Leave You

i'm caught in another sandstorm

when will it end?

the affections of many, like grains of sand 

i still want what lies behind my reach

this lying, deceitful heart 

i didn't think i'd get so caught up again

but i can't throw it away

Charlemagne

It's Charlie??? I can't believe this is happening...

Today we went to go and see some puppies and fell in love with this little one. He is a light cream colour with a little white spot on his head and cute white socks on his feetsies. I placed a deposit to hold him, and we are aiming to pick him up October 10th!

Kinda nervous about being a puppy mom again. Not sure what I wanna do differently with this pup than my last. Honestly, it's kinda surreal to pick up this little guy while Jacks turns 12 in November😱 Time sure flies on by.

For name ideas, we originally wanted to name him Belphie (aka Cerberus) but he looks much too sweet for that kinda vibe. We're tentatively calling him Charlie, full name Charlemagne. Other contenders are Nugget, Potato (Toto), Bailey, Angel, and Luke (LOL).

Honestly I don't know why I always pick up dogs in the fall/winter. It makes potty training kinda hellish due to the cold weather. Things are what they are, though! We'll see how things go and I'll try and document Charl's puppyhood better than I did for Jacks (which was pretty much non-existent lol).

~K

after hours

How can I be 3 decades old and still be feeling... pensive? Occasionally the feelings just hit me. And I become shrouded in misconceptions, my own preconceived notions of this world. Everything repetitive.

Things of this world, and not of God.

Feeling like the Queen of Hearts, wading through the world.

TBN

Episode 1

Lena Hikawa arrives in the city with her bags. The cab driver drops her off at the front steps of a parliament building. She hasn't been back since her parents died years ago and she went to live with her grandmother in the countryside.

She is met by an attendant who brings her inside to meet with her uncle, Hugo, who has recently been promoted to lead a special miltitary sector dedicated to eradicating the HRA. 

Hugo briefs Lena on the HRA and their goal of re-writing history. They know very little about this terrorist group, other than the fact that they are ruthless and will stop at nothing to seize power and overthrow the government.

Lena comes from a line of saniwa on her grandmother's side and so she has been recruited by him to arouse the souls in the touken danshi to give them a physical form to fight the HRA who have their own dark saniwa. Not much is known about the saniwa working for the HRA other than the fact that they go by the moniker "N".

Hugo brings Lena to a room where a shrine has been set up specifically to reanimate touken danshi. He says their team has recovered several historical swords and instructs her to choose one to be her first partner.

Lena chooses a rather slender and elegant uchigatana which, after a flash of intense white light, reveals itself in the form of a young man around her height. He has dark brown hair and red eyes. Lena quickly discovers that the swords possess a personality of their own once they take on a human form. She realizes this once Kashu Kiyomitsu introduces himself and looks her up and down, stating that he is "hard to handle" but looking for an owner that will "pretty him up and love him good." 

Lena wasn't sure what she expected, but supposed that the danshi would have been more like lifeless puppets, rather than human-like. She is surprised by Kashu's forwardness.

Lena and Kashu go to the address of an apartment that Hugo has arranged for them to stay. It is a spacious penthouse, but barely furnished. There is a kotatsu table with a few worn cushions in the living room, and a rolled up futon in the bedroom with a single pillow. 

Lena rolls open the futon and flops onto it, taking out her phone. Kashu is staring expectantly at her. She asks what he wants and he asks what they will be having for dinner. He also states that aside from the clothes on his back, he doesn't have anything to change into for the night... unless, she is wanting him to sleep naked. He insinuates that even though they just met, he doesn't mind that kind of thing, if his master commands it.

Lena jolts up and quickly pushes him to the door, saying that they will pick up food and some suitable casual clothes for him to wear. After all, she checked her phone and saw that Hugo had deposited the first month's pay into her account already, and it was more money than she had ever received in her life.

Along with the funds came a message from Hugo to buy something dressy to wear for herself and her new danshi. An inauguration ceremony was coming up, and it was mandatory for her to attend.

Episode 2

Lena walks through the crowded streets of Neo Tokio, eating an ice cream cone. Beside her, Kashu is also struggling with eating his, on top of carrying a bunch of shopping bags from various shops. The ice cream has started to melt all over his hands, but Lena makes no move to help him with it as she is lost deep in thought.

The HRA seemed like a dangerous organization to be dealing with, but here she was, stuck with a historical sword in the form of a young man, walking and eating ice cream like a couple on a date.

They return to the apartment and Kashu changes into a yukata with a fancy striped pattern. Lena stocks the groceries they bought in the fridge and tosses the numerous bags and containers of snacks onto the counter.

She retreats under the futon covers and quickly falls asleep. Kashu observes her sleeping form for a long moment before deciding to spend the night under the kotatsu cover.

The next morning, she is awakened by a phone call from her Uncle telling her to return to the parliament building for training. Lena groans to herself, mumbling that she never signed up for training, but peels herself out of bed and calls for Kashu to get ready as well.

The pair would enter a hologram training room with enemies and she has to command her danshi to work together and clear the missions. Lena and Kashu don't complete a single mission on the first day. Hugo isn't impressed, but says that this is to be expected from a newbie.

Lena feels dejected but Kashu reassures her that everyone starts out somewhere. "Everyone has a first day!" he exclaims, leaving her wondering how on earth he can be so chipper.

Episode 3

Enter Keisho...

The streets of Neo Tokio were wet from the evening rain. Lena winced as she stepped into a particularly deep street puddle, praying none of the water got into her boots. Kashu trailed behind her, nimbly avoiding the puddles as if it were a game.

"Uncle Hugo will be angry if we are late," she muttered to herself, "but so rarely is he pleased, so what does it matter?"

"Don't be so glum! The inauguration is a celebration for the new Saniwa." Kashu tried to cheer his master up. "I'm sure you two will get along well, once you are introduced."

The new Saniwa...

Somehow, Lena did not know if that were a good thing.

Desire Sensor x Naginata of Choice

Oh my gosh I cannot believe I finally managed to forge SHIZUKAGATA NAGINATA! 

I've been forging for weeks now. I don't know exactly for how long, but trust me when I say that all my resources, specifically whetstone, were extremely depleted.😤

(Not the only thing we can work on together...)

I absolutely love his VA and he is so polite. I value characters who have good manners. Plus, HULLO?! WHAT IS HE WEARING--??? IT'S HOT?!

His damaged art makes me feel dirty HAHAHA but it's not like we can look away? It's like, art purposefully drawn to be suggestive. And NO, I am not posting it here!!! (OK maybe sometime but not now.)

Anyway, it happened to be the birthday of a character named Barbatos in the 'Obey Me!' game series. Since we call Shizukagata by the nickname "Barbatos Abs" (they do have a bit of a similarity), perhaps it was a catalyst. Or maybe just the Fuji I got from completing the event missions. Who knows??

Welp, here is the Saniwa Style profile for this danshi:

Name: Shizukagata Naginata

Nickname(s): Mr. Vampire, Barbatos, Sexy Naginata

Why he's beloved: Welp, I just really love his long claws (perfect for back scratches!) and his overall "vampire" look reminds me of a Chinese vampire/zombie. Plus wow, his outfit is very easy on the eyes. The man has got it going on!

I can't wait to kiwame him, he's risen to the top of my fav list in a very short time. Can't wait!💕