#{ I tried Totty with her face not showing like the others but. It just looked better with }

[freezerbnuuy]

Act 5:27- By the Sword (Page 1)

LORE | CHARACTERS | ABOUT / WARNINGS | CHAPTERS

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CONTENT WARNING: violence

Daniel

Gideon makes Maddie accompany me to the Withernham monastery to deliver food for the refugees. I did mention that the only clothes she has is her witchfinder uniform.

Gideon is convinced that the Peterans will understand that she's changed her mind on her stances and that she'll get another chance from the abbess. We'll see how that goes considering Gideon's situation was pretty different to hers.

"Still don't trust me, do you?"

"Of course I don't bloody trust you! You haven't changed a bit, have you? You're only in this for the money!"

Maddie cackles at me. "Oh, well pardon me, Mr. Former Witchfinder! What a lovely fine coat you're wearing! That's the sort of thing you'd see on one of those posh totties up in Finchwick! Whose money paid for it, I wonder?"

"I didn't kill anyone, and I was forced into it! You chose to work for him and you chose to kill those witches!"

"Listen, Daniel - you're lucky that the three of us turned up at all to ask for your father's help! An ally to a cause is an ally to a cause, isn't it? Or do we all need to be pure and untainted?"

"Everyone makes mistakes, don't they? - only what you did were hardly mistakes! It's completely reasonable for me to not trust you."

"You trust your father, don't you? - with all the blood on his hands?"

"Talk like that about my father again and I'll have blood on mine as well!"

My voice echoes through the fields, and even Maddie takes a step back. I don't feel proud of that, but I'm not going to take her slandering my father like that.

"I'm not so sure about that," Maddie replies, in a snide tone. "You're the one who told me you'd never pick up a sword again when we suggested you helping fight off the witchfinders."

There's almost nothing stopping me from turning back to the bridge and throwing her into the icy River Glimmer, but I keep trying to remember what my father said to me about turning whoever possible away from witchfinding.

"Father realised what he did was morally wrong. He realised Mother would have hated him for it, and he didn't want me and my brother ending up following his path, so he stopped. You and those two other blokes, you aren't doing this because you've realised you were wrong. You're doing it because you need money and because you thought Lord Volpe had gone soft - and if you think Lord Volpe of all people was soft, then what does it say about - Micah..."

I blurt that out by accident as he crosses my mind. I almost immediately picture his death in complete clarity, when Oskar ambushed him out of nowhere and nearly killed me as well.

"Wait - Micah? That's a familiar name. Creepy smiley fellow? We all remember him being slaughtered out of nowhere by that ex-vampire."

A sickly feeling rises in my stomach. I never want to be reminded of my days as a witchfinder and yet they loom over me like inescapable shadows.

"The very same. Micah, he was... I was paired with him. He didn't show any empathy or remorse for what he did, but he tried to protect me. He covered for me - told Volpe I'd killed witches when he'd done it. Lied about things... He did it all because the job made him feel nothing, and he didn't want me ending up that way."

"Micah was an interesting character, wasn't he? Very noble for a witchfinder, anyhow. We all missed him for a long time. It was a lot darker without him."

It was all just a job to him. He didn't think twice about anything he did, and yet I still appreciated him trying to cover for me as long as possible. If Oskar hadn't have done what he did, then Micah would've likely risked everything to get me out of there the way my father did.

"I tried to fight the ex-vampire myself. I left a cut on his face and ran - I couldn't do it, and not just out of fear - partially out of guilt."

Maddie gives me a more understanding look. It almost looks like she's listening.

"Something you and your father have in common, then - you're not afraid of people most others are afraid of. It's a handy trait to have, you know."

Eventually, we end up in Withernham - quite unnerving in the dead of night even with the clear skies. What was likely a welcoming sight in the day looked very foreboding at this time of night.

"Right. Let's go and give the refugees some supper - and you'd better hope the abbess doesn't slit your throat."

"That doesn't sound terribly Peteran. I thought they were meant to be forgiving people?"

"'Meant to be' are the key words there, Maddie."

Clementia

There's only one person other than Violeta who'd be skulking around here this time of night with all that's going on…

She's dressed in her usual attire, and accompanied by - I recognise him. The fisherman that used to sell during the old weekend markets! What's he doing here?

I don't give her a chance, and tackle her to the ground with a sword pointed at her before she can strike.

"What are you doing in Withernham? And what's he doing with you?!"

She coughs and chokes as she talks. "I'm - urgh! I'm not anymore! I'm not a witchfinder anymore. Volpe - saw his true colours! This man - helping!"

"You're helping a witchfinder, Mr. Reyes? Why's that?"

He looks incredibly shaken.

"Look, she came to my father asking for help to earn clean money and that they realised Volpe's hypocrisy before his death. She's helping me to deliver meals to the monastery. She isn't going to hurt anybody, at least whilst I'm around."

I find it hard to believe that Mr. Reyes would ally with a dangerous witchfinder, and it seems quite a few witchfinders are turning a new leaf at the moment. I suppose Mr. Reyes has no reason to have anything against the witches. The refugees are hungry and we're getting to the last of the food resources - it seems our usual donor Owen isn't around at the moment. I imagine things at the mansion are hectic without him.

"Listen, lady - I didn't have time to change my clothes. Gideon is helping us out, so we're helping him out, and he wants to help you out, so we're helping him help you for helping us. You get it?"

"Then why do you still have your sword?" 

She growls to herself and pulls it out of its sheath.

[lovelykei]

Dream big

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Chapter 3

It’s been a while since school started and you had managed to talk to hottie tottie blondie approximately 0 times. Which is about how many times you’ve been able to talk about him too since all Rio can talk about is the horrendous state of the team. It did upset you a little, you had tried to talk to Rio about this newfound crush you had, about how you had never felt like this before. She would immediately change the topic back to volleyball tho so you decided to stop trying. There were more girls who had started coming to practice but most of them had the same position so we were far away from a full team.

Rio had been coming to your classroom to talk about the volleyball team and Tobio had been beating the shrimp (whose name you still don’t know) into submission. Apparently he sucks at volleyball but they had somehow managed to win the little bet the captain had made and were now members of the club. “Eri why don’t we go watch tobios practice today? I want to see the shrimp” Rio exclaimed and brought you back out into reality. “Ehhh..you gonna ask them to join or what” you joked and smirked at Rio. “YOURE A GENIUS” she squealed and ran off, probably to tell Tobio of her plan. Never before did the color drain from your face faster, you rested your forehead on your desk and covered your face with your arms. ‘Oh god what did I do? Why would I say that to that simple minded fool? This is so embarrassing we don’t know anyone in the team’ you sighed again and turned your head so your cheek was resting on the desk

“That’s a lot of sighs back to back Tsukino-san” your eyes met golden honey eyes that were looking straight at you. “I think I accidentally gave my friend a really bad idea, it was a joke but it flew right over her head” you admitted with a half smile. “I hope it goes well then” he smiled and you were 99% sure your heart stopped for a second. His smile was so pretty, similar to a smirk but at the same time it was different. Ever since the first day you had been conscious of the tall blonde that sits next to you in class. Focusing in class had been a challenge when your eyes kept wandering to the seat next to you. Sometimes you’d find him looking back at you with a small almost invisible smile, other times you were able to admire him secretly for a few seconds. “I hope so too” you sighed again but this time it was more playful and light.

-

The second the bell rang Rio was standing outside your classroom. With your volleyball bag in her hand. “I ran from lunch to get our bags so we can get changed” Rio had a bright smile on her face as she was holding your volleyball bag out towards you. “I thought you went to tell Tobio- you want to get changed?” You said nervously. Surely you couldn’t show up to the gym all suited up demanding to join practice, this is too embarrassing even for Rio. But when she smiled like that it was impossible to say no so against your better judgment you decided to follow her lead and accept the shame later. “Hurry let’s go change” she tugged you towards the changing room where the two of you got changed and marched right over to the boys gym. ‘This is the worst joke I ever made why would I say that to this volleyball crazed lunatic?! They’re gonna think we’re so entitled walking up to their practice all dressed and ready’ you were so embarrassed you didn’t even register Rio talking to the captain and dragging you in. “Eri? Rio? You don’t have practice today” Tobio said and walked over with a ball under his arm. “We just asked captain-san if we could join your practice” Rio said proudly and you could see how Tobios eyes were sparkling at the mention of playing together.

The captain was hesitant tho, he thought you would be to distracting for Tanaka and he was worried we wouldn’t be able to keep up which was more than just a little offending. “You think because we’re girls you’d have to go easy on us?” You frowned and looked at the captain. Yea you were embarrassed earlier but when it came to volleyball you were good. You were more than confident in that. “I run laps around your genius setter over there” you huffed and pointed at kageyama. “HAA? You definitely don’t we’re definitely equal” he argued back. You glared at the little liar and got ready to defend your honor when Rio called for a truce. “Let’s settle this at her being just one level above you” Rio said trying to mediate between her two setter friends. The rest of the team was a little shocked to hear that you were even on the same level as kageyama, they were even more shocked when kageyama agreed to the fact that you were just one level higher than him. “Fine” “fine” you turned your heads away from eachother, sulking, or at least you were until those warm honey eyes met yours. Tsukishima was smirking while looking at you which made you straighten up and try to act normal.

‘He totally saw that didn’t he? Oh god he plays volleyball? Well he’s tall ofcourse he plays volleyball. God now I’m mortified. How am I supposed to play volleyball and communicate with someone I’ve already planned my whole life with in my head. Surely they’ll turn us away and we can go’ you were berating yourself mentally when the captain said it was okay for you to join this time. Nothing was going your way today. Anyways the team started warming up and doing some light exercises. You quietly did everything you were supposed to until the silver haired senpai suggested to play a game. “Hey now that there’s 12 of us we could play a game” they started to divide the teams and Rio shoved me to the other team while she went to Tobio’s team. She gave you a funny look you didn’t really understand but you walked towards the team regardless.

( The teams were divided into Kageyama, Hinata, Daichi, Rio, Yamaguchi and ennoshita vs Sugawara, Tsukishima, Tanaka, Kinoshita, Narita and you)

“So this is the bad idea you gave your friend huh?” Tsukishima said as you walked over to his team. “It really was a joke” you sighed but a small smile was still visible on your lips. “Doesn’t seem like it to her” you laughed at his comment as you looked at your two friends sparkling eyes. “They really are hopeless volleyball idiots” you laughed as you looked at your friends fondly. “Are you not?” Tsukishima questioned, finding himself curious about you. “Not anymore I don’t think. I was even thinking of quitting volleyball in high school but I ended up here anyways” you weren’t sure why you opened up so much to him, even telling him how you wanted to quit. “I’m glad you ended up here then” he said right before the makeshift team gathered around you to discuss what positions everyone was gonna play. You could feel your cheeks burning at his comment and although you couldn’t see it his ears were bright red as well.

“Okay so we have 2 centers, two left side spikers and 1 setter! What position do you play Tsukino-san” the silvered hair senpai said. You used to play setter with Rio as your opposite, you even had one of those cool nicknames. That’s what caused the rift between you and your team. They didn’t like being in the shadow which made them pick a fight about everything until it was practically impossible for you and Rio to play with them. You had no intentions to cause a rift with the boys team and you definitely didn’t want to try to take the third years position in his own team. “I’ll play opposite! That’s what missing anyways” you forced a smile but it seemed like they all bought it. “Great! So I’m Sugawara! Introduce yourself boys” he urged the rest of the team to introduce themselves and soon enough the game was starting.

“HEY ERI! ME AND TOBIO ARE GONNA BRING U DOWN” Rio yelled from the other side of the net. She was standing back to back with Tobio who was smirking. Truth is they really riled up your competitive side and now you were determined to not let them win. “Okay team rocket calm down” you replied and laughed at how stupid they looked. You could hear the rest of the team laughing quietly at the scene.

The game started with Tobio serving and he aiming straight at you ofcourse. You picked the ball up and rolled back a little from the impact. Sugawara immediately ran up to set the ball to tanaka who proceeded to slam the ball down and earn you a point. “Kageyama be careful with Tsukino” Yamaguchi said, he was clearly worried. “It’s okay Yamaguchi-kun I served better than that in middle school” you replied playfully. “IM STILL WARMING UP” kageyama complained but it didnt miss your senpais that he didn’t correct you. The game kept going smoothly until Tobio pulled out what was arguably the coolest thing you’ve ever seen. “THAT WAS SO FAST WHAT WAS THAT” Rio exclaimed while looking at Tobio. “Rio- the hopeless shrimp had his goddamn eyes closed” you were stunned at what you had just seen. “Tobio set that ball right into the shrimps hand” you were baffled but you more than anything you were excited. “We have to try that” you and Rio said at the same time. Everybody noticed how even your eyes were sparkling this time. Kageyama was smirking proudly until Hinata started complaining that Kageyama had given him a weird nickname infront of the girls.

After you and Rio calmed down the game proceeded until it was your turn to serve. You loved serving, it was the first thing you got really good at and you were more than confident in your serves. Your team was 4 points ahead so even if you just lightly hit it over it would be okay, honestly hitting a really good serve and have everyone cheer really would feel so good but you were just to scared to go back to how it was in middle school. The mood was too good to be ruined by your selfish need for validation. So you suppressed your urge and decided to just send a soft serve over.

Instead of bumping the serve Tobio just grabbed it and threw it over back to you. “No it’s your turn to serve not ours you idiot” you glared at him and hissed back “That was my serve stupid”. “Yeah I don’t think so, what? you think we can’t take it?” Rio exclaimed. Now everyone on their team was looking at you and you couldn’t tell if they were offended or amused. In an attempt to make things less embarrassing for you, you quickly replied. “Both you and Tobio are in the back line and I wouldn’t want to make you cry but alright if that’s what you want. ‘This means I can do it right? I can just let go and have fun. I’m sure if I do anything less they really will get offended but what if I do it to hard and they tell me it’s just pract-‘ “have fun you hopeless volleyball idiot” Tsukishimas encouraging smile and his quiet words that only you could hear brought you ought of your thoughts and back on the court. You took a a few steps back, bounced the ball and took a deep breath. Throwing the ball in the air and jumping up to meet it like you’d done so many times before. The ball fit perfectly in your hand and with a loud smack it flew right towards Kageyama and landed on the line right next to him. It was silent for a second but before kageyama spoke with a smirk. “You got worse”. “And yet you still couldn’t touch it” you fired back grinning. Honestly you hadn’t even noticed everyone had frozen until they all cheered and laughed. “That was crazy Tsukino” “how did you even do that” “wow” you could hear everyone praising you and you were so happy. In the middle of the commotion you snuck up next to Tsukishima and grinned. “Thank you Tsukishima”.

A/n- here comes another chapter👯‍♀️ I really enjoy writing this series 😳 I’m scared I’m making Tsukishima too soft but I just imagine him actually being nice to his crush😩

[cocovlog]

Bad Boy (Part 1)

Pairing: Karamatsu x Reader

Notes: The song is Bad Boy by Cascada (Kara would definetely have that song in his playlist) | Any pronouns reader :)

Text codes: English | Japanese | Song

That was the first time that you went partying with the sextuplets. Actually, it was most of them's first time, except for Totty.

At first he wasn't very convinced about going out with his brothers, since they would scare away all the cute girls, but he thought that they would be less troublesome with you coming.

"YAY!! PARTY!!" Jyushimatsu was very happy to finally to enter to a disco for the first time and started to run around. "LOOK ICHIMATSU-NIISAN!! SHAPES AND COLOURS!!"

Ichimatsu on the other way was kind of anxious, and the fact that his brother was about to get lost in the middle of the people, wasn't doing good. "Jyushimatsu! Don't go!" He followed him and suddenly they dissapeared in the middle of the multitude.

"IT'S TIME TO IMPRESS... MY KARAMATSU GIRLS AND BOYS" Before he could end the phrase, Karamatsu already had taken off his jacket and exposed his shiny fashion in the middle of the place.

"UUHG I WANT BEER!!" Osomatsu screamed.

"I'm just... out of here" Totty took a look on you and his brothers before starting to look around for interesting people.

Choromatsu approached you for a second and spoke "I'm going to get those two, make sure that Shittymatsu and Osomatsu don't move away" And with that, another sextuplet got lost in the crew.

You looked around since they seemed to left you abandoned in the middle of the place. You saw Osomatsu approaching a group of girls, and Karamatsu following.

"I wish he tried to impress me..." You thought. You and the sextuplets had been friends for a while, and among them you really found Karamatsu interesting.

Interesting, cute, talented, handsome... you liked him... a lot!

You decided to follow Oso and Kara to the bar and ordered a Cola. You'd better be sober to carry these guys home.

You could see them drinking and talking to these girls right next to you. One of them seemed kind of comfortable about Osomatsu's attitude. The other was playing some games on her phone, not even paying attention to the duo.

"I have to go home" The girl on the phone spoke, and then left. Her friend was really interested in the oldest neet, even though he was showing his usual personality.

Karamatsu on the other way seemed comfortable about being there, but didn't flirt as much as you thought he would. He didn't flirt. Was this guy ok...? Maybe he just saw the signals... "Would you like to come home with me?" This girl spoke and Osomatsu's eyes really were shining at the moment. "YES! I MEAN-! Yes~" Moments later they were out of the place, and you thought that you heard Osomatsu screaming of happiness through the door.

You laughed a little and took a sip of the drink. Then looked at your side to find Karamatsu playing with his hands and looking at you. He was smiling. "So, how's the night honey? Not as good as you thought?" "No, no. Really, it's great, I wish we could get out like this more" You smiled at him in return. "Even if your brothers get all lost in the pub, haha" Karamatsu looked at you and then looked away to the barista, trying to hide a blush. "A zero-alcohol beer, please" You were surprised about him not drinking alcohol, and he noticed. "I'm not letting you carry these neets home alone tonight, my dear". Then he smiled to you. And you got lost in him once again. "Um... I was thinking..." You put your drink in the table. "What about if we... you know, you always keep an eye on your brothers and on me, you need to take a break Kara... uhm... I mean... would you like to dance with me?" You offered him a hand, which he gladly took. And then kissed. You could feel your face burning, and you were wishing that the lights made it difficult to tell. "Of course, my dear, it would be a pleasure".

The japanese song that was playing turned into one of your favourite songs, 'Bad Boy' by Cascada. At the moment you leaped a little and screamed "Oh! I love this song!" Karamatsu laughed a little about your reaction and aoproached to you "Me too! It's my favourite of all times!" Then he started singing at the song's rythm.

Remember the feelings

Remember the day

My stone heart was breaking

My love ran away

And then you replied.

This moment I knew I would be someone else

My love turned around and I felt

You both took your hands and sang louder.

Be my bad boy be my man

Be my weekend lover

But don't be my friend

You can be my bad boy

But understand

That I don't need you in my life again

At the moment you both realised that you were holding eachother's hands you retired them inmediately, and then looked at eachother, looking for signs of disconfort.

Karamatsu offered his hand to you once again and smiled. You could feel him getting closer to you... or was it your imagination?

You both spent the following hours dancing and singing to the tunes, not worrying about the rest of the world, smiling, sweating and blushing hard, not knowing if by the heat or the crush. And again, he seemed so close to you, milimeters away, but he looked so nervous.

"What's wrong Kara?" He stood silent, and approached to you slowly, almost brushing your lips. Before that could happen, a certain green brother of his interrupted your bussiness.

"I just *hiccup* found these fools fooling around *hiccup* you know-" Choromatsu returned next to both of you. He drank too much. Behind him a drunk Ichimatsu stood holding a more drunk Jyushimatsu's hand, just for him not to run away from them. "I WANT PART-T-T-T-Y!!" Jyusimatsu exclaimed. "I want to go homeeee..." Ichimatsu cried.

"It seems that our night ends in this moment, my honey" Karamatsu took your hand and kissed it, acting as nothing else happened a moment ago. And with that, he took Jyushimatsu in his arms. "We should better go home my burazzas, you all need some rest".

In the way back home you both stood in silence, exchanging a few looks as wou walked. On the contrary, the other sextuplets were speaking and babling about nothing. "Oh no, we left Totty!" "Totty knows how to take care of himself..." "And Osomatsu-niisan" "Ugh, if we're lucky he won't return" You couldn't understand clearly what they were saying, but Karamatsu smiled a little from time to time during their discussion.

Once you arrived the Matsuno house, Karamatsu asked you to stay on the entrance. "Let me leave them upstairs my dear, and then I'll escort you home" Next you could hear was some small 'shhh' and 'goodnight (Y/N)-chan'.

Your mind was rushing a because if the idea. You? And him? Alone? Again? You couldn't stop thinking about the moment in which he almost kissed you a few hours before. Should you take the lead and confess? Would it make him uncomfortable? Maybe he was just being nice...? "Nice? He was about to kiss you dummy!" You murmured and hit your head softly. A moment later Karamatsu went downstairs. "Shall we go, my Karamatsu (girl/boy/nb)?" You shook your head in agreement, and then you both left.

[whumpmatsus]

28 Kara is cute, one would say too cute to suffer. Not me. Maybe fic where he is feeling really sick, but being the quiet one he is forgotten for a while? Or something. Pls and thanks.

haha, nobody is EVER too cute to suffer here! including precious baby 18!Kara~ <3

I had fun with this, I hope you like it! c:

-

It’s pouring rain when the rest of the sextuplets come to walk Karamatsu home from the train station, and he doesn’t want to go out in it.

Today’s drama club meeting wasn’t a very good one. The teacher leading it got focused on the two lead actors for the play which the club is showing tomorrow night, because they were both fighting and at each other’s throats. Most of the others ignored Karamatsu in favor of being on their phones or reading magazines or running lines while the teacher was busy with the leads.

Finally, in a twist that puts the cherry on the horrible meeting sundae, despite the fact that he’s playing a small part, Karamatsu messed up his own lines every single time. The others were so irritated with him, he wished the floor would just swallow him up.

Usually he’s so good with acting. It’s something he’s passionate about and enjoys and takes pride in. Today… it’s not that he’s nervous about the production. It’s that he just feels awful.

He’s been tired since he woke up, he’s warm and clammy at the same time, his throat is scratchy, he keeps coughing and sneezing, and any part of his body that doesn’t have a specific complaint is simply achy. Mommy noticed that he wasn’t feeling well when she sent them all to school, but he begged her not to keep him home, and since he didn’t have a fever this morning, she let him go.

There’s… definitely a fever running through him now, though. He thought for sure his brothers would notice and maybe ask him if there was anything they could do; instead, he’s been behaving so normally as far as they’re concerned, with his quiet nature and tendency to cry over small things, that not a single one of them has picked up on it.

On top of everything else, he forgot his umbrella. It was supposed to be sunny today, so he had to walk from school to the train without one, and now when he gets out of the station, he has to go out into the rain with barely any protection.

Although he’s crying by the time he reaches his brothers, it blends in pretty well with the rain.

Thankfully, all his brothers are carrying umbrellas, so he huddles under Osomatsu’s and presses himself against his older brother’s side. Osomatsu immediately accommodates him, pulling Karamatsu in to get dry. “Hey, bro! Geez, you’re shaking like a leaf. Sorry you didn’t have your umbrella!” He chuckles and tousles Karamatsu’s hair. “That’s what you get for picking a nerd hobby that’s right after school so you don’t have time to go home and get anything.”

“Don’t listen to him, Kara ― your hobby is just fine,” Choromatsu hums. He’s busy trying to entertain Totty, who’s doing his damnedest to attach himself to Choromatsu’s hip. “Now, guys, it’s raining out here, so can we please go home and get some tea? If we stay out here much longer, we’re gonna catch colds, and I do not want to be sick for graduation.”

Jyushimatsu scoffs. “That’s still two weeks away. We’d be fine, dumbass.”

Choromatsu’s face turns bright red. “W-well, if you’re fine getting sick regardless, you can go jump in the puddles for all I care!”

A smile briefly flashes across the second youngest’s face. “Really??” And just like that, he’s back to looking constantly angry. “Naaah… that shit’s for babies!”

They all begin to walk, and Ichimatsu shakes his head. “Ah, Karamatsu-nii-san… some of my friends wanted to come see that play tomorrow. What time does it start, again?”

“U-uh.” Karamatsu sniffles a few times, nuzzling against Osomatsu’s shoulder. “7 P.M. for the first one. Then there’s another showing at… at 8:30. I… don’t know if I’m… going to go, though.”

“What??” Choromatsu frowns as the six of them stop for the crosswalk. “You’ve never had stage fright before. You’ll be fine once you get up on the stage.”

“I don’t know, Choro…”

“Oh, come on, Kara-nii-san. Don’t cry like that… you made a commitment! You don’t wanna let your club down, right?”

Karamatsu reaches up to try and wipe the tears away. Not only is it kind of ineffective because his rain-soaked bangs keep dripping down his face, his hand keeps brushing against parts of his acne as he tries, which is painful. “Y-yeah, but…”

Osomatsu gives his little brother a squeeze that he thinks is supposed to be reassuring. It’s a bit rough, though. “No ‘but’s unless you’re grabbing a girl’s butt, Kara! You got this! You’ve done this shit before and totally nailed it. You usually don’t have too many lines, anyway, so it’s not that bad, is it?”

God, he should have a little more backbone. He should be able to say things decisively and not just fall silent when his brothers push him like this. Actually, if he just managed to say outright that he’s sick, they wouldn’t even be saying anything like this stuff. Right now they just think it’s pre-curtain jitters, which happens, which they can usually shake him out of because they know he loves acting.

Funnily enough, even though he doesn’t have much of a spine himself, this crappy cold of his evidently thinks this is the perfect time to speak up. The congestion he’s been fighting blossoms into something insistent that he can’t ignore, and he quickly ducks his face down between his hands.

“― Hh’DSHH! Hah’DTchh! Hd’TCHHuu! Ahh’DTSCHhhoo!”

A volley of coughs rides on the tail end of the last sneeze, so much that he can barely get a breath in. Each one makes his all-over soreness sharpen for a second, unbearable pinpricks of pain across his whole body. The coughs make something in his chest crackle and it hurtsand suddenly he’d pulled into a protective hug.

Part of him wishes he could just pull away. The part of him that wants to lean into the contact wins out, allowing him to nestle into his older brother’s chest as he continues to cough.

“Shit, Karamatsu!” Osomatsu starts rubbing his little brother’s back in an attempt to help break up the fit. “The fuck, man? That sounds nasty. You coming down with something?”

Karamatsu can feel the others hovering closer, murmuring in concern among themselves. The coughs finally taper off and he scrubs at his eyes, no matter how much it hurts, even as more tears start to bubble up. “Y-yeah… I woke up sick…”

“What??” Choromatsu sounds almost like he’s been betrayed or something. “You should have stayed home! Ah… wait… wait, you walked all the way to the station from school in the rain when you already have a cold? That’s a great way to end up with a sinus infection or pneumonia! Shit, we gotta get you home…”

“Sorry…” Karamatsu manages to croak out, followed by more sniffles. Thanks to the cold air and the sneezing, his nose has started running again. “U-uh… does anyone have tissues…? I used all mine already…”

Ichimatsu starts to dig around in his pockets. “Yeah, I think I have some.”

As he hands over a small pack to his older brother, Osomatsu gives a protective squeeze. “Hey, Choro, don’t blame Karamatsu for all this. He should have said something, sure, but it’s not all on him here. We should have noticed something was up. Right? We’re his brothers.”

Karamatsu lets out a small whine of protest, pressing a tissue over his nose. It would have been nice for them to notice, but… it’s not like it’s their job. They don’t owe it to him to pay attention to him. “I-it’s not your fault…”

Before anyone else can say a word, Totty lets go of Choromatsu and darts over to circle his arms around Karamatsu’s waist. He’s sort of wedging himself between Karamatsu and Osomatsu, pretty clearly wanting to be with both of them. “Ah! We love you, Karamatsu-nii-chan!! We’ll take good care of you!”

“… Yeah,” Choromatsu chuckles. He reaches over to pat Karamatsu’s back. “I’m sorry we weren’t paying enough attention to notice you weren’t feeling well. But we’re gonna get you home and tucked into bed. And I’m sure Mom will call the drama club teacher to tell her you can’t perform tomorrow night.”

Jyushimatsu hums, and he appears to be trying very hard not to smile wide like he wants to do. “We’re probably all gonna catch it, right?”

Ichimatsu chuckles softly. “Yeah, that’s what usually happens.”

“So… we can go stomp in puddles, right? Since we’re gonna get sick anyway?”

“No, no, no,” Choromatsu immediately speaks up, “no stomping in puddles! We have to get Kara home!”

Of course, it’s too late. Jyushimatsu has run off ahead of them all, launching himself into every puddle he can find, his face switching between an irritated scowl and a borderline maniacal grin.

Totty’s still clinging to Karamatsu, snuggling against his shoulder. “We’ll all get to be sick together! That means we get to stay home from school for a couple days. We can sleep and watch movies and have a big cuddle puddle.”

Choromatsu sighs. “As long as we don’t miss the commencement ceremony, that’s okay. I guess the last few weeks of our senior year don’t matter too much with regard to schoolwork, anyway. Especially since we’re already adults.”

Another few coughs are muffled against Osomatsu’s chest, prompting everyone to give a brief stroke to Karamatsu’s back or hair. “Well, before we catch it,” Osomatsu says, “we’ve gotta get this geek home and throw his ass in bed. He’s really warm… feels like his skin’s gonna burn his clothes up. C’mon, Kara. We’ll get you wrapped up in a blanket, then maybe I can help Mom make some kayu to make you feel better.”

“Mm…” Well. That does sound pretty good. “… W-with umeboshi on top?”

“Yeah, sure! Whatever you want! And Choro can make some tea, Totty can pick out a movie, Ichi can get a cold cloth for your forehead, and Jyushi…” Osomatsu blinks and peers out where their fifth eldest is… way ahead of them. “What can Jyushi do?”

Choromatsu blows out a slow, frustrated breath. “… Stay out of the way??”

Totty giggles. “He can be the bodyguard! We’ll station him outside the room, and if any of Ichimatsu-nii-chan’s friends come by to try and take Ichimatsu-nii-chan away, Jyushi-nii-chan will scare them off!”

“Hey, yeah! That’s a good idea, Totty!”

“What? Why do you want to scare my friends away?”

“Because Karamatsu-nii-chan’s sick! They can’t drag you off somewhere when your big brother needs you! That’d be mean.”

“A-ah, hahahah… he’d be fine without me, but… I can just say no! We don’t need Jyushi to scare them away.”

“We miiiiiiight! At least, it would be funny!”

Karamatsu offers a tiny laugh, which quickly turns into another couple of coughs. He puts a weak arm around Totty and wonders how he’s going to keep his eyes open for the rest of the walk home. He thinks they’re not too far away, though.

“Thanks, guys… this… this might not be such a bad day after all…”

[pxchinko-addict]

@zorkaya​ sent an ask!! Family !

send a word and i will write a drabble or headcanon based on it | accepting ↪ can’t be turned into threads

Contrary to belief, Osomatsu does care about his family immensely. There are several ways that he expresses this, but they’re typically subtle. I’m going to put these headcanons under a ‘Read More’, as I’m probably going to get carried away. I apologize in advance, but people really need to recognize how much this shitty NEET actually does for his brothers. Where Karamatsu provides them all with physical needs, and bends over backwards for them, Osomatsu proves them all with emotional support and is extremely subtle about it.

Family is something that’s important to Osomatsu, despite him acting like a shit most of the time. No matter how much he fights with his brothers, they are still his family. He does love them, he just isn’t good at communicating it. When he called them his ‘enemies’, I don’t think he meant that he despised them. I’ll be frank; I don’t think any of the brothers hate one another. They lived at poverty-level, so the boys had to work for what they wanted. Since there were six of them, they always needed to compete with one another for things. That’s something that continues to happen to this day. Sadly enough, they’ve come to resent one another.

ICHIMATSU: The way he expresses caring for Ichimatsu is probably the most obvious. He is constantly mentioning how worried he is about him. He isn’t sure whether he’ll make it on his own and that concerns him. Whenever his brother acts more positively, Osomatsu will often encourage that. At the same time, he realizes that Ichimatsu should make his own choices. That was what we saw with ESP Kitty. He knew that Ichi needed to decide for himself whether having friends was important to him. It was something that couldn’t be forced onto him. That was why he stopped Choromatsu from insisting they continue searching. Osomatsu felt that it had to be Ichimatsu’s choice. Then, there’s the episode ‘Ichimatsu Incident’, where Ichimatsu wears Karamatsu’s clothes. It is heavily implied that Oso knows which brother he’s looking at. Considering he's a sextuplet, and has lived with his siblings his entire life, we can assume that is the case. For whatever reason, and I think it’s because he didn’t want to humiliate Ichimatsu, he pretends that he doesn’t recognize him.

KARAMATSU: Another rather obvious display. He is always giving Karamatsu emotional support. Especially when Karamatsu questions himself. Osomatsu has said things like: ‘You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t painful.’ Basically, that’s him telling his brother to be himself. Who cares what anyone else thinks? If you’re happy with yourself, that’s all that matters.

JYUSHIMATSU: Their relationship warms my heart. Do I really have to say what episode Osomatsu shows his caring side towards Jyushimatsu? Jyushimatsu falls in love. It was Osomatsu that mentioned the brothers needed to support their sibling. It was Osomatsu who told Jyushimatsu that he should say goodbye to the women he loved, even though she had rejected him. In fact, it’s hinted that Jyushimatsu’s crush was in a porn magazine. We see Osomatsu enter the room in the next scene, looking serious, and telling his brother he had something to tell him. Perhaps, and I’m speculating this, he didn’t want to hurt his brother. So, instead, he said: ‘How dare you get a girlfriend before me?’ He didn’t have the heart to break the news to him. Also, them messing around together in the movie was really freaking adorable like??

CHOROMATSU: This is where it begins to become subtle. I personally headcanon that Osomatsu resents the third born brother. ( There is plenty of evidence supporting this. He and Choromatsu are the ones we see getting into the most physical fights. ) He doesn’t hate him, but he is incredibly envious. Choro really turned himself around. He used to be Oso’s partner-in-crime, but for whatever reason, he grew out of that. That left Osomatsu feeling betrayed and left behind. Still, he does care about him, despite his feelings. We do see him being supportive. Whenever Choromatsu starts to really stress about their future, Osomatsu reminds him that they still have plenty of time.

TODOMATSU: There isn’t much relationship-building between the two, unfortunately, which is incredibly frustrating. Of all the five brothers, I think Totty desperately needs it. He really does need to be informed that he belongs just as much as the other sextuplets do. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see that. There are small instances where Oso attempts to reach out, but they don’t go anywhere. I think it stems from Oso rejecting Totty in the movie. When Totty asks Oso what’s going to happen to them in the future, Oso replies with, ‘Why do I care?’ then walks away. I think that really stuck with him. Until that point, Totty believed that he could rely on his big brothers for anything. I think that was such a slap to his face, that it contributed to his coldness as an adult. Whenever one of the brothers, Oso particularly, attempts to reach out, Totty becomes infuriated with them. He felt like they turned their backs on him. Why on earth would they try to console him as an adult, when they failed when he needed them most? ( And since Oso was the most blatant about it well... yeah. )

MATSUYO: Can I just say how much I love Matsuyo? She puts up with so much shit from her sons. I adore the episodes where the boys step up and do chores for her. I particularly love the scene where she tries to help Oso with the dishes and he stops her. That was so heart-touching. Another scene I love is when the brothers are all fighting. Their mother becomes visibly upset, Oso notices this, and tells them all to stop fighting.

MATSUZO: Um, hello?? We desperately need more of the NEETs interacting with their father, please. He is such a good father and it is unfortunate we don’t get to witness more of his struggles. He literally does so much for them that it hurts. The poor guy is overworked. ( As in, he never gets a break. He can’t take a break, because otherwise, his family would go hungry. ) He doesn’t get paid very well, either. It was such a nice feeling, when their father went to the hospital, and the boys finally realized how hard their father worked. Oso especially took it hard. I don’t think I need to say anything more, as Osomatsu was quite obvious about how he felt when his father was hospitalized.

[pussypoppinhippo]

Show me How you Burlesque|| Ballum

Summary: When a burst pipe threatens the Friday night Drag show at the Prince Albert the Vic offer to host instead. The show stars Walford’s own Diana Dee Izzuez but just which one of the residents of the square is behind the glamorous performer? 

A/N: I haven’t written anything like this in maybe ten years but this struck me tonight, beware of spelling mistakes and saucy dancing below.

Spotify Playlist for this fic: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7jVrM8LP1qwd0OvO3vqcgo?si=DtdQVAY4RkKo2ZBmbv6r4A

It was a little past seven at night on a semi busy Friday in the Vic when Tina, somewhat dripping wet despite the wonderful summer weather, came bursting through the pub doors. No one really batted an eyelid at the sight, Linda who was stationed behind the bar wasn’t all that taken aback when the soaking wet woman accosted her talking a mile a minute about drag queens, burst water pipes and a plea to move some sort of theme night into the local pub.

At a table just by the door Jay, Lola and Whitney were chatting waiting for Calum to bring the next round of drinks over from the bar, Whitney and Calum had broken up a year prior just before their wedding day after a blow up argument about the lads clear disinterest in their impending marriage. They’d only really started speaking properly again after Easter and tonight was the first real night in the pub they’d embarked on as friends.

“Apparently some sort of pipe disasters driven everyone out of the Prince Albert” Calum nodded his head over to Tina who was now drying off with a towel Mick had fetched her “ they’re moving their drag show here, starts at eight and apparently they’ve got this local performing as the main act”. Placing the drinks down on the table he took his seat next to Jay “Tina says we can stay for free if we fancy it” he added.

“A local act?” questioned Lola “I wonder if it’s that ...deedee? Ben was talking about the other week there you remember that?” she nudged Jay with an eyebrow raised.

The ginger rolled his eyes affectionately at the mention of his brothers latest nightlife obsession “ Di I think he said, apparently she’s from Walford and if I remember quite rightly he said she was pretty enough to make him consider the other side”.

Calum swallowed at the mention of the handsome mechanic, they’d started dating in secret in November and while Ben wasn’t best pleased with being kept a secret he’d understood that halfway’s father moving to Walford had made his impending coming out much more difficult.

“I say we stay! it sounds like a good laugh doesn’t it?” Whitney piped up with a grin, “ What do you think Cal?”. Nodding he gave her a smile as he reached down to send his boyfriend a cheeky text about missing out on the fun. “Speaking of Ben where is he tonight?” she asked taking a sip of her drink.

“He said Something about some hot totty” Jay snorted with a head shake “ same old Ben ain’t it? though I’m sure he’ll be sad to have missed out on all this” he motioned to the filling pub and the makeshift stage that Mick and Tina were creating toward one end of it.

They fell back into relatively normal conversation about life as they enjoyed their drink, managing to grab another round just before Kathy announced the show would be starting in five minutes time. Checking his phone Calum noted the text from his lover with a smile

‘ Sounds like I’m missing out don’t get stolen away by Walford's blue eyed temptress now ;) x’

He didn’t have time to reply to it as Kathy Introduced the nights entertainment.

“ Please give a warm Walford welcome to the Incomparable Walford vixen Miss Diana Dee Izzuez” she grinned as the first few notes of ‘Welcome to Burlesque” filled the air.

The figure that stepped onto the makeshift stage was like a vision from a Hollywood film, while the person was not particularly tall the glittery red high heels made the fishnet stocking encased legs that peeked from the slit in an equally sparkling floor length gown look long and the dress with its corseted top hugged the figure of the person it encased in all the right places. Long flowing wavy black hair framed a perfectly painted face with lips that could have been painted in blood and as they parted Calum thought he quite possibly could have died as the voice of an angel fell from them.

“Show a little more, show a little less

Add a little smoke, welcome to Burlesque”

It was seductive every move graceful and every word of the song perfectly sung as the queen on staged greeted her audience with an at ease smirk. Everyone in the pub was captivated, the Prince Albert faithful watched on with an admiration for someone they loved and the Vic’s usual punters looked on in an almost awe at the masterful mystery before them. It was only as the second verse began that a vague sort of recognition rang in Calum’s head, he’d heard that voice before he was almost certain but he couldn’t quite place where.

The seductress on stage waved an elbow length black glove encased hand at someone in the crowd as her eyes scanned the rest of them passing over the table at the back of the room with a disgruntled Phil, an interested Sharon, a captivated Louise and a fed up looking Keanu in mild interest before landing on the friends sat near the door with a smirk.

“If you wanna a little extra, well, you know where I am

Something better in the dark, just playing with your mind

There's nothing in the days, that's just for the bump and grind

Show a little more

Show a little less

Add a little smoke

Welcome to …….Burlesque.”

The song finished up and Diana took her applause with a graceful smile and leant down to accept a drink from someone.

“Y’know she does look sort of familiar” Lola popped up eyes narrowing as she studied the figure on stage “y’reckon we know her?” she asked the group who were also studying the drag queen with interest.

“Maybe it’s kush?” added whitney “ I can’t really tell the lighting here is awful”.

The ginger snorted “ can’t be we all know after New Years karaoke Kush’s tone deaf, what do you think mate?” he nudged Calum unaware that the penny had just dropped for the former army officer, Diana Dee Izzuez was sporting a rather prominent hickey just above a classic pearl necklace, a hickey that the man knew matched perfectly with one he’d given Ben mere hours before in the Arches and that singing voice one that reminded him so much of Ben singing in a hotel shower after a sneaked weekend away a month or so back.

“Uh I…no idea mate” he stumbled out trying to hide his surprise with a sip of his drink as he tried to make sense of the fact that the beautiful performer on stage could in fact be his rough around the edges boyfriend.

“Welcome Ladies, Gentlemen and those who are somewhere in between, my name is Diana Dee Izzuez but you my friends can call me Di” the queen purred voice husky with a musical lilt that had Calum second guessing if his suspicions about this being Ben were right.

“I’m going to sing a few songs and do a touch of dancing for you tonight, if you enjoy my performance there are tip jars on the bar we’re collecting money in aid of AKT who help support LGBT+ homeless youth” Di smiled before taking a sip of her red wine and setting it down on the side of the stage. Clicking her fingers above her head the next songs started up the plucky piano recognisable to anyone who enjoyed a Broadway show almost immediately.

"The name on everybody's lips

Is gonna be Roxie

The lady raking in the chips

Is gonna be Roxie”

Highways mouth went dry as he watched Di swing her hips seductively on stage, every word was sung with that same devilish smirk that he could pinpoint as the one Ben used along side witty one liners, that was most definitely his boyfriend. Her hips swayed as she clicked her fingers to the beat teasingly kicking her leg out from the slit in the dress so the audience could catch a peak of the lacey black garter and matching suspenders underneath.

“From just some dumb mechanics son

I'm gonna be Roxie

Who says that murder's not an art?”

While the change in lyrics may have went over almost everyone in the pubs head it had Sharon and Louises eyes widening in recognition although Ben hadn’t made it that subtle he’d coupled the line with a little kiss blown toward the table.

His boyfriend certainly caught it and it had confirmed what he’d been thinking, Walford’s blue eyed vixen was none other than Ben Mitchell. On stage the performance went on Di was shimming along to the beat, the little break in the music was filled with a slow seductive turn and a pretty impressive high kick showing off more of the lace hidden underneath the eye catching dress. Taking a step off the stage the crowd practically parted  as Di didn’t miss a beat heels clicking in time with the music as she purred the lyrics.

Think of those autographs

I'll sign,

'Good luck to ya, '

Roxie!

She leaned over signing a piece of paper that was offered toward her with a flourish, she made her way toward the back of the crowd interacting with people as she went. Di never wavered once while singing leaning over to kiss a miserable looking Keanu’s cheek as she breezed past the Mitchell table and worked back toward the stage leaving the woman at it stifling giggles. Reaching the group of friends at the front she shot Calum a wink.

“the audience loves me!

And I love them

And they love me for loving them

And I love them for loving me

And we love each other

And that's because none of us

Got enough love in our childhoods

And that's showbiz

Kid”

Di had leant toward them as she’d sung the lines and the last few  had definitely been aimed toward Calum who was trying his best not to turn beet red. He was definitely going to have to have a long talk with Ben after this and perhaps he’d suggest those heels make an appearance at their next weekend away. She climbed back onto the stage finishing the song with a flourish and a smile before smoothing her hands over her curves then bending down to pick up her wine.

“Y’know those pearls…. they looks a bit like the ones you showed me with the one pink pearl in the centre” Jay arched an eyebrow at Calum who hadn’t quite managed to get his blush under control.

“No…no don’t think so mate” the taller man spluttered trying to avoid eye contact, he’d noticed it as well that  the pearl necklace Di was wearing was identical to the one he’d bought Whit for their wedding day but had never given her, the one he was sure was supposed to be nestled in his bedside drawer back at the flat.

“Wait ...do you know who she is Cal?” Whit questioned as everyone at the table turned toward him, looking at him expectantly she leaned in a little more “have you figured it out?”

Shaking his head he was just about to blurt out an excuse when a voice from the stage interrupted.

“ For this next song I’m going to need a handsome volunteer” Diana pretended to scan the audience her eyes almost immediately landing on Calum who was trying to lean away from his ex almost wife who had leant in to try and get information out of him, the little flash of jealousy in Di’s eyes was gone almost as soon as it appeared.

“hmmmm you” she purred pointing to Highway “ give that tall glass of water a round of applause as he makes his way up here oh and barkeep?”. She waved a hand toward Mick with a dazzling smile “ two of your finest whisky please for me and my friend here”.

While she’d been speaking Kathy had slipped a chair onto the stage, of course she knew exactly who Di was, Ben had approached her about the drag nights after he’d done a few gigs at other clubs but she wasn’t quite sure why exactly instead of the usual anonymous handsome punter he’d picked Calum for this bit.

Making his way onto the stage after some pushing from the others Cal allowed himself to be pushed down into the chair eyes taking in just how gorgeous the other was up close in drag.

“ be good for me lover boy” Di purred in his ear as the music for the next song started up leaving Calum blushing to stand behind the chair.

“The demon queen of high school has decreed it

She says Monday, 8am I will be deleted

They'll hunt me down in study hall

Stuff and mount me on the wall

Thirty hours to live, how shall I spend them?”

Up close like this the taller man could smell the perfume Diana wore, the musky floral scent was definitely expensive and the note of something very strictly Ben peeking through it was definitely making it that much more alluring. Diana's hand slid down Calums chest as she sang undoing the top button of his white button up with gloved hands. Her hips still swinging she danced around the man in the chair using him as a prop to help enhance her performance. Every word of the song was sung with such passion the lanky man was sucked in, so enchanted he wasn’t expecting the lap full of Di that he ended up with.

"Shh…

Sorry but I really had to wake you

See, I decided I must ride you ‘til I break you

'Cause Heather says I gots to go

You're my last meal on death row”

She guided his hands to her hips and faced the audience as she seated herself in his lap the pleased smirk of blood red lips saying it all the watching audience. Calum’s eyes drifted toward his group of friends who were giggling, grinning and wiggling their eyebrows at him as he received what could best be described as a lap dance from the other. He was most definitely past blushing and was now an almost permanent shade of pink that perhaps could only be matched by the shade of red Phil Mitchell had turned when his wife had explained exactly who the tart on stage was really.The Dance continued just as raunchy as Di rolled her hips and halfway hands wandered ever so slightly to run over the curve of waist the corset was giving the beautiful babe in his lap.

Get your ass in gear

Make this whole town disappear

"Okay, okay!"

Slap me, pull my hair

Touch me

There and there and there

And no more talking!

Whoa!

Love this dead girl walking!

A slap to the man's thigh and then hand tugging halfways hair in time with the song sent the crowd cheering and they only got wilder as Diana stood in front of him and ripped the skirt from her dress revealing lace boy short style panties that at that moment only Calum could see had the word ‘saucy’ stoned in red gems on the back and that matching lace suspender set that held up fishnet stockings. Hitting the note at the end of the song the place practically erupted as Di took a bow and then the whisky offered on a tray by Mick handing one to Calum before cheersing him. Downing it the undertaker stood up moving to make his way off stage but not making it very far as he was caught by Miss Diana who spun him around and promptly kissed him on the lips. Despite the moment of panic it brought immediately Calum found he didn’t actually care and pulled the other closer to deepen the kiss ever so slightly appreciating that with Ben in such high heels he didn’t have to bend into the kiss so much.

Parting to wolf whistles from the crowd Halfway slipped off of the stage and back to his table where he was greeted by raised eyebrows.

“SO you don’t her then?” questioned Jay as he crossed his arms.

“ never kissed me like that cal” Whitney added reaching over to wipe a spot of red lipstick that had transferred over to the corner of his mouth.

“ So c’mon spill, who is the mysterious Diana Dee Izzuez” prompted Lola as they all leaned in toward the other so they would be able to hear his answer over the beginnings of Britney's Toxic.

The door near the back of the pub slammed followed by a muffled “Phil!” and Calum could only chuckle his eyes were drawn back to the dancing figure on the stage who had gone from Hollywood glam to sex kitten.

“ Well I’d say he’s a talented man with daddy issues” he grinned, glancing over to the others at the table “but I think you’d know him better as Ben Mitchell and he’s my boyfriend”.

[burrusignis]

Aesthetics -- The { Female! } Matsuno Sextuplets

{ @boobsandbeer, @painfulsister, @virensrana, @titanarcm, @flavenssolis, @roseusatsum }

[ihatemakingart]

let’s not take four months this time, i said

it’ll be quick and easy if you just change the format, I said

(First Previous Tag AU blog tag[Everything together in reverse order])

WRITING UNDER THE CUT

Osomatsu turned the corner from the check-out area, the bright red of his hoodie grabbing his brothers’ attention. Choromatsu stood, and Todomatsu unraveled his arms from Jyushimatsu to do the same, and both moved to meet the eldest.

“Did they say anything else since mom went back?” Choromatsu asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Not really,” Osomatsu said quietly, “they're giving him a cane for a while, but they didn't really show him how to use it…”

“Osomatsu,” Matsuyo called, grabbing the eldest’s attention. He gave a scan over the others, particularly Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu, before his eyes fell low and he backed away to return to their mother.

“You can go ahead and take his bracelet off if it bothers him,” the woman behind the desk noted. Osomatsu nodded, guiding Karamatsu away from the desk and pulling up his arm to figure out how to best get it off--these damn things were always a pain if you didn’t have scissors. Once he managed to stretch the tagged paper band enough, he worked it off his brother’s wrist and brought him the rest of the way to the door for the waiting area, looking to the rest of the sextuplets as they approached.

Todomatsu frowned some, scanning Karamatsu before stepping next to him. “What was it they said again? About what to do to try and see if it heals any?”

“They're giving him some medicine and eye drops to use for a week, then they want him to go to an optometrist or something,” Osomatsu tried to relay, loosening his grip on the second born’s arm as Todomatsu took the other one.

“A week? That doesn’t sound right…” Todomatsu frowned a bit. At the silence of the others, he huffed, “what? It’s not like an ER’s job is working with eyes.”

“I know, I don't buy it either,” Matsuyo huffed suddenly as she and Matsuzo stepped up behind them, her shuffling around her purse. “I'm going to call a cab and then the optometrist,” she said while taking out her phone, stepping outside to do so.

“Uh, oi, anybody want a drink? I saw some vending machines a little down the way,” Choromatsu piped up to offer. While their father and Totty merely shook their heads, Karamatsu’s head turned a bit, and Osomatsu was quick to perk up, along with Jyushimatsu; even Ichimatsu, looking off to the side in that always gloomy expression, raised his hand a little bit.

“Maybe tea, if you wouldn’t mind? But don’t feel like you have to,” Karamatsu said, starting out at a decent volume but quickly getting quieter and fidgeting with the cane.

“Aahh, do u think they have beer?” Osomatsu sighed, eliciting a glare from his brothers. “What? I’m kidding! Pepsi’s fine,” he said with a roll of his eyes, trying, and failing, to resist a grin as Choromatsu rolled his eyes as well, falling into step towards the vending.

“What else?”

“Eh…” Jyushimatsu lowered his eyes to think, until Ichimatsu started walking in the same direction as Choromatsu. Choromatsu watched him for a few moments, before picking back up after him. “Water’s fine!” Jyushimatsu called after him, earning a smile and nod from Choromatsu.

Once the two returned, they all decided to head outside instead of loitering around in the ER, since the season made it pleasant enough. Matsuyo was just outside of the metal canopy that stretched from over the front door, still fiddling with her phone.

The eldest sighed as he stepped out from under the awning, screwing the bottle top back on and forcing it into his hoodie pocket. “How’d the call go?” Osomatsu asked in a tone edging on a yawn, clasping his hands behind his head.

“They don't have any openings--no special exceptions allowed,” Matsuyo grumbled, fumbling around the device’s interface. “How do you do the thing where you find businesses online again? I keep pulling up some add about frosting.”

“Eh? They can’t be serious! He can barely see, can’t at all with the bandages--there has to be another place that’ll take him.” Osomatsu yapped, lowering his hands from his head.

“I’ll try to find some other places to call,” Matsuzo huffed, adjusting his suit jacket. It didn’t take much longer for a cab to pull up, which-after confirming it was the one Matsuyo had called for-Todomatsu wasted no time putting Karamatsu into the middle seat of. And, naturally, sitting down and buckling himself in as well before anyone else had a chance to protest.

“Oi, why does he get to take the cab? There’s nothing wrong with him!” Osomatsu squawked, earning a glare from their mother even Karamatsu could sense, and that made both the eldest shrink a little.

“Except for being a demon.” Ichimatsu said in an aside, hiding behind Jyushimatsu.

“It would be a waste for one of us not to come with when there’s a whole empty seat. Besides, who else is as helpful as me?” Todomatsu said in a sugar-saturated voice.

“What about the front?!” Osomatsu hissed, and Totty stuck his tongue out, causing Osomatsu to curl his hands into fists just as his youngest brother quickly shut the door. The car started off, and Osomatsu crossed his arms in a pout, ignoring Choromatsu shoving his shoulder in mildly amused reprimand before starting off with their father, the youngest two in tow.

After a kiddish whine, Osomatsu followed, his feet scraping the sidewalk as he slinked over it towards the house. It, at least, wasn’t a very long walk-thus taking Karamatsu there on foot in the first place-but halfway through, Osomatsu definitely couldn’t blame them for taking the cab. Not to mention how tense the atmosphere got as soon as they’d started walking; Osomatsu definitely felt envious of the cab ride.

When they slid open the front door, though, they all felt the relief flooding through their bodies at the smell of dinner cooking. Of course the other three had gotten home first; and Matsuyo would have no doubt started as soon as she could. Best medicine(after morphine and laughter) was a full stomach, after all.

Matsuzo slid the door to the family room open first, stepping in and deciding to linger as his eyes set on Karamatsu and Todomatsu sitting at the kotatsu, Todomatsu pausing mid-sentence and lowering his phone to look at them all as they filtered in. Karamatsu’s head turned to Totty, before swiveling a full 180 to pantomime facing the others. His face twitched to the sound of the other sextuplets’ movement as they went to the night's chosen spots, though he held back from the urge to turn around when Matsuzo greeted he and Todomatsu.

“Hey. Was the ride nice?” He hummed, trying not to be awkward. Todomatsu gave a cutesy grin and went back to his phone, and Karamatsu gave a silent nod.

“Did you manage to find anywhere with time available for an appointment?” Karamatsu asked, voice sounding nearly normal in a way that took Matsuzo off guard for a second.

“Right--somewhere a little more toward the edge of the district; they had an opening at two o’clock.” He nodded, stepping a bit closer as he spoke and eyeing the white cane that lay neatly between Kara and Totty.

“That's good; I hope it wasn't much trouble,” he said, turning back to the table.

“No, no don't worry about it,” Matsuzo said with a light, barely non-awkward pat of Karamatsu’s head. At Matsuyo’s voice calling out that the food was almost ready, the majority of the sextuplets leaped up and darted to the kitchen, leaving those who didn't practically in a dust cloud.

Matsuzo blinked slowly, before snorting and following suit. Karamatsu furrowed his brows, twisting his head automatically in an attempt to follow their movements but realizing, suddenly, it was a moot point. He sighed, turning his face back ahead of him and slouching a bit, beginning to reach for the cane when the door slid open again. He waited for a moment before the distinct clack of a bowl and glass being set against the kotatsu reached his ears.

“Hello?” Karamatsu tilted his head, and a hand softly drifted over his shoulder.

“You’d never get a scrap of it if I didn’t bring it to you myself; I'd still be careful if I were you,” Matsuyo chuckled.

“Ah, you didn’t have to-”

“Listen, NEET, this is the only time you’ll get off easy on being lazy! Don’t take it for granted,” she said jokingly, setting his hand on a pair of chopsticks,

rubbing his shoulder a bit before heading to her and Matsuzo’s table.

The others filed back in, making much less noise than they had in the kitchen; the usual peace after the storm of dinner time. They sat down and quickly got to eating and chattering, and Karamatsu sat quietly; the food was bound to still be quite hot.

Once his stomach started twisting with hunger, though, he was quick to cave, and slowly slide his hand towards the bowl. Or, well, where he thought it was supposed to be.

Todomatsu rolled his eyes in a manner that was almost audible in his breath, and grabbed Karamatsu’s hand and placed it on the bowl. Ichimatsu’s eyes narrowed-for what was probably the eighth time since they’d gotten home-and he scoffed.

“What, are you gonna spoon feed him now?” Ichimatsu grumbled with a sour expression, but it shrank when instead of backing him up or ignoring it like usual, the others stared at him with dazed expressions.

“Shut up, Ichimatsu-niisan,” Todomatsu growled, scooching closer to Karamatsu, but otherwise going back to his own food.

Dinner passed relatively usual, although there were many attempts to try and start a conversation or otherwise lighten the mood; mostly from the eldest two. Osomatsu had always hated tense atmosphere, and Karamatsu wasn’t much different in that regard--they were often the ones to go about doing this, but each attempt seemed to just tighten the lips of the rest.

Once they’d finished-which took a good while since anyone actually willing to eat did so slowly-and put things away, they went through their usual routine of sitting around the kotatsu, occasionally chatting or wandering off for a few hours.

“I think I’m going to get ready for bed,” Karamatsu said, scratching the back of his neck with a yawn.

“Ah, really? What do you need?” Choromatsu stiffened, blinking a bit as his eyes darted around without really looking at anything.

“For now I’ll just brush my teeth, so it’s alright. Thank you.”

Choromatsu furrowed his brows and leaned over the table a bit. “Are you sure?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Karamatsu asked with a twitch of his head, sounding genuinely offended. Choromatsu drew back a bit, and Karamatsu’s head turned further in following the now clear sound of his movement.

“Nothing, just, it might be hard, right?” Choromatsu pointed out, glancing around the table awkwardly in hopes he could find back up. The others turned their eyes elsewhere, expectably.

Karamatsu lowered his face a bit, taking an extensive breath, “it's fine.” He reassured, sliding his legs from under the kotatsu. “It shouldn’t be difficult, just a matter of actually… getting there,” he placed a hand on the ground, taking his cane.

“D-do you want help?”

“I’ll be fine, I think, thank you, Choromatsu,” Karamatsu said, pushing himself up and leaving the room. They all quickly went back to whatever they'd been staring at the table thinking about.

When he found his way back in and settled himself neatly under the kotatsu in his previous spot, only to lay down and snuggle into the carpet, though, Osomatsu began to find an issue. “What are you doing?”

“Aniki, I'm just-”

“Just about to fall dead asleep here instead of going to bed like a normal person?” The eldest hummed dourly, with a chiding tone and chin in hand.

“Non, non, I’ll stay down here, buruza,” Karamatsu hummed, fidgeting to get himself comfortable. “What sort of word is ‘normal’ for us anyways.”

“Ah, bullshit! Come on, move it!” Osomatsu commanded, pulling on his brother’s sleeve. Karamatsu hesitated a bit, but with another few tugs, he followed the eldest upstairs. He insisted he needed no help(again) in putting on his pajamas, and though it took long enough for a couple of the others to make their way up and pull the futon out, he didn't do too badly (even if his pants may have been on backwards and the shirt buttons were misaligned).

“Here,” Osomatsu said in a beckoning tone, gently pulling Karamatsu to the futon and sitting the both of them in adjacent spots. Totty gave a bit of a pout upon noticing the action, but didn't protest and returned quickly to getting ready.

Karamatsu’s brows furrowed as he was pushed into a lying position, and as the eldest stayed next to him. “But isn’t this--?”

“Hush, hush! sleep!” Osomatsu insisted, pulling Karamatsu’s head to the pillow and drawing it near his chest.

“Ah! A-aniki, you’re squishing my face.” Karamatsu protested with an uncomfortable squirm.

“Oh, sorry,” he almost snorted, scooching away a bit and adjusting his arm. It didn't take long after the others turned out the lights and got settled for most of them to fall asleep, particularly Karamatsu. He didn't plan to think too hard about anything by staying awake, anyway.

Karamatsu took a long breath and gave a long exhale as he shifted under the covers. It felt… Brighter somehow; his face felt pleasantly cool, and he could smell breakfast strongly as opposed to the expected nose-full of whatever laundry detergent had been picked that month and Osomatsu’s sweaty armpits. He was almost tempted to try and lift the bandages to see if he could--well, see. But the sting that rubbing his face drowsily against the pillow caused reminded him the depth of the damage was definitely not going away for a while.

He rolled onto his back, settling deeper into the blankets comfortably with the much less irritating position. It must have been a lovely day out-he could still hear some birds chirping… And not much else. Come to think of it, breakfast was sort of the only thing he could smell at the moment. Not that he expected to be able to hear the others breathing, or smell their breath from this distance, but it was oddly silent… until the echo of a shout reached him from what he assumed was the living room.

Karamatsu grasped at the empty pillow beside his, brows furrowing as much as they could with the bandaging. “Hello?” He called softly, and slowly forced himself to a sit. He listened carefully for an answer, or any sort of sound to indicate someone else was in the room. When there was nothing but the voices downstairs, he gulped, standing up clumsily. He could feel his heart begin to knock against his chest, and his lungs tighten; he had to follow them.

The cane--where was the cane?

He shuffled to the nearest wall, putting a hand to it and crouching to try and feel around on the carpet. He couldn’t remember where they mentioned putting it if they’d mentioned where at all. Karamatsu found his way to the door, cautiously sliding it open and stepping into the hall.

“Hey! Can anyone hear me?” He shouted, taking to the opposite wall and feeling his way along it until the edge of his toes touched air, and he flinched back with a barely suppressed gasp. The stairs. “Brothers?...” Karamatsu’s voice dropped, and he slid his hand from the wall to the railing with a gulp.

He made his way down step by step, taking great care in shakily sliding one foot down until it scraped the solid wood, placing a bit of pressure down, then doing the same with the other. It was an arduous process, but the drop his gut took each time he wasn't quite making his mark definitely kept him on his toes. He was almost starting to get confident in it when he heard one of the doors slide open. Immediately, out of reflex, he pulled his head up to pantomime looking in the direction and shrank when he could practically sense the tension it caused in whoever was there.

“Karamatsu?” Choromatsu’s voice rang through the hallway, “what are you doing?” Rushed footsteps followed his nervous question, until hands grasped onto Kara’s arm, guiding him down the last few steps.

“I, I couldn’t find the cane,” Karamatsu explained quietly, taking a step on the first floor but not pulling his other hand from the banister.

“Osomatsu!” Choromatsu called in that loud tone he tended to get, looking upstairs only to hear the bathroom door slide open and watch the groggy, messy haired eldest lumber out. Choro spun to look at him, gesturing fanatically to Karamatsu as Osomatsu's eyes opened fully. “What the hell?!” Now properly alert, Osomatsu walked towards them, growling at Choromatsu’s lowered brows and eyelids and sneer bared teeth.

“I didn’t think he’d try to leave, I was just taking a piss!” Osomatsu said defensively, putting his arm around Karamatsu’s back and shoulders to shepherd him away from the steps.

“Well, he left!” Choromatsu said, his animated form of expressing anger taking over, despite Karamatsu beginning to shrink. “We wouldn't have even heard him, the only reason I saw him was because mom wanted me to get you!”

“Choromatsu, it’s,” Karamatsu began, drawing his lips shut tight when he was interrupted.

“What if he slipped?” Choromatsu said, pinching Karamatsu’s shirt sleeve. “You could have broken your neck or something!” He scolded in that same sour voice, leading the other towards the bathroom. Karamatsu tightened his jaw with a swallow, going silent.

Osomatsu gave a low sigh, stature slacking as he turned to go back upstairs.

[angstmatsuscenarios]

It’s me! How about this: a part 2 of the Karamatsu leaving and you already know the basic stuff since I told you about it. But like a few months down the road how is the family feeling and then Todomatsu finds out he has a blog and the last mysterious photo? :3

I’m super excited about this next part, this whole idea is a great one and I really enjoyed writing it!!

(This is a follow-up to the scenario in this post: https://angstmatsuscenarios.tumblr.com/post/175616926227/heres-one-karamatsu-is-tired-of-being-ignored )

It didn’t take long for reality to sink in: Karamatsu was truly gone, and there was nothing they could do to bring him back. They had no idea where he was, and no way of contacting him—after countless times of calling him only to reach his voicemail, Todomatsu had tried once more only to be informed that the number he was trying to call was out of service. Karamatsu must have changed his number, distancing himself from them even further. He didn’t respond to any emails they sent to him, either. Any effort they made to reach out was completely moot.

Weeks passed. The brothers held long discussion after discussion, trying in vain to formulate some sort of plan to find him, but they knew it was pointless. Over time these discussions focused more on what they could have done to prevent him from leaving in the first place, as they regretted more and more how badly they had treated him while he was still there.

“We shouldn’t have called him ‘painful’ as often as we did,” Choromatsu said remorsefully.

“Or made fun of his clothes or his accent,” Todomatsu sniffled, wiping more tears from his eyes.

“Or made him do all those chores for us without even thanking him,” Jyushimatsu added. He hadn’t smiled in a long, long time.

“Or called him Shittymatsu,” Ichimatsu mumbled, sounding genuinely guilty, casting his gaze downward.

“If I had just stepped in and done my job as the oldest, making sure all of my little brothers’ needs were taken care of, none of this would’ve happened,” Osomatsu sighed sadly. “I should’ve known when things were being taken too far, but I didn’t do enough, and now…it’s too late.”

They lapsed into silence then, knowing that it was pointless to keep talking about this. They realized how shitty they were, but it was too little, too late. No matter how much they tried to change their behavior now, it wouldn’t bring Karamatsu back home. It was a devastating thought.

Slowly, they started to feel more and more alienated. Their parents claimed they knew the boys hadn’t done anything on purpose, that they wouldn’t have done what they did should they have known this would be the result….but it sure seemed as if things had become strained between them all in the wake of Karamatsu’s departure. Matsuyo still cooked them meals, but she didn’t talk to them as often or as cordially as she once had, regarding them more and more with reproachful looks. Matsuzo never spoke much with them on the matter, but the way he couldn’t seem to make eye contact or smile at them anymore spoke volumes. Even Chibita was furious with them—the first night they’d gone to his oden stand after everything had happened and told him what was going on, he’d lost it, screaming accusations at them until he was red in the face and could barely speak. Since then he refused to serve the brothers or even look at them, giving them the cold shoulder.

There was no doubt about it—this was all the sextuplets’ fault. Everyone had made that perfectly clear, as if they hadn’t already been fully aware of it.

—————

“Totty!”

Todomatsu glanced up from the table he’d been wiping off. “Yeah, Aida?”

He had to admit, he didn’t really feel like making small talk with his coworker right then. All he wanted to do was make it through his shift at the coffee shop so he could go home and sleep. It had been several months now since Karamatsu had disappeared, and although they’d adjusted just a little to his absence, some nights were still so bad that Todomatsu would end up staying awake and crying to himself in the bathroom. Last night had been one of those nights, and he was exhausted.

Aida hurried up to him, her eyes glimmering. “I think I may have found a lead on Karamatsu!”

Todomatsu’s eyes widened, a spark of hope igniting within him. “Really? Oh my god, what is it?”

“He runs a blog,” Aida reported. “My friend told me she found this great travel blog the other day, and when I checked it out, I couldn’t believe it—it was your brother! At least, I assume it has to be him…he looks like you and everything.”

A…travel blog? Todomatsu was suspicious. He doubted Karamatsu would have enough money for travels. Unless he’d landed some amazing job somewhere and could fund it, but he doubted it, in just a few months.

“What does he post about?” Todomatsu asked, trying not to keep his hopes up too high. It’s probably not him, anyway.

“Well, like I said, it’s a travel blog. He posts tons of pictures from around the world. It’s like he’s been everywhere now—Europe, Asia, even North America. He was by the Statue of Liberty in one picture,” Aida told him.

That can’t be right. No way could he have gone to America…could he? Todomatsu felt another hopeful flutter in his chest, though doubt still crept in.

“What’s the blog called? I need to check it out.”

“Let’s see…I think it was ‘Song of the Traveler’s Soul,’ something like that,” Aida replied. “You need to tell me once you’ve checked it out!”

Todomatsu forced himself to smile. “I will,” he promised. “Thank you…I hope this really is a lead, after all.”

He told himself once more not to let himself get too hyped up with false hope. I’m sure it can’t actually be him…there’s absolutely no way.

Still, he couldn’t shake that small, desperate hope deep in his heart that it was the truth.

But…it’s worth checking out.

—————

Todomatsu wasted no time the second he got home, whipping out his laptop and settling down on the couch. Tentatively, he typed in the blog name Aida had given him earlier, and waited impatiently for it to load.

I don’t know why I’m so eager. It’s not him, it can’t be him…

At last, the website loaded. They layout was fairly simple, a light blue background with dark blue text, but it was tasteful. Todomatsu scrolled down to the first post…and gasped when the picture loaded.

This…it can’t be…is it really…?

But it was. There was no doubt about it. In this picture was Karamatsu, standing at a cliff overlooking what appeared to be the Grand Canyon. He’s in America?!

But that wasn’t what caught him off guard the most. Todomatsu kept scrolling, kept examining each picture closely, photo after photo of Karamatsu posing before different landmarks and in different locations around the world, as well as aesthetic scenery shots. Something was different about Karamatsu, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly what.

He looks…he looks more mature somehow, Todomatsu marveled to himself. He’s not wearing any of that gaudy glitter-coated stuff he used to love…he still looks like himself, but more toned-down. He looks…good?

It was true. Karamatsu’s signature bedazzled jeans didn’t appear once in any of the photos he looked at, nor did any of his prized tank tops with his own face adorning the front. He still sported a “bad boy” flair, in his sunglasses and leather jacket, but that was the extent of it. Todomatsu spotted a tattoo, too, of blue roses winding around Karamatsu’s forearm.

And in all of his pictures, he looked so….calm, a little more serious and serene than Todomatsu had ever seen him before. He’s definitely changed…he’s more grown up now. He looks happier, too…

Todomatsu scrolled through the blog for over and hour, reading all of Karamatsu’s posts. Most were accompanied by a picture of some sort, but a few were just text posts, little ramblings about his life. One post in particular caught Todomatsu completely off guard. He could feel tears well in his eyes as he read it.

When I first left home, it wasn’t a happy occasion. I was tired of constantly being mistreated, of being ridiculed and ignored by my own brothers. I fled in the middle of the night one night, out of hurt and anger, without much of a plan except to get as far away from them as possible. But now that time has passed, I realize that it’s been far more than me simply running away—this has turned into a journey of self-discovery, of finding who I really am. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, and the person I’ve become. A stronger, happier, more independent soul. I can only anticipate improving even more in the future.

Todomatsu blinked, absolutely stunned. Oh Kara…you’re not the same painful nii-san we all remember…you’ve done so much with your life. How did you manage it? If only I could ask…

Finally Todomatsu jumped up and raced into the hallway, bursting with his discovery. “Mom! Dad! Everyone, come to the living room!” he shouted, voice shaking as he tried to keep himself from crying. “I found him! I found Karamatsu!”

—————

It wasn’t long before Todomatsu had everyone gathered in the living room, huddled around his laptop. His family leaned in close, eyes wide in amazement, as Todomatsu scrolled through the blog and showed them everything.

“My goodness…” Matsuyo murmured, drawing a trembling hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe…I never would have thought….oh, my precious boy, he’s okay!”

“Looks like he’s more than okay…look at all of this!” Osomatsu exclaimed, shocked. “I can’t believe he’s been traveling all this time…”

“And running this blog without us knowing…it’s so popular, too.” Choromatsu pointed at the hundreds of notes on one of Karamatsu’s posts. “He’s getting such nice comments, too.”

“He’s…he’s really doing well for himself,” Ichimatsu noted. “Much better than he ever did with us…”

“Wait, what’s that?” Jyushimatsu suddenly pointed out something in one of Karamatsu’s photos, one where he was on a beach somewhere watching the sunset. His back was facing the camera, and his arm was raised as he blocked the sun from his eyes, lifting his shirt just enough to reveal what looked like another tattoo on his lower back.

Todomatsu zoomed in on the picture, focusing on the tattoo. “It…it looks like…” he mumbled, squinting, and then his eyes widened. “It’s a tattoo of six little live symbols…and they’re in different colors!”

Sure enough, tattooed on Karamatsu’s back were six small pine-shaped symbols like the ones on their hoodies, each in a different color—red, blue, green, purple, yellow, and pink. It didn’t take anyone any time to connect the dots and realize it was meant to represent them.

“Wow…” Osomatsu whispered.

“Hang on…it looks like there’s another post.” Todomatsu moved down to the next post, which was a close-up of the tattoo. There was a caption beneath it.

“Though we are apart, you’re always still with me.”

No one had much to say after that. Everyone was still in too much shock over this latest development to think of what else to say, what they could ask. Matsuyo started to cry again, this time out of relief that her son was okay, and Matsuzo held her close. The brothers could only stare at the screen in a daze, looking through more of his posts. It almost felt too personal, like looking through someone’s diary, but that’s what it had been put up for—to be read by everyone.

It was still hard to comprehend, and everyone missed Karamatsu like crazy. But this blog, this little window into his life, at least gave them some sort of connection, and let them know he was doing just fine. It was more than they could’ve asked for.

—————

Days later, Todomatsu was checking the blog again. It had become a daily habit of his, wanting to see what was going on in his brother’s life, but for the last few days activity had been sparse aside from a few comments Karamatsu responded to. He figured he was busy traveling to someplace new.

But today, there was a new post, with a few pictures. He looked at them, feeling his heart pound in his chest.

The first picture was of seven pine symbols, crafted out of felt. Five of them—red, green, purple, yellow, and pink—were lined up together. The other two felt pines, one light yellow and the other gray, were arranged above them. The five in a row had to be the sextuplets, and the other two had to be their parents, Todomatsu figured.

The second picture in the post was almost the same, except for one major difference—there was now an additional pine between the red and green ones.

A blue pine symbol.

It was the caption below it that really made Todomatsu’s heart almost stop.

“I will be back soon. And then, we will be together again.”

Todomatsu’s breath caught in his throat, and tears welled in his eyes. Could it…could it really be true…?

He couldn’t believe it…but what else could it mean?

“M-Mom! Dad! Everyone!” he shouted, voice wavering. “Quick, look at this!”

Once again he had his family together in mere moments, and he showed them the post from his laptop. Their reactions were all similar to his own.

“Karamatsu…oh, Karamatsu, my baby is coming home,” Matsuyo said, her voice wobbling. “He really is, isn’t he…?”

“It looks like it,” Matsuzo replied, winding his hand through hers and giving it a squeeze.

“Karamatsu-niisan is coming back!” Jyushimatsu exclaimed with delight.

“I…I can’t believe it…” Osomatsu murmured, his chin quivering as he tried to suppress his tears. “All this time I thought…I thought we’d never see him again…”

“H-he…he still cares…even when we were so mean to him…” Choromatsu was sniffling now, barely attempting to control his tears.

Ichimatsu didn’t say anything–the tears in his eyes were enough to speak for him.

Soon enough everyone was bawling, wrapped up in joy mixed with a little confusion. No one knew for sure why he’d made this decision, why he’d choose to come back home after everything they’d put him through, especially since things had been going so extremely well for him according to his blog. Still, no one cared too much about that. Karamatsu was returning, and that was all that mattered.

This time, they would show him just how much they cared.

[winedwords]

Aleister | Wicked Games | Black

Title: Wicked Games

Pairing; Aleister Black/unnamed OFC

Words; 3985

Summary; Run darling, for I am hungry.

Warnings; Werewolves, magick, smut, slight dubcon, outdoor sex, alcohol, non graphic descriptions of death, murder, and dismemberment. 

Author’s Note: Hi. I’m sorry I’ve been gone. I’m trying to be better and get better, I’ve been struggling with anxiety, depression, and one hell of a writer’s block. Please accept this as my submission and tell Raini she’s pretty okay? Its still Halloween on the Best Coast.

Run. Run. Run.

Don't look behind you, don't think about the snapping twigs and the howls and yips and growls behind you.

Just run.

It was that mantra that kept me moving forward even if my lungs were starved for air and the muscles in my legs were screaming from the overexertion. I thought I could feel his breath at my neck and it spurned me forward, dodging and weaving through the trees. Every time I blinked, I saw his burning amber eyes and his growled words echoing in my ears, the fear still just as fresh as it had been when I first heard the screams.

Do not let me catch you. It's a game. Just - it's a game. Please... Please, don't let me catch you. I don't want to win this game, not now.

When Aleister Black had first rolled into my small Florida town, I had a hard time meeting his eyes. Danger and the threat of violence seemed to ooze from every pore in his body, let alone his intimidating presence. He was tall and broad, tattoos covering every visible inch of his upper body, his eyes sharp and calculating as they roamed over everyone and everything. I remember him walking into the diner where I worked the day after he'd moved to town and a hush had fallen over the establishment, even the rowdy bikers in the corner booth went still.

Of course he'd sat in my section. It was just my luck that he would. I remember being struck by how he had moved like a large cat, all sinewy muscle and effortless grace in what was clearly an expensive navy suit. When he'd sat at the counter and eyed the menu in front of him disinterestedly, the sleeves of his suit hiked high, exposing even more colorful ink high on his wrists, the patterns and symbols disappearing up into the sleeves of his jacket. My hands had shook something fierce as I had poured him coffee, somehow by the grace of whatever divinity exists, I had not spilled more than a drop.

"Relax, katje. I am another patron of your establishment, just here to enjoy the hospitality my new home has to offer."

His lightly accented voice was smoother than the hundred dollar bourbon I had snuck a nip of during the holidays and the way his sharp eyes had softened just a touch had done wonders to soothe my frayed nerves. I felt trapped in his gaze, but it wasn't something uncomfortable, oh no, his small smile had chased away any fears of this man. It was his words though that had seemed to break the spell of silence that had befallen the diner and the usual ruckus of Sunday breakfast had resumed.

He never did order anything beyond his coffee nor did he introduce himself, he just sat at the counter surveying the people of the diner over the rim of the tan mug that seemed so tiny in his hands. At the time, it hadn't struck me as odd that he seemed to be paying attention to the rowdy group of bikers in the corner booth. I made sure to top off his cup every time I passed by and I would be warmed to my core by the small, soft smile he would always send my way before it was wiped from his face as he turned to resume studying the occupants of the diner.

It was while I was tending to a particularly difficult group of teenage girls that he had disappeared and I was almost hurt that he'd left without saying goodbye. I had come back to his seat, heart heavy for a reason I didn't quite understand to clear his space of the empty cup and the small carafe of cream, when I saw it. The fresh, crisp hundred dollar note, underneath the saucer. I had looked around, eyes wide, for the mysterious man who had left a ninety eight dollar tip for a two dollar tab.

I didn't find him.

The next day, high ranking members of that biker gang, Los Lobos de Muerte, began to go missing. At first, local law enforcement had chalked it up to natural power struggles that sometimes shook criminal enterprises such as theirs. It wasn't until they began finding the bodies that the meetings that they were having near the end of my closing shifts began to get serious, the lawmen's faces dark and lined with worry and tension.

They had tried to keep their voices down as to not alarm whomever may have been in the diner that late with them, but I always seemed to catch a word here, a phrase there. They had been finding bodies in the woods, bodies that had looked like they had been mangled by something very large and very angry. The grizzled old police chief had looked gray in the face as he had muttered that he hadn't seen anything like this since the Lobos had driven the Vampiros out of town in the early nineties, when he had been a fresh faced homicide detective.

That was the overwhelming fear then, a gang war.

The nights I worked the late shift were not my favorites, as I would have to walk the ten minutes to my small flat alone and in near total darkness, with only the odd streetlight and my cell phone to illuminate my path. Since the bodies had begun being found, it was like I could see the bodies of dead bikers at the backs of my eyelids, my imagination conjuring up vivid and disturbing images of what those scenes must have looked like. I had chalked it up to my wild imagination then too that there was nothing to the feeling of a predatory pair of eyes watching me during my walk home.

My day shifts were a delight. Like clockwork, thirty minutes after my shift would start, he would walk in to the small diner, seat himself in my section, and patiently wait for me to turn my attentions to him. It was on the fourth occasion that I finally learned his name, Aleister Black. It was on the seventh occasion that he had kissed my knuckles goodbye, leaving me with a permanent flush staining my cheekbones and the sensation of walking on air for the rest of the night.

Beneath the cool and intimidating exterior, was a thoughtful and quiet man. He had a carefully articulate opinion on everything, whether it was the news of the day on the old television behind me or which of Luis the cook's pies were better. He was unerringly gentle, or so I thought, and mild mannered. Aleister had told me of growing up in Amsterdam, of his passion for his profession, professional wrestling, and his interest in collecting old vinyl albums. He'd even sought fit to show me personal photos, like those of his small puff cloud of a kitten named Totty Potato and of the wall of flash tattoo art he had slowly been putting together in his home.

I ignored the healing bruises on his knuckles. The faint traces of something rusty brown underneath his trimmed nails and lining his nail beds. The barely there, but still suspicious stains of the same color along the hems of his pants. The small cut below his eye had made me ask questions for a moment, but he had quickly given me a story about tripping while trying to avoid stepping on a mischievous Totty who had gotten underfoot.

We had fallen into an easy routine and I wasn't ashamed to say that I was infatuated by the man. I like to think that we became close during those moments in time, that I had gained a friend whom had the potential to be so much more than a friend.

It all came to a head tonight.

I was invited out by Sarah, one of the other waitresses in the diner, to this house party happening on the outskirts of town which she claimed was hosted by one of her friends. Halloween in our small town wasn't a joyous occasion, as the holiday had been marked by a string of disappearances every year for as long as anyone could seem to remember. The senior citizens in town would warn the young children in town to avoid going into the woods at night, for the things that made those sounds would surely eat them. The teens had found it to be a rite of passage, whoever could get the farthest into the woods would be seen as some sort of hero.

It was as we got older that the woods began to make us wary. On more than once occasion, I thought I had seen something staring back at me, only for it to disappear once I had blinked. I would have been happy to never go near the woods again, but my coworker was insistent. She was a bit of a wild one, always showing up to her shifts late, sometimes still drunk, with a half feral grin on her face.

She insisted on dressing me up as a woodland nymph, all gauzey material and chiffon and wild curls with strategic streaks of gold shimmer and glitter placed all over my body. Sarah had insisted that we'd be indoors all night, that there was no need for a jacket, that the tiny dress and the skyscraper heels were completely appropriate. I had agreed, especially after she had nudged some tequila shots my way.

The trip to the small house where the party was being held passed by in a blur of giggles and tequila. We had taken a cab and I dismissed it as a trick of the light the way her eyes seemed to flash a burning gold every time I would throw my head back to laugh uproariously at whatever joke the cabbie had told us, but when I turned to her with my brow furrowed, there was nothing.

We'd heard the party as we had turned onto the dirt road leading to the house, the bass reverberating in the air. When we had pulled up to the house, it was clear that this was a party unlike any I had seen or attended before. Motorcycles were lined up in a neat row on one side of the driveway but the other side was littered with bodies, some seemingly passed out, others milling and stumbling about.

I didn't have time to think as Sarah grasped my wrist in an iron grip so tight that I was sure it would leave bruises and dragged me from the cab and through the front door, the bass of the music swallowing my protests. She released me as soon as we were in the middle of the writhing dance floor and I had lost myself in the music, undulating and writhing in time with the frantic beat.

There was no concept of time passing, as I giggled and danced with both Sarah and nameless, faceless strangers alike without a care in the world. There was a peculiar energy to the room, something that spoke to the pleasant hum of alcohol in my veins and the primal side of my subconscious that would have terrified me if I had not been so inebriated. I had been enjoying myself with a ridiculously attractive man with long brown hair and a smile that damn near liquefied my panties, when I was pulled away roughly, stumbling backwards. My back was pressed against skin and leather, an all too familiar tattooed arm wrapped possessively around front.

I could see my dance partner's brilliant blue eyes go wide as he put his hands up in surrender and I could feel the rumble of growled words, which sent the other man retreating into the crowd with his proverbial tail tucked between his legs and Sarah was practically beaming, the light playing that trick again where her eyes appeared gold and maniacal.

"Do you like her Aleister? I got her just for you, just for tonight! She's perfect!"

He would have responded, I could feel the growl from his chest down to my core, but both he and the music were cut off by a pulse of energy that made every hair stand on end and every instinct in me screamed to run. I would have taken off if it weren't for his arm banding tighter around my chest as a cry went up around the room. Oh God, it was not a trick of the light.

The vast majority of the partygoers had those same golden eyes, their faces shifting ever so slightly to something sharper and more predatory, and all the attention was focused on me. I stiffened with fear, trembling something terrible and it felt like I had been dunked into a tub of ice water, sobriety hitting me like a freight train. No one dared to make a move though they did stare hungrily at me and I felt pinpricks in my hip... Were those claws?!

I could feel the tall man behind me shift on his feet, leaning down to whisper into my ear, though instinctually I knew that everyone in the room could hear his words like they were shouted.

"Stay close to me and no one will touch you. Just think of this as a game, katje. I will take care of you."

I had barely nodded my head when he barked at the horde of partygoers to go outside and they followed obediantly and without question, though Sarah seemed to linger amongst the last to leave, her face filled with malice and triumph. Aleister waited until everyone had shuffled outside to whirl me around, his normal sharp blue eyes suddenly a startling burning amber and the rough palms of his hands braced on my shoulders to keep me in place.

"Listen to me and listen to me closely because there isn't much time. You are precious to me and this was not the way I wanted this to be. You are going to see and experience things tonight that I wouldn't wish for you. I will do my best to shield you from the worst of it, katje, but you must promise me this. You must not let anyone catch you once it starts. Get out of the woods and to the road as fast as you can."

I blinked glibly, trying to process what exactly was going on.

"I-I don't understand, what is happening Aleister? I'm scared, this isn't like you and what is happening with your eyes?"

His nostrils flared as he took a deep inhale, the pupils of his now gold eyes blowing wide as I could make out the nervous bobbing of his Adam's apple through his beard. His hands tightened on my shoulders and he leaned in close, his eye contact unwavering. Aleister was close, oh so close, wearing nothing but a leather vest with intricate patches in a foreign language and strange symbols and a pair of dark jeans that had too have been painted on. The heat was radiating off of him and soaking into my cold with fear body.

"I can smell the tequila you had before you came here. I can smell the whiskey that Cole drank before he started to dance with you. I know that your boss at the diner yells at you if you're not early to your shift in the office. I know you're terrified out your mind right now. I'm asking you to trust me and do what I say. I will explain as much as I can."

The earnestness of his words and the honesty in his eyes had me nodding in assent before I had even realized what I had done. I couldn't take it back, as he had grasped me by the hand, interlacing our fingers, and pulled me to the backyard.

As soon as we had crossed the threshold, a cacophony of cries and howls went into the air, the blood thirst suddenly and painfully clear. Whatever warmth that had been imparted on me by Aleister's closeness had been chased away yet again by the ice cold wave of fear that pumped through my system. Sarah was there, at the front of the crowd, looking feral and hungry, ruthless glee clear in her body language.

The man next to me raised his hand and the din quieted instantaneously.

"This one, she is mine to hunt. Only mine. The bitch who brought her here though..."

This wasn't the Aleister who had comforted me inside. This wasn't the quiet and gentle man who kept me company during my shifts. This was the man I had caught glimpses of that first time he had strolled into town: powerful, commanding, and cold. His claiming words sent a shiver of fear and... anticipation? down my spine. The horde of people in the back turned their hungry gazes to Sarah, who's face went pale and fearful.

"She will be the first sacrifice to Herne tonight."

A victorious chorus of yips went up as the group moved as a single unit to surround Sarah, her cries for mercy and pleads barely audible. There was a primordial electricity in the air and it was affecting everyone, some sort of shift overtaking everyone. It was that first cry of pain from the center of the group that made the watchful Aleister turn to me and order me to run.

Do not let me catch you. It's a game. Just - it's a game. Please... Please, don't let me catch you. I don't want to win this game, not now.

He was different, like he was bursting through his skin and could barely contain his energy. His teeth were bared and sharper than I remembered. I needed no other provocation, kicking off the tower like heels and taking off into the woods, screams and the sickeningly wet sound of flesh tearing following me.

I could see him at the corners of my eyes, alternating between from running on all fours like an animal and running faster than should be possible on two legs. It was hell trying to not think about the forest floor cutting into my feet, thorns and stones having cut the soles of my feet open and bloody long ago. I knew he was toying with me, getting close enough to growl  my name or breaking twigs, just to drive me further into my panic. It was when he reached out to touch my arm, that I knew I was done for.

The sudden touch to the back of my arm startled me just enough that it broke my concentration on the path in front of me and I tripped heavily over an exposed tree root. The impact of the fall drove the air out of my lungs as pain bloomed in my hands  and forearms. Not one second later, Aleister was upon me, flipping me over to face him as he loomed over my body, his knees bracketing my hips and his hands pinning my wrists to the ground.

"I'm sorry. katje. I didn't want it like this, didn't want to hurt you. This... I'm not strong enough to fight this. The call, the magick is too strong."

It was at this point that I realized he was completely naked and... painfully aroused if the heavy length pressing into my abdomen was anything to go on. Whatever magick had taken a hold of him, was beginning to affect me, a warm and pleasant tingle starting at my extremities and working towards my center, the buzz in my veins competing with my fear in a way that was maddening.

"You said that this was just a game."

He shook his head wildly, hair slick with sweat.

"Its the Hunt. Once a year... I'm so sorry, it's too much for even me to resist."

What possessed me to crane upwards and brush my lips against his still baffles me, as did my words, "I trust you. Take what you need."

He groaned and then his hands were everywhere.

The fabric of my dress and my undergarments shredded underneath his grip and his mouth was leaving violent, open mouthed and bruising kisses along my neck and chest, teeth digging in hard enough to leave imprints of his too sharp to be human canines. The buzz of the Hunt magick was pumping through my veins, fanning the small embers of arousal into something almost painful.

He'd shifted so that my legs were around his hips and the blunt head of himself was brushing up against my slick core, catching in a way that drove little gasps out of me and sent my hips rutting upwards like I was in heat. His grip around my wrists was painful as he growled a warning to be careful, but I paid no mind, the haze of magick having already driven the sense from my body. It took several tries, but I finally rolled my hips in such a way that I caught the tip of his cock at my entrance and then I pushed my hips upward to impale myself on as much of him as I could.

Aleister barked at the sudden penetration, but wasn't caught off guard for long, driving himself into me with a force that sent all the air out of my lungs and my eyes wide. He was a force of nature then, pistoning himself in and out of me at a merciless pace, his teeth bared in my face. I was a creature of sensation, mewling and whining and screaming with every thrust.

I made the mistake of, in the foggy red haze of lust and pleasure, of raising my hips to meet Aleister's. He apparently took it as a challenge to his masculinity because I blinked and I was on all fours, with his hand gripping my hair painfully tight and his teeth drawing blood in my shoulder blade. I wasn't sure if it was his teeth or the feel of him impossibly deep in me or some sort of combination of both but my voice was driven from me and I had no choice but to claw at the dirt and pant under his body's assault of mine.

The coil that had been tightening in me at a too rapid pace was at the verge of snapping when he reached between us to pinch at the little bundle of nerves just above where we were joined and I screamed as my vision went white.  Neither the tremors that wracked my body or the way that my internal walls clung to him greedily seemed to slow Aleister down and I was soon just a raw and exposed nerve ending of pleasure.

My memory of what happened after that was spotty. I know  that we spent several hours rolling around on the forest floor, taking our fill of one another in the most primal and carnal of ways. Even through the red haze of the Hunt magick and lust, I could vaguely recall a tall, impossibly tall man, with hair as red as fire and the most beautiful of antlers watching us almost proudly before disappearing within a blink of an eye.

I woke up to the sun peeking through my windows, completely naked but clean, in my own bed. I was sore, painfully so, but my cuts were cleaned and my poor feet bandaged. Next to me on the night stand was an overly large bottle of water, three protein bars, and a carefully folded note. My body screamed, every inch of skin seemingly bruised and every muscle shaking from over exertion, as I rolled across the queen bed to reach the note.

We need to talk. I will be at your home at nightfall.

Herne was among us last night.

Aleister. xx

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[monsteramongmen-tamer]

#67: “Stop being so cute”  &  #70:  “This is why I fell in love with you.”  -Aleister Black.

Thank you @reigns420 for the request! I hope you like it!

Tagging: @kaitlynwwefan, @littleprincess1621, @m-a-t-91, @luckygillblog, @finnbalorsbabygirl, @unabashedwwesmut

You moved to the US about a year ago for your fiance, Aleister Black. He had signed a contract with WWE and needed to move to Florida, so he was able to go to the performance center everyday.

It really was an exciting time. Aleister was now on NXT and was already a fan favorite. They liked the badass, mysterious vibe he had.

Aleister spent most of his time at the performance center, while you were at home most of the time. You had a job too, but it was a work from home job. You loved it. It also gives you the chance to hang out with your new cat, Totty Potato.

You and Aleister had agreed to get a cat when he realized he’d be gone so much, that way you wouldn’t be too lonely. It was nice.

Since you did have some free time, you made Totty famous. You made him an Instagram account. He was pretty popular. Not as popular as 2Pawz, but he’ll get there. He’s just as cute.

Anytime Aleister was home, he wouldn’t really hang out with Totty, he claimed we got him just for you. You knew he was lying through his teeth, just trying to be a tough guy.

Your mom called and said was in town and wanted you to go shopping with her to look at wedding dresses.

You called your fiance, “Hey babe, my mom is in town and wants to go shopping, will you be home soon so the cat isn’t alone for too long?”

“Yeah, I will be finishing up here soon.” He said.

There was a dress shop your mom took you to. There were all sorts of nice dresses. You tried on probably 13 dresses, but you found the one you want to marry the love of your life in.

Your mom wanted to go to a few more stores, then took you out for dinner. It was fairly late before you finally got home.

You were quiet when you went inside, incase Aleister was asleep. You heard the TV on in the living room so you went in there.

Sure enough, Aleister was in there asleep on the couch. So was Totty. They were cuddling each other. It warmed your heart. You knew Aleister loved that cat, he just didn’t like to show it.

Letting him sleep, you went to the kitchen to make yourself a cup of tea.

Aleister woke up and stumbled into the kitchen, still holding Totty.

“How was shopping?” He asked.

“It was good. I picked out my wedding dress today.” You said, with a giant smile on your face.

“Oh, that’s exciting. One step closer to being Mrs. Black.” He said.

Totty decided to hop on the counter and play with your keys.

Aleister picked them up and played with him.

Even though he wasn’t supposed to be up there, you couldn’t help but love this.

“Stop being so cute.” You said.

Aleister looked up at you, “Are you talking to me or the cat?”

“You pick.” You said, winking at him.

Totty ran off and Aleister enjoyed a cup of tea with you.

“So you picked a dress huh? What does it look like?” He asked you.

“Well I can’t tell you that, it’s bad luck. You will find out when we get married.” You said.

He sighed, “Hmm. Fair enough. That day can’t come soon enough.”

You sat there in silence for a few minutes and you were in deep thought.

Aleister noticed and asked you, “What are you thinking about?”

“You.” You said, simply.

He leaned in closer, “Really. What about me? How I’m so...handsome?”

You laughed, “No, not this time. You know, this is why I fell in love with you.”

“Care to elaborate on that a bit?” He asked you.

“You kept saying how we got Totty for me, so I’m not lonely when you’re at work, but you love him just as much as I do. He’s like our first child. I loved seeing you cuddling him and playing with him. It just warms my heart.”

“Eh. He’s alright. For a cat.” He said.

“Oh shut up. You’re a great cat dad.” You said.

Aleister was just shaking his head. He stood up and held his hand out waiting for you to grab his. He was ready to go to bed.

When you guys got situated and ready to fall asleep, Totty came in and snuggled right in between you two and fell asleep.

He was definitely you baby. It was nice to have both your favorite boys in bed with you.

[jyushimatsu-falls-in-love]

s2ep12: ooh, i wanna be like yo-o-ou~

I wanna walk like you, talk like you, too~ You'll see it's true, someone like me can learn to be like someone like you~! - “I Wanna Be Like You” from Disney’s The Jungle Book, which kinda suits this week’s main skit :P

[SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!]

Not gonna lie, when the previews for this week’s ep. were released I grew very concerned. Mostly it’s because of the little boy in the preview, Eitaro - I, and a lot of other people, was thinking that he kinda-sorta-really looked like a certain homerun girl. And then theories were going around, especially one that she was the little boy’s mom... So I got myself a little really worried haha ^^; 

But as it turns out, I had no reason to worry at all orz And I actually really enjoyed this episode, especially little Eitaro’s skit! But we’ll talk about him and his family later.

Let’s start first with the first skit, which is yet another entry in the Totoko-and-Nyaa-(with-Chibita) series. It actually comes in right before the OP! So in this one, Totoko and Nyaa are at Chibita’s stall once again. Totoko is rather troubled, and she makes a big deal out of it, irritating Nyaa. But after some brief contradictory behavior on Totoko’s, we find out what’s bugging her: She wants to... quit being an idol?! Nyaa is shocked - and is actually willing to listen to Totoko’s reasons and maybe help her out! This sudden friendliness and willingness to work out their issues scares Chibita. And I don’t blame him, lol :P To be continued!

(Also, Chibita grew his single strand of hair back! I guess Totoko’s “you’re cuter bald!” flattery from last week didn’t stick much lol. But it’s nice to see his hair again.)

After that comes “The Eitaro Family”, a really cute and silly skit for the most part. We open with Jyushi playing with a little boy with Eitaro in the playground. Eitaro is the most adorable thing, a happy and energetic grade school boy who thinks every silly thing Jyushi does - from burrowing into the ground to extreme biking to dressing as a bird - is awesome! He wants to be just like Jyushimatsu, and Jyushi can’t help but feel flattered and play along. Call him Master (and you’ll get a candy if you do)!

While Jyushi and Eitaro are hanging out, Ichi and Totty spy on them. Apparently Eitaro really, really looks up to Jyushimatsu, and hangs out with him a lot to the point of waiting outside the Matsus’ house every day just to hang out and play. Ichi and Totty think the kid’s looking up to Jyushi for all the wrong reasons; and, well, considering that it’s Jyushi, it might not be too far-fetched to worry about that. (Though to be fair, any child looking up to a Matsuno is probably looking up to them for the wrong reasons too :P)

Jyushi and Eitaro’s friendship is the cutest thing, like oh my goodness ;w; Jyushi clearly enjoys Eitaro looking up to him, and he really tries to make himself look good in the eyes of his little friend. To the point that he’ll even lie about what a NEET is (”It’s a baseball position!”) and what a cherry boy is (”I really like cherries!”) just so that Eitaro would still keep thinking he’s cool haha :P So I guess even Jyushi gets self-conscious! But not entirely, I suppose - he still shamelessly shares the Final Fart Rush technique to his little disciple. And yeah, it’s just as stinky as it sounds :’P But Eitaro finds it super cool!! (And surprisingly enough, while it was still gross, the fart joke didn’t really bother me as previous toilet humor jokes in the last few episodes did. Not quite sure why...)

A week passes, and suddenly Jyushi finds himself in Eitaro’s house, sitting face to face with his mother - who isn’t Homura btw, but is instead an older-looking woman with short hair and a low and really familiar-sounding voice. (No seriously, I feel like I’ve heard Eitaro’s Mom’s VA somewhere else before! But where...?) Eitaro’s been imitating Jyushi lately, and his mom is understandably concerned about who her son’s hanging out with, so she asks Jyushi some questions. Throughout the whole thing Jyushi is very, very self-conscious and embarrassed about some of the questions; and little Eitaro, earnest and excited about his “master” as he is, isn’t really helping Jyushi much lol (“EI-TA-RO-KUN!”)

It’s interesting seeing Jyushi in a place where he's embarrassed of what he’d normally be like, and is instead trying to make himself look presentable. One would think that he wouldn’t care about these sort of things, but he does... I think that really adds to his character and makes him a lot more multi-faceted. It’s interesting. (And so every single Matsu  - except maybe for Oso??? - cares about what other people think of him...)

It then culminates to Jyushi ending up having to demonstrate his Final Fart Rush technique for Eitaro’s Mom. We don’t see the gag itself, but we do see the aftermath - Jyushi’s face got beat up pretty badly, to which Eitaro’s Mom apologizes for. She isn’t really mad at Jyushi though, and instead she wants to ask him a favor.

That favor, as it turns out when Jyushi talks to Ichi and Totty about it, is that Eitaro’s Mom wants Jyushi to spend more time with her son and be his friend. Since Eitaro’s dad’s job makes the family move around a lot, the poor kid never really gets to make any friends; so prior to meeting Jyushi, he was a sad and lonely child. What is it with Jyushi befriending sad brown-haired people and helping them cheer up? This is the second time it’s happened, though the context is worlds different from the previous instance :P Anyway, that being said, Ichi and Totty think - and Jyushi agrees - that what Eitaro really needs is to make friends his age in school, not just depend on Jyushi for friendship all the time.

This is an Otoutomatsu skit!! This is an Otoutomatsu skit and I’m super happy that it is :’D While Ichi and Totty aren’t exactly supportive-supportive, they’re there for their brother when he needs to talk to them and they give pretty decent advice. I love love love the Otoutomatsu combo and I’m very happy to see the three of them (and just the three of them, sorry niichans :P) interacting.

So with that, Jyushi resolves to teach Eitaro even more of his gags and antics. (Including others’ gags and antics... Jyushi, the SHEEH is Iyami’s, not yours, even your own brothers point that out :’P) Surprisingly enough, Eitaro’s Mom goes along with it, and she’s very supportive of her son and his teacher. She even made Eitaro his own yellow Jyushi parka!! Ichi and Totty, on the other hand, are decidedly more tsukkomi about it :P Still, all four adults are there outside the school building when Eitaro shows off his newly-learned gags and antics to his classmates...

...and it turns out to work!! Eitaro has made friends with everyone in his class by the end of the day, and it’s all thanks to Master Jyushi teaching him the ways. Eitaro’s Mom is proud of her son, and Jyushi especially is proud of his little disciple! It’s the cutest, sweetest thing ever!!

...until Eitaro reveals that his newfound gag talents also landed him a girlfriend. Cue Jyushi expelling him from his tutelage and flinging the boy and his mini-Kanojochan into the sky :P ...And instead of getting mad, Eitaro’s Mom finds that awesome and begs Jyushi to be her master too. Jyushi refuses. It won’t stop her from waiting outside the Matsus’ house in a Jyushi parka though. Poor Ichi and Totty :P

So this skit wasn’t what I expected at all, and I’m happy! Aside from the fact that JyushiHomu wasn’t sunk (:P), we got Jyushi having an adorable friendship with an equally adorable little boy, more of his self-conscious side, 110matsu, Otoutomatsu, and a lot lot more!! This skit is very worth it and you should definitely watch it ;v;

After that, we have “Give Them Back”. It’s a Dekapan and Dayon skit. Dekapan’s bored one day, so Dayon has the perfect solution - he rips off Dekapan’s pants. He then has Dekapan chase after him and his pants all over the lab, which makes the old man quite happy again... at first. But then Dayon takes the pants with him and runs everywhere else, forcing Dekapan to run after him completely naked. And the skit is just that, really - Dekapan giving Dayon chase all while yelling at him to give his pants back.

To be honest, there really isn’t much to say about this one, because the premise pretty much stays the same all throughout. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it! Some notable moments in the skit come to mind:

While running, Dayon and Dekapan come across the other characters, and the two prove to be quite the nuisances :P There’s Totoko and Hatabou, where Totoko becomes scared for her life after seeing the “pervert” Dekapan be completely naked; there’s Oso and Ichi, who lost at pachinko and ended up being spun around by Dekapan and Dayon’s chase; there’s Jyushi and Eitaro, with the latter begging Jyushi to be his master again before they too get spun around by the chase; there’s Kara and Choro at the fishing hole, who end up getting tangled in their fishing lines as a result of Dekapan and Dayon running around them; there’s an Iyami cameo in the escalators of a shopping mall. Tbh the cameos make one of the most memorable parts of this skit

At one point, Dekapan gets tired of the chase and cross at Dayon for all his shenanigans. Dayon tries to get Dekapan to chase him again, waving the old man’s pants in front of him - but Dekapan dramatically gives Dayon the cold shoulder, swatting the pants away and walking away into the sunset. This part was played so seriously and dramatically that it made me laugh. Eeyup.

Near the end of the skit there’s suddenly an art shift into a pixel RPG style. And then an acid trip style. Of all skits to go into art shift, why this one

And it ends with Dayon still running with the pants, and Dekapan yelling at him to give them back, he’s not ever gonna forgive him for this, etc. Dekayon is becoming intense, guys :P

Then finally, we have the last Totoko & Nyaa skit. It looks like Totoko has bared her whole problems to Nyaa, who seems to be listening and sympathizing, so at first it seems to be going well...

...but then Nyaa goes and throws boiling hot konjac on Totoko’s face :P Totoko retaliates by throwing hot daikon slices onto Nyaa’s eyes. Another fight ensues, complete with wrestling tackles and suplexes, and it ends up destroying Chibita’s stall all together. The skit ends with Totoko and Nyaa name-calling and beating each other up, all while Chibita stares ahead... And his regrown stand of hair flies away with the wind, proving it to be fake all along. Ososan’s sense of continuity never fails to amuse me :P

So this week’s ep is a fun one! It’s not the best of the episodes we’ve got so far, but I enjoyed almost every minute of it. “The Eitaro Family” is the crowning jewel of this episode. Hooray for Jyushimatsu and his adorable friendship with Eitaro!! While I think he and his mom would just be oneshot characters, it’d be nice to see them again later down the line. (Also now I want Eitaro to show up in JyushiHomu fanworks ;v; Let Homura and Eitaro interact; I bet she’d love the little guy ♥) (Also I think Dekapan and Dayon might need some couples counselling lol Dayon’s becoming increasingly shadier in this season and I dunno what’s up with that) All in all, thank you for this episode, base-stealing home run!

There’s been some discussion earlier in the stream on whether or not we’ll be having an episode next week. Christmas day falls on a Monday, but I don’t really think it’s considered a day-off day in Japan. According to my research, Christmas Eve is more celebrated there than Christmas day. That being said, there was a tweet made by the official Ososan Twitter account about Christmas some time ago... People are saying it’s about a delay or something. I dunno, we’ll have to see I guess.

Whether or not we’re getting a new episode next week though, we are getting a new episode! And it’s about New Years! “We still celebrate the end of the year,” Totty says in the voiceover. Is that showing on the last day of the year? Well, it turns out New Year’s Day 2018 also falls on a Monday... Will this be what welcomes us into the New Year? Will this be the last episode of the first cour, or the first episode of the second cour? :0 Hmm. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

[irkimatsu]

I got to talking to someone about the Matsus as parents. Headcanon dump time

Oso: Could probably take or leave having kids - definitely WANTS them in his urge to play "big brother", but that feeling may fade once he realizes that it takes work. If he does, he tries to be the fun dad - maybe a little too lenient, so hopefully his spouse is willing to pick up his slack. The kids love him, though. They can come to him about ANYTHING and know they won't be in trouble if they've gotten themselves into a bad situation, he'll just help them get out of it. He also teases, but it's all in good fun, and learns to pull back when he's gone too far - he won't be one of those emotionally abusive parents who turns it around on the kids for being "too sensitive". He's not the type to push the kids to leave the nest - hell, he's probably going to sob like a baby the instant the last one leaves. Massive case of Empty Nest Syndrome for this guy. Even if he doesn't have his own kids, he'll be like this to his brothers' kids, to the point where his brothers almost wonder if he's trying to take their place. Shows off baby pictures, both of his and his brothers' kids, to strangers when drunk. Isn't his family just the cutest family ever

Kara: Definitely wants an heir to carry on his PERFECT STYLE, and isn't starting a family the most romantic way to truly seal the bond with one's soulmate? So of course he's having kids. They're going to have self-esteem through the roof if his encouragement sticks with them. Considers creative pursuits to be very important, so will never be one of those "why can't you have a talent that will make you money" parents - each of his children will be directed to find their perfect, SHINING talent! He'll have to be careful that he doesn't turn into a stage dad, though if he realizes that his kids are genuinely not interested in pushing their talents as far as they can go, he'll lay off. Might take an argument to get that through his head, though... kids could come home with crazy fashion, dyed hair, piercings, whatever, and he'll always accept it, because self-expression is important. (I'd also say tattoos, but given how frowned upon they are in Japan, I don't even know where a teenager would go to get one. But if he moved to a country that accepted them more and started his family there, tattoos would also be accepted.) Probably one of those parents who is totally convinced they have the Greatest Children In The World - like Oso, but where Oso is "they're the best because I made 'em", Kara's are the best because look at this macaroni portrait she made of my face, clearly she's on her way to becoming a superstar sculptor!

Choro: Well, of course he's having kids. That's what people do, right? He's supposed to find work as a salaryman, get married, then work to feed his family while his new wife keeps house. (I imagine that his wife in this scenario disagrees heavily with this notion, given his taste for strong-willed women. =P) Family life isn't nearly as smooth as he expects, it's not some picture-perfect movie, but in the end, he wouldn't trade them in for the world. ...though he does still try to be the model father to model children. So many lectures and fears that if his children act out, others will look at him as a failed parent... hopefully he stops stressing soon. He reads a lot of parenting books and freaks out when they contradict each other. When he's not so worried about doing this "right", though, he's a great dad - he's honestly proud of their accomplishments and talents, and makes sure they know that. And maybe they'll appreciate his pushes in the end, when the skills he taught them help them get into their university or trade of choice. Sure, he's strict, but he's good at teaching responsibility. And once he stops worrying so much, good at teaching how to make time for hobbies, too - he remembers how much he loved being an otaku, so maybe it really is okay to let his kids have a hobby like that, too. It doesn't mean he's spoiling them. (...he's probably also the sort who can try to be strict and scold a child, but then they pull the sweet puppy eyes and he melts. =P)

Ichi: Least likely to have kids; I may think he'd make a great dad, but he's terrified of screwing a child up for life. Is it worth it? ...n-not like he wanted a kid anyway, so... it's fine if he doesn't have them... and admittedly, of the six, he probably could cope best with never starting a family, as long as he gets to foster animals instead. But if he does have a child, the instant he lays eyes on his new baby, he's instantly in love. He's really good at the newborn stage - feeding, cuddling, playing, he loves all of it. ...then things get tricky when the child becomes mobile. It's really hard for him to keep up with a destructive toddler. But as the child gets older and needs emotional support, Ichi's great for that - he's a good listener, even if he doesn't always have advice; he certainly won't judge if his child has a mental illness, because he's been there. He'll be his child's biggest advocate in that case. He's the laid-back sort of father who may not take the family on tons of exciting vacations, but the little memories his kids have of him reading to them, teaching them how to play nicely with animals (even the ones that aren't "cute" - seriously, there's a Tabi with him protecting a snail and it is the Sweetest Thing, bugs will not be squished in Ichi's home), hugging them when they're upset... all those memories are still precious. He's still not the most emotionally open, but his kids can tell that he loves them, he just shows it in his own way. He's also fiercely protective; any dumbasses who disrespect his children will be hunted down. (Ichi, no, you can't punch teenagers)

Jyushi: Lots of kids! So many kids! Lots of kids to love! Sunshine boy has at least one small child crawling on him at any given time. He loves it! He's very active with his kids, and very good at cheering them up when they cry. Admittedly, he wouldn't be sure what to do if he had a kid who isn't athletic... but he'll figure out his own way of bonding with them. He focuses a lot on outdoor activities; maybe the non-athletic ones like picnics? Flower picking? You can swim without being athletic, just enjoy the water! ...he's AWFUL at discipline, it just doesn't cross his mind to because he's always been the type who just does what he likes, so again, his spouse will have to cover that. But he's happy to show his kids just how wonderful the world is, and while there may be sad times, they can always muscle muscle through! He really wouldn't want his kids to grow jaded with the world, not when there's so much beauty in everything.

Totty: Admittedly did not think this through. How cute, he has a baby he can dress up in cute outfits and show off to people to prove that he started a family, what have they been doing with THEIR lives? But it's quickly knocked into his head that a baby is an actual PERSON and he should be an actual PARENT. He'll settle in eventually, though not before freaking out at least once after his new daughter barfs all over the new dress he paid so much money to get her. But once he stops freaking out about the uncute realities of babies, he does make for a good father. Like Kara, he'll want to instill a sense of confidence in his kids, though with an added dash of "and if someone tells you that you're not great, step on them." The sort of dad who takes a million photos of his kids and puts them all over social media. Every conversation will turn into how great his kid is. LOOK AT HIS CUTE KID. He got way more attached than he expected. Please chill, Totty. =P His kids will be absolutely SPOILED with physical gifts - anything they want, as long as he has the money, they can have it. He's awful at saying "no". Hopefully he doesn't end up raising entitled brats... well, he can also teach them social skills better than any of his brothers can, so maybe it'll even out in the end. As long as he eventually learns to stop bailing them out of financial trouble and let them figure things out on their own every once in a while. He does genuinely love and support those kids - he just needs to learn how to say "no". At least his kids will grow up with great social skills; they’ll always know how to make themselves seem appealing to strangers. It’s just a matter of not using that ability for evil. (It fails on their uncles anyway. They’re all used to Totty’s shit, they’re not gonna be fooled just because it’s in a smaller package now.)

[recentanimenews]

Mr. Osomatsu: Six Faces, Six Decades [Part 2]

Mr. Osomatsu, a revival of Fujio Akatsuka's classic Showa-era comedy, Osomatsu-kun, has made big waves both in Japan and in the West. Revolving around the daily lives of a group of unemployed sextuplets, the new anime series has done a fine job in changing with the times. While other franchise reboots have stayed a bit too true to their roots to reach a contemporary audience, Mr. Osomatsu is boldly in touch with its new generation of viewers. It's a comedy series that tackles touchy subjects with conviction, but holds enough self-awareness to poke fun at itself in the process. At times crude and unrefined, at others strikingly perceptive, Mr. Osomatsu is a hearty belly laugh that many have found enjoyment in. 

    Before delving into this feature, I'd recommend reading Part 1, where I discuss Osomatsu-kun as well as the cultural climate surrounding its style of humor. This half of the feature is intended to be somewhat of a comparison piece, looking at how Mr. Osomatsu has revamped the franchise's formula to better suit the tastes of a contemporary audience. 

   Fast forward 25 years from Osomatsu-kun. In contrast to the economic boom of the 80s, Japan has now entered a recession. In addition, its aging population continues to grow, while many young adults face challenges finding employment and romantic relationships. As Japan’s people continue to live amidst these rough times, humor becomes an effective tool at tackling the country’s touchiest subjects. As anime such as Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei have proved in the past, a touch of satire and black comedy can go a long way.

  While Osomatsu-kun’s approach to humor was a product of its era (lengthy slapstick skits with wacky, absurd tangents), Mr. Osomatsu director Yoichi Fujita chose to adapt the manga into a format closer to other skit-based, meta comedies. Fujita had served as the series director for a large chunk of Gintama’s anime adaptation, and many of his comedic sensibilities can be seen throughout Mr. Osomatsu. However, this is not to say that Mr. Osomatsu is simply another Gintama clone; rather, the staff at Studio Pierrot were respectful of Osomatsu-kun’s legacy. Both writing and animation teams were asked to check out specific episodes from Osomatsu-kun (1988) for inspiration, cementing Pierrot’s decision to respect the franchise’s forefathers.

    Throughout the first season’s run, Mr. Osomatsu made the occasional nod to plotlines from Osomatsu-kun, with one of the more notable examples being the Wacky Races homage. At the same time, Studio Pierrot crafted a unique identity for Mr. Osomatsu by drawing upon the characterization and comedic stylings of modern anime. To that end, Mr. Osomatsu is both a celebration of the old and the new – and is one of the few comedy anime that has found commercial success in that marriage between past and present.

  One of the primary alterations Pierrot made to Osomatsu-kun’s formula was in the casting. Iyami and Chibita were relegated to side characters and the Matsu brothers were given the spotlight once again. While Osomatsu-kun effectively treated all six Matsu brothers as a homogenized entity, Mr. Osomatsu was quick to build each brother into his own memorable character. A far cry from the bratty, rambunctious youths of their golden days, now each Matsu is a fully-grown adult NEET in his 20s.

  The title character, Osomatsu, is perhaps the most basic of the bunch. Despite being the eldest brother, Osomatsu is very self-centered and insensitive to his brothers’ troubles – traits that certainly run in the bloodline. When he’s not staring aimlessly at the ceiling, Osomatsu can be found squandering his time away at pachinko parlors and race tracks. So much for setting an example for the younger siblings!

  The next in line is Karamatsu, a self-appointed ladies’ man who quite literally wears himself on his back. Karamatsu is a narcissist by nature, sporting shades, a leather jacket, and his own theme song wherever he goes. He frequently tries to play it cool and smooth for the mythical “Karamatsu Girls” in the audience but unfortunately neither his brothers nor anyone in the anime seems to care. When Karamatsu spouts a line that he considers to be magnificent or intelligent (often accompanied by his broken English), he is either outright ignored by everyone on screen or cast into a fiery pit for a slapstick gag. Regardless of how painful Karamatsu’s presence is, he is an inseparable part of the show and is one of the most popular Matsu brothers.

    Choromatsu is the third brother, and compared to the over-the-top Karamatsu is more down to earth (relatively speaking). Choromatsu fits the mold of an otaku to a T and is often found obsessing over the latest female idols in a frenzied state. His character is intended to be a satire of idol otaku in Japan, but Choromatsu also plays the obligatory tsukkomi (straight man) in many gags.

  The fourth brother, Ichimatsu, is a natural loner with a bad case of social anxiety. He keeps to himself and becomes absorbed in his dark, depressing thoughts – with his only friends being the neighborhood cats. Despite that, Ichimatsu still hangs around with his brothers a lot, bickering and getting into fights when there’s an issue that concerns the entire group. Throughout Mr. Osomatsu, Ichimatsu shows the occasional sign of wanting to open himself up to human contact, but his mental health issues often prevent him from doing so. Whether his troubles are played for laughs or a serious examination of an individual struggling socially, Ichimatsu is a character that many audiences found themselves attached to. As a result, he is also one of the most popular Matsu brothers.

  The fifth Matsu brother is quite honestly the most difficult to describe. Jyushimatsu has a perpetual smile plastered onto his face and has an undying love for baseball. Perhaps this is why he’s responsible for the anime’s most left-field outbursts and actions. Jyushimatsu just seems like he’s living in his own universe half the time, which may explain why he’s rarely shown to be bothered by being a NEET. He remains cheerful and upbeat to the point where even his own brothers question his sanity. Has Jyushimatsu simply found a way to cope with the dread of being unemployed, or has he truly lost his marbles?

  Last but not least is Todomatsu, the youngest brother. Totty acts in an effeminate manner and is very vain, being concerned with his physical appearance and public image. While the other Matsu brothers are borderline hopeless with women, Totty has shown some success in being able to go on dates – albeit as a result of his fake persona. Sadly, jealousy is something that runs in the Matsu family and Totty’s brothers often sabotage many of his attempts at getting the girls. Goes to show that a Matsu brother can’t escape his genes.

    In short, the Matsu brothers were meant to embody some of the least desirable personality traits in Japanese society. Yet in spite of all their inadequacies, they collectively managed to garner a huge fan base – many of which were young women, no less! While a character like Ichimatsu was a social reject, many of his fans either found him relatable or endearing. Many perceived his inability to voice his inner feelings and friendship with cats as being moe traits, which is why you’ll find lots of people with Ichimatsu as number one in their hearts. On the other hand, a character like Karamatsu provided some of the best comic relief in the anime through his absurd behavior and hammy lines.

  In an industry where anime needs recognizable, visually-appealing character designs and likable personalities to sell merchandise, Studio Pierrot made the right move with Mr. Osomatsu. Although distinguishing one Matsu brother from the next proved to be difficult at the start of the series (due to their appearances being identical aside from minor facial features), their personality quirks were distinctive. Additionally, the occasional focus episode on each brother granted a touch of character development, allowing audiences to connect with each brother on an emotional level beyond what a gag comedy would normally offer.

  However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for the cast of Mr. Osomatsu. While the Matsu brothers certainly took up the microphone and stole the spotlight, some of the supporting cast received the short-end of the stick. Iyami is perhaps the most notable example, given that he was previously the heart and soul of Osomatsu-kun (1988). The issue with Iyami’s character in Mr. Osomatsu was that he didn’t change, unlike the Matsu brothers. Iyami was still the same conniving conman that he was in Osomatsu-kun. His catchphrase became the bread and butter of his character, and unfortunately defined him as a recurring punchline. As a result, he received far less screen time during the latter half of Mr. Osomatsu’s first season.

  Likewise, Studio Pierrot faced a similar hurdle with adapting Chibita and love-interest, Totoko, to fit the contemporary slant of Mr. Osomatsu. While their transition wasn’t as awkward as Iyami’s due to their occasional interaction with the Matsu brothers, both Chibita and Totoko’s personalities were simplified in comparison to their Osomatsu-kun counterparts. Totoko, for instance, was still the same vanity queen as she was in Osomatsu-kun, but her portrayal in Mr. Osomatsu was limited to her fake idol persona. Unfortunately few attempts were made to stretch her beyond that mold throughout the show’s run either comically or emotionally.

    With that said, the weakness of the side cast was hardly a call for concern with Mr. Osomatsu. In keeping with the show’s spirit, Studio Pierrot thought up some rather creative ways to make the best of the worst. One of Mr. Osomatsu’s strengths was its awareness of the fact that it was a reboot of a franchise nobody knew of anymore. Case in point, the anime’s first episode kicked off with a scene produced in the style of the 1966 adaptation of Osomatsu-kun, with the characters shocked their show was going to receive an anime adaptation in the year 2015. However, being from the Showa era, the Matsu boys were not accustomed to the style of modern anime, feeling their simple catchphrases would not be enough. Eventually the brothers settled on trying to do an anime in the style of a bishonen idol anime, as they believed it was the best way to market their all-male cast. Unfortunately, their other cast members joined the fray, desperately referencing popular anime from other genres. This culminated in a shameless parody of Attack on Titan and was never brought up again.

  This self-awareness would persist throughout the entirety of Mr. Osomatsu, with characters stating that their crude behaviors were going against the wishes of their late creator, Fujio Akatsuka. Iyami even acknowledged that nobody knew his catchphrase and was furious audiences weren’t finding him funny anymore. As such, the anime always had that slight touch of meta humor in its back pocket and even evolved alongside its rapidly-growing fan base to focus on its more popular aspects. One instance of this was when Studio Pierrot included alternate universe skits featuring gender-swapped versions of the Matsu brothers. This “GirlyMatsu” episode was produced in response to the anime’s large female following and translated each Matsu brother’s personality traits into a female counterpart. For example, the idol-obsessed Choromatsu became the fujoshi, Choroko. In short, Mr. Osomatsu’s meta humor was strongly tied to its identity as a malleable franchise that had survived for over half a century.

  Amidst all the meta humor, crazy alternate universes, and crude slapstick, there exists one aspect of Mr. Osomatsu that firmly anchors it to its passage in time. The decision to cast the Matsu brothers as NEETs was not simply an aesthetic choice, as certain segments of the show are very upfront about being a wake-up call for the young adults struggling both financially and romantically. While the cartoony depictions and general wackiness are still present, the issues that Mr. Osomatsu tackles are a reality for Japan. This is a major departure for the franchise, as Osomatsu-kun had always used satire to poke fun at less-pressing idiosyncrasies of Japanese culture as opposed to addressing current issues.

    Through the skits focused on the mundane lives of the Matsu brothers, we see a lot of their worries, anxieties, and frustrations surrounding their futures come to light. The brothers are all jobless, socially and romantically inept, and waste their lives away gambling, drinking, and looking at pornography. Their characterization alone is a blunt reflection of NEETs taken to the extreme, and the show does not shy away from depreciating the brothers for laughs. Family and friends alike will often call them jobless virgins, with the Matsus themselves internalizing their own hopelessness. However, in keeping with their unique personalities, each brother deals with these social pressures differently. For instance, Ichimatsu constantly refers to himself as “human trash” and chooses to isolate himself as much as possible to avoid being hurt. On the other hand, Karamatsu and Choromatsu simply escape reality by becoming enveloped in their fake narcissist and idol producer personas, respectively.

  Interestingly enough, Mr. Osomatsu never proposes an idealized or romanticized solution to the brothers’ struggles. This is perhaps a result of the anime’s skit-based format and only minor threads of continuity, making Mr. Osomatsu more of a humorous portrait of contemporary NEET life, rather than a social discourse on it. Nevertheless, it’s a very effective one, and is in many ways a more powerful statement than some anime attempting to be dramatizations of reality. Mr. Osomatsu effectively uses satire and black humor to bring to light the shortcomings of its society.

  In closing, the Osomatsu franchise has had one hell of a ride for the past half century. What started as a slapstick gag comedy has now evolved into something that creator Fujio Akatsuka could have never predicted. While respecting its roots, Mr. Osomatsu has achieved both commercial success and worldwide notoriety all thanks to Studio Pierrot’s willingness to adapt the franchise’s material into something more befitting of a contemporary audience. With six unforgettable faces and a second season underway, who knows where the Osomatsu name will end up in the future?

    Let us know your thougths about Mr. Osomatsu in the comments below!

----

Brandon is a Features Writer for Crunchyroll and also a freelance writer about anime. Follow him on his Twitter at @Don_Don_Kun!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[whumpmatsus]

aaaa are you still taking the sickfic requests?? maybe "don't speak" with choro as the sickie pls?

SickFic Prompts / ACCEPTING!

Don’t Speak - (character) has a horribly sore throat and is reduced to barely talking while they load up on hot drinks and soup to recover.

yesssss always!!! I had so much fun with this, it hit me right in the Honey Nut Feelios and I hope it does the same for u, sunshine 😩

-

After still feeling like total crap for several days while his brothers were almost completely recovered from the cold they’d all caught, Choromatsu finally breaks down and goes to the doctor.

He doesn’t really want to. Being sick is something they all hate, and continuing to suffer after everyone else felt better is just astronomically unfair. Sometimes he thinks he can will himself back to health if only he sleeps and takes medicine and does everything a sick person is supposed to do.

The others prod at him to get checked out, though, considering the fact that lately every time he’s tried to speak, it’s set off a cough and is painful even to those just listening.

When he comes back home with a pharmacy bag and an informational sheet proclaiming that he’s been diagnosed with laryngitis, it explains a lot.

He has little choice but to hand the sheet over to Osomatsu as Karamatsu comes over to help remove his scarf and coat and walk him over to the kotatsu. The eldest of them doesn’t necessarily know best all the time, but usually when one of them is sick or hurt with more than a cold or a tiny scrape, Osomatsu often slides into big brother mode and shows a surprising amount of maturity.

For once, Choromatsu is actually glad his oldest brother is taking charge of the situation.

“Okaaaay, guys,” he calls as Choromatsu settles in at the table. “So this thing says Choromatsu has… acute laryngitis. The doctor thinks it’s because he had a cold, I guess, since it says ‘viral cause’. Huh.”

Everyone else is already seated around the kotatsu since it’s the middle of winter and freezing. Jyushimatsu’s arm shoots up right away. “Oh! What’s laryngitis? That’s a funny word. Are we gonna get it too?”

Choromatsu opens his mouth to try and explain, like usual. Instead, he manages to get out a weak, “Probably not,” before he starts to cough.

“Hey,” Osomatsu pouts as Karamatsu pats the third eldest on the back, “this thing says you’re not supposed to talk if you can help it, Fappymatsu. So, y’know… shut up.”

What he gets in return for his efforts is an unimpressed glare.

Osomatsu grins, running a finger under his nose before looking back at the information sheet. “Well, I’m not wrong! Okay, so… the cold was contagious, but it says the actual laryngitis isn’t. It’s just some kind of throat thing that happened because of the cold. So it might happen for the rest of us, but I doubt it since we’re all feeling better already. Choromatsu just has bad luck, I guess.”

Karamatsu hums in thought and continues to rub his brother’s back. “Hmph, we’re probably safe then. Which means we just have to focus on taking care of our dear brother. How do we do that?”

Choromatsu holds the bag from the pharmacy up, allowing Ichimatsu to snatch it and dump the contents out on the table. He points toward the things he picked up at the doctor’s recommendation ― over-the-counter painkillers, lozenges, a throat spray, and cough syrup. There’s other stuff mixed in too, like tissues and a jar of yuzu-cha and a magazine. Though he could have lived without everyone seeing that, it’s not a huge deal.

Osomatsu waves the paper before picking through everything on the table. “Well, it says they don’t have any kind of prescription to give him. No antibiotics since it’s viral. Looks like it says the cough medicines and painkillers might help. ‘Home remedies may also provide temporary relief’… like tea and soup, huh? So we should probably try to keep the bastard hydrated with warm stuff.”

Karamatsu gets to his feet, grabbing the jar of yuzu-cha on his way. “In that case, why don’t I go mix up some of this for you right now? After being out in the cold air, your throat could probably use something warm. Want me to add a little honey?”

Choromatsu nods eagerly, mouthing, “Yes, please.”

Karamatsu’s face brightens at being useful, and he gives an exaggerated pose before heading into the kitchen. “What a good patient! Your big brother will be back with something soothing before you know it!”

“Hold on,” Totty comments as he scoots the lozenges, spray, and syrup toward him, “did you get all this stuff to take for your throat?”

His eyes scan over the labels, then roll back in his head when he’s finished. “Ah, Choromatsu-nii-san! You can’t take all of these at the same time. See, look. They all say ‘do not use with other medications containing’ ― uh ― well ― w-well, I can’t pronounce the word, but it’s the same one! They must all contain this ingredient, so you can’t take them all in the same day.”

Ichimatsu makes a gesture for Totty to hand them over, then nods after reading them. “Yeah, he’s right. If you take all these in the same day, even if you use each one like the directions say, you’ll be basically overdosing on this shit. Your mouth’ll go numb. Be drooling all over the place and maybe having trouble breathing.”

All the medicine is plucked from his hands by Osomatsu. “Okay, so we’ll rotate ‘em, and I’ll take care of giving it to you whenever you need medicine. Y’know, so that fever doesn’t fry your brain and make you forget which one you’re taking for the day. Which one do you wanna use today?”

Choromatsu lets out a soft groan which only serves to irritate his throat further. He could seriously just kick his own ass for not checking that before he bought all of those. The only excuse he has is that he’s in a lot of pain and not thinking like he normally does. He points to the spray, thinking maybe it’ll feel kind of like sour spray candy; once it gets sprayed on, it melts and lingers for a minute, which might be a nice quality in a medicine for sore throats.

“Alright, open up.” Osomatsu tears off the plastic packaging. “Totty, Ichimatsu, did either of you see how many times I’m supposed to spray this?”

“Two sprays every two hours as needed. But it’s only supposed to stay for fifteen seconds, then he has to spit it out. He’s not supposed to swallow it or it might give him a stomachache. Totty, you wanna go get an empty cup for him to spit in and a glass of water to wash the taste out of his mouth afterwards?”

“What?? Why can’t you do it? Your legs aren’t broken!”

“Yeah, but I’m busy.”

“Are you kidding me? Doing what?!”

Ichimatsu shuffles himself closer to Choromatsu and puts an arm around his big brother. “I’m his emotional support Ichimatsu.”

Choromatsu chuckles a bit, though it turns into coughing pretty quickly.

“Oh, my God. Now you know why you’re not first in my brother rankings, right?” Totty grumbles, but gets up anyway. “Fiiiiine, I’ll be right back.”

The idea of an emotional support anything is nice, though, so Choromatsu leans into the contact, resting his head on Ichimatsu’s shoulder. As it is, the fourth eldest is almost like a cat, warm and cuddly when he feels like it.

His fever must be getting to him, because he could even swear he hears Ichimatsu purring.

-

The next three days in the Matsuno household are, predictably, a little wild.

Although Choromatsu sleeps on the couch in the other room so that his coughing doesn’t wake his brothers, it’s pretty much all for naught. At least one of them ends up missing him in the night and coming to camp out with him anyway; he just counts his lucky stars that when he needs them most, they show themselves to be pretty great brothers.

He also practically lives on soup and tea. Mom and the others try to switch it up a little, because otherwise eating and drinking the same things every day would drive him nuts. Plain miso and zosui were fine for the first day, but after he could breathe through his nose and smell things again, they started offering him other stuff.

Honestly, shogayu and negi-miso-yu have never tasted so good. Now that he can taste the yuzu-cha, too, and Karamatsu prepares some for him at least once in the afternoon, it’s like a small slice of heaven. He’s pretty sure Karamatsu can tell how grateful he is even without words, if the stupidly proud look on his older brother’s face whenever Choromatsu drinks it is any indication.

His throat still hurts like hell for a while. It’s difficult to speak, so Osomatsu, in his infinite wisdom, has relegated his brother to using a mini dry erase board and marker if he needs to say anything. That doesn’t mean Choromatsu doesn’t try to talk. He does his best not to if he doesn’t absolutely need to, however, since he wants to be rid of this thing more than anyone.

Thankfully, everyone is apparently using this as an excuse to treat him nicely. He gets to sit in front of the TV watching Nyaa-chan concerts almost nonstop, while nestling in against his emotional support Ichimatsu. Karamatsu in particular keeps checking every twenty minutes or so to see if there’s anything he can get for his little brother, and whatever Choromatsu asks for, he gets. Hell, at one point he’s craving ice cream, even though milky things aren’t a good idea for someone who’s coughing, and Karamatsu comes back with a melon ice pop, which is almost as good.

Totty even manages to do something nice while typing away on his phone. He says he’s got Choromatsu a date. With a girl. Who likes pop idols. Who’s really excited to meet him as soon as he’s better. He says he texted her a picture of Choromatsu and she thinks he’s really cute. It’s perhaps a good thing that he can’t say much right now, because he’s sure he’d scream loud enough to lose his voice a second time.

Jyushimatsu even sits there on Choromatsu’s other side, and reads magazine articles to him whenever they’re not watching TV. Of course, he doesn’t read the dirty articles… well, he doesn’t read those out loud after the first time he tried and everybody ended up crying with laughter. They all joked that even when he was sick that would be Choromatsu’s main priority, and for once, he laughed along with them despite the fact that it made him cough.

The one who surprises him the most is Osomatsu. Maybe that shouldn’t actually be a surprise, though. He fills the role of diligent oldest brother with a lot more ease than one might expect; he breaks out the thermometer every few hours to make sure Choromatsu’s fever isn’t getting higher, he keeps track of which medicines Choromatsu is supposed to take and when, he helps Mom cook things that will help Choromatsu feel better, and if he’s not doing any of that other stuff, he’s positioned with Choromatsu sitting on his lap, with Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu on either side, running his fingers through his little brother’s hair. It almost feels like the way things were when they were all kids.

Choromatsu is easily tired out when he’s sick, and he’s 99.99999% sure that it’s Osomatsu who carries him to bed every night when he inevitably falls asleep.

Despite the fact that he gives them a lot of shit, and none of them are perfect people, he knows he’s got some pretty amazing brothers.

Today he’s feeling nearly back to his old self, and his throat is less sore than it’s been in over a week. He knows it’s partially thanks to rest and partially thanks to how well his family has been taking care of him. Despite that he’s starting to recover, the others are still treating him much the same as they have been. Tea whenever he wants it ― as well as Karamatsu shoving it in his direction, urging him to drink with that pathetic puppy dog face of his, even when he doesn’t quite want it ― and lots of head pats and the TV turned to whatever he’s in the mood for.

He’s not quite as tired as he’s been lately, so it would be all too effortless to just take advantage of all this. Instead, his thoughts have just kept turning to how grateful he is to have so many people he can count on.

There’s some small part of him that has to admit he can be just as bad as they all are sometimes. He can be selfish and rude and lazy. But when one of his brothers is sick or hurt, he knows he steps up to the plate to try and take care of them. To know that they’re all willing to do the same for him when he’s the one in need makes him happier than he thinks he’s been in a long time.

He’s still got the dumb little whiteboard Osomatsu gave him, because his voice isn’t back to normal just yet. For a moment, he scribbles on it, then he holds it up for Osomatsu who’s sitting behind him. “Hey, Oso,” he speaks up in a quiet, breathy, raspy voice.

“Uh…! Hey, dumbass, you’re not supposed to be talking yet,” Osomatsu laughs, then lifts his head to look at the board. “… Huh? Choromatsu… hey…”

He laughs in a way that makes it sound like he’s about to cry, then takes the board and waves it to get everyone else’s attention. “Hey, guys! Haha… look! Look at this shit!”

Four other pairs of eyes turn in their direction. Practically as soon as everyone has processed what Choromatsu has written, he’s buried in a pile of brothers. He gets arms put around him, and kisses on his forehead, and everyone nuzzling against his face. They’re all laughing in that same way Osomatsu did…

… Well, until they all start actually crying. Including Choromatsu himself.

The whiteboard falls to the ground, mostly forgotten, but the words written on it hanging over the sextuplets like a rainbow.

Thanks for everything. I love you guys. 💚

[jyushimatsu-falls-in-love]

steven universe/crystal gem(atsu)s au

Alternative post title: ‘In which Nature tries to make a silly Matsu AU out of something she hasn’t actually watched but because it’s so prevalent on Tumblr she picked up a lot about it and is now trying to make a silly Matsu AU out of what she knows’

I’m going to get hate for this aren’t I

So yeah, as mentioned above, I don’t actually watch Steven Universe (I think it’s mostly because the fandom scares me orz); however I do love some of the concepts it has, like the Gems themselves, and fusions, and some of the lore surrounding the Gems. Oh, and the songs! I’ve listened to some of SU’s songs and they’re absolutely lovely :D

I was talking with @chororine yesterday about the recent SU episodes, and she linked me a couple of Gem!Matsu AUs that are really cool! And then it got me thinking of ideas for a Gem!Matsu AU which I kinda feel bad thinking up of since I haven’t watched the show orz 

Perhaps those who watch SU can tell me if this makes sense as a Matsu AU-slash-SU adaptation or not? XD;; Feel free to correct me on certain things, or even share ideas! This AU’s actually kinda really fun :’D

Anyway, all of it under the cut! (It’s very long orz) Content warnings for suicide mentions and pregnancy, but that’s all there is to it I think.

So, as always when it comes to these Crystal Gem AUs, the Matsuno brothers are a set of six similar-but-different Gems. Tbh I have no idea what kind of Gems they would be; some AUs make them the same type of gem, some make them different kinds of gems. I still want them to be “brothers”/“sextuplets”, in a way; is there a way to strike a balance? (This person’s AU has all six be a kind of gem that can be dyed different colors; that’s a good idea, but I feel like if I applied that here I’d be ripping them off...) But either way, they’re Gems. (I have no clue what their roles in Homeworld would be, either...)

The thing about the Gem!Matsus is that they’re not part of Rose Quartz’s rebellion - but at the same time, they’re not totally loyal to Homeworld either. If anything, the boys’ true loyalties are to themselves and to each other (for the most part). So they’re neutral parties in the Gem War - but they do consider Homeworld, well, home, and can’t imagine home being anywhere else.

Then one fateful day, the Gem!Matsus end up becoming displaced from Homeworld. Maybe it’s because of the Gem War, maybe they were running away from someone/something, or maybe they were dicking around in space and then they crashed their space ship, I dunno. Either way, the Gem!Matsus lose their way home, and they find themselves stuck on Earth - specifically, they find themselves stuck in a small coastal town somewhere in Japan.

With no means or even any idea on how to get home, the Gem!Matsus settle down on Earth. They assume - some of them (e.g. Choro), hope - it’s a temporary thing; after all, Homeworld is home, and even the shittiest Gem would want nothing more than to be home, right? So they stay there and wait for help, or anything to come their way that can bring them home. (Meanwhile, maybe they can fight corrupted Gems that they come across? Assuming there are corrupted Gems in other places besides Beach City. And maybe the boys don’t even know they’re corrupted Gems at all...)

Years pass, and the Gem!Matsus are still stuck, but still trying to make the most of their time in that Japanese coastal town. They observe the humans going about their daily lives, but never really interact with them and kinda look down on them the same way the Crystal Gems initially looked down on humans. And then one day, a certain yellow Gem strays far from the Gem!Matsu’s main base to a part of the beach he hasn’t explored yet - and there he sees a pretty human girl with freckles on her face, standing at the top of a really high cliff facing the ocean...

Because Jyushi is a Gem here and not human, I don’t know if he’ll be able to pick up on or understand Homura’s suicidal tendencies like he did in Ososan canon; but either way he distracts-slash-talks her out of jumping off the cliff. He does notice that this pretty human girl is very sad though, which isn’t good! Humans are cute and nice when they’re laughing and smiling! So in true Jyushi fashion, he does whatever he can to make her smile and laugh. Through her, he also gets to understand humans more, and thus be able to empathize with her (and by extension other people) better. Perhaps he also learns her backstory, and surely tries to assure her of her worth despite it.

The other Gem!Matsus don’t understand why Jyushi’s so enamored with this Homura person. Oso and Kara shrug it off and say, hey Jyushi’s having fun, let him have fun with his human friend as long as she doesn’t hurt him (and soon enough they end up befriending Homura too); Choro and Totty are more worried about it, why is Jyushi fraternizing with a human, what if she gets him (and by extension us) into trouble? (although maybe they warm up to her eventually); and Ichi is rather irritated that this dumb human girl is taking all of his best friend’s attention, but seeing as Jyushi’s very happy with her, he tries to suck it up as much as he can (although he’s still rather prickly, if civil, towards Homura).

Of course, it leads to Jyushi and Homura falling in love with each other, as well as Jyushi falling in love with the planet Earth itself and with human beings (and baseball!). After everything, he realizes he doesn’t want to return to Homeworld; instead he wants to stay here on Earth, so he can be with Homura and make other human friends and play baseball! This gets... mixed to negative reactions from the other Gem!Matsus. (Oso and Kara are torn, Choro and Totty are upset, Ichi is fucking pissed.) They all probably argue about it for the next couple of years - not that it really matters, as they’re still stuck on Earth whether or not anyone wants to stay or leave.

And then things get worse when said couple of years later, Homura finds out that she’s... pregnant. With Jyushi’s child. This causes yet another stir among the Gem!Matsus, as they never knew humans and Gems can have create children together; however it also causes more issues and more arguing between them over what to do now that this baby’s a thing. Half the team still want to go back home, after all.

Then another bad thing happens - around the time Jyushi’s baby is about to be born, Jyushi ends up having to give up his physical form for it. I’m not sure how or for what reason exactly, but it has to happen and there’s no escaping his fate. 

This leaves the other Gem!Matsus incredibly upset. I mean sure, Jyushi's no Rose Quartz; he isn’t a major figurehead in any wars or rebellions, he doesn’t have a huge legacy to follow. Hell, he isn’t even the leader of the Gem!Matsus. But for the brothers, losing any one of them can be just as devastating as losing a major figurehead - especially since the one they’ve lost was the sunshine of the group. This leaves Homura extremely devastated too, not to mention that the poor woman is now left to be an unmarried single mother.

The Gem!Matsus figure that there’s no point returning home now that Jyushi is gone, so they reluctantly decide to stay with Homura to help her watch over her child. Imagine their surprise when they see that the baby (who I decided would be a little girl, mostly because the idea of the Matsus trying to raise a little girl together is funnier) is half-Gem, half-human! She has her dad’s exact same gem somewhere on her body, all shiny and yellow. The boys come to the conclusion that part of Jyushi is still there, so resolve to stay on Earth so that they can help raise the girl as well as train her in order to be a good half-human, half-Gem. They may or may not have a plan to bring her along with them back to Homeworld once they deem her ready, so they can finally be home and complete...

Homura names her daughter Aiko (”child of love”; because tbh Homura would be a sap when it comes to naming children :P). She, Aiko and the Gem!Matsus move to a house that a relative used to own, and Homura takes a stay-at-home job as a translator (like Yotsuba’s dad from Yotsuba&!). (She can’t bring herself to work outside of the house, as she’s still ashamed of some parts of her past; that and she wants to be able to raise as well as home-school Aiko by herself and watch over the Gem!Matsus. Maybe Gem technology can provide free fast WiFi? :P) The Gem!Matsus are once again NEETs, doing nothing but staying around the house all day; their only job is training Aiko in the ways of being a Gem, so training her to fight and shapeshift and fuse with other Gems and stuff like that. Also getting her in trouble.

So begins Aiko and The Gems, the adventures of a little girl, her single mother and her five Space Rock Dads. Hilarity (and some angst, but mostly hilarity) ensues.

so yeah it’s basically Rose and Greg’s backstory ==> Steven’s story but with Matsus and Homura and a fanchild instead how original right

Compared to canon SU, this AU might be less... serious? I mean, there’s still a lot of sad things, all the Gem!Matsus + Homura have serious issues they need to deal with, and there’s still a lot of room for character + relationship development; but at the same time, the Gem!Matsus don’t have as much pressure on them to keep fighting off anything and/or preserve a rebellion’s legacy as the Crystal Gems do? They’re neutral parties who just want get home-slash-want to take care of a kid. Unless there’s something I missed and the boys could very well still be in trouble with the Diamonds...

(Also it’s probably not as serious as SU because the Gem!Matsus are, well, Matsus. :P)

Honestly though this AU idea is a lot of fun!! :’D I have a few more ideas based on it; I’ll get to writing a post about those soon (later?). Um, so tell me what you think, I guess? :’D

Also, please: if you have ideas for this AU too, please tell me!! Building AUs with others is fun c’: (That and I’m not an expert on SU anyway, as mentioned above; maybe you guys know better than me XD)

(P. S. @chororine​ @irkimatsu​ @risuquest​ you guys like SU, right? You guys might like this, hopefully :’D)

(P. P. S. Not Gem!Matsu related, but still Gems - even though I don’t watch SU yet, for some reason I thought that Phillipa Soo could be a guest star VA on it - and I would love that. I’d gladly watch for her :P)