#also i have my eye on starting the demon slayer manga now that i’m caught up so | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

muchirosrightarm · 1 year

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Hello people of Tumblr I’m sharing my thoughts on Koyoharu Gotouge’s detailed designs and stories of some of the demons in Kimetsu no Yaiba. With season 3 coming up in April (and the amount of leaks that dropped) I’m so excited to see my favorite characters and how Ufotable fleshed out this amazing manga. I’m also taking this as a chance to write down my thoughts on the characters as I do have a lot and need a space to type them down lol. With s2 wrapping up at the introduction of the upper moon meeting, I’ll be starting off with Gyutaro and Daki. I’m sorry if there’s any grammar mistakes btw I’m not very good at writing :,) SPOILER WARNING & TRIGGER WARNING BTW

Upper Moon 6: Gyo’s appearance is sickly looking following along with having very strange anatomy where his chest and arms are big but his waist is incredibly skinny. He’s emaciated with dark spotted marks, and a pale/green complexion. Adding on to the sickly look, his eyes are tinted eyes and slanted downwards on the sides. As a human, he looked extremely similar to how he does now. His sickly looks compliments his blood demon art where it’s mainly made up blood sickle like slashes. His blades are also in a sickle shape, plus his slashes are shaped like blood sickles when sick with the disease. His blood demon art ties back to his life when he was human, telling a story of a sick and poor kid.

As a human, his mother caught Syphilis and before she died she tried to kill him many times even after his sister was born. People saw him as creepy and someone to fear. He had poor hygiene and lived off eating mice and insects. Because of this, he was bullied a lot but after his sister Ume was born, he became a debt collector. With the beauty of his sister, his ugliness became nothing to him and his inferiority complex was dismissed. Plus he got really good at fighting.

With Daki (or Ume), she shares the rank with Gyutaro by both of them sharing a body. She’s tall with black hair in the beginning but as the fight carries on, her hair becomes white with green tips at the end. She disguises herself as an Oiran, which is the highest ranking courtesans (prostitutes) in Japanese history. Her personality is quite cruel and sadistic but it is important to note that she has tantrums like a child and this is due to her age before she was a demon. She also suffers from Pyrophobia and has shown to have a deep fear of flames. Also something to note, Ume’ s name could be Interpreted as Uvetic cystoid macular edema which is a disease that infects the eye. This can tie back to her true ability in which she grows a third eye.

With Ume being born, it gave hope to Gyutaro. She was given things just for smiling and is said that even grown men and women would falter from looking at her. This ended quickly though when Ume stabbed a samurai in the eye with her hair pin. For this, she was burned alive and left in a ditch. Her design was purposely made to resemble a prostitute, tying back to her childhood.

Just from these two alone, you can see how their appearance alone tells a story. From personality to visuals, these two are extremely recognizable and tells a depressing story about two kids who grew up with misfortune. At the end of their story, Gyutaro explains that he has no regrets besides having Ume as a sister. He explains that she could’ve had a better life without him and would’ve turned out better if she didn’t follow his path. Even though he feels this way, Daki refused to leave his side and because of this Gyutaro and Daki has one of the most depressing stories in Demon Slayer (in my opinion). The way their relationship is written and the deep bond that is shown is emotional, but the way Gotouge writes sibling bonds is a whole different blog lol.

Note: Gyutaro means pimp and Daki means fallen princess

Upper Moon 3: Akaza, being one of my favorite characters and has a story that made me ugly cry in my bed, his character is one of the most recognizable and has a strong resemblance to his backstory. He’s muscular, very fair skin, and has a pattern of blue stripes along his face, torso, and arms. He also wears a pink, short and sleeveless haori that exposes his chest.

In his human life, his name was Hakuji. He raised his sick father, who he loved deeply. Hakuji was a criminal, he pickpocketed and murdered people with his own hands and because of this his father killed himself. After this, he was banned from Edo which caused him to kill even more men with his own hands. Eventually a man named Keizo approached him and took him in to nurse Koyuki, who would eventually become his wife. Koyuki’s health improved and Keizo offered the dojo to Hakuji along with taking Koyuki as his bride. He vowed to protect both of them with his life as they were the two most important people in his life.

This wouldn’t last though. After Hakuji informed his dad about the marriage (at his grave), a student at the dojo told him that the rival dojo poisoned the well where Koyuki and Keizo drank from. The two died after drinking the water. Hakuji killed all 67 members of the rivaling dojo with his bare hands and killing them too the point where the corpses were no longer recognizable. The act was so gruesome, it caught the attention of Muzan Kibutsuji and decided to make Hakuji one of the Twelve Kizuki.

This story easily being one of the most tragic stories in Demon Slayer, his design shows a lot of detail to his past. As a demon, he forgot his memories as a human but had a desire to become stronger despite not knowing why. With a discussion with Douma, he refuses to eat or harm women in anyway. The blue stripes on his arm and his rank as upper moon 3 resemble his tattoos and the three important people in his life (his dad, Keizo, and Koyuki), his pink haori resembles his wife’s haori, Koyuki’s 3 snowflake hair pin can resemble his technique “Compass Needle”, even his fighting style, hand to hand combat, resembles the fact that he always fought with his fists in his human life.

Akaza’s demon design consists of wearing ankle beads and in many cultures, ankle beads are thought of as a charm for protection. Akaza’ s human life was all about protection and the irony is that he failed to protect anything that he loved in his life. His name Hakuji can be a reference to stone lion dogs that protect shrines. They were honorable animals that were loved in mythology. Although when his loved ones died, you could say he became a “mad dog” and murdered dozens before turning to a demon. With following Muzan, his memories were taken away and became a “obedient dog”. EVEN Akaza’s visuals when he fights can resemble fireworks (which is what Hakuji and Koyuki got married under). Finally, at the end of the fight between Akaza’s, Tanjiro, and Giyu, Akaza kills himself after remembering his past life. This could easily resemble his dad’s suicide.

I cannot express how much I love Akaza’s story. It’s a story of his criminal past and the failure to protect the people he loved is told through his design in an incredible way. Easily one of the saddest stories told in Demon Slayer. It tells a story of love, failure, lost, and grief in one single character and it’s just another example of Gotouge’s brilliant way of telling a story through a character.

Upper Moon 2: Douma, meaning polished child or magic child, is the only antagonist that we don’t have a human name of. Douma is a complex character and a lot of my analysis mainly comes from other people’s opinions and my own guesses.

Douma is tall with a muscular body. His eyes are described to be rare and beautiful. In color, they are made of rainbow pastel colors. Because of this, he was known as a child who was blessed and could communicate with the gods. He is charismatic and friendly, with a carefree manner.

Douma’s character is extremely complex. Again, it’s really hard to analyze him because we know so much but so little about him. Douma basically had no childhood, he was forced to listen to adults because he was a “messenger from god”. I think Douma definitely has some apathetic feelings but I think he has also experienced some other emotions, like anger and love. I urge you to read this blog about him! It explains his character really well and gives the reader a different view of Douma’s apathetic feelings.

So, Muzan uses weak points to gather people. Akaza’s desire to become stronger, Kokushibo’s jealousy, etc. But what about Douma? It’s unclear what was used against Douma and it could be that he didn’t use anything, it could’ve been something Douma found interest in or something. But with some analysis, it could be because of Douma’s lack of self identity. The pressure he could’ve experienced as a child drove him to a point of forgetting himself and becoming what people wanted him to be.

Douma’s character is really interesting and takes a lot of research to create an opinion of your own about him. I believe Douma is just another demon with a tragic backstory. A story of trauma and the pressure a child can face.

Upper Moon 1: Kokushibo is a huge antagonist in the story and has an amazing story about a brotherly bond and the origins of breathing techniques. Like Akaza’s, his story is very emotional and his design tells a lot about it.

Kokushibo wears a purple kimono, has long dark hair that’s in a ponytail, and has a set of 6 eyes with 3 on each side. 5 centuries ago, during the Sengoku Era, he was a human named Michikatsu Tsugikuni. He was a former demon slayer with his twin brother Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Kokushibo is an ancestor of Muichiro and he’s also the one responsible for turning Zenitsu’s senior, Kaigaku, into a demon and join the Twelve Kitsuki. He is reserved, silent, and extremely intimidating.

As a human and even now as a demon, Kokushibo feels extreme envy towards Yorichii for his natural talents and abilities. Despite the feelings of jealousy, he still feels deep care and love for Yorichii and this is shown when Kokushibo is touched when Yorichii treasures the handmade flute that he made when they were children. These feelings are definitely caused by a inferiority complex and strives to be stronger and be better than his brother. In his design, Kokushibo uses moon breathing. The moon is a symbol of enlightenment and the irony of this is Kokushibo never felt any kind of enlightenment, he felt jealousy and rage for his brother for most of his life and definitely could not let those emotions go. Along with enlightenment, the flute that was made and given by Yorichii is a bamboo flute which is played by japanese monks to step closer to enlightenment. His design also shows the internal struggle he feels. He grows 3 sets of eyes to enhance his vision and perspective to replicate Yorichii’s speed.

Kokushibo’s design screams enlightenment but he could never reach it because of the jealousy and rage he felt against his brother. In his final moments he says: “The ugliness of not admitting defeat even though they took my head, chopped me up and crushed me. Living in disgrace. Have I lived hundreds of years for this? Was I so afraid of defeat that I became a monster? Did I want to be strong even if it meant eating people? Did I become this miserable creature because I didn't want to die? No. Yoriichi... I just wanted to be you.” His design is so powerful and intimidating and it shows the struggle of the moon constantly living in the shadow of the sun.

If you read this much, thank you so much!:D

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #manga #knysource #kny akaza #demon slayer akaza #douma #kny douma #gyutaro #gyutaro and daki #kokushibo #anaylsis #i love demon slayer #i have been fixated on this series for a year now

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freaky-writer-writes · 3 years

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Butterflies | Demon slayer | Shinobu x gn!reader

Character(s): Shinobu Kocho

Fandom: Demon slayer

Pronouns: They/them (Gender neutral)

Warnings: Mentions of death, injuries, slight angst to fluff

A/N: Am I the only one who can’t get over Demon slayer? I haven’t read the manga (though I’m starting to go it atm so no spoilers please) though so- But I’ve had so many fucking spoilers already so I know what’s going to happen 🥲. Anyhow, Demon slayer is still one of my favorite anime/manga!!

Summary: You arrive at the butterfly estate from a mission, you follow Shinobu Kocho to the Wisteria garden.

You were brought to the butterfly mansion to treat your wounds from your previous mission.

It wasn’t the worse, yet not the easiest mission. You were badly injured, you even broke your left arm. At least it wasn’t an upper rank demon, right?

You were still in the hospital bed, just staring dead in the ceiling.

You didn’t feel that much pain anymore, you wanted to get out of the bed, but you weren’t allowed to until you had fully recovered.

But sometimes you have to break the rules. You wanted to walk around and see if your friends are alright.

Your emotions couldn’t comprehend, you slowly got up, a slight pain in the back but you ignored it.

You had a little trouble walking, but soon regained balance. You walked through the halls of the estate, trying your best not to get caught by anyone.

You were looking through every room, desperately trying to find your friends who also got injured during the mission.

“(Y/N)?” A soft voice called out.

You flinched as you turned around only to see a hashira standing in the distance.

They had long black hair with purple ends in a ponytail, a butterfly clip behind her hair, and a butterfly pattern haori.

When you realized who it was, heat started running through your face. You had a strange feeling in your stomach again.

“Wait... Kocho-sama?!”

It was weird, considering never having this feeling in your life. It was like.. Butterflies tickling inside your stomach. You thought it was normal, it only happens when Shinobu’s around. Besides, she’s the insect pillar.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in bed, (Y/N)-san?” She said as she started walking closer to you.

You froze, not knowing what to say. She’ll definitely notice that I’m lying. “Where is Tanjiro and the others? Are they okay?” Was the only thing you could think of.

“Hmm.. They’re fine. Just like you, they were pretty injured, but they’ll be alright. Tanjiro and Zenitsu are still in bed sleeping, while Inosuke is training even though we said that he’s not fully recovered..” She exclaimed casually, with a dead smile on her face.

“Oh, that’s good. Ah now I can be at ease.” You sighed.

“But!! You still have to go back, you’re also not recovered yet and you have to take it easy!” She reassured.

“Oh, no no no no— I’m totally fine right now, it’s just my arm, that’s it, haha..” You said trying to excuse yourself.

“Is that so?” She leaned onto you, looking at you for a second making you feel the weird feeling again.

“Y-Yeah..”

She looked at you again, just to make sure. “Alright, that’s good! I’ll be on my way to the wisteria garden, goodbye, (Y/N)-San!”

“Wait— No! Can I come with, maybe? I don’t know what else to do.” You asked, wanting to talk to the fellow hashira a little more.

“Oh. Sure, it would be fun with company I suppose!” She said with a reassuring smile.

You smiled back, following her as you both started walking towards the wisteria garden.

You’ve never really had this interaction with Shinobu once. Of course you’ve talked before, but never alone.

When you arrived to your destination, you both sat down by the wooden floor.

The whole garden was full of wisteria trees, it was glowing all purple and beautiful.

“I’ve only been here once, and I haven’t noticed how nice it actually is until now, damn..” You exclaimed and huffed.

“The wisteria garden is my favorite place here. I happen to visit this place ever so often when I feel down.” Shinobu said as she looked around.

“Feel down? You always seem to look cheerful and happy (yet scary-) all the time. Also, you did say that you like coming here when you feel down, we’re you feeling bad earlier?” You asked curiously.

“Well,” Shinobu began as her facial expression started to change into a rather disappointing one.. or maybe frustrating and sad.

“Every person who’s acting happy all the time always have something hiding deep inside, am I wrong? I’m guessing that’s just how I am.” She continued.

“Believe it or not, I’m actually frustrated at myself all the time. I get so angry.” She said and looked down at herself.

“How so?” You wanted to hear more, you wanted to help her.

“...Did you know I had a sister, (Y/N)-san?” The insect hashira asked.

“Unfortunately, I did not, Kocho-sama..” You answered, you were rather shocked inside, you never really knew she had a sister.

“She used to be a member of the hashira. A very kind hearted hashira, let alone kind hearted to everyone, even if it was a demon. She never showed hatred to anyone. She slayed every demon with kindness. She did all of that all because she knew that they were a human before. And she knew that the demons never wanted to be demons, and had no choice to slaughter humans only to survive. She understood them.” She began.

“But, she got all caught up that moment, a demon was able to get to her and take her life. Only if I was as strong as her, I could’ve saved her. She was the best sister in the world, I’m so selfish.” She started tearing up. You’ve never seen this side of her, ever. Knowing her story, you feel so bad for her and wanting to be there for her forever.

“But hey! Look at the bright side, I took her place in the hashira and I met you! She’s probably out there somewhere, hopefully she’s proud of me.” Shinobu wiped off her tears just like that, and covered all of it with a smile.

“Kocho-sama..” You hugged her tightly without thinking, feeling the sensation of the feeling from earlier coming back.

“I’m so sorry for that, it must’ve been so tragic and traumatizing for you.” You continued.

“...It’s alright (Y/N)-San, I’m all fine now! Besides, I got to meet you!” She exclaimed as she hugged back.

You chuckled and let go, yet you still wanted to hold her tight like that.

“(Y/N)-san... You know, I always felt love and appreciation when I was around her. I loved her so much, and she loved me too. After her death, I thought I would never feel the same ever again. But that was until I met you, (Y/N)-San! You made me feel happier when you came. There was just something about you that caught my eye... You’re just like my sister. You’re so kind and sweet to everyone, and so very strong. You don’t kill demons just to pleasure yourself, you kill demons to save people and make them happy. And you know the fact that they never were supposed to get turned into demons. You’re just very different. You made me feel loved again.” She exclaimed, and smiled with closed eyes at you.

You felt your heart skip a beat that very moment from her saying. You felt tingling inside your stomach again, the feeling of butterflies flying around and wanting to leave your body.

“I love you a lot, (Y/N)-San!” She exclaimed as she got slightly tinted light red in her cheeks.

The feeling got more intense and you felt like you were going to pass out. Was this what she meant by love? It’s such a strong feeling, you can’t handle it, at least when she feels love towards you too. You were so happy and excited.

“Kocho-sama I-“ You began

Shinobu caught you with a kiss.

You sat there for a second trying to process what was going on. Was this actually happening? Is she really kissing you? Shinobu Kocho herself? You couldn’t believe it, you were so happy at this moment you kissed her back.

“You don’t have to call me Kocho-sama, it’s fine, (Y/N)-San!” She said with a smile painted on her face.

You smiled back and hugged her again, this time tighter than ever only with your right arm.

She chuckled and hugged you back.

“I love you too, Shinobu.”

#Demon slayer #Kimetsu no yaiba #Demon slayer fanfiction #KNY x reader #Shinobu Kocho #Shinobu Kocho x reader #Fanfiction #Angst #Fluff

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yukimoji · 4 years

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Oblivion! Hello, my love. Please could I request some fluff of Shinobu with a female reader? Like some hugs and stuff as Shinobu does research into poisons or something? If not that's completely okay! Thank you :)

(a/n: hi there! this is such a cute request! thank you so much for requesting! i’m so sorry that this came out so late;;

also, i hope you don’t mind that this became more of a gender neutral reader! (；・∀・) )

(Total words: 1400+ words)

Genre: Fluff

No manga spoilers

TW: Mentions of Needles.

Experiment ( Shinobu Kocho x Reader )

You didn't expect anything new to happen today. When you woke up this morning, you were awaiting to go through the same routine that you would experience every day. Eat, train, eat, train again, perhaps a wounded slayer would come to the estate to get patched up. Nothing really transpired in the Butterfly Estate as you spent your days recovering.

You assumed your day to go on as normal, already preparing for another training session, when one of the Butterfly Girls told you that Shinobu requests for your presence in her laboratory. Apparently, she just received new substances from overseas and immediately experimented with them.

You didn't know why you were called, but you wouldn't waste the chance to spend time with the Insect Hashira.

It wasn't until when you arrived that you began to doubt your decisions. Shinobu tended to be very.. passionate in her experiments. When you took a seat on a nearby chair, you felt the blood drain from your face when you caught the sight of a rather large needle situated in Shinobu's hand.

She claimed that she had discovered a mixture that served like some sort of truth serum. Though she doubted that it was going to work on demons, she figured it would affect humans. She was curious how a person might behave under the influence of her newly discovered medicine. Shinobu must have sensed your reluctance, as she reassured you that it was absolutely harmless and that she had already prepared an antidote in case anything goes wrong.

You wanted to say no, you really did. As much as you adored Shinobu, she was a little unpredictable. However, how could you refuse when her purple, doe-like eyes gleamed at you with so much excitement? So, here you were, a sleeve rolled up to your upper arm as the Insect Pillar prepares to inject the substance into you.

Who would've thought that you would be thrown to this predicament?

"Are you sure that this is safe?" You voiced out, a slight quiver noticeable in your voice. You were sweating buckets, trying to stop your body from shaking too much. You drew your brows together, clenching your jaw as you pulled your lips tightly to keep any unnecessary noises from coming out.

Shinobu blinks, and proceeds to give you reassuring smile. "I'm positively sure that this is safe." She spoke out, her voice laced with a slight teasing tone in it. However, her expression dampens when she realizes how uncomfortable you were in this situation.

"You know, if you really don't want to do this, I won't force you." She whispers out, placing a hand on your shoulder to draw soothing circles on it in an attempt to calm you down.

"No!" You answered, rather loudly, surprising the female in front of you as you shook your head. You were nervous, of course, but you would always support Shinobu in her experiments one way or the other. You love her and you know that she loves you, too, and she wouldn't intentionally hurt you in any way.

Giving her an affirming nod, Shinobu gently injects the substance into your arm. The first few minutes, nothing really happened. You felt relatively normal, glancing at Shinobu as she observes you. As time went on, she continues to writes notes and information about your status. It wasn't until about 10 minutes in when you started to feel a little light headed. Your mind was beginning to haze, and your heartbeat was starting to speed up it's pace. Suddenly, you have the urge to just say something, anything that was on your mind.

You continued to stare at Shinobu, and you could feel the blood rushing to your heart. The way she looked so focused on her work was enough to make you feel flustered. You leaned forward on the chair, raising your arm so that you could rest your head on your palm as you continued to admire the Insect Pillar in all her glory with a lopsided grin on your face.

"You know, you're really cute~."

Shinobu pauses her actions, her eyes widening as she turns her head to look at you. A chuckle escapes from her lips as you gazed at her intently, your [ E / C ] orbs gleaming in absolute adoration. She stood up and approached you, kneeling down to your eye-level.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked, raising a hand to pat your head. You hummed, and leaned forward until your foreheads met. Shinobu's expression contorted into one of curiosity, obviously awaiting your next move, though you could clearly see the slight flush forming across her cheeks.

"I am, now that you're here." You purred out, fluttering your eyelashes at the wide-eyed slayer in front of you.

Shinobu snorts, and proceeds to laugh uncontrollably at your behavior. Your attention never wavered from her, instead, you could almost feel like you were in heaven, as her melodic laughter blessed you. You felt like you were on cloud nine, and you weren't sure if it was because of the medication or just your feelings for the Insect Pillar.

What was in that mixture, anyway?

As Shinobu regains her composure, she hums and observes your figure once more. You looked utterly dazed, and so struck with devotion as you continued gawking at her. Judging from your behavior, it seemed that the medication did not exactly give out the expected result. She felt a little frustrated, but then it's only normal that you're not going to get the right solution at the first time.

Besides, how could she resist you when your eyes held a sick love glow at them? You looked absolutely delightful. She figured that she would mess with you for a little while.

She placed both of her hands to your cheeks, and chuckled as you immediately melted in her touch. Her purple orbs had a teasing glint in them, a smug smirk plastered on her face as she continued to shower you with affection.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks, as you raised your palms to hold onto her own that was caressing your cheeks.

"Mmmm.." You begin, "Just how much I loovee youu~! I love you soo mucchh~!" You slurred and babbled out, a giddy chuckle escaping from your lips.

Shinobu pouts at this, and removes her hands from your face. You whined, as her warmth left your cheeks. She crosses her hands and her face had a serious expression on it. You tilt your head, feeling hurt and confused by her actions.

"I don't believe you."

Your eyes widened, clearly shocked as you processed her words. Fear crossed your face, and you felt your lower lip quiver. Whimpers escaped from your lips as you fought back the tears forming from your eyelids.

What does she mean that she doesn't believe you? Oh god, did she get offended? Oh no, does she hate you now? Oh no, oh no, ohnoohnoohno-

You were cut off from your inner monologue when Shinobu takes your hand, and places a soft kiss on it. She looks up and meets your eyes once more, and gives you a playful grin.

"Because nothing can match my love for you." She winks, and all that sadness washed away in an instant.

You breathed out in relief, and tackled her in loving embrace. Both of you fell to the ground, and Shinobu couldn't help but chuckle as you continued to pamper her face with little kisses.

"Oh my! Looks like someone is eager!" She laughs out, and you could only growl in annoyance as you continued to ravage her smug expression in kisses.

After a few minutes, you ceased your assault on her face. You kept your hold on her, nuzzling your head on her shoulder. You could hear her heartbeat as the two of you cuddled in silence. The only sounds present in the room was your breaths and the muffled chirps of the birds outside. After a while, you looked up to meet her eyes with a pout on your face.

"D-don't tease me like that again, okay?" You whispered out. Shinobu just snickered at your helplessness and flicked your nose.

"Now, now, where's fun in that?" She jokes, and you only grumbled in response.

She places a soft kiss on your cheek which caught you off-guard. An incomprehensible noise escapes from your mouth as you scrambled to return and nuzzle on her shoulder once more to hide yourself from further embarrassment. She giggles at your actions, and continues on to cuddle with you with no intention of letting go.

#shinobu x reader #shinobu kocho x reader #demon slayer x reader #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #demon slayer imagines #kny imagines #moji writes

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bloomyn · 4 years

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kny prompt where y/n is shy af n one day rengoku caught feels for her 👉👈

omg im so sorry this took so long... i got really caught up in watching rengoku compilations on youtube and trying to find all his moments in the manga so N E WAY (hope you enjoy)

pairing: rengoku x shy!reader

you had lived in the butterfly estate your whole life. you had grown up with shinobu after kanae had found you half dead on one of her missions and kanao thought of you as her own sibling. needless to say, you were very familiar with the demonslayers and pillars frequenting the place you called home. it didnt make it easier to talk to them though; you considered yourself a rather shy person (which is why you and kanao seemed to unintentionally get along so well). but being part of the medical staff allowed you to be yourself. you never had to be outgoing or loud or extroverted, you just had to take care of your patients. although you had tried your best to keep a low profile, some things (or people) just couldn’t be avoided

-------------------

“--- you are dismissed.”

the pillars bowed and shuffled out of the meeting room immediately dissolving into their own separate conversations.

“oh, rengoku-san.” shinobu chirped, “you’re headed to my estate no?”

rengoku grinned. “yup! a week of mandatory rest. and i have to get my arm healed, it’s been feeling kind of weird.”

“thats because it looks broken.”giyuu chimed. rengoku squinted at the man and the proceeded to flop his arm around.

“it does?”

muichiro gagged. “please, please, go get your arm fixed.”

“yeah. lets go.”

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you took a seat in one of the gardens residing in the butterfly estate. pulling out the small bento aoi had so generously prepared for you earlier that morning you relished the taste of the rice balls, tossing a few stray grains to the koi fish in the pond in front of you.

“wow! they really like rice!.” a voice boomed from behind you. you flinched and stood up, slowly turning your head to meet the person, only to come face to face with a recovering flame pillar. oh crap did he want to sit? had you unintentionally taken his seat? lucky for you he seemed to read the panic on your face.

the flame pillar laughed, “dont worry you havent taken my spot, i hardly come out to the gardens anyway.”

blushing you sat back down, burying your face in the huge rice ball, praying silently that you hadn’t completely embarrassed yourself in front of one of the strongest demon slayers ever. what you didnt expect was for one of the strongest demons slayers ever to take a seat next you.

“is it okay if i sit here?” he whisper-shouted. without meeting his glowing eyes you silently nodded your head hoping that he wouldn’t notice the very very very prominent blush on your face.

-------------------

if rengoku was being completely honest, he was a bit glad that his arm was broken. he was disappointed that it means one less person was going to be out there fighting demons, but it also meant that he was able to see more of you.

the flame pillar wanted to call it love at first sight, but you that required two people to look at each other, and, well, you hadn’t the slightest idea that he was actually looking at you.

after that fateful first encounter, if you could even call it an encounter, he started to notice you more and more around the estate, whether you were tending to other patients (oh how he wanted so badly for you to come and check up on him) or joining kanao for lunch or tending to the gardens or doing anything for that matter. and he definitely was jealous of the fact that you seemed to be more interested in the plants than himself.

-------------------

there was an issue. a very big issue that came in the form of rengoku kyojuro. the problem was that you were, in fact, very much in love with him. ever since he had joined you for lunch that day you couldn’t stop seeing him; he was everywhere. the universe was actively working against you and it didn’t help that your love for him was budding rather quickly. not only that, but you actually enjoyed having him around you, whether it be for lunch or taking strolls around the estate, just being with him was heart-racing.

you had no idea he felt the same way.

rengoku smiled to himself as he watched you trim the leaves of your roses. you two weren’t exactly speaking, but it wasn’t a bad thing. he had never really known comfortable silence until he met you. his whole life he had felt the need to fill the silence to constantly make someone laugh or talk. but when he was with you, he didn’t need to make you laugh or talk. (although he was a firm believer that you had the voice of an absolute angel), he just wanted to be with you.

-------------------

“(l/n)-san!”

turning to see the owner of the voice you immediately felt the butterflies in your stomach.

“good morning rengoku-san.” you said with a soft smile. ‘how adorable’ he thought to himself. “i heard from one of the doctors that your arm is healing quite nicely.”

if you had looked away a second later you would’ve missed the slight frown that crossed his face when you said that.

“yes., i should be ready for missions in about a week.” he said rather solemnly. you tilted your head to the side, “is something the matter rengoku-san?”

the flame pillar nodded. “ its just that if i’m going on missions now, i won’t be able to see you as much anymore.”

your stomach dropped. and then you laughed. “rengoku-san don’t be silly. ill still be here when you get back.”

he only frowned harder. didn’t you understand what he was saying? should he be more straightforward? sanemi-san had told him about kabedon-ing but he was pretty sure if he did that you would’ve exploded.

“rengoku - san?”

screw it.

he took two large steps forward and brought your face into his hands.

“y/n-san.”

“y-yes.”

at this point your noses were barely brushing and you could feel his soft breath on his lips.

“im in love with you.”

you squeaked.

“-- with me? are you sure?”

the flame pillar laughed loudly and then gave you a reassuring look.

“i’m very sure that i’m in love with you.”

you smiled, placing your hands around his neck.

“that’s good, because i’m very sure that i’m in love with you too.”

“REALLY?” his eyes widened and he brought you closer to his chest. “I WAS SO WORRIED!.” he touched your forehead with his and for the first time you saw him blush.

“could you say it again please.”

“say what?”

“don’t tease!”

you laughed, giving him your biggest smile.

“i love you kyojuro.”

bonus:

kyojuro shot up, gasping for breath, and unintentionally waking you up in the process.

“ we didnt kiss!!” he exclaimed, staring at you intently. you turned red, “did you want too?”

now it was his turn to blush. he cupped your cheek in one hand and let the other fall on the small of your back... and then you were kissing. and oh, he knew what he was doing and oh his lips were so soft. tilting your jaw towards his he deepened the kiss pressing you closer to himself. and then you pushed him away gasping for air; your face an embarrassingly tinged red. kyojuro smirked, pulling you back onto his lap.

“one more…?”

#rengoku x reader #kny x reader #kny #this ones called count how many times m says you blush #this is my quarantine brain baby #rengoku kyojuro x reader #kyojuro x reader

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mermaidcashton · 4 years

Text

i hate to admit it

author: claire (@mermaidcashton) ship: michael clifford/reader prompt/AU: this is a gift for the wonderful @h0tsos who wanted soft, subby Michael in an enemies to lovers capacity (and i snuck some coffee shop!au in there as well, and some weebness because, well, it’s Steff and Michael) wordcount: 4k+ warnings: swearing, alcohol mentions, explicit sexual content a/n: • written for @maluminspace & @h0tsos ‘s 5sos fic writers collab (which was a gift exchange this time around) • i do not give permission for this (or any of my writing) to be reposted, by anyone, on this or any other website. please don’t do it! • title from ‘this means war’ by mariana’s trench • ‘my hero academia’ is a manga/anime series. there are references to it and a few of the characters in this but you don’t need to know anything about it to understand what’s going on.

i hate to admit it *** “So, they’re like...superheroes?”

Luke sipped on his glass of rosé, nodding like he understood whilst making a face that showed he absolutely did not.

“Yeah, dude, pretty much!” Michael nodded along with your co-worker with so much enthusiasm he looked like one of those dogs people put on their dashboards. Except less cute. Wait, no - not cute. Definitely not cute at all. Good save, you. Couldn’t have your own internal monologue thinking you felt anything for the moron you were forced to work with 3 times a week was anything more than an annoyance you had to endure. With a butt that wouldn’t quit. Dammit, self!

Michael took advantage of Luke showing an interest in his (and yours) favourite anime, and began bombarding him with half baked theories, predictable favourite scenes and shitty character analysis. He nearly knocked his own hat off as he flailed his hands around in an attempt at explaining the dynamics of a battle from the second season. Luke smiled politely.

You snorted into your drink as you drained the last of it; you were definitely going to need another. If Michael started fanboying over Deku again, you were going to scream.

As you placed the empty bottle onto the wood of the coffee table, you took another glance around the apartment you were in. You’d never been up here before, despite spending a minimum of 20 hours a week in the coffee shop downstairs. But after this evening’s staff meeting tackling such issues as ‘who forgot that milk needs to be kept in the fridge overnight’ (Luke), ‘who is putting too much whipped cream on hot chocolates’ (Michael), and ‘who wrote ‘THIS COFFEE IS HOT, BUT U R HOTTER ❤ ) on a customers caramel macchiato’ (Luke again), Ashton had invited you all upstairs for a ‘employee chill’. You had been surprised a week or so into your employment when you had found out that the manager was also the owner who lived in the apartment above Screamin’ Beans; he was only in his mid twenties, but the more you’d experienced his drive and determination, the more your surprise had dwindled. Ashton really was a great guy, with one big flaw; Michael. They had been best friends for years, hence him moving into the apartment when he came back into town and the job Ashton had given him; which in your humble opinion was the equivalent of setting a monkey loose on the milk frother.

Michael had sealed his fate with you the same day he’d started work. He arrived 10 minutes late (from upstairs), sleepy eyed and shy smiled. His fluffy blonde hair was spilling out of his beanie, and he kept biting his very pink lip bottom with sharp little teeth. The way he pronounced your name was adorable. You’d burned your hand on the espresso machine. Strike one. Things unravelled quickly after that. He was ‘too shy’ to take orders and work the register so you were stuck there all day talking to goddamn customers about why it wasn’t a good idea to have 3 pumps of every syrup while he hid behind silver machinery and dirtied way more jugs than you deemed necessary. Strike two. And then he’d dropped a latté into that ladies bag - sorry, very expensive bag. Michael had let out a ‘uuuhhh’ sound like a malfunctioning robot without moving for so long that the furious customer had stopped trying to yell at him and focused her rage on you instead. When he had eventually come to whatever passed for his senses, Michael had power walked into the employee bathroom and didn’t return until Calum arrived to join the shift and assured him the woman had left, twenty minute later. You were beyond strikes. You’d been so sure you could talk Ashton into scheduling you together as little as possible. There was no reason to put you down to work nearly every shift together, especially shifts where only two staff were on! Except, apparently there was because he kept fucking doing it. Every time you pressed Ashton on it, he’d say something about how he needed Michael ‘trained by the best’, or ‘matching availabilities’, or he thought their ‘energies combined well; auras are meshing, y’know?’ The one might have been on you for catching him as he was returning from his Vibe Check Yoga class at the studio down the street.

He’d also emphasised that Michael needed more friends now he was back in the city, and you two had loads in common! You both liked pop punk! You’d rolled your eyes. And Italian food! A ‘tch noise. And anime! Okay, you’d bite.

The next time you’d gone into work, you’d engaged Michael in a conversation about ‘Tokyo Ghoul’ and recommended ‘Demon Slayer’; things started to pick up. You didn’t fantasise about locking Michael in the walk-in fridge the whole shift. And then…

“You watch ‘My Hero Academia’, right?” “Uh, yeah! I love it.” “Me too! I just ordered a Todoroki tee yesterday. And another Deku one, of course; gotta rep my main man!” “Oh..cool! He’s your favourite?” Of course Michael was a basic bitch. But hey, that’s fine. Deku was fine. He was the main character, after all. And he’s a little less whiny in the recent manga issues, you guess. And the way Michael’s face was right now - open, comfortable, lit up like the 4th of July? That was good, too. His eyes were so green. “Yeah! Who’s your favourite character?” “Well, I would die for a bunch of ‘em, but I’m a Bakugou girl at heart.” You laid a palm flat on your chest, choosing to ignore the feel of your heart beating faster than it had been five minutes ago beneath it. Michael wrinkled his nose. “Bakugou? But he’s like...he’s so mean! And angry!”

Oh no. You’d had this conversation before. You locked eyes with Michael, hoping he could see the warning in your eyes. Don’t do it, ho.

“Like, he’d probably make a better villain than hero!”

“You okay, boo?” Calum slid into the space on the couch beside you, holding out a fresh beer for you to take. “You look deep in thought.”

You hummed and accepted the bottle from him, letting go of your train of thought as you caught sight of Luke trying to prove he could get his overly long leg behind his head. Michael and Ashley F. were both actively trying to avoid getting kicked in the face with a sparkly boot, whilst Ashton was just monitoring the situation very intently; you’re not entirely sure when he last blinked.

You snorted again as Luke’s foot slotted into place in a position you were 85% sure he would not be able to get out of again without assistance, possibly from the emergency services.

“I’m fine. Gotta be one of us capable of thinking here, y’know.” You teased, looking sidelong at Calum. He laughed, rubbing a hand over his freshly shaved hair; he’d always been as easy to get along with as he was obnoxiously handsome. “Hey! You’re lucky I know you’re talking about the human pretzel over there! And I guess, your boyf-” Big brown eyes glittered at you over the hand you’d slapped over his mouth. “-fwendth.” Narrowing your own eyes at your friend, you hissed. “Shut up! I would rather die.” Calum waggled his eyebrows incessantly at you until you relented and dropped your hand. “You knew who I was talking about, though.” Ugh. Smug was not a good look on Calum. “You know, smug is not a good lo-oh fuck, is that the time?” The clock behind Calum’s head showed 8:58; your auction ended at 9:00. You fumbled into your bag for your phone, unlocking it and flicking straight to the app you needed. Phew - still the top bid. “Whatcha doin’?” Calum hooked his chin over your shoulder, blowing your hair out of his face before settling down.

“Bidded on a really cool, limited edition figure. One of my all time favourite anime characters. The auction is about to end.” You explained, making sure Calum could hear you other the cacophony of sounds associated with Luke trying to get his other leg behind his head. You both watched the seconds tick down, your username sitting securely by the words ‘Winning Bid’. At two seconds to nine, the page refreshed, then refreshed again; it was over.

‘Winning Bid: BIGRED69’ “Uh...what happened? That’s not you, right?” Calum asked, tilting his head to look at your face, and the rage it contained. BIGRED69. He’d done it again.

“Uh oh, Y/N - what’s wrong?” Ashton’s voice pulled you out of your internal screaming, and you looked up at him.

“She’s losing her weeb shit at a heavy eBay loss” Calum answered for you, nodding solemnly as he pulled away from you, giving you room to bonk him with a cushion. “Oh! That’s too bad, but that’s another thing you and Mikey have in common!” Ashton beamed. “Mikey!” Oh no. Oh no, no.

“Yeah?” Michael sloped over, getting his black boot caught on the corner of the leopard print rug as he did. Ashton caught him with an ease you suspected (knew) came from practice. “Why don’t you take Y/N to see your anime dolls? She collects them, too!” Ashton looked so pleased with himself and his suggestion for further ‘bonding’ for you and Michael, and Michael looked like he’d been force fed raw lemon at the phrase ‘anime dolls’, so you let it go on your own behalf. Except now Michael was waiting expectantly for you to follow him to his room and Calum was shoving you off of the couch to get you moving. Fuck your life. You sighed as you got up and started walking. “Fine, let’s go; you can show me your Todoroki body pillow and then we can get on with our lives.” Michael let out a small hiss like an angry kitten, his cheeks colouring a pretty pink. He spared a glance at everyone left in your wake. “I, um, don’t have a body pillow, you guys.” “Suuuuure!” You rolled your eyes, waiting for Michael to enter his bedroom so you could follow. The blonde flicked the light on and moved slightly further in so you could pass him, before shutting the door with a small ‘click’. You decided not to comment on this action, looking around at the posters on the walls and figurines on the shelves instead. You were undecided on whether or not you were going to comment on how cool a lot of Michael’s shit was. A ‘Full Metal Alchemist’ poster over his bed, a full shelf of Funko Pops from movies you loved, framed prints of album artwork by Waterparks and The Maine. Fuck. You were really aware of Michael staring at you with an almost hopeful (?) look on his face as you let your eyes travel around his room before he could show you his ‘anime dolls’. Fuck. Your stomach felt fluttery, and you thought you might have a serious problem here, before you caught sight of a very different problem on Michael’s desk.

A rare Kirishima Eijirou statue - box signed by the voice actor - you’d been outbid on last month. By BIGRED69. What were the chances a different one was sitting by Michael’s laptop?

“So,” You said, trying to keep your voice neutral and non-murderous. “Where do you get your collectibles from?” “Forbidden Planet, Tokyo Toys, eBay…” Michael rattled off, until you interrupted him. “Where did you get that one? Looks rare - it must have been difficult!”

“Oh! eBay! It was, but I have an app for it, so…” Michael grinned, looking pleased with himself. An app? “An automatic bidding app? You sniped me?! That’s cheating!” You squeaked; you could not believe this. It was unbelievable.

Michael blinked at you, head empty. “BIGRED69?!” You managed to make the world’s stupidest screen name sound like a terrible accusation. Which it was.

Comprehension dawned on his stupid, beautiful face all at once. “Oh my God! That was you that I’ve been fighting for this stuff? No way! But you didn’t know it was me?”

“Why the hell would I know it was you!” You threw your hands up, and Michael just stared dopily back at you.

“‘Bigred69?! Obviously I assumed you were 12!” Michael let out a squawk of protest, before folding his arms defensively across his chest.

“Clifford!” “What?” Michael’s tone became more insistent. “My last name! Clifford!” You pulled an exaggerated ‘so?!’ face, throwing your hand in the air again.

Michael had the unmitigated gall to huff, like you were the biggest idiot in the room; like he wasn’t always the biggest idiot in every room, all rooms, ever, in the history of rooms. “Clifford the Big Red Dog!” He said, insistence heavy in the words.

You often swore you could almost hear the old internet dial up tone trilling inside Michael’s brain when customers at the coffee shop asked him such difficult questions as “What dairy alternative milks do you carry?”, “Where is the bathroom?”, and even once - you swear - “What’s your name?”. In Michael’s defence, that last one had been asked in more flirtatious-than-not tone by a brunette who clearly had some kind of vision problem (he’d been dressed more horrendously than usual that day beneath his uniform apron; was that a utility vest?!), but had fluttered her eyelashes at your idiot colleague so hard, for so long, you’d been concerned she’d be leaving without what little vision she’d arrived with. But still. Idiot. Michael, not you. And yet, now it was you with your brain puttering through the information you had with the shrill electronic sound of the 90’s in your head. “Clifford the- are you for fucking real?” This could not be real life.

“It’s totally clever!” Michael asserted, continuing in earnest once you scoffed in reply. “No, listen! Because of Clifford, and also, I had red hair when I made it, and 69 is funny - it is! - and, well-” His face flushed slightly before he puffed his chest out a little, apparently deciding to commit to his defence of his screen name. “I’m big, so it works on like, loads of levels!”

This could not be happening to you. You were decidedly not standing in the bedroom of a coworker you simultaneously couldn’t stand and also couldn’t stop thinking about kissing as you restocked the counter fridges in the evenings, as he explained that his auction site handle was a combination of a previous dye job, an insinuation about his dick and a massive fucking dog. You could not let Michael have the upper hand here, but you were floundering. So you fell into more familiar, more pathetic territory.

“If you were called something like ‘deku-loving-loser’, then, sure - I would have known it was you!” “Who’s 12 now?!” “Uh, still you!” Okay, so this wasn’t your finest moment, but you were in it now. And you’d really wanted the Kaminari figure tonight. Michael didn’t even like him that much!

“The point is, you totally sniped me! And you get stuff about basic canon wrong! And your understanding of the characters is one dimensional! And, and...your hat is stupid!” Well, shit. In your defence, Michael’s hat was stupid. You could feel how hot your face was, and Michael’s eyes looking right at it was only making it worse. You couldn’t read his expression at all; he looked like he was searching for something, and you didn’t know what it was, or if he’d find it. You could only assume he had when he took the most decisive steps you’d ever seen him take, reaching you in two huge steps and cupping your face with both hands. Michael kissed in a way he didn’t do anything else; he felt sure and certain as he pressed his lips to yours, moving them with intent. Your brain became overtaken with television static almost immediately as you moved your mouth in time with his, opening your mouth immediately at the questioning press of his tongue. You had enough of yourself left aware to yank his stupid fucking hat off his head as you tangled your fingers in his blonde hair, Michael’s hands sliding down to clutch at your waist as you swayed with the kiss. As Michael pulled back ever so slightly, you took the opportunity to press your teeth into his plush bottom lip, the way you’d thought of doing in afternoon slumps on shift. The whine that came from deep in Michael’s throat made a split second decision for you.

You pulled back further from Michael, yanking your top off in one go and starting in on the buttons of his black shirt before he fully registered the sight of your bra and the top of your full breasts.

“Shit, Y/N, are you…” Michael trailed off as you pulled his sleeves down his arms, and the shirt off this body. Your eyes met his as you popped the button on his black jeans and placed your hand on his zipper. “Do you really want me to overthink this, Michael?” A moment’s pause, then he shook his head vigorously, leaning down to pull his boots off once you’d yanked his jeans to his knees. By the time he was left in his (funnily enough, black) boxer briefs, you’d discarded your own jeans and were knelt at the foot of his bed in your soft, lilac underwear. Michael’s breath hitched as his gaze drifted down your body, taking it all in under the artificial light of the room. “Get over here, Clifford…” You teased, trying not to second guess what was happening. Michael broke out of his trance and more or less threw himself onto the bed, settling his head on the pillows and pulling you on top of him for another kiss, and then another, and another. By the time you pulled back to catch your breath, your head was spinning. You braced yourself on your forearms on the bed, taking the time to admire Michael’s body beneath you.

You’d seen the tattoos on his pale, strong arms before, but they looked different in this context; the contrast between the milky skin and dark ink made your stomach swoop. The blonde hair on his head is also a contradiction; to the dark hair on his chest and the hair trailing down his stomach and disappearing under his waistband. Your mouth felt very dry as you let your gaze continue downward, to the straining bulge beneath the fabric.

You flicked your eyes back to meet Michael’s in question, your fingers suddenly resting on the waistband of his underwear. Michael swallowed thickly, and then nodded once before fixing you with a gaze of pure anticipation.

No use waiting around. You propped yourself up onto your knees over him and pulled on the fabric decisively, not stopping your motion until his underwear bunched up at his ankles. Holy shit.

You always knew Michael had to have at least one redeeming quality, and you’d finally found it. His cock was huge, hanging heavy and hard between his fuzzy thighs. The head was flushed the darkest pink you could ever remember seeing, and the slit was already shiny with precum.

If a voice in your head that sounded unfortunately like Calum pressed that Michael had lots of qualities you secretly found redeeming, you ignored it in favour of getting straight to business.

“FUCK! FUCKIN-”

Apparently, Michael hadn’t been prepared for you to take half of his impressive length into your mouth in one go. You sucked with intent, casting your eyes up to take in the sight of him. His pupils were already starting to blow, and you’d barely done anything. God, that was so sweet.

But then Michael threaded his fingers through your hair, his hand pressing ever so slightly into your scalp. The blonde wasn’t pushing down, but his grip was firm. You could feel the weight of his hand on the top of your head as you held his cock in your mouth, and that shit? Would not stand.

You grab the wrist brushing your hair a second before your other hand finds his idle one, fingers twisted loosely in the sheets. Once you’ve captured both wrists, you guide both to the same point above Michael’s hips, before slamming both into the mattress with purpose.

If you’d had time to think about it, you’re not sure how you would have expected Michael to react. He didn’t really put out the energy of a man who’d properly fight you for control, either in a domineering way or with more of an air of fragile masculinity. Perhaps a bit of questioning but ultimately compliant as long as he got his dick sucked. But the wanton moan that kicked out of Michael’s chest as you settled into a tight grip on his wrists where you had them pinned on the sheets with intent? That was unexpected. That was interesting.

Your mouth had remained still on his cock whilst you got his wrists pinned down, more cockwarming him than blowing him. But now you had him so pliant and under your control, it was go time. You pulled back up his cock, wrapping your lips tightly around the head of Michael’s cock, and sucked with gusto. Another groan from above you. You worked your tongue all the way around the head before pulling back enough to flick it into Michael’s sensitive slit. “Oh my fuuu- Y/N, God, I-” Michael was starting to writhe, his hairy legs rubbing into the sheets beneath you. You could feel his wrists moving along with the rest of his body, but you knew you’d made it clear you’d wanted him pinned, and he made no move to get his hand free. Good boy. You sank steadily back down Michael’s length, at least to the six inch mark, before pulling back up, hollowing your cheeks as you went. Back down a little further, then up, back to teasing the head, using your tongue. Michael couldn’t predict what you were going to do next, and it was clearly pushing all of his buttons. You could taste the precum that his cock kept kicking out into your mouth and throat, and see the flush spreading down his neck. By the time you’d pulled, drool beginning to build at the sides of your mouth, Michael was a mess, moaning as much as he was breathing. This could get addictive, you thought to yourself as you let your mouth drop to his balls, and your thumbs press into the pulse points on his wrists. You hummed before you released his left ball from your mouth with a wet pop, and that’s when Michael started begging. “Please, please, Y/N, I wanna-” he panted, cutting himself off over and over. “You’re so beautiful, lemme- God, fuck, it feels so amazing, you’re- I’ve been good, I’ll do anything, please…”

You pretend to consider his pleas as you dragged your tongue over his right ball, dipping into all the creases and leaving them wet behind you. Drawing back up onto your knees, you released one of his wrists so you could push his sweaty blonde bangs back from where it was plastered to his forehead, drinking in the vision before you. His green eyes were nearly completely black, blown out with arousal. The sheen on the skin of his face and body made him glow. His lips were chapped from his teeth tugging on them, and the pink of the matched the flush spread from his cheeks down his chest. And the wrist you were no longer restraining hadn’t moved a centimeter, still pressed firmly to the mattress. Michael was a good boy. And you knew how to treat good boys. With no preamble, you took Michael back into the wet heat of your mouth, relaxing your throat and not stopping until your nose was buried in the soft thatch of trimmed hair on his crotch. You took a moment to situate yourself and enjoy the deep whines bursting out of Michael’s throat into the quiet of his bedroom, before you began to move again, swallowing around his cock. You saw his thighs begin to tremble to the side of you before you heard him speak. “Fuck, fuck, Y/N, please, I’m gonna-” You hummed as hard as you could, pushing Michael’s wrists with that little bit more force into the bed as you did. Michael let out his loudest whine yet - bordering on a sob- as he came, shooting down your throat as he writhed beneath you.

You swallowed everything he gave you, and when you were sure he was finished, you pulled off slowly, and gently, releasing his wrists as you stood back up on your knees.

Michael looked blissed out, staring dreamily up at you with bright, adoring eyes. He still was yet to move his hands. “Hey.” “Hi.” You smirked down at him. “I believe I heard something about you’d ‘do anything’?” You shot a quick glance at the figurine on his desk, and down at yourself. “I had some ideas…”

collab masterlist • my masterlist

#5sos writing collab #my writing #mermaidcashton #5sos fic #5 seconds of summer fic #5sos #5 seconds of summer #michael clifford #michael 5sos #michael clifford x reader #michael 5 sos x reader #5sos x reader #michael clifford fic #michael 5sos fic

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aromantic-romance-writer · 4 years

Text

Kyojuro Rengoku x Fem! Reader

[Rekindle the Flame Inside Your Heart]

U M A I

That's basically the only word to explain why I wanted to make this for Rengobro-

I don't really have much info of when he was young, or just don't remember some details so uhhh a headcanon-?

Either way, I hope you enjoy!

WARNING: Very slight manga spoilers ahead!

How many times have he seen you on the same bed, in the same room already?

Kyojuro just came back from a mission. He was injured, but nothing really big. Just sprained his hand a little. But he knew injuries would be in the way of his missions if he doesn't treat them immediately.

But this was the fifth time he sees you at the Butterfly Estate already. And he doesn't even come here that often.

You never changed since the first time he saw you. You were sitting on the bed, head wrapped in a bandage, and staring at the wall. He decides to finally ask Shinobu about this.

"Oh, her." She says, her tone sounding pitiful. She finishes wrapping the bandage around his wrist and starts cleaning up. "She's never left. It's been 5 months since her last mission. It was horrible, really."

"A demon was able to wipe out her comrades with a blood demon art. She was able to kill him, but she was badly injured. She couldn't stop crying for a week. The poor thing..." She's finally finished cleaning up and faces him. It was kind of obvious in her tone that she wanted you leave already, but she doesn't have the heart to ask you. "You have to rest your hand for at least 48 hours, and you have to take this medicine after--"

"Kocho." Kyojuro cuts her off, but his smile doesn't waver. "May I spend those hours here?"

° ° °

At this point, why are you even alive?

It's been 5 months. Why are you being pathetic? You must be a really big burden to Kocho-san already. Stop being weak. Stop mourning over te past. You've killed the demon, right? Shouldn't you be happy? He wasn't gonna terrorize anyone anymore. No more people will be killed. You saved everyone. You also saved the demon from himself.

But your comrades. You couldn't save them.

The memory was still so vivid and horrifying. The memory turned into a nightmare, it was refusing to let you sleep.

It was refusing to let you rest.

You were so deep in your thoughts, you didn't even notice someone sitting beside your bed.

The person snapped his fingers in front of you. You snap your head around to see -

"R-Rengoku-san?!" you quickly bow down to show respect to the Flame Pillar. "W-what are you doing here?"

He gave a hearty laugh. "I would just like to have a little chat!" he says cheerfully. You sweat, you'll go blind from his radiant smile. "I've seen you many many times already, so I thought that I introduce myself if we'll ve seeing each other that often."

"But I know who you are already..."

"Nope!" you were startled at his exuberant response. "You only know my name, but not who I am."

You blink. Well, he's right. But what exactly is the reason for a pillar to talk to a low-ranking demon slayer such as yourself?

"Speak to me like I'm just a friend, and not a pillar!" his eyes sparkled with an unusual determination. You were sure none of your friends are as eccentric as him. "I'm Rengoku Kyojuro! You can call me by my first name!"

You stare down at your hands in diffidence. Are you not allowed to just run away? But you don't leave your bed unless necessary. Maybe you should just go with it, he is a pillar after all. But he said to treat him as a friend. Wait, what friend exactly?

You cut off your thoughts and raise your head, pink hues covering your cheeks. "N-nice to meet you, Kyojuro-kun! I-I'm [Y/N]!" you stutter in exclaim, your eyes glinting with clear confusion. But you admit that this is quite fun.

Kyojuro seemed to smile wider. "Okay, [Y/N]! What do you like to eat?"

° ° °

Kyojuro-kun.

The name kept repeating in his head. He talked with you for hours. You've been calling him that name in those hours and he can't help but feel something warm inside him other than his flaring passion as a demon slayer.

He also learned a lot of interests that didn't suit the you when he first saw you. He realized that you were just this bubbly person who likes to get into trouble sometimes, but you're very compassionate about demons.

That's why you only blame yourself for their deaths and not the demon.

You were depressed. You couldn't save them. Kyojuro knew the feeling. But he wants to make you realize that it wasn't your fault. That whenever the sun would set, it would rise again the next day.

Your sun hasn't risen for such a long time, but he'll make it rise, he thought as passion flared his heart.

° ° °

Even after Kyojuro left the Butterfly Estate as his hand has completely healed, a day won't go by without him visiting you. He claims that he was free, so it was alright.

You still have no idea what and why he talked to you in the first place that day, but you were glad he did.

His smile was so infectious that you'd forget how sadness feels like. His bright and lively personality reminded you how to be happy.

Everyday, he would eat beside you and tell you how his day went. If he went on a mission the previous day, he always makes sure he finishes it as early as he can so he can visit you the next day and tell you all about it. You honestly missed going outside in your demon slayer uniform, but Kyojuro makes that feeling go away.

You couldn't leave yet, even thought you knew you would have to, eventually. But you're rooted here for some reason, and once you remember that, all the happiness would go away because once the moon rises, all of it will come back washing over you.

The nightmares. The tears. The regret. The guilt.

The blood.

Why won't it go away? Why is it still haunting your dreams? Why can't you move on?

You woke, sweating and gasping and crying as usual. The same thing would happen every morning; it's like a part of your day-to-day routine now.

You forget that someone is part of that routine as well.

That day, Kyojuro visited early and caught you in that state. You widen your eyes in horror to meet the eyes of the Flame Pillar.

Why is he here so early? You didn't want him to see you in that state.

He rushes over to you, eyes that were used to be so energetic now full of worry.

"[Y/N]! Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?" He throws his questions at you like daggers you can't dodge. All you could do was cover your face with your hands and cry.

Why are you like this? Why are you crying in front of him? Why aren't you saying anything?

The questions quickly vanished from your mind as you can feel broad arms wrap around you into a hug. Your head was resting on his chest. You feel your face grow warm. His steady heartbeat was audible as it calmed you.

After a while, both of you were outside and sitting on the engawa. You have washed your face and decided to tell him what happened 5 months ago.

It was weird to you. You're actually saying what happened and it was your mouth. But your features were calm. Not even a single tear. Did you finally run out tears? Are you finally numb?

When you finished, you felt as if something that was crushing your chest disappeared. Like it was never there. It's like you can breathe properly again.

The silence goes on for a few minutes, before Kyojuro speaks. "[Y/N]."

You turn to him. He was looking at you with such a fierce look. You admit he looked kind of scary.

"It's not your fault. It's never your fault. I'm sure you're comrades always wanted to say that to you." he finally turns his whole body towards you. "You're strong and human, and you can only do so much. You saved a lot of people from that demon. You also saved the demon from himself."

"Relight the flame of your heart - the heart of a demon slayer! Stand back up like how the burning sun would rise every morning. Even without you, your comrades are putting their hands on your back - putting their faith in you! For their sake, draw your sword and protect the weak from the evil by my side!"

You blink. The passionate speech moved you. He has a point. You're a demon slayer. You can't back down. You have to protect loads more of people. You have to save loads more of demons.

Your dull world was suddenly scorched in fire. Such beautiful colors flooded your vision, but for some reason, all you see was Kyojuro.

Then you realized that your flame has been relit already. It was just a tiny flame, so you didn't notice.

But that day, along with his loud introduction, barged into your heart to light a match.

"I mean...!" you snap out of your thoughts to see Kyojuro red in the face, but he was still smiling. "You don't have to do all the beside me! You can do it on your own! You don't need me! You're strong by yourself, so--"

You started laughing. At first, ut was a small snort until you bursted unto tears while laughing. "Oh, Kyo!" you finally calm down, wiping the tears from your face. You smile at a very red and confused Kyojuro. "Thank you. I would like to fight by your side as well."

You were dreading that your uniform might not fit anymore, since you haven't worn it for 5 months. But you gave a big sigh of relief when you were able to slip into it without ripping any if its sides.

"Kyo-kun!" the brazen haired pillar turned to see you. His eyes sparkled with adoration. It was an endearing sight for him. "I'm ready to train!"

He stares at you for a while, before crouching to move a stray hair from your face and tucked it behind your ear. "Don't let any of your hair in the way! It'll be difficult to train that way." his smile widens as he walks away, leaving you paralyzed and flustered. "And make sure to show your pretty face all the time!"

You run after him as you try to calm your heart down. What the hell was that?

And so, you trained under his supervision. You've changed and it was all thanks to Kyojuro. You were back to your usual self, but with more determination to go on missions.

Kyojuro has changed as well. You weren't sure if it was a good change or a bad change, but surely it must be bad since the outcome would always be you getting flustered?

But because of this change, you can't help but grow romantic feelings for the guy. Everything he's doing, you have no clue why he does it.

"Hah!" you pointed the wooden sword at him as he fell on the ground. "What happened? I don't think I actually beat you."

He grabs the other end of the wooden sword. "My aplogies! I got distracted. You're unusually pretty today." Your eyes widen. Another flirt? Again? You turn away in attempt to avoid his stare at your very red face. And because of this, you accidentally let your guard down. He notices and pulls the sword, making you fall on top of him.

Your face was inches from his. You swear, he can feel your heart beating out of your chest too fast. His radiant smile turned into a cocky one, only making your temperature rise. "Or maybe you should be the one apologizing for that?" he says in a low tone.

Fuck.

You quickly try to move away, but he doesn't let you. In fact, he only draws you closer to him by the waist. "Why are you escaping? You did this to me, [Y/N], how can you expect me to just let it go?"

"K-kyo, what's the meaning of this?" you timidly ask. The tone in your voice was obvious that you were begging him to stop.

He finally lets you go and sits in an indian position. He gives you time to cool off and calm yourself before he speaks. "[Y/N]." he says in a serious tone, making you snap towards him and sit with a perfect posture. Despite these little mishaps, you never forget where you're place is.

He breathes deeply, feeling his own heart beating out of his chest. "I like you."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Kyojuro just sits there, smiling again. "I'm afraid I can't say it again."

You heard it clearly the first time, you were just making sure you weren't deluding yourself or hearing things. You weren't sure whether to jump in joy or drown yourself in the river. "Am I in any position to hit you as of this moment?"

His smile widens. "You have a position in my heart. Is that okay?"

"Kyo!"

He laughs. "I'm really sorry, [Y/N]. I can't help myself. I just really like you."

You play with your hair as you avert your gaze, your cheeks covered in pink blush. It sent weird sparks to his heart to see such an adorable sight. "I-I like you too, Kyo..."

He was still smiling, but his eyes widen in shock. "You do?"

"Don't make me repeat what I said! It's embarassing enough as it is."

He holds your hand, making you look at him. He wore his warmest of smiles. "That makes me really really happy, [Y/N]."

So you did fight side-by-side when you're asked to go on a joint mission, but he mostly tried to protect you and wouldn't let you fight. You were happy together and had this amazing chemistry everyone admired, even on the battlefield. You were both very happy together and supported each other to this very day.

Even when he was gone.

° ° °

The boy sitting in front of you sniffled, wiping his tears with his green and black checkered haori. His demon sister patted his back as she also felt emotional herself.

"Er, should I get you some water?" you chuckle lightly.

They both shake their heads as they finished wiping their tears away. "Your love story is so touching, [L/N]-san! I'm sorry I couldn't protect him..." he lowers his head, gripping his uniform's trousers very tightly.

You notice this and wrap his hand around yours. He looks up to you just in time before he cries again.

"Tanjiro," You say with the warmest tone you can give him. "Do me a favor and smile."

He blinks cluelessly. "R-right now?"

You laugh lightly. "If you feel like it. Remember to smile even if it seems all hope is lost. Even in your darkest days, never forget to smile again. The sun sets, but it also rises. Be like the sun, Tanjiro, and give the weak the hope and light that they need.

"Be the match that will rekindle the flame inside their hearts, and until then, smile once more. Set your heart ablaze, Tanjiro, Nezuko."

He and Nezuko stares at you, but you trust that they understand.

By the entrance of your home, the kind boy bows. "I almost forgot! Rengoku-san wanted me to give this to you." he hands you a letter with your name written with his familiar hand-writing. "Thank you for everything, [L/N]-san!"

You wave at him as he walks away. You waited until his figure was as small as an ant before going back inside.

You sit on the engawa and open the letter.

"Be the happiest as you can be, [Y/N]. When I pass, find someone else. Make sure that person can protect you. You'll always be my flame."

A single tear streamed accross your face.

"I am the happiest that I can be, Kyo. And it's all because of that day when you revived the fire in my heart." you say, hugging the letter close to your chest.

Right where the fire is flickering.

Never realized how much Rengobro's death affected me when I started reasearching about him for this.

158 notes · View notes

muichewrou · 4 years

Note

Oh, can I request for prompt #102 with Inosuke, please? Thanks!

Inosuke - ”You're the only person I wanted to be with tonight.”

Thank you for requesting! This took like… so long lol im so sorry!

Note: Slight spoilers for the manga and it’s Red Light District arc.

Word Count: 1700+

Many weeks had passed since Inosuke lost consciousness after the battle at the Red Light District. With wounds like that, you couldn’t really blame his body for putting him out of commission.

Tanjirou had faced severe injuries as well, also fainting when meeting up with Uzui along with Nezuko. Zenitsu was fine for the most part, being the only one out of the four of you Demon Slayers to be cleared the next day.

After a week and a half of being treated by Shinobu and the Butterfly Estate’s servants, you were almost ready to take on missions again. For now, you had to be careful with your wounds, so you were left with checking up and changing the bandages for Inosuke.

It was almost evening when you prepared your dinner, ready to stay by his side as you always did for the past week. Just two more days until you were to be sent off to a mission to the east.

You place your tray onto the nightstand, unfurling a roll of bandages and taking a glance to his face. While most people were taken aback by his feminine appearance (even more when he began shouting and instigating fights), you really didn’t mind because he just had that aura about him when you first met him–that he was impulsive and brash, that he thought highly of himself and wanted to challenge others.

It was something that allowed you to differentiate him from the others, and you adored that about him. You miss him screaming his head off either at Tanjirou and Zenitsu. Not so much at you, though.

You nudge your forehead against his own, lips pressing up against his cheek. “Wake up soon, okay?”

Your dinner cools off a bit by the time you’re done changing his bandages. It wasn’t hard work at all, but it was a little bit difficult without the cooperation of your partner. If he were awake, you could order him to lift up his arm, bend forward slightly, or turn around.

You’re eating your dinner, sipping your bowl of soup contentedly, stopping briefly when you hear someone sniffing.

You turn towards the door, but frown when you noticed that no one had opened it. The window was shut tight too, and it was too dark outside to see if anyone was there. Placing down your bowl back down on the tray, you find yourself walking around the room, checking under the bed and chairs for things like bugs and rats.

Though there was none, nothing could prevent you from yelping when you feel something clasp around your wrist.

You swiftly turn around, hair whipping across your frightened expression, and flinging your arm back to twist out of the strong grip. It’s a demon. Muscular, boar-headed, wrapped in crisp, fresh bandages– Inosuke!

“What the hell are ya looking for?”

You peer into the blue of the boar mask’s irises, down to his shirtless body covered in bandages. This was definitely Inosuke, even if it was evidently obvious by how the two of you were the only people in the room. But still, after so many weeks of only staring at his unconscious body, you couldn’t believe it at all.

His entire body was shaking, teeth clenched and hand twitching around your wrist. Though he was too prideful to speak about it, you could tell that he was trying his best to force the pain away. Bringing your hands up, you place them onto his shoulders and start to push him gently towards the bed, ignoring his eruption of protests.

“Stop it, you shouldn’t even be out of bed!”

“Get your grimy hands off me, woman! Tell me what you were looking for– is it a demon?!”

A demon? No, but Inosuke sure looked like a demon when he caught you off guard earlier. What you were looking for was a rat or animal of some kind, but it turns out it was just a silly and injured male who also did have some animalistic quirks.

You shake your head and peek to the side, taking a glance at the nightstand and your poor empty tray, “it wasn’t, but I think I know what it was.”

“What are ya talking about?” He follows your gaze, snapping his eyes back when you push him with more strength. The steam he exhales in exasperation forces itself out of the boar mask’s nostrils. “It ain’t my fault that ya forgot all about your food– it was gettin’ cold anyway, so I did ya a favor.”

“Uh-huh,” you say as the back of his knees bump into the side of the bed, pushing his shoulders down so that he was seated on the soft cushions. “You’re not supposed to be moving yet, anyway. You need to give it a rest so that your injuries will heal faster.”

Inosuke responds with a huff, swiveling his head to the side and crossing his arms. He stiffens a bit, then a second later he loosens the tension in his shoulders and allows his arms to drape onto the bed. Probably from the pain, you presume.

You lift your hands from his shoulders. Inch by inch, you slowly permit your fingers to crawl on the surface of his neck. He trembles, and you hear his lips part as if to voice discomfort. But he remains quiet.

And your fingers land onto the soft pelt of his mask where you continue to drag on, and on, and on until you grasp delicately into the fur, slowly easing the velvety material off his head.

You place the mask aside in favor of reaching towards his face once more, turning his chin so that you could stare into his sage-colored eyes. A multitude of stammers crosses his lips. He can’t seem to get his words out– the struggle shown on his expression was evidence enough.

“Well, I guess you’re fine for now. You were able to eat all of my dinner with no problem, so I’ll say it’ll be another week or two until you’re ready to return back to missions.”Inosuke looks about ready to puff up his chest and interrupt you. Not ready to put up with his childish fit, you shove him onto the bed sideways, his head flopping against the pillow.

“Rest up first. I’ll get you some more dinner and bring the others in to visit you. Tanjirou is still out cold, but if you managed to wake up with how injured you were, then he should too.” Patting his shoulder twice, you pick up the tray and make your way to the door.

The door wasn’t getting any closer with the way Inosuke scrunched up his face and grabbed the hem of your haori. Looking back, you see he had propped himself up with his elbows and is now staring at you intently. You tilt your head as he averts his gaze to the floor.

“What’s the matter?”

“I…I–”

You turn your body fully, smiling, “if you’re worried about the food, I’ll make sure to give you lots.”

“Ain’t about that,” he says, shaking his head. The grip on your haori tightens. “I don’t want anyone else comin’ here–”

“Oh. Do you want privacy? That can be arranged…just after I bring back some food for you.”

You have to admit, it was a little painful for you to hear that. But if you were in the same position, maybe you would ask for the same. It is a lot to take in after all, waking up and trying to recall the events that left you bedridden.

“That ain’t it, I told ya,” he releases your haori and whispers: “You’re— you’re the only person I wanted to be with tonight.”

You don’t believe your ears. At any point in time, did someone switch personalities with him? Was this…the same Inosuke? “I, uh, didn’t quite get that. Care to repeat it again?”

His response is quick and clear. “Hell no!”

Well, at least you tried. You didn’t expect him to anyways.

“Just–get the food and come right back, ya hear?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be back.”

And when you did come back, he was sitting upright on the bed, fiddling with the bandages on his chest. He scarfs down the food, ignoring your scoldings.

“You’ll throw up if you eat too fast.” But it was also pleasing to see him with so much energy. In no time, he finishes up his portion. This comes with a few crumbs around his mouth, but it’s easily flicked away as he swipes his arm across his lips.

You swing your legs while sitting next to him, your calves occasionally hitting the frame of the bed. A peaceful silence breezes around the room, a calm wind that Inosuke unexpectedly appreciates as well.

“I’m really glad you’re doing well,” the rhythm you’ve picked up with your legs falters until it’s nothing more than a slight rocking. “Everybody’s been so worried about you. Even if you had some sort of immunity to the poison from Gyuutarou’s sickles, your body had been rejecting every one of Shinobu’s medicine in return. It was scary. I mean, nothing could help with stabilizing your body except for external treatment, but even that wasn’t effective much. There was just no definite solution to making sure you’ll make it out alive.”

Inosuke is listening intently. Well, there’s not much for him to do except to pay attention to you. Still, he scoffs and turns his head the other way. “As if I’ll die from that. It’ll take more for the great Inosuke to be defeated!”“You say that, but you can never be too sure when it comes to those Demons.” You shrug. Inosuke never really took these kinds of issues seriously. “But that doesn’t matter now. What I’m grateful for is that you’re alive and you’re going to stay that way as long as I’m with you. Do you hear me? Come here.”

The boy doesn’t have a chance to reply before you launch yourself onto him, wrapping your arms around his broad shoulders. You blink away the sudden wave of tiredness that came from his familiar warmth– it had been so long since having contact like this.

“And hey– you’re the only person I wanna be with too tonight, Inosuke.”

The next morning you were scolded by Shinobu herself for remaining quiet about Inosuke’s rise from unconsciousness.

#chew writes #inosuke x reader #hashibira inosuke x reader #demon slayer #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba x reader #demon slayer x reader

240 notes · View notes

space-------kid · 4 years

Text

rain, rain, come again.

Anime/Manga: Kimetsu no Yaiba Pairing: Tomioka Giyuu/fem!Reader Author’s notes: I had something already, but then I got inspired by a song and ended up with this one. This one-shot is written for @kimetsu-no-tomioka‘s follower milestone event. Congrats, Mizu, and more followers to come!!! 😄💕💕💕 A/N 2: Yes, this fic ended THAT way ehehehehehe 😝😂✌🏻

Summary:

Four times Giyuu met you in the rain, and one time in the sun.

“do you know you’re unlike any other?”

- thunder/boys like girls

----

You were just another face in the crowd when he first saw you.

There was nothing worth remembering in the encounter. You were just someone who went on with your life while the rain poured in a steady stream in the busy village you seemed to live in. And it was never normal for a Demon Slayer – much less a Hashira – to stay in a single place for too long. His journey led him to where demonic activity was afoot, and Giyuu was quick to forget this encounter with you once his mission was completed.

Giyuu didn’t believe in chance encounters, and even if he felt somewhat entranced when you smiled politely at him when your gazes met, he was convinced that he would never see you again.

----

The second time he saw you, he was injured and had to stop at a nearby Wisteria House to recuperate.

He learned that you and your family were traveling merchants, moving from one place to another where business was to be conducted. Your small caravan had been attacked by an equally small group of demons, and in exchange of saving your lives you helped the three Demon Slayers who saved your family in helping them take their injured to the Wisteria House.

The Water Hashira had been minding his own business when your family and the Demon Slayers came. He moved out of the way to let the injured pass, the exhausted Kanoe leaning against your shoulder as you helped her walk. Your arm brushed Giyuu’s, and you were quick to apologize to him with the same polite smile he remembered you gave him when he first saw you.

This was not a chance encounter, Giyuu reminded himself. Japan was wide, after all. But the rain pouring outside seemed to question his explanation as lightning flashed and thunder crackled in the grey heavens.

----

Of course it was raining again when the two of you crossed paths for the third time.

Giyuu was tracking a demon who preyed on female travellers, and you just happened to be conducting business on your own in the seaside village his mission had lead him into.

You were sprawled on the wet sand, cradling your bleeding arm where the demon had cut you. Blood was pouring almost steadily from your wound, and the demon moved sluggishly towards you in a drunken fashion.

Giyuu was quick to decapitate the fiend without having to use any form of his Breath Style. He had seen the effects of a marechi the demon had been under, and the Water Hashira was quick to deduce that your blood seemed to hold the same potency Shinazugawa Sanemi’s had against demonkind.

You were losing consciousness when he approached you. Giyuu had to apply the first aid treatment he reluctantly learned from a certain Pillar with a proclivity for poison and the healing arts. He had to take a closer look to make sure that it was you he’d rescued, and Giyuu began to question these encounters between the two of you with the rain as your witness.

It was becoming too suspicious to be called a coincidence, and Giyuu was starting to feel inclined to believe that the two of you might be connected by the rain in more ways than one. The rain had never failed to bring you to him and him to you. He didn’t believe in the concept of soulmates or anything of the sort, but even he had to admit that there might be something between the two of you for Fate to devise encounters of the pluvial kind.

“A-Are you…” you muttered feebly, forcing to keep your eyes open as Giyuu put pressure in your wound before bandaging it. “Are you alright? You… You m-must’ve fought that demon, haven’t you?”

“Worry about yourself,” Giyuu replied. Maybe he was being rude by not answering your question, but your well-being was his top priority and not his own. He sensed your exhaustion and decided to carry you in his arms. After all, he was sure that you had given the demon trouble for making it chase after you before it had you cornered on the shore.

He draped his haori over you despite already being drenched by the rain. Giyuu held you close as he ran to the nearest shelter he could find. An old couple who believed in the existence of demons and the Demon Slayer Corps received him, promising to look after you until you recovered in exchange for him killing the monster that terrorized the village’s tourists. They attempted to coax him to stay the night, but Giyuu declined. Demons would not rest and so he would not, too, he told them.

“Can I at least know the name of the man who saved my life?” you asked him.

Giyuu simply stared at you before pulling a small pouch from his pocket. It was surprisingly dry and smelled of wisteria, you noted when he handed you the object.

“You’re marechi, so I advise you to be more careful from now on,” he told you instead. “Demons hate wisteria, so make sure you carry some in your person at all times.”

If he noticed your flushed face at your question being ignored for the second time, Giyuu made no mention of it. As much as possible he had to avoid staring at your face. You were undeniably beautiful, and Giyuu had to constantly remind himself to ignore whatever hold you were starting to possess on him. Having feelings for someone while being employed in the deadliest occupation a person could have was out of the picture, not when either of you could die at any given moment, what with the existence of demons and all.

To his dismay, though, it seemed that you didn’t share his unspoken thoughts.

“Oh! Well, um, thank you,” you tell him. You grabbed his hand before he could withdraw and gave him a quick bow in greeting. “I’m [full name], and thank you for saving my life!”

Giyuu left immediately after your brief introduction, but he made sure not to forget your name and the way your smile stood out under the lamplight and the flash of lightning.

----

It was a week before Oyakata-sama’s prediction of the final battle, and it was also the fourth time Giyuu’s path crossed with yours.

He was patrolling his district despite the complete lack of demonic activity. Hunger led him to one of the restaurants he frequented, and he bumped against someone holding an umbrella in his haste.

Giyuu quickly caught the umbrella, blue eyes widening in recognition when he saw who he had bumped against.

“Mister Demon Slayer! It’s you again!”

Your voice melded perfectly with the gentle pitter patter of raindrops, catching Giyuu off guard as he held the umbrella for you. He was never inclined to believe that you would continue to remember him since it had almost been a year since he saw you last. Somewhere in the lonely recesses of his mind, Giyuu was convinced that he was not worth remembering and yet here you were, smiling kindly and gratefully up at him.

He must’ve spoken something along the lines out loud for you had let out a rather indignant gasp and gazed earnestly at him red-faced.

“Of course I remember you!” you told him, firm resolution in your voice. “It would be totally ungrateful of me to forget the man who saved my life!”

The loudness of your voice was starting to attract attention and so, on impulse and something out of character even for him, Giyuu took your hand and led you inside the restaurant. It was not until the two of you were seated that Giyuu began to process what he just did, his normally stoic expression softening with embarrassment at his seemingly rude behaviour.

“I’m sorry,” you both said, looking anywhere but each other in embarrassment. Giyuu was quietly thankful when you took the initiative to restart the conversation, your cheeks turning pink as you met his deceptively calm gaze.

“I want to thank you again for saving my life almost a year ago, Mister Demon Slayer,” you began as you took something from your haversack. Holding the object out, Giyuu is met with the same purple pouch of wisteria flowers he had given you to help ward off demons. The pouch had seen better days but appeared to be well taken care of. Of course Giyuu had expected that you’d replace it when the flowers dried out. He had not counted on you keeping the pouch and mending it when it needed to be repaired.

“You never gave me your name, but I know it will never stop me from remembering your face and voice,” you continued, smiling the same bright smile that haunted Giyuu whenever rain fell and lightning struck. “Please do not think that you’re forgettable.” And, with your cheeks flushed red – from affection or embarrassment, Giyuu could not place – you added, “You’re not.”

Giyuu was left feeling stumped and unable to reply. He couldn’t find the proper words to grasp, and anything that came to mind fell short of your sincere words. Instead he found himself staring at you, watching how the red on your face deepened into a blush that could definitely hold a candle against Kanroji’s. Staring was rude, he remembered Kocho telling him once, but he couldn’t help himself. The fact that you possessed a beauty that had undeniably charmed him was finally taking root in his heart and mind, more so when he was now given the opportunity to witness it in -- albeit rainy -- broad daylight.

“You, too,” he muttered, looking away bashfully and missing the hopeful look on your face, “are unforgettable.”

Instead of the awkward silence he expected to experience, the Water Hashira felt nothing but peace and contentment as the two of you remained seated in the little bubble of a world you created inside the restaurant.

“[Full name],” he called you, marvelling in the way your [colour] eyes widened in surprise at him having remembered not only your face but also your name. Giyuu stood from his seat, approached you in two quick strides, and bowed at you in formal greeting. “I am Tomioka Giyuu of the Demon Slayer Corps.”

He straightened just in time to see you standing up and bowing, too, your hands folded in front of you.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Tomioka-san!”

Hearing you speak his name sent pleasant shivers down Giyuu’s spine. For the first time in a long while, he felt as if everything was right in the world, seeing you smile and having you know his name.

Contrary to his peer’s beliefs, Giyuu knew what love meant. He had seen it in the way Tsutako nee-san glowed with happiness in the presence of her fiancé. He had witnessed it whenever Iguro’s gaze softened in Kanroji’s presence. He had seen it in the unwavering devotion Amane-san had for Oyakata-sama. In the face of such actions of one person towards another, Giyuu knew that no amount of words could define nor describe such powerful emotion.

Love was a beautiful thing to be felt, to be given and taken, and for reasons he wished he could fathom Giyuu felt that you were someone who deserved to be given this. Looking back to your previous encounters with him and the amount of time he spent without your presence, he wished that love was something he could easily and freely give to you.

He knew what he felt for you. It was the kind of love that comes unexpectedly, the kind that settles in his soul with the knowledge that it was you, it had to be you and no one else. There was not a drop of obsession marring his heart’s desire – Giyuu was just struck by the realization that, despite the scarcity and rarity of your encounters, you were someone he could easily give his heart to.

No ifs, no buts.

Just you.

He knew what was stopping him so he stayed his hand, however. This world was rife with peril caused by demonkind, and love was a thing that could be cruelly ripped from his grasp – a thing that could be killed mercilessly in more ways than one.

And so against the heaviness of finally learning to feel for someone so strongly, Giyuu stayed his hand and bid you farewell at the end of the day, holding your blessings and wishes for his safety close to his heart.

----

For the first time in a long while, Giyuu knew what warmth felt like.

He wished to feel it for as long as he was allowed. But Muzan’s continued existence was a genuine threat to you and the rest of mankind. Giyuu was not ashamed of hoping, praying, at this very moment that he would be given a chance to survive in this all-out war against the progenitor of demons.

He dodged and attacked as ferociously as Shinazugawa, Giyuu knowing full well just how much his fellow Hashira had lost tonight – how much his fellow Demon Slayers have. The root of everyone’s misery stood in the middle of the battleground, looking down on them as if they were nothing but pests to be crushed.

Muzan’s existence had taught him what hatred felt like. Giyuu would see to this monster’s demise no matter the cost.

He would give anything to end this, to keep you and everyone else safe.

Down to one arm and bleeding on the ground, Giyuu held on to your smiles and your open and sincere nature.

Giyuu would give anything to end Muzan just so he could meet you again in a world without demons. Your chance encounters had taught him what the warmth of love felt like, and he owed you too much for doing so.

Please, he prayed to any higher being who might listen as one of Muzan’s attack knocked him back. God… anyone… please.

Giyuu heard the rain and your voice in his head. He forced himself back on his feet and sprinted towards Himejima to act as a support to the latter’s offensives.

Let us live.

----

Four months.

The world was now free from the death and suffering caused by Muzan and his ilk. If he was to be honest with himself, Giyuu never thought that he would survive in the battle against his wishes. With the short-lived agony of witnessing the boy he considered a younger brother turned into a demon, the former Water Hashira despairingly thought that Tanjiro would be another pawn of Muzan’s to rebuild the chain of misery and death and that all of their sacrifices would be in vain.

Giyuu would not be ashamed to admit that he’d shed tears of gratitude and happiness when the gods finally chose to smile in their favour in the end.

The Demon Slayer Corps might be disbanded, but he – alongside the only surviving Hashira, Shinazugawa (it never ceased to amaze Giyuu that they could finally be proper friends) – found himself visiting the young Oyakata-sama and his sisters. They were forever indebted to the Ubuyashiki family, and would never sever their bonds with them just because their sacred mission had finally come to an end.

He went home to Urokodaki-sensei after everything, opting to spend the rest of his days with his former teacher and father-figure and knowing that Sabito and the rest of the children would approve and be thankful of. Giyuu might not see Urokodaki-sensei’s face but he was sure that the old man was just as happy that the two of them could start their lives anew.

Four months have come and gone, and not once had Giyuu stopped thinking about you.

He knew what he had to do now that he was unburdened with his previous goals. He could pack his things and go on a journey in search for you. After all, you had promised him that you won’t forget him.

Not forgetting and falling in love were two different things, however. Giyuu didn’t even know – wasn’t even sure – if you would have someone so scarred, someone so broken who was just beginning to learn how to live a normal life again. The absence of his right hand never failed to bring doubt to his mind.

Giyuu looked at the horizon, blue gaze taking in the sight of rain clouds so far away. Would you two meet again when the rain came? Or would he be standing alone in the sun, unable to see you anymore?

He wished for it to rain. The rain always brought you to him. Maybe if it did, he would see you standing behind him for the fifth time. And maybe then he would ask you to stay, would ask for your permission to let him court you and show that you had come to mean something so profoundly beautiful to him.

Giyuu closed his eyes and basked in the warmth of the sun. Thunder rumbled too faintly from a distance, and he started to count.

One.

Maybe, by some form of miracle…

Two.

You would find him…

Three.

Just as he had found you.

“Tomioka-san?”

#tomioka giyuu #tomioka giyuu x reader #giyuu x reader #kny giyuu x reader #kny x reader #kimetsu no yaiba #kny

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recentanimenews · 3 years

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Manga the Week of 3/31/21

SEAN: March ain’t going out like a lamb when it comes to manga.

ASH: True, that!

SEAN: Airship has two print books; Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 14.5 and Mushoku Tensei 9.

Denpa’s website lists femme fatale: The Art of Shuzo Oshimi for next week. An artbook dedicated to the creator of Flowers of Evil, Blood on the Tracks and more.

They’ve also got The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes 2 listed.

Ghost Ship has Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 13.

No debuts from J-Novel Club, but we do get the 10th and final volume of The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress. We also see Demon Lord, Retry! 6, The Epic Tale of Reincarnated Prince Herscherik 4, Holmes of Kyoto 4, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 4, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 4. Desu.

Kaiten Books has a 2nd volume of My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?!.

Debuting in print for Kodansha is Chasing After Aoi Koshiba (Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara), a yuri manga from Ichijinsha’s Comic REX. It’s got the writer of Masamune-kun’s Revenge (ehh…) and the artist of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (yay!). A girl hopes to meet up with her first love at a reunion.

ASH: Seems like it has potential.

MELINDA: Agreed.

Also in print: Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro 6, Heaven’s Design Team 4, The Quintessential Quintuplets 13, and Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 3.

Digitally we get two debuts. The first is She’s My Knight (Ikemen Kanojo to Heroine na Ore!?), which runs in Kodansha’s Palcy, and features a popular young man having to deal with falling in love with a girl more popular AND more manly than he is!

ANNA: This sounds amusing.

SEAN: We also get Those Snow-White Notes (Mashiro no Oto). This is a biggie, as it’s already 27 volumes in Japan. It’s multi-award winning, runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine, is by the author of Baby & Me and A Vampire and His Pleasant Companions, and is for the Shamisen what Chihayafuru is for Hyakunin Isshu. It also has an anime this spring!

MICHELLE: I’m super excited about this one!

ASH: I love shamisen so much.

MELINDA: Okay, I’m ready!

SEAN: And we get A Condition Called Love 7, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 21, How Do You Do, Koharu? 2, I Want To Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die 7, My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1 3, and Saint Young Men 11.

MICHELLE: I need to get caught up on several of these.

MELINDA: Same here.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts two manga based on light novels they also have. Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist (Cheat Kusushi no Slow Life: Isekai ni Tsukurou Drugstore) runs in Takeshobo’s Web Comic Gamma Plus, and is about… well, the title.

ASH: So many titles these days are helpful like that, perhaps overly so.

SEAN: And there is also ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! (“Omae Gotoki ga Maou ni Kateru to Omou na” to Yuusha Party o Tsuihou Sareta node, Outo de Kimama ni Kurashitai), which runs in Micro Magazine’s Comic Ride, and combines yuri and gore-filled grimdark quite nicely.

Seven Seas also has the digital debut of four more Alice books, which focus on Elliot March and Tweedle Dee/Dum. If I recall correctly, the Twins books were the smuttiest in the series.

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: They’ve also got BL Metamorphosis 4, the third and final volume of Ghostly Things, High-Rise Invasion 17-18, Himouto! Umaru-chan Vol. G1 (also a final volume, sort of – it’s a one-shot continuation), the fifth and final volume of How to Treat Magical Beasts: Mine and Master’s Medical Journal, Made in Abyss 9, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 10, and Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General 6.

MICHELLE: Someday I really will read BL Metamorphosis.

ASH: You really should! It is wonderful.

MELINDA: I also need to read it!

SEAN: Two debuts for Yen On. The first is a spinoff. I Was a Bottom-Tier Bureaucrat for 1,500 Years, and the Demon King Made Me a Minister (Hira Yakunin Yatte 1500-nen, Maou no Chikara de Daijin ni Sare Chaimashita) features Beelzebub and her demonic crew from I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years having adventures of their own.

The other is Yokohama Station SF, the story of a boy who is allowed to search the giant subway terminal that the world of Japan has become. This looks pretty cool, actually.

MICHELLE: It looks super cool! I always love stories about exploring sprawling structures (like BLAME, for example).

ASH: I’m definitely picking this one up! It looks like it should help fill the SF hole left by Viz’s Haikasoru imprint being on hiatus.

MELINDA: This one sounds so interesting!

Also out next week: 86 ~Eighty-Six~ 7, new reprints of the 5th and 6th Haruhi Suzumiya novels, The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious 6, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Siscon Idol (the 4th in the series).

Yen Press has many manga debuts next week. We start with Can’t Stop Cursing You (Dareka o Norawazu ni Irarenai Kono Sekai de), a dark little horror title from Gangan Online. A curse detective uses their powers to track down killers.

ASH: I’m curious about this one.

MELINDA: This actually does sound like my kind of thing.

Goblin Slayer Side Story II: Dai Katana gets a manga version of its light novel. It runs in Square Enix’s Manga Up!.

Love and Heart (Koi to Shinzou) is a shoujo horror title from Hakusensha’s Manga Park. A college woman recovering from a breakup now finds she has a new roommate, who says he’s her old childhood friend. But… is he?

ANNA: I’m intrigued by the idea of shoujo horror.

MICHELLE: Yeah, this could be interesting.

ASH: Shoujo horror is one of my faves.

MELINDA: Ooooooooo.

SEAN: Love of Kill (Koroshi Ai) runs in Media Factory’s Comic Gene, and is about a pair of assassins engaging in… sigh… a deadly game of cat and mouse. (No, they’re not cats and mice, I just sighed at the cliche.) I’ve actually heard this is pretty cool.

ANNA: Sometimes I enjoy assassins!

ASH: Likewise!

MELINDA: Me too!

SEAN: Lastly, we see When a Magician’s Pupil Smiles (Mahou Tsukai no Deshi ga Warau Toki), a 3-in-1 omnibus collecting the entire manga. It ran in Shonen Gangan, and also seems to fall into the horror suspense theme Yen’s March debuts are falling into.

ASH: I tend to enjoy a fair amount of the subgenre, so I’m okay with the trend.

SEAN: In non-debuts, we get 86 ~Eighty-Six~’s second manga volume, Bungo Stray Dogs 18, Carole & Tuesday 2, Do You Love Your Mom? 4 (manga version), Fiancee of the Wizard 3, Im – Great Priest Imhotep 8, Kaiju Girl Caramelize 4, Karneval 11, Last Round Arthurs 2 (manga version), Lust Geass 3, Reborn As a Polar Bear 5, Strawberry Fields Once Again 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: The Ways of the Monster Nation 4, and The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions 2.

ASH: I am so far behind on my Yen reading!

SEAN: Oof. There is a lot there. Do you see favorites?

By: Sean Gaffney

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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modsumessenger · 5 years

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I need to follow some new accounts my timeline is so dead bc i haven't been using tumblr during the Great Desktop Fuckery of ‘17-18-etc... gimme recommendations or reblog or whatever if you post:

Hunter x Hunter (HxH) (Finally watched it earlier this year and now I’m all HEART EYES MOTHERFUCKER. Killua’s my son. Fuck you Illumi. Abuse him you lose him. also not caught up on the manga yet but dontworryaboutit) Danganronpa (All caught up and stuff for this one so no worries, I’m always a slut for murder mystery/detective type shit. Also I am deeply in love with Ouma Kokichi its a serious problem)

RPGMaker Games (Whether the classics like Witch’s House, Ib, Mad Father, Yume Nikki, Misao, etc etc or more recent stuff like Hello Charlotte, Wadanohara, Pocket Mirror, End Roll and more! Even (and especially) newer projects currently in the making I’m SUUUUPER into these types of games. Especially RPGHorror.)

Silent Hill & Similar Horror Projects (Although there isn't really another series “like” SH imo, I’m sort of using it more as a way to describe the approach to horror as a genre and an experience. If you like jump scares and stuff that’s cool for you, but my taste lies more with atmosphere heavy, story driven and psychological kinds of horror content.)

KNY (Kimetsu No Yaiba/Demon Slayer) (This is my most recent series I’ve gotten invested in, so I'm not caught up yet. Finished the anime and now starting the manga so if you post a bunch of spoilers have mercy and ill keep u in mind for later ❤️)

Your Turn To Die / Kimigashine (very much up my alley and really excited for chapter 3, 100.0% invested. chances of succeeding in repressing my love for Sou..... 0.0%) (creepy minor/adult shippers do not interact Sara is literally like 16 years old you fucks stop)

Actually apply that statement to all of these. If you ship creepy incest/pedophilia/otherwise nasty shit I have no interest in following you and hope the rest of your days are spent taking exclusively painful shits. ✨

That’s all that I can think of off of the top of my head, I’ll add more in a reblog or something if more stuff comes to mind later. Thanks!

#looking to follow #artists especially. but I also have a deep appreciation for writers and people who just genuinely enjoy talking about and spreading content #modsu #< that's me im modsu #thank u in advance~

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sketchyrambles · 2 years

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Here is a list of content I’m currently into so ya’ll know what you’re getting into here lol:

Voltron Legendary Defender (I refuse to acknowledge that seasons 7-8 happened lmao. Still love the show and characters otherwise. Working on a fun rewrite with my friends.)

Young Justice (Finally watched season 4 and I am now in the process of recovery from the emotional damage I received from this season jfjfjfj)

Pokémon (Including most niche games like the ranger series and mystery dungeons)

My Hero Academia (Caught up in the manga and omg so much is happening jfjfj. My poor heart can’t take much more of this ;-;)

Naruto (Still recovering from binging this show. I’ll get to Boruto eventually lol)

Dsmp (not as much anymore but I still enjoy some things from the story)

Httyd (I will never recover from the movies. So much nostalgia and warmth to this franchise)

Ghibli (Howl’s Moving Castle is my fave)

Demon Slayer (Finished the manga! Can’t wait to see it all animated!)

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood (Pulls at my heartstrings every time jfjfjf)

Genshin Imapct (Not so much but still love looking at all the pretty characters and world building)

The Arcana

Arcane (Need to rewatch this show so bad! Can’t wait for whenever season 2 comes out)

Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom

Fire Emblem Three Houses (Also three hopes)

Monster Hunter Stories (Need more of these games honestly. They’re so fun and beautiful. Especially Stories 2. God I hope we get another stories game that continues with the characters from the first one. I think that would be so cool seeing them interact with you as the rider being older.)

Avatar the Last Airbender

The Legend or Korra

Vox Machina (Season 2 was fabulous! Loved seeing more backstory for everyone. Grog’s was one of my favorites!)

Spy x Family (This show has awoken my spy phase again lol)

Monkie Kid (Update: I have now caught up with this show and it has given me *serious* brain rot. I love these monkey bastards so much!!😭)

Ninjago (I have returned and now I’m wondering why I ever left this beloved show? I’VE MISSED THESE NINJA DORKS SO MUCH!!😭)

The Owl House (I finished the whole show and I’m entirely unwell!😭 I will love these good witches forever!)

Slugterra (Does anyone remember this show? I rediscovered it and forgot how much I adored it! Fabulous show and makes me cackle😂 Please watch!)

Into & Across the Spiderverse (I need the rest of the year to process across the spiderverse. ITS SO GOOD GO WATCH IT AHHHHH!!!!!!)

Mech Cadets (I just finished season one on Netflix and I adore it! Beautiful Mech designs and just so much diversity in this show! Please give it a watch if you’re look for something like pacific rim and evangelion! And the art style is so prettyyy!!)

Castlevania (Just finished watching it and it’s amazing! I was throughly impressed with the story and all the characters. Trevor, Alucard, and Sypha were just so refreshing and fun to watch. They all have great chemistry and bounce off each other well. Loved seeing all the vampire diversity too.)

Castlevania Nocturne (OMG!! What a way to start a first season! Gosh I can’t wait for the second season! We got even more diversity and dope magic fights. Still great chemistry between the characters. Also, how dare they end season one like that! I need season 2 as soon as possible! Ahhh!!!)

Transformers (AUTOBOTS ROLL OUT!! I have had *major* transformers brain for the past month now. I finished reading through mtmte and lost light and cried my eyes out😭 I’ve rewatched my beloved show transformers prime and got to watch shows I hadn’t watched yet such as rescue bots, transformers animated, and I even managed to watch some of the cyberverse show. I watched season one of robots in disguise too and they did Bumblebee and Optimus so dirty!😭 Anyways, I’m deep in my transformers phase and I don’t plan to leave anytime soon🩵)

These are what I’ll mostly talk about here but I may update this in the future if more come along. Okay byeeeee!!!✨

#sketchy rambles

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 5 years

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Astra 4

How does anyone wash their hands with a spacesuit on?

Those exaggerated faces (reaction to candy plants) weren’t in the manga. Good thing too – they improve on the source.

Hey, man (Ulgar)! “Big girl” is offensive. (I’m probably saying that because I’m not too big myself.)

The *ding ding ding!* was pretty hilarious…LOL.

I remember this was pretty harsh to read for me the first time…because y’know what they say about representation mattering in feminist studies/articles? Yeah, that. (Exactly how I’m represented? That I’ll leave to your imagination…)

Aw, the Gruppie sounds adorable!

I think I’ve said this already, but Kanata uses the word “zetsubou” – despair, not necessarily “hopeless” – to say what he says.

Demon Slayer 17

I was a bit confused as to why Inosuke was majorly angry all the time, but then I realised that he’s not necessarily angry, per se - he is just majorly competitive.

*head on spider legs appears* ARGHHHHHHHHHHH! That reminds me of that head on spider legs from Toy Story…I seem to remember that freaked me out to some degree. I’m actually not afraid of spiders, but show me an image for “trypophobia” (fear of tiny holes) or stick me somewhere high up without secure footing…and I’m gone.

This episode is…great! I’m cursing as I watch, but it’s great! The CGI is adding to the creepiness! Also, I so didn’t expect Zenitsu to have black hair.

I agree with Zenitsu’s master, he is a moron…

…but truth be told, I think I see myself in him. That’s probably why I find him so annoying. Lately, I’ve found there are periods where I resent myself more than anyone else…and that’s the scariest part about living life. But I can’t complain, because I put my name down to help others in the same situation.

Z-Zenitsu! I-I’m sorry I ever doubted you! I’m so sorry…! I promise I’ll stop thinking you’re annoying, because you remind me of meeeeeeeeeee…! *sob, snivel, sob…*

Ukogiiiiiiiiii! Wahhhhhhhhh!

Hmm…you can smell rain. I’ve smelt it before. But thunderclouds…? Not so much.

Demon Slayer 18

“Rookie Mizunoto join the battle!” – The Smash Bros intro is a fun way to introduce people, no?

I thought Shinobu Kocho was Naruto running, but instead she has her jacket on her shoulders…so it only looks like Naruto running.

CG models are back to being awkward again…

“If you can’t slash something with one sword, you just gotta pound it with another sword!” – Basically, the philosophy of the entire shonen genre when dealing with swords.

“I’m gonna die.” – Well, there’s some words I thought I’d never hear from Inosuke…

Oh yeah…I forgot Inosuke’s never met Giyu.

Hmm…I’ve been suspecting Rui is the member of the 12 Kizuki as a demon with lower possibility of being so (but being raised by Ply’s hint during our collab and Tanjiro’s fight), but I’m more certain of the father being the 12 Kizuki based on what the series has shown us already. Hmm…so who is it???

*starts watching Taisho Secret* Wait, where did Giyu come from??? *watches again* Oh, he appears from above…! Interesting…

Hmm…I like salmon onigiri myself. I also like tuna…most flavours, really.

Cop Craft 4

The man (?) with the purplish hair who called Kei over is meant to be a gay stereotype or at least close to one. Aside from his (?) appearance, you can tell by him (?) nding his sentences with “wa”.

Marth’s post for ep. 4 said “And Suddenly, Vampires”, so…I’m thinking about how Cop Craft actually does the horror vibe really well as I watch.

Aw, these cliffhangers suck! I’m starting to thank myself that I ran behind on every show but Demon Slayer.

Cop Craft 5

O-Oh, the CG is getting worse…

Who was the 2nd person dead? The 1st was Chapman…

Astra 5

As I’m laughing at the reactions from the makeover (because I knew this was coming), I’m simultaneously wondering…holding those scissors in the way you’re doing is dangerous, Luca!!!

Oh great…midseason animation slump. This is only the 2nd show to suffer from that this season…and I’ve only caught up on 3 shows so far.

“Mine is bigger!” “No, mine is!” – Ah, anime boys and their ability to make things vaguely Freudian when out of context…*slight sweatdrop*

*slow pan, with a final shot on Aries’s boobs* - Oh, really…? *grumpy*

*…then proceeds to do boob shots of all the girls* Oh, really?!? You wanna go, show?! You were doing so well, up until this episode!!! I didn’t read past volume 2 of the manga, so this beach stuff is all new to me!!! Plus, it sucks because boob shots are everywhere!!!

“…approach him like that…”

People have been pointing this out, but McPa = Camp, Shummoor = Mushroom, Vilavurs = Survival…so Arispade = Paradise.

Ulgar really reminds me of Tooi, even though he came first…

Dr Stone 3

Taiju’s ugly tears make me go “d’aww” now that this scene is animated…it was nice in manga format, but even better when it was moving and with colour.

Now that I think about it, Tsukasa’s “benefit of the new world” talk reminds me of Death Note.

Senku trying to steal Kamakura Buddha bronze looks like Bart Simpson…

Boueibu should’ve taught you that Hakone is home to hot springs.

Dr Stone 4

You don’t fire a smoke signal…

Oh wow, Mecha Senku! Wouldya lookit that! *points at him* He answers questions in the manga, so I didn’t think he’d get adapted!

Are those…CGI trees? Oh great, why does all shonen these days need CGI trees???

Fighting over established interests means a Thucydides trap (a mini version of which seems to be playing out here with Tsukasa)…that’s basically the only thing I remember from my old politics classes.

I just noticed Yuzuriha refers to all the boys with –kun. She wants to stay friends with all of them…I guess even Tsukasa’s on that list, huh?

Hmm…Senku’s eyes are a reddish colour, but otherwise he’s normally representd with blue to Taiju’s red…

I just realised Senku has a red pen and a black pen in one of his breast pockets.

Aww…it’s nice to have rivals who aren’t 100% evil for once. Sure, pure evil rivals are easy to write but hard to justify. Good guys with one morally wrong aspect to them are harder to write, but easier to get behind. (Plus, at least they’re not Sasuke-style angsty.)

Dr Stone 5

So…I went searching…and I was wondering why I wanted to claim Tsukasa as husbando (but man, he’s a bit more stereotypical for a gal to fall in love with – all girls like bad guys, amirite???), but as it turns out, Senku and his buds from our era (Tsukasa included) are 18 and so are ripe for the husbando/waifu picking (not to mention they’re technically over 3700 years old, which more than makes them legal for things like drinking alcohol, as Senku himself pointed out a few eps back).

D’aww…this was in the manga, but now I find Tsukasa inserting himself into Senku’s flashback cute.

Notably, Gen Asagiri appears on the front of the book this student is asking the question from. Who’s Gen Asagiri, you ask, my dear anime-only random nonexistent entity I type these notes for? You’ll find out…soon.

Hmm…Yuzuriha is more observant than we give her credit for. Also, Senku pulled a Gen Asagiri right there…LOL.

LOL…those ‘shrooms seem massively symbolic. They were also in the manga, IIRC.

Why does Yuzuriha wear a neck scarf, anyway?

Hey, they even managed to get the game-like text box right! Awesome! (It reminds me of Little Alchemy, to be honest.)

“Himo” translates to rope…or a cord. Just FYI.

Astra 6

Eyyy…this show is calling me out.

Eyyyyy…Toi vibes from Ulgar!!!

Eyyyyy…wut? I can’t believe Anime Feminist was on the money here??? (Context: The reviewer for Astra said Luca was “one ambiguously-gendered character”.)

Hey…I once read a book with a 50% similarity to this plot. (There was a gay character – not intersex - and all the characters are adopted.)

I think Xenodude said this, but…in space, nobody can hear you scream.

I’m laughing so hard…why are Kanata’s abs the thing that hurt the most? (It’s because he’s got the harness in that region…forget I asked. It’s still funny though.)

“MILD THING” – Yep, Ulgar’s gonna be mild after what happened this episode…

Ohhhhh, I didn’t understand the “hairpiece” thing until it was revealed it was a toupee through context.

Ooh, 50% chance of lying here. Who to trust, who to trust? Charce or Aries? (I trust Aries, by the way.)

Dr Stone 6

The alien explanation etc. was in the manga, but…why do all the attackers look like Senku???

Senku does his best Thinker impression.

Eyyy! Fighter vs. fighter. I love this scene, even if only because Tsukasa (and his muscles) have the upper hand in both the visual angle and the power balance, although [BLEEP <- no spoilers!] has the surprise factor.

I remember learning once blonde hair is recessive…so does that mean most of the community is blonde? (I know the answer to that, but you, my non-existent anime-discussing entity, don’t.)

I’m tempted to hear Senku scream, “This. Is. SCIENCE!!!”

Fruits Basket 15

For some reason, videos run much faster on my phone than my laptop…

Hmm…this is the first time I’m properly listening to the 2nd ED…It’s kinda like how you’d expect an ED to be: quieter than an ED, but still serving up cuteness.

Fruits Basket 16

This episode’s visually very dark…

Middle School!Tohru reminds me of Hitori Bocchi.

Smol Uo looks like Kyo.

Fruits Basket 17

(nothing this time, sorry!)

Fruits Basket 18

Oh! I remember the matching scene in the manga (where Kisa bites Tohru for the first time).

I also remember the manga Hatsuharu is reading is called “Mogeta and the Ant” (Ari).

Now you see why Tohru is Kyoko’s daughter…

“…what her hair and eye colour were.”

Fruits Basket 19

The ep is called “I’m So Sorry!”…I think I know who’s going to star in this episode, alright…

For some reason, when I see Ritsu and Mitchan apologising to each other, I think of me and Astral…(LOL…?)

…Or maybe it reminds me of Zenitsu…?

Eyyyyyyyy, A-ya is A-ya…

This overly-apologetic character of Ritsu…this is why Martin was my favourite character back in the original Ro.Te.O days…*sighs while basking in nostalgia*

Demon Slayer 19

This episode’s been hyped since last week. Let’s get on with it!

Ooh, no pattern on this title card…

Wow (sarcastic), talk about infighting…but amazingly, I found Inosuke’s art shift to be funny for once in my life! (Amazing!...and yes, the exclamation of “Amazing!” is sincere)

Using terror is…well, Machiavellian. Hard power. You get my drift, right?

So basically, Rui breaks down the nuclear family for us.

Wait a flippin’ second…Hinokami (god of fire)? Charcoal selling? Water Breathing??? One of these is not like the others, for sure.

I get the feeling the father’s dance was recorded as video then converted to animation by ufotable staff…that’s what they did for YoI, no?

“The cold won’t bother you, either.” - Well, due to his fire theming, the cold never bothered Tanjiro anyway…*echoes of “Let It Go” suddenly play in the background*

Go for it, Nezuko! Be the Bakugo of the Demon Slayer world!

According to the credits, Tanjiro’s dad’s name is Tanjuro…that’s confusing, to say the least…

(Sorry Astral, the background noise while I was watching meant I did’t watch it with sound on…Also, is it wrong that I think the dad is hot??? Another thing: why do Tanjuro and Tanjiro have matching scars on their temples…?)

One of Tanjiro’s bros looks like Zenitsu??? Wuh???

Ooh, insert song “Kamado Tanjiro’s Song” by Go Shiina ft Nami Nakagawa. I’ll have to listen to it when I can. (Ever since SGRS, I’ve loved Go Shiina’s work…guess I didn’t expect it here, though.) Update: Misattributed the work. Go Shiina does videogame work, Sheens Ringo did SGRS stuf.

Given 3

I never knew that asking someone into a band was like asking someone out…(probably because I’ve never been in a band).

Given’s a frickin’ riot – that’s one reason I stuck with it.

I forgot Mafuyu was underage…!

Cop Craft 6

That car chase was basically Need for Speed…with worse graphics…

“Prayboy”…hmm…

I followed Kei’s advice to Google Jeffrey Dahmer…and I regret it.

The text says “Someone from the Semanian gang of thieves made contact.”

I didn’t make sense of “I hate being McCloud” until I rewound a bit and found that’s a disguise or alter ego of Tony’s.

“Shift the transmission into ‘Reverse’. The car will begin to roll backward sharply…” - The driving instructions are real, at least.

Given 4

Ehhhhh…still shots…

Kaji sure looks tough for a violinist…but a music major? Never thought he’d be one…(I saw some spoilers saying Kaji was a violinist before I watched the episode, hence my lack of surprise in that department.)

Not everyone’s in a band, y’know…

$120…? Nasty…

$70…

Ah, a layby? I don’t actually know what other countries call it, but where I am they’re called laybys, not layaways. (At the charity store I volunteer at, they call ‘em “holds”, though…which makes things even more confusing.)

Watching th first ep at the anime club made me realise that one had a piano version of Marutsuke, while this one is standard Marutsuke.

Given 5

Ooh, I see English-translated lyrics! Nice one, subbers! By the way, the title of the OP “Kizuato” sounds like it should translate to “Traces of Scars/Wounds” in English, but it’s in katakana, so I can’t confirm that…

It seems joining a band is a metaphor for love in this show…(see ep. 3 notes for more on that)

Holy moly! I’m still fairly new to BL/yaoi in general, so two-timing the boyfriend is not a trope ‘ve seen before, let alone dealt with in my head…

Ooh, more translated lyrics! That (ED singer) does sound like Mafuyu, come to think of it…

#simulcast commentary #Given #Dr Stone #Astra: Lost in Space #Kanata no Astra #Demon Slayer #Kimetsu no Yaiba #Fruits Basket #Fruits Basket (2019)#Cop Craft #Chesarka watches Given #Chesarka watches KnY #Chesarka watches Kanata no Astra #Chesarka watches Furuba #Chesarka watches Cop Craft #Chesarka watches Dr Stone

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recentanimenews · 3 years

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Manga the Week of 7/7/21

SEAN: July! Manga! Too hot to be glib!

ASH: So, so hot in so, so many places.

SEAN: Airship, in print, has the debut of Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter. There’s also the 3rd volume of I’m in Love with the Villainess.

MICHELLE: I managed to read the first volume of I’m in Love with the Villainess recently! Definitely the best light novel I’ve tried so far.

ASH: I really need to get around to finally reading it myself; I’ve heard nothing but good things.

SEAN: Airship also has an early digital debut of a title we’ve seen the manga for already: My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s. Take a wild guess at the premise. They’ve also got Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs in early digital.

Ghost Ship debuts Devilish Darlings Portal Fantasy (Isekai Seikatsu no Susume), which ran in Takeshobo’s Kissca and is a one-shot. It’s basically an isekai with more nudity, though I hear it’s cuter than it sounds.

In print, J-Novel Club gives us Slayers, Vol. 1-3, a nice hardcover omnibus of the first three volumes of the classic series.

ASH: I know quite a few people who are looking forward to this release.

MELINDA: I didn’t know this was coming, but now I’m excited!

SEAN: They’ve also got Ascendance of a Bookworm’s 6th manga volume, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 13, I Shall Survive Using Potions!‘s 4th manga volume, Infinite Dendrogram 13, My Next Life As a Villainess 8, and a 2nd omnibus of Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles.

Digitally, we get not only Ascendance of a Bookworm’s 8th manga, but also the first volume of the Ascendance of a Bookworm fanbook. See illustrations, Q&A from the author, and a new short story! We also see Altina the Sword Princess 9, Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower 2, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 17, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! 3, and Record of Wortenia War 11.

ASH: It makes me happy that Ascendance of a Bookworm is doing well enough that we’re getting material beyond the main series.

SEAN: Kodansha, for print releases, has the 7th APOSIMZ, Fire Force 23, Orient 3, and Shaman King’s 3rd omnibus.

Digitally we get 2 debuts. Fate/Grand Order -Epic of Remnant- Pseudo-Singularity III: The Stage of Carnage, Shimousa – Seven Duels of Swordmasters exhausts me just to type out. It runs in Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket. The plot… is FGO.

ASH: That is quite the title.

SEAN: That’s My Atypical Girl (Asper Kanojo) is a seinen manga from Comic Days, and thanks for avoiding that Japanese title, I approve. A manga artist gets a visit from a fan who’s just a bit different.

Also out digitally: The final 7th volume of 1122: For a Happy Marriage, Bakemonogatari 9 (the print came out two weeks ago), Girlfriend, Girlfriend 4, Guilty 8, Living-Room Matsunaga-san 9, My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought 6, Shaman King: The Super Star 5, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 5, Smile Down the Runway 19, Those Snow-White Notes 8, With the Sheikh in His Harem 3, and Ya Boy Kongming! 2.

MICHELLE: I’ll be reading several of these digital releases.

SEAN: Seven Seas has two debuts. Great Pretender is a manga based on the Netflix anime, and runs in MAGCOMI. It’s not quite Leverage: The Manga but close.

The other debut we’ve technically seen before. Kageki Shoujo! ran for two years with Shueisha, and we saw that omnibus come out last year. Then it jumped ship to Hakusensha, where it runs in their josei magazine Melody. And this is the start of that run! Takarazuka fans will love this.

MICHELLE: Oh! I didn’t realize there was more coming. Nice.

ASH: Looking forward to reading more of this series!

MELINDA: Oh, hello!

ANNA: I need to read it!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Dai Dark 2, Muscles Are Better Than Magic 2, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 13, The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent 3, and SUPER HxEROS 3.

ASH: I somehow actually haven’t managed to read the first volume yet, but hooray for more Dai Dark!

SEAN: Tokyopop has three titles: Her Royal Highness Seems to be Angry (Oujo Denka wa Oikari no You Desu) is the debut. The digital version came out a while back, and it runs in Overlap’s Comic Gardo. It’s sort of a reincarnation story AND a villainess story.

We also get Laughing Under the Clouds 2 and Futaribeya: A Room for Two 8.

No debuts for Viz, but we do get the final volume of Oresama Teacher. I know Nozaki-kun gets all the love, and rightly so, but this is also awesome, and I will miss it, even if it does end up going the teacher/childhood friend/sadist route.

MICHELLE: I admit I prefer Nozaki-kun, but I do intend to finish Oresama Teacher, too.

ASH: I need to catch up on Oresama Teacher, but I’ve greatly enjoyed what I’ve read so far.

ANNA: I also need to get caught up, but I have many stockpiled volumes.

SEAN: Also from Viz: D.Gray-Man 27, Dr. STONE 17, Idol Dreams 7, Love Me, Love Me Not 9, Moriarty the Patriot 4, My Hero Academia Vigilantes 10, Platinum End 13, Queen’s Quality 12, and Undead Unluck 2.

ASH: I’m behind but I’ve got my eyes on a few of these, too!

ANNA: I’m stoked for my very occasional volume of Idol Dreams especially!

SEAN: That’s it! Seems like less than usual? Have I gotten used to it?

By: Sean Gaffney

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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Manga the Week of 9/2/20

SEAN: It’s always September, somewhere in Manga Land! What do we have for you this first week of the month?

Cross Infinite World has a 2nd volume of Beast Blood.

Denpa snuck out a release last week, though apparently the print comes a bit later. The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes (Sanpakugan-chan wa Tsutaetai) is a Gangan Pixiv manga about a girl with “mean eyes” and her travails. Our own Kate Dacey reviewed it here.

ASH: Thanks for the review, Kate! I’ve been curious about this one.

MELINDA: I have, too!

SEAN: No debuts for J-Novel Club this week, but a whooooole lotta other stuff. In print, we get An Archdemon’s Dilemma 7, the first Ascendance of a Bookworm manga (I guess that’s a debut), Infinite Dendrogram 8, My Next Life As a Villainess 3 and Sexiled 2.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying the Bookworm novels, so maybe I should give the manga a try, too. As for the second volume of Settled, I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on it.

SEAN: Digitally, there’s By the Grace of the Gods 4, Full Metal Panic! 8, The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 6, Kokoro Connect 10, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 12, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 6, and A Very Fairy Apartment 4.

Kodansha has some print for us. Knight of the Ice 3, L*DK 15, Living-Room Matsunaga-san 4, The Quintessential Quintuplets 10, Saint Young Men 3, To Your Eternity 12, and Waiting for Spring 13.

MICHELLE: I’ll be reading several of those, and am especially eager for more Knight of the Ice.

ASH: Oh! It’s a good Kodansha week for me, too!

MELINDA: I need to catch up with both Knight of the Ice and Saint Young Men.

ANNA: Glad for the reminder about Knight of the Ice, I’m already behind!

SEAN: There’s also digital. The debut is That Time I Got Reincarnated (Again!) as a Workaholic Slime (Tensei Shite Mo Shashiku Datta Kudan), another spinoff of that popular series. This one is only 2 volumes long.

And we get All-Rounder Meguru 16, Cells at Work: Bacteria 3, My Boss’s Kitten 6, Smile Down the Runway 13, Stellar Witch LIP☆S 2, To Be Next to You 9, and Yuri Is My Job! 6. (The last will have print later, I imagine.)

MICHELLE: I’ve been getting caught up on To Be Next to You and liking it a lot.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Cube Arts, a “gamer invited to beta test a game that is more than it seems” story. It ran in Shinchocha’s Comic Bunch.

Digitally there is a light novel debut: ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!. A much requested yuri light novel title, this apparently starts off very dark (expect slavery), but has good buzz.

ASH: Hmmm, a yuri light novel could be intriguing.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has, in print, Makeup is Not (Just) Magic: A Manga Guide to Cosmetics and Skin Care, as well as the 3rd Arifureta: I Heart Isekai and My Monster Secret 21.

ASH: I’d actually like to give Makeup is Not (Just) Magic a read.

SEAN: Square Enix gives us a 2nd volume of My Dress-Up Darling.

ASH: Whoops, I haven’t actually read the first volume yet, so I’ve already fallen behind.

MELINDA: Oops, same!

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Ossan Idol! (Ossan (36) ga Idol ni naru Hanashi), an adaptation of a novel that runs in Comic Pash!. A Middle-Aged Man, bullied most of his life, turns his life around and gets buff, cool and handsome… but is unaware of this. Now he’s been scouted. This looks pretty fun.

Vertical has two debuts. The first we saw a digital release of earlier, but now the Weathering With You manga gets a print release.

MELINDA: I didn’t read this in digital, but I enjoyed the movie and I tend to like manga adaptations of Shinkai’s work, so I really should check it out.

SEAN: The other one, With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun (Inu to Neko Docchi mo Katteru to Mainichi Tanoshii) is definitely for animal lovers. Expect “indie” art styles, too.

MICHELLE: Definitely checking this one out.

MELINDA: Okay, want.

SEAN: The rest is Viz, mostly. No debuts, but lots to look at. For shoujo stuff, we get Daytime Shooting Star 8, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 6, Love Me Love Me Not 4, Not Your Idol 2 (not a final volume, but the series is on hiatus in Japan after this), Skip Beat! 44, and Snow White with the Red Hair 9.

MICHELLE: I intend to read every single one of these, sooner or later. I didn’t realize that about Not Your Idol, though. That kind of stinks.

ASH: It’s a good shoujo week! I thought the first volume of Not Your Idol was excellent, so at this point I plan on reading the rest whenever it may be released.

MELINDA: Yes, same for me. Apparently my role in this week’s column is to point to whatever Ash says and repeat, “same.”

ANNA: It is a great week for shoujo! I’m sort of glad I didn’t read the first vol of Not Your Idol if it is on hiatus. I’m also especially happy to see a new volume of Skip Beat!

SEAN: On the shonen end, we get Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 16, Dr. STONE 13, Dragon Ball Super 10, Haikyu!! 40, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 16, One Piece: Ace’s Story 2 (final volume, and also a novel), and SPY x FAMILY 2.

MICHELLE: My love for Haikyu!! is pretty well documented at this point, so I will instead squee about how cute and great SPY x FAMILY is.

ASH: Likewise! Those are the two series from this batch which are getting most of my love this week.

ANNA: Nice, I need to read more SPY x FAMILY

SEAN: Lastly, Yen On had one August title skitter all the way into September: the 9th So I’m a Spider, So What? novel.

Which of these make the best titles to hide in your textbook while class is going on?

By: Sean Gaffney

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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recentanimenews · 7 years

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My Week in Manga: July 17-July 23, 2017

My News and Reviews

Although I’ve started to include Quick Takes of novels as part of the weekly My Week in Manga feature, it’s been a little while since I’ve actually written and in-depth review of a novel here at Experiments in Manga. However, last week featured my review of Tomoyuki Hoshino’s ME, one of my most anticipated literary releases of 2017. Much like the rest of Hoshino’s work available in translation, ME is challenging and can demand quite a bit from the reader, but I found it to be worth the effort. The novel is an incredibly surreal but thought-provoking exploration of identity, self, and society. Hoshino’s fiction definitely isn’t for everyone, but I hope to see even more of it translated in the future.

Last week there were also some manga-related licensing announcements made at the San Diego Comic Con. Among other things, Udon Entertainment has picked up Virginia Nitōhei’s manga adaptation of Otherwordly Izakaya “Nobu,” will be adding Romeo & Juliet, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Adventures of Huckleberry Fin to its Manga Classics line, and will be releasing Mega Man MasterMix, a full-color edition of Hitoshi Ariga’s Mega Man Megamix. Vertical Comics will be publishing Kinoko Natsume’s Chi’s Sweet Adventure, a spin-off of Konami Kanata’s Chi’s Sweet Home. And finally, Viz Media announced that it would be releasing Tsuyoshi Takaki’s Black Torch, Inio Asano’s Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction (I’m definitely interested in this), Aka Akasaka’s Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and Koyoharu Gotouge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Elsewhere online, a recent episode of the Manga Mavericks podcast provides an overview of the licensing news from Anime Expo in addition to digging into Kabi Nagata’s My Lesbian Experience in Loneliness and Gengoroh Tagame’s My Brother’s Husband. Over at The OASG, Krystallina expresses some valid concerns and criticisms of Digital Manga’s most recent crowdfunding efforts. And speaking of crowdfunding campaigns, there have been several less dubious projects that have caught my eye recently: Deer Woman is an anthology featuring comics created by Native and Indigenous woman which are inspired by traditional Deer Woman stories; Gothic Tales of Haunted Love is a collection of full-color gothic romance comics; and then of course there’s Sparkler Monthly Magazine: Year 5 which is particularly important to me. With every year that passes Sparkler Monthly just keeps getting better and better. I’ve featured a small selection of some of the magazine’s content before, but there’s so much more that I’ve never even mentioned here and it’s all great stuff. Please consider contributing to the campaign if you’re able!

Quick Takes

After Hours, Volume 1 by Yuhta Nishio. Recently there has been a notable surge of yuri and other lesbian-themed manga being released in English, mostly by Seven Seas, although other publishers have been licensing some as well. After Hours, for example, is the first yuri title from Viz Media if not ever at least in a very long time. That certainly caught my attention, but even more so was the fact that After Hours is not a schoolgirl manga and is instead about adult women (although the cover art does make Emi in particular look fairly young). Emi is invited out to a club by her friend but is mostly left to fend for herself once she’s there. That’s when Kei more or less comes to her rescue. The two women hit it off and Emi ends up going home with Kei that night, one thing leading to another. It’s incredibly refreshing that Emi and Kei’s mutual attraction isn’t treated like an aberration or made out to be like it’s a big deal simply because they’re both women. After that first night their relationship continues to naturally develop, largely without angst, as they get to know each other better, Kei introducing Emi to her friends, the local music scene, and her passion as a DJ. The release of second volume of After Hours hasn’t been publicly announced yet, but there is no question that I’ll be picking it up; I absolutely loved the first volume and look forward to reading more.

Blindsprings, Volume 1 by Kadi Fedoruk. Sadly, I was unable to contribute to the Blindsprings Kickstarter campagin which raised funds to release the first print volume of the webcomic, so I was thrilled when I had the chance to pick up an early copy and chat a little with Fedoruk at this year’s Toronto Comic Arts Festival. In addition to first five chapters of the comic, the first volume also includes twenty-six pages of bonus content, artwork, and character profiles. Blindsprings is a beautifully illustrated, full-color comic with an engaging story, a diverse cast of characters, and an intriguing, complex, and well-developed world. (I especially appreciate how a variety of genders and sexualities are naturally and unobtrusively incorporated into the story.) Princess Tamaura is about to complete her 300-year agreement to serve the as an Orphic priestess for the sake of her sister, but her contract with the Spirits is broken when she is “rescued” against her will by a young man determined to prove a point. Tammy is torn from her sanctuary and thrust into a modern world in which Orphic traditions and their practitioners are harshly oppressed, the Academists and their magic now largely in control of what was her homeland. But there are still those who resist, and Tammy soon finds herself caught up in the conflict.

Tokyo Ghoul: Past written by Shin Towada Sui Ishida and illustrated by Sui Ishida. Viz Media doesn’t publish many novels outside of its Haikasoru imprint, but considering the popularity of Ishida’s Tokyo Ghoul manga series, it’s not too surprising that Towada’s trilogy of light novels were released as well. Although Past is Towada’s third Tokyo Ghoul novel (well, technically it’s more of a collection of vaguely-related short stories), the volume serves as a prequel to Tokyo Ghoul as a whole, the six chapters delving into the backstories of many of the Tokyo Ghoul‘s prominent characters. Despite taking place before the main series, Past is definitely not an introduction. It is intended for readers who are already invested in the franchise–a few of the stories don’t absolutely require prior knowledge in order to follow them, but others are nearly incomprehensible without at least some basic familiarity with Tokyo Ghoul. The general premise of Past is great, the volume allowing fans of Tokyo Ghoul the chance to spend more time with and gain a better understanding of some of the characters, especially as Past is able to tell stories that wouldn’t have immediately fit in the primary series. It’s unfortunate then that the actual writing is frustratingly awful much of the time with drama and angst frequently favored over plot developments that make logical sense.

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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