“Oh, y-yeah…” you clean your throat, hand clumsily trying to hide your blush.
This is a turn of situations you haven’t expected whatsoever, but as you walk into the familiar lobby of Seijurō’s place, you realize soon enough that this is real. Unusual, but real.
And then it hits you.
The reason he seems nervous, the reason he’s invited you over in the first place, and why he’s asked you to stay over from the start. It comes clear, especially knowing him. The young man has always been one to plan things out, especially important things. And if you read the situation correctly, tonight is not born out of nothing.
Maybe he’s finally taken notice of the small clues you’ve left, traces of your desire for more. The way your hands linger longer on his body when you touch him, the sweet perfume you wear on your neck in hope whiffs draw him in, the elongated looks you’ve sent him for weeks now. Sweet, innocent eyes, yet eyes ready for more, if he’s only willing to give you an opportunity.
And willing, to your surprise, he is. Something feels different when you walk the threshold of his place; it’s not the soft smell of lavender you’ve grown familiar with, it’s not the warm shade of the light, it’s not the way he hangs his jacket on the hanger at the door. So, what is it?
“Love, are you coming?” His voice brings you out of your thoughts.
You breathe out a short “yes”, joining him in the kitchen. Your gaze fall upon the rolled-up sleeves of his shirt, as he rinses vegetables for diner. The way he moves with grace and confidence while you’re still trying to process what this whole night means stuns you, and you sit, in contemplation of whether you should address the subject.
How are you supposed to ask your boyfriend if you’re having sex for the first time tonight, anyways?
You contemplate, ultimately concluding that being direct is the best way to go about it. Well, that is, if you even know how to be direct in the way you address the subject. So you stand, looming over his shoulders as he stirs some onion and garlic in the pan, shy hands locking behind your back. He hums, an assured smile creeping on his lips as he feels your presence in his back. He’s seemingly way more relaxed about this night than you are – but then again, Seijurō is the last person on Earth to show any sign of nervousness. His hand reaches back to you, gently dragging your face closer to land a kiss on your forehead.
“What’s that, love? Are you the nervous one, now?”
He chuckles as you stare at him, baffled. Are you doing such a terrible job at hiding it?
“Can’t tell me you’re all chill about tonight either” you retaliate.
“Oh, but I am.”
“When did you decide to make tonight the night, anyway?”
He turns off the stove, flipping the veggies one last time.
“I had that idea in mind for a while, but I wanted to make sure that you wanted it as well” he replies honestly, “so when you said that you trusted me earlier, I had all the confirmation that I needed.”
You nod, sitting on the counter.
“And you’re really gonna make me think you’re not nervous at all about it?” you cock an eyebrow.
His silence leaves you uncertain – something that annoys you ever so often. Your ability to read him better than anyone else has always been your pride, so these moments where he strips you from your special ability to comprehend him always annoys you.
“Seijurō.”
He looks up in your direction, his eyes open slightly as he hears your tone. It’s not cold, or mean, or stern. But it’s serious, well serious beyond what he’s used to hear from you. He sighs, joining you as his pinkie finger gently grazes your hand.
“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to do it.” He sighs. “Maybe we should have talked about it before…”
“It’s fine. If we did, it would have ruined the mood.”
“Because there’s a mood to ruin to begin with?”
You chuckle, finger interlocking with his.
“Oh, I’m crazy nervous, but it doesn't make me any less… eager than I’ve always been.”
He raises an eyebrow, slight amusement on his face. You can’t help but chuckle a bit at his expression. Suddenly, seeing him smile so wholeheartedly makes (most) of your nerves go away. Maybe that’s what he does to you, and maybe that’s why you stick around. You let out a soft giggle, before looking at him.
“Anyways. Do you have any idea how the night where you lose your virginity typically goes?”
“I was relying on you to have an answer on that.”
You scoff, a heartfelt laugh coming out of your throat. The sight of you like that makes the blood pump to his face; a light pink blush painting his cheek as he laughs too. He doesn’t even know what gets you to laugh like that – head thrown back as the little crinkles by your eyes that he loves so much appears, but it warms his heart like nothing else can.
“Damn, we’re two big virgins, aren’t we?” you say as you sigh dramatically.
“For some reason, I imagined that you would have been more knowledgeable than me on that topic.”
“Seijurō, who do you think I am?!”
He chuckles; a slightly high-pitched sound that rarely comes out of him unless he’s with you. Because this is what you do to him, letting his true nature shine through from time to time – whether it be his radiant smile, the pink on his cheeks every time he’s near you, or the kindness of his amber eyes.
“Well… you know I’m not one to half-ass anything, but it’s not the easiest thing to do some studying on.”
“I see.” You nod, fingers interlocking with his. “But we trust each other, don’t we?”
He hums, looking at you. And that’s when you see it in his eyes, that glimmer that tells you without stuttering that he is absolutely sure about this, you and him, but mostly you.
“Can’t go wrong if it’s us, yeah?”
His words travel in your mind as he slowly leans towards you. His thumb caresses the soft skin of your bottom lip, before he leaves a sweet and soft kiss on it. It feels almost nostalgic, a kiss similar to the one you first exchanged when you just started dating. The warmth in your heart and the gentleness of his fingers on your skin, all reminiscent of the kisses you experienced when you were falling for him. And now that you have fell, the idea of feeling these kisses all over again makes your heart beat frenetically. You kiss him once again, your hand resting on the soft skin of his cheeks as you pour your love in that single kiss. He pulls away, hot breath falling on your lips as his eyes capture you, forbidding you to look anywhere else.
“Is it crazy if I tell you I am absolutely sure about this, in this very instant?” he mutters against your lips.
You hum, shaking your head. It’s not crazy, the thought has crossed your mind, too. And maybe that’s a sign; for the little that you know on the topic, overthinking things usually isn’t the way to go. It’s more one of these “if you know, you know” moments.
And right now, this is it.
Just one look, and he grabs your hand, taking you both to the bedroom – not before covering up the sautéed veggies he’s cooked earlier, of course (Seijurō, even in desperate need for you, wouldn’t leave freshly made food uncovered). You giggle, body lying on the soft mattress of his bed; bed that you’ve shared multiple times without ever crossing the line. And here you are, fingers tangling in his soft, red locks, too lost in a haze of desire to think of the hardship it has been all along to not act on your needs for him, for his touch.
“Sei, I want you, you know that?”
“You made it quite clear, yeah” he blushes softly as a sweet laugh comes out of his lips. “And I know it’s not very gentleman-like of me to say it, but baby, if I could, I would strip you naked right away.”
“Do it then, who’s stopping you?”
He raises an eyebrow, pink painting his cheek as he sees the daring look in your eyes.
“My... I’m no savage, I had to make sure you wanted me to.”
You laugh, leaving a sweet kiss on his jaw.
“Baby, I’ve got years of pent-up sexual frustration about to get unleashed. Please, do not be a gentleman with me tonight.”
He looks at you curiously, not expecting his sweet girlfriend to utter such words. Yet he feels his cock twitch in the confine of his pants when he hears you speak like that. Something about your tone – so clear and confident, with a hint of need, makes the blood rush down to his aching member. The one he used to stroke once you were gone from his place, mad at himself that he didn’t gather the strength to touch you despite knowing that it was what you both wanted; and he found himself angry at himself and in desperate need for you, stroking his dick shamefully as he thought of you.
But here you are, under his body, your tongue leaving the sweet taste of you in his mouth as you push him as close to you as possible.
He pulls away, heavy breath fanning on your hot skin. It’s almost by instinct that he lets his hand trail down to the hem of your shirt, tugging on it as if to ask if he can remove it from you. And he does when you give him a nod, loving eyes examining all parcels of skin that gets unveiled before him. He’s delicate and meticulous, removing piece by piece with so much regard for the fabric that you’re almost tempted to tell him to just rip it off. He has always had that theory about you – one that he finally gets to confirm.
You are, indeed, a piece of art.
The beauty of your skin, the marks, moles and scars, the curves and angles. All so perfectly mixed like you were created by an artist and no less. He stops for a minute, wondering: does he have any right to touch something so immaculate?
But you’re quick to give him an answer, when your hands remove his shirt, letting you get a sight at his body. Seijurō is surprising. His build is slender, delicate; but when your fingers trace the outline of his muscles, it becomes clear that he is more than he appears to be. Not that you’ve ever been curious about his body either. One thing that you’ve always liked about your boyfriend, is his face. His features are soaked in grace, always having the look of a prince in all situations – even in the morning when he’s just wakened up, or after practice when he’s sweaty. He’s got that same look, over and over, that makes you believe you must have done something great in your past life to find yourself someone like him in this one.
“Sei, I wanna touch you, can I?”
He smiles softly. Your request is sweet, almost innocent. He can’t say no, he doesn’t want to.
“Be nice, yeah?” He leaves a peck on your cheek.
You giggle – who would have guessed that he’d make you feel like a silly teenage girl in love right now? Your hand trails down his body, meticulously exposing his skin. It’s soft and warm, and now you understand why his hugs always feel so good. Your movements slow down when you reach his belt, eyes widening slightly at the sigh of the bulge in his pants. It’s not the first time that you see it – you’ve noticed it in the previous nights you had a sleepover – but this time, you ought to do something about it.
“Ah – oh my…” his breath hitches in his throat as your fingers reach inside his pants, pulling the fabric down to unleash his cock.
It’s a bold move on your part, one that gets you to blush furiously once you see his erected member before your eyes. It’s pretty, you think, much more than you expected it to be. A delicate curve that leads to a blush pink tip – sensitive, you notice as your finger curiously brushes over it. You explore, hand wrapping around his length as you give him gentle caresses.
“Is that good, Sei?”
“Amazing, love… please don’t stop.”
You hum, letting your fingers translate your curiosity by the way they explore every inch of skin you find, watching him shiver when you touch some places, sigh when you touch others. So… this is it, you think, a man’s pleasure. You continue, watching him twitch in your hold. You look up at him, sparkles in your eyes.
“Sei, do you love my touch?”
His fingers run through your locks, a soft smile on his face.
“I have to, it comes from you.”
Pulling you up to pepper your face in kisses, you can almost cry. It's never hit you before, how much your boyfriend actually loves you. But you can’t deny that look in his eyes – love and lust painting his irises like night lights.
Beautiful, like him.
Enchanting, like him.
Loving, like him.
“Sweetheart” his voice falls in your ear in a soft murmur, “I’ll need you to stop fiddling with my cock with those soft fingers of yours or I won’t be able to contain myself anymore.”
“Oh… Oh!” you blush, pulling your hands away. “Got carried away. A man’s anatomy is a curious thing” you remark.
He raises an eyebrow, laying you down on the mattress.
“I could say the same thing about a woman’s body, particularly yours…” he taunts, thumb tracing down your throat to your perky nipple.
You hiss, surprised look at the way he touches you like a scientist making a new discovery. His touch is exploring. He rolls the sensitive bud between his fingers, observing the way your body folds in response.
“Sei! Ah… sensitive!”
“I know.”
You ogle at him, only getting him to laugh with a bit of mischief in his voice. And you get reminded at this moment that this is who he is. Seijurō is a learner, getting his kick in mastering new skills. And for a man that has never done it before, he is surprisingly skilled in touching your body. As his lips trail down your abdomen to your navel, you hold your breath. On the moment, countless thoughts cross your mind. Did you shave this morning? What if he finds out about this one mole on your pubis and freaks out? Doesn’t it look a bit weird down there?
“Good lord…”
Fuck.
You panic even more upon hearing his exclamation; what does it mean?!
“My love, are all vulvas like yours? Because it looks so pretty…”
“Huh?”
You’re stunned, speechless. It isn’t quite the compliment you could ever wish for. To be honest, you’ve been too scared to take a proper look at your own cunt before, so all the sense you have of it comes from what you’ve gathered from your touch. You’re familiar with the ridges, soft bulging parts and folds, but what has always been mere anatomy to you, seems to be art in Seijurō’s eyes. His curious finger runs through your slit, separating the lips as you blush furiously. His movements are teasing – you wonder if he’s doing it purposely or is it just a mishap of his exploring. Either way, you bite back your whimpers, watching him brush against your clitoris softly, while you squirm.
“Sei that’s uh…”
“Here? You want my touch here, love?”
You nod eagerly, observing the way he looks at you from between your legs, finger gently circling around your clit. Your hips buck forward, setting a rhythm to which he adapts his moves.
“You’re getting wet… do you mind if I put a finger in?”
“Please!”
You quickly cover your mouth, surprised by how needy you sounded just now. Such tone has never gotten out of you; except late at night, in the solitude of your room when you’d think of him, frustrated fingers toying with your clit as you would almost cry thinking about how much you craved Seijurō’s touch. But now that you have it, it’s a different thing. It’s much more intense, like your skin is a fragile flame, and his touch is fuel. He pours, your flame grows, and grows, and grows.
“Fuck… I…” You pant, far from expecting his fingers to know your cunt so well – isn’t that supposed to be his first time, too?!
“Everything’s alright?” he asks between two kisses on your inner thighs.
Your lips tremble, one arm pressed against your forehead while your other hand holds the bed sheets like your life depends on it.
“I think I’m close” you finally manage to say.
“Want me to stop?”
“…” you think for a moment, too overwhelmed to have an idea of what you truly want – but you do give reason to your body, eventually, “Don’t stop.”
He leaves a sweet peck on the skin of your thigh, working his fingers till you squirm, your warm walls pushing him out as you reach your orgasm – first one that he’s brought you to. He props his body up to kiss you with all the love he has for you, and you pull him close, goosebumps covering your skin when you feel his naked body against yours. He’s so soft, so loving, it can almost make you cry.
He’s just… love. That’s what he is, the embodiment of love.
“Baby, should we go all the way?”
You nod, kissing him again, and again, drunk on him.
“Please say it with your sweet voice” he murmurs against your lips.
“Seijurō, please make love to me.”
He nods, the tenderness in his eyes giving you the kind of warmth you’ve always craved. It stays, even when he gets up to get a condom, and even when he stands before you, hard-on in his palm as he rolls the rubber on it. You look with stars in your eyes when he hovers above you, leaving a peck on your forehead.
“I’m going in, alright?”
“Yeah” you breathe out.
Your nervous, trying to distract yourself of the stinging feeling when his head pushes in, so you look at his face. His half-lidded eyes, his parted lips as his hot breath fans on your face, and the contraction of his shoulders as his hold himself above you.
“Are you good, sweetheart?”
You shake your head, feeling tears coming up. You can’t tell if you’re just overwhelmed or if it’s that novel pain you feel in that part of your body. Seijurō’s furrow his eyebrows in concern, stilling as he looks at you.
“Shall I stop?”
“Let’s… don’t move. I wanna get used to it.”
“Sure?”
You nod, take big breaths to calm yourself down. Leaving kisses after kisses on your forehead, you feel yourself relax a bit, eventually giving him the thumbs-up to push deeper. And he does, slowly, carefully, like your pussy is the most precious place in the world and that he, a mere mortal, should only thread carefully around it.
“Here you go” he coos “taking me so well…”
You mewl, hands wrapped around his neck, as he starts his slow thrusts. You wonder for a minute if he’s pacing himself as to be careful, or because he’s afraid of not being able to hold himself back overwise. Either way, you slowly find pleasure in the feeling of his cock roaming inside your walls – in and out, deep and slow. Seijurō’s soft grunts falls in your ear, making you shiver.
“You feel… ah… so good, love” his voice is slightly more high-pitched, hints of desperation tinting his timbre.
“Please, faster…”
“Is that what you want, hm?”
“Yeah” you moan out as your hips buck to meet the movements of his.
He pants, the look in his eyes being something you’ve never seen before. It’s not something you can comprehend, but seeing that light danse in his amber irises, combined with his slender finger toying with your clit, you feel your high build up. And explosion of sensations, taking your entire soul to another dimension as you squeal his name, holding on to him like he’s your saviour.
“Fuck, I…”
You giggle in surprise, not ever recalling hearing him swear before. But can he be blamed, when the tight hold your pussy has on him is just so heavenly?
“I’m… love, I’m cumming!”
Those words alone send you into a frenzy, the song of both your moans filling up the room, the same way his hot seed fills up the condom, seconds before he gives out, head falling on your chest.
“I love you” you whisper, just a bit louder than the erratic beat of your hearts.
He looks up at you, incapable of voicing an answer, but you’ve known Seijurō’s face well enough to read his thoughts.
You’re his biggest victory, he believes, being here in this bed, closer to you than he’s ever been before.
#here you go!!!#crazy how most of it was written during my break at work lol#but I hope you enjoy it bby <3#sorry it took forever#akashi seijuro#knb#kuroko no basuke#akashi x reader#knb x reader#akashi smut#knb smut
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AKASHI SEIJURO CROSS COLORS PICS IV:
I really like vampire Akashi here
Akashi being an emperor for his birthday is really fitting
Akashi always looks good in white, its a canon fact
Look at his tiny blush when receiving the shogi-tile shaped treat(?). Hes such a table top game nerd people are making him shogi-themed sweets for his birthday.
I love Rakuzan celebrating Akashi's birthday together. Also akashi wearing a jester outfit is.... really something
Akashi should become a professional shogi player, it would be better than inheriting his fathers company thats for sure.
I have no clue why he is holding an envelope with the word book written on it but ok.
Akashi giving mayuyu(I think its a card?) and mayuyu smiling while reading said card is really cute.
Akashi smiling softly at Mayuyu while hes about to scare the living daylights out of Aomine
Idk whether we should accept it he looks like he's done something to it. Why are you smiling like that?
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Chapter 36: Wasted Trip: Katsu’s fishing expedition comes to an unforeseen conclusion.
Mitsuhide x OC; Hideyoshi x MC (Mai)
All Chapters Archived on Ao3
Logline - With Mai, Hideyoshi, and Aki missing, Mitsuhide and Katsuko reluctantly team up. Disguised as a merchant and his concubine, can they outsmart the man known as the God of Deceit?
Having a plan is a wonder thing. Having a plan that depends up the whims of others, however, is… frustrating. Yoshimoto agreed that waiting for the populace of the castle to be distracted when Yoshiaki called for another of his flattery sessi… er, councils, would be the best way to time my investigation. Unfortunately, it turned out that Yoshiaki spent the next couple days engrossed in “private pleasures.” I chose not to question that further. I suspected the answer would go under the subject header, ‘you really don’t want to know’.
With both Iekane and Motonari walking freely about the castle grounds, Yoshimoto declared that I would be safest staying in his quarters. I disagreed. Safer, maybe, but I knew that I could still blend in with the scenery and pass by in plain sight. People don’t notice servants. Yoshimoto continued to insist upon accompanying me whenever I went on walkabout, and he… does not blend. Inevitably someone would question where Lord Imagawa was headed, did he need anything, and … well, there went any chance of sneaking. We spent more than a couple hours walking through the gardens, pretending that was where our destination had always been.
At least Yoshimoto tried to keep me entertained when I was confined to quarters. As always, I had my shogi set with me, and he turned out to be surprisingly good at the game. He easily won the first three rounds. Finally, I figured out that his playing style consisted of making elaborate feints and distractions that he used to disguise his true intentions.
Once I ceased falling for those ploys, we were more evenly matched, and I began defeating him. “You’re improving rapidly.” He seemed unconcerned over the fact that I had won after a hard fought battle.
“Less learning the game and more understanding your style and tactics.” When his eyebrows (both) raised in enquiry, I went on to explain what I had discovered about his gameplay.
“Flattering that you attribute that to strategy. I simply like making aesthetically pleasing patterns in the formations.” He began setting down the tiles, not in the standard game opening layout, but in a more mathematical pattern. A flower.
Really?
No.
Really?
I stared at him for a moment before I realized he was hiding a smile. “You goof! I almost believed you.” I threw a tile at him.
“You must admit it would add an interesting dimension to the game. If players were required to compete to make the most artistic designs.” He gracefully rearranged the tiles into the main starting position. “Another game?”
“You don’t have to keep entertaining me.” Yoshimoto had stayed in his quarters almost as much as I had.
“It is no hardship to spend time with a lovely woman.” He touched my hand. “However, there are other ways to keep each other company if you … no? I thought not.” He backtracked before I could even begin to verbalize a refusal.
“Your vassals might start wondering why you spend so much time with your page.” It was not an uncommon situation, and unlike in modern Christian-influenced thought, even generally accepted for lords to have relations with male subordinates. However, I imagined that the Imagawa vassals would be annoyed that Yoshimoto was wasting time with me, instead of concentrating on training and battle preparations.
“They have, in fact. Rumors of my obsession with my ‘pretty page’ have spread across the castle.” Since I had not yet made a move to begin a new game, he began creating another tile design.
Oof. Well. Katsu didn’t actually exist, so it likely wouldn’t affect me all that much. But as for Yoshimoto… “Don’t you care?”
“Worse has been said about me.” A sad smile flitted across his face, then evaporated like mist.
Fortunately for both my peace of mind and Yoshimoto’s reputation, the next day the shogun called for another session of meetings between himself, Yoshimoto, Motonari, and Iekane. Finally, I was finally free to investigate Mozumi’s condition. After assuring Yoshimoto on multiple occasions that I would proceed with caution, I made my way to the tenshu that housed Mozumi’s quarters. The dark gloom of the corridors and shadows on the stairs proved my allies, allowing me to melt into darkness unseen.
At one corner of the floor housing Mozumi’s personal rooms, I crouched under the eaves, waiting to make sure it would be safe to enter. I watched a maid go into his room carrying a kettle and a bucket. For a while, there was a quiet bustling about in there, before she remerged with the bucket, holding it as far away from her body as possible. Ah. She had emptied the chamber pot. Even from where I was hiding, I could smell the odor of urine.
With her hands occupied in such a way, she was not able to completely close the door, allowing me to sneak inside the rooms without a sound.
Mozumi’s chambers were larger than the quarters assigned to Yoshimoto, as befits the daimyo. It was divided into several areas by screens and sliding panels. From the entry, the end of Mozumi’s futon was visible through the half-closed panel. His hand lay limply over the side, and rested on the floor. He was snoring though, so at least he was still alive.
Electing to first investigate the outer room before getting too much closer to him (the last thing I wanted would be to wake him up and demand I leave… or worse, yell for help), I prowled around the chamber. No writing desk in evidence. Granted, Mozumi probably had a set of offices in the main area of the castle in which to conduct most of his business, but if he were indeed too sick to leave his chambers, he was also apparently not conducting any ‘work from home’ either. A quick rifle through his clothing revealed that he primarily wore soft, informal kimonos. No hakama, no armor. He didn’t even appear to have any warm outerwear or geta. When had been the last time he’d even left the tenshu?
It seemed that Mozumi had been very ill for a long time – and was not expected to improve.
On the brazier, the maid had left the kettle steaming over the hot coals. A container of tea, a bowl and brush were nearby. A paper packet with, yes, that was willow bark, had fallen onto the floor. Even the shelves were full of containers of herbs, packets of medicinal powders, some of which had been shoved to the back and were dusty with age. What were all these herbs? Were they helping, or hindering his recovery?
Perhaps he was being accidentally poisoned, not through malice, but through the incompetence of the local healer.
Still, having taken the risk of sneaking into this room, I resolved to see this investigation through to the end. I cautiously entered into Mozumi’s sleeping area alert to any sign of wakening. Still snoring away. I gazed down at him, seeing only an old, sick man, his face creased with lines of age and pain. Saggy skin at his neck and arms, gave evidence to a substantial amount of weight loss. His limbs were, thin, shriveled, without much muscle tone.
At the side of the bed, an empty tea cup. At the bottom, a faint ring of green tea. I picked it up and sniffed it. Was there anything else in the cup? Thanks to Aki’s training, I could recognize some common poisons, but nothing obvious was leaping out at me.
Nothing… except another inconvenient not-my-memory.
“There’s no such thing as a love potion. It’s a myth. Even if you gathered … whatever you put in this… and danced by the light of the full moon.”
“Lady Yone said there is. She once told me that purple flowers that grow along the cliffs, if brewed into a tea, would make a love potion.” She opened the teapot and stared into it.
Purple flowers… cliffside… I had to think to picture what grew around h—
Torikabuto.
I took the teapot away from her, while again my brain went ‘don’t touch it, don’t spill it, get rid of it now.’ “Shohime, that’s poison!”
“Oh. I did wonder why Nobunaga’s groom took it away from me.” She sighed sadly. “Maybe people pretend its poison to hide the fact that love potion grows on every cliff in Japan.”
“It is poison. I have seen the results.” Mitsunari pushed the table further away from all of us.
Mitsunari? Sho… hime? That had clearly been Sho in the vision, a Sho far more richly dressed and coiffed than the one in Sakai. Aki’s letter had mentioned a shattered timeline. Was this from a different life altogether? Perhaps the reason I was experiencing these visions so much more powerfully here was that a different Katsuko had spent some time visiting Genba.
And… had nearly been poisoned.
Fresh on the heels of that memory, came another one, just as strong:
Where were the sentries?
They ought to have been posted along the walls, but no one was visible. Had they joined Iekane’s troops? Or were they being held prisoner somewhere? Overall, the situation appeared increasingly dire for anyone in Genba, although at least the missing sentries should make it easier for me to get to the tenshu unnoticed.
I found a tree that hung close enough to the wall to allow me to swing over, then ducked out of sight. Keeping my body low, I flattened myself against the stone, crawling slowly toward the tenshu, staying alert to any sound that would indicate an approaching guard.
It was eerily quiet.
Not until I reached the first guard tower did I understand why – the sentries were sprawled out under the tower, bodies stiff and cold, faces frozen in agony, a broken tea pot at their feet. Lady Yone’s calling card. Apparently she had found a use for the torikabuto after all.
I had been too late for these men, too.
Were these visions of poison a warning? Or were these distractions, putting ideas into my head where there was no other evidence? Had I been led astray by someone else’s memories? For the longer I looked through this room, the more it was clear that Mozumi had not left these quarters for quite a while. Years maybe. Maybe even before Iekane came onto the scene.
Annoying to leave this scouting mission with no evidence of wrongdoing. But frustrating as it was, the longer I stayed in here, the more I would be at risk, so I turned to leave… about five minutes too late.
There were footsteps and voices coming toward the room.
Iekane’s voice.
Quickly, I ducked behind a screen and…
Oh… yuck!
This was where the wooden chamber pot lived. And Mozumi’s aim was … terrible. I covered my nose and tried to silently breathe through my mouth as Iekane and another man entered the quarters.
“As you can see, his condition has not improved.” Iekane, sounding sad, with an edge of frustration in his voice. “Are you certain there is nothing you can do? I had high hopes of a cure from the most reputable healer in the area.” There was something of a threat in those words. Sounded like if Mozumi died, Iekane already had a scapegoat in mind.
There was a lower tone rumble in response that became more audible as the two men got closer to my hiding place. “There are, naturally, other treatments I can employ, but at a certain point, the patient will continue to weaken due to lack of sustenance.”
I risked carefully peering through the panels to see Iekane with an older man – the healer, I resumed, for he spent a few moments examining Mozumi from various angles, smelling his breath, and poking sharply pointed sticks into his fingertips.
Iekane let out a long sigh. “It is painful to see him so. I remember when he was a vital man.”
The healer simply hummed to himself.
If I had hoped to overhear a confession of crime or a conversation between two plotters, I was clearly doomed. Even if Iekane was poisoning Mozumi, this healer was not part of it, nor had he ever detected any evidence of poison.
Theory – not yet proven.
Evidence – yet to be found.
So… I’d gotten myself into this situation for nothing. Into this very smelly situation for nothing.
“Is he still using his bowels?” A rustle of cloth.
“That is not a thing I have paid attention to.” I heard a clink of porcelain. The teacup.
“Sometimes the tincture of poppy can cause a foul stoppage.” Ah ha. Opium. That was what had been in the teacup. “I would hesitate to give him more were that the case.”
Based on the conditions of this commode, Mozumi’s bowels were working just fine.
Wait.
Shit.
Literally… shit.
What if the healer decided to check for himself-
Footsteps came closer to my hiding place.
I pressed myself further against the wall and palmed my dagger, ready to defend myself if my hiding place was discovered.
Another set of footsteps as a third person entered the room.
“What is the meaning of this interruption?” A smack. Skin against skin. “Why are you not at your post?”
“I’m sorry, Master Iekane.” A rougher accent, from a speaker who did not sound completely deferential to Iekane. Interesting. Helpful? “The shogun requested that you return to the council room. He grows impatient.”
There was a disgusted noise from Iekane, but his words revealed no frustration. “Of course. Rokuro, have your completed your examination?”
“I believe there is nothing more to see.” The healer seemed eager to leave this place. I did not blame him.
“You. Guard. Make yourself useful and clean.”
And two sets of footsteps left the room.
Please don’t clean the chamber pot.
I waited, but the guard did not move at all. He was so quiet, I began to wonder if he had left. Or maybe he was killing time, defying Iekane’s orders. If so, might he be someone I could convince of Iekane’s plotting? Or would I be captured and presented to Iekane as a gift to prove the guard’s loyalty.
Too risky. Better to stay put, and prepared for anyth-
Without warning, the screen was pushed aside, and I found myself staring into a pair of familiar amber-gold eyes. “Interesting detour you’ve taken, Brat.” He eyed the stained chamber pot. “And rather fragrant as well.”
The appearance of Mitshuhide where a Mitsuhide was not expected to be stunned me into silence. I could only stare stupidly at him, taking in his latest disguise of shaggy dark hair, streaked with grey, and sun darkened skin. That familiar prickly feeling danced along my nerves.
He raised his eyebrow.
“Did … did you follow me here?” While I had seen his spy on the road here, I had not ever caught sight of Mitsuhide.
“Oh, dear me, no. I arrived a good three days before you.” Right. He let you go. While I was still wrestling with the disappointment that his presence here at Genba was simply a coincidence, he put his arm around my shoulders and guided me out from behind the screen. “Before you … and the Imagawa.”
“You didn’t go back to Azuchi?” His sudden appearance had rendered me unable to do anything except state the obvious.
“I did not. And I suggest we continue this conversation elsewhere – perhaps that courtyard you and Yoshimoto are so fond of - before your friend Iekane or a vassal returns and finds us here.” Without waiting for me to answer, he turned my shoulders and pointed me toward the door.
Yeah, that would be a good idea. And even if it hadn’t been a good idea, Mitushide was using that ‘I won’t take no for an answer tone of voice.’ “Can I at least grab a cloak?”
“By all means. Although I believe you will discover that freezing to death is the least of your worries at the moment.” And then, after one more inscrutable glare from those eyes, Mitsuhide took me by the hand and tugged me out of the room.
@bestbryn @selenacosmic @mllorei @lyds323 @akitsuneswife @tele86
#10things#10 things I hate about mitsuhide#ikemen sengoku#fanfic#mitsuhide akechi#ikesen mitsuhide#ikesen fanfic#ikemen sengoku fanfic#ikesen yoshimoto#mitsuhide monday#oc katsuko#katsuverse
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TGAA 2 Spoilers
This is how I imagine my brasry shogi fanfic from Kazuma’s POV. He’s being a tad dramatic.
Image description after cut:
A 2-panel comic.
Panel 1: Barok and Ryunosuke are seated across from each other at a small table holding a shogi board. Barok sits to the left of the panel, frowning down at the board. His right hand is held up to his mouth in a fist, expression thoughtful, as he slowly reaches for one of the shogi tiles. Across from him, Ryunosuke sits with his arms crossed, frowning down at the board as he analyzes Barok's play. In the background, Kazuma lies sprawled across Barok's desk, arms akimbo, with his head hanging off the side to glare upside down at Barok & Ryunosuke. He is very loudly going, "UGH!"
Panel 2: A close-up of Kazuma's upside-down, bored, frowny face. He thinks, rather overdramatically, "My boyfriends don't love me anymore." A note in the upper right corner specifies that they (Barok & Ryunosuke) are literally playing over who gets to treat Kazuma to dinner.
#my art#tgaa#tgaa 2 spoilers#don't look eidelyn#baroasoryuu#asougi kazuma#naruhodou ryuunosuke#barok van zieks#please pay attention to kazuma#he is so bored right now
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Morita Shogi 64
JP release: 3rd April 1998
NA release: N/A
PAL release: N/A
Developer: Seta
Publisher: Seta
N64 Magazine Score: N/A
A sequel to Strongest Habu Shogi, this looks a lot more basic, with a completely 2D interface instead of the 3D tiles and viewpoints of the previous. There are less modes and features as well, however it does have a few advantages.
While it still doesn’t highlight possible locations for moving tiles, trying to move them will move them directly to the next legal position, so you don’t need to be told off for trying an illegal move.
The other significant feature isn’t one I can test. The game cartridge came with a built-in modem, enabling online play against other players in Japan.
As I don’t quite understand the game of Shogi and struggle to remember which tile is what, I can’t really judge this one properly.
Remake or Remaster?
Clubhouse Games on Switch does the job.
Official Ways to get the game
There’s no official way to play Morita Shogi 64
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Board Game AU
YAMATO TOTALLY CHEATS AT SCRABBLE. He creates those little blank wood squares so he can choose any letter. It’s not until he plays a word w mostly blank tiles that his friends realize.
anko just cheats at every game. They still don’t know how she managed to cheat in connect four.
gai collects small trinkets to use as game pieces bc the regular ones arent invigorating enough.
And the Jonin refuse to play twister after ,, the incident
The gang is playing Monopoly one day and when it's Gai's turn to choose a token he slams down his nunchucks with the widest grin. Needless to say, he did not get to use them as his token, but he did sort of win because Yamato made a little nunchuck token just for Gai.
the 'Incident' involved three broken businesses, One fire, an entire section of Konoha being leveled (Yamato repaired it that same night but still), and brand new trauma for every single one of the Jonin. No one is allowed to speak of it and if they try they get knocked out by Kakashi, Gai or Kurenai really REALLY quickly.
Every person has a favorite game and there is always a fight to play it. Gai’s was (of course) twister, but after the ‘Incident’ he chose his new favorite game as being more physical activity
Asuma’s fav is shogi, and he’s really good at it but refuses to play against Kakashi. It’s not losing he has a problem with (Shikamaru beats him all the time), it’s the fact that Kakashi tries to give him pointers and it just makes him feel like he’s lacking in tactical skills. He does not like feeling like that, especially when he knows Kakashi is just more tactically minded and genuinely trying to help, but comes off as arrogent and rude.
Kurenai’s favorite game is a word game because she loves playing with words.
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☯️ 32, Saki wants to experience Gensokyo's culture.
⛩️ with a number between 1 to 99 for an ordinary omikuji
☯️ with a number between 1 to 99 for an omikuji made more for Gensokyo-styled
"A-Ah... Ahaha... W-Wow, you remind me of this person I knew back in school... A-Anyways... h-here-"
Adventure: ★★★☆☆
The way forward will be tough, but if you place yourself in fate's hand, you will surely grow.
Relationship: ★★☆☆☆
Be sure to help those in need, and your friendship will bloom.
Prosperity: ★★★★★
All will be aligned with your desire. Profit should come, and be honest with your business dealings.
Conflict: ★★★★☆
The tiles favor you. Try your hand in Mahjong or Shogi.
Heaven's Favor: ★★☆☆☆
Be calm as the Goddess of the Moon, Tsukuyomi, and you will not be led astray.
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OC-Tober/Tojoctober Day 16: Bond
[In which Chiba decides this "Amano" guy is pretty okay or; Yakuza game dudes bonding while they punch, same as it ever was]
Chiba wasn't real sure about this guy at first but now, he thinks as they're fighting some of the dumbest punks in Sotenbori... yeah. They're gonna be real good buddies.
Now, it's not like Chiba ever actively disliked Aoya--Amano. And he's pretty sure that goes both ways. Sure, sure, Amano freaked out and kinda went full feral goblin on him and maybe kinda tried to strangle him when they first met but to be fair, the little dude had just had about the shittiest week a dude can have and still be on the green side of the grass. Chiba sure doesn't hold that against him. He definitely doesn't hold it against him when he hears just how shitty that week really was.
His own boss, for fuck's sake. For, as far as Amano knows, no reason at all. Can you imagine? Chiba's seen his boss go beast mode in a serious fight or two and he can't even imagine Nishitani pulling that kinda backstabbing bullshit. Hell, he can't even imagine the old man doing it to one of his own. At the very least, the old man and the younger both would have the stones to look you right in the eye while they shank you...
Those first couple days after Amano woke up were... not exactly warm and friendly, were they? Amano was pissed off at the whole world and wasn't shy about showing it and again, Chiba sure doesn't hold it against the guy. He's sure it didn't help that the boss wouldn't let him out of the office. Something something making sure nobody tracked him here, whatever. For the record, Chiba gets that, but he didn't have to like it. Ain't right keeping a man locked up when he didn't do shit to deserve it, y'know?
But that's all water under the bridge and Chiba is really starting to like this guy.
Chiba doesn't know what, exactly, the conversation was about. All he knows is that yesterday--now look, this is all secondhand bits and pieces so take it with a nice big old grain of salt--yesterday the boss made some snarky little comment to the effect that if Amano was feeling better and he was really that bored, he could clean the office. And again, Chiba didn't hear this in person but the guy who saw this go down quoted Amano as saying something along the lines of joke's on you, I'm into that shit, at which point Amano just started scrubbing the absolute bajeezus out of the whole office (is that what color the tile in the can's supposed to be!?) while the boss looked on like he didn't know what the fuck kinda can of worms he just popped open. And then Amano made some snarky little comment at the boss that nobody else quite picked up, but whatever it was...
Long story short, the boss disappeared into his office looking like someone walked over his own grave. Amano went up there a few minutes later looking like he meant to clean there next. And then the door closed and Amano and the boss spent an uncomfortably long time in there with the door shut and when they came out, it was crystal fuckin' clear they had come to some kind of Mutual Understanding and they were talking about shogi and shit and also Sugihara was in the common room hooking one of his doohickeys up to the TV.
So, that was last night. Earlier this morning, the boss decided it oughta be safe to maybe let Amano outside for a little bit. With at least four Kijin men, or three Kijin men and Sugihara, whatever, and the boss is real clear that he's to stay on this side of the river for now, but hey.
Which brings us to where we are right now: the certifiable dumbest punks in Sotenbori actually for real trying to shake down three actual for real yakuza (Chiba and a couple of grunts he brought along) and two ex-actual-for-real yakuza (Amano and Sugihara) right here in the middle of the street in the broadest possible daylight and, even worse, standing between them and Amano's very first bona fide Osaka grub experience.
"So, uh... Chiba-han," Amano starts as he eyes the bunch of punks closing in on them, and Chiba makes another mental note to ask this guy later how the hell he's been in Sotenbori for all of a week and he's already picking up Kansai-ben. "What's the protocol here? We supposed to avoid throwin' hands, or what? 'Cause I'm havin' a bad week and I'm pissed off about it and these chuckleheads are right here."
The boss, Chiba thinks smugly, said not one goddamn word about not throwin' hands. In fact, Chiba thinks smugly, the boss said... kind of the opposite. Not to go out looking for trouble, you understand, but if trouble just happened to find them... Follow his lead for now, the boss said. I suspect he'll handle himself just fine.
"Eh," Chiba says, cracking his knuckles and his neck. "Okonomiyaki ain't exactly a light meal. I could stand to burn a calorie or two before we dig in."
"You could stand to burn more than that," Sugihara needles. Chiba snorts out a laugh because this is just how they are. "Your call, Amano."
"My call, huh." Amano cracks his own knuckles and squares up. A wide, sturdy stance, like a grappler. "'Sorry, guys. This is gonna hurt y'all worse than it hurts me."
"Think ya got that backwards, Amano-kun," Chiba snickers as he squares up himself, and Amano grins the most unhinged goblin-ass grin he's ever seen.
"I absolutely do not have that backwards," Amano says, and it's on.
Look. Chiba was already starting to like the new and improved friendlier, more sociable Amano but the quickest ways for him to get a read on a new acquaintance are to either throw down against him or fight alongside him and Chiba is digging the hell out of this. Amano isn't especially strong (well, maybe he's strong for his size and, uh, for not having much if any testosterone floating around in there but relatively speaking and also lest we forget, he got shot in the back like last week) and he's not super quick or agile but he fights smart in a way that's fun as hell to watch and even better, he's having a grand old time doing it, whooping and laughing and talking some hilarious shit about these guys and their moms and whatnot. It's infectious. Chiba can't remember the last time he had this much fun fighting some random-ass street punks. The big old shit-eating grin on Sugihara's face when he pops a guy with his possibly illegal stun gun and Amano loses his shit like that's the best thing he's ever seen hint that Chiba's not the only one enjoying the hell out of this.
They make a pretty good team, don't they? Too bad Amano can't swear up with the Kijin Clan. But, he thinks, there's that other outfit...
It doesn't take long. The punks that can still walk grab the ones that can't and they run like hell, wailing apologies all the way, and Amano just cracks the fuck up. Chiba whips an arm around his shoulders and grins.
"Oh," he says, "we're gonna have a real good time with you around, Amano. C'mon, boys! That okonomiyaki ain't eatin' itself!"
#oc-tober#tojoctober#yakuza#yakuza oc#aoyagi saga#fun fact: aoyagi is not 'picking up' kansai-ben!#his bachan spoke kansai-ben#so his dad spoke kansai-ben#so guess what kind of japanese he grew up speaking? :)
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This day in history: Bobby Fisher became the first American to win the World Chess Championship on September 1, 1972.
The James Smith Noel Collection marks this moment in American history by reflecting on the noble and strategic game of chess. The World Chess Championship began in 1866, though the game is much older and has various iterations throughout the world. For example, the Japanese game shogi is a version of chess known as the “Game of Generals,” which uses a gridded board with marked tiles and is played by two opponents using strategic moves against one another. Though historians are unsure when shogi was invented in Japan, the earliest accepted mention of the game is in the late 1050s through the mid-1060s. The game of chess has changed over time in both Eastern and Western cultures. The variation that Westerners are most familiar with came about in the 16th century, though the use of timers and pieces were not standardized until the 19th century when tournament-style competitions were developed.
Modern chess is derived from chaturanga, which is an Indian game that began before 600 A.D. The game spread through Asia and Europe and was adapted throughout various countries, resulting in the more common 16th-century iteration of chess, which is the predecessor of the version played today.
The modern chess game consists of a two-tone gridded board that hosts two sets of the same chess pieces in contrasting colors, the most common being black and white. In the 1809 London publication of An Easy Introduction to the Game of Chess, the first portion of the book gives a detailed breakdown of the chess-board and its pieces. It counts sixteen pieces for each player on the sixty-four square gridded gameboard as being: a King, a Queen, two Knights, two Bishops, two Rooks, and eight Pawns. The squares of the chess-board were numbered, 1-64 which indicates where the pieces are to start each game. The layout starts with the black king starting on 5 and the white king starting on 61. Once the board is set then An Easy Introduction to the Game of Chess discusses the movement of each piece.
According to Peter Pratt in An Easy Introduction to the Game of Chess,chess can seem to be a complicated game which uses strategic moves to win but also requires the player to learn the rules of the game. A later chapter gives various authors’ observational thoughts on chess; one states that “Chess is the only game, perhaps, which is played at for nothing; and yet the blood and brain as much as if the gamesters were contending for the deepest stakes.” The book concludes with a poem called “The Famous Game of Chesse-Play” by Jo. Barbier which was first printed in 1652.
The book concludes with a poem called “The Famous Game of Chesse-Play” by John Barbier, which was first printed in 1652.
The main book in the James Smith Noel Collection being highlighted here is not An Easy Introduction to the Game of Chess … (1809), but rather an older text which discusses popular games from the mid-1700s. Edmond Hoyle published a little text in 1761 which has a chapter titled: “Some Rules and Observations for playing well at Chess” in The polite gamester: containing short treatises on the games of whist, with an artificial memory, quadrille, backgammon, piquet and chess. This chapter has various hints for playing chess such as advising the reader to avoid moving their queen while focusing on pawns. It also advises against crowding the board with pieces so that the player doesn’t become too stressed against their opponent. The game of chess has been commonly viewed and depicted as a diversion for the upper class and noted as the “royal game” in the 15th century due to its popularity among nobility.
Since the 19th century, the game of chess has become more commonplace for all people regardless of their social status. Please enjoy a glance at three books from the J.S. Noel Collection, each highlighting the game of chess in three forms: instruction, sport, and poetry.
Citation:
Goldsmith, O., Cunningham, P., Reynolds, J., & Baker, J. H. (1881). The works of Oliver Goldsmith: In four volumes (Vol. 4). Harper & Brothers. https://bit.ly/3Q5e2NZ
Hyole, Edmond. (1761). The polite gamester: containing short treatises on the games of whist, with an artificial memory, quadrille, backgammon, piquet and chess ... Dublin: printed for George and Alexander Ewig. https://bit.ly/3RoWzBg
Pratt, Peter, et al. (1809), An Easy Introduction to the Game of Chess: … Printed for David Ogilvy and Son, Holborn. https://bit.ly/3Ax1E3q
Soltis, A. E. (2022, July 20). Chess game. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 30, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/chess/History
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Wondering - have you seen garment designs with go (the game)? Or any board game, we're not picky. we thought they'd be more popular since they're geometric. i think we've seen more of the shell game, but that seems more like the fans patterns - like lots of little pictures, and not really centered on the game.
Hi! Kaiawase (shell matching game) is part of the traditional court patterns, hinting at classical Heian noble culture with its Tale of Genji miniature paintings. This game has auspicious underlyings hence why it found its way on many kimono and obi!
As a pattern, strategy games are more a secular motif. Go was already already popular among government officers during Nara era, but of what I know it is mostly linked to warrior culture. Same goes for shôgi.
You can find here and there garments patterned with board games, especially men items such as juban or haori linings.
Go patterns are tbh super hard to find on the net - many are mislabeled circles/round motifs (maybe because they look like goishi/go stones?). But go patterns do exist I am certain of that! (sources 1)
Shogi is easier to recognize as its mostly depicted through shôgikoma/tiles though you can also sometimes find shôgiban/boards (sources 1 / 2 / 3 / 4):
#ask#japanese patterns#board game#history#fashion history#go game#goishi#shogi#shougi#japanese chess#shogi koma#shogi tile#Kaiawase#shell matching game
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Today’s disabled character of the day is Yama-Chan from Wagatsuma-san wa Ore no Yome, who is an alcoholic with cancer
Requested by Anon
[Image Description: Black and white drawing of a man giving a thumbs up and winking with his left eye. He has short black hair and is smiling. He is wearing a cap with a shogi tile on it and white button up.]
#alcoholic character#character with cancer#Wagatsuma-san wa Ore no Yome#Yama-Chan#disabled character of the day
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Epilogue: Sky Clad Promise -Shingen fulfills a promise that he made months ago in the cave.
Shingen x OC; Kenshin x MC (Mai)
Previous Chapter: Here
Logline - Disguised as a boy, Katsuko finds herself working for Shingen, but her dangerous masquerade becomes difficult to sustain when she falls for the man with a fatal secret.
The letter sat innocently on Shingen’s desk – all three of our names were written across it. For a moment, none of us made a move to open it, although I did pick it up and shake it. No telltale rattle of shogi tiles. I supposed that was a message in and of itself. “Did you see who delivered it?”
“Reddish hair, big ears,” Sasuke said. He took the packet and turned it over and back, then set it on the desk again. “I questioned him, but he was insistent that he didn’t have any additional knowledge.
“That’s Takauji. He probably doesn’t know where Aki is now, but he usually delivers through the San’ido circuit, that might be where Aki last was – or he may have picked up the message directly from the Mountain.” The latter was less likely as Shingen’s mitsumono had been pretty closely watching for him there. Also, Taka was the least naturally inquisitive of Aki’s messengers so it would have been useless to press him for more knowledge… a fact that Aki was well aware of.
Finally, Shingen took the initiative of unfolding the letter and reading it to all of us.
By this time, all three of you have realized that I spend a considerable amount of my life travelling between and amongst various timelines-
“Skipped the greeting.” Sasuke helped himself to some tea.
“Aki is only warm in small doses.” You’d think after seven years, though, he would have offered at least a ‘best regards’ to me, instead of what amounted to a generic, ‘to whom it may concern.’ Then again, who was I to complain – I’d been guilty of skipping a greeting often enough.
Lord Shingen, while I appreciate the amount of work you have done to create your mitsumono network, it is not the best use of resources to send them all after me.
“Noticed that, did he?” Shingen flexed his wrist in memory of the hours he and I had spent writing instructions to his spies.
I would not like to interrupt my work to have to fish one of them out of a timeline.
“That would be bad.” Sasuke settled down at the desk with his tea. “Although Sute would probably get a kick out of it.”
I took a moment to envision the chaos that Sute could cause in a timeline. “She might, but Sasuke Mach 2 might not.”
“Oh… I might.” Sasuke was typically blank faced, but Shingen shot him a look. Hm. There was something here I was missing. I’d have to get it out of Shingen later.
Katsuko, I apologize for not telling you that I knew you were from the future, and that I was a traveler as well. It was my belief that you would adjust faster and more easily that way. There was a rather specific task that I needed you to perform – and rest assured you have completed it. I was unsure when and how this situation would present in this timeline. Readying you for that was essential.
“Do you think it was related to…?” Sasuke inclined his head in Shingen’s direction.
“I am sitting right here.” Despite the sarcasm, Shingen gave Sasuke a look of affectionate patience.
I shook my head. “No. I think it must be the boy. Hikosane. I ran into Aki in Kasugayama a few weeks before you and Shingen went to the future, and he said something to the effect that I had done whatever it was he wanted me to do.”
“You never mentioned that to me.” Shingen flicked my forehead, but too gently to sting.
“I had other things on my mind.” I probably wouldn’t have mentioned it in any case, but I truly had forgotten.
This timeline has stabilized, and I am addressing this comment directly to Mr. Mikumo--
Sasuke tapped his chest. “He sounds so professor-like there.”
It would be best if you traveled to the future as infrequently as possible. I realize that forbidding such excursions would be futile, but please treat this as a serious request.
Sasuke shrugged. “So there goes Mai’s request that I make occasional chocolate runs.”
“She likely wouldn’t have needed to ask if someone hadn’t raided her stash.” I eyed Shingen and contemplated a forehead flick of my own.
He winked at me then gave me that wicked smile. “I thought it was for all of us.”
Sure you did.
Katsuko, while I wish I could say that you are released from any additional obligations to me, and I’m sure you would argue that these obligations are on my side, the future is fluid. If I call on you, it will be because the matter is urgent. There are circumstances unfolding which may affect multiple timelines. As the three of you are self-aware to the multiverse, you may be needed at some point.
“Well… that’s not ominous at all.” Although deep down… deep deep down… I was intrigued by the possibility of performing an interesting timeline mission – as long as Shingen was with me. But I would never willing go into a wormhole alone again.
Although you may not believe me, I truly wish for your happiness. Yamaoka Akihira
Shingen tossed the message back on his desk. “This… didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know, or at least, suspect.”
“Likely why he wrote the letter instead of allowing us to question him in person.” There were a lot of things I wanted to know. I also wanted to go out to the archery course and shoot arrows at targets with Aki’s face on them.
“It sounded like he’s abandoned this timeline, doesn’t it?” Sasuke got up and began pacing, the way he did when he had the tendrils of a theory but nothing to grasp onto. “The question is whether or not there are other versions of Professor Yamaoka in the other timelines too, or if he has figured out how to avoid duplicating himself.”
“I know you want to locate him and question him further – and I do as well – however…” Shingen paused. I could see he was trying to figure out an easy way to tell me that he had other priorities. He was right. He did have more important things to do. If he put all of his resources and energy toward finding Aki, it could be at the expense of this timeline’s history.
“But there’s too much going on in the here and now – you’re right.” We’d just been talking about some of those priorities before Sasuke came in. “Use your mitsumono for the purpose that you built them. If they happen to run across Aki, then they can bring him in, but until then, I guess we have to let it go.”
Of course, I did intend to take a trip up to Aki’s manor at The Mountain and see if there was any useful information to be found there. Shingen might not love that idea, but I was sure I could talk him into it. I slanted a quick glance at him – and was rewarded with a suspicious stare.
Alright… I could possibly talk him into it.
But for the moment – the mystery of Aki would have to keep; I was happy enough to live in the present.
The pre-dawn early Spring air had a bite of chill to it, but it felt invigorating as Shingen and I picked our way along a path behind the castle. Our feet were splashed with dew and wet blades of grass clung to my toes. The birds were just awakening, and their nesting songs serenaded our short hike.
Shingen had whispered me into wakefulness less than twenty minutes ago, and without allowing me to do more than throw on an extra robe, had taken me by the hand and led me out here, saying he was fulfilling a promise he’d made to me a long time ago.
He’d refused to give any more details, but since he had my blanket – the one he had stolen from me at the lake – slung across his shoulders, I was pretty certain I knew where we were headed…
The field of spring wildflowers filled the landscape, their ‘faces’ turned toward the horizon, where a pink-purple sky was lightening with the sunrise. It was like walking into an impressionist painting.
After spreading the blanket on the ground, Shingen wrapped his arms around me as he guided me to a seat. “You’re not too cold are you?”
I shook my head. Though the air was a bit chilly, I wasn’t cold sitting close to Shingen. “You’re nice and toasty. It helps.”
I leaned against him, warmed more by his presence than the actual heat of his body. He picked a flower, stuck it randomly in my hair, then grinned and repeated the action a few more times. “My nature Goddess, ready to greet the sunrise.”
“You promoted me from devil?” One of the flowers dislodged and hovered over my eye. I caught it before it fell and tickled his nose with it.
“Devil, Angel, Goddess… it’s all you.” His hands slid inside my robes and eased them down my shoulders. “I love all your identities.”
My brief thought of ‘what if someone comes by and sees us’ was followed by the knowledge that Shingen would have taken that into consideration and planned to avoid that. There were a lot of perks to being involved with a strategist. “All of my identities love you too.”
As he shrugged out of his clothing, a tiny movement at the edge of the blanket caught my attention. It was a caterpillar inching its way across the field. I let it crawl onto my finger then ferried it over to the stem of a nearby flower. Otherwise, it was likely to get squished in a few moments. “There you go,” I told it, though of course, it would have no idea what I said, or perhaps even hear me.
“What’s that, Devil?” Shingen claimed my attention again and drew me to him.
“Pre-butterfly.” Then all thoughts of the caterpillar’s future left my head, as Shingen kissed the hollow of my neck, and I gasped, just as I always did when he kissed me there.
The sun was just barely peeking at us over the horizon when Shingen carefully guided me onto him. “I knew you’d look beautiful clad in the sky, Katsuko.” He wrapped his arms around my waist, and we began to move together into a new day.
Into a future.
CODA: AKI
Not too far outside Kasugayama, Akihira paused when he heard rustling in the trees above. Although he couldn’t see who was up there, he had been expecting this encounter, so he waited patiently until the ninja flipped down into his path and drew his sword.
“No need for that, Mr. Mikumo.” Mentally, Aki sighed. Prior to his relocation into the Sengoku timeline… or timelines, as the case was now, Mikumo Sasuke had been a quiet student, intent on his studies. The Kenshin-trained ninja version of him was somewhat jarring, no matter which timeline Aki encountered him in. “I suspected you’d make an appearance sooner or later.”
“Er. Right then.” Sasuke took off his mask and put away his weapon. “Here I was feeling rather proud of myself for figuring out that you would spend a few days watching over Katsuko before you left.”
“I have the advantage of knowing several versions of yourself,” Akihira pointed out. “Though none of you are completely identical, you’re all intelligent enough to have determined my location.” Then, as Sasuke appeared poised to let loose a torrent of questions, he added, “I am not able to discuss anything specific to the multiverse – some of that is to try to avoid a paradox, and some things I simply do not know.”
Sasuke made an annoyed sound. “That eliminates the majority of my questions.” He pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Katsuko believes that the boy who fell in the river was important – are you able to tell me anything more about him?”
Akihira paused. Discussing Hikosane was a grey area – but the current crisis was nothing like any of them had ever encountered. “He’s not magical. He’s not a future Emperor, or even a future daimyo – at least not in most timelines. He is simply needed to survive his childhood, because for whatever reason, he is, as Katsuko might say, the butterfly.”
“Ugh.” Sasuke shuddered.
Right. Akihira had momentarily forgotten that Sasuke was afraid of butterflies. “Someone doesn’t want him to survive and has been going into various timelines to make sure he doesn’t. Timelines in which Hikosane otherwise would have lived.”
“And my original future was one in which he survived.” It wasn’t posed as a question – Sasuke had grasped the essence of the situation. “How did you-”
Aki held up his hand. “Will you accept that in another timeline there is a version of you that has the answer to these questions?”
“I’m sensing that I don’t have a choice.” Sasuke reached into his kimono, then withdrew a modern envelope. “In that case, I’ll proceed to a non-timeline related question.” He pulled a photo out of the envelope and handed it to Akihira. “Why didn’t you tell her?”
Akihira automatically glanced at the photo, then caught his breath when he saw her face. Sometimes simply seeing an unexpected picture, had that effect on him, even though he had become somewhat used to seeing her face on their children. The picture had been taken at a party – he couldn’t even recall the occasion. In those days, Francisco had regularly thrown parties for the lab staff, to as he said in his broken Japanese, “To blow the steam.”
Although Sasuke’s parents hadn’t officially been part of the project, they’d been extremely helpful in obtaining archival data on the Sengoku period – Francisco must have invited them. Sasuke’s mother had been somewhat of an amateur photographer in those days and lugged a Nikon everywhere. She must have snapped this candid of himself and Mayumi, capturing an intimate moment of a relationship that had lasted less than a year. One year, in the hudreds that he had travelled across. Not much time comparatively. But. Enough.
“Katsuko looks a lot like her mother,” Sasuke commented, breaking a silence that had grown while Akihira gazed at the photo. “Though once I knew to look for it, there is a resemblance to you as well, especially her eyes.”
“When I left your time period,” Akihira said, then cursed his wording because he knew Sasuke would pick up on the phrase ‘your time period.’ “I did not know Mayumi was pregnant.”
“That… is something you ought to discuss with Katsuko. And Toshiie, I imagine. However… why didn’t you… and give her that, um, Cloud City moment?” Sasuke held his glance.
Trust Sasuke to find a mediated reference. “In some of the other timelines, I’ve told her… or she discovered it through other means. It’s… rarely turned out well. She’s happy here. She’ll be happier not knowing. I’ve run simulations in enough timelines in the multiverse to be certain of that.”
“Timelines… multiverse… simulations?” Sasuke cocked his head. “Less Darth Vader, more Dr. Strange, then.”
“If you persist in these sorts of comparisons, then I suppose that works as well as any other. I really must cut this conversation short, as I have places and times that need my attention.” Then, because it amused him to use Sasuke’s own tools against him, he tossed a few ground spikes and a smoke bomb on the ground. “Ker-vanish.”
By the time the smoke cleared Akihira had slipped into the forest. He planted his walking stick in the ground, and continued on his way, foot kicking a stone out of his path.
The stone bounced a short distance before colliding with another, which, in turn rolled off the path and landed near the base of a tree, disturbing a butterfly which had been resting on the trunk. The butterfly took off, winging its way toward the sky.
Thank you for joining me on the Throwback Thursday Reblog project! I had a lot of fun revisiting Shingen & Katsu's story... but as you can see, it's not quite over. There are two one-shot stories that I can reblog, and I will probably write other shorts with them. Also in this particular timeline, there is still a short story coming about Sute & Sasuke (.... & Yukimura). Plus... what really did happen in the lingerie store when Sasuke and Shingen went shopping... hmm?
Additionally due to the multiverse destabilizing, they do appear in the other Tempest in Time stories (including a yet to be published time jump to 1586), so we'll see them again.
I do plan on doing a Throw Back Thursday for A Mitsunari Night's Dream - but I'm going to wait until I finish posting the first run of Mitsuhide's story. It might be too confusing to see one version of Katsuko ("Okatsu") being romanced by Mitsunari, while another version of her (Kaya) is working with Mitsuhide to rescue Hideyoshi & Mai.
Anyway... wow, this ended up being a ten month project! Again, thank you for joining me on it. I'll miss my Thursday morning reblogs.
@bestbryn
#tbt12lies#twelve lies i told shingen takeda#ikemen sengoku#fanfic#ikesen shingen#ikesen fanfic#ikesen sasuke#throwback thursday
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// look, Yakuza, you translate everything else, how about you translate what the mahjong tiles mean??? my autistic brain has 0 idea what numbers all these squiggly lines are meant to be because I don’t speak chinese, and I can’t read it, and it’s a weird language that’s pictorial rather than using an alphabet like all rational languages
we’re not ancient egyptians, drop the weird hieroglyphs and create an alphabet, and put it on your weird four player solitaire game so my dumb autism brain can figure out what you’re supposed to be doing here
also, whoever decided that the best way to translate a game is to not translate it is insane. I don’t know what a ‘ron’ or ‘tsumo’ or a ‘richi’ is, but I do know those are not english words. When you translate something, you’re supposed to make it clear what these things are. If you can’t tell what they are from being told their name, then you’re not done translating, go back and do it again.
yes I know that this isn’t a game issue, this is a mahjong because for some reason when people bring games into english they don’t finish the job. I feel the same way about shogi.
See, chess is simple. All the pieces are pictures. You could speak no languages and understand what the pieces are, because they look like things. If I represented them with letters and someone didn’t speak english, they’d be just as confused about chess as I am about mahjong.
Can you tell that it’s like 5 am and I’ve been getting bodied as mahjong for like three hours now
I think it would be easier if I knew what the hell calling was meant to do. okay, you don’t discard it and you reveal your hand, but how does that help me make a hand so that I can win? Because pon and kan have only resulted in me having two tiles I can’t do anything with and losing all my money.
anyway, I wouldn’t bother with trying to play majong, but the best ability in the game is apparently locked behind it, and I can’t seem to find anything that just allows me to cheat the way there are hundreds of things for shogi and chess and stuff.
rant over
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@lunaerising asked: “ you can't lie to me, you know. “ ( shikamaru 2 shikadai...u cant lie 2 dad he knows all...)
"Who said I’m lying...”
The muted protest comes out more as a half-hearted attempt to convince himself rather than any real denial of his father’s words, though he does little to admit the fact. He’s as stubborn as both parents, after all. Hands find purchase in his pockets, clinging to the inside as they walk through the Nara forest, each step reminding him of the last time he ventured amongst the leaves, the last time he’d shared company here. It hadn’t ended well... It’s that which bothers him now, the absence of a mind to match his own, the familiar click of shogi tiles and night walks spent in discussion until their worlds came calling. Saying goodbye had been necessary, but it hurt.
“What are we doing out here anyway? Are you shirking work in the Hokage’s office?”
#lunaerising#MUSES. [ nara shikadai. ]#VERSES. [ JUST SIT TIGHT TILL YOU GET THERE / MAIN II. ]#[ tl;dr shikadai is sad about saying goodbye to ryogi but can't tell his dad he's been meeting up with him either ]#QUEUE. [ it's about being better than you were yesterday. ]
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