Kokou no Tsubasa

(Keels over with laughter)

2004-03-28T06:47:15Z

Dedicated to mithas' current OTP (dies). Drabble-Matic rocks. Err, what's a crone?

To Gorgeously Dance

Niou and Marui were celebrating a measly Valentine's Day together. Niou had cooked a lip-smackin' dinner and they ate at a sushi shop by candlelight.

"My darling," Marui said, stroking Niou's nose, "I have something for you." He gave a box to Niou. "It is but a pretty token of my carnivorous love."

Niou opened the box. Inside was a gigantic donut! He gazed at it heavenly. Then he gazed at Marui heavenly. "It's squeaky," Niou said. "Come here and let me dance with you."

Just then, a horrifying crone sprang out of hiding and cackled like a fish wriggling out of water. "Your happiness will not last!" she said in a wild voice and dropped a piece of paper onto the dinner table.

Marui read it. "It's a page from a diary. It says...it says that you're my brother."

They stared at each other savagely as the crone cackled some more. Niou's chest began to tremble. Then Marui shrugged, pulled out a plushie, and hit the crone on her leg. She fell over dead.

"Problem solved!" Niou said and kissed Marui goofily. "This is a malnourished Valentine's Day!"

They slovenly burned the diary page in the candle and never told another soul. And then they danced with each other all night long.

Distracted. Sorta.

2004-03-16T09:12:01Z

Momentarily distracted by work and my unwatched anime list (and it still has a lot).

- Done with Samurai Deeper Kyo (which inspired a review a lot of sly smiles at the mention of familiar historical names and events. Sanada Yukimura, to name one).

- Finally got around to seeing the entire Hunter x Hunter series (which inspired a rather strange fic...)

- Pissed at the Hikaru no Go episodes I don't have yet since I'm so close to the ending (still waiting to get them). They grow, like real people!

- some hentai (which frigging sucked bigtime, as always, wasted my time)

Watched a lovely one-hour Heian period piece titled Kai Doh Maru last night. Dunno what it was exactly driving at (apart from the historical thing) but it was worth watching for the visuals alone. It was like seeing ukiyo-e come to life. I really want to write that Sai fic.

And new fic bunnies, most of them Rikkai, goddammit. What is it with this team? They haunt me.

Final thoughts before beddie bye

2004-02-24T22:34:04Z

Remind self not to post an unbeta'd fic, especially when said fic was written in a daze. It was supposed to be Kuwahara-kun and not Jackal-kun (sigh). And it's chemistry, not physics (err). Although Marui's "Sanada-san" was deliberate, it's not meant to be sarcastic. I think. Marui has strange thinking patterns.

[Fic-Repost] Big Red Boat (OshiGaku/gen)

2004-02-24T13:34:48Z

Title : Big Red Boat
Character/Pair : Oshitari/Gakuto (Hyotei)
Rating : G [gen]
Disclaimer : A non-profit fanfic venture, no copyright infringement intended. PoT belongs to Konomi Takeshi and Tachibana belongs to me (jumps him).
Notes : Another edited repost from ff.net (one can never edit enough). Wanna test out the memories function (which I don't use since I don't write much anyway). Sorry for flooding flists.

After much thought, I decided to post this. I was on crack when I first wrote it so I cleaned it up a bit. I still don't like my writing style but I kinda fell in love with the image and did the best I could.

"And that?"

"That's a boat."

"A boat?"

"A boat."

He turned his head and found big round eyes staring back at him. His smile came unbidden like it always does when Gakuto had that look on his face.

"Be specific," the boy insisted.

Smile erupted into a belly laugh. Yuushi knew he'd say that. "I didn't know cloud formations come with model numbers."

"Why not? Use your freaking imagination."

"Okay, okay," he sputtered. "A big boat. A big red boat. How's that?"

Snort. "Kabaji can do a better description."

"Ah, but I'm cuter than the guy."

"...What's your point?"

Yuushi thought for a moment. "Well, I can think up a boat and say it's big and red and everyone will go, oh that's wonderful, Yuushi. Betcha Kabaji don't get the same reaction."

He expected another snort but noticed that Gakuto had gone quiet. "Hmm?" he sounded off and watched as his friend shook his head. Gakuto shaking his head meant he wasn't going to get an answer of any sort anytime soon. Suited him fine. Sometimes. So he looked away, the smile still pasted on his face.

"Whoah, that looks lot like a head. Atobe's head," he mused idly at an unusually large clump of cloud. When the boy still didn't respond, Yuushi turned to glance at his companion and wondered how many times he'd done that in the past few minutes. Glance, look away, glance, look away. It gave him a crick in the neck. He glanced just in time to see the redhead tuck his arms under his head, staring intently at the sky. He looked away. Again. After a long moment, Gakuto spoke.

"I don't understand half the things you say half the time. You do know that, don't you?"

Yuushi mimicked his friend and stretched out his arms. His hands cradled the back of his head, not before scratching an ant off his scalp. The grass pricked him like needles despite his shirt.

"Think so."

"So why do you insist on speaking to me in dialect?"

A butterfly flitted by. He gazed at the erratic pattern it made before his eyes. "Dunno. Maybe it's 'cause you answer back just the same?"

"...That's because I understand what you're saying," Gakuto slowly replied, an answer to his own question.

"Do I rest my case?"

"Not quite. It's just... weird."

Yuushi jerked slightly as another ant crawled along his arm. He flicked it away, annoyed all of a sudden. "We've spent, what, four, five hours talking non-stop after practice just the other day..." Afterwhich, he roughly grabbed his jacket and tossed it to Gakuto. "Put that under your head."

"Yeah, but I sure as hell don't remember half of what we talked about, to be honest," Gakuto pointed out as he absently slipped Yuushi's jacket under his head.

"Didn't use to bother you."

"It does bother me now. You could be hurling swear words at me, for all I know."

God, when did Gakuto ever talk without sounding like accusing him of murder, he thought amusedly. "You know I won't do that."

Snort #2. "Sure. You fooled me into watching a quote-unquote, political thriller, last week, when it had, like, more than a dozen kissy scenes. Sure makes me believe you even more."

Defensive whine. "It was a cute film."

Snort #3. "Hoah yeah, damn cute alright."

Laugh.

Yuushi opted not to answer, as he usually did at times when he felt an inexplicable weight inside him. He heard Gakuto sigh. Clouds floated by a little more speedily, signaling a coming breeze. He shifted his position and propped a leg over the other. Silence stretched out. Then he smiled.

"Especially when you start blushing at the love scenes."

Gakuto grunted. "Now you don't even know the difference between blushing and fuming. Sex doesn't embarrass me, sap does."

"It was a political thriller."

"It was a cheesy romance," the redhead's pitch grew a notch. "And they were speaking in Kansai-ben, for god's sake."

"You did understand it."

"Sure wish I didn't."

"You know what they say, the language of the heart is universal."

"Ewww."

"Hey, look see, you're blushing."

"Am fuming."

"Usu?"

"Am not."

"Virgin."

"Aargh!"

Gakuto groaned and suddenly bolted upright. Yuushi oomphed and held up his arms just in time to deflect mild blows of jacket as the boy landed on him. Laugh his ass off, deflect, until it turned into frenzied rough play, as it usually does when things get smarmy. He was grateful for Gakuto's slight frame, amused as he was at the thought of being manhandled by someone as big as Kabaji.

"Take it back!" Thwap, shove.

"Only virgins blush, you know." Deflect, laugh, haphazard headlock. Gakuto squirming out of his arm, squashing his face.

"Arrogant prick!"

They went at it for a while until his stomach growled.

"Alright, alright, time out. Sushi, ramen, burger, food, you know, food, eat?" Yuushi spewed between Gakuto's tackles until the boy stopped. Tired. Hands on bended knees, chest heaving, face flushed. Finally laughing like nobody's business.

Gakuto thoroughly teased and riled up over nothing meant Gakuto in a good mood. Something he was grateful for. Gakuto in a good mood meant he could sleep easier tonight. For what it's worth. He thought it funny how thoughts worked its way into him at the silliest moments.

"You play, you pay," the redhead insisted.

"Hai, hai."

He straightened the same time Gakuto did. He grabbed their bags from the rock nearby as Gakuto grabbed the jacket and collided against him. He slung a lazy arm around the boy's shoulder as they started half-walking, half-tripping. His friend's hip jutted out to nudge him playfully at his side, making him lose balance and swear aloud in dialect. He rewarded the gesture by locking his arm around Gakuto's neck, to which the redhead answered by snickering and reaching out a hand to roughly graze Yuushi's hair.

A pair of uniformed highschoolers passed by, tossing them a strange look. Yuushi loosened his hold the same time Gakuto straightened his back and resumed walking normally. They were a few feet away from the nearest restaurant when he noticed Gakuto's hand was still clutching his shirt at the small of his back.

"Ne, Yuushi."

"Hmm?"

"Was it a big boat or a really big boat?"

Sleep, sleep...

2004-02-20T03:34:30Z

Finally got around to reading and commenting on some fics in crack_pot. At last (while my lazy streak is on vacation). Never knew how much PoT crack I could take until I saw the pairs. Oh the crack, what fun.

mithas, I noticed that in some posts, the comment count doesn't show up on the main page. Maybe you should go check. And now I sleep finally.

[Review] And in the World of Pro Tennis... [Old Post]

2004-02-19T08:55:49Z

This is old but figured I'd post it for reference reasons. Haven't been watching tennis for a while now.

The Australian Open witnessed Swiss ace Roger Federer as he survived Juan Carlos Ferrero and emerged #1 just last January 30. (According to news) It took this Wimbledom champion just one hour and 29 minutes to wipe out the French Open champ (6-4, 6-1, 6-4) in his 4th win over in seven encounters.

Spied a game of theirs on TV a few weeks ago (one of those 7) and it was mighty interesting. Cannot recall exactly how the game went (since I was cooking), but they did remind me of certain PoT ppl. Ferrero affects a refined snobby demeanor reminscent of Atobe (which explains why I like this player, doh) and a playing style that combines the Hyotei captain's wit and Tezuka's non-flashy strategist style. Am not too familiar with Federer but from what I saw, he's silent but strong and very expressive and effective (think combination of Tachibana, Kamio and Shinji).

Talking to myself

2004-02-13T18:00:14Z

Dunno what's going on. All I know is that I'm not quite done yet with any of my fics to post them, Inui induces orgasms even in the most stoic of observers and everything always looks better on the outside. Good place to be.

Some Words

2004-01-31T06:46:13Z

God, the crack_pot info page is just kakkoi (especially the banner and icon LOL). Just wanna say that. You rock, mithas. I don't know which crackpair to begin writing, I got so many (gets idea anyway).

Declaration of Undying Love, Devotion and Lust

2004-01-29T11:45:36Z

And since I'm in a really weird mood, I also want to take this chance to declare my true feelings.

Atobe Keigo, I love you (bawls on your shoulder). You goddamn bastard.

Intermission : Thank You For...

2004-01-29T09:06:10Z

This is gonna sound weird coming from me but I feel it must be said. I don't have much friends on this here blog but to you guys and any passerby, I just want to take this chance to thank all you PoT fans.

Too many nasty hurtful words have been tossed around in the name of fandom so I figured it wouldn't hurt to thank people for sharing their PoT lurve. Be it for any reason (selfless or selfish), we fans do benefit from all you who share everything from info and links to media files and fanfic (and yes, even mindless fangirling).

The thought came to me just now while checking my flist and actively searching for Tenipuri-related LJ blogs (which I haven't actually done at all, god, what kind of fan am I). And since my presence of mind is legendary, it's hard to mention all the stuff you guys post that's made me laugh, frown and react in many different ways, but it's all there for anyone's taking and it's all fine and good.

Sure, interacting and relating with others is not an easy thing to do (human nature) and times do come when we don't get along or end up getting pissed at people for one reason or another. But in the end, I realize it's best to simply let all negative emotion slide and focus on the main point. The point being, it's our common interest that binds us all and if it wasn't for this, we'd all merely be flicking ants off our scalps (okay, bad image).

Utopia? No. But it's a lot better than constantly wallowing on the bad side of life (which takes up so much energy, don't you agree?). So to one and every all (hehe), arigatou gozaimasu (bows low).

A Word on Lefties + Rikkai

2004-01-27T22:42:25Z

The saying, you'll never know how it feels like until you've walked in someone else's shoes, has never been so real like it is lately.

Bad news : Right shoulder's been giving me so much trouble that I'm forced to use the mouse with my left hand. Annoyed or relieved, I don't know, but as a matter of necessity, I also decided I should start practicing my left hand for the most menial things like eating (spoon's okay but chopsticks -_-) and eventually (and painstakingly), longhand writing. I text and smoke with my left hand so that's two down. I also play badminton with it, could be Ryoma-inspired but in reality, it's because my right arm is just utterly useless, power-wise.

I never had any issues with lefties but I can see now the world of difference between them and righties. I can also see the advantage of being ambidexterous but finding out this way is not much of a pleasant experience. I need more patience.

Good news : The pain in my shoulder and the ambidexterity has given way to more PoT fics, so there, it's not all for naught, ahaha. Now if only I can type long enough to finish one soon.

Congratulations, O-caillen, for passing the o-exam! See, knew you could do it. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

And seeing as mithas' lj is so crowded, I'll comment on the Rikkai caps here. It is my opinion that the animators had gotten lazy thinking up ways to draw Rikkai because it seems they ended up looking like, err, the Seigaku and Hyotei teams. Marui, Ryoma's twin (sigh). I'm glad Yanagi doesn't wear glasses or he'd be mistaken as Yagyuu's twin as well. Purple sludge, fine, but err, lavender doesn't cut it either (stares at Niou).

Do we have to pay see the eyes of every bespectacled character in Tenipuri?

I also understand the need for bishounen, no offense, but this is getting ridiculous. Niou, for one, isn't bishounen (I go for manga over anime so if you don't care either way, ignore me). He has tougher features and I woe the fact that his anime eyes aren't large, intense and droopy (that word again) like in the manga. It's what sets him apart. And I agree with caillen with regards to Yagyuu. I expected him to be more, uh, gentlemanly (if there's such a thing). Morose-looking maybe.

Marui's seiyuu fits him (so cuuute). And yes, he and Niou sound like bystanding gangsters lol. I actually like Niou's voice - it reminds me of KwG Mitsuru's seiyuu (argh, forgot his name, he also did the ugly best friend in Initial D). Yagyuu's is okay but err, something doesn't fit. And I have no complaints with Kirihara's. Cake cake! Back to BB3 writing mode.

Sleep, sleep, sleep...

2004-01-22T22:28:19Z

Hee, I got a review. Two! (holds them up like a kid with candy). Many thanks and huggles, violintide/muscatlove, for taking time out to tell me what you think :D (hands you candy).

Now to figure out how to reply to ffnet reviews, apart from other stuff on the to-do list. Yes, me. Me, of the "I-lose-my-password-to-everything-the-moment-I-make-them" persuasion. Spaced-out-half-the-time, attention-span-of-a-baby, poor-memory-retention, drowsy-even-after-a-night's-sleep me. Dammit. I need my brain (what's left of it). But I gotta sleep first. Yes, sleep. And eat, yes, eat.

And I wanna post something in reaction to the InuFuji fics da ne. Darnit. Sleep first, sleeeeeep (crawls to Yuuta's lap). This be nice (beeeg smile) (gets kicked away by aniki). I wanna write (last battle cry).

Whims are good

2004-01-20T08:02:55Z

What's worse than being an LF? Whims. I made a fanfiction.net account because I've always been curious how it works. Hee, it looks fun. Besides, it's about time I go read around (wibble, wibble). My PoT obsession is getting worse, it is indeed karma (snort) (on a whim, jumps Gakuto).

Blah, blah, blah

2004-01-15T06:49:29Z

Well, it is a common practice to pick up character names from all over the place but god, Konomi, can't you be any more obvious than this - "Tachibana - Kippei Shina". Intriguingly, the dorama also stars Hideaki Takizawa a.k.a. of the Johnny's Juniors' Taki/Tsubasa pair as Kanda who likes handsome boys. Hoh.

I haven't given it much thought until of late, I mean, what sort of "fan" I am exactly. Perhaps fan enough that I made an exclusively PoT blog? To others, it's simply not enough to talk about it. Some think a real fan not only follows the series but also buys merchandise. Others though think that it's not the trinkets but the people you interact with that makes the difference, how deep you get into discussion, how many other fans you know, etc. Maybe it's a combination of everything plus a stalker-like tendency, I dunno really.

I'm pretty easy-going when it comes to anime and manga. I easily get pimped into something for one reason or the other, and who can blame me, there's so much good stuff out there. I'm rarely possessive with pairings (e.g., I don't mind Subaru/Kamui even if I adore Seishirou/Subaru). When it comes to fanfiction, I read everything, as in everything, even when I dislike a pairing/character as long as it's well-written. But I rarely write fanfic (mostly original) and am a big fan of the RPG writing style.

Unfortunately, it seems Tenipuri caught me at a time when I've simply grown tired and lazy to be active. Which sucks because I like making new friends online and I feel honored when someone goes out of their way to friend me (such as Inui, for instance, glomps you). But this laziness for a series that I really like talking about... weird.

So the theory goes, my distance is probably has much to do with writing. For years, I've gotten into fandoms whose fic base I pour over and indeed, it's advantageous for a fan to be in fandom for this reason. Apart from the goodies and inside scoop, you got people whom you can share ideas with. But I noticed that in all those years, I haven't really accomplished much. I have a tendency to atrophy because instead of focusing on writing, I simply blab about my ideas until they wilt away (guilty).

Tenipuri holds the distinction of being the only series I ever wrote for seriously. As much as I have a love-hate thing re: my writing style, I find myself enjoying writing for PoT. For one, the series features a large number of characters which guarantees more combinations. You may either like popular pairs or mix-match others to fit your whim (I've been playing too much Sims). Also, each character has his own charm, so pair or not, you can still enjoy them (in more ways than one, ahaha). Two, it's new anime (compared to Slam Dunk which is, like, a dinosaur already). Three, Konomi-san is a yaoi fanboy who looks very uke. Kidding.

It's also the sort of series where you get a really wide variety of pairs, that different groups of people can like one pairing and still have others who like one person from that same pairing and connect him with some other character (e.g., Tezuka/Ryoma, Tezuka/Fuji). Of course, we all have our own preferences based on the sort of chemistry we see between two people (I explained that in my Inui/Fuji post). It's all a matter of knowing what pushes your buttons, so to speak. I discovered that even if it gets lonely sometimes just blabbing to one's self, it's much more fun when you're not forced to like something just because everyone else is in it. Besides, I don't wanna lose this writing streak. It doesn't come often.

And with that in mind, I have a next post. Something I had much fun with (between all my RL whining).

Heights and Voices

2004-01-13T20:20:56Z

Is this accurate? As it turns out, Fuji is actually smaller than Eiji O_O. Then that means by the time Ryoma turns 14 or 15, he'd be taller than Fuji. So who are you calling ochibi, eh, Kikumaru? Damn it. How come they don't include heights for the other teams as well (still pondering the Yuushi/Gakuto height thing).

Searching for PoT seiyuu is nice, makes for ennui (inui, haha) filler. Yes, months into Tenipuri and I couldn't even get Ryoma's seiyuu's last name right. It's Minagawa, fool.

[Eyeball] Doubles at the Davis Cup

2004-01-12T08:49:56Z

Sports are fun once you know how the game goes, I discovered. Take American football, for instance. Got my uncle to thank for enlightening me on what this otherwise confusing game is about, and how it differs from, say, soccer or rugby. Same way PoT got me watching real tennis.

Caught a replay of the Wayne Arthurs/Todd Woodbridge (tall 3rd/short 2nd guy from left) doubles match yesterday against Spain (Davis Cup). I don't catch much tennis on TV nowadays so seeing this one was a treat (and I've never seen real doubles till yesterday).

Admittedly, I have yet to grasp tennis since I've never played it at all but that doesn't prevent me from ooh-ing and ahh-ing while watching (and earning strange looks from people in da house). It also became a habit to compare/contrast PoT tennis with the real thing (since it's the only point of reference I have).

Tennis is a bit more subtle in terms of psychological/emotional warfare (if you will) on the court, hence inviting one to speculate over details not overtly apparent to inexperienced viewers (such as myself). Hence the fun of it (I wouldn't be surprised if psychologists and people in similar fields enjoy it). And doubles, I found out, is a lot more exciting than singles IMO (lol). Well, at least in the Davis Cup (the audience in this tourney is simply amazing, they're so emotionally involved).

Woodbridge is a magnetic player. I didn't see the entire match but at the onset, he caught my attention because he's so small and yet deadly. "A little maestro," is the perfect phrase for him (being a many-time grand slam champ, no doubt). And Arthurs does this strong silent kinda thing, supporting but not entirely in the background. They were so in sync, it's like dancing. I'm still deciding which PoT pair I compare them with (the closest I can think of is the Golden Pair).

I so enjoyed the sweet full body hug he and Arthurs shared when they won (hee-hee, slash). Arthurs had to, like, bend down to embrace the little guy.

Funny thing about the Spanish team - Corretja/Lopez reminded me much of Oshitari/Gakuto in terms of body language. They tend to stand too close to each other and talk amongst themselves (in a universe all their own). I'm sure it's something they're not aware of, but TV magnifies even the littlest things. In fairness, they did well although the way the Australian team played, yup, no match.

I look forward to watching more tennis and learning more about the game (and improve my tennis vocab -_-). So far, it's the only sport that's got me this involved (more than soccer and golf). I wonder when I'd see anything Wimbledon.

The Scud is an Ohtori move, right? (Err, I forgot who). It's Australia's Mark Philippoussis's signature move.

Extra Thought: "Ohhhhh, naruhodo..."

2003-12-20T22:11:14Z

Jirou being compared to Pete Sampras (re: his talented wrist) made me realize why it's difficult to use Sampras as player in that PS2 tennis game. So yes, Jirou is one really talented dude. Too bad he has to take up dry cleaning as his future career. Not that it's a bad choice (zzzzz).

Wail

2003-12-20T22:00:21Z

Can I even write this Kabajirou fic? Jirou's mind jumps are harder to deal with than Yuushi's. Yet I sorta find his voice a lot more comfortable to write, ironically. Kabaji takes the cake since I do more dialogue than description and well, you get the picture (sigh). But oh, the waff and the angst. I love how Atobe (a.k.a. the guy who's unpairable in my universe unless it's me) fits in the sphere of things.

Quote of the Night: Bro-in-law or no bro-in-law, I can't keep up with you guys (slumps drunkenly in bed).

Just for my own info

2003-12-19T07:30:15Z

Name : AKUTAGAWA JIROU
Grade : Year 3
Play Style : Serve and Volley
Birthday : 5/5
Blood Type : AB
Seiyuu : Ueda Yuuji (fangirl)
Accomplishment : Year 3 - Hyoutei Gakuen Regular

Recap :
Although Akutagawa is always seen napping, don't let his appearance fool you. At the Prefectural Tournament, he defeated Fuji Yuuta in less than 15 minutes. Akutagawa only perks up when he is playing against an exciting opponent. So far this has happened a few times, including matches with Atobe Keigo and Fuji Syusuke. Akutagawa is a volley specialist (famous for his never-miss Magic Volley) and was inspired by rival player Marui Bunta two years ago. Akutagawa is perhaps the only player on the show who is perfectly content with a loss as long as it is memorable. Akutagawa has an older brother and a younger sister.

Singles Record
YEAR - TOURNAMENT - RESULT - SCORE - OPPONENT
2YA - Newcomer - L - ? - Marui Bunta
This - Tokyo Prefectural CM - W - 6-1 - Fuji Yuuta
This - Kantou Regional R1 - L - 1-6 - Fuji Syusuke

----------

Name : KABAJI MUNEHIRO
Grade : Year 2
Birthday : 1/3
Blood Type : O
Seiyuu : Tsuruoka Satoshi
Accomplishment : Year 2 - Hyoutei Gakuen Regular

Recap :
Kabaji is very simple-minded, but that's also his greatest weapon as it allows him to copy his opponents' techniques fairly quickly. He duplicated both Kisarazu Atsushi and Kawamura Takashi's special moves only after one game. Kabaji plays Power Tennis and has incredibly speed. He is often seen tagging along with Atobe Keigo. He doesn't speak up much and always answer Atobe's question with a "usu".

Singles Record
TOURNAMENT - RESULT - SCORE - OPPONENT
Kantou - Regional R1 - 2-2 - Kawamura Takashi

Doubles Record
TOURNAMENT - RESULT - PARTNER - SCORE - OPPONENTS
Street Tennis - W - Atobe - ? - Izumi/Fukawa
Street Tennis - L - Atobe - 0-15 - Momoshiro/Kamio
Tokyo Prefectural R3 - W - Kaida - 6-0 - Kurihara/Watanabe
Tokyo Prefectural CM - W - Kaida - 6-4 - Kisarazu A./Yanagisawa

Musings

2003-12-19T06:42:12Z

- The official PoT profile at FET says that Oshitari's weakness is that he can't adapt his gameplay. My question: then why is he considered a prodigy?

- What is it with Atobe really that he's quite capable of wearing a fuschia pink ruffled shirt even the most girly girls won't wear? (Or should it be, was Konomi-sensei experimenting on fashion?). But we can forgive you for that, dearest Keigo, because your voice really rocks.

- Echoing mithas' sentiment, can that seriously be allowed on the court? (Referring to Genius 205's Niou/Yagyuu scene).

- Nanjiroh's wife was shown in the manga as a side story (see #0) but in one panel within the storyline (forgot which chapter), only the side of her face was shown. Which begs the question: is it the same wife? o.O (You'll never know with Samurai dad).

- Isn't it ironic that Momo's TeniMyu actor is named Eiji?

- Can I fangirl over TeniMyu!Tachibana? What's the actor's name BTW? (fangirls over TM!Ryoma again).

Of chemistry and really kickass players

2003-12-15T23:24:45Z

Will try not to elaborate much for fear of being led to the guillotine by rabid InuKai fans but then again, I have no friends on my list so what the hell.

Wow, speaking like this is some sort of secret. Not gonna step on any toes but like I cared before so, yet again, what the hell. Uh-oh, I feel a long intro coming.

Fandom isn't the sort of thing you'd consider seriously, when seen from the outside, but in my opinion, I think it takes a certain toughness to be able to handle it in general (a dry "hai" of assent). People get really possessive of pairings to the point of fighting over it (fights crossing over to real life even). Either that, or fans tend to force their beliefs and ideas on anyone who doesn't concur to what they like. So if you're the sort to cower at things like these, goodbye fandom, go hide in your corner.

In my case, it's pretty simple. It's either I like something or not (given my current state of being, yes, I tend to be this way). So it follows, if I like something, I respond to it. If I don't like it, I don't. Not counting the in-betweens, of course, i.e., stuff that's not in my hands anymore.

And of course there's the issue between fanon and RPG's. We all have different interpretations of what a character is like, depending on our own life experiences and inherent personality. So more often than not, what clicks in canon or fanon doesn't necessarily mesh in RPG and vice-versa. One thing's for certain though. Chemistry all depends on interaction and response, and how good the person is in doing so.

And that was a very long intro, yes. Hell, it's my journal and I'll write if I want to.

I found an fascinating exchange between Seigaku's Inui and Fuji. Two characters who, for a time now, I've been musing over in fanon. I had InuKai moments, yes I did, after I read some nicely done rec'd fics, but I thought there's just something missing in the equation. I could almost see an Inui staring blankly somewhere, trying to figure it out (I know I did).

InuKai inspires the senpai/kouhai fascination in us all. But after the initial high and excitment that comes with crossing the line, what now? There's nowhere to go except bondage and/or sap. Because after all, you gotta admit, Kaidou isn't actually a mental/emotional giant and he can, well, only do so much. And as much as everyone stresses that these guys are junior high schoolers, you also gotta admit that Inui is not your typical boy. For someone like Inui, as distasteful as it may sound, it doesn't take much to catch his attention, but it does have to take a certain something to keep it.

Tezuka's a pretty good choice but IMO being the scintillating conversationalist that he is, for one, being around the Buchou can get stale. Besides, Inui's needs and motivations are different from Tezuka's (which I find to be much more in tune with Ryoma's or Atobe's but that's another post altogether). Of course, this is all just me. We all have our own ideas on pairings.

And then Fuji comes to mind.

I think the reason why TezuFuji doesn't attract me is because I don't fancy a Fuji chasing someone around all that much and making the first move. He doesn't seem like the type, although, take note, his relationship with Yuuta is different so that's the exception. With Yuuta, he's got more right to chase him in his own way because heck, they're brothers. Certain protocol can be disregarded between siblings. But I'd think Fuji is above flirting and seducing his fellow teammates (the very idea makes me reel). Other teams, sure, I'm all for it but the people he's with everyday and all... until we get to Inui.

Roll call: Ryoma, Momo, Taka-san, Kaidou, Eiji, Oishi. With the exception of Tezuka, these guys aren't exactly high-falutin' guys, no offense. I finally understand why you get pairings like Ryoma/Jirou and Taka/Shinji - they tend to make much more sense than sleeping with people in your own backyard.

So what is it then with Inui and Fuji? Simple. It's chemistry. Take two good players with great interactive skills, and they can turn this rather odd pairing into witty repartee and beyond. Layer upon layer of personality, pitting each other's mental powers, hiding, revealing, masking, manipulating, meeting at a point, arguing on others, testing waters.

Fuji has a seductive effeminate aura that comes naturally to him - the sort that's also open to misunderstanding. It's similar to girls with natural charm around guys who mistake friendliness for flirtation. I can see why fans tend to paint Fuji as a slutty ho. As it is with complicated personalities, it takes someone to see beyond the facade and find the truth within. Confining it to Seigaku regulars, I think the most likely person to touch upon this truth is Inui.

Because Inui strikes me a sensitive person, apart from being observant. He's also a hard nut (pardon the pun) to crack, and who's more capable of cracking hard nuts (again, pardon the pun) than Fuji. I'm sorry but I think Tezuka is just too dense for this business (and besides, something else caught his attention already, one shiny thing in the guise of Ryoma).

So there. If you dig this kinda thing, it works. And besides, if you know what I'm talking about and you read those logs, man. They scorch. Bigtime.