#i love that about kato's story

[metalandmagi]

In honor of Women's History month, I just want to remind people that some of the most influential and popular manga in the anime community are written/illustrated by women. And I'm not just talking about groundbreaking shojo like Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket, Card Captor Sakura, or Black Butler (or things like Chihayafuru, Migi to Dali, Sakamoto Desu ga?, Nana, Natsume Yuujincho, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Violet Evergarden, A Silent Voice, and a million more). To be clear, those series are also amazing, and I'm not demeaning them in any way. They deserve just as much respect as everything else.

But right now I'm talking about shōnen series or series that are usually marketed towards men specifically or have appeared in shōnen magazines. I mean things like:

Beastars, made by Paru Itagaki

Gangsta, by Kohske

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic by Shinobu Ohtaka (which I promise isn't what my screen name is a reference to, even though I love this show).

D.Gray Man by Katsura Hoshino

Dorohedoro by Q Hayashida

To Your Eternity by Yoshitoki Ōima

Mushishi, made by Yuki Urushibara (aka Soyogo Shima).

Noragami which is written by two women, collectively named Adachitoka, similarly to romance author duo Christina Lauren.

Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato

Inuyasha (and Ranma 1/2 and Urasai Yatsura) by Rumiko Takahashi, which I know for a fact served as a gateway anime for a shit ton of people across generations (but especially for people my age).

I have to shout out Posuka Demizu, who illustrated The Promised Neverland, which is my favorite manga series. She may have given the characters weird looking facial proportions, but damn if she ain't one of the most detail oriented (and sneakiest) artists out there.

And finally, a little story you may know called Fullmetal Alchemist, written by Hiromu Arakawa (who also wrote Silver Spoon, The Heroic Legend of Arslan and lots of other stuff but I wanted to highlight those two specifically).

There's also been speculation that a small hidden gem called...what was it again?...Oh yeah, DEMON SLAYER is written by a woman. But Koyoharu Gotouge's gender hasn't been confirmed so it's still just a theory.

idk, I just love women.

[midnight-in-town]

Ao no Exorcist is a Shonen series written by a woman and it shows

Since the latest chapter, I've been thinking about how several usual Shonen tropes are written rather differently under Kato-sensei's pen. No judgement or anything, it's just cool to observe. Some examples :

1) Rin's mentor is a woman

2) Rin's secret, despite being the MC, was revealed in ch13 to the entire cast, meanwhile Shiemi, The Main Girl, who was introduced to be so helpless is only starting to be explained.

3) Also, the Mysterious plot-relevant Shonen Parent is actually the twins' mother. (Of course Shiro is super plot-relevant too, but Satan is still angsting over Yuri and she's a huge part of the reason why he's the big bad)

4) Rin also changed his view about his future throughout the story: from dropping out of school, passing by hoping to become the Order's Paladin (probably to cope with Shiro's death and also to antagonize Arthur), to finally showing way more interest and potential in the (less epic and heroic in appearance) field of talismanic cooking.

5) When it comes to arcs, mental illness is a valid reason to build a character arc around...

6) And so is making an arc about girls being "cursed" to basically "get married and have children before they hit 30, the age where their beauty fade thus they become useless" :

7) ANE is a story about women becoming traitors to protect their loved ones, like Mamushi

or becoming overwhelmed because men toyed with their feelings like Tamamo

8) Older women can be absolute badasses like Shiemi's grandma

or Lucy.

9) Complicated mother-daughter relationship and girl friendships are given as much focus as complicated father-son relationships and sweet bro friendships (like Bon and his dad during the Kyoto arc, as well as the complicated but deep bond between the Kyoto Trio)

10) And one of my favorites: full time single dad, asking for help to do the job as well as he can and finding his true purpose in life by doing so :D

Hmm and now that I think about it, the only other Shonen series written by a woman I've been as invested in is Kuroshitsuji, by Yana Toboso, and similar examples can be found in it too, namely:

1) If Ciel ever finally admits needing a mentor, his aunt Frances will probably play that role

2) Girls can be super strong & skilled (Elizabeth, Mey Rin) and clever (Sieglinde)

3) (one part of) the Big Bad is a woman (Queen Victoria)

4) maybe Ciel's entire revenge stems from a conflict between Queen Victoria and Ciel's maternal grandmother, Claudia.

5) the Undertaker has been a continuously freaking pain in the ass because he probably fell in love with that same maternal grandmother and couldn't mourn properly

TL;DR we love our boys and their spectacular growth and development under women's pens a.k.a shonen series written by ladies are hella fun to read. :D

[oldtvandcomics]

Hi, random stranger here, but may I add to this?

So all of the above is very much right, and I am not even going to touch on any of it. However, there is another thing, that you’ll only notice if you look at the 2011 movie in context of everything that came before. Not sure if that was ever going to be part of this discussion, but. If you do, then things are even worse.

In short: Casey wasn’t really a love interest in the older versions. She is an ally (after a while), yes, but mostly she is just a secretary who keeps running at the newspaper when Britt vanishes to fight crime. She is fun, and sassy, and I love her very much. I also really hate how the 2011 movie degraded her to “young hot woman the heroes thirst over”. Like, you could do that, but...

Originally, neither Britt nor Kato have love interests. They mostly just care about their vigilante activities. They also live together, and are very good friends.

Now here it gets a bit hairy, because it is very much up to personal interpretation. It is not said or alluded to anywhere that these two characters are queer, and I don’t know of any accusations made by the public at the time, either (as opposed to, for example, Batman). Honestly, it feels mostly to me as if the thought’d just never occurred to the creators working on The Green Hornet at the time. There is, however, also no real evidence saying that they are not queer. I honestly don’t think that anything about their relationship would be significantly different if they were.

Again, it’s up to interpretation. Personally, I find that it would be easier to write Britt and Kato as a couple, than Casey and either of them.

The two things missing from the 2011 move are: Any queer subtext, and Britt’s and Kato’s friendship in general. I suspect that this is not entirely by accident.

Was Kato in earlier versions the victim of racism, mostly coming from the writers? Absolutely, this is a character who is originally from the 1930′s. Mostly, this materialized in him being sidelined from the story, which then focusses mostly on Britt and a little on the other reporters who are chasing the Hornet. It is very frustrating, as any fan of the old things will tell you, as Kato is clearly the more interesting character.

I feel like someone during the early process of making the movie was like “racism, yes, got it”, and then everyone else went nodding along. Then they included said racism, explicitly, on screen, through the way Britt is treating Kato. He ignores him. He exploits his talents. He calls him slurs. He tries to sabotage his relationship with Casey. Some of said slurs are, if I remember correctly, homophobic? Not sure, it was over two years ago, and I’m not touching that movie again to check. Anyway, the whole does have some strong sexist and homophobic vibes to it, so it is definitely there somewhere in the fabric of the movie.

Britt never apologizes, and Kato never gets the recognition he deserves, not as a hero and certainly not as a partner.

In short: At the best, they ruined a perfectly nice friendship between two men. At the worst... They took a character who could potentially be read a queer, straightwashed him, made his former partner be outright abusive towards him, and then he couldn’t even get the girl and was blamed for it.

You said to ask how you felt about Kato in Green Hornet so I'm doing just that

Keep in mind I haven't seen this movie in like ten years so the mental essaypost I made has faded and become inaccurate with time

Green Hornet (2011) was a fun movie overall, a surprisingly not-bad January release. Pretty funny, quick action, looked cool.

Again, I am ten years removed from the essays I loved to read examining and analyzing racial depictions in Hollywood, but I'd say the desexualization of Asian men is fairly well known? You'd see an Asian man in a leading role and a hot girl in the hot girl role (you know how it is, plz excuse the implied misogyny) and somehow they would never end up together for some strange reason. I know there's a long list of Romoe-Must-Die type movies out there (because I read it that list 10+ years ago):

I've seen plenty of action movies and seeing some tragic shit has never stopped the impenetrable force of stupid action movie romantic hook-ups, ever.

Anyway, Green Hornet spent most of its time looking like it would transcend the stereotype of weirdly cockblocking their rare Asian male lead - it's made abundantly clear that Kato (Jay Chou) is 100000% cooler, smarter, sexier than the Hornet (Seth Rogan). (Side note, I think this was the first movie I ever saw of Seth Rogan and how come no one's ever commented on the fact that he sounds like Grover Monster from Sesame Street? I thought he was doing a bit for the first third of the movie). Kato is slick, manipulative in a badass way. After he and Hornet meet Cameron Diaz' character, not only is their romantic tension between them, it's obvious they hook up. Kato was not going to this woman's house at night for actual "piano lessons," come on.

So hey, representation, we finally got a Hollywood movie where the Asian guy wins right? Wrong. Kato and Hornet get in some stupid boy-fight near the end of the movie and Kato, clearly in the heat of the moment, vulgarly says he fucked Cameron Diaz' character, knowing Hornet will seethe will jealousy over it. And seethe he does! Mr. tattletale runs crying to her and repeats all the stuff his friend said, Diaz gets mad and insists they never did anything together, he's lying (she's lying), and...their relationship is over I guess. She kind of forgives him, but it's over.

You could read that as empowering since hey, how many times have we seen a male lead insult and degrade the trophy romantic girl for minor plot conflict, only for her to quickly forgive him before the story wraps up? For once we have a woman stand up for herself and cut that toxicity out of her life. She's not dating either of them by the movie's end - uncommon for an action movie!

I just couldn't help but note that the rare moment of no one winning the girl coincides with the rare moment an Asian dude had a genuine chance of doing so.

I could never find it now but I saw The Green Hornet right after I saw another movie that I don't remember the title of but I'll call "Russian movie about a magical car that is somehow a ripoff of Spider-man (2002) you'll have to trust me on this." At one point in that movie not!peterparker publicly slutshames not!maryjane for like...no reason. he was mad about his magic car and takes his fury out by degrading his girl to her face, in front of their peers, in class while she gawks at him. Nothing she did prompted this, he just uses her as a punching bag. And at the end? She forgives him. They get back together. The end.

It's not hollywood, but made me think about how common less extreme versions of that are and highlighted the disparities. Kato's outburst is, again, vulgar, but it felt like a heat of the moment thing, a private tantrum that his character would regret after calming down regardless, a personal moment that should have stayed between friends. IMO it came across like oh, asian lead? I'm a feminist now. We gotta give women agency, we have to let women know men aren't ENTITLED to their bodies, and we have to send that message right now, before there's a chance of this guy emasculating a white man.

but hey maybe it was a coincidence

[evenstar]

TOKYO BABYLON FST: BOX

what's poppin TyoBabi fandom, I got a present for you

.zip File Download: DISCS 1 & 2 (109MB)

This FST is basically an in-depth run down of the collection of songs that were sung/mentioned/in the "VOL. 7/BOX" chapter of Tokyo Babylon 5, with some info about the artists and songs themselves. This, as far as I know, is the most thorough run-through of the music of "BOX" on the English web! I've divided it into two "discs", the first being the songs mentioned themselves, and the second being a few fun related extras. You can check out the second disc over on Radio Free T.Y.O, if you're interested ♥

Ginza no Koi no Monogatari

銀座の恋の物語 - "Ginza Love Story" 石原裕次郎・牧村旬子 - Ishihara Yuujirou and Makimura Junko mp3 download || youtube

The song that Seishirou and Hokuto are pouring their very souls into to perform in the beginning of the chapter. Released in 1961, this a smoky, jazzy duet typical of its time, telling the story of two star-crossed lovers, one in Tokyo and one in Ginza. It was an immediate hit, even having a movie based upon it made, starring Ishihara-san in the lead role. It's a staple duet in karaoke even to this day.

Nakanaide

泣かないで - "Don't Cry" ��ひろし - Tachi Hiroshi mp3 download || youtube

The song that the random selector spits up for Subaru to sing, which Sei-chan subsequently picks up after sending him off to buy cigarettes/exorcise the OL. This was released in 1984, by Tachi Hiroshi, a singer and actor who became quite the sensation when he had a starring role in 西部警察 (Seibu Keisatsu; "Western Police") -- incidentally, directed by the abovementioned Ishihara-san, as you'd have it. "Nakanaide" was a hit, coming in 59th on the ORICON's 1984 top singles list. It's from his seventh album In the Mood.

Nanpasen

難破船 - "Shipwreck" 中森明菜 - Nakamori Akina m4a download || youtube

The song that the OL ghost sings. A dark and heartfelt song about a dying love, it was a massive hit when it was released in 1987, shooting straight to the top of the ORICON charts (as Nakamori-san's 17th number one hit), and has been a karaoke regular since then, just as the OL says in the chapter. Originally written and performed by the very respected Kato Tokiko for her 最後のダンスパーティ (Saigo no Dance Party; "Last Dance Party") album of 1984; she personally requested that Nakamori-san perform the song. It's been covered countless times, including by the original singer/songwriter and the cover artist themselves.

Daite...

抱いて… - "Hold Me..." 松田聖子 - Matsuda Seiko mp3 download || youtube

Not actually sung, but the OL ghost suggests she'd like to sing it next. A dramatic and emotional slice of idol pop from the Eternal Idol herself, Matsuda Seiko (who also performs "Who's That Boy", found on Single White). Released in 1987 as a promo-only single from her fifteenth studio album, 1988's Citron. Despite never being released as an official single, it's one of Matsuda's more popular songs, especially karaoke-wise. It's rather interesting that the OL picks a Matsuda song directly after a Nakamori Akina track -- the pair were notorious rivals in the 80s, supposedly even in love.

Benkyo no Uta

勉强の歌 - "Study Song" 森高千里 - Moritaka Chisato mp3 download || youtube

The song Hokuto is singing when Subaru attempts to sneak back into the karaoke box. Released in 1991, it peaked at #4 on the ORICON charts, and was remixed on Moritaka's second remix album as ザ・勉強の歌 (Za・Benkyo no Uta; "The・Study Song"). It was used as the opening theme to the anime TV series "Mischievous Twins: The Tales of St. Clare's". It's a totally gimmicky song (complete with voguing in the very weird video clip), though cheerful and catchy, so its popularity on the karaoke circuit at the time shouldn't surprise anyone. (You just know that Hokuto unironically adored this song, and drove Subaru batty by singing it at every opportunity.)

Wakaretemo Suki na Hito

別れても好きな人 - "Beloved Even if We're Separated" ロス・インディオス＆シルヴィア - Los Indios & Silvia mp3 download || youtube

The song that Hokuto announces Subaru should sing with Seishirou as punishment for being late. Another staple in the duets section of karaoke, still, this 1979 release was actually a cover. The song was released by two Toshiba EMI artists, Matsudaira Kemeko and the Purple Shadows, respectively, in 1969. In October 1975, Los Indios released a single-voice version, and in 1979 it was rearranged as a male and female duet, with some lyrics changed slightly. The song was an instant hit, and by 1980, it had sold a million copies.

[sappy-seresin]

Fawn (B. Bradshaw)

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x female!reader

Warning: hints at domestic abuse, hints at toxic relations, mentions of injury, angst, light cursing.

Summary: Bradley Bradshaw is enamored by the Hard Deck's newest waitress. Taking notice of a shift in your demeanor, he finds himself wanting to get to the bottom of your newfound skittishness.

Series Theme Song: I’ll Be Around by Garrett Kato

Word Count: 5.8k

A/n: MY WORK IS NOT TO BE POSTED ELSEWHERE, especially without consent. Do not steal the work of other writers, thank you.

Gif creds: @mads-weasley

You've always carried yourself with elegant poise, your shoulders high with delicate confidence as you strut your way through life. That’s the first thing Bradley noticed about you, and he’s continued appreciating further the more your presence sealed itself into his life. You’ve been working at the Hard Deck for nearly six months now, and subsequently have earned yourself a space in the Dagger Squad friend group, without being a naval officer. Your space in their lives is a lot like Penny’s, other than the fact that you’re a few years younger than all of them. That fact has had all of them feeling protective over you in their own merit. Each of them have done their fair share of looking out for you, always stepping in when someone was heckling you at the bar or pulling you into the groups antics when you seemed overwhelmed on a busy night. Penny always watches from afar, glad to see you smiling among her favorite squadron.

Admittedly, Bradley loves how easily you melted into the group, and appreciates that everyone seems to care about you nearly as much as he does. He’d never admit it out loud, but you’re the first person he looks for when he enters the Hard Deck. His eyes automatically manage to plant themselves wherever you are when he walks in, an elegant smile taking over his face at the simplest sight of you. You always return the gesture, making a point to pour his drink before he even has the chance to order.

Recently though, your poise has dimmed. Your smiles never quite reaching your eyes when you cater to the aviators beck and call. Bradley attributed the change as stress, at first. The summer months are some of the busiest at the bar and it's your first time experiencing this level of rush. The moment he started picking up on your newfound skittishness, he couldn't shake the feeling that there's more going on than being overworked.

Your confidence is now sporadic, fleeting as you jump at loud noises and sudden movements, always playing it off with a lighthearted joke when any of them question it. He notices the way your smiles falter as soon as the groups focus shifts elsewhere, the facade slipping away when you're sure no one's watching. Yet, Bradley always is, unbeknownst to you, watching your every move. He catches every time you gulp to gain composure and the way your knuckles flash white with how hard you grip your tray after being jostled by a passing customer.

Tonight's no different as Bradley's kept his eyes trained on you from the moment he walked in. He watches you slip through the room in a fawn-like state, doe-eyes jumping around the room as you fade in and out of the shadows. Unlike your old, confident self that always managed to light up the typically muggy space.

“What’s got you lost in thought, Rooster?” Natasha’s voice cuts through his staring, pulling his attention from where you’re delivering drinks across the bar. He glances at her and Bob, who’re both staring back at him curiously.

“Does she seem off to you?” He asks simply, letting his eyes trickle back to you. Natasha’s eyebrows knit together before she follows his gaze, realization filling her immediately.

“Y/n?” She thinks out loud, accepting Bradley’s curt nod as a yes. “I mean, sure. I've noticed she’s been a little more skittish and accident prone than usual lately. What about it?"

Bradley shrugs, sipping his drink, not wanting to overshare a story that isn't his. Though, his mind flashes to the last time you'd spoken, affirming that he'd been right about foul play behind the scenes. Even after you forced another lie to keep yourself from admitting the truth to him in the bar just days ago. "I just feel like something isn't right." They fall into silence, Bob and Natasha accompanying Bradley in watching you. Each searching for any signs of foul play, or make any observation that could give insight on what's going on. The truth is, Bradley knows something isn't right. You confirmed his suspicions three days ago, though you refused to vocalize that he's right.

With his eyes trained on you, Bradley recounts the times you've proven to be 'accident prone' the past several weeks. Wonder fills his brain at memories of you brushing off seemingly small injuries as if they were normal, though you'd barely gotten a scratch in the previous months he'd known you. Bradley's mind flashes to the first time he questioned an injury, his eyes fixated on the soft wrap adorning your wrist as you wiped the counter nearly a month and a half ago. His hand clenches around his drink as he's now able to pinpoint your cover stories, though he has yet to figure out the culprit behind you fabricating those stories.

“What happened there?” Bradley asked, gesturing towards your bandaged hand. His eyes raking over you while you blinked at him for a second, letting a sheepish grin meet your lips.

“Oh this?” You joked, raising your hand absentmindedly. “It’s nothing really. I slipped during a game of one on one and caught myself weird. It looks worse than it is, doc says I need to be in the brace for a few weeks so it’ll heal.” Your voice was light and bubbly, but something in your eyes had Bradley unconvinced that your story was factual.

He took a swig of his beer, clearing his throat as he met your eyes again. Opting not to question you, he smiled. “I guess you need to work on your game.” The gentle laugh you released sent shivers down his spine as he watched you.

“I guess I do,” you agreed, topping him off with another beer before leaving to serve another customer without looking back.

He recounts the second time now. He caught you wincing when you bent down to grab a fresh case of beer you were moving to the back. your tight intake of breath had Bradley feeling uneasy.

“You alright, Darlin’,” his voice showcased the concern he’d been feeling. You grimaced at him, gladly accepting the hand he offered to help you up.

“Yeah,” you breathed, discomfort evident when the case slid against your rib cage. “I tweaked a muscle at the gym last night. Just a bit sore is all.” Your cheeks tinted pink at the twinkle in his eye with all his attention solely focused on you. He pushed himself from his position at the bar, inserting himself behind the counter before lifting the case from your grasp with ease. Your sheepishness grew when he leaned to brush past you, grab the last case before glancing over his shoulder at you.

“Where do you need this?” You gaped at him for a moment, not expecting him to do the work for you, but collected yourself quickly. Leading him to the back instead of responding.

“Here’s perfect,” you told him, gesturing where the other cases were already stacked. He obliged, putting the cases in their designated spot, shooting you a content smile. “Thanks for doing that.”

“Not a problem, darlin’,” he waved off, knowing fully well he’d move a thousand more cases if you needed him to. You blushed again, the gesture melting his heart in the same way it does every time it graces your cheeks.

“Well, I appreciate it,” you reached out to squeeze his arm, the movement making the sleeve of your t-shirt slide up in the slightest. Bradley swears he saw a finger-shaped bruise peeking out just below the worn fabric. He eyes flickering back to your face quickly to keep you from noticing he’d seen anything. “My tweaked muscles do too.”

His mouth felt dry as he studied you, mind reeling about what's hiding behind the inconspicuous lie. Your hand dropped when his grin faltered, suddenly worried that you'd made him uncomfortable.

“I guess you need to work on your form,” he knew he was wearing his emotions on his face, though his tone remained intentionally light. Though he wanted to inspect the blemishes hiding under your sleeve, he knew it wasn’t his place. Mentally though, he pulled you against his chest and gently assured you that he’ll protect you from whoever gave you those bruises.

Your face dropped at his words, hands fidgeting against the fabric of your jeans. “I guess I do,” you agreed, deja’vu hitting you after repeating the words you'd spoken to him weeks prior. You hesitated, realizing that his subtle repetition means that, to a certain degree, he knows your explanations don’t match the truth. The thought of him not believing you made the room shrink around you, blurring Bradley’s figure with the anxiety of him finding out. “I should get back to the bar.” Though you were talking to him, the statement seemed to be whispered to no one before you brushed past him with a forced smile.

The last time he questioned you was just three days ago, and the memory of the sight of you has his hand strangling his glass, his blood boiling when he catches sight of your split lip from across the bar.

He'd been dismayed by the fact that you were, not so subtly, ignoring everyone in the squad that night. He noticed how you always kept your back towards them, sending another server to their table whenever they tried flagging you down. He lost sight of you for awhile, though his eyes never stopped scanning the room, hoping to pinpoint your figure assisting customers somewhere in the crowded room. He thought you left after ten minutes of gruel searching. The belief had his shoulders feeling heavy, his mind reeling with questions as to why you'd been silently swerving everyone all night.

His attempts to find you were forgotten as he came to terms with the fact that you didn't want to be found. Until he excused himself to go to the bathroom, needing a moment to collect himself to escape the thoughts of you.

The plan averted the second he gripped the bathroom door handle, the thick wood flung open before he'd even had a chance to pull. A string of apologies left your lips before you froze, realizing that Bradley was the one you'd nearly taken out with the door.

"Y/n, what-" His words caught in his throat after getting a good look at your face. You gaped at him like a deer caught in headlights, showcasing a bruised cheek and split lip that had him prepared to blow a gasket. His expression tightened as he scanned over the rest of you for anymore blemishes, though there wasn't anything else out of the ordinary. You let the door close with a soft 'smack' unable to cover your stunned demeanor. "What happened to your face?" He cut straight to the point, itching to find the "someone" that hurt you.

You opened your mouth to speak but he waved his hand to stop you.

"Another basketball game or a mishap in the gym?" A gentle sarcasm graced his voice, his eyes indicating that you can't get out of this one without telling the truth. His reference back to your past excuses made your hands shake anxiously.

You blinked at him, pointing a pleading look in his direction. Knowing he wasn't going to drop it, your shoulders deflated, though you weren't ready to accept defeat just yet. Lifting your head high, you wiped the shock from your face and replaced it with tenacity.

"Nasty spill while surfing yesterday," you quipped, no evidence of hesitation in your tone as you blatantly lied through your teeth. You hoped he would respond in the same way he had the last two times you found yourself in these subtle moments of confrontation. Wanting him to crack a lighthearted joke about working on your drop-in's, but you knew he wouldn't so you continued. "My board smacked me right in the face before I could stop it."

He sighed in frustration, ripping at his neat curls before dropping his hand again. You flinched in surprise, unknowingly giving him more belief that his suspicions were right. "Now you're just blatantly lying to me," he sighed, relaxing his face so you could see the sadness in his eyes. "Y/n, if someone's hurting you, I need you to tell me. You don't have to manage this on your own, and honestly, I hate that you don't feel like you can trust me. Let me help you."

"There's nothing for you to help with," you immediately insisted, though your teary eyes told him a different narrative. "I'm just clumsy is all." There was deep conviction weaved in your weak explanation, paired with an unwillingness to shed light on the truth. Which was that your boyfriend, Tanner has a short temper. His latest outburst being the cause of your battered surface and spirit.

"Y/n," Bradley pleaded, stepping closer to you, but you shuffled a step back.

"I have to get back," you rejected his advancement, brushing past him without another glance. He'd been frozen in defeat for the minutes following the chance encounter, staring in the direction you'd retreated with a heavy heart. Shaking himself off, he entered the bathroom to splash cold water on his face, hoping it was enough to rid his face of the worry lines wrinkling his forehead after speaking to you. Though he wanted to find you when he made his way back to the table, he forced himself to sit down, knowing you wouldn't speak to him about the topic and further.

The rest of the squad is seated at the table by the time Bradley's able to pull himself out of his head. Mickey tips his head at Bradley upon noticing he'd tuned back into the conversation for the first time since Mickey had sat down. Bradley musters a wink in Mickey's direction, bringing his cup to his lips to soothe the dryness of his throat, though his eyes subconsciously trickle over to you, mind reeling on how to get you to tell him the truth.

A loud crash sounds from across the bar awhile later, interrupting everyone’s attention away from the story Coyote was telling. Bradley had managed to distract himself from his thoughts enough to actually enjoy the night with the squad, periodically laughing as everyone spouts off ridiculous stories.

Bradley’s eyes flit over the room, expecting to find an old drunk struggling to pull themself off the ground, or maybe even the beginning stages of a brawl. What he doesn’t expect to find is you, standing frozen in place with your face resembling a ghosts. The second you squat down to begin picking glass up off the floor, Bradley’s moving to break the space to help you, eyes caught on the man towering over you with an infuriated expression.

“Where the hell have you been?” The man’s voice rings in Bradley’s ears once he’s close enough to hear. “I’ve been calling for four days, why haven’t you answered?”

“You broke my phone,” you snip. Your annoyed tone contradicts the trembling of your hands as they clumsily gather jagged shards into your hands. “I haven’t had the time to get a new one.”

“Everything okay, Y/n,” Bradley cuts in, sizing up the guy in front of him as you look at him for the first time in days. The man's got a few inches on Bradley, but he’s far from intimidating. The stranger clenches his jaw at the sight of him, his lips curving into an arrogant sneer as he puffs out his chest in Bradley's direction.

“Y/n’s fine,” he answers for you, balling his hands into tight fists. “Right, baby?” The nickname makes Bradley’s skin feel like it’s on fire due to the way it drips off the man’s tongue in a sickly sweet manner. Bradley's known you have a boyfriend for awhile. He was disappointed to find out after Hangman had jokingly tried his chances with you. Your admission of being taken was the sole hold up on him outing his feelings for you, but the sight of the guy shooting daggers at you makes his skin crawl. No man should look at his girl in the way this guy's looking at you.

Bradley watches your hesitant nod, your eyes barely ghosting over him as Penny slides a broom into your hand, helping you off the floor. You quietly thank her, gently assuring her that you’re okay, before returning your attention to cleaning the mess. Clearly wanting nothing more than for your boyfriend to be anywhere but here causing a scene. Penny observes the three of you, mentally weighing whether or not to respect your assurances that you have the situation under control. One nod from Bradley is enough for her to return to her spot behind the bar, assisting the few customers that aren't watching the altercation unfold.

Growing more irate with your lack of attention, the man takes a step toward you. "You want to look at me while I'm talking to you?" Bradley's blood boils at the malice directed at you, his instincts forcing him to step closer to you as well, ready to jump in if he tries to lay as much as a finger on you.

"Tanner, you need to leave. You can't just come in here, guns a-blazing, while I'm working and expect the conversation to go well while you're causing a scene," there's a waver to your voice when you say his name, your attempt to remain composed is only half effective when your eyes jump back to the floor after catching Tanner's icy appearance.

"Where the hell else am I supposed to find you when you're obviously doing everything in your power to avoid me," Tanner snaps, his face glowing red with anger. "I tried your apartment four times and you were never home. So, where the hell have you been?" You instinctively flinch when he raises his hand, shocking Bradley into registering that Tanner's the culprit to blame for your split lip and bruised cheek. Your reaction to him walking into the bar, and now flinching at his sudden movements, is enough affirmation of what Bradley previously suspected.

"Alright man, she told you to leave, so it's time for you to go," Bradley's speaking on autopilot now, stepping forward enough to place his hand on Tanner's chest to keep him from advancing any closer to you.

Tanner sneers at Bradley, his gaze falling to the hand planted on his chest. "I suggest you get your hands off me, before I make you," he snarls, shooting Bradley his best intimidating glare before contorting his face in understanding. "So that's what you've been doing the last few days." He backs out of Bradley's grasp, looking at you with a fake humored expression.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Bradley's eyes follow your voice, noticing the way your eyebrows furrow together in confusion.

"You've been screwing him, haven't you," Tanner accuses pointing a finger at Bradley. "I've been looking all over town for you and you've been fooling around with this prick. Dude, you're wasting your time. She's not even worth it."

Bradley interrupts before you can discount Tanner's words, refusing to let this piece of garbage tarnish your character. "She's worth more than you can comprehend, clearly. I can assure you that she's not fooling around with me, or anyone else for that matter. I know her well enough to know that she wouldn't cheat, even if it's warranted for a guy like you."

"A guy like me," Tanner replays those words, emphasizing them while he gestures toward himself, feigning surprise. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Bradley quips, narrowing his brows. He's surprised when Tanner raises his eyebrows, urging him to voice his thoughts. "A guy that's dumb enough to lay a hand on a woman." You suck in a breath at the declaration, your eyes flying to watch Tanner's ego take a hit at the fact that he's been caught. You shudder, knowing full well that Tanner being caught means that your lies are out in the open now.

"My girl, my business," Tanner shrugs, "You're way out of line buddy, and I suggest you-"

“Do we have a problem here,” Bradley’s glad to hear Jake’s voice for once, some of the tension in his own chest alleviating at his colleagues authoritative tone. Jake stands tall as he positions himself in front of your shaken figure, his pointed gaze fixed solely on Tanner. He makes a point to flash his toned biceps by crossing his arms over his chest to add to his hard exterior, letting his eyes do plenty more talking while he sizes Tanner up.

“That’s up to him,” Bradley responds, nodding his head towards Tanner, who looks seconds away from throwing a punch.

“This is so like you, Y/n,” Tanner laughs bitterly, shaking his head. “Letting your friends save you from your own battles instead of handling them yourself like an adult. You get off on being the damsel in distress, don't you?” He's glaring at you over Jake's shoulder, seemingly unfazed by the aviator acting as a human shield.

"Y/n's more than capable of handling herself," Jake assures Tanner, tightening his expression. "But here at the Hard Deck, we have a strict "no harassing women" policy, and you're disrupting the peace." Jake's eyes fall on Reuben and Javy who are now on standby behind Tanner, prepared to restrain him if necessary. Reuben gives him a curt nod, winking at you for a little extra encouragement. They've got you covered. "Now, you have two options. You can either walk yourself out of the bar, and leave my friend Y/n here alone. Or, I'll drag you out and let Rooster have his way with you." Jake pauses again to give Tanner a second to process what he said. "I can assure you that only the former is going to end well for you."

"Now you're threatening me? You seriously think I'm afraid of a few boys in pansy ass navy uniforms?" Tanner's expression grows more manic with his incredulous words, unable to keep himself from chuckling in disbelief.

The response is enough to make Jake snap, his arms falling to his sides as he swiftly nods at Javy and Reuben as a cue for them to move. "Alright, parties over buddy." Tanner thrashes the second the men intercept him, easily dragging him towards the door.

"You bitch," Tanner shouts, eyes locked on you while he lamely tries freeing himself from their grasp. He has a clear shot of you now that Jake's not planted in front of you. Instead, he's trailing behind the three of them as a form of damage control if a last line of defense if necessary. "You'll pay for this."

Bradley shifts to dart in Tanner's direction, his slow burning anger transforming into full-blown rage at the mans threat toward you. Though, his movements freeze when a hand grasps his forearm, his fiery eyes meeting your tearful ones as the ruckus in the room fades from his ears. The room around him spirals out of focus with you being all that he sees as he struggles to refrain from ripping away from you to beat Tanner until he forgets your name.

Your touch is feathery while you blear at him. He swears he's going to light on fire until you utter the only request that could possibly cool him down. "Please, stay with me." Bradley immediately returns to a grounded state, the thoughts of giving Tanner a piece of his mind dimming while you wordlessly beg him not to leave you alone. "Please, Bradley." Those words are all it takes for him to break the space, shamelessly pulling you against his chest to shield you from anymore hurt. You fall against him in exhaustion, your hands fisting the soft Hawaiian button up he's wearing to give yourself more assurance that he's there.

"I'm not going anywhere," he murmurs into your hair after a few moments of holding you. You're sniffling into his chest while the atmosphere of the bar returns to normal, the onlookers suddenly feeling wrong about watching you break in Bradley's embrace.

Bradley easily flags Penny down with an urgent look, grateful that she stops what she's doing to assist him. "I need to get her out of here," he informs her in a hushed voice once she's close enough to hear. She wordlessly nods in understanding, sadness crossing her features at the sight of you practically rattling in his arms. "The glass is all in one place and just needs to be thrown away."

"I've got it covered, go," she encourages him, noticing that the three who'd taken Tanner outside have yet to return. "I'll have Pete pull your truck around back so you don't have to worry about any confrontations."

"Thanks Penny," Bradley hums, making sure not to jostle you too much while passing his keys to her. You lift your head to thank her as well, mustering a delicate smile as she carefully squeezes your arm in reassurance.

"Take care of my girl, Rooster," she commands lightheartedly, but he picks up on the weight behind her statement.

"Of course," he breathes, running his hand up your back to get your attention. "Ready to go, darlin'?" You bob your head in response, itching to get out of the sticky bar after having far too much attention on you. The interaction with Tanner replays in the back of your mind while Bradley guides you toward the back door with his hand rested on the small of your back.

Pete already has the Bronco parked by the back door when you guys reach the exit. He pulls the door open just before Bradley's able to reach it, stepping aside to let you two pass before bowing his head at Bradley.

"Appreciate the help, Mav," Bradley affirms, which Pete just shrugs off as a silent way of telling Bradley it's the least he could do. Pete makes sure you're both in the car before walking back inside, sympathy overtaking him at the image of you deflating in your seat.

The car ride is comfortably silent outside of natural road noise. The fact that Bradley has no idea where you live dawned on you about ten minutes into the drive, but you don't bring yourself to ask where he's taking you. Preferring not to be anywhere that Tanner can find you.

Your friendship hasn't gone much farther than hanging out when he visits the bar, other than the few times Natasha invited you to meet everyone at her place when you got off. Oh, and the movie night everyone had at Bob's when you offered to be their DD when they'd still been around by last call. Yet, you trust Bradley enough to feel at ease as he navigates the nearly vacant streets of San Diego.

"We're here," Bradley announces, putting the Bronco in park after pulling into his driveway. He glances at you with a comforting smile, rushing to hop out so he can open your door for you. You gracefully accept the hand he offers you, climbing out of the truck timidly. His hand finds a home on the small of your back again, acting as a guide while he leads you to the front door and lets you both in.

"Your place?" You think out loud, as he unlocks the door, gesturing for you to enter before him. He grins, suddenly feeling sheepish as he drops his keys on the small table next to the door.

"Yeah," he nods, scratching his neck. "I figured you shouldn't go home. Is this okay? I can take you somewhere else if you want."

"This is perfect," he blows the air out of his cheeks at your assurance, making a point to lock the door before guiding you to the living room. He gestures to the couch, which you gladly plop down on, relishing in the plush comfort of the cushions while Bradley watches you.

"Can I get you anything? There's water, tea, and probably even a few beers left from the last time the guys came over," Bradley curses himself for sounding so soft, though you don't seem to mind.

"Water would be great," your supportive smile is the first Bradley's seen all night, sending his stomach twisting in knots as he retreats to the kitchen. While he's gone, you take time to study the living room, your smile widening at the old family photos with his parents along with various pictures of the squad scattered across the shelves. The room is tidy and smells subtly of cologne, it's coziness urging you to melt further into the couch.

Bradley freezes in the doorway, secretly admiring how cozy you look in the safety of his house. I'm screwed, he thinks to himself, shaking his head to rid himself of being awestruck by you. You glance in his direction at the sound of his feet shuffling across the floor, graciously accepting the glass he slides in your hand.

"Thank you," you whisper, clearing your throat after taking a sip of the cool water before placing the glass on the coffee table in front of you. Your body stretches back into the couch as Bradley fills the space next to you, making a point to leave enough room so that you don't feel claustrophobic.

A thick silence falls over the room, neither of you knowing what to say now that you're alone. The impending conversation weighs on both of your shoulders while the two of you look everywhere other than at each other. Bradley speaks after several moments of grueling silence, unable to bare the elephant in the room.

"I'm so sorry for not vocalizing my suspicions sooner," the apology surprises you, not having anticipated the softness of his response. Part of you assumed he was going to be angry with you for not fessing up and asking for help when you had the chance. "I mean, I know you don't play basketball, and then I saw those bruises on your arm, but I didn't feel like it was my place to pry. I should've just said something before he had more chances to hurt you." He frowns at the newest blemish on your lip, scabbed but still fresh with only being a few days old. The bruise on your cheek has faded into a dull yellowish green, time giving it enough time to kickstart the healing process.

"It's my own fault. I was dumb to ever get involved with him," you croak, downcast eyes trained on the floor. "My friends told me he was a walking red flag and I didn't listen. I willingly fell into his trap on my own accord. So please, don't apologize for not saying anything sooner because it's been my fault all along. Your questions were all I allowed you to do."

"Hey," Bradley whispers, wordlessly asking for consent to cup your jaw in his hand, his thumb gently swiping the tear gliding down your blemished cheek after you nod in approval. "None of what he did to you is your fault. You hear me? I don't want to hear you blaming yourself for a man that didn't know the first thing about treating you right." Bradley's voice is gentle as he addresses you, not leaving any room for you to feel insecure in being with him. He never wants you to feel small again, and you won't as long as he has anything to do with it. "He had no business laying his hands on you in a way that misconstrued love as violence. The blame is solely for him to carry, not you. Okay?" His eyes plea that you absorb everything he's telling you. He needs you to understand that Tanner is the perpetrator at fault, not you. The tears flooding your cheeks are indication that you're grasping what he's telling you, but he has to be sure.

"I need to know that you're hearing me Darlin'," the statement is more of a request as he wipes at more of your tears, his heart quenching at the subdued sob that forces its way out of you. All you can do is nod, not trusting your voice. "I need to hear you say it."

"I'm hearing you, Bradley," you sniffle, stammering over the knot in your throat. "The blame isn't mine." With that, more choked sobs erupt from your body, encouraging Bradley to pull you into his lap without caring whether it's the appropriate move or not. Your lack of opposition assures him that you're okay with him holding you while you come unglued in his embrace for the second time.

Countless encouragements that he's got you and that you're going to be okay quietly float from his lips while you melt into him. The innocent closeness brings you a small sense of the relief you're craving. His softness allows you to feel safe enough to simply let yourself accept the truth and feel all of the emotions you've been numbing as a form of self preservation for the last few months. For the first time in months, the breaths filing your lungs aren't clouded by heaviness because an inescapable weight has lifted from your chest. You bask in the weightlessness of your breathing, the sensation bringing a fresh round of relieved tears. Your sobs transition into meek sniffles as Bradley patiently comforts you, his own tension releasing when he senses that you're going to be okay.

"Thanks for rescuing me," you murmur after a few moments of quiet, thankfully allowing him to rid your cheeks of the final evidence of tears. Bradley loses his own breath when his eyes fixate on you again. Though your eyes are bloodshot and glazed from crying, cheeks flushed with a delicate pink tint, Bradley swears you've never looked more beautiful.

His hand tenderly cups your cheek again, his eyes the softest they've been all night as he drinks the sight of you in. The rational side of him wants to curse himself for being so enthralled by you at such an unfortunate time. You just experienced one of the most humiliating nights of your life, and spent the last twenty minutes broken in his arms for God's sake. But all rationality escapes him as he soaks you in, completely defenseless against the relentless adoration beating against his ribcage.

"I'll rescue you any time it's needed Darlin'," he promises, and you know he means it. You bask in the comfort of his arms for the rest of the night, enjoying the lighthearted conversation and the way he seems comforted by your presence. In the dim light of the room, with a TV show softly playing quietly in the background, you eventually lull to sleep, Bradley's steady heart beat being the last thing you remember before succumbing to the delicate darkness.

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

A/N: That's it!! My first TGM fic is on the books!! I've got various works in the making, but this one flowed so naturally as I was writing and I'm ecstatic to share it.

There's a part two dancing in the back of my mind, but I'll let feedback and continued inspiration decide whether or not the story continues or ends here.

PART TWO IS IN PROGRESS

Tagging some moots/pages that I enjoy. Feel free to request whether or not you'd like to continue being tagged in future fics <3

Tags: @glen-powells @bradleybeachbabe @writingshae @happilycameron @rosiahills22 @roosterforme @avaleineandafryingpan @fandomxpreferences @fanboygarcia

[paladintoyourcleric]

I have a serious problem with "fileven" shippers. It's not the fact that they ship them, it's the fact that they do not respect Millie or Finn. Some of them reach so far.

There is a page on Instagram called "love_mileven" some of you might know them.

A few days ago when The Aubrey's new song "Kato" released (the Aubrey's is the duo/band Finn is apart of) Millie happened to post a picture of Jake (her fiance) on her story (almost 24 hours after Kato released). love_mileven went and immediately posted about this on their story.

Basically saying that Millies team posted this picture on her story so Jake wouldn't get taken over by Finns new song coming out. And how this is all a cover up because Millie and Finn are in love but their teams won't let them be together.

If you guys saw some of Millies recent stories, you may have seen a small bruise on her arm. This account posted this picture saying "Do you see that bruise? I am concerned for her safety" And we all know what they were implying. I dm'md them saying that they really need to stop jumping to conclusions. And they basically said that they weren't implying anything about Jake, which we all know is a lie.

I was sitting there like "wtf is wrong with people 💀💀💀💀" .

Millie is LITERALLY ENGAGED. If you wanna ship 2 friends, fine. But at least respect Millies VERY REAL relationship with Jake.

(also this account"love_mileven" is always so quick to say Millie doesn't run her account, every single time Jake is even mentioned on Millies Instagram. Can any of you find an article from RECENTLY confirming that she in fact does not run her account?)

[tonguetiedraven]

So I was cleaning up a few manga panels for my other blog, and darn it, I need to talk about my thoughts on two scenes in the Shimane Illuminati arc (specifically chapters 61 and 62) because Kato deserves all the applause for everything. This post will be for chapter 61 and I'll post 62 later.

TW/CW for character death, medical abuse, and mental health struggles. Content below the cut.

First, in chapter 61 we get this heart breaking page when Tamamo Kamiki dies.

To get into what I'm seeing with this panel, I need to give a brief (or I'll try and make it brief) overview of Tamamo. Tamamo gets introduced to us in chapter 52 and the first panel we get of her is her sobbing into the camera that everyone acts so cold towards her because she is sleeping with the head priest and not married to said high priest.

We are then told that she was an irresponsible and careless woman by Mike. We find out three really important things though.

Tamamo is judged by the people around her and gets a cold shoulder

Tamamo relies heavily on her daughter and the byakko to have the house run at all and has dreams of a fantastic family and house she has shown no ability to actually run.

Tamamo is in love with the (shitty) Chief Priest of Inari and that he isn't married to her.

We then find out:

That Tamamo and her entire line have always managed the terrifying and unruly Nine Tails by assimilating the god and becoming her, and that the town/shrine distrust her because of that, even though she does it to protect them. They ostracize her for the duty her family has and they judge the entire family because she had Soji's children.

Notice Soji isn't in the judged club and that Soji has never seen his daughters. He's never been to her house. It is always her going to him.

This theme of ostracization is something that pops up over and over and over again in Blue Exorcist. Almost all of the main characters had a childhood that was lonely and where they were rejected by their peers--almost always for things outside their direct control and almost always in someway connected to demons, even if they didn't know it, but I'll get to that more in a moment. Suffice to say, at this point we can see that Tamamo is isolated outside of her illicit meetings with Soji (not at all healthy as we'll see later on) her interactions with the demons around her, and her daughters, neither of which are old or mature enough to offer her the type of companionship she's in need of, which leads to everyone in this tangled dynamic having unhealthy relationships with each other.

We see Tamamo seeking connections and affections and largely being rebuffed by it everywhere except Tsukumo and the byakko. Soji's affection has strings attached, and Izumo is too fed up to offer any affection. The other members of the shrine ostracize her and give her a cold shoulder, and I'd bet money that they're vocal about their opinions any time she's around. (And they likely don't care if the kids are around or not.)

What I'm getting at is that Tamamo is lonely and you see that in how desperate she is for approval and connection and it mostly comes out with Soji. She does whatever he wants to keep her connection to him intact. We've also had a few indications thus far in the manga that isolation and depression and poor mental health are things demons take advantage of. We'll get more explanation on that later on, but suffice to say that Tamamo is not at all in a healthy spot to be constantly risking possession against an immensely powerful and evil demon.

I'll be honest and clear up front that I have no love for Soji and think him deplorable and he did not do anything to help Tamamo that we see. Rather, it seems he exclusively used her for his own pleasures without any care for her or the consequences their time together had.

I also think it's important that everyone know that Nine Tails -- at least the Nine Tails in this story -- is based of Tamamo no Mae who is an infamous yokai in Japanese lore. She has a long and complicated history with her origins unknown and a lot of political manipulation, but an important thing to know about her is that she is always depicted as a child eater. She devours women as well, and thrives on seducing men. She's beautiful and powerful and alluring, and she's manipulative.

So generations of women manipulated and regularly partially possessed by Nine Tails down the line, we have a shrine and town that reject Tamamo and her losing her grasp on the one adult who 'likes' her, and we see this moment:

We see her staring at him, enjoying the light atmosphere and gathering her courage (the sweat drop in the panel has me thinking she's nervous about this because it's not the first time this convo has happened.)

She wants him to come to her house and is trying to make it as appealing as possible. She wants a family and the life she's been dreaming up.

Soji rejects the idea entirely and pushes further by saying if she asks for him to interact with the kids in any way he'll dump her. The one adult connection she has will be lost because of her children. (Not actually. It's because he's a dick but she sees it as the children being the problem.)

She then goes immediately to Nine Tails to do the dance of spirit invocation which we're told this about:

So Tamamo--who has been isolated and lonely for at least a large chunk of her adult life is now seeing the one connection she's made with another adult (and an unhealthy one at that) potentially break because of her children-- goes to assimilate the Nine Tails in that unstable and unhealthy emotional and mental state.

It is heavily implied that Nine Tails started to take her over at this point, and you see her become more and more obsessed with Soji and more angry with her children, further isolating herself away from the small amount of support and connection she did have until she's entirely possessed by the vengeful and malevolent spirit of Nine Tails.

She murders Soji and tries to do the same to her children before the Illuminati take her and subject her to years of torture, all while she's still possessed by the Nine Tails.

One more detail and I'll get back to the scene in chapter 61.

When Tamamo was last fully in control of her faculties and saw her daughter, she saw Izumo in the same place she was. Ostracized by her community with no one but their small family to lean on. Her daughter was doomed to follow the same path Tamamo had, and at this point, it looks like this was a cycle that had been going on for at least a few generations. Isolated and connection starved women raising daughters who were isolated and connection starved children. Tamamo became overly touchy and clingy to everyone where Izumo became mistrustful. (And man does she have a lot of reasons for that.)

Now back to chapter 61 and the moment Tamamo dies.

She wakes up amongst the chaos of the zombie hoard going towards possessed Izumo, and she immediately intervenes to get the Nine Tails spirit back inside herself to save her daughter.

That's important to understand for her. She moved before the next moment I'm going to talk about. She saw Izumo possessed and didn't seem to hesitate to save her daughter. She has been tortured for five years and immediately moves to start that horrible possession again.

But while she's dancing to contain Nine Tails in herself, this is going on in the background:

Each of the other teens in the room came to get Izumo and they're shouting their support of her even while they fight an endless hoard of zombies because they came to get her. Tamamo can hear that happening and she can see that they came to help Izumo.

No one came to help Tamamo. At no point did anyone ever come to rescue her or fight for her. She was blamed for everything and was left to bear all the consequences for five years. (I am not blaming Izumo for that. She was a child and was not responsible for saving her mother.)

But with "We're here for you!" ringing in Tamamo's ears, she completes the ritualistic dance and frees her daughter from the possession.

Tamamo in her dying moments looks at her daughter and sees a community around her that Tamamo didn't have. She sees people willing to intervene and help and fight even though Izumo is pushing them away and possessed and not easy to get along with.

Tamamo, from everything we saw, was isolated and rejected by her community and had no one to support her. She was manipulated and played by her significant other and left vulnerale to possession by a society that needed her to do the thankless job and hated her for doing the thankless job. She was bubbly and friendly and still pushed away and rejected and ostracized until she succumbed to Nine Tails.

back to chapter 52

Blue Exorcist talks a lot about curses and ostracization. All the main cast suffer from it in some way or another. They've all been called terrible things and most of them have been treated as if they aren't human, and a lot of them have complicated lineages and may not be fully human which just amplifies the amount they're rejected by their peers.

For Tamamo, that curse was literal and figurative. The literal curse was the constant absorption of an insane demon that eventually consumed her until she'd destroyed what little family she had.

It was figurative in that as the head priestess and medium in charge of the rituals, she was rejected by the community she needed to support her. She was left floundering on the outside, always given just a taste of what she could have had if she was born to a different family, and left with a longing for what she would never be given and always wondering why she couldn't have it. (And yes, I'm probably reading into some things and filling in the blanks with hypothesis and assumptions.)

But in that final moment, Tamamo sees that curse of isolation and rejection has been broken by Izumo. That her daughter, who like all the daughters of the Kamiki line was alone, is no longer alone. That she has friends and support. Support that followed her into this hell and reached out to call her back even from a demon like Nine Tails.

I don't know if I've made myself all that clear, but I love the way that Kato has shown this over and over again and keeps showing the rejection of isolation and ostracization as any kind of solution. That she keeps showing through each of these relationships and arcs that it's reaching for and connecting with other people that brings change and healing and hope, and I love how she shows that through moments like this. It's a little moment that's so easy to miss, but it's so immensely huge when looked at in the context of the entirety of Tamamo's life.

I wish she knew that they would have come for her if they'd known she'd been there all this time. I wish she'd have found a community to support her and I wish she'd had someone to tell her Soji was a dick and she could do better.

I wish she could see Izumo now, still connected to her friends and even though it's the end of the world, she's fighting with and beside them. That she's seeking out connections and learned her lesson about not needing to be alone. That she's teased and loved and welcomed.

But I'm pretty sure in that final moment, she saw it all anyway.

[absolutebl]

BL Best of 2022 - quick picks

Best KBL: Semantic Error

Best Thai BL: Bad Buddy (remember for me this falls into 2022) 

Best JBL: this was the hardest pick for me because Japan came back SWINGING this year. So... I cheated. 

Best traditional live action yaoi? Minato’s Laundromat 

Best modern BL? Takara & Amagi 

Best for me, personally? Old Fashion Cupcake 

Best Taiwan BL: My Tooth Your Love although I really adored DNA Says Love You and About Youth, the one fudged the beginning and the other the end (both are still v HEA) so My Tooth was the most consistent. 

Best director: Kato Ayaka (Old Fashion Cupcake) she did a fucking phenomenal job, and yes she had two killer actors to work with, but I am such a sucker for those long shots plus the sensual foods close ups? GIIRLLLLLLLL. Gah! 

Best kiss: honestly we had so many good kisses this year I have multiple blog posts going on the subject. But I am handing it over to the one that stuck in my head the most, Billy & Seng’s up against that chain gate with the damn blue towel sticking out of his back pocket in Secret Crush On You. 

The desperation was just insane. But I might have given it to OFC if they hadn’t already won the director category. And I flipping LOVE the Kissable Lips boys BTS smiley kiss from 304: 100% should have been on screen for us.

Best erotic moment: The shower neck make out kiss from side couple RainPayu in Oh! My Sunshine night. 

Runner up: VegasPete and the “ass to waist ratio” kiss in their kinky chain scene. 

Best O scene: Oh the whole LITA special, they knew what they were doing. Doesn’t stop me being annoyed by the whole thing, tho. 

Best cuddles: I mean it should got to 12% because, well, ENDLESSLY spectacular cuddles from SantaEarth but for me it was Star in My Mind’s cuddle+glare. I love me a vicious little “mine” moment. 

Best eye contact/soulmating/eyefucking: FirstKhao in The Eclipse although Japan did great work with THIRST this year (bit more one sided, that one). 

Best cinematography: Cherry Blossoms After Winter, I know, I know, but you know how I feel about yaoi, nostalgia and cinematic storytelling. 

Best boohoo snot bubble I’m dazed and crying: Eternal Yesterday, every fucking episode, Choco Milk Shake (I hate you Strongberry, I love you Strongberry), To My Star 2 (I just hate you and you are not forgiven). 

Most beloved character: Shin MY PRECIOUS BEAN SPROUT 

Best Pair: The Parks although I am also crazy about the To My Star and Kissable Lips boys. I really want more from all of them. Madness that it’s all Korea. 

Best Ensemble: The Eclipse had a killer cast but I expect that from GMMTV. So for all it was a mess of a story Cutie Pie wins best casting from me. All 3 couples had such good chemistry. I don’t think any other multi-couple shows out of Thailand were that on point, not even KP. 

Best siblings//family: My Ride, gotta hand it to the gay uncles and all the queer friends and the adopted son. Although DNA Says Love You was pretty darn great too. 

Best Food: There were so many food ones this year (Ocean Likes Me, Old Fashion Cupcake, La Cuisine, but none were as good food-wise as Bite Me last year) so the one where I actually wanted to eat stuff the most? What Zabb Man. What can I say? I love sweets and ramen, but Thai food is my last best hope in life. 

Best song: Eternal Yesterday’s OST Sunshower by Ayumu Imazu. I can’t believe Japan beat out Korea but I am sorry I just really fucking adore that song. I’m sucker for that raw slightly rough voice combined with Japan’s brusque style (and PINK hair). 

But Leo’s I still from Happy Ending Romance is a close fucking follow up, that boy is dripping slightly-evil honey even in falsetto, he’s a perennially ignored goddamn gift to Kpop. 

I do A LOT of best of lists, this is just the beginning. Also if you have a request of a top 10 of 2022 or any best of... name the tope lists, let me know in an RP or a comment. 

(source)

[ctrl-lupin]

After finishing the Holmes arc today, I can say that this wasn’t my favourite Holmes, but definitely far from the worst I’ve ever seen (looking at you, Steven Moffat)

My favourite will forever be Herlock Sholmes from The Great Ace Attorney.

---

-deep autistic inhale-

ACTUALLY! Do you know where the name Herlock Sholmes comes from? :D (please don’t take this as a “I know more than you” lecture and more as “French Lupin nerd gets to infodump about their special interest”)

He’s actually from the OG Arsène Lupin novels! Basically, Leblanc wanted to write a Lupin/Holmes crossover, but in his story Lupin won, and Doyle wasn’t super happy about his precious detective getting bested by a thief, so he asked Leblanc to take down the story.

To which Leblanc answered: “Sherlock Holmes? Don’t know him! This is Herlock Sholmes, my Totally Original Character That I Didn’t Copy Off Anyone”!”

And he got away with it.

Fast forward almost a century, and some guy from Japan named Kazuhiko Kato (aka Monkey Punch, you might ave heard of him) decides to write a manga about Lupin’s grandson. He tries to export it, and Leblanc’s estate immediately go “Nope, pay us royalties”. To which Monkey Punch and TMS answer “Lupin? Don’t know him! This is Rupan, my Totally Original Character That I Didn’t Copy Off Anyone”!” 

And they fucking got away with it.

Anyway I love the Doyle/Leblanc/Kato copyright loop so much <3

(Bonus: according to Wikipedia, Arsène Lupin was originally going to be named Lopin, except there was a campaigning politician named Arsène Lopin who heard about it and said to Leblanc “No the fuck you don’t”, to which Leblanc answered, you guessed it... “Lopin? Don’t know him! This is actually Lupin, totally different person, nothing to see here!” AND HE FUCKING GOT AWAY WITH IT.)

[oldtvandcomics]

Pulptober 2024: 26 - Not Like We Remember

"It's inevitable that, through the adaptation process and the passage of time, people's ideas of what a character is changes. This is for characters where this is...particularly drastic such that the way people envision them is often radically different from how they were originally." - Original prompt by @krinsbez

I have A LOT of thoughts about this, so I'm going to change my usual pattern of going for a character and write an essay instead.

TL;DR: In my experience, one could argue that this is true for all stories that have gone through some adaptations. At least it is in the minds of the general population. Fans who are invested enough to watch/read the original might be a little different, depending on which character you're talking about.

Many fans have pointed out fandoms' bad tendency to simplify and occasionally twist characters in order to fit them into neat narrative boxes, and the way that this hurts fanworks, because they now fail to interact with any of the things that made said character unique to begin with. What I would like to propose:

Mainstream adaptations and popular perception of a story do this too.

Trends that I have observed to happen during adaptations:

All clever characters -> insufferable genius who is full of themselves and keeps rubbing this into everyone's face (Sherlock Holmes; the Doctor, occasionally)

The one woman important for the story -> the hero's love interest, if he didn't originally have one (Irene Adler; Lenore "Casey" Case; Lieutenant Uhura*; Dan Reid Sr.'s wife (who also appears to have changed her first name from Linda to Rebecca in the process? *The 2008 Star Trek movie is ALSO guilty of erasing two out of the three important female officers, leaving only Uhura. If you were to give Spock a love interest, why didn't you stick with Nurse Chapel?! But those movies are a rant for another time.)

"Cool" male hero -> Insufferable asshole who thinks that he is cooler and better than anyone else and treats women like assets to get across how cool he is (Captain Kirk; Han Solo too, at least I personally would argue so)

White hero + partner who is a person of color, both more or less equally competent -> White guy is a complete idiot who wouldn't be able to keep himself alive + partner is insanely competent and does the work for both of them without receiving any thanks (The Lone Ranger + Tonto; The Green Hornet + Kato)

Any period typical prejudices that might have been present in the original get amplified by ten (The Green Hornet; The Lone Ranger; Sherlock Holmes; the First Doctor)

Two very close male friends -> They hate / barely tolerate each other (The Lone Ranger + Tonto; The Green Hornet + Kato; Kirk and Spock (!!); Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson)

Any woman in a leading position -> Girl with a sword and very 21st century attitude (Nimue that one time; Not sure how much Enola Holmes counts because she is an original character, but....)

Woman who is NOT in a leading position but doing her thing -> Screaming damsel in distress (Susan Foreman; Lois Lane in the minds of those who don't actually consume these stories)

There are absolutely more, these are just the most obvious ones that are bothering me. My general attitude towards older stories is to approach them with the best possible intention, and try to read past any outdated language and tropes. There is SO MUCH beauty and diversity there if you do that! But I really have the impression that the people making these adaptations don't always approach the original with the same good faith, if they really read/watch/listen to these stories at all. And then there is of course the inevitable game of telephone between people who know the original and understand the cultural context it was made in, people who know the original but don't understand the context, and people who only know the original through pop culture osmosis.

IDK, the only solution I see is to drastically shorten copyright, so that the people who get to retell these stories are the ones who actually love them, and of course to give Hollywood writers the time and resources to actually do their research. None of which I see happening.

[underacalicosky]

15 questions for 15 friends

Thanks @fangeek-girl @sky-kenobye @willameena @kato-neimoidia @to-proudly-go and @dark--whisperings for the tags! ❤️

1. Are you named after anyone?

Supposedly, I was named after a movie character played by Liz Taylor. I’ve never seen the movie though.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Two nights ago while we were watching Christopher Robin (with Ewan McGregor) because stories about growing up and forgetting about childhood always gives me the feels.

3. Do you have kids?

Two kids.

4. What sports do you play/ have you played?

I wasn’t allowed to play sports when I was younger. Once I was in college, I realized that I was actually pretty athletic. I’m old now and my knees are creaky, so I don’t play anything anymore.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Yup. All the time.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

How they treat others

7. What's your eye colour?

Dark brown

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Happy endings, why else would I be in the Star Wars fandom?? But yes, that’s behind my obsession with giving Obikin a happy ending in all my fics.

9. Any talents?

I’m somewhat artistically inclined, I think. When I was a child, I wasn’t really given the opportunity to explore artistic things (do you see a pattern with my childhood lol?) so I don’t know if I’m necessarily talented. But I’ve always felt most at peace when I’m doing something creative and lately that’s been in the form of writing fics.

10. Where were you born?

In a northeast US state

11. What are your hobbies?

Writing fanfic? I don’t have a lot of spare time between working, doing Mom Things, and trying to keep the household running, but I love baking and I try to squeeze in time to write fics and fiddle around on tumblr at night after the kids go to bed.

12. Do you have any pets?

One cat. He’s very sweet and very grumpy at the same time.

13. How tall are you?

5' 1”

14. Favourite subject in school?

Art.

15. Dream job?

In an ideal world, money isn’t a concern and I would spend part of my day decorating cakes and cupcakes and the other part reading and writing.

Thanks so much for the ask! I’ve lost track of who’s been tagged! So I’m tagging anyone who hasn’t been tagged yet and wants to share! ❤️

[sweetbottletops]

"Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko!"

More of the cast have been revealed! Including Risa.

Read the article and see more pictures.

Bad MTL below cut.

The new cast of the new drama "Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko!" starring Shiho Kato and Kanna Mori has been revealed. It has been revealed that Hibiya Honda, Mio Yuki, Eiku Yamashita (ONE N' ONLY), Nonoka Kubo, and Kazuya Seto will appear.

This work, which is a drama adaptation of the manga of the same name by Sal Jiang, is an office girl love comedy about a junior who never gives up'' anda senior who never lets down.'' Kato will play Ayaka Usuda, a competitive and single-minded junior, and Mori will play Hiroko Kano, a senior who is thrilled by Ayaka's aggressive attacks.

Honda will play the role of Yuya Saito from the sales department, who is Ayaka's senior and whom Hiroko trusts, and Yuki will play the role of Risa Komai, Ayaka's classmate and best friend. Yamashita will play the role of Ryo Kumagai, who is Ayaka's senior and a goofball, and Kubo will play the role of Ikumi Kameda, Ayaka's classmate. Seto was chosen to play the role of the lesbian bar mom who learns about Hiroko's past.

Honda was surprised by the age difference between him and the character he plays, saying, I feel that Yuya's good personality and the way he is loved by those around him are what creates his personality, and I value that more than his age.'' I would like to cherish the role of Risa, who is kind and strong, and is always thinking and caring about her best friend Ayaka." Furthermore, Yamashita said,It was exciting!'' Yamashita said, ``As Ryo Kumagai', who loves Hiroko-senpai, I was jealous of Ayaka, who appeals to Hiroko-senpai, and even though she's a goofball, she has a pure personality that I can't hate. I would be happy if you would pay attention to it!"

I'm Kyouya Honda, who plays Yuya Saito.

When I first heard the story, I was surprised at the age difference between him and Yuya in the original work. However, I feel that more than his age, Yuya's good personality and the way he is loved by those around him create his personality, and I value that. The difference between the pure and straightforward Ayaka-chan and the mature and cool Hiroko-senpai who is swayed by Ayaka-chan is sure to be exciting! Even though there is a deeper understanding of the relationship between the two, in a world where life still feels difficult and strange, I hope that everyone who watches this drama will be able to take a stronger step towards tomorrow than they did today. think.

My name is Mio Yuki and I will be playing the role of Risa.

When Risa was a new employee, she became friends with Ayaka, who was a bit out of touch with everyone around her, and since then, Ayaka has been the only one she's open to, so I hope she can communicate with Kato-san a lot on set and create a friendly atmosphere. I think. I would like to play the role of Risa, a kind and strong person who is always thinking and caring about her best friend Ayaka.

Eiku Yamashita

My honest impression was that I was very happy that I was chosen to appear in this drama. I was excited because I had never had the experience of playing a character based on an original work before! I also read the original work, and it was really interesting because there were parts where the voices in my heart were mismatched, and there were parts where I really liked it but couldn't say it, and there were parts that made me nervous.

This time, I'll be playing the role of Ryo Kumagai, who loves Hiroko-senpai, and I'd be happy if you could pay attention to his jealousy towards Ayaka, who appeals to Hiroko-senpai, and his pure personality, which is fun-loving but somehow hard to hate!

My name is Nonoka Kubo and I played the role of Ikumi Kameda.

I was reading the manga before I got the role, so I'm really happy to be able to participate in this work! Ikumi-chan is a natural, but she also has that kind of charm that can be said to be silly at times, so I'd be happy if you could watch it. There are many scenes that will make you laugh, so I'm really looking forward to it! looking forward to!

Kazuya Seto

As I read the original story, I was drawn in more and more by Ayaka-chan's straightforward cuteness and Hiroko-senpai's mature attitude but with various conflicts! As the mother of a lesbian bar where regulars like Hiro-chan gather, I will do my best to create a place where everyone can relax while watching over me warmly!

[midnight-in-town]

Never thought I’d see the day cooking would be used as a power up for exorcism and to further character development :D

Can I also say it’s just so sweet that Osceola’s knowledge (who’s been a strong but secondary character until fairly recently, i love him and his design so much tho) resonates with Rin on such a personal level? 

After all, cooking is the one thing Shiro thought hard about and decided that Rin would study at home with him...

because Rin needed an efficient way to learn how to control his strength. 

Now we reached a point in the story when Rin admits to “having defeated his demon side” and controlling his flame, talking to Yukio about his doubts, and Sensei parallels it in the same chapter with...

...Rin actively learning about the field of talismanic cooking.

Also, I love how, little by little, Sensei highlights how Rin’s objectives have changed throughout the story, because of what he learnt about himself and about the dual world (made of Assiah and Gehenna) that they live in. In shonen series, the hero(es) often have one or several immovable goal(s) to achieve but Rin’s have steadily evolved. He initially wanted to kick Satan’s butt for Shiro’s death, but now...

...he realizes there’s just too much he doesn’t understand to be sure of what he can actually do. 

EDIT: To elaborate, this was foreshadowed way back, during the Kyoto arc, that without understanding of both sides Rin would never become a bridge between Assiah and Gehenna...

...and once more in the Aomori arc...

...but it’s good that he started mentioning these doubts to people around him.

After all, in that alternate future that Mephy saw, Rin became the “demon king”, leader of the demon army, meaning that Rin’s hesitation is worth expanding on, or he’ll choose one side and fight against the other before long and I don’t think this is the answer Kato-sensei is going for. Yukio (with whom he discussed in this chapter) has just always been on the more careful side of things (also he’s like 16 years old) compared to, say, Shura...

...who understands that Rin’s situation has no precedent and that, at some point, Rin has to follow his instinct (still vouching that he’ll have to travel to Gehenna to gain more understanding of the situation but hey, I could be wrong). 

Additionally, Rin also once said, early in the story, that he wanted to become Paladin, because that’s the title Shiro held before dying (and maybe also out of animosity towards Arthur), but reading this chapter, I found myself relieved thinking that Rin’s true calling might finally be upon us. :)) To say nothing of the fact that Paladins are previous Section 13′s Baal clones who are chained to the Order, I think the Paladin title (a very specific position at the top of the Order’s hierarchy) would suit Yukio or Bon more than Rin. 

Great chapter!! :D

[hanafubukki]

Shimazaki-san always talking about how family Diasomnia is, and how his speech kind of implies that they'll still be together no matter the difficulties in Book 7, is truly so Silver of him 😭😭💖💞💓💓 I love the translation too akdflkds forever thinking about "the future is exciting for them so that they can actually have a future TOGETHER" SHIMAZAKI SAN..... 😭😭💖💖💖💖single-handedly feeding us diasofam truthers... we are so loved✨✨😭

manifesting Kazuki Kato and Midorikawa's Live to say some comments approving of Diasofamily too HASDKDSF💞💞💞

LIAAANNN 💞💞💞 THE WAY SHIMAZAKI SAN TALKED ABOUT DIASOMNIA HAD ME SO HAPPY AHHH 💚💚

He loves them so much Lian and the way he reacted and talks about Lilia and Mal?? It had me tear up omg. The fact that he says no matter what happens they’ll always be together! The way he said that they all will have a future together gives me so much hope for Book 7 ending.

Nobunaga Shimazaki san mentioned how Diasomnia is family and how they would work together and have a future together.

You know the way he kind of spoke about book 7 and the hint about Silver’s background? We are definitely getting chapter 5 next month. 😂😂 It’s like, they weren’t even hiding it. They were going, "there will be hardships and you'll learn about theirs pasts as the story goes. Please pay attention to all the bonds formed." and "We don't know what Silver is feeling and the dorm, but you'll learn more about him and everyone more."

But one of my favorite part of the event was how he talked about Malleus and Silver, Nobunaga san says that Malleus did what he did because Malleus was thinking about everyone and he wants to give back to Malleus what he gave to them. He wants to return the favor and this is how he does it.

He also hopes he can come back and talk about the story once the book is finished, so I wonder if they are working on those parts now 👀

I know I'm late but Kazuki Kate and Midorikawa did give us Diasofamily moments ahhhh 😭😭😭

They talked about how Sebek was cute, how proud of Silver they are, and how they wanted a Drago too.

What really got me was how Kazuki Kate thanked Lilia for hatching Malleus 😭 He was so happy he cried when Mal was born. He said that of course Malleus would feel lonely and how it must have hurt to have this secret hidden. He was mad about the senate too. He loves Malleus so so much Lian 😭

The Diasomnia VAs really feeding us these wholesome moments while we wait for book 7 to end and for everyone to be together again.

[tickledpink31]

Have you ever thought of a Phantom of the Opera Au? I recently just watched it

Ah, Phantom of the Opera. I remember my first experience with being the 2005 movie and falling in love, then I fell in love even harder watching the 25th anniversary (Ramin Karimloo is still my number 1), finally a friend and I watched the show live with Chris Mann (he's hilarious btw he made a parody of Music of the Night).

Could you just imagine a Phantom reverse harem-type story. Christine's already busy with Erik and Raoul, why not add more into the mix with Minako? I can think of a few roles for the boys.

Minako is, of course, Christine Daae, the ingenue and rising prima donna. She's got a bit more gumption and assertiveness because, well, she's Minako. She's going to kick someone in the gut at some point with her heels. (Still adore Christine, though. She didn't deserve all that manipulation and torment.)

Malleus feels like he fits the role of Erik/Phantom the most—a lonely, tortured soul who has a talent for music (Malleus canonically plays string instruments. Also, his VA, Kato Kazuki, was in Phantom Black, Japan's own version of Phantom of the Opera)

Hear me out, I think it would be great if Leona was a grumpier version of Raoul. He himself isn't the one sponsoring the Opera house, it's his family and he's forced to attend the performances. I'd say he's closer to Hadley Fraser's Raoul, who is slightly more of an ass (sorry, Hadley. I love your performance, I swear). He only became invested when he was reunited with Minako, his childhood friend.

Riddle could also be a good Raoul too, but I don't see him getting involved in the arts much less fund an opera house. His involvement would probably go as far Trey and Cater taking him to a night at the opera then being enchanted by the new prima donna.

Kalim and Azul are Andre and Firmin respectively, the new managers of the opera house. It fits them so well, Azul being Firmin as the greedier businessman of the two while Kalim being Andre who genuinely loves the arts and is actually invested in how the theatre behind the scenes work.

Vil is either Madame Giry or Carlotta. I can see him being this hardass dance teacher, but him being the prima donna fits him so well too. He was miffed about how strange disasters kept happening as he performed (caused by Malleus) and felt insulted that he was replaced by Minako not even two minutes after he walked out of the performance. He did start seeing Minako in a new light when she offered to be co-leads of the opera house and discovered that they compliment one another based on their own strengths and weaknesses.

Idia is a much shyer Joseph Buquet, a stagehand, and has had many close encounters with the Phantom because of his position being behind the scenes often (don't worry, Malleus won't kill him). Unlike, Joseph though, he doesn't really talk about his Phantom sightings out of fear of being a victim to his punjab lasso... except to Ortho and later on, Minako.

Ace and Deuce are both Meg Giry as background dancers and good friends to Minako. Actually, all the first years could be Meg Giry too as either dancers or stagehands.

If I were to add the rest of Diasomnia to the mix, they would be a mix of Madame Giry and Nadir Khan. They know Malleus the best, but they are enablers at worst. They know how dangerous Malleus can be and tipped off Leona or Riddle on how to successfully beat him and rescue Minako once everything goes to shit.

[ijustkindalikebooks]

Anyone else a Yoongi bias? August has been a long month for the Suga biases in my life, but life indeed does goes on, and the reading is an excellent distraction from the media frenzy about falling off a scooter (cos you know there aren't more important things to discuss right now smh).

I had a goal this year to read 365 books and I suspect I will complete it around the beginning of October going by current reading speeds, of course this depends on some people's view of what reading is, but this month I read novels, novellas, manga and poetry that accumulate to over 30 books and I will be sharing those I loved the most over the last thirty days or so.

The Bloodaxe Book Of Contemporary Poets edited by Jeni Couzyn - A collection of eleven poet, this book covers a good range and though I think it lacks diversity (I mean no Jackie Kay? No Claudia Rankine?) I think this is mainly due to when it's published than anything else. A fantastic array of styles and poetry, I really appreciated reading this while working on the counter in the shop I volunteer in and definitely a collection I need to back and tab as I loved so many entries in this book.

Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato - As this series nears its end (and I feel like it's in the right space to do so at this point) it has really got to a point in the plot that keeps you reading it, I won't deny that. Though I feel the story sometimes well, dawdles I do appreciate the real moments of emotion that appear in this series and the development of Shiemi's story arc within this series. There are things that I find frustrating, but volumes 27/28 were in particular, very very good.

Bloom Into You by Nio Nakatani - I really appreciate the representation in this book from Maki as an aro/ace person as an ace person and of course LGBT stories that do not end in someone dying, that's always great - keep that happening. I do feel there are elements of what the hellery in this book, and I would check on triggers for this as in reflection there seems to be some issues around consent but as the series goes on I feel alot of this is unpacked in the story and makes for a wonderful ending.

The Girl From The Other Side Vol. 6 by Nagabe - I am not going to talk much again about this as we're now at the mid point of the series and if you've not read it then it will be spoilers for you, but this series tells a story I can never ever predict where it's going ever and an art style that is reminiscent of Grimm's Fairy Tales in the best way possible - it's a dark fairy tale told at it's very finest and if you enjoy manga I do highly recommend picking this one up, I trust Seven Seas so much with the series it picks up and decides to share.

Finger Bone by Hiroki Takahashi - A novella about Japanese soldiers fighting in Papa New Guinea, Finger Bone isn't a book you love, it's a book that lays around in your brain and makes you think about it for days. The story of a Japanese soldier relaying the experience of a warzone that for them is sinking into despair, hunger and misery, the ending of this book left me feeling so many things. Named after the bone that doctors remove when a soldier passes away, this was 97 pages of a creeping sense of dread that reminded me of 'All Quiet On The Western Front'.

What have you been reading this month? Do you have any recommendations for me? I always love to hear feedback from you!

Thanks again for reading,

Vee xo.