And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Toriko Fan Questionnaire

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:26:00 -0400

Erm, it was pointed out to me that if I wanted people to actually answer the questionnaire, perhaps I should have provided a blank one with just the questions (and without my annoying babbling)! Anyway, without further adieu …

The Toriko Fan Questionnaire (AKA: I’m a nosy fellow fan and I want to get to know you better!)

_______________________

How did you get into Toriko?

Who’s your favorite character? Least favorite? And who, out of all the characters, are you the most like?

What would you pick as the “perfect” scene or arc from Toriko? Why?

What scene do you really want to see happen in the near future of the manga?

Are there any scenes that you NEVER wish to see?

Are there any actual scenes that you wish you never saw from the manga?!

What do you wish to see in the Toriko fandom? Do you have any particular “fanon” ideas that you are fond of?

*Looks around craftily, then whispers* What’s your opinion on shipping?! Forbidden loves? TORIKOXMEAT?!

And now, the second most important question … if you were going to eat a dish from the Gourmet World, what would it be?

Finally, the MOST important question …if you were a dish in the Gourmet World, what would you be?

_______________

And finally, the ever awesome tsunderepirate has a forum for Toriko! So go congregate there to be awesome and guts together! ~~Erm. I’d go too, but I guess I’ll have to go find a link. XD~~

EDIT: Because tsunderepirate is a pirateninjaspyassassin, she answers really quickly, stealthily, and with lots of flare! HERE IS THE LINK TO THE FORUM! I will go … actually, I can’t right now, but I will go when I get some sleep and am less likely to make a fool of my self or stick a banana in my … ear. Huh. XD

Love you all lots! Poke me if you answer. <3

Toriko Fan Questionnaire

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:20:00 -0400

Oh! I just remembered what I wanted to do for Komatsu’s birthday … and before I got sick.

We’re such a small fandom, but sometimes we feel so far apart. We don’t even have a fandom “question” thingie that I see a lot of fandoms have. And it’s a shame … most people I’ve met here in this fandom are pretty nice. Moreover, all of y’all make me curious. How did you get here? What do you like about being here? What is it about this comic (not to mention its manly men and its meat!) that makes you a fan?!

At any rate, I kinda wanted to throw out a questionnaire about Toriko for the few people on my dashboard (actually, my tumblr really does have a tiny population … I really would like to get to know you better!) And since I kinda feel weird asking questions I won’t answer myself, here goes:

How did you get into Toriko?

I got into the Toriko fandom by accident. I was watching several other fandoms, and I was running out of things to read, and I think I clicked on it because it was on top of the manga que*blush*. Toriko’s gourmet world was unique enough that I just kept reading and reading and reading. And now, here I am. Toriko’s the manga I go for when I want something light and just fun.

——

What would you pick as the “perfect” scene or arc from Toriko? Why?

I can’t pick one scene (there are many) but I think my favorite arc is either the Melk Knife arc or the Gourmet Pyramid. That was really when I started getting into the manga. As much as I like the Ozone Plant arc, I don’t think it was really until after Toriko comes back from his foray into the gourmet world that he understands that he can’t survive alone. And it’s not really until after the Melk arc and through the Gourmet arc that he understands why he needs Komatsu, so yeah. I’m a sucker for buddy (or perhaps something even more XD) stories.

—-

Who’s your favorite character? Least favorite? And who, out of all the characters, are you most like?

Um, favorite character … hmm, tough choice, so I’m going to cheat (on my own questions *Facepalm*) and say Komatsu and Toriko as a team. XD I don’t really have a character I dislike, but the least favorite may be … hmmm … perhaps Zonge? XD

I don’t really resemble any of the characters in the manga. They’re so much larger than life. I’m rather boring. XD

—-

What scene do you really want to happen in the near future of the manga?

Dear Shimabukaro-sensei ….please get the boys to the gourmet world already. And can we send all four kings in together … with Komatsu in tow (perhaps on a leash?). PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! *whines* IWANNITIWAANITIWANNIT!

—-

Are there any scenes that you NEVER wish to see?

Um, hard to say right now. No epic dying for rls, please. I don’t think I could handle it.

—-

Are there any scenes that you wish you never saw from the manga?!

Erm, no. The short scenes that seem unrelated all seem to be building towards SOMETHING. Though the whole durian fruit saga thingie … ehhh. Not my favorite arc.

—-

*Looks around craftily, then whispers* What’s your opinion on shipping?! Forbidden loves? TORIKOXMEAT?!

Well, TorikoXMeat is canon. But otherwise, I’m totally doing this wrong.

Actually, I’m the kind of person who probably WOULD read Penthouse for the articles first (XD)

I don’t think of shipping until later, when I ruminating. But yeah, as with most of my fandoms, I ship anything that anyone can write convincingly. I’m kinda … loose *XD* like that. I also think Toriko is secretly a reverse harem manga, where Komatsu is the harem magnet, so I’m not the person you should ask about these things.

—-

What do you wish for the Toriko fandom?

I hope for more Toriko fanfics and fanworks. X3 I love that stuff! I can be swayed easily toward any pairing, as long as it’s written well, drawn well, or has a great plot to it.

Why am I so easy?!

—-

And now, the second most important question … if you were going to eat a dish from the Gourmet World, what would it be?

I think I drooled the most when they were talking about the jewel meat. Grrrawwwwwwwrl. Though the century sooooooooupu is kinda tied too, for what I’d really like to try.

—-

Finally, the MOST important question …if you were a dish in the Gourmet World, what would you be?

Erm? Brain? Why are we coming up with these questions? A dish to be eaten by Toriko and co

Wait … that sounds dirty …

Erm. Considering the vast amounts of chocolate I consume, plus the fact that I’m nuts, probably something choco-nutty with a side of fava beans and a nice chianti.

—————————————

I swear, I didn’t mean to put in that last question. And answering them kinda makes me feel like I’m talking to myself. Ooooh, insanity. I can feel it coming.

So, hehe, what about you? I would like to get to know y’all better (though I probably just scared all of you off T____T).

Add your own questions! Ask me them! C’mon fandom, let’s guts together!

(Wait … whut?)

Dear God, I was terribly lost, when the galaxies crossed ...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:44:00 -0400

Umm. Err. That was quite a long bit of radio silence, eh? Oh well. Unfortunately, I got quite sick, had to miss work, whereupon work decide it really luuuuuuuurved and missed me and thus splorted all over me when I went back. -_-” GAAAH.

I’m not totally out of the work avalanche yet, but I thought, huh, I haven’t poked fandoms in a while. So. Um. Poke. X3

Interesting developments in the Toriko verse as of late. I have to admit, I haven’t quite been as errrm …. drawn in? …. by the current arc with the durian bomb fruit and the bubble fruit. Maybe it was the meds? But it definitely looks like we’re going to get some action soon now. (skip the next lines if you haven’t been spoiled buuuut ….) well, the tag says that trouble is headed for the temple, and with Toriko away … hrrrrm. I don’t think this is what is going to happen, but it would be nice for the roles of Toriko and Komatsu to be reversed. Toriko’s the one safe and kinda on a boring adventure on the bubble road … maybe it’s time for Komatsu to hold his own physically with his wonderful knife skills. It’d be hilarious if Toriko runs back, ready to kick ass, and Komatsu’s all like “ummm, ialreadydidthat,um,havesometea?!”

Perhaps that’s his test?

Though honestly? My other guess is that … well … *blushes* eh. I’m never right about these things anyways. But man, they weren’t kidding about master chefs being able to slice up animals so well that they don’t know that they’ve died. XD Talk about in-flight meals. Poor birdie.

On another note, do I owe anyone any prompts? I think I may have gotten them all (or more likely, pawned them off on other people XD) but if I didn’t, please let me know.

Though … *peers into draft folder* remind me that writing when sick doesn’t exactly promote the most … sane … sort of plot lines. Can anyone tell me what to do with the two Toriko Aus that I apparently wrote underneath the influence of antibiotics? I don’t think the fandom needs werewolves, a horror story, and … wait, there’s THREE of them. Wtf?! At any rate, fandom needs these like it needs a root canal. Or even if these were GOOD au ideas (which they aren’t) they don’t need to be written by me. T___T I don’t wanna even talk about the third. Dear cheebus, WEREWOLVES?! *ugggh*

But yeah. Ahem. What did I miss, Toriko fandom? ^___^

Wonderble Out

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 01:11:00 -0400

Okay, I think that’s enough of embarrassing myself! It’s been quite a tumblr day though! I HIT 100 POSTS! I GOT two drabbles done!

I hope I convinced some other people to do some drabbles, and in reality I actually have a THIRD fic I’m sitting on for Komatsu’s B-day, but that one isn’t prepared yet.

Though looking at the erm *cough* quality *hackcoughhack* of the two drabbles I did post? YEAH. I don’t think I can actually improve my rep. *headclutchy* Ah well, nothing like public drabbling (without editing or planning) to bring out the embarrassment factor. It’s going to be an “OH GOD WHAT DID I POST?!” sort of morning tomorrow, isn’t it?

Still, this was fun! THANKS FOR THE PROMPTS, TORIKO FANDOM. WE SHOULD TOTES DO IT AGAIN FOR THE NEXT BIRTHDAY.

Though. *Begs* I hope I can get some other people to do it with me? Cause I feel alone. And kinda nerdy. And very alone. XD OH well.

ps: I’ll take a couple of more prompts because it was fun, but well, I can’t promise anything. *wince*

truffledots: Fiiinally done~ QvQ This took all day! It’s kind...

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 01:06:18 -0400

truffledots:

Fiiinally done~ QvQ This took all day! It’s kind of choppy… but I did what I could OTL
I copied from this cute K-ON gif: here
When I saw it, I just though it would fit Toriko begging for food!

SOOO CUTE. ^___________^ I wish I could draw and animate like this. *stares happily*

100th Post!

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:53:00 -0400

Woohoo. I guess it’s fitting I end my 100th post with what I began the whole journal with: Toriko!

artist: Hiba-gon

Source: Tegaki-pipa

Happy Birthday Komatsu! Hehe, I kinda think this picture represents pretty much my view on the manga: it’s somehow a harem manga, with the most UNLIKELY harem magnet ever!

I also like this picture muchly:

artist: 合間さん

Source: Tegaki Pipa

SOOOOO cute. Everyone is wearing everyone else’s clothes. ^__^ I just love Sunny’s pose too.

One day, I’m sure someone will write that body switch fanfic. It won’t be me, because I’ve done more than enough damage. XD

But yeah. Happy Birthday, Komatsu, and woo, thanks for helping me reach 100 posts on what is essentially my Toriko blog!

Seventh Heaven

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:44:00 -0400

fuyuhana-san replied to your post: *pokes Toriko Fandom* Soooooo ….. ?

ooooh, sounds fun! lets see, what shall we do to our lovable chef? Demon!kingsxKomatsu? heavenly kings throwing a surprise birthday? the possibilities are endless. X3

“BOW TO US, MORTAL!” boomed the voice across the kitchen. Komatsu could only stare, one hand still clutching a spatula. He had inadvertently stuck the other into the bowl of batter he had been mixing.

He had a feeling that spatulas and batter, however, would be of little use against the unholy beings that had erupted from a hole in the kitchen floor. They were now advancing towards him, horned heads aflame and red eyes scorching with a searing light. There were four of them and each of them looked as if they could tear Komatsu apart with their pinkies.

“Uh …. excuse me?!” he squeaked.

“THOU HAST SUMMONED US!” the largest of them roared. “BY THE COVENANT OF BLOOD AND FIRE!”

“But I was just making apple turnovers!” Komatsu wailed. “I’m certain I wasn’t making a covenant! Just apple turnovers!”

“APPLE TURNOVERS?! ART THOU CERTAIN YOU WERE NOT MIXING THE RECIPE FOR ETERNAL DAMNATION?!”

“Pretty sure,” Komatsu wavered. “Unless eternal damnation comes with a side of dried figs.”

“Huh,” said the demon. “Guys, we might have a problem …”

***

It turned out that Aunt Margeline’s recipe for applelicious turnovers was awfully close to the recipe for damnation and eternal hellfire.

Komatsu knew he should have NEVER substituted dried blood grapes for the dried raisins, but he had thought the recipe needed a bit more of a tang …

He now had quite a bit of a tang all right. Who would have thought the blood grapes he had bought from the mysterious vendor down the street had real blood in them?!

It was completely ridiculous. Absolutely, utterly ridiculous. A bad sci-fi fantasy dime store manga sorta ridiculous. He was a chef! Chefs didn’t have odd adventures happening to them! All he should have to worry about was not collapsing the bundt cake!

Initially, Komatsu had cycled through several reactions, from running (he had smacked straight into some sort of invisible barrier), crying (that hadn’t helped much more than giving him a dry throat), messing up his pants (that had been embarrassing), and yelling (again, the invisible barrier seemed to be as sound proof as it was “running screaming for help” proof).

Oddly enough, for creatures of hell and damnation, none of the demons seem to enjoy his intense fear. Instead, they sat patiently in his tatami room, eyebrows lifted. When Komatsu nearly ran headlong into the barrier for the third time, one of them even caught him neatly by the scruff of his shirt and turned him around so he wouldn’t hurt himself.

Then, when Komatsu had finally wore himself out to the point of collapsing on the floor, gasping, one of them even picked him up and pointed him towards his bedroom and pulled out a fresh set of pants.

It was somehow … kind of the creatures.

It also helped the four demons had not tried to eat him yet, though they looked terribly capable of doing so. They had actually stopped with the heads-on-fire thing.

Apparently, that was only for paying customers. Now they appeared as four rather large men with horns on their heads. They weren’t actually bad looking either; one of them was actually beautiful, with long flowing locks of multicolored hair. Their bodies, too, weren’t hard to look upon at all, though the one with the red hair had a ripped face that gave Komatsu a bit of a pause.

Exhaustion, though, had a good way of making even the most bizarre situations seem sane. After cleaning himself off, Komatsu took a deep breath. Whether he liked it or not, apparently he would have to deal with the fact that there were now demons. Four of them. In his living room.

“I’m sorry I ran and screamed,” he started off, since well … it really was quite rude.

“We’re used to it!” the blue haired one said. “Actually, you got over that really fast. It usually takes people at LEAST three days to finish all the “OHMYSATAN!” sort of squealing. And that’s after they MEANT to summon us!”

“I really do appreciate you being so patient,” Komatsu said. “And um, not eating me or anything.”

“Eh, we can’t eat you when we’re not even sure why we’re bound to you yet,” the blue haired one mused. “Besides, you’re nothing but a mouthful anyway.”

“Um …”

“Look, it’s obvious that you didn’t sign any contract that was written in the impure blood of at least three unrepentant sinners nor did you sacrifice three hundred virgins to make a burning circle. Hell, you happen to be a virgin yourself.”

“Hey! Um, no, I didn’t and no, that’s none of your business!”

“YOU GETTING COCKY BRAT?!” snarled the red haired one.

“AAAACK!”

“Stop scarin’ the kid! That’s not going to help,” said the blue haired one. “So here’s the problem. Since we’ve manifested, we can’t go back without a corrupt soul. We’re bound to you until we fulfill your soul damning wish. So. What would you like us to do? We can bring down nations. Make you rise up as an emperor! Gather up the hearts of a thousand maidens to lay beating at your feet …”

“Erm, I don’t want any of that!” Komatsu insisted. “Um, can I just wish you home?”

“Fuckin’ HELL! That’s not exactly a soul damning wish!” growled the red haired demon.

“I don’t want my soul damned,” Komatsu said softly. “Just like I don’t want any sort of power. I just want to cook. Um, are you sure you have the right guy?”

“Unfortunately, the fact that we appeared here, in front of you, says as much,” said the black haired demon. “How you were able to summon four demons of hell … and us, in particular … without trying … is a bit odd. Most people can barely manage one on purpose.”

“It’s undigni’fied, that’s what it is!” sniffed the last demon. “It’s OBV’s that something as ugly and uncultured as YOU are can’t POSSIBLY summon something as sinfully beat’ful as ME!”

“Ah,” Komatsu quailed. “I am REALLY sorry though.” He swallowed.

“We know,” said the black haired demon. “That actually is part of the problem. You feel bad for us — honestly bad — even though it’s through no fault of your own that we’re here. And deep beyond the fear … huh.”

“Wha … what do you mean?”

“Komatsu-kun, you really are interesting, you know that? You want to make us your … friends?”

“Ah … um …” Komatsu rubbed his cheeks with his hands. Without their heads on fire, he had to admit the four didn’t seem all that bad. “If we’re really stuck together and you aren’t going to eat me …”

“We STILL MIGHT, you COCKY BASTARD! DAMN IT! You’re a not even a king or a fuckin’ warrior. Hell, give me a hero even. But no, You’re a COOK! A FUCKin’ COOK WANTS TO BE FRIENDS WITH DEMONS?! Damn it all!”

“Hey, give the kid a break! I actually like being out again, even if it is just with a cook and in his err … cooking world.” the blue haired one mused. “No harm, no foul. We just stick around ‘til he fucks up, and then we get to go home. In the meantime, I saw we enjoy ourselves.”

Komatsu twisted his apron in his hands.What’s going to happen if I fu— ahh, mess up?! he wondered.

“Arrgh, he can’t even curse in his thoughts! FUCK IT ALL!” howled the red haired demon. “Forget the second coming … we’re gonna be stuck here until the sixth at this rate!”

“Calm down.” the black haired one. “That will not help matters. Komatsu-kun, in the past, we’d go through the whole rigamarole of trying to seduce you, but that leads to its own complications. Hell has found that, sometimes the truth works best sometimes. So the truth is this: we will be here until you give into your desires and make a decision that damns your soul.

You say you have no desires now? Well, perhaps, if you spend more time with us, you will learn. Perhaps, one day, you will really truly understand what it means to really desire. Yes, I definitely think that might work.”

“Uuuuuuh.”

“Until then, I suppose introductions are in order. Unfortunately we can’t tell your our true names. That would melt your flesh from your bones and boil your brain in your skull.”

“Oh.”

“But we are amenable to human aliases. What would you like to call us? Naming us by our hair color must be tiring.”

“Uh …” Komatsu blinked, scanning his kitchen. “Err …”

“I also advise you not to name us “Mayonaise” or “Butter” or even “Mr. Whipple’s Wondrous Pancakes” … as interesting as that moniker sounds.”

“Ah.” Komatsu bit his lip. Silence stretched between them, long and lean. In the distance, he could hear his pipes gurgling and the sound of the passing traffic below. The world seemed to be turning onwards merrily, oblivious to the soul changing event taking place in his small kitchen.

“But … names are important, right? They have to fit you, so I don’t want to mess it up … maybe you could name yourselves?”

For a moment, all of the demons looked thunderstruck. Their mouths were open (so many fangs!), their eyes were wide (with flames dancing within them), and they had all taken a step back (he was sorta glad that the hellmouth had actually closed — they would have fallen in).

“Name … ourselves?” the blue haired one said.

“Yep!”

“Ah, we’ve … never actually done that,” the blue haired one said.

“Really?” Komatsu blinked.

“Our first names were given by the one we rebelled against, and thus we shall never hear them again — that’s why there’s all that skin peeling and brain boiling. And our contract holders usually would name us. We’ve never had the freedom to …” the blue haired one blinked. “Huh.”

“Well, I didn’t choose my name either, but I think you guys totally should.” Komatsu nodded. “Since you’re the ones who’ll have to answer to it.”

“I don’t know about this. I just fuckin’ don’t know! He’s bein’ too fuckin’ cocky!”

“A name is such a dangerous thing …”

“It can’t be too ugly … uuugh, imagine being called something ugly and having to reply!”

“I want to be called Toriko!”

“WHHHAAAT?!”

Later, Komatsu reflected on just how odd it was to be completely in synch with three other demons as the fourth grinned at them confidently.

It would not be the last time.

“Um, err … Toriko-san, err .. Toriko is sorta a girl’s na-“

“Sunny! I shall be known as Sunny, for I am as beautiful as the brightest morning star in the sky!”

“Ah, Sunny-san, um, you do know that Sunny is sorta a girl’s name t—”

“Then I shall be Coco.”

“Err …”

“I’ve always liked the sound that doves make, you know. Coco. Coco.”

“Doves?! Um, I don’t think that doves sound like —”

“Call me Zebra, you bastards!”

“Whhhhat?”

“Stop gaping at me! I happen to fuckin’ like zebras. Almost as much as I like hippos, but that would be a STUPID name, right?!”

“Ah.” Komatsu said faintly. In the background, he heard a ding. His turnovers were finished.

“Do you have a problem with the names we chose?” Toriko asked. There was something … slippery … in his voice. The barest hint of a slither, almost. “You could still choose for us. Order us around. You know, giving demons freedom… it’s not exactly done.”

Komatsu thought for a moment. He thought about freedom. He thought about the weight of being bound. And he thought … what was it like to be set free?

“No. They’re good names. Welcome to my world, Toriko-san, Sunny-san, Coco-san, Zebra-san! Get ready for lots of cooking because you won’t be going back for a long while. I not going to be damned and I’m NOT going to hell.”

“Hmm, yes. However, now I think we may want to take you with us,” purred Toriko.

Oh well, Komatsu thought as he took his apple turnover out of the oven, it looked like his chef’s life was not going to be boring any longer.

*****

TOTALLY NOT EDITED!!! ARRRGH! Written in forty five minutes. Wheew.

Huh. So I took the whole DEMON!KINGS thing a bit too far. XD I guess they now go off. The demons will protect Komatsu as he searches for ingredients and while he cooks … though they’ll also be trying to seduce him at the same time … and bring his soul down to hell so they can keep it forever and ever. XD

I can also see the rest of hell coming up for a peek to see what has intrigued the four kings … and wanting Komatsu too. EPIC DEMON BATTLES!! XD

I foresee, though, that they might end up being the ones brought upwards instead.

I guess there could also be a long plotty explanation of how Komatsu accidentally summoned demons. There should probably be a saving the world sorta thing thrown in, but I’m tired and I absolutely cannot take on another long plot.

I know it sucks, but hey, I tried?! XD.

Actually, to be honest, I would like to see someone do this plot well. Or in another words, someone not me.

So embarrassing *Turns pink* Ah well. Win some, lose some.

Drags you into the party

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:09:52 -0400

tsunderepirate replied to your post: Dooooo EEeeeeet!

whoever writes one, don’t include those terrible poppers, the kind that got Komtasu killed during the Puffer Whale arc lmfao

Come and join! You have just prompted yourself — three gifts that Toriko NEVER should’ve given Komatsu. XD

(Come on, please don’t make me write all this stuff alone. Pleeeeease.)

Dooooo EEeeeeet!

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:01:39 -0400

fabelyn replied to your post: *pokes Toriko Fandom* Soooooo ….. ?

Komatsu thinks Toriko isn’t aware it’s his birthday and is depressed. Turns out Toriko was just planning a surprise party. I’m thinking of doing this, but I’m not confident with my skills…

Considering I’m having a LOT of problems with my allergies tonight and I’m writing like crap as well … *shrugs* I don’t think I can do your prompt justice.

Hoooooowever … let’s make a deal. I would love to have someone out there writing with me since I feel alone and kinda stupid. Why don’t you write this prompt and give me another one — that way the fandom gets TWO fics, and I don’t have to feel so alone? XD Or I can take this prompt and prompt you? Either way. But DOOOO EEET! Your skills can’t be worse than what I just popped up as a drabble response!

Patty Cake, Patty Cake

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 22:59:00 -0400

latenightiridescence replied to your post: *pokes Toriko Fandom* Soooooo ….. ?

The Kings trying to bake something for Komatsu’s birthday! With varying levels of success. Ugh, I’d take prompts myself but I’m about to leave for the evening. ;__;

The water was on fire.

Toriko wasn’t sure how he had accomplished this near-miraculous feat, but he couldn’t deny the fact that the flames were shooting up from the clear liquid in the pot.

“Ah.” he said. However, due to his finely developed instincts and his superb knowledge of the natural world, he could definitively say, “it probably shouldn’t be doing that.”

“Toriko! You idiot!” wailed Sunny. “Are you burnin’ WATER?!”

“Shut up! I’m not the one who mixed up flour and flowers.” Toriko snarled.

“Hey! We ran out of flour two batches ago. And anyways, flowers are more elegant! How would I know it wasn’t the same when you ground ‘em up!” Sunny grumbled. “And defin’tly not my fault that it’s the ONE thing Coco’s allergic too.”

“Well thanks to you, you took out the ONE king that COULD possibly pull this off,” Toriko said.

“Don’t mind me,” came the nasally wheeze from the corner of the once pristine kitchen. However, since the words had to emerge through clogged sinuses and a thick wad of tissues, what actually came out was “doan min meeeb!”

“How could you possibly be allergic to pollen from a simple daisy?! For Acacia’s sake, I’ve seen you take on eighteen scorpion taipans and still not blink.”

“Allerbies arnt like boison,” came the sad mumble. “an I didn expect somebon to not know the difrence bdween flour and flowers.”

Another sneeze sent a fine mist of red poison droplets misting in the air.

“ARRGH! SO DISG’STIN!”

“Shut up. Coco, turn and spray that venom the other way. Sheesh, if I’d known you’d be this bad, Sunny, I’dve made YOU distract Komatsu and taken Zebra as an assistant instead.”

“Oh yeah?! That grossly gross gross man … you wouldn’t have a single wall left standing in the kitchen if you tried to make ZEBRA cook!”

“Speaking of which — how’s the ETA on them getting back?”

“Ah, well, the news is reborting dad the fourth downtown shoppin plaza haz just been destroyed.” Coco replied. “I predict we hab about den more minutes.”

Toriko glanced worriedly back at the pot of water. It had stopped smouldering, but the bottom of the pan was all black now.

The rest of the chef’s kitchen was in a similar state. Colorful bits of petals were strewn like confetti over nearly every surface. The first batch of dough was still congealing on the ceiling. The second batch was making happy blorping sounds in the sink, while the third and fourth batch were racing to see which would reach sentience first as they oozed into the cracks of the tiled floor.

Toriko sighed. His finely developed instincts and his superb knowledge of the natural world were all now pointing to one inescapable conclusion. “Komatsu is going to KILL us.”

“Surely not! ‘Matsu is such a el’gant and beaut’ful …”

“Have you SEEN what he can do with that Melk knife when he’s properly motivated?!”

“Ah …?”

“Just get ready to say good bye to all your favorite sticky-out parts.”

The batch on the ceiling chose that moment to fall with a rather impressive BLORP.

“ARRRRGH! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?!” Sunny’s feelers were already flying about.

“I prdict we hab six more minutes!”

“Oh god, we’re not going to make it, Toriko!”

“Stop panicking, Sunny! We’re three of the four kings. We’ve hunted in oceans and in deserts and on mountaintops. WE CAN CONQUER THIS KITCHEN. TOGETHER! You get the mops! I’ll work on scraping the crap off the walls. Coco — see if Zebra’s listening and get him to distract Komatsu just a bit longer.”

“I doan dink Zeeba’s listenin’ Doriko! I prdict we have dree more minutes! Oooh … ohhhh waaachoo!”

“Hey, watch where you’re spraying. Okay, Sunny, push harder! Faster! Rub more! Auuugh, you’re missing all the spots! Here let me try.”

“Get your hands off me, you oaf! Arrrghh, hands off, hands off!”

“TWO MORE MINUTES! Ooooh ….”

“Coco, just hold it in! Sunny —don’t be stubborn. It’s better with two people. See?! Right there. Yeah! Harder, faster, yes! You got it! You have to generate friction! More friction! HARDER! YES!”

“Toriko! You’re pushing TOO HARD! I’ll never get it off that way … oh”

“See? Yeah, you just have to rub it in just the right direction, long and smooth arcs, just like this …”

“Ooooohhhh …”

“Quit spraying everywhere, Coco!”

“JUST WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THREE DOING?!”

“ARRGH!”

At least it would be, Toriko reflected, something they would ALL always remember as the door opened to reveal a rather red cheeked and visibly flustered Zebra and a chef who looked as bewildered as a crab that suddenly sprouted wings.

“Ah.” Toriko said as the last of the batter unstuck itself from the ceiling. “Happy Birthday?!”

***

In the end, it was good that Komatsu was a kind and forgiving soul.

“Damn it all! It was supposed to be easy,” Toriko said for as they finished off their meal. Having contacts to all the top ten star restaurants was almost as good as having his aforementioned fine instincts. It was also good that he had contacts to the best cleaning services as well. “You always cook so well for us, we wanted to do the same for you.”

Komatsu just blushed. “But that’s my job. I’d really feel very weird for you guys to take over that part, actually. You wouldn’t need me anymore.”

“Brat, don’t ever say that,” grumbled Zebra. Interestingly enough, however, he had yet to look any of them in the face without clenching his jaw and turning the slightest shade of red.

Toriko decided he didn’t even want to know.

“We’ll always need you, ‘Matsu! And well, today we just want’d to show how glad we are that you’re in the world.”

“It’s not a big deal.” Komatsu insisted.

“Yes it is,” Toriko insisted. “It’s your BIRTHDAY! Without today, there would be no you!”

And without you … there would be no “us” … we wouldn’t be eating together, destroying your kitchen, driving you crazy, making sure you’re safe.

Toriko couldn’t quite bring himself to say that, though. “Aghh, I’m sorry that we couldn’t make the cake — damn, cooking is so DANGEROUS! But really, we just wanted to do something unique for you, something that would make you happy.”

“I already have that,” Komatsu said, softly. “Every day you all are with me.”

It was very odd, Toriko thought, to be celebrating someone else’s birthday …

And suddenly to be the one to receive a gift.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else you want? You have all four kings tonight, at your disposal …” Toriko insisted.

“Well, um … all four … at my … disposal?” Komatsu stared at the floor, but there was definitely something like a grin curling up his lips. “I think … perhaps if you, um don’t mind …”

“Just say it!”

“Erm. Can I g-give you all …um … b-b-baking lesson? Together? But not in the kitchen, though it will involve h-h-heating up things. And kneading. And maybe even …. um … s-s-sandwiching layers. Together.”

The last word was said with a squeak. Komatsu was positively bright red now, though it was a color that matched Zebra exactly. Coco had hidden his face underneath another tissue — even though he was no longer sneezing. And Sunny was positively gawping.

Toriko, himself, probably didn’t look any better.

But as he exchanged knowing looks with the other three over the little chef’s head, Toriko could not help but give a large grin in return.

“A cooking lesson, huh?” he said. “Well, happy birthday to us!”

-end

Erm, that ended oddly. Sudden! Surprise! Smex! Metaphor! *facepalm*

Ah well. Written in twenty minutes, without a beta, so there you go. Not sure I liked how the story just stopped, but um … yeah. Sorry. I’m not sure even the excuse of “I’m having an allergy attack” works (though it gives me great sympathy for Coco in this fic). I know it’s out of character. But I think it’s because I couldn’t decide whether it was crack fic or not. XD

I’ll try again if you want me too. XD Also, probably going to lock this once I wake up tomorrow morning and see what I did. Great googly moogly.

pokes Toriko Fandom Soooooo ..... ?

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:25:00 -0400

Anyone up for a drabblethon? I did have a piece that I wanted to publish today, but it got really long. And I’m not sure it makes earth sense. <_<.

Soooooo … opening the journal for Toriko Drabble Prompts in celebration of a certain Chef’s birthday. *G* (I’ve actually never done this before, so … huh.) Wonder if anyone will take me up on the offer. *curious* ~~Nooooo don’t! It’s a TRAAAAP!~~

~~Ps:pleasedon’tletmedothisalone.therehastobeotherfansouttherewho’lljoinme!~~

Lest you ever forget . . .

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:18:00 -0400

That Toriko is written by a guy presumably for young guys …

Shima-nevermetapunIdon’tlike-bukaro is on the job!

Not only do we have a character with a questionable name … there’s the … ahh … shape of things.

I think it’s the ring of hair at the top that is most disturbing. But wait! What are we going to call the ladies?!

Everybody sing with Parco now!

Though, seriously, to give him credit, Chiru isn’t designed with much to moge. XD And finally, we have Weenie man’s combo partner. Who could possibly combo with Weenie man? Take a wiiiiiild guess!

Yeaaaaah. Again with the suggestive hair. Stay classy, Toriko manga, Stay classy.

Noooot the first time for all these jokes, but dang I got distracted by them this time. This didn’t help …

At least you remembered us ladies, I guess. XD

Not much else to say, except well … bring on the flaming temple of Weenie. *mutters* If that’s not a metaphor for not sticking certain stuff into wrong places, I don’t know what is. Hey Toriko and Komatsu, make sure you practice safe … temple exploring! Yeah!

so loooonely. T____T

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:54:00 -0400

It ain’t easy to be in a small fandom when your other friends don’t enjoy it. XD

So everyone was drawing, including me (though really I can’t draw, but meh details) and then people go “huh … err … okay” when you go “Tadah?!” -_0.

Okay, okay, it also doesn’t help that I can’t draw people … and this is especially bad when I only have a mouse and microsoft paint to work with. So even if they knew Toriko, they wouldn’t know wtf I drew.

My poor Toriko cat. *cries*

So looooonely. Ah well, that’s what the internet is … that is, an infinite amount of keyboard smashing, each smash crying aloud, “why you no like me?!” XD.

Artist: 夏生　真さん Source: Tegaki pokes fandom curious I think...

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 22:47:00 -0400

Artist: 夏生　真さん

Source: Tegaki

*pokes fandom* *curious* I think I remember something about Komatsu’s b-day coming up. Anyone doing anything? (I actually have TIME this time around to do something, so … curious?)

Fire away!

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:31:00 -0400

Um, I just wanted to make this absolutely positively clear — no matter what anyone has to say about what I write … it’s all good. Comment away.

Even if it’s harsh criticism. (Um, not that anyone’s actually done that *blush*)

I will always try to think through what you say. I won’t always agree with you, but I will think about it.

And yes, I know it sounds like what your grade school teacher used to say, but there aren’t any dumb comments. If something’s confusing about a story, just tell me; most likely, I didn’t do my job as a writer correctly (since, well, writing is all about communicating.)

Even if that’s not the case, criticism and questions often get me thinking, and well … that’s what I need to be doing. So yep. Go ahead and fire away.

That said, much love, luck, and lollipops go to fuyuhana-san, celloowls, kingcarp and lotusblossomz2061!

Heh, you guys are STILL hanging in there for the next chapter, huh? *is impressed* ALSO much love and hugs to fabelyn who gave me some wonderful comments and made me think. My message box is always open (Though erm, somedays it’ll take a LOT longer to get back to you. This week is a light work week.) X3

Because it’s my ninetieth post and it makes me happy....

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:12:00 -0400

Because it’s my ninetieth post and it makes me happy. BWAAARGHL!

Story Musing

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 23:51:00 -0400

fabelyn said: OMG I totally didn’t see the last chapter ;_; Anyways…I.HAVE.NO.WORDS!!! To describe how much I love the way you write the characters. I feel as if they would have definately have acted that way in canon too. Although as much as I loved it, I think Toriko trusts Zebra and…

First, thank you so much for the very kind comments. (Actually, thank you to EVERYONE who commented. *blush* I’ll get to those replies later!)

Hehe, I’m glad you liked the chapter for the most part. It’s kinda been making me very nervous that somehow, I seem to be losing readers as I go along, but :) knowing that even a few people are reading always helps.

I’m kinda mad at tumblr because it cut off the rest of your comment; huuum, I don’t know how to fix that (TUUUUUUMBLRRRR!) but if you ever want to write me a longer message, just send me a mail ^__^ I really do value criticism and boy, I know I need it for this fic.

As for what you were saying … I think about Toriko trusting Zebra? Hmm. I looked back over the Toriko and Zebra interactions. They do come off as a bit brusque, but what I was trying to do (and probably failing) was to show that there is something going on between the actions and relationships of the four kings more than what Komatsu is really seeing.

*blush* I didn’t mean to imply that Toriko didn’t trust Komatsu’s safety with Zebra; Coco, for one, knows that Komatsu went off with him.

When Toriko discovers the fact that Komatsu’s gone off with Zebra, he isn’t as nervous as to Zebra *not* taking care of Komatsu … I think he’s more concerned with why Zebra took Komatsu.

Oops, I think this may get long. Hit the cut to see some really long ramblin’ about my thinking processes. *Watches everyone flee* OH DEAR.

There are two things on Toriko’s mind though — he’s suspicious that Zebra took Komatsu as a method of challenging him — and he isn’t far off the mark.

Toriko also knows that the other pirate isn’t very happy on the ship and does not quite like having to compromise with the other three kings. However, he wants Zebra to leave Komatsu out of those issues.

All the kings are pretty much forced together because — erm, future plot reason (and let me tell you, I’m nervous as hell that I can pull this off) — and Toriko’s making sure that Komatsu isn’t being used as a pawn in this matter. In Toriko (and Sunny and Coco’s) opinion, it’s an issue that should remain solely between the four of them.

And as he tells Zebra, he’s more concerned that he didn’t give Komatsu a choice - as evidenced that Komatsu didn’t even have a time to get his pack.

Komatsu’s accompanying of Toriko is ALWAYS by choice, in contrast. He chooses to go into the danger, chooses to almost get killed.

Especially with Komatsu’s background, from a world that doesn’t give him much choice or freedom, it’s a big step for a little chef, and something Toriko sees as important.

It’s also in contrast to the fact that the pirates don’t have a choice about their life on the seas. Zebra’s move, in some ways, was also about exposing Komatsu to the reality of living with some of the most powerful men in the whole world. Zebra wants to see if that’ll scare him.

It backfires, though — Komatsu ends up having even MORE faith in the pirates. *G*

Zebra also turns the argument on Toriko by pointing out they haven’t been acting pirate-y lately, which is a form of lying, which of course, he despises.

If Toriko really wants to give Komatsu a choice (which is coming up — he has the choice of staying with the pirates or not), the kid HAS to be able to see the whole spectrum of what a life with the four kings would mean. It’s not just rainbows and butterflies.

So yeah, a lot was going on, and I failed, I think, to completely cover it. *head clutchy* I usually write better than this, but well … it’s been a while since I wrote and plotted out something this long. I will work on the scene abit more in the later releases.

The main problem is that I’m writing with Komatsu as my main POV. He is in the dark half the time, and I don’t quite know how to make all my thought processes behind the writing clear when he doesn’t know what’s going on.

Though it’s not like I think he’s dumb. He’s not AT ALL dumb — it is MY fault as a writer for keeping him in the dark. But he is polite, and trying to be kind, so he tries not to ask despite being pretty curious about the past of the four kings. He can tell it’s probably not pleasant and they really don’t want to talk about it, despite the fact that it’s what’s driving them to be pirates.

Anyway, it’s not that Toriko doesn’t trust Zebra with Komatsu’s safety — he doesn’t even ask if Komatsu’s ok when he first sees them — he assumes that’s the case.

He only really gets really concerned when he finds out Komatsu HAS been injured which does surprise him and pokes at his protective instincts which is what leads to the almost-tug-of-war. It’s more like a reaction than Toriko not really trusting the other pirate.

(Komatsu may not know it at this point, but Toriko cares a whole lot for his well being. Even in canon, Toriko’s infamous about hiding his motives and feelings from Komatsu — for example, he never did explain, in the ice hell arc, that part of why he went was for Komatsu. And then there’s that whole reluctant dance around asking Komatsu to be his partner in Vegetable Sky. *Facepalm* Followed by insisting several times, that the ONLY reason they’re going to Melk Mountain is for the seasoning, not because Komatsu is bawling over his knife. Komatsu, bless him, ALWAYS believes him. *DOUBLE FACEPALM*)

Zebra is showing that he’ll go beyond the normal scope to protect that chef, something which does make Toriko feel happy.

And well, here in the story, Toriko is really beginning to get a glimmer of what Komatsu’s arrival really could mean for his crew. And how important he will be (though, well, Komatsu doesn’t see it. AT ALL. *sighs*) He’s quite delighted to see signs that Zebra might not resent being on the ship any longer — not if Komatsu’s there.

You get to see quite a bit of it in the next chapter, actually.

But um, wow, that’s a lot of rambling about my story. *Blush* Sorry. Gaaaaaaaah. I didn’t mean to go on so long. Dang. Narcissism much? *facepalm*

But hopefully that answers your question? I love having people tell me stuff — it gives me a chance to think further about plot points and to try to make things clearer. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Toriko Pirate Fic: Chapter 4C - Stranger Tides*

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:16:00 -0400

Title: Viva la Vida
Fandom: Toriko
Rating: PG-13 because Zebra has a potty mouth. ESPECIALLY IN THIS CHAPTER. HE SWEARS SO MUCH! HE SWEARS LIKE A … well … pirate.
Summary: As a landlocked chef, Komatsu has never really fit in the world of the Gourmet Empire. Can an encounter with a mysterious stranger, an accidental abduction, and a whole new world of adventure help him find his place?
Warning: Toriko Pirate AU. Do I really have to say anything else? *facepalm*

Part 1A: For Goodness Steak!

Part 1B: Pasta la Vista, Baby!

Part 2A: But I’ve Never Been to Boston in the Fall!*

Part 2B: Frying Pans and Fires

Part 2C: Just for the Halibut

Part 3A: Give Peas a Chance

Part 3B: Peponi*

Part 4A: YOU ARE A PIRATE!*

Part 4B: Cinnamon Seas*

(PS: No cliffhanger this time, though um, you need to have read Chapter 4B in order to read this one).

***
It might have been hours or it might have been minutes before Komatsu’s shuddering finally subsided and he could uncurl his clenched hands. The pinpricks in his fingers, as the blood came rushing back, was oddly mesmerizing — a physical echo of the mental sensation of waking and shaking loose from his shock.

Komatsu had almost forgotten the feeling of his consciousness being on mute; life with the four emperors tended to sing the senses alive with every waking moment.

However long the time — measured in heartbeats or otherwise — it didn’t feel like it was enough to recover from what he had just experienced.

Komatsu had known, though. He had known that Zebra hadn’t been like the others. Toriko had warned him. Coco had made sure to keep a watchful eye on all their interactions. Sunny too, had made his opinions clear.

“But still …” he said, scrubbing at his hair. “I didn’t know he could be so … he was … but …”

Zebra said they were all “made.” Made for the hunt. Made for the kill. Made … as if little more than animals with ferocious appetites.

And he couldn’t deny it; every one of the kings was terribly capable of seizing the world by the neck and clamping down until its struggles stopped. The hunter. The hunted.

And him, with his hands trembling and his head lowered … what was he? Komatsu rubbed at his face.

A chef. Something within him said firmly, loud and true.

I’m just a chef.

He had also said that once before, long ago and a lifetime away. I can’t fight. All I can do is …

“I can cook them,” he whispered aloud. “No matter what anyone does, I can cook.”

For as heartbreaking as it was to have a whole species worth of ingredients go extinct, letting them go to waste on top of that …

Dragging limbs that felt like they were filled with lead, Komatsu forced himself towards the first animal. The creature had four legs, four hooves, and … strangely enough …four pairs of wickedly sharp horns. Long, serrated teeth jutted out of a large misshapen mouth. A double set of eyes — all four the size of dinner plates — bulged out of its head. And on its flank …

“That’s an imperial brand,” Komatsu noted aloud as he looked closer. “And a … tattoo? X-2100011?”

He ran over to the next corpse. It had the same imperial brand and a tattoo that read “X-2100015.”

Wild animals didn’t usually come branded with the imperial mark and tattooed with letters and numbers.

A sinking sensation began to fill his stomach, loading it down as if he had swallowed boulders. However, at the very bottom of that feeling, like a coin in a deep dark well, hope glinted as well.

And the first spark of understanding.

Staggering back to his feet, he turned toward the last direction where he had seen the pirate.

Finding Zebra proved much harder than following him. Zebra hadn’t left a trail this time, and Komatsu quickly found himself swallowed up by the thick jungle of the island

Did he actually destroy all that stuff so I could walk easier?! Komatsu wondered bewilderedly. And wait … does that mean he left that meadow untouched for me?!

Maybe the fact he left me alone was so that the animals …oh.

I said I wanted to know him better … but what if …

What if he was the one who really knew … me?

Sitting down on a mossy log, Komatsu put his head into his hands. Why do I always jump to the wrong conclusions? Why do I always open my big mouth before I think things through?

“I’m sorry,” he said into the air, just in case. “I was wrong. I still don’t think you should have killed all those mutant cows, but I can’t exactly say it’s wrong either. What I do know is that I don’t have the right to judge.”

Only the normal sounds of the jungle greeting him. Zebra probably didn’t want to listen to someone as stupid as I am, Komatsu concluded.

“I was cocky.”

The loud crashing sound to his left made him tense. He closed his eyes, bracing himself.

“I’m ready for whatever you want to do to me!” he declared.

“MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOROAR!”

Wait, that doesn’t sound like — was all the time Komatsu had to think before he was slammed in the side with bone jarring force. The momentum sent him smacking straight into a tree. He barely had time to regain his feet before the gigantic shape headed for him again. He rolled out of the way in time as hooves as large as his head came thundering past.

“WAAAAAAAH!!” Komatsu screamed as the animal circled and lowered its head again. Before he could even blink, the giant cow was charging. The ground shook as a tide of sinew and muscles rampaged toward him.

It took every last bit of desperate strength to throw himself to the right. However, the beast flowed into the change by curving its head towards the right as well, catching Komatsu hard in the ribs and making a loud bone crunching crack. By all rights, he should have been split in two or speared through; instead, he was thrown backwards again, as if smacked by a bat.

Tumbling again in the dirt, Komatsu scrabbled at the ground with desperate fingers, but he could not find the slightest spark of energy with which to rise again. Once more, the cow circled. The enormous hooves scraped the earth. The massive head lowered.

Komatsu closed his eyes. He was going to die here, on a remote island far from home, with the knowledge that he had made a mistake … and he would not be able to fix it. As the very world seemed to trembled around him, Komatsu knelt helpless on the ground, barely able gasp out, much less call for either help or forgiveness. Zebra-san …

Still, it was enough.

“VOICE-CUTTER!”

The cow exploded.

Komatsu was dimly aware of thudding sounds smacking the ground as parts of the animal rained down around him. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, something was hysterically throwing up its little arms and screaming about exploding mutant cowbeasts, but the rest of him was gibbering in relief that he hadn’t been ground into mincemeat.

“You stupid asshole! You better be the fuck okay!! I TOLD you I was going to come back for you. That meant stay the FUCK put! Do I need to rip your head off and check the state of your ears, brat?!” despite the rough nature of the words, the hand on his shoulder was gentle as it helped him sit up. Zebra’s thick fingers, too, felt surprisingly delicate as they ran up and down Komatsu’s torso. Komatsu spent a full five minutes just leaning into the support Zebra provided, coughing and spluttering as he clutched his aching ribs.

“Damn it, you better be okay! I’m going to kill you if you’re not!”

“Z-z-zebra-san!” Despite the flare of agony from his side, Komatsu threw himself against that blood covered figure, grabbing him around the waist as he sobbed.

“I’m sorry! I know I was cocky! You can kill me know if you want, but I just have to say that! I’m so sorry!”

It took several more minutes of hysterical crying before he realized that Zebra was not, in fact, going to do anything but stand in a rather tense and puzzled manner. With one last wet hiccup, Komatsu peeled himself off the pirate. He put his hands to his sides, straightened his aching body as much as he could, then nodded once.

“I’m ready,” he said.

“Did you get kicked in the head or something?! What in the ever loving fuck are you talking about?!” Zebra said. “Kid, I just don’t understand you sometimes.”

“Remember? On the ship, you said that if after I went hunting with you, and I discovered I was being cocky — well, back there in the meadow I really said some horrible things without thinking — and now I know the cow things really don’t belong on the island and they probably would’ve destroyed the ecosystem and you really truly did have a reason and I was just blind to it, and I judged you anyway and that is so cocky!”

“Jeez, brat, take a breath or something between your words. I’m glad to know you’re lungs weren’t damaged!”

“B-b-but I was wrong! And I was cocky! So I’m ready for whatever you want to do to me!”

With those words, Komatsu braced his shoulders once again, trying not to shake. He even managed not to scream too loud when a large hand descended on his shoulder. However, instead of tearing him limb from limb, the hand steadied him again and stayed there until Komatsu finally stopped shivering and braved a look upwards.

“Kid, there’s being truthful, and then there’s being plain stupid. You’re both, aren’t ya?” Zebra threw his head back as he laughed, free hand slapping his knee. “Have some sense of self preservation, will you? Gah, it’s been a very long while since I’ve met someone who’d stand and say they were cocky straight to my face. You’re really something else.”

Komatsu looked up at him, astounded. “You’re … not going to kill me?”

“Naaaaaah. You didn’t exactly tell a lie, did you? I am a murderous pirate. And you’re annoying as hell, stupid as a stepped on serpent frog, uglier than a galala’s backside, and more cocky than a cockerel … but you’re much more amusing alive than dead. By the way … I didn’t kill those damn cows because they were destroying everything. I did it ‘cause they were cocky imperial-bred bastards, stamping around this island like they were the meanest things on here. HELL no, I’m the meanest imperial-bred bastard, y’got that?!”

Komatsu rubbed his eyes. Somehow, he had a feeling that as much as Zebra loved the truth, the reason he had just given wasn’t the whole truth.

“Still, please forgive me, Zebra-san? I was wrong. I do want to know you better.” He grabbed one of the pirate’s hands, trying to convey the seriousness of his words through his grip. “Please?”

For a moment, Zebra stared at him, eyes narrowed and mouth twisted in a mangled parody of a scowl. “I don’t take any of it back, you know. I am a killer, I always will be. That’s why I can’t STAND the others … they’re just lyin’ to themselves. Toriko has a monster appetite just as big as mine — and one that won’t ever let him have peace. Coco has poison, and not just in his power. And Sunny maybe be pretty on the outside, but ya haven’t seen him flay a creature from its skin. I have. It’s what we are. I won’t deny that. I FUCKING WON’T.”

Komatsu paused. Then he took a deep breath and brought his head up, craning high to see those angry eyes. “I know that.”

“Do you really? What will you do when we proceed shit all over those precious morals of yours? I know you have them, kid. And I know you won’t like everything we pirates do … but I won’t fuckin’ change because some fuckin’ brat comes on our ship! How will you stay true to yourself then? Ever think about that, brat?”

“Not really,” Komatsu shrugged, which tugged the pirate‘s hand closer to him. Curiously enough Zebra still hadn’t let go. Komatsu took the opportunity to tighten his grip.

And again, there was no resistance.

“The way I see it … um … I’m just a chef. Pirates get hungry too, right? We all do. And in order to live, something has to die. That’s the ultimate rule of nature. But that doesn’t mean that the act of eating has to be meaningless or without honor. I learned that from Toriko-san.”

At the mention of the other pirate’s name, Zebra made a motion of pulling away, but Komatsu curled his fingers against the large hand, just so … and somehow … somehow … it was enough to stop him.

“And when I cook — I can bring that feeling to the things you kill. By cooking something well, I can keep my values, even if I don’t agree with yours. Cooking … real cooking is about feeding everyone, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. It’s also about bringing a touch of humanity, of art, into the base act of just surviving. We might have to eat to live, but we cook to enjoy life. I really believe this, Zebra-san.”

For a long moment, Zebra was silent. Finally, the massive shoulders dropped slightly. The large hand felt even heavier as it lay passively in both of Komatsu’s.

However, it must’ve been Komatsu’s imagination that made the pirate seem almost wistful.

“You don’t really know anything about us, kid. If you did, you wouldn’t fuckin‘ say those things.”

“I know that Toriko means it when he shows respect to life. And Coco’s gentleness is just as powerful as any poison he could bring out. And Sunny,” he shrugged. “who says beauty can’t be cruel sometimes? But that doesn’t change the fact he has something wonderful in him that outshines even his hair and face. Maybe you guys are walking appetites. But you’re also more than that. Even you, Zebra-san. I believe it. I really do. So please forgive me for my mistakes. Please?”

For a long moment, Zebra stood still and silent.Then, jerking his hand roughly out of Komatsu’s, the pirate cleared his throat and looked away.

“Fuckin’ HELL! You’re one persistent, cocky little bastard, aren’t you? FINE. I’ll forgive you. On one condition: you gotta cook anything I catch, just like you do for the blue haired asshole.”

Komatsu blanched, thinking of the sharktopus and the other rather sizable creatures Zebra usually dragged up from the dark depths of the sea. Cooking them all would take days. But the fact that the pirate actually wanted him to cook his ingredients? Komatsu had a feeling the warmth that was starting in his stomach was definitely starting to show in a red swath across his face.

“Of course I’ll help ya’ cut ‘em up!” Zebra added, apparently taking his expression as a refusal.

“Okay, um, I’ll try … but on the condition that you also sometimes share some of it with the others since it’ll take up a lot of my time and I won’t be able to cook as much for them. In fact, I want you to try to get along better with them.”

“What?!” Zebra snarled. “Let those other assholes touch my food?! Fine, then you have to go on more hunts with me!”

Komatsu blinked. A slow curl of delight was beginning to join the warmth in his stomach. It was all he could do not to grin. “I know I said I’d accept you for whatever you are, and I mean it … but if I go with you, maybe you could promise not to destroy the environment or go around killing things without reason when I’m around —that means people too —just because it pisses you off or you want to fight … only kill what you want to eat or for defense.”

“What the fuck?! Who do you think you are to …. Well fine! Then you’re going to have to clean my room in the ship, just like you do the deck and the other places pretty boy throws a fit about.”

“Clean … your … room?!” Komatsu swallowed heavily. He could only imagine the chaos, given how Zebra’s definition of cleaning the deck meant throwing all the bones from his catch into one gigantic pile. (It left Sunny, most days, in a frazzled pile of dramatic agony.) “Then you have to promise to come up on deck more!”

“Say … Kid, y’know … if one day I just decide to abandon ship, would you come with me?”

“And one more condit— … eh what?” Surprised by Zebra’s sudden change of tone, Komatsu stopped, hands fluttering at his sides. For once, there was not a hint of bravado in the man’s voice. Instead, Zebra seemed abnormally still and serious. “W-what did you say?”

“Actually, you’re the one who said it before. I don’t exactly do the ship any good, do I?” Zebra folded his massive arms together, eyes boring into Komatsu.

“I did say that,” Komatsu nodded. “But I told you I was wrong, and I’m sorry -”

“Don’t take that back — you fuckin’ know I can’t stand bastards who take back their words! I’ve been thinking about it a lot — I’m stronger on my own … but I suppose I could take along a chef, even if it is a scrawny brat like you.”

Stunned, Komatsu folded his arms around himself. He actually wants me as his personal chef? Before, he couldn’t even STAND my dishes!

Well, it’s not like he has any other choices for chefs right now, in the middle of the ocean.

“But Zebra-san … since you were listening, you know I also said that you all belong together, as one crew, as one team,” ignoring how his sides screamed with pain, Komatsu raised himself to his fullest height, meeting Zebra’s gaze full on. “I believe that more than ever now.”

“There’s that crazy faith of yours again. And in me, too.” Zebra shoved a meaty hand through his wild hair. “Where do you GET that?!”

There was something bewildered about his manner, something completely out of place with his normal loud and brash exterior, like a wisdom panda that had found itself in the middle of a proper garden party.

“I can’t explain it, I just know,” Komatsu said. “You’re more than just pirates, more than whatever it was that made you in the past! You four belong together as a crew and together, you run a ship that is unbeatable by anyone else in the Gourmet Empire — and beyond!”

Zebra glared at him for a long time, teeth bared and hands fisted. Komatsu, though he was trembling, stood his ground and stared resolutely back. Their standoff continued for the space of a held breath, neither backing down.

Then Zebra threw both hands up in the air, “Fine! Let’s just say this … if I ever prove to you that I’m stronger and better off by myself than with this crew, you have to come with me, right?”

“Okay, I’ll agree to that … because I don’t think that’s ever going to happen,” Komatsu nodded sharply. “But you have to do your best to work with them, right? Please?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever … I got it.” Zebra straightened up, stretching out his arms with a grumble. “Come on, there’s some cows we need to barbecue, and a volcano we can do it in. And afterwards, I’m gonna punch a hole in the side and vent that cocky mountain! That’ll teach it to try to blow up when I’m on the island.”

“You can do that?! That would be awesome; it would also save all the rare animals on here too!” eyes wide, Komatsu beamed at the pirate. Zebra just rolled his eyes.

“Of course I can do that, though I’m sure as hell ain’t doin’ it for all the shitty animals you spent the whole day cooing and fussing over! Who do the hell do you think you’re talking to anyway, you cocky brat?!”

Komatsu gave him even more brilliant grin. “Zebra-san of course! One of the Four most awesome Kings!”

“Don’t you forget it, kid!”

*****

Cooking in a volcano proved to be quite the experience.

Komatsu, though, ended up sitting out for most of it. The annoying ache in his chest had transformed into fierce stabbing of pain every time he moved. Still, he was pretty sure that it was all bruising — and perhaps a cracked rib or two. He had no real trouble breathing, and he felt fine otherwise.

It was also infinitely preferable to having a massive hole where his kidneys, spleen, and his other favorite organs were.

Zebra had made motions about wanting to go back to the ship first, but Komatsu had refused, pointedly staring at the cows instead.

“We can’t let them go to waste!” he insisted.

Zebra had given him another assessing look, then grumbled underneath his breath.

Komatsu knew that there wasn’t much anyone could do about his injuries anyways, beyond wrapping up his ribs and making sure he stayed at still as possible. Zebra had immediately ripped his own shirt into long, sturdy strips to complete the first step and every time Komatsu even looked as if he was about to wiggle a finger, he was met with a snarl to “Stay the FUCK PUT, DAMNIT, or I’ll rip your lungs out through your nose!”

Threats of bodily harm and bone cracking violence aside, Zebra, apparently, did know how to move gracefully and carefully. The journey up the volcano vent adidn’t so much as jar one hair on Komatsu’s head, much less his sensitive ribs.

And although Komatsu had no idea how he did it, Zebra had made sure that the intense heat of from the vent the pirate had chosen to barbecue over didn’t burn Komatsu at all.

The pirate had also done something with his voice that neatly and gently vibrated the dirt and blood particles off of them both. Feeling clean (though rather reluctant to move even a single toe), Komatsu settled himself down and enjoyed the best view of the first ever attempt by anyone, as far as he knew, to use a volcano as a yakuniku grill.

Watching Zebra work was almost as fascinating as being able to cook the cows himself. The man’s technique, like Toriko’s, didn’t involve anything beyond “stick meat over fire. Once it starts turning brown, stuff into mouth.”

However, much like Toriko, it was the sheer vast quantities of meat that Zebra tried to flambé that made Komatsu goggle in awe. Even without his busted ribs, Komatsu doubted he could have help Zebra much. The man was using whole trees as skewers for the cows. The only contributions Komatsu could make were the very timid suggestions of using the honeysweet pine trunks for skewers instead of just chopping down random trees and adding some of the fragrant herbs he had found along the way.

“The honeysweet pines’ll add to a sweet mesquite flavor to the smoke,” he had said. “And the herbs will add a tang to the meat.”

Initially, his suggestions had been met with a “DON’T GET COCKY!” sort of snarl, but Zebra had immediately gone off to scout for the trees.

Soon, rich fatty scent of roasting meat filled the entire island.

Of course, that being so, Komatsu should not have been all too surprised when Toriko showed up. Like Zebra, the pirate did not seem phased at all by the heat of the volcano, though he did raise his eyebrow at how cheerfully Komatsu was sitting on what normally would be a rock hot enough to sizzle him crispy.

What really surprised Komatsu, though, was that Toriko wasn’t drooling at all, despite the fact that he was surrounded by an almost literal mountain of meat. Komatsu had never seen the man ignore food.

Toriko, though, did not even glance at the roast beast. Instead, he made a beeline towards the chef.

“There you are,” he said with a slight, annoyed tilt of his head. “I caught Zebra’s scent mixing with yours on deck, but you guys didn’t exactly leave a trail on the water.”

Komatsu rubbed his nose, feeling the telltale flush of a blush sweep up his face. Oops. I guess I was supposed to meet Toriko this morning! “I’m sorry I missed meeting you, Toriko-san! Zebra-san … er … kinda … well …”

Zebra chose that moment to rudely shove his way between them. “Hmph. Heard you coming from miles off. You mad that I took the chef?”

“No. He’s free to do as he wants … but then again, did he want to go with you? You didn’t even let him bring his supply pack along.” Toriko crossed his arms, expression oddly stormy. “Did you give him a choice?”

Zebra’s eyes became thin slits and he drew back his scarred lips as far as they would go. “Feh! You’re one to talk about choice, Toriko! When have we ever had that much, ourselves? And how much of a choice did you give us back then before draggin’ us out here on that damned ship of yours?!”

Toriko stilled, hands coming to rest at his sides as his mouth tightened into a razor’s line.

The sudden silence that fell between the two felt heavier than any galala crocodile or monstrous mutant cow. Clutching his ribs, Komatsu watched as Toriko and Zebra turned away from each other, backs tense and fists balled.

Komatsu could feel the sweat beading up on his forehead and rolling down his cheeks. Somehow, the silence was even worse than when they actually physically fought each other; somehow, the threat felt more real.

Then, Toriko sighed. His eyes closed for a moment as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just don’t bring Komatsu into it, Zebra. He has no part in that.”

“Fuck you. If anyone’s draggin’ that kid around without him knowing or agreeing, it’s YOU! Or do you think I haven’t noticed that we’ve changed our routine? We haven’t gone pillaging since he’s come aboard?”

“W-what?” Komatsu wasn’t quite sure how his small voice managed to cut through Zebra’s loud bellowing, but it did.

“Are you really changing your routes?” he asked. “I mean, we passed villages, but you left them alone … so I thought … maybe … you don’t attack innocent people?”

“Nah, we don’t pillage what you call the ‘innocent.’” Zebra grumbled. “But don’t get all romantic about it. It’s cause ‘innocent’ people have got shit in the way of good food; the empire has it all. But it’s been weeks since we’ve hit an imperial warship! Are we avoiding the shipping routes or something?! He knows we’re pirates, Toriko! Why the hell are we trying to hide our nature from him?! For cocky-ass, mouthy runt, he’s … eh … he’s …”

Komatsu watched, confused, as Zebra suddenly looked away from him, one hand rubbing the back of his head.

“Well,” he mumbled. “He seems like he’s adapted well to all of us.”

For a long moment, Toriko stared at Komatsu, as if considering. Then he shrugged.

“We’re not hiding anything from you, Komatsu. At least … not anything that we could explain right now. And we’re still going to go towards what I feel like hunting down. It’s just, at the moment, we’re planning around shipping routes and larger ports.”

“Um… “ Komatsu twisted his hands together nervously. Zebra hadn’t flown into a rage, so Toriko must have been telling the truth. “Why?”

“The situation’s changed. There’s other things to consider.”

“Really?” Komatsu frowned. “Wait! Has something happened in the Empire?!”

Toriko shrugged. “Nope. Nothing really ever changes in the Empire.”

Komatsu blinked. “Then what? Why are you changing courses? It can’t be because of … um … well … ”

Toriko snorted. “Don’t worry about it. Coco has a theory, and he wants to check it out. But that involves laying low for a bit — meh, it’s just how Coco is when he’s scheming. I keep telling him to seize the moment — there’s no time like today — but he’s all about planning every little thing. What can you do?”

“Oh,” Komatsu nodded. Of course they wouldn’t change their course because of me! I’m just a no name class five chef …

“However, he’s just about done worrying, and I’m guessing we’re going to be heading for a certain port soon,” Toriko said, “You’ll have all the answers then, because all the pieces will be together at that point. And I agree with one thing Coco said … if we tried to explain now, it’d be like giving you a puzzle without a place to put the pieces. Just hang on a little longer, all right?”

Komatsu swallowed. “It’s okay. Actually, you don’t even have to let me know, if you don‘t want to. Heh, I know I’m just a… well … thank you for being so kind so far.”

“What’s with that face?!” Zebra snarled at him. “Ya want to leave us or something!?”

“Eeep!” Komatsu reeled backwards, taken off balance about by the man’s sudden hostility.

An instant later, he was doubling over. “OWWW!” Apparently, his cracked ribs didn’t appreciate all the windmilling around.

Instantly, two sets of hands were on his back, steadying him. Komatsu thought he might have heard a growl above his head, but neither Toriko nor Zebra seemed willing to argue while he was standing directly between them and gasping with pain.

It took him several minutes before he could uncurl without groaning.

“What happened?” Toriko asked sharply. This time, it was his turn to bare his teeth at Zebra. “I smelled blood, but it didn’t smell like his.”

“Kid’s fine! My sound check showed nothin’ bleedin’ out! It’s nothing worse than what he gets when he goes with you! In fact, I bet I even protected him better!” Zebra said. The pirate had yet to remove his hand from Komatsu’s back.

“So what happened?” Toriko demanded again.

“It’s okay! I just got squished a little!” Komatsu groaned.

“We should get you back to Coco and get that checked out,” Toriko’s fingers tightened against Komatsu’s shirt. Komatsu could feel Zebra’s fingers doing the same, but pulling in an opposite direction.

Oh crap, it’s going to be a tug of war … with me as the rope!

“No!” he blurted out before another argument could erupt. “Really, I’m okay! Zebra already checked and I think he also did something to stop those cows from drilling a hole in me with their big horns. I really would’ve been split in two otherwise!”

“You got attacked by those things?!” Toriko turned to examine the animals. “ But … the only way you would’ve survived was … you gave him sound armor, Zebra?” Toriko’s hands released the back of Komatsu’s shirt. Zebra immediately use the opportunity to pull Komatsu backwards. “You did, didn’t you?!”

Zebra just made a rumbling noise through his nose.

Toriko blinked, and a hint of something much like a smile curled at the side of his mouth. “Awww, Zebra …”

“SHUT up, you asshole! I just needed someone to help me roast these cows; why else would I take a scrawny little brat like him?! And I since brought him out here, of course I fuckin’ made sure I could bring him back in one piece!” Zebra roared, both hands coming to rest on his hips. “What’s so strange about that? Fine! If you’re going to be that way, I’m not going to share any of this meat with you”

Toriko’s teasing expression froze, then melted away to one of genuine surprise, “You’re thinking about sharing your meat!? What the hell? Did you get hit by a cow too?!”

“SHUT UP! So what? Can’t I share food with an annoying asshole who just happens to be on the same ship with me?” Zebra huffed.

“Crewmate,” Komatsu said pointedly. “Toriko-san and you are crewmates.”

“Shut up kid! STOP BEING COCKY!”

“EEEEP!”

“Hey, Zebra, your cows are burning!”

“I should kill the lot of you!”

It was probably just as well, though, that Zebra had to attend to his suddenly flaming cows, because he missed the delighted grin that had spread across Toriko’s face.

*****
To be continued
****

Slightly longer part this time! Woohoo! And no big angst fests … instead I stray into the lands of cheesiness. I mean, gah, there were huge fountains of cheesiness. *facepalm* Oh well.

I’m only twenty pages ahead of you guys now, so I have to get writing again. -_-.

Actually, I’m really nervous, since the last part didn’t get a lot of responses. I hope this part helps. Though if I really did fumble the last chapter or this chapter or any part of it, please please please let me know. There’s nothing quite like silence to stoke the fires of paranoia, especially with a really long fic where so many things can go wrong.

However, this also means I really love and am grateful for the responses I did get. Thank you so much, lotusblossomz2061 , itschilitime, celloowls, knight-of-eire and latenightiridescence! It really helps to know that you are reading. I hope I keep up to your expectations.

We’re into the middle to end stretch of the fic, and this is the danger time where balls can be dropped. Still, I’m going to write it no matter what. Even if it does flop at the end, at least I chased it #$!$!# down to the last letter. Heh. *cries*

Thank you for reading so far. And hey, at least there’s no food puns, though I definitely stole the title from some famous pirate movie. I think it had Johnny Depp in it. XD

Artist: Mee (I totally lub her) Source: Mee’s Blog (hit...

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:10:38 -0400

Artist: Mee (I totally lub her)

Source: Mee’s Blog (hit the link to see the continuation of this comic! It’s even cuter! Again, no Japanese is really needed to understand what’s going on.)

You know, even with my meager abilities to read Japanese, I totally understand the content of this comic. XD Oh Toriko Fandom, you spawn the cutest stuff sometimes, I swear. I wish I had better skills so I can read the more harder fancomics. T___T

Easily amused (or again with the First World Fic Problems)

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:16:00 -0400

“They’re writing WHAT about me?!”

Artist: Mii
Source: Tegaki Pipa

Yay for a easier week than last week! I can’t believe I’m actually on Tumblr on a weekday … will wonders ever cease. XD Of course, since I had some spare time, I also decided to attempt a drabble for practice. (I really should’ve just stuck to editing the other chapter of the pirate fic, since I did leave the last chapter bit on a cliffhanger, but ARRGH).

To my defense, I ended up with a fabulous — or at least it seemed like it was a fabulous at the time — Toriko smut idea.

Buuuuut … I ran into the same problem I ALWAYS run into when trying to write PWP. The sniggles. You know, I start TRYING to write the sexxors, and then something makes me snicker, and then it turns into giggles and suddenly it’s like I’ve taken a time machine back to when I was twelve years old.

I despair of ever writing a good hot sex scene. I really do. And really, it’s only a problem when I’m WRITING. THERE’S ALL THESE WIGGLY PARTS AND GRUNTING AND THRUSTING. I don’t know why it just makes me start “pffft”-ing but I think it’s somewhere between searching for the right verbs and adjectives and trying to picture it in my head that my giggle reflex goes off.

It’s different when I’m a reader. I am totally able to suspend my disbelief then … and HOW. I don’t think I’m this huge prude IRL either. Or I hope not.

There’s just something inherently wonderful and quirky about all human bodies, no matter how sculpted and beautiful they may be … and I guess for me, part of the joy in being with someoneincludes those awkward times when you’re trying to get everything to fit and noticing the weird angles and jiggly bits … and then FINALLY getting over it … I can’t seem to forget that when I try to jump straight into writing the porn.

It seems magnified within this fandom too. Cause honestly, I think Toriko and the others (no matter WHO you pair them with) would have some MAJORLY awkward-y first times, given their different sensory levels and probably sensory preferences. Perhaps I should write that out FIRST so I can get it straight in my head, before jumping on the train to PWP-ville. That’s usually what helps me get over it in most fandoms I try to write for. XD

However, I’m really scared that whatever I’ll write will turn into this comedy of eros instead of just PURE eros.

Oh great googly moogly, no one will ever. ever. read me. T____T *whines dramatically*

Anyway. Yeah. Total fail. I did not write the Toriko Smut fic because I got caught up in the details and started sniggling at the awk fest that occurred. Still, I have a great idea if anyone wants to try. It did amuse me for a whole night, for what it’s worth.

Also, speaking of awkward fests *Facepalm* MUCH LOVE AND THANKS TO lotusblossomz2061 , itschilitime, celloowls, and knight-of-eire for reading and liking the newest angsty incarnation of the pirate fic. That was awkward too — but in a totally different way. *blush* I am polishing up the next chapter — I know I left it on a mini cliffhanger, but it will be out soon with more Zebra action. <_<. (Probably not the kind everyone wants though.) But yeah. Hehe. I know it wasn’t great, but knowing you guys are reading pushes me through the embarrassment. XD

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Toriko Fan Questionnaire

Toriko Fan Questionnaire

Dear God, I was terribly lost, when the galaxies crossed ...

Wonderble Out

truffledots: Fiiinally done~ QvQ This took all day! It’s kind...

100th Post!

Seventh Heaven

Drags you into the party

Dooooo EEeeeeet!

Patty Cake, Patty Cake

*pokes Toriko Fandom* Soooooo ..... ?

Lest you ever forget . . .

so loooonely. T____T

Artist: 夏生 真さん Source: Tegaki *pokes fandom* *curious* I think...

Fire away!

Because it’s my ninetieth post and it makes me happy....

Story Musing

Toriko Pirate Fic: Chapter 4C - Stranger Tides*

Artist: Mee (I totally lub her) Source: Mee’s Blog (hit...

Easily amused (or again with the First World Fic Problems)

pokes Toriko Fandom Soooooo ..... ?

Artist: 夏生　真さん Source: Tegaki pokes fandom curious I think...