Hopefully Ayato's coming soon, with that voice reveal in Itto's trailer!!! Him and Thoma going to see a show - how cultured. I've seen some leaks about him but I'm not putting my faith in anything yet. I'd love for him to be a hydro claymore so much, though. The subtext in this fic is actually that he is a hydro claymore, it's just not relevant to Itto's story. They trade claymore tips (Itto's advice is practice against a big tree and just smack it really hard to get stronger, and Ayato is formally trained and has a proper combat practice set-up in the estate that he keeps offering to no avail) I look forward to this being immediately contradicted and him being, like, a hydro polearm or a cryo bow or something lmao. My self control simply can't let unreleased dogs lie - I get an idea about a character, however unreleased they may be, and I can't stop myself from getting it down lol.
Writing stuff that feels worthy of sharing is so, so tough (I have to keep reminding myself that fanfiction is like... Free and for fun and for self indulgence whenever I get too nitpicky about stuff) but I'm sooo ready to leave big ol' comments on anything you feel up for publishing!
I was going wild pre-Thoma release trying to farm every kind of specialty for him only to realize his ascension material wasn't even RELEASED. i had to rush through all of the Tsurumi quests to get a good view of those mushrooms, so i could speed through collecting them before his banner lmaoo. I really thought Gorou would be getting Onikabuto then, but nope - they've just been sitting around waiting for Itto! I've got an outright embarrassing amount of wishes saved for him, but I'm so hyped for his release I can't be bothered to feel FOMO from all the banners I've skipped. Praying the gacha is in your favor fr tho 🙏 may everyone who wants that big, loud guy get him and read every single one of his character stories.
I feel that though!!! I'm so excited for The Lore (tm). I've got another wip I've been itching to rush ahead on, but I'm holding back until I can play Itto's story quest because there's no way that won't have some interesting stuff. And that trailer showing the Arataki Gang on stage?!?! Performing??? And performing some story that totally screams written by Arataki "Historian Supreme of the Oni Clan" Itto. Are they THEATER KIDS???? I adore them so much lmaoo. I want to know so much about this gang, Genshin please introduce every single one of them.
At least Gorou is a 4 star, which means he's not getting such fancy treatment (unfortunate bc more canon Gorou information please, but great that I can feel free to go a little more wild with my headcanon without as much of a possibility it'll be contradicted by new content lol) Super interested in seeing any ideas you're ready to set in motion once they're out 👀
ON GOD THOUGH??? THE MPREG FIC?? that's so fucking funny. I don't think omegaverse is a route I'm looking to go down so hopefully my feverish filling of documents with ideas about the both of them is enough of a sign to Genshin that I need them both to come home lmaoo. I'm too attached to my current team (minus whoever will inevitably have to swap out for Itto) to even properly utilize Gorou with the Geo group he deserves, and I've got no artifacts ready for him, but I didn't spend all this time grabbing pearls to not max ascend him so he can enjoy his time in my character archive.
OH YOU'RE SO RIGHT ABOUT THE BOWS THOUGH. Itto and Yoimiya's rivalry, too... He just can't stop getting into feuds with bow-users. I think Gorou would encourage Itto to try and learn how to use a bow (a good soldier is well-rounded in combat, after all. All the soldiers of The Watatsumi Army got basic training in all sorts of different weapon types.) and Itto is obviously on board for anything that'll make him stronger. Gorou's bow might be too small for him though - though Itto's SUPER hyped when Gorou can handle his claymore, so he's got someone else to recommend the tried and true method of hitting trees to. I love how combat is so much of a theme for both of them in different ways, it really gets me. And I think it's so funny to make things about battle into things about romance. Them in that game awards trailer fighting the rift hound? Anniversary outing. And the both of them being loyal leaders, too!! THE dynamic duo for sure.
I also tend to get super wordy when I'm getting into stuff, so I'm glad that's not an issue at all lol!! I'm not wildly active on any social media, so most of my Genshin thoughts just remain in my drafts. So it's definitely cool to get to talk about these characters with someone! Thank you :) Also edit: i hit comment on this and realized how MUCH it was 😭
(this reply is immensely later that i expected it to be, please do not let it say anything negative about my enthusiasm for this conversation. blame it on the daily banner release hell.)
On that not, tada! It's a proud Ittorou owner!! On my Euro account. My US account is sadly lacking a Gorou. Don't ask me how Itto won pity. It's my main account so he's much stronger but it's so sad to play him without his battle partner :(
Oh, I was SO ready for Ayato to be a hydro claymore, that would be so cool. Especially since we already have Xingqiu as a hydro sword (though that's not saying much with (counts fingers) five total characters. The real joke would be him turning out to be a hydro polearm, that would be a true Zhongli clone. Also that one comment about the tree is SO funny considering Itto's passive (which has really helped with the furniture grind, thank u son), CANONICAL TREE ABUSE. Ayato tries. Ayato fails. Ayato carries on with life, because he knows some things are better off just existing as they are. Whatever his weapon may be, it's already canon that he puts way too much effort into pranks and children's games, which already says a lot about him.
Ugh, I KNOW, but my brain always wants to make stuff big and with structured narratives and everything! But you're right, fanfic is a playground! That's what makes it so fun. I'm working on it, I promise! Hopefully I'll be able to churn out at least a small thing by the end of the year. I'm keeping an eye on the tag every day, crossing fingers that I see you again!
Oho, I never planned on getting Thoma, but funny story I was actually going HARD for Diona. I got one of her at the beginning of the banner on Euro and only needed ONE more of her to be able to share her shields with my boyf in Coop. Alas, while everyone else was getting C20 Diona, I was only getting her on US (where shes already maxed) and multiple Sayus and Thomas on Euro. Death becometh. Thoma can't even share his shield waaah. (Please dont be intimidated by how much I talk about my boyf he's literally the only person I play genshin with.)
I didn't have beetles NOR pearls for either of my boys, I was that idiot that didn't know what to do with the beetles and didn't plan on getting kokos so I never bothered to collect any. Flashforward to me a couple days ago hazing Inazuma for them. Hail me, bug god. I hope you were able to get both or at least one of them too! I have Gorou out in my overworld all the time now bc he's just... He's just so good and playing as him makes me happy. I'm going to be wishing for more of him all banner, RIP Xiao, Ganyu, and Shenhe. Honks my clown nose.
Oh my gosh my first job as a certified Ittorou mother was to comb through ALL of the lore, voicelines, relationships, history. Blasted through Itto's quest the first chance I got. Loved it. I can't help it, I need to know everything before I write fic. Even then I'm like... Where the fuck does Ushi come from?? What is he?? Did Itto find him under a rock or something?? There is no explanation for this thing's existence. I love it. It drives me mad. But still, I love, love character exploration, the closer I can get to canon the better, so I gotta know everything! Then the next step is AUs. DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT THEATER KID ITTO AND STAGE TECH GOROU. I WILL NOT SHUT UP.
Heh, it tends to actually be a lot of family fluff! I've never published smut, but one day. ABO gives me a lot of Feelings. But I'm soooo excited to see all of your ideas. I'm with you on that artifact hunt tho... it's been rough, I've literally just been farming for talents for the past couple days, I had nothing prepared just in case nobody came home and they'd just be sitting unused in my inventory making me sad lmao. I almost never play Gorou and Itto without the other because they have maximum potential with each other, also it just feels right (literally got them both to friendship level 2 today at the exact same time, take from that what you will). I tend to shuffle my characters a lot for whatever I feel like playing that day so it's easy for me. BUT STILL, with the lore here, the possibilities are endless. Wishing you luck on the fic grinding! We're both gonna need it.
Oooohhgg, all of this. Gorou's lore has been some of my favorite so far, it's said so much about him as a person. It makes me so excited to characterize him in fic, especially how he and Itto fit together. GOROU TRYING TO CHOP TREES WITH A CLAYMORE THO, he has good flexibility and balance but by god the weight of Itto's claymores must equal one Gorou. But seriously, Gorou and Itto's ways of life are completely different, but their values are largely the same. Protect the weak, take care of your family, never accept defeat, ect. ect. Like Gorou supports Itto battle-wise, but Itto can teach Gorou so much about self-care and just living life. Don't you love meta parallels?? I LOVE META PARALLELS.
Ogh, god, I offer you one uber long comment with another one. But thanks for talking to me about this nonsense!! Even though it's like eating up the comments section of your fic. Maybe when one of us makes another fic we can start the process over. Good luck on your pulls and griding!!
(haha no worries!! happy to see you in my inbox, regardless of timing :)! I actually wrote about half of this comment 3 days ago and then got busy and couldn't find time to just finish it until now)
Congrats on getting the two of them! & winning pity with Itto on ur main especially!!! I went broke levelling Itto & his talents so Gorou's taking a bit longer to get up to max ascension. For now, Itto's fighting without his partner on my account as well 😔 At least Thoma's on the team - Thoma who came home before Itto did on his own banner LOL the disrespect. Tearfully deciding who will be swapping out for Gorou so he and Itto can go fight together once I get him better artifacts. I got him to C4 for his heal to justify putting him into my currently mostly non-Geo team lol, and also because I'm far too attached to the idea of making a team with Ayato, Thoma, Itto and Gorou (you know.. The Boys tm) once they're all out and I'm assuming (I'd love to be wrong about this though, lol! I'm so bad at putting healers on my team I just cram food into my characters and wish for the best) that Ayato's not planned to heal in any way, so they'll need whatever health they can get. Assuming I can even pull Lord Kamisato that is lol. Saving primos is getting tough.
Honestly I'd be so down for hydro polearm Ayato, even if my heart lies in giving every goofball as big a sword as possible. Him and Thoma can practice sparring together with brooms and mops as their practice weapons.
and RIGHT!! exactly!! i saw ittos passive and Knew what it meant (that being: this boy hits trees for fun). Genshin doesn't realize it but every passive is actually sweet sweet personality info for me, whether they mean it to be or not. Thoma DOES take fishing pics and fish for fun, according to his fishing passive. And Gorou is a well-trained survivalist who can identify all sorts of local plants and wildlife.
I'll keep an eye on your account as well! I've gotten super enamored with just writing silly little bits of just Itto being Itto, so my Ittorou has taken a little bit of a backseat ("a little" because boy am I still thinking about them haha. Curse the end of the year for being so busy!!)
I've been waiting for a Ganyu rerun since losing the 50/50 to her on her first banner but the urge to get a constellation for Itto is so strong - my f2p self can't handle wishing any more on Itto's banner if I still want to have any hope of getting other 5 stars anytime soon. I'm so sorry Ganyu. I had exactly zero interest in Ayato before thinking about him in relation to Itto, but now I'm ruined. Not to mention Kuki Shinobu (who didn't get any mention in Itto's quest!!! Agh! He even talked about how few members his gang had! I know they tend not to talk about characters that are planned - presumably, since she's got voicelines about her and starting to get rumored leaks - in non-Archon quests but what a bummer lol), whenever she's going to be getting information.
unfortunately i was a little criminal and read all of their lines and stories in leaks but i held off on listening to the audio and MAN hearing them was so much fun!! another commenter mentioned ushi being an ex god like Guoba and im so into that i keep forgetting its not canon because god (haha no pun intended) wouldn't that be SO good. my silly little ideas jotting zone has "Ushi as an ex god who has decided that life as some guy’s dancing little canonball is a lot more fun." sitting nice n pretty on it for One Day when i feel like writing some extra silly nonsense. Ushi does so much damage sometimes I believe he could be a god who just decided to step down and hang out with the Arataki Gang one day. I'm sure Itto would just accept him and take him home. ("Look Granny, he doesn't even NEED us to build him a little house outside, 'cause his back is a roof, so he's already a house. He's extra convenient. Can we keep him? Please please please please-" etc etc)
(ALSO IM SORRY TO GO AGAINST YOUR REQUEST BUT PLEASE SAY MORE RN!!!! omg stage tech au my beloved ur so right. i was so distracted by arataki "writes and performs his own monolog despite being given one to audition with" itto i did not even think about by-the-book dedicated as hell tech gorou who gets distracted by this guy who gathered all of his friends to protest that he should play the lead.
also, obligatorily, considered an ittorou teacher au and itto lends himself so well to being an elementary/middle school PE teacher lol. though to be accurate to his 3/4 unemployed-ness, maybe more like the odd-job taking uncle who keeps running almost-late to picking his nephew up and Gorou's the teacher who's learning about Itto exclusively through these brief encounters and his nephew saying things like "uncle Itto showed me how to drink milk up my nose" and "uncle Itto taught me that if you rip up parking tickets you don't have to pay for them anymore since they're gone")
I've had Razor on my main team since day one and I absolutely refuse to let that change anytime soon, so he gets to hang out with the Inazuma gang now. Him and Itto can take turns dealing damage. Thinking about the team dynamic has been super fun tho lol everyone gets to be his big brother.
oh YES YES yess thinking about what itto n gorou share/lack and what they can improve in one another is SO wonderful. ive gotten super into thinking about their communication styles lately and thinking about Itto who doesn't really think before he speaks and acts and doesn't typically care much for keeping things to himself versus Gorou who is incredibly hesitant to share too much with others because a commander doesn't burden his subordinates and lives his life via plans. also i have to imagine how they go about solving their problems is entirely different, even in places where they align in their values, which is probably super fun! if itto loses a fight he just keeps running at it until he can win, but gorou's the type to tactically retreat and come back only once he's sure he knows what to do. that sort of thing. i'd imagine itto finding the watatsumi army to be incredibly boring for this reason - why have all these weapons if you're gonna be stingy about using 'em??? how much of fighting is just reading books??? (and not fun books, like light novels about lifelong rivalries between samurai brethren, but just ones listing out what you should do all the time). gorou should join his gang and be a general there.
though gorou'd probably be horrified to find out that the arataki gang's boys spend so much time in jail from getting into fights they just can't win, even if it's endearing that they're usually getting into these fights to defend one another's honor. restrain yourself from trying to institute a proper training regimen here, gorou. army brain off. it's your first time meeting these guys, just be nice and enjoy the lavender melons they're offering.
HAHA hopefully nobody is scrolling through the comments and bothered by how long these are getting. if you're seeing this and that's happening to you I'm sorry! I can't keep things succinct to save my life. I'd be down to just start anew this long stream of essay-length comments next fic one of us puts up LOL. good luck on your pulling & grinding as well! Maybe (hopefully!) you've gotten Gorou on the US account now - in which case extra good luck for having to grind for all the materials more than once!
Lol it's okay! I'm the same way (as you can see). Sorry about jammin your comments section, but I love chatting and I applaud you for indulging me for so long. That's just how the non-social kids communicate these here days... back in my day (smokes candy cig) FFN had email...
Yaho! Thanks! I hope your Gorou leveling went well (YANFEI SPECTER MURDER SPEEDRUN), I personally find him super fun to play. It's really funny whenever I cheer seeing Ushi do 50k and then cheer the exact same way seeing Gorou do 7k. Wow you funky little support!! God I wish I had C4 Gorou, you're so lucky. Apparently I'm an Ittorou main on EU now so I want C6 Gorou. I have C2. But I have C6 Barbara! And C6 Xiangling! And C1 Itto (????????). Whoever the 5 star is on the next Gorou banner is gonna be real lucky. I did get Gorou (DESPERATELY) on my US account, but since I pampered them so hard on EU they're literally the only units stronger than my US units in that regard. I use Qiqi as a healer since 1) accidental Qiqi stan (most frequent pity chara), 2) she's very very good at making people Not Die, 3) cyro application, 4) I love her. Ei, Thoma, and Kazoo are popular fourth members, but I like to switch it up. Meta be damned.
Oh my god if the leaks are true and Ayato reduces cooldown... if he's support then this team sounds AWESOME. Thoma's got the extra shielding and pyro application, Ayato reduces the Ushi cooldown and speeds up Geo attacks for extra recharge, Gorou is himself, and Itto is himself, but louder. I love it!! Ugh, I hate speculating about characters that don't exist yet but I know I'll have fun with whatever is thrown at me anyways. Calling it right now that 2.6 is Ayato and Ayaka with Thoma in the 4-star lineup. KAMISATO UPDATE MIHOYO. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Ugh YES, I love every little detail! I love to make jokes on how Childe and Zhongli are foils right down to how useful their passives are. Me and my boyf like to joke that Childe, Yanfei, and Thoma are all part of the fishing club. Gorou is such a wilderness jock, it's so funny. I bet if he didn't have an army to take care of he'd be out camping and climbing and hiking everywhere. Someone bring this man to Liyue, he'd love it so much.
Do whatever makes you write your best and brings you the most joy!! That's the true spirit of fanfic. I'm a hardcore romantic, so I know I'll be all over the cute shit. Like Mona, I am poor and can see the future. I'll probably be out tossing short stuff just to get it published and contribute to the tiny fic count of this tag.
I've been looking forward to Ganyu since playing her story quest a second time and finally learning how her skills work. UGH, first time she appeared I was still a baby player and ended up getting Xiao and Hu Tao instead (not regretting it, Hu Tao is my baby and Xiao is super fun to play, but I just love having characters yaknow?) Depending on how desperately I want Ayato I'll most likely pull for her during the Zhongli run. I already have him at C1 on my US account and I wanna keep the EU experience fresh. UGH I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT SHINOBU. I had a completely different image of her before I saw her leaked design, which is good! She's Itto's right hand woman!! I've gotta get her right!! How am I supposed to write Itto hanging out with his friends without one of his most important ones!! Again, depending on how desperate I am for Ayato I might... toss a few primos at her and Yae... The things we do for character immersion.
That would be SO FUNNY if Ushi was another god or mythological beast that Itto, of all people, found under a rock or something. Especially since I literally throw them off cliffs and into oceans for fun because it literally does not affect them at all. It's the perfect fodder for some nonsense. I love it. It's so funny because they literally just appear out of nowhere most of the time?? Does Itto have a pocket dimension? Does Ushi summon on command? Does Shinobu sit on Ushi and use him as slow, convenient transport sometimes as she does her paperwork? Did Ushi used to protect Itto as a kid and when Itto grew to be ten times Ushi's size, did Itto just decide to make Ushi just as threatening by throwing them at people entirely?? Listen... all we know is that he's pretty funky, and the best.
THIS IS HARD TO FULFILL, I was backstage! Not tech! My Gorou headcanon is that he knows what Itto does most of the time is really dumb but can't help but support and indulge him, kind of like in meta. Itto will do something that absolutely does not require a spotlight but yell all the way to the back of the theatre for it and Gorou will just do it. Not in tech rehearsals ofc but totally all the time if they're just hanging out in the theater after everyone's gone home and Gorou will just play whatever track Itto wants, do all of the lights, communicate via loudspeaker. Also imagining Itto crammed up in the tech room in a tiny chair listening attentively as Gorou explains what all of the buttons and switches do (there's just so many of them!!) Also they need to go camping together. Literally both of their first teapot voicelines are about sleeping on rocks. BOTH OF THEM. MIHOYO GIVE GOROU AN ITTO VOICELINE ALREADY-
Oh yes, please, teacher AU. Itto literally having like 10 kids hanging off of him whenever he shows up, he's so popular. Gorou having all of his students follow him around during field trips in an orderly, single-file line holding hands. Gorou hears about Itto all the time through his kids and gets the most delinquent-esque picture of him (which isn't totally wrong). (THE PARKING TICKET THING KILLS ME, GOROU WOULD HATE IT). I don't think we ever canonically see how good Gorou is with kids like he is with adults, but I can see him being either very good or very awkward. Either way, the secondhand relationship of "Uncle Itto told me to do this" versus "Mr. Gorou told me to not do that" sounds like a joy. "Shouta you can't eat yakisoba bread every day" "Uncle Itto says yakisoba feeds the soul, he says he'd eat it for every meal if he could afford it"
Razor main, you're so strong. I love seeing characters I don't use much deal incredible damage. I love rotating my team, my 'mains' tend to be whoever i love to spoil the most. But I get what you mean!! I love the idea of units actually hanging out when they're on a team. Especially if I'm doing my comms, I'll do stuff like ayalumi or chili runs. Razor doesn't get enough love on my account because I have too many other kids to take care of, but I think he's great. Give him all the love I cannot!
Dude I think about this ALL THE TIME. Part of the reason I love the whole Miss Hina dynamic is because it shows off Itto's appreciations for one of Gorou's best personality traits which is his empathy (which he likes to translate as battle talk). They're both incredibly caring and sincere people who just go about life in different ways, which is why I can see Gorou appreciating a lot of Itto's virtues despite his messiness. I think it would give Gorou some perspective on how you can still be a person who inspires loyalty and does the right thing without necessarily having to have to think too hard about it. I can't imagine Itto ever finding the army to NOT be incredibly boring and uptight, considering how much he gets arrested I think it's safe to say he's kind of the antithesis of civil law, but at the same time I can't imagine him not getting along with them after a bit of work. Like the Tenryou commission is one thing, but what about the people who also hate the Tenryou commission?? And Gorou's cool?? They have a fish lady as their leader?? (It's funny bc I also have a scenario where the Resistance army hates Itto because they think he's antagonizing Gorou or some misunderstanding like that and it's this really dumb west side story arc. My brain goes places, don't @ me.) But yes! Parallels are the best.
(Also betting that Gorou and Shinobu would get along swimmingly, much to Itto's annoyance. Too many people that want to tell him what to do but he can't say no to. The other gang members doing their best to wingman but also teach Gorou how to grill the perfect lavender melon. Granny Oni, of course, thinks he's very handsome. I imagine all of them will do their best to hide Gorou away from the horrors of pink fox lady. Gorou is, of course, in awe that Itto is the only person to have ever defeated her. I'd like to think that Yae is uncharacteristically bitter about losing the ramen battle.)
oh god. it's so long. Dont mind! Dont mind! Eh, maybe one day we'll figure out how to chat without using the ao3 comments section... but not today apparently. Tomorrow is 2.4! Happy Lantern Rite if I don't see you before then.
to steal a phrase from u, please do not let the delay in reply say anything negative about my enthusiasm for this conversation!! but also, man, if only ao3 had direct messaging! But I am really enjoying talking to you about all of this, despite how long it's getting! Even more now that it's getting lengthy actually haha
TRULY meta be damned I have never once made a team with synergy I just put my faves together and let 'em have at it. I'm manifesting that Kamisato 2.6 though... Come through MHY. Maybe then I can C6 Thoma (he's halfway there!) alongside pulling a Kamisato lol.
Childe odd man out in the all-pyro fishing club! He's gotta manually set his fires to roast his fish. Yanfei and Thoma both think it's funnier to make him do it himself. Childe does so but he'll hold it against them. OH I'm so into survivalist explorer Gorou. Post-war/rebuilding Gorou backpacking across Teyvat and sending Itto letters and gifts from every city and Itto antsy to check the mail for them every day.
oh man talking through all of this stuff makes me want to sit down and write it all out, at the expense of whatever i've currently got open. oh well, what's another doc to the pile? But Ushi protecting little Itto evolving into big Itto just hurling Ushi at people is SO funny. ur MIND! I always imagine in the context of Genshin, all of the summonable creatures are actually walking alongside the characters who summon them (Ushi and Itto walking together looking for people to beat up is ideal) but once-god Ushi using all of his great primordial power just to zap himself into Itto's hand, and Itto fully trusting he will appear there to be thrown because, hey, it's never failed before (Gorou asks him WHY does the cow just teleport to you? so Itto obviously answers "because ushi and i trust each other duh we have an unbreakable bond so he helps me out when i need him" and Gorou is left to watch this monstrously strong little cow mow down lawachurls in fear and awe) Thoma, big fan of Inazuma history, and Gorou, determined that there HAS to be an answer that makes sense, want to figure Ushi out so bad. Itto suggests they test how far into the ocean he can throw Ushi ("Nah, don't sweat it, I do this all the time he's totally ocean-proof") for their research.
ALSO USHI AS A CHAIR! 100%! The hijinks that can ensue... Gorou accidentally sits on Ushi and is SO afraid and so apologetic and Shinobu has to tell him to calm down because they do it all the time. Itto offering kids in town the chance to ride on Ushi's back (in exchange for some Mora, or some lunch, obviously) Shinobu making him give it all back and confiscating Ushi (who appears back in Itto's room by the time he gets home, thoroughly bummed at losing his winnings for the day). Ushi helping out at home by being Granny Oni's tray transport for tea!
ITTO AND GOROU AFTER REHEARSAL - ITTO ONE MAN SHOW. itto performance special one night event for gorou where he absolutely murders the mic with his attempt of defying gravity. Itto wants to try playing techie for Gorou to switch things around now that he's a certified stage tech expert (a texpert, if you will) so he gets Gorou to agree to stand up on stage and read something so he can go crazy with the lights and say "you're really good at this!" into the speaker a bunch, the same way Gorou does
Ittorou camping but Gorou is like "we must build a shelter for the night" and Itto is of the mindset that as long as a space is flat it is sleepable. (Modern AU) Itto does not use bug spray because outside is where the bugs are s'posed to be - and most bugs are pretty chill anyways - so why should HE go bothering them if he's invading their space right? Gorou shivers at the thought of bug bites and stealth sprays the both of them down when Itto knocks out for a mid-day nap on some flat rocks. Itto is too tall for their tent and hates to sleep in any position that isn't spread eagle so his feet stick out into the wilderness. He promises Gorou that if any bears come by to steal their food he can kick them real hard - this was NOT a concern Gorou had previously but now he's wondering if Itto would wake up if a bear did come by, heavy sleeper that he is.
Teacher AU Ittorou first meeting coming after Shouta gets some grade lower than perfect and Itto can NOT stand for this because he looked at it himself and he knows Shouta's the coolest best kid ever so clearly the teacher's making some big mistake (and Shouta's saying "Uncle Itto it's okay I really don't mind it" but Itto can see he's still bummed out so now he's resorted to LYING to his COOL UNCLE because of this teacher!) so he's ready to storm up to this stuck-up lame stick-in-the-mud and tell him off for ruining Shouta's afternoon - "I had to get him ICE CREAM to feel better do you know how sad you gotta be to need ice cream!" - until, surprise surprise, Shouta's evil teacher is super nice and attractive and Itto can't remember a single thing and then the conversation is over and he didn't say a thing. Helicopter parenting failed - crush developed instead!
There's a whole lot of Itto volunteering for school events after that. Like way too much. Thank Archons he doesn't have a regular job or he'd definitely be dipping out of his shifts just to help out at whatever the latest school thing is. Sometimes Gorou's not even there - he just keeps showing up and volunteering and all the kids love him. I love a pining Itto HAHA. To be fair I'd also imagine Gorou's asking "Say, is your Uncle coming to this event?" a whole bunch. In the break room like "Would it be okay if I were to, hypothetically, get coffee with one of my student's guardians. Romantically. Romantic coffee. Hypothetically." Very subtle, Teach.
(One day after all this, when they're together on same date, Itto remembers the reason he showed up in the first place and it's "OH YEAH you failed my kid one time he was so inconsolable. i wanted to make you apologize for that" and Gorou goes "you mean when I gave him a B-?". Itto might exaggerate things. Just a little)
(ALSO also not to dwell on this for too long but I also think it'd be funny if Gorou's concern steadily steadily grew about this mysterious Itto character who apparently has awful advice like "If someone challenges you, don't back down until one of you wins" then Itto shows up instead of Shouta's parents for a conference and he immediately changes his mind he will never complain about him again in the breakroom. He will be silent)
I adore Gorou being more impulsive with Itto - Gorou let out your bonkers side. I know it's in you. Gorou and Itto see a magazine that lists "Impossible Challenges" - difficult terrain to explore, monsters that are supposed to be hard to fight, etc - and they both agree that it is now a to-do list. I love Itto appreciating Hina for listening to all of his wild letters and replying to them in complete seriousness - Gorou will hear Itto drop a mindless hypothetical like "Do you think someone could get two elemental visions at once if two archons thought they were sick" and he will dedicate so much time to finding out an answer because, well, now he has to know too. He likes having answers to questions! That's why he carries his strategy book with him at all times! I love Itto having a confidant in Ms. Hina. It's very sweet.
I don't know if it's apparent but in my mind the Thoma and Gorou dynamic is RESEARCH BUDDIES they are such NERDS (I say very lovingly) Thoma talks so much about Inazuman mythology I have to believe he's super into history
HAHA I'd love to hear more about this West Side Story plot. I love me some melodrama. the army thinking Itto is somehow threatening their leader is so so funny. Them being so on edge with this stranger coming into their camp without warning demanding to see their general only for him to collapse onto Gorou with a big sigh like "MAAAN why is your base camp so hard to get to? I had to beat up so many guys on the way here! I need a nap" Okay. Weapons down, then. On the opposite side of the coin the Arataki Gang is wayy too enthusiastic Gorou expected some kind of resistance or questioning but no Shinobu is thanking him as soon as he approaches. "He hasn't been to jail in two weeks because he's so busy telling us about you and getting things for you" Gorou's so embarrassed (but his tail's wagging the whole time) He says "You're welcome." Because he's not sure what else to say. I think Shinobu can sense that he's easy to tease but doesn't do so. She is merciful and he has done no wrong. He is grateful.
Granny Oni calls Gorou a very handsome young man and Itto is trying not to be heartbroken about it. First Shinobu, then the boys, and now his own Granny?! When does the betrayal end. Gorou (trying NOT to preen at the idea that Itto's Granny likes him :) ) tells him that he's very handsome still. Itto is once again at peace (not to get TOO started on them meeting one another's families because I've got a whole doc full of that haha)
I LOVE Yae being bitter. Yae keeps trying to prank and tease Itto in retaliation but it all goes completely over his head. He only gets it if you challenge him to a fight, sorry. And even then... Well, you can ask Kujo Sara how she's faring with Arataki Itto. He says they're rivals, perhaps eternally locked in supreme divine combat. He'd go so far as to say tentatively friends, even, except for how often she sends him to jail. She says they don't know each other. Itto wanting to get a love reading from the shrine with Gorou vs. Gorou refusing to step foot there but not wanting to admit it lest he look like a coward.
Oh boy this one nearly went over ao3's limit! Yikes! Had to cut it down some. As for how to chat without comments I think all I've got that I use regularly is discord, short of proper email haha. Happy upcoming Lantern Rite!
(I promise I'll reply to ALL OF THIS this eventually but leave your discord!! I'll add you and then you can delete the comment how does that sound? My handle starts with blue!)
(I can leave mine if that makes u more comfortable too!)
Comment on bringing a bouquet to battle
wormkinnie Fri 10 Dec 2021 06:08AM UTC
Last Edited Fri 10 Dec 2021 06:09AM UTC
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