#and look at that i stopped reading that manga years ago and my predictions were RIGHT

[mysterious-prophetess]

I’m in a BnHA/MHA theory mood

So. Since I’ve done my more general theorizing with a previous post, I’m going to have some fun with Dad for One and other ideas about themes.

Note: I’m not saying that Dad for One is not a serious theory for a lot of folks. It is. It’s just one I have a lot of fun with. I like it because it has so much angst and story potential in it. If it turns out to not happen, oh well. I had fun. 

If it does, then let even more fun begin!

Now onto why I have this attitude: While I love Dad for One and its thematic implications, it would be more thematically resonant for Izuku to have come from a regular guy and a regular woman (well in backgrounds. Inko is extraordinary because she is best mom). It’d lend to the idea of ANYONE from ANYWHERE can be a hero. That was my main reservation against this theory when I first got into it and was like “this is so fun but....”

Except....now that I really think about it, we already have that in the BnHA/MHA universe.

There was already a hero who:

Started off quirkless from an ordinary background.

Was given One for All.

And rose to great heights inspiring others to be heroes too. 

Yagi Toshinori/All Might has already done that character arc before we even opened the pages of the manga. 

Which means my arguments against myself about theme are moot because Izuku coming from ordinary parents would still be resonant but it would also sort of be repeating All Might’s story.

And, as has been a theme since Izuku got One for All, he has to make this his own story which means, he can’t be All Might 2.0. 

Which now leads me to why Dad for One would be a nice subversion to Izuku once again treading the path of All Might’s story, because Izuku would have come from the ultimate selfish evil known to the BnHA/MHA universe proving light can absolutely come from darkness. 

Dad for One would also cause a lot of neat parallels like:

All Might is not controlling his successor nor trying to mould his successor into another version of him. All Might was trying to set Izuku on a course to be the next Symbol of Peace but not be the exact copy of himself.

All for One is doing both those things to his successor in giving him his power and then making him into a literal new version of himself.

All Might did not (potentially) knowingly pick someone connected to his nemesis. He chose Izuku because he thought he was worthy of One for All.

All for One chose Shimura Tenko/Shigaraki Tomura deliberately as a FUCK YOU to both Nana’s memory and to All Might. The kid’s twisted nature was just a nice bonus.

Not to mention the already present parallels Izuku and Tomura already have.

Izuku’s family is small, just his mom and him but she is loving and supportive of his dreams.

Tomura’s family was big. He had both parents, grandparents, and a sister but he was abused by his father for his dreams.

Izuku’s dreams were destroyed as a small child by the world and partly by his mother’s apologies to him about not having a quirk.

Tomura’s family was destroyed along with his dreams by his own quirk. 

Izuku was given a world who pitied him for not having a quirk--any quirk-- and beat him down and all his teachers and people in his life discouraged him about his dreams.

Tomura was given a world where his quirk is villainous and his sensei encouraged him to act out his desires of destroying everything he didn’t like about the world (which appears to be everything). 

Izuku’s mentor chose him because he saw a potential for good.

Tomura’s mentor chose him because he saw a potential for evil. 

Which is a point that links back to the All Might vs All for One points. 

It’s much more complicated than these binaries and that’s why it’s such a fun and good theory to run with. You can use this to explore a lot of different emotional ideas, and a lot of thematic ideas

Nature vs Nurture for instance. 

So, tl:dr Izuku as coming from the everyman is a good thematic idea, but we already had that in All Might. Dad for One then serves as a way to add more layers and parallels to the story.

[fyodcrs]

Hello!! Kris here once again!! I hope you're well! 💖✨ This time I want to ask you about the relationship between Dazai and Fyodor! How do you think Dazai and Fyodor met? From what we can gather from the manga, Dazai is already aware about his intentions to retrieve "The Book" and it's clear that both of them are set up to serve as a foil to each other. The first interaction they have in the manga is interesting because it is Dazai who points out how similar their thought process is. In addition to this, it seems like Fyodor plays a big role in Dazai's personal arc to realize the "good side of humans" and life in general (referring to the times Dazai speaks with hope while countering Fyodor's remarks, a contrast to the times Dazai has a negative overview of life.) I would love to hear your take on this! :D

@kunikiiida-kuuun Kris! *tackle hugs again* Hi!! Oh my gosh oh my gosh, thank you so much for this!! I’m sorry it took me so long!!! This turned into quite the long-winded response, so hopefully it stays halfway coherent asdfghjghj.

Ahhhh, Dazai and Fyodor. The northern demon and the demon prodigy. The rat king and the walking waste of bandages.

How and when Dazai and Fyodor first met is a really interesting question. It’s a pretty popular theory that they met in the interval of time between when Dazai left the Mafia and when he joined the Agency, and I can see that being the case. It would make a certain narrative sense for that to be when they crossed paths for the first time; it would’ve been a time when Dazai was in a kind of liminal state, starting to piece together a new identity for himself from the dying words of his best friend. To have met “that monster” during that period would have been quite the shock to the system, I imagine. 

I also think it’s possible they met while Dazai was still in the Mafia. Fyodor has probably been in Yokohama a while. We don’t know how long he’s been working with Fukuchi, but it has to have been at least three years, because Sigma was “created” three years ago - and it’s implied that Fyodor is the one who concocted the entire Decay of Angels plan, and Fukuchi defeated and captured Bram, an integral part of that plan, eight years ago. Fukuchi is so bad at this whole villain thing, he constantly bungles shit up when things go off script and it’s up to him to make decisions (look at Tachihara, the fact he would have gotten himself killed like twice now if he didn’t have his deus ex machina sword, the mistake with Jouno, and the whole thing with Aya), so I find it kind of hard to believe he thought to secretly stash poor Bram away just in case, lmao. I’d guess that Fyodor and Fukuchi likely met while Fukuchi was abroad, maybe while he was in Eastern Europe dealing with the vampires, but according to Dead Apple, Fyodor was in Yokohama when Dazai was sixteen, six years before the main timeline. So it’s entirely possible Fyodor and Dazai crossed paths while Dazai was with the Mafia, or at least that Dazai caught wind of his presence before he left.

I hope we get the full backstory at some point, ‘cause I’m really curious not just when they met but what happened between them. I feel like it must have been something completely innocuous, like they wandered into the same café one day or something, but it set both their demon senses tingling, haha. It doesn’t seem like, based on their interactions, that anything significant would have happened between them, but clearly they both were able to read each other perfectly in that one encounter, to the point where they both were able to predict each other’s moves down to the second when they met again in the alleyway (and in DA), and that Dazai figured out that Fyodor was after The Book and Fyodor figured out that Dazai would try to stop him.

Fyodor and Dazai are so interesting together. They are perfectly equal; Fyodor is the only one who can stand on equal ground with Dazai, and vice versa. They’re so evenly matched that they’re pretty much at a constant stalemate. They’re absolutely ridiculous, honestly. They can predict what moves the other one will make and they can predict that the other one will predict that they’re predicting each other, so it’s just like, around and around we go, lmao. And I mean, they play mental chess together. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SECRET LANGUAGE THAT THEY CAME UP WITH LITERALLY ON THE FLY. What kind of soulmate trope bullshit - 

These monsters...! (affectionate)

Fyodor is definitely meant to be a foil to Dazai, but it’s a very interesting dynamic, because they aren’t perfect opposites. Fyodor is not a “dark” version of Dazai - Mafia Dazai was the “dark” version of Dazai, and, well, the “darkest” version of Dazai is Mori, not Fyodor. And Dazai can hardly be called a “light” version of Fyodor. Dazai, after all, is not by nature a good person. He’s essentially amoral; as Odasaku said, good and evil mean nothing to Dazai. But he chose to become a good person because of Odasaku, and because, as I��ll talk more about in a bit, what Dazai has always wanted is a reason to live. 

Whereas Dazai is amoral, however, Fyodor is driven entirely by a strong sense of morality and justice. Except Fyodor’s morality and sense of justice has been twisted and warped into something black and cold that only brings darkness and death wherever he goes. Fyodor is not evil, but something worse than evil. He is Crime; he is Punishment:

Both Dazai and Fyodor transcend traditional notions of “good” and “evil,” so their dynamic, too, is hardly the traditional protagonist-antagonist dynamic. Usually, it’s the villain who tells the hero “we’re not so different, you and I,” but you’re right, it’s Dazai who points out that they’re one and the same: 

There’s never been anyone able to play Fyodor’s game, to match him move by move. Until now, of course.

What Dazai and Fyodor both lack is empathy. Neither of them are able to really connect with anyone else because of their vastly superior intelligence and sense of detachment from the world. They are both cruel and manipulative, and they both use people like puppets or chess pieces. They are very much alike in a lot of ways. They are not perfect opposites; rather, they’re like reflections of each other seen “through a glass darkly,” to use a Biblical metaphor. They’re two of a kind, but they’ve both gone down separate paths. The way they think is exactly alike - except for one fundamental difference. 

But, see, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t really think that Dazai counters Fyodor with hope per se, and nothing he says in response to Fyodor suggests that he has a more positive view of humanity. But I think you’re right about that last part - he is starting to see value in life. And that, I think, is the fundamental difference.

Fyodor believes that all human beings are inherently bad, helpless to resist their violent impulses even when they know they are being manipulated:

He specifically connects humanity’s sinfulness with the existence of abilities:

I talked about this when I explained my theory on the nature of Fyodor’s ability: I believe that Fyodor thinks this way because this is what he believes about himself and his own ability. He thinks his own ability is sinful, and that he himself can only be purified if it and his very existence is erased. The fact that he projects this belief onto the world at large is, I think, partly because of an overinflated ego, but also probably because of his experiences. We still know nothing about Fyodor’s past, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a large part of the reason he’s come to see abilities as the core of humanity’s evil is because of the war. Just think about how even Yosano’s ability was used for horribly inhumane purposes during the war. 

This is what Dazai has to say in response:

Dazai does not respond to Fyodor by saying that yes, human beings can be cruel, but they can be good, too. They can choose. Sometimes a former hitman swears off killing and chooses to raise orphans, instead. Sometimes a young girl forced to kill because of her ability is saved and given a chance at a new life. Sometimes one of the most notorious Mafia bosses in history chooses to join the side that saves people. This is the kind of thing Atsushi might say in response, but Dazai doesn’t say any of that - instead, he basically says, “So what?” He agrees with Fyodor that humanity is bad, but he doesn’t really think that’s so wrong.

And this is what he says to Fyodor in prison:

Again, maybe it’s just me, but this does not come across as a positive view of human beings. If anything, it’s just as bleak as Fyodor’s. What Dazai is saying is that Fyodor is wrong not in thinking humanity is bad, but in thinking that that makes them boring. He’s disputing Fyodor’s belief that himself and Dazai are somehow above the normal, “stupid” people, and he’s saying that their ability to manipulate and control others really gets them nowhere. And if you kind of read between the lines, I think what Dazai’s saying here is that life has meaning. 

We still know so little about Fyodor, but we do know that he wants to erase all ability-users from the world. This, naturally, includes himself. We really don’t know for sure if Fyodor intends to erase abilities on their own or if he indeed wants to completely erase ability-users themselves. But I think the latter is probably true, because he does seem to believe that life itself is a crime. Look at what he says to Karma after Ace’s death:

Karma thinks that Fyodor is looking at another person like they’re “a stain on the wall.” Fyodor appears to see no value in life.

And this is what he says to Karma after he kills him:

Fyodor believes that only death can bring salvation. And this, I think, is what Fyodor is really after: salvation for his own soul.

One way in which I think Dazai and Fyodor are alike is that they are both characterized by despair, loneliness, and a desire to die. But Dazai is starting to see meaning in life, even if the world is messed up, even if so much of life is struggle. The major difference between the two of them, I think, is that Dazai has always been searching for a reason to live, while Fyodor has always been searching for a way to die. Dazai has begun to find his reason for living, because his world is a little more beautiful now, just like Odasaku said it would be. 

And I do agree that Fyodor plays a large part in this development for Dazai, because Dazai sees so much of himself in Fyodor. He sees how Fyodor reflects back at him the darkness he used to live in, the agony he’s felt for so long. It’s not a “what Dazai might have been” sort of scenario, I don’t think, because like I said before, what Dazai might have been is Mori; Fyodor and Dazai are too different philosophically for either of them to have ever “been” the other. But they’re exactly alike in every other way, two sides of the same coin, two peas in a pod, and Dazai can see that. He can completely understand Fyodor because he understands exactly what Fyodor is and why he is what he is.

I’m very interested to see how Dazai might affect Fyodor in turn. If maybe Dazai can make Fyodor question himself.  

But this is just my interpretation of their characters! Asagiri-sensei might have intended Dazai’s worldview to come across as more positive than I take it to be, I really can’t know. And I might be totally off-base in interpreting Fyodor as a tragic character, but this is just what I think of him based on what we have been given and based on the themes of the real Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment,” which is all about despair, tragedy, and ultimate redemption through love and Christian faith.

And I do hope Fyodor gets redemption, in the end (*slides Asagiri-sensei twenty bucks* please?). It would be so, so interesting if Dazai were to play a part in convincing Fyodor he’s wrong, and that his world could be a little more beautiful, too, if he made the same choice Dazai did - not in changing Fyodor’s worldview to match his own, but in making Fyodor realize that this is not the right path to salvation. That’s what happens in my fyozai headcanons, anyway. (◡‿◡*)❤ Dazai, you gotta give Fyo the hug he needs, you’re the only one, you’re our only hope!! He can’t use his ability on you, he won’t be able to resist!! (There’s also Sigma, who could potentially play a significant role in Fyodor’s development and give him the hug he needs.🥺)

Let me know what you think! Dazai and Fyodor are such fascinating nuanced characters, I love them both so so much, and I love their dynamic! I’m really interested to see how it all plays out for the two of them! 

Big BIG hug!! You’re absolutely the best!! ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧˚ 💕💕💕💕💖💖💖💖  

[noyashighlight]

My little dove

Child!Suna x Mother!Reader

Warning: Angst, death.

A/n: was reading a manga and listening to “fourth of July” by Sufjan Stevens when I thought of this idea.

“ Could you at least try to make some time for your family? Rintarō and I miss you- yes I understand work is important but so is your fam- That asshole!! I can’t believe he just hung up on me. “ you huffed softly shoving your phone into your purse feeling defeated, not having a use for it anymore. It was a typical Wednesday currently as you and Rintarō rode in the back of a black Limo going to drop him off at daycare before going off to work. You had just gotten off the phone with the sorry excuse of a husband and father, the man being a total workaholic.

Rintarō opened his eyes widely hearing you curse for the first time in front of him. “ Mommy who were you on the phone with? Also, mommy what’s an asshole?” The innocent four-year-old said the curse word with such ease and purity, that no one could be upset with him. Scooping him up into your lap hugging him against your chest, he looked like a spitting image of his father but with bright eyes full of life. Your son was the best thing to have happened to you during this loveless marriage.

The boy's father had one goal from this marriage and it was to produce an heir for the family company who would take over once it was their time. You were a knowing pawn in this all, but at least you could keep the man you love close to you with this marriage. It was draining though not only being an emotional support for your child but also keeping your own mental health in check.

Smiling you peppered kisses his plump cheeks, he was the cutest child ever. “ My little dove, that’s a bad word that you shouldn’t say okay? You can never say curses or Santa is going to be upset with you.” If only you could have taken a picture of his face, mouth wide with shock. Other than you, Santa was the only person he looked up to. “ I was talking to your father..” you kept it short and sweet not wanting to trouble your child. Maybe it was cause he was getting older or just sharp in general he frowned at the mention of his dad.

“ I don’t like daddy, he’s scary!” He shouted shoving his head into your chest hiding as of his father was present. It shocked you that even your son felt his cold gaze. Even if you resented him you didn’t want Rin to feel upset with his father and never build a relationship. “ What do you mean you don’t like daddy? Don’t you have a good time when dad comes home and we go out to eat dinner?”

He rapidly shook his then pulled your face down so he could whisper in your ear, probably not wanting the driver to hear. “ No, I like it better when it’s just us Mommy when daddy is here you never smile or make me laugh! Daddy is always like this.” He made a face his eyes relaxing and no sign of emotion on his face, he looked like a carbon copy. 

To cover up your giggles you covered your mouth with your hands. Who knew your toddler could be so hilarious. At that moment the limo came to a stop indicating it was time for him to go. “ Well, my little dove we can have dinner together after I pick you up okay? If you’re extra good today I can sneak you a cookie before daddy tucks you in.” You kiss him on the head as the driver opens the door. Little Rintarō looked so adorable with his little backpack as he walked back to you while using his other hand to hold his teacher's hand.

-

“ Why do you coddle him so much y/n? He’s not a baby anymore and needs to start growing up. You’re so insolent when it comes to your motherly duties!” A now six-year-old Suna heard his father's voice boom down the hallway, rubbing his eyes he slowly got out of bed to see the commotion. Peaking his head out of the hallway he sees you and his dad sitting at the table. You looking down at your lap, it was visible you were shaking from trying not to cry loudly. A site he was used to this his household, his father never yelled in front of Rin.

“ He’s not too old for his mother to love him! I’m just trying to be a good mom, what about you? Do you even know his favorite color or what kind of cereal he prefers. “ you fought back at least trying not to be a doormat anymore, it was fine if he wouldn’t love you but he wasn’t just going to treat your son like some stranger. Not wanting his parents to fight anymore he walked into the dining room holding his blanket that was the cause of this argument.

“ Daddy, why did you make mommy cry again?” The two adults froze in their actions hearing the soft voice, he walked over to you and hugged you even though you were sitting. Climbing into your lap he glared at his father. “ You’re a bad man daddy! You always make mommy sad, when mommy is sad I get sad.” Hearing your young child stand up for you made your heartache, he really was your anchor even though you were the parent.

-

“ Mom why’d you come today?” Suna said raising his eyebrows as he got into the back of the limo, the now thirteen-year-old looked very handsome. Since he had gotten older it was rare for you to pick him up, but sadly you couldn’t make it to his volleyball game yesterday due to work so this was your way of making it up to him. You sometimes wondered if he got any of his genes on his outside appearance from you. “ Well, I thought you and I could get ice cream after school before we go have dinner with your dad.” You smiled smoothing out his hair, he leaned into your touch.

Your son smirked mischievous mirroring your smile, “ He’s gonna be pissed when he sees the driver took us to get ice cream before dinner. Why don’t we take a walk around the park to, make him wait a bit longer at the table.” Your husband had his hands full with you two being absolute trouble makers, he could never break the bond you two shared though it was his fault for his neglect.

Two hours later Rintarō received a call from his angry tell him that he’s been at the restaurant for over an hour. “ Sorry Sir, we’re on our way.” He held back his laughter. Rin never called his father in a loving tone anymore to him he was an empty shell of a dad. After getting off the phone you two look at each other bursting out in a laugh, soon quieting down feeling the sleepiness after eating all of that ice cream. Rin rested his head on your shoulder, your child was now taller than you and still growing.

“ Mom, can you sing that song, that you used to hum?” You thought he has fallen asleep he was silent for so long. The young male hasn’t asked you to sing in years, though you were happy to accept his request anyway. The song wasn’t a happy one but your soft voice made it a gentle lullaby.

“ Sitting at the bed with the halo at your head was it all a disguise, like Junior High. Where everything was fiction, future, and prediction. Now, where am I? My fading supply. Did you get enough love, my little dove? Why do you cry? And I'm sorry I left, but it was for the best though it never felt right. My little Versailles, Shall we look at the moon, my little loon. Why do you cry? Make the most of your life, while it is rife, while it is light.” His breathing slowed signaling to you he had fallen asleep, it would be a pain to wake him up when you guys arrived to the restaurant but for now it was peaceful.

Suddenly the limo tumbled, Suna’s eyes shot open feeling his body being thrown multiple times. As quick as it happened it had come to a stopped the limo feeling less spacious. His body ached feeling glasses shard pricking his back as now he was laughing on the window, the vehicle on its side. Looking up was you on top of him caging him in like you were shielding with your own body. “ Are you okay?” You croaked out, blood trickling down from the side of your mouth. You looked pale and almost lifeless but still kept a warm smile not wanting your precious child to panic. You caressed his cheek softly glad he only had a few scratches. You frowned a bit seeing him now crying. He must have been hurt.

“ Don’t cry my little dove, help will be here soon to get you out of this.” You cooed wiping the tears escaping his eyes. “They are going to get us both out of here right mom?” He cried out with pleading eyes seeing you turn paler as the minutes passed. How could you tell him the truth that you were going to make it? You kept eye contact with him not wanting him to look down, because if he did he would see you were being pierced by a sharp metal-like object. Just the sheer worry that your son needed help kept you going.

You nodded your head slowly with a sweet smile, “ Of course, we are going to be okay.” You started hearing the sirens in the distance, feeling relieved they weren’t going to take long seeing as you were running out of time. “ You were always a bad liar mom, always saying you’re okay when you aren’t. “ he saw right through you, why wouldn’t he after all he was your best friend and son.

Letting out a soft chuckle even though it hurt you pressed a kiss on his forehead, “ I love you my little dove, make sure the old man gets you all the ice cream you want after you get all patched up or give him hell.” It was time to go, the feeling left your legs long ago now your body was feeling more peaceful.

“ Mom please don’t go, you’re all I have! You can’t leave me in this world with the old geezer! Please mom just stay awake a little longer!” He sobbed uncontrollably as he felt your thump lifelessly on his chest, he hopes his loud cries and shouts would keep you awake just like when he was a child wanting your attention. He let out an agonizing scream hearing the ambulances park, not cause he was hurting from his injuries no because he had just lost the most important person to him in the world.

-

Suna Rintarō’s eyes were cold and half-lidded as he stood at your funeral, the picture of you smiling staring back at him. He looked just like his father more than ever. Losing you meant he lost one of his reasons to smile, no one could replace the love of his mother.

“ Rin it’s time to go.” His father’s voice wasn’t so stern today, making Rintarō angry. His father didn’t have the right to be sad when he was one of the reasons you had cried so much. Well, he wasn’t going to take over this stupid company one day, remember how you would cheer him on to the games you would attend made his chest ache. Volleyball was his passion, he would succeed and make you proud no matter what.

-

And I'm sorry I left, but it was for the best though it never felt right.....

[claymorecut]

YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE LOVE WHEN YOU CAN’T STOP LOVING YOUR WIFE EVEN WHEN SHE GROWS A PAIR OF KINTAMA

A GinTsu fanfic

Word Count: 8072

A/N: This fic is long. And messy. And I wanted to write this for a really long time. Hope you guys enjoy! <3

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

‘Huh? When did I get here..?’

Standing under the scorching afternoon sun, this is the first thought that crosses the silver-haired samurai’s mind. The familiar crossroad bustled with people as Gintoki scrunches his eyes and shields them from the blinding sunlight. Not long ago was he lying on his precious couch in his cozy little apartment, so how come is he now standing on the middle of Yoshiwara? Oh yes, he was already on his way to pay his busy wifey a visit.

‘Must be the heat, I might’ve lost track of when I reached here.’ Rubbing his eyes which seems to itch a little, the man decided to make his way towards the infamous tea-house. It has been months since he last visited Yoshiwara but the true reason he’s here today is because he wants to see his wife. For the last few weeks, Tsukuyo has been coming home late due to work and to his disappointment - and sure enough, hers as well - they hardly get the chance to spend time together.

Of course, like always, Gintoki stays the same, good, supportive husband who doesn’t constantly nag his wife about her workaholic nature and busy schedule but right now, perhaps, he has started to feel a little lonely. And as cheesy as it sounds in his thirty-five years old mind, Gintoki really misses her. Not just the sex or the long, passionate kisses, but he really misses spending quality time with her. Seriously, when was the last time the two sat down and read their favorite manga series together? More importantly, their second anniversary is only a few dates away and this time, he wants to surprise her with something special. Something that can help the Tsukuyo take a break from her job and relax.

The former city of night appears as same as ever with people busy with their daily work. A few Hyakka members patrolled the streets, in case of any transgression. However, far away in front of another tea house, Gintoki catches a small crowd of woman swarming a large, tanned man, most likely flirting with him while he seems to be going along with them playful pokes and giggles. Due to his back facing him, he can’t get a clear look on the unfamiliar man except for his wide back and blond hair which perfectly contrasted his bronze skin. No wonder so many women were flocking around him, he appears to be quite a good-looking man.

“Oh Gin-san, how have you been?” The delighted owner of the tea house was greets him as he walks inside.

“Usual, I guess.” The man simply replied and takes a seat on one of the benches, facing her. “I just saw this guy outside. You guys hired a new bodyguard?”

At his curious question, Hinowa gives him a confused look. “No. We haven’t had new recruits for quite some time now.”

“Oh.”

“So, Gin-san.” Hinowa asks, changing the subject. “What brings you here?”

While Hinowa gives him her signature smile, Gintoki finds the situation quite odd. Wouldn’t a teasing “Here to see Tsukuyo~” with her playful smirk have made more sense?

‘Perhaps, she’s gotten used to it.’ His mind reasoned back as he brushed off the thought.

“Uh…well, I was basically here to meet Tsukuyo but I was thinking of taking her on a trip for our anniversary.” Looking down, he nervously rubs the back of his neck. He may have been a married man now but even still, showing his rather romantic side of his in front of anyone except Tsukuyo makes him a little…flustered.

“You know how she is with her ‘I don’t want anythin’’ and stuff. That woman has been working constantly for ages and she really needs to get some rest! I never thought choosing a gift for a woman would be this tough, let alone surprising her but it’s her we’re talking about after all….So, I thought maybe you can suggest me something.”

After finishing up his chattering, Gintoki looks back up at her with a flushed face, only to find Hinowa confusedly blinking at him. “…Eh? Anniversary?”

The man knits his brows. “Don’t tell me you forgot?”

“Forgot what?”

“My and Tsukuyo’s anniversary.”

“But when did you get marri-“

“What’s goin’ on?” A deep and surprisingly familiar voice came from behind the silver-haired man.

“Oh, Tsukuo. Did you know Gin-san got married? He just told me.”

“What? When?”

“I don’t know…maybe he’s talking about someone else…”

This casual exchange of words sounded strange. But what sounded stranger is the name of the man who is talking with Hinowa. Who is now standing right beside him. Perplexed at this sudden change of events, Gintoki slowly turns to his side to find the very same tanned and muscular man he has seen before entering the tea house standing who now looked at him and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“Yo, Mr. Husband. Did ya forget to invite us or what?” The man named Tsukuo teases him.

And Gintoki felt all the blood drain off his face.

He knew something was off. Really off. And as he got the closer look of the man’s face, the more he finds himself horrified. “W-who are you?”

The large man quirked one of his brows and then looks back at Hinowa, directing his thumb at Gintoki. “Is he okay?”

“He looked fine before. Gin-san, you look pale. Are you okay?”

No. No, he isn’t. Because this doesn’t look right. And no matter how much he tries, his brain has now failed to process the entire situation as Gintoki finds his eyes fixated at the buff man who looks shockingly familiar. Blond hair, violet eyes, the familiar black kimono decorated with autumn leaves and the infamous scar that he has gotten accustomed to kissing - Gintoki has been seeing all these features for years now.

In his wife.

Pointing a shaky finger at the large man, Gintoki felt his voice turn into a mere, almost squeaky, whimper “Hinowa-san….what happened to my Tsukuyo?” He could no longer contain the shock and disbelief in his voice. No way is this happening!

“Tsukuyo?” At this, the raven-haired woman looks puzzled. “But that’s Tsukuo.”

“I-I know..but…did some strange light fell from the sky and changed her sex? Like how it happened last time in the Dekobokko arc?” Each syllable he stutters makes his heart race a little faster. “What happened to Tsukuyo?”

“….Gin-san, what’re talking about? There’s no one named Tsukuyo here.”

His mouth falls agape. “Hinowa-san, please don’t joke like this.”

“But….I’m not joking, Gin-san….”

“Then…you’re saying my wife…is now…a man..?”

Suddenly he feels a large hand on his shoulder, probing him to look at the other direction which he was so badly trying to avoid. “Are ya outta your mind, ya bastard?” His said wife says up loudly, sounding quite offended by his genuine question. “I’ve always been a man.”

.

..

…

‘WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?’

*****

“Of course Tsukuo-dono has always been a man.”

“Who doesn’t know about the King of Night in Edo, Danna?”

“Gin-san~ Why are you suddenly so interested in that bastard when I’m right here~”

“Oi, Sarutobi. I’m right here - By the way, why’re you asking around if Tsukuo has always been a guy or not? Did you lose your memories or something?”

Nobody remembers. Nobody.

For the last three hours, Gintoki has been running around the city of Edo after dashing out of Yoshiwara, just so he can find out whether the unearthly Dekobokko cultist have made their comeback or not.  Unfortunately, nothing of that sort has happened. In fact, after asking Kyubei, Saachan and the Shinsengumi who once turned into the opposite gender knows nothing this uncanny event of his wife turning into the male version of her. Actually, his wife never swapped genders even when they did.

And every time he frantically asked the same damn question, their responses also stayed the same - “But Tsukuo has always been a man. We don’t know anyone named Tsukuyo.”

The statement itself is like a tight slap on his face. But what hurts more is that she is no longer here. Nobody remembers their marriage and…nobody remembers her.

His ring is gone.

All the wedding pictures and albums he once had in their little house are all missing.

And now that he looks at the empty shelf where they once had a beautiful framed picture of them kissing on their wedding day, Gintoki slumps down on the floor as he ponders about this absurdity he is currently in. Wasn’t it just this morning when he saw his wife leave for work before giving him a quick peck on his lips? Wasn’t it just a few hours ago when was planning to surprise his wife on their second anniversary? But now it feels like he is in a completely different world. And suddenly he is back to the same ol’ single and unmarried Sakata Gintoki who no longer has the amazing badass blond bombshell of a wife by his side.

In this sorry state, Gintoki recalls a memory from the morning where his favorite weather girl, Ketsuno Ana was announcing today’s horoscope predictions.

“For Libras, today, you may find yourself in an uncanny situation. Perhaps, your love life will be tested today under very confusing conditions but let me tell you, do not give up hope. As long as you believe in yourself and your partner, everything will turn out just fine.” The woman gave a bright smile from behind the screen as he flicked the TV off.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?” The utterly confused and enraged man yelled at the ceiling without paying any attention to what his neighbors are going to think. Confusing!? No, this is a hellish situation! “OI WRITER! WHY WON’T YOU JUST LET ME LIVE AS A HAPPILY MARRIED MAN!?”

Even breaking the fourth wall didn’t work. Finding himself alone in the bland living room, Gintoki hopelessly looks down on the floor and then at his empty left ring finger, gently rubbing it. He is not a sappy man, never has been, but truthfully, the empty finger does not suit him anymore.

The day he found out Tsukuyo had been in love with him throughout the runtime of the series was the day realized how much of lucky bastard he has been to have someone like her in his life. Idiot he might have been for not acting on his feeling but the day he took his vows was day he promised he will not let go of her. Ever.

‘Then why the hell is this going on…?’

A knock on his door interrupts Gintoki and he lets out a heavy sigh. If it was any other day, he would definitely have answered the door. But right now, ignoring it seems like a better option. Must be the baba is what he thinks and then stands up from his place to go look for some strawberry milk in the fridge. Maybe that can help him cool down…even just a little. Another two knocks, this time louder, tries to get his attention but he chooses not to respond again. No way is he in the mood to have a chat with someone.

“Oi Gintoki! I know you’re in there!” A voice calls out for him. A very familiar voice that he just wants to…avoid right now.

However, his mission fails instantly when another knock comes in, making him rub his already throbbing temple.

Groaning, Gintoki turns the other way to greet the unwanted guest in his house. Well, technically that was her- oh sorry, his house too, but according to the current situation, calling him a guest seems more appropriate. Sliding the main door open - and deep down, wishing it’s Tsukuyo standing there – he finds the male version of his wife nonchalantly smoking from the signature kiseru with his muscular arms folded under his well-toned chest. His blond hair is now tied in a small ponytail and damn, he is a few inches taller than him.

“Why did ya run away like that?” Tsukuo asks, putting down his kiseru. And while he refuses to admit, Gintoki can clearly hear the concern in his voice which seems so…familiar. But this isn’t her.

“Just had something to do.” Shrugging, Gintoki tiredly looks at the man. “I don’t know what I was saying, sorry about that.” He lies, really not in the mood to explain whatever this is. And possibly, this man will not believe him.

“Okaaay.” Tsukuo trails off, confused at his dismissive behavior. “You okay now? You seemed a little off back in Yoshiwara.”

Oh, can he just stop resembling her so much!?

“Yeah. Can you just leave me alone? I’m gonna get some sleep now, my head hurts” He knows he is being an ass but this is for the better. Tiredly, he slides the door close only to find a tight grip on the doorframe and shoves it open again.

“Hey. What’s wrong with you?” Tsukuo asks, slightly annoyed as he bends a little forward to look into the silver-haired man’s eyes. “First you act like you’ve seen a ghost and now you’re actin’ like an asshole?”

Hearing this, a vain pops in his head. He really can’t catch a break, can he? First, he sees his wife turn into this extremely handsome and muscular man who has lost all memories of their marriage and now, he’s supposed to explain why he is acting like this like a madman!?

“So, how else am I supposed to act, huh!? Act like everything’s normal when it’s actually NOT!?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!?” Tsukuo snaps back, confused at his sudden outburst. “Isn’t this normal, you moron!?”

“Oh yeah!?” Gintoki grits his teeth, feeling fumes coming out of his ears. “Maybe it would have if my married life hadn’t been suddenly erased from existence!”

“And when the hell did you get married!?”

“ ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO ON 21ST JUNE, AT THE END OF SPRING!” Gintoki screams out, making the passerbys look above at the two men who are now engaged in a heated argument.

“What the-!?”

Scoffing loudly, Gintoki throws his hands up in the air in utter defeat. “See! This is what I’m talking about! A few hours ago, I was a happily married man, planning to surprise my wifey for our second marriage anniversary and suddenly, I see everything is gone! Poof! Vanished in thin air like it NEVER existed!! And the worst part- nobody remembers my marriage, NOT EVEN YOU!”

Tsukuo only returns him another puzzled look. “And how the hell would I remember that!?”

“Because you’re the one I’m married to, damn it!” Frustrated, Gintoki jabs his pointer at the man’s well-built chest, only to realize what just he said and immediately rephrases his statement to, “Or should  I say the female version of you.” and awkwardly pulls back his hand. “And now, suddenly she looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger and I’ve no fucking idea how or when it happened! I don’t even have any evidence to prove myself in this…this crazy situation and damn it, this all sounds so ridiculous!”

Silence follows and the two men stare at each other, one giving an extremely baffled look while the other groans in embarrassment. This is not going anywhere.

Covering his face his hands, Gintoki breaths out a long, exhausted sigh. “Listen, I think I need to clear my head. Can you just…go?”

The man doesn’t reply for another few seconds. Perhaps, he’ll just leave him alone now.

“….I’m not going anywhere.”

Gintoki’s ears perk up. Did he really just..?

“And I think it’s better if we talk properly.”

Finally, he looks back at the man’s earnest face. “Eh?”

“Let’s get outside.” His said wife suggests and turns to walk down the stairs. “I think you should tell me what exactly happened. Maybe that can help you clear your head.”

“You believe me?” Gintoki calls out, baffled at how serious he sounds.

“Not completely.” Tsukuo looks back as he steps down the last stair. “But I do know you’re not lying.”

*****

Tsukuo is popular, just like his wife. Very popular.

But fun fact, unlike Tsukuyo, who makes every other lecher look the other way with her intimidating glares, Tsukuo doesn’t seem to mind all these flirtatious wink and compliments that keeps coming at him from the opposite gender.

“You seem to have quite a huge fanbase in Edo.” Gintoki inquires. The two has been walking down the streets of Kabukichou for quite a few minutes now and the extra attention the tanned man keeps garnering is making the silver-haired samurai a little distressed.

“Well, can you blame them?” Tsukuo looks at him, smirking proudly.

“No.” Gintoki shrugs, glancing at another group of women eying Tsukuo, who literally has the body and face of a Greek god. “But I never thought you’d enjoy so much attention.”

“I don’t exactly.” The man casually replies. “But when someone wants to talk and spend time with me, I can’t just say no to them.”

“And you just said the typical playboy line. How convenient.” Gintoki mumbles, not audible enough for the man beside him to hear. He remembers the first time when he met this version of Tsukuyo back in chapter 441 in the Dekkobokko arc. To watch the serious, tsundere woman suddenly turn into a player who shamelessly flirted with his female version was such a shocker.

“Flowers have no beauty nor ugliness. If such a thing does exist, then it’s in the looks of a man that cannot admire both equally.”

“HEY, WHO IS THIS GUY!? A VIRGIN WOMAN SUDDENLY TURNED INTO A PLAYER!!!”

Gintoki lets out a sigh. Even though back then such a thing happened, the situation was, more or less, temporary. Tsukuyo’s sudden personality change was only limited to that one arc. However, from what he has come to understand here, this Tsukuo has always been…Tsukuo. Sneaking a glance at the man, he again finds him smile at another woman on the sideways who flushes bright red and shyly hides her face behind her palms.

‘Yup, this is not Tsukuyo…’

After another few minutes of silence, Tsukuo asks. “So, you were saying I’m your wife?”

“No. I’m saying my wife got replaced by you.” Gintoki replies bluntly.

Unnoticed, the man rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Do you remember what exactly happened?”

“What do you mean what exactly happened? I was on my way to meet my wife, but then I see you and suddenly everybody has forgotten about Tsukuyo and our marriage.”

“Yeah, you already said that. But I’m asking did something happen when you were on your way?”

Gintoki knits his eyebrows. “…Huh?”

“Did you meet any…shady fortune teller on your way?” Tsukuo inquires seriously, glancing at him.

“Umm..nope.” Comes his honest answer.

“Then did you inhale or drink something strange before?”

“Nooo….”

“Then what about the headaches you were getting?”

“Most probably because of stress. What about it?”

Tsukuo shrugs. “I don’t know. I thought maybe it’s some sort of a side-effect of some ‘magic spell’ you’ve been put into?”

“This doesn’t make any sense, you know.” Gintoki scowls at his absurd speculations.

“Well, this is Gintama. Remember when the animation staff decided to freeze you for an entire episode due to budget issues?” Tsukuo points casually.

“Yeah, I do remember tha-“

“Plus, this is a poorly written fanfi-“

“Please don’t mention the obvious to our readers so casually. It can ruin their reading experience.”

Tsukuo sighs. “So, nothing out of ordinary happened?”

“No.” Except for his horoscope coming true which he cannot tell him.

“Tsk. That’s a very cheap way to move the plot though.”

“Would you stop being fussy about the plot already?”

“I was just pointing out the errors.” Tsukuo says as a matter of fact.

“You’re starting to sound like Onishi-kun now.”

Tsukuo grumbles. “Fine, I’ll stop.”

“Good.”

Even like this, the nitpicky and logical side of her is still clearly there. And a part of him feels happy that it is there. As the two continue to stroll around the streets of Edo, Gintoki finds his lips curl upward for the first time in the last few hours, unaware of the blond man looking at him with him own small smile.

*****

The afternoon heat is now replaced by the breezy evening evening as the two make their way to a public park.  Gintoki has no idea why they are still hanging out together. Or why Tsukuo still hasn’t left for work? Or why they are suddenly in a park and why does it feel like a date? Well, obviously he does not mind spending time with him – it’s actually quite refreshing – but still, Tsukuyo has always been a busy woman, a workaholic who doesn’t leave her duties behind, so, shouldn’t Tsukuo be like that too?

“Why’re we here?” Gintoki asks as he watches Tsukuo taking a seat on a nearby bench and stretches out.

Tsukuo, to his question, gives him a blank stare. “Because I’m tired of walking.”

“You aren’t even wearing any heels!” Gintoki frowns, pointing at his zori. “Tsukuyo can jump twenty buildings on her four-inch heeled leather boots and won’t even beat a sweat.”

Listening to his sudden proud comment about his wife, Tsukuo gives an amused smile. “Oh, that sounds interesting. That’s what I expect from the female me.” He gives himself a few pats on his shoulders.

Gintoki scoffs at his prideful gesture. “You’ve no idea how she’s like.”

Scooting a little to the side, Tsukuo taps on the empty seat right to him. “Wanna tell me how she’s like then?”

There is a moment of silence between the two before Gintoki walks towards the bench. “Oh, she’s just…amazing.” Taking a seat beside him, he grins widely, suddenly at a loss of words to describe his wife. “Sometimes even I end up thinking how I landed a woman like her.”

“You sound like a love-sick puppy.” Tsukuo chortles lightly.

“Well, I am a lucky man.” Gintoki shrugs, surprisingly unabashed by Tsukuo’s previous remark. There is a familiar sense of security in his company even though the man is the very much different from the woman he has fallen for.

“Well, you did marry me. Of course, that makes you a lucky man.”

His cocky response made Gintoki scoff in dismay. The moment he was starting to think they were a little alike, Tsukuo once again made him rethink his words.

“I didn’t marry a smug bastard. She’s the complete opposite of you.” Gintoki proudly replies, ready to explain his point. “Beautiful, serious, workaholic and definitely not a flirt - that woman can kill a lecher just by looking at him her venomous stare. And she’s called the Shinigami Tayuu in Yoshiwara. Well, formally, but you get how scary she is by that name. Hell, even I once became a victim of her wrath for ‘accidentally’ groping her before we started going out. Fortunately, she didn’t kill me then….”

Memories of the time flash in his mind as a soft chuckle escapes his lips. “Actually, it was my fault so I really can’t blame her….There’s always been so much more. She’s always been so strong and kind and…so different from me. Someone that I thought a broke man like me could never have. But she still stayed…right there with me….That’s what made me fall for her.”

“…You really love talking about her, don’t you?” Tsukuo asks, smiling at the man.

Gintoki sighs, smirking proudly. “Boasting about my wife once in a while isn’t bad.”

Soon, silence falls between them. Without having any idea of the kind of face the man sitting beside him is making, Gintoki lets his eyes stay fixated on the bushes right across their seat. For some reason, he has been rambling quite a lot today. Was he always this chatty? No, as far as he can remember, he was not. Probably, it’s the heavy feeling in his chest that’s making him so talkative.

“…and, who proposed first?” Tsukuo first breaks the silence.

This catches the silver-haired samurai’s attention.

“Of course, I did.” Gintoki replies, turning to see the man giving him a shocked look that made his eye twitch. “Oi, don’t gimme that look! I saved for the ring!”

At this, Tsukuo gives him an impressed smile. “Who’d have thought, Sakata Gintoki would become such a hopeless romantic for his precious wife?”

This time, the playfulness in his voice makes Gintoki grunt in embarrassment but he chooses to answer anyway. “For her, it’s worth it.”

“Umm-hmm. But I’m pretty sure she made most of payment during the wedding.” Tsukuo cleverly remarks.

Gintoki sighs, nodding in agreement. “Yes. Yes, she did.”

Sneaking a glance at the blond man, Gintoki finds the blond blankly gazing up at the sky, a small smile adoring his lips as he closes his eyes and breathes heavily. Albeit all the striking differences, he couldn’t help but find a sense of secrecy surrounding him, much like her. And right now, his serene expression reminds him of the way she would sometimes get lost in her thoughts.

“Missing her?” Tsukuo asks after a moment of silence.

Upon hearing the question, Gintoki sadly smiles. “Of course…Plus, we haven’t been spending much time together recently because of her work so….yeah.”

“…you still don’t know what’s going on?”

“Nope. But my horoscope did say it’s gonna be a strange day.” Gintoki confesses as a dry laugh escapes his lips. However, Tsukuo doesn’t inquire him any further.

Suddenly, a sense of uneasiness envelops Gintoki. He quietly watches the kids run back to their homes while the sky now appears to be painted in a deep shade of orange, the sun slowly disappearing in the broad horizon. It is strange how everything seems so normal to everyone but him; everything here feels like a strange dream he is unable to wake up from.

For the last few hours, being in Tsukuo’s company didn’t make him feel lonely in any manner. No matter how different he is here, there is a sense of peace in with him.

However, this is not his reality. This is not the place he belongs to. And this person, at the end, does not have any feelings for him.

“I think I should go back.” Standing up from his seat, Gintoki decides to take his leave. A part of him fears if he stays any longer, he would forever remain stuck here.

As he walks away, Tsukuo call out to him. “Oi, where are you going?”

Gintoki can hear his footsteps now. “Home. And I’m hungry.” He replies without turning back.

This still doesn’t stop the man from following him. “How about you come with me to Yoshiwara? It’s better than staying up like some loner in your little house.”

This time, Gintoki turns around, skeptically looking at him. “Don’t you have work?”

“Nope.” Tsukuo shrugs and walks to him. “Hinowa told me to take the day off.”

Well, that kinda hurt. He didn’t even come on his own accord, that’s how bland their relationship seems now.

“Well. You’re free to return back to work, then.” Gintoki waves his hand dismissively, ready to leave again.

“There’s a new izakaya.” His immediate response stops Gintoki on his tracks as he hears his stomach growl hungrily. “My treat.”

*****

By the time the two reached Yoshiwara, it has already turned dark outside as the full moon shone brightly above, illuminating the night sky. The streets appear busier than it was during the afternoon as the two make their way to. But before that, Gintoki gets to hear all the Tsukuo fangirls welcoming him back to Yoshiwara after his oh so long, tiresome day. Damn, nobody even bats an eye on the Savior of Yoshiwara anymore.

“Tsukuo-sama, how about you spend your night with me?”

“There’s a new kimono I received, I’d love~ to show it to you~”

“But I wanted to serve you sake and enjoy watching the full moon with you~”

Damn it, he hated how Tsukuo is like a chic magnet. Yes, the man is handsome and of course, he cannot blame the ladies for being smitten over him but he has been seeing since the afternoon and now all these flirty gestures are starting to get on his nerves. First, he brings him here – basically bribes him with free food - and then, pulls off this shit!

Picking up his pace, Gintoki makes his way through the crowd, leaving Tsukuo behind. If that blondie is going to take his sweet time with his precious ladies, he might as well search for this new bar and get something to eat all by himself.

“Oh Gin-san!” A familiar voice call for him. His mind was so delved into Tsukuo’s apparent bachelor life that he forgot to notice he was passing by the teahouse. “Are you doing okay? ” Hinowa asks sweetly, walking towards him.

“Um…yeah. I’m-I’m fine. That was- I was asking those questions f-for a friend of mine. Sorry for leaving like that.” Gintoki nervously chuckles, scratching his head. It’s better if he just stay quite instead of bombarding her with another set of ridiculous questions like before.

“I see. That’s good to hear. I was worried.” The rave-haired woman politely smiles.

“Um, yeah. Tsukuo mentioned.” There is a hint of disappointment in his voice as his eyes fall on the dusty street. “But you didn’t need to tell him to take day off for me.”

“Oh, but he was way more worried than me. At first, he just simply went back to work when you left. But I could tell how much he was worried.” Hinowa instantly replies, catching Gintoki’s attention. “You know how that man is. Always working and acting like he doesn’t care when he actually does.”

Baffled, Gintoki looks back up to find the woman giving him her signature smile. “You mean-”

“AHHH HINOWA!” The loud voice quickly interrupts their little chat as Gintoki finds a heavy arm casually crash around his shoulders, making the poor man wince. “I’m treating this dude for dinner at Sato-san’s place.” Tsukuo fakes an excited grin.

Not noticing the slight blush on Tsukuo’s face in the dim light, Hinowa beams excitedly. “Oh, that’s great! Their bar is right around the corner. You must taste their kushiyaki, Gin-san -- Tsukuo, don’t forget!”

“Yes ma’am!” Tsukuo obediently notes and starts dragging Gintoki by his neck. “Now let’s get you something to eat!”

“I can walk on my own, damn it!” Comes Gintoki’s grumbling as he frees himself from Tsukuo’s death grip.

“Yeah, yeah, ojii-san.”

“Who’re ya calling ojii-san, bastard!?”

As the two continue their banter on the way, Hinowa lets out a chuckle, waving at them. “Enjoy you two!”

A few moments later, the two enter the new izakaya which appears quite crowded due to its growing popularity. The interior seems to be pretty much similar to Otose’s snack bar – with a bar counter stretching to their right and a few dining tables to their left with customers enjoying their meal – the lively atmosphere feels refreshing. But what catches Gintoki’s interest is a savory aroma of grilled meat around the room that almost made his mouth water.

Walking up to the bar counter, Gintoki takes a seat on one of the stools with Tsukuo sitting beside him. He watches the man take his kimono off and place it on lap, exposing his well-toned biceps that can make every man in the bar look away in envy. Yes, even him.

“Ojii-san, two beef kushiyaki and one sake.” Tsukuo signals the old man behind the counter who quickly responds with a “Coming right up!” with a big smile.

Gintoki gives him a surprised look. “You don’t drink?”

“Nope. Never have.” Tsukuo honestly replies. “Does Tsukuyo?”

“Oh, yes! She loves drinking.” the silver-haired samurai exclaims, remembering all the times when they trashed countless bars together after getting wasted. “But that woman is terrible at handling her liquor.”

This catches his interest. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Gintoki shivers at the thought of his drunken wife’s face. “Give her one drop of alcohol and she turns into a savage beast! I got my head smashed by a bottle of sake when we first had a drink together.”

Tsukuo lets out a chortle. “Damn, I guess it’s better for me to not drink then.”

“Good choice. I call her ‘the drunk terminator’.” Gintoki proudly declares the infamous nickname he once gave to his lovely wife.

The old man places their order in front of them to which Tsukuo gives him a generous nod before turning his attention back to their little chat. “That’s why you called me Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lookalike back when I came to your house.”

Gintoki chuckles and picks a kushiyaki from his place. “Who else am I supposed to compare the brawny male version of my wife with, then?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” With that said, the two dig in to their plates. “Itadakimasu!”.

Taking a bite of the flavorful kushiyaki, Gintoki hums in delight. “This is really good - Ojii-san, I’ll have another of this!”

“You really don’t say no to free food, do you?” Tsukuo shakes his head, not surprised by this habit of his at all.

“Well, you offered.” Gintoki slyly replies with a mouthful to which Tsukuo feels his lips curl.

The two then continue to eat in silence, with Gintoki sneaking a few glances at the distracted man who now has again started smoking from his kiseru after the old man offered his an ashtray. Something about this entire day feels off and yet, with him, he felt at ease. Still does, actually. Perhaps, it’s because Tsukuo’s the only one who knows about his condition. Or perhaps, he’s just trying to deny the fact that he’s, at the end, the same person deep down inside that he has always felt at ease with.

Gintoki recalls the horoscope news– your love will be tested – that’s what it said. Maybe, now he understands what the test really means. But to say it out loud to him; wouldn’t that make things awkward? Because, at the end, this Tsukuyo has no reminisce of the things they have shared together…And the last things he wants to be called is a creep by his own wife.

‘Just talk to him, damn it!’ Slapping himself inside his head, Gintoki pours a glass of sake for himself and chugs it down in one go, loudly exhaling at how unusually strong it tastes. However, before he could bring up the subject, he watches a middle-aged woman wearing a lavish kimono walk to their direction.

“Tsukuo-san, I didn’t expect you to be here.” The woman stands to his right, her silky tone didn’t going unnoticed by Gintoki as she casually puts a hand on Tsukuo’s shoulder.

Something inside Gintoki catches fire.

“Oh, Kirishima-san, what brings you here?” Standing up from his seat, Tsukuo places his kimo and generously greets the lady who, not so surprisingly, reminds Gintoki of a jorogumo. What about personal space- she even has the audacity to stand so damn close to him.

“Oh, nothing, nothing.” The said sophisticated Kirishima-san replies as she coyly places a hand on his chest. “You haven’t been here the whole day, I was looking for you.”

Gintoki chugs down another cup, the burning sensation in his body no longer because of the alcohol.

“Oh, um, I’ve been a little busy.” Tsukuo nervously glances at Gintoki who seems to have been declared invisible by the woman while he continues to drink his sake. He looks furious. “Is there something that you wanted to talk about?”

“Oh, yes. Regarding the donation work.” Kirishima-san says courteously. “If it’s okay, would you like to come outside for a little?”

“Ah, yes, I almost forgot about it.” Tsukuo apologetically says as he escorts the vixen-like lady outside of the bar. Whether it’s just work or not, this Kirishima-lady definitely has ulterior motives.

From the corner of his eyes, Gintoki watches the two chat about something that’s pretty much inaudible to him. The woman says something and Tsukuo nods. Then Tsukuo says something and the woman flirtatiously giggles. From this little view, he could say how badly she wants to get into his pants. However, he feels his blood boil when the woman starts to seductively rub her hand over his left exposed arm, as if he’s her little plaything. And Tsukuo doesn’t seem to mind at all!

‘Hah! He really is a player!’ Immediately, Gintoki looks away before he could see that Tsukuo has politely taken the woman’s hand off his arm.

Scoffing, he drinks up the rest of the liquor from the bottle, sighing in satisfaction. Again, this wasn’t the first time he is seeing this side of Tsukuo but it would be a lie to say none of it…disturbs him. Not even a slightest. Of course, he understands the two are different and never can he ask the person to be someone else but still, isn’t this the same person? At this point, he really cannot comprehend any of such thoughts. And by now, he can feel the alcohol kick in, making his mind all dizzy and muddled.

“Ya know, Ojii-san, I’ve a wife! She’s jus’ the best in the world!” Gintoki slurs in front of the old man, his mind now all foggy. Never had one bottle of sake been enough for him. But tonight, it’s somehow started to show its effects.

“You are a lucky man, sir.” The old man smiles at him.

“Right~” Gintoki hiccups, a goofy smile now plastered on his flushed face. “And she’s called the Shinigami Tayuu, isn’t that cool!?”

“That’s a very great name, sir.”

“Wanna show me where she is?” Ginotoki giddily whispers, just like a little child who has found lost treasure.

The man politely nods “Of course.”

Directing his thumb outside the door, Gintoki points at the Tsukuo with lopsided grin. “There! That man with the blond hair my wife!”

Hearing his little declaration, the old man laughs rather awkwardly while Gintoki continues to ramble. “Isn’t that funny? Like, she was this really sexy, badass woman before but poof, she’s a sexy, badass man now! And seriously, I don’t ‘ave any problem with tha’. But she doesn’t even remember anything! She doesn’t even love me anymore and is now flirting with other girls!” Slapping the counter loudly, he lets out a dry laugh, making the customers nearby look at his direction.

“Sir, I think you’ve had enough drink today. It’s better if you return back home with Tsukuo-dono.” The old man politely says, now giving him a concerned look as if he is now some drunk who has lost all his senses. Seriously, who was he kidding? There is no chance anyone will ever believe his words. And truthfully, a drunk’s confession is generally considered gibberish.

Exhausted and slightly dizzy, Gintoki stands up from his seat. “That guy will pay.” With that said, he leaves the bar quietly.

*****

Staggering on his feet, Gintoki somehow manages to get out of the flashy and lively streets and enters a dark, deserted alleyway. The full moon shines brightly above him, fortunately enough for him to not lose his steps and stumble down on his face like some cheap, homeless drunk. His head aches and at this moment where he has no solution to whatever-this-is, giving up seems like the only option.

“Oi, Gintoki!” The familiar voice call to him…yet again. And just like this afternoon, he wants to avoid it.

“Will ya just wait!?” Tsukuo yells again, his breathing heavy as Gintoki finally stops at his place and faces him.

“…What do ya want?”

“Why did you leave like that?” Tsukuo asks, slowly walking closer to him.

“You seemed busy with the pretty lady so I left.” Comes his cold response, making Tsukuo stop just a few steps away from him.

Gintoki expected a cocky laugh. Instead he finds Tsukuo gravely looking at his direction.

“…it was work. Really.”

Oh yeah, sure it was work. It’s always work. Whether it’s in here or there, it’s always work! And goddamn it, he was so tired of listening. All he has been trying to do for the last few weeks is to be a good, supportive husband who does not nag his wife for overworking or not spending enough time with him. If he’s being honest, he was angry, really angry at everything. But the moment he tries to make things better, some stupid horoscope predictions decides to test his affection for his wife and now, he’s stuck here with an alternate version of his wife.

Despite all this, he decides to stay quite again. No way is he going for another round of ranting session. Exhaling sharply, Gintoki rubs his temple again. “You know what, instead of doing all this, I should be looking for a way out. But for some dumbass reason, I ended up spending the entire day with you and watched you smug ass getting constantly flocked by your fangirls who you just shamelessly flirt with while I’m constantly reminded that you are not the person I love when I know it’s not true!”

….He failed. He ended up rambling again.

And so to calm himself, Gintoki breathes in. A long, deep breathe. While the man standing in front of him freezes on spot, dumbfounded and speechless.

“…were you jealous?” Tsukuo finally finds his voice back and carefully takes a step forward.

“Of course I was jealous!” The permhead finally admits.

“Why?” And another step forward…

Gintoki scoffs. “Really? You’re asking me ‘why’?”

“Yes.” And another…

He sighs loudly. “Because I love you.”  And Tsukuo smiles.

“Even when you are this flirty, cocky man! Even when you don’t remember a thing about us! Even when I know that you don’t love me here! Because whether you’re Tsukuo or Tsukuyo, deep down, I know it’s you. It will always be you. The same person that I happily devoted my heart to and there’s nothing that I ever want to cha-“

Before Gintoki can finish, Tsukuo’s presses his lips against his, shutting him up in an instant. And Gintoki freezes on his spot, his hands awkwardly dangling around his sides while his eyes widen in surprise. There is nothing too fierce and hungry about the kiss; it feels like the ones they always share after waking up, chaste and full of love. Slowly, Gintoki closes his eyes and returns the kiss back with the same favor as his. Unlike the soft and pink ones, his lips are slightly chapped. And yet, the taste and smell of smoke he has so gotten used to is enough to tell him that yes, he’s kissing the right person.

Shortly later, the two pull back. Panting, Tsukuo puts his head on Gintoki’s shoulder, hiding his now flushed face as they silently stand there, savoring this little moment.

“It’s good to hear that you still love me.” Tsukuo is the first one to break the silence, his voice a little muffled.

‘Still?’ Gintoki knits his brows, confused as he recalls the strange horoscope predication.

“Guess I’m bound to fall for you no matter what.” He can hear the relief in his voice as Tsukuo slowly raises his head. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

The test, this strange world…His smile said everything. “You knew…?”

Tsukuo doesn’t answer his question. Instead, he just lovingly smiles at him and says something else as Gintoki feels his vision get blurry, his face slowly disappearing before him as his voice gets replaced by the one he has been hearing for years.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. I’ve got something to tell you.”

*****

The stiff sofa cushion has made his back ache painfully as Gintoki slowly sits up, stretching his arms and legs to loosen up his sore muscles. Sluggishly, he scans the surrounding to find the bulb above him glowing and outside the window, its pitch black, suggesting its night by now. He doesn’t even remember when he fell asleep. The TV is right around the corner as always and so is the little shelf. And there are two frames kept there- one of the Yororzuya and the other of his wedding day…

“You’re awake.” His eyes snap open at the familiar….and feminine voice of his wife who emerges from their bedroom right behind him. Turing around, he finds Tsukuyo walk up to him with her nightgown on.

In an instant, Gintoki jumps up from his seat and rushes to his wife, embraces her in a tight hug and almost making her lose balance. “OhmyGod, Gintoki! What’re you doing?”

Even her yelp didn’t make his huge grin disappear as he held his wife close, breathing in her freshly bathed scent. “I missed you!”

“H-huh? W-what’s the matter?” His sudden confession made the woman turn a deep shade of pink.

Pulling back from the hug, he lovingly presses his lips against hers. “I’m saying I missed you, woman!”

Watching the joyous smile on her husband’s face, Tsukuyo feels her lips curl up too as she caresses his cheeks affectionately. “I missed you too, you foolish man.”

“I just had the strangest dream ever. All just to see that no matter what or who you are, I will always end up falling for you.” Placing a hand on her heart, Gintoki looks at the love of his life with the brightest smile on his face. “It practically called you my soulmate.”

Hearing this, Tsukuyo lovingly holds her husband’s face in her palms, her amethyst eyes and soft voice entrancing him for the rest of his life. “Soulmate or not, I’ll always fall for you, too. No matter what.”

This makes the man exhale a sigh of relief. “I love you.” Gintoki says and leans in to touch his forehead with hers.

“I love you, too. And I’m sorry I couldn’t spend time with you for the last couple of weeks. You even came to meet me today but I couldn’t make it.” Tsukuyo apologetically says and closes her eye, finding comfort in his embrace.

Instead of asking when he went to meet her, Gintoki gently presses a kiss on her forehead and looks back at her. “Don’t apologize. Just…don’t overwork yourself, okay? And take a break. I was thinking of keeping it a surprise but let’s go somewhere for anniversary, on a trip.”

To his offer, Tsukuyo happily hums in response. “Okay. Let’s go.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulls him for a hug which he happily accepts.

Gintoki doesn’t remember what exactly happened here; the dream is only that he has memories of. And yet, there is a part of him that knows that wasn’t just a dream. However, instead of pondering about the past, he’d rather live in the present. After all, he deserves this moment of happiness his wife after getting his mind bombarded by a strange ‘test’.

“By the way, I think I’ll have to take a longer break.”

At this, Gintoki pulls back a little, slightly confused. “Huh?”

Looking down, he watches Tsukuyo take his hand off her waist and slowly bring it to her belly while Gintoki looks back up at her, astonished and completely speechless.

“Looks like you’re gonna be a father again, Sakata-san.” Watching the sexy smirk adoring her beautiful face, Gintoki feels his face go from surprised to purely ecstatic. And in an instant, he sweeps her off her feet, spinning her around in exhilarating joy while Tsukuyo giggles warmly in his arms.

“WE’RE GONNA PARENTS SOON!”

“Hahahaha! Gintoki, stop it!”

“WE’RE GONNA BE PARENTS SOON , BABY!”

“Yes, yes! I know! Now put me down!”

In between their giggles and joyous laughs, the two stop midway in their little celebration as Gintoki carefully brings the woman down. His wide, goofy grin never leaves his face and he once again presses his lips against hers, which she wholeheartedly returns. No way can he ever explain how happy he is now. After years of running away, after years of calling himself unworthy of love, he finally found someone who now shares her life with him. And never in this lifetime or any other, would he like to change that.

“Thank you for making me the luckiest man in the world.”

[tamhrayis]

I brought a theory from Reddit.

Disclaimer:

I am here to not disrespect the author by any means. I simply have questions as a person who is reading it and pointed out which parts are confusing. It’s up to you to believe this theory or not.

What’s more, reborn Ymir will be in the same position as 2000 years ago – the Founding Titan's shifter. BUT, this time she's free. Therefore, once she pops out and gets her abilities back, she can do whatever she wants with them. She no longer needs to be commanded by royals, which gives her the ideal opportunity to conclude everything. [How does Eren know that an infant can assist him in such an endeavour?]

Well...Ymir was definitely not free, but Ymir wasn’t born with her abilities. She got them because of hallucigenia attached to her back when she fell into that water in the tree. She wasn’t born special.

Another point. How Ymir being born with titan powers will stop the cycle of hatred?

Zeke’s death was a necessary distraction, deliberately included by Isayama to divert our attention. It tricked us into thinking that the baby inheriting Zeke’s titan is relevant as it would help Eren resume the Rumbling. But that’s not the case. The child will indeed inherit the Beast but what’s important here is the baby inheriting the Founder (what Isayama tried to hide behind Zeke’s death). Also, his death served the purpose of stopping the Rumbling as it is not needed anymore. Most of the world's population is already massacred. [What was the point of Zeke dying? Will the baby inherit the Beast Titan?]

Hm...Yeah, Zeke’s death indeed helped to stop the rumbling, because Eren could reach the Paths because of him and killing him stopped the whole process, but why would Isayama make such a distraction at the last third chapter of the whole manga? Shouldn’t he kill Zeke before, so Eren and Historia’s plan would work and it had more screen time?

“In a vision, Eren saw that Ymir will be reborn after his death. He told Historia that he has to figure out which random child will inherit the Founder”. [“What would you think… about me having a child?”]

Which vision? Ch.1 or after kissing Historia’s hand? Ch.1 vision was Eren and Mikasa’s shared dream and we still don’t know what exactly Eren saw while kissing Historia’s hand.

Of course it’s safe to say that it was his future memories, but it yet has to be revealed.

Random child. How Eren can predict that the baby will be Historia’s? Does he know how many pregnant women are there on Paradise? Okay, let’s say that it’s FT and Paths magic, but can he control which child will be born with Founder’s powers?

It would also explain why Historia didn't appear in Ch. 138 – if Isayama showed the baby coming out seconds after Mikasa decapitated Eren then it would’ve been obvious what’s going on.[“What would you think… about me having a child?”]

Chapters are 45 pages long. Why Isayama didn’t cut out some panels and didn’t put it here? Why not to show it right after the kiss page? Distraction?

Moreover, Ymir is smiling at Eren and Mikasa not simply because she saw affection. Yes, she does care about bonds but another thing could be that Eren's plan downed on her – she connected the dots and figured out that it's now her turn to contribute and complete the mission Eren wordlessly gave her. I believe next chapter will start with her disappearing from inside the Founder's mouth and switch to her being born. [“What would you think… about me having a child?”]

Okay! I agree with the part that Ymir smiled at Mikasa and Eren because of the affection they showed to each other and the part that she will contribute to the “mission”.

They showed affection to each other. Why would Eren show affection to Mikasa if he is having a child with the woman he loves?

What about the hallucigenia? Will it still stay there or disappear with her?

Immediately after she cries for the first time, all Eldians will perhaps be summoned in Paths, where Eren will be waiting. To their surprise, he will announce the end of the Titan Age. Then, Ymir will make the command and Paths will begin collapsing. Eren will hold her in his arms as all traces of titans disappear. "You're free." will collectively be directed to Ymir and all of her Subjects. [What will happen after she is reborn?]

Hold on. Can the power of Founder be shared between two people? Is it like One for All? If Ymir was born with FT, doesn’t that mean that Eren no longer has FT, AT and WHT? How Ymir can summon them? She is an infant. She doesn’t have a proper consciousness to purposely summon everyone into Paths. Where AT and WHT will go? To random Eldian children or Ymir?

It has always been suspicious as to why Eren teased Zeke about them not reaching "the part where he eats their old man". It's strange that Grisha gave Eren the power of the titans when beforehand he begged Zeke to stop him. The only logical thing would be that Eren showed him what I described above: the resolution. [What did Eren show Grisha?]

Wait. Why would Grisha be this heartbroken and scared if Eren showed him the resolution? He doesn’t look like crying from happiness. Sure, he was crying because he killed children and others, but why would he look at Zeke like that? He was in literal pain.

What used to be nonsensical before is now super logical. Grisha and Kruger were not helping the Alliance because Armin’s TnJ (talk no jutsu) worked. They aided them because beforehand Eren revealed the truth of what is to come and that they will NEED to kill him in order for Historia’s baby to inherit the Founder. Basically, they didn't feel sympathy for Marley all of a sudden – instead, they were helping Eren in liberating Eldians from titans. [Why did Grisha and Kruger help the Alliance? Why did Ymir revive them if they were going to go against Eren?]

Well...Besides Grisha and Kruger, Marcel, Ymir, Mr. Xavier, Porco and Bertholdt were there. Did they want to help Eren too?

As it has been confirmed by Isayama's notes on Ch. 138, it’s not an AU. So we should probably forget about time loops. It's a dream. Eren entered it (through Paths, duh) as he wanted to convince Mikasa to behead him as fast as possible as they have no time left. Him joining her is why Aaron Yogurt dream Eren got shifter marks on his face and why in Ch. 1, he saw this particular moment. [What’s up with Mikasa’s hallucinations?]

Oh! “A long dream” topic again. I went to the link author put and this is what I see (see below).

Okay, let’s say that he entered it via Paths, but why not to straightforwardly say that? Why to create a dream where they live happily? Why to show this hug, “I want to live with you for the rest of my 4 years”?

I don’t really like the time loop concept myself, because I don’t like time travel stuff, but why then he saw the exact same dream in ch.1? Something is not clicking.

The former will likely return to being humans. There’s no reason for them to disappear as they’re material beings that exist in the physical world – what will be removed is just titanization. Plus, with this, Eren will keep his promise of his friends living long lives. Though, this is something I cannot predict properly and just speculation. The latter will be free from the Curse of Ymir (good luck, Reiner, no dying for you). [What will happen to the titanized Eldians and titan shifters?]

Fully agree! No debate.

There's no question really. I feel like it should be self-explanatory after everything discussed so far. The farmer being Ymir's father would be a more shocking twist than Eren being the dad. [Is it sure that Eren is the father?]

Why wouldn’t Isayama add a plot twist into his story? It’s not hard to do. But Isayama’s plot twists work because he visually foreshadows it or uses characters’ dialogues. He already has showed us farmer. Why he is here? For cover up? Why would Isayama put these words if farmer is unnecessary? Why not to add more information?

To stop the cycle of violence and hate once and for all. If Eren removed titan powers without the Rumbling, most people (especially Marleyans) would’ve still despised Eldians and they would've just been defenseless. So Eren wanted to prevent that. [Why did the Rumbling have to occur?]

I agree with this. Rumbling was a cause for people to work and stop fighting each other as I said here. Rumbling plan was very risky, but it was unavoidable, because Marley is way more advanced and Paradise would terribly lose. Good point!

But why would Historia, who has decided to live for herself agree with Eren’s plan? How would she benefit from it? Okay, she and Historia are in love, but why would she want the person she loves to become a mass murderer? Why she couldn’t stop him? Why she was crying when he told his plan? She is a royal blood after all too! They could come up with another plan which wouldn’t involving Zeke.

I assume it would just die/disappear/go back to the tree it emerged from. [What about hallucigenia?]

Where’s that tree? How it will get there?

In conclusion, the theory isn’t bad, but it would work if Historia and Eren had more set up, the importance of Zeke would be explored a little more here and ch.138 didn’t have clear symbolism between Eren and Mikasa. There’re some holes, but the author gave some good points, which is truly appreciated!

[chidoroki]

Norman - 22194

March 21st is here and it’s time for yet another birthday post. I already rambled on about Emma and Ray on their special days, so now it’s finally time to complete this full-score tradition with Norman. It might not be as detailed or long as the other two, since he was absent for a good chunk of the story, but it doesn’t make him any less important! I’ll be honest now, the boy isn’t my favorite character (he doesn’t place anywhere in my top ten for this series either) so I probably missed some moments worth mentioning but I did my best to praise this child anyway!

(spoilers for the entirety of The Promised Neverland, so if you haven’t read/completed the manga yet, consider this your first warning, because I’m once again going from start to finish with this.)

Since I want to stay consistent with the other two posts, this will focus on the manga timeline, as season 2 is, well.. it’s own thing. I’ll mention some things but don’t count on much. With that, let’s go.

- He achieves a perfect score on Grace Field’s daily tests, alongside Emma and Ray.

- He is, without a doubt, the smartest kid the house has ever seen, as he passes each test flawlessly and has maintained a 300 average.

- He’s a complete strategist who is capable of achieving victory (even in something simple as tag) by observing his opponents moves and analyzing their weaknesses in order to counter.

- Knows how to pick locks. The scene from ch1 was left out but we see him doing so later on in ep02.

- Stays relatively positive and calm after learning about the truth of the farm.

- Even going as far as giving Emma a reassuring smile, which I think is impressive given the literal nightmare fuel they’ve just witnessed. 

- I’m giving him half credit for suggesting the idea of there being tracking devices, since anime has him reveal this possibility while in manga it’s Emma.

- Both of them realize what determines the shipping order and that the demons favor their brains.

- This silly panel that I love dearly.

- Made sure to do a sweep of the entire house beforehand to make sure their escape planning doesn’t get pick up on.

- Figures out that Isabella only knows the children’s locations when she checks the tracker and that it can’t identify who is who.

- Has the nerve to lie right to Isabella’s face.. not that she believes it, but still gutsy nonetheless.

- Knowing the house probably wouldn’t have any rope, it was his idea to use the spare tablecloths.

- Had a feeling that Ray would reveal the harsh reality of how dangerous it would be to escape with all the children, which turns out to be correct.

- His laugh in ep02 is so precious.

- This statement being 100% accurate.

- Manages to convince the logical Ray, who we know now has spent many years coming up with a solid, safer escape plan, to join in and assist with their crazy and reckless plan instead. Having Ray on their side also grants them many advantages.

- Absolutely hates to lose, which is a good mentality to have in a world where your life is a stake and your time is limited, which eventually leads him to consider every possible opportunity to stay ahead of his enemies throughout the remainder of the story.

- Realizes that the trackers must only send out a signal upon being broken, which we found out to be true in Ray’s one-shot chapter.

- - Him looking completely terrified in this panel.

- He managed to catch all the Grace Field kids in a game of tag even after they received advice from Ray about how to survive longer.

- The goddamn intimidating energy he gives off here is fantastic.

- Despite his body being physically weak, he manages to survive and win against Krone during their game of tag.

- Just like Ray some couple chapters ago, Norman is completely serious about this idea.

- Suspects there’s a traitor among the kids and swiftly comes up with a plan to lure them out.

- This panel of him “dead” from the first side story.

- He has a feeling the spy is Ray, so he moves up the day of the escape to catch him off guard and send him into a panic.

- Even though the anime didn’t include it, he managed to throw off Krone as well with some fake footprints to keep her off their backs.

- Was honestly considering on leaving the spy behind while the rest of them escaped, though he doesn’t seem real happy about the idea, considering the traitor is Ray.

- His plan on fishing out the spy was flawless as he finally calls Ray out by revealing that the information he gave about the ropes and where he hid them were fake locations.

- Not only was Ray the first one Norman suspected, but he caught onto him way back when Krone first came to the house. All the information Ray was feeding them helped Norman come to this conclusion as well.

- Along with Emma’s words about believing that no one in their family is truly bad, Norman refrains from cutting Ray off to allow him to become their trump card. This was a risky move itself, knowing Ray could sell both him & Emma out at any time. Norman tends to prioritize victory, so while staying alive is absolutely necessary and that could’ve been achieved without Ray (as he could’ve just used Ray then ditch him later), he still decides to make the offer as realizes that in order defeat Isabella, Ray’s full cooperation is essential.

- Realizes that it was Ray who hid Little Bunny in the first place and lead Norman and Emma to investigate the gate that night, which leads him to believe that Ray isn’t really an enemy.

- He’s also left handed. Yes, that’s important. Not only for later in the story but because we’re superior. I’m sorry y’all had to find out this way. 

- This stupid, little face he makes.

- Suspects that Ray doesn’t actually plan on escaping at all and intends to kill himself.

- Just like Emma and Ray, Norman also recognizes and understands morse code.

- Look at this precious child, not even angry after getting punched and knocked over. (because i certainly would be)

- Finds Ray’s hidden supply of oil which confirms the method for his future suicide. This also helps Norman later on when he comes up with a refined escape plan by using the fire Ray plans to start.

- Figures out Krone’s true intention about why she wants to join forces with the kids in the first place. 

- He ends up accepting Krone’s offer anyway, because despite the large risk, any information that can snag out of her would benefit them.

- You mad lad, look at you, taunting the bringer of death yet again while a smile on your face.

- And he still manages to find some strength to smile while upon death’s door.

- Not for long though, as once he’s given the chance to be alone, he finally breaks down. Having the cup overflow with water really helps demonstrate how impactful the thought of dying hit him as Norman was overcome with so many emotions that he didn’t even have the strength to hold onto the cup or his facade. It’s then he starts to feel scared and sorry for himself but away from Emma and Ray’s eyes as to not worry them.

- His entire internal monologue as he comes to terms with his unfortunate situation and flips back to his determined “I can’t lose” attitude to help everyone else escape. Also, his theme ‘22194’ hits especially hard.

- For someone with weak, physical abilities, he manages to climb the wall on his own.

- Though the cliff stopped his escape, he used that opportunity to survey the surrounding area of the entire farm to rely his findings to the duo and provide them a safer escape route.

- Completely adamant about his decision to accept his shipment in order to give the rest of his family a chance to escape. (hell, id’ be terrified right now)

- This hug that is sure to break everyone’s hearts.

- Quick to react to Emma’s last ditch effort and prevented her from slamming her already busted up leg into the ground.

- Not only did he predict that Ray would start a fire to distract Isabella and on which day, he also left behind the pen and key he received from Krone along with a new, detailed plan (which he managed to come up with in only a few hours by the way) that would allow the kids to cross over the cliff.

(post season one spoilers below. again, focusing on the manga timeline, so any new season 2 events will be mentioned sparingly.)

- Like Ray, Norman was able to figure out how the pen worked well enough to see Minerva’s message regarding B06-32.

- Since he doesn’t show up again for quite some time post-escape, there isn’t much to talk about.. but at least I can make fun of him thanks to extra pages, like how he wouldn’t have enough strength to use a bow.

- But hey, props to s2ep10 for actually giving us Norman shooting an arrow. He was pretty decent with it too, as he hit his target on the first try behind a darn smokescreen. The manga did show him holding a bow in ch161, but that’s it.

- Not relevant to the actual story at all, but his smarts certainly make anything possible.

- I’m sorry but these tiny failures of his bring me great joy.

- Though the tests at Lambda are harder than those at Grace Field, Norman still managed to get every question correct. Every single day he was there. Even when the facility manages to increase the difficulty of the tests, he continues to pass each one with flying colors.

- Since he noticed someone who’s right handed also takes the same tests he does, he makes an attempt to communicate with them via a Rubik’s cube. He waits patiently for five months until he finally gets a response from Vincent around Christmas 2046. 

- Dealt with the experiments/drugs that were forced onto him and the seizures that resulted from them.

- Even with the tight security and surveillance, he somehow acquired explosives and successfully blow up Lambda and escapes with the survivors.

- Again, not significant to the story, but seriously dude? You just fainted and yet you still get this crazy question right effortlessly?

(post time-skip)

- Contacts Lucas moments before the B06-32 shelter gets blown up and gives him the numeric code that eventually leads Emma’s group to the “Jaw of Lion.”

- Destroyed numerous mass production farms since his escape from Lambda.

- As well as save countless children from other farms and used the Paradise shelter found by Smee’s network to give them a sense of safety and taste of a normal life.

- The darn glow-up he receives, like sweet lord child, are you sure you’re still 13??

- - His cute, squishy cheeks though!

- He may look like he’s in his thirties, but still has the strength of a child. (see anime? this is how strong ray’s slap should have been!)

- Learned a great deal of demon history and gave that lengthy lesson about the demon’s genetics and how they inherit the characteristics of whatever they eat and evolve accordingly. 

- With Emma’s wish about saving everyone and lively happily still on his mind, he thought of a safe and certain method in order to create such a future for all the children raised as food.. which ends up being complete extermination of all the demons caused by a civil war. His plan also includes ending the Ratri clan as well. How cheerful.

- Are you surprised to learn that Norman getting tackled by the younger kids is my favorite panel of him?

- You weak, little bean, I’m sorry I enjoy making fun of you so much.

- Successfully forms an alliance with Lord Geelan and his clan by offering revenge on the royal family, the five regent houses, as well as the Ratri clan, thus putting Geelan in full control. In return, it would grant Norman the full release of farm children, permission to self-govern and some much needed power in terms of demon strength.

- He knows full well that the entire alliance is a lie and both parties are only using each other, though in works in his favor, as it will send the demons to destroy each other without the lose of any human lives.

- This absolute powerful panel that the anime decided “nah, we’re gonna change this too” because they’re cowards.

- Narrowed down possible locations on where to find Sonju and Mujika. Sure it was with the intention of killing our demon friends but his map was accurate.

- Survived who knows long with his seizures at level 4, and because of his severe condition, he’s completely set on following through his plan and succeeding before his time runs out.

- Seems to enjoy blowing stuff up, such as the imperial city’s bridges to send the place into a panic and trap all the citizens.

- Advised the Lambda crew on how to effectively fight against the queen by attacking relentlessly.

- Let loose a poison that causes not only normal demons to degenerate, but the royal family as well, such as the five regent heads and the queen who’s name is too long and complicated for me to ever remember, who all have the cursed blood. (at least that’s how effective it was in manga, in anime it did absolutely nothing to vylk)

- He somehow managed to learn, speak and understand the demon language, which, according to Shirai (vol16 author notes), is actually an uncommon language nowadays. (and we’ll unfortunately never know how this language actually sounds, thank anime..)

- Do I even praise him for killing a demon and well.. all this? Sure in the anime he tried killing Vylk, but old demon was fair more innocent compared to the royal family, so I have no idea.

- I will give season 2 some credit and say I prefer their take on the “right now you look like a small child, shaking with fear” panel.

- But not too much credit, as they didn’t give us the full trio hug as the manga did!

- Then again the anime did have him about to apologize to Vylk and Demon Emma for his actions, which is something, I suppose? since in ch154 he says he didn’t regret killing the queen and royals, which I guess is justified because they were the bigger problem, but oh well.

- Might have apologized to Ayshe for killing her father? Can’t be sure but that’s the unanimous consensus in the fandom right?

- Instantly comes up with counter moves and directions for the entire group upon hearing the enemies locations from Vincent during the GF raid.

- I honestly can’t look at this panel anymore and not laugh about it.. because reasons.

- He just keeps on winning. (also he looks real good here, i’ll give him that.)

- He and everyone else are skeptical about there being no “reward,” and for rightfully so.

- Upon learning that Emma is missing after everyone crossed over to the human world, they all adopt her optimistic attitude and swear to find her no matter where she might be.

- After a stressful two year search, the kids finally find Emma and Norman is so overcome with emotion that he busts out into tears of joy, despite finding out that she lost her memories due to the reward. All that matters to him is that Emma was safe and happy and he accepts her just the way she is.

And I guess.. that’s it. I’m sorry again, I know this is truly the weakest post out of the trio and I have no doubt I glanced over a whole bunch of great moments but it still had to be done! Making fun of him probably wasn’t the best thing to do on his special day either, but I assure you this child is very powerful. Who else do you know that is capable of sending an entire fandom into a panic and rage furiously by just simply showing up?

Ah ha okay, now I’m done. In all seriousness though, this lad is great and through everything he has endured, he definitely deserves to be celebrated today, so happy birthday to our boy Norman!

[meimae]

Look at me, not being on time for my April Immersion Overview as is the usual. (・w・;

First, little blog updates to get out of the way:

I reached 100 followers! Got an influx of people checking out my 1 year update post, and got plenty of nice compliments on my data collection.

For those of you wondering just why I keep up with so much data, it's mostly because it can get really hard to notice how much you're improving in a language especially with something like immersion learning that for people who don't get it feels like a waste of time or a time sink.

Graphs showing consistency, improvement in reading speed, increasing vocabulary counts, and generally just seeing numbers grow turns language learning more fun and motivating for me, and if as a bonus, it encourages someone to try immersion learning then that would be cool!

With that said, whether you're here as a fellow language learner, graphs enthusiast (笑), or just want some Japanese media recommendations, ようこそ! 

Also, made a tiny DP change - it’s チト from 少女週末旅行. Pretty sure it’s the first manga series I ever finished in Japanese (not the first one I started since ちはやふる is still ongoing), and I always felt a bit of a ☆connection☆ with  her - between her book-loving personality and being a no-nonsense kind of person, there was no way for me not to enjoy her character. Great beginner anime/manga if you’re not into most beginner recommendations.

-☆-

April has been a pretty good immersion month, as I was able to dip my toes in a variety of media. A bit competitive, too! The club I joined has been pulling all the stops to get to the Top 20 Immersion Leaderboard in it’s first month. I was able to snag the 9th spot among a bunch of people of different comprehension levels (the majority being N1+ since they’re able to comprehend much more and in turn stand longer immersion hours). Lots of tiny complaints though of potential “whitenoising” content (”listening” and “reading” but not comprehending very well just to get a large number to post), but really what can you do? People lie all the time on the internet. Besides, it’s internet points that doesn’t do anything beyond being a little shiny I guess.

Enough about that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty details you came here for!

ANIME

フルーツバスケット

Might need to rewatch this one. Felt like I didn’t connect with the characters the way the rest of its fandom has. I’m kinda sad about it, since I normally love Slice of Life and Fantasy, and I know this is one of my friend’s diehard shows.

ラブライブ! School Idol Project S2

A filler anime to watch tbh. Nice and easy enough to follow for beginners. Pretty good songs. With regards to it being a show about music and moe, I still 100% prefer K-On! if I’m going to be honest, but for a show about non-toxic idols, it’s good!

魔法少女まどか☆マギカ

First read this as English translated manga when I was 13 or something. Mistakes were made. Let’s all just agree to throw キュウベえ into a pit of fire and never talk about it again. Great ending and a show that really reworked the magical girl genre. But seriously, I was traumatized by マミ’s death then and now, help.

四月は君の嘘

Already knew what was going to happen even before watching this so I didn’t ugly cry like I was expecting. Still got that awful sinking feeling though. 10/10 would recommend for a good cry. Also, I’m planning to read the manga, might enjoy that more, because I’ve always liked it more than anime actually. *shocked pikachu face*

ホリミヤ

Watched before I even finished the manga which felt like a mistake at first until I realized that it perfectly stops where I stopped reading. Nice and comfy anime, the kind I would have loved as a teen. Fun animation too, making parts very dramatic even though it wasn’t really that deep of an issue even in the manga. Just teens feeling feelings. Still salty that we lose bad boy styled 宮村, but I get why it had to happen.

AUDIOBOOKS

氷菓

Second re-listen. I understand it fine, but it’s very easy to drift off when you can’t catch all the words so I had to replay often. Will have to mine more from the anime/book.

君の名は

I mined from the anime, and was really pleased to be able to follow all 6 hours of this audiobook perfectly fine. Will need to read the book, because I realized just how seamless reading it would be after listening to it with hardly any issue.

BOOKS

キッチェン

Completed! Read my thoughts about it and see my stats on this post.

君の膵臓を食べたい

Still trudging on with this one. It’s not a bad story, it’s pretty well written actually, I just made the mistake of watching both the anime and live adaptation first, so I know exactly what’s going to happen and it’s killing my motivation to keep reading. I guess reading the book first before watching the movie still applies in any language with me. Really need to 頑張れ and finish so I can move on. 

三日間の幸福

Started reading towards the end of the month, mostly because I realized that every chapter is only 5000-15000 characters long, and I was able to read up to 40k in a day with Island most days. Only two chapters read so far though because I got distracted by manga, but it’s shaping up to be a really good plot and potentially a really sad one, too, so I’m interested.

DRAMA

花ざかりの君たちへ イケメンパラダイス

Heard this was a classic so I gave it a try. Loved 生田 斗真’s character in this one the most especially all his internal dialogue acted out. Also, 小栗 旬 in anything is bound to be a good watch. Simple and fun watch. They dragged the ending so much though lmao 

ごくせん

Look, I see 松本 潤, I click. Definitely the kind of show you should watch for some great life advice. Planning to watch the 2nd and 3rd seasons even if there is a terrible lack of 松本 潤, because I love my strong female protagonists, and man, ヤンクミ is such a great character. Need to read the manga, too, if I can find it.

極主夫道

Oof, this was kind of hard. The yakuza talk was throwing me off, but the rest of it was enjoyable. Not really plot heavy as I thought it was going to be. The comedy side of it was fun and predictable after the first few episodes. Overall, pretty good slice of life, family story with a twist.

MANGA

Read a bunch of manga this month, mostly because I am struggling to find the next vn to read.

おやすみプンプン

Read a couple of volumes (6-7). This manga is so good, but it’s so depressing I need to stop to take a breather every once in a while. Please don’t leave any spoilers. The club has been reacting to me reading this, and it has mostly been a lot of crying emotes. It’s both been enjoyable to see and really worrying. 笑

チェンソーマン

Club recommendation. Only read the 1st volume so far. I really need to get into more 少年 anime/manga. That’s currently my 苦手 genre which is awful because literally all the top anime/manga is 少年 help. I just can’t enjoy it much still even though it’s comprehensible to me.

ちはやふる 中学生編

Read Vol. 1, chill read to me at this point after reading 45 volumes of the regular manga. Look, it’s my favorite 幼馴染 manga in baby format, of course I’m going to read this! 太一 has been a flake way before season 3 confirmed. Don’t come at me たいちはや stans bc I also like his character.

約束のネバーランド

Volume 7. I’m taking my sweet time with this one, because I heard the anime for season 2 sucked, so I’m avoiding it like the plague. This is 少年 how am I enjoying this and not everything else what.

ヲタクに恋は難しい

Enjoyed the anime hated the movie why did they make it a musical that sucked (ps i normally love musicals hated this one) 

The オタク jargon is kinda hard to read suprisingly but I do enjoy this ship very much. It’s a lighthearted take to otaku culture which is great because seriously it’s scary out there.

ツバサ -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-

It’s my childhood ship, obviously I will read this again (read in English several years ago). Still as plot twisty as I remember it being (now at a bonus hard level reading it in Japanese 笑). Really enjoyed reading this one (I finished it this May).

-☆-

I’m starting to really dislike furigana in manga. It was a great help as a beginner, but now it’s like training wheels that you can’t take off. I feel like the gains I’m getting from manga is much lower than it was when I first started which makes me both proud of how far I’ve come, but also sad because I love manga. Sad that I might have to start choose VNs over it, because it’s not going to challenge me as much going forward. I mean it didn’t stop me from reading a lot of it this month, but you get the picture.

VISUAL NOVELS

ISLAND

Completed! See my stats and read my long spoiler filled post here.

ファタモルガーナの館

Picked up this VN and finished two doors (15 hours) before stopping. On the fence about it, because it has been kind of predictable so far, and I don’t particularly enjoy the horror genre. That said, this is more psychological than anything, so it’s probably not that that’s putting me off. The language is not exactly difficult, too - maybe some oddly specific words because it is after all historical fiction (which is one of my favorite genres, btw), and 敬語 is definitely interesting to read for once after encountering so many お嬢様 characters in anime/drama so far. 

I think maybe it’s the conversations that are kind of dull - dots (silence) every few clicks that keeps breaking the flow of reading. Probably judging it really harshly too early, because it’s rated so high everywhere, and I just have high expectations. Definitely not dropping it yet though, just taking a break and testing a couple of other VNs before I settle with whatever I end up choosing. It is, after all, going to be another 50+ hour read, and I just don’t want to not enjoy the process, because having fun with the process is a huge part of immersion learning.

Let me know if you’ve read Fata and if I should continue! 

-☆-

That’s it for this month!

If you have any suggestions on what to watch and read next, please send me a reply, especially for VNs because I’m struggling over here.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 280: I Am Red Riot

Previously on BnHA: The pro heroes over at Gunga Mountain struggled against Gigantomachia and the League until finally Midnight was all, “fuck it, let’s just put the kids in charge.” Momo immediately got to work organizing a sophisticated counteroffensive involving an exploding swamp, a bunch of sedative cans, and a massive coordinated team attack. I gotta tell you guys, it’s really something to watch a large-scale group attack in which all of the team members are actually competent. I don’t know what Japan put in the water when all these sixteen-year-olds were growing up, but that shit has paid off big time, and basically the only reason Machia hasn’t gone down yet is because he cheated and was all “sneeze” and the kids all got blown away because they are little and because he is really, really big. Anyway so then Dabi set the forest on fire because he loves doing that, and the chapter ended with Mina using her Acid Man attack to make herself FUCKIN’ FIREPROOF so she could charge through the woods ready to save the day and stuff!

Today on BnHA: Mina launches herself straight at Machia like the beautiful corrosive wild child she is, but then everything goes to shit when she recognizes him from that one time she almost got murdered while giving a strange man directions. Just when it’s looking like she might get killed for real this time, KIRISHIMA SHOWS UP TO SAVE THE DAY AND SHOVES HER TO SAFETY AND IS ALL “BOTTOMS UP” AND HEAVES A LITERAL CAN OF WHOOPASS RIGHT IN MACHIA’S MOUTH. At this point the grown-ups are all “oh wow look at that, time for us to take over for you kids now, don’t worry we’ve got it all under control” because Oh Those Wacky Pros and all that, but at least Majestic finally deigns to show his face so that’s a plus! The chapter ends with us cutting back to the Jakku battle, where Tomura is curled up in a little ball all “curse you heroes, how dare you [checks notes] save people all the time”, which is a real take and a half. Anyway so things are looking up, which can only mean everyone is about to die. That’s how it works, right. Shit.

HOLY SHIT LOL

THIS IS MINA. SHE’S REALLY COOL AND SHE CAN MELT PEOPLE. um, the hell kind of tagline is that?? holy fucking shit?? “melt and succumb”?? IS THE SUCCUMB PART REALLY NECESSARY. IS THAT NOT ALREADY IMPLIED. it’s like saying “die and then perish”, which actually sounds really badass and I’m about to make it my new go-to threat actually so you know what never mind. where the fuck were we anyway

“IS EVERYONE SAFE” some absurdly bad-at-gauging-situations kid from class B is yelling while the forest is on fire and all the kids are recovering from having been catapulted fifty miles by King Dodongo’s windy yeet breath. of course they are safe, sweet child. of course everyone is absolutely fine, why the fuck would they possibly not be safe after something like that

KAMINARI NOOO MY POOR SWEET BABY

AT LEAST HE’S STILL CONSCIOUS ENOUGH TO MAKE STUPID JOKES. holy shit this baby got concussed to hell and back and then Machia turned him and the others into precipitation and he wasn’t in any kind of state to even try to land safely, I hope to god someone caught him

Sero is all “is there anyone still in range!” and damn, I like that he’s taking charge and trying to regain their momentum. he is so criminally underrated. I feel like he’s in the top six or seven of class 1-A kids who I would most trust to take charge. which is very high praise because that class has a lot of charge-taking kids

SPEAKING OF

it “probably” can’t get through her acid, she says. my god. sometimes the spirit of Plus Ultra just takes ahold of these kids and it’s like, I want to ruffle their hair proudly and then grab them by the shoulders and shake them vigorously because WHERE EVEN IS YOUR SELF-PRESERVATION WHY DO NONE OF YOU HAVE IT GODDAMMIT AIZAWA REALLY SHOULD HAVE EXPELLED YOU GUYS AFTER ALL

man. and yet I really do love this “be the one who can do it” stuff. what a heroic fucking attitude dfjfklks. I’ll just go put on my humongous sandwich board that reads GIANT FUCKING HYPOCRITE and go stand in the corner

damn it this week’s scan is annoyingly dark, it’s really hard to tell what’s going on but it looks like the pros are attacking Machia and the League at long last. way to go guys it only took you seven years but you finally hopped to it

MINA WHY IS THE ACID COMING OFF OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. PUT IT BACK!!!

I KNOW SHE’S NOT GONNA DIE DAMMIT BUT AHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH

okay what the hell is up with these weird zen proverbs though

“your fear stricken heart”, “the shortest path”, what the fuck even is this. whose thoughts are these. normally these translations are honestly decent enough but I gotta say this time around I’m totally being thrown for a loop lmao

(ETA: FYI I’m only just now realizing that he was saying the shortest path to Master, as in Tomura, not “master” as in to master something fjkldjskf lol some delayed reading comprehension there. so basically he’s just bitching about how annoying these little “flies” are proving to be.)

JESUS CHRIST

okay is it just me, or is Gigantomachia suddenly showing intelligence in his eyes instead of mindless animal instinct the single most pants-shitting thing you’ve ever seen?!! holy shit. the way he just LOOKS at her out of nowhere all of a sudden?? holy fucking shit DO NOT HURT MT. LADY OH MY GOD I’M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. AND DON’T YOU DARE HURT MINA EITHER!! JUST FUCKING DIE AND PERISH

but also though, is that recognition in Mina’s eyes?? because even though this dude is 80 feet tall now, her encounter with him a couple years back had to have been one of the more memorable experiences of her young life. damn I was wondering when this would finally come into play

OKAY YES THE NEXT PAGE IS A FLASHBACK OH SHIT

this has nothing to do with anything but Mina just has the prettiest hair, btw, and this “just woke up covered in acid” look is a particularly good one on her. it looks so soft and fluffy, like damn. this is like Shouto-hair-billowing-in-the-wind levels of pretty here

NOOOOO

oh my god holy shit?! putting her back in the school uniform to show the slip in her mentality is a PUNK MOVE, HORIKOSHI, and I respect the shit out of you for it you manipulative bastard. goddammit. bracing myself for the incoming wave of Mina feels... here they come... they’re a lot... let’s see if I can latch on to anything I can actually figure out how to describe in words

okay well here’s one, my respect for Mina’s bravery just went up like a thousand percent in this instant, because now we know this was actually such a traumatizing event for her that hearing Machia’s voice again years later immediately sent her into a full-blown flashback. she was that scared and yet she still stood up to him and didn’t hesitate. and now I’m remembering how her knees just buckled right afterwards, and just...

and this visual, though!! what a brutally effective way to show that in her mind she went right back to being that scared middle schooler again for a moment. god fucking damn. holy shit you guys is Kirishima fireproof because if he comes waltzing out of the woods next I don’t even know what I’m gonna do. lolo kids getting traumatized left and right this arc is fucking merciless

um eXCUSE ME!?!?!

YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT LET GO OF HER RIGHT NOW OR I AM GONNA LOSE IT!!

THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!

holy shit he could have fucking snapped her neck like that??! I don’t like this at ALL WHAT THE FUCK

OKAY SERIOUSLY

I’M GONNA NEED ANOTHER KID TO STEP IN HERE WITH A LAST MINUTE SAVE LIKE RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, OR I AM GOING TO THROW MY COMPUTER OFF A FUCKING CLIFF AND MOVE TO THE DESERT AND BECOME A HERMIT AND NEVER READ MANGA ON THE INTERNET AGAIN

OH THANK GOD

TODAY WE SPELL “REDEMPTION” K-I-R-I... ETC. THERE’S A LOT OF LETTERS BUT YOU GET THE DRIFT!!!

holy fucking shit y’all. I mean, it’s not like it came out of nowhere, like the setup could not have been more obvious, but let me assure you that none of the predictability lessened the actual impact of this moment in the SLIGHTEST. Horikoshi really wrote a flashback scene one hundred and thirty five chapters ago and planted it, watered it once a day, and patiently waited for THREE LONG YEARS until he could finally harvest the badass fruits of his labor in the midst of his most epic arc to date. I’m so fucking hyped I’ll even forgive him for sacrificing Mina’s big moment and having her get rescued, because it’s such a good reversal. he didn’t freeze up this time. he promised himself he’d never freeze again and he didn’t and he saved her and god fucking damn. anyways so now Machia is going to treat him like a fucking action figure though but he’s a solid little dude he can take it hopefully

NO WHAT IS THIS!!! STOP KILLING MY MOOD!!!

she better not be dead!! SHE BETTER NOT FUCKING BE DEAD I WILL RUN MY PC THROUGH A PAPER SHREDDER AND GO AND LIVE ALONE WITH MY FEELS ON A MOUNTAIN IN TIBET

CHINTETSU!!

well we know he’s fireproof. another callback at the least expected of times lmao

so Tetsu’s all “yeah Kirishima’s not really all that fireproof but he totally ran over here anyway to save you. oh wait that probably wasn’t very comforting of me to say.” maybe that’s why it seems like he might not have actually said it out loud, now that I’m reading this over again. good call Tetsu

ARE YOU STANDING UP AND CASUALLY STRETCHING OUT YOUR BACK

I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE HOW MUCH I HATE THIS GUY RIGHT NOW. WE’RE REACHING LEVELS OF HATRED RESERVED FOR NAZIS AND PEOPLE WHO WALK TOO SLOWLY IN FRONT OF ME IN A GROUP SHOULDER TO SHOULDER INSTEAD OF SINGLE FILE SO I CAN PASS IN FRONT OF THEM. YOU’RE A FUCKING TOURIST IN NYC YOU PIECE OF SHIT

lmao he’s just dropping this random hero person and letting him fall to his doom wheeeeee

remind me to leave all of the League of Villains’ texts on read for the foreseeable future. goddamn. I still love you guys but also, fuck you so damn hard

OHO A LIL RED SCALY BOI ISN’T DONE YET!!

real talk, just between you and me, I’ll lower my voice so that Kirishima can’t hear. so uh. we all agree that even if Kiri is fireproof and squishproof, that little can of tranquilizer juice technically shouldn’t have been, right? but we’re all going to hush and pretend like it was anyway for the sake of not spoiling his big moment. even though I am crossing my arms and tapping my chin with my finger while doubtfully glancing to the side

anyway here he goes!

YEAH KIRI GO GETTIM [stage whisper] there it is, in his pocket. should’ve burned. we won’t discuss it

OH FOR FUCK’S

TOGA YOU LITTLE WIENER BUT WHAT’S THIS ABOUT “MY HALF” NOW????

DID HE GRAB MINA’S MID-AIR?? IS HE REALLY REACHING INTO HIS BACK POCKET AND FUCKING UNZIPPING IT RIGHT NOW WHILE HOLDING ON TO NOTHING AND PRESUMABLY FALLING THROUGH THE AIR. DID A LITTLE BIT OF OCHAKO’S QUIRK RUB OFF ON YOU OR WHAT

OH SNAP SON HE REALLY DID THE THING HOLY SHIT???

AND TOKAGE FLEW OVER AND SAVED HIM AND NOW TANKS ARE SHOOTING AT MACHIA, LMAO WHAT IS THIS. MOMO HOW MANY GUNS DID YOU MAKE

Shouji standing there trying to be useful any way he can. are eyeballs really that much more effective if you make them the size of tennis balls and hold them up above your head. legit question, I don’t really know how eyes work

okay after 45 seconds of googling this my impression is that no, they are not. well good on you for giving it the old college try anyway though Shouji

oH MY GODLKDLK?!?!

DID SHE SAY WHAT I THOUGHT SHE SAID, DID SHE SAY MAJESTIC, ARE WE GONNA SEE MASJKESLTKCI DSFLKJL

oh my god he really is the Magic Man dude??? TIME TO DUST OFF MY INVENTORY OF ADVENTURE TIME QUOTES

(ETA: AHH FATGUM AND GANG ORCA ARE THERE TOO YESSSS!)

“that’s enough depending on some interns” oh, okay. now that they’ve done all your work for you. I see, I see

so now Gigantomachia is LITERALLY UNHINGING HIS JAW I can’t fucking believe this dude you guys. everything he does is just like, ARE YOU SERIOUS

please go to sleep already. thanks to you I have my keyboard set to capslock as the default for the duration of this chapter

ARE YOU SERIOUS YOU FUCKING WAITED UNTIL MAGIC FUCKING MAN SHOWED UP TO TEACH US MAGICAL LIFE LESSONS AND NOW YOU’RE CUTTING BACK TO THE TOMURA FIGHT?? WHY DO WE KEEP LETTING THIS MAN GET AWAY WITH THIS

oh my god you guys they really fucking did it

I guess that Howitzer slash fire punch combo really was that potent huh

anyway so now Endeavor is standing there making a big speech instead of reaching into Tomura’s pocket and taking the bullets that he doesn’t know about and shooting him with one asap. dammit Endeavor

aaaaand Tomura is firing back with the wisdom of Shimura Fucking Kotaro of all people

well you sure convinced me. damn I don’t know what I was thinking. heroes suck you guys. how dare they help other people all the time

so now he’s all “PERIOD, EXCLAMATION POINT!!”

take that Endeavor. you heard the man. it’s not destruction without conviction, as god as his witness he will have you know it is destruction WITH conviction. something something the great sage Shimura “I hurt my family for absolutely no reason at all, fuck this ‘helping others’ bullshit” Kotaro. I hope you packed your textbooks because you just got SCHOOLED. I hope the person who ordered you signed up for delivery notifications because you just got SENT. I HOPE YOU LIKE CAPITALISM BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT OWNED. I HOPE YOU CHOSE PAPER AND NOT SCISSORS BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT ROCKED

what an absolutely, unreservedly bizarre place to end the chapter lol. we’re really just done with this week, just like that. Majestic showed up and Gigantomachia opened his chin like a garage door and Tomura is all “you may have won the battle but you suck” while he buys time for Aizawa to suddenly sneeze or something so he can make his terrible comeback and continue Horikoshi’s Traumatize Every Kid in Class 1-A 2020 campaign. what an arc this is my friends. what an arc

[erenspaths]

This chapter was pretty cool but not enough eren centric per me...

But again, Isayama being a genius, offered us some new perspectives and theories that could almost proved, I’m gonna explain my point here..

After a talk with my co-writer, and friend, Yama @shingeki-no-eren, we conclude that something weird appears now to be concrete: Eren is somehow pretty dead. At least, only his will survived thanks to the paths and the fact he is the attack titan that I remind you, is the only titan that can’t be controlled, manipulated by others: the attack titan has its own will, its own goal to archive.

So yeah, his transformation in founding titan in Shiganshina needed his physical body to be but it seems that since his transformation, Eren looks asleep, almost like dead. His eyes are closed, his posture seems to be that of an unconscious person, his head and arms held together by wires? seemed to support the theory in which Eren’s mind and body are manipulated by someone else or entity.

Honestly I don’t know. I’m torn between several theories that all make sense to me.

First of all, one theory that I surely excluded is that Ymir Fritz manipulating Eren because after reading the manga as a whole again, Eren by freeing Ymir and when he asked for her powers to carry out his project, reiterates that he doesn’t need her to help him to bear his burden, he doesn’t her to follow him because she’s finally free, to wander in the paths without giving any account to the holders of the titans’ powers. He also stated that she could follow him if only it was her own will.

So Ymir’s apparitions in the paths next to Eren or during chap 131, is her own will. Eren is free to act whatever he wants to act, actually.

But then again, Eren is clearly tied by some kind of wires.. maybe they are only there to support the monstrous weight that Eren’s arms and head must weigh in suspension... 🤷🏼‍♀️ nevertheless, his current posture is still reminiscent of that of an articulated puppet. I just can’t help myself to think that Yams made that in purpose to be ambiguous.

So Eren may could be manipulated by the attack titan.. I saw that theory many times, and honestly I really thought about it, and pieces by pieces it makes sense and in way it makes no sense... are you still with the thread of my mind? 🥴

Let me explain.. as I said previously, the attack titan is the only titan to have its own will, its not controlled by any other external wills, but according to Eren and his determination to kill all of his enemies, the fact that he is the attack titan shifter only increases his personal will. I don’t think that this titan can manipulate Eren as an independent entity, it would mean that this particular titan is able to think and act independently of its shifter, but that doesn’t make any sense at all. Rather, the attack titan should be seen as a turbo engine and Eren’s will is its fuel. Yet Eren can still act and work without the AT while the AT cannot act and work without being possessed by a shifter.

Beside that, we know that Eren can have access to future moments and this thanks to the power of the AT. It’s precisely this titan that allows him to see the future, yet we never have access to Eren’s predictions though, only memories or flashbacks that can be triggered at any moments when the situation is suitable and necessary elements gathered. For example, before the raid on Liberio, his will is strengthened when he remembers his mother Carla being eaten by his father’s first wife Dina transformed into a primal titan.

Because let me remember you that before that raid, Eren seemed to have lost some of his will to destroy his enemies after spending some time in Marley and after sharing an evening with his comrades, drinking and eating with some muslim people. He is a little in doubt... “should I act as I planned?” - “Humanity doesn’t seem so rotten, it’s like inside the wall after all, there are some good people and some bad ones.”

Then the next day, he vanished. Spending months pretending to be an eldian soldier in the Marleyan army, trying to refocus his main goal by infitraiting the enemy camp, in order to get as much infos as possible.. then meeting on his way back to Liberio, the little Falco Grice, a kind of sunshine boy, who helped him without asking questions.. again, Falco made Eren questioning himself but then again, Falco wasn’t enough this time to change Eren’s mind.

He made his plan become real during his raid on Liberio and took back the warharmer titan and finally came back to paradis with Mikasa and the others.

But finally what made Eren increasing his will during his talk with Reiner? It’s Willy Tybur’s discourse that made him gone fury. He got it. Whatever he can do, even if he forgives to those who hurted him, even if he tries to change his mind, the others won’t do the same. The other part of the humanity hates Paradis, hates Eldian people, hates Eren. They should die.

There are three solution offered to Eren at this point:

1. He follows Zeke’s plan, and helps Zeke to euthanize Paradis’ inhabitants, and forces Historia having a bunch of brats during her 13 years of existence because she would finally be the FT shifter so her children could become the new shifters of the 9 titans and the story continues...

Well...Zeke’s plan could work if you accept to commit a genocide on your own people. But who knows if someone from outside the walls won’t be committing the same thing Grisha Jaeger did to steal the FT from Frieda Reiss? All you need is one silly eldian and subject of Ymir, who survived Zeke’s plan of euthanasia and some old serum or some spinal fluid and here we go..

2. He follows his own will to destroy his opressors/enemies in order to take back his freedom for him and his people, but he needs to commit a global genocide for that. But they would be finally free.

3. He does nothing and let the rest of humanity oppressing them and bring back the FT and the AT to the royal bloodline family, so Zeke or Historia.

He picked up option 2, because his will is strong. He is so determinated and that’s what chap 133 showed us.

“No matter whatever you want to say, you can’t change my mind, I won’t stop the rumbling, I can’t gamble Paradis’ future”.

“If you really want to stop me, you’re free to do, come and fight me but don’t fail and kill me, otherwise you will lose.”

Eren is offering a chance to his old comrades to fight him, he is not begging them to kill him, he is offering them a chance to change things and reach their own purpose: save humanity. But he warned them that if they don’t want to change their mind, he is not going to change his.. they will finally be forced to fight, unfortunately.

To come back to my theories, Eren is dead only his will remains.

It could be a possibility if you take Eren in the paths moments. He is always in his child form, when his determination to obtain his freedom started. At the age, his obsession for freedom started but especially when he got his titan powers from Grisha, more specially when he became the FT shifter even if the FT powers weren’t released yet for Eren. As Ymir who is also always portrayed as a child when we all know she died as a young grown woman, at the end of her adolescence, again she seems to look the same little girl when she obtained the titans powers.

To my part, Eren and Ymir look like ghosts, a kind of illusions, or a sort of holograms. They look weird and totally dismissed of a real physical body as a real person.

But finally, is that possible? Are we sure that into the bones of Eren’s FT titan form there is Eren’s physical body? If Eren’s really dead already, is he going to reborn into another person, form or is he going to remplace Ymir in the paths?

Eren remains to be the only solution of all this story. He is the key. He is the solution.

All he has to do, is taking back the 9 titans powers and trying to summon the demon of the earth to bring back the powers that were given to Ymir, 2000 years ago, then vanishing... is that possible you think?

Feel free to interact, I would love to read your theory or your opinion about that fucked post. ☺️

[seodami]

Sucked in | CSC

INTRO

Summary: After a stressful year full of work and assignments, all you wanted to do was relax in the old, cozy library across the street from your apartment. Little did you know, your plans all vanished as you suddenly found yourself inside one of your favorite Mangas ‘My little ghost’ . A totally different magical world where soulmate connections exist. And it definitely didn’t help that you aggressively hit the main characters pretty nose with a book right when you arrived. Oh and how could you ignore that adorable squish ball, who just happened to be someone who you never thought existed...your soulmate? Will you ever find your way back home or spend the rest of your life inside a comic book? Or do you even want to go back after all what you’ve went through?

Genre: Comic AU, soulmate AU, fluff, angst, ...

Pairing: Comic Character!Choi Seungcheol x reader from another world

Sucked in MASTERLIST | Previous | Next

“Why in the world do you worship this Comic so much Y/N? I know the dudes look good but...” your friend Suyeon suddenly pulled the already slightly wrinkled comic book from your grip with a frown on her face.

“But what? Leave me and my comic alone. My life is completely fine looking at them every day.” You huffed in an attempt to try getting your book back but without success. Suyeon was was taller than you and held it up high over her head. In moments like these you wanted to damn her glamorous 179 cm of height.

The tall girl shook her head aggressively with you nearly clinging onto her. “I’m serious. All I see is you reading this over and over. I’m slowly concerned about your mental health.”

You sighted. Of course you wouldn’t want her to know that she was right. Even when it was just a little bit.

“Stop it Suyeon, it’s really not that bad. I just...really like it. That isn’t bad at all, isn’t it?”

“I think it’s more of an obsession by now. You know, you could read other books. I have plenty of recommendations. Nicholas told me about some. They seemed interesting.”

You looked up to her, seeing that she unconsciously lowered the comic. You took the moment to grab it with an evil laugh.

“I don’t care what your boyfriends recommendations are. I’m perfectly fine with this one. Maybe another time.”

Suyeon besides you whined. “He’s not my boyfriend stooopp. You always tease me.” With a swift roll of your eyes and a small smile on your lips you shook your head.

“Honey, I’m just stating the obvious. Also you deserve that after you stole my comic.”

She huffed and shoved her hands inside her jacket pockets. The walk towards your shared apartment went peacefully compared to earlier and soon enough you arrived at the olive green building in the corner of the street. You always loved the building.

Inside, you quickly shook off all your extra layers and layer down in your bed with the Comic still in your hand.

You stared at the cover, wondering what Wonwoo and Nari, the two main characters of the cartoon named ‘My little ghost’, would be doing right now. Would they still try to find a way to be together?

You sighted. You knew very well that getting that deep into a fictional story was bad. Pretty bad. Sure it’s great for escaping reality but you just seemed to be way too attached to it by now. Why couldn’t you just let go? Read another comic. Go outside and get a dog or whatever. But yet, you were still here, figuring all these characters personalities out while fantasizing how it would be if they were actually real.

You quickly flicked through all the colourful pages, having read it already a dozen times. Nostalgia hit you like a truck. This book accompanied you through many years of your youth. It already felt like a part of you. And that send you in a state of slight panic.

Maybe Suyeon was right. Maybe you actually needed some more variety in your dull life. This comic couldn’t be the only thing in this world making you happy.

Suddenly you remembered the old library across the street from your apartment. The one you never saw anyone ever entering or leaving. You wanted to check it out years ago but never had the guts nor the motivation to be honest. Maybe it was time to spice it up a bit and just dare it?

With another sight you pushed yourself off your bed, leaving the old comic behind. With a quick explanation to Suyeon, where you were going, you already headed out dressed in your checkered coat since it was freezing cold at this time of the year. You only managed to grab your phone and some spare money before you left.

Like predicted, it wasn’t far away from the olive green house. The small building had a vintage look to it and seemed like you expected pretty abandoned. You took a look through the dirty window, seeing nobody inside. But what you did saw, was a small light bulb being turned on.

You grinned, heading towards the door, pulling it open bit by bit. The heavy wooden door creaked slightly from the movement but soon closed itself again as you were standing inside now.

A musty smell crept into your nose, immediately reminding you of your grandmothers house. The light inside was dim but you could still figure out where what was. Some people might would find it eerie but you surprisingly found it pretty comfortable. It felt familiar to you in some way. You couldn’t describe the feeling very well.

You took a look around. From the inside it looks way more spacious and higher than from the outside. There were golden ornaments all over the ceiling and the shelves. The corridors between were wide, which led to an area of cozy looking Polsterer chairs and round desks. From down here you could see a second and maybe even a third floor, full of colourful book shelves. It nearly took away your breath. It was gorgeous.

Regret filled you that you have never visited this place before. Such a wonderful place. It nearly felt magical being in here. Like you were in another world.

“Good Morning Miss, may I help you?” Suddenly a fragile woman voice echoed through the big room, revealing a small old lady in a purple dress. She had a nice smile on her lips. She was definitely that old lady you wanted to get cookies from and pet her cats. She seemed friendly.

You cleared you throat, forgetting for a moment why you actually were here in the first place. You stepped a bit closer.

“Good Morning. I...I think I’m fine for now. I’m sorry if I’m seeming weird, I’m just starstruck right now.” you commented smiling back at her.

“Oh why, darling? It is your first time here, am I right? Most people tend to react like that when they first visit, even though it is not many.”

All you could do was nod. “It is. I was planning to visit years ago but never seemed to have done it. I wish I would have come earlier. It is beautiful in here.”

The lady chuckled and made her way over to you. “It really is, right? I own this library for over 50 years now and I’m still in love with it.”

You couldn’t help but smile genuine over her touching words. “Now tell me what you are searching for young lady, I see it on your face.

You nodded with wide eyes. “You do? I mean I was reading this one comic book for years and years and I really loved it. But I came to the conclusions that I needed some more variety.”

She nodded with a smile still present on her face as she now was standing a few feet away from you. “So you are searching for more comic books, I see. Follow me, follow me. We indeed have a great collection.”

The old lady went ahead of you, signalling you to follow her. You noticed she was even smaller than you. Her purple flows summer dress swayed evenly with each of her steps, making you want to wear such a piece as well. It totally contradicted the cold weather outside but you loved it.

“I really like your dress. It’s pretty.” you quietly commented trailing behind her. She grinned at you from behind her shoulder. “Thank you darling. I really like it too. Seems like we have the same taste.”

“You know, you really remind me of myself back in the days. I was obsessed with comic books as well. I have the feeling this place is exactly the right one for you.”

“I was thinking the exact same just now.” You giggled amused. As you went through some more corridors, left, right and then left again and a last right turn, you arrived at a section with two big shelves full of comic books. They reached up high to the ceiling.

You gasped in awe. Never would you ever had expected such a great selection. Right across the street!

The friendly lady laughed at your reaction, gently patting your shoulder. “Enjoy yourself. Let me know when I can help. Oh, and don’t forget the key.”

You stared at all the different books, literally screaming for you to open them. You didn’t even register the lady disappearing back to her usual place probably, but you replayed her words once more. Key?

You quickly shoved it to the side when you let out an excited squeal. It was just amazing. You have never seen so many in one place, not even in other libraries or book stores.

You started tracing your fingers across the book spines while reading the different titles with tilted head. This didn’t feel real at all. How could no one know about this place?

Suddenly your sleeve got caught up by something, which made a book stumble out of the shelf and fall onto the floor. Quickly you kneeled down to pick it up again. However, you stopped in your tracks as the title chaught your eyes.

“What a weird coincidence...” you mumbled to yourself, noticing that it was indeed the book you wanted to forget in the first place. ‘My little ghost’

You wanted to put it back, when you noticed that the cover looked somehow different... both of the characters were looking directly at you, instead of somewhere different. “What? Is that a special version?”

You opened the first page and frowned even more. Instead of credits standing over the whole page, there was a small text in cursive letters printed right in the middle.

Your fingers gently stroked over the delicate words written in french. You did learn french back many years ago in school but it was a long time ago to remember everything.

“Me transporter maintenant er ici. Je Vaud tout cover maintenant.” You slowly spelled out each word after another, being surprised by your still present acceptable pronunciation.

You hummed, closing the book once again before placing it back into the shelf. You would love to read it again but that wasn’t why you were here in the first place. Variety, yes!

You quickly grabbed another comic book, which title sounded interesting and made your way towards the comfy armchair, sighting as you sat down and began reading.

You started to become more and more immersed in the new story line and soon didn’t even notice anything around you anymore.

You also didn’t notice how a huge wave of tiredness rolled over you at some point. And not even minutes after, sleep tightly had wrapped its arms securely around you.

[rosemarypasta]

always with me ♡

➤  pairing : kuroo tetsurou x kenma kozume

➤  warnings : drinking (legal), minor occupation spoilers from time skip

➤ tags: canon compliant, post graduation & time skip, lil angsty

➤  summary : “I promise.” Kuroo reassures the crying boy after his graduation. Being one year apart was always filled with uncertainty and good byes for the two childhood friends though the age gap has never successfully driven them apart until now. Despite making a mutual promise to never leave, is that really what’s best for them?

➤ chapter word count : 6322

♡ masterpost ♡

“With that being said, congratulations to the class of 2013 for graduating.” The lengthy speech given by the principal marks the end of the Nekoma third year students’ high school career.

Kenma Kozume, a second year who was watching the ceremony suddenly felt wetness on top of his hands that he had rested on his lap. He tilts his head up to see if there was a leak from the gymnasium’s ceiling but instead felt the droplets run from each side of his cheeks and down the sides of his neck.

“Dramatic much?” Kenma brings his head back down to face a certain black haired third year holding a scroll. He wipes his tears hastily before scowling a muffled “shut up” to the older boy.

The two walks home in similar manners like before. Just like how they used to come home for the last ten years of their lives. Walking in a slow pace with their shoes grazing against the concrete road but this time instead of Kuroo’s comments and Kenma’s low effort replies, it’s being filled with silence and occasional sniffles. Kuroo isn’t the type of guy to get awkward at the sight of silence, especially not with his best friend, but at this time, he didn’t know what to say. And when the two get closer and closer to their shared neighbourhood and Kenma’s footsteps abruptly stops while his sniffles get louder, Kuroo truly feels cornered.

Kenma, to begin with, never really showed his emotions on his sleeve so when he shows this side to the world once in a millennium, even a childhood friend can feel clueless. Does he make witty comments? Will that make it better or worse? Does he hug him? Knowing Kenma, he would probably beat the shit out of Kuroo.

But as the former volleyball captain watchs the setter burst into genuine tears, his body instinctively drops his belongings on the ground and rushes to engulf the smaller boy’s body. Realising that Kenma isn’t being the normal Kenma, he lets go of his worries of getting jabbed in the stomach by him.

“W-why are you hugging me.” He says sloppily, tears staining the taller’s shirt. “My body moved on it’s own.” Kuroo replies truthfully, letting Kenma bury his face into his chest.

He pats the setter’s back soothingly and allows him to stay in this position for as long as he wants. Kuroo allows himself to take the opportunity to twirl the bleached blonde hair with his fingers, something he always wanted to do ever since Kenma dyed his hair a year ago. It was unexpectedly soft for someone who has little to no cares about his appearance. As Kuroo expects, he says nothing but continues to weep into Kuroo’s shirt. A smile creeps up his face as he enjoys this rare side of his childhood best friend.

He sighs as he rests his chin on top of the younger’s head. “You know I won’t be moving out right? I’ll still hang out with you every weekend.” He chuckles. The setter pulls his head away from his chest for the first time to meet the older’s eyes with his teary ones. “Really? You promise?” His voice shaky and hoarse. The hopeful tone in his voice makes Kuroo sigh happily. “I promise.” He replies.

“C’mon! Lets get home.” He ends, patting the boy’s head before sliding down to grab his wrist. “Don’t touch my head.” Kenma mumbles bitterly as he reverts to his normal self, drying his face with his free arm. The scent of his best friend still lingering even when he had pulled away moments ago.

“Well, see you later.” Kuroo smiles at his sniffling friend as they arrive at the younger’s house. “See you.” He mumbles back before rushing into his own home.

Contrary to Kenma’s thoughts, he did see Kuroo again. They hung out nearly every other day for the entirety of the break they had before school started for the two of them. They spent most of the time in one of their homes and bedrooms playing video games but the two were more than acquainted with this routine. Afterall, befriending Kenma comes with a set of rules that involves the outdoors.

Kuroo turns around to laugh at his friend once again. “Were you always like this when I graduated ahead?” He grins as the wind from the coming train breezes through his hair as he stands in front of an unfamiliar platform. He expected a bitter comment from Kenma but instead watches him bury half his face into the scarf wrapped around his neck.

“You should go, don’t want you to be late on your first day of your third year right?” Kuroo smirks, patting the silent boy on the shoulder. The train on Kuro’s platform rushes through in front of the two before coming to a stop. The gates open and he immediately marchs in but gets unexpectedly restrained from the setter’s grasp. The younger boy had his head lowered, only showing his black roots to Kuro, his pale fist balled up with the corner of Kuroo’s jacket.

“See you this Saturday.” He announces to which the setter raises his head in surprise at the sudden promise made. His hand lets go of the university student’s jacket and allows him to board the train before walking alone to the platform he usually walked side by side with the older boy.

Months passed by quicker than the two had anticipated. And just as the two promised each other, both Kuroo and Kenma still hang out with each other routinely every weekend. Kuroo certainly doesn't mind hanging out with Kenma every weekend. While university is fun and new, having to go through the wildness and chaos for five days a week is more than enough for him. And he thought his volleyball club back in high school was chaotic.

The black haired boy was walking through the shopping district when he feels a buzz in his pocket.

Kenma: Are you not coming?

He chuckles lightly to himself at his friend’s text.

Kuroo: I am.

Kuroo: Just had to grab a few things for my old man.

Kuroo: be there in twenty

He slides his phone back in his pocket after he sees a content “ok” hand emoji sent by Kenma. He hoists the bags up in his arms, bracing them for a run back home before he sees a familiar mohawk and a tall russian boy.

“Yamamoto! Lev!” He calls out from across the street with a big grin on his face. He planned to be one of those alumni who stop by the school one too many times and observe the club to see how they were doing but university life was far more hectic than he predicted.

“Kuroo-san!” The two yell out in unison, scrambling across the road to greet their former captain. Kuroo takes a second to scan the current captain and future ace with a proud smile on his face. “Are you going to Kenma’s?” Yamamoto grins cheekily.

“How’d you know?” Kuroo asks back in curiosity.

“Man, how could we not know? All he does is talk about you! Kuro this, Kuro that. Man, you keep haunting us even after graduation huh?” Yamamoto grins cheekily at the Nekoma alumni, swinging his own shopping bag on top of his shoulder.

Kuroo smiles warmly. He was never the type to be a self-absorbed captain like Bokuto or Seijoh’s Oikawa but he did find it nice that he and his hard work isn’t forgotten by the younger generation.

“But Kuroo-san! You’d never believe what happened to Kenma-san th-” Lev enthusiastically shoves Yamamoto to the side , overbearing with excitement before Yamamoto shoves him back to his place with a scowl on his face. “Idiot, he's probably the first one to know about this.”  scoffs while Kuroo looks completely lost.

“What happened with Kenma?” He raises his brow at the two squabbling high schoolers.

“Kuro!”

Flustered with the sudden yell, Kuroo throws the manga he was holding in his hand up in the air. “Y-Yes?” He croaks out, grasping his fastly beating chest on the floor beside the bed. Kenma retreats from peeking from the edge to settling back to the corner of his bed before replying, “You’ve stayed at that page for five minutes straight now. Did you forget how to read?” He says in a monotone voice, his eyes already immersed back into the video game he had on the game console. Kuroo fumbles with his word to reply back with a wittily but ultimately had nothing to say. Knowing Kenma for most of his life, he knew he had already catched on.

“What’s wrong, Kuro.” The anticipated question finally came. Kuroo turns to meet the boy’s eyes but unable to as the other’s is being glued onto the screen of his phone. He crawls up on the bed to lie in front of Kenma casually and takes a long big sigh before speaking. “So, Um, what’s up with school? Is third year rough without me tutoring you every lunch period?” Kuroo’s mouth was dry but still persevered. “Nothing special, classes are fine, I eat lunch with Tora and Fukunaga now and the new first years are okay I guess.” He lists down, still occupied with the game he fiddles with his fingers.

Kuroo looks at his friend’s face in anticipation, watching his lips for any slight movement but Kenma’s mouth didn’t part.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Kuroo lies down on his back to see Kenma’s plain white ceiling. From first glance, it seemed ordinary and pristine but the longer one would look at it, anyone could see tiny black cracks that have formed in the corners of the white space from being lived in for too long.

Though it should be fine for now.

“Kuro, you’re acting weird. Just spill it out.” Kenma says out of frustration, even turning his phone off in the process. His cat-like eyes were now onto Kuroo’s ones which are now averting his gaze, choosing the ceiling instead.

Kuroo debates with his thoughts silently as he eyes the cracks on the ceiling but gives in to his curiosity. “So, who’s Kyoka-chan?” He tries to pass it off as calm and cool, adding a small series of snickers at the end of his question.

Kenma groans and buries his face in his hands at the presence of the girl’s name who is unfamiliar to Kuroo’s ears. “Izumi Kyoka, a girl from Tora’s class, She- Wait, how do you know about her anyways?” His speech got increasingly faster as each word left his mouth. Kuroo can tell he was trying to keep his cool but his bewildered eyes says otherwise.

“Yamamoto and Lev. I er..bumped into them before I went here.” Kuroo replies truthfully, getting another groan from the blonde setter who is in agony. “So, she confessed to you?” He finishes Kenma’s words for him, seeing as though Kenma would probably never complete them as he is busy with coming up with a plan when he meets his two teammates on Monday.

“Yeah. Said she started liking me because I returned her lost textbook once or something...I don’t really remember doing it though.” He explains in a low voice. Kuroo sits up straight as he sighs lightly, “So what did you say? When are you going on a date?” He playfully pats Kenma on the shoulder, rocking him side by side lightly.

“She asked to go on a date today but I obviously turned her down.”

“T-Today? What- why? Why did you turn her down?” Kuroo leans in eagerly, his eyes wide. He had never once received a love confession in high school so he was absolutely ecstatic at the news though an itchy feeling in his chest started to appear.

“Cuz I don’t want to go?” Kuroo looks at Kenma, astonished. He knew Kenma never was the type to be interested in relationships as he always dipped out of conversations when the topic of girlfriends and crushes came up when the volleyball team was rambling on random things during practice and late night talks in camps but Kuroo just figured he was shy about it and didn’t want to push him. It also occurs to Kuroo that Kenma never had a crush that Kuroo was aware of for all the years he had known him.

“And I had plans with you so…” He continues, mumbling as he continues his game.

“What?! I should be the least of your problems! We meet up every week anyway!” The older immediately yells, baffled at his friend’s priorities. “Yeah, and so? I’d rather hang out with you.” Kenma fires back, his eyebrows raised as he huffs at Kuroo.

Kuroo gulps back the lump in his throat, grabbing one of the pillows on the bed, “But it’s a girl.” He continues with a low voice, taken aback at how much he was fired up from Kenma’s words. “And?” Kenma puts an end to the conversation as he rolled his eyes, huffing back to lean against the wall to continue gaming.

The day progresses without any visible tension as the two continue reading and gaming on their own. The room only fills with occasional small talk and absent minded humming, just like every other week but as the sky slowly turns dark and Kenma sets Kuroo off back home. 

One thought floods Kuroo’s mind. There was no doubt that he was holding Kenma back and he had to do something.

Before it’s too late.

Seven days goes by in a blink and Kuroo waits for Kenma’s weekly text asking if they were going to hang out with a thumping heart as he spins in his chair in his bedroom. He chews on his bottom lips as he watches his phone screen he sets on his desk impatiently. He knows what he was doing is bad but it’s for a good cause. It’s for Kenma’s sake.

The university student almost falls over his chair as he rushes to grab his phone from the table as it lights up with a single notification on the screen. Kuroo’s eyes scan the limited words on the screen before typing the planned answer he had in his mind.

Kenma: You coming?

Kuroo bites his lip harshly as his thumb hovers above the send button on the right side of the blinding screen. He takes a double take and removes his thumb from the screen momentarily but remembers the words he said to him exactly seven days ago and forces himself to press the button.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” He chants out harshly as the message sends. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or nervous as he saw that his message was officially sent and is on display on Kenma's screen.

Kuroo: Sorry I gotta pass. My mom asked me to run some errands for the whole day :(

Kenma: Okay

Kenma: See you next week then

Kuroo sinks into his chair once again after shutting his phone off. An ounce of regret settling into his heart though he knew it was for the best.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Kuroo dashes through the bustling street, chanting the same word over and over again as beads of sweat trickle down his face. His slick skin mirrors the various colors of neon lights displayed in front of the street of bars and restaurants. Kuroo stops sharply as his eye catches the sight of the familiar bar. He momentarily fixes his hair and brushes down his shirt before walking in the building, trying to calm his breathing down. He smiles at the host up front, signaling that he knows where to go and searches for room number 5.

After crossing the hallway for less than a minute, Kuroo initially planned to check his phone to confirm the room number but goes ahead and opens the door as he hears a series of familiar laughter and screams.

“Kuroo-san!” The room immediately chanted as he showed himself to the people in the room. A vivid yet slurred “You’re late!” fills his ears, causing the room to erupt into laughter once again. Kuroo rubs the back of his neck and apologizes sheepishly to the room of half drunk young adults. He turns his back to close the door to the private room Kai had booked beforehand and allows himself to switch modes to his fun and upbeat one, far different from the one he had moments ago while typing away on his computer.

seven years have passed since his high school graduation and the Nekoma volleyball team from when Kuroo used to be the captain of, decided to hold a spontaneous reunion. Kuroo kept in touch with most of his high school friends but being a young adult in an intense industry limits the free time he owns.

“Mr.Volleyball Association finally decided to show up huh? But I’m still surprised you didn’t go pro though.” A blonde haired libero grinned, wiping his mouth with his sleeve after taking a swig of his beer. The whole room agrees in unison as Kuroo makes his way through the crowd to sit in one of the remaining free spots which was in between Kai, who organised the whole thing, and Yamamoto. “Yeah, who knew you would be the one to make the national team!” Lev bluntly chuckles out, throwing his head back before earning a fist from the elder.

“Anyways, why were you late Kuroo-san? You were always the first person to arrive for morning practice back then.” Yamamoto’s bright eyes light up the room as he offers a bowl of edamame beans to his former captain. “Work ran late.” He lies casually, taking a string of beans after taking off his blazer and setting it aside. A month ago when the topic of a reunion was brought up in the usually silent 2013 nekoma group chat, Kuroo was excited to see his old teammates but with the adult world taking up all his time, he only remembered that the very same reunion he couldn’t wait to attend was happening twenty minutes ago when he finally took the time to check his phone after a session of overtime.

A waitress shortly approaches him and lets him order his drink of choice. While waiting for his order to arrive, his eyes scan the room to realize that there were two empty chairs “Well at least I’m not the latest one.” Kuroo grins towards Yamamoto as he simultaneously attempts to jog his memory to find the missing people. “Ah! That’s right! I wonder where they are. But I guess you would know where he is.” Yamamoto replies absentmindedly, pulling his phone out of his pocket to text the missing teammates. “Hm?” Kuroo’s eyebrow rises at the younger’s statement. What was he talking about? Kuroo only really talks to the other guys in his year, Lev and Yamamoto so he really wouldn’t know anything about the others. Who was he talking about?

“Oh! There they are!” The sound of the door sliding open accompanies Yamamoto’s exclamation. Everyone’s eyes including Kuroo’s turn towards the open door in anticipation for the late comers. Kuroo’s eyes light up at the sight of Fukunaga, remembering his junior but his expression quickly contorts to surprise as he caught a glimpse of the shorter man hiding behind the taller of the two.

Everyone stands to cheer at the last two to arrive, “Fukunaga! Kenma!” The room breaks into a chaotic series of chants as Kuroo feels himself sink into his seat deeper involuntarily in silence. The taller wing spiker enters the room first, making his way to a free seat beside Inuoka and Lev, revealing the setter whose face is covered by his own hair. No matter how much Kuroo wants to avoid eye contact, his eyes stay peeled at his old best friend still standing outside the room. He still stands in the awful posture Kuroo tried his best in fixing for the whole entirety of his high school career but his hair is much different now. It’s longer than the chin length he used to keep during his teens to the point where it nearly reaches his droopy shoulders. His hair is nearly all black and only the tips of his hair remain blonde from when he bleached his hair in his first year of high school. And unlike the majority of the room who were dressed in business attire from their nine to five jobs, the setter dressed in an oversized black hoodie and casual dark jeans with rips on both knees.

Kenma makes his way to his seat in between Inuoka and Shibayama, the seat right across Kuroo. He sits down comfortably in between his juniors, tucking his hair behind his left ear. A chill goes down Kuroo’s spine as the setter shoots a second of swift and sharp eye contact with him. Not giving the older time to react, he turns to both sides of his seat to greet his juniors, smiling brightly. Dumbfounded and overwhelmed, he feels relieved when the waitress comes over with his drink so he can at least pretend to be casual and busy himself as his chest tightens up.

He bites his lip as he realizes that he is the world’s biggest idiot and asshole. Seven years passed by and he had not spoken a single word to Kenma. Sure, Kenma could’ve taken the initiative if he was mad at Kuroo but he definitely should have at least popped in for a quick chat every once in a while. It was his idea to distance from Kenma but he didn’t mean to forget about him completely.

But was he upset? Is Kenma the type to get upset over these things? Kuroo’s eyes travel back up slowly towards Kenma’s direction and jump in his seat discretely as his eyes immediately meet the cold gaze of Kenma’s golden eyes. His half lidded cat eyes never felt so cold. Of course he was mad. Who was Kuroo kidding? He even made a promise to not leave him even though he graduated ahead and what did he do? He did the complete opposite of the promise.

“So Kenma-san! How are you doing? Are you eating well? I saw that your stream went until four in the morning! Must be nice to be self employed huh? Do you cook for yourself?” Lev bombards the setter with questions. Kuroo swears he could see a wagging tail and a matching pair of dog ears on the russian’s head. The room joins in with the middle blocker as the subject of the conversation curls in his seat. Kuroo chuckles at himself for a bit. He thought Kenma had gotten friendlier and closer to his teammates but this just shows how much he hasn't changed in a whole seven years. He was still the same old Kenma.

“Ah! I doubt Kenma-san would cook for himself so Kuroo-san would probably be the one to do it for him.” Lev proceeds to shift the conversation topic to the lone man sitting on the complete opposite side of the setter. Kuroo’s mouth felt dry as he attempted to find things to talk about. What were they talking about? He knows how much Kenma doesn’t take care of himself but he’s an adult now. To what extent does his laziness reach? And four AM? What job has those ridiculous hours? Is he really self employed? Kuroo feels shame pricking on his cheeks. He couldn’t believe he didn’t know a single thing about Kenma at this point.

Everyone’s eyes were on Kuroo. He swallows a lump in his throat as his eyebrow crooks up and down, attempting his best to answer the simple question. The answer is no. A simple two lettered word that’s supposed to roll off his tongue easily but the word struggles to come out. He sees Kenma’s expression, a smirk and an eyebrow raised, enjoying the tortured expression on Kuroo’s face.

“I um, I-” He chokes out before getting interrupted.

“He does sometimes. He makes pretty good beef stew.” A voice unexpectedly says, making all the heads in the room whip back towards Kenma. Kuroo stares at the setter wide eyed but he didn’t look back, looking casually as he smoothly changes the topic of the conversation to Fukunaga’s upcoming comedy show.

Kuroo had to take a double take for a second. It was a lie. He didn’t see Kenma for almost a decade but why did he lie for him like that? What benefit would that bring him? There are so many questions in Kuroo’s head and he feels like he could give up anything to lay down for a while to subdue his headache but alas, he was stuck in a high school reunion filled with overly loud and drunk young adults.

The night progresses like most of their old practice time. Lev and Yaku arguing, Yamamoto, Inuoka and Shibayama talking about girls and Fukunaga reciting some of his jokes. It was chaotic and loud to say the least. Kuroo attempts to push his anxiety away and talk to his old vice captain. He is thankful he was beside Kai, the most sane person even when drunk as he couldn’t possibly imagine if he had to keep up a conversation with Yamamoto or Yaku with the big headache he is having. At some point, with three mugs of beer down, Kuroo actually starts to enjoy himself.

But of course, this momentary bliss of catching up with his old friends does not last long.

Amidst the ruckus, a conversation from across the room sticks out louder than others. “C’mon Kenma-san~” The young silver haired model whines, dragging out the “san” as he had both of his oversized hands on Kenma’s small shoulders. “No, ugh, get off me, Lev.” Kenma huffs, trying to push Lev’s hands away with his elbows. “Pleaase! You’re so pretty, I’m sure they’ll let you in!” Lev continues, wrapping his long arms around Kenma’s neck, bringing their cheeks together to Kenma’s misfortune. Kuroo turns towards Yamamoto, who is currently laughing at the ordeal. “Lev is trying to get Kenma to model in a project he’s in.” Yamamoto explains in between laughs, clearly enjoying the scene. Kuroo joins with Yamamoto, he couldn’t deny it, seeing Kenma on a billboard in the middle of Shibuya will definitely give the whole Nekoma team material to laugh at. He would be the last person to be seen there.

“Ugh! Shut up already!” Kenma’s usually small voice booms as he slams his hands on the table, causing half empty glass mugs to clink with one another. The whole room turns silent, watching the ticked off setter stomp out of the room. “W-Where are you going? Lev! Cut it out!” Yaku speaks out in the middle of the stillness. “To smoke.” He replies casually before sliding the door closed harshly with a swift motion of his wrist.

As soon as Kenma leaves, all eyes turn towards Lev, who receives a stinging slap on his back from the senior libero. “Fine! Fine! I’ll find him.” Lev huffs like a child in the middle of a tantrum. “No, you’ll make things worse like you always do.” Yaku barked at the younger, “Kuroo, go. You always know what he’s thinking and what to say.” The blonde continues in a calmer tone, turning his head to Kuroo, who was as stunned as the rest of the group. He wanted to refuse, approaching someone you’ve never talked to in seven years who’s so clearly angry at him when he’s having a drunken fit? He’ll get a much more violent slap than what Lev received from Yaku, and he is certain that it won’t be on the back but alas, nothing goes his way. Before he could even get a say in it, Yamamoto was already pushing him up from his seat.

The anxiousness from earlier in the night begins to return to Kuroo’s body. He forces his legs with all his might to get up and walk out to find his “best friend”. He exits the bar and checks one of the alleys, bracing himself for a slap or two on the face once he does find Kenma. The left alley is filled with unidentified smokers, Kuroo doubts that Kenma would be around there so he walks over to the other one.

He pops his head hesitantly into the right alley to get a scene of the man he was looking for, alone with his phone in his hands leaning against the building beside the bar. Kuroo takes a deep breath before entering the dark cramped space, walking over to lean against the wall right in front of the younger.

“Not smoking?” Kuroo starts, getting rid of the awkward silence as Kenma didn’t bother to raise his head at the arrival of his old childhood friend. “I don’t do all that. I just said that to get away.” He says with his signature small voice, letting a second of silence pass by before replying.

“Why? Do you?”

“Huh? M-Me? No way.” Kuroo replies a second too fast, as if he was a teenager getting caught smoking in the boy’s bathroom by a teacher. “Guess we don’t know anything about each other, huh?” He continues to sound casual, following his words with a stiff series of chuckles.

You always know what he’s thinking and what to say? Yeah right. Kuroo didn’t even know if he graduated high school or actually dropped out halfway through third year to become a full time gamer like he always whined about when Kuroo tutored him for upcoming tests.

Kenma raises his face from his phone, staring at the taller man in a dress shirt with a deadpan expression, “And who’s fault do you think that is?” He spits out, his voice louder than before. A cold gush of the Tokyo air accompanies the setter’s words.

Kuroo bites his tongue as his head droops down to face his shoes. He’s right, he is an asshole. He’d want to slap himself too if he were in Kenma’s shoes. He digs his shoes deeper into the concrete, his whole body feels like it’s on fire but simultaneously felt so cold. “I’m sorry.” Kuroo whispers out the only two words he can say.

“You’re sorry?” Kenma scoffs, anger evident in his voice. “You think a mere sorry can make up for the whole seven years you left me all alone? Glad to know your idiot brain never changed over all these years cause that’s pretty much the only thing I know about you now.” His voice keeps rising as each word leaves his lips. “No calls, no texts, no nothing!” He was practically yelling at this point. Kuroo was for once grateful that Friday nights were always loud so no one would hear the setter’s yells.

“And what about you, huh? You didn’t try either. It’s always me, me, me, doing things in this friendship!” Kuroo barks back through gritted teeth, finally changing his view from the ground to the angered man. “And I did it for your sake! But of course, you’re too selfish to realize that!” He scoffs.

“Excuse me? For my sake?” His voice starts out low. Despite it being so loud outside, his voice is clearer than ever in Kuroo’s half drunken ears. Even with the limited light outside, Kuroo can see how the setter’s eyes are wide open, bewildered at the older’s words. “Don’t act like you know me because you don't.” He staggers closer to Kuroo, footsteps heavy. “You know nothing.” He yells just inches away from Kuroo’s face, jabbing his finger into the stunned man’s chest.

The two stay inches away for a minute, both panting after screaming their lungs out. “Stay away from me.” The long haired man whispers, his voice threatening to break. He pulls back and takes a sharp turn, fumbling with his phone as he makes his way out of the alley. “W-Where are you going?” Kuroo croaks out, trying his best to stay angry though the sight of the skinny man stumbling with his steps out got the better of him. “Home, you dipshit!” Kenma yells out once again.

Kuroo watches as the setter almost makes his way out but catches him trip on his own foot. He rushes with all his might, propping his hand behind the man’s back. Kuroo, being so immersed in his feelings, didn’t realize how drunk Kenma was looking. Even under the darkness over the midnight sky, he can still see that his face is flushed red and his eyes are barely open.

“Get off me.” He mutters angrily, though his tone is nowhere as threatening as before.

Kuroo hesitates before sighing at the man who was still limp in his arms. “I’ll get you home.” He says calmly, expecting Kenma to retaliate and slap his face but he unexpectedly stays quiet almost as if he admits defeat.

After awkwardly shooting a text to Kai explaining half of the situation and asking him for a favor to secretly bring his bag out, the two childhood friends manage to get into a taxi. “Where to, sir?” The driver upfront starts right as Kuroo closes the door behind him after hauling a half conscious Kenma in the back seat. “Ah, um.” Kuroo replies, trying to remember the address to Kenma’s old house. “I moved out. My address is in my notes.” He grumbles out with a small voice despite being asked, waving his phone in Kuroo’s face.

“But what’s your pas-” He asks in a panic, worrying that Kenma would fall asleep though his sentences were cut short, just realizing how his fingers have subconsciously tapped in the correct password to his phone. He scoffs to himself as he goes through the notes app in Kenma’s phone, amused at the fact that he had yet to change his password code since he got his very first smartphone back in high school.

The two embark on the journey after Kuroo manages to find the address and recite it to the driver upfront. He didn’t know where it was as he has never been there or even which apartment number Kenma stays at since it isn’t listed in the note. The uncertainty brought dampness to his palms.

His eyes wander to the younger man knocked out beside him. His head is tilted to rest on the opposing door to Kuroo. As bright street light passes by, illuminating the contents of the silent taxi momentarily, Kuroo can see Kenma’s face properly for the first time tonight and Lev was right.

He did look pretty.

From a quick glance, one would think not much changed with him but once you get past the distracting locks of hair, his features did change. His jawline is much more defined after going through puberty. His lips look plumper than before and his eyelashes appear longer, not that Kuroo ever really paid attention to him in the past but he was certain that if they were that long back then, he would have noticed. Even sleeping, he has Kuroo’s eyes peeled on him. Kuroo’s only half sober mind debates on waking Kenma up so he could see his cat like eyes properly but decides to want to live another day.

The car ride takes longer than Kuroo had anticipated. Nearly dozing off a few times but managing to stay awake, the car slowly comes to stop nearly an hour after. Kuroo gulps a lump in his throat when he looks out the window. “We’re in the right place, r-right?” He timidly questions the driver upfront. The car is parked in what seems like the middle of the woods, in front of a dark traditional japanese estate.

Kuroo manages to pay the fare and sling Kenma’s arm around his neck. He drags both his and Kenma’s body in front of the front door. The elder holds his breath before fishing through the unconscious’ pockets for the key to, hopefully, this house, seeming how he appears to not bring anything aside from himself and his phone.

He lets out a sigh of relief as the key he found in Kenma’s back pocket fits perfectly with the front door, letting him in. He shakes his own shoes off and carefully removes Kenma’s ones. “My room’s down the hall.” He mutters as he feels Kuroo’s head turn around in all directions to attempt finding the bedroom. The middle blocker’s cheeks heats up slightly while dragging Kenma into his bedroom.

So he was awake when I literally felt up his body for the keys?

Kuroo’s ears were still red when he plops Kenma’s half awake body in the middle of his king sized bed. He watches for a while how the man wiggles in the comfort of his own bed and buries his face into his duvet.

“I um, I’ll go now.” Kuroo states, not expecting an answer. He turns on his heel to head out the door but unexpectedly gets slammed by a pillow on the head before doing so. Confused, he turns around while rubbing his head to see a sight of the long haired man sitting cross legged on the bed with his head tilted down.

“Don’t leave.” he croaks out silently.

Kuroo rushes over to the man in the black hoodie as he sees something glimmering fall down from his head to his hands. He naturally cradles Kenma’s head into his own neck. It’s his first time seeing him cry in seven years. “Are you still drunk?” He asks slowly, with amusement in his voice though he didn’t get an answer. Instead, muffled sniffles fill the room.

“Don’t leave me.” Kenma says a little louder this time. The vibrations made against Kuroo’s neck made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “I won’t.” He replies, his breath staggering.

“You’re always with me.”

A/N: I’d like to thank the Kenma episode of Haikyuu season four for giving me enough serotonin to finish this fic despite my HEAVILY PACKED schedule as a high school senior <3 means a lot. 

Anyways, thank you for reading my first kuroken fic! I was too accustomed to writing Tsukkiyama dynamics so I had a hard time writing this. This is also my first time ever in my life not writing in past tense so please forgive me if I made any mistakes lmao. Bilingual culture gets to me sometimes :’) I also proof read this in the middle of class so ignore any errors!

Thank you again and see you in my next fic (which is most likely tsukkiyama again cuz this shit is too hard)!

taglist (dm or send an ask to be tagged):

@teasbees-knees​ @yeetabish​ @kirishimakenma

[threecheersforinking]

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland manga finally ended this month! I watched the anime when it was airing last year, but a few days ago I ended up reading the entire manga in 3 days because of how fascinated I was with the world; I wanted to know how it would develop beyond the first season, but was way too impatient to wait for the second season to come out!

Because I read it so quickly I’m kind of feeling information overload right now and just want to get all my thoughts down as fast as I can. So obviously, this post is gonna have major manga spoilers. If you aren’t caught up or aren’t a manga reader, I suggest you stop reading now, but if you want to read my commentary on the anime’s first season (spoiler free!) here’s the link to that. Thanks!

Once I got past the first arc that was covered in season 1 of the anime, I was a bit nervous about what would follow. Something I worry about with series like this with a huge genre shift or huge unknown world/mystery is that the story won’t live up to what I imagine it will be. And while I wasn’t able to predict much about the world, I really liked how the story ended.

Overall, I enjoyed how they chose to end the story with all the cattle children going to the human world, and I’ll talk about that a bit later, but one gripe I had was that there were way too many loose ends for my liking. I prefer when all the loose details of a story get wrapped up at the end of a series (which explains why I didn’t like EVA lmao sry) and I still had a lot of questions at the end, some questions that I had since the first arc.

Firstly, what the fuck is the significance of the hydrangea? They did briefly explain that it’s used to show whether the gods will give you their blessing to eat something you killed or whatever, which is kinda nice but they didn’t explain what happens if it doesn’t bloom, or why it’s important... more knowledge of this world’s ‘gods’ or religion would’ve been cool.

I also feel like the way children were produced in Grace Field (or hell, any of the plantations) was unclear; like, where do they get sperm from, or was there another way they got the Moms pregnant? What about in the factory farms? Is Carol supposed to be Emma’s biological sister, because they obviously looked hella alike but they never even mentioned it?? I also wanted to know way more about the Moms’ schooling and how one becomes a Mom. I would love if there was a prequel short story or one-off focusing on Isabella in Mom-training.

Also, I think we could’ve seen more of Phil. He was without a doubt the 6th most important Grace Field kid (behind Emma, Norman, Ray, Don, and Gilda ofc), plus what happened when that scary guy interrogated him?? I straight up thought he killed him lol.

I also wish we had more background on Musica. There was no real explanation for her powers and she had hella Deus ex Machina vibes.

Despite all these unanswered questions I had, I still consider this series enjoyable and well written. I really don’t think knowing any of this stuff would’ve changed the way I thought about the story, and none of them would have really impacted the conclusion of the story itself.

And yes, I’m so glad it ended the way it did. Maybe some people weren’t expecting or wanting a ‘happy’ ending, but come on, don’t these kids deserve a fucking break??? And I don’t consider it unrealistically happy, either. These kids know what they’re doing, and they have a plan for everything. Emma is not naive, she is hopeful. Every time she tried to resolve an issue with positivity, kindness, and forgiveness, she was still prepared for her enemy to turn on her. That’s the only way she was able to convince cynical Ray and skeptical Norman to ever go along with anything she did.

I  also loved that romance wasn’t really a thing in this story at all. Familial and platonic love are what kept the protagonists motivated more than anything else. I’m sure people have their ships, but personally I was just enjoying a series without any explicit romance.

Ray was my favorite character throughout the series, but I did kind of feel like his development was pushed aside in the later arcs. This def could’ve just been because his main development was in the first arc, but compared to Emma and Norman there wasn’t a lot of focus on my boy Ray. Yes he was by Emma’s side almost the entire time, but still.

I absolutely loved Isabella’s redemption. I can see why some people might not have liked it but i thought it was extremely fitting; every one of the Moms was once a cattle child, and they were just doing what they could to survive. This obviously does not justify their evil deeds, but it explains both their initial complicity and their willingness to change sides. And based on her reaction when Emma & friends escaped at the end of the first arc, I did suspect that if Isabella appeared again she would be on their side. I cried when her kids said they still loved her and she still loved them. It just reminds the readers of the innocence and unconditional love that children have.

While I do really love The Promised Neverland as a whole, my biggest qualm with this series was honestly the portrayal of Sister Krone... I immediately read her as being a racist stereotype. It’s a shame because upon her introduction I was actually really surprised and happy that they featured a Black person with natural hair. I didn’t mind her personality/character; in fact, I think she was a really nuanced antagonist for the first arc, but the way her facial features were exaggeratedly drawn made me uncomfortable. As an American, I’m familiar with how Black people have been portrayed negatively in our country’s media throughout history and it was just a little too close to that for my comfort.

 I was concerned with how the manga would continue with racial portrayals after Krone’s death, but it did kind of seem like an isolated incident. There are kids with a variety of skin tones featured, in fact Emma mentions it in one of the first pages of the manga; not to mention, human races don’t really seem to be a concept in the demon world (presumably because race is irrelevant to the demons, who only care about brains). It is possible that the creators weren’t thinking this way at all, and just wanted to make her a scary adult; for instance, Isabella’s facial features are sometimes exaggerated for effect as well. But intentional or not, it made me uncomfortable, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Anyway, those are just my immediate thoughts after finishing the manga. Something I forgot to mention was that the illustration is absolutely hauntingly intricate. The demons in particular were wonderfully terrifying, and really helped me visualize their world. I’m really interested in how the anime series will continue to adapt the material; looking at the first season, the difference in art style between the two is slight, but noticeable. I’m especially curious about how they will handle the intense action and detail of the demon fight scenes later on. I also read this super fast like I mentioned and I definitely might have missed some stuff lol so if any of my ‘unanswered questions’ were actually mentioned and I’m just a big dummy please lmk. And if anyone has any other thoughts or comments I’d love to hear them!

Thanks for reading!

-threecheersforinking

[rosaline-kei]

I saw your post asking for ideas to write and I would love to read more canonverse SNK fanfics that take place during the timeskip. They were all growing up together into adulthood and there weren't any titans/rumbling to worry about. Chapter 108 was the closest thing we got of the 104th squad being together. Any Eremika interactions during that period will be great to read, specifically because they weren't working back then, just acting like normal people do.

Disclaimer:I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan nor its characters. 

Title: Early Morning Conversation (EreMika)

Synopsis/Prompt: (Above; Based on Anon’s request) Mikasa struggles to fall asleep, and decided to leave her room to get some fresh air. Unexpectedly, Eren found her and they have a little talk. (Contains Manga Spoilers)

Rated: K+

Author’s Notes: I hope this was okay Anon! I tried haha, if it wasn’t what you wanted/were expecting, i apologise! I’m willing to do another prompt if so. Once again, ask box is open for requests! Or you can message me if you want a very specific scenario haha >

•┈⛧┈• 

It was around four in the morning. The sun had barely risen, and here was Mikasa—awake and outside seated on a bench, staring idly at the cloudless sky. She had found trouble sleeping. And surprisingly it wasn’t insomnia that was at fault. Instead, it had been a nightmare that forced her awake and made her restless.

Just yesterday, Eren had sheepishly confessed that he didn’t want anyone to inherit his titan abilities because he cared and treasured them way too much. Of course, Mikasa was touched and happy to hear this—that Eren cared about them deeply. After all, it wasn’t every day that you hear Eren be so open about his feelings… well, at least his positive feelings.

And yet, despite yesterday’s positive events, the nightmares still came and haunted Mikasa. She had thought she had shoved those fears of hers aside, so that she could be more optimistic about things… but it seemed like that that wasn’t the case. Those fears of hers, had soon morphed into those ghostly nightmares that planned to drag her down into exhaustion.

“What are you doing up so early?” A familiar voice called, and Mikasa recognized it in an instant. 

The raven snapped out of her day-dreaming, before turning towards the direction of masculine voice, to only meet Eren’s emerald orbs. “Eren…? What are you doing out here?” The raven queried back instead of replying him.

“I was woken up by Connie’s snoring, and just as I was about to go back to sleep, I glanced out the window to see you out here alone even before the sun had risen. You do know we don’t have to be up early today, right? Commander Hanji gave us an off day since we did a good job with the train tracks the other day. And even if we did, work doesn’t start at four in the morning.” Eren raised a brow before he continued, “And you still haven’t answered my question, why are you here?”

There was this particular sternness in his tone, as if he were mad at her for not getting proper rest. But Mikasa knew that underneath that was concern. How could he not be concerned, after finding her awake at such an odd time?

Mikasa sighed softly, “I just… couldn’t sleep, and decided to go outside for some fresh air.” What she said wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth. She didn’t feel like telling him about the nightmare she had just experienced… after all, it involved him. Though, Mikasa was sure that Eren could tell that something was off. At times like this, he could read her like an open book.

“Then do you want to go out for a walk?” Eren asked, “It’ll release stress.” He had said this as if he had read Mikasa’s mind, as if he knew that there was something heavy weighing on her shoulders and her mind.

“…Sure.” Mikasa agreed, before she stood up and went to walk alongside the brunette.

Their walk was at first, full of silence. Regardless, Mikasa didn’t seem bothered. She didn’t feel any form of awkwardness either. With Eren by her side, her heart was always at ease. And in this silence, she found some form of comforting peace—solace, perhaps? It wasn’t as if this silence was full of tension, anyway.

It had been a while since she had strolled around with Eren. A few years back, they had always been training non-stop to combat the titans and Eren had always been busy with other things regarding his titan-shifter abilities. They barely had any free time like this. Sure, titans were still an issue to them now. However, in this period of time, Mikasa couldn’t help but find some normalcy in it, especially in this moment.

It would be nice, Mikasa thought, if we could fully live normally, in complete peace.

But she knew very well, that the war wasn’t over yet.

“Is the Hizuru thing bothering you?” Eren queried as his eyes glimpsed towards her, “You know, with Azumabito, their intentions and whatnot?”

It had also been a while since Eren showed this amount of concern for her. And she wondered why. Normally, it’d be the other way around. Granted, she had always known Eren cared for her… he just never showed it so openly, not to mention he had been too fixated, distracted and obsessed over titan-killing back then.

“No…it isn’t that.” Mikasa mumbled before adjusting her red scarf a little upon feeling a cold gust of wind blowing by.

Again, there was this silence. But now, it didn’t seem so serene anymore, especially when she could feel Eren’s irritation since the raven wasn’t telling him what was wrong.

A few moments went by until Eren spoke again, “…Listen, Mikasa… I know something’s bothering you… tell me.”

It sounded more like a demand, even if he had said it in a soft way. He wanted an answer, a truthful one.

It had been quite some time that Mikasa had ever expressed her emotions to Eren, or rather, had conversations that weren’t about titan-killing and their responsibilities as soldiers. For the most part, she had always been lecturing him about his recklessness, nagging at him, telling him to be more careful and the list goes on.

The last time she had fully expressed her emotions and thoughts to him was when she had thought that they were going to be killed, or more specifically, eaten by a titan. It was that day, where she had thanked him for everything.

She wondered if he remembered that day. It wasn’t too long ago, but with everything going on regarding Paradis’s future, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Eren had forgotten what she had said. Though, she’ll be a little sad if he did, even if she claimed to herself that she didn’t mind.

Without the need of anymore persistence for the brunette’s part, Mikasa resigned. “I just had a nightmare.” She murmured and then continued, figuring that he wanted to know its contents. “About losing you… losing Armin… both of you don’t have much time left after all… especially you.”

Mikasa was undoubtedly heavy-hearted as she said this. As much as she didn’t want to show it, she couldn’t. She didn’t want to think about it when that time comes. She wished she could have a normal and joyful conversation with Eren, and not chat about heavy topics like this.

But he asked, so she answered. There wasn’t a point in hiding things from him, really.

It took Mikasa a while, but she noticed that Eren had stopped in his tracks. She turned towards him with a little worrisome look, beginning to regret informing him about her nightmares. Maybe it was a bad idea, she thought, to bring up…about his own death.

“I’m sorry.” She instantly apologised as she felt guilt pouring in. “I—”

“Don’t worry about that, Mikasa.” Eren suddenly said, with a little scold in his voice. He didn’t seem angry or irritated at all as what Mikasa had initially anticipated. He then took a few steps closer to her. “You shouldn’t worry about things like that… it’ll all work out in the end, trust me.” He reassured.

But Mikasa didn’t feel reassured, she couldn’t. She wanted to trust in his words, but she was hesitant and even afraid. How could Eren be so sure?

Eren sighed, he had already predicted that his words wouldn’t be enough to calm the raven down. He understood the limited time he had left, but now wasn’t the time to be worried about that or rather, be so fixated on that fact.

Eren still had goals to achieve, and he was more focused on that for now.

On another note, Eren had also realised how things were a little more normal now. They weren’t going on titan-killing expeditions or sending Eren out to be an experimental toy. Just yesterday, everything felt… tranquil, or at least, a little less chaotic to say the least.

And seeing Mikasa like this, made him want to help her enjoy this tranquillity while it lasted. He didn’t want her to worry about him anymore. But this time rather than yelling that to her, he went with a softer approach.

He wanted to give her as much normalcy as he could, before things would become tensed again.

“Since when did your hair get so long?” He asked, changing the topic—which had caught the raven a little off guard, but she went with it anyway. It wasn’t as if she wanted to talk about gloomy things anyway.

“…I don’t know,” She responded plainly, “I tied it up in a small ponytail anyway, so it won’t get in the way… and it’s not like we’re going to use the 3DMG gear anytime soon probably... speaking of which…” Mikasa trailed off, before taking a glance at Eren’s dark brown hair to which had grown too. Except unlike Mikasa, he didn’t bother tying it up as of now.

Subconsciously, Mikasa’s hand reached out to brush his hair a little. “You told me to cut my hair so it wouldn’t bother me… it’s ironic that you grew it out…” Eren gave a nervous chuckle in response, a little taken aback when she had touched his hair and maybe a little embarrassed. But he decided not to say anything of it.

Though before he could reply, Mikasa had continued, “Not to mention… it’s quite messy and tangled…Eren, I know you have never kept long hair before… do you not know how to maintain it—”

“Hey!” He huffed slightly before gently moving her hand away from his hair before it could’ve tangled itself. His cheeks reddened, highlighting both his embarrassment and how flustered he was over Mikasa’s little lecture. He knew his hair could be messy at times, but he didn’t think someone would’ve pointed it out. Plus he had just woken up, what did she expect? Hell, he wondered why her hair wasn’t in its usual bed-hair messy state. Did she switched shampoo or something? Who knows?

Mikasa began to chuckle and Eren noticed how the mood seemed to have lightened. “H-Hey! What are you laughing about?”

Mikasa only continued to laugh, she hadn’t seen Eren this bashful in years. It was nice to know, that even this man who shouldered the burden of the future of humanity, could still have this childish, cute little side of him. It was nice to know that he hadn’t lost himself completely in this madness… at least, not yet.

“Nothing.” Mikasa smiled, and though Eren didn’t say it out loud, he was glad that she seemed to have forgotten about her nightmare. Though, he wished she wouldn’t tease him like that… then again, seeing her smile was worth it. He never liked hurting her.

Eren gave a small roll of his eyes, before he clicked his tongue a little as he began to walk again at a quicker pace. “… I’ll have you know my hair is fine.” He grumbled slightly, still a little embarrassed.

Mikasa cackled before chasing after him, “I was only jok—”

“Hey Mikasa,” He suddenly cut her off, and it seemed like his reddened cheeks began to lighten as his tone grew a little more solemn… a little more protective, “… next time if you have any trouble… just come to me… alright? I’ll always be by your side… okay?”

Now, it was Mikasa’s turn to flush. When Eren didn’t hear a response, he turned to see the tomato coloured cheek raven. “Why are your cheeks reddening?” He asked, clueless.

It really astounded Mikasa sometimes, how he could see through her and read her like an open book when it came to her troubles. But when it came to that particular emotion to which she was feeling, he was clueless.

“It’s the sun.” She excused, though the sun had barely came out yet. Now, it was her who began to quicken her pace while she hid herself in her scarf. “Let’s… head back.” She murmured.

Eren only scoffed, not thinking too much of it. “Yeah, yeah…” He smiled, before catching up to her as they walked back to base, where a new day began.

[kdtheghostwriter]

SNK #119 - Jaeger ni Kissu

Let me get some Fs in the chat, pls.

So, what the hell? Shiganshina am I right? What’s the deal with that crazy place, huh?

You would think this fandom, more than all the others, would be used to getting the slider when they expect a fastball. (That’s right! I know baseball stuff!) Even I have to admit, though, Isa got me with this one. It’s all pretty thrilling to me as a reader. I’ll explain why later but first, some housekeeping. Remember when I said this a few months ago? That Eren’s expression was less relieved and more shocked leaning toward concerned? Welp.

Arm extended; mouth agape. The universal signs of “No, not that you asshole!” It’s also masterful paneling to have Colt’s cry of “Wait!” superimposed onto the Attack Titan, which we know can’t speak. Eren was mortified by the idea of his hometown being overrun with Titans yet again. That was hardly surprising. What did surprise me was Zeke’s look of shock as the Grice brothers revealed themselves. He still screamed, of course, as should have been expected. But that moment of hesitation…hmm. I guess he really did like Colt. It’s not out of the question. He just liked his plan more.

And since we’re on the topic, I’d like some words about this panel right here.

Dammit all, this one hit more than any of the others for me. See, Zeke, it’s not just you who understands the joys and the sorrows and the burdens of being an older brother. I do myself. Falco realized what was about to happen and tried to save his brother’s life by pushing him away. Colt refused and held him tighter.

Don’t worry, Falco! Your big brother will always be with you!

Fuck me, how am I supposed to keep my chill after a scene like that? Sure enough, Colt was scorched as his brother transformed into a mindless, lumbering monster which transitions me nicely into something else I said in the aftermath of #117. Someone did indeed have to die. I only guessed wrong who.

Reiner is going to survive this manga whether he wants to or not. More importantly, what a champion Porco is. Knew he was cooked, so he put all his energy into healing his body. Then he left the cockpit to distract Falco’s Titan and save two people. The fact that he did this right after seeing the memory of his brother confessing to Reiner that he lied is no accident. He wasn’t just proving to Reiner he was better; he was getting one back at his big brother. It’s equal parts heroic and tragic which is par for the course of this series. He died in almost the exact same way Marcel did all those years ago – saving Reiner’s dumbass from being nommed up. I’ll miss you Porco, but at least you’ll live on in the memories of the little one.

 Speaking of little ones: maybe we should start calling her “Deadeye” Gabi Braun. This was such an inspired choice. Not just because of who pulled the trigger in the end (and partly because of whose gun she used), which got the intended reaction, but also because of who she hit. I thought for sure she would have taken aim for Zeke. It would have made sense. A wounded, stationary target is a lot easier to mark than one sprinting at full speed. (That’s what MGS3 taught me at least.) She’s a soldier, though, and the main reason she hijacked the blimp in Liberio was to kill The Usurper. It’s unclear to me if Magath’s mission here is strictly Dead or Alive or if they were trying to capture him but either way her mission, for now, appears to be accomplished. I say “appears to be” because it’s time for my favorite monthly mini-game:

WHY, SWAY, WHY??

There’s a lot we don’t know yet about Titan powers, Eldian biology and the transference from one vessel to another. If Marley’s goal specifically was to recapture the Founder instead of simply stopping Eren from using it, this is what Zeke would call a miscalculation. We know that Titan Powers get transferred Avatar-style to a rando newborn Eldian when a Shifter dies before succession. I actually believe there’s a lot of story left to go. But! There isn’t enough left to now try and track down, out of all the Eldians still in the world, which one holds this terrifying power. (That would make a great AU, though.) Not to mention, we don’t know what happens in the case of a Shifter holding more than one power. Do all three Titans go to one child? Do they get split up back into three by the P A T H S? We don’t know. All of this is reason to expect some chicanery in the next few months or so. Besides any of that we are no closer to knowing what Eren’s true intentions are in regards to why he wants to use the Founder. Isayama Hajime is absolutely the kind of author to blast his main character into oblivion before the story has concluded. He is not the kind of author to leave a stone unturned. We found out about the Shifters and we found out about the basement. Whatever knowledge was revealed to him will not be kept secret, even if it isn’t by his own hand.

Sidebar: decapitation is weird, even in messy circumstances like this one. The electric signals in the brain often keep firing for minutes after the head has been removed. This is how beheaded snakes continue to hiss and bite after the fact. My troll prediction would be Eren’s head landing in Zeke’s hand like so many baseballs in his lifetime; the Coordinate is activated and Shiganshina proceeds to have a bad time.

I don’t know, folks. I couldn’t help but think of one very important rule as I read the closing pages.

Always Double Tap, dude. Gabi just had to go for the swag. See, if she had popped Eren’s head like a bloody firework I would have said, “Welp, you had a good run, kid.” But nope. You went and left the most powerful being in existence an outside outside chance of survival, and if he does, even for a few seconds more, everybody is screwed.

No segue, I just love these two teaming up. It makes sense that Mikasa and Armin have gotten closer as Eren has gotten more distant. I think seeing how that dynamic evolves as the story builds to its conclusion will be very important. For now, on the surface level, they just really care for each other.

 The last time I got a feeling like this, I was a young lad watching Samurai Jack in the early 00s. I would watch every week without fail on the Cartoon Network, engrossed for the entire runtime. And then, oh, the long and nagging wait. I can admit that having most stuff On Demand is impossibly handy for this particular moment in history, but goddamn do I remember having to wait a whole ass week for my favorite show to come back. Fans of Shingeki no Kyojin don’t realize how good they have it.

Replicating that feeling is almost impossible, not just because of how product is released now. Every story has been told before, in some way. Sometime in the last Millenia or so, our slimy lizard brains have come to expect certain beats and structure from stories. It makes the stories good, but also predictable. I can tell you as a writer, it’s so very difficult to find a way to surprise people in a genuine and engaging way.

This is going to sound more cold and callous than intended but, it does involve manipulating an audience to achieve your desired outcome. You want to lead them to the place you want to go and let them think it was their plan all along. This is the Art of Storytelling: I know what you want better than you do. This involves knowing your audience, and I think it’s safe to say after his “I want to hurt people with this,” comment that no writer on the planet right now knows his audience better than Isayama.

Fans of SNK should be happy. I’ve said this before: it isn’t the best book out right now (that’s still OPM, read that shit) but it is the most unpredictable. That doesn’t always make a story good, but in this case, it’s the greatest factor. Feel free to speculate and discuss. That’s what fandom is for. Just give up now on trying to work out what comes next. Only one person knows that. Isa has had this story plotted out for years with diversions here and there. We won’t know until it all ends. Enjoy this ride now. I can promise you we will never see anything like this manga ever again.

  Stray Thoughts

- Still no Kyomi. Still no Tiny Queen. I know the main character just got his head yeeted but let’s get some deets now, pls.

- I was so looking forward to the memes and am happy to report that I wasn’t let down. Well done, friends.

- The 104th Squad continues to persist, as does Yelena. We’ll earmark this for later.

- The fact that both the Jaeger Brothers got shot before Floch Forster is high dark comedy.

- In a battle this chaotic, things like skill and experience are often nullified. It makes perfect sense that Eren would be caught off-guard by a soldier he didn’t even know was there, child though she may be. Right place, wrong time. These Things Happen.

- Armin taking out the Cart’s turret gun was a slick little callback to when he bought time for Eren to take down Bertolt.

- I’m interested in Armin’s game plan here. Marley’s infantry is about to be overrun by Titans, so what else does he aim to do? And how will Yelena interfere?

- Nile said he wouldn’t see his family again. We all knew he was right but man, the look on his face when his number was called. That’s tough. Shout-outs to Pixis, getting one last sip in. You a real one.

[aranciafiamma]

Killed in Action

[[MANGA SPOILERS AHEAD]]

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Summary: Instead of Kaigaku, it was Zenitsu who encountered the Upper Moon. [Content Warning: Major Character Death]

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After Inosuke smashed through a window and informed Tanjiro about the new training session in place, a sense of urgency sunk into the Demon Slayer Corps. More and more hunters were pulled from their usual patrol routes and assigned areas to take part in the "super hard training session". Apparently, the demon activity had decreased to a nonexistent level. It was completely unheard of, like the calm before a storm. Tanjiro could practically smell the singed snap of ozone. Speaking of, with all the hunters gathering, he's surprised that Zenitsu hasn't visited him once. There hasn't been a hint of that crisp, metallic tang denoting the blond's scent.

Goto has been wary of his arrival. With Nezuko now walking freely in the sun, he predicted that Zenitsu's cheer would reach explosive heights. Explosive, noisy, obnoxious heights. But so far, with Zenitsu still absent, such a prediction has yet to come true. Tanjiro wonders if perhaps his friend got lost somehow. He may have gotten distracted by a lady... This is unfortunately extremely likely. The small and scared side of him, the leftover from that horrible discovery, the anguish that he will carry till the day he dies, that dark, firmly-hidden part of him whispers about demons and death.

Everyone has this vague feeling that those we love and revere will be alive tomorrow and the day after that. But it's only a desire, and nothing more. Nobody promised us that this is an absolute truth. But people, for some reason or another, still try to convince themselves that it is one. Tanjiro really should have known better.

Chuntaro arrives with the early morning light. He seems tinier than usual. His feathers appear dull, with bald patches here and there. Tanjiro can tell that the poor bird has gone through quite an ordeal. This is the first sign. There is a letter tied to his leg. The scent is from the Ubuyashiki household. This is the second sign. Here's the thing about Zenitsu. He didn't like writing letters. It's not like he couldn't, not like Inosuke. He was simply bad at replying in a timely manner. He was very easily distracted and not too considerate when it came to communicating regularly. He never wrote to his Master, his dubbed Grandfather, about Tanjiro and Inosuke or about all the feats they've accomplished since. Consequently, his Grandfather would never think to write Tanjiro. So, that left young Kiriya Ubuyashiki with the task of informing all parties related and connected to Zenitsu Agatsuma. It is a short note.

"It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that your friend, Agatsuma Zenitsu, was killed in action. A few days ago, Hunter Agatsuma encountered Upper Moon 1 within the town of __. Presumably, the demon had been preparing for Muzan Kibutsuji's final assault on the Demon Slayer Corps. Hunter Agatsuma attempted to flee, and in an effort to keep the Upper Moon at bay, he caught his enemy's interest. He was offered Muzan Kibutsuji's blood in exchange for his continued survival. Hunter Agatsuma refused. Upper Moon 1 beheaded him. His sparrow, Chuntaro, bore witness to the whole event. Please accept my deepest condolences. My family and I mourn with you."

When his family was murdered, he hadn't been there. But he saw their bodies. He suffocated from the stench of their blood. When Rengoku-san died, he had kneeled a foot from him. He had breathed in mouthfuls of that coppery scent as the Flame Pillar spoke his last words. The point is, he had been there. In some capacity, either during or after, he had bore witness to their deaths. He has no such luxury now.

He half-thinks that surely he must still be dreaming. He half-thinks that surely none of this could be real. Times where happiness is broken always carries the scent of blood. But right now, all he can smell is antiseptic, soap, and wisteria. He's safe sitting on a clinic bed in the Butterfly Estate. The letter speaks of a battle in some distant, lonely town where the scent of dirt and sweat must have filled the air. It's almost like reading a story about a man long dead. Sure, he must have been real once. But he hadn't been real to Tanjiro. He hadn't fought with him, shared meals with him, trained and slept and traveled and - and - and...

Oh. He's torn the letter. He stares at the two halves of paper. The words are still there, in plain black ink. He tears the letter some more. He tears it apart until there's nothing but tiny scraps, barely recognizable. The words are still there, imprinted in his memory.

"Upper Moon 1 beheaded him."

Of all the towns, of all the demons, of all the assignments Zenitsu could have taken, he got this one. It was a bad draw, a terrible role of the dice, just an unfortunate accident. Except it wasn't really. Zenitsu was a hunter. And risking their lives was part of the job. But really? Truly? Honestly? What were the odds?? How likely was this to happen? For Zenitsu to meet Upper Moon 1?? Of all demons, it had to be Upper Moon 1!

His head is pressed against something soft. A familiar scent envelops him like a blanket on a lonely, winter night. He remembers this smell from countless hours spent sitting together by a cookfire, playing together in the yard, working together to repair floorboards and cook dinners and gather firewood. A faint, acid zing weaves in between the smell of home and hearth. But he's used to that now. He's been carrying that scent on his back for almost a year. 

Nezuko holds him tight. Her chin rests on his head. There is gasping. There is trembling. Oh. That's him. He's gasping. He's trembling.

"WHAT'S THE BIG... idea..."

He hears Inosuke call out. His usual gruff manner tapers off to something softer, more subdued. Tanjiro looks up to find Inosuke standing at the entryway. His boar head watches them with its usual blank, blue stare. Tanjiro's crow has roosted on his head. Judging from the stray feathers all over Inosuke, Tanjiro can guess that his crow harassed Inosuke into coming here.

"Hey, you guys! First this stupid chicken wouldn't leave me alone. And now you're all..."

That's right. Inosuke can't read. He couldn't just get a letter and learn that way. No, he has to hear it from someone. He has to hear it from Tanjiro.

For once, Tanjiro wishes he wasn't the eldest son. But still, he sucks in a breath. Oh he definitely hasn't been doing his Total Concentration Breathing in the last five maybe ten minutes. But he doesn't find that too disappointing. Right now, he'd really like some air and he really doesn't care how he gets it. So he breathes in sharp, stuttering bursts more befitting a pneumonia patient.

"Inosuke... Something happened to Zen-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Tanjiro didn't get to finish before Inosuke has clapped his hands over his ears. He screeches, loud and high like a wounded animal. His intuition is really incredible and Tanjiro will never stop marveling over it.

"Inosuke..." Tanjiro murmurs, his brow wrinkling. "I'm sorry."

"WHY?! Why are you sorry, huh? There's nothing to be sorry about! Absolutely nothing!"

"This must be the first time... You've never gotten bad news before."

"I can't get any bad news if you don't give me any!" And with that, Inosuke flees. He whips around and runs straight out the door.

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A/N: Inosuke out here with 10k IQ. Super self-indulgent. Likely not to finish. I just really wanted to think about this AU for a second. Hey maybe Demon Zenitsu later. That could be fun. 

[positivelypetty]

A REALLY long rant on the Joint Training Arc.

Okay, so since the Joint Training Arc is basically done, I thought I would share my various opinions and adress certain issues that A LOT of people had with this arc.

But, before we get into the actual rant, I think I should distinguish the difference between an opinion, criticism and just plain antagonism.

Here is an example of just misinformed toxicity:

This is just being TOXIC!!! You can’t shelter these horrible comments by saying “it’s just an opinion.” Please don’t act like after 4 years of really enthralling writing, he’s now the worst writer ever. Instead, explain why you don’t think this was the best story choice, instead of being clearly misinformed. It’s nothing absolutely terrible, but just a simple example on how people can be so demanding and completely inconsiderate to the creator.

“Forbidding” Horikoshi from writing is actually ridiculous. He WROTE AND CREATED your “precious sons” that you love so much. So, if you claim that the manga is now utter trash because it doesn’t personally cater to you, please abandon or take a long break from the manga/anime to maybe clear your head. Thank you.

We don’t need any more toxicity in this fandom than we already do.

Now with that said, let’s talk about the arc! (Also keep in mind that these ideas spurred from Reddit so, I decided to expand on it)

1-B vs 1-A situation:

I've been reading a ton of comments too, the good, and the bad and it's fine, everyone has their opinions and that's cool, but for me, it didn't seem it was about who won or lost, it was more about how each class was taught. And this boils down to both Vlad and Aizawa.

Vlad has obviously been pushing his students and their quirks to the max in regards to working in teams. This shines through in all of the fights they all work together very well and know the strengths and weaknesses of each other as well as their enemies. They go into a battle with a plan and are ready to execute the plan flawlessly.

Whereas Aizawa I believe has pushed for more individualist thinking style, and I think this comes from his basis of fighting villains. No one will come to save you, you have to be able to handle yourself whether escaping or defeating. He doesn't coddle his students, and he does push them to the brink as well. What's interesting is Class A has had more hands-on experience. With Aizawa’s teaching style I think they sometimes have a harder time working with one another and they can fall apart with their teamwork. HOWEVER their real-life experience has taught them that the best-laid out plans can not go as plan, and they are able to utilize their 'individual' thinking to fight regardless of a plan falling through.

I found it really interesting and I think there's value in both ways of thinking for Vlad and Aizawa. For Class B, they will have to learn how to abandon a plan that's not working and strategize on the fly, and Class A will have to hone their teamwork for long-running battles.

And let's be honest, these are just kids, pushing their bodies and minds to the limit, I don't find Class B to be 'trash' just because they lost, they still fought hard and worked better together in the long run then Class A. Class B didn't have any dead weight with their battles, everyone was utilized and contributed to all their fights. People are so set on who “won” or who “lost” the battle, that people overlook everyone’s overall individual quirks and techniques. I personally believe that many of the 1-B students were amazing and are forces to be reckoned with. It’s just that 1-A knows how to handle themselves when things don’t to go to plan rather than 1-B (as mentioned before) which gave 1-A the upper-hand in most of the battles, but I can definitely name a few fights where Class A's members were carried by their team.

Now to address the Shinsou thing:

To everyone who was PRESSED that Shinsou didn’t win....

What do you expect from Shinsou? I feel like people were overestimating him. Even with those cloth bindings and his quirk. All you need to do is shut your mouth, grab his cloth bindings (at best he has a few months training) keep focusing on him,restrain him, and boom you're done.(I obviously know it’s not that simple, but basically) I love Shinsou, I really do, but he’s basically Aizawa (I love Aizawa too don’t get me wrong). Aizawa mentioned that it took FIVE YEARS for him to truly master his quirk, and even though since this is the younger generation, so he’ll probably get the hang of it sooner, how long as he really been “training” his quirk under Aizawa? Definitely not long enough for him to go 1v1 with someone who is a close combat fighter. (It really isn’t that shocking that Deku won, he could probably win without Black Whip). Don't get me wrong Shinsou has improved MONUMENTALLY but not to the extent of 1-A who has direct experience in fighting villains. I just think people are mainly mad that 1-B lost is as because they think Shinsou won’t get into the Hero Course. Like chill. One of the main reasons 1-A won in the first match was because of Shinsou, so I think that proves that he is MORE than capable to get in to the Hero Course.

The whole OP Deku thing:

First off, I honestly don't expect him to ever match All Might at his prime in terms of consistent pure raw strength. Deku isn't a giant man of pure muscle, so I don't think he'd be able to go 100 and maintain it like All Might could. Deku is more of a person of different techniques and strategy, rather than brute force. Like, I don't know if Deku is going to be throwing punches that can blow away a city block.

That being said, each generation is getting stronger. Like, Endeavor will be surpassed by Todoroki by the time he graduates (if it even takes that long). Iida is already faster than Gran Torino. In the very beginning of the manga, they mentioned Deku will be the strongest holder of OFA, since it gets stronger each generation. Deku will have formidable rivals if the other strong students also reach their full potential. Hell, those rowdy kids we saw at the makeup exam already had really strong quirks at their young age. Generational power creep means that everybody around Deku will get way stronger than the current pros.

I understand the sentiment that Deku doesn't need more quirks, but Deku's quirk development was already approaching a plateau in terms of being able to fully control what power he could handle. He'd just work on his technique and slowly get stronger and stronger. Sure, he's gonna eventually be able to punch/kick hard enough to shoot himself around in the air, but we've already seen that stuff (plus Bakugo does that too). I know Horikoshi is creative and will develop some cool moves for Deku, but Deku's struggle to control OfA was mostly over. All he had to do wast master OFA steadily and he’ll be good. More quirks means that he may unlock more quirks when he's able to use more %. So instead of reaching 30% and just being X amount stronger physically, he may unlock a new tool to try and master/incorporate into his combat toolkit.

If this is a negative turn for the story, we won't even be able to tell until many, many more chapters are released. We may look back and decide that this was a bad move, but we shouldn't assume that's the case when it was literally introduced TWO WHOLE CHAPTERS AGO. (even though I don’t think it was a bad move AT ALL)

What I hope to see in future Arcs:

I think what fans would really enjoy and we could all use some real Deku character development. Deku’s my favorite character, but I feel like people can’t connect to him as much as someone like Todoroki, because his lack of emotional development. He’s indeed way more confident then he was in the beginning, I still feel like he has low self esteem. Someone needs to tell him that he’s worthy of this mega powerful quirk. ( he needs it 😭)We know so much about him, but rarely see him living his day to day life outside of training, costume updates and the occasional villain attack. Last time we got anything close to development in was only told through Aoyama's development.

These next few chapters will definitely give us something, but only as it relates to One for All. I'd honestly like to know Deku's thoughts about his situation, he seems determined that's for sure. Does he feel stressed, uninformed, unprepared, scared...resentful? We can infer a bunch, I'd just like to see him talk to All Might, Bakugo or his mom about it.

In Conclusion:

Honestly, to me,It never seemed to matter who won or lost any of these matches people were gonna complain regardless. When Class A wins they call it predictable and when class B won they say call it BS or plot amor. Even when it’s a draw people got upset saying Todoroki was disappointing. Some people wanted the matches to be fleshed out over a couple of chapters rather than rushed, then a few weeks later complained that it was taking to long. Bakugo wins his match quickly and those same people lose their minds about how they wanted the match to be longer. People complained about Horikoshi not letting the girls shine in battle after the second match, but conveniently forgets Tsuyu was the MVP of the first match and Kendo and Mushroom girl made 1-B win the second match. (AND WE’RE NOT GONNA FORGET HOW URARAKA AND MINA DOMINATED THE MATCH)Then you have the people who say all of 1-B is worthless and then Juzo and Tetsutetsu prove otherwise. Now we have people think Deku is OP but in this new chapter it seems that he much has a limit to using these other abilities but I’m sure that won’t stop the myriad of complaints. Every week the same people come to see the spoilers and complain based off of a fragmented non-contextualized summary of the chapter and wonder why they enjoy the chapter itself less. Maybe going into a chapter with a negative outlook will do that. The part that irks me is that virtually everyone whose binge-read this arc seems to enjoy it only seems to be us week to week readers with a issue. Either way I hope the discussion going into the next arc are far more level-headed constructive than they have been.

I think this will be one of the arcs that played out better once it was animated. Individual panels maybe favored over the anime, but overall pacing will surely favor the anime. Waiting week in and week out, over analyzing every short chapter has really done no favors for fans and Horikoshi.