#tanjiro will forever be the most precious human ever

[wishing--butterfly]

You know, you watch Demon Slayer and if you love the manga as much, no matter what, Ufotable still manages to surprise us with their immaculate animation. And also, the voice acting? Each and every millisecond of this anime is so precious, so beautiful. I love Demon Slayer so freaking much. I'm glad KnY is the first ever anime I watched. KnY is PHENOMENAL. Game changer for me.

These screenshots don't do justice that is the world of Demon Slayer!

Words will never be enough to express how much I love this series!

[mysaldate]

You asked for it, here it (finally) comes!

I finally put the whole dream sequence forever, go ahead and enjoy!

TW: Gore, death, child death, vore(not really but ig?), mentions of kidnapping

The lights ahead are blurry and my feet are starting to hurt. There are voices all around me, some of them familiar and some of them not. I reach out to grab my father’s hand as the end of the tunnel draws closer. Before long, the warm sunshine welcomes us and a dock opens up in front of us. The whole group stops for a few moments and I look us over. We’re rather strange looking. Most of us are human but I can clearly see a few of us with sharper ears and fangs, I think I heard hooves somewhere in the back of the group too.

The dock is full. Creatures of all sorts pace back and forth, on and off of ships, the water channel is as busy as ever. But we have little time to marvel at everything it offers. Something is behind us. Something huge and terrible and horrifying. And it’s after us. The ships and boats are all sorts of shapes but the right one. The one we eventually get on has a huge fan-like structure at the back and looks more like a racing car from a video game than something capable of getting us to the other side of the channel. It’s not like we can be picky though. My dad pulls me up on board and some of our group join us too. Others choose to stay at the dock and wait for a better boat. As soon as we set out, a menacing presence hovers over the place. We won’t be seeing the rest of our little escape group again.

The ship is small and cramped but fast. Water is flying all around us as we leave the docks far behind and charge towards the other side at full speed. On the horizon, I can see the sky and the water seeping together, fluffy clouds reflected so well on the near-still waves the little boats ahead of us appear to be floating. I close my eyes and let myself fall asleep in my father’s arms.

I’m woken up by cheers and laughs. We’ve arrived. Right in front of us stand luxurious-looking lands, housing and meadows running far and wide. What remains of our little group quickly gets into taxis and carriages and leaves the coast, leaving only me. My dad left as well, as we agreed beforehand. For a few moments, anxiety washes over me like spring shower but it’s gone as fast as it appeared and I take my first step to the boarding school where I would spend my summer.

The first few days pass without any issue. I’m rooming with four other people – two boys and two girls. Our room is about the average size, with a slightly low ceiling. The floor is covered in a rough gray carpet and the four beds are not of high quality either. All the light is drained once we pull the small yellow curtains over the two windows, one on each side of the room. The beds are lined up side by side with just enough space for one person to walk between them and between the walls and the beds on the ends of the line. The door is next to one of the windows, on the left side of the first bed.

No matter how hard I try, I simply cannot remember the girls’ names but I know one of the boys is called Tanjiro. He has dark reddish hair and eyes of the same color and his smile makes flowers bloom. The other boy told me his name but I can’t remember it. Everyone calls him Monitsu though so I decide to stick with it as well. He has short black hair falling in his face and wears adorable round glasses. We all go to the same class. Our homeroom teacher is a kind but strict woman in her 40′s with long hazelnut brown hair. Some people here seem to dislike her but I cannot fathom why.

We’re having lunch in the canteen one day when Monitsu suddenly pulls a pack of collecting cards from his pocket. The design seems familiar but the name always sounds blurred out. The packaging is peculiar because it has his nickname on it. When one of the girls rooming with us asks about it, he gives her a bright grin.

“I had them custom made. I have a few more packs like this. If you’d like, I can show you!” There’s blood rushing to his face and it creates a cute red shade. I don’t think she’s noticed. They leave the canteen together and we spend the afternoon separated.

The night is a blur. I don’t know when I went to bed or woke up, I don’t remember how I got dressed and ate breakfast at all. The next thing I know is that I’m sitting in class with my stomach twisting and an uneasy feeling spreading through. Something is wrong for sure. I look around, not finding any of my roommates in the classroom with me. I break out in cold sweat and breathing is suddenly so very hard. It’s different from the presence at the dock. That one was terrifying but cold. This one makes liquid fire course through my veins and threatens to swallow my heart whole. I need to make sure they’re alright.

Without so much as mumbling an apology, I dash out of the room at a speed that almost surprises even myself. The sun rays feel warm on my face but I don’t have time to stop and think about them. My chest feels tight, my feet heavy and my palms sweat. Even so, I have to hurry. I leap up and forward, landing safely on the roof of one of the school buildings. This is not a surprise. I’ve seen people do far more amazing things before and I guess the fact I’m not fully human is to my advantage as well, even if I’m not fully sure what exactly I am. Sprinting across the roofs, I realize it doesn’t matter. Right now, I’m nothing more and nothing less than a friend who has to help my roommates.

I finally reach the building where our room is and burst through the door. I used too much force and something causes me to lose balance so when I get up again, I’m standing between the second and third bed, overlooking the dimly lit room. The first thing I notice is a masked man at the front of the room, holding a woman I don’t know by her chin with an arm wrapped around her. She has several cuts on her arms and neck and he now presses a sharp-looking knife to her throat once more.

“I told you to choose!” He roars, making even me shudder like the cold steel in his hand was on my skin and not hers. “Choose who dies next or it’s your turn!”

It’s only now that I finally snap out of whatever that strange stunned state was and look around. Of course, my eyes skim over the beds first. Tanjiro’s bed is farthest from the door. It’s empty and neatly made, almost like nobody slept there that night. The girls are in their beds. They look almost dead but there are no injuries and I notice their chests faintly rising with each breath. Finally, I brace myself enough to look at the last bed. That man told her to choose who dies next which means...

I’m not ready for what I find there. The white sheets are dyed red. I follow the trail, tracing it up Monitsu’s cheek to where his eyes are. Or where they should be at least. But instead, I’m met with a hollow crater with blood still gushing out. Same as from the many cuts lining his throat. I feel the urge to throw up but the rage boiling inside me is stronger. Monitsu was my friend, he was like my brother. Though our time spent together was short, every single one of my friends is precious. I won’t forgive this man. I know for a fact I won’t.

The door slams open again and two other guys run in. I vaguely recall someone mentioning something about three younger girls disappearing from one of the other rooms. Some masked men were seen near their room before. On instinct, I know it’s them. I can’t explain how but the certainty is what drives me forward. I reach out and see my nails growing longer, turning red. In a white flash, I’m covered in blood and all three of the men are down, bleeding out on the carpet. The woman disappeared, probably ran away. I can’t blame her. I give one more look to my friends and wobble out. The blood feels hot and cold at the same time and my vision is growing cloudy. I spot our homeroom teacher reaching for the door next to our room. She stops when she sees me.

I make my way over to her, step as firm as I can muster. “You have to help me!” I plead, tears finally spilling from my eyes as if the whole weight of the situation has only just landed on me properly. “Monitsu is dead and the others... I think they’re drugged!”

For a moment, she looks like she doesn’t believe me but then she nods. I almost sigh in relief and my knees give way, sending me down to the ground. But she only smiles and turns back to the door. “That’s terrible.” She says, opening the door. “But I have a class now.”

I stare after her as the door falls closed. Really? Monitsu is dead and it’s no big deal? What am I to do now?

Terrified, my mind travels back to the room. The girls are alright. Then the one who’s missing is Tanjiro. I have to find him, have to make sure at least he is fine. I was already too late once, I have to make it this time. I force myself to get up and set out on a journey around the area. He has to be here. Somewhere.

By the time I run into someone, the sun is high up. Is it late afternoon? Early evening? I can’t tell and it doesn’t matter because, in front of me, I see a man. He’s fairly tall and looks dangerous. Scars are drawn all over his face, his hair rough and unruly. But somehow, something pulls me closer. I feel as though he knows the answer. As though he knows where to look for my lost friend.

“Excuse me?” I approach him with a wary look.

He gives a grin in return and it’s so evil my insides get all tangled up. He doesn’t mind the dried blood on my front, nor the lines from tears down my face. He leans in closer and whispers something.

My vision goes red. I don’t know exactly what has he said but somehow, I feel as though I know what happened. He belongs to the group that killed my friend. And not only that, he is the one who took Tanjiro from me as well. My arm springs forward before I can stop it – not that I would even if I could – and cuts him open from his neck to his abdomen. This time, it’s not only blood that splatters all over me. There’s something yellow and sticky and gross and it feels as though it’s melting away my skin. His insides are not human.

But, there is a human in his insides.

He’s there, curled up in a fetal position, covered in the yellow gastric acid, his hair sticking together and eyes firmly closed, barely breathing and with a heartbeat so faint it’s barely there at all. But he’s alive and he’s Tanjiro. I drag him out of what remains of the body and fall back down to the ground. Someone is screaming around us. Someone else calls the ambulance. I faintly remember someone in white clothes pulling me off as they wash the acid off of our bodies. Then he’s taken away and I black out again.

When I come to, I’m no longer bloody and outside. I’m standing in the auditory hall. All alone. School life has gone back to normal. Nobody cares. Nobody does anything. There wasn’t even an announcement. No minute of silence for my friend, nothing. I’m waiting there for something that will never happen. I’m waiting for someone to acknowledge what has happened.

A child’s voice calls for me from the side of the hall. The landlord’s office is behind that door. I must’ve requested to see him. I walk in and from the moment our eyes first meet, I know I’m not going to like him. He’s small, fat and bald and his eyes remind me of a weasel or a snake if only those poor animals could look more evil. I ask him the same thing I now recall asking my homeroom teacher. Why doesn’t anyone do anything for them? But he only gives me excuses.

I leave the office and I walk. I’m going home. I shouldn’t, there is a reason I’m here and not still there with my family. But I lost my friend and everyone is acting like nothing happened. Even if Tanjiro recovered, more or less, he won’t ever be the same. And all of that somehow feels like it is my fault. I find myself on a road with cars speeding around me in both directions. Some of them almost brush against me. I can’t bring myself to care.

The area seems familiar, I must be getting closer to home. For the first time in forever, I meet another person. It’s an older lady with brown curly hair and I recognize her as our neighbor. What is she doing here is a mystery but I’m too lost in my own thoughts to question it. I go with her and stray off the main road to a dirt path leading underground. When we reach the end of it, there’s a wall with two thick roots coming out. We have to climb over to the continuation of the path, using one as a foothold and holding onto the other one. I’ve never walked through this area but I somehow know what to do.

We run in a bit of trouble when a large group of tourists from some Asian country wants to cross at the same time but they’re gone before we really know it. I’m surprised though. What are they even doing there? It’s just an underground passageway, right? But as we step lower in on the path, we come across even stranger things...

At first, it seems as though it’s just a small food stand. They offer Pepsi and some other soft drinks, hot dogs and fried potato chips. But as we’re passing, an ad starts playing on one of the monitors above the counter. Collectible cards? I know the brand, though the name is blurred and the sound muffled. But something is strange. I know the cover they show in the ad. I know the name.

I freeze at the spot, staring straight at the screen. Monitsu’s things were left in our room. Nobody thought to pack them up. And now they’re being sold..?

I notice I’m shaking. My hands are tightened in fists and all my muscles feel tense. I can’t tear my eyes off the screen. They’re selling them here. As if to make fun of me and of Monitsu as well.

I must’ve said something because my neighbor puts a hand on my shoulder and makes a quick phone call before calming me down. She takes me to a room full of people I somehow know to be young lawyers and detectives. Nobody has to introduce us. It’s like they know why I’m there and I know what I want from them but I explain anyway. We agree to call the landlord and get him to tell me what did he have to do with Monitsu’s death and why is he selling his things. I dial his number and we wait.

He picks up pretty quickly. I pepper him with question after question. He doesn’t seem bothered. He answers everything. And gets my blood boiling. So much so that by the time he hangs up saying he’s got more work to do, I cannot recall a single thing he’s said. I look down at the phone and I realize my mistake. I forgot to record the call. But it’s too late for regrets at this point. The company around me gives me worried looks as I dial his number again. This time, I make sure the recording is on. And I take up my jacket and set off right back to the camp. He’s not very talkative this time. At that moment, I know I’m gonna kill him if I have to in order to learn the truth of what happened there.

I get back in surprisingly quickly. My speed probably came back while I wasn’t paying attention. This time I don’t bother coming to his office. He’s not there anyway. Instead, I head straight to his house. I find him in the kitchen, together with three little girls. They matter little to me, certainly less than the fat bastard himself.

“What do you want?!” He barks out. Even his voice is uglier than I remember it being. I ask him again. And again. But he only laughs in my face. We start to fight, some things catch on fire and before we know it, the walls, the ceiling, the floor, everything is engulfed in flames.

One of the girls is running at me with a wooden pole but I slap it away and send her flying. I don’t much care what happens to her as she hits the wall so hard she breaks through. My phone is still recording. He asks me what I want again.

And finally, the restraint in my throat lets go.

“I want to know what happened to my friend!” And I feel like I’m falling but finally grasping the name I couldn’t remember for all eternity.

“My friend, Agatsuma Zenitsu!”

He opens his mouth, by now cornered and out of breath. One of his daughters is in his arms, shivering and crying. And just as he speaks, the roof collapses. Everything is drowned out by that noise, the smell of burnt flesh and blood fills the air and before long drowns out everything else. Then it’s just coal again.

And I stand there, looking at the two corpses I can barely see and my head feels empty. I turn to leave but something stops me. From where I flung her, the girl is glaring at me. She’s dirty and bruised and blood is coming out the corner of her mouth. But her eyes are cold as ice, so cold they freeze me in the spot. The last child is nowhere to be seen, though maybe I’m just not paying attention because this one is stealing all of it.

She doesn’t say a word but the promise in those eyes is clear. She will come and hunt me down.

[eijunes]

ooooof yeah, having to go against our natural instincts to eat and sleep the winter away until it gets warm and sunny again is always dreadful. just do what you can, cat❤️

on the bright side, even if it's still cold, at least the winter solstice is coming so the days will slowly start getting longer again!!!☀️ i get so excited about that. it's almost better than christmas😁 do you have any holiday plans??

oh, i get you! still, some more human interaction there; that's always good. sajbksg you know i have considered trying to get a basic grasp of japanese myself just for that purpose so i'm glad it's a workable concept!!! waiting for the english translated vnc chapters is agony

man, the kny animation is out of this world. truly a super solid story all around. i'm not sure if you kept watching it, but were there any characters you really liked??

ohhhh bsd yay!!!!! it's so fun. i could see dazai and atsushi being cute, though i'll admit i get more of a platonic read there personally💗 vanoé gives me theeeee biggest brainrot istg; i'm glad i'm not the only one suffering SBDKJABG. good choices for hq characters too!!! gon and killua are so precious yesss. hak and yona are adorable as well!!! i've been meaning to read the manga for ages but haven't yet— would you recommend it?? no.6 is so good!! ahhh reading the light novels would be a good idea hmm.

^^ all of this is absolutely a good starting point💕💕

i have noticed some pastel/blacks yes lol. it's very aesthetic!! i have a few ideas for what to make for you, but it's still percolating.

question time since spotify wrapped dropped a few days ago: what music do you like to listen to?? and is there anything you're really looking forward to next year?(ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

i hope you're feeling better after your booster!— animanga secret santa

hello!! yes, winter solstice, please come soon! but it's been snowing a bit here for the last few days so at least it's not so gloomy anymore and the world seems a little brighter ❄️

I don’t really have any exciting plans for holidays, covid is going wild over here (god, I hope we’re finally at the peak of this wave) and my sister is immunocompromised due to some medical treatments she had this year so I'm not sure if I'll even see some of my closest family members in person. but as long as we can take some rest, I'll be happy 😊 do you have any plans?

japanese is not as scary as it looks! actually, most of the stuff I know I learned through free apps like duolingo or lingodeer, so I really recommend to check some out if you ever decide that you want to learn some basics. but I knooow, the official translation of vnc chapters comes out quite quickly but it still feels like forever. reading monthly mangas is pain sometimes 😭

about kny, once I passed the halfway mark I kinda binged almost the whole rest of the first season! tanjiro is so kind-hearted and good, I love him 🥺 together with zenitsu and inosuke they are a riot, they made me laugh so hard sometimes. and nezuko is so so precious too! I’m always weak to sakurai takahiro’s voice so I kinda hope to see more of giyuu later, but all of the hashira seem very interesting and I’m excited to get to know them more 👀 it’s a really good cast of characters and I’m really happy that I finally watched this!

my vanoe brainrot lessened a bit when there was a break in chapters but when I first caught up with the manga, I think I read every single fic that existed at that point 😅 I always get overly invested in the happiness of self-destructive fictional men who think they don’t deserve to be loved so this is my favourite type of ship. they have so many wonderful scenes and don’t even get me started on the current manga events 😭😭

tbh I fell a bit behind on akayona manga but the events covered in the anime are only the beginning and there’s so much more of the story after that. once yona gathers all the dragons they travel all around the country and help with local problems, get in conflicts and wars and meet more interesting characters and I do recommend it a lot! it’s a great story with a well-written female character at the front

no.6 light novels are just... I have no words. it’s so much more than the anime adaptation, the manga thankfully was more true to the original material, but nothing beats the light novels. the narration is incredible and every sentence is so beautiful. there’s only a fan translation online but it’s so well done it’s incredible that someone did that for free. I have some posts with quotes somewhere on my blog, here and here if you want to get a taste. I kinda want to reread them again, maybe over christmas. they kind of have this wistful winter vibe for me :’) 

my top #1 artist this year was dotan, I knew him a bti before but he dropped a new album this year and I played it on repeat the whole year. I don’t know how to explain his vibe, it’s kind of melancholic and atmospheric I guess? try this song

and my other discovery this year was a band called world’s first cinema and they make songs with an epic feeling like in movie trailers, often about supernatural creatures. I listened to their interview once and they called their style vampire trailer music 😄 try “the woods”

I love the fact that my most listened artists each year are usually new discoveries of mine so I’m excited for all the new music I will discover next year! please send some of your favourites too, even if you listen to something vastly different!! 💛