We’re back! Welcome to the 2nd annual wishshipping week! This week will be held February 19TH - 25TH. This is a week long event to celebrate the characters Jounouchi/Joey and Yugi and their relationship with each other. Below is more information and prompts for this week.
Prompt list
Day 1/Feb. 19th: How it started | How it’s going
Day 2/Feb. 20th: Comfort | Nightmares
Day 3/Feb. 21st: Movie Night | Ghosts
Day 4/Feb. 22nd: Bad Day | Cheer Up
Day 5/Feb. 23rd: Firsts | Barriers
Day 6/Feb. 24th: Sharing | Secrets
Day 7/Feb. 25th: Proposal | Future
Rules and other Information
What is this event about?
This week is for fans of Jounouchi/Joey, Yugi, and wishshipping. The event will take place February 19 - 25. Each day will have a choice of two prompts, which can be located above. The prompts and content will be focusing on the relationship between Yugi and Jounouchi/Joey. The prompts are up to your interpretation of them. You may use one prompt or both for the day. You can participate in each days prompts or choose to participate in the days that interest you or you are able to contribute. You may begin creating your content as soon as the prompt list is posted but, please do not post your works until the event begins.
What content is allowed?
All content and media creation is allowed. Fan art, fanfiction, mood boards, headcanon post, etc. Please have any warnings or ratings labeled and mod will also provide them in the tags when reblogged to this page. If you have any questions about your content please send an ask and the mod will answer as quickly as they can.
What about nsfw content?
This will also be allowed with some requirements. As stated above any warnings or specific content will need to be labeled/tagged and the mod will also be reblogging with the same tags. Nsfw will also need to be under a cut or linked to an outside source to view. Mod reserves the right to not reblog any works not properly tagged.
Where should content be posted?
This is a tumblr event but, your work may be posted in other places as well! To have your content reblogged/shared for this event please use the tag #wishshipweek2025 or tag @wishshipweek. Mod will be checking the tag daily (starting February 19th) to share your works. Mod also reserves the right not to reblog anything that does not fit with the spirit of this week.
Finally, the purpose of this week is to have fun and celebrate this ship! Go out, create, and have fun! If you have any questions, send an ask!
It hasn’t crossed my tumblr dash but it sure is circulating on twitter with 3.5M views, 10K likes, 17K retweets and counting. Normally this would be great! I love data and charts and comparisons!
Except this data is GARBAGE and belongs in the TRASH.
I first noticed something fishy when I realized that Steve/Bucky – the 5th largest ship on AO3 by total fic count – wasn’t on this Top 100 list anywhere. I know Marvel’s popularity has fallen in recent years, but not that much. Especially considering some of the other ships that made it on the list. You mean to tell me a femslash HP ship (Mary MacDonald/Lily Potter) in which one half of the pairing was so minor I had to look up her name because she was only mentioned once in a single flashback scene beat fandom juggernaut Stucky? I call bullshit.
Now obviously jumping to conclusions based on gut instinct alone is horrible practice... but it is a good place to start. So let’s look at the actual numbers and discover why this entire dataset sits on a throne of lies.
Here are the results of filtering the Steve/Bucky tag for all works created between Jan 1, 2023 and Dec 31, 2023:
Not only would that place Steve/Bucky at #23 on this list, if the other counts are correct (hint: they're not), it’s also well above the 1520-new-work cutoff of the #100 spot. So how the fuck is it not on the list? Let’s check out the author’s FAQ to see if there’s some important factor we’re missing.
The first thing you’ll probably notice in the FAQ is that the data is being scraped from publicly available works. That means anything privated and only accessible to logged-in users isn’t counted. This is Sin #1. Already the data is inaccurate because we’re not actually counting all of the published fics, but the bots needed to do data collection on this scale can't easily scrape privated fics so I kinda get it. We’ll roll with this for now and see if it at least makes the numbers make more sense:
Nope. Logging out only reduced the total by a couple hundred. Even if one were to choose the most restrictive possible definition of "new works" and filter out all crossovers and incomplete fics, Steve/Bucky would still have a yearly total of 2,305. Yet the list claims their total is somewhere below 1,500? What the fuck is going on here?
Let’s look at another ship for comparison. This time one that’s very recent and popular enough to make it on the list so we have an actual reference value for comparison: Nick/Charlie (Heartstopper). According to the list, this ship sits at #34 this year with a total of 2630 new works. But what’s AO3 say?
Off by a hundred or so but the values are much closer at least!
If we dig further into the FAQ though we discover Sin #2 (and the most egregious): the counting method. The yearly fic counts are NOT determined by filtering for a certain time period, they’re determined by simply taking a snapshot of the total number of fics in a ship tag at the end of the year and subtracting the previous end-of-year total. For example, if you check a ship tag on Jan 1, 2023 and it has 10,000 fics and check it again on Jan 1, 2024 and it now has 12,000 fics, the difference (2,000) would be the number of "new works" on this chart.
At first glance this subtraction method might seem like a perfectly valid way to count fics, and it’s certainly the easiest way, but it can and did have major consequences to the point of making the entire dataset functionally meaningless. Why? If any older works are deleted or privated, every single one of those will be subtracted from the current year fic count. And to make the problem even worse, beginning at the end of last year there was a big scare about AI scraping fics from AO3, which caused hundreds, if not thousands, of users to lock down their fics or delete them.
The magnitude of this fuck up may not be immediately obvious so let’s look at an example to see how this works in practice.
Say we have two ships. Ship A is more than a decade old with a large fanbase. Ship B is only a couple years old but gaining traction. On Jan 1, 2023, Ship A had a catalog of 50,000 fics and ship B had 5,000. Both ships have 3,000 new works published in 2023. However, 4% of the older works in each fandom were either privated or deleted during that same time (this percentage is was just chosen to make the math easy but it’s close to reality).
Ship A: 50,000 x 4% = 2,000 removed works
Ship B: 5,000 x 4% = 200 removed works
Ship A: 3,000 - 2,000 = 1,000 "new" works
Ship B: 3,000 - 200 = 2,800 "new" works
This gives Ship A a net gain of 1,000 and Ship B a net gain of 2,800 despite both fandoms producing the exact same number of new works that year. And neither one of these reported counts are the actual new works count (3,000). THIS explains the drastic difference in ranking between a ship like Steve/Bucky and Nick/Charlie.
How is this a useful measure of anything? You can't draw any conclusions about the current size and popularity of a fandom based on this data.
With this system, not only is the reported "new works" count incorrect, the older, larger fandom will always be punished and it’s count disproportionately reduced simply for the sin of being an older, larger fandom. This example doesn’t even take into account that people are going to be way more likely to delete an old fic they're no longer proud of in a fandom they no longer care about than a fic that was just written, so the deletion percentage for the older fandom should theoretically be even larger in comparison.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the author of this "study" KNEW the data was tainted and chose to present it as meaningful anyway. You will only find this if you click through to the FAQ and read about the author’s methodology, something 99.99% of people will NOT do (and even those who do may not understand the true significance of this problem):
The author may try to argue their post states that the tags "which had the greatest gain in total public fanworks” are shown on the chart, which makes it not a lie, but a error on the viewer’s part in not interpreting their data correctly. This is bullshit. Their chart CLEARLY titles the fic count column “New Works” which it explicitly is NOT, by their own admission! It should be titled “Net Gain in Works” or something similar.
Even if it were correctly titled though, the general public would not understand the difference, would interpret the numbers as new works anyway (because net gain is functionally meaningless as we've just discovered), and would base conclusions on their incorrect assumptions. There’s no getting around that… other than doing the counts correctly in the first place. This would be a much larger task but I strongly believe you shouldn’t take on a project like this if you can’t do it right.
To sum up, just because someone put a lot of work into gathering data and making a nice color-coded chart, doesn’t mean the data is GOOD or VALUABLE.
Has centreoftheselights learned the error of their ways and tried to actually collect their data properly this year so as to not misrepresent the popularity of every fandom on AO3? Nope! They're doing everything exactly the same, and as expected, the counts are WAY off (Castiel/Dean didn't even make it on the list this year despite having 6000 new works in 2024, which should've put it in the Top 10).
Do NOT trust this data.
Fortunately, Randomist1031 has done the hard work for us and compiled a 2024 dataset that includes privated fics AND gathers the counts correctly. They've even gone the extra mile and added separate public vs locked counts, percent locked calculations, and common ship names. I can't vouch for the accuracy of every data point but the handful I checked were very close (another benefit of using the "created by" filter method is that it's fairly replicable, unlike certain people's methodology).
Please share this list and use it for fandom analysis instead.
A blu-ray preorder special edition for Beyond the Period came with a special drama extra. So here's my fan translation of that.
----
Yotsuba Tamaki: Ummm, did it start recording?
Rokuya Nagi: Perfectly.
Yotsuba Tamaki: Alright! Let’s go.
Rokuya Nagi: Ok.
Yotsuba Tamaki: Ready, and-!
Both: Charge! Beyond the Green Room!
Rokuya Nagi: Shortened to,
Yotsuba Tamaki: BtGR! [1]
Umm, this movie is a dream live show called Beyond the Period featuring us from the four groups IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER, Re:vale, and ZOOL, for a total of 16 idols.
Rokuya Nagi: Before the Day 2 performance today, IDOLiSH7 is bringing you a look into the different green rooms.
Yotsuba Tamaki: We, IDOLiSH7, told the staff we wanted to do this project, and they suddenly gave us the OK. Isn’t that awesome?
Rokuya Nagi: We wanted to share with you all of the details of what’s going on behind the scenes between rehearsal and the live show.
Yotsuba Tamaki: We’re using the cameras on our smartphones, and behind us you can see the dancers in the hallway. You guys good?
Rokuya Nagi: They’re waving to the camera for us.
Oh! Tamaki, what were you just eating?
Yotsuba Tamaki: [through a mouthful] Fancy seedless grapes from the refreshment corner
Rokuya Nagi: Oh, the gifts from Re:vale. In one corner of the hallway, there are many refreshments like this that we’ve received from everyone involved lined up.
Yotsuba Tamaki: Pudding and other things that need to be chilled are in the fridge. Amazing, right? There’s plenty of fruit and sweets and drinks, too. Over here, we also-
Rokuya Nagi: Tamaki. I think that’s enough. This is turning into Charge! Beyond the Refreshments.
Yotsuba Tamaki: Sorry, sorry! Ok, now let’s move on to the main segments, yeah?
Rokuya Nagi: Then let’s start with this group’s green room. Hello~!
Both: BtGR!
Isumi Haruka: You took so long!
Yotsuba Tamaki: Isumin!
Rokuya Nagi: Did you go out of your way to wait for us?
Isumi Haruka: I didn’t go out of my way. You were making a racket in the hallway without making any progress so I was just checking on you.
Natsume Minami: Isumi-san, most people would say they were waiting especially for them.
Isumi Haruka: I dunno about most people, but whatever, I’m not saying that.
Rokuya Nagi: With that, Tamaki and I will introduce you to ZOOL’s room!
Yotsuba Tamaki: Here, Isumin, Minami, wave to the camera.
Natsume Minami: Hello, let’s enjoy our time together until Day 2 starts. You’re really recording this on your own smartphone, aren’t you.
Rokuya Nagi: Yes! We decided it would make it look more natural.
Yotsuba Tamaki: Hey, Isumin.
Isumi Haruka: I’m not waving.
Natsume Minami: Isumi-san…
Isumi Haruka: Just waving is boring. What the people watching this really want… is this, right?
Yotsuba Tamaki: Huh? Are you pinching something with your fingers?
Rokuya Nagi: Oh? But you’re not holding anything.
Isumi Haruka: I’m not pinching anything! It’s a finger heart! You guys even did this too for fan service, how do you not recognise it?
Rokuya Nagi: Amazing! Isumin’s fan service…
Natsume Minami: After receiving so much energy from everyone yesterday during Day 1, we talked about how it would be good to return the favor with fan service.
Right, Mido-san, Inumaru-san?
Inumaru Touma: [quietly] Got it. You really went for an offer I couldn’t refuse, huh.
Mido Torao: Yes. Let’s pump it up with your power. I’m looking forward to it.
Inumaru Touma: Leave it to m-uwah! Rokuya, Yotsuba, when did you get here?!
Isumi Haruka: A bit ago. But Marucchi, aren’t you a bit too surprised? What were you and Toracchi talking about?
Mido Torao: Ah, Touma was just-
Inumaru Touma: Stop! Don’t say that here!
Mido Torao: Well why not? You’re just-
Inumaru Touma: Shut up! If Haru and everyone find out, we’ll be teased like idiots!
Yotsuba Tamaki: Huh? What are you talking about?
Natsume Minami: I wonder…
Inumaru Touma: Maybe or maybe not, but probably. But this time I’ll get these shredded
Isumi Haruka: Shredded?
Yotsuba Tamaki: Marucchi, were you cooking during the live show?
Isumi Haruka: Cooking during the show?!
Inumaru Touma: No, it’s not like that-
Natsume Minami: Live cooking, hm? Serving meat roasted in scorching magma on top of shredded cabbage with ZOOL’s love.
Mido Torao: It’s stimulating not only the visual and auditory senses of our fans, but also their olfactory senses.
Okay, now above the live show-
Inumaru Touma: Are you an idiot? No way we can do that.
I more or less know what we were talking about but, what kind of trauma are you trying to start?
Mido Torao: I’m joking, I’m joking.
If you’re feeling nervous, I thought I should hype you up
Inumaru Touma: No way, I just gotta make my mind up.
Isumi Haruka: Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?
Yotsuba Tamaki: Good luck, Marucchi. I don’t really get what’s going on, but I’ll cheer you on from the wings!
Rokuya Nagi: Me, too. Everyone on the other side of the camera and sitting in the audience will also be looking forward to see what Inumaru-shi cooks up-
Inumaru Touma: Support all four of us in ZOOL, okay?!
Natsume Minami: I look forward to seeing you from on stage.
Isumi Haruka: See ya.
Mido Torao: Spend an unforgettable day with us.
Rokuya Nagi: Now, let’s introduce you to the next green room!
Yotsuba Tamaki: Iorin, Yama-san, Sou-chan!
—--
Osaka Sogo: Tamaki-kun, Nagi-kun, thanks for the hand-off.
Izumi Iori: As he indicated, the next green room charge will be led by myself, Nikaido-san, and Osaka-san.
Nikaido Yamato: Now, who could we be visiting? Let’s do this~
Huh? It isn’t opening.
Excuse me, it’s BtGR time. Re:vale, can you two hear me?
Ah, sorry, I spoiled who’s inside.
Izumi Iori: It was unavoidable in this situation. But I wonder why the door isn’t opening.
Osaka Sogo: They should have expected we would be coming for the Charge.
Nikaido Yamato: They should but…
Momo: Yamato! Sogo! Iori!
Nikaido Yamato: Momo-san, what’s going on? Why is the door-
Momo: It won’t open!
Yamato, Sogo, Iori: Huh?!
Nikaido Yamato: By won’t open you mean…
Izumi Iori: Why so suddenly?
Momo: I guess the lock broke but it suddenly stopped working halfway through. Ah, Darling!
Izumi Iori: What happened? Did something happen to Yuki-san?
Yuki: It hurts….
Momo: Darling, are you okay?! Darling! Someone! Help! Someone please help us!
Izumi Iori: This is bad. Nikaido-san, hurry and tell the staff-
Nikaido Yamato: No, no, this is clearly a prank
Osaka Sogo: Out of the way!
Nikaido Yamato: Sou?! What have you got-
Osaka Sogo: I borrowed some tools from the staff. It’s okay, I’ve removed a door once before.
Momo: Ah, the door!?
Osaka Sogo: Don’t worry. I’ll get you two out of there in no time.
Nikaido Yamato: Wait, Sou, you don’t need to go that far…
Osaka Sogo: What are you saying? Yuki-san is in danger. I have to remove it right away.
Momo: Wait, wait! Don’t remove it! I’ll open it! I’ll open it!!!
[a moment later]
Momo/Yuki: We're sorry.
Osaka Sogo: Please stop that. I can’t have Re:vale, whom I respect, sitting in seiza. If you must sit, please sit on top of me. Here!
Yuki: Are you sure?
Well, okay…huh, your butt is surprisingly soft.
Osaka Sogo: I’m honored to receive such a compliment.
Momo: Don’t actually sit on him!
Yuki: Momo, Would you like to sit, too? There’s half a butt left for you.
Osaka Sogo: Please go ahead, Momo-san.
Momo: Ah, really? Then just for a bit…wow, it really is soft!
Nikaido Yamato: Don’t freaking sit on him, you two!
Izumi Iori: All three of you, please stand up. At any rate, it’s a good thing nothing happened to Re:vale.
Momo: Sorry. When I heard you three were doing the BtGR I thought I just had to do a fun prank…
Nikaido Yamato: Do you have to always have to do a prank? And there must have been a million other things you could’ve done that would’ve been quieter
Yuki: But I wanted to see Yamato-kun freak out. Right, Momo?
Momo: Right, Yuki.
Nikaido Yamato: There was no need to panic, though. It was obvious you two were up to something.
Osaka Sogo: I’m sorry I didn’t see through such an obvious prank.
Nikaido Yamato: No, that’s not what I meant.
Yuki: You don’t need to apologize, Sogo-kun. If this wasn’t a prank, you definitely would have saved our lives. Thank you.
Osaka Sogo: That’s… I would without hesitation.
Izumi Iori: That aside, Re:vale really likes surprises, don’t you. There was that other time you tricked us before a recording, too.
Nikaido Yamato: It’s just like Re:vale not to feel nervous even on days like this.
Yuki: To that I say Yamato-kun is too stiff. You could relax a bit more.
Nikaido Yamato: Haa?
Osaka Sogo: In other words, you surprised us in order to calm our nerves? Re:vale is amazing…
Momo: Exactly. This one was mostly Yuki’s idea.
Yuki: If we, the most senior idols, did something like this, everyone else would feel a little more at ease, right?
Momo: My darling is way too ikemen! I want to show this thrilling moment to everyone in the audience right away!
Izumi Iori: Right away?
Momo: When I talk with Yuki, every minute and every second I think, my darling is unbelievable. It makes me want to tell everyone, you know?
Nikaido Yamato: You’re reminding me of Sou when he brags about how much Tama’s grown.
Osaka Sogo: Me? Really?
Izumi Iori: That’s something you don’t really notice when you do it yourself, isn’t it.
Yuki: But, Iori-kun is the same way when it comes to talking about Riku-kun.
Izumi Iori: Huh?
Yuki: Huh?
Izumi Iori: Huh?
Yuki: Oh right, I thought of a way to share the thrill Momo gets from me with everyone.
Izumi Iori: Wai- Yuki-san, what does that mean?
Momo: [overlapping] What, what? What kind of way?
Yuki: It’s a secret for now.
Izumi Iori: Wait, I just said-
Momo: What do I do~? Ikemen darling made an appearance! So that means everyone in the audience, be prepared for a surprise from Yuki today!
Yuki: That’s it for Re:vale’s green room.
Momo/Yuki: Bye bye!
Izumi Iori: But what did you mean by “the same way?!”
Nikaido Yamato: That’s just how Yuki is.
Osaka Sogo: Ah, to the next green room! Mitsuki-san! Riku-kun!
-----
Izumi Mitsuki: Alright! Sogo, Iori, Yamato-san, thanks for the hand-off.
Nanase Riku: Next, Mitsuki and I will be charging into TRIGGER’s green room.
Izumi Mitsuki: Alright then, without delay, Charge!
Nanase Riku: : BtGR!
Yaotome Gaku: Ah, well done you two.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Welcome.
Kujo Tenn: Thanks for coming.
Mitsuki/Riku: Thanks for having us.
Izumi Mitsuki: Jumping into it, how was yesterday’s Day 1?
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: It was so exciting! It was really so much fun, and multiple times I found myself wishing it would never end.
Yaotome Gaku: On top of that, Day 2 will be exciting in a whole new way.
Kujo Tenn: That’s right. I’ll be counting on you again today for Incomplete Ruler, Nanase-san.
Nanase Riku: Of course, Tenn-ni- Kujo-san. Same to you!
Yaotome Gaku: I’m looking forward to another fiery masturi from you two.
Kujo Tenn: Is Incomplete Ruler a fiery masturi?
Yaotome Gaku: In terms of the energy! You’ve gotta be intense enough to blow the snow away and vaporize it! It’s a live show!
Right, Nanase?
Nanase Riku: Yes, plus it’s a duet with Kujo-san!
Yaotome Gaku: So a matsuri.
Nanase Riku: It’s a matsuri.
Kujo Tenn: Nanase-san is being kind. Sorry for Gaku making you go along with him. Although, with him that would be a different song.
Nanase Riku: It really would…
Izumi Mitsuki: That reminds me, Yaotome is always in matsuri mode. I noticed yesterday during the MC.
Yaotome Gaku: Do I really say it that often?
Kujo Tenn: You do.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Especially during live shows, yeah.
Yaotome Gaku: Well yeah, because a show is a matsuri, isn’t it?
Kujo Tenn: But Incomplete Ruler isn’t a matsuri.
Yaotome Gaku: Then what is it? A festival?
Izumi Mitsuki: Why are you breaking out the loan word? [2]
Yaotome Gaku: Because that’s not a matsuri.
Kujo Tenn: Festival means the same thing, though.
Nanase Riku: I get what you mean, though. Being in katakana gives it a more stylish image.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I see! Just like how a stylish person might say trousers instead of pants.
Nanase Riku: Exactly!
Izumi Mitsuki: Is that really the same?
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: So if it’s different depending on the song, which would Daybreak Interlude be?
Yaotome Gaku: Well that would be a matsuri.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: What about Crescent Rise?
Yaotome Gaku: Hmm, I’m not sure but since it’s a song from a musical, it might be a festival.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: In that case, what about Last Dimension?
Yaotome Gaku: Let me think…
Yaotome Gaku: A matsuri.
Kujo Tenn: [simultaneously] Isn’t it a festival?
Tenn/Gaku: Eh?
Kujo Tenn: No, Last Dimension would be a festival. It’s also a song from a musical.
Yaotome Gaku: No, it’s a matsuri. The theme is fiery.
Kujo Tenn: Even though you said Crescent Rise was a festival?
Yaotome Gaku: It’s not like it’s a festival just because it’s a song from a musical.
Kujo Tenn: What the heck, I don’t understand your logic.
Yaotome Gaku: I said it was a matsuri!
Kujo Tenn: A festival!
[arguing continues in background]
Izumi Mitsuki: They got into an argument right before the show…
Nanase Riku: What should we do? If TRIGGER’s performance is affected by our charge on their green room…
Izumi Mitsuki: It’ll be fine. This kind of thing happens to us everyday, right?
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Right, don’t worry about it and watch this.
Hey you two, calm down. Take a moment, how about a carnival?
Tenn/Gaku: That’s not it.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: See? In perfect sync.
Nanase Riku: I should have known, Tsunashi-san!
Izumi Mitsuki: To even say it in the same breath is impressive coordination. And I think carnival is good, too.
Kujo Tenn: Excuse us for getting into a sudden debate in front of you.
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: You could say that’s Tenn’s and Gaku’s fiery passion coming out.
Kujo Tenn: I’m extremely reluctant to admit this but...
Yaotome Gaku: Hey.
Kujo Tenn: But it’s true that this heated exchange of opinions may just be the warm-up for today’s Day 2.
Actually, it may be one of the requirements.
Yaotome Gaku: Tenn… Alright, let’s keep going all out for Day 2, too!
Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Burning with all we’ve got, right?
Nanase Riku: We’ll give it our all, too.
Izumi Mitsuki: Alright, changing to the last scene for our Charge! Beyond the Green Room for this segment.
----
Nanase Riku: Manager, are you filming, are you filming? Thanks!
Momo: Okay, everybody line up! Is everyone here?
All: Yes
Momo: Then before our performance, I’d like to hear some words from my King of Darlings.
Yuki: Hello, I've been given the title of the King of Darlings, also known as Yuki from Re:vale
[laughter]
Yuki: Now, we can celebrate safely reaching Day 2 of this miraculous live show with 16 people.
We have to go beyond. Beyond the invisible wall between the audience seats and the stage.
Beyond the large or small shackles within each of us. Beyond the period called today.
In order to make the miracle that lies ahead of us happen again, this show is the first step towards our goal.
In order to cross paths with everyone here tonight once again, let’s give it all we’ve got!
All: Yeah!
----
[1] They shorted it to Beyo-控 (the first part of green room). So a similar way of shortening it is to abbreviate it.
[2] "Matsuri" is of course a Japanese word meaning festival. "Festival" has been adopted as a loan word, so it's pronounced similarly and written in katakana. A few lines later, "carnival" is used the same way - pronounced similarly and written in katakana.
Thanks to Snowpuff for proofing, any remaining mistakes are my own. We are not professionals and aren't associated with the series in any official capacity.
Compiling all the cute, funny and absolutely beautiful moments from the latest eyecatch:
Putting this warning here, since some people are reblogging it without appropriate tags: this is a MobReiMob post, don’t click read more if that disturbs you
Mob is fascinated by the size of Reigen’s waist, and can’t help but stare and touch. Reigen lets his master get away with many things. That is, until his patience runs short
A special short story included with the 4th Bucchigiri?! DVD/Blu-ray
Description from the official site:
Worried about how to "confess his love," Aranjin asks his best friend Matakara for advice on how to convey his feelings to Mahoro, but...?!
Story by Kishimoto Taku/ Supervision by Utsumi Hiroko
(NOTE: I'm an amateur when it comes to translation so there's unfortunately going to be mistakes here and there. I do plan on uploading clean scans of the original material sometime in the future for those who are more capable. I just wanted to share my own take on this little story.)
"Hmm~~, mmmmm~...ahh~...What on earth should I do...how can I convey my passionate feelings to Mahoro-chan!"
One young man is groaning loudly while holding his head in agony. This is Tomoshibi Arajin.
"Hey, Matakara! How do you confess to someone!?"
"Eh? Confessing? Hmmm...just be serious and tell them how you really feel, isn't that enough?"
The one who gives such an honest answer is Asamine Matakara. He has known Arajin since childhood, when they'd been best friends who aimed to become Honki People together.
"Just expressing my feelings seriously huh...Hmmm...I'm the type of guy who believes actions speak louder than words..."
Arajin is muttering something like that before he says,
"Matakara, show me how you'd do it."
"Ehh!? Me!? But confessing..."
"Just try it, try it! Okay!"
"Um...wait a minute...a confession huh..."
Matakara is flustered for a moment, but finally, as if he's made up his mind, he lets out a sigh, clears his throat, and says,
"P-Please, let me make miso soup for you every day!"
"Why are you the one making it!?"
"I see...it's more fun to make it together than by yourself! As expected of you, Ara-chan!"
"That's not the point! In fact, what you're saying is basically a proposal!"
Arajin holds his head in his hands, realizing that he has consulted the wrong person.
"Yo~"
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, Zabu and Komao."
The people who call out are Zabu Kakeru and Sakigake Komao, the usual lineup.
"Hello! What are you guys talking about?"
Komao doesn't care what the topic is and just gets into it.
"Ara-chan was wondering how to confess."
"If you're so keen to confess, then just tell the other person, right Zabu?"
When asked about it, Zabu grins.
"Yeah you should, if you really are that popular."
"But...I don't like Ara-chan being too popular."
Seeing Matakara's indecisive attitude makes Arajin confused.
"Hey what's all that about!?!? There's no such thing as being too popular!"
"No, it's not like that..."
"Matakara is Minato Kai's second best after all! Of course he's super popular."
Komao speaks without any ill intent, not knowing what the person in question is actually thinking.
"Stop it..."
"Grrr...I guess this guy's popular after all!"
Arajin grits his teeth as Zabu presses on.
"Weren't they waiting in line for you the other day?"
"Wh-What did you say!? Girls were waiting for him?"
"Grrrrr!"
Arajin growls with rage.
"It was just because that place was small! It's really not that great. They're girls, so I can't hurt them...but I can't just ignore someone who's coming at me with all their might..."
"Pyuu~" Zabu and Komao whistle as they turn away, ignoring Arajin.
"What is it? Tell me quickly! Tell me!!"
Zabu puts his hand on Arajin's shoulder in an attempt to calm him and continues with a serious look on his face.
"Listen here, Ichizu High has a time-honored tradition of matchmaking."
"Matchmaking!? Isn't matchmaking when a man and a woman who want to get married are introduced to each other at some arranged dinner??"
"In our case, the person who falls in love first comes forward and says 'Let's make a match!' and the other person accepts by saying 'Sure, I'd be happy to make a match!' and that's how it begins. If you fight seriously and defeat your crush, the two of you can have a special relationship."
"Huh!? Isn't that more like a wrestling match!? What does wrestling have to do with matchmaking?"
"That's just how it is, match is a match, that's all there is to it!"
Komao says, showing off his skills as he grabs Zabu in a headlock.
"By the way, guys can ask out other guys."
"A lover of men I am not!"
Arajin watches with dead eyes as Zabu is taken down by Komao's suplex.
"Ara-chan, if you'd like, wanna practice together? I mean, I could try being your matchmaking partner? By the way, my specialty is hoisting people up, so it's a technique that won't hurt girls..."
Arajin interrupts Matakara who was making a misguided proposal and glares at him.
"No way! The confession I want to make doesn't involve hoisting, or headlocks, or finishing moves! Isn't there a more normal way to confess your love?"
"That is normal..."
"Zabu, how would you confess?"
"Wh-What do you mean...just the normal way. I'd ask the other person to go out with me, like normal."
Zabu stammers nervously after Matakara suddenly turns the conversation toward him.
"Is it okay to just do that without thinking too deeply about it? What do you think Ara-chan?"
"Hmmm...but you know 'going out' just doesn't feel right..."
"What do you mean?"
Arajin tilts his head, searching for the right words as Komao looks at him confused.
"Going out, 'dating' that is, it's more like a contract, right? 'I won't date other people so you shouldn't either'."
Perhaps caught off guard by the word "contract," Shinpo mutters, "Well, you could say that, but..." He seems a bit dissatisfied.
"Aren't you overthinking it? I'm just saying 'let's go out' because I'm too embarrassed to say 'I like you'."
As Zabu looks on in disbelief, Arajin continues.
"But you know, I still don't feel comfortable with just 'I like you' and 'Me too'. For example, even if you find your partner on a date with someone else, if they say they like that person too, you won't be able to say anything."
"That's true, dating implies that 'neither of us will like anyone else' but that's only one possible meaning."
Matakara, who had been listening to Arajin's story, nods in agreement.
"Right? You don't want to get married, but you still want to date, it's kind of half-hearted, even unfair...If you really love the other person, you should just propose and get married!"
"I see...that's right!"
"Eh? Don't just go along with whatever he says! It's way too much responsibility. You can't just get married!"
"Propro~pose, pro~po~se~~!"
Maho readily agrees, but Zabu retorts, and Komao does a little dance.
"In that case, the 'miso soup' thing Matakara mentioned before might actually be on the right track..."
"What I said earlier, 'Let me make you miso soup every day'?"
"Yeah. There's that vague feeling of wanting to spend the rest of your life together...I guess a man is only as good as his sense of responsibility. That's a true companion."
Arahito pushes his hair back to look cool.
"Ha, stop trying to look cool when you've never even dated."
Zabu looks at Arajin with an expression of amazement, wondering what he was talking about.
"Eh, perhaps..."
"Have you ever dated, Zabu?"
Startled by Arajin and Matakara's words, Zabu lowers his head. He then speaks in a small voice.
His answer:
"No...not yet, for now..."
As time passes quietly by, Maho suddenly blurts out something.
"I wonder what it would be like, to date someone..."
"Ah..."
"That's right..."
The three of them look off into the distance, thinking about the relationship they have yet to realize.
"It's nothing that special."
It is Komao who says this so nonchalantly.
"You have no idea, you've never even gone out with anyone."
"There is someone."
"Ehh!?" Three boys shout in unison.
"No way..." Zabu mutters while Arajin and Matakara are speechless. None of them can hide their surprise.
Komao!?!? Experienced!?!? And nobody's heard anything about it!?
"I mean, we're going out right now."
"Ehhhh!?"
"Seriously...."
Zabu is unable to hide his shock and can't even look Komao in the eye.
"What's it like? Going out..."
Matakara asks a straightforward question.
"Hmm? Usually we stay together overnight."
"Overnight!?"
"Yeah."
Looking defeated and timid as he raises his hand, Arajin asks,
"Um, well~...Excuse me for asking, but when you say staying the night, does that mean you'll be going to bed together...?"
"'Going to bed'?"
"Well...he means if you're going to sleep in the same room together."
Matakara kindly explains.
"You mean, in the same futon?"
Zabu asks, finally joining in.
"Of course. We always take baths together."
"Baths!?"
"Yeah. But he doesn't like the heat."
Beside the group, who are frozen in place, Komao laughs heartily.
"I see... that's it..."
Matakara manages to squeeze out a reply.
"Do your parents know about this?"
Arahito can only use polite language now.
"Hm? Of course! I mean, they heard his voice the other day too."
"My parents!"
"His voice!??"
"That guy has such a loud voice~, so I quickly covered his mouth but that just made him go crazy..."
"Stop it already! Stop it, Komao!!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Zabu screams out loud enough to drown out Komao's voice.
Zabu's mind is in turmoil, like a small boat in a storm. They had been talking about what it meant to be in a relationship...but this was too sudden.
Only one of them was going too fast! Where are you going, Komao? No, does that mean the Komao he knew wasn't really Komao after all!?!?
It's no good, Zabu doesn't know what's going on anymore...
"What's up with you Zabu~, don't just scream so suddenly~. Now my ears are ringing."
Komao pouts in dissatisfaction. Zabu looks down and clenches his fists.
"That's not the Komao I know... the Komao I know... isn't like that..." His clenched fists tremble.
"What do you mean? You're joking, aren't you? It's just a game."
"!!!"
"Just a game...that's all? You're seriously calling it that?"
Matakara looks at Komao with a stern expression that he rarely shows to his friends.
"I'm disappointed in you, Komao."
Zabu states, clenching his fists so hard he was close to drawing blood.
"Eh~? Aren't you guys being too serious?"
Immediately afterwards, Zabu grabs Komao by the collar.
"What, what are you talking about! I can't believe you were that kind of guy!"
"Huh!? You guys should just go along with it instead of whining about it."
"What do you think, Ara-chan? Listening to Komao's story."
Matakara's usually soft voice hardens and his expression turns serious as he asks Arajin.
"Me too..."
Arajin quietly bows his head.
"You're right, this kind of thing can't be tolerated, right? Not being serious about the person you love..."
Arajin clenches his fist.
"Me too..."
"That's definitely not okay, Ara-chan..."
"I want to lose my virginity!!!!!"
。。。
The roar blends into the wind that rustles the leaves.
No one speaks.
All that can be heard is the rustling of leaves and the cries of crows...
In the silence, one person speaks up.
"Oh, it's him!"
Komao looks up towards the sound of the crow.
"What? He's...?"
"That's who I'm going out with right now, Caw-chan the crow!"
"Caw, Caw!"
A crow with round eyes, large wings and a lustrous black body flutters down near Komao.
"...A...crow...?"
Komao and this crow? They're going out? They're staying the night together? They were heard by his parents? While Zabu and the others stand there confused, Komao speaks to the crow in a friendly manner.
"Let's take a bath together again today~"
"Caw!"
"If Caw-chan is going to cry, I guess I should go home~,then~,see you tomorrow~!”
"Caw! Caw!"
"So... you're saying... you're taking a bath with a crow?"
As Arajin stands there in a daze, watching Komao leave, Matakara replies, gazing up at the crimson sky where Caw-chan has flown away.
"Well, they do say that crows like a quick bath..."
Deuce: This museum really has a ton of paintings. Not that I really know how to act in quiet places like this…
Deuce: Oh, but I can't use that as an excuse. I'll have to be a good supporter for the museum, just like any honor student would!
???: Is this dome… a teapot cover? Why would the Card Soldiers be carrying tea?
Deuce: Huh, you don't know, Sebek? Cool, then I'll tell you about it.
Deuce: This painting shows a scene of a trial from one of the Queen of Hearts' legends…
Deuce: And those Card Soldiers aren't actually carrying tea, but a witness for the case: a tiny mouse!
Sebek: Hmph, what's with that smug look? Well, fine, never thought there'd be a day that you'd have something to teach me, I suppose.
Deuce: Heheh. I'm a supporter for the museum, so it makes sense that I can explain something like that.
Deuce: Since I'm a student of Heartslabyul, I made sure to study extra hard all the tales related to the Queen of Hearts or her Card Soldiers.
Sebek: Is that so? Still, did it require two of them to transport a single small mouse?
Deuce: According to the story, it was a crucial witness, so they wanted to make sure it got to the Queen safely.
Deuce: Ah, that reminds me… We had something similar to this painting go down at Heartslabyul just the other day.
Deuce: Though, it wasn't a witness that was getting brought in…
Sebek: What, was there some lout breaking the Queen of Hearts' laws?
Deuce: Yeah. There was this one student who'd been breaking the rules over and over again, and he was finally being brought before Rosehearts-ryōchō for a stern reprimand…
Deuce: When the two guys tasked with hauling him in came to bring him to the Housewarden, that rule-breaker ran.
Sebek: Why do you even have people tasked with hauling others in…? You folk in Heartslabyul have far too many strange duties and rules!
Sebek: But that transgressor is also a coward, fearing reprimand and fleeing without taking responsibility for their actions.
Deuce: Right? He made his bed, he's gotta lie in it.
Sebek: Judging by your manner of speech there, am I right to assume that you helped to secure that transgressor?
Deuce: Yeah. I ran after the guy and caught him in a flash.
Deuce: Not like I've been training my legs or working on quick, explosive power in my sprints while in the Track and Field Club for nothing!
Sebek: Oho, so you captured them. And what were those two that were supposed to have brought him in doing?
Deuce: The guys on duty were apparently so shocked when the rule-breaker ran away that they couldn't move quick enough.
Deuce: But once I brought him back to them, they firmly took hold of him on both sides and brought him to the Housewarden, though.
Sebek: I see. So perhaps the reason why it isn't considered overkill to have two people on duty for such a thing is in case something unexpected occurs.
Deuce: Maybe…? I guess so.
Deuce: Ah, but listen to this. After he finished reprimanding the rule-breaker, Rosehearts-ryōchō praised me for a job well done.
Deuce: "Not only did you capture the transgressor without a moment's delay, but you showed good judgement in allowing the students on duty to do their job as assigned," he said!
Sebek: True, normally you'd do something brash like bringing that offending student directly to Riddle-senpai after capturing him.
Sebek: An unusually calm and mature judgement, coming from you.
Deuce: Hey, nothing "unusual" about it! It's not strange that I was able to think that through.
Deuce: Because, I'm on my way to becoming an honor student!
[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
Sebek: Oh, this painting… It looks as though it's based on the legend that speaking a wish into a well would make it come true.
Deuce: Yeah, so if you make a wish into a well, it sends your voice back out. I remember that well, 'cause I always thought that was odd.
Sebek: It's merely an echo. What is so odd about that?
Deuce: Huh, an echo?
Sebek: You didn't even know that? I'm speaking of the phenomenon in which sound bounces off of water or walls and is reflected back.
Deuce: Huh… Oh, so is that the same sort of thing as when sounds reverberate in a tunnel?
Sebek: That's right, as tunnels are also primed for echoes.
Deuce: Oh, okay… That actually brings back memories.
Deuce: Whenever I'd be riding through long tunnels, I'd put the pedal to the metal and rev it up so loud.
Sebek: You'd rev what? Are you talking about some kind of music?
Deuce: No, no. I'm talking about a blastcycle, not any instruments or whatever.
Deuce: The engine can make different sounds based on the body of the blastcycle, or even from the way it's ridden.
Deuce: It can make heavy thumping sounds, or low, rolling sounds…
Deuce: And it can be really fun to change up my driving style just to hear those different sounds.
Deuce: Whenever I ended up alongside another driver who knew how to make their own engine sing,
Deuce: It was easy to just end up competing to see who could make their engine rev louder.
Sebek: And what is so fun about that? It just seems to be a cacophony of noise, based on what you're saying.
Deuce: YOU DON'T GET IT AT ALL! It's great because I can feel it to my core.
Deuce: And, it feels sooooo amazing to feel the vibration of the engine echoing off the tunnel walls!
Deuce: AND PICKING UP SPEED IS THE BEST PART!
Deuce: The faster I go, the higher the pitch of the engine…the more that sound echoes in the tunnels…
Deuce: By the end of it all, the only sound I can hear is the blastcycle engine… I just can't get enough of that feeling!
Sebek: Shh, Deuce. You're being too loud, lower your voice. You're going to bother everyone else trying to enjoy the silence.
Deuce: Ah, sorry… Actually, kinda feels weird to get told by you of all people to lower my voice.
Sebek: Why is that? I don’t raise my voice like that unnecessarily.
Deuce: Eh… You seriously saying that right now?
Sebek: Obviously. At any rate, I don't really understand what you were saying about those blastcycles, but…
Sebek: You shouldn't cause a ruckus while riding, unlike what you did just now.
Deuce: Well, obviously I try to ride so I don't bother others on the road… At least, now I do…
[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]
Deuce: Oh hey, it's the Lord of the Underworld. I like how brave he looks flying through the sky in this painting.
Deuce: And on top of it all… He's way too cool, rushing to the front lines like that to save his captured comrades!
Sebek: Right. The Lord of the Underworld must have been a truly capable fellow, able to take on even the most difficult missions by himself.
Sebek: One would require proper deliberation and competency to achieve positive results.
Deuce: Urgh… That hits a sore spot…
Sebek: A sore spot…? Ah, you are talking about what happened last week.
Sebek: I remember seeing you, Grim, [Yuu]… and Ace, if I recall. It was while I was heading back from flight class.
Sebek: All four of you were standing like idiots in the hallway, being scolded by Trein-sensei.
Deuce: URGH!!!! You saw that!?
Deuce: I-I didn't plan on it ending with us getting in trouble! It wasn't supposed to end like that…
Sebek: I'm sure it is a ridiculous story… But why not, I'll listen to whatever excuses you come up with.
Deuce: At the start of History of Magic class, Trein-sensei told [Yuu] to read out loud a passage from the textbook.
Deuce: But that page was completely ruined by drool, since Grim fell asleep on it the night before, so it was impossible to read.
Deuce: So, I raised my hand, offering to read it instead.
Sebek: So why did that end up with you all being sent out to the hallway?
Deuce: …I forg… …xtboo…
Sebek: I can't hear you, speak up.
Deuce: I… I'M SAYING I FORGOT THE NECESSARY TEXTBOOK!!!!
Sebek: So you tried to step up, even though you didn't have the textbook… You're a fool who has gone beyond help.
Deuce: Ace was saying something like that, too. Both him and Grim were laughing at me for that.
Deuce: Even though it was really Grim's fault in the first place!!
Deuce: [Yuu] even pointed that out to them, but they wouldn't stop, so…
Deuce: We ended up arguing… Which then got us sent out into the hallway before long to deal with the consequences of our actions.
Sebek: So that's why you were in the hallway. However, I don't understand. Why did you do such an unnecessary thing?
Sebek: Even if Grim or [Yuu] were to be reprimanded, that has nothing to do with you.
Deuce: Nothing to do with me? Come on, there's no way I can let my friends flounder like that.
Deuce: I mean, Grim aside… [Yuu]'s helped me out a ton before, so.
Sebek: Hmph. Then I guess at the very least, next time you should act after you've determined whether you have your textbook or not.
[Sebek walks off]
Deuce: YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE!
Deuce: Geez, and he walks off after one last parting shot, huh… Ugh. Guess I'll try to shake off this funk by checking out some of the other exhibits.
Deuce: Oh, this is a painting of a girl singing with flowers. She looks like she's having fun, but according to the story…
Deuce: If I remember correctly, she was described as vulgar, rude, and weedy...
Deuce: Doesn't matter where you are, or who you are, everyone has to follow the rules. Not a shocker to me that those who can't follow 'em end up in sticky situations.
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