#team dai gurren

[boxonarock]

ep.26

#yo fuck this scene forreal #gurren lagann #ttgl #tengen toppa gurren lagann #kamina #simon the digger #team dai gurren #team gurren #fanart #my art #swagman

[a-shrieking-cloud-of-bats]

absorbed by the switch

letting it charge a bit and finishing SRW X

just finished the TTGL finale stage and it still makes me grin like an idiot

#bats speaks #wish the team dai gurren attack had a video but there's just attack showcases #Oh Well

[catlover808]

Gurren Lagann.. one of the most slayful pieces of media to ever slay.

#tengen toppa gurren lagan #gurren lagann #kamina team dai gurren

[coredrill]

AND ALSO i’m rly glad i saw the show first ofc but i’m so curious as to what the people who watch the movies first think. obv lagann-hen makes bigger changes BUT i’m especially interested in what they think of eps 4-6 because that’s all kind of grouped in together as jokey nonsense during the montage in gurren-hen. so that’s what i personally would expect going in and 4 and 6 fit the bill precisely but smack between them is the adai episode FNSNSBBDSJAJDKW

#LIKE U DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO ROSSIU IS BEFORE HE JOINS TEAM DAI-GURREN YA FEEL ME #altho i love watching the new scenes of him piloting gurren :’) he’s trying his absolute best and he’s so subpar at it 🥰 #ALSO I ALWAYS FORGET HE CALLS SIMON SIMON-SAMA WHICH IS SO #oh and also also also i noticed they put baby guinble in this time around fbdnsbdndndjs #a: ttgl #t.ttgl

[helenaheissner]

Love During Robot Fighting Time: Chapter 14

Hello, lovelies! Hope y'all are doing well :)

Don't forget you can read three chapters ahead on this story, twenty chapters ahead on "A Dream of Summer Rain", and two chapters ahead on "Magical Girl Exorcist Squad", by becoming a paid subscriber on my Substack or my Patreon!

***

Zeke

12 months earlier

I squatted in the Pits, putting the finishing touches on our minibot, Gurren, in preparation for our fight with Team Bottle Rocket in twenty minutes. I was so zoned in on getting all the screws extra tight that I almost missed my phone blaring out a Kendrick Lamar song. I groaned when I saw the caller ID. “Hi, Mom,” I said, attempting to keep the stress and frustration out of my voice. It was better to get whatever ‘conversation’ this was out of the way now- if I tried to put it off and ignore her, she’d just be even more cantankerous about it when we actually got around to it. 

“Hellllo, Ezeekielll,” she slurred, her words blending together at the borders of the syllables. Oh, good. “How are you this evening?”

“Uh, a little busy to be honest, Mom,” I said. 

“Busy? Busy with what? It’s not like you have a job.”

I breathed in a sharp sigh through my nose. “I do have a job, Mom. It’s just seasonal.”

“Those obnoxious shows you go on don’t count as a-”

“Mom, was there a specific reason you called?” I asked, focusing on keeping the screws tight. “Like I said, I’m a little busy.”

“Too busy to talk to your dear ol’ mum,” she said, her accent starting to slip out. She’d been training herself not to have one ever since she’d moved to the States back when she was a teenager, but sometimes it still flared up. Usually when she’d indulged in one too many Screwdrivers. “That’s a problem, you know- you’ll never get a girlfriend if you hate your own mother.”

“I don’t hate you, Mom,” I said monotone. 

“Love the exact phrasing there, Ezekiel. Very gentlemanly.”

The screwdriver, my screwdriver, a literal one, slipped out of my hands. And as I reached down for it, I noticed my breathing- sharp, fast, all inhale and holding my breath, only exhaling when I absolutely needed to. “Thank you, Mother, I try.”

“Don’t you get sarcastic with me, young man- that’s hardly a trait that will do you any favors with the ladies either.”

I reached for the screwdriver on the ground, but my hand trembled when I tried to grip it. It slipped out of my grasp and hit the floor once again. “Look, Mom, my match starts in a few minutes, I really need to finish these repairs on Dai Guren-”

“Oh God, I forgot you gave that stupid thing a name. How asinine.”

Cold, soggy shame dripped off of me, and I let myself inhale and exhale through my mouth. 

And of course she kept going: “And that’s another thing- why is it just you doing this? Don’t you have teammates for this nonsense? They don’t appreciate you. If they did, they wouldn’t force you to do all the work-”

“They don’t force me to do all the work, Mom!” I snapped. “And I’m doing these repairs because I’m good at them. They had to go handle other stuff for the match. It’s not actually that complicated, but you refuse to understand!”

A few moments of deafening silence poured out from the other end of the line. “This is clearly not going to be a productive conversation. I think I’m done with you for the evening. I’ll call you back when you’re in a more reasonable headspace.”

“Mom-”

She ended the call before I could get another word out. 

It wasn’t quiet in the pits- people were using saws to carve up metal, flames were welding parts together, drills were digging into machinery. All the high-pitched screeches coalesced into a singular plaintive wail. 

A tear fell off my chin and shattered on the ground. I tore off my work gloves and wiped my eyes, hoping nobody would see me. I wasn’t much of a crier. No reason to ruin that reputation now, when I had other things to focus on. The bot was ready for the fight, and that was what I had to focus on, not the hollow pit in my chest rapidly filling with anger and resentment and freaking exhaustion-

“Hey, what’s wrong?” 

My fingers parted across my visage. I hadn’t even realized my face was buried in my hands. I looked through the gaps to find Calloway there, standing across the narrow middle walkway that ran down the white room. He was standing there in jeans and a black hoodie drawn up over his head, but he pulled it back and shaked out his shaggy brown hair. His eyes always looked… Harsh, angry, aggressive. But not now, not at this moment. Now they looked… Softer. Concerned. And… Genuine, in their concern. I’d gotten pretty good at spotting the difference between genuine concern and artificial; having parents like mine forces you to learn as fast as possible. But right now, here, he… 

“I… Just a difficult phone call with my mom,” I said, pulling my hands away from my face entirely, directing my gaze at the floor. 

Calloway stepped forward and gave me a hug. I flinched- the guy really had no sense of personal space, but honestly… I needed it, then, so I hugged him back. “Thanks.”

“Of course.”

I mumbled, “I guess I just…”

“What?” Calloway asked.

“It’s nothing, it’s…”

“What?” Calloway said, pulling out of the hug and looking me directly in the face, furrowing his brow. 

“I’m… Just surprised that you care,” I said. 

He gulped and took a step backward, along with a slight bite to his lower lip that ended as soon as it began. “I, uh… Yeah, yeah that’s fair.”

“I didn’t mean-”

“No, you did,” he said, turning his head so he didn’t have to look me in the eyes anymore. “It’s fine. Really, it is. I just… I really must come off like I’m a lot, all the time, huh?”

“I… What do you want me to say here, dude?” I said, taking a step towards him. 

He took another step back. “Just the truth. Just… How you really feel.”

I drew in another deep breath. “Yes. You… You do.”

He gulped again. “That… That explains a buncha stuff. I kinda figured people knew I… But I guess they wouldn’t. Fair enough.”

“Look, Calloway-”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said with a playful wave of his hand, plastering a bogus smile onto his face. “Just means I sell the heel routine well. That’s not a bad thing. And this isn’t really about me- I was asking you what’s wrong. Um… Do you… Do you wanna talk about it?”

My phone alarm hollered inside my pants’ pocket. Ten minutes till the fight. They’d be starting the introductory monologues soon. “I dunno if I have time right now, but… I appreciate it. I really, sincerely do. Maybe… Maybe next time?”

“Next time I catch you crying, tough guy?” he said, the smile edging just a little closer to genuine. 

I forced out a little chuckle. “Yeah, I guess so. For now… Can I just get another hug?”

He nodded rapidly. “Of course.”

Then he went in for it and wrapped his arms around my back. And it felt… Good. Supportive. Strong, but not aggressive.

Maybe there was more to Keith Calloway than I thought.

***

NOW

I sprayed some breath spray into my mouth while I paced up and down the hallway of my apartment, my hands wringing together as I tried to keep my mind clear and focused. 

I liked Kate. That much was hard to deny. She was bright and funny and passionate, just radiated warmth and empathy, and I felt like I could let my guard down around her in a way I couldn’t around other people. Including Faith.

But I liked Faith. I had for a while now. She was chill and focused and creative, a freaking dancing ray of light that always brightened up my day, who I desperately wanted to protect and take care of. 

And they were both incredibly pretty. 

Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit what is wrong with me? Just like my jackass of a father, can’t keep it in my pants, can’t be happy with what I have, like a real man is supposed to. 

But that didn’t matter. I was going on a date with Katie tonight. I was moving on from Faith, because that was the right thing to do, because she didn’t like me back, because she didn’t swing that way and just wasn’t physically attracted to me. And Kate… She made it really easy to want to move on, and she seemed to really want to be with me, for some unfathomable reason. Holding her in my arms made me feel like the strongest person in the world; the way she’d just slid up to me and put herself there like it was the most natural fit possible… It felt really good. I felt really good around her. 

My phone buzzed, and I saw from the caller ID that it was my mom. 

My finger loomed over the ‘accept call’ button for a solid minute before the phone simply stopped ringing altogether. Then it immediately started ringing again, because my mom was physically incapable of taking no for an answer. 

A spark of anger caught in my chest, burning my insides and sending proverbial smoke out of my ears. Goddammit, I was twenty-three years old, financially self-sufficient, and living in my own place. She did NOT get to keep pulling this crap. She hadn’t reached out to me in months and now, when I had something legitimately important to do, she decided it was the perfect time to interrupt. Couldn’t even be bothered to text first, asking if now was a good time. 

I thought about a year ago, and the mess I’d become when my mom called before that match, and Kate, back before I’d known she was Kate, before she’d known she was Kate, before she and I could even call ourselves friends, let alone whatever we were now, had held me and comforted me. Didn’t have to be asked, just offered and did her best to make good on that offer. That was when it had started to dawn on me that underneath it all, she really was a kind person with a big heart. 

It was also when it really started to dawn on me that my mom was an absolute bitch. Maybe she wasn’t as unbearable as my dad, but it would be a truly Herculean feat to be anywhere near as unpleasant as that selfish asshole. 

I hit ‘ignore.’ 

I breathed out, slowly and carefully, leaning against the wall. I was emphatically not going to cry right now, because I didn’t want Kate to feel like she had to take care of me tonight. I wanted to take care of her, to show her that yes, she really was the cute, sweet, wonderful girl she was trying to be. 

The tumblers of our lock shifted as the front door opened. Faith stepped through, a sad smile on her face. “Heyo,” she said. “Your hot date is downstairs waiting for you. Show her a good time tonight, yeah?”

“Of course,” I nodded, double checking my pockets to make sure I had my phone and wallet. Good to go. “You gonna be okay by yourself tonight?”

She gave an errant wave of her hand and said, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I can get caught up on my soaps.”

“You watch soap operas?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, old ones from the 1960s, mostly,” she said. “They’re really funny when you’re stoned.”

“Fair enough,” I said. I gave her a quick hug, which she happily accepted. “Don’t wait up for me!”

“Will do!” she said as I made my way out the door. 

I headed down the stairs and out front, where Kate’s pickup truck sat in the thin driveway that led into the parking garage below my building. I did a double-take when I saw her, leaning against the front of her truck. She wore a red dress that covered her chest wholesale, but beneath, what looked like boobs protruded from the dress in question. Falsies, presumably- Faith must have loaned her old ones out. Still, it couldn’t be denied that they looked real good on Kate, bringing the whole look together. Her dress had a slit going up the side, showing off her long, smooth legs well up her thick thighs. Bright red lipstick was painted across her mouth, and my whole body was screaming at me to cup her face in my hands and shove my tongue down her throat. So, of course, in my infinite intelligence and articulation, all I managed to choke out was, “Whoa.”

She smiled the kind of smile you want to protect with every fiber of your being. “Like what you see?” Her voice was high and breathy, each syllable enunciated slowly and carefully. She’d only been out for a few days and she’d already come so far. It was astonishing. It was… She was… 

“Absolutely beautiful,” I said, unable to blink. 

Her jaw dropped, and she stared at me.

Then a car pulled up behind her and honked at us- I recognized one of my neighbors behind the wheel, an older, heavyset woman named Nina. 

“C’mon, let’s get going,” Kate said. She gestured me into the truck and then we pulled out of the driveway. “So, where are we going?” she asked. 

“Uh, Indian place on Lincoln Boulevard. It’s over by my old college,” I said, trying not to stare at her too much and venture into the dubious territory of ‘creepy weirdo.’

“Sounds good, I love Indian food,” she smiled again. 

Kiss her, you idiot, my brain hollered. Wait, no, she’s driving. Bad idea. But kiss her before the end of the night! “How’d the appointment go?”

“Fantastic! I’ll be able to start hormones hopefully by the end of the week!”

“That’s fantastic!” I said. “How’d the other one go?”

She spat out a petulant sigh. “Less good. My sponsor is…”

“Is?”

“Let’s be charitable and go with ‘pragmatic,’” she said, her voice dropping low. She grunted with frustration and her eyes peeled wide as she heard her own words. 

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said, trying my best to sound reassuring. “I don’t mind if you use your… Other voice.” I managed to stop myself from saying ‘boy voice’ or ‘normal voice.’ Thank God.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “It’s… It’s not that I don’t want you to hear it, it’s that I don’t like hearing it.”

“That’s fair,” I said. 

“But yeah, if I want to keep Gaines as my sponsor, I may or may not have to lean into this whole trans thing as part of my ‘brand.’ Ugh, I hate that word. Gag me.”

“Is that a request?” I smirked. 

She blushed redder than the Red Comet. “What if it is?”

“Then I’d be happy to accommodate.” What the hell, when did I get this bold?! It must have been my dick talking for me. Made sense- I’d spent… Several years not listening to it. How long had it been since I’d last had sex, anyway? Two years? Three? 

Getting ahead of yourself, Underhill. “Do you think you’re gonna stick with Gaines?” I asked. 

“Don’t see what choice I have,” she replied as she turned onto Lincoln and started driving west. “I don’t exactly have the capital to self-fund. How do you and Faith raise money, anyway?”

“Uh, a couple ways. Grant from our old college, a loan from Faith’s parents, and the money she and I raise doing temporary engineering jobs during the off-season. Usually like…, four, five months full time work with one of the aerospace companies in the city, then we spend the rest of the year working on the fun stuff.”

“I should probably look into something like that,” Kate said. “I don’t dislike working for my parents, but I’m never gonna make the kind of money I need to keep going in the ‘bot battle circuit working twenty hours a week at an indie retail outlet.”

“I have some contacts at a few places that I can send your way,” I offered. “Might be able to help you get a foot in the door, do some interviews.”

“That… Would be amazing,” she beamed. “You’d really do that for me?”

“‘Course I would,” I said. I want you to keep smiling that smile. “I just… Want you to be happy.”

“Thanks,” she said. “For… Everything.”

“No problem, Katie,” I said. 

She giggled. God, her laugh was adorable. So, I said that out loud. 

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“You have a cute laugh,” I said simply.

“It’s not cute… I’m not…”

“If you’re about to say you’re not cute, just know that there’s nothing cuter than a cute girl insisting she’s not cute.”

“... Dammit. You’re right.”

 “Gotcha,” I said, snapping my fingers. 

We carried on like that until we got to the restaurant, where, to my astonishment, we were seated immediately. I ordered a lamb vindaloo with a side of garlic naan, and she ordered butter chicken with onion naan. We split an order of vegetable samosas as well, and we were seated by the window looking out into the street. A pair of candles sat between us on our glass table, casting a bit of glow in the darkened dining area. 

“So, you went to that school over there, then?” Kate asked. “LMU?”

“Yeah, all four years.”

“How’d you wind up there?” she asked. 

“Uh, well, I applied to UCLA and didn’t get in,” I said with a self-deprecating laugh. “Which is true of, uh, most of the school, actually.”

“They couldn’t get into UCLA?” Kate chuckled. 

“Or USC. Or Harvey Mudd. Or Cal Poly.”

“Ahhh, gotcha. You said you grew up around here, right?”

“For a given value,” I said. “I was raised in Riverside.”

“Inland Empire, I see,” she said. “That place as horrifying as David Lynch makes it look?”

I chuckled. “Only when it’s on fire.”

“So, like, all Summer?”

“Pfft, basically.” 

“It’s funny, you know, we grew up in the same neck of the woods but never met till we started doing what we do,” Kate said, resting her chin on her hands while her elbows were propped up on the table. “I know that Venice and Riverside aren’t actually that close together-”

“Especially with the traffic in this town making it a longer trek,” I said. 

“Still,” she said. “It’s cool, knowing that someone like you was relatively close this whole time.” 

Her eyes… 

“Zeke?” she asked. “You okay?”

“Hm? Yeah, why?”

“You went quiet and started staring at me,” she said, raising her head, putting her hands flat on the table, concern exuding from her frown. “Did I lay it on too thick?”

I shook my head. “Not at all.” I reached for her hand. “Honestly, I’m worried about doing the same, so why don’t we just be ourselves tonight, and see how that works for us?”

“I’d like that,” she smiled again. That smile… 

The server, a middle-aged Indian man with pot-belly and an impressive beard, brought our samosas and a few different sauces over and set them between us. And with him came, very unexpectedly, some familiar faces. 

“Zeke?” Olivia asked. She was flanked by her new teammates, Tom, a medium-height black man in his late twenties with a shaved head and massive hands, and Winston, a white boy with a wild mane of brown hair who looked like he was still in college. And standing next to them were Team Forest Fire and Team Sparky-Sparky-Boom. Forest Fire was three guys all in their thirties, each of them shredded and rocking full beards. Their captain, Lance Masterson, was a behemoth of a white man with a shaved head and some burn marks on his arms and neck; his teammates were Jake George, a tall black man with long dreads and nose ring, and Evan Hernandez, a shorter Mexican-American man built like a powerlifter. Team Spark-Sparky-Boom, meanwhile, was two people, a husband and wife team called David and Eileen Portman. David was comfortably in his early forties, hair more salt than pepper, clean shaven and thin as a rail; Eileen looked like she was in her late thirties, and was shorter and thicker, with long brown hair beginning to spark with silver. 

A low-pitched groan escaped my throat, and I was surprised at how loud it was, only to look over and see that Kate was making roughly the same mouth-noise. 

“H-h-hey,” I eventually choked out. “How y’all doing?”

“Not bad,” Masterson said. 

“Not bad at all!” Hernandez said, snapping his fingers and pointing at Kate.

She blushed, then looked down at her food. 

“So, this must be Kate,” Olivia said. 

“Um, how do you know about-”

“Faith told me.”

“Faith told you what?” I said, my eyes narrow. 

“Oh, just that you’d finally found a girl for you… Wait a sec. Wait wait wait a second. Calloway? Is that you under all that makeup?”

My eyes bulged with panic, and I saw Kate’s lips trembling and her hands wringing together. Oh, this was bad- she wasn’t ready to come out to everyone at work yet, she’d said as much to me in the car ride. She’d been planning to come out in two weeks when she had her next fight, with the same kind of surprise announcement that Faith had been afforded. 

And now… Now she was having to come out to her work rivals by accident. For the third time in two weeks.

Goddammit.

“Yeah,” she said, her voice dropping low. Then, in her higher, breathier voice, she said, “Yes. It’s me. My preferred name is Kate, pronouns are she/her.”

Olivia’s eyebrows shot up. 

“Oh, so you’re a trans too?” Mrs. Portman said. 

I died inside a little bit. 

“I, uh, yeah. I’m a trans woman,” Kate said.

“Wow, two of you in the tournament this year, huh? What are the odds?” Mrs. Portman said. “And this isn’t a publicity stunt?”  

“Dear, hush, that’s rude,” Mr. Portman said, playfully swatting his wife on the arm, blissfully unaware of the psychic damage he and his wife had just inflicted on Kate. 

“No,” Kate said, eyes dropping low, fingers drumming nervously on the table. Oooohhhh dear. “I’m just… I’m a woman.”

“Hey, listen, it’s nice to see you all, but Kate and I were just trying to have a nice, quiet dinner,” I said. “Alone. As in just the two of us-”

“That’s fine, broseph,” Masterson said, “We can all take that big table outside, leave you two to your date.”

“I’d appreciate that a lot,” I nodded, putting a metric ton of emphasis behind each syllable. 

“As would I,” Kate said. Practically squeaked. Must… Protect… At all costs. 

“No problem, brosephine,” Masterson said. “You look great, bee-tea-dubs.”

They all cleared out and headed for the massive rectangular longtable outside… Except Olivia, who remained standing exactly where she was in front of us with her brow creased and her hands on her hips and her jaw slack. 

“Uh, Olivia, you coming with?” Tom asked while standing in the doorway, with an ‘aw shit here we go again’ expression on his face.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Olivia said. 

Tom sighed and let the door close as he stepped outside. You tried, Tom. You tried. 

“Can, uh, I help you with something?” I said, trying not to get too distressed by Kate’s thousand-yard stare. Given that she’d only a few days prior called out and challenged Olivia in front of a screaming crowd while on camera and then immediately proceeded to have a massive panic attack… I didn’t like what this was almost certainly doing to her brain. 

“I just… When Faith said you’d found someone, this wasn’t what I expected,” Olivia said. “Does she… She knows who Kate really is, right?”

“Yeah, she does,” I said, creasing my own brow, “Why do you ask?”

“I just… I really just… Calloway? Seriously?! Calloway?!” Olivia said. “Of all freaking people, you choose Calloway over Faith?!”

“I’m sitting right here, you know,” Kate said. 

“R-right. Sorry, I… You look nice,” Olivia said. 

“Thanks,” Kate said. “Just, uh, quick question: why do you care?”

“Because I care about Faith,” Olivia said. 

“Right, sure you do,” Kate said. “You care so much about the girl you brutally dumped in the most vulnerable moment of her life. Right. Definitely. Absolutely.”

“Also, why would Faith care?” I said, attempting to navigate the conversation away from Kate’s (admittedly accurate) criticism of Olivia. “She and Kate have patched things up- they’re friends now.”

“Really?” Olivia said. 

“Yes, really,” Kate said. “She and I hung out literally all day today. She helped me pick out this dress, helped me with my voice. She and I are fine. And she’s fine with this.”

“Oh, honey,” Olivia said. “You don’t… Really believe that. Do you?”

Kate blinked, and her eyes went low again. 

“What does that mean?” I asked. 

“It means-”

“Don’t,” Kate said, slamming her hand against the table. 

Olivia took a step back. “Right. Sorry. It’s… Look, Zeke, I know you and I were never super close, but I gotta ask- is Faith really completely on board with all this?”

“Yes! Why wouldn’t she be?” Did someone slip me a crazy-pill? What the hell was going on?!

“I just… Can’t believe you would choose Ke… Kate over Faith,” Olivia said. 

“It’s not a choice,” I said, grabbing Kate’s hand and squeezing it tightly, a fire lighting inside my head. “I like Kate. She’s a beautiful woman, inside and out.”

“Phrasing,” Kate said in a thirsty whisper, eyebrows raised. 

“Babe, not now,” I said. 

“Babe?” she said with a bright smile.

“Babe? Wow,” Olivia said. “This is… A lot to accept, tbh.”

“And why, exactly, do you get a say?” I said. 

“I-”

“That was a rhetorical question,” I said. “You don’t. At all.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll back off,” Olivia said, holding up her hands, palms flat. “I just… Can’t help but think you’re making a mistake. You and Faith would be cute together, that’s all I’m saying.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I growled. 

“You would be,” Kate whispered. 

“What?” I said. Seriously, WHAT?!

“Backing away now,” Olivia said. “I’m sorry for saying anything- you’re right, it’s really none of my business. But, uh, Calloway? I still remember what you said last Friday. I’ll see you in the battle box.”

And with that, she walked away. My head spun with confusion and anger at the implications of what she said, the insinuations, the freaking hubris. And on top of it all, Kate looked ready to cry again. 

Our waiter finally came over with our food on a tray and set it down, but looked at us with a worried expression. “Would you two like this to go, by any chance?”

“Yes, please,” Kate and I said simultaneously. 

We waited till the food was put in takeaway boxes, and we made a hasty departure. I was pretty sure I heard Mrs. Portman shouting something at us as we walked out the front door, but I wasn’t sure what. “Where should we take all this?” Kate asked. 

“I have one idea, if you’re up for it,” I said, with a grin I hoped would be the first step to salvaging this evening. 

We headed for Dockweiler Beach, only a few miles from the restaurant, basically deserted in the waning hours of the evening before it was closed to the public. Waves lapped against the sand in a steady, drawling rhythm, and the rich, relaxing scent of seawater filled the air. We sat on a blanket Kate kept in her truck, eating our food while watching the tide crashing into the shore and the setting sun casting an orange-gold glow over everything. Kate had tied her hair back while we ate, but loose strands kept blowing about from the seabreeze and colliding with her face.

I reached over and brushed a strand back, and she smiled at me. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m, uh, sorry about what happened.”

“Don’t be, it isn’t your fault,” she said. “Honestly, you handled it really well. Way better than I would have in your position.”

“And what position is that?”

“The guy’s. You’re… You’re a really good guy, Zeke Underhill,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. 

I laughed in spite of myself. “That’s nice of you to say. I… I’m not really used to hearing it,” I admitted, slumping my shoulders. 

“I find that hard to believe. You’re such a gentleman.”

“I… The thing is,” I started. Oh boy, I was about to admit this to her. This was big. I rarely talked about this. Not even with Faith. “... My parents… Are not the types to give out praise often, and a lot of it had to do with them thinking I wasn’t living up to their expectations of what a man was supposed to be. My Mom… Well, she’s English, she’s got all these old-fashioned, old-world ideas about men and women. She sent me to my room when I cried at a movie once when I was seven. My dad wasn’t much better- kind of a rough and tumble man’s man type. When I didn’t make my high school’s basketball team in ninth grade, he reamed me out for half an hour straight. Never mind the fact that I was short and fat back then. Which they both reminded me of constantly.”

“Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry,” Kate said, putting down her food and placing her hand on my shoulder. I gave it a squeeze. She continued, “My parents have always been so chill and supportive. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to… To grow up with that instead of what I had.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Honestly, I’m mostly over it at this point. I moved out for college when I was eighteen and never looked back. The only thing that really still gets to me is how hypocritical they were about everything. My dad… He’s a total pig, cheats on my mom constantly, and Mom just drinks to forget it every time the proof is thrown in her face. They’re both so full of shit, but I still… I still have this fear sometimes, that they’re right, that I’m not good enough, that there’s something I’m doing wrong, that…”

“That?”

“... That I’ll be a cheater like my dad, constantly balancing multiple girls, stringing along someone I’m supposed to be committed to. I think… I think that’s what bugged me about what Olivia was insinuating, like I was somehow being disloyal to Faith. Which is ridiculous, because… I… And she doesn’t even… And I’m not-”

“Not what?” Kate said, wrapping her arms around me. 

“I’m not with her. I probably won’t ever be with her,” I said.

“... You really like her, don’t you?”

“... I’m not sure you want me to answer that question, Katie.”

“You already have,” she said. “It’s kinda obvious.”

“I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kate said, nuzzling my shoulder. “You’re allowed to like more than one person at the same time. And you’ve liked her for a while, I’m not surprised I’m…”

“You’re what?”

“... Second prize.”

 “You’re not,” I said, turning around and putting my hands on her cheeks. “Listen to me, Kate Calloway. I recognize we’ve only just started really getting to know each other, but in that time, you’ve shown yourself to be… Amazing. Caring. Funny and thoughtful. Beautiful. I… I don’t know if I deserve you, but I’d like… To keep seeing you like this. To get to know you better, and to hold your hand while you go on this journey.”

Tears streamed out her eyes, and she bit her lower lip before saying, “Would you… Would you still say that if Faith liked you back?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoffed. “Faith is gay.”

“...”

I blinked. “Faith is gay, right?”

“I…,” Kate stammered, pulling out of my hands. “I’ve said too much.”

I blinked one long, sustained blink as the gears turned in my head. Faith… Wasn’t gay? And she… It… This made it seem like… 

Like she… 

No. 

Just, just… No.

There was a beautiful girl who I liked in front of me, and I wasn’t gonna let her slip away. “You’re fine. And even if she did, it wouldn’t matter.”

“You… You really mean that?”

“She’s not here with me right now, on this beach, sharing this meal, this evening,” I said. “Life moves forward, not back. If Faith really liked me, she should have said something. You, though, you said something. You made the first move, and… God, I’ve had to do that myself so many times, only for it to fall apart. Do you have any idea how good it makes me feel, that you like me enough to be the one to push things forward? How special that makes me feel? Because it’s amazing… You make me feel… Amazing, Kate.”

She looked at me with those big blue eyes, shining in the multicolored light of dusk as the sun set over the horizon, her red lips spread wide, hope and astonishment and joy radiating out of every inch of her. She gulped, and then she grabbed my lapel and said, “I’m gonna push things forward again now. Is that okay?” 

I didn’t answer. I just went for it, pressing her lips against mine, melting into her as we made out on the beach while the sun finished setting. My heart was alight with ecstasy, my lust burning at maximum temperature. I didn’t know for sure if I liked her more than I liked Faith. I just knew that in that moment, there was nobody I’d rather be with, nobody I’d rather be kissing, nobody I’d rather be getting to know.

For just one moment, everything was crystal clear. 

“You really had to ask?” I said as I pressed my forehead against hers, reveling in her aftertaste.

She smiled. Oh, Lord, that smile. “I just had to make sure.”

We carried on like that for a while longer, her hands touching mine, my lips touching hers, our bodies interlocking.

#original fiction #serial fiction #trans woman #trans protagonist #web novel #wlw #bisexual #polycule #polyamory #love triangle #enemies to friends to lovers #first date #romcom #romance

[theliterarywolf]

I watched Kizazi Moto and I really liked it a lot! One of the things I found especially interesting was the difference in…I want to say emoting? expression? with how some of the characters responded to things. Like with tongue clicking and some hand motions. I thought that was very interesting. Did you have a fave episode?

YES! Finally, someone watched/sent in an ask about this anthology!

And what you said here, noticing the differences in emoting. I am so glad you mentioned that because, yes: African storytelling, particularly when it comes to bringing stories to the big (or in this case, streaming) screen, does have its own style of emoting, staging, and composition.

And, yes, every culture does (for all people meme on Indian soap operas having the 'twenty dramatic zooms with matching music', you can tell that's a modernized carryover from traditional storytelling), but I have been yearning for African stories to be able to be seen by a wider audience so they can be a part of the conversation.

Because, yeah, we have companies like Netflix picking up a few Nigerian and Ghananian movies/shows for streaming, unless you're searching for them or your algorithm is trained, you'll never find them.

Also, shout-out to Supa Team 4

An upcoming CGI animated series from Zambia that is looking like a fusion of Miraculous and DC Super Hero Girls.

But, my rambling aside, for me there were three stand-outs from the anthology.

My favorite cultural-reflection, My favorite spectacle, and My Overall Favorite (kind of like a Best in Show).

My Favorite Cultural-Reflection

And by this, I mean which of the shorts reflected the culture it's creators are from the best (even though it may not have been my Overall Favorite):

Moremi (Nigeria)

(Hate that I couldn't find a gif for this one...)

Before this series aired proper, If you showed me 15 seconds of each short and told me to identify which country they came from, with this one it would have been a no-brainer. The staging and composition are such a strong mirror to Nigerian storytelling, a facet that is made even more obvious when we're introduced to the scientist character.

My Favorite Spectacle

Mkhuzi: The Spirit Racer (South Africa)

The sheer definition of 'Hype'. When I was liveblogging my first time watching some of the anthology, I made the comment 'Who at Triggerfish Studios marathoned Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill before coming into work that day?!' But, yes, this short was extremely anime, extremely colorful, and extremely action-packed. All while still having a message about maintaining the connection with your ancestors.

My Overall Favorite (Best in Show)

Enkai (Kenya)

Everything about this short, the composition, the color-scheme, the acting, the setting, and the messages are beautiful. While the initial scenes give us the impression of a simple, more intimate story of a mother and daughter, as the story progresses, the audience is presented with themes of family, spirituality, environmentalism, and even a bit of generational trauma sprinkled in (if you know where to look).

In fact, I'm going to discuss the moment that solidified this short as Best in Show for me. Spoilers under the Read More

When Enkai and her mother finally escape the destroyed Earth and Enkai is showing the new world she's made, free of mankind's greed and destruction, her mother has a moment of hesitation and looks back towards the Earth.

Even though the Earth and it's people, the ones who she was trying so hard to protect, have hurt her so much, she still says, "...I can still fix this!"

And Enkai has to be the one to tell her mother, "If we didn't leave, we would never be free from them. They have to save themselves now."

As much as the environmentalist message is there, it also reflects a story of a woman being abused by her family, hurt by her family, and internalizing the fact that she has to stay; she has to take care of her loved ones, only finally being told by the next generation 'No, you have done enough! You have been hurt enough!'

I just... God, the beauty of African storytelling being presented in the medium of modern animation got to me, okay?

[anthurak]

I feel like Light might have some sort of breakdown and try to undo all of existence, not just for Remnant, but everything, including the Ever After, if his perfect order cannot exist then neither should anything else.

Yeah, that definitely tracks with the hints we've gotten, particularly with what we learned at the end of Volume 9.

You know maybe we're going to find out that the Brothers have spent all this time essentially repeating what we've already seen them do. Like Remnant is just one abandoned project of many.

And NONE of them live up to their, or rather Light's expectations. A fact which has led to his mental state... shall we say deteriorating of the eons. Basically getting more and more obsessed with his 'perfect order' that he's chasing. Bonus points if he starts super projecting and calling our heroines and everyone else the 'real' threat he must eradicate.

Basically I've still got that hunch that Light is going to turn out to have real 'Anti-Spiral' vibes.

And Team RWBY and co. are going to have to make like Team Dai-Gurren and go kick his ass in truly epic fashion XD

#rwby #rwby ask #rwby theory #mikey polo 420 ask #rwby gods #god of light #the gods are the true final bosses of rwby #ttgl #ttgl references #yes i'm still riding those gurren lagann reference theories XD #ruby is simon #pyrrha is kamina #cinder is viral #salem is lordgenome #and the gods are the anti-spirals

[satoshi-mochida]

Princess Maker 2 Regeneration coming to PS5, Switch on December 21 in Japan

Gematsu Source

Bliss Brain has announced Princess Maker 2 Regeneration for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch on December 21 with English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese language support.

In Japan, physical standard and limited editions will also be released for PlayStation 5 and Switch. The standard physical edition will be priced at 4,400 yen. The 8,580 yen “Special Pack” will include exclusive packaging featuring an illustration drawn by Takami Akai, an art book, and a five-disc soundtrack featuring music from the PC-98, DOS/V, TOWNS, and Refine versions of the game, as well as an arranged version for Regeneration. Pre-orders are available now at retailers such as 7net Online Shopping and Biccamera.

Here is an overview of the game, via its official website:

About

Princess Maker 2 is a childrearing simulation game in which the player experiences being the father to a daughter granted to them by the stars. They raise the girl for eight years, from ages ten to eighteen. Your daughter grows up to be an adult through various experiences in the game. The girl’s dream is to become a princess, but a wide variety of opportunities await depending on how you raise her. What kind of dream will you make come true for this girl?

Princess Maker 2 Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary This Year

This year marks 30 years since the original release of Princess Maker 2 (PC-9801 version) in 1993. We invite you to experience the new and improved Princess Maker 2 on its 30th anniversary.

—Message from Takami Akai

I am deeply grateful to see that “Princess Maker 2”, which came out 30 years ago, is still so beloved by so many fans that we can release a new version. This time I was finally able to redo the graphics, which I had always wanted to do. Please enjoy the newly redrawn vacations and endings. About Takami Akai: Born 1961. While still enrolled at Osaka University of Arts, he made his debut with the DAICON III Opening Animation. As one of the founding members of GAINAX, he has worked on anime and tokusatsu shows, as well as games and events. His most noteworthy works include the Princess Maker series, Gurren Lagann, and Dai Tokusatsu Negiman.

Redrawing the Graphics

This title is based on Princess Maker 2 Refine, which was released in 2004. Especially important graphics were redrawn by Takami Akai in a style similar to the PC-98 version. The graphics are drawn in high resolution befitting modern game systems, with a commitment to quality in the details.

—Left: Regeneration, Right: Refine

Opening Movie Added

An opening movie produced by Yonago GAINAX has been added. The animation, which was made by a team led by Takami Akai, allows new “father” players to get a sense of what a future raising their “daughter” is going to be like.

Knowing How Your Daughter is Doing is the First Step in Raising Her

This title is a social simulation, so it is very important to always be aware of your daughter’s status and use this to raise her. In Regeneration, parameters for assessing your daughter’s status are always available, so you can check on her at a glance. Check what you should do for your daughter’s future, and raise her carefully.

View a set of screenshots at the gallery.

#Princess Maker 2 Regeneration #Princess Maker 2 #Princess Maker #Bliss Brain #PS5 #Nintendo Switch #Gematsu #Hoping for a localization announcement

[yurisouls]

An Introduction to... well me!

Hello, im Elizabeth and I thought id make a post for anyone who'd like to get to know me. -The Personal-

20

Lesbian

Trans (MtF)

Autistic

Communist

Satanist

Himejoshi

-The Interests-

Films

Yuri

Music

Vidya Games

Chess

Vtubers

Anime/Manga

Science (Marine Biology, Astronomy, Geology)

-The Movies-

The Empire Strikes Back

The Shawshank Redemption

Raging Bull

The Godfather Part II

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

The Wolf of Wall Street

The Thing (1982)

Goodfellas

Love Exposure

Back To The Future II

The Dark Knight

Scream (1996)

Silence of the Lambs

Pulp Fiction

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Scarface

Madoka Magica: Rebellion

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Star Wars (1977)

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Saw II

-The Games-

Dark Souls III

Majoras Mask

Resident Evil 4

Signalis

Metal Gear Solid 3

Persona 3

Metal Gear Solid 2

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Fallout New Vegas

Ib

Project Sekai

Bandori

Ocarina of Time

Portal 2

Pokemon Black & White 2

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

Dark Souls

Dark Souls II

Sekiro

Persona 5

Resident Evil 2

VA-11 Hall-A

Metal Gear Solid

-The Anime/Manga-

Madoka Magica

Zeta Gundam

Haruhi Suzumiya

Gurren Lagann

Bloom in to You

Jujutsu Kaisen

Cant Defy the Lonely Girl

Watashi wa Warui ga Yuri ja Nai

I Love Amy (this is a manhwa but still)

Lucky Star

Code Geass

Bleach

Beastars

One Piece

Flip Flappers

Gundam Unicorn

Gundam 0079

Gundam 08th MS Team

-The Music-

My Chemical Romance

Nirvana

Fleetwood Mac

Jimmy Eat World

The Strokes

Foo Fighters

Pixies

The Beatles

Led Zeppelin

The Cure

David Bowie

Pink Floyd

Radiohead

Pearl Jam

Blur

Hail the Sun

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Sunny Day Real Estate

The Hotelier

and thats it, I apologize for it being so long (the autism took over me) but if you read this far then I appreciate it and I hope youve taken an interest in me!

#intro post #anime #gaming #sapphic #lesbian #transfem #transgender #transgirl #dark souls #gundam

[kob131]

I dunno why I’m doing this at 2 AM but fuck it. You guys get to deal with it on main.

To the people saying that RWBY handled suicide poorly, I better see you decrying Gurren Lagann’s depiction of depression/suicide yesterday.

So, from what I can gather, people’s issues with how the Ruby-Tree plotline is-

1. It ‘trivializes’ suicide by having Ruby come back from it.

2. Made the rest of RWBY look uncaring

and 3. Resolved Ruby’s depression too quickly.

However, I find that when holding these examples up as universial signs of a bad depression/suicide arc, people should be bashing Gurren Lagann., specifically episodes 9-11 (the aftermath of Kamina’s death).

1. While it is true that Simon doesn’t commit suicide in this arc...that is very much the undertone of what is happening. Simon is throwing himself into combat constantly, talking about living up to Kamina all while Lagann is shown to be losing power as Simon fights. The thing is- Spiral Power is basically the will to live and thrive. It’s the energy of evolution made manifest. If Simon is throwing himself into combat while losing the will to live and thrive-

You can basically see it as Simon attempting suicide out of guilt.

Yet Simon recovers from this just like Ruby does. In basically the same fashion with the same themes and the same arc. Yet no one complains.

2. This is were the arguments starts looking REALLY bad for Gurren Lagann.

Weiss and Blake both tried to cheer up Ruby when it was evident that she wasn’t feeling well, with Blake trying to cheer Ruby up after her outburst in the Paper Pleaser’s village. And Yang tries no less than twice to help her sister, once after Ruby regains consciousness and once after her outburst after meeting up with Jaune again.

This is three more attempts to help Ruby than Team Dai Gurren tried helping Simon after Kamina died.

I’m not joking. If you go through Episodes 9, 10 and 11- You will not find a single moment where a member of Team Dai Gurren tries to comfort or talk with Simon. The most you will get is Kiyoh scolding Kittan for saying Simon caused Kamina’s death and throwing that in Simon’s face. You will find them showing more concern for Nia, someone who they’ve all just met, than the brother of their beloved leader who watched as the closest thing he had to family die.

Oh, remember when people got onto Jaune’s case for throwing Ruby’s failures back at her? Yeah, Kittan did the exact same thing but worse...and unlike Jaune, never admits he was wrong for doing so. He even tries bossing Simon around to interrogate Nia, who has done more for him in like...a day than Kittan has done since Kamina died.

I mean, Rossiu tries to help. But both times he shows concern for Simon, someone from Team Dai Gurren stop him from helping. One is Yoko, who above everyone else should know Simon needs help but does nothing for him until arguable the end. And the other is Leeron, who outright says that Lagann is right for not helping Simon if he lost the will to survive (more suicide parallels...) with the implication that they’re also right in doing so.

And they both end the same way- with the parties showing gratitude and happiness at the hero’s return. ... Except in Gurren Lagann’s case, Yoko takes this moment to take a jab at Simon’s emotional speech. Which should be seen as massively insensitive and also very fucked up of Yoko given the circumstances of Simon’s recovery.

There is no way to escape this. If what WBY and Jaune did was some horrible crime that makes the show disgusting then Team Dai Gurren’s actions are beyond horrible and Gurren Lagann is beyond disgusting.

Yet no one complains.

3. The argument is that you can’t get over depression that quickly and resolve it therefore Ruby’s big return is a spit in the face.

... The framing, plot beats, execution, musical choices and even themes are all almost exactly the same in Gurren Lagann. It’s the same trope, using the same methods, following the same themes- It’s the same. Damn. Story.

Hell, even the argument that it makes no sense for Ruby to just get over inadequacies because of a story about Summer applies to Simon because it’s implied HE recovered from Yoko’s story about Kamina. It’s actually worse in Gurren Lagann because unlike with the Blacksmith in RWBY, Yoko knows what the problem is, is around for the whole arc and personally knows Simon. And yet she never brings this story up beforehand? Even as Simon gives his side of the same fucking story and just sits there looking sad?

By this logic, the ENTIRETY of Gurren Lagann should just be one massive failure because the anime is DEPENDANT on this scene working (as everything before it was just working up to this point and everything after is built on it).

And yet.

No one.

Complains.

And I know what some of you are thinking.

‘Well, it works in Gurren Lagann because that anime’s good and RWBY bad!’

Well, quality doesn’t work that way. Writing doesn’t become good because it’s in a show labeled ‘good’- a show is good because the writing is good. 

You also can’t apply different standards and arguments for different pieces of media. If X depicts suicide and depression badly then ALL depictions of suicide and depression like X’s is bad.

And as someone who loves Gurren Lagann more than RWBY- it should be considered worse than RWBY. The differences between them are either semantics (giving up on life is basically suicide) or make Gurren Lagann worse (Team Dai Gurren’s, especially Yoko and Kittan’s actions).

I know that this isn’t the case since I know what Gurren Lagann is going for: that Simon had to stand back up by himself to get that catharsis. That Team Dai Gurren were meant to be wrong but still human in their actions and that Simon’s instant recovery is meant to be glorious return by the true hero of the story as he asserts his development and his lessons.

But the same analytical skills tell me that RWBY’s depiction is also not offensive or even bad. So if I’m wrong on RWBY, I have to be wrong on Gurren Lagann.

So you better either start bashing Gurren Lagann and it’s depiction Simon. (Which is basically paint a giant target on your back) or shut it about RWBY.

[boxonarock]

did two versions for nia

#nia teppelin #gurren lagann #tengen toppa gurren lagann #ttgl #team dai gurren #team gurren #messenger nia #fanart #my art #swagman

[superectojazzmage]

Random but I always get super annoyed when people describe Gurren Lagann as “human spirit versus indifferent cruel universe” story like NO did you not fucking watch the show? Spiral power and people using it to become progressively more awesome is literally part of the laws of physics of that universe, that is the natural progression! The universe in Gurren Lagann is fucking awesome and loving and spiral power is holy spiritual strength beyond anything one can imagine, something you use to learn and grow and persevere despite whatever squall you face, and the challenges of life are necessary because a life without challenge is meaningless.

The Anti-Spiral and Lordgenome are the bad guys because they see the challenges inherent in life — represented with the Spiral Nemesis — and become materialistic nihilistic pricks out of cowardice and greed, choosing to not progress any further but instead to live in ignorance and decadence, lording their prebuilt strength over younger people and denying them the spiritual growth that people need for life to have meaning, perverting the natural life cycle of the universe for their own selfish reasons under the guise of “protecting them from harm”.

Team Dai Gurren win because they see beyond the Anti-Spiral’s shallow idea of life and fight despite whatever their enemies throw at them, even continuing to fight from the next life, because they see the true nature of the universe — a place that becomes better with each turn of the drill — and find true immortality in living their lives to fullest.

#tengen toppa gurren lagann #tengen toppa gurren lagan #gurren lagann #gainax #studio trigger #trigger #anime #anime and manga #mecha anime #mecha #rant #random #random rant #saw a comment on a gurney lagann vid that described it as nihilistic and I’m like “fuck you” no

[number1mongrel]

Ttgl posts reminded me, i don't think I'd actually do it but if I ever got an explicitly fandom related tattoo I want "do the impossible, see the invisible" across my back with the team dai-gurren logo

[coredrill]

My name is Simon. Leader of Team Dai-Gurren. Simon the Digger! If you decide that you’re going to be a wall that’s standing in my way, then I have something that will open a hole in you every time. And that something is my drill!

#gurren lagann #tengen toppa gurren lagann #ttgl #ttgledit #simon the digger #simon jiha #simon #he is just diggin #a: ttgl #ttgl: tv #ttgl: films #ch: simon jiha #t.edit

[hxroic-wxlls]

"Simonia looks so cool. Your clothes are really cool. They make you look like the heroes on TV." The other pilots' daughter was taken with how stylish her friend was. The kids at her school didn't dress anything like that.

(from @haus-der-mysterionmusen)

“ Awww, thanks! Mama made these clothes for me, herself… They’re so awesome, aren’t they? “

The young girl would happily exclaim, as she twirled in place to better show off her outfit, including the Team Dai-Gurren symbol stitched onto the back of her jacket.

Of course, the goggles and core drill were passed down from her papa… Maybe one day, she’ll get the chance to pilot Lagann, herself? She’s definitely looking forward to it.

#haus def mysterionmusen #{ask answered} #{spiral child: ic}

[andrewmoocow]

FLCLlge AU (you can tell I put a lot of effort into that title)

Julia Raharu, often referred to by her middle name Jinyu, is an accomplished lawyer working for the legal firm Ikari and Kiryuin, Attorneys at Law who owns a Bel-Air passed down to her from her Italian father, frequently goes out for coffee with her friend and boss's daughter Satsuki Kiryuin, is a card-carrying member of Silverman Gym, and lives in a modest apartment close to her old alma mater of Tsurumaki University.

Coincidentally, that's where Jinyu's rambunctious, mischievous, neurodivergent, and sassy younger sister Haruha Raharu, or her stage name Haruko Haruhara as she prefers to be called, is currently attending, and now Jinyu is forced to house her little sis after Haruko got kicked out of her dorm room by her roommate Nonon Jakuzure for being a nuisance. The last time the two saw each other was when Jinyu graduated high school and moved to Tsurumaki University to study law, so it'll take a while for the two to get used to living together as sisters again. But deep down, beneath her middling empathy and penchant for trouble, Haruko desires for someone to be proud of her, as the girls' father believed that her destructiveness is only wasting her potential.

Also present is Tasuku Nandaba, the oafish but kindhearted leader of the university baseball team that Haruko joins, Adam Smith, an old money upperclassman that Haruko develops a crush on (and basically this universe's equivalent of Atomsk), Tasuku's precocious younger brother Naoto who Haruko becomes a big sister to, and other characters from FLCL.

Other anime referenced include:

Kill la Kill: Ragyo Kiryuin runs Ikari and Kiryuin with Gendo Ikari, her oldest daughter Satsuki Kiryuin is groomed to eventually take over the firm alongside Gendo's son Shinji, Satsuki also happens to be friends with Jinyu as the two go out for coffee and yoga every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nonon Jakuzure is head cheerleader and Haruko's former roommate, Ryuko is a member of a study group Jinyu makes Haruko join to keep her grades up. The two become friends and form a band called The Shooting Star Riders.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Gendo Ikari runs Ikari and Kiryuin with Ragyo Kiryuin, his son Shinji is being set up to take over the firm alongside Satsuki, Asuka Langley Soryu is a member of Haruko's study group and later becomes one of the founding members of The Shooting Star Riders.

Gurren Lagann: Kamina Gurren is the passionate leader of the university's robotics club alongside his younger brother Simon Gurren and their friend Yoko Littner, Rossiu Adai works alongside Jinyu and Satsuki at Ikari and Kiryuin, Kittan is a member of Haruko's study group and a founding member of The Shooting Star Riders.

Little Witch Academia: Akko Kagari runs the DND club themed around her favorite book series Shiny Chariot du Nord, Diana Cavendish is a second generation student of Tsurumaki after her mother and friends with Nonon.

Brand New Animal: Michiru Kagemori is captain of the basketball team and Nazuna Hiwatashi is her personal cheerleader, Shirou Ogami serves as a history teacher at Tsurumaki, Barbara Rose is the dean of Tsurumaki.

How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift?: Jinyu and Satsuki are members of Silverman Gym, where they also take Haruko and Ryuko with them, Akemi Soryuin is a member of the student council and good friends with Milly Ashford.

One Piece: Brook is a fun-loving music teacher that Haruko grows a friendship with, Nico Robin is a campus therapist, Jinbe is a retired Olympic martial artist turned fitness doctor, Franky is a local mechanic who Haruko starts working for, and the other Straw Hat Pirates are basically the Hungry Days ads.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Josuke Higashikata is a member of Haruko's study group, Jotaro Kujo is a biology professor specializing in marine life, Rohan Kishibe publishes Haruko's favorite manga Pink Dark Boy.

Sailor Moon: Usagi Tsukino is a member of Haruko's study group and quickly develops a friendship with Asuka of all girls, Ami Mizuno and Minako Aino are members of the student council, Makoto Kino once dated Kittan, Rei Hino is a member of the archery club.

Code Geass: The student council of Ashford Academy is the student council of Tsurumaki University here with a few additions from the other shows listed here, Kallen Kozuki is a member of the cheerleading team.

Keijo: The elite class of Setouchi Academy are now the girls' swim team and friendly rivals with the boys' team, aka the boys from Free.

Dragon Ball: All the Z Fighters have long since graduated from Tsurumaki Academy. Goku is now a martial arts teacher, Vegeta has taken over his father's company Saiyan Inc. and entered a partnership with Capsule Corp, Piccolo is a former violent tough guy turned babysitter, Krillin has settled down with his crush Lazuli to start a family and became a police officer, Yamcha is a moderately successful baseball player, Tien Shinhan and his little friend Chiaotzu travel the world together, and Yajirobe runs a local coffee shop called Bean Daddy's, Frederick Coleman (aka Frieza) runs Saiyan Inc's chief rival and former business partner Coleman Industries, having inherited the position from his father Kingsley Coleman (aka King Cold).

My Hero Academia: Bakugo was forced to join the study group because his fellow students were tired of his bullying and attitude problems, Izuku is an aspiring comic book artist who credits his favorite superhero All Might as his inspiration for drawing.

Baccano: Issac and Miria are the local theater kids. Come on, look at those two and tell me they don't radiate theater kid energy!

Soul Eater: Maka and Soul are members of Haruko's study group, Black Star is a total weeb who wanted to become a ninja after watching one anime too many (yes, I get the irony) and it's up to Tsubaki to keep him down to earth; so same dynamic as always, Death the Kid is an upperclassman whose father was a student of Tsurumaki before him and his brother Asura, who is currently off working for the military, Crona lives with their mother Medusa, who works as a campus nurse. However, they'd much rather prefer spending time with Maka and Soul due to Medusa's emotional abuse.

And potentially more that I can't list right now!

#flcl #college au #haruko haruhara #julia jinyu #crossover #kill la kill #neon genesis evangelion #gurren lagann #little witch academia #bna brand new animal #how heavy are the dumbbells you lift? #one piece #jojo's bizarre adventure #sailor moon #code geass #keijo #free! #dragon ball #my hero academia #baccano! #soul eater