#i'm in love of fubuki's character as a whole

[themisterhip]

Who wants Fubuki's boobs when we have Saitama's pecs

You understand me bro (*◑∇◑)☞☜(◐∇◐*) *WE GOT THE BESTTTT OF BOTH WORLDSSSSS!!!*

[wreckingtickles]

Shoto Todoroki (mha) Headcanons

Having been raised apart from his siblings and his father being what he was, Todoroki's only memories of tickling as a child are tied to his mother; but after she was driven to the brink and hospitalized (how the fuck the author decided that the system that made Endeavor no. 2 was fine at some point after the Stain arc and that no charges should be pressed will forever baffle me), young Todoroki was cut off from that form of affection, among many others.

So when he was reintroduced to it by his classmates, everyone was surprised by his reaction, including Todoroki himself: not only is he very ticklish, he is completely unprepared when it cones to dealing with the sensation, and unable to stifle his reaction in the slightest: when he tries, he closes his eyes, giggles, and squirms in place, but the adorable display tends to be short-lived. His laughter is every bit as adorable as Izuku's, and unlike the latter's, it almost seems completely genuine, like he's just that happy, even though tickling can feel like torture to him.

It goes without saying that the first to tickle him was Kirishima, breaking down that physical barrier and confusing Todoroki quite a bit - is it torturous, or does it make him feel giddy? Izuku would be next, and even Shoji on one occasion after a massage; and after he started getting close to Bakugo, the two did clash ticklishly a couple of times. Tickling also ended up playing a part in his attempts to reconnect with his siblings, Fubuki and especially Natsuo in particular - defeating the golden child with tickles really made him feel like a big brother.

But unlike most of his male classmates, the other main exception being Midoriya, Todoroki is quite the popular lee with the girls as well, who love seeing the stoic, handsome boy giggle, attention that would end up eliciting the envy of Kaminari and Monoma.

But as surprised as everyone when he was revealed to be a viable lee, the few who have witnessed him as a ler were downright shocked. Initially, as expected, he didn't have a clue what to do, but with pointers from Kirishima, and a few from Izuku and even Bakugo, he became an absolute menace to those three, learning their most vulnerable spots and targeting them without holding back, having no compunction about summining ice restraints if he feels like it or driving his lees to their limit. And with his attitude seeming so dispassionate even as he mines their worst spots for hysteria, he flusters his three lees to no end, but even more so once he starts to remark on what he's doing and how they're reacting in that matter-of-fact manner of his.

Kirishima might be his most frequent lee since he'll just ask for it, but his favorite is no doubt Izuku: I see Todoroki as a homoromantic ace (and as an aside, the character I could most easily see as transmasc), and that he'd catch feelings for Izuku feels inevitable. So the poor greenette might have ended up laughing a whole lot as part of Todoroki's attempts at skinship.

Oof, that was a lot. Onto his worst spots!

As you can see, I'm keeping them SFW (much like his Auction chapter), but each spot also has two ratings, because his left and right sides are ticklish in different ways. His left side is generally more ticklish than the right, with one very notable exception. Kirishima probably didn't notice this split at first, this feels more like something Izuku would get curious about, and Bakugo would later wind up exploiting lol While his total isn't that high as a result, a tickler who knows what he's doing that targets his weaker spots will break him in no time, and Todoroki's low stamina is felt all the more in a ticklish setting.

Oh, Todoroki has the misfortune of being feather-ticklish, though not as much as Midoriya, but an easy way to break him is temperature play: ice cubes on his left side and, well, lickles and roasting on the right just destroy him.

Smiling (4.5-5.5): Todoroki's chest and B-side aren't very ticklish, but still somewhat responsive to feather-like tickling.

Giggling (6-7): Todoroki's ears, neck, and thighs are giggle-worthy, as is his left hip (curiously less sensitive than the right) and his right underarm (much less sensitive than the left). The way he scrunches up his nose when his ears or neck are tickled make them most of the girls' favorite spots.

Laughing (7.5-8.5): Todoroki's midsection is very ticklish and yields consistent results whether you're tickling the left side or the right - but his lers are likely to be doing both at the same time if they're there. These happen to be the least feather-sensitive areas on his body.

Howling (9-10): These spots absolutely wreck Todoroki, he can't handle having them tickled, and they're the only target that immediately cause Todoroki to look like he's being tortured (which is generally what the lers targeting them want, whether they're Natsuo, Bakugo, or particularly mean Kiri and Izuku). Interestingly, his right side breaks the pattern of his right... side being less sensitive, as it's his second most ticklish spot overall, only trumped by his right foot. Also, each red spot is the favorite of one of his most frequent ticklers: Kirishima is more likely to linger on his armpits, Izuku on his sides (though, having mapped out his most ticklish spots, he is fond of mixing and matching when Todoroki needs skinship), and Bakugo on his feet (definitely NOT because targeting them makes him feel better about his own super ticklish tootsies); Natsuo will hit anything within reach.

[gofancyninjaworld]

The OPM Manga in 2023

By the numbers:

23 updates (most 14 days apart, shortest interval: 9 days, longest: 33 days).

662 pages (range 12 - 41 pages, mean page count: 29 pages).

Volumes published: 2 (Volumes 28 and 29). 1 bonus chapter included in Volume 28 -- Olfaction.

By the story:

Psychics and Temper Tantrums (chapters 176 - 184)

Well, the Monster Association is behind us but the fallout from it is slowly beginning to settle. Most of the heroes are now back at work and some of the consequences of a world that's increasingly scared of monster attacks are beginning to show up. The first quarter of the year was taken up with Tatsumaki's temper tantrum -- and Saitama once again daring a strong person to do their worst -- it's like he didn't learn his lesson with Garou, which disappoints me. [I love Saitama, but when brains were being handed out, he was not at the front of the queue.]

That said, even though I did not care one whit for Tatsumaki throwing Saitama around (it wasn't terrible, but really it could have been condensed into 1-2 chapters), the start of the Psychic Sisters arc was fantastic, and its ending was very interesting. I made a nuisance of myself at the start of it, pestering everyone in earshot with my excitement that Tatsumaki was taking Fubuki into her confidence to try getting Psykos out rather than trying to do everything herself.

Her complex feelings of disappointment, betrayal, and the sense that she'd made a mistake were some of the most complex and nuanced we'd seen in the story. She may be paranoid and misanthropic, but she's not crazy: there's a basis for her actions, and being knocked back just when she'd taken the risk of opening up was harsh. Unfortunately, Tatsumaki's default response is rage.. and I'm not going to waste time on recounting what happened then.

I felt pain for her here.

The end as well, expanding as it did on Tatsumaki's thoughts about how she'd accidentally woken Fubuki's psychic powers by scaring her so badly and the guilt she felt at having made her sister a target, was great. Her feelings about Blast are great, as this is the first time we get what she actually thinks of him. I still want her to learn that Blast doesn't work alone -- it'll blow her mind. The session ending with her giving the Fubuki group a chance to grow stronger and prove themselves is a fantastic development.

Even when she's giving someone a chance she still has to be scary.

Schemes (chapters 184, 187 - 191)

I really love how seamlessly the Psychic Sister arc flows into the next big theme: that of schemes and threats to the Hero Association's future. ONE has done a lot of work reworking the webcomic story so that the storyline is a coherent whole rather than two-three apparently unrelated storylines. Fubuki taking advantage of the chaotic aftermath to extract Psykos while securing immunity for her sister, and Tatsumaki brazenly using the HA's need to keep the rich clients sweet to scupper an investigation into Psykos's whereabouts was all clever. However, they're just amateurs and their antics played beautifully into McCoy's hands, who leveraged the crisis to make himself appear indispensible to the HA, thus making it very hard for him to be removed, even as he works to implicate the Hero Association in scandals (many of which he's running).

You can't call McCoy hasty: this guy has played a good long game.

The Hero Association is already having issues recruiting new heroes as they're going to Neo Heroes, which is also pinching existing heroes. However, it's not 100% going McCoy's way. Something I started praising in my review of chapter 173 is the greater self-efficacy of the characters in the manga. Sekingar and Sicchi haven't just been sitting on their hands watching McCoy sell the HA down the river. They've teamed up with Child Emperor to find out what he's really up to.

I think that this is the best cover of 2023: a collection of individuals who embody heroism, whether or not they're recognised as such or work in 'regular' ways. Well, there's one impostor…

Critically, they're not assuming that the Neo Heroes are necessarily evil: they want to understand what this outfit is actually doing. After all, heroism is heroism, no matter what guise it takes. To see that Sekingar has so earned Metal Bat's respect that the latter follows him into the heart of danger did my heart good [1].

Please, my poor heart, it'll burst if things get much more awesome.

Ninjas, Ninnies, Nintendos (193 - 199, ongoing)

That Blast has some connection to the ninjas from Sonic's Ninja Village has been clear for a long time in the webcomic. [2] However, it is only here in the manga that we're getting a full explanation of what that connection is.

Yes, yes, my partner may be a monster but he's a useful monster.

The intertwined story of Blast and his attempts to reach his former partner, Empty Void, who was also running a horrifying 'school' for grooming boys into assassins, and that of Flashy Flash and Speed o' Sound Sonic isn't done yet, but it looks to be reaching at least one turning point. It's a pity that the fan translators stopped translating the cover text because that for chapter 199 was incredibly pertinent: 'Staring at the back of a friend you used to stand shoulder to shoulder with.' Sonic has so much to process.

And like that, Sonic's world has been turned upside down.

Since Blast has an ongoing relationship with Empty Void, we get troubling questions as to how long Blast had known about the Village and whether he disapproved, or had been content to ignore it as long as he had his partner by his side and found his talents indispensible. It's going to be interesting when those two meet! Also, if Blast is hoping to reverse Empty Void's monsterization, he'd better hope that the guy isn't like most people who became monsters. Most ex-human monsters *want* to be that way and there doesn't seem to be a good way to undo it. Well, maybe if you chop them up, have Phoenixman (oops, he seems to have lost his powers) resurrect them, then shock them incredibly hard, that might work. It's unlikely that anyone present can deduce what happened to Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame, much less put all the working parts of that together.

Still, they're going to try. This *is* going to be interesting. Also, potentially heartbreaking.

Reappearances

Genos: the disciple returns to his duty

Unlike the webcomic, Genos has not been completely absent. He's been quite busy: helping Saitama recover their apartment, meeting the Hero Association to discuss important matters, and also, hanging out with Saitama as a friend rather than as a disciple. It's been fun to see that he's finally ditched his flip phone for a smart one, heheh.

Nevertheless, it's not until Dr Kuseno finishes his new upgrade that Genos sets foot in Saitama's house, formally reporting for duty, so to speak. I praise Saitama's self-discipline and good sense in not breaking eye contact and in politely ignoring his disciple's new-found exhibitionism until he had the sense to put a shirt on [3].

Less positive, it's been painful to see that Genos is frustrated at how he doesn't seem to have grasped the kind of growth he's looking for and is unsure whether Saitama truly sees him. It's not been helped by Saitama trying to reassure him, pulling his best 'Reigen' face and instead made everything worse. There are two interesting shames, which will surely be built on at some point. 1: We see Saitama seeing Genos's strength but he doesn't say anything. 2: Genos is right that the strength that comes from within is different from that granted to one by upgrades. We see in another chapter from Nichirin, that having artificial parts is no hindrance to pulling out that great inner strength. The funny thing is that Genos has shown that kind of strength before, when he was fighting Elder Centipede, but he doesn't know it.

Ah, despite everything, those fools are no better at speaking to each other than they were before! It'd be hilarious if it weren't so tragic.

Rarely have the words 'open your mouth and solve your problems' been more apposite. Sadly, that's exactly what they don't do.

Garou: the other disciple tries to learn duty

Now this really threw a lot of fans for a loop -- ONE making clear that he's aware of how young Garou actually is. It was very easy to read Garou as a guy in his early twenties, but strip away the pretensions and he's really young. His over-simple understanding of what was wrong with the world and his over-large sense of responsibility to fix it are thoughts of a teen. It's just a good thing that teenagers don't have world-shattering power, and so can be extreme and wrong without hurting anyone. But it has really jarred with a lot of fans.

I may be giving Bang the side eye as he implements his idea of reformation (apparently, it involves hitting Garou over the head often), but the sense of lightness Garou feels at having a reliable mentor, the relief he undoubtedly feels at having a way to work his crimes off -- being a social outcast may seem cool in a 'reject-the-corrupt-world' way but it gets old fast -- and being able to contribute meaningfully to the dojo's re-establishment is palpable.

His life is sure to start sucking again soon, but for now, it's a joy to see him.

Let him gambol for now. Go Garou!

King: ugh

Sorry, King just irritates me some days and this was one of them. Not because he was running around trying to find someone who could help him: that was fine. But because, unlike the webcomic, once Saitama told him to work out, he's continuing to stick around and play videogames. In a world where everyone is trying their best to make sense of their world and help themselves in some way, however imperfect, the sight of this poster child for mediocre white men overpromoted for looking the part continuing to laze about just pisses me off.

Let him start helping himself and I will praise him.

He's been told what to do but he's not doing it.

GAY!

This year, ONE said: here, my children, I have brought you a pint of homo milk. Drink. What else are we to make of Fubuki triumphantly cradling Psykos as she makes a clean getaway?

This has to be the smuggest 'got the girl' face I've ever seen.

Or Blast continuing to call Empty Void his partner, despite everything that the guy has done, including turning into a monster? He wants him back so badly, and though he says it's strictly professional interest, we think the man doth protest too much.

And then whatever's going on with these two:

Flashy Flash, you ain't got no business calling Blast soft when you're handing Sonic tissues and smiling at him.

Fandom Follies

Do we need to do this? Yup! This year, we discovered that a lot of dudebros who have been against the idea of romance in OPM have just been shippers afraid to come out and own it. The sheer number of Saitama x Tatsumaki fans has been incredible. Nothing wrong with SaiTatsu but the obnoxiousness of fans new to shipping has been hard to tolerate. Learn some manners, folks!

Asides

[1] I think this is great foreshadowing of something Forte says later in the webcomic to paraphrase, risking your life for another hero is something you do as a favour for a friend, not because someone's declared themselves the boss of you and ordered it. It's nice to see Sekingar embodying that ideal.

[2] It's hard to believe it, but to this day (chapter 149), Blast is not yet seen in the webcomic. At this rate, he'll show up at the very end to get jobbed by God (no ID), but not before giving an over-long exposition about what he's been up to. That is, if he's not already dead, only nobody knows yet.

[3] I can see SaiGenos shippers worried that my saying that it's good that Saitama isn't taking Genos up on his obvious attraction means that I might be disapproving of the ship. That is not the case. I'm going to assume that most of us here are old enough to vote, enter into contracts, and pay taxes and so can think of things with nuance and context. A fandom that needs the reassurance of canon to decide what's permissible is a weak, timid, and pallid imitation of one, and one I want no part of. For certain, we're here to discuss the story as it exists, but please, we're also here to consider and explore scenarios and make works that cannot and often should not exist in the canon because they are FUN. Even more pertinent, ONE is on record as LOVING that fans spend their time and creativity doing things with his stories. So please, don't allow any in-universe discussions on what is helpful or unhelpful in the story affect what you draw and write! PLEASE SHIP! Gimme!

[sagethefruity]

Things I don't like about One Punch Man characters

Genos: He's (in my opinion) too trusting, like really, when he met Saitama he immediately trusted him and wanted to be his disciple and he believes almost everything he says. I think this will come into play later in the series but I'm not sure.

Saitama: pure incarnation of sloth and lacks some braincells. (I love him tho)

Fubuki: when we first met her she was insecure and quite a bit of a bully, but over time she has grown and matured and I respect her because of that. Tried to Bully Saitama into her gang. and then whined to him after the whole Sonic vs Genos thing.

King: as a person with anxiety I understand the whole accidentally-lying-and-not-being-able-to-take-it-back thing but it'll bite him in the ass someday. He also lets Saitama break his video game controllers and doesn't say anything.

Puri puri prisoner: DELUSIONAL

Tatsukami (idk if I spelled her name right): overprotective and bratty. Very prideful and has very little people skill, like her sister, she's matured and grown and I hope she has a good relationship with her sister in the future.

Sonic: also delusional, but he's getting better and we love him.

Mumen Rider: For the love of God please stop getting hurt we love you.

Please feel free to reblog to correct/add your opinion.

[rindragon-from-twewy]

Lol ok so I've had the mdarc dlcs for a while but I've only just now found the time/motivation to play them. I binged them all in one go and ig I just wanna talk about my opinions on each one a bit (I have nobody irl to talk to about it so I figured posting is a good enough substitute lol) It's a long read tho so buckle up!

Spoilers for all of them below the cut. And feel free to comment/rebog with your own opinions too cuz I wanna hear now that I know the full context for them all!!! <3

Desuhiko's; Someone take this man to rehab for recovering cringefails, he needs help. While I love him, having him in the protag position honestly made my skin crawl a little. He's built to only be a funny side character imo. Enyne's obviously a lesbian and also my girlfriend now I'll have you know- that's why she rejected the proposal cuz she's already married to meeeee! /j ... But also I'm just a sucker for the detective x thief trope and for that reason I can't pretend that Desuhiko was completely dumb for proposing like that- you'll find a girl (or guy) who's into cringefail losers eventually my dude. Honestly if I had to change one thing about it (besides the constant second hand embarrassment enducing dialog-) would've been cool to see him interacting with the phantom thief before his elaborate plan to catch them started. But that could just be my oumasai brainrot talking.

Fubuki's; BABY GIRL BABBYYYYY!!!! Why didn't she get much focus??? Halara and Desuhiko did basically everything- they stole her spotlight :(! She totally could've figured it all out on her own if she'd found the dice herself, I'm sure!!! She didn't need anyone reminding her of her own powers nor did she need Desuhiko to accompany her to see the fortune teller! She's not an idiot, the others just don't give her a proper chance to prove it! It was an interesting mystery though. I loved seeing the trio interacting more without Yuma around. I'm guessing all bar the Yakou dlcs take place before Yuma's arrival? Slay. Also, also the fact that she took an interest in card games afterwards??? And she's so good at them that she doesn't need her forte to win?! She's so precious! I need to give her a hug! TwT

Halara's; This case what honestly easier to solve then chapter 3's but also... damn I can't believe Halara kicked Kinger from The Amazing Digital Circus in the face like that. I can't tell if he was referring to Halara or his fiance when he said "I can kill the woman anytime" but I feel like Halara kicked him extra hard for misgendering and/or demeaning his own fiance like that, depending on which it actually was. Either way it was hot as fuck. (Yeah I've been a Halara simp this whole time, now that's a lore reveal!) I loved how Halara agreed to the job even thought they knew they couldn't accept the "we can keep a cat here" payment- it means that Yakou probably found out about their affections towards cats before Yuma did! That's cute- to think they think they're so on the down low about it but it's just so obvious! I wish the culprit wasn't so obvious but oh well- these cases aren't meant to be difficult after all!

Vivia's: EMOOOOOOOOOO!!!! SEND HIM TO EMO JAIIIILLLLL!!!! DERPESSED EMOOOOOO BASTAAAAAARD!!!! <3<3<3<3<3<3 Still though- this doesn't change my mind about being neutral about the Vivia/Yakou ship. I tolerate it, live in harmony with it... I just don't see their dynamic as inherently romantic? But I get where the shippers are coming from now at the very least. I could maybe see them as queer-platonic? But that's all besides the point ig... Ryo's also much sweeter then I thought she'd be. It's interesting to think that Vivia can always see and hear ghosts. Creates a sort of chicken and egg situation. What came first? His Spectral Projection or his ability to see ghosts. Kinda reminds me of this British drama series called Ghosts - the protag has a near death experience and can see the ghosts haunting her house from then on - so I wonder if something similar happened to Vivia to trigger all this in him. Still... nice to hear a character saying that they rely on protagonists of stories they like to get enjoyment. I think a lot of people can relate to that... :>

Yakou's: ... :,( ... Why would you do that to me? Why??? It was so sad!!! Also they just photoshopped his sprite to have a green coat and no glasses that's so funny to me- Also also his wife's thiccc- 10/10 would also murder for her also tbh. Ok but in all seriousness- why couldn't they name drop her??? I feel so awkward having to give her a made up name in my own au cuz it's like what if they do eventually drop it in the future??? Like come on people, most of the other dlcs had named characters (minus Fubuki's)!!! I adore how Yakou's flashbacks were for other dlcs tho- like that's so fucking adorable. Someone really aught to move the zombies to better living conditions though- like I'm sure they could find somewhere that isn't dilapidated so they could be more comfortable. The zombies obviously have some level of consciousness remaining and I'm sure they'd all appreciate it :(!

[loremaster]

the premise of rain code band au

so you have context for whatever i end up drawing for it

so yakou started out in a band with yomi and friends (probably like. seth and dominic... no martina yet), he was the guitarist and yomi was the singer... they definitely dated though neither of them would ever admit to it now

but yomi of course is an asshole with a big ego that keeps getting worse, yakou puts up with it until he meets his (future) wife who convinces him to stand up for himself. yomi of course does not take it well, invites martina into the band and starts dating her instead. yakou gets ostracized by the rest of the group and quits the band, settles down, gets married.

she isn't a musician but she's still got a beautiful singing voice. she loves to sing along to his guitar playing. but eventually she dies (probably due to medical malpractice. fucking huesca) and yakou gets so depressed he doesn't touch his guitar again for years

meanwhile the whole world is obsessed with famous pop idol SHINIGAMI!!!!!! despite (or because of?) her abrasive personality she has tons of die-hard fans... but nobody knows anything about her personal life. she's a total mystery off the stage!

shinigami's success is really due to yuma and makoto (twins??? idk). makoto is her pr manager who handles her public image and her schedule; yuma is her creative director and songwriter, the genius behind her catchy tunes.

yuma is very competent at his job but is not enjoying his life. he feels immense responsibility for her success, and overworks himself so shinigami can keep topping the charts. he's not much fun to be around, and doesn't trust anyone else with his duties. shinigami and makoto conspire against him for his own sake, and fire him - or at least, send him on an indefinite leave. shinigami says his songs are shit. he takes her seriously.

yuma is moping down the streets when he meets yakou, also down on his luck... yakou takes pity on the kid and gives him a place to stay. he has no idea who yuma really is, and yuma doesn't tell him - mostly because of the shame of being fired. so yakou treats him like an unpaid intern.

somehow yuma ends up inspiring yakou to pick up his guitar again... which inspires yakou to put out a flyer for band auditions. he's not expecting any responses, but halara, desuhiko, fubuki, and vivia show up and he's impressed with all four of them!!! NOW THEY'RE A BAND!!!!

but... they start out as a cover band because they have no original songs. (desuhiko tries to write original songs. they are very bad.) yuma wants to help but he doesn't want to make himself a big deal... so he ends up sneakily slipping a song he's anonymously written under the studio door for yakou to find. the song is great... but the other band members can't seem to get the hang of it.

from then on the story would take more of an episodic nature, where yuma gets to know each of the band members' idiosyncrasies and learn how to write music (still anonymously) that fits their style. (i'd actually imagine the audience wouldn't know yuma's deal yet either, that'd be like... an end of the season reveal. i guess i'm imagining this as an anime huh) and in spending time with each of them he gets to actually befriend them as well and invigorate their passion for the band and willingness to work together. each time they'd get a cool new song that has a cool new solo for the focus character/instrument of each... episode? yeah

i'm going to post more about what those individual character based adventures will be later (feel free to supplement with your own ideas)

for now i am tired good night

[play-on-skinners-box]

Others have already been furrying the Raincode characters and doing a phenomenal job, but when I would peruse Danganrompa fanart I really liked seeing different and wildly varying interpretations for the characters' animal choices and now it is my turn, my GOD GIVEN DUTY TO PROVIDE IN THE GENISIS OF THE RAINCODE FANDOM, FOR THE HONOR OF THOSE WHO HAVE COME BEFORE ME.

For all of them I used their pose from the artbook renders. I'll say it's to keep them recognizable but that is actually a lie I'm just lazy.

Secretary Bird Halara:

Halara I did first and they were the one I was most jazzed to do because I love them dearly. I made them a secretary bird and I think it's a PERFECT fit. Ahem allow me to rattle off. Secretary birds are birds, so doomed by the narrative to have to stay away from cats, they are predatory birds and of course Halara would be at the top of the food chain. Speaking of predetory birds, secretary birds are known for their ability TO KICK VENOUMOUS SNAKES TO DEATH, AND THATS JUST TOO GOOD A FIT. They also have plumage that I could easily shape into Halara's kinda smooth swoopy hairstyle, and face markings that could be sort of representative of their glasses! I think the drawing for them is probably the weakest out of the group just because as I went along I improved and started to translate the human designs in less one to one ways, plus the pose Halara has in the artbook doesn't fit perfectly to the really big wing hand things. I still enjoyed making it because H A L A R A N I G H T M A R E but I'm honestly kinda sad at how lackluster it is compared to Fubuki and Viva who got the most interesting details and texture work. NEVER DO YOUR FAVORITE FIRST IT'S A TRAP.

Guinea Pig Desuhiko:

With Desuhiko I was going back and fourth between a few rodents, I just think he kinda looks like one and already had those pikachu cheeks. My first scetch made him a hamster, and while it DID look like him, it felt a little too... Indistinct. Desuhiko's probably my favorite design in the cast just because he looks so distinctive and has a short stocky bodytype I really really love and makes my character designer brain happy, so I swapped hamster for guinea pig. While the guinea pig face doesn't look like him quite as much as the hamster, they are very interesting and distinctive looking which I loved a lot more even with a bit of accuracy sacrificed if that makes sense. Also there are Guinea pigs with spikey wild fur that make it so I could just kinda give him his actual hair and still have it make sense. Guinea pigs are also the perfect size and shape to be thrown like a large softball and out of all the Master Detectives Desuhiko looks like he'd be the most sadisfying to chuck across a room.

Fish Fubuki:

Fubuki was really hard just because it's difficult to anthropomorphize a fish in the same way as a mammal or a avian cause of their structure. She might look a biitttt more like a fantasy creature inspired by a fish than just a fish but she's charming enough I don't completely mind. I got some SOLID advice and looked at some Splatoon NPCs characteristics to try and make her more appealing. So why fish? I got it as a suggestion that I ended up really liking because fish are notorious for their bad memory, live in tanks their whole lives(Fubuki is the definition of sheltered), and they have fins to mimic the shape of Fubukis cloak and hair. I used beta fish for reference, they don't really fit her but just being a fish was good enough for me and at that point I was prioritizing looks. She doesn't even really look like any specific species like the other three to be honest. She's defiantly the outlier of the group but that's fine, she can be special in her own unique way like always. Got a little lazy with making the hair look all that fin-like, but it's kinda the main event of her human design so I wanted to keep it as true to that as possible but looking at it now I think its tooooo copy and paste looking. Her furry design IS my brothers favorite out of the batch so that's gotta count for something!

Flying Fox Bat Vivia:

The vampire looking man was always gonna be a bat, I am but a slave to the whims of fate. I made him specifically a flying fox because they're the largest bat species and therefore can loom ominously. Vampire bat would have been fun too, but they have more of a squished bastard energy that doesn't really fit Vivia. Bats also are known for their weird sleeping habits, ala upside. Viva isn't sleeping upside down or anything like that but he DOES snooze in some weird places so I think comparing him to a bat in multiple aspects is very apt! His drawing and animal design is probably my favorite, I really like the wings, and the bat feet are super weird I loved doing those. I did have trouble incorperating his hair, flying foxes have pretty smooth heads, but they do have sort of a mane thing going on so I tried to put some of his hair texture and shape there instead. Sorry I did not give him is edgy edgy hair cut, I too love it very much but it was simply not to be. I did try to mimic it's vibe with the patterning on his head though, an illusion of his bangs.

I'm very happy with this lineup overall, they're some neat little designs if I do say so myself! I might do more but I have the chronic problem of not being able to sit still for a long time to do a BUNTCH of guys again(though for the record I would make Seth the most delightfully storm drain gutter looking creature). I also kinda wanna do Makoto and Yuma cause someone suggested a REALLY good idea for them, but the concept for Makoto with this idea would be more of an involved design that I wouldn't be able to use all of his normal outfit for so it'd probably take longer than average.

TLDR: Furries amiright?

[yakool-foolio]

see maybe this is just me, but As A Character Designer Myself i think the rain code designs are some of komatzuzaki's best work yet. they're weird and campy and yet they work so well. i do think the characters' personalities shine through on first and second glances. I don't even usually like neon colors but I think the combo of bright neons with understated neutrals is so fascinating and memorable. no one else does it like this. a lot of the small details on the designs are actually packed with symbolic meaning (esp. yakou's - I'd love to see you unpack all that) and the overabundance of logos is evocative of the corpo-cyber-future setting. the rain code designs feel much more cohesive in terms of that setting than the DR designs do - which makes sense bc DR is more about disparate people being united by their circumstances - dialed to 11 in v3 where the designs are at their wackiest. but this ain't about her this is about rain code.

I love that characters you wouldn't expect (zange, fubuki, priest...) have weird facial piercings and tattoos. I love that the animal ears are never explained. I love desuhiko's tboy swag and yeah, the golden yellow and the dirty blonde and the neon yellow accents don't look great together - and I think the clashing colors work wonders to establish his personality. this kid dressed himself and thought it would make him look cool. you idiot. aphex's hat is stupid. zilch's ears are stupid. vivia's bandages-instead-of-clothes are stupid - and yet reading into that choice is very insightful. (he puts on a lazy air but if he was really lazy he'd just put on an oversized emo band tee instead of wrapping himself up like a mummy every day. he actually does care about how he comes across to people.)

there's a few videos about fashion YouTubers judging the DR fits, and at one point they brought in Yuma and shinigami and they hated yuma's outfit so much because it's dorky and they wouldn't wear it. but like!!! that's the whole point is that it's dorky!!!! his little trainee shorts. his stupid fkin bowl cut making him look like a little boy whose mom still cuts his hair. (which of course turns out to be a meaningful deception. his haircut influences how the audience and other characters see him to great effect.) and yet he has the coolest fkin shoes ever and when he puts his hat and cape on he's got such an iconic silhouette. teru teru bozu lookin ass /pos.

anyway yeah. i wasnt a fan of komatzuzaki's designs in the beginning but over the years ive come around. I'm a firm designer that a character design doesn't necessarily have to look good to be a good character design. I like it when they aren't afraid to make the characters look cringe - I love cringe. I eat it up. thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

Even more perspectives! I think your take of 'bad-looking designs can be good actually' is a great way to look at Rain Code's characters. To put it simply, it's unique! 'Nobody does it like Komatsuzaki'-kind of campiness. Honestly, Rain Code's designs remind me a lot of Danganronpa 2's designs in terms of color. That cast is full of much brighter colors compared to the lesser saturation of DR1 n V3's cast colors. And it makes sense cause it's a brighter game overall in terms of setting and upping the ridiculousness of the killing game in every way! Rain Code sorta follows that with its own designs by crankin' up the neons to really ride the idea home that this game is wacky right from the get-go and it's a Resident Evil game in disguise! And y'know what Resident Evil loves to indulge in? Campiness! Rain Code wears its inspirations on its sleeve, and that's totally chill.

As a sidenote to your sidenote regarding Yakou's clothing details, I have actually written a bit about how he might perceive them, but I haven't yet written about what they could truly mean in terms of how they relate to him narratively. The meaning of the phoenix patterns are painfully obvious though heh. And I also greatly appreciate the recognition that Vivia really does care about his appearance despite his 'laziness'. His hedonistic lifestyle includes his own attire, wearing whatever he pleases no matter the effort! Like I've preached before, Vivia has the energy, he just prefers to use it only when necessary.

Thank you for the TED talk *golf claps*

[cupideya1314]

KokoBolt/YumaHiko La La Land AU

Hello, I was able to write down my ideas for this AU and finally got a good grasp as to what I want it to be So please enjoy hahaha

"Kanai Ward, the city of unending rain and unending stardom. Desuhiko is an ambitious musician wanting to be the city’s next big superstar, a dream he only realized during his time as the security guard of the popular Sun & Moon Hotel. After work hours is when he gets to actually feel the sense of being the musician he ought to be. With his trusty guitar on hand and charismatic aura, he sets his stage at Ginma District where plenty of aspiring artists perform.

Not only is Kanai Ward raining with stars, but it’s also drenched in criminal activity. Yuma Kokohead, a determined detective in training under Kanai Ward’s WDO division, strives to graduate from training to be an official WDO Detective. However, that dream is out of reach now after an incident with one of the cases he handled, caused him to get held back on his licensing. Now having to repeat his training process, Yuma works day and night to compensate the incident with the smaller-scale cases he’s been given. The only solace within his messy career life is writing and getting gigs at the Sun & Moon Hotel as a pianist.

Yuma and Desuhiko first crossed paths when Desuhiko was covering for his co-worker for the evening shift. Desuhiko sees an anxious Yuma and helped with overcome the nervousness of performing for that night. The two met again at a stakeout, where Yuma spotted Desuhiko singing near a bar, but never saw him again. Those chance encounters left both of them mesmerized with one another, but sadly never got the chance to connect.

When a suspected crime happened at the Sun & Moon Hotel, Yuma and Desuhiko saw each other again and became friends as the investigation goes on. After the investigation, Yuma invites Desuhiko to play alongside him during his gigs at the Hotel.

They both start to have feelings for each other but when a talent agent recruits Yuma to work for music sessions, their relationship starts to slip. Yuma quits his detective training to work as a pianist for different artists just so he can get connections for Desuhiko. Even when Desuhiko is getting more gigs at performance houses, he struggles with insecurities about being compared to Yuma."

Commentary: I really wanted to stick with the plotline of La La Land, I even had to watch the movie again. And man I just fell in love all over again and made screencap fanart out of watching it. But to not spoil too much. The story is about Mia and Sebastian, two people with big dreams who fell in love with each other. During their relationship they both struggling to achieve those dreams. That's what clicked for me to make this AU and how the songs mostly fits with Desuhiko's character or my interpretation of his character. In my head, Desuhiko is taking after Mia's character from the movie and Yuma as Sebastian. Though, I stick by them as being detectives, mostly for Yuma since being a detective is part of his character as a whole. Like I see how passionate he is to be a Detetctive even when it's a hard job. As much as I want Desuhiko to be a detective too, I thought he can be a security guard instead since he mentioned something similar to his Gumshoe Gab. And on the side, he go busking (I'm really making him be that aspiring artist trope thing). So it felt right I mostly focused on YumaHiko, so the other characters (as much as I love them) will be incorporate to the AU another time, I already have a role for Shinigami as Yuma's big sister that he calls since he's living on his own in Kanai Ward (which i find really really cute for their dynamic). I have a role for Halara and Fubuki too but it's not as established yet. But yeah, this AU is just for shipping purposes and my own indulgence hahah

Ofc, like the other people that like Desuhiko, I wanna add in his underlying insecurities here HAHAH. That's the Cherry on top for me of this AU, I just want them to have that angst. I feel Desuhiko is pretty out of character here, cuz he's mostly know as the perverted character but like, this is my AU, I'm gonna pretend that he doesn't have that lol. Yuma on the other hand is pretty much the same, but I made him have the talent of playing the piano and writing poetry. I didn't elaborate it as much yet but I have this picture of them. Desuhiko plays the tune of "City of Stars" and Yuma is the one who wrote the lyrics of that tune for Desuhiko as a means to sing that song someday. AAAAAAA I CANTTTTT So anyways, I followed the storyline of La La Land but added in some stuff from Raincode, like how it always rains, there's still mysterious crimes, the Aetheria Academy and its theatre, the Ametarasu corp and etc. I'm also refraining on revealing all I did for their story in this AU cuz I do plan on making this as a written work someday. So for now, I'm sharing the ideas I had about it That's all for now. Expect more cuz I'm making this my own project for this year heheh. I hope I get this finished because It's really driving my brain to do more and all I wanna do is make this a reality for myself. So thanks for even considering reading this big ramble of my obsession over them fldjfdjf please enjoy the fanart because thats the best part for me. will be posting the ones without the screenshots later on.

[krakenshaped]

Tag force posting again, finished Asuka's route. Rambles below:

This route was highkey so fucking funny. The first 3 events are the same for every character but her 4 heart event is her and Hat-kun being jumped by Momoe and Junko. These girls istg they spend the entire anime trying to get Asuka to date someone but when they assume Asuka is dating the protag, they jump him because they don't think he's good enough for dearest Asurin. You get a REALLY strong sense for Junko's love for Asuka in tag force because like. When you talk to her she's like "You better not be causing problems for Alexis!!!" plus she's the first character to comfort Asuka during her ending. You kinda get the vibe that the two are closer friends with each other than they are with Momoe oddly enough but I might be reading into it too much.

Also she calls the protag a pervert (lmfao you KNOW 4kids was not involved in this translation)

Speaking of which the translation is so interesting. It's like a strange mix of dub and sub probably because of the translation team. I don't know if it's different from the anime translation team or what but there's so many bits you're like oho i see what that is. Like Manjoume calling Asuka "Rhodes" consistently - feeling kinda like his sub Tenjouin-kun in comparison to his dub pet name, Lexi. Although on the other hand, dub character quirks still pop up like Kenzan's weird army talk and Judai's goofy little catchphrases (sweetness, the hero always wins in the end, etc).

The 5th event follows Manjoume and Fubuki trying to cheer Asuka up after Momoe and Junko go missing after their event duel. This is covered up by Manjoume claiming he's going to win Lexi's heart from Hat-kun while Fubuki insists they form a brother-sister tag duel together. Shout out to Manjoume losing 20 manly points during this dialogue. I adore Fubuki and Manjoume's silly hijinks. At the end of the event they reveal they were trying to cheer Asuka up, but in the end they go missing too.

Honestly it's just. So. Sad. Throughout her route Asuka seems to have such an air of sadness around her. Her bio kinda suggests there's a lot on her mind she doesn't openly express but there's always an air of worry and grief around her, especially by the time the 6th heart event comes around and Judai and Sho go missing. She has teary sprites and it broke my heart, especially with the context of Fubuki's disappearance and how badly it affected her the first time. One of her potent lines was something along the lines of "What if I have no one left?" Everyone she cares about literally just vanish off the island (although this doesn't stop them appearing during the dueling exam)

The route concludes with Asuka meeting with Kenzan and Johan at the abandoned dorm where Titan (yes, the shadow rider) is back for some reason? With Jinzo. Apparently Titan is back for revenge and Jinzo wants to use everyone Asuka's ever loved as sacrifices for his rebirth. Which of course doesn't happen because its the easiest boss fight in the whole route lmao.

However it was cute. Tag Force 2 is kinda like if season 3 was season 1 and I like it as a season 1 defender. It was nice to see the tables turn where Asuka saves Judai instead of vice versa (even if the dialogue regarding it was a little ham fisted and more could have been said about Asuka being a damsel in distress more often or not and how she feels about that - but like wtf its a childrens card game anime video game who cares)

She gets a lil tsundere @ Judai at the end too lmao I'm telling you, this guys autistic rizz is endless

[iyliss]

And Edo or Mizuchi if I'm not being too annoying all at once~

nooo you're not!!! I love talking about all of them. Thank you so much for giving me an excuse.

I already did Edo over here but let's go for Mizuchi ~

Why I like them/why I don’t: Absolutely most incredible ygo character to ever be created. A shrine maiden with psychic power that lives in a cave and who has advanced hacking skills to the point of easily getting into one of the most powerful company's internal system AND a war sattelite?? Who's first reaction to needing help from people is kidnapp and beat their loved one so they have no choice but to help?? i love her she would be a terrifying villain if she didn't care first for her very nice brother's feelings.

What I like about their appearance: honestly a very solid design, i love how she's very clearly saiou's sister while having her own identity... she's also just a bit uncanny which is very nice. Also closest thing we get to a girl wearing pants in that series ig.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? Both Mizuchi and Sarina are such cute name... i wish she was talked about a bit more so I could read Sarina more often.

OTP That is a whole aromantic woman who would rather die than get in any kind of form of relationship and who generally has very not positive thoughts on peolple and is most happy alone in a cave. Outside of that well yeah her relationship with saiou is so dear to me, there's much to do with Edo and i do like her dynamic with tenjoin siblings because on one hand you have the tf scenen with Fubuki and on the other the things she could talk about with Asuka...

NOTP : Anyone she isn't approaching love.

OT3 : actually once more not a romantic one, i love the childhood development with her, saiou and edo. Little tiny kids with no one else in the whoooole world.

Favourite card they use: HER MAIN IS SO like in a world of ygo girls always have cute or pretty or nice-looking card her is a BIG GIANT UGLY DISGUSTING GOD OF DARKNESS. It's such a nice opposition with saiou's cards. And it reminds me a bit of the gods that mizuchi and him are in the bujins. Look at this thing. Mizuchi I love you.

Favourite moment they were in: When the virtual world is colapsing and everyone escape and Judai tells her to leave with them... And she's so SURPRISED because she didn't realize that anyone would ever want to just... listen to her and help her. Like she really didn't think about just asking for help because she sincerely expected to not receive any.

Least favourite moment: I adore Saiou's appearance in season 4 but uuugh I wish it wasn't at the cost of Mizuchi being a damsel in distress... Im glad it's at least portrayed as both of them wanting to save each other but still... She deserved so much more.

[tobiasdrake]

We may have a new base of operations!

Back to normal or better than normal? He's rich. Maybe he installed luxury seats and-and an autopilot since Yakou doesn't know how to fucking drive. I'm so excited!

...

...

Halara's right. We light it on fire and then move into the hotel. Nothing good can come of this place, right y'all? ...Y'all?

Oh, it's drab and miserable like it used to be. Makoto upgraded nothing. Okay. This is fine.

I'm moving into the hotel. I can sleep in Vivia's room. He sleeps under the piano in the lobby so he won't mind.

Does it say if he at least installed a deluxe coffee maker? No? Okay.

I shouldn't be complaining about getting a whole-ass submarine but I--

Hold the fuck up. Did he reinstall the secret WDO hot-line phone? How? How did he do that?

I know I've said a lot of mean things about Kurumi, especially when I was accusing them of murder, but they're talking a lot of sense right now. We should use this place sparingly. Keep it and use it so Makoto doesn't feel offended and turn on us, but avoid discussing anything of serious import in this likely-bugged office.

If we need to talk confidential Amaterasu mission information, we're better off on the streets where random people might listen in than in the office where dangerous people are definitely listening in.

Honestly, boss man, it was your job to kick her out of the group. That's on you. Kurumi has earned my respect with her contributions to this investigation, and that's more than I can say for you.

Besides, a detective agency that nobody can find is good for nothing. What good are detectives that can't be hired to solve cases?

Can Vivia see Shinigami?

I have been wondering if we were going to have a character show up that can interact with Shinigami 'cause they're super spiritual or some shit. But maybe that's been Vivia all along.

Hmm... Interesting. So that's about seven years before the Forever Rain began. I wonder if the secret lab is one of the flooded Dohya District labs? It's possible they flooded the district on purpose in order to conceal it.

Kurumi got here five minutes ago and she already outranks Yuma on the Nocturnal Agency hierarchy.

I would be spiteful about this but I say shit like this about Yakou all the time too. We have a give-and-take of mutual disrespect.

YAKOU NO. WHAT HAVE YOU CONSIGNED ME TO.

Okay. Last round went to me, when I abandoned him in the sub to starve for a full day. This round goes to Yakou. He wasted no time at all selling me to Kurumi, a girl he barely knows.

HE CAN. Holy shit. He totally can see Shinigami! He's been watching us interact with Shinigami this entire time. What the fuck.

That's what I've been saying! Shinigami is a bad thing, and her involvement (and the things she knows but won't cop to) makes the WDO as a whole incredibly suspicious!

@.@ He stood up. He stood up and took out a box cutter.

Shit's about to get real. Next chapter is going to be intense.

Not impressed by the final reveal of the killer but overall there was a lot to like in this one. Fubuki's fun and I love hanging out with her, even though the writing goes so hard on the "LOL Bimbo" jokes.

I was worried partway through that they were going to go the "Chaotic Evil bomb-throwing anarchists" route once the bomb stuff came into play, but they avoided that pitfall. Though I'm not sure how much better "This was all an elaborate bank robbery" is. That was a distressingly disappointing reveal.

So many interesting things Icardi could have been and they go for two-bit bank robber. Well, this is far from the worst instance of Danganronpa's Chapter 3 curse, that's for damn sure. Nice to see one tradition remaining intact, even if the "two victims" tradition was left behind.

Don't know how to feel about Makoto. He rubs me the wrong way, but that could easily be my own internal biases against the upper class acting up. Still, between Yuma, Shachi, and now Makoto, it feels like nobody in Kanai Ward understands that you can't negotiate with a bullet. When the opponent has all of the guns, evidence and logic mean nothing.

Remember in the first Pokemon game when a ten-year-old boy dismantled a crime syndicate by winning a Pokemon battle with the mob boss? He beat the boss and the boss was like, "You have defeated me fair and square. Very well. I will quit crime forever." And then the boss dismantled his own organization and retired forever.

It feels like that's what everyone thinks will happen if they can just secure a photo of Yomi breaking the rules. Like they can march into his office and slap a picture of one of his guards roughing up a suspect down. And Yomi will look at it and go, "Gasp! Corruption is what I have become. You have humbled me, good sir. I will dismantle the Peacekeepers and leave Kanai Ward forever."

And I want to say that's an unrealistic thing for them to believe. But. Like. That's basically what every throwdown with Monokuma's Masterminds winds up being like. They always drop dead because you logicked them so hard that they ran out of clapbacks.

So. Maybe it could work?

[jaijaitbinks]

I'm fixating.

————

Genos had never seen anything so beautiful.

As the gore and blood of shape-altering beast rained from the sky, tainting the streets and buildings in an ugly crimson, Saitama remained the center of attention—the sun in they sky. His golden wings, spread out wide in the air as he flew, shined like pure, untouched treasure. The power of each flap creating a breeze that reached the cyborg. He looked like a cross between an angel, gorgeous and bright and oh so elegant, and a demon, serious and powerful and unashamed. There was no doubt in the way he flew, no disgust in the glint of golden feathers.

Coming down, monster blood dripping off his wings like rain on a car, Saitama didn't look at anyone. He stared at what remained of the shape-shifting beast, even as he flapped his wings hard to completely rid them of the red—which, even as gross as it was, the color accented the gold of his wings incredibly well. The few civillians that were around, including the one he saved, watched him with rapt attention, like critics to a new film. Slack-jawed and in awe, not minding the powerful gust of wind he caused or the blood that got on them. A handfull of heroes who had arrived to the scene not even two minutes ago eyed him just as critically and amazed. Saitama met no one's eyes.

Genos' own wings, one partially broken, curled up behind him as he came closer, hands outstretching to Saitama without much thought. For a moment, when Saitama senses Genos coming nearer, his wings involentarily draw up—a sign of defensiveness. The cyborg held off from touching him then, alarmed and disconcerted, before Saitama's wings ease and droop, hanging low to the ground. It's then that Genos lets his hands take Saitama gentle by the arms, his biceps. When Saitama looks at him, confusion worrying his brows, Genos simply looks back.

"You're gorgeous..."

He says it in a mystified, breathless tone that makes Saitama flush. His eyes go wide and, for a split moment, the sun makes his eyes gleam gold, too.

Then, he scoffs bitterly.

"You're delusional," he huffs, but his tone doesn't match with what he means. He says it like he's underlyingly insulting himself.

Genos almost feels insulted by his words. "I'm not. Everyone seems to think you're gorgeous, too." He gestures around to the people who observed them with bewilderment, wondering what they're doing, what they're saying. Saitama only spares a glance before he's blushing harder and a wing comes up to shield him from prying eyes, blocking their view.

"They think my wings are gorgeous, not me," he says. Part of the cyborg couldn't take him seriously with him blushing like that, red nearly up to the ears, but he still listened. "You... I don't understand you. I'm not gorgeous. At all." He huffs out, almost ashamed: "They don't even suit me."

That was a lie. That was the largest lie he's ever heard in his whole life. Prosperity, wealth, and success fit who he was, what he has perfectly. While not in the literal sense, it suits his character. He's rich in wisdom, in compassion, in strength, in beauty—within and out. His prestige is undeniable. There's a reason the cyborg was his disciple, willing to follow him to the ends of the universe. There's a reason people like Fubuki began shifting their views of not only Saitama and the world, but themselves. There's a reason why people like King and Mumen Rider find themselves befriending the one-punch hero. The impact he has on the entire world in undeniable.

His wings suit him impeccably.

"They do." His hands drift down, sliding along his arms. And although he would love to relish in the shiver that shook Saitama's body, up to his winds, he kept himself steady. Easily, Saitama allows Genos to hold his hands. "Their symbolism doesn't have to be literal."

His mouth draws thin and curves, an unsure frown clear. "It still doesn't suit me. I hate them. They're so... people always think they're beautiful when all they do is lie about who or what I am."

"Prosperous? Influential? Compassionate?" He lists, smiling softly. "Does that not sound like you?"

"No," he says, immediate. "No, it doesn't."

"You don't think you're prosperous?" He prods. He doesn't realize his winds have come up, stretching upwards in a display of protection. And attraction. Saitama notices, tries his best not to gawk or blush, and keeps his eyes firmly locked on his disciple. He can hear that more people were coming over, and he knew they could see Genos' blatant display of courtship.

"I-I..." he looks at their hands, his cupped within Genos'. He goes quiet, because although he does think so, watching Genos' wings flex and curl the way it is right now is making him believe that he is. He feels like he's gaining something so precious.

The cyborg comes closer, making Saitama curl his wings to better accomodate the ones of steel and titanium.

"You don't believe you've impacted my life? Or the lives of your friends? The lives of everyone on Earth?"

Again, Saitama wants to say yes, he doesn't believe it. But this? This interaction, his wings—it's clear that he has, even if he doesn't understand why. And when he does think about it, even if he doesn't believe he has on a more emotional or mental, he has saved lives, including the ones of his friends. So once again, Genos is right.

His warm metal hands, plush with silicone palms but strong—holding much more power than Genos seems to realize, make the bald man wang to hide. He wishes they weren't acting like this so publicly. Weren't talking like this so openly.

"You don't believe you're intelligent?" He asks. "Or compassionate? Generous?"

Saitama feels overwhelmed, bombarded with so much. His own feelings, Genos'. He's starting to believe what Genos says, because Genos was the one saying it. And maybe it's the hope talking, maybe the fact Genos knew how to persuade him, maybe his act of courtship was still distracting him, but he's believing him.

He doesn't realize his own golden wings rise and curl to reciprocate. Genos does.

"I... don't know, anymore," he admits softly, quietly.

Genos continues to look at him with such emotion it becomes hard for Saitama to maintain eye contact. A hand leaves Saitama's, reaches past him. Instinctually, his wings lower.

"May I?" He asks softly, and if Saitama hadn't been reeling before, he sure as hell was now. Genos wanted him, he figured that out. But Genos wants him now, care for people seeing them a concern lost to the wind. He can't bear it anymore, and ducks into Genos' neck to hide. He doesn't say it outloud, instead squeezes the hands his own turn to intertwine with. The cyborg takes that as his consent and cards his fingers through delightfully soft feathers, melting against Saitama when a flustered whimper leaves him.

"You're gorgeous, sensei."

[lux-espiravit]

Log #1 "Okay So- I got myself into this mess" Loading....

Some friends gave me their thoughts on the series after I asked around and their answers made me think.

AreOri is an alternate timeline where Fubuki Atsuya lives, the alien attack didn't happen, Gouenji didn't have to run, Raimon got divorced and went separate ways, and teams have sponsors now because capitalism. (im joking on some parts but still)

Now, we're starting where everything is dead and done and Raimon already went to other schools and made a name for themselves, and we're following a new cast who have to deal with the aftermath of everything. And the new villain, children perfectionism/ half-joke. I haven't finished Ares yet, but I can feel like that's a part of the theme especially with the whole schtick the Balance of Ares program's got going on. But that's a different story for a different time.

What I'm gonna be talking about now is the characters.

Of course that characters we loved and knew from the OG series are gonna be different here. (im still confused about someoka ngl) The development they went through in the OG is gonna be pretty different here or probably non-existent. A huge part of Fubuki's arc was caused by his family's death and it all avalanched into mental instability. (if my memory's right, it's been a while since i've revisted the OG series) Kazemaru also probably didn't leave Raimon in the AreOri timeline, so guess what, he just teams up with the antagonist in his character arc in every timeline. It actually reveals an interesting about his character, tho (i HAVE to watch the entirety of OG, im feeling it)

But the thing is, we also have ANOTHER cast to develop along with explaining some of the changes with the first cast. I feel like there's going to be a lot of flashback moments with the old cast. And to make up for the lack of development of some characters, I'm gonna involve the new cast into their development so the spotlight gets shared equally if it comes to it. Cause the new cast needs some love AND development. But I still have to finish the series and study them more.

So, my thoughts so far on Ares:

Rushed. Jesus H. Christ, twas rushed. It gives the feeling of tuning in while missing out on parts of the story, atleast for me. The first episode made me feel like I was missing the first half of it. I wished they let us see what the kids' life on the island was like. You know to SHOW US WHY WE SHOULD CARE FOR IT. Shoving a bunch of kids crying for their parents on screen aint gonna cut it for everyone, my good men. Show us what their life was like, what they were gonna miss. At least like a part so the flashbacks in their training felt a bit foreshadowed and connects to what we saw to the first ep to make it a little more memorable. (i am losing brain power fast, so im not sure if this makes any good sense)

The thing with Ares, Akane, and Nosaka got me curious. The Inakuni has potential. Haizuki's funny. I kind of like his development. Also I love Endou's civilian fit when he made his first appearance. Idk i just fell in love with it. (give him back his melanin pls) Kozoumaru's interesting, especially his connection with Gouenji (dude helps out a kid in every timeline). Hiura's supposed to be like a detective, right? Let him be more detective-y. Goujin's funny. He has a little charm to him. Mansaku and Michinari are interesting, especially their family dynamics. I love Iwato and Hattori's relationship. They're cute. Who is Okuiri Hiro? I love Norika's personality (it's a personal favorite thing). I think her backstory and home life are interesting. Hiyori's cute and I like him. He's silly. Coach Zhao is Coach Zhao. (this man is a war criminal) I like the new managers. She's silly and Anna's nice.

I'm gonna save Asuto (Bug Boy) for another post.

Peace Out!

[b-else-writes]

The Great CLAMP Re-Read Part 6: Shirahime-Syo

Part 1 (RG Veda) | Part 2 (Man of Many Faces) | Part 3 (Tokyo Babylon) | Part 4 (Duklyon) | Part 5 (Clamp Detectives)| Part 7 (X)| Part 8 (Chunhyang) | Part 9 (Miyuki-chan)| Part 10 (Rayearth)| Part 11 (The One I Love)

I'm constantly saying in this early era of CLAMP, "here's one of their most obscure works", but this really is CLAMP's most obscure work. It has no anime, no drama CDs, I daresay beyond Shirahime herself, none of the other characters who appear have been remembered by CLAMP or their fans. Not to say this work is bad - the opposite! It's simply beautifully self-contained (what a rarity).

This exists because a magazine that would soon go out of print requested a series from CLAMP. Published in 1992, Shirahime was finished in just 10 days and marked a departure from CLAMP's style and tone. A hardcover volume was published in English by Tokyopop in the 2000s, collecting the 3 chapters, prologue and epilogue. Happily, I was able to snag a copy of this evocative, atmospheric work. Finally, some good food after the CLAMP School downturn!

Synopsis: Legend tells that the falling snow is the tears of the snow princess, Shirahime. Across three interconnected stories in ancient Japan, CLAMP explores human grief and folly, isolation, and the anthropomorphism of nature.

The Story: This is a manga written in 10 days in the best way possible. There's a frame story to the whole manga, where a man unknowingly encounters Shirahime and gives us her legend, warning of the snow's dangers. The epilogue returns us here to wrap up the thematic elements. The three chapters are each self-contained stories centered around snow and despair, and they feel ephemeral in some ways. But this works beautifully with the entire theme of bleak melancholia of snow covered mountains.

CLAMP admits there's no specific time period as they had no time to do adequate research, but we get enough sense of a pre-modern Japan. There's a very folktale feeling to the entire piece that lingers in the mind, giving just enough information to each vignette to convey themes and emotions. I was especially moved by the first story where a girl goes after a wolf she believes killed her father, only to grow attached to it. The girl's mother kills the wolf, telling her that it would only kill her in the end. We're left wondering if this is true or not - can we escape our natures? Do we cause our own grief?

The Themes: Which ties beautifully into the themes of the story. Shirahime ends the book by telling the man that snow is not her tears but the tears of man's grief and suffering. While seemingly rather banal, even edgy, it works within a narrative that explores how different characters anthropomorphize nature and ascribe human characteristics to it in an effort to push aside their own pain or make sense of the universe.

Is the wolf caring for the little girl out of guilt or is it just a wolf without human morality, and there is no rhyme or reason to its cruelty and mercy? Are two herons lovers, or are they just birds who must mate by their natures, just as our protagonist is drawn to war? Is it right to envy a frozen flower, or will it only lead to destruction? There's such an interesting concept here about trying to make sense of a cold and uncaring world through story, the human need to narrativize and personify, which is such galaxy-brained thinking for something literally made on the fly. It's so utterly early CLAMPian in its melancholia, and yet so poignant.

The Characters: As each story is self-contained, no characters reappear beyond Shirahime, who exists as a framing device (she is wonderfully mysterious and otherworldly). The thinly written, archetypal characters work in a folktale setting. We don't need to know beyond Fubuki, brave young girl, or Kaya, heartbroken lover.

The Art: Unlike their other works, CLAMP did this entire manga with a brush, using ink wash instead of their usual screentone. It's a very smart choice given the time limit they had, and it's clear they picked snowy barren landscapes so they could crunch those backgrounds fast. The result is hauntingly beautiful, with grays that feel cold, and visceral emotional moments reminiscent of ink paintings. That panel of Kaya frozen in the ice, or Inuki getting shot? Will live rent free with me forever. Shirahime's design is also gorgeous. While the paneling is definitely simpler, it works so well with the art that I can't complain. The art carries the stories so far that it is part of the narrative.

Questionable Elements: There is none, shockingly. A woman does die to fulfill a man's narrative but every other fairytale does this really.

Overall: A haunting atmospheric read. I knew I was going to enjoy the artwork because I love soft traditional brushwork pieces, but I didn't expect to really be moved by it, and I was. It gave me the sense of reading particularly haunting folklore that cuts to something true in humanity: that nature doesn't have a reason or morality, it just exists, but it is in our nature to try to make sense of it, to tell story and create myth and legend. We are storytelling creatures, to our wonder and our doom. This is a theme that I am an absolute sucker for, a meta-textual story that reflects upon their own work in many ways and their own place as storytellers. It's a short read, and I do highly recommend it to non-fans, if nothing else for how beautiful it is.

[asbestos-11]

controversial opinion but:

galaxy > ie s2 > chrono stone > go > ie s3 > orion > ie > ares

ares fucking sucks and the only good things about it are nosaka and haizaki. idgaf about the plot, the characters are ass and idc about it enough to rewatch it.

the original is cool and all but i have no want to rewatch it and the original raimon is boring. some plot points are interesting, but overall i just don't care much for the plot. it is iconic tho.

orion can be infuriating and plot points/ characters are dropped so fast. irina's whole motive makes no sense and kageyama is pointless in this one. tho it's so funny bcuz it's so bad, kinda the room vibe yk? personally i really enjoyed the attempted murders, ichihoshi being a menace and kidou bullying him. probably would rewatch only select episodes. oh also i hate how ichihoshi's did is treated and how his ndness is cured by getting the fubuki treatment.

the ffi arc is cool and very iconic. i rewatch it every now and then. appreciate fudou being developed but i wish there was more to his arc. fubuki gets character nuked which is sad :( kageyama dying is cool and the payoff of the whole garshield daisuke kageyama plotline, while silly, ties the series off nicely. very iconic very pog.

i think go is my most rewatched season and for good reason. i like the conflict and the plot + the characters are interesting and i get so invested in them. tho i hate gouenji during the movie and him condoning god eden is just yikes. tho go introduced keshins which i couldn't care less for and i think they are used as an asspull most of the time (ie majin pegasus/majin pegasus arc, matei gryphon, taiyou's keshin bullshitery). i hate that they didn't do much with kariya, hikaru and the rest of raimon cuz they deserve to be explored.

cs has a special place in my heart as it's the 1st season i watched subbed and not on prime time television. also it was the 1st time i interracted with the fandom (even if it was just reading fics). appart from that i am a sucker for time travel and history in general. i love fei and kinako's arcs and that sweet sweet angst. tho i'm a bit mixed on miximax since i find it aesthetically pleasing and cool, but also kinda meh on it's execution plot wise. i really dislike el-dorado and the ssc conclusion and the way the ssc are talked about/treated. i also hate asurei lol

s2 my beloved you have introduced me to blorbo from my show. love the premise and the plot, the drama and the copious amounts of angst. fudou is a thing /pos and while i find the whole dark emperors match iconic i also don't care enough about it. i love the aliea kids as they're the highlight of the season to me. the only thing i dislike is hitomiko's treatment of raimon but it is understandable story wise, still i am miffed. also fubuki merging is kinda meh to me.

i don't think i need to explain galaxy as a fave bcs i think it's quite obvious that i really really like it. hell my bio literally says that. i do have my problems with galaxy, like sakura's character being forgotten, kageyama being alive and the anime being worse than the game. surprisingly i like souls.