#THE FUCKING RING APPEARS MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN IT ONLY APPEARS ONCE IN THE MANGA

[hazzzyrider]

I don't have the guts to watch the Frieren anime. I already cry on the regular when I read the manga every three months. It literally breaks me when I think about the premise alone. You're telling me to witness a near-immortal self actualize affection and intimacy for people she already outlived AND is in the process of outliving???????

Pretty sure I'll end up eating my whole fist if I watch it animated and voiced.

[saintstrawberry]

When the Night is Over/Just What I Needed

Second Chapter is up!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27733207/chapters/68086045#workskin

Ships:

bokuaka, kuroken, kagehina, daisuga, daiaka, iwaoi

Description:

A surprise visit, mariokart, and Oikawa. Malibu also makes an appearance (Or multiple).

Notes: Akaashi has a bad memory. Relatable content.

Songs I recommend for this chap are Dionysus by the Buttertones, Best Interest by Tyler the Creator (for Kuroo), and Shampoo Bottles by Peach Pit for the ending. I promise Bokuto will show up in the next chap! >.<

I also make a reference to Natsume Ono because she smacks! Read her manga Not Simple; it is fantastic!

Thank you for reading!

—————

Shampoo Bottles

It’s Saturday, something Akaashi doesn’t realize until he is flying halfway out his front door and huffing a breath at his phone screen’s mocking display: 6:30 AM, Saturday, June 14th. Exactly a week before Hinata’s birthday.

He blinks and remembers the night before, when he was nursing a red wine and a deadline for his “Ono Natsume: Shouting for the Voiceless” article. He remembers, vaguely, submitting the piece at 11:50 and dropping his head right there on his cheap Ikea desk, exhausted.

Presently, he’s nodding awkwardly at his neighbor (leaving the complex to work out, no less) and trying to make it look, somehow, like he meant to open his front door only to close it seconds later.

Toeing off his work shoes and entirely caught off guard by the idea of a day off, Akaashi retreats to his bed. He passes out almost as soon as his foggy head hits the pillow, dreaming of nothing. The next time he opens his eyes, his breath and body still completely.

“Mornin’, sleeping beauty! It’s ten, I’m surprised you slept so long!”

“Kuroo-san, why are you in my apartment?”

The offender offers no answer but grins brilliantly, gold irises level with Akaashi’s blue-green.

“And just how long have you been here anyway?” Kuroo ignores him again, instead choosing to stand from his squatting position. His hands at his hips, Kuroo wears a white oversized Bouncing Ball hoodie and black skinny jeans. Much to Akaashi’s discomfort, he still has his shoes on- red and white high top sneakers with the laces tucked in. As always, the guy’s flawlessly disheveled, silver jewelry glinting from his ears and neck.

Akaashi groans and plants his face in his pillow. It’s too early for the young, beautiful, and rich.

Kuroo, unsurprisingly, doesn’t yield Akaashi’s thoughts and scoffs once. He moves to draw open the curtains in his room. Keiji can’t help but grimace as he feels his skin bathed in hot summer light.

“Man. You should really dust your windowsills. Do you even ever open these things?! You’re not some bat, ‘Kaashi. You need fresh air.”

“I think bats need air too,” Akaashi mumbles into the pillow.

Kuroo waves a dismissive hand and turns to survey him, arms folded across a broad chest. Keiji reluctantly turns his head to address his stare, squinting without the aid of his glasses or contacts. Kuroo’s bedhead is seemingly even worse today- probably from whatever plane he just hopped out of. The latter smirks devilishly.

“Well. Are you gonna welcome me back or what?”

“So you didn’t expect to land in Tokyo until Thursday?” Akaashi asks this of Kuroo about 45 minutes after his intrusion into the writer’s apartment. The pair are getting brunch in some needlessly swanky rooftop restaurant, one where Kuroo insisted he wouldn’t get recognized. Akaashi raised his eyebrows at that- his friend had stuffed his signature messy locks into one of Akaashi’s ratty baseball caps and donned aviators the moment they got outside.

No matter to him, anyway. Akaashi got fancy champagne out of the deal.

“Sure didn’t. Management canceled the show in Singapore last minute. Something about the venue. Fuck if I know,” Kuroo explains almost incoherently through colossal bites of egg.

“What matters is nobody got hurt. We refunded tickets and rescheduled the gig. S’all good. I’m just happy to be back home with my buddy!” Kuroo reaches over to slap Akaashi on the back with a friendly grin.

He’s sputtering over his mimosa when Kuroo continues, “Can’t wait to surprise Kenma tonight, either. Can you imagine his face?"

“Yeah, actually, I can,” Akaashi slouches his shoulders forward in his chair with an uninterested expression and quirks up an eyebrow ever so slightly, impersonating his best friend.

“Hey, that was pretty good! Though I guess it’s not that hard for you. You’re both pretty stoic. Like Easter Island Heads.”

Akaashi swats at him half-heartedly. Kuroo laughs.

“Anyway, you’re lucky I didn’t call him immediately this morning- or the police for that matter,” Akaashi says matter of factly. Kuroo clutches at his heart dramatically.

“Akaashi-kun. You wound me. I am the furthest from a criminal.”

Akaashi huffs a laugh.

“Tell the Osaka police force that.”

“Hey! What, a guy can’t take a piss anymore?”

“Not, apparently, from the top of the Umeda Sky Building-”

“To be fair, I didn’t know the police officer was right there,” Kuroo interjects.

“-After downing half a bottle of Malibu with Oikawa. And you were 17. You were lucky you didn’t get charged with public indecency.”

Kuroo pouts but offers no petition.

“Guilty as charged, I suppose. Hey, speaking of police officers-”

Akaashi clears his throat and interrupts, “Speaking of drinking, how was Singapore?”

Kuroo takes the hint and stretches back in his chair, raising his third bloody mary to his lips.

“Didn’t get much time there, only about four days before I got the call about the cancellation. Flew straight here after the news.”

Straight to Kenma, Akaashi supplies mentally, grinning fondly at his friends’ relationship.

“Anyway, it was pretty mild, all things considered. Bokuto seemed to like the clubbing scene more than I did. Matter of fact, he’s staying there ‘til the next concert.”

“Bokuto?” Akaashi says, cutting into his eggs and watching the yolk spill onto his fork.

Kuroo, now onto his nearly 2,500 yen crepe, takes a break from his meal to look up at him with a puzzled stare.

“My tourmate? Bokuto Koutarou? X. Ace?”

Akaashi meets his eyes blankly.

“I guess it makes sense his stage name doesn’t ring a bell, but I’m surprised you don’t know about the guy’s v-ball career.”

The blue-eyed 24 year old drops his gaze to the napkin in his lap.

“Sorry, sorry. Touchy topic.”

Pain-in-the-ass-Kuroo-san.

“Anyway, you should really check out some of his matches with the Panthers.”

“He was signed with the Panthers?” Akaashi sputters, clapping his mouth shut immediately after.

Kuroo cackles.

“Don’t give yourself a heart attack, Akaashi. It’s okay to be impressed- it’s impressive. He’s crazy. You’ll be meeting him soon.”

Akaashi only hums in response.

"You're coming to the show, right?"

Akaashi hums again.

"Big talker today, huh, Keiji?"

"Bah."

“Right. So.. you baited yourself a hook yet?”

“Beg your pardon?”

“You know. After Daichi,” Kuroo tries again.

No, he really hasn’t.

Akaashi downs the rest of his drink. He peers into his empty glass in response.

“Haven’t thought about it really. He said it himself- I don’t have the time.”

“Oh, Keiji. Nevermind him.”

“Don’t sigh like that. Did you fly all the way from China to pity me?”

The rapper shakes his head, “No, I didn’t. I just want you to-”

“Be as happy as you are with Kenma,” Keiji finishes.

Kuroo gives a gentle smile, “Can you blame me?”

“God. You two are worse than the shoujo manga I have to review.”

“But twice as fun.”

“Shut up and eat your crepe.”

Kuroo happily complies, “Don’t have to tell me twice.”

“I’m glad you’re home, Kuroo-san,” Akaashi remarks. And he is. Even with his busy lifestyle as a chart-topping artist, Kuroo somehow manages to draw Kenma and Akaashi out of the house.

Kuroo and Kenma are both relatively new to their fame- about three years out from Kuroo’s first breakthrough hit and four since Kenma first started his Bouncing Ball Youtube channel- but their fans are… dedicated. Akaashi often marvels at how even Kenma takes it in stride. He's entertaining to watch and a seasoned video game expert. And Kuroo... Akaashi looks to the man and the ketchup stain on his lip.

"What?"

Well, they both deserve their good fortune.

"Nothing, nothing."

He has interviewed them each multiple times for the journal. The good thing about his friends’ famous status is that Akaashi gets to profit from it as well. He tells Kuroo as much and the latter almost chokes on his stupidly expensive breakfast laughing. Even Akaashi cracks a small grin.

“I told that was him!” The writer hears two girlish voices behind him, talking in excited whispers.

“E-Excuse me, K-Kuroo-san?”

The rapper breaks out in a large grin and stands, bowing formally at the pair.

“Yes? Hello, ladies. Are you two fans of mine?”

“Yes!! Very much so! I loved your new song!” The girl, about 17 with dark lashes and fire red hair, praises politely.

“Would, would you mind taking a picture with us!?” The other chirps.

“Not at all! Akaashi, my pal, would you be a dear and snap some shots?” It takes everything for Akaashi not to roll his eyes.

“But of course.”

--------------------

This is how Akaashi comes to search up the 2018 Panthers roster on his phone’s Google. He gives up his sleuthing when he realizes he doesn’t remember the guy’s name or know what he looks like.

He forgets about the whole thing until later that night, at Kenma’s celebration party for 5 million followers. It’s small, of course, about ten of them drinking champagne and playing drinking games. Akaashi knows Hinata did all the planning anyway, despite the event being at Kenma’s. The trio is standing off to the side when Akaashi pulls out his phone briefly to check the time.

Kuroo should be here any minute, he thinks. Hinata peers too, instinctually curious.

“Hey! Whatcha looking up the Panthers for? That’s not the latest roster, you know! Ooh, you’re looking up X-Ace, right?! Seeeeee, I knew you’d like him!”

Akaashi looks down at the picture Hinata points to. The guy’s sturdy and smug with one thick eyebrow raised. His chest is broad and his eyes are perfectly golden. The first thing Akaashi notices, however, is his hair. Absolutely ridiculous, he thinks. Makes sense that this guy’s Hinata’s idol.

Kenma raises his eyebrows.

“What made you do that?” he asks.

“Oh, uh, just...curious.”

Kenma looks like he’s about to say more when Oikawa joins their group with a boisterous, “Pudding Head! Congratsssss!” He pinches the smaller’s cheeks, who just about hisses in response.

Akaashi, grateful for Oikawa’s interruption, takes another quick glance at… X-Ace, and pockets his phone.

Hinata grins wide when Tooru, seemingly already a bit tipsy, ruffles his hair.

“Thanks, Oikawa-san," Kenma begrudgingly replies.

“You know, Kuroo is-”

Akaashi, ever vigilant, cuts in immediately, “-is so happy for you, Ken.”

Oikawa seems to get the hint, his eyes widening in realization.

“He sure is! Want some more alcohol?” The chestnut-haired friend of Kuroo’s quickly shoves his bottle of strawberry rum in Kenma’s face.

“You know I hate your sticky Malibu. Why are you guys acting all weird?”

Hinata, completely oblivious to the unspoken diaogue between Akaashi and Oikawa, tugs Kenma’s shirt.

“Kenma, Kenma! We should stream!!”

“Hey, that’s not too bad an idea, Shoyo,” Akaashi adds, if just to distract him.

“Sure, we could play some Mario-Kart. My fans seem to like you guys. Just don’t do anything stupid, Tooru.”

“Who, me?! And when do I-” Oikawa starts dramatically. The rest of the men send him a collective stare which answers his question before he can even finish it. He crosses his arms with a huff.

“Whatever. I call Princess Peach.”

--------------

After Kenma finishes setting up the Livestream and the small group has gained over a couple thousand viewers, Akaashi is in dead last as Blooper. Well, almost dead last, expect for...

“How am I losing? No fair, Kozume!” Oikawa whines.

“Me? What did I do?” Kenma-san replies, uninterested. Unsurprisingly, the Youtuber is in first place with his signature Toad.

“I don’t know, your fancy settings or something. Iwa-chan! Back me up, here!”

“It’s ‘cause you suck, Trashy-kawa,” Iwaizumi-san, whom the quartet bribed into playing with agedashi dofu, doesn’t hesitate to retaliate. His player, Bowser, is in second, with Hinata close behind as Yoshi.

“Take that, Hajime-san! Oh, shoot, sorry, Akaashi-san!” Hinata shouts, rising from his seat as he hurls a red shell, accidentally hitting Keiji.

“Hinata, language!” Kuroo’s smooth voice floods the apartment in mock disapproval. Kenma whips his head so fast he drops his controller. The blonde doesn’t say anything but slowly rises to his feet, then breaks into a short run at the sight of his boyfriend. The former picks up Kenma effortlessly and twirls him in a tight embrace. Akaashi looks on fondly.

“Kuroo-san!” Hinata exclaims, jumping up excitedly.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Tetsuro’s home. I’m about to kick all of your asses!” Oikawa waves away his entrance, sticking out his tongue. Iwaizumi slaps him on the back of the head.

The stream chat has exploded at the sound of Kuroo.

bb-corp: is that Kuroo???

applephi: NO WAY djwhdnbwibdfwq

yoyotetsuro: couple goals

kurokenxx: will anyone ever love me like Kuroo loves Kenma?

keeeeenmaaa_: I think this is the first time BouncingBall’s lost at Mariokart

----------

A little tired and a lot tipsy, Akaashi insists on taking a cab home. It doesn't feel right to invade Kenma's when the Kuroo's home. Keiji could tell the pair... needed their space for the night. He splits the ride with Hinata, who talks his ear off the whole way about Kuroo's arrival and how badly he wishes he had the money to go to a concert. Akaashi smirks at that, just a little. Shoyo exits the vehicle with an enthusiastic, "Bye, 'Kaashi-san!! I'll see you soon! Maybe I'll come to the store, or, or, you can come to see me and Tobio-chan! He didn't come out tonight because he has a game tomorrow, but-" The rest of his goodbye is drowned out by him closing the door.

"I apologize for the noise," Keiji addresses the driver. She makes a noise of recognition and drops him off 15 minutes later. He thinks about his conversation with Kuroo about "baiting his hook" as he enters his living room, dropping his keys unceremoniously on the floor next to his door. What does that even mean? Akaashi doesn't exactly meet a lot of people with his work and his friends are all, well, with each other. He's happy for them and all, but sometimes being around so many couples gets a bit nauseating. Akaashi is struck with a small wave of loneliness when he waters his small bamboo plant, made worse by the two shots of Malibu Oikawa shoved down his throat. This is all I have to come home to, a fucking bamboo plant. Akaashi stares at its braided stalks with a vengeance. Not a second later, he pets the leaves in apology. I shouldn't take this out on the plant.

He's always been relatively independent, but having someone felt kind of... nice, for a change. It's been almost a year since Daichi left, and probably 6 months since he and Suga got together. It's one of those things that Akaashi didn't process for awhile, forcing him to fend for himself when the realization came to knock him on his ass months down the line. He's been confronting turned over picture frames and empty sheets ever since.

And so it goes.

He pads over to his bed with a sigh and for the second time today, falls asleep and dreams of nothing.

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

SALTY ASKS uhhh, 4 8 15 16 & 23?

Thank you, Randy! 

4. Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP? 

- Keep any and all romantic BB/Rae away from me. I don’t care what version, what AU, what rationale, I just don’t like their dynamic. I see absolutely NO romantic potential there. (I have seen.... two stories, in the entire history of Me Reading Fanfiction, wherein they were in-character, developed, and actually okay together. And one of those was my very favorite Raven RPer.) But the vast majority of the fanbase? Yuck. One or both are always out-of-character. Things are taken out of context. The foundation for their relationship seems to be whipped up from nothing. Canonically, they... literally mocked each other in the cartoon, barely even spoke to each other in the original comics, only had a relationship in recent comics when the writers had them Very Out of Character (or randomly got smacked back together, esp. in the end of TT v3? why even bother???)... It’s just, a really bad ship all around. I will unfollow people for not tagging it, it’s that bad. Bro-ship between them is on thin fucking ice.

- And then there’s... t/endershipping. (In Yugioh-- Ryou and Yami Bakura.) Oh gods. This one’s worse. Because it is legitimately an abusive dynamic. I mean, bullying, forcing someone to go against his wishes, threatening his friends, twisting selfish actions to say they were selfless, literally injuring him to use his injury as blackmail, not to mention inuring him in the throes of will-battle, and then there’s the literal spiritual possession thing. You know, “forces your will/consciousness to fuck off so I can do whatever I want in disguise as you” kind of dynamic? What the Fuck? There’s no trust, no respect, literally NOTHING to build ANY kind of POSITIVE relationship on, and all the TRAUMA that spirit put Ryou through is absolutely NOT the kind of thing that should make ANYONE fall in love?! I genuinely WORRY for the people who see what the spirit of the ring did to him, and think “they’d be cute together”. Gods. Gods!

(I’m also hugely squicked out by memory/shipping, Ryou+Aigami, because? What? The fuck? Did you not SEE what he DID to him?! FUCKING NO?? But luckily the t|endershippers tend to be the memory/shippers too, so they’re fairly easily blocked.)

- I also have jas|pis blacklisted because Canonical Abusive Relationships are Not Dynamics I Enjoy At All, thank you. Especially not when their conversations sound like something right out of the things I witnessed in my mother’s own life. (I have no idea how popular it is because I’ve been blacklisting and blocking it since the moment I found out it exists.)

- Also: It’s not at all popular and not something I see often, but: I’m just squicked in general by terra\ven, because while I can see how a thing might be developed, I’m not the kind of person who can look at their Canon History and Interactions and think, “How romantic!” Bad communication, festering hatred, picking at each others’ weaknesses, mutual toxicity, and attempted murder don’t make a good backdrop for a relationship. Yikes.

8. Have you received anon hate? What about?

Kind...of? I’ve gotten asks hating on blog appearances, fandom opinions, and General Negativity, but nothing hating on me as a person.

The headcanon blog I help moderate got an ask once that could’ve started a shipping war (basically like, “How can people possibly ship RobRae?”), but I like to think I handled it well because I redirected that before it could explode.

Honestly, most of my anon hate came from fanfic.net reviews back in the “mary-sue” witch-hunt days. (The funny thing was, at the time I didn’t even know what that accusation meant. 8P )

15.  Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

I liked the Yugioh manga better in black/white than in color! (The! big! mystery! about! Ryou’s! eyes!! continues!! to stump!!! and frustrate me!!!!! For context: this one character has had his eyes colored brown, green, blue, lavender, gray, black, dark purple, magenta, red, and seafoam green! [x] What the HELL color are his EYES.) 

And for the record, in the advance copy of the “Games” graphic novel my dad gave me, there were Certain Pages still in either ink-work or black/white coloring that I really liked more than the final product. That book is colored GORGEOUSLY, don’t get me wrong! But the pure linework shows a lot more of the “line of motion” and TEXTURE details that my non-visual brain can Grasp And Parse and Feel Things About much moreso than a colored page.

Also: Raven is a big softie deep down inside. Comic, cartoon, you name it. I don’t know why this is so controversial because it’s Genuinely Canon as Hell, but even some canonical writers miss out on this, and it’s like? guys have you READ a Raven comic???

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

RYOU BAKURA WOULD BE MORE THAN A GODDAMN PLOT DEVICE. As mentioned in the Other Answered Ask, this drives me to absolute annoyance and disappointment and disdain. (This is specifically directed at the “show”, of course. The manga [and even season 0!] did a much better job of, you know... remembering that he is also a human being and not just a shell that has a conveniently-possessed antagonist necklace.) 

It’s just the treatment of certain characters for me, I guess. I’m really bad at looking at a canon and going “This Event Would Be Different” otherwise. Especially when I’m emotionally attached to the Canon Events...

Except “Titans”. That fucking stunt they pulled with Arella, one of the most strong-willed, independent, perseverant, traumatized female characters to ever rise fully above her past and find her own way in the worlds-- in MULTIPLE worlds!-- and they made her the lackey of the monster she has always defied. It STILL pisses me off. (There are other things I’d change about Titans-- many others. But that AU is so far off the mark that it would take a collegiate-length essay to “change” it just right.)

23.  Unpopular character you love?

Jericho! Arella! Malachite! Rorek! 

Joey is such a sweetheart and has such a unique and versatile power. Arella is such an inspiration and proves time and time again that she’s stronger than her trauma. Malachite just had so much POTENTIAL as her own character and I wish we had seen more of her as an individual. And Rorek of course? God those eyes and that hair trigger the demigray. (And I headcanon hardcore that Malchior used Rorek as a template for how he looked, sounded, and acted, and of course Rorek wrote the book, and I fell as hard for Malchior as Raven did. So like.... kind of a scapegoat to redirect that love, but it makes me happy, okay.)

And Mismagius, which I don’t understand because surely I’m NOT the only strategically-minded lover of the Ghost type? And I’m certainly not the only witch who practices pop culture magic with Pokemon (and Mismagius is literally based on a witch and called “the magical pokemon”)? But hey, loving the underdog has been my lifelong specialty. 8F

[entamewitchlulu]

Homura’s Flash Reviews [Spring 2018]

It’s the end of another animu season, so it’s time to give some flash reviews for the stuff I ended up finishing this season!

Under the cut for the length + all the gifs lol

Comic Girls

After having storyboard after storyboard rejected, young aspiring manga artist Kaoruko moves to a dorm specifically for young mangaka, where she makes new friends, has fun adventures, and learns a lot about herself and her craft.

I liked this show way more than I expected to; it’s a very moeblob show and especially in the first couple of episodes there’s a lot of anime bullshit.  It IS a gag anime at the start and tends to default to a lot of the same tropes.  Despite this, I found it ridiculously hilarious, and I could relate to a lot of the #ArtistProblems and other things the girls dealt with regularly.  Not to mention, the characters were generally just really fun, cute personalities.  Despite some frustrations with some general character arcs feeling a bit stagnant, there were actually multiple places where I physically cried because despite the gag manga start, it gets pretty emotional later on regarding things like anxiety, artist’s block, and the feeling of stagnation, which was super relatable.  Also....Kaoruko is absolutely a tiny lesbian and I love my tiny lesbian daughter.  Actually I’m pretty sure they’re all lesbians, except for Rukki who is probably bisexual.

overall: 7/10

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card

Following the events of the original Cardcaptors, Sakura wakes up one morning to find that all of her Sakura Cards have turned clear.  Not only that, but there are more, strange new spirits appearing, and she’s been granted a brand new key from a dream.

Okay so....I have made mention of this one from a few other flash reviews since the first cour took place during last season.  And...my opinion has honestly worsened.  This was 22 episodes of obnoxiously boring fluff and little else. Don’t get me wrong: I love fluff. But I watch specific things for fluff. I don’t watch magical girl shows for 95% fluff, I watch them for sparkly, magical girl bullshit, cute costumes, fun magical experiences, and maybe just a little bit of worldbuilding.  Clear Card gave me next to nothing on all fronts.  When it wasn’t trying to be Cardcaptor Sakura: The Cooking Show, it was dragging its feet with 15 minutes of pointless chatter that did nothing to further characters or relationships, leaving them the exact same static characters they were in the original series.  Syaoran’s greatest draw was nearly completely erased once he became just a sedentary background love interest who did little. At least as a rival he pushed Sakura, but here, he just enabled the boring writing that did nothing to push the envelope.  The formula is nearly exactly the same as the last two series and the arc even mentions it.  Characters are unnecessarily cryptic, hiding things from each other, which only drags the story down.  The main plot is barely sprinkled in, magic stuff usually only happens for about 2 minutes towards the end of the mind-bogglingly slow fluff episodes, and the major plot??  Only appears for about five minutes in the final episode, addresses none of the questions we had and only reveals things we had already figured out fifteen episodes ago, gives no conclusion to any of it, and COMPLETELY ERASES THE ONLY CLIMATIC, STORY-FURTHERING SCENE BY USING TIME MAGIC.

And that’s...it, apparently.  I see no indication of a second season.  I assume the manga is still ongoing, but even if it is, this was an absolutely horrendous ending that did nothing to satisfyingly tie up ANY loose ends, further the world or the characters, or really do anything to add to the previous series.  Even the costumes were few and far between and the cards were almost all the same as the last set.  There was no creativity and nothing added here for the fans.  That brings me to my ultimate complaint: who was this show even for?! It can’t still be for kids, because new young fans of the original demographic’s age group would not have any clue what was happening with these characters, and it’s just lore-based enough to confuse any new viewers.  And it can’t be for the original fan group, who are all much older now and want something with just a little more substance. I’m not asking for a gritty cardcaptors show at all. Just something that respects us as adult viewers and gives us a little more to grab onto.  And that was way longer than any flash review has any right to be, so I will cut myself off there.

overall: 4/10

Lostorage conflated WIXOSS

Though they believed it was finally over, former LRIG and Selector Kiyoi knows that the Selector battles will come again, and this time, they will destroy everything--and she is determined to bring the dark loop of suffering to a close once and for all by bringing together all of the greatest Selectors from every generation to take on the new threat.

Boasting the largest cast of any of the previous WIXOSS series and continuing both the story of Lostorage and the first two Selector series, this is absolutely the most ambitious take on the WIXOSS universe thus far: and it does fantastically with it.  There was not a single moment where I was bored; even during slower flashback and exposition parts, I was hooked.  This was one of the best ways to expand and complete the universe, as the ending here finally does feel like a decisive end to the anime franchise (though, so did the end of the Selector anime, so who knows lol).

As always, WIXOSS has some of the most fantastic character designs, relationships, dynamics, and animation among other anime, making it truly stand out.  The card game is more window dressing than actual substance, but that doesn’t matter, because the power of the relationships and the messages that this story is telling are far more powerful and attention grabbing.  The decision to make Kiyoi the protagonist of this series, while also bringing back previous protagonists Ruko and Suzuko, was an incredible decision and really made for a fantastic story.

overall: 9/10

Golden Kamuy

After being discharged from the army after the Japanese-Russo war, Sugimoto is left with the dying wish of his comrade: to make enough money to support his fallen comrade’s wife and son and pay for their medical expenses.  He stumbles across an opportunity when an escaped convict tells him of a hidden trove of Ainu gold that can only be found by collecting the information tattooed onto the bodies of a group of escaped prisoners. With the help of an Ainu girl named Asirpa, whose tribe the gold was stolen from, Sugimoto takes on the mission to track down the prisoners and find the gold.

This show is absolutely fucking incredible.  I don’t think I can even give it proper words.  Like what a goddamn great season for anime this was??  Not only is the show clearly heavily researched, giving us insight into a part of Japanese history and Ainu culture that is rarely if ever discussed in Japanese culture, the story and characters are all so well done.  The animation can be wonky in places, but the expressions, the character banter, and god the soundtrack are all mind-blowingly good.  Unlike Clear Card, when this show decided it wanted to be a cooking show, I was completely on board, because I was learning something new about Ainu culture and also getting to see our heroes be adorkable and hilarious together.  The characters are absolutely where this show shines, and even though it’s a bit bloated at first, characters quickly become recognizeable and easily separated.  The relationship between Sugimoto and Asirpa, especially, is one of the most wholesome and fun friendships I’ve ever witnessed (I’m hoping, tho, that it stays platonic despite some jokes to the contrary lol).  This was only season 1, and season 2 will air in October, and you can bet I will be waiting at the edge of my seat for more of this incredible show.

overall: 9/10

Hinamatsuri

After a strange girl in a metal cocoon drops out of the sky and onto his head, yakuza Nitta finds himself the reluctant father of a needy young girl with psychic powers.  Shenanigans ensue around their strange new family and the dysfunctional adults and children that surround them.

This show was so much fucking better than it had any right to be; from the initial plot summary I was worried it was going to be awful, creepy-ish moe bullshit...but it was NOT.  This was a gag anime of the highest caliber.  The pacing was amazing, the characters were to a one endearing, the animation was BEAUTIFUL, and god...the punchlines...everything was so fucking funny the whole time.

You’ve got pretty much everything here: you’ve got the obnoxiously needy Hina, who is monotone in everything she does, you’ve got the Worst/Best Dad Nitta, you’ve got poor can’t-say-no-to-favors Hitomi, and the Most Pure and Wholesome Anzu.  There’s something to love in every character and every scene, and it’s ridiculous just how amazing this show is.  I can’t put it into words, please just watch it.  Where my other top shows of the season took awhile to grow on me, this one was hitting home runs from episode 1.  Do yourself a favor and watch it.

overall: 9/10

Megalo Box

In a world where boxing is performed with powerful mechanical rigs known as Gear, a nameless boxer known only as Junk Dog is tired of being forced to throw fights in an illegal underground boxing ring to pad the pockets of his gambling organization.  When he crosses paths with the current champion of Megalo Box, he and his crew take a risky gamble to get him into the world’s first international Megalo Box competition so that he can fight the champion again, reinventing himself as Gearless Joe as he steps into the ring without any Gear.

This show took a while to really get onto my Awesome List, mostly because the aesthetic that it’s throwing back to was never really my thing in the first place.  I’m generally not a huge fan of the muted color palettes, the punkish music, or just the idea of boxing in general (a lack of significant female characters also always tends to put me off).  Despite this, however, the show ended up being stunning.  By halfway through, I was incredibly hooked on the high this show wanted me to ride, by the character arcs that were playing off each other, and I was even coming around to the music.  Boxing may not be my thing, but the character story that was told here was an incredible one, and definitely deserves its place among the Best Anime of 2018, which if it doesn’t win something come that time, I’ll be floored and disappointed with everyone.

overall: 9/10

Overall this was an incredibly strong season: I dropped a few things of course, but what I continued were almost all 9/10s.  I’m super pleased with the spring season and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming out for summer.

[icharchivist]

What's your opinion on Kite's death/puppet thing or rather the reaction to it? I always thought I was underreacting or something because other people I've seen also get super upset at about it and idk it was sad and fucked up but I don't feel like I knew Kite for long enough to be too sad about it. I know in 1999/the manga they introduced him earlier but idk the reaction was as if Leorio or Kurapika died or something. I know it's personal for Gon but it didn't feel that way for me as a viewer.

Heya!

To reply frankly, it’s more than just being introduced early that changed everything in the manga, the anime really glanced over it imo….

When it comes to me per se, I wasn’t shocked (kinda saw it coming bc people overhyped this arc for me), but it was really painful to see Gon’s reactions to it, and imo, all of Gon’s reaction makes sense.

I understand why Gon would react this way though, I mean, Gon is someone with very strong emotions, sometimes irrational ones. He went and broke the arm of Illumi when he threatened Killua, When he knew Killua was having trouble, he was ready to climb the walls of the Zoldyck knowing his death would await him with Mike (and only backed away when he realized the Guardian would be punished, not about his own safety.), the dodgeball game got worse because Razor almost hurt Killua, Gon constantly provocked the Troupe because they hurt Kurapika ect…  So obviously he would react to some extreme whenn something like that happens to someone important to him.

The whole thing with the puppet itself was pretty bad, because Gon especially locked himself into denial. He never thought Kite died (also because it is adding guilt to him, and I will always recall “when would you hurt yourself?” “When I think I can’t forgive myself”). 

Gon feels responsible for what happened, because Kite died protecting him. There’s mentions actually that, if Kite hadn’t tried to protect Gon, he wouldn’t have lost his arm and could have fought. And it’s something Gon is aware of - he’s the reason Kite may have died. Not to mention both kids insisted for Kite to accompagny him in the NGL because “don’t treat us like Kids!”, before having to be taken care of by Kite, and Kite also lectured them on not letting their guards down multiple times. Which is why in the end he’s blaming himself and Pitou. Because everything that led to it was of his insistance and that he feels responsible, and facing it will break him.

And, of course, everyone let him in denial, even once he was faced with the horror that was the puppet Kite. He was saying the mutilation on Kite and no one told him the truth, and he stubborningly thought for over about two months that he could save Kite, which imo is what made it even more damaging to him.

And that’s just while taking just the anime into account.

 Imo the problem is the POV of the arc. Killua is the one character we hear the thoughts of the most, and truth is, he was detached from what happened to Kite, because he was scared that Gon would blame him, and scared for Gon’s wellbeing, so he stepped back, and he didn’t have the amount of affection nor guilt that Gon was having toward Kite. (when asked “when would you hurt yourself”, Killua thinks the King might have hurt himself for someone else. It tells a lot about both Gon and Killua btw - that Gon is losing himself in his guilt where Killua will put other people before his own good.). 

And while I think it’s efficient, I much rather prefer to think in Gon’s shoes than to be spelled out his thoughts, I think therefore a lot of people totally missed how much Gon was feeling over the incident that lead to Kite’s death, and how much the denial destroyed him. As in, Gon would of course react strongly if you hurt someone he was close of, and if he felt responsible for it.

But ye, imo, the problem is that if you stay with the POV character.... The truth is that Killua didn’t care like Gon cared, and he’s the POV character. So, the audience is supposed to see it via Killua’s eyes, not Gon’s, unless they decide to look at it through Gon’s eyes.

And personally I like that, because it adds weight, but at the same time this is what caused everyone to side with Killua and not see why Gon was angry in the “it’s none of your business” scene. Because no one considered Gon. 

More under the cut about the manga:

But that’s not all, and there I blame the anime who cut a lot of things.

Like you mentioned, yes, Kite is supposed to appear in the very first chapter of the manga. We see him in a full scene, not some sort of weird flashbacks, in which he befriend Gon. 

And first of, he’s the one who likely had Gon developped this Guilt Complex. Because their first meeting was after Gon tried to pet a sort of fox, and he was attacked by the mother, and Kite had to kill the mother to protect Gon. He immediatly blamed Gon, hitting him and telling him that he fucked up and should have known better, and was about to kill the cub Gon pet. And Gon is feeling guilty about it. He’s already responsible for one death, he won’t let him kill another one. And he takes the cub, who hurts him, to protect him from Kite. Gon was feeling guilty for what happened to the Mother because of him, and because of how Kite lectured him, and he took responsability, to the point of hurting himself, and raised the Cub by himself (the removal of Kon in the 2011 anime makes me so sad bc in the first chapter it really shows that Gon successfully raised him and that they are extremely close now).

Second, and most importantly: Gon believed Ging was dead before meeting Kite. When Kite recognizes Gon as Ging’s son, he imediatlly tells him everything about Ging. And there, little Gon realizes his only family member, Mito, lied the whole time. Because Mito always told him his parents were dead. And Mito and Gon never discussed about Ging, Mito is actually shocked int he first chapter of “how could he know??”. Because it was Kite’s doing.

Also Kite gives the Hunter card when they met as Gon was a kid, and Gon holds on to it the full manga.

But two things that therefore change for the whole manga: Gon mentions Kite a lot of time. Here’s the thing in the manga that is pretty clear: He got his life goal from Kite. It’s not just a friend, or a family member: Kite is the one who gave Gon his driving force and motive. For exemple, in the under the stars scene:

Chapter 64

I think that’s the worst thing about Kite being only shown later - because Gon remembers Kite, and Gon reminds himself that Kite is the one who gave him the Goal of a Lifetime. It’s Kite who got Gon to wonder about his father, who got him excited to meet him. If it wasn’t for Kite, the whole travel Gon goes through in the manga wouldn’t exist.

So I want us to be clear there, Gon has a huge admiration for Kite. A huge one. He’s the reason he even have a goal. To me, i mean, just the things that lead up to his death int he anime justify Gon’s breakdown enough, but the manga makes it clear that Kite is someone Gon regards with a lot of respect and admiration, someone that never left his mind.

Which, also: The introduction of Kite in the anime is bullshit.

Remember how he attacks Gon and Killua in the anime because of the Chimera ants, and gives a bullshit copy and past of what he tells Gon about the Fox, and that neither Kite nor Gon remembers each other until they end up talking?

Chapter 185

(also about this bullshit because i’m upset about it, the Anime added Kite says something like “Oh ye Greed Island was created to train you” bullshit. That’s only a supposition Bisky makes in the GI arc, but it’s never, ever confirmed, and especially not by Kite. I don’t know why the fuck the anime people added that because no, we don’t know why Ging created Greed Island, you can’t affirm it, are you kidding me??)

So, ye, back to this -  as you can see, their reunion is far more friendly. They’re old friends, they consider each other as such. 

They were both on the run to find Ging, so they’ve been bounding over that.

ALSO, adding more stupid to the anime, Kite doesn’t meet Ging on Whale Island after he met Gon??? No!! Kite recognize Gon, and remembers him afterward, and he doesn’t need Ging to tell him “that was my son”.  

Also, Kite’s backstory isn’t in the manga either, and like…. hghhhhh i am salty about a lot of what they added in the early CA arc.

because, while a few of scenes involving the Chimera ants are fillers, they barely develop the fact that Kite and the kids basically explore around just for fun, not because of the ants.

Okay okay so, more salt from me, but the Chimera Ants didn’t manifest themselves right away.

Actually, they don’t hear about it for a few more chapters.

Because, Kite wasn’t looking for Chimera Ants: he was in Kakin (which, if it rings a bell, is the country in center of the political issues in the DC arc) to do species research. And he asks Gon and Killua to come along with him, and they spend a few days and week to just explore, and discover new animals. 

Chapter 186

And it’s only after they worked together for a while, and that Kite ended up liking them a lot, (see chapter 186 when he says that Gon and Killua are incredible), and only then, that they hear of the Chimera Ants:

Chapter 187

See this scene? This scene was made into a flashback, from before Kite appeared in the anime. 

Basically the anime was already saying that Kite was looking for the Chimera Ants… which isn’t true! Gon and Killua found him, they had a friendly chat, they spent a few days together getting to know the wild life of the Kakin continant, and then they got called about the Ants afterward, and they work together about it.

What i’m trying to say there, is that, Kite has a far more positive inclusion into the manga all the way through. I personally found Kite unlikable after how mean he was when Gon and Killua appeared, especially when told he also punched him as a kid. In the manga, they are old friends, and Kite is far more important for Gon. they didn’t conveignantly forget about each other in the timeframe, they actually thought about each other a lot.

They were close. In their own term. For their own reasons.

also, in the character presentation of Kite, before he got in a fight against Pitou:

Because again: Kite gave Gon his goal. Kite gave Gon a goal in life, and that’s why, ironically, it’s losing him that makes Gon lose all will to live. This is an actual thematic parallelism that works in the medium.

So, imo, while i didn’t exactly felt for his death, in the anime, I got why Gon lost it. because of his own reactions to people, how he gives his everything, that he has 0 survival instincts when it comes to himself, his reaction to guilt, and basically, everything fits what we know Gon would do.

But, in the manga imo,it was physically painful, and I think the anime handled it badly because Kite was framed much more positively in the manga, and there is a feeling, after he’s mentioned a few times in the manga, of wanting to see him again. Hell, in a “fav character survey” around the Heaven Arena Arc, Kite is in 10th position because Fans have grown to like him in the first chapter and they liked how Gon mentioned him with sort of respect, back then it was already kinda established in the mind of fans that Kite was important for Gon. 

So no, Kite is super important to Gon, he gave him his goal for his life, which is why it’s ironical then Gon gave up on his life when he lost Kite. There’s so much to it, and I think that just looking at it with Killua’s eyes, like in the narration, is making Gon a massive disservice, because everything makes sense when you put yourself into Gon’s shoes a little. and what the anime deleted probably didn’t help people to do that.

….. So ye, the two things i’m angry at the anime for doing is how they deleted and added scenes for Leorio that shouldn’t have been there, and how they completely didn’t get how to handle Kite at all.

Maybe it won’t change your judgement because it’s only a few things here and there, but to me I know that, while I found it understandable in the anime, the manga was like a clap in the face on how much of course Gon would break down.

And, as a viewer, i wasn’t exactly attached to Kite, but as a reader, I totally was. And I still think it’s up to you, but like… idk, the manga isn’t from Gon’s POV, so why would one feel like Gon unless they want to? People will identify with Killua because he’s the POV character. And Killua didn’t care as much. If you try to put yourself in Gon’s shoes, it hurts a lot more tbh.

Take care!

[maxmiz]

So I wrote some fanfiction of the Blitz Boys - specifically Tala and my headcanon about his mother. Read on!

Okay so I decided to come out of my shell and write some fanfic after a while, so I’m a bit rusty. It’s a one shot and not too long. I hope that you guys will find some time to read it and hopefully shall like it. If you do read it, please leave some feedback if you feel like it. It’s always nice for us writers to know that we’re not screaming into the void. 

Please keep in mind that this fanfic is based on my headcanon which you can find here. There might be a bit of swearing here, so fair warning to all. Also I’ve used dub names. I’ve written it in two small parts on this post itself. So it won’t take a lot of time to read. Happy reading and thanks!

P.S. I have imagined them as fully grown adults here. Not written them as per their anime/manga age.

FAMILY

Part 1

“Ballerinas? Really? You bought a fucking magazine on ballerinas?”

“What? C’mon, Bryan. If they can twist and turn the way they do while dancing, imagine how flexible they can be elsewhere,” said the petite young Russian, winking at his skeptical teammate. The constant downpour outside did nothing to dampen his spirits as he put the magazine on the table and snuggled up against the wall next to his chair under an enormous blanket that could have easily been mistaken for a carpet.

“Ohh, you do not want to say that in front of Tala,” said Bryan, shaking his head. Kneeling down on the floor, he pulled the ottoman away from under Ian’s feet towards himself, causing Ian to scowl and mumble an indistinct, “Oi!”

Bryan ignored his younger teammate’s protest and relaxed his legs on it.

“Anyway. Why wouldn’t I talk about it in front of Tala? ’The fuck would he have to say about that? It’s not like I make eyes at him for his choices or question his kinks,” said Ian, rolling his eyes.

“Kinks? Tala? Please,” said Bryan, chortling.

“What? Even someone as mysteriously quiet as Kai is a serial bangeroo. Don’t tell me that Tala’s a saint,” said Ian.

“Oh no, Tala’s as much of a saint as Boris is a legitimate member of the clergy, but the guy’s asexual. You know that too. Give him a break. Or is the concept too difficult for you to wrap your tiny head around?” said Bryan, frowning.  

“Why are you always so defensive about Tala? It’s like you’re in love with him…oooh, Bryan wuvs Tala,” said Ian, teasingly.

“What are you, five?” said Bryan, disdainfully, refilling his glass with some more vodka.

“No, he’s just a twenty year old with the IQ of an intoxicated hamster,” said a slightly rough voice from behind them.

A burly young man walked into the balcony carrying an oddly discoloured sack over his broad shoulder.

“Ah, Spencer. How nice of you to make an entrance with your…whatever that is,” said Ian, unenthusiastically. “So, were you out there knocking out people’s teeth and labelling them in alphabetical order for your personal collection?”

“No. Don’t be ridiculous,” said Spencer, dismissively. “I don’t label them in alphabetical order. I just keep them all in colour-coded jars.”

“You know, with you, it’s actually hard to say when you’re joking,” said Ian, passing Spencer a drink. “What is in that sack, anyway?”

“I bet you my right nut that it’s a collection of some really questionable DVDs,” said Bryan, chuckling.

“I could add your teeth to my collection. Maybe we could tape that on one of my blank ones?” suggested Spencer, cheekily.

“Aww Spence, are you being threatening? Weren’t you the one who cried watching Harry Potter?” said Bryan, mockingly.

“Well, Dobby really was a nice elf!” protested Spencer.

“Cut the crap, guys. What’s in the sack?” said Ian, clearly impatient for an answer and disinterested in all the banter.

“Flyers,” said Spencer, flatly.

“Flyers? For what? Are you trying to enter the Mr. Russia contest again?” said Bryan.

Spencer dropped the sack on the floor and aimed a kick at Bryan’s shin, but Bryan lunged out of his chair before he could touch him.

“Oho…someone shares my taste in bendy ballerinas,” said Ian, pulling out a flyer from the sack that had fallen at his feet.

Bryan’s face turned serious for a moment and he looked at Spencer curiously. “Why do you have a sack full of flyers about ballerinas?”

Spencer shrugged. “I don’t know. Ask Tala. He asked me to pick it up from that collector near the electronics store. These are really old flyers. Almost as old as us.”

“Where is he?” said Bryan. As calm as he tried to sound, there was a hint of panic in his voice.

“Why do you ask?” said Ian, noticing the change in his tone and expression.

“Answer the goddamned question,” said Bryan, impatiently.

“I don’t know. He went for a walk. Try his cell,” said Ian.

“His cell’s at a repair shop, you forgetful little shit,” snapped Bryan.

“Whoa…what’s got you all riled up? You sound–”

But before Ian could complete his sentence, Bryan had already left.

Walking down the staircase towards the gate, only one thought kept echoing at the back of Bryan’s head. He’s figured it out.

Part 2

Snow and rain. These were the two things that he had bitterly cried about on several occasions in his somewhat distant past when he was out on the streets, scavenging for food and hoping that some kind stranger would lend him a blanket to sleep in with his friend. But now he walked over the damp, slippery road with an umbrella in his hand knowing that if not anything else, the snow was at his command.

He had very little memory left of his time before the Abbey. The few scraps of it that had remained in his mind after Boris’ efforts at deleting them were like tattered photographs that floated about in a dark unending void – unfathomable and unconnected. Sometimes he felt as though Bryan remembered snippets of their time before the Abbey – maybe even about his family. But for some reason Bryan never talked about it and he never asked.

It was also not entirely unexpected for him to find that there were no official records of him or his family anywhere in the databases of the government. Boris was a man with infinite connections in high places and it was not too far-fetched for him to imagine the depths to which he would have sunken to dehumanize the boys and turn them into his slaves.

Walking down the musty lanes of Mardov, an old forgotten street in a corner of Moscow, Tala debated with himself for a moment as to whether or not he should close him umbrella. Even as the rain had stopped, the water, that had collected over the slanting rooftops of the houses on either side of this unusually narrow lane, kept cascading down over his head mercilessly.

He slipped his hand into the pocket of his trench-coat and pulled out a small newspaper clipping.

Faced with a severe cash crunch, acclaimed former ballerina Olga Ivanova-Lipovsky to tutor prospective ballerinas at her humble residence at Mardov Studio.

Tala glanced at the title of the clipping again and sighed. As a celebrity himself, Tala had never been much of a fan of such tabloids. So it was with much disdain that he had read through the article to find out about the colourful and possibly exaggerated life of this once exuberant and well-known ballerina. It was riddled with stories of her period of substance abuse, multiple affairs, political involvement, four failed marriages – including one abusive marriage from which she claimed to have escaped after her drunk husband had beaten her, done everything to extinguish her career and relegate her to nothing more than a ballet teacher – and two children. One alive and pursuing a career in architecture and one dead.

One dead. Tala pushed down the lump in his throat and proceeded to walk down the lane, wrinkling his nose. The stench on the street was unbearable.

He had wondered for several years, as he had watched Wolborg materialize, as to why his bit-beast was different. His bit-beast was artificial and was created at the Abbey according to what would be compatible with him. Yet, by tapping into the minds of his teammates, Boris had created bit-beasts that symbolized nothing more than the creatures that were best suited to their personalities.

He had even summoned Wolborg and tried to connect to her spiritually, hoping for some answers. But the only reply that he had got to his question of why she appeared as a woman whenever he released her was, “Watch me, little one.”

Her answer had confused him to a significant degree until the rather odd dream that he had had one night about a beautiful red-haired woman twirling around endlessly to Tchaikovsky’s tunes. He had woken up bathed in sweat the next morning, utterly befuddled, and since then had devoted himself to finding out the connection between his bit-beast and ballet.

Watch me, little one.

Under all his layers of warm clothing, the voice inside his head still ran a chill down his spine.

After almost an eternity of walking and silent contemplation, Tala came to a sharp halt near a window. A board with the word ‘Lipovsky’ hung from a nail on the door next to it.

Unable to help himself and unsure of whether he could bring himself to ring the doorbell, he peered in through the window of the dimly lit room.

It was a quaintly untidy room, with clothes strewn all over the couch and books lying open on a table with tiny cigarette butts surrounding them. Frowning, Tala looked at the wall. A number of photographs hung from the wall – some with pictures of the red-headed ballerina smiling and dancing, and some with another young red-headed girl standing next to her.

However, it was the last photograph that really surprised him. Tala gasped as he saw a photograph of himself holding the Beyblade World Championship trophy hanging right next to the photograph of his mother. An unwitting smile appeared on his face and he stared at the photograph in complete disbelief.

“Pick up your clothes from the couch, Nina,” said a sharp voice from inside.

Tala instinctively moved away from the window and hid by the door, carefully positioning himself in such a way as to be able to continue to look into the room.

“I’ll do it, mama,” said a young woman in a bored voice, entering the room.

Soon after, a middle aged woman glided into the room, with a cigarette in her hand.

A wave of indistinguishable emotions, both happy and sad, washed over Tala as he stared longingly at the woman who stood inside the room chiding his half-sister. Even as she was barely forty five, there were visible wrinkles on her face and a hint of cynicism in her eyes. Be that as it may, she was still breathtakingly beautiful, and age and her battle with addiction had done little to rob away the grace in her step and the touch of youthfulness in her smile that he had seen on the flyers containing pictures of his mother.

Tala felt his fingers inching towards the doorbell when he was broken out of his reverie by Nina’s voice.

“Mom, Alex drew a portrait of me and framed it. But where do I hang it? Just look at how cluttered the wall is. There are no more nails to hang anything from!” said she, irritably, waving a rather unflattering sketch of herself in front her mother.

“I’ll make space,” replied Olga, casually taking off Tala’s photograph from the wall and tossing it into the small dustbin by the couch.

The frame shattered inside it and for a moment, Olga glanced at it and frowned. Then she looked at her daughter and gestured at the wall, before walking away without another word.

Tala felt his hand shaking as he lowered it from the doorbell. An unexpected tear trickled down his cold cheek and he took a step back, feeling strangely crushed.

“Need a drink?” said a familiar voice from behind him.

Tala glanced over his shoulder to see Bryan standing there looking at him sympathetically. He hastily wiped his tear and turned around, his expression as cold as it had always been.

“You knew,” said Tala, unceremoniously.

Bryan shrugged. “I did.”

“Hm.”

“Your family is waiting for you with a couple of bottles of vodka on the balcony, you know,” said Bryan.

Tala made no response and quietly joined Bryan as they walked back past puddles and patches of snow.

“Tell anyone about this and I bench you,” said Tala, coldly.

“Aye, captain,” said Bryan, smiling.

For a brief second, Bryan could have sworn that there was a smile on Tala’s face as well.

You’re welcome, buddy, thought Bryan to himself, as they made their way together through the unforgiving weather towards home.