#here quick shitty yaoi drawing
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oh god there's two of them now
#click for better quality guh i made this so small my bad#here quick shitty yaoi drawing#i only played the remake for 1 hour and oh god.....it's actually great so far....perhaps i treated bloober too harsh.....#i havent draw harry in a while :( he looks weird sorry#silent hill#james sunderland#harry mason#sundermason#<--- if you MUST!#treqaww
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THROAM PRINT GUIDE!
This ones for the 20 people who liked my last post🫵lots of love☝️🙏🙏🙏🙏
I printed these using LULU , the quality of the print is pretty nice, and the site was SO easy to use. Like. Seriously. The books need to be flattened a bit more, but that’s presumably because of shipping? Nothing i cant fix though.
Speaking of, that shit was QUICK! Books took 3 days to print and only one to ship because they came from somewhere about 3 hours from my house.
Price wise— these were the price of typical books, individually cheaper actually. In total they were $60 CAD, shipping being the worst at $15, but in all honesty, $60 is the amount you would pay for books at a bookstore over here.
(Ignore the fact that I MISSPELLED THROAM??? These names don’t mean shit, it really doesn’t matter…)
As for the books: they’re bigger then i like personally, but they were pre-formatted to be 6 x 9in (US trade,) and as i took the files directly from Anna Green’s blog, they should be the same size as the OG books.
A kind soul on reddit gave me scans of the covers, as far as im aware there aren’t ANY HD copies of them anywhere online? So i had to reformat these bad boys by myself.
I tried to keep them as close to the original books as possible, this was my first time using lulu and i had really no idea how they were gonna turn out— so PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME AND REFORMAT THEM!!
The print would look wayy better if the resolution was higher, theres nothing i can do about the actual drawings, as those are straight from the scan, but the text is a tad blurred and would look a ton crisper if you upped the size.
(Okay so my cameras pretty shitty, but hopefully you can tell that it’s far from perfect. I have no idea what to do about that aside from redrawing the art, so you’re on your own for that one.)
Another problem is the size of the back cover, it just looks big and not even at all. So just size it down, It’ll look SOOO much nicer.
The last problem you should fix is the side bleeding onto the front. I put the cover together on lulu’s site on my ipad, so i couldn’t really tell, but it should be pretty easy to fix up.
This is where i leave you!
THESE are the files
and can do the rest….this wasn’t like. A complete guide. But. Um. This is my contribution to the fandom. I love these books so bad and im absolutely psyched about having physical copies. So spread your yaoi wings and FLY LITTLE BIRD!! FLY!!!!!!!
If you do end up reforming the covers, please send them my way to add to the drive! Also, dm me if anythings off or u need help! ^_^
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OMG, IT'S HERE, IT'S FINALLY HERE, AAAAAHHHHHH!!!
YamGeta Yaoi Week 2024
@dballzposting ✨💖◕‿◕💖✨
Stop the presses, babes, I'm about to flood the dash with unhinged nonsense from that "coffee shop AU" that got ENTIRELY out of hand. ��😂😂 Because when my brain short-circuited and brewed that hot mess and the question arose of, "Hmm, I wonder who Terrible Barista Vegeta is gonna tsundere at this shitty corporate coffee chain?" the answer came back in a Gary-Oldman-in-The-Professional yell, "EEEEEEVERYOOOOONNNNE!!!"
And then someone enlightened me to the existence of Scruffy Yamcha, and the, "Dammit, she's got a boyfriend!" to "Oh shit, that breakup depression stubble is...shifting my priorities," pipeline came right on through.
It's all still WIP, but dammit, I will let you know about it at the TOP of my ALL CAPS, and I will probably do some very quick and not-great drawings, because I NEEEEEEEED. You to SEEEEEEEE. The "I used to be in a band, kinda," Yamcha that lives in my head, and the quivering barista no longer hatefully serving him that large black coffee.
MORE LATER.
#yamgeta#yamgetayaoi2024#yamgetayaoi#wip stuff incoming#coffee shop au#corporate hell#featuring#terrible barista vegeta#scruffy yamcha#and so much more#there's gonna be art#slapdash#to be sure#but omg#i'm so excited
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Hi Ryu, i love you and your art always make my day 😊💕 i was curious so I showed up in your asks...but I'm wondering how you feel about the neverending hate between eruri and ereri fans? Are you like a parent who just sighs when seeing their kids constantly bickering?
Also I wanted to know how you're doing after the whole reposting-without-permission-because-they-like-ereri twitter shitfest?
You're one of the rare pokemon who likes both pairings and its honestly because of YOU that I've grown to appreciate both ships. So thank you 😊💕
Hi Anon! Thank you very much for loving my art <3 And for this ask too!! Thank you for enabling me to talk about it lol
To be completely honest with you, we don’t really feel ourselves fully as a part of either Ereri or Eruri community, so I wouldn’t say that we look at them like parents with their kids bickering. But still, it’s disappointing to see them fight, because it’s such a huge waste of time and energy that creates nothing but animosity towards people who think differently or prefer other things. As a result, shipping both of these ships makes you an outsider for both of these communities, and this is exactly why we aren’t really a part of either of them: it’s hard to be a part of the community when you can always feel a “oh so you’re a part of those people” hanging somewhere in the air.
Shipwars are annoying, and this one is especially tiring because it’s been going on for like 8 years already. I don’t know why it is so difficult for people to understand that there isn’t one superior ship, both of them are good in their own way and neither of them is canon. And even if one of them were canon, it wouldn’t make it a better ship??? Who the fuck rates ships anyway??? You like it – great, you don’t – good, just don’t be an asshole about it, why the fuck do we need to have this constant feeling of “oh I’m above you because I don’t ship Levi with Eren” and “oh I’m above you because Eren didn’t treat Levi like shit”??? Do we really need this “Eruris are pretentious fucks who believe their ship is canon” vs “Ereris are loud brats with problematic yaoi stuff”? Are we really that bored with our own beloved ships that we can’t feel any love for them without constantly shitting on each other? Dedicate your time to something productive, or is your own ship that boring to you that you don’t really want to waste time on it? That’s my only guess.
Yeah, there are assholes. Mute/block them and move on if what they say annoys you so much. There’s no reason to go in the comments to argue – they most likely won’t listen. People who want to listen present their thoughts in a different manner.
Sorry, I got heated here for a moment. To be fair, I see more and more people trying to at least be tolerable towards others, but I still think that it’s shitty that people judge your entire persona based on what you like and what you draw.
And aw, thank you for wondering about how we’re doing after that whole debacle <3 For those who don’t know: a person on twi reposted my drawing and said that they won’t credit the artist because we’re Ereri (+ because we have them blocked for talking shit about Ereri). Aaand understandably we kind of got upset by this situation, because apparently if an artist draws Ereri they don’t deserve any respect whatsoever, and their content is free, because hell, we still enjoy it, so might as well steal it and look at it! The irony is, if I have a person blocked, I don’t want them near my art and I don’t care how cool they think my drawings are. I just don’t want to associate myself with people who think it’s cool to shit on others for whatever reason, especially if they’re being hypocritical about it.
I wouldn’t care even if they credited me though – I hate reposting just in general, but their reason for not mentioning the author was so amazing, that we decided to share this stuff. That was our first time, I hope it’ll be the last.
But it’s all good now, I reported this person and twitter took down the drawing. They’re not as quick with this stuff as insta or facebook, but still, I’m very glad I can remove reposts of our content without even talking to these gross people.
Also, people who DM me the links to the reposts are very helpful, thank you so much everyone who does that! <3 I’m forever grateful.
Also Anon, thank you very much for your kind words. It’s always extremely precious to hear that we can somehow help people start appreciating both of the ships, this is like legit the best feeling ever, I’m very happy to hear that. Even if it’s just “yeah I don’t mind if as much and it doesn’t make me mad”, it’s great. We need more of that and less of “ugh they ship Ereri I wish they drop dead”.
I hope you’re having a wonderful day. Sorry for the late reply…
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this was written several weeks ago in response to asks i was receiving i am posting it now it is very long the longest i have ever made and it is not very well edited but here it is in this final essay i talk about how shitty rae is about black people in her writing as well as just me talking about how her writing sucks in general lets begin
hello everyone
as you may know i have received a lot of anons in the last week or so about issues of racism in the beetlejuice community both just generally speaking and also within specific spaces
i was very frustrated to not be getting the answers i wanted because i typically do not talk about what i do not see but in an effort to be better about discourse i went looking through discourse from before my time in the fandom and i also received some receipts and information from my followers and from some friends
keep in mind that the voices and thoughts of bipoc are not only incredibly important at all times but in this circumstance it is important that if a bipoc has something to add you listen and learn and be better
i admit that when this happened i wasnt aware of the extent of what occurred and im angry at myself for not doing more at that time and i want to work harder to make sure something like this doesnt go unnoticed again
im a hesitant to talk about months old discourse because i have been criticized for bringing up quote old new unquote but this is very important and i am willing to face whatever comes from to me
lets talk about this
content from our local racist idiot that may be months old but its important
putting my thoughts under a cut to spare the dash but before i begin obviously this is awful
lets fucking unpack this folks
right out the gate op states that she supports artistic freedom but then within a couple words she goes against that statement
being entirely canon compliant isnt artistic freedom and even so if this person has so much respect for canon they wouldnt be out here erasing lydias obvious disgust for beetlejuice in the movie or ignoring lydias age for the sake of shipping that shit isnt canon either
also we love the quick jab at the musical there hilarious we love it dont we because god forbid a licensed and successful branch on a media have any standing in this conversation but whatever
now lets scroll down and talk about the term racebending
the term racebending was coined around 2009 in response to the avatar the last airbender movie a film in which the east asian races of the characters were erased by casting white actors in the three leading roles of aang sokka and katara
whenever the term racebending is used in a negative light it is almost always a case of whitewashing like casting scarlett johansen in ghost in the shell or the casting of white actors of the prince of persia sands of time instead of iranian ones
this kind of racebending erases minorities from beeing seen in media and is wrong
all that being said however racebending has also been noted to have very positive after effects like the 1997 adaptation of cinderella or casting samuel jackson as nick fury in the marvel movies nick fury was originally a white guy can you even imagine
i read this piece from an academic that said quote writers can change the race and cultural specificity of central characters or pull a secondary character of color from the margins transforming them into the central protagonist unquote
racebending like the kind that rae is so heated about is the kind of creative freedom that leads to more representation of bipoc in media which will never be a bad thing ever no matter how pissy you get about it
designing a version of a character as a poc isnt serving to make them necessarily better it serves to give new perspective and perhaps the opportunity to connect even more deeply with a character it doesnt marginalize or erase white people it can uplift poc and if you think uplifting poc is wrong because it tears down white people or whatever youre a fucking moron and you need to get out of your podunk white folk town and see the real world
the numbers of times a bipoc particularly a bipoc that is also lgbt+ has been represented in media are dwarfed by what i as a white dude have seen myself represented in media is and that isnt okay that isnt equality and its something that should change not only in mainstream media but in fandom spaces as well
lets move down a bit further to the part about bullying straight people which is hilarious and lets also talk about the term fetishistic as well lets start with that
this person literally writes explicit pornography of a minor and an adult are we really going to let someone like that dictate what is and what isnt fetishistic
similarly to doing a positive racebend situation people may project lgbt+ headcanons on a character because its part of who they are and it helps them feel closer to the character and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that
depicting lgbt+ subject matter on existing characters isnt an inherently fetishistic action generally things only really become fetishistic when the media is being crafted and hyped by people who are outside of lgbt+ community for example how young teens used to flip a tit about yaoi or how chasers fetishize trans people
but drawing a character with top surgery scars or headcanoning them as trans is harmless and its just another way to interpret a character literally anone could be trans unless if their character bio says theyre cis and most of them dont go that deep so it really is open to interpretation and on the whole most creators encourage this sort of exploration because it is a good thing to get healthy representation out in the world
as for it being used to bully straights thats just funny i dont have anything else on that like if youre straight and you feel threatened and bullied because of someone headcanoning someone as anything that isnt cishet youre a fucking idiot and a weak baby idiot at that like the real world must fucking suck for you because lgbt+ people are everywhere and statistically a big chunk of your favorite characters arent cishet sorry be mad about it
lets roll down a bit further about the big meat of the issue which was when several artists were drawing interpretations of lydia as a black girl which i loved but clearly this person didnt love it because they have a very narrow and very racist and problematic view of what it means to be a black person
and before i move forward i must reiderate that i am a white person and you should listen to the thoughts of poc people like @fright-of-their-lives or @gender-chaotic it is not my place to explain what the black experience is like and it certainly isnt this persons either
implying that the story of a black person isnt worth telling unless if the character faces struggles like racism and prejudice is downright moronic
why use the word kissable to describe a black persons lips now thats what i call fetishistic and its to another extreme if youre talking about a black version of lydia on top of that
the author of this post says herself that shes white so clearly shes the person whos an authority on the black experience and what it means to be a black person right am i reading that right or am i having a fucking conniption
how about allowing black characters to exist without having to struggle why cant a black version of lydia just be a goth teenager with a ghost problem who likes photography and is also black like she doesnt have to move to a hick town and get abused by racist folks she doesnt have to go through any more shit than she already goes through and if you honestly think thats the only way to tell a black persons story you need to get your brain cleaned
you know nothing about the complexities about being a black person and i dont either but you know wh odo black people who are doing black versions of canon characters they fucking know
lets squiggle down just a bit further
so the writer has issues with giving characters traits like a broad nose or larger lips if theyre a woman but if theyre a man suddenly its totally okay to go all ryan murphy ahs coven papa legba appropriation when approaching character design like are you fucking stupid do you hear yourself is that really how you see black men like what the fuck is wrong with you
none of the shit youre spewing takes bravery it takes ignorance and supreme levels of stupidity
do you really think you with your fic where a black lgbt+ woman is tortured and abused where you use the n word with a hard r to refer to her like that shits not okay its fucking depraved and yeah we know you love being shitty but like christ on a bike thats so much
can we also talk about this
what the fuck is this fetishistic bull roar garbage calling this black character beyonce dressing her up in quote fuck me heels unquote are you are you seriously gonna write this and say its a shining example of how to write a black character youre basically saying ope here she is shes a sex icon haha im so progressive and i clealry understand the black experience hahahaha fuck you oh my god
on top of that theres a point where this character is only referred to as curly hair or the fact that the n word is used in the fic with the hard r like thats hands down not okay for you to use especially not in a manner like this jesus christ
oop heres a little more a sampling for you of the hell i am enduring in reading this drivel
oh boy lets put a leash on the angry black woman character lets put her in a leash and have the man imply hes a master like are you kidding me are you for real and what the fuck is with calling her shit like j lo and beyonce do you actually think thats clever at all are you just thinking of any poc that comes into your head for this
also lydia fucking tells this girl that she shouldnt have lost her temper like she got fucking leashed im so tired why is this writing so problematic and also so bad
hold up before i lose my head lets look at some of her own comments on the matter of this character and what happens to her
hi hello youre just casually tossing the word lynch out there in the wide open world as if thats not a problem that is still real like are you fucking unhinged there have been multiple cases of this exact thing happening in our firepit of a country in the last five months alone like how can you still have shit like this up for people to read how can you be proud of work like this in this climate
and also what the fuck is that last bit
what the actual fuck
i dont speak for black people as a white person but you do!? im sorry i had to get my punctuation out for that because wow thats fucking asinine just because one black person read your fic and didnt find the torture and abuse of your one black character abhorrant doesnt mean that the vast majority of people not only in the fandom but in the human population with decency are going to think its okay because its not
i started this post hoping to be level headed and professional but jesus fucking christ this woman is something else white nationalism is alive and well folks and its name is rae
if you defend this woman you defend some truly abhorrant raecism
editors notes
in order to get some perspective on these issues more fully some of the writing by the author was examined and on the whole it was pretty unreadable but i want to just call back to the very beginning of this essay where the person in question talked about holding canon in high regard but then in their writing they just go around giving people magic and shit and ignoring the end of the movie entirely like are you canon compliant or nah
the writing doesnt even read like beetlejuice fanfic it reads as self indulgent fiction you could easily change the names and its just a bad fanfic from 2007
also can we talk about writing the lesbian character as an angry man hater like its 2020 dude and als olets touch on that girl on girl pandering while beetlejuice is just there like here we go fetishizing again wee
i cant find a way to work this into this already massive post but
im going to throw up
okay so thats a lot we have covered a lot today and im sure my ask box will regret it but this definitely should have been more picked apart when it happened
please feel free to add more to this i would love more perspectives than just my own.
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Help I’m being harassed by the #1 sexeist man! Review
Sorry I had this mostly finished on the backburner for awhile but Soulless grabbed my attention pretty hard. BUT NOW THIS IS FINISHED! I hope you enjoy!
Summarize
So the story is as follows…Takato is an actor who was voted Japan’s sexiest man for a few years in a row. However his title is usurped by this dude named Junta that he’s working on a new movie with. Takato is salty about this but is professional about it and just kinda harbors secret bitter feelings. He is polite to and gives advice to Junta when asked. Junta invites him out to drinks, Takato doesn’t want to but everyone within a 5 mile radius swoops in to pressure him into it so he caves.
GOD WHY IS THAT A THING? That for sure happened in Love Stage and I’m sure I’ve seen that trope elsewhere. Where not just a 3rd party will pressure a reluctant uke but like a fucking horde of strangers with nothing to gain from it just crawl out from under the fucking floor boards like little hack-handy roaches to advance this shitty plot.
ANYWAY!
Junta gets Takato drunk, films embarrassing stuff that he threatens to blackmail him with, and a fucking horror scene of a rape ensues. Like, not dissimilar from Junjou in the fact that the atmosphere is drawn as oppressive, the uke is riddled with very palatable fear, the seme wears crazed expressions, and behaves violently. Hell, Takato manages to shove him off and tries to lock himself in the bathroom for his own safety but Junta rips the door off its fucking hinges. Takato PLEADS like BEGS for him not to but he is violently raped against the wall while Takato cries saying OUT LOUD that THIS IS RAPE! Afterwards he’s crying and shaking, talking out loud about how he’s frightened if others find out and feeling humiliated.
Junta picks him up and is like, “Man I guess I got carried away, but like REAL TALK I have a crush on you. The rape was kinda bad I guess, but it’s not my fault cause I literally cannot control any of my actions. I can prove I like you by having gentle sex with you in the bed.”
Takato agrees to this.
I BEG YOUR FUCKING PARDON?!
The implication here is that Junta just looked SO SWEET! But like also it wasn’t gentle sex at all and Junta is going to continue to blackmail him. HAR HAR!
Like here is a hot fucking take authors and fans of this particular type of garbage… that kind of writing does not make this more consensual and okay.
Like if you threw a dude in a pit full of scorpions, and he is being stung by a thousand stingers and the poison is slowly and painfully shutting down all of his bodily functions and it’s all really gruesome…but then someone asks if he wants to be saved and the dude in the pit goes from screaming in agony to saying, “Actually I like it down here.”
Does that mean being pushed into that pit, and what he went through in that pit is okay? NO
What does him suddenly wanting to marry all of those 1000 scorpions mean?
IT MEANS YOU’RE A FUCKING HACK WRITER WILLFULLY CONTRIBUTING TO RAPE CULTURE FOR A QUICK BUCK YOU HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
Like you can have your stories where a rapist is redeemed from his awful actions, but more often than not I see these fucking outrageous hairpin fucking turns in writing.
I mean, Junta does apologize? Which is better than some semes but honestly I’d rather him not even bother because he’s not sincere. He apologizes all the time for the sex acts he puts Takato through but goes on to blackmail him, hurts him, abducts him, and threatens him to his face with more rape. LIKE NOT EXACTLY FEELING AS IF YOU TOTES CARE ABOUT HOW HE FEELS ABOUT ALL THIS, BOYO!
The next chapter while they’re being filmed for the show Takato throws him against the wall and hijacks the dialog to make it sound sexually threatening. Takato IN HIS MIND ADMITS “DAMN HE’S ACTUALLY USING ENOUGH FORCE TO HURT ME!!!!” So after this shot, Takato gives Junta some advice and makes no shit, this fucking face…
And that…face, (improperly attached to what I presume is a series of straws coated in plaster masquerading as a neck) gives Junta that GOTTA RAPE NOW BONER!
So that’s what happens, he just violently drags off a kicking and screaming Takato in the middle of shooting and no one bats a fucking eye. SEEMS LEGIT! What’s baffling to me is they don’t even draw a sex scene for this.
MY BRO, WHAT IS EVEN THE FUCKING POINT THAN OF ALL THESE RAPE SCENERIOS IF THERE AREN’T HIDEOUS MELTING FACES AND WACKY INFLATABLE TUBE MAN BODIES TO GO WITH IT!?
But afterwards Junta says the classic creepy shit, “Give up already and become mine. I have no intention of giving you to someone else.” WE KNOW THE DRILL!
Takato looks up at Junta and goes, “Yeah guess I love this dude.”
AND LIKE FOR WHAT? FOR HUH? WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!?!!??!?!?!?!?
But also, are you fucking joking here? Like I’m not into the 10 volumes of “Am I gay or not?” bullshit we get in yaoi. But, depending on the pace and characterization, there’s nothing wrong with dragging out the love being 100% mutual. Here’s it’s in chapter fucking 2. Even Junjou went at a slower pace than that. When I read that I couldn’t help feeling like, “WELL WHAT’S THE CONFLICT IN THE NEXT 3 AND A HALF VOLUMES GOING TO BE?”
Which, admittedly is unfair, there can be lots of relationship conflict outside of mutually expressed love…However for a rapist/tsundere dynamic? That’s usually at least 75% of the conflict. But oh, maybe this means we’re going to get different kinds of drama! So even while it’s not good, we’re going to get something different!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
It’s utter NOT-CONFLICT is what we end up with. 3 different chapters are, “I haven’t seen much of him, that must mean he’s bored of me. Wah! Oh it turns out he was just busy. Oh that’s good.” PAGING FUCKING JUNJOU WITH THAT SUPER FUN, ENGAGING, AND INTERESTING CONFLICT HARDY FUCKING HAR!
Then we take a hard right into sorta worst rapist territory. What do you mean by SORTA worst rapist Faps?
Well……
There’s a new actor Takato is working with and this new actor, and the new actor’s coding as a bad guy is about as subtle as a punch to the mouth. So new actor gets Takato drunk enough for him to pass out, gives him a hickey and ????????????
2 things happen in these situations in yaoi typically
1.) SOMEHOW the seme MAGICS his way there beats up the worst rapist
2.) This happens after the uke and seme have a fight. So uke realizes how mean he was for not being 100% down with all the seme’s shitty behavior cause there is a worst rapist out there. He runs crying to the seme apologizing and conflict solved.
We sorta get the 2nd here…but not in a straight-forward way. For one there is no fight beforehand to set up any kind of relationship development. What happens is that Takato wakes up mortified at the possibility he was raped while he was asleep. He staggers around both in denial and utter shame. Seme shows up and like only adds to this panic by yanking him around, forcefully washing his body, and screaming that his SLUTTY, SLUTTY FACE MANIPULATES MEN into raping him. The seme tells him that they don’t have to have sex. Which good, but I mean the scene is not framed as if Takato is doing this out of kindness but almost as a dare. The implication being if Takato doesn’t consent that he is the OTHER MAN’S BOY NOW and they should just break up. So there is implicit pressure there, but he does seem to initial consent. Yet during the sex Takato internally cries about how much he hates it because his boyfriend is hate fucking him but he can’t say NO because than his boyfriend will hate him more.
LIKE FUCKING BIG YIKES MY FRIEND! IT’S SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE!
Which like, I could see a post-assault sex scene full of the emotional intensity of the anger, guilt, shame, fear all intermingling within both of them working well. (Not that post assault consensual sex is much of a thing.) That they’re trying not to think of what Takato went through but it’s eating at both of them. THAT COULD BE A REALLY INTENSE, WELL DONE SCENE! However this is framed like seme ~taking back what’s his~ in a really cold, pissed-off way that’s AT BEST really insensitive to what the uke just went through and his current emotional state. While Takato ~letting him~ cause he’s afraid his bf hates him for getting raped by someone not him. Junta also disappears without a word, making Takato fear that YEP HIS BF DON’T WANT HIM CAUSE HE’S DAMAGED GOODS NOW!
But who has to apologize? THE UKE!
Also it turns out Takato was not raped cause worst rapist couldn’t get it up after Takato said his bf’s name in his sleep. This is framed as better not cause of what the uke went through, but he didn’t really CHEAT so Junta can forgive him.
LIKE REALLY MY DUDE? YOU STARTED THIS OFF WRITTEN TAKATO MORE REALISTICALLY DEALING WITH THE DENIAL, DISGUST, AND SHAME OF ASSUALT AND INSTEAD JUST DEGRADED INTO THE SAME VICTIM-BLAMING HORSESHIT! GET FUCKED!
So the resolution is that the relationship is fixed and Junta threatens and blackmails the rapist. Which, I’m glad he didn’t get off scot-free but those interactions felt less like protecting the safety of Takato and more like, HE’S MY PROPERTY NO TOUCHY!
So from here we take a big turn.
Most of the 3rd volume is a big back-track to the beginning of their relationship before it was romantic or sexual. And boy howdy it feels like a retcon for the fuck awful pace of the 1st volume.
Basically it’s about how Junta became obsessed with Takato while working on a movie cause idk he’s pretty and he accidently heard Takato say something shitty about him once. While I wouldn’t call this good the fact that they actually let this blooming of affection take place makes it the best chapters so far.
Like at the end Junta resolves himself to let his feelings be known and to start a romantic relationship with Takato. Without the context, that felt like almost sweet? That he’s accepted his gay feelings and wants to share his life with Takato. However if you REMEMBER THE CONEXT it means that Junta planned to drug, blackmail, and rape Takato WHICH YANNO REALLY TAKES A SHIT ON YOUR CUTE LITTLE FEATHERS BLOWING IN A BREEZE TO GO WITH HIS CUTSY MONOLOG YOU SHIT-SUCKER!
But lordy the next chapter comes along which is a retelling of this prequel from Takato perspective. The only saving grace here is that it’s not nearly as long as Junta’s. Basically Takato realizes that Junta is OUT for him, and has a fucking frightened panic attack in his car afterwards. He’s literally shaking and monologing about how scary the situation and Junta are. And this isn’t me even inferring words in Takato’s head, he repeats scary over and over. Takato even decides to over book himself so he’ll have fewer chances to interact with Junta. So he does the classic ~pass-out from overwork~ thing so Junta can save him and from here we immediately transition to,
Oh now it’s modern day and they’re banging…..okay????? VOLUME ENDS
The next plot point comes down to this:
Paparazzi are OUT TO GET THEM! There is a photo leaked that isn’t really suggestive at all and Takato pretty much loses his job for it. However Takato finds out there is a much more damning picture of him and Junta, so he decides to break up with Junta, and like…just literally do whatever the paparazzi wants in order to protect Junta. But like, what’s the point of hiding it from Junta? And if this dude is going to blackmail you, what are you going to do to make sure their demands end or don’t get to the point that they’re unfeasible to continue giving in to them?
HAHA OH WELL!
Takato doesn’t even get to see the paparazzi again, his producer finds out and sexually assaults him to PROVE A POINT!
AND BOY HOWDY I’M WAY INTO THAT TROPE! LOOKING AT YOU OURAN HOST CLUB!
Cause HAHA nobody could literally want anything out of a wealthy, well-connected actor other than gay rape amirite?
Meanwhile Junta is cultivating a rumor that he’s having an affair with an actress. Cause of fucking course Junta figured that the only reason his boyfriend (whom is often upset at how shitty he gets treated by him) is an elaborate ploy to protect him from the paparazzi. But you know OF COURSE we see the actress and Junta flirting a bunch to stir the pot in a private setting but like…they only need to be seen on an outside date once. This means that he’s fucking lying if he says that he only did it to SAVE BOTH OF THEM FROM THE PAPARAZZI. He was getting a kick out of it, which I think you could argue that he was being unfaithful or in the very least being a fucking dick about it.
But, Junta goes on TV and says that he’s not having an affair with the actress or with Takato but he is moving in with Takato.
Yeah nothing dispels rumors of an intimate relationship like the announcement that they’re MOVING IN TOGETHER! Now, as I understand it, the housing market is very different in Japan from the west and therefore it’s less of a huge TELL of an intimate relationship if two people move in together. But even if that’s the case, saying you’re moving in with someone you’re accused of having an affair with…is not helping my friend.
However it is phrased this way, and immediately the entirety of the media believes this whole-heartedly, and the paparazzi guy (despite having a much more damning picture he hasn’t released) is like, “Wowzers he’s so smart, he has BEAT ME! I’m giving up being paparazzi. That man CHANGED MY LIFE FOR THE BETTER! HOW COULD I EVER THANK HIM!?” Even the fucking company that hired this paparazzi guy is like, “WELL I’M TAKING MY BUSINESS IN A NEW BETTER DIRECTION! THAT JUNTA GUY SURE, SHOWED ME!!!!”
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING!? You might as well have every criminal in Japan throw their hands up going, “WELL GOLLY! DID YOU SEE HOW GREAT THE ACTUAL RAPIST AND ABUSER JUNTA IS? BEST NEVER DO A BAD THING EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
GO EAT EVERY DICK!!!!
That’s pretty much the end up to this point. I mean, there are some odds and ends chapters here and there but they’re pretty much excuses for sex chapters. And like, even though those are pretty rapey, I kinda respect them more than when you attempts to interject some semblance of relationship drama, cause holy hell that paparazzi shit ugh.
Though if you’ll allow a side rant from me about how the story treats sexual assault. According to the author it comes in a lot of flavors and most of them are awful.
For one: if it’s a hunky guy who loves you: Rape is great.
For two: if it’s a hunky guy but you already have a rapist errr boyfriend: You’re cheating.
For three: if you’re being obnoxiously sexually harassed by your superior….BUT YOUR PRODUCER IS AN OLDER EFFEMINATE GAY MAN: It’s hilarious and harmless and helps cement your Marty-stuness.
For four: if a woman is being groomed by a superior: It’s a bad thing that should be stopped.
3 and 4 happen within the same chapter but the author is so oblivious at the hypocrisy of the framing it’s absurd.
Story
Okay so the story is a mess. The relationship progression goes way too fast for it to make sense, and negates a lot of the drama you could have had. It’s possible that the editors wanted sex ASAP for some kinda quota, and that’s not necessarily bad. But it really burns my biscuits when people think, “Oh that means lead with rape and that they’ll be in mutual love by chapter 2.”
Sure most tsundere stories have a bit more lead up until the uke can confess he likes the seme back but this is not the right way to break that mold. The hairpin turn makes no sense and neuters a lot of potential conflict.
It puts the comic in a pacing hole to start and the rest of the story does little to mitigate this. I think there was an attempt to rectify this by going back to the story BEFORE they were a couple. However that was horrible botched as well. It brings the pacing to a screeching halt with a volume of Junta being like “OH NO HE’S HOTTTTTTTTTTT” despite the time devoted they do very little to give them an actual relationship or investment in his personality. It’s all a one-sided pining boner for hideous wiggle mouth.
The content of the writing is just embarrassing too. I can be a more forgiving in the sex-excuse side chapters. But like there’s a side chapter when Junta is magiked into a child and for like what? So we can coo, that the author drawing a small snowman with a poorly defined face and pretending it’s a child is super adorable?
So we can excuse the shitty way Junta behaves? Is anybody weirded out that 3 year old Junta is more thoughtful and respectful than his adult-self? YOU CAN’T EVEN WRITE HOW CHILDREN BEHAVE YOU STUPID SIMP! UGH!!!!
But also the arc on the paparazzi just ended in a total train-wreck of awful writing no question.
Sexual politics:
They’re fucking atrocious here.
1.) The first scene is framed as a brutal rape but 30 seconds later its fine and they’re in love.
2.) The handling of the ~worst rapist~ trope with big buckets of victim blaming and as if Takato was ~cheating~ is horrendous.
3.) The worst rapist is also a sex worker. So we’re framing sex workers as bad people and sex work as a bad thing. BUT GOLLY KEEP DRAWING GRAPHIC SEX SCENCES!
4.) The sexually predator producer of Junta being framed as harmless cause he’s effeminate is god fucking awful. It’s also this bizarre homophobic double standard that this man (and by extension his gay brother) are a joke because they behave stereotypically gay and aren’t ashamed of being effeminate. MEN ARE ONLY HOT IF THEY ACT LIKE PREDATORS IN A MANLY WAY, OR ARE ASHAMED OF ANY SEXUAL SUBMISSIVE OR EFFEMINATE TRAITS THEY HAVE! I LOVE WATCHING MAN ON MAN SEX BUT SO HELP ME GOD IF THEY’RE ~GAY ABOUT IT!~
5.) They ~sorta~ take sexual harassment seriously when a female actor is being groomed. Like they joke about it but also DO SOMETHING TO STOP IT really fucking muddles what we’re supposed to think about sexual abuse at all here.
6.) Takato’s producer sexually assaults him to ~prove a point~ that Takato is putting himself in situations where rape COULD happen. The fuck is this horseshit! “These men could do the very bad thing of raping you. Let me demonstrate what that bad thing looks like cause I’m sure you’re UNAWARE!” THE FUCK!? Also this sexual assault is framed more seriously than Junta’s producer because this producer is coded as MORE ATTRACTIVE and less openly QUEER! ONCE AGAIN I EXCLAIM! THE FUCK!?
7.) Takato OPENLY describes Junta as scary and calls his acts stalking, kidnapping, bullying, blackmail, threats, and rape. He also tries to actively avoid his boyfriend at times, yet are we not to take ANY of this seriously? Are we not to take this seriously cause this behavior is acceptable when the one dolling it out is attractive and charming? Are we not to take it seriously because we can’t except Takato to be honest about how he feels about any of this? I don’t believe in given a blanket free-pass when Takato doesn’t consistently express desire in Junta’s abusive tendencies. Like maybe you can argue some of the sex is consensual but can you argue that Takato is into the blackmail, when he never mentions he likes it? Can you argue he’s into the non-stop attention when he SOMETIMES BEGRUDINGLY admits he enjoys it? If so does just that get a blanket pass?
JUST UGH! YOU’VE GUYS HAVE PROBABLY HEARD THIS RANT FROM ME BEFORE I FUCKING HATE TSUNDERE SEXUAL POLITICS!
Characters
Takato
Okay so Takato. What’s this dude’s deal?
Okay let’s start with some boring basics: He’s a hard-working actor who strives to be professional. He’s a perfectionist, who seems to easily and joyfully take on the role of mentor/protector. He does seem to take himself too seriously at times. He appears to subtly prod at people who have wronged him or others rather than confront them directly. He’s also shown to be a tsundere with a submissive streak.
There’s nothing bad on its face about this characterization. However Takato is described as an intelligent professional actor, with years of experience. Yet his handling of the paparazzi thing is pretty much he goes to shit and opens him up to more rape cause lol hot. I could maybe understand this characterization if the paparazzi thing really hit Takato on a personal level and he made some irrational choices due to feeling as if he was being attacked or that he was going to permanently lose his job.
However he is shown as calm, as he’s making these choices and openly states that he will gladly give up a career he worked so hard for if it would save Junta’s career. Did he not, even for a second consider he could save both of them? This is not consistent with his characterization and it exists to put Junta on a pedestal he does not deserve.
SPEAKING OF…
Junta
So…this fucking guy. Junta is a young up and coming actor with early success. He’s shown to be an impulsive, passionate person who relies heavily on an ~angelic charm.~ He has no shame in using calculated, underhanded methods in order to achieve his goals. He is shown as impatient, has a temper, and is openly disrespectful to his partner.
Yet the world fawns over him with praise for how attractive, charming, and ~resourceful~ he is. He is described as having a few low wage jobs out of high school and therefore he’s an expert in EVERYTHING FOREVER!
I believe they were trying to humorously contrast Junta having a sweet, innocent angelic charm, with the reality of him being an aggressive a-hole. However they do not frame the aggressive a-hole side of him as bad but rather as HOT. Like I GET THAT on some level but since he’s a manipulative, abusive, rapist, it just reminds me of all the REAL LIFE INDIVIDUALS who put on a good face for the public but to their partner they’re monsters.
Art
I legit hate this fucking art. Like straight up and down, I have a hard time even reading it on a visual level. Like the anatomy is OKAY and the backgrounds are OKAY but a lot of it is less than okay. The worst culprits are the character designs, the necks, and the expressions.
I am so done with mediocre artists churning out, not only same-faced characters compared to their own art, but characters that are basically same-faced compared to the main-stream. The only thing unique here is that Junta has dark hair underneath his lighter brown hair. OH GOLLY! It’s so fucking bland and Junta’s got best seme in the Chil Chil awards and I’m so salty about that I could give the dead sea a run for its money. UGH!
The necks are super long, thin, twisty, sharp angels, and with her sad attempts at tendons it looks as if they’re constantly tense. And in worst case scenarios they don’t look as if they’re attached to even half of the chin. Yeesh!
The expressions…fucking lord. In the best of times, the facial spacing is just bad, with eyes and mouths off center, and ears too low. The author has no concept of how lips/faces work so all the kisses are REAL BAD. It’s either just like…triangles smashed at each other, no lips involved, or they’re like 1 foot apart layering their tongues on each other like they’re building a fucking sandwich.
The worst of times is Takato’s sex faces. THEY MAKE ME WANT TO VOMIT-SCREAM!
Basically he squints and his eyes get so watery it looks as if they replaced his eyeballs with just well…water. You can’t make out pupils, irises, NOTHING! But the mouths are the pinnacle of puke-inducing. They’re these enormous squigglies with no rhyme or reason, just oozing saliva like a breach in a dam. At best they’re cartoonish in an unerotic way. THESE SQUIGGLES! I CAN’T STAND THEM! YUCK!
TL;DR
Poorly drawn and written Rapist/Tsundere garbage. While it doesn’t hit EVERY little overplayed trope, it’s still pretty cliché. Just, it’s similar and up there with Junjou in the shitty department if you ask me.
#Dakaretai Otoko Ichii ni Odosarete Imasu#Help I’m being harassed by the 1 sexeist man!#review#comic critique saturday
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brutality runs in our blood
A/N: This is a secret santa present for @nekoumyu! Merry Christmas, dear and I hope you enjoy this! ( @bkdksecretsanta )
Read it on AO3 and Fanfiction.
“Deku.”
Bakugou’s voice and the feel of his hands sliding under his shirt pulls Izuku from the haze of sleep. Still groggy from morphine, the throbbing in his arms and legs momentarily dulled, Izuku mumbles a token protest as he’s shifted onto his side, and then the heat of Bakugou’s body is warming his back. One of his muscular arms wraps around Izuku’s waist, tucking him close.
Spooned with him, the biceps of his other arm hard beneath his freckled cheek, Izuku slides back into blissful unconsciousness.
When Izuku wakes again, it feels like days later. He lies on their shared sleigh bed with his eyes closed for long minutes, soaking in the reassuring warmth of Bakugou’s body and breathing in the air that smells of him – blood, ashes and the spicy scent of his skin – an eclectic mix that Izuku’s come to associate with his Kacchan. After a while, Izuku decides that he’s gotten enough rest; the combined exhaustion and pain from getting shot in all four limbs had taken their toll, and sleeping longer would only throw off his body clock even more.
“Kacchan?” Izuku mumbles, sleep roughening his voice. His mind feels clouded with fog, which he chalks up to the effect of the morphine flowing through his veins. “That you?”
“No, it’s hair for brains.” Bakugou grumbles, but his retort lacks its usual bite. Bakugou buries his face in Izuku’s hair, inhaling the sweet smell of his shampoo. “Yeah, it’s me. Who else would it be?”
Izuku huffs out a weak laugh. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
Bakugou growls, attacks his neck with tickling nips and kisses that draws a rusty-sounding laugh out of Izuku. It feels good to laugh, even if for just a little while. “You look like shit, by the way. The fuck happened to you?”
Izuku’s known Bakugou for a long time, long enough to pick up the underlying nuances in his voice, try as he might to hide them. Bakugou knows what happened at USJ, but wants to hear it from him. And so, after wrapping his arms over Bakugou’s and snuggling into him, Izuku tells him.
“Everything was going so well, but those damned pros showed up,” Izuku finishes bitterly. “They got Nomu, and all I got for my trouble was a body full of bullets.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there. It won’t happen again.” That’s enough to pull Izuku up short. Bakugou never apologizes; the fact that he wasn’t there for the attack at USJ must be tearing him up more than Izuku’s realised. His fingers draw gentle circles across Izuku’s stomach, caressing him through the silk of his shirt. “If it makes you feel any better, I took care of him.”
Izuku twists around to look at Bakugou. A slow smile spreads across his face. “You didn’t.”
“I did.” Bakugou’s answering smile is sharp and feral. “Left it with the Black Mist.”
“That does make me feel better.” Something new to add to his collection of heroes. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you.”
Izuku looks toward the windows and sees that night has fallen. “What time is it?”
“A little after eight.”
“What time did you get in?”
“Half past six.”
Izuku wriggles around to face him. “Early for you, hmm?”
“You were shot.” Bakugou says gruffly, refusing to answer the unspoken question.
But Izuku can easily draw his own conclusions.
“You were worried, Kacchan.” Izuku gloats, his voice glowing with triumph. “Come on now, don’t be shy. Admit it.”
Bakugou glares, but doesn’t deny it. Izuku one, Kacchan zero. “Yaoi Hands needs you at the hideout in an hour.”
“Great.”
He’s always found meeting new people to be fun. On days when Izuku is feeling particularly sadistic, he’ll casually drag out their deepest, darkest secrets, hit them in the place where it hurts the most. Watching how their faces pale when Izuku hits them with knowledge that he shouldn’t have access to is always entertaining and never fails to fill him with a vindictive pleasure, the joy of plucking wings off a helpless butterfly.
But not today when he feels like death warmed up.
“Bad news?”
“New kids to babysit.” Izuku drawls out lazily, dropping a quick kiss onto Bakugou’s mouth. “Play nice with them, won’t you, Kacchan?”
An hour later, Izuku finds himself perched atop a bar stool, his notebooks and two pinkish-coloured iced drinks in square tumblers splayed out on the shiny bar table in front of him. Bakugou settles on the seat beside Izuku, his arm draped behind Izuku so that his fingertips can brush casually and possessively up and down his arm.
One hot shower and a change of bandages later and Izuku feels almost human again. It might also have something to do with the hefty dose of Tylenol currently swimming through his system.
“Knock knock!” Itsuka opens the door with a flourish and a cloud of scent that smells like the inside of a bakery. Something sweet, with a hint of vanilla. She’s smiling, her pale, freckled face glowing against her halo of orange hair. Izuku takes that as a good sign. “I’ve brought the new recruits!”
After a cursory glance at the new additions – a glance more like a glower which is returned with equal coolness – Bakugou has turned his attention back to his own drink with calculated nonchalance, but Izuku knows that he’s studying the two intently – checking for clues, answers, unspoken things that night be useful to them.
The girl – Uraraka Ochako, Izuku’s mind supplies helpfully – has a heart-shaped face, with a clear, porcelain complexion, a strong chin, straight brows, and peach-blushed cheeks. Her eyes are caramel and match her hair perfectly. She’s dressed in a UA uniform ( how interesting, Izuku thinks ), but her girlish and innocent appearance belies the mania dancing in her eyes and the powers at the edges of her fingertips.
Her introduction is short and to the point – “I’m here ‘cause I need money. I wanna give my parents a better life.”
Fine. Cash in exchange for information. It’s not an unusual arrangement; Izuku can work with this. It’ll be useful to have a spy in UA, keeping tabs on the movements of the Pro Heroes. Easier to plan for the next surprise they have in store. Izuku nods because she seems to be waiting for a reaction.
The other one is far harder to read.
The boy – it’s frustrating to admit, but Izuku virtually has no information on him – is tall, a good foot of sturdy height on Izuku. A scar mars the otherwise paleness of his skin. Mismatched eyes of blue and brown, filled with the darkness and hatred that Izuku’s come to expect from a boy who’s spent all his life thriving in the dark. He lingers by the door, his hands shoved into his pockets.
His introduction is just as direct. “Shouto.”
Izuku raises an eyebrow. “Not very talkative, hmm?”
Shouto doesn’t reply.
“He’s pissing me off,” Bakugou announces, loud and grating as he tosses half his drink back in one go. “Shitty Half and Half.”
The temperature in the room drops.
Shouto’s eyes are narrowed into thin, angry slits, the only other outward sign of his displeasure . . . Is this what it takes to get genuine emotion out of him? How interesting. He files that knowledge away for later. Izuku slips his hand into Bakugou’s before the ash blond can explode and digs his nails into Bakugou’s palm. Hard.
“Now, now, Kacchan!” Izuku chirps, trying to diffuse the tension that settles over the room like a shroud. His tone is friendly, his eyes anything but. “What did I say about playing nice with others?”
Izuku’s message is clear – continue acting up and receive a lecture later, or suck it up and escape punishment. Bakugou gnashes his teeth together, but settles for glaring at Shouto, as though trying to kill him with the force of his gaze.
How childish, Izuku thinks fondly.
He knows the best way to calm Bakugou down, though.
Leaning over, Izuku kisses him. Bakugou’s mouth is cold and flavoured with alcohol-laced cranberry. Delicious. Izuku shoves a hand into ash blond hair and clenched it tight, holding him still so that he can't turn away. He bites the tongue that Bakugou thrusts aggressively into his mouth, then his lower lip, tasting blood.
He’s the first to pull away with a sigh.
Bakugou follows, nuzzling the side of Izuku’s face, his lips brushing over his ear. Bakugou’s breathing hard, too, and the sound of the ice in his tumbler clinking against the glass skitters across Izuku’s inflamed senses.
Panting, his stomach clenching in anticipation for what will inevitably happen later, Izuku breaths out a taunting, “Be good, Kacchan.”
It elicits an animalistic growl from Bakugou, and Izuku bubbles out a laugh, amused despite himself.
Itsuka clears her throat.
“Well?” She asks brightly, as if she hadn’t just seen that very public display of affection. Mentally, Izuku tells himself to give her a raise. She deserves it. “How ‘bout it, boss?”
Izuku smiles. It is not kind. It is one of jagged edges, of bared teeth and sharpened claws. “Welcome to the League of Villains.”
#bakudeku#bakudeku fanfic#fanfiction#katsudeku#bnha#nekoumyu#bkdksecretsanta#TELL US A STORY OF WHAT WE ONCE KNEW | my fanfiction
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Again (Sitting five. 2031 words.)
An awkward silence passed through the hallway for what felt like hours.
“Um,” Casper started, “so I–” “I don’t believe this!” The girl yelled out.
“This is the guy you were telling me about?” Gary the security guard asked.
“Yes! He’s the one! He knocked my new stash over when I was walking out of the store and saw the middle fold with my husbandos!”
“Your…what?”
“Her husbandos, man!” Gary slammed two open palms against his desk as he stood. “The very essence of this young girl’s love has been violated by your intrusive and peering eyes.” “Her love? Are those guys in the magazines drawn versions of real people?” “They’re called doujins!” Ash cried back, “and no,they’re not ‘real people!’ I’m not interested in three dimensional, pig disgusting men!” Casper blinked. What the fuck was she talking about? Did people like this actually exist? “Am…Am I being pranked?” He asked hopelessly.
“A normie like you wouldn’t understand.” “Tell her, girl!” the security egged her on while he pumped a fist into the air. Casper raised his hand in front of him in protest before things got out of hand.
“Hold on. If I’m a 'normie,’ then what are you?”
“I’m a N.E.E.T.!” She answered triumphantly.
“A…what?” “A N.E.E.T.! You know, No Experience, Education, or Training.” “Oh. So you’re a weeaboo loser.” Both Ashwini and Gary winced, as if Casper had thrown a punch to their arm. “…Are you the same, mister security guard?” Gary only nodded.
“Th-that’s a damn rude way of putting it!” Ash yelled.
“Yeah, bro. That was a hella low blow!”
“You owe us an apology!” “Sorry,” Casper said simply.
“At least try and pretend that you mean it!” Casper sighed in his usual tired irritation as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He didn’t know what time he fell asleep last night, but the fact that it was on the roof while sitting on a folding chair did him no favors. His back was aching and it felt as if he hadn’t slept a wink. He wanted to lay down, far away from the loud chaos these two brought.
“I’m sorry,” Casper repeated.
“Is that all you have to say for–” “Do you want me to fucking bow?!” he snapped. Casper’s sudden comment caused the girl to wince again, but this was far different from last time. Back then she had almost taken it as a joke, as if a friend were teasing her. Now her shocked stance held anxious fear. Casper could see Gary’s body language was different as well. He was leaned forward, ready to dart out of his chair at a moment’s notice. “I-I’m sorry.” Casper ran his fingers through his hair nervously. They landed at the back of his neck where he rubbed his hand against it. “I’m tired. And I haven’t slept well the past few days. I’ve only been awake for a few minutes and haven’t fully settled in yet. I haven’t even been here a full day, after all. I’m…I’m not usually like that. You see, I have…” Casper trailed off. He wasn’t about to tell them he had insomnia. He wasn’t going to let himself use it as an excuse for his shitty behavior. “…Nevermind. Can I sign those papers? I’ll get out of your hair after.” Gary eased himself back into his chair and pulled three documents from his drawer.
“Sign down here, at the bottom of the pages,” he said. Casper nodded as he pulled the papers from the open slot on the bottom of the glass. “Hold on, I’ll grab you a pen.”
“I got one,” Casper told him. He always had a pen and a small sketchpad on him. Both were tiny in comparison to their normal counterparts, but they worked whenever inspiration struck him. He clicked the top of the small pen and scribbled his signature on the papers, one after the other.
“I’ll get these to Chandra. Thanks.” Casper nodded.
“Sorry again. I…just need time.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Though Gary’s words were forgiving, his tone was not. Dear diary: day two and I’ve already fucked up and burned a bridge.
“Um. Casper?” Ash asked. Make that two bridges. And to top it off, she was the daughter of the landlord. Great going, Casp. “About your pen…” Casper held his pen out. He had gotten so used to it, he had forgotten it was a pen made for a convention he had attended last year. He had his own table to sell merchandise, including the small pen which had various images of his characters from his comics.
“Oh,” he yawned, “these guys are from a webcomic.” “Animals Deluxe! I knew it! Do you read it?!” He blinked. Maybe he could use this to win back some points he had lost from his outburst earlier.
“I’m the creator,” he said. It was rare he got to meet anyone in the real world who knew of his work, but in the span of 24 hours he had encountered three people who knew of his comic.
“Bullshit!” Ash and Gary said at the same time.
“Do you read it too?” Casper asked Gary.
“Never heard of it, but that sounds like a lie.”
“Okay,” Casper pulled out his phone and opened his pictures before showing the screen the to both of them. “This is me at my table during Emerald City Expo. This same picture was featured on my site for a while too.” The picture was a simple one where he and a male fan stood next to each other in front of a table filled with merchandise for his comic. They both smiled broadly and held their hands out in the peace sign. Casper’s eyes still had dark circles under them, even back then.
“No way!” Ash cried out. “That’s awesome! Have you thought about incorporating a more Eastern style into your artwork?” “…You know, it’s always nice to meet a fan, but I think that’s the first time someone’s suggested something like that right out of the gate.”
“I just think the animals would look better in a chibi style.” Casper brought a hand under his chin.
“I did that once for some stickers, actually. It wasn’t too bad but I wouldn’t want to incorporate it entirely into my comic. The sudden shift would be strange as well.” He rubbed his eyes. “Listen, I’m gonna try and get some sleep. I feel like I haven’t gotten any all night.”
“Wait up a sec, before you go, can I show you something?”
An elevator ride and a short walk later found Casper in front of Ash’s apartment door.
“Should I be worried?” He asked. “Why?” She taunted, “Don’t tell me you’ve never been in a girl’s room before?”
“This feels like the start of a horror movie. Like the room is going to be covered in plastic wrap from carpet to ceiling, Dexter style. Then I wander in, confused and Gary jumps out from behind the sofa with a baseball bat with nails in it, swinging at me. Then you two eat my body and bleach out any blood that got on the wrapping and furniture.” Ash stared at Casper, shocked.
“Wh…what kind of comics do you draw again?”
“I had a phase where I wanted to work with more thrilling genres.”
“You uh, have the imagination for it. I think.” Ash opened the door to her apartment, but the inside was mostly dark, causing Casper to take a step back.
“Holy shit, you really are going to kill me!”
“That’s right! Stabby stabby!” Ash jabbed Casper in the back with her index and middle finger which made him yell out in a high pitched, hollow cry as he jumped against the wall next to the door, completely caught off guard. It wasn’t until he heard Ash laughing did he finally calm down. She had bent over, holding on to her knees for support. “I’m sorry! I’ve never heard a guy make a noise like that before!”
“I’m going to bed,” Casper huffed as he turned around.
“No wait come back!” She grabbed his shoulder just before he started to walk away. “There really is something I want to show you! Come on! Pleeeeaaaaase?” The face Ash was giving him reminded him of his sister’s best friend.
“Fine, fine. What is it?” “A surprise. Come on in. Lemme turn on the lights.” The beige walls were plastered with various posters of different animated shows and movies. A large TV sat on a table opposite the door, with a tall shelf showcasing various different anime figures, most of which were women with different hair colors and large robots. Casper pointed to the largest poster he could see. It showed a red headed girl in a black bikini sitting on the arm of a large mech with a younger boy standing above her.
“I’m noticing the pattern that most of these women aren’t wearing a lot of clothing.”
“Yeah don’t worry about that. Come on, it’s in my bedroom.” Casper raised an eyebrow, remembering the 'yaoi husbando’ nonsense he had experienced downstairs.
“…What kind of anime are you into again?”
“Don’t be weird, come on.” He wanted to turn around and run back to his apartment. Just because she wasn’t going to kill him didn’t mean he was completely home free. He should have brought a witness, like Alex. He was weird as hell but wouldn’t let her try anything funny with him. Hell, he’d probably say anime was a Japanese propaganda tool laced with subliminal messages. Casper mentally shook his head and steeled himself as he followed the otaku to her room. It was definitely bigger than the master bedroom in his own apartment, and she had used the extra space to store her computer on one side of the room, her bed in the middle, and another television on the other wall. Just like the living room, the walls had posters all around, but they were less prominent here. The bed itself was surprisingly normal as well. Casper fully expected the bedspread to have images sewed into it as well, like children comforters did. Without an explanation, Ash had turned on the television and was fiddling with different on-screen menus.
“So what were you gonna show me?”
“Let me find it real quick, hang on.”
“Find it? You’re basically channel surfing. …Wait, did you bring me up her to make me watch anime?” “Uh-huh! There’s a series that’s similar to your comic that might help―Wait don’t leave!” Casper had turned around and was already making his way back to the living room.
“Look, I’m tired, alright? I have…sleeping issues.”
“Okay, I get that, but come on! Just one episode? Please?!” Casper sighed for what felt like the 50th time.
“Can I ask you something?” “Huh?” “Why aren’t you pissed at me? I acted really shitty to you and Gary down there. If it were me, I would have thrown a fit back.”
“Dude, look at this place,” Ash threw her arms open, showing off her living quarters, “Do you think this is normal? It’s like, dysfunctional or something. I can’t just walk down the street and ask them what kind of hentai they’re into, you know? I never give off the best first impressions, so I can’t be mad if the guy that just moved here got irritated at the overbearing weeb.”
Casper laughed. “You really did make a crappy first impression back at the book store.” “The book―aw damn it I had forgotten about that. I pushed it out of my memory.” Tiredness forced Casper to rub his eyes again.
“So how long’s an episode, then?” “They’re split into two separate 10 minute stories per episode, so about 20ish if we skip the opening.” “Let’s skip the opening, then,” he told her as he sat against her bed.
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