#i just started reading the manga oof

[a-sad-rat]

EHAT THE FUCK SHE. SHE FUCKINF DIED

[no1ryomafan]

I’ve been thinking about this for awhile regarding kikaider stuff but after watching Mazinkaiser I had a realization with older anime IPs when it comes to adaptations even if it’s so obvious.

When we think of anime adaptations we tend to either see “they’re 100% faithful just a few scenes might get cut out for time, or the anime might expand on the manga a tad more” (the more recent stuff) or “they start by faithfully adapting the manga before it goes into a different direction and makes up its own story” (a trend usually seen in the 2000s) but I think older anime IPs strike a interesting middle ground of “they were already different from the manga yet are still adapting elements from it.”

An obvious examples is the getter ovas change details of the manga but new which is considered the “closest” to the manga is still super different-aging up the cast, how Michiru is very different, having musashi and Benkei be one dude, etc-I would say dynapro has a general trend of doing this even if they do try to adapt key moments, but I also thought about how kikaider did this with its first anime. Instead of being 1 to 1 to the manga it changed a lot of things, and it especially feels clear with the second anime they wanted you to have read the manga.

Of course this has its downsides if all the shows expect you to read the manga first as watching anime is easier for most people-though the reverse is true for others-but I do find this a lot cooler how the anime and mangas are different from the start yet share things that it feels encouraging to read and watch both of them rather then the whole of people going “watch this anime adaptation that’s mid until it gets mid then read the rest of the manga”.

[honnelander]

go fish!

so i fell in love with Sanji just like everyone else. i've never seen the one piece anime or read the manga so i'm solely going off of the live action. i had fun writing this and plan to make this a series of some sorts where it's a fem!reader x Sanji moments of awkwardness, fluff, and mutual pining because i love reading that stuff myself. if anyone has any suggestions or requests for this series please leave a comment or send me an ask!

WARNINGS: none

word count: 1.3k

pairing: opla!sanji x reader

summary: reader and Usopp are playing a card game when Sanji finds them. teasing ensues.

prequel part 2 part 3 part 4 masterlist

“Care for a refreshment, Madam?” a smooth, deep familiar voice asked to your left, breaking your concentration on the card game in front of you. 

“Hm?” you looked up from the cards in your hand and saw the Going Merry’s own chef looking down at you with a crooked, charming smile as he held a chilled glass bottle of water in his hand. “Oh, hey Sanji,” you greeted quickly with your usual smile as you looked back down at your hand. “What’d you say? Go fish Usopp.” 

Your opponent across the barrel from you grumbled as he took the top card off the deck sitting between you both. 

“I was just asking if the lovely madam sitting here would like a nice, cold refreshment on this particularly hot day?” Sanji asked again with a hint of amusement, his crooked smile deepening as he watched you study your hand once again. 

“’Lovely madam’?” Usopp repeated sarcastically, his eyebrows pulling together. “What about offering her super buff, brave, and heroic opponent an ice-cold beverage instead?” 

“Nope,” Sanji corrected, popping the 'p'. “Ladies first Usopp. Always.” 

Even after knowing Sanji for a couple of months now, his consistent chivalry always managed to make your heart flutter.  

You laughed lightly and couldn’t help but smirk as you said with a matter-of-fact, teasing tone, “Just say you wish you were a girl, Usopp. No judgment here.” You paused for a moment before asking, “You got the five of spades?” 

“Now even though I would make an extremely attractive, gorgeous woman, I am a man through and through.” A grin broke out on Usopp’s face as he glanced at his hand and triumphantly called out, “Go fish, y/n.” 

“Fair enough,” you hummed as you reached for a card. “And yes Sanji, I would love a glass of cold water. Thank you.” You shot a quick look of gratitude the chef’s way as you took a card from the deck. 

Sanji placed the two glasses onto your makeshift barrell-table top he was holding in his left hand and started filling up the glasses with water. “Of course. Anything for the missus.” 

Missus. Ugh. It made your heart skip a beat to hear him call you that. But you knew he didn’t really mean anything by it. It was just how Sanji spoke, forever the gentleman. 

“Oof. If you keep sweet talking like that Sanji, you’re going to even make me blush, just like y/n,” Usopp joked. 

Your eyes widened as your eyes snapped to look at your dumbass crewmate and friend sitting across from you. “I- I am not blushing Usopp!” God, if you both were using a real table instead of a barrel right now you would’ve broken his shine with your foot. You really weren’t blushing before but Usopp’s stupid comment definitely made your cheeks heat up now. “It’s the heat,” you hissed.  

“’Heat’,” he mocked with air quotes and snorted. “Right.” 

“I-” before you could defend yourself, Sanji spoke up. 

“Actually,” the blonde chef chimed in with a light laugh as he filled the second glass, “that’s why I came over in the first place. You were looking a little flushed y/n, so I thought you guys could use a cold drink.” 

Sanji’s words caused both you and Usopp to look up from your cards simultaneously, making eye contact with each other. A mischievous grin started to form on Usopp’s face as he saw the blush deepen on your face. You quickly looked back to your hand, suddenly finding the eight of clovers card extremely interesting.  

Sanji saw you looking flushed? He saw you? From across the deck? From inside the kitchen’s window? He was watching you play cards? The thought of Sanji watching you when you didn’t expect him to made your stomach erupt in butterflies, and it certainly didn’t make your stupid little crush on him go away. Just the opposite. In fact, it just fueled your delusional fantasy even more.  

And it certainly didn’t help that the only person who knew about your crush on the head chef just so happened to have a big mouth and loved to tease you about it any chance he got. And that he was sitting right across from you right now, watching all of this unfold right in front of him. 

“Oh? So you were watching y/n and I play cards out here?” Usopp innocently asked his blonde crewmate, but you knew better. There wasn’t an ounce of true curiosity in his tone whatsoever. 

“Yeah, from the kitchen,” Sanji answered casually as he recapped the glass water bottle. 

“Usopp,” you warned. 

“And you said that she looked ‘flushed’?” Usopp asked, quirking a brow at the end of his question as he turned his gaze from you to Sanji. 

Sanji blinked in confusion, his eyebrows knitting together for a second before looking down at his crewmate. “Yeah...” he said slowly before continuing, “Her cheeks looked a little pink so I figured-” 

“Oh?” Usopp asked, his voice becoming louder. “You noticed the color of her cheeks, from that far away?” 

“Usopp,” you hissed louder but it fell on deaf ears. Once your friend got on a roll, there was little anyone could do about it. Especially when it came to teasing you about your feelings for Sanji. 

“Yeah,” Sanji replied to Usopp’s question with a confused smile. “What are you-” 

“GO FISH!” you blurted out loudly, cutting Sanji off and having both men turn their eyes towards you.  

“Huh?” Usopp blinked his eyes at you, suddenly remembering the game in front of him. “But I didn’t even ask you anything y/n. And you just drew a card, so it’s your turn to ask me.” 

You let out a quiet sigh of relief at the fact that Usopp stopped grilling Sanji with all of those embarrassing questions right in front of you....even though you couldn’t help but perk up at the fact that Sanji in fact had been watching you from the kitchen, and that he was sweet enough to bring you (and Usopp) some water.  

“Well, I tried,” you shrugged and lied, “but you just kept yapping so you didn’t hear me. Do you have the Queen of hearts?” 

Usopp studied you for a brief moment before looking at his cards, smirking to himself. “You know y/n, it’s funny you asked about the Queen of hearts,” he said as he plucked the requested card from his hand and reached out to give it to you, “since you make heart eyes yourself whenever you look at-” 

“GOOD game Usopp!” you practically yelled as you threw your cards down onto the barrel and stood up, hoping your outburst drowned out the name Usopp was about to so stupidly blurt out. You shook his free hand with both of yours as you said, “You totally win my friend.” 

“What?” Sanji laughed slightly as he watched you and Usopp shake hands. The poor guy was as confused as ever. “But the game isn’t over.” 

You looked Usopp dead in the eye as tightened your grip on his hand. “Oh no, it’s over. He definitely won.”  

Yeah, he won alright. He won the game of making your life a living hell and embarrassing you in front of Sanji. He won the gold medal in that game. 

“I sure did,” Usopp agreed triumphantly, putting his cards down. 

You dropped his hand and took the glass of cold water that Sanji had so generously poured, the cold glass making you feel better already. “Thank you for this Sanji. I think I’ll go enjoy this on my hammock inside.” 

You couldn’t bear to look at Sanji, feeling humiliated for no reason with your face on fire, you stepped away from the barrel sipping your water as you made your way across the deck towards the ship’s living quarters.  

“Yeah, that’s a good idea y/n!” Usopp called, giddy from the high that could only come from successfully teasing a friend. “Maybe that’ll help calm down your flushed face!” 

Before stepping inside, you flipped off a laughing Usopp, completely missing the brief look of disappointment in Sanji’s eyes as he watched you go. 

[hvly]

WINDBREAKER VIRGINS YOU SAY 👀👀👀

— ⋆｡˚｡⋆ ｡˚ 𓆩𖥔𓆪 ˚｡⋆｡˚｡⋆ —

speaking : yep, you heard right 🙂‍↕️ every show/manga i read is gonna get hit with my virgin ray. "i love virgins, anon ! I LOVE VIRGIIINS !"

𓆩𖥔𓆪 — disclaimer ! these are just my opinions ! if you disagree, cool. let's keep it cute. tbh, they all could be virgins, but they’re the most pressing in my eyes.

Nirei Akihiko

Don't get me wrong, I like Nirei alot ! I think he's super cute and he's so sweet it makes my teeth hurt. But, until his confidence goes up, ain't nothing going down. i do think he has a separate notebook with sex tips that's he gathered from various sources. From friends he worked up the courage to ask, to Cosmo articles, to the pornos he watches on lonely nights. When he finally get brave enough to try though, best believe he'll be prepared for any possible scenario.

Sugishita Kyotaro

Again, I feel like perhaps because he's tall, quiet and handsome, y'all think he'd be laying pipe. I mean, the quiet ones are usually the nastiest in bed, right? extremely loud incorrect buzzer. It'd be a miracle to actually get a sentence out of him. And it'd be another miracle to convince him to come shake the sheets instead of playing Umemiya's shadow. The plants he takes care of have a better chance getting wet by him than you ever will.

Tsugeura Taiga

Straight up, he just scares away any possible suitors. Plus, he's a little slow on the uptake. Between being loud and a bit off putting, and his his inability to catch social cues, he is unfortunately stuck in perpetual virgindom. That's it, that's all.

Sakura Haruka

Now, put the torches and pitchforks down before y'all drag me to the town square. How do we as a collective think Sakura would react if he saw you naked? Stand there reveling in the majesty that is you, dick so hard he might pass out? No. He'd turn red and start yelling before you even get your shoes off. Get him more comfortable with being romantic/sexual, and i’m sure the yelling, stomping, flailing and cherry red blush will die down…in a couple years. Best of luck !

Saku Mizuki

Wannabe General Mizuki. The minute I saw him, I knew he was getting NO pussy. And that makes me sad for him, it truly does. He's too stiff. If, for some odd reason on your part, you decided to lay the moves on him, he'd probably lecture you on how it's inappropriate to shamelessly flirt with people. He'd kill the mood so bad. Plus that one dude called him ugly and he turned around..oof

Takiishi Chika

Take this one with a grain of salt, but from what I've gathered...he just would not be interested. I'm sure Endo has tried bringing it to his attention before. And I'm also sure he got the fire knocked out his ass as soon as it left his mouth. Now, if does decide to get his dick wet, I hope you're fully resigned to letting him do whatever he wants and possibly leaving unsatisfied. Utter anything that sounds like you're telling him what to do? Let's leave getting beat up to Endo, mkay?

Shuhei Suzuri

I think he finds fulfillment and joy in his hobbies and that's all he needs. Being able to cook for people and enjoy his games gives him the satisfaction he was missing when he was in extreme poverty. I'm sure he wouldn't really mind losing his virginity either way, but it's definitely not on the forefront of his mind. A consistently full belly and a couple video games is good enough for now.

Choji Tomiyama

He thinks everything is a game and plays entirely too much to just be fucking for real. And I think he's fine with that ! He's carefree and he's content knocking people's heads together. I do think you could probably get him to give losing his virginity a true shot if you compare him to Umemiya or make it a competition, though. But who's gonna do all that to nut? (I really just added him to make one specific person mad. Let me know if it worked <3)

Honorable Mention : Togame Jo & Umemiya Hajime

Just cuz I want to be the one to take their virginity. I have no real reason LMAOOO.

© 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 hvly 2024. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘧y.

[lightlycareless]

omgggg, that Toji x reader (*plus* Naoya) was incredibleee, ignore me if you want, I know you made Toji chosing to keep distance from reader and Megumi permanently BUT what if one day he ends up finally seeing Megumi, either personally or by pictures/videos 🥺 We know Megumi it's the spitted image of him, I mean, Gojo's face when he saw him for the first time said it all 😅 And also knowing his baby has the Ten Shadows technique (I cant stop thinking about how proud he was in the canon manga/anime 🥺 he always KNEW from the start Megumi was blessed/gifted, since his first breath, the fact Toji named him is not random) making the entire Zenin clan eat their shit

Heya anon!!

I'm so glad you liked it heheheheheheh a oneshot that I didn't intend to write but it just happened!! aren't we glad it did? lol

I didn't mean to ignore you, I was only focusing on other things first 😅 oof, I still have lots of request to go through, which I plan to do it slowly but surely...

Anyways, I might've not gone down that route, however... why not something angsty? I mean 😏I've had this in my mind so... yeah 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

Warnings: mentions of infidelity. Pregnancy. Naoya is, unfortunately, a prick. this is the oneshot anon is talking about. 100% read that first hehe. this is an AU from that, so the second part doesn't count??? I guess. excuse the proofreading. also I haven't written toji that much so please excuse my oocness as well ahahahahha :')

Happy reading!

As much as the three hoped to ignore the bases of your pregnancy, behave as it didn’t rise from an adulterous act, a direct transgression to the principles of the Zen’in, and keep it a secret, it wouldn’t take long before the guilt in each other’s mind began to weight heavy on their mind, ultimately betraying them and revealing the truth to the light, excusing the angered elders to finally get rid of two birds with one stone.

“Where—Where does this accusation even come from?!” You gasp, blood turning cold at the implication—at the notion of the truth. “Do you know the gravity of such words?!”

“Better than you of the act, it seems.” Another accuses. “We were quite aware of the rumors surrounding your ill-fitting behavior, but we never believed it would actually extend to this point!”

“I—I won’t tolerate neither of you disrespecting me!” you cry. “Nor will Naoya for that matter!”

But calling for his aid would no longer prove sufficient, for Naoya, too deep in his own insecurities by that point, had come to the disheartening conclusion that this situation had gotten way out of hand for a simple diversion.

A supposed act of mercy.

He shouldn’t have let this happen in the first place, should’ve respected what you and your marriage represented, what meant to him, and discard his pity for Toji—the man has been alone most of his life, what difference would that make that now?

But he didn’t, he allowed you to go to Toji—no, he handed you over to him, thinking he was doing something right for his cousin, or perhaps something deep inside him was allured by the sick idea of you being with another man and now, he was suffering the consequences.

Consequences he did not like, not one bit—because it got too real for him: you were now pregnant, with Toji’s child, and not his.

And this only highlighted what he considered the pitfalls of this relationship, a strike against his ego and the supposed inability to beget children, a rumor that grew bigger and bigger by each passing day, spreading like wildfire to the point where even outsiders became aware of it.

Which, for a prideful man like Naoya, was only a nightmare.

He loved you, he really did—Naoya never envisioned spending the rest of his life with anyone else…

But he loved his pride more, and when his clan began to actively confront him about it, he couldn’t take it anymore.

And thus….

“…Naoya?”

“This marriage was broken before it even started.” Your husband would say, unexpected words that pierced straight to your heart. “My family advised me well in avoiding you, but I falsely believed I could achieve differently.”

“What—what are you even saying?” you breathe. “What do you mean by—by differently?”

And… where does everything you lived with him stand?

The time you spent with him, the sweet nothings he’d whisper into your ear, to love you both swore to one another, reminding each other that there was no one else that compares…

And that you were the only woman who has ever made him feel this way—loved— and would do everything in the world to make happy…

Was it… all … a lie?

All for… nothing?

Or were you the only one that actually believed the other’s words?

“I cannot look past these transgressions.” Naoya continues. “You’ve left me no choice.”

“But you—you made me do this!” you gasp. “I never—I never wanted to be with anyone else! All this time, my heart only belonged to you!  How could you—how could you abandon me after all we’ve gone through together?!”

Naoya doesn’t say anything else anymore, instead, he simply turns around, exiting the room to leave you in the hands of the vengeful elders who did not hesitate to do what they had long desired—banish you from the estate.

Swiftly yet cruelly, you wouldn’t be able to take anything with you, not even a change of clothes or even money (you didn’t even ask for much, just enough to survive the week) as you were forced to face a new life of your own—alone, pregnant.

Going back to your family was also out of the question; the shame that you’d bring upon their name was one the Zen’in didn’t not waste time to remind them of—at the end, there was only so much your father and siblings could do against the invasive ways of the elders, and perhaps, a part of them deep inside, were also disappointed that you’ve succumbed to such foul thing.

And so, you were tossed onto the street, with nothing more than the clothes you were wearing, whatever you had for savings throughout the years, managed to take it out before either clan could close your account—but most importantly, with a broken heart you believe will never heal, not after the grave wound your husband’s indifference inflicted on it.

The pain you couldn’t even mourn properly due to all the things you had to worry about now.

The first thing you did was search for a place to stay, though getting one was proving to be an almost impossible task.

Thankfully, you were allowed to keep one other thing, maybe it eluded their minds when all this was happening, but you’re not going to question why when it was going to help you pay for a roof.

Naoya’s ring, your wedding ring, was something many would consider expensive, the kind of flashiness expected from a prestigious family like the Zen’in.

You remember a time when any kind of ring would’ve been enough for you to marry him. You didn’t need anything extraordinary to commit your life and heart to him.

That’s nothing but a far cry from what you felt now.

It still hurt to pawn it, but it was the only way you could accommodate yourself and the unborn child inside you, in the only area you could afford with what you got, for even then many suspected that your ring… well, had dubious origins.

When was the last time you even had to worry about the costs of living? Food, clothes, water…?

Many years—it had to; ever since you got together with Naoya, he’s been the one that took care of you.

You just had to say the word and he’d disappear all of your worries—even from the simplest of wants, Naoya indulgingly obliged.

It was a happy life you eventually considered for your child—imagining how happy they’d grow to be without a single worry, solely focusing on what they’ll have to play that day, or how to escape their over doting parents.

A long-gone dream, tossed to the side as a nightmare quickly took its place.

…

Did Naoya ever mean the words I love you?

Or was he doing all this just to keep you there, complying, just in case someone better came along, just like his clan wished would happen?

There mere thought of his devotion being nothing but an act tightens your heart with sorrow once more, gifting you the tragic notion that perhaps, all this time, you never knew your husband…

Maybe ex-husband, by this point.

All that was left from those moments, the slightest semblance of that marriage was this baby, created from what you thought your unconditional devotion to him, turning out to be your very own downfall.

The only one that would know of these struggles would be your baby, the one to accompany you through the darkest point of your life, hopefully to a brigther dawn.

And yet… you’ve never felt so alone.

Time surprisingly, went quicker than you anticipated, though not as easy as you would’ve wanted.

Life in your new home was still very difficult to get used to, even when it’s been months since… that.

But with the job you managed to get (whatever place hired pregnant women—they’re supposed to be at home, some would say, you didn’t care.) and some extra jujutsu work you did on the side, you managed, enough to give you a, not exactly comfortable, but just enough lifestyle.

As long as you sacrificed all the things you once considered granted and turned them into luxuries: such as warm showers, take out, and the sweets you liked to indulge once in a while; your pregnancy has been horrible because of that, and that’s without considering the medical bills you’re struggling to pay as well.

But if that wasn’t enough, your noisy neighbors presented issues of their own as well.

You’re not going to deny that your presence there was like moths to a flame, starting from your somewhat suspicious acquisition—all cash—of the small house you were living in.

From there, your loneliness, alongside your pregnancy; single mothers were unheard of, or rather, highly criticized, thus, all eyes were on you, down to your smallest movement.

Yet, even then, as annoying as they were, you were ok as long as it meant you never get to see those that hurt you ever again.

However, what you want isn’t necessarily what’s going to happen, and that would be reminded of one fateful night with an unsuspecting knock, just after you were getting ready to go to bed.

It wouldn’t be the first time someone came to bother you, but it would be the first time someone did so at this hour, and with such insistence that far from worrying you, it made you angrily storm at the entrance, ready to demand who’d be so inconsiderate enough to visit you so late at night!

And you’d get your answer soon enough, in the most shocking, horrifying, if not sorrowful manner you could’ve possibly anticipated, prompting you to close the door as soon as you saw his face, or attempted to, his reflexes much faster than yours.

“Get—get away from me!” you shrieked, hands trembling as you did your best to hold the door shut against his overwhelming strength— but even your husband has admitted that in terms of power, he excels like no one else.

“Y/N—” he breathes, somewhat amused that you’d been able to hold him off as much as you could, though eventually he was able to break free from your grasp and enter your home, you step away from him soon after.

“What are you even doing here?!” you gasp. “No—that doesn’t matter! I don’t want to see you! I’m not going back!”

“I’m not here to take you back” He quickly responds, eyes falling down to your stomach, making his face soften at the subtle bump evident through your clothes—with this sight, he knows he can’t take you back.

“Then—then why are you here, Toji?”

Perhaps Toji needed to see through his own eyes, what the whispers went on about at the estate regarding your absence.

He wasn’t there when it happened, promised himself to be far away from you as soon as your pregnancy was announced to the estate.

Toji would’ve normally taken this opportunity to act on retribution against his family, rub it on their face that the future of the clan came from him, a low life.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do so when you cheerfully paraded around the halls, happy to finally be forming a family with your beloved husband, even though it wasn’t of his making.

For the first time in his life, he thought himself to be too cruel for having planned such atrocities against the only person that has never been rude with him, always welcoming him with a smile on your face, or at least whatever you permitted when not following Naoya around like a lost puppy.

And the baby… well, he won’t deny that he was glad that his child would have a vastly different life from his—with you as his mother, it couldn’t be any other way.

Or so he believed.

Even when promising to keep away, he still attempted to check in on you, especially now that you were pregnant, whenever he had to go to the estate that is. That day was no be no exception, begrudgingly coming back to see what else he could scam out of his family to ensure his living outside.

Toji’s slyly scanned the hallways for your figure, the briefest indication of such, either through your giggle, staff, or even his cousin’s annoying voice—there were moments where he imagined how delightful it must’ve been to have you by his side, instead of Naoya’s; to be receiver of your laughter instead of that man who clearly didn’t deserve you.

But even if it was with him, he still found comfort in the fact that you were around, there.

Not like now, gone from Naoya’s side.

In fact, you were nowhere to be seen! Not with your staff, not eating by the gardens, or even indulging in one of your husband’s idiocies.

Nothing.

And no one had seen you either.

Or more like didn’t want to say, that much became evident when he stomped his way towards a nearby staff member, demanding your whereabouts, only to be responded with a fret falsely feigning ignorance, or foolish diplomacy.

At the prospect of your disappearance, Toji felt his blood run cold, almost like the estate lost whatever little warmth it had, worsening each time he asked another servant, and he’d get the same answer.

The implications behind your absence were growing heavier in his mind, to the point it sunk his heart to his stomach…

And propelled him to the one person who would undoubtedly know where you were.

“Naoya—Where is Y/N?!” Toji commands the moment he sees the heir, the young man instinctively flinched at the sight of his angered cousin, almost as if he knew what was running through his mind and attempted to make a run for it, only to be stopped by the collar, dead on his tracks. “Do not run away, coward! Answer me!”

“She’s—she’s not here anymore.” Is what Naoya manages to squeak, but Toji doesn’t need to be reminded the obvious.

“Where. Is. She.” He hisses, the worst of his assumptions slowly becoming a reality. “What have you done to her?!”

“What—what needed to be done!” Naoya gasps. “I—I couldn’t allow it!”

Toji doesn’t remember much after Naoya told him that the clan decided she was better off on her own—only that the heir was on the floor, bloodied and whimpering while attempting to cover his face, either trying to control the throbbing of his skin, the blood from spilling anywhere else, or perhaps even shame.

No. It couldn’t be the last. To have done something like what he did required a shameless man to do so.

Nonetheless Toji didn’t bother to find out nor to be reprimanded, quick to assert what needed to be done and heading out the estate; he couldn’t even bother cursing those that had done nothing but the worst after the worst, each time a new low, for his mind solely pertained in finding you.

It took him a while to do so, as expected, but he knew it was only a matter of asking around for a woman that simply didn’t fit to do the job—and such, here he is now.

“I want—needed to see you.” Toji takes a step closer.

“Get—get away from me.”

“No, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“You were fine doing that before—what’s so different from now?” You spat.

“This is different, Y/N. You’re alone—and you need me.”

“I’m not alone—I don’t need you.” You gasp. “Get away from me or I’ll—I’ll call the police!.”

“If you don’t need me, then the baby does.”

It’s like he struck a nerve with his words, because soon after tears would begin to fall down your cheeks, revealing that the sight you attempted to portray, the strength you so fiercely put up against him, was nothing but a façade, a way to hide the fact that indeed, you needed help.

Exhausted from facing all these uncertainties on your own, afraid.

But not anymore, not when Toji was here, more than willing to step in, as seen in the way he swiftly holds you in his arms when he sees you almost faint from distress, attempting to comfort you as you continued to cry.

“Get— get away from me…!” you’d say again, still fighting against his hold. However, he doesn’t fight it, he simply allows you to vent, taking in all the pain and hatred your heart harbored from the moment you were kicked out of the estate. “Don’t touch me!”

“I’m not leaving” Toji insists, he feels you trying to squirm your way out from him, but his strength doesn’t allow it. “You can struggle all you want, but I’m not leaving you on your own—”

“What difference does it make to you? Your family abandoned me to my luck! And even forced my family to do the same!” you breathe, Toji’s eyes widen—he did not know that; his fury for the Zen’in grows, but this is not the time to deal with that. “They don’t care if I die on the street!”

“I know.” He murmurs, holding you tighter against him.

“And I—And I tried my best to—to move on, but I can’t! I can’t do it!” you sob. “I’m so alone, and scared, and—and ashamed! I don’t want to live like this anymore!! I don’t want to die!”

“…I know.”

“Why—why is this happening to me?! All I ever wanted was for—was for Naoya to love me. I never wanted anything else! I never wanted money, I never wanted to hurt anyone either! I just—I just wanted to live a happy life with him, to make him happy!

But then he—he tossed me away, at one thing he didn’t like, he acted like I didn’t even matter! He didn’t even put up a fight to defend me! he just—he just let them hurt me, like what we had was—a lie!

 Did he never—did he even love me?”

Speechless, all Toji could do is continue holding you as you kept on pouring out your feelings, hearing the heart wrenching sound of your sobs that just kept reflecting how wounded you were by Naoya’s betrayal, the transgressions of his family, and the disappointment of yours.

And all because of something you didn’t even suggest in the first place. It was him who made his way into Naoya’s mind, and eventually, it was Naoya who pushed you into it, regardless of what happened later.

He wanted to do it; you know?

He wanted to go back there and murder them for all they’d done against you.

But when he left that place one last time, he promised he would stop thinking about himself, and start doing what is right—what was needed.

If Naoya wasn’t to step up and be a man, then he would.

Toji would gladly throw away his own pride, his own anger and thirst for vengeance, just to see you safe and happy once more.

Things your husband, could simply not—but he… he’d do it in a heartbeat.

“I promise you.” Toji would reassure you once carefully placing you down to the bed after tiring yourself from crying, followed by a gentle kiss on the top of your head.

 “I swear, Y/N— I will not let my family do the same things they’ve done to me to our child. Even if it costs me my life, I will do everything in my power to keep the two of you safe.”

And unlike your husband, he means it.

Yes, a second part is coming :) just gotta put this one out first hehe.

Anyways, it's not exactly what you asked but I think it's going there??? I mean Toji STEPPED UP and was like OK imma take care of my baby mama. also, here Naoya .I. put it where it fits. ugh, can't say we're done with him...

agihajkgksa I'm excited for what's to come, I haven't written this level of angst in a while!! oof!!!

Thank you so much for your patience and for sending this ask :> I'm super happy you've like my oneshot so much!! I hope you'll be able to like this too!!

Take care, and see you soon! ❤️❤️

[queenkeesi]

Sy-on Boy and the Teenage Anya Incident

—

It was a sunny day at Eden Academy, but the usual carefree atmosphere was clouded by the anxious energy in a small alcove where third graders Damian Desmond, Emile Elman, and Ewen Egeburg were huddled together.

“Bossman, are you sure about this?” Emile asked, his face scrunched up with worry.

While it wasn’t unusual for the three friends to concoct wild schemes, thanks to the ridiculous amount of resources at their disposal—being the children of obscenely wealthy parents—this time, it seemed like they might have taken things a bit too far.

“Yeah, Boss, this seems… kinda crazy,” Ewen added, his pompadour bobbing as he nervously adjusted it.

“Will you two just shut up?!” Damian snapped, frustration clear in his voice. He held up the items he’d painstakingly gathered—a rusty key, a quail’s egg, and a blue marble. “It’s gonna work, alright?”

“Uh, but what if you like… get old but not taller?” Ewen asked, scratching his head.

“Or worse,” Emile shuddered dramatically, “what if you turn into an old man?!”

“Stop being such morons!” Damian hissed, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not going to turn into an old man! I’ve got the circle, I’ve got the spell, I’ve got everything under control!”

Damian was fuming inside. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t outshine his older brother, Demetrius. Demetrius had just been awarded another honor for being the top student in the ninth grade. It was like the universe was rigged against Damian, and he was fed up. Six years ahead—what a joke. So, Damian had decided to close that gap, using a spell from an old book he’d “borrowed” from the Desmond estate library. Today was the day he’d make everything right.

“Now, I just need to stand here and read the passage,” Damian declared, his voice tinged with the kind of determination only a kid with a grudge could muster.

The chalk circle on the ground was a crooked mess, with lines smudged and uneven from where one of them had accidentally stepped. It was the kind of circle that only a group of overconfident third graders could draw—something they thought looked cool, even though it was totally lopsided.

Before Damian could start, a high-pitched voice pierced the air. “Beckyyyyyy!”

Anya Forger’s voice rang out as she bolted across the grass, her little legs pumping furiously as she chased after Becky Blackbell, who was clutching a photo of Anya’s father, Loid, like it was the crown jewels. “Oh my god, Anya, this new photo of Loid! I must keep it!” Becky squealed, too busy swooning over the picture to watch where she was going.

“But you have so many already! And he’s married!” Anya yelled back, their voices growing louder as they closed in.

“Oof!” Becky smacked right into Emile and Ewen, sending them both stumbling backward.

“Hey, watch it!” Emile yelped, juggling the marble like it was about to explode.

“Seriously, Becky! You almost messed up the circle!” Ewen groaned, looking at the chalk lines, now even more crooked thanks to Becky.

“What circle?” Becky asked, staring down at the haphazard chalk drawing. “What kind of dumb stuff are you guys up to?”

Just then, Damian finished reading the passage, his voice rising with excitement. He looked up just in time to see Anya charging toward him like a mini bulldozer. “Sy-on boy!” she shouted, crashing into him with enough force to knock him out of the circle and flat on his back. The next thing they knew, thick pink smoke billowed from the circle, swirling around them all in a chaotic cloud.

As the smoke slowly cleared, the four kids stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock. The figure emerging from the mist wasn’t the eight-year-old Anya they knew—it was a stunning fifteen-year-old version of her. It was like something out of a shoujo manga, complete with glitter, a pink glow, and rose petals fluttering around her. Her short, playful pink bob had grown into long, flowing waves, framing her face with a soft, ethereal beauty. She had high cheekbones, delicate features, and eyes that seemed to hold a depth far beyond her years. The girl who used to eat dog food and play with bugs had transformed into a young lady of grace and poise, standing tall and confident in an Imperial Scholar’s cloak that shimmered in the sunlight.

Damian’s jaw practically hit the ground. Anya was taller—way taller—than he was now. He had to crane his neck just to look up at her. She’s… taller than me?! The thought alone sent his usual bravado into a tailspin of confusion and panic. The girl who used to wear mismatched socks and make goofy faces was now… stunning. Everything about her radiated an effortless charm that left Damian feeling oddly exposed and vulnerable.

Anya blinked her now clearer, more mature eyes as she took in her surroundings. “Where am I?” she asked, her voice smooth and confident, startling the boys with its new, rich tone. Even her voice had changed—it wasn’t the high-pitched, eager sound of a child but a melodic, calm voice that seemed to command attention without even trying.

Her gaze landed on Damian first, and her eyes widened in recognition. “W-what? Damian? Emile? Ewen? Becky?!”

Becky, ever the dramatic one, was the first to react. “Anya? Is that you? You’re all grown up!”

Damian was still speechless, his brain struggling to keep up with what was happening. He felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation in his chest—something that made him feel flustered in a way he wasn’t used to. She’s got an Imperial Scholar’s cloak on… is she even real? And why did the height difference make everything feel so much weirder?

“Yeah, it’s me,” Anya said, her voice laced with uncertainty. “Why are all of you so young? One minute I was just outside with…” Her eyes met Damian’s, and she hesitated, “And now you’re like, seven?”

“Hey! I’m not seven!” Damian snapped, finally finding his voice. “I’m eight, thankyouverymuch! And I was supposed to age up, not you!”

“S-Syon boy…” Anya muttered, her eyes wide as she stared at him. He mistook her shock for something else and was about to tell her off when she suddenly squealed with delight.

“Oh my god, you’re so small and cute!!” Without warning, Anya grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug, squeezing him so hard he could barely breathe. Damian’s face turned an even deeper shade of red as he struggled in her grasp, completely overwhelmed by the sudden physical contact—and the fact that she was now taller and holding him like he was the little one.

When Anya finally let go, Damian was left sputtering, his heart racing as Emile and Ewen rushed over to check on him.

“Are you okay, Bossman?” Emile asked, barely able to hide a grin.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine!” Damian snapped, his voice cracking as he tried to regain his composure. “Just… get off me next time, Stubby Legs!”

Meanwhile, Becky was circling Anya in awe. “Oh my god, Anya, you look amazing! You’re like, a woman now! Your hair! Your outfit! And you’re an Imperial Scholar! Does your cloak have diamonds sewn in?!”

Anya blushed and looked down shyly. “Oh, no, no. But you did alter it, though, Becky.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Becky interrupted, her eyes wide with realization. “So you’re from the future! That means you can tell us about ourselves! Do I have a boyfriend? Do I have a lot of guys who like me? Am I still stylish? Do I still look pretty?”

Anya couldn’t help but smile at Becky’s enthusiasm. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes,” she answered, watching as Becky squealed and spun around in a giddy circle. Even Anya’s smile was different now—more serene and composed, a reflection of the confidence she’d gained over the years. She wasn’t the clumsy girl who tripped over her own feet but someone who had clearly come into her own, with an air of sophistication that made her seem almost otherworldly.

“What about me? Do I have a girlfriend?” Ewen asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Yes,” Anya chuckled, making Ewen’s face light up with excitement.

“Oh, oh, me next! Do I have a girlfriend?” Emile asked eagerly.

“No…” Anya replied, watching Emile’s face fall slightly before she added with a playful grin, “But only because you haven’t asked anyone yet!”

Emile’s mood instantly lifted, and he beamed at her. “Awesome! So I just gotta ask someone out. Cool!”

“What about Lord Dami—” Ewen began, but Damian, now boiling with frustration, shoved him aside.

“I don’t care about that stuff!” Damian growled, his frustration boiling over as he desperately tried to regain control of the situation. “But what I don’t get is how you’re still at Eden! If you’re really this old, shouldn’t you have been expelled or something by now?” He glanced over at Emile and Ewen, his voice rising, almost pleading for backup.

But Emile just shrugged. “I dunno, Boss. She seems like she’s got it together.”

“Yeah,” Ewen added, nodding nervously. “She’s got the Eden high school uniform on, plus the Imperial Scholar cloak. She’s probably super smart or something.”

Damian’s irritation spiked as he stared at them in disbelief, his face flushing with frustration. How can they be so gullible? he thought, feeling his composure slip away. It’s like they’ve never even thought about what high school is really like!

Anya chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and empathy as she saw Damian’s mounting frustration. “I guess we all change then,” she said, her tone gentle but with a playful edge.

“Hmph! I doubt I’d socialize with the likes of you by then, Forger,” Damian shot back, crossing his arms and stomping his foot like a child on the brink of a meltdown. “It’s only because they make us do kiddy stuff that we have to deal with each other now.” ‘That’ll show her’, he thought, his heart racing.

“Oh, no, all five of us are friends,” Anya said casually, the remark so offhanded and confident that it felt like a punch to Damian’s gut, causing him to stumble back as if her words had physically knocked him over.

Becky gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “But you and I are still best friends, right?” Her eyes glittered with excitement, already picturing teenage girl shopping trips and sleepovers.

Anya nodded, smiling warmly. “Of course! We just got back from a girls’ holiday in St. Tropezinne.”

Becky started hyperventilating. “Oh my god, really?!”

By this point, Damian had picked himself up, his annoyance turning into a full-blown temper tantrum. “Look, none of us care about your girls’ holiday!”

Ewen and Emile, always eager to chime in, muttered in unison, “We would’ve liked to hear about the food… maybe what the weather was like… if there were other girls…”

“WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?!” Damian exploded, his face red as he spun back to Anya, pointing at her accusingly. “Y-you!”

Anya stared at him, surprised, her calm, demure expression only making Damian’s heart pound harder, like the Anya from their time always did when she gave him any attention.

“If you’re really from the future, tell me… am I an Imperial Scholar?” he demanded, the question bursting out of him with desperate intensity. He had to know—he HAD to.

Anya’s smile softened, warm and reassuring, which only made Damian’s nerves fray even more. “Of course you are, Damian.”

For a brief moment, relief washed over Damian, filling his chest with a sense of triumph. ‘He was going to be an Imperial Scholar!’

But then Becky, always the one to stir the pot, leaned in, smirking mischievously. “Yeah, but how many Tonitrus Bolts does he have?” she asked, her tone light, clearly intending it as a joke to tease Damian.

Anya paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Four, I think… maybe five… but I’m pretty sure it’s four.”

The words hung in the air like a bomb waiting to explode.

Emile and Ewen gasped dramatically, their eyes wide with terror. “FOUR TONITRUS BOLTS?!” they shrieked in unison, their voices trembling. “LORD DAMIAN?!”

Anya immediately cringed, realizing she had said too much.

Damian’s face drained of color, his earlier relief shattering as the implications hit him like a ton of bricks. His hands balled into fists, his body trembling with the effort to hold back the storm of emotions swirling inside him. “YOU LIAR!” he screamed, his voice cracking with the raw intensity of a little boy on the verge of a meltdown. “I DON’T HAVE BOLTS! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT! YOU’RE JUST A BIG UGGO WITCH!”

“What is going on here?” a stern voice cut through the chaos. Demetrius Desmond stepped onto the patch of grass where they were gathered. Even at fifteen, he was still as gaunt and serious as ever, his hair slicked back in its usual style, his presence immediately commanding attention and silencing the group.

“Why are you screaming at…” Demetrius began, taking a step back in surprise. “This young lady?” He had expected to see the small Forger kid—someone Damian still shouldn’t be yelling at but always was—but a teenage girl? It was clearly inappropriate.

“Oh, Demetrius…” Anya said, recognizing him immediately. She straightened up and stepped toward him, her height now nearly matching his. The difference in their statures only made Damian feel smaller and more out of place.

“Do I know you…?” Demetrius asked, his usually impassive face showing a rare hint of surprise as he took in Anya’s appearance. She didn’t look like any student he knew, yet there she was, wearing the Eden high school uniform and an Imperial Scholar’s cloak.

“No, well, sort of. I’m Anya…” she began, her voice steady and confident, which only deepened the strange, unsettling feeling in Damian’s gut. Wait! He had started this!

“I took the book of spells and tried to use it to make myself your age!!!” Damian interrupted, his voice high-pitched and strained, as he tried to regain some semblance of control over the situation. This was his idea, after all!

Demetrius sighed, a rare crack in his usual composure as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I knew you took that book. Jeeves called me—you’ve disappointed him, you know.”

“Yeah…” Damian flushed, having been found out. “I took it, and it was supposed to make me older, but this idiot got in the way!” Damian snapped, his voice cracking as he pointed accusingly at Anya, trying to deflect the blame.

“Wait, wait, so you’re seriously Anya Forger?” Demetrius asked, his sharp eyes narrowing as he studied her closely. A subtle shift in his expression hinted at something more—a faint blush dusted his usually pale cheeks as he added, almost to himself, “I suppose Mother was right…”

Damian’s eyes narrowed, instantly on edge. “Mother was right about what?!”

But before he could demand further explanation, both Anya and Demetrius raised their hands in unison, silencing him in a way that was both infuriating and strangely coordinated.

“Yeah… that’s me,” Anya confirmed, her voice thoughtful as she pieced it together. “I think the spell somehow… pulled me from my own time, where I’m fifteen, to here and now. It must have affected me instead of just aging Damian, which I’m guessing was his intention…” She glanced at Damian before turning back to Demetrius, who nodded as he absorbed the explanation.

The other Eden students stood quietly, unnerved by Anya’s sudden maturity and the calm, almost adult-like demeanor she now exhibited. It was impressive, but it was also deeply unsettling.

“My biggest concern,” Anya continued, “is that the eight-year-old me has switched places with me. Logically, she’s where I last was, which, if my memory serves, was walking home from school. Not the worst place, but definitely not the best.”

Demetrius nodded in agreement, his usually impassive expression softening slightly with concern. “Yeah, this isn’t a great situation, is it?”

Becky gasped, her eyes wide with worry. “Oh no, Anya! I mean, little Anya! Will she be okay?”

The boys exchanged guilty looks, Emile and Ewen both feeling a pang of responsibility as they glanced up at the older Anya and Demetrius.

Damian clenched his fists, trying desperately to mask the worry gnawing at him. He couldn’t help but hope that Anya—stupid and annoying as she was—would be okay. But the tension in his chest only grew as he watched her.

Anya noticed their concern and smiled warmly, attempting to reassure them. “I think she’ll be fine, actually. I was with my boyfriend, so she’s probably with him now. He’ll definitely take care of her.”

The mention of her boyfriend felt like a punch to Damian’s gut, making his fists clench even tighter. Boyfriend? The word echoed in his mind, making the sting of jealousy and frustration almost unbearable.

Becky, ever the curious one, couldn’t resist. “You have a boyfriend?! What’s he like?” she squealed.

A faint blush spread across Anya’s cheeks as her hand moved to fiddle with the chain of her Imperial Scholar’s cloak, her fingers brushing over the elegant design as she thought about him. “Well, he goes to Eden with us and he’s an Imperial Scholar too,” she said softly, clearly lost in the memory.

Damian’s breathing quickened, his frustration boiling over. “How is any of this possible? There’s no way you have a boyfriend, and no way you’re an Imperial Scholar!” he shouted, his voice cracking with disbelief and rising panic.

The others fell silent, the air thick with tension. They all knew that Anya had actually earned more Stella Stars than any of them in the present, yet the idea that she could have surpassed them so much, even in the future, was overwhelming.

Anya didn’t rise to Damian’s taunts. Instead, she simply patted his head, her expression affectionate and almost maternal. “Aw, little Sy-on boy,” she teased, her tone gentle, making Damian hiss in annoyance, his temper flaring.

Demetrius sighed, looking at Damian with a tired expression. “We’ve been over this so many times, Damian. Anyone can become an Imperial Scholar for a great number of reasons.” His little brother’s obsession with it was starting to wear thin.

“Yeah, Bossman! She’s got medals pinned to her cloak too! Look, a tennis one!” Emile pointed out, trying to lighten the mood.

“Ooh, a nebula one! What’s this one for?” Ewen asked eagerly, their voices overly enthusiastic as they admired Anya’s achievements.

Anya sweatdropped, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the kids’ eager, expectant faces all focused on her. “Oh, that’s just from the astronomy club…” she said with a nervous laugh, then quickly shook her head to refocus on the situation. “Demetrius, I know this is all really strange, and I get that you don’t really know me or enjoy working with others, but I really need your help. In the future, we’re more acquainted, and I promise I won’t be a bother.”

“We are? Interesting…” Demetrius pondered. “Very well then, I suppose we can’t just leave little Anya in the future. We should head to my dorm then and leave the kids.”

“What? We can’t help?” Damian’s frustration reached a breaking point. His eyes began to well up with tears he was barely holding back, his face turning red as his emotions spiraled out of control. Not only was Anya older now and benefiting from his plan, but Demetrius, who never solved problems with him, was willing to work with her. His fists clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms as he fought to keep the tears from falling. ’Why does everyone believe this?! Why does everyone think she’s so amazing?!’ His voice cracked as he tried to speak and he felt the burning sensation behind his eyes intensify as he struggled to keep his composure.

Anya noticed the telltale signs of Damian’s emotional turmoil, and her heart softened. She bent down to his level, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Damian, it’s not that you wouldn’t be helpful,” she said softly, her tone full of understanding. “It’s just that it’ll be easier for Demetrius to help right now since we’re older… I know it’s frustrating, but it doesn’t mean you’re not important.”

Her words were meant to reassure him, but the tension in Damian’s chest only grew tighter. He bit his lip hard, trying to force back the tears, but his voice still trembled when he spoke. “B-but I did this!” he insisted, his voice barely above a whisper, thick with emotion. “I was supposed to be the one who got older! Not you! I—I—” He choked on his words, his eyes brimming with tears that refused to be contained.

Seeing Damian so close to breaking down, Anya’s heart ached. Without a second thought, she pulled him into a gentle hug, wrapping her arms around his tense shoulders. “It’s okay, Damian,” she whispered soothingly. “I know it’s hard, but you’re not alone in this. We’ll figure it out together.”

Damian stiffened in her embrace, desperately trying to hold on to the last shreds of his dignity. He didn’t want to cry—especially not in front of Anya, who seemed so much older and more composed now—but the warmth of her hug and the kindness in her voice made it almost impossible to keep the tears at bay.

Becky, unable to contain her admiration, tried to lift the mood. “Oh my god, she’s so cool!!”

“Wow, yeah, she is cool…” Emile murmured, while Ewen nodded in agreement.

Damian, still reeling from the whirlwind of emotions, could only manage a small nod in response, his fists slowly unclenching as he blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears from his eyes before they could spill over. The overwhelming mix of embarrassment, anger, and jealousy left him feeling utterly defeated, but he fought to keep himself together, refusing to let his emotions fully show.

“Okay, yeah, let’s just all go,” Demetrius stated, giving in to the plan as the group made their way toward his dormitory, each of them still processing the bizarre events that had unfolded.

---

As they walked through the high school section of the campus, Damian and his friends felt increasingly out of place. The buildings seemed to loom larger, the older students looked impossibly mature, and everything about the high school section felt intimidating. But Anya and Demetrius, both moving with the ease of those who belonged, were completely at home.

Everywhere they went, people stopped and stared at Anya. No one except the kids and Demetrius knew she was actually the eight-year-old Anya Forger; to everyone else, she was a mysterious new girl who had suddenly appeared, radiating confidence and grace. Whispers followed them down the hallways as students speculated about who she might be.

“Looks like everyone notices Anya!” Becky said as she nudged Damian, “bet you don’t think she’s such a stupid uggo now do you?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “No people are staring cause they think she’s weird.”

Emile and Ewen, always eager to join in on the gossip, chimed in with wide grins. “I dunno, Bossman,” Ewen said with a snicker, “maybe they think she’s Demetrius’s girlfriend.”

Damian’s teeth clenched involuntarily at the suggestion. A strange, unfamiliar wave of jealousy surged through him. But he quickly shook it off, refusing to entertain the ridiculous idea. ‘There’s no way’, he told himself, though the thought still nagged at him.

Becky, not one to let things go, turned her attention to Anya with exaggerated curiosity. “So, Anya, is your boyfriend rich? Handsome? Tall?”

Anya’s expression softened, a small smile playing on her lips. “Yes, he’s all of those things, but…” Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she added softly, “Most importantly, he’s kind. We’ve been through a lot together.”

Becky let out a dreamy sigh, clasping her hands together. “That’s so romantic! I want a boyfriend like that! Is he older?”

“No,” Anya replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. “He’s in our class.”

Damian felt his irritation spike, an unpleasant heat rising in his chest. ’What classmate?’ he wondered, his mind racing. ‘And why do I even care?’ But care he did, much to his annoyance. He tried to push the thoughts away, but they clung to him like stubborn cobwebs.

Before he could dwell on it any longer, a guy from the football team swaggered over, clearly interested in Anya. “Hey there, you new around here?” he asked with a confident grin, his eyes raking over Anya in a way that made Damian’s blood boil.

Before Anya could respond, Demetrius stepped in smoothly, his tone icy and commanding. “Move along.” Despite his slight build and typically aloof demeanor, there was something about Demetrius’s presence—the way he carried himself with that quiet, unyielding confidence that came with being a Desmond—that made people think twice about crossing him.

The football player hesitated, then slinked away, clearly not wanting to challenge the Desmond name. Damian felt a brief surge of satisfaction at seeing the guy retreat, but it was quickly replaced by a gnawing worry. ‘At least she won’t be stuck with that guy,’ he thought with relief. But then a more unsettling idea crept into his mind, one that made his stomach twist. ’But what if she ends up liking Demetrius?’

As they continued walking, Damian’s mind wouldn’t let go of the troubling thought. He imagined Anya and Demetrius together, laughing, studying, walking down the halls… His heart pounded harder, and not in a good way.

A group of girls nearby began whispering loudly, their voices carrying over to the group. “Who’s she? Is she a transfer student? Is she… Desmond’s girlfriend?”

“I don’t know, but she looks really cool though… But why are those kids following them?”

Damian’s hands clenched into fists, his fingers digging into his scalp as he struggled with the idea. MDesmond’s girlfriend?’The words echoed in his mind, almost too much to bear. He could feel an ill sensation rising in his throat, as if the mere suggestion was enough to make him sick.

“Bossman, you okay?” Emile asked, noticing Damian’s obvious distress.

“Yeah, you’re looking a little green,” Ewen added, peering at Damian with concern. Then, as if a lightbulb went off in his head, Ewen added, “Well, to be honest, Anya isn’t exactly Desmond material, right? But Demetrius is kind of… scary.”

Emile nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s always so calm, but you just know he’s thinking ten steps ahead. And remember when he just stared down that rugby player without even blinking? Creepy, right?”

Damian’s mind conjured up a horrifying shoujo manga-style image of a wedding between Anya and Demetrius—Anya in a flowing white dress, Demetrius in a sharp suit, the two of them smiling at each other with hearts in their eyes. The thought made Damian’s stomach turn. He could almost hear the nauseatingly sweet background music that would accompany such a scene.

Becky, always ready to poke the bear, snickered as she glanced at Damian. “Maybe he wants this Anya to stay so she and Demetrius can be together she can be his big sister-in-law! ” she teased, her voice full of mock innocence.

Damian shot her a withering look, his face pale and his heart pounding. Ice ran through his veins as he glared at Becky, knowing she was just trying to get a rise out of him, but he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling gnawing at him. He said nothing, his thoughts too jumbled to respond. ’Why is this bothering me so much?‘ he thought, the question circling in his mind like a storm he couldn’t control.

As they finally reached Demetrius’s dorm, Damian kept his gaze firmly ahead, trying to bury the irrational jealousy and confusion swirling inside him. But the image of Anya with Demetrius lingered, refusing to let him rest.

Finally, they arrived at Demetrius’s dorm. Damian let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, glad to be off the increasingly unsettling campus. The tension hung in the air, especially for Damian, who couldn’t shake the turmoil churning inside him.

“Right, you three,” Demetrius gestured at the boys, “explain what you did.”

The boys took a deep breath and began to explain the process, as best as eight-year-olds could. Both Demetrius and Anya listened intently, which felt strange to Damian—Demetrius rarely paid attention to him, and now, combined with older, composed Anya, it was unsettling.

As Demetrius flipped through the pages of the spellbook, the conversation naturally paused. Becky sidled up to Anya, still fascinated by the entire situation. “So, Anya… when you get back to your time, will you tell your boyfriend about all of this? I bet he’d be super jealous if he knew Damian was helping you.”

Anya’s smile turned a bit mischievous. “Oh, I think he’d find it pretty funny, if I’m honest.”

Becky oohed, her curiosity piqued. “Nice! Yeah, I bet your boyfriend doesn’t get fazed by other guys at all.”

Anya laughed. “He definitely gets fazed sometimes, but with stuff like that, we can work it out.”

Becky gasped dramatically, looking like she’d just discovered a new life goal. “You’re so mature and cool, Anya! I love it! Am I as cool as you?”

Damian rolled his eyes, clearly fed up with the whole conversation. “Neither of you are cool!”

Anya stared at Damian for a moment, her expression thoughtful as she studied him. Damian’s face flushed red under her intense gaze, her big green eyes making him squirm. She was definitely Anya. “W-what do you want?!” he snapped, stomping his foot in frustration, trying to break the tension.

But she didn’t look away. “Sy-on boy… let’s go outside for a moment.”

Damian huffed, crossing his arms defensively. “Fine, whatever,” he grumbled, dragging his feet as he followed Anya out of the dorm room. She closed the door behind them, and he stood there, glaring at her.

“I can’t help but ask… why did you do this? Why did you want to be older?” she asked, her voice gentle but curious.

“That’s none of your business!” he spat, his bratty tone cutting through the air.

Anya didn’t flinch. Instead, she placed a hand on his shoulder, her touch soft. “I’m just trying to help, Damian. Please, tell me.” She smiled at him, and Damian felt that same uncomfortable squirming sensation he got when little Anya looked at him with tears in her eyes.

“I-I-I wanted to be older like Demetrius! If I was older, I could get as many Stella Stars as him—maybe even more!” He refused to admit the deeper truth—that he wanted to be more like Demetrius so his father might finally be impressed and spend more time with him.

“I see. Well, that took a lot of courage to admit,” Anya said, her voice calm and reassuring. She placed her other hand on his other shoulder and bent down so her face was close to his. “But don’t you think that even if it had worked, it wouldn’t have solved anything? You’d just be older, and you’d have lost all the time you could’ve spent with your friends.”

Damian’s heart pounded like crazy, and if she wasn’t holding him still, he would’ve bolted. This was like his usual Anya fluster times a million. “B-b-but…” He tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Anya sighed and stepped back, giving him some space. “Can you just try to accept that you’re good enough?” she asked, tilting her head to the side with a soft smile.

Damian’s face felt like it was on fire, and he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“For me?” Anya added sweetly.

“F-fine! But you’re still a big uggo with stubby legs! And I bet your boyfriend smells!” Damian blurted out, his bratty tone flaring up as a defense.

Anya chuckled, unable to resist ruffling his hair again. “Aw, little Sy-on boy…”

“Hey!” Becky called from the door, peeking out. “I think Demetrius has found something!”

Anya and Damian quickly returned inside.

Demetrius looked up from the spellbook. “I think this is it,” he said, pointing to a passage. “But we’ll need the same items you used originally to cast it. Do you still have them?”

Damian nodded, pulling out the rusted key, quail’s egg, and blue marble. “Yeah, I’ve got everything. Let’s just get this over with.”

Anya looked at the items and then at Damian, her expression softening. “Thank you, Damian. For everything.”

Damian felt his cheeks heat up again. The normal Anya never said his first name like that. “Whatever.”

“Just real quick…” Anya walked over to Demetrius. “I’m guessing there’s a memory removal spell?”

Demetrius nodded. “There is, yeah. I’ll use it on the kids.”

Anya nodded, relieved that he immediately understood.

Becky’s eyes widened. “What?! No! You can’t make us forget you—you’re so cool!”

Emile, Ewen, and even Damian reacted a little, clearly not thrilled with the idea.

Anya knelt down to their level, her voice warm and gentle. “Aw, guys, it’ll be fine. I’ve probably revealed too much, and I don’t want any of your futures to change.”

She hugged each one of them warmly, saving Damian for last. As she hugged him, Damian stiffened, not hugging her back. She whispered something sweet in his ear: “I think you’re good enough, and little Anya does too, we don’t want you to be like Demetrius”

Damian’s breath hitched, a mix of emotions swirling inside him. She knew. How did she know? He felt his jealousy melt away, if only for a moment.

Anya then turned back to Demetrius. “Thank you for your help,” she said, her tone sincere.

Demetrius looked at her thoughtfully before asking point-blank, “Anya… your boyfriend… he’s…”

“Yes,” Anya replied, smiling endearingly.

Demetrius nodded, processing the confirmation.

With that, Demetrius began the ritual, carefully following the instructions in the spellbook. The room filled with a soft glow as the spell took effect, and soon, the pink smoke returned, enveloping Anya once more.

When the smoke cleared, Anya was back to her eight-year-old self, sitting on the floor and looking dazed. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, blinking at her surroundings.

“Anya!” Becky exclaimed, rushing over to her. “You’re back!”

Anya blinked, her big, innocent eyes wide as she looked around. “What happened? Who woke me up?”

Damian let out a sigh of relief, glad to see that Anya was okay, though he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of loss.

“What was it like?” Becky asked, her curiosity bubbling over.

“What was what like?” Anya asked, tilting her head, which made the kids collectively facepalm.

“The future! That’s where you went!! Did you see us?” Emile asked, his voice filled with excitement.

Anya just blinked, her expression blank. “No, I think I was sleeping.”

“Are you serious?” Ewen groaned, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

As the others complained, Anya stared at Damian, trying to piece together her memories. There was something fuzzy and warm in her thoughts when she tried to remember if she had been somewhere else. Damian’s face seemed to float into her mind.

Damian noticed her staring and immediately turned beet red, his bratty instincts kicking in. “W-what, uggo?! Stop looking at me like that!”

Anya blinked again, her thoughts swirling. “Maybe… I think I saw…” She paused, trying to grasp the fleeting memory of Damian’s face in her mind. “No, I don’t remember.” She shrugged, letting it go, though the feeling lingered.

“Can all of you sit in a circle?” Demetrius suddenly interrupted, his voice flat and uninterested, as if he was bored with the whole ordeal.

“No!” Becky protested, crossing her arms defiantly. “I don’t want to forget older Anya!”

Demetrius gave them all a stern, emotionless look, and they reluctantly gave in, shuffling into a circle. As he performed the memory removal spell, it was almost like magic—because it was—the kids suddenly forgot everything, blinking in confusion as they looked around, wondering why they were sitting there.

“I’m hungry,” Anya mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “I want peanuts.”

Damian, feeling oddly lighter and more relaxed, snorted. “You’re always hungry for something dumb like peanuts.”

Anya frowned, her confusion deepening. “Why are you so mean to me?”

Damian blushed, quickly looking away to hide his embarrassment. “Shut up, stupid. Let’s just get out of here,” he grumbled, stomping out of the room. The others followed, leaving Anya and the others to wonder why he was acting so strange.

—

Epilogue - The Future

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm, golden glow over the city as Anya and Damian strolled down the quiet street, laughing about something trivial and enjoying the calm after a long day at Eden Academy. They had just finished studying for their upcoming exams, but the conversation had long since shifted to lighter topics—jokes about their classmates, teasing each other, and the occasional playful argument.

Anya, now fifteen and every bit as confident and spirited as she had been back in her earlier years, nudged Damian playfully. ���You know, you still make that grumpy face whenever someone mentions Demetrius,” she teased, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Damian rolled his eyes, though there was a fond smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Yeah, well, old habits die hard,” he retorted, but his tone was light, and there was no real edge to his words. Being with Anya had softened his once hard lines—at least around her.

They continued walking, their hands brushing occasionally, the comfort of their relationship evident in every little interaction. Damian glanced at Anya, marveling at how much had changed since they were kids. He never would have imagined back then that they’d end up like this—together, and happy.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, Anya suddenly stumbled, her grip on his arm tightening for a moment before she swayed, her eyes fluttering shut.

“Anya?” Damian’s voice was filled with concern as he caught her, easing her down onto a nearby bench. His heart pounded in his chest, a surge of panic rising as he watched her seemingly lose consciousness.

And then, with a soft “poof,” Anya’s body shrank before his eyes, her teenage form dissolving into the familiar figure of an eight-year-old girl. She was now back in her original Eden Academy elementary school uniform, looking just as she had years ago—innocent, sweet, and utterly adorable.

For a moment, Damian just stared, his breath caught in his throat. He was overwhelmed by a rush of emotions he hadn’t felt in years. Anya, small and childlike again, was undeniably cute—so cute that it almost made him want to scoop her up and never let go. But then he remembered who he was, and what had just happened.

He had to hold it together.

Gently, he cradled Anya in his arms, feeling her head nestle against his shoulder as she drifted into a deep sleep, seemingly unaware of the transformation that had just occurred. Damian’s heart squeezed as he held her close, his protective instincts kicking in full force. She was so small, so vulnerable… and so not supposed to be eight years old right now.

His mind raced back to the odd conversation he’d had with Demetrius when he’d turned fifteen. At the time, it had seemed so out of the blue—Demetrius, with his usual cryptic demeanor, had pulled him aside and told him, “There’s a chance Anya might… revert, someday. If it happens, don’t panic. Just call me.”

Damian had brushed it off back then, finding it weird and typical of his brother’s strange way of speaking. But now, holding a tiny, sleeping Anya in his arms, the memory came rushing back with a cold clarity.

He needed to call Demetrius. Now.

Spotting a small convenience store nearby, Damian adjusted Anya in his arms and made his way inside. The bell above the door chimed softly as he entered, and the shopkeeper, an elderly woman with a kind face, looked up from the counter.

“Well, aren’t you just the cutest young father,” she said with a warm smile, her eyes twinkling as she noticed the sleeping girl in his arms.

Damian’s cheeks flushed a deep red at the comment. He quickly shook his head, ready to correct her, but the words got caught in his throat. Instead, he found himself inwardly admitting that the idea of having mini Anyas with his Anya someday wasn’t so bad. It was a thought that made his heart flutter—a future he hadn’t dared to imagine before now.

But he quickly refocused, pushing the thought aside. He had more pressing concerns at the moment.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Damian managed to say, his voice a little tight. “Could I use your pay phone?”

“Of course, dear,” the shopkeeper said, gesturing to the old-fashioned pay phone in the corner of the store. “It’s right over there.”

“Thank you,” Damian replied, carrying Anya over to the phone. He carefully balanced her in one arm and fished a few coins out of his pocket with the other, slipping them into the slot before dialing Demetrius’s number. The phone rang once, twice, and then his brother’s calm, measured voice answered on the other end.

“Damian,” Demetrius said, his tone indicating that he already knew why Damian was calling. “It’s happening, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Damian replied, his voice a little more strained than he would have liked. He glanced down at Anya, still fast asleep in his arms. “She just… poofed back into a kid. What do I do?”

“Bring her to the estate,” Demetrius instructed, his voice steady. “I’ll explain everything when you get here. And Damian… try to stay calm.”

Damian nodded, even though his brother couldn’t see him. “Yeah… sure,” he muttered, hanging up the phone. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts as he looked down at the little girl in his arms—the girl who had somehow stolen his heart, even if she was eight years old again.

Despite the situation, a small, fond smile tugged at his lips. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, you know that?” he whispered, more to himself than to her.

With that, he adjusted his grip on her and left the store, giving a quick nod of thanks to the shopkeeper as he headed toward the Desmond estate. His heart was filled with both concern and an odd sense of nostalgia. Whatever this was, whatever had caused this strange turn of events, he’d figure it out—with Demetrius’s help, of course. But for now, all that mattered was getting Anya somewhere safe.

[rmorde]

Trigun Manga Reaction

Continuing with Volume 1 - Chapter 2

The double spread of Vash here and the grim history of the planet they're stuck in being contrasted by the title "LOONEY TUNES" is darkly funny ngl.

Then we cut to this?!

I know Vash is flexible and can get into wacky pretzel poses a lot from '98 and a bit less so from Tristamp, but this is something else. Combined with the sound effects, one would think this is a NSFW manga of a different genre.

Nightow loves to use sharp lines and triangle shapes, doesn't he? Not an expert opinion tho. Just something I'm noticing.

Did.. DID HIS HEAD JUST BOUNCE OFF CONCRETE?!!!! BABY GIRL!!!

Ahhh.. Dark humor. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Gremlin Baby Girl Vash using the age old tactic of hide-and-seek: people rarely look up!

I love their dynamic so much which I miss a lot in Tristamp. I mean Roberto-Meryl mentor dynamics was good and the series gave her a good origin, but still... I can't wait to see Milly again.

I think this is manga only, right? I don't remember something like this in '98. Meryl can be silly but it's a different kind of silly. Remembering how in denial she was in '98 about Vash being Vash is funny.

LMAO!!! His face! HIS FUCKING FACE!!!

Ok. So, in terms of art, '98 really gets the manga. TriStamp can be goofy but not to this extent... yet. I think Studio Orange is really doing their best to maximize 3D animation in replicating silly anime/manga expressions. They did it during the Jeonora Looney Toons Chase and a bit when Wolfwood was flyswatted by Meryl with a van. Maybe there'd be more next season (?)

Ok. Remember this from '98.

"WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO USE THE GRENADE?! HE CAN'T BE IDENTIFIED FOR THE REWARD IF HE'S PILE OF PULP, YOU DUMBASS!!!"

The trials these insurance ladies have to go through. OMFG. And this is just the start!

Oh... I can print this into a bookmark actually.

Oh. This is very different from '98. But between a bandit or a mob, Meryl and Milly have better luck making a bandit listen to what they have to say. Also, swapping a megaphone with dozens of doughnuts here won't improve matters either.

Meryl and Milly's anime counterparts had it easy at first. They had a trial run! Poor Manga Meryl and Milly didn't get that at all!

A black cat in these despairing times?

Ok... This was a bit later in '98... I think.

But I think TriStamp followed the manga's line of events more closely.

Wow... There'll probably more of these but the double spreads in this manga are always good.

Badass Ladies in longcoats!

What else is there to say about them? They're mad and they know how way over their heads this situation is, but they do their job anyway.

LOOK HOW THEY CRUMPLED THE CHAIRMAN LIKE A TISSUE PAPER!!!

Sigh... A terrible sight it is. This is the third iteration I've seen. It's the same old thing just in another coat of paint I've missed until now. This is tiring and frustrating as a reader/watcher.

While these people do show a bit of remorse because they acknowledge how nice Vash is and the story makes it clear that this was a last resort, it's practically a flimsy band-aid on a bleeding fatal wound.

Oh fuck. Was this number also mentioned in '98?! I can't remember.

But fifty?! Oh, Vash...

And he can't even cry to mourn his sisters...

And another incredible spread in here. Is this style just a Nightow thing? Two pages split into three sections of narrow-wide-narrow? I don't know the correct term. However, it seems to show up a lot. Trying to remember if other mangas I've read does the same...

Ooof. This was not easy on the eyes and it took a while for me to understand what happened. When I did tho... Oof... Vash Baby Girl.. Ow...

However... I know anime physics means character can bend their body like pretzels easy peasy, but what if Vash and Nai just have cartilage in place of bones? Or would that be just weird? All I can think about it '98 Wolfwood bending and twisting Vash 180 degrees during their first meeting.

Wait... What if Wolfwood's bones have been turned into just cartilage too during the experiments? No... These do not make sense!!!

And here it is again! Two pages split into three: narrow-wide-narrow.

AHAHAHA. MILLY NOOO LET MERYL BREATHE!

[haleigh-sloth]

I'm sorry for the vent but I had to get this off my chest.

One of the many things that are annoying me about the people complaining about "so-called critics" is that they're either hero stans, dudebros, shippers (esp B*D* shippers) or Bakugo stans. And the latter genuinely annoy me the most. Like yeah so sorry that your fav was saved through the efforts of pro heroes TWICE and even got an awe-inspiring comeback and got to Save his childhood hero™. Yeah you ofc don't care about the story and think we're just being bitter over nothing because AT LEAST YOUR FAV DID NOT MEET A TRAGIC AND MISERABLE END!!! The hero who we thought would die saving you was instead revealed to be doing fine! See he's even growing his limbs back! Ofc you think your fav did not murder a villain (who mind you was pleading for Afo to give back Tomura) because *gasp* my boi can do no wrong!! And even if he were killed so what? Kurogiri's dead anyway! No point in saving a corpse! Instead let's focus on how Deku never ever acknowledges Bakugo for dying twice for him (OH HOW DARE HE!!!)

I do think deku and bakugo might have a talk about this next chapter. Hopefully maybe.

It's insulting how they seem to think we're viewing this story from the perspective of "Western lens" which is utterly baffling and stupid?? Because not everyone is western and our criticism is from a story telling perspective (hello?? themes? narratives? they do exist ya know). We're not someone to disrespect Japanese culture because I guarantee you we're not like that. Like honestly if this story wasn't so insistent on the whole "saving the villains" then we wouldn't be upset. If the manga didn't have Deku say "OFA is a power meant for saving" then we wouldn't have been so hopeful for months (like at least I would've known not to expect anything happy).

Oof....nail on the head.

Also. Let's be clear. When people try to divide the fandom by saying "western" and "eastern", what they usually, typically mean is AMERICAN. Maybe Europeans are lumped in with "western" also (because most of them they're not eastern culture), but honestly the commentary I see is mostly catered toward Americans.

Which I'm not gonna tell people to not make fun of Americans because lmao. Fair.

But acting like Japan is this enigma of a country for having conservative-like values regarding family units and societal expectations and that nobody outside of it, especially on the western half of the hemisphere, can possibly relate to it is just stupid. Would like to remind that other cultures that are vastly different from the US and share a lot of similarities with eastern culture are on the western half of the globe, idiots.

Not gonna dwell on the details of east and west. This isn't a "east" vs "west" issue. Yes there are people who do not take cultural contexts into consideration, either through simply not being aware or not bothering to research/hear what the contexts might mean. I personally do try to do my best to read what might be normal for Japanese people in the situations portrayed in the manga so I'm not wondering wtf is going on or why.

Disliking this ending has nothing to do with disrespecting Japanese culture. Todorokis for example: sorry but abuse is abuse. Hating the ending the Todoroki siblings were portrayed having is completely fair. Doesn't matter where you're from. Where I feel people need to start understanding why Hori might do something differently, or just shut the fuck up otherwise, is how he handled Rei in regards to her relationship with Endeavor. And the kids toward Endeavor. But saying "damn, that finale is fucking depressing, none of them look happy, there was no emotional release or anything, just damn" is not saying "fuck Japanese culture!" Like lmao.

There were plenty of people explaining that MHA is commenting on aspects of Japanese culture. Explaining how. Also, MHA is not the only manga that does shit like that. I also don't think saying "Wow these character arcs that were strongly hinted at going one way falling flat on their faces and going straight to hell is really shitty writing choices" is saying anything in regards to Japanese culture.

Also insisting that anyone who wanted the villains to be saved is disrespecting Japanese culture or opinions or whatever....I would like to ask where the fuck they think these tropes come from. Naruto says hi. Among others. We're not pulling these ideas out of thin air. They exist, WITHIN THIS MEDIUM, already. And MHA heavily resembles Naruto as is. So yeah. Idk, I'm not really reading anybody's bitch fits about the critics because I don't care. If they're happy then good for them. I'm not, and I'm not gonna pretend to be. I'm not trying to convince anybody to be mad with me. I'm really trying to make my peace with the manga and tell myself it's fiction, I can draw an ending I want later when I have the energy and motivation. I'll learn to live with it. If anybody has an issue with that then, well, they can argue with a wall.

[thisgardenofromance]

Why I Absolutely Cannot Stand TamaHaru as an Ouran Manga Reader

Shoutout to this post I made a while back, we're finally delving into the second half of my argument lol

I feel like I'm gonna get some heat for this but I mean this completely in good faith to the shippers, because y'all are people. And honestly? Since there are so many of you, I would genuinely appreciate hearing your (polite) responses because I really don't understand. Here's my (anti-TamaHaru) perspective:

Ok, so TamaHaru always seemed a bit bland to me in the anime. It was fine if it had to happen, I guess, but it always seemed like the other characters were a lot more excited about it than the actual couple, and it just kind of seemed like their energies and life plans didn't align? They don't even end up kissing by the end of the anime, and they were the main ship and a straight couple. If they wanted to kiss, wouldn't they have kissed? And I mean, yeah, there was that whole bit where everyone was like "wow, Haruhi's dad is just like Tamaki" (which seems like some sort of weird relationship complex in and of itself), but Tamaki had a tendency to get excited about shit Haruhi just complained about, and I... is it really worth it at that point?

(Especially when Kyoya and Mori are right there. Come on dude, Kyoya is absolutely willing to have Tamaki's back every step of the way for whatever interests he wants to pursue and Tamaki designates him as the teammate in the family, and don't even get me started on whatever was going on between Haruhi and Mori in the waterpark episode. I want more of that shit. But that's a topic for another time.)

Feel free to give me your arguments on this too (kindly, please), but I feel like most of it that I've seen is "they'll grow together"/"they're equally stupid and that's cute"/"he just loves her so much"/"they're so aesthetic" and none of these have ever really held water for me because it doesn't really seem to negate the lack of chemistry I've observed...

Oof that was a long ass backstory but onto the actual point

So in the manga, my experience was basically all my fears were confirmed and then some, and we quickly spiraled into downright emotional abuse and partner-to-partner hatred????

Ah god it was so bad

Here are some examples

Haruhi's reaction to the realization that she loves Tamaki (Volume 13)

Literally the first example of body dysmorphia we've ever gotten from Haruhi (directly contradicting her body-positive/neutral quotes from volume 3), along with a very convenient example of Tamaki's (NOW CONFIRMED ROMANTIC) infantilization of Haruhi that y'all already know because it is present since the start of the series (the thing is this wouldn't even be an issue if it was directed at a friend as a "we have a family bond and I want to feel like I'm taking care of you" as he does with the twins and not to someone who he wants to be his life partner....) (Volume 13)

Haruhi's thoughts on the possibility of dating Tamaki (Volume 13)

The fact that the Dream Haruhi plotline has ground to stand on?????? Since when has it been okay to fantasize that your supposed other half is a completely different person when it comes to an actual romantic relationship? Shit like this is okay until it starts affecting other people, and the fact Haruhi has already shown dysmorphia because she cares about whether or not Tamaki wants to date her and then this shit happens makes me very uncomfy down to my bones. (Volume 14)

This isn't something particularly heinous between these two, but it is yet another egregious example of how they always just completely miss each other's vibes, which I personally don't really like in my power couples (Volume 15)

I'm just saying, if I realized my girlfriend thought these things about me I would be justifiably upset (Volume 15)

Ok I understand the tendency of the host club to jokingly threaten violence (read: Kyoya when he wakes up and both of the twins) but this is both completely unwarranted and oddly genuine what the fuck :D (Volume 15)

What the fuck <3 (Volume 15)

It's ok guys she's rethinking it because he fell asleep in the club room :D (she never apologizes to him by the way)

And then they spend the rest of the series overcoming external obstacles and living happily ever after

Just kidding this is how they get together (Volume 18)

And this is their first date. I don't feel like depicting it in its entirety because my back hurts now but rest assured Tamaki acting like Tamaki pisses Haruhi off more than once <3 (Volume 18)

In summary I've only ever seen them act like this with each other I like both of their characters but these chapters genuinely almost convinced me to hate them they are so bad for each other just date someone else just date someone else p l e a s e

[harapeveco]

heyy so ive loved eves songs for a while now and i really wanna delve into their lore. so far ive seen the names of the characters from his mvs, but is there a story? what are the characters like? im so curious and i would love to know where to start reading into it. thank you!! c:

Oof well gotta be honest with you bestie that is a very difficult question…the simpler answer to that is yes and no

The more complicated answer is it depends on how you see those MVs, everything it’s pretty much up to your interpretation. There are some MVs however that are connected to each other to some extent, those being Nonsense Bungaku, Dramaturgy, Outsider and Last Dance all of these make a reference to the characters that appear in each one so most fans agree they are part of the same story. There are two other MVs that are undoubtedly related, these being Inochi no Tabekata and Fight Song, the second one being a sequel to the first. Another interesting case is the one of Tokyo Ghetto that also has cameos of characters from the aforementioned songs and its main character appearing on Inochi no Tabekata several times, which makes everyone believe they are connected…as far as a “story” goes related to his MVs that’s the most I can give you

As of lore there’s a bit of it. You probably have noticed how in every MV there’s a human and a creature/monster like thing with said human. Those creatures are called Zingai and they can be described as the physical manifestation of a person’s heart (if you’ve ever played a Persona game it’s literally the same thing). Usually Zingai are friendly with their human and pretty much do whatever their human wants them to do but there are times where they become unstable and attack their humans. Good examples of this are the end of Dramaturgy and Tokyo Ghetto

There’s more I could explain ofc but where’s the fun of that when you can read it yourself and make your own theories too! Idk if you are aware but Eve has two mangas! One of them is Kara no Kioku which is the story of a complete new character discovering what Zingai are (which explains better the whole human/zingai dynamic) and another one called Inochi no Tabekata which as you can assume follows the MVs’ protagonist and his origin story (this manga also has a light novel counterpart you can find the first two volumes translated here on tumblr). There’s a third one but it’s more of a gag type 4koma manga called Tobi to Ryuuko which is about the two characters from Fight Sing vibing together

That’s all I can say regarding this tbh. Most of the lore or story (not taking the mangas and light novel into consideration) is mostly your own interpretation. Some people like to say some MVs are canon while others aren’t bc they don’t see them fitting their idea of continuity while others (like me) like to believe every MV is related to some extent. I think that’s the best aspect of being an Eve fan, you can just put your own thoughts on it and you won’t be wrong

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (22/09/24)

Post is a day late cause I was catching up to Magilumiere and ended pretty late so I just went to bed instead of finishing up the post and going even later. It was well worth staying up late cause it is THAT good. Looooots of yappin on this one, not just for that but some of the other stuff too. Buncha stuff ending next week too so more yapping then

blue - finale/completed green - new series/new to me pink - catching up

Anime

Plus-Sized Elf Ep12 (Finale)

I was going back and forth between 5 and 4 but ended up here. If it was normal lenght instead of short like this it would've ended up as a 4 for sure and maybe even a 3. But at the end of the day the show knew what it is. Just an ecchi show that served as a tool to promote the manga. They never did anything fancy and the animation was always the bare minimum with a lot of stills and pans. It being uncensored was a surprise for sure but there's not much more to say about it. There is only one joke and it's "damn this girl is thicc as hell", but it's never used in a negative way cause the author is clearly into it so it's not terrible. Tho it is also kinda like danberu with it giving recommendations for a buncha easy exercises anyone can do to lose weight and the such, which I didn't know was a thing cause I only ever saw the gags getting posted so that was cool to see. But at the end of the day, if you're interested in the series you'd be better off reading it anyway since synedoche's art is better

Manga

Yoshida Lemon Drops Ch1

This actually came out last month (and scanlations like 2 weeks ago) but I only now decided that I wanted to start it. I thought it was monthly because of that but apparently it's up to chap 4, there's just not been any more scanlated chaps, oof... But anyway, that was a decent little first chap just setting up the premise. I'ts a rom com between the most popular girl at uni and a guy that's not sure what he's doing at uni in the first place. They used to be together in a club in HS. The twist is that she confesses right at the end of first chap instead of it taking a billion years, it was pretty cute too. The artstyle might look familiar to you and that's because Wakaki has done many a series before including, his biggest one, TWGOK and more recently 365 Days to the Wedding which is getting an anime next season. I've never read or watched any of their other series but I know they're pretty well liked by people who have so I decided to give this new one a try. Hopefully scanlators pick it back up again soon, Mega just told me that the people who did this ch1 also did all of 365 so there's hope 🙏

Magilumiere Co. Ltd. Ch1 - 125

I've been meaning to read this for a long time and finally decided to do it now. Anime is starting on a couple weeks so I'm right on time tehe But anyway, the first chap was really good. I was already expecting good things cause my buddy Mega has always praised it since the start but I was still surprised. I wish every new series on WSJ could have first chapters this good. They did a great job introducing the mains and giving us a little taste of how the world works, plus the art is great, the style really reminds me of early MHA which is a big compliment. I'll go back to reading now and then give some more thoughts when I finish catching up (or if something comes up meanwhile.) Alright I caught up with it and all I can say is, it's peak, it's just peak. As I was reading it I caught myself putting it in the same headspace as Kaiju. Maybe cause they're both Jump+ titles? Maybe cause they're both different takes on their respective genres? I'm not sure but I did. And as much as I like Kaiju, and I like it quite a bit, it feels like Magilumiere blows it out the water. While I like the action scenes in Kaiju a lot more cause it has better coreography and a lot flashier scenes, everything else about Magi is just better, including the art. I think the biggest difference between the two is how much better the pacing is in this compared to it, but the characters also feel a lot more fleshed out unlike in Kaiju where that's only the case for like 4 or 5 of them. The only exception to this is Koshigaya but she's going to get a little arc soon so yeah. Me and Mega discussed it a bit before I went to bed, after catching up, and we think it'll still have 30-40 more chaps so I'll be looking forward to reading this for the next few months. Anyway I'm rambling a lot and still feel like I forgot some stuff I wanted to say but I'll stop here lol

Just one last thing I wanted to add, you can really tell how much the author loves and respects the genre which is refreshing to see. I wish other magical girl series that try to put a "twist" on the genre were half this good. They really do get it

Hakutaku Ch1

Well that was alright, I guess. Certainly the weakest out of the 3 in this serialization round. I wasn't expecting much out of it so can't say I was disappointed but wasn't impressed either. The art was good at least, the artist worked as an assistant for Black Clover before. It's about a boy who gamefies most aspects of his life meeting a girl that wants to make games and her convincing him to make a game with her. This felt a lot like a one shot to me but it's a serialization, so we'll see how the next few chaps go but I won't be expecting too much

[lotus-pear]

i went in to bsd knowing absolutely nothing about it except that Dazai existed (i was looking for something similar to Noragami & ppl kept saying Yato & this "Dazai" character were similar... which did not end up being true imo but i digress LOL)

i kept dropping the anime every few eps bc i couldn't get into it (my brain: not enough Dazai screen time smh). and tbh Chuuya wasn't rly that memorable to me 🫣 (tho i mostly blame the anime for the portrayal of their relationship & watering down ALL the characters ajdkshdkf)

but after i finished the anime & started reading fics, knkdz was my fave dynamic (platonically). it wasn't until i ran out of knkdz fics & started reading skk fics that i was like OH so THIS is their dynamic (not that i'm endorsing ppl basing their characterizations off of fics OOF...). and once i read the In's i was like OHHHH YEAH OK SKK HAS ME IN A CHOKEHOLD

all that to say... i'm very interested in your experiment bc from the anime alone i rly enjoyed knkdz! I'm not big on knkdz anymore just bc i prefer skk, but i appreciate the importance of the role their relationship plays in bsd/for Dazai, & idk how someone can like skk and outright hate knkdz bc they have a lot of similarities 😵‍💫

(and for the record platonic skk is still my favorite flavor of skk 🤭 Dazai therapy arc before any healthy romances pls)

NORAGAMI MENTIONED OMFG‼️ (also whoever said that is a fucking dumbass yato and dazai are not similar at all imo💀) also yea i don't read fics at all so my only exposure through shipping is official content and solely based on that i draw conclusions abt each pairing. and ur so right abt the anime watering skk down i will forever hate bones for being homophobic😭😭 manga!skk is so fucking funny watching them bicker is so entertaining

[otakween]

Cyborg 009 BGOOParts Delete (2020) - Volume 4

Zooming to the finish line because frankly I want to be done with this manga so I can move onto something I'm actually invested in! Well actually, I realized that there are a few other Cyborg 009 things I haven't read yet, but they're all short and translated, so I'm not worried about them.

Ch. 22

I had to read this chapter twice because Hera's Japanese was so tricky. She talks in fancy-old-timey talk, no fair!

Essentially the Mythos cyborgs are brought back to life by Hera and Apollon is like "well wait a minute, we're now back to 100% health, but the numbers cyborgs are all beat up, I don't want to fight unless it's fair and square!" and then Hera's like "too bad!" and she uses her amulet to mind control all the Mythos cyborgs

Getting back into the "Mythos cyborgs are tragic characters" theme with Apollon being sick of being used over and over again by everyone.

Ch. 23

Finally stuff is happening other than boring battling/monologuing! In this chapter we learn Hera's backstory (she used to be Dr. Gaia's assistant Renate). I found it kinda hard to sympathize with her because in the flashback Gaia was like "mwahaha I'm going to take over the world with my Mythos cyborgs, sound good?" and she was like "power? Domination? Well...I guess!" Like, she didn't hesitate much.

Since Riko is incapacitated all of the Mythos cyborgs dissolve along with the battlefield where they were fighting. The double page spread where the numbers cyborgs were sent back undersea was well done.

It was kind of awkward how Joe was like "water? Pyunma's time to shine!" but then Pyunma was like "yeah, I can't do shit cuz if I bring Riko up to surface too fast she'll die." I feel like most of the cyborgs weren't exactly built to save people (like how Joe can't touch anyone while using his acceleration switch)

Ch. 24

Oof, this chapter was a bear to get through. At some point I gave up and started using DeepL translation (which worked surprisingly well). Basically the whole chapter was Gaia/Zeus/whatever monologuing about...idk world domination or something? Also, using and abusing the Mythos cyborgs for his own gain.

I lied, there's also a bit at the beginning of the chapter where Artemis and Francoise cry about how they don't wanna fight and Artemis is jealous over Francoise and Joe's relationship.

Ch. 25

Hera regains strength, this time possessing Riko' mom (Hitomi) instead of Riko. They drew Hitomi really goofy looking in the reveal and I couldn't take it seriously. Hera gets a monologue in while the numbers cyborgs regroup. God, this is boring.

Ch. 26

Now that I have DeepL translation on my side, I'm having more fun reading this lol. I can read normal character dialogue (like the butlers and the numbers cyborgs) just fine, but the Mythos folks and Professor Gaia/Zeus speak in an old-timey, pretentious way that's way too advanced for me >_<

In this chapter all the characters prep for the final battle. The Mythos cyborgs begrudgingly agree to fight one last time as they accept that they have no control over their own fates, but they also destroy the Mythos cyborgs copies/clones because they're sick of being resurrected over and over only to be used and abused. Zeus is like "how dare!" and then the orb thingy that they were all in sinks into the Aegean sea.

This chapter had some great, dramatic panels. Mainly the numbers cyborgs group shot at the end and the double page spread of the Dolphin.

Ch. 27

The fight begins between the numbers and mythos cyborgs and the mythos cyborgs debut a new strategy and new powers. The numbers cyborgs ponder the weirdness of their new tactics when they seem to send out one mythos cyborg at a time. They also learn that at least one of the mythos cyborgs now has the power to shape shift which complicates things.

009 picks up 006 to use him as a flamethrower. Was it established that Joe's acceleration doesn't harm other cyborgs? I can't remember, but that sounds right...(or do they all still have acceleration powers thanks to the Dolphin?)

Ch. 28

So it turns out that Zeus was the shape-shifter. He and Joe have a confrontation and Zeus transforms himself into Joe. They then pull that BS we've seen in every movie ever where Joe and Zeus try to convince the numbers cyborgs that THEY'RE the real Joe. Dun dun dunnnn.

002 proves which Joe is fake by flying him up into the sky and recreating the scene from the end of volume 10. He asks Zeus if he remembers the promise they made and Zeus!Joe gets the answer wrong. Jet drops him and all the other cyborgs fill him with bullets. At the last second tho, Hera teleports him away (potentially healing him?)

Onto the next! I thiiink the last volume is the last but I'm not entirely sure. Could be second to last, but 5 seems like a good number to end on. I'm pretty surprised after all this time no one has picked up this series for translation yet!! I'm not really a fan, but I know there a lot of Cyborg 009 superfans out there these days...oh well. I can deal with short series in Japanese. I just get fatigued after awhile with the longer ones.

[brxkxnhxxrtsclxb]

Wait so you ship borusumi? If you don't mind me asking when and why did you start shipping them? This is literally my first time seeing a borusumi shipper on tumblr.

hiii, yes i ship borusumi💕

and i don’t mind you asking :3

as for borusumi shippers, i think they’re mostly on twitter. i myself don’t see much for them (the ship) here on tumblr

as for your question:

i don’t have an exact date but can say i started shipping borusumi when i first read the chapter sumire confessed her feelings. idk i was just like “okay girl go get your man” lmaoo😭😭 it was just like “okay, she likes boruto. good for her !!” and i started rooting for sumire since then

(not to mention the conversation he has with her in the chapter before that)

i watched the anime way after starting the manga and the first arc having boruto and sumire and how he saved her was nice to see. but idk how canon the anime is anymore since they said both the anime and manga are but then the anime made sarada a chunin and the manga said she’s still a genin so oof

also the novels!! again, no idea how canon they are but there is one where it says boruto never shows his tears in public but when he found out sumire was in the hospital cuz she got hurt, he cried and showed his tears in public. then there’s another novel where it says himawari likes some idol, lily, and she tells boruto how cute she is and boruto doesn’t care for lily but he thinks her eyes are a pretty color. lily is described to have violet eyes. that made me even more obsessed with borusumi sksk

then there’s the manga chapter where eida asks to speak with sarada and then said to bring kakei and boruto questioned it. it was only when eida mentioned sumire that boruto reacted. boruto himself relayed the message to sumire. we see them speaking and know they’re friends. once they went in the room, he asked if they (sarada and sumire) were gonna be okay. it’s little details like those that matter ♡

then omnipotence happened. everyone’s memories about boruto and kawaki switched. no one knew what was going on, but it was sumire who told sarada what occurred. she didn’t have all the facts, but remained levelheaded

her first instinct was to help boruto

and we all know what happens after. sarada asks sasuke to help boruto. basically what this shows is: without sumire, boruto would be dead. everyone was just out to kill boruto (cuz they think he’s kawaki), but he’s innocent. both sarada and sumire know this. sumire didn’t know how to help him, but her first instinct was to do so. it was thanks to her intel that sarada managed to snap out of her crying and get her to listen and that’s when she asked sasuke to help him. in other words: sumire literally saved boruto’s life

we see in chapter 1 of the time skip that sarada and sumire are still trying to help boruto and break omnipotence. she’s shocked to see boruto when he appears out of nowhere to save sarada from code. sumire doesn’t make an appearance again until chapter 5, which just dropped a few days ago. we see she gets information from amado regarding omnipotence and his memories and she relays this information to sarada. she’s basically still trying to find ways to combat eida’s ability to help boruto. now we wait for chapter 6 to drop to see what more is in store for this manga. i wanna see how this pans out since boruto doesn’t even know sumire is unaffected by omnipotence. in his mind, he only has sarada, so let’s see what happens next

sorry if this got too long and it doesn’t answer your question >.< but this is basically why i started shipping them and why i continue to ship them. sure, it’s easy to disregard the ship cuz we don’t see boruto and sumire interacting much, but their moments are there. they aren’t meaningless. sumire loves boruto. this has been confirmed many times now and she’s doing what she can to help him break omnipotence

[icecreamsocialanxiety]

Silly Lily Chronicles!

['Cuz it's not romantic, I swear! I'm not gasping for air!]

A series of small moments in the office and farther on; from Boris and Kamal's lives pre-Habitat starting from the first time they shook one another's hands.

If they only knew how much they'd influence each other in the coming years in "Forsooth", the musty two-story clinic just down the street...

In their small town of hilltops: Columba Hills, Wyoming.

Originally posted on AO3, circa 2022

Volume 1: Prologue (2023 Revision)

Holy cow! I think I've got one here

Now just what I am supposed to do?

~

I've got a number of irrational fears...

That I'd like to share with you-u-u~

First, there's rules about old goats like me Hanging around with dudes like you

But I do like you and another one:

You say 'like' too much....

['Cuz it's not romantic, I swear! I'm not gasping for air!]

Volume 1: Prologue

A series of small moments in the office and farther on; from Boris and Kamal's lives pre-Habitat starting from the first time they shook one another's hands.

If they only knew how much they'd influence each other in the coming years in "Forsooth", the musty two-story clinic just down the street...

In their small town of hilltops: Columba Hills, Wyoming.

Originally posted on AO3

~

Holy cow! I think I've got one here

Now just what am I supposed to do?

~

I've got a number of irrational fears...

That I'd like to share with you-u-u~

First, there's rules about old goats like me

Hanging around with dudes like you

But I do like you and another one:

You say 'like' too much....

~

October 13, 1988. Bora Residence.

He was late!!

Good gravy, of course he was! You know, for the ONE THING he was studying at least 8 or 10 years at medical school to go to?! He couldn't even remember he was so late! Honestly, man! He'd be late to his own funeral! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Kamal practically fell out of bed this morning once he opened his eyes to how high the sun was! Did he forget to set the alarm!?!? He went to bed at 11, it wasn't even that late! 8:30 on the alarm clock was burned in his mind as his throat went all cold turning the knob and booking it out the door.

What was he even doing yesterday evening? Surely it wasn't more important than setting his alarm!

He paced around feverishly to look for his hairbrush. Should he brush his teeth? Probably. Ugh, but not before breakfast, he needs SOMETHING or he'll pass out!

"OOF!"

...Oh don't tell him he just passed out already!

No, he actually just tripped over a closed comic book in bursting out of his bedroom door. More specifically, his Doremon manga. Then it came to him. He was rereading this issue again yesterday.

That silly little kid's comic book he kept reading...just to feel some sort of release in the amount of mental preparation in becoming a real doctor. A dentist. Was he ready for this? Considering how much he wasn't aware of the real world? He could hear his old man and ma getting on his case now to "act his age".

He was hugging his knees again. Agh, he was so totally getting ahead of himself. The day hasn't even started yet. Breathe in....breathe out.

Just take a granola, your ritalin, drink a CRAP ton of water and apply your citrusy jasmine scented deodorant.

Geez, he hoped his boss wouldn't be strict. His deodorant only did so much, even while having an asian benefit of genetically not very pungent pits. Wait. How well does that hold up, though?

Was it all a myth? Or is it because he's thin in particular?

Well...not like your family HAS really stinky pits to start with. That he knows of.

(...Okay, enough with that kind of B.O. talk. You're so weird, Kamal. Stop it. This is why you're lonely.)

Either way....the same couldn't be said for his breath. Ew.

GOD, his breath. DO NOT greet your new boss at the dental clinic with bad breath. Golly.

The chocolate in the granola wasn't coffee but it'll do. He downed it as fast as he could.

Maybe it was for the best, not mixing his adhd meds with excessive caffeine. His brain was already wired enough. Shortly after he brushed his teeth. It would be the last time he'd be just brushing his own pearly whites.

Alright...teal polo shirt...unfortunately baggy pants he couldn't stop himself grabbing last minute...transformers watch...magenta accented sneakers....cartoonish rabbit printed lanyard...

He peered over to his brand new couch. Hippity the beanie buddy sat there cutely, with his pleading beaded eyes.

"Kamal, you still have your doll? I-I mean, I guess I'm a little surprised you like 'em still, yanno.

Considering how you've changed, all your changes."

....

Ignoring that memorized, somewhat backhanded judgment from his mother, he stuffed his soft little friend in his jacket pocket.

Ugh. What does she know?

He imagined a triumphant giggle coming from Hippity since Kamal couldn't bring himself to leave him there. Hippity was good moral support. Just for today, he said. Just for luck.

Maybe it'd be okay.

Today's the first day of the rest of his life. If it's too hard in this weird world to feel like smiling, then the least he could do to help is make sure they had healthy teeth, eh?

...

8:58. Forsooth Dentistry Clinic.

Just in time. He carefully swung his car door closed. God, there was so much traffic! It was ridiculous! 

Well, no use in complaining. He did manage to make it. He took out Hippity and hugged him for luck, quickly stashing him in his pocket before anyone saw.

Sigh. Sometimes he truly wished to live a domesticated rabbit's life. When given the right care, they just don't have a care in the world. He liked cats too, but bunnies really got him. No one could replace his childhood bunny, Hopscotch...

But this paycheck could help him out. He could get either/or. Anything to fill the void in the house....oh geez. Daydreaming, Bora. You're doing it again.

He eyed his childish-looking watch. It just flipped from 8:59 to 9:00. Yikes, go inside already.

Behind the door, with a bell jingling on it, was a young purple and redheaded woman as the receptionist. She was typing away at her desk, filing papers.

Kamal let the receptionist know he was here all too awkwardly.

K: 'YELLO!

Ack, er, Hi! I'm here!

Re: Hi there! First day, right?

K: H..Hah, yeah! I'm not late am I?

Re: Oh, no trouble. You should be okay.

K: Cool, cool...

Internally Kamal wanted to burst out crying. But he spared her of witnessing that uncomfortable scene.

...

Re: Name, please?

K: Wha?

Re: Er, your name, doc? I gotta know who's assistant you are, heh!

K: OH. Yes, Doctor Kamal Bora.

Re: Ah. How d'ya spell the first name?

K: K-a-m-a-l?

Re: Kay...lemme see here....

...

Kamal stood there for an awkward amount of seconds....

Re: Ah, sorry for that! Here's your boss!

She handed him a paper over the counter.

Re: You're assigned to Doctor Habit. I heard that one's a bit of an oddball, but he's a hard worker.

Oh. Great. He got the weird one.

K: You don't say?

Re: Ah, but I wouldn't worry too much. Other people just call him strange just because he's rather blunt about things.

Oh, GREAT, he got the strict one?

Re: But like I said, no worries. People spread stuff 'round here too much. G'luck, newbie! Get ready to shake a leg! Or...like, a hand. The paper should say what office he's in. Shouldn't be too far from here.

K: Ah, I gotcha. Thank you much.

The receptionist waved.

...

Going by the paper he found his locker and got his doctor's coat on. It was chilly throughout the clinic so he didn't think to take off his jacket.

The clinic seemed a lot more casual than it first let on when he applied here.  Well...I can't let my guard down yet. Gotta try to wow my new boss, I guess. He heard a lot of test drilling down the hall. He hoped it wasn't going to be too overwhelming an hour later when it opened at 10 AM.

This looked to be the station. He was intimidated by the pressure of a first impression; so he masked his fear with his professional persona, greeting his new boss and extending an arm once he was through the door. He didn't really pay attention to where his new boss was, and had his eyes closed upon greeting. Oh gosh.

K: Hey, Doctor Habit right? Pleased to meet'cha. I'm your new assistant, starting today. Dr. Bora.

A rather deep voice with a thick foreign accent (Swedish? French?) that he couldn't pinpoint responded.

Ha: Hullo. I am he. 

Dr. Habit looked over his shoulder to see someone not even close to 6 foot at the door. Oddly enough, they had a longer hairstyle like he did. With their eyes closed and a hand extended. He wasn't sure what to make of it other than it seemed to be a handshake invitation. Usually he was to initiate it, as their new boss. 

They had either come overprepared, or heard the rumors about him and didn't want to look him in the eye. He scowled a bit at the thought, but still was to accept the handshake. He already knew they'd be put off by him either way. Like the other ones that had asked to be re-assigned...he was used to this by now.

Ha: That I was told. Pleased to meet you as well.

As Habit walked over, his heels making a clopping sound; Kamal was prepared to make eye contact. Look him right in the eye and make sure he knows he'll knock his socks off! And not for the life of him slip up or stutter!!

But then he looked up and---

K: Yeah, good to meet y--!

...

You see, a normal person would just say like "Whoa you're tall" to a man like Habit. But when people think tall they think like...6"5, usually.

They don't usually have SEVEN FOOT FOUR INCHES in mind because that's rather uncommon. And that was Doctor Habit.

With waist length auburn curly hair tied back in a large ponytail; a pea green visage, a rosy nose and bright vermillion eyes he stood out even more. He also seemed to have a patterned lanyard that Kamal wasn't so focused on right now. Could he see right through the mask he put on? He couldn't think normal. His bright golden sepia eyes were shot open in disbelief. But not because he was off put by him, no, far from that.

It was far more embarrassing than that.

(t-tall? TaLL? TALL?? TAALLL???)

Maybe it was because Kamal was kind of half awake and his meds hadn't kicked in yet....but nobody told him he'd be working with some kinda ADONIS?? Was it just him or was Doctor Habit SUPER beautiful??? Was that the word?? CHRIST HELP HIM. WHY WAS HIS FACE WARM.

Oh good lord was he blushing a little? Crap, what was happening. This was a disaster already. He hadn't even been here for an hour. Don't crush on the first man you see, dammit!! DEFINITELY NOT YOUR BOSS!!

[Kamal was kind of just frozen there. His olive toned face flushed rosy, staring up at him wordlessly. Mouth agape.]

Every time. Every single time. I'm so exhausted. Habit was quickly uncomfortable as 10 seconds went by. Habit huffed curtly and that snapped Kamal out of his apparent staggered trance.

K: S-Sorry!? I just u-um....didn't expect---

Habit abruptly interrupted Kamal to shake his hand and get it over with. His hand was at least the size of Kamal's face. And it sure was warmer than it looked. Kamal stayed on that thought a little too much as he spoke.

Ha: Ya, ya. I'm abnormally tall, I wear heels, eyeliner, et she-ra....e-et cetera! Whutever. Look, I'm sure it was a rough drive here and we could both use some coffee. So let's do that, ya?

The impatient type, huh? That's what the receptionist meant he supposed. 

Usually Kamal despises putting up with this kind of behavior from anyone, be it minimal to overbearing. But what Dr. Habit responded with sounded sympathetic in nature.

K:...Sure? I...I didn't mean to rude, boss....Mind me.

....

Ha:...No, no. That was on me. Most don't expect someone taller than the average doorframe, so. (Sigh)

Let's have some coffee and begin today's prep work, yes?

Kamal nodded back at him slowly. Still a lot of mixed emotions internally. Why was he so awkward?

It did confuse Habit why this Dr. Bora person was rather rosy in the face.

His previous assistants didn't react like this. Sometimes they'd jump up in fear. All of his previous assistants were under a decade younger than him. Perhaps this one was closer to his age?

Habit knew he couldn't afford having another assistant ask to relocate or be re-assigned. It might impact his job.

It kind of annoyed him honestly. Add it to list of things....

Ha: So...what I'm going to ask is outside of today's training.

K: Huh?

Ha: Your name, Kamal...is it a masculine or feminine one? Or is it neither?

K: My...what?

Ha: Sorry, I meant...er...what's the word....'pronouns'. Yes. I want to make sure I don't misgender you. The clinic doesn't care, but I believe the distinction is severely overlooked. 

Wait, really? Was he also....?

K: Well, er...thank you for asking! He and Him for me. Also happen to be a guy, yeah. Kamal's a somewhat neutral name where my folks are from, now that you mention it. You?

Kamal didn't expect this either. Habit wanted to bend the rules for his employee's sake?

Ha: Same as you actually.

K: A-Ah, like the receptionist said?

Ha: Oh...yes.

...Let's get you that coffee, hm?

Did...Habit grin a little a him? Kamal caught a glimpse of it, but it happened. 

(He also thought it was really charming.)

Was it 'cuz he caught on to the coding so fast? Maybe he wasn't as weird as his reputation upheld. Maybe he was...nice!

...

9:30 AM. 

The minutes had gone by... and boy he sure felt weird again. Kamal had sworn he'd seen this Dr. Habit fellow from somewhere. I mean he did live in town, but like....did they go to the same med school? Now that he thought about it...he recalled bumping into a rather tall gentleman with long curly hair a few times in the halls.

He always apologized but the figure kept on walking with no response. That person in question always seemed glum and low energy. He'd never really heard them speak...maybe because he forgot what they sounded like. They always stood out to him.

Being the sap he is, Kamal tried to reach out them once, slipping a note in their locker last year on Valentine's. No, i-it wasn't romantic or anything! No, no! I mean...not to say he didn't like the mysterious types. [Aughh, but it wasn't like that! He didn't even KNOW the guy.] He just wanted them know that he could be their friend.

He wrote: "Hey there, person I wish I knew! If you ever want a friend my name is Kamal Bora! Reach out to me if you want! I think your style is super hip and like...don't let anyone tell you otherwise, y'know! This time of year can get pretty lonely so, us social outcasts should stick together right? Of course, no pressure. Just know I'm around town. Sincerely, Kamal. :]"

He never really thought it'd go anywhere. He just wanted to try to make a friend.

But the weird thing was.... you'd think he wouldn't even get a response; yet the next day that he went to his locker...there was this intricate colored pencil drawing of a yellow rose on a small slip of paper. Was it from the tall stranger? He couldn't know for sure...but he did remember doodling a bit on that letter too. Was it a response? The piece wasn't even signed, but...oh, the anomalies just kept piling up. He'd likely never know who gave that to him. But he kept that yellow rose drawing on his post board at home...still waiting for that person to give him a response in person.

"So the light fixture is a bit broken. Repairs are coming tomorrow but it'll be a doozy to work with. Honestly I don't know why they can't just let us use a spare room but...such is life, I suppose."

Oh god, he spaced out. Again! How much did he miss...! He was still working on the small latte that was offered to him. He knew he couldn't handle it, good lord....It was already bad that Habit's accent was thick. Hearing it more, he now believed it was russian.

...Was he russian?

K: UhH? Oh! Oh no?! That's bad. Sorry to hear! That will make things weird.

Ha: Luckily, I'm prepared for "slappy-dashed" things such as this!

He was?

Dr. Habit proceeds to unearth FOUR flashlights from his white coat pockets. Where did he even....How??

Ha: This world wouldn't survive without people prepared for the worst! So that's what I did, to save us the trouble. We'll take turns holding the flashlights while the other works on the patient's teeth, ya?

K: U-Uh! Yeah! Sure, boss??

Ha: We can't work on the patient and hold the flashlight at the same time, rite? So it only makes sense.

[Just smile and nod Kamal....I mean...yeah it does make enough sense?]

But Kamal was SO confused.

Okay, was this what they meant by odd? As in...pretty intense? This man was just giving him a wave of emotions. He didn't know whether to think he was intense or um?? Charismatic?

...And kinda really super cute?? At the same time?? Kamal, jesus, get a hold of yourself!! This is just another stupid meaningless crush!

Ha: Okay...well. Did you remember all that, Dr. Bora?

SHOOT. Should he lie??

K: U-Uh. UH....

Ha: It's fine if you didn't. It'll make sense in practice, yes. They had me remember the hard stuff for you.

K: I guess so. You're...eheh. The boss. Literally. I mean, yes...I remember what to do, of course. Ahah.

Habit blinks at him blankly. Then...

Ha: Heh. Funny joke. You're a fun one. Come over to this station.

Kamal couldn't help a grin at the compliment.

Yes, I've got to totally wow him in anyway possible. Really show him how talented I am. That I'm not just a dork from down the street.

....

But suddenly, Kamal heard a PLOP against the marble floor as he kept walking. It was resounding to him...it sounded like a stuffed animal?

Wait. WAIT!! OH GOD. HIPPITY THE BUNNY WAS IN HIS JACKET POCKET THAT'S RIGHT!!

Oh my god. OH MY GOD THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING.

Ha: Hm? Ah...what's...that?

K: I??? diDN'T HEAR AN ANYTHING?

Ha: No, but look...is that a bunny rabbit doll? 

Habit paced over to it slowly, pondering the owner. 

Ha: Did a patient leave this one behind, or...

Kamal quickly ran back over to the doll, startling Habit as he scooped Hippity back up and attempted to stuffed him back in the inner pocket.

Ha: WH--My goodness, why did you...?

Habit caught sight of his employee's face. Kamal's face was completely red. Was he misty eyed? He looked so ashamed...Why? Habit began to genuinely worry.

K: He...um. Hippity's...he's my bunny. Sorry, this is so unprofessional! Ugh! Don't laugh, okay?! I won't bring him tomorrow, I-I just! Ngh!

No...no...god. He was crying. Right in front of his boss. On the first goddamn DAY.

Weeping while holding his silly little childhood beanie buddy. He probably looked so pathetic right now....

But to his surprise...Habit's tone completely changed.

Ha: Y-You...don't have to embarrassed about this. Don't be sorry.

K: W...Wha?

Ha: Never be sorry for what you cherish, okay? D-Don't let anyone tell you so! Your little Hippity looks very well cared for.

K: I....Thank you?

Habit was looking right at him, genuinely, with not a hint of gruffness in his exterior.

[Was this guy...really just a big softie too?]

This kind of sentimentality was very important to Habit, he learned just now.

Somehow...this helped Kamal recall something, too. He found his train of thought again. He usually can. But this morning has done a number to his stress alone.

About time, really. I guess this coffee's good for something.

He lost sight of his long term goal, why he craved independence in the first place.

And his parents have been nothing but supportive in the long run.

But of course they've had their slip-ups. A LOT. Progress is slow, but gradual.

In truth...His mother, she's actually very considerate of him most of the time. The first person he willingly came out to as trans.

He always unwillingly recalled what she opened with when he was packing up all of his things, when he moved out just a few weeks ago. 

"All his changes" meant a guy was strange or a pansy for liking dolls. Right? Is that what you were getting at, mom?

...

Don't you remember? She caught herself. Corrected herself. As she should've.

At least she did that!

...

"I guess I'm a little surprised you like 'em still, yanno. Considering how you've changed, all your changes."

"Wh--MOM! Why the hell would you SAY that??? Seriously?! It's my room, I can keep what ever 'GIRLY' things I want! Ugh! And you call me judgmental?!"

"Ah!? Oh no! Putra, sorry...! I didn't..."

"Didn't WHAT?! Think about what you said! I've had this weird little rabbit doll for like, what, 21 YEARS and this is when you decide to make me insecure about it?!"

"(Huff) Kamal. Listen to me. You know that isn't what I intended. Please let me finish..."

"UGH. Ma, that really smarts you know. I already struggle with my masculinity. Considering it's still pretty much invisible even with my changed voice. What, like am I supposed to pretend my sentiments aren't still attached to the identity that was enforced on me before I could even walk??

Like, I can barely use the needles as is---I...I don't need more insecurity. You and dad are the only ones who KNOW. DON'T make me feel awkward around you guys, too."

"...O-Oh dear, I didn’t realize I struck a nerve so badly. I didn't mean to upset you! No, I...devatas...Sorry. It's just, you know...I'm not you. I can't read your mind. But I'm always here for you. You are my son, my child. I support you no matter what. I made that promise before you were even an idea, you know.

...I lost interest in my dollies, I gave them to your cousins a long while ago.

I mean, if you like them, that's fine! Ignore me, putra.

Me bein' a tomboy shouldn't reflect on you. You are a strong individual at heart, my son. And I'm sorry. This is the beginning of your career. Your own altruism."

...

A strong individual at heart....how did something so important get forgotten so quickly?

Am I really that scatterbrained?

....No, you know that's just the ADHD. You're not "scatter-brained". You are a person, not an untouchable "god".

Mom reminded you of that more times than you could count.

She raised you, ACTUALLY raised you. She gives a damn about you all the time.

Maybe that's why this silly little stuffed bunny holds this much emotional weight. The tears finally caught up to you.

Christ, man.

She nurtured your curiosity and identity, She let you shave half your head in high school and ironically you were the only one who regretted the decision. You thought she just didn't care that day. She's always too insistent and absent-minded when it's time to be busy with stuff like packing and moving.

It did hurt a little. But she cared to correct herself. When it's so normal for an asian family to kick out their queer children. Because that was their one burning "imperfection".

But she actually loves you. Your parents DO care, even in the midst of their ridiculous doting and eggshell walking. Don't they?

"Kamal, I hope you know I love you no matter what. I raised you to know exactly what you want, when it really counts. I'll back off when you need me to, okay? You know how I've been. I never want to be the one to make you feel like garbage. That would mean I've failed you.

So...case in point. You do you, little rabbit."

Heh heh.~

Jayasri Nadella-Bora. She brought you into this world to be happy, ultimately. Right?

This is the same woman who conditioned you with her progressive influence in the first place, as a cisgender woman. She cares too much, and lets her concern consume her at times. Even now, she's still learning.

She fights for your cause everyday, not only as a mom. As a civil rights activist.

[And dad, well, he's okay too. Most times. Not that he isn't a good guy, but he's a real weenie.

He always lets mom do the talking. Meeting your mother was the smartest thing he's ever done. He married mom, so he has to have an actual soul within his body.

He's really ignorant, but you know Mom and Dad love each other more than the earth itself. And....you were a "happy surprise".]

So...can it be more obvious?)

Maybe you're forgetful, too. You aren't invincible or perfect. You are a dentist. You broke down crying in front of your boss.

What's even happening today? Is this humbling?

Or are you humble as is?

Ha: Really, though. Bring anything you need to work as long as it doesn't get in the way, of course. I'm letting you do that, okay?

The overwhelmed blush on Kamal wore down into a soft, calm glow.

K: Uh...heh! Okay..well.

Thank you, doc. You better not regret it, cuz, um...

Ha: Anything if it'll help you feel more productive, right?~ Eheh.

So he wasn't imagining things. Dr. Habit really smiled at him. He was smiling right now!

(This guy had to be as big a sap as him, right? Like...)

K: Sure, ha. Okay. Thanks.

Geez...how was emotionally connecting with this guy so fast?

....

Ha: Would you mind telling me about your lanyard? That has littol bnuuy rabbits on it too. Do you like bnuuys a lot?

K: Uh...you mean...'bun-knees'? Pff...Y-Yes, I do?

Ha: Hah, yes. Bnuuys.

K: Bunnies?

Ha: Bew-nais.

K: Bunnies.

Ha: Boonui? :-D

K:...Now you're just doing this on purpose, doc.

Ha: Maybe so! But it is fun, no? 

K: Psh, okay. Well I mostly picked it because I liked the design but I ALSO happen to like bunnies a whole lot. They're two different things, heh.

Ha: But...doesn't that sort of mean same thing?

K: Not necessarily! >:P

Why does yours have those yellow flowers all over it, eh? Did you just pick it out cuz it's nice-looking?

...

But suddenly, Habit went quiet.

Did...Kamal bring up something iffy?

K: I...I wasn't teasing you about it, sorry. I-It's a pretty lanyard! I'm just confused. Did....people laugh at you for liking flowers? I mean 'cuz....some did laugh at me before for bringing Hippity once. And that was middle school.

Habit's gentle tone was now sorrowful as well.

Ha: Indirectly....you could say so.

K: Oh? Well. Y'know. It's like you said, boss. Anyone who makes fun of you for being a nerd is just a freeloader or something, right?

Ha:...Maybe so...

...

...

Okaaay, maybe it was time to change the subject.

K: Hey, Dr. Habit? Did we....happen to go to the same med school?

Ha: In the exact same area? Well, I went to Geewhiz.

K: No joke?! I went there too!

Ha: Goodness, really?

K: I could've sworn I'd seen you somewhere! Ack...Do you remember me bumping into you at all?

Ha: Eh...I bump into a lot of people shorter than me, so. Though I also thought your voice sounded familiar. 

K: Well I ask because...on my last year... coincidentally February 14th, ahem; I slid a note into someone's locker. Asking to be their friend. And they looked an awful lot like you! But I can't be too sure. (sigh) I mean...I never even knew their name.  

The realization hit Habit like a truck.

Ha:...K-Kamal Bora?! That was...YOU?! You're HIM???

K: Y-Yeah! It was, man! Oh my god, this is nuts, dude! Does that mean...did you draw that picture of a yellow rose and put in my locker?!

Habit's hands were clasped together. Kamal saw clear as day he was brilliantly flushed in the face. How come? Did it really mean that much to him? He was so smiley!

Ha: W-Well I...didn't know how else to respond to that kind note from someone I didn't even know...so I asked around and, erm. Well...I like drawing. And I saw you drew little rabbits on your note, too.

K: P-Pff, really? I did?

Ha: Hm-hm, yes. That's how I knew it was you.

K: Wowzers! Ehehe...

Ha: Hee...My english writing is no good, so...I poured my thoughts into a little rose drawing. And put it in your locker. I-I didn't know what else to say, eheh...umm.

...Did you like it?

K: Like it? Duuude! I've never seen such a realistically drawn rose! I loved it! I like the pink shading to the yellow you added to it, too!

I still have it on my billboard at home!

Ha: W-wow. I'm...so...ticklish pink, honestly! I..awhaha!

K: Huh? Say again?

Habit had a big sappy smile on, still closed up. As his rosiness in his cheeks tinged that grin, he started twirling his auburn curls a little.

Ha: I'm just....really habby you liked it. I was too chicken to even write my name on it....I, aha. Just wanted to give the drawing to you.

K: Oh, but how come?

Ha: I wasn't really ready to give you my name yet...I've only recently had it changed. And some sources still have me recorded as whoever the other Habit was in the question....

K: Ah...I hear ya. Well...what is your name, doc?

Ha: During business hours, I'm just "Dr. Habit". But to you, Mr. Kamal...I'm Boris. Alright? : - >

K: Mm-hm! Then well...Boris?

Ha: Ya?

"Could I be your friend then?"

"Yes. I'd love to."

Kamal had definitely wowed Boris that morning.

In a chance meeting he never even thought possible.

This would be the start of something exceedingly precious to both in the coming years.

[asexualbookbird]

What a good month for reading! I got through all books I wanted to read, plus some extras! Read a stack of graphic novels that have been sitting on my floor for months, AND books I've been meaning to read for ten thousand years. I deserve a medal to be honest. I played through most of Cult of the Lamb, which is very fun. I just have to big boss to beat, but I needed a break. Had a great time watching Good Mythical Evening, and made irresponsible book purchases with friends. What. A. Month.

Tress and the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson ⭐ snore, snooze, boring, I have read more entertaining cereal boxes

To Shape A Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose ⭐⭐⭐⭐ fun! thought provoking! Full of dragons! My only complaint was the lore was info dumped, but otherwise a very good read!!

Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers ⭐⭐⭐ my least favorite Wayfarers so far, but I'm interested in how the audiobook version is because I enjoyed the first book better when I listened to it and I think I will feel the same about this one

The Unconquered City by KA Doore ⭐⭐ I'm sorry, this was my least favorite of the trilogy. I started it like five different times since it was released and I thought it was me, but we simply did not vibe

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I see why people are feral over this one. I would have liked more in depth world building and think it would've worked better as an adult novel than young adult, but overall a fun read

Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ WHAT A CUTE LITTLE GRAPHIC NOVEL! The art is fun, I adore the colors, and not to be dramatic but I would take on a scary necromancer for Blob Ghost

Kakuriyo 1-4 by Waco Ioka and Midori Yuma - I don't like rating individual manga volumes, I prefer to rate series as a whole, but so far! This is a good one! Reminds me of Ancient Magus' Bride but with more food

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo ⭐⭐ okay my expectations were low so I wasn't exactly let down by this, but phew this sure is a debut novel from 2013 huh! I look forward to Six of Crows lololol the bones are there, but where is the muscle

SO MUCH READING it's almost as if I've been stressed out or something haha Surgery is next week, but also! I've hit some road bumps in life. My dog needs dental surgery and I'm upset about it. I'm trying to figure out crowd funding because oof I do NOT have 800 dollhairs for this. I do also have some stickers I made and didn't tell anyone about that I'm going to share soon. So. Look out for those lolsob

Please let September be kind, please,