Up in Flames - Comments

HNNN IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK + I AM REEEALLY DIGGING THIS NEW LAYOUT

douse
”But Ikebukuro didn’t love anyone back.” it’s true and terrifying!

chouko is such a sweet and precious woman and i’m so scared to see what ikebukuro has waiting for her. she doesn’t deserve whatever’s coming to her, i know she doesn’t. LOOK AT THIS ANGEL. she’s so dedicated to her job and she’s so bright and warm UGH i’m aching already.

”You're going to do exactly as I say, if you enjoy breathing." RJSKSJBSKBSS NO NO JONONINO NO JO I KNWW IT FKUCKE

already i’m reminded of those low-rate losers that think they’re hot shit until someone like kadota or celty rides in and i’m just so disgusted. get ur disgusting hands off of my girl, i’ve adopted her and will protect her with my life while i end yours.

GOD it’s so awful that they just walk right past, ducking their heads like they don’t see a thing, but it’s so unfortunately real that it’s upsetting. not everyone is willing to be the hero and more people are going to leave it be than actually interfere and put themselves in the line of fire. i’m SAD.

(fjhskejs bartender!shizuo is my aesthetic can i just say i’m living thank u)

OH NO NONNO SHIZUO WAS ONLY SOON ENOUGH TO CATCH THE AFTERMATH. HE COULDN’T EVEN PROTECT. MY HEART IS BROKEN DNKEJS KOH MGOD.

CELTY MY ANGEL. i definitely agree with her (and of course highly disagree with shizuo). whoever said he was fine and dandy needs their degree snatched away because it’s clear that something’s not right; he’s putting himself in danger trying to figure out just what happened (or REPRESSING IT BC HE KNOWS SOMETHING MAYBE) and is haunted by these detailed flashbacks and hallucinations (???) and it’s just not good for him.

he’s at the building. i’m gonna sob.

HE’S IN BAD SHAPE I’M GONNA PUNCH A WALL. SHIZUO YOU ARE NOT OKAY I’M GONNA HIT YOU. CELTY’S GONNA HIT YOU. i’m so in love with how much she cares. i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again: support! system! especially in a time like now, he needs someone to hold him up and be there for him when he’s so determined to destroy himself. celty is so worried about him that she’s actually angry he’s slacking on himself so much.

stoke
DKSNKSHSKS SHIZUO HAS TO SIT IN A HOSPITAL GOD you just know he hates them but he’s sitting around in one for chouko because his heart!!! is so big

he hasn’t even gone home to get cleaned up, can’t bring himself to go home because he cares so much for her and he's so worried. an absolute angel.

i don't know why i panicked instantly when someone started to talk to him but oops. my PROTECC alarm goes off when people approach shizuo, you see.

she's so kind to him, though, it warms my heart. people could really get a long way with shizuo if they just showed him some kindness. he's not some raging asshole, but everyone is so abrasive towards him or so standoffish that they get nothing but the bad side. UGH i'm in my feelings.

"This wasn't the first time he had been questioned by the police and it certainly wouldn't be the last." SHIZUO'S SO USED TO BEING ACCUSSED AND ATTACKED BY POLICE THAT WHEN ONE TALKS NICE TO HIM HE'S LIKE ??? EH

MY BOY

uGh shizuo describing the scene made my whole being collapse and now i'm just a sorry pile of blech on the floor. fhjesiuhtusei his REACTION while he's talking about it, my heart can't take this. he's so upset and i'm upset and he and chouko deserve the best, okay.

bless this officer. i love her. thank you for being a good human being.

he can't even enjoy a shower without getting upset and thrown back into memories. shizuo definitely needs to consider help again.

"...at least, what was assumed to be her body." YOU'RE DOING THIS TO MAKE ME SCREAM AREN'T YOU AAAAAAH. i'm telling you, something is wrong about this whole thing. a raging fire is so convenient; it's easy to get rid of someone's body - or what seems like a body?? - in the blaze and make off with the real thing and no one would have an idea. and the body was recovered a whole three days later? nope nah chouko is out there in the great unknown GO FIND HER BOY I TRUST NOTHING.

no no no n o n o n o n o i KNOW what he's doing. my red flags shot up the moment the word informant flashed before my eyes CHRIST NO.

why does this dumbbutt flea not change his number does he just. want to die.

FJKFCKJEZHSF SHIZU-CHAN GO FALL IN A PIT YOU SCRAWNY SNOT

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this fic takes me to places i've never been GHJUSIH i love it so much and you know this but listen i adore this with my heart and soul.

haHA i was listening to it again as i read the new chapters and sobbing; it's my Up in Flames song now okie

celty is such a wonderful woman and yeah!! i always kinda felt like shizuo feels like celty is on some other level and he's attached to her, but isn't sure if he should be involved with her (like in her life, depending on her, befriending her, etc.) THAT LINK IS THE MOST BLESSED LINK MY EYES ARE MISTY BC OF ALL THIS SHIZUO LOVE THANK YOU.

it's going great; you're doing an amazing job (with the fic & the playlist, it's such a wonderful experience)!! i'm so happy to be reading this again

@ doppo.
Your commentary is my absolute favorite thing ever.

Also that song. I am slayed. How could you? I guess I deserved the payback omf.

Everything you theorize about give me life and I really wish I could just tell you but alas.

Tbh Celty is so precious and I love the little moments throughout DRRR!! with her and Shizuo. Best BFFs ever. The part in Bad Ass Dude where he's talking about how he doesn't have many friends and goes on to name Tom and Kasuka cause they're like him, but he doesn't name Celty is just. Because the reason he doesn't, to me, is because he views her as such a good being and above him and my baby you are the best boy. IF ANYONE NEEDS EXAMPLES, PLS POINT THEM HERE FOR ME CAUSE I SOB WHEN I GO THROUGH THESE.

I'm trying to keep it good and a nice pace for sure. Also thank you I abuse tha playlist on the daily.

IT’S ME BACK AT IT AGAIN READY TO CRY also i was listening to this the whole time i was reading and it nearly got honest tears out of me. emotional song, emotional story. OW.

(the song is from a totally underrated anime called no.6 and it’s so good but off-topic ONTO THE STORY)

ash
”What do you see?”

“I see everything that’s good in this world.”
NANI KORE HOW CUTE HOW SWEET AND WONDERFUL IS THAT I’M A PUDDLE OF TEARS. at this point i’ve just accepted that flashbacks are gonna make me sob because i haven’t been proven otherwise yet.

ALRIGHT WHAT ON GOD’S GREEN HAPPENED. it’s sounding like shizuo either doesn’t truly know what happened or he’s repressed it, so much so that he doesn’t even believe he remembers. i’m!!!! shizuo dude we have to have a nice long chat. i’m dying to know what happened and i know he’d never do something as horrible as step on her neck or crush her skull (God, reading that part of the chapter made my chest hurt fjhslsjskwjke STOP DEMONIZING YOURSELF SHIZUO PLS)

i hope for him to have peace soon, but not for him to go and murder whoever is responsible; it may be relieving, even gratifying in the moment, but he will be no better than those horrible thoughts or what people think of him if he goes that low. i’m praying for u shizuo pls

fuel
she came to ikebukuro with such good intentions, aww :’) the last time that happened, someone (what who not mikado ehh i’m not naming names huh) went off the rails. ikebukuro is a cesspool of hot ass messes fksnkshsks

chouko you sweet and wonderful girl i’m so sorry such horrible things awaited you I WANT TO PROTECT HER WITH MY LIFE I LOVE YOU

shizuo u ass answer my worried wife

i’ve always loved the relationship between shizuo and celty and seeing that he does have a solid support system in celty and tom (and shinra??? ish????) warms my heart, whether he recognizes it fully or not. he has people there for him in times where he’s low and i love it.

”Maybe one day you will meet.” OKAAAAY I SHOULDN’T DIG DEEP INTO THIS BUT!! WHAT IF SHE’S ALIVE AND HE JUST DOESN’T KNOW WHAT IF SHE’S IN HIDING OR WHAT IF SHE LIVED AND SHE JUST ISN’T IN IKEBUKURO ANYMORE DKHSEKHWKBSME CHOUKO PLEASE

singe
”There was something off about the air in the city.” it’s called “ikebukuro’s damned air” sweetie you live here you know this

”He would always wait for her here so that they could walk home together after work. No matter the weather, no matter how many times she ran late, he waited for her. In his mind, it had always been the least he could do to make sure she was safe.” I’M WAILING THIS IS SO CUTE MY HEART IS BREAKING. he waited no matter what the situation and it’s just. AGH. he wanted to be with her. he waited for her. he was always there for her. and she found it so kind and she loved it and i love it and i’m crying.

MR. HEIWAJIMA I WILL CRACK A BELT ACROSS YOUR ASS IF YOU’RE DOING SOME ILLEGAL DEALINGS. you know better you dumbass. you know better. i’m watching you so hard you can’t go anywhere without me knowing about it.

I’LL HIT HIM IF HE’S PLAYING GAMES I’M TELLING YOU

kindle
the whole paragraph at the beginning with shizuo and the tea is so oddly relaxing i might end up more chill than him. good vibes.

FKSKSKHS TOM HAS A DEATH WISH SAVE HIM

so shizuo has copies of police documents....that is....not a good thing....even if he got them relatively “legally” there’s no good that’s coming out of backhanded dealings WHAT DID I SAY HEIWAJIMA.

on another note, i’m always so happy to see tom and shizuo outside of work and i love seeing tom worry about him and so on. tom’s a lot more than some little satellite character and i love seeing him put to good use, you know? he’s a great guy and all the supernatural bs may be a bit above his head but that doesn’t mean he’s backing out and letting it just happen. he’s at least there to give his support and be a voice of reason and AHHHH.

he’s trying so hard to grasp what happened and while i’m not so sold on the fact that he’s repressing things (for tom and celty to just go along with it would seem a little counterproductive and unhealthy), i’m still wondering? not to mention i’m still considering the fact that chouko may also not be human, considering the most unassuming people in this series (looking at you, anri, kasane and that idol girl who’s name escapes me atm) have the potential to be supernatural. i’m as desperate to find out what went down as shizuo now skhsksj IM LOSING MY MIND.

”Why can’t you just tell me what happened?” HE’S HURTING SO BAD DKSJLEJS SHIZUO NO SWEETIE (hey if she’s still alive she can tell you everything know what i’m saying SHE’S ALIVE IS WHAT I’M SAYING but not really but)

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ahem you are the best okie you manage to keep this story so intriguing with every update, goodness gracious. it’s such an amazing read, i love it to pieces. please keep doing what you do, i’m always so eager to devour new content for this (and all of your work) just UGH i’m so bad with words for someone who loves writing but yes, i love this, i am here for this.

(also i’m digging that playlist YES PLEASE)

@ jinko.
Tom is number one, honestly. Everyone needs a Tom.

Thank you. I knew I couldn't be the only person who got that off of his character. It isn't excusable on Izaya alone, and I always hate the thought that he's just a giant meat head with no brain. Bae's a little slow, sure, but he tries.

______

All of your guesses are best guesses. BEAUTIFUL GUESSES. I am smiling because I must be achieving what I mean to with the whole vibe.

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DESCRIBING HIM AT PEACE IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. Like girl, the poor boy just wants to live up to his name.

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Thank you! The Undertale song was just like a yasssss moment, out of nowhere it came to mind and it was like this is my mood music omg .

It's my second favorite game of all time.

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There is honeslty never eno ugh of any Mibbamojis, let alone that one.

YOU ARE THE BEST AHHHHHH. I JUST AM REALLY HAPPY YOU ARE ENJOYING THE STORY SO MUCH.

it’s me agin, back to adore.

fan
okay, whether it’s canonical or fictional, i love tom and shizuo’s interactions. they work off of each other so well; tom’s usually always so chill and seems to, more often than not, bring it out in shizuo, too, but when shizuo’s temper starts flaring, he becomes a wonderful contrast, and you keep that alive in your fic and i just love it.

”I guess I’m paying?” tom..,,.,.my guy

who / what took her away? I’M WRITHING I NEED TO KNOW MY MIND IS TWISTING

i certainly agree with the distracted, absent-minded aspect. i loooove when people dig into it or even brush over it, because shizuo’s a super interesting character and it would be great if people expanded on him and the little things instead of just using him as a screaming, angry guy to throw stuff around and erase his depth. thank you for this.

smolder
back to your lovely detail!! this chapter is probably my favorite thus far. it’s so...i don’t know, peaceful, maybe? it’s soft, but it isn’t simple in the slightest. it’s wonderful.

AND NOW I’M SCARED AND CONFUSED FJHSKSJE. she can’t be there. no way in hell she’s actually there, and i doubt he’s replaced the girl he cares so much about with another one, so there’s no way it’s that, either. IS IT AN ILLUSION, IS IT A MEMORY. I SCREAM.

”...his smirk fading away.” baby boy. baby. i love you. you soft boy. you good boy.

burn
IF I WASN’T SCREAMING BEFORE WELL HELL.

the way the chapter slowly but effortlessly shifts from soft and relaxed to urgent and panicked is amazing. it’s scary. she’s relaxing him, they’re close, they’re quiet, and now she’s BURNING and he just holds her and now i’m wondering, since drrr!! has major supernatural elements all over the place, is she human? maybe she’s a different species (but what bursts in flames?? a phoenix?? AAAA)? or is shizuo just dreaming / imagining things, which is what i was getting before and am still kinda getting now?

”But nothing made sense, no matter how many times he turned it over in his mind.” me and you both, dude. the eternal mood.

a side note, but i really like the songs you linked both in the summary and in the notes of chapter four. i love the undertale soundtrack, so it was a treat to tap the link and see that waiting for me.

keep up the fantastic work!! i was so excited to log in and see three chapters waiting for me, oh my goodness. it was like a beautiful surprise. (have i overused this mibbamoji i can’t help it)

@ jinko.
AHHHHHHHH YOU ARE REALLY TOO KIND.

I AM SO HAPPY YOU ARE TRULY ENJOYING THIS LITTLE PORTION. It's really not as fun if I'm fangirling over him by myself.

He's such a good character. Im going to try my hardest to keep up the accuracy while exploring deeper into some of the glimpses we were given.

HGESIHGURI HOW VERY DARE

IM CRYING SHIZUO MY BOY HE'S SO SAD I'M SO SAD I'M HURT MY HEART IS CRACKING I WASN'T READY??? I WAS NOT PREPARED

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hysterics aside, time for a real comment!!

i knew i was gonna love this. maybe it's my attachment to shizuo, but i'm already drawn in so far. you let us get familiar with him in little bits, and i laughed a little when i read that his laziness simply outweighed all the cons of smoking on the roof. what are we supposed to do with you, nerd.

hmmM i love your description. it's very pleasant, not overdone, just enough to put me there and make it sound pretty while doing so.

OHONHON shizuo is visiting someone on the roof. i should've known he wasn't driven by laziness alone.

"...the scent of honey replacing tobacco as he leaned down and nuzzled the top of her head." ghurihtguisht that's so soft. i'm soft now. this is such a precious little detail, how sweet? how cute?? i'm???

the way he just brushes off her disdain for the cigarettes with a casual little, "yeah, yeah," feels so him that i'm laughing. you write this in a way that anyone unfamiliar with the character can jump in with no problems, but those who are still get a treat because he's still wonderfully in-character.

and then the last paragraph before the scene switch. my heart!! AAAA. i'm dying to know what happened because right now, i'm just writhing in pain. he's frantic and upset and i'm not okay. it's obvious that whatever happened tore him up inside, because goodness, the pain. it's so crystal clear.

"Until it was time for him to wake up and do it all again." OH YOU MEAN TIME TO HURT AGAIN OH GREAT I'M SURE WE'RE ALL STRONG ENOUGH FOR THAT.

i keep going back to "You'll never see her again." it's equal parts scary and saddening; what happened? could it possibly, unintentionally have been his fault? is he blaming himself for what happened, did she leave (judging by the final piece before he woke up, i'm thinking no??), AGH what happened AAAAH.

i'm fully invested in this, okay. i'm so excited to see what comes next!!

@ jinko.

i’m so in love already