Their Otaku sister

Let me tell you something, yes, I’m an otaku. And before you say anything, let me just clarify— I don’t care if you like it or not. Not my problem, seriously. But hey, that’s just one part of who I am. It’s not like I have a choice in this whole anime-loving, manga-obsessed, cosplay-wearing life. It’s in my blood. But if you think that makes me the weird one in my family, oh honey, you have no idea.

So, a little about me. My name’s Maeve Hope, I’m 16, introverted, shy, and sarcasm is my second language. You think that makes me awkward? Try being the only girl in a family full of over-protective, ridiculously loud, and, let’s face it, intimidating Italian men. Yeah, that’s right. I have not one, not two, but five older brothers. You heard me. FIVE. Like, my parents must’ve been really bored or something. Seriously, how do you have that many kids? My dad, Alessandro, and my mom, Louise, were busy little bees, huh?

First, there’s Colton, age 19. He’s got this whole ‘artsy’ vibe going on, like he’s some tortured artist from a black-and-white movie. Don’t let that fool you though—he’s a major drama king when it comes to his work. But I respect the guy. I mean, he’s my brother after all.

Then there are the twins: Xander and Xavier, both 20. Now, don’t even try to tell them apart, because that’s a losing battle. Xander is all calm and down-to-earth. He’s like the ‘cool’ one of the two—pretty chill and doesn’t get into the whole “fight over petty things” nonsense. Now, Xavier? Total opposite. He’s like a walking tornado with a massive ego. He’ll argue about anything and everything, especially if he thinks he’s right. Which, spoiler alert, he usually does.

Next up is Matteo, age 22. He’s the one who acts like the second parent to all of us. Seriously, if there’s a ‘mom’ in this group, it’s Matteo. He’s always telling us to be careful, eat healthy, wear jackets in the cold. Like, I get it, okay? I’m not going to die if I don’t wear a jacket in the middle of a hot summer day, Matteo, chill out. But I guess someone has to take the “mom” role, so, whatever.

Finally, there’s Leone, the oldest at 24, and also the CEO of the family business. Yeah, I know, right? A CEO at 24? You’d think he’s too busy with all that “serious business” stuff to even notice I exist. But nope. He’s always lurking around, making sure I’m not causing “too much” trouble or embarrassing myself with my “anime obsession.” Like, I swear, every time he walks into the room and sees me in a new cosplay, he just shakes his head and mutters something about “these kids these days.” Whatever, Leone, I’m just living my best life.

But the thing is, I’m not the only one in this family full of chaos. No, no, no. We’ve got cousins too. And I swear, if you think my brothers are loud, you’ve never met my cousins. From my uncle Romeo (the second-oldest of my dad’s brothers) and aunt Aria, I’ve got Dante, age 18; Emilio, age 19 (the comedian of the bunch); and Marco, age 20. And from my uncle Roberto (the third-oldest) and aunt Scarlett, we’ve got Brando, age 18; Alessio, age 19; Alexius, age 19; Carlo, age 20; and Daniel, age 22, who’s like the doctor of the family. From my uncle Stefano (the youngest of the brothers) and aunt Elizabeth, there’s Domenico, age 19; Felix, age 20; and Ricardo, age 23, who helps Leone with the family business.

Now, you might be thinking, “Maeve, 12 cousins?! How do you even keep track?” And let me tell you, it’s not easy. Especially since I’m the only girl in the whole crew. You know what that means? My cousins and brothers are all on high alert whenever I go out, making sure no boy tries to look at me the wrong way. Seriously, I can’t go anywhere without one of them acting like my personal bodyguard. I mean, it’s sweet… in a slightly overbearing way.

But I’ll admit, it does have its perks. I’m never short of attention—whether I want it or not. So, yeah, while I’m just here living my quiet life, drawing fan art of my favourite anime, my family is on a constant mission to “keep me safe.” I can already hear Matteo now, “Maeve, don’t you dare leave the house dressed like that,” or Leone asking, “You’re going out in that cosplay? Again?”

But hey, let’s be real. They’re my family, and despite all the chaos, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Even if they drive me crazy. Which, spoiler alert, they do. All the time.

So let’s hope they can handle my otaku craziness... shall we? Because trust me, this is going to be a wild ride.