#also akira deserves just calm nights and rest :(

[atticinthecafe]

its 1 am and I wanted to write before I headed off to bed. this jumps around a lot time wise and I did not proof read it I'm ti r e d

---

The first time Akira did this Morgana nagged at him the whole time.

---

"Joker! You've been wandering around the city for hours," Morgana whined from inside the bag, shifting around.

Akira just hummed in response. His eyes were distant and foggy, constantly trained on the distance. Sometimes they would scan across the crowds, almost like he was looking for someone, but for the most part he just seems dazed, lost in thought. He kept walking, the twists and turns memorized by the back of his hand, simply wandering. Sometimes he'd end up on a train to some other area, but he just wandered all the same.

"When are we going home? I'm bored!" Morgana complained, this time getting a bit louder.

This seemed to break Akira from his thoughts, as he frowned looking at his bag where Morgana sat.

"I can talk you home if you want," He spoke low, just to his cat, in a neutral tone. It was hard to tell what was on his mind.

"Yes! wait- you're going to keep walking?"

"Mhm,"

"I'm not leaving you on your own! I'll just tough it out then! But we better get food sometime soon!"

---

Morgana hadn't really known why he was wandering, but to be fair, neither did he.

He had his hand shoved into a pocket, holding the glove he had gotten from his rival and walked around the city, watching the scenery and the people go past as he drifted. It was different now. He had been doing this for weeks. Just- walking around.

Orginally he had no clue why he did it. Something weighed on him, made him feel heavy. He zoned out during conversations and stared into space. Morgana suggested maybe fresh air and a walk would help refresh his senses, but it just ended in him wandering.

He needed the space, to be away from people. He also needed away from his thoughts, but that wasn't so easy. The city provided a nice distraction. Different things to think about. But that didn't stop the soft lull of sadness from weighing down his head.

He missed Akechi if he was being honest. He didn't notice it. But it was like a low hum in the back of his heart. Invisible stress making him tired when he hadn't done anything. It haunted him and didn't leave him be.

---

Morgana at some point had mentioned how when cats lose a friend or someone they care about they'll wander around, meowing and crying out for the other.Akira wondered if Morgana had been talking about him when he brought it up.

Today he had left Morgana with Futaba. The fog in his head and weight in his chest had gotten worse the past week. He hadn't known why until Ryuji mentioned it was around the same date they had met Akechi.

Incredible how his subconscious refused to let go.

The rain pattered against his umbrella as he walked and puddles gently splashed beneath his feet. It was nice to get rain in June. He certainly didn't mind it. It gave the city a softer, calmer feel. It almost felt like the rain took some of his weight with it when it fell.

---

Akira was fine most days. He seemed normal. Almost like he had moved on, but there were some where he simply disappeared out the front door, and everyone knew. They knew he still missed Akechi, no matter how many times they told him he shouldn't.  They knew he needed space for a bit.

The one time they made him stay it was obvious how he was stressed without realizing it. He fidgeted awkwardly and didn't participate in conversation. He seemed like he wasn't there at all and when spoke to he'd look up confused and obviously off in his own world.

Sometimes they would intentionally tell him to take a walk. He'd get shaky and tense for no reason. Seem more irritable and quiet than usually. Not handle loud noises or being around people well. This is when his friends would step in and tell him maybe he should go for a walk to calm his nerves. Sometimes it would take him getting frustrated over something small and all his stress breaking like a dam for the others to take notice, in which case they'd quiet down and all pause to take care of him. Whether it be one of them going on a walk with him, or the group settling down to bundle up in blankets and form a small pile as they watched movies together.

He wished it would stop. The days where he was stressed without realsing it and dazed. The days where he felt like the slightest thing going wrong would cause him to start sobbing and he didn't know why. The days where he missed Akechi.

He wasn't even certain if he was alive.

---

It had been a few years. Akira was better. He was managing better. But he still suddenly disappeared for walks. Some nights he wouldn't sleep at all and instead wandered.

It had been one of those nights, and now here he was, head resting on the counter of Leblanc well Sojiro huffed at him in the background. Something about going upstairs to sleep and not staying up so late.

He didn't move though, and Sojiro didn't seem to mind. There was something calming about the atmosphere. It was warm and the chattering of the TV in the background provided comfort in it's own way.

He couldn't sleep, as much as he wanted to the stress tugged at his brain keeping him just awake enough to be unable to sleep but not awake enough to bypass his exhaustion. So he just sat there, soaking in the smell of coffee and the peaceful air.

---

A ring sounded from the door, and Akira didn't bother looking up, staying where he was.

That was until he heard a soft, almost amused hum as a chair besides him was dragged out from its spot, someone sitting besides him. His eyes flickered open and up to meet red ones, gazing at him fondly.

The time passed in sections, one moment he has his head on the table, next he knew Akira was a crossed from the man, getting started on his favorite cup of coffee, pressing his glove back into his hand with tears pricking at his eyes. Then he was brewing coffee. A conversation between them was happening but- he didn't hear it. It made his chest warm and light, the lightest it had felt it years.

He placed the coffee infront of the other with a smile. He could feel the pure, unfiltered love and happiness just to be able to hear his voice again rush through his body with every word the man spoke.

He hummed softly as the other pressed their hands together, the warmth filling his body yet lingering just where he touched him.

---

His heart felt raw.

Akira blinked open his eyes to Sojiro leaving. To the once warm comforting room feeling cold and bitterly lonely. The warmth that lingered on his hand feeling almost like a bitter sting.

He lifted his head up to find tears streaming down his face and his sleeves damp from where he had been resting his head.

Of course, it was just a dream.

His fingers found their way into his pocket, and he gripped the glove tight. His chest was nothing but raw pain that you would have figured he would have gotten over by now.

He just wanted to see him again.

---

The next few days were incredible low for Akira. He spent most of them asleep.

Dreams were incredible tantalizing now. The fact that occasionally, he would see Akechi again in them made them feel more worth while than reality sometimes.

It was lonely.

He spent a long time asleep that week. More than he should have, but he couldn't help it. The sting in his chest was hard to bare.

---

Akira laughed.

It was the fullest his chest had felt in a while. No longer that haunting hollow that followed him around from day to day.

He was still moving on, he still occasionally had days where he would wander. But they were less now.

The warmth that filled his chest when his friends smiled, the brightness in their eyes and the lightness to their tone when they said the stupidest jokes made the lonely fade.

He had forgotten how good they make him feel.

There was a bittersweet taste left in his mouth when he thought about Akechi. How he should get to feel the same warmth Akira did. How he deserved so much more than the cards he was handed, but Akira didn't linger on that. He couldn't. He had to move forwards.

Akechi would probably call him stupid for staying stuck on him so long. He would say how he shouldn't waste the life he has thinking about someone who killed him. How if anything he should be glad he finally won. There was no more rivalry to be had. But Akira still had to disagree.

Akira took every step as a challenge to be better. He spent the days trying to improve, telling himself that he couldn't fall behind now. He couldn't disappoint the rival he loved so dearly by stopping just because it was over.

He figured if Akechi ever did return, he'd give him a real challenge. If he met Akechi again he wanted to be someone he could respect, someone he could challenge and find worth challenging. He wanted to keep the rivalry alive in his own little way. It was just a promise in his own mind he had to keep. And he couldn't do that with a hurting chest, so he indulged in the moments surrounded by friends, with laughter in the air.

He would do his best to continue, just to prove that he could. He wouldn't forget Akechi, he didnt think he could, but he wouldn't fall behind because of him.

---

When the day was late and the sky had turned shades of orange Akira was left cleaning up Leblanc, making sure everything was ready for business tomorrow.

It had been a while since he had finally realized that he had moved forwards, but he was still making progress with each day.

He leaned back onto a shelf, letting out a soft satisfied hum as he relaxed for the day.

Then the bell on the door rung.

Then a familiar voice spoke, and Akira had to make sure this wasn't a dream.

"I hope I haven't come in too late for a cup of coffee Kurusu, I was hoping we could catch up,"

#akeshu #shuake #goro akechi #persona 5 #ren amamiya #persona 5 royal #akira kurusu #oneshot #mmmm tired

[mage-ellie]

His Wish

This is my first request from AO3! People seemed to like it so I thought I’d post it here too :) I’m open for small requests! Feel free to request headcanons/scenarios/prompts! I’ll write about any of the P5R cast. Akechi is just my favorite boy <3 All I ask is that you don’t request abusive/toxic relationships, yandere, smut of underaged characters (I will age them up though), or pieces that romanticize mental illnesses. I prefer to write fem!reader since i’m a girl and it’s easier for me, but if you say please, i’ll do my best to write GN and male!reader pieces! <3 

Warnings: P5R spoilers, lots of fluff

Word count: 2,497

Link to original post: Click me!

Summary:  All Goro Akechi had wished for was to be loved, to be needed, by someone, anyone. He never could've imagined that his wish would actually come true.

In less than 24 hours, Goro Akechi was going to be married.

He never could've imagined that he would live long enough to find love, let alone get married. He had also never imagined that he would be marrying one of the infamous Phantom Thieves. Although, he couldn't complain, she was quite the impressive thief, having managed to steal his heart right out from under his nose.

Goro was currently lying alone on the bed in the hotel room he was staying at. Their wedding reception was going to be held at the Yoshiki-en Garden in Nara, Japan. His fiancée had practically begged him to have their wedding there. The garden was at its most beautiful during the spring time. But truth be told, Goro would've married her any where, even in that little hole in the wall, Leblanc.

The soon to be husband couldn't stop replaying everything that lead up to this moment.

How she had practically forced him to live with her during the whole Maruki conundrum. How she confessed her feelings to him in March when he returned. How he told her he loved her for the first time during their date to the cherry blossom festival in Tokyo. How he proposed to her in front of all of their friends 3 years later at that same cherry blossom festival.

He was so nervous for tomorrow, and yet so excited. He actually found someone who wanted to be with him for who he was, not because of his celebrity status. She knew about all of his flaws and his horrific past, but not once did she let him doubt her love for him. She worked so hard to support him while he went to therapy, to help him make amends with Futaba and Haru, to help him come to terms with the fact that he deserved a second chance.

A few years ago, he would've been terrified at the thought of having someone in his life like this, but now, he couldn't imagine his life without her.

-

The next thing he knew, he was being awakened by the sound of someone slamming their fists against his hotel room door. Akira Kurusu, Ryuji Sakamoto, and Yusuke Kitagawa were currently standing outside of his room, each with a black tux in hand. As well as Morgana, who was sitting on the floor next to Akira's feet, already wearing a cute little handmade formal black vest. They wanted to get ready with Goro, seeing as it was his big day and all.

A little ways down the hall, the group of boys could hear a group of girls squealing about marriage, dresses and romance. It was 8 A.M. and they were already so energetic. The groom and his groomsmen all laughed to themselves, they were excited as well. This was the first marriage in their friend group after all.

Akira, Goro's best man, mentioned that he should try to take as many mental photos as he could, because this day would go by in a blur. Goro believed him, one moment the boys were standing at his door, ready to get the day started, and the next they were all dressed and making their way to the venue.

The normally oh so composed Goro Akechi was sweating bullets. His hands were clammy and his throat was dry. Never in his life had he felt so nervous, so unprepared.

Before he knew it, it was suddenly 3 P.M. and the ceremony was beginning. Only your closest friends and family made up the audience. No media or paparazzi in sight. Goro shifted his weight from one leg to the other, he hadn't seen you all day. His heart raced as music began and you appeared in your gorgeous white wedding gown, Sojiro by your side, walking you down the aisle. He felt a hard lump forming in his throat at the sight of you. You always looked gorgeous to him, but in that moment, he truly believed that you were an angel sent from above.

A soft, teary eyed smile spread across his face as you made your way closer to him. He knew he'd be teased by the others for the rest of his life for crying while you walked down the aisle, but he didn't care. All that mattered, was that you were now standing before him, in a gown he never imagined he'd see you in. A warm, comforting smile made its way to your cheeks from behind your veil as you looked up into his eyes. It was taking all of his self control to not kiss you right then and there.

He could hear the officiant speaking about love and happiness, but he wasn't really listening. Goro was too busy taking as many mental pictures as he could fit into his brain. He only tuned back in when you brought up a small index card filled with writing. It was your vow to him.

"My dearest Goro. Never in a million years had I imagined that I would be spending the rest of my life with you, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure you had thought the same thing." You began, a light giggle coming from your throat. The Phantom Thieves, Sae and Sojiro also laughed, knowing what you meant by that. He had quite the troublesome past with the thieves after all. "Despite our differences in the past, I can't imagine being with anyone else. I vow to you that I'll work tirelessly to show you my love, to always be there for you, and to give you the home and family that you deserve." If he hadn't been so entranced by the way you looked while reading your vows to him, your words would've had him sobbing. "I love you Goro," He froze when your voice cracked, "I'm so happy that you're home." He knew what you meant by that. He remembered how devastated you looked when he told you that he might not have survived during Shido's palace, but he wouldn't dwell on the memory, he was with you now, right?

It was his turn. Shakily, he pulled out a card with his vows on it from his tux pocket. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he began. "Y/N, my love. I truly didn't believe that I would live long enough to find love like this. And you're right, never had I imagined that I would be marrying you of all people." He watched as you lifted a hand to your mouth and laughed, your eyes lit up as you did so, the other thieves snickering along with you. He was glad that you could all laugh about the past like this. It lifted a guilty weight off of his shoulders. "And yet, here I am, unable to picture this day any other way. These past few years, you've shown me a love that I've never known. Today, I vow to you that I'll spend the rest of my days finding ways to bring happiness to you, like you've brought to me. I vow that I'll protect you and cherish you with my entire being." He looked up momentarily, amazed by the fact that a single tear was making its way down your cheek. "I love you Y/N. It's good to be home." He watched as you nearly broke down at his last sentence. You took a moment to close your eyes and take a deep breath.

The officiant started talking about your rings, but once again, Goro was too busy staring at you to listen. The sound of you squealing is what brought him back to reality. He watched as Morgana trotted down the aisle, carefully balancing a pillow on his head and carrying the rings to you both. You had a look of pure delight on your face, apparently, Akira had told you that Morgana wouldn't be able to make it because cats weren't allowed or something, but of course, your kitty friend wouldn't miss this day for the world.

Everyone in the audience cooed at the cat as he sat in front of you both with a smug grin on his face. You both reached down for the rings, your hand lingered for a moment to scratch the black cat on the head.

Goro melted into your touch when you took his hand so you could put the ring on his finger, it was a simple silver band with both of your initials engraved on the inside. Next, Goro delicately took your hand in his and slid the crown shaped wedding ring onto your left ring finger. He was the ace detective prince after all, marrying him made you his queen, right?

The officiant spoke a bit more before saying the words Goro had been waiting to hear all day. "I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Goro gently lifted the veil from your face, but before he could lean in, you had pushed yourself onto the tips of your toes and pressed your lips to his, your arms making their way around his neck. You had been waiting just as long for this moment as he had. He quickly slipped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to him, reveling in the feeling of your lips.

Cheers erupted from the small crowd as you two pulled away. "I love you Goro Akechi." You whispered, only loud enough for him to hear. "I love you too, Y/N Akechi." His response was just as quiet as yours. Saying your first name with his last name did funny things to his heart. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it, not that he minded. It would be a reminder that someone out there truly did love him.

The rest of the night was a blur for Goro. His most prominent memories of the night were of Sojiro sobbing when he danced with you, Morgana and Futaba arguing over who got to dance with you next, Ann screaming when she caught the bouquet of flowers you had thrown, and the way you looked, swaying slowly in his arms to a song he didn't know the lyrics to, but you knew every word. He wasn't even sure if he got to eat a slice of the expensive wedding cake that he had paid for.

By the time you both made it to the bridal suite, you were exhausted. Goro was barely able to get your wedding dress off of you before you passed out on the bed. He did his best to carefully remove your makeup so you wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning. He couldn't help but stare at you for a bit as you laid beside him, the light from the moon making your skin glow. His mind was ready to burst from how many mental photos he had taken throughout the day.

Gently, as to not disturb you, he wrapped you in his arms and drifted to sleep while going over the memories he had of this day.

-

5 years.

You and Goro have been married for 5 years now. Goro couldn't deny that he was happy to wake up next to you every day.

However, today was different. He knew that you had planned to meet up with the girls for an early breakfast, but you didn't wake him up to say goodbye. Usually, on the rare occasions that you would have to leave your shared house before he woke up, you'd wake him up and give him a kiss goodbye.

He had noticed that you had been a bit distant lately, and he couldn't help but worry. Were you falling out of love with him? Were you cheating on him? Was it something worse? His mind filled with all sorts of negative questions and concerns in an attempt to figure out why you were acting the way you were.

Goro waited for you on the couch in your home, planning on confronting you about your strange behavior when you got back. In the 8 years that you've been together, you've never once done something like this, so he was incredibly scared.

The familiar jingle of keys and turning of the lock on the front door signaled your safe arrival home. He watched you freeze for a moment when you made eye contact with him, uncertainty and nervousness clouding your once bright eyes. Goro raised an eyebrow, despite the fear that coursed through his veins.

You took a deep breath before approaching him silently, once in front of him, you dug around in your purse for a moment, before handing him a small white box with a red ribbon tied around it. He stared at the box, shocked as you took a seat beside him. Goro could feel you staring at him, burning a hole into the side of his head. A... gift? This wasn't what he was expecting at all.

"Well?" Your voice sounded so small. Were you afraid of something? He took a moment to look at you before untying the ribbon and opening the box, inside sat three pregnancy tests. Each one testing positive. It took a moment for his brain to process this information. You were pregnant, with his child. That's why you had been so distant. The two of you almost never talked about kids. Due to his traumatic past, Goro believed that he would never be a good father, even with all of the therapy and support from you, he could never see himself being one.

"You're pregnant." He breathed, still staring at the pregnancy tests. "Yeah." You sounded so tired, sad even. Despite his original negative stance on becoming a father, he couldn't help but feel joy. He was going to be the father of your child. He was being given the chance to start a family of his own.

Slowly, he turned towards you, staring down at your stomach. You weren't really showing yet. "Well?" You repeated. Your voice shook, on the verge of tears. Goro didn't respond with words, he just leaned forwards and pushed you into the couch, his arms wrapped around your back and his face pressed into your stomach. He couldn't stop the sob that escaped his lips. He never could've imagined this. Despite his initial fears, he would do his best to be the greatest father that he could be.

Your body shook as you began sobbing as well, one hand gripping the back of his head and the other resting against his back, holding him as he cried.

"I'm going to be a dad?" He cried into your stomach, needing to confirm that this was real. "You're going to be a dad, and an amazing one at that." Your response was so genuine, it made it impossible for him to believe otherwise.

His wish of being loved, of being needed, had really come true.

#goro akechi #goro akechi x reader #goro akechi x fem!reader #persona 5 #persona 5 royal spoilers #fluff #oneshot #persona 5 royal #marriage #goro akechi lives #unplanned pregnancy #he just wants love

[kannra21]

This time I watched Fugou Keiji Balance: Unlimited for real, meaning that all this knowledge I gained about that series from the previous time was just facts coming from different posts on Tumblr. And I got to know a lot about it thanks to you. You guys were a big help in figuring out some of the series' most important aspects, I appreciate your input on it.

Now that I’ve watched both episodes. I’m going to comment on some things I haven’t seen people talking much about, I’ll try giving it some highlight so I hope you enjoy.

1) The millionaire detective *or smtng more than that*-

Many expect the main character of the series to present himself in a way that he says his name and what he does for life, to give us an insight into who he is and to give us a better idea of what to expect of the series. But instead, the first episode opens with "I had a father and I had a mother", the series opens with a tragic story and tells us about the rich person's unfortunate life. Why's that? It's very important for Daisuke's character. Because, as we go through the series, the author probably predicted that audience would start judging him according to the way he treats people and work, just like Kato always does. The author tries to warn us not to judge a book by its covers. That's why it is so important that the beginning of the series opens this way.

2) Daisuke's and Kato's teamwork-

Daisuke, being a highly classified detective, knows his rights and what he can and can not do, which he exploits a great deal. He can damage people's vehicles and traffic control but he doesn't care, bc he's a detective and bc the law is on his side. He's using this same knowledge to reach his goal faster without wasting time on things that aren't that important, which means, morally or ethically important. Emotions like insecurity, guilt and regret aren't welcomed in this job. Sensitivity to other people's needs before yours are also irrelevant. Traumatizing a mother and a child from almost getting ran over isn't something that he'd preoccupy his mind with too much. He cares about the sufficiency of the mission and working in the favor of the government, as Ryo himself said.

Kato, on the other hand, is different. People come to him in the first place and the most important thing for him is to bring them peace and security, things that all police officers should actually have in mind. He is everything that Daisuke is not.

And when he told him "You're making quite the show here. How are you going to take responsibility for this?", we can notice that something clicked in Daisuke, that he told himself "ugh I went too far I should do something about it". And then he called HEUSC and told him to send reimbursements for DOUBLE the damage costs he caused for certain people. He also gave the Abura Emirate's seventh prince a billion yen when the car didn't even cost that much. So it’s evident that Daisuke does possess feelings like guilt, he just needs to be reminded of it.

The same goes for that scene when he tried to drop the vehicle into the river, Kato reached for the girl and told her to jump out. Daisuke doesn't care if she's a kid or if she's going to explode together with the van. It is important to him to save the rest + the kids are also considered criminals, he will take it upon himself to judge them as they actually deserved it. Kato, unlike him, can't let himself do that, he just can't. That's why he saved her and let her be with Hiroshi again. I love Kato for that.

Maybe Daisuke is a sufficient detective but Kato is there to remind him that the things he's doing aren't ok. He's giving him a sense of morality and ethics and that's why I think they're put together bc they make a great team. And they truly do, the problem is, Kato can't stand him. 😅

3) This funny moment-

I love how Kamei in the second episode found out ab the tragic death of some woman by going through one of his inappropriate sites and he's like: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

Kato *annoyed bc he's as well judging him for his perverted ways and lack of devotion towards work*: "Shut up Kamei."

Kamei *big sad*: "It says she died from a drug overdose. That centerfold model Akiko Hoshida..."

Kato: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA??!! SERIOUSLY?"

Which leads me to the conclusion that:

Kato isn't that much different from Kamei.

Kato prefers only a specific type of women while Kamei drolls over every woman who looks even remotely pretty.

Kato has a type because the deceased centerfold model Akiko Hoshida and Suzue look very alike. Kato is also into "innocent" women bc he himself is innocent, as Akira stated. + He knows how to cook, refuses to drink alcoholic beverages during work hours and is actually pretty soft. Kato is more lovable than Daisuke in those aspects.

4) Kato's cluelessness-

Because of being so innocent, Kato doesn't have the ability to criticize others or judge "the way they breathe". He's too good, too considerate, too emphatic. That's why Daisuke's here to break his pretty picture of the world they're living in.

Kato was so easily deceived by the street performers and it was actually funny. Why would they do it otherwise than for money? No one wants to make an idiot out of themselves without a certain price.

He also thought of Suzue as one of them, the drug dealers I mean, acting as liaison. And it made me laugh so much bc he didn't know what's going to hit him. 😂

5) HEUSC-

I love HEUSC so much, this technology stuff is so lit, I wish I had it. It can detect lies, analize time, deduce certain information just from the help of a person's credit card, how much income they have, how much they lost over a couple of days, when and where, what were they buying. It can detect a person, personal information ab where they're from, age and date of birth. It also shows the person's heart rate. It can even work as a magnifier and control the traffic lights, isn't it crazy??

Daisuke's heart rate is always 60 during the whole interrogation. He's so freaking calm.

You also need to understand that Daisuke's session lasted longer than Cho-san's who used weak points such as family members and sense of right and wrong. Daisuke needed some time until their negotiation was done, he gave money to a drug addict in exchange for an information while Cho-san didn't lose anything, he could as well just deceive his suspect and get away with it.

Take into account that Daisuke went through a special training in England so his protocols are different from the normal Japanese ones.

6) Daisuke's jealousy-

Lmao Daisuke is stealing friends. He invited Akira to his own ramen during their Isezaki case.

He said "I can risk my life for Kato" and omg let me tell you, Daisuke became jealous so he made a move and even paid him to get into a costume to lure Kato and the rest of the hooligans to the top.

7) The elevator scene-

Kato standing in the middle of the elevator and Daisuke standing close to the corner as pinned as possible is what made my day. 😂

8) On the rooftop-

Daisuke's heart rate is 72 when shooting from a bazooka in the helicopter. Still too calm but I'd say that he's in a good physical condition considering that he's into boxing.

BTW he accidentally shoot towards Kato bc his target wasn't detected, it only wrote "primary target", he didn't do it on purpose.

But the sole thought of "stank needs to be eliminated" gets me every time. 😂

9) Daisuke joining the MCI-

Daisuke circled around the topic and refused to give the answer about why he decided to become a detective by redirecting the conversation towards Kato.

Let me tell you something, I watched too many crime series to know why he did that.

The reason is very personal.

And at the beginning of the whole anime he introduced himself to us with “I had a father and I had a mother”. I think he's trying to find the culprit for his parent's murder.

10) His lack of sleep-

Although he has lots of money, people like Daisuke tend to afford themselves a nice and cozy sleep. Despite that, Daisuke has as much under eyes as Kato. Which makes me wonder what keeps him awake at night, what's he thinking ab. Is he traumatized in a way? I can't wait for the next episodes to arrive!

Btw while watching the anime I fell in love with Kato even more, such a great character.

#fugou keiji balance unlimited #fugou keiji balance: unlimited #the millionaire detective balance balance: unlimited #the millionaire detective balance: unlimited #daisuke kambe #suzue kambe #haru kato #analysis

[storiesbyjes2g]

Maya Pruett

Maya is the oldest of Jonathan & Skyla’s children and the wild one. She’s got her mama’s face and her daddy’s personality times two. Skyla calls her “Pumpkin.” She lives at home still and is the Director of Communications at Sim.tv. Maya is a daddy’s girl to the core. The other man in her life is the beautiful Ranveer Singh. Although they have been dating for a while, she is positive he is the one. Her best friend is the one and only Penny Pizzazz.

Background

Maya’s birth was a much needed ray of sunshine in the Pruett family. She was born into the family drama, but she was also born after a long period of infertility. Her parents were over the moon about her arrival, and so was the rest of the family. To say the little girl was spoiled rotten would be an understatement.  

Academically, she was a fair student in high school. She made good grades but didn’t put forth more effort than she needed to. She was much more interested in getting her then best friend, Anthony Nunes, to see her as more than a friend. He wasn’t particularly cute, but she liked him for some unknown reason. Maybe it was the whole opposites attract thing. He was smart and nerdy while she cared less about school and just wanted to kiss someone. Regardless of what she saw in him, she was sold on him quite hard. 

Much like her father, she had little regard for boundaries, got in trouble and ended up being grounded until her young adult birthday after staying out late and disobeying the terms of her punishments. 

Maya was older than Anthony and had to wait more than a week for him to age up. She was willing to do that until she met Akira Kibo. His lips kept calling her name, and she wanted to kiss him shortly after they met. It didn’t help that he kept toying with her.

(Read more about Maya under the cut!)

They went out shortly after, and she did kiss him. Her parents urged her to talk to Anthony seeing as how they were still technically together. She knew this but was so nervous about breaking his heart and kept delaying the conversation. She delayed it all the way to his birthday, but he ended up coming by instead to break up with her. He met someone too, and they dated for the rest of school and got married right after graduation. (translation: MCCC got him lol) It may have been wrong for Maya to kiss Akira, but what Anthony did felt deceitful. On top of that, a short while later, she had to quit seeing Akira because he unknowingly slept with her cousin, Juliana, and she ended up pregnant. Between those two, other sleazeballs she met in clubs, and not knowing what to do with her life, Maya was bummed. She still lived at home and was not working, so she got her bff, Penny, to get her a job where she worked. She figured getting a job may be a good start on finding some direction in her life.

Juliana had her baby—Carlee—with no help from Akira; he never even met her to this day. As a matter of fact, Akira ended up getting married as well compliments of MCCC. The story explained it as he was a bargaining chip his parents used back in Japan to land this huge deal. Both families used their children, so Akira’s new wife was reluctant as well. They agreed to see other people and act like a couple when their parents were in town. Akira basically asked Maya to be his mistress, and she was so disgusted.

Meanwhile, Maya had a group of friends she partied with. Naturally, some people in the group began to pair up, and there was one guy she considered dating except that she was kinda gun-shy after all her drama. She didn’t want to make any more mistakes or get caught up with another douche bag, so she calmed herself and took things slow. She observed and took only what this friend offered and no more. Sadly, he was one of those guys who enjoyed women taking the lead. He only ever gave her flirty touches and said nice things, but she wanted more than that; she wanted what her parents have.

Soon, she met Ranveer. She was caught completely off guard by him. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and he literally walked up to her and asked to do a karaoke duet with her. Maya had always swore she would never do karaoke because she was too popular and didn’t need a video of her making a fool of herself going around Simstagram. But, as she peered into his almond shaped dark eyes, she could not say no. 

Ranveer had always been clear with what he wanted, making her decision to leave her other friend alone easy. When he wanted to hang out, he asked her. When he wanted to kiss her, he told her. Maya is head over heels in love with this man, but he’s almost too perfect and makes her feel inadequate. He is gainfully employed, lives on his own, is drop dead gorgeous, has a great personality, is funny, works out religiously, and is a genuinely good person. Maya is gorgeous too, and employed, but she lives at home, is terribly lazy, and doesn’t enjoy many things outside of partying, sports and watching TV. She feels like he deserves someone more like him but does not want to give him up.

Personality & Fun Facts

Maya is a fashionista and rabid sports fan. Her shoe closet contains stilettos and designer sneakers. She has always been a wonder to her male friends. In the same breath, she would flirt with them and trash talk their team. She is a Llamacorns fan, and Ranveer is a Plumnuggets fan. Game nights with those two are quite interesting. Maya hates the Plumnuggets with all her heart and would usually detest anyone who likes them. She really does hold that against Ranveer, but he’s so dang beautiful! She could never hate him and enjoys watching games with him and ripping his team to shreds.

Check out this post for 50 fun facts about Maya!

https://storiesbyjes2g.tumblr.com/post/185465556367/50-questions-for-your-sim-i-was?fbclid=IwAR1mqzJf-vr6HQ12TKqhvQJGLkvngbv7G6PPPolhe3SIKJE46SlaodWA524

#3D pruetts #3D catch up #delicious dishes & dreams #Maya Pruett

[nobeliumoxygenoxygen]

Dabi || Hurt me one last time

Part 2 of Hurt me if you’re there

SUMMARY: You get one chance to meet your soulmate. One chance and then the connection disappears, leaving you and your soulmate on your own. Luckily, one chance is all you’ll need. Right?

Little did you know how much it’d hurt.

GENRE: soulmate au

WARNINGS: swearing

WORDS: around 3800 

You’d begun to wonder if this was how other people felt when they couldn’t reach their soulmate.

Stuck, helpless, and utterly alone.

You’d read all the cute textbook soulmate meetings; your parents’ meeting was a simple yet effective one--they’d bumped into each other and your mother had spilt burning hot coffee on your father. When they’d both yelped in pain, they knew. Right then and there. You’d gushed and dreamed of meeting your soulmate in an easy way like that.

You found it strangely fitting that burning was how your parents found each other considering your own situation.

And yet as much as you loved your parents, you couldn’t exactly tell them that your soulmate was one of the most wanted villains in Japan. It wasn’t a conversation that would end well. This went for your friends too; you weren’t sure how much you could trust them--would they tell your parents? You loved them and they loved you but what if they had mixed ideas about the whole thing? It was too much of a risk you weren’t willing to take.

Soulmate help centres and online sites weren’t much help either. Paranoia kicked in whenever you hovered outside the centre, debating whether to go inside and explain your situation. Would they report you to the police? Would they even help? Online ask threads were worse; you had expected backlash, but reading all the comments directed at your soulmate made you furious and frustrated. They all spoke like a villain wasn’t capable of love.

Were they?

Of course they were. All people were--it was only that others had different senses of love.

But it was thoughts like these that led your mind into darker thoughts. What if Dabi really couldn’t love you? What if he hurt you? You weren’t blind to the possibilities--you knew that the worst kinds of people existed, and sometimes people changed into terrible monsters. But even though he was a villain, you couldn’t help but yearn for him--to give him a chance to see just what the universe had planned for you two, as much as it scared you to think too far into the future.

But then you pondered other thoughts; what did you have to offer your soulmate? Dabi was one of the strongest villains you’d seen--on tv--and he was a part of the most powerful villain organisation in Japan. You, a simple, background civilian, had a laughably useless quirk and no fighting skills whatsoever. Would he want you? Would he need you? How was life going to work out?

What if he died? What if you were too weak for him? What if his enemies used you?

Each and every time though, you’d forced those thoughts out of your head. Those were questions for the future. You chose to put your faith in the universe, as stupidly optimistic that was, you had no other choice. There was a reason--good or bad--he was your soulmate and you’d learn it once you got to him.

If you ever did, that was.

--

Truthfully, you hadn’t wanted to go out tonight. You were still mulling over your soulmate dilemma when your two best friends had barged into your apartment, sloppily dressing you up and dragging you outside for a ‘well-deserved night out’. For what, you weren’t quite sure, but apparently their favourite hangout was reopening and they had organised a get-together with a bunch of others.

So now you were swirling a cup of what you hoped was only water as you distantly listened to your friend recount her experience with paint and preschoolers.

“So the paint’s on all me right, and then since I’m with kids and all I can’t swear, obviously, so I just go to the toilet and let it out--like they were my favourite pants, okay? It had pockets, come on! But then the other teacher--”

The club music lowered as someone spoke into the mic. “Hey hey! Hope you’re all having fun but an Akira Makeo just dared all his friends--you know who you are--to a warehouse run! Whatever that is!”

The music returned and the party goers went back to their dancing, talking, drinking. Except for you and your friends.

“He did not!” Kari yelled, standing up so quickly that she nearly knocked over her own drink. You grimaced, knowing exactly where this was going and not necessarily liking it. Kari grabbed your arm, dragging you up. “Let’s go let’s go! I’m no pusillanimous fuck! Norio, you donkey, get up!”

You and Norio, who was currently giving you a look that wordlessly conveyed ‘we’re getting roped into this illegal activity god help us’, were forced to follow your more energetic friend as you swerved through the crowd of dancing--more like grinding--adults on the dance floor, narrowly missing the roaming hands and thrown back heads. “I’m staying in the car--like usual!” Norio called out in vain, Kari too engrossed in striding out the club to hear him.

You repeated his words instead.

“I know. You and Norio can stay in the car. Just be my getaway drivers, kay?”

“Yeah, no. I’m only being a driver. No need for getawaying,” Norio retorted, frowning. You smiled at your friends’ exchange, if only to offset the growing pool of anxiety building up. Another reason why you hadn’t wanted to go out; nights like these ended nine out of ten times with Kari getting herself almost in trouble and you and Norio having to drive like hell but also like sane, normal civilians to bypass police and patrolling heroes. It wasn’t good for your health, but Kari was a close friend--close enough that you practically risked your life for.

The three of you piled into Norio’s car, you calling shotgun, Kari taking out her phone to text the others that you three--mainly her, only her--were joining.

When done, she kicked the back of Norio’s seat. “Fuck yes let’s do this!”

“No! Let’s not do that again, please,” Norio protested hotly, having jumped when his seat had been kicked. You laughed at him sympathetically; Kari was sometimes too much for the both of you to handle.

Twenty minutes later, the three of you had arrived at your destination; an abandoned warehouse in a plot of land situated in the ‘dodgy’ end of the city. Dodgy enough that there was only one working streetlight and the gate that kept out supposed ‘trespassers’ was distinctly battered. At least, it would have been abandoned if it weren’t for the other vehicles parked outside and the other twenty or so people in party-standard attire.

Akira was there to greet you all, swooping Kari into a headlock and Norio and you into one of his famous bear hugs--for someone as wild as Kari, perhaps wilder, he gave the warmest hugs--something that you loved. But then he got serious, leaning down to speak to you all in hushed tones.

“Be warned, I don’t think we’re all alone here--” Norio let out a strangled gasp. “But it’s all good! I think it’s just a bit of low-time thugs, or something. Besides, they all disappeared, so I don’t think it’ll be too much of a bother.”

You couldn’t help the overwhelming desire to get back in the car and drive away, but you squashed it down--for one thing, that would mean Kari and Norio had no ride. Plus, there were at least twenty other people here, so if worse came to worse, it’d be enough of a pandemonium if anything happened. Hopefully.

“Are you sure? ‘Low time thugs’ might not be so ‘low time’,” Norio mumbled, emphasising his words. Though it went unheard by the other two, who were already making their way to the rest of the group.

You followed, trying to ignore the way your gut was pulling.

“Alright everyone!” Someone yelled, getting the attention of everyone gathered as they climbed atop a van. “You know what’s going on! If you’re new here, just remember; all you have to do is get inside this place and find something worth bringing out! The best thing gets-uh, what was the prize again?” The last question was directed at someone by their side. “Right! You get fifty bucks!”

Norio leant towards you. “This is just a scavenger hunt for adults, I swear.” You nodded your agreement. A scavenger hunt in an illegal warehouse, you silently added, not wanting to seem more pushy than you already were. “What happened to staying in the car? We suck at this.” Norio laughed self-deprecatingly. Indeed, you had forgotten all about that--Kari and Akira had that effect on people, unfortunately.

The person on top of the van clapped their hands and yelled, “Let’s go people! You got forty-five minutes!”

And that was that. 

The crowd dispersed, Kari remembering you and Norio at the last moment as she took hold of a hand each and you three began to rush inside, adrenaline coursing your veins. Most likely a significant more adrenaline that was coursing Kari’s--or maybe not. Whilst your heart was begging you to leave, Kari’s was probably singing in joy.

Something caught your eye just as you passed the lone streetlight and you thought you saw a figure disappear through the side of the warehouse.

But then your eyes were forced to readjust to the sudden darkness and you blinked only to find nothing there.

Your gut was still pulling you--but this time, you weren’t sure which way.

--

“You two. Go get the shipment from Hayumi.” That was all Shigaraki needed to say before Dabi was heading straight for his room, dismissing his leader’s order. “Hey,” The boss growled as Dabi made it to the other door, though his eyes never left the video game he was playing.

“We just got back from a mission, and you want us to go back?” Dabi muttered, loudly enough to be heard.

“I’ll be transporting you two, if that helps,” Kurogiri put in, no doubt hoping to calm the fighting before it began. It was a predictable outcome--Dabi and Shigaraki were usually arguing.

Toga jumped on the couch, draping herself over the arm. “He’s right though Tomura-kun! I’m tired, can’t someone else go?” She asked, frowning as she held her bloodied knife above her head, admiring the red liquid.

Shigaraki hissed, violently pressing on his controller. It told them enough about his answer.

“Why are you always asking us though!” Toga whined, more a complaint than a question.

“I would ask the others if they were here but they’re not, so why don’t you make life easier and just go,” Shigaraki seethed, a notable amount more aggression put into his actions; at this point, Dabi wondered why Shigaraki didn’t just disintegrate his controller if he was mashing the buttons so hard.

“Please just go, you two. It’ll be quick. It’s all been paid for already,” Kurogiri advised, hoping that the two would do it before Shigaraki got any more tense. “I’ll get you that twisted knife you saw online, Toga. And that new coat you wanted.” He aimed the last sentence at Dabi.

Toga visibly brightened, grinning all of a sudden, and sat back up. “Yay! But only because Kurogiri is super nice! Let’s go Dabi!”

“Hang on, I didn’t agree to--”

“Let’s go!”

“Seriously, I get no input around here.”

A black portal opened up in the middle of the bar and the two villains stepped inside, but not before Dabi sent a quick glare the same time Toga poked her tongue out at their leader.

The duo were transported to the warehouse.

Where they were promptly met with screams.

--

You jumped when you heard the shriek.

Glancing worriedly at Kari and Norio, the former who shrugged it off, the latter who stared back just as worriedly, you scanned your surroundings. The three of you had made it into a more deserted area in the area between the warehouse and the side gate. It was tight enough that most of the others had given up looking into but Kari wasn’t one to be put off and had dragged you both in with her. You’d promised yourself a million showers to get rid of the crawling on your skin--you weren’t sure if you were happy or not that it was too dark to see what caused it.

The shrieks hadn’t continued--it was short and quick enough that you could have chalked it up to someone having found something exciting and yet, with your mind already on overdrive, you couldn’t help but think…

“I think we should go,” Norio declared. You silently thanked him for saying the words you were too scared to say, lest you were called a party-pooper one more time.

Kari waved her hand dismissively, grazing her other hand over the ground. “It’s nothing. Come on guys, we only have ten more minutes, and we haven’t found anything. Aren’t you, like, low on funds, Y/N?”

Yes, but you weren’t going to risk your life for only twenty dollars considering you had to split with the other two.

Before you could reply, another shriek, quieter but distinct, was heard. This time it was accompanied by a bang.

Kari was thankfully more alert now.

“Still nothing?” Norio whispered, tense and crouching.

“Okay...maybe not,” Kari whispered back, eyes darting to both sides. With a sinking heart, you realised how much of a trap you three were in--the side was narrow, and the gate on this part was still intact. If someone charged from both entrances, you had nowhere to go. “Okay okay, fine, let’s go.”

She slowly stood back up--

And then bolted back towards where you three had come from.

“KARI!” Norio shouted in shock--wincing when he realised how loud he had been. You two ran to catch up, hearts racing. You heard breathless snorts and wondered if that was Kari laughing.

Yes, it was.

Once you three had made it back in front of the warehouse, Kari doubled over, wheezing.

“You should have seen your faces, guys!”

Norio stomped his foot childishly, crossing his arms. “Well-well it’s scary alright?!” He shot back, embarrassed. You would have been, too, if your gut weren’t twisting your insides. At this point, you were so anxious you might have sworn that your soulmate could feel your insides twisting--

Akira came running out of the warehouse, his eyes wide enough to pop out.

“Fuck fuck-Kari! You--” He stopped talking and merely kept running towards the open gate, no thought of explaining until Norio lurched aside and grabbed him.

“What’s going on?!” He hissed, frantic.

Akira swallowed and shook his head. “I-I-they’re there-the League of-the League--”

Your heart stopped.

Kari swore under her breath, all traces of laughter gone. “You’re serious? You’re serious?” Akira nodded, wrenching himself out of Norio’s grip to continue his escape. “Fuck-oh fuck I’m so sorry guys let’s go-Y/N!”

You ran.

Ducking underneath Norio’s outstretched arms, blindly ignoring the lack of air in your lungs as you sprinted towards the warehouse, where you could feel the heat rising--

Was that--could it be--

“Y/N COME BACK!” Kari screamed--and god, it was so loud and high-pitched--she was terrified for you and it hurt you to leave but--

But if it really was the League inside, you could not miss this opportunity.

The only chance you had.

The reason why your gut had been pulling you, not away, but towards the warehouse--you were sure of it now.

Dabi was inside--it was the only possible explanation.

Your soulmate was inside.

And so, even though you still heard Kari’s screaming, felt Norio’s hand brush against your back--you ran, pushing your limits because--

“How come the pain stops when we meet our soulmate, mom? Does that mean we aren’t soulmates anymore?”

“Oh, of course not, honey, where’d you hear that?”

“At school.”

“It stops because you only get one shot at meeting you soulmate. So you gotta realise you’ve met them--or else you’ll never know!”

“Do we really? What if I do miss them?”

Your parents shared a look, smiling wistfully at each other. It was in that moment, whether you knew it or not, that you realised the love shared between your parents was enough to make you ready to love your soulmate even at the tender age of five. Your father leant down to kiss your head.

“You won’t, Y/N. You’ll find them, I promise.”

“Are you suuure?”

They laughed at your wrinkled nose as you scrunched your face up in confusion.

“Yes, we’re sure. You only get one chance to meet your soulmate.”

“But that’s all you’ll need, Y/N.”

One chance was all you’d get.

And one chance was all you’d need.

Right?

And as you burst into the warehouse, the doors slamming open, you saw him.

You saw Dabi--his back towards you yet you knew it was him--by the figure, the fire coating his arms--the feeling in your gut--

You smiled, despite your breathlessness.

And then something punched your stomach--at least, you thought it was a punch.

You fell, dull pain flashing. It was only when you saw Dabi double over did you look down at your own stomach--red pooling in your shirt. The pain hadn’t been fleeting--it had been sharper than anything you’d felt before; realer.

It wasn’t Dabi who’d gotten hurt this time.

It was you.

“No…” You breathed, pain blinding you as bile rose up your throat.

“Another one!” An excited, young voice called out. You couldn’t see properly--it hurt god it hurt-- “What’s wrong Dabi?”

His name--his name. He was right there but you couldn’t even open your eyes to see--

“I-I--” A grunt of pain. “I got stabbed or something.”

A squeal--not the same as the earlier ones. This one was ecstatic, and mockingly happy.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS? NO WAY!” You heard footsteps coming towards you, and though you wished desperately to see him, it wasn’t him--somehow you knew they were too light to be his. You felt yourself get moved onto your back, your body protesting but helpless--so, so helpless. Briefly, you were reminded of the Burning; the way you’d curled up on your bedroom floor, helpless to the pain.

But now the ground was cold and the pain was sharper than ever and the blood was pooling around you--

“ARE YOU HIS SOULMATE?”

You cracked open an eye to see a girl hovering above you, her grin wide and manic--Toga, a distantly working part of your mind told you.

You wanted to say yes. God, you needed to. To say the news you’d been holding in for such a agonisingly long time.

But now that you knew you’d been stabbed, your mind was whirring--you’d never been hurt like this before, it was almost too much to handle.

No, it wasn’t almost too much.

It was too much.

Your head dropped back and blackness fell.

--

It struck him sharply--he’d been stabbed before, so he knew what it felt like.

And yet it was different this time. Distant, almost, and airy.

Dabi glanced down at his stomach. He hadn’t been hit--so what had that been? A quirk? But whose? No, he must have been overusing his quirk, pushing his limits once again.

“Another one!” Toga cheerfully cried out before she looked at him, puzzled, as he straightened back up, still clutching his stomach. “What’s wrong Dabi?”

He half shrugged, smoke dissipating at his fingertips. “I-I--” He grunted, clearing his throat of any remnant of pain. “I got stabbed, or something.”

This time he winced as Toga shrieked--goddamn she had a loud shriek sometimes. He wasn’t surprised that she was so happy about that, though.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS? NO WAY!” She skipped forward, Dabi watching her movements and only then realising there was another civilian lying on the ground just a few feet from the entrance--the pain stopped but he was too confused to register it. Honestly, why were there so many people here? Where were Hayumi and the others? All he knew for sure was that there was going to be consequences for this mess up of a pick up. “ARE YOU HIS SOULMATE?” Toga yelled, shifting them on their back.

Dabi’s heart stopped, his gut twisting.

No, no it wasn’t true though. It couldn’t be. Couldn’t it?

He had no soulmate.

Then why was someone there? Bleeding from a stab he’d felt?

Coincidence. Imagination. Nothing more, nothing less.

It wasn’t true, damnit. Why not?

Their head fell back and Dabi’s head pounded all for a moment before it disappeared.

“Dabi! Dabi, oh no, I’m sorry, I think I stabbed your soulmate. Oops! But look, we found them! They’re so pretty! Look at their blood! Oh, right they’re bleeding! Uh-we need to fix them! Dabi? Dabi!” Toga stomped her foot, glaring.

He snapped out of his thoughts, walking numbly towards her.

“Okay, so, I don’t know what to do,” Toga stated simply, peering up at Dabi innocently, like she hadn’t just stabbed his soulmate--

No, he couldn’t think that. Yet.

He breathed, noting how ragged his breathing was--why? “Let’s just-bring them back to the hideout. Get Kurogiri. Now.”

Toga beamed, whipping out her phone to call their misty transporter. She was answered immediately, to which she explained their situation--in a tone too happy for someone with a bleeding person on their lap--and quickly hung up, waiting for the responding portal.

“I knew you weren’t that much of a sad sack!” She grinned, wriggling in her spot. She was just so excited! She’d always wanted to be there when someone found their soulmate! She’d never gotten the chance but it was such an exci--

“Stop moving, you’re hurting them,” Dabi growled. Toga stilled, staring at him. Before an even bigger shit-eating grin appeared on her face.

“You’re already so worried about them! Aw, that’s so cute Dabi!” She cooed, giggling.

Dabi gritted his teeth, practically glaring at the person in her lap.

And as the portal opened up, he still wasn’t sure what he was feeling--disbelief, shock--what was he meant to feel? He’d never learnt. Never known because--

“Is father your soulmate, mama?”

She had stiffened, her eyes fluttering in the way she always did when she was remembering--remembering things too dark for her now.

“Mama?”

She jumped, turning to her son. “I-...Of course, Touya. Of course he’s my soulmate.”

He’d frowned, eyes lowering. “But father says...he said that it doesn’t matter.”

She shook her head, placing a hand on his hair gingerly. “It does matter. I just...your father is...different, Touya. Different.”

“Is he really your soulmate, mama?” He knew she was lying. He knew--like all the other times he’d heard her lies. Lies that he longed to hear because it was better than the words--truth or not--coming from his father’s mouth. “Because-because if he is, why does he, he do that to you? I thought soulmates were meant to...stop hurting each other once you...met them…” His voice trailed off as he watched his mother’s eyes cloud over--seeing not him, but through him.

She smiled weakly, her soothing hand becoming robotic as she smoothed down his hair repeatedly. “When you meet your soulmate, Touya, you must love them, okay?” He had opened his mouth to interrupt but had shut it, noticing the moment his mother started talking--not necessarily to him, just talking to fill the void, her void. 

The moment when she stopped being there.

He shifted to hide his face in her arms, hating the way her eyes stayed cloudy. Hating whenever she did this. “Because you will find your soulmate. Whether it’s five days from now, five years, fifty. You will find them, and...and you will love them. Because all the pain they’ve felt, you’ve felt with them, right there with them. But when you are together, it won’t matter. Because there will be no more pain.” A tear had dropped onto his hair, fat and heavy. “Only love, only love.”

His mother’s voice had cracked on the words.

Soon after, he’d been discarded by his father, and forgotten by his mother.

His questions had never been answered. He didn’t know what love was--it certainly wasn’t what his mother and father had and he’d had no other examples to look up to. 

He had never felt love from the people who had meant to love him the most.

A/N: here’s part 2!! im terribly sorry for the fact that i took forever (and also i made up that warehouse run thing lol so idek if people actually do those sort of things) but i hope u all still enjoy!! Thanks for reading!! (yes there will be a part 3 someday)

DISCLAIMER: all publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

#bnha imagines #dabi imagines #bnha scenarios #dabi scenarios #dabi x reader #bnha x reader #bnha dabi #dabi #bnha #my work

[wow-thisismylifeiguess]

I truly don’t know what this is, so read at your own risk...?

Sheith fanfic that I came up with at 2:30am because my mind wouldn’t shut the fuck up. It’s stupid and probably poorly written, but it made me laugh a few times, so.....I dunno. Have fun

Keith Kogane was good at a lot of things. Navigating so called ‘human emotions’ was not part of that list, and it was something nearly everyone around him was well aware of, including himself. It wasn’t that Keith wasn’t capable of acting like a normal human being. On the contrary, Keith was excellent at pretending to be that exact thing. No, the real problem came from the fact that while he knew how to fake it, Keith couldn’t quite understand what he was faking. Because, as stated, emotions weren’t something that….came easily to him.

It would be easy to blame it on a childhood that consisted of a missing mother and a father who was gone for work more often than not, but that was a simple answer, and one that didn’t work so well when you delved into the details, such as Keith’s father, Akira Sr. (because of course Keith’s name wasn’t really Keith) being the best damn dad when he was home, showering his son with love and affection to hopefully fill in the gaps of missing time. Keith had a good childhood, if a bit unconventional. He spent a lot of time alone, but he didn’t mind it, and maybe it was that that truly led to the way he was now. But then again, that couldn’t be the full story. No, it was something much deeper than just a preference for being alone.

Perhaps it had to do with his missing mother…. He had never met her, his father telling him stories of how she had to go somewhere far far away when he asked repeatedly at the age of four. When he was five, he learned that ‘far far away’ meant six feet under in a grave in another state. All that she left behind were several letters she wrote when she first discovered she was sick, and a wicked knife that looked like it had come out of an alien flick, the kind his dad loved to watch. But, the letters were filled with as much love as written words on a piece of paper could hold, and more. Keith was quite frankly impressed, and even now, had the letters pinned to his corkscrew board in his dorm. The knife went with him everywhere, but no one needed to know that. Especially campus security.

So no, Keith’s mother’s missing presence during his life was also not necessarily a factor in how he had become such a strange and somewhat alien human being. There wasn’t much else on the list, and so it narrowed it down quite significantly. There were only three people Keith knew that had ever held some sort of reverent importance in his life. Two of those were his parents. The third was Takashi Shirogane. Pretty boy. Golden boy. Sports star spectacular. Thinking about it…yeah. It was definitely Mr. Perfect who had fucked up Keith’s rather decent like, leaving him weird and strange and just…abnormal (as Lance had a habit of calling him). But Lance’s opinions didn’t matter….is what he told himself at night to keep the other boy’s voice out of his head as he counted backwards from seventy-seven (his lucky number), hoping that maybe, maybe tonight he’ll be able to fall asleep before three am hits. It doesn’t work, but most of what Keith tries to do in life doesn’t work, and again, it’s all his fault.

Keith had met Takashi Shirogane (it should actually be Shirogane Takashi, but of course, Americans don’t fucking care about cultures other than ‘white’) when he was sixteen years old. His dad had finally managed to move them to a better town with a new job, one where his skills as a fireman were actually useful and where he could also see his son on a more daily basis. Keith was transferred to a new school, where he had to go through the customary ‘new student!’ introduction (“Yes, my name is Akira, but please call me Keith.”) which was an unfortunate necessity. He’d only done it once in the past, so the second time was significantly easier, and Keith was braced for what would be a sudden influx of people curious about his life before the excitement gradually died down after one or two weeks.

Except….this time was different. Because Takashi Shirogane, an upperclassman by only a year, was instructed to show him around and get him used to his new school. Keith was instantly starstruck, and it didn’t take long (maybe about...an hour?) for him to find out he wasn’t the only one. Not that Keith cared much about the opinions of others (the third letter from his mom, labeled on the front to be given to him on his first day of middle school, had said to never let the opinions of others knock him down because he was going to be a badass and that was because he was Krolia Kogane’s son). No, Keith ignored everyone else, other than a petite girl with round glasses that seemed to cover the majority of her face and a series of hoodies that zipped up to her neck, concealing even more of her features, and kept most of his attention firmly on Shiro, as he insisted on being called.

Keith had nearly swooned the first time he had actually called him ‘Shiro’. It had been because of an argument (friendly banter) over Shiro insisting on calling Keith by his legal name. It wasn’t that Keith didn’t like his name. It was a good name. It was just that it was his dad’s name, and Keith wasn’t a big fan of taking things that he didn’t feel were his. So, Shiro insisted on being called Shiro, and Keith insisted on being called Keith. The girl with the large glasses, named Katie of all things, insisted on being called Pidge (of all things).

Somehow, they became the trio™️, an incredibly ridiculous and lackluster name given to them by the rest of the student body (and, surprisingly, by some of the staff as well). Just because they hung out a few (lot of) times didn’t mean that they deserved to be called such a dumb name. Sure, Keith and Pidge would sit in the bleachers during Shiro’s lacrosse practice, watching as he barrelled through other teenagers who looked way too beefed up on steroids. Sure, Shiro and Pidge would sit in the audience of Keith’s art award shows that Pidge would secretly sign him up for behind his back (because, “Your art is beautiful, Keith!”). Sure, Keith and Shiro would hang around in the halls outside of Pidge’s technology class to dissuade any of those particular boys who thought it was fun to rifle through her bag and flick at her glasses. It didn’t really mean anything.

But, with two years of high school left for Keith and Pidge, and only one year left for Shiro, it was inevitable there would be a goodbye. Shiro was too good at lacrosse and quite frankly, a genius in academics as well, so of course it wasn’t a surprise when he was handed a sports scholarship that would be immensely stupid to reject. He took it, after way too long of an internal debate, and on the last day of class, he promised both Keith and Pidge that they would see each other during the summer before he moved away several states over to attend a fancy schmancy university.

What Keith had not been expecting from this sort of stereotypical cross-grade friendship had been a confession.

Standing in front of the building in which their high school annually held their graduation, Shiro had bent down, still clad in the stomach-churning yellow of their school’s graduation gown, and whispered three simple words:

I. Like. You.

Sure, maybe kicking Shiro in the crotch before running away wasn’t the best response to a confession Keith never in all his years of living thought he would receive. But, in his defense, he had been hardcore crushing on the one year older male for maybe over four months, and having his feelings returned in such a way was a shock. It left him feeling strangely numb, and his only way of reacting (as stupid) as it was, was to block Shiro’s number on his phone and then immediately call Pidge to ask if he was insane or not. Of course, she told him the truth (“You’re more than insane, Keith. Much more.”). He had been looking for comfort, not to be mocked, but he should have known better than to come to Pidge for that. Still, she tried her best to calm him down, but it didn’t mean it was the end of Keith’s descent into whatever it was he was now. No, it had only just begun.

Now, while Keith had made an absolute fool of himself on that particular day in June, he had tried to make up for it by promptly unblocking Shiro’s number (nearly four hours) after his call with Pidge. He waited patiently. And then waited some more. And then a little bit more.

Finally, overcome by the need to do something, Keith picked up his phone and called Shiro himself. After three rings, the telltale sign that whoever was trying to be reached was not going to answer, Keith nearly ended the call, only for the ringing to stop and for Shiro’s cool ‘hello’ to breathe over the line. Wow, a rare four ring pick up, Keith had only read about those before… It took a lot of effort for him to force any words from his throat, but when he did, he instantly regretted it. “So, about what happened earlier…” He muttered, and that wasn’t a line he should have muttered. It wasn’t even something he should have said in the first place. Regardless, it was out, but the response he got was much worse than anything that could have come out of his own mouth. Shiro’s voice was level, calm. Extremely normal, despite the circumstances surrounding this call:

“What do you mean?”

Keith nearly stopped breathing, which wasn’t a good thing seeing as human beings need air to, yunno, live. But Keith couldn’t help it. His breath hiccuped and Shiro seemed to shift on the other line, the sound of fabric coming through the speaker. “You okay, Keith?” Shiro sounded so damn normal and it bothered Keith. Because….because why??? Why was he acting like a CONFESSION hadn’t passed through his lips, what….five hours ago? No, no. If Shiro was gonna play this game, then Keith was not going to be the first one to crack. He refused. If there was one thing his mother had drilled into him from the moment he learned how to read and held the first of her letters in his hand, then it was that Keith would never be the one to break first. If he were to be kidnapped and tortured on government secrets (though he had no idea why that would ever happen), then Keith was pretty sure he’d be getting out of there with a few bloody knuckles and his lips sealed shut. Keith didn’t lose. He wouldn’t allow himself to.

So, he shut up all the errant thoughts running through his mind about how fucking weird this situation was, and cleared his throat. “Nothing. I’ll see you in a week for movie night.” And with that, Keith ended the call and threw his phone across his bedroom (making sure it landed in the pile of clothes that needed to be folded) before dropping his head into his pillows to scream.

This was the start of Keith’s eventual fall into absolute madness and numbness to ‘human emotions’. The summer passed by in a way that was not at all memorable, sprinkled in with movie and game nights, as well as three am group chat conversations that made the three of them sound like they were either high, drunk, or both. By the time Shiro left for college, Keith had already begun his change from regular weird boy to what Lance cheerfully dubbed as ‘what the fuck?’ weird boy.

In the end, the reason Keith was the way he was had nothing to do with his parents, but instead, had everything to do with Takashi Shirogane, the man who had cut off ties with both Keith and Pidge a week after his classes started, leaving the both of them bitter senior high school students, and eventually, even more bitter freshman college students. But, what had been the most shocking thing about this whole ordeal was that Keith never ever expected to run into the man who ruined his life again. Shiro had gone off to a far more prestigious university in another state while Keith and Pidge made a pact to both get into their own state university and kick ass.

Of course, Keith’s life had a habit of not going the way he wanted (again, all because of him), so seeing Shiro’s face on the first day of lower sophomore semester, sitting in the front row of his Abnormal Psychology class….well. Keith did himself rather proud. He held back all the screams he had building up for the past two years, and walked past Shiro, ignoring the scar along the bridge of his nose and the stupid white tuft of hair in front of his eyes, and made his way to the back of the room where Lance and Allura sat. He did not spare Shiro another look nor a glance. He did not say a word to him. And after his professor finished explaining their syllabus for the semester, he did not let his eyes wander over the man who had said such life-altering words to him, only to walk out of said life. No, instead, he laughed at Lance’s stupid jokes (“What’s Beethoven’s favorite fruit?” “What?” “BA-NA-NA-NAAAA!”), held Allura’s hand as they walked out the door (because guys loved to flirt with her even though she was about as straight as a rainbow colored slinky and Keith was intimidating enough to keep the majority of them away), and kept his gaze steady and firm in front of him.

What he didn’t know was that Shiro had completely blanked out on everything Professor West had said, his mind simply filled with the images of a boy who had grown, with hair long enough to be pulled into a ponytail, dyed a dark purple at the tips, and eyes that matched almost perfectly in color. In this respect, Keith had won the battle, not that either of them were aware a war was going on in the first place. Keith wasn’t going to let this ruin him. No, not again. But just because he had made that decision, it didn’t mean he didn’t immediately text Pidge once he had both hands free. Definitely not. He wasn’t stupid.

#this was something I wrote in two hours at like....2:30am after feeling sad for a bit #keith kogane #takashi shirogane #katie holt #pidge gunderson #lance mcclain #allura #voltron legendary defender #voltron #sheith #my fanfiction

[i-w-p-chan]

Oh, B[r]other...

Summary: Ren’s brother arrives in Tokyo. What happens next won’t shock you. AkiAke. RenKita. Crackish.

Note: I’ve been fed enough encouragement to do a twin AU. Enjoy.

Warnings: Dramatics, Akira Be A Horrible Flirt, Akechi Did Nothing To Deserve This, Sojiro Puts His Foot Down At Some Point, Akira Is A Protective Big Brother, Akira’s Legs, Akira’s Legs Appreciation, The Dangers Of Max Charm Akira.

Disclaimer: Don’t own P5.

.

The Thieves trickled into Leblanc’s attic one by one, all of them- Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, and Makoto- looking curious as they wondered why their leader called them for an urgent meeting.

They were also worried, wondering if something happened with Futaba after she passed out.

Ren looked at them all gravely.

“We have an emergency,” He said, his eyebrows furrowed behind his glasses, and took out his phone, “My brother is in Tokyo.”

Silence.

“What?” Makoto was dumbfounded, “What’s the emergency in that?”

“You don’t understand!” Ren raised his shaking hands and offered them the phone, which looked like it was open on the messaging app, given the red background, “Wherever he goes, he brings chaos with him and he looks so much like me I don’t want people to mistake him for me. It’s a recipe for disaster! My brother alone is a recipe for disaster!”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” Ann bit her lip.

“You don’t know Akira.” Ren sounded desperate, “He messaged me out of the blue today saying that he just arrived in Tokyo and that I don’t need bother picking him up because he feels like exploring first, and that I don’t need to worry because he knows how to find Leblanc. Right in this moment, my brother is walking around Tokyo unsupervised!”

“Do you want us to help you search for him then?” Yusuke cocked his head to the side, “Where would we begin, though?”

“Thank you, Yusuke, light of my life!” Ren looked ready to break out into sobs.

The rest of the Thieves stood around awkwardly, trying to figure out what to say to their leader who, almost always composed, was breaking down right in front of their eyes.

Makoto pressed her lips together into a thin line, “I don’t think we are physically capable of finding your brother in Tokyo without any way to track him down. Especially since he’s new to the area and probably exploring as well.”

“So, what?” Ryuji asked, “We wait for Ren’s brother to come to us?”

Ren choked back a wail.

“I guess we really don’t have any other option, do we?” Ann smiled awkwardly.

.

If the Thieves thought they could get their leader to calm down while he waited for his brother to arrive at Leblanc, then they were sorely mistaken.

Sojiro stared incredulously at his charge, who was slumped over Leblanc’s counter and staring morosely into his cup of coffee like he wished he was holding something stronger to drown his woes in.

“What happened to him?”

“He said his brother arrived in Tokyo today,” Ann started, staring worriedly at Ren, “And he’s worried about what’s happening with his brother.”

“Correction,” Ryuji interjected, “He’s more worried about what his brother could be doing right now.”

“Alright.” Sojiro’s eyes flitted between the kids occupying his café, each of them looking about as clueless as he felt, “And why is that kid staring at the door like that?” Sojiro motioned to Yusuke.

“Oh.” Makoto blinked, “He heard that Ren’s brother looks just like Ren but without glasses and he’s been deep in thoughts since then.”

“I think I heard him mutter something about the appeal of twins and nude modeling,” Ann chimed in.

“Mutter?” Ryuji grumbled, “He declared it out loud for all of us to hear. With dramatic arm waving. It only caused this guy to freak out harder.”

Ren whimpered and buried his face in his hands, “Oh, god, I hope Akira hadn’t met someone who met me. I can’t even imagine the type of mess that will result from it.”

“Well, it’s not that bad, is it?” Ann asked, hiding a wince.

Ren raised his head and stared towards Leblanc’s entrance with a blank expression, “Knowing my luck, he probably met Akechi.”

.

(“I should have kept my mouth shut,” Ren would later lament.)

.

Goro halted in his footsteps as he spied Amamiya up ahead, standing in front of a bakery. The same bakery Goro had been meaning to visit.

Goro blinked; was he truly destined to continue meeting Amamiya by sheer coincidence?

He continued walking towards the bakery, intending to use the opportunity to talk with Amamiya, but when he neared him, he realized there was something different about Amamiya. He wasn’t wearing his glasses, for one thing, and for another, he was standing in a casual stance with a hand propped on his hip and the handles of his bag looped around his wrist. The bag was clearly empty of the cat that always accompanied Amamiya.

How… odd.

And curious.

Goro couldn’t stomp down on how the new appearance intrigued him.

“Amamiya-kun!” Goro greeted him as he approached him. Amamiya ignored him.

Goro’s smile twitched, and he had to resist the urge to use to his briefcase to clock Amamiya over the head.

“Amamiya-kun?” Goro repeated, this time with a stronger voice.

Amamiya blinked and slowly turned to face him, curiosity clear on his face, and his dark eyes, darker than Goro thought Amamiya’s eyes were (was it the absence of glasses?), piercing right through him; the new expression was so new on Amamiya’s usually passive face, and it made Goro repress a sharp inhale.

Amamiya adjusted his stance and turned his body to completely stare at Goro, slinging his bag over his shoulder while keeping the other hand on his hip where it was.

Goro immediately noticed something very important: Amamiya was wearing a skirt.

Then: Legs.

.

Ren shuddered, “I suddenly have a very bad feeling.”

Makoto turned to look at him, brow pinched, “What is it?”

“I just feel like the devil crossed paths with an unfortunate soul. And that I’m going to somehow regret it.”

The Thieves shared a look, not knowing what to do with that statement.

.

“Excuse me?”

Goro blinked, snapping back into awareness as he stared at Dayum Those Legs- err, the Amamiya clone, and smiled again, “My apologies, it seems I have zoned out for a moment.” Goro was about to ask the Amamiya lookalike about his name when the aforementioned hotti- lookalike stepped into his personal space with a grin on his face.

“Oh, you’re Akechi Goro, the second coming of the Detective Prince. A pleasure to meet you in person, Tantei-san.” The lookalike’s voice dropped into a seductive purr, and Goro had to swallow thickly and banish all unnecessary thoughts wondering about the stranger’s voice to the deepest recesses of his mind.

“You… seem to have me at a disadvantage.” Goro smiled awkwardly.

“You were calling out to me earlier, yes?” The stranger leaned in closer to Goro, causing Goro to lean back, “Amamiya, was it?” The stranger’s eyes glinted, his grin stretching into something wicked that turned Goro weak in the knees.

“Ah! You simply share a striking resemblance to a person I met before.”

“And you assumed I was that person?” The stranger stared at him from beneath his eyelashes, “My name is Kurusu Akira, Tantei-san, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Goro gulped harder.

.

“It’s not like I hate my brother.” Ren sighed, “He just… can be very overwhelming if you weren’t acquainted with him for a long time. I’m his twin brother and have known him since birth but I can still be overwhelmed by him.”

Ann patted him on the back.

“Look, I love my brother and all, but god knows he can very reckless. I’m glad our parents put their foot down and stopped him from dropping out of school so that he’d dedicate all of his time to looking into the assault charge. But I know my brother and he’s not the type to give up so easily. I’m worried about why he’s in Tokyo. He always has ulterior motives.”

As if on cue, the bell above Leblanc’s entrance jingled as the door opened and two people stepped in.

Ren’s jaw dropped, “Oh, god. Oh, god. I was afraid of this.” He snapped his jaw shut and buried his face in his hands for the umpteenth time that day and groaned.

At the entrance was his brother, with all of his distinguishing markers, from the near-exact physical similarity with Ren, the lack of glasses, the carefully hidden devious glint in his dark eyes, the disarming Pretty Aura, and the skirt, complete with a dumbstruck idiot dragged along to fulfill every one of Akira’s whims.

It just happened that this time, the aforementioned idiot was none other than the Akechi Goro, Blushing So Much It Couldn’t POSSIBLY Be Healthy Edition.

(Ren would like to disown his ‘rival’ thank you and good night- he didn’t need a rival who could easily succumb to Akira’s wiles. Even though Ren knew that was a criterion that was hard to meet.)

“Why.” Ren’s soul chose that particular moment to leave his body and ascend to higher planes of existence.

.

It didn’t take long for the group to center themselves around a booth; Akira sitting on one seat and pulling a non-protesting Akechi behind him to sit next to him before he latched onto him, causing the detective’s face to redden more, a fact Ren thought was not possible.

Ren sat opposite his brother with Yusuke next to him, and Makoto, Ryuji, and Ann standing near the end of the table, with Makoto keeping a tight hold on Yusuke’s shoulder to prevent him from jumping over the table, grabbing Akira, and dragging him to sit next to Ren (Yusuke was very adamant about the twins modeling).

Ren inhaled and exhaled before he sent a particularly stern look Akira’s brother, “Onii-chan.”

Akechi seemed to not notice what Ren just called Akira or he was acting like he wasn’t, it was hard to tell, what with the blushing and dazed look.

“Ren-chan!” Akira cooed, “It’s so nice to see you after such a long time! I missed you!”

Ren faltered a bit and coughed into his fist in embarrassment, a blush coloring his cheeks, “I… I missed you, too.” Ren then shook his head and plastered back his previous Unimpressed expression, “Don’t think you can distract me that easily!”

Akira pouted.

“What are you doing in Tokyo?”

“Visiting you, of course,” Akira responded promptly, a smile on his face.

“Then why, pray tell, didn’t you tell me before hand so that I can pick you up?”

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

“You could have easily gotten lost, you know!”

“It’s all alright, in the end. After all, I met such a prince charming who was so good to me.” Akira leaned into Akechi and rested a hand on the detective’s chest, “He was so kind and gentle, so understanding and sweet, and helped me find my way here.”

From the look in Akechi’s eyes, Ren confirmed that Akira was pretty much stripping Akechi of all of his coherent thoughts until it reached a point that Akechi would happily let himself be physically stripped of his clothes by Akira.

Akechi didn’t deserve such cruelty inflicted upon him, no matter what.

“And what about your sleeping arrangement? I know you, and I know there is no way you would just be satisfied with staying here for just a couple of hours.”

“It’s okay, I would have figured something out, eventually.” Akira raised his hand from Akechi’s chest to cradle his cheek, and tilted his head up so that he can press a kiss to Akechi’s cheek, “Tantei-san would not have minded allowing me into his bed for the night, isn’t that right, Tantei-san?”

Oh, god, Akechi looked like he may just as well shutdown right where he sat. Ren winced; the poor thing didn’t deserve this.

“No!” Ren shook his head, “You won’t be seducing your way into other people’s bedrooms!”

Akira opened his mouth, clearly to coerce Ren to change his mind, but he was interrupted by Sojiro, who’d made his way from behind the counter while the two ‘talked’, placing a cup of coffee in front of Akechi with more force than necessary.

“You’re going to be staying the night with your brother, and that’s final.” Sojiro’s frown was severe as he stared Akira down.

Surprisingly, Akira didn’t protest any further, detaching himself from Akechi and nodding, “Alright…”

Ren stared at Sojiro in awe; he’d made Akira back down, no one succeeded in making Akira back down before, “Where can I sign myself up as a devout follower of Sojiroism?”

Sojiro sent Ren an incredulous look and sighed, “Brat, do you even hear what you’re saying?”

Akechi seemed to have used the opening provided for him by Akira not being pressed flush against him to regain his presence of mind.

“Ah, excuse me, I…” He stumbled out of the booth to stand up, “That was embarrassing, my apologies, I…” He glanced at Akira, who was giving him an innocent, wide-eyed look, and his cheeks flared red again, “I- I need to go. Now.” Akechi turned around and all but fled Leblanc.

Makoto, Ann, and Ryuji stared after him in shock while Yusuke hummed thoughtfully.

Ren sighed, feeling the events of the day catching up to him, “Thank you for coming over today, guys, I’m sorry for bothering you all like this.”

Ann smiled at him, “It’s alright, Ren, you always help us out, this is the least we could do.”

“Dude.” Ryuji grinned widely at him, “It’s what friends are for, am I right or am I right?”

Makoto nodded, looking momentarily taken aback at what Ryuji just said, “Friends… yes…”

“It was a highly interesting confrontation,” Yusuke mused and Ren smiled fondly at him.

“Emphasis on highly interesting,” Morgana muttered from underneath the table.

“And you are Ren’s friends, hm?” Akira leaned forward on the table and looked from one Phantom Thief to the other.

“Oh, I’m Sakamoto Ryuji.” Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit flustered under the intensity of Akira’s stare. Ren figured Ryuji just found out why Akechi was a mess when Akira dragged him in.

“I’m Takamaki Ann.” Ann seemed to be handling Akira’s presence much better than Ryuji, as she didn’t look flustered or nervous.

“I’m Niijima Makoto,” Makoto introduced herself.

“And I’m Kitagawa Yusuke.” Yusuke inclined his head.

“Ah, yes.” Akira nodded, and Ren had the urge to slam the table down on his brother’s head, “The lucky boyfriend.” Akira grinned, his eyes trained on both Ren and Yusuke, both of them blushed and ducked their heads.

Ryuji looked between the three of them before he stood up, loudly declaring that he needed to go.

Ann shook her head and turned to Makoto, asking her if she was free to go have crepes with her, and Makoto accepted her invitation.

With that, the three Thieves beat a hasty retreat.

Yusuke stood up as well, “I shall see you tomorrow as well.”

Ren smiled softly at him, easily noticing lingering traces of the blush on his cheeks when Yusuke leant down to press a kiss to Ren’s cheek.

After his boyfriend left, Ren turned to Akira, “Now, that you drove all my friends out with your sheer presence alone, we should head upstairs to settle you for the night.”

“Lead the way, brother dearest.” Akira climbed to his feet, slinging his bag over his shoulder and staring expectantly at Ren who gave Sojiro a nod.

“Good night, Boss.”

Sojiro merely raised an eyebrow, “Don’t kill each other.”

“We won’t.” Akira bowed his head.

Ren turned to the stairs, beckoning Akira to follow him, and headed to the attic, Morgana shooting up the stairs ahead of him.

Once the two arrived at the attic, Akira dropped to the couch and lazily crossed his legs.

“So, the detective,” Akira started, “That’s one person I didn’t expect to meet.”

Ren sat down on his bed with Morgana curled next to him and watching Akira attentively; Ren gestured for Akira to go on.

Now that the two were alone in the attic, Akira shed his public mask and started on the important topic right away, face set in a blank expression and eyes compelling Ren to not even dare look away.

(For all that Ren was the leader of the Phantom Thieves, the one they listened to and followed, the one they kept their attention on, it was Akira who commanded the attention of those around him with a flick of his wrist.)

“It makes me curious about what would interest the detective in you. Have you two talked at length before?”

“No.”

“Hmm.”

“Why the questions?”

“You know why.”

“I know.” Ren sighed, “But like I told you before, I can manage my probation by myself-“

“Like you managed Kamoshida? And Madarame? And I’m also curious about the mob boss who was blackmailing students from your school, Ren. I’m worried about you.”

“I know that.” Ren stood and walked towards Akira to sit down next to him and lean into him; Akira responded immediately by wrapping an arm around him. “Onii-chan, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re not. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help anymore.”

“Is this about the assault charge?”

“Yes. Of course it’s about the assault charge, it will always be about the assault charge until it no longer looms over your head. I know you, Ren, and I know how things went during the procedurals regarding your charge. Both of us know it’s false. Both of us know what it means for you to have a criminal record.”

“And what are you going to do?”

Akira grinned at him, a sharp thing with too many teeth, a grin that Ren knew that his own lips were pulled into half a mimicry of it.

“Look into it, of course. And now I know where I can find a detective.”

.

End

Anyone here who is in the KHR fandom and may be interested for a KHR rare pair week please check out @khrrarepairweek on tumblr when you have the time ^^

#persona 5 #p5 #shuake #shukita #kurusu akira #amamiya ren #akechi goro #kitagawa yusuke #takamaki ann #sakamoto ryuji #niijima makoto #sakura sojiro #morgana #p5 morgana #oh b(r)other...

[k-itsmaywriting]

Sparks Fly - Chapter 9 [Final] (Reituki)

Title: Sparks Fly Chapters: 9/9 Genre: Slice of life, romance, friendship, drama, highschool!AU Pairings: Reituki Summary: To Akira, Takayuki was that song he never expected to fall in love with because it was different from the others he liked. But one at first seemingly insignificant encounter and suddenly he couldn’t get enough. Word count: 2282 A/N: oh gosh, it’s been six whole months since the last chapter was released. I’m really sorry. I don’t have many reasons why this took so long other than life, pretty much, and writing other things. But the most important thing I want to say is that I promise I did not half-ass this just for the sake of finishing it, and this chapter was always going to be the last one. Again, I’m sorry it took so long, but I also want to say thank you so much for joining me on this adventure that was the Sparks Fly series.

Prologue | Chapter 8

Preview: The streets were sweltering under the thick heat of rainy days gone by. Droplets of sweat slipped down the curve of their backs as they ran across the streets and in and out of freezing malls in the concrete jungle that was Tokyo. The day was clear, and with every turn they took the world spun around them so fast they could feel the sky on their faces. Every car, every neon sign caught their eyes. The city was alive.

“Akira, hurry up! We’re gonna miss the bullet train!”

Kouyou and Akira bolted down the stairs into the wide platform. A voice rung from the speakers above their heads over the sound of the train doors closing.

“Can’t a train just be one minute late once a century?!” Akira jumped onto the platform with Kouyou behind him and they both fell to the floor. The train began to move and they sighed with relief.

Kouyou stood up first, leaning back onto the wall as he stood up. “Come on,” he said as he reached his hand towards Akira. “You won’t fall off this time.”

“This time?” Akira snorted. “You weren’t even there when I did fall off the bullet train.” He took his hand and let Kouyou pull him to his feet.

They wandered into the carriage, down the aisle between heads in seats until they reached the back corner. For the first few minutes they sat in silence with hypothetical questions and answers buried into their chests, yet it was calm and understanding.

“Hey, I think we both know I never got to ask this, but...” Kouyou swallowed. “What is it exactly you love about Matsumoto?”

Akira leaned back into his seat. “Sometimes,” he said, “You can’t really tell why you love someone - you just do. But if I think about it, I felt like...I really shared a connection with Taka. It hasn’t gone very far yet, but we just ‘clicked’, and I felt like we could be together. But if I really had to give a more solid answer...I guess...

“He makes me happy.”

Morning sunlight poured through the window and shone a glow onto the skin on their faces. It hurt a little to look out to the buildings rushing past them, but Kouyou let it burn in the corner of his eye as he listened to Akira and watched a little smile on his lips.

“But, I still can’t know for sure until I see him again.”

Kouyou stared. “That’s some insightful stuff you’ve said just now.”

He snapped towards him, shocked. “What, am I not smart enough to say good things?!”

From that point onwards the train ride to Tokyo fell into easy conversation.

The streets of Tokyo bustled with cars, bikes and people that weaved in all different directions like seas of fish. But air was heavy and humid on the skins of their necks, and Akira pulled the hem of Kouyou’s shirt as he marched into the heart of Shinjuku.

“Akira, I’m not a child, you know,” Kouyou sighed. “So, where do you think Matsumoto would be? We can’t just search aimlessly or we’ll never find him. Unless of course we’re actually in a shoujo manga and we’ll see him on the other side of a crossing.”

“Wait! Shut up! I think I see him!”

At the front of the crowd on the other side of the long street, a shorter boy carried a black sports bag on his shoulder. He stared at his shoes and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

The world around Akira immediately began to fade. The sky, the towering buildings and the people all around him seemed to disappear as his eyes fixated on the boy across the street.

“Akira, what are you spacing out for? Let’s go.”

Akira grabbed Kouyou’s wrist. “Taka!”

“What?”

“Across the street!”

“What are you...” Kouyou looked over and began to scan the other side of the crossing. His eyes widened, “Holy shit! Viva la shoujo manga plot convenience!”

Akira bolted into the crossing before he even realised Kouyou had said anything. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered were the soles of his shoes that pounded across the road and Taka on the other side. He drew in a breath, and released everything into one scream of his name.

The familiar sound slammed against his heart, and he swore for a moment that time had turned back, that they were still at the train station in the next town over, on the line between day and night.

Taka immediately raised his head - wide, broken eyes peeked behind the dark fringe of his hair - and couldn’t even gape his mouth open before Akira tightly wrapped his arms around him.

Kouyou caught up to them in the middle of the crossing, just as the other pedestrians began to weave around them. But before any thought could enter his mind, a numbing in his chest told him to step back, and just watch.

He could just hear Akira’s voice murmuring into Taka’s shoulder, and an instant later the smaller boy stood on his toes and pulled him closer, a hand softly sifting through Akira’s hair. The shock in Taka’s eyes slowly melted away until there was nothing but content and calm left in him. He whispered something in Akira’s ear and smiled.

Kouyou felt his chest swell. He knew in that moment that everything was going to be okay.

An ugly car horn suddenly blasted the moment away. The three boys jumped away from each other, slowly turning to the line of drivers glaring at them. They pulled  half-apologetic faces as they ran through the rest of the crossing. Laughter filled their hearts as they tripped over the pavement to the entrance of a mall.

Taka pushes himself off the wall of the building. “Hugging smack dab in the middle of a giant crossing?! We’re not characters from a movie!”

“Yeah, because the fact we found you a minute after arriving in a city we’ve never been to is enough proof that we’re actually in a shoujo manga,” Kouyou snorted. “Also, it’s not like you tried to get off the road or anything.”

Taka’s jaw dropped. “You’ve never been here?” He turned to Akira next to him, “Not even once?”

“I guess there’s a first for everything,” he shrugged.

Suddenly he brightened and stood just a little taller than before. “Can I show you guys around? It’ll be a waste if you came all the way here and didn’t even get to hang out.”

Akira looked at Kouyou. “We’ll go home before dinner?”

He nodded. “Yeah, before dinner.”

Taka beamed as he spun around on his heel. “Well, I hope you’re ready, because you’re about to get the worst tour ever! No trains, no buses, we go everywhere by foot!”

“Oh, crap.” Akira turned to Kouyou. “I told you not to wear Dad sandals today!”

“Screw you! I’ll have you know these shoes are very comfortable!”

The streets were sweltering under the thick heat of rainy days gone by. Droplets of sweat slipped down the curve of their backs as they ran across the streets and in and out of freezing malls in the concrete jungle that was Tokyo. The day was clear, and with every turn they took the world spun around them so fast they could feel the sky on their faces. Every car, every neon sign caught their eyes. The city was alive.

By the time late-afternoon rolled around, Taka had taken them to Harajuku. For the first time they were quiet, sitting at a small circular table in front of an ice-cream shop with their ankles tangled together underneath.

Akira thought it was a little strange, the three of them had never been so physically close before, but the warmth felt familiar, like something they always had. He always had Kouyou and his long legs he could never get used to, and then the sparks of fire in his chest that pulled him closer to Taka. He looked up towards Kouyou sitting across from him, “Hey, Ko...”

His voice barely came out a choke before he saw Kouyou’s head was turned to the side as he stared out elsewhere. His dark eyes were glimmering like stars in the night sky, full of curiosity and admiration.

Akira turned in the same direction, and that was when he spotted it. There was a group of boys, only a little older than they were, standing together in torn black shirts and chains hanging from jeans with guitar bags hanging from their shoulders. They’re so cool, he thought, and his heart swelled. He could only imagine that he began to look just like Kouyou - like a wishful child finding what they wanted to do for the first time.

He looked glanced at him through the corner of his eye, and saw him staring down at his hands. He blinked, and looked back at Kouyou across from him. He opened his mouth, but before his voice could come, he froze.

“Hey, I’m sorry if this is weird, but...”

Akira and Kouyou were snapped out of their thoughts, and they both turned to Taka. Crap, was it really that obvious? They couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed. “Sorry, were we being weird?”

Taka furrowed his eyebrows, “Uh, that’s not what I was...But, anyway?” he coughed into the back of his hand nervously, pressing his knuckles gently against his cheek. “I was just saying that I’m...happy you guys came to see me. Thank you, and again, I’m...sorry.”

The two boys looked at each other, then back to Taka. Kouyou blinked. “What do you...”

“...I pulled you into my band, then about a week or two later I left the city without the decency to let you know, and I almost destroyed your friendship on the way. You didn’t deserve that, yet you even came all the way here just to check on me after everything I’ve done to you...I’m sorry.”

Akira looked at Kouyou again, who had averted his gaze away from both of them. “I don’t...” He gulped, and slowly turned back to Taka. “You don’t have to worry about us, we’re all good now. Besides, you should be focusing on yourself.” He couldn’t help but remember the voice mails, the sound of his voice breaking over the phone, under all his pressures. “So...”

“Hey, Akira.”

A large hand appeared in front of him, and Kouyou dropped a bunch of coins into his hand. “Remember that ice cream you owe me?”

Akira closed his hand. He nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go get it now. Chocolate chip?”

Kouyou smiled at him weakly as Akira stood up from the table. The bell on the front door jingled behind Akira after he went inside.

“Have you found a job yet?”

Taka looked up, surprise painted across his face. “Um, yes, surprisingly. At Denny’s.”

“A place to live?”

“...A friend’s.”

Kouyou silenced, still not looking at him.

“Takashima...”

“I’m not mad at you, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

“...Not even for taking him?”

A soulless, almost bitter laugh escaped Kouyou’s throat. “You didn’t take him. Akira’s just an idiot. It’s not your fault he was so head-over-heels he forgot about me.”

Taka sat back in his chair. “But I still...”

“He knows better now, and so do I. I was...being an asshole about it, about the third-wheeling.” Kouyou pulled his hands off the table and watched them fall into his lap. “I...we could’ve been good friends, and maybe you would’ve stayed home, then.” He sighed, “The point is that I don’t...I don’t hate you, at all. And if that’s not convincing enough, well, I was really worried about you. So was Akira, and Gondo.”

Taka nodded slowly.

“And...” Kouyou continued, “If it gets tough, call us. We’ll come running to you. And we’ll help you out if you decide to come back.”

The smaller boy chuckles. “I don’t think I can see that happening - going back home...”

Silence falls between them. It was less tense than before, their feelings now hung in the air.

“One last thing, Matsumoto...”

Taka watched as Kouyou finally raised his head to stare him in the eyes.

“What do you love about Akira?”

Warm orange light spilled through the small window of the bullet train, blanketing the boys’ tired legs as they sat next to each other on the way home. They leaned close together, their shoulders and heads knocking gently together with each turn of the train.

“Tokyo is pretty amazing, huh?” Akira sighed. “We ran around literally all day, and never even got through all of the Shibuya ward.”

“Yeah, it’s massive. I bet there are heaps of cool people too, playing good music too.”

He snorted. “You mean those guys you were staring at?”

“Don’t say that like you weren’t staring too.”

Akira stared out the window, watching as the tall buildings slowly disappeared from his sight. “Hey, Kouyou...”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we could go back again after we graduate? Not to sight-see, but to...”

Kouyou knew. “Yeah. Yeah, I would. Forever.”

“...Cool, me too.”

“So...did you get to know what you wanted?”

Akira made a small, affirming noise.

“And...?”

“....I know that I still don’t know enough to make a conclusion.” Akira closed his eyes as he leaned his head on Kouyou’s shoulder. “It’s...I realised after all this that it’s not supposed to be easy - the whole loving someone thing. It’s not only about liking to talk to him, or wanting to be his. There’s more I don’t understand, but they’re things I have to know before I can really say for sure.”

Kouyou nodded sagely. “I see.”

“And what did you talk to Taka about while I finally got you that ice cream?”

“Hmm...I asked him what you loves about you.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t even stir. “What did he say?”

“He said you make sparks in him fly.”

Akira snorted. “That’s so cheesy.”

“Maybe, but maybe that also means you don’t need all those answers to complicated questions.”

“...I just love him, you know?”

“Yes. Yes, I do know.”

#sparks fly series #reituki #reita #ruki #reita the gazette #ruki the gazette #the gazette #the gazette fanfiction

[arcanalight]

WHAT IS YOUR SOULMATE LIKE?

Akira’s result: a sweet lullaby

my sister and i used to make up nonsensical lullabies for my younger brother when he was little so he’d go to sleep and the laughter that engulfed the room at the time is what your soulmate would be like. no matter how weird the rhyme, it would always end with an “i love you” and a boop on the nose, and somehow, even if the lullaby was more befitting of a sea shanty, my brother would fall asleep. i wish you sleepful nights with sweet dreams, next to the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Yosuke’s result: a fond memory

there’s this little creek near my aunts house abroad that sparkles and shimmers when the sun hits it right and i remember thinking that if there was a place to find fairies? that’s where i’d find them. there used to be a boy who would stand by the river, every morning, and though my french was horrible back then he was always kind to me. he moved away the last day of the summer i was staying at my aunt’s house, but he left me a note with a message on it. somewhere out there, the boy of the creek is out there, and the memory of him that i have? that’s what your soulmate will be like. i’ll leave you with a message like he did, “trouvez la personne qui vous rend heureux, et quand vous le faites, ne la laissez jamais partir.”

tagged by: @bluescarfvivi​ (ty!!) tagging: everyone!

#yosuke's really hits me #if you don't know/want to translate the french bit it says 'find the person who makes you happy and when you do never let them go' #like !!??? #also akira deserves just calm nights and rest :( #afasfaa #this one was sweet #⍟✦ —— 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕠𝕞 𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣┊(akira.) #♔♫ —— 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕛𝕦𝕟𝕖𝕤┊(yosuke.) #✭❣ —— 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕜𝕪'𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕥┊(dash games.)

[funnythingshere0-blog]

Take a Break from the Darkness of the World, and Smile With Our Pick of the Week

New Post has been published on https://funnythingshere.xyz/take-a-break-from-the-darkness-of-the-world-and-smile-with-our-pick-of-the-week/

Take a Break from the Darkness of the World, and Smile With Our Pick of the Week

Plus 13 More New Releases to Watch This Week on Blu-ray/DVD!

Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support FSR in the process!

Pick of the Week

Savannah Smiles

What is it? Two criminals cross paths with a young runaway and are mistaken for kidnappers.

Why see it? This is one of hell of a sweet movie, and it’s one that has stuck with me over the years as a story of compassion, friendship, and redemption. Young Bridgette Andersen is cute and adorable, but more than that she shows an immense heart and talent. There’s fun here alongside some minor action/suspense, but its core is a story of just how important companionship and human interaction are. Her own life story ended tragically, but the film serves Bridgette well as a reminder of a better and more innocent time.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: New 2K transfer, documentary, featurette, interview]

The Best

Daphne & Velma

What is it? Before the dog stole all their thunder, two new friends solved mysteries on their own.

Why see it? Scooby Doo isn’t exactly the kind of cartoon you’d expect to have a backstory for its “lesser” characters, but it happened anyway with impressively entertaining results. We meet Daphne and Velma in high school and see them brought together over a mystery involving other students and a wealthy sponsor, and it’s all presented with bright colors, energy, and real wit. It’s a fun and funny movie for young and not-so-young alike that hopefully leads to a whole new franchise. Fans should also seek out director Suzi Yoonessi’s feature debut Dear Lemon Lima (2009) which is fantastic.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes, gag reel]

A Fantastic Woman

What is it? A trans woman struggles to grieve after the death of her lover, but society seems determined to prevent it.

Why see it? Sebastián Lelio’s drama offers a timely look at a sadly timeless issue, and Daniela Vega shines in the lead role. Her character begins the film in love, and after tragedy strikes, she’s forced to face obstacle after obstacle to confirm that love to other people’s satisfaction. There’s a simplicity to it all, but both Vega and her character are such fierce powerhouses offering strength and complexity that the tale becomes highly engaging. Brief moments of fantasy highlight the journey.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras:]

A Fistful of Dollars [KL Studio Classics]

What is it? A Yojimbo remake.

Why see it? Its origin as an Akira Kurosawa “homage” aside, the film finds its own value as a terrific western exploring morality and violence with style, atmosphere, and a memorable Ennio Morricone score. And not for nothing, but it’s also the start of “spaghetti westerns” as we know them and paired Clint Eastwood with Sergio Leone for the first time. Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” is a mysterious presence seemingly more interested in cash than loyalty, and it became a prototype for hundreds of future antiheroes. As they’ve done with a few other classic westerns recently, Kino Lorber presents the film with a beautifully restored picture and numerous extras. One interesting extra here is a prologue added to the film’s network premiere featuring Harry Dean Stanton, an Eastwood double, and a misguided attempt to explain his character’s actions.

[Blu-ray extras: New 4K restoration, commentaries including one by Tim Lucas, interview, Trailers from Hell, outtakes, featurettes, network prologue]

Game Night

What is it? A group of friends sees their calm game night take a turn when one of them is abducted… or is he?

Why see it? This is the best studio comedy in several years, and it’s not even close. The cast is terrific — Jason Bateman, Kyle Chandler, Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, and a stellar Jesse Plemons — with Rachel McAdams killing it and reminding the world that she’s a comic genius, the jokes and gags are smart and numerous, and the direction is remarkably alive and vibrant. Scenes have real energy and visual style, and the script keeps up with sharp story turns and plenty of surprises. It’s just a ridiculously fun time at the movies, and the high replay value (along with the guarantee you’ll want to share it with friends) makes it a movie worth owning.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurette, gag reel]

Jurassic Park: 25th Anniversary Collection – 4K UltraHD

What is it? Scientists and capitalists think it’s a good idea to create living dinosaurs… four times!

Why see it? A fifth Jurassic Park film is set to open this summer, so a re-issue of past films is to be expected, but happily, rather than simply drop new Blu-rays Universal has upgraded all four existing films to beautiful and often stunning 4K. Steven Spielberg’s original remains the best of the bunch, but all of them display varying degrees of thrills and wonder — and those displays are often jaw-dropping in UltraHD. The discs are loaded with special features, and while none of them are new they still offer up a wealth of detailed information on the franchise’s production.

[4K UltraHD/Blu-ray extras:]

Of Unknown Origin [Scream Factory]

What is it? A Wall Street executive finds the biggest challenge of his life when a persistent rat settles into his fancy condo.

Why see it? There are other rat-focused horror movies, but none are better than George Cosmatos’ early 80s look at obsession and vermin. Peter Weller takes the lead opposite the rat, and the film follows his descent towards madness as the two enter into a battle of wills that threatens to bring the walls down around them. The film walks a fine line between tragic terror and black comedy, and unlike the similarly structured The Vagrant it balances the two pretty damn well. It’s thrilling, funny, and seemingly destined to not end well. Scream Factory’s new Blu looks fantastic, and the commentary featuring director and star is a solid listen.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: New 2K scan, interviews, commentary]

Vazante

What is it? A young woman in the early 19th century struggles to make a life.

Why see it? The first thing you notice with this black & white beauty is the stunning confidence of Daniela Thomas’ feature debut. Gorgeous cinematography draws viewers into the past, and while pacing is in no rush the characters come to life through their humanity, hope, and misery. The bigger tale being told her is one of colonialism’s effect on culture and women, and while it’s not a film to watch when you’re in the need of some light it’s a film worth watching all the same.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes]

The Rest

The 15:17 to Paris

What is it? The true story of three Americans who helped prevent a terrorist assault while on vacation.

Why see it? Clint Eastwood’s “patriotic” interests have been on display for years now, but his ability to turn it into worthwhile entertainment hits a wall with this absolute turd of a drama. It’s riddled with problems, but the two biggest facing it come down to story and casting. The real event lasted mere moments meaning the dramatic intensity is severely limited. And the three American heroes? They’re playing themselves. These guys deserve praise for their actions, but they are most definitely not actors. Their performances add to the myriad of issues holding the film back from being even remotely interesting, and a flat script sees ridiculous dialogue share the screen with dull flashbacks, bland narratives, and a supporting cast slumming it for a once-great director.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes]

Black Venus [Arrow Academy]

What is it? The true story of an African woman used as an oddity in Victorian London.

Why see it? There’s a stark beauty to Abdellatif Kechiche’s biographical tale of Saartjie Baartman, but it’s constantly at war with the oppression and misery suffered throughout by its lead character. At 162 minutes it becomes something of a hard watch as there’s little respite from the abuse and ignorance she’s subjected to on a daily basis. She’s a curiosity to the people around her, both the elites and the dregs who see her at a freak show, and that becomes the driving force within the film itself — a curiosity as to whether or not she’ll escape this life. It’s a heartbreaking journey, so venture in at your own risk.

[Blu-ray extras: Featurette]

Death Smiles on a Murderer [Arrow Video]

What is it? A woman returns from the dead for vengeance.

Why see it? Joe D’Amato’s filmography is a varied thing, but he’s best known as the director of numerous genre efforts filled with all manner of sleaze and terror including Beyond the Darkness, Porno Holocaust, and several Emanuelle films. This early film features both bloodletting and T&A, but it gives more effort towards atmosphere and mood than his later movies. It’s a story of cruelty that comes back to haunt the cruel, quite literally, and it features a rather sedate performance by Klaus Kinski too.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: New 2K restoration, commentary by Tim Lucas, interviews, visual essay]

Early Man

What is it? A caveman fights back against the Bronze Age.

Why see it? Nick Park’s (Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep) features as director and/or writer bring joy through an animation style less frequently used than the usual CG or even hand-drawn, but while they’re less common they’re often far more affecting because of their tangible nature. (Or maybe that’s just me.) His latest is a fun romp, and while many of the jokes will land best with European football fans (and British locals in general) more than enough appeal more broadly to those of us who just enjoy a good underdog story. Toss in some goofy visual gags and a rousing football game to determine it all and you have a solid feature for the whole family.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes]

I Kill Giants

What is it? A girl believes her town is due for an attack by a giant.

Why see it? Fans of the recent A Monster Calls will enjoy this drama with a tease of fantasy as its story feels very reminiscent as a pre-teen with a rich imagination struggles with bullies at school and a sick parent at home. As YA adventures go this one leans towards the dramatic, but the performances make it work even if it grows a bit heavy-handed at times. There’s power to the ending, though, and it’s ultimately an important tale for kids and young teens.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes]

Red Sparrow

What is it? A young Russian woman is trained to be a saucy spy (of sorts) but runs into trouble.

Why see it? Jennifer Lawrence takes center stage as the “sparrow” while Joel Edgerton plays a CIA agent who crosses her path. Performances and visuals are strong across the board, but at 140 minutes the film is something of a cruel and slow-moving slog. Action is minimal — it’s no Atomic Blonde — and an excessive amount of time is spent highlighting mean, degrading methods used to keep people in line. It wraps up nicely, but the journey is a challenge. It basically comes down to the performances and the period feel, but if you’re looking for more than that, say a fresh take or engaging story, you’re out of luck.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes, commentary, deleted scenes]

Wild at Heart [Shout Select]

What is it? Young lovers go on the run.

Why see it? David Lynch’s films are almost always strange, stylistic tales, and this story of forbidden love, gruesome violence, hazy sex, and a road trip is no exception. Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern headline, and while the former channels Elvis for the umpteenth time of his career Dern stands apart with an electric performance capturing youthful abandon. That said, as with most Lynch films, this one just doesn’t hold together for me. His style of excess and exaggeration leaves me cold. I’m clearly in the minority, though, so for the rest of you this new Blu-ray is a recommended pickup.

[Blu-ray extras: Interviews, deleted scenes, documentary, featurettes]

Also out this week:

Beyond the Hills [Criterion Collection], The Bloodthirsty Trilogy, Frank & Eva, Graduation [Criterion Collection], Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters [Criterion Collection], Night Zero, The Party, Swung, The Vampire and the Ballerina [Scream Factory]