#and fuuta..... oh they fucked up my boy and i love him so so much........

[good-beans]

SO THE WEBSITE UPDATE HUH

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 2, Match 2 BRING IT ON vs. THIS IS HOW TO BE IN LOVE WITH YOU

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for BRING IT ON:

"Reasons why Bring it On should win:

- Just by starting the song, the instrumentals are BANGER. Like his more rock style is very cool, even better than After Pain’s more mellow style - Arthur’s voice (Futa’s va) had bills due because have you HEARD his singing?? His raspier voice fits Futa so well - It feels so explosive and like a call to action in a sense, which very much matches Futa’s mentality during trial 1. He also wasn’t playing victim like a CERTAIN girl… (jk, love you mu!) - SAA HAJIMEYOU USOTSUKI KARIDA - UNDEAD HEROOOI YES SLAY KING HIS HIGH NOTE HERE IS HEAVENLY - His scream at the end. Oh my god. HE LITERALLY ATE THIS NOTE. AFTER PAIN COULD NEVER. BRING IT ON FTW 🔥🔥🔥" - His range goes WAAAAAY higher than Mu. She would end up like PHG if she even tried hitting any of his high notes in the last chorus /j

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- The vocals are amazing, those growls are so well done - You’re able to get Fuuta’s crime and motive pretty succinctly, only based on the visuals - But it still leaves a lot up to interpretation, like how he only attacked once in the final fight scene. It lead to some cool theories. - On that note, the game aspects are so cool!! Especially when paired with him going after people online, just good synergy with awesome style! - Fuuta’s scared face after he realizes what he did. The great contrast of other foes simply being knocked out then being met with blood splatter. - The tempo of the song changing with his mood is a really good touch as well. Make the song more chaotic which highlights his character traits well

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"propaganda for bring it on: the music FUCKS it genuinely slaps so hard listening to it. song style is incredible its perfect for fuutas personality and gamer vibes. also the way the mv frames everything as a game? the only time real blood and real gore happens being when killcheroy dies? the little details of all the usernames, the different monster designs, the generally distorted feel of everything being too lighthearted?

okay i could go on about the mv for hours but lets not. aside from that: the FEEL of the song!!! the vocals!!!! it really feels like fuuta putting his whole heart into it, into this point of view that both blows problems out of proportion and minimises them, and DEEPLY fucking up. my darling little hypocrite gamer boy twitter user. he makes his witch hunt genuinely sound like something that could sweep people up into it. also the instruments goddddd. the guitar and synth the bass and the drums the DRUMS. im relistening to it to write this propaganda and it keeps making me headbang when i should be writing. if you arent headbanging to bring it on you are LYING.

the way the lyrics are written is wonderful too!!!! they feel so brash and brave and powerful and like. cocky about it. and it fits PERFECTLY. its gets someone swept up into it and it FUCKS. vote bring it on im serious. lets go!! a victory march!! dan da dan!!"

Propaganda for TIHTBILWY:

okay so like the thing im most in love with: the VOCALS!!!! this song has an absolutely AMAZING singer and AMAZING vocals!!!! the way the conversational talk-singing lines still feel so musical!!!! the cute cute cuteeeee mahiru voice!!!! it brings you so much energy!!!! its a song sung with so much love!!!! mahirus va brings such an amazing feel to the song with such amazing talk-singing!!!! its very skillfully done and it happens in i love you too!! mahiru songs r the QUEENS of musical talk singing

the silly phone call bit. kurururu~!

the little vocal flourish and the way her voice raises up like an excited exclamation in the final prechorus!! daijoubu nante kirai DA!

its such a fast song but everything flows so well!!!! it makes it feel so bright and cheery and peppy!!

the instrumental is so underrated just LISTEN to that catchy bass line thats so pretty in the verses!!!! no for real even if u dont vote this is how to be in love with you go listen to the bass line in the verses it works to move both the song and the listener forward at mahirus sweeping breakneck pace. and the cute keyboard sounding and synth instruments!!!! its SUCH a danceable song!!!! i cant listen to it without bopping along in my seat

the way the ominous bits are subtly hidden? it all sounds so cute but there are just these Things that she sings that are really kind of concerning and unhealthy when she sings them!! and the veiled desperation to be in her relationship- listening to that and the cheery tone and breakneck, quick song pace, it really does represent mahiru SO well. she throws in all these little bits that just go noooo teehee the relationships just fine!! when it REALLY isnt

i would listen to mahiru talk for hours

the MV!!!!!! HER FASHION SENSE THE MAGAZINE STYLE!!!! the magazine style especially works so well with her character!!!! its so cute and stunning and just looking at it you have a blast. also her birdcage!!!! her birdcage and the bright orange and the pink bars!!!! the way everything desaturates and becomes more sickly looking when she wakes up at the end!!!! its such a happy carefully curated and designed dream and then it drains away!!!! also god all her outfits are stunning. mahiru call me

the way she sings "overheat de~!" cutest thing in the WORLD.

the little faces she makes!!!! godddd shes so expressive

actually the whole songs so expressive!!!! shes putting her all into it!!!! her words have so much expression in them!!!! once more praising mahirus va the way her voice can soften and become bright or subtly desperate so quickly is MASTERFUL control of expression when singing and its so underrated. join me in being insane over miho okasaki delivers her lines. shes such a perfect mahiru.

funniest es cover. hands down. funniest es cover.

this is how to be in love with you is FREE serotonin!!!! free energy right there!!!! this is how to be in love with you sweep!!!!!

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-The song is so cheerful!! I always feel like dancing and singing when this one comes up in my playlists!! Absolute banger, mood definer, kicking sadness in the shin with those high-heels and then hitting its face with a cute purse -THE HIGH-HEELS STEPPING TO THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC IN THAT ONE SCENE (0:50). SIMPLY ICONIC. NO ONE DID IT LIKE HER. -👠💅👝👗 -She is slaying. Look at her outfits. She put so much effort there. She gave it her all. Absolutely serving. -SUKITTE KIMOCHI WAKATTA TSUMORI? NARA KONO MAMA FUTARI O-VA-HI-TO- DE -The storyline of the mv MAKES SENSE and you can form a COHESIVE TIMELINE OF EVENTS (unlike other unspecified contestants' mvs you know 🙄) -look at herr 🥺 she beby 🥺 all she did was love too much 🥺 we all love mappi don't we 🥺 she deserved more let her win this pleease 🥺 -No medical malpractice happened in the making of this mv 👍

---

I care so much about This is How To Be In Love With You- it's visuals are brilliant in the ways it conveys its themes and narrative. I'm never normal Ever about the "Love as marketing" symbolism that is brought in by the use of magazines. It's a lovely upbeat song but the Horrors are Always Lurking under it, the breakup Ritual line is my Favorite Line cause its so horrifying but its said so casually and its so good oh its so good-

[faceless-es]

Thoughts On Milgram Characters

(This is pretty lighthearted and doesn’t go too deep into them as characters, just silly thoughts that pop into my head)

Haruka - I kin this man. Ever since I saw Weakness and was hit by a fucking bus of relating to later being hit by a fucking train from All-Knowing and All-Agony. (If you all are curious I wrote an entire note on all the lyrics and how I relate when I first watched it and basically trauma dumping, may show it if demanded) Besides kinning him I feel a lot of empathy and attachment for him. Do I condone his actions? Hell nah, but I just want him to have therapy and love. I rest my case.

Es - I love them. (I don’t know if I kin them or if they’ve just taken over my very being but-) There’s never been a snarky 15 year old in fiction I have adored more. I love their personality. The sudden changes in their personality with the bell and such leads me to be very curious about them, and also deeply concerned. Their lack of memory does the same. I worry for their future. I worry for them. The theories don’t help. Don’t hurt them, please. I want to take them and carry them away. Also, they are very much gender. Their voice is also very gender.

Fuuta — Our silly little gamer boy. I love him. He’s cocky, but he also is remorseful. He’s reflective and realizes his actions were not just. He’s smart. He calls shit out. He has good intentions. He’s snarky, fiery, but kind and passionate and willing to learn. He’s very reasonable, like if I were a prisoner in MILGRAM I wish I would be like him. His actions make so much sense and I applaud him for it. He doesn’t deserve this shit. He’s been wronged. I love him, a lot. Everything about him. I want him to have happiness. I also love his voice.

Kazui — Our dearest gay(?) man. I love him. (I say that a lot, don’t I?) I want him to take me under his wing. I love him. He’s so fatherly. He’s so fucked up. He’s the dearest. I’d love to talk to him and help him accept himself. I’d also recommend therapy. Our dear man, he’s so attractive too. But that’s besides the point, he’s also just so goofy. I love him. He deserves to live a good life and be loved for who he is.

Shidou — Our lovely doctor. I feel like he’s very misunderstood in the community, so many people say he’s an organ harvester, when he would just ask families to pull the plug and donate organs to other patients. He’s often painted out to be some crazy mastermind, I may just be dumb but I don’t see that to be the case at all. I think he’s lovely. He may be a bit of a mystery but I still love him. He doesn’t seem to be an ill-intentioned person at all. He also deserves therapy. I’d love to help him. Poor guy.

Yuno — I love her a lot. I love her personality, no matter if it’s “cold” or not. I completely stand by her. She deserves the world. I feel she needs therapy. She’s amazing and I love her sassiness and bluntness. The way she calls shit out as it is. She’s great.

Mikoto — Oh, dearest! This man, I love him. I love him more and more each day. Every theory I read about him leads me to have more and more empathy for him. God, I worry a lot for him. I hate how much he’s sexualized. I hate how he can be misunderstood or demonized. He doesn’t deserve any of it. I want to take him far, far away from it all. He needs therapy. I want him to be okay. I fear for him. I want to give him a big hug, and tell him it’s okay. God, I love him and his complexities as a character.

Mahiru — Oh, dearest. She had such hopes and happiness all shatter. Poor girl. She needs therapy, for sure. I feel bad for her. She clearly didn’t know what she was doing was wrong. I really hope she will be okay. She doesn’t deserve such pain.

Amane — She may be a bit of a brat, but I’ve grown to care for her more the more I learn. Poor girl has been traumatized so badly, I feel so bad for her. I do not agree with the way she uses her religion, but what can you expect? She was raised in a cult, it’s all she’s known. This poor girl, I want to hold her close. She needs therapy. She’s 12 for gods sake. I wish she didn’t have to go through all this. I hope she will break free from the cult. I still am angered by how low her vote has been, seems many people dislike her. I get that her personality is not great, but you have to take into account her circumstances.

Muu — Ah, our manipulative rich girl. I can’t say I like her, since that’d be a lie, although her songs are absolute bops. Yet, I don’t despise her, I just very much dislike her personality. She’s manipulative and self centered, perhaps partly due to her upbringing. She was likely a bully herself too. Not good vibes from her. Does she deserve to be thrown into some torture chamber prison for that? No, of course not. Also, Muu, stay away from Haruka. I’m warning you.

Kotoko — Ah, the savior complex vigilante. If you couldn’t tell by that, I don’t like her much. In fact, her self righteousness gets on my nerves a tad. She judges anyone and everyone freely based solely on her beliefs, yet she always is in the right somehow? Don’t like it. Although, the way she is a parallel to us the audience is genius. Really makes you think, huh? I’ll give her that, she makes me think. I wish she’d get off of her high horse though. I can sense there’s some deep insecurity in her, perhaps that’s why she does this. She is interesting, and could become a better person with work perhaps.

I hope no one is offended by this, these are just some thoughts that popped into my head when thinking of them. It’s pretty lighthearted. I mean no disrespect, all the characters are morally grey! I just have my own biases and therefor like some more than others. Thanks for reading it you did!

[eviclair]

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of your actual thoughts(tm) on khr, so what’s your constructive review on the series as a whole? Like some positives and negatives w/ the writing, characters, etc. If u don’t feel like answering, feel free to ignore this LOL.

 tl;dr because this is 800 words of nonsense. i think you should know i would not know a constructive review if it bit me in the ass.

my guy i have not done a full read of khr in maybe two years and i know that does not sound like a long time but i have the long-term memory of a fruit fly. please bear with me. luckily for both of us i liveblogged the last time i read so i at least have my own sparknotes jdflaksjddaf

first off! khr is a satire manga!!! i cannot stress this enough, i can and will fight you to the death about this!!! “oh but it gets serious later” it grows a PLOT, thats not the same thing. khr is stupid as hell and that is both on purpose and my favorite thing about it.

i fucking love shonen man!!! its all about FIGHTING and LOVING YOUR FRIENDS and HAVING EMOTIONS and. bro im a water sign. my mars is in gemini, there is nothing i can do about this, god made me and said “get that bitch some found family and also some incredible violence” and we all just have to live with that. 

khr is so much all of those things that i did not realize they were being made fun of until very long after the fact so my current opinions are very much not the ones i started with jaldkhjdfhd but man. once i clued in i both loved it so much more and became 100% incapable of interacting with fandom in any meaningful way L M A O

i just. the main conceit is that theyve weaponized the deus ex machina eleventh-hour shonen power up. the “my dead family came back to life to kill me” trope is used three separate times. the big bad student body president is a delinquent. theres an entire subset of above magic god powers thatre just

the tyl bazooka was just ripping on the Timeskip Arc until the Timeskip Arc actually happened?? like fuuta’s special thing is that he can communicate with the Meta Planet to divine Character Rankings, i dont know what to tell you!!! the truth is out there!!! 

like DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER that time tsuna experienced a villain’s flashback sequence FOR HIM because i fucking do, i think about it every day,

so in the sense of “please critique the writing”, i cant do that because im pretty sure 98% of all the tropey bullshit is by design. do i wish people like the kokuyo gang got more characterization outside of being ride-or-die villain sidekicks?? of course i do but thats my own damn fault for seeing cool side characters and losing all higher brain function. on the other hand, hibari being the person he is and having absolutely no backstory or motivation beyond “get out of my school” is really fucking funny and keeps me warm at night, so. win some, lose some.

(the 2% of the writing that isnt tropey bullshit that i CAN critique is whatever is happening with kyoko. Bad Female Cast is definitely a shonen trope but its a shitty one and i want it to die. within maybe four minutes of kyoko being introduced she tries to body a man and then thats just never spoken about again?? wheres that energy queen?!!! let kyoko say fuck!!!!)

((this applies to haru too in the sense that all she really does is make moon eyes at tsuna but the way in which she does so is honestly so fucking funny and unhinged that it comes back around to being great. like yeah yep yes ma’am thats 100% bonafide Girl Who Throws Skittles In A Puddle And Calls It Potion right there please may i have another))

If khr took itself even 4% more seriously it could be really deep and compelling and i think that frustrates a lot of people, but i think i like it better this way?? half the fun for me is reading in between the lines!! the subtext, however unintentional it may be!!

examples: yamamoto is one of my favorites just because theres SO FUCKING MUCH to unpack about him!! canon gives us a lot of information about him just by virtue of the fact that he’s a Main Character, but paradoxically he himself is never really the focus. he just Does Shit and you have to figure out why on your own and i LOVE DOING THAT.

i dont love mukuro because he’s a fleshed out and nuanced villain, i love him because he says shit like “i went to hell six times” and never expounds upon that or “i can definitely trust the information i got from this magic monocle called Demon Spade’s Super Evil Murder Eye or whatever the fuck” and then expresses surprise when daemon spade is an asshole. he goes and willfully fucks up the only job anyones ever given him (impersonate 80 year old leonardo lippi) because he Just Has to shapeshift into a young hot dude and hand deliver byakuran, the boss of the Flower Family, the Family that names all its members after Flowers, a bouquet that means “i am in disguise ;) cant catch me bitch ;)”

like WHAT THE FUCK!!

i dont know man. i just like puzzles and khr is a gift that keeps giving.

(sidenote that should’ve maybe just been the subject of the post but re:i cant shut the fuck up about anything ever, i love tsuna so much. so much. his personality!! his relationships!!! his growth!!! his growth!!!!! his growth!!!!!!! khr has its claws in me because i see tsuna do something cool or brave or even deeply stupid actually and my whole heart goes AAAAAAAAA bc thats him!!! thats my son!!!!! my baby boy whom ive raised since birth!!!!!! suit me up and call me a reborn kinnie, fuck!!!!!!!!!)

[therainroguefanfiction]

⁂ My Way (Xanxus)

Genre: Crack, Romance ☁

Word Count: 1,912 ☁

Pairing: Reader x Xanxus ☁

World: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! ☁

Song: “My Way”, Limp Bizkit ☁

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『Special. You think you’re special. You do, I can see it in your eyes.』

Xanxus was the leader of the Varia, a special assassination squad within the Vongola Family. He was filled with anger and hatred, more so than anyone else. His attitude was that of a king, as if he were better than everyone else in the world, as if he ruled it.

Xanxus was a spoiled brat who usually got everything he wanted handed to him on a golden platter.

Even after the ring conflict with Sawada Tsunayoshi and company, he still whined and cried about how he deserved to be the tenth boss of the Vongola family. Even after the rings had rejected him, he still felt like it was his right. He refused to accept the truth and chose to walk around the Varia Headquarters acting like a two-year-old who just had their candy stolen.

Xanxus felt as if he were special. It was clear that he was no more special than anyone else in the Varia, and yet he refused to accept that he was anything less than perfect. It showed in his eyes every time he looked at his subordinates or anyone else for that matter.

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『I can see it when you laugh at me, Look down on, And walk around on me.』

Xanxus was a man that looked down on his subordinates, the kind of man who could care less whether his allies live or die as long as he gets what he wants. He walks around on them and does whatever he feels like, while they sit back and have to take it.

You knew this fact very well. After the ring conflict ended, Iemitsu sent you to the Varia as an undercover so that you could watch over them to prevent history from repeating itself. Within just a few days, you began to get extremely sick of the boss’ childish attitude. You felt sorry for the silver-haired male who often had things thrown at his head. After all, Squalo was the only one who wasn’t afraid of actually standing up to the man, and he paid for it.

“What do you want now?” you heaved a sigh of annoyance as you stood in front of the black-haired man. He was sat in his big red chair with gold lining, one leg crossed over the other. He was staring down at the red liquid in his glass.

“Make me some food.”

“Go to hell, dumbass.”

The other members of the Varia were pretty sure you had a deathwish.

His red eyes narrowed as he turned his glare on you, swirling the wine in his glass, “What did you just say, trash?”

“Hard of hearing? I knew you were old but damn.” you scoffed.

The man stood up, yelling out a string of curses as you dodged the various household objects he was hurling at you, ducking and running out the door. You had a way of pissing him off more than anyone else in the house.

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『Just one, more fight, about your leadership. And I, will straight up, leave your shit. ‘Cause I’ve had enough of this. And now I’m pissed.』

If it’s one thing that Xanxus always liked to make clear, it’s that he is the leader and no one else. He makes sure to throw that around at least once a day, if not more whenever someone angers him.

Because of his testy temper, Squalo and yourself are usually the only ones dealing with him. How did you get so lucky, you wondered.

“Go and buy me some more wine, trash.” Xanxus ordered, waving his hand at you as if you were some dog that would lick his boots.

“Tch. If you want wine so much, then get it your damn self.” you countered, standing firmly with your arms held behind your back, a sign of respect you had gotten into the habit of showing over the years.

His glare darkened, “I am the boss. You are the subordinate. You do what I say and I am ordering you to go and get me some damn wine!”

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re just a little boy who likes to think he’s in charge.” you muttered, leaving the room before he had a chance to start his ‘throw-countless-objects-at-person-who-pissed-me-off’ tantrum. His hissy fit could be heard all throughout the house. His yelling and cussing, various sized objects being thrown at the door and walls. He really was nothing more than a child.

How had you gotten into this mess?

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『Just one, more fight, about a lot of things. And I, will give up everything. To be, on my own again, free again.』

One would think you were staying at the Varia manor and putting up with Xanxus’ bitching because you had been assigned to do just that. That wasn’t the case, however. Iemitsu had asked you if you wanted the assignment to come and watch over them. Naturally, you agreed, not wanting anything bad to happen to the members of the Varia.

Fuuta had always told you that you were a solid 3 on the ‘soft-hearted’ ranking.

You weren’t sure whether or not Xanxus knew this fact, but if he kept pushing like he was, you would gladly leave just to be free again. It had begun to feel like you were trapped here.

And that’s just how he wanted you to feel.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?” Xanxus motioned to the plate of food that you and Lussuria spent all day making for him, a look of disgust etched onto his face.

Lussuria held tightly onto the spoon that was clutched to his chest, looking down at his shoes. He was both disappointed and worried; he didn’t want the short-tempered male to unleash his fury upon him.

“It’s called food, dumbass.” you snorted, resting your hand on Lussuria’s back. He looked up at you with both gratitude and worry; he, along with everyone else, thought you were crazy to challenge their boss.

Xanxus growled, throwing the plate across the room and stalking out, muttering under his breath about ‘useless trash’. You clenched your fists, more than ready to teach that man a lesson. However, you had been clearly instructed by the ninth that you were not allowed to hurt him unless absolutely necessary.

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『Some day you’ll see things my way. ‘Cause you never know, where. You never know where you’re gonna go.』

You’d think that, with so many differing opinions in the house, that Xanxus would at least give one of them a try, but no, only his opinion was right –  no one else’s. He was always right, and everyone else was always wrong.

“I said no, damn it!” Xanxus growled, glaring at the group before him.

“Would it really hurt?” Levi asked, quietly. He was afraid to go against the boss, but he really wanted this, as much as everyone else.

“Yes, it would! I can’t stand cats!” he hissed, glaring at the small orange kitten in Bel’s hands.

Hard to imagine, isn’t it? The Varia actually wanting a pet kitten – which Levi and Lussuria had found outside – and actually being able to take care of it without harm. The only problem? His highness doesn’t like cats.

“Aww, come on, boss. I’ll keep him in my room.” Bel grinned, scratching the kitten’s ear as it purred in response.

“Damn it, no! I don’t give a damn what any of you pieces of trash says! That thing is not staying!”

“It’s an animal, not a thing, your dumbassness.” you commented, moving closer to the blonde so that you could scratch under the kitten’s chin.

“I don’t give a damn what it is! The answer is no!” With that, he stormed off, refusing to hear any more.

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『This time I’m going to let it come out. This time I’m going to stand up and shout. I’m gonna do things my way.』

One month later and enough was enough.

“That’s it!” you screamed, glaring at the male before you. “I’ve had enough of your damn attitude, Xanxus!”

He sneered, getting up and grabbing a fistful of your dress shirt in his hand, “What was that, trash?”

“I’m done dealing with your childish attitude, I’m done dodging glasses every time you get pissed, and I’m done with you treating your subordinates as if they were nothing. I’m done with you.” you pushed him away, heading towards the door. You stopped as a glass broke against the hardwood, just a few inches beside your head.

“You can’t leave.” he growled, “The ninth sent you here to watch us. You’re not allowed to leave.” So he did know, at least part of it.

“Oh?” you turned around to stare at the male, a smirk on your lips. “Guess what, your highness? I was asked, not ordered. I can leave whenever the hell I feel like it.” you opened the door and headed down the hall towards your room.

His footsteps echoed behind you, letting you know that he was following close behind. “I’m not allowing you to leave!”

“You can’t order me to do shit!” you made a grab for your bags, which you had previously packed, but failed when he grabbed your arm and slammed you against the wall.

“You belong to me, and I will not let you leave,” he growled dangerously, his grip on your arms tightening.

“Fine, I’ll stay… on one condition,” you smirked.

A scowl found its way to his lips, “What condition?”

“Back off.” You answered, “Stop being such an asshole and let the others speak up.”

He growled, clearly not happy with the condition.

You shrugged, pushing him away and grabbing your bags.

“Fine!” he growled again, finally pushing his pride to the side. “I’ll listen to what they have to say, but I won’t go along with it!”

You smiled, “It’s a start.”

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『It’s my way. My way or the highway.』

Amazingly, Xanxus did stick to his promise. Minus a few slips and broken glasses aimed at Squalo. The other Varia members were starting to feel more comfortable when voicing their opinions, not having to worry about getting hit with something or shot at. Bel was clearly enjoying the way the boss bit his lip and clenched his fists until his hands turned pure white.

It was killing the Varia’s boss, but he held up to his promise.

“I fucking hate you,” he growled, glaring at you as you walked into his study. He was sat in that same chair with a glass of red wine in his hand.

You smirked in satisfaction, “I love you too, idiot.”

He scowled, standing up and wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you flush against his body. “Damn trash,”

“Damn idiot.” you mimicked, smirking as his lips came crashing down against your own. “Oh! And before I forget, Xanxus…”

He raised an eyebrow in silent question.

“Bel and I kept the kitten.”

He blinked, staring at you. “YOU WHAT!?” The sound of yells, laughing and thrown objects echoed throughout the Varia headquarters.

Bel chuckled, playing with the small orange kitten on his bed, “I guess Y/N told him. Ushishishishishi~”

“Do you think it’ll be alright?” Levi asked, dangling a string above the cat.

Bel shrugged, a sadistic smile on his face.

Let’s just say this hissy fit lasted a lot longer than most of his other ones, and anyone who got in the way risked their head.

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[makeste]

KHR 065: Motivational Tomatoes

Before we get back to the action, this chapter featured the first-ever character poll results, and do you know who got first place?

That’s right! This is the one and only time he will ever make it into the top two, let alone beat out his beloved boss (and it wasn’t even close). The rest of the character poll results are here, for anyone who enjoys these things and feels validated (like I do) when other people also like their fave.

Moving on to the chapter!

I can’t believe Gokudera fucking died right when he was voted the most popular character in Japan.

THIS WAS A COMEDY MANGA

Honestly, it’s fascinating to see Tsuna freeze up in a situation like this. I think it might be the only time it ever happens? Before this arc, he had never been in a situation this bad. And after this arc… well, we all know he’s a bit of a changed man after this arc.

But for right now, he’s useless! At least he doesn’t just straight up abandon Gokudera, though.

This would be a great time for a really handsome fellow to make a flashy entrance.

I honestly don’t know how this smiling idiot never made it to #1 on any of the polls. Criminally underappreciated. Who do I have to fight to get him the respect he deserves.

On a side note, Tsuna’s expression when Yamamoto is going “WHE-W” is legendary. It’s such a perfect “Ohmygod what just happened… am I dead??!” look. No, Tsuna, you’re alive! You were saved by this fucking guy who’s got the best timing since the fucking T-rex at the end of the first Jurassic Park.

I can’t really blame the school, given that half its student body is currently laid out missing all their teeth. If anything they should have been closed to begin with.

Those girls from the previous chapter are just walking all over the damn town complaining about this fight. Bless you, girls.

I freaking love how Yamamoto hears “kid in a fight” and immediately thinks, “Gokudera.”

NOOOO MY LITTLE BOY [PETS HIS HEAD] [CALLS 911] [CALLS SOCIAL SERVICES] [ADOPTS!!] [KNITS HIM A WEASLEY FAMILY SWEATER!!!]

DAMN IT LOOK AT HIM JUST LYING THERE QUIETLY WITH HIS WRIST ALL FLOPPY AND HIS HAIR IN FRONT OF HIS EYES FUCK ME

Fortunately, Yamamoto knows how to express this exact same mood, but with like 1000x more aggression.

I’m not sure when exactly I started shipping 8059, but I do know that if I wasn’t already, after this panel I was all aboard that ship ready to never set foot on dry land ever again.

Also, Yamamoto is so fucking awesome Jesus Christ.

WHICH MAKES IT SO MUCH BETTER!!!

Also, later on in this chapter there’s a scene where Yamamoto cheerfully refers to it as “the mafia role-play” yet again, but you are kidding yourself if you think there’s any chance that this little murder butterfly, freshly emerged from his natural born hitman cocoon, actually believes it’s a game after this scene. GOKUDERA DYING IS NOT SPECIAL EFFECTS. I 100% believe he’s only playing along because it’s simpler that way.

Look at this idiot. Word of advice: if Yamamoto ever looks at you with that sort of expression, YOU FUCKING RUN and don’t look back. Better yet, don’t hurt his boyfriend in the first place and it won’t come to this.

ARE YOU WETTING YOUR PANTS YET CHIKUSA??

HE’S SO ANGRY sob I’m living for it so much! Also, of COURSE he’s number two on the list. Of course he is. Second only to Hibari. At least Fuuta fucking appreciates how amazing he is.

Let’s be real, he just knew Yamamoto was ready to kick his ass from here to ten years in the future.

SAVE HIM OH MY GOD!!!

CUT TO NAMIMORI JUNIOR HIGH

This makes me wish we could have gotten some sort of really tense, Godfather-esque hospital fight scene at some point in the series. I would have enjoyed that.

Anyhow, interesting that they have no problem sending the characters to the hospital in later arcs, even when it’s arguably just as dangerous (most notably during the Inheritance Arc, when someone had obviously tried to kill Yamamoto, and was still out there). So clearly, Gokudera only gets sent to the school in this instance so Shamal can be there to remind us all how useless he is. Even though he does save Gokudera’s life by treating the poison. I GUESS.

That’s going to go over real well.

Gokudera’s life in a nutshell.

I freaking love how Bianchi is constantly trying to pick a fight with Yamamoto Takeshi, the world’s nicest human. I like to think it’s because she already knows he’s going to marry her brother one day.

Yamamoto’s Chopper-esque deer-in-headlights look needs to be framed and put on my wall.

“Did you think we were done with the angst?” Amano asks, a sadistic gleam in her eye.

I was actually praying that we weren’t! And my prayers were answered.

YES TSUNA, BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER IT. LET THAT GUILT FLOW THROUGH YOU. LORD PLEASE LET NO ONE COME AND RUIN THIS WONDERFULLY ANGSTY MOMENT.

WHY CAN WE NEVER HAVE NICE THINGS IN THIS MANGA

Is he a lizard? Is he a caterpillar? Where did he come from? Why does he exist?

These are things we don’t question. Just accept and move on.

WE REALLY COULD HAVE USED YOUR HELP WHEN GOKUDERA WAS FUCKING DYING

“The most terrible of mafia criminals”, oh and also, later on, a bunch of (mostly) innocent kids whose ancestors once casually made a deadly and irresponsible bet. (I say ‘mostly’ because Kaoru was guilty of ATTEMPTED MURDER. NEVER FORGET.)

This is officially the first mention of the Vindice, though. Sure would be hilarious if these guys ended up being the final villains or something wild like that.

Yes, of course they’re the same person. Why would Reborn randomly be telling you about two completely unrelated Rokudo Mukuros?

OF COURSE THEY’RE IN THE MAFIA. WHERE ELSE WOULD KAKIPI BE HAILING FROM. THE INTERNATIONAL YO-YO FEDERATION? YOU REALLY THINK THE IYYF HAS IT IN FOR NAMIMORI STUDENTS FOR SOME REASON

Nah it still counts as mafia.

Hey, it’s Mukuro! What an elegant transition.

[INSERT NEYMAR JOKE]

Mukuro goes on to act really callous here, but take note of that “!” bubble above his head when Chikusa flops to the ground. Is he just surprised, or is could it possibly be… concern????? I honestly don’t know, so let’s just say it’s both, with him then proceeding to go all-in on the show of amused apathy right afterwards to hide it.

Oh yeah and he’s also excited because Chikusa’s finally gotten them a lead.

Were you seriously going to eat your friend why are you guys such shitheads in this arc.

I guess… he’s got a lot of faith in Chikusa, at least? Man, compared to this, Gokudera suddenly seems amazingly well off, even with his lack of a hospital, his doctor that doesn’t treat men, and his sister who’s more likely to kill him than cure him.

Reborn, please talk some sense into this spiraling young man who needs to be dragged into his leadership role of destiny by force if need be!

In all fairness, he doesn’t know he’s going to be a fucking superhero by the end of the day.

At any rate, Reborn is not the only one who thinks it’s finally Tsuna’s moment to shine!

I would kill to see one of these reports from Reborn to the Ninth. Tell me someone has written a fic about them. I’m obsessed with this.

Twelve hours?? Geez no pressure.

100 YEARS WORTH OF TOMATOES.

Tsuna. Now you gotta.

Now you really gotta.

Haha. The Ninth is sitting there at his desk like, “What should I say to motivate him? How about tomatoes? Everyone likes tomatoes. But just in case, I’ll also threaten to kill him if he says no.”

As we all know, at this stage of his development, Tsuna is fucking great under pressure, so he immediately pretends he hasn’t heard anything, screams that it has nothing to do with him, and runs off in a panic.

Which is actually exactly what he needs to do to end up getting a reality check!

NO IT’S NOT

This is exactly why Reborn is the tutor and the Ninth is just the old guy with money. “Rather than seducing him with tomatoes, I’ll just remind him that no matter what, he can’t escape this shit anyway, and if he sits around and does nothing he’s fucking screwed.”

Like, it sounds cruel, but it’s exactly what he needs to hear. Along with this.

Things I love:

Reborn’s complete faith that deep down, Tsuna already knows the right thing to do.

Reborn understanding that there’s a layer of fear/panic/anxiety that he has to cut through in order to get to that essential core of Tsuna. (I mean, that’s the very concept of the Dying Will bullet right there.)

Reborn knowing exactly what to say to activate that inner strength.

Tsuna’s scared-but-resolved face when he thinks about Ryohei and Kyoko and Gokudera.

The fact that Kusakabe is included in the montage (s-sob).

One day I will write an essay about how I believe that this single sentence sums up Reborn’s entire endgame for Tsuna in a nutshell. And when I say “endgame”, I mean endgame endgame. As in BOSS endgame.

Seriously, he’s known from the start that this is what propels Tsuna. Not fame or power. Not even “purer” abstract concepts like ~the greater good~ or ~doing the right thing~. It has to be personal; it has to be his friends, his family, someone that he cares about. Because he is thirteen, and still self-centered, and so right now, something like this is the only thing that can break through that layer of teenage apathy and reluctance. The threat has to be real and close and tangible, and it has to be personal.

And even later on, when he’s matured a bit more and is saving the future and junk, this is still the key motivator. Tsuna has so much potential to be a force for good and light and hope in the world. But if you want him to be a damn hero, you have to give him someone to save.

OR JUST GIVE HIM TOMATOES

Look at the gritted teeth. It’s working.

This is Tsuna’s equivalent of that Yamamoto rage face earlier in this chapter. Look how different it is. I love this about Tsuna.

HIBARI WASN’T ACTUALLY THE MAIN CHARACTER, THOUGH

Reborn! Tell him!

MOSTLY DEAD IS SLIGHTLY ALIVE!!!!

Half an hour after being killed, Gokudera returns good as new! Reading this chapter for the first time, ten-years-ago makeste breathes a sigh of relief that her favorite character isn’t going to get left out just when the series is finally having a real fucking arc. We got our angst and the happy ending too! BOOM, did it, had it both ways no regrets.

[INSERT MONTY PYTHON REFERENCE]

YAAAAAAY

YOU KNOW FULL WELL IT’S NOT

AND MY AXE

AND JUST LIKE THAT HE’S FUCKING DEAD AGAIN

This may just be the greatest sequence of entrances in history.

Back when they had so few fighting characters that they needed to toss in Bianchi as a fourth. Those were the days.

You shall be the Fellowship of the Rings… wait, no, that’s next arc.

I don’t know why we needed a fucking roadmap to understand this plan of “we’re going to their hideout”, but okay.

OHO, INTRIGUE

It’s Fuuta!

That’s right, friends! In addition to Hibari Kyoya, Mukuro has also kidnapped an eight-year-old. He’s so evil!

…But redemption is coming for you, you pineapple-shaped kufufuing motherfucker. Just you wait.

[onceabluemoonwrites]

To The Heavens and Beyond (Eldritch Mantle’s Donned)

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Summary: ‘’So… was that your true form?’’

Kyoko shrugs. ‘’Onii-san was the sun, but he kept drifting away. I could hardly remain a sky if I wanted to help him, isn’t it?’’

Hana looks at her strangely. ‘’You became an eldritch horror so your brother would stop losing quite that many memories?’’

‘’Wouldn’t you?’’

Disclaimer: I don’t own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

FF.net | AO3 

My fic master list here.

My late birthday present for @operaeagleicelynlacelett! Happy belated birthday, darling! I hope you’ll enjoy this!

Ryohei slides the ring onto his finger, and the world suddenly looks different. It nags at him, in the back of his head, while training with Colonello. It’s like the furniture has been put two centimetres to the left and he keeps bumping into it- like wrestling with a soap bar in a bath.

There’s something off. But what?

The thought slips his mind like everything else. He gets used to this. Yesterday is forgotten- there is only today, maybe this week if he’s lucky.

Or not lucky.

He can never quite remember that.

For as long as Kyoko can remember, Onii-san has been there. A yellow presence in the back of her mind, beaming with the power of a thousand suns.

Sun. That’s what the adults call him when he runs around, with her on his shoulders.

Kyoko likes it. It fits him.

Onii-san forgets, but she remembers for the both of them. Always.

Onii-san forgets a lot. He was born that way, her parents told her.

It’s not that bad. She’s good for him. The only one he always remembers, the only one who can help him remember. Onii-san is a ball of fire, high, high in the sky. Kyoko will just have to become space to keep him from drifting away.

He’s her brother. She’ll do anything for him.

As the sun goes down, they go to sleep. Tomorrow, she’ll tell him who he is again.

Kyoko’s parents are shining orange and murky purple, the wisps that escape their souls so pretty to look at. She likes the way it looks like fire, the way it dances in their hands.

The sight of it being extinguished, cancer finally having ruined her otou-san’s body completely, is devastating. She clutches her brother's hands and cries.

Kaa-san is wailing, screaming, flames running over the corpse as if to reanimate it with her own life force. It doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.

When their mother begins to pull on her own hair, Onii-san lifts Kyoko up. She buries her head against his chest as he walks out of the room, tears wetting his shirt.

When he wakes up the next morning, he knows there is a hole, but he does not recognize the man on the picture at the funeral, and Kyoko has no idea if that’s a blessing or a curse.

It hurts. It hurts so much.

Kaa-san follows after otou-san, and Kyoko is mad.

Kyoko is mad, but she understands, because Kaa-sans flames kept reaching out into the void, kept falling back expecting someone to be there to catch her, only to fall to the ground. It was no surprise- Kaa-sans flames had warned Kyoko days and days before it happened, but she’s six and didn’t know what to do.

Onii-san didn’t either, but that’s a whole different story altogether.

It drives the lesson home. Broken bonds mean death. She clutches her brother’s arm tighter to her side.

The Kurokawa household is a cold place, but they allowed Kyoko to stay with Onii-san, so she is eternally grateful.

Hana, their daughter, isn’t fun to play with at all. She thinks Onii-san is weird and keeps saying it, every day, and Kyoko bottles and bottles and bottles it up, because this is her only chance to stay with her brother, and she’s not going to mess it up.

The two new kids in Hana’s house are weird and Hana doesn’t hesitate to tell them so.

The boy laughs it off, yelling something about her being honest, but the little redhead glares at her from underneath her fringe. For a second, Hana thinks the girl will kick her, but all she does is clench her fist. ‘’I’m going to the dojo with onii-san.’’

And she’s off, dragging her brother with her in her wake.

Hana huffs. Boys are stupid, and if the new girl won’t play with her, then she’ll just go amuse herself. Who needs those monkeys anyway?

Hana is bored, Kyoko amusing, so she says it again. ‘’Your brother is weird.’’

Something dangerous glints in those golden eyes, and oh, Hana is loving this.

So she says it again. And again. And again.

Until Kyoko explodes.

Literally so, flames pushing outward like a flood, a hurricane of flames in motion. It sings, it screams, it’s like a thousand voices have spoken up, and for a second, Hana is hundred percent sure that this is what an Eldritch Abomination must be. Stars whirling out before her, space unfolding to eternity. Golden eyes burning in the darkness.

God, she must’ve been blinded by the brightness of the flames.

Hana is small, in the face of this, but being small has never stopped her from standing tall, and Kyoko having a little God-like power tantrum isn’t going to change that.

But god, she wants. There is something inside those flames, and Hana is too young to be afraid of losing herself yet. She has no idea if what she’s seeing is real, this gigantic face, this expanse of space in the middle of the living room where Kyoko stood just a moment before, but it is there and it is irresistible.

The mouth of flames opens, a black hole behind it, and Hana jumps in, sucked all the way into the heart.

Hana is inside of Kyoko now, the same way Ryohei is a star enfolded in her space. But unlike Onii-san, Hana floats, an interstellar cloud, made of gas, plasma and dust. She’s everywhere and nowhere, disassembles as easily as she forms into a person again.

Kyoko feels her inside her heart, even as she stands beside her.

‘’So… was that your true form?’’

Kyoko shrugs. ‘’Onii-san was the sun, but he kept drifting away. I could hardly remain a sky if I wanted to help him, isn’t it?’’

Hana looks at her strangely. ‘’You became an eldritch horror so your brother would stop losing quite that many memories?’’

‘’Wouldn’t you?’’

Hana basks in the warmth of Ryohei’s heart inside of Kyoko as she floats past. ‘’…I suppose I can’t say no to that.’’

Kyoko smiles. That’s enough for her.

Hana’s parents are still cold and almost never there, but the Kurokawa household has ceased to feel like the artic because she’s got a sun and a cloud to fill her space now.

Haru is very down to earth. This does not, mind you, mean she isn’t crazy. No, in fact, the craziness is part of being so down to earth.

Haru is a black hole, constantly consuming everything around her, her magnetic fields so large that she cannot help but generate charges of lightning. She’s mad genius with an aesthetic a la Frankenstein, and her ideas only get better as she ages.

It all starts with a cake- eyes meeting over it, and Kyoko’s heart screams, consume, consume, consume, devour what is yours.

Haru appreciation day indeed.

(Kyoko does not consume Haru the way she enveloped Ryohei, nor the way she tempted Hana- no, Haru strolls over, takes a look at the back of her tongue and goes: ‘’Hello, yes. I’d like this stomach. It is mine now.’’ And forces her to swallow.

Kyoko is happier for it).

Before everything goes to shit, Kyoko meets him. His name is Moretti, and he can stop his heart. She feels it stop, is concerned for a moment and reaches for his soul. He’s still alive. He is a small rain, barely even a shower- wait.

This feels strange.

Moretti is not a rain. Oh sure, he feels like he is, at first, but Kyoko is space, and she knows no air. Neither does this man- very little of him contains oxygen. He is a compressed ball of water- freezing at a moment’s notice.

She blinks at him prettily and smirks when he tumbles into her- falling into space like he’s been meant to do so forever.

This rain- this body of water- will serve her well.

Water, when in space, boils, before rapidly freezing. Moretti enjoys his new power- the boiling is akin to a heart attack, the freezing the stopping of his heart. ‘’It helps my job, you know.’’

‘’Which is… Pretending you’re dead?’’

‘’No, assassination. Nobody expects the dead to get up to murder you, after all.’’

Kyoko hums. ‘’Specific cases only, I take?’’

He shrugs. ‘’I’m part of the Vongola. I can afford to take only special cases as long as I do my normal duties too.’’

‘’Vongola?’’

‘’…I fucked up, didn’t I?’’

Kyoko beams up at him, hands behind her back. ‘’Me, out to get you? Why, I would never!’’

‘’Me, no. Becoming a victim of Omertá, however? Why do I feel like that’s on your agenda?’’

Hana leans over Kyoko’s shoulder, eyes cold as steel. ‘’Because sooner or later they’ll come for us, and then we’d better be ready. Give us a fighting chance, Moretti, or get the fuck out of here.’’

It surprises absolutely no one, but Moretti stays.

Onii-san gets better and better at remembering, until one day, he forgets everything.

Kyoko can feel it in her soul as he is ripped out of her, a gaping hole in space, a black hole nothing next to it. She rages and screams and screeches, as stars die in her world, as the sun is gone, as the warmth is gone from the universe as a whole.

When he gets home, there’s a ring around his finger.

There is only one other Sky in town, and when Onii-san asks her where’s she going- if he can extremely come along- she smiles, pats his arm and says: ‘’Please do.’’

Her elements fall into step behind her, as space bleeds out of her through the hole the intruder left when he took her brother from her.

‘’Kyoko, who are they?’’

She clenches her fists and says: ‘’Our family, onii-san.’’ You best remember that, almost slips from her mouth, but it is not he who has gained her ire. Her brother is not at fault- only the person she’s going to destroy for this is.

She arrives in front of the Sawada household, and Lambo runs into her. ‘’Lambo-chan, I-pin, please go play at the playground with Fuuta, okay? I’ll give you grape candy later.’’

It is a dirty trick, but children must be kept safe- she’ll murder the man behind this, but the children will remain alive.

She walks around the house and enters via the backdoor.

‘’Sawada Tsunayoshi,’’ it thunders from a mouth that is not visible in any physical way, ‘’Come out, for thy have defied the Laws of Nature. I shall avenge mine brother, feast upon thy flesh- come out, Sky-worn Sun-thief.’’

Sawada Tsunayoshi squeaks like he is still the little boy she took under her wings when they were less than five years old.  

Kyoko narrows her eyes. He has no room to talk, for he has stolen what is hers. She began the goddamn space just to stabilize her brother, and Tsuna has butchered him out of her and left her brother in pieces.

She will not stand for this.

But- But- The look he gives her is not from one who is guilty. Not even from one who realizes what he has done. To be sure- he does not even look like he knew anything about it.

Her fifteen hands spread- claws tickling his face. ‘’Who- who, if not you?’’

‘’Kyoko- what. I-‘’ Tsuna swallows thickly, all wide eyes and trembling bottom lip.

‘’The ring! Who dared to lay a ring bound to your soul fire onto my brother!’’

Tsuna blinks. ‘’...Wait, Reborn gave one of those to Onii-san?’’

He is dumbfounded enough that he forgets to be afraid.

Kyoko battles the Sun Arcobaleno and wins.

Reborn does not know whether to be grateful that she does not force him into her sky or fearful for the future.

All Sawada Tsunayoshi can think as he stares at them, at the space expanding around Kyoko, is: The apocalypse on legs and I still adore her.

But the sky is but a little thing in space, and he knows, inside his heart, that if he ever had a chance, it is long gone. She is beyond him. Not out of his league- simply out of his atmosphere, never to be reached, never to intermesh.

He cannot breathe without oxygen, and space possesses little of it.

(She’d asphyxiate him before he’d get to hold her hand)

Kyoko lets Tsuna release the hold he has over Ryohei. Because if she did it, she’d break the bond. And broken bonds, my friends, lead only to death. Tsuna would be little more than a burned out husk, as dead inside as he’d be outside.

Ryohei is back inside of her, eyes clearing as his memory returns as if the period away from her was nothing but a strange dream, obscured by clouds.

He is hers, and the whole world will know it.

So is the delicious little Mist, no matter what Tsuna may think. Haru has taken a liking to Chrome- Kyoko saw her licking her lips, it was not particularly subtle- and watching the ring battles is great fun. Next to her, Tsuna’s sun, a shy boy called Shoichi, shudders as the boy possessing Chrome’s body laughs.

Kyoko wrinkles her nose. So like Tsuna to take in the ex-criminals without realizing it. If it were her, she’d have broken the poor boy out of prison already.

Actually, she might just do that for Tsuna if he stays this nice. After all, he did deliver her a Storm to her doorstep and Chrome is definitely a nice addition.

(Bianchi rages inside of her. A true storm, courted by combat, in love with the Space that defeated the Sun she so adored. Relentlessly she followed Kyoko- and how could Kyoko not take in a woman with such lovely habits? Bianchi’s heart is so bright, her soul so clean and clear, and yet her hands are painted red and her nails filed to spears.

Bianchi is hardly a mass of clouds and lightning, rains falling from her until one cannot help but call her a storm- no, Bianchi is a solar flare, all poisoning radiation, all explosive destruction for everything that crosses her path.

She belongs in space, and demands the place in Kyoko that is hers)

Chrome is icy, a cold presence slowly warming her hands to the warmth that is Ryohei. She is small, her water particles a fine mist, spreading slowly throughout Kyoko’s veins.

And like that, instead of the Sky battle going down, Xanxus di Vongola stops to stare at the girl on the sidelines, flanked by three people on either side.

‘’You- how…’’ His eyes glitter, ‘’How are you so fucking large?’’

Kyoko laughs, light and airy. ‘’I am Space!’’

He looks like he just heard gospel. ‘’Marry me.’’

Her eyes glide across his face, then behind him. He… Might just have what it takes. The drive, as well the elements that have souls so hard they can survive without air. Her eyes twinkle.

‘’Catch up, Sky-dear, and I might just consider.’’

In the background, Sawada Tsunayoshi shivers, unable to decide where he is glad or horrified. On one hand, he won’t have to fight Xanxus anymore- Kyoko would find a way to stop this thing. On the other hand-

She means it.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, age fourteen, sees the end of the world in the gleaming eyes of a girl.

(She’ll devour the earth as he knows it)

Author’s Note

Light by @fullmetalruby totally inspired me to go eldritch abomination in my work, and of course, I had to combine it with KHR :D 

Also, Ryohei with memory problems was inspired by Ara-chan’s own fic Sonder. 

As to what would have happened if Kyouko had not turned Eldritch, that’s what Rose Petals Between the Sheets (One Bed Only, Indeed) is about. 

I hope you enjoyed it, Ara-chan! <3 Love you!

[basedfran]

Bubble Pop!

this is the worst thing ive ever written and i think its also the longest (whoops, lol!)

“C’mon Lambo, it's not that bad.” I-Pin said, stomach twisting at the obvious lie.

She couldn't tell her friend the truth, though. It'd shatter him; he's been staring at the mirror since they woke up this morning, eyes completely fixed on one point on his forehead.

Lambo had a zit.

“You're lying; you know I can tell when you're lying.” He's distraught, close to tears yet again. His fingers prod at the tender, red skin surrounding the pus filled bump.

“Stop touching it.” I-Pin swats his hands away from his face. “It’ll just get worse. C’mon, just wash your face and cover it with you bangs, no one will notice.”

He pouts a bit but does as he’s told, brushing his bangs to cover the spot as soon as his face was dry. He blinks at his reflection. “Maybe... maybe people really won’t notice.”

She smiled and grabbed his shoulders, squeezing a little courage into them. “Of course they won’t, it’s such a tiny little thing. And we’re on break anyways, it’s not like we’ll see anyone from school will see you.”

“You’re right.” Lambo smiles, allowing his best friend to lead him out the restroom and downstairs for breakfast. “And I guess no one in the family will make fun of it. Right?”

“Right.” I-Pin says firmly, squeezing his shoulders again. “You’re home, with your loving family that would never make fun of you for your physical appearance. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

She releases her grip on him and heads into the kitchen ahead of him. “Uh oh.”

Her arm flies out, preventing Lambo from taking a step into the kitchen and stares at the familiar bent figure digging around in their fridge.

Finding something that pleased him, the figure straightened up, revealing a head of green hair.

“Lambo,” I-Pin whispers, pushing him back with one arm. “Go back upstairs.”

“You’re right.”

He turns to sneak up the stairs but is stopped by Fran lazily calling out to him. “Not gonna say hi?”

Lambo’s lip quivers. “Please, Fran-”

“Shut up and turn around.” There’s a sick smile spread on Fran’s face, cold delight in his eyes.

“Don’t be too mean, Fran.” I-Pin gives him a warning glare that he ignores.

“C’mon, Lammypoo, turn around; let’s see it.” Fran orders, placing his elbows on the back of one of the chairs at the dinner table, swirling a bottle of Fuuta’s favorite marble soda in his hand.

Lambo clenches his fists and turns around, eyes trained on the floor. He takes a deep breath and looks up, moving his bangs just as Fran took another swig from the bottle.

Fran spits out his drink.

“Holy fuck, what kinda mountain is your face giving birth to?” he says, as he wipes a mixture of spit and soda off his chin with the back of his hand.

“Shut up!” Lambo’s eyes are watering, he stomps his foot in frustration, hands flying up to cover the blemish. “I-Pin! You told me it wasn’t that big!”

“It’s not; I promise!”

“No, no, it is big. God, that thing is fucking magnificent.” Fran sets down his half-empty bottle of soda to come around the table and cup Lambo’s cheeks, moving the other boy’s head to get a better look at the object in question. “It’s like a work of art. It’s right where Harry Potter’s lightning scar is.”

Fran let out a fake gasp. “You’re like an alternate universe Harry where Voldemort is living in his head instead of Quirrel’s.”

“He does have the hair and eyes for it.” I-Pin mutters.

“Both of you leave me alone!”

“Lemme pop it for you.” Fran offers suddenly, one of his twitchy little hands moving towards Lambo’s forehead.

“NO! You’ll make it worse!”

“I pop Fuuta’s all the time. C’mere, let your dear brother Franny get that for you.”

“You’re not my brother.” Lambo’s nose wrinkles with disgust.

Fran’s lips pout, but it doesn’t fit the rest of his otherwise inexpressive face. He puts his hands on his chest, acting like a heartbroken mother. “Wow. Am I not part of the Family?”

“You’re only Varia, that’s not enough to treat you like a brother.” Lambo slaps his cheeks a bit, glad to be out of Fran’s grasp. “You’ll have to marry in the main family or fix your attitude for that. Both of which are impossible.”

Fran thinks for a moment before glancing at I-Pin. “Care for a quick marriage of convenience?”

“Hell no.”

“Then,” he glances up the stairs behind Lambo. “Fuuta, marry me.”

“Maybe if things don’t work out with Cassie.” they reply as they reach the bottom of the stairs, adjusting the athletic bag on their shoulder.

“Fuuta, don’t encourage him. He’s being mean to Lambo.” I-Pin protests.

Fuuta sighs. “What’s going on no-Oh my God!” their worn out reply is cut by their own worried crooning. They gently cup Lambo’s chin and tilt his head up. “Oh, you poor thing, that must hurt, it’s a big one.”

“Fuuta!” Lambo shoves their hand away and starts crying.

“Aw, don’t be upset, Lambo.” they squeeze his shoulder before pulling out their phone. “Fran and I are meeting friends at the pool, but when I come home we’ll put some astringent on it, okay?”

I-Pin looks at Fran and his thin, white shirt, disliking how flat everything looked. “You’re going to the pool?”

Fran covers his chest with his arms and sniffs at her. “I’ve got a swim top on underneath. It’s not like I’m getting in the water, anyways.”

“What? Then why are you coming?” Fuuta asks, opening the front door for him.

Fran snatches his soda off the kitchen table and makes his way through the door. “To cockblock you and Cassie.”

Lambo’s playing The Sims on the living room couch when his vision suddenly goes black.

He grabs around where his face should be and feels something in what appeared to be a plastic bag. Pushing it away, he tilted his head and looked up at I-Pin, who smiled back down at him. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“No, but I can help you.” She easily hops over the back of the couch and lands neatly beside him. She sets down the shopping back in between them and starts digging around in it. “I looked on the internet for ways to cure acne and found a whole bunch of DIY face masks we can try together. I got all the stuff for it.”

Lambo looks in the bag and wrinkles his nose for the second time that day. “Is that milk?” he asks, sticking a hand in the back and rummaging through it. “A tomato?”

“I hear it works wonders!” I-Pin grabs the bag of ‘goodies’ in one hand and lightly smacks her friend’s arm with the other before jumping onto her feet. “Let’s do it; we have the kitchen and house all to ourselves with Bianchi out on a job and Mama on vacation.”

“Alright, alright.” he turns to save his game and notices his whole Sim mansion was on fire from the pancakes Sim-Lambo was trying to make. Sim-Lambo’s husband, Oki, was not able to make it out due to a dirty plate on the floor. “Fuck! I-Pin, you made me kill my husband.”

“That’s not my fault.” she says breezily, walking towards the kitchen. “You were a negligent spouse.”

After mourning his husband for a good 10 minutes and taking an hour to create a new one, they get straight to work.

Lambo’s sitting on the countertop, butt numb and back aching from not having moved in a couple hours.

“I-Pin, are we almost done?” he whined, straightening up and sighing in relief as he felt his back pop.

“Just one more mask!” She cuts a tomato in half and scoops a bunch of its guts up with her hand.

Lambo looks at his best friend, wary. Around the fourth or fifth mask, she stopped applying them to her own face. He was a little peeved he’d be the only one smelling like milk and spaghetti, but he doesn’t whine (too much) because he knows she’s just trying to help.

He reminds himself, over and over, that I-Pin is just trying to help as she slaps a glob of tomato on one side of his forehead before spreading it onto his face child.

“Simmmmbaaaaa.” she whispers, earning herself a kick on the knee.

“I knew it; you’re just playing around, aren’t you.”

“No, just because I’m having a little fun doesn’t mean I’m not taking this seriously.” She rubs her elbow on her laptop’s mousepad to wake it up and squints at the home remedy site they were using.

She smiles, pushes away some stray hairs in her face with the back of her hand, and heads towards the sink.

“You keep that on for just five hours and then we just have to rinse it off.”

Lambo threw his head back and groaned, wincing only a little when he smacks his head on the cabinet. “What am I supposed to do for 5 hours?” he asks, sliding off the counter.

I-Pin shrugs, wiping her hands with a dish towel. “We can play games, watch a movie, maybe bake something?”

She tosses the dish towel and grabs a disposable shower cap from the finally empty shopping bag. She holds it up to his head, eyeballing some kind of measurement, and cuts the top off with some kitchen scissors left behind from mask #37.

“We’ve probably got until Fuuta get back, hopefully not with Fran, so we should probably start with cleaning the kitchen.”

She pulls what’s left of the shower cap over the top of his head and snaps the band right where his eyebrows start, making a weird plastic sweatband.

“Figures, you torture me and then have me clean up the evidence.”

I-Pin smiles even brighter, grabbing the rest of the tomato and dropping it into Lambo’s hands, before chirping, “That’s how a good assassin works.”

When Fuuta (and, unfortunately, Fran, who immediately runs into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge and cabinets) return, Lambo and I-Pin are curled up watching the Lion King, I-Pin’s head in Lambo’s lap because she doesn’t want her hair to be anywhere near his forehead at the moment.

“You two look comfy.” Fuuta comments, though their eyes are locked onto Lambo’s tomato-band. “I don’t know if I get the new look you’re going for with that headband, though.”

Lambo yawns, blinking away some sleepy tears. “It’s a face mask. Or, at least, that’s what I-Pin’s been telling me.”

I-Pin rolls over onto her stomach to welcome Fuuta properly. “We’re on treatment hour four right now. The website says it’s supposed to stay on for five.”

“No it doesn’t.” Fran walks in from the kitchen, balancing I-Pin’s laptop on his arm and a popsicle in his mouth.

“Hey, get off my laptop, you nosy-” I-Pin rolls off the couch onto the floor and scrambles over to reclaim her laptop.

Fran holds it just out her reach. “It says you only have to have it on for five minutes. Do you not have your contacts on or something?”

Lambo jumps up and snatches the laptop out of Fran’s hands. There it is in black and white: “Let it rest on the affected area for five minutes before rinsing.”

He drops the computer, and I-Pin barely has time to snatch it out of the air. He’s frozen, screaming a bit on the inside. Fuuta pulls him into a hug.

“I’m sure leaving it on longer won’t make it worse.” They bury their face in Lambo’s curls and sniff a bit. “And, if it makes you feel better, you smell a little like Mama’s special lasagna. It’s a good smell.”

Lambo cries in Fuuta’s arms.

“Will this really work, Fuuta?”

“No.” Fran answers from his place on Fuuta’s bed, not looking up from the magazine in his hands.

“Yes.” Fuuta sends Fran a glare before returning to their work, dabbing an astringent soaked cotton ball on what Fran has ‘affectionately’ dubbed Mount Fuji Junior. “Yes, it will. I use it on my zits all the time.”

Lambo sits with his back against Fuuta’s bed, his forehead still stained orange and his hair still smelling like Nana’s lasagna after thirteen baths and one very hot shower.

He’s exhausted. His face, aside from the patch of skin surrounding Junior, tingled from being scrubbed so much. Lambo wasn’t in the mood for any more nonsense or lies.

“Fran says he pops them for you.”

“Puddin’, you’re not supposed to tell people that!” Fuuta snapped, glaring at Fran who still couldn’t be bothered to look up.

Fran drawls as he takes a quiz on what kind of cupcake he is, “Shy about your zits, Starboy? Are you being a good example for this impressionable and insecure baby boy here? You were just telling him that no one’s going to care about a little pimple.”

Fuuta coughs a bit before turning their attention back on Lambo, their ears burning. Quickly, they put on their most adult face and continue dabbing astringent all over Junior. “Because it’s the truth, no one cares about a little pimple-” Lambo wonders if they care about a giant one. “-like this. And I don’t let Fran pop mine. He does it himself when I’m not paying attention.”

“God, I wish the two of you weren’t paying attention right now.” Fran flips the page in his magazine and studies a page on hot yoga. “Junior’s looking pretty ripe right now.”

“Fran! I told you not to name it; you’ll get attached.” Fuuta scolds him as if they’re talking about a stray animal and not a growth on their baby brother’s face.

The astringent feels weird on his skin. Hot and cold, a little tingly in a manner different from how the rest of his face is tingling. Lambo tries to poke Junior with his finger, but Fuuta swats it away.

“Don’t go touching it now that I’ve put the astringent on.” they say, screwing the cap back on the bottle of astringent and setting it on their desk. “Go to sleep right now, it’ll be gone in the morning.”

“And if it’s not I’ll remain hideous forever.” Lambo moans melodramatically. Fuuta rolls their eyes and flicks his nose.

“You’re not hideous because of some zit. Everyone gets zits-”

“Fran doesn’t.”

“Okay, everyone who doesn’t make deals with cosmic entities and various demons gets zits sometimes. It’s just a part of life and growing up and all that dumb gross stuff.” Fuuta says, waving their hand a bit at the ‘life’ part. “No one’s ugly for it. And anyone who makes fun of you over something perfectly natural is a real jerk.”

They give Fran a pointed look. Fran just shrugs, already knowing he’s an asshole.

They roll their eyes and take Lambo’s hand, squeezing it. “It’ll be gone by morning. And even if it isn’t, no one in this house will make fun of you for it.”

“Promise?” Lambo asks, squeezing back. He feels a bit like a baby, clinging to Fuuta’s hand like this, but he needs the comfort.

“Promise.” Fuuta says, letting go of Lambo’s hand and ruffling his hair. They don’t stop until Lambo starts laughing.

Placing a quick on the top of Lambo’s head, they swat his back, signalling him to get up. They smile at him as he moves to the door and they move towards the bed.

With one quick yank, Fran’s sprawled on the ground and Fuuta’s tucked under their covers, shooing Lambo away with a single word and a warm look. “Bed.”

Lambo smiled back, hopeful, and made his way out.

He closed the door behind him, saying goodnight to Fuuta just before shutting it completely.

Lambo stares at the mirror, blank faced.

It's still there. Not only that, but it's bigger, filled with more pus. He swore he felt that part of his face pulsate, like the thing was just itching to blow.

He's disheartened to the point that he can't even cry.

He washes and dries his face, noticing how red the skin around Junior was, before steeling his nerves and walking downstairs.

“Good morning, Lam-” Bianchi stops mid sentence to give Lambo and Junior an expressionless stare. She hadn't seen him since four days ago and seeing he had such a large new ‘friend’ was a bit of a shock.

She sets her spatula down and turns off the stove gas, and they both just stare at each other and have a brief moment of silence. Neither of them are particularly religious, but they both send a quick prayer for him, knowing Fran was probably upstairs right then waking up with a fresh mind ready to talk a lot of shit.

“Lambo, did your zit go-” I-Pin immediately shuts her mouth when she slides in front of Lambo and sees his face.

She joins them in prayer.

Lambo hears Fuuta and Fran leave Fuuta’s room before they even make it to the stairs and quietly seats himself at the breakfast table. I-Pin follows suit, sliding into the seat in front of him.

Fuuta and Fran are joking about something when they’re coming down the stairs, but they’re caught in the dreaded silence as soon as they entered the kitchen.

“Dear God, who fucking died in here?” Fran asks as he moves to get a drink from the fridge behind I-Pin.

Fuuta takes the seat beside Lambo and sighs when they see Junior still present on his face. They clear their throat, readying it yell at Fran at any moment’s notice.

Fran slams the fridge shut with Fuuta’s favorite milk drink in hand and turns around, meeting Junior’s gaze.

He tears his eyes away for a moment and locks eyes with Fuuta before screwing his eyes shut.

“I’m not going to say anything.” He seats himself and just sips at his drink.

That’s when Lambo wails, covering his face with his hands.

“L-Lambo, he didn’t even say anything!” Fuuta doesn’t understand what’s happening anymore, and they pull a bit away from Lambo, worried he’ll go back to his childhood coping mechanisms and fire the Ten Year Bazooka or throw a grenade.

“Exactly. It’s so big and ugly that even Fran has nothing to say about it.”

He slams his head on the table and something Squish, pop!’s.

He freezes, going silent in an instant.

Everyone knew what just happened.

“Oh. My. God.” Fran whispers into his drink.

Lambo lets out a labored breath as Fuuta comes around behind him and places their hands on his shoulders.

Swallowing their spit, Fuuta pulls Lambo into a sitting position. A mix of blood and watery pus Pop!’d as Lambo’s skin was pulled from the table, a nasty red puddle the size of a baby’s fist sat where his forehead once did.

I-Pin gagged and pushed away from the table. She looked at her best friend before echoing Fran’s words. “Oh. My. God.”

Junior sat on Lambo’s face, half-flat and leaking.

They all were silent for a while, just staring at each other, at Lambo, at Junior.

Fran, of course, is the first one to speak. “Well, now you have to let me pop it.”

“No.” Fuuta lets go of Lambo’s shoulders to rush around the table and pinch Fran’s cheeks. “You were mean to him yesterday, so now you don’t get to pop the big zit. Bianchi can do it since I-Pin looks sick and I have to keep you away.”

“Bianchi doesn’t want to mess with something that gross. Just lemme do it.” Fran’s words slurred from the way Fuuta’s tugging at his cheek.

“No, I’ll do it.” Bianchi says, cracking her knuckles as she walks up to Lambo. “The pus may make a good ingredient.”

I-Pin darts out the kitchen towards the bathroom. She could handle the stench emmitted from Gyouza Ken; she could handle being an assassin and taking the lives of many, their faces burned forever in her mind; but she could not handle the thought of someone eating Mount Fuji Junior.

As his best friend threw up in the bathroom and Fran and Fuuta argued in the corner and Bianchi milked Junior into a small bottle, Lambo sat in thought.

‘Next time,’ he thinks to himself. ‘I’ll cover it up with makeup.’

[milgram-tournament]

MILGRAM Best Song Tournament, Round 1, Match 2 BRING IT ON vs. AFTER PAIN

Propaganda for both options under the cut!

Propaganda for BRING IT ON:

"Reasons why Bring it On should win:

- Just by starting the song, the instrumentals are BANGER. Like his more rock style is very cool, even better than After Pain’s more mellow style - Arthur’s voice (Futa’s va) had bills due because have you HEARD his singing?? His raspier voice fits Futa so well - It feels so explosive and like a call to action in a sense, which very much matches Futa’s mentality during trial 1. He also wasn’t playing victim like a CERTAIN girl… (jk, love you mu!) - SAA HAJIMEYOU USOTSUKI KARIDA - UNDEAD HEROOOI YES SLAY KING HIS HIGH NOTE HERE IS HEAVENLY - His scream at the end. Oh my god. HE LITERALLY ATE THIS NOTE. AFTER PAIN COULD NEVER. BRING IT ON FTW 🔥🔥🔥" - His range goes WAAAAAY higher than Mu. She would end up like PHG if she even tried hitting any of his high notes in the last chorus /j

---

- The vocals are amazing, those growls are so well done - You’re able to get Fuuta’s crime and motive pretty succinctly, only based on the visuals - But it still leaves a lot up to interpretation, like how he only attacked once in the final fight scene. It lead to some cool theories. - On that note, the game aspects are so cool!! Especially when paired with him going after people online, just good synergy with awesome style! - Fuuta’s scared face after he realizes what he did. The great contrast of other foes simply being knocked out then being met with blood splatter. - The tempo of the song changing with his mood is a really good touch as well. Make the song more chaotic which highlights his character traits well

---

"propaganda for bring it on: the music FUCKS it genuinely slaps so hard listening to it. song style is incredible its perfect for fuutas personality and gamer vibes. also the way the mv frames everything as a game? the only time real blood and real gore happens being when killcheroy dies? the little details of all the usernames, the different monster designs, the generally distorted feel of everything being too lighthearted?

okay i could go on about the mv for hours but lets not. aside from that: the FEEL of the song!!! the vocals!!!! it really feels like fuuta putting his whole heart into it, into this point of view that both blows problems out of proportion and minimises them, and DEEPLY fucking up. my darling little hypocrite gamer boy twitter user. he makes his witch hunt genuinely sound like something that could sweep people up into it. also the instruments goddddd. the guitar and synth the bass and the drums the DRUMS. im relistening to it to write this propaganda and it keeps making me headbang when i should be writing. if you arent headbanging to bring it on you are LYING.

the way the lyrics are written is wonderful too!!!! they feel so brash and brave and powerful and like. cocky about it. and it fits PERFECTLY. its gets someone swept up into it and it FUCKS. vote bring it on im serious. lets go!! a victory march!! dan da dan!!"

Propaganda for AFTER PAIN:

"so here is why people should vote for AFTER PAIN !!"

Muu's vocals. Need I say more?

The bridge to it is absolutely wonderfully done, the way she softens her vocals to an almost creepy point is incredible

during the final chorus you can hear the desperation in her voice and it’s very well portrayed

The coloring in this music video were phenomenal

The overlapping vocals at the end of the song just have a really really nice effect

Its just a pure banger

In some parts of the song there’s the sound of a clock ticking in the background used as a sort of beatline… GENIUS??

Its just a banger

even with what we found out about Muu in her second trial, After Pain on its own portrayed bullying in a very realisitc and artistic way (from someone who deals with it regularly)

---

"After pain propoganda: She just girlbossed too close to the sun and happened to be holding a knife at the time"

---

"Gosh everything about After Pain... How can you NOT like it? It's literally such a good song and is very singable. The instrumentation is absolutely amazing and I've listened to it on loop so much."

[therainroguefanfiction]

⁂ Flaws (Jirou Akutagawa) [1 of 4]

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Mafia AU, Dark, Crossover ☁

Word Count: 1,458 ☁

Pairing: High School Reader x Jirou ☁

World: Prince of Tennis & Katekyo Hitman Reborn! ☁

WARNING: This fic contains mentions of rape/sexual assault and has dark themes such as murder and gore. Reader discretion is advised.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

Can you forgive my flaws?

Your eyes widened in fear as they stared into the brown eyes of your boyfriend. They were as wide as yours but filled with more than just fear.

Terror, disbelief, horror.

Those were the most prominent, the ones that stood out the most to you. He had every right to be terrified, you knew, but what killed you was that you didn’t know if he was terrified of you or of what he had seen. If you had to guess, you’d say it was a little bit of both.

Something like that… it’s something the young boy could never have imagined, even in his wildest of dreams, but he was seeing it now, before his very eyes.

And he knew it wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare.

8 Hours Earlier

“Y/N,” Reborn’s suave voice echoed through the Sawada household which was currently empty aside from the aforementioned man and yourself. He sipped his coffee as he waited, listening closely to the sound of your footsteps as you descended the stairs.

“What’s up, Reborn?” You asked as you grabbed a bottle of soda from the refrigerator.

“I have a new job for you. The request came in this morning.” He slid a manila folder across the table.

You blinked, setting the drink down. There was only a single sheet of paper inside the folder, bearing all of the information you needed for the new mission, including a picture of the man you were after. Your eyes slid across the lines of words, picking up a few keywords that made you realize how serious this job really was.

Rape. Murder. Child. Brutal.

Your eyes hardened as your grip tightened on the folder.

Reborn lifted his head just enough for his dark eyes to land on you, shining with infinite knowledge. “Will you accept?”

“I’ll handle it. An undercover mission isn’t something I prefer, but I have no problem with doing so. Is there a specific persona I should take on?” You threw the folder on the table in order to grab the soda.

“Dress professionally. A suit would do fine.” He sipped his coffee, his fedora pulled back down to shadow his eyes. “He will think that you’re there to tip him off to a group of young girls. When you see the opportunity to strike, do so.”

“Does Tsuna know about this?”

“…”

“I didn’t think so.” You sighed, running a hand through your hair. “I won’t do it without his approval, Reborn. You know that.”

The corner of his lips twitched, wanting to turn into a smirk, but he held it back. “That’s fine. And while you’re waiting for Tsuna to return from his vacation in a week, think of how many innocent girls that man could have in that time. He works fast, I hear.”

Your body tensed, hand frozen in mid-air and the bottle inches from your lips which were now pressed into a fine line. Your eyes narrowed at the older man, knowing that he was messing with your mind. Even so, he was right. Men like that… they wasted no time. There’s no telling how many victims would have appeared by the time Tsuna returned.

You closed your eyes and breathed out slowly, not even realizing that you had been holding your breath.

“You’ll do it, then?” He pressed.

“Fine, I’m in. When and where?”

“Five thirty this afternoon, Hyde park.”

“I’ll be there.”

Reborn smirked as you left the kitchen.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

After getting your mission from Reborn, you returned to your own home to gather the things you’d need. Your mind was so focused on the task at hand that you were thoroughly surprised to find your boyfriend standing outside your house, waiting for you to return home.

Jirou smiled brightly when you stopped in front of him, pushing away from the door to greet you. “Hiya, Y/N-chan~!”

“Jirou… what are you doing here?”

“Oh. Well, Atobe-buchou let us out of practice early today because he had something to do. So~ I decided to come and see you!” He wrapped his arms around you, snuggling his face into the crook of your neck. Feeling you tense beneath him he pulled back enough to look at your face, a frown marring his features. “You’re not busy, are you?”

“No, not at all!” You responded quickly. ‘Maybe a little too quick’, you thought when his brow furrowed. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind, that’s all. I’m free until tonight.”

“Do you mind if I stay with you until then?” He asked softly, head tilting to the side. He was so adorable, you couldn’t say no even if you wanted to. Which you didn’t.

You set your hand on his cheek with a smile tugging at your lips. “Of course I don’t mind, Jirou~”

He grinned brightly, grip tightening as he nuzzled your neck again. The mission temporarily forgotten, you let your arms snake around his torso, bringing his body closer to your own.

The relationship you had with Jirou was complicated on every level, even if it didn’t seem like it at first glance. First off, there was the age difference. You were eighteen years old, fresh out of high school. Jirou had only just started high school.

You couldn’t go so far as to say he’s as innocent as his teammate, Choutarou, but he was pretty close. He was ignorant of the real horror that lie hidden within this world. He could so easily be corrupted… and that terrified you.

You were, after all, a hit-person in the strongest family in all of Japan and Italy. You killed people for a living, drew blood and put blades and knives through people’s hearts. They were all scumbags who didn’t deserve to live, but it was murder either way. Your hands were tainted with blood, but Jirou didn’t know that.

He probably didn’t even know that the mafia really existed. You didn’t want him to find out – about any of it. You didn’t want to scare him away, you didn’t want him to think that you were a monster, even if you were in reality. Your biggest fear was losing Jirou, the love of your life.

You had managed to hide it from him so far, but… just how long would that last? The thought terrified you, which was saying something considering you looked death in the face every day of your life.

“Why don’t you come inside, Jirou? It’s pretty chilly out here,” You suggested, gently pushing the younger male away before heading toward the front door. Jirou followed behind closely as you entered the silent home, heading for the kitchen. “Would you like anything to drink?”

He shook his head. “No thank you,”

“To eat, then?” You glanced at him over your shoulder before rifling through the fridge.

“Nope~”

You glanced at him again before shutting the door. “Alright then. Did you have anything in mind for us?”

His cheeks gained a little color as he looked away, grinning sheepishly. “Umm… I thought that, maybe if you wanted to, we could…” he shook his head violently before looking at you, his hands held out in front of him. “No, never mind. It’s stupid.”

“Jirou,” you called softly before approaching him. “Nothing you say is stupid. Tell me?”

He looked down at his hands in defeat. “Fine~ I was hoping we could get Fuuta-kun and go to the park. We… we had a lot of fun last time…”

“Why would that be stupid?” You blinked in confusion.

“It’s, umm…” he glanced at you before quickly looking the other way, “…really childish.”

You smiled, almost bitterly, as you placed your hand on his cheek, forcing the boy to look at you. “Who cares if it’s childish? You should enjoy your youth as long as you can, Jirou, because once you lose it… it’s gone forever.”

“Okay!” He sprung up, throwing his arms around you and bringing his lips to your own.

It was a simple, chaste kiss, but you found herself melting in it as his arms tightened, bringing your bodies closer. With that single kiss, you actually felt like things would turn out okay, but you knew that was a false sense of security. It was a lie, a bold-faced lie that liked to taunt you every time your lips met his.

But even if it was a lie, full of spite and with a bitterness that even you couldn’t believe, you would welcome it fully, because it might just be the only thing that’s keeping you sane.

All too soon, the kiss ended and Jirou was left beaming, waiting for you.

You smiled, putting your coat back on.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

You sat back on the park bench, watching Fuuta and Jirou chasing each other through the trees. Seeing the two smiling and laughing, so innocent and happy; it warmed your heart and almost made you forget about who you are the sins you’ve committed. It was short-lived, though, as a scream pierced the Autumn air. You reacted on instinct, rushing toward the direction of the sound. What you found enraged you.

A young girl, maybe around fourteen or fifteen years old, was on the ground crying.

Blood dripped from an open gash on your forehead. A man much older than herself was ordering her to be quiet in hushed whispers as he held her wrist tightly.

Seeing the sight sent fury coursing through your veins. You could feel the anger beginning to take over. Blood pumped loudly in your ears, blocking out the cries of the girl and the yells of the man. Your movements were automatic, as if someone else were controlling your body. Your hand grabbed the back of the man’s dirty jacket and ripped him away from the girl.

“What the hel -”

His words were cut short when your fist connected with his face. You could feel the crunch of his nose as the bone shattered into pieces. Blood poured from his face, but you were far from done with him.

“You think this is okay?!” You punched him again, busting open his lip with your Vongola ring. “Huh?! You think it’s okay to attack someone?!” Your fist reached his gut with such a force that his feet left the ground. “She’s a fucking child!” Your last punch sent the man flying, landing flat on his back a few feet away. “You won’t hurt anyone else, mother fucker.” You pulled out a pistol from the back of your jeans and aimed it at his head.

“Please! Please! I swear I wasn’t gonna do anything! I just wanted a feel!” The man started to sob, his tears mixing with the blood that covered his face.

“And that makes it okay?” You growled out, cocking the gun. It clicked and the man started to shake.

“I’ll never do it again! I swear! I’ll change!”

Your eyes scanned the man’s face before narrowing. It was a bit difficult to tell through the blood and tears covering his face, but that was definitely the same man from the file Reborn had given her. He’s wanted for various sex acts, most of which are against minors, along with various other offenses. You remembered the conversation with Reborn and glanced at the watch on your wrist.

Five-forty in the afternoon.

Reborn knew that this guy would be here around five-thirty. You had completely forgotten about it after speaking with Jirou, who always made you forget about the horror of your job.

“Please…” The man whimpered.

“I’m supposed to bring you in alive.” You slowly lowered the gun. “But your actions are unforgivable!” As quick as lightning, you raised it again and fired.

The man’s crotch exploded in a mess of blood and skin. His screams were high pitched, grating against your head.

“Enjoy your trip to hell, asshole,” You growled before pulling the trigger once more. The bullet ripped through the air before piercing the center of his forehead.

The park was now silent. His screams stopped as soon as the bullet hit him – an instant kill. A pool of blood formed below his body at this point, slowly dripping towards you. With a scoff, you turned away from the mess only to freeze, the weapon falling from your hand. The sound echoed in your brain as it clattered on the pavement.

Your eyes widened in fear as you stared into the brown eyes of your boyfriend. They were as wide as yours but filled with more than just fear.

Terror, disbelief, horror. Those were the most prominent; the ones that stood out the most to you. He had every right to be terrified, you knew, but what killed you was that you didn’t know if he was terrified of you or of what he had seen. If you had to guess, you’d say it was a mixture of both.

Something like that… it’s something the young boy could never have imagined, even in his wildest of dreams, but he was seeing it now, before his very eyes.

And he knew it was not a dream, it was a nightmare.

“Jirou…” You swallowed hard, taking a step forward.

He only shook his head and backed away. “What have you done?”

“Let me explain. Please!”

He took off running, tears spilling from his eyes. It felt like your heart shattered into a million pieces, and he just ran off with them all. You couldn’t move; it felt as if your feet were glued to the ground as a heavy weight pushed down on your shoulders.

You honestly wanted to die.

A soft sob snapped you out of your daze and you remembered the present situation. You made your way over to the young girl who was shaking violently; though you couldn’t be sure if it was caused by your attack on the man or the attack on her by the man.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” You spoke softly, making sure to stop a foot away from her. You kneeled down and held your hand out like you were approaching a frightened animal. “You’re safe now,”

The girl only stared at you for a moment before pushing off the ground and almost flying into your arms. A new round of sobs escaped the girl’s throat, growing louder as her brain processed the situation. You wrapped your arms tightly around the girl, whispering softly into her ear in an attempt to calm her.

At the same time, you were trying very hard not to break down yourself.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

▸Part 2 of 4

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[makeste]

KHR 071: Miniboss Fight Bingo (Part 1)

Okay, get ready, everyone, because this chapter has (part one of) Tsuna VS Lancia, which in hindsight is such an outrageously cliched shounen fight that after rereading it, I went ahead and made this:

Let’s see how long it takes us to win this thing.

So! Last time we left off, Yamamoto was facing off with Lancia while Tsuna was running aimlessly through the woods thinking about how that mysterious evil kid from the forest was acting really mysterious and evil.

However, Tsuna recalls that Fuuta was also acting weird, which goes a long way towards his excusing Mukuro’s strange behavior. But then I think to myself: “So if he thought that ~MYSTERIOUS KID~ really was innocent and was just being manipulated or something, WHY DID HE LEAVE HIM ALL ALONE IN THE WOODS AGAIN.” And the answer is… …. ……………………… um

It actually was kind of funny though, in hindsight.

Back to the fight! Yamamoto got hit by Lancia’s ball and chain and is now lying on the ground emitting smoke for some reason!

WHY THOUGH

Then there’s another panel of Gokudera being so worried about Yamamoto! Intellectually, I know that Gokudera having feelings of empathy doesn’t automatically equate to them being soulmates or anything! But emotionally I don’t even care, I am already on board this ship and it sailed ten fucking years ago and I don’t know where I am anymore! So you’ll just have to live with me enjoying my 8059 angst!

TWO EXCLAMATION POINTS MOTHERFUCKER

All right, and here we go. Brace yourselves and get those cards out, because Lancia is about to start monologuing.

Wow guy could you just cool it there for a sec

Can we count this as “it’s no use”? Eh, for the time being I’m going to play things straight. So no score as of yet, but we’re only just getting started.

So upon hearing this, Gokudera tries to stand up EVEN THOUGH HE’S DYING because HE IS HEROIC AND BRAVE

“Trying to stand up and failing” is pretty much all he manages to do for this entire chapter, so I have to give him whatever props I can while the giving is good.

BUT WAIT, WHAT’S THIS

LANCIA: ABANDON ALL HOPE

YAMAMOTO TAKESHI: (୨୧ ❛ᴗ❛)✧

THIS CHEEKY MOTHERFUCKER. I NEED AN MP3 RECORDING OF YAMAMOTO SAYING “OI OI” TO SET AS MY DAMN RINGTONE

LOOK AT GOKUDERA’S “HE’S ALIVE” FACE

I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO INTERPRET THAT FACE BUT IT’S GREAT

Also nice to see that Bianchi has finally set aside her own differences with Yamamoto! Things were a little dicey there for a while.

Not to spoil things here, but my guess: It’s probably something really stupid that makes absolutely no sense.

Lancia continues to monologue at them all like some sort of Sith Lord, and throws his giant ball at Yamamoto again.

Incredibly, I didn’t have “it is foolish to resist” on my card either. Lancia is so cliché that I couldn’t fit all of his damn clichés on a 5x5 card, goddamn.

Anyway! Yamamoto, who you have to remember at this point has no kind of formal sword training—or any sort of fighting training, really—whatsoever, then instinctively goes right into one of the Shigure Souen Ryu defensive forms, only using the dirt and his bat rather than water and Shigure Kintoki.

Can we give this boy some fucking props because damn. Seriously, though, this is Surging Rain. Completely untaught. This kid is a fucking legend.

So he uses the dirt he just swept up to track the ball’s rotation. It doesn’t make much sense but it seems to work within the context of the series so let’s just roll with it.

WHY IS HE SO CUTE!!!

Reborn then explains that Lancia’s ball and chain weapon works via the power of bullshit.

Look, I’m not a physicist or anything, I’m just your everyday layperson reading a shounen manga who is nonetheless telling you this is bullshit. If you go over to NASA and ask them if you can create a tornado using a grooved wrecking ball, they are going to say no, once they stop laughing long enough to speak.

But then again, a girl was microwaving things with her clarinet two chapters ago, and another girl turned that clarinet into toxic food sludge simply by touching it, so I’m not sure what it is I’m actually complaining about. I guess it’s that they tried to fudge a scientific explanation when they could have just said “magic” and it basically would have amounted to the same thing lol.

I’LL STOP RANTING ABOUT THIS NOW.

So Lancia doesn’t give a fuck if they’ve “figured it out” or not, and goes on the attack again. Yamamoto charges in, thinking he can avoid it now, and oh no

—THERE IT IS!!!! FUCK YEAH

SWEET, WE’RE OFFICIALLY ON THE BOARD 

Okay, I just want to press pause here for a sec and acknowledge that Lancia threw this thing at Takeshi again, Takeshi dodged it, and then the thing just magically changed direction and started going the complete opposite way, at the same time creating this fucking whirlwind somehow, that FUCKING LIFTS YAMAMOTO UP IN THE AIR. Like, this is a really entertaining fight, but it’s also just. SO ABSURD. NOTHING ABOUT IT MAKES ANY SENSE.

ANYWAY THIS THING’S ABOUT TO HIT HIM LIKE A WALL SO BRACE YOURSELVES

Oh my god right in the babymaker

AND YOU’VE UPSET THE BOYFRIEND AGAIN

1. You bitch, and 2. We know you’ve already said that, please say something new so I can update my bingo card again please and thank you.

YEEEESSSSSSSS [FISTPUMP]

Gokudera is all like “DAMN YOU” and trying to stand up to protect Yamamoto but then he falls down again because of his plot ailment!

NO MY SONS, ALSO, I’M LOVING IT THOUGH

BIANCHI GOES FULL GANDALF AND IT’S AMAZING!!

AAAAAAAAAAHHH

AND THEN LANCIA DELIVERS THE CLASSIC “ONLY USING X PERCENT OF MY STRENGTH” LINE, AND WE’RE ON FUCKING FIRE NOW WITH THIS BINGO SHIT

WHAT A SHOWDOWN

Time for Tsuna to finally blunder in just in the nick of time!

“WHERE IS EVERYONE—HOLY FUCK”

But then he sees that all his friends are either dead or dying and Bianchi is all on her own (REBORN WHO?!) protecting Yamamoto because she’s a goddamn hero!

And then Tsuna’s face does this.

LOOK AT THAT INSTANT 180 IN DEMEANOR. HE’S JUST ONE OR TWO RAGES SHORT OF JUMPING STRAIGHT INTO DYING WILL MODE RIGHT THERE ON THE FUCKING SPOT

Tsuna I love you so much and I want to write another rant about you becoming a different person all of a sudden when your friends’ welfare is at stake, but I think I’ve made my point on that already in past recaps lmao

Still, this is great.

Then a split second later he realizes what he’s actually done, and

SOB

Tsuna has no idea what to do. Until Lancia turns back to Bianchi and says he’ll just kill her first. 

Then Tsuna knows what to do.

REBORN SHOOTS THE DYING WILL BULLET, BUT ALSO MAKES THE MISTAKE OF SAYING OUT LOUD THAT IT’S THE LAST ONE THEY HAVE. THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT LATER PROBABLY

ANYWAY

He actually moved to catch it before the bullet fully took effect. I choose to believe he was already in motion when Reborn shot him, because even if he hadn’t been in Dying Will mode he was still going to catch that thing one way or the other.

AH THE NOSTALGIA

Tsuna is SO ANGRY he SWITCHES TO A DIFFERENT FUCKING FONT TO SHOW HOW ANGRY HE IS

Reborn again says out loud that THIS IS OUR FINAL TRUMP CARD!! JUST FOR ANYONE WHO MIGHT SECRETLY BE LISTENING! NOW YOU KNOW! AFTER THIS WE HAVE NOTHING LEFT!!!!

Come to think of it, wasn’t there some guy in the very last chapter who said he was going to watch and wait for the Arcobaleno to show his hand first?

Uh oh

You were fucking timing him, Chikusa?

Yeah it is the last one. Yeah they have completely fallen into it.

HOW MANY FUCKING STEPS ARE THERE

Back to Tsuna!

This one’s not on the card either, but least they got him to say something other than “THE END IS NIGH REPENT YOUR SINS HEAR ME AND REJOICE YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE AT THE HANDS OF THE CHILDREN OF THANOS”

Lancia sticks to his one trick, unaware that Tsuna is the main character and this shit’s not going to work this time.

I LOVE THIS PANEL. THE BLURRY MOTION LINES ON TSUNA’S ARM. LANCIA’S HEAD TILTING BACK. THE RAW “OOOOMPHH” IN THIS MAGNIFICENT UPPERCUT. This was back in the days before we had fancy schmancy X-Burners and the like! Back in the days when problems were solved WITH OUR FISTS. LIKE MEN!!!

Bianchi and Reborn watch like proud parents from the sidelines.

Lancia does a backflip for no reason and then Kamehamehas the ground!

Tsuna catches the ball and chain again because NEWS FLASH LANCIA YOU CAN’T BEAT HIM LIKE THIS

And then to add insult and injury, Tsuna Kamehamehas that shit RIGHT BACK AT HIM

oof

Without checking to make sure Lancia is actually dead, Bianchi and Reborn start patting themselves on the back and making celebratory dinner plans.

Mukuro and Chikusa watch from the window. Mukuro admits he’s surprised, but…

Holy shit. You know what that means, kids. SAY IT, LANCIA. SAY IT YOU COWARD!!!!

MOTHERFUCKER HE REALLY SAID IT!!!

Hot damn. 

And that’s where the chapter ends! It feels short, but it was actually 23 fucking pages. It’s just that a good deal of those pages were just Lancia’s giant metal snake ball whirling around over and over and over.

NEXT CHAPTER WILL CONCLUDE THIS EPICALLY GENERIC FIGHT. Will we ever get bingo?? STAY TUNED