#wait does this mean that for the rest of the manga's continuation is going to be about Kafka's friends fighting to get his humanity back?

[mechazushi]

I....I just....

🎶Blood on my shirt, heart in my hands... Still beating.....🎶

In all seriousness, I have some questions.

Dragon line??!?!?!!! (In the translation that I've found which I will take all translations with a grain of salt now) it say that Kafka's little pet was left to marinate in a dragon line. Is that implying that there are different lines of energy in the earth that mutate organic material into different kaiju?

Related to that. ARE WE SERIOUSLY GETTING THE SPIDERMAN 2 VENOM LEVEL UP!?!??!? I am going to be seriously disappointed if this rebirth doesn't give Kafka wings. (And if we DO and it looks f*ckin dragonFLY shaped, I'm going to go nuts. In a bad way. Unless they're the length of tokyo tower or something, then I might be okay. )

Anyway, with that out of the way, some personal feelings.

*God I am in inner turmoil right now over Kafka. On one hand, I do love a fit man AND he is in the military so he does have to trim up a little bit, but on the other I am mourning over the loss of the spare tire. Justice for Beer Belly ✊ Either way, gotta love it when a man bleeds from the face, it's so hot.

*The moment where Kafka kneels down to pet the f*cking larval kaiju and empathizes with it !🥰😘💘💝💖💕❣ Kafka, you adorable man, there's isn't anything that isn't friend shaped in your eyes, is there. (I am aware that it's not going to happen, but it would be hilarious if he could ride that thing into battle)

*For a split second there, I thought he suddenly developed Narumi's hair highlights. Now I wanna know what Kafka would look like with Narumi's dye job.

*About the lack of Mina in that "Breaking Friend's promises" part, I have a little bit of a theory for that. 1) Matsumoto, now that he knows he has an anime, is planning on letting Production I.G. carry Mina's weight. What I mean is that he's writing scenes with the intention that Production is going to edit it later and add more scenes after the manga panels release, so he's just going to imply what's supposed to be there and have us wait for the scene to get fully fleshed out. So Mina is going to show up alongside Hoshina/Reno/Kikoru, but only when the chapter gets animated. 2) Kafka/Mina have some weird restrictions on how they regard each other relationship-wise. Lately, I've been wondering if Kafka doesn't consider himself to be Mina's friend anymore because he's not by her side and inadvertently broke their first promise by not showing up. So now he's only going to start to see himself as her friend once he fulfills that promise again and is by her side. (even though at this point, I think Mina's would just be happy he's still alive and would prefer him to be himself)

Either way; Called it, not sure if I'm happy about it, hope to see Kafka with a new Kaiju form (hopefully with a tail and maybe some wings) And, uhhh....

Damn, that's rough, buddy.

@iceclew Hey, saw you like this already, but unfortunately I panicked posted without fully fleshing out the post. So I tagged you so you could check out the full thoughts okaysorrybye.

Oh, BOY! There's a new chapter out?!?!? Let's see what going on,!

Shall we?

[deelavis]

WAIT WAIT WAIT, I just need to point something out that I noticed while doing visual research for drawing Mello with his gun.

Buckle in, this was supposed to be a short thought about the narrative use of trigger discipline but now there is extensive image research.

If you don't know about the concept of trigger discipline, it basically means that when holding a gun your finger should be resting outside of the trigger guard and should only be on the trigger of a gun if you actually intend on shooting what it's pointed at, at that moment.

While I was looking for ref of Mello holding his gun the first thing I noticed was that he has HORRENDOUS trigger discipline, I mean look at this.

Pretty much every instance, even in promotional art when his gun is at his side, he has his finger on the trigger. I thought it must just be a character choice with the amount of guns that are drawn in this series. Even when Halle is in the shower (bottom right image) he keeps his finger on the trigger. I also use the top right example with Halle, as this is the second she walks in the door. BUT THEN I saw this post and noticed...

is his finger in the trigger guard???

Proportionally it is quite ambiguous in this shot. However even if his finger is inside the guard what strikes me is also how the other instances we see Mello with his gun he is choked up on the trigger. Though when pointed at Near, his grip is quite loose. Let's start from the beginning of the sequence.

We first see Mello on page 126, if you are unfamiliar with the manga, at this point Mello and Halle have been in contact for a week. They are tenuous allies. When Mello moves his gun away he keeps his finger on the trigger, this will be an important point for later.

Next page, Halle has entered the shower. Mello continues to keep his finger on the trigger of his gun, even though he knows Halle is unarmed.

2 pages later, Mello still has his finger firmly on the trigger. This is one of the best shots of his gun that we get in the manga and is quite indicative of how we see him handling his gun throughout the story. Also we can see the safety, the small switch above his thumb, is set to off.

I'm going to skip ahead but note that between Pg. 129 and Pg. 135 we see Mello enter the SPK headquarters with his gun on Halle. He has his finger on the trigger the whole time.

After Near asks Geovanni and Rester to lower their guns, Mello does as well. But for the first time we also see him place his finger outside the guard.

Now the moment when he turns his gun to Near. While his finger is in the guard, ready to pull the trigger when he points his gun at Near, something that struck me was how differently his hand is drawn in these few panels. As you saw previously, Mello normally has his finger curled tightly around the trigger of this gun, even when at his side. However in the first panel of Pg. 137, I wasn't even sure if he had his finger in the trigger guard with how it is drawn. It isn't until the final 2 panels that we see him tighten his grip. I find this to be a very interesting departure from the rest of the times we see Mello using his gun.

Finally, after Halle breaks them apart and Mello lowers his gun we see him actually use trigger discipline!!! For the rest of the scene!!! Regardless of your shipping preferences, I find this to be an incredible detail in how Mello behavior shifts around Near. While Near seems to make him fly off the handle emotionally, he also shows an increase in care with his weapon when around him. Another fun little drawing detail to notice (and another reason I find these choices to be intentional) you can see in the final panel of the last example that the safety of the gun is now engaged, while in all the other panels it was not. For reference, Mello uses a Beretta 92FS Sword Cutlass pistol, though stylistically it seems to be based off of Benvolio's Taurus PT99 AFS from Romeo + Juliet, right down to the cross hanging from the handle! This shows an incredible level of detail when it comes to the handling of guns in the manga.

Listen I know I've got yaoi brain worms, so if anyone has any other examples of Mello using trigger discipline I would love to see them!

[lightlycareless]

I was on Twitter/X and saw someone mention why Naoya is popular among Japanese fans and a big reason apparently is that he speaks in a cutesy dialect that’s only used by girls. And that it’s the kind of way of speaking where girls can insult you and it’s hard to be offended. And now I can only imagine Y/N reacting to this grown man insulting her in this cute dialect 🤭

Heya anon!!!

Yessssss! I quite recently saw a Tiktok talking about that and thought it was really unexpected, but cute at the same time? Ironic for sure too… guess it explains how he got so popular since even the author has called him a total jerk 😂

Unfortunately, I don’t know much about Kansai dialect, nor think there’s an equivalent to it in English, so I’m guiding myself with how it was translated in the manga, and perhaps my delusions too 😏 in order to write the following.

warnings: none.

The first time you notice his peculiar way of speaking would be when you met him many, many years ago, in jujutsu high. Everything about him was highly enthralling, from his appearance to his background, but when he opened his mouth…

Your curiosity ramped up to even higher levels, longing to know everything about him, as well as see the extent of his “cutesy” talk.

And boy, does it not disappoint.

It would happen unexpectedly one day. Let’s say that after a bunch boring classes you eventually grew very hungry and tired. So, after deciding you were long overdue for a break (and because you hadn’t prepared anything beforehand) you head over to the cafeteria to get something to eat and rest.

… a big mistake, because soon after you finish eating, you begin to feel sick, stomach twisting and churning, to the point you don’t think yourself capable of continuing with the rest of your classes.

Naoya is amongst the few that (vividly) notices your extended absence, and while he will never admit it out loud, he was worried that something bad happened to you, thus, he roamed across the school grounds in hopes of finding you.

When he does, you’re sitting by one of the benches, tightly holding onto your stomach as you debate whether to die there or die on the way to the infirmary.

“What’s wrong with you?” Naoya bluntly asks.

“I…. I think I ate something spoiled.” You whimper, barely able to look him in the eye.

“Does your tummy hurt or something?”

“Yes, it’s awful, it’s like I’m being—my what?” you blink—did you hear that right?

“Your tummy.” He repeats, oblivious to your reaction, far more preoccupied with your health. “Does it hurt?”

“My… tummy…?” A smile begins to part your lips, and suddenly, your pain is all but forgotten. “Did you say tummy??”

“I… I did….?” Naoya says, flustered and unsure whether this is something good or not to admit.

He soon finds the answer.

“How adorable!!” you gush, and by now, Naoya is red as a tomato—because he clearly doesn’t want to be seen as adorable by his crush!

“I said stomach!! I meant to say stomach!!” He rushes to defend himself, but it’s too late now, he’s already admitted to the crime.

“Noooo, you said tummy!!” you continue to jest. “My thummy wurts vewy, vewy, bad Naoya-kun…”

“Ugh, you can die out here for all I care…”

“No, wait Naoya!” you gasp, quickly standing up and reaching for me. “Can you at least accompany me to the infirmary? I’ll forget about this, I swear!”

Of course, you don’t let this go so easily, in fact, when the two start dating you continue teasing him about it—but you just couldn’t help it!! It just comes to him so naturally, you had to bring it up anytime you could, you know?

“Why are you upset? Did daddy get mad at you again?” you ask.

“Yes! That old man can’t keep himself out of my—wait, no—don’t call him daddy!” Naoya stammers, you giggle. He’s not ignorant to the times he’s condescendingly referred to Naobito with a that “nickname”, yet it didn’t mean he’d like to hear you calling him that as well!

“Why? Do you prefer I’d call you daddy?”

His breath hitches, something igniting inside him.

“…Not here.”

“Ok” you smile. “I won’t call you daddy, then, daddy. Wouldn’t want you to get angry at me.”

“… keep instigating me, princess, and I won’t reward you later tonight.”

I think the more you delve into this aspect of his, the more you find it adorable, to the point where you find his words a bit less serious; however, you’d eventually grow accustomed to it, and maybe even adopted some mannerisms of your own 🤭

I know you were referring to Naoya insulting Y/N but honestly I have no idea how it would be... I'm as dry as dry can get when it comes to it :'( but I still hope you were able to enjoy this small scenario! Gotta say, watching him say daddy in the manga was unexpected, but got me thinking what other things he'd say in that way, you know?

ironically, I think he might be the best when talking to children because of that—when he's not being his tsundere/rude self.

Anyways, thank you so much for sending in this ask!! I can't wait to hear how his voice sounds when it's finally animated, I hope they're able to keep his dialect and see what the fuss is all about 🤭😂

Take care, and hope to see you soon!! ❤️❤️

[peace-for-levi]

golden hour

{sometimes i get ideas for drabbles that aren't long enough to be chapters, or oneshots. this was going to be a side chapter/drabble of morgen, but i didn't like where it was headed so i rewrote it. pls accept my garbage, i wrote this in ~45 mins}

cw: i have projected!!!!!! my abandonment issues onto levi lmao. anxiety, trauma, very slight possessiveness (but not to the point it's unhealthy) references to smut from the night prior. so mdni! finale pt. 1/manga spoilers!!!

w/c: 1201

taglist: @levmada @poisonpeche @jayteacups @happybird16 @theferricfox @sckerman @whattheheckmidoriya @notgoodforlife @anlian-aishang @unadulteratedtreecrusade @nelapanela94 (i honestly forget who's in my taglist??)

Levi Ackerman doesn't know peace. He is a man most acquainted with strife and sacrifice.

The void left in his heart after the Rumbling is gaping and steep. It pulls him into the dark, with little hope of anything good ever happening. Maybe he doesn't deserve it; maybe he isn't meant to have nice things. That's what the cynical side of him says. But then again, cynicism was all he ever had. Negativity, doubt... As a soldier, he always had to err on the side of caution.

So the idea of you laying in his arms, flush to his bare chest, is something so foreign to him. Levi can hardly believe his eyes.

Sunlight filters through the windows, casting rays and lighting up the room. Shining on you, he finally takes you -- and all your wonder -- in and he breathes easy.

He pulls you closer. Where is the next threat? When, even?

This is too good to be true.

You stir in his embrace and he relaxes, allowing you to fidget and stretch as needed. Your dewy and damp hair from last night clings to your forehead. Dirt doesn't repulse him too much anymore, he thinks. Well, not if it's you. He flicks the stray hairs dangling in your eyes away, and blows the rest away gently. Now he sees you.

He gasps when you smile in your hazy state, snuggling closer.

"Mornin'," you sigh.

"Mm." He doesn't mean for it to come across as a grunt. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

The gravelly baritone of his morning voice sends shivers down your spine. "Ohhhhh yeah."

It would be hard not to sleep well after last night, but he will stay on alert. He had his night of fun. Now it's time to get back to business. But what business does he have left? The teashop? It's closed today. Maybe cleaning the kitchen. Oh wait, you did a spring clean of it last night.

He sighs, heavily. It's hard to go from always having a task to do, to nothing at all. He can't lose his edge, it's too soon. It's barely been a few years. If he loses his edge, what happens then? What if you slip through his fingers? What if you realize that your time could be spent elsewhere, fulfilling whatever dreams you may have?

Not that he'd stop you, it's just…

I just don't have anyone else, he thinks, selfishly.

He must stay alert and aware all the time. He gave into desire last night when he could have been doing something more productive. If you continued to see how good he was, you'd continue to need him, hopefully. He needed you to rely on him, to need him, so that way, you'd always come back to him and you'd be in his life.

"You're shaking."

He's snapped out of his toxic train of thoughts. "Hmm?"

"When you tense your muscles, though it's faint, you shake, and…" you lean in closer, ear to his chest, "well, I feel it a lot more since I'm right next to you."

He sweeps his hand to cradle your head, wanting to keep you there.

"Sorry, guess I'm just…"

You peek up at him. "Just what?"

"Tch… Just forget it."

You blink owlishly. Sheesh, you only wanted to open a line of communication with him. But even after all those years, even when (an unsteady) peace between Eldia and Marley was established, he keeps his walls up. He doesn't know that it's okay to start taking down those bricks, however slow or long it may take him to.

The birds are chirping a song outside, perched on the sill. You smile softly, listening. "Do you hear them?"

"Yeah."

You try to wiggle out of his arms. "Relax, and listen to them. They're trying to talk to us, maybe." You search for his eyes.

"Yeah, they say you need a shower."

Despite his joke, his pupils are trained on the door into the hall of your shared apartment. The poor man, is all you think; a tortured soul who's not used to reprieve and doesn't know how to accept the rest he deserves. Always on the lookout.

You shimmy out entirely of his grasp and sit up. Though faint, you don't miss the bit of resistance he put up. You purse your lips in thought. Coax him out of it. That's always been your go-to method of trying to get him to open up.

A small nudge in the right direction.

"Last night was fun."

He had started to hum with the birds up until then. He peers back and he turns fully to face you. "Good, I'm glad. I feel the same."

"So feel it," you insist. "I think you don't allow yourself to enjoy the nice things in life."

He scoffs, in denial. "I'd hardly consider this a pleasant "morning after" experience."

"Not when you keep yourself so guarded and cagey, no."

Whatever scoff or smirk he tried to force fell flat. He averts his gaze, sensing a lecture. But when you move to ruffle his slowly thinning hair, his milky and grey eyes find yours. You smile sadly at the grey hairs you spot.

"I'm fine, I'm okay, Levi. You don't need to worry about me, ever. So rest. It's just us, now."

He scoffs, again, and turns his back to you. You flop down and trace the pads of your fingers over his muscles. You trace every scar and blemish; every cut and piece of skin so torn, it can hardly repair itself back to "normal."

He's always been the most human of the lot, and the most scarred (in more ways than one.) He carries the scars with him. The anguished fallen, the courageous subordinates he never got to apologize to. He carries them with him. Like how he carries his former squad, Erwin and Hange.

"Put down your swords now, Levi, the war is over. Take off the armour, too, that shit gets heavy."

He swallows thickly. "What about you? What if you're ever in danger? With my body like this, I ca–"

"Leave the sword at your feet, then. Pick it up when you need to," you soothe. You lean down to kiss him. When his shoulders creak, you giggle. "See, you're getting old! We should resting now."

I just can't be alone. Not after everything that's happened, he thinks.

"'We'," he parrots. "What about when you get bored living with a cripple?"

What will I do when you leave me?

"Well, no one else can make Sunday morning pancakes like you!"

He smiles for the first time now, his lips curling with bliss. He has to internally fight the urge to tense. "Don't make it out that pancakes are an achievement… Then again, I have never seen someone so god-awful at flipping."

He rolls onto his back now. You lower a hand to his scarred, pallid cheek. You smooth a thumb under his milky eye. As gently as you can manage, you sink back into his arms.

"So as long as you'll have me, I won't be leaving any time soon."

You don't miss the thick swallow and the trembling lips.

"I'm staying right here, 'Vi."

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ rbs and comments always appreciated!! ♡

[mysterybooks-world]

Guys, I need information about UnderTale Multiverse

If you know of a site, a video about this information would be appreciated

My questions

1)How many balances are in UnderTale Multiverse

I know there is a balance between creation and Destruction

Balance between positive and negative feelings

A balance between life and death

I think there is a fourth balance. I don't know where I read it but tell me if I'm wrong>

2) Is there some kind of council system for creators or gods?

3) And who is Caos and Void and Feelings and Merci

I read the story on Wattpad by Zero Time Void

New "Brother" for Nightmare (Reincarnated as Dream)

4) How does Fresh Sans talk way? I mean how we spoke in Fresh's style

I read a lot of UnderTale Multiverse fanfiction

How deity is the evil person always ruled by they power and greed

calling them deity or fate but I Just call them all deity

how they treat their ink and their error is bad

And their treatment they Owns Multiverse like a game

I think there was one fanfiction deity is good

We all saw their fate on fanfiction

ink or error Kill deity.

or They were exiled From the rest or from their siblings

Or like a story (I Became the Forced God of Creation) by @Lxzaruss on wattpad page execution [10]

I ask because I want to write a story fanfiction about deity

I was thinking of making deity a Y/n aka the reader

Like born again as deity of the UnderTale Multiverse

But I changed my mind

if you are interested in this idea, take it.

I need information on UnderTale Multiverse Lore for my story

My story was inspired by Manga(No Place for the Fake Princess)

Anyway, My story begins at the beginning

a Young deity found a book about About them

How did they end?

They died because of ink and how happy they all were in deity death

At first, they were angry about the ending and wanted to know the writer But the book shined Show them all the other deities And how they all chose the same path of Choose power, greed, and control torture & misuse & oppress & mistreat & abuses on their Multivers.

How each of their endings is worse than the other

the Young deity realized that they had to choose another path in order to avoid this fate of they story

So they started planning And training & were on a journey of discovering themselves.

deity were creating their own character

They were thinking of making a barrier on their Multiver

something special about barrier No one can enter or leave without their permission

Except some cases that I will explain later

fate & Destiny & Life and death or Supreme Council

They can't enter or see what's going on Multiver

Only phone that deity left for them to continue With them

They tried to contact deity a lot and sent messages But they did not respond

they give up And they decided to wait

while deity Choose a name for themselves

their name is Neo

Neo - This Greek name means "new" or "young" and can represent a new chapter in one's life.

Neo is gender-neutral.

(note)They really don't care what you call them

They decided to make a body skeleton

they outfit is theme sorcerer & witch

Not my art

-They don't like dress or skirt

wear a long scarf

Sometimes they wear cloak with scarf -Sometimes they wear cloak withou scarf

glasses and Sometimes the style of glasses changes -Always wear a hat

While their hairstyle is like this

Not my art

Their hair is white And on the ends of the hair are light rainbow colors like this

Sometimes the ends of their hair change color of colors and shades of colours

Neo pupils change shape and color like ink

-Neo power Like all human's magic and monsters' magic

-They used a big paint brush In a fight like ink And ride brush like a witch's broom.

They have similar powers to Glyph Magic from (The Owl House)

After they made their body

Neo checks their appearance in mirrors.

deity's Personality is Different from before

Neo Personality

a Bookworm

Neo love to write their stories on a typewriter

has different hobbies

Be a calm person or a fun person

loves everything sweet And sometimes bitter

mysteriousperson

-sometimes their behavior is like a mix between Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter)& Rafiki (The Lion King) and Merlin (The Sword In The Stone)

now it's time to raise ink

Before he woke up from his sleep

Neo Check his soul and put a kind of protector system in ink soul so No one could harm his soul Or control it And give him the ability to hide his feelings and his soul

When ink wake up In front of him he met a monster skeleton

In the beginning, Neo had to teach ink baby steps

Teach him how to Used his abilities and learn about all balance in the Multiver and AUS

ink started calling Neo mama or mom

Neo doesn't mind ink call them mama or mom

in Doodle Sphere Neo sing to ink: a million dreams from (the greatest showman )

Neo created a breathtaking view

Neo made in Doodle Sphere Anyone who enters They feel safe and have inner peace

Neo made a mansion

Instead of hanging AUS paper on a string They made the AUS Books in the library in the mansion

The Library name call the AUS library

Here are some ideas for how their home is

Neo cared about Error When he first wake up in the Anti-Void

Like ink, Neo taught him and told him about his role the destroyer and the all balance in the Multiver and AUS

Error only got destroyed once, twice

Error is comfortable with Neo and ink

Neo Changed some of the things in Dreamtale au

in Dreamtale Neo Made gaster The greatest skeleton wizard

The one who fell in love Nim the guardian of the Tree of feelings

And instead of Nim who get hurt at is gaster. He sacrificed his life for the person he loves

Nim quickly caught his soul Before he disappeared and she Unite her soul with gaster.

Nim used gaster dust to make two skeletons monsters And their name is Dream and nightmare.

gaster became like a spirit

Both Dream and nightmare were raised by their parents Although one of them is spirit.

Just let's say When the villagers came They will pay for their actions if they don't change.

I read it once in fanfiction

If Dream and nightmare ate their apple at the same time

dream will have wings like Swap Dream form while nightmare will have a corrupted form

They can return to their normal form if they want to.

some AUS changed because of Neo

Neo save the other gaster And others from the Void

Neo They can speak with fresh in his accent

Neo Multivers was a perfect balance And harmony

Remember when I said about the barrier here the first case

ink and fresh With voices Check the basement of a mansion

They found a machine like a strange machine behind the curtain in UnderTale

When they messed with it

They brought by mistake another Multiverse ink and Error

They were both confused But when They paid attention to each other

They were both in combat mode But they were confused again when they realized they couldn't use their powers

Yes, you can't use your magic here without my permission

Both Ink and Error looked at the sorcerer & witch skeleton.?

After talking to them

At first, they were afraid and anxious about Neo When they know that they are the deity of this Multiverse

Let's say they didn't like it their deity

But with time Neo Change their mind And they were both shocked When they checks the Balance was perfect And they all live in peace.

Neo bakes a Chocolate pie for them

ink and Error did feel a little jealous and envious at that

They wished their Multiverse was like this one, maybe then, things would have turned out differently.

ink was surprised When Neo gave him His own soul

ink was really happy because he could feel real feelings while Error All his scars and bruises disappeared When Neo moved their hand in front of Error's face.

They were happy.

meanwhile the other Multiverse

the council Follow the deity

Destiny was worried about her child aka Error

When she tried to find her ink and Error

She finds their place but cannot enter or see what is happening inside

She asked for an appointment with this Multiverse council To return what is hers

the Destiny of Neo send a message on phone to Neo

Neo replied and said they will come

On the day of its council meeting

The others were shocked From this deity's appearance and behavior of this Multiverse

After talking

Neo put their finger on their chin as they thought Then Neo said

hey fate Can you tell me What is the rule 7610 of the humans

fate: Protection Against Abuse: RA 7610 provides protection for children against physical and psychological abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development

exactly, So sorry lady deity But ink and Error will stay with me

deity screamed in anger, cursing them and saying how dare Neo take what was hers

Neo: first They are not objects that you can own them

secondly: I think it's time for them to make the decision instead of us

Neo snapped their fingers And a microphone appeared

While a large screen appeared both ink and Error

Neo: Ladies and gentlemen I am making the offer for the two of special guests

ink and Error You have three choices

First choice: To be free from deity

You are both free from your work, both creative and destructive

Second choice: the revenge

all the harm and punishment And torture that deity Caused you both and all of your comrades

deity will be treated the same as they treat you. deity will suffer all this dozens of times Until death.

Third choice: change

if both of you chose Third option.

she will lose their position as the deity and Drop her level

the ownership of this Multiverse well Be mine

the only way If she wants her position as deity again If your council approves your return.

The one who broke the silence was deity And she was ready to attack Neo After a short fight

holds her down with chains of plants Neo

Error: You know what, ink the Second choice is really tempting

ink: I was thinking about First choice however the Third option is Very interesting

deity tried to talk to them But ink cut her off And he said

ink: Everything you caused me pain And misery And you always call me names because I'm an emotionless being BUT

He shows them his soul.

Neo gave me my soul And they treat me like a person more than you.

Error: In addition, I saw the other version of me here. He eats chocolate and lazes around AND Only once or twice does he destroy Au. So

Both Ink and Error pressed The Third option

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

Books back in the hands of Neo And other deity lost everything.

After everything that happened Neo talked to the other council

Neo agreed with them to share the Multiverse.

After the other council go

Neo stayed with their council

They wanted to talk together and ask questions to Neo

Neo: I know, I know Let's just say I have my reasons But I'm doing a good job of taking care of Multiverse on my own.

they Check the Multiverse status.

They were surprised that everything was fine And harmony

Destiny was happy because her child aka Error was fine and happ while Death was impressed.

I don't know what their relationship is with deity

Are they family, siblings or just work buddies?

After this, everything returned to normal or is it.

other Destiny came from other Multiverse ask Neo help.

Destiny: I've heard that You are the new owner of this Multiverse And what you did to deity And I here ask for your help in the my universe

Neo: Okay, I'll help you, but you'll owe me a favor

Destiny: Deal.

Neo Think about doing something About this topic Many will come to them for their help

Neo found a solution

Neo decision that a five people from our world

They will become the Guarding of the Multiverse

I was thinking of stories related to this story

for example

First person: soul maker

Neo chose someone from our world And made them the soul maker

as you guessed from their name, They can make any Different types of souls And they can fix the soul

the soul maker travel all Multiverse And They gives or fixes souls.

Second person: The guide

guides all those who are lost from the path And anyone from a destroy AU or their Multiverse and They don't know what to do with their lives

The guide will stay with this person until they find their place in life Then it goes to someone else.

third person: the author

-shows you the choice of your life like the spirit from (A Christmas Carol)

-Gives you a new life somewhere else.

the author appears before that person makes a bad choice in life.

Fourth person: The Blessed

They can give anyone a special power of the Blessings To some people And some special cases are you guys

for example: If you are a person Reincarnated or born again in UnderTale.They will give you the power of special blessing.

Fifth person: the judge

The judge is like a guardian angel

-Gets rid of all players and Hackers from the Multiverse

judge other creators & deity & fate & Destiny

You can use them in your stories if you wish Just mention my name.

In any case I played both UnderTale and Deltatraveler before

I saw comic And some videos

Still remembering Half-Watch UNDERVERSE SEASON 1 before

I will watch it again To refresh my memories

I need help from the UnderTale AU fandom

I need information in order to make my story Even any small detail will be helpful

I was thinking of funny random scenes in my head

Neo Sleepover party with the other gasters au in the morning Neo drinks hot vanilla milk While they see the chaos in front of them.

-Neo lost the bet with One of the Voices and Neo had to go on a date with the person Voices chose. Which incidentally is their friend of Neo

Error overheard the conversation by chance And he smiled evilly He will enjoy it in a dramatic show

Error told Ink and a few other people about Neo's romantic date

Error laughs and says to himself This will be like watching Undernovela Point 2

ink will be like a child who doesn't want anyone to go out with his mom And he will do everything in his power to prevent this

ink brought his friends to help him

while the other gasters au They try to stop them

Neo And their friend realizes the situation from the beginning So they decided to mess with them

at the end of the day

Neo told them to come out of hiding and explained to them that this was just a lost bet

Neo opened portal And imagine their shock

Error with Destiny With snacks and drinks

Neo: You both have been witnessing us this whole time.

another scene

King Godverse was in disguise And he goes to other Multiverse So that he can relax from everything

he meet Neo And they became friends.

Neo knows who he is but doesn't say anything

one day Ayaba Ideel Decisions to put a Hours love potions for King Godverse

Ayaba saw him when he drank coffee and waited for the right time

Queen Godverse went to his office But she just found his clone

note: Koavire Sometimes he Used his magic to make copy of Himself And do his job instead.

while Neo Shocked from Koavire behavior.

Neo Check him And read: Under the influence of a love potion from Queen Godverse and The effect will last for hours.

Sir Matrix checks the situation When he found out what Ayaba did And now with Neo try to control the situation

Then Koavire started singing Did i mention from (Descendants)

Neo now is 100% Terrified and Amazed.

What do you guys think?

[vay99]

Dazai x reader

Anything for you

Anime/Manga: Bungo stray dogs

Why? Why can't he just do his work without crying for attention the whole time?

"As you see I'm busy, I can't entertain you now." you answer the male who's laying on your desk.

"Huuuuh? But (y/n)chaaaan~~ I just wanna commit some double-" Dazai can't finish his sentence cause Kunikuida has kicked him off the desk.

"GO BACK TO WORK!" he yells before returning to his seat.

"Please just do your work and no, I don't." you answer Dazais question, going back to your work. 

"Okay~ Okay~" Dazai sighs, actually beginning to work now. 

After half an hour, of a not complaining Dazai, everyone in the office grows sceptical. Wondering why the brunette works without a single word. Kunikuida has just left for a mission and he didn't start with his 'how can I annoy Kunikuida' tactic yet. In conclusion, everyone is worried. 

"Dazai?" Atsushi asks the guy next to him. 

"Yeah?" Dazai answers, drawing his attention towards the younger boy. 

"Are you alright?" he asks, everyone focused on their conversation now. 

"I'm perfectly fine Atsushi-kun~ Thanks fir your concern but now I gotta continue to work~" Dazai smiles and continues to type on his laptop. 

"What's going on?" you ask out loud, speaking everyone's mind. 

"What do you mean (y/n)?" Dazai asks, blinking a few times. 

Everyone groans, some fall off their chairs and you lay your head on your desk. 

"Nothing, forget it Dazai." you wave it off. 

Half an hour later you're done with you'd work so you get ready to leave, saying everyone goodbye you head downstairs. 

"Wait for me (y/n)-chan~" the bandaged men runs after you. 

"You really got all your work done, already?" you ask a big suspicious. 

"Of course~ I did as you said." his flirty attitude seems to be stronger than ever. 

"As I said?" you ask, once again not understanding what he meant. Which is the usual with Dazai. 

"Yes, you've told me to get my work done." hw blinks at you with an innocent smile. 

"So let me get this straight. You worked because I told you so?" A nod was your answer. "Why? I mean, it's your job and, okay seriously why?" 

"Working is boring, but if my Queen gives me an oder I follow it." he says, as you continue to walk down the stairs. 

"When your what does what?" you stare at him.

"(y/n), you're a detective, how have you not notice my feelings for you?" Dazais expression changes, his serious gaze hypnotising you. 

"Your what?" you ask, mouth in an O form.

"Ah~ You don't believe me do you?" he chuckles, a dangerous but addictive light in his eyes. "Want me to prove it~" 

All you can do is nod as Dazai places one hand in your neck and the other on your hip. 

"You know, I've always been your pawn. But one day I wanted to become your king." he breaths against your lips before capturing them with his. The kiss is unexpectedly gentle and sweet. And much to short. 

"Dazai... you really need to stop using chess symbols." you sigh, smiling up at him. 

"But you wouldn't understand it when I told you." Dazai puffs his cheeks, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"Cute." you giggle, wrapping your arms around his neck. "You know, you've always been my king. So don't yiu dare to quit the game, cause it'd be game over for me as well." 

"As you wish, my Queen." Dazai rests his forehead against yours, his arms finding their way around your waist. 

Enjoying your peaceful moment until Kunikuida ruins it. 

"What the hell is this?! No making out in this building!" he scolds you, causing you two to roll your eyes. 

"Aww Kunikuida, why did you have to spoil my next step like that." Dazai whines, making you blush and giggle at the same time. "Let's go (y/n)~" 

"Hey hey. I-I can walk by myself." you yelp as he lifts you up, bridal style. Carrying you away, leaving a dumbfounded Kunikuida behind. 

"Dazai you've made your point, you can let me down now." you poke his chest, avoiding the people starring.

"Don't worry (y/n), I just wanna keep you as close as possible." Dazai smiles at you, a genuine smile, brighter than everything you've ever seen.

"Idiot." you hide your face in his chest, can't help but smile. Who knew Dazai could be that soft.

Arriving at his apartment you open it, since he can't use his hands now, and carries you directly into his bedroom.

"D-dazai? Please tell me you've een joking earlier." you stutter, blushing as you watch him laying down his coat.

"Me joking?" Dazai crawls above you, licking his lips.

"Of course I was, can we cuddle?" he falls down next to you, opening his arms.

"Whyyyy. You're mean." you whine but roll into his embrace, so that your back is facing him.

"I love to yee you blushing." he chuckles against your neck, leaving sweet pecks on your skin.

"Can we just sleep? So I can escape your teasing." you yawn, placing your arms above his.

"Anything for you~" Dazai agrees, before the two of you drift off into a peaceful sleep~

[deuterosapiens]

Finished Beastars, at it stands, and am eagerly (albeit, not strictly patiently) waiting for the other half of Season Three to drop.

Let's dig in, shall we?

So, Legoshi has recovered from his near-death experience and is now continuing his quest to find Melon, who he believes he can change if only Melon would allow himself to be understood. Louis's investigation into the carnivore narcotic has led to him nearly being devoured, though it also leads to him exposing the truth to the public. Bill and Els have gotten approval to run a show of their own during the Festival of the Meteor. And Haru is... kinda there, in the background? Yeah, she's not really given any focus here.

A few highlights:

Sangwan continues to be weird. When Legoshi is the normal one, there's clearly something going on. They share a bath and philosophize about death and the food chain.

Flash, Flash, Hundred Yard Dash has a cousin here, who's a tattoo artist with a mild tendency to endeaden his clients. I've never considered how a tattoo would work over fur, but this one world-building detail is going to haunt me for the rest of the night.

Melon's developing leopard spots, a condition that parallels the affliction that caused Legoshi's mother to take her own life. Melon copes by having tattoos of melon leaves cover them. This bit actually harkens to a Riz moment in Season Two, where after enteethening Tem, his sense of taste is muted (Melon, apparently, has neither the palate of a carnivore, nor an herbivore, which leads him to have no sense of taste). Melon explicitly has no sense of taste, or libido; no desires. He does take exquisite pleasure in the pain Holger's tattooing inflicts upon him (how is this guy in business if he tends to kill clients so much? There's no way Melon pays enough to avoid the liability having this guy on staff would cause).

For some reason, the show chooses to pixilated Louis's lock-picking. This was quite funny, especially since nothing about the framing of this shot would at all be useful to someone interested in learning to pick locks. It's also probably the least illegal thing we have ever seen a character do in this show.

Legoshi fantasizes about going to the beach with Haru. He fantasizes about playing in the water with the Boys from Cherryton. He looks so damn happy to see Sangwan's home.

Ogms confronts Louis outright on the distinct possibility that his son might be gay. Louis, despite having a well known history with women, chooses to change the subject completely. Dude. Bisexuality. Look it up.

Legoshi once again fans the flames by desiring to see Melon naked. This isn't even gay speculation; he's just weird that way.

Melon is a melo(n)dramatic bitch, and I love him. I mean, yes, he's shot Legoshi again (rood), and yes, he did throw him off a cliff into the ocean. But he's so manic and demented that I just cannot not love him.

Melon is evidently a teacher at Haru's university. The plot thickens.

Anyone else see Melon as a Francis Dollarhyde-like figure? I mean, nowhere near as soft-spoken as The Great Red Dragon, but he's like a considerably more psychotic version of him.

Now, I theoretically could actually read the manga. I have a bit of time perhaps before the rest of the show concludes. But my backlog of this I need to read is looong. Still, as the actual ending draws closer, I'll be sad to see it over. They should adapt Beast Complex next.

[rmorde]

Trigun Manga Reaction

Continuing with Volume 1, Chapter 10!

SOOOO CUUUTTTEE!!!!! Let me stare a bit first.

...

...

...

OK! I'm good! Wait... Arcadia? Huh? Noooo! Does this mean no Woof Woof yet?!

I wonder if the font for the letter in original Japanese is different too. I always like it when this is done instead of using "quotations". It's a nice touch.

Seems like the focus of this chapter are our dear insurance ladies. Love love Milly's devotion in whatever she does. She always strives to do her best in her job, but this dedication to write to each relative she has every month is just something else. I also appreciate how she is kinda treasured for her sweet nature - from Meryl's clear guidance and their boss radar gift.

Ah, Meryl. Ask for chaos and you shall receive. LMAO. However, does she have some problems at home. Just going by her lines here.

OMFG. BWAHAHAHA!!! THESE TWO PAGES!!! 😂🤣😂

I really need to buy hard copies of the manga. This must have been a page turner shock. It looks so serious from one page, but when you go to the next? HA! IT'S VASH GETTING BULLIED BY TWO SENIORS INTO BECOMING THEIR MEAT SHIELD!!! It's such a clever and funny layout.

Admittedly, this was a bit of a busy page. However:

One of my fave drawings by mangakas are when the "break out" objects or characters from the traditional panels. That gun sticking out has a nice 3D like effect.

Speedlines to show how quickly Vash went into for real real meat shield mode for the old couple. Meanwhile, that clear drawing of his hand feels like he is about to take out his gun.

Gun and nail details and... Have I mentioned before how I never really understood the beauty of negative spaces until I started reading this manga? Just something that hit me is all.

THE INSURANCE LADIES TO THE RESCUE! ROFL! Poor Vash getting bowled over. Poor Vash's spine!

Oh my.... Let me just appreciate this for a while.

They're just so beautiful. Oh my goodness. Again let me just gush about how the volume insanely Nightow is at visually communicating scale? Not to mention clothing folds and drapes!

Another fine specimen of scaling and foreshortening! And.. did Meryl just called Vash BROOMHEAD?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Man's got a point. Unfortunately. Poor, Vash.

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!! I CAN'T- I JUST CAN'T!!! Everyone just rolls with it for the greater good while Vash is just stressed! 😂🤣😂

Interesting set of panels:

Again with the negative space

Awww! Milly's sweet tooth and where is she exactly? I can't remember, but she must be from somewhere really stable/rich, right? I mean her family sounds big which indicates their location can support a big population. Plus, the food the she often mentions are not exactly easy to get.

Vash looking for an escape or is it?

Oh, Meryl. I love you and you usually hold the brain cell, but this one time you had been fooled! Grandpa used everything you told them earlier to lay a trap! MERYL, YOU WERE OUTPLAYED!!!

Uhuh? Oh, really? The blush makes me think she didn't think this through and is scrambling for an excuse pronto.

Also, again with that negative space! Nice because it really helps with this "transition" in the next page.

They are walking under a clear blue sky. Idk why it matters a lot to me but it does. It feels "smooth".

Huh... I wonder if Tristamp took queues from this one when they animated Meryl's joy in seeing the garden in Episode 9.

Exposition can be a slog to go through *cough*jjk*cough*. However, this exchange was not overwhelming. The lay out really helped. While some panels/boxes have overtaken by speech bubbles, there are plenty of blank spaces to make it easier on the eyes. It properly built up the last panel which made it more impactful.

This is so lovely to read and the composition is just beautiful.

Again with that negative space. There's a lot of it in the manga I realize.

It's odd to see Meryl without earrings.

Investigative Meryl Mode!

Huh?

And there we go, the rest of the Nebraska Family.

Obviously, this went really differently from the '98 anime. I don't know why I expected Woof Woof already when it's already been made obvious that both anime adaptations shuffled events around.

However, I really appreciate how Meryl and Milly got the spotlight early here. In '98, this was kinda halfway through the series. It was way waay late and Woof Woof already entered the scene.

I must say... '98 really had to get creative with the material that they had because the BDN's Arc was covered from Episodes 7-8. Then Episode 9 introduced Wolfwood. From 10 to 12 were anime originals... I think. Not yet far enough in the manga to know if they were "remixes".

Anyway, the fillers in '98 are not bad and plenty entertaining. Some of the funniest shit and badass scenes of Trigun were from those. They were great addition to the story especially since it never contradicts the characters core (sans the horn doggy-ness).

But it does screw over Wolfwood tho... just a tiny bit on hindsight. I mean if '98 is judged on its own, he is perfectly fine. However, with Tristamp giving his background (which I believe is more loyal to the manga), it is kinda odd how he didn't stuck with Vash after they met in the bus. Then again, Woof Woof has a bit of a different background in '98 which made sense... Kinda.

Augh the challenges of adapted of an on-going manga. Studio Mad had to make things up as they go, but they still did great! The inconsistency with Wolfwood is pretty minor - almost negligible... except why didn't he stick with Vash the first time? Sigh... this may nag me for a while.

Oh. Also for @revenantghost

Ok. Now I'm more excited to see more with the manga's plants.

Sorry for the confusion! When I said I prefer the 9o's version of plants, I'm mainly referring to the lightbulb design which fits the vibes of the plant angels more. It's very magitek which I really like while Tristamp uses tanks which totally make sense since its more sci-fi heavy.

The interesting thing about the plant design in Tristamp is how I can associate them with earth, sky, and water. Earth because of how they remind me of faeries, Sky because of the wings, and Water because they give me mermaid vibes as the live in their tanks. It has its own charm... but yeah magic lightbulb angel ftw!

Again... my bad for not being clear. Sorry.

I do hope we see more of the Bad Lads and eventually BDN in Tristamp properly. HARD AGREE on some lore bible or art book from Studio Orange! I think there were some supplementary materials from the limited edition DVD release tho?

That's a good way to describe Tristamp - a love letter to Trigun itself. I also respect Nightow for just letting Studio Orange do its own spin. Most creators won't be so comfortable giving other free reign in their sandbox.

Also, take good care of yourself. Make sure to get rest enough. And food! Also water!

[my0vershareworld]

ASKIN NAKK LE VAAR ANALYSIS BOTH FROM SOURCE FROM ANIME & MANGA FOR THE CELEBRATION OF BLEACH RETURN 2024 EVENT WITH EXTREME DIG INTO WHAT TRULY IS ASKIN'S CHARACTER ABOUT? A LONG AND LENGTHY TEXTS POST

WILL HAVE MANGA SPOILERS

DAY 1: Fave Character / Division / Save the One Save the All

Askin in my opinion is an extremely well written character with the most indepth writing yet still manages to be a very irrelevant character to the plot with him only fighting Kisuke and putting Kisuke to rest while the MC Ichigo Kurosaki fights the main villain in thousand year blood war , Yhwach .

starting with how Askin first appearance in the manga and anime ; SCREENSHOT NOT AVAILABLE .

in both scenes from the anime and manga he was seen wearing your typical uniform of the other sternritters who appeared within the invade of soul society with the cloak covering his face and only showing his mouth which he would have looked like just a random guy in a cloak as nothing else of uniqueness were shown within the scene correlating with the fact that he did not also appear at all throughout the entire invasion of soul society which we have seen all of the other sternritters fighting at least one person or die within a battle yet askin was not shown fighting anybody at all which can correlates into what happens and what reveals more within the future as you keep on reading .

right after the invasion of soul society he was not seen until his second appearance which is the same one where we get our first impression on Askin Nakk Le Vaar or the first time he have spoke ;

aside from the manga with the unofficial coloring of Askin's gift ball he have seen using , which , to the reader's eyes some unknown power that seemed dangerous enough for Bazz-B and Jugram to act quite shocked and surprised and immediately stop their argument. Askin's first sentence was seen as him speaking sarcastically after Bazz's claim that he was calm

the scene that was deleted/removed from the anime in which Askin talks about 'onlookers' as he stared right at Pepe's eye wand thing to make them know that fighting here right here right now is extremely dangerous and cautious which can imply that either Askin has always been observing that Pepe has always been looking or he just have sharp senses/eyes. it is also interesting to mention that Bazz-B called Askin by Nakk Le Vaar and not 'Askin' despite that his first name is much easier to say and called him by but this can also indicates that Askin might not have friendships going on within the Wandenreich and we'll see even more of this being implied the more we read.

it is also important to note that Askin called Jugram by 'future emperor' despite that Yhwach himself have put Uryu up as the future emperor which can imply/mean as Askin does help quite respects for Jugram and at best trust Jugram more than Uryu which is quite understandable as it seems Askin have never know about Uryu Ishida at all and only met him when Yhwach bought him up and bring him to be the future emperor out of nowhere. and we'll see why that's important when I mention Askin trusting Jugram more than Uryu later on.

Askin then disappears after the last page to appear in chapter 547 again with continuing after Yhwach's word and talking to the shinigami within squad 12 how they were always in the shadow waiting for their time to strike jumpscaring the shinigamis in the process as they never knew Askin has always been standing there.

Askin afterward then be bombarded with questions about how did he get in and how long has he been here which he replied mocking and asking them if they were even listening in the first place as in his explanation he have explained that he have always been within the shadows, in which the next scene slowly reveals a door that were invisible with the incoming voice of Mayuri which Askin immediately knew where it was and his eyes snapped to the door that were invisible which again, starting to imply even more of his sharp eyes and how cautious he was.

right after Mayuri explanation about everything he knows now about the Quincy it was then we were shown a more close up look [the last one he was drawn without a face from being too far from the scene] with Askin looking quite frustrated which can means that he either simply dislike Mayuri already or it's just that Mayuri wear such bizarre clothing that Askin was right to assume that this man was a headache, and it seems the latter may be correct which will be proven further into the reading.

Askin's expression was then change within the next few chapters as he looked through his fingers that he made similar to a camera and then loudly saying that it was no good as he goes to state his reasoning saying that Mayuri would take too long to kill as he grab his forehead almost to indicates that this man [Mayuri] would be a headache for him to kill so he'd rather not bother and making a motion with his hand which seems to almost look like he was trying to shoot Mayuri away and ended up looking very funny and silly as possible in the scene.

within this next panel he was seen skedaddling away before turning around saying how isn't Mayuri going to come after him considering he's an enemy that he should get rid of which he seemed quite confused about while asking him such question which Mayuri said to just do whatever.

which the next scene Mayuri seems to get Askin's trick of trying to provoke him to chase after to get him into a trap or in this case, territory. it's quite an odd word, right? you're correct to think that because later on it seems to that Askin was able to use a power that requires 'territory' which is gift bad [German for "Poison Bath", Japanese for "Poison Pool"] "Askin creates a darkened area of influence the size of a large circle on the ground; if anyone steps within its radius, Askin can lower their resistance to anything, such as Reishi, causing them to become "poisoned" by high amounts of that substance" in which it seems that Askin might have been planning/using gift bad the entire time and were trying to trick Mayuri into stepping into his gift bad [which failed] and Askin in fact also complimented Mayuri for this calling Mayuri a scary one and were glad he didn't uses his powers recklessly meeting him with a smile on his face

Askin then turned around after seemingly of trying to walk away as fast as possible from Mayuri to tell him that the shinigami is doomed for as his majesty [Yhwach] have predicted for the shinigami to start finding useless way to defeat the quincy which they will all have its counter now. in which right after Askin disappears after this scene in the manga and was later seen again in chapter 575

we are seen seeing him watching from a far away tower which we can't tell which tower it is with a picnic basket and a binocular to watch Gremmy VS Kenpachi saying about how Kenpachi deserves his reputation because he sees that he was fighting on par with Gremmy and even mentioned that what was Yhwach thinking letting a guy like that [Gremmy] into the open which implies that Askin does thinks that Gremmy is quite dangerous, too dangerous to be let out even which for Gremmy part can also be implied that Gremmy was somewhat caged/locked in some sort of room to not let him be a danger to other Sternritters. which after Askin talking to himself a man appeared giggling and saying that he quite agree.

with Pepe's sentence it does seems to confirm that Gremmy was locked up before he was let out for the second invasion of soul society. Askin's mood seems to have sour after Pepe appeared calling him a monster back after Pepe called Gremmy a monster which Pepe replied with basically calling him a monster too which can work quite well considering what happens later on within the manga. in which afterward Askin got up from his seat but not mentioning anything that Pepe pissed him off or anything which have left Pepe and Askin relationship hanging on whether they count each other as friends or not or was it that Pepe one-sidedly count Askin as friend but Askin doesn't think the same? their relationship are left to be open but it does seems that Askin have called Pepe by his first name which is Pepe but it can either imply that Askin simply doesn't respect him enough to call him by his name or really count Pepe as a friend. as then he goes on to talk about being scared of what kind of shit Gremmy is going to pull so he's going to excuse himself out before dying here.

now have this cool quote solely because I think is cool on how his he views Gremmy mixing with what he have of general view of a specific type of people. which right after he disappears and was seen again when Gremmy bring in a meteor to destroy the entire soul society with Kenpachi.

Askin was now seen probably walking around on the ground rather than viewing the fight from a far away big building and looked nervous mentioning in the process that this is why he said Gremmy shouldn't be let out like this. it's also important to note that from this entire invasion Askin was once again not seen fighting anyone not even a mere shinigami at all and instead almost always walking or alone somewhere unlike all the other sternritters who was seen trying to kill the special war powers and despite that Askin have seen that Kenpachi was fighting Gremmy he was nowhere near trying to defeat him after Kenpachi was weakened due to fighting with Gremmy even though the bambies were shown there trying to get the points, and even when everyone were at Ichigo trying to kill him and pointing weapons at each other Askin was nowhere to be found/seen but instead seen standing near the tower where Yhwach, Uryu, and Jugram were at

in which he also mentions at the same time that if he was going to get lucky enough to be chosen implying that he knows something more than all the other sternritters know- or basically knows something the others don't. which surprisingly it does quite correlates well when you consider that Yhwach have mentioned that he does not like conflict, it might be implied that Yhwach chose Askin to go up to fight Squad 0 due to Askin being the only one not fighting anybody the entire invasion and tried to avoid as much trouble as much as he could while all the others have a death wish going after the special war powers.

he then appears once again in chapter 599 in which he seems to be the only one making silly faces while all the others seemed serious and intimidating and yet Askin looks interested yet confused.

Askin then looked around the place he was bought up before he said that he seems to be the only one who was bought up here with Yhwach so he better make the most of this chance in which Gerard agrees but proceed to threaten to kill him right after in which we did not see Askin reaction to this threat whatsoever. Askin however in the scenes already look as nervous as he mostly does.

he was then seen in this scene again with the same nervous expression but still speaking in an almost unserious tone with going 'ohhh boy...'

but right after Oetsu appears his expression immediately changes into a more serious one and similar to how he reacted to Mayuri appearing.

after Oetsu have slashed everybody out the way, there's nothing else unique that happens to Askin other than that he looked scared and nervous forwhen is Oetsu going to come for him but in this scene is what's important with Oetsu making a note and almost a compliment that Askin have sharp eyes due to being able to quite almost perfectly dodge his sayafushi's slash which cannot be done unless he have seen through how the blade slices in which the part I find funny about this is that Askin was about to start yapping before Oetsu fucking slice his ass dead.

right after Oetsu turned around Askin then get back up implying his massive durability because all his other comrades are dead now except him. in this specific scene he have said some words that are hinting to his insecurity about his power yet he said it so casually just like how he said it as casually when he mocked the squad 12. he likes to say things so casually while hiding something behind his words. but in this scene he have said and called his ability 'pathetic' and saying that he also hate it himself and also saying that that thinking about this ability of his makes him feel 'fatally' irritated.

Askin then goes on a long rant about his abilities in a scientific way which is extremely hard to understand if you're not into science yourself. it's also important to note that Askin doesn't know his ability that well either when he first received it and due to him explaining and shaping his powers the way it is now may have hinted that he might as well have read some science books, after all it must be boring training all the time in the wandenreich or doing nothing at all.

it is important to note about "fatally depressing. I know that feeling, because it's just the same as me" almost putting up that Askin is somewhat depressed or at least have depression or something of sort relate to such, it's not shown all that well due to him not appearing that much but later on he does have something else to do with passive suicidal idealization.

he then goes on to mentions about he knows that he seems like a worthless underling which really goes on to show about how him dressing weird and looked weak and always nervous is always something that he knows he was doing on purpose and he also goes on to mention that this fact about him looking weak was something that used to bug him quite a lot until he made it a 'good' flaw about himself and uses that flaw to his advantage.

it is also important to note that Askin have lost his cloak a bit ago before he picked it up again for some odd reason which I think the cloak might have some sort of special property similar to cloak that was made by Senjumaru and Askin may have known or figured which is why he puts it on for safety measure in which afterward Oetsu proceed to slide it off and was seen flying into pieces.

Askin analyzing skills is top-notch as he goes on to have the brightest guess to Oetsu's weight and he was quite close with only 2kg off hence his calculation for the blood loss

his confusion and the look in his face can most likely mean that he seemed annoyed at Tenjirou's randomly joining the fight probably because he was too focused on fighting just one enemy who is Oetsu, he might have finds it troublesome to deal with more enemies than he planned.

as Oetsu sliced Askin he then goes to ask does he look extra cool in which Askin replied which seems honest saying that he was cool alright and even push himself down a little bit with saying 'cooler than I'll ever be' with the black text probably thinking back to when he said 'you took me lightly didn't you' and how it's more apply to him more than Oetsu and in fact evne say it out loud goes on to show his insecurities with himself as a whole.

PART 2 ||

[thrandilf]

Episodic, Serialized, Mixing the Two, and "Filler"

Been dwelling on what I personally find effective in media and what's been grinding my gears about when things flatline for me and I'd rather sit down and write about it than continue to pace while doing the Italian finger pinch thing

First off, filler is technically about when an anime goes beyond what a manga has completed and because they got ahead, they started to just screw around while waiting for more manga, so while I acknowledge that origin of the phrase, the way people often use filler now is for episodes disconnected from the main plot

And a lot of people miss "filler"/what they mean is more chill or self contained episodes, and while the concept of them doesn't usually appeal to me for pacing reasons, there's a way to do it well that I wish more shows did

So, my bias/preference is fully serialized shows which is usually harder to find in western animation, The Dragon Prince being one of the few I've ever found that's never had a full episode of Nothing because there's always an overarching plot and tension to be found. There are "filler" moments where characters on their journey have some downtime which is used for bonding and/or world-building, but they don't dedicate whole episodes to it to break the pacing, which I appreciate. However, most shows don't do this

On the other far end of the spectrum you have something fully episodic and formulaic like Phineas and Ferb where every episode is its own thing with occasional callbacks to other episodes, but it is a sort of watch in any order whenever show and I find that this actually works for me as well- when it's the expectation from the start

Some shows go for a mix of the two, and usually that's where I get tripped up.

They're shows that I like/think are Good beyond a doubt, but to give examples, Gravity Falls and RotTMNT both start off with an episode that gives you a concept of an overarching plot, a mystery to solve or otherwise a big bad, respectively. Now, I understand that a lot of shows are still under the parameters of needing to be able to be viewed in any order by people tuning in on tv (although with streaming I think this is falling by the wayside/writing this way no longer makes sense to me) but it does make sitting down to watch them a tad infuriating, because then you're waiting for a continuation of this main plot you're hooked on, but a lot of the episodes you watch right afterwards don't fundamentally matter.

Sometimes they matter- a standalone episode with character development or a new piece of information is nice, but sometimes even that isn't there, and why it gets to me while PnF doesn't is just the initial expectation set that we're going somewhere and then totally dropping the plotline or a sense of progress for awhile. In GF we get hints as time goes on/other people have numbered books, but you have to dial back your expectations/adjust to just enjoying the day to day adventures (which are enjoyable!) and shelve the main plot. PnF never led me to suspect there was a bigger picture plot to worry about, so it doesn't hang over me/leave me unsatisfied. It does what it set out to do

However, a mix of the two can work

AtLA is good at the episodic bits still mattering, but beyond that I'd argue Lego Monkie Kid is the best at it. Although the show is almost exclusively episodic in season 1, more mixed in season 2, and then gets to be pretty much all serialized in 3 and 4, season 1 managed to be episodic while still holding my attention.

No LMK episode is a "skip" from me due to even the self contained monster of the week episodes still revealing new information such as more of MK's powers so there's a sense of progress, giving character info, introducing new characters, and/or new lore.

Most importantly, the lore and character details we get matter- 1x03 is the only time we see Mei's parents, but her relationship with her family is an ongoing thread through the rest of the show. 1x05 was a goldmine of characterization and how people in MK's life don't act, with the concept of a "perfect world" being something we touch on in the s3 climax. 1x06 introduced the peaches of immortality. 1x07 hits on a character flaw MK doesn't get over in just one episode, 1x09 is arguably the most important episode in all of S1 due to introducing Macaque and giving us a lot more information about the depth's of Wukong's past, which raises questions the show then delivers on later.

It all establishes something relevant to enhance later episodes

And all in the background, right from 1x01, we get hints of other intrigue developing as the Demon Bull Family finds LBD's prison and plans to spring her

Season 2 is especially effective with still coming off as rather episodic but the heroes spend the entire season unknowingly losing while LBD and SQ gather materials, and we also have whatever Wukong is up to piquing our interest. The tension only grows even if almost every S2 episode is self contained. 2x04 doesn't involve the main villains, but it does set up Pigsy and MK's relationship more as well as how important Pigsy's sense of family and tradition is, which again comes back later in S4

A lot of effective, seemingly off topic "filler" winds up not being filler at all, but was working to build something later. Sometimes, a show is better on a rewatch for reasons like that,

but when it feels like the ball is dropped and relationships weren't enhanced or we didn't learn anything from it, or characters acted like there may be consequences for something and then nothing happened nor was it acknowledged and now we're moving on forever, it's like well, what was the point of that then?

This is all to say that episodic storytelling can really work, and I get frustrated when we don't tap back into a main plot even for a few seconds or there wasn't anything new. The fun beach episode can still give me character development or even pan back to the villains at the end to give me the sense that something's coming to keep tension up (I'm not far in it, but Amphibia seems to have a good sense of this too where I have a lot of questions and I gradually get answers/hints that answers are coming as well as character flaws/developments being established)

TLDR:

The questions an audience are meant to be asking should be answered at some point, and even though they should be paced out and given time, when it feels like a show forgot about them entirely before making a sharp swerve back (or worse, never addressing the threads it introduced), it can make people feel like there was no point in paying attention.

Episodic shows that want to tie into a larger plot can still work by keeping a background sense of tension and building in new information, which I wish was done more often instead of being majorly episodic Or serialized, where only a few episodes in a show fully tie together which makes the shift from episode 1 plot, nothing, and then OH GOD FINALE PLOT really jarring to me

I also bring this up because as a writer, it's what I try to keep in the back of my mind for my own writing, and seeing what does and doesn't work for me and why is helpful

Also yes, this is a Monkie Kid endorsement ty for coming

[mysterious-ocarina]

Please, Save Your Breath

Armin Arlert x reader

Main Masterlist AOT Masterlist Requests AO3

(1.9k words)

A/N (takes place during S4 Ep 88 The Final Chapters Part 1. Basically the boat scene but armin is the one sitting and you go to join him. You’re kinda like historia but not as extravert. Super Kind but reserved) NO MANGA SPOILERS!!!!!!!!

A/N 2) i had the ending spoiled for me on accident and i didn't like only having vague details so then i ended up just reading the manga so i would know it all. i am now officially an aot manga ending knower!! but for the courtesy of others, please do not put any spoilers in the comments without a label, thank you!!!!!!!

Sitting in an empty room on the Azumabito boat, you did your best to rid your head of the screams and blood of your comrades. You knew that no matter how this ended, these memories would be something that you will never forget. You just hoped that you would live to find out, anyway.

“Fuck,” you sighed, banging your head against the wall. You had to get out of this stuffy cabin room. You got up and started to make your way to the front of the ship in hopes that the ocean waves would calm you down.

Once outside, you noticed a mop of blond hair who seemed to have the same idea as you. In need of the comfort he brings just by existing, you make you way in front of the one and only Armin Arlert.

“Hey,” you offered softly, as to not scare him. Armin looked deep in thought and startled when he heard your voice. “Didn’t mean to startle you. Do you mind if I join you?”

“Please,” he replies as if you saved him from himself. He wipes away a little dirt off the area next to him and offers it to you.

With a smile, you gracefully plop your body down and immediately feel your muscles and brain relax.

Poking his cheek, you ask, “So, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

He blushes at your compliment, and you try not to read too much into it.

“Oh, nothing,” he replies avoidantly.

“You can talk to me, Armin. Hell, I think everyone on this boat is probably thinking about the same things,” you told him with a sigh. You placed your hand on his knee for extra comfort.

Armin grabs your hand and plays with your fingers in his lap. The contact is slow and soft as Armin fidgets with your hands.

“I don’t doubt your right about that,” he finally replies. “I’m just thinking about how fast time seems to be moving lately.”

“What do you mean?” you ask, angling your body more towards him and giving him your undivided attention.

“Our raid on Liberio was only a month ago and for all we know, the entire city is gone now,” he explains, resting his head on the boat railing.

You know there was something else that he wasn’t telling you. You’ve liked Armin for a long time and known him for even longer. As cunning as he can be when it comes to hiding his emotions from others, he’s never been able to hide from you.

You simply stare at him with a patient smile, waiting for him to open up. He looks back at you and once he realizes that he can’t hide from you, he looks down to try and hide a small smile .

“I’m also thinking about the Colossal,” he finally speaks up, saying the word colossal as if it were a bad word and someone would scold him if they heard.

Not wanting Armin to feel pressured, you stop staring at him and lay your head on his shoulder. You patiently wait for him to continue and almost jump when you feel him lay his head on yours too.

“I have so much blood on my hands. I know everyone here does, but I can’t help but feel like mine is tainted. I have thousands of lives blood from just Liberio alone. And what about all our comrades we had to gun down to get here? That’s thousands of lives that are now gone. They won’t grow old, have children, or find love. They’re gone,” he ends his rant with a sigh.

Wiping the tears that started to form in your eyes, you look up to him and grab his face to look back at you. You see unshed tears in his eyes too. With the strongest voice you can, you tell him, “Lives have been lost. This is true. But think about how many lives will be saved when we stop Eren. We did what we had to so that we could save the rest of the world. Think about how selfless it is that we are able to put aside our love for Eren and our comrades so that we can ensure that the whole world isn’t gone tomorrow,” you finish. You don’t let go of Armin’s face. You keep it softly in your palms, hoping to comfort him.

Once the tears on his face start to fall, he grabs one of your hands from his face. Holding it softly in his palm, he places a small kiss to your knuckles before looking back up to you, “Thank you, y/n. You always know just what to say.”

With a bright blush on your cheeks, you give him a hum of agreement. Unable to look at his analytical gaze, you lay your head back on his shoulder, your hands still entwined.

The silence that follows isn’t awkward or boring. It’s a peaceful silence. One where you both just relish this alone time in each other’s presence. Who knows if you’ll be able to do this again.

The silence is broken when Armin asks you a question, “What would you be doing right now if none of this happened? If you never joined the Survey Corps?”

“I think I would be a teacher. Before Wall Maria fell, my mother was a teacher at the local school in my village. Sometimes I would join her and help her around the classroom. The children loved her and I always admired her for the joy she seemed to radiate around those kids,” you replied, keeping your eyes closed. You missed your mother terribly but you were glad that she wasn’t alive anymore to witness what had become of Paradis, what had become of you.

“You would be an amazing teacher. I’ve always admired your patience and level head on and off the battlefield. I remember that day in Trost when everyone was scared out of their minds. It was the first time that most of them had even seen a titan before. You didn’t panic. You were scared too, but despite that you still managed to keep enough of your wits about you to guide people out of their shock and into action,” Armin explained, with a fondness in his voice.

“I didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of their fear. I had to get everyone as safe as I could,” you explained with a blush. You had no idea that Armin had paid you any attention all the way back then. As a cadet, you were pretty quiet and that battle was probably the first time some of your friends had heard you speak.

“You certainly helped me,” Armin spoke. He was looking down at you, his eyes twinkling with a feeling you hoped resembled yours. “When I thought I lost Eren and the rest of my team, I was more than willing to let myself get consumed by a titan too. But there you were, flying around to check on people and offering your help wherever you could.”

“I couldn’t let you die,” you reply softly, tearing up at the thought. You realized this statement is even more true now than it ever has been. If this battle ended, he had to be alive. Even if you weren’t.

“I think that was when I first started to look at you differently,” Armin tells you quickly, not letting you dwell on the idea of his death.

“In a bad way?” you asked, worriedly.

“Definitely not in a bad way. Since then, I started to relish the few moments you would speak. You didn’t speak much to anyone except for Historia or Sasha, so I would listen. It didn’t matter what you talked about, I enjoyed listening to your voice,” Armin explained. He was blushing but he didn’t bother trying to hide it from you this time.

With an embarrassed smile, you replied, “I didn’t know you paid any attention to me at all back then.”

“Of course I did. The first time you talked to me, I think I short circuited,” he laughed out.

You smiled at the memory.

You shyly approached your favorite scout. You had overheard a conversation he had with Mikasa and Eren about the outside world and you were very curious about what he was talking about. You just hoped he wouldn’t be mad that you were eavesdropping.

“Hey Armin, can I ask you about something?” you  asked, embarrassed. He looked startled that you had come up to him and seemed to be at a loss of words. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”

At the sound of your voice, he seemed to snap out of it, “Oh, of course. Would you like to sit?”

You nodded and sat in front of him. You were alone right now so you didn’t bother hiding your curious excitement, “Can you tell me about what’s outside the walls?”

His eyes lit up at your question and you both spent the entire night talking.

“Yeah, I remember. I thought you were scared of me,” you giggled.

Armin offered no reply, instead just staring at your eyes. He was examining your face as if looking for something.

His eyes trailed down towards your lips and you instinctively licked them. At the motion, he looked back up at your eyes and gave you a soft smile.

You're not too sure how, but you both seemed to be a lot closer to each other than the start of the conversation. It felt like there were magnets in both of you that were aching to be connected. Eventually Armin closed the space between you until you were sharing the same breath.

“May I, please?” Armin whispered. You let your eyes fall closed and gave him a shaky nod.

His lips were a lot softer than you thought they were, knowing he bit his lips when he was focused on something. He kissed you with such a soft passion that you almost felt faint. There was so much love radiating from him and his kiss. You relished the feeling of his hands holding your face and for only a second you forgot about Eren and the rumbling.

The kiss only stopped when you both needed to gather your breaths, though your mouth chased his for one last, reassuring peck.

You both sat back against the railing of the boat, not bothering to look away from each other or hiding your blushes.

You giggled in the silence.

With loving eyes, Armin asked, “What’s funny?”

Your giggles quieted before a bittersweet look took over your face. “It’s just, I’ve been waiting years for that and it took the end of the world to make it happen.”

His face matched your bittersweet look before he replied, “Yeah, but if we die, we won’t die with any regrets now.”

In this tender moment, you embraced Armin, wrapping your arms around his neck. He almost fell back with your momentum. You both bury your faces in the other's neck and clasp the comfort the other gives.

You almost start crying again, thinking about the future ahead of you guys, but Armin’s hand rubbing your back soothes you.

“You need to make it out of this alive, please. I don’t think I would be able to handle burying you before your 13 years are up,” you voice cracks, your unshed tears finally falling from your face to Armin's white shirt.

“We’ll both make it out of this, I promise,” his voice cracks a bit too.

You both know that his promise isn’t fair. Neither of you have the power to make a promise like that but that doesn’t stop the sentence from bringing you both a modicum of reassurance of what might come. You spend the rest of the boat ride embraced and savor as much of each other as you can.

[vermillion-bloodmoon]

(TSAMS Continuity AU) Lunar Attacks Solar....?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celestial Family Island Home

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Solar can be seen pacing in the game room in front of the big screen TV while Atlas is trying to watch anime.

Solar: Hoookay how to bring this up, how to bring this up...mmm....don't wanna come off as rude just because I'm anxious not gonna lie, how to word it right? Uh....don't wanna make it come off as weird, and if I do make it weird then I hope we'll be chill afterwards-

Atlas: Solar, Solar. I love you bro bro, but you're in the way of the TV.

Solar: O-Oh...yeah, sorry...

Solar moves out of the way of the TV for Atlas, Atlas silently thanking him.

Solar: Sorry, I didn't mean to get in the way, I'm just...anxious...because I wanna talk to Lunar about something and I want you present for it.

Atlas: Well...you never really outright say you're anxious to any of us so that's good improvement, but we still gotta wait for Lunar to show up. But until then I wanna watch Skeleton Knight in Another World.

Solar: Oh, huh. I actually saw the manga in Barnes and Noble but I didn't get it. It was tempting, not gonna lie-

Atlas: You might like it, the anime's pretty cool so the manga's likely at least equal quality.

Lunar: Uh...sup.

Solar: Oh hey! Hey.

Atlas: Alright since Lu's here I'll just turn that off.

Solar: Are you sure?

Atlas: Yeah I'm not worried I wasn't that far in the episode anyway.

Solar: O-Oh...

Lunar: So....what'd you need me here for?

Solar: Well I wanted to talk to you about something and I wanted Atlas to be present for it because it does pertain to him a little bit.

Atlas: Wait what-

Solar: Nothing bad for you, Atlas, promise.

Atlas: Oooookay...

Lunar had already taken a seat on the bean bag to the left of the sofa.

Solar: Thank you, thank you. Gonna preface this now, Lu, I still love you man. You're my brother, so is Atlas...and I know communication is pretty important and I'm not really good at that so I wanted to do this now so it doesn't become even more of a problem. Um...basically I've been...noticing things and it does hurt me to see them happening. I know sometimes I don't come off as observant considering I have so many kids, but I have noticed it.

Atlas: You're good, but what, um, have you noticed?

Solar: This is more addressed to Lunar than you, but...

Solar turns to look at Lunar.

Solar: I've noticed you don't really seem to be that close to Atlas, or even care as much about him. And I have noticed you've been distancing yourself from me and the rest of the family too, but Atlas seems to be getting the worst of your cold shoulder. Is something up, Lu?

Atlas: Actually, yeah, now that you mention it Solar, he does seem colder to me...did I do something wrong in recent memory, Lunar?

Lunar: To answer Atlas, not...really. And for you Solar...no, I'm fine.

Solar: Well you say it like that and I think you're not fine, Lu.

Atlas: Yeah no...that's...that's not really great, bud.

Lunar: I really am fine, I'm as good as always.

Atlas: Dude, Soliel told me they walked in on you watching Nutella commercials on repeat in your apartment when she went to check on you for Terry because of Terry being busy with cooking dinner.

Solar: What?? Why-?? Okay, that's definitely concerning. Lunar, are you certain you're okay, that just seems like a sign of something going on, you're concerning your partner-

Lunar: Terry doesn't have to be worried, he's allowed to take a backseat.

Solar: Lunar, it doesn't matter, he still wants to be there for you. All of us do...are you even listening to me??

Lunar: I am, you're saying you wish I was more emotionally here for you all.

Solar: Yeah, and not gonna lie, it's hurting me way more than you think. You've told me I could tell you about all the feelings I bottle up inside of me, and you've been acting more dismissive when I do. You're actually being dismissive right now, so what's going on, Lu?

Lunar: Nothing...

Solar: It can't be nothing, Lunar! I know you've been told by those astral beings that you can't feel feelings too much or your powers go all nuts, don't understand why that is personally because I don't like getting involved with that crap, but now I have to because of this and the fact my oldest has star power too! A-And now you're distancing yourself from us when we need to stick together and actually need to help each other out since there's this dark star power stuff happening around us!

Lunar: I'm still nearby though, I'll do whatever.

Solar: That's actually worse. Lunar, you being this distant yet still nearby, genuinely, is worse.

Lunar: So you would've rather had me leave?

Solar: That isn't what I'm saying, Lunar!

Atlas: Solar, Solar! Breathe...breathe...

Solar had been trembling with held back frustration and sadness, having to take Atlas' advice and breathe for a few seconds.

Solar: I'm...I'm sorry just...what is watching Nutella commercials on repeat alone in your apartment doing? It's why I'm concerned, I'm here for you, and I can help you, but....it's feeling like you don't want me to help you, brother....are you mad at me too?

Lunar: No, no, not particularly...not more than usual.

Solar: ....

Atlas: Okay, what's that supposed to mean?

Atlas gets up close to Lunar, getting a protective feeling in his gut.

Atlas: Are you mad at Solar or not?

Lunar remains painfully silent, which ends up in Solar anxiously fiddling with his mechanic gloves.

Solar: Um....you can take your time answering...it's just, you know, I don't know, um....

Atlas: Are you gonna answer him? .... Are you good at all, Lunar?

Lunar: I'm fine.

Atlas: Yeah, no, I don't believe that shit for a minute.

Solar: Atlas-

Atlas: No, no, that silence was painfully long, so he's obviously not fine. Plus he didn't actually answer your question, Solar.

Solar: ...Well...you're not wrong...

Solar then decides to address Lunar again.

Solar: Lunar....I really care about and love you and I, well, I wanna make sure you're okay like you've done for me in the past.

Atlas: And since I'm your brother too, Lunar, I'd like to know too if you're okay or not.

Lunar: ....Nothing more than usual that's wrong....

Atlas: Oh my fucking....

Atlas has to take a breath in since he's starting to get frustrated too.

Solar: Okay so that means that there is something wrong....are you really trying to get us to stop talking about this? Because we'll just end up having to bring it up later, you know.

Lunar: I know, and I don't wanna talk about it ever again.

Solar: But you never wanna talk about anything ever, you just wanna keep deflecting it. Why don't you want my help, our help? Especially when it comes to this stuff.

Lunar: Because I don't expect you to be able to because you, for one, have your own kids to worry about.

Solar: Most of them are grown, they're independent enough to where I can worry about you a little more-

Lunar: It's fine, I was just told to get over it.

Solar is silent for this one, he knows some bits and pieces of it, but Atlas doesn't. He wasn't told any more than Solar was.

Solar: Is...that really what they told you? That doesn't exactly seem like them given my brief meetings with them...

Atlas: Solar is this about the you-know-what thing?

Solar: Yeah, pretty sure it is.

Atlas: Anyway, why would they tell you what to do about your emotions?

Lunar: Tch, please, what would you know about your emotions, Atlas? You can barely process them and control them at all! You're worse than I am at not exploding at people with how intense they get!

Solar: ?! Lunar, that wasn't-!

Atlas places a hand on Solar's left arm.

Atlas: I'll be back, I....I-I need a moment.

Atlas' voice sounds strained with anger as he goes to his room across the hall, leaving Solar and Lunar alone...

Solar: ....Lunar, we were trying to have a somewhat civil conversation, sure there may have been a few hiccups, but still! The fact they actually just told you to get over your feelings without any context, unless there was, sounds pretty bad, but you can't just go attacking other family members like that. I'd understand if you said something more in good fun, but that felt really personal.

Lunar: Of course it's personal, he replaced the brother I lived in the head of. Quite frankly, I'm really, really annoyed.

Solar: And I'm...I'm guessing it has something more to it than just that.

Solar crossed his arms in front of his torso, just in case something happened like Lunar going to hit him there.

Lunar: Of course it does! It's the fucking Eclipse crap!

Solar: Oh...did he do something recently because I can take care of it-

Lunar: No, no he didn't, but it always seems to circle back to the past things he did!

Solar: Alright alright, can you...elaborate on it?

Solar decides to kneel down next to the bean bag to be more at Lunar's level.

Lunar: ....I'm capped out. Taurus stopped my training because of it.

Solar: Thought that was because Sun caught his interest-

Lunar: And all because what?! I have emotions and I'm still pissed off about Eclipse.

Solar: Okay, Lunar, haven't been agreeing on a lot of stuff this whole time, but I can agree with you on that being kinda stupid. Especially knowing there are demigods who can be powerful while still having emotions.

Lunar: Exactly! But apparently I can't get any more powerful because of them, because I have emotion, that's how this power works. That's why I've been told over and over to move on and get over it, it's because my emotions are supposedly holding me back. I don't have to forgive him, I don't even have to be cool with him, I just have to stop caring about it. No more, no less.

Solar: ...You know, they could've worded it wrong, maybe that's not what they meant.

Lunar: But that's basically how they worded it, and it's essentially what they want me to do!

Solar: Lunar...please give me specifically what they said. Was it move on or let go? I'll get a message across to them in some way-

Lunar: Move on. They want me to move on....but I just can't. I've tried for so long, so...very....long. And I...can't. I just can't. He blew me up, Solar! In front of my best friend out of pure fucking spite! All because he's a condescending bastard!

Solar lowers his rays as he listens, trying not to get too overwhelmed by Lunar's shouting.

Lunar: And you probably didn't expect it to still effect me so badly, but it does! I know I've joked about it, but it still effects me! How could it not, I died!! And you didn't know I died is the worst part of it, I never got to tell you goodbye, I never got to tell, you, my little brother goodbye!

Solar: ....I-I know, Lunar...I-I know...

Lunar: And another thing, I thought if I just joked and shunned it away, it would just go away, but it hasn't, and it won't go away! And now I'm being told this one thing, the one thing that I thought was supposed to be "Lunar's thing", the thing that Lunar can do with his life now, I can't do any more with it until I get over this! I can't get over this, it has been a year and a half, at least! ...........It.....it infuriates me. HE infuriates me. I don't care if he's supposedly changing now, I don't care if he's not the same Eclipse or not, to me it's him because he talks to me the same way, he acts the same way to me! Hell, he acts that way towards you too because you're "inferior" to him! But you know who he hasn't acted that way towards? Eclisse. That stupid kid who was butt hurt about being trapped in a tube and she's gone now. And yet, it still pisses me off that they were the only one he was kind towards when they talked to him!

Lunar notices that Solar's rays have wilted completely and that he's trembling, trying to hold back the fact he was feeling very overwhelmed by Lunar's shouting and ranting.

Lunar: Great, now I feel like the bad guy....

Solar: ! Lu, no, you're not the bad guy, you're just angry and upset-

Lunar: No, no I am because I've been overwhelming your senses with me rambling and shouting at you with no regard for how that was gonna effect you!

Solar: You didn't do it on purpose though, it's okay-

Lunar: But it's not okay, Solar, you're my baby brother, I'm not supposed to be insensitive about it!

Solar: L-Lu-

Lunar: No, Eclipse has been the insensitive one for a long time and he's the bad guy, so that makes me just as bad as him! And yet he changed for Eclisse! He changed for her, Eclisse could talk to him and he'd listen! Meanwhile every time I went up to him for something, I got slapped, I got punched in the face, it got him to go into my head and make sure Moon was still locked away because that's all he ever really cared about! That's all I was, I was a lock and key for Moon!

Solar: But you're more than that, always have been to me...I'm sorry that was all you were to Eclipse...

Lunar goes silent for a good bit after hearing that. It does touch him, but it doesn't quell his negative emotions.

Lunar: ....I hate him. I hate him and nothing's going to change that. So that means, hooray, Lunar's back to being nothing! He's back to having no purpose!

Solar: No purp-? I, what do you mean no purpose??

Lunar: I.....

Lunar finally snaps completely, his angry shouting becoming louder than it was previously.

Lunar: I WOKE UP AND FROM THE MOMENT I WOKE UP, I HAD A PURPOSE AND NOW I HAVE NOTHING!!!

Solar winced from the shouting, but decided to get to his feet so that he was back to being on even level with Lunar since Lunar had stood up as well. Soliel had come in from the background, hearing Lunar screaming at Solar.

Soliel: What the-??

Solar: Lunar, you've had a purpose that wasn't being Eclipse's right hand for a long time, what are you talking about...?

Solar was trying not to shout back, he didn't want Soliel to get overwhelmed like he was already. They shared the same sensory issues when it came to noises in that regard and him adding onto it would only make it worse.

Lunar: WHAT'S MY PURPOSE, TO GO BE A DAYCARE ATTENDANT, TO BE YOUR OLDER BROTHER, TO BE YOUR KIDS' UNCLE?! THAT'S NOT A PURPOSE TO ME I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE!!

Solar: That's something I'd think you would find out on your own, Lu, you can't just be-

Lunar: I'VE BEEN TRYING!!! I THOUGHT IT WAS THIS STAR CRAP AND NOW, JUST NOW, I'M BEING TOLD THAT, "Oh, maybe you have dark star powers too, maybe you're not always all good inside, maybe you just need to embrace the other side of you. Maybe you just-"....

Lunar had started sparking purple this whole time, Soliel paling as they realized what was about to happen.

Lunar: I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A blast of dark purple power gets shot at Solar, Solar screaming and covering his face with his arms....only for Soliel to scream out in pain instead, having gotten in the middle of the blast and Solar.

Soliel: AAAAAAAAAAGGGGH!!!!! IT BURNS, IT BURNS WORSE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD, OH GLOB!!!!

Soliel collapses on the floor while Solar panics as he tries to catch her.

Soliel: It hurts! IT HURTS, IT HURTS SO BAD!!!!

Lunar had started backing off, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. He had hurt his niece, he hadn't even meant to!

Lunar: I-I...I didn't mean....!

Lunar bolts off out of the room and out of the house, leaving Soliel to writhe in pain in Solar's arms.

Soliel: Dad, it hurts, it hurts-!

Solar: I-I know, I know baby, I know, I have you, I have you, just breathe for me, please.

Solar's holding Soliel extremely close to his body, trying to get her to start breathing properly.

Taurus: What....happened?

Solar starts looking around to see if Taurus has showed up in the house, but he hasn't. He quickly figures out that Taurus is speaking to him psychically.

Solar: Taurus, please, not now-!

Soliel: Taurus, he tried to hit my dad but I got in the way so it wouldn't hit him and it hurts and it was all purple it hurts really bad-!!

Solar: Soliel, sweetie, look at me, please breathe. Please. In, out.

Soliel is struggling to breathe properly, her systems clearly effected badly by the blast.

Soliel: I-I'm trying, my systems hurt so much, oh glob! I...I....

Soliel ends up passing out from pain in Solar's arms, Solar trying to gently shake her awake.

Solar: Sunnybeam? S-Sunnybeam?

Jack: Hello father! What is going on?

Solar: Jack, your sister's been hurt, Lunar blasted her with, if what he was telling me was true, dark star power.

Jack: Do I need to add Lunar to my list of targets, father? I do not like seeing my sister hurt.

Solar: No, Jack, he's still our family...he's still my brother....

Taurus: This...is troubling....

Jack: Oh! How long has he been talking psychically to you father?

Solar: Not long, Jack...come on, we're taking her to my bed.

Jack: I will protect her until our other siblings and Terry arrive!

Solar: Thanks Jack....

Taurus: Mm...still very troubling...

Solar: Listen, Taurus, if you wanna go find Lunar and take care of him, please do, just don't hurt him. I have to help my daughter.

Taurus: Fear not, Lunar will be dealt with appropriately for what he has been using, but no harm shall be done...

Jack: Does this mean you have to check her systems, father?

Solar: Unfortunately, yes. It could've had an effect on their systems.

Jack: Oh nyooo!!!

Solar manages to get downstairs and places Soliel in his bed, Jack hopping up on the bed and sitting next to them like a guard dog.

Jack: Must protect sister!

Solar gives Jack a small, tired smile, before going to the computer set up across the bed and plugging it into Soliel to check their systems over.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: The mod had to rewatch the Lunar Attacks Earth video in order to write this event as it happened in this AU. So yes, there is repeated dialogue from that video because of it being an unavoidable event.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[highwatermark]

I love how up in the air the fate of Falin is right now...

On one side, we have the Winged Lion cursing Laios to never have his greatest wish granted. He immediately thinks of Falin, but we just saw an example of Laios being manipulated into have his arguably real desire being granted, one he's been holding since childhood: becoming a monster. This, coupled with him admitting to the shock of his companions that if Falin never died they wouldn't have left on this adventure, makes me thing maybe the greatest desire being referred to is something else, something deeper. Not to mention the sidebar in CH94 is "his true intentions are revealed!" when saying "we're gonna eat you up!" instead of "we're gonna save you!" to Falin. Hmm.

My first thought is something involving acceptance; he's been an outcast since youth, the Winged Lion manipulated him with visions of a world where his love of monsters is taken seriously and cultivated, and all his companions are together sharing a meal... while in the newest chapter, they're talking about parting ways now that the adventure is over. I guess we can't know until we do, but I'm curious to see if this is the final bait and switch being set up.

Of course, on the other side, we've been gently taught the lesson that eating something makes its death not a waste. It's a funeral, it's letting go while keeping them with you, it's nature at it's very essence. Falin dying for good (especially with the dungeon we've rarely seen her outside of collapsing and, as Yaad says 'the veil is being lifted') would be a bittersweet end perfectly in line with the morals of the story. So it really comes down to: is Falin a scrambled egg?? Full-- hold on wait post on pause i was just going to continue the joke of Falin's soul being an egg but HOW did i miss the perfect visual symbolism of this panel. The symbolic representation of Falin's soul resting on top of something different than her, still fully formed????

just 'soul eggs benefict' as it's translated in the printed manga?? does this mean her's souls leaked out already i--

[simp999]

A New Home Ch. 13

Various! Splatoon Manga x Skilled! Isekai'd! Reader

Wc: 1.7k

A/N: I didn't mean for it to be this long! (Totally not bc Mask's my favorite whaaat)

A/N 2: I'm sorry if he seems a tad OOC, but I feel like he'd be more comfortable/friendly(?) When there isn't anybody else around. He definitely does at least a couple things to make him appear scarier for his reputation.

Back To The Start! Previous Next

A few days later, and it looked like the weatherman was right. The skies do look quite miserable today. It’s full of dull grey clouds, but no rain. You sit at home, bored, having nothing good to do. You want to play video games, but you’ve already speedrun them all with Leo, or they’re no fun. Then it hits you. The Shoal! You’ve always wanted to go, but it was always way too busy for your comfort zone. You quickly get up and throw your favorite top on, grabbing your bag and headphones, throwing your shoes on. Milo asks you where you’re going, just to be safe.

“Alright, have fun! Oh, grab a brella and don’t get caught in the rain!”

You sigh at how protective he is, but he’s right. You grab his brella since it’s closest to the door, and head out.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

‘Wow, it’s so much nicer in here when it’s not packed.’

You take a look around, only spotting the person at the counter and a couple who are about to leave. You can actually hear the sounds of all the arcade games waiting to be played, instead the screams of young squids. You get your coins, a good handful of them, and take a quick walk around the building. You spot a game that looks familiar. It looks almost just like pacman, Except with squids. Oh, how this brings out the kid in you!

You get lost in the games, going from pac-man, to space invaders, even finding tetris. Those aren’t the proper names, but they’re basically the same games with some more splatoon-like attributes. It doesn’t seem like anyone’s around, so you absentmindedly start to hum, then quietly sing some songs that have been stuck in your head.

We are fighting dreamers, takami wo mezashite~

Fighting dreamers, narifuri kamawazu~

Fighting dreamers, shinjiru ga mama ni~

You continue to hum the lyrics you’re not sure on, but stop mid lyric(mid-hum?) when you hear some loud clicking. It’s coming from the front of you to the right, hidden by some large arcade machines. You could barely see through the cracks of the big machines, not recognising the person. It seems they were playing squid beatz, and they were phenomenal at it. You didn’t want to bother anyone, but they sounded insanely skilled at the game. Just a little peek? You go around the machines and turn the corner, now recognizing this familiar, cyan-colored inkling immediately. You kept quiet not wanting to distract him and mess him up. When you turn your back to him, he calls out to you.

“Hey, yooou.”

You notice he just completed the level, with a seemingly perfect score.

“Uh, yeah?” You shift in your spot awkwardly, not really wanting to interact too much. 

‘Actually, the story is only focusing on Rider and Goggles in hero mode right now. That means that this is the time to meet these characters.’

“You look familiaaar. You had curry with everyone a couple days agoooo, right? You came and watched some of my battles, toooo.”

“Never would have thought you paid so much attention to details. I don’t think I stand out that much, do I?” You decided the best way to go about this was to feel somewhat comfortable, but still keep your space and show a bit of respect.

“Where’s the rest of team cyan?”

He picks an easier song to play to, not wanting to lose while still semi-focusing on the conversation. How thoughtful. (It was still a difficult song, but there were fewer quick sequences of notes.)

“Juuuust me here. They wanted to finish speedrunning a game that I beat aaaages ago.”

You boot up a game just a few machines down, knowing that this one’s easy to play, so you don’t have to have your full attention on it.

“What about yooours?”

“Wanted to come alone. Never been to the Shoal before because it was always so busy, figured today was my best option.”

He finishes the song with ease, patting his pockets and seeing that he needs more coins. He brought a small bag with him, and you see a pile of tickets building up in it. He must have been here a while. You’re not sure what to do, so you follow behind him after purposefully loosing your game.

He notices you,

“Yeah, weather’s perfect. Just hooow I like it.”

He looks outside, now being close to the front of the store.

“Starting to raaaain.”

Already? It doesn’t feel like you’ve been here that long. You check your phone and sure enough, you’ve been here for a couple hours.

“You plan on heading home before the rain hits, Mask?”

“I wouldn’t mind staaaying here aaaall day.”

You shrug, agreeing on that. The sun is usually really hot out, so it’s a nice change of pace. A big contrast to all the bright colors and loud sounds that are usually everywhere.

Your stomach rumbles, and you remember that you haven’t had anything to eat since a small snack you considered breakfast.

You look around and see a sign that says they offer food, perfect.

“You hungry? I bet you’ve been here a while.”

“A liiittle.”

“How ‘bout I get us some pizza?”

He contemplates it, but who’s gonna deny free pizza? He puts his coins in his pocket.

“Suuuure.”

You take your time eating, they had some surprisingly good pizza and soda here. He’d pull his mask just barely above his mouth to take a small bite every once in a while. Mask would sneeze every so often, earning him a tissue from your bag. He didn’t eat lots, which made sense considering his overly skinny frame. Good thing he did turf to gain some muscle, but he should really try to take better care of himself. You two didn’t talk a lot, but sometimes Mask would ask you something, usually unrelated to battles. It’s actually quite nice not talking about battles or your skill, it seems it’s all others care about when it comes to you. 

He’s weird, that’s for sure. But once he warms up to you, he’s a nice break from reality, if you could even call it that. Not that he’d ever be completely comfortable, not even with his own teammates, that’s just how he is. You noticed that even out of battles, they would keep a comfortable distance. It seems he’s not a fan of physical contact, which is something you could respect. Once the two of you were done eating you continued to play on the arcade machines. You finally ran out of coins, sad that you had to leave. You were enjoying this time, finally able to genuienly hang out with someone from the manga without being afraid of changing the story. He notices that you’ve been quiet for a while, and sees that you’re no longer playing your game, just watching his. He offers you a couple coins, but you deny them. 

“That’s really sweet of you, but I should probably make my way home. Milo probably has an actual supper ready. Can’t wait to get home and have him lecture me on having pizza before supper.” He turns his head away, not used to being complemented. You check your pockets to see how many tickets you have, you probably have a couple hundred. It won’t get you any big prizes, but if you were to give them to Mask, on top of his - at least a thousand,-  he could get himself something nice. You try to subtly drop your tickets into the bag next to his foot, but he catches them before they can fall into his bag. Oh yeah, he’s S+. He’s got quick reflexes if he feels like using them.

“I don’t need them, I’m here ooooften.” He quits his game halfway through, and walks over to the prize counter, bag in hand. You want to question him, curious as to why he wants a prize all of a sudden. Maybe he just remembered something at the counter that he wanted. He asks for something behind the counter and the worker trades him for it. While browsing the smaller prizes, you vaguely hear the words: “One thousand tickets,” 

Hey, he worked for them, so whatever he’s getting is completely up to him.

Once he’s done at the counter, you ask the worker for two keychains. One cyan squid, and one squid of your main ink color. He gives them to you in exchange for 125 tickets each, and you clip the cyan one to your bag. Mask watches you and waits for you to be done before holding out the item he got.

“It’s Naruto, volumes 1-3 all combined in one book.. I heard you humming the opening earlier, so I figured you were a fan of the series.”

…that’s embarrassing. 

Since when was he this kind? But also, Naruto! That means that 1. Anime and manga exist here, and 2. He’s a weeb. Actually it was kind of obvious, he definitely seems like the type to watch anime.

You’re unsure of how to accept it, it is really nice of him, but it’s so expensive! But he already got it, and he probably already has the same one at home, so you can’t just deny this!

“Oh… thank you. That’s, um, actually really nice. Makes it feel more like home.”

“Huuuh? Hooome?”

“Oh, yeah, I just moved here, and couldn’t bring all my old manga, which really sucked.”

“Ouuuch. It can get pretty expensive.”

You sway on your feet, not sure what else to say. You already thanked him, but you don’t want to leave. You’ll see him again though, you’re sure.

You offer him a small smile and wave after some contemplating, and make your way out the door, grabbing your brella.

He watches you make your way out of the building, open your brella, and walk out of his sight. He picks up his bag, and feels a bit of cold metal on his hand. A keychain. With a squid that matches your ink color.

‘Huh. They sure are weird.’

.

.

.

.

.

‘I guess I might might like some inklings that enjoy life.’

Next Part

May.3.23

[gayliketheancients]

I'm SORRY (Every Single Song Is About You)

In another addition of 'Gay Writes': I am almost done with a project that will be coming up here TONIGHT. BKDK fans, I come bearing the Karaoke AU of ultimate pain.

This was the work that got me back into writing fanfic. I'm not going to lie, you guys love a good, angtsy, mess, painful, exes-to-lovers BKDK, and as it is a trope I love dearly, I'm here to present a sneak peak.

This is gonna be a Big Boy down below

EVERY SINGLE SONG IS ABOUT YOU

Ships: BKDK, KiriMina, a surprise polycule

Warnings: SO MANY. THIS. IS. MESSY. PEAK BKDK MESSY. infidelity (not between any of the main ships but it's literally the opening chapters, my dude. HEAVY on a dont like dont read policy), true and real behaviors of people with trauma, morally questionable moments, BDSM sex and etiquiette (both bad dynamics and teaching to learn good), violence, death, etc.

Rating: Explicit

Tags: exes-to-lovers, karaoke bar AU, songfic - kinda, canon divergent, Heroes all make it to be pro-heroes au, I am currently waiting for the manga to finish to binge but I was reading religiously at the time of this story being written - so it is adjacent in some ways, homophobic views (societal, internalized, externalized), angst with a happy ending

THE SNEAK PEAK:

After a near death experience leaves him with both memory loss and his ex-boyfriend at his bedside across the world from their hometown, Izuku decides he's done waiting for thing to fix itself. He moves back home from the States and in a true return to form, starts chasing after the one thing he wants but can't seem to get - Kacchan.

A painful story about how love is often as imperfect as we are, and the ways living makes it worth it.

A QUOTE FROM THE PROLOGUE:

Love is like a flame. It does not discriminate, it doesn’t give a shit about your situation or who you want to become. The smallest spark on kindling can cause a chain reaction that will shape the rest of your life. You may have plans, but love is there to take you off of your carefully crafted path and lead you into an offshoot of the future to create a new one. Love doesn’t care what your plans are or who you feel required to become. All love cares about is getting fed, and no matter if it’s oxygen or wood, the fire demands to continue burning.

The thing about love that makes it like a flame is that it hurts. It’s bright and vibrant and beautiful, but it’s also the most destructive force on the planet. Wars have been raged over love, countries toppled, governments and knowledge lost to the power of love having a ripple effect through history. And it will never end. There will be heartbreaks where you feel like you’ve lost so much more than just a partner, like you’ve lost part of yourself as well. This is the way it is, the way it will always be. When you love, you run the risk of being burned. There is always the chance that you will get hurt. 

But, believe that it’s worth it. Loving people is always worth it. It is true that your heartbreak will hurt for as long as you still love them. It is true that some loves are there to push you to where you need to go. Love is not always soft and gentle. Sometimes it’s feral and possessive and it means to destroy everything you’ve ever known about yourself and your life. You have the option to let it run wild and destroy the forest of your existence and allow things to grow back new and different, or you can do small, controlled instances with love where you end things before they can become too intense. 

Not all love is meant to bring tectonic level change to your life, but all of the right kinds of love will. No matter how hard we try, love is the reason for our existence. You’re never supposed to have a perfect experience with love. The fantasy of soulmates who are perfectly in sync from the moment they meet until one of them dies is very seldom a true representation of life changing love. It will be messy. There will be fights, challenges, struggles along the way. You will not always be ready, willing or able to deal with the problems that arise. The meaning of being together may get lost somewhere along the way. 

Love is more than just a feeling or a commitment, it is also a sacrifice. The best way to describe love is knowing that allowing it in your life is akin to taking a leap of faith. You may feel like a fool, but the small act of allowing the love in will put you on a journey that you never saw coming. Life and love are the longest lasting of soulmates. Life brings you in and gives you values, meanings, a purpose. Love takes what you know and puts it on its head in order to show you the truth of it, and the truth will set you free. Love brings you meaning, hope, and the ability to distinguish what makes life worth living. 

Love is more than a partner, just like life is more than a series of breaths. They create balance together, and are dangerous apart. To live without love is surviving in the bleakest manner possible, and to love without life is grief in its purest form. There is no one without the other. 

I want to take this moment to encourage you to live and to love deeply. Not all love is romantic, and not all life is dripping with excitement. Love your friends, your family, strangers you pass on the street. Love yourself, because you fucking deserve it. The act of loving is what makes the human experience of life bearable and worth the pain. Do not mistake this as advice saying you need a partner to truly live life to the fullest. Instead, try and reflect on the ones you love as pillars for the best life possible. The more pillars you have, the more sturdy you will become as you continue to live. 

Love is worth it, and so are you.

[hellobunny044]

Panels. | Series

panel. in manga art, panels refers to the frame that wraps around one moment in time.

********************************************************

an original Haikyu AU pairing Udai Tenma (the og little giant)

warning!!: containing some manga content.

word count: 6040

********************************************************

Panel - 10

Udai sat in his dimly lit studio, surrounded by paper and caffeine. He was lost in the chaos of his creative process, scribbling notes and character sketches with abandon. He was grappling with the familiar challenge of deadlines and creativity, his mind a wild thing that refused to be tamed.

The phone rang, startling Udai out of his reverie. He answered mechanically, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

———————————————————————

“Udai-san,” Akaashi’s voice came over the line, crisp and businesslike.

———————————————————————

“Oh? Akaashi-san,” Udai replied, trying to shake off the fog of his creative trance.

———————————————————————

“Just making sure you’re still alive.”

———————————————————————

Udai sighed, “Really? Is that really the reason you’re calling? Well… hung up now. I’m working, Editor-san.”

———————————————————————

“No. Actually I’m calling to remind you of your deadline,” Akaashi continued, his voice unwavering. “Volume 25 is due in six days.”

———————————————————————

Udai sighed, his gaze falling to the stack of papers on his desk. He knew the deadline was looming, but he was still lost in the haze of his creative process.

“I know, I know,” Udai muttered, his voice tired. “I’m trying to get everything done, but it’s not easy. I’m just a mangaka, not a magician.”

———————————————————————

“I see,” Akaashi replied, his tone unreadable.

———————————————————————

Udai laughed bitterly, insinuating. “Your response is cool as always, Akaashi-san.”

———————————————————————

“Well, as your editor, I’d advise you to focus on wrapping up the ending first. Then, you can go back and make any necessary adjustments to the rest of the story.”

———————————————————————

Udai nodded, silently grateful for the advice. Akaashi was always good about giving him pointers and tips to help him stay on track.

“Roger that, Editor-san. I’ll try that,” Udai said, scribbling a note on the edge of his paper. “Thank you for the kind reminder, Akaashi-san. Always.”

———————————————————————

“Of course,” Akaashi replied, his voice clipped. “I’ll be checking in with you again soon. Don’t forget about the deadline.”

———————————————————————

“Yeah… I mean, just hang up the call, I’m working. And you’re technically—“

He sighed when he heard the beep sound from the other end of the line. Akaashi really hung up right after.

“That little owl…” he mumbles, jerkily moving the pen against the tablet. “I’ll teach him a lesson.”

********************************************************

And yet, as the day wore on, here he was, facing the fact that he had not made the progress he wanted to make on the 25th volume of his manga.

At his desk, still with his computer and tabs on, fingers still clutching the pen, and head no longer able to defy gravity, almost planted on the table, his eyes were wide open in confusion.

What does he mean by teaching Akaashi a lesson?

Even at this very moment, he had not been able to accomplish anything. The life he wanted to birth into the 25th volume had yet to have a manifestation that matched what he had previously projected in his head.

He was doomed.

This time, however, Udai did not wait for Akaashi’s call to come. Taking the initiative, he dialed his number first, knowing that Akaashi must have woken up preceding the sun to hone his words so as they were always as sharp as ever.

Although something was different about the call this time, and that Akaashi sounded a little sleepier than usual, Udai didn’t care. He got straight to the main point of this call: whining to the phone.

“Akaashi-san~”

———————————————————————

“Eh? Udai-san?”

———————————————————————

And another, in a more defeated voice, “Akaashi-san~”

———————————————————————

“Wha– what happened, Udai-san? Are you alright?”

———————————————————————

“I’m not okay!” Udai almost shouted to the call receiver on the other line.

———————————————————————

“O-oh… alright…” Akaashi sighed, “How bad is your situation?”

———————————————————————

“This is a major crisis! Basically an existential crisis!”

———————————————————————

“Existential—” Akaashi sighed, “Just tell me how bad is it this time? How many hours did you waste of doing nothing?”

———————————————————————

“Seriously!?” Udai raised his head, a dramatic reaction that Akaashi could not see. “I worked very hard on this and you’re seriously asking about how many hours I’ve wasted doing nothing? Akaashi-san, you’re really cruel!”

He heard Akaashi sigh from the other end of the line.

His head was bowed down, resting on his palm, as his fingers combed through his messy hair. Almost grimacing, he muttered, “I am doomed now, Akaashi-san. I’m done. This is my end. This is the end of the world.”

Once again, he heard Akaashi sigh.

As Udai muttered some things to dramatize his failure even more, there was silence on the other end of the line, as if Akaashi was considering what to say.

Finally, he spoke.

———————————————————————

“Udai-san, as your editor, I want to remind you that deadlines are important,” Akaashi said, his voice firm.

———————————————————————

Udai’s response came in an almost half snapping, half crying manner, “I know that too well even if you don’t say it repeatedly, Akaashi-san!”

———————————————————————

“Well then, as the good start, it’s good if you know about that.”

———————————————————————

Udai dropped his head on the table, giving up on what he had just heard. Then a string of dramatic cries and whines came out of his mouth, mostly about the editor’s nonchalantness, or about his mistreatment of someone who was senior to him in age, or even other childish things that had absolutely nothing to do with the development of his manga.

Once, on the other side of the line, it was so quiet that Udai finally stopped and glanced at his phone to make sure that Akaashi was still there to hear everything he said.

Akaashi was indeed still connected, but the atmosphere on the other side of the phone was almost like a ghost town. Then Udai spoke, calling out to make sure, “Akaashi-san? Are you still there? Do you hear me? Are you dying?”

Only then did a response come.

———————————————————————

“Are you able to cooperate with me, Udai-san?” Akaashi sighed, “And I’m not dying.”

———————————————————————

Oh, that question sounded serious yet mocking at the same time. Udai almost winced. With a dejected voice, he answered briefly. Giving Akaashi the part to say something.

A loud sigh clear on the other end of the line.

———————————————————————

“Listen, Udai-san. Deadlines are important. I understand that creativity can be unpredictable. And though sometimes, I might be a little strict to admit that, but I know enough to know that sometimes, we can’t force our ideas to come to us.”

———————————————————————

Udai glanced at his phone, missing a few beats before he said, “You finally said something that sounds more humane, Akaashi-san.” His voice was low, like pouting.

On the other side, Akaashi sighed again.

———————————————————————

“I know that the ultimate goal of this conversation is remission,”

———————————————————————

“Akaashi-san, I really worked hard. I swear on every god there is if they do exist that I worked really hard this time.”

———————————————————————

“Yes, I know, Udai-san. I didn’t say anything.”

Akaashi sighed, as if giving Udai remission was a crucial decision that if he miscalculated would result in a less positive outcome of the manga production. And it was true. With Udai’s incredible procrastinating skills, a remission might lead to a disaster if Akaashi’s attention to the artist slipped away even a little.

He added, “I’ll talk to the production team. You get three days from me.”

———————————————————————

“Three days!?” Udai exclaimed, almost too hysterically.

———————————————————————

“That’s more than enough, isn’t it? Or two days?”

———————————————————————

Soon, Udai was whining again, “Akaashi-san~”

———————————————————————

“The deal is three days. More than that, I can’t save you, Udai-san. You just might want to consider a hiatus.”

———————————————————————

Udai scoffed childishly, “Ciih! You’re so uncooperative.” He added, “Are you a robot?”

———————————————————————

“I’m just being a little too responsible for my work, and from time to time help you maintain your good reputation, Udai-san.”

———————————————————————

“Aw! Aren’t you sweet, Akaashi-san?”

But Udai’s expression changed quickly, and so did his tone. “You really are so stingy, Akaashi-san! You’re not fun! You really are not fun!”

He heard Akaashi sigh from the other end of the line.

———————————————————————

“Alright then, I’ll wait for the revised script in three days.”

———————————————————————

Scoffed, Udai said, “Forget about three days, I’ll finish it in two!”

———————————————————————

“That’s even better.”

———————————————————————

“Akaashi-san~”

———————————————————————

“Then, just remember that creativity is a wild thing. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is let it run free.” Akaashi said.

There was a pause, silence filling in for a while.

Starting with another sigh, Akaashi’s last words before hanging up were, “You’re probably just hungry or thinking about something too much. Try to open the window and start cleaning up your workspace and eat less chips when your body asks for rice.”

———————————————————————

“Akaashi-san, are you my mom?”

———————————————————————

“Fortunately, not.” Akaashi said, “then, Udai-san. I’ll call again later. Good day today.”

———————————————————————

For a few moments after the call with Akaashi ended, Udai remained where he was. Not moving, not saying anything. Besides the fact that he was still stuck thinking about how he could finish this whole manuscript in three days when his head was so empty, he also thought about something Akaashi had said earlier.

It was true that instead of filling those empty panels with new lives, his mind sometimes wandered off to other places. A place he didn’t really know where but familiar.

His eyes closed forcefully, his last attempt to drive away all the remnants of insanity that made his mind always coming back to that place, to that person.

But no, maybe he was too hungry.

Udai opened his eyes, looking at the trash bag full of chips. He had run out of stock. Maybe that’s why his brain couldn’t work optimally.

He agreed that he was probably just lacking a snack.

Rather than thinking about other possibilities that would make things worse, Udai tried to indoctrinate himself that it was just as simple as he was lacking a normal dose of his chips income and needed a new atmosphere, or he might also be too tired to continue.

His eyes slowly became heavy. Right. He was just tired.

“First of all, sleep.”

**************************************************************************************

Udai awoke to the sound of his own stomach growling. He rubbed his bleary eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of his restless sleep. It was late afternoon, and the sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon.

He groggily made his way to the kitchen, rummaging through his cabinets and fridge in search of something to eat. But all he found were stale chips and a half-empty carton of milk gone sour.

Udai sighed, realizing that he had yet again neglected his basic needs in favor of his creative endeavors. He knew he had to eat something before he passed out from hunger. So he grabbed his wallet and headed out to the nearest convenience store.

As he walked along the streets, the hustle and bustle of the city surrounded him. People hurried past him, their eyes downcast and their faces pensive. Cars honked, buses screeched to a stop, and the wind rustled through the trees lining the sidewalks.

Udai entered the convenience store, the smell of salty snacks and sweet candies instantly hitting his nose. He wandered through the aisles as if in a daze, his eyes scanning the rows of packaged foods and drinks.

Finally, he settled on a simple bento box with some rice, grilled chicken, and mixed vegetables. He paid for his meal and walked over to the small seating area in the store, plopping down into one of the plastic chairs.

He took a bite of his food, savoring the savory flavor of the chicken as it melted in his mouth. He watched the news on the television mounted on the wall, the sound of the anchor’s voice lulling him into a state of calmness.

As he ate, Udai watched the people outside the convenience store going about their lives. A mother with her young child in tow, a couple holding hands and laughing, an elderly man shuffling slowly down the street. They were all so different yet so alike, all connected in their shared humanity.

Udai realized that even amidst the chaos of his life as a mangaka, he was not alone. He was just one of many people struggling to make his way in the world, to find meaning and purpose in his work.

His gaze was then shifted, wandering to the other side of the convenience store, and stopped when he caught sight of a line of hair tools neatly arranged on a shelf. His gaze stayed there for a long time as his mind wandered far away to a day before this.

“You know, your hair…”

Subconsciously, Udai was touching his hair when Tsubasa said that.

“They’re long,” Tsubasa continued, but now with a smile that followed right before she ended with, “very long.”

It’s not that he was unaware of his long hair. He knew and was well aware about it, and had deliberately let his hair grow longer ever since he was still in college.

His eyes may have shifted, but his mind remained. Until the end, it lingered in his memory of that day. Just briefly, passing by a giant mirror on one side of the convenience store, Udai briefly reflected on his reflection: to his long curls peeking out disheveled from his hoodie.

********************************************************

From : Akaashi Keiji

I have a meeting until 4pm. We’ll meet at dinner time. Meet me at restaurant X, I’ll pay.

To : Akaashi Keiji

Yoshaaa!!! >>,<< Take your time, Akaashi-san. I’ll wait. Good luck on the meeting!! ^^ Thank you for always working hard!! I’m always rooting for you!

That’s how Udai ended up meeting Akaashi at dinner at a restaurant somewhere in the bustling Shibuya.

Although he wasn’t late, Akaashi still came rushing up to Udai at the table and it seemed unfair that he was still as neat as he looked in the morning. Udai had a fleeting thought that he was using an illegal preservative to maintain his appearance for twelve hours.

“Good evening, Udai-san.”

“Evening, Akaashi-busy-san.”

Putting his bag on the other seat beside him, Akaashi glanced over at Udai, intrigued by his new nickname, as well as by the overly bright smile the artist wore on his face.

“Did something good happen, Udai-san?” Akaashi asked, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt slowly. His eyes greeted a waiter who came to bring them the menu before started scanning through the list.

Udai shook his head, his smile lingered, “You treating me to dinner is a good thing to be celebrated, Akaashi-san.”

“It’s nothing.” Akaashi said. He turned to the waiter and mentioned his order then shifted to Udai. “Just a small celebration since you worked hard for this volume and probably neglected yourself."

“Geh!” Udai grumbled, putting on a sour face before turning to the waiter to state his order.

While waiting for their order, Akaashi returned to be Udai’s editor, going over the latest manuscript for the 25th volume of Zomb’ish thoroughly.

Akaashi pointed out several areas where the story had been strengthened by Udai’s revisions, praising the character development and plot twists.

As they continued to talk, Udai began to understand how important Akaashi’s guidance was to his creative process. His editor challenged him to think more deeply about his characters, to push the boundaries of what was possible, to create stories that resonated with readers on a visceral level.

“That’s all from me.” Akaashi wrapped, head moving in small nods as his hand closed the manuscript.

Udai smiled, feeling moved to have survived the deadline once again... although this time he would have barely gotten anything done on target if Akaashi hadn’t given him a remission. The threat of the word hiatus was indeed the most effective threat when dealing with Udai and his trademark.

Immediately he changed his expression, acting tough and a little arrogant even though he was the one whining on the other end of the phone three days ago.

“I told you, right? I can finish this in time.”

“You said you’ll do in two days,” Akaashi corrected.

“Geh!” Udai put on a sour face again, grumbling to Akaashi who was drinking. “Anyway, I finished it on time.”

Akaashi hummed.

Udai sighed, “There are only three volumes left. Three more volumes and Zomb’ish will come to an end.”

Akaashi hummed, “Let’s focus on that.”

Udai nods, “That goes without saying! I’m really trying the best I can to end this. And hopefully at the end, it will be something interesting to discuss even if it’s just somewhere in class, or on some benches at a convenience store.”

Sipping his drink, Udai didn’t notice that Akaashi was watching him, almost as if studying him, until he finally said something.

“By the way, Udai-san,”

Distractedly, Udai turned to Akaashi.

“you tie your hair this time, I notice.”

Udai stopped, almost choking on his drink.

“An improvement.” Akaashi added, not caring how Udai was coughing.

The dinner came.

********************************************************

Udai walked slowly through his quiet neighborhood, still lost in thought from his dinner with Akaashi. His mind was a jumble of ideas and emotions, his heart heavy with the weight of endings and beginnings.

Then, he heard it. The unmistakable sound of people shouting and laughing, the distinct thud of a ball being hit back and forth.

He turned his head towards the source of the noise and saw a group of people playing volleyball on the outside court. He recognized them as his neighbors, people he had lived near for years but never really gotten to know.

It was then that the ball flew over the fence, landing at Udai’s feet. His reflexes kicked in, and he caught it effortlessly.

“Hey, nice catch!” one of the neighbors called out, his voice friendly and welcoming.

Udai felt the weight of the ball in his hand, the familiar texture of the leather and the sound it made as it hit his palm.

Suddenly, he was thrown back to his high school days, when volleyball was his entire world.

He remembered the tournaments, the countless hours of practice, the roar of the crowd as he scored the winning point. It was a time when he had felt invincible, and everything had seemed possible.

But now, as he stood there holding the ball, he knew that he was no longer that person. He knew he couldn’t go back to those carefree days, no matter how much he wished he could.

“Ano… Long-hair Nii-chan over there,”

Udai quickly looked up, realizing that he had been daydreaming for quite some time. His gaze wandered on the faces of the men gathered in their casual clothes in the middle of a field that he never even knew could be a friendly volleyball court for his neighbors.

“Can you play?”

“Huh?”

One of the guys with his hands resting on his waist, pointed to the ball he was holding, “Volleyball, I mean. Can you?”

Another question struck before Udai had enough time to think of an answer.

“Why don’t you come and play? It’s not that everyone here is a professional at volleyball. We’re just killing time by having some fun.” At the end, that person seemed to have noticed Udai for quite a while, “You’re from 1104, right?”

“Ah… Right.”

“Come join in.”

It was the weirdest correlation Udai had heard so far.

Udai did not give a definite answer as to whether he would join or not.

He approached the fence, and then he tossed the ball back over. One of the neighbors caught it expertly, grinning back at Udai.

“You’re joining in?”

With a polite smile, Udai politely declined the invitation.

“I’m sorry,” he said, bowing slightly as he turned, leaving the court. Those people sending him with whispers, probably questioning what made him not want to join.

His feelings about volleyball remained the same to this day. Even after committing to leave that world for a new life, letting his dreams be buried somewhere in that spring, he still loved everything about volleyball. But even so, that didn’t mean he would allow himself to return to the path he had once left behind.

“Do you still play volleyball?” She asked.

“I don’t have much track of you since high school. The last thing I remember was The Spring Tournament.”

Udai felt guilt consume him at the memory. He had been a part of the team that had lost in the tournament, and he had let everyone down.

“Ah… It’s not that I am expecting to know such things about you. Just curious.”

Udai looked at her, eyes holding so many untold emotions.

“… Is the little giant still going on to the court sometimes to answer his nature— well… something like that.”

“Right… That Spring Tournament was the last, huh?”

He had quit volleyball soon after high school, unable to face the shame of his failure.

His smile unfolded, neither bitter nor regretful. Not even a speck of guilt about the past he had left behind, just an acceptance of the reality inside his panel.

“I quit.”

For a moment, in this very panel, the world stopped. All sound faded from his senses, consumed by her beat and the ticking of the seconds that clashed noisily during the silence break filling in.

On the other side, he didn’t know what Tsubasa would say, nor did he insist on knowing what she was thinking. What was clear, what he could probably have guessed, was that she would be surprised. Of all the people who knew more or less about Udai’s world nine years ago, Tsubasa was the one who was close to all traces that volleyball was the air to Udai.

I quit, to Tsubasa’s terms, might as well have been sad news.

“Ah... So…”

Udai didn’t let his smile fade when he returned to Tsubasa. There was sadness in her eyes, perhaps another face of disappointment she was trying to hide, or concern. Being a person who knows so much about the past can indeed be quite troublesome, just like Tsubasa.

“I decided to quit after high school.”

“Really?”

Udai hummed.

Then the words came, a little emotional, “Then I might have missed something…”

He had never said anything about quitting before. Guilt joined in, embracing him softly.

“Ah… Ah!” He saw Tsubasa immediately shake her head, trying to change this conversation to another direction, “I didn’t mean anything! After all, a crucial decision about the future is supposed to be a secret. And also... uhm... being a successful volleyball player or a successful mangaka... both suit you, Udai-san.”

“Right?”

He probably won’t play again.

.

.

.

Miyagi Prefecture, Nine Years Ago

The match against Ouginishi High School had been tough but exhilarating. The past few days had been a grueling schedule of training and preparation, but it all paid off when they secured a hard-earned victory. Back at the school gym, the team’s mood was light and celebratory. There were high-fives all around and pats on the back, as they relished in their success together.

Udai’s wrist was doing all good and fine, surprisingly. Days of physical training must have strengthened his body, making it more resilient to injuries. He even played in the match, despite the earlier concerns about his wrist. The adrenaline rush of the game had temporarily erased all of his worries and discomfort, leaving only the pure joy of the sport itself.

On the break time, Udai sat down on the bench while the other members chatted around him. He was staring out into space when his coach, Ukai Ikkei, approached him.

“Coach,” he greeted, bowing his head slightly.

Ukai Ikkei hummed. Both hands folded in front of his chest, he asked, not bothering to look at the boy. “How’s your wrist doing?”

“It’s alright.” Udai answered, politeness wrapping his words.

Then there was silence for some time. Udai felt he was being watched, being studied, but didn’t dare to ask anything. He let the silence join in until it was convenient, or until whenever his coach would say something. And what came to him, was a question that was relatively strange in his terms.

"Do you still love volleyball, Tenma?” asked Ukai.

The question caught Udai off-guard; he wasn’t sure how to answer.

Not about how indecisive she was about whether she still loved volleyball or not, but that the question was really strange.

Did he still love volleyball, even after all the obstacles and challenges he had faced? After all the doubts and criticisms that were hurled his way?

That goes without saying.

Otherwise, how would he still be here today?

True, his passion for volleyball all started with a desire to challenge this world’s unfairness towards him. However, volleyball in all his senses, will not end there. He has vowed to fly high bringing all his dreams with this little body of his. No matter whether he is the smallest, whether he is the shortest, he will fly.

“I do, Coach,” Udai replied, “I really do.”

There was a brief pause, as the coach studied him closely. The older man had always been stern and strict, but Udai could see a glint of understanding in his eyes.

“And do you love the volleyball you’re doing now?”

Udai furrowed his brows at the question, unsure of what the coach meant. Was there a different way to play volleyball that he was missing? A different kind of joy he could be experiencing?

“Could you explain what you mean by that?”

Ukai raised an eyebrow, before sighing in exasperation. “Tenma, you are one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met. You want to prove yourself, to break through the limits that others impose on you.”

Udai opened his mouth to retort, but the coach cut him off.

“Sometimes, in your pursuit of greatness, you forget to enjoy the journey itself. You forget to savor every little moment, every swing of the ball, every connection with your teammates.” Ukai paused, as if giving Udai a break to take everything in.

“Volleyball is a sport that requires resilience, focus, and strategy, yes. But it’s also a sport that requires heart.”

Udai was thinking of answers to everything his coach said when his coach came up with a dozen more.

“If you like the volleyball that you’re playing now, what are you planning to do with it? Do you see a future of you doing it well like you did today? And when one day it comes to you to decide, are you willing to abandon anything else to make a life out of it?”

Udai was taken aback by the question. He had never really thought about it before.

“Do you like volleyball?”

Same question, different person asking. On that day, it was Sasaki Tsubasa, despite being busy wrapping his wrist with an elastic bandage that dear life, did it suppose to be taking this long, though?

It was a simple question, but it sparked a thought that had been long buried under his daily routine of practicing, going to school, and working on his manga.

“Why are you asking?” Udai replied, trying not to sound too defensive.

Tsubasa shrugged. “Just asking.” She said, with a glimpse of a smile.

He said nothing, waiting for her to say something, also thinking of an adequate answer to her question.

He heard her again, “Udai-san… you’re always enjoying the game on each of your plays.”

Udai did not know the nature of this oddness in his stomach when he heard her praising him. Honestly, just being here for this long, for a random conversation alone was a miracle.

“This question may sound silly, but you know, most people do sports because they simply can or they have to because they were born with a talent that cannot be wasted. So slowly, they neglect the little things like whether they like it or not. And... I think that, whether it’s a sport or an art, it’ll be more enjoyable if you like it in the first place.”

He remembered that day. The day he saw a match between the Japanese national team and the Brazilian national team in one of the world volleyball championships. It was then that the word love in volleyball in his term was growing, leading him to a dream where he could be one of them.

He remembered the first time he picked up a volleyball. It was during a PE class in middle school, and he had been the smallest kid in the class. Everyone laughed as he struggled to hit the ball over the net, his short stature making it almost impossible.

But something inside him had refused to give up. He had never been one to back down from a challenge, no matter how unfair it seemed.

Even if the world refuses to give fairness to his situation, Udai will be the last one to give up. He will make sure to reach his dreams with his small hands, with his short feet. With this body, he will embrace all his weaknesses and bring fairness to his dreams.

And so, he continued to play volleyball throughout middle and high school, earning a reputation as a talented and dedicated player.

“I do,” he finally replied, missing that Tsubasa had finished wrapping his hand with the elastic bandage. “I do. More than anything else.”

He even thought for a second that he probably likes playing volleyball more than studying, or even drawing.

“That’s not surprising.” She said, almost chuckling.

“Yeah, really,” Udai replied, unaware that he was smiling.

Tsubasa watched him, curious. “And why volleyball?”

“I remember watching a volleyball game when I was in middle school, and I was struck by how fast-paced and exciting it was.”

“So, you’ve been playing ever since?”

“I only started practicing ever since then, but guess I’ve never looked back.”

Tsubasa hummed, listening to him with keen interest.

“I know most people thought that I might be crazy for even daring to dream that I could fit into a team. For my height, it’s like hoping for something impossible. I used to always think that the world is unfair. But just like that, if I keep thinking how unfair this world is, nothing will happen. If I waste my time thinking about it, how would I have time to change my situation? I would have no time to bring the fairness that I deserve. So I stopped thinking, I stopped listening, and started to move my feet towards my goal.”

He knew he appeared aloof and detached during practice, but it was just his way of doing it.

Volleyball was his passion, his ambition. It was the one thing he was good at, the only thing he felt he had complete control over in his life.

“I love volleyball,” he said, his voice softening. “It’s the one thing I’m good at, the one thing that makes me feel alive. When I’m on the court, everything else fades away, and all that matters is the ball and the game.”

Tsubasa looked at him with admiration, “That’s amazing! It’s like volleyball saved you!”

Returning, he saw Tsubasa staring at him, her eyes gleaming with admiration, so bright. Something that he missed while he was talking. He blushed, flustered and immediately looked away.

“No… not really…” he mumbles.

Beside him, Tsubasa muttered with raised eyebrows. Then, she said, “I’m done, Senpai.”

Only then did Udai realize that his wrist had been neatly wrapped in an elastic bandage. He glanced at Tsubasa, momentarily peering at how she was tidying up the things she had previously taken from the plastic bag.

He brought his gaze to her face, but he was too shy, so just when he was able to capture a glimpse of her face, he quickly shifted. The idea of thanking her directly while looking at her might be too much.

He muttered, “Thank you.”

Udai missed how Tsubasa turned her head, “Ah, no need to say something like that. I should be the one saying my apology to you. It’s only fair because you technically hurt yourself in order to save me— ah! but, yeah, I know you don’t regret it. Sorry, sorry.”

There was nothing until Tsubasa finally excused herself. During that time, Udai’s gaze was drawn to the elastic bandage wrapping his wrist.

Right. He didn’t know her name yet, did he?

“You…”

Tsubasa turned her head, by which time Udai had gotten comfortable enough to look at her.

“What is your name?”

Tsubasa’s brow pulled upwards. Right. It must have seemed ridiculous to get a question like that after some encounter.

Udai wanted to say something, but was immediately preceded. “Ah? So, I’ve never introduced myself all this time? Oh! My bad, Senpai!”

Well... that was true.

Tsubasa then looked at him, “Tsubasa. Sasaki Tsubasa.”

Tsubasa. Wings.

“Tsubasa,”

Tsubasa smiled, “That’s my name.”

********************************************************

The next day, morning practice began as usual at seven o’clock. They started with stretches, a lap around the court, then some light sprints in pairs until thirty minutes before class started.

Udai’s world was small. It revolved around volleyball, classes, and the sheets he was trying to fill with something that often rang loudly in his head when the world was dead.

Truly, Udai was comfortable with what went on in his panel. He even thought that henceforth, he would be fine if his routine stayed like that in this monotonous panel.

Waking up early for a jog before school, morning practice, attending class or skipping class, interspersing his worldly breaks with drawing, returning to the court for another practice session and then ending the day with dinner and rest—at least, it lasts exactly as monotonous as that until the last few weeks. Until suddenly, fate threw something into this panel.

As if he didn’t want this panel to be stuck in a monotonous revolution, fate connected his way to an intersection where he could meet her. And as if fate were a skilled embroiderer, it has been splicing encounters between him and Tsubasa persistently over the past few weeks.

This morning after his morning practice with the club, as he was stopping by the vending machine to buy some milk, he ran into her. However, Tsubasa was not alone. With her, was a glasses-girl he didn’t know.

Tsubasa greeted him, and Udai awkwardly greeted back. While waiting for his milk to come out, Udai turned to Tsubasa who had just greeted him.

“Did you just come out of the gymnasium, Senpai?”

He hummed.

“Oh... So the team also has a morning training session, I suppose!”

He hummed again, then bent down to get his milk. He heard Tsubasa’s friend in a small whisper asking about him, about how she knew a Senpai, and Tsubasa’s answer was enough: I just happen to know him.

Right. They just happen to know each other because some accidents occured.

Udai turned to Tsubasa, briefly asking her if she wanted to get some milk or another thing. Twas it, and he walked away after getting her answer. Don’t blame him, he was never really good at communicating.

The next day, he saw her again in the corridor. She was carrying a pile of papers with her class rep, heading to the teacher’s room. And he started to wonder why none of the boys in her class would help her... Well, in his class, even a loner like Udai, would sometimes be told to do something such as carrying some sports equipment or some piling exam papers.

In that encounter, Tsubasa still graciously displayed her friendly smile to him. Her head was bowed to greet him as they passed each other before she returned to the girl beside her, responding to something she told her before.

“Eeeeh!? Really?”

“Really!”

“Then, I should try that too, I suppose!”

“Try it, Sasaki!”

“Do you think so, too?”

Her tone was bright, excited.

And then, at the end of the week, he saw her while playing baseball with her class. She looked so free and radiant, the sun shining on her hair and the wind carrying her laughter and screams.

On that day, fate was a mangaka.

In this small panel where his world and Tsubasa’s collided, when he was introduced to Tsubasa’s laughter for the first time, he was introduced to an oddness. And like a reader who will diligently explore each panel, he gave in.

From then on, he couldn’t get back.

—