#when i ran into it being used for riku the first time

[thistaleisabloodyone]

So the two Exile Tribe members that have been said to have "heart(s) of glass" are Riku and Leiya. It keeps happening to the muscle boys 😂

#thistale rambles #sorry i spent way too long #on trying to verify the japanese meaning of 'heart of glass' #when i ran into it being used for riku the first time #so now i notice when it comes up again

[linagram]

[ 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚔𝚒 𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚒'𝚜 𝚝𝟸 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊 ] 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛

HHHHHHH THIS IS AN INTERESTING ONE TO ME. i'm really curious about what's her verdict gonna be this time, because i feel like her behavior is kind of.. like, it's not suspicious, but it surely makes you think, and also there were some implications in akio's birthday tl conversation.

Warnings for Aimi's VD: Akio's injury is mentioned again and there's a description of his suicide attempt.

Warnings for Aimi's MV: Her MV shows Aimi being bullied again and there are also mentions of blood.

(the door opens)

Aimi: ...

Miki: H-hello, Hanasaki-san.

Aimi: ...

Miki: Um.. 

Miki: Aimi-chan?

Aimi: Ah, hello, Guard 002-san! I'm so happy to see you!

Aimi: .. You too, Guard 001-san.

Eiji: "She surely has her favorites."

Aimi: So.. Are you going to interrogate us in person today?

Eiji: Of course we are. What kind of question is that?

Aimi: But didn't you-

Aimi: .. Sorry, that's probably just me being silly, haha.

Miki: "Didn't Miyagawa-san ask us something about this interrogation too?"

Aimi: You probably still have a lot of questions about.. uh..

Aimi: Well.. my crime.

Eiji: *sits down* We sure do.

Aimi: Well, ask me anything you want then! I promise to cooperate.

Miki: *sits down too* B-but can I ask you about how's your life in Milgram been going first?

Aimi: *nods* Sure! 

Aimi: Um, what exactly do you want to know?

Miki: How are you feeling? Is everything okay?

Eiji: "She was voted innocent, of course, everything is okay for her."

Aimi: .. I think that depends on what exactly we're talking about, haha.

Aimi: Like, I really like my new hairstyle and I'm glad that I'm doing overall better now.

Aimi: Look at this! No bandaids or bandages at all, hehe~

Eiji: ".. I feel like she's trying to make me angry on purpose."

Aimi: But also.. 

Aimi: .. The guilty prisoners.

Miki: Y-yeah..

Aimi: Let me guess, you want to know more about my relationship with Akio-kun? 

Miki: H-how did you-

Aimi: Well, everyone finds it kinda weird. Sure, you could often see us together before, but..

Aimi: .. I knew that Akio-kun actually doesn't enjoy my company that much.

Aimi: He agreed to hang out with me only when I told him that Riku-kun will be there too. 

Aimi: But now.. Akio-kun can't do anything without me.

Miki: .. You're the only person in this prison who actually feels sorry for him and tries to help him. Of course, he likes you a lot now.

Aimi: *laughs* You're right, you're right.

Eiji: .. Hey.

Eiji: Why are you helping him anyway?

Aimi: Hm? But isn't that.. a good thing?

Aimi: I couldn't just let him die, you know?

Aimi: When I heard what Riku-kun had said to him.. I knew that if I won't interfere, it's gonna be the end for Akio-kun.

Aimi: Akio-kun tries really hard to make everyone believe that he's so cool and strong, but deep inside he's actually a huge softie, you know?

Aimi: A-and I don't mean it in a bad way! I'm not exactly the strongest person either.

Aimi: .. I'm the weakest person in this prison, honestly.

Aimi: So.. I knew that Akio-kun likes Riku-kun a lot. I can't imagine how painful it was for him to hear those words from someone he liked so much..

Aimi: So when everyone had left, I went to check up on Akio-kun and..

Aimi: There he was. Beating his head against the wall. Crying and repeating something over and over.

Aimi: There already was some blood on the wall too. 

Aimi: The cell door wasn't closed for some reason, so I instantly ran there and stopped him before it was too late.

Aimi: Maybe one of you forgot to close it?.. I-I'm not blaming you or anything! I mean, if it wasn't for that door, I wouldn't have been able to stop him.

Eiji: .. Hey, Guard 002, wasn't it your turn to check if everyone's cells are closed that night?

Miki: N-not now, Eiji-san.

Aimi: And he just.. I don't know, after that night, he quickly became attached to me.

Aimi: We get along so well now! I help him when he needs to walk somewhere, I make sure he doesn't forget to eat, I read his books out loud to him too. 

Aimi: .. He's going to be forgiven this time, right?

Eiji: Huh?

Aimi: I mean.. If you vote him guilty for the second time, you're also going to punish him again, right?

Eiji: Of course, that's what I do to all the guilty prisoners-

Aimi: Guard 001-san, just so you know, I respect you a lot, but also..

Aimi: This guy is going to die if you even try to do something to him again.

Aimi: And I won't be there to save him. 

Aimi: .. Or is that exactly what you want to do? Do you want to kill him before the third trial even starts?

Eiji: .. Y-you're sure more confident now, aren't you?

Aimi: This isn't about confidence, Guard 001-san. I'm just stating the obvious.

Eiji: Are you implying that I'm dumb-

Miki: She's right, Eiji-san. If you try to punish Miyagawa-san again, he will die. 

Miki: Or.. he's going to do something bad to himself again.

Eiji: .. It's not my problem if he dies.

Aimi: Really? I think it will be your problem if he dies.

Aimi: He will die from your own hands then. You will become a murderer. You will become the kind of person you hate so much, isn't that terrifying?

Aimi: *laughs* To be honest, when I saw what you did to the guilty prisoners, I thought that you're way too experienced for something like that.

Aimi: .. It's like you really had murdered someone in the past.

Eiji: !

Eiji: *gets up*

Eiji: What did you say?..

Miki: Eiji-san, sit down.

Aimi: Guard 001-san, aren't you tired of getting angry so easily all the time?

Aimi: Don't you think that's kind of.. unprofessional?

Eiji: .. What is wrong with you?

Eiji: What, you think you can act like that just because you've finally made one friend in this place?

Eiji: Akio hated you before all of this, you know? You're just using him to feel better about yourself, aren't you?

Miki: I SAID SIT DOWN!

Eiji: ...

Eiji: B-but, Guard 002-

Miki: Now.

Eiji: ... *sits down*

Aimi: Thank you, Guard 002-san.

Miki: (to Eiji) *whispering* Why are you acting like this, Eiji-san?

Eiji: *whispering* I.. She's acting way too-

Miki: *whispering* I'm sorry, Eiji-san, but I think you've crossed the line this time.

Eiji: W-what?

Aimi: Now, about me being friends with Akio-kun.

Aimi: I'm just helping him because I don't want to see him in pain.

Aimi: I'm doing this because this is what I wanted someone to do back when I was.. 

Aimi: .. Bullied.

Miki: .. S-so you're admitting that your classmates never were your friends after all?

Aimi: *nods*

Aimi: I really didn't want to believe it, even though that's exactly the reason why I.. agreed to that, but after I was done with my murder, something in my brain just couldn't let me fully accept it. 

Aimi: I still wanted to believe that they were my friends. I still wanted to believe that they actually liked me.

Eiji: .. "Agreed to that"?

Miki: That is so understandable. I'm glad that you've finally realized that you deserve to be treated better.

Aimi: Hehe, thank you.. I like you a lot, Guard 002-san.

Miki: I-I have one more question, if that's okay.

Miki: .. I don't know if it's just me, but I've noticed that you don't really talk to anyone except Miyagawa-san anymore. Is there any particular reason for that?

Aimi: .. Ah, about that. 

Eiji: Actually, yeah, I want to know about that too.

Eiji: ".. That's interesting. Maybe she really is using Akio because he's so vulnerable right now, but I've never seen her try and talk to Yurika or Kei."

Eiji: "At the same time that's understandable, but still.. Why isn't she trying to help them too if they're also in pain?"

Aimi: .. I love everyone here. I really do.

Aimi: Even you, Guard 001-san, haha.

Aimi: I knew from the start that every single prisoner here is a murderer. Of course I knew that.

Aimi: But I still wanted all of them to be forgiven. I believed that all of them deserve to be voted innocent. I didn't know much about their crimes, but something was telling me that they deserve to be saved.

Aimi: But now.. I'm not so sure anymore.

Aimi: The way everyone is acting now scares me. I don't think I can trust them.

Aimi: Yes, some of them had acted like that even before their verdicts were announced, but it felt different. 

Aimi: The way Shun-san and Eiko-san treat Kei-san now is terrible. Naomi-san helps me with taking care of Akio-kun, but I still think she's suspicious. Asahi-kun is acting even worse than before and there's nothing cute about his behavior. And do I even have to explain why I don't talk to Riku-kun anymore?

Aimi: Reina-san is fine, but I still prefer to avoid her.

Aimi: And I feel sorry for Kei-san and Yurika-san, but also..

Eiji: .. You think they deserved to be punished?

Aimi: What? N-no!

Aimi: It's just.. Sometimes I look at them and go: "I can see why you were voted guilty".

Eiji: Do you think they should be voted guilty this time too?

Aimi: .. Isn't that for you to decide?

Eiji: Didn't you want us to forgive Akio though?

Aimi: And it's still for you to decide. I just said that if you punish him again, he'll die. The choice is still yours, isn't it?

Eiji: So.. You don't talk to them anymore because they aren't as "good" as you imagined them to be?

Eiji: .. *laughs*

Eiji: Wow, that's messed up.

Miki: I-if she thinks they're too dangerous, then it's okay-

Aimi: Hey, Guard 001-san.

Aimi: .. If I was voted guilty, don't you think that at least one of those prisoners would treat me differently?

Aimi: And yes, I know that Akio-kun could bully me too if he was voted innocent. But I expected that from him, I knew that he doesn't like me anyway.

Aimi: .. I feel like most of these prisoners have only pretended to like me. And they still do.

Aimi: It's only natural for me to avoid them, right?

Eiji: Still, don't you think that's kind of-

Aimi: (in a deeper voice) Guard 001-san, are you saying that I should be friends with people who would have killed me if given the chance? Thanks, but I don't want to go through all that shit again.

Eiji: ...

Eiji: ".. What was that just now?"

Aimi: (back to her normal voice) Anyway, so, now we have to talk about my crime, right? I don't think we have much time left too..

Miki: Right.. So, about your crime..

Eiji: What did you agree to, Aimi? 

Eiji: You had an accomplice, didn't you?

Aimi: ...

Eiji: "I was told that it would be nice if all of them just died". Who told you that?

Aimi: .. Haha.. 

Aimi: I guess it's okay for me to say that I did have an accomplice.

Aimi: Actually, I'm not sure which crime of mine we're talking about.

Eiji and Miki: Huh??

Aimi: I-It's just that I'm not sure if that crime can be considered.. something that I did. 

Aimi: So.. I'm just going to talk about what I consider my crime.

Aimi: If we're talking about my crime, then no, I did everything without anyone's help. If we're talking about what happened before, it was mostly my accomplice's doing.

Eiji: "I'm starting to see why Aimi and Akio get along so well."

Miki: T-this is getting confusing..

Miki: O-okay, let's go back to the topic of your crime. 

Miki: I just found something very weird.. So, you know we have to extract your video again after this, right?

Aimi: Yes, I do. I wonder what you will see this time..

Miki: The thing is.. We saw something very weird in your first video.

Miki: We saw this.. place.. It looked very familiar to me, but also it looked much more scary than I remember it being..

Aimi: !

Aimi: Ahaha.. I think I know what you're talking about..

Aimi: .. Do you think you saw an amusement park?

Miki: I think so?..

Miki: But why-

Aimi: .. Both crimes took place there.

Miki: .. What?

Eiji: Oh, we're finally getting somewhere.

Eiji: Why an amusement park though?

Aimi: W-well-

Eiji: Wait, it makes sense.

Eiji: You see, I just couldn't understand how and where your crime happened. Like, if your classmates were your victims.. 

Eiji: Did you blow up the whole school or something? But that would kill other people too..

Eiji: But how else could you make all of them gather up in one place?

Eiji: .. Maybe during a class trip?

Aimi: ...

Eiji: Answer. Now.

Aimi: .. M-my family owns it.

Aimi: I mean.. That park.

Miki: .. W-what??

(bell rings, machinery sounds)

Miki: .. Oh no.

Aimi: Hehe, we really didn't have much time left, did we?..

Eiji: *gets up* Tell us about your accomplice right now.

Eiji: Who did you ask to help you?

Eiji: You didn't have any friends, right? So who could you-

Eiji: No friends.. 

Eiji: And your family owned that park..

Eiji: .. Your parents? No, you had only one accomplice, right?

Eiji: Was it your father? Your mother?

Eiji: Your grandmother? Your grandfather? Your older brother?

Eiji: JUST ANSWER ALREADY!

Miki: Aimi-chan, please!

Aimi: ...

Eiji: Whatever, we're just gonna see everything with our own eyes.

Eiji: Prisoner 002, Aimi, sing your sins!

Aimi: Oh well, he's dead anyway. 

42% ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░░░░░ 100%

[ MV Description ]

The video would have very pretty, soft and pastel colors, but more and more red and purple would appear closer to the end. 

The video takes place in an amusement park. 

Aimi's MV starts with Aimi's classmates running around, having fun and doing whatever they want meanwhile the girl herself just watches them. 

"It's okay, I just like seeing you so happy

It feels nice because you all are happy because of me and only me"

She also keeps looking somewhere, almost like she's waiting for someone to appear or she's looking for someone. 

She sees one of her classmates drop their ice cream on the ground and then they just walk over it. She comes closer and one of her classmates pushes her and she ends up falling and getting that ice cream on her face. While she's lying on the ground, another classmate "accidentally" spills their drink on Aimi and just walks past her. But the music is still fun and the colors are still cute.

"It's okay, it's okay, I keep repeating

I can take more, this is all just to make you happy"

However, Aimi's face expression changes and her eyes look more empty and she isn't smiling anymore. She clenches her fist, finally gets up and the chorus starts playing. She imagines everything being even more fun and bright and she imagines her classmates turning back and smiling, waiting for her to join them. She smiles back and runs to them, but when she's finally there, they're already gone and the colors start getting darker meanwhile the music becomes slower.

"No, something about this is wrong

Why am I the only one who's still not smiling?

What's the purpose, what's the meaning

Why should I be trying to make you happy while I'm the only one who's suffering?"

Her classmates go to check out the attractions and she still stands there, watching them. She can see some of them looking at her and talking to each other while laughing, obviously making fun of her. Her eyes become empty again and she reaches for something in her pocket. 

Suddenly one girl walks up to her and points to one of the rides. She asks Aimi something and takes her hand. Aimi gets very happy, she nods and goes to follow her, but then she stops, almost like she's just remembered something. Aimi lets her hand go and shakes her head. 

"Please don't say I'm bad for saying no to you

There's a reason why I don't trust anyone anymore"

The girl stands there for a second, but then gives Aimi a smile and leaves. Aimi continues to watch others having fun and now there's a drop of sweat running down her cheek. 

"It's okay, it's okay, I keep repeating

Even though everything is going to end soon

I promise you will remember this day as the most fun day of your life"

She shakes her head again and she looks around, like she's looking for someone again. She catches a glimpse of someone wearing the same mask from her T1 MV and calms down. The chorus plays again and we go back to soft and pastel colors and we can see Aimi's classmates getting on the ferris wheel, rollercoaster and other rides. All of them are smiling and laughing.

The chorus ends and the music becomes slower again. The sky's color suddenly turns red and the colors start becoming darker in general. Aimi looks nervous again, but she tries to stay positive and she sees a cute light blue balloon appearing out of nowhere. 

"Everything is going according to plan, there's no reason for me to worry

I trust you completely, I know you would never betray me"

She smiles and tries to touch it, but right as she does so, it pops and Aimi now has blood on her face and hands. She gets scared and turns around and sees that there are balloons everywhere. She is even more scared now and she tries to run away, but the balloons start popping for no reason at all and now everything around Aimi starts getting covered in blood. 

"I still trust you, I promise I won't lose faith

Everything is going according to plan, right?

What you had said to me wasn't a lie, please tell me it wasn't"

Now there's more blood on her as well. She trips and falls as another balloon pops right in front of her and when she looks down, she sees that she's lying on something. Or someone. She looks closer and it's very blurry, but you can clearly see that this person has the same hairstyle as the girl who wanted to spend time with Aimi earlier. But there's also too much blood. Aimi gets shocked and she covers her mouth. 

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry

I don't think this was a good idea"

She can't get up because of how scared she is and then suddenly, a mysterious figure appears in front of her.

That figure is wearing the mask from her T1 MV. It's hard to say anything about their appearance because of them wearing a dark cape that covers their whole body, but they're definitely taller and older than Aimi. They help her get up. Aimi carefully takes their hand and even though it looks like she knows this person and trusts them, she's still scared and she has no idea what's going on. Aimi asks them something and that figure just starts laughing and makes Aimi look at everything that's happening around her once again. Aimi sees that there are no balloons left and the whole park is ruined and it looks just like that scary place from her first MV. Aimi realizes something and it looks like she deeply regrets everything and she's about to cry. 

"Oh, I see, so it really was a lie

There's blood on my hands, there's blood on your hands

Both of us are sinners, both of us have "Guilty" written on our faces"

The figure takes her hand again and tries to calm her down. Aimi takes a deep breath and it looks like she's back to normal. She turns back to the figure and gives them a hug, which surprises them, but they hug her back too. 

"Well, maybe it's okay, maybe it's okay for me to repeat those words again

Maybe it's okay for us to be like this

I'm so sorry, I will never doubt you again

I promise, I will never say no to you" 

Now, the figure lets Aimi go for a second and it looks like they're about to take their mask off, but before they manage to do that, Aimi suddenly reveals that she had a pocket knife in her hand. 

"There's a reason why I don't trust anyone anymore

Yes, even you"

We can see from the figure's POV that Aimi is getting closer and closer to them (and us) and it looks like she has not the best intentions, but right after that we go back to Aimi's POV and.. It turns out that she still sees a balloon right in front of her. 

"Don't fool me with that mask of kindness ever again

If they won't send you to Hell, I will"

Aimi smiles and uses the knife on it and the video ends with a loud sound of the balloon popping and more blood getting on Aimi's face.

#so :))))) how are we feeling about that vd's ending guys?? #well at least there are some hints to her victim's identity now. probably #like at least we know their gender now. at least we know that #and about that scene with aimi “acting weirder than usual”.. #keep that in mind for later bc i'm planning to reveal more about her past in s3! #also yay aimi congrats on getting that emu otori kinnie achievement? #i LOVE her mv's second part so much. she's so unhinged there #.. also just realized that i forgot to add the vd tag for akio's vd. i'll go and fix that #milgram #milgram oc #milgram project #ocgram #🎤 voice dramas! 🎤 #🗡️guard 001: sanada eiji 🗡️ #🌼guard 002: andou miki 🌼 #🌸prisoner 002: hanasaki aimi🌸

[dominicsorel]

So I’m sure we’ve discussed how attentive Riku is in BBS to Sora in the past and I think we should discuss Sora’s reactions to Aqua and Terra respectively.

Although Sora may laugh it off in embarrassment (which is truly the concerning aspect if you ask me...he’s mask up until he realizes Aqua is genuine...), Aqua’s jump down startles him, leaving us to see Riku almost studying the situation like he’s taking notes in his head, paying close attention to Sora’s mood along with Aqua’s behavior and giving Sora little smiles to help soothe his worries.

Note: This takes place AFTER they meet Terra so Sora is definitely more calm around strangers after Riku spoke to Terra and reassures Sora. Just ended up discussing the other one first, my bad!

(A small subtle moment that can be brushed aside as simply sudden but with the idea of Sora was probably abused on the table...it changes things.)

(Riku tries to get a read on the situation because Sora seems unsettled.)

(His body language is making me sad lol)

(Riku smiles at Sora a few times in this cutscene to reassure him but drops it fast when he looks back to Aqua to continue studying the situation so it’s pretty easy to miss any of them sadly)

(BTW bless you Aqua for getting on their height level!!!!!!!)

(Riku: Sora...protect me? But I’m supposed to protect him or at least make sure he can protect himself if I’m not there. He shouldn’t have to worry about me. I’m going to be strong enough so he doesn’t have to worry about that!)

(Sora: Me? Protect Riku? Could I ever even do that? ...Someone like me? Does he even need protecting? He’s so much stronger than me.)

Little do either know here that Riku helping Sora become stronger will one day leave him feeling unneeded and unwanted, rising worries of being abandoned in favor of other people while Sora’s inferiority complex will cause him to misread the original point of their competitions which was to help him gain strength to protect himself and make him cling onto the idea of protecting himself instead of being protected (because he finds it shameful) and protecting someone who actually DOES need him and he doesn’t think Riku is that person, or at least one of the them. But he is.

Now back to BBS! When Terra shows up, you’ll see that Sora very clearly cowers away from Terra and is even shown out of breath from running up the stairs in the background while Riku stops to check Terra out continuing to reveal just how much Riku picks up on. He knows there are other worlds, knows Terra isn’t from this place, knows he wants to leave with Sora, knows he wants to protect Sora, knows he wants Sora to be able to defend himself, and so forth. Kid’s got mad awareness...or something. Especially, in relation to his devotion towards Sora at such a young age.

(Riku walking so Sora will win because he knows Sora loves to play Captain.)

(Sora has noticed Terra...here we go...)

(In this part, you see Sora sticking to the right side as he observes this stranger from afar. It’s reasonable to write this slowdown off as “stranger danger” but...)

(Riku was watching Sora as he walked and then stops walking as Sora reaches the dock and Terra turns. He’s noticed the stranger is looking at him.)

(Time to investigate!)

(Finally, we see Sora shown in the background having finished running until he was out of breathe...could be read as he overdid it to be Captain but...why when Riku doesn’t catch up while he slows down to observe Terra and is clearly walking behind him...?)

(By the end of Terra and Riku’s conversation, Sora has had enough of staying there and has gotten worried about Riku. At this point, Sora’s more sure of Riku’s ability to self-sustain than his own so he believes Riku will be fine without him. He’s the one who needs protecting, after all. ...Right? Anyways, this is probably less memorable to Sora as he ran away pretty quickly and doesn’t meet Terra like Riku does. It’s an unfamiliar situation and he’s uncomfortable. He’s probably not happy that he just let Riku chat with the stranger alone either which is why he stays when Aqua shows up. Maybe.)

A final thought but you may have noticed how my takes on Riku’s attentiveness and goal of protecting Sora also coincides with them competing. That’s because I believe all of that likely started with Riku thinking to himself that Sora needs to be strong too in case Riku isn’t able to be there for him so either he starts playfully suggesting they compete or starts to respond to Sora’s suggestions of playful competing so he knows Sora can keep up at the very least. It truly makes all the toy sword fights, races, and the unconscious passing of the Keyblade only even more natural on top of everything.

#soriku #didi speaks #text

[cryo-knight]

Sometimes I think about the fact that a Wasteland/Epic Mickey world would be so absolutely perfect for Kingdom Hearts, with the themes of heart and memory, and even arguably light and darkness between both, but knowing that Disney is highly unlikely to use Oswald in any significant way at any point in the future is actually super disheartening, especially for Epic Mickey fans like myself.

I've always had this headcanon that, say if Oswald were to appear in Kingdom Hearts, what his role would be. I always think back to the connection between Sora and Mickey (or even Ventus and Mickey) who were always sort of a parallel to each other. They both care deeply about their friends, and help guide others to the light. Sora's KH1 design was even based on Mickey, and both wield a version of the Kingdom Key.

When it comes to dark parallels, an immediate comparison to Sora would be Vanitas. You could also argue Roxas, however, from a directly visual standpoint, it's Vanitas who looks like the dark version of Sora, and Roxas is now actively one of the guardians of light.

And who do we know of that works as a dark counterpart to Mickey, other than Oswald himself. It's established in Epic Mickey 1 that Oswald doesn't like Mickey, resents him in fact (though this changes towards the end of the game), which sounds a lot like how Vanitas resents Sora and Ven. Unlike Mickey, Oswald was forced to sit there, watching as he and the people he cared about become forgotten, and couldn't do much of anything to prevent Wasteland from being mostly destroyed by thinner and the Blot, losing the one person he cared about most in the process. It would be easy to imagine someone going through all that, and ending up falling to darkness. Even the people living in Wasteland don't hide the fact that they're genuinely sad about not being remembered, though Oswald actively tries to make things better for them given the circumstances.

Interestingly, as a bit of a side note, Horace Horsecollar was actually living in Wasteland during the events of Epic Mickey, but was later added as a character residing in Disney Town in BBS.

Both Oswald and Mickey are kings. In Epic Mickey, Oswald is the king of Wasteland, and in Kingdom Hearts, Mickey is the king of Disney Castle. With Disney Castle being found in the Realm of Light, I've always thought it would fitting if instead of being in Yen Sid's tower, Wasteland was found somewhere in the Realm of Darkness. This then leads to Vanitas, as after he was destroyed in KH3, if he were to be rebuilt again like he was in Monstropolis, I'd be fitting for him to end up in Wasteland with Oswald, a world literally made for those who were forgotten, losing their hearts. And when Vanitas was first separated from Ven prior to BBS, he had already lost half of his heart, which could arguably be connected to Oswald losing Ortensia during the Blot's attack, albeit with very different circumstances.

This gets shaky when taking into account that Vanitas' real heart might actually still be inside of Ven's from when they fought at the end of BBS, and the version of him we see in KH3 is a time traveled version, however, as I already mentioned, this is just a headcanon I've had since around 0.2.

I know the story for KH4 is mostly going to center around the world of Unreality, and presumably Riku getting Sora back, as well as potentially dipping into the coming battle between the Master of Masters, the Foretellers, and the guardians of light, however, we know that when searching for any sign of Sora, the BBS trio actively started making trips into the Realm of Darkness. And wouldn't it be interesting if they wound up stumbling across a world of forgotten people, and Ven somehow ran into his other half once again.

#kingdom hearts #disney #oswald the lucky rabbit #epic mickey #kingdom hearts theory #kingdom hearts headcanon #Vanitas #Highly unlikely theory of mine that I've been thinking about since 0.2

[yume127]

Parallels between Roxas and Ventus

They both went through a zombie stage.

For Ventus, it happened after Xehanort split his heart in half, while Roxas’ was the first days after his birth.

They both ran away from the only home they knew.

Ventus did it to follow Terra, because he was scared of losing him after being taunted by Vanitas.

Roxas did it after he learned what the Organization and Axel had been hiding from him, to go find the truth about himself.

They felt left out by their friends and were both affected by it to the point they even questioned their friendship with them.

Ventus asked Terra and Aqua to bring him with them on their adventures, but they refused and told him to go home, because they didn’t want to put him in harm’s way. He was hurt by it and, after meeting Lea and Isa, he said that “it must be nice knowing who your friends are”.

Axel and Xion both hid important information from Roxas during their time in the Organization, and either avoided him or refused to tell him what was going on, even when he asked them. Roxas noticed it, and even wrote in his diary that he felt left out. During his last mission in Agrabah (Day 354), he asked himself if he still had got any friends he belonged with.

They were seen as pawns by the villain of their game, which were people they originally trusted.

I’m sure Ventus trusted Xehanort when he was his student. Xehanort, though, only saw him as a pawn, a chess piece for his plan. He decided to split Ventus’ heart to forge the X-blade not even knowing if Ventus would survive the split (and he almost didn’t).

Roxas originally trusted the Organization, but they only saw him as a pawn, a puppet only good to follow orders and eventually be turned into a Xehanort. When he was not useful to them anymore, they simply decided to get rid of him.

Both of them had to deal with having important things about themselves being hidden from them, and questioning who/what they are.

Eraqus never wanted Ventus to visit other worlds or to grow stronger because he was afraid about what would have happened if the X-blade was to be forged. When Ventus found out about this, he questioned what he really was and confronted Eraqus to learn the truth.

Axel didn’t want for Roxas to find out he was Sora’s Nobody, because he was afraid that, if Roxas knew about it, he would go away to look for Sora. When Roxas found out what Axel and the Organization had been hiding from him, he questioned who he really was and confronted Axel to learn the truth. Moreover, when he was put into Data Twilight Town and his memories were wiped, DiZ and Riku also tried to keep Roxas from finding out the truth about himself.

They both experienced having someone they trusted trying to hurt them.

In Ventus’ case, two of his masters tried to hurt him. First, Master Xehanort when he tried to split his heart, and for what Xehanort knew that could have killed Ven, and almost did. Then, Eraqus decided Ven should no longer exist because he was scared of what would happen if Ventus and Vanitas merged to create the X-blade, and he would have succeeded had Terra not stopped him.

In Roxas’ case, the Organization decided they would get rid of him after he was no longer useful to them, and sent him to do very difficult missions, hoping he would get defeated. I’m pretty sure Roxas still trusted the Organization when they decided they didn’t need him anymore. He was also attacked by Xion at the end of Days, and Axel at the beginning of KH2 (even if, in Xion’s case, she did it to force Roxas to defeat her. I’m not sure Roxas realized it, though).

They both were told they should not exist.

Eraqus told Ventus he should no longer exist, while DiZ told Roxas he should have never existed. They reacted very differently: when Ventus found out the truth about himself and the X-blade, he believed he shouldn’t exist and even asked his friends to put an end to him, while Roxas fought tooth and nail for his right to exist.

 I’m not sure if the following count as parallels, but I wanted to include them anyway:

While Roxas was born in Twilight Town, it seems like Ventus was originally from Daybreak Town.

They both have a light and darkness motif. It is especially clear in their clothes, which are very similar. Ven’s is probably to represent he and Vanitas, the light and the darkness, while for Roxas is probably because as a Nobody, he’s a being in between light and darkness.

#Roxas and Ventus #roxas #ventus #ven #kingdom hearts #kh #I have a lot of thoughts about them lately #they have so many things in common

[mejomonster]

So I started Tomb of the Sea again:

Ok so. I went in fresh instead of "craving" more of a specific dmbj thing and I think it made me much more open to it

I actually love how it opens a ton. Li Cu's life is given to us and it's a hot fucking mess. He and one of his only friends are 2/3 who failed the college entrance exam. His dad is so nightmarish he's got claustrophobia (and learned how to Pick Locks which I'm sure will be useful later). He skips class and is glad his mom ran and I wish he could too ;-;

His "best" friend Su Wan stalks girls with cameras so lmao he Ain't A Good kid, but he is a Rich Kid and puts up with Li Cu since they got a special "wtf are we doing" energy so at least Li Cu's got A friend. Questionable friend. But Su Wan seems open to helping friends and warm despite some Yikes immaturity levels and Yikes choices so li cu can you just run away to live with him?

The girl friend Shen Qiong? I forgot her name sorry you know who I mean. Now with fresh eyes, I really like the 2 bogs "liking her' and the little rivalry about it. That Li Cu seems to like her in the sense of Sincerely caring maybe deeper than Su Wan. But on the other hand Su Wan definitely wants to kiss her more lmao. The 3 of them scream friends since childhood and I picture them as sora riku Kairi now (but who is who I'm not sure). The Little friends with a crush inside the friendgroup plot feels so NICELY like a different genre - like Go Ahead or something that's realism slice of life so parents are potentially abusive or life's fucking Heavy sometimes, but they're still TEENS who care most about avoiding punishment and talking to crushes and being silly alone with friends. It's a taste of what "genre' I guess Li Cu's life would've been if he never intersected the tomb raiders. A dark heavy realism piece like The Bond (starring Bai Yu). But with that human simple joy of friends/found family in the bright spots.

On that note: they paint a picture of how grungy and miserable Li Cu's negative aspects of life are and that works SO WELL. Wu Xies life before tomb raiding? We get the sense Maybe his parents were sometimes absent, and definitely coddled him and picked a life path NOT like the Wu family's and tried to push him. And the whole San Shu abandonment/codependency thing wu xie developed ToT. But overall wu xies family had good money, sent him to a good college, he was perfectly smart, could get his own business, he had friends (although his penchant for tombs means he transitioned to more killer/criminal types over time lol). He had a very nice easygoing civilian life before things went to shit when San shu left him. He craved Excitement, knowledge, danger, curiosity. But he wasn't running from anything and his life would not have been "worse" had he never went into tomb raiding (he'd lack his loved ones who are tomb raiders of course but u know what I mean - he wouldn't know he was missing those friendships). His biggest pain if he'd kept to civilian life (and enjoyed it - but he didnt) would've been his fucking uncle San abandoning him and his pain at not going to look for him. That'd be mostly it though. But LI CU? Even a person kidnapping him is preferable to the 24 hours he goes through in the first ep.

Li Cus apartment window faces a fucking wall, he's got claustrophobia and his dad locks him in, his college prospects are dead in the water, his best friend/crush is going off to college (more on her later), his friends still around keep getting into fights so he's beat up at like 12 midnight with them, his teacher keeps calling his dad increasing the abuse from that, he's broke, his moms gone and he clearly loves her so he's missing her. He IS the kind of protagonist who'd want to leave for any New Life. He loves his friends but if they're taken he'd have NO reason to remain, even with his friends he'd likely leave his dad if given Any decent opportunity like a job with money. Unlike Wu Xie, Li Cu doesn't leave for adventure or trying to find a loved one (San shu), Li Cu is instead trapped and it TAKES absolutely batshit events to "free" him which just put him in a new trap of kidnapping. It's just Very Cool to me to see the contrast.

And to END the ep with Wu Xie saying his name, revealing he's the kidnapper and the spies are his. The stabber who harmed Li Cu was HIS guy. I love the flip from wu xie usually being painted as the shiny kindhearted (somewhere in there) adventurous young man, to this shady cruel (in Li Cu's opinion the source of EVEN WORSE than his ordinary life) man who echoes San shu. It must've been fun to set that up.

The girl. Sheng Qiong?? OK I'm just curious if in another Novel it mentions she ALEEADY went tomb raiding. Or something. It seems Iike she went with wu xie (or other tomb raiders) people while on "vacation travelling" then maybe stole their magic tentacle monster box and. Who the Fuck knows why she gave it to Li Cu... either she hoped to hide it with him, or she intentionally wanted to hurt him (I assume she just wanted to hide it). But yeah she seems to know WAY more about the tomb side of shit. I'm curious if we'll find out more.

TENTACLE MONSTERS WHAT DID I SAY. I still LOVE this shows opening. I love the body horror of the mini version jumping into li cu. I love how genuinely SCARY tomb of the sea is compared to some other dmbj seasons. It looks good, the action looks good, the horror looks good and LANDS <3

The pacing is good so far thank fuck (I'll drift away if pacing tanks tbh)

Ep 1 is Li Cu's no good very bad day THEN when you thought it couldn't get worse it turns out it's just a Normal day for him, and then spies come in so it's Action Adventure now instead of teen slice of life realism, THEN a tentacle monster shows up jumps into him and its HORROR then the guy fucking STABS HIM AND THEN WANG MENG KIDNAPS HIM (go you wang meng you were very intimidating and <3 love u I hope u get paid more. Love the show implying wang meng is so hot he makes doctors forget their oaths). Like... it sure does ESCALATE into a terrifying nightmare esque situation and I love thattttt

#tots #lb #tomb of the sea #dmbj

[kyunkyunscans]

It's i7's turn to visit the cat café! This chapter isn't set at any time in particular.

PG 141 Extra #2 Idolish7 and the Cat Café Riku-san has a chronic condition. And when exposed to animal fur, he has a severe coughing attack.

(Cat Café)

Mitsuki: Since Riku has individual work today, the six of us will be covering cat cafes! 

Riku: Hello, I’m Nanase Riku! Today I’m here on my own at this shopping street. 

Banri: About Riku-kun’s illness…

PG 142 Banri: Are we never going to announce something about it?

Tsumugi: Right. It’s worked so far, and Riku has expressed he doesn’t want to worry the fans…

Riku: (Look at this!) Riku: (Eh? Is that their specialty?)

Riku-san as IDOLiSH7’s center is easy to like. He shows excitement when he doesn’t know something.

PG 143 So when we have days like today. We can separate into different locations

Iori:...guh

Mitsuki: Iori… you’re lookin’ kinda scary… Mitsuki: (You can do it…) Iori: Sorry…! (Can’t handle furry things…) (Cool~) Tamaki: The cat on our way to school ran away from Iorin at first, too 

PG 144 Mitsuki: Look here? Mitsuki: (The sure way to make friends with a cat is…) Mitsuki: Just act like you don’t really notice them coming closer…

Mitsuki: And right about here… *scritch scritch* *pat pat*

Cat: *purr purr* *reach* Mitsuki: (Ah ha ha ha!) Mitsuki: See?! That’s the ticket! Cat: *startled* Trio: Shhhh! Mitsuki: Ah crap! *Cats are sensitive to loud noises

Yamato: Haha, Mitsu Yamato: You really are an annoyingly helpful guy Yamato: (Whether here or there) *lounge* Mitsuki: Oi… Mitsuki: (We’re shooting!) Yamato: Now, now

Yamato: Look! *toddle* *lazily* *stretch* *soft*

PG 145 *heh…* Yamato: Right? Trio: Y-yeah…

Tamaki: Oh yeah, cats like the elderly huh. Mitsuki: (Pfft!) Yamato: Who are you calling elderly?!!

*rub* Tamaki: Oh?

Tamaki: What do you want!? Tamaki (I was scared I was gonna step on you!) Yamato: Looks like that one’s getting attached to you, too!

Tamaki: Haha!

Mitsuki: This cheater gets to pet one without even doing anything!

PG 146 Sogo: I wonder if cats like them because they’re being calmer? Tamaki: (Look!) Sou-chan and Iorin, you try to pet them, too!

Iori: I suppose I don’t have a choice… Sogo: Right Sogo: Pardon me if the usable footage ratio for me is low… (We’ll survive)

Mitsuki/Yamato: “Usable footage ratio”... *The portion you can use for the broadcast Mitsuki: (Not something like “They’re cute so I want to pet them”...?) Yamato: (He’s in work mode…I guess?)

Mitsuki: Oh, by the way, where’s Nagi? 

PG 147 Sogo: Wh-what’s going on? Yamato: There’s some kind of tension going on between those two?! Worker: That’s our boss cat!

*flop*

PG 148 Somehow… Noble!!!

Director: Ok, cut!

Worker: Um Worker: May I take a commemorative photo for the café?

Yamato: Sure

By all means!

PG 149 Crew: Let’s take a break!

PG 150 *thump* *sigh* Riku: I wonder what everyone’s doing around now?

(No new messages)

(Ah!)

Riku: They’re just all hard at work! Riku: I’m on my own today for my own body’s sake, remember?!

Riku: I should look for something to work on…! Riku: (Oh, since I came to a shopping street, should I buy something?)

Everyone worries about my physical condition, but still leaves being the center to me… (Thanks for your work today!) Isn’t that something amazing!?

Riku: I want to do something for them! Iori: (Please don’t go putting extra stress on your body) *ding ding*

Riku: Ah! Riku: It’s from everyone!

PG 151 Plush: (Riku)

The End of IDOLiSH7 and the Cat Cafe

#idolish7 #manga #translation #i7 #i7 translation #ainana

[oathofpromises]

Starter for: @hyperionswrath​

𝕶𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎 𝖍𝖊𝖑𝖉 𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉, 𝖘𝖚𝖓𝖘𝖊𝖙 𝖍𝖚𝖊𝖘 𝖊𝖘𝖈𝖆𝖕𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖆𝖇𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖗𝖔𝖔𝖒. How long had it been since Axel had taken her away from Hayner, Pence and Olette? It seemed like days, but the red haired girl was starting to believe it was way less.  Rubbing her eyes, the young girl jumped up, walking towards the nearby door. It never occurred to her that it would be unlocked. Most of the time, it was always the opposite, especially considering Kairi’s  history of bad guys trying to use her as some tool against Sora and Riku. It bothered her endlessly, how helpless she felt. Slowly, she sneak out the front door, wondering where Axel, the man who had grabbed her, ran off to. Not wishing to waste this chance, she bolted out the front door. It seemed careless, but somehow she figured the red haired man was running on borrowed time. At least, it felt that way..she could see the desperation in his eyes. He was also looking for someone, was that why he said they were similar? 

“Now what..it’s not like I know this place..nor can I simply find the others again. There are too many alleyways to get lost in.” mumbled Kairi, as she stopped to catch her breath. Twilight town, it seemed a pretty huge world to wonder around in. It had this warmth to it, but also a sense of sadness too. However, it also was pretty quiet, kind of similar to the Destiny Islands. Although granted, the home world she had known for most of her life wasn’t as big. Turning a corner, she found herself on main street. The tram car going around its usual route. 

The princess of heart couldn’t explain it, but her heart was guiding the direction she took. Something calling to her close by, which did make Kairi nervous. It wasn’t like having these powers were always a good thing. Being a princess of heart sometimes just landed her in more hot water. Which lead to Sora and Riku having to jump in and rescue her again. Sighing, the red head stepped into an unfamiliar area. It looked like a forest of sorts, with a huge mansion hanging out in the back. Violet eyes widened, as she caught sight of a blonde haired girl. Opening her mouth to ask who it was, the other simply waved for Kairi to follow. It was even more unnerving when the blond hair was see through. 

“A ghost?!” Kairi whispered, but she had come this far, it seemed unwise to turn back at this time. For some reason, the young girl’s heart was calling out louder than ever, as she ran towards the building. It looked like just your typical house, but there was a sense of sorrow here too. Almost a a familiarity, too, but Kairi couldn’t recall ever being here. It wouldn’t be the first time she had forgotten something like that, either. Taking small steps, she entered the mansion. It looked abandoned, seemed to be for a while now, so why did that girl want to lead her here?

  Taking a moment, she wandered into one of the rooms located on the second floor. Its entire wall was pure white aside from drawings strung up around the entire area. Squinting, Kairi stepped towards the table. A single drawing piquing her interest before everything else. It was one of Sora, Riku and her. They were a bit younger, and it seemed to be on the islands. 

‘Go to the lab. Someone needs you.’ spoke a voice, the redhead groaned, as she reached up and felt like something had just smacked the inside of her mind. Taking a moment, she looked around to see no one else was here, so who was that voice? Paying no mind to it for the moment, Kairi tucked the drawing into her pocket before leaving the room. Whoever drew this must know where Sora and Riku were. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Glancing around, she caught sight of another room across the way. Running around, she opened to see what looked to be a library but was met with stairs leading down. Every rational thought inside her was telling the girl it was unwise to investigate further, but it felt like maybe Sora or Riku could’ve been here. Call it a sense, or perhaps something drawing her down there. Eyes filled with determination, she walked down the steps until she ended up in what looked like a lab of sorts. 

Turning, her eyes saw what looked like empty pods. It sent shivers down her body that it looked big enough to hold someone inside of them. Kairi froze, as she entered a huge white room. In the center was the biggest pod she had seen. It was shaped like  lotus flower, but was empty too. Did she just miss whoever was in these, and why did it feel like Sora had been here recently? Could it have been him, Donald and Goofy that were in those pods. The young girl thoughts were interrupted, as she felt a presence behind her. Quickly turning, she saw a man she had never met staring past her at the pod. Was he here to find someone too? 

“Who are you?” asked Kairi, her stance a bit defensive. The girl had no idea who this was or what their intentions were. For all she knew, this guy could be working with the one who dragged her away earlier that day. She’d at least give him a chance, there was some voice telling her that he meant no harm. 

‘𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚘𝚔𝚊𝚢..𝙸 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞.’

#𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐲 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲(𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞) #𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃(𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡/𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞) #𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬(𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢) #ooc: I hope this is good starter work with :3 can't wait see where this goes

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Mega Man S: Chapter 13

One sky, one destiny

Summary: In which Sora reads a familiar letter. Word Count: 2,052 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

This was the kind of scene that belonged in a bad dream. Every time Sora got close to the letter, it only drifted further away. It was like a cruel taunt.

At the same time, he wasn’t going to give up either. That letter was important. He wasn’t sure how much, understandably, but a gut feeling told him he had to get it again. His first delivery depending on this stubborn letter. He just needed to be a tad bit faster...

“Gotcha!” Sora declared when he finally snatched the letter. Out of pure relief, he hugged the thing before looking it over. What he read made his heart stop.

‘Hello, wherever you are. It’s me, Kairi again. Lea and I are still training under Merlin’s supervision. Today we tried to learn about more offensive moves. Lea is going easy on me, I can feel it, but I won’t do the same! I want to be as strong as you are, Sora. I want to be able to stand by your side and fight back the darkness to where it belongs. Oh, and at Riku’s side too! We’re a lot like King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy; nothing will keep us apart for long. And that’s a promise.’

“This… this is one of Kairi’s letters…” Sora said, in near whisper, to himself. “But how…? Why…?”

He had no idea how much he missed his friends until he read the letter. Kairi’s handwriting was just how he remembered it- he could almost see her carefully write each letter with a smile on her face. All of her hope, all of her love, being poured into a letter she knew he’d probably never see. He missed her. He missed Riku. He missed the king, and Donald, and Goofy, and… and everyone. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this alone.

Sora started to carefully walk back to a transerver without looking up from the letter. His heart was heavy as he contacted Giro to tell him the delivery was a bust- while at the same time appearing to be a success. He couldn’t remember if he told him about the rogue Reploid twins, though. He must have because Giro urged that he head back to Giro Express for recuperation. Did he ever actually answer Giro after that? Sora couldn’t remember. Whatever the case, he found himself back at Giro Express with a heavy heart.

Vent was preparing some boxes for shipping when he noticed Sora come home. Now, Vent knew he wasn’t always the brightest, but even he could tell that something weird had happened to Sora. The guy wasn’t even looking where he was going! Instead, all of Sora’s attention seemed to be on some letter that looked to only be making him more upset. Despite himself, Vent set down the box he was holding to walk over to Sora and place a hand on his shoulder.

“Sora?” Vent asked. “Are you alright?”

Between the unexpected touch and Vent’s voice, Sora jumped a good foot in surprise. He looked up at Vent as a single tear ran down his face.

“I… I need to go home.” Sora said, his voice cracking slightly.

Vent recoiled a bit. He looked away from Sora as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Let’s see what Aile is doing.” he suggested. “She’s better at dealing with emotions than I am.”

All Sora could do was nod.

. . .

“Okay,” Aile said as she carefully blew some steam off the top of her hot chocolate, “Kairi is a friend of yours, right? And she wrote that letter?”

Sora nodded. He held his own mug of hot chocolate without much actual mind to it. Aile had found them a spot in the common room where they were pretty much alone. It was still the middle of the day, so most major deliveries and receiving mail was being done. Everyone had a nice, heavy blanket over their shoulders. Aile had even pulled hers up over her head at an attempt to lighten the mood a bit. Vent held on to his like a protective cocoon. Next to him was a tray Aile had brought the hot chocolate in with. Aile had taken her mug, and gave Sora his, while Vent occasionally picked his up and sat it back on the tray when he was done.

“What’s her story anyway?” Vent questioned with an upturned nose. “She seems clingy.”

“Kairi? No way!” Sora said- his mood perking slightly just at the mention. If not mildly insulted that anyone could talk down on Kairi. “She’s one of the smartest people I know! We’ve been best friends ever since she came to our island. In fact, you could almost say that she’s the reason why we were all able to start traveling the worlds. We haven’t done it together yet, but we will one day!”

Vent looked at Sora with a hard expression.

“You really like leaving,” he noted rather darkly, “Don’t you?”

Both Aile and Sora gave Vent a confused look. The boy did not back down from his statement. His glare only got darker as his body shrunk slightly, and he held his blanket closer.

“Vent…” Sora mumbled as he reached for his friend. But Vent wasn’t going to comply. He kept moving out of Sora’s touch. Eventually, Sora sat his hand back by his side. It seemed awfully weird to him. Did Vent not like it when people leave?

“At any rate,” Aile said, coughing slightly into her hand, “What are you going to do with the letter, Sora? It’s not like you can write her another letter back, right?”

“Not that I know of…”

Aile went into thought after hearing this. After setting her cup back on the tray, she looked toward the letter before tilting her head from side to side. Then, when an idea hit her, she slammed her fist into the palm of her hand.

“Maybe you could use your Keyblade on it!” she declared. She then just as easily reigned herself back in with a sheepish laugh. “That’s not something you can do… Is it?”

Sora started to think the idea over as well. Admittedly, at first, he wasn’t sure what good it would do. Then he remembered how one of Kairi’s letters was able to bring him and Riku out of the realm of darkness. It became the light back home. And then all of his adventures where he had to open the gates to new worlds by using an important object from the world before it.

“You know what…? I think I can!” he happily declared. “We just need a good spot to do it.”

“Why?” Vent questioned.

“Probably because there’s not a lot of room here.” Aile quickly pointed out, gesturing around the common room to emphasize her point. Vent thought this over before lulling his head into a nod. Seemed reasonable enough.

“So where would we do it?” he then asked. The kids all went into deep thought over this. Sora couldn’t quite pin which part of this country seemed right for a keyhole to open. Surely the Keyblade would be able to guide him, but it would cut a lot of time (and look a lot less silly) if they could just go there. Likewise, Aile and Vent tried to think of places where weird things tended to happen more. A place where if something was going to happen, it would happen there before anywhere else. Somewhere that was in the middle of the higher populated towns, but not in the middle of Maverick territory.

Aile and Vent realized the perfect spot at the same time. Their discovery coming out in a unison, “Area A!” that brought Sora’s attention. They noticed his bewilderment and quickly tried to fill him in.

“If any spot’s got a funky aura to it, it has to be Area A.” Aile told him first. “Not only is it just an open forest-”

“But it’s right in between common Maverick and protected areas.” Vent finished.

“And it’s where Juno found you.” Aile once more chimed in. “So it’s probably already sensitive to cosmic shenanigans.”

“Here’s hoping it doesn’t destroy anything in the process.” Vent grumbled under his breath.

Sora looked from the twins with a growing sense of appreciation.

“You guys are awesome!” he declared. “Thank you so much!”

And without any warning, he tackle hugged them both.

. . .

“The twins are rather brilliant, aren’t they?” Prairie mused after Sora had told the commander of all that has happened. “I hear they may have gotten it from their mother. She was a visionary during the era she was part of.”

Sora nodded, despite Prairie not being able to see it.

“But you shouldn’t go to Area A alone. Not when you encountered those two rogue Reploids last time. I’d hate to drag Girouette on another mission when he has a business to run, but I don’t know which of our other recruits would be better for this situation.”

“What about Aile and Vent?” Sora innocently wondered. “They seem like they could hold their own when needed.”

“Oh, no. We can’t.” Prairie immediately told him. “Their situation is very, very complicated. They are… destined for something, but now is not the time for it. Do you understand? The details are very… ‘need to know’, as it were.”

“I guess.” Sora agreed with a sigh. He’d have to figure out why everyone liked keeping Aile and Vent out of everything. Did it have to do with who their parents were? Was it why Vent seemed apprehensive at Sora leaving? If only he could stay in this world longer…

“What about Juno? Even if she can’t always use Model O, she’s still able to put up a fight.”

For this, Prairie gave a long pause.

“We could.” she carefully agreed. “However, we don’t know what will happen if you manage to open a gate from our world to yours. Assuming anything happens at all. Parts of Juno’s history dictates that she may not be able to react fast enough if certain conditions transpire. But she may be our only choice.”

“It’s alright Prairie,” Sora said with a grin, “We’ll figure something out. Thank you for all your help.”

A small sound indicated that Prairie had also smiled.

“And thank you for yours.” she replied. “Fleuve or I will contact you when we find a proper partner for you. Stay put until then, alright?”

“Will do.” Sora promised. “Thank you again, Commander.” and with that he ended the communication line. A small, melancholy smile found its way onto his lips. They may have finally found a way for him to go home. He may finally have a way to see all his friends again! But... what about his friends here? They live in a dimension completely separate from his own. Would he be able to see them again after all of this? As Sora went to go find Aile or Vent to see if he could help them with moving boxes around, a thought entered his mind that he almost hated.

Did he really want to go home?

. . .

“Finally.” Over-1 declared. “He’s treating that letter the way he should have treated the paopu fruit.”

Despite the small victory, the Reploid was still apprehensive. He looked to Namine to see that she was also conflicted on the situation. Over-1 stood straighter as considered something.

“Namine, indulge me,” he said to her. “Once Sora successfully opens the way back home, do you think he’ll willingly walk back through?”

Just as he suspected, she shifted a bit before answering him.

“I’m not sure.” she softly admitted. “He misses us a lot. It’s actually really sweet to see. But…”

“But his heart had left an imprint in this world. It’s getting harder for him to turn away.”

Namine gave a small nod.

Over-1 reclined a bit. “Of all the people in your world, it had to be him…”

For this, Namine let a small smile show. Over-1 saw it and cocked an eyebrow at her.

“I assume he does this a lot?” he asked. “Imprinting on other people and refusing to let them go?”

Her smile grew a bit wider as she cheekily replied, “You have no idea.”

#mega man s #kingdom hearts fanfiction #mega man fanfiction #chapter 13 #Sora #Vent #Aile #Prairie #Over-1 #Namine

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Animage October 2021 Issue

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¡Por favor, no repostees esta traducción sin mi consentimiento! Esto incluye capturas de pantalla de cualquier tipo y cantidad. Si deseas compartir esta traducción, usa simplemente el enlace a este post.

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The Beast King’s Daughter

“Hanyō no Yashahime” depicts the battle of three princesses who carry the blood of a demon king. In ‘The Second Chapter’ which broadcasts in October, the one who holds the key to the story is another princess who makes a new appearance.

With overwhelming strength, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha’s father, the Dog General, was known as “The Beast King of the Western Lands”. The three (girls) Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha inherited the said beast king’s blood.

Despite being inexperienced, Towa and the others have constantly grown in battle. In episode 24 of ‘The First Chapter’, an evenly matched battle unfolds between Towa and Moroha, enraged by Setsuna’s death, and “The Beast King of the Eastern Lands”, Kirinmaru, who is equal to the Dog General. Though Kirinmaru was injured, he successfully landed a single stroke.

Starting from ‘The Second Chapter’, another daughter of a beast king appears before Towa and the others. Her name is Rion. Surprisingly, it is said that Kirinmaru also had a daughter. Rion is an existence who for 600 years has been sealed in Mt. Musubi, which is said to be where the Dream Butterfly is. Exactly who sealed her and for what purpose? Just like Towa and the others, within her is likely an inherited strength of a beast king but her powers are unknown.

There are still many mysteries surrounding Kirinmaru’s daughter, Rion. While it is not yet known whether she is an enemy or an ally to Towa and the others, if she is willing to lend her strength, she will likely become a reliable existence to them as they shoulder many difficulties.

Character Bios

Rion Kirinmaru’s daughter who has been sealed within the barrier of Mt. Musubi for 600 years. It seems her meeting with Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha will move destiny but… …?

The Dream Butterfly The butterfly of the dream world. A spirit. It is said that when they appear in the real world, they devour people’s dreams and those who have been devoured become unable to sleep or dream entirely.

Higurashi Towa Sesshōmaru and Rin’s daughter. She fights with Kikujyūmonji, a demon sword with a blade created from demonic power. The attack she unleashed when she became enraged from Setsuna’s death took on the shape of two blue dragons.

Setsuna Sesshōmaru and Rin’s daughter. In episode 24 of ‘The First Chapter’, despite wounding Kirinmaru during their battle, the tables turned on her and she lost her life.

Moroha Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter. When she puts on rouge, she goes on a rampage that ends quickly but when Setsuna lost her life, she managed to fight without losing her composure.

Kirinmaru The Beast King of the Eastern Lands. It appears he spares some leeway with the Yashahimes such as naming Towa’s technique ‘Twin-Headed Azure Dragon Wave’, but?

The Parent Needs to Pull It Together More!

Kirinmaru has considerably complicated child rearing. In contrast to that, Rion is a girl with a straightforward upbringing. I can’t say the specifics yet but when I see parent and child, as a father of a daughter in her 10s myself, I think “The parent has to pull it together more” and I also get a sense of “I guess even if the parent complicates things, kids will grow up on their own.” By the way, Fujita Saki plays the role of Rion. She also took on the role of the mean heroine in my previous work “Fairy Ranmaru~ Anata no Kokoro Otasuke Shimasu~”. Just when I thought I finally defeated her in “F Ran” (Shortened name of said previous work), I meet her again in “Hanyō no Yashahime”… … I felt a mysterious fate (laughs).

- Director Hishida Masakazu

I Felt Destiny from the Lives of Towa and Co. Director Hishida Masakazu 

Synchronizing With His Own Life?! Empathy Towards Towa’s Situation

— In the previous issue’s interview, Director Hishida, you said that you felt that “it was fate that I should accept” the offer for this current work which was memorable.

Hishida: I worked at Sunrise’s Studio #1 for a long time, but I started to do work for Tatsunoko Production in 2008. From there, I mostly worked at Tatsunoko but now Sunrise has called me back for the first time in 13 years. Just as I’m wondering what sort of work it’s going to be, they tell me it’s a work that carries on the world of “Inuyasha”, (the work) that taught me the foundation of production. Not to mention, the protagonist, Towa, is a girl who was flung from the feudal world where she was born and raised, to the modern era, and then returns to the feudal (era) again after 10 years. I felt Towa’s situation synchronized with mine and all I could think was that this was fate.

I’m about the same age as the director of ‘The First Chapter’, Teruo-san (Director Satō Teruo), and our careers are just about the same too. Teruo-san worked at Studio 1 for the longest time while I on the other hand, got thrown outside and came back… … I thought that aspect felt similar to Towa and Setsuna’s life (laughs). That’s why watching Towa and Setsuna’s relationship in “The First Chapter” was very tough. Like, they were such close sisters so why doesn’t she remember… …

— To change it to your position Director Hishida, it’s like “You returned to Sunrise for the first time in a while but the people you used to get along with have forgotten about you” kind of a situation.

Hishida: It’s exactly that! The current staff of Sunrise’s Studio 1 don’t know me, and they don’t thank me (laughs). You see, I was the one who revived the steppingstone for the “becoming a producer by being a production assistant” route that came to an end at Studio 1! There weren’t many before me but afterwards, there were a lot of people that took that route and flew the nest like Fujita Yōichi-kun, Watada Shinya-kun, and Kyōgoku Takahiko-kun! No one is really grateful so Fujita-kun and Kyōgoku-kun would always say to me “I should’ve crushed you back then!” (laughs). As I watched Setsuna not remembering Towa, I ended up remembering that.

— You seem to have an unusual attachment to Towa and Setsuna’s relationship (laughs). Well then, what sort of impression do you have of Moroha and Sesshōmaru?

Hishida: Moroha has a brilliance to her. It’s amusing that she inherited Inuyasha’s mischievous side, and she’s got a similar silhouette to Inuyasha as well, so I feel that she is a real eye-catching character. When Towa and Setsuna take center, the story becomes heavy no matter what, so it’s fun to watch Moroha soften the place up.

Then, regarding Sesshōmaru in this current work, I felt “He’s a father”. I bet in his own way, as a father, he wonders how to interact with his daughters. Even while carrying out a strict “trial of courage and cowardice”, he still concerns himself with his daughters which I feel is a little human like. I’m also a father of two girls so I can relate to him somewhat. In the last (scene) of “The First Chapter”, he purposefully hands over a broken Tenseiga to Towa but he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t care about them. He just gives a pass like “Do something about it with this” and I think that is also (a form of) training in a sense.

Also, drawing wise, the pattern of Sesshōmaru’s kimono is still brutal (laughs). “Inuyasha” was an analog cel anime back then so (drawing) that pattern was even more difficult. At the time, the suggestion “Let’s omit the pattern on Sesshōmaru’s kimono” was made but Director Ikeda Masashi opposed it. I didn’t understand why Director Ikeda was so fixated on that pattern back then but thinking about it now, I think it was the right call. Since it could be said that Sesshōmaru’s existence is one of two wheels in the work that is “Inuyasha”, he probably didn’t want to make him plain wherever possible.

The First Attempt At ‘The Second Chapter’ Storyboard Was Like A “Trial of Courage and Cowardice”

— Next, please tell us about Kirinmaru’s side. In ‘The First Chapter’, many of their actions were puzzling so by all means, any hints to their activity in ‘The Second Chapter’!

Hishida: At first, I couldn’t quite understand Kirinmaru, but once I heard he was a father with a daughter, I understood. While he is a person who’s thinking “I want to surpass the Dog General”, his feelings of admiration towards that man and wanting to show his strong side to his daughter are feelings that I completely understand now. Kirinmaru has had many mysterious aspects up until this point, but I’d like to depict his emotions in ‘The Second Chapter’.

Just like her younger brother, Kirinmaru, Zero has also become obsessed with the Dog General. In any case, she lives on her “love”. Zero’s womanly heart is a little complicated, but I also feel that seeing her persist with her earnest feelings for the Dog General is cool.

Also, I think the parts of Riku, who’s neutral towards Towa and the others, that were difficult to see up to this point will become clear in ‘The Second Chapter’. How he feels about Towa will be brought to the forefront, so I told Fukuyama Jun-kun who plays him, “In ‘The Second Chapter’ please go with a slightly handsome boy feeling route” (laughs). By the way, Fukuyama-kun was the one who played the main character in my director debut work “Onmyō Taisenki”. The name of the role (character) was ‘Riku’. ‘The Second Chapter’ is a story about the ‘fate’ that connects people together, and I also felt a mysterious fate from that.

— What did you think of production for episode 25 (episode 1 of ‘The Second Chapter’) which continues from the shocking last scene of Setsuna’s death in ‘The First Chapter’?

Hishida: It was such shocking last scene that I was overcome with the feeling of “Why are you passing the baton to me at such a difficult spot!?”! I truly thought this was a ‘trial of courage and cowardice’ (laughs). I did the storyboard for episode 25 myself, but coming into the work midway, it took me some time to understand the story, so I really struggled. Until now, the record holder for storyboard that took me the longest was episode 13 of “Gundam Reconguista in G” with 2 months. However, this time, it took me 3 months.

— To say that it easily overtook that “G Recon” (shortened form of “Gundam Reconguista in G”) that you struggled so much with (laughs).

Hishida: Yes. My worst record was brilliantly made new! However, on the reverse side, I thought with ‘The First Chapter’ ending like this, there’s no doubt you’d want to see the continuation. In that sense, they passed the baton in the best way so I should meet up to that (expectation). It was tough but I put my all into it!

— ‘The Second Chapter’ is loaded with things to be curious about aside from what will happen to Setsuna like Rin who’s sleeping within the Tree of Ages and Inuyasha and Kagome who’ve been trapped within the black pearl.

Hishida: I can’t talk in detail about that yet but I will say “There’s no way it would end like this!”. I would certainly like for everyone to look forward to October.

In the new key visual for ‘The Second Chapter’ that is overflowing with lively motion, the three princesses show gallant expressions with weapons in hand. What exactly is beyond Towa’s reaching hand… …? Also, when will we get to see ‘Sesshōmaru & Rin’ and ‘Inuyasha & Kagome’ standing side-by-side together as shown in this picture?

#Yashahime #Hanyou no Yashahime #Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon #translation

[d4rk-x-w0lf-17]

wait wait wait WAIT WHAT?????/ mickey almost KILLS EGGMAN???? YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT AND NOT GIVE US AN EXCERPT FROM THAT SCENE

Ask and ye shall receive :)

Mickey stared at the robotic form that stood in front of him, Sonic and Tails. He didn't want to believe it, he didn't.

And yet, there it stood, as if mocking him.

His brother. His dear older brother, turned into a robot by that...that man.

"Ossie...?" He called out, his voice wavering. Not long before they even came to this world, Mickey had just saved his brother from his inner struggle with the darkness! And now this?! It's like the universe was out to get the two, and he hated it!

Sonic walked over to Mickey and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know that this looks bad, Mick. But don't worry. We can get him back."

Mickey couldn't help but let out a choked sob. He just wanted to go back home...Through the tears in his eyes, Mickey looked over at Sonic. "Do you promise?"

"Of course we do!" Tails chimed in, running over to Mickey's other side. "I was...partially robotized once. It's not a fun time. But I managed to reverse it! So I bet we can do the same for Oswald!"

Sniffling and rubbing the tears away, Mickey gave the two a grateful smile.

-----------

Mickey ran ahead as Sonic and Tails handled taking care of the robotizied Oswald. He felt bad for leaving it to children, but they had proved themselves capable more than once.

Panting, he entered a room and saw...Eggman, tapping away at a keyboard. The man looked frantic and annoyed. But, Mickey didn't care.

"You." Mickey snarled as he entered the room, causing Eggman to jump and swerve around in his chair. The man looked startled, but calmed down when he saw that is was just Mickey.

"Oh, it's just the rat. I don't have time for games." The man waved his hand dismissively, as if expecting that would shoo him away.

"Oh trust me, I don't either." Mickey clenched his hand into a fist. Despite being so low on magic, he could feel it swirling around in the air. "I'm usually a nice guy. A very nice guy, if you will. But you dragged my brother into this." He had his teeth bared, as if ready to bite the man if need be.

"My brother who had nothing to do with this. Me, who had nothing to do with this. But you still dragged us into this mess, because, what?! You could?!" Mickey screamed, frustrated tears coming to the surface. "I'm so sick and tired of people dragging innocent lives into their insane conquests! You're even dragging children into this! CHILDREN!!" His screams grew louder as he was forced to remember how young Sora and Riku were when they first ventured out. As he remembered when he first met Cream, Charmy and Ray in the resistance.

Mickey panted from his rant as the magic in the air finally settled around his hand, and he materialized his keyblade.

"No matter. Because I'm ending this."

#:)))))))))))))))))))) #man it's actually.....really fun to write mickey #like he's usually calm and collected but like. push his buttons enough and he WILL break #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts au #mickey mouse #oswald the lucky rabbit #king mickey #sonic #sonic au #sonic the hedgehog au #tails the fox #miles tails prower #dr eggman #ivo eggman robotnik

[aomineavenue]

Homesick (Miya Atsumu x f!Reader) | 001. the unexpected.

Summary: Six years ago, L/N Y/N wouldn’t exactly say that she loves her life. It had always been problematic but her best friend, Miya Atsumu, since she was eight when she moved to Hyōgo, has always been there for her, and she wouldn’t change it for the world. However, things would always fall apart for her ever since, so she should have expected of such. Running away from her problems seemed like the easiest route to take at the time, so what happens when the past comes barging back into her life demanding answers? Will she be able to confront her demons?

Pairings: Miya Atsumu x f!Reader

Updates: irregular.

Genre: Angst, ANGST I LOVE ANGST, a lil bit of fluff here and there.

Warnings: Language, etc. (Will be mentioned once posted because I don’t want spoilers huehue)

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except for the reader and my ideas. I do not claim any images used for content in this fic, everything goes out to their respective creators unless it is mentioned that it is mine.

Status: ongoing. | series masterlist

↩ intro | the unexpected | a mother’s nightmare  ↪

mia’s speaks:

Okay, so before we start the story. I’d just like to explain that this may be a slow burn kinda thing because I fully want everyone to understand yn’s point of view after she ran away six years ago. We will eventually enter Atsumu’s point of view along the story, but for now, I hope you guys like this! Let me know what you guys think! 

It had been six years and to this day, it still haunts you. Well, what they say is true anyway. Everything you run away from will eventually continue to haunt you until you decide to face it head-on. Needless to say, you were feeling pretty pathetic. Six years later, and that is still what you felt to this day. Pathetically sad.

The cool air emitting from the air conditioner set up in the living room, mixed with the early morning cold winter atmosphere that engulfed most of Japan with its beautiful white coat, brushes against the patches of exposed skin causing you to shiver slightly, silently cursing to yourself for forgetting to turn the appliance off during the night before. You had awoken too early for your liking, the sun barely peeking as you left the comforts of your bed to grab a cup of coffee. You were never a morning person, only because it was the time where you were often left with your thoughts as the time slot was usually unproductive.

During such unproductive hours, your thoughts usually consumed you. If it weren't about work or the handful of people you hold close to your heart, it often leads you to thoughts of your life six years ago. You wondered what it would be like if you hadn't opted to run away from reality a few years back during your high school years. Your train of thought often wandered to countless possibilities if you had faced your problems earlier on. To you now, running away seemed almost petty. Well, sorta.

Would you have been happy? Would they have accepted things? Would you have grown apart? Would they have pushed you away?

Sadly, you'd never know. This is only because you fear the truth so you refuse to return and seek certain answers that no doubt will only lead to ultimate disaster. You fear the consequences of your actions. To simply put, you were a coward.

It had been six years and to this day, it still haunts you. Well, what they say is true anyway. Everything you run away from will eventually continue to haunt you until you decide to face it head-on. Needless to say, you were feeling pretty pathetic. Six years later, and that is still what you felt to this day. Pathetically sad.

You move your gaze away from the hot cup of coffee on the kitchen counter over to glance out of the window from your apartment, watching the dark skies slowly fade away to signal a brand new day on the horizon, the sun painting the sky a bright calming hue. Any minute now, your friends that had decided to crash at your place during the previous night are bound to wake up. Your tiny space had become some sort of safe haven for when they needed to hide away from their own problems, or when they needed you to nurse their drunken states.

Despite it sparking irritation within yourself, you could never bring yourself to deny them. The group had been nothing but a solid help for you the past six years when you fled from Hyōgo and where you settled yourself in the comforts of your late father's best friend back in Kanagawa, Suwa Riku, reconnecting with one of your childhood friends, Suwa Reiji. The loving Suwa family accepted you with open arms, practically calling you their own despite the situation you dug yourself in. Honestly, if they had turned you away, you would have probably ended up in the gutter somewhere in Japan as you had no other place to go. It wouldn't have even shocked you if they were to turn their backs at you when you had first came knocking on their front door, practically drenched from the pouring rain, it was barely enough to conceal the tears.

However, despite the past they barely knew, they accepted you with open arms without an ounce of judgment. If they were curious, they asked politely, and if certain questions were too difficult for you to answer, they respected your need for privacy.

When you had left everything behind in Hyōgo, you wanted to forget. You had deleted your previous profiles from any sort of social media platform that you had and changed your number when you had the chance. To everyone in Hyōgo, you completely disappeared, a mere ghost that residents either often gossiped about or have completely forgotten, it wasn't as if you were well known within the community, but—still, your disappearance had quite the impact. However, since no one has found you yet in the past six years, it probably meant that your mother didn't care. You assumed the same for your handful of friends. You stayed with the Suwa Family in Kanagawa for at least a year and a half, time for yourself and to get adjusted to your new life before you convinced yourself to get a job that will lead you to a somewhat peaceful life, you needed it for support, now more so than ever. Once again, you are in debt when your childhood friend Reiji offered you a job as a manager for their group. Of course, how could you say no? Despite the busy schedule, you managed enough, sometimes giving you the ability to be flexible.

Ah, yes. Suwa Reiji, the lead singer for the famous boy band, Galaxy Standard. The two of you had been friends before you had moved to Hyōgo when you were eight years old. Despite the distance between the two of you, when your father was still around since your fathers were close friends, the two of you did keep in touch. However, as you grew older and found new friends in Hyōgo, the need to keep in touch disappeared almost instantly. Thankfully, despite years of not having any contact with each other, the two of you reconnected, happy to be back in each other's lives.

The past six years, as you tried to find yourself and finally settle independently, Reiji was there.

And despite the exhausting job of managing a boy band, you adored it. It kept you occupied. Despite the boys being famous, you opted to keep your social media platforms private, or rather secret, only your friends and a few of Galaxy Standard's fans knew of it. Although the fans knew of your existence, you wanted your personal life private and thankfully, the management and fans respected that with the help from your friends who are aware of your situation. You wanted to stay hidden. Accompanying the boys in certain events, despite being a girl where it was typical for fangirls to grow upset because of the close contact with their idols, the fans respected you and often held polite conversations with you.

Yes, despite the troubles you have, you wouldn't deny the fact that you were indeed happy, but lately, something in the back of your mind has been irking you, making you feel extremely uneasy for not knowing what it could be. It frustrated you to no end.

"Someone looks like a vein in their head might pop," you hear Reiji tease as he approached. You roll your eyes before turning your attention over to the man that intruded your thoughts. Bless him, you were slowly becoming crazy with all the thinking. However, you weren't going to praise him or anything, despite Reiji's calm and humble personality towards others, he was a completely different person towards you; often teasing, most days very playful.

You snap back playfully, "Good morning to you, too." He occupies the seat across from you, despite stumbling to your apartment the previous night completely drunk from a party, the man before you showed no sign of a hungover, you were used to it by now. "Seriously, you and Shizuma need to find some other place to crash. I don't even know how you roped him into drinking, he was absolutely thrashed when the two of you arrived. Normally, he'd be the responsible one."

"Yeah, but once he starts drinking, there's no stopping him. And Nah," he chuckles as he leans against the counter, a yawn escaping his lips as he spoke midway, "Your place is comfy but also because I get to see the cute faces of my favourite nephews almost instantly, it's a bonus."

"Uncle Reiji!"

"Where's Uncle 'zuma?"

Speaking of the little devils. Both of your attentions snaps at the two identical figures that stepped out of their shared room and into the vicinity that you and Reiji occupied. 

The sight of their sleepy states warmed your heart at just how cute they have grown. Ah, yes. Your two boys. One of the two reasons why you preferred to keep your personal life, private. Of course, there was also Atsuhiko and Atsuhiro to think about. Your precious boys, your utmost priority. Everything you could ever want and more. They were the two that you could finally call home. As much as you know that your existence wouldn't be much of a big deal to the fans since you weren't entirely famous, you refused to let your boys get caught into any unnecessary drama that your friends have often got themselves into, so despite having famous uncles, you kept them shielded whenever you can. Of course, the fans of Galaxy Standard were aware of the existence of your little boys, often swooning when one of their idols were photographed with one of the twins. Needless to say, it always made the fans crazy, but you were grateful that the fans were respectful and never crossed the line whenever your boys were included.

Of course, the main reason why you wanted everything to be kept private was that you didn't want certain people to know the secret you've worked hard to stay hidden, but Japan was big, wasn't it? You often reassured yourself that it was impossible for paths to cross.

"Why are you looking for your Uncle Shizuma when I'm here?" Reiji asks, feigning hurt in his expression as both six-year-old boys approach, yawning and sleepily rubbing their eyes.

Atsuhiro, or rather Hiro, as he liked to be called sighs as he shakes his head at his uncle, "But Uncle 'zuma is the best."

"Now you take that back young man!" He scoffs as he playfully places his hands on his hips, "Who do you think raised you?"

The little boy tilts his head to the side as he watches his uncle in amusement of his antics, "Uncle 'zuma helped too! Mommy says he even helped out changing diapers which you didn't do!"

"But Uncle Reiji's the best! He always plays with us!" Atsuhiko, Hiko, retorts as he rushes over to his uncle to give him a high five, "Mommy, Uncle Rei said he's going to teach us some tricks like he did back then in Stride! Isn’t that cool?"

You send a glare towards the man that was mentioned by your son, who only avoided your gaze as he ruffles your son's hair, "Maybe something else. You can ask your uncles to teach you how to sing and dance like they always do, just not that dangerous sport."

Atsuhiko groans in protest while the other twin approaches you, wrapping his short arms around your leg, "Do you think they can teach us volleyball?"

"Oh yes!" Atsuhiko yells out happily agreeing with his twin, his dismay for his mother's earlier disapproval flying out the window as he looks at you with hope in his eyes, "Volleyball is so cool! Can we mommy?"

Almost instantly, a lump formed in the back of your throat at the mention of the mere sport, a reminder. It wasn't as if you were against the sport, but what caught you off guard was the interests your boys clearly showed. How ironic.

As you raised the two, whether at times you were alone or had help, you often pushed the twins away from certain reminders of your past. What was that? Anything that reminded you of your past in Hyōgo was pushed aside. It was rather petty, you knew that yourself but as the twin boys grew throughout the years, it didn't get unnoticed how their features screamed of the one and only Miya Atsumu. Well, you expected that—he is the father of your twin boys, but you silently prayed during your pregnancy and as you raised them that their features would come from your side of the family instead of his.

But of course, somehow you've upset the Gods for your pettiness. This was your consequence. A daily reminder. There's no denying of your love for your boys. They were your life and you wouldn't change anything because then they wouldn't exist. However, you've grown hateful of your past as years gone by. Your hatred for the awful memories had made it more difficult to forget.

You expected the interest in volleyball before they even mentioned it to you today. The clues in their shared room were enough for you to pick up that they were most likely to take after their father in a sense, not that they know of such.

Earlier, about two years prior when they first started in kindergarten, it was inevitable for such to talk about your families, you remember experiencing such back then despite it being foggy. They returned home, despite being young, they were smart for their age and bombarded you with questions without holding back; wondering about who was their father and where he was, or if Uncle Reiji or Uncle Shizuma were their fathers. Back then, you couldn't bring yourself to tell them the truth or even utter a single word about the man missing in their lives.

You experienced a whole week of silent treatment from your two boys because you refused to answer, their stubbornness hard as a rock. You refuse to answer their questions? Well, they, of course, fight back by refusing to talk to you. Oh, children, right? Of course, Reiji and Shizuma were a big help because to the twins, the two of your friends were practically the only father figures that they had. Since Atsuhiko and Atsuhiro refused to utter a word to you, they tried their best to talk to the twins, avoiding certain parts that they were too young to know about, and explained that when they grew up and they were ready to know, you would eventually let them know.

Bless the heavens because, after that, your two boys returned to their loving yet sneaky nature, never asking or mentioning about their father again. However, the majority of the conversations about their father were kept in secret between the two. Atsuhiro wanting to know more while Atsuhiko pushing the idea away, but not wanting to upset his brother, he keeps his dismay of their missing father from Atsuhiro, who grew more eager to find his father as years go by.

"What's with all the excitement at such an early hour? You two always have so much energy. What's this I hear about wanting to play volleyball?" Shizuma saves you from answering and you share a silent communication to send your gratitude for the interference.

Atsuhiro breaks out into a grin at the sight of his favourite uncle and immediately approaches him, "Uncle 'zuma, do you know how to play volleyball? Can you teach me and Hiko? Please?"

Shizuma chuckles in response, ruffling the little boy's messy locks, "I'm not that good but if you and your brother are serious about wanting to learn volleyball, I know a friend that may be of help."

"You do?" Atsuhiko asks, excitement in his voice.

You repeat, arching a brow in curiosity, "You do?"

"Well he's more of Asuma's friend than mine but we're good acquaintances," he answers with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'll see what I can do for my two favourite nephews."

"Yes!" The twins exclaim happily at the same time before running towards each other to share their routine handshake.

"Now that's settled," Reiji starts, clapping his hands together to grab the attention from everyone in the room, "Aren't you two supposed to be getting ready for your day with Grandpapa and Grandmama Suwa? You wouldn't want to keep those two waiting, I heard they have a really big day planned ahead for the two of you."

Ah, Grandpapa and Grandmama Suwa. Reiji's parents, and well—your substitute parents and the twins' substitute grandparents. Despite not being biologically related, they treated the three of you like a real family. They helped you throughout your pregnancy and at the same time raising your two boys. They did what any grandparent would do, discipline and spoil them. You wouldn't change it for the world. The love they had for your boys was overwhelming, and Atsuhiko and Atsuhiro completely adored their substitute grandparents just the same.

Atsuhiro releases a gasp from his lips at the realization of the big day, he had been excited, to say the least, rushing to get prepared whilst Atsuhiko frowns and stays rooted in where he stood, "But today's Uncle Asuma's birthday! I want to go too!"

"No can do, kiddo." Shizuma shakes his head, crossing his arms across his chest; an indication the twins are familiar with that meant it was not up for any negotiation. "You know this party isn't for little boys, your Uncle Asuma already told you this, but he promised to take both of you out tomorrow to make up for it. You and Hiro can celebrate his birthday tomorrow, I promise."

Atsuhiko releases a dramatic sigh, throwing his little hands in the air as he stomps his way to get ready, knowing that if he were to argue, he would inevitably lose. Oh well, he thought to himself, Grandpapa and Grandmama are the best anyway. 

"I don't know how you do it, 'zuma." You let out a laugh, shaking your head. "Those two have become spoiled to the core because of all of us, yet when it comes to you and their Grandpapa Riku, they suddenly become little angelic-slash-monsters who obey every command."

Shizuma lets a grin spread on his lips, "Some things can't be taught. Anyway, I'll get going. I have to help prep Asuma's party. I'll see you guys there."

"I'll get going too," Reiji declares as he stands up from his seat, "Don't back out of the party, I'll drag you there if I have to, I swear."

You roll your eyes at them, more so at Reiji than Shizuma, shooing them with your hands as you follow them to the front door, "Yeah, whatever. I'll be there. Stop worrying."

Dropping the twins at the Suwa Residence after eating lunch together was often smooth sailing as the twins always adored spending the day with their substitute grandparents. However, Atsuhiko expressed his dismay of being left behind once again insisting of wanting to attend his Uncle Asuma's birthday party, you had to pry his hands away from his grip on your leg. Thankfully, you had help from his Grandpapa Riku, and after waving goodbye to a smiling Atsuhiro and a scowling Atsuhiko, you were off to get a few errands done before heading to Asuma's apartment to celebrate his birthday, taking your sweet time to avoid your favourite, yet rowdy bunch of friends, only because they probably wanted you to help them set up the party, which you didn't want to take part in.

Honestly, you could have chosen otherwise but decided against skipping the errands that would most probably pile up despite the break Galaxy Standard was having. Plus, you may or may not have, forgotten to get a gift for Asuma and if you showed up empty-handed, well, you weren't going to hear the end of it.

Hours went by as you got through your list of errands, you were left with messages and certain phone calls that you ignored throughout the day, you were finally able to buy a suitable gift for your friend. All there was left to do was show up to the party that was apparently already in full swing. Thankfully, your friend's lavish apartment was around the corner.

You waited for the traffic lights to signal the safe journey across the busy streets, your grip on the neatly wrapped gift on one hand slightly tightening against you as you shiver from Japan's cool winter breeze bustling through the air, something you're still obviously not very fond of. For as long as you can remember, you hated the cold. It was a bitter reminder of the times you were utterly alone. You always preferred the warm temperature, whether it was from a fireplace or someone else, it kept you from going numb, made to remind you of reality.

The sound of your phone ringing startles you from your thoughts and you pull the device from one of your pockets, Reiji's name flashing across the screen. You grumble to yourself of his impatience before answering the call, bringing the device up to press against your ear. Before you could utter a word, he beats you to it in a demanding tone, "Where are you? You're late."

"Hold your horses, Rei." You answer in irritation as you look up ahead to check the traffic lights that still had the signal to stay where you were, "I'm almost there. Be patient." However, you couldn't process the words Reiji muttered next from the other line. Someone calling out your name catching your attention, your eyes widening slightly at the realization of who it was. Immediately, you cut off Reiji's rambling from the other line and ended the call, slipping the phone back into your pocket as you feel your shoulder tense at his presence standing next to you. "Osamu."

"So it is you," he blinks in disbelief, his eyes drinking your features bit by bit to check if he was dreaming or not, "You look different, I barely recognized you if it weren't for your voice, but it really is you."

You nod stiffly, "I suppose I would since it has been six years and all. What are you doing all the way here in Kanagawa?"

Suddenly, a memory flashes across your mind. A memory of earlier in your apartment, Shizuma mentioning a friend who knew how to play volleyball. No, it couldn't be, right?

"Ah, I'm actually checking a few spots around here for my business," he lifts his shoulders in a shrug, "So Kanagawa, huh? This is where you've been hiding all this time?"

Your lips press into a thin line, feeling uneasy under his gaze. Of course, you would, you're practically hiding a really big secret. "I'm sorry, I don't have time to chat. I have plans and my friends are already egging me on for being late."

The traffic lights save you from a painful conversation, signalling that it was safe to cross but before you could take a step away, you feel him grasp onto your shoulder to pull you back. You turned your head to face him, ready to fight him off but you halted your actions at the sign of sadness his features displayed. You took the time to examine his features, your heart practically leaping as you were able to take in everything unlike seconds ago where you were purposely trying to leave. Of course, back then when you were friends, you considered Osamu as handsome. I mean, why wouldn't you? You were practically in love with his twin brother who you found extremely handsome at the time. However, that wasn't what ran through your mind. You began thinking that Atsumu probably looked just as good, and suddenly you felt a shitload of bricks slamming right down on your shoulders, the feeling of panic surging through your veins, wondering if Atsumu was around too that you failed to notice Osamu pull out a small card from his wallet, holding it out for you to take. He seemed to read your thoughts as he spoke to reassure you, "Don't worry. He's not here, but..." He trails off, looking at you with hope in his eyes, "take this, it has my number on it. When you're ready, I'm here to listen. I always have been. I want to know what you've been up to. I want to catch up."

At Osamu's reassurance, you feel your shoulders slowly relax as you take the card from him, your eyes scanning the printed numbers and words, Ongiri Miya, making you realize that he hadn't pursued Volleyball like his twin often rambled on. You flicker your gaze up to meet his once more and he gives you a small smile. You slowly nod as you slip the card into one of your back pockets, "I have to go."

He watches you leave, the smile he had instantly morphed into a frown as he watches you walk away once more and eventually disappear from his line of sight. He silently prayed that you would contact him when you could, wanting to reconnect with you after all these years, to know why you left. He promises to himself that when you do decide to reach out, that you wouldn't mention anything to his idiot brother.

He noted the shift of your body, how your shoulders relaxed at the mention of someone not being around, he knew that you had thought about his brother. And it only confirmed his suspicion of you leaving because of what his brother had done six years ago, the last day people saw you in Hyōgo. However, something still was missing, he still craved an answer. You couldn't have left just because of Atsumu's actions. So what was it?

Either way, he was determined to find out. You may have not known it then, but Osamu cared about you a lot. However, due to you being blinded by his twin brother's light, you failed to notice. He wasn't going to let you go this time, he'll find a way to get you back in his life. His phone blares his ringtone, snapping him out of his thoughts. As he brings his phone up, he grumbles underneath his breath at the sight of his brother's incoming call. Speak of the devil.

"What is it?"

He hears his brother whine from the other line, "Can't I just call my brother once in a while?"

"You only ever do that when you're in trouble or need something," he retorts with a roll of his eyes.

Atsumu laughs in response, "How'd the shop searching go? Anything interesting so far? When you coming back?"

"Hold up, what's with the questions?" He laughs at the sound of his brother's enthusiasm. It's true, they often disagreed with each other but when it came to supporting each other's passion, they were always there for the other. He shifts his gaze over to where you stood moments ago, a smile ghosting his lips at the memory of the brief conversation the two of you shared. "Yeah, maybe something interesting here in Kanagawa after all." He listens to his brother speak excitedly over the phone causing him to shake his head at the ridiculous tone. "Oh? He's here? Maybe I can hit him up..."

After the encounter with Osamu, you practically quickened your pace to Asuma's apartment, your heart beating erratically. You hadn't even realized you were holding your breath until you were gasping for air. Luckily, the majority of Asuma's guests were preoccupied that they hadn't noticed your entrance. You were sure you looked embarrassing looking extremely flustered.

You hear your name being called and as soon as you caught your breath, you notice Shizuma calling you over, Asuma and Reiji along with someone you seem to recognize but can’t seem place in your mind. Walking over, your lips curl up to a small smile as you extend your arm to hand over Asuma's gift, "Happy Birthday, 'suma. Here's my gift."

Asuma's eyes instantly light up, retrieving the gift from you, "I was going to get mad at you for being late but since you have a gift for me, I'll let it slide. Did the boys pick this for me?"

"Gee, aren't I lucky." You drawl sarcastically, a laugh being shared within the group as you shake your head, "No, you think those two would let me give them your gift? They said they'll give it to you tomorrow when you take them out. Hiko was upset when I left him with his Grandpapa Riku, though. He had this cute little scowl." Your three friends laugh, imagining their nephew in their heads. You flicker your attention over to the person who was watching you interact with the others with amusement, you smile at him politely. "I'm sorry. How rude of me."

"Oh, right!" Shizuma speaks as soon as your name slips out of your mouth to introduce yourself, holding out your hand for a shake which he grabs, "This is the friend I was talking about that can teach the boys volleyball."

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" He starts with a grin as he shakes your hand firmly, his enthusiasm infectious. Releasing his grip on your hand, he sends a little wave, "Bokuto Koutarou I'm a friend of Asuma's. Shizuma here was just telling me about your boys and how they were interested in volleyball and I wouldn't mind helping them out."

Asuma adds, "He's a professional volleyball player for Japan's V.League in Division 1. MSBY Black Jackals was it?"

You watch as the man who you thought kind of resembled a horned owl nod his head towards Asuma's direction, something about him oddly familiar. You hum along, eyes widening slightly at the information. "Professional? Wow, colour me impressed. Wouldn't you be too busy to train two six-year-olds, then?"

"I'll speak for everyone who knows her two boys that they're absolute devils," Reiji chuckles with a shake of his head, "Fast learners though. We'd teach them how to run like in Stride if we could but their mother over here refuses."

You scoff, "Because that sport can be dangerous!"

"Stride, huh?" Bokuto butts in, interested. "But yes, I have some time to teach. I'm sure they'll be okay. I owe Asuma anyway. I don't mind."

The corners of your mouth twitch to an unsure smile. You didn't know if you were going to go through with this if you were honest, but it isn't exactly something you can reject as your three other friends were present, and they would do anything for their favourite set of twins, spoiled rotten those two were.

"Don't worry," Shizuma claims, nudging you with his elbow as he gives you a reassuring smile, "They'll be in good hands, one of us will find the time to attend their little training. We're not as busy lately due to our little holiday anyway."

You hum softly as you continue to examine Bokuto under your gaze before something in your mind clicks, eyes widening ever so slightly. “I think I know you! Weren’t you at the Christmas Party last year that Reiji held?” 

He nods with a grin, “I was actually. Asuma invited me and I went along with a couple of friends. Funny how we’ve crossed paths before and yet we’re only meeting now, ay?”

“Ah, yeah. I think I remember now, sort of.” you laugh, nodding your head in agreement, “That party was crazy anyway. I don’t think anyone wants to remember that crazy night. Especially Reiji.” 

The man mentioned scoffs, rolling his eyes. “That’s why whenever I plan parties it’s never at my place anymore.” He shudders at the memory, “Drunk bastards doing the nasty at my place. And that model’s awful moaning could be heard even when the music was blasting.” 

You scrunch up your face in disgust, “Thankfully I left early then,”

An awkward laugh escapes Bokuto’s lips as he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly, “Yeah about that...” 

“That was you?” you and Asuma let out a gasp, eyes widening while Shizuma bursts out laughing. Reiji on the other hand, obviously not amused at the information. 

“Dude, what the heck!” Reiji exclaims, brows furrowing, “The least you could have done was choose a guest bedroom rather than on my own bed!” 

“Oy!” he laughs, holding his hands out, “I didn’t say it was me. I was just saying I know who it was. It was one of my friends, but I’d rather not say who.” 

Asuma joins his older brother Shizuma in laughing at the side while you try your best to calm down Reiji by tugging on his arm. “Anyway, Bokuto. I think we should talk about the schedule of your training with my boys. I’m sure they’ll be excited when they find out someone will be training them volleyball.”

Somehow, a part of you was screaming at you, telling you that this wasn't going to end well. Of course, you didn't realize at the time that you would come to regret such a decision, not like you had any say against it either. Your little boys were spoiled rotten and often got their way whether through innocent means or their sneaky tactics. It didn't help that their group of uncles were wrapped around their little fingers.

Ah, yes. You hadn't realized it yet, but it was the start of a roller coaster ride.

#atsumu x reader #atsumu x you #atsumu imagine #atsumu imagines #haikyuu #hq #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu imagines #atsumu miya x reader #miya x reader #miya imagine #miya imagines

[vannahfanfics]

A Queen and Her King

Category: Friendship Fluff, Puppy Love

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Characters: Sora, Kairi

Hey, everyone! I finally decided to try and get back in and participate in full fandom weeks, so here’s a story for Day 1 of @sokaiweek​ for the prompt “King & Queen”! I hope you enjoy this sweet childhood fluff :)

Kairi cooed in delight as she sat back on her heels to admire her artistry— an absolutely splendid sand castle complete with tall towers, a moat with a driftwood drawbridge, and some hermit crab guards that weren’t quite as good at their jobs as she would like. It was an exceptionally large castle, too, one that she could step in! She’d gathered some big palm tree leaves and folded them up to make a nice, comfy throne right in the middle of her castle. She’d made another one right beside it, too, because what was a queen without her king? 

“Wow, Kairi!” She heard someone cry behind her, and she looked over her shoulder to see Sora and Riku dashing over the sandy dunes toward her. Their faces were flushed with exertion and their hands clutched driftwood sticks that had some chips in the bark; no doubt, they’d spent the last thirty minutes or so whacking at one another in a “swordfight.” Sora cast his stick aside as he ran up, and then he squatted down in front of her sand castle to admire the seashells studded into the smooth walls. “It’s amazing!” 

“Thank you very much,” she said, puffing out her chest with pride. Riku tipped his head as he walked a circle around it, inspecting it critically before giving an approving huff. Sora stood up to peer over the edge, squealing happily when he discovered the two makeshift thrones inside. 

“Ahh, are you the queen of the castle, Kairi?” he asked, looking at her with sparkling blue eyes. Kairi’s cheeks flushed a little pink. She’d always thought Sora’s eyes were so pretty, not unlike the glittering sea washing in and out of the shore a few feet away. 

“That’s right,” she said as she stood up. She shyly clasped her hands behind her back and gave him a demure flutter of her lashes. “A castle isn’t complete without a king, though…” 

Bless Sora’s heart, though, he really was an airhead sometimes. The invitation was obvious, but he just gawked stupidly at Kairi while he tried to figure out the meaning behind her cryptic statement. Riku got it just fine, though, prompting him to stomp up and jab his thumb into his sternum in a clear declaration of hubris.

“Why didn’tcha say so, Kairi? I’ll be the king of your castle,” the silver-haired boy declared haughtily. 

“What?” Sora objected. “No way! I’m gonna be the king, Riku, back off!” 

Kairi poked her finger into her cheek as the two began to squabble. She should have known they were going to bicker about it. She hadn’t been on Destiny Islands for very long, but one thing she’d learned very quickly is that despite the two being the very best of friends, Sora and Riku had an intense rivalry about almost anything. She didn’t have the heart to tell Riku that she was really asking Sora to be the king of her castle, but what was she going to do about it? 

“Why don’t we just fight it out, then?” Sora huffed and snatched up his driftwood sword. “Whoever wins gets to be Kairi’s king, and even more, the loser has to marry us!” 

Well, it looks like the two had worked out a solution for themselves— even worse, it was one that had Kairi burying her face into her hands as a blush ran rampant across her cheeks. 

“You’re on!” Riku agreed, brandishing his own stick with a wide smirk. “This’ll be a piece of cake. I beat your butt four times a week.” 

“Yeah, but I win the other three days,” Sora refuted matter-of-factly. Kairi groaned inwardly; those odds weren’t exactly in her favor. She peered through her fingers as the boys marched off to the little island jutting out into the sea with the curvy palm tree in the middle— their favorite battleground. Kairi scurried along after them, nervousness swirling in her belly. Maybe she should have just ruled solo after all…

“You’re going down, Riku!” Sora asserted while pointing his stick at him. 

“Funny, you stole the words right out of my mouth!” Riku taunted back, which made Sora huff indignantly. Kairi crossed between them to sit in the bend of the palm tree, feeling no less than a trophy. It was kind of nice, watching the two boys fight over her; a girl couldn’t help but feel flattered. Still… She’d be a liar if she said she didn’t want Sora to win. 

“Do your best!” she smiled at him, and the brunet looked at her like she’d hung the moon for him. That gave Riku the opportunity to spring at him with a battle cry, and Sora only just managed to throw up his driftwood sword in a block before it whacked him over the head. 

“Hey! No fair!” Sora pouted as he shoved Riku away. 

“What? I was supposed to wait around while you made heart eyes at Kairi?” Riku jeered back, which made both Sora and Kairi flush bright pink. 

With a strangled battle cry, Sora rushed at Riku, swinging his stick wildly back and forth. Riku pranced around on the balls of his feet, parrying each blow. However, Riku underestimated the power behind Sora’s swings, so one of them finally caught him off guard and knocked his stick aside. Riku could only yelp as Sora tackled him to the ground. Driftwood abandoned, they began to wrestle in the sand like a couple of dogs. 

“ I’m gonna be the one to marry Kairi!” Sora insisted as he grabbed Riku by the collar and slammed him into the sand. The spongy surface of the dune absorbed most of the impact, giving Riku the freedom to laugh. 

“I thought it was about being king of the castle?” Riku scorned playfully. Sora had been caught red-handed, making him flush the color of an apple. Kairi was too busy burying her face back into her hands again, both mortified and delighted at the boy’s spontaneous declaration. Riku took advantage of Sora’s shock to try and flip him over, but they ended up just rolling over one another until they plopped right off the edge of the circular island and into the water. 

“Ah!” Kairi exclaimed at the sound of splashing, and she rushed to the edge of the island to peer down into the sea. At first, there were just a bunch of bubbles popping at the surface, but after a few seconds, two heads burst through the surface, spluttering and coughing. Kairi laughed, then squatted down to extend her hands to the two of them before they could start trying to drown each other. 

“You two are so silly,” she chuckled. The boys grabbed one hand each, and she dug her heels into the sand to haul them over the small retaining wall back onto the island. They both collapsed on their backs into the sand, chests heaving with exertion, and Kairi sat between them next to their heads. “Did you decide on a winner?” 

“Just gonna take a breather,” Sora grunted. “Then I’m gonna kick his butt!” 

“Save it,” Riku panted. “As soon as I rest a bit, then I’m gonna kick your butt.” 

Kairi sighed, putting her cheeks in her hands. This was going to take a while. Maybe while these two battled it out, she could find some pretty seaweed to string along her sandcastle walls? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. 

It was just as she was draping the last bit of seaweed across her sandcastle’s battlements that she heard Sora’s triumphant crow echoing across the island. She glanced up to see him standing triumphantly over a very bitter-looking Riku, who was nursing a goose egg sticking out of his silvery hair. Kairi couldn’t help but smile as he scampered over to her, flinging his driftwood stick aside so he could wrap her up in an excited hug. 

“Didja see that, Kairi? I beat him!” 

“You did!” she praised. Sora pulled back from her, sliding his hands down her arms to shyly hold her hands. 

“And now I get to be your king, right?” he asked bashfully, a smile playing over his lips while he toed at the sand. Kairi nodded meekly, prompting Sora to wiggle his hips in a little happy dance. Kairi giggled, finding herself excited at his enthusiasm. Riku came trudging up behind Sora, still rubbing the top of his head and looking like his ego was a bit bruised. 

“All right, all right. Now I have to marry you two or whatever, right? Darn, and I really wanted to be king…” he muttered under his breath. 

“We’ll build you a nice big castle and you can be our next-door neighbor, Riku!” Sora suggested, and Riku immediately brightened. Kairi felt a little relieved that Riku was more concerned with having a throne than marrying her. She peeked out of the corners of her eyes at Sora, who was looking at her with this big, goofy, dreamy smile on his face again. 

“All right, all right, enough with the heart eyes,” Riku snorted in disgust. “You have crowns, right? You can’t be a king and a queen without crowns!” 

“Oh, right!” Kairi exclaimed. She rushed back to her castle to lean over the edge and retrieve a pair of crowns she’d woven out of fern frowns and tropical flowers. She put one on her head and dropped the other on Sora’s brow, blushing at the absolutely adoring look he was giving her at the moment. Riku crossed his arms impatiently and clicked his teeth as an indication for them to come stand in front of them, so they hurriedly did so, though Sora and Kairi still snuck glances at one another. 

“All right,” Riku said with a roll of his eyes. They weren’t being as sneaky with their glances as they thought, apparently. “Dearly beloved, we gather here today to join these two in marriage, blah, blah, blah,” he said with disinterested gestures of his hands. “Whatever, whatever, Sora, tell Kairi how much you love her or something.” 

“Okay!” he exclaimed with zeal that had Kairi hiding her flushing face in her hands. She squeaked when Sora pulled her hands away from her face to grip them enthusiastically. “Kairi, as your king, I promise to protect you with my life! You’re the most beautifulest girl I’ve ever met and I’m so happy that you’re my queen and you’re gonna rule alongside me!” 

“Sora,” she said quietly. It was so moving that tears had begun to flood her eyes, and with a sweet smile, Sora reached up to thumb them away. “I’m glad you’re my king. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” 

“All right, all right, by the power invested in me or whatever, I pronounce you king and queen. Now kiss, guys!” Riku ordered gleefully, pointing at them with a mischievous grin. Kairi’s mouth dropped open in shock; how had she forgotten the most important part of a wedding? She turned around to see Sora comically puckering his lips and leaning in. She barely had time to clamp her mouth shut before he delivered a sloppy but quick kiss to her mouth. Her face went fiery red at the contact, but… it was kind of nice. 

“Yay!” Sora grinned as he pulled back. “Now, let’s go sit on our thrones, Kairi!” He tugged her to the castle, nearly tripping over his feet and destroying all her hard work in the process— but they managed to step over the wall and plop down on their palm leaf thrones without incident. Sora wiggled on top of the folded leaves with delight, while Kairi rested primly on her knees beside him. Her hermit crab army scuttled around them, as if they were celebrating the arrival of their rulers. 

Of course, Sora got bored of sitting there after about five seconds. 

“All right!” he cried and jumped to his feet. “Riku, let’s build your castle!” he said and clambered back out to run over to his friend. “It can’t be as big as mine, though, because you don’t have a queen.” 

“I could if I wanted to! Maybe I’ll ask Selphie.” 

“Psh, I bet Tidus’ll build a castle and declare war over her!” 

“That sounds like fun, actually. Oi! Tidus! Selphie!” 

As the two boys ran off, Kairi chuckled to herself. They really were a bundle of energy, those two. Kairi reached up to her crown, her fingertips brushing over the petals of the hibiscus flowers woven into it, and she smiled softly. 

I wouldn’t want it any other way… My brave, wonderful king.

Enjoy this oneshot? Here’s Part II! Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

#sokai #sokaiweek #sokaiweek2021 #sora x kairi #kairi x sora #kingdom hearts

[kessielrg]

[Kingdom Hearts] Old Habits, New Reasons

Summary: Three times in which Namine shies away from social functions just to draw, and the one time someone joined her. [oneshot][character study][NamiXi if you really wanna squint][also Namiku if you squint a little less]

Rating: K

Word Count: 3,469 words

If you liked this story, please reblog!

---

Their question had thrown Namine off slightly. She sheepishly looked down at her small sketchbook as if it could answer the question for her. The white page stared back at her in silence.

A part of Namine knew this would happen eventually. There was always that fear that someone would follow her, ask her what she was doing, and then tell her to rejoin the others. But that wasn't what they were asking, was it? They wanted to know why she was drawing. It was a simple question, and it was a bit odd that someone would have lugged a caboodle of art supplies with them to a banquet.

"Well?" the other girl asked. "Is there someone who would get mad you're drawing, even if you did it around your friends?"

"I don't think so." Namine decided, slowly. "But sometimes... it's just easier to draw without other people around you. And sometimes, when people find out that you're good at something, they make you do that something for them. It's not very fun."

"Do you always leave to draw, though?"

At first, Namine wanted to disagree with all her heart. But in introspection, it was more of a vice than she cared to admit. She loved drawing, but didn't like others watching her as she did it. When did that happen, she wondered. That didn't used to be the case...

"Sometimes." Namine finally said. She held her sketchbook a bit tighter before adding, "But only on certain occasions."

"Like?"

Namine looked over at the other girl with curiosity. She was greeted with a look just as inquisitive as her own. Maybe even more so. There was a genuine interest; that much was certain. Maybe there was a budding artist in their midst?

"Well..." she carefully said, moving her sketchbook a bit to flip through the earlier pages, "There was this one time..."

. . .

It was a small comfort that, while she wasn't a Keyblade wielder herself, the others considered her when they all got together. She still made sure that her presence didn't disturb anyone. Being quiet and observant was Namine's most reliable vice. That, and drawing. There wasn't much else she knew how to do. Her time as a Nobody barely ranged a year, and after that she was placed safely inside Kairi's heart until recently. Being a Somebody was... confusing, to say the least.

Being asked to join in on a slumber party with Kairi and Xion had been a surprise- perhaps even more so because Master Aqua herself gave her the invitation. Namine certainly didn't expect it to take place in the Land of Departure either. The world seemed far too grand to her -far too important in the history of Keyblade wielders- that it could be used for anything beyond a training arena. She was proven wrong after entering the Great Hall with Kairi. Aqua had given them a spot in front of the thrones, already decorated with sleeping bags for all four of them and a small assortment of snacks.

"I've never got to have a proper slumber party before, since it was me and Terra for most of our childhoods." Aqua admitted at some point. "Feels weird having one with you guys now. I feel like a mom."

It was Xion who, without skipping a beat, cheerfully declared, "And you're the best one I'll never have!"

"Xion!" both Aqua and Kairi declared, each with their own level of bewilderment. Namine only offered a stifled laugh. So proud at their reactions, Xion gave them all a smile so big, it almost rivaled Sora's.

After that, they started to talk about various things since they all met together. Apparently everyone's training was going rather well. Kairi was beginning to get a handle of second tier elemental magic, while Xion was working on personal techniques on and off for the past week. It was around this time that Namine politely excused herself from the others. They had been so caught up in their conversation that they didn't even notice.

Namine went to where she and Kairi had placed their personal things to find her caboodle. The caboodle was a neat little box with drawers that opened the same time she opened the lid. She was able to put all her art supplies in it. Most of them, anyway- her normal sketchbook was too large to fit. Instead, she used a smaller pad that was placed where the mirror in the caboodle was. Once Namine made sure she had everything, she carefully found a spot far enough away from the others so she could draw them. It honestly wasn't very far, but it was still far enough away that the other three didn't really notice her. That was fine. If anything, it was perfect.

The sounds of the others almost masked the sound of her pencil against paper. Spending most of her life locked away with nothing but drawing to distract her gave Namine a slight skill in speed drawing. However, she took her time when she started to work on her friends. She wanted as much detail as she could.

But she didn't bother to sketch her own sleeping bag. She tried to tell herself that it was because it ruined the composition. But deep down she knew it was because she didn't fit with the others, and so it didn't need to be included.

Namine finished her drawing without the others ever knowing she was gone. She placed everything back in her caboodle, then went back as Kairi went into a long story about Tidus and Wakka back on the islands. It was nice; the sounds of friendship. Namine had been the first to go to sleep that night.

. . .

At first, the only response she got was a quiet, "Oh..."

"It was a really fun time!" Namine quickly insisted. "And it really was a treat to be included."

"But you drew yourself out."

Namine flinched slightly. "It worked out better that way. From the angle I was at, it would have looked weird because I had the really light sleeping bag, and everything was so dark anyway..."

The other girl only looked more guilty.

"Do you still have the picture?" she wondered.

"I think so." Namine agreed. She adjusted herself so she could better go through her sketchbook before flipping through the earlier pages. "Here," she then offered as she handed it over.

There was a small hum as the other ran her fingers over the drawing. Namine had made deliberate choices in lighting around the three Keyblade wielders- light coming off of them as if they were lighting up the whole room. If you looked ever closer, you could see the detail of the castle's floor, and even make out the silhouettes of the three thrones in the background.

"Does anyone know that you go somewhere away from everyone to draw?" the other girl asked, handing the sketchbook back to Namine.

Namine gave a fond, almost bashful smile.

"There is someone..."

. . .

"There's a lot of people here." Namine noted as she tried to look over the crowd. Riku wasn't making the same amount of effort. Instead, he just casually looked on with a hand at his hip. Curse him being a full head taller than she was.

"Aqua said that Disney Town holds the Dream Festival every year." Riku agreed with a small nod. "Can't be that easy since Queen Minnie has almost been reigning the kingdom alone for the past few years. The effort is definitely amazing though."

Namine agreed with a nod and a small noise of affirmation. Disney Town looked absolutely splendid for the festival. All the colors, and the smells, and the energy was enough to put anyone in a good mood. The grip Namine had on her caboodle tightened slightly. A frown crossed her lips as she considered that there might have been too much commotion. There wasn't a good place to just sit and zone out without some kind of noise maker going off.

Riku must have noticed this. He looked over at her, and quickly saw her firm grip on the caboodle's handle.

"Are you sure you don't want to leave that in the Gummi Ship?" he asked. He even made a mild gesture to the box, which only made Namine hold it closer to her.

"No. I'm going to use it." Namine insisted. "I just... I just need someplace a bit more quiet..."

Riku nodded. He looked up again to see that Queen Minnie had taken the stage. The queen looked as beautiful as always in her formal pink and red ballgown. The jewels on her crown glittered under the multicolored overhead lights. Everyone cheered at seeing her- the love and admiration they had for their leader was enough to be felt from miles away. Minnie was a good queen, there was no contest about that.

As Minnie tried to settle the crowd down so she could speak, Riku bent down a bit to quietly tell Namine something.

"There's a sewage grate somewhere behind us. If you take it, there's a gizmo that will lead you up to one of the buildings overlooking the racetrack. Don't know about you, but a good aerial shot might be something to capture for later."

Namine grinned. "Thank you Riku." she said before giving him a small peck on his cheek. The young Keyblade master's face gleamed with a humble blush as he stood tall again, almost as if he had never moved at all. Namine laughed a bit at it before leaving.

Finding, and getting into, the grate had not been an issue. It did take her awhile to navigate the gizmo, though. But it was all worth it once she got to the top of a particular building. Namine let out a soft 'Oh...' of wonder as she sat down near the edge facing the racetrack. Riku was right- this was a good place to work. If only she was able to use larger sketch paper in her travelling kit.

When she was finished, Namine very quickly tried to find Riku again. She shouted his name after spotting him. He barely had time to turn around before she proudly displayed her new drawing to him.

"Do you think Queen Minnie will like it?" she asked, rather breathlessly.

Riku looked at her before looking down at the drawing. He put on a wide smile before telling her, "She's going to love it. It's perfect."

. . .

That story had brought about a rather brighter mood in the other girl.

"Did Queen Minnie like the drawing?" she asked. "You did give it to her after the festival, right?"

A sense of pride welled in Namine's heart, leading her to sit a bit straighter. "She loved it." she grinned. "She immediately had the brooms take it to the gallery to be expanded and mounted. You should have seen the look on Riku's face. He was as proud as I was, and probably more surprised!"

"I could only imagine." the other girl laughed. "Oh!" she then said, "Have you ever gone someplace with a view so nice that you just couldn't replicate it no matter how hard you tried? It's hard to recreate any atmosphere, in my opinion. I wanna know if you ever tried to as well."

Namine let out a soft hum as she thought about it. She let out a small noise of realization when it came to her.

"I did once before, yes." she agreed. "Since Kairi's parents don't mind me staying with them, I was able to join her, Riku, Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie to a beach party they had. It was still summer vacation, if I remember correctly. And Tidus really wanted to have a girls versus boys match..."

. . .

"Head's up!" Tidus shouted before serving the volleyball over the net.

"Cheater!" Selphie shouted back as Kairi managed to spike the ball back. Tidus only gave a rather sinister cackle back. However, at that point, no one was able to break their concentration just to smack talk each other.

Namine watched as Kairi and Selphie worked against Tidus and Riku in a rather well matched volleyball tourney. Wakka wasn't too far away- he had lost a bet earlier and had to make food for everyone. The smell of pineapples and fish hung in the air. It was the warmth of the midday sun that Namine loved the most. The feeling enveloped its way around her like a comforting hug. She let out a soft sigh as she got a bit more comfortable.

The sudden urge to draw made her fingers twitch.

This wasn't a good spot for it, though. She was too close to the others for anything but sand to get onto the paper than color. As much as she loved watching the volleyball match, it was still a bit too distracting. Namine started to get up and casually looked around for a better spot to draw. It didn't take long for her eyes to train to a crow's nest not far from the shore. It was part of a large treehouse that seemed to encompass the island. She looked back at her friends for a moment before quietly leaving them. If anyone noticed she was going, they certainly didn't question her about it.

After getting herself situated at the higher point, Namine found herself gaping at the scene below her. Her friends happily playing on the beach, the light reflections off the water, and even the island holding the paopu tree providing a view so beautiful, so rich, that she wasn't even aware that she was opening her caboodle at first. Seeing the Destiny Islands through Sora's heart was nothing compared to the real thing. Was it possible just to freeze time here and let everything else wash away? She smiled a bit to herself. She did have a way to freeze time, in a way.

The only unfortunate thing was that she wouldn't be able to capture it all. She couldn't encapsulate the smell of the sea, or the sounds of Tidus demanding the girls had leverage over him for some reason. She gave a small smile as she continued to work. Most of her effort was spent trying to reflect the sea around them. A certain impatience came over her as she carefully did each detail. You always had to start with the big stuff, then go down smaller. She was just so eager to capture this moment, anyway she could, that she was always picturing this drawing when it was done.

Namine had to force herself to stop after an hour. Her hands were starting to hurt, and her stomach was growling for food. She cracked her knuckles, barely relieving the tension in them, before putting her stuff away. There would always be time to clean the picture up later. For now, she needed to rejoin her friends.

. . .

And so, we were brought back to our initial setting- the banquet in Radiant Garden.

Namine had thought at first that this would be the perfect opportunity to work on drawing food. But the actual banquet itself had a lot more activity than she was anticipating. There were too many people at the tables to have space to stand at for a few minutes, and she had tried to get a plate for herself to take elsewhere- the allure of delectable aromas wouldn't let her go far without wolfing everything down. So she decided to get a higher view.

To her luck, there was a balcony overlooking the main area. It wasn't blocked off or anything, so Namine quietly crept her way to the top. She found a place to carefully overlook the area and found herself at awe. Even if she was aware that someone was behind her, she probably wouldn't have known it at first.

"Namine!" a voice suddenly said in surprise. Namine jumped a good foot before turning her attention to the newcomer. She relaxed a little when she found it was just Xion.

"Xion..." the blonde girl sighed. "It's just you."

"Am I interrupting you? I'm sorry. I'm not interested in food, and the boys are really going at it, so I really wanted to do this writing exercise where you describe an atmosphere, and..."

"No, no, no. You're fine." Namine insisted. She moved her stuff a bit before gesturing for Xion to sit down next to her. "Here," she offered, "Sit next to me. The view is nice from this area."

Xion smiled in thanks before carefully sitting down. She looked out over the balcony and gasped.

"You're right, this is a good view!" Xion marveled. Her eyes expanding in wonder. "This is the perfect place for Ebba to plant a listening device onto an enemy!"

"Ebba?" Namine wondered. "Who's Ebba?"

At Namine's confusion, Xion's face lit up in a deep scarlet.

"She's my... I think Pence called it 'self-insert.' It's a character that's based on me, but sometimes has a few differences. I've based most of the stories I write on stuff I did in the Organization. It's helped a lot with trying to cope with it. You know?"

Namine shrunk a little. "Yeah..." she agreed in a tiny voice.

"But it's real fun too!" Xion told her, trying to divert the heavy topic a bit. "I base everyone in story with someone in real life! You should see the guy I based on Xemnas... I do a lot of mean things to him."

Namine let out a small chuckle. But then a thought occurred to her.

"You based the characters in your story on us?"

"Of course I did!" she happily declared, her blush growing a bit, besides. "Roxas is Lucas, Master Aqua is head knight Meikai, I even have Pluto as the brave pup Mercury!"

"Do... Do you have someone based on me?"

Xion paused for a moment. Her face going still. However, just as quickly, her smile came back as wide as ever.

"Not yet, but I can!" she decided. She hummed a bit as she thought it over some more. "But I don't have to if you don't want to. I think I'll call her... Syrena."

"Syrena..." Namine hummed in thought. She then gave a bright smile in appreciation. "I like it."

"Great!" Xion beamed. She let out a rather contented sigh before asking, "What about you? Why did you come here?" She looked down at Namine's sketchpad and art supplies for a moment then added, "Did you come all this way just to draw?"

After some hesitation, Namine told her. Carefully, and in her own time. Xion listened intently- only asking questions when Namine was done relating a certain day. When the subject came back around to where they were, Xion seemed to understand much better.

"I get it now." she said.

"You do?" Namine wondered.

Xion gave a thoughtful little nod before explaining, "It's easier for you to draw when it's more quiet. That was how it was before. I think it's great that you're still drawing, even though you started because you were held hostage by the Organization. But the Organization didn't give you the skill you have, Namine. That’s all your own. Kinda like how writing is my special thing. We have ways to just... be ourselves, you know? It's comforting. It's like knowing that, even though we didn't start out in this world with our own goals or ideals, we can make them on our own now. We're free now, Namine. Free to do whatever we want."

Namine absently hugged her sketchbook. "I like that thought." she admitted. "I never really saw it that way before, either. Drawing is something that I know I can do. Something that won't harm others. But you are right- it's what makes me... me. Thank you."

Xion grinned. A wide, bright grin that could have lit up a room. It gave Namine an idea.

"What does Ebba look like?" she questioned, at the same time she pulled out one of her sketching pencils. "Does she look just like you, or are there a lot of differences?"

There was a moment of confusion on Xion's face, then a bright flicker of joy. Not a second after, she burst into a long babble about her character. She even used her arms to illustrate certain concepts and mannerisms. Namine laughed, and did her best to keep up. Xion was so passionate about her characters- it almost made Namine jealous. For the next few hours, Namine did a blend of Xion's idea for Ebba, while Xion herself got to writing about how Ebba got to meet a new acquaintance; a mysterious girl named Syrena, who -while mostly shy- was very well loved.

#kingdom hearts #kh namine #namine #kingdom hearts fanfiction #kh fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #kh fan fic #fan fiction #fan fic #xion #kh xion #riku #kh riku #implied namixi #implied namiku #oneshot #one shot #writers on tumblr #no beta

[starcharmfunzies]

Could you please explain to us, in incredibly insane,DEEP detail, why you hate Mickey? From point A to point Z. I’ll get my popcorn ready.

under the cut cause this got long and I'm very passionate about the topic

---

okay so the year is 2010

BbS came out and the fanbase is heartbroken (including myself) over what happened to Terra, Aqua and Ven. At this point in the franchise Mickey although shady seems like a decent dude, so I didn't have any strong opinions towards him, only that he was this mysterious and seemingly OP king. Let's recap though.

In KH1 he wasn't very communicative with Donald and Goofy, but when he finally showed up at the very end it was to close Kingdom Hearts and ngl it was a pretty hype moment. So far so good.

In Re:Chain of Memories he again does not approach Donald and Goofy -and Sora- even though they were still looking for him, but it was for a very good cause as he stayed with Riku to help him fight Ansem Seeker of Darkness. Here I actually thought well of him.

In KH2 he's still being beyond secretive but he finally joins the gang to explain some things and fight alongside everyone to defeat Xemnas. Honestly he's got no bad record so far; he may be a douche sometimes since he barely explains himself but I could understand because of the circumstances.

So BbS happens. We get insight on how he was involved with TAV and I actually felt kinda bad for Mickey since he hadn't been able to do much to help them, and for all he knew in the worst case scenario they all died.

But then in 2011 Re:Coded came out, and with it its secret movie.

In the secret movie Mickey and Yen Sid have the following exchange:

M: Yen Sid, I think we're finally close to figuring out where Ven's heart is.

Y: Is that so? Then that leaves only Terra.

Hold the fuck up. Only Terra? As in, they already knew where Aqua was?

Why hadn't they gone after her then?????

This secret movie left a bitter taste in my mouth. I started questioning everything. For how long had they known? Why hadn't they done anything? What the fuck were they waiting for?

Sadly in 2012 with DDD's release I didn't get answers to any of these questions, and when Mickey told Xehanort that he hoped TAV sacrificing themselves hadn't been in vain it just got me more angry.

How dare you talk about them as if they were dead. How dare you utter Aqua's name when you know damn well where she is and you know damn well that it's almost fucking impossible to get out of that place without help. YOU could help her Michael. But no, you're just talking about her like she was just a bad memory you wanted to forget.

I was pissed.

And I stayed pissed for the next 5 years, with no main games coming out and only my memories of the past games to look back on Mickey's behavior. Since when had he known that Aqua was in the Realm of Darkness? Since KH1 when he helped Sora close the door to Kingdom Hearts? Since Re:Chain of Memories when he was helping Riku overcome his own darkness? Since KH2 when he was infiltrating the Organization? Since way before KH1? Just how long had he been walking around knowing of this and deciding to do nothing about it?

But not only was I angry at Mickey. I was desperate. How long would I be waiting until Aqua was saved? Would she even be saved at all? Information about her was scarce, and BbS volume 2 seemed nothing but a distant dream, but with DDD being the prelude to the final battle against Xehanort I was hopeful the next main game would finally have her involved again.

So you can imagine how excited I was when we got the first trailer for KH 2.8 that included A Fragmentary Passage.

That image of the back of her head gave me hope. Hope that she was still okay, still fighting, and that she would be saved soon.

And on January 2017 we finally found what had happened to her before she made it to that fateful beach.

And boy I wasn't happy.

The reason Mickey knew Aqua was in the Realm of Darkness was because he met her there, right before he helped close Kingdom Hearts. And of course I don't blame him for getting separated from Aqua, it was the demon tower's fault and I understand he couldn't do much being in a hurry and all to get to the door.

But shouldn't he have tried to find her right after???

I get that there's only so much Nomura can tie back to plot-wise as he writes along, but the matter of fact at this point is that:

Mickey stayed with Riku after closing Kingdom Hearts and didn't say a word to him about Aqua.

We don't know whether Mickey tried to search for her or not, but it sure as hell didn't stop him from leaving the Realm of Darkness when he had the chance.

So after escaping the Realm of Darkness Mickey eventually went to Yen Sid and told him he found Aqua, and Yen Sid told him to not try anything yet as they were unprepared to rescue her.

And OF COURSE, this is the one time Mickey decides to listen to him. Not unlike ALL the other times he went around and did whatever the fuck he wanted. Like when he ran away with the star shard in BbS despite Yen Sid telling him not to get involved, or when he went to confront fucking Xehanort and only got saved because of Ven, or when he abandoned Disney Castle without warning to do things by himself and just left a shitty note with a half-assed explanation, or when he jumped after Xemnas into the dark corridor and left behind everyone in Radiant Garden.

Nah, it's this ONE time in particular that Mickey decides to be a goody-two-shoes and not do anything reckless for a change.

Wasn't Aqua his friend? Didn't he form a D-link with her because they got close? Hadn't he done all the dangerous things he did in the past because he wanted to look after those he cared for and loved?

And not only did he decide to do nothing, but he didn't say a THING about her to anyone. So what if Sora and/or Riku planned a reckless rescue? Mickey had already done worse than that! And BESIDES, Sora and Riku did manage to get out of the Realm of Darkness once so they could have very well done it again a second time.

BUT HEY at least 0.2 ended with Mickey and Riku deciding to finally go get Aqua, so there's hope. That is until 2019, another 2 years later, that KH3 comes out. Mickey and Riku finally go to the Realm of Darkness to look for her, but when they get to the beach and find she's not there what does Mickey decide to do?

HE DECIDES TO LEAVE AGAIN.

It's been 10+ years already what's a little more time am I right fellas???

Reminder that Mickey supposedly considers Aqua a friend btw.

Michael you were there in the Realm of Darkness, you know how dangerous it is, you saw how at the verge of giving up Aqua was, and you decide to keep her waiting even more? What the hell is wrong with you?!

It's like he doesn't even care about her at all. It's so unsettling how carefree he is about it.

And you know what? Had Mickey decided to go save Aqua sooner they might have actually gotten to her before her confrontation with Ansem Seeker of Darkness, and they would have spared her plenty of suffering.

But what do I know.

Anyway, Aqua gets saved (by Sora btw, not Mickey), and in the process she calls Mickey out on his bullshit and he agrees he messed up. He even apologized. That did make me feel better, it was cathartic, and although I was still sore about everything he did now that TAV was back together safe and sound I was considering cutting Mickey some slack. I'll give him credit, I did get a little impressed with what he did in Re:Mind. Credit where credit is due.

But then Melody of Memory happened.

sigh

The moment this asshole found out that Riku went by himself to search for Sora to this strange world of unreality what is the first thing he does?

He bolts to the fucking door ready to go after Riku. And had it not been for Donald and Goofy tackling him to the ground he could have very well ran off.

Why wasn't he this worried over Aqua? When he found her she had already spent 10 years in the Realm of Darkness, a very VERY dangerous place. And yet when he made it out he wasn't worried at all and let her stay 2-3 years more in there?? Riku had left like a fucking hour ago and it was enough to have Mickey panicking COME ON. Biased much?

So there you have it. No matter what Mickey does in the future of the franchise I don't think I'll ever have the heart to forgive him. I was willing to do so, but of course he made me change my mind rather quickly.

I'm glad newcomers to the series share these feelings of not being fond of Mickey, but I don't think they'll go through the same experience that the people that followed the games did. Most of us liked Mickey at the beginning, but through the years we realized with horror that we had been deceived, and we were left to wallow in our rage while we hopelessly waited for someone, anyone, to save Aqua.

#i feel like i've explained this more than once but not as passionately as I did right now #long post #i just cant forgive him #i cant #for what he did to aqua and for what he made me feel #my teen self was so so worried for Aqua and so distraught Mickey got away with this #adult me adores Aqua and despises Mickey with every fiber of my being #IN THIS BLOG WE DONT FORGIVE MICHAEL THEODORE MOUSE #mickey #aqua

[magicalgirlsandcerulean]

Episode 9's blog post (Spoilers under the cut!)

This post by Balletta is dated 8th June 2021. It apparently took him 8 hours to write...which is why I took so long putting this post out. (I had to skip a lot of the descriptive stuff and it still took me over 4 hours to do this post...)

There are also some tweets from Hishida below, including one regarding ep. 10. If you don't want any info about ep. 10 until you get to it, skip reading tweet 2.

Due to the nature of the ep., there is a mention of suicide below.

Hishida's tweet 1:

そういえばF蘭９話でゲスな男の久ニさん役で鳥海浩輔さんが出演してくれました。僕にとっては初監督作の陰陽大戦記でタイザン役を演じてくれたとても恩のある方です。ありがとうございました。そして明日放送の１０話でも非常にお世話になった方が登場します。これも逃れられない縁なのでしょうか！？

Now that you mention it, F-Ran episode 9's male sleazebag Kyuji was voiced by Kosuke Toriumi. For me, he had the role of Daizan in my first directorial work, Onmyou Taisenki, so I have a big obligation towards him. Thanks a lot. Also, episode 10, which is airing tomorrow, has a person who's taken extreme care of me. Is this an inescapable fate?!

(Who is this he's talking about? Read on.)

Hishida's tweet 2:

まさか福山潤くんに会えるとはね。りっくん、生まれ変わってギャンブラーになってました…w #フィクションです

Unexpectedly, I was able to meet Jun Fukuyama, huh? Rikkun was reborn as a gambler...LOL #ThisIsFiction

"Rikkun" = Riku Tachibana, protagonist of Onmyou Taisenki.

Hishida's tweet 3:

美梨香ちゃん、プリチャンのルルナ…。僕はキャスティングには関わっていません。

Birika-chan is Pri-chan's Luluna...My casting has not changed.

Pri-chan = Kiratto Pri-chan. Luluna and Birika share the VA Hibiku Yamamura.

On to the post (note Balletta goes backwards and forwards in time a lot in this post, so with that on top of my omissions, it's a bit hard to keep track of):

Post's name: "The Perverted and Slightly Sad Episode 9". (You know why it's perverted, but the "slightly sad" will be revealed later on. Balletta specifically uses a word for "slightly sad" used by teenage girls, ぱおん.)

Balletta starts by giving various greetings (this matches last time's), asks if everyone enjoyed Fairy Ranmaru ep. 9. It's Uruu's second turn, so he's going to give real-time thoughts and comments on the ep.

The ep starts with Uruu painting "blue roses" (according to Balletta). "収録の時に、第3話の時みたいにうるうくんの英語から始まったらどうしよう…と台本貰うまでドキドキしてたのはここだけの秘密です…" - "It's a secret between us that when we were recording, I was nervous until I got the script, wondering what would happen if we started with Uruu-kun's English like in episode 3..."

Balletta goes on to discuss how people call Uruu "Blue Rose" (from Tiger and Bunny). People have been making this connection ever since the key visual (the one with the fairy forms) dropped. Even now, when watching the anime on Nico Nico Douga, he'll think: "Hi, Blue Rose's older brother!").

He skips to Uruu's mother's suicide scene. Her wings are broken like glass and Balletta thinks this is when Uruu's heart was broken too. This is also where he thinks Uruu's ideal of "always be proper" was born.

The blushing Homura, being healed by Bakkun and reading an article on Shiina's manga, is "transcendently cute".

It's at this point where Balletta starts introducing quotes from the discussion with "ワン！トゥー！！スリー！！！" ("One! Two!! Three!!!") (<- For the curious, there are 6 of these in the post, but they're not entirely the same.)

Balletta wonders in small text if there was tongue or not during the CPR scene...

"この時のうるうくんの表情が完全に悪役の悪い顔になってて、正直自分もアニメ見てて「うるうくん！顔わるいなぁー！！」ってなりましたね！" - "That time Uruu's face looked like a villain's, and straight up I also saw in the anime, 'Uruu-kun! You're making a bad face-!!'"

Balletta is relieved Homura has been revived.

The sloth's lump is moving...

Balletta introduces Birika and the plot of the week. "不倫！ダメ！！ゼッタイ！！！" - "Adultery! Don't do it!! Absolutely don't!!!" (he repeats this through the post and counts the times he says it - the editing Chesarka from the future says he ends up with 3 instances of this)

Balletta recaps that Uruu is good at painting, as we know from ep. 1. It seems to be the same painting, but then he puts red paint on top. This made Balle-san think of Homura so much, he couldn't concentrate on the painting. In short, FIRE (insert flame emoji, obviously referencing Homura's shirt).

5 to Heaven synced up on how they thought during recording. When Uruu is talking to Birika and she says "心が清廉だからだよ" ("Because you have an honest heart."), they all thought, "心が清廉、どうも清怜うるうです。" ("You have an honest heart - thank you, Uruu Seiren.") Balletta thinks they increased their bonds as a result. (Note "honest" in this case is "seiren".)

Some descriptive bits later, we get to this sentence: "第1話から今回の第9話までに、うるうくんの心情や見えている世界が大きく変わったことを意味しているのではないかと自分は思いました！" I thought from ep. 1 until ep. 9, the world he is seeing has changed greatly!" A bit further down: "先程も話した、第1話から第9話にかけて、うるくんの心情や見えている世界が大きく変わってきていると言ったもう一つの理由がこの言葉なんです！第1話では世界に対しても常に正しくあるべきと考えていたうるうくんが、第9話に至るまでに色んなことがありました。

過去のトラウマ、火焔族への憎しみ、焔くんに対しての嫉妬。" - "That's another reason why I said earlier the world Uruu-kun sees has changed greatly from ep. 1 to ep. 9! Ep. 1, where Uruu-kun thinks everything should be correct about the world, to the Uruu-kun in ep. 9 who has had various things happen. Past trauma, the hatred of the Ignis clan, the jealousy which he feels towards Homura."

Balletta can't believe how Birika's mother came back and had a kiss mark on her neck. He gets so angered he starts making puns on his own name (bareru means to leak a secret, while barebare means a transparent lie) and ends with "あ、どうもバレッタです。" - more along the lines of "Ah, sorry, I'm Balletta" than the previous "thank you"s - before returning to the previous discussion.

Some more description later, Balletta mentions the appearance of Sirius. "素晴らC！いや！すばらシリウス！！！" - "SubaraC (shii)! No! SubaraSirius!!!" (subarashii = wonderful) He then discusses Sirius's musings.

End A part. Balletta stops for a bit to note "You only noticed all this incredible impressions and comments are [for] the A part? Didn't you see the previous post?" He also comments Hori's post was short and that was fine. "ま、イケメンだからいっか！！！（うるうくん達が）" - "Well, they're handsome, so what?!!! (Uruu-kun and co. are)"

Now to the B part. Balletta notes there's a piece of art that is a pot in the art gallery. Pot quota: check.

Some description (and more yelling about how adultery is bad and unforgivable) later: we get to the kiss scene. This transformation is voiced differently to the one in ep. 3 in terms of the pan upwards part and the sound effect of boots scratching you can hear during the "Taboo rescinded! Love! In abundance!" callout. "自分もリアルタイムで第9話見てて、「あれ！？ボイス変わってるし、音が追加されてる！凄い！！」ってテレビの前でなってました！ありがたい限りです！" - "Even when watching ep. 9 in real-time, I was in front of the TV, going, 'Huh?! The voice changed and a sound was added! Amazing!!' I'm nothing but grateful!"

Hotel Tsubo returns. "なんかもう毎回このアニメをリアルタイムで見るたびに「今回はどこに壺が隠れてるかなぁ〜♪」ってなってる自分がいてビックリしますよ笑" - "Basically every time I watch this anime in real-time, I'll be like, 'Where will they hide the pot this time~?♪', so I'm surprised. LOL"

"そしてそんな「HOTEL壺」では、美梨香さんの母親と久二さんがS○Xしてるシーンが出ましたね。申し訳ないけどもう一回だけ言わせてくださいね…

ふざけんにょ！！！" - "Also, at that Hotel Tsubo, Birika-chan's mother and Kyuji have a scene where they're having s_x. I'm sorry for saying this, but please let me say this once...stop screwing around!!!" (The "screw" pun is intentional on my part.)

Enka scene. Balletta calls Uruu "sexy & beautiful" because of his black lace wings and strong gaze.

Head back to Bar F. "バックンはこのアニメの癒し…

いつもありがとうバックン！" - "Bakkun [being] in this anime is healing...thanks as always, Bakkun!"

Some description later, around the part where Uruu's mother says Uruu is just like his dad...you can see germ-like objects that look like water fleas and Uruu gains some damage from them sticking themselves down his throat. There are various versions of this scene and after all the yelling from recording them, he felt considerably more passionate.

Some more description later, Balletta doubles back to the scene slightly beforehand. where Ranmaru and Chilka are in the same place.

Balletta then continues for a bit about the plot and is at the scene where Kyuji is relieved he's free of the old hag when he goes, "ワン！トゥー！！スリー！！！ 「エヘッ、ぱおーん！」 こんの野郎ーーーー！！！ぱおーんじゃねぇんだよぉー！！！！！ガオーってライオンだらけの檻の中にぶち込むぞぉーーーー！！！となったのはこのブログだけにそっと記しておきますね。" ("One! Two!! Three!!! 'Ehe, that's kinda sad!' These bastards---!!! This isn't 'kinda sad'!!!!! I'll throw you into a cage full of roaring lions----!!!...This blog became a place where I can quietly write this precisely [because I can], huh?")

Balletta discusses the final scene and then draws attention to Takara's scene by going, "「あっちゃー、もう一山残っちまったかぁー」 えっ！？何が残ったの！？" - "'The worst is yet to come.' What's coming?!" (<- Translation using the CR line)

He then tells everyone to look forward to next time's Fairy Ranmaru ep., says he's finished, that was ep. 9's comments and impressions, apologises for his long post again and puts some promotional stuff I've already covered on magicalgirlsandcerulean (in order: character song CD, the live show in Sept., Sweets Paradise, Vivid Army, Otasuke Heaven, BD/DVD 1, the curry plate, Bakkun plush, key necklaces, Fairy Ranmaru's official Twitter + YouTube). He then ends by saying he's done (again) and he's Yutaka Balletta, who voices Uruu.

Takara's comment: "原稿用紙40枚やで～気合い入れて読んでや～" - "You took 40 sheets of genkou youshi~. We read it with effort." (referencing the line where he apologises for his long post: "今回また2回目の当番回だったというのもあって気合い入れまくった結果やっぱり長文になってしまいました！ご容赦くださいまし！！" - "This time was the 2nd time I was in charge [of the post], so the result was, of course, me putting in effort! Please forgive me [for my long post]!")

Update: Minor fixes for accuracy and clarity.

#Fairy Ranmaru #Fairy Ranmaru spoilers #Yutaka Balletta #Uruu Seiren #Masakazu Hishida