#so happy to see new art from sensei!

[anjizu]

「黒子のバスケ 15th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION」🏀

In celebration of knb's 15th anniversary and the start of the manga serialization- there will be an original art exhibition!

[pinkykats-place]

BakuDeku ft. Midoriya-Sensei

Some include the new hero suit

AO3 Fanfic Recommendations

Disclaimers!

None of the stories below are mine.

Some contain mature content.

Read tags. Check Ratings.

@kyuriart gave permission to use art.

Note: If you read any of these stories and like them please let the author know with a kudos and/or comment!

Midoriya-sensei's boyfriend by @silverynight

Summary: "Midoriya-sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Is pro hero Dynamight your boyfriend?"

Izuku wishes he didn't blush that often because it makes it look like he's lying. He gets those questions a lot, but hasn't gotten used to them.

"No."

"Are you dating a pro hero?"

"No."

"Is he your husband then?"

"No." Izuku holds himself back from covering his red face with both arms like he did in high-school when he was too flustered. "Ka–I mean, Dynamight-san and I are friends. There's nothing else to it."

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

Eight years and counting by @silverynight

Summary: "For young Midoriya?"

All Might already knows it's for Izuku, but the question is not exactly about that and Katsuki is perfectly aware of it; he can see it in the soft smile of Izuku's mentor, he can see it in the way his blue eyes shine with knowledge.

Katsuki blushes, but he doesn't look away from the former symbol of peace. He's not that middle schooler hot-heated kid anymore. He's done hiding his feelings behind anger and he's not ashamed about what he feels for Izuku. He's pretty sure All Might knows about that, he's probably waiting for a confirmation.

Katsuki nods, blush spreading down his neck.

"It'll take years to make something like that."

"I'm aware."

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

how i long for our trysts by nikkiRA

Summary: Most nights the only thing he has the energy for is crawling into bed beside Izuku and falling immediately to sleep. It’s why they’re taking such a risk and doing this here.

That and because it’s hot. Sneaking away to fuck like they were teenagers again. That and Izuku’s suit. Katsuki has a Thing for Izuku’s suit, how nicely it contours to his body, how strong he looks in it. Anytime Izuku got dressed up, all Katsuki could focus on was how much he wanted to undress him.

{One Shot}

Rated - Explicit

all my emotions feel like explosions (when you are around) by tiffaniesblews

Summary: He really could not think of a time in his life that didn’t include Midoriya Izuku.

OR: Bakugou pines for 4200 words.

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

see you at home by marsbarrss

Summary: “Deku, you dumbass, you forgot your lunch again,” he grumbles, pushing the wrapped lunch box into his hands. The floral print flashes up at him.

“Ah, Kacchan, you don’t have to make me lunch, seriously!” Izuku flounders, but he accepts the offering anyway. He sort of has to, or else Katsuki will flip his shit. “I can just eat at home…”

The class immediately erupts in chatter, jumping to question both men about their relationship.

Five times Katsuki disrupted Izuku at work, and one time Izuku disrupts Katsuki at work.

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

have you heard about the rumors? by DetectiveKirigiri

Summary: Everyone assumes pro hero Dynamight and infamous UA-teacher-slash-pro-hero Deku have been together for the longest time, but the thing is, they aren’t even dating, and Katsuki hasn’t even grown the balls to confess yet.

So what do their ever supportive and encouraging classmates do? Help Katsuki plan out the perfect confession to Izuku.

The only problem? So many rumors are starting to spread all at once. Also, they barely have any free time, and Izuku has papers to grade.

WIP | 14/? Chapters

Rated - Teen & Up

love is a gentle thing by tenthuser

Summary: Izuku takes pride in knowing Kacchan better than anyone else, but as they grow older, he realizes there are still things left to learn.

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

Happy with that? by polkahdotti

Summary: The first issue was that he and Midoriya hadn’t spoken in seven years, and likely the stupid brat didn’t even want to be a hero anymore, and had completely moved on from Bakugou for good.

The second issue was that the suit was nearly finished.

And Midoriya didn’t know a damn thing about it.

— — —

Or: Bakugou manages to be a pining loser and oblivious about his own feelings and Midoriya isn't much help. They'll figure it out.

Complete | 2 Chapters

Rated - General Audiences

wreck my plans (that's my man) by Icantthinkofagoodusername7

Summary: One of the students raises her hand and upon being called on asks, “Dynamight, sir? Is Mr. Midoriya your husband? Your rings match,” She points toward the chain around his neck.

With that assumption, the other students also start to whisper about how right this student likely is.

”Wait, that’s so right. Plus they seem so close, Dynamight’s always hanging around here.”

”Oh also a couple weeks ago when Yui, Haruko, Mizuko, and I came here for lunch, Mr. Midoriya was on the phone with his husband and called him Kacchan, which could be a play off of Dynamight’s given name.”

“Oh my gosh that’s so cute, y’know if they aren’t married I wanna figure out who goes by Kacchan, that’s so cute.”

”Also, remember when Dynamight showed up like a month ago or something and then after he left, Mr. Midoriya was wearing his wedding rings?”

”I’m just seeing evidence after evidence.”

*

OR 5 times Midoriya and Bakugou nearly reveal their relationship to Midoriya’s students + the 1 time they actually do

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

Recharge by @silverynight

Summary: "Your childhood friend is taking too many extra shifts; he'll pass out soon at this rate."

Aizawa does that a lot lately; he casually walks into Izuku's classroom or his office, only to drop random information about Katsuki. It's usually something Aizawa disapproves of.

Izuku sighs, looking up at the window from all the essays he has to grade. Lately, Katsuki is making him worry too much.

The funny thing is that Aizawa believes he has some secret power to make pro hero Katsuki stop or change his mind; sure, they're friends, and he often listens to Izuku (yes, he also pays him a lot of visits) but it's not like the young teacher can work miracles.

***

A glimpse into their lives during those eight years.

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

"Midoriya Izuku to the help center (your students are looking for you)" by Gyrotoes

Summary: Izuku Midoriya and Bakugo Katsuki and their cycle of behavior on field trips.

— — —

or Deku and Bakugo goofing off on a field trip when they're supposed to be in charge of 20 teenagers

Complete | 2 Chapters

Rated - General Audiences

You Gave Me Purpose, Kacchan by wowschreave

Summary: UA Teacher Izuku x Pro Hero Katsuki; basically a fic about the eight-year gap!

This is a journey about two heroes as they navigate their paths post-war and fall in love.

Complete | 22 Chapters

Rated - Teen & Up

Oblivious heart by @silverynight

Summary: "You're amazing!" The young man says after a while; listing all the things he likes about Izuku the most, his courage, his determination and his selflessness until he makes the teacher blush to the tip of his ears. "Can I get you something? A coffee? Something to eat? Maybe we can go somewhere else–"

Katsuki, who just got back with their food, places Izuku's latte and the croissant in front of him, as well as his own breakfast on the table. He sits quite aggressively next to the teacher and puts an arm around his shoulders.

"Who the fuck are you?" He hisses, clearly irritated at the fan still standing next to their table.

{One Shot}

Rated - Teen & Up

Busy by annasmith80

Summary: Izuku can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. His best friend has been distant lately, and no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t figure out why. Did he do something wrong? Is Bakugo mad at him? Did Bakugo get bored of him? All he knows is that Bakugo was suddenly busy and he won't tell him why.

Meanwhile, Bakugo is determined to do anything it takes to make Izuku happy. And what he thinks will make Izuku the happiest is the chance to be a hero again. So, he sets out to make that happen—no matter the cost.

Bakugo decides to fund a project to create a custom power suit for Izuku, but the expenses quickly spiral out of control. To make ends meet, Bakugo takes on a series of odd jobs on top of his pro-hero work: spinning signs on street corners, valet driving, appearing on a bizarre game show, and even modeling. It’s humiliating, exhausting, and leaves him busier than ever, but he’ll do whatever it takes to make Izuku happy.

Complete | 22 Chapters

[lifeafterartsch00l]

The answer is yes, yes they have plz see below~

✨MY FAVE KAKAIRU FICS✨

A change of pace this week from the usual sasunaru programming to celebrate Naruto’s gay dads, feat. my terrible memes

As per usual, I’ll try and find the authors to tag them, if you know who they are on tumblr, plz tag them in the comments! 💖

He ships it

Worship by decaf_kitty

Careful it’s hot 🥵

Beloved decaf kitty, may your coffee never be bitter, may your pillow be the perfect temperature, and you never get writer’s block ❤️ amen! Please read this one shot it’s AMAZING

“Additional Tags: Slow Build, Romance, Resolved Sexual Tension, Explicit Sexual Content, Begging, Inappropriate Use of the Sharingan

Summary: Late at night, Kakashi and Iruka randomly meet at a ramen stand... One little conversation later, they're in Kakashi's bedroom, with Iruka on his knees, and a blushing Kakashi staring down at the sensei between his bare thighs”

Kintsugi by The_Rivers_Dark

She ships it

I excitedly followed each new chapter release of this fic 💕 most incredible descriptions of intimacy, a fantastic writer 💕 also Tsunade tries to meddle and it’s just terrific (read it to find out if it works tehe) 💕 so wonderful, a comforting fic like a warm hug (but also really sexy idk man I’m not a writer clearly haha).

“Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, less hurt more comfort, Comfort, hurt comfort that turns to comfort, hurt comfort that turns to comfort erotica, comfort erotica, Erotica, mutual pining to mutual love, Love, Romance, Smut, Shameless Smut, Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, come for the erotica stay for the comfort, come for the comfort stay for the erotica, if it’s broken fix it and never let it out of your sight again, painting with muted colours never suited my literary palette, Tsunade as a cockblock device and a meddler, plot arc what plot arc, pacing what pacing, Whirlwind Romance, we’re all about the comfort here, Roommates, And then they were roommates, Eventual marriage, Marriage, they get married at the end, Getting Together, Sweet/Hot, Happy Ending, for all you Kakashi-level perverts out there sexy tags include but are not limited to, Frotting, Mutual Masturbation, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Hair-pulling, Nipple Play, 69 (Sex Position), Spanking, Fingerfucking, Blindfolds, it doesn’t count as a threesome if one of them is a shadow clone, Sweet, Spicy, sweet and spicy, Rimming, Snippet beta we die like Akatsuki villains only to be resurrected again, Domestic, Cuddling & Snuggling, Idiots in Love, Light Bondage, versatile lovers, Top Hatake Kakashi, Top Umino Iruka, Belonging

Summary:

Kintsugi: The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of an object's history, rather than something to disguise.

(Iruka gets heavily injured in a mission gone wrong. Problem is, Tsunade knows he won't stay in the hospital long enough to recuperate. Kakashi finds himself volunteering to be his carer. As they get closer, the tension between them reaches a boiling point. Complete.)”

Unspoken by RenGoneMad

Incredible canon-compliant rewrite where Kakashi and Iruka meet much earlier (kind of, you’ll see). And Kakashi has a long time cruuuuuuush 😜 the banter/flirting is really cute. The pacing and development of the relationship is so so good! The way the author gets into their heads is just great. Both 🔥 & heartwarming! ❤️

“Additional Tags: Romance, Slow Burn, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Fluff and Angst, Hatake Kakashi-centric, POV Hatake Kakashi, Secret Identity, Canon Compliant, Canon - Manga, Complete, Kissing, Sexual Tension, Obsession, But not unhealthy or creepy, Pining, Stalking, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, Implied/Referenced Suicide, (as complies with canon)

Summary: The memorial stone should be a place to mourn the dead, a place to remember the many sins and failures that haunt Hatake Kakashi.

To Iruka, it's a place to speak to his parents, and the mysterious ANBU who listens.

Follows Kakashi from ages 14 to 29, and the many ways Iruka changes his life”

The Outcasted by yeou_bi

Sensual, erotic, all without anything explicit (yet?). They way they’re falling in love is so cute 😭 Just lovely ❤️ I hope the author writes more chapters! 😊🤞🏽

“Chapters: 3/?

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Additional Tags: Hospitalization, Illnesses, References to Illness, Loneliness, POV Alternating, Present Tense, Skin diseases, Slow Burn, Denial of Feelings, Nausea, Touch-Starved, Touching, Hurt/Comfort, Pandemics, Dysfunctional Relationships, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Bullying, Discrimination

Summary: During the outbreak of a mysterious disease, Kakashi finds himself sharing a clinic room with Iruka.

What begins as simple moments of sharing the same burden slowly turns confusing. When physical touch could mean an infection, it also becomes a commodity that's hard to come by for those who are recovering”

Thank you to all the talented authors! 💕

[koolkitty9]

Things so far I've learned about Eternal Love as of 1/24 9:20am CST

Do not click read more If you do NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED. THESE ARE THINGS I'VE SLOWLY FOUND VIA TWITTER.

AGAIN THESE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE NEW BOUEIBU MOVIE, DO NOT CLICK IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!!

En is a world traveler. Not homeless! He apparently has JUST gotten back from Malaysia or something.

Atsushi works for the city.

Io is just rich from his stocks.

Ryuu is a host.

Kinshiro is a teacher?

Ibushi apparently has a beard and one said he "is very sexy". He apparently protects kinshiro later on. Oh he's apparently a secretary or something like that.

Akoya WORKS AT A BAR. yes he apparently is a bar server. (Maybe works where Ryuu does????)

Yumoto is Yumoto lol

Sensei COMES TO AKOYA'S BAR

There are apparently a lot of Wombats 😂 so our multiple Wombat theory is right

Aye-aye is a BADDIE. OMG LIKE WE DIDN'T ALL ALREADY GUESS. Am not sure what Death Amor does yet 😂 or if Aye-Aye IS Death Amor.

When they transform it takes them back to a "saved state" just like how @deuterium51614 theorized

The HK and Love boys hardly talk to each other 😂 apparently in the bath THEY'RE ALL IN TOGETHER. They don't talk outside their group

Apparently though....Happy Kiss maybe a different universe from LOVE.

Kinshiro apparently turns evil for a second? Okay I used Google translate and some of this was hard to truly decipher properly.

Ibushi protects Kinshiro from an attack at the bathhouse.

The LOVE boys do MORE than the HK boys in the fight

It is 2025, Yumoto is 25/26, AkoIoRyuuHaruAki are 26/27, KinAtsuEnIbu are 27/28. Gora then is roughly 34/35

Yumoto clearly gets a combined staff as this is what's on the front of the script. I'm not sure exactly how it happens. I'm only going off that image

AkoIoRyuu are all in contact. Akoya calls Ryuu, Ryuu-chan now.

Atsushi helps En shave his beard off and apparently the same user who said Ibushi was sexy, so was En.

En borrows someone's clothes at the bathhouse (can't tell if it's Yumoto's, Gora's, or Atsushi's clothes)

I have found everyone's adult forms uncensored BUT Atsushi and the Student Councils. I don't think the twins and Gora HAVE buttons/art yet with them being adults.

Someone said something like how timelines were shifted weirdly and somehow at one point then HK didn't exist? Again Google translate did NO favors for me here. Okay maybe it's the idea like I said above where Love and HK are at one point TWO different timelines.

When the DC gets back together, they all start talking once more and act basically the same as before.

Apparently when the twins show up, one is holding the other by their waist while standing behind.

The Battle Lovers will apparently last for like a thousand more years?? (Not exactly sure until we see the movie itself but....uhh I'LL STILL HOLD ONTO YUMOTO BEING GOD OF LOVE SO HAH).

Apparently there are many multiverses in the movie and one user wondered if "there are as many multiverses and futures as there are wombats". They also wondered if this is just ONE of the futures they can have. 🤔 (So according to this thought, it basically canonizes all our ideas/fics/aus).

Okay I think that's it for now! If I get more I'll make a second post! 💙

[just-null]

I just discorvered your blog and whilst I am primarily a choso enjoyer I do think noritoshi is also a really cool character, and I really hope he and choso get a chance for a proper interaction at some point! I'd love to know what your opinion is of choso and how you think he would interact with noritoshi :) also your art is really pretty

[UPDATE] this post was made before Gege revealed that Choso was a shit teacher and before the Kamos ever interacted. This was just my assumptions at the time.

I also want to see them interact... strap in fam, bc I never shut the fuck up

I may describe Choso as a bit OOC since I don't know much of the manga, but I do know bits and pieces!! also what the wiki told me, heh.

[Choso thoughts]

Choso feels like that big brother who's stricter when training/teaching, but lenient when doing literally anything else involving his younger sibs. Although he's wearing a bored expression the entire time, he's actually super happy when around them.

I really like big brother characters so he might climb up my favorites when I see him in action. from that one popular screenshot of him giving Jogo a goofy smirk, I can tell he's got this tiny side of playfulness to him. He can be annoying if he wants to, and he sometimes does that with his brothers. 10/10 guy!

I've seen fanart and some headcanons of Choso, and I can firmly say that he's a green flag. He's the guy who would fix you without trying. HE'S NOT DOING ANYTHING, YOU JUST FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER FOR HIM.. OR SO I HEAR

[more details under the cut!]

[Choso + Noritoshi interaction thoughts/headcanons?]

Choso and Noritoshi are like super distant cousins/uncle/nephew right?? They came from the same jujutsu hitler, so Noritoshi is like Choso’s many greats cousin/nephew. Be fr though, if there's someone younger than Choso and is related to him in some way, that's an instant lil sibling of his. WHICH IS WHY, their relationship has two sides to it. (imo)

First up is the teacher/student aspect. 

It's no secret that Noritoshi is weaker compared to Choso, therefore, he'd want to train under him. Choso is a strict teacher, he wants his lil bros to be able to protect themselves if he's unable to be there for them, which is perfect since that's Noritoshi's comfort zone. He wants to hone his abilities to reach or even surpass Choso, so he needs someone who'd nitpick him. 

I can see them sparring, and Noritoshi having an awe struck face every time he gets taken down with a new move Choso has yet to teach him. "How did you do that? You must teach me that next, sensei!"

Choso would probably chortle and lightly nudge Noritoshi with his foot, but internally, he's screaming. Imagine your little brother saw you do something cool, and he's shouting at you to show him how to do it. That's the same feeling Choso would get. Of course, he'd show him eventually, but Noritoshi needs to get the hang of the moves he's tasked with right now before adding more to his plate.

They're both beaming with joy when Noritoshi shows progress. Well- as much as two guys who barely emote can beam. Noritoshi is proud of himself for constantly improving and Choso proud of his lil bro for getting stronger!!!!!!

I imagine they bicker often but when they're in teacher/student mode, they rarely cross each other. Noritoshi knows he's training under a teacher and Choso is teaching his lil bro how to beat ass.

The second half of their relationship is the.. older brother/older(?) brother aspect.

whereas Noritoshi is getting little brother treatment from Choso but doesn't want it and Choso annoys/coddles Noritoshi like the best big brother he is... also my favorite aspect, as shown

Noritoshi is independent. He likes his space and prefers to do things on his own. Because of this he involuntarily became the big brother of Kyoto Tech. People go to him for advice, criticism, help with assignments, and when needing to make a responsible decision, they think, "What would Noritoshi do?" You can say he got comfortable with the role of "big brother." 

So when this new guy comes along who's revealed to be family, Noritoshi deems him as a higher authority. Noritoshi's quick to go back to his old ways of respecting his superiors and it's not that difficult. Choso is older, stronger, experienced, and generally a lot more capable than Noritoshi. However, the downside is that Noritoshi would never grow a close bond with Choso if he kept this up. You can't tell your boss your worries, that's not proper! Choso, knowing this, told Noritoshi to knock off the formalities pretty early on.

I imagine this is the first time they'd ever bicker. Choso tries to get Noritoshi to loosen up a little because they're family, but Noritoshi protests that it's because they're family that he should show extra respect!

Choso probably told Noritoshi to call him brother/uncle or something so they can grow comfortable around each other. Let's be honest, Noritoshi calls his mom "mother," you won't catch him dead calling someone who he currently sees as a superior "brother." They compromise by just using each other’s name without honorifics.

Now that the introductions were out of the way, Noritoshi was now stuck with Choso coddling him. Sure it was nice at first, someone in his family who doesn't yell at him for every mistake he makes and genuinely cares for him, but.. Noritoshi feels… annoyed. Choso reminds Noritoshi of a more tolerable Todo, but he feels like Choso still treats him like Noritoshi needs him. He doesn't need Choso around, but he keeps seeing him everywhere! 

It'd be entertaining to see their dynamic. Noritoshi, the younger brother who doesn't wanna be the younger one and Choso, using that to his advantage to grow close to Noritoshi, by being the annoying older brother. He never takes it too far. just far enough that Noritoshi is saying stuff like “Preposterous!” or “This is slanderous!!” I imagine Noritoshi takes it as a personal defeat when Choso brings him food or treats him to an outing. He allowed himself to get little bro’ed..

Noritoshi would try to take the leadership role again and "big brother" Choso back in a respectful way. Maybe suggesting things he should do. Choso probably lets out breathy laughs and pats Noritoshi's head when he tries this. Then promptly goes back to doing whatever he was doing. Choso sees this as "my little brother scolding me for something." Another defeat for Noritoshi..

I can see these two bickering about the smallest things. And by bickering, I mean Choso annoying Noritoshi because he wants to take care of his little bro!!! and Noritoshi getting upset because he's not!!! little!!! he can do it himself!!!

I feel like Choso and Noritoshi would get comfortable with this though...

Choso would get a side of Noritoshi he doesn't often give to most people. They have a special bond that unites them both. Whether it be their cursed techniques or their similar childhoods or some other third option, they stick by each other. The same is true for Noritoshi, he finally has someone that cares about him and not his status. While yes, Choso can be annoying at times, Noritoshi is growing used to having him around. It would seem too quiet if Choso wasn't making him annoyed in some way.. 

of course, they'd have their calm moments. Having siblings is both a hurricane and shallow waters.

These two are stoic fucks, so I can see them communicating wordlessly. The full fucking package like nodding, shoulder shrugs, huffs, BLINKS, you fucking name it and they just had an entire conversation. They say they make it obvious on their faces, but literally, no one can tell. Some people (Arata) think they speak telepathically..........

I hinted at it in the little doodle above, but Choso would probably help Noritoshi with calligraphy. Choso is OLD so he's got to have seen some old old Japanese cursive... He'd use his knowledge to help Noritoshi improve!!!

The whole thing with Choso cooking for Noritoshi.. Its what older siblings do to coax their younger sibs out of their shell. Who doesn't like free food? Choso learns pretty quick from what i've seen and with coffee being Noritoshi’s favorite drink, he's using that.

Choso: there’s a coffee shop downtown.

Noritoshi: what

Choso: we’re going together

Noritoshi: I never agreed to this

Choso: don’t forget your jacket, it could get cold.

And then they go.

Noritoshi enjoys company if it doesn't bother him. So if Choso walked into his room and sat down to do something quietly, Noritoshi wouldn't bat an eye. and That's how they hang out sometimes, just in the same room and they both have a blast.

this one is just me fucking around but I can see Choso asking for advice on how to approach Noritoshi like a father asking how to approach his teen kid. Noritoshi is similar, but he's asking why this guy is doting on him and being annoying. They ask around because I doubt either of them know how to use a phone. Noritoshi is old-fashioned while Choso is just old.

hmm... I can't decide whether Choso would use Noritoshi's name more often to attach the name to a better person or give Noritoshi a nickname to avoid using it....... I want to lean into the former but hmm......

that's all I got! This could be so ooc but fuck it! I like it. Sorry if this was all over the place, i was throwing spaghetti at the wall!!!!

[my ranting, its not important skip this. theres also slight spoilers]

im sitting here analyzing your wording. youre implying they HAVENT met properly?????? ITS BEEN A FUCKING WHILE. LET THEM MEET AGAIN WHAT THE FUCK IM PUNCHING THE WALL. WASNT THERE AN ENTIRE REVEAL THAT YUJI WAS HIS SUPER DISTANT LIL BRO implying that he also has some relation so to noritoshi too which is super cute now that i think about it.. stoic bitch with a sunshine guy who wont shut the fuck up... wait i love that sm..... but regardless WHAT THE FUCK??? LITTLE BROTHER MY ASS.GEGE YOU HAD NORITOSHI RIGHT THERE. FYM NEW LITTLE BRO YUJI. NORITOSHI IS GOING THROUGH IT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE BUT THIS GUY IS ALONE... I JUST WANT HIM TO HAVE SOME FAMILY BRO. GEGE WHAT THE FUCK. AND CHOSO HAVING THOSE DREAMS AND FANTASIES OF HIS BROTHERS TOGETHER. PUT NORITOSHI IN THERE. BRING NORITOSHI BACK YOU ONE EYED CAT FUCK..... I WONT FORGET THIS GEGE, WHEN I CATCH YOU GEGE WHEN I CATCH YOU GEGE WHEN I CATCH YOU GEGE.....

[millennial-star-gazer]

Bound by Fire and Fate: A Demon and Fairy's Eternal Love

Read This Poem and My Other Works on Tumblr, FF, and AO3

1.FF

I. Main FF Link (Click Here:)

II. Secondary FF Link (Click Here:)

III. Alternative FF Link (Click Here:)

2. AO3

IV. Main AO3 Link (Click Here:)

V. Secondary AO3 Link (Click Here:)

3. Comprehensive Master Post of All My Works

VI. Master Post 1(Click Here:)

VII. Master Post 2 (Continuation of the Original Master Post) (Click Here:)

________________________________________________________

Important Note: The Master Post(s) are also pinned to my Tumblr profile for your convenience.

The font legend, disclaimer with additional content warnings, and other important details, including the actual poem, are located below the cut. Scroll down past if you'd like to jump straight to the content. For those interested in preliminary information such as genre, rating, etc., that will be available in the FF and AO3 versions once posted.

Rating: T-M (for language, subtle mentions of blood, violence, steamy content, and mature/adult sexual themes—all consensual). Reader discretion is advised (you've been warned!). However, it is safe for work. AU (Alternative Universe)

________________________________________________________

For @gymjunkie412, I'm your Secret Santa—hope you enjoy your gift!

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope this message finds you well. It's your girl, millennial_stargazer (aka millennial_fairy across most social media). It's been a while since my last post—long time no see!

This piece is my entry for @allaboutnalu 's gift exchange and my gift to GymJunkie412, as I had the honor of being their Secret Santa this year. After a long break, I'm excited to share this: my first submission in a while and one of many Fairy Tail WIPs/new projects.

Before diving in, I want to mention how much I absolutely love GymJunkie412's art and other amazing content. It's such an honor to create something for someone whose work I admire so much!

This poem is a fantasy-romance AU set in a reimagined version of Earthland, focusing on the NALU/E. pairing. In this version, Natsu is a fire dragon-demon hybrid, and Lucy takes on the role of a celestial fairy and fae. The story draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, including the original Fairy Tail anime/manga, various fanfictions and AUs, and media I love—from novels like the Throne of Glass series to TV shows, anime, K-dramas, international dramas, and games. The Elder Scrolls, D , Arcane/League of Legends, and my own ideas also served as key influences in shaping the world and overall inspiration for this fanfic.

There are other details and explanations I'd love to share, but I'll save that for the end of the note. Parts of this poem are intentionally open-ended to encourage different interpretations and spark the imagination. I wanted to leave room for readers to visualize how certain plot points or character arcs might unfold in this unique take on Earthland.

Thank you for reading! Without further ado, here's the poem. GymJunkie412, I hope you enjoy this, and to everyone else, happy reading!

________________________________________________________

Available on: Tumblr, FF , and AO3.

________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, which belongs to the one and only Hiro-sensei! The bottom A/N contains discussions of emotional and psychological trauma, as well as references to armed conflict and bigotry. The poem also features mature, steamy content, references to blood and violence, and explores adult themes in certain sections Reader discretion is advised.

________________________________________________________

Legend:

Italics: Poem

Italics outside of main story: Quote

Bolded Italics outside of main story: A/N

"You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars."

________________________________________________________

(E.E. Cummings: I Carry Your Heart With Me)

________________________________________________________

Welcome, weary travelers! How do you fare? Enter this humble establishment— A well-known tavern on the edge of town, A cozy waypoint for intrepid explorers like yourselves!

Oh, how the frigid wind howls! The icy rain— It soaks to the bone, like shards of glass from a frozen sky. And this cold? This cold, this bitter chill in the late autumn air? It is here to stay, I'm afraid, through winter's reign.

All this—the glacial grip of frost and more— Will endure until Spring's tide swells anew. Persephone will return, Flora will arrive, Bringing the promise of new leaves and lilies In a fragrant breeze that whispers of life reborn.

But alas, we're suspended in the icy hands of time, Shackled by its unyielding chains.

Oh, please, enter— No need to linger in this dreary weather, In this wretched storm that misfortune has brought upon us.

Won't you come in? Do come in, away from the wind, the rain, and the cold.

Now, come inside.

Shed your drenched cloaks,

Bask in the cozy warmth of the room,

And dry your hands by the glow of the hearth.

Come,

We invite you to take a seat.

Why not make yourselves at home?

Grab an ale and gather around,

As we regale you with the tale of starlight-touched lovers—

The most epic love story of our generation,

The grand saga of a celestial fae and a fire demon,

Ever told.

Once, there were two immortals, Seemingly worlds apart. One was a man, a fire dragon-demon Of tremendous power and strength— A figure both feared and revered.

His name, you ask? Etherious Natsu Dragneel E.N.D., as he's known by many, A denizen of Tartarus, Hades itself. Inhuman, yet— Handsome he is, with those roguish, boyish good looks, A mane like coral, skin of olive, scales glimmering faintly, Arresting emerald eyes, That can turn crimson.

A dazzling grin, sharp as his fangs, That sets hearts aflutter and knees weak. A physique like chiseled marble, Dark, infernal Adonis.

Wings unfurled, horns curving— A testament to his demon heritage. Many say, some would claim, As if he were crafted by the hands of both Heaven and Hell, A being forged from light and shadow, all in one.

This man, His captivating allure, However dark and seemingly unholy, It's the envy, The awe, The pull of Lasses and lads, Souls of every kind, Be they non-binary, two-spirit, or beyond, From all realms.

But amid all this, There are those whose beauty rivals the very stars themselves, And among them, the lasses—

How could we forget? Lucy Heartfilia, A fairy of the stars, a fae of the cosmos, A celestial maiden, An ethereal beauty, With otherworldly looks so fair. Her flowing tresses, Like spun gold, Her delicate face—

It is said her beauty could launch a thousand ships, Much like the fabled Helen of Troy, Her skin, pure as ivory, glowing with otherworldly grace.

Cinnamon eyes, Endless pools of wonder, In which mere mortals, demons, fae, sorcerers, or any soul could lose themselves for hours.

Petal-soft lips, That all desire to kiss, A longing that stirs the heart.

Why, she's a celestial fairy, A fae of great mystical power! A maiden touched by the heavens themselves. Haven't ye heard? She can command the cosmos with a whisper. The magic of constellations pulses through her veins, The power of the zodiac thrums in her blood. Her gift to conjure the cosmos? Ah, quite the grand feat, no doubt.

With pointed ears, And silken wings of rose and lavender, That shimmer and swirl in a symphony of light. They glisten like pastel diamonds in moon— A sight to behold, indeed.

Now, we recall the time of their fated meeting, The destined connection of two souls, A demon and a fae. Some may wonder, ponder— How could such a thing be? After all, are they not two beings from worlds apart?

Indeed, that rings true, A verity that resonates.

One is an Etherious, A prince of Hell, Born in a kingdom Forged in fire and ash, Iron and blood.

Rumors whispered, That this man, A dragon-demon hybrid, Spawned by a she-demon and a dragon of hellfire, Adopted son of the Flame Dragon King Igneel, Half-brother to the Black Wizard Zeref, Otherwise known as E.N.D, Was destined to ascend To the throne of Alvarez, Ruler of all dark dragons, demons, Sorcerers of black magic, And all that is unholy in Tartaros. Yet, despite his bloodline, He was not entirely malevolent, For even in the heart of darkness, A flicker of light could still burn.

The other, A child of the Fair Folk, Star-blessed, touched by the heavens, An ethereal being imbued with both cosmic power and divine grace. A denizen of Ishtar, Born of Fae King Jude and the Celestial May Queen Layla, She was a princess of the stellar realm, A wizard of immeasurable magic and prestige. In her heart burned kindness as vast as her strength, Her presence a beacon of light, Like a cosmic angel descending upon mortal lands. Primed to unite the divided Fae realms, She was destined to wear the crown, Queen of Earthly Magnolia and Crocus of the Sky, Empress of the Gossamer Lands— Long may she reign.

Bards sing of Natsu and Lucy's praises daily, Weaving tales of their fated connection. Their paths, as though etched by divine hands, Were destined to intertwine. It was written in the stars, The grand design of the gods, For these two kindred souls to find each other. Both had many friends within the renowned wizard guild of Fairy Tail, Where bonds of camaraderie fortified their spirits.

Their first meeting was as innocent children, Crossing paths while at play, unaware of the threads of destiny binding them. Years later, their lives converged once more, As adolescents on the cusp of discovery— He at fifteen, she at fourteen, Both carrying the weight of their lineage, Yet drawn together by a bond neither could yet comprehend.

Lucy, practicing her magic, Summoning her spirit guides, Weaving her spells, Casting celestial enchantments, Formations of stars, bodies, and light, Each one a radiant masterpiece.

Natsu and his exceed companion, Happy, Watching with rapt attention, Gazing in awe as stardust shimmered, Dancing above their heads.

Never had they witnessed such exquisite sorcery, Appearing before their youthful eyes, In all their short years. Peals of Lucy's silvery laughter, Ringing out like a cathedral bell in the summer air.

Oh, how they longed to hear it again, The sound of Lucy, the celestial maiden's joy, Delight so pure, like the sweetest of melodies, Filling the hearts of a demon and his cat companion.

As she conjured her magic, They marveled at her power, Lucy, a force unlike any they had known, A being born of stardust, A child of the cosmos, Her every movement a celestial dance.

Alas, their moment of revelry disrupted, By who, you may inquire? Why, by no more, no less than an unsightly man of low class and moral standing, Too desperate was he for Lucy's hand.

Lecherous stares, A fumbling word or two, Insulting remarks that fall flat and unworthy. Oh, how Lucy, Still a novice in her magic, Sat with poise, And yet, she was forced to endure.

Such harassment, Fueled by the fear of retaliation from a brutish man, With the grace of a wild beast in a porcelain shop. Panic set in, Alarm bells ringing in the fairy's mind, Her heartbeat pounding like the frantic rhythm of a drum. No other choice but to remain, it seemed.

Lucy's tight smile betrayed only the distress of her quickening pulse, A sound well-known to fire demon's and winged feline's ears. Joy faded, A protective fury simmering in the dragon's veins, A wild, untamable creature who could not be restrained. Natsu's world turned red— Or so the story goes, as far as we're told.

Lucy's fear rose as she frantically sought an escape, From such a dire situation. But salvation was at hand, Natsu and Happy to the rescue, Natsu's gleaming canines bared, growls rumbling, fist aflame— While Happy, with wings spread wide, let loose a sharp, fearless screech, A thinly veiled threat sending the scoundrel fleeing, tail tucked in retreat.

A flash of a radiant smile, sweeter than honey, A wry smirk, An exchange of gratitude, And an engaging discourse, Were the sparks for a new friendship that day. Camaraderie between demons, cats, and fae. Lo and behold, an intimate bond like no other was forged.

The seasons wheel, The sun and moon in endless pursuit, Years flow by in the river of time.

Unbreakable camaraderie, Adolescent years filled with warmth and delight, Laughter abundant, echoing all around, Friendships planted with care, Blossoming into a love as tender as lilies in spring.

Friends to lovers, as destiny wills, their journey unfolded into an unbreakable union.

Eighteen's philia and storge's nineteen, Merge into one, As eros awakens and ludus flourishes, Two hearts, Dragon and fairy.

Once friends, now intertwined, In pragma's dawn and love's design. Oh, isn't it grand? Their connection blossoming into something more, A bond that transcends the years, the moments, Their hearts drawn together in the cosmic dance of fate.

Their first kiss was nothing short of grand Natsu's lips sought, chased hers with such fervor, With a kiss, igniting a fiery, electric dance, Sparks flying, the air crackling with desire and pleasure, A touch so sweet, it could burn the world. In the heat of the moment, A sigil of love—unseen but deeply felt, A symbol of passion, fierce and unbreakable.

Incendiary nights of longing and passion, Tender couplings that followed, All in many days' work for a demon dragon and his beloved. The celestial beauty is his most treasured, Soul-bonded in this life, this world, And the next—forever entwined

For it is foretold that dragons, demons, and hybrids Do not merely mate for life—but for all eternity, Bound by a love that transcends time and space.

Love and prosperity endured for a long while, Regrettably, such peace could not last. Escalating tensions rose like plumes of smoke, Or the molten core of a rumbling volcano. Tempers erupted, War broke out and spread across the land in all the realms, Much like a great plague. The life blood of soldiers from opposing factions was shed, Soaking the earth, Leaving it stained, The very soil tainted with the scars of battle.

A thousand tears fell from widows, Alike the rains of a relentless monsoon. Wails of children's anguish echoed in the streets, For there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth. Amidst the suffering and despair, A glimmer of hope endured.

Yet, fear not, All hope was not lost. Natsu, Lucy, and their comrades Fought for the fate of all innocents and beings, With unwavering courage and unyielding resolve, Until the terrible calamity was vanquished, and harmony restored.

Amid the ashes of war, a new dawn rose, Treaties signed, to end the strife that tore and froze. War criminals punished, justice restored, And a promise made—Never again, peace shall be poured.

Natsu and Lucy, in love's true embrace, Married with honor, crowned in their rightful place. Empress and Emperor, ruling as one, A future forged together, their reign had begun. Lucy, now Natsu's, bound in every way, Their souls entwined, come what may. The Celestial, Fae, and Tartaros joined in their might, Alongside Earthland, united in light.

Side by side, they rule with unwavering care, Uniting all realms, a bond beyond compare. With friends and family from every land, Their reign was gentle, yet firm, as they made their stand.

They watch over us now, with loving eyes, As humans and all live their best lives, With Fairy Tail, by their side, strong and true, A family of love, forever renewed. A legacy built, on love's pure light, Guiding us forward, through the darkest night.

A lesson to learn, from the strength they've shown, In unity and love, we find our own. Their story continues, through time and space, A reign of peace, in a vast, endless place.

And so their tale stretches into the sky, A bond unbroken, a love that will never die. The realms they guide, their hearts entwined, Forever remembered, in stories redefined.

________________________________________________________

A/N: END Scene. This poem has truly been a labor of love, and I sincerely hope you all enjoyed it. As always, please don't forget to like, comment, and share/reblog! It was a joy to write, despite a few hiccups along the way. I'm also really satisfied with how this turned out overall—it's been a journey, and I'm so happy with the final result.

While this is a work of fanfiction, I've also aimed to include diverse and inclusive representation, which is deeply important to me as a proudly sapphic queer woman on the bi/pan spectrum, as well as a neurodivergent person—making me a member of two marginalized groups in addition to being a woman. I am also a feminist, humanist, and egalitarian who believes in an intersectional approach to allyship. I stand for equal rights, respect, and an inclusive society for people from all disenfranchised groups, including loved ones, readers, mutuals, and followers. This perspective helps me understand the significance of intersectionality and diverse representation. My hope is that anyone reading from a diverse background feels seen and heard in some way.

Quick note on two-spirit: it refers to a specific identity within Indigenous/Aboriginal communities within the queer spectrum. However, it doesn't apply to all Indigenous/Aboriginal people. Regardless, all BIPOC, queer, and marginalized identities are valid, and I believe they deserve acknowledgment, especially in the face of societal struggles, human rights violations, and injustices.

As for this poem—there's always potential to expand it into a sequel or even a fanfiction series if time and inspiration align. Feel free to adapt it into your own fanfiction AU, should that be something you'd like to explore!

Now, as for why I've been a bit quiet on the writing front—I've been working on multiple WIPs (including new chapters), original projects, and edits, but delays have happened. Life has been busy with work commitments and managing energy levels from my ECE job schedules. Along with personal challenges, physical and mental health struggles, including anxiety and the aftermath of multiple traumas, writing consistency has been tough. One medical challenge I've been facing is vertigo, which I've had for the last 2.5 years. My PCP suspects it may have been caused by a virus (possibly from a stomach flu at one of the daycare centers where I worked or as a side effect of undiagnosed COVID). While I stay up to date on vaccines and take proper precautions, vertigo can mimic symptoms of a traumatic brain injury, and it has been affecting my brain, body, and overall well-being. As a result, my brain isn't functioning the same as it did just a few years ago, despite the fact that the transition from 30 to 33 shouldn't be that drastic. This also exacerbates challenges tied to my learning disability and impacts my writing. I often need to write in shorter bursts now, depending on how I'm feeling, but I'm still a good writer who's working on my craft.

Other factors like internet troubles in November (my old modem dying due to my ISP phasing out their legacy network) caused delays, too—resulting in 2.5 days of lost time until a technician could come and get us set up with a new connection.

That said, I'm determined to get back into a regular writing routine, even if it means writing in short bursts spread out over a couple of days. I promise I'm still working hard to get new chapters and projects out, and I'm hoping to post them as soon as possible. As always, keep an eye on my Tumblr, FF, and AO3 profiles for new chapters and WIPs. Feel free to connect with me across other social media platforms, too. Links to everything are in my Tumblr bio, this post, master posts, and various profiles depending on where you're reading from!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Yule/Winter Solstice, Happy Kwanzaa, and all the best to you during this holiday season. Whether you celebrate any or all of these, I hope this season brings joy, peace, and love to your heart. Happy holidays from Canada to all my readers, mutuals, followers, and everyone from diverse backgrounds, no matter how or which celebrations you observe. Until next time, please take care of yourselves.

[k-looking-glass-house]

Happy 4th anniversary Twst!

I can't believe it's been 4 years.... I started playing it when I was Sam's age...now I am ....Vargas's age....

But trust me my interest and passion for Twisted Wonderland started around 2018... When Yana dropped such "a bomb" on her twitter with a Disney collab and a thank you 100k followers sketch with Crewel, Crowley, Trein/Lucius and the Yami no Kagami.... I was doomed when I saw "le fanart" of Malleus rising of a coffin then.... I was like....OMGGG ooohhh monnn dieeuuu....that art Yana-senseiiiii....isn't it Maleficientttt!!! I became such ....such the most platoniiic lover/fan-girl ever of Malleus *staring at him with dead fish eyes and not speaking* My kakkoi dragon fairy, Maleficient grandson!! And I literrally "harassed" my partner in crime @twiwoncrackpopcorn everyday with it, being a 90's baby Disney's fan and Yana-sensei's one too.... I was searching every infos on the internet, every little crumbs about it!! Waiting for the game release....and thanks god during covid-19 I had Animal Crossing New Horizon and...Twisted Wonderland games...(my work as a nurse was.... I can't even tell you how "interesting" it was to see and witneeeessss how humans are humans...more like sh**it as**ole tr*u du c*l de m*rde* *screaming*...... *breathing*) Anyhow I am thankful to have entered this fandom and universe, and tried my best to share my passion with people around the world!! I met such amazing persons here!!!..... I am so so so grateful... fandom can be hell....but not for me here... Thank you all!!!! Also thank my non blood sibling @twiwoncrackpopcorn..... Best person in the universe....I MEAN IT!!! ^ Don't read I am shy^..... I am happy to learn that the game is still developing and under good care !! And happy to see more fans from everywhere under this same passion!!

Also.....

.....

......................FINALLLYYYYYYYYY

WE WOOOON NRC STAFF FANS.....WE GOOOOT ITTTT!! MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TEAM LET'S PARTY AND DRINK CHAMPAGNE AT SAM'S ALL NIGHT!!!

LE CONTENUUUUUU

THE CONTENNNNT

AFTER 4 YEAARRRRRS LITTLE ONEEEEE

WAKE UP RISE AND SHINE DARLIIINGGGG!!!

BECAUSE THE STAFF IS HERE!!!!!

Yes now we only have to wait their SSR!!!!

Create your own happy anniversary celebration here!!

Also...I couldn't write Cass...because maybe a*s..... I mean it ...It was kind of cute but too bad for my nickname then....

Also little K. Oswald Junior 101's key as they will make a remake of "Epic Disney Mickey" rebrushed!! Congrates Oswald the lucky rabbit!!! *teary*

Spoilers please be careful illustration with a twist~

...Did I just put myself among the staff...and their wonderful groovy.......

"Yes.....and...?"

With Crewel being done, Sam spotting everything...and Trein-sensei being the best aduuuult xD!!!

Alsooooooooo....Crowleeeyyyyy are you drinking Champagne in the rythmic game....

Gimme....Gimmmmeeeeeeee!!!!!! Too late I spotted it gimme!!!!

....Vargas....We are both 30....we are both 174 cm....and both french....I am so scarred....

I just saw the tiny space... I was like...omg let me fit ....like cat meme..... *move crooow* I love that they also added the Ghost!!! In Wasteland all those ghosts have a very important place and they even got names.... but maybe that's some spoiler.... Let's wait!!!

See you little ones very very soon!!!

I'll be back with a little surprise game for you!!

Also all the feedback and thank you for your kindness...omg you're so sweet~

Also yes...

I got the french translated manga of Heartslabyul with the artbook!!

I am glad my country has such connexion and interest (since a while by now I wasn't even born...haha) with Japan !! We can have such things here !!

Thank you french team twst !!

[oppkms]

I'm late, but what matters is posting the results, so hello!

Let's move on to placing them:

BIGGEST ITFS SUPPORTERS ON CANON!!!!!

RYOMEN "You finally got a role" SUKUNA

Also known as the one who is intimately aware of our couple's desires, desires and fears (after all, he shared a body with both of them), Sukuna is the main plot device when it comes to bringing Itafushi even closer together. It's thanks to your existence that ITFS started, isn't it? LOL.

He's a threat, he's a calamity, he's a bored old man, but most importantly, he's responsible for the line "congratulations, you've won a role" where he not only recognizes Yuji's new power, but also that our pookie pink haired girl is ready to save her sea urchin. After all, it's quite propitious for Yuji to save his soulmate in the domain called "pure and mutual love" LMAO!!!!

Fortunately, Sukuna comes in last place because he gave several traumas to ITFS, including murder, body snatching, mental and emotional manipulation, violence and a lot of anguish. He's a bad bitch we love to hate!

((I couldn't get any art from them that wasn't a ship T-T ))

3TH PLACE:

NOBARA "Boys are disgusting" KUGISAKI

It was a close battle with second place, but I confess that not even Nobara could compete against him T-T. Our beautiful queen full of thorns is the most common third wheel in the canon, being present in moments that helped in the growth of ITFS, such as their conversation after the exchange event (where we see Yuji blush and smile after Megumi praised him hihi) and when our boys take each other's hands as a sign of trust after the fight with Kechizu and Eso. She's also the queen who helps these two idiots notice their feelings in fanfics, so what better than third place for her!!!!

It's a shame we can't see her reaction when she hears the phrase "so start saving me, Itadori", but I bet she would scream something like "get a room, you two, gay idiots!".

Anyway, Nobara, know that you will always be famous and our boys will make you proud as they finish off Sukuna and ride off into the sunset T-T

2TH PLACE

YUTA "THIS IS PURE LOVE" OKKOTSU

Who but the main advocate of love to come second? Yuta has shown himself to be a huge supporter of itfs since his return to the post-Shibuya manga, from helping Yuji deal with his inner demons to agreeing to save him because he was someone important to Megumi (shoot me in the head if Megumi didn't ask Yuta save Yuji when he learned that his senpai would be the executioner).

He also had to watch from a box seat the dramatic ITFS meeting after the horrors in Shibuya, so he knows how serious Megumi and Yuji are about protecting each other. Yuta is also doing everything he can to make these two stay together, not taking long to jump against Sukuna to save Megumi and opening his beautiful domain of PURE AND MUTUAL LOVE!!!! Yes girls, Yuta is the last romantic on earth and he will be the key to our ITAFUSHI coming back to us T-T.

This boy is just not in first place, because first place belongs to him alone.

1st PLACE

SATORU "Personal feelings?" GOJO

THE HONORABLE!!!! MEGUMI'S FATHER!!! THE MOST ROMANTIC EVER!!!! SATORU GOJO TAKES FIRST PLACE!!!! He was the first to notice ITFS in the SECOND EPISODE and makes a point of always bringing these two boys even closer with his discreet (and some extravagant) plans. An example of this is his readiness to accept saving Yuji because it was a request from his dear son, going against the ENTIRE JUJUTSU WORLD just because he knows what it's like to love someone who is condemned to death (stsg tears run down my eyes).

He also placed the boys next to each other, supported their relationship, blessed them, and was willing to save his son so that none of them would suffer (someone shoot me).

YOUR FIRST PLACE IS DESERVED!!!! I'M SURE ITFS WILL BE THE HAPPY VERSION OF STSG AND WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE ITS SENSEI PROUD!!!!

Official results!

This is the end, but we'll give some honorable mentions.

- Toji Fushiguro (his VA said that Toji would find Yuji a bit annoying at first, but would soon like him too, which is understandable, since Yuji is fantastic)

- Choso (Anyone who loves Yuji will be loved by Choso)

- Nanami Kento (no explanation, I just feel it)

- Tsumiki Fushiguro (I don't need to see this to know your opinions)

- Grandpa Wasuke Itadori (HE WOULD LOVE MEGUMI, FIGHT ME IF YOU DON'T AGREE)

- Aoi Todo (He would always support Yuji, no matter how annoying his crush is)

- Gege Akutami (come on kitty, we all know you secretly love itfs and stsg and are cooking a beautiful and wonderful wedding for them, no need to be shy about it ;) )

[tomodachimeter]

HELLO.

It's been a very long time (I have no excuses and I'm sure no one is interested) and I've been far more active on Twitter, and I'm late to the game either way, but I just had to announce Wazawa-sensei's newest manga, Adashino Kishokan! Someone's already started translating it, so I'm hoping to direct fellow Mononokean fans over if they're interested!

I made a short Twitter thread but I'll just reiterate my points here (probably faster to read at the link above though):

Adashino Kishokan (Paranormal Inspector Adashino)

Content warning: horror, animal harm

Setting:

Stars a red-haired protagonist named Adashino Abi (last, first name), a 15-year-old paranormal inspector working for the Paranormal Bureau and goes around solving paranormal incidents.

Set in Japan a bit in the past (Late Meiji to Taisho era if I had to guess) where paranormal incidents regularly occur

Being serialized in Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine, releasing a chapter every month!

You can buy the digital version of the magazine for about 680JPY on any supporting platform. This one's Am*zon's: https://amazon.co.jp/%E6%9C%88%E5%88%8A%E5%B0%91%E5%B9%B4%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AC%E3%83%B3-2024%E5%B9%B48%E6%9C%88%E5%8F%B7-%E9%9B%91%E8%AA%8C-%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AF%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A7%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A8%E3%83%8B%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9-ebook/dp/B0D49KNVP9…

Trivia:

Abi's name (both first and last anyway) also start with "A", just like "Ashiya" and "Abeno."

Japanese title and hashtag for manga is: #/あだしの奇象官

Official Twitter account is: @go_mononokean (rebranded to official author account from Mononokean)

Personal thoughts so far:

I'm so happy to see a new work from Wazawa-sensei!!!

Abi is very cute

Art is beautiful like Mononokean's, looks like a more shonen story with horror (hinted from Mononokean) and I still love their style of Japanese paranormal stuff!

Other stuff regarding Mononokean and this blog if you're interested under the cut:

I'm behind (understatement) on a lot of Mononokean content I promised to translate, put up, etc and Wazawa-sensei out with a new manga has given me some motivation. I don't promise anything fast but I'm hoping to be a little active here again. Thanks to anyone who's stuck around!

[demonslayedher]

Things that went through my head while watching this episode: --This was a great episode to notice during the OP that in the clip right after Muichiro throws the sword and Tanjiro goes rushing forward in a strike presumably with that sword, you can see Yoriichi in the back lined up next to Tanjiro--almost like the pose Tanjiro strikes with Pillars in the OP! (Hmm, how are they going to do that for the Pillar Training Arc?)

--Kanamori, in some not very well-placed exposition, says that Tanjiro asked him to be understanding of Muichiro, and that is why as Muichiro's new swordsmith, he looked into who used to smith his swords. First of all, when? We only saw Tanjiro interact with Kanamori the day or two before this all goes down, but Kanamori already has Muichiro's new sword ready and stashed away in the same shop where Haganezuka is busy putting his life on the line for polishing a sword even before Gyokko shows up. The first we see of Tanjiro even hearing of Kanamori being responsible for Muichiro's sword is when Muichiro woke him up maybe an hour or so ago. This means Tanjiro had to have known this and had an opportunity to talk to Kanamori long before he even witnessed Muichiro in the Swordsmith Village. Perhaps Tanjiro brought it up as general advice to Kanamori who expressed feeling pressure for being assigned to a Pillar, and Tanjiro just wanted to be encouraging to him based on what little impression he had of Muichiro at the Pillar Meeting and whatever he heard from Shinobu (and Shinobu did tell Tanjiro Muichiro's name, at the very least). But also, perhaps Kanamori started this endeavor to understand Muichiro after completing his first sword for him, because Tanjiro only said this to him yesterday? In which case, was this truly a matter of Tanjiro seeing that Muichiro is in need of that kindness, or was it Tanjiro throwing his hands up and saying, "I don't know what to make of him, you try!"

--And that, friends, is how you can dig too deep into canon to find fanfic ideas.

--Kotetsu-kun truly is a brave kid whose response to seeing his friends in pain was to attack instead of run away. I love how close-knit everyone in the village is, they all know (and recognize!) each other by name. --Muichiro is the kind of person who would walk around a modern art museum saying, "I could do that." Kotetsu would be the one saying, "but you didn't." Gyokko, of course, is the worst of modern artists. There must be a modern day AU which Gyokko leans a bean in Chicago and Muichiro starts a "paint the bean pink" event.

--Gyokko deserves some credit here for his cleverness! Although what Muzan would have preferred is Gyokko finding Ubuyashiki or the blue spider lilies, Gyokko has honed in the Corp's weapons and focused his efforts on eliminating those. Maybe he was merely lucky to have found a clue about the village, but he developed a technique, I assume specifically, to deprive swordsmen of their Breath.

--Being taunted for having "a dull life" and an existence with no meaning sure adds weight to that "I was born to be happy" statement. --Kimetsu Academy answered some of my wishes by having Uzui-sensei and Gyokko hang out and talk art, but what I really want is to see Shinobu see those fishes.

--I love the BGM and sound effects for Love Breath. Mitsuri is just so special, you guys. I love hearing her in this Taisho Secret showing off her sword skills to Tanjiro & Nezuko, and a sound that lives in my head rent free is the the sound she made in the previous episode's Kimetsu Academy short as she falls to her knees. --One of my favorite background characters in this whole series is the guy who tried to protect Tecchin by charging at the fish monster with a naginata. ----First, naginata. I have bias. ----Second, such upstanding character! That is not a man who runs away even when the swordsmen have been slain. ----Also, while Tecchin and the other guy who got his head bumped are shameless in fishing for Mitsuri's care and attention, this is the guy who had the view up her skirt and who made no mention of it whatsoever. ----That might be because he was so rightfully distracted by the sight of her sword instead, and he gave us some smoother exposition with which to appreciate it. --Another random thing, but I love the nighttime lighting in this season! The BGM in general feels more experimental and sometimes takes me out of it (opposed to how the Yuukaku spin plunged me deeper into it), but when it slaps, it slaps, like on the new variation as Tanjiro attains a lightsaber Red Blade. Also also, there are a lot of characters in this one with peculiar and kind of old-timey ways of speaking (Kanamori, Tecchin, Hantengu's clones, etc.) that are still distinct from other characters (like Rengoku). I don't know how much of it comes across in translation, but my ears enjoy the extra characterization.

--I love--and the first time I watched this, my friends loved it too--how Nezuko and Tanjiro take turns carrying each other when they lose consciousness. It keeps the pacing fast and desperation high, while also illustrating their bond really well. What also gets me is how Tanjiro frets and tells her to let go of the sword because her fingers will get cut. It doesn't feel like a big concern because we know she's already lost a forearm and being impaled through through the torso and neck tonight, but any reasonable brother doesn't want to see his sister's fingers cut off, much less sliced with a sword at all.

--I love how Sekido is the only demon around here whose perspective is worth anything

--Quickly jumping to the end of the episode to note how we see the base of Aizetsu's neck and the top of his head still intact, so that implies that Genya munched on the bottom half of his head. In general I'm not much into ship content, but I know there is a fandom for Aizetsu and Genya out there, and I do find the idea of it being one-sided infatuation on Aizetsu's part an amusing premise. With that in the back of my mind, I could also imagine Aizetsu mistakenly thinking Genya was going to make out with him and how quickly and shockingly he'd have his hopes dashed. --Okay, so, HINOKAMI KAGURA WITH A RED BLADE AND THE MARK, TIME TO DIAL UP THE ANIMATION

--And they do

--And it's so sad Haganezuka doesn't get to see it --Like, after how much the fight with Rui blew up and the internet collectively lost their minds, we tend to just expect this from Ufotable, so the beauty they accomplish doesn't always stick out because they have to work harder and harder to stand out from what they've already given us, but this attack on Karaku, Urogi, and Sekido is a thing of wonder and it is highly worth appreciating.

--The lighting! The fluid motion and changing camera angles! But also the ability to show changes in expression, and to differentiate Tanjiro in the marked state from his usual state.

--But, again, the timeline has me in knots. Tanjiro says he was "always" thinking about that last strike on Gyutaro and how it felt different, but when would he have had time to do that, since he's spend so much of his wakeful life, like, fighting for his life against a mechanical doll? He's of course had downtime, but given the Taisho Secret in the hand-out at the early Mugen Ressha showings, I suspect comatose Tanjiro spend a lot of time analyzing and replaying that moment and doing image training. --On the first watch, when Tanjiro is thinking about how his will is tied with that of everyone around him, and even if he can't do it, someone else will take over for him, it's easy to get wrapped up in "THAT'S RENGOKU" or "this is foreshadowing all the hands in that truly final battle with Muzan!" but, I can't wait to think back to this scene when he's talking to Giyuu in the next season. Giyuu is the first person he thinks of, but also, Giyuu's hand is absent from among the ones on Tanjiro's back.

[chosen-hero-inari]

Whumptober Day 11: Loneliness

Packing Up

Akira: Almost ready? 

Yusuke was done packing an hour ago. He didn’t have much to bring to the dorm, and he doesn’t have much to take when he leaves it.

Yusuke: A couple more minutes

Akira: U sure u don’t need help?

Yusuke: Yes, I just need a moment.

A large duffle bag and a few boxes are all he needs before heading to the train station to his new dorms at Osaka University. 

The others are going to drive him down to the train station and see him off, and childishly, Yusuke wants to hide in the closet so he doesn’t have to say goodbye. That’s what he did when Nakonahara left.

But he’s the one leaving now, after spending his senior year with half his friends outside of Tokyo.

Osaka University gave him a good scholarship. Room, board, a meal plan, and a stipend for the school store. It’s the most generous offer he’s received of any of the school’s he’s applied to, and his friends were so happy for him.

Now instead of seeing half his friends occasionally he’ll be all alone on the other side of the country.

Maybe he doesn’t have to go, maybe he can stay in Tokyo, work part-time jobs and make his art on the side. Get his own apartment and visit with his friends and not have to face truly living alone for the first time.

But, that wouldn’t make him happy, would it? He wants to make a name for himself, to finally overcome Madarame’s name being attached to him, and to prove his former Sensei hasn’t ruined the careers of everyone in his care.

And it’d be nice, wouldn’t it? To go back to Tokyo a successful artist, purchase and renovate the atelier, and turn it back into a place filled with pupils, but one that actually cared about its students. That stood behind them and advocated for them, everything Yusuke wanted but never got.

He can’t get there working part-time and living in a small apartment.

A BFA means connections, more people seeing his work, more resources to help those future pupils, and learning how to teach from people who aren’t frauds.

All it means is leaving his friends behind, at least for a little bit. Being truly alone.

“Hey, there you are!” Ryuji wraps his arm around Yuskue’s shoulder and pulls him into a side hug. “You’re gonna miss your train!”

“Yusuke?” Ann says. “You’re crying.”

Yusuke turns to see Akira, Morgana, Ann, and Ryuji facing him. 

“What’s wrong?” Morgana asks. “You’re not gonna miss this place, are you.”

“I’m going to miss you all,” Yusuke says, wiping his sleeve.

“Awwww, come on, it’s not like we’ll never see each other,” Ryuji says. “We’ll have vacations.”

“Plus we’ll probably text every day,” Akira says. “If Ann can keep a conversation going from Italy, she can certainly keep one going from here.”

“Not that you’ll need it!” Ann says quickly. “Becuase you’ll make a bunch of art friends in Osaka and talk about stuff like Pluralism or whatever?”

“Pluralism isn’t an art movement,” Yusuke says. “And I’ve never made friends before.”

“Hey, what are we?” Morgana asks. 

“You barged into my house and tried to badger me for information on Madarame while he was in the house, and then I threatened to call the cops on you so you would leave,” Yusuke points out. “That’s not the same as making friends by simply meeting people.” And before them, he was completely alone.

“Ok well, definitely don’t call the cops on them,” Ann says. “And don’t ask them to model nude.”

“There’s probably a nude drawing class I can attend.”

“There, and after that class you go up to someone and ask if they want to get lunch!” Ryuji says. “Food’s like the fastest way to make friends.”

“Or tell someone their art sucks,” Ann says. “That’s what Shiho did.”

Yusuke frowns. “I would never do that, I want to encourage people’s art.”

“Of course,” Akira says. “You’ll figure it out. Don’t worry. And if you’re really lonely you can head to Kyoto and bother Zenkichi all day.”

That makes Yusuke crack a smile. “I suppose.”

Morgana hops off Akira’s shoulder and onto Yusuke’s. “You’ll be finneeee,” he says. “You’re gonna kick ass and in four years you’ll probably have your own art show in Tokyo that Ryuji can’t afford to attend.”

“Hey!”

“I’ll reserve tickets for you,” Yusuke says.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ryuji says. “But come on, let’s get you on that train first.”

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Okay so since we can talk about the new cover art, any thoughts? Naturally I love Sherly's possessive husband chair lean but so many of the characters look serious or sad and I can't decide if it's just for The Aesthetic or if I should be worried 😅 😂

I have so many thoughts about so many things. First, that sensei's art style looks a little funky this time around. It's definitely Miyoshi's art, but there's a different feel to the cover.

I do enjoy seeing Sherlock as gay for his husband as ever. That's important to know. And also everyone working together. They're all one unity.

I think there's definitely an element of the Aesthetic, but there's possibly a lot of poor feeling about this criminal organization being reborn situation.

For characters that look serious, we have:

Mycroft (his default face, tbh)

Louis (also his default face, tbh)

Fred (Fred's always been kind of unexpressive in the first place)

Moran (Moran looked serious faced even in the center color for the chapter when he beat some people up for cheating him better at cards)

Liam (also his default face. He doesn't look particularly sad here, honestly)

For characters that don't look especially concerned:

John: I think John would be more worried if we were supposed to be worried. He's our moral compass.

Albert: Albert would not be happy if we were meant to intuit meaning from this that Liam or anyone was in trouble

Bond: Default face

Anyway, mag covers really rarely have any deeper meaning for the chapters inside. Even the chapter covers rarely do, honestly.

Let's not take it too seriously and instead just enjoy the first look at our boys for next week.

[nijigasakilove]

I’ll never be the same after watching this show. The way these girls have altered my life’s story won’t be forgotten. Called it AOTS from episode 1 and it firmly stayed that way throughout. What a special anime and group of girls. Thank you Yaku sensei and Doga Kobo for this masterclass.

Kano overcoming her past and fear by delivering the performance of a lifetime was so beautiful to see. That wouldn’t have been possible without Mero telling her to look forward at the “aquarium” art Kano built on the buildings was such a great scene.

So many people, myself included thought Mahiru was snakey for working with Yukine, but it ended up being the best possible gift for Kano and the others. I just wish we would’ve been able to see more of the performance :/ we all know how good Doga Kobo can do idol performances.

That escalator reunion scene with Mahiru and Kano was everything to me. Them going in opposite directions initially before linking up was basically their relationship summed up. And Kano finally found her reason for singing! I love love love how it progressed from having no reason to sing, to Mahiru being the reason, to wanting to bring joy to peoples’ lives and help people who were lost like she was move forward.

In some more cliche stories, they would’ve kept it with the simple “I sing for you”, but that’s not really sustainable long term. You have to do things you enjoy for you.

Yukine finally acknowledging Kano as who she really is brought tears to my eyes man. All she wanted her entire life was to live up to her mom’s standards and make her happy. She also fulfilled her promise of selling out Tokyo dome with the number of live viewers 😭 I can’t man this was amazing. It’s so Yukine to not give a direct apology with words, but with her actions.

“Graduation” is a fitting literal and metaphorical way to end the episode. Everyone finally moving past their trauma and insecurities and just starting a new phase of life. Yukine showing up to Kano’s graduation and congratulating her was so sweet. I’m happy for them.

Mei trying to lift her skirt up for the farewell video got me dying 💀 she so slow man.

Is that Mahiru’s dad?!! Wow this was a perfect ending for everyone man. I don’t get the “rushed” complaints. Everything that needed to be wrapped up and addressed got addressed. And there’s still the LN for anything else. We will be reading.

Review: https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=528446

[13as07]

Friends #1

(Rock Lee/Shikamaru Nara)

[Art work is not mine! Credit to unknown]

Requested by: Myself

Word Count: 3,733

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Slight angst

Also Rock Lee and Shikamaru love triangle (kind of)

———————————————————————

My back aches as I lean down, reaching for the ground as I stretch myself out. Working out is such a waste. I could be at home relaxing or doing literally anything else, but no. Asuma keeps insisting I keep exercising so my 'joints don't get stiff as I recover'.

It's a small injury, a couple of stitched-up slash wounds that Asuma refuses to overlook, insisting I can return to duty once they're removed. I think he's just being overly cautious but that's the kind of Sensei he is. He cares about me and the rest of the squad more than anything. Even if I don't want to be on medical leave, I should at least get to relax and enjoy it.

But again, no, so here I am, on one of the training grounds of the village. Twenty-seventh maybe? Or maybe twenty-eighth. I don't know, it's a big empty field giving me plenty of room to play around with my tricks and jutsus.

A long sigh spills out as I tug myself back up, standing straight so I can stretch out my arms. "This is going to be such a drag," I mumble to myself, instantly scrunching my face up in disgust when the last word tumbles out.

I'm spending too much time around the chief's son. I need more friends than Shika, Ino, and Chojo. I spend more than enough time with them on missions and training assignments, I don't need to spend my free time with them too.

Though, I've been spending a lot more time with Gai's mini-me. He's a funny guy, straightforward about almost everything, totally work-ethic driven, and competitive enough to put his sensei's competitiveness to shame. Lee is cute for how weird and unaware of a guy he is. His eyes interest me, how round and full they always seem to be.

My recent interest in the Taijutsu user has been the newest topic among team ten. Well, the newest topic for Ino to talk about. Chojo never knows what's going on and Shika only cares if Lee is being a 'gentleman'.

I think it's just Shika's chief-like worries filtering in now that we're getting older and the fate of him taking over for his father is a constant topic among the clan. I find it funny, how unbothered-ly worried he is, especially since Shika isn't much of a gentleman himself.

Ino is a bit pushy about the subject, with a million questions spilling from her after every hangout I have with Lee. She can be mean sometimes, sly comments filtering around me 'settling' or Lee's looks, along with poking at the lack of jutsus Lee uses.

     I'm happy with Lee, in whatever it is we are. The older boy is confusing sometimes, courtesy of his obliviousness. Nonetheless, I enjoy his company and the time we spend together, even if there isn't a title tacked on to it.

     However I'm hoping with Shika's date with Temari this weekend, Ino's focus will shift from my situation with Lee to the new romance blooming for our teammate.

As for Chojo, he's just oblivious to the world, almost on Lee's level. Every time, Ino's 'What did you and Lee do?' question is followed by Chojo's 'You’re friends with Lee?' question.

I shake my head at the thought of Chojo's dumb behavior, focusing back on my stretches. I sink to the ground, finishing out my stretches with my legs. I butterfly them, stretching out my hips and my lower back.

"You're not doing that right," Someone calls from behind me, startling me out of my blissful peace.

"This is going to suck," I mutter to myself, hanging my head backward to see my peace destroyer.

Lee's ears must have been ringing because here he is, standing behind me with his usual big smile. "Let me help you, Nara-San," he chirps, working his way around me.

     "Lee," I groan, shifting my weight to my hands. "I've been telling you for weeks to stop calling me that," I grumble, head flipping back up.

     "Well, what should I call you?" Lee asks, sitting across from me on the ground, eyes as round as ever as he looks at me.

     "I don't know. Anything but 'Nara-San'. That's what people call Shikamaru, not me."

     He sits on my request for a while, eyes slowly blinking at me as he's away in La-La-land. "So..." he starts, life finally back in his dead eyes now that he's present on Earth again. "You want a nickname?"

     "I mean," I start heat rising to my cheeks. It's embarrassing feeling like I asked Lee to give me a nickname. You don't ask for that, it's something that just happens. "That's not what I'm saying, but it's not - not what I'm saying, I guess."

     "I'm confused."

     "Me too," I mutter, dropping my eyes to the ground. Maybe I should have ignored Sensei and stayed home. Lee's obviousness tends to lead me to feel stupid about a lot of things. Mostly about whatever we are. Friends? More than friends? Companions? Hell if I know, and sure as hell if Lee knows.

     "I will think of a nickname. For now, let's fix your posture!" Lee cheers, leaning closer to me. "If you're not sitting straight your muscles won't stretch right," he explains, one of his hands pushing on my spine as the other one pushes my shoulder, forcing my spine to straighten.

     "Maybe I don't care," I answer back, rolling my eyes at the exercise nut.

     "Lotus-Chan!" He yelps, hands jumping from me to his chest. "Stretching is the most important part of exercising. If you don't stretch beforehand you can cause joint pain or even damage your muscles. If you don't stretch after you're more susceptible to injuries. Please tell me you stretch after your workouts."

     I stare at the boy, stuck on the quick-witted nickname. I can't tell if I like it or not. "I don't stretch afterward, no," I mumble, continuing to roll the nickname over. "Lee?"

     "Lotus-Chan?"

     My eyes flicker at the dumbness rolling off of Lee, my question sticking in my throat. He has to know what Chan means right? Or maybe he doesn't, he's pretty naive. "You're dumb," I finally squeeze out, shaking the situation out of my head as I stand up.

     Lee looks up at me, his bushy eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Why did you say that? Do you think I'm dumb, Lotus-Chan?"

     "Of course not, Lee. I'm just teasing," I answer back, patting his head to reassure him further. Despite the constant reminders, I somehow tend to forget how unaware he can be. "Kind of."

     "Kind of?" He asks, quickly climbing to his feet to stand next to me. "I do not understand."

     "Rocky?" I tease, throwing out my nickname for the dense shinobi.

     "My name is Rock, not Rocky."

     I sigh at the boy, my patience quickly running thin. "I know, Lee. It's a nickname."

     "Oh."

     "Give me your notebook," I order, reaching my hand out and wiggling my fingers at him.

     "Of course, Lotus-Chan!" He says in his usually overly peppy tone, saluting me before digging out his notebook.

     I take it from him, tugging out the pen clipped to the cover before flipping through the pages. I scrabble down a book recommendation, one of the many books littered around Asuma-Sensei's house: Are They Flirting? by Bashira Suzuki. I thought the book was pathetic at the time, but maybe it'll help Lee a bit.

     I tear the page out, tucking it into Lee's pocket before giving him back his stuff. "I wrote you a note."

     "I saw," he mutters, nodding his head as he focuses intensely on me.

     "It's a book I want you to read before we hang out again."

     "Why?"

     "Because I said so," I drag out the first word, walking away from the confused boy as I finish my sentence. "I think it'll help you."

     "Help me with what?" Rock asks, trailing after me as I walk further into the field.

     "Us," I mutter, getting embarrassed even though I know Lee won't take it in the way I mean it.

     "Oh, so it'll help me be a better friend. I shall do my best!" His arms pump to his sides, mind set on accomplishing the 'not actually a mission' I gave him.

     "Um, sure," I hum, smiling at the dumb boy who can't take a hint to save his life. "Hey, Lee?" I call, stopping in my tracks.

     "Yes, Lotus-Chan?" He calls back, falling still next to me.

     "Do you kiss all your friends?" I say, referring to the last time we hang out alone.

     During that night, we chilled at his apartment, like we usually do. Well, I chilled and Lee did hundred-something headstand push-ups. The night ended in a few kisses, five or six before I left. It was nice, but even more confusing.

     I've tried to talk to him about it, but the conversations usually end with me angry and Lee confused so I left it alone. It's hard talking to him sometimes and I sure as hell can't talk to Ino about the situation. Or Chojo. Shika usually just shrugs and tells me it 'sounds like a drag' so he's no help either.

     "No, just you," Rock answers, making me feel better. "Do you kiss your friends?"

     "Not usually," I answer, smiling at the dumbie I've fallen for. "Rocky?" I hum, settling on not working out today.

     "Lotus-Chan?"

     "I like you," I mutter, trying to confess again. Maybe it'll click this time. Maybe I should try harder to confuse my feelings but 'I love you' seems too strong at the moment and leaves just as much room for misunderstanding. 'I want to be your girlfriend' seems too straight forward though.

     "I like you too, you're a really good friend."

     "Dear Lord, Lee," I groan, before sighing through my nose. I know he's not doing it on purpose. Lee isn't the kind of person to mess with someone's emotions, but still. He can't possibly be this dumb. "I'm going home."

     "Oh, okay. I'll see you later, Lotus-Chan!"

     "Dumbie," I huff under my breath, storming away from the emotionally unintelligible shinobi. Maybe I should have said 'I want to be your girlfriend' instead. 

—————————————

     "I hate Lee," I mutter just loud enough for Shikamaru to hear.

     "No you don't," he corrects, chuckling at my empty words.

     "Feels like I do," I bite back, eyes trailing after Naruto who's stumbly dancing with Hinata in the yard.

     Lord Hyuga is away on a business trip so Neji and Hinata threw a small house party. Booze, buzz, and leaf shinobis galore. Hence, Shika and me on the porch as a buzzed Naruto dances with Hinata and a wasted Neji dances with Tenten.

     "It's just the alcohol in your system and the blood rushing to your head," Shikamaru continues, tugging me from my hunched-over position on the porch. "I don't know what you see in him in the first place."

     "He's nice," I answer, in search of my drink. The Nara prince shifts it back to me, palm cupping the opening so it's covered. "A little paranoid, aren't we?" I tease, sinking back to lying down, this time with my head in Shika's lap.

     "You can never be too careful," he mutters, fingertip repeatedly poking my forehead to try and piss me off.

     It's a common misconception that Shikamaru and me are a thing. We're close, mostly from the fact we're both from the Nara clan, which means we've grown up together. The closeness was only encouraged when we landed in the same squad.

     People aren't completely wrong. Shika and I have hooked up a few times; drunk stupors, long missions away from the village, and of course curious first times during our youthful days. Nothing ever came of it, of course, but that doesn't mean it never happened.

     "I don't think any of our friends are going to drug me."

     "You can never be too careful," he repeats before tugging my drink back out of my hands. Shika takes a swig of it before giving it back, too lazy to get up and grab himself another drink.

     "I hate Lee."

     "I hate Temari."

     "Shut up. You like her," I tease, poking his ribs with the bottle in my hold. "If you didn't you wouldn't have taken her on a date yesterday."

     "At least I can get a date," he mocks, flipping my hair into my face. "Miss 'why doesn't he like me back', 'why can't he see I like him', 'why can't he-"

     "Ya, ya, ya, I get your point, Shadow Boy," I groan, sitting up straight before finishing my drink. "I'm going to go get another one. You want one?"

     "Ya," he answers, watching as I stumble to my feet. Maybe Shika is right, maybe all my blood did go to my head. "Don't fall on your face."

     "Shut up, Jerk," I shoot back, gaining my balance before heading my way back inside.

     As I walk through the house, thoughts of Lee circle my head. More specifically, thoughts of our kisses. I want kisses. From him. Right now.

     My path switches from finding the drink coolers to finding the dumbie I haven't seen in a few days. It doesn't take long, he's in the lounge room, in the middle of an arm wrestling match with Kiba. I'm not surprised, the two most competitive shinobis of our generation are always testing each other. A group of people are around them, some that I know but most that I don't.

     Lee's laugh and Kiba's groan echo through the room, notifying me of the winner without having to look. People exchange money as I weasel through the small crowd, some pretty happy and others a bit huffy from their losses.

     "Hi," I say, once I fall in front of his view.

     "Hello, Nara-San!" He calls back, a smile on his face as he looks at me.

     "Stop calling me that. I don't like it," I whine, shifting closer. I snuggly fit myself between his knees, fingers curling into his hair as I rest my face on top of his head. "I like it when you call me Lotus-Chan."

     I shouldn't be saying that I shouldn't be standing here, I shouldn't be talking to Lee because he pisses me off beyond belief. But I can't help it. I feel good and I want nothing but his attention right now.

     "You do? You seemed pretty mad last time we talked."

     Dumb, dumber, and dumbest. "That's not why I was mad," I mutter, a bit upset that Rock won't touch me back. "Rocky?"

     "Lotus-Chan?" He calls back, a bit cautious as he looks up at me.

     My hands slide from his hair down to cup his face. "That's me," I hum out, setting my forehead against his. "And you, my dear ninja, are a dumbie."

     "Why am I a dumbie?" Lee asks, his already big eyes going even bigger as he stares up at me.

     "Because you're not touching me. You're really dense. You have a drunk girl clinging to you and you won't even touch me. Why won't you touch me back, Lee?" Even with the alcohol in my system, I feel stupid when the words dribble out.

     "It's not right to touch a drunk person. They can't properly consent," he answers, head tilted in confusion.

     "Oh my Lord, Rock Lee," I mutter, climbing into his lap. His eyes go wide again as I shift myself around, letting my legs hang as my arms wrap around his neck. "I want kisses, and your hands around my waist, and your attention. I'm not asking you to fuck me. That'll just confuse me even more."

     "Oh, well you can have that any time you want," he says, his hands resting on my waist before gently squeezing me. "Why would... um... intercourse confuse you more? What are you confused about?"

"Us," I whisper, dusting kisses across his cheeks and nose. "Do you like me? Do you not?"

"Of course I do. If I didn't like you we wouldn't be friends."

"Dumbie," I repeat, rolling my eyes at the dense man under me. "I like you in a not friend way."

"Then what way do you like me?" Lee asks, his face starting to go red as his body heat rises.

"I like you in an 'I want to be your girlfriend' way," I answer, pecking his lips as I scoot closer to him. "I like you in a 'we should find an empty room to make out in' way," I continue, pecking his lips again before climbing out of his lap.

"Oh... oh!" Lee says, quickly shooting up after me. "I don't... I wasn't - "

"Ya, I know," I cut him off, taking hold of his hand before leading him out of the room, in search of any sort of privacy. I want kisses and I want kisses now.

"I got the book you told me to get," Lee says as he trails after me.

"And you haven't read it yet?" I state more than I ask, the answer is very obvious from the last couple of minutes.

"No, not yet. I'll do twenty laps around the village to make it up to you."

"Or you could just make out with me," I mutter, pushing a door open. There's a bed and no other people, good enough for me.

"I shall do both." I don't even have to look at him to know he's got that determined look in his eye and his head is nodding in agreement with himself.

I tug us into the room, closing the door behind us before plopping on the bed. "Come here," I call, tapping the spot next to me. Rock does as I ask, settling stiffly in the bed next to me. "Rocky?"

"Lotus-Chan?"

"Do you like me back or do you still like Sakura?" The question hurts to ask but I want to know the answer.

It hurts even more watching as Lee looks down at me, no answer coming from him. "I still like Sakura." The answer hurts, making me feel sober and sad for a second. "I like kissing you though, I just..."

"Think of Sakura when we kiss?" Why do I keep asking questions I know are going to hurt me? Why was I wrong about Lee not being the kind of person to play with my emotions? Why did I spend so much time believing he was just naive? Why didn't I see him friend-zoning me so much?

"Ya." Silence falls between us, filling the air with heaviness as I think about the answers I got back.

"Neji told me sometimes people will kiss and such without liking each other. If I knew you liked me I wouldn't have kissed you back the other day. I thought we both didn't like each other and we just... kissed sometimes." The explanation hurts even more, just further proving to me Lee really is a nice guy and that we just suck at communicating. "I'm sorry, Lotus-Chan."

"Just call me Nara-San," I whisper, focusing on the ceiling.

I can feel Lee's eyes on me, staring down at me. "I really am sorry."

"Please leave." Lee stays put for a second, eyes still on me for a beat before he does as I ask, leaving me alone in the room with my heart ache. Why does he have to be so nice? Why does he have to be so dense? So dumb?

After a couple of minutes of heartache and tears, I drag myself out of bed, my mind set on washing away the night, the moment with Lee, his answers to my questions. My goal is set on washing out any inkling of Lee from my mind. He never existed.

"Shika?" I call, scanning the lounge for him.

My heart stings when my eyes land on Lee cozying up to Sakura. I can't bring myself to be mad at him. It's not his fault I fell for him, it's not his fault I didn't communicate better, it's not his fault we didn't talk about our expectations after we first kissed.

"You called?" Shikamaru's voice rings out from next to me. I turn to look at him, his face instantly scrunching up as he looks at me. "Are you... were you crying?"

"Um... if I say no, can you leave it alone until the morning?"

His face scrunches up more, scanning the room of people before settling on me again. "That depends on whether you were hurt or not."

"Physically, no. Mentally, kind of."

"Kind of?"

"Kind of," I repeat, walking away to finish my original reason for reentering the house.

"You can't just say that and then walk away," he calls after me, gripping my wrist as he follows behind me.

The coolers fall into my view, my salvation for my recked night. Shikamaru stays quiet but keeps his hold on me as I kneel, pulling out two drinks. I hold one between my legs, snapping open the other one before chugging it.

"Wow, wow, wow!" Shika calls, trying to grab the drink from me. "Maybe let's slow down."

I shift away from him, finishing my drink before handing the empty bottle to him. "Two things," I start, popping open the second drink before taking a swig. "First, that was terrible but at least it'll hit me quicker."

"Well no shit," he mocks, a smug smile on his face as he rolls his eyes at me. Despite his cockiness, he takes the bottle from me as he eyes the second one in my hand.

"Second, if I asked you to fuck me, would you say no because of your date with Temari?"

"Christ, was your hookup with Lee that bad?" He mocks, making tears form in the corners of my eyes. "Oh shit, I didn't... I'm sorry." His words are rushed, panic on his face from accidentally making me upset again.

"Rock Lee still likes Sakura," I mumble the confession, embarrassment, and sadness filling my chest. How could I be so blind to the situation I was in?

"And I'm still single," Shika says, hand sliding down to tangle with my fingers. His head dips down, pressing against the side of my head as he whispers in my ear. "Let's go find a room."

———————————————————————

———————————————————————

[ukokunet]

Doumeki's Tattoo (chapter 51)

Apologies if just the title is a spoiler (I tried with the tags 😭), but I wanted to share my speculative information on Doumeki's tattoo, so folks outside discord could see it too.

As most folks know, Yakuza sometimes get elaborate tattoos called irezumi, usually on the back and arms, which mark them out as outsiders from society. I'm not going to go into the techniques and history here, that stuff is easy to find with a search of course. I'm just going to look at the content of the tattoo.

Source: my useless college degree, and my irl pals in the tattoo industry.

First I'll add: "Doumeki has a secret tattoo" was definitely something speculated by the fandom. Good job, everyone. 👍

We don't get to see a complete image of Doumeki's new ink, we only see a couple flashes under his shirt, and one larger panel of the "reveal". It's basically a swirl of motifs (you can find people posting it on the terrible-bluebird-site if you haven't seen). I think it's shown this way because Yashiro wouldn't really "see" any specific image or theme, and would only see a mishmash of typical fancy Yakuza-esque motifs. That's the point between our boys, of course, since it "proves" Doumeki is a "real" Yakuza and can never go back to "normal" life.

The motifs we see are: • a long thin snake or dragon • peacock feathers • edges of swirling robes on a (maybe feminine?) humanoid • a lotus With a traditional irezumi tattoo, the image choice is somewhat picked by the artist, and then discussed with the recipient. (I think the idea is they're supposed to be "inspired" by the "sense" of the individual.) Normally, Yakuza want images that enhance their tough-guy image, of course. Buddhist themes, along with other traditional cultural symbols like koi, sakura, and samurai, are very typical choices for tattoos.

• The lotus is a standard symbol in Buddhist images. Many Buddhist deities are depicted either sitting on or holding a lotus.

• Dragons are of course common for tattoos, and would be appropriate for a tough-guy, but we don't see any claws/horns/heads etc here, plus the body is very long and thin. Therefore I think this is a snake and not a dragon. There are various uses of Buddhist snake symbols.

• Robes would of course indicate a Buddhist deity if the rest of the theme is Buddhist, as opposed to some other humanoid like a samurai or kabuki figure. Some readers felt there was a feminine quality to the figure though maybe that's hard to tell.

• Peacock feathers are the most interesting point here. They are indeed a symbol used in Buddhist art. Naturally we all expected bird themes for Saezuru. But specifically peacock ones really narrow down the image, I think.

My conclusion is this tattoo features Kujaku Myōō (孔雀明王), known as Mahamayuri in Sanskrit. She is a Wisdom King, a class of protective deities, and she is generally depicted as female. She rides a peacock and holds a feather in one hand, and a lotus in another (and other symbolic objects). Peacocks eat snakes, and therefore symbolize protection from poison, both literal and spiritual. Kujaku Myōō is invoked for the removal of poison and pain.

Interestingly, most Wisdom Kings are depicted in "wrathful" aspect, looking like angry demons; Fudō Myōō is a popular deity in Japan and would be a very typical tattoo choice, especially for a tough-guy. But Kujaku Myōō is always shown in "merciful" aspect with a peaceful loving face.

All of this is very interesting to consider for Doumeki. It's perfectly possible that Doumeki himself would not actually be familiar with any of this symbolic meaning, and not be intending to mean anything in particular outside "I'm a dedicated Yakuza". It's also possible that Yoneda-sensei also doesn't mean anything so specific, but only picked the motifs for more vague reasons ("peacocks are birds"). We'll have to wait to see as the plot unfolds. But even as a happy accident, we have a great symbol for Doumeki, don't we?

(I'll also note, there seems to be a hiccup in the timeline. Doumeki's back was partly revealed several chapters ago and there was no tattoo. But not enough time has passed realistically to get such a large one. So either (a) they didn't know how long tattoos actually take to get, or (b) they forgot to draw it on that panel. A mistake either way, but let's just pretend we didn't see it, okay?)

[zorobae]

just finished watching opla and I enjoyed it tremendously! I've heard of one piece but never watched or read it, so I went in blind with opla. and it made me a fan! I absolutely love the strawhat crew! luffy is so precious and best boy, zoro got my heart, nami is one hell of girl, usopp grows on you, and sanji just cracked me up! and the bond between luffy and zoro in opla is just *chef's kiss* (I kinda lowkey ship them...). the opla makes me want to dive in the anime next but the number of eps scares me LOL!

Hello there~

This is amazing! ^-^ Easily one of the best things that's coming out of this live action adaptation is that it makes new people become fans of One Piece and even give the anime or manga a try. As a longtime One Piece fan, it just makes me happy to know our fandom is growing. One Piece looks f-cking ridiculous at first sight, I get it, but it actually has so much to say. Its longevity is absolutely earned.

You know, you're talking to someone who ships Zoro and Luffy quite hard xD I'm not exaggerating when I say they have the healthiest, possibly strongest and most meaningful bond that any two characters have in the story. And we get to see so much of it. Their understanding and devotion is just on another level. In fact, there are things that the live action left out which make certain events in the future more meaningful/emotional. Though I'm curious how they're gonna adjust the story to keep a similar effect, so to say...

To be honest, I would recommend the manga rather than the anime anyway. The anime contains a lot of filler material which can range from elongating scenes to entire arcs that aren't canon. You might want to see certain scenes from the manga in anime form but you can just go ahead and do that after you've read it. There are more than 1000 episodes and also more than 1000 chapters but trust me, it doesn't take 20 minutes to read one chapter so you'll be able to catch up with the manga much sooner than with the anime. The number may seem daunting but it really isn't when you're reading it. Plus, seeing Oda-sensei's art improve over the decades is a joy. You can read all available chapters on the official shueisha site here. (Or you can download the mangaplus by shueisha app.) You can only read each chapter once for free, though, so do keep that in mind. If you do decide to read it, I would love to know if your opinion on any of the strawhats will possibly change and what you think of ZoLu's bond in the manga~