#but haru!! the group baby is the actual cook

[day-night-darlix]

“who is the cook of zool?”

see, every other group has a great cook in their roster. mitsuki, yuki, and ryuu are all forces to be reckoned with. but zool? here are my thoughts

torao - permabanned from any and every kitchen. one time he almost burnt down the house making mac and cheese. he could maybe make you a pb & j but that’s a STRETCH

touma - situationally good. i recall from (pretty certain) his wonderful octave card that he makes pretty good bbq. but i wouldn’t trust him with much more than the summer cookout. he’s doing his best though

minami - passable. a slightly upgraded version of basic college student survival skills. he can make some pretty good ramen from a packet, fried rice, maybe some fancy toasts for a nice breakfast. not stellar but not torao.

haruka - the secret ace in the hole. actual cooking legend. assigned gordon ramsey at birth. he’s been cooking with his grandma since childhood (see 2022 birthday card), and it would be a disgrace if he wasn’t good at it. the bonus is being able to make his own sweets at home. sometimes he displays affection through homecooked bento and sweets. everyone finds it very endearing.

[dioles-writes]

• OC FICLET •

Masterlist | Characters: Felix (he/him), Venus (she/her), Winola (she/her), Haru (he/him), Shehani (she/her), Akali (he/him), Reese (they/them), Una (he/they)

Characters in purple belong to @jiphenn and Winola belongs to @sleepsloooop

“Hungry.”

Venus’ gaze instantly turned back onto Winola, her shiny brown eyes glistening as she eyed her up and down - not that Winola looked like she was going to protest to it.

Felix watched her for a short moment, before portalling a large plate of food into his hands. A gorgeous veggie plate appeared, set fresh with celery sticks, baby carrots, broccoli, sliced cucumbers, and baby tomatoes, a bowl of dip organized in the middle of the dish. He set it down on the ground in front of her, hoping that it would be enough to please her.

It did not.

Venus stared at it for a split second before looking back up at Felix with a dissatisfied look. “Meat.”

Felix sighed slightly. He should have known. He pulled out a large plate of barbecue ribs instead, which Venus took happily, feasting on her glorious meal with vigour.

“That’s going to be a problem.” Haru said.

“What is?” Felix cocked an eyebrow at him.

Haru stared at Felix like he was a complete and utter dunce. “Her.”

“Yeah, what about her.” Felix rolled his eyes. He really wished Haru had stayed behind at Cora’s. He was pretty sure they’d all be happier without the grump - it wasn’t like he ever did much to help anyway.

“She doesn’t like being inside, has no social skills or manners, and eats for twelve.” Haru contemplated, for the millionth time, kicking out Felix right there and then.

“I can watch her.” Felix retorted, crossing his arms and levelling his stare at the man. “And I have an unlimited food supply for everyone.”

“Yeah but do you ever think about the people whose food you’re taking? We can’t just be stealing other people’s resources when it’s already hard enough for them to get food on the table.” Haru stated, watching as Venus savagely inhaled the plate of stolen meat.

“Who really gives a shit.” Felix stared at him. “We gotta survive somehow.”

“I’d rather we don’t steal a random family’s dinner.” Haru replied with narrowed eyes, silently asking himself yet again how someone could be raised with such little regard for others.

“And where exactly are we gonna cook in this place.” Felix said, glancing around yet again at the blood-encrusted walls, for once missing the simpler times when the worst place in the world to live in had been Chumps Jr. - somewhere he would have gladly taken compared to this place.

“There’s flamethrowers.” Shehani cut in. Felix slowly turned around to gawk at her, his mouth falling to the floor at her idiocy.

“There, we can use flamethrowers.” Haru seemed to be perfectly on board with that idea.

“You have to be fucking with me.” Felix couldn’t decide who was crazier: Shehani for suggesting the idea, or Haru for actually agreeing with her.

“I think that might be a little dangerous.” Una said.

“I can make it work.” Haru stood up.

“You cannot be serious right now.”

“We either die or make food. Both options don’t sound too bad right now.”

“I’ll go with him.” Shehani stood up and followed him out, but definitely not in an attempt to stop him. Felix let out the loudest groan possible before following behind the two.

“I’ll actually try to stop them.” Akali said with a sigh, heading out into the hall after them and leaving the group in silence.

Well, for about three seconds.

Venus finished stuffing her face with food, her gaze instantly locking onto Winola once again. She plopped down in front of her, nudging Winola’s head before pushing the veggie platter towards her. “Grow.”

Winola raised her hand over the food, the feeling of using her power almost foreign after going so long without it. As the vegetables began to (very) gradually grow in size, it was evident to everyone else in the room how long it had really been since she had so much as tested out her powers. Not only that, but her malnourishment and depression seemed to be slowing down the process even further.

“Slow.” Venus stated, watching Winola with an unimpressed look.

Winola side eyed the fox, wishing for the hundredth time this week the girl would just eat her already, and slowly lowered her hand. The vegetables growth all came to a halt.

Venus blinked at her expectantly, still not moving from her spot perched in front of Winola. Holding back an annoyed sigh, Winola began to grow them again.

Just then Venus seemed to get a brilliant idea. She turned around, clawing at the ground and tearing mat after mat off the floor. Everyone watched as she continued to dig, creating several large holes in the ground, before turning her attention back to Winola. “Put vegetable here.” She said, pointing at Winola then back at the hole.

Winola plopped them in and Venus pushed the mounds dirt back over the holes. “Vegetables grow.” She stated proudly, flexing her intellect.

“Wow so smart Venus, good job.” Reese praised Venus, whose ears instantly perked up. She looked back towards Winola, sitting in front of her expectantly.

Winola furrowed her brows in confusion. Couldn’t this girl just leave her alone already?

“What?” She asked, wishing that she could be doing literally anything other than babysitting a feral fox-girl.

“Good job Venus!” Una said, looking at Venus and then encouragingly at Winola.

Winola couldn’t understand why Venus was looking for praise from her, out of all people, but begrudgingly obliged. “Good job.”

Una shot Winola a small grin as a look of satisfaction plastered itself on Venus’ face and she happily walked off. She curled up on one of the mats in the corner, contentedly dozing off into peaceful sleep, the group falling back into silence once again.

[sukunasbabymama]

I see you.

𖣓 Summary: w/ a significant other is very observant and can tell when they’re upset.

𖣓 Pairing: Sanzu Haruchiyo, Ran Haitani, Rindou Haitani, Nahoya Kawata “Smiley”.

𖣓 Warnings: Cursing.

𖣓 A/N: Not me knowing who are messing with each other in my group of friend just bc I’m observant.

Sanzu Haruchiyo.

People tend to see him as a very loud person, and he is, but he also used to be a very silent person, and he can go back to that whenever he feels like it. And that’s what happens every time something goes wrong with Bonten, not only because he is the second in command and it affected him directly, but also because he hates to give Mikey bad news.

Bonten men, being used to his past personality and his current personality, can’t really distinguish when he is mad or even uncomfortable, but you can. You always can.

Slowly, you walk to him and get on his side, leaning your head on his shoulder and sliding your hand under his suit to caress his back.

“It’s okay.”

“Mhm?” He hums in confusion.

“The operation didn’t go to waste so you don’t need to feel bad at all, Haru.” You murmur, since he is not being loud either.

“What are you talking about?” He says. Silently, he puts his arm around your waist too.

“I don’t like seeing you in discomfort or mad,” He opens his mouth to say something and you raise your eyebrows, making him close it. “You know I always know.”

“My bad, baby,” He nods. “The gang is good.”

“It is.” You hum.

“And you too are good.”

“And me too, are good.” You repeat in a chuckle, he smirks and kisses your forehead.

Ran Haitani.

He likes to brag about how he is the only one that can keep a poker face in Tenjiku in tense situations, but you know better. And he actually is the one that gets the most worried after Kakucho, which upsets him.

You walk to where he is sitting in your apartment and stand in front of him, he looks up with a serious expression.

“You’re upset.” You say, and he frowns.

“No, I’m not.”

“You are taking your braids off, Ran.” You say in a serious tone, and he sighs.

You lean down and tug at his hands, making him sit on the floor and you on the couch, he gets comfy between your legs and almost automatically you start helping him undone the braids while massaging his scalp, he sighs in content.

“Let’s redo them real quick,” You whisper. “So you have them neat for the fight tomorrow.”

“The fight was canceled.” He murmurs in what sounds like a tired tone.

“Oh, so that’s why you’re upset.”

“I’m no—,”

“Ran.”

“I really wanted to break some of these motherfuckers faces and suddenly they told us that it’s canceled— FUCK!” He grunts, but then calms down at your massaging, letting his head fall back. “I’m sorry, love.”

“It’s okay.” You lean and kiss his forehead. “Do you want to go to the grocery store and buy our favorite food and you spend the night and then tomorrow with me? We’ll cook your favorites.”

“My one and only angel…” He mumbles to himself, happy.

You giggle.

Rindou Haitani.

Everybody knows when he is mad, but not everybody knows when he is uncomfortable. He’s normally pretty quiet and silent, when he is mad he goes all out roasting the shit of people, but when he is in discomfort he gets silent again. The twitch in his eyebrow, the silent grip on your clothes, the constant sighs, you see it all.

You give him your back and almost instantly he hugs you from behind, hiding his face in the junction of your neck and shoulder, he sighs again.

“Whatever it’s on your mind, we’re gonna work it out, love,” You murmur while starting to sway from side to side softly. He tightens his arms around you at your words.

“Every time… every damn fight I have to hear how I’m just my brother’s shadow,” He explains in a low tone. “I could be breaking their bones and they’ll still mention that.”

“Does Ran confirm that? Does he laugh with them?” You ask, letting your head fall on his other shoulder.

“No, no, no, brother never laughs with them, if anything, he goes harder on beating them.” You hum.

“Then, why are you letting them get under your skin? The people you need to listen to, think that you’re their number one.”

“Am I your number one?” He whispers, kissing your neck and then your cheek.

“Always, from day one till the day we fall apart.” You whisper back with a smile.

“We won’t.”

You smile at the sudden happiness in his tone.

Nahoya Kawata Smiley.

All Toman guys can just say “He’s evil but he’s always smiling” and that’s it, aside from Angry, and believe or not, Mucho, nobody can distinguish any humor change in him.

So, imagine his surprise the first time you asked him directly what's wrong. He couldn’t believe his eyes but after that just with the fact that you know he is upset makes his anger vanish.

You are watching him from a couch, and from there you could see that his smile is forced, somehow tensed, you frown. Draken had just said that the fight with this new cocky gang was canceled. Now, while you understand that your man is a menace that wants violence and nothing but violence, the vice-president has made some good points on why they’re not going to fight them.

In silence in order to not interrupt the little brawl that was going on with other loud members, you walk to Nahoya and sit on top of him. Instead of getting angrier or tense, he slides his hands around your waist and interlocks them on your belly while resting his cheek on your back.

“You can fight other people another day, Nahoya.” You say with a smile, because it’s funny to you how he is mad just because he can’t be violent.

“I know.”

“Then why are you so mad?” His body relaxes behind you at your words. You can’t see him but he has a mischievous smile now.

“Cause I want to fight now.” He chuckles.

“Okay, then fight me now, how about that?” He laughs.

“You want me to kiss you? Here in front of everybody? Cause that’s the only way I’ll fight you, angel.” When he starts moving you around to lay you down on the couch you quickly stand up, embarrassed of your dumbass boyfriend doing that in public. “Uh? No kisses?”

“Nasty ass.” You mumble, going back to where you were before.

He just laughs.

🏷: @saturnmitsuya @milliumizoomi @dai-tsukki-desu @haitanigigi @yunho-leeknow @melaninnntae @keimisan @welkinmoongrab @plutosexc @ccxiia @manjiroarchiviste @aasouthteranoswife @crushsoli @sscarchiyo

[lgcyushin]

what are the top 5 most used apps on your phone?

“spotify, melon, youtube, all for catching up with the newest music features honestly. i like to see what other artists are coming up with. i do also watch cooking youtubers too. i’m always trying to figure out new easy recipes but honestly, it’s hard finding time nowadays, so i usually use all the other delivery apps too. i don’t have a specific delivery food app, more like a variety of 4 or 5. i know it’s obnoxious but we’ve got to do what we’ve go to do to survive when we’re on the go. that and... messaging, i guess. i prefer messaging over calls. but again, i’ll do what is required of me for the job.” 

what is the most random note in the notes app?

 “it’s not that random. i don’t use the notes app all that often, so you have my perfect recipe at coffee shops that i like to order. there’s two but the weirder one is... eight scoops of matcha, vanilla syrup, latte but no foam, no water, oat milk, the largest size they’ve got. but honestly, i don’t use the notes app so it’s not as interesting as what others might have to say...” he’s actually quite surprised, there’s only a total of 4 notes. “the rest of them are all ‘what i need to buy from the store’ so i don’t forget. i hate making multiple trips.” 

what was the last message or call you’ve received and who was is from?

“my last call and text is from... my little brother. and it’s both a call and text because apparently i completely overslept one day, and had to rush off to where we were supposed to meet at. i usually wake up early, but lately i’ve been so exhausted. i think i might be coming down with a cold, because i have no problems waking up to my alarm. anyways, i didn’t mean to stand him up, it’s an honest mistake. we just rescheduled to meet later in the afternoon. it’s been a crazy busy season anyway with all the concerts. i should get a little slack for that.”

what were the last 5 songs that you’ve listened to?

“i’m in my big, ‘oldies but goodies’ era. not even that old, but the last decade. songs like... ‘g-dragon - butterfly’, ‘big bang - we belong together’, ‘blazing - abracadabra’, and then i jumped into the recent release from fabula. their music has a different concept this comeback, and it was unexpected but pleasant. i know you guys think that we may get spoilers because the idols are close, but i’ll be honest, i got zero spoilers and was pleasantly surprised. so far i’ve only heard ‘illusion’ and their title, ‘how you like that?’ which had a nice beat.” 

what were the 5 most recent online searches?

“hahaha, don’t kill me, but my most recent search is ‘hanbyul shin dating’, for obvious reasons. i’m sure you looked it up too, don’t lie.” he opens up his searches. “i also looked up ‘most comfortable dance shoes’, because i’m looking for a new pair. i feel like my last pair has worn out through all the practice for the concerts. ‘cheap bluetooth speaker’. i want one i can bring around the entire dorm, to the practice rooms, and to the bathroom and kitchen. everywhere. i live on music. and lastly, ‘musicals near me’. i was hoping to catch newsies before they stop running, but if not, another musical too. it’s a near and dear to my heart excursion that i miss participating in, but that doesn’t mean i can’t support musicals.” 

**BONUS** FOR IDOLS : what are your contact names for all of the group members?

haru - maknae jiho - leader

it might be a bit impersonal but i feel like yushin always jokes around and calls haru the baby, and jiho their leader more than even by name, but yushin rarely puts people in his phone by name... 

[sadboiarchive]

x-phenomenon [#2]

name : amajiki haruka

kanji : 天喰 遥花

meaning : to eat heaven's distant flower

age : 22

pronouns : she / her

birthday : april 18

sun sign : aries

height : 178cm (5'10)

ethnicity : japanese

nationality : japanese

sexuality : bisexual

blood type : a

face / voice claim : seo soojin

favorites

- fruits : day-neutral strawberry, ume plums, asian pears

- foods : tsukune yakitori, kushiyaki, curry rice, gyōdon, shio ramen

- sweets : dorayaki, dango, mame daifuku

- snacks : macadamia chocolate, dried strawberries, sweet potato chips

- drinks : black coffee, highball, ume chūhai

- color : crimson (#DC143C)

- animal : raccoon

- flower : red chrysanthemum

info

occupation : none

lives in : shisō, hyōgo, japan

mutation :

allows her to exhale a mist that soothes others to sleep

the mist is lavender pink in color & smells like a bouquet of lavender & gardenias

the mist cannot put her to sleep

personal

+ : dynamic, versatile, gentle, affectionate, charming, helpful

- : anxious, nosy, quick-tempered, overprotective, rough

habits : twirling her hair around her fingers while she thinks, playing with her fingers when she's uncomfortable or anxious, looking at the ground when complimented, biting her lip when she's unsure of herself, humming while she cooks

likes : the sound of acoustic guitars, rainy nights, having her hair played with or brushed, cooking, cuddling, warm sweaters, when saki dresses her up, baseball, star gazing, getting railed by hot men, having kids of her own some day

dislikes : large crowds, speaking to large groups of people, meeting new & unfamiliar people, tuna, avocados, soda, hospitals, saki's exes

fighting style : judo

ideal type : a guy who is kind, hard-working, silly, and looks good in jeans

spotify playlist

relationships

hino byakuya : father ; japanese ; hasn't seen him since she was 9 ; if she ever sees him again she'll break his hand (and possibly put him in the hospital) ; con artist ; fc : kwon jiyoung (g dragon) ; 48

amajiki koharu : mother ; japanese ; hospitalized for a respiratory illness when she was 10 and wasn’t released until he was 20 ; spends a lot of time with her in her garden ; gets doted on a lot by her ; professional painter ; fc : ryu sera ; 39

amajiki asahi : younger brother ; japanese ; very overprotective of him ; tries to support him as best she can ; high schooler ; calls him "asa-chan" ; fc : jeon jungkook ; 16

okazaki tamotsu : younger half-brother ; japanese ; doesn't know that he's her half-brother yet ; only knows him through asahi & mitsuki ; high schooler ; fc : yan an ; 17

otonashi mitsuri : "aunt" & godmother ; japanese ; her mother's high school best friend ; likes to take care of emiko with her ; lives with her & her spouse haru ; preschool teacher ; calls her "tsuri-oba" ; fc : park kyungri ; 39

otonashi haru : "uncle" & godfather ; japanese ; admires them for doing what they love as a job ; lives with them & their wife mitsuri ; photographer ; calls them “haru-oji” ; fc : chittaphon leechaiyapornkul (ten) ; 38

otonashi mitsuki : "younger sister" ; japanese ; grew up together ; treats her like a younger sister ; likes to take her shopping ; high schooler ; calls her "mi-chan" & "mimi-chan" ; fc : minatozaki sana ; 16

otonashi takeshi : "younger brother" ; japanese ; grew up together ; treats him like a baby brother ; likes to help him take care of his pets ; high schooler ; calls him "ta-kun" ; fc : adachi yuto ; 16

otonashi emiko : "younger sister" ; japanese ; thinks she the cutest thing on the planet ; loves dressing her up ; babysits her for mitsuri ; primary schooler ; calls her "emi-chan" ; 7

yukimura saki : ex-boyfriend ; korean-japanese ; she still has feelings for him & wants to see him again ; she never actually broke up with him she just cut contact after dropping out of school ; afraid that he hates her ; ceo of chatoyer ; called him "saki-kun" ; fc : im jaebeom ; 22

oshiro genkei : friend ; japanese ; the only person she kept in contact with from school ; calls him three times a week ; sleeps with him as a form of comfort ; convenient store employee / vigilante ; calls him "gen-kun" ; fc : kang baekho ; 22

takeuchi touya - friend ; japanese ; met him by chance at a mall & they made good friends ; the first friend she made after dropping out ; treats him like a brother ; vigilante ; calls him "tou-kun" ; fc : christian yu ; 23

trivia

when she was little, despite her mutation not being harmful, she was terrified of it ; this made her constantly keep a face mask on, which became something she did to hide her face ; she was constantly assumed to being in a girl gang while in school because she looked like a delinquent

has a terrible relationship with her father byakuya ; when she last saw him she threw a rock at his head and screamed that she hates him ; she's never had a stable father figure in her life and that's part of why she dropped out of high school ; as much as she hates him, it still hurts knowing that he doesn't love her

during her second year of high school she dropped out and cut contact with her boyfriend saki because she felt that she didn't deserve anything she had & that she was a waste of space because her father didn't love her ; she became reclusive and mostly stayed in her room after dropping out & only stayed in contact with genkei ; she asked him to not tell saki anything about her because she was convinced that saki hated her and didn't want to become any kind of burden on either saki or genkei

she really wants to have kids over her own one day ; she aspires to be the kind of mother her mom is ; wishes that she can have this family with saki but thinks that it's impossible to have

has 3 tattoos : a red chrysanthemum on her left collarbone, a red dragon tattoo on her right wrist, and a small black piano & song notes on her left forearm ; the chrysanthemum represents her mom, the dragon represents asahi, and the piano & notes represent saki, the three most important people in her life

♡

[mrsmarymorstan]

Do you have any headcanons for all the Fruits Basket couples?

OKAY so I’ve been thinking about this one, so that’s why it’s kind of late. 

I have headcanons for ALL the couples, and if I don’t have any existing well then I sure do now! I’m gonna stick with one headcanon per canon couple though, because otherwise we’d be here till the END OF TIME! There WILL be Manga Spoilers here too FYI! So back away if you care about such tings. Anyway, without further ado:

1) Kyo X Tohru 

Kyo tries so desperately to do the chores for Tohru but she’s just too stubborn about things and it’s programmed into her now! He gets sick and tired of being forced to sit down as she cleans the floors and cooks dinner, that he starts to enforce a STRICT rota where in they split duties each day. So one night Kyo will cook and Tohru will wash up, and the next Kyo will clean the bathroom whilst Tohru does the kitchen and so on. People go to their house and side eye the fact that they need a PHYSICAL ROTA to decide these things, aren’t they MARRIED? And Kyo just shakes his head because “it’s the only way she’ll let me do anything. The rota MUST be enforced at all costs.” 

When Tohru becomes pregnant the rota gets replaced with things like “Relax and put your feet up because you are eight months pregnant STOP TRYING TO CLEAN THE FLOOR!” 

2) Machi X Yuki 

One of their first PROPER dates together was to a Summer Festival! It wasn’t intended as a double date but once Komaki and Kakeru found out they were going they INSISTED on going as a group! Komaki dressed Machi up in a Yukata, and Yuki did the whole =O moment when she arrived looking so beautiful. Kakeru has photos of it on his phone. 

However the moment Yuki treasures the most is when Machi pushed her purse into his hands so she could take on the air-gun game stand because they had an exclusive piece of Mogeta merchendise. He will forever remember the determined look on her face as she won toy after toy until eventually she got the correct number of bulls eyes. Yuki offered to try to win it for her, but she just shouted him down because NO! She has to do this FOR HERSELF! 

And if Yuki weren’t already in love.... 

3) Haru X Rin 

Haru and Rin attend the same Art and Design school together after graduation. Rin had to defer for a couple of years because of her health and of course the need to study for the entrance exams/portfolio review (I don’t know how Japanese Art & Design courses work....) They’re get a bit of a reputation on campus as a power couple. She studies Fine Art and he studies Fashion. Haru often features in her paintings and drawings, and she is his Go To model for all his designs. This continues when they graduate and Haru becomes a full time fashion designer (occasionally doing leather work for Ayame) and Rin starts selling her paintings and takes commissions. The reason Sora & Riku have so many matching outfits is just that they’re from Haru’s fashion line! 

4) Mitsuru X Ritsu

Clothes Swapping!!!! So much clothes swapping. Ritsu teachers her how to wear Furisode (until of course she’s no longer an unmarried woman wa-haaay!) and Mitsuru helps him find suits that actually suit him! And yes, that does include skirts. Their shared wardrobe is just that, a shared wardrobe. There’s a few things that need to be taken into consideration like height and so on, but on the whole their clothes are very much interchangeable. Ritsu does work in a bit more colour into Mitchan’s wardrobe though! So she’s not stuck looking too dower all the time. 

For their wedding, Ritsu wore a dress and Mitsuru wore a suit and were BOTH all the more comfortable for it. 

5) Hatori X Mayuko 

I’ve mentioned this before, I think, but I recon Mayu was already pregnant when they got married. It wasn’t the DECIDING factor on things, but when they found out she was pregnant for CERTAIN Hatori began to make plans to sort out the paperwork for their marriage. Mayuko denied him at first, just because it felt so sudden but came back the next day because yes, you’re right I do love you and I already know I want to keep this baby so yeah. Let’s do this thing! 

The kids were all very freaked out when they did the maths and realised that Kinu-chan was the result of unprotected sex... they literally had to sit through talks with them BOTH about How Not To Get Pregnant!!! Could they not take THEIR OWN ADVICE??? 

They are very much in love though, and are excellent parents to Kinu. 

BONUS: Upon getting married, Mayu realised that based on Hatori’s standing she now “outranked” all those Shitty Zodiac Parents and was just like “Oh I am going to WRECK these people for the things they did to my Kids!” 

Because yes, Mayu IS the greatest Teacher, her pupils all mean the WORLD to her, and the only thing holding her back before from kicking their arses was the fear of getting fired... but they’ve all graduated now SO COME HERE YOU FUCKERS TIME TO END YOU! 

6) Ayame X Mine 

They were the first couple to get married after the curse broke. The wedding was an incredibly gay affair. Ayame wore a wedding dress and MIne wore a suit (this is what inspird Ritsu and Mitchan a few years later) and they all looked AMAZING. There were several costume changes throughout the whole affair, so Mine DID get to wear cute dresses and Ayame looked dapper in some suits... but it was honestly a competition as to what sort of gender-presentation they were going to have each time they went to get changed. 

They had so many costume and venue changes that by their ACTUAL wedding night they were too exhausted to do anything more than cuddle up close together. But in all honesty? That was a better moment then any sex could ever hope to be! They finally got to be public about their love and PROPERLY hold one another in PUBLIC?! The love on their faces was so pure that not even Kyo could feel weird about it. 

7) Kakeru/Komaki 

When Kakeru eventually proposed to Komaki he planned to be really cool and suave but actually just cried the whole way through to the point where Komaki had to ask the question for him. Their wedding was a simple affair, because they wanted to save money to move in together properly. Kakeru’s dad was actively NOT invited. He literally got an invite saying “This is the date and the time and we would like to make sure that you are not within 1KM of the event you fucker.” 

8) Akito X Shigure 

They actually understood the amount of unhealthy elements linked with their relationship and took things really slowly. They even attended couples therapy so they could work everything out maturely, and so when they eventually decided to try for a child it was once they were in a really secure and solid relationship. They did NOT want to repeat the mistakes of their parents in ANY way! 

[leonalmalsy]

In my version of Persona 5, Ryuji’s Mom would be the Team Mom.

I’ve been replaying Persona 5 in conjunction with the new anime when a thought came to me. If Sojiro is the Team Dad, then Ryuji’s Mom should be Team Mom. Think about how awesome it would be to watch his mom interact with the Phantom Thieves

I see her as a woman with fading black hair. She would have a sweet smile. But you’d be able to see some bags around her eyes. She has a job that requires her to be out of the house by seven in the morning and can’t get home until five. In her spare time, she makes charms (ofuda) to sell for extra cash. She will give you one every time you visit her. These charms act like buffs and debuffs. Also, there is a random chance that she will give you one that will increase experience or money.

Ryuji would introduce his friends to his mother quite early. The gang would watch how differently he is with his mom and be confused. He doesn’t swear. He helps out around the apartment. He’s a complete 180 around her. Sometimes, she calls him Ryu-chan, a name that makes him embarrassed when she says it. Of course, she’ll have baby pictures that she’ll pull out to show. As much as his friends may tease him, they can see how much he loves his mom.

Each of the Phantom Thieves would have a different interaction with his mom. (Let’s call her Aya for simplicity.)

Morgana: Morgana is there with Ren when he meets Aya. Of course, all she sees is a cat. She can’t understand what he is saying. Morgana can’t believe it. He was expecting someone just like Ryuji, loud and obnoxious in his own words. He can’t fathom how someone like her is his mother. Aya, for her part, treats him like the cat that he is. She asks Ren to pet him. Morgana doesn’t want to be treated like another cat but Ren makes him do it, just to make Aya happy. Aya starts petting Morgana scratching his belly. At first, Morgana struggles. But then, Aya finds that one spot that actually makes him purr. How can Ryuji’s mom have such magic fingers? It’s worth being a cat for fingers like this.

Ann: Aya remembers Ann from middle school. She comments that Ann’s become a beautiful young woman. They bond over middle school memories. Aya brings out the dolphin that Ryuji bought for her. He blushes and begs his mom not to bring up that incident but she can’t help it. He was so cute at that age. Aya would ask if she could brush Ann’s long hair. Of course, she would agree. Aya is gentle with the brush and hums a melody that Ann doesn’t recognize. Ann, for her part, begins to tear up at the kindness Aya has and wishes that she was this close to her own mother. Accidentally calls Aya mom by mistake during one brush session, making Ryuji blush. Aya is fine with it.

Yusuke: Aya doesn’t understand how Ryuji is friends with Yusuke considering they have completely different interests. Yusuke sees Ryuji’s apartment and is amazed on its kitsch design. Neither Ryuji nor Aya understand what he means by that. Yusuke is immediately inspired to draw. Needless to say, it is quite avant-garde. But Aya takes it in stride. She notices that Yusuke is rail-thin and asks if he is eating properly. Yusuke replies that he eats thin rice soup and soba noodles once a day. His stomach growls, embarrassing him. Aya decides to give him a meal. Yusuke will try to object but Aya has none of that. She resolves to feed him every time he comes to their apartment. He may be a bit strange but that doesn’t mean she should be a discourteous host.

Makoto: Aya knows she is the student council president since the beginning of the school year. She gave a speech in front of the students and parents. Aya is glad that Ryuji is friends with her. Perhaps his grades will improve. (A mother can dream.) Makoto helps Ryuji with his homework, even though very little of it sticks with him. She also asks if she can help Aya with the cooking. Aya smiles and says that she could never ask that of a guest. Makoto insists on putting out the plates and cutlery. Aya knows that Makoto won’t take no for an answer here so she relents. Eating like this reminds Makoto of the times she had dinner with her father and sister. Now, she spends most of her time eating alone ever since her sister changed, becoming more and more obsessed with getting ahead in life. When she realizes that she said that out loud, Aya tells her that she is welcome to have dinner with them any time.

Futaba: It’s difficult for Futaba to open up to Aya. The death of her mother is still fresh in her memories. Plus, she has a hard time talking to strangers. For three visits, Futaba curls up into a ball. Aya doesn’t take it personally. She patiently waits while taking care of some housework. On the fourth visit, Aya asks Futaba if she wants to help her make cookies. Futaba is a bit reluctant but agrees. They make a big mess together but it’s still a lot of fun. After cleaning up and putting the cookies in the oven, Aya notices that Futaba’s glasses are a little crooked. Without thinking, she adjust it for Futaba. This small action reminds her of her mother. Futaba breaks down crying. When Aya asks why, she tells her that that was something her mom use to do. Aya puts a friendly hand on Futaba’s head and tells her that it was a sign that her mother loved her very much. Now, every time Futaba comes over, they make cookies.

Haru: Haru meets Aya after the death of her father. Ryuji tells his mom about Haru’s situation. Without even thinking, Aya hugs her. Haru breaks down in tears. She feels so conflicted about her father. On one hand, he is responsible for the suffering of his employees and the mental shutdowns of his competitors. On the other hand, he’s still her father and she still has so many good memories of who he used to be. Aya tells her that it’s okay to feel conflicted. After getting to know Haru, they bond over gardening. Haru asks if Aya would like to work for her, promising her better money and better hours. Aya smiles and declines. As hard as she works, she does enjoy her job. Haru does give Aya some of the vegetables she grows at Shujin, telling her that she’s giving them to Ryuji’s mom so she can get honest feedback on its taste. Aya realizes that this is just Haru’s way of helping out.

Akechi: Aya never meets Akechi. Ryuji doesn’t like him and he’s not invited to his place. Plus, by the time he joins the group, the gang is suspicious about him, figuring out that he’s actually working for the enemy.

Ren: You can begin Aya’s confidant right after Kamoshida’s Palace.

Rank 1: Aya already knows about you. She heard the rumor that you had been on probation because of assault. She’s very suspicious and hopes that you aren’t corrupting her precious son. She makes you a deal. If you keep her son out of trouble, she’ll make you charms.

Rank 2: Aya finds out that you and Ryuji are Phantom Thieves. She finds one of the calling cards Ryuji used on Kamoshida. She puts you on blast for bringing her son into a life of crime just like you. Ryuji comes to your defense, saying that they exposed Kamoshida’s crimes of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. He also tells her that Kamoshida broke his leg on purpose because he didn’t want anyone else to bring glory to Shujin’s sports teams other than Kamoshida. He also tells her that he enjoys being a Phantom Thief. Aya relents though she does tell you that you have to be careful next time. Don’t let her son do anything that could get him arrested.

Rank 3: Aya asks Ren to help her and Ryuji with some grocery shopping. If these two are going to be Phantom Thieves, she should at least get to know him. He asks why he was arrested for assault. Ren explains his life story. Aya tears up and apologizes for treating him like a criminal. Just be careful being Phantom Thieves.

Rank 4: Aya asks Ren what is his favorite food. When Ren asks why, she replies that she wants to make him a meal. She is so happy that he and Ryuji are friends. Ryuji hasn’t been this happy since he was running. She asks if Ren’s parents talk to him. Ren admits that he hasn’t spoken with his parents since he started living with Boss. Aya hugs Ren and tells her that she will be there for him.

Rank 5: After taking down Madarame, Aya asks Ren what does he wants to do as a Phantom Thief. Best answer is to fight for people who are in the same position as him. Aya then asks what would happen if it came to protecting himself or protecting his teammates, what would he do. Best answer is protecting teammates. Aya tells him that that’s good but he also needs to look out for himself as well. He is the light that draws others to his side. It’s now not just about him. Be careful.

Rank 6: After bringing down Kaneshiro, Aya asks Ren why they targeted a mafia boss. Best answer is because they targeted students and no one could stop them. Aya sighs. She’s scared for her son and for his friends. Fame shines a spotlight on them and could be their downfall. She wonders if Ryuji becoming a Phantom Thief was her fault. When Kamoshida broke her son’s leg, it felt like it was her fault. She heard Ryuji tell her about the abusive training. Aya thought that it was just his way of encouraging the team. When Ryuji was laying in that hospital bed, all she could think about was how she failed him as a mother. If only she had taken his complaints seriously.... Best answer is “It’s Kamoshida’s fault, not yours.” Aya smiles like her son. Thank you.

Rank 7: After their trip back from Hawaii, Ren and Ryuji go to Ryuji’s house one day only to see Aya being hit by a man. After yelling at him, the man runs off. Ryuji runs after the man while Ren takes care of Aya’s wounds. Ren asks who that man was. Aya says nothing. Ryuji comes back and swears up a storm, talking about getting back at that bastard. He couldn’t catch up to him because of his bum leg. Aya tells him that it isn’t worth it. Please don’t get revenge. I can’t lose you, Ryuji. Ryuji tells him that he can’t forgive his father. Aya begs her son to let this go but she loses consciousness. The two take her to Takemi. She has a couple of bruises and a black eye but she’ll recover. Aya thanks Ren and Ryuji for taking her to a doctor.

Rank 8: Ryuji asks the gang to help him change his father’s heart. Of course, they agree. Shinji Sakamoto’s shadow is found in Mementos. He tells them that Aya spent more time taking care of Ryuji when they were together instead of doing what he wanted her to do. That’s when he started hitting her and Ryuji. He is the dominant person in their relationship and he’ll do anything to make sure they know it. Ryuji yells at him that his mom is better off without him. Shadow Sakamoto is Hanuman, weak to Electricity. After beating him, Shinji explains that his father beat him and his mother. It’s the cycle of violence. Ryuji tells him to shut up. Just because he was abused, it doesn’t give him the right to abuse his mother. Shinji agrees. He’ll turn himself in. He apologizes and tells Ryuji to be a better man than him. They steal his treasure, a home run bat for Ryuji. After completing the mission, they go to Aya after she fully recovers. She tells them that Shinji called and apologized for hitting her and for being a terrible husband. He also told her that he would turn himself into the police. She asks if they had something to do with his change of heart. They tell her yes. She thanks them but also tells them that she was scared that something could have happened to them. Aya can’t stop them from being Phantom Thieves but she couldn’t bear it if something terrible happens because of it. Don’t do anything reckless. Be safe.

Rank 9: Aya is back in the apartment. Ryuji and Ren are doing everything for her: cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping. Aya thanks the boys for helping her. Ryuji tells her that he is always going to look out for her. He’s going to be a better man than his father. This makes Aya cry. That’s all she ever wanted. She looks at Ren and thanks him. It’s because of him that Ryuji is becoming the man that she always suspected he could be. Thank you. (Note that you can’t romance Aya. Bros don’t date bros’ moms.)

Rank 10: Happens after Ren fakes his own death. She visits Ren at Leblanc after hearing the news. She breaks down in tears after seeing that he’s alive. Aya panicked, thinking that he was dead. She tells him she can’t lose him too because Ren has become her son in all the ways that matter. All of the Phantom Thieves are her children and they have become fine people. She knows that they need to complete their mission and change Shido’s heart for the sake of Japan. Hugging him, she tells him that she will do everything she can to help him succeed. So call her day or night and she will come running. You will always be welcomed in her apartment.

When Mementos starts taking over the Real World, Aya is scared but she cheers them on. She knows they can succeed at anything if they put their minds to it.

When Ren is imprisoned, Aya takes it on herself to find Ren’s parents. She will tell them that she spent the entire year with him and told them that he was an excellent kid. They should be fighting to get him out if they were good parents. If they would’t, then she will do it herself. Parents should always do their best for their children, supporting them when they need it the most.

When Ren is preparing to return home, he meets with Aya one more time. She tells him that she is thankful for having met him. He turned out to be a good influence on Ryuji after all. She gives him a good luck charm (her NG+ item) and tells him that this will protect him on his next journey. Please be safe and remember, you will always have a home here.

So that’s my idea. I think that there is great potential here. Ryuji can’t be best boy without having best mom.

[ourlastbastion]

Embers Ch. 11

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Haru wanted little more at that moment than to curl up and to be swallowed up by the void. To cease existing and disappear from life and reality. Instead, he settled for sinking deeper into his seat.

Never had a train ride felt this terribly long.

“It was pretty boring in the end. But the snacks were really good!” Patty continued, chattering on with that child-like excitement. She had not stopped talking since her group had boarded the train, intent on talking to Haru like he was some old friend. “But the stuff that happened before and after the conference were pretty fun!”

She kept going on and on about that fucking DWMA public conference going on in London, and Haru wound up learning far more about how it went, what it was about, and why it was so fucking important than he ever wanted.

Which, granted, wasn’t a hard point to reach seeing as he wanted to know absolutely nothing about what the DWMA was doing, or anything that had to do with that school.

But Christ! This woman could talk!

She talked and talked about some guy named Oxen or something and the crush he’s had on some girl since he was like twelve, and how he has yet to give up, constantly making various attempts to win her heart and sweep her off her feet, just determined to not give in despite how nothing he was doing was working and the girl was probably gay anyways because “have you seen how she is with her weapon”? They have to be dating, there’s no way they aren’t!

She talked about how the new students lacked the same flare and energy that her year had, and how this year had half as many new students as her first year had. How this conference went over how to react when a civilian was crossing paths with a witch or Kishin Egg. Which boiled down to running away and finding a phone to contact the DWMA. Which itself did absolutely nothing to solve the immediate problem of a powerful non-human being trying to and possibly actually succeeding in killing people. But it was the DWMA, Haru couldn’t expect them to actually save the day before people got hurt.

She talked about herself and her sister, about their fucking meister and how weird he could be but that “He’s still a swell guy!”. She talked about how they were obviously the most awesome meister-weapon team because they worked directly with the big bone daddy himself and were the weapons of Death Jr., son of the aforementioned big bone daddy. That Death was essentially their adopted dad and that they were also a family as well as a team (Gag!).

The woman talked about how Kid had his own speech he got to make at the conference about how brave the British meisters and weapons have been and continue to be, and how proud the world is of them for doing their part in keeping the world safe.

“You’re going to Paris, too, right? Are you staying there, or just stopping cause you gotta get somewhere else?” she had asked, somehow, miraculously, beyond all matter of reason, logic, and physical possibility, not out of breath even a little after how much she had been talking.

And Haru, being the magnet of absolute horrendously, terribly, disgustingly shitty luck had answered without really thinking, just wanting the conversation to end and for her to shut up. “Stayin’ fer a lil’ while.”

He shouldn’t have said that. Should not have said that.

The woman fucking squealed so loud that other passengers turned to look at them, that the older blonde looked over her magazine and the mini reaper frowned in a way that showed he’d long since accepted this life of headache, and Haru sank deeper into his seat, wondering how much farther until the cushions just swallowed him.

He should not have said anything, should not have responded at all.

Because then the woman just went off about how fun it was that they were both spending time in Paris, that maybe the five of them could do sight-seeing together, and oh, hey, does Haru know French? Ah, right, his name’s Auclair or something, he’s probably from France, right? Yeah, of course he’s from France! She knew a little French, but she wanted to see how they’d react if she just spoke Italian. Cause she knows Italian. Maybe she could make them think she’s Italian and not American. 

They’d never really gotten to visit Paris for fun, it’s always for a mission, but this was the first time they were going to get to stay there for vacay time, and she was going to use it to the full advantage. Oh, they should all go to Disneyworld together! Or was it Disneyland? Disneyland, Paris? Ah, who cared! They’ve also got a big fancy art museum, Kid might like that, but it might also drive him absolutely mad. It'd be funny to see him trying to straighten everything until it’s at the perfect angle, and that’d take days. They might spend their entire vacation in the museum if he did that!

The worst part of it all? Not even an hour had passed. There was still over an hour left of this fucking trip.

It went on and on, her chattering and talking, not even caring that Haru wasn’t responding, just talking about whatever came to mind.

Eventually—the universe finally taking a look at Haru and thinking it’s screwed him over enough that it was time for a small, tiny, microscopic mercy— she somehow fell asleep mid-sentence. Which was for the best, because it had reached the point that had Patty not stopped talking, Haru was going to get locked up for a murder he actually did commit.

Good God she was annoying!

As if sensing his misery and fury with some bullshit Shinigami powers, Death the Kid had turned to him and offered Haru a sympathetic, understanding smile. “Sorry about her,” he said, nodding to where the blonde was snoring. “Patty can be a bit overwhelming at times, and she had a bit more coffee today than she should have.”

Haru snorted, at least he could take comfort that he wasn’t the one stuck living with her.

It was a blessing the gaiter covered his mouth; he would have been baring his teeth with how angry he felt. But his mood lightened and his expression softened as he looked to Bea.

Somehow she had been able to fall asleep too, not that he blamed her, she had been up all night, the poor girl must have been exhausted. She looked so peaceful sleeping, leaning against the side of the train, using Haru’s jacket as a pillow. How could he keep feeling angry when looking at her like that?

“She’s your sister, right?”

His mood spiked a bit, negatively, and he turned his attention back to the other side. This time it was the older sister, Liz, or something. She had looked over her magazine to the two, brow raised but a knowing look in her eyes. “I know that look, you clearly care about her a lot,” she explained.

A pause, long and thoughtful as Haru turned to look away from the two, his eyes falling back on her sleeping form. “She’s my family,” he said, reaching over to brush some stray strands of hair from Beatrice’s face. “She’s my everythin’.”

He didn’t know what he would do, what he was supposed to do, if he lost her. It had only been two years, and already she had thawed out some of the shards in his heart and wormed her way in, taking hold of his heart and soul. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have accused her of being a witch, of having used witchcraft to bring him under her spell.

“I get what you mean,” Liz had agreed, and Haru saw her look to Patty. “She might be hard to handle, but I’d do anything for my sister, to keep her happy and healthy.”

Ah…

What was this feeling rumbling deep inside of him? Camaraderie? Yes, that must have been it. A sense of camaraderie with a fellow older sibling, to meet someone who understood his love for Beatrice, his willingness to do what it took to keep her safe and happy.

Perhaps this group wasn’t quite as bad as Haru had initially feared. Sure, the baby reaper was a threat, and the younger blonde was more annoying than Ichiro could be, but… maybe they weren’t so bad. If Haru was careful, maybe they could spend time together, just a little. Perhaps he could arrange for them to just casually cross paths at Paris’ Disneyland park, not actually hanging out, but just crossing paths so why not stop and chat, maybe have lunch together, once everything’s calmed down and they’ve gotten settled in. 

Or maybe at the Louvre. Patty had mentioned that in her rambles and, well, Haru wanted to show Beatrice the Louvre. And the Eiffel Tower. Maybe take a little boat on the Seine. There were so many sights in Paris that she would love, and he wanted to show her all of them.

But that brought up other questions, too.

Haru would need to figure out some kind of income source once they got to Paris, he’d have to find a job, the kind where no one would really pay him any mind, the kind where he’d just blend in. There was little doubt that Rosie would offer them shelter, but he was not going to depend on her for finances. He could take care of Beatrice and himself without handouts.

They’d just need a room for a short period, until Haru got enough money to afford the two of them their own apartment. Housing was a bit on the expensive side in Paris, a lot more so than his apartment in Pocklington had been.

He could fall back on being a bartender, Haru felt he did a pretty good job of it in Pocklington. It wasn’t stressful, but not the worse. Maybe go back to being a cook, no people interactions, less people would see him while working, and he wouldn’t be as stressed.

Hell, he’d work as a character actor at Disneyland if it paid. He could put on a smile, play nice and be friendly if needed, he was a fairly good liar, after all. Plus, they paid well if he remembered the articles right. Well, as well as they could for people without any degrees.

Or, he had better not. Attraction characters were a bit too public. He didn’t need his face on the internet, and they’d make him take his mask off. So, no, he could scratch that off the list. The two of them needed to lay low, especially if mini-death was going to be in the city.

But, once he and his weapons were gone?

Haru smiled beneath his mask as he looked to Beatrice, running his fingers through her hair, his chest feeling warm.

Once Kid and the sisters were gone, they’d be safer. They were out of Pocklington, no one was going to know them, recognize them. They’d have to lay low, but that doesn’t mean imprisonment.

Beatrice wouldn’t be recognizable, no one in Paris was going to look at her and think that she shares the same face as some girl who went missing in a small English town two years ago. No one in there was going to care about the news of some nowhere town in another nation. Beatrice would be able to go outside and play, she wouldn’t need to stay holed up all day and go outside in disguises. She could even step outside without him at her side—okay, maybe not that. Cities were dangerous, he wasn’t going to risk her being out on her own without him there to keep her safe.

But she’d be free. She’d have more freedom no longer having the pressure of someone maybe noticing and recognizing her. No longer worried that the police would bang on the door demanding that she come with them and be sent back to her parents.

Don’t be too careful. Police are looking for you, his mind warned.

An officer and a weapon attacked; his crime discovered. People dead. The police were looking for them. Being in another country would help, but the DWMA was not hindered by borders like the cops of Pocklington were. Maka was probably going to want to hunt them down after what they did to Soul, being in Paris would only help for a short while.

They’d need to move again. They couldn’t risk getting too comfortable, dropping their guard too much.

But this was a respite. Paris would be a moment of peace and safety. Then, they’d plan their next move, where to go to next, where to hide next.

This was their life. It had been Haru’s life for so long and now it was Beatrice’s. He felt guilty about that, that she’d never have a normal, stationary life, that she was going to be on the move, always looking over her shoulder. But she was safer now than she had been before, and she’d see more of the world than she ever would have before.

This was for the best.

“Has she considered enrolling at the academy?”

Haru’s blood froze, those daydream thoughts gone like clouds on the wind.

He turned back to Kid, his expression turning cold, hard, staring at those yellow eyes as the hate and rage boiled under his flesh. “Excuse me?” Of course, of fucking course he would know! He’s a Shinigami, he can see souls! He can probably tell each type apart with a single glance. The man must have known the moment he saw them the moment he set his eyes on her, that she was, that she—

If he noticed the animosity, Kid did not show it.

He merely shrugged, looking back to Beatrice, and then turning his gaze back to Haru. His posture polite enough, nonconfrontational, annoyingly, infuriatingly calm. “She’s a weapon, is she not?” he asked, as if he hadn’t already known. His tone curious, as if wondering if Haru hadn’t known—of course Haru would know! “She could benefit quite a bit from joining the DWMA.”

What went unsaid was, of course, that the DWMA would benefit having another child to send off to hunt killers and monsters. To die for a God that was too afraid to step foot outside it’s castle.

He almost snarled. “An’ give up ‘er life for a fight that ain’t even hers?” Haru challenged, moving so that his entire body blocked Kid’s view of Beatrice. “Sorry, but we ain’t fans of yer schtick, try solicitin’ some other weak-willed sap.”

“That’s not what—” Kid had begun, raising his hands in an offering of peace. He looked surprised, as if he were unused to someone being so vocal in rejecting such an enticing offer of a fancy suicide. “I only meant that—”

“That yer so in need of new students that ya gotta ask rando’s on a train.” With an angry huff, Haru twisted to look away from them, only keeping an eye on their reflection in the mirror. “Ask someone else, we ain’t interested.”

He didn’t respond to that, thankfully. It would have seemed that the young God had realized that there was no point pestering Haru and had gone quiet.

Quiet.

That’s how the rest of the train ride went.

Quiet.

Haru couldn’t let go of his anger as he sank into his seat, not looking back to the reaper and twins as the last hour of the trip went by. Instead he tried to keep himself in control as he wove his fingers through Beatrice’s hair. It was shorter. In the two years he had known her, her hair had grown to be quite long and healthy. It was a shame that he had to cut it, but it was for the best.

It was still soft to the touch, nothing like the dry, wiry texture it had when they first met. Her face full and soft.

His anger began trickling away.

By the time the train had pulled into Gare du Nord, his anger had faded away, almost completely. It still lingered, it would always linger, but he felt relaxed.

He had roused Beatrice and led her out, carrying their bags himself while allowing her to hold onto his sleeve to stay with him. Haru made sure to veer away from Kid and his group, not wanting them to try asking Beatrice directly. Not that it was needed, as soon as they were off the train, he had lost sight of the three in the crowds.

“Hang on tight, Bea,” Haru said, loud enough to be heard over the chatter of the crowded station. “Les’ jus’ get ta exit. An’ then we’ll go lookin’ fer Rosie, kay?”

Beatrice answered by drawing closer to him, hanging on tighter. “It’s as crowded as St. Pancras,” she mumbled.

“That’s cause London an’ Paris are both busy cities. Nothing like Pocklington.”

He hope this wouldn’t be too much for her. They had only stayed briefly in London, long enough to get a change in looks and get on a train. But they’d be here in Paris for a short while. It’d be a contrast to something as small as Pocklington.

But that’d be for the better. So many people, no one is going to really stop and notice them, remember their faces. They’re just a couple more bodies in the crowds.

He gently wrapped an arm around Beatrice, careful not to bang her with a bag, and held her close as they made their way through the train station, shouldering past people to make way, the air livid with French words and conversations. Haru understood it, though it had been a couple of years since he had actively spoken it, he still understood. ‘Welcome back!’ ‘Have a safe trip!’ ‘Of course the train’s delayed. It’s always delayed!’ ‘I could have sworn I put my charger in there, where’d it go?’

His throat clenched, but he kept them walking.

He held Beatrice closer, tighter, his heart a drum in his chest, a thunder in his ears.

The sun was bright, blinding, the air thick, suffocating. His fingers itched to dig into something, to grind his nails into something. To—to—to—

“Ah, there you two are!”

Hearing Rosie’s bell like voice fill the air, the air grew lighter, and Haru felt the weight on his shoulders ease away as the familiarity embraced him.

Souls ears were ringing.

For a moment, his thoughts spun in disoriented circles, trying to replay what had happened, but spinning and glitching like a scratched CD struggling in a player. Repeating the same bits over and over, skipping over parts. A song made of dissonance. He struggled to recall where he was, where he should be, tried to recall everything.

Then he noticed Maka, and his mind found it’s anchor.

She was watching him from one of the armchairs, a book open in her lap, green eyes wide with concern, the want to run and hug him and the knowledge that she shouldn’t battling it out on her face. There was a tremble to her lips, the bags under her eyes darker than they had been when she had gone to help the detective.

Maka took a breath, “Good…” she glanced to the clock on the wall, briefly, and then back to him. “Afternoon. Good afternoon, how are you feeling?”

“Like I can sympathize with all the eggs we’ve eaten now. I know how they’ve felt whenever broken open for consumption,” he said with a cracked smile and a twinge of shame. Shame for ending up hurt and in the hospital. For letting his guard down and letting someone get the drop on him. “I’m feeling fine. More or less. A bit of a headache. Got a stubborn ringing in my ears.”

The rest of him felt surprisingly intact. He expected some stab wounds, maybe some organs to have been cut out and currently circling the black market. But he felt like everything was still there.

He hadn’t realized that he had spaced out until the added weight to the hospital bed brought his attention back to his meister as Maka watched him, still concerned, still afraid.  Sorry, he wanted to say, but refrained.

“You catch the guy, at least?” Soul asked instead, chuckling a little as he pushed himself up to sit. “I’d like to share a few words with the bastard, let him know I don’t really appreciate being knocked out like that. Seriously wasn’t cool.”

With a sigh, Maka shook her head, “No. Haruto was long gone by the time we arrived,” She admitted, folding her hands on her lap. “You’ve been out for twelve hours. Grace—Watson, she’s not woken up yet. You got off pretty easy in comparison.”

Shit. He thought. How much time had passed between Haruto fleeing and them arriving? Again, Soul found himself berating himself, scolding himself for having let his guard down, for having let Haruto get the jump on him and flee. Even worse, someone got hurt because of it. Maka wasn’t going into the details of what Watson’s condition was, but, it wasn’t hard to get it was bad by how she had reacted.

With a groan and a sigh, Soul fell back against the pillows. “Any other bad news?”

Maka smiled, strained and forced, “Well, a lot’s happened. Elijah and I made some discoveries. I don’t know if it’s necessarily good news, but it’s progress,” she offered, tightening her hold on her own hands. “And, well… before we get into that—what were you doing there?”

Ah, she wouldn’t have known, Soul realized slowly. He hadn’t been quite that forthcoming when he took Watson and made orders to the cops, had he even explained to the other officers why he had them rushing to find info on the guy? His head was too fuzzy to remember. He had called Maka, had sent her a couple of texts, but he didn’t quite explain what was going on, had he?

“The witness identified Haruto at the scene of the murders,” Soul said, not bothering to raise himself up again. “He was quite bloodied and had the knife. We did some digging while you and Elijah were doing your thing, found that ‘Haruto Arakawa’ was a fake name, that he’s been using a fake name for both jobs and his apartment. I thought that if he were the killer, we didn’t have much time to waste, he could up and run off—he knew there was a witness who could identify him, there was no way he could stay in Pocklington.”

Maka leaned closer to him, running her fingers through his hair, grazing the bandage wrapped snuggly around his head. “So you went to chase down a killer, just yourself an a cop?” The way she asked was accusatory, but then she deflated and sighed. “I can’t blame you, you tried calling me.”

He grunted, leaning into her touch, eyes falling closed. He could fall back asleep right here and now, drawn to slumber by her gentle ministrations. But, he stayed awake, with some effort. “Found something else out when I went into his apartment.”

She hadn’t said anything to suggest that she knew the full story, had she not seen the apartment? Not heard about the photos?

Maka scratched him right at the base of his head and Soul felt a rumble in his throat. “What’d you find?”

“Photos.”

“Oh? Oh! Oh, wow, just—wow. I didn’t, Haruto hadn’t seemed like the sort to be into those kinds of things.”

Soul leaned away from her touch as he snorted, he didn’t even need to look at her to see the blush. “Not those kinds of photos,” he corrected. “Photos of Amanda. All safe for work, don’t worry,” he added before Maka could speak. The humor was there, but then he let it die down as the severity of the situation sank back in.

He turned to look at her, red eyes staring into green. “Maka, there were a lot of photos. The wall was covered entirely in them. A lot of them were from when she was twelve, before she got kidnapped. But—A lot were current. Like they could have been taken last week kind of recent.”

There was a pause of silence, Maka had gone rigid as she looked to him, and Soul waited for what he said to dawn on her. “There were no photos recovered when the officers searched the apartment,” she said, slowly. Soul had been worried that’d be the case, it’d make sense for Haruto to hide the evidence of his involvement in the kidnappings. Still, Maka’s brows furrowed together, her lips pulled back into a tight frown.

“Haruto kidnapped Amanda.”

He dipped his head, nodding in agreement. “Can’t see any other way he’d have so many photos of her. She looked happy, but—looking happy for a photo is one thing, it doesn’t mean much. What we do know is that he has Amanda,” Soul said, reaching out to take hold of her hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. “Right now he’s our only living known link to these kidnappings. We need to find him.”

Maka groaned, leaning, and pressing her face into his shoulder, twisting her hand to hold his in return. “Soul, I love you, but you don’t know how much more that complicates things right now.”

“Eh?”

Maka looked like she wanted to say more, but refrained as a quiet, nervous knock came from the door. Both weapon and meister turned to the doorway, the gentleness gathering on Maka’s face not going unnoticed by Soul. He was curious, though, to see who could be coming to visit him. Elijah surely wouldn’t have gotten such a warm expression from her unless something happened while the two were checking out corpses together.

He ran his hand through his hair, trying to make it look maybe not so much of a sloppy, lame mess for whoever was coming in, still curious. But his curiosity was answered quickly enough.

Soul dropped his hand back to his lap, staring at the doorway, surprised and just a bit happy, though mostly just surprised. “You’re awake,” Crona was standing awkwardly in the doorway with, oddly enough, a bouquet of flowers, though some looked missing, like a certain weapon took to plucking from the bundle just to be a nuisance. “I can go, if you were in the middle of something.”

“No,” Soul said, smiling and offering the other side of his bed for them. “Come on, stay. You’re not interrupting anything too important, and your company would be a breath of fresh air compared to hers.” He jabbed his chin in Maka’s direction, his grin growing at her insulted injection.

Crona looked relieved, stepping into the room, and still holding onto the flowers with long, trembling fingers, like they weren’t quite sure what to do with them now that the bouquet was in the room. “I brought—I thought I would bring you something. Carnations are okay, right? Ragnarok wanted to eat the flowers, he, ah, got a few, sorry.” They were rambling, edging closer to the bed, to Soul and Maka.

“I was trying to save him the embarrassment of having to accept such a lame gift!” Ragnarok sprouted from Crona’s back, leaning lazily against their frame as they made an attempt to swipe the bouquet again, only for Maka to reach out and swat his tiny fist out of the way. The weapon stuck his tongue out at her as she took the flowers from Crona, placing them in an empty vase beside the bed and let his unnatural eyes fall back on Soul. “You look fine. What, you got so soft that you’re hospitalized by just a single hit?”

Soul rolled his eyes, despite Ragnarok’s word, there was no animosity to it. “Sorry, not all of us are made of black blood,” he retorted, before patting the side of the bed once more, waiting until Crona had taken a seat. Ah, both S. O’s with him again, he’d missed that. Would have been better if it hadn’t taken a hospital trip for the early reunion. But beggars can’t be choosers. “What are you two doing here? You didn’t fly all the way down here just for me, did you?”

There it was again. That tension. The same one Maka had before they had been interrupted, the kind that told Soul that he was horribly out of the loop of something big.

“You don’t know yet?” Crona asked.

Maka sighed, burying her hands in her face. “I was about to tell him,” she said, and then quickly, apologetically, held a handout to Crona before they could say anything. “No, no, you didn’t interrupt. It’s actually better that you’re here for it.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah!” She confirmed, reaching over Soul to hold Crona’s hand. “You know more of the bigger picture than I do. You’ve got more you could tell him than me. Save him from the whole debriefing he’s going to need from the Captain.”

Soul normally wouldn’t mind it. Maka was better at boosting Crona’s morale when they got into the self-blame territory than Soul was. But maybe right now wasn’t the best time when their conversation was only leaving him with more questions. “Okay, can someone explain to me what’s going on? I’d like to not be out of the loop.”

A squeak of surprise and a muttered apology, the two separated. Soul rolled his eyes and nestled into his pillows, trying to find a comfortable way to sit before turning to Maka. “You said the whole thing with Haruto is complicating things,” he said, and then turned to Crona, “And the way you’re acting, I don’t think you came down just to check up on me. So, one of you want to tell me what’s going on?”

Only a pause, and then they told him. Maka explained the connection the murder had with a case Elijah worked a few years back, Crona explained the similarities the murder had with the killer his team’s been chasing after. They told him of the missing hearts, the torture, of the profiles Interpol made, and the victims from the London case. Of the differences they had, but how the similarities were too much to just overlook.

They told him everything they had known.

And when they were done, Soul’s head was spinning more than it had when he awoke.

He stared at them, and took in a deep, even breath, and stared at them some more. His mind was still processing, the loading bad still inching along like an old internet browser. Then, he raised his head to stare ta the ceiling, at the fan lazily spinning above.

“You weren’t kidding when you said this complicates things,” Soul confessed.

The Podcast Killer. Possibly the culprit behind the London murders some five or so years back. Notorious international serial killer who neither Interpol nor the DWMA had caught yet. A sadistic, violent killer. Who may very well be Haruto Arakawa. While Haruto himself may even be involved in the kidnappings going on in the region for the past few years.

Child kidnapper, international serial killer.

Were the cases truly by the same man? Or had they simply crossed paths and become intwined? It was hard to accept that they had been around a serial killer, that they had crossed paths with him multiple times and never once actually, genuinely suspected him of anything.

But that was the point of the mask, was it not? Whoever the guy was, ‘Haruto Arakawa’ was never meant to arouse suspicion.

But, if that was the case—why hadn’t he killed Soul? Why hadn’t he killed Watson? He had the opportunity, and he was already identified as a killer by a witness, there was nothing for him to lose, just kill the two and flee, take on a new name and a new face, and he could easily slip into hiding once more.

Souls head began hurting once more. This was too much to think about so soon after waking up, too much to process. Too many theories, possibilities, too many what-if’s racing through his head.

“Soul, get some rest,” Maka said, gentling pushing him back to lay down as she and Crona got off the bed. She must have noticed his tiredness, though it was probably a side effect of whatever painkillers the docs had him on. Was he on painkillers? “Just, get some sleep, we’ll come back to this once you’re up and ready again.”

Crona pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, offering a small smile, worried and concerned, but a smile. “We’re going to find him, okay? We’re not letting him get away, not—not after what he’s done. So you need to rest, so that you can join Maka in the field.”

He groaned, but his eyes were already feeling heavy. “Got it,” he muttered.

Their voices began to drift away, though they were still in the room with him. His head ached; his ears had an incessant ringing to them. His mind flashed to that moment in the apartment, to those vivid green eyes he saw before passing out, the pain as the bat struck his skull, the wild look in those eyes.

Who was Haruto?

[jeremystrele]

Author and Cook Julia Busuttil Nishimura Talks Prawns, Postnatal Anxiety + Magic Family Holidays

Author and Cook Julia Busuttil Nishimura Talks Prawns, Postnatal Anxiety + Magic Family Holidays

Family

Ashe Davenport

Our food columnist Julia Busuttil Nishimura, her husband Nori, Yuki (1) and Haruki (5) who starts school next week! Photo – Bri Hammond.

At home in Fitzroy! Photo – Bri Hammond.

Baby Yuki was born this time last year, just before the pandemic hit. Photo – Bri Hammond.

Adorable Yuki can nearly stand by himself. Photo – Bri Hammond.

Haruki starts school next week! Photo – Bri Hammond.

It’s an energetic household! Photo – Bri Hammond.

Cheeky Haru. Photo – Bri Hammond.

Julia and newborn Yuki don’t spend much time apart, but some of their best time together is at mother’s group. Photo – Bri Hammond.

‘We’ve traveled a lot with Haru, to Japan quite a few times. but he’s 5 and has big feelings! He’s of course still learning to regulate his emotions, but has a lot of intense outbursts,’ says Julia. Photo – Bri Hammond.

‘I think the reason I’m so drawn to Nori and why I love our little family is because my upbringing was so disjointed. My parents split up when I was seven. There was a lot of trauma,’ Julia remembers. Photo – Bri Hammond.

Hi Haruki! Photo – Bri Hammond.

Hi Mum! Photo – Bri Hammond.

The boys playing in the park. Photo – Bri Hammond.

‘Shopping is such a big part of my life and work and my sense of community. It was especially important just after I had Haru. Sometimes chatting with people while I was out shopping was my only contact with adults during the day,’ says Julia. Photo – Bri Hammond.

Haruki is always full of beans. Photo – Bri Hammond.

Brothers and bugs. Photo – Bri Hammond.

‘We just went on a family holiday, which was so good. It was actually the beach where I grew up, south of Adelaide. And it felt full circle. There I was, as a Mum, standing in the same water where I played as a child. It just felt perfect and light and special,’ says Julia. Photo – Bri Hammond.

A ridiculously cute family. Photo – Bri Hammond.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura is an author and cook. She turned her love of food into a career, slowly and thoughtfully over the course of many years. Julia doesn’t rush things. She’ll spend months perfecting a loaf of Shokupan (Japanese milk bread) before presenting it on Instagram. It was a different story when she met her husband Nori. They only dated for a few weeks before committing to each other. Because when you know, you know. 

Julia is warm and genuine and wears floaty gingham dresses. She embodies the light-hearted, approachable style of cooking that has become her brand. But that’s the thing about good brands, they’re usually just people who are good at being themselves. 

There are elements of Julia’s life that are not so breezy. It’s not all fragrant herbs and gingham and absurdly cute children. It is mostly those things, but like so many parents out there, Julia has struggled with postnatal anxiety. She was generous enough to share some of her experience with me during our chat, in the hope that it would help to normalise it. 

Disclaimer: she loves being mum. A lot. 

Do you plan your menu ahead of food shopping? Or do you play it by ear?

Usually I have no idea what I’m going to buy. I give myself to the market! (laughs) I see what’s there and what looks the best. Maybe the prawns look really good that day so I grab some of those, then I might get some coriander to go with the prawns, maybe some tomatoes. I can make something fun with that. I spend a lot of time chatting to the vendors, too. A lot of them are like friends.

It sounds like such a wholesome part of the process. I don’t love cooking, but I like people. I feel like I’m missing out now.

Shopping is such a big part of my life and work and my sense of community. It was especially important just after I had Haru. Sometimes chatting with people while I was out shopping was my only contact with adults during the day.

Yeah it can be a lonely time. How did you find the early days of motherhood?

I was so happy and excited to have Haruki, but completely unprepared. I didn’t have a huge support network. I was 26 and didn’t have any friends with kids. Nori was working super long hours and I only had my mum around, which was great, but can also be complicated! I started worrying about all the things that could go wrong. I was too afraid to go to my Parents’ Group, I couldn’t breastfeed. I was so scared of people judging me. I lost a lot of confidence. 

How have you found it the second time around? 

I thought it was going to be so different! I’m older now, I’ve got lots of friends with kids, but then I started getting anxious about being anxious. And then it happened again. And it hit me harder this time. I felt like I’d let myself down. I know I hadn’t, but I couldn’t help feeling that. In some ways I was better prepared for it, as I already had a relationship with my psychologist and my GP was incredible. I went straight on medication, which I think we should talk about more openly. 

Agreed. I had PND and wish I admitted it sooner than I did. I was scared that it meant I was failing, too. When asking for help if the opposite of that!

Yuki is 1 now and I still have days when the anxiety is heightened. It can be really tough, but I feel like I’m coming out the other side, which is nice. I went to my mother’s group this time though, even though he was my second. I made this big effort to go and was really involved – but then lockdown happened! In some ways it was good because Nori could be at home. I was anxious about covid, but that was a shared anxiety. It didn’t feel so overwhelming. 

I was late to this interview because my three-year-old was having a face melting freak out. We deal with a lot of intensity, us parents. It’s full on. 

It can feel relentless. The other day I was at a store and Yuki was screaming at the top of his lungs. Usually he’s really chill, but for whatever reason he just wasn’t happy. So I managed to find what I needed and asked someone working on the floor if I could pay, and she just gave me this look. She was completely unempathetic. And then of course my phone froze when I was trying to pay! It was such a stressful moment and this person was almost rolling their eyes at me. The world can be an unwelcoming place for people with babies. The mum shame is real. 

How good would it be if she’d asked if she could help?

Or just, tell me it’s okay! To take my time, or whatever. Just offer a shred of humanity. 

A crumb. 

Yeah.

Can you think of a moment since becoming a mum when it all made sense? Either by yourself or with the kids, when it just felt right?

We just went on a family holiday, which was so good. We’ve traveled a lot with Haru, to Japan quite a few times. but he’s 5 and has big feelings! He’s of course still learning to regulate his emotions, but has a lot of intense outbursts. But when we were down at the beach on this holiday, all in the water together… It was actually the beach where I grew up, south of Adelaide. And it felt full circle. There I was, as a mum, standing in the same water where I played as a child. It just felt perfect and light and special. Seeing the boys play in the water… It makes me emotional, because I think the reason I’m so drawn to Nori and why I love our little family is because my upbringing was so disjointed. My parents split up when I was seven. There was a lot of trauma. Having that feeling of togetherness in the place where I grew up was beautiful. 

Do you have any Maltese or Japanese traditions in your house? Or do you just write your own? 

Getting coffee and pastries and going to the park is one of our traditions. That’s something that’s really special to me. But we have others. We just had Yuki’s 1st birthday and did this Maltese tradition called Quċċija, where you put out objects representing different career paths and see which one they crawl towards.

What did he pick? 

The wooden spoon! 

FAMILY FAVOURITES 

Rainy day activity? 

Baking! Usually something like biscuits or an oaty slice  

Go-to album?

Joni Mitchell – Blue 

Sunday morning breakfast ritual?

Crepes with creamed honey and whatever fruit is in season.

Weekend getaway?

Somewhere where there is water. Anglesea or down to the Peninsula.

Last kids’ movie you all enjoyed?

My Neighbour Totoro

[tohruhondaismydaughter]

+ something I love about they're relationship is that it's not one-sided like some supposedly similar types of ships of the 'pure hearted girl magically fixing the damadged boy' are.

Tohru isn't the only one that helps. Kyo isn't the only one who changes for the better. Tohru has her own issues & Kyo sees that & tries he's best to help her/comfort her as much as he can.

Yes they help inspire the other to change but it wasn't a shallow & sudden 180 change bassed soley on making the other person (usually the girl) happy.

If it was just Tohru being the perfect girlfriend(TM) all the time & having to bassically baby-sit a forever angsting Kyo then not only would it be a deeply unhealthy ship but it'd also just be so boring.

They work well on they're own as well as together. What I mean by that is that while yes they can reliey a lot on eachother when needed they're also not soley dependant on eachother 24/7 for growth or even enjoyment. They have such a beautiful friendship that slowly (& I personally think rather) realistically evolves into a romance but they have friends/relations/connections/interests & growth outside of just eachother & are shown numerous times enjoying themselves without the other.

Tohru was happy to work with help from Momiji, going out by herself to try to talk to Kagura, cooking with her friends at school, enjoying a sleep over with her friends, doing the dishes with Yuki, playing with Kisa at the beach, getting help with her homework from Yuki & talking about a presious childhood memories, helping Yuki look after he's garden, her entire relationship with Rin, litrually sneaking into the main estate just to try to play match maker for her friend, asking Momiji to get a copy of the play to Kureno for as a futhur match making attempt, getting advice & surport from all her loved ones (outside of Kyo)& her entire relationship/plot line involving her mum (yes Kyo dose play a part in it but it's not an active part in the sense that Kyo dosn't actually do anything out of the ordinary in regards to Tohru & it's up to her to realise & come to terms with how she feels about everything she's been trying to keep buried)

Kyo clearly adores marshial arts & is regularly seen exsising or talking about doing so. He is also shown to actually be very neat & able to cook for himself (unlike Yuki) almost to debunk the 'just a mum/house wife' who has to clean up & look after everyone complaint that sometimes gets thrown at Tohru. He "puts up" with he's two side character friends at school, talks about playing a game of basket ball with a group of guys near the end of the manga while waiting for Tohru to finish her exsam, seems pretty comfortable around Haru & Kurimitsu. He is shown to have an extreamly close relationship with he's adopted dad & when it comes to finally confronting he's biological father it's a decision that's made by him (with some "encouragement" from Hana) for him to grow & finally deal with the abuse that man inflicted on him in a healthy way (yes the descion was obviously inspired by he's longing to be emotinally mature enough to finally start a relationship with Tohru but she didn't need to be there or be the one who put the idea in he's head or give him advice on when/how to do it he did all that shit on he's own).

Neither of them ever discourage the object of their affection devolping bonds with others even of the opposite gender (unless they feel like the other person dose not have the object of their affection's best intentions at heart) & even if they do feel a little jealous at times (because well they're human & teens so it's normal to get a bit pouty sometimes when someone you love is spending lots of time with someone else) even if they don't personally like the other person & they never get mad about the other being physically affectionate with the opposite gender (unless that affection was not consentual or would reveal the curse to people who aren't supposed to know about it obviously).

Kyo was phyically violent "on purpose" once yes (I use air quotes because he was clearly not in he's right mind at the time). But he was in a form that he probably didn't truly understand the strength of, was dealing with a truma ingrained in him since birth that he was brainwashed from birth into believing that he was the sole reason behind the destruction of he's biological family & that he's entire exsistance was soley as a sacrificial scape goat for the people who were born looking down on him. It's also later implied that he was pretty much planning on killing himself at the time because of how truly distgusting he felt in that form & was (in he's very tragically warped mind) trying to scare Tohru away in order to stop her from associating with him, something he thinks will only get her killed (like it did he's mother & Kyoko). He also apologises for hurting her (in the manga at least) shortly after the incident & he obviously NEVER dose anything like that to her ever again.

People can obviously ship what they want but to me this is why they'll always be a great couple.

Here’s me trying to stay out of discourse after the influx that came with discussing Kagura a few weeks ago, but here I am with more takes. I can’t help it when it comes to Kyo though. I’m way too passionate.

Some of ya’ll informed me about those anti Kyo/Kyoru posts and asks. It genuinely was upsetting to see. Which does feel awkward to say because this is a fictional character. It’s not like they’re insulting my mother lol. It is admittedly a bit hard when it’s my favorite character that I love so much. But I’m not saying that everyone has to love him. Not when we’re all drawn to different characters for different reasons. That’s what makes opinions interesting. However, calling him a douche, dick, and asshole was a little much but I digress.

The biggest thing that had my stomach turning was the “If he changed in the manga because he loves Tohru then that’s bullshit” and, as I said, opinions are fine even if they differ from mine but this…this is just straight-up not factual. I don’t know if they read the manga or haven’t and have only heard he changed and assumed it was because Tohru fixed him. I hope it’s the latter because if it’s the other, we did not read the same manga.

One of the best things about this romance is that Tohru didn’t change him with her love. I’ve read so many books with that trope and, believe me, I hate it. It’s unrealistic and a toxic way of viewing a relationship. There’s a lot of evidence that shows that that’s not what prompted Kyo to grow. He even states it in episode 9 of season 2, “She didn’t take up all of my pain. She didn’t fill in all the brokenness. But those weren’t important. The most important thing was that she stayed by my side.” Tohru never actively guided him to change. She never told him what to do or corrected him when he was wrong. And her love never changed him. What it did do was help him cope.

Kyo was so bogged down with insecurities and sorrow that he needed someone to just simply be with him and be his light. Tohru was able to do that and there’s nothing wrong with that. She listened to him when he needed to let his frustration and pain out there and just gave him a shoulder to cry on without saying “okay here’s what you must do to get over this.” Because that’s not like Tohru anyway. She’ll only give words of encouragement and let others come to their own decisions. Mutual support is anything but toxic so to put it simply…I’m confused.

Yes, Kyo was temperamental and mean before but he grows. We need to see a character start at rock bottom to see their growth. Is he rude to Tohru at first? Yes because he’s not used to interacting with other as he admits in episode 2. At least he’s self aware and knows he needs to fix this. And he does just that. He tries his best to reign in his temper throughout season 1, having slip ups now and then, but he’s human. I wouldn’t expect any character or person for that matter to go through years of constant hatred then suddenly pull a 180 and become a nice person all the time. Realistically, it would be a gradual process of change as they work to better themselves. 

He had also been through so much trauma and yeah I know “you can go through trauma and still not be an asshole” but here’s the thing, trauma effects us in different ways. We may keep things bottled in and put on a fake smile, like Yuki, or show our frustration outwardly and take it out on others, like Kyo, but both reactions are valid. I wouldn’t want someone to remain a jerk forever even though they’ve had a hard life. I don’t think that’s justifiable of their actions if they use trauma as an excuse to be a horrible person. But if they’re actively trying to change like Kyo is doing and recognize their faults, I don’t think there’s anything wrong that. Most of us don’t like how our trauma has shaped us into what we are today, but we can strive to fix that. That is Kyo’s journey. 

I know he’s a fan favorite and the ppl who hate him are so few so I’m really not that triggered lol. Just a tad bit disappointed especially since I feel like the way this person described him was so far removed from the Kyo I know but one person’s opinion isn’t going to derail me. I just wanted to give my viewpoint to anyone who thinks he’s toxic. I know some think he is based on the fact that he hit her during the true form arc but that was the only time he ever physically hurt her and it was during a moment of weakness during an anxiety attack. He never hurt her again after that. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that either.

Anyway there’s a viewpoint from the other side for anyone who it might interest. *mic drop*

[edenalieth]

Kpop tag game

Well @duckhoney tagged me in a biiiiiiig post lol so here my answers

10 groups/artists you like besides Kpop/liked before Kpop ? Coldrain / One Ok Rock / Coldplay / U2 / Three Days Grace / Wolfie / Eminem / Claude Debussy / London Grammar / Michael Jackson (many other but lets say its my actual fav hehe)

10 favorite non-kpop songs ? *currently*

Sunday Bloody Sunday (U2) / Thinking of You (Mabel) / Love never felt so good (Michael Jackson) / In Bloom ( Nirvana) / Rêverie (C.Debussy) / Glory Box (Portishead) / Starless Night (Trapnest) / Yuki ni saku hana (Hanazawa Kana) / Edge of the Earth (30 seconds to Mars) / Me and Mrs.Jones (Michael Bublé)

10 favorite movies ?

The Devil wears Prada / Lilo & Stitch / Inception / Matrix / The Lord of the Rings / Sala Samobójców (Suicide Room) / Requiem for a dream / 13 going on 30 / American Nightmare / My best friend's wedding

10 favorite tv shows, including anime & cartoons

American Horror Story / Desperate Housewives / Skins / Ink Master / The Simpsons / Shinsekai Yori / Hell's kitchen / Game Of Thrones / Next (this show was so funny lmao) ( i didnt put so much anime bc the list is too big ;;)

10 favorite manga/comics

Tokyo Ghoul / Ao Haru Ride / Orange / Death Note / Deadman Wonderland / Nana (the author is better now TvT) / Sukitte ii na yo / Kujira no kora wa sajô ni utau / Pandora Hearts / Kasane

10 things you enjoyed before kpop/enjoy besides kpop, that won't fit in the lists above ?

dancing / writing / drawing / swimming / hanging out with friends / reading / taking pictures / surfing on the web / playing with dogs / singing

Another Tag Game

 ( @joonwings also tagged me for this so hehe)

Nickname: Cam, Cami, CamCam, neko-chi, chaton (=kitten)

Starsign: virgo

Height: 163cm

Time right now: 8:29pm

Last thing googled: Hwarang ep8 eng sub lol

Favorite music artists: BTS + above

Song stuck in your head: (kpop one) Limitless by NCT 127 (not kpop) 24K magic by Bruno Mars and Starboy by The Weeknd too

Last movie watched: Nocturnal Animals

Last TV show watched: N'oubliez pas les paroles (its a french one haha)

What are you wearing right now: black pikachu pj and a super soft white sweater and my piggy socks

When did you create your blog: 3years ago! It was its 3rd birthday on the 30th of December :') (on tae's birthday i wasnt even into kpop lol) but i started using it 1/2 years ago

What kind of stuff do you post: 95% BTS, 3% other kpop bands, 2% drawings/photo of landscape, ppl or puppies

Do you have any other blogs: yes but im not using them

Do you get asks regularly: ...;;;

Why did you choose your URL: I like to write and before I was more into fantastic thing so its the name I imagined for my main character haha

Gender: Female

Hogwarts house: Ravenclaw (I was gryffindor before!)

Pokemon team: Fire (on pokemon go im team blue haha)

Favourite colour: black, grey, burgundy

Average hours of sleep: 6-8 hours

Lucky number: 11

Favorite character(s): ok its just SOME of them lol, Nana, Kou Mabuchi, Ken Kaneki, Jace Herondale

How many blankets do you sleep with: 1-2

Dream job: author, book editor BTS noona

Following: ppl who are following me or ppl I follow ?

BTS Would You Rather

Would you rather:

Build a snowman with V OR have a snowball fight with jhope

Get coffee with suga OR get ice cream with suga

go to the cinema with jimin OR the amusement park with jungkook

do a dance cover with jhope OR sing a duet with jin

kiss rap monster OR cuddle suga

babysit with jimin OR dogsit with v (even if im sure it'd adorable to babysit with JM)

meet jhope's family OR have v meet your family

film a commercial with jhope OR film a sketch with V

hug jimin OR hold hands with jungkook (whyyyy ;;; i want both)

go to paris with jin OR go to London with suga

film a drama with jin OR do a photo shoot with rap monster

attend an award show with rap monster OR wear couple tshirt at the airport with jungkook

spend a lazy day with suga OR explore the city with jhope

fall asleep next to jimin OR wake up next to jungkook

 make up a silly rap with v OR a silly choreography with jin

have jungkook serenade you OR v sing you to sleep (i want to hear tae's lullaby....)

have a dance party with jhope OR sing karaoke with suga (i take sope)

go camping with jimin and v OR go to the beach with rap monster and suga

cook with jin OR bake a cake with jimin

have a sleepover with the hyung line OR a birthday party with the maknae line

celebrate halloween with  jungkook, suga, v and jhope OR Christmas rap monster, jimin and jhope (but i want halloween too ;; itd be so funny)

~NSFW Time~ *SOS*

Would you rather:

dom jhope OR sub jin (cody do you remember)

wear lingerie for rap monster OR put lingerie on jimin

tie up jungkook OR get tied up by v (it was really hard to choose)

pull suga's hair OR get your hair pulled by rap monster

have shower sex with jimin OR have sex pool with v

perform oral on jungkook OR have jhope go down on you (DONT ASK ME TO CHOOSE!)

have a romantic sex with jin OR rough sex with jimin

have angry sex with v OR make up sex with suga

suck hickeys onto jungkook's neck OR get hickeys from v

put a blindfold on jimin OR get blindfolded by rap monster

have phone sex with rap monster OR Skype sex with jhope

ride jimin's thigh OR ride jungkook's thigh (their thighs are perfect)

have jin call you "kitten" OR rap monster call you "babygirl"

wear a collar for jin OR put a collar on jimin

beg for suga OR make jungkook beg for you (hehehehehe)

have sex backstage with jhope OR in the kitchen with jin

get teased under the table at a dinner by rap monster OR tease jimin

play never have i ever with rap monster, suga and jungkook OR strip poker with jhope, jimin, v and jin

do body shots with rap monster, suga and jin OR get lap dances from jhope, jimin, jungkook and v (show me your magic mike!)

Pick A Member | BTS

Rules: Pick ONE of the members listed for each question and explain why! Be honest ad don't just pick your favourite for every answer. Do not choose a memeber who is not listed and try to answer every question.

1. Amusement park date ? Jin/Taehyung/Jimin

• I think we like the same type of attractions and I want him to wear Mickey mouse ears hehe

2. Spend a lazy afternoon with ? Jin/Jungkook/Yoongi

• I would like to watch anime and play video games with him and just take a nap on each other arms

3.Play 1v1 sports with ? Jimin/Hoseok/Taehyung

• It'd be so funny with this idiot, like making crazy victory poses or useless moves lol

4.Make out session with ? Yoongi/Jungkook/Jimin

• I had to search what "make out" means lol but obviously I choose him :)

5.Cheek kisses ? Jin/Hoseok/Jimin

• I want to see him blushing (but also Hobi I think his reaction would be fun)

6.Do a YouTube boyfriend does your make up tag with ? Hoseok/Taehyung/Namjoon

• IT HAS TO BE HIM! bwahahaha I can't even imagine it! he'd choose a gothic style

7.Introduce to your parents ? Jimin/Jungkook/Taehyung

• Dad: so it's you, our daughter kept talking about you, she even called you a god / *me wanting to burry myself right now*

8.Go to a haunted house with ? Yoongi/Namjoon/Hoseok

• I need someone rational to comfort/distract me lol (I was hesitating with Namjoon but he's too clumsy he'd make too much nooises and I will jump every time)

9.Drunk nights with ? Hoseok/Jimin/Jin

• I think we would be the type to cry of laughter just by looking at each other faces XD (I laughed for nothing when Im drunk..)

10.Who would you want to see do aegyo for a whole day as a punishment ? Namjoon/Yoongi/Jungkook

• I was hesitating with Namjoon but I think he'd be cringy lol so the bear!

11.Who would help you pick out outfits ? Taehyung/Namjoon/Yoongi

• I like his style and love shirts so I guess Tae would be perfect for this

12.School dance date ? Jin/Namjoon/Hoseok

• I want to dance all night long and shine next to my sun

13.Sing a duet with ? Taehyung/Jimin/Jungkook

• I think our voices are matching :') I'd do the harmony haha

14.Would make you breakfast in bed ? Yoongi/Jin/Jungkook

• He's the kitchen's king ;)

15.Go on a late night adventure with ? Jungkook/Taehyung/Namjoon

• Us looking for a bowling at 3am lol

16. First time ? Taehyung/Jimin/Yoongi

• (*///*)... my moon and stars

17. Whose clothes you'd steal and wear ? Jin/Taehyung/Hoseok

•  First I like his clothes (especially his sweat pants/hoodies), 2nd I just wanna smell his scent on it lol

18.Late deep night conversations with ? Namjoon/Yoongi/Jungkook

• He's the first my mind picked, I think we could "help" each other

19. Who'd you have a play water fight with ? Jimin/Hoseok/Taehyung

• I can't choose between them.. I can imagine me and Tae making a team against Hobi or them doing this with me ;v;

20.Who would you say you're most compatible with ? (Choose any of the 7 members but remember, favoristism and compatibility are two different things).

• Most of my friends say Hoseok but I think I'm more compatible with Jungkook or Namjoon :') sorry JiHope

Bias Tag

Rules: pick 10 biases and answer the questions. No specific order.

(I put them really randomly)

1.Jimin

2.Jongup

3.Hyungwon

4.Chanyeol

5. Sungjae

6.Hoseok

7.BamBam

8.Minhyuk

9.Johnny

10.Jackson

1. Between 3&6, whose most recent concept do you like more?

• I prefer the BS&T concept sorry :(

2. Between 2&10, who would you rather be stranded on an island with ?

• Jackson! XD he went on "Law of the Jungle" so he already has some skills, jungle is him ;)

3.Between 4&8, who would you trust to take care of you when you were drunk ?

• Aish... I don't really know lol maybe more Chanyeol ?

4.Between 1&2, who would you go in jail for ?

• Jimin

5.Between 5&9, who is a better visual to you ?

• Sungjae, his face is so unique idk

6.Between 7&8, who would you rather save from a sinking ship ?

•... ;---;... my babies... I put them both on something! Ill be their Jack!

7.Between 6&10, who would you rather have a movie marathon with ?

• Hoseok ~

8.Between 1&10, who do you think makes a better impression ?

• Maybe Jimin ?

9.Between 3&7, who would you prefer to kiss in the rain ?

• BamBam <3 *internal screaming*

10.Between 5&6, who would you rather have a summer fling with ?

• Hoseok. Of course.

11.Between 5&7, who would you rather do drugs with ?

• Idk at all XD

12.Between 3&8, who would you rather take home to your parents ?

• aaaah boy from the same band x')... Minhyuk ?

13.Between 9&10, whose wardrobe do you want more ?

• Jackson like I don't really know Johnny's style yet hehe

14.Between 4&10, who would you be more surprised to see cry ?

• Jackson

15.Between 1&4, who would you rather have kiss you on the forehead ?

• Jimin but it's only bc he's my everything bc I would be extremely happy to have one from Chanchan too ;v;

16.Between 2&3, who would you rather have hug from behind ?

• Hyungwon-ssi <3 (happy late birthday my baby)

17.Between 5&2, whose group do you stan more ?

• I stan them equally honestly :/

18.Between 4&9, who is higher up on your bias list ?

• Chanyeol, I know him more <3

19.Between 1&7, who would you open your door up to during the purge ?

• ;-; both ? No I guess Jimin, I prefer to die by his hand haha

20. Between 6&9, who would you rather go to a haunted house with ?

• Hoseok! Two crybabies together XD

 I tag: @space--lover @gwangjuhope  @angelblushe @ofpandaspilliws @min-nevermind @jungjeonkimin @lovablehoseok (do whatever you want or just ignore it haha and if you have some time and courage do everything ;v; im just very curious about you hehe)