#I absolutely adore Miris

[raging-barbarian]

One of my favorite things about rei, trained from childhood to be the perfect assassin, immediately folding like wet tissue paper when it comes to kazuki and miri. He's just a big awkward softie and it's SO tragic that he had to grow up like his father expected him to.

[redrocketpanda]

Today is miserable and cold so I started watching Buddy Daddies after seeing some tumblr people talking about and ohhhhhhh.... it's so good and such the perfect antidote for when you're feeling crappy??

The entire premise, the characters, the humor, the music, the aesthetics... everything is just super on point. I tried watching SpyxFamily and couldn't get into it, but with Buddy Daddies I was hooked from the opening scene

Like I'm sorry how can I not be immediately charmed by Rei on his motorbike with his fucking undercut and sassy Kazuki with his puppy energy??

Episode 3 in particular (the most recent one I watched) was very chef's kiss. The moment when Rei... Rei finds Miri and refers to himself as her papa... jfc. Rei might as well as shot me through the heart with his sniper because I was fucking deceased

[dottoreandcapitanosimp]

HEAR ME OUT!!!!

(read this w once upon a dream! And If you like you can request more too!)

Imagine a manhwa villain who has a fiancé who is a crown prince, and this crown prince, who we will call Drystan, is madly in love with a commoner. The villain, who we will call Verena, does not necessarily do anything bad to the commoner, who we will call Miri, she just ignores her and Drystan. When this reaches the ears of the emperor and empress, Drystan's parents, they immediately decide to kill Miri in a public execution, mainly because the empress adored Verena and had already had the experience of being betrayed before, but at least it was with a noblewoman who soon died, while the emperor did not want to miss the wedding that would be a great union between the two most powerful empires on the continent.

While Drystan was forced to watch the person he loved most be cruelly executed while all the commoners and nobles present applauded, Verena who was by his side was the only one who showed empathy and tried to calm him down, only to be met with thousands of curses from Drystan who blamed her for the death of his beloved.

Briefly after that, Drystan had entered a deep depression and was simply apathetic and numb for weeks, and the only one who took care of him was Verena. Verena, unlike what Miri told him, was sweet and kind, being the only one who took care of him after all not even Drystan's parents who were disappointed or the maids who previously hated Miri and hated Drystan even more were at least worried about him. With Verena taking care of Drystan, Drystan simply begins to fall madly in love with Verena, with her beginning to be the only reason for him to live.

As the months passed, a sudden change occurred in Drystan's behavior. Before, he was minimally cold and only affectionate with Miri, then apathetic when it came to getting out of bed, and now he was simply extremely cold and angry with everyone, except when he was in Verena's presence, since when he was in the presence of his beloved, he was simply like an abandoned puppy. Verena was always kind and affectionate with Drystan, although she was normally cold and calm with all the other nobles and maids.

One day, Verena had gone out to take care of some royal business, which basically left Drystan completely depressed and afraid that something would happen to her. To simply calm down a bit, Drystan decided to stay in Verena's room until she returned. While he was lying on Verena's bed, he just decided to tidy up some letters that were on top of her dressing table, and only decided to read the contents of the letter, thinking that it was just something banal or Verena answering her older sisters who were always very worried about her, until when he decided to read it he was just paralyzed and in shock.

Drystan discovered that absolutely everything about Miri's death and then Drystan becoming hopelessly in love and obsessed with Verena was carefully planned by Verena, who had decided that if Drystan didn't love her, she would force him to love her anyway. Absolutely everything, from the clothes she wore to the sweet and loving answers were carefully planned for her to make sure that Drystan would fall in love with her.

Now Drystan was in pure shock, reading and rereading the letters thousands of times without realizing that Verena had just arrived and seemed the least bit furious with him reading the letters about their content.

"Shit, I shouldn't have left those stupid letters there!" Verena cursed herself mentally.

Nowadays, Verena was the beloved princess and even Drystan's parents didn't care if he was alive or dead, much less the servants who, like Drystan's parents and Drystan himself, considered Verena a saint who would have valid reasons if she killed someone. Drystan only heard the door being locked.

Whether he liked it or not, he was Verena's fiancé and would be her perfect and loving husband.

"He just needs to learn his place, it won't take more than a few hours locked in the room until he misses me."

[mismefancy]

I miss Buddy Daddies..

Screw it, I'll make a very long headcanon for it!

So you know how in the anime there is this running joke about Kazuki exaggeratedly crying or squealing anytime Miri does anything adorable or when Rei does something out of character for Kazu? Lol

Miri buying a crepe for him, Rei attempting at making food for Miri's sport's festival, or Miri's reason for picking her two papas during the race, etc. He becomes overdramatic, cartoonishly big crying eyes as he squeals in excitement or absolute awe. Just a proud stage stagemom and it makes you laugh at the wholesome hilarity of it all.

....So what if one time he does the opposite? : )

Let me give you a scenario:

Timeskip to 10 years later. They may have left their life of crime, but Kazuki's dramatic ass still stays intact, lol. He still happily gushes at their small yet meaningful accomplishments, he still dramatically wails anytime Miri or Rei do something nice for him, he's still the same overdramatic king that he is.

And then one random morning, Miri and Rei just want to do something nice for him. Not for his birthday, Christmas, anniversary, heck not even when he's dying from a cold or something. They just want to do something for him because they can.

Again, it's nothing much. It's just a simple breakfast in bed they want to prepare. It's eggs and bacon with a flower in a vase because it's cute. When Kazuki wakes up, both his partner and teenage daughter simply greet him a good morning and present to him a little breakfast they made for him. They anticipate the overreaction he usually does, the dramatic crying or exclaims, but it doesn't happen.

Well the crying happens, but it's not boisterous or loud. Instead it's just Kazuki quietly looking at the meal before him with tears just slowly falling on his cheeks, a face filled with shock yet still so subtle. The two of them are confused, worried. Did they do something wrong? Why is he crying so silently?

Even Kazuki himself wonders why he's crying? He should be happy, or better yet he should all over the place by now. He is happy. So immensely happy of this gesture. And yet, his first reaction was to cry.

Maybe it's because of the simplicity of it all. Everything at this moment was just so domestic to him, he never fully stopped to grasp the idea that this is their whole life now: Working in their very own diner with a daughter he grew to love and a partner who he learns to trust over the past 13 years they knew each other. They were a family. He never thought he could have a family. He never thought he would be given another chance to even have one again. He thought his late wife and unborn child would be the last experience of normalcy and love he could ever experience again.

And yet here he was with that chance, and he would be damned fool to let go of that chance, to cherish this new life. He quietly thanks Miri for making his life so much livelier, he thanks Rei for never giving up on them when he himself nearly did, he thanks them both for filling his heart with so much unimaginable amounts of love and care.

And so he looks at the two worried individuals before him, and he gives them a soft smile through his tears. He whispers to them that he loves their surprise. He loves them.

Miri does not hesitate to throw herself into his arms, softly giggling as she does it. Rei's not too far behind as he sits down by his side, leaning his body towards him as he wraps an arm around his shoulders, just like how he usually does it to Rei. Kazuki holds them close in his arms and in his heart.

Rei and Miri share the same look; The reaction was unexpected, but they call it a mission accomplish anyways.

...Anyways I love them-

[ofdreamsanddoodles]

buddy daddies is really great at making miri super annoying & i mean that extremely positively. like kazuki absolutely adores her & even yells at her mom the last episode about how she should have loved miri despite any hardship she encounters & yet even with rei helping him out theyre BOTH exhausted by spending all day with her. it’s very obvious that if they couldn’t get miri to daycare they would have absolutely lost their minds, which imo is an extremely normal part of raising a kid. doesn’t stop her from also being completely adorable though. she’s well rounded

[dr-demi-bee]

Day 1-----------------------Read on A03---------------------------

Pairing: Miri x Gale Prompt: Against the Kitchen Floor Modern AU, Fluffy, Married life, NSFW

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The front door of the Dekarios house swings open with the blustering winter wind as Gale and Miri trudge in from their biweekly date night. They pause to kick the snow from their boots and shake the flakes free from their hair. Their cheeks are flushed pink from both wine and the chill. Despite the weather they both enjoy making their usual trek to the busier downtown to enjoy dinner and dancing.

“-I’m telling you, I could make a substantially better tiramisu,” Gale iterates for the half dozenth time as he hangs up his coat.

Miri puts a foot up against their bench to start unlacing her tall boots, shaking her head with a lopsided grin. He’s been hung up on this all night - dessert was hours ago at this point.

“And I fully acknowledge you are an exceptional chef,” Miri returns, “But you are not a master baker.”

Gale huffs, taking her coat from her to hang in the closet beside his. “I am perfectly good-”

“Liebchen, please,” Miri huffs back, catching his face between her hands before he can tirade further, “You know I absolutely adore the magic you work in our kitchen. But you cannot convince this Schwarzwälderin that you’re a baker extraordinaire.”

Gale pouts, and she can already seen that gleam in his eye. The man can never be wrong or less than the best at anything he touches. And while usually he’s right - this is one of those things that is her forte. And she can already tell he’s going to be a menace in the kitchen for who know how long as he attempts to perfect and outperform the exceptional dessert they just enjoyed at an Italian restaurant.

He’s surprisingly quiet as they finish disrobing their winter gear - hanging up scarves and gloves, earmuffs and hat.

Miri’s half-tempted to believe he might drop it as they make their way down the hall and he curls an arm around her waist. Gale leans down, pulling her close to press sweet kisses to her temple and cheek - his lips pleasantly warm against pink, chapped skin.

But he’s gone as soon as he came, veering to the left and leaving her suddenly bereft just as she means to pull him in for something deeper.

Miri halts, staring after his back. Infuriatingly handsome devil that he is, Gale is sauntering through their living room, unbuttoning the cuffs of his nice button up and rolling his sleeves up to the elbows. Absurd how attractive he can make that look, really.

“And where are you scurrying off to? Sir, the bedroom is that way,” Miri calls, planting her hands on her hips and jerking a thumb towards their little slice of paradise. The place he’s been promising to take her for the last several hours. With nonstop flirting and innuendo and less than chaste dancing. That place.

But he just grins over his shoulder at her as he rounds the sofa and keeps going. “The kitchen, my love.”

Miri sputters a confused scoff. “I’m sorry, was three courses not enough for you?”

Gale scoffs and chuckles, dismissing her concern with a wave. “To bake, Mir, not to eat.”

He saunters into the kitchen, readjusting the tie of his hair blown loose from the winter winds and his hat, and pulls on an apron. The nice one for baking that crosses in the back and has all the pockets. Her apron.

“Baking.” Miri repeats deadpan. Gale only looks up at her with that smarmy, confident smirk of his - not phased a bit when she narrows her eyes across the room at him and props clawed fingers against both hips. It’s not a question when she says, “You want to bake. Right now.”

“That’s right,” he returns, pulling one of her nicer cookbooks down from the narrow shelf beside the double ovens. Almost totally ignoring her as he fingers his way through the index.

The lythari crosses her arms, rumbling a low warning growl. She glares at him from the entryway of the hall to their room. Where they should be going right now.

“Dr. Dekarios, you get the hells out of our kitchen right now.”

“This’ll only take a moment, love, I promise.” He’s already switching to a different cookbook - somehow dissatisfied with the last pâtissier and moving on to the next.

“No, it won’t,” Miri rebuts. Nothing he says will ‘only take a moment’ ever does. “Neither one of us needs an entire tiramisu in this house.”

Gale doesn’t seem perturbed as he starts pulling containers of dry goods from the pantry and setting out mixing bowls and equipment. He even hums the tune of the last song they danced to, a little sway and shimmy in his steps.

Miri grows increasingly impatient as she watches him. She can’t tell if he’s being deliberately cheeky or if he’s really just set on the idea of perfecting a tiramisu on a random Friday night in Nightal.

And then those long fingers start shifting the equipment in her little corner of the kitchen and she’s moving into action. Her tights and tea length skirt swish and flutter as she storms her way into the kitchen.

“Gale Dekarios, it is eleven pm and you are a full wine-bottle deep, you are not going near my stand mixer.”

“Hush, it’s fine-” Another dismissive wave over his shoulder as he rereads a line from the recipe book he’s laid open on the counter. Not even glancing back at her as she approaches this time.

“It is not fine-” Miri growls with simmering irritation. “Gottsverdammt-”

She reaches her arms around his middle and starts walking him backwards. His arms pinwheel out with alarm, making it clear it was probably hyperfixation and not mischief waylaying their evening rendezvous.

“Mir! What in the hells are you doing-” Gale sputters when she spins him about and takes the mixing spoon and measuring cups from his hands.

“Seizing the reins of our date night back from your ego,” Miri answers in a low, calm tone, “I am not waiting for you to make an overly elaborate baked dish on our first night with no morning obligations in ages.”

“That’s precisely why there’s time to try my hand at a new recipe,” Gale argues, making to pick up the instruments she had just sent down.

“No, that’s precisely why you and I have plans already,” she counters, grasping his wrists to stop him.

“Miri. Don’t be silly.”

She gives him a glower, and before he can fight back she’s spinning him about and pulling her apron over his head. Gale sputters and flounders, but she tosses it across the room.

“Gale.”

“My love,” he returns, giving her a petulant frown with a concerned pitch of his brows. Miri growls and his eyebrows raise. Her hands move up to grasp his waist firmly, running her claws over his shirt in a gesture he knows all too well. His cheeks go a little pinker. “Ah.”

“I’ve had enough of your teasing tonight, Liebchen,���She murmurs softly, sliding a leg between his. He grasps her by the shoulder blades and it’s a soft pantomime of their dance - yet decidedly something hotter boils underneath.

Gale’s pulled in to the dark, heavy heat of her gaze as she looks up at him. The warmth in his stomach that had ebbed on the walk home was roaring back to life. Enough to have him dazed by her. By that low, heady sound of her growl - that predatory sound she makes when she wants.

“Oh,” Gale breathes. The fervor of his mind settles - thoughts of recipes and mascarpone fizzling away, replaced with his most pressing need. His purest desire and most heated passion. His wife.

His thoughts are swept from him almost entirely as Miri sweeps her leg beneath his and takes his weight into her arms. In a quick move more gentle than it has any right to be, Miri’s lowering him onto his back on the floor.

Gale lets out a ragged groan when she strips her tights and straddles his waist.

“Impatient, my love?” He murmurs.

“You’ve no right to ask that, Liebchen,” Miri breathes as she leans over him, her hair waterfalling over her shoulders to spill beside them. Those dark pupils could swallow him whole as they roam his features. “Not with the way you’ve been teasing tonight.”

Gale huffs a soft chuckle, his expression softening to grin up at her. “Well. I had the delight of spending the evening with the most gorgeous lythari you’ve ever seen. Can you blame me?”

“Oh, I can and I am,” she purrs back. Clawed fingers are making quick work of the buttons of his shirt, parting the fabric quickly to paw at the skin of his chest. Gale huffs another soft laugh and slides his hands up her thighs and beneath her skirt.

When he reaches the bend of her hips his brows raise, one arching in cheeky question. Miri only raises her eyebrows back with a sultry, knowing smile. Gale lets out a low groan in reply, his fingers squeezing and kneading greedily at her flesh.

Miri in turn undoes his belt with a quick flick of nimble fingers. When she palms him through the fabric Gale’s head tips back with a heavy moan.

“Ah, my love-”

“Hush, Gale,” Miri returns with a smirk. She tips his head back down with one hand and closes the distance between their lips hungrily.

They dance and slide together in a symphony of groans and heavy breaths. Nipping and licking and kissing their way through the passion of the evening, patience and bedroom long forgotten.

Miri pries his trousers free of his hips and just as quickly guides him inside her waiting heat. They moan together in delight, ragged prayers of one another’s names.

Gale grips possessively and desperately at her hips as she rocks and slides on top of him, praising her as he helps guide her rhythm. Her hands hold tight to his shoulder, press against his chest. The soft sounds of her cries as she grinds that sweet spot against him has him gasping. Every sound that falls from her lips a sweet symphony that never fails to set his body ablaze.

Each rolling bounce of her hips sends sparks through him. She cries out breathy moans against his lips, his neck, as she kisses him haphazardly, barely able to hold it between panting breaths. Miri's legs tremble softly as she rocks her hips against his.

Gale’s panting her name, whispering those sweet praises she loves to hear. So good, so sweet, so perfect, gorgeous, lovely, everything, everything, everything-

It’s not a desperate flash of fireworks as they finish together. It’s the intimate rocking, clutching cries of husband and wife holding each other in a sweet embrace more primal and soul-forged than anything else. The gasps of shared breaths, foreheads pressed together and whispered I love yous.

There will be time for desperate passion when they make it to the bed.

[skeletonpunching]

Buddy Daddies Animedia February 2023 magazine article

No target they set their sights on ever gets away! Through a curious series of events, two assassin buddies find themselves taking in a 4-year-old girl. Kazuki is a softhearted caretaker, and Rei's "on" and "off" modes are like night and day. They live together and look after the innocent 4-year-old Miri; it's a rough ride, but it'll all work out somehow... or will it?

The original anime Buddy Daddies, a collaboration between P.A. Works and Nitroplus, has finally begun. In this series, you can enjoy the action scenes of the assassin duo dealing with their work, and the domestic comedy of the new fathers and the bubbly Miri. Kazuki and Rei are brimming with charm, both in their facades and their hidden depths; they're sure to get you right in the heart! This issue, we bring you an interview with Aniplex producer Toba Yosuke, with some hints about how to recover our hearts from this duo.

[Translator’s note: This covers similar ground to the earlier producer interview with Toba, but includes a few fun bonus tidbits. It’s also Valentine's-themed, so it seemed appropriate to post now. I hope you enjoy.]

These two dangerous assassins never let their prey escape - here's how you take them down at all costs!

Kurusu Kazuki (VA: Toyonaga Toshiyuki)

A yang-type man with caretaker instincts

An assassin. Has strong communication skills, and is mostly in charge of gathering intel and setting up the plan for execution. Lives with Rei, and looks after his daily needs.

The irresistible smile of a charmer?!

The lovely thing about Kazuki: He just can't leave a human disaster alone! He's a very family-oriented maternal type

Toba: "Kazuki is very family-oriented; he's the so-called maternal type. The reason why he started living together with Rei is that he saw the complete shambles of Rei's lifestyle, went, 'This won't do!' and started fussing over him. He's a great cook, and good at cleaning and laundry too, and on top of that, he just can't rest unless he gets it all done right. He also tends to be a bit of a busybody. Though all of that goes away when he's on the job…"

Personal Data: Kurusu Kazuki

Age: 28 years old

Occupation: Assassin

Special Skills: Interpersonal communication. Good at cooking and cleaning too!

To get him to care about you, lay bare your most hopeless side!

Kazuki takes excellent care of Rei, who does nothing at home other than play games. If you show off some sloppy or no-good tendencies, perhaps you could rouse some nurturing feelings in the heart of this instinctive caretaker?!

Suwa Rei (VA: Uchiyama Koki)

A taciturn man of contrasts

An assassin. A man of few words and fewer expressions. The elite assassin training he received has endowed him with outstanding physical ability, and he's at the top of the field in combat and marksmanship.

Behaves like two completely different people on the job and off it?!

His keen gaze lands a one-hit KO on the target ⭐

The lovely thing about Rei: The swoon-worthy, stark contrast between his ON (assassin) and OFF (personal) modes?

Toba: "Rei... when Rei is on the job, he's a cool assassin who coldly gets the mission done without a flicker of expression. But outside of work, he's a guy who just doesn't want to do anything, so he does absolutely nothing at home. (laughs) When he's out and about, he dresses in a sharp suit and has his hair swept up, but as soon as he gets home, he sits around in baggy loungewear and unkempt hair, and just spends all his time playing games. I think that on/off contrast makes for quite an adorable gap."

Personal Data: Suwa Rei

Age: 25 years old

Occupation: Assassin

Special Skills: Absolutely top-notch shooting!

Weaknesses: Housework. Just totally hopeless...

A truly broad heart is needed to fully embrace Rei and his total lack of life skills...?

Rei carries out his assassin work flawlessly, and is a dead loss when it comes to regular life. He tends to be overly indifferent to himself and others, so you may need to be very tolerant in gently accepting him and offering your patient support...

Unasaka Miri (VA: Kino Hina)

A little girl living with Kazuki and Rei

An affectionate, innocent young girl, who gets caught up in a gunfight while searching for her father. She is rescued by Kazuki, and so they begin living together.

A question for Producer Toba! Valentine's Q&A

Q: How do you think Kazuki, Rei, and Miri would spend Valentine's Day?

Toba: I think Kazuki would make incredibly delicious chocolate confections. The whole table is covered with everything from cakes to parfaits to chocolate fondue to ganache... He also has 95% cocoa chocolate for himself, but I think he prepares much sweeter chocolate full of milk, for Miri. He should really be the receiving party in the first place, but he ends up making everything to give to Miri. Then Miri gives him a little chocolate she bought from some supermarket or conbini, and Kazuki is so happy he bursts into tears. (laughs)

Interview with the Love Guru: Producer Toba Yosuke

We wanted to depict the changes in a contrasting assassin duo

Interviewer: How exactly was the theme of "Buddy Daddies" decided?

Toba: We were discussing potential themes for an original anime with P.A. Works, and the producer Tsuji-san suggested, "Maybe something about parenting a 4 or 5-year-old?" Tsuji-san himself was right in the middle of working hard to raise a child, and so he wanted to reflect those ideas in an anime. And then it occurred to us that we could get a lot of comedy out of a story where someone who absolutely isn't cut out for parenting has to struggle to raise a child. In that case, who should we saddle with parenting? We thought it over, and the direct opposite of "raising children" is "killing people". So how about an assassin? And then it clicked into place. The only issue was that a child who is 4 or 5 years old is still at an age where they "can't act freely on their own" - so how would they be taken in by the assassin? We were stumped for a while because of that. That's when I discussed it with Shimokura-san (Shimokura Vio) from Nitroplus, and he suggested, "What about making it an assassin duo? Say the two of them pick up the child during a fight - I think a setup like that has potential." Upon hearing him say this, I thought, "That's it!" A family with no blood ties, and two men raising a child - a story like this would truly embody our modern times and their diversifying values. It felt like a perfect fit to me. I thought, "This could really go somewhere!" And so we went ahead with production.

Interviewer: Was there anything you paid particular attention to when depicting them?

Toba: I think we stuck quite closely to the fundamental premise of "two polar opposites are paired up as assassins, but once they take in a child, their lives begin to change". Kazuki is an assassin but has plenty of warm human emotion, and Rei knows nothing other than killing people in cold blood. How will these two men change because of a child? We wanted to depict that very carefully.

Interviewer: Was any part of the production process especially memorable?

Toba: The cast was decided by audition, but honestly, Toyonaga-san and Uchiyama-san are so perfect that I have to wonder if Kazuki and Rei were already written with them in mind. (laughs) Toyonaga-san gives off this sense of "warmth, but when he wants to play his cards close to his chest, he keeps them very close - but he also has a free and uninhibited side to him", and that's a breathtakingly perfect fit for Kazuki. As for Rei, we were already saying "Rei is very Uchiyama-san, huh (laughs)" from pretty early on in the production process. The recording sessions blew me away - you could really feel how well their characters mapped on to Kazuki and Rei.

Interviewer: Please give a message to our readers about what they can expect from here on.

Toba: Before Miri shows up, Kazuki and Rei are essentially living without any thoughts of the future. Given their line of work, they have no idea when they might die; they live like they could die at any moment, and they're fine with that. But once they have Miri - a child they need to protect and raise - their life rapidly changes. Is that good news or bad news for them? And what will their changes mean for the people around them? I hope you'll observe these "changes" for yourself.

[bbfeelings]

I couldn’t stop thinking about small waist pretty face so I wrote a silly little thing inspired by @hubbydaddies’ post. Happy BD Friday!

Edit: a completed version of this fic, Small Waist, Pretty Face can be found here!

After another easy, victorious, and unsurprisingly boring round, Rei checked his phone. 1:28 am. He took a drink of beer and joined another game. The phone on his lap suddenly started vibrating and startled him. Rei killed the game and held up the phone. It could only be one person. There was one person in this world who’d call him.

Kazuki wants to FaceTime.

Rei took off the headphone and carefully pressed the answer button.

What he did not expect was to see Carol’s face.

“Rei-chan—! Took you long enough to pick up!” She whined.

“Um…uh, sorry?”

“He picked up!” Carol announced cheerily, shoving the phone in front of Kazuki.

“Hey, Rei, hehe,” his drunk face was stupidly stupid. “My bad…I had one too many!” His foolish grin under the neon lights was stupidly stupid. Rei rolled his eyes.

”I’m coming home now!”

“Just don’t wake Miri up when you do.”

“Okie-dok, Rei-chan—” The video went blurry then dark; he must’ve dropped his phone. Idiot. Rei sighed. His partner had a tendency to be extra loud and obnoxious when intoxicated. Not that he’d ever awoken Miri with his drunken shenanigans. But still.

An unfamiliar face appeared on the screen. Rei only knew of Carol and Dorothy. “It’s fine! It didn’t break!” She said, and a cheering crowd of girls could be heard from the background. “So this is Rei-chan? He’s so cute!” She exclaimed, “Kazu-san, you never told me he’s this cute!”

Girls swarmed in front of the camera, squealing and giggling, “What a cutie!” “This is the pretty face you go home to? Kazu-san, you sly dog—” “Rei-chan, Rei-chan! Tell us what Kazu-san is like at home!” Rei felt his face go hot. What the hell? “Aww, he’s blushing! We’re embarrassing him! How adorable!” “Don’t worry, we don’t touch Kazu-san! He’s all yours!” The girls laughed.

What the hell?

—

2:07 am

“Rei—the door won’t open,” Kazuki whined over the phone. He’d finally made it back to the apartment building, but he was long gone. Rei sighed as the elevator arrived at the building lobby, “Coming.”

Upon seeing Rei, Kazuki happily draped himself over Rei’s slimmer frame, crying about forgetting how keys work. He smelled of booze and some tacky cheap perfume that made Rei’s nose itch. He cursed under his breath. Seriously. 28 years of age, acting like a hot fucking mess. Kazuki started humming off-key and mumbling some lyrics to himself as they exited the elevator on their floor.

Five minutes later, Rei was standing in the bathroom door, watching Kazuki puking his guts out. Between the dry heaving and whimpering, Rei’d hand him a tissue. He didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy toward his miserable partner. Why does he like drinking himself into oblivion? Getting a bit tipsy, sure, but Rei absolutely hated the feeling of being wasted.

Kazuki crawled into the shower. Rei passed him his toothbrush and toothpaste and left the bathroom. He then returned with a fresh towel, hung it on the door before closing it.

—

2:46 am

Rei made some cup noodles. Kazuki came out and stumbled across the living room with the towel around his waist. The steam coming from the bathroom told Rei that Kazuki took a boiling hot shower, if his red as a cooked lobster body didn’t give it away. He watched Kazuki dropping himself onto the couch and curling up. Rei scowled.

“Oi,” he said as he chewed, “sleep in your own room.” Kazuki retaliated with inaction and started humming and mumbling again. Rei couldn’t risk letting him fall asleep on the couch like that. The bathroom was damp and nasty, and no way he was going to sleep there tonight.

“Get up,” he towered over Kazuki, who was making noises like a complaining 4 year old would. “You’re gonna get a cold.”

—

3:11 am

Kazuki finally got up and made it into his room, but not without Rei basically dragging his ass. “Clothes,” he said. Kazuki obediently reached into the dresser. Rei’s job here was done; he wanted to finish his cup noodles, which was probably soggy and cold by now.

Kazuki turned around and muttered something sing-song-y in Rei's direction as he was about to close the bedroom door.

“…small waist…”

“What?”

“You.” Kazuki pointed.

“What about me?”

Half clothed, Kazuki waltzed over and took Rei for a dance as he hummed; Rei was too tired for this shit. They stumbled around the room. Kazuki’s eyes were half closed and hazy, “…big boobies…small waist…”

Rei snickered. What the hell?

“Wait, no,” Kazuki frowned as if he was thinking hard, if he could even think at all with that soupy brain.

“Small waist…pretty face.” Kazuki resumed his drunken shenanigans. Quickly losing his patience, Rei maneuvered out of Kazuki’s grasp. “You’re gonna wake Miri.”

He pointed again, “That’s you.” Kazuki fixed his gaze on Rei, “Small waist, pretty face.”

Rei felt this utter embarrassment in the form of increasing heart rate and a full body goosebumps followed by a shudder.

While Rei was momentarily immobilized by the sheer humiliation, Kazuki seized the opportunity, launched himself at Rei, gently grabbed hold of him again. He planted a quick but clumsy kiss right on Rei’s lips, inevitably knocking his own teeth on his.

They fell into bed and Kazuki took no time to cling onto Rei, snuggled in while letting out a satisfied sigh.

Rei went blank.

What the hell?

[lillabelle]

I'm really wondering if Miri's mother was lying about despising her.

Miri was dressed incredibly cutely, her hair was neatly done with a clip to hold it back, she had that absolutely adorable bunny backpack. She seems VERY well cared for.

And maybe she does hold some resentment towards Miri, maybe she was at her limit as a mother. But I get the feeling that maybe she wanted to portray herself as horrible to make sure Miri didn't come to her, in hopes she'd get a better life. Four years is a LONG time to care for a child she could've abandoned at any point.

[xxwhiskeyxx]

WHISKEYYYY

I came up with a story idea that made me tear up

Angst/fluff with Aether and Ghoul!reader(afab or gn, idc) if you're OK with that

Basically reader and aether were married in a past life, they died tragically by one another's sides before being born again as ghouls in the pit

Now they have a rivalry going on until aether recognizes readers singing

Angst

Fluff

AUQGWGQGWGWG

(This totally wasn't based off that one scene from how to train your dragon two with stoic and valka)

BUT LIKE-

Hello, my dear Tree, I apologize for this taking so long. Life has been a bitch and I just finally found the time and motivation to complete your request!

I loved this concept. I'm not sure if I got all the angst you wanted but I didn't want this to be 3 days long like a lot of my fics tend to be. Now I did include the song you were talking about because I absolutely adore it!

Basically, Aether and YN were Vikings in the 1500s, married with some rugrats. How they died is up to you, but I personally think they died trying to save the other

Listen to this when you get to the singing part!

-Love Whiskey <3

‘This is the last fucking straw, that little imp of a Multi has gotten on my last nerve and they’re gonna learn not to mess with my guitar!’ Aether thought as he stormed through the abbey in search of his victim. 

Mirage, the newest summon to the band, brought forth from the Pit to be a backstage roadie and as a possible stand-in for one of the band ghouls if the need comes to light. But while everyone else in the band had fallen in love with the spritely little ghoul, even the ever-grumpy Dewdrop had succumbed to their charms and become their best friend. It seemed to be their life’s mission to make Aether’s life a living hell. Constantly hiding his picks, Bluetooth amp cord, helmet, left shoes, stealing food he had placed in the fridge to eat later, and had even marked with his name, his spot at the table that he had always sat at since even during Terzo’s time, and other irritable actions that left the large ghoul reeling and annoyed. 

Today though, Mirage had gone a step too far. On a dare from Swiss, they had messed with the tuning on Aether’s guitar, turning them every which direction but had ended up accidentally leaving his E string so tight that the moment he tried to fix it, it snapped and then the Quint ghoul had to spend 15 minutes finding new strings and restringing his guitar then finish tuning his guitar while the others played without him. Mirage, sensing they fucked up when they heard the deep snarl of annoyance from the stage, had slinked out of the practise room as soon as possible and is currently hiding with a plan to wait out Aether’s rage before apologizing. 

Stomping into the common room, he spots Swiss lounging nonchalantly on the couch with a purring Rain in his lap, watching some random tv show about fish. “Where are they?” Aether huffs, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Swiss doesn’t even look at him, “Who?” he asks boredly, scratching between Rain’s horns. Aether gives a low growl, “You know damn well who I am looking for?” Swiss groans, pausing the tv show to Rain’s discretion, “If you mean Miri because they messed with your guitar and made it pop, then no. I’m telling you because you’re just gonna go yell at them over a mistake. If you’re gonna yell at someone, yell at me because I’m the one who dared them to do it. They only twisted it twice. We didn’t realize you had it that tight to begin with” he defends the younger ghoul, tired of seeing Aether and them bicker.

Ever since they had been summoned, the little Multi was a flirty trickster just like Swiss and had seemed to have developed a little crush on Aether. That’s why they pranked and teased him so much. But for whatever reason, Aether always was ticked off by the little ghoul for whatever reason and it usually ended with Mirage getting reprimanded or yelled at by the older ghoul. 

Aether rolls his eyes, “You know damn well that little imp is always messing with me, this was a step too far. Sitting in my seat and stealing my shoes is one thing, this interfered with practice! You know how Copia gets when we have to sit out for any amount of time, he got upset with me until I told him what had happened, he’s the one who told me to find Mirage. Now, tell me where the fuck they are before I hide your vape and pods” Swiss’ eyes widen, Aether was serious about that, the last time this happened he lost them for 2 months and had bought a new one when Aether had dropped his old one on the table in front of him; all because he had teased him in front of the audience at a Ritual.

Swiss huffs, “Fine, they're in that little practice room that Mountain uses to practice. Just leave my shit alone” Aether nods, beginning to storm down the hallway when Rain calls after him, “Hey Aeth,” the large ghoul turns and raises a brow, “Please don’t yell at them, they really didn’t mean too…They hate when you yell at them, it makes them cry'' the Water ghoul’s request makes his widen. Aether never realized that whenever he would scold them that it would make them cry, they always seemed so uncaring and nonchalant. The rhythm guitarist sighs, “I won’t yell…but I am still gonna give them a punishment” he says and with that, he is heading down the hallway towards where the little practice room Mountain will sometimes spend his nights in if he can’t sleep.

As he gets near the room, he realizes that they didn’t fully close the door because he can hear something musical, but when he gets closer he begins to make out words

“...ride the waves of life

If you will marry me

No scorching sun

Nor freezing cold

Will stop me on my journey

If you will promise me your heart

And love me for eternity…”

It feels like his heart stops beating in his chest. Aether had not heard that song since he was human. His spouse during that stage of his existence would sing that to him all the time, to their children, they would perform it together at social gatherings where he’d play a guitar and they’d sing it as a duet. They had made it up specifically for him after they had met during a siege of their village and different aspects of how their relationship until proposing to him with it

Creeping closer, he feels tears welling in his eyes as he sees the little Multi singing and dancing with their eyes closed,

“My dearest one, my darling dear,

Your mighty words astound me

But I've no need of mighty deeds

When I feel your arms around me!”

They begin to spin slowly in a circle and as his part comes up, they deepen their voice comically and it almost sounds like…oh, they're mimicking his voice?

“But I would bring you rings of gold

I'd even sing you poetry (Oh would you)

And I would keep you from all harm!

If you would stay beside me!”

Turning and acting as if lecturing someone, the smile on their face grows, 

“I have no use for rings of gold,

I care not for your poetry,

I only want your hand to hold

I only want you near me!

To love, to kiss!

To sweetly hold!”

They begin to spin faster as they speed up the words, 

“For the dancing and the dreaming!

Through all life's sorrows and delights!

I'd keep your love beside me!

I'll swim and sail on savage seas

With ne'er a fear of drowning,

And gladly ride the waves of life

If you will marry me!”

They hold out the last note until he can’t stand it anymore and opens the door. Jumping, they stare at him for a moment before they immediately launch into apologies as he slowly walks towards them, “Oh, Aether, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to make your string pop, I didn’t realize it was that tight. I am so sorry, I swear, I’ll buy you enough bananas to last three human lifetimes. Just do-” they’re cut off when he yanks them into a hug. 

“You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you..” he whispers, shoulders shuddering as he releases the tears he had been holding. “Wha..what do you mean Aeth? You didn’t know me in the pi-” Aether cups their face and places his thumb over their lips, just as he used to in their human life, but then he’d finish it with a kiss over his thumb. “I know it’s you, (Y/N)...you were singing our song” he whispers

Mirage stares at him, or well as he knows them, (Y/N), “I…you remember me?” they ask, voice shaking as if they’re also on the verge of tears. He nods, “I..I would think of you late at night and when I was in the Pit. I convinced myself that such a wonderful creature like you would never end up there like me but…here you are. I just, didn’t recognize you…I’m sorry” he whispers

Indeed, their formerly (H/C) locks turned (Whatever color you want) and their (E/C) had become rose gold with a hint of a metallic sheen of the former color surrounding the iris. “Yeah…after we…died, I thought that’s where I belonged because of what happened. So that’s where I ended up” They shrug. Taking a deep breath, “I am so sorry for being so hard on you…you would just..it reminded me of you and it pissed me off because I missed you so badly and it felt as if the dark lord was toying with me. Can you ever forgive me” he whispers, cupping their cheeks and leaning their foreheads together

Smiling, (Y/N) cups his own and presses their lips to their husband’s. it was a kiss filled with all of the longing, love, affection, and need that had accumulated over the years. Clinging to one another as if they would be ripped away if they let up for even a moment, Aether lifts them and wraps their legs tightly around his waist so they can be closer together

After a few minutes, (Y/N) pulls away, the Quint ghoul whining and trying to follow but is shushed by the same move he had done on them earlier, this time including the kiss and that shit-eating grin he loves so much, “Does that answer your question?” 

[rxttenfish]

hi !!! sending this on anon because i am rather nervous all things considered <:3 (i am lying to you, i have not considered 'all things'.) one monster prom fan to another (can we be compared using such broad terminology ? i feel as if i am domesticated compared to you... [compliment, or at the very least not inherently negative]) , i wanted to thank you SO SO SO VERY MUCH for giving miranda so much love and thought and mulling her over in your mind in such a ... refreshing way

i also really really really like miri , but i can only aspire to have your level of dedication . it feels almost like we are of totally different worlds... !!!!!

thank you for bringing in real world biology too :3 i absolutely adore your design for her so much (this is most likely not proper grammar, but it is very late and i am very cold and so i will hope with all my heart you will excuse this mistake. one of many, i should assume) - though !!!! i do have a question if that is alright ?????

i cant say that a marine macropredator of a significantly vibrant pink really strikes me as advantageous colouring - does the abyssal environment that you say the merfolk live in negate the need for camouflage and such ????? i apologise for sounding passive aggressive !!!! i am merely asking a question. cocking my head to the side if you will

additionally, i would like to ask something foolish. how do they acquire food? i dont want to say 'hunt', because that might seem insulting. historically were they built for stalking, or high speed chases, or...???? please, talk 'nerdy to me' as they say !!! <- in an entirely normal way befitting two strangers of course.

you know, i would have expected to hit the ask word limit by now. but it seems i have not. yippee !!!!

with my extra space, i shall add this: I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THE WAY YOIU WRITE MIRI . GOOD LOOOOOORD IT IS AMAZING HAVIJNG SOMEOENE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEYRE DOING IWIITH HER thank yoiu for making her at least moderately intelligent. i feel blessed <- is this all too harsh sounding???? im a little new to all this letter/ask-writing thing <:3

IN ANY CASE !!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOIU SO VERY MUCH. AGAIN. drops this and scuttles away

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/761693443676045363/1183251697129226270/ordered3.png

also i believe you can indeed tell, but i drew that in ms paint with my finger .. sorry that it looks like poop <:3

(moving the image out of the link just in case it breaks-)

AAAAAA THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! this looks so WONDERFUL i love the way that you've shaped her head and how you've captured how Chunky it is... i know its one of the things people have the hardest time drawing with her so its just all the more impressive how well youve managed to capture her!!!

i also love the little doodles eeeee..... please feel free to toss all ocs at miri, its enrichment for her <3 ironically gentle chewing/biting is a Play and Bonding thing for merfolk so she shall happily Bites Bites Bites back-

(also i LOVE her smile!!! you arent anthropomorphizing in the slightest for that - miri often does have very human expressions in a way that's odd for a merfolk, because she effectively got imprinted during her time spent inland... and its politically useful if you smile and match expressions with the people you're trying to work with anyways)

ill also go ahead and answer your questions because i can! very easily clarify on them!

the color: actually, being bright red and pink is actually very common for deep sea animals, due to the way light works at depth! its why i decided miranda was abyssal, because that felt like the most natural way to explain why she's pink, since it's such an uncommon color in nature.

basically, different colors of light have different lengths! red is the shortest wavelength of light, and blue is the longest. water might be clear, but there's a lot of water in the ocean, and the more water you add, the more it filters out light - which is why the bottom of a pool might be dark and shady, but if you hold a little of the water in your hands there's no shade. the ocean is a lot deeper than a pool, and so it gets darker as you go down, but because it's also clear, it doesn't filter out all that light at the same rate.

red, being the shortest wavelength of light, gets filtered out first, so red often gets quickly darker the deeper down you go, until it's completely black! camouflage is dependent on the environment, so their color and brightness has to match the background, but it also depends on the light that's hitting the animal. it's why fawns have dappled spots, or animals might have black stripes, so they can mimic the light of their environment. and when your environment has no red light, well... red's a pretty good color to be!

because of this, a lot of animals in the deep sea can't actually see red either, which is doubly the reason why you might want to be red! think of it like tigers, and how ungulates often can't see their orange, making them look just about the same color as the foliage around them when they're hunting! miranda might stick out on land, but that's just because we aren't seeing her in the environment she's made for, where she blends in with everything else around her as much as a pure black animal.

(it's also why her bioluminescence is blue - blue is the longest wavelength of light, and the one most animals can see at that depth. if she lights up, then she wants to be seen, and she can even alter her silhouette to appear larger or smaller or breaking it up into multiple shapes if she needs to. it's why her tapetum lucidum is blue when light's shone on it, because there is blue light to be seen at depth, it's just very dim!)

(this is also why giant squid are bright red, and why the stoplight loosejaw fish is so special! the latter actually produces its own red light, and can see red light, which means that it has a secret light that won't reveal where it is but will reveal to it where its prey is!)

food: this is something that depends a lot, because there are actually multiple different species of merfolk, which is mostly my fault because i don't always feel like i communicate this the best. they're all slightly different in how they evolved to capture prey, with abyssals in particular being fuckoff huge ambush predators that attack from below, and others being shallower-water hunters or more adapted for smaller, faster prey - but they all evolved from an ancestor with a fairly consistent prey-capture method.

in short, all merfolk are ancestrally evolved to hunt whales and other large prey items, with all the extant species still holding at least a degree of this. primarily, they were ambush predators who were good at getting in close to their prey before a sudden burst of speed. they would work together in close-knit groups (one of the big pressures for their increasing socialization and larger brains, to coordinate such groups) to all mob a single prey item at once, hitting with force to cause sudden trauma, and then using their claws, double-thumbs, back feet, and mouths to hold onto their prey and refuse to be dislodged. they'd repeatedly claw and use their strong bites and massive heads to rip deeply into their prey, causing further massive trauma and shock, and if that failed, bleeding their prey to death.

think of it like the raptor prey restraint model, just further taking advantage of the fact that they were underwater, where no one else has hands that could potentially rip them off. being smaller and somewhat less-optimized for marine life compared to things like sharks and whales and large fish worked for them, because they had a novel adaptation that allowed them to take advantage of things no one else could, and the numbers to make up for it. this is, likewise, why they never lost their hands and fully developed flippers, instead making their limbs as flipper-like as possible to make up for it.

then as time went on and certain populations became separated from each other, they adapted for slightly different niches, but all remain fairly closely related to each other as a genus.

in the modern day, most merfolk don't really "hunt" for all of their meals, at least not in the same way that we might think. don't get me wrong, they still absolutely hunt and it's a larger part of their lives than it is for most humans, but they have options.

mostly, the merfolk theory for their relationship with nature is to invite it in. this is not to say they aren't controlling and pruning it, but they do live underwater, and it's far harder to keep animals out than it is on land, so merfolk accepted it and worked with it. they'll work to promote growth around their buildings and where they live, fostering the growth of sea grass and algae and coral and other sessile animals, encouraging them to set down and grow in these areas, and they'll then let more wild animals move in, further encouraged by these natural sources of food and shelter, on top of merfolk working even further to encourage them in. they serve as a functional cleanup crew for the merfolk in these settlements, being allowed to eat anything that merfolk might drop or go to waste, and even moreso might be purposefully fed at times, or have specific homes for them built. merfolk will keep encouraging them and taking care of them until they become a biorich hotspot, creating unique oasises for wildlife to live alongside merfolk.

however, this isn't just a free-for-all, persay. merfolk will also purposefully prune these populations and control how they form, often removing "problem" animals and encouraging certain behaviors which makes it easier for these populations to live alongside merfolk, not viewing them as a threat, but also not viewing them as an opportunity either. they will directly shape how these areas grow and cultivate them on a physical level, often using them as an easy shortcut to literally grow their settlements and buildings. but they will also harvest from these populations and selectively breed them, until their cities and towns act as massive public gardens full of food to be caught, picked, and eaten at any time

as there are also a lot of (very politically powerful) nomadic groups, they also do this, albeit not always so directly. they'll have specific shoals or "runs" of fish that they will follow behind and take care of, managing as they move through the ocean in accordance with the seasons. this is where the whales still factor in, because the nomadic groups will also take care of the whales, purposefully keeping an eye on their pods and taking care of them and, when the time comes, being choosy and particular in which whale they select at any given time to be hunted, harvested, and eaten.

(there's also the way in which food is distributed and managed throughout the merkingdom, since some food is indeed shipped and moved throughout the different areas, but that's a different story for another time and i've talked enough)

BUT!!!! thank you so much and thank you for enjoying all of this that ive been making with miri, and thank you for giving me an excuse to talk more about her <3

[dk-wren]

The ABCs of Buddy Daddies

A = Anna Hanyu, aka Miss Anna, Miri’s teacher for the Giraffe Class at Aozora Daycare

B = Buddy Daddies, yeah sorry for not being more original

C = Child, as in “Shame on you, I know you're irresponsible. But I never dreamed you’d put our work before our child”

D = Diabolical, how Miss Anna plays piano

E = Everything crepe, what Miri got to share with her Papas because “everything tastes better when you share”

F = French Toast, Rei and Kazuki’s signature dish 

G = Gene, as in “Those are our genes at work”

H = Hamburg steak, Miri’s favorite meal her mother made

I = Izumi Karin, Kazuki’s sister-in-law who teaches him he can be happy and change without forgetting Yuzuko

J = Juice, what Miri asks for, but Kazuki and Rei only have soda water

K = Kurusu Kazuki, a.k.a Papa Kazuki, the brains but also the comedian

L = Lily_20210401, bless them for all their adorable art of the Kurusu Suwa Unasaka family

M = Mom Group Chat, the tea that was spilt there stays there

N = No Sweet Without Sweat, a.k.a the Sports Day episode where Miri basically confirms to Rei and Kazuki they are absolutely a family

O = Ogino Ryo, this man got what he deserved

P = Party, a surprise party for Rei’s 26th birthday, planned by Miri and Kazuki

Q = Quit, what Rei and Kazuki do with the organization to try and give Miri a normal, happy life

R = Rice balls, what Rei made for Miri’s Sports Day lunch

S = Suwa Rei, former heir of the Suwa organization now full time Papa to Miri

T = Taiga, Kazuki, chill! He is literally a 4 year old child.

U = Unasaka Miri, the sunshine that brightens Rei and Kazuki’s lives

V = video games, such as Morio Kart, Rei’s favorite past time

W = Weenie, what Miri mistakenly calls Kazuki instead of “meanie”

X = Kazuki x Rei, I couldn’t think of anything better but also they are together for the long haul, whether you interpret that as romantically or platonically

Y = Yadorigi, Kugi Kyutaro’s base and Miri, Kazuki, and Rei’s favorite spot to grab a drink

Z = Zoo, where Kazuki and Rei traveled to deliver Miri her lunch

Hi, hello! I don't know where my mind was last night, but woke up to this in my drafts and thought it was too funny not to post (sorry, maybe it's just funny to me). Will gladly take other suggestions or alternative ideas for any of the letters! Probably will clean it up and add visuals for each letter, along with any suggestions (with credit!), at a later date and repost closer to the 1-year anniversary. Also, so sorry if this has already been done! When I'm tired or write something when the late night delirium hits, which is what happened with this, I tend to not remember everything I've seen. It is not my intention to copy or steal. -Dakota Wren

[himebushou]

There's a really cute detail from Episode 6 that I adore!

We can see that there's a cup of milk on the table; it's there even before Rei sits down:

Miri's cup is also already on the table, ready to go!

Once again, these simple things highlight how attentive and caring Kazuki is... though it's worth remembering that he was trying to get back into Miri's good books at this point in the episode.

(Also, Rei apparently starting the day with a glass of milk is absolutely adorable. Kazuki obviously thinks that Rei needs some more calcium! 🥛)

[frogprincessmack]

What ending I think each PC got in Monster Roadtrip

Now, this'll be a bit tricky, since there are 8 PC's if you have the DLC and only 7 endings. So I'll award someone with a losing ending! Vicky- STAMINA. It's only fitting for the gal with 10 extracurriculars to have enough of it to last through Veronatone. It's also implied that she's the lead singer of Player Character, so replacing the dead vocalist as the MVP just makes sense. Brian- HYPE. Now, this might seem a little shocking knowing how chilled and laid back he is, but that just makes the Road Events more understandable. Settling someone's unnecessary argument? Done. Helping your friend find out what his Grandpa's letter said? Done. Helping some more friends score a job by looking worse in comparison? DONE. While I'm not too focused on the romance aspect of each ending, you also can't ignore the fact that Brian and Damien were one popular pairing back in the day. Amira- SOUL. You're going to tell me that she would say no to a Competitive Tarot Match? Lets also just be real, she's SLAYING that red dress in the MVP ending. Oz- END OF THE ROAD. I'm sorry Oz stans this one'll hurt. Oz is the canonical Prank Masterz Intern, meaning he's likely seen Scott and Polly destroy the world in at least one timeline. The Prank Masterz do seem to hold a genuine affection for him, Polly even uses a nickname for him while he's a hitchhiker... Zoe- MONEY. Once again this may seem strange, but I bring you back to the Road Events. Zoe would absolutely eavesdrop into a political meeting- especially to hear that juicy Miri/Damien arranged marriage gossip! She also just looks adorable in her portrait. Hazel- LOSER. Listen, I love the light acadamia vibes, but I don't think our little moth friend is cut out for Roadtripping. Too overwhelming! There's also a TON of streetlights across the road...death from MIND lacking. Juan- MAGIC. He's already shown his magical prowess in the past 2 games of the series, my boy needs a chance to shine and this pocket dimension is the perfect place to do so. Glitch- MIND. This one is self explanatory...it's hard to argue a literal Glitch wouldn't be a Cryptid, especially since the Cryptid Prom class are made up of a ton of 2010's creepypastas.

[theunfairmaiden]

Family: Moments from Episode 10 that permanently altered my brain chemistry where they're just doing cute family shit

I promise I'll get to a more in depth look at this episode eventually, right now I just need to revel in the stuff that warms my heart before I address the absolute HEARTBREAK of that episode.

The fact that Rei joined in on the excitement for their last day together melted my heart. Not to mention that he insisted they have fun when Kazuki was down and he was trying to cheer him up. Rei really stepping out of his shell for their last day with Miri just unf

Papa Kazuki doing papa things with Miri. Look at how happy Miri is to be having fun with her papa.

Family climbing. Miri loves her papas so much. I love that they really embrace their family and do activities together.

WHEN KAZUKI SAID "OUR GIRL" I ABSOLUTELY LOST IT THIS IS SO PRECIOUS

Rei being goofy and dancing with Miri. Just doin their thing, playing video games together. He adores his daughter sm

They watch her so intently I can't. I love how much they adore her.

Papa Rei is so good! And clearly Miri has been picking up some pointers because she came in 2nd place and Kazuki is over there upset in 12th place lol

A happy family watching the beautiful view on the ferris wheel. I just know Rei and Kazuki were wishing that their time on that ferris wheel would never end. For them, this Ferris wheel was scary.

"I'll see you tomorrow Papa!" NO YOU WON'T MIRI. NO YOU WON'T.

"Guess we weren't able to change." NO STOP, YOU BOTH CHANGED SO MUCH WHAT DO YOU MEAN

The fact that we got to finally see Rei and Kazuki fully step into their roles as Miri's papas in episodes 7 and 8 after facing their demons and ultimately deciding to return home to their family; and then see them fully embrace their family in episode 9 only for it to be TORN APART in episode 10 is SO UPSETTING.

I have to hold out hope that this will turn around and they'll be able to get Miri back again. I honestly don't trust Misaki, sorry not sorry lol I just can’t believe that we’ve had this fun, bright, cheery show for 2 months just for it to end on a low note. It’s an action comedy – it’s not supposed to hurt this bad pls

[skeletonpunching]

Buddy Daddies interview with Ayase

Interview with Ayase (musical artist for the opening theme, SHOCK!)

Interviewer: What impression did you have of the series "Buddy Daddies", which features "SHOCK!" as its opening?

Ayase: When I first received the basic rundown of the series, I thought, "This girl's (Unasaka Miri's) level of cuteness is going to be really essential when it gets animated." And then I actually saw the footage, and Miri was absolutely adorable.

Interviewer: Did the anime production staff have any specific instructions for the composition of the song?

Ayase: They didn't really request anything specific. Just that since it's meant to be an anime opening song, they'd like something more fast-paced, rather than mellow... That was the vibe they were going for, and it was what I had in mind as well.

Interviewer: How did the worldview and atmosphere of the series inspire your ideas for the song?

Ayase: I knew that the plot of the series was the protagonists parenting, and so I wanted to use that as one of the themes of the song - the part where they confront the question of "love", and find themselves steadily changing. But in fact, this song isn't entirely about the series itself; it's connected to the series, but it addresses the themes of what I've personally experienced in life, and my feelings about the responsibility of loving others. 

Interviewer: And is that also what inspired the title "SHOCK!"...?

Ayase: When you're emotionally devastated, or when you've turned away from precious feelings like romantic love, you suddenly meet someone who has a huge influence on your mindset and your way of life. The title is connected to the anime storyline, but it also expresses that sort of tremendous effect. "SHOCK!" is meant to literally convey that impact.

Interviewer: Is there anything you were especially concerned with when creating the song?

Ayase: I'm usually part of a group called YOASOBI, where I have the role of composer - I focus exclusively on songwriting. But YOASOBI's central concept is "making novels into music", which means I'm always drawing inspiration from other people's stories and sentiments for my own writing. So I inevitably come up with a lot of songs that have strong narratives and thematic messages.

This time, I was inspired by "Buddy Daddies" as well, but since I was performing it as a solo vocalist, I wanted the phrasing of the lyrics to also reflect my own personal tastes to some extent. I was trying to make something that would be easy listening, and could be enjoyed with no constraints. But when I say "easy", I don't mean I didn't put any effort into it. What I mean is that I wanted people to enjoy it simply, and so I kept things simple and loose as well. It doesn't carry any sort of deep message - rather, it's about the fleeting doubts that surface as I go through life, the feelings I have for people who are kind to me, and the casual thoughts I have on a daily basis. I took all those things and focused on putting them into words. I couldn't have done this if I wasn't releasing it as a solo artist.

Interviewer: I guess it's different when you're performing the vocals yourself.

Ayase: I just thought, "Man, singing sure is fun." (laughs) I'm also a Vocaloid producer, so when I compose songs for other artists, I often send them a Vocaloid demo with Hatsune Miku first. But since I was performing this song myself, I recorded the demos with my own voice right from the start. I explored my comfort zone as I sang, and I had a lot of fun striving for the best results. 

Interviewer: Please tell us how you felt when you saw the opening sequence accompanied by "SHOCK!"

Ayase: I usually picture scenes in my head while composing, and since I'd gotten to see the "Buddy Daddies" character designs, I had thoughts of "it would be cool if they put in a shot like this at this point", or "that might be interesting". And I think it turned out incredibly close to what I had in mind. Of course, I didn't say anything like "I'd love an opening like this", so it's not like they were trying to reflect my preferences, but I could tell that they crafted the footage while taking into account the song's intent and atmosphere. So it made me very happy to watch it.

Interviewer: Is there anything you keep in mind when working on tie-in songs - not just the one for "Buddy Daddies"?

Ayase: Different musicians and artists all approach songwriting with different mindsets, and there will be more tie-in songs in future - for anime, commercials, and so on - but when I'm lucky enough to be chosen, I always want them to come away thinking, "I'm glad I worked with Ayase." That's my top priority, and I think that's how it should be.

I said just now that I produced this song simply and loosely, according to my own tastes, but I still thought carefully about the series. I want people to feel that I have a strong sense of professionalism and am producing work that no one else could do. Not just for anime, but for other tie-in songs as well - I don't just want to make cool songs. I understand that I've been called on for a certain purpose, so I want to create the best work I possibly can. That's why I give it my all, every single day.

Interviewer: How has the public reaction to "SHOCK!" been?

Ayase: When I release songs as part of my regular YOASOBI activity, or when a tie-in series gets broadcast, I'm usually very curious about the public reception. So I check online almost right away. But this time, since I was singing the song myself, I couldn't quite bear to see the reaction. Plus when the anime first started airing, I was really too busy to be on social media much. Honestly, I'm kind of scared to vanity-search myself this time. I've just been getting LINE messages from my family and close friends, saying things like "it's good", and of course that's a huge relief. As a vocalist, I still haven't built up a resistance to public reactions, so if anyone says anything mean I'll probably cry. (laughs)

Interviewer: Please tell us what you think are the selling points of this series "Buddy Daddies".

Ayase: It's got lots of comedic elements and lighthearted scenes, but the serious parts are also legitimately serious. And that also makes the comical bits stand out all the more - it's like a fun black comedy. It kind of has the vibe of a foreign series, and that's an interesting aspect I haven't really seen before.

Interviewer: Finally, please give a message to everyone who is enjoying this series.

Ayase: To all the viewers watching "Buddy Daddies" every week, I hope you enjoy both the opening sequence and the song "SHOCK!" Thank you so much for everything!