Nirashiya Week 2025 - Day 4: Famous AU
Omg I finally finished this, below is a drabble / oneshot of this AU and context as well as an additional drawing, thank you if you’ve been enjoying my entries and thank you to the host for putting together this week - I would definitely be interested in future events and this has been so fun ✨🙇♀️
Drabble / Oneshot:
Chishiya.
An inescapable name.
Flashing on TV, discussed on radio, projected on billboards, written across magazines, highlighted in adverts, dangling on keychains – Some form of the name is always around, on the edges of your peripheral and flowing through the air, not overbearing but inchingly persistent.
For decades showbiz circles have whispered it, and over generations of successes fans now shouted it, cooed at it, relied on it for it save them during mundane existence with dramas and movies.
Nepotism will let you start the race at the finish line, and shoot the competition in the knees if you’re so inclined; what goes on behind the curtain rarely makes the stage if your clever about it.
And Shuntaro Chishiya certainly was clever.
An A-List actor known for his early roles in dramas and later work in thrillers, his beauty and subtle yet effective expressional acting made him a household name overnight. Roles came easily to him and he didn’t care he was typecast as a specific character archetype; it made it easier, effortless.
As expected of the son of two seasoned actors whose romance itself became a public affair winning the adoration of housewives across the country, a perfect family with a beautiful reputation.
No scandals, no failures, no missteps.
A truly perfect family with a truly perfect future.
Chishiya.
The name burns him, burrows itself in his ears and crawls out of his throat in discussion, he hates it, hates them, hates hearing 'Chishiya' on the radio, seeing it printed on every gossip magazine, on billboards - A ghost of a impassive smirk lives behind Niragi’s eyelids and he wants to rip it out.
For normal people breaking into the industry is a path akin to wading through quicksand, struggling only makes you sink faster and it takes equal parts luck and intelligence to make it out, or in, alive. Niragi knew that much, and he wasn't even an actor, only on the fringes of it.
Stunt work was physical, dangerous, but required intellect and planning to be done well. Starting as a tech guy on sets, Niragi found a freedom in the more intense scenes and violence involved, designing scenes to later smash apart was cathartic to the extent it became an addiction.
From contributing to set designs and preparing scenes for stunts, his knowledge and experience landed him in better productions including a new blockbuster starring Chishiya…
A gritty drama set in the 80's, Chishiya would play a protagonist turned antagonist unbeknownst to the audience until the last act when he kills the character Niragi will be stunting for. It makes him laugh at first, like he’s being mocked by the system which panders to Chishiya while trying to drown him.
That impassive smirk goes from lingering images to real and all consuming, no longer on the edges but directly in front of him, working with him feels like touching the sun, there’s a gravity clinging to him and the source doesn’t waver as he sweats and burns.
But it does react, the first time Niragi gets a genuine reaction from Chishiya is when he punches him in the face, a demonstration purposely fumbled but all the blond does is laugh. People rush over to swaddle him while the director scalds Niragi however his attention is locked on the ember of challenge now flickering in the other’s eyes.
Scenes move smoothly after that, or as smoothly as Niragi is used to, he behaves for the most part but barks down the hierarchy chain when he doesn’t have an outlet- doesn’t have his preferred outlet of biting at Chishiya. To his credit, the other man reciprocates every time and the flame grows brighter, Niragi starts to fantasise about the fire burning them both to ashes.
Physicality become familiar and when biting isn’t enough something else spills over, soon it’s a staple to find Niragi lingering on set when Chishiya has a scene, a threat to everyone but the star shining in the set he designed.
When they begin to leave together people raise questions and raise eyebrows, but any rumours dwindle to nothing more than assumptions of some sort of common ground being established.
The film wraps and is a success, accolades are thrown at the cast and leads, which is expected, however on more in-depth forums the set designs, special effects and stunt work is also praised.
…
A car far too outdated for the garage it’s parked in is reported in gossip mags but no woman is seen, a king-size bed goes from partly used to a regular mess, and burning goes from scalding to comforting.
(Niragi hates the media's 'Chishiya', and much prefers the one he sees at home, as reluctantly as he may be to admit it)
Additional art with more focused / visible Chishiya and tidbits:
(as well as transparent Niragi's in case you want to use it for personal use) 😊🤲
Tidbits:
I tried to do some fun things with the other billboards like:
- Hatters’s being a bar with gambling (cough card games cough), girls and music (there a variation of 'Hatters' then in a later one 'The Beach' as he expands his business)
- A few say some form of "Where are you Alice?" for funsies
- There is a 'Breaking News' which mentions 'investment CEO Yaba' has gone missing (I kinda went off on one thinking of what he would be doing in this AU and it's probably running off with Banda to be insane together)
- Kuzuryu has a jewellery based company focused on diamonds (lab grown of course 💅)
- Kuina has a fashion line which Chishiya models for (he prefers her sleepwear and loungewear lines)
Implication is that Niragi and Chishiya share a high-rise apartment which Niragi is on the balcony of in the first image
I was wondering whether to give this a ‘happy’ ending (them being together) or a more canonical ending (Niragi going off the rails) however my fluffy little heart won out
I love neon lights so wanted to try and capture a neo-futuristic city, I also wanted to try and do a little panel page so add that in at the end (this kept growing and growing 🙈)
