#i think i never wanted to cry so badly just because friendships in a manga were so well written and wholesome and cute

[homosexualcitron]

i just finished reading Mairimashita! Iruma-kun and ^w^ maybe it's now one of my fav manga ever idk maybe i'll never be normal anymore... maybe i want to explode because i want more

[theloganator101]

I'm curious why does Izuku really wants to be a hero. ?

I mean when he says he wants to be a hero who saves people with a smile, it doesn't explain why he wants to become one. The reason simply says the kind of hero he wants to be. I'm not hating Izuku here.. it's just his desire seems to have no good explanation. It feels like he is the same as Kirishima, Bakugou, uraraka (her reason in the JT arc is bs and came out of nowhere. It downplayed her being inspired by Izuku to be a true hero and also her resolve after nighteye's death). I may talk about her more in another ask in detail.

Now back to our MC I mean izuku is an outsider to the quirky society, so his viewpoint on society and his experience growing up abused & isolated should have some factor to his reasons but doesn't seem so as far as i have seen the anime or manga. Like was there anything beyond trying to be all might 2.0 when he was 4. Why does Izuku want to save people so badly?. Izuku defended a kid who was being bullied by kid katsuki and his friends right? Why did he jump in to save the other kid?. Was it because he wanted to be all might or did seeing a sad, crying helpless child trigger him to jump in? . If he never watched all might before, would he have jumped in to help ? . Why did he jump in to save his abuser from the sludge ? was it because he saw a person's scared & helpless eyes and that triggered him to act or was it because he was in love with uwu kacchan🤮.? (Sorry but i hate their so-called friendship.). If it was another kid who had no connection to Izuku, would he have acted the same way?

I don't know if this was ever explained in the series since i stopped reading the Manga after 1A lead by Bakuhoe attacked Izuku along narrative propping up Bakuhoe and uraraka at the expense of Izuku's efforts. It also to me is unfair that the MC of the series doesn't get an arc explaining his reason to be a hero. An arc dedicated to him, his past, his experience growing up and his views and ideals and his desire to be a hero.

It pains me too to see Izuku get treated like this.

You would think we would get an episode or a chapter or whatever explaining WHY he wanted to be a hero in the first place other than being inspired by All Might. But we don't.

Hell, we don't even know MOST of 1A's reasons for becoming heroes themselves! But this is about Izuku specifically.

Now it just feels like he HAS to be a hero because he inherited OFA and needs to live up to it's legacy.

The Izuku solo arc is garbage when it should've been in insight on his pov and what he thinks of everything nowadays but we don't get that.

This would've been PERFECT to see what he thinks of everything after what he went through, to question the world around him and what he's been fighting for all this time.

Take this scene from Madoka Magica for example.

There should've been a scene like this in the arc, having Izuku come across some corrupted heroes and confronting them, then question what he's been fighting for all this time.

THIS is what was missing in Izuku's arc and his reason to be a hero.

THIS is what should've happened...

[teamfreewill56-blog]

Shinjurou did not physically abuse his boys. He. Did. Not. He is a passionate, enthusiastic, loving father who fell into a horrible depression and downward spiral. The only time he ever laid a hand on them was when Senjuro was trying to separate him from Tanjiro when he attacked him in anger. Senjuro and Kyojuro are not afraid of him, Senjuro gets nervous around him because he wants to make his father happy just like Kyojuro does, he wants to please him, and he wants to help but he doesn’t know how and so that makes him nervous. But he still tries to help and interact with him. If Shinjurou beat them Senjuro wouldn’t talk as openly with him as he does or go so out of his way to speak to him, being struck in the face by his father would have had a different reaction from Senjuro after he and Tanjiro sat down to talk. He probably would have been more downcast, upset, and normally animes and manga will give hints to physical abuse going on but that never happens here. When Senjuro and Tanjiro talk about Shinjurou, Senjuro is sweet and chipper and he immediately brushed it off because he knew Shinjurou didn’t mean it. And Shinjurou isn’t perfect, most people aren’t going to freeze in an attack if their kid grabs the arm they’re using to swing at someone. Kyojuro is also a extremely righteous and protective person guys, if Shinjurou laid a hand on his little brother Kyojuro would have addressed it. When you’re close to your siblings like Kyojuro and Senjuro are, you don’t let ANYBODY touch your younger sibling, parent or not and you will go to blows with anybody regardless of how kind and gentle you are---that’s not a cute story trope guys, I’ve seen it many many times, including in my own life. Kyojuro isn’t afraid of Shinjurou at all either, just like Senjuro he goes out of his way to interact with his father, he isn’t ever nervous around him. He doesn’t flinch when Shinjurou throws a sake jug at him because he knows Shinjurou would never hit him because he never has. He goes as far as to say he thinks the reason Shinjurou keeps telling them they’re bad swordsmen is because he believes his father doesn’t want to lose his boys too. They’re all he has left of his wife, and they’re his sons, of course he wouldn’t want them to do something as dangerous as the Demon Slayer Corp. Having his wife be taken from him by an illness he realized he can’t protect his family from everything, but he knew if he told the boys not to join the Demon Slayer Corp that would at least lessen the chances of them getting killed early. You have to also remember the first time he said this to Kyojuro he was still actively the Flame Pillar. They’re also his sons so just like Ruka he knew they wanted to be Flame Pillars so he couldn’t just ask them not to join, their family has been the Flame Pillar for generations. He tore up the records after he heard about Kyojuro’s death not only because he probably wanted to guarantee Senjuro couldn’t become the next Flame Pillar so he wouldn’t risk losing him too but also because he probably completely blamed Kyojuro’s death on the fact that he became the Flame Pillar. He thought if he told Kyojuro and Senjuro they weren’t good enough they’d eventually abandon it and it didn’t work, so that’s something to be upset about for him. When people are upset, it’s easier to blame someone else for the bad thing that happened, and Shinjurou (especially drunk) wasn’t going to admit to a stranger he felt it was his fault Kyojuro died, and that’s why I think he told Tanjiro that Kyojuro died because he was “weak”. Because blaming it on Kyojuro meant he didn’t have to reflect on the fact that he left Senjuro and Kyojuro alone. I don’t believe Shinjurou truly believed either of his sons to be weak, I think he told them they weren’t good enough because he hoped that if he said it enough they would eventually abandon it and then he wouldn’t have to risk losing them. In Rengoku Gaiden he was still grieving Ruka, and doing his Pillar duties and as we see it was taking its toll on his emotions, he wasn’t able to handle the grief and anger of losing her properly and at some point his depression just got so bad that he couldn’t function anymore and went to one of the darkest depths of depression where he just stayed in bed all day. Guys he never looks at Senjuro and Kyojuro when they’re talking to him, his back is always to them, because he can’t even handle the reminder of his wife in their features anymore. Especially considering Kyojuro is a exact replica of her but with his dad’s hair and eyes. That’s not even touching the traits in personality he shares with her. That is how hard her death hit him, instead of being glad that he could see her face every day it just hurt him to see her in his boys because it reminded him she was gone and not coming back and it was too much for him. Shinjurou was mad at himself, he felt like he was worthless, he probably felt like Senjuro and Kyojuro blamed him or resented him for letting their beloved mother die. He felt so badly about himself that he assumed Kyojuro had a complaint about him before Senjuro could even tell him what Kyojuro said. When he hears what Kyojuro actually said, and thinks back to the last time he saw Kyojuro he openly cries, and it’s not like a tear trickle it is grief-stricken crying just like what Senjuro was doing. Once Shinjurou stops drinking we see what I believe is the real him. The letter he sends to Tanjiro in the Entertainment District arc is a great indicator of the real Shinjurou. He has nothing but praise and affectionate words for Tanjiro and for his sons, he thanks Tanjiro for grieving Kyojuro, apologizes for his actions, explains how he got to that point in his life, praises Senjuro’s growth and his and Tanjiro’s friendship, praises Kyojuro’s accomplishments and affectionately tells Tanjiro about how they are so much like their mother. He didn’t have to send all this. He could have just sent the info, but he doesn’t, because he does love his family and he loves his sons and he knows them and he appreciates how much Tanjiro cares about his sons and so feels comfortable enough to share these thoughts with him. If he was abusive to the boys he would not say all those things, he wouldn’t care about their emotions or their accomplishments but he does care, Shinjurou loved and adored his family, he made some mistakes in his grief, and went about dealing with it wrong, but he loved his boys, he definitely loved them too much to harm them.

[missmarj]

Hardest Decision

Pairing: Itadori Yuuji x reader

Warnings: mentions of death, spoilers i guess and lots of angst

DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the manga. This was just an idea that came to me seeing all those clips in tiktok where Yuuji finally gets executed 🥺

A/N: well, i just thought it would hurt like a bitch if Y/n is Yuuji's best friend turned s/o who was supposed to do the execution when the time comes. Because yknow, angst. Mnghh.

Every cursed parts of Sukuna has been collected.

The lot of you feared that as Yuuji consumes more of Sukuna, the less he'll be him. Yet Yuuji is still himself. Even more himself this past week than all those months you, Nobara and Fushiguro had spent together.

"Just living each day like it's my last!" He once says casually when Tendo comments on how exceptionally good he looks today. You know he didn't mean to, but it instantly reminded that lot of you of what's to come, sending anchors to weigh down on your chests.

This past week, he's been laughing more often. Louder, and to the point of tears. He smiles- well, that he already does a lot since you met him. It was one of the things you loved about him. You idly wonder if his cheeks ever hurt since everytime you lock gazes, he'd flash you one. And it is so damn beautiful that it would take your breath away.

He's also been spending every single night with you, holding on to you until he drifts off. And you.. you stay up all night, wishing there wasn't an ultimatum. Thinking how he's so fucking young. So much to experience and to live for. Thinking why it couldn't have been someone else.

Anybody fucking else but Yuuji.

You spend the nights regretting the day you agreed to be the one to do it when the time comes. Regret letting Gojo-sensei train you for it and for being stubborn whenever he says, "I know you're doing this for Yuuji, but.. are you sure?"

You spend the nights trying to remember how it began. How your friendship turned into something more. You try to remember when was the last time you imagined a future that did not include Yuuji. Because God knows how much you love him. And how badly you just want more time with him.

You want the rest of your life spent with him. Want to see him argue with Nobara about the dumbest things, want to see him annoy the hell out of Fushiguro, want to see him make that face at Gojo-sensei whenever he spoils the movie you're both about to see.

You just want to wake up every morning with him beside you. Lightly snoring, mouth hanging open. You want to hear him say he loves you every single night before you go to sleep.

Dammit, you want to have him around for as long as possible.

You cry yourself to sleep on the crook of his neck and you hold him impossibly close to you each night because.. your days with him like this are numbered.

And then, the day finally comes.

"It's been decided." Gojo says gravely when he entered the room and your heart automatically drops.

You feel Yuuji reach for your hand and his lips press on your temple. You couldn't feel anything except for the hopelessness seeping out of you. You want to scream. You want to cry. You want to grovel at the elders, to Gojo-sensei, to anyfuckingbody.

You see Nobara leave the room and Megumi trying to stop her but she briskly made her way out the door. To escape probably, because you honestly want to do the same right now.

You then hear Gojo say the time it is being done but you turn to Yuuji and realized he was looking at you too. His expression soft but unreadable. You on the other hand, you couldn't feel your face but you know tears are streaming down because Yuuji was relentlessly wiping your cheeks with his thumb.

You barely heard him from how hard your heart was pounding but he asks, "You'll still do it, right?" His smile never falters even in this moment. "I want your face to be the last thing I see."

And you.. you finally broke.

Your face crumples and you hugged him so tight it was physically taxing even to you.

"No-" You scream when you finally found your voice. And when you did, you couldn't stop screaming, wailing. "I can't!! I'm not going to do it!"

Screw all the training.

Screw the duty you have sworn.

Screw your promise.

You then turn to Gojo sensei, falling on your knees. "Sensei! Please!! Y-you can't let them!" You cry, the panic and desperation making you tremble. Gojo can hardly recognize you. Gone is the level headed, strong, smart student he trained and it breaks his heart. You feel Yuuji's hands on your shoulders, but you shook him off. "Sensei!! We can't let them take Yuuji, please!!!" The crack in your voice made Megumi finally break into tears too and he turns away.

Gojo levels with you but he was unsure what to say. There was a lump in his throat as he flash his gaze at Yuuji but he takes a deep breath and pulls you in for a hug. Behind you, he reaches and pats Yuuji's head.

"We all know it's coming to this." He murmurs but this only made you cry harder. "Sensei, I'll do anything! Just don't- please, don't execute Yuuji, please!!" You beg him, knowing it's going to be him if you refuse to do it.

"Y/n," Yuuji coaxes and Gojo lets you go.

Yuuji made you look at him, he sighs and tucked your hair behind your ears. "It's going to be okay," He murmurs as he holds your face. "I'm not even going to feel a single thing. Right, sensei?" Yuuji looks over your head and you hear the man hum in agreement. "See?" He smiles again, but this time his eyes were glistening with tears too.

"And don't worry. I don't regret anything. I love the life I got to live. Mainly because I had all of you."  He kisses your forehead and then leans his against it, murmuring, "This has to happen. We knew that from the start, didn’t we?"

You whimper, stubbornly shaking your head and burrying your face on his chest. Your name slips from his mouth like a mewl, pulling you away just enough to meet your gaze. "I really want you there when I go. I want you to do it because," Yuuji takes a shaky breath and finally admits, "I want to know that you can let me go." He blurs before you as new sobs rob you of air. But before you could tell him you can't do it, he kisses you. Hard.

"I love you. And I want you to be okay after I'm gone. You have to be." Yuuji murmurs.

"I dont know if I can, Yuuji." You shake your head frantically but he chuckles. "Of course, you can. You're the strongest person I know!" He says then sneaked a glance at Gojo behind you. "No offense, sensei." To which the lanky man merely laughs wryly off.

"And you have Fushiguro, and Nobara and Sensei. They will all be there for you." He says which made him stop and look around before yelling, "Kugisaki!!! Get back in here! I can hear you sniffing your snot back up your nose from here!" He teases and seconds later, the door slides open to a very red faced Nobara, eyes almost shut close from crying.

Wordlessly, she pulls Fushiguro by the sleeve along with her and slumped on the floor with the rest of you before pulling you all in a tight hug.

"Of course, I'll be here for Y/n, you idiot." Nobara mutters, her lips trembling. "I already promised you that." Yuuji swallows hard and pulls her head close to his, lips grazing her temple. He whispers a soft thank you which almost made Nobara burst out crying again.

"I'll take care of these two." Fushiguro then says with a quiet voice and Yuuji grins tearfully, holding out his fist. Megumi smirks and shakes his head but bumped his with Yuuji's nonetheless.

"So what do you say, Y/n?" Yuuji asks, turning back to you.

Just the thought of waking up the next day without him already crushes you. But.. fuck, you would do absolutely anything for him.

And if this is his last wish, then.. even if this is the hardest decision you'd have to make, even if this would practically kill you too..

You'll do it.

For him.

When you finally nod, Gojo feels.. relief. Because he honestly did not think he could do it himself.

And as he looks at you and Yuuji, and at how you're staring at each other, for the first time, Gojo truly felt something stronger than he is.

[farfromsugafanfic]

Lock & Key

Genre: Best Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Jungkook/Reader

Warnings: cursing, dirty jokes

Synopsis: When Jungkook ditches you on your birthday, your friendship looks like it’s about to crumble. Your friend group becomes tired of your bickering and decides to take the matter into their own hands. Somehow, you and Jungkook find yourselves handcuffed together.

"Have you guys found a present for Y/N yet?" Jin asked, picking up his third pizza slice and taking a large bite, the cheese stretching as he pulled it away from his lips.

"You haven't gotten it yet? Her birthday dinner is tomorrow," Taehyung said. His eyes were tired, but he'd still insisted on joining the party despite having just gotten off a long train ride, as he hadn't seen his friends from high school for months. "I got her the first two manga in that series she's been wanting to read."

"Mmm," Jin said, seeming to consider Taehyung's choice of gift. "I need mine to be really special. He finished his pizza to the crust and turned it 180 degrees and bit into the end. "Jungkook, you're closest to Y/N. What are you getting her?"

Jungkook turned, wide-eyed towards Jin. The younger's face was already a bit flushed from the beers and from the mention of your name. "I'm paying for her part of the meal tomorrow and I got her tickets to that musical that's only in town for one night."

"Woah, that's gonna be hard to beat," Jimin said, "Y/N hasn't stopped talking about that musical since they announced it. Remember how she went crazy over it in the group chat?"

"I'm sure Y/N will like whatever you get her," Jungkook said. "She isn't very picky and she'll appreciate it because it came from you."

"I know. I just have something special planned and I want it to be perfect." The six other guys looked to the eldest expectantly. Jin sighed. "Gosh, fine, I'll tell you. I plan on confessing to her tomorrow."

"What? You like Y/N?! Since when?"

"Woah, congrats man!"

"You'll make such a cute couple."

The group fell to chaos, but Jungkook was notably the least excited. At the mention of Jin's plans, he sunk back against the wall and took a large bite of his pizza, followed by a gulp of beer.

"I'm not sure when I started liking her," Jin said. "I just kind of realized that I do. I figured we are friends and I'll regret it if I don't give it a shot."

"Are you sure her birthday is the best time to confess?" Jungkook asked, finally piping up. "What if things don't go well and you ruin it? Are you going to do it in front of everyone?"

"I thought about it and I'm going to wait until after the meal. Maybe I'll be able to steal her away for a few moments after she opens our gifts."

Jungkook's nose wrinkled and he was obviously unsatisfied with the answer. Yet, he dropped it and reached for another slice of pizza. "Why does it matter to you Jungkook? It's not like we all still won't hang out or that you'll never see her."

"Y/N's been hurt before. I'm sure you remember how upset she was after Minsung. I had to sleep in her bed for two weeks because she'd wake up crying. I never want her to feel that hurt again."

"Jungkook, I won't hurt her. She's more likely to hurt me. Why do you care so much about her heart being broken anyway? You're not the one who broke it and you aren't responsible for fixing it. Y/N's a big girl, she can handle herself."

Jungkook pouted. "I have to pee," he said, standing up and leaving the room, carrying his pizza slice with him.

vVv

An array of appetizers were spread across the table, a few bites taken from each. You were just waiting on the last three to show up: Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook. You expected them to come together as they had been nearly inseparable in high school. As Jin finished off one of the appetizers, you spotted Jimin and Taehyung walking in. You got up and rushed towards them.

"Happy birthday!" Jimin and Taehyung said, nearly tripping each other as they ran to hug you. "It's been too long, Y/N!" The two boys had moved out of the city for college and you rarely got to see them. You didn't know what you do if Jungkook--your best friend--had gone with them.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it! Come on and sit down, we're just waiting on Jungkook."

The appetizers were gone and the missing chair at the table remained. Worry grew in your throat and you glanced down at your phone for the umpteenth time to see if he had texted you. Even, just a simple "Running late!" or "Stuck in traffic!" would calm your nerves.

"Have you guys heard from Jungkook at all?"

The other guys all shook their heads and gave you sympathetic looks. You'd put off ordering, but it'd been nearly an hour since most of you arrived and you didn't want to keep the staff waiting any longer. "All right, let's order."

"I'm sure he just got stuck in traffic or something, Y/n," Jin said, reaching out and tapping your hand.

Your heart dropped as you read his last reply. You felt tears stinging your eyes, but you pushed them back before the other guys could notice.

"He's not coming," you said.

"What?" you heard someone ask, but you were too focused on not allowing your spiraling thoughts ruin your birthday and holding back tears to register who it was.

"He said he got a date or something. I don't know, but come on, we can enjoy this without him."

Due to the solemn looks on their faces, you knew they saw right through your facade. You and Jungkook had been best friends since elementary school where he accidentally trampled you when he was racing his friends. Despite ending up with a badly skinned knee and a couple of bruises, you were fine, but Jungkook had insisted on taking you to the nurse's office anyway. He pretended to sprain his ankle just so he could sit and keep you company.

What had happened since then? You'd never felt like your friendship was dwindling when it came to Jungkook. Whenever either of you dated, it didn't make a difference. High school graduation didn't separate you. Not even when Jungkook forced you to a haunted house in high school and laughed when he saw the stain on your jeans and realized you'd peed your pants in fright.

Despite ignoring for Overwatch or coming to your apartment just for the free food, he always ended up doing small things to make up for it. You often found chocolate bars stashed in the odd drawer or cupboard to make up for all the food he steals. After he finished laughing, Jungkook allowed you to wear his sweatshirt to cover it and bought you new jeans. You still had that sweatshirt stashed in your closet somewhere.

vVv

The tears stopped by the end of dinner, but now anger ran down your spine. How dare he skip your birthday for someone he just met? He'd never done anything like this before, he was the one person in this world that you could depend on, and now he's not. You feel a pang of sadness in your stomach and reach out for your portion of the bill, which Jungkook had promised to pay for.

"Stop," Jin said, reaching for the bill you'd just barely wrapped your fingertips around. "You're not paying. We'll split yours." You nodded, powerless to the eldest's tone.

After the bill was paid, everyone got up and starting readying to leave. You had taken a taxi, expecting Jungkook to take you home afterward. Jin seemed to notice, his brown eyes melting when they met yours.

"Hey, come on, I'll walk you home."

You nodded and waved goodbye to the other guys as you all walked in opposite directions or climbed into taxis. You didn't catch the other guys thumbs upping Jin and giving him reassuring smiles.

"Thanks for coming," you said. "Even though it kinda got ruined."

"I'll always come, Y/N."

"Oh, when I get a hold of his bunny ass--"

"Go easy on him, Y/N. I'm sure he has a better reason than he told you."

"He better be on his death bed then."

Jin let out a snort, which caused you to smile, but the smile soon faded and so did the fake happiness the anger made you feel. Now you just felt hopeless and felt the tears stinging in your sinuses again.

"Do," you said, already your voice faltering. "you think I'm still enough?"

Jin stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Am I still enough for him? Maybe he found a better friend," you said, your gaze painting the sidewalk. "I mean, I always rely on him. He's always my shoulder to cry on. Maybe he finally got tired of it. Got tired of me."

Jin placed a hand on your shoulder. It felt odd, as Jin wasn't one for skinship, but his touch was comforting, even if you were imagining it was Jungkook's. Except you couldn't, Jungkook's touch was old, familiar, warm. Like the fireplace at your grandparent's house or when your car is completely heated on a snowy day. Jin's--sure, it was warm--but it wasn't Jungkook.

"No, no, of course not," Jin said, moving to hug you, your cheek hitting his chest. "That could never happen. You and Jungkook have been friends for years. If he was gonna get tired of you, he would've already."

You scoffed, half in laughter and half in fear. "Thanks."

"Okay, but seriously, Jungkook cares about you. A lot." Jin paused and sighed. You looked up, noticing his eyes weren't on you, but rather he was looking up. His eyes looked glazed, but you didn't remember him having any drinks. "He wouldn't allow himself to lose you, Y/N. Trust me."

The rest of the walk was filled with a comfortable silence. It was only a few more blocks from where you'd stopped, so you reached your apartment in just a few minutes.

"Thanks for walking with me," you said. "Sorry, I got kinda sad halfway through."

Jin shook his head and reached to move a piece of your ponytail that had escaped from the hairband and fallen roguishly over your head.

"You don't need to apologize for your feelings, Y/N. Just promise me you won't kill the kid. I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding."

You nodded, although you weren't convinced that Jungkook didn't now hate you for reasons you didn't know.

"Thanks," you said. "For everything."

Jin nodded. "You're welcome." He turned and walked into the night and you turned your back before he disappeared.

vVv

"How did the confession go?" Jimin asked, as soon as Jin walked into the small apartment he shared with Yoongi, which was now cramped with six bodies.

"It didn't."

Jimin and the other faces in the room all contorted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't confess."

"But, why? Wasn't that your plan? Don't you like her?"

"She loves someone else," Jin said, his voice deeper than usual, his heartbreak captured in the back of his throat. "And, someone else loves her."

vVv

Two Days Later

You hadn't heard anything from Jungkook since the night of your birthday and you weren't sure what hurt more--the fact that he didn't care enough to explain himself or that he had seemingly replaced you. His Instagram was full of stories and posts of him with the girl you assumed was the one he skipped your birthday for. She was beautiful with large dark eyes and curly hair. His arm was around her shoulders and then eventually her waist. He must really like her because you remember how it took Jungkook nearly two years just to feel comfortable placing an arm around you.

You huffed and threw your phone onto your bed as you ran your hands through your hair. You were still mad, but you didn't want to lose your best friend. You remembered Taehyung mentioning how all the guys were getting together for Overwatch.

You hardly thought as you headed towards Jin's and Yoongi's apartment--the largest of the apartments belonging to those in your friend group.

You didn't bother knocking as you entered the apartment. You found the seven guys all crowded onto two couches and watching Taehyung and Jungkook. They didn't notice you until you slipped in and placed your hand  on Jimin's shoulder—who jumped at your touch.

"Y/N!"

All seven heads turned to look at you. Most breaking into smiles and friendly greetings and offering you snacks.

"What are you doing here?" Jungkook asked, his voice breaking through the revelry. He was normally so soft-spoken, but at this moment, his voice grated through the air.

"I was hoping we could talk."

"You weren't invited here."

Your stomach turned. He'd never spoken to you like this, ever. Jungkook was normally the happiest when you showed up unannounced.

"Since when do I need an invitation, Jungkook? This is Jin and Yoongi's place, not yours."

Jungkook didn't respond but instead unpaused the game. Taehyung barely had time to close his mouth from watching the two of you that he fumbled with the controller as he realized Jungkook had restarted the game.

"Oh, so you're just gonna ignore me then?"

You rolled your eyes at how typical this was of all your ex-boyfriends. Towards the end of the relationship, they always ignored you for something else. Sometimes it was someone else, others it was their job. And yet, others, it was video games.

Jungkook had been there with you for all of these failed relationships. He said you deserved someone better, someone, who would never leave you or ignore you. You thought he was the only constant in your life, the one person who would never leave you, but now, he was just like all the rest.

Tears stung your sinuses. You dug your feet into the carpet and grabbed onto the back of the couch, trying to focus on the game. The guys had gone back to talking amongst themselves, eating, and watching the game. Yet, the air felt different, you caught concerned glances flicking your way and Jin silently offered you a slice of pizza which you declined, only eliciting another puppy-eyed look from the eldest of the group.

Jungkook was close to winning and the tears were soon beginning to simmer and your hands balled into fists. Before you could think or stop yourself, you marched around the couch and reached for the cord that was connected to the Xbox. The screen went black and all the eyes in the room shifted to you.

"Y/N?! What the fuck?!" Jungkook said, his voice rising. "I was about to win!"

"Jungkook, we need to talk and you're being an asshole."

Jungkook's ears were red and his eyes hard as steel. "This is ridiculous, Y/N. You came here uninvited to talk to me and when I go back to playing games because that's what I'm here for, you unplugged the system and demand I talk to you. And, I'm the asshole?"

You wanted to scream and pull your hair out. Yet, the thing you wanted most was to cry into Jungkook's oversized, black T-shirt because you knew it smelled of his cologne.

"Jungkook, you skipped my birthday party and you said we could talk about it, but it's been two days and I just want my best friend back."

"Y/N, why can't you just take the hint you're not wanted? This was supposed to be a guy's night and now you've had to come in here and ruin everything. You're way too clingy, like, this is why they always leave you."

"Jungkook!" Jin said.

You barely registered as the other boys chastised Jungkook as your vision blurred from the tears. You swore you saw his face soften before your eyes were totally filled with tears, but you couldn't be sure.

"Y/N," Jin said. You felt his hand come to rest gently on your shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you home."

vVv

A few days later you found yourself standing outside of Jungkook's apartment. You knew Taehyung and Jimin were staying with him, so you secretly hoped one of them would open the door.

The hallway was silent and dimly lit. It felt like midnight despite being noon. You softly knocked on the door, the sound--while quiet--seemed to echo down the hallway. You weren't sure what you were going to do or say when he opened the door. You were only sure that you missed the way he used to show up at your place at midnight with ice cream sandwiches or the way he let you borrow his sweatshirts when you were cold or couldn't sleep.

Thirty seconds passed and you knocked again. Firmer this time, each knock ringing out in the empty hallway.

"Jungkookie," you said softly.

You heard footsteps on the other side of the door. They were faint, but you recognized them from when he slept over at your apartment when you were sick or going through a rough time.

You listened as the door unlocked and slowly opened. He only opened the door a crack, just enough to peak out, as if you were an unknown person knocking on his door. As if you didn't know the layout of his apartment or that he kept all his mess concentrated to the common areas and his bedroom immaculate.

"Y/N...what are you doing here?"

His voice was softer than the last time you spoke. You knew Jin had told Jungkook how much you cried as he took you home and how you didn't answer his texts all night.

"I just wanted to see you," you said. "We don't have to talk or anything. I just miss you."

Jungkook didn't say anything. His eyes scanning over you. Your hair was unwashed and pulled into a bun and you wore sweatpants and a T-shirt. Dark circles outlined your eyes and even though it had only been a few days, your face looked thinner and your skin languid.

Another set of footsteps approached and the door swung open wider. Taehyung stood there in just his boxers and munching on a piece of toast. His eyes widened when he saw you and he glanced over at Jungkook, who's eyes were looking down at your feet.

"Hey, stop being a dick and let her in."

"Put on some clothes then," Jungkook said, his voice quiet and low, almost a growl. He swung the door all the way open and disappeared into his apartment.

Taehyung met your eyes and shrugged. He offered a small smile as you walked into the apartment. You hadn't brought anything with you, not sure exactly what would happen.

"I won't stay long," you said. "I just wanted to see him."

"At least have breakfast with me," he said, dropping two pieces of bread into the toaster.

You nodded and fell onto the couch. You'd done this countless times. At 4 in the morning after a night out, you'd collapse on Jungkook's couch still in your heels and your makeup slowly wearing off. You usually woke up the next morning in Jungkook's bed, your heels set by the door and your makeup at least mostly wiped off. At 6 pm as you leaned against Jungkook's shoulder as the movie started, your hand diving into the popcorn bowl in his lap. Most of your favorite memories happened on his couch.

"I hope you like Nutella," Tae said, handing you a piece of toast.

You laughed. "I love it," you said. "How do you stay so fit eating like this?"

Taehyung was still in his boxers. While he didn't have a six pack, he certainly wasn't hard to look at and the slight toning of his stomach showed he was putting in some effort.

"I'll gain five pounds just from eating this," you said, and despite your words, you took a large bite.

"Then you should have another," Jungkook said from the other side of the room. You hadn't noticed him there, he must've slipped in when Taehyung distracted you with the toast. "You're getting too skinny."

"I didn't ask you, Jungkook," you said. You crossed your arms over your chest and sat back, your toast abandoned on the arm of the couch.

"I'm just worried about you."

"Since when? When you stopped texting me? Or, when you ditched my birthday party for someone you just met?"

Jungkook's eyes turned soft in the way that would usually make you melt. But, you kept your eyes off of his and your spine straight.

"Y/N..."

"Listen, Jungkook, I might've come here cause I missed you, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven you."

Jungkook didn't say anything. Silence filled the apartment and after what felt like an eternity, he left to his bedroom.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung asked.

You nodded. "I think I just need a nap or something. I'm getting a headache." You looked around the apartment. There was only one bedroom and both Taehyung and Jimin were staying with Jungkook during their visit. "Where are you sleeping?"

Taehyung nodded and gestured toward the couch. "There," he said.

"Oh," you said. "Can I borrow it for an hour or so?"

"Be my guest. But, you know, even though you two are fighting and all, I bet Jungkook would let you have the bed."

You shook your head. "No," you said. "I'm not asking him for any favors and the couch looks more comfortable anyway."

Taehyung shrugged. You laid down and turned your back to him, missing the knowing smile as he cleaned up. You listened as he cleaned up and got dressed before leaving the apartment. It wasn't long before the tears came and you sobbed into the couch cushion as quietly as you could. The last thing you wanted was for Jungkook to emerge from his bedroom and find you like this.

He'd seen you cry dozens of times and you'd even held him as he sobbed into you. You didn't mind crying in front of him, but you knew it would destroy him to see you like this and to know he was the cause. Even if you mad at him, even if you were losing him, you didn't want to crush him.

You didn't remember falling asleep, but when you awoke, his scent was everywhere. You pressed your face into the pillow and stretched out your legs comfortably. You sighed until a thought crossed your mind. Pillow?

You opened your eyes and found yourself in Jungkook's bedroom. It was dark and the covers were pulled up to your chin. Jungkook wasn't in the room and from the empty feeling in the air, he wasn't in the apartment either. Your phone was next to you on the nightstand and plugged into Jungkook's charger.

You glanced at the time and realized your nap had lasted three times longer than you anticipated and you sat in bed as you realized that you probably needed to go home. However, before you could pull your eyes away from your lock screen, a text notification from a couple of hours ago caught your attention.

vVv

"Hey, sorry, I'm late," Taehyung said, walking into Jin and Yoongi's apartment where the other five boys were already crowded on the twin couches. "Y/N showed up at Jungkook's and I needed to see what happened."

The others all looked at Taehyung expectantly. "Jungkook doesn't know about this, right?"

"We didn't tell him."

Taehyung nodded. "Well, they're definitely in love with each other. Jungkook was jealous as hell and Y/N's heartbroken. I could practically see Jungkook splitting in half when he realized how upset she was."

"Well, didn't you all notice how when she started crying after he got mad at her for unplugging the Xbox, how he just broke? I don't think he cared about the game anymore, but then Jin swooped in and stopped it before he could apologize."

All eyes swiped towards Jin and he shrugged. "What? She was to the point of crying. I didn't know what he was going to do and I didn't want to upset either of them more."

"Does he know that you never confessed?"

Jin shook his head. "He never asked."

"Jin!" all the guys said at one.

"That would change everything! He probably thinks you and Y/N are together."

"It's pretty obvious we're not."

"I don't know the way you intervened during the fight and walked her home. It could be seen as you protecting her."

"Well, whatever, what's the plan? We have to get them to make up somehow. And confess, cause they're gonna drive us crazy pining after each other." Jin looked around at the other faces and all of them were, in turn, watching him.

"Well, we need to force them to be alone somehow," Namjoon said. "We could try locking them somewhere, but that's gonna be difficult cause the party is here and none of the doors lock." Eyes wandered as they tried to find a solution and eventually, Jin's eyes fell on the TV where a cartoon cop was catching a criminal, the handcuffs snapping down on the culprit's wrists.

"I think I might have an idea."

vVv

Taehyung and Jimin were taking the train back to their college town in the morning, so that meant you'd all spend the night before getting drunk and gorging yourselves on all the pizza you could.

Jin and Yoongi offered to host the party and a few of their neighbors offered up their apartments so everyone could spread out. You all invited your extended friends and neighbors if everyone came, you didn't doubt the party would probably get out of hand, but that was half the fun.

As you brushed on your blush and primped your hair for the final time, you felt butterflies in your stomach. Jungkook was going to be there. There was no way he would miss out on a good party and the opportunity for free food and drinks.

You wore a short white dress that was admittedly a little shorter than you would normally wear. But, with Jungkook ignoring you, you wanted attention and you didn't really care who it was from. Plus, you liked the way it hugged your curves and how when paired with the perfect heels, made your legs look longer.

You arrived a few minutes early to the party with the expectation of helping set up, but the party was already in full swing. When the elevator opened, people crowded the hall with cups in hand and music blasting from Jin and Yoongi's apartment. At this rate, the cops would be called in a couple hours, unless Jin and Yoongi had talked to all their neighbors beforehand, but you highly doubted it.

You waded through the bodies and found your friends all invested in a game of beer pong. The younger three on one end and the older four on the other. The older ones were currently winning and you smirked as you remembered just how good Yoongi was at the game.

"Need help?" you asked, placing your arm around Taehyung's shoulders, the heels allowing you to do so easier, although it still looked slightly awkward.

"Ah, finally! Someone who can rival Yoongi!"

You laughed, trying not to allow your eyes to wander over to Jungkook who was standing closer to you than he had for weeks. "Who's turn is it?"

"Yours if you want."

You nodded and walked up to the table. You angled your arm and aimed for one of the back cups, even if you missed, it may still land in one of the front cups that remained. You tossed the ping pong ball and it sailed perfectly into the cup.

"Yes! Drink up, Min Yoongi!"

Yoongi smirked and took the cup and downed it. You two had played this game countless time, both won and lost countless times, to the point that it was no longer about winning, but rather, who could get the other drunk quicker.

Yoongi aimed his shot and tossed it flawlessly into the cup right in front of you. You took out the ball and downed the cup. The beer was pretty much tasteless which meant it went down easily but left a bad taste in the back of your throat.

After a few shots back and forth, you had drunk twice more and Yoongi once. You were aiming up another shot, intending to tie it up when you felt a hand on your shoulder. You looked behind you and caught Jungkook's eyes.

"Are you gonna let us play?"

"Do you want to win or not?" you said, turning back and aiming up your shot. You were already a little tipsy and your head ached as you concentrated.

"Y/N, it'll be no fun to get drunk so early," he said. "Come on." His voice was soft and familiar. He'd done this dozens of times. Prevented you from getting too drunk or going home with the wrong guy. He brought you back when the alcohol began to take over. This time--however--you turned away and aimed the ball. Missing.

Yoongi tosses the ball in what appears to be a haphazard fashion, but it sinks straight into a cup. You pick it up and bring it to your lips, but before you can drink, the cup is being knocked from your hands and the beer spills almost entirely onto your dress.

You see Jungkook staring at you wide-eyed--the obvious culprit--his hand still gripping the cup.

"Jungkook!" you yelled, people turned in your direction, but your yell was soon forgotten as the music continued. All but your small group turned back to their own conversations. "Would you stop trying to be my friend? You made it quite obvious you no longer wanted our friendship and you just keep screwing everything up!"

"Y/N, I..."

Tears were beginning to fill your eyes and the only thing you wanted to do was get drunk and forget this night happened. You stepped forward to push through the crowd when someone grabbed your wrist. You knew from the touch that it wasn't Jungkook and when you glanced back, Jin's lips were upturned in a small smile.

"Wait, Y/N," he said. "I'm really sorry about this."

You cocked your head in confusion, but before your lips could form words to ask Jin what he was apologizing for you felt something click onto your wrist and found a handcuff locked around your wrist and you noticed the other was locked to another wrist. You followed the chain and met Jungkook's dark, confused eyes.

"Have fun, kids. We aren't unlocking you until you talk everything out."

vVv

Ten minutes later you stood in the kitchen as Jungkook tried to work a kitchen knife into the lock. The beer was slowly making your dress more and more see-through and you glanced around the room.

"Jungkook, can we try this somewhere else?"

He looked up at you with his brows furrowed in confusion. You hadn't managed to say anything before his eyes widened and he quickly shrugged off his flannel. It caught on his cuff and he struggled to get the sleeve over the handcuff and chain.

"Fuck it," he said, taking the knife and cutting into the seam where the sleeve met the shoulder.

"Jungkook isn't this a bit drastic? We can just go into the bathroom or something."

"No, it's okay. I can just cut off the other one later."

He brought around the uncut sleeve and brought over your shoulder and brought the cut sleeve over the chain and up your arm. The way the flannel hit it ended up covering your entire dress and draping across your bare thighs.

As soon as you were covered and comfortable again, he once again tried to unlock the handcuffs and your hand was at his mercy as he moved the knife point back and forth in the lock.

"Jungkook, this isn't going to work. You're just gonna end up hurting one of us."

Jungkook sat the knife back on the counter looked down dejectedly at your cuffed wrists. You couldn't help the pang of hurt in your stomach. Jin had handcuffed the two of you so you would talk and all Jungkook could focus was on how to get the handcuffs off without talking.

"Maybe we can break the chain," he said. "If we both pull, our combined strength might be enough."

Your wrist was already starting to become red and raw because Jin had accidentally snapped the cuff on a little tight, but before you could protest, Jungkook began pulling on the chain.

You immediately yelped in pain and your wrist attempted to escape the pain, causing your body to fold in on itself. You found yourself crouched and leaning against the counter, your arm almost straight above your head to remain close enough to Jungkook's so that it didn't dislocate the joint.

"Y/N?" Your name was barely audible over the music and the people around you many of which shot odd glances or coy smiles your way.

"It's tight, Jungkook. Jin accidentally locked it too tight. Can--can we just go talk and get these things off?"

Jungkook nodded, seeing your teary eyes from the pain and helping you to your feet. His free palm came to rest on your shoulder and his handcuffed hand grasped your wrist and he slipped two of his fingers between your skin and the cuff. It was the first time he'd touched you since before your birthday and you felt your knees go weak and something shifted in you with his touch. The plate tectonics of your heart shifting suddenly and with no warning.

"Let's go to the bathroom, first."

You were confused as he pulled you into the bathroom and situated you against the counter. He reached into the cupboard behind you and pulled out some lotion and squirted it onto his handcuffed hand. He rubbed it softly onto your wrist where the handcuff had rubbed the skin red and raw.

"Better?"

You nodded and looked up at his face which hovered not far above yours but was focused down on your wrist. His jaw was clenched and his features were stiff. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the sleeve he'd cut from his flannel.

"I think if we roll this down we can put it between the cuff and your wrist. It might make it feel tight, but it won't hurt you so much."

He rolled the sleeve down under it was a single cuff which he carefully slipped over your hand and under the cuff. It did work, your skin feeling relieved from the lotion and the cloth, although it did still feel slightly too tight.

"Thanks," you said. "But, maybe we should get out of here. I don't want your girlfriend to get the wrong idea."

Jungkook met your eyes. "What? Girlfriend?"

"The girl you went on the date with?"

"Oh, it uh, didn't work out."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

There was a long pause as Jungkook continued to adjust the cuff to ensure it stayed. His eyes were focused on your wrist.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For saying you were clingy and bringing your exes into this. I'm sorry for everything."

You looked down at him, your free hand coming to play with the hairs that grew around his ears. His hair was longer than you'd ever seen it and you smiled as he seemed to lean into your hand.

Jungkook finished adjusting the cuff and looked up at you. "I think Yoongi's room is empty. He didn't want people in there, but I bet he won't mind if it's us."

You nodded and followed closely behind Jungkook as you walked through the crowd to Yoongi's bedroom. It--like Jungkook had said--was empty. The two of you flopped down on the bed and despite laying a foot apart your fingers continued to brush against each other as you adjusted your wrists in the cuffs.

"I can't figure out why Jin handcuffed us," Jungkook said. The music was just a series of thumps now and even though it was still loud, you could no longer make out the lyrics and could hear Jungkook's voice without him having to raise it. "I thought he wouldn't want us to hang out anymore."

"What?" you asked. "Why would Jin care if we hang out?"

Jungkook turned and looked at you. His hair was wet from sweat and his hair curled in thick tendrils over his forehead. "Aren't you and Jin dating?"

"What? No! Jin and I are just friends. What makes you think that?"

"Jin told me he was gonna confess to you at your party."

Jungkook pulled his gaze from you and focused up at the ceiling. You thought back on that night. Jin had been acting more generous and gentlemanly that night, but you just chalked it up to it being your birthday.

"I didn't even know he liked me. Is that why you've been avoiding me? You thought I was with Jin and you didn't want to interfere?"

"That's part of it."

"What's the other part of it?"

His eyes came back to yours and you felt his fingers brushing against yours. But, it wasn't just the millisecond brushes as he adjusted. No, his fingers were practically intertwined with yours.

"Y/N, we've been friends so long...I don't want to ruin it..."

"Jungkook, it's already ruined."

There was a long tense silence between the of you. His fingers fully intertwined with yours. It was far from the first time you'd held his hand, but it felt different. It was softer, yet more intense at the same time. As if your hand were porcelain that could break at even the slightest touch.

Jungkook moved so quickly that you have no idea how he came to hover above you. His free arm resting above his head and the one handcuffed to you still intertwined with yours to the side. "What would've happened if Jin had confessed to you?"

"Kookie?"

"What would've happened?"

"I-I would've turned him down."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm in love with someone else."

His lips were on your before you even finished the sentence. He was gentle but urgent as if he'd been waiting two thousand years to kiss you.

"I'm still mad at you for skipping my birthday party," you said when he pulled away. "I don't care if you're in love with me, your cute ass still has a lot of making up to do."

Jungkook smiled as he leaned down placed a small kiss on your neck. "Well, I never got to give you my gift."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out two tickets. You grabbed them from his hands and you smiled as you realized it was for the musical you'd been dying to see.

"It's tomorrow," he said. "Pretty good first date, yeah?"

"Hey, don't get cocky yet!" It was hard for you to hide your smile and you didn't want to give him the satisfaction, so, you just leaned up and kissed him.

vVv

You woke up the next morning enveloped in Jungkook's arms and his one-armed flannel. You looked up to see him scrolled through his phone, but when you squirmed, he looked down at you.

"Good morning, baby," he said.

"That sounds so weird."

"What, baby?" He smirked and giggled as you reached up and playfully hit his shoulder.

"Wait," you said, looking at your unbound wrist. You looked down and found the handcuffs on the bed. "They must've uncuffed us last night."

"I hadn't even realized," he said. A blush appeared on his face. "I didn't want to let go of your hand."

"Aww," you said, reaching up and ruffling his hair. "You're such a softie."

Jungkook smirked and grabbed your wrists. "Hey, I'm not completely a softie."

He held your wrists and glanced down at the handcuffs. "Maybe, we should keep these."

[shoutaaizawas]

↳  ❝burn❞ dabi x fem!reader → part VI

summary: touya todoroki, your childhood friend was dead or so you thought. with touya in front of you all you want is answers word count: 2.4k tags/warnings: angst, dabi pov a/n: alright finally a new chapter in celebration of some manga happenings. this part is in dabi’s perspective, enjoy my attempt at making sense of all of this. masterlist

part V part V part VII

“T-Touya?” You stuttered out, eyes wide in realization. Dabi internally cursed. He should have known getting so close to you would end this way but he always did love playing with fire.

He reasoned he couldn’t leave you to die, bleeding out on the street but deep down he knew your wounds weren’t fatal. Seeing you made something churn in his chest he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“I don’t know a Touya.” He tried to play it off as he pulled out a wipe from your first aid kit to disinfect your wounds.

“Don’t lie to me.” You said, tone raw, tears welling up in your eyes cause a lump in his throat he didn’t like. “Don’t lie to me more than you already have.”

What were you supposed to tell your childhood best friend? The girl that you loved. That you still loved. Oh, sorry I actually didn’t die. I was pulled away by a villain and his offer sounded better than sticking around and being a hero?

How were you supposed to tell the person you cared for more than anything that they weren’t enough? It made him sick. He hated himself for it. You had been nothing but the perfect friend. You were there for him through everything at any cost to yourself. You gave your time, your home, your friendship, all of your effort. It meant so much to him, you had saved him from himself, and yet he still was consumed by his hate for his father.

Sometimes he wished he said no and went home, went back to you. Maybe things would have been different, granted the villain most likely would have just killed him. His hatred had been deep and he was offered power and the means to get back at his father if he went to the villain's side.

It was wrong. He knew it was wrong but he was past being a good man. The memory seemed so far away now. That night had been so long ago.

“I’m sorry.” He said, looking away. He couldn’t handle the look in your eyes.

“I’m sorry?” You repeated you sounded so hurt. Torn apart. “You fake your death, become a villain and all you have to say is I’m sorry?!”

He could hear rain begin to pour down outside, thunder cracking overhead from your quirk. He was familiar with how it flared up with your emotions. It had never been because of him.

You tried to stand up but let out a hiss of pain from the stab wound. He grabbed you pushing you back down.

“Just sit down, please.” He said as he went back to tend to your wound. Scarred hands gentle against your skin. “I don’t know what to say.”

“All I ever wanted was for you to be alive.” You said quietly. Before you sounded angry but now you just sounded broken. “I spent everyday mourning you. Losing you changed me but this whole time you’ve been alive and you just let me think you were dead.”

“What was I supposed to say?” His rough voice soft. “Sorry, I have to fake my death and I’m going to become a villain.”

“I would have preferred that.” Your eyes were on his hands that were now stitching up the wound, following the movement. “Anything would have been better than thinking you were dead. I’ve blamed myself for that night every day of my life. I thought what if I said something different, what if I stopped you-”

Tears finally broke in your eyes, running down your cheeks. A sob escaped your lips and his heart broke.

This was his fault, he did this.

He should have stood up and left and never looked back. That’s what he would have done if he was committed to being a villain, to ending Enji Todoroki. If he wanted to leave his weakness behind. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave you again after he hurt you so badly in the first place.

Dabi sat down next to you, pulling you into his arms and into his chest.

"I'm sorry, raindrop." He said. "I'm so sorry. Hurting you is the last thing I ever wanted to do. It's my biggest regret." His hand brushed over your hair soothingly.

"I've missed you so much." You said against his chest, tears still flowing freely. "All I ever wanted was you back."

“I missed you.” He said quietly. He knew this was bad, he shouldn’t be here but he couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t bring himself to leave right now and he knew this would only make things worse when he had to leave.

“What happened?” You asked as you looked up at him with your eyes red from crying.

“I didn’t die. Obviously.” He said as he rolled his eyes at his choice of words. “When the building collapsed it didn’t all the way. Where I was, with that villain, he kept it from crushing us. He offered me another life. He offered me revenge against my father.”

The silence felt bad. He would have much preferred you yelling at him, calling him a bad friend, anything other than this quiet. He knew you well and even if time passed he knew you were blaming yourself.

“I should have known.” You said your voice barely above a whisper. “I should have done something, I should have looked harder.” Your voice became more upset.

“No, it was my fault.” He said. It made his stomach churn with guilt to hear you blame yourself.

“I should have done something, I should have been a better friend. I-”

“Don’t say that.” He said in a low voice, his hand grabbing your cheek and pulling your gaze to his. “I’m the monster, I’m the one who should be blamed. I had the best friend I could ask for and I still decided to leave. There is nothing you could have done. The hate in me for my father was so strong, nothing could have stopped it.”

You stared at him in silence, processing his words. There was only so much he could say, only so much he could apologize for. He was still a villain and what was an apology without a change in one’s actions. As much as the idea of running away with her and never looking back sounded appealing he needed to get his revenge on Enji Todoroki and he would do so even if he died in the process.

“Here, you should lay down in your bed. You need to rest.” He said helping you up and moving you towards your bedroom. “Change into something comfortable, I know how much you hate the thought of touching your bed in anything other than bedclothes.” He teased. Even after all this time, he couldn’t forget her quirks. He moved to give her privacy but she caught him by the wrist.

“Don’t go.” You said before a pause. “I mean, don’t leave while I change. Like the house, not my room.”

He had to hide his laugh at how flustered you looked.

“I’ll be right outside.” He said. After a few moments, the door opened and he returned into the room.

He pulled the covers back and helped you into the bed. He sat down facing you.

“You need to leave the country, hide far away from the commission. They won’t stop until you’re no longer a threat to them.” He said. You needed to get away, far from everyone who could hurt you. He couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you.

“They can’t get away with what they’re hiding.” You said. “What kind of hero would I be if I could put an end to this and I just ran away to protect myself?”

“You’d be alive.” He said. “There’s no way you can stop them, not the way you would want to do it. The only way to stop them is to burn hero society to the ground and I doubt you want to join the League.”

“That’s not true, there are always more options you just have to fight for them.” You said. Stubborn as always. He sighed. “We could stop this, together the right way. Touya, I know you wanted to be a hero, you wanted to save people, to help them. We could stop this broken system, we could fix it.”

“All I want is for my father to suffer and to die.” He said in a low voice.

“Even if innocent people get hurt in the process?” You questioned. “You know what it’s like to be hurt, to suffer at the hands of other people, and be powerless to stop it. Don’t you want to help people like that more than kill Enji? He should pay for what he’s done but killing him won’t erase the damage he’s already done. It’ll only make it worst for you.”

Dabi paused.

“It’s not that simple. You can’t just fix hero society. The problems run too deep, it needs to burn.” He said. “You need to leave the country, get away from them, and get out of the way of the League. Sleep on it, maybe then you’ll realize there’s only one way to keep yourself alive.”

He knew from the look in your eyes you wouldn’t let it go. He hoped you would feel different in the morning but he knew your sense of justice would never let this go.

“It’s not worth it.” For a moment he was confused before realizing you weren’t talking about yourself anymore. “Enji isn’t worth ruining your life, hurting yourself.” Your hand took his, thumb brushing over his burns. How were you not disgusted by them?

“He deserves it.” He replied.

“But you don’t deserve this.” You said, eyes wide as you looked at him. “You deserve so much more. You deserve to be happy, to feel safe, and cared for.”

“People like me don’t deserve those things.” He said. The last thing he deserved was a kind life. Not after everything he had done.

“You do!” You let out a huff, your eyebrows furrowing. “Life has been so cruel to you, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Things can get better, life can be kind to you.”

“I can’t turn back now, I chose this path. There’s no hope left for me.”

“Touya, please.” You begged, your hand gripping his. “You said I should leave and not look back. I’ll do it if you go with me. We can leave together, we can be safe. Happy. Like we always should have.”

Dabi stared at you, eyes focused on your expression. You were serious. He knew how hard it would be to walk away, to leave even though you were convinced that you could fix hero society. The idea was optimistic, idealistic even.

For a moment it was easy to indulge, to dream. Imagining a life with you far away from all of the horrible things that the both of you had been through. A small house far away from everyone or maybe you could travel the world together. Whatever it would be it would be peaceful.

Dabi didn’t want to run away together as friends though, he wanted to confess. Tell you how he felt about you, how he always felt. He could remember his dreams when the both of you were young, marrying you, building your own happy family. Even if that family was just the two of you. But how could you feel like that about him especially after everything he had done. How could you ever love him back? Even if you did he would only be dragging you down. You deserved to be happy with someone who could keep you safe not make things worse.

“You know I can’t do that.” He said.

“You could,” You said, your hands cupping his cheeks. The contact of your cool skin against his warm skin sent a shiver down his spine. “I know you think you can’t but you could walk away from it all right now. Please, Touya.”

If he thought his heart was already broken now it certainly was. How could you want to run away with him after he faked his death? What kind of friend was he that he didn’t tell you? You were the only person who had ever been there for him. He wanted to see you happy but he knew he could never be the one to do it. Walking away was the best thing to do for you.

“You need to get rest.” He said. “We’ll talk about this later.” That was a lie.

“You’re going to stay?” Your eyebrows drawn up and the tears still in your eyes pulled at his heartstrings.

“Yes.” That was another lie.

“Can you sit here with me till I fall asleep?” You asked. Dabi moved, sitting beside you against the headboard. You laid down, pulling the covers up as you looked at him. Hesitantly you reached out taking his hand, your touch so soft. When was the last time someone had touched him without the intent to hurt him? You were probably the last person who had. Your eyes were trained on his hand, fingers ever so gently as they passed over the staples that held his skin together.

Dabi watched as you moved closer to him, nearly pressed against the side of his leg. Without thinking his hand moved to your hair, brushing over it slowly as if it would be the last time. Well, it probably would be the last time.

“I missed you.” You said, hands playing with the hem of his shirt, his jacket discarded earlier at the door.

“I missed you too.” He whispered back. He continued to stroke your hair until your breathing evened. He knew he needed to leave but he wanted to stay longer even if it was just for a moment. He knew that leaving would only hurt you more but nothing good would come from him staying.

After a while he stood, his hands careful to move you without waking you. He stared at you, taking in your features he sighed. He loved you more than anything but it was too late to turn back. He leaned down, his lips meeting your forehead. Relishing in the contact, lingering on your skin.

"I'm sorry, raindrop." He said before he moved to the doorway. As he walked out of your room he steeled himself as he tried not to look back.  

He returned to the living room spotted your desk, there he found paper and a pen. A hint of a smile crossed his face, some things never changed, you always loved cute stationery.

Walking out he knew that this was the last time he would see you like this. Chances were the next time you met things wouldn’t end well.

taglist:  @flowersgirl02 @wesparklebitch @moon-write @strangely-charmed @ibookishqueen @tomomoni @why-so-red @grungy-pansexual @sugarandsoft @pansexual-potterhead @ha-tep @milegonzalez96 @prettyinblack231 @jadepersonaldriscal @nanamichan @multi-madison @e-wwis @itlivesintheanime @angerynonbinary @professionalsimpfor2dboys

[loveijun]

Can we hear your thoughts on KnT Soulmate? English chapter 7 just got released yesterday.

omg hii 🧞‍♀️ ill probably talk a lot more about it later when i read the new chapter but these are some of my thoughts 💗 1 im so glad kurumi gets her own story because after the whole situation with her and sawako in high school, they had such a weird but delicate balance of friendship and i became curious abt what would happen with kurumi later on but the story moves past it and we have to forget about her sadly... 2 i just think the soulmate chapters are amazing and beautiful and I HAVE TO MENTION that it basically confirmed for me that ms karuho shiina did in fact do the questioning of sexuality type of undertone throughout the manga on purpose.. it didnt start off with the typical kurumi and eiji falling in love but with kurumi and sawako being together + kurumi in this umm head space where she's thinking of sawako from so many different perspectives (romantically 💖‼️, as a rival and a peer to learn from, a monumental figure in her life since sawako basically helped her grow as a person and guided her unknowingly to a much healthier mindset, and a close friend she actually felt comfortable with for the first time since elementary school) and coming to the conclusion they are soulmates regardless of anything else. it's also obviously kurumi's personal redemption story but not as some evil villain becoming good... she was never really evil but just a very misguided teenager who at the time made decisions with consequences. this is her chance to... almost like what happened to ayane when she finally let herself go (not a 1-time complete healing but the beginning of it: she took a step out her shell and stopped devaluing herself for deserving love) and redeemed herself in her own mind - is what im waiting for in this series for kurumi. she's confident and loves herself somewhat but is constantly quesitoning her motives, thinking she didnt deserve to be forgiven, and is full of doubt so she clashes constantly in her mind and ends up numbing her sense of urgency, gentleness, and care when dealing with herself. i really want her to cherish herself as fast as possible but she cant just overcome it on her own (omg that theme keeps coming back - you can't grow [to love yourself] in solitude) and it's lacking for her to just suddenly become better when a guy shows up and at the same time rush a discovery process like that so i really love the bit with sawako in the beginning. alsoo i cannot forget im so happy and proud that sawako matured from her intial earnest but unsettling awkwardness to a hmm not mellowed but a more transparent ease with communication and presenting herself while still retaining her honest character. i love love loveee the fact that shes also a lot more secure with kazehaya and when i saw them joking around with each other i had to pause for a moment bc in the beginning shes such a precious and selfless person and that's great and all but she didn't believe in herself at all.. like when the high school class pulled the dating prank on her the way she handled it is hard to watch and very telling of how she sees herself.. she underestimates gestures of love towards her as mere kindness and at the same time overestimates the effort she needs to put in to repay it while also setting a thick boundary and voluntarily putting herself on a level lower than others. but the way that she's now able to understand favors that ought to be repaid, the difference between that and a gift - defined a thing given willingly to someone without payment, helping others without hurting yourslef, being a healthy amount of selfish and etc ❤️ i cant get enough. she even set up a blind date for kurumi can you imagine how far we've come??? now for when eiji appears i was just observing in the beginnig but i love his personality so much it feels like he was gonna be a classic romance mc just rude and insufferable or a stuffy/overbearing kind of nice but his moments of vulnerability and unpredicatability are GENIUS bc kurumi has never met someone like this before (she gets so flustered and is so cute when shes around him sometimes

i feel like crying aww). oimg and i cant forget how interesting this is just becasue its a college setting and not highschool so its more (i hate reusing words 💢 but mature is the word and theres more oppurtunity for things and various situations i think. 'real' dates and staying over at each other's place... and i want to see them in those^ types of situations so badly but i dont think we'll see much 💔). also their dynamic is everything i love how unique their character is and shes (the author) definitely put a lot of effort into every single one of her characters but i did not expect her to give eiji that much depth (i know hes from one of her other works and i need to read it soon and i want to know what happened before he met her so bad 😭.....) ^like at all. i dont have much more to say but i hope kazehaya shows up and meets them all again bc im want their reactions, and i think kurumi is so adorable and eiji is the hottest guy of the series excluding sanada. the end 💗

[tohruhondaismydaughter]

Ok so here are my PERSONAL thoughts for this episode of Fruits Basket (WARNING: manga spoilers ahead).

I gotta be honest the beginning of the Yuchi scene was weird for me because of how much of thier development was sadly cut from the anime but after the curse breaking scene (which was unessarily beautiful btw like the others just got tears/rope snapping but our rat prince got all the budget LMFAO, also the rat spirit was so adorable in this scene for some reason) they luckily still got me to cheer for them somehow (though I think her gift was explained better in the manga as a way to sooth Tohru's rescent injuries + was a nice way of showing how Machi & her brother as alike, at least in the way they approach gift giving lol).

The kyoru stuff was amazing of course (especially assertive Tohru) but I do greatly miss thier zoo date & the school's reaction to them being a couple however they might put that in the last episode (well we can hope can't we).

The Kyoko monologue was heart breaking though I still think her attempted suicide being covered would have added more depth to the saddder side of her & Tohru's relationship (without having to nessaryily explore too much of her disturbing relationship with Katsuya & while we're on the subject, I'm not happy about her going back to her middle school self in the afterlife for VARIOUS reasons that I won't bother getting into but at least we still haven't had to see he's face yet).

I wish Rin hadn't been in the room with Akito during the apolgey (I frankly don't like her even being present when Tohru tells Kyo she wants to see Akito after he's hug with Kazuma because while I PERSONALLY like the friendship between Tohru & Akito & am able to forgive her once she's clearly changed her ways & I get why/how the friendship came to be I still don't think Rin should be present when Tohru's being really invested in Akito especially not so rescently after the amount of truma she put Rin through & btw the 'I can't forgive her/your not bad for not forgiving her' scene better be in the last episode) I swear Rin was sitting just outside the open door with her back turned away (Haru was the closest to her like he was almost shielding her from Akito & their hands/arms were holding on to eachother in the hallway) in the manga so that she could still hear what was being said without having to actually see Akito but maybe I'm misrembering. Also I know Kisa was also badly hurt by Akito but Kisa has a mum to look out for her & wasn't almost murdered or rescently held captive. I also would have wanted Akito to not sit so close to the group (especially Rin & Kisa because I would have thought she'd understand how VERY triggering that could be for them & would want to avoid that).

I loved the detail that Kyo dosn't know he's way around the inner easte because as the cat he's never been invited before.

Akito looked beautiful in her Kinmono.

I don't know when Hiro was supposed to have he's own seprete talk with Akito (sadly the Kyo/Akito/Hana scene is obviously not going to happen) but I do kind of hope we get some closure with him in the next episode (speaking of which I hope the 'cry because you loved her' scene gets to be in the next episode).

I'm not an Akigure shipper (for NUMRIOUS reasons) but Shigure's speech about why he gave Akito a "parting" gift actually sounded a lot kinder & over all more sincere/healthy to me then it did in the manga....but unfortunately he once again brought up the fact that he'd been waiting for her for such a long time, & they descided to again show little kid Akito & teenage Shigure & it's just like yeah I get it he "fell in love" with her before she even hit puberty (I promise I'm not trying to hate on Akigure fans as I get that it's fiction & your allowed to like stuff that's not wholesome/fluffy I just don't get why the mangka would go out of her way to make the origin of thier feelings for eachother so problimatic if she just wanted them to end up happy & stable in the end like all the other couples).

I would have liked Akito staying on as family head 'to change the clan's toxic way of doing things' to be more explained because, in the dub at least, she kinda just says 'there's still things to do so I'll continue being the family head' & while a change of heart is obviously implied I personally think it's important for the former zodiac to actually hear her say something like that out loud.

Then there's the weird monologue Akito has about Shigure which I guess is supposed to convey that she loves him now more then she did the old zodiac bond but it just sounded obsessive to me (litrually like how Ren spoke about Akira) but I wouldn't necessarily have such a problem with that if it was at least aknowleged anywhere in story that Akito realises it's unhealthy & something she'll need to work on changing if she ever wants to have any chanse at a healthy relationship with him but unfortunately we just get: 'wow I'm utterly dependent on this man (who's been playing mind games with me for half my life) to give me any kind of purpose/value as a person now that I'm no longer a god so we're gonna be a couple now' & I'm just left like.....or you could break up permanently like you did with Kureno & focus on dealing with your truma & becoming a good friend for other outcasts like Tohru did, instead.

[ccsthemovie2]

trick or treat 2021 letter

DEAR MY KIND AND HARDWORKING GIFTER,

hi there my ao3 is zagspect and thanks in advance for making me a piece of fic or art in this fun little exchange! heres some food for thought to munch on.

i loooove slice of life, character moments, outsider povs that make things we’re used to in canon seem absurd or funny or weird or scary, humor, horror-in-fluff’s-clothing, sweetness-found-in-horror, and also just plain sweetness. feel free to get weird or experimental with your writing if you think the moment calls for it :3 im not really requesting anything sexy-nsfw in this exchange so pls keep things down to a nice pg13 (high-rated gore for higurashi work is an exception, lol, like, it’s when they cry. that’s just part of the deal.)

🌸✨

cardcaptor sakura (trick or treat!)

clear card manga spoilers are fine with me! manga and anime canon are both fine, and mashing them up is cool too. no aus past that though, please!

clow reed

the big man himself! scare me with his his manipulative tendencies, his eternal pushpull fear of both being eternally relied on and being no longer needed, the way he treats other people, especially people who love him. (yue! the madoushi! i am into both of these being unrequited romantically on his end, but he’s not gonna just gonna tell them that, you think he’s straightforward like that?) what’s daily life like in the clowse? creating a new card, what’s that like? does everybody get along with the normal, non magic neighbors? 

yelan li

what’s up with her??? what’s her relationship with her children like, what are the responsibilities of a magician family’s head, how weird is it that clow is kind of back all of a sudden, what’s her thoughts on sakura? fleshing out a minor character is always fun :]

eriol & li

okay, so, we get to the end of the original series. syaoran returns to hong kong. ????????. syaoran is in cahoots with eriol to (vaguely alluding to cc spoilers in case you haven’t caught up in the manga), do some pretty serious magic behind sakura’s back.

so, like... what went down in the ?????

kero & sakura & yue 

they’re FAMBILYYYYY. magic found family i love them so much. show me the depths of their care for her, and hers for them, the way there’s absolutely some ice to break with yue but when he gets loyal he will DIE for you, the way sakura can mend the rift between kero and yue, the way the two of them are balancing this wonderful openness and equality with oh yeah, she’s eleven, we kind of said some seriously dark stuff in the haze of sleepover talk didn’t we? 

ruby & spinel & eriol 

pre-canon or mid-canon or post-canon! what’s the dynamic between them, a quiet night in, a day out telling people that you’re connected by whatever lie you find funniest. going to tomoeda and having to pretend youre a kid, a teen, and a cat, but goddd you could all go for an elegant and adult glass of wine right now (especially the cat). what horrors are lurking in that house from the clow era that no one cares to address? like emotionally and also because it’s a magic wizard house with magic stuff in it. 

touya/yukito/yue 

i am here for any and all angles of this ship- all together, your touyukis, your yuetouyas, your yuekitos if you wanna get in on a rarely seen angle! (but pls have touya and/or yukito be 18+ at a time where yue shows interest in them). i wanna see the way they interact! how they deal with, you know, the everything! pre-relationship pining, going on a date, touya and yukito in college wondering if they’ll end up having different majors, different paths for the first time. yukito seeing yue on video for the first time (OH NO HES HOT), yukito and yue figuring out internal boundaries, etc etc etc.  

naoko and touya 

the girl who loves ghosts and the guy who sees (or, used to see), ghosts! does she follow him to one of his haunts (pun intended)? does he have to go to her for ghost sensing advice now that he’s a regular old human? does he have to save her from a ghost that means her harm? how excited is she to tell sakura about the COOL GHOST I MET WITH YOUR BROTHER OMG U DIDNT TELL ME HE LIKES GHOSTS??? and how much does sakura wanna sink into the ground lololol

🌹⚔️

revolutionary girl utena (trick or treat!)

ohh, what a place of scary happenings! tell me a fairytale, even if it’s not such a good idea. pre, mid, postcanon, im fine with it all. feel free to weave a web with easter egg references to any other media you feel is right for the moment- utena is all about Genre and Stories!

shadow girls 

i love them i love their whole everything. i wanna see a play, i wanna see them interact with other characters! what if they do a play AS the other characters, ooooh.

anthy/utena 

THE GIRLS WHO INVENTED LOVE THEMSELVES. ive read a thousand stories of them finding each other and it never gets old. id love to read about their life post-ohtori, especially the not-so-happily-ever-after parts- the old wounds reopening, the fights, and how they work through it, wont lose each other ever again. 

saionji/touga

what’s spookier than toxic masculinity? both of them miserably stuck, saionji obsessed with touga, touga believing anyone who believes in friendship is a fool. bro we are taking shirtless pictures among 500 potted cacti....why does my heart hurt..... oh shit its the cactus i rolled onto it ow ow

nanami

nanami being nanami! she’s got no clue how to act ever, she’s desperate, she’s trying SO HARD. i’d love to see a nanami finally getting out of there, too. leaving home with nothing but the clothes on her back, diamonds in her necklace, and a wheeled suitcase of raw eggs.... (crunch crunch crunch)

🎲🗓

higurashi when they cry (trick or treat!)

i’m a gou/sotsu enjoyer and gonna prompt about that a lot but original flavor is, of course, great too. pls dont go too heavy on info outside the main 8+saikoroshi+gou/sotsu? i haven’t read those. ive read umineko+ciconia though so references there are fine :3

rena/mion/keiichi

college days! getting together, crushing on each other, poly relationship figuringouts? dates that are just club meetings with kissing and all the ridiculousness of that.

satoko/rika

gou/sotsu era TOXIC LESBIAN EPIC MOMENTS!!!!!! obsession and desperation and satoko putting all her emotional eggs in rika’s basket no matter how angry she is with her, rika’s love for satoko across 100 years and how that all crumbles (to satoko) in the face of rika’s Cool School. rika wanting satoko to go to school with her so so so bad. deep pain and misunderstandings and acting badly (like, murder badly), and then, we hope, atonement and something new beginning? i love character moments where someones so obsessively in love it feels like its eating them up inside.

rena & satoko

look, rena’s smart and really pays attention to how people feel and i think, before or after satoko becomes a looper but especially after, she would make an attempt to have a heart to heart with satoko. and satoko, as a looper, will politely brush her off, will go you dont know me you can’t affect me. youre just a chess piece. when i get to the miracle world where rika loves me, ill listen to you. this you is here to die, or to kill. 

eua

oh eua is just using satoko up like a bar of soap and it takes satoko way, way too long to realize. evil girltalk/crush advice from the witchmom perhaps?

shion

meakashi made me LOVE her. internal shion moments, perhaps? shion being an empath (decides what ppl are thinking and instantly believes it)? shion in gou-era wanting to talk to satoko about st. lucia’s, but she never shows up to dinner?

okay i think that’s all for now!!! thanks and i hope you have fun!!!

[the-kings-of-games]

GET TO KNOW MY SHIP OT3 Edition: Kizunashipping

Character Profiles:

Jack Atlas - 20, blond, 6'3"/190 cm (manga height), oldest brother, no nicknames ("I'm not a mind reader, but Jack refers to himself as king in his head." —Yūsei)

Crow Hogan - 18, ginger, 5'7"/170 cm, youngest brother, no nicknames ("Crow-sama doesn't count if you're the only one who uses it. Just stick with bird." —Jack)

Yūsei Fudō - 19, raven with orange highlights, 5'8"/173 cm, middle child, no nicknames ("I think of Yūsei as a crab. It's the hair." —Crow)

How it happened: takes up the entire scale

When they first met as kids, Jack assumed Crow got bullied a lot for being small, Crow said the kid equivalent of "fuck off," and Yūsei invited him to duel. It was a tense two seconds of a first impression, but it ended very well and the three became thick as thieves. Over time, as they grew up, they got even closer, calling each other brothers and friends, a relationship that started immediately but also took the time to strengthen and become deeper. It was both intentional and unintentional at the same time as they did wanted to stay together but didn't expect it to ended the way it did. ❤️

Relationship attitude: as casual as they are dedicated, affections leaning on PDA

Kizuna is very casual about their relationship in that they don't have the need to tell the whole world, and they really enjoy small and rather private intimacy together. Crow is the most public about touching with Yūsei the most subtle ("reserved"). Jack is closer to Yūsei's level of public affections.

Crow loves being held and isn't embarrassed about being carried when he feels playful, asking for quick kisses when he feels like it. Yūsei is the type to do lingering touches, placing his hand on his friends' skin and taking them by the hand to lace their fingers, or just to squeeze, and he adores quiet, lazy moments in bed. Jack likes to hold his brothers, whether it's Crow on his lap or Yūsei lying on top of him. He likes feeling their weight against him and never complains about being used like a pillow or a stuffed animal.

Their dedication to each other is that they love each other and will always come at a time of need, but they understand each other's boundries and that each one of them is his own person. They never talked about having a physical or romantic relationship with other people, but they haven't really thought about it either. They're content with what they have, finding both family and friendship in each other.

Misadventures: depending on the situation, any one of them is getting them out of trouble and/or into trouble. How they do it differs from person to person.

Overall, Kizuna doesn't try to get into trouble on purpose, only when they have to or are asked to. Usually, Crow is told about it and faces it head on, Jack finds it accidentally, and Yūsei just has trouble following him. It can be a mess sometimes, but one of them is always there to bail the other two out; other times, it's two of them bailing one out. The trouble might not involve all of them, but at the end of the day, they'll all see it to the end one way or anyone.

Handling conflict: slow to forgive if someone else messes up badly, arguements are mostly Squabble

The arguments are mostly kept between them, Yūsei on the sideline. Crow is always telling Jack to pick up the slack, and Jack can't keep a job. They clash because of this, but serious fights rarely occur as this echoes a lot of their arguments as kids. Crow might get mad at Jack in the morning, but he's always happy to have Jack come home at night. Yūsei keeps out of these things because he already knows Jack won't change and Crow is stubborn. He almost never upsets Jack or Crow to the extent that they upset each other because he pulls off the best disappointed expression and they lose their steam quickly.

However, on the other, if someone else upsets or hurts one of them, they're all up in arms, ready to throw dukes cards. They are good duelists who also know how to use their fists. Yūsei tries to be reasonable most of the time, but he can and will hold a grudge, seeking some sort of retribution. Jack's a bit more vocal, using his tongue to make people back off while staring them down. Crow's the one who tries to work things out, but he'll take the bait if it's the right kind. Jack and Crow have the shorter fuses, but Yūsei can be just as slow to forgive.

Budget: Crow mostly takes care of the budget since he's the one with a stable business, and he's very careful about it. Yūsei provides a bit of extra cash with his handyman jobs and makes sure to record everything. Somehow, Jack is still able to purchase his expensive coffee. They are almost always close to being in the red.

Makes decisions: As the family accountant, Crow gets the final say on matters that needs to dip into their budget, ranging from inventory to traveling. All of them are capable of making decisions on their own, but it often comes in full circle.

Plans dates: They don't really go on dates; they just spend a lot of time together, whether it's going out of a ride and a duel or just being in the same room with one another. All they want is each other's company and presence, just like when they were growing up. They all have their own individual rooms for their own privacy, but very rarely would someone say no to spending the night together, or the afternoon, the morning, and the bit of time in between.

Besides, they can't afford to go on any of those popular date plans, there's not enough in their budget.

Cooks: They all cook, to varying degrees. Crow cooks the most, but it's mostly basic meals and to make sure everyone is eating. Yūsei cooks to pick up some responsibility when Crow is doing overtime or can't do it himself. Jack cooks too, but it's a lot of extravagant meals that taste great but isn't exactly the most affordable.

Cleans: They all have their own responsibilities at Poppo Time. (It is the sole reason that Jack doesn't get the boot, lol.) Yūsei handles the garage while Jack makes sure the upstairs floor is kept clean. He also does laundry. (Jack likes to live in a clean environment, so if he must, he'll clean.) Crow handles smaller chores like washing the dishes and buying groceries (since he's likely already out).

First to confess their feelings: Crow! He loves saying, "I love you," even as a kid, and he isn't embarrassed or shy about it. He loves it when Jack and Yūsei say it back.

First to apologize in a fight: Whoever realizes what they did wrong first. They might be stubborn, but they do understand that it's right to apologize when they're wrong or acted terribly. They were raised by a good woman after all.

The best caretaker when the others are sick: Jack! He's the one who can sit still the longest, usually with a book or a magazine, and stay by to see the first signs of discomfort. He has a strong sense of duty when it comes to taking care of his brothers when they're not well. He doesn't baby them (much), but he keeps track of when to do this and that very well. (He's actually good a time management.)

Does most of the speaking: They are all capable of speaking for themselves, but Jack is the one who likes to talk to people the most. He's a people person.

Sensitive to subtle changes in their partners: Yūsei! He's the observant type, even more so than his brothers, and catches things a lot more. He keeps a mental note of them and uses that information later for future use.

The one who proposes: None. They never get married or anything; they don't have the need to do so. It's enough that they chose to be together.

The one who would die to protect the others: This is all of them, but Yūsei would always volunteer first because he's like that.

Hogs the blanket: Crow. :3

Ticklish: "If you know the right spots, you can turn grumpy Jack and Yūsei into giggling ones!" —Crow

Good kisser: They all are, but Crow has the reputation. ;)

Irresponsible one: Depends. Jack's irresponsible for not being able to keep a stable job. Yūsei loses track of time a lot when working on the runners and forget to take care of himself. Crow likes to start shit with his brothers for giggles, already knowing the consequences of his actions.

Crow: . . . [hiccups]

Akiza: . . . Are you crying?

Crow: [hiccups] Yeah.

Akiza: Did you annoy Yūsei again?

Crow: Yeah. [sniffles]

.

Akiza: Did you learn anything this time?

Crow: . . . Never.

.

.

Here are a few of my Kizuna fics!:

Story of Old, rated T

Taking Care of Crow, rated G

Unbreakable Bonds, rated G

School Days, rated T

[diary-of-deadweight]

Friendship anniversary.

Pairing: Tenya Iida x reader

Summary: what started out as a idea pitched at 3am turned tradition, Iida is planning something big with the help of Deku and Uraraka.

Iida paced within the comfort of his own room, arms behind his back as he racked his brain of what to get you for friendship anniversary, which was slowly creeping nearer the longer he spent a majority of the free time pacing with no dice. It was a beyond infuriating task as your someone who values the thought put into a gift rather then the price tag; hell he could give you a notebook and you would love it as if you were gifted a car instead. Iida wanted to give you something you’d love even if the price is above the budget you agreed on way back then.

So he visited the local jewellery store at the weekend and saw something he’d think you would absolutely love as it reminded him of your beauty and how much it has blossomed over your years of friendship, not just physically but personality wise too, he bought it and kept it in his desk since then but for Iida one gift wasn’t enough as you always managed to get him two gifts he absolutely loved which is why he was currently pacing in his room.

He was trying to come up with another gift he’d knew you would like.

sad thing was that he didn’t know what to get you as he already bought you the latest movies and the latest manga of your favourite anime; one punchman which was a true tale about a bald hero and his immense strength, speed and agility along side his dream of meeting a strong enough opponent who can toss him around a bit before knocking them around abut himself with a single punch, for your birthday and previous friendship anniversaries that he was left to his own devices this time round.

A knock upon the door pulled him from out of his brainstorming session, striding over to the door to see who was in need of his assistance during this dire time. “Hey Iida.” The class rep was greeted by his dear friends, Izuku and Uraraka, “do you wanna head to the mall with us?” The Brunette asked. “I’m sorry but I’m currrntly facing a task that requires my full attention right now, so I’m gonna have to decline your offer.” Iida informed them before closing the door on them, ready to get back to his scheduled brainstorming only to find his friends sat upon his bed made him do a double take between the door and them in befuddlement that went unnoticed by the two. “What’s troubling you Iida, we are your friends and friends help each other,” Ochaco nodded her head vigorously at Midoriya’s statement, “so we shall tackle this issue together.”

Iida sighed, shaking his head in disbelief at his friends persistence of wanting to aid him and decided that three heads were ultimately better then one and he was in desperate need of an idea so what could go wrong? “It’s mine and (y/n)’s frienship anniversary coming up and I’m struggling to think of another gift to give them.” He day himself on the other side of Midoriya, leaning his back against the cold wall. “So what is the first gift you got them?” Ochaco tilted her head to the side, her bob haircut followed suit with her moment.

“An Swarovski crystal necklace.”

Izuku and Ochaco gasped in surprise, sharing a look before looking back at Iida, “Doesn’t (y/n) hate expensive gifts because a Swarovski Crystal isn’t cheap.”

“I know, I thought that if I tell them that it reminded me of how beautiful and unique our friendship is that they wanted to preserve it forever.” Iida explained, blushing slightly when Uraraka cooed at how cute it all was that the bluenette must’ve thought she misinterpreted it as something albeit romantic but waved it off as accidental. “Why don’t you show them how much they mean to you.” Izuku suggested with a shrug, Iida thought about it and sure enough took interest in the idea, “what do you mean by that Midoriya?”

“I mean that you should create a slide by slide presentation on all the great moments you’ve had together.” The curly emerald haired male expanded upon his idea, “add some videos if you have any.” Ochaco added for the hell of it, already excited to see the finished product that they both free balled ideas that Iida either shot down due to being unrealistic to pull off or liked as it was something that could be easily accomplished.

This went on well into the afternoon and they decided that the plan was ready to go and went down to celebrate with Katsuki’s cooking as they dragged their limbs that felt like they were 100 pounds heavier with each step they took.

Timeskip

When the day finally arrived Iida was practically sweating bullets and his nervousness kicked into overdrive as he couldn’t seem to hold the USB without his hand violently shaking that he decided to place it within the safety in his pocket along side the necklace so he didn’t loose and or drop it anytime soon. He looked up at the clock upon the wall, sapphire gaze setting upon the illumonesent scarlet numbers which flashed repeatedly:

‘8:30am’

It wouldn’t be long until you would wake up and head down to the common room for breakfast and your morning cup of tea/coffee, you were a grumpy little shit without it as many of the class found out first hand. So the tall male setted off out the door and down to the common room like a bolt of lightning and began setting up everything whilst leaving his friends Uraraka and Midoriya to inform the rest of his classmates why most of the common room will be sectioned off into a blanket fort, they insisted in helping him set up to which he declined but appreciated their offer as this day was primarily for you and him specifically after a 3am conversation.

So he was thankful that no one was down in the common room as a majority of them were heavy sleepers and wouldn’t get up until like 10 am whilst people like Katsuki and Kirishima were early worms and would get up the millisecond the sun rose and do some morning training which gave Iida the chance to litter the floor with wisteria petals, whip out a old theatre screen from the closets (I don’t know the fucking name to them ok.) a little projector that he could connect to the computer and did a little test run beofre giving the room a satifying nod just as a ‘ping’ noise came from his phone.

It was a text from Midoriya.

‘Hey Iida are you ready cuz (y/n) is heading towards the staircase right now, Uraraka tried to stall them a little to give you extra time but it failed badly.’

Iida smiled at how kind his friends are to stall time for him, he responded back with.

‘Thank you Midoriya I’m already set up with relatively ease but I appreciate the help.’

After he pocketed his phone a voice from the stair case he knew almost instantly.

“Oh my god...Iida,” he turns around to you with a softened look, “is this all for our special day?” He wordlessly nods, “it’s beautiful.” He watched your wide eyed expression as they wander around the decorated section as if you were walking through the snow covered streets of Musutafu as you came from a *cough* fictional *cough* country where snow is rare; unable to speak which gave Iida mixed emotions as half of him believed it was out of disgust while the other half believed that it was out of shock and amazement at his efforts of making today the best friend’s anniversary in recent memory, something he hope you both remember years from now.

He wandered over to you, resting a hand upon your shoulder that made you jump slightly, you turned to him with an almost unreadable expression, making IIda’s worry increased by a fraction.

“(Y/n), do you like it?”

“Like it? Like it? Iida I love it!” You exploded with joy as you hugged the male as tightly that he swore he couldn’t feel his lower half beofre finally deciding that it was time to show you the gifts so he tapped you on the shoulder to signify for you to release him, which you did as you watched him as he made his way over to the computer, pressing play as a video began playing from the projector that began with some emotional music whilst pictures of you and Iida flashed before your eyes while every once in a while bold lettering would spread saying the sweetest shit like:

‘Under a cherry blossom tree three years ago stood a person I had no idea would later become my best friend. Someone I couldn’t possibly live without or be away from for an extensive period of time without worrying about their well being but I know that they know I only mean well when I do so.

‘But as of this year, 2020, I had troubles trying to think of what to get them as I would spoil them rotten under the radar which’ll most definitely earn me a scolding later today. If it wasn’t for Izuku and Uraraka for giving me this idea during my time of stress, I don’t know what I would’ve done.’

Before another barrage of photos and videos of you both either inside or outside the academy, being either falsely stern at each other and laughing about it seconds after or just pulling funny faces at the camera.

‘So I decided to take their idea and make a presentation on how much (y/n) (l/n)’s frienship means to me so I’m going to summarise it on a sentence before the next section of pictures cuts in.’

You chuckled at this.

‘(Y/n)’s friendship means everything to me and I would never trade it for anything.’

So as the last load of pictures and or videos came to an end one last paragraph showed itself over an uncomfortably zoomed in picture of your face such drew a hysterical laugh from your lips, a sweet release from all the crying you’ve been doing through out it all as nostalgia swept you off your feet and carried you down memeory lane of each individual picture and or video. You truly didn’t know where you’d be without having this sapphire eyed male beside you...you truly didn’t.

‘(Y/n). Your friendship was and always will be the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced and I hope that even well into adulthood we still uphold this tradition for as long as we can, I never wish to loose the unique relationship we’ve built overtime due to the lack of communication, it’s something I’d be stupid to give up, so I hope you enjoy the next gift that, honestly costed a pretty penny but was most defiantly worth it as it symbols out frienship and how it’s so unique it had to be crystallised. Happy friend anniversary (y/n), here’s to many more’

- Tenya Iida.

Tenya then knelt next to you as he hands you a small box, gesturing you to open it with a nod of his head as he wiped away the tears that had gathered within his eyes over the presentation and the waves of nostalgia that wished over him and how even through the worst of days you both stuck together like gorilla glue.

You opened the beautifully presented box to see this:

“A Swarovski Crystal?!” You exclaimed as you dangled the necklace in front of your blurry eyes as you admired hoe it glistened under the light, “Tenya Iida, you beautiful bastard help me get this on please.” You sniffled as you unclasped the necklace, handing it to Iida who sat himself behind you, shifting hair out of the way as he clasped the necklace as you felt the center price rest upon the middle of your chest as you gazed down at it in awe, wiping away the tears that cascaded down your cheeks like a waterfall as you were riddlers with emotions that you just thought ‘fuck it’ and tackled Tenya into a hug as you cried into him; saying how you didn’t deserve such a friend as loyal as him and thanked him for being born, how blessed you were to have him in your life which made Iida collapse into a heap of tears himself, while unknownst to you, the rest of your class stood on the stair way, smiling at your sweet moment before evacuating the area to give you both some privacy.

Later down the line you and Iida may or may not have gotten married later on in life and would be spending your third anniversary underneath a familiar cherry blossom tree, the same exact one where you first met all those years back.

[munchies-for-thought]

The reason your favorite character is flawed and how it changed how I saw my life

Jun 18, 2020

Context: I’m a huge fan of the anime “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure”. (Reading Part 6 pls don’t spoil kthx bai). Don’t worry. You don’t even have to know about anime to get my message. It’s just the example closest to me.

The revelation behind each flaw

Rohan Kishibe is a character that is incredibly talented as a manga artist. He is so obsessed in his craft that he goes to terrifying and ethically questionable extents to get inspiration for his stories. Sometimes a villain, sometimes a hero. His art is everything for him. Well worth risking his or someone else’s life. He is generally a good guy, and wishes good upon the world. He just won’t go out of his way to make it happen. He is also defeated almost immediately after we meet him.

Rohan Kishibe is indeed one of my favorite characters of all times for a multitude of reasons, yet when describing him, he clearly is a flawed character. Yet this is NOT about him. While you read this blog, please think on the coolest fictional character you can think of. Do you have one in mind? Can you answer the following about your favorite character?

Has your favorite character failed?

Has he been hurt badly?

Are some things out of his control?

Do most people in his world generally understand the struggle they go through?

You’ll see when comparing with friends that we mostly agree on these answers even when thinking on different characters. The interesting truth lies in the common factor behind these answers, and learning a bit from the power of good storytelling.

One of the most precious things that I have gained from playing videogames, watching anime and playing Dungeons & Dragons all my life, is the first-hand knowledge of the power of a good story. Although it is in the HOW you make a good story, where I found this revelation that helped me so much.

What I am trying to say might be simple and even obvious when read, but not truly understood. If you bear with me a bit longer, I will attempt not to say, but to explain. I’ll show you the building blocks of how I learned so you truly understand as I did.

Dungeon and Dragons’ Character Backgrounds

The first time I made a new character in Dungeons and Dragons (Drow Elf Bard btw) I was blown away when I found out that whereas you get to pick from options that greatly impact your likelihood of winning, you also had to pick background and personality options that held no significant impact on your success.

You could choose to be a triumphant noble, a devote acolyte, a successful guild merchant or even a lying charlatan. Hell, if you wanted to you could even pick an orphan who had lost it all in the edgiest way known to man!

The book was also quite good at giving you specific quirks that brought that character to life. All of this happened because D&D is focused on group storytelling. Everyone wants your character to be interesting so their adventure gets 10x cooler when their complex characters interact with yours in intriguing and unexpected ways.

For example:

The secret beauty behind flaws

I was just a tad... confused. I had to chose a flaw? Why would I want to do this? All of these options look just like ugly parts of your character’s personality and could easily affect them negatively within the story.

Was this a balancing feature? A rule simply put there to make you less awesome, so no one is too overpowered? I just could NOT wrap my head around it. I couldn’t understand how this could make things fun. They were ruining my character.

It was until I started maturing as an individual and learned more about game design and storytelling that I started to appreciate how genius that was. No one cares for the story of perfect, bland, basic individuals who always succeed and have never made mistakes before. Because that is not real, it doesn’t work for an interesting story if there’s no sadness. If there’s no pain, you can just simply look away.

It was to be expected of the game designers of the best roleplaying game in the world to know that having flaws, failures, challenges, weaknesses, mistakes, all of them are ESSENTIAL for a great story to be told!

Was there a moment in your favorite character’s story where his failures and his pain made you love them on a whole new level? Aren’t those failures what drives your characters to become who they are? Would it be a better story if they had always succeeded?

So who is this Rohan Kishibe and, as an artist, what is his take on good storytelling?

Rohan’s Philosophy

Not only is Rohan a good example of a flawed character, but he also has a very interesting philosophy. He is a famous and wealthy manga artist. You’ve got to understand that, to Rohan, his craft is EVERYTHING. It is the thing he does best and what defines him.

Let me just show you one quote of his, so you understand his artistic philosophy:

“Reality is the energy that breathes life into a piece of work, and reality itself is entertainment. People often think that manga are drawn from imagination and fantasy, but that’s not actually true! For me, drawing something that i’ve experienced, or something that has moved me, is what makes it interesting!”

His pursuit for inspiration is so great, that he constantly goes to insane lengths to gain inspiration. This unrelenting desire is why he was originally a villain. Yet even when the protagonist defeated him, all Rohan could think of was of how this set of unfortunate and unlucky events was within itself a hell of a REAL story to use as inspiration. He saw value even in his misfortune as long as it was honest, untapped, unadulterated and pure reality.  That’s his trade secret as a famous and successful storyteller.

Understanding reality, storytelling and our identity

Warning: We’re about to get metaphysical. You might wanna take that bong hit right now. You’ve been warned.

Talking about reality is like opening Pandora’s box. It is such a massively complex topic that before we can even get to the nitty-gritty of it, let’s just agree on the following for the sake of this conversation:

Depending on how skeptic you are, reality could be mostly subjective or arbitrarily objective. So just follow my lead on this one and match your understanding with mine at least while you read this blog.

NO ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSES OR REALITIES

Fate is merely the belief that there is a predestined way things will happen no matter what. Since its only requirement is also its only consequence, (which is also impossible to prove) then even thinking on fate is pointless or even harmful to an individual as it removes agency from himself and turns him into a bystander in his own life.

Facts are limited to the provable physical world. If you can’t prove it, you don’t KNOW it is real, but you could still believe it to be real.

Our understanding of ourselves, comes partly from how others perceive us and their own subjective view of reality.

As mere humans we don’t completely control reality, but we control how it affects us.

Your own experiences and passions have a gargantuan influence on your interpretation of reality.

Storytelling could be simplified as “the way in which reality is described”.

Changing how you tell a story doesn’t change the facts.

That last one sounds a bit anticlimactic doesn’t it? Specially since we’ve talked so much about storytelling just to find out it can’t change reality. You might even wonder if its uses are only limited to art?

Fret not! This is where it all starts coming together.

My story

Before you disregard storytelling as just an art form, or an overglorified logbook, let’s think outside of the box and take a few leaps with me. Let me show you when was it that it clicked for me:

“Just when the COVID-19 lockdown was about to begin, I was at one of my lowest. I’ve always been someone very adamant on living life as he sees best. Even when friends or family wouldn’t understand my decision, I would still pursue my own path. I was proud of this and felt it made me immune to what other people thought. Yet, years of failed relationships were starting to make me doubt myself.

After an emotional breakdown at Denny’s after being stood-up (Great story for another day) I started worrying that the problem might be me. I’ve always been open to feedback as long as it makes sense to me in a logical way, but I had built so much thought behind who I was, that I didn’t even consider that maybe, I was more flawed than what I had originally assessed.

Maybe if all these bad things kept happening to me, there was a constant behind it all. Judging by the fact that these happened throughout the span of years and with different people, it was only reasonable to assume I was the only constant. Maybe my relationships, both in love and in friendship, were failing not because of individual and complex reasons, but because I was involved in all of them.

Maybe I just won’t build close friends or a family, but I guess I can still find a way to enjoy life. It’s just a lonely life, a very lonely life, but it’s best to face reality head on. That’s what I have always taught myself, right? It would be foolish not to do so when the answer is an inconvenient one. It’s still reality. Better get used to it I guess.”

Wow, that went to a very dark place didn’t it? It’s crazy looking at it in retrospective, but while it happened, it really felt like that was just the facts. I sucked at friends and love. That was just the cold hard reality to me. I mused:

“It’s like if I was a D&D character with low charisma doomed to suck at social encounters... “

and then a sudden realization froze me to the core...

Even if by mere accident, I ended up thinking of myself as a D&D character. Remember all that talk about flawed characters? Well, what if I would see myself as a flawed character? We already agreed that the best characters fail, struggle, suffer, cry, rage, and they make mistakes!

It’s like I had opened a whole new dimension that brought new light into who I was. Those weren’t horrible memories of things that broke me down and I wish no one would ever find out anymore. Those were just wild chapters on the bizarre adventure that is my life. These are badges of honor of what my very own story is!

Storytellers are already influencing your reality

I won’t stand here and tell you that everything bad happens for a good reason. Please be careful not to take the wrong message out of this. That wasn’t what I realized at that moment. I finally was able to see that there were two storytellers that had been affecting me all my life, and I hadn’t really seen their influence before!

Let me unmask these two powerful beings that through their storytelling, had changed my reality.

Powerful Storyteller #1 - Those close to you

Did you notice how the story that I was listening from my friends and love interests was sounding aggressively negative towards my self-value? I thought I didn’t care but I was indeed interpreting my life through their stories.

Since we already understand that we each have our own interpretation of life, good and wrong, then it’s not that hard for us to understand that we will never fully agree on what’s cool. Some of us love things that most people don’t even understand. So when they talk to you, they are inadvertently telling you a story about how you’re weird, instead of fascinating.

If only you could have friends or people who DID understand you, then maybe the stories about you would be seen in a much more positive light. It’s not your friends fault for not understanding, you were just asking something unreasonable from them.

Get yourself surrounded by those who are weird like you. You’ll notice that for the right crowd, you’re just the coolest person just for being who you are. That feeling is just invigorating in every sense.

Powerful Storyteller #2 - Yourself

Back in my story, you can see how I took a lot of my own “interpretations” as “facts” or even “reality” when I told myself my own story. You could have just as well told my same story but in a different way with a much more positive light:

“My relationships did fail, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect on my self-worth. I can continuously fail but love the fact that I’m the type of character that is still hopeful and positive even after repeatedly failing and suffering pain each time.”

It’s important you understand what makes you cool as a character. Because it is your job to tell yourself the story of who you are, what you’ve done, and who you will be. You have already been doing so for as long as you can remember, so you don’t even notice it anymore. You are STILL, to this day, re-telling yourself your story and changing how you feel about some parts of it.

What can we do about it?

So if you already are in charge of such a crucial and delicate task, why don’t you apply what we’ve learned so far? Can’t you see how you as the audience (from your own storytelling) would feel when seeing your main character in emotional pain? Don’t you feel empathy and love towards it because of all it has struggled?

You have the power to choose whether or not you will tell your story as the sad log of things you suck at, or as the crazy adventures of someone who’s just trying to do their best. Someone who is AWESOME because you do understand why he gets so excited when talking about that thing, and why he is so disappointed that that other thing didn’t work out again.

Those dark painful memories are beautiful crystallizations of true art! You already have what Rohan Kishibe is willing to kill to get. You already have an amazing REAL story, you now just have to use your storytelling skills to make yourself some justice, and talk about yourself like the amazing character you are when you tell that story to yourself next time you go to sleep.

At least when it comes to my story, well, the only reason why I would ever even think of writing a blog this long, is because I’ve changed the way I tell my story. I firmly believe that most people will never even have the opportunity to read this, but I have also seen value in these thoughts even if there’s no one besides myself who will listen to my story. If anything, at least I hope my story helps you love your character a bit more, just how I have learned to truly appreciate mine.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to my story. I would always love to hear yours.

[ichirostitties]

welcome!! can i please get some uhhhhh pining/confession hcs for ichiro, doppo, and dice? 👀

HEY GUYS IT’S BEEN A HOT MINUTE i should be able to update more frequently now!! work b like kickin my ass + i’ve been replying for uni so uwu owo i’m back now alSO oh..THIS RQ WAS LIKE MADE FOR ME!! they’re all good dudes ughh dw i’ll send them all the love

Ichiro

-oh this poor kid. he has no clue what to do, it sort of hit him out of nowhere one day; that he realised he really REALLY liked you, like a lot!! more than a friend (i think ichiro is the type of person who would only really fall for someone he considers a friend first, so u gotta be his friend before u can suck his dick ok)

-he can’t stop thinking about you, especially when he’s reading those light novels of his. he can’t help picturing the two of you in the same situations as the main love interests and he keeps!! blushing and having to stop reading because it makes his heart so soft but he’s so embarrassed 

-every time he sees you he can feel his heart sort of..squeeze or ache in some way, he finds it hard to hold back his feelings because he’s usually so honest and affectionate but he really doesn’t want to ruin your friendship.

-jiro and saburo notice he’s been acting differently recently, he’s been a little more easily distracted and he seems especially jumpy when you come around…honestly they can probably tell what’s up, i think they’d try to get you two alone but they simultaneously facepalm when ichiro still says nothing and just keeps staring at you when you’re not looking (sometimes you notice but you don’t think much of it)

-he would probably imagine some different romantic confession scenario each night. before he goes to sleep he lies there and he imagines various (impossible) ways his confession to you would go. it’s all really cliche but he’s having the time of his life before he goes to sleep and probably dreams about it too

-bruh ichiro is so whipped like.,he’d drop anything to help you if you needed it. he’s such a sweetie and even you notice he’s been doing more to help than usual lately. please remind him to take care of himself, i feel like he needs someone to do that for him sometimes

-it takes time, a lot of longing glances at you and he probably even sighs wistfully while reading manga, but eventually he’ll gather up the courage to tell you how he feels. he’s planned some impossibly elaborate scenario, but one day when you guys are just hanging out on one of his days off playing video games or something (GOD I WISH THAT WERE ME…THIS BITCH Y/N IS OUT HERE LIVING THEIR BEST LIFE) he just sorta..lets it slip that he really likes you. 

-he would definitely only ever say it in person. he thinks that doing it via message/text is sort of an easy way out and what sort of person would he be if he did that?? he’s gotta gather up the courage just like his favourite main characters have done so many times!!

-so he’d tell you, and if you accept him he’d be SO HAPPY i think he’d almost cry. he’d give you the biggest, softest hug ever and you’d probably have to tell him to stop squeezing so hard but!!! aah!! he’s so so happy that you return his feelings and he doesn’t even care that you guys technically wasted time with all the moments he couldn’t bring himself to say anything

-and as a zombie kills him in minecraft in the background, ichiro can feel that ache in his chest finally subside as he leans in to give you a big ol smooch right on the lips (mwah ily too ichiro)

Daisu

-ok. this one made me a little emo ngl

-when dice finds out he has feelings for you, he really doesn’t know what else to do. there’s evidence that he actually doesn’t think that highly of himself (..im lookin at you hypmic manga + stella lyric video), so he would probably be content to be around you in any way, even if it isn’t romantic, because he’s just so happy and kind of astounded you want to be around him as much as you do at all

-he isn’t very obviously like this, though, it’s just thoughts he has sometimes so you don’t notice anything, but they’re still there. he doesn’t think you’d want to date someone like him, after all, he’s a bit of a screw-up, right?(NO HE ISNT..DICE IS BABEY) he’s only 20, and yet he’s already made so many bad decisions…

-and he finds himself enjoying your company even more than usual, he really does love you so much and he isn’t used to feeling this way! his chest hurts when he thinks about you, and he just sees your hand and wants to hoLD IT SO BADLY but he can’t bring himself to say anything

-he’s always been a little clingy towards people who are kind to him, but you notice he’s been like that even more than usual. he doesn’t even beg money from you like usual, he’s just…there, a lot. not that you mind, in fact you welcome his company, you just notice that difference

-he stays with you a lot, and you guys still have just as much fun together as you always did! he’s great to be around, he’s really lighthearted even if he gets riled up easily, and maybe you start to notice this light, fluttery feeling when he’s around too..but you brush it off as just general enjoyment of his presence

-it’s one day, after he’s had a particular lucky streak down at the slot machines, that he feels that wave of dopamine hit and just rushes to your place, excited at all his winnings, and accidentally-on-purpose (he’s aware of what he’s doing, he just can’t really control his mouth lol) tells you how he feels in a big rush of excitement (probably like “AND I THINK I WON CAUSE I’VE BEEN AROUND YOU A LOT!! YOU’RE LIKE MY LUCKY CHARM!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH Y/N!!”

-you’re like “uhh..ok what?? bruh moment” as he keeps going, then he realises what he said and COMPLETELY STOPS, he’s speechless for a good few seconds, before he turns pretty red and starts pacing around the room ranting about how it wasn’t supposed to go like that!!! he wasn’t supposed to say anything because there’s no way you’d wanna be with someone like him!!

-and then you go over to him to calm him down, take his hand in yours and assure him that actually, you do want to be with him. you tell him you’ve liked him for a while now too, but you’d only figured it out recently, and he’s just so shocked that his brain stops working for a moment and he looks like “…” but as a person

-and then he gets the biggest, cheesiest dice-grin on his face and gives you a BIG BIG BONE-CRUSHING HUG, spins you around, and says he loves you over and over while you laugh and cry simultaneously because you think he’s about to snap your spine

-after that’s over, you tell him that he shouldn’t think of himself as trash or anything; sure he’s like the definition of bad decisions, but you don’t care because he’s an honest, kind person whose company you genuinely enjoy, and even if he gambled all his clothes and everything else he owns away, you’d still wanna be with him because you feel the same, you love him

-he’s so happy! he feels luckier than he ever has in his entire life, his day has gone so well and he has the best sleep (by your side, ofc) he’s had in a long time

Doppo

-a nervous wreck..you think he’s bad normally?? he’s 100 times worse now that he’s realised he likes you in a romantic way

-he’s REALLY OBVIOUS!! poor man :^( he stutters while he’s talking to you (more than usual), he blushes BRIGHT RED when asking you anything, he’s fidgeting SO MUCH like his hands are shaking (knees weak palms sweaty mom’s spaghetti), and sometimes he can’t even bring himself to greet you when he sees you because he’s just too afraid of screwing up and making you hate him (as if you could ever..doppo is amazing)

-everyone within a mile radius can tell how he feels. hifumi almost tells you himself before doppo smacks him straight across the face and tells him to shut the hell his mouth before apologizing profusely to you and dragging mr hifoomi away for a severe talking to about Social Boundaries (then apologizes for giving him the smack and pats him on the head. i love their friendship)

-he’d go out of his way to see you at least once a day, even if he can’t always bring himself to talk to you and even if it means he gets home a little later than usual. he feels horribly creepy just watching you, but his heart is fluttering so much and his chest is aching so badly he can’t do much more than that, no matter how much he wants to go over to you

-he will NEVER confess purposely. his self esteem is so cripplingly low he’s convinced you don’t even like him that much anyway, let alone return his feelings, and he thinks him confessing would just make you despise him, so he never says anything and just remains stuck in this horrible loop

-one day, however, he’s had the shittiest day in a while (at least, it stands out compared to others), and you invite him over for dinner (it’s been a while, after all!). he thinks, why not? how could this day get any worse? at least he’ll get to see you, even if he makes a big fool of himself and you end up hating him. at least it’ll all be over in one day

-you’re actually a little nervous yourself. you really like doppo, and you had plans to say something to him yourself this evening. you didn’t want to give him a nervous breakdown, however, so you had this whole thing planned out where you’d give him the most relaxing dinner possible so he’d at least be in a relatively normal state of mind so you could tell him your feelings

-well!! spoiler alert, it doesn’t end up like that. doppo, more anxious than usual, keeps slipping over his words and keeps muttering under his breath, and you can only seem to calm him for a max of 5 minutes at a time before he’s at it again. you manage to get through dinner fine, in fact it’s really pleasant, but after that he doesn’t know what to do and ends up biting his nails on your couch while you tidy up

-he says it accidentally. he didn’t mean for you to hear it, but he says that he loves you and you almost drop the plate you’re holding in shock because!! no way! he feels the same? and you turn around and he’s got this absolutely devastated look on his face because he’s convinced he’s just ruined your entire relationship

-you rush over to him before he can start apologizing and self-deprecating again (he gets a few out before you reach him) and you pull him up off the couch and into your arms because boy does he look like he needs a hug right now. you stroke his hair and reassure him that you feel the same! in fact, you were planning on confessing to him yourself at some point tonight, but he beat you to it! you congratulate him on being brave enough to say it aloud, even if it was an accident

-doppo’s in shock. he doesn’t know what to say, but he loves the feeling of your hand stroking his hair and leans into it, unable to believe his luck. he probably starts crying as soon as his emotions catch up to him because he’s SO RELIEVED, that was so stressful for him, and he’s not sure if he’s felt this happy in a long time

-he calls hifumi and tells him he’ll be out for the night, before he decides to stay over at your place for the night (screw work, he’ll call in sick) and maybe talk to you about nice things while he falls asleep. he’s wanted this for so long and you’re more than happy to have him over to talk things out properly (and also try to lift his spirits a little. poor man needs a break)

-and now u guys r dating and it’s wholesome and pleASE GIVE HIM ALL UR LOVE HE NEEDS IT!! 

[animeperspectivism]

“7 Seeds”, PTSD and the Elite Team, Analysis and Review.

     "7 Seeds” was originally a manga written and illustrated by Yumi Tamura, and published by Shogakukan. The demographic falls into shojo as well as josei, meaning that it’s a series directed at young girls and women. The story and plot are quite interesting, and I’m saddened to know that there is not a legal English translation of the manga. The anime itself, which is what I will be covering, is really bad, and it’s quite unfortunate that it’s the only legal form of “7 Seeds” that Westerners can experience.

SPOILERS AHEAD, for both seasons.

    The first season is absolutely apalling, and the story only comes around by the end of the second season. I don’t want to talk about the series as a whole, as I’ve already attempted a synopsis of the show but gave up simply because the story is quite extensive, the cast is huge, and it was just turning into a rambling mess. Instead, I’d like to detail the representation of PTSD in the series, specifically occuring in the elite Summer Team A, and even more specifically in the character Ango.

    The series introduces Summer Team A, and we don’t know too much about them, besides how efficient they are at surviving. What the viewers do get to see are the refferences from members on the team to their “final test”, and how some of the incidents and injuries that they see end up reminding them of it. Further on, we find out that Hana, who is one of the main characters that we follow from the Spring Team, is the daughter of the man who helped to organized and train the elite team. When Ango realizes this, he breaks down. He was an asshole in the first place, but as he puts his hands to his head and screams, we dive into a backflash. The story is so badly put together, the scenes are garbage, the cuts are bad, and the animation is even worse. But the story? I really liked it. It is absolutely horrifying, and the kind of trauma that these 7 kids come out of it with, is completely understandable.      Basically, there are a number of kids who are picked and raised in a facility. The backflash begins with a teacher telling them that they’re all special, and that they have the opportunity of heading into the future, of “boarding Noah’s Arc”. These are children, and we’re kind of shown in brief clips of the kids working together, building things, whatever, and it seems relatively normal. What they all knew was that only 7 kids would be able to succeed, so they each felt a need to work hard. But what they didn’t know was what happened to the kids who had failed and were sent away. The backflash shows a brief story of three girls who are close friends, who made some different coloured friendship bracelets, but one of these girls is sent away. She promises that she’ll send letters to them from the “outside world”, but they never recieve anything. At one point, Ango attacks a teacher who is harassing one of the girls, Kotori, and is sent to “solitary punishment” in what they called The Red Room. Dear god. Ango explains what this room is, and it turns out to be a part of a device that shreds livestock to create fertilizer. The room is filled with literal blood and guts, ect., and the punishment is to stand in the sludge for hours or days, we don’t really know how long he’s gone. But what happens is seriously awful. He looks into the blood and a literal hand starts floating, and he recognizes the bracelet that is still connected. It was their friend who had been sent away. The blood that he’s standing in, for however long, is the remains of all of their friends. Fucking sick. The poor fucking guy, traumatized to hell, as anybody would be, he doesn’t tell anyone. He keeps this knowledge inside until the “final test”, when everyone has turned 17. And this test is just about as horrendous. The professors and teachers literally sabotage the tools and training supplies. Hana’s father, Professor Takahashi, reveals to Ango that the theme of the test is “attentiveness”. Kids are injured and killed by these situations that are intentionally set up to pick these kids off, and every event becomes more and more extreme. Food supplies are poisoned, to the extent that they choose to grow their own food, some kids are even found dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning, their school facility is burnt down completely, we see floods and even buildings and mountainsides collapsing on these kids. They’re dying left and right. These kids grew up with eachother, and it seriously affected them as they watched as their friends died, finding out later that this outcome was orchestrated by the teachers that they trusted. 

    Ango, specifically, struggles with a close friend, Shigeru, who realizes that Ango never saw him as an equal, only someone to protect. This is during the “final test”, so Ango is kind of faced with the idea that this is the last chance for him to be one of the 7, and he might have to choose between himself and Shigeru. In the end, after some really bad animation and horrible editing, Shigeru takes it upon himself to cut his rope in the final trial, falling to his death.      By the end of this, when the 7 kids are the only ones left, we get this sad scene where each person is crying, asking why they were chosen? Why was it them and not any other of their close friends that they watched die? This was probably one of my favourite scenes from the series. It was just so real, and made us see the elite team quite differently. They wanted to be one of the top 7, but they were never privvy to the truth of how they would get there, and this moment was when they were really realizing what they were being put through.     In the current timeline of the series, all we’ve seen are a group of assholes who have literally murdered a “civilian” from the Fall Team (he was infected with an airborne virus..?), and then they tested some food and medicine on an injured person later on. They’re a group of kids who have basically never learned empathy. They were raised in a trianing facility, taught to work together until the “final test” when it was literally each individual against every other person. This is the kind of dynamic that we see Ango go through. It’s revealed that one of the elite team’s “duties” is to teach the civilians ways to survive, as well as protect them, but Ango is trapped by the idea that “they” were chosen and that “they” each fought to be here, while the civilians were simply “lucky”. They were chosen for absolutely no reason, they have remotely no useful skills, and Hana is the worst offender in his mind, as she was sent here simply becuase of who her father was. To me, this mindest makes perfect fucking sense. It’s “cause and effect”. Summer A Team have been mentally and physically tortured, and for their entire lives it was a “competition” to even be able to survive in this future. None of the training that we saw ever promoted these people to want to “help” anyone, and until the second season, we really only see the elite members struggle with the idea that they have to work with “unchosen” civillians. 

    By the second season, Ango goes off the rails, he attempts to rape Hana, but an elite team member stops him, and nobody finds out of course.The group then proceeds to look for fresh water in a cave. Hana’s rope is cut by Ryo, because he sees her existence as a detriment to Ango’s fucking mental health, so she falls but survives but ends up in an underground river. Ango goes off by himself, is lost, and kind of gets confused about his whereabouts. Later, in the second season, we see this as well, where his mind goes back to the trauma. He thinks that he’s in the cave where Shigeru died, still in the “final test”. When he sees Hana he comes back, but he chooses not to help her. The other teammates catch up, specifially Kotori, Aramaki, and Haru, who all want to save her, but Hana can’t hold on long enough and disappears into a goddamn hole. She is actually gone after this, for most of the second season even, which is unfortunate because I kind of liked her.

    Anyway, the remaining elite team figure that building a camp and staying close to the fresh water they’ve just found is the best idea. It’s also an important point that a character on the Fall Team is actually pregnant, meaning that she would need somewhere safe to have her baby, and most of the elites decide that it would be a prefferable opportunity to remain at the side of the civilians. And because of Hana’s departure and witnesses who saw Ango refusing to help her, some of the civilians felt that Ango was a danger. The Summer A Team member who stopped Ango’s assult on Hana tells everyone of what he did, therefore adding another charge against him. In the end, it’s only Ryo who is on his side, and everyone decides that banishment is the best punishment.

    Then begins the second season, which I much preffered. We get to follow the Summer B Team, who are residing on some sort of luxury boat (including a sauna? damn). Ryo and Ango actually join the team, not really revealing much about themselves or where they came from, so they’re quite mysterious, but Summer B is a group of pretty eccentric characters. This is the season that builds on Ango’s character, and I think that’s why I liked it so much. The beginning of this season is really nuts, because Ryo and Ango both have to figure out that these people are not actually useless, and that their skills fall into other categories than the survivalist way of being that they were trained in. We see Ryo setting up traps for the team, in the same way that the teachers had done to them during the “final test”. Members are set up to fail, and it’s almost by pure luck that most of these idiots survive. We also see how Ango deals with this, as he’s forced to either accept the outcome that this team of idiots will easily die because they lack any “attentiveness” whatsoever, or he can step in and help them. Ryo at one point closes the windows while the team are warming up with a fire in the cabin, and they start to pass out due to monoxide poisoning. This is reminiscent of the previous traps that actually killed kids, so it’s as if Ryo wants to test this less efficient team. I felt like this was really dumb, because these people are not trained, therefore, what is the point of setting them up? They’re simply going to fail. It might have been a test for Ango specifically, just to see what sort state of mind he’s curently in. He does end up saving the team from the monoxide poisoning, noticing it the earliest. He actually gets attached to this team, really wanting to protect the main female character, Natsu, as she reminds him of Shigeru. 

    Later on in this season, the team adventures into some strange ship that was designed as a sort of “vault” for humanity to attempt survival. The boat is affected by a sort of iron-oxidizing bacteria that has evolved, becoming dangerous and maneating. At first the team gets locked inside, and they all have to work together in order to stop the ship from self-destructing and firing an atom bomb into Japan? I don’t even know. The story was built up and it was relatively interesting, but the growth of the characters was even better. Ango gets lost, separated from Ryo and wanders the ship, finding a level that is extremely affected by the bacteria. Because the area looks a lot like cave walls, his trauma starts to affect him again. He thinks that he’s back in the cave with Shigeru, and he’s searching for him. Ango still has his gun, and ends up firing at Arashi, thinking that he’s actually Professor Takashi, testing him again. The two end up sticking together, attempting to find the others. They do end up finding Natsu, who is in the process of climbing precariously across crane structure. Ango and Arashi are trapped below, and call out to her for help. Natsu herself has really changed since finding herself on this ship. Rather than depending on others to make decisions, she was lost on her own and was forced to trust in herself. Arashi sees how hard she’s pushing herself, but Ango can only view her as a replacement for Shigeru, telling her that she can’t do it and she should just turn back. Natsu is able to get the crane down to them and brings it back up, and the three continue on their way. This is kind of the turning point, as Arashi and Natsu find out about who Ango actually is. He realizes that Natsu isn’t Shigeru, and explains why he has been treating her that way, because he looked down on Shigeru the whole time. Arashi asks him why he never ran away from the facility, and it’s here that Ango realizes that that was an option to them. He kind of breaks down, but Arashi then explains that he and the others were brainwashed. That if it were truly that awful, as Ango has described and as the viewers have been shown, then it was never his choice to stay either, and the guilt that weighs on his shoulders, isn’t truly his to carry. Arashi also brings up that nobody on any of these 7 Seeds teams wanted to be here, and that they are all victims of this governement program. Nobody was able to thoughtfully and honestly make the choice to be put to sleep and sent to the future, and the only thing that they can do now is to survive and do what they can for themselves. 

    That is kind of the end here. I personally liked Ango’s story and his growth, besides being an attempted rapist... He was a majorly brainwashed character, told that only the special ones will be able to rebuild society, and because of the sacrifices of his friends, he felt that it was unfair that completely average people were able to make it here. Honestly, that’s the most fucked up part. Why would random civilians be sent? We saw this question asked a few other times in the series, especially when conflict erupts in the Fall Team when a member becomes pregnant, when the deemed leaders had banned sex altogether. They figured that it would be better not to procreate, as the ones who stuck them in this situation would have wanted. And again, when the Winter Team woke up, all but three people were murdered by a lion. They had no guns, like Summer A Team do, and in the end, only Aramaki, the dude with the wolves, survives. All that these story beats do is point to how shit the 7 Seeds project was. They wanted to mix the elite survivalists with complete noobs, and had no idea what sort of emotions would erupt from this? Also, who thought that emotionally torturing the survivalist team would end up being a positive? Absolutely ridiculous.

    The writing is pretty bad, though, if the manga ends up being released in English (crossing my fingers for a digital release), I may have to check it out. The shoujo romance plot of it may end up being interesting, if not blood-boiling, but I think that if the story up until now, of what the anime has adapted, had more time to build on the characters and their interactions, it may well be a good story. I don’t recommend this series, the editing and direction is horrendous, but I am kind of looking forward to the 3rd season, if it happens.

[mazojo]

Kiznaiver Review

I just finished the Kiznaiver anime and I am not okay, so I decided to do a review with my opinions and thoughts on it, so beware the spoilers and rants on different aspects of it ;w;

Spoiler Free Overview ~

Before actually going into the spoilers, I wanted to leave a little spoiler free plot overview for those interested but not convinced on watching it. Basically Kiznaiver is about 7 teenagers connected by an experiment to their wounds and pain, making the pain of one, that of the others. The anime follows the story of these teenagers and their friendship with the mystery of the experiment and the future of it in their city, making it emotional and addictive to watch.

Although there is a lot more to say, if you don’t want to be spoiled on the anime do not click on read more but if you don’t mind, go ahead <33

Plot

So as mentioned above, the anime consists on the union of 7 characters (representing the 7 sins) through the Kizna system/experiment which bonds them through their pain so if one gets hurt, the other six will feel the pain too. Each of the teenagers choose represents one of the deadly sins, which I will go into further in my description of each character, and they all have to work together throughout the summer in order to free themselves from their Kizna. Everything is running smoothly and they all become friends until some of them begin falling in love with others and it all kind of crumbles. In the final episodes we discover that the experiments have been running for a while and in the past, they were done to kids but it failed miserably as some gathered too much pain from the others while others didn’t, making them feel numb and emotionless. Our main character, Katsuhira was originally connected to the first kizna experiment but became numb to any sort of pain due to another kid (now leading the project?) named Noriko taking all the pain. In the end, Katsuhira is able to convince Noriko to give back his pain and those from the other kids involved in the experiment through a f r i e n d s h i p speech and the whole group ends up becoming much closer, with Katsuhira and Noriko confessing their feelings to each other.

Characters

okay, so I will admit I kind of may have fallen in love with some of the characters from this anime and I am going to list them in order of which I liked the most explaining a bit on who they are and what I believe they must be protected. I also decided to place a song that reminds me of them in order for you to gather a feel of who they are in my opinion.

Katsuhira Agata (Kacchon)

Rise - Ashes Remain

So this gif pretty much describes his attitude and face throughout the whole series (except the two times he actually cries). His sin is “sloth” but referred in the anime as “the imbecile”. This is due to his apathetic behavior to everything happening around him due to the lack of emotions he has. He is precious and even as a kid he has always been looking for those around him (even in his kind of oblivious way) and I love how even after going through everythingg he went through, he is able to forgive Noriko and even loves her with all her faults and imperfections <33.

Nico Niiyama

Hello Kitty - Avril Lavigne

She is one of those characters you either love or hate, and I absolutely looove Nico! She represents the sin of greed I believe due to her wanting of attention and reassurance. I don't know if its because I see myself in her craziness or just her whole attitude throughout the series but Nico is in top place with Kacchon for my favorite characters. She is much more than the I-am-cute-love-me character as we advance through the series we began seeing her need to find friends in those surrounding her and how desperate she tries to fit into this “eccentric girl” stereotype to fit in (if that makes any sense). I also loved how she was one of the first to come back and unite the group after their Kiznas were released even though she was hurting over Tenga, which I thought was really brave and a bit underrated, thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Yoshiharu Hisomu

Highway to Hell - AC/DC

So hear me out, Hisomu is a bit of a weirdo but through the small things he did and said he was able to win me over. Hisomu represents the sin of lust as he is a masochist and finds pleasure over the pain inflicted upon himself. I was a bit skeptical over his character as he appeared on the third episode unlike the others but he grew on me. Not only do I l o v e his character design but I think he has a personal growth over acquiring friends. He is close to Kacchon and never “abandons” him or leaves after all the others decide to part their own ways. Yeah, he may be a bit apathetic and unconscious towards the situations surrounding the others but I think in his heart he is actually a really good friend and sappy as it sounds, he cares deeply about the others and their suffering ;w;

Chidori Takashiro

Camouflage - Selena Gomez

Chidori is our tsundere-ish character. She represents the sin of envy as she is always second best when it comes to her unrequited love towards Kacchon. I really like her character and I feel bad for her as she often throughout the anime feels things very deeply and through Kacchon’s apathetic attitude, she mostly ends up hurt.I enjoyed her reactions as I know in the situations they face, I would definitely react similarly and she is very lovable overall.

Tsuguhito Yuta

Someone you Like - The Girl and the Dreamcatcher

Yuta is a classical popular kid with a soft side character. He represents the sin of gluttony as when he was little he used to eat a lot thus was seen as the fat kid and becomes kind of obsessed with his appearance after the fact. He may seem superficial at first but he is very caring and notices a lot of things others take for granted (like being able to be there for Maki even though she is a tough nut to crack). Also being a fellow cancer according to the wikia he went up my list :3. That being said I felt his character was all about Maki and he never really shined if there wasn’t any Maki story line involve which was kind of sad as I thought he had a lot of potential, but I still love him <33

Noriko Sonozaki

Never Enough - Loren Allred

Noriko is a weird character to me, as in some moments I really like her while in others I don’t really understand her. She has undergone a lot through her childhood due to experiencing the pain of her friends altogether and the constant fear of being left alone and not being understood even though Kacchon often reassures her of this but whatever. She may seem kind of like a psychopath and cold at the beginning but as we learn about her past I guess her behavior is kind of understandable but honestly I prefer the kid Sonozaki version which is adorableee. I like her relationship with Kacchon however and how they are able to grow from each other through their connection.

Honoka Maki

I Found - Amber Run

Maki and Tenga are my least favorite from the group but I don’t totally dislike them, I just don’t connect with he way they act most of the time. Maki represents the sin of pride as she often acts as if she is above everyone and everything going on around her placing a barrier between her and the other Kiznaivers. She has a rough past as she wrote a manga with her best friend Ruru and through their friendship feelings began developing. Ruru had a terminal illness and as Maki was afraid of getting hurt decided to cut all ties with her, which brings her to be the coldhearted person she is. Throughout the series she often rejects the other Kiznaivers refusing to call them friends inserts dramatic eye-roll until at the end she realizes its inevitable and accepts letting people in slowly.

Hajime Tenga

Counting Stars - One Republic

Honestly Tenga is pretty neutral to me and I don’t have much an opinion on his character. He represents the sin of Wrath as he often acts impulsively and resolves his issues through rage and anger acting with his fist rather than his head. He is quite loud and a bit obnoxious at times with his tough guy act but he means good. We don’t get much backstory on him other than he is afraid of dogs? which isn’t mentioned again after the second episode sooo… I mean he is a good character and has good intentions but I more often than not don’t understand his reactions and think he goes a bit over the top in most of them.

Ships

Although I know Kiznaiver isn’t an anime focused completely on the romance but rather a science-fiction/mystery kind of anime, I still had to mention the ships through the series starting from the one I like the most. Also note that some of them are non cannon so keep that in mind and note that this are my personal opinions ;w;

NicoxHisomu (non-cannon)

You can’t even understand HOW MUCH I WANTED THIS TO BE A THING. From the moment Hisomu appeared and had the first interaction with the group I wanted him and Nico to end together sooo badly. I don’t know if its because of their eccentric ways or how they are often looked upon as the weird ones from the group, but I always thought they would make such a cute couple! Even at the end when Nico is ranting on about Tenga, Hisomu is attentive to her and I honestly think their friendship is so pure and perfect ;w; I will be crying in the corner until this becomes a thing.

NorikoxKatsuhira (cannon)

Although I will forever be frustrated that NicoxHisomu didn’t end up together trigger please consider making a second season, I am actually really glad these two did! It was pretty obvious the two wouldd en up being cannon as the whole show premise basically concentrates in their relationship, and I am glad they did. I feel like both complement each other very well and stabilize one another through their feelings (or in this case, the lack of). I feel like both Katsuhira and Nori are very mature and overall I love their pairing as they both deserve all the happiness <33

ChidorixTenga (Cannon-ish?)

I really like this two together and I feel like through the finale we can kind of maybe say its cannon? I mean they never actually confessed their love to one another like Sonozaki and Kacchon (well, Tenga did), but Chidori kinda implied that she was starting to develop feelings? I totally feel like they work together as they level each other out by their protective mama bear attitude of Chidori and Tenga’s impulses leading to him being defensive of those he cares about. Also can we take a moment to appreciate their red aesthetic, like common they are adorable together.

MakixYuta (Cannon?)

This is also an odd pairing, as we see Yuta’s clear interest on Maki since episode 1 and where she only corresponds his feelings at the end of episode 12. Although they never truly became a couple I believe they both like each other so its kind of cannon? I like how they both have rough pasts and they help each other grow from them (cue to Yuta’s scene at the beach were he runs in the water although he may look like a fool) and they level the other out.

ChidorixKatsuhira (non-cannon)

The following two ships are ones I don’t like but I found important to mention as many people do ship them. I honestly can’t see this pair due to Katsuhira’s strong feelings towards Nori. I feel like he sees Chidori as her best friend and will never be able to see her as more than that. Chidori’s often explosive and overprotective character just doesn’t mash well with Kacchon’s laid back apathetic vibe, which is why I wouldn’t see this pairing working at all.

NicoxTenga (non-cannon)

I do not approve of this. I honestly can’t see this working and lets be honest Nico and Hisomu deserve each other so I am too blinded by that. I think their personalities wouldn’t work as Tenga is too aggressive and Nico much softer. I feel like Tenga is most of the times confused by her behavior or just doesn’t understand her eccentric behaviors which would definitely cause a problem if this were to be cannon. I can’t with this ship and if there is a season 2 I really hope this doesn’t become cannon otherwise ill just go cry myself in a corner.

To finish off this review on Kiznaiver, I would like to point out the things I like and the things I didn't like so much.

Liked…

- The characters is one of the things to really highlight from Kiznaiver. They are all so different but so lovable in their own ways and with their own faults which makes everything 10 times better.

- I haven’t been able to mention this before but I really liked the intro and outdo songs, I think they are catchy and represent quite well the anime.

- I adooored the character designs, specially Nico, Hisomu, Sonozaki and Katsuhira’s. I feel like the tones and designs of the characters with their little quirks really lets the audience gather who they are and why they are the way they are.

- I think the concept of the experiment and the characters being connected by their wounds and pain is very interesting! I dint know what to expect at first but as the story developed It really got me thinking what the Kizna system would look like in the real world.

Disliked…

- I feel like the character development could have been a little better for some of them? Specially Yuta, Tenga and Hisomu which even though we got to know, never really learned much about their past other than some random facts.

- The fact that Hisomu and Nico weren’t cannon

- Sometimes due to the small amount of time the creators had to create the episode, I feel like some things weren’t explained very clearly (like Sonozaki’s reasons to try committing suicide when she was young) but maybe its just me being dumb idkk

All in all, I really liked the anime and would definitely recommended to those who enjoy good characters and a little of science fiction as well as troublesome pasts. Remember this are just my opinions and feel free to ask me my opinions on anything related as well as I would love to hear all of yours :33

[aceyanaheim]

For the change 5 things, would you care to tackle Yu-Gi-Oh?

Sorry this is so late, life kinda…swept me up into things. 

I haven’t watched YGO in a while, most of my memories of the show go back to middle school afternoons but I’ll try my best. 

In no particular order.

1) The first episode

I hate that episode. I hate the fact that Seto is turned into a psychopath with no remorse. I hate how different he is from the rest of the series. Since the anime’s so different I don’t completely understand why they even tried to implement the manga into it. ( and why they didn’t pick something else like some of Tea’s characteristics instead). My first episode was after they were on their way to Pegasus’ island so I didn’t watch this until the series looped back around. It was…off putting.

(Okay I may have lied on the particular order thing. There’s a reason this is first on the list. That episode annoys me. The fact that it -apparently- gets brought up whenever someone says good things about Seto annoys me. I hate the fact that I can’t reconcile it with the rest of the series.)

2) Mai would get treated better

Mai was my favorite character. I loved anti-heroes at that age, I loved loners. Because I was one. They kinda hit a spot for me where they would be cynic enough about friendship that I could relate ( cause I am not exaggerating or looking for pity when I say I had absolutely not friends by age 12 and that kinda stuff turns you cynic) but they eventually get accepted into the group and find true compatriots cause that’s what The Rules are which I also liked ( cause at 12 you’re never really as much a cynic as you make yourself out to be…least I wasn’t)

Mai gets kinda left alone, and I never really recall her being completely integrated into the gang. She’s called selfish and kinda always chastised because she hasn’t learned about the power of friendship and…I just feel like she never really got a fair enough story. She’s an orphan, she never had any friends of course she’s gonna look out for herself first. Who else going to? No one really seems to understand that, even after she opens up. And unlike Seto, she never had someone dependent on her to teach her to think of others. It was always just her. And then there’s the crapton of trauma she gets AFTER she’s introduced. ( I’m still somewhat convinced all those kids needed therapy after the show was done)

While Seto’s the one I’m usually defensive of, it’s nothing compared to how I feel about Mai. ( the fact that she was my instant favorite and I could not find another person who liked her kind of contributed to that)

3) Ryou would get more screen time

Ryou was also one of my favorites. Another loner, one that wasn’t as abrasive which since I’m kinda shy hit a bit more close to home. 

I straight up don’t remember seeing this kid unless he was possessed or knocked out. It’s admittedly been a few years but I don’t really recall  any character spotlight or development on him. I always wanted one.

4) Serenity and Mokuba would get more screen time

I feel like the show kinda just has them as motivation or beserker button for their respective older siblings. Now I’m an older sibling ( the oldest in fact) myself, and I adore Joey and Seto partly because they’re protective older siblings but…yeah I really think they could have more character development. I literally only learned about these two from metas and character analysis and I feel like the writers really missed out on that one. Following the thought that kids are people, I’d like to see how these two kids exist outside of their roles as younger siblings.

5) The Balcony Scene in Duelist Kingdom:

This one might be kind of personal and incredibly biased.

So one of the most polarizing and defining characters. Cause boo hiss Tea’s a bitch for yelling at Seto after he jumped on a balcony ledge ( never mind that she actually told Yugi to call off the attack but y’know let’s ignore that and hate on a teenage girl who just saw her best friend get blackmailed into not saving his family. A best friend she’s been protecting for years because he’s easily pushed around by anyone and anything. Who is now being mocked over crying after he was gaslighted. How dare she be anything but pleasant) and boo hiss “Seto cheated to win” the duel ( …. I do not agree with gaslighting. I will never agree with gaslighting. Not even for Seto. But I don’t think cheating is the right word for it and I don’t think that’s the thing to focus on when Pegasus is holding his brother hostage)

I was gaslighted in a series of calls where my ex-boyfriend told me the status of our relationship made him suicidal. So the entire thing just..makes me uncomfortable. And while I love Seto and will defend him and understand where he’s at…I’m never completely on his side on this one. I can’t stand by that and say he was right. Or rather I understand Tea and Yugi’s side as well since I’ve been emotionally manipulated and know all too well what’s it like to be on the other end. Had my own Tea who got mad at him and got me to stop taking calls.  I’m never sure who to agree with and talking about it and hearing how people are quick to take one side over the other tends to…send me to a bad place.

And I’m a full-fledged Adult. What are kids supposed to draw from this? That if you ARE suicidally desperate that you’re someone who should be yelled at? That if someone threatens suicide on you, you’re a horrible person if you don’t let yourself be gaslighted? That they’re just gonna mock you and call you weak and that they’re lying anyways?

The whole thing was handled pretty badly in my opinion.

( come to think of it, the fact that discourse happens so much can probably be chalked up to the fact that WE were kids when we saw this. So we already know that doesn’t give good results)

But again I’m heavily biased on this and still dealing with it so maybe it’s just me. Maybe the scene is needed for the plot or was the only way to build the duel up. I won’t pretend to know more than the writers.

But if it wasn’t there…I’d be a lot happier. For the most part, I pretend it’s not a thing.

Honorable mentions are More Girl duelists and better stories for girls altogether( anime is inherently bad with girl characters so I felt this was already established) and maybe more scenes where the kids just…hang out. Slice of life style. I can’t remember if Seto does get to be part of the gang but if he doesn’t, change that too cause he deserves friends and happy things.