#They way she acts in manga is definitely not like how the animal acts

[ksksksrahrah]

[flamingpudding]

Reincarnation is a tricky thing

A/N: This was sort of inspired by this post from @nerdpoe and the rebblogs of it. I came across it again scrolling through tumblr and reread it during my break and couldn't help but continue thinking about DC characters being a different version or a reincarnation of people Danny knew. Blame the too many reincarnation or isekai light novels / manwhas / mangas I read if you want.

At first Danny didn't mind it. Becoming the Ghost King had its pros but its cons as he learned later on. By accepting the title he had become an interdimensional being, and thus had gotten kicked out of the reincarnation cycle. Clockwork nor Pandora thought about telling him that sooner. But in a way Danny still didn't mind it.

He still got to watch and protect his friends and family or at least their souls and reincarnations. Though there were some things with the recent one he definitely did not expect. For one, Dan wasn't part of the reincarnation cycle either, so to pass the years he took up the same position Fright Knight had. Danny suspected that it was more to spent time with his ghostly best friend than actually doing Danny a favor.

Dani on the other hand had become a part of the reincarnation cycle, he hadn't liked how her childhood had been but once the reincarnation of his father took her in things started to turn better for his once upon a time clone sister.

He laughed at the fact that his mother in this life had become a thief, well at least she wasn't ghost obsessed but he wasn't sure if cats were a better one considering a lot of the things she stole were cat themed. But at least she still had a thing for his dad.

The man was still a lovable oaf but different, more stoic and short worded but when he put on acts for the public Danny could see hints of his previous life shining through. His dad was still a genius and inventing things that added him and his goals in protecting the city. Just like he did previously, just a little less extreme and upfront.

Jazz wasn't his dads and mothers direct daughter this time around but she still got counted as a daughter in a way as he watched her becoming a crime fighter alongside his father and the kids his dad picked up before an incident made her take up more of a operator like position. And ancients did Danny cackle watching Jazz still pulling one over everyone every time she gathered information on their family.

He was sad to see how Sam's life went but at the same time he was proud of her. Undergrowth's influence had swapped over into this life for her and he watched how as a criminal at first she continued to fight for what she believed was right. He was definitely happy when he saw her fall in love and turn a new leaf.

Tucker was not as electronic affine as he was before but he had what the humans started to call Meta Powers now. It was funny, whenever Danny compared his usually brain behind the scenes best friend with the vigilante that got mentored by his father.

All in all he was definitely happy with the life's his family has gotten this turn. Even if the start of some of their lives wasn't as ideal as it was supposed to be. He still hadn't figured out where Vlad's reincarnation was and to the ancients he hoped he wasn't the crazy clown obsessed with his dad. That would be just wrong.

Still as he watched them he couldn't help but muse at the knowledge that he originally was supposed to be among them. He also knew who he was supposed to be, thanks to clockwork but that boy had gotten a brand new soul, one that hadn't been in the cycle before. He wasn't mad at that but just a tiny bit sad. He would have loved to become a vigilante alongside his father too, even if this version of him was socially awkward and instead of space had a fascination with animals and art.

He still would have loved to live among them but he had gotten kicked out of the reincarnation cycle so all he could do was watch over them. It still made him feel giddy whenever he found another soul of the ones he had known before.

That was until the cultist decided to use would-be-him as a sacrifice to summon the interdimensional being that was atactual-him and he ended up face to face with some stupid soul magic mumbo jumbo tied to the kid.

Clockwork was laughing at him, he just knew this was pure entertainment for the ancient of time. Pandora was most likely shaking her head and Dan was probably literally rolling on the ground of his throne room laughing.

"You are supposed to be me, aren't you?" The boy had whispered wide eyed and Danny huffed in annoyance as he saw a familiar fear flit across the boy's eyes. A fear he had seen with Dan as well as Dani so long ago before.

"Don't talk bullshit kid. I am an Ancient being. This is your life." He was just now stuck having Danny tied to him like a guardian angel while being the only one able to see him clearly. How was he going to explain to the kid that he was entirely his own soul and not tied to Danny at all aside from taking his place in the reincarnation cycle without mentioning that nearly half the people in the kids life where his family and friends previously?

Danny was starting to have a crisis stuck to his would-be-him in the mortal realm and all he could think was to yell at Dan and Clockwork to stop laughing!

[soft-mafia]

Ribbons [LA!Buggy x Reader]

warnings: fem reader, fem y/n, nsfw, grinding, dry humping, sexual tension, fingering, age gap, slight daddy kink, bdsm aspects

a/n: I had this idea of the reader being one of those aerial ribbon contortionists or whatever you call it, and Buggy being so enamored(horny) when he sees her perform that he asks her for a “private show”. Don’t get me wrong manga/anime Buggy is sexy, but LA!Buggy just had SOO much sex appeal he’s so dominant omg. #ovulating

“Does everybody know what they’re doing?!” Buggy shouted, 10 minutes till showtime, he ran by everyone and made sure they knew their shit so they didn’t make a fool out of him. He whipped his head around from left to right, “Where- where’s Y/n?!” He shouted.

Out from behind one of the curtains, Y/n scurried out in her outfit(that Buggy had personally picked out himself) it was a strappy bikini that barely covered anything. The outfit was more for his own entertainment rather than Y/n’s convenience, it wouldn’t affect her act too much anyway though.

“I’m here, Captain!” Y/n said, looking up at Buggy. She hopped out and had her ribbons wrapped all around her body, clearly tangled in her own equipment.

“What the hell happened to you?” Buggy grumbled, holding her by the hip and attempting to unravel her.

Y/n blushed when she watched Buggy’s hands maneuver her body and the ribbons, “I was practicing when you called.” He nodded in response, then spun her around a bit to check her out before patting her on the shoulder and shooing her off to her mark. The rest of the crew knew of Buggy’s infatuation with Y/n, and how he definitely had a soft spot for her(It’s why she’s always caught leaving his room in the dead of night).

It was showtime, Buggy watched anxiously, hoping nobody messed anything up. So far so good, but that’s when he saw Y/n drop from the ceiling hanging by ribbons wrapped around her legs. Buggy swallowed as he watched her intently, his jaw clenched as she spun around those ribbons, the way they hugged her waist as she effortlessly spun around them like a snake. Y/n moved her body in ways that looked like it was meant for Buggy’s eyes only. He couldn’t deny that he sometimes felt jealousy when he saw any of the men on his crew talk to her, Buggy had already determined in his own mind that she was his, a treasure of his that nobody should be touching or even being around.

In his most jealous self loathing fits he wishes he could just lock Y/n in a birdcage and keep her for himself. He would pour and hold his face in his hands whenever she would go back to her room after a night.

He didn’t feel confident enough to ask her to stay with him, just for one night. He would only nod when she would give him a kiss on the cheek before putting her clothes back on. The rest of the night he would spend sulking, and the next day he would immediately fish her out of the crowd of his crew and wrap his arms around her, holding her tightly since he didn’t get to during the night.

After Buggy wrapped up the show, he gave them praise and thanked them for not screwing up. It was on rare occasions that everybody got their queues right and didn’t make mistakes. After that, he ran for Y/n, eagerly bounding towards her and once he did he scooped her up in his arms.

He lifted her up by the waist and kissed her on the lips, “You were amazing!” He purred, kissing all over her face, leaving red sloppy prints all over her. She didn’t care though, she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, “Was I pretty?” She asked jokingly.

Buggy grinned and set her back down, leaning down slightly and lifting her chin up, “Gorgeous.” He answered, he then looked around for a moment, watching as his crew of freaks walked out of the tent to have dinner at their camp out. Looking back down at Y/n, he put his jacket over her.

“Help me get the audience out of here, I want a private show.”

Y/n helped Buggy cram all of the poor civilians in one of their empty trailers they would use for storage. “I feel bad.” Y/n said as they walked back to the tent, he had his arm around her waist.

“Don’t start nagging me about them again.” Buggy rolled his eyes, “How else am I supposed to get people to come and watch?”

“Anybody will come to a circus on their own free will, Buggy. You don’t have to force anybody.” Y/n looked up at him, with that little pout that would always bring him to his knees. He looked away and shook his head, “They won’t. Not for me.” They didn't say anything more about that, Y/n looked down at the ground as the slightly damp grass stained her ballerina slippers.

Once making it back to the tent, Buggy pulled his throne out and had it sit in front of one of the stands, he leaned back and watched Y/n get into place. Even the way she climbed up was sexy, and when she would tie the ribbons around her ankles— it's not like Buggy had a foot fetish or anything, but her body was perfect and every movement seemed so enchanting. Y/n was so beautiful, Buggy almost felt bad for her. Sometimes it felt like he was taking advantage of her even though she would swear up and down she was madly in love with him and wanted him more than anything. What if she was lying just to spare his feelings? Or lying because she was afraid that he would threaten her if she didn’t comply??

Those thoughts often made Buggy sick and he would push them to the very back of his mind so it wouldn’t bother him. But after every jerk session he would have to the thought of Y/n, they always found their way to resurface as he sat there alone in his bed or at his desk with a wet rag in his hand.

“Doin’ great baby.” Buggy called out with a soft chuckle as Y/n finally made her way back up to the top. She giggled in response, glancing at him for a moment before looking away. At this point she could move freely with those ribbons around her legs, she reached her hands back and began to untie her bikini top.

Buggy’s eyes widened, anticipation ate at him and he felt a fire shoot down to his crotch. Then her top dropped to the ground. It wasn’t something he hadn’t seen before by all means— but she was naked out in the open, tied up in ribbons. It was only then that he noticed that she had taken her bottoms off as well, how had he not noticed that?!

That added more fuel to the fire as he had a visible cock outline in his trousers now. He palmed at it subtly as he watched Y/n spin herself around and do other sensual movements, more seductive than what she had done in her act. She looked gorgeous, especially in the circus lighting, it casted shadows upon her that accentuated her silhouette. Y/n dropped upside down, hanging by one foot from the ribbons, Buggy bit his lip when he watched her breasts bounce from the sudden drop.

She was wrapped up in those ribbons completely, there was something so erotic about the red fabric twisting and gripping around her naked body. Buggy wondered what it would be like to have her tied up and at his mercy, her arms and legs restrained, one wrapped around her neck and him pulling at the ribbon like a leash as he fucked her hard. Buggy grit his teeth and tilted his head back, letting out a quiet grunt at the thought.

Buggy was so close, rubbing himself more intently— then the lights suddenly shut off. He immediately stood up and shouted in anger, “WHO THE FUCK TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS?!” He screeched. Y/n was taken aback, nearly falling before catching herself on the ribbons, looking around as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

“We’re just closing up for the night, Captain…” One of the backstage managers said nervously, standing in the opening of the tent. Y/n immediately covered herself up, Buggy’s cheeks were flushed a bright red, both from anger and embarrassment. “I’M IN HERE WITH Y/N!!!” He shouted, “YOU COULD CLEARLY SEE ME!!!”

“S-Sorry Captain!! We can turn the lights back on?”

“No!! No!! Forget it!!” Buggy huffed and detached his hand so he could float his coat up to Y/n so she could cover herself, “Come on, Y/n.”

Y/n slowly lowered herself, and once she was on the ground she picked up her discarded bikini and scurried towards Buggy. He put an arm around her and rushed out of the tent, grumbling and scowling under his breath as they rushed back to the ship. “Do you think they saw anything?” Y/n looked up at Buggy and laid his coat on a nearby chair once they got back to his cabin on the ship. “Probably not, you were really high up.” Buggy shrugged, pushing the coat on the floor so he could sit on the chair, his legs spread out.

He had taken his shirt off, once they got settled in, chest covered in thick hair with a happy trail that let up to his belly button. Buggy patted his lap, “C’mon, daddy’s still sexed up.” He said lowly, leaning back in his seat as he watched Y/n make her way over to him. She was still naked. Buggy began to hope that those crew members did see her like that, so they could know that she’s completely off limits and belongs to him and him only.

Slowly, she crawled on his lap, each thigh slowly making their way to straddle his lap. He immediately began rubbing up and down one of her thighs, groaning at the feeling of her skin beneath his fingertips, “Good girl.” He said in a gravelly tone. Y/n smiled softly as she rested her hands on his chest, slowly making their way up to rest on his shoulders, subtly ruffling up his chest hair in the process. Buggy leaned up to press a kiss onto her lips, his stubble always scraped her but she never complained.

The taste of booze was thick on his tongue, making Y/n whimper and make a face but it quickly passed as the kiss lengthened. Buggy leaned back and let out a nervous chuckle, “Sorry, I probably taste like shit.”

Y/n laughed and held his face, giving his lips another kiss, “It’s ok. Explains why you’re so horny.”

Buggy laughed too, his hands resting on Y/n’s hips, he gave them a firm squeeze, “Hey, even without the alcohol, you’re like a walking viagra for me.” He joked. As he gripped her hips, he slowly brought her down lower on his lap, letting her bare pussy rub against his bulge, his cock pulsed in his boxers and he let out a low groan. Y/n whimpered at the feeling of fabric rubbing against her wet clit, she leaned her head into the crook of his neck. Buggy placed one hand on the back of her head while guiding her hips with the other, he gently caressed her while humping himself into her.

He rolled his head back, letting out deep pleasured grunts, he then kissed the side of Y/n’s head. Even after he’s fucked her so many times, he still has a lingering anxiety; he didn’t want to be too rough and scare her off. She was quite young and that itself made Buggy feel a butt ton of guilt, so he peppers her with kisses and gives her gentle caresses and whispers praise into her ear while getting his rocks off with her. Buggy really cared for her even if he was shit at showing it, the last thing he would want to do was make Y/n scared.

He stroked the back of her head as he humped faster, his hand rubbing up and down her waist, softly squeezing her skin as they both let out soft breaths and moans. “You’re doing so good for me… just let me do all the work, baby.” He whispered in her ear, “Doing so good, your little cunt getting wet, all for me.” Buggy was getting so close, his pants and groans becoming more rough as his pelvis trembled.

It wouldn’t be the first time he’s came in his boxers, this time he’s made more of a mess than usual, but he really couldn’t help himself. He let out a groan as he relaxed into his seat, holding the back of Y/n’s neck as he breathed heavily. Y/n pulled away, it caught Buggy off guard for a moment but he let out a soft grunt when she adjusted herself on his lap. He held her shoulders as her back pressed against his chest, she spread her legs and let her thighs sit on each of the arm rests and yanked Buggy’s hand down between her legs.

“Needy are we?” Buggy chuckled, but he gave her what she wanted and dove his fingers into her pussy, amazed by how wet she was. He dragged his fingers up and down her slit, then circled them around her clit, he wrapped an arm around her torso to keep her in place as she trembled. Y/n held onto Buggy’s forearm, moaning and whimpering his name as he continued to play with her pussy. He continued to kiss her temple and the top of her head, praising her while giving her what she needed.

It wasn’t long before she had her own release, and they both sat there in each other’s arms, Y/n’s face nuzzled back into his neck as she laid sideways on his lap. Buggy held her close, lightly bouncing her in his lap.

“Are you ok?” He whispered to her after they finally caught their breath and came down from their high. Y/n laughed and looked up at him, tracing his jawline with her finger as she looked into his striking blue eyes, “You always ask me that.”

Buggy scoffed and looked away, “I have to.” He chuckled, “I still can’t help but think I’m forcing you to do this.”

Y/n sat up and softly smacked Buggy in his chest, “Buggy! I told you that you’re not!” She frowned, “I’m the one who came onto you first.”

“I know! I know… but,” Buggy sighed, “You never stay.” He whispered, he sounded so desperate and he honestly regretted opening his big mouth once the words left it. But Y/n gently turned his head back to face her, “I… I didn’t think you’d want me to stay.”

Buggy looked at her, “What? Why wouldn’t I?” He furrowed his brows. Y/n shrugged, “I dunno… I’m always sticky afterwards, I didn’t think you’d wanna sleep next to that.” Buggy couldn’t help but laugh at that, then kiss her on the lips.

“Hey, you’re always complaining about me being sweaty but you’re still all over me.” He grinned, holding her face and gently pressing his thumbs into her cheeks. His expression then slowly dropped as he glanced away again, “And um… Why do you always hide your face?” He asked, “In my neck, my chest, in the pillows, the blankets…” he swallowed, looking away. She never looked at him during sex, she was always hiding her face in something and Buggy couldn’t help but feel like it was because of him-

“I have an ugly o-face.” She answered quietly, looking down as she dragged her finger through his chest hair. Buggy furrowed his brows in confusion, then looked at her, “What the fuck does that mean?”

Y/n looked back up at him, “O-face… like, orgasm face.”

Buggy felt heat rise to his cheeks from embarrassment, “Oh… that makes sense— WAIT! NO, your face isn’t ugly!” He gently grabbed her by the chin, squeezing her cheeks between his fingers, “Now that you told me that, I’m not gonna let you hide anymore.” He chuckled.

Y/n groaned and wiggled her face out of his grip, “Don’t make me embarrass myself in front of you!” She pushed him in his chest once again. “You’re not gonna embarrass yourself, babe. You’re gonna make yourself look more hot and irresistible.” Buggy grinned.

“Screw you. I’m gonna take a bath.” Y/n stuck her tongue out at him before standing up, “You need one too, you stink.”

“I’ll take one tomorrow.” Buggy rolled his eyes as he detached his hand and reached for a stray bottle. Y/n quickly snatched his hand, then ripped the bottle out of it, “No. You’re gonna take one now.”

“HEY!!” Buggy growled and stood up, reaching out to grab his hand, but Y/n yanked it away and was already trotting off to the bathroom with it.

[sailormoonandme]

Mamoru is NOT useless in the Anime

Yes, yes, the memes are funny and all, but this is simply objectively not true and I'm rather exhausted of folks critiquing the character/the anime as though it were.

I will hopefully kill his BS once and for all.

"He just throws a rose and leaves!"

For those who have actually watched the anime (or even just the very first episode) to describe Tuxedo Mask as 'useless' is reductionist to the point of being outright disingenuous. In particular when this argument is made in such a way as to negatively compare him to his manga counterpart, who is put over as allegedly superior on this point.

The original 1992 Sailor Moon anime had 200 episodes, 3 TV specials*, 2 theatrical shorts and 3 films, with these latter theatrical releases being dubiously canonical to the anime. Mamoru appears in the overwhelming majority of those 208 entires, even accounting for the final 34 episodes where he was dead/functionally absent almost all of the time. Even if we seriously low balled things, the majority of those appearances feature him partaking in the following scenario.

Sailor Moon, often with her fellow Senshi, are fighting the monster of the day (maybe it's a higher ranking villain, or a general threat they are dealing with).

They get into a tight spot where either they or whoever/whatever they are trying to protect is in danger from whatever threat they are combatting.

Then, out of the blue, a rose slices through the air and imbeds itself into the scenery like a dart. Typically, this action saves the lives of Sailor Moon, her friends or whomever they might be protecting.

Tuxedo mask gives a speech and either leaves or else sticks around to see Sailor Moon perform her finishing move that effectively ends whatever threat she was dealing with, often with Tuxedo Mask being the one to prompt her into performing this finshing move.

For the sake of argument lets pretend that the above is literally the sum totality of what Mamoru does in regards to the superheroics of Sailor Moon. How could anyone describe the above as 'useless'?

If his interventions regularly save Sailor Moon's life then that is a zillion miles away from useless. For him to be useless, his actions need to be superfluous, pointless, contribute nothing. Even if he contributed a little bit he would by definition not be useless. And saving the protagonist's life is much more than 'a little bit'. If the protagonist dies then the story is over. Evil has won, the world is doomed.

And this isn't even considering all the ways Mamoru contributes OUTSIDE of the above scenario.

He has, whilst untransformed, stabbed a Lemures with a knife to save Sailor Moon.

He has willingly acted as a magical life support system for Chibi-Usa when her Pure Heart was stolen, an act that maybe anyone else could have performed but it is still a noble thing to do, in particular when it freed up the more powerful characters to go get her heart back.

He personally met up with the Outer Senshi to learn about them on behalf of the other girls, going alone which might have been dangerous, but the episode also gives the impression that he, as the oldest member of the team, was better positioned to get info from the older Outer Senshi who has a demeaning view of the younger Inner Senshi. In this same episode, he tried to convince the Outers to join forces with the Inners, acting as a diplomat.

He went 1-on-1 with Rubeus to defend an injured Sailor Moon who was herself acting as a human shield for Chibi-Usa

He has personally gone on a one man mission to infiltrate the Black Moon Clan's HQ to rescue Sailor Moon from being sexually assaulted by Prince Demande.

Mere episodes later he and Artemis went on a scouting mission to learn more about the Malefic Black Crystal

He formed a double team with Sailor Moon to tackle a tennis themed Youma, an encounter that involved more than a singular rose throw and a speech. One of the multiple times he got more directly involved in fighting the monster of the day

He literally carried Sailor Moon on his back to save her when they were both trapped in an elevator courtesy of Nephrite

He was prepared to willingly reveal his identity and hand both himself and his Rainbow Crystals over to Zoisite in order to save Sailor Moon and her friends

The love he shared with Usagi directly led to the manifestation of the Silver Crystal, to the salvation of Chibi-Usa when she'd been brainwashed into Black Lady & the creation of a new weapon and transformation brooch for Usagi in season 3

As Prince Endymion, he went against his own subjects and risked his life to infiltrate the Moon Palace and warn his beloved Serenity that his home planet was going to invade her home

He took not one, not two, but three impalements to protect Sailor Moon's life

More often than not he has acted as reliable emotional support for Usagi and Chibi-Usa, encouraging them, helping them with homework or just being there for them. i.e. he is an imperfect, but ultimately good husband and father. Which is particularly impressive considering he hadn't yet married his wife nor conceived his child.

There are those who might scoff at the latter. Is emotional support really useful? Well, putting aside how the Sailor Moon universe clearly demonstrates how magical power/energy is directly linked to emotions, this is categorically true in the real world as well. There are no end of testimonies from fire fighters, doctors, people who have serious illnesses, or soldiers that the emotional support of thier loved ones have kept them going and kept them alive. So, this is rather useful for our heroine Usagi who's job is that of a Sailor Soldier.

The Outer Senshi

Furthermore, there is an inherent hypocrisy in the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative because such criticisms are never levelled against other characters whose typical role in the narrative are similar to Mamoru's.

The most popular season of the original anime was season 3 (Sailor Moon S) and one of the biggest reasons for that show's popularity were the fan favourite Outer Senshi: Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn. Let's exclude Saturn as she wasn't active as a Senshi for most of season 3. Uranus and Neptune's role in the first half of season 3 typically amounted to

Attacking the monster of the day, usually to the same end that Mamoru's rose throws did, i.e. a distraction or last minute save

Swiping the Pure Heart of that episode's victim

Checking it over before concluding it wasn't a Talisman

Leaving, or else at least standing by as Sailor Moon administered her finishing move on the monster of the day

Golly...that seems just as 'useless' as Mamoru now doesn't it? In fact, maybe more so considering they weren't even trying to help Sailor Moon in the first place. In fact, during their second appearance, they unintentionally saved the lives of a powerless Usagi, her friends and an innocent civilian to check a Pure Heart, then uncaringly left them all in danger.

You know who then saved them immediately after that? Mamoru!

Later when he too was overwhelmed by the monster he directly contributed to saving the day as his emotional bond with Usagi generated the Spiral Moon Heart Rod, upgrading Sailor Moon and giving her the power to save everyone.

During the third sub-arc of season 3 (where the recurring villain was Mimet of the Witches 5) Sailor Pluto joined the Outer Senshi's ranks and their role in the typical monster of the day plots became yet more minimal. More than once, the trio literally appeared but did nothing, something that had also happened at least once before Pluto joined the team. Examples include (but are not necessarily limited to) episodes 97 (The Labyrinth of Water – Ami Targeted), 116 (Sunny Skies After a Storm – A Friendship Dedicated to Hotaru) and 118 (Battle Inside the Demonic Space – The Sailor Guardians’ Gamble). In some of these instances the Outers deliberately choose to do nothing.

Barring 2 of the specials mentioned above (one of which was a clip show), the Outer Senshi were wholly absent in season 4/Sailor Moon SuperS. In one of those specials, upon learning that a new threat had arisen Uranus and Neptune...choose to continue their road trip and leave the fighting to Usagi and the others...How...useful???????

They, along with Pluto and Saturn get much more involved during the course of the final season/Sailor Stars. Even then, Saturn only appears in the first few episodes and the last few. Pluto only gets involved in the monster of the day schemes once or twice and Uranus and Neptune three or four times, if that. Whilst Mamoru is barely involved at all in this season, he at least has the excuse of being dead for most of it.

So, the fan favourite Outer Senshi got far LESS involved and were LESS useful than Mamoru typically was in the course of the whole show. In fact, even if we exclude the first two seasons where (exempting Pluto) the Outer Senshi hadn't appeared yet, Mamoru overwhelmingly contributed MORE than the Outer Senshi did.**

The Other Senshi

Much the same can be applied to the Sailor Starlights. The Starlights more often than not actually got MORE involved in fighting the monsters of the day during season 5 than the Outer Senshi did in season 3; or at least they were interested in defusing a direct and active threat to innocent lives. But even they literally showed up and did nothing on at least one occasion.

Whilst the Starlights are nowhere close to the Outer Senshi's popularity, they are also never subjected to the 'they are useless' narrative Mamoru frequently is.

Nor in fact are the Inner Senshi of Sailors venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury. Now, whilst it's easy to argue due to their superior screentime, the fact that they often initiate combat with the monster of the day and are generally heavily involved in whatever crisis is happening, that they are obviously more useful than Mamoru is.

And you know what, even including the rare occasions they too show up and do nothing else (or do a last minute save like Mamoru is prone to do) this is perfectly true. It is also perfectly true however that the quartet have rarely ever defeated any monster of the day on their own. The overwhelming majority of the time the Inner Senshi act as a distraction to the Monster of the day or else sufficiently lower its HP so that Sailor Moon can actually beat the monster. That might be more useful than Mamoru's typical contributions, but, call me crazy, it seems like Sailor Moon is doing the lion's share of the work there. So, how 'useful' are the Inner Senshi really if we run by the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative?

If Mamoru is useless so are many if not all of the more popular heroic characters in the series.

But...how useless is Mamoru in the anime compared to the Manga?????????

*Well, one special with three segments, but go with me on this.

**They were mostly absent from season 4 whilst he appeared routinely in that season. Meanwhile, in the season he was mostly absent, they rarely helped out.

Obviously, there are real life writing reasons behind that difference, but my point is why is the fandom not treating the Outer Senshi as 'useless' too?

[whoishotteranimepolls]

This blog is really fulfilling my near constant need for long lectures over fandoms that I never really get to flex out huh? I'm going to start making powerpoints. Alright, time to explain Ivankov and Bon Clay with a quick history of the LGBTQ+ community in Japan. Disclaimer: I am not Japanese, I am from a western country, but I will try to do my best to summarize the history and connotations to the best of my ability. I also do understand that some of the genderqueer characters do seem to be based on stereotypes, but that will be explored.

Okama is slang interchangeably used for gay men, drag queens, gender nonconforming men, and transgender women. It is very similar to the English word "Queer," especially in the idea that current members of the LGBTQ+ community are attempting to reclaim it as a positive phrase, rather than the slur that has been used against them. A large part of Japan still conflates gay with crossdressing or transgenderism, which is why homosexual men are sometimes referred to as okama (literally a 'pot' but meaning something similar to the English word 'queen') and are usually represented as cross-dressed and effeminate. The use of the term okama derives from the slang usage of the term to refer to the buttocks and thereby to anal sex which is considered to be the definitive sexual act engaged in by homosexual men. Homosexuality in Japan has had a fraught history that I do not have the character space to completely include here. Bon Clay is a character that first appeared in One Piece in the year 2000. Now, I know a lot of modern day fandoms do not understand the history of queer characters in media. This was long before we had shows like The Owl House, Steven Universe, Yuri on Ice, or She-Ra (I can't think of a lot of modern queer anime off hand). We had very little canon queer characters, at at the time, it was far more common for queer characters to either be women (Sailor Uranus, Utena), or male villains. And Bon Clay was not only queer, he was an out and proud Okama. He was referred to both as a man and a woman, and sang an entire song "Okama Way/Oh Come My Way." Bon Clay, despite being a villain, got a redemption, he befriended the Strawhats, and helped them to escape from Alabasta, even though he himself was sent to jail instead.

“One may stray from the path of a man. One may stray from the path of a woman. But there is no straying from the path of a human!”

In the end, this world is broken down to men and women But I'm a man who is a woman So I'm the best (the strongest) The best (strongest!) OH COME MY WAY

Emporio Ivankov

As Mod pointed out, his design is based off of Doctor Frank N' Furter from Rocky Horror Picture show and Norio Imamura, a real life Okama and a member of Mayumi Tanaka's acting troupe whom Oda met. Ivankov is gender fluid and uses their fruit to switch between whatever sex characteristics they want to have. Ivankov refers to himself as a "Newkama", as opposed to an "Okama". This is a double pun made by mixing words. It basically goes "Newhalf" (Transgender) + Okama (Crossdresser) = Newkama (Newcomer). Newkama claim to go beyond the concept of gender since almost every one of them has experienced life in both male and female bodies thanks to Ivankov's Horu Horu no Mi. Also, there is a question on what pronouns Iva uses, with in the Japanese text, they appear to use something like Neo-pronouns, always replacing the first character with a V in the pronouns they are using (Vatashi vs Watashi for "I" but I do not know enough Japanese to speak on this or how their pronouns should be translated)

She was the queen of NewKama Land in Impel Down, a secret haven inside of the prison where prisons escaped to. (This is why Mod jokes that One Piece fandom took over Horny Jail, we have a gay club in our jail in source material that was created by a transgirl and maintained by genderqueer okamas. We cannot be stopped). She is also a member of the Revolutionary Army, (MANGA Spoilers: A former slave), and Queen of Kamabakka Queendom, a place where okamas can be free to live their lives with no criticism and to just, be themselves.

Now, I understand why the artstyle turns people off and makes them seem like harmful stereotypes, and they aren't always treated well in the story. While Luffy is extremely accepting of Ivankov and Bon Clay (The only people in the entire story he refers to with honorifics are them, and he uses female honorifics, Iva-Chan and Bon-Chan), Sanji has shown to be pretty transphobic. But I also think that they encapsulate the messages of One Piece: Complete and Utter Freedom. The Freedom to be true to yourself, to live your authentic life, and to live without regrets. These characters are not only strong, respectable, and free, but they fight for that freedom for others as well.

There is no queerbaiting in One Piece. The only canon LGBTQ+ Identities we have are the transgender characters, probably attributed to Oda not wanting to write romance, and thus it is harder to make canon gay/lesbian/bi ect characters. Luffy, on the other hand, is argued heavily whether he's canonically aro/ace, or just heavily coded. We have other queer characters as well, especially in Wano. Kiku is a transwoman, and Yamato is a transman. Bon Clay, Ivankov, Inazuma, and other "Okamas" are genderqueer, although the identies may not translate nicely into English. Some of it may not have aged well as well (The use of "Transvestite" for example). But overall, the LGBTQ+ Identities have been respected by the narrative of the source material if not necessary by the characters or author. (And definitely not by some fans). Its also important to remember, Bon Clay was introduced in 2000. Kiku was introduced in 2018, that is nearly 20 years to learn how to depict trans people. She has no gags, she just exists as she is. Oh, and none of the queer characters die in the series, and Bon Clay even has the quote "Queers will never die!"

(Morley should probably be added to this analysis, as a transgender woman who pretty controversial, but she doesn't appear much in the manga/anime so I don't know a lot about her lol. I'm also not going to touch the "debate" of Yamato's gender here)

Sources: Male Homosexuality and Popular Culture in Modern Japan

One Piece: A Queer Retrospective

For context, they are responding to this post about Emporio Ivankov and Bon Clay

Well done! Great job! You deserve a cookie. Because this is why I love Defend Your Blurbo. Emporio Ivankov and Bon Chan would be proud of you

Fun fact, the horny jail reference actually comes from the bg3 fandom and the narrator outtakes. I just think it's very appropriate for the One Piece Fandom at least when it comes to my blog and what you guys have put me through

[kunikida-spotted]

hi hi!! since you like kunikida, i feel like you’re the right person to ask :D

how do you think kunikida would act/show care for people around him? the ada for example.

i’m writing a fic about how kunikida silently shows his care for the agency, but i tend to struggle with characterisation so i need your thoughts. because he obviously cares for the ada members a lot, but i don’t know how to portray it in a way that’s not too “soft” or “goody-two shoes” while still making it clear that he does love these people.

sorry if this is out of the blue lol :’) ty for your time!!

ACKKK THANK YOU FOR ASKING!!

I love analyzing characters 😼

this is going to be a long one. I do not apologize because I love kunikida

also tumblr ate this ask so I found this in my notifs and not my ask box

(also I want the fic please please please I want to read it please)

Some things are canon (first few) others aren't.

We already have seen a few ways he shows care for members!!

Dazai;

-Calling daily. It's in his schedule to call Dazai. And to make sure he's coming into work.

-Telling Dazai he can always vent if he needs to.

-"You were so talented. I couldn't have asked for a better partner."

-Buys Dazai food. Also Kunikida makes food for Dazai. (not canon but hey. he would and you know it)

-They banter a lot, but we still know Kunikida cares.

-Kunikida listens to Dazai (Dazai rambles a lot)

-Also hugs. A lot of hugs. Like he just gives him hugs. Kunikida will hold Dazai and rock him, idc what anyone says.

Atsushi; (I've realized this is all canon info and not personal headcanons)

-Praise. He does respect Atsushi, especially after he saved Kyoka. (After saving Kyoka, he praised him by saying 'good job')

-Yes he gives Atsushi lectures and reminders.

-Kunikida is proud of everything Atsushi has done. He compliments Atsushi's work (Kunikida compliments everyone for their work btw)

-Kunikida trains Atsushi!!

-Also let's not forget the hug they shared during the reunion.

Ranpo; (this is also all canon..)

-Kunikida praises Ranpo often. Like really often.

-"We'll be counting on you, Ranpo-san."

-"The ideal detective— no, in fact, the ideal ability user."

-Even after learning about Ranpo not being gifted, he still acts like Ranpo is.

-They do have a close bond. Ranpo has told Kunikida that he's the strongest. Ranpo also supports Kunikida, and tells him to stay calm and act like Fukuzawa during the cannibalism arc. (This is more about Ranpo, but still it shows they're close enough to say this stuff to each other)

Yosano;

-Respect! He does respect Yosano just like the other members.

-He surrendered his own life for Yosano's. This was because of the Hunting Dogs. (this goes along with respect)

-He knows Yosano's schedule. Take that as you will.

-Kunikida fully believes that Yosano can always help him no matter the injury. He doesn't care if he's injured because he knows Yosano can help him.

-Because of that one, I'd believe that he'd do a lot for Yosano as thanks. Gift giving, hugs, whatever Yosano is comfortable with.

Kyoka;

-Kunikida is very kind towards Kyoka. He opens up to her after her entrance exam. Which we can see the differences in the anime and manga.

-Kunikida gives lots of advice to Kyoka. He does the same for Atsushi. I'd say this is because he's technically a "higher up" because he joined before the two of them.

-He has also given Kyoka a page of his notebook in case of emergency while Kyoka was trying to save Atsushi. (canon)

-Definitely helps her with tasks. If she's struggling, no she isn't, Kunikida is right there.

-Headpats!! And he gives her stuffed animals as gifts.

-Did I mention that he definitely carries a stuffed animal on him at all times just so he can give it to Kyoka? Because he 100% does (prove me wrong challenge) (level impossible)

Kenji;

-Kunikida actually knows a lot about Kenji. Specifically his ability and the way he acts with others.

-Unfortunately there aren't many interactions of the two.

-However, I think Kunikida would do everything Kenji wants. Not just because he's a higher up/ superior, but also because he has a weakness to Kenji. nobody wants Kenji angry.

-Both can easily give bone crushing hugs, so I think it's easier for them to hug each other than to hug other people.

-Yes Kunikida buys Kenji food. Yes he gives Kenji blankets for when he falls asleep. Asagiri told me himself trust me

-Kenji and Kyoka play with stuffed animals and dolls/ toy animals. Kunikida now keeps some random toys and animals with him just to calm them down.

-Kunikida also buys Kenji stuffed animals because he realized Kyoka liked them and Kenji seemed to want them as well.

Junichiro;

-Canonically, they do trust each other!

-I think Kunikida treats him to food a lot. Just as a little treat.

-Also praise. If we know he canonically can give praise then he should praise Junichiro for his hard work.

-Junichiro likes physical touch (my opinion) so I think Kunikida gives him hugs and pats on the back.

-Like you know that thing people do where they pat someone's back and then rub it? That's literally Kunikida to anyone I think. Just mainly Atsushi and Junichiro.

Naomi;

-I don't think they've like canonically interacted?

-Also treats Naomi to food. Just mainly sweets because she loves sweets.

-Hugs. The Tanizaki siblings love physical touch. That's their number one love language.

-Pats on the head for good work.

Haruno;

-They don't hang out much. But he will visit her.

-Daily check ups. He just visits her or goes to her during work and asks if everythings okay. (I think he does this to everyone, just a headcanon)

-Also headpats. At this point he has probably patted every single person's head at some point. Except for Fukuzawa (out of respect for him)

Fukuzawa;

-He has a lot of respect for him. We know this.

-Asking how his day was, making sure he's okay.

-Buying/ making him tea.

-Taking him out for food or drinks, whatever Fukuzawa is preferring in the moment.

-Hugged him once. Was horrified about it. Was also embarrassed because he didn't even mean to like it just happened.

-Fukuzawa didn't mind and hugged him back. This only made Kunikida more embarrassed. Also I think Kunikida's face and ears go read when he's embarrassed.

Katai; (if you're including him)

-They've known each other for ten years. They know each other well.

-Kunikida visits him often. Normally he reminds him to do chores, or does the chores himself.

-Kunikida encourages Katai to go outside. He'll also tell Katai to try going out without his futon.

-They're very close! Kunikida knows basically everything about Katai, and knows how to help him out.

-Kunikida praises Katai. (all above canon and this too)

-Kunikida makes food for Katai. I think he does it because Katai doesn't eat healthy food often.

-Kunikida and Katai cuddle. Trust me guys (whatt I'm definitely not a kunikatai shipper hahaa that'd be so weird..)

-Kunikida tries to go out with Katai but because Katai is a hikikomori it's pretty hard to do.

-Kunikida listens to all of Katai's ramblings on literally anything. Katai will listen about Kunikida's ideals too.

-Kunikida gives Katai words of affection a lot. Katai is insecure and Kunikida knows. That is why.

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

Unintentionally he will headpat people at the agency. Like "Good work." and then suddenly his hand his on their head and he pats it. Not even for a specific reason, he's just did it so frequently to the younger members and now it happens to everyone.

He takes everyone out for food/ drinks seperately, just so they can have a little bonding moment.

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

This definitely didn't take like two or three days tee hee

Lots of tags because this took a lot of time

[ladyloveandjustice]

Summer 2024 Anime Overview: DEAD DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION

A giant mothership is hovering over Tokyo. The aliens haven’t done anything or even made themselves known yet, but Japan and America are already trying to blow that UFO up, and show off who has the best weapons, causing many civilian casualties along the way. While all this happens, two girls are just casually living their lives. But are they as normal as they appear?

One thing I want to say is if you watch this anime and care about being intensely spoiled, do not watch "episode 0" until you've finished episode 16. It actually slots chronologically between episode 16 and 17, and that's where the episode took place in the manga, so I have no idea why they did that. Fortunately I had someone to warn me about that, so I will be that someone for you.

Dead Dead Demons DeDeDeDe Destruction or De x 8 as I will be calling it, can be really tough show to watch—not because it’s bad, it’s very good, but because of how depressing and visceral it is at times, and how devastatingly accurate it is to the shitshow of our world. This tends to be balanced a bit by the touching friendships (and possibly? More?) of the very likeable cast of teenagers…but you also feel a huge sense of dread about their safety as things ramp up and their stories deepen.

The anime goes hard on criticizing the military industrial complex, Japan’s government, America’s government, xenophobia, treatment of immigrants, rich people, and conspiracy theorists. All things I also hate, so that’s great. What hurts is how you could easily see the events happening—waging war on the aliens despite no provocation, people using an app to to hunt down and slaughter them...

It shows how even some of the protestors of the genocide use their movement to cover their own selfish motivations, meanwhile countries taking the situation as an opportunity to vie for power and dominance, rich government officials lie to their people and abandon them���obviously there's a lot of commentary here on how we dehumanize immigrants and minorities and enable genocides for capitalism and political power.

It's very bleak, and there were a lot of episode that had me just feeling sad, especially comparing it to current events. But there's also this interesting focus on normal people trying to live their lives during this alien "invasion", and the kids who still go through the dramas and upsets of everyday life. And especially the “I’d burn down the world for you” intense emotional relationship between Kadode and Ouran, the two teen girl leads.

Ouran is the main lead, and she’s a chuuni beyond chuuni, acting wacky and cheerful and spouting nonsense-- except if you pay attention, she's saying some pretty valid things—critiques of capitalism, war, government surveillance—but then following it up with something wild like “and that’s why I should rule the world”. You get the sense she’s cloaking an awareness of how shit the world is in humor, and as the show goes on and as her surprisingly intense and weird backstory unfolds, it becomes clear why that is.

The relationship between Ouran and Kadode is the center of everything--their bond IS the show. It's that kind of ride-or-die, I'd-kill-for-you, I'll-be-by-your-side-even-if-the-whole-world-is-against-you, in-every-life-i'd-find-you-and-love-you, soul-bonded, fiery devotion and love. They are the most important person in each other's lives, full stop. It's those kind of relationships that are so transcendent it goes beyond simple definitions of romantic and platonic. In other words, my kind of shit exactly.

But, as far as romance goes, Ouran, at least, is definitely queer and the depths of her determination to keep Kadode safe in a world that wants to destroy her girl that would make Homura Madoka Magica blush. (Kadode is more ambiguous, but she’s definitely soul bonded with Ouran. And honestly should just date Ouran because god she needs to be rescued).

There’s also a gentle empathy for marginalized people underneath all the horror—the girls befriend an alien trying to survive in the guise of a human, and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that the first person our alien tells absolutely everything to is the gnc/potentially trans person of the group, Makoto (To be specific, they seem to still be figuring out their identity, but they definitely present feminine and specifically came to Tokyo because their small town wouldn’t be okay with how they like to dress). The way Makoto immediately shields their alien friend from others when they make the reveal that they saying “Don’t let them see, it’s not safe” and how it’s followed up by the alien reassuring Makoto that their friends will be okay with it if they take their wig off to swim...it makes the metaphor extremely clear, and it’s always nice when a series can explore marginalized characters both textually and metaphorically.

Through the kids, we get kernels of hope in this story, a reassurance there are kinder people in this world, and a hope that kindness will endure.

As depressing as the story can be, what it has to say is important and it doesn’t hold back in making you see what it’s going for—from the “Cool Japan” logo flashing right before the  Japanese government gives a weapons demonstration that will later kill citizens and destroy innocents...

...to the Trump-alike American President (and let me tell you it’s startling to be watching a show in Japanese and suddenly Donald Trump impression in perfect English) *(had to use the manga here because Crunchyroll didn't close-caption this part :/)

Then there's the American tourists, who were clearly va’d by someone really good at English, potentially a native speaker, and it’s incredibly funny how much of their dialogue has “fuck” in it and seeing the subtitles skip over that. Also much of their dialogue is treating the devastated Japan as a tourist attraction and saying how funny it all is to them. Logan Paul has entered the chat.

De x 8 very clearly hates America and recognizes it as a blood thirsty colonial power, which is correct, but the show is just as hard on it’s own country, saying the Japanese government would happily get back on the colonizing horse if they had an excuse, and many citizwns would mindlessly support them.

A small thing I appreciate is far from the usual anime aesthetic where everyone is blandly cute, the anime gives a ton of people ridiculously cartoony features that make everyone distinct—and being goofy looking is not meant to indicate a character is stupid or ugly—Makoto’s a super sympathetic character with giant cartoon buck teeth and one character that’s even pointed out as pretty has like, a pig snout nose. (It also makes it so the character noted as being drop dead gorgeous...actually is, instead of coming off as just as conventionally attractive as the rest)

Soooo a lot of good stuff going into this story. Let’s talk about some caveats.

There’s a continuing storyline between Kadode and her adult teacher, who takes her to his place to have sex with her. When he does, she ends up ditching him because of her feels for Ouran (gay) and I thought that would be the end of it, but nooope he’s a groomer, they pick up dating again when she’s in college, literally months after the previous encounter. The dude is presented as a scumbag, he cheats on his girlfriend, he seems generally apathetic, his clear discomfort with Kadode calling him “sensei” shows that he knows what he’s doing is wrong …and ultimately the relationship is shown to be unfulfilling, with Kadode directly stating so and acknowledging he’s just advantage. That doesn’t stop it from being uncomfortable though, especially since it’s confirmed he and Kadode have sex eventually (offscreen, thank god) and honestly, I felt it dragged on way too long. The first encounter pretty much demonstrated everything we needed to know about the whole thing in my view.

And of course there’s a ton of potentially triggering content in a story like this—from genocide to suicide to child murder to almost anything you can think of. Also like, one character has a sister complex, but on the milder side for anime. One where it’s conceivably platonic, and it’s not like he goes after her boyfriend Yuri Forger style, so it doesn’t bother me too much. There's also a good dose of fatphobia. And finally moment where a woman reveals she has ADHD (which I've never actually heard anyone say in anime so I actually got a little excited the more fool me) and then is almost immediately shown to be faking it.

The ending…is another big sticking point for me. It feels disconnected from the rest of the series, mainly focusing on a character we barely know and likely don’t care about and spending very little time with the characters we do, presenting an interesting status quo and immediately abandoning it, and while earlier episodes of the series presented "actions have consequences and we gotta live with them" as a major theme, it was suddenly like, actually they don’t!

The ultimate ending, again, hinges on a decision from a character we don’t care about and honestly feels like a deus ex machina. It felt almost like the author really wanted a happier ending but knew that wasn’t in line with the story he’s told so far, so he just tacked it on. Or maybe it was an editorial mandate, who knows. I think the most satisfying way to see watch episode 1-16 as its own pretty satisfying complete story (which works really well), and then treat episodes 0 and 17 as their own separate thing, a potential additional ending but not the definitive one. At least that’s what I did.

Overall, De x 8 is a show with a lot to say and it gives you plenty to chew on. While it is often depressing, it is very rewarding. The unbreakable bond between two messy girls, as well as the moments of ordinary joy and small human/alien journeys are the core of the show, and what makes it shine. I definitely encourage you to give it a watch. It's being really slept on, and it shouldn't be.

[parrythisucasual]

What About Me? Ch. 2

Pairing: Jax x Reader (Romantic)

Sub-pairing: Gangle x Reader (Platonic) / Ragatha x Reader (Platonic)

TW: Bullying / Implied depression

Content: You get settled into your room and make a new friend.

Your bedroom was rather plain. A desk, a bed with white sheets, and a tacky poster of a kitten hanging from a tree. “Is this… supposed to mock me?” you ask with a raised brow. “Erm… not sure, exactly? Everyone’s room starts like this. You could always ask Caine to personalize it, or get the paint and do it yourself. Gangle is wonderful at drawing- she could make a poster or two if you asked,” Ragatha explained. 

You step into your room, running your fingers over the smooth wood of the desk, thinking, “I have a few ideas… for one, the blankets should be (F/C), not this boring white. I’ll need some desk ornaments, and a few posters too.” You envisioned the perfect room as you listed it. Ragatha smiled, “Well, I can run and tell Caine, if you’d like, you just get settled in,” she waved as she headed back up the hall, “if you need me, holler!”

You turn, settling onto the bed and taking a deep breath. This was crazy, impossible, even, but you were going to get through it. You could take it. You’ve been through worse. At least it’s better than a trip to the emergency room for a broken bone, right? No pain. And it isn’t as if your life before was something spectacular, in fact, it was the opposite. Weren't you now living about a million people’s dream right now? A new, fantastical place with new, interesting people?

“How’s it feelin’, whiney?” your head shot up. Jax was leaning against the doorway, his already typical smug grin plastered across his face. You roll your eyes, “Pretty good, actually, this is gonna be better than my life back home.” Your statement seemed to surprise him, his smile faltering a moment, before he retook the jerk persona, “Oh, yeah? If you’re sooo sure about that,” he shrugged and invited himself into your room, glazing around with disinterest, “I’m betting you won’t last a month. The tough ones crack first.”

Your lips twitch as you resist snapping at him, “Mm, well if you say so,” and lay back against your bed. You were determined to ignore his rather desperate cries for attention. You ran your fingers over the soft white quilt and sighed, relaxing yourself. 

Jax, on the other hand, was staring at you, eyebrow raised and a rather irked expression painted on his face. He narrowed his eyes, huffed, and left the room. This made you snort, he was acting like a toddler who was told “no.” Once he was out of earshot, you began to giggle out loud. His reaction was priceless. You were definitely going to ignore him like that permanently.

“Um… Ragatha told me you wanted a few p-posters?” a shy voice peeped. You glanced up, surprised that someone else appeared so quickly. You glanced up, seeing the ribbon-and-mask girl, then smiled a bit, “Oh, yeah. Gangle, right?” She nods and steps closer hesitantly, sniffing. Her ribbons were wrapped around a small stack of papers and ink liners.

“Oh, do you draw manga?” you ask without thinking. The ink liners were the kind you saw anime artists using all over the internet. Gangle nods, setting the stack of papers on your desk, “I don’t anymore, not really… Jax just makes fun of me for it. You frown, that familiar annoyance tingling in your gut, “Hey, just ignore him okay? He’s just a @#$%*,” your rather unpleasant name being censored by a cartoony boink. 

She nodded a bit, then lifted a sketching pencil, “Um… what did you want me to draw?” You think a moment, then smile, feeling a twinge of sibling-like love for the sorrowful girl, “How about you just draw? I’d like your art on my walls either way.” Gangle perked up a bit, “Anything?” “Anything.” She nodded and shyly began to sketch. You watched her doodle for a moment, then realized something.

“Weren’t you a comedy mask when I got here?” you inquire, wondering if it changed depending on her mood. “Oh… yeah, I was but… Jax took in in the hall…” she blinked and her tears fell, but new ones immediately formed, “I don’t know where he went with it…” So her mood depended on her mask, not the other way around.

You made a small growl, “I’ll go get it back,” you gently pat where her shoulder would have been, “just stay here, enjoy yourself, okay? Don’t worry.” She nods, and you walk out the door, “And Gangle?” you add on your way out, “if he tries to mess with you, just tell him you don’t care, okay? He wants a rise out of you.” And off you went, in search of the annoying purple rabbit. Oh boy, was he about to get an earful.

TAGGING TIME: @lostsoullover (my bestieeee) @dai-tsukki-desu

[tanoraqui]

Dungeon Meshi Liveblog: In Which Chilchuck Begrudgingly Has Feelings for his Coworkers, and Kabru Has...Something. He Sure Has Something Going On Over There.

Before we continue, I feel I should clarify 2 things:

I've been trying, ish, to avoid spoilers for this comic, but I've watched through the Golden Country episode and more importantly I'm so bad at not reading spoiler-y but interesting- and insightful-looking analysis. So, much of this commentary isn't wholly original and any particularly genius theories of future events are likely made with actual foreknowledge.

When I said on the first post that I was starting the comic because "I need to know what happens", what I specifically meant was "I need to know how the Laios-Kabru dynamic ends up, and the general geopolitical situation, so I can accurately daydream what sort of tariffs they'll set in the kingdom of which Laios is definitely not going to be the one managing the political, economic, or social minutia." Tariffs are going to be important, okay. They're a key way a nation-state interacts with other nation-states, especially one with rare materials to trade, powerful neighbors who want them, and the natural barrier of an ocean. Truly, every fantasy series ever should be required to have an epilogue or many an additional book/season/etc of a The West Wing-style depiction of day-to-day governance of whatever resulted from the story's climactic finale.

Okay, back to the liveblog.

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Inch resting. The manga characters, having met the Mad Mage, keep using she/her pronouns for them, where in the anime they used he/him. I assume one of these is just, like, wrong - some translation choice was made before truth was revealed later in the course of publication?

But it makes SENSE that the characters wouldn't necessarily know, at this point! The Mage's appearance is pretty gender-neutral, especially as an elf, an notably gender-ambiguous race. So the characters in the manga picked one guess and stuck with it, and the characters is the very slightly alternate timeline of the anime picked another and stuck with that!

Now: having used they/them throughout this musing and previously he/him because a) the show and b) that's what I saw in fandom, I think I'll switch to referring to the Mage with she/her pronouns now. Because A) that's how the thing I'm reading apparently will be doing it, and B) they still call her "Lord of the Dungeon", which is obviously the greatest gender option of all.

...however, the manga does keep saying "lunatic magician" rather than "Mad Mage" (caps mine), which is a TOTAL failing in drama. Always alliterate, preferably archaically.

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Orc woman: Ugh, this halffoot sucks. I'll tolerate his company only as a favor to the vegetable guy.

Orc woman after listening to Chilchuck complain about his coworkers for an hour: Nvm, this halffoot is a worthy and loyal friend of the vegetable seller, and I guess those other guys too. He's just emotionally constipated about it.

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Laios just has these soft little fond smiles sometimes and I? want to hug him?

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MY MAN IS BACK!! Kabru wink count: 1 this chapter, 4 total [updated as I read]

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Corpse Retriever: If you don't report us for trying to get you guys killed so we could collect a retrieval fee, we'll let you kill those two of our guys who are already unconscious and collect that fee yourselves. We'll just take 30% of it, for not telling on you.

Kabru, internally: Hm. Well, I'm not king of this dungeon yet, but nonetheless I feel comfortable passing and executing a just judgement upon you for your many known, presumed and planned crimes. Emphasis on 'executing.'

Kabru aloud: I accept!

Kabru: [starts killing them with a classic faint, wide-eyed smile]

What a guy. He's even holding that knife so well. Look, next he's analyzing social trends and acting ruthlessly to adjust them toward the direction of the greater good!

What a guy. Truly this is a "so my type that it's embarrassing" situation.

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I can't efficiently crop panels to show all this, but favorite parallels in these chapters full of parallels:

Kabru's breakdown of the Touden party is like Laios eagerly explaining and analyzing the behavior and anatomy of monsters (including, though we don't know it yet, calculations for killing them - though we DO see him saying that humans are easy to kill because he knows all the physical weak points!)

The references throughout these two chapters, by Kabru and his party, to the interconnected socioeconomic dynamics of the island and dungeon - the corrupted system fails to check corpse retrievers, the Island Lord as an annoying but necessary bulwark against the Elves, the dungeon growing hungrier as fewer adventurers go down because there's less money and more risk - are so so so like Senshi and Laiois discussing the dungeon biome's ecosystem and food pyramid.

The whole vibe of the party re: their respective weirdo tallman leaders. We watched Team Laios develop this, recently crowned with Chilchuck's near-tearful argument to turn back for a rest, which means we can recognize it when we're dropped into it with Team Kabru: that "this guy is SUCH a goddamn weirdo, but I already followed him into some level of hell, so I'm obviously not turning back now." Kabru's party does think he's weird - "You remember so much about other people that it's creepy." "Why are you enjoying this?" But they're also pitching in on the speculation like Team Touden all hel cook monsters. Compare:

Also!! Something something predisposed beliefs and presumptions of others... This party is so eager to assume the worst of our party, even though our party objectively saved them from perma-death twice, once from ghosts and once from being eaten by fishmen. Chichuck is greedy and bossy, Senshi smells so...notably...that he's judged to be sketchy af... Kabru is trying his best with what info he has, he knows it's not enough to pass a judgement and he wants more, but it's very...uncomfortable? To see this sort of discussion of people we know are great, when we're so used to watching monsters be killed with exquisite understanding and respect.

...I'll chew on that angle of theme more later. Man, you know how, say, what makes the musical Hamilton so good is at its heart it's just like 5-10 leitmotifs that interweave to create every single song? Dungeon Meshi is like that. Hmm a Dungeon Meshical...

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"Yeah, yeah, we've all heard your weekly lecture about how someone responsible and sociopolitically conscious needs to take the dungeon and the throne or everyone in this region is doomed. None of us can wait to see you flip off the Island Lord to his face. Eat your rations, buddy."

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JUST THE CUTEST, INNOCENTEST, POLITEST, HELPFULEST (WITH NO ULTERIOR MOTIVATIONS WHATSOEVER) YOUNG MAN!! LOOK AT HIS BIG BLUE EYES AND EAGER LITTLE SMILE!

[3 seconds earlier:

I'm obsessed. In the spirit of this comic: I want to eat him with a spoon. I want to take small divots out of him and lick each one carefully off the spoon, luxuriously exploring and enjoying the complex texture and flavor. Like he's a really good pudding. And then I want to see if, if he and Laios kiss, do they both explode in antimatter.

[kerubimcrepin]

LIVEREAD: WAKFU, THE GREAT WAVE [TOME 1, Chapters 4-7]

Always some weird shit happening in this country.

I really wish they didn't make Grougalorasalar so fine because now putting him next to Joris feels like one of those "trying to give my cat body dysmorphia" memes.

EXCEPT JORIS ALMOST DEFINITELY ALREADY HAS THAT 😭

Some thought that it's quite cheap, to resurrect a character this way — however, killing 1k people is already established as a type of resurrection that works, within canon. And there is dramatic irony, considering at the end of the movie she kinda began to understand the error of her ways... It's like the universe is saying lol, no peaceful death for you, keep suffering, y'know? It's compelling.

SHUT THE FUCK UP. I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FEE-FEES. YOU ALWAYS CRY WHILE COMMITTING WARCRIMES. COME UP WITH A NEW GIMMICK!

Like literally — this guy will cry over his dead son, and act scared about being forced to commit more warcrimes w/ Joris in the movie... and then go on to commit more warcrimes for centuries. Is he for real?

I think that, of all the people he could have picked, Julith is the most befitting candidate to try and fight Yugo.

She hated holier-than-thou types. She was aligned with Brakmar. She was willing to commit mass murder and abuse her son to reach her goals. For the right reasons, she will be willing to do more mass murder and son abuse once more. It literally makes so much sense to me.

(ANKAMA PLEASE CHANGE HER MOTIVATION FROM REVOLVING AROUND THE MAN SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH. DO KEEP THE CHILD ABUSE, THO. IF YOU DON'T DO THESE 2 THINGS, THIS MANGA WILL BE UNREADABLE AND UNBEARABLE. THANK YOU.)

Once again, I really appreciate the irony. I hope she feels bad about this — I hope it's clicking for her that this is what she was going to do. (I love torturing characters I love torturing characters I love—-)

I really wish we got some more of a conversation here — like "it's been approximately 600ish years since you died" or "the world almost ended like 4 times since you died, and there was a huge flood and stuff".

I really wish to see the reaction of some random mortal character from Dofus era to all the bullshit that has happened since then.

(God, I hope her first thought after learning how long it has been is, "oh, I guess I won't know what happened to my son. It has been a long time. He died a long time ago, I guess. That's probably a good thing." It would be so funny so so funny sooooo funny to me. hehe)

Due to Atcham being an owner of one of these thins in the past, I sadly have an affinity for them.

(I like to think Atcham wishes he could get another one, but being able to own an animal like this was like, one of the things he had to sacrifice to become a Bontarian.)

Something wrong with her, for real.

Loving their resurrection of Julith not just physically, but in spirit too <3

Welcome back, Irredeemably Evil Female Character Driven To Kill Torture And Abuse Innocents (Including Children) By "My Husband, Who Is The Only Person The Writers Have Me Care About, Died"-Disorder And No Other Character Traits Besides Motherhood/Desire To Be A Mother (Despite Being Abusive To All Children Around Her) Given To Her. You truly are a classic, in Ankama media!

I wonder if Julith is being forced into this, or if the only lesson she got from dying is "Jahash wouldn't have wanted me to kill 1k Bontarians" and she is still as weird and horrible of a person.

I guess it's hard to judge what is happening, without knowing what 'Salar told her.

By the way, if she still has a grudge against Bonta for planning the perfect series of events to kill her and Jahash, it will be so funny. Lady you literally tried to killed a woman's husband <3 you have no moral high ground anymore <3 and she never Had a moral high ground to stand on, but now there's like, hypocrisy to it too, if she uses the "my husband and I were plotted against" card.

[giggles cutely] You see, , this is why I often bring up Joris while analysing child-parent relationships and immortality. Ankama loves reiterating on ideas and concepts.

For example, the most recent motif is poisonings and belladonna, especially when love and royalty is involved...

I know I roasted the hell out of Eliatrope for her bad ruling skills, but I don't think that calling a ruling queen "kiddo" and "the girl" is helpful in this situation.

Then again, Aurora said that her father spent most of his time holled up in a cave, in season 4. Maybe he usually doesn't do politics. Maybe he's more of a military leader, while others do all the work.

...Yeah, I know, I know. Ankama just didn't give a shit and I'm just making stuff up to make it make sense.

[epickiya722]

So, I just read a posts about how some male anime/manga characters that are loved will be hated if they were female. And it got me thinking. What do you think will happen if Gojo, Sukuna or Bakugou were female characters (with the same power and same personality), will they be hated? For me, yes they will be hated. But, the same can't be said for Yuuji or Midoriya. Like, for me, even if their characters were female, somehow, I think will be loved... But what do you think?

Oooooh, I feel like there would be some mixed reactions with some of these characters. No, scratch that, all of these characters.

I'm tackling the MHA characters first.

With both Bakugou and Midoriya, I feel like the treatment they have now would relatively be the same, but there would be changes. Especially, depending on the type of fans.

Now, for sure, there would be people dragging Katsuki through the mud and cursing his name even if he had been a girl.

Remember, female characters aren't allowed to have flaws! If they do, somehow they're the worst person in existence! (Sarcasm, by the way, for anyone who thinks I think this of female characters. Like, some of you are quick to change the narrative of what someone is trying to say.)

But then at the same time, you can't tell me there would be people just being down bad for him had Bakugou been a girl. Like "Oh, I can change her", "oh, I want a girl who can dominate me like she can". If Maki gets the the "mommy" treatment from certain fans for simply being a girl with muscles and can kick ass, hands down Bakugou would, too.

Now with Midoriya, I feel like people would "tolerate" him a little more. There have been people who haven't even seen MHA, like actively watched or read it, and jumped on the train of "Midoriya is annoying because he cries a lot" and outright hate it because he is a boy. Had Midoriya been a girl? Oh, more people would have flocked to "Oh, she's so cute when she cries" and because "she's a girl, she's supposed to cry".

And you know how, especially during earlier years, Midoriya would get that "I need to be saved, I am a damsel" treatment? Who know the fic where he has to be saved Todoroki or someone else by Bakugou? Oh. That would come tenfold had Midoriya been a girl. Hell, with the ending, people who wanted Uraraka to be a wife so bad who definitely want the same for Midoriya.

They would ignore that, in this case, this girl isn't all fragile and can fight. Midoriya is a wild card and feral, and that would totally been ignored by the fandom. "She's too cute to not be a wife."

Well, Miss Midoriya has the goal to be a hero and help people, thank you very much!

Now onwards to the JJK characters.

Okay, with Gojo and Sukuna... yeah, I can see them being hated. People would hate, hate, hate to see women acting the way they do. Bashed left and right.

Know how Gojo has a complicated life? How he was practically born to be some trophy to show off and a weapon to be used? None of which is his fault?

Yeah, the fandom would just throw that out the window. Female characters don't get sympathy from some of these fans. Gojo would be reduced to nothing but "alpha rich bitch" status. (Which, now that it's hitting me, Gojo doesn't throw around his wealth like that. Sometimes I forget he is rich because he doesn't bring up money a lot. Or, shoot, at all.)

I can already seeing the fandom not taking their foot off a female Sukuna. Evil women are like the bane of some of these people's existence. The fandom already can't handle a complex, obviously meant to be judged female character like Mei Mei. (I get why she's hated, before anyone gets a hissy fit.)

Female Sukuna's saving grace would be her hotness. But that's taking a gamble given that most of the story Sukuna possesses Yuji's body.

A character that the fandom acts as if isn't allowed to be a main character. I agree that Yuji would be a little bit more loved as a girl, but I also feel like some people wouldn't still take to Yuji.

Some already hate him, yes, hate him because he's "boring". (I still don't understand those people and I don't want to. I'll leave it at that.) Had he been a girl... oooh, boy. I can't even begin to put into words.

Maybe Yuji being a girl would flock in more fans if everything was kept the same. And I mean everything. As in fans would immediately clock in his... well, her taste in women and that probably would be one of the few things that people would constantly talk about. That and her fighting skills.

Yuji as a girl would get the Maki treatment, hands down. "Oh, she's so hot when she's kicking ass! What's that? Trauma? Terrible family? I could look at more to her character than her looks and how badass she can be? Yeah, no, I'm not going to do that. She is only there for me to look and fantasize over for the role I assigned for her to the point she's practically a whole other character."

You know, all these characters would get that treatment. They get it even now sometimes.

Like, Sukuna would still be hated because he's evil and whatever other reasons, but he would still have his fans. Some people are fans of him because he just so happen to be that great of a character for them.

Same for Yuji, Gojo, Midoriya and Bakugou.

Male or female, boy or girl, man or woman, non-binary, genderfluid... no matter what these characters identify as, it's a winning and losing situation for them.

What changes would be how the fandom chooses to view that particular character.

Personally, for me, I would still like these characters for what they are.

While a character can be interesting because their gender can play a role into their story or maybe that kind of character isn't often seen in a specific gender, that character also shouldn't just be appealing because of and only their gender.

Sometimes, a character's gender just so happen to be a normal trait just as much as their hair color is.

It just sucks that a character's gender is what determines for some people if they'll love or hate that character.

[xjulixred45x]

Rin, Renzo, Juuzou: how would they react to finding out their crush is a half demon? 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

Awww this is kind of cute, thanks for the Request

(SORRY THIS IS KIND OF SHORT)

Rin Okumura/ Renzo Shima and Juuzou Shima x Half demon Reader: reactions

Genre: Headcanons

Reader: female

Warnings: SOME SPOILERS FOR THE ANIME AND MANGA!!!

Rin Okumura

Baby boy, baby.

To be honest, he probably already knew, being the son of SATAN, I think he can detect demons more easily.

(or maybe the reader is terrible at hiding it and wanted to embarrass herself)

but he really doesn't want to make the reader feel uncomfortable with that, because after all he KNOWS why one would want to hide that kind of information from others.

It makes you feel bad, but you think saying it will make you feel worse. He understands it.

So at first I would try to simply make it clear to the reader that she CAN trust him, that he is there for her, and that she shouldn't feel bad about telling him things.

(although this is done with very good intentions, it can end up causing the reader to feel EVEN MORE guilty for not telling her😅it's the intention that counts, I guess)

Let's say Rin is willing to wait, reader, it's worth it.

But when does she confess it to him? UFF

Partly he is so happy that she trusts him to tell her things (God knows that in the manga he needs it) and he is definitely very grateful to the reader for telling him.

but on the other hand it is difficult for him to pretend that he already knew it before😅and he is really trying not to be obvious.

Rin definitely defends the reader a lot from those who try to discriminate against her because of her demonic heritage (again, he can relate A LOT to that) and tries to be an emotional support for her, a friend.

especially after they start dating, I can definitely see Rin showing more of her own hybrid characteristics in an attempt to appease the reader and make her understand that it's okay to be just the way she is.

It is not necessary to hide it, he is just like her. They are equal. They can be weird together.

Imagine if reader had a queue too? Rin definitely doesn't hold hands anymore, INTERTAINS TAILS.

Additionally to this, I can see Rin letting her crush play with her tail to calm down after a bad moment or if she is very stressed (GENTLY obviously, it is still her weak point. thank you).

Although in general, the relationship with Rin does not change at all when the reader confesses her "secret".

He continues to worship the floor she walks on. still acting like a clingy and loving boyfriend.

It really just makes him very happy to know that someone trusted him (MY BABYOOOO)

Renzo Shima

The little shit--

HE DEFINITELY KNEW, BUT NOT BY THE MEANS YOU WANTED.

Let's be honest, when Shima started as a spy for the Illuminati he surely had to know the origin of ALL his colleagues, obviously including a reader, so he knew VERY well what he was hiding, but since at first it was of no use, he didn't really give it any importance.

It wasn't until he got into a SERIOUS relationship with a reader that he began to take it into account more.

more than anything as it is something that makes her complex.

Although his reaction may depend on whether he has already rebelled as a spy for the Illuminati or if he is still undercover and cannot tell the reader that he has already had contact with SEVERAL hirbids (and that she is the prettiest of them all, obviously).

If it is the first case, he will probably tell her in a super buffoonish way that he already knew, reminding him that he is a SPY after all, but he doesn't see her any less whether she is a demon, human, unicorn, etc.

she is still his adorable girlfriend :)

Although yes, that leaves you thinking about whether you can really leave secrets to Shima...

Now, if it's before the reveal (e.g. in the Myodha arc) I can definitely see him reacting more dramatically, but I don't think he acts out of fear towards his partner, simply because 1- he knows it wouldn't hurt him (but already I would have done it) and 2- unlike Rin, they are a normal demon hybrid, they are not at risk of killing anyone if they get a little out of control😅 so he is fine.

Regardless of the cases, Shima really isn't any different from now on, maybe a little more willing to share some information he has as a spy for both sides with his partner and try to convince them to join, but let's be honest, that's something that Shima would do it regardless of the reader's origin.

He simply wants to have some fun with his girlfriend so they can both be on the winning side! Is that bad? (morally questionable without a doubt, although let's give him points for thinking from a good intention).

probably part of or information that tells a serious reader about all the data about demon hybrids, how superior they are to the average human, how important they are in exorcism, etc.

reader will not have low self-esteem on HIS guard >:(

Although he also makes a lot of jokes about it so that the reader loses her shame and sees it as something everyday, it doesn't always work, but what matters is the intention 😅

still a little shit, but HER little shit ;)

Does anyone talk bad about her in front of him? He would act calm, scream, use many words of affirmation with the reader so that those words do not stick.

and then I would collect some favors from the Illuminati so that said person does not appear in the reader's path again :)

Let's say that Shima takes prejudice "better", but holy shit is he spiteful...

"If you don't want to be mean to anyone, that's fine, I'll be shit for both of us!" Shima's motto at this point.

Just don't let him kill anyone. please.

Juuzou Shima

Not too much to said of him honestly

To be honest, he really had no idea and was somewhat surprised to never notice.

He just thought that reader had a weird family technique!

I already said it in other Headcanons, the man is DENSE as a rock (he gives me those vibes) and definitely even if the reader had grown horns he would definitely believe it was because of some kind of ritual and not because the reader is LITERALLY a demon.

so when the reader comes TO HIM specifically to tell him that she has a secret to tell him, he expected EVERYTHING but THAT (Does she smoke weed? Is she gay? SHE'S IN LOVE WITH ME? WHAT COULD IT BE??)

His brain was going crazy.

but when the reader tells him that he is half demon? blank brain...

He literally didn't know what to say. The man was so scared that it was something bad and it ended up being...this? what a relief!

and no, he really doesn't give a damn if reader is half-demon, and he doesn't really mention it.

As Izumo mentioned, there are MANY exorcists who are demon hybrids, why would I treat the reader differently because of that?

and definitely reprimands the myodha members who DO act differently with readers for this very reason.

the man is a gentleman, both before and IN the relationship.

Therefore, he greatly respects the fact that the reader keeps this a secret and protects said secret WITH HIS LIFE.

Don't worry honey, your secret is safe with him ;)

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

SORRY THIS IS SHORTER THAN USUAL! I take it more like a pre-established relationship(and You know that the more characters, the shorter it is) and SPECIALLY with Juuzou i don't have very good ideas😭 why people like him so much?!

[yuseirra]

Relationship Anaylsis: the parallels of Aqua-Akane & Aqua-Kana and Hikaru-Ai

In short, what Hikaru had with Ai is the combination of what Aqua has with these two girls.

I'm really good at analyzing emotions. It is my forte. I think I got this!! I got a huge hunch after having seen the most recent episode of the onk anime (S2 EP 15).

this post is mostly about Aqua's relationship with the two girls. It does lean towards aqukana.

If you're okay with it, please read!!:

*this was originally written in a different language, then translated through chatgpt..hshsh I've been doing this a lot..wow but it's so helpful though..

I just watched this episode, and oh, there's definitely something to it this time. I do have the volumes, but I read them last year... haha, and the memories are really coming back.

I think this episode really highlights how the relationship dynamics were set up.

It became clear that Hikaru and Ai's relationship split into Aqua-Kana and Aqua-Akane. Akane's relationship with Aqua feels like she emotionally supports him. On the other hand, Kana tends to break through Aqua's barriers and pulls him towards her.

Moreover, Akane's feelings towards Aqua seem to be a mix of wanting to help him, feeling sorry for him, and a tender affection, wishing he wouldn't be sad.

Kana's feelings towards Aqua, on the other hand, are the kind that make her happy and excited. Seeing Aqua lifts her spirits and energizes her. This greatly affects her condition—when Aqua responds to her, Kana can perform at more than 200%, but when their relationship isn't going well, she drops to below 70%, becoming subdued and deflated. Acting is her main job, so she'll perform regardless of Aqua, but when it comes to her idol work, which she started because of Aqua, the fluctuations are much more pronounced.

I think Aqua's main feeling towards Akane is gratitude. If I were to classify it as a type of love, it would be more like storge or pragma, a comradely affection accompanied by a sense of stability. He sees her as someone who understands the difficult parts of himself that he finds hard to express to others.

Aqua's feelings towards Kana, on the other hand, are romantic. If we were to classify it, it would be eros or philia—love that makes his heart race. The reason I felt it would be hard for this character to end up with Akane is that he has never shown any romantic excitement towards her. On the other hand, he's shown this a lot towards Kana throughout the manga, consistently. If Akane provides stable support, Kana's actions have a significant impact on Aqua. Kana is the one who shakes Aqua, making it clear that "Aqua likes her." Aqua is usually a very subdued character, but Kana stirs him up, provoking meaningful reactions and lifting his spirits. Whenever this happens, Aqua is a bit surprised and troubled, wondering why he's feeling this way, but he definitely becomes brighter.

I believe this would be similar to his biological father. Actually, Aqua has never once been distracted. He is clear about who he likes, and this consistency makes it hard to call him a playboy, even if he might seem like a bad boy.

Hikaru probably liked Ai and only Ai. There's little room for doubt about that. Even if he dated someone else, his heart was with Ai, which would have left the other person feeling very hurt (similar to how Aqua was with Akane). That's the type he is.

Speaking of which, I think Aqua and Akane might have ended up together if Akane hadn't taken a knife and tried to find Hikaru. Storge-pragmatic love is still love, even if it doesn't have the thrill. Being with someone can feel comfortable and stable, bringing peace of mind. That's a feeling usually found in couples who have been together for years. If nothing had happened and Aqua decided to focus on Akane and ignore Kana for a few years, it might have been possible.

However, Akane has an unusually strong desire to protect Aqua, which sometimes makes her overly intrusive into his personal space. It's not that her character is bad, but this is the opposite of Kana...

Unfortunately, Kana hasn't had many opportunities to deeply understand Aqua, while Akane goes in too deep. That's probably why it's hard for me to fully attach myself to her character. She's skilled at profiling and understanding others, but it feels like she's crossing a delicate line—almost rude, even if it's out of affection. Her character is kind. But, as someone who analyzes characters, I find that dissecting someone's personal life and then acting based on those assumptions, before they've said anything, can be really touchy and intrusive. It's more considerate to wait until the person opens up to you. Akane, however, strongly believes in what she perceives, which is why she took up the knife for Aqua. She saw something so clearly, but the problem was that Aqua didn't want her to go that far. That's why things didn't work out.

I understand where she's coming from. Akane is very sensitive and perceptive. When it comes to characters, analyzing deeply doesn't hurt anyone, so I can comment on them. But with real people, even if I notice something, I can't act on it with such certainty. It's important to experience things directly and listen to what the other person wants. Akane's confidence in her perceptions led her to act, thinking it was the right thing to do for Aqua. However, Aqua didn't want her to take such extreme measures, and that's why it didn't work out.

Watching today's episode gave me some insights. It seems that Akane's feelings for Aqua are indeed love, but they also resemble a maternal kind of love, wanting to protect and support him. Saying "I'm on your side no matter what you do" is something a deeply loving partner might say, but Akane and Aqua aren't at that level in their relationship yet, even if they have mutual affection. At this stage, such words seem to stem more from a sisterly or motherly instinct to protect rather than romantic love.

So, it struck me that Ai's feelings for Hikaru are essentially a combination of Akane's feelings for Aqua and Kana's feelings for Aqua.

To add, Ai's influence on Hikaru is similar to the combined influence of Akane and Kana on Aqua.

In the current movie arc, the emotional aspects of Akane-Aqua and Ai-Hikaru relationships seem very similar. Ai was a source of protection for Hikaru, someone he could turn to in times of great distress. When they were dating, Hikaru genuinely loved Ai and saw her as his only understanding companion. Their relationship was one of emotional support.

Ai wanted to share Hikaru's burdens, and it seems they might have even lived together for a while (in chapters 153-154, Ai packs her belongings, including a toothbrush, to leave. The fact that she could fit everything into a small bag and leave in such a sudden manner feels very real;; This must have been devastating for Hikaru, as it signaled the end of their relationship, she didn't even leave so much behind). To Hikaru, Ai was a refuge, and Ai wanted to provide that for him.

However, their relationship wasn't just about emotional support. The excitement and "I'm in love" feelings that Kana has for Aqua seem to echo in Ai's recorded videos.

Scenes of Hikaru and Ai dating or kissing are said to be fictional and Hikaru himself claims they are fictional. However, if we compare these scenes to Aqua's relationships, they resemble his interactions with Kana (and these emotions are typically found in romantic relationships, which is why I think Aqua and Kana will end up together). While they might be labeled as fiction, Aqua's immediate rebuttal suggests that, although not exact replicas, these scenes are likely rooted in truth.

I feel that the Akane-Aqua relationship has already reached a certain conclusion (I think these two will remain partners and good friends).

What's still unresolved is the Kana-Aqua relationship. The theme here is that while Akane was the one supporting Aqua, Kana is the one pulling Aqua towards her, bringing him into the light. I think this is the significance of Kana's role in the story. Just meeting Kana brings Aqua to life (honestly, this alone makes me think that Aqua would be happy with her).

I believe that ultimately, this is also what Ai wanted to do for Hikaru. She wanted to support him, share his burdens, and then, move forward to live a future together with him.

The fact that such words could be said about Hikaru shows how much Ai cared for him when they were together. A few paragraphs up, I mentioned Kana's excitement towards Aqua.

Actually, Ai's character is rather indifferent. She's cute and pretty, but Ai rarely shows genuine emotion, even when smiling. Hikaru even thought that Ai never loved him, just like everyone else. Even though they had two children together, he still wasn't sure if he was loved.

But Ai says that Hikaru was the first person she ever wanted to love. This is significant. When Kaburagi explained the moment Ai fell in love, Ai's face showed a blush and an expression of infatuation, which was really how she felt about Hikaru. This wasn't well depicted in the movie arc (I think it's because of the idea that Hikaru thought he was relying on Ai had to be convincingly portrayed. That's why it was handled this way). I think there's a chance this might come out more clearly as the Kana-Aqua relationship develops. I was cautious about whether Ai truly loved Hikaru because her feelings towards him seemed similar to Akane's feelings towards Aqua, which is a form of love but not quite the romantic, heart-fluttering kind between lovers. However, after watching the video, I understood. Ai really liked him. Romantically.

Both Ai and Hikaru must have had the same kind of love that Aqua and Kana share.

The emotional trajectory of Aqua and Kana is moving towards the brighter side together.

Ai probably wanted to give that to Hikaru. She wanted to take him, who was wandering in the dark, and bring him into the light where she was.

But she couldn't do that before.

The reason Kana's turn comes at the end is because of this. I believe Kana represents light and the future, and moving towards that direction would conclude the story.

It reminds me of Death Note. Everyone knows that L is far superior to Near and Mello. But Near says that combining his and Mello's abilities could surpass L.

Akane and Kana individually might not surpass Ai's abilities. But if they combine their strengths, the outcome for Aqua could be better than what Ai achieved for Hikaru.

The relationship dynamics for this comic are set up incredibly well. This is truly well done.

And I think Ai didn't give up on Hikaru. Something Ai left behind will likely offer redemption for Hikaru. It's like accomplishing something with the main characters that she wanted to do but couldn't as a child...

Additionally, as I mentioned before when analyzing Kamiki, Ai was an immensely significant presence for this character. Hikaru was originally a person who lacked love, and Ai gave him almost all the love he longed for. He couldn't help but love her. Look at what he says about Ai in chapters 153 and 154. He loved her enough to sacrifice his life for her—I've always thought this line was crucial. When would he have risked his life? He also said he genuinely loved her from the bottom of his heart.

Those words have to be true. Seeing his reaction after watching the video, I'm sure of it. I think there's a high probability that he never tried to harm Ai. I'll estimate about 70%.

Losing someone like that? The reaction should be something like Mephisto or Fatal. He would definitely be capable of doing anything for her sake. Such a strong feeling towards someone would lead to that.

And Ai really did like him.

I believe Ai will ultimately get everything she wished for because she's ambitious :) I think the true essence or the final impact of the song "Idol" hasn't come out yet. I believe that song will encompass everything until the end of this story. It seems like it was made with the ending in mind.

I'm looking forward to it~

[ivyial]

okay time for some delulu gojohime analysis that's a bit of a reach.

so earlier today, i was rewatching a compilation of gojo and utahime's scenes from season 1 and it rang a bell (also, i just want to say, mappa gotta have gojohime shippers on the team cause some of the s2 gjhm elements weren't in the manga). ANYWAY.

so in episode 14 (the beginning of the tokyo-kyoto goodwill event arc), utahime is introduced (and i'm not gonna say that her literal second sentence onscreen ever is inquiring after gojo, but i am going to say that). then gojo comes in with gifts for the kyoto students - some charms from a tribe. this is how the panel goes in the manga:

nothing specific about those charms/souvenirs. gojo also explicitly mentions that they're for the kyoto kids - nothing for the staff.

now here's how it goes in the anime:

unfortunately i don't have the japanese script for this scene or the exact intended meaning, so i'll have to use the english translation :')

in the anime, there are two changes to gojo's dialogue:

the tribal charms are specifically protective. whether they work or not, they were made with the intention of protecting the user in mind

"the kyoto kids" becomes "everyone from kyoto" (including staff, technically)

now assuming that these changes are correct, it makes the scene way more relevant to gojohime.

as we know, gojo thinks utahime is weak. he says it to her multiple times and it's pretty much his go-to insult for her. we also know that gojo is loaded with cash, so spending a few more bucks isn't an issue. and yet... he didn't get her one of those. this is one amazing opportunity for gojo to make fun of utahime, by giving her one of those charms and implying that she needs it because she can't defend herself. but for some reason, he didn't take it.

there are a few ways to interpret that:

gojo is a decent enough guy to not embarrass her in public in front of other people. although, this isn't true, since he does do it in front of other people all the time: see season 2, episode 1, when he calls her weak in front of mei mei and geto. so maybe he just doesn't want to embarrass her in front of her students. again, not exactly true, since he puts her on the spot later in the goodwill event arc:

pretty 'eh' to ask her to give a speech unprepared in front of all of the students, especially since she ends up performing very poorly. maybe he draws the line at calling her weak in front of her students, because he understands that they look up to her.

2. gojo didn't give her a protective charm because despite calling her weak all the time, he doesn't fully believe that and he knows she can defend herself. it is vaguely reminiscent of their recent shared scene in the manga, in which *spoilers for the current arc* utahime's cursed technique is revealed and she acts as an amplifier for gojo's. he definitely trusts her enough to team up with her, just like he did to find the traitor at the kyoto school.

3. utahime doesn't need protection, because he is there. for this interpretation, i'm drawing a parallel between this scene and this post explaining how utahime is metaphorically always under gojo's eye. even without that detail, there's his whole spiel in 2x01 where he dramatically announces "i'm here to save you, utahime". it's worth noting that he pretty much came round to help her out because he knew she was in danger (i think? someone correct me if i'm wrong please).

one thing's for sure though, it's that gojo doesn't truly believe that utahime is too weak to be a sorcerer. is she weaker than him? sure, but that doesn't make her incompetent. and if she needs to be protected, he's more than happy to do it for her.

[seangelfish]

buster bros with a younger sister.. you,, SHAKES YOU !! sobbing it was so so cute !! i love how you interpretated it and how each bro had a different relationship w/ her !! it was very heartwarming aughhuhuuhhh

so,, im back to request more yippee !! could i request ichiro dating someone ? what would their relationship be like, how would his brothers react and most importantly would they approve,,

sorry if this is too much i just love buster bros a completely normal amount,,

A/N: I'm so glad you liked it as I had so much fun writing it! And of course, I'm loving the Ichiro requests from you haha~ I am SO sorry this took so long, but I hope you will also like this one too! (´꒳`)♡

Relationship headcanons

Ichiro Yamada x reader ♡ Genres/types: Fluff, headcanons, established relationship, she/her pronouns, not proofread! ♡ Word count: 854 ♡ Synopsis: Headcanons of what Ichiro is like in a relationship and how his brothers react to it.

– Ichiro would be the best lover you could ever ask for. He's so attentive and loving that it melts your heart. He knows every little thing about you that you were sure he wouldn't remember, so it would always be a sweet surprise when he'd gift you your favourite snack or drink.

– Despite how busy he is, you're always on his mind. Whenever he thinks about you, a smile never fails to creep up on his face. He's always hoping that your day goes the way you want it to, but if it doesn't, he'll always be there to cheer you up!

– His love language would definitely be acts of service. If you want something done, he'll do it in seconds. If you can't or don't have the motivation to run your usual errands, he'll do it for you instead. If you're an anxious and shy individual, he'll be your voice. He won't even mind it if you can't speak up for yourself because he'll do it for you.

– He'll be there to stand up for you if you aren't able to. He'll even be mad at your behalf if something or someone hurts you. Because of this, the person who has done you wrong will apologise immediately.

"Ichiro, you don't need to do that, it's fine..."

"No, it's not. They can't say that to you and get away with it!"

– Therefore, a relationship with Ichiro would be an ideal one. He's dependent and reliable, and is always emotionally and physically supportive. You don't need to tell him what to do because he just knows what you'd like for him to do. But of course, he'd like for you to communicate the things you like too.

– It's comfortable and safe with Ichiro. You know you can depend on him and he enjoys taking care of you too. It's probably because of his brotherly instincts, but his love for you is a lot different than his love for his brothers. He loves you with his whole heart and he isn't afraid to show it... only after getting comfortable in the relationship though.

– When he first had a crush on you, Ichiro was extremely bashful. He couldn't help it though. You were just so amazing and pretty. His eyes would light up every time he saw you. But he tried being subtle about it. His confession was kind of subtle too, but it was cute and romantic - just like the romance novels he reads.

He had brought you to a place where you could see the stars in the skies clearly, how beautiful they sparkled from where you stood.

You were in awe of how they looked. "Wow, the night sky is so pretty from up here!" you exclaim.

"Mhmm," Ichiro agrees. "This is how I see you too."

– The two of you would definitely watch anime together. You would give him recommendations of your favourite ones and he would immediately watch them. He loves all your suggestions and always asks for more.

– In addition, you would read manga with him too - sometimes together or just separately - but when you read together, he likes it when the two of you lay on your fronts as he holds the manga for you.

– You would cook together too. It feels like you're already married considering you take care of his younger brothers as well. After all, they're kids, so you treat them with love and care, cooking them meals and eating together like a family too.

– However, when you first met his brothers, they didn't seem to like you. You knew why as their reasons were obvious. They were so possessive of Ichiro, fully believing you were going to take him away from them. It was hilariously cute, but you had to reassure them with actions that wasn't your intention.

– You find their love for Ichiro really sweet, so you try befriending them. However, since they were so hard to get, Ichiro had to tell them to be nicer to you.

– Gradually, they start warming up to you. Jiro probably warms up to you first before Saburo does. They realise how much you care about their big bro and how much you care about them too. They always feel fluffy whenever they talk to you since you're so attentive and kind.

– Therefore, when they finally do approve of the relationship, they start wanting to hang out with you too. They think of you as their older sister or even a mother with the way you act. They love having you around, so it feels kind of empty whenever you're not there. When you were gone for almost two weeks due to work, they're the ones who miss you more than Ichiro does.

– Ultimately, being in a relationship with Ichiro is warm and loving. There's never a dull day being in the Yamada household either. It becomes a second home to you where you never want to leave as it's so comforting and full of life.

– And perhaps one day, this life will become a permanent one, where you get to stay with Ichiro forever alongside his brothers too.

Intro page | Hypnosis Mic masterlist | Requests rules

[heyiwrotesomethings]

Hi hi i hope im not lateee. Since you know chainsaw man and you're caught up in the manga, may i request makima with an F!reader? Im thinking of a scenario like makima controls everything except her s/o idk idk smth to do with that. Thankyouu and have a nice day!

Out of Her Control

Makima x She/Her Reader

A/N: I wasn’t sure where I should have gone with this one so it’s mostly snippets of before they got together and then ending with them as a couple. It’s mostly me trying to figure out how Makima would act if she had feelings for someone. I’m pretty sure everyone should know that something is off about Makima by now, but if you haven’t read the manga yet, probably skip for now just to be safe. Thanks for the request, hope you like it! Word Count: 3,564

Humans were just too easy to manipulate, to bend this way and that. More often than not, Makima could get what she wanted without using the full extent of her power, sometimes she didn’t even have to use it at all. And as much as she loved humans and their amusing little moral nuances and loyalties, it could be rather dull leading them on a leash, there was no challenge.

When Makima was informed of a few prospective team members applying to join her division of the Public Safety Commission, she scanned over their files and résumés as if paging through summaries of animals looking for their forever homes. She let out a disappointed hum, unsure if any of them were worth taking under her wing.

She would give them all a job, of course she would. Devil Hunters came and went as surely as the tides changed each day. They needed all the bodies they could get, but Makima definitely played favorites when it suited her.

Perhaps she’d get a clearer idea once they began their new profession, but she wasn’t holding her breath.

And for the most part, the new recruits were exactly as she imagined them to be, people pleasers, Makima pleasers, to be specific. Always doing as she asked without another thought in their heads. Reasonable people would say it was because of her senior standing among most Devil Hunters, but Makima knew better. If any other senior Devil Hunter sent one of their juniors off on a thinly veiled death march, they would not be half as successful in getting what they asked for.

“And that is how we will take down the devil in position of this sizable piece of the Gun Devil. Any questions? Concerns?” Makima asked with a overtly saccharine smile. She expected no resistance, but she always asked anyway, an illusion of choice. She inhaled to speak again, to dismiss the small group to what would likely be their last job, but an important one nonetheless.

But then a little ways across the table, a woman loosely raised her hand from where it had sat over crossed arms, without waiting to be acknowledged, she spoke,

“Miss Makima, I do have concerns. This plan will undoubtedly lead us all to an early grave.”

The rest of the table cast the woman dirty looks and grumbled under their shared breaths, judging the woman for not only questioning Makima’s plan, but even going as far to say that it would fail them so spectacularly. Makima subtly grinned.

“Ah, Miss…” Makima trailed off, she hadn’t bothered memorizing any of their names in the three weeks since they had arrived. If she had been anyone else, she might have been embarrassed by that now.

“(Y/n).” The woman supplied, her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows angled ever so slightly downward, conveying a mild annoyance that made Makima’s own eyes light up in response. No one ever looked at her with even the smallest hint of disapproval, wariness, sure, but never disapproval. Unless you maybe counted Kishibe, but he had been in the business forever so it was to be expected from him.

“(Y/n),” Makima tested the name on her tongue, “please do share what you mean.”

The other juniors in the room jumped in before (Y/n) could say a word, assuring Makima that her plan was perfectly acceptable and that they could handle everything just fine.

Makima raised her hand, motioning the group to quiet, which they did almost immediately. No different from her dogs at home, really.

“There is no need to become so defensive on my behalf, we are all working towards the same goal and have humanity’s best interests at heart. I would be remiss if I didn’t take the thoughts of others into account before possibly making a grave miscalculation. So that being said,” Makima’s eyes found (Y/n)’s again, “the floor is yours, (Y/n).”

“Thanks, anyway,” (Y/n) pushed her office chair away from the conference table and strode over to the city map projected on the wall near where Makima stood.

Her peers shot her questioning and displeased looks as she went. Makima stepped back to give her room, hands clasped behind her back, waiting, intrigued.

“This route makes no tactical sense,” (Y/n) pointed out, “It would bring too much attention to us if we were all grouped up like this. The devil would see us coming and with its Gun Devil enhanced power, it would wipe us out in a single attack. I strongly suggest…”

(Y/n) went on to mark three separate routes on the map and even went on to share the strengths of each individual in the room and who should be paired off and take which route.

“…Finally, if all goes smoothly, we should all converge near this point, and take care of the devil then,” (Y/n) looked over to Makima who’s face still wore a ghostly smile, “Of course I’m open to more discussion, but if you insist on your initial plan Miss Makima, then you can count me out.”

A few strangled sounds of disbelief littered the room, but Makima simply tilted her head to the side, eyes boring into (Y/n)‘s.

“You would quit?”

“Perhaps. Private Sector makes more money anyway. And despite my clear lack of popularity with my coworkers’ at present, I would rather them not die if it can be helped. What do you say?”

Makima chuckled at that, leaning into (Y/n)’s personal space. (Y/n) didn’t fluster nor back away, but she did raise an expectant eyebrow, a curious expression visible as she waited for Makima’s denial or approval of her idea.

She had Makima’s approval alright, in more ways than one.

“Very well,” Makima nodded, unblinking, “let’s give it a try.”

***

(Y/n) stared down bitterly at the graves long after the service had concluded. Then she heard a rumble roll across the sky accompanied by the rustling of grass and approaching footsteps. The dark shadow of an umbrella fell over her head and a long, black coat came into her periphery as the first drops of rain began to fall around them.

“Would it really have killed them to listen to me?” (Y/n) murmured without thinking.

“It certainly killed them not to listen.” Makima provided, tone neither one of mirth nor despair, simply apathetic. “For what it’s worth, I thought your plan was better. At least their sacrifices hadn’t been for nothing.”

“I suppose.” (Y/n) sighed wearily.

When the day of the mission had arrived, (Y/n)‘s stubborn peers acted on the original plan detailed by Makima. (Y/n) had linked up with some of the senior hunters from another unit and together they killed the devil and retrieved the fragment of the Gun Devil that it had coveted, but not before a good chunk of the city block had been destroyed. Several civilians as well as her peers littered the street crushed and mangled.

“The rain is getting stronger,” Makima noted, twisting the umbrella that hung over their heads, “I’d like to invite you to my home. I’ll make you something warm to eat and we can drink our sorrows away.” Allow me learn what makes you tick.

(Y/n) surprisingly shook her head, “I appreciate the offer Miss Makima, but I need time to reflect on my own I think.”

Makima’s lips parted, a honeyed insistence already on her tongue, but then she stopped herself, a small smile painting her lips instead.

“I understand. Perhaps another time then.”

“Sure. Well,” (Y/n) paused awkwardly, then flicked up the hood of her coat, “see you Monday.”

“Monday,” Makima confirmed.

She made a move to press her umbrella into (Y/n)’s hands, but she was waved off as soon as their hands touched, (Y/n) thanked her anyway but she had still denied the silent offer, order? Makima watched on as (Y/n) walked briskly out of the cemetery, a taxi already waiting for her to climb into it.

Makima watched the car roll off before starting to walk to her own. She could have easily persuaded (Y/n) to join her, but she found it much more compelling to let the chips fall where they may, for now at least. It was rather exciting.

***

Makima never used her power on (Y/n). A self-imposed rule. That didn’t mean she didn’t have little eyes and ears on her almost constantly. She enjoyed checking in on the unsuspecting Devil Hunter, watching what she did when she wasn’t working. It seemed silly, but Makima felt like she might have been falling for the young woman.

Perhaps it was an unhealthy amount of self-confidence provided by her constant stream of admirers, but she couldn’t have been more surprised when (Y/n) politely declined her proposition. It wasn’t obvious, the biggest hint of her bafflement being two blinks in rapid succession.

“I’m sorry Miss Makima, I just don’t think it would be appropriate for the workplace. Not to mention how dangerous this job is. It’s not a good idea to get too attached to anyone here. I learned that pretty quickly…”

Makima squeezed her hands behind her back, reminding herself that (Y/n)’s will, free from her own, was what drew her to her in the first place. Besides, who really knew what the future would hold for them.

“No need to apologize, I understand your concerns. However, if you ever change your mind, I’ll be here.”

(Y/n) shook her head, a sympathetic smile on her face, “Don’t wait for me, Miss Makima, you do deserve to be happy with someone, but it probably isn’t going to be me.” Then she left Makima’s office, closing the door quietly behind her.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Makima leaned back in her chair, smiling to herself.

She was still committed to not using her influence, and she was confident that she wouldn’t need it. She’s seen many questionable human couples, if they could stumble into a courtship, she certainly could. She would just need to be patient and drop subtle reminders of her availability.

One might argue how Makima studied (Y/n) so thoroughly to know exactly what to say and do to get her heart pounding would be just another form of manipulation, but Makima would say that this way took a lot of time and effort and was much more heartfelt. In fact, as the months stretched on and the longer it took to win (Y/n)’s favor, the more Makima felt for her.

It had been a particularly hard day for (Y/n) when she had gone to Makima asking if she wanted to go out for drinks. She had grown out of the rookie position by simply surviving a few months and had been assigned a couple juniors of her own to look after. They had went as quickly as they had came, but it still weighed on her.

Makima made sure not to seem too eager. She would be a shoulder to lean on, but anything (Y/n) wanted, she could have it if she went for it. Truly not knowing where the night would go, excited her.

Makima ushered (Y/n) into her car and took her to a restaurant she had remembered her mentioning in passing as one of her favorites. They got a cozy little booth in the corner. The ordered their meals and drinks and quietly conversed, letting the warmth of the room and the gentle clinks of of cups and chopsticks against ceramic.

It was the most loose Makima had witnessed (Y/n), she had a couple drinks, but she wasn’t drunk by any means. Maybe a little tipsy at most, but her smile looked more genuine than it ever did at work, and she sounded so relaxed, she even laughed! But then she began hiding yawns behind her hand and final calls could be heard from the bar. It was getting late.

Makima hated the thought of having to drive (Y/n) home. She never wanted to let her go for even a moment, but that wasn’t her choice to make. How irksome it was to play by the rules of a game she had created. A game that only she was aware she was playing.

Makima scooped up the check an paid for everything before (Y/n) could even think about reaching into her coat pocket.

“Hey, I’m the one who invited you out. What do I owe you?” (Y/n) asked, cracking open her wallet.

Makima reached over the table and put her hand on (Y/n)’s to stop the motion.

“You owe nothing. It’s been difficult for you these last few weeks.”

Makima noticed a look of gentle longing, but it left as quickly as it came when another yawn passed (Y/n)’s lips.

“Let’s get you home.”

Makima ushered (Y/n) outside and into the passenger seat of her sleek black car before maneuvering around to get in herself. The ride was quiet save for the ac blowing a constant stream of warm air to offset the chill of the night. When Makima parked the car outside of (Y/n)’s apartment complex, she turned to smile at her and waited for her to unbuckle her seatbelt, but instead she just sat there, looking pensive.

“What is on your mind, (Y/n)?” She asked, inching her hand over the center console while she debated if it would be a good idea to touch her or not.

(Y/n) leaded back against the car door, halting the slow journey Makima’s hand had been making. (Y/n) bit her inner cheek and looked out upon the streetlights casting the sidewalk in a yellowish glow.

“I think I’m failing for you.”

Makima’s eyes lit up with an excited gleam, but still she left the decision of what would happen next up to (Y/n).

“What will you do about it?”

(Y/n) leaned over the center console, her hand resting atop Makima’s. She leaned in further still until her lips found Makima’s. It took a lot of control on Makima’s part to not chase her when she pulled away too soon for her liking.

“Was that okay? I’m sorry, I know you said you liked me, but that was awhile ago and I still should have asked first.”

“It was fine,” Makima assured, “No need to apologize.”

“…Just fine?” (Y/n) asked, almost incredulously.

“Could have been longer,” Makima smirked.

“Well, I could rectify that, if it’s okay with you.”

Makima was more than okay with it, she had been waiting for a development like this for what felt like ages. The longer they continued to kiss in her car, the more she began to wonder,

“What made you change your mind about us being together? I recall you not finding workplace relationships favorable.”

“That’s true,” (Y/n) agreed, between trying to catch her breath, “But I decided after attending my third junior’s funeral that I’m done with devil hunting. I’m quitting. I did leave the resignation paperwork on your desk last week, did you not notice it?”

(Y/n), leaving Public Safety? That would make watching her so much more difficult, limit their time together drastically. This both annoyed and exhilarated Makima because she could not have foreseen her making a choice like this. She would not have had her make a decision like this. It was almost enough to make Makima use a bit of persuasion to have (Y/n) sleep on that decision and think it over, but she couldn’t. A (Y/n) under her control was not really her (Y/n) at all, oddly enough.

“I guess I was too busy admiring you, to think about what you were there for.”

“Ever the charmer,” (Y/n) unbuckled her seatbelt, ��Well… you have my number, let me know when you get home safe and then maybe we could exchange schedules for next week?”

“You already have a new job?”

“Family Burger,” (Y/n) groaned, “Just until I finish the degree I left hanging. I hope.”

“I guess I know where I will be getting lunch for the foreseeable future then.”

“You cannot eat Family Burger everyday, It’ll kill you!” (Y/n) laughed.

“It would take a lot more than a a little grease to kill me.” Makima grinned, maybe (Y/n) would learn that someday.

“Trust me, it would be more than a little grease. But I wouldn’t be opposed if you came by every once in awhile.”

“It’s a date.”

“No way! I’m gonna take you on a real nice date the next time our schedules sync. Mark my words!” (Y/n) promised. She pressed a quick kiss against Makima’s cheek, then opened the car door to let herself out.

“Good night, Makima.”

“Good night.”

Makima watched (Y/n) wave to her from the door and when she walked inside and shut the door behind her, Makima drove home. She was sure to text (Y/n) of her safe arrival as soon as the dogs stopped jumping all over her.

They texted back and forth for a bit, sharing possible times to meet up, and then Makima decided to take a shower before getting into bed. She stared up at the dark ceiling, going over the night’s events in her mind.

It all felt so very peculiar. Makima wasn’t quite sure she had ever felt so many emotions in such a short time. (Y/n) appeared to return her affections, she kissed her. Multiple times. She only wished (Y/n) would stay with Public Safety. It was something that she could easily remedy, but she had restrained herself yet again. Though Makima wondered if she would be able to continue that trend if she had reason to believe that (Y/n) could be in danger. It was easier to look out for her when they worked together. She may have the birds and rats to keep an eye on her, but the proximity was stretched much too thin for her liking.

Hopefully the next steps in their relationship would follow quickly now that the ball was finally rolling. She wanted to come home to see (Y/n) curled up with her dogs in the worst way.

“Soon,” she promised herself, “soon.”

***

The day did come when (Y/n) suggested moving in somewhere together. It took longer than Makima would have liked to get to that point, but at least it was finally happening. She would have liked to have a talk with whomever gave her the impression that it was customary that women moved in together on the second date. It would have humiliated even Makima if (Y/n) had known she came to pick her up with her trunk full of collapsed boxes to help her move, only to learn they were going to the aquarium.

“Awww, this is the sea lion plush I got you when we went to the aquarium, isn’t it? We should go again sometime soon.” (Y/n) smiled, placing the stuffed animal back on the bed.

Makima nodded in agreement. Despite her initial disappointment, she did have a good time and she did like the sea lion (Y/n) had gifted her. They’re like the dogs of the ocean. Makima never really understood the novelty of such toys, but she had to admit there was something desirable about this one at the very least.

After hanging the rest of (Y/n)’s clothes in the closet, they heard a few whines and a pawing at the door. The dogs had been shut out to keep them out of the way as they unpacked (Y/n)’s belongings.

“The sweet babies,” (Y/n) chuckled, “so lonely.”

“They are simply excited about your indefinite stay, as am I.”

(Y/n) walked around the bed to hug Makima, melting when the embrace was returned.

“Me too. Should we let them in now?”

“Only if you are ready to be buried in seven heavy, wiggly, fluffy dogs.”

“Oh, I think all the other times I came over to visit prepared me for this moment.”

“Fair enough.” Makima smirked at (Y/n) over her shoulder before releasing the dogs upon her.

“Nooo!” (Y/n) laughed.

She was immediately overwhelmed and shoved to the ground. Wagging tails and slobbery tongues hitting her from all sides.

“Makima,” she wheezed, “Help!”

“I thought you said you were prepared?”

“I was wrong!”

“Sit.” Makima ordered. Her voice was soft, but the dogs listened without delay, each looking up at her expectantly. Makima made a quick motion with her hand and the dogs stampeded out of the bedroom.

“Thank you, my hero.” (Y/n) reached her hand up towards Makima, while still laying flat on the floor.

“You’re very welcome,” Makima reached further than (Y/n)’s hand, instead grasping her above her elbow to pull her up so they stood chest to chest. “Is this better?”

“Much.” (Y/n) clung to Makima again, smiling contently.

“So affectionate today,” Makima teased, though she was being just as touchy.

“I would argue I’m always affectionate with you, but I am especially happy right now,” she nuzzled Makima’s jaw, planting a quick kiss against her skin, “I love you.”

It wasn’t the first time (Y/n) had told her so, but the effect was always the same. A warm feeling in Makima’s chest like a warm summer afternoon always bubbled up. It felt so strange, but she enjoyed it.

“And I you.” Makima cupped (Y/n)’s face in her hands. Her stare was as intense as it was tender. She wasn’t sure she had ever been quite as close to happiness as she was right in that moment.

That something out of her control could love her, would choose to love her, it was euphoric.