More Gintama haiku - Sakamoto Day!
Nov. 15th, 2019 11:56 amFollowing up on my earlier post with Gintama haiku, I've written a few more now! These ones are all focused around Tatsuma Sakamoto, as it's his birthday today (November 15).
Like in the earlier post, all are written towards one character from the POV of another, but not always with words they'd be able to say out loud.
( For the Loud Fellow ♥ )
Like in the earlier post, all are written towards one character from the POV of another, but not always with words they'd be able to say out loud.
( For the Loud Fellow ♥ )
I wrote a number of Gintama haiku* in the format of one character thinking about another, perhaps saying things they wouldn't easily say out loud (though some of them would). Some of them are spoilery for the Shogun Assassination arc, the Battle at Rakuyo Arc, and the final arc. These are behind the cut.
The ones above the cut don't spoil anything beyond the Benizakura arc.
*Well, not proper haiku: there aren't any season words or other nature words, and I don't know that they follow the "two thoughts"-format in spirit, either. It's really just the syllable count that's haiku-esque. Of course in Japanese they count morae, and not syllables. But anyway!
Katsura towards Gintoki:
Since you still endure,
Warm and steady as the sun,
What else can I do?
Gintoki towards Katsura:
I don’t want to say,
Your full name ever again.
You’re too good for this.
Kagura towards Gintoki:
Doesn’t matter, though;
We will always bring you back.
Gin-chan - let’s go home.
Gintoki towards Kagura:
And who said you could
Come here and shine so brightly?
Settle down, brat. (Don’t.)
Shinpachi towards Gintoki:
It took a long time,
But I think I get it now,
What being strong means.
Gintoki towards Shinpachi:
You’re more than you think.
Why else would meeting you have
Remade my whole life?
Kagura towards Shinpachi:
I don’t say it, but
I envy you a little,
Your roots are so strong.
Shinpachi towards Kagura:
I know that you will
Always triumph in the end,
Our Kagura-chan.
Kyubei towards Otae:
Just holding your hand,
Might not mean that much to you;
But it’s everything.
Otae towards Kyubei:
Faithful and shining,
A light I can’t live up to --
Infinitely dear.
Gintoki towards Sakamoto:
That stupid laughter,
Ringing through the galaxy:
Our hope and our pride.
Mutsu towards Sakamoto:
If you’re dumb, I’m worse:
Enduring here just to see
The world through your eyes.
Hijikata towards Kondo:
It’s always simple.
Where you go, we will follow.
The best idiot.
Katsura towards Takasugi, post-Benizakura arc, pre-[spoilers]:
“I never liked you.”
Saying that doesn’t make it
Hurt any less, though.
Takasugi towards Katsura, canon time, pre-[spoilers]:
I don’t need your pain.
Just your sharp, clear enmity,
Steadfast, unyielding.
( And some more )
The ones above the cut don't spoil anything beyond the Benizakura arc.
*Well, not proper haiku: there aren't any season words or other nature words, and I don't know that they follow the "two thoughts"-format in spirit, either. It's really just the syllable count that's haiku-esque. Of course in Japanese they count morae, and not syllables. But anyway!
Katsura towards Gintoki:
Since you still endure,
Warm and steady as the sun,
What else can I do?
Gintoki towards Katsura:
I don’t want to say,
Your full name ever again.
You’re too good for this.
Kagura towards Gintoki:
Doesn’t matter, though;
We will always bring you back.
Gin-chan - let’s go home.
Gintoki towards Kagura:
And who said you could
Come here and shine so brightly?
Settle down, brat. (Don’t.)
Shinpachi towards Gintoki:
It took a long time,
But I think I get it now,
What being strong means.
Gintoki towards Shinpachi:
You’re more than you think.
Why else would meeting you have
Remade my whole life?
Kagura towards Shinpachi:
I don’t say it, but
I envy you a little,
Your roots are so strong.
Shinpachi towards Kagura:
I know that you will
Always triumph in the end,
Our Kagura-chan.
Kyubei towards Otae:
Just holding your hand,
Might not mean that much to you;
But it’s everything.
Otae towards Kyubei:
Faithful and shining,
A light I can’t live up to --
Infinitely dear.
Gintoki towards Sakamoto:
That stupid laughter,
Ringing through the galaxy:
Our hope and our pride.
Mutsu towards Sakamoto:
If you’re dumb, I’m worse:
Enduring here just to see
The world through your eyes.
Hijikata towards Kondo:
It’s always simple.
Where you go, we will follow.
The best idiot.
Katsura towards Takasugi, post-Benizakura arc, pre-[spoilers]:
“I never liked you.”
Saying that doesn’t make it
Hurt any less, though.
Takasugi towards Katsura, canon time, pre-[spoilers]:
I don’t need your pain.
Just your sharp, clear enmity,
Steadfast, unyielding.
( And some more )
New fic for Gintama! Also up on AO3.
This is set shortly after the end of the war and has plenty of backstory spoilers. You probably shouldn't read it if you haven't watched up to episode 305 or read up to manga chapter 519. There's also violence and angst, hence the PG rating.
Possibly I might change the title if I find one I like better.
Constructive criticism very welcome. I'm particularly interested in comments about Sakamoto's dialogue. It's my first time writing him, and I don't think my own "generic rural bumpkin" attempt for his way of talking sounds all that great. Opinions on how to improve it, or if you think I should drop it entirely and go for standard English in spite of his canon dialect, are much appreciated.
Many thanks to Plipdragon who did the beta for this fic and helped me out in discussing details, finding background facts on bathing at the time, and encouraging me. Any remaining errors are my responsibility alone.
Katsura finding refuge among monks after the war is a detail I took from Naye's great fic They also serve who only stand and wait, and I've found it resonates among several other Gintama fans as well. It's part of my headcanon now.
Title: Bathing In A Time Of Peace
Rating: PG
Word Count: currently 4779, liable to change a little in case of edits of course
Characters: Katsura, Gintoki, Takasugi, Sakamoto, Mutsu
Spoilers/setting: see above
Warning: Angst, violence, suicidal thoughts
Summary: A character study in four parts. The first hot bath after the war for Katsura, Gintoki, and Takasugi, plus Sakamoto's first bath together with the Kaientai including Mutsu.
( Sometimes a bath is just a bath and sometimes it means something more )
This is set shortly after the end of the war and has plenty of backstory spoilers. You probably shouldn't read it if you haven't watched up to episode 305 or read up to manga chapter 519. There's also violence and angst, hence the PG rating.
Possibly I might change the title if I find one I like better.
Constructive criticism very welcome. I'm particularly interested in comments about Sakamoto's dialogue. It's my first time writing him, and I don't think my own "generic rural bumpkin" attempt for his way of talking sounds all that great. Opinions on how to improve it, or if you think I should drop it entirely and go for standard English in spite of his canon dialect, are much appreciated.
Many thanks to Plipdragon who did the beta for this fic and helped me out in discussing details, finding background facts on bathing at the time, and encouraging me. Any remaining errors are my responsibility alone.
Katsura finding refuge among monks after the war is a detail I took from Naye's great fic They also serve who only stand and wait, and I've found it resonates among several other Gintama fans as well. It's part of my headcanon now.
Title: Bathing In A Time Of Peace
Rating: PG
Word Count: currently 4779, liable to change a little in case of edits of course
Characters: Katsura, Gintoki, Takasugi, Sakamoto, Mutsu
Spoilers/setting: see above
Warning: Angst, violence, suicidal thoughts
Summary: A character study in four parts. The first hot bath after the war for Katsura, Gintoki, and Takasugi, plus Sakamoto's first bath together with the Kaientai including Mutsu.
( Sometimes a bath is just a bath and sometimes it means something more )
