/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>"Once upon a time there was a deadly forest nestled between two great mountains. Even adventurers avoided the grim, dark wood for fear of its many hazards; poisonous thorns, gaping pits of dagger-like rocks, and more still. The denizens of the forest, however, were kind creatures. Whenever someone entered the forest they'd do their very, very best to help them to safety."
>"The fairies of the forest had witnessed tragedy befall travelers many times and so they'd gently guide wayward humans to a safe exit. The elves as well, and the dryads, and most all who called the forest home. For they'd all seen how dangerous their home could be to outsiders and, loving humans, their hearts would ache with worry whenever they saw one."
>"The Manticore of the Wood, however, had never seen tragedy befall anyone else. She liked humans just as the other denizens of the wood did, but she also had a mean and teasing heart. She'd threaten to eat any traveler she came across, would tease them and strike fear into them all while chasing them to an exit and safety."
>"One day the Manticore of the Wood, while in the middle of her morning walk, came across a campsite. She could tell it was recent and a wicked, happy mischief filled her heart.
>"Oh, lost human, I have found your camp!" She shouted. "I smell you, I hear you, I'm coming for you! I'll find you soon and GOBBLE YOU UP!"
>"She heard nothing but was certain her voice had not been wasted so she continued her walk. It was soon after that she came across a fishing pole and tackle box, left abandoned by a stream. She sniffed the air and knew that a man had been there.
>"Oh, lost human, have you caught any fish?" She asked. "But all that swims and flies and walks in the forest belongs to me! I smell you, I hear you, I'm coming for you! I'll find you soon and GOBBLE YOU UP!"
>"She heard nothing but was certain her voice had not been wasted so she continued her walk. It was soon after that she came across a scrap of clothing and a smear of blood left on a thornbush at the edge of the deepest, darkest part of the forest."
>"Oh, lost human, have you been hurt?" She asked loudly. "But your pain will only last as long as your life! I smell you, I hear you, I'm coming for you! I'll find you soon and GOBBLE YOU UP!"
>"She heard nothing but was certain her voice had not been wasted so she continued her walk."
>"Along her walk she came across more blood. And more. And yet more. Splattered across the ground, across trees, across thorns. Some here, some there...and eventually everywhere, as the further she walked the more she found. 'Too much', she thought, 'far too much'. More and more, she could no longer smell human-flesh as the odor of blood, a smell like spoiled copper, filled her nose. Her worry grew and grew and the mischief in her heart seized as she began to wonder in panic just how much blood a human could have. It was too much for her and she surrendered."
>"I was joking!" She screamed. "It was a joke! I will not gobble you up, human! I promise! Show yourself so that I may guide you to safety!"
>"But the Manticore of the Wood heard nothing. She followed the trail of blood farther and farther, long into the evening until she found herself in the deepest, darkest clutches of the wood where even she said she'd never venture. More blood, SO MUCH MORE BLOOD, but she could not find the man she sought."
>"I'm sorry! I'm not going to hurt you! Please come out! PLEASE!" She wailed and sobbed and stuck her nose into the dirt, desperate to catch a trail of a scent. She begged and cried until her voice no longer worked but, certain that her voice had been wasted, was soon lost herself and her sorrow gobbled her all up."

>The mother manticore closed the storybook with an unceremonious thud and punctuated the tale with a happy, toothy smile. "Welp, time for bed!"
>Her three daughters, huddled together within the same blanket like would-be victims rescued from a burning building, expressed varying degrees of shock. The youngest hiccup-sobbed in mucus-y grief, the middle daughter looked like a deer caught in headlights, and the tomboy eldest with the bandaged cheek and the tough, angry expression (despite the tears in her eyes) was the only one who spoke up.
>"Wh-...that's it!?"
>"That's it. Goodnight!"
>The youngest spoke, struggling through her snotty weeping. "B-but she still-she still found him, right?"
>"Awwwww, sweetie, don't cry. Of course, I'm sure she found the body eventually.
>This initiated a new wave of crying that far exceeded the intensity of what had come before. Beaming and satisfied the mother took the book with her and left.
>She passed by her husband on the way to her bedroom and answered him before he could ask. "School called. The girls were bullying some boy, held him down and threatened to 'eat his fingers'. I took care of it, shouldn't happen again."
>She said this oblivious to the entirely different set of problems she had just created.