#bc the manga still intrigues me besides that

[ambreiiigns]

Me again sorry hello, what do you think is gonna happen next if you have any idea? or anything you want to happen? i hope our doubleblack yaoi boys stay thriving

you again omg hiii 🥰🥰 i have. been like. tossing this over in my head all day. very inchresting

so like for sure. i hope at least. we get to see what happens during the 2 hours timeskip and hopefully how it ends. bc i have No Clue at all 0 thoughts 0 ideas abt any of that. but i hope they'll sell me more of akutagawa and atsushi as shin soukoku. like maybe it's just that i have an insane attachment to the originals but i do feel like the show has been a coward abt investing in the kids ? like. i'm not buying it. they don't compare. but the anime will give me three episodes abt 15 dazai & chuuya WHICH I WILL NEVER COMPLAIN ABT IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS but idk like three episodes for them in a season that is so weirdly paced feels like the easy way out in a way ??? like people enjoy those two so you'll give me a lot of those two when you should focus on building the actual main characters to the same level of those two. does this mean anything. i'm under the impression that the manga does a better job w akutagawa and atsushi but alas i will not be reading that so i can only complain. the last time i sort of cared abt akutagawa and atsushi has been back in s2 finale and i would. like more. come on.

but at the same time i also hope they keep focusing on more characters instead of atsushi ANFNSKFKKDG I'M SO SORRY HE'S JUST A BAD MAIN CHARACTER TO ME. I CAN'T MAKE MYSELF CARE ABT HIM me & brother say that bsd peaks when ranpo's the main character and IT'S TRUEEEEEEE LET RANPO TAKE OVER I DON'T EVEN CARE i wanna see more of. anyone else. if we did a 180 and made akutagawa the main character instead i would Not mind at all.

besides all this the like big question and interesting thought abt what happens next is who will be picked by mori to join the port mafia out of the detectives. we know yosano is out of the picture he is not allowed to choose yosano which is So Funny that fukuzawa would only protect her but ?? not his son ranpo ?? not dazai and/or kyouka who have also been under mori's wing ?? it's funny. i'm really interested abt that tho. bc if like mori picks atsushi i kinda hope not it's a bit sort of obvious if the protag gets picked but it could be interesting maybe it'll make him interesting And he gets to soukoku all over the place. And we get fun new interactions like when atsushi and chuuya interact in wan or whatever it's very fun. wan is the silly spin off that i don't super care about except when i do.

but also ranpo ? in a way heart and soul of the detective agency it would be FUNNY if mori was like i wont that. and i KNOW ranpo would be funny in there he's already been working 24/7 with a former criminal enemy Edgar Allan Poe his boyfriend i wanna see what he does in the mafia. does he bring poe w him. would he have beef w chuuya after the s3 book incident. (chuuya's the strongest little guy so remember the cannibalism arc. ranpo locked himself and chuuya in a book to keep chuuya out of business. the book being poe's ability where he can trap you in the books he writes and ranpo's been using poe's ability like it's his own fnsjkfowf) i'm intrigued.

but THEN. what if dazai. that would kill me a little bit. and it'd be interesting. i'm not going to Lie i would Love it if i got double black permanent reunion but ALSO. it Would be. a little excellent if dazai gets pulled back in the mafia and was like... forced to relapse to some extent after trying to flip himself out for oda and then he's forced right back when he started? yk how his bestie oda died and that was the kick dazai needed to get out of the mafia and be a good person. if he goes back would it all be undone. he can either prove he REALLY changed or he's still the same shitty little guy no matter his efforts. would he spiral LMAO. it would slay. but i would also be really sad for him and i don't know if they'd go there

or someone like tanizaki who's a bit irrelevant he's just a little guy it could be an excuse to develop him more ig kenji and kunikida aren't really sparking anything in me and i don't think koyo would allow mori to pick kyouka fjejfjskf man i REALLY HOPE IT'S NOT KYOUKA IT WOULD MAKE ME SO SAD but the possibilities are cool and fun and interesting and i really wanna see That. power move is if mori says he wants fukuzawa and the detective agency is orphanized

and then in general once the 2 hours situation is fixed the only thing that makes sense is follow thru on what the Fans have picked up w the teasing european authors as new characters i think it's our only option. i think we have no other choices and i am ready to see it. they've been talking a lot abt some british girlies and we feel like that might be the next step.

(( in that same vein sort of i hope we Do in fact get stormbringer MOVIE QUESTION MARK !??!?!?! stormbringer being the light novel set when chuuya's 16 in which he finds out more of his insane backstory. there is either rumors or wishful thinking abt stormbringer movy. i would like it as a movy i am TIRED of wasting episodes on flashbacks i want MOVY it feels too long and too much happening to be adapted in episodes AND if it's a movy it can be its own separate thing that the more casual viewer can skip if they so wish. i don't love a movy that's mandatory viewing tbh if i signed up for episodic stuff yk ?? stormbringer is kinda not central to the story you Can do without stormbringer so it'd make sense to be movy. and i find it so fascinating even tho i know so little and maybe i'll read it but it sure would Slay if we got movy there's some bits i really wanna see animated ))

so SO if we get europeans it make sense to make stormbringer there's french people and frankenstein in there yk ????? i'm ready. i wanna see the europeans it'd be fun. and we ran out of other things we got the americans and some russians they need to keep it rolling. i made a joke that they'd introduce italian authors as a second more powerful mafia lead by dante alighieri i can give bsd the copyrights to that

i guess sigma sticks around and maybe he tells us something abt fyodor i'm fucking tired of fyodor the least he can do is tell me his business. and i kinda maybe would like more worldbuilding ? it might be too late in s6 but like. brother said this and i've been thinking. what's up w abilities is there an Origin is there a reason why some people have them and some people don't is there other mythology that is based on abilities like bram and vampires what about the war. there's a cool post explaining why the war works as like a backdrop we don't really get more of and i'm INTO that but maybe something else could come out of it ? do we get to learn more abt other Mysterious Characters. what about the cat man. what even is elise as mori's ability etc. brother also said he'd like to see more 1v1 between characters and see how abilities work w each other ? or other sort of. fusions like shin skk does and i agree ! wanna see how abilities interact. and i am going to Say This i am ready for more chuuya in the main show i am ready for chuuya to be in every episode thank you. i think it's time i think we can handle him now. thank you :)

[zorbs]

so the whole. american coach getting kicked off his team. they said that like. they got rid of him because black genes are naturally superior to white genes??

which um. i do genuinely think the goal of this was to go "black people are not lesser than white people" but yknow! literal eugenics was not the way to go about it, and the intent doesnt excuse that. and poc shouldnt have to be Genetically Superior to not be treated like utter shit. u should not b racist because like. poc are human beings. got nothing to do with "physically superior black genes" or whatever

but wait rads! arent the main characters asian? yes....

so. what are asians according to the manga's weird eugenics thing. um. we're like. rock bottom ! "isn't. isn't the creator asian" yeah. yeah. thats the main reason why i think the whole thing is Like That because of a Lot of ignorance, poor education on race, and internalized racism. a lot of manga/anime handles race poorly in the sense that theyre intentionally making a mockery of other poc/other asians, but my guy is saying. essentially like.

"asians r naturally smaller weaker and worse at sports than all the other races such as american and black. however we are strong and still worthy so we can overcome our natural inferiority through hard work" which. 1) untrue ?? thats eugenics haha. haha. 2) ive always wondered what that made me as an asian american. cause yknow. american isnt a race. so like. where do the eugenics place me. 3) its clearly attempting to get at the idea of "all races are made up of good people" but just. *gestures at that huge lump of "my being asian makes me naturally inferior to everyone else and i must work hard and train hard to defeat my terrible asian genes"* there is some Internalized Racism.

so. in essense.

they tried to do anti racism but came all the way back around and were racist again. Regardless. regardless !!!!! regardless of the intent its still. bad. for yknow. mainly eugenics. and the thing in the last ask. and probably other things (its been a very long time since ive read it, ive just begun to reread it to get a refresher). it just. makes me sad ! because i thought it was going someplace but. the creator was Not educated enough on the subject of race to get things there and it ended up saying instead of "poc are worthy of love and respect for being people" it was more like "poc are worthy of love and respect if they prove themself first. black people are people because of the stereotype that i believe that black people's dna makes them better at sports. and asians are only worthy in sports if they overcome their suckass asian genes that make them naturally inferior." and god forbid! god forbid anyone mention other races that Exist.

i mean. if u want to read it i think outside of the [gestures to giant burning pile of flames that is. that.] i enjoyed reading it? but like. id say i probably wouldnt have read it if i had started it later in my life knowing this so i wouldnt have to deal with thinking about if its okay to consume this media but that feels like. cowardly. its flaws have me think about Things A Lot but also just. ew. like. the flaws are Flaws with capital F. im glad i Think About These Things cause they Should Be Thought About or else [gestures once again] but also :( :( :( :(

the story and manga is really special to me (once again. i cried ! ) but!!! gosh theres so much wrong with it hfmmd.fm.....

i hope this makes sense once again super sorry for typing forever i just havent been able to talk ab this with someone before

wow okay. i totally do understand what you’re saying it does make sense. and from what you’re saying i do believe that the creator probably didn’t mean for it to come off the way it did. it’s just unfortunate he went about writing on these topics this way. i think for me personally this might make me too uncomfortable to read then if i’m being honest. i’m glad that you enjoyed it when you first read it besides Those Parts though

[kikuism]

hi mariam!! okay i'm curious 👀 what are your thoughts on yuuta?? because i literally don't know this boy except that he have sword

hi jenna!! omg i’m so glad you asked bc i’ve Never fallen so hard or been so invested in a character i’ve only seen for 0.3 seconds whose voice i haven’t even heard 😌

him emo tired boy hav Sword 😳🔥⚔👀💗 its like emo boy but Better bc Sword.....that’s more than enough for me to fall to my knees and pledge my everlasting love but wait....there’s more !

where is he???? this doesn’t look like japanese architecture in the slightest. i have to admit my first thought was italy. i even did some searching and found that the city of ostuni is known for its white stone walls and arches and bright painted doors.

um anyway!! not me on google images painstakingly trying to find arches and blue doors that match the screenshot..... this is kind of embarrassing. manga readers i’m sooo sorry ghskdfjghkjdfh i’m really just talking out of my ass here. 

also!!! it really looks like he’s wearing a chef uniform. it’s very obvious in this art here! and that person beside him is definitely a chef. so that’s so inch resting for me like,,,,what is he doing in italy wearing a chef uniform?? is he doing a culinary internship??? is he really kneading pizza dough by 7 and fighting crime by 8....i Must know. this is so intriguing. if he’s one of the sorcerers on par with gojou then why isn’t he at jujutsu tech??? why is he all the way here and when will he come back?? the plot thickens.....

well other than that i got nothing!!! but i’m so intrigued. where is he and what is he doing!!! and what’s his cursed technique omg :’0 if gojou acknowledged him as being on par with him then....i Must know and see him in action!! unfortunately he’s not listed with the rest of the characters on the website so i think he’s a very minor character :’(( still, i hope we get to see some of him and soon!!

[icedthoma]

Well.

I have just finished episode twelve of TPN and I-

There are literally no words that could accurately describe what I am feeling right now so I’m just going to go with I highkey just threw my phone across the room and screamed for a solid ten seconds

Because I did.

I literally don’t think I’ve stopped crying since episode 10??? I‘m also pretty sure the last anime that made me cry this much was banana fish but bf is in a whole different category of hurt ngl

*inhales*

My heart huRTS GUYS IM SOBBING YET SO RELIEVED AT THE SAME TIME??? LIKE THEY ESCAPED BUT AT W H A T C O S T ? ? Also Ray being Isabella’s son I was noT expecting that hhh

As much as I want to hate Isabella with every atom in my being I still feel a smidgen of sympathy for her 😔

Norman is still my favorite. Every time he showed up in a flashback, or when it was like an image of him beside Emma and Ray y’all

Instant waterworks

His flashback with the cup phones as a child with Emma was so pure 🥺

I’m still hiGHKEY MAD BC THIS IS LIKE KNY FOR ME ALL OVER AGAIN (*coughs* sabitO)

Literally as soon as I saw Norman and how he looked at Emma I was like 🥺🤲💖💖💖 I love him

I love theM

GoSH the kids are so cute eSPECIALLY PHIL AJDNSKNDN B A B I E

But I was noT expecting to have my heart riPPED OUT OF MY CHEST AND STOMPED ON LIKE THAT

🥺🥺 them 👇

All in all, despite the immense heartbreak I am suffering from yet again by my favorite character being offed (agAIN) I shiver when I imagine those cursed flowers anywhere near my boi

This anime was hecca good??? Everyone’s been like OHOHO UR IN FOR IT and I was like

The op slapS, the character dynamics are amazing and so so intriguing, experiencing the plot is like a mix of “they had us in the first half ngl” and

But it’s gOOD, the tension and suspense had me hooked

Anyway, those were my thoughts, I’m definitely reading the manga as soon as I can, the only thing I regret is finishing this when I have several tests tomorrow, that’s going to be fun when I have no thoughts except how Norman should have lived HAHA

Now I’m going to go find some ice cream and eat my feelings in peace 😭✊

[hypnotixstorm]

Which characters are your fav ones in Naruto and which do you not like?

Okay thank you for asking this! I’ll tell you why I love/hate the characters too 👀

Also disclaimer: This is long as FUCK which I apologize about. I got a bit too into this I think lmao. You probs don’t even care why I like/dislike these characters :’))))

BUT 

Because this is so long it’ll all be under the cut :)

F A V E S

Kakashi

He’s the entire reason I got into Naruto in the first place. I loved the intrigue/mystery surrounding his mask and I won’t lie, I think he’s really hot lmao B UT I can also relate a lot to his backstory in the sense that we’ve both had a really rough life!

Deidara

Dude Deidara is the best! Yes he’s hot okay, most of my faves are for this reason BUT I also love his personality! He feels so human and well thought out, even if he is a villain who we don’t really see all that long. He’s fun and energetic, plus I love art too!

Let’s be real tho, I literally love the entire akatsuki. They’re like my fave villain group of all time. I want an akatsuki cloud tattoo okay 😩

Genma

Okay okay okay I know this is weird and random but hear me out. I love this character, sm. I love his design, his personality, his voice, just, everything about him? I know he’s a minor character we very rarely see but idk I’m just so drawn to him 🥺

Itachi

hhhhnnnnNNGHHHHHH I love this man I s2g 🥺 like, he’s so pretty??? Eyelashes for days??? And long silky hair???? It’s mostly an aesthetic thing, but I do really like his backstory. I think he deserved so much better too!

D I S L I K E

Orochimaru

I feel like most people either love or hate him. Nobody ever is just like “he’s okay”. At least, no one I’ve ever met. Personally, he’s creepy as hell and I just *shudders* I just really don’t like him lmao

Sasuke

I can feel the hate I’m gonna get from this but oh well. Sasuke to me is very... overrated, which is weird considering I love his brother/emo boys lmao. But Sasuke just feels ridiculous at times. I also don’t like how he went crazy, psycho, murderer and then was just accepted back with open arms, for the most part anyways. I didn’t watch Naruto until I was 17 so that may also have something to do with it but? Idk, just really dislike him 🙃

Hiruzen Sarutobi (Third Hokage)

Okay. So. I really actually hate him lmao. I always see people ranting and raving about what an amazing hokage he was. Ummmmmm excuse me? He was awful! He promised to take care of Naruto, love him and treat him like his own but he actually didn’t? He never payed any attention to him and shoved him into some shitty ass apartments on his own? Plus the WHOLE VILLAGE bullied Naruto and he did nothing to stop it? Yeah, he’s awful. I understand he’s not biologically related to Naruto and all, but he still made that promise to Minato/Kushina and should’ve respected it. Yes, he could’ve just left him on the streets which is worse, but there was so much more he could have done FOR Naruto. I also understand he barely payed attention to his own grandson but still. You get the point. I don’t think he did anything right by those kids. I also think he’s to blame for the Uchiha massacre. Like, he knew what they were doing and went “ya know what itachi, why don’t you go kill them all and then fuck off even tho we know about this bc fuck you????” He knew about the Uchihas plans for YEARS and then with Danzo-

L O V E / H A T E

I know you didn’t ask for this but I have to talk about this one person

Sakura

Alrighty. This one is gonna be long like the Third Hokage’s. So I have moments where I both love and hate Sakura. I really do want her to be my favorite characters, but it’s really fucking hard. Honestly she’s probably my fave female character besides Temari, who was turned into a useless housewife, and Tsunade who is actually a /decent/ female character, post-Naruto fucking knocking some god damn sense into her. So really, I guess that makes her my fave female of the Konoha 12? Idk. A N Y W A Y S. Most of the women are done poorly, but Kishimoto has admitted to not being able to write them well so, it’s more understandable

Anyways. I’ll start out with why I dislike her

I HATE what she did to Naruto. It was seriously fucked up of her to use his feelings for her against him and just- Ugh, that shit really grinds my gears and pisses me off because I’ve been in Naruto’s shoes before in a situation like that with someone. I also hated how she STILL pined over Sasuke and ENDED UP WITH HIM???? Honestly, I don’t think Sasuke should have gotten with anyone and that’s because he does not seem emotionally ready/available to be in a (healthy) relationship, NOT because I don’t like him and I think he doesn’t deserve happiness. But anyways, I digress. I know that looks aren’t the most important things buuuuuut Studio Pierrot really made her look bad. Not only does she look more badass in the manga, but she actually has decent sex appeal. The only reason I bring that up specifically is because a LOT of people like to compare her to Ino and Hinata and make fun of her flat chest. I feel like it’s also worth mentioning, that anytime Sasuke was around or even mentioned, she turned into a babbling idiot, which is probably her biggest downfall to me

Now, on to why I like her

Sakura is the strongest NORMAL person in the world of Naruto, whether you want to believe it or not. Naruto and Sasuke are literal GODS. Even if they are reincarnations, they’re still gods. Of course Sakura is going to be useless compared to them. BUT compare her to other characters and she’s def stronger than them. She has surpassed her teacher, Tsunade, who was one of the Legendary Sannin. She’s also much stronger than Kakashi, who was a child prodigy and jonin at the age of thirteen. She also was also able to nearly go toe-to-toe with a member of the Akatsuki. I know she had help from Lady Chiyo, but she still did well, all things considered. Deidara has also stated previously that Sasori was stronger than him, so with that in consideration, she would have probably been able to beat him on her own and possibly several other members of the Akatsuki

[appleflavoredkitkats]

sweeney todd manila review

okay, just a heads up, i don’t know much about sweeney todd outside of this production and of what little bits i’ve heard of the other productions, so this won’t be the most professional review. i watched the show on the twentieth of october and i believe the whole cast was there.

btw, this is gonna be really messy bc i still have lots of stuff to do so i’m speed typing this review out KDDLJF.

(hello, @thegirlisuedtobe, this is for you! sorry if this is very late, i was really busy!)

- the set is phenomenal. before the show started, there was the sound of rain while smoke scattered across the stage. it really gave off a very eerie vibe to the show, even if it hasn’t started, and i give huge props to the set designers for setting the tone of the musical!

- here’s what amazed me the most about the set-- FLOATING CARS. there were cars hanging up on strings and just... wow. absolutely breathtaking. there was also an upperstage that was build particularly for this musical which was also well done as well. on stage left, there was this platform in particular that intrigued me because it was slanted and only had a railing that could possibly reach below your thigh. it was risky, i might say, and because of that, huge appreciation to the cast because they were able to maneuver themselves on that platform without slipping or injuring themselves.

- another interesting prop which i’m sure many of you have seen in promos was the red car that both mrs lovett and sweeney todd used. in my opinion, at first glance, the car looked cool, but there were some pros and cons.

- pros of the car: the car gave some kind of edginess to the musical. the main characters rode the car into the stage as their introduction and it really left a good impact! additionally, i loved the way how they moved the car around. all transitions were so smooth and commendable and i praise the designer who thought of all of these up.

- cons of the car: it was awkward when the setting was at the bakery of mrs lovett. the car represented the second floor of the building and the chair of sweeney’s barbershop merely rested on top of the car. it was... kinda confusing at first, especially when it is really up to the audience on how they want to interpret the murders that occurred on the car (more on that later). additionally, the car served as a weird divider to the shop, the bakehouse, and the barbershop, and honestly, they should’ve placed the barbershop on the upperstage instead of on top of the car. (gurl, when i say i was confused, i say i was confused.)

- the keep your cellphone message was really funny to me but... kinda long? like it was so unnecessarily long that i was confused whether the show started or not. i also thought they were checking the set since there was many props littered around. but when they eventually get to the point of things, it was really, really funny, so i commend them for adding this small comedic scene just for audience members to stop taking photos. 

- the singing of the cast was phenomenal! these people are just... so great, and it was definitely the highlight of the show. 

- now... here’s where i get a little bit iffy-- the costumes. i don’t really know what to say because the costumes seem... laughable. but not in a good way. it seems like they wanted to modernize the costumes which is understandable but at some cases, it kinda fails? 

- pros of costume: mrs lovett and pirelli really have the costumes which i loved. lea salonga did not look like herself but my god, did her costume stand out from the rest. and pirelli, on the other hand, had a cape that wooshed around a lot alongside a skirt, and boio, did nyoy volante nail this costume well. the modernizing costume thing didn’t really work with the others besides these two. other modernized costumes that look passable were tobias’ costume and some of the ensemble. (also, jonas fogg wore a denim jacket with a junji ito screencap on the back of it? uh, okay, i love junji ito but why is his manga featured here...)

- cons of costume: oh boy. sweeney todd’s costume was... eh. jeans, really? out of everything they could’ve given to sweeney fucking todd, they gave him a polo under a denim jacket under a blazer and jeans? then there’s the mess that is johanna’s costume design. girl, the designer probably went to an sm sale and decided to just shove anything they found in the department store into their cart. johanna’s dress was. eh. her wig? eh. the costumes didn’t snatch my wig but i’ll let them snatch my wig just so that they can replace whatever the heck johanna has on her head. additionally, not all costumes were modernized... which is like... what? the ensemble who had victorian era-esque costumes looked fine! they even could’ve given sweeney todd one of their costumes because it looked much better than the denim outfit they gave sweeney. it’s just quite... odd to see a mix of modernized costumes and oldstyle costumes mix all together because they lowkey clash with one another.

- okay, let’s move on to the actors themselves. let’s start of with lea salonga-- oh my god, she is a legend. she easily adapted into being mrs lovett and that is so commendable especially when she isn’t used to playing an insane role like that. her mrs lovett had consistent, chaotic energy which i admired and she really was the one to eye whenever you see her in a scene.

- jett pangan was great but he isn’t as consistent as lea when he portrayed his character. sweeney todd was insane, he is angery, he is chaotic but jett pangan portrayed him as stoic and silent in some parts. i really enjoyed his more insane side during little priest but i wished he kept it throughout the whole performance. what i did like about him is his voice is just so, so great. his vibratos were so good y’all, his singing in general makes up for everything. additionally, when sweeney gets emotional, he did a really good job portraying a sadder and more depressed kind of sweeney, almost like he was having some existential crisis on stage. (he really looked like he was regretting life choices during by the sea and the ending, it was actually kind of amusing).

- now, luigi quesada, an underrated actor from this production. god... he was just so consistent and energetic and an absolutely great actor. he really portrayed a pure soft boi through tobias and when he started to become insane, he portrayed that shift of character so fucking well. the shift of character was my absolute favorite thing because, in my opinion, it is the scariest thing that’s happened in sweeney todd. tobias was a pure, innocent child who wanted nothing more but to have a smol job and serve others nicely and then, bam, when he saw the corpses, something snapped in his head and it was so horrific to witness his change. additionally, luigi had such a cheerful singing voice which embodied the character well and accustomed to both the innocent and insane side of tobias.

- nyoy volante was another great treasure in this. he wasn’t as seen since his character died midway through but his stage presence is so great. he was so flamboyant while also being very comedic, using his costume to emphasize the comedy. also, he didn’t die immediately when he got attacked by sweeney, and he did portray the struggling pirelli so, so well. 

- gerald santos was... okay. he has a great singing voice, they all do, so i tend to judge how good they are based from their acting. gerald was really good at portraying a panicky anthony who was desperate for johanna. his character was really consistent and i like that! my main issue with gerald is at some times, his diction isn’t too great. i know that some filipinos (even me) would struggle pronouncing words in english, but if you’re an actor who’s worked on many musicals in english, i expect a lot from you. i think he had a really thick filipino/tagalog accent and mixed with a really mediocre british accent, it wasn’t too... understandable. i couldn’t understand most of his dialogue and because he can’t do accents well, his acting becomes affected. 

- mikkie volante’s voice is so fucking beautiful, how do you even sing that high and make it look easy? anyways, she portrayed a very frightful johanna very well, and i can’t believe how much the costume and wig really affects my perception of the character. it’s just... i can’t take her seriously if she looks... like that. okay, enough about the costumes-- her johanna felt scared and i felt that, but when she fell in love with anthony, she was desperate, and i fuckin loved it. being isolated for your entire life will leave you desperate for affection and mikkie fucking nailed it!

- andrew fernando was so-so as the judge. he wasn’t... creepy, or disturbing. his character is disgusting and so close-minded but i never felt any eerie vibes from him. i also think the costume he had was restricting him from doing anything because he had layers upon layers of clothing and when he began whipping himself, he looked like he struggled a lot to sing and do the actions (the costumes for this production is just so off in general it’s a bit offensive). there wasn’t much stage presence from him and i just wanted him to act a bit filthier.

- arman ferrer as the beadle was a trip. he portrays the character as so dumb and i loved it, it’s just the idiotic energy really cracks me up. additionally, his singing, oh my word, his singing is so good. he hits high notes like it was no problem and it was jawdropping. there was not much to say besides his fuckin costume was whack why did he wear that-- but overall, he was pretty solid!

- ima castro was good! she portrayed a crazy beggar woman which was so chaotic and funny and just fucking bonkers and i loved the energy she had! the only thing i note is that, at times, her voice would stop and i’m not sure if it was intentional or not? even if it wasn’t, it actually added to her character rather than brought her down.

- ensemble was... phenomenal. ignoring the costumes for the hundredth time, i love the ensemble so much because they don’t get enough credit yet they nail it every time they get into a production. their acting during the asylum scene? iconic. their accents? iconic. everything was so iconic.

- now, imma just say a few points in the show that i remembered which is worthy enough to tell yall of.

- here i’ll explain how the murders work. it’s kinda... weird. the execution was inconsistent and i remembered three ways on how they were able to kill and cook their victims. firstly, the murder with pirelli is the only one of its kind. sweeney sliced his throat and threw him into the driver’s seat of the car which was confusing considering how the other murders took place. the second kind of murder and the more common one is when sweeney sliced someone’s throat, the victim would walk off the car and walk into mrs lovett’s oven by themselves. i’m assuming that with pirelli, they didn’t bake him yet so they just hid him in some kind of box or crate somewhere. the third kind applied to the judge and the beggar woman wherein when they killed them, it was implied that they were brought to the bakehouse and not burnt.

- here’s my interpretation of how the murders go. in the original, the bakehouse was the basement, but here, i assume since they claim it’s a “bakehouse”, there’s a secret compartment in the barbershop that brings dead bodies directly into the oven. i’m guessing that with judge turpin and the beggar woman, the oven was not on so they were just... brought there? it’s really, really confusing and i wished they cleared it up so i won’t keep wondering about what is where and how things work. i do think that the victims walking into the oven is really genius because it was a perfect mix of comedy and eeriness which i really commend.

- i liked the way they portrayed the streets in this. they used the upper stage and it really clears up where each scenery is set! it isn’t like the bakery and barbershop wherein the set is confusing, it was much better than that. when mrs lovett and sweeney walked up to pirelli’s barbershop, the scenery was so interesting because they walk from above and look down at them. i really, really liked it.

- additionally, the sprays tobias advertised were cleaning sprays found in ace hardware store, that’s funny. also, the only time their haggard wigs would be effective is when tobias used it and nothing else. (i’ve seen better wigs in beautiful, where did those wigs go?)

- the way they portrayed johanna’s place was so, so good. johanna’s room would be atop the upper stage and, ugh, it’s just so well put-together. this whole set was the work of god and no one can convince me otherwise.

- the lighting was great but the sound design was a bit off for me. the electrocution noises were smart to use but i thought it was a bit too loud? like it was really off-putting. i wished they added gross sloshing noises when they were handling the body parts just to add give a better effect when mrs lovett was holding actual intestines and organs.

- the opening of act 2 was hilarious and one of the more intriguing parts of this musical. pangan’s voice? spectacular. lea’s look of distress whilst serving pies? hilarious. the ensemble? god’s gift to mankind. it was so comedic because sweeney is calmly singing about johanna whilst he slices throats and the victims, in a daze, just walk into an oven while mrs lovett’s expression just screams, “yea, that’s life.”

- i can’t believe. they used handkerchiefs to express what a wig is during the asylum scene. like............ really. where are the leftover wigs from beautiful???

- also, it was weird to me that johanna was the one who shot jonas fogg. it was kinda badass of her and perhaps portrayed her character to become more brave but i still kinda thought it was ooc? (ALSO DEAN ROSEN IS GREAT I LOVE HIM HE POSTS CAT STUFF ON IG AND THATS ALL HE DOES)

- okay someone clarify with me because i initially thought tobias escaped the bakehouse, hence why they went looking for him, but they said it was locked from the outside and i’m left confused why they left in the first place...?

- btw whenever lea speaks, i become more of a lesbian, thanks lea salonga.

- when the plot twist was revealed and mrs lovett and sweeney were slow dancing, that was a theatrical experience. god, just... mrs lovett with the most fearful look in her face as sweeney slowly moves her into the oven is so iconic and that has to be one of the more chilling scenes in the musical. then, once sweeney kills her off, she holds the beggar lady close to him and he looks absolutely mournful.

- AND THEN TOBIAS FUCKING COMES BACK AND GIVES THE BIGGEST CHILLS EVER. will i ever stop talking about how good tobias was written/how good luigi quesada is? probably not.

- anyways, tldr; sweeney todd was beyond average but wasn’t perfect, the costumes were. eh. the singing was perfect, the SET was amazing, lea salonga, nyoy volante, and luigi quesada own my heart, and philippine theatre really needs better wig suppliers, someone please donate your wigs to them.

[seasaltmemories]

Devil’s Line Review/Analysis

This is gonna be a different beast to tackle for a few reasons A) I actually started this once before and dropped it, B) For a proper analysis I’m gonna have to dive into spoilers, and C) I technically haven’t finished the entire series, as the last volume of the manga isn’t translated (and I will only talk about the manga here) I say this all so you’ll be gentle with me as I pop from subject to subject

To start let’s get that summary:

Tsukasa, a college student, is rescued from an attack by a devil, one of many vampires that can blend in among the human population. Anzai, her savior, is a half-devil who exploits his supernatural gifts as a member of a shadowy police task force that specializes in devil-related crime in Tokyo. As Anzai continues to keep guard over Tsukasa, the two quickly forge a tentative bond—one that Anzai fears will test his iron-clad rule of never drinking human blood …

So I feel like expectations play a lot into how you receive this story and what you want to get out of it.  My first time going in I was told it was a dark fantasy series, and then what I got in the 7 or 8 chapters I read was a lot of faffing about of will they won’t they with the external plot only appearing to be there to drive the main couple together, so I got bored and dropped it

This time I went in not only knowing there would be a lot of romance, but also personally more in the mood for vampire stuff, and kinda meeting it where it was allowed me to see it grow into more interesting ways

The beginning isn’t bad, but I think it is best appreciated when you know up front this is 50% romance and 50% thriller, both genres are equally important to the narrative, but rather than starting out with that ratio, the beginning focuses entirely on Tsukasa’s and Anzai’s blossoming romance, from there a greater plot concerning devils begins to unfold, and then the two really begin to work in sync to prop both sides up

Bc once the ball starts rolling, the plot becomes a high-speed mystery concerning secret conspiracies and questions of who you can trust, what started out simple gets more information added on that complicates matters as you begin to question your own judgement, still what keeps the plot from becoming a jumbled mess is the fact at the heart of the story is always Tsukasa and Anzai, it gives the narrative focus that I’ve see few things series have

I should also mention my first impressions of the romance being shaken bc I am so used to series having couples who are love at first sight yet waste the entire time actually getting together until the end, and while these two basically also have love at first sight and take a while to actually get together, they get together in an overall timely manner, and their relationship is allowed to grow and evolve in very mature ways, not just sexually but also emotionally, a lot of their arc together is learning about how to communicate what they want to the other and as their relationship grows, their strength as individual characters grow as well

Now I’m gonna get into some spoilers, but what turned the series from simply fun into can’t put down is the timeskip

A lot of the elements that I enjoyed were being done before the time skip, but I feel like the skip is what allowed it to reach new heights it just kept hovering up at

Bc slowly as we start from Tsukasa and Anzai, the world expands, first to his colleagues, then to their enemies until it is a large but never burgeoning cast of connections, and the way they keep it all together is that it is grounded by lot of casual little moments to see people just be people, no matter their relation to the protagonists, we are consistently shown the humanity of almost everyone we come in contact with, and as a result it is hard to not fall in love with people who had previously tried to murder your faves (and might still currently be doing so)  and after the timeskip we just get hit with back to back side stories of the cast each going through their own internal problems, while still keeping to focus on Tsukasa and Anzai

Another thing that helps is that the worldbuilding concerning devil’s is extremely well-done, again it starts out simple “they see blood, then transform into monsters, sexual lust is connected to their bloodlust” but not only do we learn devil’s themselves, but a lot about what it means for a world to have a population like this, for example we get a detailed look into the tech created to help devil’s have safe sex with human partners and while it can be easy to poke fun at such specific details, by the end of the series it really does feel like an actual genetic disorder rather than some supernatural stuff with a sciency explanation tacked on

A moment that really made me stop and realize “oh the person behind this must know stuff besides story-telling” was when after and educational lecture about devils, the speaker admitted privately that the model used to describe them was problematic in that it demonized certain sects of devils, like wow, it was a quick moment, but a story showing the struggles of nuanced activism? Then we not only touch upon exploration of devil’s through a social science lens, but the overall philosophy that gets brought up on how to deal with institutional bigotry is interesting (this will be endgame spoilers so if you want to skip this, scroll down until you see bolded words again)

In two separate cases, we see two queer women involved in institutions get asked to do something unethical, both decide that if they refuse then they’ll get fired and someone else will simply take their place, and their goal then becomes to work through the system until they make it to the top and can start openly resisting

The effectiveness of these strategies is intriguing to dig through, the first is a researcher breeding devil/human children to study, (many of the participants being convicts) and from her actions we see her try and inform those involved to the best of her abilities and get their consent, and when possible, try to use couples who are already together, any information that would put individuals at risk of being chosen for illegal experimentation, she destroys, when she becomes the head researcher, she changes the program to rely completely on studying the children of already formed devil/human couples who come to them willingly

The second is asked to head the conspiracy of wiping out all devils, when ironically she is a devil herself, and so what they do is essentially play their part until they’ve amassed enough power to eventually stage a coup, until they can get an insider to be the prime minister to publicly reveal to the world, the conspiracy and have vocal support of devil rights, not only does this plan depend on the actual killing of innocents and riling up actual bigotry, but it also attracts actual cold-blooded killers and violent bigots which complicate matters, and for all their effort, the prime minister gets assassinated right during his big speech 

As I mentioned their is still one volume left untranslated so I don’t know how it will add on to this, (most of the plot lines got wrapped up so I can’t see many major developments happening beyond wrapping up character plot threads) but they’re some juicy thematic questions to chew on as well, which is always a treat

Returning to some general strengths of the series, there really is a genuine sex-positive stance, I say that specifically bc it isn’t just simply exploring themes of sex, but also the way it does so, as mentioned above, there is a lot of baggage around devil’s and their sexual relationships, but a lot of what the characters have to learn is that such desires are normal and not some great abomination, just something they have to be responsible about, no one is shamed for communicating what they want/like, especially women, where multiple female characters are in fact openly encouraged to communicate to their partners that they are interested in sex, and from their we watch multiple couples (including a m/m one) work out what they want, in one neither is interested in romance, but is ok with a friends with benefit thing, two have the male participant be unsure of their feelings and so they work in their comfort zone (one likes physical touch and kissing, another they only hug) the m/m couple not only get screen-time of struggling with the “are you gay, I want to show interest but not get perceived as a creep” deal, but one admits to being repulsed by sex, and they still work out a romantic relationship

And the most surprising amount part of this, is that there is no unnecessary titillation, the eternal question of what is over-sexualization and all can get confusing and tiring, so I won’t define a specific threshold here or say this is the only way to tell such stories about sex, but first you don’t got any unrealistic body proportions on anyone or any creepy shots, everyone is fully clothed and dressed normally for the non-sexy bits, and while we do get a sex scene, it is pretty non-graphic (you got boobs and that is all that it on screen) so there really isn’t any confusing moments like in other stories I’ve experienced where I have to wonder if the framing contradicts its message 

I could go on, but the strength of the story lies within at the end of the day being about normal people just trying to live their lives, it really does seem to capture the essence of what it means to be human effortlessly, and I am just immediately charmed and ready to follow Ryo Handa in whatever other projects she does

[yiulee999]

opm time traveler au (spoilers)

genos goes back in time and tries to disguise himself and befriending sai as a bookworm lol and they become good friends until sai is fooling around and playfully steals genos’ glasses one day and the you know 💘 💘 💘 💘

what started out as a random doodle turned into a multi-chapter length fic draft out on discord!! *o*

the full convo/story is posted below bUT its heavy angst!! be warned!! sorry about the casual lingo, i was posting in chat format XD 

so time traveler au picks up from when sai was getting picked on back in middle school chapter in the manga

and when genos goes back in time he thinks the only way he can get close to saitama if he was an ‘outcast’ too

so he purposefully nerdifies himself more? lOL how is possible,,,

Originally genos got sent back by dr. Genus as way to figure out the key to sai’s strength

Bc in the ‘future’ genos, they had just met and genos just wanted to know what made sai powerful

And initially when they meet genos is very forward about wanting to know all about saitama who finds it kinda creepy and stalkerish when he finds genos tailing him in the hallways and after school haha

And other classmates notice how the new kid (genos) follows/takes an interest in the class loser (sai) so predictably they start making fun of and bullying genos too

Genos, true to form, doesnt give a fuck xD

But sai has mixed feelings about it bc it was the first time someone took an actual interest in him and even though he’s so forward, genos never overstepped boundaries with him and was an okay guy overallBut alot of the story has to do with sai trying to figure out what its like to have a friend

And what to do because hes never had one

But he does know that he doesnt like seeing genos getting pushed around or made fun of so there are moments where he’ll try to stick up for him by telling them to knock it off or pulling genos aside to a differnt hallway when he sees the bullies coming

At the same time hes so confused on like what to do right, so he’ll also try to push genos away, ‘maybe if he didn’t hang around me so much, he’ll won’t get picked on…’

There was one scene i knew i wanted to do

Where after sai stands up for genos, the bullies treat sai worse

So it was an after school thing, behind one of the school buildings where sai is beat up pretty bad (like barely standing) and the bully has him by the front of his shirt and had his fist pulled back

When genos arrives

Before, sai had managed to ditch genos so he wouldnt see sai when he’s ‘weak’And always made up some excuse when he bruises or other injuries

So genos interrupts the scene by straight up grabbing the bullies wrist

And seething in all toasty righteous fury ‘dont touch him!’

and sai cant see it cus he had two black eyes at this point

but this was some dialogue i had written:

S:’What’s he doing? Why is he helping me?‘ "Hey–“

Bully pulls back fist "Look, kid. You’re new so I’ll give you a free pass this time if you walk away right now. You wouldn’t want us to mess up that pretty face of yours, would you?"

G: "How generous of you. Unfortunately, I won’t be extending the same courtesy to anyone who treats this person disrespectfully. Especially not ugly trash like you. "

Bully: "Why you–!! ”

And when the bully tries to redirect the hit to genos, genos instinctively throws out his palm and says ‘incin—‘ before he realizes he doesnt have his cannons

And genos is about to get b e a t

When sai wrenches himself from the bullies grip and takes the hit for him

They like tumble down and genos is confused to what happened before he sees sai lying motionless beside him, bleeding from his head and unresponsive

And i was gonna end a chapter there with genos screaming saitama’s name…

Next chapter was gonna be sai waking up slowly and in a world of hurt

He realizes he’s in the nurses office

It was night time

And when could finally see, he hallucinates seeing like 8 mini genos (remember the genosbots :3)‘Why…whys there eight of you/??’

So basically genos is worry over him so much whereas sai says its fine but genos is like feeling really bad so sai shakily reaches over and gently taps him on the forehead

And grins weakly, ‘there, now we’re even.’

Genos is crying openly bc he’s remembering when future saitama playfully hit his head after a spar and he thinks that saitama-sensei is strong no matter how old he is

And he’s just…overwhelmed by how kind and strong saitama is, even when he has no strength at all (Cus hes like 14 rn haha)

I think a couple days pass, and genos and saitama are eating lunch on the roof (cue bento box scene lol)

Sai is healing nicely, genos is still feeling bad whenever he looks over an sees the bandage on sais head

Some dialogue:

Eating lunch on the roof. G: How’s your wound? S: Hm? Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry, my teachers say I have a hard head. G: I’m sorry. S: ? Why are you sorry? Not like you’re the one who punched me. G: I made things worse. If I hadn’t antagonized him, then–!! S: Then he woulda beat me up anyway. Seriously, man, it’s not your fault, okay? So you can stop doing all those things for me. G: Like what? S: You know! Like being nice to me and buying lunch and stuff. You don’t need to feel guilty about it anymore.

Sai is still kinda insecure abt having a genuine friend, so he still thinks genos is being nice to him out of pity or smtg, (and genos had been particularly nice to him after he got injured so he figured it was out of guilt)

And i mean….it was,, genos feels terribly guilty…but i think watching sai, who was powerless, attempt to protect him just made him more intrigued (and unbeknownst to him fall a lot deeper in love XD)

But genos says thats not why he does those things

That saitama reminded him of ‘someone’ he knew whom he admired greatly

At his ‘old’ school

He tells sai about his ‘sensei’ and how amazing this person was and all of his great qualities

And sai was feeling a little more depressed at each praise genos was singing about this person (coughjealouscough)

And i have another piece of dialogue here…

S: if you like him so much, why did you leave?   G: …I wanted to see the kind of person sensei was before he became strong. this is where he grew up. S: …seems like a lot of effort just for one person. G:.that person (sai thoughts: he’s still talking?)…no matter what i did..I couldn’t reach him. I’d do anything to close the distance between us..I thought that if I came here, I would be able to understand him. I thought I could help him. G: touches saitama’s wound But instead, I’m still the one being saved. I never learn.

And genos gives sai this painfully heartfelt smile and its full of regret, frustration, self-loathing, admiration, and some other unidentified emotion that just floors saitama

Saitama sees genos’ smile and his eyes and is just...stunned by the level of vulnerability he sees (he’s never gotten close enough to anyone before to see it)

So he reaches out, hestitantly at first, before wiping away genos’ tears carefully because if he touches any harder he’s afraid genos would crumble

S: “i dont really get it...but if you feel that strongly, then i’m sure some part of your feelings reached him.”

And they share their first hug then :3

////

((When i wrote this, genos didnt have glasses haha so i guess that scene where sai realizes how pretty genos is would go before this one))

I guess if the glasses were involved, sai would be torn between wanting genos to take them off (so he can see his eyes which oddly finds that he likes them...alot.) and keep them on so other ppl wont see how pretty he is

Bc sure if they saw, genos would no longer be his friend

He would have so many ppl vying for his attn, he would be surrounded by girls and guys and would be approachableAnd saitama would get left behind

But i think even tho sai wants to be selfish and keep genos to himself, he also realizes that genos wouldnt be bullied if he were more accepted

So he would encourage genos to ditch the glasses and genos would end up getting accepted by everyone but he would still stay with saitama and nothing would change between them other than saitama getting really red at random times and avoiding eye contact more

It would just be one of the many things that strengthen their relationship as friends. And i think i had planned some stuff where they do a bunch of typical friend / kid stuff

Like genos tutoring saitama on math, genos running circles around sai in track/field (‘wtf...huff are...huff you?! huff some...kinda...rOBOT!?). Them going to the arcade, saitama taking genos around to explore his hometown, they go on hiking trips and stuff. 

genos finding out saitama lived alone and that’s why he always buys lunch (or doesnt eat if he got bullied out of it that day) and talking out their issues and genos reaching out and saying yeah, he knew what it felt like to be alone

but that saitama should never feel that way because he wasn’t alone anymore, and saitama joking affectionately ‘yeah i have you to stick annoyingly close.’

and also heavy scenes like when you have to fill out future goals sheets in school where sai shyly admits that he’s always thought it’d be nice to be a hero and was shocked when genos was oVERWHELMINGLY supportive bc he’s never had anyone cheer for him like this, believe in him like genos does. And he calls genos crazy for agreeing with him, but he thinks he must also be crazy because when genos looks at him like that, he feels like he could do it

and its one of the first moments we see sai really open up to genos

bc being a hero was something he truly cared about

but his teachers, his classmates, heck the world, didn’t think he could do, they thought it was a hopeless dream for someone, and he’s so used to facing this kind of rejection that he’s started to believe it really would be impossible for someone like him.... 

but all it took was this one person, this one friend to tell him he could...and it made him feel invincible

and its probably the scene where saitama realizes how important genos is to him.

So of fucking course its when saitama realizes genos is important to him that drama bomb hits Basically, Dr. genus comes and pays genos a surprise visit. And hes like “did you forget the reason I sent you back here? Any updates?”

And genos is like “i have nothing of interest to report”

genus: "This isn’t some children’s game, you know. "

genos: "I must be careful not to expose myself. Saitama-sensei is more observant than I had initially planned--"

genus: "You’re stalling. I have an idea: Fight him. "

genos: !!! dr : "You’ll have a disguise. I will re-install your blasters. Perhaps a stressful situation will trigger a transformatio--. "

((so it was gonna be hinted at that even though genos appeared like a normal human, he was just redesigned by genus and was actually still a cyborg) genos: "I refuse to put Saitama-sensei in danger!!"

dr: "What danger? He is more than capable of--"

genos: "Right now, he is powerless. An attack could kill him--!"

dr: " And doing nothing will kill us!! Your mission is to find out the secret to his strength! Something we both wanted to discover and the entire reason why I chose you as my test subject! I will not sit here idly while you indulge in your childish fantasies that will get us both erased from the timestream. Look. " //he shows genos a pic of the hero registery from their time//

genos: " !!! Sensei’s name is missing!”

dr: " Your name is gone too. I dont know what you did but your actions are interfering with the future. Here. Collect your belongings and leave no evidence behind. We depart in 1 hour. "

genos: " !! Wait! Give me more time!! I understand now..!"

//genos has a bunch of flashbacks of when he does fun stuff with saitama. When sai tries to make him something in cooking class (and fails badly lol). When saitama shares his manga with genos. When they watch anime together.//

Genos: “I understand now..what type of person sensei was...his strength (when sai was protecting him from bullies)...his kindness (sai wiping his tears away)...his warmth (sai hugging him*)...!!”

“I finally understand...!!”

sai holding his hand, sai smiling and eating with him..

“...what its like to feel human again!!!”

He’s suddenly lifted off the ground and pushed roughly against the wall. Dr. Genus has him by the collar.

“Reality check, little shit!! You. Do. Not. Belong. Here! You’ve been playing pretend for far too long! And guess what demon cyborg?”

He tosses genos to the ground

“Time’s run out”

So chapter was gonna end with genos’ hand slowly fading in and out

next chapter would begin with genos being given 2 hours by dr. Genus to basically pack his shit and go. bc they cant leave any trace of the future stuff when they leave So genos ends up back in the classroom Packing his cute stationary and shit xD

(That sai bought him o b v i o u s l y )

And he’s startled by the door sliding open

And saitama walks in

He’s suprised to see genos there (and looking guilty?) “did ya forget smtg?”

And genos just kinda..looks away

And sai sees him packing up and taking everything and hes quiet for a bit ...

“You’re leaving?” He asks softly

“Saitama-kun, I—!”

“Why?” He keeps talking in that soft tone, but it silences genos more effectively than a shout

“I..I can’t...”

S: “...Is it because of that person?”

(Sai remembers the shine in genos eyes when he talks about his ‘sensei’, his special person, and his heart kinda just falls to his feet)

(i never had a chance, did i...)

Genos cant answer because yeah it was because of saitama in the future. So what if genos disappeared? Genos didn’t care. But the world needed saitama. It needed Saitama The Hero. He had to leave now so saitama can exist in the future

But since he cant say anything, for fear or changing the future even more, genos just doesnt say anything

So sai assumes that yeah, it was because of someone else, someone better than him, someone who deserved genos’ admiration and loyalty

He doesnt say anything, just approaches genos slowly, trying not to startle genos who has like deer in head lights ready-to-b o l t

And saitama rests his forehead on genos’ shoulder, barely touching him but close enough that genos cant ignore him, genos can feel his presence and his warmth

And theres a moment where genos is t o r n

Bc this saitama acknowledges him in a way that future sai wouldnt. This saitama looks at him and sees him whereas his sensei’s gaze passes over him to focus on the sale sign

And genos has been in school again, and he realizes he missed it. He missed having his worries be about being late for class, missing a school assignment, whether he could sit next saitama next class, what to pack for his and sai’s lunch tomorrow

And he knew in the back of his mind, that his real self, was in surgery at this time, trading warmth for fire and destruction, shedding his humanity while his future self was regaining it in the past,Thanks to saitama

He inhales sharply, ‘sai—‘ S: “don’t go.”

G: !

(Sai thought genos was going to say he was going to leave and he didn’t think he could hear him say it) S: “I know..he’s precious to you...” He reaches for genos, and after hesitating over touching genos’ hand, he settles for gripping genos’ sleeve of his school uniform tightly S: “but you’re precious to me “

And genos has tears streaming down his face. Because he wanted to stay, he had never wanted anything so much before than to just stay with saitama before he became sensei, to cheer for him when no one else would, to stop him from reaching the point he had trade his emotions for his strength, to stop the emptiness before it could touch him

But he also knew...that in order for his sensei to become strong...saitama needed to have these struggles that pushed him to change

That success without sacrifice was impossible, and he knew, genos KNEW it in his soul that if he stayed...if HE was the factor that caused saitama to limit himself, to fall back on a regular life when genos had seen it with his own eyes that this was a man destined for greater things...he would never be able to forgive himself

Genos throws his arms around saitama and hugs him tightly. He feels like he’s floating with nothing to ground him than the feeling of saitama returning his embrace equally tightly with his still lanky arms

G: “Saitama-kun....Thank you.”

G: “...goodbye.”

So next chapter begins ...With genos ending up back in genus’ lab

G: “Are we back?”

dr: “It appears so. We should—hey!! Where are you going?”

And genos is running off to look for saitama/his SENSEI because he had to exist, he had to still be a hero, right?!

He bumps into a monster

But not just any monster...Its the mosquito girl XD

Genos fights MG because its what he’s supposed to do, but he’s not scared for the fight...he’s scared for what’s to come AFTER...

And saitama shows up and finishes off MG with wan punch!!!

Genos is thankfully, not in disrepair bc he managed to dodge her attacks and was basically stalling for time

Saitama kinda sees him and looks at him blandly but to genos, that garrish, eye-burning yellow hero suit was the best thing he had ever seen

S: “Oh. A civilian? Are you oka—“

And he freezes all of a sudden.

And genos also freezes bc he doesn’t know what to do Its saitama-sensei...he should know the script, he’s done it all before

But now saitama-sensei was the stranger and he longed for the comfort that came with saitama-kun’s toothy smile

But he too had changed....he was a cyborg now, weaponized arms and black sclera on full display. His core spun dangerously. Would saitama even recognize him? Would he remember that day in the classroom when they parted ways, that was only a few hours ago for genos but more than a decade for saitama?

Genos froze. Would saitama even want to remember? After all the heartbreak genos had caused him?

Lost in his thoughts, genos almost didn’t notice saitama approach until the soft crunch of asphalt right in front of him jarred him to reality

Genos held his breath

Saitama didnt say anything. Only let that sharp gaze pierce genos in ways no monster could.

Genos couldnt read what he was thinking, he never could on his sensei’s bland face but this time, there was something tightly guarded in those brown eyes.

Saitama muttered something so low that genos had to use his advanced hearing to pickup

S: “It cant be...”

Louder and taking an aggressive step forward, saitama clenched his hand into a fist. He narrowed his eyes. “...If you’re some kinda shape-shifting monster...this won’t end well for you.”

G: “It’s genos!! I’m...I’m genos.”

Saitama freezes and his eyes grow wide. Genos almost instinctively lurches foward when saitama falls back on his heels, appearing shaken.

S: ...genos?

Genos nods tentatively.

For a moment, saitama doesnt say anything. But genos finds he doesnt need to. Those brown eyes had opened and genos could see, could feel some far-flung emotions creep back into that achingly familiar face as saitama let his gaze trail from his new eyes down his circuited arms and linger on the glowing blue that peeked through his shirt

After what felt like years, genos saw a corner of saitama’s lips twitch.

S: “It really is you....Heh. You haven’t changed a bit.”

G: “Sai—“

S: "I tried to forget you. I tried to go back to life before you. I finished school .... somehow got a job as a shitty salesman..."

S: "...I really tried."

Genos looked down, ashamed. He had been the one to injure saitama so unforgivably. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like if saitama had done the same to him, if he had turned genos away from being his disciple. Kicked him out. How could you forgive someone who changed your world for the better, only to leave it behind?

More than anything, he needed to beg for forgiveness, not that he deserved it—but saitama did.

G: “Saitama, I—“

Sai shook his head, like he didn’t want to hear it.

Genos thought his core would crack.

S: “I thought...If I were strong, things would get better. If I were stronger than that person..maybe you would have picked me instead.”

S: “Maybe you would have stayed “

S: “I trained and trained until I became strong...but it wasn’t enough. To capture your attention, I had to be the strongest.” Saitama pauses and shoots him a small, cheeky grin that had echoes of the same toothy smile Genos cherished.

S: “I would have to be, to take care of someone as high maintenance as you.”

Then the smile faded. S: “But even after I became strong..what did it matter? You had left and I didn’t know if I would ever see you again. And if for some crazy reason i Did meet you again...I didn’t know if i had it in me to ask you to choose again..”

G: (full on oil tears, the whole shebang)

G: S-Saitama..!!

Saitama grinned helplessly at him.

S: “So hurry up and choose me, genos!”

G: “Sensei!!!” [ because I had already chosen you a long time ago ]

They hug.

THE END!!!!!!!!!!! :’D

There’s a small epilogue where sai’s like..you called me teacher again. Im still not a teacher you know (in reference to this original post: http://yiulee.tumblr.com/post/139194391025/time-travel-au ) .

And genos is like: dont worry sensei, ill explain it to you

And sai is like ah, okay? But first. surprise smooch! S: been waiting 12 years to do that :D 

/////

endless thanks to @konorai​ @batneko​ @egg-in-the-basket​ for bearing with me while i unloaded this beast into the discord chat..yall the real mvps!!! ;3; 

[avenger-hawk]

Hi, how do u see the relationship between obito and sasuke? Also could you please help me find that scene where some ninja talk about how they wish they could kill itachi and sasuke wants fo fight them, but obito stops him; and there's another one where sasuke just had the eye transplant and remembers his first fight w naruto and then obito appears and teleports them? Please help me bcs i am really interested in sasuke-obito relationship, thanks in advance

Me too, their relationship is very intriguing to me, and I wish there were more moments of them. The snippets shown in the manga and anime were very interesting.

I replied to similar asks about Obito and Sasuke here and here.

When it begins, Obito seems more “attached” to Itachi, he even sounds kind of angry with Sasuke for not having understood anything, thus for having caused his death. After all he was Itachi’s mentor, even though he pretended to be Madara and not himself. But he sort of mellows out as he speaks, never breaking the role he’s acting of course, but becoming more understanding of Sasuke and his reasons, all the while observing him. Even when he tells Sasuke the truth about Itachi he defines it a gamble, as Sasuke might want to respect Itachi’s will or not. But he chooses to destroy Konoha, like Obito hoped for.

Their relationship and their interactions are interesting, like I said. Both keep a distance from the other, since they’re leaders (if Akatsuki, or Team Taka) and have a goal for which they intend to use the other. Yet Sasuke, as the pure and honest person as he is, despite telling Taka he wants to use Akatsuki for his goal, doesn’t tell his comrades that he wants to destroy the whole village, while he tells Obito, who doesn’t judge him, instead he muses that when people love there’s also a chance of knowing hatred. 

Obito kind of takes care of Sasuke, he wants him to take Itachi’s eyes because he knows that MS will make him blind. He saves him from the Kage and he brings him to safety after the encounter with Kakashi, Naruto and Team7, when he’s exhausted and blind. Then he operates him, he asks him if he’s in pain and tells him to rest. Sure he has a goal and Sasuke is useful but still. And Sasuke is relatively comfortable around him. Sure he is used to being around strangers, and creepy ones like Orochimaru, but still.

I think that since they lived in the same hideout for a while, there should be many more moments of them, that are not shown in the anime/manga. Like, I think that Sasuke asked him about Itachi a lot of times, and Obito told him a lot about his brother. They indeed spent a lot of time together, like that moment you mention, where they’re in a tavern or something and shinobi talk ill about Itachi and Sasuke wants to attack them but Obito calms him down. That’s episode 335 btw, since you asked. I’m not trying to “cutifie” anything (like turning Akatsuki into a canon-happy group of friends or smth) but the way he calms him down is very firm, authoritative but not in an entirely cold way, unlike a random stranger would. He does sound like a superior but also a relative somehow. Sasuke too is different than how he was under Orochimaru (before he “killed” him, not after he revived him), he’s still himself and still in a hurry to have his revenge, but more respectful.

It’s disappointing that in the war arc there was nothing for them, beside Obito calling Sasuke “fellow traitor” in ep375, then totally ignoring him as if they never met, once he turned to the good side and he became a Naruto fanboy.

Anyway I think these 2 had a lot of potential, however you might see them.

As for those episodes, like I said the first one you mentioned is ep335, the second one I’m not sure. In ep 220 Sasuke wakes up from the transplant, I don’t remember in which episode he’s about to have it transplanted but I only remember that he thinks about Itachi, not the fight against Naruto. In ep 326 he removes his bandages and leaves the hideout alone, he attacks some Zetsus to know what’s going on so when they mention Naruto he thinks about him. In ep204 Obito teleports Sasuke to his own dimension, saving him from Mei and the Kage.And he teleports him back to make him fight Danzo in ep208 but there’s Karin too. 

[juazz5ever]

Bonjour Naki :) Désolé mais le retour à la pseudo réalité n'a pas été de tout repos. Donc, c'est ça ton monde secret ! Haha ! Ok, première question : qui lit ceci à part tes amis (tu peux m'écrire en anglais, je lis et je parle en anglais quasi-quotidiennement) ? Ensuite, pourquoi choisir une esthétique japonaise : c'est typique d'une contre-culture dans une société conservatrice ?

hi anon! i was excited to see you finally visit my hellish garden haha

anon asked: Hi Naki :) [...] Who reads your blog besides your friends ? Also, why the japanese aesthetic: is it typical as a counter culture in a conservative society?

i have 65 followers in that blog (i have 800+ on my main one haha) but tumblr only shows me 18... so i guess i have 18 ?? but honestly, i have like 2 people that are actually interacting with it which are rachel and sher, but they dont read all my stuff (since they arent active everyday) i honestly dont mind, its more of a uh, a personal dairy ?? i know literally everyone can read it (you just need the link lmao) but i still find some personal space here, to post anything i want and talk freely

it’s interesting how you call it japanese aesthetic when i choose the aesthetic based on my own preference (i didnt dig for some japanese stuff to inspire myself) im not reproaching you that or anything, far from that, im actually surprised/intrigued you said that... perhaps the art gave you a hint that im into animes haha otherwise, im avoiding to do “cultural appropriation” in that matter, bc using a culture for personal interest like that is gross (and no, my name is made up, i didnt pick it in a top 10 japanese name or something, but yeah it does sound japanese bc it’s a mix of Miku and Luka but i never claim im japanese or relate to them, bc i really dont) 

maybe you’re wondering why i stick more to that aesthetic than the ones you’d find with vsco girls or something, well, it’s simply by pure preference/interest, i like animes/mangas and i love art, of course im gonna fall into the “otaku” (im putting in in quote bc i dont like using that word... im not a weeb) but i only appreciate it like any fan of any medium would do, you see, im not using the japanese “aesthetic” and claim it, im just appreciating a medium (manga/anime which is mostly associated with japan) otherwise, i am no way a connoisseur of japanese culture, absolutely not (like someone who likes hollywood movies doesnt mean he’s a fan of the US), the japanese culture is no way part of my identity

 but! the anime/manga world does, it help me grew as a person in many ways (im not talking about the medium itself, but the stories i read) i dont feel threatened or anything with our society being so unaware about the anime/manga world, yeah it’s embarrassing to expose your love for that bc it’s considered as childish not bc it’s foreign to where i live... i dont think it’s a question of culture vs culture here since im talking about a medium... but if you wanna talk about my personal experience of being a “half” foreigner in where i live (me having Moroccan parents when i live in canada.. but i think you know how it’s like), you can send me another ask!

sorry if im not being clear, just send me the question again! ill be happy to answer! thank you anon!!

[eeriehowl]

bel for the ask? wait have I sent one in. idk but. the ask still stands

no u haven’t sent one in b4, but hi thanks! 👌

Why I like them

i love bel bc they’re an interesting character to me, they’re also…rly relatable for me as well lol. anyway i always thought there’s more to them than that surface “i’m a prince” schtick, the whole catch phrase seems to center around them not rly seeing anything else as an identifying trait i think. which leads me to think bel has identity issues. i bring this up a lot but the tyl part where rasiel talks shit about bel to their face and bel just…stands there and takes it with a pokerface really says some stuff too. bel doesn’t say anything back or dispute what rasiel says, how rasiel was “always better at anything, no matter what it came to”. also bel is always teasing others, and on their character page in vongola77 it’s described as “playing” with others. bel sees it as a big game and i find that intriguing too. idk i just really like reading into bel’s character way too deep ig. bel is probably the one i know best, i feel like it’s really easy for me to ramble about bel, they kinda feel like home. and it’s a lot of fun to just think of their character and play with it. 

well then there’s also the obvious thing where bel was the reason i started watching khr so a strong attachment from that too. 

Why I don’t

they’re an asshole. they are insufferable. quite a bit self centered. that’s not gonna be enough for me though to ever not like them. 

Favorite episode (scene if movie) (((im gonna add chapter to this as well))

so of course i love the “twin princes” chapter in the manga where rasiel appears bc ..i felt that really added to bel’s character. i love the entire storm battle, how bel keeps trying to push gokudera’s buttons. their persistency to win got really creepy when they were prepared to blow up to win, in all logic they would have probably died there. also i like episode 64 in the anime a lot, now this isn’t rly a bel episode though it’s a xanxus episode, but i love how a scene shows off one of those rare moments when bel is caught off-guard (like when they saw rasiel in the future arc). when xanxus falls to the ground after the ring rejects him, bel cries out with mammon and rushes to get down on the ground beside xanxus. it’s one of those moments that shows off that bel does give a crap abt others. 

Favorite line

“stop interrupting my flashback” has to be my favorite line bel has ever said 

Favorite outfit

honestly? their classic outfit is so good. i love that. definitely my favorite. u can’t go wrong w striped shirts. 

OTP

i don’t ship bel with any1 romantically so nothing here. 

Brotp

bel/mammon…bc god i would die for these 2. i love their snarky relationship where they still have what seems 2 b mutual affection 4 each other. i could go on for days abt their relationship, i love them so much. 

Head Canon

bel sleeps with their room doors locked. they forget to shower bc they keep pushing it forward and have to be reminded to take one. they have a shitty memory in general though but tend to mislead and say they just didn’t bother to remember bc they’re a prince. also, i think they self harm. i’ve always thought so but bc of that 365 info it kind of just deepened…they like flowing blood but dislike scabs… so i can see them picking at their scars a lot. 

Unpopular opinion

bel is not as selfish as he is often portrayed imo. annnd bel doesn’t want anything to do with fran at all. kinda evidenced from the fact that squalo had to force them together on that one canon mission they went on together. further evidenced from that bel tried to kill fran immediately. 

A wish

GOD i want more bel and mammon interacting with each other, more like that scene they had in the varia arc b4 mammon’s fight?? i also want more development PLEASE but ..that’s an empty desire bc they’re a minor character in a small fandom. in the end i just want more content. 

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

don’t die please…

5 words to best describe them

selfcentered, provoker, Gay,,, i am bad at this,

My nickname for them

bel is already a nickname so i guess it’s just bel bc that’s what i always call them