#but miura is already gone

[hyohaehyuk]

(eng sub) Taka Shohei Yu talking about Takeru's tsundere side XD

via TakeliciousIndo (tw / fb / IG)

[papaya-twinks]

hi i saw your request open uhm can i have lando angst? tysm! 🫶🏻

soo maybe lando meet someone new while he was travelling with his friends without you, and at first he didnt even want to admit that he already falls for her bc he still wants you and maybe this is just a phase

but ofc you notice that he is acting weird lately so you confront him or you found out by yourself 😔

Warnings: Brief Smut, Angst, Cheating

Pairing: Lando Norris x fem!reader

There was no doubt in saying that you trusted Lando. With your entire heart. He was an amazing and loving boyfriend, and he loved you as well. 

Y/N’s POV

Lando had left yesterday for his Grand Prix, I couldn’t go with him unfortunately, I had to deal with the stupidity that was work. Of course, I’d watch my boyfriend on the TV, I wouldn’t miss his race for the world. Lando meant an awful lot to me after all, and oh how glad I was that he reciprocated those feelings!

Lando’s POV 

I didn’t mean to fall for her. I’m not talking about Y/N. I mean Miura. I don’t even know how I did it - she’s nothing compared to my girlfriend, but there was something about her that was almost enticing. Max had introduced her to me and she was  one of Pietra’s friends, not that I cared. And she definitely felt the same way. It was just a phase clearly. 

Y/N was the one I loved. She was the one I’d message every night and every morning, she was the one I wanted. My phone dinged, interrupting my plethora of questions and my train of thoughts, as I picked up the device. It was Max, again. He wanted to hang out before the party. Miura would be there. She shouldn’t have even been the part that broke me and made me want to go. I should have gone for my best mate, not her. 

Third Person POV

Lando ended up choosing a simple yet sophisticated outfit, a plain white shirt, three buttons undone at the top and a pair of black dress trousers, with a few chains and rings. And as soon as he got there, the first person he locked eyes with? Miura. And she looked gorgeous, a slim black dress hugging her curves. Fuck, Y/N looked better, you had the same dress, but it hugged your body and showed you off way more than it did for the girl in front of him. 

Lando’s POV 

I missed Y/N - I wish she’d have come with me. We would’ve spent the whole night together, partying, grabbing drinks, then I’d fuck her pretty little pussy, have her writhing and begging for an orgasm. She’d look so gorgeous, y’know, taking my cock. She always does. So fuck knows genuinely, fuck knows, how I ended up back in some random ass hotel, my clothes dumped somewhere and Miura pressed against me.

I felt like I wanted it. Like I wanted her. But I couldn’t get the thoughts out my head, I wished it was Y/N, I couldn’t imagine anyone except her, beneath me, taking me so well. Miura’s moans weren’t anything on the pretty sounds that came from my pretty girl. What the fuck was this? Where was my own girlfriend? This was a mistake. “Miura, I can’t,” I said, pulling out of her quickly as she frowned, her feeling fading quickly at the loss of contact.

“Lando, what d’you mean? You don’t want this?” she asked, trying to push me back into her. “No, I have a girlfriend,” I frowned, pushing her away lightly and picking up my clothes. “What?” her sugary tone immediately faded. “Fuck her, Lando,” she said, fixing her mistake, but I was no longer interested. “Rather her than you,” I said, the spite in my voice was evident. And I meant it. I thought I could just pretend it never happened, Y/N didn’t need to know.

Y/N’s POV

I was really confused when Lando came back. Usually he’d come back, exhausted, body limp from all the things he’d been up to, and he’d let me wrap my arm round him. I’d hold him and let him tell me everything, and I’d let him fuck the stress out. It was like a continuous cycle. But he didn’t do that. He didn’t even…acknowledging me.

Maybe the race had been stressful, I wouldn’t know, not being a driver and I didn’t want to make assumptions. “Lando, baby, are you alright?” I asked, walking quietly into her room. He jumped, really violently, looking up at me. “Y-yeah, I’m fine, Y/N, please leave,” he said, slamming his phone down. What the fuck? This was suspicious, now. Not even confusing anymore.

Lando’s POV

I felt horrible. She looked so hurt, and somewhat suspicious. She had every right to be. “Lando? Are you talking to someone?” she asked slowly. I was talking to Martin, yes. “Martin,” I muttered, not even looking her in the eye. “About?” she asked, no, demanded. This was one of the things I found so attractive about her. She’d have such…power, to get what she wanted. It was hot. “Stuff,” I said, wow, what an answer.

“Alright,” she rolled her eyes, turning around to leave. I couldn’t stop myself. “Y/N,” I said, making her stop, “I fucked someone,”. The silence was deafening. It was almost like I could feel her heart drop. “What?” she asked quietly, her strong faced faltering as her eyes widened in disbelief. “I…Y/N, you heard me,” I said, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Not to Y/N.

Y/N’s POV

“Lando, that’s a funny joke,” i laughed, frowning at my boyfriend. “I…I wish it was,” he muttered not meeting my eyes. “W-wow, Lando,” I said, not having any words. There was silence. “Was it good?” I asked, making him look up. “What?” he asked, frowning slightly. “Was it good? Did she…feel good?” I asked, genuinely curious. “No. No one could feel as good as you,” he said, truthfully. “Okay,” I said. “Y/N, please don’t leave, it was a mistake-,” I cut him off. “Oh, a mistake,” I said, and for a second, he believed I was forgiving him.

“Let me go fuck Max then,” I snorted, his face falling. I felt bad for him. But he cheated. He deserved it. No matter how much he apologised. I felt like I deserved better. “You deserve better,” he said, echoing my thoughts. “I know,” I said, turning away. “So much better,” he continued, “more than I can even dream to give you,”. I didn’t say anything. “Loved it til it ended, Lando. Although I’m not sure it ended for you,”.

Lando’s POV

Those words hurt. I deserve it. I don’t deserve anything. Especially not Y/N.

[bthump]

this has probably been asked here before but how likely do you think it is that the author actually truly intended for Griffith and guts relationship to be romantic? How likely do you think it is we’ll get a blatant confirmation (eg a confession of love beyond being friends or even a tragic kiss) and if it does happen do you think it’s likely we’ll get an explicit confirmation on both of their ends so we know the feeling is reciprocated (because I know guts feelings can be underestimated sometimes compared to griffiths). Likelihood as a percentage or on a scale from one to ten lol. I think it’s already pretty obvious enough for me to be satisfied whatever happens but it would be nice if there was an undeniable proof of mutual romantic love. because I think no matter what happens if it’s anything less than spelling it out word for word people would still make attempts to deny their feelings which is kind of sad to me. But I could be wrong of course and romance wasn’t intended by the author. Either way I want them to reveal their feelings for each other whether platonic or romantic.

I'm cynical, so I feel like the odds of something textually romantic happening are like, 2/10 at best. Might've gone up to 3/10 if Miura was stlil alive since it's getting more and more common to confirm gay subtext and that might've influenced him, but since it's being written now by someone determined to adhere to the plans Miura told him, whatever happens is frozen in amber circa Miura and Mori's last conversation, with no room to evolve.

That's all pretty much a moot point anyway because again, I think the odds were always gonna be pretty miniscule anyway.

That said, I think the odds that Miura intended the gay subtext are like 9.5/10 lol. I think the romantic undertones are almost certainly deliberate.

I guess I just don't think it necessarily follows that the point of the subtext was ever to eventually become text. I think it was probably there for a lot of potential other reasons: to add a sense of depth and complexity to their relationship; to add more chemistry; potentially to appeal to women; to suggest that their relationship had the potential for romance that will never be realized therefore making their relationship even more all-encompassing and adding to the tragedy; serving the theme of childhood trauma fucking up your relationships; etc.

Of course I'd be overjoyed if it was acknowledged eventually, and I think the story would ultimately be better for it, like I'm not gonna say it's ~deeper~ if it stays subtext lol. But I think that considering the main target audience for Berserk is horny straight dudes, and while it's getting more common it's still very rare to have textual gay romances between two leads, and almost unheard of in legacy media properties, I just don't think the odds are in griffguts' favour.

Oh, though I do want to add that I'd say the odds of getting an acknowledgement of intense feelings between them post-eclipse is very high. I don't think it'd likely be a romantic confession, but yeah I think it seems very likely that Griffith and Guts are going to acknowledge the intense emotional hold they still have over each other. And if that happens I'll be happy even if it's not textually romantic. I'm sure it'll at least be homoerotic enough for me lol.

Thanks for the ask!

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

TOP 10 personal Favorite Manga.

Here's just a couple of manga that I love & just think are top-notch.

NUMBER: 1 : TOKYO GHOUL

A series that means a lot to me in many ways. When I first got into Tokyo Ghoul it was by the very first season of the anime during 2014 and upon hearing the opening theme of Unravel and seeing the first episode, I was hooked and went into the manga series right after. A nuanced morally compelling storytelling with an array of so many cool and great characters and narratives, incredible art progression from Ishida Sui, and overall just a satisfyingly great conclusion to boot.

NUMBER: 2 : J NO SUBETE

On the surface, looks like a regular BL series, but underneath an emotional-roller-coaster and pretty heavy story about a transwoman named J. Set in the 40s /50s, you fellow J childhood and the awful, rough bullshit she deals with in life as well as her love & massive admiration of Marilyn Monroe. Really such a good story that deals with some real heavy shit...but still so good.

NUMBER: 3 : MONSTER

Not only one of my favorite anime adaptations but also equally as wonderfully engaging & just as well done as a manga as well. Monster is such a captivating, intense story and truly one of my favorites from Urasawa's works. Following Dr. Tenma, a talented neurosurgeon who has grips with the moral dilemma of either saving the Mayor or saving a young boy who was shot in a murder. Tenma chose to save the boy instead and while it costs him being demoted he still believes he did the right thing. Unfortunately years later discovering the boy he saves...turns out to be a killer. This series is such a banger from its storytelling to the characters and just one of the best from Urasawa's.

NUMBER: 4 : GOODNIGHT PUNPUN

At first glance of this manga, you might think of it as something of a cute slice-of-life story about a cute cartoony bird. But actually when reading it...IT'S WAY MORE DARKER and GETS A LOT MORE FUCK UP! For real Goodnight Punpun is one of those series that's start-up pretty light-hearted and a little bit goofy with Punpun being a cartoony-drawn bird amongst very average-looking humans as a young kid in the first volumes of the series. But as things move forward within the story as Punpun gets older and his family situation gets more unstable as well as his life, the tone gets more depressing as a whole. Love the dark psychological storytelling, although it definitely the type of story you can only read once in awhile or in a good headspace because it definitely can be a hard read.

NUMBER: 5 : BERSERK

Seriously, what can I say about Berserk that already hasn't been said on some level. But this manga is seriously, I feel one of the most top iconic series within manga as well as one of the most engaging, moving, fantastic, epic storyline I've read thus far. I know the series itself is still ongoing, and I've been keeping up-to-date with this story since reading the very first chapter. Hearing about Kentaro Miura death....was tough, I knew he had serious health issues, which is why volumes would tend to go on pretty long hatiuses... but man. Another influential iconic figure in manga gone, Berserk is definitely a series any manga-lover or anime fan should read once in awhile.

NUMBER: 6 : SHOUWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJUU

Not only one of the most beautifully mature, well-written, compelling storytelling I've seen thus far in an anime series. But as a manga, even more so, a well-crafted story on the life and times of a sad, burden-ridden, slightly bitter, depressed, old man known as Yakumo Yurakutei, who is a highly skilled and experienced master of Rakugo, which for those who don't know is an traditional Japanese verbal form of entertainment. Think of it as something like a form of Improv done by only one person playing different characters to tell a story, This series has many layers to its storytelling that's is done so well dealing with Yakumo and those in his life that has impacted him as to the type of pained almost broken old man he is within the present time. Just a overall good & bittersweet but fantastic story that's deserves to be check out more.

NUMBER: 7 : INNOCENT

It is one of the most beautifully drawn manga series that I have read so far while also being equally gruesome as well. Innocent is a fictionalized historical manga set during 18th century France about the story and legacy of Charles Henri Sanson (actual real historical figure), who is the fourth generation of a family of Executioners known as the Sanson family who are the royal Executioners of Paris. The story follows Charles rough journey towards his path of becoming the Monsieur De Paris. This absolutely such a fantastic piece of work, both in terms of the visually amazing stunning artwork and along with the historical storytelling of Charles coming to terms with his hated lineage and becoming Executioner of Paris but also showcasing the societal/political chaotic changes and upheaval of France slowly leading up to the French revolution. Although some historical aspects are obviously fictionalized, but still such a good series.

NUMBER: 8 : THE PROMISED NEVERLAND

While my feelings on the anime are highly mixed due to really, really, really not caring for the way they handled parts of the storytelling from season 2 of the anime series. But the manga, on the other hand, is a totally different story. Seriously, reading this series was a blast and just an enjoyable experience from beginning to end, as well as seeing Emma and Ray also Norman grow & and develop throughout each arc was great to witness including seeing the rest of the kids thrive and survive the outside world. For this manga was a great read, and definitely, I'll say at least personally to me was done far better then the second season flimsy adaptation.

NUMBER: 9 : HOMUNCULUS

Truly an mindfuck of a manga in more ways than one. But still a pretty damned good and wild story, Homunculus is a story about a homeless man named Susumu Nakoshi who ends up meeting a seemingly antagonistic young medical student named Itoh Manabu to do a little experiment on him by drilling a actual hole in his skull for a total of 700,000 ¥en. Itoh, who is very fascinated with studying the human minds and amongst other things such as ghosts and the occult, but ultimately he thinks he can unlock the hidden psychic potential of Susumu brain. Nakoshi goes through the process, and at first, nothing seems to happen after going through the the operation. Until he closes his right eye and starts seeing otherworldly nightmarish monsters and shapes with his left eye when he looks at other people. This series is truly a weird but also such a highly intriguing and fascinating psychological read while at the same time being a bit of a downer, but still an excellent but messed-up good story.

NUMBER : 10 : ATELIER OF WITCH HAT

Okay, so I just recently started reading this manga series not that long ago, about a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm so freaking hooked. Atelier of Witch hat has truly captured my heart and mind with its engaging and creatively fascinating world-building involving witches and magic to the just as highly interesting characters and storytelling. Which centers around our young protagonist Coco ( the girl on the cover) who is this super adorably passionate girl who has such a huge love for all things magical /witches and deeply wishes she could become one as well, but unfortunately normal people or "outsiders" can't become witches, you have to be born into it, but that's doesn't stop Coco from trying her hardest to still wanting to be a witch. One of the things I love most about this world and how it handles dealing with magic and witches is that magic is really normal within this world and how witches tend to uses it to help and serve regular people in need or even for lighting up a cobblestone pathway also I really like how the magic system is structured in this series, such as instead of casting spells or any from of magic with words or a phrase, magic is casted by drawing, Coco here ends up in a pickle with accidentally casting magic that ends up turning her mom into stone & thus Coco journey towards witchood begins.

Seriously, even though I've just recently gotten into this manga & and its ongoing tale it's already has captivated me on so many levels and I just can't get enough of it so far wonderful storytelling and amazingly beautiful drawn artsy apart of it which really adds a lot of this series fantastical elements. Definitely a must to check out!!

Wanted to do a list of a couple of some of my most top favorite manga series and ones were I feel other's should give them a shot at checking out if there into any of these stories. (^ _ ^)

[pinelohearts]

⭐

Any fic, ramble as you wish

(Yeah I know I already get some "director's commentary" bc besties but shhhhhh)

ohhh this so hard uhm ok imma talk about lights up because that fic hasn’t seen enough love recently

okay okay so fun fact!!! miare’s name was actually a mistake.

so a long time ago for a scrapped kingdom hearts fic, i had chosen the name “miura” which, in my research, i had found it meant three island. i really liked the symbolism at the time so i added it to my brain directory.

anyway one thing led to another and i ended up passing the name along through a couple of ocs like telephone until it finally was given to its current host.

but somehow, in the years gone by, i ended up misremembering the name so much that from miura came miare.

i later figured this out like two chapters in, but i found out its still a existing name—just with origins from completely the wrong place.

but considering that death note is filled with improbable names because they don’t want any connection to reality, i think one reasonable mistake is okay.

read lights up on stage, here!

[antonio-chandranis-dream-blog]

it's fine to keep dreaming. earth year 2005 a.d.

What I ate this morning… Right. I stole my brother Raj’s junky chocolate éclair for his own good. He tried to kill me, but Fernando held him back. After that, I went and spoke with Layla. She told me she couldn’t save me from Alejandro Caldera-Altaha. She’s so dramatic. All I wanted was a little hint for how annoying our exchange might be… Gatekeeping-ass seer.

I went to where Alejandro was—simply standing by the seashore! We are still vacationing by the City of the Starry-eyed, and much too close to the father I cannot stand. Why always this city? Not that I care for the plans of adults, even our fabled mentor’s, Kiyotaka Miura.

I didn’t wait. >:( I told Alejandro I’d throw his prize into the sea!

Do you know what he said? He smiled at me as he said it— “I fucking wondered if you would.”

I obviously—I obviously had to open my damn trap and say, “If you put it on my wrist for me, I’d have to wear it.”

“Why?” The one he names Alejandro—the one I have known for eras as Shakir—asked. “Because it’s something everyone expects.” “But would you suddenly want to?” Shakir sounded so curious—he is that kind of young man. “You just said you were going to drop it in the sea.” “Something like this… I’d hate it. You’re such an idiot. Still, if you—”

He said, “I would never do that.”

Alejandro Caldera knows, you see—we’re supposed friends, and nowhere near lovers. The world knows. Through our streams, those million eyes always… They’re always waiting for him to announce his beloved—Alia, or Khalida, or… Diego… No.

Anyway, I was an idiot and had to go and yell, “So what do you want me to do?”

He said, “I really thought you’d throw it into the sea. I feel like the girls—Alia or Konna or someone—would challenge me to a duel for daring to insinuate anything. Honestly, they’d just have killed me. Those journos really wouldn’t stop talking about them earlier during the interview… I couldn’t give it to Diego. It’d be way more awkward, considering how much they talked about meaning. I couldn’t—”

Alejandro really wouldn’t shut up. I can’t even inscribe half his ramble—I only memorized that much, and the rest was worse yak. He brought up Leo being unreachable and Fernando and how they’re not even close anymore and how he barely knows Maria—why are you even bringing her up, then!? What is wrong with you!? I had to yell at him—

“You’re seriously acting like you have no real friends! Anyone in the world would’ve accepted the bracelet from you—”

He said, “You already know they made it something so meaningful. Diego or Fernando or Leo would’ve just gone along with it, but my entire life would be upturned. Does it mean what we’ve all been waiting to know? The elemental potential of the era! Anyway, I wasn’t sure what you would do. I thought you’d throw it into the sea.”

In truth, Alejandro Caldera-Altaha doesn’t care about being a proper mage. He’s just as simplistic about our magecraft as you unfathomably old Earthians. If I look at the skies in my world, maybe I could see your star, the Sun, 100,000 lightyears away… Or maybe not.

I could care less.

I never paid enough attention to how far away it was in my classes.

I told him, “I won’t wrap the bracelet on your wrist.”

Alejandro said, “I never expected you to.”

“You want me to throw it into the sea.”

“I thought that you would.”

“You really wanted me to give it away, didn’t you? Start a drama with your whiny-ass brother.” I thought I might as well have said it.

Like an idiot, Alejandro said, “After you threw it into the sea, I thought I’d push Diego into a dramatic retrieval mission together with your brother. Since Diego is the one who still talks to Fernando. I was wondering how Fernando’s been.”

I was…

Close to—

I—

He was close to brea—

Stop.

I was…

So infuriated. Seething, even. So mad.

I just said, “You didn’t need me to start your stupid game with my brother—”

He sounded upset too, by then. Over what? He said, “You could’ve just pretended you didn’t open the damn book!”

I… Well, I finally paused.

I mean. I just told him, “You fucking know I wouldn’t let you think I couldn’t solve a puzzle that you gave me. Like duh I solved it. Hello?”

The idiot burst out laughing so soon after looking unhappy. He laughed for a while. I don’t know why he found it so funny.

“You never would be able to resist! It really is so like you, Antonio.”

>_> WTF.

Why did he find it so funny? He went back to smiling like the idiot he is.

He said something so stupid. He said, “Give me back my family’s book, too.”

I told him, “No way. That’s my real damn prize from you. My pillow now, even.”

He turned to me and said, like he might as well be talking to Alia or Konna or Diego or Fernando or Leo, “That’s such shit!” Though around them he would’ve been so much cuter—for the streams and all that, just, “I can’t believe you!”

He is a man of respect. ( <_< )

I told him, “Don’t give me things you don’t want to lose.” I am a man of respect too, of course.

He said, “I imagined you might find it interesting. I can’t parse some things I was hoping to, in the end.”

I think he needed me for it, and so the book wound up more important than the magical Alejandro-fetching bracelet in the end.

>:")

We wound up less caught up in our bullshit. He finally lightened up, and the seashore was my home again. I'm sure I won’t remember what made me mad soon enough—an Alejandro whose goals I understand is all I will ever need. I know it.

I know.

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Reply Part 2

As Part 1 was already very long, here comes part 2 with replies to @winged-wolf-dreamer questions:

Quoting only those not answered already from the question:

"[...]Yuzu and Nathan weren't competing, how did the men's field feel without the two titans? And any other thoughts on the season (and also Shoma's season in particular if you want)"

How did the season feel without Yuzu and Nathan?

Weird. 😂 I mean Yuzu has been competing for 12 years in seniors. I followed his skating closely for the past 9 years. He is the reason this blog exists so without Yuzu it was weird at first. I miss Yuzu dearly. But ofc I also miss especially seeing Yuzu and Shoma together at competitions. They have been my emotional anchor for so long. It's quite sentimental. An aera was closed. 😢

And also Nathan being the consistent Gold winner for the past 4 years definetly had a big impact on the competition.

But ofc when one door closes another opens and Shoma walked through in amazing fashion. Shoma was always a force to be reckoned with when Yuzu and Nathan were competing. He may not have been as consistent as Nathan or as superior in overall packaging like Yuzu, but he always had all the abilities to compete with them. It was only logical in theory that he would step in as the men field leader, BUT it doesn't mean it would happen because it's not an easy thing to carry those expectations alone on your back. Shoma walked this season with confidence and a sense of chaos. Like I said in my previous answer, isn't it amazing that he is finishing the season undefeated though he didn't perform his full content? His development in the past year is so crazy. Call me sentimental, but Yuzu once said at the 2018 Olympics: "If I'd say today that I retire [...] I know I could leave it to Shoma, but for now I think I should stay and take care of him a bit longer[...]" and so it seems Yuzu did take care until Shoma could handle it on his own. (it's not a direct quote I'd have to search for the direct quote but this was the gist of what Yuzu said) When Yuzu retired Shoma was ready to take over the spot of main character where Yuzu left a space. Of course you cannot simply take someone's place, everyone has their own right and own impact and stories to be told and Shoma already had impact in skating when Yuzu and Nathan were still competing, BUT at this point there is no doubt about who is the leader in the men field. His name is Shoma Uno!

In general I think ofc the level suffered with Yuzu and Nathan gone and also with Yuma not being able to compete. The other male skaters are good, but where there used to be 3-4 skaters at the top, there is only one now - Shoma. (I hope Yuma can return at full potential next season!) Ilia - though highly anticipated and hyped up - could not fill the gap that was left. Also Team Japan men field is very deep and each of them is really good, but no one is at Shoma's or even Ilia's technical level. Technically Ilia could have surpassed Shoma but not with the lack of artistry and packaging and with being so young and inexperienced. (the kiddo had a lot of pressure and also experienced quite some unwarranted hate) Also Yuzu and Nathan gone did give way for some new breakout stars in the season. We had some medal surprises in a lot of competitions. Men was never predictable besides medals for Nathan and Yuzu but now the medals especially when Shoma was not competing were very open. It was not a few competing for 1st but sometimes 6-8 potential medal winners. I like that. 😁

Any other thoughts on the season and Shoma's season in particular?

I think for a season after the Olympics where many skaters retired or chose not to compete it was a great season. Some new breakout stars like Kao Miura, Ilia Malinin, Isabeau Levito, but also skaters coming out of the shadow like Sota Yamamoto or Shun Sato did make this an interesting season. It was never boring, it was hardly predictable and most importantly it was a full season without major competitions being canceled or postponed. Covid is overall not an issue anymore which is just a thing itself to celebrate.

About Shoma's season - I can only repeat myself that Shoma had an amazing season result wise - undefeated champion. He carried the men field on his back and many skaters named Shoma as the skater they were looking up to. He really is the main star of the current competition.

Up until JNats everything was going smoothly. Shoma paced himself well to finish the GPF strong and confident, also Japanese Nationals worked well considering the GPF was close. Worlds was not as confident as the GPF due to his injury. The outcome however was a Gold medal as expected. The finish of the season was ofc not the best way - ending the season with a withdrawal is never how you want to end a season and it's also his first withdrawal ever bc of injury in over 50 competitions. The ending however doesn’t take away from the great performances he showed throughout and most impressively that he never backed down, never eased his content when he could have won with less BV, never any minute did not give his all.

I personally was the most happy at the GPF. It was just amazing to see his practices and competition and the way to support was in person and that always feels special. Worlds was worrying especially because of his interview, but considering his condition you could really not have expected it to end any better.

I think Shoma at this point of his career knows exactly what he is capable of and knows exactly what he wants to do and how to train. I also think you can see this in the way that he doesn't need a coach to permanently support him at daily practice. He mostly needs it right at the competition as moral support. Also shoutout to Demi-san who I personally think is more important than even Stephane for Shoma's wellbeing. I think without Demi-san Shoma may have not been able to compete at Worlds.

Japan is lucky to have such a strong field and I think that also motivates Shoma. I also think having Ilia in the competition who is able to do just as many quads is a good motivation for Shoma too. And Shoma is a great motivation for Ilia as well as Ilia said he saw that only quads won't do it and he has to work on his artistry as well. If Shoma brings more attention to artistry then the men field can only benefit. Same for the ladies where you had great performances and you can see that you don't need those quads in ladies to have a good competition.

Thanks to all the skaters for an enjoyable season! 😊

Thank you @winged-wolf-dreamer for your constant asks in my inbox!

And thank you dear followers for reading my posts! Thank you for your support! ❤️

[whiskeysmulti]

She Said No (A KHR fanfic.)

Inspired by this post from @writing-prompt-s

Word Count: 706 words. Characters: Sawada Tsunayoshi, Reborn (Miura Haru, Sasagawa Kyoko mentioned)

Tsuna paled as he looked at the paper in front of him. An application to become a hero? "Reborn! What's this?!" He panicked and called for his home tutor. It had to be his doing. Tsuna didn't know of anyone else who would bring him such a pointless application when he already had other things to worry about like graduation to begin with.

"Ciaossu!" There was that voice again. Tsuna's hair stood on end, any time he heard that familiar greeting, he was in danger, he knew it. Reborn wouldn't just drop in for a carefree visit. This wasn't going to end well, nothing from this spartan trainer ever ended well.

Tsuna didn't understand why Reborn would appear once again though, they'd gone their separate ways and Tsuna had made it very clear he had no intention of becoming the tenth Vongola boss. Why would Reborn come back? There was that matter of turning Tsuna into the Neo Primo and making him rebuild the family though wasn't there? He'd ignore that and hope it wasn't the case.

"So Tsuna, there's a little issue. You've been called a hero, but that's not exactly the case." Reborn started. Just for Tsuna to raise an eyebrow.

"I told you already Reborn, I don't want to be in the Mafia and I could care less about being a hero without my friends!" What else was there that he'd wanted to do that he hadn't already achieved. There was that matter of asking out….wait. That couldn't be why he was here was it? Reborn's advice in Mafia training was mostly efficient even if rather spartan, however what kind of love advice could an arcobaleno give?

There was that thing he'd said to Tsuna when he thought things were safe once again. Tsuna recalled it clearly, "So you've finally noticed Haru, huh?" No, he actually hadn't, in fact if Tsuna had noticed anything about Haru it was the way his right hand man was getting closer and closer to her every day and she looked happier and happier with him.

There was no way Reborn was here regarding Tsuna's love life. He brushed that thought out of sight and mind both. It had to be the application, there was no other reason. "Reborn-san…" Tsuna greeted the toughest tutor in the world.

"Well hopefully you've noticed someone Tsuna, 'cause you can't officially be a hero or Mafia boss without getting the girl and I already put in the application for you."

Tsuna twitched. "Reborn-san…" Tsuna's blood pressure always seemed to rise when Reborn came around. His characteristic greeting was becoming a warning signal for Tsuna's fight or flight response. "I'll still be no good Tsuna anyway so why bother?"

Reborn returned Tsuna's glum attitude with his characteristic kick to the face. "That way of talking is exactly why you were always dame-Tsuna."

"Reborn-san! I'm not a hero and I never will be, Haru said no anyway." Tsuna argued, just for Reborn to do what he always had.

He loaded his gun. There had to be something Tsuna regretted still. And if Reborn recalled anything about his student, it was that Tsuna hadn't officially asked Kyoko out in a serious manner. Haru might have rejected him but she wasn't who Tsuna had actually loved anyway. He had to once again draw out that spark in the kid, cause if he couldn't become a hero and had rejected being a Mafia boss, then Reborn had failed too. "Then die!"

He'd used these bullets time and again before, and if there was nothing Tsuna regretted then it was just a fact, he'd die right there. Reborn knew better, Tsuna had and always would regret not getting Kyoko, it was his dream after all to marry her one day.

And once again Dame Tsuna revived because he would have died with regrets. "Reborn!" He burst out into dying will flame and once again proclaimed to confess to Kyoko with his dying will.

"Haru might have said no, but it was Kyoko you always loved anyway, wasn't it?! So go get her, No Good Tsuna!" If Reborn couldn't make Tsuna into a Mafia Boss or a hero, he could at least spare the kid the embarrassment of dying single and alone.

[ultimate-investagter-graduate]

*Ren gets a text message from Monokuma.*

Monokuma's text: "Hey babe. Merry Christmas. If you're not too busy, wanna come over and spend Christmas with us?" @human-monokuma

Rin texted back: "Sure. Who else is going to be there?"

"I'm assuming Monoowl will be with Crow. I hope dad is doing alright, now Suzuki is gone."

"You're not going to see Monokuma yet?"

"He probably already knows I'm still alive. Miura, you, and the others do already so It's a safe assumption that he already knows."

"Even his kids and ex?"

"Not sure about them. They don't know I exist if I think about it."

"Just means you can hitch it off with your possible cousins." Rin giggled.

"What!?"

Looks like the overseer gotten flustered.

[alovelyburn]

I try to understand the reasoning with cycles and generations but I actually fail to get why would that be in any way meaningful? Griffith already got his cycle in a way didn’t he? would him having a child have any narrative purpose? And the fact that it would come from relationship this miserable is just awful. I cannot see how it would affect this story in any positive way

I mean, to be clear here, it's not like I'm championing the cause of Griffith and Charlotte having children. Whether or not it happens has absolutely no impact on my interest in or enjoyment of the story. So, I'm happy to answer, but at the same time, I promise I don't care.

SO OKAY THEN.

Berserk has often and always had a fair amount of emphasis on child characters - from Rickert all the way through to Isma, there's just always been a bunch of them around. But more than that even, it has an emphasis on child-parent relationships, the perpetuation and breaking of cycles, and the question of the I guess next generation (often but not always through Some Kid).

Also, many major turns for the characters or the plot are pushed by child characters and things that befall them, from the deaths of Griffith and Guts' respective (individual) golden ages due to the deaths of children to the Moonkid becoming the route to Griffith's return and Schierke becoming the anchor for Guts' continued stability. Griffith's own self-image is and has always been a child, as well.

I'm trying not to go on and on and on about this, but basically what I'm saying is, in a story that is as concerned with generations, childhood trauma, cycles and breaking or repeating those cycles, it does not strike me as unrealistic that Miura might have considered Griffith leaving a kid behind when he presumably shuffles off this mortal coil would be an appropriate coda to his story.

And even beyond the specific way Berserk in particular uses child characters, children within the context of a narrative (or the end of one) are often used as a pseudo-redemptive mechanism for a character who could be perceived as having gone the "wrong way." The character is... bad, or gone, or dead or whatever, but the child remains. Now whether you think Griffith in fact went the wrong way is another issue, but if we're saying he did then it would not be unusual for a story to do that.

And to be clear, I'm not saying they would literally have Charlotte sit there thinking, yes Griffith was a bad man but HawkBaby will redeem him! It's just kind of the implicit purpose of the trope.

And I don't think Moonkid counts as his cycle because Moonkid isn't generally presented as his son; he's more presented as Casca's son (not even Guts' really, tbh) and Griffith's… host body, like yeah it is in some ways the child of the three of them, but he isn't really presented that way within the context of the story. Also he might not survive the ending anyway.

Ultimately though, the question of whether a kid would have a narrative purpose depends on what they did with it, doesn't it? Something that doesn't exist has the potential for any purpose they're written into.

It also depends on when such a hypothetical person were brought into the story; personally, I usually assume that if it DID happen, it would be coda-level stuff: the kind of thing you find out in the epilogue/final wrapup chapter or something. I tend to doubt that that there would literally be another child walking around the story doing things. There could be, I guess, but it doesn't seem like the timing would work very well, again without another timeskip. Anyway, if it just showed up in the last chapter, then it maintains the aforementioned thematic purposes, but wouldn't need a narrative purpose because its purpose would be be pseudo-redemptive, and to make readers go "aww" at the end of the series or I guess to be happy for Charlotte if they like Charlotte.

Which brings me to my last thought, which is also the only one I can say is a true statement of opinion and not idle speculation:

I don't really think Griffith's relationship with Charlotte could be fairly described as miserable. Charlotte is actively happy, and Griffith is…. fine? Neither of them are really stewing in pain and misery and it's not the first lopsided or semi-political match ever, especially among royalty.

…or, well, Griffith may be miserable but if so it seemingly has more to do with his unresolved emotional issues than Charlotte.

ETA: Oh yeah one more thing. If Griffith dies, leaving an heir would allow his accomplishments to stand without Griffith himself having to hang around in the world ruling like a God-King. He comes to kick start a new era, he brings humanity into one nation, but he does so through means that leave his hands dirty, so to speak. But his kid would have the ability to guide that world without carrying the baggage of Griffith's guilt and the associated actions.

[queenharumiura]

Just silly lil snippet ideas that I wrote out because I felt like it. The social butterfly is a serial 'sorry, wrong chat' offender.

-

[Haru] I found him! Isn’t he the cutest?

[Haru Miura Uploaded an Image File: A stray cat sleeping on a wall ledge]

[Kyoko] Is that the one you were talking about last week?

[Haru] It is! Look at how peaceful he is as he sleeps. The moustache is so cute.

[Haru] Hah? What do you mean he forced you to give him my number? I’m not going anywhere with him. He’s not my type.  

[Kyoko] Haru-chan? Wrong chat?

[Haru Miura Has Deleted a Message]

[Haru] Sorry, wrong chat. Bye!

[Kyoko] Are you okay?

[Gokudera] Oi @Haru get back here. Explain.

[Ryohei] Is someone bothering you? Tell me who, when, and where.

[Haru] Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. I’ll have it under control.

[Lambo] Ehhh is this the guy from last week?

[Yamamoto] There is a guy from last week? What’s going on?

[Haru] Lambo-chan, you promised not to speak of that, remember? For grape candy?

[Haru] Guys, it’s under control, stop worrying about it.

[Lambo] Oh, right! Eto…Lambo-san lied, there wasn’t a guy who kept following Haru last week. He didn’t grab her either. I did good, right Haru?

[Haru] Lambo-chan… no… (facepalm emoji)

[Ryohei] YOU GAVE HIM AN EXTREME RIGHT PUNCH AT LEAST, RIGHT? LIKE I TAUGHT YOU?

[Tsuna] Haru? Why didn’t you say something if someone is bothering you?

[Haru] Haru Miura is no longer accepting commentary on this topic. Bye!

[Gokudera] Oh no you don’t, get back here! Explain, aho-onna! @Haru

[Haru] No <3

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

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

[Haru] So, you didn’t give him my number?

[Sora] What kind of friend would I be if I gave that creep your number?

[Haru] Whose number did you give then?

[Mizuki] You remember that Sora-chan’s brother is a cop, right?

[Haru] You didn’t… you devious girls, you.

[Sora] I give his number out to creeps all the time. He’s gotten used to being the scapegoat. That’s what big brothers are for, to get annoyed in my place by creeps.

[Haru] That’s an interesting idea… I wonder if I could do something similar.

[Mizuki] You have some guy friends, don’t you? Surely one of them would help you.

[Haru] See, I’m worried the creep will die if some of them get involved.

[Mizuki] Huh?

[Sora] Huh?

[Rumi] I just got back from a shower, what did I miss?

[Mizuki] What kinds of friends do you have? Are they dangerous?

[Haru] Not to me. ^^

[Sora] Good enough for me.

[Rumi] One less Chikan is a cleaner Earth

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

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

[Haru] Which one of you guys would be okay with Haru giving out your number to a persistent Chikan if she doesn’t feel like being violent that day?

[Ryohei] Is this about the guy from before? Send him over to me.

[Ryohei] We’ll have a nice talk.

[Haru] Oh, he’s already talking to the police, don’t worry about him. This is for future reference.

[Kyoko] Waaaah, good job, Haru-chan!

[Bianchi] Good work

[Haru] Thank you!

[Tsuna] Haru!? What did you do in the 15 minutes you were gone?

[Yamamoto] You can put my name down for that.

[Bianchi] Give them my name too, I can convince them to stop their behavior, forever.

[Haru] Thank you both!

[Tsuna] Am I the only one shocked by this?

[Tsuna] Haru, don't give Bianchi's number to anyone!

[Haru] @Gokudera, before you speak, not you. I think you’ll end up in jail from going too far.

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

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

(text) = something Haru wrote in English bc we do know she has a habit of throwing in random English words.

[Haru] You girls said you wanted a picture of my (date), right?

[Haru Miura Has Deleted a Message]

[Haru] Wrong chat, sorry.

[Kyoko] I'll private message you, show me!

[Haru] Okay!

[Ryohei] You went on a date? When? With who? Is he decent? Let me meet him. I'll look out for you.

[Haru] They're very cute and sweet, actually! I like them!

[Ryohei] Okay, but I still want to meet him.

[Tsuna] Can we meet the guy?

[Haru] I'll show you a picture, hold on.

[Haru Miura Uploaded an Image File: A selfie of her holding a 'date' fruit]

[Haru] In English, they're called (Dates)! It's a pun!

[Gokudera] You idiot.

[Haru] Hahi! Haru is not an idiot!

[Gokduera] Stop messing around.

[Haru] Haru's only crime is being in the wrong chat!

[Bianchi] It was a cute pun, Haru

[Reborn] A worldly pun.

[Haru] Thank you, Onee-san! Thank you, Reborn-chan!

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

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

[Haru] Stop asking me about him, I already told you he's taken.

[Kyoko] ??

[Haru] He's dating someone named 'Vongole'

[Haru] ? Oh wait, wrong chat.

[Haru Miura Has Deleted a Message]

[Haru Miura Has Deleted a Message]

[Haru] Ignore that.

[Bianchi] This could've been about only one person.

[Haru] Onee-san, sshhhhhhhh!

[Bianchi] I'd like to hear more about this, actually.

[Haru] Then in the private chats, please! >////<

[bthump]

You already talked a lot about it but, I don't know why Miura felt the need to keep Casca alive to make guts keep going on revenge because if not, he would abandon it, when she is the bigger obstacle for Guts to pursue his revenge. His own vollition was enought to continue chasing griffith, he abandonned Casca for 2 years before reminding she exists and when he gets to her again, her main reason to exists is to make Guts put aside his dream, and it's frustrating him more than anything else.

Interviewer: You put so much emotion into those characters, and when the Eclipse happens, they're all gone. That must have left some scars on you as the artist.

Miura: I was emotionally invested in each character, so I felt more depressed than scarred. And the story went way down in popularity with the readers around the time of the Eclipse [laugh]. Many readers were furious that I'd do such a thing to the characters they liked. My editor at the time was concerned but also of the opinion that we'd just have to follow it through to the end. The point I had to pay attention to was making sure the flow of the story wasn't completely severed with the Eclipse. That's why I spared Casca. If she had died and the serialization had continued for a long time, I feared the reason for revenge would become something of the past; and if Guts were to establish new relationships, then his incentive would waver. It may seem calculating and unpleasant, but it's because Casca's by his side that he can never forget the Eclipse.

2017 guidebook interview

Yeah lol I get what you mean, it never really rang true to me that Miura needed to keep Casca alive to remind Guts about the Eclipse. Especially when chapter 2 made it so clear that fighting ghosts every night that taunt him about being given to them fucks him up more than enough. And yeah, him traveling with her coincides with dropping the revenge campaign.

But to be fair Miura describes it here as more like a long-term thing - if Guts made new friends etc he'd eventually get over it, and I kind of get that in the sense of like, narrative arcs? Maybe I'm editorializing, but one way of reading this is that he wanted to keep Casca around so he has a catalyst to make Guts backslide eventually, after giving him an arc that isn't focused on revenge, with some character growth.

Because his incentive does seem to waver a bit during the Millenium Falcon and Fantasia arcs. Of course it doesn't seem like Casca's the actual inciting incident for Guts getting pissed off again now, even with her kidnapping lol, but he might've made her more prominent if he'd been the one writing it. It could also be something Casca related in the future that drags him down, something that hasn't happened yet.

Or he could've just been describing his initial motivation for keeping her alive, and referring to stuff like the Beast of Darkness' comments ("She's a sacrifice so you can continue longing for Griffith,") without ever making it explicit in the text that Casca's a reminder of the Eclipse for Guts.

Like, whlie I don't think Guts needed Casca around to remind him of the Eclipse necessarily, I do think it's a subtextual aspect of Guts' relationship to Casca during the last two arcs, which complicates the saviour/rescuee dynamic somewhat interestingly. It's cool if she's not really his inspiration to be a better person, but someone who prevents him from realizing his full potential to move on.

Thanks for the ask!

[knifedog]

It's hard to put into words how incredibly talented and hard-working Kentaro Miura was

Every spread is so lovingly detailed you just get swallowed up by how overwhelming the work is. which is just incredible when it's Guts swinging through enemies that you can feel him ripping through someone. (Even the 'boring' environments are so full you really feel like you're there)

It just feels like such a privilege to read and have such a incredible story. I can't believe he's been gone 3 years already.

[tariah23]

Oh… So Berserk is going to still continue after Miura’s death anyway?

[animenostalgia]

Berserk mangaka Kentaro Miura passes away at 54

News - It’s with a heavy heart that I must pass along the news that Kentaro Miura, creator of the Berserk manga, has died. In a press release from his publisher, it was revealed that Miura passed suddenly on May 6, 2021 from an acute aortic dissection. His family held a private service for him earlier this month before releasing the news to the public.

Kentaro Miura was an incredible talent: at the age of 18, Miura was hired to be a manga assistant for George Morikawa, the mangaka of legendary boxing manga Hajime no Ippo, but was quickly let go when Morikawa saw his work and recognized his artistic skill. He reportedly told him there was nothing he could teach him that he didn’t already know. 

In 1988, he was already working with renowned Fist of the North Star writer Buronson on a manga called King of Wolves. It was during this time, he started to come up with the prototype that would later turn into Berserk.

At age 23, Miura’s Berserk began serialization in 1989. The series had been ongoing ever since, and spawned various anime adaptations, video games, and even a novel. Because of it’s long-time legacy and popularity, Berserk reached a sprawling, varied audience over the years, and it’s influence became vast and far-reaching: from the similarly moody & huge sword-wielding characters like Cloud Strife in Final Fantasy 7 and Sanosuke Sagara in Rurouni Kenshin, to the familiar armor & weapon styles of the Dark Souls and Monster Hunter games. The impact Berserk had on the fantasy genre and fiction in general, even outside of anime & manga, is unmistakable and undeniable.

Miura and his work left a huge mark on the world, thus leaving an even larger shaped hole in the creative world now that he’s passed. Berserk wasn’t just an ultraviolent fantasy series: it was also a story of trauma, redemption, and hope. While it’s unclear if anything will happen with Berserk now that he’s gone, he did state in an interview in 2000 that he "couldn’t have such a long, grim story end with a grim ending.” Recent chapters seemed to hint at that, as well. 

As tired as the old saying might be, though? It’s not the destination that’s important, it’s the journey. The characters of Kentaro Miura have touched many readers all over the world, and will continue to live on in our hearts for many years.

RIP, Kentaro Miura. Thank you for everything. 

[my-fancy-hat]

With teary eyes... I have “finished” Berserk. A long journey has ended in the most bittersweet yet tender point of its universe.

The story of a man betrayed and ignored by god and destiny, by his mere anger and hatred as his driving force defies the rules of the universe, at the end getting what was taken from him from his very birth: a place to belong, people who love and respect him for who he is, a family, the best version of himself; this is his revenge, to love, to be loved and continue on living. If the saddest man in the world could do it, I think we can all do too, to continue moving forward in our great personal struggles. Berserk is a story of healing, of ends and beginnings, of destruction and reconstruction, and above all, love and belonging.

My experience with this manga has been short compared to fans who have been following Miura since the very beginning, and for the same reason, I was already mentalized myself that this story would be left “open-ended". Since things are like this, I’ll leave this series with the certainty that kindness, a less-cruel version of this world now exists for all these characters whom I grew up loving little by little each chapter, so eventually things like Guts and Casca’s proper reunion will come in time. In a way, (almost) everyone got what they wanted in the end, Griffith got his kingdom, and as for the gang, they will live in Elfhelm as a family in their well deserved retirement from all the pain they gone through to get to this point.

I’ll be forever grateful to have read this piece of art who unintentionally gave me understanding and resolution, evoking strength and hope in this lector’s heart.

Berserk sure it belongs to the realm of legends.

Rest in peace, master Miura. Thank you.