#and he invited his friend to it and his friend HATED jjba at the time and so when he saw me being called dio

[echthr0s]

wait. did you watch/like jjba? 🥺

I watched a couple of seasons. Some of it was amusing and Avdol is hot but it just doesn't really do anything for me. I got to the point where I was just watching it because I wanted to know The References and why all these boys (and girls) were on my dashboard at the time and I had to remind myself that I could just... let it go. Also the visual style is a bit Much for my tastes (although I think it's cool from an artistic standpoint). The stand concept and some of the other stuff that was in it was of course very interesting but honestly I'm pretty easily swayed by Anime Concepts in general. They're always doin wild shit and I'm here for it.

Oh yeah Dio is cool too. There should have been more of him. Every episode should have had like 14% more Dio in it.

[yanderes-galore]

Platonic yandere Jonathan Joestar with a childhood friend darling, please and thank you ^_^

Ah yes, your new bodyguard. Hope you like this and sorry it took so long!

Yandere! Platonic! Jonathan Joestar with Childhood Friend! Darling

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Slight manipulation, Violence, Blood, Dubious companionship.

I called Jonathan something similar to a bear in his original concept.

Well, that's true here.

Towards you Jonathan is very respectable and polite.

He's also a man who would want to defend the "honor" of his best friend.

Jonathan isn't very popular despite his attempts to be a gentleman.

Everyone always saw him as the rich kid in school.

So he was actually often a target of bullying rather than being popular.

Except with you.

Jonathan met you at school when you were young and you both became childhood friends.

As a result, while you grew up he was often protective.

You were one of his only friends except his dog and his girlfriend, Erina.

Honestly, as much as he wanted to get along with Dio, it wasn't happening.

This made you one of the few people Jonathan still talked to from his youth.

Which meant you were always under his protection.

Jonathan doesn't mind bullies picking on him, but you?

If he sees you being messed with he intervenes.

I'm talking Jonathan would get into huge fist fights if it meant defending you and your honor.

By the time you pull him out of it, he's bloody and you have to drag him off to get cleaned up.

To you both, you're childhood friends.

To others, it looks like he's a bodyguard.

Perhaps he is when it comes to you.

When you two were young you were originally of similar builds.

Although, as you got older, Jonathan's size dwarfed you.

When you're in Highschool, both Jonathan and Dio dwarf you, actually.

Before Dio came along, Jonathan often played with you and Danny outside.

You loved being around him and the dog, when Erina came over you often invited her to join you and Jonathan.

When Dio moved in, there's the canonical clashing he and Jonathan have.

Although the moment Dio slanders you or picks on you in your youth, Jonathan steps in.

Jonathan often keeps you away from Dio due to this.

When you're in the mansion, Jonathan is never far behind.

When you're at school, he's there too.

Jonathan is aware of Dio's tendency to prey on you.

He can't do it without going through Jonathan.

Dio intends to make Jonathan suffer, which often includes sabotaging relationships.

Dio would definitely try his best to make you hate Jonathan.

Yet it's not very successful since Jonathan is always around.

On a more light-hearted note, Jonathan probably likes to carry you around due to his size.

You're more of a sibling to him than Dio.

Jonathan's protective nature towards you continues even after Dio becomes a vampire.

He actually hates the fact he's bedridden due to the fire, you could be vulnerable.

But Erina always manages to meet with you upon Jonathan's request so you can both visit him as he recovers.

Jonathan is still tamer than most JJBA yanderes, just being a bit overbearing.

He'd want to get stronger and take on Dio for the sake of both you and Erina.

He wants to marry Erina and have you alongside him.

As usual, you can imagine he'd be devastated if you were harmed by Dio.

It's not just bullying or teasing anymore.

Dio could easily kill you and take your blood.

Jonathan often worries about you.

He knows his strength should be used to protect those he loves.

You may not like him violent... but he'd do anything to protect you.

Jonathan does not kill out of jealousy.

He does not kill out of sadism.

Even when obsessed with you, he only kills if he'll lose you.

The blood on his hands is for your happiness.

In fact, Jonathan would love to see his best friend fall in love and get married like him.

He wants to support you.

He doesn't want you scared of him, he's protecting you.

If anyone threatens your happiness, he'll be there.

He actually isn't that bad with you.

If you get a partner, then he judges them to make sure they have your best interests at heart.

If they break your heart then he'd probably break them.

Jonathan may be clingy and overprotective... but he's a hero, isn't he?

He protected you from Dio just like he always has.

When you were injured, he stuck by you.

Every hug he gives is caring.

It doesn't matter if he has blood on his hands for you, right?

He just wants the best for you...

So he'll never leave you alone.

[fatiguedcorvid]

everything stays- Golden Wind fanfic

JJBA GW one shot ~1.6k words, SFW genfic

now on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50584042/share

As much as he might have been loathe to admit it, Giorno hated his requiem stand. He felt like an immature ingrate thinking it; Gold Experience Requiem saved him and his friends in Rome. It was the reason Giorno was able to pursue his dream of cleaning up Naples’ streets. But with every passing month the feeling weighed on him more.

He sat bodily on a public bench outside some hair salon, the sign reading ‘il parrucchiere mago- trova il tuo nuovo sé’. Breathing heavily, he was trying to glance at GER behind him without arousing suspicion from the few people already out and about at 5:40 AM on a Tuesday. GER had no such considerations, glaring at every passerby with what Giorno could only imagine was murderous intent. ‘Touch my water bottle’ he thought to it. ‘Turn it into a nutria.’ GER didn’t budge. He tried to call it back into him. It didn’t work. 

Once his vision stopped spinning he sighed and started heading back to the Villa. Giorno had taken up morning jogs in the past few weeks, hoping they would help clear his mind. In reality they did little other than make him feel guilty for not starting his already too busy workday earlier. Is that why he found himself sprinting full force every time he started running?

~

“Ah, man, what to do about GER… ?” Mista scratched his head with the tip of his revolver, considering the question. Most people would be hesitant to stand at the barrel of a gun, but Mista trusted Sex Pistols to never let him come to harm. Well, no harm so irreversible as brain death. Even if perhaps he shouldn’t have. “I dunno, Giogio, I’m not usually the advice guy.” he looked at Giorno, impassive as ever. “But,” he smiled at him, “I'll tell you what. I might not be able to fix anything, but I do know what you need. A distraction.”

“Distraction.”

“Yeah! Anything to just stop thinking about it.”

Giorno paused to consider. “I am very busy, Mista. But I increasingly can’t put it out of my mind.”

Mista pftt-ed automatically before suddenly remembering where he was and looking to see if Giorno was offended. He wasn’t able to tell. “Yeah, but you’re busy with work stuff. Peril, danger, stand attacks. How can you expect GER to lay low like that? Do something fun, for once.” Giorno tried to think back. ‘When did I last do something for pure enjoyment?’

~

“How was the movie? Did Tony McGire spider a lot of men?” Fugo asked, somewhat exasperated. Though he was invited, he didn’t come to the viewing, which only quietly convinced Giorno he got the name wrong on purpose. Fugo wasn’t exactly a pop culture aficionado.

“I don’t know. Fell asleep about fifteen minutes in.”

Fugo shook his head. “C’mon, Giogio. How can you expect to be taller than me one day if you keep sleeping barely four hours a night?” Fugo still retained three stubborn centimeters over Giorno, which he didn’t hesitate to mention at any available opportunity. Giorno had to admit he probably had a point, but sleeping more would leave even less time for his job, let alone having fun. He took a tentative bite of his croissant, smeared with copious butter and his favorite apricot jam; the taste was divine. He loved this quaint little cafe. But at that moment it brought him no comfort. He took his time chewing, wanting any excuse to delay the next part of this conversation. But if anyone could help him with this, it had to be Fugo. “When we came back, I tried to summon Gold Experience again. Strained so hard I felt my eyes almost pop out of their sockets. GER was just staring at me, wearing a certain disapproving expression. I might have snapped at it. Or maybe it was the one who snapped at me. Even now I'm not entirely sure. But it left a giant gash on my forehead.” He pointed to the now traceless site of the injury, undone by the very stand that caused it. Fugo sat there staring at him, mouth full of tuna salad sandwich. Giorno waited expectantly for him to swallow, silently resenting him for using the same time earning trick as himself.

“I don’t really know anything about requiem stands. Did you ask Polnareff about this?”

“I did. He even contacted the Speedwagon Foundation on my behalf to see if they can discover something useful.”

“And… ?”

“And nothing. He says he barely understands them himself. But if the original Gold Experience hadn’t asserted itself once since it was pierced with the arrow, it’s unlikely it ever will again.”

“I see.” Fugo said eventually. “If that’s the case, I think the only way forward is to accept your circumstances. You need to stop thinking up ways to bring it back. You’re just torturing yourself. You’ll never be able to make peace with GER if you only ever think of how to turn it back. Who knows? Maybe GER will change, become something bearable, even if it will never be the same Gold Experience again.” Giorno held back his response.

“Well, regarding the monthly budget-”

~

Giorno knocked on the half opened door to Coco Jumbo’s room. It was already rather late, but Polnareff would usually still be awake at this hour. From inside came an ever cheery voice “yes, come in!” It echoed like it was coming from a much bigger space than the modest room could allow. Coco Jumbo was sitting on the sofa in the corner. Normally much too tall a surface for a turtle to climb onto, given access by ramps stretching from the floor to every piece of furniture or appliance not already placed on the floor. They’d offered to get rid of the sofa, but Polnareff insisted they keep at least a small sofa and desk. As soon as he was inside the turtle Polnareff charged at him with a bear hug. The contact with his ghostly form felt a bit weird. It had mass, but wasn’t entirely solid. 

“What’s wrong Giorno? Couldn’t sleep? Something bothering you?” Coming from any other person that kind of attention would’ve felt smothering, but from him it felt genuine. Like he was asking because he wanted to hear the answer, not just out of politeness.

“I suppose.” he sat down, reminding himself not to get so comfortable as to fall asleep in the turtle. “I talked to Fugo. He said I can't live with GER if I'm constantly trying to turn it back to something that's already gone. But I can't seem to actually let it go. Even though I know it’s all useless.”

“What is it exactly about Gold Experience that you miss?”

Giorno was a bit taken aback. “How do you mean?”

“Well, Gold Experience might not be coming back, but why do you miss it in the first place? Do you know what it is about it that made you happier than GER? Maybe you can have this thing back. That same feeling, just in a different way.”

~

It was over a decade ago now. Giorno, only five years old, was sitting on the dirt in the tiny unkempt garden of their new house in italy. It was the time when his mother’s marriage was still fresh. When he was excited to make friends at this new place called “school”. When he still believed his stepdad’s wrath could be avoided if only he was well behaved enough. That garden was his refuge, a garden of eden. Crows and pigeons would fight over the right to rule the fence. Stray cats would sometimes sneak in; they might’ve let him pet them, if he gave them food scraps before. He was digging around for worms, eyes widening every time he found a squirming form in the moist ground. It made him wonder if they were placed there by a higher power just for him. The critters hiding in foliage and underground seemed like too much of a miracle to be a product of mere chance. Aristotle wrote about the theory of spontaneous generation. That living creatures could be birthed from dead, inanimate matter. And that was what humans believed for centuries. Common knowledge, really. By Giorno’s time everyone knew this was nonsense, of course; a fantasy created by prescientific minds. But Giorno was too young to have learned about such things; free to dream up explanations for the miracle in front of him.

~

Once giorno figured out how the damned UV lamp was supposed to be set up the cage was complete. Substrate, sticks, a stone to rub on, and every amenity a crested gecko could hope for. He opened the small plastic container and placed it inside the terrarium, letting the little guy step out and explore in his own time. Mista stood behind them, making faces.

“A gecko, really? Am I going to see it now every time I step in your office? Ugh, it’s face gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

“How could you say something so awful?” he said, his back still turned. Not that seeing his face would’ve given away whether or not he was joking. “In any case, his name’s Charlie, and you’re perfectly within your right to look away if his face bothers you.” When Giorno finally turned to face him, he took another sip of his tea. Out of politeness more than anything. He was never much of a tea guy, but when Giorno offered him a cup he brewed with the mint he grew himself, Mista didn’t have the heart to tell him no. Because at this point he knew Giorno well enough to see through his mysterious air; he was proud of himself.

[witchcraftandburialdirt]

I saw that you mentioned that Haru has other timelines, what are some details of the relationships he has with other characters in these timelines?!

── 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 ──

Yeah! Haruko is an older OC of mine that I made in college, and he was originally part of a JJBA roleplay for part 4. Some time passed and he morphed into something without any affiliations, and throughout a lot, and I mean alot, of roleplays with my best friend @magicshadowkitten - he ended up being a part of her universe. Thankfully he isn't too involved in the main plot line so I don't have to worry about too much crazy shit happening to him; but he does meet and know plenty of her characters. And since I know she's going to read this ( hi!! mwah ) I'll go over a few of the more meaningful ones and how Haru feels about the people he interacts with, not in too much detail though because these muses have been interacting for ... 8 years.

MIN-JIN YOON ── Fuck if Haru doesn't hate this dude. In some of my threads with Haru it's referenced that he survived a murder attempt in his past; well this is who done did it. Min-Jin was introduced to Haruko's little sister, Hinata, and the two of them started dating when he transferred from South Korea for school. Granted they didn't date because Min was in love with her, he's a serial killer who turned the women he dated into statues that he'd present as art. Haruko had a bad feeling about him from the beginning, and Min decided that he could take care of both of them. Long story short he cut Haru's hands off to keep as a prize and tried to kill him - but he didn't, and ended up leaving the country before anything could really be done about him. Thankfully they were able to reattach Haru's hands and they retain much of the same function as before, he's had to adjust his tattooing technique obviously. But yeah no words cannot describe the amount of hate and fear Haru holds for this person, he still has nightmares.

ROY G. BIV ── Another person he really does not like; and he doesn't even know the full extent of the abuse this dude inflicted on his adopted children. Point is, he hurt alot of the people Haru is very close to and he actually thinks he's disgusting; he'd key his car if Haru could afford the possible legal fees. Haruko already has pretty deep dadyd issues so they bleed into this hatred too, and refuses to really give him the time of day. They've only really briefly met, for good reason; the people who he loves do NOT let them interact, it just isn't a good idea for anyone involved. He's an asshole, Haru hates him, and he isn't afraid to talk about how much of a fucker he thinks Roy is. Literally wishes nothing but bad upon him actually.

ROSEMARY MURATA ── She is his childhood best friend and neighbor, she went to the same elementary school as him, grew up down the street, and has known Haruko and Hinata since they were very small. She's always been a bit of a firecracker which mixes well with Haruko's own wild behavior, but she's very protective of him and his sister. She's still in his hometown and he visits often, usually taking the train to visit his mother for a few days, he always makes sure to call Rosemary beforehand so she can get off and they can catch up. She was present when Bonnie was adopted, and is a sister to Haruko. She is part of the ideal blunt rotation, and is invited to every event she can make. She's always been extremely encouraging of Haru, and was by his side during the entire Min-Jin incident, because she also smelled some fuckery a foot. These two are the kind of people you don't want to piss off; especially not hurting Hina.

JASPER BIV ── I actually have drawn him; I'll put it under this paragraph! But That being said, Jasper and Haru met under less than ideal circumstances; Haruko being drunk at a bar and Jasper being the bartender who ended up taking care of him and making sure he was ok. They ended up meeting more, eventually becoming friends and going to the same gym together. Granted Jasper is a bit ... well, he isn't all he seems to be. TDLR; Jasper is 1/3 of a broken God trying to make it within the world and live a standard, relaxed existence ( it was not relaxed, he's got a very cool backstory but I wouldn't want to accidentally butcher it so I won't go into detail here, but he's a cool af character ). He keeps this a secret from Haru, even once they start dating, but eventually he breaks and can't keep it up anymore and tells him. Yeah to say Haru laughed at him was an understatement, but he comes around eventually and he wonders how all of this weird stuff constantly happens within his life. They live in the city together in their little high rise apartment ( Jasper's old asf and has money ok he was ready for this life ), and have a pretty normal existence despite everything. We actually joked that if her writing ever became like a dating game, that the player would meet Haru once or twice in town before seeing him leaving his apartment. Obviously part of the ideal blunt rotation, these two really give off like ... well meaning bro dudes vibes. Guys being dudes.

LIAM J. ALLEN ── You know how there are those people in life who are just pure and good and who you want to protect? Yeah, that's how Haru feels about Liam. The man is Jasper's boss and owner of the restaurant he works at, and Haruko has pretty much become part of that family too. Liam is a really good, well meaning man who takes care of Jasper and is so fond of Haru that he'll change Jas' schedule around so they can have time together. Haru is always welcome in the restaurant and he stays after hours since he knows everyone in that place. Liam is 100% part of Haru's ideal blunt rotation, and he's invited to every public outing, barbecue, party, etc ; and Haru would happily be his wingman ( asked or not ). These two have a pretty close brotherly friendship, and may honestly be the only person Haru would let date his sister without throwing a fit over it. He trusts him and knows he's a good man, and he's very grateful that he's part of his life. He can babysit Bonnie.

AIRI BIV ── Oh he likes her. She's Jasper's sister, from another broken God, and has a pretty resentful, bitter personality when you get on her bad side; and Haru fucking loves it in a "Oh, she sounds absolutely demented, let's tell her everything" way. He loves how brutal and icy she is, and he really respects her for it - and he likes getting to hang out with her when she comes around. She also helps at Liam's restaurant, so he sees her pretty often, and she's invited to pretty much every event that they have, its easy to make fun of Jasper with his sister - she knows all of his embarrassing stories and given they are both extremely old, they never run out of shit to laugh at Jasper for. He trusts her with babysitting Bonnie, and absolutely love love loves talking shit about Roy with her since they're both bitchy bitter people.

[ransprang]

HIII! I was wondering if I could get a JJBA part 5 matchup? I’m sorry for making it so long btw :((

I am a female who identifies as bisexual/biromantic, and my gender preference is always changing so don’t worry about that lol. I’m an INTP pisces.

As for my personality, I’m quite aloof and prefer to spend time indoors, however I don’t have a preference between an extrovert or introvert lover. My love language is words of affirmation and physical affection (need to be very close to them first or else it makes me a bit overwhelmed), and I don’t like gifts cuz I don’t feel worthy lmao🧍‍♀️. I’m also quiet but I love listening to other people speak and tell stories, I like to think that I’m a good listener.

I’m quite smart and LOVE subjects like physics, psychology, geology, and art. I hate school tho. I also love every type of music, from kpop to metal to rap/hiphop, and I am also a good dancer. I don’t like big parties with people I don’t know as it can cause me to have anxiety but I do like small get togethers with friends. OH YEAH and I also love baking!!

I struggle with anxiety/depression (+ probably an underlying mental illness 😀), so I need someone who will add structure to my life and comfort me….. but I also don’t mind someone who will get me outside doing fun things and allow me be spontaneous

As for my appearance, I have medium length dyed blue hair (I dye it a new colour every couple of years), I’m average height and am slim. My aesthetic switches between the usual fashion trends and super dark makeup/clothes, depending on who I’m around or where I am. I don’t like wearing my glasses even tho I can’t see shit. I also want to get a lot of tattoos so I spend a lot of time doodling ideas for them.

THANK YOU U ARE ALL SO TALENTED AND FUNNY IM SORRY FOR MAKING THIS SO LONG 💙💜

aa thank you're so sweet <3 hope you like your match up :D

your jojos match up is.....MISTA!!

- Mista is a talkative boy. He will talk your ear off about the stupidest thoughts going through his head. Six pistols will probably talk a lot with you too or they'll probably complain about one another while you silently watch.

- He is like a big affectionate dog who'll give you lots of love and affection. You wouldn't really have to return any of the hugs at first he doesn't mind if you take a while to warm up. It won't stop him from hugging you.

- You will always be invited to hang out with the Bucci gang and you'll get closer to them. Since you like dancing you'll be forced to dance with Mista & Narancia (:<

- You can forget about having a structured life. This man is C H A O T I C. Y'all will probably end up doing borderline illegal things that may spike your anxiety oops

- Since you don't like wearing glasses Mista can sit on your lap and put contact lenses into your eyes for you <3

yours blindly,

admin sar

[simpcircus]

Broken Promises

Warning(s): Angst, character’s death, squint for fluff Word count: 4.8k A/N: First JJBA content let’s goooo ♡ ♡ I hope it’s decent and feedbacks are appreciated!

Drops of rain carrying shattered hopes and promises streaked down your skin to your quivering lips as you stood under the gloomy clouds, alone with your memories of him;

Kakyoin Noriaki.

How long has it been since you last saw him? Counting the days of his absence is something too painful for a mere human like you to do. You remember the way his lips stretch into a sickeningly sweet smile everytime he sees you. You remember how his stunning amethysts-for-eyes were rimmed with long dark lashes that would brush his cheeks everytime he closed his eyes. Suffering, longing, loneliness; his eyes held all those deep seated emotions despite how bright his smile looked like every time he’s with you. 

No matter how hard you tried to understand him and how he truly feels, there always seems to be an invisible wall blocking you from doing so. You tried. You really did - but it was useless. Beneath his polite smiles and warm gaze, there seemed to be a hidden layer that you couldn’t reach. 

“Hi! You’re Kakyoin Noriaki right?” The voice of your younger self echoed in your head as you recalled an old memory. The day was postcard perfect outside when you first approached Kakyoin. You still remember how shut off from the world he was back when both of you were younger. 

Everytime you saw him in your class, the red haired boy was always sitting at the back, his mind elsewhere as his gaze drifted outside through the window. Unlike the other kids in your class, there was oftenly a gloomy aura surrounding Kakyoin as he sat with his own company. You will always find the boy with his head tilted down as he avoided eye contact, his lips tightly shut. 

You were only met with silence as a response from the redhead after attempting to start your first conversation with him - but that doesn't mean you're going to give up on trying to befriend Kakyoin. Call it sheer will and child naivety, you didn't even feel discouraged when he barely showed any interest in pursuing a friendship with you at first. If anything, it only motivated you to try harder and at some point, he started warming up to you. 

“Good morning Kakyoin!” You would cheerily greet him every morning in class just to see the small sparkles in his eyes as he looked at you, dumbfounded. Volunteering to pair up with him for assignments when no one approached him has become the norm for you and sitting beside him during lunchtime was something that you would do out of habit. 

As time passed by, your friendship with Kakyoin was eventually established and you were glad that he wasn’t as distant as he was before around you.

One of your most memorable moments with him was when you discovered his love for cherries. It was a fine day under the radiant sun, gentle warmth from the brilliant rays hitting your skin as you sat near Kakyoin, a small box containing a slice of cherry flavoured cake sitting on your laps. 

It was a simple looking slice of cake, with alternating layers of cherry curd and vanilla buttercream, and then decorated with frosting and a cute red cherry to top it off. He was eyeing the little fruit that was left untouched on your cake the whole time you were eating and you were quick to offer him the cherry.

“You can have it if you want, Kakyoin” As soon as you said that, Kakyoin’s facial expression brightened and it was the first time you’ve ever seen him being genuinely happy about something. His lips broke into a grin as he thanked you before indulging himself with the cherry, his eyes sparkling once again. 

From that day onwards, you always reminded yourself to bring a small box of cherries to school for him.

Another moment with the redhead that you would never forget was when you dragged him to your house to play video games together. Your father had bought a new video game for you and knowing how much Kakyoin loves to play video games, you just had to invite him to join you. There’s no way you’re going to play the new game without him. 

The evening was filled with delightful laughters, and fun childhood memories with him were made. When the day almost came to an end, Kakyoin fell back into silence but this time, it wasn’t unpleasant. A warm smile graced his lips as he looked at you, his mouth uttering two sentences that made your heart flutter.

“Thank you for being my friend, (y/n). Let’s stay together forever.”

It was so sudden and the sincerity in his words caught you off guard, causing your little heart to pound wildly in your chest as a light blush covered your cheeks. It was at that moment when you truly noticed how stunning his violet eyes are. It was at that moment when you realized why his presence was so magnetic for you. It was at that exact moment when you finally understood your own feelings;

You have a crush on Kakyoin Noriaki.

Things weren’t the same for you anymore ever since that day. You began stealing glances at him during class, your face would blush at the smallest friendly gesture made by him and the teacher would catch you daydreaming about your little crush in the middle of a class which then resulted in you getting sent to detention - though Kakyoin will always be there to voluntarily accompany you by purposely getting himself into trouble. 

Keeping your cool in front of him became harder the more you spent time with him. However, you kept telling yourself that it was just a silly little childhood crush that will eventually go away as you grow up.

You were wrong though. 

The feelings won’t go away no matter how hard you tried dismissing them. You ended up having to transfer school due to personal reasons and lost contact with Kakyoin, never hearing from him ever again. It was painfully hard for the both of you at first, but you eventually grew out of it - or at least that was what you kept in mind for false comfort. ‘Kakyoin probably has gotten over our friendship by now..’ you thought, a bitter smile showing on your lips as you moved on with your life.

Years passed by rather quickly and you’re now a highschooler.

News of having a transfer student in your school has been spreading around and it was the only thing everyone was talking about for the past few days. They were all so curious about the new student and a few girls who claimed to have seen him before were completely head over heels for him.

While everyone was excited to welcome the transfer student, you, in particular, paid no attention to the hype. However, your indifference towards the transfer student’s arrival immediately changed as soon as you found out that it was actually Kakyoin Noriaki; your long lost best friend and childhood crush.

Kakyoin has grown up to become a handsome young man. He was truly mature for his age - his composure was always kept together and his naturally reserved demeanour has made him seem more level headed than his peers. The redhead was much more confident to be compared to his younger self, but there was something about him that had bothered you. 

He was behaving distantly around you when you approached him, as if he barely knew you and it made you feel like you’re back to square one.

“Kakyoin?” Your voice wavered. Both of your hands were clasped while your heart beat wildly, just like how it did years ago when he thanked you for being his friend. Your legs almost gave out when the redhead finally turned his head towards you and met your gaze. You were scared, but you couldn’t pinpoint what you’re actually scared of. Was it rejection? Or maybe you’re just nervous because you haven’t seen each other for a very long time.

His white scarf swayed lightly in the cold breeze, his eyes still held the same brilliance from your childhood memories of him - but there was something that made his gaze appear colder than before as he looked at you instead of the canvas in front of him. 

His lips were formed into a thin line as he kept staring at you in silence, and you started to feel uncomfortable under his gaze. Was he angry that you left him? Did he hate you now? Does he even recognize you? You couldn’t tell.

“It’s been a long time, Kakyoin. I miss you- and our friendship, of course.” It would be a huge, pathetic lie to say that you don’t miss him. Your heart was aching for him every second ever since the day you were separated from Kakyoin. Everyday, you have this hope where you’ll get to reunite with him by fate - be it stumbling across each other in a random street or perhaps meeting him at a cafe as an employee. 

You’ve always told yourself that you would confess about your feelings if life gave you the chance to meet Kakyoin again but now that he’s right here standing in front of you, you’re tongue tied.

God, you desperately wanted to tell Kakyoin how much you love him but something in your mind held you back. ‘Do I even have the right to confess about my feelings after not seeing him for years? Won’t it sound weird?’ You knew it wasn’t your fault that you had to transfer schools and you’re probably being overdramatic at the moment but you couldn’t help it. 

It felt like forever before Kakyoin finally responded, his facial expression was quick to change as he flashed you a polite smile. “Nice to meet you again. You’re (y/n). Aren’t you?” Kakyoin’s voice was just as charming as it was years ago, but deeper, and it caused a wave of nostalgia to wash over you. His reaction was as calm as you’d expected him to be. However, something felt off about him. 

‘Maybe I’m overthinking it..’ You shook off your thoughts before proceeding to try and spark a conversation to catch up on your lives. 

“As much as I would love to talk, I’m afraid I don't really have the time (y/n).” You had no idea that he could effortlessly break your heart with just a few words. It was a challenge to hide your disappointment as you forced out a smile for him. You can tell that he’s truly apologetic with the way he looked at you so you forced yourself to temporarily put your disappointment aside.

“It’s alright. We can always catch up later when you’re free right?” You noticed the way his gaze was immediately directed towards someone a few feet away behind you, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as if there was business to be done with whoever he was looking at. Out of curiosity, you turned your head to follow his gaze and saw Jotaro Kujo walking with a bunch of heart eyed girls tailing him. “That’s Jotaro Kujo. He’s in my class. Do you know him, Kakyoin?”

Kakyoin shook his head before returning his gaze back at you. “No, I believe I don’t. I’ll get back to you once I’m free (y/n). See you later.” He flashed you his usual polite smile before walking away towards the same direction Jotaro took, leaving you to stand by yourself. 

You were left speechless after the encounter with your long lost best friend and disappointment began seeping back into your chest as you quietly turned to look at Kakyoin’s back. You had to admit that you’re a little mad at your best friend for just simply dismissing you after years of not seeing each other. 

‘Calm down, (y/n). He told you that he’s busy. He surely didn’t intend to offend you or anything.’ You let out a small sigh before shaking your head to calm down. Kakyoin did tell you that he’ll be reaching out later, so you’ll just have to wait. Waiting shouldn’t be hard, right?

You didn’t see him for the rest of the day and there was an attack in the nurse’s office - which had forced students to stay in class. The teachers assumed that there was an unknown gas explosion but no one can really tell the true cause of the incident. It was a relief to hear that she was still alive regardless of her severe injuries. You would even call her lucky, even, since most people would’ve died if they got the same injuries as hers. 

By instinct, your gaze drifted over to Jotaro’s empty desk at the back of the class and you couldn’t help but to wonder where he went. ‘I thought he was on his way to school this morning..’ A small voice echoed in your head as curiosity began filling in your mind. Jotaro was well known for being a delinquent in the school and you knew for a fact that him skipping school is old news. 

However, it was a little odd that he wasn’t in the class after seeing him near the school this morning. ‘Maybe he changed his mind and ended up skipping.’ you quietly hummed to your own conclusion, hoping so that your classmate wasn’t harmed wherever he was.

The next day, you decided to walk the same road you took yesterday just in case you're lucky enough to see Kakyoin again. Much to your disappointment, the redhead was nowhere to be seen and you were once again let down by your own hope. You subconsciously bit your inner cheek out of slight frustration and was about to walk faster to school before a hand caught you by the wrist, causing you to instinctively pull your hand away by force to hold up your trusty pepper spray out of defense.

“Whoa calm down (y/n)! It’s me, Kakyoin” Your childhood best friend quickly held both of his arms up, slightly backing away for you to maintain a safe distance from your deadly spray. It took you a few seconds to get back to your senses and recognize that it was Kakyoin, and your mood instantly improved for the day. 

Your lips stretched into a bright grin but it didn't stay for long when you saw the bandage wrapped around his forehead. “What happened to your forehead?” The obvious worry in the tone of your voice caused him to smile gently before shaking his head as a response.

“I got into a small accident yesterday. Sorry for worrying you, (y/n).” Kakyoin sounded slightly different today. His tone was gentler and warmer while his gaze was soft as he looked at you rather fondly. The change of behaviour caused your stomach to flutter, reminding you of your feelings towards him. 

“You really should be more careful Kakyoin. I just don’t want to see you get hurt that’s all.” Your hand brushed over his bandage, careful enough to avoid hurting him by accident. At that moment, Kakyoin was silent as he stared at you - as if he was contemplating on his next words. There was a subtle nervousness in his gaze that was still on you while you pulled away your hand. 

“What is it Kakyoin? You looked like you got something to say.” Your words managed to bring him back to reality and you could almost imagine the gears in his head turning to muster up a response. It took a while for him to consider his words, but Kakyoin reminded himself to not take too much time since he didn’t want to cause you to be late for school. 

“(y/n), I’m sorry if I acted distant yesterday. I wasn’t in the right mind.” A small frown was visible on his face and you only proceeded to shake your head. Sure, he disappointed you yesterday but at least he was really apologetic about it.

“Hey it’s alright. Don’t worry about it.” You let a smile show up in your facial expression as an attempt to assure him that you’re fine. It’s not that you could stay mad at Kakyoin for too long anyways. His frown changed into a small smile and he was back to being silent. The both of you kept staring at each other, not uttering any word as you got yourselves lost in each other’s eyes. 

It took months for Kakyoin to finally realize his crush for you, and it was a shame that you already left by the time he figured his feelings out. The redhead recalls how he practiced hardly to confess to you years ago. 

The boy envisioned a perfect day for his confession - delicate cherry blossom petals gently falling to the ground around the two of you as he tried his best to avoid stuttering in his words while struggling to hold back his blush in front of you. It was the perfect scenario, but his hope crashed and burned when he remembered that he probably would never get to see you again. 

Now that he was standing right in front of you, he was just as tongue tied as you are, especially after seeing how breathtaking you have grown to be.

For now, Kakyoin has to put aside the plan for his confession - much to his dismay.

“I won’t be at school for a while.” He finally broke his silence, shocking you with the sudden announcement. It was only his second day, yet, he was already skipping school. 

“Where are you going?” 

“Egypt. There are important things that need to be done.”

Egypt? His answer only opened the door to more questions, leaving you in complete confusion. “Alone?” You were filled to the brim with your own curiosity and Kakyoin shook his head to your question.

“I have a couple of friends with me, so, no. I’m not alone.” 

Suspicions and theories began swirling in your head, and one of them happened to slip from your lips - which only caused him to widen his eyes in surprise at how you managed to catch up on so quickly. “Is it stand related, Kakyoin?”

You knew nothing about how these so called stands work, but something tells you that whatever Kakyoin’s about to get himself into, there’s a high chance that it won’t go too well. Your eyebrows slightly furrowed when he looked away, somehow confirming your suspicions. Your heart desperately wanted to stop him from going, but you simply couldn’t bring yourself to do so. You knew your place and you’re aware that you’re not in the right position to tell him what to do for many different reasons.

One of them is that he’s a stand user, unlike you.

You remember how he opened up to you about his inner conflict years ago. The sole reason for his loneliness was because no one could see his stand and truly understand him - and this includes you. 

Despite how hard you tried to make him feel fully understood, you knew that your efforts probably wouldn’t do much for him because just like most people, you couldn’t see his stand. However, everytime you apologize to him for not being able to make him feel less lonely and understood, Kakyoin would just shake his head disapprovingly and remind you that everything you had done for him is something that he will never forget.

He will always try to prove you wrong whenever you feel like you’re not enough.

“Jotaro too?” Another question left your lips as soon as your dark haired classmate entered your sight, walking towards your direction with his hat concealing the upper part of his face. He made sure to maintain some distance just so that he didn’t interrupt anything personal between you and Kakyoin by accident.  

“We’re leaving now Kakyoin.” Jotaro spoke, disinterested with whatever your discussion with Kakyoin was about. At least he’s considerate enough to wait a little bit longer instead of just pulling your bestfriend away from you.

Kakyoin quietly looked at you and he was taken aback at the supporting small smile on your face. He could see the pain in your eyes but your smile has become his motivation to win this upcoming war in Egypt.

“I would be lying if I say that I’m not worried about you, Kakyoin, but this is important and personal for you so I won’t get in your way.” You pushed yourself to restrain your tears before reaching out for his hands and hold them up in a supportive manner. “I trust you. I know you’ll return safely.” 

“Thank you, (y/n). I’m thankful that I have you in my life.Truly.” Kakyoin spoke softly, his grip on your hands were tight, yet gentle - as if he was afraid that he would break them if he held too tightly. 

A small part of your anguish for having to be separated from him for the second time was soothed with the way his thumbs caressed the skin of your hands to comfort you. “Once this all ends, I’ll return immediately and there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for so long. Please wait for me (y/n).”

“Of course I will. I’ll always wait for you, Kakyoin.” Always. 

Kakyoin looked less troubled after listening to your reply, before his eyes widened by a fraction upon remembering something important. “Another thing, please don’t tell anyone about this no matter what happens. Alright?”

Letting out a light chuckle, you let go of his hands and showed him your pinky finger. “Sure, but only if you could promise me three things.”

“Elaborate?” It was his turn to become confused.

“One, promise me that you’ll take good care of yourself while in Egypt. Two, don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go the way you wanted them to be. Three, stay alive.” 

“Deal.” Memories of your childhood rushed into his mind when Kakyoin linked your pinky fingers together. The two of you used to do this whenever a promise was made, and to remember about it made his heart feel warm. “I’ll keep my promises” The way he grinned was so assuring and none of you were suspecting the tragedy that will soon befall on him.

Weeks became months and you kept waiting for Kakyoin’s return. You got more anxious the longer you wait, various thoughts of negative outcomes haunted your mind every second while you’re awake. What if he didn’t come back? What if something bad happens to him? It was hard to think positively and remain hopeful for his safe return but you didn’t give up. Despite how scary the whole situation was, you kept holding onto your feeble hope that he’ll be back in one piece.

Instant relief entered your chest when you saw Jotaro back in school - but there was nothing more horrifying for you when your classmate stayed in silence after you asked about Kakyoin. The look of grief in his face and the way he tilted his hat downwards to hide his eyes said it all - Kakyoin didn’t make it.

It almost felt like your heart had stopped while the world around you collapsed, crumbling into dust. 

You wanted to cry, scream and punch someone to let it all out, but you can’t. Your body was frozen from all the sudden intense grief and despair that have washed over your senses. Every inch of your body was in pain, desperately rejecting the horrible news despite knowing that it is, indeed, reality - and there was nothing for you to do to change it. You couldn’t rewrite reality no matter how bad you wish you could.

“No..” It was the only word that you could utter at the moment due to your current state, your voice cracked while your throat burnt. How cruel can life be? All you wanted was just to be with Kakyoin again and create more meaningful memories together. Is that too much to ask for? What did you even do to deserve this?

A painful chuckle left your lips after another long moment of silence, your eyes brimming with tears that were threatening to spill out. This can’t be real right? This must’ve been a terrifyingly realistic nightmare that you’ll wake up from soon. This can’t be real. 

You’re not ready to lose Kakyoin yet.

Shaking your head, you immediately pinched yourself as hard as you could, your fingernails digging into your skin only to leave bruises and fresh wounds. “This must be a dream. A really bad one..” Those words were the only thing you repeated on your lips as you kept pinching yourself as an attempt to escape this atrocious fate - yet there you were, still trapped in the living nightmare and your fingernails were covered by your own blood.

It was at that moment when light became shadows - your mind desperately called out for him but it was useless. Kakyoin was truly gone.

You didn’t step out from your room for days to mourn over his death. Your pillows were soaked with tears and your limbs felt heavier than they usually did. You kept crying until there was nothing left inside, but a raw emptiness that nibbles at your consciousness. The sun still shone in the vast sky but not for you as there was no beauty left in the world after Kakyoin had taken his departure.

The faint sound of thunder brought you back from your endless trail of memories, raindrops have completely soaked you from head to toe. It was cold, but you couldn’t bring yourself to step forward and find yourself a shelter to protect yourself from the heavy rain. It’s not that you cared much if you’ll get sick from being under the downpour for too long. It has been almost two weeks since you last stepped outside, but you don’t even realize how fast time flies.

‘Will the rain wash my pain away?’ A thought crossed your mind as you closed your eyes, your head tilted upwards to face the grey sky. Life seems to hate you that much, huh? 

“E-excuse me miss” A childish voice grabbed your attention and you looked down to see a little boy in a raincoat holding an umbrella. His huge eyes sparkled with curiosity as he stared at you, probably wondering why an adult like you were standing in the rain without any protection from the rain. Crouching down to his level, you mustered out what energy you had left for a small smile before letting out a gentle questioning hum.

Now that you could see him better, you started to take notice of the boy’s luscious red hair and violet eyes. Whoever he is, the boy strikes a resemblance to Kakyoin but you were quick to shrug the thought off.

“My mom told me that you’ll get a cold if you stand in the rain for too long.” There was a hint of worry in his eyes as he spoke and his concern for a random stranger like you caused your lips to stretch into a wider smile. Maybe there’s still a little bit of kindness left in life despite how cruel it could be.

“I have a raincoat on me and uh.. Y-you can have my umbrella instead!” That was completely unexpected. Your eyes widened as you stared at him in disbelief. ‘Is this kid for real..?’ You had to take a few moments to process his words just to make sure you weren’t hearing things. 

“It’s fine miss! My mom said that it’s always good to be a hero and help people in need. I wanted to help you!” There was pure innocence in his face as he spoke excitedly. “So please accept my help! Mom’s gonna be so happy when she finds out that I helped someone today” He was grinning brightly at you and it was hard for you to say no - but at the same time, you wouldn’t want to cause trouble to a child.

“H-hey it’s alright. You don’t have to-” Your words were cut off by him grabbing your hand and shoving the umbrella towards you before running off, not giving you the chance to even thank him. You were left alone with confusion, the umbrella shielding you away from the rain. “He’s surely an odd one..” You murmured under your breath before a small sigh escaped your lips. Though you can’t say that you’re ungrateful for the umbrella.

The little incident with the random child has managed to bring you back to your senses and you figured that it was time to go home. Just when you got up and started walking, a small chiming of some bells attracted your attention. ‘Huh?’ 

There weren’t any bells around you - or that was what you thought until you saw two small cherry shaped bells attached to the child’s umbrella. Words couldn’t explain how overwhelmed you were after seeing the cherry shaped bells, a tear unknowingly streamed down your cheek. 

Perhaps Kakyoin hasn’t completely left, and there was indeed, a part of him that’s still living inside your heart until the day when you can finally reunite with him again.

[my-darling-has-forgotten-me]

Heyyy!!!! Fluffy dating headcanons for Kakyoin, Cesaer, Josuke and Erina please?

Ma'am, this is a DL blog-

I'll just answer it anyway because I love JJBA.

Kakyoin~

His girlfriend is probably a milf

I love this nerd so much. Kakyoin is extremely passionate about his interests and what he likes and is more than happy when his s/o takes interest in something he likes.

Doesn't really invite his s/o over for video game dates because he won't pay much attention to his lover and Kakyoin prefers to give them his undivided love and affection. But he can't when he's playing Fortnite.

Very quiet and reserved at first because as a child, he was extremely introverted and distant so he kinda had an observation month for his s/o to see what kind of person they are and if he can trust them.

Kakyoin hates it when his s/o is upset or feeling negative emotions in general. He just holds them and does everything in his milf hunter power to make him feel better.

GIVE HIM FOREHEAD KISSES, HE WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!

If you run your fingers through his angelic noodle hair, he'll get extremely relaxed and will probably fall asleep.

He's so awkward with physical affection. S/O hugs him,he's like a deer in headlights.

Always holding your hand and is very protective of his s/o.

Caesar~

Oof Caesar is something else.

This man is so romantic and he won't hesitate to take a bullet for his s/o. He'd do literally anything for them without hesitation.

Caesar always lets his s/o know that he loves them and that they're his ultimate treasure and that they're irreplaceable to him.

Lovely dude, getchu a man who'll teach you hammon.

Big on PDA, never embarrassed to show off how dearly he loves his s/o.

If he s/o doesn't speak italian already, he'd be more than happy to teach them a bit of the language and will definitely teach them the entire history of Italy because he's very patriotic.

Tries to introduce his s/o to Joseph but our boi just keeps making fun of his Shiza chan because he's kind of jealous that he has a lover.

Calls his s/o reaaalllly nice nicknames. Unlike certain people in a certain otome.

Kisses before bed.

Josuke~

This man is so adorable and so goofy, I love him-

Dating Josuke will be one of the best relationships his s/o will ever have.

Never fails to make them laugh and always makes them feel comfortable and good about themselves. In other words, there's never a dull moment with Josuke.

He's the agape kind of lover so he adores his s/o so much.

Guys night? "Sorry, I'm with s/o, maybe next week?" Very devoted.

Allows them to do the impossible and touch his hair.

Compliments them all the God damn time, I swear he's absolutely smitten.

They were most likely friends with Josuke before being in a romantic relationship with him.

SLEEPOVERS EVERY SATURDAY.

You can never shut him up about his favorite bands and video games and he tries so hard to get his lover into the things he likes. By begging.

Erina~

Softest of the softs.

Very shy, so her s/o will have to take the lead on a few things. Erina has balls though, let's not forget the first and last episode of Phantom Blood.

Really loves her s/o and loves playing with their hair and shopping with them.

Her dad's a doctor, so she's interested in medical stuff so she enjoys talking about it.

Pretty playful and energetic once the relationship progresses.

Endearing nicknames anyone?

Loves reading to her s/o and sleeping next to them.

Write her some romantic poetry, and she'll love you forever.

Doesn't really like being separated from her s/o for too long because she gets a bit worried.

[sinkingwmyships]

today i went to my uncle & aunt's for a family dinner, and then we watched "The Purge: Anarchy" :'D and then my brother and i went home and watched the first 3 Purge movies' kill counts (channel's Dead Meat on YouTube if y'all wanna check them out, pretty entertaining content).

and damn it

i know nothing abt the Purge movies bc i literally watched recaps but

JJBA (VA) Purge AU???

(before we dive in lemme just tell you i am LITERALLY making this up AS I TYPE)

tw: abuse, violence, depression, murder & other crimes (typical purge things)

may contain vento aureo spoilers!!

1. Fugo:

let's be upfront Fugo's probably gna be the main character :'D

he most likely goes on killing sprees every year, and he deeeeefinitely goes all out :) but at the same time he's not crazy to the point that he snaps and does stupid shit that can get himself killed, he plans out the 12 hours very carefully and is extremely methodical in the way he does things. he isn't looking for death, just some fun & stress relief :)

i was gna say his rich-ass family doesn't partake in this, but who am i kidding? they probably go on murder rampages with other rich elites every year. so they don't have a problem with what Fugo does... as long as he doesn't touch any of their upper-class friends.

so who does Fugo kill? i can't come up w anything too decent atm, but based on his anime backstory of him rekting his sexual-predator professor, and his PHF one of him rekting his unsympathetic professor, i'd say he probably keeps track of the people he thinks have "wronged" him, and unleash all of his pent-up anger during Purge. he's not unreasonable or needlessly cruel, so most of the time his targets are actually people who've done bad things. but he's also not the sanest person ever, so he has innocent blood on his hands as well. (i don't want to erase the fact that the canon Purge is abt violence and crimes and murder (mostly) for the heck of it.)

2. Abbacchio:

(recently Abbacchio is coming up in my writing a lot, and i tend to get attached to characters i write about, so)

Abbacchio is also a regular Purger. he's a cop, and the whole thing abt him accepting bribes and letting his partner get killed still happened. but he just didn't get fired (because literally all cops are this way anyway). however, he's tormented to hell and back by his partner's death, and soon becomes vengeful. he still has his whole justice ideology thing going on, so he settles for hunting down criminals who have evaded the law every year.

he's similar to Fugo in the way that he plans out his 12 hours, but of course an experienced cop with access to police/government resources can track down his victims much more efficiently. but Abbacchio would never kill an innocent; he sticks strictly to criminals.

he does this relentlessly every single year. soon enough, his "good" deeds are recognized by the higher-ups, and after that he climbs the rank like crazy, earning respect from everyone. he's even been invited to become involved directly with the "New Founding Fathers," but he declines and chooses to stay a normal cop, only holding a position of mid-rank importance in his station (idk like leader of a small squad or sth). that's because while he uses Purges to kill criminals, a part of him wishes these Purges after Purges will one day kill him as well, because he truly can't live with the guilt of killing his partner looming over him. but every year he wakes up alive, and his kill count keeps increasing and everybody loves him for it, so he can't stop.

3. Giorno:

Giorno is just an average boy, living with his average family, where he has been receiving all kinds of abuse every day for the past 15 years of his life. there isn't a single moment where he's happy or safe in that terrible household. and he absolutely DESPISES the Purge, bc his mom threatens him every day that if he ever misbehaves, she can just abandon him in the street during the Purge and not suffer any consequences, while his stepdad's favorite phrase is: "when the Purge comes, you're dead."

he hears people talking about the Purge every year, even more the closer it draws. anything is legal, even murder. and he tells himself he cannot succumb to the voice in his head that tells him every time another beating rains down on him, that "this year. this year will be the year you Purge them." because he can't do that he hates the Purge and he won't do what his parents did to him and it's fine he'll just endure this until he's old enough to leave because he can't become a monster he can't succumb to the Purge he can't—

until he does, and his parents lay before him in pools of their own blood, killed by the very knife his stepdad was waving in front of his face just moments ago. the Purge sirens went off just an hour ago.

Giorno is scared out of his mind, and even though the rules say murder is legal, he still feels as if he has committed a crime. he runs out into the streets bc he can't handle looking at his parents' corpses, but then he gets attacked, and for some reason he keeps killing and killing and killing until, somehow, the sirens signifying the end blare, and he's saved. from the onslaught of attacks? from himself? he has no idea, but he dreads next year's Purge all the more.

to be continued… 👀🔪

part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

[ayatakami]

♉️(1/2) Hello Honey!🌸✨ I was wondering if I could get a part 4 or 5 jjba matchup please? I'm a straight female, standing at 5’4, ENFP, ♉️, and I wear glasses. I have fair skin and long brown, curly hair. I radiate big musical theatre kid energy. Because of that, I’m incredibly outgoing, being able to make friends really easily, and am usually loud. I also radiate massive mom energy (I’m kind-hearted, patient, and I’m really good with children)

♉️(2/2)Though I'm usually all sunshine, rainbows, and smiles, I also enjoy things like true crime. I enjoy artsy things like drawing, singing, dancing, etc... and am a hopeless romantic who gets attached to people very easily. I’m also a self-titled critic of things ranging from video games to movies (though I love both). I tend to go on long rants on those pre-mentioned things. I dress solely for comfort. Thank you so much and I hope you have a great day! 

♉️(3/2) Sorry!! I meant to type "part 4 and part 5 matchup" If you only want to do one, then that's totally ok!! I love your writing and I hope you keep up the amazing work! :)

𝕁𝕁𝔹𝔸 ℙ𝟜 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕦𝕡: ℝ𝕠𝕙𝕒𝕟

𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝓉: You and Rohan hung out in a similar friend group, so it wasn’t uncommon that the two of you would meet here and there. Although, that didn’t mean you knew him personally. More like his name and face, thanks to Koichi. Koichi invited you to tag along to Rohan’s house for a bit, and having nothing better to do, you accepted. However, you were starting to regret it as you felt emerald eyes watching your every move. “Koichi, can you grab some supplies for me from my office?” He asked casually, Koichi agreed, and left the room. You shifted every now and then, his eyes still on you. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” You looked up at him. His expression wasn’t his usual hard stare, it was softer. It broke off the defenses you didn’t know you were building up. “You mean... just us or?” He nodded. “Um, yeah sure.” You beamed at him, at least now you would get to know him a lot better. “Rohan, you didn’t have any of those supplies you asked.” Rohan groaned, “I guess I’ll go shopping for them soon.” He sent you a glance. 

𝐹𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: A few weeks have passed by since you last spoke to Rohan. You were currently on your way home since you stopped at the mart to buy a few snacks in case any of your friends decided to pop in for no apparent reason. You didn’t hate them for it, you were just extremely used to it by now. “Hey!” Stopping in your tracks, you turned around. Rohan was by your side, “Why haven’t you been answering my messages?” Your brain flatlined for a second. “You’ve been messaging me?’ He pulled out his phone, typing up your contact, and showing you the messages. They were throughout the weeks you haven’t heard from him. “Oh, I’m sorry, you have the wrong number down.” The two of you walked to his house without you even noticing. “Then, we should hang out now,” He stretched his hand out to you, leading you up the stairs and into his office. “I hope you don’t mind, but I used you as my muse.” He uncovered a large canvas, and you gazed in awe at the large portrait of you. “It’s beautiful.” “I know you are.” The two of you spent the rest of the day doodling away on the couch while leaning on each other. 

𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒/𝒶𝒹𝓂𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊: To him, you’re the personification of happiness and joy. He loves the little hangout sessions where it’s just the two of you huddled together on the couch, doodling away. He won’t admit it to anyone else, but every drawing that you give him, he keeps with him hung in his office. He loves listening along to your rants, using them as information for his manga. 

𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓅 𝓃𝑜𝓌:  Since you started dating, you two would almost always be together late at night, watching true crime, painting, or just chatting back and forth. He always spoils you with the newest and latest art supplies (you always thank him and tell him you want to pay him back but he’s like just being with me is enough). Whenever you two hang out with the rest of the group, he always admires your concern for your friends as they deemed you the ‘mom’ of the group. Someway somehow, they ended up making Rohan the ‘dad’ of the group as well, but he can’t say he hates it. Even if he has a dislike towards Josuke at times! He loves doing little things for you, getting you gifts here and there, or just showing up to your door with your favorite bouquet of flowers. 

𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒫𝟦 𝐹𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹: You would be best friends with Reimi!

𝕁𝕁𝔹𝔸 ℙ𝟝 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕦𝕡: 𝔾𝕚𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕠

𝐻𝑜𝓌 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝓉: You first ran into Giorno while you were studying abroad in Italy. He offered you a ride to which you graciously accepted, not knowing the place at all. He dropped you off in the center of town, hoping to take your luggage and sell them along, or at least your purse. However, his hands remained glued to the steering wheel as he wished you a good day. He later then went to his gang and explained the situation. “You like her!” Mista gawked at him, squealing along with Trish. “No, don’t.” He shrugged them off. Although, it dawned on him that he left you on the territory of his opposing gang. “I’ll be back.” His absence made them glance at each other and shrugged. He found you where he had left you, speaking to the locals in fluent Italian. “Excuse me,” You turned to face him. ‘My cab driver came back for me?’ “You forgot something.” Your eyes widen as you checked all your bags. “I’m so sorry, what was it?” He handed you a bundle of purple and orange roses. “Are you free this Friday?”

𝐹𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: He took you to an art museum on your first date together. He held out a single orange rose for you. “Thank you,” You smiled warmly at him. The entirety of the date was spent by you pulling on his hand around the building, pointing at the paintings, and admiring them. Towards, he took you to a small cafe and let you order whatever you wanted. “So you’re a cab driver?’ He tugged at his collar, “Well in my free time I am.” He replied, not wanting to alarm you with his real occupation. He asked what you were doing in Italy, and you told him how you were studying abroad for the time being. “Would you like to do this again sometime?” You nodded, pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek before going inside your temporary apartment. 

𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒/𝒶𝒹𝓂𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝒷𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊: He admires how outgoing and compassionate you are. He loves hearing you sing in his free time, and dancing with you. (Although he’s a bit stiff when it comes to dancing) You still think it’s cute that he tries to learn with you. He also loves hearing your opinion on things, so he purposely sets up movie dates or sends you music to listen to.

𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓅 𝓃𝑜𝓌: When your short trip to Italy was finished, the two of you kept in contact via texting/calling. You told him how you missed Italy and him, so of course, being the boss of the mafia, he bought you plane tickets and arrangements to come to Italy and live with him. Knowing how pricey that would be, you kept telling him that you’ll make it up to him. But you didn’t refuse his offer. He loves surprising you with small gifts as well as giving you roses just like the day the two of you met. “What’s your real job? I didn’t know being a cab driver paid this much?” Eventually, he came forward and told you that he was the mafia boss. Regardless of his occupation, you accepted him for who he was. In time, you also met the rest of the gang, and you got along with them famously. He loves setting up dinner dates for the two of you, or just a casual day for you two to relax. 

𝒴𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒫𝟧 𝐹𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹: You would be best friends with Trish!

[jojosthetic-boogaloo]

JJBA maychup pls? 2-7 I'm a bi (kinda prefer guys though.) chubby 5'8 female. I've been told I'm kind, freindly and sweet. Once I get to know somone the more I show my bubbly side. I hate seeing anyone in pain and pretty understanding and ready to listen. I'm optimistic but not ignorant of the world around me. I do have anxeity and social anxeity. I'm naturally curious but I don't have the best attention span at times. (Part-1.)

Sure thing anon! Two quick things first! 

You didn’t add an M! or mentioned a moodboard, therefore I’m doing a regular matchup!

And secondly, I’m sorry! I have yet to read parts 6-7-8 (as I say in my About/Rules, pls pls read it!) so I’ll find a character for you that ranges from parts 2-5, if that’s okay with you! 

Now without any more delay, I match you up with...

Narancia Ghirga!

He just sees so much of himself in you! He admires you a great deal! How come you’re this cool and sweet? It completely disarms him!

You met in a music store, by accidentally reaching for the same CD and brushing your fingers in the process, the CD falling off to the ground upon contact shock, earning an apologetic “ohh no” from the dark haired man next to you. 

He’s naturally bubbly and friendly, with a charm to him that you couldn’t quite pinpoint, but you got along with him perfectly fine from the very beginning! 

You started with casual chatting about your music tastes, which then escalated into going for a drink together, and learning pretty much everything else there was about each other! Within reason of course, no intimate information was disclosed in that first “date”. He took note how you were such a great listener, that made you a very appealing person to him, he lived for getting some attention of this sort!

“Oh? You got distracted with something outside? Don’t worry! It happens to me all the time! I’ll repeat the question, no biggie!”

You kept meeting up since then, since he asked for your number gingerly and basically arranged all dates himself, which you thanked him for internally. He was so sweet and cheery, it was endearingly cute. And at the same time, the way his violet eyes focused on yours when you spoke, how he seemed to see nothing else but your core with a playful smile tugging on his lips... You’d started to see Narancia differently.

One day he decided invite you over to watch some shows together now that he had some time to kill. Boy, was he not expecting your face lighting up in the most adorable way he’d seen when you spotted your favorite show on screen. And for the first time since you’d met, you were the one to talk his ear off with everything that was just, so great about it! He felt something make a leap inside him, feeling the air caught in his lungs. He’d finally gotten around on guessing what was it that he felt each time you’d met up.

He didn’t quite know how to act the rest of the afternoon, awkwardly diverting his gaze from you if you spoke, scooting over a bit if you sat too close on the sofa with him, waiting till you got your hand out the popcorn bowl to stick his in to avoid accidentally touching you... Why was he doing this?! You were starting to think you did something wrong at this point.

You couldn’t deal with the Italian's ignoring any longer, so when you saw him walk up to the kitchen for whatever he was trying to fetch, you cornered him on the kitchen counter with your arms crossed. 

“Why are you avoiding me, Narancia Ghirga? I thought we were friends?”

He seemed to struggle to find his words for a second, finally deciding on tentatively holding your hands with his and squeezing, his gaze cast on the ground, giving you a wonderful view of his long, pretty lashes. 

“I’m avoiding you the best I manage precisely because you think we’re friends, Y/N.” 

You, not knowing how to reply with your own words, opted for tugging at his hands on yours towards yourself, ending up giving him a tight hug while burying your face in the crook of his neck.

He took this with a bright smile on his face, holding you to him as well and resting his temple on yours.

“Alright then, I’ll take that as a good, positive step forward.” He said quietly, letting go of the hug but still holding your hand in his. “But for now, we really need to know how that episode ends Y/N, amore!” You tittered and gave him a quick nod, not giving you much time as your now more than friend excitedly tugged at your hand, guiding you to the sofa once more. This time, he’s sit resting his head on your shoulder.

[bthump]

watching jojo's bizarre adventure anime adaptation and seeing how much the anime team fixed araki (the mangaka)'s bad writing makes me rlly wish that if berserk gets a proper anime adaptation whoever does it will do the same with miura's writing (and some of his art too tbh). like for example for all their faults the berserk movies did improve casca's character. what are your wants for a potential full berserk anime adaptation? (also let's hope that this is the year we finally get one 🤞)

I never finished JJBA or watched the anime so idk, but I’m curious how much they changed. Like were there big changes to the plot, or was it mostly just little minor changes to smooth over some flaws?

ty for asking, and I apologize in advance for how long this got lol.

tbh I think my ideal, if not realistic, Berserk adaptation is one that just goes ‘fuck it’ and throws out most of the story lol. Starts with Black Swordsman, ends with Femto lowering his hand and letting Guts escape - well more specifically, on this panel:

Like that is a perfect final shot imho.

(Also I might mirror it with the opening shot. Like I wouldn’t open on Guts fucking an apostle lmao, I don’t actually dislike that opening but it doesn’t fit this theoretical adaption. So how about we open on a long shot of Black Swordsman Guts surrounded by the ghosts he’s fighting, that mimics this?)

Ooh I might also… I might stick the Lost Children arc in between Snake Man and Count Slug. Ugggh there are some logistical issues to untangle there, but I really, really want Jill/Rosine Guts/Griffith parallels, and I want ghosts taunting Guts about becoming a monster like his friend. Subtlety is for cowards. Oh except we wouldn’t’ve seen Femto yet so that wouldn’t work. Well, “like him” then instead of “like your friend.” There now it’s foreshadowing 2 ways.

the climax of the story is the moment of sacrifice because there’s no Eclipse rape, Casca dies shortly after Judeau, and Guts’ horror at being sacrificed by Griffith is the emotional low point. Potentially no gtsca either if I can figure out a way to incorporate Guts’ stupid dream speech somewhere else. Maybe it can be a flashback during the Wyald fight, which I’d keep incidentally, sans attempted rape, w/ Guts talking to Erica. Actually yeah that would be perfect and immediately tie Guts’ “dream” of fighting stronger and stronger enemies with fighting monsters lol, meaning I could bypass Guts’ post Eclipse war declaration that draws that comparison more explicitly.

Boom, Berserk is now a nice little self-contained tragic story about two dudes each becoming solitary monsters because they abandoned each other for abstract dreams, and threw aside the potential for true emotional healing (relationships) for shallow coping mechanisms (swords/dreams). Uhhh, also Puck is cut. Sorry Puck, ilu but you’re a ray of hope that ruins the vibe here.

And finally since this is my ideal adaptation, the subtext between Guts and Griffith is text. They don’t actually fuck or kiss, because that would avert the Eclipse, but… hm how do you make it clear that they want to fuck but are too repressed to do it and that’s what ruins everything? Okay well Griffith’s torture chamber monologue includes “love” a la the anime dub, and maybe “desire” or “need” to completely remove that ambiguity desperately maintained in the minds of straight people. And Guts… I don’t know that I can go textual lol. The only point in the story he can possibly recognize his own feelings is chapter 71.

Ooh I got it. Just include “at that time he shone before me as something beautiful, noble, and larger than life” after the Count’s backstory lmao. Do you really need more? Well, maybe “he shone before me as something larger than life - noble, and… beautiful.” Or just cut to the chase completely: “At that time, he shone before me as something beautiful, noble, and larger-than-life. I loved him.”

OKAY all that said I feel like this wasn’t really what you’re asking lol since you mentioned a complete adaption. So okay assuming there are no huge major changes to the content or structure of the story, here’s a (stupidly long, like only read this if you for some reason enjoy seeing me ramble for days about minute details lmao) list of some more minor things I’d want to change:

I’d start with the Black Swordsman arc and continue as the manga goes. Yes, in this one Guts still fucks an apostle. This is right before the credits, and it’s depicted as badass and cool. In fact, I might actually split the scene with the credits - start the opening sequence right after Guts blows her up, and resume on this shot with more of a sombre tone:

Like okay that would be pretty cheesy lol, but this is the Black Swordsman arc. It’s supposed to be a little campy, and really unsubtle, and this seems like a fun way of highlighting this little tonal shift.

Relatedly, I would not acknowledge the fact that most people watching already know where it’s going. I would maintain the integrity of the first arc in starting off with Guts as an apparent cool badass and then tearing that down, as well as keeping Griffith’s identity and Guts’ motivation a mystery in theory, and making the Count’s backstory the climax of this arc in a revelatory sense, rather than in an action sense.

To get more general, no fanservice for straight dudes. no one’s tits are randomly out, and when they are they’re drawn realistically and subject to the laws of gravity. casca’s clothes don’t get torn all the time, rosine’s got full moth fuzz coverage, farnese is wearing a shirt when guts takes her hostage and if we need self-flagellation (and tbh I wouldn’t necessarily cut it) it can be in a flashback, etc. Oh except Slan I guess. Her whole character is fanservice so w/e I’ll allow it.

not every woman is in love with and solely motivated by a dude. skip the queen’s completely unnecessary reveal that she was in love with julius, skip casca’s “I lived my life with the intent of sacrificing myself on my unrequited feelings for griffith” bullshit, skip sonia’s crush on neogriffith, skip tf out of schierke’s crush on guts, skip the random period of incest-y bdsm-y vibes in Farnese and Serpico’s backstory that adds nothing lol, skip the suggestions that Farnese is jealous of Casca’s history with Guts, etc

also most sexual assault scenes are cut. Casca is running for her life during the 100 man fight, not from attempted rapists. Wyald does not assault Casca, Farnese is not almost raped by a fucking horse, we chill out a bit on the sexual torture in every bg scene during the conviction arc jfc, Casca’s multiple assaults during that arc are cut, troll rape is cut, you get the point.

I’ll keep Adon’s shitty threats tho bc i feel like some violent misogyny is necessary if i’m not changing everything, but I’d completely lose the comic relief vibe he gets and make Casca’s fight with him properly epic and satisfying. The movie did this a bit better imo, but I’d really remove Adon’s whole boastful loser schtick. That might disappoint some fans, but idc Casca deserves to kill someone who is actually kind of a badass.

There’s a lot of bullshit around gtsca that I’m torn between wanting to cut, and instead wanting to just depict very negatively. Like would it be better if instead of Casca shyly asking Guts how she looks in a dress she just complained about the dress being uncomfortable, ie we completely cut that burgeoning “soft side” bs?

Or would it be better if she still asked him how she looks, then we call back to that moment when she gets awkward about her scars before sex, we keep Judeau musing on how she’s showing a soft side, we call back to that when he tells Guts to save her from leadership, we tie it all together when Guts asks Casca to leave with him, and bring it home by making it abundantly clear that Casca moving from being Griffith’s sword to Guts’ sword is not a positive change.

Like highlight everything negative about it - Guts being a huge dick, the ominous undertone when he invites her along (like cue the creepy cello music when they kiss right before we shift to monsters and behelits lol), all the parallels between him and Griffith wrt their dreams, Guts telling Casca to fuck off while he fights Wyald, maybe even add a moment where Casca actually reflects on how she’s left out of all the dream/equals bullshit and what that says about their priorities and how they see her. Might be a nice lead up to her telling Guts to leave to pursue his dream and be Griffith’s equal.

also maybe show that judeau is wrong about casca being better off away from the hawks? ugh there’s so much that would have to be reworked with her narrative. like if she still has to attempt suicide, again can we ditch the lead up about how it’s because she has an unrequited crush on griffith and just keep it about the fact that she hasn’t slept in a week and she’s on the run and her hawks keep dying and griffith is being tortured and she just stabbed guts and she’s had a very difficult year?

and like, maybe she leapt to accept Guts’ ‘come with me’ offer because she’s exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed, but are you kidding me? While Guts gets an entire narrative arc about abandoning his found family, Casca doesn’t even think about it for a moment before agreeing to ditch them? Can we maybe have some indication about how she feels about the Hawks as a family, maybe some reflection about why she would choose to leave, maybe some second thoughts about it after the Wyald fight when it becomes abundantly clear what her role would be while Guts pursues his dream, like god she’s such a pawn of the narrative, I hate it. Give her some real reasons for doing stuff!

ANYWAY moving on

like the movie, I’d give charlotte more agency in the sex scene w/ griffith, I liked her asking him to stay and moving his hand to her tit herself. I probably would not actually make griffith so out of it though - i enjoyed that in the movie but I don’t necessarily consider it in-character. The way he went from literally crying in the rain to smiling and making charming jokes as soon as Charlotte opened the window in the manga honestly makes perfect sense to me lol. Just uh, make Charlotte into it from the start because there’s zero reason for her not to be other than bad misogynistic cliches?

Also I feel like there’s a balance to be struck between depicting het sex as dude sticks his dick in, woman somehow has a good time a la the manga vs making guts and griffith competent at foreplay and oral a la the movies lol. Like maybe depict the sex scenes as the bad sex they are but Charlotte still feels closer to Griffith afterwards despite not coming from a dude fucking her while thinking about another dude and like, just keep Casca telling Guts he was obviously a virgin afterwards lol.

I guess we’re stuck with the Eclipse rape, but it happens mostly off screen and in close, telling but non-explicit details, like yk, big clawed hand holding a wrist, Casca’s eyes squeezed shut, Femto’s hand on the small of her back (I’m thinking a reversed call back to the wagon scene w/ that to suggest Femto’s motivation being a show of power tbqh). Some would be from Casca’s pov, with maybe one brief moment from Guts’ pov as he loses an eye or something. Keep the movie’s visual reference to Griffith saving her. No pornographic angles. No apostle rape prelude to it. Casca doesn’t have an orgasm. Femto doesn’t stare at Guts. It’s not about Guts at all for either of them, it’s about Femto taking Griffith’s fucked up relationship to sex and expressing it monstrously, and it’s about Casca being betrayed and symbolically negating the agency she fought for since Griffith threw her a sword. Guts’ reaction is horror and fear, not manly heroic outrage. He might still rip off his arm to attack Femto, but that would be because that’s always his reaction to whatever scares him, not for Casca’s sake. Might have to contextualize that with flashbacks to his childhood, or at the very least strong visual parallels to both his childhood and the Zodd + Wyald fights.

I want to cut the fetus, replace it with like a cronenburg-y fucked up dog-like demon in the Black Swordsman arc - not as a literal version of the Beast of Darkness, but just as a metaphor for how Guts’ inner darkness is twisting him into a pathetic asshole lol. But tbh cutting the fetus is a logistical nightmare because Casca needs magic protection during the Conviction arc. So idk. But NGriff doesn’t need it, and his narrative would be more engaging without that scapegoat. Fuck emotional ambiguity, I just want to drop the news that NGriff has feelings, and then not change anything else about his narrative. The themes of isolation and loneliness threaded throughout would just shine through lol it would be great.

I would emphasize the shit out of the Beast of Darkness/Femto parallels. Yeah Guts would still assault Casca in my adaption too. If the Eclipse rape happens, that has to happen because the point is that Guts’ inner darkness is the same. But like, I’d cut the page where beast of darkness guts bites her head off while raping her. Also I’d keep the visual parallel to the Eclipse rape (the v similarly depicted kisses) and add another from Casca’s point of view, or have her flashback then instead of just staying in Guts’ head.

as for the fallout, I’d give Guts a proper scene where he sees himself as a monster, like damn he got more of a self-reflective and telling reaction that time he accidentally killed a random kid, we should get something when he sexually assaults Casca. but overall I’d focus way more on Casca being afraid of him now rather than his mopey guilt. I would also… I mean god this should be addressed in the fact that Guts fucking wears the Berserk armour all the time lol. Like one second he’s all, “omg Flora can put a magic seal on my brand that’ll depower my magical evil jiminy cricket wolf and hopefully prevent me from raping and murdering Casca, that’s great!” and the next second he’s all, “omg magic armour I can wear that will enable me to kill everything with the side effect of superpowering my inner evil wolf and turning on my companions? sign me the fuck up I’m sure nothing bad could possibly happen with that.”

Like what I’m saying is I’d either make Guts a lot more reluctant to use the armour and take Skull Knight’s warnings seriously and genuinely reflect on the fact that mysterious magical children have to prevent him from murdering his friends over and over again, or I’d draw attention to this idiocy and fully commit to Guts as a dumbass hypocrite blithely walking down the path to more tragedy of his own making. and probably the latter based on where the story is likely to be headed lol.

in the lost children arc, I’d give Rosine’s mother more of a role as a good parent who Rosine has a loving relationship with, who tried and failed to stop her father’s abuse or something, because honestly I love the Peekaf story and I find Rosine’s regret at the end as she tries to fly home v powerful, but I hate the idea that she regrets sacrificing her abusive father so maybe this way I can split the difference.

and Jill’s ending where she goes home to endure abuse would be depicted much more darkly.

like straight up I’d depict Jill flying with Rosine as a truly beautiful moment, I would show that Jill has the potential to fulfill Rosine in a way her neverland kidnapping bullshit can’t and that yes, if Jill stayed with Rosine everything might actually work out and with Jill’s influence the whole land of the elves thing could be reworked into less of a nightmare and more of a haven lol. And Guts would absolutely be depicted as fully monstrous in comparison, ruining both these kids��� lives. Like, no ambiguity, no suggestion that Jill learned an important lesson about living with abuse lmao, no implication that Rosine brought her tragic end on herself by not being a good enough child abuse victim, just Guts sowing tragedy wherever he goes.

I have no idea how to deal with the conviction arc in general lol, specifically the ultra cynical tone the actual narrative seems to take. Like, the Black Swordsman arc was idealistic compared to the Conviction arc, they clash badly imo. Extremely badly. Like it’s a giant mess. It’s like

Black Swordsman Guts: fuck everyone who dies because they weren’t strong enough to deal with my existence. *turns and wipes away a tear* *lets a zombie kid stab him* *evokes pity from puck*Conviction Guts: fuck everyone who dies because they weren’t strong enough to deal with my existence. *poses with his sword in one hand and the rescued love interest in the other* *the crowd cheers* *luca nods sagely*

yk it’s just… awkward. It’s hard to mitigate through like, film choices yk, because a lot of it is due to the circumstances. Guts telling Puck innocent people are just ants under his feet is much different than Guts refusing to let the big bad kill Casca by telling him that tens of thousands of people can and should die because they pray too much lmao, no matter what music plays in the background. Guts’ attitude is the same, the narrative’s attitude is contradictory.

Maybe I could make Guts less of a dick and cut a lot of those cynical moments? Not really call attention to the fact that Guts is effectively sacrificing tens of thousands of refugees for Casca, or more accurately, for his own desire to feel like a hero since he isn’t even the one who saves Casca, he got distracted trying to fight the fake Godhand.

Or lol maybe I’ll just have Isidro point that out in like, a smug way. Maybe I’ll have NeoGriffith personally thank him for his contribution to his resurrection. I mean I really want to call this questionable shit into question, yk? Not to declare Guts wrong for wanting to save Casca, but to declare his cavalier idgaf attitude a big problem that has consequences. Which would actually tie in nicely with emphasizing Guts’ dumbassery in brushing off Skull Knight’s warnings about the armour and insisting it’s nbd. lol I really hope this is what Miura’s going for, just more subtlely.

Actually I wonder if I could get away with cutting Isidro out entirely. Anyone could’ve saved Casca there.

Oh I’d cut the hell out of a lot of Guts’ fight scenes in the MF arc, and if I could possibly get away with it I’d cut out everything on the beach after Skull Knight’s ominous warning. Like this might end up being the Griffith show for a while because Guts’ half is a fucking slog. And of course I’d cut the entire boat trip. They get on a boat, they get off a boat, the end.

Okay I need to stop somewhere. I’m ignoring a lot of later stuff because it’s so dependent on where the story’s going now that Casca is awake etc. Like eg the Moonlight Boy. Can I cut him? Give him a more ominous tone? Emphasize the saccharine tone he evokes for the sake of pulling the rug out from under the audience later? Will I be forced to make huge changes anyway because I can’t stand where the story ended up going? Idk it depends.

If I could tho I’d definitely cut Magnifico, Isidro, Ivalera, mermaid… like Farnese, Serpico, and Schierke are the only characters on Guts’ side who contribute to the story in a meaningful way. And without Isidro Puck could again too.

Oooh yk one thing that might be nice would be framing Farnese as the main protagonist of Guts’ half of the story during the MF arc. Just focus on her, show more stuff from her perspective, cut down a lot of fights but keep her digression back home, maybe give her some additional content that explores her character shift better, show her struggling more with her own inner darkness a bit when she first joins and give her some character beats as she slowly grows more comfortable with Casca, maybe put her backstory chapters in the first episode of a new season (a great season ender would be Guts walking away from the Hill of Swords js), etc.

lmao god I feel like I could keep going forever. sorry this is so meandering but ty for giving me the opportunity to go on and on about this. Is there anything you’d really like to change yourself?

[ylla]

Friday Night Gurus - Chapter 2

Series: JJBA Ships: josuyasu, koichi/yukako (others will eventually happen too, but im tagging as i go) Tags: au where theyre famous, modern au, pining, recreational drug use (smoking that wacky tabaccy) Rating: M (eventually there will be sex, so that rating will keep climbing)

AO3 link

haha! i’m dying! (actually i’m starting to feel better) but at least i have these dorks to carry me on through this trying time.

remember to kudos the fic, comment on the fic, and bookmark the fic if you wanna see more of the same content

The second time they meet, it’s at some hoity-toity Hollywood party a few weeks later. Josuke had been invited with no intention on going, but when Koichi not-so-subtly dropped hints that the members of Arrowhead would be there, Josuke personally called the party planner and let them know that he had changed his mind and would DEFINITELY be attending. And since the party in question was at famed producer Bruno Bucciarati's house, Josuke knew it was bound to be mostly chill. Which was good, because the last thing he needed was to make drunken fool of himself. Josuke was in the middle of the monumental task of getting ready when his phone rang. "Hey mom," he answered in greeting, "I gotcha on speaker phone" Tomoko Higashikata came in loud and clear, "Hi honey, what are you doing tonight?" His hair was taking a lot of concentration, "Oh you know, got some party Koichi conned me into going to. I'm in the middle of getting ready." Tomoko tsked, "It won't hurt you to go out, you're in that house by yourself too much." She wasn't wrong. When Tomoko first returned to New York City, Josuke partied for a couple of years like the world was ending, but eventually he got bored of that, and became more or less a homebody (or hermit, as she put it). He guessed turning 24 did that to you. "Yeah, yeah, don't nag me." "I just worry about you, dear. Anyways," he heard her shuffling around, "Is that boy going to be there?" It was probably a mistake that he mentioned his harmless crush to her, but another side effect of being so far away from her was that he just spilled his guts to her every time he opened his mouth. Josuke groaned, not really wanting to talk about it, "He's supposed to be." "Is that how Koichi got you to go?" "Maybe?" Tomoko snorted, "Well, have fun. And don't forget to get his number this time." "Thanks for reminding me of my failures, mom." She chuckled, "I'm just teasing--" she was cut off by someone talking to her, "I'm talking to Josuke, do you wanna say hi? Josuke," her attention returned to their call, "your grandpa wants to say hi." The phone fumbled for a minute before Ryohei spoke, "Hey kiddo." Josuke smiled as he finished his hair. Looking good. "Hey gramps, how you feelin'?" "I'm feeling just fine. Doctor cleared me to run that marathon, so I’ve been preparing all week.”

“Don’t overdo it,” Josuke warned, struggling to get his pants on, “Don’t need you keeling over on me, old man.” He sounded flippant to downplay his anxiety over his grandfather’s health.

The bark-like laugh Ryohei made Josuke feel a little better, “You don’t have to worry about me, Josuke. Your mom keeps me in check.”

“Yeah, well, someone has to.”

Ryohei laughed again, “I won’t keep you. Just wanted to say hi and wish you luck in your hunt tonight.”

Josuke could hear the sparkles in his grandfather’s eyes. He hated it. “Yeah, yeah. Go to bed, old man.”

He got an exaggerated sigh for his trouble, “I’m going, I’m going. You nag me as much as your mother does. I love you, don’t get arrested.”

“Thanks gramps, love you too. Give the phone back to mom.”

A few seconds later, Tomoko came back, “I’m going let you go, you have fun at your party—“

“I will—“

“Don’t total Koichi’s car again—“

Josuke scowled, “I won’t—“

“And remember to practice safe sex—“

“MOTHER—“

Tomoko was snickering, “Just making sure!”

“I’m hanging up. Love you.”

“Love you too! Call me later!”

Josuke ended the call, sat his iPhone carefully on his sink counter, put his face in his hands and screamed. Those two will be the death of him.

Koichi arrived at 8 o’clock sharp, looking like a man who was about to walk to the gallows, “Let’s get this over with.”

Once in the car, Josuke took one look at his friend’s sullen face. “Okay, so if you didn’t wanna go, why did you keep saying, ‘Oh hey Josuke, you should go to this party at Bruno’s with me because there might be some people there you wanna see and possible get their number from’???”

“Because Josuke, I’m a good friend,” Koichi responded, eyes forward as they cruised to Bruno’s house, “That Okuyasu guy is supposed to be there, and you’ve been sulking over not getting his number long enough—”

 “I HAVE NOT—“

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Josuke was genuinely touched. Koichi was such a good person, so willing to sacrifice his own comfort for someone he called a friend. He—

“Wait a minute…” Josuke narrowed his eyes, “How do you know he’s gonna be there?”

“…A little bird told me?”

“It was that Yukako chick wasn’t it?” Josuke rolled his eyes so hard, he was surprised they didn’t pop out of his skull, “Dude, you don’t need me to wingman, she’s obviously into you.”

“Yeah, I know! A little too into me!” Koichi shivered, “She invited me and I hedged on going, tried to make up some excuse using you, and then she mentioned that her bandmate would be there, and I…thought you would wanna go, so I said I would be there…” he finished sheepishly.

“God. Okay.” Josuke pinched the bridge of his nose as they pulled into a substantial driveway, “I appreciate you looking out for me. You’re a good, sweet boy, Koichi.”

Koichi crinkled his nose, “I think that’s the exact same thing my mom says to me. Besides, you’ll have fun. Trust me.” Every time Koichi has said any variation of ‘Trust me’ before Josuke was about to do something he didn’t wanna do, it never ended well. He must have seen the look of trepidation on Josuke’s face, because he followed up with, “Keep an open mind. And if anything, you’ll have something new to tease me about.”

“I do love teasing you…” Josuke sighed, “Alright, let’s get this shit show on the road.”

Just like how Josuke was expecting the party to be like, the house was crowded with people, but the atmosphere was incredibly chill, save for some godawful piano playing and wailing going on in the next room.

“—YOU GOOOOT WHAT I NEEEEEEEED! BUT YOU SAY I’M JUST A FRIEND, YOU SAY I’M JUST A FRIEND—“

The host Bruno, and his cohort(? Boyfriend? Husband? Josuke wasn’t sure and never asked) Leone Abbachio were found in the foyer, with Bruno looking remarkably calm about the caterwauling in the next room and Abbachio drinking deeply from a half-empty wine bottle.

“Heeey guys, uh—“ Josuke rubbed the back of his head, “Nice party?”

“Good to see you Josuke,” Bruno shook his hand, then Koichi’s, not even flinching at the sound of a horribly off-key chorus.

“Uhm, who is playing—“ Koichi kind of gestured to the living room.

“You get one guess.” Abbachio replied, looking grim.

Josuke and Koichi both cocked their heads to the side to listen to the yowling.

“—OH BABY YOUUUU—“

They looked at each other before answering simultaneously, “Narancia.”

Abbachio nodded, “Un-fucking-fortunately.” He took a swig from his wine bottle to punctuate his statement.

“Is he drunk…?” asked Koichi, eyeing the entryway into the living room.

Bruno sipped his champagne, “Sober as a judge.”

Josuke left the trio when their conversation turned towards some boring ass label bullshit. He wandered into the next room, greeted by the sight of a woman lying on top of a baby grand piano with three completely sober dudes banging away on the keys while singing off-key. The other guests either ignored them completely, or stared at the group like they were a car set on fire.

“Josuke!” Trish Una hopped off the piano and rushed over to give him a hug. She had been discovered by Bruno, but didn’t get a lot of attention until her and Josuke did a duet. Sudden fame had come as a shock to her, and Josuke more or less took her under his wing.

He returned the hug, “Hey girl, I see that you guys are doing…something…here.”

“IT’S CALLED ART, HIGASHIKATA,” Narancia hollered, “MAYBE YOU’VE HEARD OF IT.” If you took a good look at Narancia Ghirga, you’d never expect the guy to be a rapper, but perhaps because it seemed so out of left field, that Josuke couldn’t help but think that’s why he was so popular.

“I think it’s called a mess, but you do you.”

Narancia made a face at Josuke as the two guys flanking him got up. “Sup,” greeted Mista, while Fugo waved. Mista Guido was the bassist of Passione, but that all went pear-shaped when he left the band due to, quote, ‘unrepentant dickery’, end quote. Pannacotta Fugo was one of the best choreographers Josuke had ever had the privilege of working with, and they collaborated often. They all used to go clubbing together, and it’s been a minute since Josuke has seen all of them in person.

Trish let go of Josuke to go wrap an arm around Mista’s shoulders, while he snaked an arm around her waist (Josuke had no idea what was going on there either, and honestly he didn’t want to). “Surprised to see you here! I’m glad though, I feel like it’s been forever since we were at a party together.”

“Yeah,” Fugo snorted, leaning against the piano, “Thought you’d decide to hang it all up to become the local hermit.”

“Fuck off, Fugo,” Josuke scowled.

“You wouldn’t like it, I’d just lay there and ask if it’s in yet.”

Before Josuke could retort or smack him, Narancia climbed up on the piano, mashing keys down with his feet as he struggled up, “If Josuke’s here, that means something special is happening tonight!” Narancia laid on his stomach, face propped up in his hands. He would be angelic and innocent if he didn’t have an impish look on his face, “You’re here for some hot piece of ass, ain’tcha?” That question was somehow made even worse by Narancia waggling his eyebrows.

Josuke was very aware of the amount of eyes on them, “Oh my god. Why can’t I just come hangout with it having some ulterior motive??”

Mista pointed at Josuke, “Do not lie to me in this house, Higashikata. We know better.”

“I’m not!”

“That sounds like something a liar would say.”

Josuke huffed, “You know what? I’m going outside—“

The four of them started howling with laughter, telling him not to go; Narancia’s quickly turning into whines as Abbachio stalked into the room, demanding he get his gremlin ass off of his piano, or so help him.

Taking that as his cue, Josuke escaped into the backyard. Thank god, no one else was out there. Josuke sat down on a patch of grass near the edge of Bruno’s backyard that overlooked the city. Damn bastard lucked out with the view. He lit a cigarette, then fired off a quick text to Koichi:

Josuke: I’m knocking Trish’s, Mista’s, Fugo’s, and Narancia’s heads together until they stop

Koi Boi: Stop what?

Josuke: Everything

Josuke: Also I’m out back in case inquiring minds want to know

Koi Boi: They aren’t here yet, but I’ll pass along the message.

So there he sat, looking like the aloof, cool guy he always wanted to be as a kid, but in reality, felt like a fucking imbecile. Sitting out there by himself with nothing, but dumb youtube videos to keep him company. After about an hour and two cigarettes later, Josuke realized that Okuyasu was never showing up and that he was moron for even assuming he would. He rubbed his right eye, this is what he gets for listening to Koichi. Josuke lit up one last cigarette; after he finished this, he was gonna tell Koichi that he was headed home for the night to go watch tv and be a lonely, miserable fuck.

“Uhm, is this seat taken?”

Josuke’s heart stopped and he inhaled too much cigarette smoke, causing him to cough. He whipped around to see who scared the ever-loving shit out of him, and was greeted to a contrite looking Okuyasu. He had his glasses on, hair pulled back into a ponytail, held two water bottles and also Josuke’s heart. I’m gonna die, he’s so hot.

“S-sorry dude, didn’t mean to surprise you you—“

“No, it’s okay,” Josuke struggled to get his coughing under control, “Sit down, ain’t no one out here but me.”

Okuyasu did as instructed, handing Josuke one of the water bottles he was holding, “You’ve been out here for a while, figured you might be thirsty.”

Grateful, Josuke took a sip of water, “You been here awhile?”

“Maybe 20 minutes at the most,” he scratched the back of his neck, looking mildly embarrassed, “I would’ve said hi sooner, but you looked like you were on the phone, or wanted to be alone—Which if that’s the case, I can go back inside—“

“No dude, it’s cool.” Josuke snubbed out the rest of his cigarette, “I don’t really do parties that much anymore, so I needed a break from all those people,” that statement wasn’t untrue, “You’re cool though, don’t sweat it.”

Okuyasu looked relieved, “Okay, cool.” They sat in comfortable silence for a little bit, looking out over Los Angeles.

“So,” Josuke had to get him talking, “How do you know Bruno?”

“Him and Eggplant produced our last album.”

Josuke had made the mistake of taking another sip of water when Okuyasu called Abbachio ‘Eggplant’, spewing water everywhere, “Eggplant??” he asked incredulously.

“Yeah, that thing he wears on his head makes him look like an eggplant. S’what me and Yuuya got to calling him.”

Unable to help himself, Josuke threw his head back and laughed, “Oh man, I’ll have to remember to call him that.”

They made small talk for a while, before Okuyasu made to get up, “Hey uhm,” he rubbed the back of his neck again, “Do you wanna like, get out of here and go smoke a joint. I know Bruno is super straightlaced about that kinda thing—“

Josuke was up before he could even finish his sentence, speaking quickly, “Yes please, let’s fuck off. We can go back to my place if you want.”

Okuyasu’s lips curled up into this sunny smile; Josuke’s heart stuttered painfully, “Yeah dude, should I ride with you or—“

Not wanting to talk about his driving record, Josuke cut him off, “Koichi was my ride, I’ll just navigate.”

When they got back inside, Okuyasu went off to let Tonio know what he was doing (His reasoning for this was ‘He worries, plus I came with him and Yukako, so it’d be kinda fucked if I didn’t let one of ‘em know what was up.’) Josuke was too giddy to even realize that sharks out for blood had surrounded him. He was pulled down by arms around his shoulders, finding himself head to head with Trish and Narancia.

“Oooh, who’s that??”

“I KNEW YOU WERE HERE TO GET LAID, YOU FILTHY LYIN’ FUCK.”

“I didn’t! I just wanted to hang out!” Josuke tried to straighten up in vain; both of them were surprisingly strong and kept him bent over.

“Mhm,” Trish rolled her eyes before leaning in close, whispering conspiratorially, “That guy came in and asked me if I had seen you. I told him you were outside pouting like a big baby, and he stood at the door and watched you for like 15 minutes! Narancia convinced him to go out there, so you owe him one.”

Narancia puffed out his chest, “Damn straight he does, you can pay me back by giving me the nitty-gritty details tomorrow,” he finished with an obnoxious wink.

“Yeah, you’ll text us in the morning right??”

Josuke didn’t dignify either of them with a response, peeling them off of him before heading over to Koichi. Poor, sweet Koichi was sitting on a couch with an overly affectionate Yukako draped over his lap; he was looking uncomfortable, and she glared at Josuke as he approached. “I’m heading out with Okuyasu, I’ll catch ya later.”

Koichi looked mildly terrified, “Are you su—“

Yukako cut him off, cold as ice, “Good. Now leave us,” She waved him off. Josuke sneered, but the desperate look on Koichi’s face caused him to bite off his retort.

“Yo,” Okuyasu reappeared beside him, “Ready to go?”

Josuke ignored the smirk on Yukako’s face, “Yep, let’s roll.”

Thankful to be free from the party, Josuke followed Okuyasu outside to a midnight blue Dodge Challenger, “Nice.” Josuke clucked appreciatively.

“Thanks,” Okuyasu unlocked the car, with a grin reminiscent of a kid in a candy store, “First thing I bought when we started making that cash money.”

When Okuyasu turned his car on, Josuke was surprised his ear drums didn’t immediately burst from how loud his music was. “Jesus dude, you’ll get tinnitus if you ain’t careful.”

“Haha, oops? Sorry.” Okuyasu turned down the volume to a more acceptable level, ears red from embarrassment. Josuke thought it was so endearing. “You can have control over the music, as long as ya keep your comments about my music taste to yourself,” Okuyasu handed Josuke a beat up iPod, “Password is 6492.”

One of the more surprising things about Okuyasu was that he was an incredibly cautious driver. Despite driving a nice sports car, he refused to pull out of the driveway until he saw that Josuke was wearing his seatbelt, and insisted on doing the speed limit as they drove to Josuke’s house. Josuke scrolled through his music, pretending to be super interested in it, but stole glances when he could. Okuyasu drove with his right hand, resting his left elbow on the door and leaning against his hand. Oh god, he looked so cool and casual. Josuke knew he looked like a love-sick school girl, but he didn’t care.

Before he could get caught staring, he turned his attention to the iPod in earnest. Another surprising thing about Okuyasu was his very broad taste in tunes: some rap, r&b, pop, electronica, and a lot of rock bands Josuke didn’t recognize, even some classical music. A little bit of everything. “I dunno why you think I’d make fun of your taste in music, you got a lot of good shit on this.”

Okuyasu’s face broke out into a quietly pleased smile, “You can make a playlist if you want. Everyone who rides with me does.”

Josuke took a look at his playlists: a few were clearly named Keicho, Yukako, Yuuya, and Tonio, with one named Hazamada, whoever that was; there were some with names like ‘hot damn this is my jam’, ‘get buff motherfucker’, ‘chill out dumbass’, and ‘go the fuck to sleep’. It seemed like he had a playlist for everything, except getting laid. Or at least, there wasn’t anything obviously defined as a sex playlist. Not for long, Josuke thought to himself.

Firmly turning away from that thought process, Josuke started a new playlist he dubbed “Jojo’s Bizarre Mix”. He scrolled through the songs, adding as he went. When he saw his and Trish’s duet pop up, his curiosity got the better of him. He typed his name into the search bar, and let out a small, strangled noise when he discovered his entire discography.

“Woah dude, you okay?” Okuyasu took his eyes off the road to get a good look at him.

Josuke didn’t respond, only pressing play on one of his albums at random, staring right back at him. The expression on Okuyasu’s face went from confused to flustered when Josuke’s voice filtered through the speakers.

Okuyasu seemed deeply embarrassed, turning his attention back to the road, “Uhm. I can explain.”

A grin slowly spread across Josuke’s face, “You like my music?”

“Do I need to turn right or left up here?” Okuyasu asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Left, also you didn’t answer my question.”

They stopped at a traffic light, Okuyasu looking anywhere that wasn’t Josuke, “Yeah, I do.”

Josuke was pleased as punch, “Really?? I’m super touched—“

“Don’t make fun of me, dude,” Okuyasu sounded wounded.

“I’m not, I’m just surprised! But in a good way, I think that’s so cool that you like my shit.” Okuyasu gave him a pained look; Josuke reached over and squeezed his arm in a way he hoped came across as comforting, “I’m really not trying to sound like I’m mocking you. I think it’s great you like my stuff, because you’re awesome and have good taste.” When Okuyasu relaxed and continued on their way down the road, Josuke couldn’t help but ask, “So, how long you been a fan??”

A few beats of silence passed before Okuyasu sighed, defeated, “Since your first album—“

“You’re shitting me, for that long??”

Okuyasu pinched the bridge of his nose, “Yeah, that long. Keicho used to get pissed whenever your songs came on the radio because I wore those CDs out, so he had to hear it all the time.”

That explains why he looks at me like I killed his dog in front of him, Jouske sighed inwardly. “Why though?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you like my music that much?”

Okuyasu looked offended, “That’s dumb ass question, Josuke. You need to leave the stupid questions to me, a professional idiot.”

Josuke pointed a finger at him, “Okay, first of all, you’re not an idiot so don’t say that about yourself, and secondly, that didn’t answer my question. Also, go straight and keep going until you hit the top of the hill, that’ll be my house.”

They reached Josuke’s gate; Okuyasu rolled up to a keypad, “What’s the code.”

“4206969”

Okuyasu threw his head back and started braying like a donkey, “What the fuck, dude?”

“I didn’t choose it!”

“Then who did?? That’s not some randomly generated number, that’s on purpose.”

Josuke sighed through his nose, “Koichi’s bitch boy, Tamami. He’s an assistant, and takes care of shit I need done on top of whatever he does for Koichi. When I had this installed, he oversaw everything and picked that code to fuck with me.”

Okuyasu was still wheezing when he punched in the code and drove up to the garage. Josuke rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, keep laughing you windy asshole.” Being called a windy asshole just made Okuyasu laugh even harder.

When they got inside, Okuyasu whistled, “This is the nicest house I’ve ever been in.” He was looking around like he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Josuke was turning on lights as he walked towards the kitchen, “Thanks, you want anything to drink? I got—“ he waltzed into the kitchen and opened the fridge, “beer, pepsi, water, what I think is cherry kool-aid—“

“Pepsi’s good. Where’s your toilet dude, I gotta piss like you wouldn’t believe.”

“There’s one upstairs, second door on the right. Come outside when you’re done.” Okuyasu trudged upstairs while Josuke threw his keys, wallet, and cell phone on the counter, grabbed two pepsis, and headed outside.

Josuke’s backyard had a privacy fence around it, so no amazing view, but he did have a massive, lit pool with an in-ground hot tub. He pulled off his socks, rolled up his jeans, and sat down to dangle his legs over the edge of the pool.

“DUDE,” Okuyasu gasped as he walked outside, “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU HAD A POOL.” He enthusiastically followed suit and sat beside Josuke with a huge grin on his face.

“Not like it ever came up. You got the stuff?”

“Yeah yeah.” Okuyasu fished a cigarette case and lighter out of his zip-up hoodie, “You should feel special, these are rolled by yours truly.” He cracked open the case and pulled a joint out; he passed over it and a lighter over, “You get green.”

“And they say chivalry is dead.” Josuke lit it, inhaled, and passed it. On the exhale, he coughed a little, “You never did answer my question.”

“What question?”

“Why you liked my music so much.”

Clearly, this wasn’t something he wanted to talk about, but Okuyasu answered anyways, “I just like your voice. S’pretty.” He knocked a bit of ash off the end of the joint and handed it back, pink cheeked.

Josuke’s heart did a weird, fluttery thing, “You mean that?”

“Yeah dude, I wouldn’t lie about anything like that.” Okuyasu turned to look at him, face sincere.

It was Josuke’s turn to get red and flustered, “Thanks.” He took a drag, “If it makes you feel any less awkward, I’ve listened to all your albums.”

“Didn’t peg you as the type to like anything like Arrowhead.”

Josuke passed the joint back, “I’m not.”

”Then why listen to it?”

“Got curious after we met, ended up digging how you sing. You’re talented.”

Okuyasu took a puff and looked at him, dead serious, “I don’t believe that.”

Josuke shrugged, “You don’t gotta, I guess. It’s the truth though.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes while they finished smoking. After snubbing out the cinders, Okuyasu spoke, his voice soft, “Thanks dude, that means a lot to me.”

Josuke patted Okuyasu’s shoulder, and laid down on his back, “Don’t mention it.” He was feeling incredibly comfortable and hazy, “Is it just me, or do the stars look even prettier tonight?”

Once again, Okuyasu followed suit and laid on the ground beside him, “S’probably the weed.”

“Probably.”

They laid there in comfortable silence; the only thing breaking it was the water churning around Okuyasu’s legs as he kicked his feet.

Josuke closed his eyes, he was so relaxed. He could’ve fallen asleep if Okuyasu didn’t suddenly speak, “Do you live here by yourself?” His voice sounded raspier than normal, and it gave Josuke goosebumps.

“Yeah. My mom used to live with me, but after my grandpa had a heart attack a few years ago, she moved back home to look after him.”

“Shit, I’m sorry dude.”

Josuke waved his hand, “Don’t be. He’s fine now, he just refuses to move out here like a stubborn asshole.”

“Still though, that sucks,” Okuyasu turned his head to look at Josuke, “’specially you livin’ in this big ass house by yourself. It’s gotta be lonely.”

Josuke was never one to reveal deep, inner feelings, but he opened his mouth anyways, “It is, but I’m more or less used to it now.”

That seemed to really bother Okuyasu, “Well, now that we’re friends and I know where you live, I’ll come over and bug you all the time, so you won’t be lonely anymore.”

It took a lot of effort, but Josuke managed to swallow around the lump in his throat, “I’d like that.”

The rest of the conversation continued along the vein of revealing deep, personal shit.

Josuke learned that Okuyasu grew up dirt poor in Oakland. Lost his mom at the age of 10 (he lifted up his shirt and showed Josuke a tattoo of a ribcage covered in flowering vines on his right side, ‘this is for her’); had an asshole dad, got into a car wreck at the age of 15 that caused his scars when he went through the windshield, his dad suffered a stroke and had to be put into a nursing home, having lost his ability to speak, move, or take care of himself. Him and Keicho lived on the floor of Yuuya’s apartment until they started making enough money to get their own place.

“Oh yeah, and our old lead singer/guitarist tried to stab me when he learned that Tonio wanted me to replace him on the mic. Keicho pushed me out of the way, and got a knife in his side for his trouble.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. After he got all stitched up, he told me I owed him shots for life.”

Okuyasu lived by himself in an apartment that was bigger than the house he grew up in combined with the apartment he shared with Keicho, Yuuya, Akira the asshole that tried to stab him, Hazamada the roadie/merchandise guy/bitch boy, and a few rotating girlfriends of Keicho or Yuuya. He visited his dad often (‘Gave him this stray cat I found off the street to give ‘em some company when I ain’t there, it’s helped a lot’), ate at the same diner he used to work at, and still felt like being famous was some kind of fever dream he would eventually awaken from.

Josuke talked about how the three years had been incredibly lonely after his mom moved away, how fucking anxiety ridden he gets about his grandpa who helped raise him, and the fact that the only people who really knew him were on the other side of the country and Koichi.

“Weren’t you pretty friendly with those people at the party?”

“Trish and all them? Yeah, but we aren’t like super close. I’ve never talked to them about any of this.”

He also mentioned his father. “You ever heard of Joseph Joestar?”

“Ain’t that the real estate guy who’s got them really annoying commercials about his reality show?”

“Yep.”

“What about him?”

“He had a fling with my mom, and I’m the product of it. He didn’t know I existed until I was like, 12.”

Okuyasu rolled onto his side to look at him, “Damn dude, that’s rough.”

Josuke shrugged, “It sucks, and it’s awkward when I visit. I don’t even call him dad, because he’s never been much of a father. The rest of my family is really cool though and makes up for it. Like my sister? She’s really nice, and I have a nephew that’s like, 35 years old with a husband and kid. I also got a cousin that streams videogames and I try to catch them when I can.”

“It’s good they’re nice to you. What about his wife?”

“She passed away from cancer a few years ago. We got along, surprisingly enough. She never blamed me for what happened, since it wasn’t my fault. I sang at her funeral and everything.”

Josuke sat up, “Damn, I don’t think I’ve ever actually talked about this to anyone before.”

“Same here dude.”

When Okuyasu sat up, Josuke gave him a little punch in the shoulder, “Guess that makes us best bros.”

Okuyasu gave him a grin that was brighter than the stars, “Hell yeah we are.” He got up and padded over to the pile of his shoes, socks, and various other items, “What time is it?” Okuyasu clicked his phone’s screen on, light bouncing off of his glasses, “Damn! It’s like 3 o’clock in the morning. How fuckin’ long have we been out here??”

“At least four hours.” Josuke got up and stretched, “Do you wanna stay the night?” Josuke turned around to look at the house, not wanting to look Okuyasu in the face in case his offer was rejected, “It’s pretty late, we could watch a movie in my room until—”

His statement gets cut off when Okuyasu spears him into the pool.

When he emerges, he’s met with Okuyasu’s hysterical laughter, “I’m sorry,” he choked out, holding his gut, “I couldn’t help myself. I’m down to stay, but I’m gonna need a change of—REEEEE.”

Josuke flailed over to him and dunked Okuyasu underwater, “You absolute motherFUCKER.”

Okuyasu reemerged with a gasp, and started splashing Josuke in an attempt to get away. They wrestled around in the pool, insulting each other until they were out of breath. “Okay,” Josuke breathed, chest heaving from a mix of laughter and exertion, “I’m wore out. Let’s go watch a movie or something.”

Being a gracious host, Josuke let Okuyasu use his shower first while he set out an extra toothbrush, basketball shorts, and a tank top that was emblazoned with ‘I want ABSolutely all the pasta and breadsticks’ on the sink for him. Josuke turned on his PS4, scrolling through movies while he waited for his turn. He was debating between two terrible comedies when Okuyasu came out of the bathroom, tank top in hand.

“Dude, this tank top is amazing, who got this for you?”

Josuke couldn’t answer him, because he was too busy staring at his chest; Okuyasu was fucking jacked. It was taking all of his willpower to not reach out and try to touch his abs.

Okuyasu whistled, waving his hand in front of his face, “Hello, Earth to Josuke. You still on the planet?”

“Oh shit—Sorry, zoned out there for a minute. Uh, my personal trainer got me that for Christmas last year. He’s got a knack for finding wacky shit like that.”

“He’s got some good taste,” Okuyasu chuckled while pulling the tank top on.

Josuke got up to head to the shower to mask both his disappointment and boner, throwing the controller to Okuyasu, “Pick something out, I can’t decide.”

One quick, cold shower and vigorous toothbrushing later, Josuke crawled under the covers with Okuyasu, watching some awful movie.

“Hey, Josuke.”

“Mh?”

Okuyasu hesitated, “You’re not gonna care if I like, fall asleep in your bed right?”

“Nah dude, it’s cool. You can sleep in here with me.”

A small, shy smile spread across Okuyasu’s face, and every part of Josuke screamed KISS HIM, KISS HIM RIGHT NOW.

He didn’t. He was too much of a bitch boy. Instead, when Okuyasu fell asleep halfway through the movie, Josuke opted to watch him. When the movie ended, he put Oku’s lopsided glasses on the nightstand, turned off the tv, and settled down beside him.

Josuke didn’t expect to fall asleep so fast when the object of his affections was literally laying right beside him, but the sound of Okuysau snoring gently lulled him to sleep.

When Josuke woke up the next morning, he was pleased to find a snoozing Okuyasu beside him. Last night had been wonderful, and the first time he had fun in ages. He wondered if Koichi’s night went just as well—

Oh shit, Koichi! He forgot!

Josuke scrambled for his phone and shot off a text:

Josuke: making sure you ain’t dead. text me back when you get this

A few minutes later, he got a snap from Koichi.

The picture was of him shirtless, half of his face was deadpan while a mass of black hair covered the other half. The caption read, “I’m sore. She rides hard.”

Josuke hollered so loudly he woke Okuyasu up.