#( i also wanted to have a specific thing for Tasuku to reference for the eventual interaction with Seto

[universestreasures]

Extension / Spinoff Of This Thread With @shacchou

🎶"Looking up at the sky with you, two bright shining stars call to us. Here we are, standing strong. Shining with our Buddy Lights..."🎶

The gentle and soothing singing voice of his friend was pleasant on the young boy's ears. Never in a million years did he think Tasuku had such a hidden talent, and yet here he is listening to him sing a song from the heart just to try and help him feel better. Then again, the Buddy Police Boy Wonder was good at a lot of things: Buddyfighting, school, investigating; just to name a few. So, him being good at yet another thing shouldn't be too surprising by this point to Mokuba.

He really was just like...Seto, wasn't he?

Drawing those comparisons between Tasuku and his brother was what the young boy had begun to do unconsciously since their initial meeting, but such things slowly became more and more common as he spent more time here. In fact, even now as he sits there listening to the other sing his tune, he can't help but visualize a younger Seto there soothing him instead, despite the fact Mokuba's never heard his brother ever sing before in his life.

Yes, the pre-teen seemed to embody the positive qualities that Mokuba associated with his elder brother from the past: warmth, gentleness, selflessness, compassion, happiness, protectiveness, honesty; all of those things he saw in Tasuku. Perhaps it was those qualities in him that had drawn the younger boy to seek out his help specifically during this time. After all, this entire situation came about because of his own feelings regarding the past, a past he can't seem to stop trying to chase despite promises of a prosperous future.

Such feelings did not change ever since being here. In truth, being around the blue-haired boy just made them stronger, the younger Kaiba feeling a semblance of what was lost the day he and his older brother were adopted. That just spoke though to a simple fact, a fact the boy knew deep down but did not want to admit to himself: that Mokuba had not yet fully accepted in his heart who his brother was today, in spite of their improved relations after Duelist Kingdom.

Mokuba wasn't so naive as to think that neither him or Seto wouldn't change over time. That would be nonsensical, especially considering the circumstances of their lives since becoming Kaiba's. No, what Mokuba couldn't seem to comprehend, and felt frustration and sadness towards, was why his brother was still...well...a stick in the mud, to put it nicely, long after their stepfather was gone.

From his viewpoint, that man was the sole reason for Seto's major shift in demeanor. So why did he have to keep acting so cold and grumpy now? Like he wasn't looking forward to the future he had been preparing for them all this time? The question went unanswered in his mind, no matter how much he tried to come up with an answer.

It had taken Mokuba some time to regain his own true smile after everything that's happened, no part in short thanks to Yugi's crew and his own he managed to make. He wants the same for his brother, to heal past the pain of Gozaboru's tryannny and be able to be as happy as he was prior to it. That selfless desire that seemed so far out of reach was a key part of why he was so hurt. He felt like his brother was just keeping himself miserable needlessly, overworking himself to death and isolating himself from and rejecting anyone who dare try to add some happiness into his life.

He just wanted his brother to be happy again like he was before, to play with games again truly for the fun of it and not in pursuit of revenge or victory. Was that so wrong to wish? To wish his brother could try to start to heal after the suffering they both went through, like Mokuba had?

Clearly, that sentiment was wrong. Otherwise, the elder Kaiba wouldn't have rejected his feelings that night so fiercely. In spite of his good intentions, Mokuba's feelings were burdening his brother, trying to drag him to a place he didn't want to go near for reasons not understood. It's something he's felt since a young age and seen time and time again to the point where he questions whether his inclusion in Seto's life was ever a good thing.

If Mokuba wasn't around, then his brother no doubt would have been adopted quickly and potentially not by a monster like Gozaboru.

If Mokuba wasn't around, his brother wouldn't have had to fight so hard to protect and care for him all the time, to secure a future for them both when securing one for a genius like him alone would have been easier.

If Mokuba wasn't around...perhaps he never would have lost his smile to begin with.

The very thought causes tears to come from his purple eyes, syncing up with the end of Tasuku's sweet song. His breaths came out shaky, unable to stop the floodgates from flowing. Without needing to think, his hands move to clasp the pair of lockets around his neck, as if he would die without doing so.

"Why...? Why?! Why am I such a burden?! Such a bad brother?!"

His voice echoed throughout the small apartment room, his voice portraying the inner pain he felt akin to being kicked in the gutts. Why did he have to follow Gao's advice? Why did he have to speak his mind and say such hurtful things? Why didn't he just let things be as they are despite wanting so much more, like he's done before? Why did he do something that would risk his staying in his brother's life?!

Perhaps taking that risk was why Seto had yet to contact him since he left. Because maybe he felt the same thing Mokuba was starting to think: that he didn't want him to come back. That way, his brother wouldn't have to entertain the younger boy's 'nonsense' anymore, and he could live his life without being reminded of the past he clearly was repulsed by.

Maybe...things were better off this way, after all...

"Mokie Mokuba."

The all-too-familiar voice reaches his ears, and an all-too-familiar touch can be felt on his shoulders. Mokuba opened his teary eyes slowly in response. In front of him, with his vision blurred by the water, he...saw him. He saw his brother, but not the one of the past, but of the present.

Did he come here to see him? Did he come here to take him home? Did he come here because...he still loved him?

"S...eto...?"

"You're not..."

"A burden or a bad brother." The illusion Mokuba's mind had created shattered with Tasuku's next words, as gentle as they were. The young Kaiba was now thrust again into reality, purple hues glancing up at his friend who had been the one speaking the whole time. Seems like his mind and heart were continuing to play tricks on him.

How cruel.

"Listen to me. You've done nothing wrong. It's your brother who has. Don't blame yourself for his mistakes." Mokuba is then pulled into the other's arms, him being comforted by Tasuku's warmth. "Never think you can't express how you're feeling or that it's wrong to feel how you do, no matter who tells you."

The embrace lasted as long as he needed to calm himself. After having cried himself to death, the older kid lets go, gently standing up from his position of sitting next to the boy in order to gently try and guide Mokuba to lie down once again. Once he is set, he watches Tasuku grab the blankets, scattered at the bottom of the bed, and attempts to tuck him back in, not realizing his method of tucking was not to Mokuba's preference (it was too tight). Still, the young Kaiba didn't voice anything to the contrary, for he had lost his voice from all that crying.

"Now, try to get some rest, okay? Gao is coming over tomorrow. He said he wants to have a game of Capsule Monsters with you. I'm sure you two will have a blast." Tasuku then moves to the door's exit, Mokuba glancing over at the soft smile he can see through the light coming from the rest of the apartment. "Sleep well, Mokuba. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me or Jack. We're here for you."

The door then closes, leaving Mokuba alone in the room whose only light source was a nightlight Tasuku had gotten for him. He reaches for his Blue-Eyes plush, hugging it tightly for support. It's then he reaches with one of his arms to open his own locket, staring at the picture of Seto inside intensely until he passes out from emotional and physical exhaustion.

#💎 Crystalized Hidden Gems (Drabble) #💎 Vice Treasure (Mokuba Kaiba) #💎 Wonder Treasure (Tasuku Ryuenji) #💎 President With A Blue-Eyed Lighting (Shacchou) #💎 Vice's Monochromic Alternate Path (Mokuba Manga Verse) #💎 Wonder's Game Of Life (Tasuku Yu-Gi-Oh! DM Verse) #tw long post #tw ptsd #(I told Ani a spin off drabble of Mokuba's POV during this angst fest was coming and here it is. ;;;;; #(mokuba's pain just hurts me so much like bby no you're not a burden and your brother loves you ;;;;; #(this takes place the night before gao's visit where he pitches that idea to tasuku further showing why tasuku was not about it #( i also wanted to have a specific thing for Tasuku to reference for the eventual interaction with Seto #(the song tasuku is singing here is actually the ED his va does sing in the show and is a song other chrs have sung IN universe too #(plus Soma Saitou has such a beautiful voice like omg ;;; #(I thought it was fitting and sweet to include it. tasuku doesnt like share his singing talent with others that much unless they are close #(more so because he figured he'd start getting people to want to turn him into an idol if it went public #(its something he learnt how to do from his mother much like seto with his piano playing from what Ani has told me which #(another thing these two have in common icb this LOL #(the song is linked on all the lyrics in the reply if anyone wants to listen to it! soma saitou tasukus va has such a wonderful voice ;;; #(but yeah i hope ani and anyone else who reads this enjoys it despite the angst! it's good to have mokubas headspace written out prior to #(his inveitable talk with seto #(providing context as to where he's at and such #(also getting to dive into mokubas sub concious projecting of seto onto tasuku that just really shows how he needs #(his brother rn despite tasukus best efforts to try and be that sort of figure for him rn

[akigummy]

Introduction and some rules

Nazuna

Hi hi, welcome! If you came across this blog, chances are you enjoy Enstars and/ or A3. Well, I’m Ame and much like yourself, I really enjoy them!  Ive noticed despite how popular these games are lately, there’s an awful lack of active writing blogs and I wanted to change that! Also, I just. Really miss writing lol. Other fandoms might join the list eventually, just saying 

My rules are as follow!

For headcanons

No more than three characters per request, feel free to be as specific as you’d like. The more you tell me about what you want me to write, the easier it’ll be for me to deliver content to your liking. Please don’t mix fandoms tho! You’re more than welcome to send multiple requests in. 

Also please let me know if you’d like a female, male or neutral reader. If it’s not clarified in your request, I will use a female reader as default, as that’s what I’m more comfortable writing for.

For drabbles

Only one character per request, same as above, the more specific you are with your request, the better it’ll come out (hopefully lol), and please specify your desired gender. Also please specify wether you want it to take place in ensemble stars! or ensemble stars!!, or year 1, 2 or 3 for A3.

In regards to n/s/f/w content

I will be gladly accepting this kind of requests; however, only for the characters who are cannonly +18. Most kinks are fine, except for bodily fluids and feet stuff. This content will be tagged (as spicy), so please feel free to block the tag if it makes you uncomfortable! I want this to a safe space for everyone! 

I WONT be aging charas up to write nsfw content. 

To make things easier for everyone, I’ll be accepting spicy requests for the following characters:

enstars (based on the wiki):

Niki

Rinne

Nagisa

Hiyori

Nazuna

Shu

Izumi

Leo

Kaoru

Rei

Kuro

Keito

Kanata

Chiaki

Tsumugi

Madara

Wataru

Eichi

I wont be writing for characters who’s age is listed as 17-18 or below, of course. 

A3 (based on the wiki):

Tsuzuru

Itaru

Citron

Chikage (cant promise I’ll be writing for him at all tho-)

Misumi

Kazu

Omimi

Sakyo

Tsumugi

Tasuku

Hisoka

Homare

Azuma

Guy (dont really know anything about him so im sorry in advance fjhghhshfhs)

I will NOT write about 

Inc*st

Ped*philia

Non/con and dub/con

Character x character (I suck at them, I’m sorry!)

AU’s (I’m also pretty bad at them lol)

Crossovers

Things to keep in mind

English is not my native language so I apologize in advance for all of the mistakes I’m undoubtedly going to make. It’s been a hot minute since I wrote  so I might be a lil rusty, but I can assure you I’ll be doing my best.

I’m fine with writing about a/b/o dynamics, abuse, trauma, depression, yandere themes and poly relationships, but I understand not everyone is comfortable with these topics so they will be tagged accordingly. Writings about stuff I consider possible triggers such as blood (I’m looking @ you, Rei) will have a trigger warning at the begging as well.

I’m a full time college student, as well as a part time textile artist so please do bare with me if it takes some time to get to your request. I will eventually get to it, I promise!

I shouldn’t even need to clarify this but I refer to Arashi with female pronouns, since she’s stated many times that’s what she wants. Don’t like it? There’s the door!

I have strong big sister/ motherly feelings towrads most some characters (Mika, Taichi, Azami, Kumon, Yuki, Muku, Midori, Kohaku just to name a few), plus our age difference (by the time I’m writing this, I’m 22), so I might not be the best to write about them romantically. I’ll give it a go, tho!

I’m a simp. Like, a huge one. Might simp on main from time to time, so I apologize in advance lol. My main husbands are Rei, Rinne, Leo, Kuro, Shu, Omimi, Kazu and Sakyo. Yeah,,,, those are just my main ones 

Thank you for reading this far! Send your requests my way!

#ensemble stars #enstars #ensemble stars x reader #a3 #a3 x reader #rules

[pekorosu]

some rambly thinky thoughts

warning for ch17 and 18 spoilers 

so i've finally figured out how to make the mangaone app work... turns out i had to use a vpn -_- apparently u can read a chapter in advance (ch18 in this case) but ofc some money has to be spent lol

anyway !!! wow! imma try not to go into too much detail but i need to dump my thoughts somewhere

we're finally getting into the enigma that's anonymous!!

i like that ch17 brings up how anon may seem distant or even emotionless to most ppl, but that's not entirely true. esp that shot of her expression when tchaiko mentions seichirou's condition, and the whole thing with tsubaki (👀) insisting anon is human too.

this eventually culminates in the next chp reveal:

anon: “i think i'm probably asexual.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kinda makes me go hmmmmm tho. since this is in jp, “asexual” doesn't quite have the same meaning as it would in english... in fact it's closer to what we would now consider “aromantic asexual”

further context:

“oh, an asexual... that’s having no interest in both romance and sex, wasn’t it?” “yes.”

(this isn’t an area i’m well-versed with but afaik "nonsexual/ノンセクシャル" is more commonly used to refer to those who do experience romantic attraction. seems like things are done a lil differently in jpn so yeah) 

i’m curious as to how the scanlators are gonna go about it. putting a lil note to clarify would be sufficient i guess. just worried it might worsen the already existing misconceptions of asexuality among english-speakers, haha. anon’s story does have more to do with not wanting to settle down in a romantic partnership as per societal expectations, instead preferring a solitary life (among other things... their aversion to labels seems to extend to their entire self imo). 

shrugs. anyway.

tchaiko & seichirou bring up the idea that perhaps what anon wants is to be “anonymous” (“you are nobody; just a ‘someone’ that no one knows, from somewhere”)... which triggers a “that’s it!!!!!” moment for anon. so they decide to ditch all labels and “become” that from then on. 

however, tchaiko thinks all they’ve done is attach a new label onto anon and wonders if that’s actually a good thing or not.

point. but hey, at least it’s a label that anon likes, right?

on the other hand, tasuku ponders if it's really possible to live in solitude, if anon truly doesn't get special feelings for anyone at all. thinks that yeah, being in love is painful but at least it beats being lonely.

ah yes, the usual but how can u possibly be happy without (romantic) love! 

*pats tasuku on the head* 

i’m sure anon isn’t lonely... after all y'all are there keeping them company :)

other things: 

- saki apparently got outed to her dad??? aaaaaaaaa i hope everything works out in the end *crosses fingers* 

in hindsight i wonder if the trash bag saki found in front of the lounge is like... foreshadowing or smth o_o it did take up half a page...

- wow tsubaki has been hanging out at the lounge a LOT... guess he’s an official member now lmao. unfortunately ch18 ends ominously with his dad dropping by on business matters, only to find him there.

at this point my gut feeling is pretty much yelling into a megaphone: THIS KID IS BI OR I’M GONNA EAT MY SHOE!!! 

or at least, questioning in some way.

i mean, you could say that he's there so often bc he's a curious kid/growing ally but that doesn't explain why he keeps making random flirty faces at tasuku even tho he’d been all "lol gays are gross" before. 

(??? is "flirty" even the right word? is he making fun of tasuku? we don’t fucking know!!!! he always looks a lil creepy tho idk if that’s intentional or what /sweats)

there’s also haruko going "u must be popular" and him specifically bringing up "yea especially with the girls" before doing the weird thing he does at tasuku again... like... WHY DRAW ATTENTION TO THAT IF IT'S MEANINGLESS? ya okay i guess he could just be being mean on purpose but ughhhhhhhhhhh

tbh the reason i started having this suspicion was actually a few chps back during tsubaki's chat with anon:

"what are you? a lesbian? an ex-guy? ex-girl?" 

"what about you? are you a girl? a guy? or gay?"

i dunno, something about the duality here just stood out to me. girl/guy. gay/lesbian.

and now with this aseku reveal it feels like it could be juxtaposing anon vs tsubaki in the "neither/none" vs "both/all" sense. to me, both of them have a sort of similar vibe in that can’t-be-pinned-down way... but they’re also different?? IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT ARGH

ofc these things could be an indicator of him being closeted with a good dollop of internalised homophobia as opposed to being bi per se. i mean, tasuku did mention tsubaki's tears felt similar to his own when he'd still been deathly afraid of admitting he's gay.

eehhhhhhhh i could end up being absolutely honkingly WRONG and i would be embarrassed as hell but y’know. gut feeling. IDK idk idk. whatever it is, it will likely be clarified in the next chapter aaaaaaaaaa

lastly: i wonder if anyone knows what the whole jumping off a building/walking mid-air imagery anon keeps making ppl see symbolises o_o

#shimanami tasogare #peko tls #oops got longer than expected #alrdy edited but i initially typed out the first draft #switching around between he/she/they pronouns for anon without even realising it... #which i think means the author has done a great job portraying them as Ambiguous :x

[italicwatches]

GAMERS! Episode 08

New day, new episode, let’s push on. It’s GAMERS!, episode 08! Here we GO!

-We begin, at a completely different place than usual. The Hekiyou Private Academy’s Student Council, with the narration a young lady who has always been near the top with ease, but never managed to reach the top…Until she became president of the Student Council. She had her moment of joy, of pride…Until one Tendou Karen showed up. Karen, who somehow managed to outdo her in everything, and even best her in this…

-Opening! What’s up next? Oh hey, it’s the dating sim/visual novel one! It’s not really a specific reference to an individual game, so much as an entire genre. Until recently we didn’t really get these in the West at all, and we still don’t see all that many of them. Operating not unlike a choose-your-own-adventure book, they represent a very interesting blend of elements from various Japanese mediums: Carrying a word count similar to a light novel, voice acting similar to an anime or drama CD, minimalistic animation that calls to mind manga more than actual anime, and light gameplay elements borrowed from JRPGs, they can in some ways be looked at as the combination of all of Japanese nerd-culture. Also they really spent a long time as porn games so there’s still a lot of stigma there.

-DAY 08: Erogamer and Watching Mode

-Well with a title like that, things sure lined up.

-Anyways, it’s to a meeting space, with that student council president herself sending off the rest of the council…And then, once they’re all gone, she can just take in the wonder…ful…joy of…

-Oh.

-Well then.

-So our mysterious president is actually a huge pervert as she starts smelling and rubbing on the seats the rest of her Student Council were using. She’s surrounded by cute girls! It is heaven…But wait, there’s more! She slams open a locker, grabs a bag, and…Whatever’s in there has to be even better than girl butt scent. Did she confiscate some boy’s dirty magazines? Either way, her laughter echoes through the night…

-Oh, nope, even…Let’s call it “better”. She has a disguise! A suit, a puffy hat to hide her long twin tails in, glasses and a beard! Clearly she looks like a perverted older man now and can get away with what’s about to happen! Yes. Clearly. She slips into a shop, as her internal narration explains…That innocent, studious Student Council president schtick? Yeah that’s all to keep the world from noticing the real her, who’s a spun-around pervert who loves nothing more than erotic video games!

-Well I suppose we had to do this eventually, huh? Also, she’s so excited by getting a copy of BUILD HEART that her beard falls off and she doesn’t even notice…Which is a problem when she’s spotted by someone else and this gets weird. But she has no idea. Once she comes down from the 18+ section, it’s into the console mess, because hey, the censored console release isn’t too bad either…But she ends up picking up, instead, Golden Memories.

-And dear sweet Flora on the cover suddenly throws a flashback into this girl’s face. Karen went to a different school, and that’s the only reason she wasn’t the Student Council president. So Konoha here got the role by default. …Real talk I’m trying to figure out a joke about hidden leaves and it’s just not coming together.

-Either way now our pervert girl is all depressed as she puts the game back, and is sad ins—Hello cheap game bin! What’s this? An old PS1 era game, Rainbow Court? An old classic that never got the attention it deserved…

-When we hear a voice? We do! Because Keita and Eiichi have come down to this same shop to pick up some vidjagames! Konoha recognizes the uniform of Otobuki, the school her hated rival Karen went to…And damn, that boy on the left is damn. The one on the right, her eyes just kind of glide over. He’s totally generic, like an everyman dating sim protagonist. Our hero summed up, ladies and gentlemen.

-Of course, from Keita’s perspective, he sees…Some weirdo doing jumping jacks in the game store in an attempt to look Normal. But what’re they here for, anyways? Eiichi wants some dating sim recommendations from someone who knows the genre inside and out. Alas, Keita is all nervous about this, as Konoha can’t help but keep listening…Argh, why does this generic guy have to be so waffly…

-Okay, first thing! What does Eiichi like? Well, he did some basic research, and…This one got lots of recommendations, right? Shit I can’t see the title. That’s actually really, really frustrating to me. But okay. So let’s look at the difference in opinions. To Konoha, that game is well made but super super mainstream, so basic it’d go in a damn starter pack. To Keita, it’s a masterpiece, one that he stayed up late every night for an entire week just to finish it. Eiichi decides to get it, and Konoha decides these two are super basic—

-But wait!

-Keita isn’t actually recommending that one! What’s all this now? And Konoha wishes she could just walk away…You damn jerks have her stuck here unable to quit listening! (Gonna be honest, that’s on you) But you want to know what makes the dating sim genre good, right? Then, there’s only one choice! And he goes to the vintage bin, pulling out…Rainbow Court.

-It never did very well. It hit during a flood of the genre to mainstream awareness, and was just an also-ran. But, something about it…If Keita’s going to make recommendations? Then this is his recommendation on where to start. It’s a bit of an underdog of a game, but he can’t help but wanna root for the underdog and show people what it has going for it…You know?

-This, this is why you couldn’t walk away, Konoha! This moment was calling to you from the future! Keita calls Rainbow Court one of his top three games, as her hat has fallen off and exposed her hair…She’s moved, moved to tears by the earnest honesty at the heart of Keita’s words! …Shit. Shit shit shit shit no we can’t add another one what are you doing his life is screwy enough! We just got him out of the core of the chaos by getting him together with Karen what are you doing?!

-Cut to later that night, Konoha’s lost deep in thought, as she looks to her own copy of Rainbow Court…When in comes a family member! Her sister, who sees she bought a new game…Oh, wow, a dating sim? She had no idea you were into these! K-Konoha borrowed it from a friend! …But it has a price tag…JUST GIVE IT BAC—

-…Oh son of a…

-Guess what Konoha’s family name is.

-Go on.

-Go on guess.

-Yeah so Hoshinomori Konoha, Chiaki’s mysterious imouto, is the new addition to the cast ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME NOW IS THAT WHAT THIS IS

-Commercial break!

-And we’re back! Tasuku is narrating…

-…Keita and Aguri’s marriage?! I assume this is a nightmare he’s having. It happened soon after college. They were all there to celebrate the happy couple. Yet inside, everyone in the group was conflicted. Chiaki, who flitted from one construction job to the next, was stuck there congratulating her longtime nemesis (and eating as much of the free food as possible). Tasuku and karen themselves were stuck with fake smiles, watching their own beloveds leave them forever. It was a wonderful ceremony after their lives all worked out…

-…Oh, they’re playing The Game of Half-Life, presumably a spinoff in which it’s impossible to finish because a steam valve blocks the end of the game. Yeah, topical game humor! Tasuku is still thinking you can fix misunderstandings by just talking them out, and has gathered everyone here to calm things down over a game. Oh you poor stupid idiot.

-So Aguri and Keita have gotten married in the game and it’s already going sideways. Tasuku can at least admit he realized shit was not going right, and that “just talking it out” would ever be easy…And thus, this.

-DAY 08.5: Gamers and Half their Life Game

-Cut back to a few days ago. Chiaki was showing Tasuku and Keita that her mom had won an old-timey board game, The Love Love Game of Half-Life, at one of those supermarket lotteries. And she kind of wanted to play it, but such a game has a bare minimum….And thus, Tasuku decided they’d just gather up the whole crew. Them three, plus Aguri and Karen would make five! And it’s so brilliant that he made that face again. Just so we’re clear. Every single time Tasuku makes that face, things are about to go all wrong.

-Even Chiaki realized this was a bad plan, but with Tasuku suggesting it…His brilliant plan was, simply, to get all five of them into a fucking room at the same time to actually talk shit out and destroy the absurd love pentagon around his life.

-Hard cut to the game where things have not gone that way at all. Because everyone’s so damn careful that they’ve ended up in a maximally awkward seating arrangement. Which is how Keita and Aguri ended up as a team. Tasuku’s plan, has…Gone…All wrong. As Aguri gets pregnant during the honeymoon. Which she blames on Keita, as Karen and Tasuku quietly freak the fuck out. Perhaps, this romantic life board game was not the right idea for solving their problems? (Nooooo, you think?)

-The student part of the game, near the beginning, saw Keita and Aguri landing on relationship spaces, while Chiaki keeps failing to hold down work, stuck doing the kind of job that pays you in cash by the day. And Karen, Karen…Oh, poor sweet Karen.

-She’s turning into a spinster, diving into her career to smother her sorrow and shame over the loss of her love to another woman. Oh this is bad. When Tasuku manages to hit the marriage space! He can enter into a relationship and fast-track to marriage with another player! Spin the wheel, come on, come on…If he can get a one or two, Aguri and Keita’s numbers, he can even nullify their marriage by stealing them away from their partner…Come on, come onnnn…

-Congratulations, Tasuku. You win this Chiaki. …Well, I guess housewife is a stable path. No more directing traffic around a construction site for her!

-And Aguri just gives Tasuku a fucking death glare. What, what do you want from him? The spinner made him do it! And now it’s Chiaki’s turn. Two spaces forward! “Your partner cheats on you. You are forced to pay their love compensation for mental suffering. You and your spouse lose 5,000 yen.”

-…Good god this game is dark. And both Keita and Aguri, fully believing Tasuku is a two-timer, are giving him the death glares. IT WAS THE SPINNER HE SWEARS. (Nobody believes you)

-Meanwhile, Keita rolls to…And I quote…”Your lovey-dovey newlywed life reaches high tide! You bust your bed getting busy! You and your spouse pay 6,000 yen.” That’s a really good price for a bed. And now Aguri is getting legit embarrassed that he can’t be more…discreet, about what the space said. I mean, lass, it’s on the board. But soon their argument starts sounding like an actual married couple as she blames him for going too hard and being too loud about it, and oh god Karen and Tasuku are about to die.

-O-Okay, Aguri’s turn! …She, broke the bed this time. Just, just take her money and leave her alone. Tasuku can’t even feel jealous at this point, he just feels sorry for anyone that has to buy two beds because they keep breaking them.

-Karen! What’s Karen going to get? Will her solo streak finally en—

-“Your love interest won’t even look at you, but you’re popular with your clients. 100,000 extra income.” This game is the worst. Karen can’t even pretend to be happy. This game is wearing her out worse than her actual romantic woes.

-Tasuku? “You cheat on your partner with their sister. There is bloodshed. Miss a turn.” Oh god, Tasuku…With Konoha?! She’s just a kid! What kind of sick freak are you?!

-And that’s when the door slams shut and Tasuku has a legit panic and Chiaki admits that must have been her sister getting home. YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A SISTER?! Tasuku legitimately feared for his life for a moment there. Okay, deep breath, deep breath!

-Chiaki’s got a roll! Will she manage to pull her marriage back together?

-No.

-No she will not.

-Would you like to know what it says?

-“You realize that your soulmate was someone else. You learn that you had some fateful connections with them, and you become infatuated. You get distracted at work and lose 3,000 yen.” Well that’s really vague…And then Keita pokes fun at her for getting such a vague, girly woes kinda space, and Tasuku would just like to fucking DIE now please! Could he actually get stabbed by your sister now would that be okay?!

-And the worst part? Only he fucking knows how prophetic that fucking space was! Only he knows the double lives these two lead! Only he can realize how much this sucks! Okay. Okay deep breath. Try to calm down JUST PLAY YOUR TURN KEITA AND LEAVE HIM ALONE

-Keita gets the same space as Chiaki.

-Tasuku screams internally. And then externally. FUCK THIS GAME AND EVERYTHING THAT LED THEM TO THIS TWISTED MOMENT OF IRONIC SPINS AND BROKEN LIVES

-And that’s when Keita admits how much fun he’s having, and how he never gets to spend time around friends like this…And that starts to relax everyone, as Aguri’s turn comes up, and she manages to land “The person you’d been seeing before makes a move on you.” Why, that sounds like it could all work out! Aguri and Tasuku look to each other, all blushy and ha—

-“But your love for your current partner is unwavering! You turn them down without a second thought, and reaffirm your own love! You have yet another child.”

-…Welp.

-I’m just gonna sit here in the corner because life is a lie.

-Aguri would like you to START USING SOME PROTECTION KEITA AND QUIT PUTTING BABIES IN HER THIS MINIVAN CAN ONLY HOLD SO MANY LITTLE BUNDLES OF JOY

-Okay, Karen’s go. Can she turn things look let’s be honest she can’t. “You become an important person. You make money. Earn 100,000 yen.” THE GAME ISN’T EVEN TRYING.

-And then Konoha needs Chiaki’s help with something, which sends her out of the room and gives the others a chance for a break, as Keita admits some curiosity. They look so similar in the face, he almost wonders if they’re twins or DON’T LOOK AT HIM LIKE THAT HE’S LOYAL KAREN MA’AM! Salute!

-Oh and then he gets an alert on his phone. The MMO has a new event starting today! And Tasuku just stares at Chiaki’s phone, which has the notification light start blinking. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck what if they start talking about the game and realize they both play?! He’s finally gotten Keita and Karen out of the loop so he can deal with the Chiaki and Aguri problems and this could rip them right back into things! …You go RIGHT the fuck under that couch, phone! She won’t find you until after everyone’s gone!

-While Karen looks at the game and starts asking questions but Keita is wrapped up in the event battle he’ll explain details later! And she decides she’s just happy to watch and see him so focused on something. And Aguri comes and sits by Tasuku, saying how happy she is that things are working out for Keita…And Tasuku, Tasuku can’t take not knowing, as he has to ask what the hell’s been going on! What does she REALLY think of Keita?

-He’s…Like that really high-maintenance little brother. And he’s a little annoying now that he’s got a girlfriend. But she’s just so damn happy to see him finally get his happy ending, she can’t be too mad at him for the annoying parts…

-And Tasuku, finally, relaxes, and holds Aguri’s hand. Which sends her into a flailing blushy panic, as Aguri expected him to not be so forward in front of, you know, Karen…But what does she have to do with it? …What indeed. The two can relax, realizing they were both loyal the whole time…And this all might work out. It’ll all, work, out, and everyone will be happy togeth—

-Keita can’t beat this boss without Mono-san. And Karen would like to know who this Mono-san is. His guild bro! They’re always there to help him out! Karen suddenly feels like she’s under threat of losing her beloved to some online relationship. J-J-Just how many online friends do you have? Well…He uses a handful of names in different places, and really only has serious friendships with a few people as Chiaki comes back….

-And Tasuku realizes OH FUCK IT’S ABOUT T—

-So in this game he goes by Tsucchie and his only real major friend is Mono-san. But over on forums he goes by Yama-san and has a really good friendship going with his favorite indie game dev, Nobe-san. And Chiaki hears the whole thing, as the gears start to turn in her mind, and Tasuku just quietly wishes he could die now please. Heart attack? Brain aneurism? That stabbing sister thing? Just, just kill him. Kill him before it all pops off.

-Keita admits that those are the only two real major online friends…But Mono-san and Nobe-san, he’s known them so long, they’re really special and important to him. They might be a bit surface level at times, but he feels like…Like he could be a little vulnerable to them, you know? They’re true, and precious, friends…

-As Tasuku narrates, how Chiaki has made it to the start line of this race at the worst, possible, moment imaginable. A tragic sight, as all the pieces come together, and she in turn realizes how important the different facets of Keita are to her, when it’s much too late to do anything about it…Oh, god, that look on Chiaki’s face…My heart weeps for you, kid.

-Credits!

-Aftercredits! Konoha is mulling around the apartment, bored…When she finds a broken Chiaki collapsed behind the couch?!

…Well that’s gonna turn into a mess next time. Our only hope is that Konoha doesn’t develop a crush on the fucking guy too, and we can keep a fairly stable pentagon until things turn sideways. I expect even that hope to be dashed, though, in episode NINE of GAMERS! Wait for it!

#where I watch #recap #anime #gamers!