#actually no I'm not. I'm not planning on picking up the manga again. I'm literally just reading fic and talking to hella about it

[rotisseries]

the dabihawks bachelorette au is the only true mha canon to me and I mean this completely seriously in that I literally thought a major plot point from that fic was fully canon to the extent that I used said plot point as the rationalization in my brain for a certain plot point in a DIFFERENT fic

[yuseirra]

Ch 161~

Can't draw so much during the week..!

More commentary about 161..

I'm actually convinced Fatal and Mephisto should be Kamiki's song?? I think some things hint of it.

and that he DOES really care about Aqua.

and that he does have to do with Sarutahiko, Amenouzume's husband(although this part is a speculation)

More stuff in the read more:

(first written in another language and chatGPT helped me translate it... I can't write things like this twice ;v; it's a great world here. so convenient~)

Honestly, it's frustrating and a bit agonizing; what is this even about? The plot is stressful, but...

Still, being able to focus like this... I guess it’s a good thing to find a work that hooks you and makes you think deeply in some way.

LOL, it also means I’m living a life where I have enough time to care about a manga, even though I’m currently in a pretty tough spot.

This manga, whether it's in a good or bad direction, seems to be driving me crazy in its own way.

If I’m disappointed, I can always go read something else, (I even got permission from someone to draw a Persona fanfic fanart, but I’ve been too hooked on this manga to do it.. that fanfic was so good.. I need to do it sooner or later..).

But I was so confident about my analyses. Like, really... I’m usually good at picking up on these kinds of things? This manga is great at psychological portrayal, and it was amusing to analyze that, There are just too many things sticking out for me, and things feel uneasy.

It’s not about the pairing... It just keeps bothering me... Am I really missing the mark on this? I’m usually good at sensing these things...

Without the movie arc, this development would be fine, but that arc is sandwiched in there, and I interpreted the character based on that too...

Honestly, every time I listen to the songs, I get this strong feeling like, "This isn’t Aqua." The kind of emotions in these songs, it's not him that's singing them. It's the dad. I immediately posted about it when I first heard it in July. As soon as I heard it, I thought, "This is it," and got a gut feeling.

I really want to feel that emotion again.

Even if Kamiki does turn out to be a serial killer, I still think these songs could describe his inner state.

I think we’ll get some explanation in the next five chapters or so, even if it takes a bit longer.

Also, the expression Kamiki makes when Aqua stabs him is so genuine. Until that moment, he had been smiling, but...

If that expression was because he suddenly felt threatened with his life, it’s a bit pathetic. But... I don’t think that’s the case. What I really pay attention to are the emotional flow and expressions.

When Aqua says he wants to watch Ruby perform, the smile on Kamiki’s face... it’s soft. That’s... definitely a look of affection. It’s not like, “Oh, I've won him over!” or, “Yes, I’ve convinced him!” I interpreted it as Kamiki having paternal love, and there was a scene that backed up that idea earlier. I’m sure he really likes Aqua.

That’s not a bad expression. It’s more like, "Yeah, you wish to see Ruby, don't you. Go ahead, watch her. Keep living" (Which makes me wonder, is he really planning to harm Ruby? If he harms her, maybe he plans to do it after the Dome performance? But even that doesn’t make sense. Does that mean Aqua would have to come back to stab him AGAIN after that takes place?? Does it really add up to his logic for telling him to go watch her?)

Aqua says Kamiki will destroy Ruby’s future, but...

How exactly is he going to do that? Hasn't this guy literally done nothing? If they're talking about the Dome performance, at least that should go off without a hitch, right? So at least until then, Ruby would be safe?? So, Kamiki isn't planning to harm Ruby now at least, right? Even with that weird.. logic that he proposes (I hope he's lying about that tbh)

Then when Aqua smiles and says something like, "Haha, but I’ll just kill you and die with you," while pointing the knife at him again...

Kamiki’s expression at that moment really stands out, and it’s not like a twisted look of being frustrated about things not going his way. It’s not anger or annoyance he's feeling. It’s the same shocked and despairing expression we saw in chapters 146 and 153.

Aqua seems to have no clue what kind of person his father really is, huh? He can’t read him at all.

Honestly, from the way Kamiki speaks, I get the impression that he’s actually quite kind. He’s not saying anything too wrong.

Remember the scene where Ruby gets angry because people were talking carelessly about Ai’s death? Kamiki probably knows about that too. I think Aqua and Ai, and Ruby and Kamiki, are quite alike in nature. Kamiki might’ve felt a lot of grief over Ai at that time. I do believe he loved Ai.

The phrase, "People don’t want the truth," is pretty painful, especially if you think about Ai. That’s why Ai lived telling lies. Isn't Kamiki thinking about what's happened to her, then? By bringing that up? He should have felt it, loving/watching a person like her and what unfolded.. Ai died because of the truth that she had kids with him. Ugly fans like Ryosuke and Nino couldn't take her being less than perfect. Wouldn't this have hurt Kamiki too? The fact that they loved each other(At least Ai did genuinely, we know that) was unwanted. People could not accept that, and that's one of the reasons why they had to break up.

From the way Kamiki talks, it feels like he genuinely doesn’t want his son or daughter to go through that kind of pain.

I think Kamiki has a pretty good nature. When you look at how he speaks, it’s gentle, and he seems to genuinely care about Aqua and knows a lot about him. Maybe he’s been watching over him from afar for a long time? He probably even knows who his son has feelings for.

It really feels like Kamiki is trying to persuade him: "I’m fine with dying. But you, you have so many reasons to live, right? Shouldn’t you return to the people you care about?"

And, the way Kamiki reacts after Aqua stabs him also shows it. He’s visibly agitated afterward. His expression noticeably shifts to panic and darkness.

Wait... stop it, don’t do this! That’s what he says.

The way he’s talking to Aqua in that moment.

It’s not like, “How dare you?” but more like, “Aqua, please don’t do this.”

It really seems like he doesn’t want Aqua to die.

He’s really shocked by it.

From his expressions, he seems more shocked by Aqua getting stabbed than by his own fall, like he didn’t even know how to react properly. He's being grabbed onto but he isn't looking at the hands that are grabbing him, his line of sight is on Aqua there

The final expression he makes can seem really pathetic, but...

Oh man, I think that’s the truth of that situation.

And it makes sense because Ai dreamed of raising her kids with this guy. I think he could’ve been a really great father who adored his kids... at least until the point they separated. He was just really young back then.

Doesn’t this guy really love his kids? Even without the movie arc, there have been hints of his concern for them.

I’m not trying to interpret him kindly just because I particularly like or find this character attractive.

If he’s a serial killer psychopath, then yeah, he should die here. When I first got spoiled, my reaction was completely merciless. "Well, he should die if he's like that," I said. But...

I don’t think that’s the case. It really seems like he cares about Aqua.

Oh, and Kamiki’s soul being noble in the past is mentioned, right?

So, he was a good person before?

Well, I guess I wasn’t totally off in reading his character? LOL.

Does that mean he could be a fallen god?(could be a stretch, but there IS a lyric in fatal about fallenness!!!)

Sarutahiko is often described as a "noble" and "just" god, so it’s quite possible that Kamiki’s true nature is based on Sarutahiko, the husband of Ame-no-Uzume = Ai.

That couple was very affectionate, and according to the Aratate Shrine description, they even go as far as blessing marital relationships. Those gods really love each other. In that case, Ai being so fond and loving of Hikaru also makes sense. It could explain why she asked her kids to save him...

So, can't “Fatal” be his song? Maybe he’s fallen from grace?

The lyrics in "Fatal" say things like, "What should I use to fill in what’s missing?" Could that be about human lives? But did he really kill people? How can you save someone after that? That’s why I don’t think he went that far.

"Without you, I cannot live anymore"

“I would sacrifice anything for you”

This isn’t Aqua. This is Kamiki.

Would Aqua do that much for Ai? He shouldn’t be so blind.

When I listened to "Fatal," I immediately thought of "Mephisto" because the two songs are so similar in context.

They’re sung by the same narrator, aren’t they? That made it clear what Kamiki’s purpose was, which is why I started drawing so much about him and Ai after that.

He keeps saying he’ll give up his life and that he wants to see Ai again. This isn’t Aqua! These feelings are different from what Aqua has.

At first, I thought because Ruby = Amaterasu, with Tsukuyomi having shown up, and Aqua perhaps having relations to Susanoo (he’s falling into the sea this time, right? LOL) I wondered if Ai and her boyfriend’s story was based on the major myth of Izanagi and Izanami, since they’re so well-known.

That myth is famous for how the husband tries to save his wife after she dies, though he fails in the end.

The storyline is similar to Mephisto’s, so I thought, "Could this be it?"

And then I realized Sarutahiko and Ame-no-Uzume's lores also fit really well. Ai thinking Kamiki was like a jewel when they first met is similar to how Ame-no-Uzume saw Sarutahiko shining when they first met. Sarutahiko guiding Ame-no-Uzume is similar to how Hikaru taught Ai how to act. They even had descendants that have a title that means "maiden who's good at dancing" The two also fell for each other at first sight. The shrine the characters visit in the story is supposedly where those two met and married. If they REALLY are those gods in essence, It feels like something went wrong with the wish because one or both of them became twisted.

Anyway, I think Kamiki was originally noble but fell from grace, and it’s likely that Ai’s death was the catalyst.

But I’m not sure if he really went as far as killing people.

What is Tsukuyomi even talking about? I’ve read it several times, and I still don’t fully understand.

I really hope she's wrong because… killing others to make Ai’s name carry more weight? That doesn’t make any sense. What does “the weight of her name” supposed to mean?? I don't think that's something that should be taken just at face value, I feel like there's more behind this idea.

What kind of logic is that? And on top of that, I can’t understand why Ai’s life would become more valuable if Kamiki dies. It just doesn’t follow.

Why would he even say that?

He must be really confident... Does he think he’s someone greater than Ai?

Even so, how does it connect?

I read two books today, because I started wondering if my reading comprehension has dropped. Thankfully, I’m still able to read books just fine. It’s not like I can’t read, you know? I’ve taken media literacy classes and pride myself on not having terrible reading comprehension.

I tried to make sense of what exactly the heck this may mean, and I think.. if it were to mean something like, “I’ll offer my life as a sacrifice to Ai,” I’d at least get that. That kind of logic, in a way, has some practical meaning.

Kamiki talked about sacrifices? tributes? offerings? in chapter 147. I really remember certain scenes clearly because I’ve gone over them carefully. In that case, if Kamiki dies, then the weight or value of his life would transfer to Ai, and that would “help” her, right?

If the story is going in that direction,

when I look at “Mephisto” and “Fatal,” I can see that by doing this, Kamiki would have a chance to either save Ai or get closer to her. At least that makes some sense.

But is it really right for Ai to ask someone to save Kamiki, who killed others? As soon as the idea of it came up, I knew something was up.

Because of what Ai's wanted, I think it’s possible that Kamiki didn’t actually go that far. In the songs, they talk about gathering light and offering something, but they don’t say anything about killing people… Kamiki said he’d sacrifice his own life. People around him may have died, but…

Kamiki’s true personality doesn’t seem like the type to do that… And looking at his actions when Aqua was stabbed??

He hasn’t shown any direct actions yet, so I still don’t know how far he’d actually go.

It’s not that I don’t believe Tsukuyomi’s words entirely,

but I don’t think the conclusion is going to be something like, “Ai should’ve never met Kamiki.”

Every time we see Kamiki’s actual actions, there’s this strange gentleness to him, and that’s what’s confusing me.

The more I look closely, the weirder it feels, and something about it just bothers me. If Kamiki were truly just a completely crazy villain, I’d think, “Oh, so that’s who he is,” and I wouldn’t deny it.

But each time, I start thinking that maybe Ai didn’t meet someone so strange after all? Ai liked him that much, so on that front, it makes sense to me. I want to believe that’s the right conclusion. I mean, doesn’t what he says sound kind? Isn’t he gentle?

No, but seriously, when Kamiki listened to Aqua’s reasons for wanting to live, I thought his expression was warm. It didn’t seem like some calculated expression like “according to plan” like Light Yagami. It felt more like a fond, affectionate expression. I draw too, you know. I pay a lot of attention to expressions. This character often makes expressions that really stand out.

It’s like he’s genuinely trying to convince Aqua not to do anything reckless. Maybe I’m being soft on Kamiki because he’s Ai’s boyfriend? But actually, it’s not like that?

I mean, I’m the type who’s like, “Anyone who did something bad to Ai should die!!” It’s because he’s a character. If this were a real person, I wouldn’t so casually tell someone to go die or say such strong things.

But… he seems like a good person.

+It’s a small thing, but why did Kamiki drop his phone while talking about Ruby? Ppft If you drop it from that height, it’d probably crack. Was he trying to look cool? (It’s an Apple phone, huh.) Is he a bit clumsy? Well... since it looks like him and Aqua are about to fall into the sea, maybe it was a blessing he did so. The phone might be saved after all. If he manages to climb out of there, he could contact someone with that phone.

[drowning-moonlight]

Public Executions in One Piece, Inherited Will, and how Gol D Roger Haunts the Narrative

Since I've gotten caught up in the manga, I am struck by how executions - especially public ones - are used as a narrative device and are even used for character development in some ways as well. Specifically in how the characters that are executed may die physically but their Wills and spirit lives on. There are the obvious ones like Ace and Roger but I also see this with character such as Mont Blanc Noland and Kozuki Oden. I see certain parallels between these government sanctioned killings that I'm sure Oda wrote the story that way on purpose.

Historically and in media like One Piece, public executions serve the purpose of not only punishing the person being killed for crimes they committed - real or perceived - but also to discourage others from committing similar crimes. The thing with One Piece though is that most of these public executions backfire on the ones in charge.

Ace and Roger's executions mirror each other in that the Marines and World Government wanted to end piracy but instead both of them being killed actually ushered in new ages of piracy.

Roger turned himself in and the Marines used his public execution as an opportunity to basically say something like, "Hey, we have the King of Pirates here and we're going to kill him in front of the whole world. This will happen to every pirate we can get our hands on. We are able to kill the King himself, we can definitely get you small time pirates too so you might as well give up being pirate!" But Roger's last words of course completely flipped this around declaring, "If you can find my treasure, the One Piece, then you too can be the next Pirate King!" He destroyed the Navy's plans with his final words and kicked off an era of far more piracy than there ever was before. He dies in body but not in spirit. His spirit and Will lives on for literal decades after his death in every single person who goes searching for the One Piece. The Marines may have succeeded in killing the man but they failed so spectacularly with killing his spirit.

Likewise with Ace's execution, the Navy wanted to end Roger's bloodline and pick a fight with Whitebeard, the strongest pirate in the world at that time. By doing this, they wanted to end this New Age of Piracy. If they could kill the son of the previous Pirate King and also kill the pirate closest to becoming the next Pirate King in one fell swoop then surely this would discourage pirates the world over and prevent people from wanting to become pirates in the future. But again it backfired. The Marines may have succeeded in killing Ace and Whitebeard but their deaths - just as Roger's - ushered in another New Age of Piracy. Whitebeard's last words especially kicked off more people becoming pirates, "The One Piece is real!" Throughout the story we see a few times when characters don't believe that the One Piece is even real, and the Navy probably wants people to think that because if there's no big treasure to find, then there's less of a reason for people to be pirates. But Whitebeard stomps on that notion with his last words:

Ace's execution, which was meant to discourage piracy and get revenge on Roger for starting the New Pirate Age, actually sets off more piracy and changes the story from here on out. Though they both die, just like Roger before them, Ace and Whitebeard's death's carry on meaning and inspiration for future pirates. The world of One Piece is forever changed from this one moment. The story and main character is never the same again after this. Again, the Marine's may have succeeded in killing their physical bodies but the inherited Will of Ace and Roger and Whitebeard lives on in the next generation of pirates.

Roger's execution is also heavily paralleled by the execution of Mont Blanc Noland in the flashbacks of Skypeia. This execution wasn't as grand or far reaching as the Marines killing Roger but the parallel is there. Noland was executed by a king for the perceived crime of lying to said king. He wasn't a wanted criminal the way Roger was but their ends are the same.

The framing of his execution is so similar to Roger's. And later in the series, Ace's execution mirrors them both as well.

The visual parallels are so striking that I doubt it was done accidentally. And just as with Roger, Noland's execution spurred on others to look for the lost city of gold that Noland had found, not knowing that it was in the sky instead of in the ocean. Nolan's death didn't necessarily start a new age of piracy but it did inspire people to go looking for treasure. Which is exactly what Roger's death caused. This search for treasure trickled all the way down to his descendant Cricket and also Luffy, furthering the theme of Inherited Will.

Then there is Kozuki Oden's execution by Kaido in the Wano flashbacks. Kaido wanted to kill Oden for the danger he posed and so that Kaido could further take over Wano without the head of the Kozuki clan stopping him. Oden also wanted to open Wano to the rest of the world and Kaido wanted to stop that. But Oden's death had basically the same affect that Roger's death did: inspiring others and carrying on his will. Even Oden and Kaido himself say as much right before Oden dies:

Is this not metaphorically exactly how Roger died too? The circumstances of their deaths are different but they both still die knowing that their Wills will live on after they are gone. They know that they will not be forgotten. "My soul will live on!! For I am a story to accompany you drinks..." Roger lives on in this way as well, especially through Silvers Rayleigh.

Again, Kaido may have succeeded in killing Oden's body but his spirit lives on to inspire others in the future and thus doesn't really die. His execution backfires and Kaido is eventually taken down by those who carried on Oden's Will.

What's more interesting about this than the other public executions in the series is that Kaido seems to be aware that the death of Oden - and later Luffy - will be remembered. "They will speak of you for years to come," he says to a dying Oden. I find that fascinating. And when Luffy "died," Kaido again mentions that he will be remembered:

It's interesting to me that Kaido is aware that their death's won't really be the end for Oden and Luffy, whereas the Marines and WG definitely didn't seem to understand that publicly killing Roger, Ace, and Whitebeard would mean that they would essentially be martyred and live on in spirit. Kaido seems to have more understanding of what their deaths will cause than the Marines do, which I find... odd... and I'm not sure where to go with that thought.

I also find it interesting that Luffy doesn't care or even want to be remembered once he dies. It's just like Oden saying, "They can forget me, for all I care," but he does go on to say he's a story to accompany people's drinks. Luffy, on the other hand, doesn't seem to see his death that way. He says he doesn't need people to tell tales of his great battle and that once you're dead there's nothing left but bones. It honestly feels like sort of a hopeless statement from Luffy and I'm not sure how to interpret it. Roger seemed to know that his last words would insure that he would not be forgotten, so this difference with Luffy is interesting.

Now what Kaido did to Luffy wasn't a public execution like all the other deaths mentioned before but I think this interaction between them still sheds light on the theme of remembering people after they die. Even though Luffy seems to be saying that he doesn't want to be remembered after he dies, I think we can all agree that he will be remembered when and if that time comes.

And it all goes back to quite literally the very start of the series. Roger's execution is the very first thing we learn about in One Piece. It's the very first scene ever shown, the preamble, the prelude, whatever you want to call it. He's the first named character in the entire series. We learn about Roger's death and his impact on the story before we learn anything at all about Luffy himself.

Roger truly does Haunt the Narrative of One Piece so much and his execution is mirrored by multiple other characters throughout the series that it can't be a coincidence.

it's just... the public executions in One Piece truly do hit different than in other media, don't they?

[silkopera]

••HXH 405 Commentary••

This is a very rough and short commentary because I mainly just want to get my feeling and thoughts out because wow this chapter was something. The situation with the Phantom Troupe and Hisoka is finally picking up and getting the ball rolling. I'm eager but also terrified as to what will happen in future chapters.

To start off, Hisoka's in the casino just chilling and playing cards. wow😭. This man is not afraid that the troupe is out for blood. His vest + dress shirt combo+ bolo-tie is very snazzy though. Reminds me of Lestat from interview with the vampire 1994.

Bonolevnov?? I did not expect him to be the star of this chapter but he is living up to his name! I am quite concerned for him though as he's weak to Hisoka's bungee gum and that's literally all Hisoka uses but he's also tailing Hisoka ALONE dressed as HISOKA? The rate of him dying is exponential I fear unless the troupe has another plan or he has an ace up his sleeve.

CHROLLO !! He has finally returned. Very happy to see him again but also my heart does feel for him. He looks so tired. We know how much he cares about his friends and seeing him slowly crumble and succumb to his feelings that he's tried to keep hidden all these years? If we see him break down and bawl, I fear I will cry myself.

This was the most memorable panel from the chapter for me. Chrollo really did love Pakunoda who was 09. Whether as a sibling, friend, partner or something more, he really does love her and miss her. Now that I think about it, he was close and comfortable with all the girls like Sheila, Sarasa and Pakunoda and they often protected him from his bullies aka Phinks, Feitan and Uvo. Then Sheila and Sarasa were gone and Paku was the only one he had. They were together for so long and they had such a sentimental connection even before all that dubbing business so this makes Paku's death hurt even more.

This also basically confirms that the phantom troupe will disband and they are finally realizing that if they continue to go on like this , more of their beloved friends will die. Karma and catastrophe are finally catching up to them for their misdeeds. However the Troupe does look out for Chrollo like how Gon and Killua looked out for Kurapika. I enjoy seeing the parallels between Kurapika and Chrollo along with their friends. They're both so similar but destined for tragedy with the path they chose.

It's satisfying to know what Sarasa's murderer and torturer got what he earned (by the troupe's hand I assume). Ironically he was the chairman of a foundation to help children?? What a joke. The way she ,a small girl, spent her final moments in agony , all alone, surrounded by horrible people, ultimately to end up in a trash bag. She deserved and got the justice she needed. I hope we get to unravel more of the story behind everything soon.

A little extra but Feitan's concerned face and eyebrows actually has me cracking up because we know nothing phases the man🤣.

Finishing this off, there was a LOT more to this chapter but I needed to get my feelings off my chest for these specific parts. Reading and analyzing this manga is a CHORE but Togashi is so good at what he does and It's amazing he can come up with such complex storytelling and make it interesting to read at the same time. Forever grateful for his work and excited to see what lies ahead for 406.

-silkopera.

[justatalkingface]

Hi there,

I'd love to know your ideas and opinion on Hori going out of his way to make Bakugou the second OFA user as it was shown in the movie. Are you a fan of it?

This post has aged badly because of how long it's been sitting in my inbox, but... well, I was the one who did that, so that's my own fault.

Hahahahahah, yeah, wow, sweet flying fuck no. In a series that has been escalating in how many bad decisions they've made lately, that is one of the worst. More than that, it is telling, in this deeply concerning way, about how little Hori seems to like his own main character.

I've never watched the movie, and I have no desire to, because I'm pretty sure all that'd happen if I did would be me spending the entire movie picking out plot holes than anything, but I have done some basic research on it, and my impression is that it's very... Naruto filler-movie-y, where the protagonists get Random Power up that is basically never spoken of again (note that this is basically official confirmation of Bakugou's promotion), the same general kind of big fight sequence where both of them work together, etc.

It's just... it's just shallow, though, is the thing. At least the filler Naruto movies had the basic decency to make up whatever power up they used and threw away; here Izuku is taking one of the foundational parts of the entire story and just.... giving it away. All of his emotional attachment to it, as a Quirk, as his Quirk, as part of a legacy connecting him to All Might, One For All, and what is singlehandedly keeping him in his current place in society (since at this point he wasn't allowed to be smart anymore), and he just throws it away to Bakugou.

And then, to top it off, it just comes back to him. Some Fucking How(TM). And, because this is, again, one of the foundational parts of the fucking story, that just leaves... so many questions. So many.

Like. If the Quirk could yeet itself from hosts it doesn't like, could AFO ever really take it? Or would it Yeet Thyself from his body, and presumably take a copy of AFO with it in the process (and doesn't that mean, since there was that nod to this happening in canon, that Izuku should have Explosion now? That he literally, by Hori's own logic, has taken that fundamental core of Bakugou's character, and should be in the perfect place to invalidate his entire, badly managed and over all atrocious 'character arc'?).

Really, the more I think on this, the more I realize that that is proof that, not only was Explosion drastically warped to contort to Hori's whims, but so was OFA; OFA, originally, was just supposed to support Izuku, as an assistance to his character, but as time passed, it became clear that that was no longer true, and Izuku only existed to assist OFA. And no, I'm not even talking about the actual person, I'm talking about the set of powers Izuku's entire purpose in the story had been reduced to helping display on demand.

And the fact that, looking at it with that symbolism in mind, that movie's ending was a perfectly horrible encapsulation of what happened in the overall story, of Izuku handing his entire self identity over to Bakugou, for him to take and use however the hell he wanted.

...Fuck, that's depressing. Really, honestly, I wonder why the hell Izuku even exists. Seriously. It's clear that Hori doesn't want him, and he wants all the good Izuku things to go to Bakugou; there's plenty of manga and anime with an asshole of a main character, although a lot of early things would have to be changed to explain how that'd work...

I wonder, but I actually know that answer: beyond needing a more acceptable hero, beyond changing plans, having Bakugou as the focus the way Izuku was would, A, put a spotlight on the traits of him Hori clearly wanted to avoid doing, and B, would put more pressure on Hori to make Bakugou change in way he so clearly wasn't allowed to do, to make the reality of him match up with the narrative version so many people love (You could argue that Izuku, in a similar place, stopped changing after awhile, but at the same time his complete lack of growth is the main reason why the people stopped liking him anymore, because he stopped feeling like a person, and one of the major reasons the second half of the story became so overwhelmingly shit, to the point even people just casually enjoying the story on a surface level read couldn't miss; combining that clusterfuck with Bakugou's shit characterization is probably the only reason Hori didn't just... have Izuku die at some point so Bakugou could flat out replace him, along with shallow nods to their 'rivalry' (like this movie!) to help the story sell).

...I've gotten off topic. So, to sum up: No. No, I hate it, it's terrible, I'm glad I've never had to actually watch it happen.

[my-midnight-musings-xoxo]

Light spoilers for Veil manga!

---

A few posts ago I mentioned writing about Veil, and as it's currently taking over my thoughts once again I thought it's best to muse about it. A simple summary of Veil: A blind woman named Emma literally stumbles into a police officer called Aleksander. They strike up a conversation and she mentions looking for a job. It just so happens the police station needs someone to take phone calls, and their story begins. It's told in vignettes, and every chapter builds on the sweet dynamic. I admit when I first saw Veil I thought it was a story meant to look pretty with little substance. I don't like being wrong, but I'm happy I was this time. The art is elegant, serene, and delicate, with almost every chapter having bonus sketches of Emma (and sometimes Aleksander) looking lovely and having cute character interactions. I was worried Emma would be infantilized in some way, but far from it. She's assertive, coy, playful, and sweet. They do address her being blind and how she navigates the world because of it, but she's more than her disability, and that makes me quite happy. Romance isn't my typical genre, so if it isn't yours either, I'd honestly recommend it. It's called Veil because there's a veil that tickles them, their relationship is between friendship and dating, which is one of my favorite parts. For years I've liked the thought of an intimate friendship, as I dubbed it. A relationship that isn't quite dating, but you're close and comfortable with each other. You're simply together without any need for strict labels to define you. I'm not quite sure if that's an actual thing, but Veil perfectly encapsulates what I'm poorly describing.

It's also just adorable. There's a cute chapter with Emma and Aleksander playing rock, paper, scissors with a kid at a stoplight. (I've been looking for minutes now and I cannot find it I'm so sorry!) When Aleksander keeps losing he convinces Emma to win for him. In Volume 2 Chapter 24: Present, Emma buys a suit for Aleksander, saying it was from an invisible man. Once he tries it on he picks her up, declaring he wants to see the invisible man too.

Tell me this isn't adorable.

If my ramblings have convinced you to read this manga, hooray! There's a playlist I'm listening to while writing this called 'Veil manga vibes' on Spotify by yuumin. It's perfect for reading this story.

If not, that's alright too. It's not for everyone, but thank you for reading this far anyway.

Veil actually inspired me to enjoy drawing again, no matter how silly or unfinished. There are also poems interspersed between the manga. Sometimes it's Aleksander talking about Emma, other times it's about inanimate objects viewing them. This is going to sound silly, but one of my favorites is about a key and a keyhole. Trust me, it's very cute. It's at the end of Volume 5, Chapter 48: To get drunk with.

Just to be a little presumptuous, if anyone's wondering I do plan on writing more about MadK. After the wonderful engagement on my J and Datenshou posts, I'm very grateful for all of the notes and reblogs by the way. It was a wonderful surprise to return to 25 notes and more than one reblog! I thought those two posts wouldn't do very well, J's especially, I'm glad you do. I can't thank you in person, as much as I'd like to. With such nice responses, it's boosted my confidence to post more about MadK. I might analyze Makoto's design this week! Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening/night and stay hydrated!

I hope I've made at least one person a Veil fan today, hehe. <3

[melonteee]

I just think they didn't do Sanji's eyebrows cause they couldn't make it work with the hairstyle they wanted, every Sanji actor looks like a cosplayer, which is not a bad thing when it comes to like live performances on stage or at theme parks, but they're SO clearly wearing wigs LMAO they do not look like "real" people that would exist since that hair (wig) is not natural looking at all (and we all know that Sanji would look wacky with both brows showing, that's why he NEVER shows them in the manga), Netflix is clearly going for realism and Sanji has "realistic" hair which is kinda ironic since One Piece and realism don't really go hand in hand but lol Netflix ¯l_(ツ)_l¯

This same goes for Usopp's nose too, but they have literally NO excuse for removing Sanji's little "beard", that shit should've stayed on since it IS one of the most realistic parts of his design lol but again it's fucking Netflix

Also hot(?) take: I think Oda just designed Sanji to have eyebrows like the spiral in narutomaki cause he found it funny, I think he added the Germa stuff to it later (I think he had a lot of Sanji's story planned out from the get go but judging from his comments he decided Sanji would have siblings much later so I think he also just added more meaning to the brows later)

Anon you cannoooot say "it's just unrealistic looking, all the other Sanjis wear obvious wigs" when Nami and Zoro are wearing the most obvious wigs ever. It has nothing to do with realism, Zoro's hair is bright green for god's sake. If a cosplayer on a $15 budget can add the literal key trait of Sanji's design, Netflix could've found a way to do it on a million dollar budget - possibly even with a more natural look!

I'm not going to lie I'm extremely sick of these excuses that everyone is just making up FOR Netflix, like can we just be in agreement it was honestly disappointing and lazy to remove a physical feature a LOT of people recognise Sanji for. A feature that is so easy to add. You can be excited for it while also going "Wow, that kinda sucks!"

Removing a feature of a character that he's literally recognised for in canon universe, that he gets nick names for and pointed at for MULTIPLE times, is just an extremely disappointing move by Netflix - especially considering it is currently story relevant in the original property right now. They just wanted to make him a conventionally attractive man without any of the design choices that actually make him stand out.

Sanji's eyebrows are also literally meant to be weird, if they look uncanny then that's kind of literally the point. It's why he gets made fun of for them.

Once again, this has nothing to do with the actors at all. They do not control their costumes lol.

Also my hot take here is, if you want to make a show with physical realism, why in the world would you EVER pick one piece to adapt for that 😭

[brdpch]

{6} a game of cats, mice and hearts like ice

desktop: previous ✧ next mobile: previous ✧ next

synopsis: in the world of deadly games and their lives at risk, a very smart sociopath meets a very cunning stripper who claims his life as hers.

warnings: canon-typical violence, graphic descriptions of violence, sexual abuse, substance abuse, niragi, literally everything, you name it.

formatting: it's a glued-together dynamic roleplay between me and @bvrdel-mama, so the replies are separated by ♠♥♦♣, and the dialogues are written like — This. — yes, the symbols look horrible on mobile, we know.

statistics: 2,509 words 13,625 characters.

author's note: it's a mix of manga!chishiya with show!chishiya. also! what's worth noticing - in this rp there are dice involved. the mechanic is called a d20 mechanic, and it's based on dungeons and dragons 5th edition. we also use other dice rolls for other outcomes, so future events might surprise both me and my roleplaying partner. enjoy!

He was… something else. He didn't try to pull out, but instead - laughed at her, genuinely. Unmei was taken aback just a little bit, before she let go, shaking her head and smirking.

— You will never get me out of your head. — she said before Shuntarō sprinted away, not caring if he heard her or not.

The thought crossed her mind - was she wrong and was he actually a psychopath, and not a sociopath?

Chishiya wasn't an esper, as they said in japan, so he couldn't predict the future. Tagger's attention was now on Unmei, but it was okay, she already planned how she could use it to her advantage. Such a silly boy, thinking he could put her in any danger?

— Tagger is well prepared for a fight! — she shouted towards others, on her knees, getting to the stairs she seen Chishiya for the last time. — Tackle him and look out for a second or third „it”! — she added, before inhaling. — The safe zone is on the fourth floor, apartment 478! Tagger prevented anyone from coming closer, that's the location! I'm trapped here, but I'm counting on you!

What she said last could really motivate the rest of the players. It gave sense of being a team, of fighting together, of protecting that fragile little figure they all saw in the lobby.

Shaggy picked up quickly, Hawaii and Beach members one and two already teaming up against the horse-head. Unmei took her military knife out of her belt, and swung it open in one swift move, before she took careful steps down the stairs. If tagger chose them instead of the elevator, she'd be able to run up again.

three minutes remaining.

She smiled.

She really liked Chishiya.

♠♥♦♣

Chishiya laughed again, hearing the last words of Unmei to him before he disappeared down the staircase. She's a very funny girl, he thought.

His hair was falling out of the neat bun he made, so he had to re-do it. He got it just right as Unmei's voice echoed throughout the complex. She shouted the location of the safe zone, playing on the heartstrings and good will of other participants - very risky as people, normally egoistic, under pressure turn into even more self-centered caricatures of themselves. On the other hand, her lost foreigner persona was really convincing and may work.

Shuntarō grabbed his stun gun and bumped the tempo up when rushing through the floors until he got onto the 4th one. Here, he tried his best to keep himself crouched and unnoticed. It seemed that the bait worked on horse-heads, because apparently there could be more than one tagger - all of them should be focused on Unmei. Or at least at the player who just shouted the solution to everyone. He turned the corner and he saw the apartment number he was looking for. The marathon girl was pretty close too, climbing on the walls and jumping around like a rabbit caught in a net.

♠♥♦♣

His logic was good, yet a bit flawed. Unmei already knew other players were going to cooperate. Shaggy and his friend offered help in the first place.

As Chishiya made his way to the door, Shaggy and Unmei did too. She's heard gunshots in the distance, and to her liking, a pretty far one. So Beach members and Hawaii really tried to take the horseman down.

Good.

She kept herself alert anyway, thinking that with an unlimited amount of players could come an unlimited amount of taggers.

one minute remaining.

She made a run for it, feeling as if her lungs were burning. Oh, how she hated physical effort - running in particular.

Shuntarō could hear Unmei's steps somewhere behind him.

— [english] You really are my type. — she exclaimed. — Clock's ticking, though! Hurry!

♠♥♦♣

The lanky basement dweller came to the door at the same time as him, they exchanged glances and opened the door, but Chishiya stopped when he heard the barefoot footsteps running up to him.

His gaze snapped when he heard Unmei's voice behind him - there was a brief shadow of smirk on his face, but then his eyes widened. One of the horsemen with a machete just turned the corner from one of the staircases, and was running up directly towards Unmei.

Chishiya grabbed his stun gun in his left hand, he then took Unmei by her right shoulder and pulled her into the room, switching places with her just as the horseman swung their blade directly over his head. Chishiya dodged the sharp edge of the machete by inches - it made a tear in his favorite hoodie - but then managed to jab the stun gun directly into the attacker's torso. The horseman stood there for a second, convulsing in place, their weapon held high above their head ready for another attack. When the pulse of energy stopped coursing through their body, they let go of it.

The next two sounds that echoed through the apartment complex were clink of the blade and the thud of the attackers body. A smell of burned flesh started to fill the air around them.

— Now... we're... even... — said Chishiya to Unmei, breathing heavily, walking into the room once again.

♠♥♦♣

As Unmei felt Shuntarō's sudden pull, her eyes opened wide, still ablaze - but this time, something about the fire inside them was different. Was she perhaps enjoying this, too?

She panted heavily, letting Shaggy and Sporty into the room, free to press buttons to stop the bombs in the building. And then, Unmei just in case, did something pretty unexpected - she crouched on top of tagger, lifted their head and - tearing off their mask - slit their throat with little to no effort.

She knew exactly where to cut, and that old military knife wasn't just a prop, apparently. Chishiya's perceptive eyes noticed „Stalker II” on the handle, suggesting there's another one with „Stalker I”. It was hand-crafted into the wood inside said handle.

congratulations.

game clear.

Unmei was about to let go of - apparently - woman's head, when the collar on horse-head's neck exploded, leaving the girl covered in blood, pieces of skin and flesh. Unmei stood there in silence, stunned.

♠♥♦♣

Chishiya backed away as Unmei tore the horseman's mask off to reveal an unconscious woman hiding inside. And stood there - hands in his pockets, leaning on the doorframe with his chin upwards and his gaze following every movement of the knife. „Stalker” - an interesting name, he thought. He completely ignored the pair who rushed into the room and clicked the buttons in a matter of seconds before the building was about to explode.

He heard the woman choke on her own blood before a slight beeping sound could be heard, coming from her collar; he instinctively ducked behind the corner and when he came back Unmei was standing there by the woman - a red bloody mess covered in flesh and brain matter. Chishiya looked at her and sneered but then furrowed his brows for a second, noticing a piece of paper sticking out from the horsewoman's jacket pocket.

— You should wash up before we take off, it's tough to find a good car cleaner in the city these days. — he said, before crouching and pretending to examine the woman's body, and then discretely snatching the piece of paper just to put it into his hoodie pocket.

♠♥♦♣

Unmei blinked a few times, wiping her blade on horsehead's clothes, and then shook some of their blood off her hands.

— I have bad news, doctor. She's dead. — she said with a cold and sarcastic tone of voice, her face back to having barely any emotions visible. She sighed at the sight of Chishiya examining a dead woman's body.

— If you want to be useful, check out her equipment and her clothes. — she added, before she took off Niragi's shirt, turned it to the other side and wiped her face.

♠♥♦♣

Shuntarō knew Unmei gave absolutely no fucks that he was there to supervise her, and he didn't give a fuck that she talked to him this way - ordering him around - but if it was someone else - like Aguni for example - she would had her throat slit. Chishiya chuckled lightly at her comment - she really was funny when she didn't pretend to be stupid.

He then pretended to pat down the woman before raising the machete in the air, turning to Unmei, still crouched.

— An „I'm-sorry-I-ruined-your-shirt” gift for your boyfriend, hm? — he asked sarcastically.

♠♥♦♣

Unmei rolled her eyes, crouching near the dead body, searching through various pockets - padding the legs, arms, torso.

— Niragi is a long distance shooter. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of weapons. Especially deceptive ones. — she answered. — By the way, I hope you'll be a dear and share your shoes, hm? Or should I tell Niragi that you tried to kill me?~ — she hummed, but her face was as uninterested as ever.

♠♥♦♣

Shuntarō forcefully exhaled through his nose, smirking. He then stood up and leaned on the doorframe again, crossing his hands.

— Kill you? I simply tried to test you, see how well you work under ever-changing circumstances - a principal attribute of every executive. Besides you wanted me out of your way and got what you wished for. — he shrugged, then nodded to the corpse. — Try hers, she might be willing to part with her shoes. — he mirrored Unmei's tone. 

♠♥♦♣

— Behind the façade and complicated sentences with unnecessarily well matched words you just spat out, lies a lie. — she murmured. — Let me quote you, then, refresh that unreliable memory of yours.

Unmei cleared her throat, wiping her hands and thighs from the blood. She slowly made her way towards the elevator, but continued speaking.

— „I am here to simply observe passively and help you as a last resort”. — she stated, and then turned her head back, looking at him behind her arm. — You didn't lie then, there wasn't that glimmer in your eyes, the same one as you laughed before sprinting away. Borderline personality disorder? — she then questioned, raising a brow.

♠♥♦♣

Unmei noticed the same glimmer in his eye, again. Chishiya chuckled quietly, passing the girl, walking in front towards the elevator.

— No, just a whole lot of sarcasm you didn't get, and an ASPD. — he said over his shoulder. — You have my permission to tell Niragi, by the way. — he hummed while walking into the elevator and pushing the bottom floor button not waiting for her to catch up.

♠♥♦♣

— I don't need any permission, kitten. — she stated matter-of-factly, getting into the elevator right behind him. She needed some rest, some peace and quiet, a foot massage and a shower. Not exactly in that order.

— Although, it would be boring if someone blew a hole through your head. I just prevented that once.

♠♥♦♣

— Of course you don't. — he said coldly, shrugging. His head was pounding and his heartbeat still fast, the leftover emotions leaving his body as he felt the adrenaline course through his veins. His hands were slightly shaking, so he put them in the pockets of his hoodie, checking if the paper was still in there.

— And I returned the favor, didn't I? — he said leaning on the elevator wall, his chin upwards looking directly into Unmei's eyes.

♠♥♦♣

— Ah, I meant precisely shooting you. My actions would go to waste if Niragi took you out. And also… — she didn't avert his gaze, getting a few steps closer. — I can't wait to play with you again.

♠♥♦♣

Shuntarō chuckled again and tilted his head at the woman. He could hear her heartbeat, as fast as his. The way she said these words made his own sped up again, and he shivered slightly at the thought of the thrill he felt today.

— Likewise. — he nodded and smirked.

There were a few seconds of silence broken by Chishiya this time.

— So, what's your real name, Fate? — he inquired, looking at her curiously this time.

♠♥♦♣

Unmei took one more step, being as close as possible, their chests pressed against each other. She stood on her tiptoes, and Shuntarō could feel her hot breath against his ear.

— It's Irma Stalker-Schrödinger. — she whispered, something playful in her tone.

♠♥♦♣

Their hearts beaten in unison now, and if she could see Chishiya's eyes, she would notice that they got a bit wider than usual.

— Hm, that's a mouthful. — he said not moving an inch or shifting, his voice lower now. — Irma. — he rolled it on his tongue.

♠♥♦♣

— Eer-mah. — she corrected him, with a German accent now, as she was taking a step back. She breathed out her name right on his neck.

♠♥♦♣

Shuntarō crossed arms on his chest, a slight shiver running down his spine.

— You're a long way from home, Irma. - he said, smirking. — Why the fake name? — he asked. — No one's here to deport you, you know.

♠♥♦♣

As Unmei stepped back, she almost immediately turned to the door, like she tried to hide something. Maybe it was the way the fire flickered in her icy eyes, or maybe it was because she was out of breath. Or maybe because it was cold and her shirt was wet from blood.

She embraced herself once again.

— Well, how do you know where I'm from? — she asked, a bit cynically, yet full of curiosity.

♠♥♦♣

Chishiya stood there in the same position, analyzing her body language. Closed now, she won't answer his question. That's fine, he was trying to pass the time in the quiet ride down towards the bottom anyway.

— I assumed. — he shrugged. — The accent, the name, just the general appearance of someone who doesn't belong in this part of the globe. — he added matter-of-factly.

♠♥♦♣

— Germany is close to where I was born. — she assured, as he was really close to the truth.

♠♥♦♣

— Austria then. — he said, though there was no question mark at the end.

♠♥♦♣

— No~ — she sang, clearly amused.

♠♥♦♣

Ding.

The elevator was all the way down now, and as the door opened Shuntarō went up to the door but stopped for a second.

— Fine, I like to solve riddles too. It's mercy, by the way. — he said, meeting Irma's gaze and smirking, before walking out towards where they left the car.

♠♥♦♣

She just smiled and nodded, still pretty much amused. She shivered from the cold and walked slowly, watching her steps carefully, so as to not injure her feet.

[petrichoraline]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

i did this some time ago but most answers are gonna be different so let's go!! thank youu, @fangirlmedstudentblog and @markpakin 💞

Three Ships

TinnGun - no surprises here, these two have become everyone's comfort couple so quickly

HiraKiyoi - again, not a shocker in the slightest, they are my insane comfort bfs

DaisyIntouch - in honour of opp's viral moment with The7's Get Loose i can't not mention the most gentle, sweetest couple in SCOY; i wish their arc was handled a bit better, it felt rushed by the end; they're amazing nonetheless

First Ever Ship

let's go with first bl ship (live action) which i beliiieeve is kenji and shiro from kinou nani tabeta? and if it's not them it might be junjae and takuya from the lover

Last Song

Last Movie

i procrastinated on this just so the answer would be worth it (cause i watched a mediocre french movie but mostly didn't pay attention and that didn't sound like a good answer); the movies i saw today instead of the indian movie im procrastinating on seeing:

She's Dating the Gangster (2014) - this philippino movie made me realise that netflix's "true love" category should've been called "heartbreak" but they renamed it so well

the intros and summaries truly suck because i thought i was going into a light "fake dating" romcom with a pair of cute silly teens as the leads! what i got instead was so sad and a tad bit melodramatic that at the end i didn't know how to feel.. i did cry though! i was hanging in there and yet it got me; it's a sweet movie, although it could be overwhelming, and i would recommend it! it's kind of my fave out of the three, i wasn't too sure how it was gonna end too; one really strong point is the sweet twist on the makeover trope that the movie doesn't even use to promote itself, it's kinda naturally in there and it made me so happy

Jumping From High Places (2022) - this italian romantic-but-more-about-self-growth movie about a young woman with anxiety was not technically confusing but it had me bored halfway through (again, the sample video thingy netflix shows had an energy that imo was not there throughout the film, i found it misleading); i'm just happy i picked up on smth that is probably supposed to be a surprising reveal hehe; i wouldn't not recommend it, i feel like it could be relatable and a sweet experience for some

Your Place or Mine (2023) - a typical hollywood movie, what can i say, it's been pushed onto me and i was kinda interested, gonna lie if i say the cast wasn't a part of the reason i caved in (i'm curious bout what kutcher and witherspoon are doing now, yeah);

i think it's kinda bland, it had some good sentiments but at the end i found the female lead too unlikeable and the story kind of stretched out and a bit rushed at the same time (maybe it was actually well paced and a proper length, just not my thing, that's possible. the gray overlay (?) was so depressing though, even her bright and green home felt awfully unwelcoming)

Currently Watching

literally only My School President lol everything else is in either "on-hold", "plan to watch" or "have to catch up on!!"

Currently Reading

oh how i want to say svsss vol.2 but i'm stuck once again, i mostly read long posts and student books, not even manga

Currently Consuming

"too much media at once in theory and not nearly as much in practice" is a valid answer, isn't it lol

Currently Craving

more convos w moots ig

i might be tagging people who have done it or don't like tag games, it's very hard to track these sometimes so sorry 🫶 @hello-n-goodbye @himbodelamain @soundgun @sillsif @jingyanwang @catwalkninja @catboyjosten @belladonna-and-the-sweetpeas @chinzhillababy

[cosmicjoke]

I'm not sure if we should consider some of Isayama's interviews/sayings canon or not, but to be honest, sometimes he has great insights and interviews that I like about the story and the characters, and sometimes he has meaningless shallow insights that I don't like.

But I have to say that I don't think we should take some old interviews seriously, both because Isayama is in the middle of the story and because his views are subject to change.

For example, in one of the old interviews, he mentioned that Eren and Mikasa might go their separate ways, that Mikasa might go back to her happy childhood self. And he also said something about not making them together because he was uncomfortable with their childhood relationship.

He also said something similarly sneaky about the Ackermans in ackerbond, but it was brought up again years later in the anime and I think it was debunked by Zeke.

I honestly think that sometimes there are things that writers/producers forget in their stories and they can make some mistakes that can ruin the story a little bit, they have flaws. And that we have the right to criticize them and that we don't have to agree with them

For example, Isayama mentioned that when he was writing the story and moving it forward, he forgot the characteristics of some characters and left it to his editor instead of picking up the manga and revising it himself.

I also see people who consider guidebooks canon, which is understandable since some guidebooks are made by Isayama (or mostly by the editor). But some guidebooks are not directly by Isayama but by some production teams, so I'm not sure if I can consider it canon or not. I don't even want to talk about that weird guidebook that was published after the manga's finale…

I've already given my answer on this and frankly, I'm not interested in discussing it further. I don't even know why this is such an issue for some people, to the point that they're having a literal meltdown over me saying something as basic as the only things that can be considered canon is what's in the actual story. How is that a controversial statement to these people? What could they possibly find in that statement that's offensive? It's like saying the sky is blue, and suddenly they're frothing at the mouth with indignation, as if you've personally attacked their character or something.

Again, the finished story is all that matters. Whatever Isayama's original ideas were, whatever his outlines or early drafts, if they didn't end up in the story, it's because they didn't work with what he was trying to accomplish. So I really don't care what those early ideas or outlines were. I really don't care what answer he might have given in some interview about the direction of a certain character or plot point, because in the end, the only thing that counts is what we see on the finished page.

The guidebooks don't interest me. I've never even read them, and I don't plan to. To me, guide books are just there to serve as a refresher on various plot lines and characters and where they're at in the story if a work is juggling multiple story lines at once.

If you want to understand "Attack on Titan", read the manga or watch the anime. That's all there is to it. Nothing else is needed. It's a complete work, an extremely well crafted work, with incredible thought and attention to detail from beginning to end. Everything you need to understand the characters and the themes is THERE, IN THE STORY ITSELF. You just need to pay actual attention. I know, that's a tall order for some.

The only reason to focus so obsessively on supplemental material, including interviews with Isayama, is if your own, personal theory of what was being conveyed by the story, or of a characters role in the story, isn't supported by the actual story. If ones theories are contradicted by the actual events as they play out in the finished product, and one is so insanely egotistical and narcissistic that they find it impossible to accept that they were WRONG and instead have to come up with all manner of far-fetched theories and speculations as to why things didn't play out the way they thought they would or should, then that's their problem, and they should probably find some healthier way to work on that than clinging to supplemental material that's no longer relevant or in direct contradiction to the actual events of the story.

Again, if you want to understand and have a full, objective grasp of "Attack on Titan", you need only rely on the story itself, and have an at least competent level of reading comprehension.

But hey, maybe that's the real problem. Maybe these people are just dumb, and they can't understand the story, and so they need Isayama to hold their hand and walk them through it like a paint-by-numbers kit from a crafts store.

Of course you can criticize any work of art and say you didn't like it and would have done things differently. But it's not your work, so it doesn't matter. It doesn't make what the author did wrong. It just means you didn't like it.

You say "author mistakes", but mistakes according to what and whom? You? And why do you consider it a mistake? Because it's not how you would have done it? Because it's not what you wanted to see? What qualifies any of us to question the final products truthfulness to the artists original vision? Unless the artist comes out and says expressly that they were pressured into doing something differently than what they wanted, then there's no basis for that at all.

Not liking something and expressing that dislike isn't the same as claiming that the story didn't go the way you wanted because the author was forced by some nebulous, undefined exterior cause to change it. And that's what these people are doing. It's just egotism. It's just being unable to accept that they were wrong about where they thought the story was going, and instead trying to come up with excuses for being wrong.

Anyway, I'm done with this subject. I won't answer any more questions about it. Sorry if that seems rude, but I'm just sick to death of this.

[hillbilly---man]

Friendly Fire!!

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

Friendly Fire

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

This part from chapter 4 where Saiki is demonstrating to Akechi the problems he has been experiencing with his telekinesis:

The manga slowly lifted and inched through the air toward the men, fluttering its pages as if it were being shaken. They watched it bob unsteadily until it arrived above their table. Kusuo dropped it, and it collapsed onto the table between them in a heap. Kusuo tilted his head back and tightly closed his eyes, trying to keep from crying again.

I hate writing narration (I'm so bad at it lmao) so any time I feel like I did a decent job at it I feel like an artist. I really liked how well I could picture the scene when reading this.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Not any that I actually wrote, but before this fic all I ever really wrote were sad endings. Friendly Fire was headed that way too out of habit, and due to the subject matter (it seemed hard to end on a positive note when the story is about a man's diagnosis with a degenerative chronic illness). HOWEVER! Once I realized how much I connected with the fic on a personal level, I became determined to give him a happy ending that wasn't just a magic cure (even though [SPOILER] there's literally a magic cure proposed in the last line. It doesn't count if I've retconned it in the sequel lol). The focus in the last part turned to getting over the anxiety of disclosing his illness and finding support in his friends, and none of that was really in my mind when I started it.

I don't really have an answer for the music question unfortunately (pretty sure I was mostly listening to Lemon Demon at the time but I don't really listen to music when I write except back when my fics were loosely based on songs)... so I'm picking another one

7: Where did the title come from?

Lmao I am really shitty at coming up with titles but this is the one where I fucking nailed it. His first symptom was losing control of his pyrokinesis. I didn't have the fic planned out very strictly at that point, so that's most of what I had to work with. Fire. Powers. Heat... something? Then I remembered the topic that the fic was ACTUALLY about (an autoimmune disorder lol) and made the connection between the fire thing and the concept of being attacked by someone on your side.... friendly fire (I have not given that much thought to literally any other title ever)

BTW you can still ask me stuff about my saiki fanfics if you want lol

[whypolar]

Processing episode 7. Vague mentions of manga stuff.

Still not entirely sure what to make of LR, but I loved that. I was so worried about it beforehand, god.

I got all the biggest things I wanted (plant communion, no Wolfwood death, Legato being a freak in the car with Zazie).

I think its very impressive and ballsy to have the same episode where someone's beloved sibling shoots themself in the head also function as your lighthearted comic relief episode, lmaooo. It does help that there's no chance in hell he's actually dead. They didn't have an implied Razlo and Chapel flashback and then have Zazie go pick up the body for them not to come back. They can survive a bullet to the brain, its fine.

I'm still holding out for BDN before the end. Please let me see him.

Good stuff from Meryl in this episode. I'm glad that she’s standing up for herself and making her own decisions. That face journey with the gooey teary eyed expression was great.

Plenty of Wolfwood, for obvious reasons. I liked what they did, don’t necessarily have a lot to say about it. The conversation with Vash where he decides to go along with his plan to save the orphanage was cute. I'm glad we aren't losing him yet.

Legato again-- he's so fucking funny. My best friend Legato. I grin every time he's on screen. I hope he continues to get more Like That with every single episode that he appears Legato: (literally convulsing with suppressed rage) I'll just blow up the orphanage, where the innocent orphans live. This will destroy the one piece of leverage we have left over Wolfwood, but he'll definitely decide our religion is actually good after that. That's just how it works. You have nothing else to live for and Knives becomes your new meaning. This is normal. I'm the normal one. Grow up. Zazie: (making the most shit-eating grin imaginable under their bug mask) Haha, yeah, for sure

[olivieraa]

my main gripe, and has always been my biggest problem with SnK since the day I first watched it 10 years ago, is that it has a pacing issue

I don't understand how a show can be both fast paced and slow paced at the same time, but no matter how many times I've watched it (seen s1 4 times, s2 once (now twice)), I feel the same every time

there's a lot of dragged out dialogue

and I mean draaaaaaaaaaaged out

I've had this problem with a few animes in the past as well, mainly YGO. YGO went on for 4 years I think? but what happens in the show is done in the span of a year, possibly only a few months. literally all of Battle City, Noah's arc, and the duel tower take place in about 3 days. That's around 100 eps = 3 days (I'll have to check to get the accuracy here but I'm either exactly right or not far off). but 100 eps, from different seasons, that was probably done over a 2 year span when it was released.

so while watching a show, and it takes 2 years for these two seasons to come out, your mind doesn't register that those 2 years irl are 2-4 days in the show.

and I know its the dub, which cant be credited, but one character even mentions how its been 4 years (I THINK someone says it to Yami in the airport, it may have been Anzu, I skip that ep a lot bc of its woeful animation)

SnK is a little different. its similar in the sense that a good chunk of eps are just one day in that world, but then they also do a lot of flashbacks to show that there was a lot of behind the scenes development we didn't see, shit like that. so its a lot better.

but its still dragged out. everyone's inner monologue takes up half an ep. the constant planning takes so long, only for them to not actually do that plan bc something interrupted the plan so its now a new plan.

Eren's basement was mentioned mid-way through season 1. barely ever brought up again. and I know it then took fucking 4 years to bring out s2 (where I dont even know if it was mentioned at all), and I've no idea what happens s3 wise.

my past memory of SnK manga from 10 years ago was Armin getting kidnapped cause they think he's Historia. that or the part where Levi picks her up. that's where my knowledge of SnK ends. I have not seen that animated. I'm assuming it'll be in s3.

I remember the whole "WHAT'S IN THE DAMN BASEMENT???" shit going around. and its very frustrating, bc the storyline makes you think they forgot, and just kept making new plans and prioritising everything else over getting this one damn answer, and that months and months to maybe even a year have passed by without nobody mentioning the basement again or making any plans to get to it.

but in actuality, the majority of these eps prob take place in about a week, maybe 2. and that it actually hasn't been THAT long since Eren mentioned the basement. but its made so unclear, that it feels dragged out to fuck, which is what caused such fandom frustration.

for all I know, season 3 is aaaaaaaaaall about getting to that damn basement. but still, it is frustrating when your mind is going, "these damn people are constantly on the hunt for answers and yet there's no adamancy to get the basement which may have all the answers???"

ANYWAYS

finally onto a season that'll be completely new to me (minus whatever I saw in the manga before I'd caught up to it 10 years ago)

I'll start tagging it now lol

[madraleen]

Attack on Titan - Hajime Isayama Vol.22-25: A "Herein I Start To Lose My Mind" Commentary

-oh dina killed mama yeager?! er. that's. huh. how life works out

-what are you talking about, they're not the transformers, you literally INJECT THEM WITH TITAN SPINAL FLUID TO TURN THEM INTO TITANS AND THEN CALL THEM MONSTERS YOU MORON!?

-HE NAMED EREN AFTER THE OWL

-GODDAMN MANGA EXTRA SPECIAL POWERS AND THEIR GODDAMN TIME LIMITS, THIRTEEN YEARS FFS ARGH I HATE YOU

-if we time-jump to eren's weakening body when his time's up i'll kick something

-"I'm sorry. I can't hate anything anymore."

-so much juicy info, i cannot take it all in and i desperately want more

-sensei, did you specifically have levi say that eren is fifteen only because he looks seventy in the next panel?

-so wait, we're essentially at war with another nation that we didn't even know existed until a few days ago

-so fight genocide with genocide is the the marley logic

-...for real? that's a thing owl actually said, 'mikasa, armin and the others' or is eren confused?

-i'm sorry, but “i'll pick a fight with anything and everything that moves if it offends my sensibilities” eren is and will always be the best eren

-it's nice seeing eren empower armin, like armin's done so many times for eren

-who is this being eaten by dogs?

-this is the first time eren's not being transparent. i mean, he's not very good at it, but still

-okay, we're now about a year later from the first attack. i think.

-eren's hair is longer :)

-EEEEEE WE'RE SEEING THE OCEANNN

-WE'RE *IN* THE OCEAN!

-i have loved this story and the characters so much that i'm constantly worried that somewhere along the way i'll get disappointed

-HISTORY TEACHER ERWIN

-i was like, why is levi not a PE teacher or sth, but no, janitor's right, he's always cleaning up everyone's messes

-I WANT TO READ ATTACK ON SCHOOL CASTES!

-what four years? what is fort slava? where are we? is this a random concurrent war?

-I VOTE FALCO FOR OUR NEXT WARRIOR! YOUR NEXT WARRIOR. wait. whose side am i on again

-hilarious. marley persecutes the eldians for being the titan bloodline, while at the same time saying "the power of the titans is absolute" as it keeps them in their military. hilarious. (i am not laughing.)

-reiner with the facial hair, alright alright i see you

-this is disgusting. these are literal human-titan bombs. how dare you, marley

-it's weird to see that even zeke succumbs to the marleyans as an eldian

-paradis be like I'M THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE I EAT YOUR SHIPS FOR BREAKFAST

-"a force of flying freaks"?!?! WATCH YOUR MOUTH, ROYAL BOY!

-OH! galliard has ymir's titan? rip ymir.

-gabi is so entertaining

-eyyy, the reiner fam!

-oh we're touching on soldiers' ptsd, i see i see

-mannn... this "we're the good eldians, it's the island eldians that are the devils" rhetoric...

-reiner has aged fifty years in this family dinner

-i'm loving the marleyan chapters. a welcome respite, a welcome change of pov

-DON'T CALL OUT SASHA LIKE THAT REINER YOU JERK

-come now, that's jean slander

-marley has gone to war with everyone at some point, goddamn

-man, with all this info i wish i could go back and reread everything with reiner's pov in mind and catch all the little nuances. i mean, i CAN go back and read it, but you get what i'm saying.

-did eren actually look that bloodthirsty or is it reiner's pov, i can't remember anymore

-EEEEEEE REINER IS KILLING HIMSELF WHAT. wait. what about the armor titan?! he didn't do it, okay, but what was the plan here?!

-HOLD UP HOLD UP IS THAT EREN?! ARE THEY INFILTRATING MARLEY?! DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING LIKE THAT

-is this grandpa yeager is eren meeting the fam

-hahaha reiner paying for the kids at the festival

-okay but that facial hair on eren? not working for him, no offense baby. on reiner? great, fantastic, good choice. on eren? bring the shaving cream

-WHAT WILL TYBUR ANNOUNCE JUST SAY IT, GODDAMN!

-yes, right, it's eren yeager that single-handedly opposes fritz's peaceful world, FUCK YOU

-OH OKAY EREN IS STILL ON FIGHTING MODE THANK GOD I WAS WORRYING HE'D MAKE HIMSELF A SACRIFICIAL LAMB

-no wait i'm scared i'm not convinced, how is this helping paradis, this is making things worse

-if eren turns himself into a sacrificial lamb for any reason, like sacrifice himself in a 'kill your bad guy to have peace' way, i'm actually gonna be angry. FIGHT! that's what we've always said. FIGHT!

-(i can't wait to see the paradis' people pov, this has been all so distancing)

-i think it's knowing that "the end was divisive" that's destroyed me. when i started the manga, it was a fact, something to go 'haha' about. now that i'm invested, i'm like BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT IF I DON'T LIKE THE ENDING? WHAT IF IT SULLIES EVERYTHING THAT CAME BEFORE?

-i am in peak obsession, that's it, i've peaked.

-bon appetit eren. enjoy that tybur i guess

-in this endless cycle of violence gabi can be marley's eren, you know. she WILL destroy you if you get her mad

-ah udo getting crushed by the mob... that's the worst

-do we want this, do we want to fight war hammer, i don't understand the plan 

-EEE PARADIS WHOOSH WHOOSHING

-eren please go home. i don't know what this is about yet, but mikasa is right

-ah yes, hi jean. i see the true mark of boys growing up is long hair and facial hair

-OH this wasn't a plan-plan, it was eren! PLEASE GIMME POV PLEASE, eren, bb, what are you doing. eren bb mikasa's still saving your ass, eren talk to us

-and hello sasha, i see the true mark for girls growing up is cutting their hair shorter

-CONNIE SHORT HAIR AND NO FACIAL HAIR HE'S THE MVP HE'S THE HERO WE NEED

-LMFAO GALLIARD BOOKED IT at the thought of levi

-C'EST LEVI MY HEART MY LOVE MY ANGEL MY PRIDE AND JOY MY TREASURE MY-

-what are we doing here guys why are we here :'( EREN WHAT DID YOU DO

-i don't know, eren, at this point... chomp man chomp! *FACEPALM*

-levi my love you are so beautiful.

-everyone: uniforms. levi: A CAPE

-please, please spare me from this hell i just want to read attack on school castes please

[thepiinkpages]

.ೃ࿐I read this in 6 hours... I have a problem. .ೃ࿐

Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars

Genre: MM Romance, Romance, Adult, College

ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭━☆ﾟ*:. ੈ✩‧₊˚⁺✧.｡+.｡☆ﾟ:;｡+☆ﾟ¨ﾟﾟ･:..ﾞ

.ೃ࿐

LISTEN. I did not want to read this as fast as I did and honestly I didn't pick up on the hype at first. Maybe it was the sleep deprivement but I felt like it was being written by a teenager on Wattpad AT FIRST. After getting a much needed 7 hours of sleep, I got back to it and it did get a lot better.

And let me just say this before I say anything else. Landon King for the WINNN. IDC IDC IDC

The playlist for this book is IMMACULATE. Best one yet.

This book also takes the cake for my most highlighted book yet (on kindle that is.)

Brandon is not what I thought he was. I thought of him as a well mannered, sweet boy but BOY was I WRONG. Turns out he tricked me just as much as everyone else. If i'm being honest, I thought he was spineless at first but after advancing in the book I realized there was a reason why. After realizing i'd been bamboozled once again, I realized that there was more to him that meets the eyes. I found it especially heart felt when Brandon was freaking out because Nikolai started to ignore him. I believe he described it as falling into a dark abyss or a dark place? Point is, he was depressed and miserable so he put the things he would've texted instead of growing a pair and actually sending them. Usually I wait until the end to put my quotes but this is the first and only exception because I love angst;

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ "...Why did you come into my life if you were going to leave? Why did you make me addicted to you if you didn't plan to stay? if I say I'm sorry will you come back? You were never a booty call. I don't even do those. And I'm the fucking toy, not you. I don't even like running anymore. You ruined it like everything else. Fucking Bastard. Fuck you. I'm messed up Nikolai. Extremely so. You should be glad to have dodged a bullet. I hate myself. Why don't you hate me, too? Oh right. You do now. Finally. Congrats on the wake-up call. Better late than never...."⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

Isn't that beautiful. Beautiful angst!

I was shook when Nikolai licked his "white frosting" that was on Brandon and then thrusted it into Brandon's mouth... SOMEONE CALL EMS. In my defense, I've read BL mangas before but I had never read one. It was new imagining this. Sometimes I felt like smoke was coming out of my ears because of how errotic some of the scenes where *TEEHEE* On top of this, the full thrust no prep had me cringing. Poor Brandon.

Nikolai is one crazy mofo. He truly did need to be medicated and I'm glad towards the end he was properly medicated because the shit that was happening in his mind was concerning. Unlike Landon and Killian, Nikolai (in my opinion) wouldn't manipulate someone just for the hell of it. I'm glad Brandon and Niklaus found something in each other that calmed the raging storm inside. Ya'll he literally took his medication because he was scared he would go into a stage of rage again that would hurt Brandon.... *insert squeal here*

Can we talk about the out of nowhere 'cide attempt? I did NOT see that coming. I was on the edge of my seat as I read that. I still do not get why Landon was shit on for being emotionless and not loving his twin in the previous book when he was the only one who noticed something had been wrong with Brandon... twin telepathy or whatever

ALSO. Let's discuss about Levi (Brandon's father) getting hit after hit after hit? First he get's a 'psycho' son, then his daughter get's a 'psycho' boyfriend (Killian) THEN his son starts dating his daughter's boyfriends cousin that is said to be worse than him...Damn.

On another note, my eyebrows were unknowingly furrowed this entire book in concentration. BEFORE I GET TO IT. There's a line in here that is in Russian that, for the life of me, I could NOT find the translation. Like I searched all over the internet for it and I couldn't find it until I got to the end of book... the translation was 'I can't live without you.' .ೃ࿐

.ೃ࿐HERE'S SOME QUOTES:

𐙚₊˚⊹"...'Why the hell would you lick me? Are you a dog?'... 'WOOF'"𐙚₊˚⊹

𐙚₊˚⊹ "...I can't help rereading his texts. They're gone from raging to pleading to raging again. He calls me twenty times a day like a damn stalker..." 𐙚₊˚⊹

𐙚₊˚⊹ "How dare he be so unaffected when I've barely been able to breath properly since he's been gone? I crunched more pills than I have in my entire life just to bring myself down from the high. So that I could see him without being weirded out about the fact that I could hurt him..."𐙚₊˚⊹

𐙚₊˚⊹ "...'They were only physical. They meant nothing.' ...'And I do?'...'Baby you mean fucking everything'..." 𐙚₊˚⊹

This book really got me in a talking mood. WOOF. Read this book if you like angst TEEHEE.

I've also decided to read Eli's book even though the troupe isn't my type.

[the-canine-king]

Okay so funny story, I was listening to Uninstall again and it became an earworm before I finally decided to check out the media where this song came from (or at least the manga), Bokurano

After reading the first volume I literally couldn't put it down and committed to finish reading it. Here's my honest thoughts on it (not really a formal review). Also I'm gonna spoil it bc there's no way not to spoil it if I want to talk about the story lol

First off, I'm actually a complete sucker for dark psychological/ existential stuff that talk about morality and life and don't mind darker tones being addressed in stories. The manga does not shy away from the ugliness and tragedy of it all and it's the centerpiece to a lot of the character's stories. Characters having to choose which choice is the "right" moral choice is always so fun to read. Plus, all of them don't share the same moral compass which is always so fun to read different perspectives and arguments. Compared to the saturation of "being the good hero" in stories, I love when characters are cruel and selfish for their own personal gain. I don't like them as a person but as a writing device? A painful yet entertaining read.

Despite the story being pretty simple (due to it feeling "episodic" since it just develops one pilot at a time) and predictable (in some parts lol), I really enjoyed the story through and through and in my opinion it worked pretty effectively. I was going to try to pick out a favourite pilot, but I honestly think almost all of them had a solid, satisfying story despite the tragedy. … Almost all of them.

Kanji's probably felt the weakest one. Each character had a chapter or so to establish who they are and their story so far. For Kanji, it almost felt incredibly nonchalant? Despite being the third last battle, it didn't feel completely satisfying on how it ended his story. Sure, it might've been set up for Ushiro's battle (the question of "would you kill an ally to save 10 billion?" leading up to "would you destroy a world to save your own?" all very fun moral conflicts), but it almost felt like there was no build up or "resolution". He died shooting an ally which is such a rough thing to put a kid through, but at least the others had some sort of "conclusion" on their life stories. (Such as having the resolve to protect others or having the last chance to be with a parent that neglected them) I did like that tactical planning involved and it was an incredibly depressing read when they were at their wits end. Him dying on top of his mother's building was really touching in a way(??? idk how else to explain) but again it was disappointing that there was not much with him.

Chizu's story I'm incredibly annoyed with. I wish nothing but a thousand deaths for the teacher and those associated with him. I'm so… fucking pissed that he got away with it. Like how?? AND he still got hired WHILE he's STILL doing that?? AND Like there was nothing in the story that pointed towards any good reason to keep him alive (revenge is bad, he's a good guy in a way now, people change, etc.) like MAYBE if there was some sort of discussion on the justice system or how things like these are always going to continue to happen to other girls (like the new girl he started talking to). But it was so dog ass lame that I seriously just couldn't believe he went away with it. I was shocked when Kirie stabbed him, I thought he killed him and it was going to be about the cycle of revenge or it contributes to his apathy towards life itself. While I highly enjoyed Kirie's story, I honestly think he should've killed him lol. Also, it's so fucking annoying that there was a whole discussion about the moral conflicts of protecting those close to you even if it means killing a stranger and then… Chizu's family is so okay with what happened between her and her sister?? Like I guess they wanted to show how despite it all she still killed many in her quest of revenge but at the same time she's your family member that got pregnant and raped by a teacher how is that in any way a good message. Chizu's sister pissed me the fuck OFF. "Oh I don't talk to him anymore" HOW ABOUT YOU FUCKING DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR SISTER…? PLUS, he was the major tip/ leak about the pilot's identities, if the government was so hellbent on making news outlets and tabloids keeping it a secret WHYYYY did they fucking release him??? I read someone's complaints about it on reddit and I completely agree w/ almost every point. Like idk about you but kids having innocent crushes on adults are completely normal, rapists and pedos are a terrifying reality that can happen to other people too. Doing nothing about said criminals either in a good or darker way? Absolutely unforgivable. Again, I would've been (to some extent) fine with it if there was SOME sort of discussion or critique about him getting away with it, but it's completely brushed off (worse that they tried to make Chizu JUST as bad as him).

And now with Machi… I'm incredibly conflicted on her story and twist. To be fair it was 3am and I was binge reading w/ a headache near the end so I probably missed a lot of details. But now that I'm awake and read some explanations about it I guess it works…? Again this is because I was completely confused during this time but now that I get it I think I have a new appreciation to the character. So at first it was gonna be rant but I concede since I'm actually just a dumbass lol.

Also I just want to say the art is seriously not as bad as people make it out to be lol. They make it sound like it's some amature work, but all of the characters have such a refreshing look to the style with their diversity of design. I mean it's not that extreme of a diversity but it's nice to see varied head and eye shapes in a manga since nowadays it's the same proportions.

EDIT: I forgot to say but idk how I felt about the kid's ages for the sake of the story. Like yeah it's children fighting a battle to determine which world gets to live and it's sad but at the same time it reads too mature for them? I suppose it's meant to be similar to a coming of age story and children being more philosophically open/ curious about life and death but lol. a fourth grader talking about the relationships and family blood in some mature way is kinda jarring

Overall, great story and great read. After clearing up my confusion I honestly think I might raise my score a little. 7.5/10 to maybe even an 8/10 (high maybe, i felt like it could've done a bit more but at the same time it was good enough?). Would highly recommend for those who like dark, depressing tales and a discussion on the importance of life and moral choices.