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wen-kexing-apologist · 1 month

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Hi, can I ask, who are your top 5 (or top 3) seme & uke from your favorite BL media (can be manga/manhwa/danmei/tv series/movies)? Why love them?

Hello! Thank you for the ask, I have been horrendously busy with very good things, so I did not ignore your ask, just have not had time or brain space to answer until now. I’ll be honest with you, I came in to this fandom from BL series with little to no background in yaoi before that, so I am not the most familiar with uke and seme as a concept. But, looking it up gave me the following definitions:

Uke (受け): The term Uke, in Japanese, literally means "receiver" or "one who receives". In the Yaoi context, Uke is the more passive, submissive, and generally younger or physically smaller character in the relationship.

Seme (攻め): The term Seme, in Japanese, literally means "attacker" or "one who attacks". In the Yaoi context, the Seme is the more dominant, assertive, and usually older or physically larger character in the relationship.

So with those definitions in mind, my five favorite seme and ukes are:

Masumi and Ritsu- The End of the World with You

Any one who has not watched this show should stop reading this post and go watch End of the World With You instead. Masumi and Ritsu had such an interesting dynamic and it was really fun to watch the changing in their relationship between college and the apocalypse.

It felt to me like Masumi was rather stuck on his personality from college, a quiet and reserved person, who could not quite let go of the pain of being betrayed by Ritsu, even though he entered in to a relationship he was warned was not going to be romantic. It was cool to see how Ritsu mellowed out/matured more as an adult, and how that seme style personality was employed within the show in ways that allowed Masumi to forgo filial obligations and allow himself to stay with Ritsu and Yuma on their road trip.

Vegas and Pete- KinnPorsche

Okay, let’s get the more obvious ones out of the way first, before I get to talk about the really juicy ones. But, I fucking love VegasPete. I love them so much, I’d say that it’s just because of my First BL Drama goggles, but I’ve seen this show 15 times now, and just recently rewatched it, with over 120 BLs under my belt, and they still hold strong for me. I just-

For me, they are so well written. Both the characters as individuals, Pete does tend to serve as a comic relief at the beginning, but even with relatively minimal screen time, they are really able to give him enough depth by the end that the character feels real, feels like he has a life and a history that exist outside of the confines of the story, and that his life history does impact how he operates in the world. I love the way that the narrative really is able to turn Vegas around in to a more wet and pathetic person by the end, so much so that I had a front row seat to watching my friends slowly learn to love him as they watched this show for the first time.

I’d put Vegas as Pete’s kidnapper, torturer, and captor as the seme in their relationship and Pete as the kidnapped, prisoner, pet, and free therapist as the uke there. Something that I was interested in seeing with The Sign was a BL that was going to cover hypermasculinity, and while I don’t think KinnPorsche is something I would consider hypermasculine, I do think that Vegas and Pete have a very interesting relationship because they both are pretty masc, and therefore they can fight each other, and Pete can give Vegas a run for his fucking money in a fight, while still being able to maintain what I would consider a seme and uke dynamic.

But ultimately my favorite thing about them is the emotional complexity to their relationship, not whether or not they fit the seme & uke definitions. That scene in Episode 13 when Pete and Vegas fight, and Pete knocks Vegas out and escapes remains one of my favorites in KinnPorsche and sits pretty firmly in my huge assortment of favorite scenes in BL because it was really fun watching those characters navigate the emotional minefield that was captivity, love, hatred, freedom, dehumanization, desperation, violence, and pain. Good shit, at least in my opinion.

Hira and Kiyo- Utsukushii Kare

A trend with some of my favorite seme/uke characters is that they tend to subvert expectations when looked at from just a historically “top” or “bottom” perspective as it relates to seme and uke terminology in yaoi.

Hira and Kiyoi are one of my favorite seme and uke pairs because Hira and Kiyoi subvert the expectation about who the seme and uke are. My impression of Utsukushii Kare is that Kiyoi is the uke and Hira is the seme, despite the fact that Hira is physically smaller and submissive to Kiyoi. And while I am not well versed in seme/uke tropes in yaoi, @bengiyo is very knowledgeable in the positionality of semes and ukes in Japanese yaoi, and spoke about the positionality of Hira and Kiyoi in Utsukushii Kare in one of the The Conversation Pod episodes where he talked about Hira and Kiyoi constantly being in a battle about placing themselves lower in relation to one another, and who was on the left versus who was on the right. I really love how so much of their own internal relationship fights are really structured around the fact that Kiyoi wants Hira to be on the attack, (and we see that Hira is literally capable of being on the attack when it comes to defending Kiyoi) but in order for that to happen, Hira need to cut the hero worship bullshit and look at Kiyoi like a human being.

Without a solid understanding of the seme/uke tropes, the positionality, the hair color, etc. I think it is relatively easy to miss that thread in their arguments, I definitely did. Which is fine, because Utsukushii Kare is strongly written and therefore their fights are layered with additional meaning on top so everyone has something to pull from their relationship struggles. But once My Beautiful Man: Eternal came out, we finally got an explicit statement from Kiyoi where he asked Hira if he ever fantasized about being manhandled. Which to me is the most obvious call-out to that aspect of their relationship that we had in the show.

Also, from just a character perspective, Hira is a little freak and I love him and his ducks, and Kiyoi is just a sweetheart who deserves all of the love in the world.

Ji Hyun and Jae Won- The Eighth Sense

That country mouse sure knows what he wants and is willing to die to get that dick so like, there is no way I can’t put Ji Hyun on the list. Massive respect to that little twink, dude joined the surf club when he didn’t know how to swim, drowned, and nearly died so he could bag Jae Won and he did. Similarly to Hira and Kiyoi, I don’t think going in to this show you would quite expect Ji Hyun to be the pursuer in the relationship, but he very quickly lets us all know what is up. And it works so well here because Jae Won as a character spend so much of his time unmoored. He’s passive, he’s quiet, he’s dissociative for, like, 90% of the show, and it is so wonderful to see the ways that Ji Hyun’s repeated advances, both his more subtle attempts and his more blatant are one of few things that are able to get a genuine and happy reaction out of Jae Won.

I love the moments they shared together in Episode 6; as much as it hurts, I love the way Ji Hyun’s accident so strongly impact Jae Won just to show you how much of a positive impact Ji Hyun’s pursuit has had on his life, I love the places where Ji Hyun’s accident results in Jae Won starting to have a more active (and aggressive) control over his own life; and I love the way that Ji Hyun does not stop trying to give Jae Won as much love as he can send his way. The way Ji Hyun knows to expect Jae Won the second that he sees that Read message appear under the texts he’d sent Jae Won, the way the show is filled with light whenever they are together, the way that Jae Won is more relaxed, and smiles and laughs more easily as a result of receiving all of this love and care from Ji Hyun.

Their relationship is excellent, Ji Hyun’s horny little ass is excellent, The Eighth Sense is excellent. I love them.

Wang and Inthawut- 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us

Ok, I don’t know if this is a controversial choice or not, because I would not consider 180 Degree a BL at all. Nor would I ultimately consider Wang and Inthawut’s relationship to be romantic at least by the end of this show. But I do think that a) they fit the seme and uke definitions above super legibly and b) they once again subvert the expectation of which character falls under each role. There has never been a more passive motherfucker in all of the world as Inthawut. Wang is one of the most aggressive pursuers I have ever seen in media, he is assertive, he knows exactly what he wants, he will give it all to Inthawut if it means he gets some goddamn answers from the adults in his life that are too fucking scared to answer any of his questions if it means facing their pasts.

Was this just an excuse to talk about 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us because it is one of my favorite shows of all time and put me through the emotional wringer? Maybe. But I do think the point still stands that Wang is there trying to give his all to Inthawut, and Inthawut is there desperately fighting with every fiber of his being not to receive anything from Wang.

#top 5 bl #asked and answered #ritsu x masumi #bokura no micro na shuumatsu #the end of the world with you #vegaspete #kinnporsche #hira x kiyoi #my beautiful man #utsukushii kare #ji hyun x jae won #the eighth sense #t8s #wang x inthawut #180 degree longitude passes through us #180d

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bhobbiel · 1 month

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Being older gen z means you are at the BL axis of knowing about some of the “f*cked up” classics as well as newer sweet fluff 😎

A (millennial) astrologer I like wrote some pieces about/contain content about yaoi.

It made me realize I have not read all of the BL/yaoi touch points but definitely am more familiar with certain “classic” dynamics and tropes that possibly younger readers aren’t as familiar with. But for ex I have not read loveless nor viewfinder. I think either the I Ching piece or something I saw on twitter introduced me to Saezuru. I am grateful to found Saezuru when I did as well as discuss it with such a thoughtful and intelligent fan base.

But I do believe there is a generational aspect to yaoi/BL (like all media- your age and generation affects your references).

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ineffable-opinions · 27 days

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Omegaverse BL in Japan (Part 2)

[Summary of these posts: 1 2 . Corrections and critique are welcome.]

Omegaverse is a popular enough genre in Japanese BL to warrant dedicated labels from even major publishers. For example: Libre publication’s label Be x Boy Omegaverse. This is in addition to specialized anthologies.

Popular Works

Romantic Joutou by Moriyo

Kashikomarimashita, Destiny by Sachimo

Highschool setting

Abarenbo Honey by Tobidase Kevin – cute and sexy, delinquents romance

Sayonara Koibito, Mata Kite Tomodachi by Yoha – class president x transfer student; serious and dark

Office setting

Kurui Naku no wa Boku no Ban by Kusabi Keri – younger subordinate x older boss; pretty and moody

Soredemo Suki Desu Kasahara-san by Omaru – coworkers romance; erotic and heartwarming

Beastman

Pendulum: Kemonohito Omegaverse by Hasumi Hana – beastman x human with special ability; sweet with a tinge of melancholy

Omegaverse with children

Oyasuminasai no Ato wa by Kabano Sakadachi – nursery school principal x single father; sweet with a tinge of melancholy

Tadaima Okaeri by Ichikawa Ichi – salaryman x househusband; heartwarming and soothing

Other than "α x Ω"

Sukijanaitte Hyakkai Tonaeta by Kabano Sakadachi – main CP: α x α. Side CPs: α x Ω & Ω x Ω

Boku no High Spec Kareshi-sama by Yotsuashi - Ω x α

(source)

Growth of omegaverse in commercial BL

As with most things in Japanese BL, omegaverse first boomed in doujin works around 2014-15 period and then spread to commercial works. 2015-16 was a pivotal year for child-rearing and omegaverse BL with the publication of Welcome Home (ただいま、おかえり Tadaima, Okaeri byIchikawa Ichi.

It has been serialized in Fusion Product's Omegaverse Project anthology magazine since November 2015 and has been collected in four tankōbon volumes [first volume was published in 2016]. The series is published in English by Manga Club. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Deen is set to premiere in April 2024. (source: wikipedia)

In 2022, by May, 80 works had been published. Previous year, there was a dip in number of new omegaverse works published after rapid increase since 2019. In 2020, 8 times more works were published with omegaverse setting compared to when it debuted.

How does this compare to the total number of BL publications?

The proportion of omegaverse continues to be small compared to the total. In 2020, there were 160 omegaverse works out of nearly 3500 BL works. One out of every 20 BL works belongs to omegaverse. This is fairly significant for a single setting / sub-genre.

Year-wise trends and corresponding popular pairings

[Total number of works only indicate how many iterations of that pairing showed up in the market, it doesn’t indicate how well they did commercially or popularity-wise. Popularity is discussed below.]

2015 – Diversification Era

α×Ω 9

β×Ω 3

α×α 1

Other×Ω 1

2015 was the year when omegaverse works began to appear in the commercial BL market, emerging out of doujin BL boom. While α×Ω pairing was obviously the first kind of pairing to become popular, β×Ω pairing wasn’t too far behind.

Omegaverse is not limited to α×Ω pairing alone. The wide range of possibilities omegaverse offered was explored early on. It can be said that the [pairing] diversity is one of the reasons for its explosive popularity.

There seems to be high affinity between BL and omegaverse, as both share unique worldviews and settings while being highly versatile, ranging from fantasy to modern day works.

It was the period when omegaverse was being tested as a setting based off on how far narratives can go without breaking the premise that Ω is the uke and α is the seme.

Overall tendency was to highlight the discrimination against Ω and the preferential treatment towards α in an easy-to-understand manner. Omegaverse as a setting was in its infancy. It was probably thought that exaggeration [of key characteristics] would popularize omegaverse.

Notable works:

Romantic Joutou

sayonara koibito matakite tomodachi

2016 – Early Odo Reversal Era

α×Ω 13

α×β 2

Ω×α 1

β×Ω 2

β×α 2

α×α 1

Ω×Ω 1

Most highly rated work of that year kashikomarimashita destiny - Devotion to death is an α×β work. Seemingly, breaking the rules can be considered a standard practice in the omegaverse BL.

As omegaverse become more popular, many a masterpiece such as Kuruinakunowa Boku No Ban and Tadaima Okaeri were created.

Compared to previous year, 2016 was witness to many epoch-making works such as Pendulum - Beastman Omegaverse, which married beastman setting with omegaverse setting.

Another notable work is Boku No High Spec Kareshisama that had a path-breaking Ω seme. It also had a β×α side pairing.

The works published in 2016 pretty much covered every possible combination in the Omegaverse.

2017 - Serious Works Era

α×Ω 17

α×α 1

Ω×Ω 1

α×β 1

β×Ω 3

Ω×α 1

In 2017, the omegaverse became even more popular than in 2016.

Continuing from the previous year, omegaverse kept exploring various possibilities. It was in 2017 that omegaverse established itself as a new genre that goes beyond the framework of special settings.

The first volume of Akabeko's Shonen no Kyoukai series, published that year, brought omegaverse close to the real world. It was around that time the setting of [secondary] gender tests being conducted at schools, which later became commonplace, first appeared. Consequently, compared to the previous years, more realistic and serious works were produced.

It’s no longer about “poor Ω and alpha who has it all”! The number of characters that went beyond typical omegaverse attributes increased, and genders combinations also diversified.

There was no set standard marking this period. The foundation laid in the years before finally paid off and the sub-genre flourished and spread.

2018 Omegaverse Boom Period

α×Ω 20

α×α 1

β×Ω 1

Other×α 1

α×Other 1

In 2018, the number of Omegaverse works has increased explosively! Total number of omegaverse BL works produced that year was more double that of previous year. A variety of settings and fetishes emerged due to an overwhelming increase in the number of artists.

While α×Ω continues to enjoy steady popularity Megumi To Tsugumi at the top, other types of pairing were also increasingly well received due to the appeal of particular works.

The aforementioned Megumi to Tsugumi and Omae No Koi Wa Ore No Mono had Ω who did not conform to the ‘cute and protected’ image instead were bigger and badder than your average α.

Omae No Koi Wa Ore No Mono

The number of works that had gap between gender attributes and individual characteristics increased. Settings also diversified. The buds of the previous year have bloomed, including beastmen, threesomes, and inc3st!

Around this time, works published the previous year or earlier got sequels and CD dramas. It also became a trend to have spin-offs of α x Ω works to have other pairings...

2019 Back-to-roots Era

α × Ω 23

Ω×Ω 1

β×Ω 2

α×α 3

α×β 1

The total number of omegaverse works in 2019 surpassed previous year count by nearly 80 books. In addition to the continuation of popular works from the previous year, it was no longer unusual to see α×α pairing or β-seme.

Marriage themed work Yukyu Omega was published.

The first volume of the child-rearing omegaverse series Kiraide Isasete was published in 2019.

It was the year that the omegaverse wave entered a new stage, just like the lives of the characters in them. That year also saw the publication of Ousama Alpha To Puppy Love that explored the themes of child-rearing and childbirth, which were relatively untouched in other BL settings prior to the omegaverse boom.

2020 Odo Omegaverse Era

α × Ω 23

β×Ω 1

The total amount of work increased yet again in 2020. The popularity enjoyed by α×Ω pairing was stronger than ever. Many of the popular series featured α×Ω pairing too. Of course, there are some works featuring other pairings, but the omegaverse odo (royal road progression) is still strong.

Even with α×Ω pairing, the attributes that were once like a chasm between characters started to come together「圧倒的攻め×圧倒的受け」「精神的にはほぼ攻め×攻め」.

The fact that some of the most popular works from the past have continued churning out newer volumes suggests that the omegaverse genre in BL will continue to grow!

There have also been some bold stories with enigmatic developments, such as Rebirth, reasserting the endless possibilities of the omegaverse.

2021 – Meta-omegaverse Era

α × Ω 17

β×Ω 1

Ω×α 1

In the year 2021 too α×Ω pair reigns in popularity. Works with a strong storyline continued to be well-received, continuing from the previous year. Works with a strong meta element, such as Kamisamananka Shinjinai Bokua No Eden was published that year.

Boku No Tsugai Ha Thoroughbred Omega explored whether or not to disclose gender – bringing in the choice not to tell. This thought-provoking addition to omegaverse is probably a reflection of reality.

2020 also saw more works that places emphasize on different scenarios and have less explicit content than in the past. In recent years, various other verses have sprouted from omegaverse such as Dom/Sub verse.

2022

α × Ω 18

α × β 2

α×Others 1

The omegaverse has established itself as a major [sub]genre. It is expected that α × Ω pairing will continue to dominate!

Fusion with new genres is steadily progressing! The Mibu No Tsugai series is a time travel BL that combined omegaverse with historical setting (late Edo period). It is clear that the omegaverse setting has become so well-established that addition of elements and setting do not affect accessibility of the subgenre.

Other notable works:

Omega Ni Dake Ha Naritakunai – isekai into an omegaverse manga

Kuzu, Omega ni Tensei by Saitou Kuzu – isekai into omegaverse

Omegaverse is easily malleable and combines well with other sub-genres and settings.

(source)

PART 1

PART 2 (you are here)

#japanese bl #boys love #bl history #omegaverse

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waitmyturtles · 1 year

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I want to take just a quick second to talk about the Wat x Sani ship in The Eclipse and Our Skyy 2: The Eclipse, which prompted a little conversation among drama friends today. (As well, thanks to the dear @aprilblossomgirl for the lovely reblog and tags partly on this topic, too.)

The teacher/student ship is obviously a controversial one, and citing from my conversation with drama friends earlier today, the boss/employee ship may also fall into this controversial category as well.

WHY? What are some factors that get people jibbly about these kinds of ships?

Clearly, the power dynamic between the dyads: with implied or explicit hierarchy, it may be assumed that the uke in these situations may be heavily influenced by the power dynamic and may feel a NEED to participate in the dyad.

There may also be age bias against a woman, if the dyad is het and the woman is either older and/or a seme.

There may also be what I call implicit or explicit compassion bias against a uke. This is what I want to really unwind in this post.

Do we assume that because Wat is younger than Sani, that Wat should be “protected” from the potential ship, because Sani is older and a teacher?

I think I want to be careful of making assumptions there. WHY? Because I think Golf CLEARLY knows what they’re doing here.

I’d be jibbly of this ship IF Sani is demonstrating behavioral tics that are typical of a worrisome power dynamic, such as grooming and/or gaslighting.

That didn’t happen in The Eclipse: The Series or OS2. Sani is clearly a mentor and friend in this situation. Sani is also closer in age to Wat than we might assume because, remember, she was just starting at Suppalo when the series started. So she might have a better read on what the boys are going through, emotionally, than the older teachers.

Besides Sani, there’s Wat. More implicit in the series, and explicit in OS2: Wat is nostalgic for his time spent with Sani, and how they’ll keep in touch after he graduates.

Now before I jump into my main bias point, I just want to say that I *think* Wat and Sani’s movie bit will indicate that Sani will friend zone Wat -- that’s how I *think* this’ll end. But, to my main bias point:

Last year, when I wrote about Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Utsukushii Kare: Season 1, I noted that Woo Young Woo and Hira are two potential subjects of implicit compassion bias. We as viewers may have unknown sympathy or compassion for Young Woo and Hira -- that may then PREVENT US from BELIEVING that they can make decisions on their own, with their own agency.

Therapists are trained to be aware of this compassion bias. It’s a POWER THING on OUR end as therapists/parents/drama viewers. We might feel SO protective of our simps that we’ve CONVINCED ourselves that they NEED to be protected.

That’s no good. Young Woo was perfectly capable of making all her own decisions and didn’t need our sympathy/compassion. (Jun Ho knew this, and that’s why I think he was so confident in going after her.) Hira may not have had full social awareness for how much Kiyoi loved him, but Hira didn’t need our protection and sympathy. Yes, Hira was bullied, but he could also bully back.

So, to Wat. My man. He knows what he’s doing. He’s calling Sani, telling her his feelings. He’s either an adult or on the cusp of being an adult.

If I’m Wat’s counselor -- or HIS MOTHER, gasp -- I’d wanna know this entire deal. (Okay, as his mom, I’m lookin’ at Sani CLOSELY, but not making a blanket judgment.) I see Sani NOT grooming or gaslighting Wat. I see Sani listening to Wat. I see Sani supporting Wat in his dreams as a filmmaker and giving him advice and guidance.

And I’m letting Wat unwind this. Again: Golf knows what they’re doing. Wat’s an adult. The boys have become adults. Young adults, sure, but they’re adults, who deserve to operate under their own agency.

One thing that I am loving about my road trip through the old Thai BLs -- especially in watching Make It Right right now -- is that these filmmakers are ALLOWING YOUNG ADULTS to young adult. Teenagers have sex. (Oh, oh yes they do, in Make It Right, oh yes.) And young adults may fall in love with older adults! It certainly happens. Young adults may even have their first sexual experiences with older adults.

I like that people like Golf and New Siwaj are letting this happen for their characters, because I do believe it reflects reality, and it challenges some assumed characteristics of dyads that many viewers may feel jibbly about and may not want to see in their art.

These filmmakers are not afraid of the jibbly stuff. Wat doesn’t need our protection. Sani is not behaving in a way that’s concerning. I think she’s being presented as perfectly reasonable and supportive of Wat. Nothing’s happened to indicate that she’s behaving problematically towards Wat. If Wat wants to crush, let’s let him crush, because it’s a safe environment for him to learn about himself. And even if they get together (again, I’m not calling that by what I saw in episode 1 today), I’ll be fine with it, because I think Sani is behaving perfectly reasonably, and I’m aware that I don’t want to have an age bias against her for being an older member of this dyad. (And Wat’s the seme here, btw, clearly.)

That’s my two cents on this ship. I’m supportive of it. Let’s see if it goes tomorrow, and to where.

(CC @lurkingshan, @shortpplfedup, @ginnymoonbeam, @bengiyo, and I don’t know if @wen-kexing-apologist or anyone else might have thoughts on this, too!)

#the eclipse #the eclipse the series #our skyy 2 x the eclipse #wat x sani #sani x wat #implicit compassion bias #our skyy 2

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daenystheedreamer · 6 months

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what about maegor/aenys

look okay. i know it seems up my alley but aenys is just such a black void of charisma that i just cannot gaf. like aenys marrying aegon to rhaena pisses me off more than maegor forcefully marrying rhaena THAT is how much i hate aenys. i do love a cain and abel i can objectively look at evil yaoi and see why people like it but idk. doesnt do anything for me 😭 i like it specifically if aenys is the instigator and its not just bara seme sexy younger brother mounting his frail weak uke older brother. LAME. fun if it fuels maegor's later violent hypersexuality. also love how, if you believe aegon isnt the daddy, theyre just cousins....

#ask #Anonymous

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absolutebl · 2 years

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Hello Fount of BL Knowledge, I hope you can answer this question.

I am loving the pairing of a young seme and an older uke. other than Minato's Coin Laundry and the History 3 side couple, what other BLs have this pairing?

Not only do I gotcha covered, I am more than pleased to do this post. Power flipped hyung romances = one of my ABSOLUTE favorites! (I sort of did it here, Younger Gay Identifying Elder Gay as MINE, but I’ll do it again properly!)

Age Gap BLs where the Seme is YOUNGER

This was super common in early yaoi, like SUPER common. Japan loves an age gap + power play, and making the younger character the aggressor is the definition of power play. Guess who else likes it a lot? Why yes, Taiwan.

In no particular order, this is just a list.

Minato’s Laundromat

Japan 2022 GaGa

AKA Minato Coin Laundry AKA Wash My Heart! AKA Minato Shouji Koin Randorii AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

Younger seme older uke, 10 year age gap. I love this show so much. This is by far the best long running example that really dwells on this trope, Shin is very much the aggressor also very much still a high school kid. Minato is very much NOT.

Old Fashion Cupcake

Japan 2022 Viki & GaGa

Also from Japan, another 10 year gap, and a flipping genius version. This time both parties are older, so there’s less of a stigma around the age gap, but there is stigma about the one being the other’s boss.

This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits for episode one. It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said man with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s coming of age/queerness packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity and love and loneliness... and it’s beautiful. Full review.

Seven Days

Japan 2015 grey

AKA Seven Days: Monday-Thursday AND Seven Days: Friday-Sunday Japan

Seryou kinda counts as the pursuer, but the dynamic is very very weak in this one. Still the way he asks to use Yuzuru’s first name (so CHEEKY) and the way he says “senpai” in SUCH a cute way makes me so happy.

Never doubt my ability to recommend this show. One of the best live action yaois ever made, with perfectly structured angst, fantastic characters and acting, and no problematic tropes (rare in Japanese BL). The leads have excellent chemistry although it’s low heat there’s still some really cute mutual kisses.

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line

Taiwan 2018 Viki

Seme uke is VERY weak with this one but the younger character is certainly the pursuer. It’s SO GOOD.

Lin Pei Yu directs this is a sports romance (volleyball) with a good boy/bad boy pairing, and mu favorite of the HIStory franchise. There is no clear seme/uke. Ostensibly it's high school set but Taiwan doesn't care about age appropriate actors. It's a very soft sweet romance with some ridiculously easily overcome conflict. There's great kisses but it's medium heat. The side dishes are the stepbrother trope but they’re very tame, and there’s no other triggers. It's not just my favorite of the franchise, it’s one of my favorite BLs with a perfect happy ending.

SOTUS

Thailand 2016 YouTube

Guess who started this trope in Thailand? Yeah, sometimes I forget too. But they are not just classic sunshine/tsunder but classic younger/older.

This is the BL that launched a hundred BLs. No literally, it was SOTUS’s international success that pretty much built the Thai BL industry into the juggernaut it is today. People have baggage around SOTUS, I have nostalgia. Trigger warning on bully hazing. Review here.

Oxygen

Thailand 2020 YouTube

Thailand’s first real stab at this dynamic as a main couple and it so worked for me. There are many who find this BL too slow and wooden, but I loved it so much.

I think of that as the paragon of Thailand’s BL style, since Oxygen uses every BL trope in the playbook for one of the gentlest lowest angst BLs ever made. This one showcases how far Thailand is moving BL from its yaoi roots, and is a prime example of the sweet “new BL” model for which Thailand is the main advocate (Korea is liking it a lot these days too, tho). My first watch along.

Lovely Writer

Thailand 2021 YouTube

Again Sib is quite a bit younger than Gene and the pursuer, man I love this dynamic. Since Gene is out of university and established in his career, I'm calling this one for age gap.

Thailand criticizes itself and the BL industry while simultaneously giving us classic seme/uke with great chemistry in a one-two punch of “we love it, but are we supposed to? and must we think this hard, yet enjoy it SO MUCH?” This show won’t appeal or make sense to those who don’t already have at least some Thai BL watching experience. What Lovely Writer does, at heart, is reexamine Thai BL has done to queerness, but in a very gentle way that has more to do with Thai BL growing up than any actual queer authenticity. It’s not parody or pastiche, but it is self reflective and trying to correct for some chronic mistakes. Whether it is ultimately successful in this matter is going to depend on the watcher’s relationship to BL and queer identity. But that’s what makes this show beautiful, interesting, and thought provoking. And I, for one, applaud the effort even if I didn’t personally connect to the characters.

Manner of Death

Thailand 2021 WeTV

It’s not really relevant to the story, but Tan is younger. Not only that, he’s Bun’s friends younger brother.

I like MoD a lot but I’m conflicted over it being actual BL. It’s a great gay romantic suspense, although the mystery element is its weakness. MaxTul, the Kings of chemistry, are, of course, perfect and perfectly cast, but their romance thread is more a distraction than an addition. Still, I could watch them make-out the phonebook. Watch along here.

En of Love: Tossera

Thailand 2020 YouTube

Younger boy wants to court older boy and does and… that’s it. No really that’s the WHOLE STORY. There is actually no angst, drama, or, indeed plot. But are they the softest bois ever to BL as a main couple? Yes they are.

Private Lessons

Korea 2020 GaGa

Another BL short from Strongberry that I love and given it is age gap and teacher/student (catnip) it should rate super high. The chemistry is slightly off though, but stil I do love this one for the dynamic. Certainly world watching especially if this is your trope.

MingKit MarkKit

2 Moons (VERY side dish) YouTube 2 Moons 2 YouTube (major side dish) Gen Y (leads) Gen Y 2 (sides again in LTR)

Thailand’s premier version of this dynamic I just lumped them all into one category. Only in 2 Moons 2 are they played by different actors, otherwise it is all KimCop, and who can complain about that? If you want to watch specifically for this dynamic than go for Gen Y. Trash watch here.

SIDE DISHES with this dynamic!

HIStory 3: the BL that shall not be named (BoXiang & ZhiGang)

Also HIStory 4: Close to You

The side characters in H3:MODC (and cameos in H4) BoXiang & ZhiGang have a huge age gap, 12 years, and it is a big deal for their relationship. When they start out BoXiang is a desperate himbo high school kid and ZhiGang is a small business owner. BoXiang’s friends tease him more for his lust over such a much older man than for being gay.

HIStory 4: Close to You (YongJie & XingSi)

YongJie is quite a bit younger than XingSi, not sure on the specifics but he's in middle school when XingSi is in high school and still in college when XingSi has his own business. Also the stepbrother trope. This couple is VERY problematic, but I like them anyway, probubly because I love this trope so much, and I am trash for trash.

Brothers (KhunKaow)

This is not a good show, but side couple Khun & Kaow are great in it and this is my favorite version of an age gap: younger seme + older uke. Khun is in university and Kaow has a baking business.

Don’t Say No (LeonPob)

Leon and Pob qualify. That’s all I have to say about that.

You’re My Sky (SanAei)

SanAei are a classic uni age gap pairing. San is a bit of a spoiled rich kid jock who identifies the older nerd character as HIS and is just like, MINE. That’s MY elder gay.

Top Secret Together and Love By Chance both have sub plots of high school boys pursuing college ones, but TST one didn’t go anywhere and LBC went very very bad, so yeah... no. LBC’s is my favorite version too, best friend’s older bother, sigh. I would LOVE to see this done better.

Others that kinda qualify

Pornographer series

So this is a dirty gaslighting crazy piece of Japan being SO Japan about this trope. But it sure is age gap. Established novelist with an intention to corrupt, bullies college kid into writing his porn for him with the intent to seduce, but his is the bottom (not a submissive) so it’s intentionally playing with the seme/uke dynamic. It’s an ugly dirty series, but also hot.

He’s Coming to Me

Mes is much older than Thun, and Thus is (in the end) the pursuer, but it’s kinda complicated by the fact that Mes is, ya know, a ghost.

Plus and Minus

The side pairing is an age gap with the younger as pursuer but it’s not really relevant to the story.

Tasty Florida

I think you could argue the younger character is more intersted in the relationship, but it;s also pretty clear the older boy will be in charge.

HIStory My Hero

It’s body swap and necessary pursuit for reasons of paranormal, so I’m not sure I’d count it.

My Ride

It’s not relevant but I believe Mork is younger.

Love Stage!! (sides)

The Thai version sides, TheeJet, are age gap and in the comic Thee is the pursuer. In this series, they are in a secret LTR so who chased whom isn’t relevant.

My Engineer (sides)

I make no case for it but possibly RamKing?

Not Me (sides)

DanYok is said that way, but Yok is certainly the pursuer at the beginning, and he’s younger.

Similar:

BLs With Age Gaps - Hyung Romances - these is just when there is a big age gap, not necessarily a power flip.

I also love noona romances for this same reason, the abnormal power dynamic (older woman, younger man) gives agency to the female character in an Asian romance drama = very rare.

Thai Pronouns & Honorifics when Seme/Uke is Flipped

Aggressive & Autonomous Ukes in BL Uke Forced to Undertake the Seme Role

Updated Aug 2022, not responsible for this dynamic turning up after that. Although YOU BETTER FLIPPING TELL ME ABOUT IT.

(source)

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aliceisathome · 2 years

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Old Fashioned Cupcake was pitch perfect. I loved it, from Nozue’s three piece suit to Togawa’s hamster cheeks. Japan has been knocking it out of the park recently.

Yay for happy endings (esp Japanese ones). Now give me some of those fluffy pancakes!

#japanese bl #old fashion cupcake #younger seme older uke #togawa x nozue #hooray for happy endings #fluffy pancakes

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nikolaiar · 2 years

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I’m just put my Homestuck headcanon a cause I can fuck you:

John:

Okay so he so would’ve watched buzzfeed unsolved y’all do know that right?

He used to watch those “top 5 cryptid” videos when he was a kid and gave himself nightmares

He’s jewish

He wears only those really uncomfortable looking sweaters cause his dad says they make him look handsome

He was bullied so bad

When he gets older he smokes so much godbless

He has those glow in the dark stars on his ceiling and has a UFO nightlight

He has a slight 1950’s accent cause of his dad (you know what I mean)

Rose:

She watched Twilight. That’s basically fact.

She had a huge thing for Wednesday Adams and wanted to be her so bad, she got mad at Mom for liking pink and stuffed animals cause she wanted her to act like Morticia

She was in a gifted child program

She would’ve listened to Lady Gaga and lost her mind

She knits sweaters for John

She always packs a pillow for when Jade passes out

She has albinism and is arab. She’s also black and Hispanic but she doesn’t really relate heavily to it.

She’s no sabo and Dave makes fun of her for it

Dave:

He used to watch Teenage Mutant ninja turtles all the time as a kid

He grew up around a lot of Hispanic/Latino kids so he was really in touch with his Hispanic side

He talks so fucking fast you can barley understand him, and it’s even worse in Spanish

He was homeschooled until middle school (horrible decision)

He would always sticks up for other people at his school that were getting made fun of cause they reminded him of John (plus he was kinda bullied for having albinism but he’ll never admit it)

Bro would only talk to him in Spanish and couldn’t read English so Dave was a translator really young, hence why he knows so many big words and all that

He has ADHD so bad

He makes fun of Dirk for being allergic to avacados

Jade:

She always has an extra pair of glasses cause she breaks them so much

She draws furry art and is surprisingly good at it

She used to read yaoi when she was younger and when Dave came out she asked if he was a Uke or Seme

She frequently asks Rose to write her ABO centric fanfiction

She’s Polynesian and Brazilian and she’s really in touch with it

She is a polygot like her g-pa

She patches her clothes up all the time because she has so many holes in them from miscellaneous activities

Her and Dave played all the Sonic games and discuss shipping dynamics

Jane:

She stans John Constantine

She makes all her friends play Clue with her and do escape rooms

She gets Jake to sample her new recipes because he has a sweet tooth

Jane and Dirk do TV show analysis’s on everything they watch they can’t help it it’s just fun

She got them into pretty little liars and Glee

She listens to musicals so hard shut up

She’s black and Korean y’all know that right?

Roxy:

She loves Zatanna and cosplays her all the time, she tries to get Jane to join her as Constantine

She watched supernatural and lost her mind when diestiel was canon

She has those cat ear gamer headphones and streams constantly

She has albinism

She is Mexican and can’t understand Dave’s Spanish cause it’s so fast godbless

She would listen to Doja Cat

She always has her LED lights on and set to pink

She had a huge Harry Potter phase, Jake had all the movies so they’d all watch it while Jane and Dirk would say how it differs from the books

She can’t keep a plant alive to save her life

Jake:

He’s a polygot, dude knows like 80 languages

He knows how to play bass but is shy about it because Jade is better

He has an Australian accent and no one knows where it came from

He does Muay Thai and is actually pretty accomplished, he is teaching Dirk

Dirk beats his ass frequently in boxing and he gets angry about it

He sleeps naked and everyone finds this out the hard way

Dude has so much body hair good lord

He understands Dave when he speaks Spanish and by proxy Dirk

He cosplays with Dirk and Roxy

He has so many plants cause they remind him of his grandma but he forgets to water them frequently

He loves Janes pumpkin pie so much

Dirk:

He is Columbian and is the only one other than Jake to understand Dave’s Spanish

When Dave first met Dirk and he understood him he high key wanted to cry

Dirk is obsessed with Batman so bad and got all of his friends into DC comics

He makes Jake cosplay nightwing for “obvious” reasons

He and Jane have frequent gossip sessions over tea and baked goods

He has every My little pony figure you can think of

He gets really clingy in his sleep

When he first slept with Jake he held into him like a koala and wouldn’t let go until Jake woke him up

He gets his ass handed to him when he practices Muay Thai with Jake, but gets payback with boxing

Him and Roxy frequently troll on toontown and used to scam in animal jam

He watched American psycho and had a phase that he still gets bullied for by his friends

He waxes EVERYWHERE except his armpits and legs

He listens to Marina and the diamonds

He had a hardcore scenephase that he still isn’t completely out of

#homestuck #dirk strider #dave strider #alpha kids #jake english #roxy lalonde #dirkjake #jane crocker #rose lalonde #jade harley #john egbert #homestuck headcanons #beta kids

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dammitadolfnomorecake · 1 year

Text

Rage Fire Institution

Movement. 11.

“You have heard of resting, haven’t you? You’ve been in estrus again, and you’re still recovering. When’s the last time you’ve been home to see mother?”

Nursing the drink he’d had for the last half hour, Tatsumi had indeed heard of this mythical resting thing. And he had indeed been through estrus with the help of medical technology. The sleep pod took care of everything. From deification, feeding, pheromone release, breathing capabilities through to the mess of release. Everything was handled by the self contained unit once he’d shown up at the omega only clinic. The omega wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep until the end of the year, yet that was completely unacceptable. He’d woken up to dozens of messages from other students, even a couple from Doctor Poaw and Skylark, both filling him in on Maki as if that was the first question on his mind post-estrus.

Glaring slightly at Samara, it hadn’t been Tatsumi’s idea to go straight from the clinic to the cafe. He’d had other plans, only he’d gotten his timing wrong and bumped right into Samara when dealing with other business

“That’s where I was headed next”

“Nonsense, you would have gotten caught up then returned to the institution. When’s the last time you visited your poor mother?”

“I took a month off. She’s still the same”

“Ah, maybe I’ll take her some flowers. You really ought to be thinking about a prospective mate. Even if it’s only physical, it’d do you the world of good”

“I’m…”

“You’re busy with work. I can get you a deal on the optics you need, you don’t need to keep suffering this way”

Tatsumi sighed. Samara knew too much. Too much about him. Coming out of estrus and bumping into him had been a serious stroke of misfortune

“It’s fine. The pod works for me”

“It’s still not the same. Generic alpha pheromones, tricks to make your body think you’ve been knotted, pheromones to deal with a lack of conception…”

“My mental health is better than it was. I would have been fine had someone not stuck his nose in”

“Hardly. Any alpha would take one look at you and know you’d just come out of estrus”

“It’s fine. I appreciate your concern but it’s not needed”

Samara gave a light laugh. As someone who’d dealt with his estrus on his own terms, Tatsumi didn’t see the need to go changing things this late in the game

“Alright. Finish your drink, I’ll run you home after”

“I’m going back to the school”

“You need rest”

“And I can rest in my quarters there. Blame it on omegas needing familiar grounds or whatever you want, but I’m going back there”

“I expect you to stay there. If I hear any word that you’ve turned up at the club…”

“You won’t because I won’t. You ruined that. I only went to notify Donny”

“Yeah, yeah. I know what that means. You can’t keep living like this. I don’t want to see you this way. They wouldn’t…”

Anger flashed over Tatsumi’s face. For half a moment he had the desire to throw his drink on Samara’s face then storm out, but that would only prove Samara right. He had no right to bring any of that up, not now and not ever

“Don’t. I like where I am. I like the other students. It’s not what it was, but that doesn’t make my life bad. Everyone who comes back has to find a way to move forwards again. This is mine. Now, I’d appreciate the lift, but I’m not sticking around for a long winded lecture about how I choose to spend the rest of my days”

Samara raised his hands in defeat. Tatsumi could understand his friend too well. All the government campaigns were total bullshit and the moment you became a burden to them they ceased seeing you as anything remotely human. An unmated, unwed, unbonded omega with psychological scars could only expect their government payment and maybe a few medical perks in the first few years. His government payments went to the upkeep of his family home, leaving him limited option on that sense. He couldn’t say he was happy all of the time, but being around people forced him not to withdraw further, that alone should have been seen as a win. But not to Samara… Samara who had a long term partner and soon would have kids… something so out of reach of Tatsumi that it felt like an insult.

“Alright. You win this round. But don’t think I won’t keep trying to recruit you. I don’t want to see you left rotting when there’s something more out there. Take your time, I’ll get you some food, space knows that fridge of yours will be empty”

“I don’t need you too”

“Relax, if I don’t then how will be able to face my misses? She’s going to pick up your pheromones the moment I get home”

“That’s not my problem. You shouldn’t give her reasons to be upset”

“Just finish your damn drink already”

Taken back to the institution by capsule car, Tatsumi made a show of waving until Samara left. He’d bought him far too much food. With classes in session, Tatsumi’s plan was to head straight back to his quarters and crawl right into bed. He’d nearly succeeded too when a knock came on his door. There was only one bastard who’d come bothering him within the walls of the institution the day he came back, and that was Skylark.

Dragging himself back up, Tatsumi crossed to the door, counting to three before opening it. Skylark standing there as if ready to barking orders at him, the man seriously never knew how to relax. Casually, Tatsumi leant against the door frame, counting off the coming conversation points on his fingers

“I’m fine. I have food. I’m not going back to work until next week”

“You look like shit”

“And you look ready to blow up. Come in then, you can get it all off your chest. I’ll get us some food”

Food turned the omega’s sensitive stomach. Lighter food would have been easier to digest, yet Samara had bought mostly heavy pastry and noodles. Plating himself up some noodles, Tatsumi half hearted pulled out a few meat pastries, before bringing the two plates over to the sitting area. Taking the plate when offered, Skylark raised an eyebrow

“I didn’t think you’d get this fancy”

“Samara stuck his nose in. Is this about Maki, what’s he done this time?”

Skylark shook his head

“You don’t know the concept of rest, do you? Off having a date straight out of estrus…”

Skylark was as delusional as Samara, Tatsumi tiredly correcting him

“You know it’s not that way. I’m struggling to see what was so urgent you had to come the moment I got back”

“That kid, he been out lately?”

So it was about Maki. His username might be “MakingGood”, but right now he was “MakingAHeadache”. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Tatsumi sat across from Skylark

“I wouldn’t know. I was intercepted before I could see Donny. Did he sneak out again?”

“No. That’s the damn problem. The little bastard hasn’t done anything”

“That’s supposed to be a good thing”

“Not when it comes to him. He and that mate of his came to see me, pissing themselves as they did. You didn’t tell you’d cleared their project already”

“I wasn’t exactly thinking about the pair of them. Did you sign off?”

“I did. The little shit’s managed to pull off something half decent. I get you want to help them all, but you can’t be giving them projects like this”

Tatsumi sighed at implication

“I didn’t. You know I want to keep my head down. He thought that up with Poaw while I was sleeping. Though it does seem I gave him the idea”

“Now, you know…”

Tatsumi knew what was coming next. He was pilot who was stuck in research and Maki was a researcher stuck on the pilot track

“No. You knew the kid was smart, that’s why you wanted someone keeping him out of trouble”

“I didn’t think it’d actually work”

Maki wouldn’t be curbed so easily from seeking out what he wanted in his life. If the young alpha wasn’t going out, he’d have a good reason. Probably so Skylark wouldn’t deny him and Li access to the student mechs. Tatsumi expected more from Skylark as he spelled it out

“You should know some of the worst kids have a way of coming around in the end. Though I doubt he’ll give up his freedom any time soon. I’d place money that once this project is over, he’ll be going out again”

“The little bastard’s going to get himself hurt if he keep this up”

“You can’t stop a curious mind. Anything else happen I should know about?”

“No. Not particularly. He’s been going to classes and been seen over at the research wing. You had to go stick your nose in, didn’t you?”

“If all you’re going to do is complain about your plan working, then what’s the point?”

“Who else am I going to bitch too? Those little shits piss themselves when I come round”

Tatsumi knew Skylark was only bitching to prolong checking in on him. He knew Skylark well enough to know he felt superior to the students… even to him. Drawing his knees up, he made himself comfortable

“You can take that to go if you want. I’m not rushing anywhere”

“You should be. You know you can’t let your pheromones out on campus”

“They’re only a problem because you showed up. Don’t go sniffing me without permission”

“Then learn to take a shower before you come back. I’ll take this to go, like you said, but only because I don’t want your stink on me”

“Sure, sure. Next time, don’t come racing to me when the kid doesn’t mess up. It’s not my job to care about him”

“See that you don’t. That kid’s got a career a mile long in front of him if he doesn’t fuck it up now. I don’t want to be bailing him out in five years time down the road”

Leaving the conversation at that, Skylark left. Tatsumi poking at his noodles without any desire to actually eat them. If only Skylark would give a little. No. He’d never break face and tell Maki to pull his head in because he’d seen too many good people die. The man was a bundle of contradictions that made the omega’s aching head throb harder. Maybe it was better to forget eating and simply shower before someone else decided to darken his doorstep?

***

“Dude, did you hear, the prodigal Professor has returned. He walked right through the front gates like it was nothing. Man, I wish I had the balls to do that”

Humming, Maki didn’t look up from his data pad. Li sliding into his seat next to him, before pulling out his own data pad. Maki has hoped to finish what he was reading before his best friend arrived, but from the buzzing next to his ear, he’d run out of time. Li disliking the hum he’d gotten in reply

“Are you listening to me?”

“Not really”

“I’m telling you the Professor’s back and you don’t even care”

Maki didn’t have time to care. Annoyingly, his curious mind had locked onto the research student project and he’d been able to get it out of his head. He knew he’d let his friendship slide as he hadn’t told Li about the research group, but no one had ever called him a social butterfly

“Hurray? It’s not like we needed him”

“Aren’t you curious? Skylark said the end of the week, not 7 days with change and no explanation. He didn’t even tell us he was back”

“And? How do you know he’s actually back?”

“It’s on the school forum. What’s for you so interested you don’t have time for me?”

Before Li could lean over, Maki turned the data pad screen off, then placing it down and looking to Li

“I was reading. It’s not that important. The Professor totally bailed on us. He didn’t even bother explaining, why should we be the ones to make the effort of caring?”

Li rolled his eyes so hard that there should have been sound effects. Part of Maki was curious, yet the bigger part of him was angry that Tatsumi had first pushed his way onto the project, then left as if he didn’t have some form of responsibility as to whether the project passed. Li sassing him

“You should care because he’s our friend. You know what a friend is still, right?”

Ouch. Okay. Maki could see why he deserved that

“I said I was sorry. Cut me some slack, I’ve been working on our project”

“You said that, but you haven’t changed anything that I can see. How can you be working on it still?”

“So I can remember what’s in the presentation”

Li gave him a good hard look before burying his face in his hands

“You’re right. I’m no good at this stuff. What if we totally fail because of me?”

“And what if we don’t? If that prick turns up and slides by on our work, I’m not going to be happy”

“But if he doesn’t pass we won’t either. Can you message him? Ask him to meet with us?”

His best friend cared too much. He was faithful to a fault when it came to friendship and he seemed genuinely worried

“Li, you’re too kind hearted for this world. I’ll message him later”

“Thank you, I’m sure he’ll reply if it’s you”

“Don’t go saying weird things”

***

Skylark was a strange man, Maki decided that on the spot seeing his ban from piloting had been lifted suddenly. Taking pity on him, Fleur matched up with him for the hand to hand drills, their comms open with each other as they both pondered and speculated about why. Given his suit wasn’t against school rules, he’d swapped from his trainee pilot suit to the one produced by Doctor Poaw, the effects of which raised his synchronisation by 2%. In an actual battle a 2% raise was huge. Even to him the extra 2% felt huge. The cut of the fabric, and the feel of the fabric, felt far nicer too. There was no rubbing on his glands, and it had excellent sweat absorption.

Once the warm up was done, the entire training hall was converted. The floor moving to take the shape of a simulated battlefield so two teams of three could take part in mock battle, working to capture the flag in the middle. Student mechs lacked any actual firepower. The limiters on what they had were lifted by Andes in the control room. First years only had access to lasers and tiny smoke bombs. The lasers signified a hit provided a pilot could hold the target longer than 10 seconds. In the second year that became 5 and they also had small energy chargers that would spread across the point of combat like paint, then vanish with instruction from Andes. As shields didn’t fall into direct attack weaponry, they were one of the first things pilots learned about before even getting into a mech and allowed to be openly used. Still, they took a large amount of focus.

The days simulation was a jungle type environment. Technology making it so real around them that was it hard to think of the environment simply as generated pixels. Nature sounds accompanied, to the point where should a tree be bit, the sound of cracking and falling was authentic, as was taking fake damage if hit by the falling tree.

Thanks to his stupid reputation, Maki wanted to do what he usually did, recklessly charge the flag and get it all over with. Thanks to his new suit, Maki also wanted to make the most of it. He didn’t care if the other students saw it as an unfair advantage. They should have picked a similar concept for their own projects instead of modding mechs that meant unmodding them after. The research students had been working on a mod system for mech barriers, which also helped him in situations such as these. Without their own private mech and team of pilots, data had came from the piloting classes of past years. His mind a whirl of figures that he’d crammed into his brain, trying to assess the project from every possible angle to predict battle techniques.

With the same system for everyone, everyone knew what their mechs could do. Melee combat a given, yet Maki’s eyes had been opened. Even in melee combat, if he could shape his barrier, the barrier edge could be used effectively to subdue a mech while staying mostly protected.

“Sato, what are you doing? The match has already started”

“Leave him out of it. He always goes for the flag, everyone knows it”

“That doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t move. Andes is going to be all over us if he stands there the whole time”

Flexing his mechs hand, Maki bit back a snappy retort. His team mates would have been the same if they had new suits. He and Li had tried hand to hand combat, but that wasn’t with the terrain in place. Maybe if he asked Skylark again, he’d let them try suit to suit combat with terrain activated… then again, the sky just might fall down if he asked too many questions

“Give it a rest. I’m thinking”

“Forget it. He’s thinking. Great. Let’s go without him”

If his team mates were going to do as they pleased, he may as well as do as he pleased. Activating his barrier, Maki slowly drew it out between both hands, watching the edges rather than the shimmering middle. It brought up new ideas and a new need to ask Li a favour. Being inside the mech meant he couldn’t be outside checking how the suit did against the barrier or how thick it was. If the research students could get permission to observe it’d do a lot for their project. Not that he cared about them… they simply provided an interesting idea.

“Sato! Stop messing around and get moving! They’ve already advanced!”

Scowling at the overhead voice of Andes, Maki had to admit now was not the time to be intrigued. Now was the time to be his labelled self and charge the damn flag as they all expected. If he kept dawdling he’d be benched again, and how could he test his new theories if he was?

“Yes, sir”

Following his teammates route through the dense jungle, Maki was the last one there. The melee had already started, three against two, with all five mechs around the central flag. Despite the dislike his teammates had for him, he couldn’t simply leave them that way. If this was a street brawl he also wouldn’t have been able to leave two against three and keep a clean conscious.

Plowing straight into the battle, Maki activated his smoke bombs as he went, using his barrier to keep his vision of immediate area in front of him cleared. Cursing him, it didn’t stop the alpha as he manoeuvred behind his teammates, pulling the first one back from the blindly swinging opponent. It was a total rookie move. If the smoke was in the way, the only thing you could do was back out the space

“What the hell, Sato? What are you trying to pull?”

“Activate your barriers and use the space to clear your footing. When I’ve got their attention again, go for the flag, you’ll be fine”

“You arsehole, what are you trying to pull?”

“I’m trying to win. It’s not my fault you didn’t use your own smoke bombs to put distance between you”

If his teammates didn’t like him before, they certainly didn’t like him now. Both cursing as Maki jumped backwards to move around the smoke field. Activating his laser weapon, Maki charged the opponent mech ground from the side, with no other plan of forcing them into to the smoke and hoping they’d swing at each other in the confusion.

Unfortunately things didn’t go that smoothly. As soon as one mech cleared the smoke, the others followed. Annoyed at the cockiness of dropping smoke bombs, all three mechs teamed up against him… while his two teammates focused on the flag. If only he could weaponise his barrier. If he could have modded the barrier to form how he desired a lance would have been good, or even a whip. Instead, alarms started going off as the three mechs started firing at him. The best he could do was return fire.

But his best wasn’t good enough. Three mechs acting independently meant three opponents, all with different thoughts. As he barrelled into the closest mech, the alarms in his cockpit suddenly stopped, the word “Eliminated” popping up on the display. The defeat was bitter, yet it would be unseemly to fight after being disqualified, even if his mech had more to give.

Reluctantly, Maki was forced to sit back as he watched his team lose. He’d not gotten to fight, nor had he gotten to test his suit’s capabilities further. It stung.

#omegaverse #mpreg #mech #mecha #pilot x pilot #older uke younger seme #rfi #rage fire #rage fire institute

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