You Are Not a Flower in Hell

Season of Giving

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:52:20 GMT

I'm kind of disappointed that I missed toku_holidays this year. Not only do I enjoy getting other writers to write stuff like 80s sentai crossovers with yellow ranger femslash, but I also kinda enjoyed writing stuff that other people might like seeing just as much. So, in lue of that, this year I'm gonna open up requests. So...

Post your fic wish list here! The list can be long or short, with general or more specific requests. Wish and maybe be surprised. Nothing is expected in return for fulfilled requests, and don't expect me to actually fulfill any, though I'll try. ^^

OK to request: All pairings and also genfic.
Don't bother: I don't do lemons, and rarely anything above a "teen" rating.
Fandoms: Maskman, all sentai Turboranger through Go-Onger excluding Dairanger, all Power Rangers seasons, Tomica Hero Rescue Force, W.I.T.C.H., Winx Club, Code Lyoko, Jimmy Neutron, Higurashi, Umineko, Sailormoon, Urusei Yatsura, Digimon, Pokemon, Gakuen Alice. (Note: This was just a quick list, if there's something you know I'm familar with that's not on it, go ahead and ask.)

Original dreamwidth post: http://skye.dreamwidth.org/309876.html.

zomg I know that voice

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:57:56 GMT

On my mp3 player, the song OK! (3rd Japanese pokemon op) came up followed by the Kamen Rider Ryuki op, and I just realized that they were both sung my the same person. That would be Matsumoto Rica, who is also the voice of Satoshi (Ash). Heh, I love her so much. <3 By the way she also played Sasami and Tenchi's karaoke obsessed mom in the Pretty Sammy OVAs. One of them ended with a song sung by her about gay love breaking her heart. It was pretty funny.

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Yes.

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:17:07 GMT

Team Rocket disguised as Team Rocket = BEST DISGUISES EVER. For real.

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Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:04:19 GMT

fuck people

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Gakuen Alice Volume 9 (Chapter 52)

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:49:44 GMT

Despite all of the ZOMG Mikan kissing Natsume/Ruka moments in this volume, in the end my OTP shines brightest:

Mikan&Hotaru married! And Hotaru was the one to write it in, at that! Though at the start of the series seemed all Mikan->Hotaru one-sidedness, yeah, there's been several moments like this showing that for sure that's not the case. <3 Like earlier in this volume when Hotaru tried to poison Ruka for the kissing buisness. I know the fandom will use Hotaru's attempted murder as evidence of the Hotaru/Ruka (not that they even like it, just that it leaves room for their beloved Natsume/Mikan) BUT BE REALISTIC. Ruka was touching her Mikan. XD

Also funny how anything involving the Mikan/Natsume/Ruka love triangle turns into Natsume/Ruka. Like the scene with Mikan holding hands with the boys, and the first sentence of this entry....

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Ookamikakushi

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:35:14 GMT

So, more Higurashi anime after all? XD

The PSP game Ookamikakushi, which was released exactly a month ago, was created and directed by Ryukushi07 of 07-Expansion, known for the Higurashi and Umineko games. Of course it might not ever get an English translation, but there will an anime adaptation, as soon as January 2010!

Looking at the short summary, it seems very similar to Higurashi. New boy in a suspicious small town with weird traditions. And the same as Higurashi, it even takes place in 1983. I don't know much more than that, but I'll just wait and see. *adds to "plan to watch" list*

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CrunchyRoll and Yaoi

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:49:51 GMT

CrunchyRoll picked up Koihime†Musou as its latest license. What's the community's reaction? Is it complaining about actual the quality of the show? Well, some posts do politely mention they gave the show a try and it wasn't their thing. Others, though:

"STOP UPLOADING YURI!!!! either upload some yaoi or at the least a shonen-ai to appease the opposite sex and be FAIR...or....STOP UPLOADING IT!!!!!!! im so sick of all these disgusting yuri anime being uploaded >_<"

"I am so damn tried of CR just put up Yuri. What about Yaoi? It's totally not fair this site is turn to the spike tv of anime site. After while they gonna be posting Hard Core Hentai. Why don't you just hang sign saying boy only.:fury:"

Okay, wow. >.> And that's just on the first page of comments. I wanted to find out if they'd also be posting simucasts for the upcoming season, but I just can't go any farther. So only guys watch yuri? And it's disgusting? And it will lead to hardcore hentai being posted? So much fail. But as for the actual show in question...

Koihime is not really a yuri anime. It's eechi, with so much fanservice you'd hardly believe it. There are some yuri bits, but I didn't even remember them when considering if I wanted to watch the second season or not. From what I remember, there's about two separate occasions of new characters crushing on our main character, and then she's like "But I'm not like that, really!" Don't watch it for the yuri, watch it for the neverending moe and fanservice. It's not "disgusting yuri", but at times it might be disgusting something. >.> There's nothing really disgusting about current yuri titles on the site, either. (Well, Haruka in is pretty sleazy in Kanamemo, but she doesn't get away with too much, and it's kind of funny, so...)

As for why isn't there more yaoi, zomg? First of all, understand that CrunchyRoll's main appeal is quick access to current series through simucasts. Taking a quick look at this season's anime, and last summer's anime... I don't think that there's any series that can really be considered "yaoi" or "shounen ai" if you prefer. The lack of your boy's love is not on crunchyroll's end, but because there aren't really any current shounen-ai series to pick up. As for cr only picking up stuff aimed at guys, um, what about Hanasakeru Seishonen? It's shoujo, with lots of bishounen fanservice. It might not be that great, but neither is Koihime. :p

Ug, fandom. You never change. And please don't blame things on fangirls. If crunchyroll had a string of shounen-ai and other "girly shows" I bet the fanboys would be just an obnoxious, if not more so.

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Higurashi Rei 5 - End

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:38:56 GMT

I knew it was going to have a silly plot and be mostly fanservice like episode 1 of Rei, but I wasn't expecting such a fun and cracky episode.

They even played Mahjong. Apparently Rena figured out how to play by reading Mahjong-themed manga. I can't figure out anything by watching Saki, but that's just me.

"Akasaka's hand is really pretty. That means he'll get a lot of points!" - Hanyuu

Yeah, I understand it about as well as Hanyuu. XD

Now there's no more Higurashi anime, though. :( Oh well, at least I have the original games/sound novels to look forward to reading, as the translations for those will trickle through in time...

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Fall 2009 Anime

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:58:02 GMT

A short list of Fall 2009 season anime I'll be following.

Definite:

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza
The opposite of Densha Otoko -- the pretty girl is the otaku. I saw the first season. Nothing I'd say is spectacular but it was pretty cute. Good enough that I'd want to see the continuation, anyway.

Sasameki Koto (Whispered Words)
Um, I don't don't much about it, but it's yuri? Continuing the current yuri trend in anime.

To Aru Kagaku Kagaku no Choudenjibou (A Certain Scientific Railgun)
Oh, heck yes. :D This is not the sequel, but the spinoff to To Aru Majutsu no Index, what I would consider to be the best anime of this year and last year, despite being somewhat of a harem anime. This spinoff focuses on one of the major characters and gets rid of the harem anime themes. REALLY looking forward to this one.

Maybe:

Kobato
It's based on a CLAMP manga, and I like CLAMP, but the synopsis doesn't really do it for me. I'll give it a few episodes, though.

Inu-Yasha Final Act
I need to finish the first series, first. So, if I happen to finish it this season.... But I doubt I will.

Shin Koihime†Musou
Um, I watched the first season and... It was pretty terrible. But I liked the two main characters. You know, forget it, I'm not watching this one. >.> I watched the OVA and it even more terrible than the TV series... It was a freaking high school AU! Ik ik ik. I may change my mind if I'm bored though, so this is still a maybe.

Continuing from last season:
Umineko no Naku Koro Ni / Element Hunters / Needless

Continuing from last season, but currently on hold for me:
Fresh Precure / Kemono no Souja Erin

Anime I've been following that are ending soon:
Aoihana / Kanamemo / Saki / Princess Lover / Yokuwakaru Gendai Mahou

This is my last idle day... Maybe I'll use the opportunity to try and catch up with some of these.

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Finite Destiny 2/8 [Higurashi: Rika/Rei!Satoko]

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:37:43 GMT

Title: Finite Destiny (index at chapter 1)
Chapter 2/8: Games
Fandom: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)
Focus: Rika/Rei!Satoko
Theme: #21: Square (otp_100)
Summary: Mion's new club has its first meeting, and Satoko notices that Rika continues to act strangely.
Word Count: 2,124
Notes: Rather than rewrite all of Rei, I have a slight time skip over known events.

"Nii Nii, will Rika-chan really be there?" Satoko asked as she and Satoshi wandered toward the classroom.

"I'm fairly sure, Satoko. You will show her a little of your kindness, won't you?"

"What?" Satoko said disdainfully. "Is Rika-chama really so fragile that we have to tip toe around her?" She certainly hadn't seemed that way in the classroom the other day. It turned out that Rika did have a backbone, and could do things for herself.

"Fragile? With what she's been saying, that could be true," Satoshi admitted.

"Eh?" Satoko blinked with confusion.

"Never mind," Satoshi said as he slid open the classroom door. "Good afternoon, everyone."

Satoko peered from behind him and into the room. Inside, several desks had been pushed together to create three separate playing tables as random squares in the room. Reina sat with her back to everyone, Mion was looking through her locker, and Rika was also there, facing the door. She soon noticed her and Satoshi standing there, and smiled normally at them. Satoko felt a little relieved, but also a little confused. Rika had been acting strange lately, almost like a different person. When Rika had attacked her, maybe she'd had a reason to, but still, the Rika who spoke to her then seemed weird, almost like a demon version of Rika. But now, it seemed that the normal Rika was back.

As Mion turned around from her locker, she noticed them as well. "Oh. Hey, come in, you two. We're really going to have fun today."

"What game do you have today, Mion-san?" Rika asked cheerfully.

"Checkers. I figure we'll have a tournament. First, I'll explain to you how to play, then-"

"I already know the rules," Rika said.

"Oh. Really?" Mion said.

"Yes, I certainly do," Rika confirmed.

"I see. Maybe there's no need then. Does everyone else already understand?"

Satoshi and Reina nodded, and Satoko also did hesitantly. Though she hadn't played the game at all before, she wasn't about to be shown up by Rika.

"Well then, let's begin. One person will have to sit out each round though, seeing as it's a two person game. First, it's Reina."

"And for the first game, I'll challenge Rika-chama!" Satoko said.

"Satoko..." Satoshi said hesitantly.

Satoko looked and saw the older club members looking tense. She furrowed her brow. "What is it?" she said. The others hesitated again, and Satoko tapped her footed and glared in the direction of her brother.

"Ah, it's just.... I think I'm the first to play against Rika-chan," Satoshi said.

"That's right. Maybe I should make a schedule," Mion said.

"Put me against Rika first," Satoko said.

Rika laughed softly, using the otherworldly low tone that Satoko had heard before. The others soon stared at her. "Interesting, Satoko," Rika said. "I wonder what it would be like to play a fresh game against you after so long. I doubt it would be fair fight... Maybe I should play against Satoshi." Rika smiled, but her expression was still melancholy, and very unsettling to Satoko. Could it be that the other Rika had returned?

Satoko made it a point to stand up straighter than usual. She wasn't going to be scared by this other Rika. Her initial appearance had been startling at first, maybe even frightening, but the same surprise attack wouldn't work again. Besides, there was no point in being scared. It was the same Rika she'd always known, after all. "I can't promise I'll take it easy on you, Rika-chama," she said. Rika narrowed her eyes at Satoko, and Satoko did the same, still with a smile on her face.

"Right, right!" Mion interrupted the exchange and grabbed Satoko by the arm. "Satoko is my opponent first and foremost," Mion insisted, and then dragged her away from Rika.

"But," Satoko said. Before she could protest further, she was seated down across from Mion and the game began. Since Satoko didn't really know how to play, she tried to copy Mion's movements to begin with.

"If you think you can beat me by mirroring me, you're in for a surprise," Mion said.

Suddenly one of her pieces was removed from the board. "Eh? Why did that happen?" Satoko asked.

"You didn't see it?" Reina, who was observing their game, asked.

"No, I definitely didn't."

Mion explained the move, and Satoko began to figure out the rules quickly. Despite that, Mion was a talented player, and soon beat her. Satoshi and Rika's game took a little while longer. Satoko didn't bother to approach her, but saw her troubled expression and smirked. It seemed that Rika was also going to lose.

"We're finished," Satoshi said.

"And?" Mion said.

"Rika won," Satoshi said.

"What's that?" Satoko protested.

"Heh, seems that neither of the Houjou siblings are very good at this, huh?" Mion teased.

"That has nothing to do with it! This time-" Satoko began.

"You sit out as the loser this time Satoko, okay?" Mion said. "I'll play Rika, as we're bother winners, and it's Reina's turn to get in and play against Satoshi."

The set of games began, and Satoko was left alone. She wanted to wander over to look at Rika and Mion's game, but Satoshi repeatedly called her back. Feeling bored, Satoko wandered the classroom more and eventually noticed an unopened box of the same game on another desk.

"Ah, Satoko," Mion called. "That was just in case a sixth member showed up, but one didn't, so we have an extra set."

"I'll use it to strategize, then," Satoko said.

It took a little while longer for the games to end. First Reina won against Satoshi, and again the game with Rika took a little longer. Once they had finished, Satoko saw Rika sitting with a dark expression. Given Mion's skill level and Rika's disposition, Satoko was sure that Mion had won again.

"Winners of round two, Reina and Rika," Mion said.

"Mion, you lost?" Satoko said, astonished.

"Yes, Rika-chan's on a real winning streak," Mion said.

Satoko's eyes went back to Rika, who looked away, seeming bored. Satoko slammed her hands against the desk in front to get Rika's attention. "Your luck ends now. It's time for the two of us to begin our game."

"Um," Mion began. "I think it's Reina's turn to play against Rika, as winners. You can play against your brother."

"No way," Satoko insisted.

"Satoko," Satoshi began, but Rika interrupted.

"Hey, Mion-san? I'd also be interested in playing against Satoko-chan, so can't we switch things around?" Rika asked this with a smile on her face, which soon spread to the others, and then Mion nodded in agreement.

"That's fine," Mion agreed.

Satoko now sat across from Rika, setting up the game by placing her own pieces in every other square box. She looked and saw Rika doing the same thing. Rika had always been one of the smarter students in the class, Satoko recalled. That precociousness could easily have translated into playing games. But that didn't matter, Satoko decided. Because after all, she did have a strategy.

The game began, and things were even at first, but then Rika gained a slight lead. Satoko took a while deciding her next move, and Satoshi, who had been watching their game, wandered over to the other girls as soon as this occurred. Satoko looked up from the game board, and at Rika's face. Her expression seemed more peaceful now as she looked at the game board, but still determined. She wanted to win, Satoko saw, but not as bad as Satoko herself wanted to.

"Rika-chan," Satoko said.

"Hm?" Rika said.

"What did you mean when you said I had the face of your best friend?"

"That.... Never mind that. For this moment here, I've decided to pretend that you really are my best friend," Rika said.

"You're being really weird," Satoko said.

"Perhaps," Rika said.

Satoko had begun her turn during their conversation, and now took her hand away from the game board. "Your turn," she said.

Rika looked back at the board, and her expression changed to puzzlement.

"Is something wrong, Rika-chama?" Satoko said.

"Nothing you don't know about, as I see you moved things around and added pieces while distracting me."

"What an accusation you're making! But I would never do anything like that, so I'm certain there's no way you can prove it."

Rika looked furious now, and glared at Satoko, but Satoko only glared with the same intensity in return. She wasn't going to be intimidated.

"I'll forgive you for your rudeness, so just make your move, Rika-chama," Satoko said.

Rika clenched her fist, but then suddenly she relaxed, and grinned in a way that made Satoko uneasy.

"Thinking about tattling on me?" Satoko said disdainfully. "Well-"

"No," Rika interrupted. "I'm thinking about doing what you said, proving it. You see, when we set up our pieces to begin with, we have twelve of them. And how many do you have now?"

Satoko counted quickly. Thirteen. Rika had her there. "Fine, I guess you can go ahead and tattle then, with your proof."

"No, I'd rather just continue to play. So change it back to how it was before."

Satoko paused for a moment of thought, then scratched her head. "I don't remember exactly how it was," she said. Satoko supposed that Rika must. With how smart she was, she likely had the board memorized. "Why don't you just change it?"

But Rika surprised her. "I also don't remember," she said.

"Hm," Satoko said, a grin returning to her face. "Then why don't you also add that pieces to the board? Then things can be equal."

"But-" Rika began.

"Here," Satoko said, and handed Rika all of the captured pieces plus one.

"Thank you," Rika said, immediately noticing the amount. She quickly placed the new pieces on the board. With so many pieces placed haphazardly around the board, the game progressed quickly. Satoko took some time with her moved, but Rika moved immediately. Satoko saw what looked to be true enjoyment on her face. It really was good to see, but still, she wasn't going to give a win away.

Rika jumped another piece, then sat back and relaxed. "It's my win, she said.

"What are you talking about? It's not over yet."

"I-" Rika began then noticed the board. "You tried the same trick again? No, wait-"

Satoko moved her hand to the board and used her forgotten piece to jump all of Rika's remaining few pieces. "It's my win! I beat you!"

"Don't brag so much, Satoko," Satoshi gently reprimanded his sister. "It looked like the two of you were having fun, is that true, Rika-chan?"

"Yes," Rika said seriously. "Thank you, Satoko-chan. Even if you did it out of scorn instead of out of love the way the real Satoko would have... I really enjoyed this game."

"The real Satoko?" Satoko repeated.

"But the rest of you, I'm disappointed. I don't know Satoshi as well as the rest of you, but the Mion I know never, never would have given away a win. She always gave it everything she had."

Mion looked embarrassed. "Oh... Well, that was..."

"Ah!" Satoko realized what Rika had just said. "You let her win?"

Mion blushed at the obvious, but still avoided the question.

"Nii Nii, did you too?"

"It doesn't matter," Rika said. "The four of you are... You're not the friends I left behind. These club meetings, well, I don't think I should stay for them," Rika said. She stood up and took her bag.

"Rika-chan, wait," Mion said.

"Good-bye," Rika said.

Satoko watched Rika calmly walk out, then looked back at the others, who seemed to be a mix of frustrated and concerned.

"She's still talking about that, isn't she?" Reina said.

"Yes... I get a definite impression of 'that'," Mion agreed.

"It's really troubling," Satoshi said.

"That? What do you mean?" Satoko asked.

"It's nothing, Satoko. Don't worry about it," Mion said.

"That's right, why don't you start to head home," Satoshi suggested, and began to push Satoko toward the door.

"But, our games,"

"Maybe we'll continue them later," Mion said.

"Go home now Satoko, and don't play around on the way," Satoshi said. As the door closed, Satoko waited on the other side. Satoshi soon opened it again. "Go home, Satoko," he said.

"Fine," Satoko agreed, and began to walk down the hall, though she still wondered what they were talking about, and likely continuing to talk about, and for that matter, what was up with Rika's latest strange behaviors. As she reached the door, she saw Rika standing there, changing her shoes. As Rika was the center of all this weirdness, maybe she had all the answers, Satoko considered.

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Rescue Force

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:13:35 GMT

I'd meant to watch BFJ or Dekaranger, but instead I ended up saying I'd only watch an episode or two of Rescue Force, and then ended up marathoning the whole series and even the feature-length movie all the way until the end. I really love this show now. My initial preconceptions about the show were totally blown apart and every single one of the characters became appealing to me.

My first preconception was that the characters seemed kind of flat and uninteresting. They turned out to be anything but. This show has five main characters that are all very child-like (would say childish, but that has negative connotations). At first I thought itd was just the main four, but when Eiji became R5, he showed himself to be the biggest kid when actually in the field, while the others were the biggest kids off the field. XD I really like child-like characters (Jan, Natsuki, etc.) but seeing a team full of them had me feeling a little wary, like they were all trying to be the same character. ^^; Of course, that turned out not to be true. They all have this trait, and not to mention Hikaru and Kyousuke are similar in other ways, also Rei and Juri, but they had differences that weren't immidietely apparent, but became so as the series went on.

The fact they they were all child-like also made the series really fun. It also helped with my second preconception, that the series was a little bit too srs bsns. Yeah, saving the life is pretty serious, but when they're arguing about who's on top during gattai formations, who should or shouldn't be aniki#1, and other stuff like that on their time off, the show really isn't taking itself too seriously. Also even on the field, during instances like when R5 decided he needed to bring out alllllllll the toys, or when R4 uses her secret power, it become pretty fun then, too. There's also the fact they replaced their omg-dark-and-srs main villain mid-series with Maaen, a feminine robotic character that perpetuates moe-stereotypes in a hilarious way. There are of course still more serious moments, in fact I think this series ended up being just the right balance of silly and serious.

I also had started to feel like the show was short-changing its female characters, especially when it was made obvious that Hikaru and Kyousuke would be the only ones piloting the vehicles. I changed my mind as the series went on. Reason? Considering the moral/ideals/concrete goals of the Rescue Force, what Rei and Juri did while the boys were ~~playing with~~ piloting the toy trucks was just as important. It also helped that when Kyousuke was chosen, Eiji made a point to say that the three of them were all equally qualified. Also, during the incredibly silly episode where Rei and Juri ended up taking over for the other two, they seemed to get a hang of things a lot faster than the boys did when they merely switched their vehicles around. There was also the Rescue Universe episode, which focused on a non-center stage female character and was just wonderful in every way. <3

Also, the girls seemed to (I didn't keep count) get just as many focus episodes as the guys. And Rei's focal episodes? They were just the best. The last two in particular, I was kind of brought to tears by the episode with Cai. ^^; I know, I know. Moving on.

By the way, if you're a slash subtext fan, look not further than this series. For real, Hikaru and Kyousuke have to be either on or near the top of the slashest toku duos ever. And there's also femslashy hints with Rei and Juri, though not to as as huge of an extent as Hikaru and Kyousuke. (Because to do that, they'd have to be canon. :p) But it's still there, and I may or may not put it in fic form at some time in the future.

As just as I warm up to the series and decide I love it, it ends. :( Though I did like the ending, even where everyone ended up. Hikaru, yeah, they couldn't go against themselves there, so he stayed put. Rei? <3 Juri? <3333 Kyousuke? I found that choice of job to be a fitting end to all of the character growth he had in the series. He became really humble, rearranged his priorities, and ended up taking a more "simple" rescue job. I think Kyousuke's story as a whole was really well done.

But now it's over, and the sequel has a brand new team. :( I'll give Rescue Fire a shot, though. It'll give me an excuse to watch one of TV-Nihon's HD videos.

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Finite Destiny 1/8 [Higurashi: Rika/Rei!Satoko]

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:41:01 GMT

Title: Finite Destiny
Chapter 1/8: Seed
Fandom: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)
Focus: Rika/Rei!Satoko
Theme: #38: Seed (otp_100)
Summary: Rika's implications of love are rejected and discarded by Satoko, helping plant the seeds for something else entirely.
Word Count: 3,961 (whole fic) 1,567 (chapter)
Notes: The beginning of my AU of Higurashi Rei. This uses events of Higurashi Rei, but branches away from canon at the end. It does not go along with background we have about the series before Rei, and will end up going against canon. That's why it's an AU.

Chapter Index: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

"I can't find it... I can't find it!" Satoko shouted in frustration. She stomped her foot against the grassy ground and threw her notebook to the side.

Coming front behind a tree, Rika noticed the object at Satoko's feet. "Mii," she said, and came and picked it up. Rika smiled gently as she handed the notebook back to Satoko. "There you go."

"Thanks. But this is impossible."

"What are you having trouble with? I can help you," Rika assured.

Satoko folded her arms and looked away. "You're really eager, aren't you? Why don't you worry more about your own work?"

"Already finished," Rika said, the happy expression not fading from her face.

"Well... I guess I don't mind helping with your boredom problem," Satoko said. She took out the list, complete with small pictures and descriptions. "This one. I can't find it at all."

"Oh, a dandelion! That one's easy," Rika said. She walked only a short distance away, and came back with a puffy white flower.

"Are you stupid?" Satoko said. She pointed at the picture of the bright yellow flower. "It's this pretty one, not that ugly one!"

"That's right," Rika said. "This is the same plant! The dandelion turns into this fluffy thing..."

"Eh?" Satoko made an expression of disbelief.

"It's true, I won't lie to you, Satoko-chan," Rika insisted calmly. "It's in the description, right here, see?" Rika pointed to a specific line of text.

"Oh... I see now. I guess you're right."

"Mii," Rika chirped, breaking out into a wide grin.

Rika's joyful reaction took Satoko by surprise. She'd often get the right answers when a teacher asked her, so what was with this enthusiasm? Satoko was puzzled. It wasn't as if being right was a rare occurrence for Rika, the way it was for her.

"Satoko-chan, do you like dandelions?" Rika asked.

"Yeah.... The other kind, this kind looks strange. How does it change into the nicer kind of dandelion?"

"Did you read about it, Satoko?" Rika asked. Satoko flinched, but Rika continued without noticing. "These are the seeds. It's the yellow flower that changed into this. But I guess it does eventually change back... These seeds will eventually grow and make yellow flowers grow again."

Satoko watched as Rika blew on the dandelion, causing the various seeds to float away.

"Ah!" Satoko said in surprise. "I've done that before, I think."

"Have you? You've helped the dandelions spread, then," Rika said. She blushed a little, and began to hold her own notebook close. "You know... I also like dandelions."

"Hm?" Satoko said, not really interested.

"That's right. They kind of remind me of you, Satoko-chan. They're bright and lively. They're also tough and difficult to get rid of. They're weeds to gardeners! But I like them... I also like you, Satoko-chan."

Satoko looked over at Rika. Satoko herself blushed, and then looked away. "Come on, you're even making me embarrassed. But I like you too, Rika-chan. It's nice to have a smart friend like you." Satoko looked over at Rika, who was grinning, and looked very please. "But can you go now? I don't want everyone to say I just copied off of you, okay?"

"I understand. See you soon, Satoko-chan!" Rika ran over giggling happily.

Satoko turned back to her work and sighed. Maybe she should have asked Rika at least a little more help. She really wasn't that good at this. All the other various planets seemed just as difficult to find. After a few hours of work, Satoko thought she heard someone calling for her.

"Satoko-chan! Rika-chan! Everyone's waiting for you!"

Rika? Wouldn't she have been the first to return? Satoko looked around with worry, only to see Rika running her way, waving. "Satoko-chan!" she called.

Despite calls in the other direction for her, Satoko paused to wait. "Everyone's worried about you, you know," she informed as Rika caught up with her.

"Oh... Sorry," Rika said. "I was looking, and I found some dandelion flowers for you..."

"Oh..." Satoko said. The flowers were actually very easy to find, as it seemed they were all she could find while looking for everything else.

"I wanted to make a crown... But this is as far as I got," Rika sheepishly held up a small dandelion chain. "Will you take it anyway?"

"Ah... Sure," Satoko said.

Rika happily tied the chain around a lock of Satoko's hair. "It really suits you, Satoko-chan!"

"Thanks," Satoko said, and Rika only beamed further.

"Satoko-chan! Rika-chan! There you are."

A group of classmates approached them. "Let me see, Satoko-chan!"

A girl grabbed Satoko's notebook away from her. "Look, look, these are no good. I don't think you even found half the things you were supposed to find."

"Really? I saw Rika-chan helping her, too!"

"With even Rika-chan's help, she's this incompetent?"

"How pathetic."

Satoko scowled at everyone. She looked over at Rika, who also frowned. "Come on everyone," she said. "Chie-sensei must be worried about us," Rika said.

In an attempt to distract everyone, Rika began to walk away from the crowd, and back toward the meeting point. The others certainly weren't about to shut up, though, Satoko thought with a clenched fist. In a moment of anger, she put her foot up, and sent Rika toppling to the ground.

"Well," Satoko began. "I couldn't get it done, you see? I had to help out Furude. While she's smart at some things, she's just awful at others. She's completely incompetent when it comes to direction, for instance. I had to look all over to find her... That's why I'm late."

"You spent the whole time looking for her?"

"And that's why you didn't really finish anything?"

"Well..." Satoko began, her face feeling hot. "That's not all! That stupid girl was always interrupting me. She couldn't even bother to find her own dandelion!"

That story wasn't exactly airtight either, but the other girls bought it, Satoko noticed with some pleasure. "That's terrible, Rika!" they said to her. "Is that how you get such good grades? Always depending on someone else?"

"Who knows," Satoko said, a self-satisfied smile coming over her face. This wasn't the nicest thing to do, she knew, but at least she'd know that Rika would never hate her. No matter what stupid things Satoko had done in the past, Rika was always as cheerful as ever to her, encouraging her to fight on, and praising her efforts. Someone like Rika wouldn't hesitate to take the fall for her. A good friend like Rika would always be...

Shaking. Rika was shaking, Satoko just noticed now as she watched Rika use her hands to push herself up. "She's crying," a boy who would see her face announced.

"I feel sorry for her," another boy said.

When Rika stood up, she turned around, and Satoko could see her tear-filled face. "Satoko-chan," she said. It was a silent, subtle plea.

I'm sorry, Satoko wanted to say. But she looked at those around her, and saw how the situation could easily become worse, and didn't apologize.

"What's this? You think you can use tears to get out of anything?" Satoko said instead.

"You're the worst kind of person, Furude."

"Hey! What's holding you up?" an older student called.

"Come on Satoko-chan, let's go."

"Yeah..." Satoko said. As the other girl tugged her by the arm, she felt the dandelions slip off on her hair. She knocked them ahead and then stepped on them. Looking behind her, Satoko saw Rika's already crestfallen expression further twist and distort with a new kind of pain. It was ugly, so Satoko looked away.

Years later, Rika and Satoko still hadn't made up, and Satoko had given up hope that they ever would. It seemed like Rika would rather stay around boys who would be her servants. She'd even stay completely alone rather than ever make up with her, Satoko noticed with some anger. What did she think she was proving by acting like such a snob? Rika was such a snob that she wasn't even sure she would like to be her friend again, Satoko eventually decided.

Everyone else always saw fit to ignore her, but Satoko always tried her best to get Rika's attention in one way or another.

"You don't need to use so much force, Satoko-chan," one of her classmates said as they tossed the ball back toward Satoko.

"What's this?" Satoko said, spying a look at Rika, who was wrapped in her own solitude as usual. "You can't take this lady's soft throw? That won't do."

"But Satoko-"

"That won't do. I'll just have to return this using my super toss! Prepare yourself!" Satoko got in a position to throw the ball back.

"Satoko-"

Satoko tossed the ball as hard as she could. Instead of her frightened playmate catching it, it hit the exact spot she'd been aiming for -- the back of Rika's head.

Rika's body fell forward, and then slammed against the ground. She was obviously out cold. Satoko and the others just stared for a moment.

"Rika!" Satoshi called, and ran toward Rika.

"I-" Satoko began, but then stopped.

"Satoko, you need to be more careful," Satoshi chided.

Satoko remained silent in the background as others observed Rika and Satoshi ran away to get help. "Rika-chan..." she muttered to herself. Darn it, she hadn't meant for her to get hurt... At least not this much.

Original dreamwidth post: http://skye.dreamwidth.org/304643.html.

Possible Peril [Higurashi: Rei!Rika/Rei!Satoko]

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:06:31 GMT

Title: Possible Peril
Fandom: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)
Focus: Rei!Rika/Rei!Satoko
Theme: #57: Ex-Friends (otp_100)
Summary: Satoko doesn't know who she can really count on.
Word Count: 834
Notes: Takes place pre-series for Higurashi Rei, in the "perfect" world. So yep, this isn't the usual Rika and Satoko.

Oh no, Satoko thought as she ran toward the building. She hadn't meant to nap while hiding, but still, the others must have given up way too easily before finding her. Did they just leave her on purpose? She'd be sure to scold them, right after she was scolded by Chie-sensei first, and Satoshi later. She was really in trouble, wasn't she?

Satoko kept running as she entered the building. After a slight pause to change into her indoor shoes, she continued at her top speed, rounded the corner, and fell full force into Furude Rika.

Both girls shouted in surprise and pain. It took Satoko a moment before she realized who exactly it was. Of course, with that carefully combed hair and fake vulnerability in the way she had put up her hands to protect herself from a threat that was no longer there. How uncute, Satoko thought with a scowl as she thought of how her fanboys would swoon and run to her side.

Satoko stood almost menacingly above Rika. "No one's here, so you can stop the act... Rika-chama." There was definitely an element of bile in how she said Rika's name.

"Ah... Sa- Houjou-san," Rika said.

"That's right. Aren't you even going to ask if I'm alright? You carelessly plowed into me. I could have gotten hurt because of your recklessness."

"You could have easily gotten hurt anyway, Houjou-san," Rika said.

"What are you saying? I wouldn't have been in danger at all if you hadn't-"

"Mii. That place where you and everyone else go and play hide-and-seek, it's really dangerous, right? Those abandoned buildings are falling apart and no one goes anywhere near them. You aren't even supposed to, right?"

"How can you be so rude with such a straight face, Rika-chama? It's none of your business where my friends and I go, because you're not one of them. We're always someplace perfectly safe, anyway," Satoko lied.

"I see. If you were at that spot, that spot you didn't go to, you could have easily fallen somewhere nobody went and gotten hurt. You could have broken your legs and have been bleeding to death and if no one wanted to say where they'd been, no one would find you, right? It's a good thing you weren't anywhere unsafe." Rika spun around and began to walk away.

Satoko blinked with confusion, and then noticed with some jealousy that everything about the other girl still looked perfect despite the collision. On the other hand, she could expect to be scolded more for how messy she looked. Satoko walked into the bathroom to clean up just as Rika walked into the classroom.

What a creepy girl, Satoko considered. As if the Oyashiro-sama nonsense that she was mixed up in wasn't enough, now Rika had to bring up death fantasies. No one else in the school had even gone that far. How disturbing, Satoko thought. And since when did that prim and proper girl run in the halls, anyway? It was a wonder that she'd even walk on her own two feet, considering that she didn't do anything for herself now that she'd discovered she could use her cuteness to get everything done for her. Satoko decided that their collision must have been on purpose, and she'd get Rika back for it soon.

Satoko subtly entered the classroom, seeing Chie-sensei distracted, and took her seat without incident. She looked over at Satoshi and saw him sigh slightly, but she was otherwise unbothered.

"Satoko!" her friends said, but were soon shushed by her.

"See Furude, she's fine, she wasn't anyplace bad," Satoko's friend insisted, glaring in Rika's direction.

"That's right. A girl that tough isn't anyone to worry about, anyway!" one of Rika's servants insisted.

"Shut up, will you?" Satoko's friend snapped back.

Rika ignored everyone, and Satoko decided to do the same. Soon both groups got back to work.

"But Satoko, where were you?" Satoko's friend whispered to her.

"We'd looked all over for you."

"That's right, we even kept calling your name, and you didn't even answer. We'd thought maybe that you..."

Satoko looked up, feeling a sudden chill. So there had been some concern about her whereabouts. In fact the place she played was very dangerous, but still, her friends didn't see the need to tell anyone.

All for the better, since she hadn't been in any danger at all. But if she had been... Was Rika the only one headed to look for her? Was the friend she'd snubbed so long ago the only one she could count on?

Satoko looked over at Rika, who was laughing politely at something someone had said, while handing her pencil to one of her servants to sharpen. If only she had napped just a little while longer, Satoko thought. It might have been nice to see Rika get her hands dirty. And Satoko then imagined seeing Rika's eyes again show concern, maybe even affection for her... There was definitely still some there.

Original dreamwidth post: http://skye.dreamwidth.org/304278.html.

Yuri is a current anime trend

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:19:11 GMT

It seems like yuri is a current anime trend. The following is a very short list of current anime I've been watching with some yuri themes. I have a review for each, but manage to avoid major spoilers, as I'm mostly just talking about the yuri content thereof.

Kanamemo is the extremely fluffy story of a girl who becomes orphaned and has to work delivering newspapers so she's not on the street. It could easily go the angst route with this, but it really doesn't, not at all. Kana is enveloped in a fluffy cloud of happiness in her new residence, and makes friends with everyone. Even the woman that pervs on her and says she only likes girls under 15. O.o; Um, yeah. As someone who really needed a little fluffy happiness at the time I started this series, it kind of appealed to me.

Oh, but the yuri? Other than the Lolicon woman, there is a canon lesbian couple. Two fully grown women, Yume and Yuuki are a couple, and they just get to be. No angst, no drama, not even any love triangles, just Yume and Yuuki love. As this generally isn't the the way things go, it's kind of refreshing.

Aoihana is the other side of things. It has definite yuri themes like Kanamemo, but it also has definite angst and drama. It's a short enough series, as opposed to a 70+ episode series like Marmalade Boy, and is actually really well done, but it's not something I'd generally bother with anymore if it were het. If you like serious romance drama, it's definitely for you, though.

Saki is the story of a high school Mahjong club. Bored game super importance anime are a guilty pleasure of mine, so that's why I ended up watching. The yuri part was a surprise. O.o This anime rubs the romance of the two main characters, both girls, into our faces. I'd be surprised if they didn't become canon, but even if we don't get the obvious moments like we do in Kanamemo, I think what's been shown so far is enough. ^^; And it's not only these two, there's strong subtext in every single one of Saki's opposing teams, three of them in total. Even if Saki/Nodoka doesn't appeal to you, you're likely to find a couple in this series that does. I haven't learned a thing about Mahjong, but I am enjoying things otherwise. <3

I decided to include Yokuwakaru Gendaimahou even though it's just subtext. The series focuses on the relationship between Yumiko and Koyomi. I'd say there's definite subtext between the two of them, and there are no other love interests "in the way". I might like this pairing in a different series, but this series just annoys me. It must be the Haruhi-style telling of the story out of order. I've been considering dropping it, but since it's a fairly short series and almost over anyway, I might just watch it until the end.

The above four series are all on officially licensed and on crunchyroll.com, but the next one is available through fansubs.

As for Needless, you only need to go to the ending theme for some over the top yuri:

I actually watched the series after watching the ending theme, and this super-MOE style does not fit in with the rest of the show, which is a shounen action show. In fact, the characters in the ending theme don't even show up for a while, which left me with the impression that I'd stepped into a completely different show.

But Needless really is just that zany. It's a really fun show. When the girls from the ending theme, calling themselves the "Pretty Girls Squad", they are pretty wonderful villains, and do provide a lot of entertainment including more hilarious fanservice, but as of yet no yuri. Oh well.

So there's the yuri post. Coming up next will be a post on Element Hunters and why I actually like it.

This entry was originally posted at http://skye.dreamwidth.org/304057.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Umineko - anime and novels

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:44:17 GMT

So. Umineko anime.

Maria. Oh, Maria. You're so exaggerated that everyone thinks you're creepy, but I still really don't, no matter how many silly faces you make. She's even less creepy than in the novels with all of that.

That's pretty much all I have to say about the anime right now. The first two arcs are pretty good, but I personally didn't like them as much as the second two. So I'm really looking forward to the anime of arcs 3 and 4.

So, perfect lead in to talk of the novels. This part contains major spoilers, so leave now if you don't want to be spoiled.

I finally got around to reading 3 and 4. And wow. Just wow. Not that the first two weren't good, but the third arc brought back the honest wtf reaction that Higurashi initially gave me. Eva Beatrice is pretty awesome.

But arc 4 really gave me the love for this series that later-series Rika did for Higurashi. Ange-Beatrice is probably my favorite part of the whole entire series -- too bad we'll probably never get to see her again. I love her to death, and thanks to her story I also kind of love the Seven Stakes of Purgatory, and to a lesser extent, Maria. Also, Ange/Mammon OTP. FOR REAL.

And Maria actually did have a moment of creepiness in this arc, too. Finally, after all that trying. It was when she woke up and the cousins were all around her, and she was just giggling about something, and the cousins were trying to pretend she wasn't creepy, and at the same time they didn't know that she had just been (dreaming of??) killing her mother. Subtlety is everything.

I have a few general theories about the series that I was going to expand on more, but I'll just say them in short here:

Based on a few things in arc 4 about parallel worlds, I think there will eventually end up being a human no magic version of events along with a magical version of events. Both version of events will be true at the same time. Don't look at me for an explanation, but this is pretty strongly hinted at. >.>

I think the theme of love in arc 4, as in the conversation Ange was having with the old man about her interpretation of Eva's guilt vs. his, as well as Ange's conversations with Maria about her thinking that Maria was an abused kid in a horrible situation vs. Maria's interpretation of having fun all the time will continue to be a huge theme in the series, and have a major impact on the end of the series.

Bernkastel and Lambdadelta, they're pretty wonderful, especially Lamb who I wasn't even expecting to like. But anyway, their conversation about how Beatrice will surely not win looks to me like foreshadowing for a Beatrice win at the end of the series. Tie that in with the previous theory easily. But we'll see.

This entry was originally posted at http://skye.dreamwidth.org/303857.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

In the Alternate Mirror [Higurashi: Rika/Satoko]

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:45:25 GMT

Title: In the Alternate Mirror
Fandom: Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)
Focus: Rika/Satoko
Theme: #32: Feelings (otp_100)
Summary: While grieving the loss of the familiar Satoko, Rika gets a lecture meant for the unfamiliar Rika.
Word Count: 698
Notes: Takes place during Rei's story arc, in the "perfect" world.

The feeling this laid-back monster with Satoko's face had initially left her with had been one of absolute revulsion. Rika had wanted to obliterate her this imposter only from that moment, but also from all life and existence in general. How could such a being claim to be her beloved Satoko? It wasn't her, it wasn't by any definition the true Satoko, Rika had first insisted to herself.

But then she gradually grew passive when she learned of her own actions in this world. Without the kind of history that she and Satoko had together back in every other Hinamizawa, of course their relationship would be different. And of course their mutual feelings for each other... They wouldn't be, they weren't the same at all.

Sadly lamenting this loss of Satoko, along with the various other losses this world had brought her, Rika tried to consider the upsides of this world, the presence of her parents, the absence of major tragedy, Satoko having all of her family.

Satoko... Rika thought sadly as she looked over toward where Satoko was having fun with her other friends, and didn't really need her at all in the moment. Rika considered that maybe it was selfish of her to even want Satoko to need her. Brattiness aside, everything was better for Satoko without Rika as a major part of her life.

A hand plopped down on her shoulder. "Hey!" Mion said.

"Ah... Hello," Rika greeted her.

"Trying to be subtle while observing Satoko again, I see," Mion teased.

"Um... That's right," Rika muttered.

"Ah," Mion said with a grin. "I'm surprised to hear you admitting it now. But you really do love Satoko, don't you?"

Rika looked up at Mion in surprise.

"Well, I already knew the answer to that," Mion said sheepishly. "But you know, you should -- actually the both of you should -- really just lighten up. Do it for yourself especially, alright, Rika-chan? When you're older you might regret treating your first love this way. Satoko already does, I can guarantee you that."

Rika looked surprised. Satoko regretted mistreating her first love, so even here, the two of them were... Rika considered that. She then took a moment about how the Rika that had died might react to that statement, but instead decided to default to her own. "You could be right, Mion-san. But tell me, how do you know about our feelings for each other?"

"Oh, come on," Mion said. "Maybe right now the two of you think you're fooling everyone, but I remember what it was like when you were younger, the two of you could hardly be separated. I can see those feelings haven't changed, just gotten twisted around and messed up with other things. Funny how you're even more immature at expressing them when you're older."

Rika recalled the way things were before the damn incident... She couldn't imagine a reason why it would be different. But there was still one important question. "Then why did things turn out the way they are now?" Rika asked.

"What a question to ask yourself," Mion said, of course misunderstanding that the question was intended for her. "The way you get on now is just the result of the two of you both being stubborn, strong-willed kids! In a different situation, maybe you'd still be best friends, who knows. Keep thinking about that question, and also think about how you can change things, okay? Shouldn't be too hard, considering the feelings you two share for each other have really just always been a mirror. Yeah, keep thinking about that, okay?" Mion gave Rika another friendly pat on the shoulder and smiled encouragingly before walking away.

A mirror, huh... Rika did decide to think about that. A mirror would show the same expression as her, but if she scowled, the image in the mirror would have to as well. Not having any memories of this Hinamizawa, she couldn't tell if Satoko or the other Rika had turned away from the other first, if Mion's simple metaphor could indeed be applied. In any case, it might be worth her own efforts to try and change the current image for the better.

This entry was originally posted at http://skye.dreamwidth.org/303401.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Sentai Fun Post

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:11:20 GMT

First of all, I finished Jetman, and....

THAT ENDING. ZOMG. WUT. IT WAS BAD. First of all, I have no problem with character death. When done well, or at least not reasonably badly. Also, I'd been spoiled many years ago for Gai dying at the end, so I was expecting it. I just didn't know how it would happen. I was expecting him to die in battle or something, but instead.. WUT. Stand By Me did that plot twist WAY better. Here there was no subtlety, and there was also no point. Why did they have to kill off Gai? Was it to get him out of the way for Ryu/Kaori love? No reason to, though he'd been a love rival for them in the past, he was no longer. We had Gai/Kaori and found out it didn't work out. Gai was obviously VERY happy for his two friends. It was a perfect love triangle resolution. It was the perfect love triangle resolution. No need to do that. >.>

Good series otherwise though. The ending itself wasn't really that important to everything else that was going on, so I guess it's one of those endings that fans can chop off. Kind of like the Digimon 02 endings, anyone can ignore it and pretend their ship, whatever it is, happened without really deviating from canon that much... You could even, I don't know, keep everything the same and have Gai have gone to a hospital and lived at the end after the credits rolled without deviating from canon at all. >.>

One more comment: Every time I seem to claim characters as asexual, it's seen as a fandom sin, but I'm going to do it anyway. Jetman's commander? That woman is totally asexual. I mean, SHE ESCAPED THE ROMANCE SENTAI WITHOUT ANY ROMANTIC INTEREST. The closest she came was when Raita asked her about the men in her life. Instead of talking about her own attractions, she talked about how many men were attracted to her in order to save face. Yeah, obviously sex and romance aren't really that important to her. I know she's busy saving the Earth, but so were Ryu, Gai, and Kaori. :p This commander got to skip the drama and just be kick-ass.

Tangent from Jetman to asexual characters: No, I don't do this all the time. I can count on one hand all the characters I think are asexual. Hay Lin from W.I.T.C.H., Tecna from Winx Club in the Rainbow dub, and Sakura & Satoru from Boukenger. I have reasons for each one of those, and it's not because they're my favorite characters in the series and I wanted to relate to them more. (None of them are, though Tecna and Sakura come kind of close.) Other actions of theirs seem kind of asexy to me. I won't get into it more here. I'll just say that this is my personal POV, and I'm not trying to force it to be your's, so don't try and force your POV of Satoru craving penis or whatever else to be mine.

Back to sentai!

As for Flashman, Supornova is being really speedy with the new episodes. ^_^ We're already to 3.

Episode 2 was the we can haz giant robots episode, and that really isn't my favorite part of super sentai, so I wasn't that interested. I did appreciate having more background on their childhoods, though.

Episode 3 was all kinds of fun, though. We expand even further on everyone's feelings on being kidnapped. The action scenes were wonder, and I loved seeing Lou flying around all the time. I'm starting to think that Bun might end up being a really likable chapter for me based on his squeamishness and otherwise cute reactions to everything so far.

Flashman also seems to not be stingy at all with the shipping fanservice. We get three fear hugs in a row. Sara fear!hugs Dai when seeing an ugly and near dead alien, and Dai is just like :D

And then Bun comes around the corner and has an even stronger reaction, except he fear!hugs Lou:

And after that's over, the Lou and Sara decide not to leave yuri fans feeling cold:

Then at the end, Bun and Dai get a yaoi fanservice kiss:

OMG between the action, the flying, the fanservice, and the evil furries, this series is still beyond fun. I notice the fansub cut off in the middle of the next episode preview, but my reaction the little I did see: XD

Perfect.

And lastly, I've also started watching Dekaranger again. I forget what episode I left off on, so I just started watching from the start. I decided to watch my DVD version. HUGE mistake, and I only realized why after finishing the first disk.

I didn't know about TV-Nihon when Dekaranger was on, so I had started buying the HK version, same as I had with Abaranger the year before. I never got into Deka the same I did for Aba or any previous series though, and there might be a reason. The subs are worse than nothing at all. Allow me to share.

First of all, this set looks really nice from the outside. Even when you open it up, there's some very nice pictures of the cast and such. On the disks themselves, the chosen pictures are quality and appropriate. But as soon as you put in the disk:

PALL ALL. THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD, ISN'T IT?

Yeah, I know, HK subs are generally considered bad, but better than nothing. Yeah, sometimes it's obviously wrong, but you can still understand it:

But you know what? At least when you're watching raws, you have real Japanese words to go on. I know a little Japanese, and sometimes I pause the film and look up words I don't know. But you know what you can't look up? MADE-UP WORDS. That's right, this translation freaking MAKES UP WORDS THAT LOOK SOMEWHAT LIKE ENGLISH WORDS:

To be fair, I found the words in urbandictiony. The definition of blagged kind of fit. But the definition of beezer did not. At all.

No matter how awkward the translation, I have never seen any fansubber make the dialogue as awful as the banter between Hoji and Ban in this episode:

The first time Ban used the word aibou, it was translated as "partner." But at all other times, we got this:

...I remember at one point in the translation, Kruger actually refers to the two of them as gays, typo of guys. But this part can't be explained with a mere typo:

That's Jasmine referring to Kruger, there.

This part was actually said using English words, "Strike Out!" or something. But instead, we get this:

And now we're nearing the end.

...OMG. We might as well have raws and make up a translation. How about, "You have failed me for the last time, monster of the week." or even "I'll get you next time, Dekaranger. Next time." Wouldn't have been exactly what he was saying, but at least it would have fit and actually made sense.

This can all be summed up in one word:

So let's all be thankful for TV-Nihon and other fansubbers. Because they're way better than what we could be PAYING for. I'll leave you with that as I head off their DDL page under Dekaranger.

This entry was originally posted at http://skye.dreamwidth.org/303137.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Jetman

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:21:00 GMT

I've been watching Jetman. The way things are going, I'll probably finish it this weekend, too. A few thoughts.

I'd heard a long time ago, can't provide the source, that Jetman was a romance themed sentai because they were running out of ideas. (Yep, and now nearly two decades later...) I thought, come on, it's not like sentai never had romance in it before, take Maskman's own romance plot. How can it really be described as the "romance sentai"?

Then I watched it. Okay, nm. Jetman really is best described as the "romance sentai." It involves romance in everything, there's even a love triangle that becomes a major part of the story. It's essentially the Marmalade Boy of sentai. Shoujo manga fans will be pleased! (Hi, sakura!)

Which is not to say it's not GOOD romance, or not a good series. It's great, and I'm really enjoying it. So far I think it exceeds in nearly everything it tries to do. The romance doesn't really take away any from the action portions, either. Nor does it take anything away from the girls. It's also one of the few pre-2000 sentai that have been subbed in entirety, so there's really no reason NOT to watch it. So I recommend it if you hadn't seen it already.

And a random note. One of the things I noticed when I had the series on VHS (episodes 1-10 only) is that you don't really want to be alone in Jetman. The monsters of the week attacked people alone in a room and safe at home more than anywhere else. That trend has lessened in later episodes though, heh.

This entry was originally posted at http://skye.dreamwidth.org/302926.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Crossposting

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:49:22 GMT

Crossposting has never been easier. Using the dw crosspost tool, I found out that editing the entry from dw will also edit it at all places it's been crossposted to. Since the annoyance of editing on multiple sites was the main reason I stopped crossposting before, I've decided to do it again now, both at my nomadskye lj and nomadskye ij. I just reposted my last five entries on both sites, sorry for anyone whose FL was spammed, I didn't realize it wouldn't backdate. D:

I'm still disabling comments so that people have to come to DW if they want to comment, since I'm still using it for my main blog, and would kind of like all discussion in the same place. By the way, open id isn't difficult.

Step one: Make sure you're signed into whatever service you want to use for openID. As you use is often, you probably are.

Step two: On site you wish to sign in using open id, click Log in with open id.

Step three: Enter the username + domain name of whatever service you want to use. For example, if I wanted to use my nomadskye lj, I would enter nomadskye.livejournal.com, and if I wanted to use my dw identity on lj, I would enter skye.dreamwidth.org.
Step four: Click, login.

Step five: When forwarded to the other site, click either "Yes; just this time." or "Yes; always." Up to you.

Step six: Be signed in under open id. Comment like usual. Yes, you can even upload an icon or two for your open id account. Can't post regular entries or join communities, though.

So yeah, that's how you do it. If for whatever reason you want a local dreamwidth account, I have many extra invite codes and would be very willing to share, so just PM me or otherwise contact me and ask. ^^

This entry was originally posted at http://skye.dreamwidth.org/302821.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Flashman!

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:54:37 GMT

I know I already posted this on twitter. When signing into rangerboard to find RPM DL links, I found out that the first episode of Flashman has been fansubbed. Rangerboard link, fansubber blog link, and DW rss feed, supornova_feed.

I decided to watch it, just because, I actually have time this week. :p And wow. I think I'm already in love. Before watching this, Flashman was one of the few sentai I hadn't seen, even in part. (And now the only one is Denjiman... I know my watch list shows more than that at 0/whatever, but that's because it's either been so long or the episodes were random, so when I start watching it I might as well take it from the top.)

So yeah. Flashman. Not much I can say from just one episode. Other than yay, five warriors who grew up and trained in space to come back to Earth and fight evil furries! :D And of said evil furries....

The lead villainess is played by Hagiwara Sayoko, aka Tachibana Rei/DynaPink. *FANGIRLS*

I just have a really good feeling about this series. I like the main five so far as well, even though there's not much to say just from the intro episode, other than Sara is really cute, but at the same time not really vulnerable!cute, if you get what I'm saying. Lou seems like the tough girl of the series, but not really a cold and distant tough girl. So possibly, they're Sakura and Natsuki/Mako and Kotoha two decades before and at least two times better than either duo.... Yeah, I probably shouldn't have, but I went there! :D Also, the boys seem pretty likable.

I want more subs now, but I think the fansubber is kind of slow. ^^; If this series was completely subbed, I'd be trying to watch the whole thing ASAP, but I think I'll give the fansubber a little time. Enough time for me to catch up with RPM and other sentai that have actually been subbed. That will be a while. ^^; But Flashman is first on my list when more eps come out/when I finish all of that, anyway!

Just one more thing, I love Lou/PinkFlash's pretty boot weapons.

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More Turboranger

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:54:25 GMT

So, I continued Turboranger today. First time watching sentai or any toku in a long while. I watched 5-6 episodes or something and it reminded me that although there are some episodes that I really enjoy, Turboranger is a low point in sentai history. x_x

The mid season new giant robots episodes were painfully boring to me. I cared nothing about the peril of anyone or anything involved. I was almost hoping for a rocks fall everyone dies scenario.

But then I watched the episode where Kirika, new female baddie is formally introduced, and everything was ~~good~~ somewhat less bad. I think I like her! Too bad the plot was really cliched and it's looking like she might be the Mary Sue for Turboranger's Gary Stu. XDDD

Yeah. I think I'll try to catch up on RPM instead next.

This entry was originally posted at http://skye.dreamwidth.org/301822.html. Please comment there using OpenID.

Code Lyoko: End

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:54:13 GMT

I finally watched the end of Code Lyoko. It was sad to see it end, but it was good that there was an actual ending.

In general, re: New giant monster.... If the series went on, they might have needed giant robots. :p The tiny Lyoko warriors Vs. giant monster battles were really entertaining though.

Episode 93:
Alright, so they finally brought William back, just before his parents called the police because the clone was obviously not him. :p I have to agree with Odd big time that the clone was way more fun than him. XD I think, even though William is my least favorite character in CL, Clone!William is my favorite male character. They had a really interesting story going on with him developing a consciousness. Too bad they never went anywhere with it.

Episode 94:
I really thought they were going to let Sissi in on it for the final two episodes. But she turned out just to be a tool, as usual, this time to let William in for the last two episodes.

William/Sissi fans (not that there are many, W/S "fans" tend to be U/Y fans wanting to get the two of them out of the way) weep. Sissi thinks William's advances are creepy and disgusting. So there's another thing she and Yumi have in common. XD

William's conversation on not ever getting controlled by Xana again only to get controlled by Xana literally a minute later = LOL EPIC FAIL!

But I have to say something, even though I don't like William or U/Y at all, I find myself wanting to scream at both Yumi and Ulrich to stop saying things at Xana!William that should be said to the actual William. Saying that you don't think the two of you were meant to be, Yumi? I don't think Xana cares, it concerns William, not him. Xana is not William and vice-versa. Saying you don't want him going near Yumi anymore, Ulrich? We all know your possessive self wanted to say it to William himself. So stop being a coward and say it to his unxanified face. I know it makes the shippers squee and protects you both from any response or having to reconcile anything, but it's getting really stupid, here. I really don't like William, and even I'm feeling bad about how he's been treated since returning. That's how bad it is, guys.

Xana dies.... Wow, that was quick. I don't really mind it, though. Personally I'm getting tired of final battles where they defeat the main enemy through a tough battle only to have said enemy come back bigger and tougher than ever for another long drawn-out battle. It gets old. Especially at the end of RPGs, which leaves me with a lot of RPGs I just haven't beaten yet because I can't beat the most powerful ever form of the bad guy. -_- Here, Xana just dies, so yay! Except for the fact it's implied that Franz also dies. D:

Episode 95:
YES, Sissi taking initiative! Will we get some conclusion for this character?

Damn, it's a clip show episode. And not just any clip show, weird color filter clip show.

All these clips did make me realize that this show had a lot of room to grow. There were still many Xana plots left to foil. Oh well, at least they ended it with an ending instead of on a cliffhanger like my beloved Syber-Squad, where they left Kilokahn wandering through syberspace.

Hey Nicolas, the first thing that popped into my head for Sissi being absent from PE would have been period cramps/PMS, but your idea was pretty funny too. :p

Jeremy, don't you think someone else might discover this someday, the same way you did? Well, the factory this factory was based on was demolished recently, so maybe not.

I was happy Sissi discovered things, sad it was obviously going badly for her, and then actually laughed in the scene where her father was dragging her away, and then was sad again when I found out Jeremy would do a return to the past to erase her discoveries. Ah, poor Sissi, looks like she'll never get her ending after all. At least everyone was semi-nice to her in the end.

I've heard that there's three 70-minute (tv, probably?) movies in production, but that news was from over a year ago and there's been no news since. Regardless of if there's a continuation or not, I think the show as a whole, even though there's a few things I would have liked to have seen cleared up before the end, was overall a complete and entertaining story. Thanks for entertaining me, series. ;_;

My Lyoko-muse is really inspired at the moment, too. I want to finish that multi-chaptered Y/A story, and then have several other ideas for Y/A, Y/S, Clone!William centric stuff, series continuations wrapping up said things I'd wished were cleared up, that idea I had a while ago for a Higurashi crossover, and more. Hope I can get around to some of it. :D

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New Rainbow Brite

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:53:53 GMT

So, I finally got to see drawings of Rainbow Brite's two new pals from the new Rainbow Brite, thanks to Mariko sending me stickers. Thanks Mariko, BTW! :D And, I was actually kind of pleased. When I'd heard that RB's only two pals were going to be Tickled Pink and Moonglo, I was pissed. Not only because they were not including any of my favorite color kids from the ROYGBIV spectrum, but also because, what? Two pink colored girls? Monotone in Rainbow Brite? But I saw from the sticker sheet that they actually recolored Moonglo with purples and blues. Other fans might be mad, but I'm not, because at least there's a little bit more variety of color. :\

But, as an old fan, I actually do have a complaint. :p Information from a certain article that says that this new RB is messing with canon. It's fine for the new RB to make up its own brand new canon, but apparently they're trying to connect it to the canon I know and love. New RB says that Rainbow Brite's alias, Wisp, was actually a four-year-old from Earth, went back there because she missed her parents, aged six years, and now is a ten-year-old for new RB. Whaaat. Forgetting Wisp for a moment, canon implies that all the other characters in Rainbow Land were fully grown, or at least the ROYGBIV kids. It's outright stated that they've been around for hundreds of years, at the least. Now moving back to Wisp/Rainbow Brite, SHE'S WAY MORE MATURE THAN A FOUR-YEAR-OLD. Language, emotional maturity, everything else. Hey, four-year-olds don't decide to leave home the way she did. Wouldn't her parents be worried? At least the story would have been about her going home after she made everything colorful, but nope, Rainbow Brite made Rainbow Land her permanent home and lived in a Color Castle without any adults (unless you count the unaging color kids themselves) in sight. SHE'S NOT FOUR.

So, in short: Make your own canon, new RB. Don't mess with mine. :\

And also... We don't need Harry Potter! We need Rainbow Brite!

Another afterthought: rainbowbrite

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Blunt Declarations [Element Hunters: Ally/Chiara]

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:53:11 GMT

Title: Blunt Declarations
Fandom: Element Hunters
Focus: Ally/Chiara
Summary: Is it really that weird for someone like her to confess her feelings? Ally figures she'll give it a try.
Word Count: 723
Notes: Written containing only information up to episode 7. Later it likely will contradict canon in more ways than it already does. My first fic in forever... Or exactly half a year. ^^;

As Ally lay down on the bed, she remembered what Tom had said to her.

"It's weird... It seems out of character for you," he had told her.

"What's that?" Ally had asked.

"Just going somewhere for a visit... And with a girl, at that. I just can't imagine you whispering and giggling like the other girls. It's weird to think you'd be like them."

"And of course, I'm not," Ally had said bluntly.

At the time she'd brushed him off as if she hadn't a second thought on the subject, but in reality she'd thought about that short conversation quite a bit since then. Tom might see typical feminine behavior as something negative, but Chiara often expressed frustration at Ally's inability to express her emotions with the finesse of a lady... Or often, even at all. How she felt about something... About someone, was often a mystery even to herself, at times.

No, she wasn't like the other girls. Her feelings would often slip away in favor of the critique of others, comments on the situation, or something else of mostly non-importance. If only she could be more 'like a girl', as Tom had put it, spilling their feelings out to anyone who cared. Even though many of them would never want to visit Nega-Earth the way she did so often, they seemed endlessly brave to Ally at that moment. She rolled over on the bed, closing her eyes in frustration.

The door opened. "I'm sorry," a voice said. "My dad is so useless... He said we should have tea, and then ended up having me make it myself!"

Ally heard the tray clank down the table, and she slowly sat up, making her way over to the other girl.

"What's this? I guess you've made yourself comfy," the blue-clad girl said.

"Chiara," Ally grabbed onto Chiara's hand as she sat down.

"Wha-" Chiara's cheeks tinted pink as she spoke. "What is it?"

"I just... Have to tell you something," Ally said, feeling her own face start to blush.

"What is it? Did something happen? Did someone get hurt? Are we-"

"I love you," Ally said.

Chiara's reaction was as blank as Ally's own expression for a moment, but then it slowly morphed into something else, something where the ends of her mouth pointed upwards, and her mouth opened. Chiara was laughing at her.

Ally didn't laugh. She began to blush even more, feeling something other than the shame and frustration that she'd felt earlier. This time, she felt foolish. Getting up and turning away, she said in a sullen tone, "I'm going home."

But Chiara hugged her from behind. That firm embrace let Ally know that Chiara wasn't going to let her go anywhere. "I'm sorry, really sorry. That was a really cruel reaction, wasn't it?"

"I can't disagree with that."

"I didn't mean to be like that. It's just... You surprised me! I'd given up hope that you'd ever return my feelings with such honest words. I was just... happy." Chiara hugged her tighter with this declaration. "I didn't expect it of you, but I believe you! Of course I do, because I already knew you felt the same as me without you even saying it."

"So... That was it." Ally said. "You thought of me as being dishonest, then?" she teased.

"No... No way!" Chiara insisted. "Just think of it from my point of view. You looked hilarious with that serious face, saying something like that!"

"It's hilarious for someone to have feelings for you? Then I'll go home, because that's the only reason I'm here."

"No, no!" Chiara insisted. "I'm sorry, I say careless things. I'd like to be thoughtful like you, but it's too hard. It's stupid, but I can't stop myself from saying things I think sometimes," she said.

Ally's expression changed to surprised as Chiara spoke. She smiled. So that's what Chiara had thought of her, Ally considered. She didn't outright hate her occasional lack of expression much at all, rather admired her virtue of introspection.

"I'm really sorry, but stay, please! You have to stay! You can't come see me all the time, right? So just stay, please, please!"

"Fine," Ally said. Of course the second instance that she'd go home hadn't been serious at all. She'd treasure any time with her Earth-dwelling girlfriend.

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Fragmented 4/10 [Code Lyoko: Yumi/Aelita]

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:16:52 GMT

Title: Fragmented (chapter index)
Chapter 4/10: Scattered Pieces
Fandom: Code Lyoko
Focus: Yumi/Aelita
Theme: 30_memories #21: Bizarre
Summary: Yumi immediately remembers the pink-haired girl, although no one else can.
Word Count: 1,980

As Yumi walked onto Kadic's campus, she saw Aelita standing silently in seclusion by a tree. Yumi waved, and Aelita gave a slight wave back. Casually, Yumi began to walk over to her. A duo of obnoxious boys were walking the opposite way, the wrong way, for some reason.

"Hey Ulrich, I had this awesome dream last night!"

"About a girl, I guess. Just keep it to yourself."

Oh, Yumi realized. It was Ulrich and Odd. They really hadn't been so obnoxious before, not in the blips of her memories. They both seemed like people she could have relaxed around. Ulrich was actually kind of dependable in a way. And Odd... Maybe still obnoxious, but also fun. It was weird to think of them as her friends, but it was also a pleasant thought, in a way.

"No, no, not a girl. A guy actually..." Odd said.

"You should also keep that to yourself," Ulrich said.

"Ha! Not like that. We were in that old factory, you know the one? And we-"

"Keep it to yourself, Odd..." Ulrich said testily.

"Come on, just listen, it was cool! We-" As Odd and Ulrich passed Yumi, they stopped. "Oh, hi Yumi!" Odd said.

"Hi Odd," Yumi said.

"Cool, she remembered my name," Odd said, and Ulrich gave him a slight shove. To Yumi's disappointment, they turned around and began to follow her. "Ulrich wanted to see you," Odd said in a sing-song voice.

Yumi's first response a few days ago would have been a biting one-liner in order to quickly get those two out of her hair. But something about them being near her right now, it didn't inspire the annoyance of their usual conversation, but had her feeling completely different. She was almost relaxed around them, and so she said, "Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Go for it," Odd whispered loudly.

"With you around?" Ulrich hissed back.

"If you have something to say, then say it. I'm a kind of busy," Yumi said.

"Well, you know, there's the school dance coming up," Ulrich began.

"Uh huh," Yumi said, not liking where this was going.

"I'm not going with anyone," Ulrich said. "Uh, not yet. If you're not then-"

"Woah, wait," Yumi said. If Aelita wasn't back, or she didn't suddenly remember her, that would be one things. Yumi likely would have said yes, just for the fun of it. But since she had Aelita back, what would be the point of playing around like that? It wouldn't be fair to either of them. "You see-"

"Fine, I get it," Ulrich said. He frowned and stared at the ground. "I guess you're already going with William or something."

Yumi and Odd both opened their eyes widely, leaning over to Ulrich.

"What's that?" Yumi said.

"Who?" Odd asked.

But Ulrich seemed just as confused, perhaps surprised by his own words. "I dunno," he shrugged. "See you later, Yumi." As Ulrich sulked off, Odd hurried after him.

"Ulrich, Ulrich! That was the guy! I mean, I think..."

Yumi frowned, but then looked over to where Aelita had been standing. She was gone, now. Yumi sighed, and a quick glance to her phone let her know that she had not even five minutes to look for her. Instead, she walked off to class.

As Yumi walked into the distance, Aelita climbed out of her shabby hiding place up the tree, and came into plain view again, giving a quiet sigh of relief.

"Ms. Hopper?" Aelita heard William's slightly warbled communication.

"Yes William?" Aelita said.

"You came into sight too soon, you're heading for an upcoming conflict."

"Xana?" Aelita said, quickly looking over the area.

"Well, no, a human."

"Oh," Aelita said. Of course, Xana hadn't been showing himself around her much at all, the previous day aside. In his own way, though he couldn't possibly feel the actual emotion, Xana was afraid of her. And rightfully so. "Are we wasting our time here, now?" Aelita wondered aloud.

"No, when we first came onto campus this morning, I'm sure he was here, we just-"

William's voice was drowned out by the oncoming vocal assault. "It's you! What are you up to here, anyway?!" Sissi Delmas demanded.

"Aren't you late for class?" Aelita playfully teased.

"Nobody will care when they find out about you. What about your schooling? Hm?" Sissi demanded.

"I don't really have time for this, Sissi, I suggest you worry about yourself," Aelita said.

"And you know my name! Why are you so obsessed with me, anyway?" Sissi asked. "And you!" Sissi pointed to William. "You go to this school, right?" William looked at Sissi, bewildered as her finger waved in front of his face. "My dad's the principal, as you probably know. You'd better tell me anything you know about this intruder."

William took one step back, then looked at Aelita, who seemed confused and annoyed at his appearance. "I didn't ask you to take form," she said.

"Malfunction," William said.

"Let's go take care of it then," Aelita said. "Don't follow me," she said to Sissi with a friendly tone.

"Is that a threat? Oh, you just wait until word gets out about you!" Sissi said.

Aelita and William still walked calmly away. Sissi paused a bit, glaring at their unaffected forms a bit before turning and heading off to class. William glanced back at her retreating form. "Will this require a return to the past?" William asked.

"I'm more concerned about you at the moment," Aelita said. "Sissi can be mean, but I don't care about that kind of thing anymore. I'll have to ask Yumi if anything substantial came of her threats before I make a decision."

"Having Yu- Ms. Ishiyama around makes you happy, doesn't it?" William asked.

"William," Aelita sighed. How could someone who was around her at all times, and knew almost everything about her be so clueless at these times?

"Even if it's a little more stressful for you... You also seem a little happier."

Aelita bit her lip, refusing to respond to what William had said nor look back at him. Perhaps he was more tactless than clueless.

Across campus, Yumi sat, bored, as her teacher called out roll. She was near the middle of the list, so tried to pay attention as to not miss her name when he finally got around to her. He was in the C's somewhere now. Yumi closed her eyes, but opened them widely at the next name.

"Dunbar?"

Dunbar... It did sound familiar. "Dunbar, isn't that someone that used to go here?" someone asked. The distracting buzz of conversation kept her from thinking about it too much, and the teacher soon called the class to order. Lessons went by, and Yumi was glad when lunch finally arrived. Though looking around, she couldn't see Aelita anywhere. Yumi frowned... Then decided that lunch itself could wait, and she was going to head to the factory to see if she could find Aelita.

Aelita was indeed at the factory, having been absorbed in several hours of trying to find out the error that had caused William's malfunction. She bit her lip and pulled her hair with frustration as test after test came back with nothing. Hearing the familiar mechanical sound of the elevator, Aelita went on alert, though she was more than happy for a break from this. "William, get back here now," she said.

William returned to Aelita's side just as the elevator doors opened. Aelita saw Yumi appear and stared ahead, waiting for William.

"Human," William informed, his voice crackling as he returned to his invisible state.

"Yumi... Hello," Aelita said tentatively.

"Hey," Yumi said pleasantly. "What have you been up to?"

"Well... Just doing some computer work," Aelita said, hoping that Yumi wouldn't press for details.

She didn't. "Since I saw you this morning, I guess," Yumi said. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No... But there is something I need to talk to you about," Aelita said.

"Sure, anything," Yumi said.

"This..." Aelita paused. Well, it was going to be difficult for Yumi, she might as well plainly come out with it. "This affection you have for me, it's bizarre," Aelita said. Her own lip trembled with regret as she saw Yumi's shocked face, and she had to look away. "I mean, not the... Feeling in itself..." Aelita paused. "I don't know why you're remembering things this way, but the way you believe it was isn't how things were," Aelita continued. It was the truth that Yumi's memories were somewhat distorted, and she had a right to know. Even if it would have been a dream come true of the Aelita of before. "But you didn't love me before, Yumi. You... We never were that way."

Yumi paused, thinking through this declaration of Aelita's. "Look Aelita, it's okay if your feelings have changed-"

"-That's not-"

"-But I still care about you!" Yumi shouted, looking Aelita in the eyes. "Me being there for you doesn't have to be based on a romance, okay? I don't have any conditions for that. Even if..." Yumi looked away, pained as she thought of her rejection. Suddenly, her eyes focused behind Aelita, her expression changing along with her thoughts. "William..." she said.

William put on a bewildered expression and Aelita inwardly cringed. If Yumi remembered things from how they were before, of course she remembered William. This could lead to a set of questions that she didn't really want to answer. William looked to Aelita for what to do, but Yumi only stared at William.

"You're..." Yumi put a hand to her chin, pausing a moment in thought. "William. Everyone's been talking about you lately."

Aelita raised her eyebrows. "Everyone? What do you mean?"

"I don't know... I've just heard a lot about him lately. From teachers, classmates, you know."

"That can't be," Aelita said. Of course William, like herself, didn't exist in this time. Just as there was no one in Kadic that recognized or knew her, with the exception of Yumi, the same should hold true for William. She'd assumed Sissi hadn't really recognized William that morning, but had she? This could certainly be trouble.

Upon that thought, the mechanical sound of the elevator echoed again throughout the room. "William," Aelita warned her companion to alert.

"Who's that?" Yumi asked, but the other two didn't answer.

Soon the sound changed as the elevator went down, and the doors opened. Out stepped a very familiar blond boy, who straightened his glasses as he looked around the room.

"Is he?" Aelita asked, though of course William would have answered anyway.

"Human," William confirmed.

Of course he was, Aelita realized. His inquisitive expression certainly wasn't typical of Xana, nor were his basic mannerisms. Though, Aelita thought, she would have preferred Xana to be standing there instead. In that case, she could have William chase him away, but since he was human, she'd have to get rid of him another way. Seeing the real Jeremy reminded her of how much she'd taken from others, and how she'd depended on other people's kindness to the point of their own suffering. She didn't want to be that kind of pathetic person, not ever again.

"It's just as I imagined it," Jeremy said. "I think I remember you," he said tentatively to Yumi.

"Hi Jeremy," Yumi said.

"Hi," Jeremy replied, not as sure about Yumi's name. "Who are you?" he said to Aelita, puzzled.

Aelita didn't respond, but was slightly relieved that things were the way they should be with Jeremy's memory. Though why-

"William, there's who I'm really surprised to see," Jeremy said.

William smiled as his creator, but just as soon turned to Aelita for her reaction.

Aelita wasn't sure what to do, she just sat questioning, why? Why was "everyone" suddenly remembering William? She couldn't let the truth about his fate come to light.